Speed leads to crashes - Oman Daily Observer

HM greets Chad President 

HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent a cable of greetings to 

President Idris Dibby of Chad on the occasion of his country’s 

National Day. His Majesty the Sultan wished President Dibby 

good health and happiness and the friendly people of Chad further 

progress and prosperity. — ONA 

Saturday, August 11, 2012/Ramadhan 22, 1433 AH 

www.omanobserver.om editor@omanobserver.om 

1,093 join 

the private 

sector 

THE National Manpower 

Employment Index 

shows that 1,093 citizens 

received jobs in private 

sector establishments last 

week, (August 4-8), with 

35.8 per cent employed 

in the construction sector, 

23.2 per cent in the sector 

of wholesale, retail, 

automobile repair and 10.8 

per cent in other industries. 

21,000 ID 

cards in 

five days 

THE Directorate-General 

of Civil Status issued more 

than 21,000 identity cards to 

members of the public in a 

period of five days between 

July 28 and August 1, 

2012. The ROP department 

issued and renewed 3,792 

identity cards for citizens 

and 17,806 residency cards. 

It also registered 1,490 

newborns. 

A PALESTINIAN during 

a demonstration against 

the expropriation of 

Palestinian land by Israel 

in the village of Kafr 

Qaddum. — AFP 

Philippine 

flood toll 

rises to 60 

THOUSANDS more 

Philippine flood victims 

crammed into evacuation 

centres yesterday as waisthigh 

water covered vast 

farming regions and the 

death toll from a week 

of misery rose to 60. The 

flooding that submerged 

80 per cent of Manila last 

week has largely subsided, 

allowing people to return. 

India plans 

to buy 60 

choppers 

LOOKING to replace 

its navy’s ageing Chetak 

helicopter fleet, India has 

floated a $900-million 

global tender to procure 

around 60 utility choppers. 

The utility choppers will 

replace the 60-odd Chetaks 

that the navy has in service 

and are operated both from 

shore and from on board its 

warships’ flight deck. 

Taking no more chances 

A SIREN rang out in the cable factory in northern India 

when there was a power blackout in half the country 

recently, but its computer screens didn’t even blink as 

$180,000 worth of batteries seamlessly took over the 

machines winding the thick coils on the shop floor. 

It was the second time in 36 hours that power supply to 

vast swathes of the country was halted. 

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P3 

P8 

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12 27 20 

Big boost to real estate 

 

MUSCAT — The Islamic finance 

has a plethora of benefits 

to the various sectors of the 

economy and also accelerates 

the revival of the domestic real 

estate sector, according to experts 

in real estate. 

Experts unanimously opine 

that the decision to licence the 

operations of Islamic banking 

in the Sultanate has opened up 

windows of opportunities for 

the banking sector. 

The successful launch of 

Bank Nizwa, an exclusive Islamic 

bank, and the opening 

of Islamic banking operations 

windows by conventional 

banks is evidence that the 

banks plan to capitalise on the 

Islamic finance is 

a $1 trillion global 

industry and has 

served as a vital 

source of funding for 

real estate projects 

Speed leads to crashes 

MUSCAT — As many as 27 

people died during the first half 

of Ramadhan this (July 21- 

August 3) and 260 others were 

hurt in a total of 223 road accidents 

around the Sultanate. 

The road accident toll this 

year is still better than last 

year, when 47 people died in 

accidents during the first half 

of Ramadhan and 430 were 

injured in a total of 330 road 

accidents, according to the 

statistics of the Royal Oman 

Police (ROP). 

The ROP pointed out that 

most of these accidents are 

due to speeding, particularly 

in the pre-dusk period, the 

time many motorists are heading 

home from work or shopping, 

with some of the drivers 

indulging in dangerous stunts 

in a bid to catch up with iftar 

along with family or friends. 

The ROP said that it is normal 

that motorists feel tired or 

sleeping as they miss out on 

rest during the night and this 

affects their capacity of concentration 

on the road. 

Dozing for seconds while 

at the steering can cause tragic 

accidents, said the ROP, noting 

that during that fraction 

of time the vehicle may topple 

outside the road or collide 

with other vehicles or crash 

into stationary objects. 

The ROP advises drivers 

to take a rest when they feel 

tired rather than continue with 

the trip. The motorists on long 

trips are advised to get down 

from time to time and stretch 

their bodies or rest for a while 

Pakistan scans trade 

KARACHI — The Federal 

Board of Revenue (FBR) of 

Pakistan yesterday notified 

the formation of Directorate- 

General of Transit Trade to 

monitor transportation of 

Afghan transit trade and supply 

to Nato and ISAF forces 

in Afghanistan, according to 

a notification issued by the 

revenue body. The directorate 

will start functioning from 

October 1, it said. 

Customs officials said that 

the directorate of transit trade 

had been formed to effectively 

monitor the supplies to 

Afghanistan under the treaty 

and supplies to allied forces 

in Afghanistan. 

The transit trade has become 

a major source of smuggling 

into and from Pakistan,” 

a Customs officer said, adding 

that the examination of 

goods would help reduce illegal 

trade and increase duty 

and taxes. Details, P8 

Alert over red meat 

LONDON — Your fondness 

for red meat might increase 

your chances of developing 

bowel cancer due to large 

amounts of iron in it. 

The new discovery could 

open the way to new treatments 

to mop up iron in the 

bowels of those who develop 

cells hit by the defective 

gene called APC. 

Mice fed low iron diet 

remained cancer free even if 

the gene was defective, but 

when it functioned normally, 

high iron levels did no harm. 

However, mice with the 

defective gene given high 

iron intake were two to three 

times more likely to develop 

the disease. 

Owen Sansom, deputy director 

of the Cancer Research 

UK Institute, Glasgow, who 

led the study, said: “We’ve 

made a huge step in understanding 

how bowel cancer 

develops. The APC gene is 

faulty in around eight out of 

10 bowel cancers but until 

now we haven’t known how 

this causes the disease.” 

“It’s clear that iron is 

playing a critical role in controlling 

the development of 

bowel cancer.” — IANS 

before proceeding. 

The ROP observed that 

the overrunning of pedestrians 

is quite common during 

Ramadhan in internal roads or 

near shopping complexes or in 

marketplaces. So the drivers 

are required to exercise more 

caution when approaching 

their areas. 

The ROP statistics show 

that 585 road accidents happened 

during Ramadhan last 

year. The accidents left 93 

people dead and 896 others 

injured. 

A ROP official said that 

speeding, besides making a 

driver lose control of his/her 

vehicle, also affects other drivers. 

Speeding goes in breach 

of Article 50/1 of the Traffic 

Law, To page 3 

GSM users 

in Oman up 

by 3.7 pc 

MUSCAT — Subscribers 

of post-paid and pre-paid 

GSM services in the Sultanate 

stood at 4,987,635 at 

the end of June compared 

to 4,809,248 by the end of 

2011, constituting a rise of 

3.7 per cent, where as subscribers 

of post-paid GSM 

services stood at 449,210 

by the end of June against 

432,093 during 2011, constituting 

a rise of 4 per cent. 

Statistics released by the 

National Centre for Statistics 

and Data (NCSD) pointed 

out that subscribers of 

pre-paid GSM services rose 

by 3.4 per cent to 4,538,425 

against 4,377,155 by the end 

of 2011. 

The data said that subscribers 

of the fixed phone 

service in the Sultanate stood 

at 295,946 at the end of June 

against 287,323 at the end of 

December 2011, constituting 

an increase of 3 per cent. 

The post-paid fixed telephone 

subscribers stood at 

219,903 at the end of June 

compared to 215,193 at the 

end of 2011. To page 3 

opportunities presented by the 

new industry and meeting the 

increasing demand for Shariacompliant 

finance. 

“As far as the Sultanate is 

concerned, Islamic finance has 

the potential to, among other 

things, helps the revival of the 

domestic real estate sector. This 

impending resurgence will help 

investor confidence in the local 

market, but also accelerates national 

economic growth,” says 

Philip Paul, Head of Agency, 

Cluttons Oman. 

He said that over the past 

two decades Islamic finance 

has burgeoned into a $1 trillion 

global industry that has served 

as a vital source of funding for 

real estate projects and other 

developments. To page 2 

THE Royal Oman Police warns against smuggling, 

sale and use of firecrackers particularly during the 

times of celebrations like Eids. Details page 3 

BERLIN — The euro zone 

economy shrunk during the 

second quarter, led by a sharp 

slowdown in German growth, 

as the debt crisis drives the 

common currency bloc closer 

to recession, data to be released 

this week is expected to show. 

Analysts expect the European 

Union’s statistics office 

Eurostat to say on Tuesday that 

the 17-member euro zone contracted 

by 0.2 per cent in the 

second quarter after stagnating 

during the first three months of 

2012. Still, the lowest point for 

the economy has still not been 

reached, warned Christoph 

Weil, an economist with Germany’s 

Commerzbank. 

“Third-quarter sentiment 

indicators are pointing to an 

even more negative outcome,” 

he said. The release of the 

euro zone figures will follow 

the publication of data by the 

Mellouli wins open water gold 

TUNISIAN Oussama Mellouli yesterday won gold in 

the men’s 10-km open water race at the London Games 

to add to the Beijing gold he won over the 1,500m 

freestyle. The silver medal went to Germany’s Thomas 

Lurz, who won bronze in Beijing, while Canadian Richard 

Weinburger finished third. “There is no ways I can 

top this. I have achieved something unique.” 

MSM companies 

profits RO 301m 

MUSCAT — The profits of 

companies listed on Muscat 

Securities Market (MSM) 

grew by about 25 per cent during 

the first half of this year as 

compared to last year. 

Thirty-nine of the companies, 

which announced 

their unaudited results for 

mid-2012, generated a total 

of profits worth RO 301.5 

million, compared to RO 

240.9 million during the corresponding 

period last year. 

The results showed that 

more than 70 per cent of the 

companies which announced 

their results achieved profit. 

What investors look for in 

the market is the profitability 

of companies and prospects 

for investment, said Hassan 

bin Ahmed al Lawati, Chief 

Executive Officer of Al Aafaq 

money market company. Al 

Lawati described the results 

of the 39 companies listed on 

MSM as good and encouraging. 

Al Lawati pointed out that 

MSM’s performance over the 

past short period was slightly 

affected by temporal factors, 

the most important of which 

is a succession of holidays and 

the issuance of preferential 

rights which absorbed liquidity 

and confused investors. 

German statistics office that 

is expected to show Europe’s 

biggest economy skidding to a 

halt in the three months to June, 

after racking up a 0.5-per cent 

growth rate in the first quarter. 

As a result, the data is likely 

to confirm that the debt crisis 

has caught up with the German 

economy after a recent slew of 

figures have shown factory orders, 

industrial production and 

trade all slumping as the sec- 

Results show 

that more than 

70 per cent of 

companies 

achieved profits 

But this recent announcement 

of good profits of MSM-listed 

companies will bring back the 

market’s performance to normalcy, 

said Al Lawati. 

Following is an account 

of (sector-wise) unaudited 

results of profits achieved by 

MSM-listed companies during 

the first half of 2012: 

Among financial sector 

companies that achieved 

profits was Bank Dhofar, 

whose profits soared by 526 

per cent, followed by Bank 

Sohar which posted an 49 per 

cent profits and bank muscat 

which saw an increase of 19.6 

per cent in profits. To P3 

HM care for Quran 

Ramadhan improves self-discipline 

 

MUSCAT — The care of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos for the 

Quran establishes a promising future for the Sultanate and 

it gives a good example for other areas in the Islamic world, 

said His Eminence Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad al Khalili, 

Grand Mufti of the Sultanate. 

In response to the 22nd Quran Competition named after 

His Majesty the Sultan, Al Khalili said that this generation 

of citizens who embrace the benign spirit of Quran are capable 

of tackling all challenges, thanks to the Royal attention. 

In his lecture, al Khalili also stressed the significance of 

Lailatul-Qadr (or the Night of Power), which witnessed the 

first revelations of the Quran to Prophet Mohammed, peace 

be upon him. He urged Muslims to intensify worship and 

good deeds during the last 10 days of Ramadhan in expectation 

of Lailatul-Qadr during which supplications to the Almighty 

are most likely to be answered by the Almighty. 

He said that Ramadhan is a time of sporting the body and 

soul into discipline which should continue through the rest 

of the year. 

Europe edges closer to recession 

ond quarter came to an end. 

The latest euro zone growth 

data will also help set the stage 

for a new critical period for the 

currency bloc as its top officials 

face up to a series of key 

decisions on the next steps to 

resolve the financial meltdown 

that is now in its third year. 

The weaker euro that has 

followed the debt crisis should 

help euro zone’s export bolster 

economic growth. — Reuters 

SOUTH Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited the disputed islands yesterday, angering Japan. Details, P6 

Prayer timing Fajr Dhuhr Asr Magrib Isha Weather W Muscat Musc usc Nizwa Sohar Al Buraimi Sur Duqm Salalah 

EXCHANGE RATES 

GOLD 

Dollar per Omani Rial 

PRICE 

Muscat 04:20 am 12:17 pm 03:43 pm 06:48 pm 08:04 pm Max ax 38 45 35 45 42 39 28 

Min 27 29 30 30 31 23 25 

Buying 0.382 Selling 0.388 $1,621.30

Focus on smart systems 

in electricity distribution 

SALALAH — The Sultanate 

will host for the first time 

the 3rd Conference on Electrical 

Power Distribution under 

the theme ‘Smart Systems in 

Electricity Distribution Service 

Sector’ on August 28 in Salalah. 

The two-day conference 

is organised by the Public Authority 

for Electricity and Water 

(PAEW) in co-operation with 

the Arab Union of Electricity. 

The opening ceremony will 

be presided over by Sayyid Mohammed 

bin Sultan al Busaidy, 

Minister of State and Governor 

of Dhofar. 

Dr Ali bin Hamed al Ghafri, 

PAEW Assistant Chairman 

www.housing.gov.om 

for International Relations and 

Media, Head of the Organising 

Committee, said that the conference 

aims at discussing the 

latest technologies in the field 

of smart systems in electricity 

distribution and experience of 

Arab countries in this regard. 

He added that the main 

themes of the 24 working papers 

will focus on the experiences 

of some countries in the 

investigation of electrical faults, 

performance control, development 

of electricity distribution 

system by using the Geographic 

Information System (GIS) 

applications and remote control 

systems in electrical networks, 

MINISTRY OF HOUSING 

Tender Announcement 

The Ministry of Housing, Directorate-General of Housing, Al Dhahirah Governorate, Financial 

 

Tender No. Description Area / Wilayat 

application of total resources 

planning in governmental establishments, 

study of load 

expectations on the electrical 

distribution networks, analysis 

of faults of Medium Voltage 

(MV) networks and study of 

relationship management systems 

with participants in the 

electricity sector. 

Dr Al Ghafri said that experts 

and specialists from the Sultanate 

and Arab countries will 

participate in the conference to 

discuss the latest technologies 

used in smart systems in the 

electricity distribution sector 

and successful experiences of 

Arab countries. — ONA 

Last date 

to receive 

 

Last date to 

submit the 

Tenders 

228/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Qaia’a/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

229/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Suwaidah Al Maa/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

230/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit A’Amlla / Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

231/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Wadi Al Ein/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

232/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Wadi Al Ein/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

233/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Jafrah/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

234/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Wadi Aswad/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

235/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Jahli/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

236/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Murtafa’a/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

237/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Hilat Al Nahdha/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

238/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Hilat Al Nahdha/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

239/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Safa/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

240/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Saleef/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 




244/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Iraqi / Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

245/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Taib/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

246/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Eineen/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 




250/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Draeez/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 


252/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit 

Al Draeez (Hay Al Mamourah)/ 

Wilayat of Ibri 

29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

253/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Wahra/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

254/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Batt / Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

255/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Bannah/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 



258/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Bilad Al Shahoum/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

259/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Dhahir Al Fawares/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

260/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Maqniat/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

261/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Raki/ Wilayat of Yanqul 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

262/2012 

Re-tenders: 

Construction of a Housing Unit Wadi Al Meaiden / Wilayat of Yanqul 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 




92/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Waqba / Wilayat of Yanqul 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 

Extending the date of submission 


182/2012 Construction of a Housing Unit Al Rahbah/ Wilayat of Ibri 29.08.2012 05.09.2012 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 OMAN 

OMAN DAILY Observer 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 

Sultanate’s pavilion at Yeosu expo attracts 500,000 

MUSCAT — The Sultanate’s pavilion at Yeosu exposition being held in South Korea for three months has attracted 500,000 visitors. Oman’s participation at the expo will conclude tomorrow, but the expo’s declaration will be made today. 

The closing ceremony tomorrow will be attended by the South Korean President and delegates of 105 participating countries. — ONA 

Paci issued 3,655 licences to practising crafts people 

MUSCAT — The Public 

Authority for Craft 

Industries (Paci) issued 

3,655 licences for practising 

crafts people who developed 

their own craft industries 

projects during the first 

half of this year. 

Boost to real estate sector 

From page 1 

Several modes of Islamic 

financing have been developed 

based on the primary 

tenet of Islamic financial intermediation 

that mandates 

the sharing of risk between 

the lender and the borrower. 

“Islamic banks have focused 

on real estate because 

it fits with Islamic principles, 

which require an underlying 

physical asset in all transactions. 

Many other investment 

classes are also off-bounds 

due to prohibition on gambling 

and interest. 

"Some institutions have 

relied heavily on real estate 

as the primary business model, 

investing in real estate, 

developing real estate and 

lending to activity around 

real estate. The real estate 

investment and finance products 

could involve purchase 

of land, buying and selling, 

build and sell, build and 

lease, and redevelopment," 

Philip told the Observer. 

He pointed that there 

have been challenges to Islamic 

banking due to slump 

in real estate sector in the 

region. However, advocates 

say the system has built-in 

protection when compared 

with the conventional financial 

institutions as excessive 

risk taking is banned. 

In addition to the market 

risks there are areas such as 

competencies and expertise 

to supervise risks effectively. 

“Islamic commercial 

banks have been conservative 

in lending and collateral 

valuations. Investors are being 

very cautious and asset 

prices are going down, so it 

is more challenging. 

"The challenges are in 

identifying the quality of asset, 

asset price risk, rate of 

return risk, displaced commercial 

risk and equity investment 

risk." 

Nevertheless, the bank’s 

exposure for Islamic banks 

typically takes the form of 

a profit sharing contract; 

whereby the Islamic bank 

puts its own money at risk 

in the form, effectively, of 

an equity stake. The bank’s 

exposure depends on both 

the skill and honesty of its 

partner. 

“This potent mix of high 

risk and moral hazard is an 

area which needs greater 

scrutiny, in fact. As the real 

estate assets which banks 

are financing continue to be 

owned by their clients, much 

Islamic bank exposure to 

real estate risk may not appear 

on the sector’s balance 

sheets," Philip said. 

The authority offers 

support to the artisans 

in terms of training and 

promotional facilities. 

The Paci recently 

launched a programme 

to inventory basic craft 

industries, design an 

interactive portal and 

organise a competition 

to keep original Omani 

designs alive.

Speed leads to crashes MUSCAT 

From page 1 

said the official, noting that, as 

per the law, a rash driver who 

endangers the lives of other 

people will be awarded a jail 

term not more than one year 

and a fine not more than RO 

500 or both. 

For example, a driver 

would act in violation of the 

law if he/she drives very fast 

in an overtaking position contrary 

to the usual expectation 

of other drivers, the official 

explained. 

MUSCAT — Motorists are advised to avoid using special parking lots designated for 

the disabled in front of commercial outlets, marketplaces and other public areas. 

21,000 cards issued in five days 

MUSCAT — The Directorate- 

General of Civil Status issued 

more than 21,000 identity 

cards to members of the public 

in a period of five days between 

July 28 and August 1, 2012. 

The ROP department issued 

and renewed 3,792 identity 

cards for Omani citizens and 

17,806 residency cards. It also 

registered 1,490 newborns, 

both Omanis and expatriates. 

To view the civil status 

services offered by the ROP, 

citizens and residents are advised 

to visit the directorate’s 

website (www.civilstatus.gov. 

om). 

SHINAS — Sohar Hospital recently organised a blood donation campaign. The 100-donors 

campaign was organised in co-operation with the Shinas Ramadhan Programme Tent. 

MUSCAT — Air Kerala can 

be a reality in all the sectors if 

everyone works towards this 

object and travel woes will no 

longer be an issue as far as the 

south Indian expat community 

is concerned, according to E T 

Mohamed Basheer, a former 

education minister of Kerala 

and a prominent politician. 

He was speaking on the 

sidelines of the iftar gathering 

organised by the Kerala Muslim 

Cultural Centre (KMCC) 

From page 1 

Subscribers of pre-paid 

fixed phone service (Sahl) 

stood at 25,932 against 26,345 

in 2011. The number of public 

phones all over the Sultanate 

stood at 6,801. 

The number of fixed telephone 

line subscribers in the 

Governorate of Muscat stood 

at 138,179 by the end of June, 

followed by the governorates 

of South and North Al Batinah 

(32,214), the Governorate 

of Dhofar (21,852), the 

Governorate of Dakhiliyah 

(19,970), the governorates of 

South and North Sharqiyah 

(16,256), the Governorate of 

Dhahirah (7,416), the Governorate 

of Al Buraimi (6,620), 

the Governorate of Mussandam 

(2,931) and the Gover- 

SALALAH — Oman Water 

Society will organise a 

seminar on fog harvesting in 

Salalah on August 24. 

The two-day seminar 

aims at highlighting the 

role and uses of fog water 

in arid and semi-arid areas, 

exchange of experiences and 

ideas in collecting fog due to 

the importance of fog water 

in reducing the water deficit 

3 OMAN 



Alert on firecrackers 

— Despite the 

penalties imposed on smugglers 

and users of firecrackers, 

children still continue to 

use firecrackers which pose 

imminent risks to them and 

their families, particularly 

during the times of celebrations 

like Eids. 

The ROP, in a report released 

recently, said that, besides 

injury risks, firecrackers 

cause noise pollution. The 

ROP warns parents against lenience 

with their children who 

play with firecrackers because 

they can easily spoil the sight 

or cause body injuries, while 

at the same time disturbing 

the neighbours. 

As part of its duty to protect 

the community, the ROP, 

represented by the Directorate-General 

of Customs, is 

firm with smugglers, traders 

and users of firecrackers, particularly 

the type called 'Fattak'. 

Due to the approach of 

Eid and the probability of attempts 

to import firecrackers, 

a decision was recently issued 

to arrest any person found to 

Former Kerala minister 

optimistic on new airline 

From page 1 

In the industrial sector, 

the profits of Oman Cables 

Company increased by 53 

per cent, the profits of Al 

Jazeera Steel Products grew 

by 33 per cent and Oman 

Cement Company 22 per 

cent. 

In the services sec- 

be in possession of this type 

of material known as Al Fattak. 

No bail would be allowed 

till a verdict is issued, the 

authorities concerned said. 

The perpetrators may get a 

jail term not more than three 

years and be ordered to pay a 

fine not more than RO 3,000 

or both penalties. This is in 

implementation of Article 

4/145 and Article 142 of the 

Unified GCC Customs Law. 

Woman arrested with narcotics 

MUSCAT — The Royal 

Oman Police (ROP) recently 

arrested a woman of 

Asian nationality who tried 

to smuggle into the Sultanate 

32 capsules of narcotics 

via Muscat International 

Airport. 

The woman, who looked 

suspicious upon arrival at 

the airport, was transferred 

to the Police Hospital, where 

the narcotics were found 

hidden in her stomach. 

here yesterday. 

However, lots of hurdles 

are being faced by the Kerala 

government, but the state administration 

can overcome 

all those obstacles with selfless 

and determined efforts, 

opined Basheer. 

About the gold import taxes, 

he added, the authorities 

are working out new modalities 

to ease the concerns of the 

expatriate community. 

— By A Staff Reporter 

MSM firms profits RO 301m 

tor, Al Jazeera Services’ 

profits soared by 450 per 

cent, followed by Al Maha 

(25 per cent), Shell Oman 

Marketing (13.8 per cent) 

and Omantel (12.7 per 

cent), while the Omani Qatari 

Company (Nawras)’s 

profits dropped by 11 per 

cent. — ONA 

GSM users up by 3.7 pc 

norate of Al Wusta (397). 

The number of subscribers 

of Internet phone services 

at the end of June stood 

at 7,649 compared to 10,846 

during 2011, a decline by 29.5 

per cent, which include subscribers 

of post-paid services 

(6,527) and subscribers of 

pre-paid cards (1,122). 

Subscribers of broadband 

services stood at 95,096 at 

the end of June compared to 

78,217 at the end of 2011. 

The total number of Internet 

service subscribers stood 

at 2,647,699 as at the end of 

June compared to 2,168,049 

during 2011. The number of 

leased Internet line subscribers 

stood at 3,682 as at the end 

of June compared to 3,670 at 

the end of 2011. — ONA 

Seminar on fog harvesting 

and enhancing underground 

water feeding. 

The seminar will discuss 

uses of fog water, water 

quality, technology of fog 

collection, role of fog water 

in feeding the aquifers particularly 

coastal aquifers, 

the role of fog in combating 

desertification and the role 

of fog in forest sustainability. 

— ONA 

1,093 citizens get jobs in 

private sector last week 

MUSCAT — The National 

Manpower Employment 

Index shows that 1,093 

citizens received jobs in 

private sector establishments 

last week, (August 

4-8), with 35.8 per cent 

of the workers employed 

in the construction sector, 

MANAMA — Bahrain will 

host the Arab ICT Forum 

2012 on October 1. The twoday 

event will be organised 

by the ICT Committee affiliated 

to the Federation of 

Arab Engineers (FAE) and 

Bahrain 

Society of Engineers 

(BSE). 

Arab ICT Forum 2012 

seeks to establish an endur- 

23.2 per cent in the sector 

of wholesale, retail, automobile 

repair and personal/ 

household goods and 10.8 

per cent in the converting 

industries sector. 

According to the contracts 

signed, the holders 

of university degrees re- 

ing interaction and co-operation 

between the ICT leaders 

and professionals. The forum 

provides participants with 

a great opportunity to cover 

the main topics of ICT, discuss 

and address the role of 

ICT. 

ICT experts and representatives 

of telecommunication 

operators, ICT suppliers, 

major local companies, the 

ceived jobs offering pay 

ranging between RO 450 to 

RO 3,300, while holders of 

diplomas received jobs offering 

RO 350 to RO 2,929 

and holders of the General 

Education Diploma 

received jobs starting from 

RO 200. 

Arab ICT Forum 2012 in Oct 

International Telecommunication 

Union (ITU), will address 

these topics and develop 

sound solutions that help 

in eliminating difficulties 

that may face ICT sector. 

It is worth noting that 

the first forum was held in 

Bahrain in November, 2010 

and attracted a significant 

number of ICT professionals. 

— ONA 

Announcement 

Public announcement in hereby 

given by Oman Flour Mills Co. 

(SAOG) that we have changed 

our telephone numbers. 

All who deal with us are 

requested to take note of the 

new numbers provided below. 

1- Oman Flour Mills Co. - 24717300 

2- Atyab Investment Co. - 24717200

THE first time I came 

to know something 

about the history of 

Caliph Omar Ibn al 

Khattab (may Allah bless him 

and grant him peace) was in 

the early years of schooling 

when I and my schoolmates 

learned many lessons and stories 

about Omar al Farooq (as 

he is nicknamed and because 

he set boundaries between 

right and wrong). 

It was the first time the 

word 'farooq' came into my 

dictionary; never in my life 

had I heard anyone uttering 

this word before that. In 

another lesson we were told 

that Caliph Omar was walking 

along one of Al Madeena 

streets while a group of boys 

WOULD you take 

me to purchase 

some jewellery? 

My wife 

had requested me. She further 

requested by saying "this 

time we will go to Ruwi instead 

of Al Seeb". Certainly, 

I poorly agreed after knowing 

my budget, and said to her 

"Yes, darling". Poor husband, 

what option he can have except 

agreement. Such lovely 

and exciting conversation is 

not mine alone, but the same 

conversation you may find between 

each wife and husband. 

The topic is not about the 

lovely conversation alone, but 

it carries some economic queries 

and knowledge about gold 

with its history, understanding, 

market, originality, price and 

were playing, and upon seeing 

him they took to their feet 

as he was a feared person who 

was famed for his bravery and 

bodily strength and no man 

could beat him in a duel. 

The Caliph approached the 

only boy who didn’t escape 

and a conversation took place 

between the two which was 

recorded in history books as a 

story telling us how a strong 

ruler like Omar could be affectionate 

with little children. 

The stories I learned about 

Caliph Omar are seared into 

my memory. The picture I had 

in my mind of him was that 

of a sturdy man with broad 

shoulders, high stature and 

resounding voice. 

When I was a little boy I 

its economic impact over the 

state. In this regard, I asked my 

wife by saying; "Darling, what 

do you know about gold?" 

Well, I don't know much about 

it, but what I know is that it is 

made for women; gold makes 

us more beautiful when we 

wear them; and it is available 

in nice and attractive style and 

design. She innocently and 

elegantly answered me at the 

same time. 

I am not certain how much 

knowledge and bargaining 

power do Omani women have 

in this field. In fact, there is 

no specific "Gold Market" 

in Oman yet. I have noticed 

several times in Al Seeb "jewellery 

bazaar" (only a few 

jewellery shops), where these 

ladies don't look for the origi- 

often thought about the right 

and wrong between which 

Omar differentiated by means 

of his sword and imagined 

how they were mixed up before 

he separated them. The 

lesson about Omar converting 

to Islam was an interesting 

one; the teacher’s strong 

personality diminished when 

he read Surat Taha (Quran 

Chapter 20). 

As years went by, I learnt 

more about this great per- 

nality and the quality of the 

gold. They just go and purchase 

it based on the way it is 

manufactured. In such circumstances, 

many women can be 

cheated as they lack in knowledge. 

One of our neighbours 

had given her gold earrings to 

one of the jewellery shops for 

cleaning or putting some extra 

decoration on them. When 

she went to take them back 

she found that the originality 

of the gold had already gone. 

They were not as they were. 

Historians could not find exactly 

how gold was discerned. 

However, archaeologists have 

dug up gold jewellery dating 

from about 4000 BC near Varna, 

Bulgaria, on the coast of 

Black Sea. According to some 

books it is written that South 

Africa is by far leading in gold 

production. The United States 

is the second largest producer 

of gold, followed by Australia. 

Economists always go for its 

value: what value it had yesterday, 

what value it has today 

and what value will it be having 

in future. The price of gold 

also fluctuates like any other 

commodities. 

According to London Gold 

sonality. Once an envoy of 

the Sassanian king Chosroes 

came to Caliph Omar and to 

his astonishment he found 

him sleeping underneath a 

tree, he uttered his famous 

saying: "O' Omar, you ruled 

justly, therefore felt secured 

enough to sleep". This is the 

state of security and peace of 

mind that no Arab ruler felt as 

Omar did. 

Later in life I broadened 

my knowledge of Caliph 

Market Report at end of July 

2012 where it is reported that 

gold prices held above $1,620 

per ounce in London. This indicates 

that gold has a price in 

international market, and so it 

has a value. Gold can be having 

a role in a country's economy, 

as many countries accept gold 

in payment for international 

debts. On the other hand, the 

same gold can be used for jewellery 

as it is common. It was 

found out that approximately, 

two-thirds of the gold is used 

commercially each year. Common 

people purchase gold 

as jewellery items and also 

keep them as a means of savings. 

Investors purchase them 

for the sake of their business. 

They buy at lesser prices and 

sell them at a higher price. 

Young girls purchase gold as 

ornaments. 

Since the gold has importance 

like oil, gas, money and 

other commodities, someone 

has to have the knowledge of 

it. Gold is not only for jewellery 

items with different colours 

and designs. 

There is one more observation 

about these jewellery 

shops, which is lack of Omani 

4 OUTLOOK 



Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Observer. 

Caliph Omar, Ramadhan’s ‘Guest of Honour’ 

If a ‘Muscat 

Gold Market’ 

is established 

on the lines 

of many other 

countries besides 

appointing some 

Omanis wearing 

traditional dress, 

it can also have 

the potential to 

attract tourists 

Mohammed Al Hadhrami 

This Ramadhan, the 

personality of Omar Ibn 

al Khattab is presented 

in a TV drama starring 

an unknown Syrian actor 

called Thamir Ismail and 

directed by Hatim Ali who 

succeeded in drawing Arab 

viewers to the series from 

the first episodes 

Omar through reading books 

such as Mahmoud Abbas al 

Aqad’s The Genius of Omar 

and Mohammed Husain Haykal’s 

Omar Al Farooq. The 

contents of the books were 

almost consistent with the 

picture I drew of Omar from 

my schooling years with elaborate 

description of the noble 

values and ingenuity that 

distinguished the personality 

of Umar Ibn al Khattab. The 

books also focused on Omar’s 

Why can’t we have a Muscat Gold Market? 

Mohammed Al Balushi 

morwared@hotmail.com 

employees/Omanisation. 

There should be at least one 

Omani staff member to serve 

Omani clients, especially for 

those who come from interior 

regions since they may face 

communication problem in the 

prevailing situation. Another 

advantage of employing an 

Omani youth in such jewellery 

shops is that it gives an opportunity 

to him or her to understand 

about manufacturing of 

jewellery, design, style, price 

and the price trends in the gold 

market. 

Gold is considered as one of 

the economic areas where the 

country can do better in growing 

the economy of the country. 

Therefore, if a "Muscat 

Gold Market" is established on 

the lines of many other countries 

besides appointing some 

Omanis wearing traditional 

dress, it can also have the potential 

to attract tourists. This 

can pass the message to tourists 

that there is a market in 

Oman which is called "Muscat 

Gold Market" and secondly 

it can give the message that 

young Omanis are capable of 

handling tourists and regular 

clients. 

judgement and attitudes which 

in many cases were quite concordant 

with the revelation. 

This Ramadhan, the personality 

of Omar Ibn al Khattab 

is presented in a TV drama 

starring an unknown Syrian 

actor called Thamir Ismail and 

directed by Hatim Ali who 

succeeded in drawing Arab 

viewers to the series from the 

first episodes. This historical 

drama has manifested the personality 

of Caliph Omar in a 

INCIDENTS of escape by 

criminals or defendants 

have been a never-ending 

story ever since the 

criminal behaviour began on 

the face of the Earth and societies 

started efforts to contain 

unlawful acts and outlaws. 

The Omani society is paying 

the price for its modernity 

with the increasing number of 

illegal practices such as drug 

smuggling, theft, robbery and 

even murder, mostly committed 

by expatriate workers who 

are brought into the country to 

contribute to the nation’s economic 

development. 

The escaping on July 31 of 

a convict trio from the Seeb 

court building is the latest in 

a series of similar incidents 

that annoyed all members of 

the public and left them wondering 

as to how a group of 

three Asian convicts managed 

to run away through a toilet 

window on the second floor of 

the building where they were 

being held after they were 

way that made us feel as if he 

was living among us. 

In another instance, Qatari 

culture magazine Al Dawha 

republished Taha Husain’s 

book Al Shaikhan which first 

appeared in 1960, as a special 

gift to its readers on the occasion 

of Ramadhan. The book 

is about the life story of two 

of the four Rashideen Caliphs 

(truly guided caliphs who 

succeeded the Prophet Muhammed, 

peace be upon him, 

sentenced to jail terms of 10, 

15 and 30 years for murder, 

attempted murder, robbery 

and fraud. 

The escape was not discovered 

until 2 pm when the 

guards came to return them to 

prison. The trio may have fled 

hours earlier from the building 

on Sayyida Mazoon road 

in Al Khoudh and made their 

way through narrow roads to 

escape the ensuing manhunt. 

The fugitives may be hiding 

somewhere within the 

boarders carrying out criminal 

activities along with other ring 

members after the efforts to arrest 

them have come to a halt, 

or perhaps they fled by sea to 

their home country or crossed 

the boarders to a neighbouring 

country. During the hours that 

followed their escape there 

have been checkpoints on the 

main roads which affected 

the traffic flow for some time 

and left the people wondering 

whether a fleeing convict 

could appear at a checkpoint 

as rulers and commanders of 

the Muslim nation). 

Today all the radio and satellite 

channels are broadcasting 

aspects of Omar’s life and 

role in spreading Islam with 

scholars, preachers and TV 

programme editors displaying 

this iconic Islamic figure. 

In his TV show Omar: A 

Civilization Maker, the Muslim 

preacher Amr Khalid is 

highlighting the biography of 

Omar Ibn al Khattab. 

Convicts at large and 

the public in the dark 

Salim Al Jahwari 

on the main road. The only 

thing that can be done for the 

time being is to launch investigation 

and collect information 

that could help pinpoint their 

hideout. 

In such incidents the citizens 

need to be made aware 

of the facts and risks posed 

by fleeing criminals through 

a statement by the authorities 

concerned. It would be 

quite helpful if the fugitives’ 

pictures are published so that 

members of the public will be 

able to help the police arrest 

them. Besides, there should be 

monetary reward for anyone 

who provides information that 

helps the police get a clue to 

their whereabouts. 

The absence of such an 

official announcement could 

leave the people seeking information 

about the incident 

on Internet forums and mobile 

messages. The officials apparently 

withheld information 

and refrained from alerting 

the public on the pretext that 

the incident occurred due to 

negligence on the part of some 

personnel. 

Such incidents happen in 

many countries and the Sultanate 

is no exception. However, 

the crucial thing is to furnish 

the public with the facts because 

with the availability of 

modern means of communication, 

the facts will be revealed 

sooner rather than later. 

The escaping on July 31 of a convict trio 

from the Seeb court building is the latest in 

a series of similar incidents that annoyed 

all members of the public and left them 

wondering as to how a group of three Asian 

convicts managed to run away through a 

toilet window on the second floor of the 

building where they were being held

Sultanate of Oman 

Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries 

Tender Notice 

The Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries announces the following Tender: 

No. Tender No. Description Grade Tender Fee 

1 41/2012 

Onshore 

Facilities and 

Associated 

Infrastractures 

for the Fishery 

Harbour at 

Khasab 

1st and 

above 

Last Date for 

Purchasing 

Submission 

Date 

RO 425/- 21.8.2012 16.9.2012 

The specialized and registered companies with the Tender Board, may collect 

 

 

The offer SHOULD BE submitted in 2 hard Copies in wax-sealed addressed to the 

 

 

 

tender value should be delivered along with tender addressed to the (Chairman of 

 

 

Tender should be placed in tender box in the Legal Department of Fisheries 

 

Preference will be given to the companies or institutions which will give more 

weightage to Omanisation and purchase of Oman national products. 

The Ministry is not strict in the decision of allowing any less or another tender. 

INTERNAL TENDER COMMITTEE 

5ASIA 



PARAMILITARY officers search for victims amongst debris of destroyed houses after a flood caused by a dam breach in Daishan county, Zhejiang 

province yesterday. At least 10 people were killed and 27 others injured after a dam breach on early yesterday morning. — Reuters 

El Nino emerges, raising fears on food prices 

TOKYO — An El Nino weather 

pattern is under way and 

will last until winter, Japan's 

weather agency said yesterday 

in the strongest statement yet 

by a national meteorological 

body, adding to fears about 

global food supplies hit by 

drought and soaring prices. 

Corn prices have surged 

more than 60 per cent in the 

past two months as the United 

States reels from the worst 

drought in 56 years, while 

global soy supplies are also 

tight after drought in South 

America. 

Adding to worries, the UN's 

Food and Agriculture Organisation 

said on Thursday the 

world was closer to a repeat of 

a 2008 food crisis because of a 

spike in food costs. 

Latest data suggested the 

El Nino phenomenon had 

emerged, the Japan Meteorological 

Agency said, referring 

to conditions in the equatorial 

Pacific. 

"The chances are high that 

the El Nino phenomenon will 

be maintained until the winter," 

the agency said in a statement. 

The big unknown is how 

intense and how long the developing 

El Nino will be. An 

intense El Nino can cause 

widespread drought in Australia, 

parts of Africa, Southeast 

Asia and India, but also 

bring rains to other parts of the 

globe. 

While it can boost corn and 

soy crops in South America, 

wheat harvests can be devastated 

in Australia. Coffee, cocoa, 

rice and sugar output in 

Southeast Asia can also be hit. 

Officials said El Nino could 

kick in right at the end of the 

Nuke plant undamaged: IAEA 

VIENNA — The UN atomic 

agency said yesterday that Japan's 

Onagawa nuclear power 

plant, despite having been closest 

to the epicentre of the March 

2011 earthquake and tsunami, 

was in surprisingly good shape. 

The structural elements of 

the plant were "remarkably undamaged 

given the magnitude 

of ground motion experienced 

and the duration and size of this 

great earthquake," the International 

Atomic Energy Agency 

said in an initial report. 

Onagawa "experienced very 

high levels of ground shaking 

— among the strongest of any 

plant affected by the earthquake 

— and some flooding from the 

tsunami that followed, but was 

able to shut down safely," the 

Vienna-based IAEA said. 

The Fukushima plant, 120 

kilometres to the south, was not 

so lucky, suffering multiple reactor 

meltdowns and releasing 

radioactivity into the environment 

in the world's worst nuclear 

accident in 25 years. 

