Observer & Busness 14 May 2011 - Oman Observer

Saturday, May 14, 2011/Jumada al Thania 10, 1432 AH
www.omanobserver.om editor@omanobserver.om
Big boost to maritime industry
DUQM — The Al Wusta Region
witnessed the launch of the operational
stage of the dry dock operated
by Oman Dry Dock Company
(ODC) here, which received the
Warning bells over climate
A LEADING US research agency has sounded warning
bells over the risk of dangerous climate change which
is growing with every additional tonne of greenhouse
gas emission. A National Research Council committee
has reiterated the pressing need for substantial action to
limit the magnitude of climate change and to prepare to
adapt to its impact. — Features
Tropical cyclone
rumours denied
MUSCAT — The Directorate-General of
Meteorology and Air Navigation has denied
indications of any low pressure or tropical cyclone
that could originate in the Arabian Sea.
The Met office, in a statement, told citizens
and residents not to be carried away by
rumours and that it has so far not detected
any unusual activities in the waters of the
Arabian Sea in the next few days.
Yet, the Directorate-General of Meteorology
and Air Navigation stated that the months
of May and June are a season of atmospheric
instability over the Arabian Sea.
The Met office stresses it will continue
monitoring the situation and updating the
public about any developments. — ONA
Water demand up
MUSCAT — Domestic demand for desalinated
water is expected to surge from 163 million
cubic metres (m3) as of end-2010 to 278
million m3 by 2017, entailing an increase of
nearly 70 per cent over the next seven years.
This demand will be fuelled by an average
annual growth rate of around eight per cent in
potable and industrial water consumption, according
to a 7-Year Outlook Statement issued
recently by the government-owned Oman
Power and Water Procurement Co (OPWP),
the officially mandated off-taker of all electricity
and desalinated water output.
Projected water demand growth in the
Ghubrah Zone, covering the wilayats of
Muscat, Muttrah, Al Amerat and Bausher in
Muscat Governorate, will be met through the
procurement of new desalination capacity of
around 191,000 m3/day (42 million imperial
gallons per day MIGD) by 2014. See P21
WASHINGTON — Special envoy to the Middle
East, George Mitchell, is resigning after
two years in office, US officials said yesterday,
in a move likely to further complicate the
moribund peace process.
The surprise resignation by the seasoned
diplomat comes only days ahead of President
Barack Obama’s highly-anticipated speech
on the Middle East on Thursday.
“The fact that this is a hard issue, an extraordinarily
hard issue, is not news to anyone...
who’s ever attempted to work on it over
these many years,” said White House spokesman
Jay Carney.
Mitchell has been indefatigable in his efforts
in the Middle East.
But two years on and despite numerous
trips and closed-door talks, Israel and the
Palestinians are no closer to achieving a longcoveted
peace accord. — AFP
first two vessels owned by a Belgian
company for maintenance.
This development in the maritime
sector augurs well in laying
strong pillars for a new industry in
ULSAN, South Korea — Oman Shipping
Company (OSC) organised a ceremony
here yesterday to name its latest
Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC),
Fida, at Hyundai Heavy Industries
(HHI) shipyard.
Fida is designed and constructed
according to the latest international
standards. It is the first vessel of her
type to incorporate advanced ballast
water treatment technology, to comply
with international conventions on the
protection of the environment from the
effects of transportation of ballast water
and sediments around the world.
KOLKATA — India’s beleaguered
ruling coalition has managed to avoid
a major voter backlash over a series
of embarrassing corruption scandals,
winning three of five regional elections
and overturning two communist
state governments, results showed
yesterday.
The coalition fared worse than expected
in Tamil Nadu, where voters
punished a regional ally over a $39
billion telecoms scam that paralysed
the parliament for months and hit foreign
investment in the country. But the
loss came as no surprise. It also lost
Puducherry state.
