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OMAN 

AMERICAS 

EUROPE 

Vol. 32 No. 204 | 200 baisas | 32 pages www.omanobserver.om 

HM greetings to 

Sweden king 

HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent 

a cable of greetings to King Carl XVI 

Gustaf of Sweden on the occasion 

of his country's National Day. His 

Majesty expressed his sincere 

greetings along with his best wishes 

of good health and happiness to 

King Gustaf and the friendly people 

of Sweden further progress. 

HM thanked by 

Jordan king 

HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has 

received a cable of thanks from 

King Abdallah II of Jordan in reply 

to His Majesty's congratulatory 

cable on the occasion of the 67th 

Independence Day of Jordan. King 

Abdallah expressed his utmost 

thanks for His Majesty's noble 

fraternal feelings, praying to the 

Almighty to protect His Majesty. 

New US national 

security adviser 

PRESIDENT Barack Obama 

named UN Ambassador Susan 

Rice as his new national security 

adviser yesterday, months after 

the Benghazi affair scuppered 

her hopes of becoming the top US 

diplomat. Rice will take over from 

Tom Donilon in July. 

FULL REPORT ON PAGE 12 

Floods threaten 

German cities 

RIVERSIDE cities in Germany 

braced for loodwaters swirling 

northwards after causing havoc 

upstream. For Dresden, a main 

tourist destination in Germany, 

the crest set to arrive today was 

likely to be the biggest test yet of 

its loodwalls since 2002 when the 

Elbe River inundated palaces. 

FULL REPORT ON PAGE 15 

PRAYER TIMING (Muscat) 

Fajr Dhuhr Asr Magrib Isha 

03:53 am 12:11pm 03:29pm 06:56pm 08:18pm 

WEATHER 

Muscat Nizwa Sohar Sur Duqm Salalah 

Max 35 40 33 33 38 30 

Min 29 28 29 29 27 27 

EXCHANGE RATES 

RO1 €1.98562 / $2.59977 

GOLD 

Price $1,399.60 

DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI Chief Executive Officer 

FAHMI BIN KHALID AL HARTHY Editor-in-Chief 

Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising 

PO Box 974, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman 

Thursday JUNE 6, 2013 | RAJAB 27, 1434 AH 

Rains bring relief: Heavy to light rains were reported in a number of governorates in the Sultanate yesterday, which 

led to the overlowing of some wadis. In the Governorate of South Sharqiyah, heavy rains were experienced in the wilayats of 

Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan, Jaalan Bani Bu Ali and the Niyabat of Al Ash’kharah, which led to the overlow of wadis. Light rains fell in 

the wilayats of Masirah and Sur. In the Governorate of Dakhiliyah, light rains fell in the Wilayat of Adam. Details on page 4 

6,600 jobs at tourism port 

MUSCAT — The project for conversion 

of Sultan Qaboos Port 

into a tourist port will provide 

6,600 jobs and will include a 

marine facade, yacht marina to 

accommodate more than 100 

yachts, a terminal for cruise 

ships, in addition to a hotel complex 

and natural rock garden. 

This was revealed by Dr 

Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, 

Minister of Transport and 

Communications, as the Majlis 

Ash'shura hosted the minister 

yesterday. 

He gave a visual presentation 

on conversion of Sultan Qaboos 

Port into a tourist hub of international 

standards to re-plan facilities 

and terminals at the port 

to be integrated with the vivid 

marine facade. 

He also spoke about the importance 

of the port as it is a 

new addition to the national 

economy by establishing what 

Sharif sworn in as Pakistan PM 

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif 

Dr Al Futaisi 

ISLAMABAD — Nawaz Sharif was 

formally sworn in as Prime Minister 

of Pakistan yesterday for an 

unprecedented third term. 

The 63-year-old took the oath 

of ofice from President Asif Ali 

Zardari in a ceremony at the head 

of state's oficial residence, broadcast 

live on television. 

Meanwhile, His Majesty Sultan 

Qaboos has sent a cable of congratulations 

to Nawaz Sharif on 

the occasion of him being elected 

as Prime Minister of Pakistan, 

wishing him success in his assignment 

to achieve further aspira- 

Global $200m credit 

card ring busted 

NEW YORK — Eleven people in 

the United States, the UK and 

Vietnam have been arrested and 

accused of running a $200 million 

worldwide credit card fraud 

ring, US and UK law enforcement 

oficials said yesterday. 

"One of the world's major 

facilitation networks for online 

card fraud has been dismantled 

by this operation, and those 

engaged in this type of crime 

should know that they are neither 

anonymous, nor beyond 

the reach of law enforcement 

agencies," Andy Archibald, interim 

Deputy Director of the 

National Cyber Crime Unit, said 

in a statement on the British 

government's Serious Organised 

Crime Agency website. 

The arrests were co-ordinated 

by the three countries, the 

statement said. Prosecutors in 

New Jersey said they had iled 

charges against a 23-year-old 

man from Vietnam. 

In a statement, they said that 

authorities in Vietnam had arrested 

Duy Hai Truong in that 

country on May 29 in an effort 

to break up a ring that he is being 

accused of running with coconspirators. 

Prosecutors claim Truong 

and accomplices stole information 

related to more than a million 

credit cards. — AFP 

tions of the friendly people of Pakistan. 

His Majesty the Sultan afirmed 

continuation of the good relations 

between the two countries and 

endeavouring to strengthen them 

to serve the interest of the two 

friendly countries. 

Sharif's PML-N government 

faces a range of challenges including 

increased sectarian violence, 

chronic power shortages, a nearcollapsed 

economy, strained relations 

with key ally Washington 

and the task of building relations 

with India. See pages 7 and 9 

India hikes duty 

on gold imports 

NEW DELHI — India, the world's 

top gold consumer, yesterday hiked 

import duty on the precious metal 

to stem surging demand and reduce 

the country's ballooning current account 

deicit. 

Gold purchases are one of the 

biggest contributors to India's current 

account deicit — the broadest 

measure of trade — which widened 

to just under 5 per cent from 4.2 per 

cent the previous year as imports 

outpaced exports. 

The import duty on gold had 

been raised from 6 per cent to 8 per 

cent, Revenue Secretary Sumit Bose 

said. The import duty hike was the 

second since the start of the year. 

Last year the government doubled 

the duty on gold to 4 per cent. 

is called an integrated city. The 

project aims at marketing the 

Sultanate as a tourist hub and 

transit point for world tourist 

destinations. 

The Majlis held its 25th regular 

session of the seventh term 

under the chairmanship Shaikh 

Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, 

Majlis Ash'shura Chairman. 

A number of members gave 

remarks about the need to conduct 

a detailed To page 3 

Sharapova, Azarenka reach semis P25 

editor@omanobserver.om 

Road casualties 

a big challenge 

By A Staff Reporter 

MUSCAT — Oman will have 250 health institutions at 

the end of the current Five-Year Plan and work is under 

way on 10 new hospitals, some will be completed soon 

and some will replace the existing hospitals. 

This was stated by Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi, 

Minister of Health, when he was hosted by the State 

Council yesterday. 

Detailing the achievements of the ministry in the 

presence of Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al Mantehri, Chairman 

of the State Council, members and secretary-general, 

Dr Al Saeedi afirmed the ministry's keenness to 

provide high quality healthcare, indicating that sincere 

efforts are made in this direction, enhanced by the presence 

of 236 health institutions, represented hospitals, 

health centres and complexes, providing health services. 

He stressed on the need to achieve sustainable health 

2050 for 10,000 health centres in accordance with the 

increase in population, geographical locations, adding 

that population will be doubled by 2050 and that requires 

doubling the health services to meet the needs of 

the population. 

Dr Al Saeedi praised the Royal directives regarding 

standardisation the salaries in the health sector in all the 

state's health institutions, which will have a positive effect 

on the employees. He pointed out that the greatest 

challenge facing the health sector in the Sultanate is the 

trafic related casualties, To page 2 

MSM index rises 

MUSCAT — Muscat Securities Market (MSM) general index 

30 yesterday added 45.03 points, comprising a rise 

of 0.7 per cent to close at 6,498.05 points. 

The trading value yesterday stood at RO 16.16 million, 

comprising a slight fall by 2.27 per cent compared 

to the last session, which stood at RO 16.54 million. 

The report released by MSM pointed out that the 

market value rose by 0.31 per cent since last trading to 

reach about RO 13 billion. 

The market report added that the value of shares 

bought by non-Omani investors reached RO 2,469,000 

comprising 15.28 per cent, whereas the value of shares 

sold by non-Omani investors reached RO 3,694,000 

comprising 22.86 per cent. 

The report added that net non-Omani investment declined 

by 7.58 per cent to RO 1,226,000. — ONA

2 

OMAN 

Looking for job, car, flat and furniture? Check out the 

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THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2013 

Road casualties a big challenge 

From page 1 

in addition to supply of medical personnel, 

adding that health institutions suffers 

shortage in pharmacology, dentistry and the 

private sector is also suffering the same problem. 

He afirmed that Omanisation rate in 

health sector is 67 per cent of the total medical 

cadre, which is a reasonable percentage, 

afirming that the ministry is gradually in- 

creasing the rate in the coming years and the 

keenness to increase the enrolment in medical 

colleges or opening new medical colleges. 

He said that there is a plan to send students 

to European countries for undergraduate 

and postgraduate studies in various medical 

disciplines to work as consultants upon 

returning to the Sultanate. 

Dr Ali bin Talib al Hinai, Under-Secretary 

of the Ministry of Health for Planning Affairs, 

gave a presentation on the Medical City 

project due to be established in Al Fulaij in 

the Wilayat of Barka, which is one of the most 

important projects in the Sultanate implemented 

by the ministry, and will be located 

near Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) . 

He added that the Medical City, when completed, 

will receive patients from various referral 

hospitals in the Sultanate, and that the 

construction work will begin after completing 

the consultancy studies. — ONA 

Sultanate attends Arab meeting on water 

MUSCAT — The Sultanate, represented by 

the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and 

Water Resources, will take part in the ifth 

session of the Arab Ministerial Council on 

Water, which begins today at the headquarters 

of the Secretariat General of the Arab 

League in Cairo. 

Ali bin Mohammed al Abri, Under-Secretary 

of the Ministry of Regional Municipalities 

and Water Resources for Water Resources 

Affairs, will lead the Sultanate’s delegation 

at the meeting. 

The meeting will discuss several topics 

that will include following up the implementation 

of decisions of the Arab Summit on 

Economic and Social Development, as well as 

following up the implementation of the Millennium 

Development Goals for water supply, 

and preparing for the seventh Global Water 

Forum due to be held in Korea in 2015. 

The meeting will also discuss the inter- 

Arab co-operation in shared water resources, 

sharing of experiences, successful stories and 

leading projects in the Arab states in the area 

of water resources. 

The meeting will discuss recommendations 

of the second Conference on Water, the 

Arab co-operation with countries and regional 

groupings, the award of the Arab Ministerial 

Council on Water, and ixing a date and 

venue for the ministerial and technical meetings 

for 2014. 

— ONA


OMAN 

Majlis Ash'shura yesterday held its 25th regular session of the 2nd annual sitting of the seventh term under the chairmanship of Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Chairman of the Majlis Ash'shura. — ONA 

6,600 jobs at tourism port 

From page 1 

study on different aspects of the 

presentation, especially the economic 

ones. They also highlighted the importance 

of maintaining communication 

and co-ordination with different 

stakeholders to absorb the employees 

of the port. 

Dr Al Futaisi said that these suggestions 

will be taken into consideration 

and that the ministry is very 

keen to conduct required studies on 

Oman Sail launches Fast Track programme for Omani talents 

MUSCAT — As part of Oman Sail’s 

mission to create exciting new career 

pathways for its high potential Omani 

employees, it has launched a brand 

new Fast Track programme to identify 

and develop personnel to carry the 

organisation into the future. 

When Oman Sail was established 

in 2008, the principle aim was to create 

opportunities at all levels and provide 

sustainability by developing and 

promoting from within to increase 

Omanisation levels in management 

positions. 

It was anticipated that in the early 

stages, expertise would be brought 

in from overseas to provide knowledge 

and leadership in a professional 

sport that was new to Oman. Over 

time, these leaders would be replaced 

by Omanis who had beneitted from 

a major opportunity to learn and develop. 

The process of Omanising the business 

has evolved naturally but now 

Oman Sail is stepping up the pace by 

launching a Fast Track leadership 

programme designed to focus business 

and management resources on 

a select group of talented individuals 

from across a range of different departments 

at Oman Sail. 

A total of 19 employees were selected 

for the inaugural programme 

which is being delivered by Mod- 

various aspects of the project, which 

is expected to be a qualitative jump 

for the Governorate of Muscat and its 

residents. 

He added that the ministry is studying 

all alternatives to settle conditions 

of the existing employees at the 

port whether at the new port or the 

projects that will be set up. 

During the session, the Majlis approved 

a report of the Economic and 

Financial Committee on the standard 

agreement for the Arab capital in- 

ern Gulf Institute. Over the next 18 

months they will be afforded a rare 

and amazing opportunity to learn and 

grow, within the framework of Oman 

Sail’s vision and culture. 

They are: Abdullah Said al Busaidi, 

Abdul Aziz Salim al Shidi, Adil Suwaid 

al Abri, Ahmed Ali al Saidi, Aiman 

Mohamed al Mairiki, Aisha Masaud al 

Mahrami, Badar Nasr al Abri, Badar 

Saleh al Mujaini, Feras Isam Asqul, 

Intesar Hilal al Aisari, Issa Saif al 

Mugheiry, Khudham Salim al Harthy, 

Maryam Ali al Jadidi, Mohamed Ali 

vestment in the Arab countries. The 

agreement aims at facilitating movement 

and protection of Arab investments. 

The Majlis decided to refer the 

agreement to the State Council. 

The Majlis also approved a report 

prepared by the Economic and Financial 

Committee on the draft Annex 

No (2) of the agreement on the basic 

terms for co-operation between the 

Government of the Sultanate and the 

UN Population Fund and decided to 

refer it to the State Council. — ONA 

Oman Embassy in Spain hosts reception 

MADRID — Shaikh Hilal bin Marhoon 

bin Salim al Ma'amari, Sultanate’s 

Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain, 

yesterday held a reception in honour 

of the Arab Women Diplomats Association 

(AWDA) in the presence of the 

Minister of State in the Spanish Foreign 

Ministry, a number of Arab ambassadors 

and representatives of the 

Spanish public and private bodies, institutions, 

associations in the Spanish 

capital, Madrid. 

The reception was held in honour of 

the public and private institutions and 

companies that have sponsored this 

year's charitable market, which was 

organised by AWDA in May and decided 

to donate the revenue to the Spanish 

NGO, Messengers of Peace, and the 

United Nations. 

It is worth noting that AWDA was 

founded in 2007 at the initiative of 

a group of Arab ambassadors to the 

Kingdom of Spain for Arab woman diplomats 

in Madrid, as well as the Spanish 

women entrepreneurs. 

AWDA aims to strengthen friendship 

ties and enhance understanding 

between the Arab and Spanish cultures, 

as well as pushing forward the 

joint action towards an effective participation 

in all issues of humanitarian, 

artistic and cultural nature. — ONA 

al Bulushi, Musab Ameir al Balushi, 

Ruaa Shuaib al Zadjali, Said Mohammed 

al Araimi and Saleh Said al Jabri. 

To gain selection, candidates had 

to be Omani nationals with at least 

one year uninterrupted service with 

Oman Sail. It was down to their line 

managers to nominate them using 

their performance reviews and potential 

as a marker but only personnel 

at a supervisory or lower level were 

considered. 

Character and expectations at 

work and beyond came into play dur- 

Parliamentary Friendship 

Group with UAE council 

MUSCAT — Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Chairman of the Majlis Ash’shura 

yesterday issued a decision to form a Parliamentary Friendship Group with 

the Federal National Council (FNC) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

The group comprises Ahmed bin Mohammed al Shamsi as the Head, 

Khalid bin Ahmed al Saeedi as the Deputy Head and Rashid bin Ahmed al 

Shamsi, Abdullah bin Ahmed al Malik, Na'ama bint Jameel al Busaidiyah and 

Yousef bin Ahmed al Balushi as members. 

This step comes within the framework of the parliamentary co-operation 

between the Majlis Ash’shura and the Arab and international parliamentary 

councils. The group aims at enhancing and promoting the joint parliamentary 

relations between the two countries and exchanging the expertise and visits 

between the two councils, as well as supporting their efforts and stances 

in the regional and international parliamentary forums and events. — ONA 

Tenders for Sohar bridge, other projects 

MUSCAT — The Tender Board yesterday awarded tenders 

worth RO 20,524,035 for the projects including construction 

of a bridge over Falaj Al Qabayel roundabout in the 

Wilayat of Sohar in the North Al Batinah Governorate (RO 

17,884,403), additional works for the design and implementation 

of internal roads in the Wilayat of Al Khabourah 

(RO 1,839,194) and additional works for the provision of 

consultancy services for preparing the designs and supervision 

of the water distribution network project in the Wilayat 

of Samayil in the Dakhiliyah Governorate (RO 88,700). 

Also included are additional works for the provision 

of consultancy services for the automatic control system 

for the water networks in the Muscat Governorate (RO 

ing the selection process with candidates 

required to show a degree 

of self motivation, with a passionate 

and dedicated approach to their roles 

within the organisation. 

Crucially, they had to prove they 

were worthy role models, epitomising 

the Oman Sail values, with a willingness 

to learn and develop. 

Zainab Jones, Head of Learning 

and Development said: ”We are very 

proud of this exciting new Fast Track 

initiative which has been a long time 

in the planning and very carefully 

thought out. Our aim is to develop future 

leaders from within Oman Sail 

by giving our high liers the skills and 

opportunities to develop their potential 

which will be beneicial to them, to 

Oman Sail and to Oman. 

“We hope we can nurture some of 

the exceptional talent we have in this 

organisation and in allowing them to 

fulil their potential, inspire others 

who are joining Oman Sail or thinking 

of joining to work hard and follow in 

their footsteps. We believe it will be 

very successful.” 

All the leadership potential the 

candidates had to demonstrate to 

gain selection will be developed into 

management and leadership skills 

through a series of projects and 

workshops, run on a cycle of classroom, 

projects/action plans and 

coaching including 25 days of contact 

training. 

They will learn what kind of leader 

they are, in line with the four leadership 

styles identiied by the senior 

management team. 

These include ‘innovator and broker’ 

with an entrepreneurial approach 

to business and ‘mentor and facilitator’ 

whose focus is on team building. 

Other learning modules will cover 

goal setting, leading and managing 

others and how to create a successful 

and motivated team to achieve the organisation’s 

goals. 

3 

CBO panel discusses 

strategies, projects 

MUSCAT — The Strategic Planning 

Committee at the Central Bank of 

Oman (CBO) yesterday held its irst 

meeting under the chairmanship of 

Hamoud bin Sanjour al Zedjali, CBO 

Executive President. 

The meeting discussed topics including 

the goals and components 

of the strategic planning, which was 

recently prepared by the CBO, besides 

future projects aimed at linking 

strategic planning of the bank 

with the activities and functions of 

different departments and sections. 

169,380), additional works for maintaining roads affected 

by adverse weather conditions in the Wilayat of Rustaq 

in South Al Batinah Governorate (RO 58,861), additional 

works for the design and implementation of lighting works 

for the main road (Samad A'Shan-Sinaw) in the Wilayat of Al 

Mudhaibi in the North Sharqiyah Governorate (RO 52,867) 

and additional works for the provision of the design and 

supervision services for the 2004 and 2005 category 

schools of the 6th ive-year plan in Muscat Governorate (RO 

31,880). 

The Tender Board meeting was held under the chairmanship 

of Dr Rasheed bin al Sai al Huraibi, Chairman of 

the Tender Board. — ONA 

Challenges 

of national 

manpower 

MUSCAT — The Supervisory Committee 

for Sectoral Committees held 

its third meeting for 2013 under the 

chairmanship of Shaikh Abdullah 

bin Nasser al Bakri, Minister of Manpower. 

During the meeting, the Committee 

viewed a visual presentation 

given by the Joint Omanisation 

Committee "Transport and Communications 

Sector," and discussed the 

challenges facing the employment 

of national manpower in this sector. 

The meeting reviewed the outcomes 

of the joint meeting that 

comprised members of the Joint 

Committee for Omanisation at the 

transport and communications sector, 

the Ministry of Transport and 

Communications and the Ministry 

of Manpower to develop an integrated 

vision for creating job opportunities 

for citizens and providing 

the sector with proper training 

programmes. 

The Joint Committee for 

Omanisation at the sale and distribution 

sector gave a visual 

presentation that highlighted the 

mechanisms to provide national 

manpower with employment and 

training opportunities. — ONA

4 

OMAN 


Heavy to light rains in wilayats bring relief 

MUSCAT — Heavy to light rains 

fell in some governorates of the 

Sultanate yesterday, which led to 

the overlow of some wadis. 

In the Governorate of South Al 

Sharqiyah, heavy rains fell in the 

wilayats of Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan, 

Jaalan Bani Bu Ali and the Niyabat 

of Al Ash'kharah, which led to the 

overlow of wadis. Light rains fell 

in the wilayats of Masirah and 

Sur. 

In the Governorate of Al 

Dakhiliyah, light rains fell in the 

Wilayat of Adam. 

Light rains also fell in the 

wilayats of Al Mudhaibi, Bidiyah, 

Ibra, Al Qabil and the Niyabat 

of Sinaw in the Governorate of 

North Al Sharqiyah, as well as 

the Wilayat of Mahout in the 

Governorate of Al Wusta. — ONA


French President Francois Hollande with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara (L) and his wife Dominique Ouattara (R) yesterday at the Elysee 

Palace in Paris before a lunch his counterparts from eight African countries — Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and 

Senegal. — AFP 

20-year jail for backing dissident group 

ABUJA — Nigerian President Goodluck 

Jonathan has declared the dissident 

force Boko Haram and splinter 

group Ansaru to be insurgent organisations, 

meaning anyone who supports 

them could face a 20-year-jail 

sentence. 

The designation also means militants 

no longer must be prosecuted 

for speciic crimes such as murder. 

Jonathan's government had previously 

seemed reluctant to apply the 

label for fear of inlaming the situation 

but diplomats had raised concerns 

that Nigerian criminal laws were not 

suited to deal with the conlict. 

His ofice made the announcement 

yesterday as the Nigerian military 

said it had detained 49 Boko Haram 

members during an offensive in the 

northeast, bringing the total captured 

to more than 150 in three weeks. 

The president declared a state 

of emergency in three northeastern 

states last month and sent troops to 

try to break the four-year-old insurgency 

that has killed thousands. 

Under Nigeria's 2011 Terrorism 

Prevention Act, anyone who incites 

a terrorist act over the Internet or 

through any other media, or gives 

weapons or any assistance to a ter- 

rorist group is liable for a minimum 

20-year prison sentence. 

"Any persons associated with the 

two groups can now be legally prosecuted 

and sentenced to penalties 

speciied in the Act," presidential 

spokesman Reuben Abati said in a 

statement. 

Before Boko Haram and Ansaru 

received the terrorist label, members 

could only be prosecuted for speciic 

crimes like murder or ire arms possession 

— a situation that meant 

hundreds of Boko Haram detainees 

considered too dangerous to release 

were being held without charge often 

HRW sounds alarm over Zimbabwe 

security chiefs ahead of elections 

HARARE — Human Rights Watch 

yesterday urged Zimbabwe's powersharing 

government to discipline security 

chiefs who have declared their 

allegiance to veteran leader Robert 

Mugabe ahead of this summer's elections. 

"Zimbabwe's unity government is 

going to have to rein in the security 

forces and keep them out of politics 

if the elections are going to have any 

meaning," said Tiseke Kasambala, 

HRW's advocacy director for Africa. 

With security forces "threatening 

and attacking Mugabe's perceived 

opponents, Zimbabweans have little 

faith in the upcoming elections," he 

added. 

Zimbabwe is to hold elections in 

the coming months to end a shaky 

coalition between Mugabe and his 

longtime rival Prime Minister Morgan 

Tsvangirai. 

The exact date is yet to be ixed but 

the country's highest court last week 

ruled that Mugabe must call elections 

by July 31. 

The heads of Zimbabwe's security 

forces including the army, the police 

and prison services have made no 

secret of their allegiance to Mugabe's 

party, labelling Tsvangirai a stooge of 

the West. 

In a 44-page report, the New Yorkbased 

rights group accused the army 

of having "deployed soldiers across 

the country, intimidating, beating and 

abusing" Tsvangirai's supporters or 

those people critical of Mugabe's rule. 

Early last month Zimbabwe defence 

forces commander Constantine 

Chiwenga vowed not to meet Tsvangirai 

to discuss security sector reforms. 

"We have no time to meet sellouts. 

Clearly Tsvangirai is a psychiatric patient 

who needs a competent psychia- 

trist," Chiwenga said. 

Police commissioner general Augustine 

Chihuri also said he would 

not entertain any attempts to reform 

the country's security sector. 

Zimbabwe security agents were 

implicated in widespread abuses including 

killings, beatings and torture 

during the violent and disputed 2008 

presidential election run-off. 

"The leadership of the military, police, 

and internal security agency, the 

Central Intelligence Organisation, has 

remained unchanged and openly supportive 

of Mugabe," said the watchdog. 

In its report,"The Elephant in the 

Room: Reforming the Security Sector 

Ahead of Zimbabwe's Elections" the 

HRW said Zimbabwean soldiers had 

a legal obligation to behave professionally 

and refrain from political activities. 

— AFP 

Fighters of the M23 dissident group guard a position in Mutaho, some 4 km from positions held by troops 

of the Democratic Republic of Congo Armed Forces (FARDC) and about 15 km from the eastern Congo city of 

Goma. The United Nations said that a special UN intervention brigade to counter militia groups in eastern DR 

Congo had started patrols in the conlict zone. — AFP 

for years at a time. 

It was not clear how this would 

affect an amnesty being offered to 

members who turn themselves in. 

In a move meant to appease moderate 

supporters, Nigeria this week released 

all women and children being 

held for links to the group. 

Ansaru, a smaller outit that grew 

out of Boko Haram and is thought to 

have direct links to Al Qaeda's North 

African wing, has been blamed for a 

number of kidnappings of Westerners 

in Nigeria, most of whom they killed 

in captivity. Britain last year declared 

it a terrorist group. — Reuters 

AFRICA 

Malian soldiers 

begin assault 

on separatists 

BAMAKO — Malian soldiers 

launched an assault yesterday on 

armed Tuareg separatists accused of 

ethnic cleansing, in a bid to dislodge 

them from a key northern stronghold 

ahead of national elections. 

Troops attacked militant positions 

in the town of Aneis at the start of 

an operation to retake the key city of 

Kidal from the National Movement 

for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) 

after a wave of expulsions of black 

residents. 

"Our troops have engaged armed 

bandits in the Aneis area who have 

suffered heavy losses of men and vehicles," 

said army spokesman Souleymane 

Maiga. 

The clashes in Aneis, 200 km 

south of Kidal, were conirmed by the 

MNLA and a regional military source. 

"The Malian army has attacked 

our positions this morning in Aneis. 

It decided to resolve the situation 

through war, and the Malian government 

will bear the consequences," 

MNLA vice-president Mahamadou 

Djeri Maiga said. 

Maiga said the army was using 

"heavy weaponry" and vowed that 

the MNLA would mobilise all its units 

"to advance on all army positions 

Mali in the territory of Azawad", the 

name given by the Tuareg rebellion 

to northern Mali. 

"We never wanted to resolve the 

situation by war but, as this is so, we 

will defend ourselves until the end," 

he said from the Burkina Faso capital 

Ouagadougou, where he is in talks 

with Malian oficials over planned 

elections in July. 

Maiga appealed for foreign forces 

in Mali to remain neutral and "leave 

us with the Malian army". 

Former colonial power France 

voiced its support for the army ac- 

5 

tion and called on the dissidents to 

lay down their weapons. 

"There can only be one army in 

Mali, deployed over the whole of the 

country's territory," a foreign ministry 

spokesman said. 

The ighting erupted after more 

than 100 black inhabitants were 

expelled from Kidal by the lighterskinnned 

MNLA ighters in an act 

denounced as "ethnic cleansing" by 

the government, which says the presence 

of troops in the city is "non-negotiable". 

Malian troops have been deployed 

in four "battle groups" to encircle Kidal, 

the army said on Tuesday. 

The unrest has cast a shadow over 

the Burkina Faso talks with Malian 

oficials and Tuareg leaders aimed 

at clearing the way for a presidential 

election planned for July 28. 

The MNLA rose up to ight for independence 

for the north in January 

last year and overwhelmed government 

troops, leading frustrated midlevel 

oficers to launch a coup which 

toppled elected president Amadou 

Toumani Toure. 

Together with insurgents, they 

seized key northern cities, but were 

then chased out by their former allies. 

France sent troops in January to 

block an advance by the dissidents 

on the capital Bamako, pushing them 

out of the main cities and into desert 

and mountain hideouts. 

The French then let the MNLA 

back into Kidal, ignoring demands 

by the Malian military to be allowed 

into the city and raising 

fears in Bamako, 1,500 km to the 

southwest, that Paris wants to let 

the Tuareg dissidents keep Kidal 

as part of an eventual deal for selfrule. 

— AFP

6 

REGION 

Palestinian women hold placards and Palestinian lags during a rally that marks 46 years since the start of 

the 1967 war with Israel, yesterday at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. Israeli forces occupied Gaza, the West 

Bank and east Jerusalem during the conlict, with Palestinians mourning it as the "Naksa" or setback. — AFP 

World powers seek Iran response to IAEA 

VIENNA — Six world powers engaged 

in stalled talks with Iran over its nuclear 

programme said yesterday it 

was "essential and urgent" Tehran cooperates 

with the UN atomic agency. 

The US, China, Russia, France, Britain 

and Germany also said they were 

"deeply concerned" by Iran's continued 

expansion of its activities despite 

UN Security Council resolutions calling 

for a suspension. 

They said that after 10 failed 

meetings between the International 

Atomic Energy Agency and Iran over 

the past 18 months it was "essential 

and urgent for Iran to engage with 

the agency on the substance of its 

concerns". 

The countries — all permanent 

UN Security Council members except 

Germany — said at a meeting of the 

IAEA board of governors that this included 

Iran fulilling "its undertaking 

to grant access to Parchin," a military 

base near Tehran. 

The IAEA believes Iran constructed 

a large explosives containment 

vessel at Parchin in 2000 to conduct 

experiments that it says would be 

"strong indicators of possible nuclear 

weapon development". 

Iran has rejected IAEA requests 

to visit the site and denies wanting 

or ever having worked on developing 

a nuclear weapon. It says that the 

IAEA's allegations are based on faulty 

intelligence provided by Tehran's enemies. 

The allegations on Parchin form 

part of a major report issued by the 

IAEA in November 2011 summarising 

information on suspected nuclear 

weapons research that it had been 

given, mostly, but not only, by foreign 

intelligence agencies. — AFP 

Diplomats fail to set date 

for Syria peace conference 

GENEVA, Switzerland — Seniors diplomats 

failed yesterday to set a date 

for an international peace conference 

for Syria amid continued disagreement 

over the list of participants. 

"It will not be possible to hold this 

conference in June," UN peace envoy 

to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi told reporters 

in Geneva, adding that the talks, 

which will be hosted by UN chief Ban 

Ki-moon, could happen "hopefully in 

July." 

Brahimi met with Russian Deputy 

Foreign Ministers Gennady Gatilov 

and Mikhail Bogdanov and US Under 

Secretary of State for Political Affairs 

Wendy Sherman in the Swiss city yesterday 

to pave the way for a new international 

conference aimed at ending 

the unrest in Syria. 

The conference, dubbed Geneva 

2, is meant to follow up on an initial 

Geneva meeting last June 30 that produced 

a never-implemented power 

transition plan for Syria. 

The initial plan had been for the 

talks to be held early this month, but 

Brahimi said the preparations had 

run into a signiicant sticking point: 

"the Syrian component." 

The aim, he said, "is to get the Syrian 

sides, without preconditions, to 

see how they can implement the communique 

of June 30... And the Syrian 

sides are not ready," he said. 

"This conference cannot be held 

without Syrian delegations. The Syrian 

delegations have not been formed 

yet," he said in Arabic, according to a 

UN translation. 

Russian deputy foreign minister 

Gennady Gatilov was more explicit 

about the dificulties. 

"Right now the most complicated 

issue is perhaps about a list of conference 

participants," he was quoted as 

saying by Russian news agencies in 

Geneva. 

"The entire issue is that unlike 

the government, the Syrian opposition 

has not decided in principle on 

the participation in the conference," 

he said, adding the Syrian opposition 

also could not agree on who exactly 

will represent it at the meeting. 

The Syrian regime has agreed in 

principle to participate in the conference, 

but Syria's main opposition has 

refused to attend as long as ighters 

from Iran and the Islamist-militia 

Hezbollah are ighting in Syria alongside 

Assad's forces. 

It has also so far reportedly rejected 

names put forward by the Syrian 

regime as possible interlocutors, 

while continuing to demand Assad's 

departure. 

A senior US oficial, who asked not 

to be named, told reporters that one 

stumbling block was "the opposition 

coalition forming itself, naming its 

representatives, agreeing on a delegation." 

But, the oficial added, there 

was also "not yet full clarity on who 

the regime will send and what that 

delegation will look like." 

Last year's talks involved top 

diplomats from the ive permanent 

members of the UN Security Council 

— the United States, China, Russia, 

France and Britain — and representatives 

of Turkey, the Arab League and 

the European Union. 

This time, Russia is pushing hard 

for Iran, another key Assad ally, to 

have some kind of role, despite concerns 

from the West about including 

the Islamic republic, which it accuses 

of shoring up the Syrian regime. 

— AFP 

Members of a Yemeni counter-terrorism unit undergo a training session at a military camp in Sanaa, 

yesterday. — Reuters 


Palestinians raise demand; 

Israel seems to shift stand 

JERUSALEM — Palestinian oficials 

marked 46 years since the start of 

the 1967 war with Israel yesterday 

by insisting any peace talks must be 

based on the lines that existed before 

the Jewish state's occupation. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 

Netanyahu signalled readiness to 

consider a 2002 Arab peace plan 

whose terms were recently softened 

to include possible land swaps 

between Israel and the Palestinians. 

"We are listening to every 

initiative — the Arab initiative has 

been mentioned — and we are 

prepared to discuss initiatives that 

are proposals and not edicts," he said 

in a speech in parliament. 

Netanyahu spoke during a debate 

on the plan, proposed at an Arab 

League summit 11 years ago. Israel 

had rejected the initiative that offered 

normalised ties for it with much 

of the Arab world, citing its call for 

complete withdrawal from land 

captured in the 1967 Middle East war 

as a main stumbling block. 

Chief Palestinian peace negotiator 

Saeb Erakat visited three villages in 

the West Bank whose populations 

led the Israeli invasion during the 

Six-Day War against the armies of 

Egypt, Jordan and Syria. 

Israeli forces occupied Gaza, 

the West Bank and east Jerusalem 

during the conlict, with Palestinians 

mourning it as the "Naksa" or 

setback. 

"The (same) fate of the 5,000 

Palestinians who were evicted from 

these villages" in June 1967 still 

befalls Palestinians in the West Bank 

today, he told reporters on a stop in 

the village of Yalu. 

The demolition of Yalu, Imwas and 

Beit Nuba back then was now being 

repeated "in Jericho, Nablus and 

everywhere else" in the West Bank, 

he lamented, citing the destruction 

of houses by the Israeli army, which 

expels hundreds of Palestinian 

families from their homes in areas 

under its control each year. 

"Why did the Israelis evict those 

people in 1967? Simply because 

they wanted to declare the borders," 

Erakat said. 

He reiterated Palestinian demands 

for a halt to Israeli settlement 

building in Palestinian territories 

and a return to the pre-war lines as a 

basis for any peace talks. 

Israel calls for talks "without 

preconditions" and refuses publicly 

to freeze settlement building. 

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the 

Executive Committee of Palestinian 

president Mahmud Abbas's PLO, 

slammed Israel's continued 

settlement building in a statement 

marking the war's anniversary. 

"Forty-six years later, the Israeli 

occupation of 22 per cent of 

historical Palestine still constitutes a 

humanitarian and political disaster 

that dominates and controls the lives 

of the Palestinian people in Palestine 

and in exile," she said. 

"Our struggle will continue until 

we... witness the establishment of 

an independent Palestinian state on 

1967 borders with east Jerusalem as 

its capital," Ashrawi said, pointing out 

that Israel's settlement building is 

illegal under international law. 

Israeli human rights group 

B'Tselem, in its own report marking 

the anniversary, slammed Israel's 

"de facto annexation of Area C 

(in the West Bank) and creation 

of circumstances that will help 

perpetuate this situation and 

inluence the inal status of the area". 

Area C, which covers more than 60 

percent of the occupied West Bank, is 

under full Israeli control. 

"In theory, Israel retains complete 

authority only in Area C," B'Tselem 

said. "In practice, Israel's control 

of Area C adversely affects all 

Palestinian West Bank residents," 

more than 2.5 million people. 

The report added that "contrary to 

international law," Israel was actively 

encouraging its citizens to settle in 

the West Bank. 

But Israel's deputy foreign 

minister Zeev Elkin yestersday 

reiterated Israel's refusal to return to 

the pre-June 1967 lines. 

"The people of Israel are not 

ready to commit suicide and make 

the same mistake they made when 

they pulled out of the Gaza Strip 

(in 2005)," he said, referring to the 

subsequent takeover of the territory 

by Islamist movement Hamas and the 

rockets which have since been ired 

at southern Israel. 

US Secretary of State John Kerry, 

who will visit the region next week 

for a ifth time since February, has 

been trying to draw the parties 

back into direct negotiations, but 

on Monday warned Israel could be 

facing its last chance to secure a 

peace deal. 

— Agencies 

Protesters stage a demonstration in central Ankara yesterday. Thousands of striking workers were set to join 

mass protests across Turkey against the government after another night of ierce clashes between riot police 

and angry demonstrators. — AFP 

Turkey faces protests in more cities 

ISTANBUL — Thousands of union 

workers joined mass street protests 

yesterday calling for Prime Minister 

Recep Tayyip Erdogan to step down, 

as the government insisted Turkey 

was "not a second-class democracy". 

Bellowing to the din of drums and 

wailing Turkish pipes, teachers, doctors, 

bank staff and others marched 

in the capital Ankara and in Istanbul, 

where they converged on Taksim 

Square. 

"Taksim, resist, the workers are 

coming!" they chanted in Istanbul. In 

the capital Ankara, police ired tear 

gas and water cannon to disperse 

crowds there. 

The striking workers in the capital 

had earlier unfurled banners addressing 

Erdogan, reading: "This nation 

will not bow to you!" and "Taksim 

Square is everywhere!" 

Two people have been killed in the 

six days of unrest nationwide, doctors 

and oficials say, while hundreds have 

been injured in protests police have 

sought to quell with tear gas, pepper 

spray and water cannons. 

"Turkey is not a second-class democracy," 

Foreign Minister Ahmet 

Davutoglu told US Secretary of State 

John Kerry in a phone call late on 

Tuesday, the diplomat said on condition 

of anonymity. 

Davutoglu assured Kerry an investigation 

was under way into the 

police response and played down the 

demonstrations, likening them to the 

Occupy Wall Street movement in the 

US in 2011, the source said. 

Two trade union federations, KESK 

and DISK, launched two-day strikes 

from Tuesday in solidarity with the 

street protesters. 

The premier was due in Tunisia 

yesterday. In his absence, Deputy 

Prime Minister Bulent Arinc on Tuesday 

promised that the government 

had "learnt its lesson", but protesters 

ignored his plea to call off the demonstrations 

and fresh clashes broke out 

overnight. 

At least 25 people were also arrested 

in the western city of Izmir for 

"misleading and libellous" Twitter 

posts, according to the Anatolia news 

agency, after Erdogan accused the microblogging 

site of spreading "lies". 

Protesters rely heavily on social 

media to organise demonstrations. 

They have complained about a lack 

of coverage of the crisis by the main- 

stream media. 

In the latest bid to ease tensions, 

the deputy prime minister met yesterday 

with leaders of civil groups, 

including the movement whose initial 

protest sparked the nationwide demonstrations 

— a campaign to save 

Istanbul's Gezi Park from redevelopment. 