The IAEA report followed 

a two-week trip by 19 inter- 

national experts that will be 

followed by further visits at 

Onagawa and reviews of other 

Japanese nuclear plants. 

Findings will be added to an 

IAEA database being compiled 

by its International Seismic 

Safety Centre (ISSC) that was 

part of the watchdog's "action 

plan" on nuclear safety drawn 

up in the wake of the Fukushima 

disaster. "The data we are 

collecting will make an important 

contribution to improving 

safety," said mission head Sujit 

Samaddar. — AFP 

Indian monsoon in September, 

hurting winter wheat, rapeseed 

and chickpea crops. 

Drier weather would be 

good for China's autumn grain 

growing period, mostly corn 

and soybean, which accounts 

for more than 70 per cent of 

the country's total grain output, 

a senior Chinese meteorological 

official said. 

El Nino is a warming of 

sea-surface temperatures in 

the equatorial Pacific that occurs 

every four to 12 years. 

It is the opposite of the very 

closely related La Nina pat- 

SEOUL — North Korea's Red 

Cross yesterday rejected a 

proposal by its South Korean 

counterpart for talks aimed at 

restarting reunions for families 

separated since the Korean 

War, according to the North's 

state media. 

South Korea's Red Cross 

had proposed the talks on 

Wednesday to discuss a resumption 

of temporary reunions 

for family members separated 

since the 1950-1953 war. 

But the North rejected the 

offer, accusing its neighbour 

of blocking cross-border ex- 

tern, which often triggers 

floods in Australia and parts of 

Asia. Intense back-to-back La 

Nina episodes occurred during 

2010-12. 

The US Climate Prediction 

Centre, part of the National 

Oceanic Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), also 

warned on Thursday that an El 

Nino was almost certain to occur 

over the next two months. 

The last severe El Nino 

in 1998 caused drought in 

Australia and Southeast Asia, 

withering crops and triggering 

forest fires. — Reuters 

N Korea rejects call for talks 

changes, and insisting the 

South should first reopen 

suspended tours to its Mount 

Kumgang resort on the border. 

Family reunions have been 

held at the resort since it was 

opened in 1998 as a symbol of 

reconciliation between the two 

Koreas. 

Seoul suspended cross-border 

tours by its citizens after a 

North Korean soldier shot dead 

a South Korean housewife in 

July 2008. 

The reunion programme 

has halted due to cross-border 

tensions. — AFP 

Astronauts visit Hong Kong 

HONG KONG — Three astronauts 

from China's first 

manual space docking mission 

received a huge welcome 

from hundreds of flag-waving 

children as they arrived in 

Hong Kong yesterday. 

Astronauts Jing Haipeng, 

Liu Wang and Liu Yang, 

China's first female in space, 

China tries 

surgeon in 

kidney case 

BEIJING — A surgeon and 

four other people are on trial 

in central China over the case 

of a teenager who is said to 

have sold a kidney to buy an 

iPhone and iPad 2, state media 

reported yesterday. 

The China Daily newspaper 

said that 18-year-old 

Wang Shangkun is in serious 

condition after receiving an 

illegal transplant operation 

last year. 

The five people on trial 

stand accused of intentional 

injury and illegal organ trading 

over the removal and 

sale of the organ and face 

three to 10 years in prison if 

convicted, the paper said. 

Citing court documents, 

the China Daily said that 

Wang agreed to sell his kidney 

after contacting an illegal 

agency online. 

Wang's mother, Ou Linchun, 

told the court that her 

son did not sell his kidney to 

purchase the Apple devices. 

"My son was tempted 

by the illegal organ traders 

and might have been afraid 

of getting caught with such 

a large amount of money, so 

he bought a cell phone and a 

tablet PC," she said. — AFP 

successfully completed the 

country's first manual space 

docking with the orbiting 

Tiangong-1 module in June, 

becoming national heroes. 

More than 40 people accompanied 

the astronauts 

from Beijing, including commanders 

and designers of the 

space programme. — AFP 

PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENT FOR INDUSTRIAL ESTATES 

(PEIE) 

INVITATION TO TENDERS 

The Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE) announces the following Tenders: 

Tender 

No. 

01/2012 

(Re-Tender) 

5/2012 

RFQ No. 

PD-4-2012 

China policemen admit 

trying murder cover-up 

HEFEI — Four Chinese policemen 

admitted yesterday to 

attempting to protect the wife 

of powerful politician Bo Xilai 

from suspicion of the murder 

of a British businessman, an 

official said, in another damaging 

development for the ex- 

Politburo member. 

The official's statement, 

given after an 11-hour hearing 

barred to non-official media, 

establishes for the first time 

that there was an attempted 

cover-up of the murder of Neil 

Heywood and comes just a 

day after Bo's wife, Gu Kailai, 

chose not to contest a charge of 

poisoning Heywood. 

Neither the official account 

of Gu's closed-door trial, the 

most politically explosive case 

in China in three decades, nor 

that of yesterday's proceedings 

mentioned Bo by name. 

But the legal noose appears 

to tightening around the brash 

politician. 

Tender 

No. 

10/2012 

11/2012 

Tender Name 

Mass Excavation and Formation 

of Graded Road at Rusayl 

Industrial Estate (Store Area) 

Design, Supply, Fabricate, 

Erect Car Parking Shades 

and Associated Works for 

Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) 

Additional Works for Incubation 

and Management Facilities in 

 

Knowledge Oasis Muscat 

Agriculture & Fisheries 

Development Fund 

The AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEVELOPMENT FUND 

hereby announces the notice of the following quotations: 

Description Project 

Construction 

GRP Net 

Repairing 

Sheds in Muscat 

Governorate 

Construction 

of Fishermen 

Facilities at 

Muttrah & Seeb 

All concerned and registered companies in the Tender Council can get the tender 

documents from Agriculture & Fisheries Development Fund - Ministry of Agriculture & 

 

All interested companies desiring to participate in the tender shall be Bid Bond of 

1% for the offer, obtained from a Bank registered in the Sultanate of Oman and 

acceptable to Agriculture & Fisheries Development Fund, in the form set out in the 

Tender Documents valid for a period of 90 (ninety) days in favour of and payable to 

Agriculture & Fisheries Development Fund shall be submitted along with the wax- 

 

Agriculture & Fisheries Development Fund and to be deposited at Purchase & Contract 

Division, Second Floor at Agriculture & Fisheries Development Fund - Ministry of 

8th September, 2012. 

Agriculture & Fisheries Development Fund can accept or reject any bid without giving 

 

Tender 

Board 

Grade 

Contractors 

Grade 2 and 

above 


Grade 2 and 

above 


Grade 2 and 

above 

Court official, Tang Yigan 

, told reporters in the eastern 

city of Hefei that the four — 

police from Bo's former power 

base of southwest Chongqing, 

the vast municipality where 

Heywood was killed last November 

— had found that Gu 

was a prime suspect. 

"By falsifying interview 

records, concealing evidence 

and other means, they covered 

up the fact that she had been at 

the scene," Tang said, adding 

that one of the four policemen, 

Guo Weiguo, was a friend of 

the Bo family. 

"They also agreed on deeming 

Heywood's death to have 

been a sudden death caused by 

drinking and on not establishing 

a criminal case," he added. 

"They also induced Neil 

Heywood's family to accept the 

conclusion that it was a sudden 

death after drinking, and they 

did not carry out an autopsy 

and carried out a cremation." 

Tender Notice 

Development 

 

coastal sites 

at Muscat 

Governorate 

Development 

 

coastal sites 

at Muscat 

Governorate 

Last Date of 

Buying 

29.08.2012 

29.08.2012 

29.08.2012 

Last Date 

for getting 

documents 

Formal verdicts for Gu and 

the four policemen — Guo 

Weiguo, Li Yang, Wang Pengfei 

and Wang Zhi — are to be 

handed down at a later date, the 

court said. Bo's former Chongqing 

police chief, Wang Lijun, 

has yet to be indicted, though 

the South China Morning Post 

has said Wang's trial could follow 

next week. 

Gu and a family aide are accused 

of poisoning Heywood 

at a Chongqing hotel after a 

business dispute between her 

and the Briton turned personal. 

Chongqing police sources said 

before her trial that Bo had ordered 

a cover-up after being 

told by Wang in January that 

Gu was the chief suspect. 

The murder scandal erupted 

after Wang dramatically sought 

temporary refuge in a US consulate 

in February, just weeks 

after he was said to have confronted 

Bo with Gu's involvement. 

— Reuters 

Last 

Date for 

submission 

of tenders 

Date of 

Submission 

23.09.2012 

(13:00 pm) 

23.09.2012 

(13:00 pm) 

23.09.2012 

(13:00 pm) 

Tender 

Amount 

29.8.2012 8.9.2012 RO. 25/- 

29.8.2012 8.9.2012 RO. 30/- 

Tender 

Fee 

(RO) 

Tender Documents can be obtained from PEIE’s Accounts Department at Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) at Rusayl (Tel: 24155127), during 

 

Tenders must be accompanied by Tender Bond one percent (1%) 

 

 

 

The Chairman of the Internal Tender Committee, PEIE, Post Box No. 2, Postal Code 124, Rusayl, 

Sultanate of Oman. 

Rusayl Industrial Estate. 

 

100/- 

50/- 

-/-

6 THE WORLD 



A STUNTMAN pretends to play the piano in the air as he and his cardboard instrument are lifted by a hot air balloon over Vilnius, Lithuania, 

yesterday during the piano summer festival. Vilnius remains one of the few European capitals allowing hot air balloons to fly over the city. — AFP 

South Korea president 

lands on disputed islets 

SEOUL — South Korean 

President Lee Myung-Bak 

paid a surprise visit yesterday 

to islands at the centre 

of a decades-long territorial 

dispute with Japan, which recalled 

its ambassador from 

Seoul in protest. 

Lee was making the firstever 

visit by a South Korean 

president to the rocky volcanic 

outcrops in the Sea of Japan 

(East Sea), roughly midway 

between South Korea and its 

former colonial ruler Japan. 

Disregarding Tokyo's 

warnings that the visit would 

strain already prickly relations, 

Lee toured the main 

island and shook hands with 

coastguards as a South Korean 

flag fluttered in the breeze. 

"Dokdo is indeed our territory 

and a place worth staking 

our lives to defend. Let's 

make sure to safeguard it with 

pride," pool reports quoted 

him as saying. 

TV footage showed him 

posing for a photo in front of 

a rock painted with the slogan 

"ROK (South Korean) territory". 

The South has stationed 

a small coastguard detachment 

since 1954 on the islands 

known as Dokdo in Korea and 

Takeshima in Japan. 

Japan reacted angrily, recalling 

its envoy indefinitely 

and calling in Seoul's ambassador 

to Tokyo to receive a 

strong protest. Prime Minister 

Yoshihiko Noda said the trip 

was "extremely deplorable". 

Foreign Minister Koichiro 

Gemba upbraided his South 

Korean counterpart by phone 

and said the visit "would have 

a major negative impact on 

our people's sentiment". 

"Our side has no choice but 

to take proper measures in response," 

he said. 

The trip was made just before 

the men's bronze medal 

Olympic soccer match between 

Japan and South Korea, 

and days before the August 15 

anniversary of Japan's World 

War II surrender, which ended 

its 35-year rule over Korea. 

Lee's conservative party 

faces a presidential election in 

December, although he himself 

is constitutionally barred 

from a second term. 

Many older Koreans have 

bitter memories of Japan's 

brutal rule. Historical disputes 

such as Dokdo still mar their 

relationship, despite close 

economic ties and a shared 

concern at North Korea's missile 

and nuclear programmes. 

South Korea last week 

summoned a senior Japanese 

diplomat to protest his country's 

renewed claim to the 

islands in its latest defence 

white paper. 

Earlier in July it was Tokyo's 

turn to protest when a 

South Korean rammed his 

truck into the main gate of Japan's 

embassy in Seoul. 

One analyst said Lee's trip 

was an over-reaction to diplomatic 

strains and should have 

been considered more thoroughly. 

— AFP 

PRESIDENT Lee Myung-Bak with a police guard during a visit to remote islands. — AFP 

Kin of drug cartel boss held 

MADRID — Spanish police 

said yesterday they had arrested 

a cousin of Mexico's most 

notorious drug cartel leader, 

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, 

along with three other cartel 

members. 

In a joint operation with the 

FBI, police swooped on the 

four suspects near their hotels 

in central Madrid, they said. 

"Four members of the Sinaloa 

cartel were arrested in 

central Madrid, including a 

cousin of the world's biggest 

drug trafficker, who had chosen 

Spain as a launch pad for 

his operations in the old continent," 

police said. 

"Our country was going to 

be used a gateway for major 

consignments of narcotics," 

they said in a statement. 

Police arrested Jesus Gutierrez 

Guzman, first cousin 

of the cartel boss; Rafael 

Humberto Celaya Valenzuela; 

Samuel Zazueta Valenzuela; 

and Jesus Gonzalo Palazuelos 

Soto. Aged between 37 

and 52, they are all Mexican 

citizens and are wanted in the 

United States for drug trafficking 

and money laundering 

among other crimes, the police 

statement said. 

Spain's National Court ordered 

their imprisonment. 

Since escaping from a 

western Mexican prison in 

2001, "El Chapo" — which 

translates as "Shorty" — has 

become one of the world's 

most powerful drug traffickers 

and richest men. 

During his decade on the 

run, his Sinaloa cartel has 

moved from relatively lowkey 

drug trafficking operations 

to controlling large swathes 

of Mexican territory while it 

wages bloody turf battles with 

rival gangs. 

But while Guzman has 

eluded capture or death, one 

of his brothers was killed in 

a Mexican jail in December 

2004 and a son was killed in 

a Culiacan shopping centre in 

May 2008. His organization's 

reach extends deep into Latin 

America and Europe. 

The FBI's Boston office 

began its 'Dark Waters' investigation 

into the cartel in May 

2009, and they started meeting 

Spanish police in October 

2010 after discovering the 

expansion plans, the Spanish 

police statement said. 

The FBI ran the bulk of 

the investigation, tipping off 

Spanish police about cartel 

members' plans to travel to 

Spain in March 2011. — AFP 

Australia rescues over Doubts over 

200 from asylum boat nuke reactor 

BRUSSELS — The head of 

SYDNEY — Australia rescued more than 200 asylum-seekers 

from a boat off Indonesia, officials said yesterday as they confirmed 

that some navy ships are literally cracking under the 

strain of their work. 

Authorities raced to help a vessel in Indonesian waters 

north of the remote Australian territory of Christmas Island 

late Wednesday, transferring the 211 people on board to naval 

ships. "This boat was rescued by the Australian navy," said Immigration 

Minister Chris Bowen, adding that those on board 

included Sri Lankans, Iranians, Afghans and Pakistanis. 

"It had reported difficulty," he told ABC Radio. It is believed 

to be the largest number of people on a single vessel 

seeking asylum in Australia since Labor was elected in late 

2007, with more than 7,000 boatpeople arriving in the country 

this year. Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said he had no details 

about the state of the boat but said the sea was sufficiently 

rough that the navy initially towed the craft until those onboard 

could be safely transferred. 

The rescue came as the defence department ordered a detailed 

structural analysis of the patrol ships it uses to intercept 

boatpeople, after major cracking was found on three vessels. 

"We've found cracking in the engine room of HMAS Armidale," 

Clare said. "This is the part of the ship, the part of 

the boat that comes under the most strain, the most pressure, 

particularly in rough weather. 

"And we've identified minor cracks in two others of our 

navy patrol boats." Clare would not explicitly link the damage 

of the vessels to the rescue of asylum boats. But he conceded 

there had been an increase in asylum-seeker boats in recent 

months after the government failed to pass the so-called "Malaysia 

Solution" they had hoped would deter people from making 

the dangerous sea voyage. — AFP 

Two airlifted to safety 

from sharks’ attack 

SYDNEY — Two men were plucked from the ocean yesterday 

as sharks circled after being spotted by a television helicopter 

in a dramatic rescue involving five aircraft and five boats. 

It came after three men failed to return on Thursday after 

setting out in a fishing boat from Leeman, 270 kilometres north 

of Perth, sparking a search that covered 320 square kilometres 

of ocean. One of the men later died after being taken ashore, 

while the other man was being treated for unspecified injuries, 

West Australian police said. The third man remains missing. 

"We haven't spoken to the survivor yet and until then we 

don't know what happened," a police spokesman said. A helicopter 

for Channel Seven television spotted one of the men 

first, with the reporter on board, Grant Taylor, dramatically 

relaying the action as it happened. 

"When we first spotted him, one of the scariest things was 

there was a massive hammerhead shark not 20 metres away 

from him, just slowly circling around him," he told ABC radio. 

"He's... just struggling to swim and float on his back and try 

and keep his head out of the water," he added of the man. 

Taylor said an inflatable rescue raft was dropped but it drifted 

more than 100 metres away from the man. Taylor said the 

man was finally picked up by a search and rescue vessel and 

survived the ordeal. A second man was later found but died 

after being rescued. — AFP 

Algorithm to source 

online rumours found 

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Rumours on the Internet, 

terrorist attacks and epidemics can all be tracked to their 

originating points with a new mathematical formula developed 

by researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology 

at Lausanne, the school said yesterday. 

"Using our method, we can find the source of all kinds 

of things circulating on a network, just by 'listening' to 

a limited number of members," said Pedro Pinto, who 

worked on the algorithm with a team of scientists. 

For example, if a story spreads to 500 users of the online 

social network Facebook, investigators would need to look 

at messages from only 15 or 20 people to find out who 

started the rumour. Pinto's team was also able to identify 

the brains behind the September 11, 2001 attacks. 

"By reconstructing the message exchange inside the 

9'11 terrorist network extracted from publicly released 

news, our system spit out the names of three potential suspects 

— one of whom was found to be the mastermind of 

the attacks, according to the official enquiry," Pinto said. 

The method can also be used to find out where epidemics 

start, by making models of rivers and human networks 

through which a disease spreads. — dpa 

Prince quits 

politics for 

second time 

PHNOM PENH — Cambodian 

Prince Norodom Ranariddh 

yesterday announced 

that he was quitting politics 

for a second time after he 

was perceived as an obstacle 

to a merger between royalist 

parties. 

The son of former king 

Norodom Sihanouk agreed 

in May to combine his eponymous 

Norodom Ranariddh 

Party with Funcinpec in a 

bid to reinvigorate the royalist 

movement ahead of next 

year's general elections. 

"I would like to announce, 

from now on, that I stop doing 

politics and will not take 

responsibility for any work 

and decisions made by the 

Norodom Ranariddh Party 

any more," Ranariddh said 

in a statement. The prince 

did not provide the motive 

behind his decision to leave 

politics but it comes after 

senior officials from both 

parties accused him of standing 

in the way of a smooth 

merger. — AFP 

Belgium's federal agency for 

nuclear safety AFCN said 

yesterday he was "sceptical" 

that an ageing reactor closed 

over fears of cracks could be 

re-started. 

"I'm fairly sceptical for 

the moment," Willy de Roovere 

told RTBF public radio, 

even if "the possibility remains 

that I am wrong." 

According to French-language 

daily Le Soir, a crack 

of between 15 and 20 millimetres 

was discovered during 

a test in June. There has 

been no denial of this report. 

According to the agency, 

repairs to the reactor are 

"practically impossibly" and 

are "not an option" for fear 

of creating new tensions in 

the reactor, "which we must 

avoid at all costs." 

The AFCN revealed on 

Wednesday that the Doel 3 

reactor, located 25 kilometres 

north of Antwerp, would 

remain closed at least until 

August 31 after the discovery 

of possible cracks during 

routine June testing. — AFP 

Evicted from 

Spain farm 

OSUNA — Spanish police 

evicted left-wing activists 

from a sprawling, government-owned 

Andalucian 

ranch yesterday, a day after 

some of the activists looted 

supermarket food to hand 

out to the needy. 

The activists had for the 

past 18 days occupied a 

1,200-hectare farm belonging 

to the defence ministry 

to demand a more equal distribution 

of land in Andalucia, 

which has a tradition of 

large landholdings. 

A spokesman from the 

civil guard said a man was 

arrested on suspicion of involvement 

in the supermarket 

thefts and about 40 to 50 

people present at the farm 

were in the process of being 

evicted. The major political 

parties condemned the raids. 

Wildfire 

controlled 

LISBON — Portuguese firefighters 

yesterday managed 

to contain a wildfire that 

killed one of their colleagues, 

civil protection authorities 

said. The firefighter died on 

Thursday when his vehicle 

was surrounded by flames in 

the area of Figueiro dos Vinhos, 

in central Portugal. 

Hundreds of firefighters 

were also battling another 

blaze in Vimioso in the 

north. More than 30 districts 

were at risk of fires, mainly 

in the north and centre of the 

country, the Meteorological 

Institute said. 

Nearly 14,000 wildfires 

erupted in Portugal in the 

first half of this year. They 

devastated about 67,000 hectares 

of terrain, according to 

official figures. — dpa 

VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chavez waving to 

supporters during a campaign rally 30 km away from 

Caracas, in view of next October election. — AFP 

MEXICO’S president-elect Enrique Pena Nieto (L) 

and congressman Manlio Fabio Beltrones attend a 

meeting in Mexico City. — Reuters 

ARGENTINE President Cristina Fernandez de 

Kirchner attend the inauguration of a new diesel 

hydrodesulfurisation unit in La Plata. — AFP 

LIBERIAN President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf upon her 

arrival in Accra, where she came to attend the funeral 

of Ghanian President John Atta Mills. — AFP 

RUSSIA’S Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev attends 

a meeting with members of the United Russia party 

at the Gorki residence outside Moscow yesterday.

7 AMERICAS 



COMMUTERS wait in line for buses during the seventh day of a subway strike called by workers’ unions to demand 

increased wages and improvements in the transportation service in Buenos Aires yesterday. — Reutesr 

Ernesto dissipates over Mexico 

MIAMI — Ernesto, which 

killed six people when it hit 

Mexico as a hurricane, dissipated 

yesterday over the 

country's mountainous southern 

regions, the Miami-based 

US National Hurricane Center 

(NHC) said. 

Heavy rain associated with 

the storm was expected to 

continue in the Mexican states 

of Veracruz, Tabasco, Puebla, 

Oaxaca and Guerrero, but sustained 

wind speeds were down 

to a maximum of 35 kilometres 

per hour, the NHC said. 

Three members of one 

family were killed on Thursday 

night when a tree fell on 

CARACAS — Venezuelan 

security forces have arrested 

an American citizen who entered 

the nation illegally with 

geographical coordinates in 

a notebook, President Hugo 

Chavez said. 

In the tense run-up to an 

October 7 presidential election, 

the socialist leader has 

frequently mentioned the possibility 

of violence by opponents 

with US backing. 

Foes say that is typical 

grandstanding nonsense from 

Chavez, intended to curry sup- 

their pick-up truck about 97 

km southwest of Veracruz 

city, according to a state civil 

protection official. A fourth 

family member, a six-year-old 

child, was also injured in the 

accident. 

Ernesto is blamed for causing 

torrential rains and flooding 

in nearby rivers. 

According to local officials, 

three other people died 

earlier on Thursday — one 

in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, 

after falling while working on 

home repairs; and two more 

who drowned in next-door Tabasco 

state. 

Three major oil-exporting 

port with the masses for his 

re-election bid by presenting 

himself as a victim of "imperial" 

plots. 

At a campaign rally in the 

coastal town of Catia La Mar, 

Chavez said the man, of Latin 

American origin, was arrested 

four or five days ago crossing 

into Venezuela from Colombia. 

"He has the look of a mercenary. 

We are interrogating 

him," Chavez said, adding 

that the man had stamps in his 

passport from visits to Iraq, 

ports in the Gulf of Mexico 

were re-opened yesterday as 

the storm no longer posed a 

risk to ships leaving installations 

in Coatzacoalcos, Cayo 

Arcas and Dos Bocas, which 

ship most of Mexico's crude 

oil exports. 

Flooding could damage agriculture 

in Veracruz, according 

to Federico Assaleih, president 

of the state's agriculture 

council. "We have received 

reports that some plantations 

were flooded yesterday," said 

Assaleih, but he added that the 

extent of crop damage would 

not be known for several days. 

— dpa 

American detained in Venezuela 

Afghanistan and Libya. 

When he was detained, 

the man tried to destroy a 

notebook full of co-ordinates, 

Chavez said in the middle of a 

speech carried live on state TV, 

implying a plot was afoot. 

"We have reconstructed the 

pages," he said. "He says he 

was fleeing from someone... 

It's a powerful sign. This citizen 

wanted to enter the country 

illegally, for who knows what 

reason. He cannot say where he 

was going, or who was waiting 

for him." — Reuters 

Drought-hit crops 

worse than feared 

WASHINGTON — The 

worst US drought in more 

than half a century has battered 

the corn and soybean 

crops with larger losses than 

expected, causing domestic 

stockpiles to shrivel to near 

bare-bones levels, government 

data showed yesterday. 

In the most authoritative statement 

yet on the withered US 

crops, the Agriculture Department, 

based on its first samples 

this season from parched, 

scorched fields, estimated the 

corn harvest would drop 13 

per cent from last year. 

With production at just 

10.8 billion bushels, the yield 

would be the lowest since 

1995. It would be the third 

disappointing crop in a row 

for the world's largest corn 

grower and main agricultural 

exporter. 

The prospect intensified 

fears the world is headed for 

a repeat of the 2008 food 

price crisis. World food prices 

surged 6 per cent in July, a 

UN agency said. 

The charity Oxfam warned 

of price spikes ahead "with 

devastating consequences for 

those already struggling to get 

enough to eat." Oxfam urged 

Doctor punishes 

daughter using 

waterboarding 

WASHINGTON — A paediatrician 

and his wife face 

several criminal charges after 

their 11-year-old daughter 

accused them of using 

waterboarding to punish her, 

news reports said. 

Dr Melvin Morse, 58, 

and his wife, Pauline, 40, of 

Georgetown, Delaware were 

charged with reckless endangering 

and endangering the 

welfare of a child, according 

to the website delawareonline.com. 

Morse's medical license 

also has been suspended by 

the state medical board, the 

website reported. Waterboarding, 

a controversial 

interrogation technique that 

was used by the CIA to force 

suspected terrorists to reveal 

information, is a classified 

as a form of torture. It was 

banned in 2009 by President 

Barack Obama. The girl 

told investigators her father 

would hold her head under 

the faucet while it was running 

and the water would go 

up her nose. 

According to court documents 

obtained by News 

Journal, a Delaware newspaper, 

the girl said her father 

told her she "could go five 

minutes without brain damage." 

The girl also said her 

father sometimes feared he 

would lose track of time and 

she would die. She and her 

younger sister are being cared 

for by local family services. 

Morse runs a nonprofit 

organisation called the Institute 

for the Scientific Study 

of Consciousness, CNN 

reported. He wrote a book 

called Closer to the Light 

about the near-death experiences 

of children, in 1991. 

steps such as a waiver of the 

US law requiring use of corn 

ethanol as motor fuel, to calm 

high prices. However, supplies 

of wheat and rice "are 

good if not high," private consultant 

John Schnittker said. 

"The talk of world food crisis 

seems unduly apocalyptic for 

now," he said. 

The USDA slashed its estimate 

of the corn crop by 17 

per cent, following a big cut 

in July. Its latest estimate was 

2 per cent lower than traders 

had expected. 

While near-record Chicago 

grain prices barely budged 

on the data, the numbers may 

add urgency to the renewed 

food-versus-fuel debate centered 

on the US ethanol mandate. 

About 40 per cent of the 

crop will be made into fuel for 

cars and trucks. 

International and domestic 

pressure has grown for curbing 

the program, but pundits 

say the policy has staunch 

Farm Belt support that is unlikely 

to waver in an election 

year. The Obama administration, 

like its Republican predecessor, 

has stood by the mandate, 

called the Renewable 

Fuels Standard. — Reuters 

Polls: Obama lead growing 

WASHINGTON — New 

polls suggest President Barack 

Obama has opened a clear 

lead in his re-election race 

over Mitt Romney, raising 

the stakes for the Republican 

challenger in a crucial month 

for his campaign. 

Obama is ahead nationally 

and in most of the dozen 

swing states that will decide 

the November 6 election, as 

Romney prepares for two 

pivotal moments — his selection 

of a running mate and his 

primetime convention speech. 

Several days of polling 

suggests that the Democratic 

incumbent's attempt to fix and 

image of Romney in the minds 

of voters as a rich businessman 

oblivious to the struggles 

of the middle class may be 

working. 

And they also indicate 

that, while Americans are in 

a ornery mood after years 

of economic pain and do not 

expect Obama to offer immediate 

relief, they have an 

increasingly unfavorable view 

of his opponent Romney. 

A Fox News national poll 

put Obama ahead, at 49 per 

cent to 40 per cent over Romney 

while a CNN poll had 

Obama at 52 per cent, seven 

points up on the former Massachusetts 

governor. 

A Pew Research poll last 

week had Obama up by 10 

points. 

The polls follow a punishing 

few weeks for Romney, 

who has been pummeled by 

the Obama camp's negative 

advertising blitz, had his tax 

plan and personal tax arrangements 

savaged and endured 

bad headlines for a foreign 

trip. 

Obama's gains appear 

to reflect improved ratings 

among the independent voters 

who often tip the scales in US 

elections. 

CNN had Obama up by 53 

per cent to 42 per cent among 

this subset of voters, while Fox 

News had the president up by 

11 percentage points among 

independents, up from a four 

per cent lead last month. 

"The events of the past 

two weeks appear to have energized 

Democratic voters a 

bit," Fox News quoted its pollster 

Daron Shaw as saying. 

"The Obama campaign has 

— at least in the short-term 

— succeeded in raising questions 

about Romney's fitness 

to govern and in making this 

less of a referendum and more 

of a choice election." 

In the CNN poll, 48 per 

cent of those asked had an unfavourable 

view of Romney, 

up six points from last month. 

The Fox poll had Romney's 

unfavourables at 45 per cent, 

up five per cent on last month. 

National polls, while useful 

snapshots of political opinion, 

do not tell the full story of the 

presidential race, which is a 

state-by-state battle to pile up 

the 270 electoral college votes 

needed for victory. 

But polls in those critical 

states that swing between 

Democrats and Republicans, 

also show Obama in the lead, 

albeit with much smaller margins 

than in the national polls. 

— AFP

8 

THE PHILIPPINES/SUBCONTINENT 



Philippine flood deaths climb to 60 

APALIT — Thousands more 

Philippine flood victims 

crammed into evacuation centres 

yesterday as waist-high 

water covered vast farming regions 

and the death toll from a 

week of misery rose to 60. 

The flooding that submerged 

80 per cent of Manila 

early in the week has largely 

subsided, allowing people to 

return to their homes, but vital 

ISLAMABAD — The Supreme 

Court of Pakistan formally 

indicted property tycoon 

Malik Riaz yesterday on 

charges of levelling harsh allegations 

against Chief Justice 

Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry 

at a press conference. 

A two-judge bench comprising 

Justice Ejaz Afzal and 

Justice Athar Saeed framed 

the charges for committing 

contempt under Section 3 of 

the Contempt of Court Ordinance 

2003, read with Article 

204 (contempt) of the Constitution 

and the Supreme Court 

Rules 1980. 

The court had taken notice 

of the June 12 press conference 

Malik Riaz had addressed 

after his court appearance in 

which he hurled three questions 

at the chief justice. 

On June 13, the court issued 

a show-cause notice 

to Malik Riaz, the owner of 

Bahria Town, under Article 

KARACHI — The Federal 

Board of Revenue (FBR) of 

Pakistan yesterday notified 

the formation of Directorate 

General of Transit Trade to 

monitor transportation of Afghan 

transit trade and supply 

to Nato and ISAF forces in 

Afghanistan, according to a 

notification issued by the revenue 

body. 

The directorate will start 

functioning from October 1, 

it said. 

Customs officials said that 

the directorate of transit trade 

had been formed to effectively 

monitor the supplies to Afghanistan 

under the treaty and 

supplies to allied forces in Afghanistan. 

“The transit trade has become 

a major source of smuggling 

into and from Pakistan,” 

a Customs officer said, adding 

that the examination of goods 

would help reduce illegal trade 

and increase duty and taxes. 

The Directorate-General of 

Transit Trade will be based at 

the Customs House, Karachi 

and will have regional offices 

in Karachi, Peshawar and 

Quetta. 

rice-growing areas to the north 

remained under water as more 

rain fell there. “We need something 

to eat. I haven’t gone to 

work or been paid for a week,” 

said Rogelio Soco, a construction 

worker and father-of-three 

in the small farming town of 

Apalit, about 60 kilometres 

from Manila. 

Soco, 60, said the floods, 

which began on Monday, were 

204 of the Constitution (contempt 

of court), read with Section 

3 and 17 of the Contempt 

of Court Ordinance of 2003, 

Supreme Court Rules 1980 

and all other enabling provisions 

in the law. 

Yesterday, the court asked 

Attorney General Irfan Qadir 

to prosecute the accused when 

it will resume the proceedings 

on August 29. 

“The directorate shall be 

responsible for enforcement 

of all transit trade agreements, 

laws and procedures through 

the respective regional directorates 

and the concerned 

collectorates,” the notification 

said, adding that it would also 

supervise the functioning of 

the regional directorates, furnish 

policy input to the FBR 

on matters relating to transit 

trade and maintain liaison 

with all the stakeholders. 

The notification specified 

the jurisdiction of Directorate 

of Transit Trade, Karachi, 

which would be extended to 

all Customs matters relating 

to transit and allied functions 

in respect of Sindh, including 

Port of Karachi, Port Muhammad 

Bin Qasim and Quaid-e- 

Azam International Airport. 

The regional directorates 

will be responsible for processing, 

examination, clearance 

and allied matters relating to 

transit goods, including bulk 

oil in transit. 

The regional directorate 

in Quetta would have the 

jurisdiction on all Customs 

matters relating to transit and 

the worst the area had seen 

since a huge typhoon struck in 

the early 1970s, and other locals 

also said they had not experienced 

anything like it for 

decades. Around Apalit, formerly 

green rice paddies had 

been turned into an enormous 

inland ocean of brown water. 

Rice farmer Pablo Torres, 

58, said his two-hectare field 

planted last month had likely 

Real estate tycoon indicted 

However, Advocate Dr Abdul 

Basit, representing Malik 

Riaz, denied that his client had 

ridiculed the judiciary at the 

press conference and drew the 

court’s attention to an intracourt 

appeal moved under the 

Contempt of Court Act 2012, 

which was struck down by the 

court on Wednesday. 

But his request for halting 

the present proceedings was 

ignored by the court with Justice 

Afzal reminding him that 

the law under which he had 

filed the appeal was no longer 

in the field and that the instant 

proceedings were being conducted 

under the contempt 

ordinance of 2003. 

Dr Basit contended that his 

client had moved the intracourt 

appeal when the contempt 

act of 2012 was in place. 

He said the charges against his 

client were ambiguous and he 

did not understand the indictment. 

— Internews 

Pakistan forms directorate to 

monitor Nato-ISAF supplies 

allied functions in respect of 

the province of Balochistan, 

including the Customs station, 

seaports and airports and 

the Provincially-administered 

Tribal Areas (PATA) of Balochistan. 

The directorate is authorised 

to issue temporary admission 

documents (TAD) for entry 

and regulation of Afghan 

vehicles operating through 

Chaman border. 

The jurisdiction of the Directorate 

of Transit Trade, Peshawar 

would be extended to 

all Customs matters relating 

to transit and allied functions 

in respect of the province of 

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including 

the Customs stations 

and airport, the Provinciallyadministered 

Tribal Area 

(PATA) thereof, and the Federally-administered 

Tribal Area 

(FATA). The directorate will 

be responsible for issuance of 

TAD for entry and regulation 

of Afghan vehicles operating 

through the Torkham border. 

— Internews 

been destroyed, and dozens of 

people in his community had 

suffered the same fate. 

“We will have to do it all 

over again... we have lost a lot 

of money here,” he said. 

Nearly two weeks of monsoon 

rains across the Philippines’ 

main island of Luzon 

peaked with a 48-hour deluge 

earlier this week that battered 

Manila and surrounding re- 

gions. The government’s disaster 

co-ordination council 

said yesterday that 60 people 

had been confirmed killed in 

this week’s floods, triple the 

number on Thursday. 

The extra deaths occurred 

mainly in the provinces during 

the initial deluges from Monday 

to Wednesday, but government 

officials in the outlying 

areas could not immediately 

report the casualties to Manila 

headquarters, the council said. 

The number of people now 

confirmed killed across the 

country since the rains first began 

in late July is 113, according 

to the council’s data. 

Meanwhile the government 

said it was struggling to cope 

with the scale of a relief effort 

across Luzon that was expected 

to last for weeks. Tens of 

thousands of people were continuing 

to stream into evacuation 

centres that were already 

overcrowded and unable to 

provide enough immediate relief 

goods. 

“The water is still high and 

the local government units are 

getting overwhelmed,” Social 

Welfare Secretary Corazon 

Soliman said, referring to the 

farming provinces north of 

Manila she was touring. Just 

over 362,000 people were 

sheltering in evacuation centres, 

nearly 50,000 more than 

on Thursday, according to the 

disaster council. 

International charity group 

Save the Children warned that 

a lack of toilets and clean water 

in evacuation centres could 

lead to outbreaks of disease. 

“We have seen multiple 

cases of diarrhoea, flu and skin 

rash in evacuation centres, 

all of which can spread very 

quickly if people do not have 

good hygiene practices,” said 

Anna Lindenfors, the group’s 

country director. The number 

of people officially affected 

by the floods also rose to 2.44 

million, from 2.1 million. 

In Manila, clean-up operations 

were underway in riverside 

communities that endured 

waters up to two metres high 

on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Francesca Deimoy, 54, a 

resident of Marikina, one of 

the worst-hit districts, said the 

community was worried about 

further flooding with the monsoon 

season only just beginning. 

— AFP 

Myanmar parliament to 

debate investment law 

YANGON — Myanmar’s 

parliament is due to debate a 

keenly awaited foreign investment 

law next week and the 

president could sign it into 

law this month, sources close 

to the legislative process said 

yesterday. 

One lawmaker, who asked 

not to be identified, said 

the bill had been put on the 

agenda for the lower house to 

debate on Monday. Officials 

said it could proceed quickly 

to the upper house this week 

and then go to the president a 

few days after that. 

A quasi-civilian government 

took office in March 

2011 and has pushed through 

a series of political and economic 

reforms. 

In response, Western countries 

have eased sanctions imposed 

on the previous military 

regime and foreign companies 

are now lining up to assess 

business prospects in the 

country. 

Many are waiting for clarification 

of investment regulations 

before firming up their 

plans. 

The latest version of the 

foreign investment bill, seen 

by Reuters yesterday, contains 

some changes to the draft that 

circulated earlier in the year. 

It was not clear if this was 

the final version to be put to 

parliament, and further change 

is also possible during the parliamentary 

discussion. 

One article bars foreign 

investors from investing in 

“small and medium industries 

and enterprises; agricultural 

and livestock business being 

carried on by local business 

people; retail business; and 

small and medium service enterprises”. 

Some domestic firms had 

complained that they were not 

yet strong enough to compete 

with big foreign investors. 

One proposed article would 

allow 100 per cent foreign investment 

only for enterprises 

that involve high-tech industries 

beyond the reach of domestic 

investors. 

Currently all firms can be 

100 per cent foreign-owned. 

Otherwise the bill allows 

foreign investors to set up joint 

ventures with the government 

or citizens. 

“The foreign capital shall 

be at least 35 per cent of the 

total capital if a joint-venture 

is formed,” it said. 

Foreign investors can lease 

land for 50 years initially, and 

can extend that for two 10year 

terms, depending on the 

nature of the business and the 

size of the investment. 

A previous draft allowed 

for an initial lease of just 30 

years and allowed two 15-year 

extensions. 

The practice until now has 

been 30-year leases renewable 

twice, by five years each 

time. 

The new bill would also 

let the authorities grant longer 

leases exceptionally to foreign 

investors wanting to operate 

in underdeveloped, remote 

areas. 

Foreign companies will 

benefit from a five-year tax 

holiday from when their operations 

start on a commercial 

scale, and that period can be 

extended if there is some benefit 

to the country. — Reuters 

SOLDIERS paying respect during a ceremony next to the coffin of chief adjudant Franck 

Bouzet on the tarmac at Kaia airport in Kabul, two days after he was killed in clashes 

with insurgents in Afghanistan. — AFP 

Cambodian envoy to 

Philippines recalled 

MANILA — Cambodia has recalled its ambassador to the 

Philippines around a week after he accused his host country 

of playing “dirty politics” in a territorial dispute with China 

over the South China Sea, Manila’s foreign ministry said yesterday. 

Ambassador Hos Sereythonh was scheduled to leave the 

Philippines on August 17, more than one year before his threeyear 

tour of duty was supposed to end, Foreign Secretary Albert 

del Rosario said. 

Phnom Penh gave no explanation for the move and merely 

requested the Philippines to facilitate the entry of the new ambassador, 

Manila’s foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez 

said. 