But it took two states from the com-
the Sultanate which is expected to
make Duqm Port a driving force in
the future due to its geographic location
overlooking the international
trade lines. Details on page 3
The vessel has a 317,000 deadweight
ton (DWT) capacity. It is 333
metres long, 60 metres in beam and a
design draft of 21 metres. This is Oman
Shipping Company’s second VLCC to
be delivered out of group of five such
vessels ordered by the company from
HHI. It is the company’s eighth piece
out of a future fleet of 17 very large
crude carriers.
Since commercial operations began
in 2003, OSC has so far constructed
a fleet of 28 vessels, and booked 14
other vessels to be delivered between
now and 2012. The DWT capacity of
munists — West Bengal in the northeast,
where the world’s longest serving
democratically elected government
was finally unseated, and Kerala in
the south. It also won the northeastern
state of Asom.
Overall, the results were the first
good news in months for the government
of Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh. The main national opposition,
the Bharatiya Janata Party, scarcely
improved on its scant presence in West
Bengal and Tamil Nadu, a sign Congress
is still the party to beat ahead of
2014 general elections.
21 20
CHICAGO — Men and women infected
with the Aids virus who take
antiretroviral drugs immediately
rather than waiting to become more ill
dramatically cut the risk of infecting a
partner, US researchers said.
The findings in the study conducted
in nine countries are expected to
energise global efforts.
The study showed that taking these
drugs does not only slow the virus in
people already infected, but makes
these people far less infectious and far
less likely to spread HIV to others.
The landmark study found a 96 per
cent reduction in HIV transmission to
an uninfected partner when antiretro-
Nadal, Murray in last four
RAFAEL Nadal showed no signs of the fever that
has been troubling him this week as he strolled into
the Rome Masters semifinals in Rome with a 6-1,
6-3 demolition of Marin Cilic. Earlier Andy Murray
became the first British man to reach the Rome
semis in the Open era after a bizarre 1-6, 6-1, 6-1
victory against Florian Mayer.
Seat belt saves drivers, passengers
MUSCAT — The ROP’s weekly
bulletin shows that 12,139 people
were given tickets for violating the
traffic rule of seat-belt fastening
since the beginning of this year.
The ROP said that this number
is very high and it reflects a lack
of awareness about the offending
road users.
Stressing the significance of
seat-belt fastening, the ROP said
that the belt can save drivers and
passengers from serious injuries
or fatal accidents. It is very much
worth taking five seconds to fasten
the seat belt to avoid impact with
MUSCAT — Buoyancy in the
credit growth indicates sustained
recovery in the Omani economy.
Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
in nominal terms, rose by 23.4 per
cent in 2010 in contrast to a decline
of 22.6 per cent during the
corresponding period in 2009.
Total assets of commercial
banks increased by 4.8 per cent
to RO 15,578.9 million in March
2011 compared to RO 14,869.4
million in March 2010. Cash and
deposits of commercial banks
the current fleet is around 3.7 million
DWT, which will increase to around 8
million DWT once the booked pieces
are delivered.
OSC is a closed joint stock company,
incorporated in 2003 and owned
by the Government of the Sultanate of
Oman through the Ministry of Finance
(80 per cent) and Oman Oil Company
(20 per cent).
Headquartered in Muscat, Oman,
OSC was established to transport the
Sultanate’s oil and gas products to
world markets, provide Omani shipping
services to the country’s trade
the steering wheel or the windscreen
during sudden braking, said
the guidelines.
The ROP pointed out that some
drivers are involved in the wrong
behaviour of fastening the belt below
the seat or put it on the wrong
way to avoid fastening and unfastening.
Cases of pedestrians being
overrun by vehicles dropped in the
first quarter of this year, compared
to the year before.
Forty-two people died in 209
accidents involving the running
down of pedestrians from January
to April this year.
with the CBO stood higher at
RO 1,269.2 million at the end of
March 2011, compared to RO
1,211.6 million in March 2010.
Total outstanding credit grew
by 9.8 per cent to RO 10,976 million
in March 2011 and accounted
for 70.5 per cent of total assets.
While credit to the government
increased by 2.8 per cent in March
2011, credit to public enterprises
and the private sector increased
by 75.2 per cent and 6 per cent,
respectively.