In the meeting, protest representatives 

urged the government to ire the 

police chiefs of Istanbul and Ankara 

and cities where security forces used 

excessive force to quell the unrest. 

They also demanded Ankara release 

all the arrested demonstrators 

and ban police from tear gassing 

demonstrators. 

Almost 1,700 people have been arrested, 

according to the most recent 

oficial estimate, with many released. 

Nato-member Turkey is a key regional 

ally for the United States. 

Sitting at the crossroads of East 

and West, Turkey has long aspired to 

join the European Union, which sets 

strict requirements on human rights 

for prospective members. Erdogan's 

Justice and Development Party (AKP) 

irst took power in 2002 and has won 

three elections in a row. — Agencies


Nawaz Sharif takes oath as 

new Pak prime minister 

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's newly 

elected prime minister Muhammad 

Nawaz Sharif yesterday evening took 

oath for the post at President House 

in capital Islamabad, the state owned 

TV channel PTV News reported. 

According to the reports, President 

Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath 

for Nawaz Sharif who assumed the 

charge as the 27th chief executive of 

the country for the non-consecutives 

third term. 

Sharif, in his irst speech to parliament 

shortly after being elected 

prime minister for the third time, demanded 

an end to US drone strikes. 

Sharif, 63, said: “The chapter of 

these daily drone attacks now must 

come to an end,” to loud applause 

from parliamentarians. 

“When we respect the sovereignty 

of others, it is obligatory for them to 

respect our sovereignty,” he added. 

Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League- 

Nawaz party — which had during its 

campaign promised to end the drone 

attacks if elected to power — won 

176 seats in the May 11 polls. 

A number of guests including veteran 

politicians and members of the 

parliament, former caretaker PM Mir 

Hazar Khan Khoso, governors and 

chief ministers of all four provinces, 

Chief of Pakistan army, envoys and 

ambassadors of different countries 

were present in the ceremony. 

Nawaz, who came into power after 

over 13 years gap, is the irst Pakistani 

that reached the rank of premiership 

for the third time. 

His last tenure as premier concluded 

on October 12, 1999 when 

the then army chief Pervez Musharraf 

deposed his government in a military 

coup before sending him into exile. 

Nawaz served the country as PM 

for two non-consecutive terms from 

November 1990 to July 1993, and 

from February 1997 to October 1999, 

respectively. 

Earlier in the day, Nawaz was 

elected as the prime minister after receiving 

244 votes in the 342-member 

Lower House of Parliament during 

the election conducted through a division 

of the House process. 

Makhdoom Ameen Fahim, the candidate 

of the Pakistan People's Party 

that led the previous government, 

grabbed 42 votes while senior politician 

Javed Hashmi, the candidate of 

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf party, got 31 

votes. In his address to parliament, 

Sharif also vowed to mend the country's 

falling economy and sort out the 

rising energy crises. — Agencies 

Garment workers block a street as they participate in a protest in Dhaka yesterday. Thousands of garment 

workers from at least seven factories blocked two important roads in Dhaka's Tejgaon industrial area for almost 

an hour yesterday, demanding wage hikes and payment of overtime dues, local media reported. — Reuters 

3 Rohingya killed in 

Myanmar security 

forces iring 

YANGON — Three Rohingya women 

were shot dead in a confrontation 

with security forces at a camp for 

displaced victims of sectarian violence 

in western Myanmar, police 

said yesterday. 

The killings happened on Tuesday 

at a camp at Parein in Rakhine 

state after some Rohingya refused 

to move to new locations, police of- 

icer Maung Maung Mya said by telephone. 

Four others were injured. 

"They fear they will lose their 

land if they move to new shelters." 

The incident came as hundreds 

of world leaders, business chiefs 

and media began arriving in Myanmar 

for the World Economic Forum 

on East Asia. 

More than 140,000 people — 

mainly Rohingya — were displaced 

by unrest between Buddhists and 

Muslims in Rakhine last year that left 

about 200 people dead. 

Myanmar views its population of 

roughly 800,000 Rohingya as illegal 

immigrants. They are considered by 

the United Nations to be one of the 

world's most persecuted minorities. 

Foreign investors looking to 

raise investment in Pakistan 

KARACHI — Foreign funds and companies 

are looking to drastically increase 

investments in Pakistan and 

the rise could improve Pakistan’s 

dire economic conditions, inancial 

experts said yesterday. 

The investors’ interest is based 

on their expectation that the newly 

elected PML-N government will follow 

pro-business policies. 

“A number of practicing chartered 

accountant irms here in Pakistan 

received an increased number of enquiries 

from the potential foreign investors, 

who are interested in undertaking 

investment in various sectors 

of economy and industry either for 

joint ventures, acquisitions or green- 

ield projects,” said Mubasshar Mirza, 

a seasoned chartered accountant. 

“Most of the foreign companies 

are willing to set up their businesses 

in Pakistan. Moreover, there is considerable 

interest by top global fund 

mangers and individual investors 

looking for opportunities to invest in 

Pakistan’s stocks,” he said. 

The morale of local and foreign investors 

is high. They have welcomed 

the PML-N-led government wholeheartedly, 

while the Karachi Stock 

Exchange (KSE)’s benchmark 100share 

index reached the 22,000-point 

level so far on the back of foreign and 

institutional investment. 

Experts say the share of overseas 

investment in Pakistan will take at 

least one year to increase. 

Foreign investment outlook in 

Pakistan has been stagnating since 

2008. The country has witnessed a 

signiicant fall in foreign direct investment 

in the past ive years with FDI 

inlows dropping from $5.4 billion in 

the iscal year 2007-08 to $760.7 million 

in the iscal 2011-12. 

Foreign irms invested heavily in 

the telecom, inancial and oil and gas 

sectors during the Pervez Musharraf 

era. Foreign direct investment in 

Pakistan amounted to $853 million 

between July 2012 and April 2013 

against $658.2 million during the 

same period in the previous iscal. 

The Pakistani community abroad 

is also playing an important role in 

promoting trade and investment to 

the homeland. — Internews 

New Zealand's Foreign Minister Murray McCully (R) shakes hands with his Sri Lankan counterpart Gamini 

Lakshman Peiris in Colombo yesterday. McCully is in Sri Lanka for one-day state visit. — Reuters 

SUBCONTINENT 

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari administering the oath to newly-elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif 

during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Islamabad yesterday. — AFP 

Hundreds fall sick in Bangladesh factory 

DHAKA — Hundreds of employees of 

a Bangladesh garment factory near 

the capital fell sick yesterday after 

drinking suspected contaminated 

water in their workplace, police and 

factory oficials said. 

"Primarily we suspect the water 

supply of the Starlight Sweaters factory 

was poisoned or contaminated," 

local industrial police oficer Mahfuzur 

Rahman said from Gazipur, a suburb 

of Dhaka. Based Ali, the administrative 

oficer of the factory, said the 

number of affected workers could be 

as high as 600. 

"The workers have been sent to 

different hospitals after they reported 

stomach pain and started vomiting. 

We estimate the number could be up 

to 600," he said. 

The accident follows the collapse 

of a building housing ive garment 

factories in April that killed 1,129 

people. 

The tragedy, the industry's worst 

ever, has led to renewed scrutiny of 

"made-in-Bangladesh" clothes which 

are commonly sold in the West. 

The factories in the doomed Rana 

Plaza building just outside Dhaka had 

made clothing for Western retailers 

including Italy's Benetton, Britain's 

Primark and Spain's Mango 

An oficial from Bangladesh's Garment 

Manufacturers and Exporters 

Association (BGMEA), which represents 

the country's 4,500 garment 

plants, said the contamination could 

have been deliberate. 

"We are suspecting that it was poisoning 

of the water. It could be some 

sort of pesticide," S M Mannan, a vicepresident 

of the BGMEA, said. 

"This is an A-grade factory. It has 

its own water supply which comes 

from a deep tube well, so there is no 

scope for contamination. Someone 

might have mixed poison to the water," 

he said. 

Earlier in the day police ired rubber 

bullets and tear gas at a protest 

by the families of missing garment 

7 

workers presumed dead in the factory 

disaster. 

Oficials in the Dhaka suburb of 

Savar, where the building collapsed 

on April 24, said a thousand-strongcrowd 

of relatives and garment 

workers gathered at the site of the 

wrecked building. 

They demanded that authorities 

publish a full list of missing workers 

to allow families to claim compensation. 

"There were up to 1,000 protesters, 

they blocked a key highway and 

staged a sit-in in front of the ruined 

site for nearly three hours," said local 

industrial police inspector Amjad 

Hossain. 

Savar police oficer Sheikh Farid 

Uddin said his oficers clashed with 

the protesters after they failed to 

move off the highway and began 

throwing stones. 

"In retaliation, we had to ire rubber 

bullets and tear gas to disperse 

them," Uddin said. — AFP 

Afghanistan's Defence Minister Bismellah Mohammadi (L) talks with Canadian Defence Minister Peter Gordon 

Macay (C) during the second day of Nato Defence ministers meeting yesterday at the Nato Headquarters in 

Brussels. — AFP 

Passports issuance gathers pace 

ISLAMABAD — The Immigration and 

Passport Department has issued over 

650,000 passports in 50 days after 

Additional IG Zuliqar Cheema took 

the charge as Immigration and Passport 

Director-General (DG). 

Zuliqar Cheema said that he started 

the task on war-footing to clear the 

backlog of over 850,000 passports. 

After he took charge on April 9, 

2013, he resolved the issue of lamination 

paper as a priority and accelerated 

the process for preparation 

of passports increasing the capacity 

from 3,000 to 30,000 per day. 

"The backlog of urgent-fee passports 

has been cleared and over 

450,000 passports of urgent category 

have been issued and sent to their 

relevant stations," the DG said, adding 

that 160,000 passports of oversees 

Pakistani’s have also been issued and 

posted to various embassies of Pakistan 

around the world. 

Cheema said that Haj passports 

would be issued till June 15 and the 

next task of issuance of single-fee 

passports would be completed in two 

weeks. All backlog would be cleared 

before June 30. 

A home delivery system would 

be introduced in four major cities 

of the country, including Islamabad, 

Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi, next 

week, the DG said. 

The decision of issuance of passports 

for a period of ten years without 

increasing fee has been withdrawn as 

it caused a loss of billions of rupees to 

the national exchequer. 

It has been decided that passports, 

being issued with effect from June 

1, 2013, would be for a term of ive 

years with the same fees, Cheema 

said. 

"We are trying to streamline the 

system to run the organisation with 

professional skill without interference," 

the DG said. 

"Over 2,000 government passports 

issued to unauthorised oficials 

will be cancelled without any delay," 

Cheema said, adding that as many 

as 2,000 cases have been sent to the 

Ministry of Interior for action against 

unauthorised oficials having red and 

blue passports. 

"Corruption will not be tolerated 

in the department. Severe action is 

being taken against the oficials involved 

in corruption," the DG said, 

adding that agent maia has been 

eliminated. — Internews

8 

Prison workshops across Italy are 

joining up under a new commercial 

fashion brand they hope will help 

encourage more detainees to learn the 

trade and give them hope for future, 

writes Dario Thuburn 

Hope for future 

WOMEN prison workshops across Italy are joining up under a new 

commercial fashion brand they hope will help encourage more detainees 

to learn the trade and give them hope for a future on the outside. 

The Sigillo (Seal) brand unveiled by the justice ministry this year will be 

available in the shops within months — a unique experiment that has given 

new energy to places like a handbag workshop at Rebibbia prison in Rome. 

"When I get out I want to have a more normal, a calmer life. With this job 

I'm sure everything will be okay with me. I've learnt a lot here," said Kalu 

Uwaezuoke Chinedum Ike, a Nigerian facing drug traficking charges. 

The 40-year-old works three afternoons a week in a room with sewing machines, 

cutting tables and bars on the windows. 

Rows of blue-doored cells can be seen from the workshop in what is Italy's 

biggest women's prison with more than 700 detainees. 

After more than three years inside as she awaits the conclusion of her trial, 

Kalu has acquired a knack for stitching and beading. 

"I've always been a person who likes dressing well, even when I didn't have 

enough to eat," she said, adding: "I have a real passion for it!" 

Prisons in Italy are notoriously overcrowded, and funding has been repeatedly 

cut in recent years, making for what Justice Minister Annamaria Cancellieri 

recently called a penal system "that is not worthy of a civilised country". 

There are a few exceptions — innovative projects like a theatre workshop, 

also at Rebibbia, whose performance of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" became 

the award-winning ilm Caesar Must Die released two years ago. 

After three years of bureaucratic hurdles, promoters of Sigillo hope the 

project — which has 400,000 euros ($520,000) in funding from the justice 

ministry and 400,000 euros from charities — will be a similar success. 

"The aim of the project is to give female detainees the tools to be in the marketplace 

once they are released," said Nanda Roscioli, a former justice ministry 

employee and consultant who has been involved from the start. 

Roscioli said it is also a way of countering a prison system oriented towards 

male detainees in which women are a "subordinate" minority. "This makes 

conditions for female detainees harsher, more barbaric," Roscioli said. 

"As far as I know this programme is unique," she said. 

Daniela Arronenzi, head of the Rebibbia workshop charity, said she signed 

up to the non-proit project because it would give prison-made garments access 

to a wider retail network and something resembling an actual fashion 

business. "Of course, prison is a place of problems. There is overcrowding, 

there are budget cuts, but then there is also this," she said. 

The initial plan is to hire 10 female detainees from workshops across the 

country and train 40 more who will produce under the Sigillo brand for big 

fashion names, as well as illing special orders for corporate marketing products. 

The handbags made in Rebibbia sell for up to 40 euros each. 

Supporters say the project is not exploitative because detainees will receive 

a regular part-time salary of 600 euros a month — comparable to their counterparts 

on the outside — and participation is voluntary. 

Chinedum Ike and another member of the Rebibbia co-operative, Ukrainian 

detainee Natalya, currently receive around 150 euros, which they can send to 

family or spend on food and hygiene products in the prison. 

The initiative is supported by Silvia Venturini Fendi, heiress of the Fendi 

fashion business, which is owned by French luxury giant LVMH. 

For 33-year-old Natalya, who has been inside for three years, making handbags 

has little to do with glitzy catwalks or commercial success. 

"For a time, we feel psychologically that we are not inside these walls. That's 

the reason for programmes like this. To switch off," said Natalya, who is also a 

proicient guitarist and pianist who plays at Sunday mass in the chapel. 

"Sigillo is also about personal satisfaction. When we create things and they 

are sold, are appreciated, then we enjoy our work," Natalya said. 

THE Swiss will vote on Sunday 

on whether to approve 

an emergency tightening of 

the country's asylum law in a bid 

to stem the inlux of refugees to the 

wealthy Alpine nation. 

A controversial revision, which 

was ordered as an emergency measure 

by the government and went 

into effect last October, marked the 

seventh change of the asylum law in 

Switzerland — Europe's fourth most 

popular destination for refugees. 

The vote on June 9 — one of four 

Sunday's this year set aside for popular 

votes on national, cantonal and 

communal issues as part of Switzerland's 

famous direct democratic 

system — comes after a range of 

opponents of the revision collected 

the 100,000 signatures required to 

call a referendum. 

Also on Sunday, the Swiss will 

be called to vote on whether the 

people should elect the country's 

seven government members directly 

instead of having parliament 

pick them, as it has been doing for 

the past 165 years. According to 

recent polls though, that initiative 

appears set to fail. Opponents of 

the new asylum law revisions, including 

human rights advocates, 

ANALYSIS 

religious groups and unions who 

have banned together a collective 

called "Co-ordination against Exclusion 

and Xenophobia", also appear 

destined to fall short in their bid to 

overturn the changes. 

Surveys show the Swiss are increasingly 

leaning towards giving 

their stamp of approval to the 

changes, as some balk at soaring 

War masks volcano threat 

ELEVEN years after an eruption 

of Mount Nyiragongo 

devastated the sprawling 

lakeside city of Goma, killing hundreds 

of people, eastern Congo's 

armed conlict is preventing scientists 

from predicting the volcano's 

next deadly explosion. 

With its plume of ash and 

steam reaching high into the sky, 

the brooding Nyiragongo is one 

of the world's most active volcanoes 

and a constant menace 

to the city of one million people, 

whose streets are still scarred by 

solidiied lava. 

Attempts to monitor the volcano's 

activity have been dangerously 

curtailed by the M23 

rebel group which has controlled 

its lush, forested slopes for the 

past year. 

Observation equipment has 

been looted by armed groups and 

the area around Nyiragongo is 

off-limits as rebel ighters defend 

their strategic positions overlooking 

Goma. 

"What happened in 2002 

will happen again. We just don't 

know when," Celestin Kasereka 

Mahinda, a vulcanologist at the 

Goma observatory and head of a 

national committee charged with 

planning for natural disasters. 

Kasereka and his colleagues 

gave two months' warning before 

the last eruption but authorities 

ignored them. 

People only began to evacuate 

as the irst ingers of lava probed 

numbers of refugees locking to the 

small Alpine nation, which offers 

generous hand-outs throughout the 

asylum process. 

A poll by public broadcaster RTS 

in late May showed that 57 per cent 

of those questioned were in favour 

of the revisions, up nine percentage 

points from a month earlier. 

There are currently some 48,000 

their way into the town's densely 

populated residential areas. 

Goma's airport is still surrounded 

by lava blocs as big as 

cars, excavated after the runway 

was swallowed by molten rock. 

Kasereka used to conduct 

weekly checks on Nyiragongo, 

one of only three volcanoes in the 

world to have a permanent lava 

lake. 

"Surveillance is very reduced 

so the risk has become very big," 

he aid. "The situation is a bit ridiculous." 

Goma's residents are no strangers 

to danger, natural and manmade. 

The town sits above a subterranean 

lava bed 1 km deep in 

an area, known as the Albertine 

rift, that is one of the most volcanically 

active on earth. 

Neighbouring Lake Kivu contains 

enormous quantities of 

methane and carbon dioxide. 

Experts say seismic activity 

could release that into the atmosphere, 

threatening millions of 

lives. 

The makeshift camps which 

ring the city, home to tens of 

thousands of people displaced 

by ighting, testify to the nearly 

two decades of conlict between 

armed groups, the army and 

neighbouring countries which 

have ravaged the region. 

Militia ighters regularly in- 

lict massacres and mass rapes 

on the civilian population. Last 

year, rebels swept past UN peacekeepers 

and routed government 

troops to briely seize Goma, 

and they once again menace the 

town's north lank. 

"We'd prefer gunire to another 

eruption," said Aminata Yahaya, 

38. 

She barely escaped with her 

children last time the volcano exploded 

and returned three weeks 

later to ind her home ravaged by 

ire and looted. 

Speaking in one of Goma's 

ramshackle markets built on an 

old lava low, where she sells 

dried ish, Yahaya said the last 

eruption had devastated the 

town. 

"If there's another eruption, 

it'll hit the economy: we'll have to 

start from zero again. Our houses 

will be destroyed, our people 

killed," she said. 

Joseph Makundi, civil protection 

co-ordinator for Goma, 

accepts that the security situation 

has increased the volcano's 

threat. 

Not least, he says, is the risk of 

lava exploding the stockpiles of 

ammunition which dot the heavily 

militarised town. 

In the worst case scenario, authorities 

would have to evacuate 

around two-thirds of Goma's inhabitants, 

he says. 

Community networks and a 

lag system — green for safe, red 

for evacuation — have been put 

in place for that purpose. 

Before the last eruption there 

were signs from communities 

around the volcano that something 

was amiss, Makundi says. 

Villagers found their banana 

People only 

began to 

evacuate as the 

irst ingers of 

lava probed 

their way into 

the densely 

populated 

residential 

areas, writes 

Jonny Hogg 

beer fermenting far more quickly 

because of raised ground temperatures 

and children left alone 

were asphyxiated by poisonous 

gases. Makundi says residents 

must be alert for these kinds of 

warnings. 

"We must develop an evacuation 

mechanism without counting 

too much on the volcanic observatory," 

he says. "Our logistical 

capacity to put our plans in place 

is limited." 

Observers say Nyiragongo 

is not immediately threatening. 

However, neighbouring Nyamuragira, 

13 km to the northwest 

and reputedly Africa's most active 

volcano, is showing warning 

signs of a possible eruption. 

The Volcano Hotel is an eerie 

reminder of the mountains' 

threat. 

The bottom half of the building 

has been cocooned in solidiied 

lava, turning what was once the 

ground loor into the basement, 

with jagged rocks obscuring the 

light. 

Cancild Sadiki Muhindi, the 

hotel's owner, spent more than a 

year excavating the lower loor to 

reclaim it from the lava. 

But she knows she may well 

lose it all and has little faith that 

Congo's government will be of 

much help. 

"State, what state? The situation 

in this country is we don't 

have a state," she says with a 

shrug. 

"The volcano, it's a real problem 

for me, and my business." 

Swiss to vote on tightening of asylum law, again 

A controversial revision, which was 

ordered as an emergency measure 

by the government and went into 

effect last October, marked the 

seventh change of the asylum law, 

says Marie-Noëlle Blessig 

Thousands lee the town of Sake, 26 km west of Goma, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

People raising their hands to vote during the annual Landsgemeinde 

meeting in the square of the town of Appenzell, eastern Switzerland. 


people in the process of seeking asylum 

to Switzerland, including a full 

28,631 who arrived in 2012 — the 

highest number in a decade. 

Only 11.7 per cent of asylum applications 

were meanwhile granted 

last year, when most asylum-seekers 

to the country came from Eritrea, 

Nigeria, Tunisia, Serbia and Afghanistan. 

Counting one asylum seeker 

for every 332 inhabitants, Switzerland 

ranks as the fourth most 

popular host country in Europe, 

trailing only Malta, Sweden and 

Luxembourg, and ranking far above 

the European average of one asylum 

seeker for every 625 inhabitants. 

Among the most controversial 

changes to the Swiss asylum law 

last year, was the decision to remove 

persecution due to military desertion 

as legal grounds for seeking 

asylum in Switzerland — a motive 

mainly used by Eritreans. 

The revision also removed the 

possibility, which had been unique 

in Europe, to apply for asylum in 

Switzerland. That move revision has 

been harshly criticised by the Swiss 

Bishops Conference, which stressed 

it would force people "to pay intermediaries 

and to embark upon 

high-risk trips."


Glimmer of hope for economy as Sharif takes over 

Pakistani voters hope 

that armed with 

majority, Sharif has a 

better shot at ixing 

the economy than his 

predecessors, reports 

Thomasz Janowski 

PAKISTAN'S economy is in its worst shape in nearly a 

decade and yet there is a sense of hope that the incoming 

government not only seems to know what is 

needed to ix it but, for once, may also have enough determination 

and clout to do it. 

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif swept back to power 

in last month's election, riding a wave of public anger at 

rival Pakistan People's Party's failure to tackle endemic corruption, 

power cuts and militant violence. 

Voters hope that armed with a solid parliamentary majority 

Sharif, who took ofice yesterday, has a better shot at 

ixing the economy than his predecessors, beset by internal 

strife and strained relations with the powerful military. 

Stakes are high not just for Sharif, 63, who won his third 

chance to lead the 180-million nation largely by making 

economic revival and ixing government inances the centrepiece 

of his policy platform. 

Economic turnaround is also essential to ensure greater 

political stability in the nuclear-armed nation, which is a key 

ally in the US ight against militancy. 

Economists say it will take years to fully revive a long-neglected 

economy starved of power and investment that has 

seen it slip behind its neighbours including India. 

"This is not a country which lives beyond its means. It 

doesn't have the means," says Werner Liepach, country director 

at Asian Development Bank. 

CUBANS barred from logging onto the Internet 

at home on Tuesday locked to 

newly opened public access spots to surf 

an uncensored World Wide Web — if they could 

afford the high prices. 

"I was able to get onto Facebook, download 

some music ... and I was able to chat with my 

family in Italy," said Luis Alonso, an 18-year-old 

student who paid to use communist Cuba's 118 

newly expanded public access web ofices. 

Cuba, the Americas' only one-party Communist 

ruled nation for ive decades, has one of the 

lowest Internet use rates in all of Latin America: 

2.6 million in 2011 out of a population of 11.1 

million, oficial data show. 

Only doctors, journalists and certain other 

professionals are allowed to connect to the 

Web from home. Dissidents have said the government's 

goal has been to control access to 

information and that restricting Internet access 

is just another form of censorship in a country 

where all media outlets are state-controlled. 

The government long claimed it was unable 

to join undersea iber-optic cable networks due 

to the US embargo in effect since 1962, forcing 

it to connect to the web via satellite hookups. 

And the government in the past blamed limited 

bandwidth for restrictions on Web access, 

saying it is forced to "prioritise" it for "social 

use" purposes, with universities, companies and 

research centres given preference. But now that 

may be changing, at least for Cuba's inancially 

well off. Having secured an undersea iber-optic 

cable from Venezuela, Cuba opened the public 

access sites at ofices of the state phone company 

Etesca. 

The public can access the Web for $4.50 

an hour, down from the previous $6 an hour, 

or check their email for an unchanged $1.50 

an hour. With almost all Cubans — from doctors 

to street sweepers — earning around $20 

a month, even the reduced rate will likely only 

appeal to those receiving money from abroad 

or earning hard currency tips in the tourism 

The government must start collecting taxes it is owed 

and overhaul power companies so they can produce enough 

electricity and stop draining public funds that have kept 

them aloat. Less than a million Pakistanis pay income taxes, 

iscal deicits run at close to 8 per cent of gross domestic 

product and a big chunk of government revenue is used 

up subsidising a power sector that covers just over half the 

country's needs. 

Pakistan's economy will expand 3.5 per cent in iscal 

2012/13, the International Monetary Fund says, from a 

peak of 9 per cent in 2004. The rupee, meanwhile, has lost 

almost 40 per cent of its value against the dollar since the 

last election in 2008. 

Sagging exports and debt repayments have nearly halved 

oficial currency reserves over the past year to $6.5 billion in 

late May. That is just enough to cover ive weeks of imports. 

The ADB estimates that about $500 million lows out of 

Pakistan every month, meaning that it may not have enough 

to meet about $5 billion in loan repayments due this year 

and next. Economists say Pakistan has vast potential for 

growth with a location at the crossroads between the Gulf 

nations, Central Asia, China and India and a young and 

growing population. 

But Sharif is also inheriting a country barely in control 

of its northeastern areas, plagued by militant and sectarian 

violence. A US drone strike that killed a top militant com- 

An employee of Cuban telecommunications company helps a client at a cyber place in Havana. — AFP 

Cubans get public Internet spots 

Cuba has one of 

the lowest Internet 

use rates in all of 

Latin America with 

2.6 million in 2011 

and only doctors, 

journalists and certain 

other professionals 

were allowed to 

connect to the Internet 

at home, writes 

Francisco Jara 

industry. "As low as the (access fees) may seem, 

they are still high in comparison with salaries 

we earn," Tania Molina, a doctor, said. "So we'll 

just continue as before." 

But a few of the more fortunate gave it a go 

with the World Wide Web. 

"The hardest thing for me was to upload 

photos on Facebook; I guess the size of the iles 

was too large," Alonso said. 

He was among a group of people logging on 

to check out Twitter, Facebook and other social 

media one of the new access points in Havana's 

landmark Focsa Building. 

Yoeldis Rodriguez, 34 and an employee at 

the government's Cuban Institute of Radio and 

TV, said the price tag meant she would just 

check her email, or use the Cuban-media only 

intranet. 

"I know the government said it needs to recoup 

on its investment... but the price is astronomical," 

she said. "For the average Cuban, it 

just cannot be paid, especially international access." 

"It is a step forward in the sense that before, 

you did not even have this," she said, adding: 

"How big of a step forward may be debatable." 

Some people said they felt intimidated because 

they had to show their government ID 

cards to get their web suring passes. 

Yet once they were online, they were surfing 

censorship-free, even to sites virulently opposed 

to Cuba's government, it is observed. 

There was a lot of bottled-up demand for Internet 

access in many of Cuba's provinces. 

In Holguin, in the east, a line of 15 people 

snaked outside one of the new web-access 

spots, one new web surfer said. At one spot in 

Cienfuegos, a line of 20 people backed up waiting 

to log on, an employee said. 

Just last week a senior oficial had denied 

that public access to the Internet was being 

limited in Cuba for political reasons, insisting it 

was due to "technological and inancial" considerations. 

mander last week further complicates Sharif's efforts to 

hold peace talks with the militants. 

Yet lenders, economists and ordinary Pakistanis are willing 

to give the new administration the beneit of the doubt. 

"The economy was just not on the previous government's 

radar," said Ashfaque Khan, dean of NUST Business School 

in Islamabad. "But the new government appears very serious 

about it." ADB's Liepach agrees. 

"If we are talking about whether there is a momentum 

for reform, I do think there is," he says. 

Lenders, rating agencies and commentators also say that 

Sharif's economic policy ticks a lot of the right boxes. 

There is a promise to revive growth by boosting investment 

funded by improved tax revenues and subsidy cuts. 

There is a plan to turn around loss-making state-owned 

irms including Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan 

Steel Mills and the National Shipping Corporation. 

There is also a plan to diversify Pakistan's energy mix 

to help end 20-hour power cuts and a promise to bolster 

business ties with India. Sharif's team plans to make an 

emergency cash injection of $5 billion to break a chain of 

payment arrears that has paralysed the power sector. The 

money would be raised through the sale of treasury bills. 

The administration is also considering taxing heavy electricity 

users, plugging tax loopholes, cutting the number of 

ministries and slashing non-development budget. 

A real estate boom 

By Mariano Andrade 

ANALYSIS 

WHILE many people scrimp and save to buy their irst modest home 

and others rent for life, New York is seeing a boom in housing construction 

for the fabulously rich. Buyers are snapping up high-rise 

luxury condos before they are even completed, with money gushing in from 

places like South America, the Middle East, China and Russia, as well as from 

New York. 

The global economic and inancial crisis may still linger in many parts of 

the world, but the Big Apple remains a ferociously bull market for developers. 

"The luxury market in New York City has rebounded to even higher prices 

than the last peak market. The stability of the New York market is attractive to 

many purchasers," said Jeff Dvorett, project manager of One57, a condo going 

up in mid-town Manhattan. 

Construction started in 2011 and 70 per cent of the homes in the building 

have been sold. When they have all gone, sales are expected to surpass $2 

billion, Dvorett said. One57 is 90 stories high and was designed by the award 

winning French architect Christian de Portzamparc. Two penthouses there 

have gone for between $90 million and $100 million, a record for a single 

dwelling in Manhattan. 

Similar dizzying igures come from a building called 56 Leonard in the 

Tribeca district of lower Manhattan. 

Seventy-ive per cent of its 145 condos sold in three months, and once the 

building is sold out revenue will exceed $1 billion, said Elizabeth Unger, sales 

director at Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group, the leading New York luxury 

real estate developer. 

"The success and velocity of sales at 56 Leonard is record breaking. Within 

two months, 50 per cent of its residences were sold with sales totaling over 

$600 million. Now, after three months on the market, we are 75 per cent sold," 

she said. Unger attributed the luxury housing boom to scant supply. 

"The New York market is in a condition of undersupply, particularly for 

unique and superior new product," she said. 

Furthermore, under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who took ofice in 2002, 

New York has experienced unprecedented investment and made major strides 

in infrastructure and commerce, she added. Ultra luxury condos seem to be 

popping up everywhere. According to the site CityRealty.com, the number of 

Manhattan condos with apartments costing more than $15 million has gone 

from 33 in 2009 to 49 this year. 

On 18th Street in the Chelsea district, an ediice built by architect Ralph 

Walker in 1926 to house a telephone call centre has been transformed a 47unit 

condo, with the most expensive property due to go on sale soon for $55 

million. Another two-bedroom apartment at Walker Tower with 300 square 

meters of loor space and a balcony with a view of the Empire State building 

was recently purchased for $14 million. 

Why so expensive? 

"These prospective buyers are looking for the highest quality; gracious living 

spaces, luxurious hotel services from the Park Hyatt, and unprecedented 

views of Central Park and the NYC skyline," Dvorett, Vice-President of Extell 

Development Company, said in allusion to One57. 

Unger said she is dealing with "informed and experienced buyers who recognise 

quality, attention to detail and exceptional construction. She said her 

buyers also appreciate "modern design and innovative architecture." 

In the case of 56 Leonard, which has 60 stories, part of the appeal lies in 

collaboration between Indian-British sculptor Anish Kapoor and the Swiss architectural 

irm Herzog & de Meuron. 

A view of the private terrace in a model unit during a press tour of 

luxury condominiums at the Walker Tower in New York. — AFP 

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

9

10 

INDIA 

Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda (L) shakes hands with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra 

Modi during a conference on internal security in New Delhi yesterday. The Prime Minister has convened an 

internal security meeting of Chief Ministers of all states to discuss the security issues. — AFP 

Travel tech summit opens tomorrow 

By Ashraf Padanna 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — A key 

global conference to help tour operators 

and travel professionals in India 

leverage the power of social media, 

the internet and digital technologies 

gets underway in Kerala tomorrow. 

The International Conference on 

Travel Technology (ICTT) India is the 

irst event of its kind in the country 

and is being organised by the Association 

of Tourism Trade Organizations, 

India (ATTOI) at The Leela in 

Kovalam, the group said in a release 

here yesterday. 

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy 

will inaugurate the ICTT India, 

supported by Kerala’s Department 

of Tourism, in the presence of Union 

Minister of State for Human Resource 

Development Dr Shashi Tharoor 

and state Tourism Minister AP Anil 

Kumar. 

The ICTT features 17 eminent 

E-eyes to monitor 

Mumbai loods 

MUMBAI — For the irst time in its 

148-year history, electronic eyes 

will monitor loods and lood-prone 

areas of Mumbai, courtesy 100 

CCTV cameras put up at strategic locations, 

an oficial said yesterday. 

Mayor Sunil Prabhu said the 

Municipal Corporation of Greater 

Mumbai (MCGM) had installed 16 

CCTV cameras while the Mumbai 

trafic police had set up another 84 

CCTV cameras at various locations 

in the city. 

"All these have been directly 

linked to the Mumbai Disaster Management 

Cell at the MCGM headquarters. 

As soon as there is looding 

in any area, the DMC will view 

it and initiate real-time measures to 

tackle it," Prabhu said. — IANS 

speakers from countries such as the 

US, UK, Australia, UAE and India with 

expertise in the travel industry and 

digital entrepreneurship. They include 

Bicky Carlra, Group President 

of UAE-based TraVision, 

“The conference is a natural it for 

Kerala Tourism since we have always 

been pioneers in using digital tools 

for promoting our state,” said Tourism 

Secretary Suman Billa, who will 

make a presentation on Kerala Tourism 

at the inaugural function. “However, 

the digital space is vast and 

dynamic and initiatives such as ICTT 

will help the travel industry keep up 

with the rapid changes.” 

More than 300 delegates, mostly 

tour operators from around the country 

and abroad are expected to attend 

the three-day conference which will 

feature talks and discussions on technologies 

that can help travel businesses 

sustain growth in a changing 

world. Travel media professionals 

Former Kerala minister dead 

KOCHI — Former Kerala minister 

Lonappan Nambadan breathed 

his last at a private hospital here 

Wednesday afternoon, family sources 

said. He was 77. 

Nambadan was ailing for a while. 

He is survived by his wife and three 

children. 

Popularly known as Nambadan 

Mash (short for master), Nambadan 

had served as a schoolteacher. He 

was renowned for his wit. Each time 

he stood up to speak in the Kerala 

assembly, his audience listened with 

rapt attention, waiting for the next 

joke. 

Nambadan began his political career 

in the Congress party, and later 

became a founder-member of the 

Kerala Congress. In the mid-1980s, 

he contested as a Left-supported in- 

and bloggers will be among the participants. 

Social media, online marketing, 

mobile applications, pricing 

and distribution strategies, managing 

reviews and handling competition, 

revenue management, business intelligence 

and the future of technology 

will be among the topics covered in 

the sessions. 

Among the speakers are Selina 

Power, a social media specialist from 

Australia, Chad Wiebesick, an awardwinning 

entrepreneur who oversees 

social media for the tourism ofice in 

the US State of Michigan, Philip Calvert, 

a UK based writer, strategist and 

LinkedIn expert, and Avijit Arya, the 

founder and CEO of digital marketing 

company Internet Moguls. 

“For travel and tourism businesses 

in India, this is a great opportunity to 

learn from professionals who have 

utilised digital technologies to maximum 

effect,” said ICTT organising 

secretary Anish Kumar P K. 

dependent candidate. 

Nambadan was a minister in the 

K. Karunakaran government of 1980. 

When he switched his loyalties in 

1982 to the Left Front, the state government 

fell. 

After shifting his allegiance, Nambadan 

became a minister in the Left 

Front government led by E.K. Nayanar 

(1987 to 1991). 

He was six-time legislator, between 

1977 and 2001. 

He contested, but lost the 2001 assembly 

polls. 

In the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, he 

tasted political victory again, trouncing 

K. Karunakaran's daughter 

Padmaja Venugopal by a margin of 

more than a lakh votes in the Mukundapuram 

constituency of Thrissur 

district. — IANS 

Pawan Goenka, President of Automotive and Farm Equipment Sectors at Mahindra & Mahindra, poses with the 

newly-unveiled Mahindra Verito Vibe compact car in Mumbai yesterday. Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd , India's 

largest sports utility vehicle maker, has made its irst push into the country's small car market a week after 

warning that ierce competition could erode its dominant SUV position. — Reuters 

Students protest 

against fake drugs 

SRINAGAR — Dozens of school children 

here yesterday staged a peaceful 

protest against fake drugs in 

Jammu and Kashmir. 

Carrying banners and placards 

saying "Fake drugs kill!", children 

from schools marched through the 

city centre Lal Chowk and other 

markets in the state's summer capital. 

“We have carried out many protests 

and marches against fake 

drugs. But today’s protest is expected 

to shake the conscience of the society," 

said Saleem Ibn Sultan, who 

organised the children's protest. 

“Sub-standard and fake drugs are 

being supplied at government-run 

hospitals in Srinagar and Jammu. 

This should not go unpardoned," he 

said. — IANS 

THURSDAY,JUNE 6, 2013 

Chief ministers express 

reservations over NCTC 

NEW DELHI — Chief ministers of 

parties not belonging to the ruling 

dispensation at the centre expressed 

strong reservations yesterday over 

the proposed National Counter Terrorism 

Centre. Some Congress chief 

ministers too expressed concern. 

Chief ministers said they feared 

the move would violate the principle 

of federalism. Some Congress-ruled 

states too shared this concern. 

The NCTC is proposed as a federal 

anti-terror agency. The proposal for 

its setting up came in the wake of the 

November 26, 2008 Mumbai attacks. 

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra 

Modi said: "I think the new draft has 

taken into consideration some of the 

concerns raised by the states. However, 

some concerns remain. We have 

reservations about the proposed 

structure and functioning." 

He said: "The proposed structure 

of the NCTC is not in congruence with 

the principles of federalism and the 

clear division of powers between the 

union and the states as envisaged under 

the constitution." 

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar 

stuck to the apprehensions he had expressed 

last year. "I had expressed serious 

apprehensions about the structure, 

powers and functions of the 

proposed NCTC. The draft order still 

suffers from several laws," he said at 

the meet on internal security here. 

Tripura Chief Minister Manik 

Sarkar said: "The state government 

fully appreciates the need for an effective 

mechanism for sharing of intelligence 

by the centre and the states. 

However, the state government had 

expressed opposition to the manner 

in which the Ministry of Home Affairs 

had sought to set up the NCTC." 

While some Congress chief ministers 

welcomed the proposed agency, 

they also sought clarity on the “operational 

eficacy” and “respective roles” 

of the centre and the state in case of 

joint operations. 

“The proposed draft requires fur- 

HDIL abandons Kerala 

project, land up for sale 

By Ashraf Padanna 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — The 

Housing Development & Infrastructure 

Limited (HDIL) has shelved the 

CyberCity project in the Kerala port 

city of Kochi. 

The debt-ridden property developer 

yesterday put out an advertisement 

seeking buyers or joint developers 

for 70 acres of land it bought 

from the public sector Hindustan 

Machine Tools (HMT) ive years back. 