“It is the prerogative of a sending state to reassign or recall 

its ambassador,” he said. “Cambodia is (also) an Asean member 

and a friend. We hope the (new) Cambodian ambassador 

will help reinforce the friendship that exists between our two 

countries.” The recall followed Manila’s protest over Hos’s letter 

to a local newspaper accusing the Philippines and Vietnam 

of sabotaging last month’s Asean meeting in Cambodia. 

Foreign ministers from the Association of South-East Asian 

Nations (Asean) failed to agree on how to deal with China’s 

claims to almost the entire South China Sea. 

Aside from the Philippines and Cambodia, other Asean 

members are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, 

Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. 

Afghan-Pakistan talks 

on Taliban releases 

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and Afghanistan are in talks on the 

release of a key member of the Taliban, whose 2010 arrest in 

Pakistan was blamed for sabotaging peace initiatives, a Pakistani 

foreign ministry official confirmed yesterday. 

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a powerful Taliban military 

chief who has been described as the militia’s second in command, 

was arrested in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi. 

The Afghan government and the former UN envoy to Afghanistan 

said his detention had adversely affected efforts to 

talk to the insurgents. 

“The issue of prisoners is under discussion between the 

two countries,” foreign ministry spokesman Moazzam Ahmad 

Khan told reporters when asked to comment on Afghan demands 

for access to Baradar and for his release. 

The spokesman did not name any prisoner or give further 

details, but when asked, confirmed that Baradar was still in 

Pakistani custody. 

Baradar is the most important Taliban leader to be captured 

since the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Afghan militia from 

power in Kabul. He was known as a trusted aide to the Taliban’s 

elusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar. 

Shortly after Baradar’s arrest, the Pentagon said two other 

Taliban officials were arrested, also understood to have been 

captured in Pakistan. — AFP 

UN issues appeal for 

$ 32.5m emergency aid 

YANGON — The United Nations yesterday issued an appeal 

for $32.5 million in humanitarian aid for people displaced by 

recent fighting between the government and ethnic Kachin 

fighters in northern Myanmar and sectarian strife in western 

Myanmar. 

The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs 

also appealed to the Myanmar government to allow aid 

agencies better access to the conflict areas. 

“We hope that donors will respond quickly and that the government 

will quickly outline its medium-term plans to ensure 

that a situation of aid dependency is not created through isolation 

and separation of communities from each other and their 

livelihoods,” the agency’s director of operations, John Ging, 

said after concluding a four-day trip to Myanmar. 

Ging visited Kachin State, where fighting that broke out 

more than a year ago between government troops and the 

Kachin Independence Organisation has displaced more than 

60,000 people. 

He also visited Rakhine State, where fighting between Buddhist 

and residents erupted in June, leaving at least 77 people 

dead and forcing 64,000 people to flee their homes. 

The two conflicts have cast a pall over the Myanmar government’s 

recent political and economic reforms, which have 

led Western democracies to ease sanctions and increase aid to 

the once-pariah state. 

“On the one hand, we see significant progress resulting 

from the democratisation, peace-building and economic development 

processes while on the other hand, conflict and communal 

tensions have the potential to undermine stability and 

generate significant humanitarian needs,” Ging said. 

The Kachin ethnic minority has been fighting for semiautonomy 

in their traditional territories for more than five 

decades. 

In Rakhine, the government’s denial of citizenship and 

property rights to the Rohingyas has led to discrimination 

and persecution of the minority group, which numbers about 

800,000 in the state bordering Bangladesh. 

Pak central bank cuts 

interest rate by 1.5 pc 

KARACHI — Pakistan’s central bank yesterday cut its benchmark 

interest rate from 12 per cent to 10.5 per cent as it looks 

to encourage private sector investment. 

The governor of central State Bank of Pakistan, Yaseen Anwar, 

said the new rate would come into effect on Monday, at 

the start of the new working week. 

The bank had decided to give “relatively higher weight” to 

private sector credit and investment, given that inflation is projected 

to rise slightly above the target during the current fiscal 

year, which runs until June 30, 2013. 

He blamed an “unenviable equilibrium of high inflation 

and low growth” on a protracted energy crisis and “weak fiscal 

fundamentals”, saying that bolstering the balance of payments 

depends on foreign financial inflows. 

External forecasts for the current fiscal year see the budget 

deficit rising to about seven per cent of GDP, while economists 

warn the government is running out of ways to fund it and is 

reluctant to embrace reform with polls looming. 

Some see little alternative to a major financial crisis or a 

return to the IMF, which bailed out Pakistan with an $11.3 

billion loan package in 2008 that ended last November after 

Islamabad rejected strict reform demands. 

The last time the central bank slashed its benchmark interest 

rate by 150 basis points, down to 12 per cent, was in October 

2011. — Agencies

ALEPPO — Activists fighting 

Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s 

forces in Aleppo promised a counter-attack 

yesterday after losing 

ground under heavy bombardment, 

and residents fled in cars crammed 

with belongings during a lull in 

fighting. 

The fighters were pushed back 

from the Salaheddin district on 

Thursday by troops seeking to reestablish 

control over Syria’s larg- 

est city and its economic hub — a 

crucial arena in a struggle that the 

United Nations said would yield no 

winner. 

“I have about 60 men positioned 

strategically at the front line and we 

are preparing a new attack today,” 

said Abu Jamil, a rebel commander, 

saying sniper fire in Salaheddine 

had prevented his men from retrieving 

a comrade’s body for two days. 

Reuters journalists saw residents 

streaming out of Aleppo, seizing on 

a calm spell to pack vehicles with 

mattresses, fridges and toys. At 

least two air force planes flew overhead. 

Random shooting echoed from 

inside Salaheddine, a former rebel 

stronghold that controls access to 

Aleppo from the south, and an unmanned 

drone aircraft buzzed directly 

overhead. 

Some residents of the shattered 

9 SYRIA 



Fighters plan push to regain ground in Aleppo 

A FREE Syrian Army fighter aims a RPG as he waits for Syrian Army tanks in the Salaheddine neighbourhood of Aleppo. — Reuters 

Captured soldier awaits trial 

AL BAB — Samaan, a 21year-old 

Syrian soldier who 

was shot in the leg when fighters 

captured him last month, 

waits impassively to be 

judged, saying he has no fear 

of the verdict. 

Lying on a wooden table 

and covered by a blanket despite 

the stifling heat, Samaan 

says weakly "what happens 

happens. I am not afraid of 

the sentence, because I know 

I have not killed." 

A former plastics factory 

worker, Samaan joined the 

army 15 months ago, as the 

originally peaceful uprising 

against President Bashar al 

Assad took on an increasingly 

fighter nature after a brutal 

crackdown by the regime. 

He is now being held in the 

rebel Free Syrian Army's local 

ALEPPO — Shelling by the Syrian army has 

damaged Aleppo’s historic citadel, part of a 

world heritage site in the heart of the commercial 

capital, the exiled opposition said yesterday. 

“Photographs by activists and archeological 

associations show that the Aleppo citadel... has 

been damaged,” the Syrian National Council 

said in a statement. 

One photograph distributed by the group 

appeared to show damage to the citadel’s entrance. 

“The way in which the shell hit the 

main entrance of the fortress and broke the 

marble panel bearing its name suggests that the 

Syrian government intentionally targeted the 

site,” the SNC charged. 

“Only government loyalists have the kind 

of shell that hit.” 

Aleppo’s old city has been listed by the UN 

headquarters in the basement 

of what was Al Bab's education 

department. 

Surrounded by stacks of 

books, he recounted how regime 

forces retreated to Al 

Bab, some 50 kilometres north 

of Aleppo near the Turkish 

border. At the end of July, the 

FSA captured the town, after 

the school used by the army 

was besieged for 10 days, and 

claimed it took 100 prisoners. 

Abdel Latif Osman, an 

FSA commander in Al Bab, 

said each FSA brigade "improvises 

a prison and makes 

sure that an Islamic council 

judges the prisoners." 

All the prisoners are tried 

"for their crimes, if they have 

killed or attacked civilians." 

If a prisoner is found innocent, 

he is invited to join 

the FSA. If he refuses, he is 

banned from leaving the town 

in order to prevent him from 

rejoining the army or acting as 

an informant. The FSA has "a 

thousand eyes," allowing it to 

"prove the guilt of prisoners," 

one defector said. 

In Al Bab, not all former 

soldiers are prisoners. Some 

have deserted and joined the 

FSA, including Khalil Ibrahim 

and Omar Multabir, both 

21 years old. They took advantage 

of army missions in 

the town to flee and join the 

revolt. 

"When we joined the army, 

we wanted to serve the country, 

not to kill," said Ibrahim, 

a tank driver whose views on 

the army changed after he saw 

"abnormal things" happen 

during the conflict. — AFP 

A FIGHTER from the Free Syrian Army fires a sniper towards government 

forces in the Bab al Nasr district. — Reuters 

Historic citadel hit 

Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation 

as a World Heritage Site since 1986. 

The listing says that the 13th-century citadel, 

12th-century Great Mosque and 17thcentury 

Islamic schools, palaces, caravanserais 

and bathhouses are of “outstanding universal 

value.” “The monumental Citadel of Aleppo, 

rising above the souks (markets), mosques and 

Islamic schools of the old walled city, is testament 

to Arab military might from the 12th to 

the 14th centuries,” it says. 

It was not immediately possible to independently 

verify the opposition’s claim of 

damage to the citadel. 

The Syrian army has shelled the area around 

the fortress several times in recent days as part 

of its three-day-old ground offensive against 

fighters in the city, according to the Syrian Observatory 

for Human Rights. — AFP 

neighbourhood slipped back to 

try to salvage possessions, despite 

army snipers lurking there. Two civilians 

were hit by gunfire in nearby 

streets. 

One, apparently shot in the buttocks, 

was dragged off the street by 

fightersand treated by medics before 

being taken to a field clinic. 

A second man was wounded in 

the back and arm. Blood soaked 

through the sleeve of his yellow 

New sanctions 

WASHINGTON — The United States slapped new sanctions 

on Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s government and 

its supporters yesterday, seeking to put further pressure on 

Damascus to end its bloody crackdown on opponents. 

The State Department and US Treasury unveiled fresh 

measures that officials said were taken in response to the 

unfolding conflict in Syria, where 21,000 people have died 

in the past 17 months in the face of diplomatic stalemate. 

The sanctions came with US Secretary of State Hillary 

Clinton set to fly to Istanbul for further talks on the Syrian 

crisis, with Washington focused on supporting the Syrian 

opposition seeking to topple Assad. 

The United States has been forced to seek strategies outside 

the UN Security Council, as China and Russia have on 

three occasions vetoed resolutions backed by Western powers 

targeting Syria’s government. 

In the first measure announced yesterday, the treasury 

denounced the Lebanon-based group Hizbullah for backing 

Assad and added it to a list of organisations under sanctions 

for their ties to the Syrian government. “This action highlights 

Hizbullah activities within Syria and its integral role 

in the continued violence the Assad government is inflicting 

on the Syrian population,” the treasury said in a statement. 

Washington already classes Hizbullah and it is under US 

sanctions, but yesterday’s move explicitly ties the group 

to the violence in Syria, where Assad is attempting to put 

down a revolt. “Hizbullah’s extensive support to the Syrian 

government’s violent suppression of the Syrian people 

exposes the true nature of this terrorist organisation and its 

destabilising presence in the region,” said David Cohen, the 

Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence. 

And in a second move against Assad’s government, the 

US State Department slapped sanctions on Syria’s state oil 

company Sytrol for trading with Iran, under measures designed 

to starve both Assad and Tehran of much-needed revenue. 

“This kind of trade allows Iran to continue developing 

its nuclear programme while providing the Syrian government 

with resources to oppress its own people,” State Department 

spokesman Patrick Ventrell said. 

Citing Syria and Iran’s “two-way trade in the energy sector, 

in which Syria sent 33,000 metric tonnes of gasoline to 

Iran in April, a deal said to be worth $36 million, the department 

said the measure should send “a stark message.” 

“Though these sanctions are a direct result of Syria’s 

provision of gasoline to Iran, the United States views Iran’s 

broader support for the Assad government as completely 

unjustifiable,” Ventrell said. “Iran is actively advising, supplying, 

and assisting the Syrian security forces and government-backed 

activists that are carrying out gross human 

rights abuses against the Syrian people.” — AFP 

Britain to give £5m 

LONDON — Britain will give Syrian fighters a further £5 

million to buy communications equipment and medical supplies 

to use in their fight against President Bashar al Assad, the 

Foreign Office said yesterday. 

Foreign Secretary William Hague was due to announce the 

aid alongside an increase in contacts with the opposition, especially 

the Free Syrian Army, but Britain will still not supply 

weapons. A Foreign Office spokesman said that Hague was 

expected to announce the extra £5 million ($7.82 million, 6.3 

million euros) at a press conference later yesterday. 

Hague said in an article that Britain was stepping up its 

non-lethal aid because the “people of Syria cannot wait while 

the wheels of diplomacy turn”. 

“This week, on my instructions, my ambassador-level representative 

to the Syrian opposition has contacted and is meeting 

political elements of the Free Syria Army,” he said. 

Hague said Britain’s contacts with the often fractious Syrian 

rebel movement were aimed at helping them unite against 

Assad. — Reuters 

jacket and his face was contorted in 

pain as rescuers put him in a vehicle. 

In an apparent effort to project 

an air of normalcy, state television 

screened footage dated August 10 

of a calm Aleppo, including images 

of its ancient citadel — UN World 

Heritage site — and cars flowing 

freely around a traffic circle. It also 

screened footage dated August 10 

of children playing in the sea at 

Tartous, a town on Syria’s Mediterranean 

coast. 

Assad seeks to crush a rebellion 

against his family’s 42 years 

in charge of the pivotal Arab state. 

A member of Syria’s Alawite community, 

Assad is engaged in an allconsuming 

fight. 

Though sympathetic to the 

fighters, neither these countries nor 

Western powers have intervened 

militarily. Russia and China have 

blocked any UN Security Council 

action on Syria that would have 

opened the way to global sanctions 

against Damascus. 

The United States is preparing 

to announce further sanctions 

targeting Syrian and other entities 

“supporting the efforts of the Syrian 

government to oppress its own 

people”, a senior US official told 

reporters travelling with US Secretary 

of State Hillary Clinton in 

Ghana yesterday. 

The official said the new measures, 

which were expected to target 

Assad’s government as well as possibly 

Iranian entities that the United 

States accuse of assisting him, 

would be announced in Washington 

later yesterday. 

Iran, Syria’s closest foreign ally, 

called for “serious and inclusive” 

talks between the government and 

opposition at a meeting of states 

sympathetic to Assad in Tehran on 

Thursday. 

“There will be no winner in 

Syria,” UN Secretary General Ban 

Ki-moon said in a message to the 

GENEVA — Growing numbers 

of Syrian civilians are 

fleeing fighting, especially in 

Aleppo, bringing the total to 

nearly 150,000 refugees registered 

in four neighbouring 

countries since the conflict 

began, the United Nations said 

yesterday. 

The total includes 50,227 

recorded in Turkey, where 

more than 6,000 Syrians 

arrived this week alone, it 

said. 

“There certainly in the past 

week has been a sharp increase 

in the numbers arriving in 

Turkey, and there many of the 

people are coming from Aleppo 

and surrounding villages,” 

Adrian Edwards, spokesman 

of the UN High Commissioner 

for Refugees (UNHCR), 

told a news briefing. 

“Now if you look at other 

areas, I think that the situation 

conference. “Now, we face the grim 

possibility of long-term civil war 

destroying Syria’s rich tapestry of 

interwoven communities.” 

Diplomats said veteran Algerian 

diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi could 

be named next week to replace the 

UN-Arab League envoy to Syria, 

Kofi Annan, who quit in frustration 

at the deadlock among veto-wielding 

powers at the United Nations. 

Britain said yesterday it would 

increase non-lethal aid to Syria’s 

opposition, including the rebel Free 

Syrian Army. 

Foreign Secretary William 

Hague wrote in the Times newspaper 

that he had also instructed a 

senior diplomat to give Assad’s foes 

“a tough message that they must 

observe human rights standards, 

whatever horrors are perpetrated by 

the government”. 

Hague said the extra money for 

non-lethal assistance totalled 5 million 

pounds ($7.8 million) and was 

separate from Britain’s existing humanitarian 

programmes in Syria. 

“This is not taking sides in a civil 

war,” Hague wrote of the contacts 

with the opposition. 

“The risk of total disorder and a 

power vacuum is so great that we 

must build relationships now with 

those who may govern Syria in the 

future.” 

Assad’s offensive to reassert 

control over Aleppo, Syria’s largest 

city and commercial hub, follows a 

successful drive to expel fightersfrom 

parts of Damascus they had 

seized after a bomb blast in the capital 

killed four of his senior aides on 

July 18. 

His grip on the country has been 

eroded and his authority was further 

shaken by his prime minister’s 

defection last week. 

Assad on Thursday appointed 

Wael al Halki to replace Riyad Hijab 

who had spent only two months 

in the job before making a dramatic 

escape across the border to Jordan 

is more of a steady and continued 

increase, but where fighting 

happens we tend to see the 

consequences,” he said. 

Syrian forces have pushed 

fighters back from a strategic 

district of Aleppo, but 

skirmishes continued and the 

United Nations said the conflict 

engulfing Syria would 

have no winner. 

As of Thursday night, there 

were 45,869 Syrian refugees 

registered in Jordan, 36,841 in 

Lebanon and 13,587 in Iraq — 

which has also seen the return 

of 23,228 Iraqis from Syria 

since July 18, according to the 

Geneva-based agency. 

“In several countries we 

know there to be substantial 

refugee numbers who have 

not yet registered,” Edwards 

said. 

Some Syrian refugees have 

also turned up in other coun- 

on Wednesday. 

But the Syrian leader appears 

determined to fight on, whatever 

the cost in human lives and destruction. 

Assad’s forces have been using 

heavy artillery and air power 

to subdue rebel-held areas. Reuters 

journalists saw a fighter jet diving 

and firing rockets on Thursday over 

Tel Rifaat, 35 km north of Aleppo, 

causing villagers to flee in panic. 

But large areas of Syria have fallen 

out of Assad’s control. 

Aleppo, an ancient city of 2.5 

million people, has been battered 

by government artillery for days. 

An insurgent commander said on 

Thursday that 250 people had been 

killed in recent days in the Salaheddine 

district. 

But as yet, there has been no 

sign of the infantry advance required 

for Assad to take full control 

of the city. 

Rebel commander Abu Furat al 

Garabolsy said one reason could 

be faltering morale among Assad’s 

troops, but said the military might 

also be delaying a full-scale ground 

assault to tire out fighterswith bombardment 

and deplete their ammunition. 

Growing numbers of civilians 

are fleeing the fighting in Aleppo 

and elsewhere. 

Nearly 150,000 Syrian refugees 

have been registered in Turkey, 

Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq since the 

conflict began 17 months ago, the 

United Nations said yesterday. 

The total includes 50,227 recorded 

in Turkey, where more than 

6,000 Syrians arrived last week 

alone, it said. 

“There certainly in the past 

week has been a sharp increase in 

the numbers arriving in Turkey, and 

there many of the people are coming 

from Aleppo and surrounding 

villages,” said Adrian Edwards, 

spokesman for the UNHCR refugee 

agency. — Reuters 

Refugees near 150,000 

as outflow grows: UN 

tries including Algeria, Egypt 

and Morocco, and Evros, the 

Greek region that borders Turkey, 

he said, adding that the 

numbers were “really tiny” 

compared to the flows to Syria’s 

neighbours. 

Turkish media reported 

that some 3,000 refugees were 

lined up at the border gates because 

of lack of space in Turkish 

camps to accommodate the 

newcomers. 

The Turkish official denied 

the media reports and said 

there were two other camps 

in the Sanliurfa and Gaziantep 

provinces near the Syrian border 

to accommodate the refugees. 

“We have camps in the Akcakale 

and Karkamis towns 

near the border which are each 

able to host 10,000 Syrians,” 

said the official. 

— Agencies 

SYRIAN refugee children at a stopover facility near the Turkish border town of Reyhanli

SHILLONG — The central 

government is not keen to hold 

talks with the Garo National 

Liberation Army (GNLA) on 

its demand for formation of 

a separate Garoland state in 

Meghalaya, a top union home 

ministry official said yesterday. 

"They (the insurgents) are 

always welcome to come out 

and face trial for their criminal 

activities. But we are not 

keen to hold talks with them," 

Shambu Singh, joint secretary 

(northeast) in the home ministry, 

said. 

The Meghalaya government 

too is not in a hurry to 

accept GNLA's offer for peace 

talks made by its political secretary 

Bikdot Nikjang Marak. 

Marak has offered shun 

armed struggle if GNLA's 

demands for the formation of 

a Garo state within the Indian 

constitution was accepted. 

"We are always willing 

to hold talks and solve issues 

peacefully. But GNLA must 

first disarm and stop its violent 

activities to make a favourable 

environment for talks," Meghalaya's 

Home Minister H D R 

Lyngdoh said. 

He also said that people 

of Meghalaya did not give 

their mandate to the GNLA to 

fight for a separate Garoland 

state. So the question of holding 

talks on the issue did not 

arise. 

"The public have not given 

its mandate to the GNLA to 

fight for a separate state. The 

government has not received 

any memorandum from the 

public on the demand for separate 

state," Lyngdoh said. 

Shambu Singh, on the other 

hand, called GNLA's peace offer 

a "face-saving" measure after 

the arrest of its chief Champion 

R Sangma July 30 near 

the India-Bangladesh border. 

He said dividing Meghalaya 

further was not viable. 

"Meghalaya is already a 

small state with too many internal 

conflicts. I don't think 

further dividing Meghalaya is 

viable." 

"If the centre has not acceded 

to the establishment of 

Telangana, Gorkhaland and 

Bodoland, do you think the 

government will give in to 

their (GNLA) demand for a 

separate Garoland?" 

The GNLA, which has 

over 200 guerrillas in its fold, 

wants Garoland carved out of 

five impoverished districts of 

Garo Hills. 

Over 35 people, including 

security personnel, were killed 

and more than 20 people were 

abducted by GNLA fighters in 

the last one year. 

The Achik National Volunteer 

Council (ANVC), which 

is observing a tripartite ceasefire 

with the central and the 

state governments, has scaled 

down its demand for a Garoland 

state to an autonomous 

council, like the Bodoland Territorial 

Council. 

10 INDIA 



PARAMILITARY personnel stand guard near Bilasipara town in Asom. — Reuters 

Govt not keen on talks with GNLA 

Couple sells new-born for 

treatment of elder child 

NEW DELHI — A couple in 

north-western India have been 

arrested for allegedly selling 

their 7-day-old baby to fund 

the treatment of a sick older 

son, police said yesterday. 

Sandhya Devi, her husband 

and three others were arrested 

yesterday, said Y R Phansal, 

district police official of Sriganganagar, 

a town in the north 

of the state of Rajasthan. 

The couple said poverty 

had forced them to give up 

their newborn to pay for the 

treatment of their 2-year-old 

son. They were released on 

bail. 

The baby has been returned 

to the couple, the police said. 

A pregnant Sandhya Devi 

had been offered Rs 40, (about 

$722) by a couple who were 

neighbours if she delivered a 

boy and gave it to them for 

adoption, NDTV news channel 

reported. 

"My elder child was sick 

so I had to give the newborn 

for adoption for Rs 40,000, 

but I only got Rs 20,000," 

the father, part-time salesman 

Ashok Kumar was quoted as 

saying. 

A complaint has been 

registered against 11 people 

including the couple who offered 

to take the baby, the 

midwife, and officials who 

allegedly did the adoption paperwork, 

police said. 

Adoptions in India have 

to be cleared by the government's 

child protection committees 

and no money or gifts 

can be exchanged. 

But incidents of destitute 

women selling their babies illegally 

are not uncommon in 

the country. — dpa 

The Hill State People's 

Democratic Party, an ally in 

the ruling Congress-led Meghalaya 

United Alliance government, 

too has been seeking 

a separate state for Khasi-Jaintia 

tribals since 1987. 

Meanwhile, amid continuing 

violence in Asom, the Centre 

has told the Supreme Court 

that it would not be possible to 

delete names of 40 lakh doubtful 

voters from the state on the 

basis of their ethnic profile as 

it would be unconstitutional. 

The Centre rejected the allegation 

of NGO Assam Public 

Works that over 40 lakh illegal 

migrants had got their names 

entered into the electoral rolls 

and they should forthwith be 

deported. — IANS 

Kudankulam nuclear plant 

gets clear for loading fuel 

CHENNAI — The Atomic 

Energy Regulatory Board 

(AERB) yesterday gave its 

nod to load real fuel in the first 

unit of 1,000 MW Kudankulam 

Nuclear Power Project 

(KNPP) at Kudankulam, paving 

the way for the running 

of the Tamil Nadu facility delayed 

by villagers' agitation, 

said a senior AERB official. 

The Kudankulam plant in 

Tirunelveli district is being 

built by the Nuclear Power 

Corporation of India Ltd. 

(NPCIL). The project will 

start generating power from 

September. 

"It will take us around 10- 

15 days to load the fuel. We 

have to intimate the IAEA 

(International Atomic Energy 

Agency) about the fuel load- 

ing," S A Bhardwaj, director 

(technical) at NPCIL, said. 

AERB chairman S S Bajaj 

said from Mumbai: "The 

sanction is always subject to 

certain stipulations, like flushing 

of the reactor and other 

primary systems with borated 

water. It will take a week for 

NPCIL to complete our conditions 

so that they can load 

the fuel." 

He said the AERB's advisory 

committee reviewed the 

reports submitted by NPCIL 

about KNPP on Thursday and 

the sanction order was issued 

yesterday. 

As KNPP falls under the 

safeguard agreement signed 

by India with the IAEA, the 

latter has to be informed about 

fuel loading. 

According to Bhardwaj, 

some components have to be 

loaded into the reactor before 

the fuel. 

He said NPCIL is not 

working towards any specific 

date to load the 163 fuel assemblies 

into the 1,000 MW 

light water reactor (LWR) 

supplied by Russia. 

NPCIL is building two 

1,000 MW reactors in Kudankulam, 

around 650 km 

from here. 

Work at the project had 

come to a standstill in August 

last year after local villagers, 

fearing for their lives in case 

of a nuclear accident, mounted 

an intensive protest under 

People's Movement Against 

Nuclear Energy banner. 

— IANS 

Envoy raises questions about gun use in US 

WASHINGTON — Echoing 

President Barack Obama's call 

for "soul searching" over Sunday's 

rampage in a Wisconsin 

gurdwara, Indian ambassador 

Nirupama Rao has raised questions 

about the free use of guns 

in the United States and problems 

Sikhs have faced in the 

country whether "in schools or 

in the workplace". 

While as a foreign diplomat 

she could not take a position on 

gun control over the incident 

that left six worshippers dead, 

people in India did raise questions 

about why Sikhs should 

become "collateral damage" in 

such violent incidents, she said 

in an interview with National 

Public Radio. 

"But I wanted to say that in 

India, you know, when we see 

violence of this nature and we 

see Sikhs somehow becoming 

some kind of collateral damage 

in many senses, obviously, 

you know, questions do arise 

about the use of guns in the 

United States and why all this 

should happen," she said. 

"You know, so when President 

Obama spoke about soul 

searching, you know, the need 

for soul searching on these issues, 

I think he really hit the 

nail on the head," said Rao 

just back from a visit to Oak 

Creek to meet the families of 

the shooting victims. 

FAMILY and friends gather at Oak Creek High School to mourn the loss of six members of the Sikh community. — AFP 

"We need an architecture 

of soul searching on this," 

she said. "We really need an 

architecture, whether it's hate 

crime, whether it's domestic 

terrorism." 

"Why is it happening? We 

need some soul searching. 

Why do acts of violence of 

this nature happen? We need a 

mature conversation on that," 

Rao said when asked about 

the authorities' decision to 

treat the Sunday shooting as 

domestic terrorism rather than 

hate crime. 

While she really did not 

want to pick holes in the authorities' 

description of the 

incident as domestic terror- 

ism, Rao noted that the Sikh 

community "had talked about 

the fact that they have encountered 

problems from time to 

time when, you know, in let's 

say in schools or in the workplace." 

Rao said when the news 

broke of the shootings people 

in India were agitated though 

at the level of the two governments, 

the reactions have been 

very sober, very restrained. 

"But when it comes to people, 

and we live in democracies, 

you know, they express 

their emotions freely, and that's 

what you saw happening. You 

saw those pictures coming out 

of India," Rao said. 

Navy floats $900 million 

tender for 60 choppers 

NEW DELHI — Looking 

to replace its navy's ageing 

Chetak helicopter fleet, India 

has floated a $900-million 

global tender, after a five-year 

delay, to procure around 60 

utility choppers. 

Indian Navy sources said 

here that the tender, called Request 

for Proposals in defence 

parlance, was issued on Tuesday 

when the outgoing chief 

Admiral Nirmal Verma was 

addressing his farewell press 

conference and disclosed that 

the RFP "should get issued any 

time now." 

The utility choppers will replace 

the 60-odd Chetaks that 

the navy has in service and are 

operated both from shore and 

from on board its warships' 

flight deck. 

This naval tender comes 

four years after India issued 

a global tender for 197 utility 

helicopters — of which 133 

By Ashraf Padanna 

THIRUVANANTHA- 

PURAM — A Keralite youth 

allegedly abducted by the 

Philippine separatist group of 

Abu Sayyaf last year has "adventurously" 

escaped from 

his abductors without waiting 

for the government move, 

according to the authorities 

here. 

Biju, 37, who was in captivity 

for 14 months, ran away 

from the captors in the night 

and took refuge in the nearby 

police office. The police took 

him to Manila and informed 

the Indian Embassy, a statement 

by the office of Chief 

Minister Oommen Chandy 

VILLAGERS damage a gate of the land allotted by the state government to build a 

university at Lavad village, 44 kms east of Ahmedabad. Thousands of villagers 

stormed the university site which they claimed is their cattle grassland. — Reuters 

Yeddyurappa 

faces probe 

BANGALORE — The 

Lokayukta court yesterday 

ordered a comprehensive 

probe by Lokayukta police 

into a complaint against 

former chief minister B S 

Yeddyurappa and his son 

relating to alleged denotification 

of land in Bhadravathi. 

Lokayukta Court Judge 

N K Sudhindra Rao directed 

the fourth Deputy 

Superintendent of Police, 

Lokayukta Bangalore Urban, 

Nahad to conduct a 

“comprehensive enquiry” 

into the complaint filed by 

an advocate and adjourned 

the case to August 31 for 

Lokayukta police to submit 

their report. 

Earlier Deputy S P Nahad 

submitted the certified 

copies of the documents by 

the respective authorities as 

claimed by the complainant. 

Besides Yeddyurappa 

and his MP son B Y Raghavendra, 

five others have been 

named in the complaint. 

The five others are 

‘benamidars’ of Yeddyurappa 

who allegedly executed 

the sale deeds in favour 

of Dhavalagiri Properties, 

a company owned by his 

sons. 

are for the army and 64 for the 

air force — also to replace the 

two forces' ageing Chetak and 

Cheetah helicopter fleet. 

This army and air force 

joint tender was reissued in 

2008 after the initial tender issued 

two years earlier was cancelled 

over procedural lapses. 

But the winner of the army 

and air force tender, for which 

Eurocopter's AS550-C3 Fennec 

and Russian manufacturer 

Kamov's Ka-226 are in the 

race, is still to be out and the 

decision-making is in its final 

stages. 

The navy could not participate 

in that tender due to 

delays in finalising technical 

requirements for the chopper 

it wanted in service. 

Under the present tender 

issued to global manufacturers, 

the navy is looking to procure 

twin-engine helicopters, 

sources said. 

said yesterday. 

Biju, who hails from Kappad 

in Kozhikode district and 

employed in Kuwait, was 

in Manila to spent vacation 

with his Filipina wife Elena 

and two children. Two weeks 

later, the ultras abducted him 

demanding ransom. 

"The chief minister 

spoke to Biju over telephone 

yesterday. He also urged 

overseas Indian Affairs 

Minister Vayalar Ravi to expedite 

his repatriation," the 

statement said. "We have 

been working hard to secure 

his release". 

Quoting his family members 

in Kozhikode, agency 

reports said, Biju, who was 

working as an operations 

Legal aid is a right 

of an accused: SC 

NEW DELHI — The Supreme 

Court has said that an accused 

getting free legal aid was a matter 

of right and no distinction 

could be made in upholding 

this right irrespective of whether 

the legal aid sought was for 

the trial or an appeal against an 

adverse verdict. 

"We are of the opinion that 

neither the Constitution nor 

the Legal Services Authorities 

Act makes any distinction between 

a trial and an appeal for 

the purposes of providing free 

legal aid to an accused or a person 

in custody," said a bench of 

Justice A K Patnaik and Justice 

Madan B Lokur in their judgment 

made available yesterday. 

Pronouncing the judgment, 

Justice Lokur said that the Legal 

Services Authorities Act, 

1987, provides, inter alia, that 

"every person who has to file or 

defend a case shall be entitled 

to legal services, if he or she is 

in custody". 

Section 13 of the act provides 

that persons meeting the 

criteria laid down in Section 12 

will be entitled to legal services 

provided the concerned authority 

is satisfied that such person 

has a prima facie case to prosecute 

or defend, the judgment 

noted. 

Among the firms likely to 

respond to the tender notice 

are US manufacturer Sikorsky, 

European Eurocopter, 

Russian Kamov and Italian 

AgustaWestland. 

The Indian Navy at present 

uses indigenous Dhruv Advanced 

Light Helicopter, 

Westland SeaKing, Sikorsky 

SeaKing, Chetaks, and Kamov's 

Ka-25, Ka-28 and Ka-31 

helicopters, making it a over 

100-chopper-strong fleet. 

Meanwhile, the Navy will 

today launch its force-wide 

automated Financial Information 

System (FIS) that is 

expected to simplify decisionmaking 

and enhance transparency 

in its monetary dealings. 

Developed over a twoyear 

period with help from 

information technology major 

Wipro Infotech, the FIS cost 

the navy about $6 million. 

Keralite escapes from captors 

manager at a garment factory 

in Kuwait, was abducted 

allegedly by a terror group 

from Sulu province while he 

was at his wife's house. 

"Biju telephoned us at 

about 2.45 am informing that 

he was released by the captors," 

Biju's father Narayanan 

was quoted as saying. 

Shybu, brother of Biju, 

said he had also spoken to 

him a couple of times. "At 

present Biju is at the police 

headquarters in Philippines 

after medical check-up," he 

said. 

Biju had last visited his 

native place Moodadi, about 

six km from Koilandy in 

Kozhikode district, in June 

last year. 

The judgement came as the 

court set aside a September 5, 

2006 judgment and order of 

Madhya Pradesh High Court 

and sent back the case to it for 

rehearing of the appeal as one 

of the accused, Rajoo, was not 

represented by a lawyer. 

While saying so, the apex 

court relied on its earlier judgments 

wherein it was said that 

the right to be represented by 

a lawyer was a constitutional 

right of every accused person 

who is unable to engage a lawyer 

on account of poverty, indigence 

or incommunicado situation 

and the state was mandated 

to provide a lawyer to such an 

accused. 

The court also expressed its 

disagreement with observation 

in one of its earlier judgments 

wherein it sought to deny the 

free legal aid to the accused in 

cases of economic offences or 

offences against law prohibiting 

prostitution or child abuse 

and so on. "We have some 

reservations whether such exceptions 

can be carved out particularly 

keeping in mind the 

constitutional mandate and the 

universally accepted principle 

that a person is presumed innocent 

until proven guilty," it 

said. — IANS

11 INDIA 



VISITORS look at water flowing out of Narmada canal from the dam at Karai village of Gandhinagar district, some 30 kms from Ahmedabad. 

Sabarmati River near Gandhinagar is dry while the same river in Ahmedabad is full owing to water released from Narmada 

Dam. The state government has declared 14 districts ‘scarcity hit’ in wake of deficient rains. — AFP 

‘Work hard and steal a little’ 

Uttar Pradesh minister offers bizarre advice to bureaucrats 

LUCKNOW — A provincial 

minister in India's most 

populous state has sparked a 

scandal after suggesting to bureaucrats 

that they could "steal 

a little" if they performed well 

in their duties. 

Shivpal Singh Yadav, in 

charge of housing and construction 

in northern Uttar 

Pradesh state, yesterday hastily 

withdrew the offer he made 

a day earlier during a meeting 

with government employees, 

which was also attended by 

journalists. 

Yadav is an uncle to the 

state chief minister Akhilesh 

Yadav, whose Samajwadi 

Party stormed into power on 

an anti-graft platform in elections 

held in graft-ridden Uttar 

Pradesh in March. 

"If you work hard, you can 

steal a little, but don't behave 

like bandits," the Press Trust 

of India quoted Yadav as saying 

at the meeting in Etah 

town, about 200 kilometres 

from capital Lucknow. 

The comments drew flak 

from political opponents, 

prompting Yadav to retract 

his offer and accuse journal- 

ists of sneaking into the gathering. 

"I have taken back those 

words," he told reporters in 

Lucknow yesterday. "Why are 

you raking it up? I don't know 

why the media is targeting 

me," he said. 

The opposition Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP) condemned 

the minister's invitation to officials 

to steal. 

"A minister's statement is 

like a policy of the government 

and if he says so then the government 

is offering a licence to 

steal the public money," local 

India, Thailand review FTA 

talks, push trilateral highway 

NEW DELHI — India and 

Thailand yesterday reviewed 

the progress in their negotiations 

for a free trade treaty 

and decided to step up work 

on landmark connectivity 

projects like a trilateral highway 

that will link the two 

counties through Myanmar. 

The Indian side led by Sanjay 

Singh, secretary (east) in the 

external affairs ministry, held 

talks with the Thai delegation, 

led by Sihasak Phuangketkeow, 

permanent secretary, 

Thailand Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs, in Bangkok. 

The foreign office consultations 

took stock of ongoing 

measures to enhance connectivity 

and boost infrastructure, 

a key priority, through implementation 

of projects such as 

Thailand-Myanmar-India Trilateral 

Highway and Dawei, 

said the Indian embassy in 

Bangkok in a statement made 

available here. 

"They also discussed the 

current status of negotiations 

on the comprehensive bilateral 

FTA, co-operation to enhance 

business ties, security issues, 

and cultural and people-topeople 

exchanges," the Indian 

Embassy said. 

The talks reviewed a slew 

of initiatives sealed between 

the two sides during the landmark 

visit of Thailand Prime 

Minister Yingluck Shinawatra 

to India earlier this year. Her 

visit had set the stage for forging 

a strategic partnership between 

the two countries. 

The Indian side briefed 

Thai diplomats on New Delhi's 

preparations for hosting a special 

India-Asean commemorative 

summit in December. 

In a special gesture signalling 

an upward swing in New 

Delhi's Look East policy, India 

had hosted Thailand's first 

female and youngest prime 

minister Yingluck Shinawatra 

as the guest of honour at the 

Republic Day function in January 

this year. 

This was the third consecutive 

year in which India 

had invited a leader from a 

Southeast Asian country as 

its chief guest at the Republic 

Day parade, a unique honour 

accorded to special friends of 

India with which New Delhi 

wishes to accelerate its diplomatic 

and economic ties. 

YOUTHS form a human pyramid to break the dahi-handi, curd-pot, suspended 

in the air during celebrations of Janmashtami in Mumbai yesterday. — AFP 

BJP leader Lalji Tandon said. 

"It is not appropriate for a 

minister to talk like this," he 

told reporters. 

Shahid Siddiqui, who was 

expelled last month from a 

senior post in the ruling Samajwadi 

Party, also turned his 

guns on the minister. 

"It is very unfortunate that 

a minister who is the uncle 

of the chief minister and who 

does not consider himself anything 

less than a chief minister 

talks in such a way," Siddiqui 

said. 

"Now you are giving of- 

NEW DELHI — Parliament 

will not shift from the iconic, 

British built building but steps 

will be taken to declutter and 

strengthen the heritage structure, 

sources said yesterday. 

According to the sources, 

the proposal to relocate parliament 

from the 85-year-old 

building, now in the heart of 

the capital, did not find favour 

with most MPs when the 

Heritage Committee of parliament 

met. 

The building's wear and 

tear is a cause of concern 

for the Central Public Works 

Department (CPWD), which 

maintains it. 

Designed by Sir Edwin 

Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker, 

who also built most of New 

Delhi, work on the imposing 

MUMBAI — The Maharashtra 

government may carry 

out a review of the state's 

road toll policy in the next 

fortnight. 

Maharashtra Navnirman 

Sena chief Raj Thackeray 

disclosed this after a meeting 

with Chief Minister Prithviraj 

Chavan yesterday in which 

he highlighted the problems 

faced by people daily. 

"Chavan has assured us 

that he will review the entire 

policy of levying road toll in 

consultation with the Public 

Works Department. The MNS 

shall be invited for the discussions 

on the issue," Thackeray 

told media persons. 

ficers a free hand to steal," he 

added. 

Yadav's dubious offer came 

a month after his nephew 

warned about corruption in the 

overwhelmingly poor and under-developed 

state of nearly 

200 million people — a population 

larger than Brazil's. 