Although the number of such
road accidents during the first
quarter was more than last year’s
figures (192), the number of the
resultant fatalities was less than
last year’s first quarter deaths of
pedestrians (50).
The number of those injured
in similar road accidents during
the first four months this year was
195, compared to 165 during the
corresponding period in 2010.
The Royal Oman Police (ROP)
said in its weekly bulletin that accidents
involving pedestrian overrunning
are due to mistakes by the
However, commercial banks’
overall investments in securities
decreased by 26.6 per cent to
RO 1,308.7 million by March
2011, down from RO 1,783.8 million
a year ago.
Of the total outstanding investments,
commercial banks’
investments in CBO certificates
of deposit decreased to RO 706
million in March 2011 from RO
1,339 million a year ago, whereas
investments in government development
bonds increased to RO
Oman Shipping Company has a fleet of 28 vessels and booked for 14 more
Giant crude carrier Fida commissioned
ME envoy quits Respite for Indian ruling Strict and quick treatment
coalition in state elections prevents HIV transmission
More reports on pages 10, 11 & 12
Stop vehicles at zebra crossing Don’t cross motorways
partners in other commodities, and to
re-vitalise Oman’s seafaring tradition.
The company is possessing its own
vessels, while it delegates chartering
and management activities through
its subsidiary companies, which are
Oman Charter Company, Oman Ship
Management Company and Oman
Container Line.
Despite the financial crisis witnessed
by the world, particularly in
the shipping sector during the previous
period, in 2010, the company’s profit
was $19.5 million, with a turnover of
$238 million, To page 2
viral drug treatment began early, before
a person’s immune system begins
to weaken due to the virus.
“The findings of this study strongly
indicate that treating an individual with
antiretroviral drugs sooner rather than
later can have a significant impact on
reducing the risk of transmitting HIV
to their partner,” Dr Anthony Fauci of
the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases, told reporters.
“This is a crucial development, because
we know that sexual transmission
accounts for about 80 per cent of
all new infections,” Dr Margaret Chan,
Director-General of the World Health
Organization, said. — Reuters
drivers, as well as the pedestrians
themselves. Some of the drivers
do not notice signposts about zebra
crossing ahead and fail to stop
in time. It was also noticed some
pedestrians, citizens and residents
alike, cross the highways in the
Governorate of Muscat and elsewhere,
thereby exposing themselves
to fatal accidents.
The ROP, in an advisory note,
told drivers to look out for signposts,
slow down when approaching
zebra crossings and achieve a
complete stop before touching the
lines on the road. To page 2
Assets of commercial banks at RO 15,578.9m in March
Sultanate’s GDP rose by 23.4 per cent
286 million from RO 144 million
during the corresponding period.
Investments in foreign securities,
also declined by 10.5 per cent to
RO 154.2 million from RO 172.2
million during the same period.
On the liabilities side of the
balance sheet, total deposits (in
Omani Rial, plus foreign currency
deposits) witnessed a yearon-year
growth of 7.2 per cent to
RO 10,585.4 million in March
2011 from RO 9,878.4 million in
March 2010. To page 2
Currency forger and
2 criminals arrested
MUSCAT — A foreign national was arrested
by the Royal Oman Police (ROP) recently on
charges of forging currencies from the GCC
and other Arab countries and replacing them
with fake Omani rials.
The man, who worked as a commercial
promoter and a sales representative at a private
company in the Sultanate, was able to
convince the owners of some outlets about
exchanging forged Arab currencies with the
Omani rial. The suspect was transferred to the
Public Prosecution Department.
The ROP also transferred to the Public
Prosecution Department a man who broke
into a shop and stole cash from its safe.
In Nizwa, the ROP unit arrested a man as
he traded in drugs and narcotics.
Pak attack kills 80
SHABQADAR, Pakistan — Eighty people
were killed in a double bombing on a paramilitary
police training centre yesterday.
Around 140 people were wounded, 40 of
them fighting for their lives, in the deadliest
attack this year in the country.
In the fallout over the unilateral raid and in
another sign of damaged ties with Washington,
an official said Pakistan’s senior military
officer General Khalid Shameem Wynne had
cancelled a visit to the United States.