The then Chief Minister VS 

Achuthanandan had distanced from 

the inauguration of the project saying 

it was not clean, prompting his 

industries minister Elamaram Kareem 

to ask if an industry could be set 

ther examination to understand the 

implications of these provisions on 

operational eficacy and clarity of 

respective roles in such joint operations,” 

Maharashtra Chief Minister 

Prithviraj Chavan said. 

“There is a need to carefully calibrate 

the roles, responsibilities and 

powers of the proposed agency without 

undermining the powers of the 

state government in any way,” said 

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul 

Sangma, while supporting the NCTC. 

Agreeing about the relevance 

of “data- and intelligence-sharing 

and planning anti-terrorist activities”, 

Karnataka Chief Minister K. 

Siddaramaiah said: “Some safeguards 

are necessary before setting up the 

NCTC so that they are not given unbridled 

powers to encroach upon the 

states’ domain.” 

However, Andhra Pradesh Chief 

Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy described 

NCTC as a “well planned initiative 

to counter terrorism.” — IANS 

Kashmiri Muslim schoolchildren hold placards as they surround a schoolboy on a stretcher during a protest 

against the supply of spurious drugs like antibiotics to government hospitals, in Srinagar. Schoolchildren took 

to the streets against spurious drugs and demanded the punishment of those involved in fake drugs. — AFP 

BJP wins big in Gujarat by-polls 

GANDHINAGAR — The Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP) yesterday wrested 

two Lok Sabha and four assembly 

seats from the Congress in the byelections 

held in Gujarat. 

The BJP strength in the assembly 

has now risen from 115 to 119 and 

its Lok Sabha tally from Gujarat from 

15 to 17. 

Chief Minister Narendra Modi said 

the people had rejected the Congress 

wholesale. 

"Heartfelt gratitude to the people 

of Gujarat for reposing faith in the 

BJP yet again. These victories clearly 

show (that) people are fed up with 

Congress," he tweeted. 

"This indicates how people have 

lost trust in the centre and want 

change desperately," he added. 

In the Porbandar Lok Sabha seat, 

former Congress legislator and BJP 

nominee Vithal Radadiya secured a 

massive 1.34 lakh margin, defeating 

his nearest Congress rival Vinu Ampara. 

In the Banaskantha Lok Saba 

seat, BJP's Hari Chaudhary notched a 

71,000 vote victory against Congress' 

Krishna Gadhvi, the widow of former 

sitting party legislator Mukesh Gadhvi. 

Making a clean sweep in the assembly 

by-polls, the BJP wrested four 

seats held by the Congress in different 

parts of the state, including Morva-Hadaf, 

Limbdi, Dhoraji and Jetpur. 

In the Congress bastion Morva- 

Hadaf seat, BJP's Nimisha Suthar defeated 

Bhupendra Khant of Congress 

by nearly 18,000 votes. 

Congress' Satish Patel bit the dust 

as the BJP's Kiritsinh Rana trounced 

him by over 24,000 votes at Limbdi. 

Dhoraji also voted the BJP way 

when its Pravin Mankadiya wrested 

the seat from his Congress rival Hari 

Patel by a margin of over 11,000 

votes. 

Jetpur also nodded for the BJP's 

Jayesh Radadiya who trounced his 

nearest Congress rival Jagdish Pambhar 

by over 52,000 votes. 

The leader of the opposition in 

the Gujarat assembly, Shankersinh 

Vaghela, said: "We will work harder 

to reach out to the people of the 

state." — IANS 

up atop coconut trees. The company 

had announced a highway-facing IT 

park in a special economic zone with 

a planned investment of Rs23bn. 

The company oficials said they 

were looking for a buyer for the land 

in the booming city, which would now 

fetch ive times the amount it paid to 

HMT, or a joint venture partner to repay 

debts. The state government had 

recently decided to take back land allotted 

to industrial projects lying idle. 

The construction of Cyber City, which 

has all approvals, including environmental 

clearance, was scheduled to 

begin on February17, 2011. 

While Achuthanandan had 

skipped the ceremony, Kareem laid 

the foundation. 

Howrah by-poll 

result a lesson for 

Mamata: CPI-M 

KOLKATA — Claiming that the party 

has gained in its vote share, the 

CPI-M yesterday said West Bengal's 

Howrah Lok Sabha by-poll result 

should come as a lesson for the ruling 

Trinamool Congress. 

"Despite the terror tactics of the 

Trinamool, we have gained over 4.5 

per cent of the vote share, though 

we could not win. The poll result 

should come as a lesson for the 

Trinamool," Communist Party of India-M 

(CPI-M) leader Surjya Kanta 

Mishra told reporters here. 

The Trinamool retained the Howrah 

Lok Sabha seat, with former 

footballer Prasun Banerjee defeating 

the CPI-M's Sridip Bhattacharya 

by over 27,000 votes. 

The by-poll was necessitated by 

the death of Trinamool MP Ambica 

Banerjee on April 25. He had polled 

37,392 votes over the CPI-M nominee 

in 2009. — IANS


Need for shift in strategy 

to tackle Maoists: PM 

NEW DELHI — Readting to Maoist 

attacks like the May 25 strike against 

Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh, 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said 

yesterday the government's strategy 

of sustained operations and addressing 

development issues must be 

strengthened. 

Addressing the Chief Ministers' 

Conference on internal security 

here, Manmohan Singh said attacks 

like the May 25 one in which 

at least 26 people, including senior 

Congress leaders Nand Kumar Patel 

and Mahendra Karma, were killed 

and many injured were "periodical 

setbacks" in the process to tackle 

extremism. 

The prime minister said the government's 

two-pronged strategy to 

tackle the Maoist problem — "proactive 

and sustained operations against 

Maoist extremists; and, addressing 

development and governance issues" 

needed to be strengthened. 

These, the prime minister said, 

include improving road connectivity 

in 34 districts, relaxation of norms 

of various development schemes in 

the affected areas and the Integrated 

Action Plan for 82 selected tribal and 

backward districts. 

He said the meet could be used to 

ind "some measures to deal with the 

very grave threat of Naxalism". 

"I must point out that the challenge 

of Naxalism has received our 

serious attention. We have been successful 

to quite an extent," he said. 

According to the prime minister, 

the government should ensure that 

people residing in left wing extremism 

affected areas are able to live in 

environment of peace and security. 

The prime minister urged all chief 

ministers to irmly deal with communal 

forces as communal harmony was 

critical for the growth and prosperity 

of the country. 

"It is absolutely imperative that we 

deal very irmly with communal forces 

of all types," he said. 

"Simultaneously, we need to recognise 

and address the special needs of 

minorities and weaker sections of our 

society, particularly Scheduled Castes 

and Scheduled Tribes." 

He also called for "collective action" 

by states to put in place an institutional 

mechanism to ensure the 

safety and security of women and 

children. 

"The issue which requires our collective 

action is that of crimes against 

women and children," he said. 

"We also need to put in place institutional 

mechanisms to ensure the 

safety and security of women and 

children, particularly in the urban 

context," Manmohan Singh said. 

Noting the "time has now come 

to view the challenges of terrorism, 

communal violence and left wing 

extremism in a holistic manner", 

Manmohan Singh urged people to 

act in national interest rising above 

narrow political and ideological divides. 

"I would appeal to all political parties 

and all sections of society to work 

together to ind effective ways and 

means of meeting these grave challenges," 

he said. 

To build a broader national consensus 

on the strategy to tackle 

the challenge, the government has 

convened a meeting of all political 

parties on June 10, said the prime 

minister. 

The chief ministers termed the 

May 25 Maoist strike in Chhattisgarh 

a "direct attack on democracy and 

freedom" and resolved "to use all legitimate 

means at their disposal to 

counter the activities of the Communist 

Party of India-Maoist." — IANS 

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav (R) shakes hands with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar 

during a conference on internal security in New Delhi yesterday. The Prime Minister has convened an internal 

security meeting of Chief Ministers of all states to discuss the security issues at all fronts in the country. — AFP 

IPL scandal: Raj Kundra questioned 

NEW DELHI — Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra and 

his friend Umesh Goenka were questioned yesterday by 

the Delhi Police here in connection with the Indian Premier 

League (IPL) spot ixing scandal, an oficer said. 

Kundra was asked to clarify his role in the IPL franchise 

Rajasthan Royals and give more details about three arrested 

team players — S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet 

Chavan, the oficer said. "We sought details on Kundra's 

ownership in the Rajasthan Royals team. Kundra was also 

asked to describe his responsibilities as he has 11.7 per 

cent stake in the team and the rest of the stake is divided 

among other three owners — Suresh Chellaram, Manoj 

Badale and Andrew Murdoch," said the oficer. 

Kundra was asked if he had any other information 

about the role of Sreesanth, Chandila and Chavan in spot 

Antony discusses defence ties in Australia 

CANBERRA/NEW DELHI — Defence 

Minister A K Antony, visiting Australia, 

met his Australian counterpart 

Stephen Smith over two days to 

discuss shared strategic and security 

interests, including maritime security 

and bilateral defence co-operation. 

Both ministers issued a joint statement 

yesterday after talks in Perth 

and in Canberra. Antony's visit is the 

irst ever oficial visit by an Indian defence 

minister to Australia. 

Speaking at a reception hosted in 

his honour at Perth, Antony said defence 

co-operation between India and 

Australia has increased in the last few 

years. He said: “India values its strategic 

partnership with Australia and we 

are committed to further strengthen 

our bilateral relations in various areas 

including defence.” 

Referring to the Indian Ocean 

Region, Antony said: “It is critical to 

our maritime interests. India's economic 

development is dependent 

on maritime trade. The security of 

shipping along with sea lanes is of 

vital interest to us.” 

According to a statement, Antony 

and Smith exchanged ideas concerning 

regional and international security 

as well as defence co-operation 

and exchanges between Australia and 

India. Both sides agreed to continue 

to contribute to the peace, stability 

and prosperity of the Asia-Paciic region 

and to promote co-operation in 

the Indian Ocean region, according to 

the joint statement. 

Both took note of the progress 

made in defence co-operation, in accordance 

with the MoU on defence 

co-operation inked in 2006, the joint 

declaration on security co-operation 

issued in 2009 and the joint statement 

issued during Australian Prime 

Minister Julia Gillard's visit to India in 

2012, the joint statement said. 

The ministers “took note of the 

growing co-operation between the 

navies of both countries”. 

Antony accepted Smith's invitation 

for the participation of Indian naval 

ships in the International Fleet Re- 

ixing and he replied in the negative, said the police of- 

icer. Apart from Kundra and Goenka, police also called 

Rajasthan Royals cricketer Siddharth Trivedi, who is a 

prosecution witness in the scandal. 

Trivedi, who has played for Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy, 

was earlier questioned on May 30. "Kundra was contacted 

by phone and asked to come to Delhi. He was questioned at 

the Special Cell ofice, starting 10 am," said the oficer. The 

Rajasthan Royals owner's questioning lasted six hours. 

"Kundra was also asked if it was not his responsibility 

to ensure the directions of the anti-corruption unit of 

the Board of Control for Cricket in India. When he asked 

why his franchise did not try to tell players to follow the 

norms of the board, he replied that the players are mature 

enough," the oficer said. — IANS 

view to be held in Sydney in October 

this year. 

Both sides acknowledged that 

maritime security and freedom of 

navigation in accordance with principles 

of international law is critical 

for the growth and prosperity of the 

Asia-Paciic and Indian Ocean regions. 

They agreed to continue consultations 

and co-operation on issues concerning 

the Asia-Paciic and Indian 

Ocean regions both bilaterally and 

multilaterally, including through various 

like the East Asia Summit, ASEAN 

Regional Forum, ASEAN Defence Ministers' 

Meeting-Plus and the Indian 

Ocean Rim Association for Regional 

Cooperation (IOR-ARC). 

Both countries are already cooperating 

through the Indian Ocean 

Naval Symposium (IONS), which Australia 

will chair next year, along with 

hosting the IONS Conclave of Chiefs 

in Perth in March 2014, and the IOR- 

ARC of which India is currently chair 

and Australia the next chair. 

INDIA 

11 

US Ambassador to India, Nancy J Powell (L) talks with Senior Bhartiya Janata Party leader, L K Advani prior to 

a meeting in New Delhi yesterday. — AFP 

First RTI plea on party funding 

PANAJI — Two days after the Central 

Information Commission (CIC) ruled 

political parties were within the ambit 

of the Right to Information (RTI) 

Act, a Goa information crusader is already 

on the job. 

Kashinath Shetye, a former government 

employee, iled an RTI petition 

with the Bharatiya Janata Party 

(BJP) seeking information on the 

party's cash and donation receipts 

from mining companies, and contributions 

made by its legislators and 

ofice bearers. 

"An application under the RTI Act 

has been submitted to the BJP. Similar 

applications will be submitted to 

the Congress, NCP (Nationalist Congress 

Party), and regional parties like 

the Maharshtrawadi Gomantak Party 

(MGP) and Goa Vikas Party (GVP)," 

Shetye said. 

One piece of the information Shetye 

has sought in his RTI plea is: 

"Total donations received by the BJP 

from Vedanta/Sesa Goa and other 

mining companies." 

Although the cosy relationship between 

mining irms and political parties 

is well known in Goa, it is scarcely 

documented. 

On record, Sesa Goa Pvt Ltd., the 

state's biggest ore producer and exporter, 

paid Rs.85 lakh to the BJP and 

Rs.30 lakh to the Congress party in 

2009-10. The MGP received Rs.2 lakh, 

while Shiv Sena got Rs.1 lakh during 

the same year. 

This roughly coincides with the period 

when Goa's mining output was at 

its peak and so was the illegal mining. 

Shetye has also sought to know if 

it is compulsory for every BJP legislator 

to contribute towards party 

fund. "If yes, please provide complete 

and detailed information," the 

petition said. 

The petitioner has asked the BJP 

whether it is aware about any of its 

legislators' involvement in corruption 

and, if so, what action has been taken 

by the party. 

The RTI application also seeks 

copies of the party's election manifes- 

to from 1999-2012 to check whether 

"all the promises made in these election 

manifestoes (were) fulilled after 

the BJP formed its government in the 

state". 

In his application, Shetye has 

sought ile notings on the movement 

of his RTI petition. 

A senior BJP leader, however, said 

that the party's central leadership 

was still studying the CIC order and 

the state unit is yet to receive any direction 

from them on the protocol to 

be followed on RTI applications. 

"We will need some time to modify 

the organisational structure and 

streamline our information channel if 

we are to entertain RTI applications," 

the BJP leader said. 

Shetye, however, said that if he did 

not receive a reply to his RTI plea, 

he would push it again and then approach 

the high court for relief. 

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar 

Tuesday welcomed the CIC ruling on 

bringing political parties within the 

ambit of the RTI Act. — IANS 

Lightning kills scores in Bihar, UP 

NEW DELHI — Lightning in two 

states has killed at least 44 people 

and injured more than three dozen, 

oficials and news reports said yesterday. 

At least 31 people died in the eastern 

state of Bihar when a storm hit 

nine districts, state disaster management 

oficial S K Chaudhary said. 

At least ive people were killed 

during pre-monsoon showers yesterday, 

the minister in charge of Bihar's 

disaster management said. 

"It is sad that lightning claimed so 

many lives," the minister, Renu Ku- 

mari Kushwaha, said in the state capital 

Patna. 

Another ministry oficial said six 

children were playing outdoors during 

the showers when they were electrocuted. 

Lightning strikes during the June- 

September annual monsoon are fairly 

common in the state where villagers 

living in bamboo and grass huts are 

at risk of death or injury. 

The monsoon is set to cover loodprone 

Bihar on June 12, meteorological 

oficials have said. 

"Victims who were struck by light- 

ning bolts were mostly farmers or 

the homeless who were outdoors," 

Chaudhary said by phone from state 

capital Patna. 

"Aurangabad was the worst-affected 

district, accounting for six deaths," 

he added. 

Around 25 people had sustained 

serious burn injuries and were being 

treated at hospitals, Chaudhary said. 

Lightning strikes also claimed 13 

lives in four districts of the northern 

state of Uttar Pradesh adjoining Bihar. 

More than a dozen were reported injured. 

— Agencies 

An Indian worker carries a defunct CRT Monitor for disassembly at Ash Recyclers, a government approved 

e-waste management irm in Bangalore yesterday, the World Environment Day. India sits on a huge mound 

of e-waste as annually an estimated 800,000 tonnes are generated giving a new dimension to the already 

dificult scenario of solid waste management in the country. According to senior scientist of the Ministry of 

Environment and Forest, NLNS Prasad, as many as 65 cities, headed by Mumbai, contribute more than 60 per 

cent of the total e-waste generated in the country. — AFP

12 

AMERICAS 

US Secretary of State John Kerry (2-R) and Guatemalan Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Rita Claverie wave to 

the press upon his arrival at the Guatemalan Air Force (FAG) base in Guatemala City. — AFP 

Hopes of improved ties in Obama-Xi talks 

WASHINGTON — The United States 

hopes the "fast on his feet" style of 

China's new President Xi Jinping will 

loosen the stiling formality of past 

summits that did little to ease great 

power mistrust. 

Obama will test the proposition 

that China's new leader is ready to 

talk candidly about the many differences 

between Washington and 

Beijing at an unusual laid-back meeting 

tomorrow and Saturday in California. 

But a cresting dispute about alleged 

Chinese cyber espionage, with 

both sides staking out tough positions, 

threatens to swamp the narra- 

tive adopted by both sides of an informal 

get-to-know you summit with 

low expectations. 

Obama and Xi will have informal 

chats, a private dinner and a second 

day of bilateral talks in a freewheeling 

agenda that is a departure for the 

normally tightly scripted US-China 

summits, US oficials said. 

There are also plans for them 

to answer several questions from 

reporters at what will be the irst 

summit since Xi rose to power as 

China's supreme leader and Obama 

embarked on his second White 

House term. Despite simmering US- 

China tensions, the agenda shows 

Army called in to defuse 

conlicts over Indian lands 

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO — President 

Dilma Rousseff's government said it 

would send 110 federal troops to the 

Brazilian farm state of Mato Grosso 

do Sul to try to prevent more violence 

between Indians claiming their 

ancestral territory and ranchers. 

The government has been struggling 

to defuse tensions with indigenous 

tribes over farmland in several 

states as well as over hydroelectric 

dams in the Amazon. 

Tensions escalated in a disputed 

property in Mato Grosso do Sul that 

was invaded last week for a second 

time by Terena Indians angered by 

the fatal shooting of one of their 

tribe's members. Local media said 

the man's cousin was shot and injured 

on a nearby ranch on Tuesday. 

"We must avoid radicalising a 

situation that goes back a long way 

in Brazilian history," Justice Minister 

Jose Cardozo told reporters. 

However, protests have now 

erupted across the country. In Rio 

Grande do Sul state, about 2,000 

Kaingang and Guarani Indians were 

blocking roads to protest the govern- 

ment's decision to put on hold the 

granting of ancestral lands to indigenous 

communities, a concession to 

Brazil's powerful farm lobby. 

"The government has abandoned 

us. Dilma isn't supporting indigenous 

peoples," Indian chief Deoclides 

de Paula said by telephone from a 

blocked highway. 

In Curitiba, the Parana state capital, 

30 Kaingang Indians invaded the 

ofices of the ruling Workers' Party 

on Monday and only agreed to leave 

10 hours later when they were promised 

a meeting with Rousseff's chief 

of staff, Gleisi Hoffmann. 

Hoffmann, who will run for governor 

of Parana next year, said last 

month that the role of the government's 

Indian affairs ofice, Funai, in 

land decisions would be restricted. 

Cardozo, however, stressed on 

Tuesday that Funai would not be gutted 

and would continue to play a central 

role as the main institution that 

defends Indian rights, though others 

will be brought in to improve the 

process of deciding ancestral lands. 

— Reuters 

Chile's President Sebastian Pinera (L) with his El Salvadoran 

counterpart Mauricio Funes at the presidential palace in San Salvador. 

Pinera is on an oficial visit to El Salvador. — Reuters 

Washington hopes to move on from 

what aides have privately described 

as Obama's frustrating meetings with 

Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao that stuck 

to talking points. 

"(Xi) seems to be someone who is 

fast on his feet, who's open to engagement," 

said a White House oficial, 

speaking on condition of anonymity 

to preview the talks at the Annenberg 

retreat in sweltering Palm Springs. 

Xi also appears "willing to speak 

directly to Americans and to issues 

of concern to Americans in a manner 

that was not the hallmark of some of 

his predecessors," the oficial said. 

— AFP 

Tornado was the 

widest on record 

WASHINGTON — The tornado that 

killed at least 14 people last weekend 

as it ploughed through Oklahoma 

was the widest on record at 4.2 

kilometres, and more powerful than 

originally estimated, the National 

Weather Service said. 

The service based in Norman, 

Oklahoma, upgraded the intensity 

of the storm to EF-5, the strongest 

level a tornado can reach on an enhanced 

Fujita scale. The original estimate 

had been EF-3. 

EF-5 level indicates wind speeds 

of more than 320 kilometres per 

hour. In some of the vortices of the 

multi-funneled storm, wind speeds 

reached nearly 480 kilometres per 

hour, according to measurements 

by two teams of scientists, CNN reported. 

The tornado was on the ground 

for 26 kilometres, grinding away for 

40 minutes Friday evening and battering 

to death a high-proile threeman 

team of storm chasers. 

The path width "is believed to be 

the widest tornado on record in the 

United States," the service said. 

— dpa 

Post unveils 

paywall plans 

WASHINGTON — The Washington 

Post said yesterday it would start 

a metered paywall beginning on 

June 12, offering digital subscription 

packages at between $9.99 and 

$14.99 per month. 

The Post had been one of few remaining 

major US newspapers to 

offer its content free of charge online, 

but it has been facing inancial 

struggles along with the rest of the 

industry. 

Readers will be able to view 20 

articles or features per month before 

being asked to subscribe, publisher 

Katharine Weymouth said in 

an online posting. 

"We hope you will consider subscribing 

even if you don't reach the 

limit; a subscription will provide 

unlimited access to all The Post's 

world-class journalism, multimedia 

and interactive features and more," 

Weymouth said. 

"Importantly, you will also be 

helping to support our newsgathering 

operations." — AFP 


Kerry to push for OAS reform, 

broad debate on drug policy 

ANTIGUA, Guatemala — US Secretary 

of State John Kerry will press for reform 

of the 35-nation Organization 

of American States and back a broad 

approach to tackling drug-related 

violence at OAS meetings this week, a 

senior US oficial said. 

Kerry, who arrived in Guatemala 

on Tuesday, will also meet with Venezuelan 

Foreign Minister Elias Jaua 

on the sidelines of the OAS meetings 

later, the oficial said. 

Venezuela has been a vocal critic 

of the United States in Latin America, 

and the encounter would be the irst 

high-level meeting between the two 

countries in several years. 

Kerry is on his irst oficial visit to 

Central America as President Barack 

Obama's top diplomat. The US oficial 

said Kerry would push for an overhaul 

of the OAS to improve its effectiveness 

by refocusing its mission on 

the defence of democracy and human 

rights, while promoting security and 

development throughout the region. 

In a belt-tightening environment, 

the United States, the OAS's chief 

paymaster, is reluctant to see its con- 

tribution to the body increase and is 

pushing for the organisation to put its 

inances on sounder footing, the oficial 

added. 

"It is particularly important to us 

at this time of budget constraints that 

the OAS be using those funds responsibly," 

the US oficial said, speaking on 

condition of anonymity. 

The meetings are set to debate 

new strategies in the region's crackdown 

on drug gangs and discuss a recent 

OAS report on drug policy in the 

Americas, which called for a "lexible 

approach" and suggested that legalisation 

of marijuana be considered. 

The OAS urged a reconsideration 

of global drug policy at a general assembly 

in Guatemala this week, saying 

that efforts must focus on treatment 

of users and education rather 

than incarceration. 

Central America has been ravaged 

by criminal violence as Mexican drug 

cartels, squeezed by attempts to root 

them out at home, have sought to diversify 

their operations southward. 

The OAS, which issued a report in 

May calling for a softer approach to- 

Susan Rice new national security adviser 

WASHINGTON — President Barack 

Obama conducted a major shakeup 

of his foreign policy team yesterday, 

naming Susan Rice as his new White 

House national security adviser after 

she withdrew from consideration last 

December for secretary of state because 

she was a lightning rod for Republican 

criticism. 

Rice, currently the US Ambassador 

to the United Nations and a longtime 

Obama conidante, will take over in 

July from Tom Donilon as the person 

who co-ordinates American foreign 

policy from the White House, oficials 

said. The shakeup comes as Obama 

grapples with a welter of foreign pol- 

icy challenges that are testing his diplomatic 

skills, from Syria's civil war to 

China's rise on the world stage. 

To replace Rice, Obama will nominate 

Samantha Power — a Pulitzer 

Prize-winning author, former White 

House aide and Harvard professor — 

as UN ambassador, White House oficials 

said. 

Power's selection amounts to a 

fresh chance for her after her discretion 

and diplomatic skills were called 

into question by her labelling then- 

Democratic presidential candidate 

Hillary Clinton — running against 

Obama at the time for the party's 

White House nomination — a "mon- 

Filmmaker accused of 

being spy deported 

CARACAS — Venezuela deported a 

US ilmmaker who had been arrested 

in April on accusations he was working 

as a spy for Washington and advising 

opposition student groups on 

how to destabilise the South American 

Opec nation. 

"The gringo Timothy Hallet Tracy, 

who was captured while spying in 

our country, has been expelled," Interior 

and Justice Minister Miguel Rodriguez 

Torres said on Twitter yesterday. 

Tracy's lawyer, Daniel Rosales, 

said the charges against his client 

had been dropped, and that the 35year-old 

ilmmaker was put on a 

light to Miami. The outcome of his 

case has been seen as a test of new 

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's 

intentions toward Washington 

following years of hostility from his 

predecessor, the late socialist leader 

Hugo Chavez. 

President Barack Obama had said 

the accusations against Tracy were 

"ridiculous." Friends and relatives of 

Tracy, who was a director and producer 

at Los Angeles-based Freehold 

Productions, according to his LinkedIn 

proile, said he was making a 

documentary in Venezuela ahead of 

its April 14 presidential election. 

He was arrested 10 days after the 

vote as he tried to ly out of the country 

— amid a lurry of headline-grabbing 

accusations by the government 

that included a claim Washington 

was plotting to assassinate Maduro. 

Venezuelan authorities said intelligence 

agents had been tracking Tracy 

since late 2012 and had uncovered 

ample evidence that he was plotting 

with militant anti-government 

groups to provoke "civil war." 

Rosales said the ilmmaker had 

been treated well during his time behind 

bars. "Everything worked out 

well in the end," the lawyer said. 

— Reuters 

ward drug users, said that harsh law 

enforcement policies face complex 

challenges and that member states 

should reach an agreement to improve 

prevention and reduce the demand 

for illegal substances. 

Without issuing any concrete recommendations 

for new policies, OAS 

General Secretary Jose Miguel Insulza 

said that the meetings will encourage 

greater debate for reform. 

"This won't be the closing chapter, 

rather the opening chapter," Insulza 

told reporters this week. "We are 

knocking on sensitive doors, but we 

need to examine drug policy." 

Guatemalan president Otto Perez, 

who met Kerry on Tuesday, has said 

the war on drugs in Latin America 

has failed and has called for decriminalisation 

of narcotics. 

After the meeting, Perez, a retired 

general, said the United States had 

shown it was ready to support "dialogue" 

on the issue. 

Washington has held back recognition 

of leftist President Nicolas Maduro, 

chosen successor of the late Hugo 

Chavez. — Reuters 

ster" in 2008. The remark prompted 

her resignation from Obama's campaign 

team. 

By appointing Rice as his national 

security adviser, Obama avoids a congressional 

ight because the job does 

not require Senate conirmation. Congressional 

Republicans have sharply 

criticised her role in the aftermath of 

last year's attack on a US compound 

in Benghazi, Libya. 

Rice igures to play a more 

prominent public role in promoting 

Obama's foreign policy than the lowkey 

Donilon, who largely stayed behind 

the scenes and appeared to be 

camera shy. — Reuters 

Fireighters line up during a processional before a memorial service for four Houston ireighters in Houston, 

Texas yesterday. Four ireighters died and 13 others were injured when the roof collapsed while battling a 

ive-alarm ire at a hotel and restaurant in Houston. — Reuters 

Republican pushes 

tougher border plan 

WASHINGTON — The second-ranking 

Senate Republican yesterday 

unveiled a proposal to signiicantly 

tighten security on the US-Mexico 

border before giving undocumented 

workers legal status in the broad 

immigration bill being considered 

in the US Senate. 

The proposal from Senator John 

Cornyn of Texas, a sceptic of the 

bill that would grant legal status to 

some 11 million undocumented immigrants, 

would require the Department 

of Homeland Security to have 

surveillance over the entire US-Mexico 

border and meet a benchmark of 

apprehending at least 90 per cent of 

people trying to cross the border illegally. 

Cornyn would tie achievement of 

the benchmarks to the plan to give 

permanent legal status to undocumented 

immigrants. Many immigrants' 

rights groups oppose such 

provisions, saying they would erode 

the path to citizenship at the heart 

of the bill. — Reuters


People see off buses carrying students who are travelling to attend the college entrance examination, or gaokao, at Maotanchang High School in 

Liu'an, Anhui province yesterday. Thousands of people including teachers, relatives and local residents came to bid farewell to more than 11,000 

students from the school who are going to attend the exam which falls on June 7 and 8, local media reported. — Reuters 

South Korea 'kidnapped' 

returned refugees: North 

SEOUL — North Korea yesterday accused 

the South of having lured, kidnapped 

and brainwashed nine young 

North Korean refugees who were recently 

forcibly repatriated from Laos 

to Pyongyang via China. 

Their case has attracted international 

concern and condemnation, 

with the United Nations and human 

rights groups warning the North that 

it would be held responsible for the 

safety of the refugees — aged between 

14 and 18. 

But a lengthy statement attributed 

to a spokesman for the central committee 

of the North Korean Red Cross 

Society said the nine were among 

many people lured away from the 

country by South Korean government-sponsored 

human trafickers, 

posing as religious activists. 

ASIA 

13 

China has 'mountains of data' 

about US cyber attacks: oficial 

BEIJING — China's top Internet security oficial says he has "mountains of 

data" pointing to extensive US hacking aimed at China, but it would be irresponsible 

to blame Washington for such attacks, and called for greater cooperation 

to ight hacking. 

Cyber security is a major concern for the US government and is expected 

to be at the top of the agenda when President Barack Obama meets with Chinese 

President Xi Jinping in California today and tomorrow. 

Obama will tell Xi that Washington considers Beijing responsible for any 

cyber attacks launched from Chinese soil and must take action to curb hightech 

spying, White House oficials said on Tuesday. 

China's Internet security chief complained that Washington used the 

news media to raise cyber security concerns which would be better settled 

through communication, not confrontation. 

"We have mountains of data, if we wanted to accuse the US, but it's not 

helpful in solving the problem," said Huang Chengqing, director of the National 

Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination 

Center of China, known as CNCERT. "They advocated cases that they 

never let us know about," Huang said in comments on Tuesday and carried 

by the government-run China Daily newspaper yesterday. 

"Some cases can be addressed if they had talked to us, why not let us 

know? It is not a constructive train of thought to solve problems." 

CNCERT has instead co-operated with the United States, receiving 32 Internet 

security cases from the United States in the irst four months of 2013, 

and handling most promptly, except for a few that lacked suficient proof, 

Huang said. Designs for more than two dozen major US weapons systems 

have been compromised by Chinese hackers, the Washington Post reported 

late last month. 

The compromised designs included combat aircraft and ships, as well as 

missile defence systems vital for Europe, Asia and the Gulf, the newspaper 

said, citing a report prepared for the US Defence Department by the Defence 

Science Board. — Reuters 

Even after earlier ire, poultry plant workers didn't query locked doors 

DEHUI, China — Workers at a poultry slaughterhouse 

in northeastern China where 119 

people died in a ire this week saw nothing 

odd in the plant's doors being locked, even after 

a previous ire at the 4-year-old facility. 

One 36-year-old worker, who gave her family 

name as Li, said there had been a ire at the 

facility, where ammonia is stored for produce 

refrigeration, three years ago. That was said 

to have been started by a lighted cigarette. 

China's government has said initial investigations 

into the cause of Monday's blaze point 

to ammonia gas leaks that triggered explosions, 

and also blamed lammable building 

materials, poor design of escape exits and insuficient 

ire prevention equipment. 

"It is an unprecedented and heinous 

class-A crime — luring our 

young children, conining and brainwashing 

them against their will and 

trying to drag them to the South," the 

spokesman said. The nine refugees 

were arrested in Laos on May 10 for 

illegal entry and were eventually returned 

to North Korea via China. 

The Lao foreign ministry said two 

South Koreans accompanying the refugees 

were detained for alleged human 

traficking and later handed over 

to the South's embassy in Vientiane. 

The foreign ministry in Seoul rejected 

the "traficker" label and said 

the two were acting as "guides" and 

trying to secure the refugees' permanent 

escape from the North. 

Most North Korean refugees begin 

their journey by crossing into 

2 more reactors used fake 

part certiicates: Seoul 

SEOUL — A South Korean government 

probe into nuclear safety has 

uncovered cables with forged safety 

certiicates at two power plants under 

construction, a source at the sector's 

regulator said yesterday. 

The source at the state-run Nuclear 

Safety and Security Commission 

said the indings were part of an 

investigation that began almost two 

months ago. 

South Korea's 23 nuclear reactors 

generate a third of its electricity 

needs, and power supplies are tight 

because three of these reactors are 

ofline after the government probe 

revealed components with fake documents. 

Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power 

Corp, which is owned by state-run 

Korea Electric Power Corp, manages 

all of South Korea's nuclear power 

plants. 

A Korea Hydro spokesman said 

the company's President and Chief 

Executive Kim Kyun-seop had tendered 

his resignation last week, but 

declined to say whether his decision 

was linked to the forged parts scandal. 

"Our president tendered his resignation 

last week. We are not sure if 

the resignation is accepted, and why 

he submitted the resignation," the 

spokesman said. 

Asked about the nuclear regulator's 

latest indings, another Korea 

Hydro spokesman said: "We know 

the indings of the fake certiicates at 

two additional reactors, although the 

commission knows the details of the 

investigation." 

Construction at the two reactors 

was due to inish later this year and 

in September 2014, Korea Hydro 

said. 

The nuclear problems have increased 

the risk of power shortages 

in the hotter than usual Korean summer 

when power demand is seasonally 

high for air conditioning. South 

Korea is likely to import more oil and 

natural gas to make up for the shortages. 

— Reuters 

The world's second-largest economy has a 

poor record on workplace safety, where factory 

ire exits are often locked or blocked to 

stop workers taking time off or stealing. 

The locking of doors, blamed by state media 

for making the death toll higher — the 

inal toll was revised down from 120 — was 

common practice, Li said. "They were worried 

workers would go outside, not work and 

waste time. Some people also get hungry during 

work and will go for food. They were worried 

about that too," she said. 

Another worker, hospitalised for inhaling 

ammonia, said it was not unreasonable to 

keep the doors locked while the plant was active. 

"Of course they'd restrict our movement. 

China, where they face repatriation if 

caught. They then try to make it to a 

third country — Thailand is the most 

popular choice — from where they 

generally seek permission to resettle 

in South Korea. 

Those who are caught and deported 

back to the North face severe 

punishment including a jail term at a 

labour camp, defectors in Seoul and 

rights groups say. But yesterday's 

statement carried by the North's oficial 

Korean Central News Agency said 

the nine "kidnapped" returnees were 

being well-cared for. 

"These young children who were 

luckily brought back to their beloved 

homeland... are stabilising and will 

lourish under the care of the nation 

to fulil their hopes and future," the 

spokesman said. — AFP 

More cancer cases 

conirmed since 

2011 disaster 

TOKYO — Nine more young people 

have been diagnosed with thyroid 

cancer since Japan's worst nuclear 

accident two years ago, the Kyodo 

News agency reported yesterday. 

That has brought the total 

number of cancer cases to 12 residents, 

who were 18 or younger at 

the time of the meltdowns at the 

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, it 

reported, citing unnamed sources. 

Fifteen others were also suspected 

of suffering from some form of 

cancer, up from seven in a February 

report, Kyodo said. 

But experts at Fukushima Medical 

University said that it is too early 

to link the cancer cases to the nuclear 

disaster. They said the 1986 

Chernobyl accident showed that it 

takes at least four to ive years before 

thyroid cancer is detected. 

Local government oficials surveyed 

about 174,000 young people 

near the plant in Fukushima. — dpa 

Environment activist group Greenpeace and members of the ‘Green Mums’ rally in Manila yesterday to mark 

World Environment Day. Mothers and their children advocating for organic food and breastfeeding practices 

expressed their strong opposition to certain types of genetically modiied rice. — AFP 

I don't know why, but it's not unreasonable. 

Which company allows workers to wander 

in and out during work hours?" said the male 

worker, who didn't want to give his name. 

Relatives of the ire victims protested outside 

the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co plant 

near Dehui in rural Jilin province for a second 

day yesterday, claiming oficials lied about 

how many people died. 

Young men and police stumbled into a ditch 

during scufles, and police oficers were seen 

kicking and stamping on one man. The protest 

was dispersed after around 20 minutes, with 

at least one man taken away by police. 

A man who gave his name as Liu, who lost 

his daughter in the blaze, said he believed 

Another contaminated water 

leak at Fukushima N-plant 

TOKYO — The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant said it had 

found another leak of contaminated water yesterday, piling pressure on the 

utility to curb the problem as it seeks permission to release water to the sea. 

The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant was hit by a 9.0 magnitude 

earthquake and tsunami more than two years ago, triggering nuclear reactor 

meltdowns and explosions. 

Tokyo Electric Power, or Tepco, said a worker patrolling the area spotted 

the leak just after noon, with droplets of contaminated water leaking out between 

the tank's circular steel structure. 

Shunichi Tanaka, chief of Japan's new nuclear regulator, set up after its 

predecessor was discredited in the 2011 disaster, told a news conference 

that Tepco should deal with the problem immediately. But he said the regulator 

did not regard the matter as serious. 

The latest leak was acknowleged after Tepco said earlier this week it had 

detected radioactive caesium in groundwater lowing into the plant — overturning 

an early inding that contamination was negligible. 

A spate of similar incidents and power outages plagued the facility in 

March and April. The incidents represent another setback for the company 

as it tries to reassure the public and the government that it can manage the 

problem of tainted water. 

The plant's still precarious state also serves as a reminder of the poor 

management of the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986 as Prime 

Minister Shinzo Abe's government presses ahead with a drive to export Japan's 

nuclear technology. — Reuters 

many more were killed, and the authorities 

were covering up the true number. 

"They're lying. If you go and count the numbers, 

check that name list, it's totally false. You 

can shoot me, I will still say it," he said angrily 

as police tried to move him along. 

Calls to the company seeking comment 

would not connect. 

The government has detained several people 

in connection with the ire, but has not 

given any further details. They will likely face 

long jail sentences, judging from how previous 

similar industrial disasters have been 

handled. 

"There's a tendency to over-manage employees, 

to lock them in, to make sure they 

Indonesian scribe 

wins AFP prize 

JAKARTA — Indonesian journalist 

Stefanus Teguh Edi Pramono has 

won the Agence France-Presse Kate 

Webb Prize for his reporting on Syria's 

bloody civil war and the Jakarta 

drugs trade, the AFP Foundation announced 

yesterday. 

Pramono, 31, produced his work 

for Tempo, a respected media group 

that rose to prominence with its 

daring reporting during Indonesian 

leader Suharto's more than three 

decades in power. 

"I am not a brave person, I was 

often in a cold sweat when I was in 

Syria and in west Jakarta (for the 

drugs story), but it is just something 

that I have to do," he said 

from Jakarta. The Kate Webb Prize 

was launched in 2008 in honour of 

the AFP correspondent in Asia who 

blazed a trail for women in international 

journalism. 

The prize recognises exceptional 

work produced by locally hired 

Asian journalists operating in dangerous 

or dificult circumstances. 

Pramono will receive 3,000 euros 

($3,900). — AFP 

don't steal," said Mary Gallagher, director of 

the Centre for Chinese Studies at the University 

of Michigan and an expert on labour relations 

in China. "But they tend not to take into 

account the possibility of this kind of occasional 

accident that then turns into a disaster." 