Corruption has been one of 

the biggest political issues in 

India over the last two years, 

with a string of scandals hitting 

the government of Prime 

Minister Manmohan Singh 

and sparking popular protest 

movements. — AFP 

Proposal to relocate 

parliament rejected 

parliament building began in 

1921. It got over in 1927, two 

decades before India became 

independent. 

The heritage committee, 

formed in 2009, is headed 

by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira 

Kumar. 

According to the sources, 

the general consensus among 

MPs was on finding ways to 

de-clutter and strengthen the 

imposing building to give it a 

fresh lease of life. 

While BJP leader L K Advani 

opposed the relocating, 

Parliamentary Affairs Minister 

Pawan Kumar Bansal suggested 

that all encroachments 

in the building be removed. 

Urban Development Minister 

Kamal Nath supported 

Bansal. — IANS 

Maharashtra plans to 

change road toll policy 

Thackeray claimed that 

Chavan was in agreement 

with most of the points pertaining 

to toll levy raised by 

the MNS at the meeting. 

The government, directly 

or through agents, collects toll 

for using various new roads, 

flyovers, bridges, including 

the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra- 

Worli Sea Link, and certain 

highways, including the 

Mumbai-Pune Expressway. 

Last month, the MNS 

launched a violent agitation 

all over the state opposing toll 

collection and even stopped 

the toll booths from operating 

in several parts, including 

Mumbai. — IANS 

Japan education fair 

NEW DELHI — In a bid to 

enhance educational ties and to 

attract Indian students, Japan 

will be organising an education 

fair in Delhi and Bangalore. 

The education fair, which 

is part of the Indian and Japanese 

government's programme 

of building people-to-people 

ties, will be held in Delhi on 

August 30, and in Bangalore 

on September 1. A total of 11 

key universities from Japan 

will attend the exhibition. 

The universities from Japan, 

which will be present in 

the fair, are Doshisha University, 

Kyushu University, Meiji 

University, Nagoya University, 

Osaka University, Ritsumeikan 

Asia Pacific University, 

Ritsumeikan University, 

The University of Tokyo, Tohoku 

University, University 

of Tsukuba, and Waseda University. 

— IANS 

Tax evasion hits infra 

development: court 

NEW DELHI — A Delhi 

court has upheld a two-year 

jail term given to a tax evader, 

saying tax avoidance reduced 

funds needed for the 

country's infrastructure development. 

Additional Session Judge 

S S Rathi made the observation 

while upholding a magistrate 

court's order that had 

awarded rigorous imprisonment 

of two years and fine 

of Rs 1 lakh to businessman 

Harish Chadha, convicted 

for tax evasion. 

"The case in hand is 

a glaring example of tax 

avoidance. Our country is 

in dire need of funds for 

sprucing up the infrastructure. 

One can see rampant 

tax evasion all around," said 

Rathi. 

The judge said hardly 

five per cent of the total 

population paid taxes. 

NEW DELHI — Undisclosed 

income of Rs 49,325 

crore has been detected in 

the country in the last three 

years while tax evasion 

of Rs 600 crore has been 

found on inputs from abroad 

under multi-pronged efforts 

to check black money menace, 

government said yesterday. 

The information has been 

contained in a 13-page factsheet 

released by the Finance 

Ministry in an apparent bid 

to blunt the campaign by 

yoga guru Ramdev, who has 

attacked government on the 

issue during his three-day 

fast in New Delhi. 

Detailing the steps taken 

in the country and outside, 

POLICE detain students and activists of various organisations trying to enter the state 

ministers quarters during a protest in Hyderabad yesterday. Opposition parties and 

students groups in the state of Andhra Pradesh intensified their protest against 

the government’s move to cap the reimbursements of tuition fee. — AFP 

TN govt gives 

free cycles to 

ITI students 

CHENNAI — In yet another 

pro-students initiative, 

the AIADMK government 

in Tamil Nadu yesterday 

proposed providing free 

bicycles to over 21,000 

beneficiaries studying in 

state-run Industrial Training 

Institutes. 

Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa 

allocated Rs 6.36 

crore for providing bicycles 

"Free of cost," considering 

the fact that a large 

number of students in ITIs 

hailed from economically 

poor background, an official 

release here said. 

This was in line with an 

existing scheme of providing 

bicycles to school students 

who cover considerable 

distance to reach their 

institutions, the release 

said, adding, the proposed 

move will benefit 21,925 

ITI students. 

The Jayalalithaa government 

is already providing 

a slew of sops to 

school and college going 

students including supplying 

free laptops, touted to 

be a key programme of the 

government. — PTI 

"Even those assessed do 

not come out with true statements 

of earnings. 

“The world over, tax 

authorities consider the 

instance of tax evasion as 

felony and they are dealt 

with very sternly," said the 

judge. 

The court said the convict 

tried every trick under their 

belt to avoid payment of tax 

dues at the peril of country's 

development. 

"They deserve to be dealt 

with sternly so that right 

message is sent to violators 

of tax laws that they should 

not expect any leniency," 

the court said. 

The court was hearing 

a revision petition filed by 

Chadha challenging a magistrate 

court order. The court 

has held him guilty of evading 

tax. 

"It is beyond comprehen- 

the fact-sheet says the Central 

Board of Direct Taxes 

(CBDT) has detected undisclosed 

income of over Rs 

32,000 crore besides seizing 

assets valued at over Rs 

2,600 crore. 

This, it added, was in addition 

to detection of undisclosed 

income of Rs 17,325 

crore in surveys conducted 

at business premises by the 

Income Tax Department 

(ITD). 

Government is also pursuing 

43,265 pieces of information 

regarding suspicious 

transactions received from 

overseas and domestic agencies. 

More than 12,500 pieces 

of information regarding de- 

Meira Kumar to kick 

off snake boat race 

By Ashraf Padanna 

ALEPPEY — It's the racing 

season for Kerala's own snake 

boats again and the picturesque 

Punnamada backwaters 

will today witness the most 

famous of them all-the one to 

keep the Nehru Trophy presented 

by India's first prime 

minister, though in replica, 

exactly 60 years back. 

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira 

Kumar will be the chief guest 

at the Nehru Trophy boat race 

heralding the harvest festival 

season that will see oarsmen 

taking out their best in at least 

half a dozen Vallamkali carnival 

in the Alappuzha backwaters 

alone. 

The annual event is conducted 

on the second Saturday 

of August but this year 

the competitions began two 

days in advance as the event 

turns 60 and the number of 

participants in the smaller 

heats went up. It was in 1952, 

Nehru came with his daughter 

Indira and grandchildren Rajiv 

and Sanjay. 

Mesmerised by what he 

had seen, he jumped onto a 

boat and joined the oarsmen 

singing Vanchippattu, the 

folksong meant to encourage 

them to take their prow- 

sion that a person who had 

earned Rs 6 crore profit in 

a couple of years does not 

even have enough money to 

clear his income tax dues," 

the court said. 

"The plea of income tax 

authorities that convict had 

sufficient financial means to 

clear the dues is clearly evident 

from the convict's balance-sheet 

as on March 31, 

1995, filed by him on record 

along with Section 311 of 

the Criminal Procedure 

Code (power to examine 

person) application, which 

shows that other than profit 

of around Rs 6 crore earned 

by him, he had cash in hand 

a reserve of Rs 57.92 lakh," 

said the court. 

The prosecution said that 

Chadha had earned Rs 6 

crore in 1995-96 but had not 

cleared his tax dues. 

— IANS 

Efforts on to check black money 

tails of asset and payments 

received by Indian citizens 

in several countries have 

been obtained “which are 

now under different stages 

of processing and investigation“. 

Further, 30,765 pieces of 

domestic information about 

suspicious transactions obtained 

by Financial Intelligence 

(FIU) too are being 

probed. 

Government also disclosed 

that under Double 

Taxation Avoidance Agreement 

(DTAA), investigation 

of information from German 

and France has led to detection 

of tax evasion of Rs 600 

crore and realisation of Rs 

200 crore in taxes. — PTI 

ess to the maximum. Back in 

Delhi, he sent a beautifully 

crafted silver trophy and the 

event started carrying his 

name. 

The rolling trophy, a replica 

of which is awarded to 

the winners, carries Nehru's 

signature with the inscription: 

"To the winners of the boat 

race which is unique feature 

of community life in Travamcore-Kochi". 

Kerala was born 

five years later. 

In all, there are 64 boats to 

contest in different categories 

in the race and 20 of them are 

huge snake boats oared by 

111 men, besides singers and 

helmsmen, to cover a length 

of 1400-metre track. The village 

oarsmen begin the ritualistic 

preparations several 

weeks in advance, observing 

strict abstinence and celibacy. 

This time four teams of 

women rowers are also participating 

in a separate heats 

of smaller types in what is 

billed as one of the world's 

biggest water sporting events 

cheered aloud by thousands 

of spectators on the riverbanks. 

This will also herald 

the five-month tourism season 

of Kerala which will peak in 

December.

Push for 

Korean 

reforms 

NORTH Korea's 

new leadership is 

apparently pushing 

for reforms in a bid to 

revive its crumbling statedirected 

economy, analysts 

and a South Korean official 

said. 

"Our government 

is aware of North 

Korea's discussion and 

consideration of various 

changes in the economic 

sector since the launch of 

its new leadership," Kim 

Hyung-Suk, spokesman 

for the South's unification 

ministry, told reporters. 

These were probably 

aimed at improving the 

people's livelihood, he said, 

adding specific details have 

not been confirmed. 

The extent of the latest 

changes was unclear. The 

North in 2002 introduced 

limited reforms but rolled 

them back three years 

later, apparently fearful of 

loosening the regime's grip. 

Washington-based Radio 

Free Asia (RFA) said last 

Thursday the regime has 

held public lectures about 

the new system, which 

centred on easing tight 

controls over output and 

letting each production unit 

become self-supporting. 

Factories or companies 

would be given greater 

autonomy in management 

and set prices of products 

by themselves, RFA said. 

The state would 

distribute food rations 

and other materials only 

to government, military, 

education or health workers. 

In agriculture, the regime 

would take 70 per cent of 

the harvest from collective 

farms and farmers would 

keep the remaining 30 per 

cent, it said. 

The official food 

distribution system largely 

collapsed during the famine 

years of the 1990s, and 

analysts say it currently 

only covers part of the 

population in any case. 

Private markets sprang 

up as people struggled 

to survive in the famine 

years and have become 

increasingly important. 

In late 2009 a shock 

currency revaluation 

wrought havoc with 

distribution networks, 

aggravating food shortages 

and sparking inflation. 

The move was widely 

seen as a bid by the regime 

to clamp down on growing 

market activities. 

One analyst said the 

latest changes indicated that 

the North may follow in 

China's footsteps. — AFP 

By Ramadan al Fatash 

VETERAN Algerian 

diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi, 

noted for roles in 

defusing tensions in several 

hotspots around the world, is 

likely to be picked as the next 

United Nations-Arab League 

envoy to Syria, diplomats said 

yesterday. 

An official announcement 

of the appointment of the 

78-year-old Brahimi is expected 

to be made early this 

week, diplomats said, speaking 

on condition of anonymity 

as talks continue. "We are certain 

it will be Brahimi," said 

one UN diplomat. 

"He is the choice of the 

UN secretary-general and his 

name will be announced next 

week as long as he does not 

pull out," added another. 

Kofi Annan, a former UN 

secretary-general, said he is 

leaving because of the lack of 

international support for his 

efforts to end the 17-month 

Syria conflict, in which rebels 

say more than 20,000 people 

have been killed. He is to carry 

on working until August 31. 

If confirmed for the mission, 

Brahimi will replace Annan, 

who said last week he was 

resigning as an international 

emissary to Syria, citing a lack 

of support from major world 

powers for his plan to end the 

12 

ANALYSIS/OPINION 



AN employee inside a power cable testing laboratory for insulation at the Kei Industriesin Bhiwadi. — Reuters 

Taking no more chances 

By Frank Jack Daniel 

ASIREN rang out in the cable 

factory in northern India when 

there was a power blackout 

in half the country recently, but its 

computer screens didn't even blink as 

$180,000 worth of batteries seamlessly 

took over the machines winding the 

thick coils on the shop floor. 

A few moments later, in a back room 

of the cavernous plant in the scruffy 

Bhiwadi industrial park near New Delhi, 

mechanic Gaurav Bhatia fired up a 

shipping container-sized diesel generator 

that ensured continued electricity. 

It was the second time in 36 hours 

that power supply to vast swathes of 

India was halted. 

In factories, offices, apartment 

blocks and malls across the north of 

the country recently, similar generators 

coughed into life, making what were 

perhaps the largest blackouts in history 

irritating and costly events, but not 

catastrophic. 

Indian cities and their companies are 

well prepared to keep business moving 

during power cuts because they always 

have to cope with unreliable supplies, 

not just during once-in-a-decade 

spasms on the grid. 

The recent shutdowns were not 

routine power rationing, the kind that 

is enforced every day in the summer 

and forces Kei Industries — one of 

India's leading electrical equipment 

manufacturers — to generate energy on 

site for several hours with rudimentary 

engines. 

Both times it was a major grid failure. 

Three of India's five transmission 

conflict in that country. 

Brahimi, 78, has already 

employed his diplomatic skills 

in resolving a string of international 

crises. 

As an Arab League envoy, 

he helped to mediate an end 

to the Lebanese civil war between 

1989 and 1992. In 1994, 

he headed a UN observer mission 

to South Africa in the 

lead-up to the country's first 

multiracial elections. 

Brahimi has also been dispatched 

on UN peace missions 

to Afghanistan, the Democratic 

Republic of Congo, Liberia, 

Sudan and Haiti. 

He was named the UN 

special representative for Iraq 

in 2004, to support efforts to 

form a transitional govern- 

Estimates show most of 

the Indian companies have 

back-up or independent 

power supplies, but the 

recent blackouts have 

proved to be disastrous 

grids collapsed, cutting power to states 

where some 670 million people live, 

more than half of the country's population. 

That blackout, one of the world's 

worst, followed a similar breakdown 

across the north the previous day. 

"We have fuel for about 10 hours on 

site, but when we heard that (it was a 

major failure), we called our boss and 

asked for more supplies," said Bhatia, 

speaking above the mechanised roar of 

cable spinners. 

The World Bank estimates that twothirds 

of Indian companies have backup 

or independent power supplies. 

Added to about a third of the 1.2 billion 

population that never has electricity, 

this means total grid failure in India 

is less of a disaster than in the United 

States or Europe. 

This off-grid system is effective, but 

it hits companies' bottom lines and is 

a major pollutant. It is so wasteful of 

ment in the country a year after 

the US-led invasion. 

Having served as Algeria's 

foreign minister from 1991 to 

1993, Brahimi is not surprised 

by the popular uprisings 

sweeping over the Arab region 

that have come to be known as 

the Arab Spring. 

In a June interview with the 

Kuwaiti newspaper Al Seyassah, 

Brahimi was cautiously 

optimistic about ending the 

conflict in Syria. 

"I am optimistic that there 

can be a solution in Syria. But 

I am not optimistic that this 

solution will come at an inexpensive 

price," he told Al Seyassah. 

"I am afraid this solution 

could be long and costly." 

Brahimi is a member of 

The Elders, an independent 

group of world dignitaries set 

up in 2007 to promote peace 

and human rights. 

He visited Syria in 2010 as 

part of an Elders peace tour 

that also took him to Egypt, 

Gaza and Jordan. 

Annan and UN Secretary- 

General Ban Ki-Moon have 

made it clear that they believe 

divisions among the major 

powers on the UN Security 

Council undermined the Annan 

plan. 

"I think there are different 

models for what an envoy 

might look like, what kind 

of background, what kind of 

role," US Ambassador Susan 

Rice said last Thursday without 

mentioning who Annan's 

imported oil that the 10 per cent shortfall 

in grid power at peak hours is a significant 

contributor to a yawning trade 

deficit. 

"We cannot rely on diesel to serve 

the needs of day-to-day operations of 

small, medium and large businesses, 

it will drain this country and we will 

find ourselves back in 1991," said Amit 

Sinha of management consultant Bain 

& Co's utilities practice in India. He 

was referring to the year when India 

almost ran out of foreign exchange 

reserves because of a balance of payments 

crisis. 

Diesel demand jumped during the 

power cuts by as much as 25 per cent 

in some states, according to state-run 

refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp. 

The Indian captive power producers 

association estimates about 15 per cent 

of the country's 205,000 MW generation 

capacity is from on-site plants of 1 

replacement might be. 

"We are open-minded 

about that. I think we have 

to be realistic that it is a very 

difficult job, and Annan did it 

admirably and found himself 

understandably frustrated at 

the end," Rice added. 

A UN diplomat, speaking 

on condition of anonymity, 

said the Security Council now 

has to decide whether to stick 

MW or over, including coal, diesel and 

other sources. Bain estimates another 

40,000 MW comes from small back-up 

generators. 

On a normal day, consumers on the 

periphery of Delhi can expect between 

2 and 6 hours without mains electricity, 

time when they rely on diesel-fired 

back-up systems to generate power at 

twice the cost of mains power. 

Kei Industries' Chairman Anil Gupta 

feels lucky. He suffers cuts just four 

hours a day and only in the summer 

months when the Rajasthan state electricity 

board gives priority to irrigating 

farms. He says the board is courteous 

enough to warn the industrial estate by 

e-mail before cutting supplies. 

"Effectively it is rationing," said 

Gupta, who estimates his company 

would grow 5 per cent more each year 

with regular power. 

The 44-year-old company can take 

no chances. A few seconds' hiccup to 

the 24-hour-a-day extrusion process 

could mean kilometres of copper cable 

being scrapped and five hours of shutdown. 

Fluctuations cause bumps on the 

cable's insulation. 

So they have nine back-up diesel 

motors generating 7.5 MW of power on 

site and have invested in uninterruptible 

power supply (UPS) technology 

— banks of high-maintenance batteries 

connected to computers that ensure 

power is not lost for even a fraction of 

a second. They pass the running costs 

on to customers. 

"It effects our cost competitiveness," 

Gupta said. "We slip on deliveries, 

manpower costs, wasted labour and 

idle machines." 

with Annan's plan. 

"For the moment it is all we 

have, but that does not mean 

that it cannot be reviewed. 

There are parts now that are 

redundant. There could be 

a new version with a new 

name," the diplomat said. "All 

these elements are now being 

discussed," he added. 

The badly divided Security 

Council powers are also dis- 

Food inflation 

to hit budgets 

By Ed Stoddard 

FOOD inflation 

is taking hold in 

southern Africa, 

putting pressure on some 

state budgets and making 

it hard for central banks to 

loosen monetary policy in 

the hunt for growth and jobs. 

US drought has driven 

corn prices to historic 

peaks, and maize and wheat 

futures in South Africa, the 

continent's biggest producer, 

are at or near record 

highs, raising the stakes 

for governments such as 

Mozambique that subsidise 

the cost of basic food. 

The price pressures 

constrain central banks in 

the region, notably in South 

Africa, which is feeling 

the pinch from economic 

stagnation in the euro zone, a 

major trading partner. 

Already drawn to 

the region by attractive 

but waning bond yields, 

foreigners may choose to 

pile in in greater numbers 

if bubbling inflation 

contributes to higher returns. 

Politicians, too, will 

be taking note, given the 

relative size of spending 

on food in the average 

household's budget and the 

potential for hungry masses 

to take to the streets, as 

happened two years ago in 

Mozambique. 

Compared with the 

food price crunch of 2008, 

headline inflation is still 

moderate, but looks unlikely 

to stay that way, especially 

as the price of corn is felt 

across the food chain in 

southern Africa, one of the 

few regions where the crop 

is mostly grown for human 

consumption instead of 

livestock. 

In South Africa, the 

continent's biggest economy, 

inflation was 5.5 per cent 

in June compared to 11.6 

per cent at the same point in 

2008. It accelerated to 13.6 

per cent in August that year. 

In Zambia, inflation 

ended 2008 at almost 17 

per cent but is currently 6.2 

per cent, a trend mirrored 

elsewhere in the region. 

South African inflation 

is not seen racing to 13 per 

cent next year but pressure 

from food prices — which 

account for 14 per cent of the 

inflation basket — are seen 

remaining in place. 

Local wheat prices, for 

example, are sizzling with 

the December contract 

hitting record highs in 

cussing the future of the UN 

Supervision Mission in Syria 

(UNSMIS) — the unarmed 

observers who were meant to 

monitor the implementation of 

Annan's peace plan. 

A final decision is expected 

at a Security Council meeting 

on Thursday. 

The original 300 military 

observers have been cut to less 

than 150 because of the wors- 

July. There is a strong-nine 

month tie lag between South 

African consumer inflation 

and domestic wheat futures. 

Inflation pressures 9 

months hence could have 

wide consequences as mine 

workers and platinum, gold 

and coal bosses will start 

sitting down then to hammer 

out new wage deals. This in 

turn could keep the pedal on 

overall prices in the economy 

if the settlements far exceed 

inflation. 

Even if grain futures 

suddenly fall back to earth, 

the prices consumers pay in 

South Africa and elsewhere 

in the region may not follow 

suit because of ballooning 

input costs. 

According to Mike 

Schussler, director of 

economists.co.za, South 

African seed prices have 

been rising at almost 18 per 

cent per year since 1999, 

almost triple the average 

inflation rate over the same 

period, because there are so 

few distributors. 

"Regionally I think food 

inflation is likely to be higher 

for the next 18 months to two 

years," Schussler said. 

"I think the whole costs 

base here in southern Africa 

is under pressure as diverse 

costs such as rail fees and 

port fees and seeds all are 

increasing above the rate of 

inflation." 

With inputs so high, 

commercial and peasant 

farmers alike will have no 

incentives to plant big crops 

if global grain futures do 

cool off and domestic prices 

fall with them. This in turn 

could push domestic prices 

back up. 

And in the longer run, 

the outlook for regional food 

prices can only be skyward 

because of demography, 

which will lift demand, and 

also possibly climate change, 

which may hit supply if 

events such as the current US 

drought become frequent. 

Take Zambia and Malawi. 

Both countries have been 

reaping bumper harvests 

in recent years, helping to 

contain inflation. 

Zambia needs around 

2.5 million tonnes of maize 

for human consumption and 

output has been topping that. 

The 2010/2011 season saw a 

record crop of over 3 million 

tonnes. 

But this 500,000-tonne 

surplus could get snapped 

up by population growth if 

harvests don't continue to 

grow. 

Algerian troubleshooter likely Syria envoy 

If confirmed for the mission, 

Brahimi will replace Kofi Annan, 

who said last week he was resigning 

as an international emissary to 

Syria, citing lack of support from 

major world powers for his plan to 

end the conflict in the country 

AFRICAN WOES 

LAKHDAR Brahimi is expected to be named to replace Kofi Annan as the special envoy for Syria. — Reuters 

ening violence. They are still 

carrying out limited patrols 

but most of their work has 

now been suspended. 

The Security Council gave 

it a "final" 30-day mandate in 

a resolution passed last month. 

Russia, Assad's key ally, says 

it wants UNSMIS to remain. 

Western nations say it is too 

dangerous to keep the observers 

there.

Worries of 

shortages 

By Saud Abu Ramadan 

SHORTLY after gunmen 

attacked an 

Egyptian Army post in 

the Sinai Peninsula and then 

tried to blast their way into 

Israel, hundreds of vehicles 

lined up at petrol stations 

across the Gaza Strip. 

Gaza residents were taking 

no chances. Fearing the 

worst, they were determined 

to stock up on petrol and 

other essential items. The 

apprehensions were not unfounded. 

The Hamas movement, 

which administers the Gaza 

Strip, acceded to an Egyptian 

request and shut down 

the smuggling tunnels under 

the Gaza-Sinai border that 

serve as conduits for goods, 

people and weapons. 

In the aftermath of Sunday's 

attack, Israel alleged 

that some of the gunmen had 

originated in the Gaza Strip, 

and had slipped into Sinai via 

the tunnels. Hamas denied 

the accusation. Egyptian 

security officials said Cairo 

was working with Hamas to 

ensure that all the smuggling 

tunnels were closed. 

On Wednesday, the Egyptian 

military sent in bulldozers 

to fill in the tunnels on the 

Egyptian side of the divided 

border town of Rafah. 

"People have now stored 

enough fuel to last for several 

days," said Mohamed 

Lad'a, who works in a petrol 

station in eastern Gaza City. 

"But if the authorities keep 

the tunnels closed down, the 

people will run out of fuel." 

Egypt also shut down the 

Rafah crossing point, Gaza's 

sole entry and exit point to 

the Arab world, adding to the 

despondency in the salient. 

"Even if I don't want to 

travel, the moment I hear 

everything is closed, I feel 

sealed off," said one Gaza 

resident, who would not give 

his name. 

Hamas officials refuse 

to give an exact figure, but 

it is believed that there are 

at least 400 tunnels under 

the border. While some may 

still be operating, the majority 

have been closed — for 

now. 

"The tunnel area looks 

like a graveyard, empty 

of (the) living," said Abu 

Shadi Harb, 40, who runs 

a tunnel that was dug several 

months ago below the 

border between Egypt and 

his neighbourhood in Rafah 

town. "The whole process of 

smuggling has completely 

stopped." 

Israel enforced restrictions 

on the Gaza Strip in 

2006, and tightened them 

a year later when Hamas 

seized sole control of the 

enclave. 

By Gabriele Chwallek 

IN 2008, John McCain gambled 

on vice presidential candidate 

Sarah Palin and lost. This year's 

Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, 

is taking no chances. For weeks the 

search has been on for his number 

two, a running mate to take on the 

Democratic duo of Barack Obama 

and Joe Biden. 

Never before, say political observers, 

have potential vice presidents 

been so thoroughly vetted. One senator 

who had been through the vetting 

told CNN "it's like a colonoscopy, 

without anesthesia." Although media 

speculation has run through a slew of 

possibilities, the shortlist is said to 

number just a half dozen. 

Romney has said he'll tell all soon 

— probably after he comes back 

from a trip to the summer Olympic 

games in London. Outside of Romney's 

inner circle no one knows who 

the winner will be. But experts say 

one thing is for sure: there will be no 

repeat of 2008. 

In the last presidential election 

campaign, Republican candidate 

John McCain stunned America and 

the world with the choice of the allbut-unknown, 

poorly vetted governor 

of far-flung Alaska as his running 

mate. 

As a fresh face, a fresh voice, and 

above all a woman, Palin was intended 

to be a game changer. But it didn't 

take long for a series of embarrassing 

public gaffes to expose her political 

ignorance, and for the self-described 

"rogue" to become a liability to the 

campaign. 

13 

ANALYSIS/OPINION 



RESCUERS row an inflatable boat as they help residents evacuate at a flooded village in Metro Manila. — Reuters 

Dealing with floods risk 

By Girlie Linao 

AMELIA Mejia wailed as she 

begged that she and her family 

be given a new home after murky 

floodwaters inundated her home for the 

second time in three years in a village 

outside Manila. Mejia, 52, and her family 

has been living along a riverbank in 

Taytay town in Rizal province, just east 

of Manila, for the past 27 years. 

In 2009, her family stayed in evacuation 

centres for months after Tropical 

Storm Ketsana triggered flash floods that 

killed hundreds in Manila and surrounding 

provinces. 

"Please, please, I beg you, tell the authorities 

to give us a new home," she said 

in tears. "We can't live like this anymore. 

Children are getting sick, we don't have 

food. We have nothing." Mejia and her 

three children are among an estimated 2.7 

million people living in danger zones by 

riverbanks, lakes, sewers and hillsides in 

metro Manila and nearby provinces who 

need to be moved, according to the government. 

Mahar Lagmay, a disaster scientist 

and executive director of a government 

project that provides tools to deal with 

such hazards as floods and earthquakes, 

said moving residents from risky areas 

was the best solution to such disasters. 

"Disasters happen only when there are 

people in harm's way," he told a local cable 

television. "Natural events like flooding, 

volcanic eruptions and earthquakes 

have always been there. They become 

disasters whenever people get affected." 

"So if we are able to identify the 

places that are compromised by floods or 

whatever hazards, then it's important that 

we must not develop in those areas," he 

added. "If we populate them and a catastrophic 

event happens, more people may 

die." 

Benito Ramos, head of the govern- 

US media observers agree Romney 

will be more cautious. Even 

before taking into account a running 

mate's qualifications or his own 

sympathies, he's widely expected to 

choose someone who will first, do no 

harm to his campaign. So far, pundits 

are focusing on two potential picks, 

Tim Pawlenty and Rob Portman. 

Pawlenty is a former governor of 

Minnesota, an important swing state 

President Aquino 

III told floodweary 

residents 

during visits to the 

affected areas on 

Thursday that three 

new infrastructure 

projects to fight 

floods would be 

completed within 

two to three years 

ment's disaster response agency, agreed 

that relocating residents from communities 

at risk was a good solution, but admitted 

that it's easier said than done. 

"Even individuals would probably say 

that relocation is the solution. Imagine 

having to deal with floods every year. 

You'd really want to move. But the problem 

is livelihood," he said by phone. 

"We have to find alternative livelihoods 

for people we relocate, otherwise 

we have to deal with the vicious cycle of 

floods, evacuation, relief and then floods, 

evacuation and relief again," he added. 

Elsa Caputol, 52, another Taytay resident, 

said she and her 14-year-old son had 

nowhere else to go. "My husband has been 

paralyzed by an accident at work and he's 

Wanted: Number two for Republican ticket 

— one that could go Democratic or 

Republican in November. 

Although he ran against Romney 

for the nomination, since abandoning 

his campaign he has rallied to Romney's 

side and hit the campaign trail 

for him. Detractors joke, however, 

that he comes off as so sluggish that 

he makes the stiff Romney look dynamic. 

US Senator Portman, 56, could 

in (the central province of) Cebu," she 

said. "I will pack my things and move at 

a moment's notice if they can promise us 

a better place to live in." "Are you sure 

there will be no floods in the new area?" 

she added. 

Urban planner and architect Felino 

Palafox said that aside from relocation, 

authorities could also mitigate the risk 

of disasters through structural improvements. 

"Our cities, towns and communities 

have been developed with no or not 

enough urban planning and other considerations 

for disaster prevention," he said 

in a paper with a list of recommendations 

to improve flood control infrastructure in 

Manila and surrounding areas. 

"Houses and buildings are built close 

together and there is lack or absence of 

open spaces," he added. 

Among his recommendations were, 

improving drainage and sewerage systems; 

building anti-flood facilities such 

as embankments and water reservoirs; 

and making use of high-floor buildings 

for housing. 

A ring-road dyke is to protect 18 lakeside 

towns from floods in Laguna province, 

just south of Manila; embankments 

and catch basins are being built in a river 

in Marikina City; and an 8-kilometre dyke 

and pumping station will ease flooding in 

low-lying suburbs. 

In Marikina City, a suburb of more 

than 420,000 people that was badly hit 

by floods in 2009 and again on Tuesday, 

local authorities are considering the prohibition 

of single-floor homes. 

"We are thinking of passing a law 

where we will require all homes to have 

at least two or three levels," Vice Mayor 

Jose Fabian Cadiz said. 

"Let's also plant trees in watersheds 

and remove encroachments along the rivers." 

"We just really need to adapt," he 

said. 

MITT Romney greets supporters after touring the corn farm of Lemar Koethe in Des Moines. — AFP 

help Romney win his own home state 

of Ohio, another important swing 

state with a reputation as a political 

bellwether. 

The Bush administration budget 

director is well-versed in economics 

and finance and has heavyweight foreign 

policy credentials owing to his 

work as a US trade representative and 

position as a member of the Senate 

Armed Services Committee. Foreign 

Test for law limiting 

gun-seller liability 

By Andrew Longstreth 

RECENT deadly shootings in Wisconsin 

and Colorado reignited calls for more 

gun control in the United States, but 

one element has been largely missing from the 

debate: Should gun makers or sellers be held liable? 

A 2005 law that protects the gun industry 

from certain lawsuits has been challenged in 

Alaska in case that may give gun-control activists 

their next chance to test the law before the 

US Supreme Court. 

On August 2, 2006, Jason Coday, a drifter 

with a lengthy arrest record, left a gun store in 

Juneau carrying a Ruger .22 rifle. Two days 

later, he used the gun to kill Simone Kim, a 

26-year-old contract painter who was working 

outside a supermarket in the city's downtown. 

Coday was convicted of first-degree murder 

and other charges and sentenced to 101 years 

in prison. 

In 2008, Kim's family sued gun store owner 

Ray Coxe, alleging that he knowingly allowed 

Coday, "a fugitive from justice" and a "user 

of methamphetamine and other drugs," to pay 

for the gun without first getting a background 

check. An Alaska state judge dismissed the 

lawsuit in 2010, citing the federal Protection of 

Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which prohibits 

civil claims against gun makers and dealers 

for the "misuse of their products by others." 

Kim's family is appealing to the Alaska 

Supreme Court, arguing that the law violated 

the 10th Amendment of the US Constitution, 

which says powers not delegated to the federal 

government are reserved for states or the people. 

Whichever way the court goes, its decision 

could be appealed to the US Supreme Court. 

The law, which was signed by president 

George Bush in 2005, came in response to 

a wave of lawsuits against gun makers and 

sellers. Among them, New York City alleged 

in 2000 that gun manufacturers and dealers 

formed a public nuisance by allowing their 

guns to be diverted into illegal markets. The 

dozens of defendants included well-known 

gun makers like Smith & Wesson Corp and 

Glock Inc. 

Supporters of the law, including the National 

Rifle Association, viewed the wave of 

litigation as a strategy by liberal activists to 

bankrupt the firearms industry and to strip lawabiding 

citizens of their right to bear arms. 

"The cost of these lawsuits threatens to 

drive a critical industry out of business, losing 

thousands of good-paying jobs in the process 

and jeopardizing Americans' constitutionally 

protected access to firearms for self defence 

and other lawful uses," then US Senator Larry 

Craig, a Republican from Idaho, said at the 

time. 

Opponents of the law argued the legislation 

was needless. Frivolous lawsuits against 

gun makers were being dismissed regularly, 

they argued. Some legal experts also said the 

bill stepped on states' rights by taking away the 

discretion of state judges. The American Bar 

Association also opposed the legislation, saying 

it would "preempt the laws of the 50 states 

to form a special, higher standard for negligence 

actions for this one protected class." 

The legal protection the law gives to the 

gun industry is broad. While Congress has 

passed laws limiting civil lawsuits against other 

businesses, including makers of vaccines, 

the government also established alternative 

mechanisms to compensate victims. But the 

Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act 

offers no such avenue. The law did not eliminate 

all civil liability against the gun industry. 

Policy magazine notes Portman has 

more international experience than 

any other potential candidate. 

Telegenic young senator Marco 

Rubio of Florida is also in the running. 

The Cuban-American could 

potentially deliver a few more Latino 

votes to the Republican side, but 

there are whispers that Rubio is no 

great Romney fan. 

Also making the shortlist are US 

congressman Paul Ryan, a proponent 

of radical budget cuts, and Louisiana 

governor Bobby Jindal, the son of 

Indian immigrants and a Republican 

rising star. 

No longer in the running, pundits 

say, is Condoleezza Rice, the former 

secretary of state. Conservative Republicans 

say her support for abortion 

rights disqualifies her. Arch-conservative 

Rick Santorum has even warned 

putting a pro-choice candidate on the 

ticket would start a revolt at the Republican 

nominating convention in 

mid-August. 

As the vetting process continues, 

the contenders have a pile of homework 

to do. First job: an intensive 

quiz about everything from tax and 

police records to the deepest reaches 

of their private lives. 

The last thing Romney needs is 

the distraction of a skeleton in the 

closet. In politics, there are more of 

those than meet the eye. Another cautionary 

tale also comes from 2008, 

when former vice presidential candidate 

and presidential contender John 

Edwards was slated to speak at the 

Democratic convention. 

Supporters of the law, 

including the National 

Rifle Association, 

viewed the wave of 

litigation as a strategy 

by liberal activists to 

bankrupt the firearms 

industry and to strip 

law-abiding citizens 

of their right 

For instance, it left room for lawsuits against 

gun dealers or manufacturers that knowingly 

violate gun-control laws, like the Brady Act, 

which requires licensed firearms dealers to 

conduct background checks on buyers. But it 

will likely discourage lawsuits stemming from 

the shootings at the movie theatre in Colorado 

on July 20 and the Sikh temple in Wisconsin on 

August 5. In both instances, the firearms used 

were purchased legally. 

"The legislation is designed to protect gun 

manufacturers and gun dealers from civil liability 

in exactly these kinds of situations," 

said Timothy Lytton, a professor at Albany 

Law School. The Brady Centre to Prevent Gun 

Violence, the largest US gun-control group, 

has used some of the exceptions in the law to 

press lawsuits. Last year, it reached a $600,000 

settlement with pistol maker Kahr Arms over 

a shooting death. But at least three of its lawsuits 

have been dismissed because of the law, 

including the one it brought on behalf of the 

Kim family. 

A big question in the Alaska case is whether 

Coday stole the gun or whether Coxe unlawfully 

sold it to him without conducting a background 

check. If the gun was sold unlawfully, 

the lawsuit against Coxe could have proceeded 

under one of the shield law's exceptions. 

The Kim family noted that Coxe had told 

Coday the cost of the gun was $195 and that 

before Coday exited the store he left $200 on 

the counter. Lawyers for Coxe conceded that 

he showed Coday some guns. But Coxe said 

he left Coday by himself to think about the 

purchase. Once Coxe realized that the rifle was 

gone, either he or a colleague called the police, 

he testified. 

Ultimately, Alaska Superior Court Judge 

Philip Pallenberg sided with Coxe. He found 

the Kim family's allegation that Coxe knowingly 

supplied the gun to Coday was "nothing 

more than unsupported speculation and conjecture." 

Pallenberg also ruled that the lawsuit's 

claim that Coxe ran his store negligently was 

barred under the Protection of Lawful Commerce 

in Arms Act. 

In February, Jonathan Lowy of the Brady 

Centre, an attorney for the Kim family, argued 

to the Alaska Supreme Court that the law was 

an affront to the state's judiciary, which was 

being deprived of the right to decide claims of 

negligence. But the Kim family's constitutional 

arguments may be a long shot. Since the law 

was passed, federal appeals courts in both the 

2nd and 9th US circuits have said it is constitutional. 

Transplants scandal 

By Jean-Baptiste Piggin 

ASCANDAL in which doctors allegedly manipulated 

medical records or bent the rules to move their patients 

to the front of the queue for liver transplants has triggered 

calls in Germany for a re-examination of its organ donation 

system. 

A doctor who worked first in the southern city of Regensburg 

and later in the northern city of Goettingen is suspected 

of exaggerating the severity of illnesses of his patients to give 

them higher priority in receiving liver transplants under a 

queueing system administered by national authorities. 

National statistics show that last year about 1,200 people 

received liver transplants, a life-saving operation in which the 

average survival rate after five years is 80 per cent. Police and 

the hospital in Regensburg are investigating 23 liver transplants 

from 2004-06 to check if they were justified. The hospital has 

suspended its head of surgery, who supervised the doctor. 

The hospital in Goettingen suspended the doctor in November, 

but said he denied any wrongdoing. Police there are 

investigating him and another surgeon in connection with 23 

transplants in 2010 and 2011 on suspicion that medical data 

was faked. The media have dubbed him "Doctor O" and withheld 

his full name under privacy guidelines. Public prosecutor 

Serena Stamer said he was free to travel abroad while the 

inquiries continued. The media has highlighted evidence that 

rich private patients from abroad may have jumped the queue 

ahead of Germans. 

Jordanians received transplants in 2005 in Regensburg, the 

hospital said. Public prosecutor Wolfhard Meindl said they 

seemed to have been illegally given priority, but the case had 

not been proven and he was not prosecuted. 

A large number of Italians received liver transplants in 

Goettingen from 1995-99, the hospital said. Of 99 operations, 

23 were on people with Italian home addresses, which is being 

investigated. No evidence has been found that anyone was 

killed to obtain organs, nor are there indications that the organs 

were obtained against the wishes of the donors or their families. 

But the controversy has brought to light weaknesses in the 

bureaucracy that supervises the allocation of hearts, kidneys, 

livers, lungs, pancreas and intestines. 

Germany is one of seven nations that uses Eurotransplant, 

a foundation based in the Dutch city of Leiden, as a clearing 

house.

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 

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 

CLASSIFIED SECTION 

RUWI: 24785668 

S 

ENT-A-CAR 

ENT-A-C 

SPECIAL Rates on 

New Cars & 4 WDs 

RENTING & LEASING 

Tours and Airport Transfer 

Tel: 24582663 

GSM: 95859497, 

Fax: 24582664, 

abcrent@omantel.net.om 

ERVICES 

SERVICES ITUATION VACANT 

OR RENT 

HOOPOE SMART 

CARD SERVICES SE 

Sanad Service Servi 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 

1. A/C, Fridge & 

Washing Machine 

Servicing & Repairing 

2. Painting, Plumbing, 

Electrical & Carpentry 

Works. Contact: 

97014234/ 97123569, 

24504281. 

SHAMPOO cleaning 

of mosque carpet and 

house majlis, sofa carpet 

and curtains, general 

cleaning all types of 

old and new building, 

gardening mosaic tiles 

polishing marbles and 

granites, house painting 

96642500. 

T 

OURS 

MARINE Tourism 

92808636, e-mail: 

info@alainain.com 

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. 

Executive Office 

Services available 

Modern Furniture 

Personalised telephone 

line with receptionist 

services 

Unlimited wireless 

Internet 

PO Boxes address 

Executive conference 

room (10 people) 

Prime location 

(Al Khuwair) 

Complimentary 

tea & coffee 

Service duration, 

quarterly. 

Contact: 99463334, 

99201763, 24479400. 

C 

M 

G 

AR BUY & 

SELL 

IF you are in interested 

to sell your ccars, 

send 

SMS, we pay cash 

99333088. 

ANPOWER 

ANPOWE 

FRIENDS 

MANPOWER: Filipino 

housemaids and all kinds 

of workers. 24489268 

Tel/Fax: 24478153. 

UEST HO HOUSE 

MURAHIB HOTEL H 

APARTMENTS 

APARTMEN 

welcome l 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. 

S 

WANTED ur urgently 

Site Foreman currently 

residing in th the Sultanate 

with good experience 

in reading drawings. 

Contact 99112262, 

Fax: 24814889 e-mail: 

al-noumani@hotmail.com 

PRIVATE school in 

Muscat seeks qualified 

and experienced 

Accountant. Forward 

your CV and photograph 

to: omaniacademy@ 

gmail.com 

URGENTLY required 

a General Doctor, 

Dentist, Nurse. Please 

send your CV to e-mail: 

kumartps@yahoo.com 

99883019. 

WANTED housemaid, 

full time/part time for a 

Keralite family. Contact 

99737429. 

A 

G 

NNOUNCEMENT 

NNOUNC 

MOTIVATED team of 

experienced national 

and international 

lawyers provide legal 

advice and consultancy 

— efficient, prompt, 

all fields of local and 

international law. 

00968 96441968, 

0041 786120068. 

E-mail: alex@ 

marlawfirm.com 

PROVISION of 

exclusive contacts for 

business co-operation 

with SWISS and 

GERMAN companies. 

Legal and Marketing 

Consultancy. 00968 

96441968, 0041 

786120068. E-mail: 

ch-oman@bluewin.ch 

OOD NEWS NEW 

FREE FRE 

INFORM 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 Aluva, 

Kochi, Kerala. Rs 50 

laks onwards near UC 

College. Contact: 

98934705, or 

skprealty@yahoo.com 

CLASSIFIED SECTION: 

OMAN DAILY Observer SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 

F 

SAVILLS OMAN 

QUALITY homes for 

rent throughout 

Capital Area Muscat. 

Contact: 24692151. 

www.sav-oman.com 

A SHOP with 

storeroom for rent at 

Ruwi, RO 300 a month 

(4 in advance). Contact: 

99369347. 

SPACIOUS double 

bedroom flat near Wadi 

Kabir Indian Nursery 

School and one flat in 

Al Hail, near 

International School. 

Contact: 99768094. 

FULL equipped 

warehouse, 600m and 

6m height at Musannah 

Al Shars. For inquiries 

contact: 96378882, 

99808868, 95840754, 

99838698. 

3 BEDROOM 

luxurious and spacious 

apartment with sitting 

room, kitchen, dining 

and family hall at Al 

Ghubrah north. Rent 

RO600/- negotiable. 

Call 92974057, 

99213691. 

S 

IT WAN WANTED 

OMANI seeks 

administration & PRO 

position. Contact: 

salam2oman@yahoo.com 

OMANI seeks HSE 

position. Contact: 

jeebal3000@gmail.com 

SALES professional with 

15 years experience with 

International food and 

consumer brands. Seeks 

immediate placement as 

sales manager. Contact: 

98030097 e-mail: 

shijuthomsong@gmail.com 

BA passed, good 

knowledge of MS Word, 

MS Excel, Photoshop, 

Illustrator, seeks any 

suitable placement. 

Contact: 93412989. 

INDIAN male graduate in 

B Com, ICWAI (Inter-1 

Group), PGDMM with 

27 years experience 

in accounts, admin, 

HR, secretarial, good 

communication skills in 

English and in sales, look 

for a job change. 

Contact: 95519182 

e-mail: uthay_sai@ 

rediffmail.com 

BRAND new spacious 

3 bedroom flat and 3 

bathrooms at Al Hail 

North, behind Zamzam 

Hypermarket at prime 

on road location and 

good neighbourhood, 

owner 92881136. 

A FLAT at Wadi 

Kabir. Contact: 

99340221. 

FLAT with 3 bedrooms 

+ kitchen near Indian 

School in Darsait 

(Muttrah). RO 350/- per 

month. 97000295. 

3 BEDROOM villa in 

Al Khoudh 3 

99378828. 

FLAT for rent in 

Wattayah behind 

Honda showroom 

consists of 2 rooms, 2 

bathrooms, sitting hall 

and kitchen with balcony 

98544508. 

OFFICES, shops, villa 

at Al Khuwair, flats 

at Al Khuwair, Wadi 

Kabir, MBD, Mumtaz, 

furnished/unfurnished. 

96596348. 

SRI LANKAN Doctor 

(MBBS, MRCP) with 

valid MoH licence 

available for suitable 

place. Contact e-mail: 

jayantha212000@yahoo. 

com.au 95200293. 

INDIAN male 9 years 

experience in Oman 

as salesman, knowing 

Arabic, English looking 

for immediate placement. 

Contact 99591608. 

INDIAN male with 

15 years experience 

in hospitality industry, 

looking for general 

manager or profit center 

head operation in hotel 

or restaurants. Call 

97855160. 

COMPUTER Technician, 

25 yrs, hardware + laptop 

chip level maintenance, 

CC TV/ IP Cam 

installation with good 

knowledge in updated 

computer accessories, 4 

years Gulf experience, 

speaking Arabic and 

English, seeks suitable 

placement. 96508750. 

Sulaiman Awlad Thani: 95181747 

Ali al Maashari: 99639264 

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

14 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

Available on very GOOD prices 

HP 1000 3 in 1 Printer 

RO 10.900 only 

HP 1050 3 in 1 Printer 


HP OJ 4500 4 in 1 Printer 


HP Laser M1132 3 in 1 


AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung 

Cartridges also available 

ILYA MANPOWER 

HOUSEMAIDS 

available from 

Philippines, 

Sri Lanka & 

Africa. All 

types of skilled 

workers (waiters, 

cooks, drivers, 

constructions, 

industrials, hotels 

& ministries.....) 

Tel/Fax 

22050086 — Hail 

Shimaly Al Jabri 

Blg. next to 

Bahja Mall. 

D 

RIVING SSCHOOL 

MORNING STAR 

DRIVING SCHOOL SC 

— Learn driving driv 

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 

DIPLOMA Civil Engineer, 

Indian male, 42 years, 15 

years experience, well 

experienced in civil 

construction, seeks 

suitable placement. On 

visit visa. Contact: 

95725007, binikk76@ 

gmail.com 

EXECUTIVE Secretary/ 

PA/HR Assistant, looking 

for a suitable placement. 

95128596. 

SRI Lankan male, 8 years 

experience in cleaning, 

ironing, gardening. 

Working experience in 

Saudi Arabia, seeks 

suitable job. 96128795. 

ACCOUNTS Manager, M 

Com, Indian male, 21 

years wide experience in 

accounts and finance in 

Muscat seeks job change. 

Contact: 92785207. 

INDIAN, 47 yrs looking 

for a job as watchman/flats 

security with visa. Now 

on visit. Call 94075808 

Moorthy. 

COMPUTER SUPPLIES 

Ruwi: 24792792 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

U 

C 

ARGO 

DIRECT: 24649594 - FAX : 24649590 

e-mail: classified@omandaily.om 

F 


RUWI: 24785668 

Behind Royal Oman Police 

Adjacent to 

Dhofar Building 

MRAH/HAJ 

MRAH/HA 

OR RENT/INVEST. 

RENT 

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

AL Hikmani 

for 

HAJ and UM UMRAH 

— With a hhost 

of 

services including 

the following: Hiring 

luxurious coaches, 

arranging weekly trips, 

preparing visas for 

expats at cost-effective 

price, including 

transport, housing, 

meals and visits to 

shrine locations. Land 

and air trips weekly. 

(99311310, 24566016, 

99361982, 99707248, 

99322124. 

INDUSTRIAL land in 

Rusayil, 400m 2 divided 

1,000 m 2 , divided 1,000 

m2 for each land. Ready 

for industrial workshops 

99323957, 95490842, 

96554668. 

CARGO transfer with 

attractive price to all 

areas in the Sultanate 

and outside of Oman 

(by truck). Contact: 

00968-99171758. 

30 years, Indian male 

PGDBA-operations, 

having 8 years 

experience in sales coordinator 

and logistics 

looking for suitable 

placement. Contact 

92337137. 

CHARTERED 

Accountant, Indian male 

with 1 year Gulf 

experience seeks suitable 

placement. Contact: 

92416051. 

FINANCE Manager, 15 

years + experience in 

project financing, 

management accounts, 

ERP, finalisation, cost 

control, financial analysis, 

feasibility study, business 

development etc. 

92439941. E-mail: 

georaji9@hotmail.com 

INDIAN female, 25 years, 

B Tech (electronics & 

communication) 2 years of 

experience as lecturer, 

seeks suitable position in 

technical/nontechnical/ 

teaching. 99805368. 

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 

FORKLIFT for sale as 

is where is basis. 

Muscat: 2# Komatsu 

Forklift-FD30 

—1992/1999, 

96924896. Salalah: 

1# Komatsu Forklift- 

FB25 — 1997. Contact 

99085106. 

TISSUE Paper factory. 

99312700. 

CARAVANS and 

building materials in 

good condition for 

sale. 95414115/ 

95164903. 

EXPERIENCE with more 

than 15 years in Accounts 

& Finance, looking for a 

suitable placement. Ready 

to join on immediately. 

97309276. 

INDIAN driver (BCom) 

with own car, looking for 

trip basis or part-time job. 

Contact: 92581644. 

ACCA (UK) Female, 26 

years old with 5 years 

experience is seeking 

accounts, audit, finance 

roles in Oman. 

sidrashamsuddin@gmail. 

com Contact: 

94025276. 

SRI Lankan female, 32, 

BA (Statistics), AAT 

(Accounting), CA Stage II, 

working as an English 

medium teacher for 3 

years, 4 years experience 

as an Account Executive, 

IT knowledge, looking for 

suitable job opportunity, 

currently in Sri Lanka. 

Contact: 

0094718418857. Local 

No: 98847106, e-mail: 

indeewarinadeeka@gmail. 

com 

CLASSIFIEDS 

Continued on P-15

S 

ITUATION ITUATIO WANTED SITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED 

A 3D Animator and 

Modelor cum Graphic 

Designer looking for job 

currently on visit visa in 

Muscat. Fluent in English 

and Urdu languages. 

Please contact: 

96658544. 

INDIAN male secretary 

having more than 10 years 

experience in Oman, seeks 

placement. 98663977. 

30 YEARS Indian male 

PGDBA operations, 

having 8 years experience 

in sales co-ordinator and 

logistics looking for 


92337137. 

30+YEARS experienced 

MEP department 

manager worked 

with contractors and 

consultants and have good 

experience in bidding/ 

planning/procurement/ 

engineering/installation 

and commissioning, 

seeks suitable placement, 

presently working in UAE, 

have worked in Oman and 

Qatar. Please contact for 

CV e-mail: cvmailsmr@ 

gmail.com99321626. 

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 

12 YEARS experience, 

male candidate, as medical 

secretary, in medical 

records management, and 

office administration, 

looking for a suitable 

placement. Good 

knowledge in MS Office, 

Windows OS and the 

Internet. Contact: 

97893716, 95727612. 

INDIAN female graduate 

+ INDIAN male, logistics 

in-charge, 4 years 

experience in Oil & Gas 

sector, Oman; and 9 years 

in Dubai, seeks suitable 

placement. 96976133/ 

92882081. E-mail: 

reji_nm@yahoo.com; 

lijirajiv@yahoo.com 

INDIAN male, BCom 

graduate, 10 years Oman 

experience in 

Administration and 

Accounts seeks suitable 

placement. Can join 

immediately. Contact: 

93989230. 

INDIAN male, 32 years 

‘Steel Foreman’ having 

7 years Gulf experience 

in well reputed company 

working as cutting, 

bending and fixing 

supervision of steel. 

Seeking immediately 

placement in well reputed 

company. Contact 

94105072. 

15 



REGION/CLASSIFIEDS 

Egypt arrests 6 suspects in Sinai attack 

PALESTINIAN travellers pass a soldier standing guard on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border to cross over to Gaza northeast of Cairo yesterday. 

EL ARISH — Egyptian military 

forces have arrested six 

activists suspected of involvement 

in a deadly weekend attack 

upon border soldiers, as 

the military embarks upon a 

major crackdown in the Sinai 

Peninsula, a security official 


“During search and clampdown 

operations in the eastern 

area of the town of Sheikh 

Zuwaid (near the border with 

Gaza), the army arrested six 

key suspects wanted by the 

military and security agencies. 

They are being questioned,” 

the official told dpa. 

Another official told the 

state-run newspaper Al Ahram 

that the suspects had been detained 

during an early raid on 

the area. 

On Tuesday, the army began 

a high-profile offensive, 

targeting the strongholds of 

HR manager/ 

administration manager 

with 25 years experience 

in Oman. Contact 

92719485. 

activists suspected of killing 

16 Egyptian soldiers in a brazen 

assault against a military 

outpost in the border town of 

Rafah, near the Gaza Strip, 

two days earlier. 

Additional troops, warplanes, 

tanks and armoured 

vehicles have since been deployed 

across Sinai, according 

to state media. 

The army has said its campaign 

had resulted in initial 

success and would continue. 

The operation is Egypt’s 

largest since 1973, when it 

launched a surprise attack on 

Israel to recapture the peninsula, 

which Israel had seized six 

years earlier. The two countries 

signed a peace treaty in 1979. 

Unknown gunmen in surrounding 

mountains attacked 

a security checkpoint late 

on Thursday in Al Arish, the 

capital of North Sinai, report- 

A SYRIAN electronics 

engineer (automation 

control) with a CCNA 

plus. Contact: 97618698 

e-mail: alaashawwa@ 

hotmail.com 

ed Al Ahram. 

Security and military forces 

returned fire, the newspaper 

said in its online edition. No 

casualty figures were given. 

The attack on the checkpoint 

came as Interior Minister 

Ahmed Gamal Eddin secured 

a promise from Sinai’s tribal 

leaders to support the army’s 

current onslaught. 

During a meeting with 

Gamal Eddin in Al Arish, the 

INDIAN male 22 years, 

B Tech in electronics & 

communication, having 

5 months experience in 

CCTV configuration, 

looking for job, please 

contact: 92533114. 

INDIAN male, BTech, 

Computer Engineer with 

experience as asst system 

Eng — Diploma in 

Oracle-10G, Database 

Administration, and Java. 

Good knowledge in ASP. 

NET, C, C++, MS Office, 

Photoshop, on visit visa 


placement in software, 

networking, IT sales. 

Contact: 

97638112/93937141. 

E-mail: getrenji@gmail 

GENERAL manager, BE 

civil, 22 years experience 

in Oman since 1995 is 


opening in reputed 

construction company. 

Contact: 94006761. 

SENIOR Accountant, 

Indian male, B Com, 

PGDCA, 11 years 

experience in accounts up 

to finalisation and MIS 

reporting. Well versed 

with Tally, MS Office & 

ERP systems. 5 years 

experience in Oman, can 

join immediately. Contact: 

95593273. 

INDIAN male masters 

degree in IT, MCSE, 

CCNA, CCNP, ITILV3 

with 8 years of experience, 

seeks suitable placement. 

Contact: 99059728. 

tribesmen also backed a government 

plan to seal off illegal 

tunnels, believed to be used for 

smuggling people and weapons 

across the Egyptian-Gaza 

border. 

Al Ahram said the army 

had destroyed 150 out of an 

estimated 1,200 tunnels along 

the border. 

Sixty people identified as 

activists have been killed since 

the campaign started, added 

the paper, citing security officials. 

The crackdown marks a Uturn 

in Egypt’s response to security 

breakdown in Sinai. 

Over the past year, Islamist 

activists are believed to have 

been responsible for several 

attacks on a pipeline that exports 

gas to Israel, as well as 

raids on police stations in the 

sparsely populated peninsula. 

Gunmen attacked a checkpoint 

in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula 

overnight, causing no 

casualties, as the army massed 

troops to quell increasingly 

deadly activists, a security 

source said yesterday. 

At the same time, security 

sources said six "activists" had 

been arrested in the Sinai. 

And Egypt temporarily reopened 

the Rafah border crossing 

into the Gaza Strip, which 

was closed after activists attacked 

troops on Sunday and 

killed 16 soldiers. 

There were no further details 

on the overnight attack 

outside the town of El Arish 

in a region that has been increasingly 

on edge since Sunday's 

raid. State news agency 

Mena said six "fighter elements," 

who a security source 

said were known hardliners 

suspected of belonging to a 

jihadist group, had been arrested 

during patrols in North 

INDIAN male, looking 

for a vacancy of a recreation 

manager/supervisor 

position in hotel/clubs. 

15 years of experience as 

gym trainer and 2 years 

of experience as recreation 

manager. Contact: 

97093993. 

INDIAN male, 8 years 

experience, BSc 

(chemistry), MBA, 

presently working as 

business development 

manager in India, seeks 


Contact: +919995026711 

e-mail: ajitlal24@gmail. 

com 

INDIAN female, 22 years 

BTech (IT) with SAP 

ABAP certified C++ Java. 

Looking for suitable 

placement, now on visit 

visa and staying with 

parents. Release date: 

11-07-12 one week. 

Contact: 93214845 

e-mail: kcthambi@yahoo. 

com 

SOFTWARE engineer, 

B Tech, 4 years experience 

in Java, J2ee, struts. Looking 

for a suitable placement. 

96200984 e-mail: 

shiljyrajan@gmail.com 

PETROLEUM Engineer 

— Ram Haridas — 

Masters graduate from 

University of NSW, 

Australia, with 1 year 

Australian experience in 

oil and gas field 

operations, on visit visa 

(till 26-09-2012), seeks 

suitable employment. 

Please contact: 

+968 24833874 or 

e-mail: ramharidaas@ 

yahoo.com 

Sinai province. 

On Thursday, trucks carrying 

dozens of armoured personnel 

carriers mounted with 

machineguns rolled through 

El Arish heading to the east, 

where Bedouin activists have 

established a presence in villages 

near the borders with 

Gaza and with Israel. 

El Arish and its environs 

were calm yesterday, a journalist 

said. 

A number of armoured vehicles 

had taken up positions in 

the town, and a tank sat behind 

a barrier of sandbags painted 

with Egypt's black, white and 

red national colours on which 

was written the slogan "victory 

or death." 

The build-up comes after 

state television reported that 

military helicopters and soldiers 

killed 20 activists on 

Wednesday in the first such 

operation in the Sinai in decades, 

in retaliation for the raid. 

Israel said on Thursday it 

gave Egypt the go-ahead to deploy 

helicopters in Sinai, easing 

the restrictions on military 

presence in the peninsula set 

by a 1979 peace treaty between 

the neighbouring countries. 

At a late-night meeting 

with Interior Minister Ahmed 

Gamal al Din in El Arish, 

roughly 50 kilometres west of 

the Gaza border, Bedouin tribal 

leaders demanded to see the 

bodies of the activists reportedly 

killed on Wednesday. 

"We demanded that they 

present us the bodies, just one 

or two bodies, so we can be 

convinced," said Eid Abu Marzuka, 

one of the Bedouin who 

took part in the meeting. 

Others said they doubted 

the report, which a military 

commander in Sinai had confirmed. 

— Agencies 

INDIAN female, BBA in 

Finance available for 

immediate placement 

under finance/ banking/ 

back office/ accounts/ 

administration. 

95910427. 

EXPERIENCED MEP 

Engineer (diploma) 


placement in oil & gas 

field. 93782685. 

8 YEARS experienced Sri 

Lankan houseboy looking 

for gardening, ironing, 

cleaning job. Contact: 

99085573, 99085574. 

AN Egyptian male on a 

visit visa, worked as 

purchasing officer in a 

construction company and 

as a supervisor, with 4 

years experience in UAE 

and have Emirati driving 

licence, seeks suitable 

placement. Contact: 

96987787. 

LOOKING job in retailing 

and outdoor sales, 2½ 

years experience in Qatar 

market, Qatar valid D/L 

holder. Contact: 

97420506 E-mail: 

shirumck@gmail.com and 

shiru_mck@yahoo.co.in 

Car bomb 

kills security 

official 

ADEN — A senior Yemeni 

security official has been 

killed by a car bomb in 

the south-eastern city of 

Mukalla, in a suspected Al 

Qaeda attack, a local security 

official said. 

Brigadier Omar Barasheed, 

dean of the Command 

and General Staff 

College, died in hospital 

after a bomb hidden inside 

his car exploded, the official 

said. 

His bodyguard was also 

killed and his son badly 

wounded. 

The Yemeni official, 

who asked not to be named, 

said all signs indicated 

Al Qaeda was behind the 

attack, which happened 

late on Thursday in the 

capital of Hadramaut 

province. 

Investigations into the 

bombing are ongoing, the 

Yemeni government said 

in a statement carried by 

official news agency Saba 

yesterday. 

Earlier this week, security 

forces foiled a plot by 

an Al Qaeda-linked cell 

to carry out attacks in the 

capital Sanaa and seized 

40 belts packed with explosives, 

the mayor said on 

Wednesday, highlighting 

the risks posed by militancy 

in the Arab state. 

The Defence Ministry 

said seven activists had also 

been detained in the southern 

town of Jaar, where a 

suicide bomber killed 45 

tribal fighters earlier this 

week and threatened further 

attacks on a bigger 

scale. — AFP 

SEEKING vacant job for 

store manager, retailing 

working experience in 

Saudi Arabia, 6 years. . 

Contact: 93473367 

E-mail: Asifthatan@gmail. 

com 

M-TECH Project Manager, 

12 years experience in 

project/people management, 

design, certified 6Sigma 

green belt with valid Oman 

driving licence, seeks 

suitable placement in 

Muscat. Contact: 

92283707 e-mail: 

ashokan745@gmail.com 

DIPLOMA with 13 years 

experience in secretarial/ 

office assistance/ 

documentation jobs, Gulf 

experienced, proficient in 

computer with ability to 

multitask jobs and good 

communication skills in 

English, seeking a job 

for immediate joining, 

presently on visit visa. 

Contact 93464456. 

BIG store management and 

accounts, 6 years 

experience and in food 

companies marketing as 

sales officer, 7 years 

experience. Other abilities: 

team leading accounting, 

salesmanship, showroom 

management, as purchaser. 

94086932. 


RUWI: 24785668 

Behind Royal Oman Police, 

Ruwi and Adjacent to 

Dhofar Building

FLIGHT LIGHT SSCHEDULE 

CHEDULE 

ARRIVALS LS — SATURDAY 

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 

Things do not change; we change. 

— Henry David Thoreau 

If you wish to be loved, show more of your faults 

than your virtues. 

— Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton 

The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance 

of things, but their inward significance. 

— Aristotle 

I love not man the less, but Nature more. 

— Lord Byron 

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 

06.00 am Opening, Royal Anthem, The Holy Quran, 

Preview of Morning Programme, Weather Forecast, 

Pharmacies on Duty; 06.15 Good Morning Oman; 

07.00 News Bulletin; 07.10 Good Morning Oman 

(Sat-Wed); 10.00 News Headlines; 10.02 Piano; 

11.00 Instrumental Music; 11.30 Light Classical 

Music; 12.00 News Headlines; 12.02 Artist of The 

Day (June); 12.07 Mid Day Edition — June; 02.30 

News Bulletin; 02.40 Mix Music; 04.00 News 

Headlines; 04.02 Moments in Music History (Laxmi); 

04.07 Radio Magazine — (Laxmi); 06.30 News 

Bulletin; 06.40 Short Stories — Judith (2pm Friday 

Repeat); 06.55 Mix Music; 07.00 Our Youth (Nadia) 

Live; 08.00 News Headlines; 08.02 The Oasis 

(Frank); 10.00 News Bulletin; 10.10 Country Music 

(June); 11.00 Jazz Cafe (Suhail); 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 

LEO 

(July 22-August 21) 

You will not be able to 

refuse some additional 

work today without seeming churlish, 

and as it is at the request of 

someone whose good opinion you 

value, accept with a smile. 

VIRGO 

(August 22-Sept. 22) 

Your personal motive 

for a certain action may 

not be properly understood by some 

people involved, and it would be advisable 

to make a point of explaining 

it in more detail. 

LIBRA 

(Sept. 23-Oct. 22) 

By inviting a colleague 

to your home and making 

a real attempt to understand his 

outlook, you will find him much 

more ready to co-operate with 

you. 

SCORPIO 

(October 23- 

November 21) 

If, at times, you feel like 

changing your routine, think back to 

the occasions when you would have 

been grateful to have the work that 

now seems dull. 

16 

INFORMATION/LEISURE SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 

PHARMACIES 

PHARM 

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 

Al Tadawi 24450670 

Al Waleed 24485542 

Ibn Sina 24788436 

Sur Aukadh 25540643 

Buraimi Yaas 25653855 

Ibri Sarah 25691424 

Nizwa Al Hadfa 25426102 

Salalah Al Waleed 23294905 

Sohar Al Rawae 26844277 

NIGHT DUTY 

Muscat Starcare 24557222 

Ibn Said 24423894 

Atlas 24503585 

Muscat 24702542 

Sur Ibn Saleem 

25543770 

Buraimi Muscat 25652145 

Ibri Al Mukhtar 25689839 

Rustaq Al Murshid 26875561 

Barka Barka 26882140 

Samayil Al Jinan 25351030 

Nizwa Al LuLu 25447721 

Salalah Al Mawasah 

23294400 

Ibra Ibn Saleem 25570441 

Mudhaibi Badr Al JashmI 

25524533 

Saham Saham 26856323 

Sohar Muscat 26840211 

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 

YOUR STARS 

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY: Your well-known generosity and constant willingness to help others could be taken 

advantage of by some people who do not care how much trouble they give others. Beware of such associations 

and don’t let flattery make you do things your good sense should tell you to leave alone. 

SAGITTARIUS 

(November 22- 

December 21) 

It may not be easy to 

cope with the various demands and 

frustrations the coming days will 

bring. Plans to get a new project off 

the ground could hit snags that bring 

it almost to a halt. 

CAPRICORN 

(December 22- 

January 20) 

Look through your diary 

before arranging an important 

meeting, because you don’t want it 

to conflict with other essential appointments. 

AQUARIUS 

(January 21-Feb. 19) 

You may feel obliged 

to give up some of your 

free time to come to the assistance 

of a friend who is in trouble with the 

local authorities. 

PISCES 

(Feb. 20-March 20) 

A purely personal matter 

may crop up which 

could occupy a great deal of your 

day to settle satisfactorily. Don’t 

discuss it, even with your best 

friend. 

CCARTOONS A R T O O N S 

ARIES 

(March 21-April 20) 

Nothing will seem to 

go right for you this 

morning, for reasons you simply 

cannot understand, but by the afternoon 

you will be able to make up 

for lost time. 

TAURUS 

(April 21-May 20) 

You have a tendency 

to be over-cautious. 

An occasional modest risk will add 

spice to your life and you will be 

amused at the reaction of people 

who thought you staid. 

GEMINI 

(May 21-June 21) 

If you feel you are 

not getting the proper 

reward for the important work you 

do, it is up to you to bring your discontent 

to the notice of the person 

in charge. 

CANCER 

(June 22-July 21) 

An invitation for the 

weekend should be accepted 

gratefully as your flagging 

energy and spirits will benefit from 

the changes of environment. 

ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset 

CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson 

GARFIELD by Jim Davis 

STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot 

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 

OTHER HOSPITALS 

CRYPTIC PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

1 Dance frenziedly with 

a lass (5) 

6 Those whom US 

soldiers embrace right 

and left? (5) 

9 Where to pick fruit or 

drink a lot (7) 

10 ‘Way out’ beverage? 

(5) 

11 A pose as a writer (5) 

12 Letter from the boy, 

thanks, in Greek (5) 

13 In a way, there’s 

nothing for me in an 

exhibition (7) 

15 Bobby’s a top 

rhymester (3) 

17 She shows points to 

some idiot (4) 

18 Mysterious wrecking of 

a crane (6) 

19 One may yearn to 

heave them (5) 

20 Speaks American, 

perhaps (6) 

22 It’s in extremes of 

penury that one gets 

compassion (4) 

24 How time changes one! 

(3) 

25 Crazy bunch? (7) 

26 Meant me to help out 

(5) 

27 Something for one to 

sit down and play (5) 

28 Another name for 

Diana? (5) 

29 Unreasonable strife 

about an upstart is 

simply too much (7) 

30 Company emblems of 

record size? (5) 

31 Shelf left on one side 

(5) 

DOWN 

2 The fighting line in a 

London district (6) 

3 So hardened to being 

sozzled (6) 

4 Skill in creating some 

turn-up in trade (3) 

5 Had a fling (5) 

6 Those speaking harshly 

of certain kitchen 

ACROSS 

1 Mistake (4) 

4 Spotted (3) 

6 Choose (4) 

8 Coax (6) 

9 Lasso (6) 

10 Age (3) 

12 Broom (5) 

14 Cabin (5) 

15 Recorded (5) 

18 Erase (6) 

20 Foolishness (6) 

24 Urchin (5) 

26 Twenty (5) 

28 Hickory (5) 

30 Ocean (3) 

32 View (6) 

33 Indeed (6) 

34 Whirlpool (4) 

35 Shoot (3) 

36 Borough (4) 

DOWN 

2 Depart (5) 

3 Advance (7) 

4 Rushed (4) 

5 Cunning (4) 

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 

equipment? (7) 

7 Just a suggestion of 

inspiration? (4) 

8 Regard as a mere 

bystander? (4,2) 

12 A female to cheat at 

some risk (5) 

13 There’s good reason to 

make it (5) 

14 Where, in Italy, you 

could get a letter from 

Manila (5) 

15 Hut serving as a taxi 

shelter? (5) 

16 Samuel had plenty of 

energy on half days (5) 

18 Go it and you’ll be a 

leader! (5) 

19 When Rosie’s mad with 

us, it’s no joke! (7) 

21 Guided also around the 

city (6) 

22 Something tasteful 

consumed by a friend 

(6) 

23 Attractive, thanks to 

Rex (6) 

25 Burly six footer starting 

and finishing Friday (5) 

26 A capital orchestra, too 

(4) 

28 Nothing but national 

insurance money (3) 

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 PLANETARIUM, 

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. 

CROSSWORD 

EASY PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

1 Middle (5) 

6 Woo (5) 

9 Card game (7) 

10 Fool (5) 

11 Sister (5) 

12 Sweets (5) 

13 Be relevant (7) 

15 Allow (3) 

17 Female sheep (4) 

18 Within (6) 

19 Matter (5) 

20 Puma (6) 

22 Unmarried woman (4) 

24 Consume (3) 

25 Rename (7) 

26 Beer (5) 

27 Essential (5) 

28 Quilt (5) 

29 Furniture item (7) 

30 Lustre (5) 

31 At no time (5) 

DOWN 

2 Prince (6) 

3 Nozzles (6) 

4 Baby (3) 

5 Blemish (5) 

6 Pleased (7) 

7 Burden (4) 

8 Hurried (6) 

12 Small (5) 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

6 Cleanse (5) 

7 Disordered (7) 

11 Hatchet (3) 

12 Offer (3) 

13 Rug (3) 

16 Fix (3) 

17 Obscure (3) 

19 Pardoned (7) 

21 Immerse (3) 

22 Imprecise (7) 

23 Longing (3) 

25 Imitate (3) 

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 

13 Tranquillity (5) 

14 Disprove (5) 

15 Scope (5) 

16 Mock (5) 

18 Archer’s target (5) 

19 Language (7) 

21 Stupid (6) 

22 Tiny (6) 

23 Cover (6) 

25 Send (5) 

26 Decorative material (4) 

28 Lair (3) 

WEDNESDAY’S 

CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 1, Scots 6, 

Aunts 9, We-stern 10, Cubit 

11, C-inch 12, Tight 13, 

Dis-C-ern 15, Sea 17, Inch 

18, B-re-ath 19, Spurs 20, 

Acorns 22, Cuba 24, Nap 

25, Swarmed 26, Spoon 

27, S-too-p 28, Earth 29, 

Heaters 30, Prior 31, 

Retry. 

DOWN: 2, Co-US-in 3, 

Twit-CH 4, Set 5, Sta- 

I-n 6, Archers 7, Unit 8, 

Ticket 12, Trips 13, D-Ivan 

14, Scoop 15, S-arum 16, 

A-head 18, Brown 19, 

Snapper 21, Castor 22, Cr.ease 

23, Better 25, S-OOty 

26, So-ho. 28, Err. 

WEDNESDAY’S EASY 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 1, Abuts 6, 

Douse 9, Rancour 10, 

Clout 11, Ranch 12, Rural 

13, Lobster 15, Bog 17, 

Item 18, Allure 19, Slime 

20, Hearty 22, Peru 24, 

Tun 25, Endures 26, Dread 

27, Herod 28, Aisle 29, 

Poetess 30, Harem 31, 

Shade. 

DOWN: 2, Ballot 3, 

Truism 4, Sat 5, Scour 6, 

Durable 7, Oral 8, Sector 

12, Reply 13, Light 14, 

Began 15, Buyer 16, Genus 

18, Amend 19, Stardom 

21, Eureka 22, Punish 23, 

Reeled 25, Earth 26, Dope 

28, Ass. 

27 Shrill (5) 

29 Permit (5) 

30 Knife (4) 

31 Parched (4) 

WEDNESDAY’S 

QUICK SOLUTION 

ACROSS: 2, Large 7, 

Dazed 8, Cello 10, Voted 

12, Tie 13, Steer 15, 

Eastern 17, Teller 19, Nil 

20, Deigned 23, Ripe 25, 

Damp 26, Endured 30, 

Tom 31, Damned 34, 

Sweeten 37, Metre 38, 

Ear 39, Debar 40, Water 

41, Giddy 42, Greet. 

DOWN: 1, Paste 2, Level 

3, Adored 4, Glee 5, 

Settled 6, Alert 9, Lie 

11, Dangled 13, Start 

14, Elope 16, Sin 18, 

Resumed 21, Daunt 22, 

Spade 24, Entered 27, 

Dot 28, Damage 29, 

Swear 32, Merit 33, 

Erode 35, Eat 36, Near.

KIAWAH ISLAND, South Carolina 

— Swede Carl Pettersson flawlessly 

put himself in position to improve 

a mediocre record in the Majors, 

spearheading a glut of low scoring 

to surge into a one-shot lead in the 

PGA Championship opening round 

on Thursday. 

The 34-year-old fired a sizzling 

six-under-par 66 in relatively calm, 

sunny conditions at the Kiawah Island 

Golf Resort to take control of 

the season's final Major. 

Former US Open winner Rory 

McIlroy, long-hitting American 

Gary Woodland, Spaniard Gonzalo 

KINGSTON, Jamaica — 

West Indies team manager 

Richie Richardson and head 

coach Ottis Gibson have 

praised their side for their 

hard work after beating New 

Zealand 2-0 in the recent 

Test series. 

The Windies wrapped 

up the two-match series 

against the Black Caps on 

Sunday with a second win, 

adding to their victories in 

the short-format Twenty20 

competition and one-day 

international series. 

The results have helped 

the Caribbean islands move 

up to fifth spot in the world 

T20 rankings while they are 

seventh in the equivalent 

ODI classification and Test 

table. 

Former West Indies 

bowler Gibson said in a 

statement released by the 

West Indies Cricket Board 

that the achievements were 

a result of their dedication 

and showed that the team 

was "on the right track" and 

gaining confidence. 

"The players are working 

hard and deserve their 

success. I want to give 

them credit. They deserve 

to be excited about their 

achievements," he added. 

Fernandez-Castano and Swede Alex 

Noren charged into contention with 

67s while four-time champion Tiger 

Woods was happy after opening 

with a six-birdie 69. 

Defending champion Keegan 

Bradley, 1991 winner John Daly and 

Dutchman Joost Luiten, who briefly 

led at eight under before bogeying 

his last four holes, were among a 

group of eight players who carded 

68s at Kiawah, where ocean breezes 

strengthened later in the day. 

Forty-four players broke par on 

the longest layout to stage a Major 

championship, making the most of 

Windies wins helping 

confidence: Richie 

Former Test batsman 

and West Indies captain 

Richardson said he was also 

proud of Darren Sammy 

and his team for their 

performances in all three 

formats against the tourists. 

"The hard work, the 

dedication, the sacrifice and 

the desire to improve have 

paid dividends," he said. 

"We look to build a strong 

West Indies team. Lots of 

credit must also be given 

to coach Gibson and the 

entire management staff, 

who are all contributing to 

the development of a strong 

West Indies team." 

The 2-0 Test series win 

was the Windies' first since 

beating Bangladesh 1-0 in 

Bangladesh last October. 

Their last home Test series 

win was in 2009, when they 

beat England 1-0 to clinch 

the Wisden Trophy. 

The last time the West 

Indies won back-to-back 

Tests was in Bangladesh a 

decade ago under captain 

Ridley Jacobs, while the 

previous series win over 

the Kiwis was in 1996 with 

Courtney Walsh at the helm. 

— AFP 

conditions softened by heavy rain 

earlier in the week. The average 

score was 73.42. 

"I played really good," Pettersson 

told reporters after breaking 70 

for the first time in 21 rounds at the 

PGA Championship with an nerveless 

six-birdie display on a hot and 

humid day. 

"Getting off to a good start was 

the key to the round. There really 

wasn't much wind on the front nine, 

so I knew I had to keep going low 

because I figured the wind would 

get up. 

"The wind started blowing a little 

17 SPORT 



Pettersson takes command at Kiawah 

CARL Pettersson of Sweden hits out of a bunker during round one of the PGA Championship in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, on Thursday. — AFP 

ROME — Italian motorcycling 

great Valentino Rossi 

will leave Ducati at the end of 

the MotoGP season and rejoin 

Yamaha on a two-year deal, 

the Japanese-owned team said 

yesterday. 

"In June, we were able to 

sign Jorge Lorenzo for the 

2013-14 campaign and now 

we are able to confirm Valentino 

Rossi for the next two 

years," Yamaha Motor Racing 

managing director Lin Jarvis 

said in a statement. 

The 33-year-old nine-times 

world champion — seven 

in the premier class — first 

joined Yamaha in 2004 and 

won four MotoGP titles with 

the manufacturer before 

agreeing a two-year deal with 

Ducati at the end of the 2010 

season. 

However, the dream of 

pairing up Italy's best-known 

rider with Italy's top team 

turned into a nightmare and he 

finished seventh on an uncompetitive 

bike last year. 

This season has been just as 

bad with Rossi lying eighth. 

Rossi left Yamaha because 

he felt having two very strong 

riders in one team did not 

India pick 

Yuvraj for 

Twenty20 

NEW DELHI — India yesterday 

selected Yuvraj Singh 

for the World Twenty20 in 

Sri Lanka. 

The 30-year-old lefthander, 

one of the most 

flamboyant batsmen in 

world cricket, was named 

in a 15-man squad for the 

12-nation tournament which 

begins next month. 

“It is good to see Yuvraj 

back. He is fit and has fought 

his way back,” chairman of 

selectors Krishnamachari 

Srikkanth told reporters. 

“He has been one of the 

most important members 

of the Indian team. With 

this combination, we have 

a great chance to win the 

World Twenty20.” 

Yuvraj played a key role 

in India’s 50-over World 

Cup triumph last year, scoring 

362 runs and taking 15 

wickets in nine matches to 

be named man of the tournament. 

India’s World Twenty20 

squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni 

(capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virender 

Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Virat 

Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, 

Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer 

Khan, Lakshmipathy Balaji, 

Ashok Dinda, Rohit Sharma, 

Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, 

Manoj Tiwary. — AFP 

bit on the back nine, and I carried on 

solid play, hitting a lot of fairways, 

hitting a lot of greens and making 

a few putts. It was a great day for 

me." 

Pettersson, who won his fifth 

PGA Tour title at the Heritage Classic 

in April, has missed 10 cuts in 

the Majors while recording only two 

top-10 finishes. 

"I haven't contended that much 

in majors ... but I'd love to have a 

chance and see what happens," said 

the Swede, who is bidding to become 

the 17th different player in 

a row to claim one of golf's Grand 

Laxman retained, 

Tendulkar returns 

NEW DELH — Veteran 

Venkatsai Laxman was given 

a chance to extend his international 

career after being named 

yesterday in India's squad for 

two home Tests against New 

Zealand. 

The stylish middle-order 

batsman, 37, had been under 

pressure to retain his place 

after a dismal performance in 

India's last Test series in Australia 

early this year. 

Laxman managed just 155 

runs with one half-century 

in eight innings in the series, 

averaging 19.37 which was 

much below his overall average 

of 45.97 in 134 matches. 

He has so far scored 8,781 

Test runs with 17 centuries. 

The national selectors opted 

for experience at the start 

of a new home season which 

will also feature four Tests 

each against England and 

Australia. 