Local ire departments may carry out inspections, 

but it's mostly about ining factories, 

said Liu Kaiming, head of the Institute of 

Contemporary Observation in Shenzhen that 

advocates labour rights. 

"There's no accounting for where those 

ines go, and we never know if they're used for 

training or eliminating ire hazards. Fines are 

currently just a way to increase government 

income, not to prevent accidents." — Reuters

14 

EUROPE 

Former Polish President Lech Walesa (L), Jaroslaw Wlodarczyk (2nd R), chairman of International Association of Press Clubs and Gerard 

Sapey President of Reporters without Borders listen to Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters without Borders, organization 

which was awarded Freedom of Speech Award at the Royal Castle in Warsaw. — AFP 

Minister says aides hid drone project failure 

BERLIN — German Defence Minister 

Thomas de Maiziere, who is 

facing calls to resign over a failed 

multimillion-euro drone project, 

yesterday put the blame on his 

subordinates. 

The Euro Hawk project to develop 

an own version of a US intelligence 

drone cost hundreds of millions 

of euros and yielded nothing. 

De Maiziere pulled the plug on May 

15. 

He told parliament's defence 

committee that two of his aides — 

state secretaries Stephane Beemelmans 

and Ruediger Wolf — knew 

in February that the project was on 

the rocks but irst informed him on 

May 10. 

An estimated 660 million euros 

($860 million) had by then been 

poured into efforts to modify the 

Global Hawk surveillance craft with 

German sensors. 

The Euro Hawk version made 

its maiden light in 2010, but of- 

icials found they lacked the modi- 

ications and documents needed if 

it was to be declared airworthy by 

European aviation safety authorities. 

Government auditors submitted 

a 67-page report to the defence 

committee. 

"In the light of the overall audit 

indings, I reserve the right to 

take disciplinary action," de Maiziere 

said in notes submitted at the 

Former Slovenian PM 

gets 2 years for bribery 

LJUBLJANA — Former Slovenian premier 

Janez Jansa was yesterday sentenced to 

two years in prison after being found 

guilty of giving and receiving backhanders 

in the euro zone country's biggest-ever 

defence deal. 

Jansa, prime minister until February, 

was found "guilty on the charges of giving 

or receiving bribery or bribery promises 

in the acquisition of armoured vehicles" 

from Finnish defence irm Patria, judge 

Barbara Klajnsek ruled. 

Jansa, who has protested his innocence 

and has slammed the lengthy trial as a political 

witch-hunt, has said he would appeal 

the verdict, meaning the 54-year-old 

will not be put behind bars for now. 

Several hundred of his supporters held 

a demonstration outside the Ljubljana 

courthouse after the verdict. 

The centre-right Jansa lost a conidence 

vote in February after only a year in ofice 

after allegations of tax irregularities by the 

national corruption watchdog prompted 

three parties to quit his coalition. 

The accusation added to public anger 

about a corrupt political elite just as the 

country of two million people struggles 

with recession and ights to avoid becoming 

the sixth euro zone member to need a 

bailout. 

Jansa's successor Alenka Bratusek has 

launched an action plan of privatisations 

and structural reforms and has secured 

two more years from Brussels to bring 

Slovenia's budget deicit under the euro 

zone limit 

Jansa was also ined 37,000 euros 

($48,350) at the end of the 21-month trial 

together with two other defendants, defence 

ministry oficial Tone Krkovic and 

middle man Ivan Crnkovic, who were given 

22 months. 

The 278-million-euro deal with Patria 

signed in 2006 for 135 armoured vehicles 

was part of Slovenian efforts to modernise 

its military after joining the Nato alliance 

in 2004, the same year it became a member 

of the European Union. 

Weeks before 2008 parliamentary elections, 

a Finnish television report alleged 

that several high-ranking Slovenian oficials, 

including Jansa, had had their palms 

greased by Patria. — AFP 

US Commander of the US Air Force in Europe, General Philip Breedlove (L), talks 

with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) Supreme Allied Commander 

Transformation (SACT), French General Jean-Paul Palomeros, yesterday during a 

Nato defence ministers meeting at organization headquarters in Brussels. — AFP 

closed session. 

Through a spokesman Chancellor 

Angela Merkel declared her 

"full conidence" on May 22 in de 

Maiziere, her former chief of staff 

and interior minister, who gained 

the defence portfolio in 2011. The 

drone debacle comes ahead of a 

general election in September. 

The waste of taxpayers' money 

has been seized upon by opposition 

parties seeking to unseat Merkel. 

They have demanded de Maiziere's 

resignation and called on the country 

to abandon all drone plans. 

But the auditor's report simply 

said the Defence Ministry should 

exercise greater care in purchasing 

other drone types. 

The army is eager to also buy 

smaller ground-attack drones 

armed with missiles, while NATO 

is counting on German cash contributions 

to buy a later version of 

the Global Hawk to be lown under 

direct Nato command. A German 

change of heart would imperil that 

project. 

The eavesdropping Global 

Hawk, as big as an executive jet, is 

lown remotely by operators on the 

ground. 

Meanwhile, Germany’s economy 

minister called yesterday for negotiations 

on a widening dispute 

between the EU and China to avoid 

an all-out trade war that could hit 

further sectors. — dpa/AFP 

Immunity given up: 

wiretap allegations 

SOFIA — Bulgaria's former interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetaeva 

signed away his parliamentary immunity yesterday 

to ight charges over a major scandal involving the 

alleged wiretapping of his party's political opponents. "I 

know that I am not guilty... I have never, on any occasion 

ordered or even thought I could order illegal wiretapping," 

Tsvetanov told journalists. "I have never used the 

interior ministry for political purposes." 

Tsvetanov was minister in the right-wing government 

of premier Boyko Borisov that resigned in February after 

mass anti-poverty protests, losing power to the Socialists 

in elections on May 12. 

Prosecutors opened legal proceedings over the scandal 

in April, initially indicting four interior ministry of- 

icials for having bugged politicians, businessmen and 

journalists since 2009. 

With Tsvetanov an MP but no longer a minister, prosecutors 

last week called for his immunity to be lifted, 

saying they have evidence he knew what his subordinates 

were doing. Witness reports said he had even personally 

ordered them. The charges against Tsvetanov 

will be for "inaction that allowed his subordinates to 

commit a crime," chief prosecutor Sotir Tsatsarov said 

last week. 

If found guilty, he faces between one and eight years 

in prison. The wiretapping scandal became a major issue 

in the election campaign, taking attention away from 

falling standards of living in the European Union's poorest 

member state and further angering voters. — AFP 

‘Wasting food is like 

stealing from poor’ 

VATICAN CITY — Pope 

Francis denounced yesterday 

what he called a 

"culture of waste" in an 

increasingly consumerist 

world and said throwing 

away good food was like 

stealing from poor people. 

"Our grandparents used 

to make a point of not 

throwing away leftover 

food. Consumerism has 

made us accustomed to 

wasting food daily and we 

are unable to see its real 

value," Francis said at his 

weekly audience in St Peter's 

Square. 

"Throwing away food is 

like stealing from the table 

of those who are poor and 

hungry," he said. 

Since taking ofice in 

March, Pope Francis has 

said he wants the 1.2-billion-strong 

Roman Catho- 

lic Church to defend the 

poor and to practise greater 

austerity itself. He has 

also made several calls for 

global inancial reform. 

Around 1.3 billion 

tonnes of food, or one third 

of what is produced for 

human consumption, gets 

lost or wasted every year, 

according to the United 

Nations' food agency. 

In the industrialised 

world the majority of waste 

is by consumers, often because 

they buy too much 

and have to throw away 

what they do not manage 

to eat. A UN-backed study 

released on yesterday said 

simple measures such as 

better storage and reducing 

over-sized portions 

would sharply reduce the 

vast amount of food going 

to waste. — Reuters 


Berlusconi backers 

threaten tax boycott 

ROME — Supporters of Silvio Berlusconi 

are threatening to stop paying taxes if 

Italy's former premier is found guilty in 

a series of upcoming court verdicts, a top 

lawmaker from his conservative party 

warned yesterday. 

A judgement is due on June 24 on the 

so-called "bunga bunga" affair, which sees 

the 76-year-old Berlusconi accused of soliciting 

undue favours with a minor and 

abuse of power. Prosecutors are seeking 

a six-year jail term and a lifetime ban on 

public ofice. 

"Our people could respond by deciding 

to no longer pay taxes," People of Freedom 

(PDL) deputy Daniela Santanche was 

quoted as saying by Il Giornale, a newspaper 

owned by Berlusconi's brother. 

Santanche, the girlfriend of Il Giornale's 

editor and a junior minister in Berlusconi's 

last government, is said to be a member 

of the politician's inner circle of advisors. 

Berlusconi is also battling against a tax 

fraud conviction that was conirmed on 

appeal last month. 

Italy's Constitutional Court is due to 

rule on June 19 on point of technicality 

raised by the politician's lawyers. If their 

arguments are taken up, judges may invalidate 

previous rulings and demand a 

retrial. 

Otherwise the Constitutional Court 

could let the case proceed before Italy's 

top appeals body, the Court of Cassation, 

which would be expected to deliver its inal 

judgement by November. 

If found guilty again by the Cassation, 

Berlusconi would be forced to step down 

from parliament. PDL hardliners are advising 

him to defy judges by forcing a snap 

election in October, which he would ight 

on a me-or-the-courts ticket, several Italian 

newspapers reported yesterday. 

According to reports, Berlusconi hosted 

a crisis meeting in Rome late on Tuesday 

with Santanche and other leading PDL igures 

to discuss party strategies in view of 

possible early elections. 

The PDL is a key member of Italy's 

grand coalition government, headed by 

Prime Minister Enrico Letta.— dpa 

Over 40 pc blame euro for crisis 

ROME — More than 40 per cent of Italians 

think their country is in trouble because of 

its eurozone membership, while a further 

20 per cent want to leave the European 

Union, a survey revealed yesterday. 

Italy is undergoing the longest recession 

in its postwar history, but cannot 

spend or devalue its way out of the slump 

— as it so often did in the past — because 

it is locked into a common monetary policy 

and has to comply with strict rules on 

deicits. 

Censis, the country's leading research 

institute, said it found that 41.6 per cent 

of Italians agree with the following statement: 

"The euro is the true cause of our 

economic and social ills." It also found 

that 21.5 per cent of the population is 

convinced that "Italy will be stronger if it 

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (L) is greeted by European Commission 

President Jose Manuel Barroso on arrival for a working session at the EU 

headquarters in Brussels yesterday. — AFP 

Majority of French want 

more reform: survey 

PARIS — Nearly three-quarters of French 

want President Francois Hollande to push 

further ahead with economic reforms and 

are ready to make personal sacriices as 

long the pain is fairly distributed, a survey 

by pollster BVA found yesterday. 

No fewer than 67 per cent of respondents 

agreed with the statement "if we carry 

on like this, we are headed for catastrophe" 

according to results of the telephone 

and Internet survey of nearly 1,000 people 

conducted between May 29-30. 

The indings cast doubt on a common 

international perception that the French 

are unreceptive to change and highlighted 

what BVA concluded was a "real calling 

into question" of decades of French political 

leadership. 

A full 80 per cent of respondents concurred 

with the statement that "our leaders 

have never had the courage to undertake 

the dificult reforms which our 

country needs". 

The poll found 74 per cent were in fa- 

leaves the European Union and returns to 

the lira," its old national currency. 

Anti-euro and anti-EU feelings were 

stronger among supporters of former premier 

Silvio Berlusconi — a populist conservative 

— and those backing the protest 

Five Star Movement of satirist Beppe Grillo, 

Censis said. 

Its survey also found that 80 per cent 

of those interviewed criticized the EU as a 

club dominated by "strong countries like 

Germany," where Italy had "little clout." 

Traditionally, Italians have been strongly 

pro-European, but attitudes have shifted 

in recent years, as Brussels-mandated 

austerity policies have been blamed for 

aggravating the country's recession. 

Italy's elites, however, remain strongly 

pro-EU. — dpa 

vour of deeper reforms in the labour market, 

pensions and unemployment beneits. 

The survey was conducted last week 

just as the European Commission urged 

France to rein in public spending, cut labour 

costs and reform its pension system 

in return for winning two extra years to 

bring its budget deicit within EU targets. 

Hollande, who was elected in May 

last year, has already implemented some 

moves to reduce high labour costs and has 

promised laws setting out a major overhaul 

of the pension system by the end of 

this year. 

He has argued that his reform record 

can be judged only over the full course of 

his ive-year term, while critics — notably 

in Brussels and Germany — want him to 

step up the pace. 

Meanwhile, France called on its European 

Union partners to quickly agree 

a united response to China’s decision to 

open an anti-dumping probe into wine 

imports from Europe. — Reuters/AFP


The highway crossing of the A92 and the A3 (R) is looded near the Bavarian city of Deggendorf yesterday, 

after one of Europe’s most frequented highways was looded by the nearby river Danube . — Reuters 

Russia braces for trial of anti-Putin rally 

MOSCOW — Twelve Russians go 

on trial in Moscow today accused 

of crowd violence at a mass protest 

against President Vladimir Putin last 

year in what critics say is a political 

show trial aimed at destroying the 

nascent opposition movement. 

Going on trial are participants in 

what the Kremlin has called "mass 

riots" on Bolotnaya square in central 

Moscow during an opposition rally 

on May 6, 2012, one day before Putin 

was inaugurated into his third presidential 

term. 

The trial comes as the most charismatic 

protest leader Alexei Navalny 

is in court accused of causing a loss to 

a regional government in an obscure 

timber deal. After declaring his de- 

Compensation deal agreed 

for Kenya torture victims 

NAIROBI — Britain has agreed on a 

multi-million dollar compensation 

settlement for thousands of Kenyans 

tortured by colonial forces during an 

uprising at the tail end of the British 

Empire, a lawyer and expert witness 

said yesterday. 

Negotiations began after a London 

court ruled in October that three 

elderly Kenyans, who suffered castration, 

rape and beatings while in detention 

during a crackdown by British 

forces and their Kenyan allies in 

the 1950s, could sue Britain. 

The torture took place during the 

so-called Kenyan "Emergency" of 

1952-60, when ighters from the Mau 

Mau movement attacked British targets, 

causing panic among white settlers 

and alarming the government in 

London. 

"We have agreed on an out-ofcourt 

settlement," Kenyan lawyer 

Paul Muite, an adviser to the Mau 

Mau veterans seeking compensation, 

said. "(The negotiations) have 

included everybody with suficient 

sire to stand for president, he will be 

unable to stand for ofice if he is convicted. 

The Bolotnaya case involves 

27 people. Two have confessed and 

have been sentenced to 4½ years and 

2½ years in prison. Most of the others 

have languished in pre-trial detention 

for nearly a year. 

The rally saw tens of thousands 

march towards Bolotnaya square 

with small children, homemade posters 

and balloons and seemed similar 

to a string of peaceful demonstrations 

during the winter of 2011-2012 

following parliamentary elections 

where observers reported massive 

fraud. 

However upon reaching the 

square, the crowd encountered 

evidence of torture. And that number 

is about 5,200," he said, declining to 

comment on the size of the payout. 

Britain's foreign ofice declined to 

comment on reports that the settlement 

would total £14 million. 

This would work out at about 

£2,600 — or 339,560 Kenyan shillings 

— per claimant in a country 

where average national income per 

capita is around 70,000 shillings. 

The Mau Mau nationalist movement 

originated in the 1950s among 

the Kikuyu people of Kenya. Its loyalists 

advocated violent resistance to 

British domination of the country. 

The Kenya Human Rights Commission 

has estimated 90,000 Kenyans 

were killed or maimed and 160,000 

detained during the uprising. 

London tried for three years to 

block the Mau Mau veterans' legal 

action in the courts, drawing condemnation 

from the elderly torture 

victims who accused Kenya's former 

colonial master of using legal technicalities 

to ight the case. — Reuters 

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych (L) welcomes FBI Director 

Robert Mueller during their meeting in Kiev yesterday. — Reuters 

a massive police presence. Most 

of those marching never reached 

the stage and many panicked after 

spending hours in the sun and inding 

themselves unable to follow the 

agreed route. 

Though it is disputed who struck 

the irst blow, clashes between protesters 

and police led to dozens of 

injuries, overturned portable toilets, 

the use of pepper spray and hundreds 

of arrests. 

Investigators have described what 

happened as premeditated mass riots 

that aimed to stoke unrest in the 

country, but an independent report 

by Russian human rights groups in 

April concluded that the clashes were 

provoked by the authorities. — AFP 

Candidacies 

conirmed 

ANTANANARIVO — The electoral 

court in Madagascar yesterday con- 

irmed three controversial candidacies 

for presidential polls slated to 

end a four-year political deadlock 

on the island. 

The court rejected pleas by the 

prime minister and the armed forces 

to exclude current strongman 

Andry Rajoelina, his top rival's wife 

and a former president from the 

race, as demanded by the international 

community. 

"The requests are declared inadmissible," 

the court said in a statement, 

adding its "judgements, opinions 

and decisions... are not subject 

to any appeal." Prime Minister Omer 

Beriziky made the appeal on Monday 

along with the armed forces 

and other commissions tasked with 

supervising the country's planned 

return to democracy. 

Polls scheduled for July 24 look 

set for delay over a paucity of funding 

and lack of consensus over the 

candidates list. — AFP 

Call for probe into 

Litvinenko murder 

LONDON — The coroner tasked 

with overseeing an inquest into the 

murder of former Russian spy Alexander 

Litvinenko called for the 

British government to hold a public 

inquiry into the death after he concluded 

evidence would be kept secret 

from his own hearing. 

Litvinenko, 43, died after drinking 

polonium-210, a radioactive isotope, 

that had been slipped into his 

tea at a London hotel in 2006. 

Last month, Robert Owen, a senior 

judge acting as coroner, decided 

that some crucial evidence relating 

to the possible involvement of the 

Russian state in Litvinenko's death 

and whether it could have been prevented 

would be kept secret from 

his pending inquest. 

His ruling followed a request from 

British Foreign Secretary William 

Hague to withhold information that 

could undermine trust in the British 

government or "cause real harm 

to the UK's international relations". 

Litvinenko's death plunged relations 

between London and Moscow to a 

post-Cold War low. — Reuters 

THE WORLD 

15 

Germans, Czechs on alert 

as floods spread north 

DRESDEN, Germany/LITOMERICE, 

Czech Republic — Tens of thousands 

of Germans, Hungarians and Czechs 

were evacuated from their homes 

yesterday as soldiers raced to pile up 

sandbags to hold back rising waters 

in the region's worst loods in a decade. 

The deluge has killed at least 12 

people in central Europe since the 

weekend. Water started subsiding in 

Prague and Passau, but fears grew 

for Bratislava, Budapest and parts of 

Germany which forecasters say will 

be hit in the next few days. 

About 1,000 people had to leave 

their homes in the baroque German 

city of Dresden, which was devastated 

by loods in 2002 when the Elbe 

burst its banks. Residents paddled up 

streets in boats as soldiers drove past 

in tanks. 

Further north, authorities in the 

town of Halle on the Saale told hundreds 

of residents to leave their 

homes. Television pictures showed 

a bare-legged man wading to work 

through grey water in a suit jacket, 

clutching his trousers and briefcase 

in one hand. 

"We are shocked by the pictures 

from the lood areas," said German 

Economy Minister Philipp Roesler before 

a meeting with heads of industry 

groups to assess the damage. 

Roesler announced a ten-point 

plan to help reconstruction work and 

to help irms get credit from the KfW 

state development bank. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 

facing an election in September, has 

promised 100 million euros ($130 

million) in aid. 

Nikolaus von Bomhard, chairman 

of the world's biggest reinsurer Munich 

Re, said it was too early to estimate 

the scale of the loss, but businesses 

and households would bear 

the brunt of the cost as many did not 

have adequate lood insurance. 

His company put the cost of the 

so-called "once in a century" loods of 

Thousands evacuated after metro ire 

MOSCOW — Fifteen commuters were 

hospitalised and thousands evacuated 

from the Moscow metro yesterday 

after a high-voltage electric cable 

caught ire, illing station platforms 

with smoke at the height of the rush 

hour, emergency oficials said. 

The ire was extinguished, but the 

cable again short-circuited when the 

power was switched back on, adding 

to the transport chaos and raising 

fears about the state of the ageing 

network whose chandeliered Stalinera 

stations are one of the city's top 

sights. 

The emergencies ministry said 

around 4,500 people were evacuated 

after the ire broke out in a tunnel 

between the Okhotny Ryad and 

Biblioteka Imeni Lenina (Lenin Library) 

stations close to the Kremlin 

at around 8:20 am. 

Metro spokesman Pavel Sukharnikov 

said it was not the irst 

such incident in the system, which is 

used by about seven million people 

every day and is one of the world's 

busiest. "Cables have smoked before, 

but simply this time the consequences 

are more serious," he said. 

A total of 59 people sought medical 

attention, while 15 were hospitalised 

including three who are in intensive 

care, health authorities said. 

The health ministry said those hospitalised 

were suffering from smoke 

inhalation, while some of those who 

asked for medical help were suffering 

Scientists tell Australia to 

save Great Barrier Reef 

SYDNEY — Leading marine scientists 

warned the Australian government 

yesterday of the growing threat 

to the Great Barrier Reef from unchecked 

industrial development. 

More than 150 scientists from 33 

institutions signed a statement saying 

that the mining and gas boom 

along the Queensland state coast was 

hastening the decline of the World 

Heritage area. 

The UN's educational, scientiic 

and cultural body meets later this 

month to discuss proposals to list the 

giant reef as a site "in danger". 

A Unesco report in March found 

43 development proposals in the 

vicinity of the huge reef were under 

assessment and that the federal and 

state governments had failed to improve 

water quality in the area. 

In the declaration, the scientists 

voiced concern about "the additional 

pressures that will be exerted by expansion 

of coastal ports and industrial 

development accompanied by a 

projected near-doubling in shipping, 

major coastal reclamation works, 

large-scale seabed dredging and 

dredge spoil disposal all either immediately 

adjacent to, or within the 

Great Barrier Reef World Heritage 

Area". 

"We are calling on the Queensland 

and Australian governments to ensure 

that the outstanding universal 

value... of the... World Heritage property 

is protected." 

Ecologist Hugh Possingham said 

that over the last 27 years half of the 

reef's coral has been degraded. 

"This is just going to accelerate 

that, so we should really be doing the 

reverse," he told state broadcaster 

ABC. 

"This just feels like a further insult, 

particularly the dredge and the 

sediments that are going to be dug 

up in making these ports." 

Such development was "likely to 

be the straw that breaks the camel's 

back," he added. — AFP 

2002 at 16.5 billion euros and insurance 

claims to the industry at 3.5 billion 

euros. 

Water receded in Prague, although 

the medieval Charles Bridge 

remained closed. Floods spread to 

low-lying northern areas of the Czech 

Republic near the industrial city of 

Usti nad Labem. About 3,700 people 

were rescued after some water barriers 

broke. 

Czech emergency services said 

they had rescued 19,000 people and 

the government freed up 5.3 billion 

crowns ($270 million) from this 

year's budget for lood repairs. 

In the Slovak capital Bratislava, 

low-lying parks and a waterfront 

Danube cafe were looded but barriers 

were expected to hold back the 

worst. The water level was expected 

to break through 10 metres today, an 

all-time high. 

In Budapest, 1,200 people piled up 

sandbags and roads were closed near 

the Danube. — Reuters 

"from a serious reaction to stress." 

Russian television showed footage 

shot by witnesses of dense smoke illing 

the Okhotny Ryad station, one of 

the system's oldest, which has exits 

close to the Kremlin and the Bolshoi 

Theatre. 

Crowds built up on the platforms 

as loudspeakers told passengers the 

station was closed for a "technical 

reason", with many ilming the smoke 

on their cell phones and showing little 

sign of panic. 

Passengers exiting the station 

washed soot from their faces using 

ire hydrants. 

The Moscow Investigative Committee 

said it was looking into the incident. 

— AFP 

Fireighters walk near the Okhotny Ryad station after a line on the city's metro was closed due to a ire 

yesterday. At least 45 people had to seek medical help and seven people were hospitalised following the 

closure, local media reported. — Reuters 

Anti-poverty 

steps okayed 

SOFIA — Bulgaria's new Socialistbacked 

government yesterday announced 

a series of measures, including 

subsidies for heating bills 

and child allowances, to help the 

needy in the European Union's 

poorest country. 

In a sign of solidarity, lawmakers 

also agreed to freeze their salaries. 

Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, 

who took ofice last week after 

massive protests led to the ouster 

of the previous government, said 

more people would be eligible next 

winter for vouchers to help pay rising 

electricity bills and the monthly 

allowance for women on maternity 

leave would be increased. 

On taking ofice, Oresharski, a 

non-partisan former inance minister, 

pledged to tackle the economy of 

the country where about 22 per cent 

of the population lives below the oficial 

poverty line and unemployment 

stands at nearly 12 per cent. 

According to a recent World Bank 

report, 61 per cent of households in 

Bulgaria are energy poor. — AFP

16 

PANORAMA 

The town of Niagara Falls, Canada, is seen past a cloud of mist rising over Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the Niagara Falls across from Niagara 

Falls, New York. The falls, which have a combined highest low rate of any waterfalls in the world, stradle the US-Canada border, drawn through the 

Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario. — AFP 

A worker tosses ish on to a mat for drying during dry ish processing at 

Cilincing beach in North Jakarta yesterday. — Reuters 

Tycoon slapped with 

$2.5 m wedding fine 

SAN FRANCISCO — Tech billionaire 

Sean Parker has agreed to pay a 

$2.5-million ine for building an 

elaborate Lord of the Rings-style set 

in a protected coastal zone as the 

backdrop to his weekend wedding. 

Parker, 33, a founder of the 

pioneering music service Napster 

and of Facebook, married singersongwriter 

Alexandra Helen Lenas 

in a lavish ceremony on Saturday 

staged at the Ventana campground. 

However, oficials from the 

California Coastal Commission, 

acting on a tip, raided the site before 

the wedding and only allowed the 

ceremony to go ahead after Parker 

agreed to pay $2.5 million to pay for 

coastal conservation programmes. 


Isaac, aged three, from London plays in the sea on a sunny day in 

Brighton, southern England yesterday. — Reuters 

A Mongolian herder with his lock of sheep, goats and cattle head towards grasslands in Mongolia. — AFP 

Website bans 

searches for 

'yellow duck' 

BEIJING — A popular 

Chinese microblogging 

service banned searches 

for "yellow duck" after 

users circulated a mockedup 

image of a famous 1989 

Tiananmen square tank 

protest with the military 

vehicles replaced by plastic 

ducks, results on yesterday 

showed. The picture, a 

parody of the iconic "Tank 

Man" photograph of a 

civilian staring down a 

long row of tanks. 

A large yellow duck 

artwork is currently on 

display in Hong Kong, 

and imitations have 

been put up in several 

mainland cities. Sina 

Weibo, China's most 

popular microblogging 

site, blocked searches 

for "yellow duck", 

with attempts to do so 

returning a message 

reading: "Due to relevant 

laws and regulations... 

the search result is not 

displayed." — AFP 

Lion tamer Oleksiy Pinko dances with a lion in a Kiev, Ukraine, circus. Pinko has 

trained seven lions for his performance in the circus where he dances with the 

lions and puts his head into a lion's open mouth. — Reuters 

A woman uses a pail as a base while weaving strips of recycled newspapers and magazines to form a basket in 

Tondo city, metro Manila, yesterday. . — Reuters

Inside 

P 19 France minister in Silicon Valley seeking allies P 24 Turkish markets fall, CDS hit 8-month high 

P18 P19 

P24 

INTERNATIONAL 

Mobile payment 

transaction to 

surpass $235 bn 

WORLDWIDE mobile payment 

transaction values will reach 

$235.4 billion in 2013, a 44 per cent 

increase from 2012 values of $163.1 

billion, according to Gartner, Inc. 

“We expect global mobile 

transaction volume and value to 

average 35 per cent annual growth 

between 2012 and 2017, and we 

are forecasting a market worth 

$721 billion with more than 450 

million users by 2017,” said Sandy 

Shen, research director at Gartner. 

FULL STORY ON PAGE 19 

Euro zone 

economy stuck 

in doldrums 

BRUSSELS — The 17-nation euro 

zone continued stuck in recession 

for a sixth consecutive quarter 

in the irst three months of 2013 

but showed some signs, especially 

in powerhouse Germany, of 

stabilisation, oficial data showed 

yesterday. 

The Eurostat statistics agency 

said the euro zone economy shrank 

0.2 per cent compared with the last 

quarter of 2012, and contracted 

1.1 per cent compared with a year 

earlier. For the 27-member EU, the 

economy shrank 0.1 per cent and 

0.7 per cent, respectively, its said. 


China hits back 

at EU over solar 

panel duties 

EUROPE’S squeezed utility irms 

say they cannot cut prices to stop 

their big industrial clients moving to 

the United States, where fuel costs 

around a quarter as much. 

Losing the business of heavy 

energy users, such as chemical 

giants, cement and steel makers, 

could force the power companies 

to put up prices for households, 

hurting consumer budgets and 

making it harder for Europe to 

spend its way out of recession. 


www.omanobserver.om 

Thursday 

JUNE 6, 2013 | RAJAB 27, 1434 AH 

Inside 

China, Mexico agree on partnership 

Japan dotcom jailbird back in business 

Bank Nizwa CEO on Islamic finance 


Private financial wealth in ME-Africa 

region grows to $4.8 trillion 


MUSCAT — Wealth in the Middle 

East and Africa saw near-doubledigit 

growth at 9.1 per cent in 

2012, according to The Boston 

Consulting Group’s (BCG) thirteenth 

annual global wealth management 

report. 

In Maintaining Momentum in a 

Complex World: Global Wealth 2013, 

its thirteenth annual study of the global 

wealth-management industry, BCG 

addresses the current size of the market, 

the performance levels of leading 

institutions, and the state of offshore 

banking. The report also provides a 

thorough analysis of the key trends 

shaping the business landscape. 

On a regional level, the report 

shows that private inancial wealth 

in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) 

grew to $4.8 trillion in 2012, an increase 

of 9.1 per cent from $4.4 trillion 

in 2011. 

Wealth held in equities in the MEA 

region grew by 18.3 per cent in 2012, 

as compared to increases of 9.2 per 

cent in bonds and 5.2 per cent in cash 

and deposits. 

“Qatar ranks irst in the world with 

the highest density of millionaires, 

with 14.3 per cent holding private 

wealth of at least $1 million. Kuwait 

ranks third with 11.5 per cent, while 

Bahrain (4.9 per cent) and the United 

Arab Emirates (4 per cent) ranks 

Dollar, shares fall on concerns 

about Japan, Fed stimulus 

LONDON — The dollar sank below 

100 yen and global shares fell 

yesterday, as modest additions 

to Japan's growth strategy and 

renewed concerns of a cut in US 

stimulus efforts hit demand for 

riskier assets. 

With markets dominated by 

speculation on when the Federal 

Reserve will taper its bondbuying 

programme, there was 

little reaction to data showing 

euro zone business activity eased 

slightly in May, and conirming 

the region's economy contracted 

in the irst quarter. 

Japan's main Nikkei share index 

earlier led the equity market 

falls, dropping 3.8 per cent to a 

two-month low, while the dollar 

fell 0.5 per cent against the Japanese 

currency to 99.50 yen. 

The MSCI world equity index 

was down 0.4 per cent, close to 

its lowest level in over a month, 

and the FTSE Euroirst 300 index 

of top European shares fell 0.15 

per cent. US futures pointed to a 

weaker start on Wall Street. 

In the third tranche of measures 

aimed at boosting growth in 

Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 

pledged to boost incomes and attract 

foreign businesses, but did 

not mention a proposal to encourage 

Japan's public funds to seek 

higher returns by investing more 

in riskier assets like equities. 

"Investor expectations were 

for more speciic growth policies 

and the disappointment has only 

exacerbated a trend for a correction 

in Japan's stock market," 

Lee Hardman, currency analyst 

for Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ 

said. 

Since the Nikkei index rose to 

seventh and ninth, respectively,” said 

Markus Massi, Partner and Managing 

Director at BCG Middle East. 

The report asserts that private 

wealth in MEA will grow to an estimated 

$6.5 trillion by the end of 2017, 

with a projected CAGR of 6.2 per cent. 

This increase will largely be driven by 

new wealth creation linked to strong 

a 5 1 / 2 year high on May 23, up 

more than 50 per cent this year, 

doubts about the effectiveness of 

Abe's economic reforms and the 

Bank of Japan's stimulus efforts 

have led to a steady retracement 

of the gains. 

per centComments late on 

Tuesday from two senior Federal 

Reserve oficials highlighted divisions 

over the future of the central 

bank's stimulus programme 

Dallas Fed President Richard 

Fisher and Kansas City Fed President 

Esther George — both longterm 

critics of the bond-buying 

scheme — reiterated their concerns 

over the risks of waiting too 

long to cut it back. 

"The markets are hanging on 

every word of the central bankers 

in Europe and the US," said Berkeley 

Futures associate director 

Richard Grifiths. 

The focus on Fed policy meant 

a euro zone business activity survey 

for May was largely ignored, 

as it did little to change the out- 

GDP expansion in oil-rich countries. 

“The growth of private wealth in 

the region has been largely driven 

by a buoyant GCC equity market and 

an improvement in the global equity 

markets overall. 

Additionally, the recovery of the 

local real estate markets has helped 

to free up additional liquidity for i- 

look for the region's long-running 

recession, now virtually certain to 

extend into the second quarter. 

"Policymakers and politicians 

will nevertheless seek solace in 

the fact that the rate of decline 

has now eased for two consecutive 

months, and that Germany is 

stabilising," said Chris Williamson, 

chief economist at survey 

compiler Markit. 

GDP data conirmed the 17-nation 

region contracted by 0.2 per 

cent quarter-on-quarter in the 

January-March period. 

Brighter news from Britain's 

big service companies boosted 

sterling, which climbed to high of 

$1.5372 and within sight of its recent 

three-week peak of $1.5376 

struck on Monday. 

British and German government 

bond futures fell on the UK 

data, which extended a run of positive 

readings, though Bunds later 

stabilised to be little changed as 

the weakness in equity markets 

lent support. — AFP 

A stock indicator in the window of a securities company in Tokyo. 

nancial investments. Wealth held in 

equities saw strong growth in 2012, 

although individual markets in the 

GCC region posted sharply different 

results. The Dubai Financial Market 

(DFM) Index enjoyed growth of 19.9 

per cent and the Abu Dhabi Exchange 

(ADX) improved by 9.5 per cent, while 

other GCC exchanges have seen mod- 

A staff displays TCB International Corp's new products, the ‘Health 

Bracelet’ and its APP ‘Blood Management Your’, during the 2013 Computex 

in Taipei yesterday. Computex is Asia's biggest annual IT trade fair, which 

opened on Tuesday. — AFP 

Parliament holds up bank deal 

GENEVA — The lower house of the Swiss 

parliament refused yesterday to debate a 

government deal settling a dispute with 

Washington over the alleged complicity by 

Swiss banks in tax evasion by Americans. 

With 100 votes opposed and 90 votes 

in favour, the National Council decided to 

freeze its urgent handling of the settlement 

agreed upon last week until it has 

more information about the conditions 

demanded by Washington, the ATS news 

agency reported. 

The deal, dismissed as an "American 

dictate" by the Swiss press, has sparked 

outcry in the wealthy Alpine nation. 

Washington has repeatedly accused 

Swiss banks of complicity in tax evasion, 

since they hold billions of dollars belonging 

to American citizens that are not declared 

to US tax authorities. 

The United States has agreed to halt 

any prosecutions of the Swiss banks in 

erate growth (6 per cent for Tadawul) 

or as low as 2 per cent in the case of 

the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE),” 

Massi added. 

The Middle East also ranks highly 

by ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) 

households, deined as households 

with more than $100 million in private 

wealth. Qatar ranks fourth in the 

world, with 8 out of 100,000 households 

falling into this category. Kuwait 

ranks seventh and UAE comes in ifteenth 

with 7 and 3 households per 

100,000 in this segment, respectively. 

Globally, private inancial wealth 

grew by 7.8 per cent in 2012 to a total 

of $135.5 trillion. The rise was stronger 

than in 2011 and 2010, when global 

wealth grew by 3.6 per cent and 

7.3 per cent. 

The total number of millionaire 

households reached 13.8 million globally 

in 2012, or 0.9 per cent of all 

households. The US had the largest 

number of millionaire households 

(5.9 million) overall, followed by Japan 

(1.5 million) and China (1.3 million). 

“Globally, we anticipate that the af- 

luent segment will continue to grow 

their assets. Over the next ive years, 

wealth among households worth $5 

million to $100 million will grow by 

a projected CAGR of 8 per cent, while 

the ultra-high-net-worth segment 

is expected to see a CAGR of 9.2 per 

cent,” Massi concluded. 

question, but the conditions have yet to be 

divulged due to a conidentiality clause. 

The deal would enable Swiss banks to 

circumvent some elements of the country's 

cherished bank secrecy laws and 

turn over key information to US authorities 

It also requires parliamentary approval, 

but members of parliament cannot 

amend the content. 

Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf 

acknowledged last week 

that US authorities had proposed a "unilateral 

offer, one that we couldn't negotiate." 

Washington has said the conditions 

will only be disclosed once the deal has 

received a green light from parliament. 

How much the banks will have to pay 

to win legal closure is not yet known, but 

Swiss media have reported that the overall 

igure could hit 10 billion Swiss francs 

($10.5 billion, 8 billion euros). — AFP

18 OMAN/INTERNATIONAL 

A woman counts her Latvian lats at a currency exchange ofice in Riga. 

Latvia meets requirements 

to adopt the euro: ECB 

BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT Latvia 

has fulilled the requirements to 

become the 18th member of the 

eurozone, the European Central 

Bank (ECB) said yesterday, while also 

warning that the country's economy 

still faces risks. 

"The longer-term sustainability 

of its economic convergence is of 

concern," the Frankfurt-based ECB 

noted. "It is necessary for Latvia to 

continue along a path of comprehensive 

iscal consolidation." The Baltic 

country hopes to exchange its lats 

for euros on January 1, despite the 

enduring debt crisis that has gripped 

the eurozone. 

Before it can proceed, the ECB and 

the European Commission have to 

rule on whether the country has met 

eurozone iscal standards. 

The commission, the European 

Union's executive, is set to release its 

indings later yesterday. Diplomats 

in Brussels have said that it will also 

give its blessing. 

EU member states would then 

have to approve the accession. 

Latvia's inlation, deicit, debt and 

long-term interest rates are all well 

within prescribed limits, the ECB 

said. 

However, it predicted that "maintaining 

low inlation rates in Latvia 

will be challenging in the medium 

term." It also warned that joining a 

currency union will require more 

"internal lexibility and resilience" 

and called on Latvia to keep in check 

labour costs, improve "the quality of 

its institutions and governance" and 

counter inancial stability risks. 

Latvia faced massive economic 

problems in 2008, after its realestate 

bubble burst amid the global 

inancial crisis — leading to a 7.5 billion 

euro ($ 9.8 billion) bailout by the 

EU and the International Monetary 

Fund. 

But the country now boasts the 

EU's highest growth rate, following 

an austerity-spurred recovery. 

Its deicit and debt levels are also 

among the lowest in the EU. 

The commission said in its latest 

forecast that it expects Latvia to post 

a deicit of 1.2 per cent of gross domestic 

product and debt of 43.2 per 

cent this year. 

Following yesterday’s recommendations, 

the country is set to become 

the 18th member of the eurozone 

and its second Baltic nation. 

All EU countries except for Britain 

and Denmark are mandated to join 

the eurozone once they fulil its criteria. 

This was because Latvia had experienced 

“major boom-bust periods 

and high macroeconomic volatility,” 

the ECB noted. 

“Maintaining low inlation rates in 

Latvia will be challenging in the medium 

term,” it concluded. 

Turning to the budget convergence 

criteria, Latvia has been found 

by the EU to have an “excessive” general 

government budget deicit and 

has been given a deadline of this year 

for correcting. 

The ECB said that the deicit-to- 

GDP ratio was calculated at 1.2 per 

cent in 2012, well below the 3.0 per 

cent ceiling laid down by the EU. 

And overall government debt 

amounted to 40.7 per cent in 2012, 

also well below the EU’s 60 per cent 

rule. 

“Nevertheless, the longer-term 

sustainability of its economic convergence 

is of concern,” the ECB said. 