The series against New 

Zealand will be India's first 

since the retirement of accomplished 

top-order batsman 

Rahul Dravid earlier this year. 

Cheteshwar Pujara, a 24year-old 

batsman who played 

the last of his three Tests in 

January 2011, returned to the 

squad and is likely to bat in the 

top order. 

Fast bowler Ishant Sharma, 

leg-spinner Piyush Chawla 

and left-hand batsman Suresh 

Raina also made comebacks 

in the 15-man squad. 

Sharma missed the Asia 

Cup in Bangladesh in March 

and the tour of Sri Lanka this 

month due to an ankle injury. 

Chawla featured in two 

Tests between 2006 and 2008. 

Chawla will be the third 

spinner in the squad after 

Ravichandran Ashwin and 

Pragyan Ojha. 

Sachin Tendulkar, the 

world's leading scorer in both 

Test and one-day cricket, returned 

after opting out of the 

recent one-day series in Sri 

Lanka. 

The Tests will be played 

in Hyderabad (August 23-27) 

and Bangalore (August 31- 

September 4), followed by 

two Twenty20 internationals 

in Visakhapatnam (September 

8) and Chennai (September 

11). India's Test squad: Mahendra 

Singh Dhoni (capt), Virender 

Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin 

Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, 

Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, 

Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer 

Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, 

Ajinkya Rahane, Piyush Chawla, 

Ishant Sharma, Suresh Raina. 

— AFP 

Rossi to rejoin Yamaha after leaving Ducati 

work. His then Yamaha team 

mate was 2010 champion 

and current championship 

leader Lorenzo but the Italian 

will now return to the same 

arrangement. 

Spaniard Lorenzo has ridden 

for Yamaha since 2008 

and leads the current champi- 

onship by 23 points after 10 

races of the 18-race season. 

Rossi has secured just one podium 

finish all season. 

"We have run this 'super 

team' together in 2008, 2009 

and 2010 and during that time 

we achieved the triple crown 

titles with Rider, Manufacturer 

and Team World Championship 

victories for three consecutive 

years," Jarvis said. 

"I have no doubt that with 

the experience, knowledge, 

skills and speed of these two 

great champion riders we will 

be able to challenge for many 

race wins and for the 2013 and 

2014 World Championship titles." 

Ducati said they were in 

the process of finalising their 

2013 championship lineup 

having recently renewed their 

agreement with American 

Nicky Hayden. 

Rossi, who last won the 

championship in 2009, has often 

been linked with a move to 

Formula One team Ferrari and 

pundits wonder whether Rossi 

made an error in not switching 

to four wheels when he had 

the chance with the Italians 

in 2006 and again in 2009. — 

Reuters 

Slam titles. 

"You see different people, and 

some of your friends, winning 

Majors, and that motivates you. 

Long way to go, but I'm thrilled 

with the start, and we'll see what 

happens." 

McIlroy, who won last year's US 

Open by a staggering eight shots, 

sank a 12-footer to birdie his opening 

hole, the 10th, and picked up further 

shots at the 14th, 16th, second 

and sixth to rocket into contention. 

"It's a great way to start the 

tournament," said the 23-year-old 

Northern Irishman. "Hitting balls 

Lampard 

named for 

Italy friendly 

LONDON — Chelsea's 

Frank Lampard has been 

named in a youthful England 

squad to take on Italy 

in a friendly in Berne yesterday 

after missing Euro 

2012 through injury. 

John Terry, Joleon Lescott 

and Ashley Cole have 

been rested from the squad 

named on the Football Association 

website (www. 

thefa.com) yesterday, 

however, as manager Roy 

Hodgson gives established 

players a break and looks 

to newcomers. 

Manchester United's 

Wayne Rooney and Liverpool's 

Glen Johnson have 

also been rested. 

Tottenham's Steven 

Caulker and Jake Livermore, 

and Chelsea's Ryan 

Bertrand have been called 

up for the first time, while 

Manchester United's 

Michael Carrick has been 

named for the first time 

since 2010. 

Only 10 players remain 

from the squad that made 

the quarterfinals of Euro 

2012. England start their 

qualification campaign 

for the 2014 World Cup in 

Brazil against Moldova on 

September 7. — Reuters 

LONDON — Luis Suarez 

was the key player as Liverpool 

moved smoothly into the 

final qualifying round of the 

Europa League on Thursday 

with a 3-0 win over Gomel of 

Belarus. 

The Uruguyan created firsthalf 

goals for Fabio Borini and 

skipper Steven Gerrard as the 

east European visitors proved 

no match for the Merseyside 

giants. Glen Johnson added 

another after half-time. 

It was a positive way for 

Brendan Rodgers to mark his 

first home game in charge, 

particularly with his first signing 

Borini capping a useful 

performance by grabbing a 

precious goal on his home 

debut, thrashing home a firsttime 

shot from 10 yards. 

More significant tests are 

to come and the presence of 

Reds' former assistant-man- 

on the range this morning, there was 

completely no wind. It was flat calm 

and I really thought that I had to take 

advantage of the conditions. 

"Very happy with the round. It's a 

great score to build on." 

Most eyes, though, were on 

Woods who teed off at the 10th in 

pursuit of his 15th Major title but his 

first since the 2008 US Open. 

Following an early birdie 

at the 12th he bogeyed the 13th after 

finding bunkers off the tee and also 

with his third shot, and the tricky 

par-three 14th, where he missed the 

elevated green to the left off the 

tee. 

However, Woods immediately 

recovered by sinking a 15-foot birdie 

putt at the 15th, sparking a cry of 

"beautiful" from a fan, before rolling 

in a 25-footer on the 18th green to 

prompt huge roars from the crowd 

crammed into the grandstands. 

Woods also birdied the first and 

second, stumbled with a bogey at 

the fourth, then picked up one more 

shot at the par-three eighth to finish 

three strokes off the early lead. 

"I'm pleased," Woods said of 

his start on the 7,676-yard Ocean 

Course. "I played well today and anything 

in the sixties is going to be a 

good start in a Major championship. 

I'm right there. 

"It's one of those days where 

everyone's going to shoot six, seven, 

eight under par, but the wind kicked 

up a little bit and it changed things 

quite a bit. 

"If it had stayed pretty benign, 

I'm sure you would have had to have 

shot probably five under par to be in 

the top 10." 

Many of the game's leading players 

did not fare as well in the opening 

round, four-time Major winner 

Phil Mickelson and Masters champion 

Bubba Watson grinding out 

73s in the tougher conditions of the 

afternoon. 

British world No 1 Luke Donald 

carded a 74, fourth-ranked Lee 

Westwood a 75 and US champion 

Webb Simpson of the US battled to 

a 79. — Reuters 

LONDON — Chelsea manager 

Roberto Di Matteo insists 

his players are still hungry 

for more silverware in the 

aftermath of their astonishing 

Champions League and FA 

Cup double last season. 

Di Matteo led Chelsea to 

their first Champions League 

title in dramatic fashion as the 

Blues defeated Bayern Munich 

on penalties in their own 

stadium. 

That memorable night 

in Munich followed hot on 

the heels of an FA Cup final 

victory over Liverpool and it 

would be easy for Di Matteo's 

players to rest on their laurels 

after such a remarkable campaign. 

But Di Matteo, now installed 

as Chelsea's permanent 

boss after his spell as interim 

manager last season, is convinced 

his team's motivation 

remains as high as ever and 

he expects Chelsea to send a 

message to their rivals with 

a strong performance in tomorrow's 

Community Shield 

clash against Manchester City 

at Villa Park. 

"There's plenty of trophies 

to win this season," Di Matteo 


"We have a very driven 

team of players and they are 

ager Steve Clarke was a reminder 

that the first Premier 

League game against West 

Brom is only nine days away. 

However, this win should 

at least settle some of the 

nerves which have started to 

grow amid speculation that 

Daniel Agger and Andy Car- 

MBT Ramadhan 

League begins 

today 

MUSCAT — The MBT 

Ramadhan League MRI 

ball cricket tournament will 

begin today. Aiman XI and 

OIG wil clash in the openeing 

match while, Assarain 

meet Century CC and Asad 

XI play United Metals in the 

day’s other matches. 

Earlier the draw of the 

tournament was held at the 

Golden Spoon where the 

team captain and managers 

attended the ceremony. 

A total of 12 teams are 

participating in this tournament 

which is divided into 

four groups. 

Group A: OIG, Aiman 

Qaisar XI and Coastal XI. 

Group B: Assarain, Sri 

Lankan XI and Century CC. 

Group C: Mobile Plus, 

Bush Rangers and Asfandyar 

XI. 

Group D: Asad XI, OEC 

and United Metals. 

The tournament is sponsored 

by the Muscat Beach 

Trading. 

Asad XI and 

Assarain post 

victories 

MUSCAT — Asad XI and 

Assarain posted victories 

against Poly Star XI and ISC 

Kachhi Wing respectively in 

the tape ball cricket tournament, 

organised by the Oman 

Indo-Pak Friends, at the Al 

Rifa ground on Thursday. 

Brief scores: Poly Star XI 63 

for 7 in 8 overs (Tahir 14, Nadeem 

2/7) lost to Asad XI 64 for 2 in 8 

overs (Irfan 17). MoM: Nadeem 

of Asad XI. 

Assarain 96 for 2 in 8 overs 

(Khurram 37, Arif 25 n.o. Waseem 

19) beat ISC Kachhi Wing 57 for 

5 in 8 overs (Jignesh 13, Nadeem 

2/6). 

MoM: Khurram of Assarain. 

Chelsea hungry for 

success: Di Matteo 

never satisfied with what 

they've done in the past. 

"It's a fresh start for us. It 

won't be a problem from that 

point of view. 

"There are a couple of trophies 

our players have never 

won, and challenging for the 

Premier League, too. 

"We finished sixth last season 

and I don't think anybody 

is happy with that. We certainly 

have to do better." 

Avoiding a repeat of their 

lowest Premier League finish 

in owner Roman Abramovich's 

nine-year reign is Di Matteo's 

top priority after Chelsea 

ended sixth, 25 points behind 

champions City. 

"There was a big gap last 

season, and that is one of our 

challenges this season, to 

bridge that gap," Di Matteo 

said. "Twenty-five points are 

a lot of points. It'll be a tough 

season ahead but we'll try and 

compete." 

Although City won their 

first English title for 44 years 

last season, Di Matteo has 

warned Roberto Mancini's 

men they will find it much 

harder to repeat that success. 

"When you're the top, it's 

harder to stay at the top than 

get to the top," Di Matteo sai." 

— AFP 

Suarez stars for Liverpool 

roll might end up joining the 

summer exodus from a club 

that expects much better than 

last season's eighth-place finish. 

The other British side in 

action on the night, Scotland's 

Dundee United, were thrashed 

5-0 at Dynamo Moscow losing 

by a hefty 7-2 on aggregate. 

Italian giants Inter Milan 

were given a fright when they 

lost 2-0 at home to Hajduk 

Split of Croatia. But having 

won the first leg away 3-0 

they scraped through 3-2 on 

aggregate. 

Other top sides to make 

it through were Marseille of 

France who defeated Turkey's 

Eskisehirspor 3-0 and 

FC Twente of the Netherlands 

who swept past Mlada Boleslav 

of the Czech Republic 

4-0 on aggregate on the back 

of two 2-0 wins. — AFP

18 


Imperious Bolt blazes to sprint double-double 

Rudisha takes 800m with stunning world record ♦ American Eaton wins decathlon 

JAMAICA’S Usain Bolt celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the men’s 200m final yesterday. From left: Jamaica’s Warren Weir, Bolt, Wallace Spearmon of the US, Netherlands’ Churandy Martina and Yohan Blake of Jamaica. — Reuters 

LONDON — Usain Bolt enshrined 

himself in the Olympic pantheon 

when he won the 200 metres to 

complete an extraordinary doubledouble 

on Thursday, but for once 

he shared the limelight as Kenya's 

David Rudisha stormed to a stunning 

world record in the 800m. 

Bolt, who imperiously led home 

a Jamaican medal sweep in 19.32 

seconds, is undoubtedly the world's 

fastest man and almost certainly the 

greatest-ever sprinter but the title of 

the world's best athlete belongs to 

American Ashton Eaton who won 

the Olympic decathlon title. 

There were also gold for American 

Christian Taylor, who produced 

the year's biggest triple jump of 

17.81m to beat compatriot Will 

Claye, and for Czech Barbora Spotakova 

who successfully defended 

the women's javelin title. 

The field events were a mere 

backdrop, however, for Bolt's assault 

on the history books as the 

first man to win two 200m gold and 

the only one to retain both sprint 

titles following his world record 

double in Beijing 

He sent the 80,000 crowd into 

a frenzy for the second time in five 

days when he followed up his 9.63 

100m success, the second-fastest 

time ever, with the equal fourthquickest 

200m. 

Yohan Blake, runner-up behind 

his training partner in the 100m, 

finished second in 19.44 with Warren 

Weir completing a surprise Jamaican 

sweep in a personal best 

19.90. 

Bolt ran a stupendous bend to 

put the race in his pocket and with 

his eye on the clock he eased down 

slightly over the final few metres. 

"This is what I wanted and I got 

it. I'm very proud of myself," he 

told reporters. 

"After a rough season I came out 

here and did it. I thought the world 

record was possible. I guess I was 

fast but not fit enough. I could feel 

my back strain a little bit." 

Pushed relentlessly in dozens of 

interviews Bolt declared his "legend" 

mission to be accomplished, 

tossing in the claim that "I am the 

greatest athlete to live." 

Few in the stadium would have 

argued, though they had already 

been treated to another supreme 

performance by Rudisha, whose 

first athletics world record of the 

Games was emphatic both in execution 

and result. 

Olympic 800m finals are often 

tactical affairs but Rudisha, far and 

away the fastest man in the field, 

decided to take no chances and hit 

the front from the start. 

RELENTLESS APPLICATION 

After a blistering 49.28 first 

lap there was no consolidation, no 

steadying down, just a relentless application 

of power and pace as the 

field were strung out in a stretched 

single file behind him despite most 

of the athletes running the race of 

Restless Bolt needs a new goal 

LONDON — The Olympic 

double-double achieved 

and his "living legend" status 

in the pantheon of great 

sprinters now secure, Usain 

Bolt plans to think long and 

hard about just how long 

he can remain master of his 

domain. 

A world that has marvelled 

and gushed at the Jamaican's 

raw speed, world 

records and Olympic titles 

now waits to see what the 

fastest man on earth will do 

next. 

It is time for reflection in 

the Court of Bolt. The great 

showman of track and field, 

with a passion for sports 

and fast cars, is not ready to 

hang up his spikes, but he is 

restless for a new challenge, 

one that can satisfy his great 

lust for life. 

"I'm not going to retire 

yet. I love this sport. I have 

got all my success through 

this sport. I got all my fans 

through this sport," Bolt 

said after scorching to backto-back 

Games 200 metres 

titles on Thursday, completing 

the 100-200 sprint 

double as he had done in 

Beijing four years ago. 

"I have made my goal, 

now I have to sit down and 

make another one." 

At 25 and with five Olympic 

sprint gold tucked 

away in a safe "with some 

armed men around them", 

and a sixth beckoning in the 

relay, Bolt is searching for a 

new horizon to conquer, one 

that will give him the motivation 

he craves. 

Time, which catches up 

eventually with Olympic 

champions and park runners 

alike, would still appear 

to be on Bolt's side. For 

Bolt though, Beijing and 

London were "my time". 

The future, he said, was 

KENYA’S David Lekuta Rudisha points to the new world record he set after winning the men’s 800m final. RIGHT: USA’s Ashton Eaton 

celebrates after winning the men’s decathlon event on Thursday. — Reuters/AFP 

for compatriots Yohan 

Blake and Warren Weir, silver 

and bronze medallists in 

a Jamaican podium sweep 

on Thursday. 

WRONG TIME 

Bolt and Blake, 22, share 

the same coach, train together 

and have a strong 

friendship away from the 

track but down in the blocks 

they are fierce rivals. 

"I said to him (Blake in 

2010) 'you came around 

the wrong time, these next 

two years are mine'. I had 

to show him these next two 

years are mine." 

Britain's Linford Christie 

was 32 when he won 100 

gold in 1992 in Barcelona. 

Bolt will be on the cusp of 30 

during the next Olympics in 

Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and 

may not be in Brazil. 

"I think when I get to 

30 I will be thinking about 

retiring. Track and field is 

way too hard," he said. 

"Yohan Blake is running 

19.4 already, so in the next 

four years he's going to be 

firing. I think I want to get 

out before he starts running 

too fast. 

"I think it's going to be a 

hard mission (in Rio). Both 

these guys (Blake and Weir) 

are 22 — I'm going to be 

30, they are going to be 26. 

I think I've had my time. In 

life everything is possible, 

but for me this is going to 

be a hard match." 

Like great sprinters Jesse 

Owens and Carl Lewis, Bolt 

has one eye on the long 

jump pit. "That's something 

I've always wanted to 

try," he said. 

Could his sporting future 

lie away from the track? 

The world's fastest man 

often likes to talk up his 

prowess as a footballer and 

cricketer, letting it be known 

again, tongue firmly in 

cheek, after his 100 victory 

that his dream was to play 

for Manchester United. 

Bolt, in his own words is 

"an accomplished player". 

United manager Alex 

Ferguson is unlikely to dash 

for the telephone before the 

start of the Premier League 

season but Bolt has reached 

the stage in his career where 

anything is possible. 

"I made a goal to become 

a legend. If I can't find 

something to motivate me, 

then maybe football. I don't 

know. Only if I am good, remember 

that. 

"I'm definitely thinking 

about it. After this Olympics 

I don't know, so I'll see." 

Winter sports, however, 

are not on the agenda. 

"I'm not going to be in 

the Jamaican bobsleigh 

team." — Reuters 

their lives. 

Rudisha, tall and beautifully balanced, 

took a tenth of a second off 

his own two-year-old world record 

with his winning time of one minute 

40.91 seconds. 

Eighteen-year-old Nijel Amos 

collected Botswana's first-ever Olympic 

medal and a world junior 

record when he finished second in a 

time of 1.41.73, which might sound 

LONDON — Newly-crowned 

"greatest-ever sprinter" Usain 

Bolt said on Thursday he had 

lost all respect for Carl Lewis, 

the man whose on-track exploits 

he has surpassed with 

his unique Olympic doubledouble 

but who still leads the 

way in self-regard. 

American Lewis is the only 

other man to win two Olympic 

100m gold medals, the second 

coming in 1988 when he was 

promoted from second place 

after the disqualification of 

Ben Johnson. 

He won the 200m in 1984 

but managed only silver four 

years later. He did, however, 

have a remarkable run of success 

in the long jump, winning 

that event in four successive 

Games for a tally of nine gold 

in all. 

In the wake of Bolt's triplegold 

record success in Beijing 

Lewis was quick to point the 

finger of suspicion at him and 

Jamaica in general. 

"I think there are some issues," 

he said at the time. 

familiar to London 2012 Games 

head Sebastian Coe as it was the 

world record he set in 1981 that 

stood for 16 years. 

"Instead of just doing enough to 

win the race he wanted to do something 

extraordinary and go for the 

world record as well," said Coe, 

who won two Olympic 1,500m titles 

but only two silver in his preferred 

shorter event. 

"Countries like Jamaica 

do not have a random (drugs 

testing) program, so they can 

go months without being 

tested. I'm not saying anyone 

is on anything, but everyone 

needs to be on a level playing 

field. 

"I'm not saying they've 

done anything for certain. I 

don't know. But how dare anybody 

feel that there shouldn't 

be scrutiny, especially in our 

sport?" 

He has continued to fire 

broadsides ever since but Bolt, 

now with his sprinting record 

unquestionably superior, hit 

back. 

"I'm going to say something 

controversial right now, Carl 

Lewis — I have no respect for 

him," Bolt said, having cited 

1936 quadruple champion 

Jesse Owens as a man he held 

in the highest regard. 

"The things he (Lewis) says 

about the track athletes, it's really 

downgrading for another 

athlete to be saying something 

like that about other athletes. 

"Rudisha's run will go down in 

history as one of the greatest Olympic 

victories. I feel privileged to 

have witnessed it." 

Kenya's Tim Kitum took bronze 

as seven of the eight finalists ran 

personal bests, including last-placed 

Briton Andrew Osagie, whose time 

of 1:43.77 would have been good 

enough to win the last three finals. 

Eaton came into the Games as 

"I think he is just looking 

for attention really because 

nobody really talks much 

about him. It was really sad 

for me when I heard the other 

day what he was saying, it was 

upsetting. 

"So, for me, I've lost all respect 

for him, all respect. 

"It was all about drugs, 

about drugs stuff for me. For 

an athlete to be out of the sport 

saying that was really upsetting 

for me. As far as I am 

concerned he is just looking 

for attention." 

TESTED POSITIVE 

Lewis tested positive three 

times for a stimulant before 

the 1988 Games but had the 

results overturned by American 

officials. 

He was named "Athlete 

of the 20th Century" by the 

IOC, the IAAF, and American 

magazine Sports Illustrated 

and has always seemed uncomfortable 

with the idea that 

someone from the 21st could 

surpass his achievements. 

Asked before the London 

a similarly hot favourite having set 

a world record in the US trials and 

the 24-year-old barely put a foot 

wrong from the opening 100 metres 

on Wednesday morning through to 

the concluding 1,500m on Thursday 

evening. 

He held a 220-point lead going 

into the second's five events but 

compatriot Trey Hardee cut that to 

99 after the 110 hurdles and discus. 

Eaton, however, cleared 5.20 

in a marathon pole vault in boiling 

conditions and threw a personal 

best of 61.96 in the javelin as he 

ended on 8,869 points, 198 ahead of 

Hardee. Cuba's Leonel Suarez collected 

bronze for the second Games 

in a row. 

Results (all finals): Men: 200m: 1 

Usain Bolt (JAM) 19.32; 2 Yohan Blake 

(JAM) 19.44; 3 Warren Weir (JAM) 19.84; 

4 Wallace Spearmon. 800m: 1 David Rudisha 

(KEN) 1:40.91 (WR); 2 Nijel Amos 

(BOT) 1:41.73; 3 Timothy Kitum (KEN) 

1:42.53; 4 Duane Solomon (USA) 1:42.82. 

Triple jump: 1 Christian Taylor (USA) 

17.81 metres; 2 Will Claye (USA) 17.62; 

3 Fabrizio Donato (ITA) 17.48; 4 Daniele 

Greco (ITA) 17.34. Decathlon: 1 Ashton 

Eaton (USA) 8,869 pts; 2 Trey Hardee 

(USA) 8,671; 3 Leonel Suarez (CUB) 

8,523; 4 Hans van Alphen (BEL). 

Women: Javelin: 1 Barbora Spotáková 

(CZE) 69.55 metres; 2 Christina Obergfoll 

(GER) 65.16; 3 Linda Stahl (GER) 64.91; 

4 Sunette Stella Viljoen (RSA) 64.53. 

‘I have no respect for Carl Lewis’ 

Games what he thought of 

Bolt, he said: "It's just... interesting. 

"I watch the results like 

everyone else and wait... for 

time to tell." 

Even after Bolt won his 

second 100m title, Lewis' congratulations 

were wrapped in 

barbed wire. 

"He repeats and he's tremendous 

and he's the second 

person to do it and congratulations," 

he said last week. 

"The thing for me, what I 

really admire about anyone, is 

longevity. We still have to have 

the longevity and dominance 

through the era because for me 

performance-wise, you really 

have to put longevity in. 

"I'm really not trying to 

take anything away from his 

performance because it was 

tremendous, but you've got to 

see the consistency over a period 

of time because as of now 

it's just a four-year period and 

you really have to see a continuous 

dominance. 

"We'll see." — Reuters 

US women beat Japan to win soccer gold 

TEAM USA poses with their gold medals after defeating Japan in the women’s 

soccer final on Thursday. The Americans won 2-1. — Reuters 

LONDON — The US women's football 

team captured a third successive Olympics 

gold by beating Japan 2-1 before 

a record Olympic crowd in the final at 

Wembley on Thursday. 

Carli Lloyd headed the opener in the 

eighth minute and scored with a shot from 

the edge of the area in the 54th to double 

the lead, before Yuki Ogimi pulled one 

back for the world champions in the 63rd 

minute. 

The attendance of 80,203 at Wembley 

Stadium to see a repeat of the 2011 women's 

World Cup final was also the biggest 

crowd to watch a women's football match 

in Britain. It is the fourth Olympic title 

for the United States following victories 

in 1996, 2004 and 2008. 

Canada beat France 1-0 to win bronze.

CYCLISTS compete in the men’s BMX final at the BMX Track in the Olympic Park yesterday. — Reuters 

US women strike 

water polo gold 

LONDON — The US won 

the country's first gold 

medal in women's water 

polo, going one better than 

they did in Beijing to finally 

claim the sport's top prize 

and end 12 years of painful 

near-misses for four-time 

Olympians Brenda Villa 

and Heather Petri. 

The Americans beat 

Spain 8-5 in the Olympic 

final on Thursday to claim 

what is the country's first 

Olympic water polo title 

since 1904 when they won 

the men's event, while the 

Spanish secured the country's 

first medal in the sport 

since 1996. 

American goal scoring 

ace Maggie Steffens, 19, put 

away five to cement her status 

as the tournament's top 

scorer and a new force to be 

reckoned with in the women's 

sport. 

The youngster's dazzling 

display in her first Olympics 

enabled her team mates 

Villa and Petri to bask in 

France to play US for 

women’s b’ball gold 

LONDON — France made 

sure of winning their first 

Olympic women's basketball 

medal by beating Russia 81- 

64 on Thursday to advance 

to the final against the longreigning 

United States team. 

The US, who have not 

lost at the Games in 20 years, 

beat Australia 86-73 in their 

semifinal to stretch their Olympic 

winning streak to 40 

as they bid for a fifth straight 

gold. 

"We know that USA is 

so good," said back-up point 

guard Edwige Lawson-Wade, 

who was high scorer in the 

game with 18 points. "Every 

position, every player they 

have can play really well. 

"To beat the USA you have 

to do the perfect game. Perfect 

in defence, perfect in offence. 

It's something that happens 

once every few years, but it 

happens. So anything is possible. 

So we're going to play 

that game to win." 

NEW DELHI — India's latest 

sporting hero Mary Kom 

will receive five million rupees 

($90,400) for winning a 

bronze in the Olympic women's 

boxing competition, a report 


The mother-of-two from 

the north-eastern state of 

Manipur had to settle for 

bronze along with the other 

losing semifinalist after she 

was beaten 11-6 by Britain's 

world No 2 Nicola Adams 

in the 51 kg category on 

Wednesday. 

The Manipur government 

decided to honour Mary Kom 

after a cabinet meeting led by 

Chief Minister Ibobi Singh 

gave its approval, the Press 

Trust of India quoted a state 

spokesman as saying in local 

capital Imphal. 

"Kom has made the name 

of Manipur known in the 

sports arena in the world and 

brought prestige for the whole 

country," the government 

spokesman said. 

The boxer, who won five 

world titles in the 46 kg and 

the golden glow at the top of 

the podium after their three 

previous Games yielded two 

silvers and a bronze. 

"I think that's something 

that's bonded our team a lot 

throughout our journey is 

getting them the gold," said 

American defensive player 

Jessica Steffens, elder sister 

of Maggie, referring to Villa 

and Petri. 

"I think we did it, well, 

obviously for our team, but 

we did it for them, and for 

the history of USA water 

polo. 

Spain, making their Olympic 

debut in the women's 

event and cheered on by 

Prince Felipe of Spain, kept 

up with the pace in the first 

quarter but were overpowered 

by a stronger American 

side from the second 

quarter and failed to look 

like a threat again. 

Australia won the bronze 

medal after beating Hungary 

13-11 in the third medal 

match earlier on Thursday. 

France, who finished fifth 

in their only previous Olympic 

women's tournament 

at the 2000 Sydney Games, 

surged to a 24-15 lead in the 

first quarter after scoring the 

first eight points. 

They built a 13-point lead 

in the second quarter before 

Russia closed an 8-2 run to 

make it 38-31 at halftime. 

Russia continued their 

comeback after the break and, 

boosted by a three-pointer by 

Becky Hammon, closed within 

42-40. 

That seemed to fire up the 

French who rallied behind 

captain Celine Dumerc and Isabelle 

Yacoubou and finished 

the quarter strongly to carry a 

59-51 lead into the final quarter 

which ended in a long celebration 

for the French. 

The United States and 

France will play the gold 

medal match today when 

Russia and Australia battle for 

bronze. — Reuters 

Cash, land for Indian 

medallist Mary Kom 

48 kg categories, had to move 

up a weight category to fight 

in London since her favoured 

events were not part of the inaugural 

Olympic competition 

in women's boxing. 

Kom would also be promoted 

to the rank of additional 

police superintendent and 

given two acres (0.8 hectare) 

of land in the state, he said. 

"We are certainly proud of 

her," chief minister Singh said 

at the cabinet meeting. 

The boxer, who took up 

sport as a path out of poverty, 

is the only Indian boxer 

to win a medal in the London 

Games. 

Her feat ensured India will 

return from London with its 

biggest Olympic haul, surpassing 

the one gold and two 

bronze it won in Beijing four 

years ago. 

India has so far won a 

silver through pistol shooter 

Vijay Kumar and three bronze 

medals by badminton star 

Saina Nehwal, rifle marksman 

Gagan Narang and Mary 

Kom. — AFP 

LONDON — Latvia's Maris 

Strombergs remained the only 

men's BMX Olympic champion 

when he retained his title at 

the London Games yesterday. 

Strombergs, who had failed 

to impress in the quarter and 

semifinals, found his form to 

lead from the first bend to the 

finish line to beat Australian 

world champion and pre-race 

favourite Sam Willoughby. 

Colombian Carlos Mario 

Oquendo Zabala claimed 

bronze. 

Strombergs had won the 

first Olympic men's BMX title 

four years ago when the dis- 

cipline was introduced in the 

Games in Beijing. 

Strombergs had a great 

start and managed the first 

bend better than anyone else 

and kept his composure despite 

being under intense pressure 

from Willoughby. 

Dutchman Raymon van der 

Biezen, who had clocked the 

best time in the seeding run 

and had won his three quarterfinal 

runs as well as the first of 

three semifinal dashes, settled 

for fourth. 

American Connor Fields 

was one of two riders who 

crashed and took seventh place 

19 


Strombergs too strong again in BMX 

MARIS Strombergs 

celebrates after winning the 

men’s BMX event. 

ahead of home hope Liam 

Phillips. Phillips had been in 

decent form but lost control in 

the penultimate bend while he 

seemed in contention for a podium 

finish. 

France's Joris Daudet, who 

was among the favourites coming 

into the Games, crashed in 

the third run of the semifinals 

and did not take part in the final 

run on the 450-metre track 

at the VeloPark. 

Soccer's David Beckham 

and British double Olympic 

track cycling champion Victoria 

Pendleton were in the 

stands. — Reuters

LONDON — Tunisia's Oussama 

Mellouli won the gold 

medal in the men's swimming 

marathon at the London Olympics 

yesterday to become the 

first swimmer to get medals in 

the pool and open water. 

Mellouli won the 1,500 metres 

freestyle gold at the 2008 

Beijing Olympics and used his 

superior speed to burst clear of 

his rivals and win the gruel- 

ling 10-kilometre race in the 

Serpentine in London's Hyde 

Park. "I can't explain it, I can't 

really describe it," Mellouli 

said after pumping his chest 

when he finished. 

"I don't think this has ever 

been done before. This is probably 

one of the toughest things 

to do. I'm a pretty solid guy 

and I never react but you saw 

that reaction, that says it all." 


Tunisia’s Mellouli wins open water gold medal 

SWIMMERS compete in the men’s 10 km open water swimming at Hyde Park in London, yesterday. — AFP 

Nevin stuns Cuban, eyes more Irish gold 

LONDON — Ireland's John Joe Nevin 

upset Cuban world bantamweight champion 

Lazaro Alvarez Estrada to move a 

step away from emulating team mate Katie 

Taylor's rare Irish gold after 10 men's 

Olympic finalists were decided yesterday. 

Men's semifinal day, when the fights 

come thick and fast, is often the highlight 

of boxing's two weeks at the Olympics 

but after the women's stunning exploits 

on Thursday, the opening session felt like 

one big come down. 

While Nevin sprung the surprise of 

the session, Ukrainian Denys Berinchyk 

produced one of the tournament's best 

rounds, scoring more points in three minutes 

than most have managed in nine, and 

China's Zou Shiming just about kept his 

hopes of a second successive Olympic 

gold alive. 

Yet the women, who capped an absorbing 

debut at the Games with three 

wonderful finals, were still the talk of the 

arena and Nevin said Taylor's victory in 

front of a huge Irish crowd had inspired 

the rest of the team. 

"We're still not done yet, I've still got 

to go out and get the gold but to see Katie 

yesterday was amazing, to see her do 

so well," Nevin, twice a bronze medallist 

at the world amateur championships, told 

reporters. 

"No one deserves it more than her, the 

commitment she has and the work she 

puts in. She's been inspiring to see." 

LONDON — Great Britain, 

inspired by skipper Kate Walsh 

who broke her jaw just a week 

ago, beat New Zealand 3-1 

yesterday to earn an Olympic 

bronze medal, something they 

last achieved 20 years ago in 

Barcelona. 

It did however take a long 

time to break down the wellordered 

and fiercely motivated 

Kiwis who were as close to 

a women's Olympic hockey 

medal as they have ever been 

and already certain of their 

best finish. 

The crucial phase of the 

match began 10 minutes into 

the second half, when Great 

Britain began to make their 

extra pressure count, and during 

which they scored three 

IRELAND’S John Joe Nevin is 

declared the winner over Cuba’s 

Lazaro Alvarez Estrada after their 

bantam (56 kg) semifinal bout. 

Nevin proved too quick for Estrada, 

catching the Cuban time and again with 

decisive left upper cuts to boss every 

round and take the contest 19-14. 

He next faces Britain's Luke Campbell 

in a rematch of their razor tight world 

championship semifinal of a year ago. 

The pair's families are friends and while 

Campbell eased through his semifinal, 

yesterday's evidence suggested that the 

Nevin clan might be the happier after today's 

Anglo-Irish final. 

Estrada's team mate Roniel Iglesias 

goals in 17 minutes. 

All of them came from 

penalty corners, as befitting a 

team with the best conversion 

rate in the tournament, of more 

than 40 per cent. 

And all of them were taken 

by Walsh, who fractured her 

jaw last week and yet came 

back to play an influential 

part. 

"I don't think it will hit 

me what a crazy fortnight it's 

been until a few weeks' time," 

Walsh said. 

"We were heart-broken after 

the semifinal (with a 2-1 

loss to Argentina) and vowed 

we would not go away from 

here empty-handed. 

"The result was that we 

played our best game of the 

tournament by miles. It's 

amazing." 

Walsh also claimed that fitness 

was a factor in their being 

able to break down the Kiwi 

defence more often in the last 

quarter of the game, though 

Sotolongo, one of three Cuban fighters 

left going for a gold that evaded the great 

amateur boxing nation four years ago, 

was an impressive winner in his lightwelterweight 

semifinal and takes on Berinchyk 

next. 

Ukrainian Berinchyk trailed all-action 

Mongolian Munkh-Erdene Uranchimeg 

by three points after the first two rounds 

of their bout only to score an incredible 

17 points in a blistering final round to end 

up a comfortable 29-21 winner. 

Fellow Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, 

who like Berinchyk sports one of the 

most interesting haircuts of the Games, 

bulldozed his way to the heavyweight 

final where he should be too strong for 

Beijing silver-medallist Clemente Russo 

of Italy, a lucky winner over Azerbaijani 

teenager Teymur Mammadov. 

Brazil will go for a first boxing gold in 

today's middleweight final after Esquiva 

Falcao Florentino was far too good for 

Britain's Anthony Ogogo. 

While Japan's Ryota Murata stands in 

Falcao's way of a first gold, little Kaeo 

Pongprayoon of Thailand is all that separates 

three-time world champion Zou 

from a successful defence of his Olympic 

light flyweight title. 

Zou sneaked through his semifinal 

against Irishman Paddy Barnes, winning 

on a count-back after the scores were 

tied at 15-15, a sharp contrast from the 

31-year-old's 15-0 victory over Barnes at 

the same stage four years ago. — Reuters 

Sweden’s handball team keep gold hopes alive 

LONDON — Sweden held on to reach a 

fourth men's Olympic handball final and 

set up another shot at a first gold medal 

after they beat Hungary 27-26 in the semifinals 

yesterday. 

The Swedes will play either holders 

France or twice winners Croatia in tomorrow's 

gold medal game while Hungary, 

seeking a first men's podium finish, will 

contest the bronze medal match. 

Like in their quarterfinal defeat of Denmark, 

it was the Swedish defence which 

saved the day while goalkeeper Mattias 

Andersson, on the bench for almost the 

entire last eight clash, came good. 

Hungary threatened another late show 

like they produced to pip Iceland in the 

first knockout round but this time it was 

not to be, Gergely Harsanyi denied an 

equaliser in stunning fashion by Andersson 

with just over a minute left. 

Kim Ekdahl du Rietz took the excellent 

Hungarian shotstopper Nandor Fazekas 

by surprise, the left wing being unaware 

he had more time to release the ball. 

"I thought the referee had his hand up, 

so I had to take a shot," the Swede said. 

Sweden's men reached three consecutive 

finals from 1992-2000 although 

they did not qualify for the 2004 Athens 

Games or Beijing four years ago. 

The reached their fourth gold medal 

decider by chiselling away at the solid 

Hungarian defence to open up a four-goal 

lead in the first half and entered the tunnel 

three strikes to the good, which their opponents 

could not claw back. 

Niclas Ekberg bagged six goals and 

showed the way for the victors, who 

prevailed despite a constant backdrop of 

boos and jeers when they took penalties. 

"I had a feeling we were going to win 

this morning. I woke up with a smile on 

my face and a great feeling in the stomach. 

It's the first time I've felt like that," 

said Ekberg. 

Gabor Csaszar was top scorer with 

eight goals for the Hungarians, who 

walked off the court after the defeat to 

a standing ovation from their passionate 

fans. Laszlo Nagy, standing almost lifeless 

as team mates spoke to media, hoped 

Hungary could lift themselves for tomorrow's 

clash. 

"We've got to prepare ourselves mentally, 

above all so we can scrap for the 

bronze medal," he said. 

Britain clinch bronze for best finish in 20 years 

also important was scoring the 

first goal, which enabled the 

under-pressure home team to 

play with more freedom. 

When that happened the 

goals came amidst bursts of 

extra support and adrenaline 

with Alex Dawson, Crista 

Cullen and Sarah Thomas all 

netting, though even then the 

New Zealanders' resistance 

never slackened. 

They were rewarded with 

a goal three minutes from the 

end when a Stacey Michelson 

instigated attack produced a 

penalty corner from which she 

herself scored. 

Three-time Olympic champions 

Australia finished fifth 

after chiselling out a 2-0 win 

over China. — AFP 

Germany's Thomas Lurz 

won the silver medal and Richard 

Weinberger of Canada 

the bronze but no-one could 

keep up with the 28-year-old 

Mellouli after he charged into 

the lead on the fifth of the six 

loops. 

He quickly opened up a 

three-body-length lead over 

the chasing pack and maintained 

his advantage to the 

end, slapping the overhead 

touch pads to win gold in 

one hour 49 minutes 55.1 

seconds. 

"I've been struggling, with 

my shoulder, my elbow, I had 

a virus. What happened today 

is a miracle if you believe in 

miracles," Mellouli said. 

"This thing just hurts. 

You're in pain. Once you hit 

a wall you just keep pushing, 

when you hit a wall again you 

keep pushing." 

Lurz was 3.4 seconds behind 

in second place, with 

Weinberger a further 1.8 seconds 

back, in a race contested 

at the recreational lake in Hyde 

Park that was constructed in 

1730 and remains an tourist 

destination. 

A huge crowd lined the 

banks to watch the race, which 

was introduced into the Olympic 

programme in Beijing four 

years ago. 

A national hero in his 

homeland, Mellouli became 

his country's first double 

gold medallist. He also won 

the world championship for 

800 metres in 2007 but was 

stripped of his title and banned 

from competing for 18 months 

after testing positive for amphetamines 

at a meeting in the 

United States in late 2006. 

Mellouli, a student at the 

University of Southern California 

at the time of the offence, 

said he had taken an 

Adderall pill two days before 

he tested positive so he could 

stay awake to finish a university 

assignment. 

Mellouli entered the 

1,500 in London and won 

a bronze medal, but was no 

LONDON — Russia reached the Olympic 

men's volleyball final with a testing 3-1 win 

over underdogs Bulgaria yesterday to keep 

alive their hopes of winning gold in the event 

for the first time since 1980. 

Russia, ranked second in the world, had 

too much raw power for the slighter and more 

nimble Bulgarians and despite slipping up in 

the third set, edged their semifinal clash 25-21, 

25-15, 23-25, 25-23 at Earls Court. 

The imposing Maxim Mikhaylov, who 

stands at 2.02 metres, proved to be the Russians' 

principal weapon, scoring 25 of the 

team's 98 points. 

"It's our country's dream, fans' dream, everybody's 

dream to win gold at the Olympics," 

Mikhaylov told reporters. 

After going two sets down, Bulgaria stepped 

up a gear and got a foothold in the match, but 

their chances of success ultimately floundered 

as they struggled to get a handle on the Russian 

serve. 

"The difference in the end was the service, 

they made quite a few aces and we couldn't," 

Bulgaria captain Vladimir Nikolov said. 

"We just tried to defend the ball but they 

served really strong, they are pretty good on 

that fundamental and we knew this before the 

game, but we couldn't find the power to neutralise 

it." 

Bulgaria had surprised many by reaching 

this stage of the tournament after their pre- 

Games preparations were plunged into turmoil 

when the coach and two leading players quit. 

"Of course this was a very big problem for 

the Bulgarian national team because we lost 

match for China's Sun Yang, 

who smashed his own world 

record. 

The top 14 finishers completed 

yesterday's exhausting 

event within a minute of each 

other. The last finisher in the 

25-man field was Benjamin 

Schulte, a 16-year-old from 

the South Pacific island of 

Guam. 

Schulte, who trains in Australia 

alongside Sun, took just 

over two hours to reach the 

end in the murky waters inhabited 

by fish, geese, ducks 

and swans, finishing nearly 14 

minutes behind Mellouli but 

getting as big a roar from the 

crowd as the gold medallist. 

Russian spikers reach final 

LONDON — India's male 

wrestlers started their Olympic 

campaign on a disappointing 

note with both Amit Kumar 

and Narsingh Pancham Yadav 

crashing out of their respective 

weight categories in freestyle 

wrestling at the ExCel Arena 

here yesterday. 

The 18-year-old Amit 

Kumar, the youngest ever 

Indian wrestler in Olympics, 

raised hopes of a bronze 

medal as he moved into Repechage 

2. 

But he lost 0-3 to Bulgarian 

Radoslav Marinov Velikov, 

a Beijing Games bronze medallist, 

failing to qualify for the 

Netherlands fire nine past 

Britain to reach final 

LONDON — The Netherlands 

crushed Great Britain 

9-2 on Thursday to reach the 

men's hockey final where they 

will tackle defending champions 

Germany for the gold 

medal. 

The Dutch, who last 

took the title in 2000, overwhelmed 

Britain who struggled 

to contain the pace and 

unpredictable movement of 

Rogier Hofman, Billy Bakker 

and Valentin Verga. 

By halftime the Dutch already 

had a firm grip with a 

4-1 lead. 

Two Roderick Weusthof 

goals put them two up inside a 

quarter of an hour, the second 

TUNISIA’S gold medallist Oussama Mellouli salutes after 

the men’s 10 km marathon. — Reuters 

55kg category's bronze medal 

match. 

His compatriot Narsingh 

Yadav also bowed out, losing 

his first round bout in 

the men's 74kg event. Amit 

Kumar, who had received a 

first round bye, won 3-1 over 

Iran's Hassan Sabzali Rahimi 

in the pre-quarterfinal. 

The Indian, however, 

failed to repeat his perform- 

of them after fans had cheered 

a Dutch failure to score from 

a penalty corner, only for the 

ball to be played straight back 

into the danger zone. 

Although the prolific 

Ashley Jackson pulled one 

back, the home crowd were 

soon quietened by goals from 

Mink van der Weerden and by 

Bakker. 

Bakker scored twice more 

after halftime, and both Floris 

Evers and the 36-year-old 

Teun de Nooijers, who was a 

member of both the 1996 and 

2000 Olympic gold medal 

winning squads, got on the 

score-sheet before Weusthof 

too completed his hat-trick. 

RUSSIA’S Sergey Tetyukhin (left) spikes 

the ball in front of Bulgaria’s Nikolay 

Nikolov during the semifinal match. 

two of our best players in Andrey Zhekov and 

Matey Kaziyski," Bulgaria's Georgi Bratoev 

said. 

"All teams need players like them and it 

would have been easier if they were here." 

Russia claimed men's volleyball gold at the 

Moscow Olympics and have been losing finalists 

twice in the intervening years. 

They will play either Italy or Brazil in tomorrow's 

gold-medal match with Bulgaria 

playing off for the bronze. — Reuters 

Indian wrestlers Amit, Narsingh out 

ance and lost his quarterfinal 

bout 1-3 to Georgian Vladimer 

Khinchegashvili. However, 

it was Khinchegashvili, who 

gave Amit Kumar a lifeline 

by qualifying for the final 

round. But the Indian found it 

tough against the Bulgarian, a 

former World Champion. 

Meanwhile, Narsingh 

Yadav suffered a first round 

loss to Canadian Matthew 

Judah Gentry. He went down 

1-3 to Gentry. Gentry lost his 

quarterfinal bout 1-3 to American 

Jordan Ernest Burroughs 

that ended Narsingh Yadav's 

hopes of making it to the repechage 

round. 

MEDAL TALLY 

Country G S B T 

United States 39 25 26 90 

China 37 25 19 81 

Great Britain 25 15 16 56 

Russian Fed 13 21 24 58 

South Korea 12 7 6 25 

Germany 10 17 11 38 

France 8 9 12 29 

Hungary 8 4 3 15 

Australia 7 14 10 31 

Italy 7 6 7 20 

Kazakhstan 6 0 3 9 

Japan 5 14 15 34 

Netherlands 5 5 8 18 

Iran 4 4 1 9 

New Zealand 4 3 5 12 

North Korea 4 0 2 6 

Belarus 3 3 4 10 

Cuba 3 3 3 9 

Jamaica 3 3 3 9 

Ukraine 3 1 6 10 

South Africa 3 1 1 5 

Spain 2 7 3 12 

Romania 2 5 2 9 

Denmark 2 4 3 9 

Czech Rep 2 3 3 8 

Brazil 2 2 7 11 

Kenya 2 2 3 7 

Poland 2 1 6 9 

Croatia 2 1 1 4 

Switzerland 2 1 0 3 

Ethiopia 2 0 2 4 

Canada 1 5 11 17 

Sweden 1 3 3 7 

Slovenia 1 1 2 4 

Norway 1 1 1 3 

Tunisia 1 1 1 3 

Georgia 1 1 1 3 

Dominican Rep 1 1 0 2 

Ireland 1 0 2 3 

Latvia 1 0 1 2 

Lithuania 1 0 1 2 

Turkey 1 0 1 2 

Venezuela 1 0 0 1 

Grenada 1 0 0 1 

Algeria 1 0 0 1 

Mexico 0 3 2 5 

Azerbaijan 0 2 2 4 

Colombia 0 3 2 5 

Egypt 0 2 0 2 

Mongolia 0 1 3 4 

India 0 1 3 4 

Slovakia 0 1 3 4 

Belgium 0 1 2 3 

Armenia 0 1 2 3 

Serbia 0 1 1 2 

Thailand 0 1 1 2 

Chinese Taipei 0 1 0 1 

Malaysia 0 1 0 1 

Estonia 0 1 1 2 

Indonesia 0 1 1 2 

Bulgaria 0 1 1 2 

Portugal 0 1 0 1 

Botswana 0 1 0 1 

Finland 0 1 0 1 

Cyprus 0 1 0 1 

Guatemala 0 1 0 1 

Greece 0 0 2 2 

Uzbekistan 0 0 1 1 

Moldova 0 0 2 2 

Qatar 0 0 2 2 

Singapore 0 0 2 2 

Argentina 0 0 1 1 

Hong Kong 0 0 1 1 

Afghanistan 0 0 1 1 

Puerto Rico 0 0 1 1 

Trinidad & Tob 0 0 1 1 

Tajikistan 0 0 1 1 

Morocco 0 0 1 1 

Saudi Arabia 0 0 1 1 

Kuwait 0 0 1 1 

Australia, NZ 

win 470 sailing 

WEYMOUTH, England 

— Australian favourites 

Mathew Belcher and Malcolm 

Page won the gold 

medal in the men's 470 class 

Olympic sailing yesterday. 

British duo Stuart Bithell 

and Luke Patience took silver 

and Argentina's Lucas 

Calabrese and Juan de la 

Fuente won bronze in a race 

rescheduled from Thursday 

because of lack of wind. 

It was the third overall 

sailing gold for the Australian 

duo, who had a comfortable 

lead over the rest of 

the field going into the final 

race, which they finished in 

second place. 

On the women's side, Jo 

Aleh and Olivia Powrie of 

New Zealand won the final 

race and took the gold after 

coming second and third at 

the 2010 and 2011 world 

championships. 

Reigning world champions 

Hannah Mills and Saskia 

Clark lost all their title 

chances for Team GB when 

the wind died down halfway 

through the race and had to 

settle for silver. — dpa 

TODAY’S SCHEDULE 

Athletics: (0800) Men's 50 km walk; (1600) Women's 20 km walk; 

(1800) Women's high jump final; (1820) Men's javelin final; (1830) 

Men's 5,000m final; (1900) Women's 800m final; (1925) Women's 

4x400m relay final; (2000) Men's 4x100m relay final 

Basketball: (1600) Women's third place play-off Australia v Russia; 

(2000) Final United States v France 

Boxing: (1930) Finals: 49 kg, 56 kg, 64 kg, 75 kg, 91 kg 

Canoe-Kayak Sprint: (0830) Men's K1 200m final, Men's C1 200m 

final, Women's K1 200m final, Men's K2 200m final 

Cycling - Mountain-biking: (1130) Women's cross-country 

Football: (1400) Men's final Brazil v Mexico at Wembley 

Rhythmic Gymnastics: (1410) Individual all-around final 

Handball: (1600) Women's third place play-off South Korea v Spain; 

(1930) Final - Norway v Montenegro 

Hockey: (0730) Men's 11th place play-off South Africa v India; (1030) 

5th place play-off Spain v Belgium; (1430) 3rd place play-off Australia 

v Great Britain; (1900) Final - Germany v Netherlands 

Freestyle Wrestling: (1200) Men's 60 kg, 84 kg, 120 kg 

Modern Pentathlon: (0745) Men's fencing; (1220) Men's swimming; 

(1420) Men's riding; (1745) Men's combined 

Diving: (0900) Men's 10m platform semifinals; (1930) Men's 10m platform 

final 

Taekwondo: (0800) Women's +67 kg, men's +80 kg 

Sailing: (1100) Women's Elliott 6m final 

Volleyball: (1030) Women's third place play-off Japan v South Korea; 

(1730) Final - Brazil v United States. (All times GMT) — AFP

By Samuel Kutty 

MUSCAT — On the back of 

growing number of infrastruc- 

Nawras Goodwill Journey team feted 

THE Nawras Goodwill Journey 8 team members concluded 

their voyage of compassion and sharing at a homecoming and 

recognition ceremony held under the patronage of Maitha Saif 

al Mahrouqiya, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism. The 

event was organised at Muscat Grand Mall. Page 22 

ture and construction activities 

in Oman, the cement manufacturing 

companies are set for 

steady growth in the coming 

quarters. 

The growth in construction 

segment has led to higher offtake 

of cement, which on the 

Saturday, August 11, 2012 

other hand, has helped the sector 

majors to register double 

digit growth in their revenues 

in the second half of 2012. 

Certificates 

of deposit 

tender results 

MUSCAT — Certificates of 

deposit (Issue No 779) tender 

was held at the Central Bank 

of Oman (CBO) last week. 

The total amount allotted 

was RO 301.7 million. 

The average interest rate 

of these certificates was 0.08 

per cent while the maximum 

accepted interest rate was 

0.09 per cent. The tenor of 

these certificates is 28 days 

and their maturity date is on 

September 5. 

The certificates of deposit 

issued to licensed banks 

by the CBO as a monetary 

policy instrument aimed at 

absorbing excess liquidity at 

the banking sector in particular 

and maintaining stability 

of the interest rate and the 

money market in general. 

The repo rate during August 

8 to14 is 1 per cent. — ONA 

Till recently, the Omani cement 

manufacturers were victims 

of cheap inflow of cement 

from UAE. In 2011, imports 

met 25 per cent of cement demand 

in Oman, mainly from 

UAE where weak construction 

sector resulted in excess supply 

of cement. The UAE companies 

recently increased their 

cement prices. 

Oman’s construction sector 

is on a positive progression 

with the industry value 

expected to grow to a level of 

over $5 billion from under $4 

billion in next 3 to 4 years at an 

average growth rate of about 6 

per cent. 

“In the Sultanate, prices 

are slowly moving up in cement 

industry, and demand 

also is on the rise in the region. 

While these are good news 

but the supplies in Oman are 

still under significant pressure 

making the domestic scenario 

highly competitive”, according 

to Ahmed bin Alawi bin 

Abdulla Al Ibrahim, Chairman 

of the Board of Directors, Raysut 

Cement. 

Asian stocks hit by China data 

ASIAN markets mostly fell yesterday as weak Chinese trade 

data reinforced concerns of a slowdown in the world’s number 

two economy, while profit-taking after a week-long rally added 

to selling pressure. Wall Street provided a weak lead despite 

upbeat US jobs and trade data. Page 24 

Oman’s cement companies continue steady growth 

Japan’s tax hike plan clears final hurdle 

TOKYO — Japan's contentious 

plan to double the sales 

tax cleared the final hurdle in 

a parliamentary vote yesterday 

after Prime Minister Yoshihiko 

Noda promised to bring 

forward an election likely to 

end his party's three-year rule. 

The passage of the plan 

in the opposition-controlled 

upper house is a result of a 

rare political compromise 

and a breakthrough for Japan 

trapped for years in a cycle of 

revolving-door governments 

and policy paralysis. 

The plan to bring the tax to 

10 per cent by 2015 has been 

billed as a test of Japan's ability 

and resolve to tackle its 

snowballing debt that already 

tops two years' worth of its 

economic output, a record 

among industrialised nations. 

The former finance minister 

and the ruling Democrats' 

third leader in as many years 

made the tax plan his top goal 

and has worked relentlessly to 

achieve it, saying he was ready 

to sacrifice his political career 

if necessary. The government 

believes it will net an extra 

13.5 trillion yen ($170 billion) 

every year, although this 

figure is slightly elastic as the 

details of exactly what will be 

covered by the increased tax 

are yet to be worked out. 

The government has said 

it will spend a fifth of the extra 

cash raised in 2015, or 2.7 

trillion yen ($34 billion), on 

improving social welfare services, 

including on increasing 

nursery school places for children 

of working couples. 

— AFP 

HK economy 

shrinks 

HONG KONG — Hong 

Kong's economy shrank 0.1 

per cent in the second quarter 

due to weak exports amid 

slowing growth in the global 

economy, the government 


"On a seasonally adjusted 

quarter-to-quarter comparison, 

real GDP dipped 

marginally by 0.1 per cent 

in the second quarter, following 

0.6 per cent growth 

in the first quarter," an official 

statement said. GDP 

expanded 1.1 per cent. The 

government revised its 2012 

full-year GDP growth forecast 

to 1-2 per cent from 1-3 

per cent previously. — AFP 

The company reported a 

pre-tax profit of RO 13.697 

million for the first half of the 

financial year 2012, registering 

an increase of 54 per cent 

compared to RO 8.893 million 

in the same period last year. 

The profit before tax of the 

company remained flat on a 

quarter-on-quarter basis at RO 

6.852 million for the second 

quarter of 2012 as against RO 

6.845 million reported for Q1 

2012. 

At the same time, margins 

of the company improved substantially 

year on year basis 

and remained steady in the 

second half. 

Operating profit margin saw 

an increase of 30.8 per cent for 

the first half of 2012 from 25.3 

per cent in H1’11 and pre-tax 

profit margin improved to 27.6 

per cent for H1’12 from 20.5 

per cent recorded a year ago. 

Increase in sales volumes 

and better price realizations 

have resulted in higher margins 

for the Company. 

“The increase in profit is 

attributable to higher sales vol- 

ume and better price realisation 

through market optimisation 

on the face of severe competitions 

faced by the company 

both in the domestic and in the 

export markets compared with 

that in the previous year. The 

increase in the market value of 

investment has some impact in 

the net profit”, said the Chairman. 

According to the management 

of Oman Cement, the 

growth trend is expected to 

continue in the rest of the year. 

Oman Cement said in its 

first half financial report that 

the pollution control equipment 

for Kiln 1 is in the final 

stage of implementation. 

The company is likely to 

go in for purchase or import of 

clinker in order to bridge any 

shortfall in the production during 

the implementation period. 

Oman Cement saw its revenue 

surging up by 18 per cent 

on year on year basis to RO 

14.099 million. 

The cost of sales during the 

second quarter of 2012 had 

increased substantially by 24 

per cent to RO 7.505 million. 

Higher production had resulted 

in increased usage of fuel, gas 

and electricity which increased 

by 38 per cent year on year basis 

to RO 2.527 million. 

In addition, Oman Cement 

had imported clinker to an extent 

of 15,000 metric tonnes to 

bridge the shortfall due to temporary 

shutdown. 

The company reported a 

gross profit of RO 6.595 million 

an increase of 12 per cent 

on year on year and a decline 

of 8 per cent on quarter to 

quarter basis. 

Gulf Baader Capital Market 

research report says: “The 

gains in the international oil 

prices have made the government 

to continue with its aggressive 

spending towards the 

infrastructure and construction 

activities which have spelled 

boon for the cement sector. 

With most of construction 

projects in Oman are in implementation 

stage, the cement 

demand in the local market 

will remain at higher levels”.

Irresistible offers on Kia Cerato Star 

MUSCAT — Are you ready to be pleasantly surprised by the irresistible offer on Kia 

Cerato Star Special Edition. Are you ready to enjoy free service for 50000 kms/3-year, 

free insurance and free gifts... then see it for yourself at the Kia showroom close to 

you. 

Already a hot favourite in Oman, the Kia Cerato Star comes equipped with daytime 

running lights, 15” alloy wheels, Bluetooth, rear-view camera and back-warning sensors, 

amongst many other thrilling features. 

Designed with stand-out styling, the Kia Cerato Star conveys a sense of solidity 

and maturity. With distinctive exterior, sophisticated interior and numerous advanced 

comfort/safety features, it delivers great value. 

World famous German designer, Peter Schreyer, completely transformed the look 

and feel of Kia models. As a result, Kia vehicles offer quality excellence and have won 

numerous awards world wide. Kia as a brand is the fastest growing — with a commanding 

global presence. It has 12 manufacturing/assembly plants in 9 countries and 

specialised R&D/ Design Centres in Japan, US and Germany. Kia's extensive network 

of distributors/dealers in 172 countries reaches Kia quality to the farthest corners of 

the globe. 

One of the proud new owners of the Cerato Star was happy to say, “It has awesome 

styling, is safe; easy to handle and so comfortable! For the price tag it comes with, 

it really offers phenomenal value. And now with the offer, it is simply irresistible!” 

Similar views were expressed by the many new buyers at the Kia showroom, eagerly 

grabbing the best deals ever. 

Reliable International Automotive, the distributor for Kia in Oman provides a re- 

22 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 

Volunteers of the eighth Nawras Goodwill Journey feted 

By A Staff Reporter 

MUSCAT — The Nawras 

Goodwill Journey 8 team 

members concluded their voyage 

of compassion and sharing 

at a homecoming and recognition 

ceremony held under the 

patronage of Maitha Saif al 

Mahrouqiya, Under-Secretary 

of the Ministry of Tourism. 

The event at Muscat Grand 

China data signals economy 

may need urgent action 

BEIJING — Chinese data 

dealt policymakers fresh 

blows yesterday as trade and 

new bank lending suggested 

pro-growth policies have been 

slow to gain traction and more 

urgent action may be needed 

to stabilise the economy. 

Figures yesterday showing 

July exports rose just 1 per 

cent from a year ago and that 

new loans were at a 10-month 

low added to data on Thursday 

showing factory output rising 

at its lowest pace in three years 

and pricing power fading. 

The first hard data of the 

third quarter has led some analysts 

to question the strength 

of what was expected to be 

the start of a shallow rebound 

in the economy after growth 

had slipped for six successive 

quarters. 

"We think the central bank 

should move as quickly as possible 

to stabilise the economy. 

I expect there will be at least 

one more RRR cut and interest 

rate cut this quarter," Xiao 

Bo, economist at Huarong Securities 

in Beijing, said. 

Some economists say the 

central bank could move as 

early as this weekend to ease 

policy. It has reduced banks' 

required reserve ratio (RRR) 

in three steps since November 

to free up an estimated 1.2 

trillion yuan ($190 billion) for 

new lending and cut interest 

rates in June and July. 

AN employee stands next to a container ship at Ningbo 

port in Ningbo. — Reuters 

Net new bank lending in 

July of just 540 billion yuan 

versus expectations of 690 

billion yuan is a big potential 

cause of concern. Bank loans 

are the main credit creation 

mechanism in the economy, 

which is only in the early stages 

of reforming capital markets 

to boost available sources 

of corporate finance. 

The low figure adds to fear 

of faltering demand from China's 

two biggest foreign customers 

— the European Union 

and United States — which 

had already seen economists 

peg back their consensus call 

for annual export growth to 

8.6 per cent in a Reuters poll 

last week. Excluding a fall in 

exports in January, the 1 per 

cent rise in July is the weak- 

est since November 2009 and 

marked a big pullback from 

annual growth in June of more 

than 11 per cent, Reuters data 

shows. Shipments to the European 

Union dropped more 

than 16 per cent. 

July imports rose 4.7 per 

cent from a year earlier, the 

weakest pace since April and 

also well short of expectations 

for an increase of 7.2 per 

cent. Ahead of the data, China 

Vice-Commerce Minister Gao 

Hucheng had told reporters 

it would be a challenge for 

China to meet its 10 per cent 

trade growth target in the second 

half of the year. The minister, 

Chen Deming, had said 

in June that China would be 

"lucky" to achieve the target. 

— Reuters 

Mall marked the return of the 

Nawras Goodwill Journey 

volunteers who visited those 

in need within communities 

By A Staff Reporter 

MUSCAT — Redtag, the region’s 

popular value fashion, 

lifestyle and homeware retailer 

has opened its first store in 

Oman on August 8 amid fun 

and excitement. Strategically 

located in Al Khuwair, allowing 

easy access to its customers, 

the new store was inaugurated 

by His Highness Faisal Turki 

al Said, COO Director General 

of Marketing and Media, The 

Public Authority for Investment 

Promotion and Export 

Development in the presence 

of Redtag management, staff, 

media and a large gathering 

of customers. After the inauguration 

ceremony, the Chief 

Guest was taken on a visit of 

the store and he was also provided 

with an overview of the 

products and services that the 

customers will now be able to 

enjoy in Oman. 

Spread over an area of 

2,200 sq mt, the store layout is 

attractive and so are the items 

on display, adding to the allround 

appearance. Large aisles 

and a bright and spacious setting 

accentuate the feel-good 

factor. Shoppers can look forward 

to a wide array of trendy 

clothes and accessories under 

one roof, which make it truly 

a one-stop shop for all their 

shopping requirements. During 

this festival season, the 

opening of Redtag has proved 

to be a boon, with the group 

announcing a generous offer 

of free shopping of RO 3 with 

across the length and breadth 

of Oman. 

Following a video screening 

of the main highlights of 

every purchase of RO 10. 

Commenting on the launch 

of Redtag in Oman, Ernest J 

Hosking, CEO of the Redtag 

Group said “We are excited to 

have opened our first store in 

the Sultanate and look forward 

to sharing our long-standing 

traditions of exceptional customer 

service, great value and 

a broad assortment of merchandise 

with the Omani community 

and we are certain that 

the Sultanate will have a fresh 

shopping experience at our 

Redtag store in Muscat.” 

“Keeping in line with our 

expansion strategy, we have 

plans to open 3 more stores in 

the next 6 months. Shoppers at 

BUSINESS ALERT 

warding ownership experience for customers. Excellent product attributes and an unmatched 

after sales support of 18 sales outlets, 19 service centres and easily accessible 

28 parts outlets ensure their absolute satisfaction, every mile of the way. 

Ford tests safety technologies for drivers 

UPGRADES to Ford’s full-motion virtual test track will help the automaker continue to 

develop and test active safety and driver aid technologies that warn drivers of imminent 

collision, drowsiness and other potentially dangerous scenarios behind the wheel. 

The Virtual Test Track Experiment (VIRTTEX) simulator, which features a spherical 

dome on top of a hydraulic system to mimic vehicle movement, now has upgraded 

image rendering technologies to provide a high-resolution, digitally projected 360degree 

horizontal field-of-view to test and measure driver acceleration, braking and 

steering performance as well as overall driver reactions in varying conditions. 

“VIRTTEX plays an integral role in helping us develop future safety and driver 

assist technology, making it essential to keep the simulator current with the latest technology,” 

said Mike Blommer, Technical Lead for the lab. “Coupled with improvements 

in the resolution and brightness of the projection technologies, as well as improved 

imagery capabilities, we will be able to boost our capabilities to conduct active safety 

studies.” 

The 360-view helps the engineers evaluate driving performance with a complete 

view of every angle around the driver. Improved imagery creates the most realistic 

scenarios including other traffic, pedestrians and landmarks alongside the roadway. 

Technical advances tested in part in VIRTTEX have included Lane Keeping System 

and collision warning which is set to appear in the all-new Ford Fusion which will be 

available to customers in the coming days. 

Ford used VIRTTEX to examine driver responses and reaction times with advanced 

early-warning systems such as forward collision warning, a radar-based system designed 

to help avoid or mitigate the effect of rear-end collisions. The study concluded 

that certain warning systems may elicit a faster and more appropriate response for 

distracted drivers. 

Ford continues to research numerous types of warnings — including audible, visual 

and tactile or vibrating warnings — and whether they are most effective alone or in 

combinations. 

This work has already helped determine how soon incident warnings should be 

used, how intense they need to be, and specific patterns of the warnings in technologies 

such as the Lane Keeping System. Research to date has shown drivers respond more 

quickly to certain audible alerts that are more intense, thus more authoritative. Early research 

also shows some benefit from a combination of warnings — audio alerts backed 

up by visual warning reinforcement. 

VIRTTEX studies are longer-timeframe studies, Blommer noted. The lab focuses on 

collecting quantitative and objective data, to determine what works best to keep drivers 

alert and safe behind the wheel. For example, studies show that for similarly performing 

warnings, drivers prefer subtle warnings such as steering wheel vibrations rather 

than loud chimes to alert them to a lane departure. The studies focus on how drivers 

the journey, Maitha presented 

each volunteer with a certificate 

of recognition. Over the 

past ten days, Oman’s customer 

friendly communications 

provider donated numerous 

gifts including laptops, 

mobile phones, televisions, 

air conditioning units, washing 

machines, iPads, sewing 

machines and wheelchairs and 

headphones. 

During the final event in 

Muscat, Saleh bin Nasser al Riyami, 

Nawras Board Director, 

said, “Fasting Nawras volunteers 

have travelled across the 

country to help those attending 

and running charitable organisations 

during the month of Ramadhan. 

By working together 

in harmony, the teams have 

shown they can have a more 

powerful and greater impact in 

enriching people’s lives.” 

He added, “I would like 

to extend our heartfelt gratitude 

and appreciation to our 

Guest of Honour, Maitha Saif 

al Mahrouqiya, and to all who 

have worked so diligently to 

make the Nawras Goodwill 

Journey another tremendous 

success. Special thanks must 

go to Khalid al Zadjali, Nawras 

Events and Protocol Manager, 

for his inspiring leadership 

the Redtag store can expect to 

pick up good quality fashion at 

very affordable prices as well 

as an up to date selection of 

goods for the home. They can 

also expect to see new collections 

in the store regularly and 

frequently." Added the CEO 

Reiterating its commitment 

towards reaching out to its 

customers, Redtag, the Middle 

East’s fastest growing value retail 

brand further strengthened 

its network with the launch of 

its 1st outlet in Oman. With 

this latest launch Redtag has 

crossed more than 95 stores 

across all regions, and the 

brand has established firm 

footprints across the GCC. The 

over the last eight years. The 

Nawras Goodwill Journey will 

continue to be an important 

part of the corporate social 

responsibility Nawras undertakes 

in Oman.” 

On the final day, Nawras 

Goodwill Journey members 

visited the Omani Women’s 

Associations in Rakhyout and 

Dhalkout where volunteers 

distributed laptops and printers, 

televisions and a DVD 

player. Volunteers also brought 

freezers, cooking appliances, 

washing machines and air conditioning 

units to give the association 

a full range of new 

equipment. 

The eighth Nawras Goodwill 

Journey has seen 20 volunteers 

visit branches of the 

Omani Woman’s Association 

across the country showing 

support for the great work 

being carried out every day 

by those working hard to enrich 

the lives of people in the 

Sultanate. Starting in Muscat 

on July 28, the Nawras convoy 

visited Nizwa, Dhank, Al 

Buraimi and Al Musannah, Al 

Suwaiq and Al Rustaq where 

donations will kick start a new 

tailoring business for women 

in the community. 

On the second phase of 

Group retail philosophy of providing 

style-conscious customers 

with fashion and homeware 

at affordable prices has gained 

attraction across the Middle 

East with continued growth 

expected across the region in 

coming years. The store features 

distinctive niches and 

departments offering the latest 

fashion range with the hottest 

new international trends in textures 

and fabrics to guarantee 

its patrons an enjoyable shopping 

experience. 

“Being a value-focused retailer 

offering a range of fashions 

for the entire family and 

home-ware for budget-conscious 

shoppers, the Redtag 

the journey, the first stop was 

Qurayat, and from there the 

volunteers travelled south to 

Al Kamil W’al Wafi, Bidiya, 

Duqm and finally to Salalah, 

spreading smiles at each 

Omani Women’s Association 

visited and playing a part in 

developing the communities 

being served. Every year since 

2005, fasting volunteers of 

the Nawras Goodwill Journey 

have visited over 150 charitable 

organisations and non- 

Government organisations in 

the Sultanate. For eight consecutive 

years, the journey has 

helped more than 7000 people 

and families in need and travelled 

over 48,000 kilometres 

across Oman to bring joy to 

local communities. 

During Ramadhan, other 

Nawras family members have 

also been showing how they 

care. While some have been 

distributing packages of dates 

to help families at different 

locations across the country, 

a Springboard team collected 

funds to support less privileged 

families with journeys to 

perform Umrah and delighted 

children in Muscat were entertained 

with a traditional Qaranqasho 

celebration at Muscat 

Grand Mall. 

Redtag inaugurates its first showroom 

brand offers the latest in fashion 

and accessories for men, 

women, infants and newborns, 

supplemented by comprehensive 

range of merchandise for 

the home, dining, bed, bath as 

well as home décor items and 

toys. 

Add a one-stop shopping 

destination concept and 

the Redtag brand becomes a 

compelling proposition in the 

retail market. This is proven 

by the fact that the company 

has grown from 29 stores to a 

chain of 100 stores (including 

franchisees) in the GCC within 

the past five years”, commented 

Nasser Kunnumal - Country 

Manager for Redtag. 

react in certain scenarios and how technologies can help deter potential accidents. 

The upgraded projectors are made by Ohio-based Barco and the imagery software 

is provided by Blue Newt Software of Michigan. 

In 2003, Ford conducted one of its first driver distraction studies in VIRTTEX that 

measured a driver's failure to detect safety-relevant events while doing visual or manual 

tasks such as retrieving voicemail on a handheld cell phone. The study revealed 

much higher levels of distraction — glances off the road — among drivers doing such 

manual and/or visual tasks rather than if they were using some type of hands-free, 

voice interface. 

The VIRTTEX simulator features a spherical dome mounted on a hydraulic system 

to duplicate vehicle movement. Projectors display a 360-degree horizontal and 45degree 

vertical field of vision mounted to the base. The projectors surround the driver 

to replicate driving scenery, conditions and traffic scenarios synched with the test vehicle’s 

acceleration, braking and steering functions. 

Ford vehicles are known the world over for their exceptional safety, luxury and 

unsurpassed technological superiority. Ford ploughs in millions of dollars into R&D 

each year to ensure that every Ford offers maximum safety and motoring pleasure for 

its customers. 

In Oman, Ford vehicles are marketed by Arabian Car Marketing Co LLC, a part of 

the renowned Saud Bahwan Group. They come with 6 years unlimited mileage protection, 

service and parts network that stretches across the Sultanate, over 98 per cent 

parts availability and Ford Privilege Card which provides 24 hours on-road assistance 

from AAA.

Banks could be obliged 

to set Libor rates 

Posters on a branch of Barclays Bank in Westminster central London. — Reuters 

LONDON — Banks could be 

obliged to contribute to setting 

Libor benchmark interest rates 

after a rigging scandal prompted 

demands for an overhaul, 

the British financial regulator 

in charge of the review said on 

Thursday. 

In future, fewer transactions 

are likely to be based on 

the London interbank offered 

rate (Libor) and regulation 

could be tightened for all financial 

benchmarks, including 

those for oil, gold and 

stock prices, Martin Wheatley, 

managing director of the 

Financial Services Authority, 

said. 

Used as a benchmark for 

$500 trillion in contracts for 

everything from home loans 

to complex financial derivatives, 

Libor has been under 

intense scrutiny since British 

bank Barclays was fined more 

than $450 million in June by 

US and UK regulators for rigging 

it. 

Other international banks 

on the panel that sets Libor 

rates are also under investigation. 

Until now, membership 

of the panel has been the 

preserve of a small group of 

banks, which volunteer daily 

estimates for the rates at 

which they would borrow dif- 

SAN JOSE — It was the end 

of a long week in court in the 

Apple-Samsung legal war, 

and Samsung attorney John 

Quinn was trying to block his 

adversary, Apple attorney Bill 

Lee, from showing the jury a 

document. 

As Quinn made his argument 

to US District Judge Lucy 

Koh, he slipped in a reference 

to Koh's pre-trial order blocking 

sales of some Samsung 

products — a subject Koh had 

forbidden the parties from discussing 

in front of the jury. 

"That was improper," said 

Koh. 

"I apologise, your honour," 

Quinn responded. 

"I have a difficulty believing 

that was not intentional," 

said the judge. 

Koh allowed the document 

into evidence. But her admonishment 

provided the jury with 

a glimpse into the unusual tensions 

roiling beneath the lofty 

courtroom arguments about 

who might have illegally copied 

whose technology. 

Outside the jury's presence, 

Apple and Samsung lawyers 

regularly accuse each other of 

unfair ambushes, dirty public 

ferent currencies for different 

periods to come up with a set 

of benchmarks. 

But Wheatley said providing 

quotes for Libor could 

become mandatory to widen 

the number of banks taking 

part and improve Libor's credibility. 

"Whatever the improvements 

made to Libor, we will 

want to consider alternative 

benchmarks for at least some 

of the types of transaction 

that currently rely on Libor," 

Wheatley said. 

It was impossible to replace 

Libor straight away because 

so many contracts were 

linked to it and it might not be 

possible to replace completely 

because alternatives are not 

perfect, he said. 

Other changes he suggested 

included basing Libor rates on 

actual trades rather than bank 

estimates. When there aren't 

changes for a specific rate — a 

particular problem for longerterm 

rates — rate setters could 

use "interpolation" based on 

the more frequently traded 

short-term rates. 

Stung into action by the 

threat to its financial industry 

from a series of scandals, 

Britain's government ordered 

a swift review of Libor. 

Wheatley said it took him two 

relations tactics and even doctoring 

evidence. 

Quinn took the extraordinary 

step of issuing a press 

release on documents that 

Koh barred from the trial — 

an open display of defiance 

that suggested a legal strategy 

aimed at creating courtroom 

chaos. Quinn says he intended 

nothing of the sort. 

Elite trial lawyers normally 

display a certain professional 

comity in court, but little of 

that is apparent in this case. 

An exasperated Koh has taken 

to managing the trial like a 

schoolmarm, regularly scolding 

her errant charges and resorting 

to tactics like deducting 

from the time they have to 

present evidence if they make 

superfluous arguments. 

The trial, which will determine 

whether Samsung violated 

Apple patents in creating 

competing smartphone and 

tablet-computing products, is 

now in its second full week, 

and is expected to run through 

the end of August. 

Despite some key pre-trial 

rulings Koh issued against 

Samsung, during trial itself 

the judge has given the jury no 

weeks, quipping: "I was on a 

beach in Spain with an iPad, 

believe me." 

The industry will have 

until September 7 to respond 

to the so-called Wheatley Review 

with final recommendations 

to be made by the end of 

next month. Some of those are 

expected to be enshrined in a 

new law next year. 

"This discussion paper 

demonstrates that we will give 

regulators the powers they 

need to prevent the manipulation 

of key benchmark rates," 

financial services minister 

Mark Hoban said. 

The tougher regulation for 

benchmark interest rates could 

be extended to stock market 

indexes and benchmarks for 

commodity prices, Wheatley 

said. Although stock indexes 

are based on trades, the others 

are often set by panels and less 

transparent. 

"It's the slightly more esoteric 

ones that have become 

very important in global markets 

like gold and oil and other 

commodities where they are 

not subject to price or other 

regulatory oversight," Wheatley 

said. The fast-track review 

reflects the political pressure 

on governments and regulators 

on both sides of the Atlantic. 

— Reuters 

Courtroom tension boils in 

Apple-Samsung showdown 

A WORKER moves an ad for the Samsung Galaxy SIII during its launch in Jakarta. 

signals as to who she thinks is 

in the right. 

Rather Koh, a 44-yearold 

appointee of US President 

Barack Obama, appears 

to take the view that if the 

two sides would just act like 

grown-ups and pursue rational 

self-interest rather than sling 

mud at one another, there 

wouldn't be a trial at all. 

This week, Koh wistfully 

returned to a idea she first 

raised at a pretrial hearing 

over one year ago. 

"You didn't file any objections 

yesterday, and I was 

hoping that maybe you had 

settled," she said. But in a case 

that is more about professional 

pride and long-term market 

power than money, there appears 

to be little basis for a 

settlement before the verdict. 

The two companies are 

close collaborators in many 

areas, as Apple is one of Samsung's 

biggest customers for 

smartphone and tablet components. 

Yet in court they seem 

determined to fight to the 

death. Their executives pass 

one another in the hallways 

without making eye contact. 

— Reuters 

23 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

24 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 

Asian stock markets hit by weak Chinese trade data 

HONG KONG — Asian markets 

mostly fell yesterday as 

weak Chinese trade data reinforced 

concerns of a slowdown 

in the world's number two 

economy, while profit-taking 

after a week-long rally added 

TRADERS chat as they work at their desks at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. 

to selling pressure. 

Wall Street provided a weak 

lead despite upbeat US jobs 

and trade data that indicated a 

positive outlook for the world's 

number one economy. 

Hong Kong fell 0.66 per 

cent, or 133.35 points, to 

20,136.12, while Shanghai 

shed 0.24 per cent, or 5.29 

points, to 2,168.81, with losses 

muted as dealers expect 

policymakers to loosen monetary 

policy soon to kickstart 

the economy. 

Tokyo fell 0.97 per cent, or 

87.16 points, to 8,891.44 and 

Sydney shed 0.72 per cent, 

or 30.9 points, to 4,277.3 but 

Seoul advanced 0.30 per cent, 

or 5.81 points, to 1,946.40. 

China's General Administration 

of Customs said exports 

grew just one per cent in July 

year-on-year to $176.9 billion, 

while imports rose 4.7 per cent 

to $151.8 billion, cutting the 

trade surplus to $25.1 billion 

from $31.7 billion in June. 

The data follow results on 

Thursday showing Chinese retail 

sales, industrial output and 

inflation eased in July, indicating 

the export-driven economy 

was feeling the effects of Europe's 

debt crisis lowering demand 

in the key market. 

The figures will also add to 

calls for China's leaders to further 

loosen monetary policy to 

kick start growth, which in the 

April-June quarter grew at its 

slowest pace since the height 

of the global crisis in 2008- 

2009. 

China has already this year 

taken the rare step of slashing 

interest rates twice in quick 

succession, while also lowering 

requirements for how 

much money banks must keep 

in reserve as it looks to spur 

lending. 

Profit-taking added yesterday's 

losses after global markets 

rallied this week following 

European Central Bank 

comments that gave investors 

confidence it will restart its 

sovereign bond-buying programme 

soon to help countries 

such as Spain and Italy. 

There are also expecta- 

Jobs, trade data back modest US growth 

WASHINGTON — The number of 

Americans filing new claims for jobless 

benefits unexpectedly fell last 

week, offering hope that some of last 

month's improvement in job growth 

could be sustained and give the US 

economy a lift. 

Other data was also positive with 

the international trade deficit in June 

the smallest in 1½ years as the petroleum 

import bill dropped sharply. 

While the smaller trade gap implied 

upward revisions to the government's 

estimate of second-quarter gross domestic 

product published last month, 

the impact was blunted somewhat 

by an unexpected drop in wholesale 

stocks in June. Initial claims for state 

unemployment benefits slipped 6,000 

to a seasonally adjusted 361,000, the 

labour Department said. Economists 

had expected claims to rise to 370,000 

last week. The data came after a labour 

Department report last week showed 

that in July employers hired the most 

workers in five months. 

"The fact that initial jobless claims 

have fallen back to their March lows 

suggests faster employment gains will 

continue to support consumer spend- 

A MAN grabs his briefcase as he waits in line to speak with employers at 

the UJA-Federation Connect to Care job fair in New York. — Reuters 

ing in the coming months," said Harm 

Bandholz, chief US economist at 

UniCredit Research in New York. 