Latvia has been a member of the 

European Union since 2004 but was 

hit hard by the crisis, with its economy 

contracting by nearly 25 per cent 

between 2008 and 2009. 

Last year, however, its gross domestic 

product (GDP) expanded by 

5.6 per cent, the strongest performance 

within the EU. — dpa 

Eurozone economy 

stuck in doldrums 

BRUSSELS — The 17-nation eurozone continued stuck in recession for a 

sixth consecutive quarter in the irst three months of 2013 but showed 

some signs, especially in powerhouse Germany, of stabilisation, oficial data 

showed yesterday. 

The Eurostat statistics agency said the eurozone economy shrank 0.2 per 

cent compared with the last quarter of 2012, and contracted 1.1 per cent 

compared with a year earlier. 

For the 27-member EU, the economy shrank 0.1 per cent and 0.7 per cent, 

respectively, its said. 

Among the major economies, Germany edged up 0.1 per cent in the irst 

quarter compared with the last quarter of 2012, with France down 0.2 per 

cent, and Italy and Spain both off 0.5 per cent. Portugal shrank 0.4 per cent. 

In EU countries not in the eurozone, Britain grew 0.3 per cent in the irst 

quarter, while Romania grew 0.7 per cent. 

A separate survey showed that eurozone business activity continued to 

deteriorate in May but at a slower pace. 

The closely-watched Markit Eurozone Composite Purchasing Managers 

Index for May was unchanged from an initial reading at 47.7 points, hitting a 

three-month high and well up on April's 46.9 points. 

However, this was still below the boom-bust threshold of 50 points. 

On the positive side, Germany edged up to 50.2, a two-month high, while 

struggling Spain hit 47.2, its best performance in 23 months. 

France was still deep in trouble at 44.6, although this was a ive-month 

high, while Italy was unchanged at 46.6. 

Chris Williamson, Markit Chief Economist said the report conirmed "that 

the eurozone remains gripped in the longest recession" since the introduction 

of the euro. 

The economy is likely to have contracted 0.2 per cent in the second quarter, 

making for seventh consecutive run of negative igures, Williamson said. 

While the downturn may have eased, the "reality is that the region lacks 

any growth drivers, making it dificult to believe that anything better than a 

mere stabilisation of economic activity remains unlikely for the foreseeable 

future," he said. 

IHS Global Insight's Howard Archer said the Markit survey showed that 

demand "remains constrained by restrictive iscal policy" as governments 

grapple with the fallout from the debt crisis, tight credit and rising unemployment. 

"Meanwhile, global growth is muted and stuttering, which is currently 

limiting the upside for eurozone exports," Archer said. — AFP 


MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET


Mobile payment transaction value 

to surpass $ 235 bn in 2013 


MUSCAT — Worldwide mobile payment 

transaction values will reach 

$235.4 billion in 2013, a 44 per cent 

increase from 2012 values of $163.1 

billion, according to Gartner, Inc. The 

number of mobile payment users 

worldwide will reach 245.2 million in 

2013, up from 200.8 million in 2012. 

"We expect global mobile transaction 

volume and value to average 35 

percent annual growth between 2012 

and 2017, and we are forecasting a 

market worth $721 billion with more 

than 450 million users by 2017," 

said Sandy Shen, research director at 

Gartner. 

"Nevertheless, we have lowered 

the forecast of total transaction value 

for the forecast period due to lowerthan-expected 

growth in 2012, especially 

in North America and Africa." 

Near Field Communications' 

(NFC's) transaction value has been reduced 

by more 40 per cent throughout 

the forecast period due to disappointing 

adoption of NFC technology 

Hedge fund Man Group’s shares 

tumble after lagship fund loss 

LONDON — Man Group's shares fell 

more than 11 per cent yesterday after 

it said its lagship hedge fund AHL 

had suffered one of its biggest weekly 

losses, wiping out its proits so far 

this year. 

The $14.1 billion computer-driven 

fund, which has been running since 

1987 but whose performance has 

lagged in recent years, fell 8.9 per 

cent over the week to June 3. 

At 0832 GMT Man's shares were 

down 11.4 per cent at 103.2 pence. 

Coupled with a 3.1 per cent loss 

the previous week, it means that 

AHL has made an overall loss since 

January 1, having previously enjoyed 

bumper gains this year on the back of 

rising inancial markets. 

The loss is a blow to Man, which 

relies on AHL for much of its revenue 

and which has recently changed the 

in all markets in 2012 and the fact 

that some high-proile services, such 

as Google Wallet and Isis, are struggling 

to gain traction. 

Gartner forecasts that NFC will account 

for only about 2 percent of total 

transaction value in 2013 and 5 per 

cent of the total transaction value in 

2017, although growth is expected to 

increase somewhat from 2016 when 

the penetration of NFC mobile phones 

and contactless readers increases. 

Money transfers and merchandise 

purchases will account for about 

71 per cent and 21 per cent of total 

transaction value in 2013, respectively, 

making them by far the largest 

contributors. 

However, worldwide, people are 

not purchasing as much because the 

buying experience on mobile devices 

has yet to be optimized. People are 

spending less via mobile devices than 

via online e-commerce services and 

at retail outlets. 

Merchandise purchases account 

for about 23 per cent of the total value 

forecast for 2017. 

management of the fund in a bid to 

revive performance. 

After losing money in three out of 

the past four years the fund would 

have to return almost 12 per cent this 

year for its ive-year track record — 

which is bolstered by strong returns 

during 2008's market turmoil — to 

stay positive. 

Bond and equity markets have 

sold off in recent weeks as investors 

have fretted that quantitative easing 

in the United States could slow down 

earlier than originally thought. 

"Risk appetite luctuated over the 

week, as mixed US macroeconomic 

data altered expectations of monetary 

support by the Federal Reserve," 

Man said late on Tuesday. 

"The programme generated a notable 

loss over the week, driven by 

long exposure to both equities and 

Money transfer value continues to 

increase because users are transacting 

much more frequently (although 

at lower values) due to the wider 

availability of services and to transaction 

costs that are lower than those of 

traditional bank services. This makes 

money transfer a leading use case, 

one that Gartner forecasts to account 

for almost 69 per cent of the total value 

in 2017. 

Bill payment value is expected to 

grow 44 perc ent in 2013 and have 

consistent growth through the forecast 

period. This is due to higher 

value per transaction igures as more 

consumers in developed markets 

perform bill payments via mobile 

banking services along with consumers 

in emerging markets who are 

transacting at higher values originally 

forecast. Bill payments will account 

for about 5 per cent of the total value 

forecast for 2017. 

From a regional perspective, Asia/ 

Paciic's transaction value is expected 

to grow 38 per cent in 2013 to reach 

$74 billion. 

Deployments in developed markets 

such as South Korea and Singapore 

and in developing markets such 

as India are expected drive healthy 

growth in this region. As a result, in 

2016, Asia/Paciic will overtake Africa 

to become the largest region by 

transaction value, reaching $165 billion. 

Africa's transaction value is forecast 

to reach $160 billion in 2016. 

While Africa will still experience 

strong growth through the forecast 

period, companies are still searching 

for the most suitable business model 

for mobile money in their local markets. 

Looking for job, car, lat and 

furniture? Check out the 

Observer classiied page. It’s 

where buyers meet sellers. 

ixed-income assets." 

So-called managed futures funds, 

developed by teams of mathematicians 

and scientists, try to make money 

following trends in global markets, 

but can lose out when markets suddenly 

change direction or behave unpredictably. 

"With bond markets, rates and 

currencies, you've seen some big 

numbers on the negative side," said 

one fund of hedge funds manager, referring 

to managed futures performance 

in May. Man was not the only 

UK-listed asset manager to see its 

shares fall yesterday. 

Aberdeen Asset Management's 

shares were 4.4 per cent lower at 

443.4 at 0839 GMT, the top faller in 

the FTSE 100 , after news of a share 

sale by its Chief Investment Oficer 

Anne Richards late on Tuesday. 

Gold chains are displayed for sale at a shop in Hanoi yesterday. Vietnam's gold prices remain stable, in line 

with steady global prices of the metal before the State Bank of Vietnam, the central bank, holds its next 

auction today where it seeks to sell 26,000 taels of gold to domestic banks and gold companies. — Reuters 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL 

19 

China, Mexico presidents agree 

on ‘strategic’ partnership 

MEXICO CITY — Chinese President Xi Jinping and his 

Mexican counterpart vowed to work jointly to access international 

markets, like the lucrative US market, as part 

of a new strategic partnership. 

Xi yesterday began his second day of a three-day visit 

to the Latin American economic powerhouse, which will 

include a speech before Mexico's congress. 

Xi arrived in Mexico after visiting Costa Rica, and after 

meeting Caribbean leaders in Trinidad and Tobago. Tomorrow 

Xi travels to the United States for a much-anticipated 

weekend summit with US President Barack Obama. 

China has in recent years aggressively pushed trade 

and investment ties with the developing world, particularly 

Africa and Latin America, to secure raw materials to 

fuel its economic growth and wield greater geopolitical 

inluence in relation to the United States. 

On Tuesday Xi and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto 

pledged to enhance diplomatic and trade ties between 

the two countries, and to smooth over their long-standing 

rivalry on exporting products to the United States. 

"We expect to broaden investments of Chinese capital 

in our country," Pena Nieto told reporters late Tuesday, a 

move that will create more jobs and make Mexico "an important 

platform for exports to the countries with which 

we have free trade agreements." 

Mexico is a member of the North American Free Trade 

Agreement (NAFTA), along with the United States and 

Canada. 

Xi in turn praised the "comprehensive strategic partnership" 

between the two countries. 

In a joint statement Mexico and China agreed to increase 

talks at various government levels "to deepen mutual 

trust and conduct bilateral dialogues on strategic issues," 

Chinese state news service Xinhua reported. 

Closer ties include more co-ordination in forums like 

the United Nations and the Asia-Paciic Economic Cooperation 

(APEC) grouping, Xinhua said. 

Mexico also reiterated it support for the "One China" 

policy. 

Mexico said it considers that "Taiwan and Tibet form 

an integral part of Chinese territory," and that issues regarding 

Tibet "are internal Chinese affairs." 

China's Ambassador to Mexico this week told local media 

that his country delayed permission for Mexican pork 

exports in 2011 after then-president Felipe Calderon met 

with Tibet's Dalai Lama. 

Mexican pork exports are one of the issues that the 

two leaders agreed to review. 

Mexico and Costa Rica recognize Beijing, but the other 

six Central American countries maintain diplomatic relations 

with Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory 

awaiting reuniication, by force if necessary. The two 

split in 1949 after a civil war. 

Pena Nieto capped the day by welcoming Xi and his 

wife Peng Liyuan late Tuesday to a gala reception at the 

National Palace, the executive ofices located in Mexico 

City's storied Zocalo plaza. 

The reception included performances by top Mexican 

dancers and a star female ranchera singer. 

Earlier in the day Peng, well-known as a soprano in 

her home country, and Mexico's irst lady, former telenovela 

star Angelica Rivera, toured a children's hospital in 

Mexico City. Rivera said that China had donated funds to 

buy it an X-ray machine. 

The visit is second meeting of the two presidents in as 

many months after Pena Nieto's trip to Beijing in April. 

China is Mexico's second-largest trading partner after 

the United States, and Mexico is Latin America's second 

largest economy after Brazil. Both countries are members 

of the Group of 20 leading economies. 

But Mexico also wants to narrow a gaping trade deicit 

heavily tilted in China's favor: Mexico imported $57 billion 

worth of Chinese goods last year while exporting just 

$5.7 billion, according to the Mexican central bank. 

To start evening this imbalance Pena Nieto announced 

the creation of a business group to explore new investment 

opportunities, and another of top oficials to "review 

the issues that so many times put brakes" on trade. 

China has expanded its trade and investment ties 

with Latin America in recent years as the world's second 

biggest economy taps into the region's mineral and oil 

wealth to fuel its economic growth. — AFP 

France minister in Silicon 

Valley seeking allies 

SAN FRANCISCO — The French minister 

of innovation and the digital 

economy was in Silicon Valley yesterday 

to assure Internet giants that 

France sees them as allies, not enemies. 

Minister Fleur Pellerin's visit came 

as France's culture minister branded 

online retailer Amazon a "destroyer" 

of bookshops in the latest confrontation 

between the Socialist government 

in Paris and America's giants of 

the digital economy. 

"We are absolutely not in a crusade 

against American companies 

or Americans," Pellerin said during 

a press brieing on Tuesday in San 

Francisco. 

"My purpose here is absolutely 

not to declare the war to America," 

she said. 

"One the contrary, my purpose 

is to visit great tech companies and 

discuss with them the possibilities of 

partnerships and what synergies we 

can develop." 

Pellerin is scheduled to meet 

Facebook chief operating oficer 

Sheryl Sandberg later today. Other 

spots on her agenda included Twitter, 

chip-maker Intel and Airbnb. 

She also said she would urge 

Google to channel more venture capital 

to France. 

"I really love America and think 

we have great things to do together," 

Pellerin said. 

In France, Culture Minister Aurelie 

Filippetti took aim at Seattle-based 

Amazon.com. 

"Everyone has had enough of 

Amazon, which, by dumping, slashes 

prices to get a foothold in markets 

only to raise them once they have established 

a virtual monopoly," Filippetti 

said Monday. 

"It is destructive for bookshops," 

the minister said at a conference of 

booksellers in the southwestern city 

of Bordeaux. 

Filippetti said that she would 

be examining measures that could 

curb Amazon's growth in France by 

restricting the company's ability to 

combine offers of free deliveries with 

discounts of up to ive percent on 

cover prices, which is the maximum 

allowed under legislation designed 

to protect small booksellers. 

The attack on Amazon is the latest 

in a series of disputes between 

France and US companies including 

Google, Yahoo! and Apple. 

French authorities are already 

embroiled in a dispute with Amazon 

over a $252 million tax bill related 

to the company's sales in France between 

2006 and 2010. 

Industrial Renewal Minister Arnaud 

Montebourg last month infuriated 

Yahoo! by placing a series of 

conditions on its proposed takeover 

of French video-sharing site Dailymotion, 

causing the deal to collapse. 

Yahoo! was not on Pellerin's itinerary. 

France is meanwhile at loggerheads 

with Google over privacy issues 

and over demands that it pass 

on part of its advertising revenues to 

newspapers and other content providers 

that the search engine links to. 

The Paris government has also 

clashed with Apple and other hi-tech 

manufacturers over proposals to 

tax smartphones and tablets to fund 

French-language creative and artistic 

projects. 

Earlier, France’s culture minister 

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and his Chinese 

counterpart Xi Jinping after signing agreements. 

French Minister of Innovation and the Digital Economy Fleur Pellerin. 

has branded online retailer Amazon 

a “destroyer” of bookshops in the 

latest confrontation between the 

Socialist government in Paris and 

America’s giants of the digital economy. 

“Today, everyone has had enough 

of Amazon, which, by dumping, 

slashes prices to get a foothold in 

markets only to raise them once they 

have established a virtual monopoly,” 

Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti 

said. 

“It is destructive for bookshops,” 

the minister told a conference of 

booksellers Monday in the southwestern 

city of Bordeaux. 

Filippetti said that she would be 

examining measures that could curb 

Amazon’s growth in France by restricting 

the American giant’s ability 

to combine offers of free deliveries 

with discounts of up to ive percent 

on cover prices, which is the maximum 

allowed in France under existing 

legislation designed to protect 

small booksellers. 

The attack on Amazon is the latest 

in a series of disputes between the 

French government and American 

companies including Google, Yahoo! 

and Apple. — AFP

Rent-A-Car 

BUSINESS or PLEASURE 

OMAN or ABROAD 

ALKH: 24489248/648 

RUWI: 24707074, QURUM: 24691110 

SOHAR: 26845565 

MUSCAT AIRPORT: 24521189 

SALALAH: 23296246 

Also available — Luxury Cars with 

Chauffeur Service 

SPECIAL Rates on 

New Cars & 4 WDs 

RENTING & LEASING 

Tours and Airport Transfer 

Tel: 24582663 

GSM: 95859497, 

Fax: 24582664, 

abcrent@omantel.net.om 

MARBLE Marble 

polishing and 

crystallisation building, 

cleaning floor, floor 

polishing, carpet, sofa 

shampooing, pest 

control, anti-termite, 

shifting, maintenance. 

99504275. 

· · · · · 

HOOPOE SMART 

CARD SERVICES Sanad 

Service Centre 

We provide the following 

services: Typing, clearing 

all transactions related to 

government departments 

and private sector, eg 

labour agreement for 

Omanis and expatriates, 

typing of labour 

card for expatriates, 

typing of visas and 

document clearing from 

immigration department, 

Ministry of Commerce 

& Industry, Ministry of 

Manpower, Commercial 

names reservation, 

renewal of commercial 

registration, renewal 

of OCCI membership, 

attestation of all 

documents from OCCI 

& Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs. Renewal of 

labour cards through 

electronic payment or 

cash payment. Please 

note you may deliver 

your transaction 

through our e-mail 

and our representative 

will deliver it to your 

ofice 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), Tel: 24789117, 

GSM 98793666 (Dir), 

96777170. E-mail: 

landrailoman@gmail. 

com 

· · · · · 

INSTALLING, 

transferring furniture. 

98949690. 

· · · · · 

Services 

USED items: Porta 

cabins, 20 & 40 

container, water 

storage tanks, 

marble and timber 

cutting machines etc. 

Approximately 900M2 

of Danogips Contur 

600Edge D concealed 

M1F Ceilling tiles 

1200X600X12.5MM 

at our Ghalah Stores. 

Contact Mr Azmath 

99310298. 

· · · · · 

A BILLIARD table 

(Kinghtshot) with 

4 sticks and balls. 

Required RO 450. 

Fees of installation 

are borne by the 

buyer 994588861, 

94445583. 

· · · · · 

PEST CONTROL 

OMAN CO. LLC. 

Supply of 

Pesticides, 

Gel (Cockroaches), 

Public Health 

chemicals, 

Agriculture 

chemicals, 

Snake repellent, 

Rodent 

baits and 

other insect 

repellent from 

Agropharm 

Ltd UK. 

PROFESSIONALS 

in Pest Control Service, Bedbug 

Treatment, Rodent 

Treatment, Snake Treatment 

and Termite Treatment 

(Pre and Post Construction). 

Tel: 24787606 / 24787503 

Fax: 24787607 

E-mail: pcomctom@omantel.net.om 

P. O. Box: 565, Wadi Kabir, 

Postal Code: 117, 

SULTANATE OF OMAN 

PHOTOCOPIER, 

Printer, Computer 

Annual Maintenance 

Contract (AMC). For 

sales and service 

call: 93223991. 

· · · · · 

1. AC, Fridge & Washing 

Machine Servicing & 

Repairing 2. Painting, 

Plumbing, Electrical 

& Carpentry Works. 

Contact: 97014234/ 

97123569, 24504281. 

· · · · · 

INSTALLING, transferring 

furniture. 

92471173. 

· · · · · 

For Sale 

RESTAURANT FOR 

SALE 

Doing Excellent 

Business and 

Good location at 

Al Hail Shamaliya. 

99736909, 

92255060. 

· · · · · 

Manpower 

FRIENDS 

MANPOWER: Filipino 

housemaids and all 

kinds of workers. 

24489268 Tel/Fax: 

24478153. 

· · · · · 


OFFICES, shops, 

lats (Al Khuwair), 

furnished 1 

bedroom deluxe 

lats (Al Ghubrah), 

new 6 bedroom 

villas (Mumtaz), lats 

(Wadi Kabir). 

96596348. 

· · · · · 

SAVILLS OMAN 

QUALITY homes 

for rent throughout 

Capital Area 

Muscat. Contact: 

24692151. 

www.sav-oman. 

com 

OFFICE rental: 

Business centre with 

furniture ofices 

inclusive of all 

utilities and Internet 

in a prime location 

in Al Khuwair starts 

from RO 120 per 

month. 

99463334/ 

99201763/24475400. 

· · · · · 

FLAT for rent in South 

Ghubra, 2 bedroom + 

dining room, 2 bath 

with AC. 99559823. 

· · · · · 

STUDIO in Al Khuwair 

and family lats in 

Wadi Kabir, Hamriya, 

Darsait, Al Falaj, Al 

Hail, Seeb and villa 

Soor Al Hadid in Seeb 

and Al Bustan in 

Muscat. 99119699, 

96055889, 99355265. 

· · · · · 

FLAT (room + hall) 

Ruwi. 99260200. 

· · · · · 

NEW shops besides 

Said bin Taimoor 

Mosque in Al Mabella. 

99368700. 

· · · · · 

NEW apartment in Al 

Mabella with 3 rooms, 

ACs, curtains, RO 200. 

99368700. 

· · · · · 

3 BEDROOMS lat in Al 

Hail. 92817777. 

· · · · · 

HOUSE for rent in Al 

Ghubra, next to Health 

Centre, 2 bedrooms, 

1 majlis. RO 360. 

99346417. 

· · · · · 

ONE bedroom lat for 

rent at Al Mawaleh. 

93282220. 

· · · · · 

HYUNDAI Accent 

2010, automatic. Call 

93914353. 

· · · · · 

For Rent 

9,000 m 2 open land 

in Ghala for long and 

short term lease. 

98469938, 

24791485 

· · · · · 

ROAD work 

equipment. Call 

93914353. 

· · · · · 

FLAT for rent in 

Al Khoud market 

near Al Fair, 2 

bedrooms, family 

hall, 2 bathrooms 

95120900. 

· · · · · 

ROOM for rent near 

Hamriya roundabout 

for executive bachelor. 

93590332. 

· · · · · 

FLAT at Al Amerat 5/1 

main road, 2 bedroom, 

sitting, family 

hall, kitchen and 3 

bathrooms. 

96913000. 

· · · · · 

NEW ofices for rent 

behind Al Burj Hotel 

in Mumtaz area 

Contact : 

99545381. 

· · · · · 

SINGLE lat for rent 

in Darsait near Kerala 

school near beach, 

Contact. 

99322363. 

· · · · · 

A NEW building in 

Al Suwaiq for rent. 

Opposite Al Suwaiq 

Police Station on the 

main road. 6 loors of 

apartments and shops. 

99331110 

· · · · · 

2 SHOPS for rent at Al 

Amerat behind Sultan 

Centre 51 Sq.m & 45 

Sq.m. 

94009088. 

· · · · · 

Guest House 

QURUM BEACH HOTEL 

24564070. 

· · · · · 

CLASSIFIED SECTION: 

Thursday 

JUNE 6, 2013 RAJAB 27, 1434 AH 

ALL Season clinic 

Ayurvedic Treatment, 

Yoga massage & 

slimming. Contact: 

92504980/24475280. 

· · · · · 

ACCOUNTS Manager 

seven years 

experience seeks 

suitable placement. 

Contact 95119007. 

· · · · · 

42 years Indian 

male having 5 years 

experience in Oman as 

warehouse supervisor 

looking for a suitable 

post. Holding Oman 

driving licence. 15 

years experience 

in Indian Army. 

Contact 94050311, 

94010578. 

· · · · · 

Good News 

ANKLE pain, back & 

shoulder pain, knee 

pain or injury 

treatment, language & 

swallowing disorder 

— experienced 

physiotherapist, 

speech therapist, now 

available at reputable 

clinic in Qurum. Take 

advantage of the FREE 

GP consultant. Call 

Rochester Clinic 

24691137 or 

97377859. 

· · · · · 

Sit Wanted 

CLASSIFIED 

SECTION 

RUWI: 24785668 

Behind Royal Oman Police, 

Adjacent to Dhofar Building 

Ali al Maashari: 99639264 

Salim al Naamani: 99355675 

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

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

Available on very GOOD prices 

HP 3000 d wifi inkjet Printer 

RO 12.900 only 

HP 2510 3 in 1 Printer 


HP 4610 4 in 1 Printer 


HP 4540 i5 2GB Gr Laptop 

RO 199.900 only 

AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, 

Samsung Cartridges also available 

COMPUTER SUPPLIES 

Ruwi: 24792792 

Situation Vacant 

A WELL reputed 

trading company 

requires urgently an 

experienced Sales and 

Marketing Executive 

with minimum 5 years 

experience and valid 

driving licence. Suitable 

candidates my send 

CV’s to ffu1999@gmail. 

com 

· · · · · 

REQUIRED 

experienced Wedding 

Photographer with 

excellent skills in 

photoshop. Contact: 

93339325. 

aaaaa14323@gmail. 

com 

· · · · · 

PRIVATE Driver 

Indian or Filipino. Call 

99445771. 

· · · · · 

SOFTWARE Diploma/ 

Engineer, Required. 

99015624. 

· · · · · 

Lost 

MOHAMMED Tariq has 

lost Pakistani Passport 

No: BG 7967481. 

Finder please handover 

to ROP. 

· · · · · 

AMIR Hossain Asad Ali 

has lost Bangladeshi 

Passport No: B - 

1195541. Finder please 

handover to ROP. 

· · · · · 

MOHAMMED 

Nurun Nabi has lost 

Bangladeshi Passport 

No: E 0579110. Finder 

please handover to ROP. 

· · · · · 

NASIR Abbas has lost 

Pakistani Passport No: 

BM - 5172391. Finder 

please handover to ROP. 

· · · · · 

PATTIKARA Bandanage 

Malani has lost Sri 

Lankan Passport No: N 

4065271. Finder please 

handover to ROP. 

· · · · · 

Car Buy & Sell 

IF you are interested 

to sell your cars, 

send SMS, we pay 

cash. Contact: 

99333088. 

· · · · · 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590 

e-mail: classified@omandaily.om 

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 


Umrah/Haj 

Car for rent 

Tours 

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

AL Hikmani for 

HAJ and UMRAH 

— With a host of 

services including 

the following: 

Hiring luxurious 

coaches, arranging 

weekly trips, 

preparing visas 

for expats at costeffective 

price, 

including transport, 

housing, meals 

and visits to shrine 

locations. Land and 

air trips weekly. 

(99311310, 

24566016, 

99361982, 

99707248, 

99322124. 

· · · · · 

AHAD 2000 for rent 

car, Muscat and 

Salalah: 93204595, 

93203481, 24487827. 

· · · · · 

MARINE Tourism 

92808636, e-mail: 

info@alainain.com 

· · · · · 

al-haditha 

centre 

AUTO REPAIR 

CENTRE 

Quality Repairs & Maintenance of all 

types of Cars and Heavy vehicles 

(ROP approved Grade A Workshop) 

Best Mechanical & Electrical Repairs 

Top Class Denting & Painting with 

Quality Service at Very Reasonable cost. 

Call: 24595951/Fax: 24597979 

Workshop@ahoman.com 

www.AlHadithaOman.com 

FREE 

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 

For Sale/Rent 

FOR Sale/Rent to 

sole owner only. 

New Building 

consists of 7 loors 

and an exhibition 

hall, 18 lats. 

Commercial and 

domestic use. 

Permission for hotel 

apartment available. 

Bausher 

Commercial District, 

near the new 

Bahwan Mosque. 

Asking price: Sell: 

RO 1.3 million, 

monthly rent: 

RO 12,000. 

92461818, 

99387455. 

· · · · · 

FOR LEASE 

Warehouse/Light Industry 

- Rumais/Barka 

Newly built, good quality 

property available 

For lease in Rumais/Barka opp. 

Naseem Garden for 

Warehousing/Light Industry 

available in 3300 sq mts area 

@ RO 2.500 per sq mtr 

Contact Vasant: 92818099 

DOLPHIN WATCHING 

Snorkelling & Sunset 

Trip 

Private Luxury Yacht 

charter 

For booking: 

94110088 

Coral Ocean Tours LLC 

E-mail: 

coraloceantours@ 

gmail.com 

Web: www. 

coraloceantours.com 

Driving School 

MORNING STAR 

DRIVING SCHOOL — 

Learn driving 

manual/ automatic 

with professionally 

qualified male/ 

female trainees in 

brand new cars and 

flexible payments. 

Call: 99043283, 

24478589, 24478505, 

www.chamberman. 

com/member/ 

morningstar www. 

morningstar.com 

· · · · · 

Classifieds 

Continued on P21

24 YEARS old Indian 

diploma holder in 

computer science 

engineer with 2 years 

of experience in 

software quality control 

and testing, seeks 


Contact 96042153. 

marwin 30@hotmail. 

com 

· · · · · 

BACHELOR in Electrical 

Engineering 5+ years 

experience in Oman 

or Gulf with Omani 

driving licence. Contact: 

+968 99354594, 

24557628. hajri. 

oman@gmail.com 

· · · · · 

INDIAN Male, BSc, 

Chemistry and 

DBM, 13 years of 

experience, (6½ years 

in operations as team 

leader and 6½ years 

in marketing & sales 

in pharmaceuticals), 

looking for suitable 

opportunity. 

Contact:93955750. 

E-mail: tony77bom@ 

yahoo.com 

· · · · · 

PAKISTANI male, 24 

years, diploma in 

mechanical engineer 

having 3 years 

experience, seeks 

suitable job. Contact: 

98559126. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN female 

beautician, looking for a 

suitable job, experience 

in India, now on 

visit visa. Contact: 

99894757. 

· · · · · 

MALE having 4 years of 

experience in Iron 

mongery field now 

working in UAE seeks 

suitable opportunity in 

Oman, with valid UAE 

D/L Please Contact: 

00971509095071. 

· · · · · 

MALE 24, BS Electrical 

Engineer, 1 year 

experience in Pakistan, 

10 months demotec 

engineering services, 4 

months Trafopanel 

(Transformer). Contact: 

91195399. 

· · · · · 


SEEKING for light 

driving jobs. Jahurul 

Islam. Contact: 

98123245. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN female, 

electrical Engineering 

diploma, 3 years 

experience in AutoCad, 

Gulf experience also 

seeks suitable 

placement. Contact: 

95154618, E-mail: 

deepavenu14@gmail. 

com. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 42 years 

accounts/inance, data 

entry, computer 

operating, stores 

keeping, sales and 

purchase entries. BA 

(Eco), DCA, AutoCad, 

Tally 9 Wings, Focus 

A/C packages done. 9 

years India exp in 

accounts, currently 

working in a reputed 

company in Oman seeks 

suitable placement. 

94387693. 

· · · · · 

LADY available for 

housekeeping, good 

communication in 

English. Location 

preferred Al Khuwair, 

MSQ, Qurum. Please 

contact: 92057181. 

· · · · · 

DIPLOMA in Computer 

Engineering, 10 years 

experience in security 

system with driving 

licence. 99671347. 

· · · · · 

32, male, IT 

professional, Masters 

in IT, ITIL v3, 8 years 

of hands-on Gulf IT 

systems experience, 

having valid Omani 

driving licence, 


opportunity. Contact 

98915874 

· · · · · 

SRI LANKAN male, 29 

years, AATSL, CIMA(M) 

& B Com, having 6 

years experience of 

which 3 years in Oman 

working as a chief 

account in a reputed 

hotel. Looking for 

suitable position. 

Contact 95220435, 

e-mail: rajfawm@ 

gmail.com. 

· · · · · 

CHARTERED 

Accountant (M), 

35 years, having 

more than 7 years 

experience in mining 

& manufacturing in 

India and having more 

than 3 years experience 

in reputed PDO 

contracting company in 

Oman with valid Omani 

driving licence. 

Seeks suitable position 

in Accounts 

and Finance. 

97728130 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male 30 yrs. 

B.A, Tally, 6 yrs. exp. in 

accounts assistant, 

sales co-ordination, 

sales in a building 

materials, valid Omani 

D/L, Seeks suitable 

placement. 

94186515. 

· · · · · 

CHARTERED 

accountant (Male), 

Omani driving licence 

holder, having more 

than 10 years scattered 

industrial experience 

in accounting, Finance, 

MIS, budgeting and 

ERP accounting. Out 

of 10 years having 

more than 3 years 

experience in Oman in 

well established group. 

Seeks immediate 

suitable position in 

accounting and inance. 

93027688. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 24 years, 

PGD (piping engg), BE 

(mechanical), with 12 

years experience in oil 

and gas industry, seeks 


Contact: 92991670, 

99637172. 

· · · · · 

BBA qualiied male 

in Salalah looking 

for a job urgently 

in administration, 

marketing or any other 

ield etc. Contact: 

92883901. 

· · · · · 

FINANCE Manager 20 

years experience in 

Oman in project inance 

& FMCG group, seeks 


Contact:99439419, 

e-mail: sknmct@ 

omantel.net.om 

· · · · · 

DEGREE of civil 

engineering (BE). 5 


Oman with (D/L), 

good experience 

in government and 

private projects. Knows 

staad pro. primevera, 

Auto cad. Seeks 

suitable position in 

reputed contracting 

or consultancy, join 

immediately. 

Contact: 

96381205. 

· · · · · 

MANAGEMENT 

Consultant with 18 


Muscat across various 

verticals & domains 

with a strong IT 

base seeks suitable 

placement. Contact: 

99439419, e-mail: 

sknmct@omantel.net. 

om 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male 27, 4 

years exp in marketing/ 

sales and business 

development having 

good communication 

skills, seeks suitable 

placement, on visit 

visa holding valid 

driving licence. Contact: 

92998793. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, having 

MBA - marketing and 

sales with 8 years 


and India with valid 

Oman driving licence, 

working in building 

material division, 

seeks suitable position. 

Contact: 96718464. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, B.Com, 


opening in sales/ 

marketing. Having 2 

years of experience. 

Please contact: 

92638918. 

· · · · · 

CHIEF accountant, 

Indian male, 32 years, 

MBA and M.Com, 9 

years of experience 

(5 years in Oman) in 

accounts and inance 

upto inalisation with 

Oman D/L. Currently on 

visit visa. Ready to join 

immediately. Contact: 

94460345. 

· · · · · 

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 

SITUATION WANTED 

ACCOUNTANT 32 

years Indian male, 

10 years experience 

(3 years in Oman) 

in inance, accounts 

and audit (Tally and 

SAP), seeks suitable 

placement. E-mail: 

paulvadacode@gmail. 

com 98153971. 

· · · · · 

CHIEF Executive 

Oficer/General 

Manager, MBA 

with Engineering 

background and over 

20 years International/ 

GCC/Oman experience 

in Multi Functional 

General Management 

including FMCG 

Trading, Automotive, 

Heavy Equipment 

Leasing, Business 

Development, LP Gas 

& Drinking Water 

Marketing, Agriculture 

and Real Estate 

Management. Contact: 

98672030. 

· · · · · 

MALE, 27 years, Indian, 

on visiting visa. Seeks 

suitable placement in 

administration/HR, BE 

CSE with 4.5 years of 

experience. Contact: 

91215771, 92997722. 

· · · · · 

INTERNAL Auditor, 

MBA Finance, Indian 

male, 26 years, 4 years 

experience (2 years 

in Oman) in audit and 

accounts. 91072738, 

e-mail: prth4111@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 23 

years, BBM, 1 year 

experience in indoor 

sales, knowledge in MS 

Ofice, Tally. Contact: 

99853194. 

· · · · · 

13 YEARS experienced 

Driver looking for job 

with own car. Contact: 

93876770. 

· · · · · 

FINANCE manager, 18 

years experience, 

project financing, MIS, 

ERP, management 

accounts, cost control, 

feasibility study, 

business process, seeks 

suitable opportunity. 

Contact: 92439941. 

· · · · · 

PAKISTANI 26 years, 

BSc computer science 

engineer looking for 

job as IT support 

engineer/system 

support engineer, with 

2 years of experience in 

IT ield. Now in Oman 

on visit visa. Contact: 

92576484. E-mail: 

engineeromerbajwa@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 


7 years experience in 

Oman as electrician and 

maintenance in-charge 

with Omani driving 

licence, seeks suitable 

placement immediately. 

Contact: 92787631. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 29 years 

MBA (HR & Marketing) 

with 6 years experience 

in Qatar. Looking for 

suitable position in HR/ 

Admin/Sales/ 

Marketing. Suman 

91259100-98084073, 

E-mail: sumanraj@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

JASFER Anwar, young, 

energetic, Pakistani 

male, 28 years, with 

DBA, diploma in 

computer networking 

and hardware, 3 years 

experience in 

supervising and sales in 

exhibitions in the 

Sultanate of Oman & 

UAE, willing to do any 

job, seeks suitable 

placement. Contact 

99808693. 

· · · · · 

HARRISON Anwar, 

young, energetic, 

Pakistani male, 22 

years, having diploma 

in computer science, 

MS Office, Graphic 

Designer and 

Photoshop, 2 years 

experience in 

exhibitions in sales in 

Sultanate of Oman, 

willing to do any job, 


placement. Contact 

99808693. 

· · · · · 

LOGISTICS Executive, 

20 years experience in 

Indian Air Force and 8 

years in Oman, seeks 


Contact: 

95853146. 

· · · · · 

CLASSIFIEDS 

EXPERIENCED 

watchman for building. 

Contact: 97227219. 

· · · · · 

MBA, BS Business 

Information) with over 

8 yrs exp in customer 

care & marketing, seeks 

suitable placement. 

98500832. nayarimam 

@hotmail.com 

· · · · · 

INDIAN female, 24 

years, 2 years 

experience as teacher 

in CBSE school in India 

(BA, BEd), looking for 

suitable placement 

99164461 or 

archanajanardhnan@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male with 

driving licence, 15+ 


(Commercial /Admn 

Sales) seeking suitable 

placement., (B.com M.A, 

Public Admn, PG 

diploma in Supply 

Chain & Logistics 

Mgmt.) 98523067, 

E-mail: sumanraj@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

MORE than 15 years 

experienced House 

cook, knowing Arabic, 

Indian, Chinese Foods. 

Contact: 97227219. 

· · · · · 


MBA having 5 years of 

experience, 2 years in 

UAE. Seeks a suitable 

placement in 

operations/ 

administration/HR/ 

inance/logistics. 

Contact: 95702821. 

· · · · · 

SRI LANKAN CIMA/B. 

Com, young 

professional accountant 

with GCC experience 

looking for a suitable 

placement. Contact: 

+94776757464/ 

98682464. E-mail: 

mh.hamjath@gmail. 

com 

· · · · · 

PURCHASE oficer 

Indian having 9 years 

experience in Oil & Gas 

and power sector with 

driving licence , seeking 

suitable placement in 

Purchase or Logistics. 

Contact: 98610456. 

· · · · · 

TWENTY years 

experienced Foreman, 

Civil pipeline and 

building, looking for a 

suitable placement 

97008745, 

99245931. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, (27) 

having experience in 

computer networking 

with Microsoft 

certification (MCITP) & 

Degree, currently on 

visit visa is looking for 

a suitable position. 

92881244 or 

miqsid@gmail.com. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, Post 

Graduate , above 10 

years work experience 

(working now Oman 4 

yrs as storekeeper) in a 

reputed organisation 


placement in 

warehouse. Contact: 

96303264, E-mail: 

lakshman20245@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

WELL experienced light 

duty driver seeks job. 

Please contact 

95724597. 

· · · · · 

YOUNG, Indian male, 

BBM from Bangalore 

University, Graduate 

Diploma in Business, 

Auckland, New Zealand, 

QMS, SMART, 

Timekeeping, Code of 

Ethics and Business 

Conduct certificates 

from DynCorp Intl, 

worked as Finance 

specialist (2012-2013) 

with CentreScope Tech 

Inc (sub contractor for 

DynCorp Intl) in New 

Delhi; 2009-2012 as 

Store Manager with 

Chevron New Zealand, 

Epsom, Auckland; 

2007-2008 Assistant 

Manager with Star 

Mart, Auckland; seeks 


0091+9037280175 

garrypadua@hotmail. 

com 

· · · · · 

HSE Adviser, 10 


Oman administration, 

logistics seeks suitable 

placement. Contact 

92825053. 