US nonfarm payrolls increased 

163,000 in July after three months of 

gains below 100,000. But the unemployment 

rate rose by a tenth of a per- 

centage point to 8.3 per cent. 

Last week's jobless benefit claims 

report was the first in several weeks 

not affected by auto plant shutdowns, 

which caused wide swings in claims in 

July, making it difficult to get a clean 

reading on the jobs market. A second 

report from the Commerce Department 

on Thursday showed the shortfall 

on the trade balance narrowed 10.7 

per cent to $42.9 billion, the smallest 

since December 2010, as low oil prices 

curbed imports. That was below economists' 

expectations for a $47.5 billion 

deficit. The oil import bill fell $2.2 billion 

to 32.9 billion, the lowest since 

February. That was as the average price 

per barrel of crude oil dropped by the 

most since January 2009. 

The reports helped the Standard & 

Poor's 500 stock index eke out a small 

gain and extend its rally for a fifth day 

on the New York stock market. Prices 

for US government debt edged down, 

while the dollar rose broadly. 

Immediately after the trade report, 

economists forecast the initial second-quarter 

US GDP growth estimate 

would be revised to as high as 2.2 per 

cent, but tempered those predictions 

after a later report showed a decline in 

wholesale inventories in June. Secondquarter 

growth is now seen revised up 

to an annual pace of at least 1.8 per cent 

from 1.5 per cent. The government will 

publish its second GDP estimate later 

this month. — Reuters 

TEL: 24601003, 24600586 • FAX: 24600736 

• WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com 

tions the Federal Reserve will 

return to its asset-purchasing 

programme to spur the US 

economy. 

Optimism that the banks 

will step in saw Tokyo gain 

almost five per cent over the 

past four sessions, while Hong 

Kong added more than three 

per cent and Seoul was five per 

cent higher. 

Wall Street also posted 

gains but its rally ran out of 

steam on Thursday, with the 

Dow and S&P 500 ending flat 

while the Nasdaq put on 0.25 

per cent, despite bright jobs 

and trade data. 

US weekly new jobless 

LONDON — Manchester 

United will make its New 

York Stock Exchange debut 

yesterday after a flotation that 

disappointed the English soccer 

club's American owners 

and has enraged some of its 

fans. 

Soccer is the world's most 

popular sport, but the setback 

for the initial public offering 

underlines the limited appeal 

of even its biggest names for 

investors. 

The IPO priced at $14, below 

the $16-20 range the club's 

bankers had been seeking. It 

valued the 19-times English 

champions at only $2.3 billion 

and shaved as much as 

$100 million off the proceeds 

expected for the team and its 

owners. 

The offering raised $233.2 

million, to be split equally between 

the club and its owners, 

the Florida-based Glazer family. 

The loss of as much as $50 

WASHINGTON — The US 

Justice Department said it will 

not pursue criminal charges 

against Goldman Sachs Group 

Inc or its employees related to 

accusations that the firm bet 

against the same subprime 

mortgage securities it was 

selling to clients. 

The decision not to prosecute 

Goldman, a firm held up 

by critics as a symbol of Wall 

Street greed during the 2007- 

2009 financial crisis, highlights 

the difficulty in prosecuting 

crisis-related cases. 

Few expected the bank to 

face criminal charges, but in 

April 2011, US Senator Carl 

Levin asked for a criminal 

investigation after the subcommittee 

he leads spent 

more than a year looking into 

Goldman. 

The accusations were aired 

in a heated 2010 Congressional 

hearing in which Levin 

grilled Goldman Chief Executive 

Lloyd Blankfein for hours 

about whether it was morally 

correct for the firm to sell its 

clients products described internally 

as "crap". 

"The department and investigative 

agencies ultimately 

concluded that the burden of 

proof to bring a criminal case 

could not be met based on the 

law and facts as they exist at 

this time," the Justice Department 

said in a statement late 

on Thursday. 

The DOJ does not typically 

make public statements when 

it concludes an investigation. 

Neil Barofsky, a former 

watchdog for the US government's 

financial system bailout 

in 2008, said the announcement 

was a stark reminder 

that no individual or institution 

had been held meaning- 

claims fell to 361,000, the Labor 

Department said Thursday, 

in another sign that the jobs 

market has some moderate 

strength despite the secondquarter 

lull in hiring. 

Meanwhile, the US trade 

deficit narrowed in June for 

the third straight month, with 

exports continuing to climb 

while imports eased. 

On currency markets the 

greenback was quoted at 78.50 

yen in late afternoon trade yesterday, 

slightly up from 78.55 

yen in New York late Thursday. 

The euro stood at $1.2275 

and 96.30 yen, compared with 

million for the club will be a 

blow as it copes with a heavy 

debt burden and seeks to buy 

new players, who cost tens of 

millions of dollars each. 

The 134-year-old club 

looked at listing in Singapore 

and Hong Kong last year to 

tap into its large Asian fan 

base but pulled out, blaming 

fully accountable for their role 

in the financial crisis. 

"Without such accountability, 

the unending parade 

of megabanks scandals will 

inevitably continue," said 

Barofsky, who has been an 

outspoken critic of the government's 

response to the financial 

crisis. In a brief statement 

emailed to Reuters, a 

Goldman Sachs spokesman 

said: "We are pleased that this 

matter is behind us." 

A Levin aide had no immediate 

comment. 

In a related civil case, 

Goldman settled with the 

US Securities and Exchange 

Commission for $550 million 

in July 2010, without admitting 

wrongdoing. 

The SEC, in one of its 

premier financial crisis cases, 

said Goldman failed to tell 

investors the Paulson & Co 

hedge fund helped choose and 

bet against the subprime mortgage-backed 

securities underlying 

an investment product 

$1.2301 and 96.62 yen. 

Oil prices were lower after 

the figures from China, the 

world's biggest energy consumer. 

New York's main contract, 

light sweet crude for delivery 

in September, retreated 

67 cents to $92.69 a barrel 

while Brent North Sea crude 

for September fell 64 cents to 

$112.58. 

Gold was at $1,610.50 at 

0805 GMT, from $1,613.25 on 

Thursday. 

In other markets: 

Taipei climbed 0.10 

per cent, or 7.42 points, to 

7,441.12. 

Chunghwa Telecom was 

0.11 per cent higher at Tw$89.9 

while TSMC fell 0.36 per cent 

to Tw$82.0. 

Manila closed 0.13 per cent 

higher, adding 6.74 points to 

5,263.35. 

Bloomberry Resorts added 

1.52 per cent to 10 pesos while 

Metropolitan Bank and Trust 

slipped 2.72 per cent to 94.85 

pesos. 

Ayala Corp was up 1.18 per 

cent at 430 pesos. 

Wellington eased 0.16 

per cent, or 5.82 points, to 

3,577.80. 

Fletcher Building fell 1.2 

per cent to NZ$6.40, Telecom 

Corp was up 1.1 per cent at 

NZ$2.695 and Air New Zealand 

held steady at NZ$0.91. 

— Reuters 

Manchester United IPO shows 

soccer’s limited investor appeal 

volatile markets. 

A group of United fans who 

are campaigning for greater 

involvement in the ownership 

of the club jeered the Glazers. 

"When the news finally 

came, it was revealed they'd 

been forced to take $14 a share 

or let the whole deal collapse. 

— Reuters 

Justice Department drops 

Goldman financial probe 

PEOPLE enter the Goldman Sachs Group Inc global 

headquarters in New York — Reuters 

named Abacus. 

The SEC is still pursuing 

a civil complaint against Fabrice 

Tourre, a Goldman vice 

president involved in the Abacus 

deal. 

Separately on Thursday, 

Goldman said the SEC had 

dropped an investigation into 

the firm's role in selling a different 

$1.3 billion subprime 

mortgage-related deal arranged 

in 2006. 

The Abacus deal was a 

major focus of the televised 

hearings held by Levin's subcommittee 

in 2010. The hearings 

and a following report 

from Levin's Permanent Subcommittee 

on Investigations 

weighed on Goldman's shares 

as the firm suffered a reputational 

hit from the unwelcome 

spotlight. 

Goldman — dubbed a "great 

vampire squid" in a 2009 article 

in Rolling Stone magazine 

— has continued to be dogged 

by criticism, including from its 

own ranks. — Reuters

Reflections on Islam 

HE Shaikh Ahmed al Khalili, 

Grand Mufti of the Sultanate 

Rectifying 

the rift of the 

Islamic nation 

THE Islamic nation was once 

united and strong, but over 

the ages a gulf of separation 

began and continued to widen. Rectifying 

the rift of the nation is not 

so difficult, but it depends mostly 

on overcoming psychological complexes 

and overcoming idiosyncrasies 

that continued to prevail in the 

countries for a long time, till such a 

time that every individual thought 

he/she is right and all others are 

wrong. Muslims should elevate the 

level of their thinking above this selfish 

attitude. 

Muslims should judge their actions 

by the orders of the Almighty 

and the guidance of His Prophet 

Mohammed, peace be upon him. Allah 

ordered Muslims that when they 

disagree about anything, they should 

resort to the Quran and Sunna. This 

is mentioned in the Quran. 

So, it is necessary to adjudicate in 

accordance with these two sources 

of judgement to avoid straying from 

the right path, to know what is right 

and what is wrong and to ensure that 

the Islamic nation is following the 

right course. When Muslims have 

the light, why should they roam 

around in darkness? By going back 

to the Quran and Sunna, their vision 

will be clear. 

Once the picture is clear, people 

will find the right path. They would 

understand that ordering what is 

right and forbidding what is wrong 

are the foundations for unity of the 

nation. Only then a league of righteousness 

would develop and hold 

the nation together. 

The Almighty has ordered us, 

through the Quran, to stick to unity 

and warned us against divergence. 

Allah said there should be, among 

the nation, people who order righteousness 

and forbid wrongdoing. 

The Quran stresses in more than one 

place that unity depends on people 

advising each other, enlightening 

each other, as individuals and as 

a whole, about what is right as ordained 

by the Almighty. 

By Kabeer Yousuf 

AS the month of Ramadhan 

just entered the third and 

the last phase of the 30 

days of fasting, believers are in 

an upbeat mood as they are to 

welcome the days and nights 

described by a special night worth 

1,000 times more divine than other 

blessed nights of the month. 

‘Lailatul Qadr’ is none other 

than the night when the Holy 

Quran was revealed to Prophet 

Muhammed (peace be upon him). 

The Prophet has said: It 

(Ramadhan) is the month 

whose beginning is mercy, its 

middle forgiveness and its end, 

emancipation from the fire (of 

hell). 

Experts and highly 

knowledgeable personalities say 

we need to do a lot of homework 

to welcome the most blessed days 

and nights in Ramadhan as the 

third phase of the month is the 

most important phase throughout 

the whole month, as it measures 

the loyalty of believers and their 

strength to carry on to the end. 

Don’t lose the momentum 

Generally, we tend to work so 

hard in terms of worship in the first 

week of Ramadhan, then gradually 

the energy and motivation tend to 

subside towards the end, and only a 

few believers strive to the end and 

pass the test. 

“Now what Muslims need to 

do is to direct all their focus in 

this coming phase on worship and 

devotion and try and encourage one 

another to do more as our beloved 

Prophet used to encourage his 

family members and wake them up 

for prayers when it came to the last 

phase of the month of Ramadhan”, 

says Khalfan al Yesry, renowned 

orator, motivational speaker and 

well-known Islamic scholar. 

“Another thing that we should 

focus on is the act of worship”, 

Khalfan continued. These 10 days 

are especially devoted for Itikaf, 

which is the act of staying in the 

Masjids with special supplications 

and prayers. 

“This is a kind of worship that 

normally people tend to practise 

in the last 10 days of the month 

of Ramadhan; the complete focus 

becomes on worship to the extent 

that Muslims leave their homes and 

stay in Masjids in hope of receiving 

the mercy of Almighty Allah 

by witnessing the Lailatul Qadr 

which is the night the Holy Quran 

was revealed to the Prophet and 

it is mentioned in the Quran that 

this night is better than thousand 

months. In conclusion, this is the 

time for Muslims to sharpen their 

blades and put all their energy in 

worship, supplication and good 

deeds”, Khalfan, who has been 

hosting a highly thought-provoking 

programme on Oman Radio 90.4 

FM, told the Observer. 

A woman browses a shop selling headscarves ahead of the upcoming Eid al Fitr festival 

in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. — AFP 


Most blessed days of Ramadhan 

Believers advised to make the most of the last 10 days 

Seek refuge from hell fire 

Khalfan says this is an 

opportunity considered to be a 

golden chance for the devout 

to pray to keep us away from hell 

fire. 

“Muslims should grab this 

opportunity and set their main goal 

which is refuge from hell fire. I am 

sure none of us wants to be in hell 

fire and we can’t even imagine hell 

fire. Fear of hell fire should act as 

a motivational tool for us to try 

our level best to work hard in these 

remaining days to save ourselves 

from hell fire”. 

Hosted by journalist Lakshmi 

Kothaneth, the programme 

‘Mind, Body and Soul’ has been a 

Now what Muslims need to do is to 

direct all their focus in this coming 

phase on worship and devotion and 

try and encourage one another to do 

more as our beloved Prophet used to 

encourage his family members and 

wake them up for prayers when it came 

to the last phase of the 

month of Ramadhan 

Auspicious Daily Supplication 

22nd Day of Ramadhan: Oh! Allah, on this day, open for me 

the doors of Your Grace, send down on me its blessings, help me 

towards the causes of Your mercy, and give me a place in the 

comforts of Paradise, Oh! The One who answers 

the call of the distressed. 

guidance to the youth for the past 

12 years. 

The last days in Ramadhan 

are a determination on who really 

deserves to be saved from hell fire 

as devotees focus entirely on this 

goal while others enjoy shopping 

and forget the importance of 

these last days of Ramadhan 

completely. 

Capitalise on Ramadhan 

Adding on to the ‘it’s never 

too late’ doctrine, Khalfan said, 

“Now is the best time to begin to 

get closer to Almighty. If we were 

left behind in terms of worship in 

the beginning of the month, I guess 

this is the only opportunity left for 

us to catch up with whatever is left 

in the month; it is never too late to 

catch up. 

So, let us forget about 

yesterdays and focus on what 

we can offer in these remaining 

days, and let us not forget that 

the last phase of the race is the 

most important in determining 

the winner in this holy race where 

mankind submit themselves to 

Almighty and they neglect their 

basic desires for the sake of eternal 

pleasure from Almighty Allah. 

Believers attend Itikaf worship at the Grand Faisal mosque in Islamabad. Itikaf is a spiritual retreat 

in a mosque, usually held during the last 10 days of Ramadhan. — AFP

RAMADHAN OFFER 

26 RAMADHAN SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 

‘Kitty cam’ shows 

darker side of cats 

SCIENTISTS at a US university 

attached cameras 

to the collars of 60 outdoor 

cats and were surprised 

to find that 30 per cent among 

COINCIDING with the Month of Ramadhan, the Observer has come up again with an attractive contest 

for its esteemed readers. All that the participants need to do is to fill in the coupons which will be featured 

daily in the Observer throughout the Month. PARTICIPANTS SHOULD SEND ALL THE COUPONS IN 

ONE BUNCH to the Oman Daily Observer, Post Box 974, PC 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. Contestants 

can send in any number of entries but no photocopies are allowed. Many valuable prizes are on offer. 

Winners will be decided in a draw. 

Note: Employees of Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising and their close relatives are 

NOT eligible to take part in this contest. 

22 

them killed an average of two 

animals a week. 

Researchers at the University 

of Georgia looked at cats 

prowling around Athens city, 

the Daily Mail reported. 

The three-ounce cameras 

dubbed “kitty cams” were 

designed by National Geographic 

to be waterproof with 

LED night vision and radio 

trackers. 

The scientists found that 30 

per cent of cats ate their catch 

while a majority 49 per cent 

left the carcasses to rot. Just 21 

per cent brought the kill home 

to their owners’ place. 

Researcher Kerrie Anne 

Loyd said most cats “would 

capture their prey, may be play 

with it for a minute and then 

leave it close to the site of capture”. 

Cats killed the maximum 

lizards, snakes and frogs at 41 

per cent while mammals such 

as chipmunks and voles made 

up 25 per cent. Insects and 

worms made up 20 per cent 

of the kills while 12 per cent 

were birds. 

The videos also revealed a 

“dare-devil” side to the cats. 

One cat's camera footage 

showed it going down a storm 

sewer’s tight and dark tunnels. 

Around 20 per cent of the 

cats were found to love storm 

drains, 45 per cent were seen 

crossing roads. Around 25 per 

cent ate and drank everything 

they found, 20 per cent entered 

spaces they could become 

trapped in. 

Male cats were found more 

likely to have a risky behaviour, 

while older cats were 

more careful than younger 

ones. 

One woman said her cat has 

two families. “They held open 

the door for him and he walked 

in and he just hung out in their 

house,” the woman said. 

Four of the 60 cats were 

recorded entering another 

household that was not their 

own with an aim to get food 

and affection. — IANS 

RAMADHAN TIMINGS — MUSCAT 

August Ramadhan Fajr Sunrise Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha 

1433 AH (am) (am) (pm) (pm) Iftar (pm) (pm) 

Aug 11 22 04:20 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:49 08:05 

Aug 12 23 04:20 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:48 08:04 

Aug 13 24 04:21 05:41 12:17 03:43 06:47 08:03 

Aug 14 25 04:22 05:42 12:17 03:43 06:47 08:02 

Aug 15 26 04:22 05:42 12:17 03:43 06:46 08:01 

Aug 16 27 04:23 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:45 08:00 

Aug 17 28 04:23 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:44 07:59 

Aug 18 29 04:24 05:43 12:16 03:42 06:44 07:58 

Aug 19 (30) 04:25 05:44 12:16 03:42 06:43 07:57 

TIMING IN OTHER REGIONS AS COMPARED TO MUSCAT 

Area Sunrise Sunset 

(min) (min) 

Ras Al Hadd –8 –4 

Al Ashkhara –9 –2 

Sur –7 –3 

Wadi Bani Khalid –5 –2 

Qurayyat –3 –2 

Jaalan –7 –1 

Al Kamil –6 –1 

Bidiya –4 0 

Ibra –3 0 

Bid Bid +1 +1 

Samayil +1 +1 

Barka +2 +1 

Nakhl +2 +1 

Al Mudhaibi –1 +2 

Al Musana +3 +2 

Izki +1 +3 

Saiq +2 +3 

Al Rustaq +1 +2 

Al Awabi +4 +5 

Al Hamra +5 +3 

Al Khaburah +6 +3 

Musandam +14 +3 

Masirah –8 +4 

Nizwa/Manah +2 +4 

Saham +7 +4 

Sohar +8 +4 

Shinas +10 +4 

Adam +1 +5 

Bahla +3 +5 

Liwa +9 +5 

Wadi Hibi +8 +6 

Mahout –5 +7 

Qarn Al Alam –2 +7 

Ibri/Yanqul +7 +7 

Mahdha +11 +11 

Dhank +8 +8 

Fahoud +5 +9 

Al Buraimi +11 +9 

Ras Madraka –7 +10 

Al Duqm –5 +10 

Al Khuwair +11 +12 

Haima +1 +15 

Al Jazir –2 +16 

Al Halaniyat –2 +20 

Maqshan +6 +21 

Marmool +2 +22 

Mirbat +2 +26 

Taqa/Al Mamura +4 +28 

Thamrait +6 +28 

Salalah/Raysut +5 +29 

Rakhyout +5 +30 

Sarfait/Dalkout +8 +33 

Habrout +11 +34

PEOPLE’S 

PLATFORM 

THIS year and particularly 

during the month of 

Ramadhan, Oman Charitable 

Organisation (OCO) distributed 

foodstuff to 10,000 Yemeni families. 

The Sultanate has been rendering 

considerable humanitarian 

and charitable services to the needy 

people in Yemen for quite some 

time and very quietly. 

We pray to Allah, the Exalted 

and Glorified, to enable the Sultanate 

to continue on this path of helping 

needy people in reconstructing 

their homes and rebuilding their 

lives after natural and socio-political 

disasters. This is a noble mission 

and a case that pleases Allah, 

the Exalted. 

Oman Charitable Organisation 

has over the years also built schools, 

hospitals, mosques and houses in 

Palestine, besides orphanages for 

thousands of children. 

Oman has also been active in 

sending humanitarian aid to Somalia, 

India and to Afghanistan to 

help needy people in their hours of 

troubles. 

The OCO also signed recently 

an MoU to build three schools in 

Gaza. Undoubtedly, giving charity, 

helping oppressed people in different 

parts of the world and supporting 

the orphans and widows 

are great and priceless deeds in the 

sight of Allah the Exalted and it invariably 

comes to Oman in terms of 

continued blessings like prosperity, 

peace and security and all round 

development. 

Oman has also completed its 

two-month public campaign to 

raise funds for helping refugees in 

Syria. Oman Charitable Organisation 

has already begun its activities 

in Syria’s refugee camps along 

with Syrian authorities. Oman’s 

policy of helping people in distress 

and disasters and also making 

peace between nations and warring 

factions is the very core of Islamic 

teachings. 

Realising and understanding 

one’s duty towards others who are 

under oppression is an important 

Blood test to detect 

Alzheimer's in offing 

ABLOOD test is in the offing to detect Alzheimer’s 

disease, researchers at Emory University say. 

“Reliability and failure to replicate initial results have 

been the biggest challenge in this field. We demonstrate here 

that it is possible to show consistent findings,” says William 

Hu, assistant professor of neurology at Emory University 

School of Medicine, who led the study. 

Hu and collaborators at the University of Pennsylvania 

and Washington University, St Louis, measured the levels of 

190 proteins in the blood of 600 study participants at those 

institutions, the journal Neurology reports. 

They included healthy volunteers and those who had 

been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive 

impairment (MCI). MCI, which foreshadows Alzheimer’s, 

causes a slight but measurable decline in cognitive abilities, 

according to an Emory statement. 

Neurologists currently diagnose Alzheimer’s disease 

based mainly on clinical symptoms. Additional information 

can come from PET brain imaging, which tends to be expensive, 

or analysis of a spinal tap, which can be painful. 

“Though a blood test to identify underlying Alzheimer’s 

disease is not quite ready for prime time given today’s technology, 

we now have identified ways to make sure that a 

test will be reliable,” Hu said. “In the meantime, the combination 

of a clinical exam and cerebrospinal (brain) fluid 

analysis remains the best tool for diagnosis in someone with 

mild memory or cognitive troubles,” Hu added. 

Meanwhile, experts hope to develop brain scans to detect 

early symptoms of dementia that may surface 25 years 

before patients and their families notice any outward development. 

Scientists believe that sufferers’ brains and spines undergo 

miniscule changes when they are in their 30s and 40s. 

A US study involved 128 people whose parents had an 

inherited form of Alzheimer’s, meaning they were highly 

likely to get the disease themselves. Scientists carried out 

brain scans and tests on the fluid in their spine, the New 

England Journal of Medicine reports. 

They noticed that some people underwent changes in the 

spinal fluid 25 years before they were likely to notice the 

first symptoms of Alzheimer’s. They also spotted certain 

deposits in their brains — or ‘plaques’ — that showed up 15 

years sooner than memory loss or confusion were expected 

to appear. The researchers based the 25-year figure on the 

assumption that each person would begin showing signs of 

the illness at roughly the same age as their parents, according 

to the Daily Mail. 

Experts point out that this inherited form of Alzheimer’s 

— which is responsible for less than one per cent of all cases 

— is different from the normal form of the disease. 

Randall Bateman from Washington University School 

of Medicine in St Louis said: “A series of changes begins 

in the brain decades before the symptoms of Alzheimer’s 

disease are noticed by patients or families, and this cascade 

of events may provide a timeline for symptomatic 

onset.” — IANS 

27 

LETTERS/HEALTH SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 

Oman’s helping hand to the needy 

Domestic Product (GDP) rose ing training and higher education 

in the first quarter of 2012 by just as Oman has done well in the 

18.9 per cent compared to the banking sector. Can Oman afford 

corresponding period in 2011 and to import almost everything from 

the value of the Sultanate’s GDP abroad including advisers for min- 

at the end of March 2012 stood istries and labour for factories? It 

at RO 7. 371 billion compared to is important to pursue export-led 

RO 6.198.6 billion at the end of growth which will automatically 

March 2011. 

put an end to imports. 

This is good news. It is time Al Batinah Expressway 

Oman built new industrial estates, 

particularly for small and medium in three years 

I enterprises with incubators after T is heartening to read in your 

identifying unfilled niches and newspaper that the government 

market gaps in the GCC region. gives the road sector close 

Once a list of those products and attention due to its importance in 

services which are not produced sustainable development and its 

in the GCC and are imported is key role in growth and prosperity 

ready, the same can be produced of different regions. 

in Oman for domestic and export The Ministry of Transport and 

purposes. 

Communications is currently im- 

This can be a good investment plementing 65 road projects in 

in the future of Oman. If this does various governorates totalling 

not happen, the business scene of 2,065 km at a cost of RO 1.5 bil- 

Oman will continue to be domilion. There is no doubt that the 

nated by expatriates and multina- network of roads will make a 

tional giants and Oman will end quantum leap in many aspects — 

up as an importing country which in facilitating mobility and urban- 

is not a sustainable model of deisation and in extending the trade 

velopment. There is an urgent and economic activities in those 

need to draw a list of essential and areas”. 

feature of aware and awakened any disaster anywhere they are the so on. This is Islam in short. phone tariffs to pass on some ben- important items that Oman im- The Al Batinah Expressway 

people. The Sultanate’s aid to Yem- first to reach with aid. 

efits to the subscribers. Oman has ports in bulk and ask why should project is considered a quantum 

en, Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria — Haider Ali, Faiz, Iqbal and Reduce Internet and some of the highest Internet and 

Oman continue to import instead leap in the ministry’s strategy for 

in recent times is a case in point. 

Shazia mobile charges mobile tariffs in the Gulf region, 

of being self-sufficient and self- the construction of roads. The 

Even a cursory look at the Glo- Editor: Charity is the source of 

A 

reliant and then in a position to ex- eight-lane highway opens up 

CCORDING to your which is not good for the people 

rious Quran and traditions and say- long life, peace and blessings. By 

port? The same applies to higher broad prospects for the economic 

newspaper, Omantel has and the economy. 

ings of our beloved Prophet Mu- rebuilding the lives of others, one 

education. Should Oman continue and tourism sectors in the region. 

reported an increase in the net 

— Ali al Rashdi 

hammad (peace be upon him) make engages oneself in trade with Al- 

to depend on foreign countries to The Al Batinah Expressway is 

it clear that there is great emphasis lah, the source of all existence. In 

profit after tax by 11.8 per cent to Editor: People have expressed 

educate its people or Oman should a development project included in 

on working for reconciliation to re- His unlimited mercy and compas- 

RO 61.2 million. The company’s concern many times about the high build 30 more world-class univer- the Eighth Five-Year Plan (2011move 

rivalries between people and sion, Allah has asked people that first half revenue witnessed an rates of Internet and mobile telecom sities to invite people to come and 2015). The ministry has already 

nations and to help needy people af- those who are desirous of favour, increase of 5 per cent to RO 234.5 in Oman. Omantel, Nawras and the study in Oman just as Malaysia, started implementing the first four 

fected by natural and social upheav- mercy, wealth, honour and other million from RO 223.3 million for authorities need to think over this Iran, Turkey, UAE, and Lebanon stages of the project (181 km), 

als. Oman is one of those countries things should share the same with the corresponding period of 2011. issue. 

have done to a great extent. while tenders for the second stage 

that are doing just that. We hope others to get it from Allah. If you The profit of RO 61.2 million 

Editor: There are several have recently been floated. 

Self-reliance and 

Oman can work hard to consolidate want health, help the sick, if you is a huge figure. Nawras makes a 

countries in the region that are 

— Saleh al Azmi 

charitable works of GCC and other want best garments, clothe poor similar profit each year. The people export-led growth building cars, televisions, sophis- Editor: A good road network 

W members of the Organisation of Is- people, if you want kindness, show have long urged the telecom opera- E read with great interest ticated engineering and electron- is the heart of trade and devellamic 

Countries so that in case of love and compassion to people and tors to reduce Internet and mobile that the Sultanate’s Gross ics products and have reduced opment. Oman’s top priority for 

their dependence on imports. In building roads augurs well for 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: 

its time of prosperity before the nation. New airports, railways and 

oil and gas reserves finish, Oman ports are other important projects 

needs to build its industrial estates which will change the very look of 

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

to achieve one key goal — Self-reliance 

in all essential and impor- 

Oman in a few years and Oman’s 

economy will get a great impetus 

tant products and services includ- for further continued growth. 

Red grapes good for you 

SLEEPING spills are 

“counter-productive” 

and offer no real benefit 

in treating insomnia, says a 

sleep expert. 

“Most people who take 

hypnotic (sleep inducing) 

drugs still have poor sleep. 

It re-mediates the problem in 

the short-term but it almost 

always produces a long-term 

consequence, which is drug 

dependence,” said Leon Lack, 

professor of psychology at 

Flinders University in Adelaide, 

Australia. 

“Sleeping tablets provide 

short-term relief but when 

people stop taking them, they 

might have a few bad nights 

and think they can’t sleep 

without taking the drug,” he 

was quoted as saying in a 

Flinders’ statement. 

“Effectively you buy a bit 

of sleep on your credit card but 

then you have to pay it back 

later, sometimes with interest, 

so in the long-term you don’t 

gain anything. You just offset 

the insomnia.” 

Insomnia is defined as 

persistent difficulties falling 

asleep, maintaining sleep, or 

both, resulting in impaired 

daytime functioning. 

“What’s particularly frus- 

trating to people with insomnia 

is that very few things 

work for them. So they feel a 

loss of control, depression and 

their quality of life is diminished,” 

Lack said. 

“But it is important for people 

to realise that sleep isn’t 

just one long, homogenous period 

of unconsciousness — we 

go through different stages of 

ANY type of fruit can 

offer health benefits, 

and red grapes are no 

exception. 

They are tasty and full of 

antioxidants — compounds 

that contain disease-fighting 

properties. 

One cup of red seedless 

grapes, about 30 grapes, has 

approximately 100 calories, 

27 g carbohydrates, 1.5 g fibre, 

23 g natural sugar and 

no fat, sodium or cholesterol. 

Red grapes also contain a high 

percentage of water, which 

makes them a food with 

naturally low energy density. 

MayoClinic.com notes 

that low energy-dense foods 

have few calories in large 

quantities and are consequently 

well suited for 

weight loss and weight maintenance. 

Red grapes also contain 

some serious immune-boosting 

and health-enhancing 

properties. According to the 

US Department of Agriculture, 

fresh fruits such as 

grapes can cut risks of cancer, 

diabetes, high cholesterol, 

bone loss, kidney stones, 

stroke and heart disease. 

The relatively high fibre 

content of the grapes can also 

promote smooth operation in 

the digestive system. 

Sleeping pills harmful in long run 

sleep, from a deep sleep which 

lasts 80 to 90 minutes into a 

lighter, dreaming sleep, and 

over the course of a night we 

experience this pattern three or 

four times. 

“During the light sleep 

stage, you’re likely to awaken 

— which is perfectly normal 

and increases with age — but 

the media’s constant reports 

about the importance of a solid 

eight hours sleep create anxiety 

and anxiety in the middle 

of the night is not conducive 

to sleep. So then it becomes 

ingrained,” Lack said. 

“If you don’t fall asleep 

within 15 minutes of going to 

bed then get up. Don’t lie there 

awake because that associates 

the bedroom with frustration 

and anxiety.” 

Difficulty falling asleep can 

also be caused by a delayed 

body clock, he said. 

Effective antibodies against 

flu strains identified 

SCIENTISTS have identified three human antibodies 

effective against flu B virus strains. The same team had 

earlier reported finding antibodies against flu A strains. 

The isolation of these antibodies paves the way for the 

development of a universal antibody-based flu therapy for 

use in severe infections or to protect hospital staff during 

an outbreak. 

Importantly, these antibodies may provide key clues to 

the design of an active universal flu vaccine designed to 

protect long-term against flu viruses, not just against the 

current season’s strains, the journal Science reports. 

“To develop a truly universal flu vaccine or therapy, one 

needs to be able to provide protection against influenza A 

and influenza B viruses, and with this report we now have 

broadly neutralising antibodies against both,” said A Wilson, 

professor of structural biology at Scripps Institute. 

He served as the senior study investigator with Jaap 

Goudsmit and Robert Friesen, from the Crucell Vaccine 

Institute in the Netherlands, according to a Scripps statement. 

One of the newly discovered antibodies will be of special 

interest to flu researchers, because it appears to protect 

against essentially all influenza B and influenza A strains. 

“It’s the only one in the world that we know of that has 

been found to do this,” said Wilson. — IANS 

HAV shot effective for 10 years 

ANTI-HEPATITIS A virus (HAV) shots give infants 

immunity for at least 10 years, according to latest 

research. 

The study found that any transfer of the mother’s HAV 

antibodies does not lower the child’s immune response to 

the vaccine. 

The World Health Organisation estimates that 1.4 million 

cases of HAV occur worldwide every year. 

HAV affects the liver and typically occurs in areas with 

poor sanitation where ingestion of contaminated food or water 

can transmit the virus, the journal Hepatology reports. 

Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, 

nausea, appetite loss, jaundice, a yellowing of the skin or 

whites of the eyes, dark urine, through which bile is excreted 

from the blood stream. — IANS

By Ali Ahmed al Riyami 

THE month of Ramadhan 

that is ordained as the 

month of fasting for all 

adult, able-bodied Muslims, is a 

true blessing from the Almighty 

to mankind. 

This is more so considering 

that Prophet Muhammad (peace 

be upon him), the final chosen 

messenger of God, said: 

Allah — The Glorified and 

Exalted — said, “All the deeds 

of man are for himself, except 

for fasting, which is for Me and 

I shall reward it Myself.” 

This not only shows how 

much The Creator (Al Khalaq) 

is pleased with his devotees 

His Majesty’s Cup Award 

for the Best Factories: 

The Success Stories Storie 1991-2011 

His Majesty’s Cup Award for the Best 

Factories The Success Stories, is a high 

profile book which will highlight achievements 

of the recipients of HM Cup and Shield from 

1991 to 2011 and their views on this 

prestigious award. 

This one-of-a-kind business publication 

will be over 350 pages of high 

performance material, covering only the 

best the Omani industry has to offer. 

The annual HM Cup and Shield, a real 

mark of excellence and quality, are the 

most prestigious corporate awards 

that any manufacturer in Oman can 

win. These independent awards are 

an emblem of national approval. 

Throughout this book, the winners 

will share their proven methods 

and guide the readers on how to 

transform their business into something 

extraordinary. 

This book 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 leading business leaders of Oman, as well as Ministers and give 

readers an inside look at the Sultanate’s manufacturing sector and the 

people driving its development. 

Inspiring Case Studies of 

Leading Companies in Oman 

when they fast and the high 

level of divine reward fasting 

during Ramadhan earns those 

who observe it, it also makes it 

clear that fasting at this time is 

indeed a very high, sublime virtue, 

when it is performed correctly 

and to earn the pleasure 

of God. 

This is why everyone who 

observes the fast is very fortunate. 

It provides a full month 

every year when one can think 

less and act less about worldly 

matters and concentrate more 

on being devout, spiritual and 

enlightened, and on doing what 

is good and avoiding what is 

forbidden, as well as helping 

those who are in need through 

For advertising, contact: 24702241, omaniayp@omantel.net.om 

For interviews, contact: 99020014, hkamoonpuri@yahoo.com 

28 RAMADHAN SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012 

Ramadhan a true blessing from Almighty 

Fasting in Ramadhan is not 

simply a matter of not eating 

and drinking from dawn to dusk, 

but it includes and implies a 

whole host of things that are 

beneficial to the fasting person, 

his family, friends and the 

community at large 

good deeds or charitable acts. 

Further, observers of the 

fast also spend more time reciting 

the Quran and attending 

to the month’s special Taraweh 

prayers. All of this — combined 

together with the emphasis on 

upholding fraternal relations 

with kith and kin and within 

the community and doing one’s 

best to remain pure physically, 

spiritually and mentally — 

makes it a complete, monthlong 

package of truly positive 

self-improvement. 

Hence, fasting in Ramadhan 

is not simply a matter of not eating 

and drinking from dawn to 

dusk, but it includes and implies 

a whole host of things that are 

beneficial to the fasting person, 

his family, friends and the community 

at large. 

This is why Ramadhan is 

such a blessed and fortunate 

month; bringing with it peace, 

harmony and greater human 

fellowship — brought about 

by increased consideration and 

benevolent actions for one’s fellow 

man and woman. 

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RAMADHAN 

Exchange social visits and intensify humanitarian services 

Observe the supererogatory prayers known as Taraweh 

Increase study and recitation of the Holy Quran 

Exert utmost patience and humbleness 

Use the senses with due care and caution — and the mind and especially the tongue; 

abstaining from careless chats, gossip and unfounded suspicions 

Ramadhan nights in Delhi 

IT’S the time for fasting but 

also for feasting, and not 

just for devout Muslims 

observing the 30-day fast. For 

foodies all over, Ramadhan is 

the time to soak in the Eid spirit 

and what better place than the 

historic walled city of the Indian 

capital with the majestic 

Jama Masjid looming in the 

backdrop. 

Come dusk and the winding 

lanes of the Jama Masjid 

area come alive with the sights 

and sounds — and smells — of 

celebrations. Of chicken tikkas 

sizzling, mutton kebabs roasting 

over blazing fires, giant 

woks with puris being fried and 

massive cauldrons of curries, 

biryanis, steaming milk and 

what have you. 

The crowds gather at iftar 

and continue right up till dawn, 

when the sehri meal is eaten. 

While iftar marks the end of 

the meal at nightfall, sehri is the 

early morning meal before the 

dawn of another fasting day. 

As important as it is to not 

let a morsel of food or a drop 

of liquid pass through one’s lips 

during Ramadhan, it is equally 

important to have a nutritious 

and healthy diet before and after 

the fast. 

The fast is traditionally broken 

with a small meal of dates, 

fruits and pakodas. And sehri 

usually constitutes specialties 

like khajla (round bread), 

pheni (spiral crusty cakes) and 

sheermaal (sweet buns, usually 

served with butter and jam), 

providing the required energy 

without wreaking havoc on the 

digestive system. 

Khajla and pheni are made 

in pure ghee and soaked in milk 

overnight. Sugar is added at the 

time of consumption. Some also 

like to add dry fruits. 

“People usually go to bed after 

eating the sehri; so the meal 

should be light and digestable, 

but at the same time energetic,” 

Javed Ali, a shopowner selling 

khajla in one of the many bylanes 

near Jama Masjid, said. 

Between the two meals, is 

when the real feasting happens. 

According to Ali, several 

non-Muslim customers from 

across the city throng his shop 

every year. 

And the milling crowds who 

head to the area from across the 

city are evidence of that. 

Markets around Jama Masjid, 

decked up and bustling with 

A shop in Matia Mahal selling khajla and pheni, 

the staple sehri food 

crowds, are open all night. The 

excitement is palpable as you 

enter one of the many lanes 

leading to the 17th century historic 

mosque, decorated in yellow 

lights. Hundreds of shops 

and eating joints line the narrow 

lanes, beckoning people from 

the neighbourhood and afar. 

Post-iftar, the markets and 

streets are abuzz with some out 

for shopping and dinner and 

some others to meet friends 

over a Banarasi paan. 

Nearby, popular eateries 

like Karim’s and Al Jawahar 

restaurant do brisk business as 

families throng them for dinner 

while youngsters, especially 

those on shoestring budgets, 

head to the kiosks outside these 

restaurants, grilling all types of 

Locals at a kiosk selling kebabs outside Jama Masjid 

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 

meats. 

Mutton seekh kebabs, 

shammi kebabs, chicken tikkas 

and fried chicken, to name just 

a few, are usually served with 

rumali rotis and a generous dollop 

of mint chutney, chopped 

onions and chaat masala. A 

meal for two at any of the dozen-odd 

kiosks costs just around 

Rs 150. 

For those with a sweet 

tooth, there are abundant shops 

and kiosks selling rabri faluda, 

kulfi, jalebi, phirni and badam 

milk. Apart from gorging on 

the succulent kebabs and spicy 

curries, shopping is another 

highlight during this period. 

After all, this is also the time 

to stock up on new clothes. 

Women throng the several 

clothes, footwear and cosmetics 

shops in Chitli Kabar, Matia 

Mahal and Meena Bazaar, apart 

from looking for Lucknowi 

Chikan suits, fancy sandals and 

imported cosmetics. 

Piping hot pheni being prepared for sehri 

And the men hunt for kurta 

pyjama/salwar kameez, skull 

caps and sandals, many of them 

preferring the Ballimaran market. 

“Everyone wants to look 

their best on Eid. So, it’s an 

arduous job of finding that perfect 

attire or a sandal that stands 

out,” 21-year-old Delhi University 

student Saira Parveen said. 

Parveen hunted in several 

shops for an hour before 

she found the perfect mascara 

to match her turquoise blue 

suit. 

“This is how I reward myself 

after I have done my duty 

towards my religion,” she 

summed up. 

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 

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