· · · · · 

21

22 

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 

INFORMATION / LEISURE 

Flight Schedule 

ARRIVALS VALS — THURSDAY DEPARTURES 

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From / Via STA 

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Riyadh 0015 

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Abu Dhabi 0350 

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Cairo 0500 

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Frankfurt 0645 

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Dubai 0740 

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Jeddah 0800 


Dubai 0825 

Jaipur 0840 

Lahore 0845 

Hyderabad 0850 

London Heathrow 0900 

Madras 0920 

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Trivandrum 0925 

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Dubai 0930 

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Dubai 1100 

Karachi 1110 

Colombo-Male 1130 

Trivandrum-Cochin 1130 

Kathmandu 1140 

Lahore 1140 

Salalah 1200 

Mukhaizna 1230 

Bahrain 1235 

Calicut 1255 

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Dubai 1330 

Mangalore 1425 

Salalah 1440 

Karachi 1440 

Dubai 1545 

Doha 1615 

Kuala Lumpur 1635 

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Bahrain 1715 


Doha 1735 

Dubai 1740 

Calicut 1750 

Lucknow 1755 

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Bahrain 1810 

Bangkok-Karachi 1900 

Sharjah 1905 

Chittagong 1910 

Salalah 1945 

Colombo 2020 

Dubai 2020 

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Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi 2045 

Delhi 2125 

London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi 2130 

Dubai 2145 

Madras 2200 

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Zurich-Dubai 2235 

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Bahrain 2250 

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Doha 2310 

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Ahmedabad-Bombay 2310 

Jeddah 2315 


Dammam 2320 

Amman-Beirut 2325 

Cochin 2330 

Bombay 2340 

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AI986 

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B737-7 

To / Via STD 

Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow 0001 

Bombay-Ahmedabad 0005 

Colombo-Male 0025 

Bombay 0045 

Nairobi 0050 

Dubai 0115 


Madras 0115 

Hyderabad 0120 

Cochin 0120 



Doha 0130 

Bombay 0130 

Sialkot 0130 


Delhi 0130 

Bangalore 0135 

Bahrain 0140 

Jaipur 0205 

Istanbul 0220 

Kathmandu 0235 

Chittagong-Dacca 0300 

Dubai 0500 


Doha 0550 

Cairo 0600 

Bahrain 0700 

Amman 0715 

Dubai 0800 

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Dubai 0820 


Chittagong 0900 

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Lahore 0945 

Zanzibar-Dar-es-Salaam 1000 

Calicut 1005 


Bangkok 1010 

Lucknow 1010 

Karachi 1020 

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Dubai 1030 

Salalah 1035 

Sharjah 1035 

Bombay 1040 

Dubai 1045 


Doha 1055 

Cochin 1145 

Karachi 1210 

Doha 1215 


Lahore-Islamabad 1240 

Kuwait 1255 

Amman-Beirut 1300 

Cairo 1310 

Bahrain 1315 

Bahrain 1315 

Frankfurt 1325 



Calicut 1355 

London Heathrow 1400 

Dubai 1440 

Abu Dhabi-Amritsar 1515 

Salalah 1540 

Jeddah 1540 

Dubai 1630 

Dubai 1715 

Salalah 1800 

Dubai 1805 

Doha 1840 

Bahrain 1855 

Dammam 1905 

Kuwait 1905 

Salalah 1905 

Doha 1910 

Riyadh 1910 

Bahrain 1915 

Sharjah 1945 

Karachi-Bangkok 2005 

Al Ain 2015 


Dubai 2045 

Dubai 2105 

Colombo 2120 

Abu Dhabi-Amsterdam 2200 

Salalah 2245 

Madras 2300 

Delhi 2310 


Dubai-Zurich 2335 

Abu Dhabi-Frankfurt 2335 

Doha 2335 

Bahrain 2345 

Quotations for Today 

Action is the normal completion of the 

act of will which begins as prayer. That 

action is not always external, but it is 

always some kind of effective energy. 

— Dean Inge 

A single grateful thought toward 

heaven is the most perfect prayer. 

— Gotthold Ephraim Lessing 

06.00 am Opening, Royal Anthem, The Holy Quran, 

Preview of Morning Programme, Weather Forecast, 

Pharmacies on Duty; 06.15 Morning Tea; 07.00 News 

Bulletin; 07.10 Morning Tea; 10.00 News Headlines; 

10.02 Classical Music; 12.00 News Headlines; 12.02 

Country Music (June); 01.00 Jazz Cafe (Suhail) 

Repeat (Sat 12pm); 02.30 News Bulletin; 02.40 Words 

in Action (Judith) Repeat (Sunday 02.40PM); 02.55 

Mix Music; 03.00 The World Chart Show (Repeat 

Wednesday 10.10PM); 04.00 News Bulletin; 04.02 

The World Chart Show (Repeat Wednesday 10.10PM); 

05.00 Teen Talkz (Live) Anika; 06.00 Mix Music; 06.30 

News Bulletin; 06.40 Herbs and Health (Huda Sultan); 

07.00 The Thursday Night Show-(Abdulhafedh al 

Harthi) Live; 08.00 News Headlines; 08.02 The 

Thursday Night Show-(Abdulhafedh al Harthi) Live; 

10.00 News Bulletin; 10.10 Hollywood Hamiltons 

Remix Top 30; 12.40 News Summary; 12.45 The Holy 

Quran; 01.00 National Anthem, Close Down. 

PHARMACIES 

24-HOUR SERVICE 

Al Hashar ph, Ruwi 24783334 

Muscat ph, Ruwi, 24702542 

Al Sarooj, 24695536 

Scientific ph, Qurum, 24566601 

DAY DUTY 

Muscat Al Khuwair 

24482044 

Badr Al Samaa 

24549088 

Ibn Sina 24788436 

Al Seeb 24420294 

Sur City Centre 

25542965 

Buraimi Yaas 25653855 

Ibri Atika 25691455 

Nizwa Muscat 25410235 

Salalah Scientific 23298095 

Salalah Al Rawai 26844277 

NIGHT DUTY 

Muscat Muscat 24695536 

Muscat 24535977 

Al Badyah 

24425024 

Muscat 24702542 

Sur Badr Al Samaa 

25546112 

Buraimi Fajr Al Khaleej 

25654321 

Ibri Al Zayanah 

25694458 

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Rustaq Badr Al Jashmi 

26876523 

Samayil Balqees 25352186 

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25425012 

Salalah Muscat 23291635 

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: You will be somewhat upset in the coming year about a lack of consideration shown 

to you by a person who has in the past always been very thoughtful. This phase will soon pass and renewed 

co-operation will give you confidence in the future and the chance to achieve your objectives. 

GEMINI 

(May 21-June 21) 

Don’t let your conidence 

in a planned 

course of action be weakened by 

other opinions. Listen to a friend 

whose advice has always proved 

sound in the past. 

CANCER 

(June 22-July 21) 

A person born under 

ARIES is likely to prove 

a very indifferent colleague from 

whom you cannot expect much 

understanding and co-operation. 

LEO 

(July 22-August 21) 

An unexpected caller 

may interfere with 

your plan but you may enjoy his 

visit. Don’t show impatience as 

there could well be some good 

news during the conversation. 

VIRGO 

(August 22- 

September 22) 

Disregard cruel gossip 

you have heard about one of your 

friends if you have his assurance 

that it is not based on any of his 

actions. 

LIBRA 

(September 23- 

October 22) 

You will be more likely 

to succeed in a test of skill if you 

concentrate on your abilities and 

refuse to consider a possible failure. 

SCORPIO 

(October 23- 

November 21) 

Try to be more lexible 

in your attitude towards people. 

A reputation for obstinacy is 

nothing to be proud of and you 

should change your ways. 

SAGITTARIUS 

(November 22- 

December 21) 

You will have to bring 

more variety into 

your leisure activities as they are 

failing to provide the stimulation 

you need. 

CAPRICORN 

(December 22- 

January 20) 

After having done a 

good job in your present position 

you will be given increased responsibility 

and the chance to show 

your ability. 

CARTOONS 

AQUARIUS 

(January 21- 

February 19) 

Your reluctance to take 

on additional responsibilities at 

work will be viewed by your employers 

as a lack of interest in promotion. 

PISCES 

(February 20- 

March 20) 

Try not to upset an 

older relation by expressing unconventional 

views in his presence. 

His old fashioned values are very 

dear to him. 

ARIES 

(March 21-April 20) 

Be careful what you say 

in a letter today. There 

is a danger that ambiguous wording 

may be misunderstood and the 

recipient may take offence. 

TAURUS 

(April 21-May 20) 

The knowledge that 

you have some spare 

cash tucked away should not tempt 

you to make an extravagant purchase, 

which you may regret tomorrow. 

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 

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

Other Hospitals 

ACROSS 

1 Blemish (4) 

4 Delve (3) 

6 Nuisance (4) 

9 Rodent (3) 

10 Location (8) 

11 Thing (4) 

14 Donkey (3) 

16 Coin (5) 

19 Charming (8) 

21 Airs (5) 

23 Kept (8) 

24 Mistake (5) 

27 Twisted (3) 

31 Corrosion (4) 

33 Stops (8) 

34 Observe (3) 

35 Thin (4) 

36 Born (3) 

37 Gown (4) 

DOWN 

2 Masticate (4) 

3 Unusual (4) 

4 Reptile (8) 

5 Pant (4) 

6 Conceit (5) 

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 

CRYPTIC PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

3 Something to exorcise 

or maybe lug around the 

house (5) 

8 Like the nose, it may 

need blowing (5) 

10 Maker of sails (5) 

11 A United Kingdom bird 

(3) 

12 Complain that the 

table’s wobbly? (5) 

13 More than one girl Les 

is mad about (7) 

15 Cook with train oil? (5) 

18 Rested on the bottom 

(3) 

19 In the southeast, there’s 

disgraceful zeal for 

sordidness! (6) 

21 Something eaten out of 

a drinking-vessel? (7) 

22 Jumpy sort of year? (4) 

23 A character to help with 

a heavy heart (4) 

cheats, possibly (7) 

24 Finders of jobs in sport 14 Perform a rhythmic 

(7) 

monologue in 

26 I’d star, perhaps, in a Dr contrapuntal style (3) 

Who feature (6) 

16 There’s nothing like it 

29 Normal spare part (3) for miles around! (5) 

31 Could it make touts 17 It’s OK to employ a leg 

drunk? (5) 

man (5) 

32 Badly used sort of car? 19 He may have matey 

(7) 

junior oficers (7) 

34 Could be moving, 20 Not natural 

strangely astir (5) 

accommodation (5) 

35 Initial news article by 21 City with an aviation 

grandma (3) 

centre (5) 

36 Censure stonily (5) 23 Organise with hard- 

37 Almost a Hellenic word, hearted wild anger (7) 

you’ll admit (5) 

24 An item of litter (6) 

38 Enid’s shifty and sly (5) 25 Take to the interior (3) 

27 Bikini, for instance (5) 

28 Cleans, perhaps with a 

feather-light touch (5) 

30 Beaten in a wild dance 

(5) 

32 Improve the appearance 

of a guild having no 

uniform (4) 

33 A cold one is obviously 

less than warm (3) 

DOWN 

1 Wild bears of the 

Scottish uplands (5) 

2 Possibly weak, take 

refreshment as one gets 

lively (5,2) 

4 Henry left the building 

(4) 

5 Superior fur it for wear 

(6) 

6 Measure a tiler could 

use (5) 

7 Historic beard-singeing 

place (5) 

9 Is he not formally in 

charge? (3) 

12 Groups of boneheaded 

EASY PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

3 Stupid (5) 

8 Legal (5) 

10 Sudden terror (5) 

11 Sticky substance (3) 

7 Consume (3) 

8 Strict (5) 

12 Worship (5) 

13 Detest (5) 

14 Insect (3) 


Museums 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 

12 Entire range (5) 

13 Trap (7) 

15 Darkness (5) 

18 Tree (3) 

19 Designate (6) 

21 Down payment (7) 

22 Norse god (4) 

23 Russian ruler (4) 

24 Get (7) 

26 Voluntarily (6) 

29 Before (3) 

31 Smithy (5) 

32 Respire (7) 

34 Synthetic material (5) 

35 Term of respect (3) 

36 Charred remains (5) 

37 Cords (5) 

38 Anxious (5) 

DOWN 

1 Gestures (5) 

2 Settler (7) 

4 European capital (4) 

5 Keyboard instrument 

(6) 

6 Cloth (5) 

7 Vision (5) 

9 Lettuce (3) 

12 Weapon store (7) 

14 Mountain (3) 

16 Bush (5) 

17 Rips (5) 

19 Distinguish (7) 

20 Personnel (5) 

21 English port (5) 

23 Treachery (7) 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

15 Tendon (5) 

17 Nurse (5) 

18 Enclosures (5) 

20 Regain (8) 

22 Utter (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 

24 Gratify (6) 

25 River (3) 

27 Excite (5) 

28 Wading bird (5) 

30 Fragment (5) 

32 Chief (4) 

33 Gratuity (3) 

YESTERDAY’S CRYPTIC 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 9, I-ncrease 10, 

See (sea) 11, Eyeful 12, Indeed 

13, Realise 14, Rapt 

(wrapped) 15, Rest-rained 

17, Gang-ster 18, Sea-weed 

19, Oslo 21, No-wise 24, 

Turns over a new leaf 27, 

S-and-ra(in) 29, No-es 30, 

Matters 33, Jumped on 35, 

Considered 36, Left 37, 

Fissu-re 38, Not-ice 40, 

Slings 41, O Art 42, Situated. 

DOWN: 1, In any event 2, 

F-r-ee 3, Mand-rake 4, 

Bearing 5, See-in-g round 

6, He-re and now 7, Heart-s 

8, Sup-press 10, 

S-t-aid 16, To-were-d 20, 

Serge 22, W-rest-L-e 23, 

Evening star 25, Stands 

fast 26, Far-fetched 28, 

A-mused-ly 31, A-lie-nate 

32, In-verse 34, Patent 35, 

C-O-urt 39, Trap (rev). 

YESTERDAY’S EASY 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 9, Complete 10, 

Bar 11, Reason 12, Ecarte 

13, Cortege 14, Raft 15, 

Aristocrat 17, Undulate 18, 

Diocese 19, Data 21, Hot 

air 24, Go like the clappers 

27, Barren 29, Hide 30, 

Voucher 33, Parafin 35, 

False teeth 36, Stir 37, 

Soprano 38, Comics 40, 

Tissue 41, Lit 42, Assorted. 

DOWN: 1, Concerning 2, 

Spar 3, Generous 4, Red 

card 5, Irrefutable 6, 

Friendship 7, Patrol 8, 

Confetti 10, Burst 16, 

Secular 20, Ahead 22, 

Treacle 23, Itching 

palm 25, Kingisher 26, 

Spectacles 28, Abattoir 31, 

Overcast 32, Also-ran 34, 

Arrest 35, Feast 39, Mars. 

25 Waken (5) 

26 Frequently (5) 

28 Bridge (4) 

29 Ale (4) 

30 Remnant (4) 

32 Ocean (3) 

TUESDAY’S QUICK 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 1, Scrape 5, 

Method 8, Disaster 9, 

Date 10, Lee 12, Taste 

15, Pry 17, Rue 18, Nor 

19, Awe 20, Means 21, 

Ode 22, Cup 23, Urn 24, 

Hat 26, Title 29, End 

33, Beau 34, Escalate 

35, Ragout 36, Deride. 

DOWN: 2, Crime 3, Alas 

4, Extra 5, Merit 6, Tidy 

7, Outer 10, Leash 11, 

Erect 12, Tempt 13, 

Start 14, Ensue 15, 

Prone 16, Yield 25, 

Arena 27, Inert 28, Lucid 

30, Noted 31, Ludo 

32, Slur.


Business Alert 

Kia sponsors Extreme Games 2013 

MUSCAT — For the seventh year in a row, Kia Motors is the proud title sponsor 

of the Kia World Extreme Games (formerly known as ‘Kia X Games Asia’), 

which resonates strongly with sports and car enthusiasts around the world. 

From June 9 to 12, Kia vehicles and branded kiosks will be situated around the 

competition venue, providing visitors to the event in Shanghai, China with the 

chance to experience the extreme side of Kia. 

Earlier this year, Kia Motors announced a three-year agreement to serve as 

the title sponsor of the Kia World Extreme Games. The sponsorship is in line 

with the automaker’s other high proile sport sponsorships including its role 

as the major sponsor of the Australian Open, FIFA Partner and UEFA Eurotop 

Partner. Kia Motors was a presenting sponsor of the X Games Asia competition 

in 2005 and 2006 but expanded its status to title sponsor starting in 2007 to 

further strengthen Kia’s young-at-heart and adventurous brand image in China 

and other global markets. 

“Just as the Kia World Extreme Games play centre stage to some of the 

world’s most exhilarating athletes and most passionate sports fans on the 

planet, Kia Motors has been a trailblazer in surprising the world’s auto consumers 

with the industry’s most rapid advances in styling and technology,” 

said Tae Hyun (Thomas) Oh, Executive Vice-President and COO of Kia Motors 

Corporation. 

“Having cemented ourselves as one of the world’s fastest growing automotive 

brands, Kia’s partnership with the World Extreme Games is sure to provide 

high-octane momentum for the continued rapid growth of action sports 

in the Asia region as well as around the globe,” he added. 

Kia Motors will display its exciting new line-up of high-quality vehicles 

including the all-new Carens compact MPV, Sorento mid-size CUV, all-new 

Sportage compact CUV, Cadenza premium sedan, Cerato C-segment vehicle, 

and Rio C-segment vehicle speciically designed for the Chinese market. 

More than 100 top action sports athletes from 30 countries will compete in 

this year’s competition and vie for total cash prizes of $260,000 in ive sports 

categories: aggressive inline, skateboard, BMX freestyle, sport climbing and 

Moto X. 

Reliable International Automotive, the distributor for Kia in Oman provides 

a rewarding ownership experience for customers. Excellent product attributes 

and unmatched 18 facilities easily ensure their absolute satisfaction, every 

mile of the way. No wonder then that Reliable International Automotive has 

been ranked amongst the top Kia distributors worldwide and has been honoured 

with prestigious accolades including the Kia 'Dealer of the Year' award; 

Kia 'Distributor of Distinction' award, 'Family Like Care' Service award and the 

'Zenith Club' award for excellent performance. 

2nd customer service awards on June 25 

THE 2nd Oman Customer Service Excellence Awards 2013 will take place on 

June 25 at the Grand Hyatt Muscat and is all set to promote excellence and innovations 

in Customer Care. Nominations for the 2nd Oman Customer Service 

Excellence Awards 2013 are open for rewarding businesses and public sector 

organisations in Oman and the deadline for submitting nomination forms 

is before May 25. The Awards are designed to recognise the importance of 

customer service by leading organisations from different sectors and to encourage 

them to instil performance culture, provide exemplary services and 

customer experiences and set an example of best practices in the industry in 

terms of quality, innovation and customer care. 

"Nominated organisations and those who are enthusiastic about customer 

care and best practices will experience and witness why some organisations 

are the best. The organisations who won during the 1st Oman Customer Service 

Excellence Awards were customer centric and had a very high level of 

employee commitment towards it," says Sadiq Ahmed Khan, Director — B2B 

Events and Marketing” 

Presented through a special ceremony, the Awards will recognise customer 

service excellence from representatives belonging to the Public Sector, Automobile 

Sector, Banking Sector, Insurance Sector, Retail Sector, Hospitality and 

Tourism Sector, Telecom Sector, Healthcare Sector and the Transport and Logistic 

Sector. 

The 2nd Oman Customer Service Excellence Awards is organised by OITE 

Conferences under the patronage of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry 

and the Ministry of Tourism. Powered by ITON, the event receives support 

from Omantel as Main Sponsor, Nawras as Telecom Sponsor, National Bank of 

Oman as Gold Sponsor and Times of Oman as media partner. 

Park Inn by Radisson Hotel, Residence Duqm 

CARLSON Rezidor, one of the ten largest hotel groups worldwide, announces 

the Park Inn by Radisson Hotel and Residence Duqm in Oman. 

The new property is scheduled to welcome the irst guests in Q4 2013, and 

will further build on the success of the existing Park Inn by Radisson Hotel 

Muscat, which is popular for its modern design and cool amenities, such as a 

rooftop swimming pool and itness centre. 

“The Middle East is an important development market for Carlson Rezidor. 

We aim to further strengthen our core brands in the region — Radisson Blu 

is covering the contemporary upper upscale segment; Park Inn by Radisson 

the dynamic mid-market segment targeting the growing clientele of Gen X and 

Y”, commented Wolfgang M Neumann, President and CEO The Rezidor Hotel 

Group. 

The Park Inn by Radisson Hotel & Residence Duqm is already under construction 

and ready to take advantage of the $10 billion investment the government 

is making in Duqm; a city that’s getting ready to emerge as Oman’s 

industrial and economic hub. 

The hotel, located 8 kilometres from the airport and 10 kilometres from the 

Port of Duqm offers 50 one-bedroom chalets, 9 two-bedroom villas, 13 onebedroom 

and 2 two-bedroom apartments. The design and the character of all 

73 accommodation units and the entire hotel will be inimitably Park Inn by 

Radisson, designed for the new generation traveller. The hotel will grow by another 

46 units in the next 5 years. The future-forward and trendsetting property 

will also offer an all-day dining restaurant, free wireless Internet throughout 

the hotel, indoor and outdoor bars, as well as an outdoor swimming pool 

and a gym. 

Bank Nizwa CEO speaks on Islamic inance 

FOR Islamic banking to succeed there needs to be 

an enlightened understanding of Islamic inance 

said Dr Jamil El Jaroudi, CEO, Bank Nizwa, who 

was speaking at the second GCC International 

Conference organised by the Institute of Chartered 

Accountants of India Muscat Chapter (ICAI). 

Dr El Jaroudi and Sohail Abbasi, Bank Nizwa’s 

DGM for Corporate and Commercial Banking, introduced 

Islamic inance to the delegates in a segment 

entitled “Diversity in the inancial world Islamic 

Finance”. 

As Oman’s irst Islamic bank, Bank Nizwa relished 

the unique responsibility to share its expertise 

at the seminar and it encouraged a healthy and lively debate on the 

Islamic inance industry as part of the ‘Questions and Answers’ session. The 

seminar which was entitled ‘Growth, Diversity, Peace — The GDP Challenge’ 

was held over two days in Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa. It gathered 

together chartered accounts from across the GCC as well as distinguished 

Omani Guests, businessmen and inance professionals and ICAI members from 

all over the globe. 

Addressing the seminar, Dr El Jaroudi said, “The values, which as chartered 

accounts are integral to your work, are the same values which are inherent in 

Islamic banking and the Islamic inance industry. These include excellence, integrity, 

objectivity and a commitment to the public interest. Bank Nizwa welcomes 

opportunities which enable us to reach out and build momentum for Islamic 

banking as well as help people understand more about Islamic inance.” 

Bank Nizwa is committed to raising awareness at educating all levels of society 

on Islamic banking and to demystifying the Islamic inance industry to 

bring it closer to the general public. It endeavours to motivate and inspire and 

share its expertise through speaking opportunities, conferences and seminars 

as well as facilitating debate and the exchange of key learning’s. 

NBO sponsors camel race in Al Sharqiyah 

NATIONAL Bank of Oman is proud to participate as a main sponsor of the Sul- 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL 

23 

tanate’s biggest annual camel race, recently held in Sinaw, Al Sharqiyah Governorate, 

under the auspices of Shaikh Salim bin Rubiea al Sunaidi, Wali of 

Mudhaibi and the supervision of Shaikh Abdullah Shutaite al Wahabi. 

The two-day event was well attended by a vast crowd of tourists, locals and 

camel owners. The National Bank of Oman took part in the event with a team 

comprising the Bank’s Head of Bancassurance and Government Relations as 

well as the Bank’s Regional Manager, Al Sharqiyah Governorate, and the Manager 

and staff of Sinaw Branch 

While the event was a huge success, the bank’s team was able to facilitate 

leads for various products from interested customers, including high net 

worth individuals. 

Abdul Qadir Ahmed, National Bank of Oman’s Deputy General Manager and 

Head, Retail Business, commented: “We are very pleased to sponsor this event, 

as the National Bank of Oman is committed to supporting all types of activities 

that aim to develop sports in the different areas in Oman. Moreover, this event 

has been a unique opportunity for the staff of the bank to mingle informally 

with customers and other members of the community, whether from Oman or 

from the Gulf region, in an atmosphere of joy and fun. The bank will continue 

its efforts to maintain its presence in the hearts and minds of the people of 

Oman at all times”. 

Camel racing is a popular sport in Oman, where it evolved into an oficial 

and professional event that attracts huge audience. New technologies have 

been utilised in this traditional sport, which made it more modern. 

Rave reviews for Iron Man 3 from Audi fans 

WATTAYAH Motors, the oficial dealer of Audi in the Sultanate, recently gave 

away free cinema premiere tickets as part of Audi’s association with the third 

instalment of the widely popular Iron Man franchise. Audi Oman has received 

great reviews from all the movie goers in addition to heartfelt appreciation for 

the tickets. 

“We are proud to be associated with such a popular franchise and wanted to 

share the experience with our loyal customer and fans,” said Ahmed Shariei, 

General Manager of Audi Oman. “The technologically advanced Audi R8 e-tron 

along with the other models featured is a perfect it for Iron Man 3’s ultramodern 

setting.” 

Robert Downey Jr reprised his role as Tony Stark, the title character in the 

ilm, whose Super Hero alter ego Iron Man is the result of an extremely versatile 

and indestructible high-tech armour suit. Whenever Stark hangs up his 

suit, the technically-adept billionaire can be seen in the ilm behind the wheel 

of the all-electric R8 e-tron sports car prototype. As well as showcasing Audi 

technology and sleek design with the Audi R8, Iron Man 3 also features the 

Audi S7, driven by Paltrow’s character Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries 

and girlfriend of Tony Stark. The ilm also includes placement of the Audi A8 L, 

A6, S5 Coupé and Q5 models. 

China hits back at EU over solar panel duties 

BOLOGNA — Europe's squeezed utility 

irms say they cannot cut prices to 

stop their big industrial clients moving 

to the United States, where fuel 

costs around a quarter as much. 

Losing the business of heavy energy 

users, such as chemical giants, cement 

and steel makers, could force the 

power companies to put up prices for 

households, hurting consumer budgets 

and making it harder for Europe to 

spend its way out of recession. 

While US energy companies have 

been able to cut prices because of a 

shale gas boom, utilities say the answer 

in Europe is a clearer regional 

energy policy to guide investment and 

to end green subsidies they blame for 

swelling fuel bills. 

"We need (heavy industry). If energy 

prices are too high for them, either 

we need to subsidise or the (European 

Union's) energy strategy is wrong," 

Johannes Teyssen, the CEO of German 

utility EON, said at a utilities conference 

in Bologna, Italy. 

"It would be a big mistake to forego 

energy intensive industry." 

Some big companies are already 

moving west. 

In March, Austrian steelmaker 

Voestalpine said it would build a plant 

in Texas to capitalise on the US shale 

gas boom. German carmaker BMW has 

also said energy costs were decisive in 

choosing a site in Washington state to 

build an energy-intensive plant. 

Others also say energy is a major 

factor and they are working on energy 

savings, through measures such as in- 

sulation. 

"Energy costs contribute to our variable 

costs in Europe, and all around 

the world. Further increases in energy 

costs in Europe can lead to reduced 

competitiveness and future investment," 

said Ian Hudson, President of 

the Europe, Middle East and Africa at 

chemicals company Dupont. 

Wholesale gas prices have fallen in 

Europe, but the European Commission 

says industry still pays four times 

more than its peers in the United 

States. Electricity, generated from gas, 

coal, renewables or nuclear fuel, can 

be twice as expensive in Europe. 

In the United States, shale gas extraction, 

using hydraulic fracking, 

a process that critics say can cause 

earthquakes, has delivered low gas 

prices. US gas prices fell below $2 in 

early 2012, but are now around $4 

Many doubt the shale gas revolution 

can be repeated in Europe, where 

geology and geography are more challenging 

and public concern about the 

environmental implications of extract- 

Solar panels belonging to a solar power plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province yesterday. — AFP 

ing gas from shale rock are higher. 

But Europe's utilities say they have 

no room to cut costs and have no 

money for necessary upgrades to the 

power grid. 

Their proits have shrunk as economic 

crisis and an EU-drive for more 

energy eficiency have depressed energy 

demand. 

Many of them also have massive 

debts from a wave of consolidation 

before the 2008 inancial crisis, which 

is forcing them to sell assets, cut costs 

and lay off staff. The 20 irms in the 

Euro Stoxx Utilities index alone have 

a combined debt of some 400 billion 

euros, ThomsonReuters data show. 

Losing energy intensive industry 

would make matters worse. It accounts 

for around 70 per cent of energy 

demand in Europe's largest economy, 

Germany, said Peter Terium, CEO 

of German company RWE AG who 

sees a risk of a major shift away from 

Europe. 

Losing big energy clients might 

also force them to push up the cost for 

domestic consumers, who are already 

paying more. 

Prices vary across the region, but in 

the biggest economy Germany, industrial 

consumers pay around half what 

households pay for electricity, according 

to industry data. 

US utilities say they need help 

through a new EU energy policy. 

They say the problem with the current 

policy is that government subsidies 

to encourage green power are 

passed on to power bills, which push 

the cost up for industry and households. 

Governments can decide individually 

how much to charge so the policy 

is unevenly applied throughout Europe 

and the utilities say the subsidies, 

for example for putting solar panels 

on the roof of a house, are often more 

generous than the market rate. 

Instead, they want reform of the 

Emissions Trading Scheme, the EU's 

market for carbon permits, to make it 

a stronger alternative to subsidies and 

engineer a market-based shift to low 

carbon or green energy. 

The European Union has a goal 

to increase the share of green energy 

from around 10 per cent of use 

in 2011 to 20 per cent by 2020 as it 

seeks to cut emissions and curb reliance 

on imported fossil fuels, which 

have a negative impact on the trade 

balance. 

EU Energy Commissioner Antonio 

Tajani told the Bologna conference 

that Europe was committed to cutting 

energy costs and developing regional 

sources of energy, including shale gas. 

A draft of his department's action 

plan for the steel sector has raised the 

prospect of lowering taxes and levies 

on energy. 

"We need more industry," Tajani 

said, referring to an unoficial goal 

he shares with some other commissioners 

to get 20 per cent of Europe's 

gross domestic product from manufacturing. 

"Without good energy policy, it's 

impossible to achieve it." — AFP

24 OMAN/INTERNATIONAL 

TEL: 24601003, 24600586 • FAX: 24600736 

• WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com 


Myanmar courts investors at ‘Asia’s Davos’ 

Participants arrive at the Myanmar International Convention Centre where the 22nd World Economic Forum on 

East Asia is held in Naypyidaw yesterday. — AFP 

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar — Myanmar 

touted its dramatic post-junta reforms 

yesterday in a bid to entice foreign 

investors as hundreds of world 

leaders and industry chiefs visited the 

long-isolated nation for Asia's edition 

of the World Economic Forum. 

Some 900 delegates from more 

than 50 countries gathered in the capital 

Naypyidaw for the three-day WEF 

on East Asia — a regional version of 

the annual gathering of business and 

political luminaries in the Swiss resort 

of Davos. 

Foreign irms are queuing up to 

enter the country formerly known as 

Burma, tantalised by the prospect of 

a largely untapped market with a potential 

60 million new consumers in 

addition to Myanmar's pool of cheap 

labour. They include Coca-Cola, which 

has returned to Myanmar after an absence 

of more than 60 years with a 

new bottling plant, as well as consumer 

products giant Unilever which will 

soon start production in the country. 

"This event is really going to raise 

the visibility of Myanmar to the economic 

community outside of the 

country," Heang Chhor, senior partner 

at global consultancy McKinsey & Co, 

said. 

"Beyond the usual suspects such 

as agriculture, energy and mining and 

infrastructure most (foreign) companies 

are still looking at the potential of 

Myanmar. What are the opportunities 

lying out there in the next 20 years?" 

he said. 

The interest works both ways, with 

Myanmar desperately short of jobs, 

skills and infrastructure to drive an 

economic revival and lift its people 

out of poverty. 

"Our country very much lags behind... 

we lack contact with the other 

markets," said Wah Wah Maung of the 

National Planning and Economic Development 

Ministry, adding the forum 

is a chance to "market our nation". 

President Thein Sein's quasi-civilian 

government has surprised the 

world since coming to power two 

years ago with dramatic political and 

economic changes that have led to the 

lifting of most Western sanctions. 

Hundreds of political prisoners 

have been freed, democracy champion 

Aung San Suu Kyi has been welcomed 

into a new parliament and tentative 

ceaseires have been reached in the 

country's multiple ethnic civil wars. 

On the eve of the conference, 

former general Thein Sein said in a 

radio address to the nation that all 

remaining prisoners of conscience 

would soon be freed. 

Activists say some 200 political 

prisoners remain in jail and accuse 

Myanmar of using a series of headline-grabbing 

amnesties for political 

gain. Both Thein Sein and Suu Kyi are 

scheduled to address the forum today, 

but many participants are eager for a 

chance to meet face-to-face. 

"Many important people are trying 

to see the president," a government 

oficial said as the WEF got under 

way. "But of course he cannot meet 

everyone." 

After years lagging behind its more 

developed neighbours, Myanmar is 

now taking steps to revive its impoverished 

economy. 

The currency was loated last 

year, there are moves to give the central 

bank more independence and a 

new foreign investment law has been 

passed, catching the eye of foreign executives. 

At the same time some delegates 

struck a note of caution for Myanmar 

as it opens up to the outside world, 

urging authorities to harvest new 

knowledge but resist investment that 

exploits the country. 

"Investors need to abide by the 

standards within the country or 

world," Han Thar Myint, a spokesman 

for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy 

party, said at the forum. 

"We have to welcome countries 

that abide by high ethical standards." 

The former junta was accused by 

rights groups of plundering the country's 

natural resources for personal 

gain. 

Experts say businesses entering 

Myanmar also face major hurdles, including 

an opaque legal framework as 

well as a lack of basic infrastructure 

and of government and private-sector 

expertise. 

Several outbreaks of deadly religious 

violence have also cast a shadow 

over the reform process. 

The country's "major challenge" is 

Turkish markets fall, CDS hit 8-month high 

ISTANBUL — Turkey's lira lost ground yesterday 

while the country's debt insurance costs rose to 

their highest since November, as worries continued 

over anti-government demonstrations although 

there was an oficial apology over police 

violence. 

Turkish government has faced some of the 

iercest anti-government protests in years since 

last weekend but the apology on Tuesday from 

the deputy prime minister contributed to some 

hopes of an easing of tensions. 

"We expect demonstrations to continue but in 

a peaceful manner from now on," Ugur Bayraktar, 

General Manager at Ekspres Invest, said. 

"Although this would have positive impact on 

inancial markets, ongoing protests would have 

reverberations over the business environment." 

Turkey's ive-year credit default swaps (CDS) 

rose seven basis points to 148 bps, according to 

Markit. 

The lira fell to 1.8820 against the dollar from 

1.8804 on Tuesday. It hit its weakest level since 

January 2012 on Monday at 1.9005. 

The main Istanbul share index was down 0.54 

per cent to 80,206.17 points at 1040 GMT, having 

closed 4.87 per cent lower on Tuesday after 

plummeting more than 10 per cent on Monday. 

Banking shares were down 1.2 per cent. The twoyear 

benchmark bond yield rose to 6.17 per cent 

from 6.03 per cent late on Tuesday. — AFP 

to persuade companies of the strength 

of its basic infrastructure and labour 

force as well as to build faith in its political 

stability, said Heang Chhor of 

McKinsey. 

A handout notice from the forum 

gives delegates some taste of the busi- 

ness challenges facing the country, 

noting that there will be no cash machines 

for international customers, 

credit cards are not accepted and the 

3G network "is not available" for users 

of BlackBerry and other mobile 

phones. — AFP 

Japan dotcom jailbird 

back in business 

TOKYO — Maverick Internet tycoon 

Takafumi Horie (pictured), who was 

jailed for accounting fraud, said yesterday 

Japan's online landscape was 

prime territory for his aggressive 

style of business. 

Horie said he had got involved in 

around 30 start-ups since being released 

from prison three months ago, 

having served nearly two years for 

hiding losses on the balance sheets of 

his Internet service provider Livedoor. 

"Social media such as Facebook 

and Line has developed tremendously 

in the past two years in a way that 

means I can monetise my intangible 

human assets and launch various 

businesses," the 40-year-old said. 

Line is a Japanese-developed 

instant messaging application for 

smartphones and PCs. Since appearing 

just two years ago, it has amassed 

a reported 100 million users. 

"It has become easy for me to do 

what I want to do because of the way 

the Internet's infrastructure has developed," 

Horie told the Foreign Correspondents' 

Club of Japan. 

"I am starting up probably about 

30 businesses, some of them are already 

in place," he said, citing a rocket 

development irm and his dream 

of sending thousands of paying customers 

into space. 

The lamboyant and outspoken 

Horie was sentenced to 30 months' 

jail in 2007 for falsely reporting a 

pre-tax proit of ive billion yen ($50 

million at today's rates) to hide losses 

at Livedoor. 

A high court appeal the following 

year was rejected, and the supreme 

court turned him down again in April 

2011. 

Horie — a Tokyo University graduate 

who shook up Japan Inc's often 

staid ways with his media-savvy persona 

and hostile takeover bids — has 

long insisted he was a victim of a 

hidebound business culture. 

He emerged from prison in March 

weighing 30 kilogrammes less and 

vowing to get back in the saddle. 

Horie, who has nearly a million 

followers on Twitter, told reporters 

yesterday that one of his new 

projects was to use social media to 

support prisoners seeking rehabilitation 

after serving their time. 

The idea came because social media 

helped him through the bitter 

irst winter in his unheated cell in the 

mountains of Nagano, where temperatures 

dropped to minus 15 degrees 

centigrade (ive degrees Fahrenheit). 

"I mentioned the condition in my 

online magazine," he said referring to 

a publication he kept going while behind 

bars. 

"Heating was installed in my second 

year and I was given one more 

blanket," he said. — AFP

CRICKET P27 South Africa take on India in CT opener >> GOLF 

P28 McIlroy gets help ahead of US Open 

P26 

CRICKET 

Lewandowski hoping 

to move this summer 

BERLIN — Borussia Dortmund's 

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski 

has told German magazine Sport 

Bild that he wants to leave his 

current club this summer for a "new 

challenge" elsewhere. 

"I have informed Dortmund. I 

suppose that everything is clear 

now and I will be able to leave this 

summer to go to a club of my choice. 

It will be better for everyone," said 

Lewandowski, 24, whose contract 

with the Champions League 

runners-up expires in June 2014. 

"Dortmund is a fabulous club 

that I always love. But I need a new 

challenge," added the Pole, who 

scored 36 goals in all competitions 

for Dortmund. 

He made no mention of any 

prospective future employer. 

Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich 

remain his most likely destination, 

even if Dortmund coach Jurgen 

Klopp assured last week that there 

was "no oficial offer from Bayern." 

FOOTBALL 

Zidane not yet ready 

to coach Real: Perez 

MADRID — Real Madrid president 

Florentino Perez says Zinedine 

Zidane has all the right coaching 

qualiications needed to replace 

Jose Mourinho in the dugout at the 

Santiago Bernabeu, but the Spanish 

giants believe he needs more 

experience before being considered 

for the position. 

"Zidane could do it. He has the 

qualiications and fulils all the 

requirements but we have not 

thought about it yet," Perez told 

Spanish television station Telecinco 

late on Tuesday. 

"It is something we have to 

consider, but as a irst step it is a 

bit... I don't want to say risky but he 

needs to become hardened," Perez 

said of the Frenchman, who passed 

his coaching exams this year but has 

no experience in the job. — AFP 


Thursday 

JUNE 6, 2013 | RAJAB 27, 1434 AH 

P27 

P28 

Inside 

Lions brush aside below-strength Force 

Tim May quits as players’ chief 

Kings outplay Hawks to reduce deficit 


Djokovic ends Haas’ run, Nadal whips Wawrinka 

PARIS — Novak Djokovic kept calm, 

cool and collected to subdue the 

challenge of 35-year-old Tommy 

Haas with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 win 

in the quarterinals of the French 

Open yesterday. 

If the world No 1 still had nightmares 

about his mauling by Haas 

just over two months ago in Miami, 

he hid those fears well to set up a 

semiinal blockbuster with seventime 

champion Rafael Nadal. 

After Djokovic outplayed the German 

warrior in the irst set, Haas 

went toe-to-toe with the Serbian in 

the second. Three times the 12th 

seed went ahead with a mini-break 

in the tie-break but each time Djokovic 

fought back. 

When Djokovic brought up set 

point by inishing off a 24-shot rally 

with a breathtaking cross-court 

backhand winner, the damage was 

done and there was no way back 

into the set for Haas who was looking 

to become the oldest men's semiinalist 

in Paris since 1968. 

Haas enjoyed one inal hurrah 

in the third set, breaking the top 

seed when he was serving for the 

match at 5-4 but it was soon evident 

he was running on empty as he lost 

the next two games and the match 

when Djokovic whacked a backhand 

winner into the corner of the 

court. 

Nadal's transformation into claycourt 

machine was complete yesterday 

as the champion bulldozed into 

the semiinals with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 

crushing of Swiss ninth seed Stanislas 

Wawrinka. 

Sharapova, Azarenka reach French Open semis 

PARIS — Maria Sharapova and Victoria 

Azarenka set up a mouth-watering 

French Open semiinal yesterday with 

hard-fought wins in their quarterinals. 

The defending champion Russian, 

seeded second this year, survived 

a nightmare start to hold on to her 

crown for at least another day with 

a 0-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over tough Jelena 

Jankovic in a compelling quarterinal 

tie. 

World No 3 Azarenka, meanwhile, 

reached her irst semiinal at Roland 

Garros when she defeated friend and 

former doubles partner, Maria Kirilenko 

of Russia, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2. 

Sharapova and Azarenka have 

played each other 12 times with the 

Belarusian 7-5 ahead, although it will 

be their irst meeting this year. 

The 26-year-old Russian was all 

over the place for a set and 30 minutes 

in her match against Jankovic, 

but with the Roland Garros exit door 

beckoning, she steadied her nerves 

enough to apply the irepower needed 

to derail the Serb's brave challenge. 

"She played such a great match 

from the beginning and was very aggressive," 

Sharapova said of her opponent. 

"I knew after the irst set that I had 

to change things around. I just had to 

erase the chapter and move forward. I 

still felt I was in the match and I broke 

her in the irst game (of the second). 

In what was a match-up of two 

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic returns a shot to Germany’s Tommy Haas during their French Open quarterinal match in Paris yesterday. — AFP 

Russia’s Maria Sharapova returns a shot to Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic during their match yesterday. — AFP 

former world No 1s, Jankovic, who 

has clawed her way back into the 

world top 20 this year, got off to 

the prefect start with three straight 

breaks of serve to take the irst set 

6-0 in just 29 minutes. It was just the 

fourth time in her Grand Slam career 

that Sharapova had lost a set 6-0, but 

she could have no complaints, having 

committed 20 unforced errors to just 

two from Jankovic. 

The Russian started to ind some 

consistency with her ground-strokes 

at the start of the second set and she 

also got help from her opponent, who 

served up her irst double fault of the 

match on break point. 

The match suddenly turned on its 

head with Sharapova dominating rallies 

with her heavier irepower and 

she eased out into a 5-1 lead before 

sealing the win three games later. 

Australian Open winner Azarenka 

hadn't faced anyone inside the top 30 

en route to the last eight and that lack 

of sharpness was evident immediately 

with four breaks in the irst four 

games. The irst set lasted a marathon 

76 minutes, but once 23-year-old Azarenka 

had pocketed that, it was clear 

that Kirilenko, who needed a medical 

time-out after the seventh game, simply 

lacked the armoury to upset her 

bigger and stronger opponent. 

The women's semiinals will be 

held today with top seed Serena Williams 

taking on last year's runner-up 

Sara Errani in the other match.

26 

SPORT 


Lions brush aside below-strength Force, Healy injured 

British and Irish Lions’ Jamie Heaslip is tackled by Sam Norton-Knight of the Western Force during their match in Perth yesterday. — Reuters 

Iran end Qatar’s World Cup inals hopes 

DOHA — Iran boosted their chances 

of clinching an automatic berth from 

Asia at next year's World Cup inals 

with a 1-0 win over Qatar in their crucial 

qualifying game here on Tuesday. 

Iranian-Dutch striker Reza Nournia 

struck the vital goal in the 66th 

minute to end 2022 World Cup hosts 

Qatar's hopes of reaching the inals. 

It was the irst time Iran had beaten 

Qatar in four qualifying matches 

for the Brazil tournament. 

Their three previous matches, including 

two in the third and penultimate 

phase of qualifying, had ended 

in draws. 

Tuesday's victory took Iran to 10 

points in group A, and with two more 

games in hand, the Asian giants look 

set for their fourth appearance in the 

World Cup inals. 

Qatar's already slim hopes of qualifying 

for football's showpiece event 

depended on a victory over Iran, and 

for the better part of the irst half 

they appeared on course with speedy 

moves that occasionally caught the 

Iranians napping. 

Former Asian Player of the Year 

Everton conirm 

Roberto Martinez 

as new manager 

LONDON — Everton conirmed 

one of the worst kept secrets in 

football yesterday when they announced 

Roberto Martinez as 

their new manager. 

The Spaniard leaves his role as 

Wigan manager to replace David 

Moyes, who will oficially take over 

at Manchester United on July 1. 

Everton said 39-year-old Martinez 

would be oficially unveiled 

at a press conference. 

His arrival at Goodison was 

already given the green light 

by Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, 

who said the two clubs had 

agreed compensation for his departure. 

And Whelan said there were 

no hard feelings between himself 

and Martinez. 

"I'm sorry to lose him but we 

will always be friends for the rest 

of our lives," Whelan said. "But he 

is going to a great club with great 

supporters." — dpa 

Portugal round off long season with World Cup qualiier against Russia 

LISBON — Cristiano Ronaldo and his 

Portugal team-mates must avoid going 

into holiday mode too soon as they 

round off a long season with a tricky 

World Cup qualiier against European 

Group F leaders Russia tomorrow. 

Sitting third in the group, Portugal 

cannot afford another below-par 

performance like last year's 1-0 defeat 

in Moscow. With Ronaldo having 

been rested in his club Real Madrid's 

inal two La Liga games, it would be 

easy for him to be putting his feet up 

but Portuguese Football Federation 

Vice-President Humberto Coelho is 

conident the forward is focused on 

business. 

"He always gives it all for the national 

team. Physically, it's not the 

best time of the year to play but other 

players had long seasons too," Coelho 

said. 

"Russia are comfortably on top, 

with two games in hand an one point 

ahead, but we do not intend to drop 

the goal of reaching the precious second 

place, which gives us access to 

the play-off." 

Group winners qualify for next 

year's World Cup inals in Brazil, 

while the eight best runners-up will 

play off over two legs for the remaining 

four places. 

While the Portugal players are being 

urged to wait a few more days before 

enjoying some relaxation, some 

of Russia's were shown by Russian 

Khalfan Ibrahim came close to beating 

the Iranian defence on a couple 

of occasions, but Qatar's irst real 

chance came in the 30th minute when 

media last week to be smoking and 

drinking together on a night out. 

Portuguese media picked up on it 

widely and when they asked striker 

Hugo Almeida what he made of the 

footage, he was pretty sympathetic. 

"Sometimes it's important to unwind 

at the end of a long season, after 

so much effort and constant psychological 

pressure," he said. 

Portugal coach Paulo Bento said 

that as well as end-of-season fatigue, 

another issue making preparations 

dificult was the fact his players were 

scattered around Europe with their 

clubs while most of the Russians play 

in their domestic league. 

"We have players spread around 

many championships so it's more dif- 

icult for us to prepare," he said. "It's a 

handicap but not an excuse." 

Only seven of Portugal's 25-man 

squad played for a club of their home 

nation this season. 

Centre back Pepe is suspended for 

the game at the Luz stadium while 

Ronaldo, Nani and Fabio Coentrao, 

three of the country's key performers, 

are all racing to recover from small 

knocks. Bento's side are especially 

keen to qualify for the World Cup as 

it is being held in fellow Portuguesespeaking 

Brazil and know that since 

they are behind Israel on goal difference 

with both having played six 

games, they must avoid any more 

slip-ups. 

Hassan Haydos found himself clear 

just inside the penalty area. However, 

much to Qatar's dismay his cracking 

shot slammed the crossbar. — AFP 

Iran’s Khosro Heidari (right) ights for the ball with Qatar’s Ibrahim 

Majed during their match in Doha on Tuesday. — Reuters 

"We have to take (the) initiative 

and command the match for most 

of the time," Bento said. "We have no 

margin of error given the mistakes 

(we have already made)." 

Russia coach Fabio Capello, who 

will be without injured forward Alexander 

Kokorin, hailed his team's good 

start to the qualifying campaign but 

said the job was far from done. 

"We started well and left our rivals 

behind. But the qualifying tournament 

is a long way to go and we 

have no right to relax until we win 

our place in the World Cup inals," 

the Italian told the Rossiiskaya Gazeta 

newspaper. 

"We have played just four matches 

(out of 10) and the most serious 

clashes are still ahead. I expect tough 

opposition in every one of the remaining 

matches." 

BOSNIA, MONTENEGRO TRY TO 

EDGE CLOSER TO WORLD CUP 

Bosnia and Montenegro, both on 

course for a irst World Cup appearance, 

face key matches in the European 

qualiiers tomorrow which 

could end with the unlikely sight of 

either Albania or Iceland topping a 

group. 

Russia take their 100 per cent 

record to Portugal, unbeaten Italy 

have a tough match in the Czech Republic 

in Group B while France, Spain, 

Germany and Netherlands will all sit 

out the action. 

Austria host Sweden in a match 

which is crucial in deciding which 

team inishes second behind likely 

Group C winners Germany. 

The winners of the nine European 

groups qualify directly for Brazil next 

year and the eight best runners-up 

go into two-leg playoffs for four more 

places. 

The campaign has already produced 

several surprises, no more so 

than in Group H where tiny Montene- 

PERTH — The British and Irish Lions 

began their tour of Australia with a 

thumping 69-17 win over an inexperienced 

Western Force side yesterday 

but prop Cian Healy suffered a suspected 

ankle ligament injury. 

The Force had been criticised for 

ielding an under-strength 23, which 

featured seven players who had not 

played Super Rugby, but the spirited 

side managed to score two tries of their 

own and disrupt a couple of lineouts. 

Lions coach Warren Gatland said 

he would have preferred to face 

tougher opposition but was pleased 

that with the form of a number of his 

players, many of whom were making 

their irst appearance on the tour. 

One of which was captain Brian 

O'Driscoll, who scored his irst try 

for the Lions 12 years ago in Perth 

when they beat Western Australia 

and crossed for two more in a strong 

display in the centres along with England's 

Manu Tuilagi. 

Leigh Halfpenny was given the kicking 

duties over Irish lyhalf Jonny Sexton 

and the Welsh fullback repaid that 

vote of conidence with a supreme 

display with the boot as he slotted all 

11 attempts from dificult positions to 

surely cement a test berth. 

Gatland said Sexton was disappointed 

not to be kicking the goals but 

the Leinster lyhalf did get the Lions 

on the scoreboard with the opening 

try in the 10th minute of an impressive 

display with ball in hand. 

The Force had talked about roughing 

up the Lions before the game but it 

was the tourists that were accused of 

foul play when the action was halted 

for a long period in the 18th minute after 

Force scrumhalf Brett Sheehan accused 

Healy of biting him when defending 

at a ruck near their own try line. 

The television match oficial, though, 

South Korea salvage last-gasp 

draw against Lebanon 

BEIRUT — South Korea's Kim Chi 

Woo struck seven minutes into added 

time to salvage a 1-1 draw away 

to bottom side Lebanon in a World 

Cup qualiier on Tuesday that put his 

relieved side top of Group A. 

Kim's free-kick was delected off 

the defensive wall into the net after 

Hassan Maatouk's 12th minute strike 

had put the unfancied hosts ahead in 

Beirut. 

Korea lead the section with 11 

points from six games ahead of Uzbekistan 

on goal difference. Iran are 

third with 10 after their 1-0 victory 

over Qatar (7) in Doha earlier on 

Tuesday. 

Lebanon remain bottom with 

ive points and, like Qatar, have now 

played seven matches and have only 

one remaining. 

The top two from the group qualify 

directly for next year's inals in 

Brazil, while the third-placed team 

will still be in with a chance of joining 

them via the play-offs. 

Maatouk raised Lebanon's hopes 

of pulling off an upset win over South 

Korea when he slotted Mohamad 

Haidar's cross into the bottom lefthand 

corner of the Korean goal. 

The stunned Koreans went on the 

attack but Lee Chung Yong hit the 

post after combining well with Lee 

Dong Gook. 

The visitors mounted several 

raids but Lebanese goalkeeper Abbas 

Hassan thwarted them time and 

again to preserve the hosts' lead at 

halftime. 

After the break Korea's forwards 

spurned a hatful of chances. 

In the 72nd minute, Kim Keehee 

headed Kim Chi Woo's cross against 

the post and seven minutes later 

Lee Dong Gook failed to slot home 

from close range after Hassan denied 

Kwak Taehwi. 

Deep into stoppage time Korea 

found a fortunate equaliser when 

Kim's left-foot free-kick was delected 

into the net. — Reuters 

gro, who played their irst full international 

only six years ago, top the table 

with four wins and two draws in six 

matches. They will take a ive-point 

lead over second-placed England if 

they can beat Ukraine at home, leaving 

Roy Hodgson’s team with the unappetising 

prospect of a two-leg playoff 

to reach Brazil. 

Third-placed Poland could also 

close the gap on England to one point 

if they win in Moldova, putting further 

found no evidence when reviewing 

the tape, with both coaches offering 

little insight on the issue with the matter 

to be settled by the citing commission. 

The Lions regathered after the 

halt in play with O'Driscoll scoring his 

irst try after switching passes with 

Wales winger George North, but the 

game was again stopped for a lengthy 

period in the 35th minute when Healy 

screamed out in pain as his leg twisted 

in the tackle. 

"It's not broken but they think its 

ligament damage so we will have to 

wait 24, 48 hours and see what happens 

from that," Gatland said. 

After the prop was taken off on a 

stretcher, English lanker Tom Croft 

crossed for another score to send the 

tourists into halftime 27-3 up. 

Impressive Irish No 8 Jamie Heaslip 

added another try at the start of the 

second half before former Wallaby Richard 

Brown crossed for the Force after 

avoiding a tackle by Sean O'Brien. 

The Lions roared back, though, and 

Healy's replacement Mako Vunipola 

bulldozed over for another ive pointer 

as the replacements came on to test 

a weary looking home side. 

Tommy Bowe, O'Driscoll and Owen 

Farrell took advantage of a yellow 

card for Stubbs to score tries in the 

last 20 minutes with substitute lock 

Geoff Parling scoring the ninth in the 

inal moments to inlate the scoreboard. 

But Lions second row Alun 

Wyn Jones saw his night end early 

with the tourists irst yellow card of 

the trip for a ruck infringement. 

The Lions next head to Brisbane 

to take on the Queensland Reds on 

Saturday at Lang Park, the venue of 

the irst of the three Tests against the 

Wallabies on June 22 with Force coach 

Michael Foley purring about their talents. 

— Reuters 

Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (centre) warms up with team-mates during a training session. — AFP 

pressure on Hodgson’s team. 

Group G leaders Bosnia, who have 

13 points from ive games, should be 

too strong as they visit lowly Latvia 

with Greece, who are three points behind 

them, travelling to Lithuania 

Bosnia, who joined Fifa in 1996 

and have yet to qualify for a Major 

tournament, have blasted 18 goals 

so far, 12 of them coming from their 

strikeforce of Edin Dzeko and Vedad 

Ibisevic. — Reuters


SPORT 

Heavyweight shoot-out for last Champions Trophy 

South Africa play India in tournament’s opening match 

India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads his team of the pitch after they won the warm-up match against Australia in Cardiff, Wales on Tuesday. 

LONDON — While the irst two Champions 

Trophies were intended to raise 

the proile of cricket in host nations 

Bangladesh and Kenya, the seventh 

and last edition starting in England 

today will be a straight shootout between 

the sport's eight heavyweight 

nations. 

The hosts, holders Australia, New 

Zealand and Sri Lanka will do battle 

in Group 'A' while India, Pakistan, 

South Africa and West Indies compete 

for semiinal places in Group 'B' as the 

game's 50-over format gets a rare moment 

in the spotlight. 

With Test cricket still the pinnacle, 

and the increasing popularity of the 

Twenty20 format, 50 overs matches 

have often become dull with formulaic 

batting and defensive bowling dom- 

inating for large chunks of the games. 

But with attacking batsmen of the 

quality of West Indian Chris Gayle 

and New Zealand's Brendon McCullum 

and bowlers such as South African 

paceman Dale Steyn and Pakistan 

spinner Saeed Ajmal there could be 

ireworks in the 18-day tournament. 

Picking a winner is dificult and 

every team look to have genuine 

hopes of lifting the trophy at Edgbaston 

in Birmingham on June 23. British 

bookmaker Ladbrokes make South 

Africa favourites at odds of 4/1 with 

New Zealand the outsiders at just 

12/1. 

England, who have never won a 

major 50 overs tournament, were 

hoping that home conditions would 

work in their favour but they were 

mauled by New Zealand in the irst 

two games of the current one-day series. 

They also have injury doubts over 

Stuart Broad and Steve Finn and, if 

the two tall fast bowlers fail to recover 

in time, captain Alastair Cook looks 

short of quality options with the ball. 

PURPLE PATCH 

New Zealand opener Martin Guptill 

is enjoying a purple patch with two 

unbeaten centuries against England, 

including a brilliant 189 not out in the 

last game in Southampton. 

With their classiest batsman Ross 

Taylor also returning to form and a 

well-balanced bowling attack, the 

Black Caps will fancy their chances of 

going one better than in 2009 when 

they lost in the inal to Australia. New 

Tim May quits as players’ chief 

SYDNEY — The head of the international 

cricket players' association, 

Tim May, has resigned citing frustration 

at the global governing body 

amid allegations of corruption in the 

game and backroom politicking. 

The former Australian off-spinner 

had headed the Federation of International 

Cricketers' Associations (FICA) 

since 2005 but said yesterday he had 

grown disillusioned with the International 

Cricket Council (ICC) and its 

member boards. 

"Over the past 18 months or so, I 

came to the realisation that I was tiring 

of working in a sport that was increasingly 

at odds with the principles 

I respect," May said in a statement. 

"More and more we see allegations 

of corruption and malpractice on and 

off the ield dominating headlines. 

"As stakeholders in the game we 

look to leadership from the ICC to address 

these and other issues a vital 

ingredient of any organisation is the 

ability of its leaders to set the moral 

and principled example to others, and 

to police its organisation from top to 

bottom to ensure adherence to those 

principles. 

"Yet cricket increasingly seems 

to be pushing aside the principles of 

Tim May 

transparency, accountability, independence, 

and upholding the best 

interests of the global game, in favour 

of a system that appears to operate 

through threats, intimidation and 

backroom deals." 

Cricket has been embroiled in a series 

of controversies in recent years, 

most notably when three Pakistani 

cricketers were imprisoned for spot- 

ixing a Test match against England, 

while several Indian players and administrators 

have been recently ques- 

tioned over spot-ixing in a domestic 

Twenty20 competition. 

The 51-year-old May, who had led 

the Australian Cricket Players Association 

for eight years before he moved 

to FICA, added he felt cricket's administrators 

were focused on removing 

dissenting voices, to the sport's detriment. 

May was removed from the ICC's 

cricket committee last month amid 

allegations of pressure from the powerful 

Indian board. 

"Increasingly the administrators of 

the game seek to force out or alienate 

those who question its alleged misuse 

of power, or those who seek greater 

transparency, or provide rational argument 

against the ills of the administration," 

he said. 

"It appears that some administrators 

just don't want to be held to account 

to the standards that are expected 

of them. 

"There is a great opportunity for 

the ICC to arrest this trend and become 

one of the worlds best governed 

sports. 

"For the future of the global interests 

of the game, I hope this happens 

sooner than later — because the current 

system is failing us." — Reuters 

Zealand beat India to win the trophy 

in Kenya in 2002. 

The Australians are no longer the 

dominant force in one-day international 

cricket but they have fast bowlers 

in Mitchell Starc and Clint McKay 

who should thrive in English conditions. 

South Africa, who play India in the 

tournament's opening match, enter 

a new era without great all-rounder 

Jacques Kallis, who is unavailable for 

personal reasons, but captain AB de 

Villiers has the best fast bowling attack 

at his disposal led by Steyn. 

If De Villiers can lead by example 

with the bat, the South Africans will 

be conident of giving their departing 

coach Gary Kirsten the perfect 

send-off. 

West Indian cricket is on a high 

after their shock win in last year's 

Twenty20 World Cup. 

The imposing Gayle is the most destructive 

batsman in the world on his 

day as he showed six weeks ago in his 

astonishing record-breaking innings 

of 175 from 66 balls in the Indian Premier 

League. 

The team from the Caribbean will 

be led by all-rounder Dwayne Bravo 

and they did win the Champions 

Trophy in 2004, the last time it was 

played in England. 

India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will 

ensure a strong Asian challenge. 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni led India 

to the 2011 World Cup and, 

with batsmen of the calibre of Virat 

Kohli, Suresh Raina and the captain 

himself, run-scoring should not be a 

problem. 

Pakistan are the most wildly inconsistent 

team in world cricket. 

But they have come together 

well as a unit under the captaincy of 

Misbah-ul Haq and Ajmal's guile is a 

game-changing weapon. 

"He's always special for us," Misbah 

said. "Everybody knows that he's at 

the moment one of the best spinners 

in the world. He always has something 

special to offer to this team. These 

kind of bowlers always love these sort 

of occasions." 

Sri Lanka have a formidable 

top order with the experience of 

Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara 

and Tillakaratne Dilshan and 

a devastating pace bowler in Lasith 

Malinga. 

Champions Trophy schedule: 

June 6: India v South Africa (Group 

‘B’); June 7: Pakistan v West Indies 

(Group ‘B’); June 8: England v Australia 

(Group ‘A’); June 9: New Zealand 

v Sri Lanka (Group ‘A’); June 10: 

Pakistan v South Africa; June 11: India 

v West Indies; June 12: Australia 

v New Zealand; June 13: England v 

Sri Lanka; June 14: South Africa v 

West Indies; June 15: India v Pakistan; 

June 16: England v New Zealand; 

June 17: Australia v Sri Lanka; 

June 19: First semiinal A1 v B2 at 

the Oval; June 20: Second semiinal 

A2 v B1 at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff; 

June 23: Final, Edgbaston. — Reuters 

End of football season 2012-2013 ceremony and Annual General Meeting 

MUSCAT — Oman Football Association 

(OFA) celebrates the end of 

season tomorrow at Grand Hyatt, 

says a press release. OFA Chairman 

Sayyid Khalid al Busaidy and board 

members, sports oficials, business 

partners, stars of the season, clubs, 

media, and others will attend the ceremony. 

Prizes and rewards will be distributed 

to the stars from different 

sectors who have been inluential for 

the success of this season and participated 

in uplifting the level of football 

in the Sultanate. 

The ceremony will include speeches 

from oficials, entertainment 

sections, awards distribution and 

dinner. 

27 

Windies see 

off Sri Lanka 

in warm-up 

BIRMINGHAM — West Indies completed 

their Champions Trophy 

preparations with a 17-run win 

over Sri Lanka in a warm-up match 

at Edgbaston on Tuesday. 

Both sets of batsmen spent time 

in the middle, with West Indies 

making 297 for six before Sri Lanka 

were dismissed for 280. 

Dwayne Bravo (71), Johnson 

Charles (58) and Ramnaresh Sarwan 

(55) provided the bulk of the 

West Indies' runs, while Kumar 

Sangakkara (56) top-scored for Sri 

Lanka. 

Heading into the closing stages 

all three results were still possible 

but the match turned when West 

Indies captain Dwayne Bravo took 

two late wickets. 

Earlier, Charles proved there was 

more to his opening role than just 

keeping Gayle company, outscoring 

the celebrated big-hitter in a irstwicket 

stand of 87. 

West Indies were then indebted 

to a stand of 126 between Bravo 

and Sarwan, both of whom retired 

to give their team-mates time at the 

crease, with Kieron Pollard smashing 

a quick-ire 29 not out. 

Kusal Perera and Tillakaratne 

Dilshan put on 39 before both exiting 

in quick succession, leaving 

Sri Lanka veterans Mahela Jayawardene 

and Sangakkara together 

at the crease. 

Jayawardene managed 29 and 

Sangakkara reached his ifty before 

becoming Bravo’s irst wicket. 

West Indies begin the Champions 

Trophy proper against Pakistan at 

The Oval tomorrow with Sri Lanka's 

irst match of the tournament 

against New Zealand in Cardiff on 

Sunday. 

Brief scores: West Indies 297 

for 6 in 50 overs (C Gayle c 22, J 

Charles 58, DM Bravo 71 retd hurt, 

R Sarwan 55 retd hurt, K Pollard 

29 n.o, Malinga 1/68, Perera 2/48, 

Eranga 2/38, Dilshan 1/19) beat 

Sri Lanka 280 all out in 47 overs 

(K Perera 24, M Jayawardene 29, 

K Sangakkara 56, N Kulasekara 40 

n.o., L Dilhara 42, Roach 1/71, Rampaul 

2/46, Best 1/57, Narine 2/26, 

DJ Bravo 3/26). — AFP 

HSBC Bank Oman win bowling title 

HSBC Bank Oman won the OBC inter-bank bowling tournament 2013 held recently under the auspices of HH 

Sayyid Faris bin Fatik al Said. HSBC Bank Oman triumphed in the 10-week long tournament, with second 

place going to National Bank of Oman, followed by the Central Bank of Oman in third. Bank Dhofar was fourth 

with Standard Chartered ifth. Ewan Stirling, CEO of HSBC Bank Oman congratulated the winning team and 

expressed his admiration to the other competitors for their performance and the true sportsmanship exhibited 

throughout the tournament. HSBC Bank Oman’s bowling team consisted of Ibrahim al Wadhahi, Yasser al 

Barwani, Hassan al Alawi, Farid al Balushi, Mohammed al Touqi and Ibrahim al Araimi. 

AGM ON JUNE 8 

As usual, OFA's annual general 

meeting will be held after the end of 

the season ceremony starting at 11 

am on June 8 at Grand Hyatt, adds 

the press release. The football association 

prepared a full schedule for the 

meeting and will present the entire 

report of what has taken place from 

June 1, 2012 until May 31, 2013. 

Besides, the association will be 

presenting the audited annual budget 

of the iscal year ending September 

30, 2012 and approving the budget 

for year 2013. 

During the meeting, the proposals 

from the board members and clubs 

will be discussed to cover different 

areas.

28 

SPORT 

Kings outplay Blackhawks to reduce deficit 

Los Angeles Kings’ Jarret Stoll (second left) and Chicago Blackhawks’ Andrew Shaw (centre) skate in Game Three of the NHL Western Conference Finals in Los Angeles on Tuesday. — AFP 

LOS ANGELES — Jonathan Quick 

made 19 saves and the defending 

National Hockey League champion 

Los Angeles Kings defeated Chicago 

Blackhawks 3-1 on Tuesday, trimming 

the Blackhawks' lead in their play-off 

series to 2-1. 

The Kings will try to equalise the 

best-of-seven Western Conference 

inal at two wins each by capturing 

game four today before the series 

shifts back to Chicago. The winner 

plays either Boston or Pittsburgh 

for the Stanley Cup. Justin Williams 

opened the scoring for the Kings 3:21 

into game and Slava Voynov gave Los 

Angeles a 2-0 edge just 6:37 into the 

second period. 

But Chicago's Bryan Bickell slid 

a wrap-around goal past Quick with 

only 34 seconds remaining in the second 

period to pull the Blackhawks 

within one goal entering the inal period. 

The visitors could not solve Quick 

again, however, and Dwight King 

scored the clincher for the Kings into 

an empty net with 28 seconds remaining 

after the Blackhawks had 

pulled goaltender Corey Crawford for 

an extra attacker. 

The Kings were in danger of falling 

behind 3-0 after dropping the irst 

two games in Chicago, but Williams 

said the team was relaxed despite the 

importance of a victory. 

"I don't think we were too uptight 

at all. We knew what we had to do," 

said Williams. "We created pressure, 

McIlroy gets help ahead of US Open 

ROCHESTER, New York — World No 

2 Rory McIlroy is off to Merion for 

two US Open practice rounds this 

week after a talk with coach Dave 

Stockton to try and help his golf game 

before next week's major showdown. 

The 24-year-old from Northern 

Ireland, who won his irst Major title 

at the 2011 US Open, spoke at Oak 

Hill, where he will defend his most 

recent major triumph at the 95th PGA 

Championship in August. 

"It is the strongest ield in golf and 

it's great to be able to come out on 

top in a ield like that," said McIlroy, 

who won last year's PGA crown at 

Kiawah Island. 

McIlroy will play practice rounds 

at Merion as he tries to ine tune a 

game that has seen him produce four 

top-10 showings in US PGA events, 

including a second at the Texas 

Open, but only a share of 25th at the 

Masters and 57th last week at the 

Memorial. "I'm playing pretty well. I 

need it all to click into place and once 

I do that, I'll be off and running," McIlroy 

said. "All parts of my game are 

there. I just need to sort of put them 

all together for one week. 

"I'm feeling good. I'm looking forward 

to seeing Merion. So it's just 

about getting to know the course 

there and being as comfortable with 

it as you can. "I'm hoping that my sort 

of trend in the US Open continues, because 

I went miss cut, win, missed the 

cut, so hopefully I can win again." 

McIlroy spent time with coach 

Dave Stockton at Memorial last week. 

"Dave Stockton was at Memorial 

for a couple of days, trying to get me 

to hole some more putts," McIlroy 

said. "The ball striking has not really 

been an issue this year. I've actu- 

ally hit the ball pretty well from tee 

to green, and I've given myself a lot 

of opportunities, but didn't take as 

many as I should have. 

"If I keep hitting the ball the way I 

know I can and hole putts, I'll hopefully 

be in the winner's circle." 

McIlroy ired a three-under par 67 

at Oak Hill on Monday in his irst tour 

of the layout designed by Donald Ross 

in 1925." — AFP 

created (15) turnovers and didn't allow 

them transition in the neutral 

zone, which they like. 

"We had more time in the offensive 

zone and we were able to do more 

things." The Kings improved to 8-0 

at home in the playoffs with Quick's 

third home shutout of the playoffs. 

"We had to worry about tonight 

not what happened before," Kings 

defenceman Matt Greene said. "The 

goals will come. They may be ugly and 

we'll be grinding but they will come. 


"Now we have got to get another 

win. We have got to go back to their 

building even." 

A physical contest was punctuated 

when Chicago defenseman Duncan 

Keith struck the Kings' Jeff Carter in 

the face with a one-handed high stick 

swing, opening a cut on Carter's chin 

and drawing four minutes in the penalty 

box. "It was an accident," Keith 

said. "I wanted to give him a tap. I feel 

bad where I got him. I'm glad he came 

back." — AFP 

Gatlin eyes 

showdown 

with Bolt 

ROME — America's 2004 Olympic 

champion Justin Gatlin is eyeing a 

stellar 100m showdown with sprint 

king Usain Bolt today as the perfect 

catapult along the road to August's 

World Athletics Championships. 

The 31-year-old, whose career 

was interrupted by a four-year doping 

ban, timed 9.97sec when winning 

the irst Diamond League meet 

of the season in Doha in May and 

then 9.88sec to top the podium in 

Eugene last weekend. 

However, the 100m ields were 

missing Olympic champion and 

world-record holder Bolt as well as 

world champion Yohan Blake. 

Gatlin, who was the bronze medallist 

at the London Olympics, said 

he relished running against the Jamaican 

duo and the world's other 

top sprinters. 

"I like racing the top guys. You 

get a sense of your opponent's race 

strategy. I'd love to race Yohan and 

Tyson (Gay) more often," Gatlin said. 

"If we go out there and put together 

a good race, Rome is going to be 

the catapult that throws everything 

forward in excitement to the world 

championships." 

Gatlin said it was a privilege to 

race against Bolt, a six-time Olympic 

gold medallist. — AFP 

Red Sox rout Rangers, Tigers triumph 

BOSTON — Boston's offense exploded 

for their highest scoring day 

of the season, the Red Sox pounding 

the Texas Rangers 17-5 in the MLB on 

Tuesday. The Red Sox (36-23) scored 

eight runs in the irst two innings to 

chase Texas starter Justin Grimm 

from the mound, and smashed four 

home runs and 19 hits to win their 

third consecutive game. 

Mike Carp had three hits and three 

RBIs while David Ortiz also inished 

with three RBIs for the American 

League East leading Red Sox. 

AL Central leaders Detroit handed 

Tampa Bay starter Matt Moore his 

irst loss of the season, the Tigers 

routing the visiting Rays 10-1. 

Moore got into trouble early and 

failed to make it out of the third inning. 

He was charged with six runs 

and gave up six walks. The loss 

dropped him to 8-1. "Somewhere in 

the second inning I lost my feel for 

my release point," Moore told reporters. 

"Six walks. You can't defend the 

walks, they're inexcusable." Anibal 

Sanchez cruised to his sixth win for 

the Tigers by striking out nine and allowing 

just one run in seven innings. 

Detroit's Prince Fielder went 

3-for-4 with four RBIs while Miguel 

Cabrera went 2-for-4 to take his 

league-leading batting average to 

New York Yankees starting pitcher David Phelps pitches against the 

Cleveland Indians during their MLB game at Yankee Stadium in 

New York on Tuesday. — Reuters 

.370. In Philadelphia, John Mayberry 

Jr delivered a walk-off grand slam to 

give the Phillies a 7-3 win over the 

Miami Marlins in 11 innings. 

Mayberry also had a homer in the 

bottom of the 10th to tie the game at 

3-3 after the Marlins had scored in 

the top of the inning to take the lead. 

Michael Stutes pitched a scoreless 

LeBron era Miami Heat have big promise to live up to 

MIAMI — When LeBron James and 

Chris Bosh joined the Miami Heat in 

2010, teaming up with Dwyane Wade 

to form the 'Big Three', James famously 

promised "not one, not two, not 

three" NBA championships. 

It was a boast that was mocked 

and criticised in equal measure as 

traditionalists winced at the sight of 

the two free agents celebrating their 

own arrivals in a pop concert style 

rally. 

James continued that promise, at 

the glitzy event, even getting as far 

as "not seven" as he emphasised the 

need for multiple titles. 

So far the Heat, in the James era, 

are at one. 

The irst year with the star trio 

ended in defeat to the Dallas Maver- 

Rory McIlroy 

icks in the 2011 Finals but they recovered 

to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 

last year. 

This year they brought the normally 

routine regular season to life with a 

remarkable 27 game winning streak 

— the second longest in NBA history. 

Now, after seeing off the Milwaukee 

Bucks (4-0), the Chicago Bulls (4-1) 

and the Indiana Pacers (4-3), the Heat 

are up against the hugely experienced 

San Antonio Spurs. 

If the series end in defeat for Miami, 

the questions about the effectiveness 

of Heat president Pat Riley packing 

the roster with experienced but 

ageing talent will surely return. 

Victory though and the pundits 

will turn their thoughts to whether 

the Heat are on their way to becom- 

Miami Heat’s LeBron James (right) and team-mate Dwyane Wade 

celebrate after defeating the Indiana Pacers during Game Seven of the 

NBA Eastern Conference Finals in Miami on Monday. — Reuters 

ing one of the league's real dynasties 

— albeit one which will need some 

rejuvenating. 

The supporting cast in this current 

Heat team has a short shelf-life — Ray 

Allen, Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem, 

and Mike Miller are all in the twilight 

of their careers. 

While the current team is so closely 

identiied with James, the fourtimes 

league Most Valuable Player, 

it is Wade and Udonis Haslem, who 

have been at the heart of the Heat 

for the past decade. Haslem, Miami 

born and a product of the University 

of Florida, the Heat took a chance on 

him in 2003. 

The same year, Miami drafted Chicago 

native Wade from Marquette 

and they were quickly rewarded with 

11th for Phillies to record the win. 

Results: NY Yankees bt Cleveland Indians 

4-3, Washington Nationals bt NY Mets 3-2, 

Philadelphia Phillies bt Miami 7-3, Detroit Tigers 

bt Tampa Bay Rays 10-1, Boston Red Sox 

bt Texas Rangers 17-5, Atlanta Braves bt Pittsburgh 

Pirates 5-4, Colorado Rockies bt Cincinnati 

Reds 5-4, Minnesota Twins bt Kansas City 

Royals 3-0, Milwaukee Brewers bt Oakland 

Athletics 4-3, Baltimore Orioles bt Houston 

Astros 4-1. — Reuters 

play-off runs in 2004 and 2005 and 

then the franchise's irst NBA championship 

in 2006. That Heat team, 

coached by Riley, beat Dallas in the 

inals, featured the giant presence of 

Shaquille O'Neal and the inspirational 

Alonzo Mourning, who still remains a 

part of the Heat organisation 

The Heat, which had entered the 

league as an expansion franchise in 

1988, had inally entered the elite of 

the NBA but they found it tough to 

stay there. 

Despite Wade's talent, they failed 

to make it past the irst round of the 

play-offs in the next four seasons, 

prompting Riley, now in command as 

president with his protege Erik Spoelstra 

as coach, to make his audacious 

move in free agency. — Reuters


Actress Emma Watson arrives to the Los Angeles premiere of 

A24's The Bling Ring at the Directors Guild Theatre yesterday 

in Los Angeles, California. — AFP 

Winona Ryder works out to stay fit 

HOLLYWOOD actress Winona 

Ryder says though she has 

Hidden behind greasepaint pains, pressures of showbiz 

By Radhika Bhirani 

T itna jo muskura rahe ho, kya 

gham hai jisko chhupa rahe ho...? As 

the showbiz world sombrely comes 

to terms with the suicide of actress Jiah 

Khan, the evocative song from the 1980s 

ilm Arth perhaps sums up the many insecurities 

and uncertainties behind pretty 

smiles. 

All of 25, Jiah was found hanging from 

the ceiling at her Mumbai house on Tuesday 

morning, the latest in a line of actresses 

and models who have opted out of the 

life of stresses and pressures of showbiz. 

The problem, as ilm historian S M M 

Ausaja puts it, is that youngsters today 

"don't have patience left to struggle their 

way to the top". 

"Instead of banking on their talent, they 

lean on shortcuts and promises, which 

been blessed with a naturally slim 

body, now she will start exercising 

properly to be it. 

"I haven't really had to think 

about it very much because I was 

always lucky enough to be the 

waify sort of girl so I didn't have to 

worry about my weight," female- 

irst.co.uk quoted Ryder as saying. 

"I'm still small, but in the last 

couple of years I've realised that 

it's probably time to start working 

a little bit more on my body, which 

is something I could put off when I 

was younger," she said. 

"So I've starred to exercise 

and I do try to eat relatively 

well, although I must confess 

that it doesn't always happen," she 

added. 

The 41-year-old, who has 

worked in ilms like Edward Scissorhands, 

admitted that apart from 

vintage pieces and her prized ilm 

costumes, her favourite clothes are 

basic T-shirts and jeans. 

"My wardrobe is full of same 

sort of clothes that I've been wearing 

since I was a teenager — nice 

comfortable jeans and T-shirts. I do 

have some costumes that I wore in 

some of my favourite ilms, which 

I've kept as a souvenir. 

when not fulilled, lead them to self destruction," 

Ausaja said. 

Bollywood makes some stars and sucks 

some souls, director Roshan Abbas said in 

his tweet, while Ranvir Shorey tweeted: 

"Bollywood is a dark, incestuous world, 

where insecurity can often be a fatal law." 

Anna M M Vetticad, author of The Adventures 

of an Intrepid Film Critic, added: 

"You never know what lies behind the glitz 

and the smiles." 

Jiah's death shocked everyone, including 

her mentor ilm-maker Ram Gopal Varma. 

Jiah, whose real name was Naisa, studied 

acting in the Lee Starsberg Institute in 

New York, was depressed and scared about 

her future, revealed Varma, who launched 

the Britain-born talent opposite Amitabh 

Bachchan in Nishabd in 2007. 

She was 19 back then, conident, spunky 

and with more spirit than any debutant ac- 

My first failure in Bollywood 

affected me: Neha Sharma 

AFTER making a successful debut in southern 

cinema with Chirutha, Neha Sharma 

was disappointed when her Bollywood 

debut Crook bombed at the box-ofice. She says 

she was in denial after that. 

"Honestly, my irst (southern) ilm was a 

huge hit, so I didn't expect my irst ilm here (in 

Bollywood) to fail. I had seen that high in life 

and didn't know that this was a possibility too. 

When it didn't do well, I was in denial and disappointed. 

I was obviously living in a cocoon," 

Neha said in an interview. 

"I want to do good work. The irst failure 

affected me. That is why I did Kyaa Super Kool 

Hain Hum," said the 

actress and added 

that she wouldn't have 

done the adult comedy 

had her irst ilm 

worked. 

"It's something that 

I would not have done 

as it is like going out of 

my comfort zone. But I 

was like if this is what 

works, then why not 

do this," she explained. 

It is important for 

newcomers, who don't 

have ilm background, 

to have box-ofice success. 

"You have to have 

box ofice success then 

only people will show 

interest in you. This is 

something, which surprises 

me. I don't think 

it is about talent or 

looks, it is primarily about box-ofice success," 

she said. But she doesn't take success or failure 

seriously any more. 

"I have done four ilms and I understand it 

is not something that you can control. It is part 

of the business. No actor can just have failures 

and no actor can just have successes," she said. 

"I don't get affected whether a ilm does well or 

it doesn't. But you do want your ilms to do well 

as you put in a lot of hard work," she added. 

Her next is Deols' Yamla Pagla Deewana 2, 

which is coming out tomorrow. Directed by 

Sangeeth Sivan, the ilm also stars Dharmendra 

as well as his two sons — Sunny and Bobby. 

She nurtured the dream of being a fashion de- 

Kimberley Walsh to quit career for baby 

SINGER Kimberley Walsh will quit work 

whenever she has children with Justin Scott. 

The former Girls Aloud singer is planning to 

start her acting stint on stage and screen after 

a successful run in Shrek: The Musical in London’s 

West End, but she says she will give up 

her work entirely when she becomes pregnant, 

reports contactmusic.com. 

Asked if she will start a family with longterm 

partner Scott, Walsh told the new Britain 

issue of OK! magazine: “Justin’s always been 

quite laid back about it, it’s more me really, 

inding the right time when I feel I want to stop 

tress that he had ever directed, Varma says. 

Perhaps, it faded away with time, when 

she managed just three ilms — Nishabd, 

Ghajini and Housefull in the six years that 

she spent in tinsel town. She had no work 

for the last six years. She was reportedly 

trying to foray into southern cinema, but in 

vain, and her personal life wasn't very rosy 

either. 

Jiah isn't the irst actress who let her 

failed career or crumbled personal life pull 

her into depression, and hence, as many 

would say, "into the hands of god". 

There was the infamous southern siren 

Silk Smitha, who touched peaks of fame, 

attained almost iconic status as a sex symbol 

in Tamil cinema and then, following 

personal and inancial hassles, was found 

dead at her Chennai home in 1996. She 

was 33. It was said to be a case of suicide. 

The 1993 death of young and success- 

signer and acting just happened along the way. 

"I always wanted to be a designer and I loved 

clothes and everything to do with it. When I got 

a Telugu ilm, it happened out of the blue ... at 

that point of time, I didn't realise how big it was. 

I really enjoyed my journey. Then I was like this 

was exactly what I want to do," she said. 

When 'shy' David Beckham didn't talk 

to Victoria: Retired celebrity footballer David 

Beckham insists his wife Victoria Beckham is 

"just as beautiful today" as when they irst met 

16 years ago at a Manchester United match. 

He also reveals how he was very shy to 

strike a conversation with her initially. 

David, who married 

Victoria in July 1999, 

said: "I was playing 

with Manchester United 

against Chelsea in 

London, and she came 

down with my manager. 

I was very shy so 

I introduced myself 

and left." "I kind of 

was disappointed that 

I didn't talk to her a 

bit more, but then the 

next week she came 

back for another game, 

then it was my chance 

and I got her number. 

Victoria's still just as 

beautiful today, I'm 

not sure that's the case 

with me,” contactmusic.com 

quoted David 

as saying. The couple 

has four children — 

sons Brooklyn, 14, Romeo, 10, and Cruz, eight, 

as well as 22-month-old daughter Harper. 

Daniel Radcliffe hates fruits: Actor Daniel 

Radcliffe confessed that he hates fruits and 

vegetables. Though the actor never revealed it 

during Harry Potter he said that he is an unadventurous 

eater, reports contactmusic.com 

"I'm a very unadventurous eater... This is 

one of the things I could never admit to while 

I was on Harry Potter, but I'm very bad at fruit 

and vegetables. I basically have the diet of a 

19th century Irish navvy (labourer), apart from 

the litre of stout a day. It's meat and potatoes 

and bread and cheese: those are my four food 

groups," he said. 

working and give everything to motherhood, 

instead of trying to have my cake and eat it. 

Richa Chadda ready for ‘typical’ 

Bollywood romance 

GANGS Of Wasseypur actress Richa Chadda 

says Ishqeria will see her in a typical 

romantic role opposite Neil Nitin Mukesh. 

“When I did ‘Gangs...’, everybody was asking 

me the same question — ‘When will I be seen 

playing a romantic ilm?’ So inally I did a ilm 

with Neil, which is a typical romantic ilm,” 

Richa said. 

“I will be doing the typical song and dance, 

which is a prominent 

part of the 

industry. I am 

really looking 

forward to this 

ilm. The ilm is 

titled Ishqeria,” 

she added. The 

actors will be 

seen playing college 

students in 

the forthcoming 

romantic comedy, 

directed by 

debutant Prerna 

Wadhawan. 

ful actress Divya Bharti continues to be a 

mystery. The Deewana fame actress fell 

to death from a window sill and it was reported 

that she was depressed. 

Models-turned-actresses Naisa Joseph 

and Kuljeet Randhawa, who worked together 

in "C A T S", the Indian adaptation 

of hit US show Charlie's Angels, also resorted 

to suicide by hanging themselves in 

2004 and 2006 respectively. 

According to Ann Simi John, clinical 

psychologist, Columbia Asia Hospital, 

Gurgaon, "most suicide cases are related to 

either relationships, especially breakup or 

divorce." 

There are a few cases related to work or 

unemployment but the basic problem remains 

that "nowadays people have a lot of 

expectations from future, have rigid form 

of thinking, lack problem solving skills and 

have inability to cope", she said. 

ENTERTAINMENT 

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Struggle a continuous 

process in filmdom 

Printers and Publishers 

Oman Establishment for Press, 

Publication and Advertising 

29 

FORMER Miss India and actress Neha Dhupia, 

who made her Bollywood debut in 2003 with 

"Qayamat: City Under Threat", says everyone is 

constantly struggling in Bollywood and adds that 

"I am not at number one, but struggling to make 

my way up everyday". 

The 32-year-old tasted success with her second 

ilm Julie, in which she played a high-proile 

call girl. 

"It's a constant struggle. You get up every day 

and you are struggling," said Neha when she was 

asked how much struggle is important to maintain 

stardom. 

"The guy sitting at the number one position 

is struggling to be at number one. The girl, who 

hasn't got her irst job, is struggling to get her 

irst job," the actress told reporters on Tuesday 

at the launch of PETA's new campaign here. 

Costumes on TV in tune with 

fashion: Neeta Lulla 

ONE of Bollywood's favourite fashion 

designers Neeta Lulla, who has designed the 

wedding outit that lead actress Drashti Dhami 

(pictured) wears in TV show Madhubala... Ek 

Ishq, Ek Junoon, says costumes on the small 

screen have evolved with time. 

"It has evolved as fashion has evolved. Determining 

that costumes relect the tastes of their 

audiences, the change is very gradual," Lulla, a 

National award-winning designer, said. 

Lulla designed a bespoke traditional yet contemporary 

maroon outit for the wedding sequence. 

She says her foray into bridal couture 

could have been the reason why she came on 

board for the show. "Colors approached me for 

this and I thought it's a great opportunity and 

Madhubala is a great looking serial," she said. 

Lulla catches up on Madhubala whenever 

"time permits". "I love the romantic track. It's 

something that I really look forward to," she added. 

Any insult hurtful: Helena 

Bonham on style critics 

ACTRESS Helena Bonham Carter gets upset 

when she reads negative comments about 

her personal style because she loves dressing 

up so much. She admitted that she takes it 

personally when she reads hurtful comments 

about her gothic-inspired style. 

"I'm not indelibly conident. I love clothes 

and I love dressing-up, and I love the way that it 

makes me feel. So I'm always disillusioned when 

I see a photo of myself, which I try not to, because 

I think, 'No That's not what I meant at all'," 

femaleirst.co.uk quoted Carter as saying.

30 

PEOPLE’S 

PLATFORM 

WE, the residents of Rex 

Road, near the Ruwi Health 

Centre had a water day on 

Tuesday. I’m pretty sure almost all 

residents in this area woke up to the 

sound of water gushing from the Al 

Massa Hall towards the wadi. It was 

apparently a case of busted water 

pipe that let enormous amount of 

water wasted for several hours. 

While I’m writing this mail, I can 

hear children screaming and shouting 

in awe near the busted pipe 

which was for them a blessing in 

disguise in this summer heat. Within 

hours after the pipe was broken, the 

whole area seemed to be the conduit 

of an unknown valley that let the 

mountain water pass through. The 

strange thing is that no oficials have 

bothered either to visit the place or 

to ix the problem. We, the residents 

of this area have high hopes in the 

departments that facilitate utilities. 

— Hasan al Lawati 

Editor: When we contacted the 

department concerned at the water 

and electricity, we were assured that 

efforts to rectify this issue were in 

place. We hope suficient measures 

will be taken to rectify it. 

Implement midday 

break strictly 

IT is a highly laudable step from the 

Sultanate of Oman’s government 

and I’m sure the international 

community has hailed the decision 

to give those who work outside 

under the sun a midday break. 

Although all the major companies 

LETTERS 


Quick action needed when water pipes burst 

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

facebook.com/oman observer twitter.com/omanobserver 

Shell Oman organises South Sharqiyah beach clean-up 

SHELL Oman recently partnered 

with Shabek Oman team to organise 

an off-road adventure for 

a worthy environmental cause. 

Thirty-ive off-road enthusiasts, 

Shell Oman employees, their friends 

and colleagues set off in a convoy of 

4WDs from Shell Service Station in Al 

Amerat on a three-day camping and 

Fittest cities take exercise publicly and personally 

By Dorene Internicola 

THE US cities that provide parks, walking 

trails, playing ields and running tracks are 

setting standards for the country's healthiest 

urban areas and showing that if they build itness 

opportunities, residents will come. 

A new ranking of the 50 healthiest US cities 

weighs "community indicators" that include everything 

from obesity rates and percentage of smokers 

to the number of baseball diamonds and tennis 

courts. 

"Community indicators and personal health 

beach cleaning expedition in scenic 

South Sharqiyah. 

“We see this as the perfect opportunity 

to re-energise the Shell Oman 

‘My Beautiful Oman’ initiative, which 

seeks to promote both environmental 

awareness and domestic tourism 

in Oman,” stated Mohammed al Farsi, 

GM, External Affairs and Business 

Development at Shell Oman. 

The expedition was lagged-off on 

May 16 and concluded on May 18, 

covering a total of 900 kilometres. On 

the irst day, the group camped and 

cleaned-up Shinah beach, travelling to 

Ras al Ruwais the next day, and on the 

inal day, journeying to Al Ashkhara 

beach. 

“The Sultanate is a land rich in 

history, culture and natural beauty. 

Oman’s 3000 kilometre long, and gen- 

pretty much follow each other," said Walter 

Thompson, the Chairman of the American College 

of Sports Medicine's American Fitness Index Advisory 

Board, which compiled the report. Despite its 

bone-chilling winters, Minneapolis-St Paul topped 

the list for the third year in a row. High obesity and 

smoking rates placed Oklahoma City at the bottom. 

Minnesota's Twin Cities understand that at certain 

times of year they will be buried in snow, and 

so they have created lots of places to exercise indoors, 

Thompson said. The report also notes Minneapolis-St 

Paul's generous per-capita number of 

dog parks, golf courses and baseball diamonds. 

erally unspoilt, coastline especially 

offers so much for visitors to see and 

experience. Besides, tourism opensup 

new commercial and employment 

opportunities for local communities. 

This year, as part of our ‘My Beautiful 

Oman’ initiative Shell Oman will focus 

on rolling-out a number of novel initiatives 

to highlight the nation’s tourism 

potential, while encouraging safe 

and responsible travel,” added Mohammed. 

More than 76 per cent of Minneapolis-St Paul 

residents reported exercising in the past 30 days. 

Minnesota is sometimes referred to as the land 

of 10,000 lakes, and the natives appear to use every 

one of them. 

"We have a lot of triathlons because we have so 

many lakes," said Minneapolis-based itness expert 

Chris Freytag. "There is a lake every 5 miles, so you 

can't get far from a lake with biking paths, windsurfers, 

kayaks. Water is a motivator." 

The index relied on information from municipalities 

and federal government data, such as Centers 

for Disease Control and US Census reports. 

Washington DC, Portland, Oregon; San Francisco 

and Denver scored well in the itness stakes, while 

Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; San 

Antonio, Detroit and Oklahoma City were the least 

healthy. Robust park-related spending helped Portland 

spring to third place from seventh in 2012 and 

Denver move to ifth position from ninth. 

Anne Graves, Director of Health Initiatives and 

Partnerships for the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, 

sees her city's 45th place ranking as a challenge 

and an opportunity. 

"We use AFI as our guide," said Graves, adding 

that the YMCA has convened a coalition of community 

partners to focus on AFI points, from increasing 

the number of farmers' markets and bicycle 

lanes to encouraging physicians to emphasise the 

importance of exercise. 

The California cities of San Francisco, Sacramento 

and San Jose fell within the top 10 on the list. 

American Council on Exercise spokeswoman 

Jessica Matthews said California's beautiful weather, 

daily farmers' markets and abundance of parkland 

were only part of the story. — Reuters 

are abiding by this rule, many 

smaller companies are not fully 

working in congruence with the rule 

and one can very often see people 

work during these sizzling heat. I 

strongly believe that there is a need 

for random check at the work sites 

so that those who are not abiding by 

the rule can be booked. 

— Shinuna al Mughairiya 

Editor: I believe that there is an 

inspection team at the Ministry of 

Manpower that oversees the proper 

implementation of the rules. 

Eagerly looking forward 

to seeing the train run 

across Oman 

AS a resident of the Sultanate 

there is no need to mention 

how much I enjoy residing here. I 

was delighted to learn of the 2017 

project to construct a railway 

throughout the GCC. Even though 

road travel and air travel are 

available, the introduction of a train 

will beneit many. Travel by railway 

is extremely advantageous as one 

can enjoy the scenery of the Gulf 

yet be free from the task of driving. 

I am pleased that the railway will be 

constructed across GCC states as I 

would enjoy other GCC nationals to 

visit the Sultanate and vice versa. 

— Sajeesh Patiala 

Editor: Certainly, Oman has great 

potential in all aspects of its development. 

The introduction of railway 

will undoubtedly promote and reinforce 

the radiance of Oman. 

Heart ailments, diabetes 

lead to diseased brain 

RECENT study 

A has shown that 

people suffering from 

type 2 diabetes and 

heart disease are at 

an increased risk of 

dementia and other 

cognitive diseases. 

Lead author Christina 

E Hugenschmidt, PhD, an 

instructor of gerontology 

and geriatric medicine at 

Wake Forest Baptist, said 

the results from the Diabetes 

Heart Study-Mind 

(DHS-Mind) suggest that cardiovascular disease (CVD) plays an important 

role in the development of cognition problems, and these 

may take time before becoming clinically apparent. A report of the 

study appeared in Science Daily. 

The research results, which appeared online, will also be followed 

by a print version in Journal of Diabetes and Its Complications. 

"There has been a lot of research looking at the links between 

type 2 diabetes and increased risk for dementia, but this is the irst 

study to look speciically at subclinical CVD and the role it plays," 

Hugenschmidt said. "Our research shows that CVD risk caused by 

diabetes even before it's at a clinically treatable level might be bad 

for your brain." 

"The results imply that additional CVD factors, especially calci- 

ied plaque and vascular status, and not diabetes status alone, are 

major contributors to type 2 diabetes-related cognitive decline," Hugenschmidt 

said. 

People need to get less 

emotional about antibiotics 

P EOPLE need to talk about excessive use of antibiotics without 

getting emotional or mixing politics into the discussion, Ada 

Yonath, who won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, said. 

“Perhaps we committed errors in using antibiotics for treating viral 

diseases... but we learned that that does not work. We learned a 

bunch of things... so it is incorrect to say we are abusing antibiotics,” 

Yonath said. 

Yonath is one of the scientists participating in the 3rd World Summit 

on Evolution on Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands. 

The summit, which ends today, is taking place in Puerto Baquerizo 

Moreno, where leading scientists are discussing evolution, genomics, 

microorganisms and diseases, among other topics. 

Yonath said antibiotics were extremely useful, but she criticised 

the “political” use of the issue. 

The use of antibiotics to ight bacterial infections has allowed average 

life expectancies to rise from 40 or 50 years to double that in 

just a few decades, Yonath said. — IANS/EFE


Tackle junk food to boost world economy: UN 

By Dario Thuburn 

THE UN's food agency on Tuesday 

said obesity and poor nutrition 

weigh heavily on the 

global economy and told governments 

that investing in food health 

would bring big economic as well 

as social returns. 

Lost productivity and spiralling 

healthcare bills linked to obesity 

cost the world economy around 

$1.4 trillion a year, the Food and Agriculture 

Organization (FAO) said. 

Improving nutrition would boost 

earnings, "with a beneit-to-cost ratio 

of almost 13 to 1," it said, adding 

that some 1.4 billion people in 

the world are now overweight and 

a third of them are obese. 

The FAO underlined that while 

there had been some progress in 

reducing hunger rates around the 

world, the problem of improving 

nutrition was still treated as a low 

priority by many countries. 

"We must strive for nothing less 

than the eradication of hunger and 

malnutrition," FAO Director Jose 

Graziano da Silva said in a video 

message at the presentation of the 

report in Rome. 

"The development community is 

paying more and more attention to 

malnutrition," he said. 

Assistant Director-General Jomo 

Sundaram said: "It may be possible 

to eradicate hunger in the sense of 

not enough calories, but it is much 

more dificult to improve nutrition." 

In its yearly report, the Romebased 

agency found 12.5 per cent 

of the world's population — or 

868 million people — are still undernourished, 

while 26 per cent of 

children are stunted by malnutrition. 

A rapid rise in obesity is being 

seen in the associated costs in 

low- and middle-income countries, 

it said, pointing out that the highest 

obesity rates in the world were 

now in Mexico. 

FAO oficials said the problem is 

a complex one and some countries 

have both under-nourishment and 

obesity problems, calling for more 

"dietary diversity" and agricultural 

systems that are not oriented solely 

to production of cereals. 

"Other nutrient-rich foods like 

fruit, vegetables, ish, meat and 

eggs should come into the picture 

as key items for which productivity 

should be increased," said Kostas 

Stamoulis, Director of the FAO's Agricultural 

Department Economics 

division. 

FAO said rising urbanisation, 

sedentary lifestyles and the increased 

availability of packaged 

foods meant policy-makers faced 

signiicant challenges in bettering 

nutrition and reversing obesity. 

But "the returns are high," it 

said. 

"Investing in the reduction of micronutrient 

deiciencies, for example, 

would result in better health, 

fewer child deaths and increased 

future earnings," it said. 

The costs of undernutrition are 

estimated at two-three per cent of 

global GDP, equivalent to $1.4 to 

$2.1 trillion per year, the FAO said. 

The agency urged global leaders 

to enhance nutrition — in 

part through agricultural policies 

—and promote behavioural change 

through education. 

"Agricultural research and development 

priorities must be made 

more nutrition-sensitive, with a 

stronger focus on nutrient-dense 

foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes 

and animal-source foods," it 

said. 

Proposals for better agricultural 

policies on nutrition include 

changes in production "up to the 

farm gate", with micronutrient fertilisers, 

bio-fortiied crops and crop 

and livestock diversiication. 

Governments could also help 

consumers through subsidies, targeted 

food assistance for at-risk 

groups such as children and the 

elderly, and better product labelling 

to help shoppers choose more 

nutritious food. — AFP 

Format more important than 3D when buying monitors 

DESPITE their growing popularity, 3D 

capabilities shouldn't be your chief concern 

when buying a new monitor, according to a German 

computer magazine. 

Instead, shoppers should focus on more traditional 

criteria, like the image repeat rate or the picture 

format. Indeed, 3D capabilities are becoming 

ever less important, reports the magazine, Gamestar. 

When it comes to image repeat rates, monitors 

that can process 120 frames per second (fps) are 

much better at displaying quick movements and 

turns than those with the standard 60 fps. But a 

120-fps display is only worth it if the PC linked to it 

is powerful enough. 

The magazine also recommends, in general, 

turning off presets and adjusting images to one's 

own tastes. 

Many customers are convinced of the need for a 

non-glare display. 

But there's something to be said for non-relective 

borders and casings too, say experts. That's 

because those can also relect light, which can be 

distracting during gaming. 

It's also advisable to get a monitor that can be 

raised and lowered on its stand, can be tilted and 

can pivot through 90 degrees so you can use it 

comfortably. 

Experts say a 16:9 format is the ideal, since it 

makes the best use of the monitor space. With another 

popular format, 16:10, it's easy for images to 

get distorted, with circles becoming egg-shaped, or 

for the zoom to be slightly off. 

The 21:9 format of some 29-inch monitors is really 

only useful for watching movies, since it eliminates 

the black bands above and below the picture 

in wide-screen ilms. However, a lot of YouTube 

videos still use the 16:9 format, meaning there's no 

completely escaping the bars. 

And 21:9-format monitors have one big drawback, 

they take up too much space on a desk, taking 

up as much space as a 30-inch screen, but only 

offering the height of a 22-inch monitor. 

Experts recommend opting for 27-inch devices 

with 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolutions, since they 

take up less space. 

There are also pros and cons to the 21:9 format 

when it comes to gaming. The width allows players 

to view more if the game can support the resolution. 

But that resolution requires a lot more power 

from the graphics card than Full HD. And huge 

monitors can have slow reaction times. — dpa 

Smartphones getting closer to the body 

By Peter Zschunke 

THE race for the mobile phone future is 

on, and researchers are coming up with a 

number of concepts including fold-out and 

3D displays, sensors and a computer identity chip 

to wear in a ring. 

It's clear to see that the miniature computer 

Google Glass is just one of many concepts. 

"I congratulate Google that they rushed forward 

into the future. 

The rest of the industry is somewhat more conservative," 

said Patrick Baudisch, a researching 

computer scientist at the Hasso Plattner Institute 

(HPI) in Potsdam near Berlin. 

Baudisch wonders if the mass public will accept 

the Google idea in its current form. 

"As a scientist I am thrilled about it. But in the 

end it's the consumer who decides." Darmstadt 

University computer scientist Max Muehlhaeuser is 

more sceptical about the interactive Google glasses 

because the smartphone right now is mainly a private 

device. But he feels the next generation will 

want to share their common experiences, meaning 

a bigger display will be more desired than a tiny 

display near the eye. 

"When you aren't using the smartphone, you 

wish it were smaller. 

But when you use it and want to read information 

on the screen, then bigger is better," said 

Muehlhaeuser. 

"This problem can be solved with hinging, folding 

and rollable displays." These kinds of screens 

were on display in varying sizes at the recent DisplayWeek 

trade fair in Vancouver, with manufacturers 

such as Sharp and LG Electronics attending 

with highly innovative displays. 

The lexible displays are usually covered with 

organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). 

But the Darmstadt researcher is instead working 

on a way to transform any surface into a display 

by projecting images onto it. 

He is initially using plastic ilms which carry 

markers and trackers similar to that in the 

Microsoft XBox One gaming system. 

"The optical tracking system recognises how 

and where we hold the ilm and controls a number 

of projectors so that the precise section in the correct 

distortion is projected onto the ilm. The users 

feel like they have a display in front of them," explained 

Muehlhaeuser. 

He is even planning to use objects in the room, 

like coffee cups, as controls. Turning the cup could 

scroll the display. 

Taking the next step, once smartphones better 

recognise their surroundings, there will be entirely 

new ways to present information for each speciic 

situation. 

"The mobile phone of the future will be able to 

see," said Muehlhaeuser. 

"It will 'understand' the real surroundings in its 

elements and layer it three-dimensionally with in- 

formation." But there about 15 years of research is 

still needed to get there. 

Scientists believe tomorrow's mobile phone will 

get closer and closer to integrating with the body. 

"Our goal is to make applications on mobile 

devices more realistic and more immersive," said 

Baudisch. 

And Muehlhaeuser believes more sensors will 

be used and serve as a gateway into world of the 

web. 

One problem will be stopping other people taking 

command of our phones. A solution would be a 

tiny computer built into a ring on our inger or an 

ear-ring which would be in ultimate control of the 

smartphone. 

"We will wear sensors on our body and that 

data will be sent for example via Bluetooth to mobile 

devices," said the Darmstadt researcher, who 

sees voice control being further developed after the 

breakthrough of Apple's Siri. — dpa 

SPOTLIGHT 

Majid Al Suleimany 

www.majidall.com 

Working women 

31 

THE other day I was very much touched and impressed when 

a young graduate girl called me and wanted to ind out some 

more details and research on a social topic I had written long 

time back — Increasing Alcohol Abuse! As an elderly Omani I 

was very much impressed by the kind of inquisitive questions 

she had and her insistence to have basic facts and information 

and research — and as to 'how and why — and on what I 

had based my assertions' that there was an 'increase' in the 

phenomena? 

Unfortunately, I did not have the data and the information to 

back my assertions — but was based more on my 'gut feelings' 

and what I see and hear in the streets mainly and I am still not 

'that good' in concocting reference names and igures in just 

supporting on my assertion! However, if this is the new Omani 

in our young students now — the future looks very bright and 

rosy indeed. 

Then just yesterday my son asked if he could send in something 

that was really burning him intensely. So I agreed. I will 

reproduce the article below verbatim! 

Quote — Women in the working ield, anywhere. Recently I 

had a great conversation with three of my co-workers, two were 

men and one woman, the conversation started about any normal 

working environment; blaming others, however the conversation 

took a U-turn, one of the male co-worker asked the 

female co-worker, “if your husband asked you today to quit your 

job and become a housewife, will you do it?” She like any Omani 

women these days said “No, I love my job, I’m good at my job 

and I want to grow”. I totally honour and respect her answer. 

No matter what gender you are, you can always rise up to the 

challenges in life and succeed, no matter what nationality or religion, 

hard work and dedication can take you anywhere, like a 

great quote “The harder I work, the luckier I get”. So you think 

that’s the end of the story, well if it was this would be the shortest 

ever “Between Us only” article ever and my father would 

ask me never to write again. Like father like son my father is 

a strong believer in women working anywhere, why only yesterday 

he hugged my younger sister and “good-bye” kissed her 

forehead and said “I’m so proud of you”, you see my younger 

sister is going to an oil-ield somewhere in Oman in which heat 

is one of the least of their worries, a male-dominated place, 

where it’s all work no play, under the grouching sun of Oman, to 

be an electrical engineer. My father and mother were almost in 

tears seeing her going to school for the irst time, only to assure 

she will be in this position someday, being dominated in a place 

where it’s hard to dominate. Now again my parents are in tears, 

only happy tears. 

Yet my male co-workers came up with various religious 

quotes, old Omani sayings and other arguments that suggested 

that women must be housewives, be at home to take care 

of the kids and of course feed the husband, while most of us 

do agree in these arguments, they must understand that these 

statements and situations were more suitable and more realistic 

during those days, when everything was small and simpler, 

where women stayed at home to teach the children and best of 

all, being the mother. 

If we still lived in those era’s then yes I totally agree with my 

male co-workers, but we live in an era that even having a RO 

2,000 salary might not be enough to live, an era that position, 

money, the car you drive, where you live is now a goal. Funny 

how things work and is moving these days, while you still see 

people having the worst of cars, living in small houses and 

other things that most of people take for granted, is planning 

and waiting for the day that he will leave that life to have a better 

one! We all do, but now is our mothers, our sisters and our 

daughters who have the same agenda and plans. Oprah Winfrey, 

Martha Steward and other amazing, strong women had made an 

example for all of them today and for that I salute them. 

Long time back someone asked me who’s my idols, my inspirations 

and people I look up to. A simple question but it takes 

a lot of time to understand and analysis, I told I have 5 people 

that I look up and I wish I have just 15 per cent of their dedications, 

their motivations and their success, my father and my 

mother and two of my childhood idols FAB and SAA. 

The last person is my wife! Weird because my wife is younger 

than me, didn’t experience life as much as I did, might have not 

gone through what I went through, yet she’s without a doubt 

the most intelligent, most charismatic and most of all the most 

humble young lady I’ve ever met, the best of these all that those 

were NOT the reason I’ve chose her to be my life partner. She’s 

simply strong in my deinition, which makes it hard for any man 

to ind, you see having a strong woman in life means she will 

be there for you no matter what, because if you fail, she fails as 

well. And if you succeed; well she succeeded as well. 

So in closing, I’m a strong believer in women’s power, if we 

can do it, she can, if we failed in it, well maybe if we give her 

a chance, and she might succeed in it. I leave you with a quote 

from Margaret Thatcher, who we all know was called “The Iron 

Lady” she quoted “Any woman who understands the problems 

of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems 

of running a country.” 

And ooh the female co-worker I was talking about, she joined 

the marketing department here not knowing a single thing, to 

basically running the entire marketing department today, a true 

example.” 

As a person who was in HR, I know of many real life cases 

of young Omani girls — University graduates with good degrees 

and in specialisation — staying at home — whilst the 

husband — yet poorly paid — is the only bread winner! When 

I asked one of the girls I fought hard to recruit — What are you 

doing now — and the engineering graduate too — she said to 

me weirdly and cutely — bringing babies into the world — and 

cooking for my good husband! 

Frankly, I feel that the youngsters can still really surprise 

and amaze us — and it is not always the 'rebelling, rioting, misguided 

and unconventional things' that we are used to see. Take 

Care!

Entertainment 

Giant reptile named 

after Jim Morrison 

GIANT lizard that lived 40 

A million years ago at a time when 

Earth was a hothouse has been 

named in honour of rock singer 

Jim Morrison, palaeontologists said 

yesterday. 

Around 1.80m (six feet) from 

snout to tail and tipping the scales 

at up to 27 kilos, the plant-eating 

reptile is one of the biggest-known 

lizards ever to have lived on land. 

It competed with mammals for 

food in the humid tropical forests of 

Southeast Asia. 

A fossil of the beast, found in 

sediment in Sagaing district in 

Myanmar, has been dated to the 

late-middle Eocene period, when 

Earth was so hot there was no ice at 

its poles. 

"We think the warm climate during 

that period of time allowed the 

evolution of a large body size and 

the ability of plant-eating lizards to 

successfully compete in mammal 

faunas," said Jason Head of the University 

of Nebraska at Lincoln who 

led the analysis. he palaeontologists 

have named the long-extinct species 

Barbaturex morrisoni. 

"Barbaturex" means "bearded 

king," after the team found ridges 

on the underside of the jaw that 

give lizards a beard-like appearance. 

"Morrisoni" is in tribute to 

Doors frontman Morrison, famed 

for his fascination with reptiles and 

shamanism. 

"I was listening to The Doors 

quite a bit during research," said 

Head. "Some of their musical imagery 

includes reptiles and ancient 

places, and Jim Morrison was of 

course the Lizard King, so it kind of 

came together." The study appears 

in the British scientiic journal 

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: 

Biological Sciences. — AFP 

‘Physical work leads 

to sleep conditions’ 

PEOPLE who work in jobs that 

are physically demanding 

experience extremes of sleeping 

habits, according to a US research. 

Such workers either experience 

shorter sleeping hours (fewer than 

six hours a night) or longer sleeping 

hours (longer than nine hours), said 

the research from a study from the 

Perelman School of Medicine at the 

University of Pennsylvania. 

Since previous research has 

shown that people who report short 

or long sleep are more likely to 

have worse health over time, such 

as weight gain, heart disease and 

diabetes, the new study suggests 

that people’s jobs may predispose 

them to unhealthy sleep patterns 

that could detrimentally affect 

their health, Science Daily reports. 

According to the research team, 

possible explanations for the indings 

include: The higher demands of 

the job require longer hours, not 

allowing for a full night of sleep; Jobrelated 

stress is keeping people up at 

night; The physical demands of the 

job are causing people to stay awake. 

P29 My irst failure in Bollywood affected me: Neha 

P29 


Miraj underlines the grandeur of daily prayers 

By Hasan Kamoonpuri 

hkamoonpuri@yahoo.com 

THE spectacular event of Al Isra 

wal Miraj (the night Journey and 

the Ascension) of Prophet Muhammad 

(Peace Be Upon Him) is being 

celebrated as a "Grand Eid" throughout 

the world of Islam. 

There is scholarly consensus among 

all scholars that Prophet Muhammad 

(PBUH) journeyed in body and soul 

from Masjid al Haram in Mecca to Masjid 

al Aqsa in Jerusalem al Quds. 

This miraculous night-journey, 

which consisted of two important 

stages, assumes signiicance on several 

counts. First, the Prophet travelled 

from the blessed city of Mecca and 

reached Jerusalem al Quds within seconds. 

Second, from Jerusalem al Quds 

the Prophet travelled up and out of the 

universe, through the seven heavens, 

and into the direct presence of Allah 

the Exalted and returned back to the 

Earth safely. 

The most important aspect of this 

event is that on the night of Miraj, Allah 

the Exalted gave the order of the ive 

daily prayers (Salat) as being mandatory 

upon the Islamic Nation. The ive 

daily prayers continue to bring the 

hearts and minds of believers together, 

cementing bonds of brotherhood 

among them. The institution of daily 

prayers also goes a long way in developing 

and deepening the importance 

of reform and reinement for moral 

and spiritual growth of individuals and 

nations. 

At two places, this event is explained 

in the Glorious Quran. 

“Glory be to Allah, Who carried 

His servant at night from Al Masjid al 

Haram (in Mecca) to Masjid al Aqsa 

(in Jerusalem al Quds), the precincts of 

which We have blessed so that We may 

show him of Our Signs. Verily He is the 

All-Hearing, the All Seeing.” (Quran 

(17: 1) 

“Will you then argue with him 

about what he saw? He certainly saw 

him (Archangel Gabriel, Jibra’il) during 

his other ascent to the Lote tree (in 

the seven heavens) near which is Paradise. 

When the tree was covered with a 

covering, (Muhammad’s) eyes did not 

deceive him, nor did they lead him to 

falsehood. He certainly saw the greatest 

(signs) of the existence of his Lord”. 

(Quran 53: 12 to 18) 

Scholars say it is clear that the Messenger 

of Allah travelled physically 

along with Archangel Gabriel (Jibra’il) 

from Mecca to Jerusalem al Quds and 

then towards the higher heavenly bodies. 

This also explains why the city of Jerusalem 

al Quds, where Masjid al Aqsa 

is located, occupies a pride of place in 

the hearts and minds of Muslims. Jerusalem 

al Quds is Islam’s third most 

holy place after Mecca and Madina. 

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) travelled 

on Buraq (meaning a lash of 

lightning). One of the horses of Paradise, 

Buraq was a strange unearthly 

white, winged animal with a horse-like 

body, and human-like head. The Prophet 

and Archangel Jibra’il mounted the 

Buraq and the journey began from 

Mecca. In no time he reached Jerusalem 

al Quds, where in a very short period 

of time he visited various places 

inside Masjid al Aqsa, as well as Bait al 

Laham, the birthplace of Prophet Jesus 

(PBUH) near Jerusalem al Quds. 

Gathered together at one place in 

Masjid al Aqsa were all the prophets 

from Adam to Jesus, and Prophet 

Muhammad (PBUH), the leader of all 

prophets and virtuous people, led them 

all in prayer. 

The Ascent (Miraj) 

In the next stage of the journey, the 

Prophet and Archangel Gabriel travelled 

from Masjid al Aqsa to the heavens, 

where the Prophet was witness to 

the celestial bodies loating in space. 

At the end of the universe, they arrived 

at the boundary of the lowest 

heaven, where he met and greeted 

Prophet Adam (PBUH). Archangel 

Gabriel then took him up to the second 

heaven where he met and greeted 

Prophets Jesus and Yahya (John the 

Baptist); up to the third where he met 

and greeted Prophet Yusuf (Joseph); up 

to the fourth where he met and greeted 

Kimberley Walsh to quit career for baby 

P30 P31 

Thursday 

JUNE 6, 2013 | RAJAB 27, 1434 AH 

Prophet Idrees (Enoch); up to the ifth 

where he met and greeted Prophet 

Haroon, and up to the sixth where he 

met and greeted Prophet Musa (Moses). 

He then went on up with Archangel 

Gabriel to the seventh heaven, where 

he met and greeted Prophet Abraham 

(PBUH). 

Subsequently, they continued on 

with the journey until they arrived at 

the region known as the Lote-Tree of 

the Extreme Limit (Sidrat al Muntaha), 

a place that was covered in grandeur 

and magniicence. The Lote-Tree of 

the Extreme Limit marked the spot, 

beyond which even Archangel Gabriel 

could not go, and Archangel Gabriel 

halted at Sidrat al Muntaha (the utmost 

boundary of the universe), saying 

that if he took a step further his wings 

would burn. 

But Allah, the Exalted, permitted 

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to go beyond 

it and speak to Allah the Exalted 

Shell Oman organises beach clean-up! 

Fittest cities take exercise publicly 

Smartphones getting closer to the body 


directly. It was at this point in time that 

Allah made Salat (daily prayers) compulsory 

ive times a day for the Prophet 

and his followers. 

The Prophet then mounted the 

Buraq and descended with Archangel 

Gabriel again to Masjid al Aqsa in Jerusalem 

al Quds. From there, he returned 

to his home in Mecca where he found 

his bed still warm. 

This explains why each year people 

in the whole world of Islam celebrate 

Al Isra wal Meraj as a grand Eid and 

why they attach so much importance to 

Masjid al Aqsa and Jerusalem al Quds, 

and why all revolution in the hearts 

and minds of individuals and Muslim 

nations are traceable to the institution 

of daily prayers. 

Just as the month of Ramadhan is 

holy and important because the Glorious 

Quran was revealed in this month, 

Al Isra wal Miraj is important because 

the ive daily prayers were made obligatory 

on this occasion. 

Inside 

This miraculous night-journey, 

which consisted of two 

important stages, assumes 

significance on several counts. 

First, the Prophet travelled 

from the blessed city of Mecca 

and reached Jerusalem al 

Quds within seconds. Second, 

from Jerusalem al Quds, the 

Prophet travelled up and out 

of the universe, through the 

seven heavens, and into the 

direct presence of Allah the 

Exalted and returned back to 

the Earth safely. 

Signiicance of Salat 

Salat (prayers for remembrance of 

Allah, the Exalted) is a direct contact or 

link between the worshipper and Allah 

with no earthly intermediaries. Congregational 

Salat is like a conference 

that Muslims hold ive times per day to 

praise their Lord together, to take stock 

of their deeds, and to build bonds of 

unity and love with one another. Salat 

builds a strong defence against evils 

which exist around us. We learn in the 

Glorious Quran that Salat (remembrance 

of Allah) keeps you “away from 

indecency and evil”. 

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once 

asked his companions “Tell me if there 

was a river at your door step in which 

you washed ive times a day would any 

of your dirt remain?” When he received 

the reply that none of it would remain 

he then said, “That is like the ive times 

Salah, with which Allah wipes out sin”. 

Everything has a face and the face 

of Islam is Salat. It is the most effective 

way of spiritual migration towards Allah 

and attaining the exalted position 

of His nearness. The most esteemed 

and favourite deed before Allah is 

Salat. Salah is the last dying will of all 

prophets. The Salat makes you master 

of your desires rather than a slave of 

the desires. Salat is a visit to Allah, the 

Almighty Creator of all that exists. 

On the Day of Judgement, before one 

is even permitted to present the good 

deeds that he/she has performed in this 

world, the very irst question asked will 

relate to Salat and only then will he/ 

she be allowed to proceed. The Prophet 

(PBUH) has made this clear by saying: 

“All good deeds depend on Salat, which 

is the cornerstone of Islam. If Salat is 

accepted then the good deeds will be 

accepted. If Salat is not accepted, then 

the good works will not be accepted”.

6,600 jobs at tourism port - Oman Observer

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