The bombers blew themselves up in
Shabqadar, outside the biggest Frontier Constabulary
(FC) training centre in the northwest.
The town is close to Mohmand.
The Pakistani government condemned the
attack, as did Britain, pledging support for Islamabad
in the fight against extremism.
Doctors in Peshawar’s main Lady Reading
Hospital said they were struggling to save the
lives of the wounded. Details on page 8
THE latest issue of Mazoon focuses
on summer tourism spots, nature’s
bounty and other attractions.
04:03 am 12:08 pm 03:31 pm 06:46 pm 08:04 pm Max: 42 Min: 29 Max: 42 Min: 29 Max: 37 Min: 27 Max: 32 Min: 25

Improved website on HM launched
MUSCAT — A modified
and updated version of
the website on His Majesty
Sultan Qaboos, originally
introduced in 2008, has
been launched in Muscat
recently.
Since the initial launch
three years ago, it has undergone
constant changes
for betterment and now
with an attractive new design
inspired by the architecture
of Oman with its
castles, forts, towers and
mosques, the website can
be read in 14 languages.
These languages include,
along with Arabic, English,
French, Hindi, Portuguese,
Korean, Persian,
Swahili, German, Italian,
Japanese, Russian, Chinese
and Spanish. Its Malayalam
version will be
soon added based on the
first Indian book on His
Majesty by Observer reporter
Kabeer Yousuf.
“Our love for His Majesty
Sultan Qaboos (may
God protect him) and our
admiration of his remarkable
accomplishments in
building up our country,
inspired us to develop the
website ‘Oman Qaboos’,
which was originally
launched to coincide with
the 38th National Day in
2008,” website designer
Hamoud bin Mohammed
al Azri said.
"It has been a tremendous
privilege for me to
be involved in making this
website out of loyalty to
His Majesty, and to this
dear country. I was keen
that the high character
and personal excellence
of His Majesty should be
made known throughout
the world, hence the site
has been translated into 14
languages,” Al Azri added.
‘Oman Qaboos’ has received
a number of prestigious
awards, and was
recognised by the Arab
Academy for the Internet
in Lebanon, in co-operation
with Microsoft, as
the best website in the category
‘Kings and Heads
of State’, for two years in
succession. It was the first
time that this category has
seen a website translated
into as many as 14 lan-
guages.
Speaking on the relaunch
of the website
yesterday, the website designer
stated that the aim
of this endeavour is “to
present a simple expression
of our love for His
Majesty, for our great
leader with his wise policies,
and to thank him for
all that he has done and
continues to do with such
generosity for his people.
It is also an unimaginable
joy and pride for me
to be able to contribute to
raising the profile of my
country in this way. The
success of ‘Oman Qaboos’
website should not be considered
a success for me
alone but for Oman as a
whole. It is the result of
our profound appreciation
of His Majesty, who taught
us and urged us always to
be innovative. It is thus my
great honour to present
‘Oman Qaboos’, as a gift
to His Majesty and to the
nation.
"I would like to express
my sincere thanks and
appreciation to all who
contributed and provided
support for this national
action, especially the Ministry
of Information and
the Information Technology
Authority”.
The website can be accessed
on www.oman-qaboos.net
2 OMAN
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Al Rawahi Mosque in Samayil opened
MUSCAT — Shaikh Abdullah
bin Mohammed al Salmy,
Minister of Awqaf and Religious
Affairs, opened the
Said bin Hamad al Rawahi
Mosque in the Wilayat of
Samayil yesterday.
Dr Kahlan bin Nabhan
al Kharousi, Assistant
to the Grand Mufti of the
Sultanate, at the inaugural
ceremony spoke about the
role of mosques in proper
upbringing of generations of
Muslims.
Al Rawahi Mosque can
accommodate 1,400 worshippers
indoors and 1,500
outdoors.
The mosque, which took
two years to construct, has
a total area of 3,300 square
metres. — ONA
The Sultanate to receive rare
copies of Holy Quran today
By Kabeer Yousuf
MUSCAT — His Eminence
Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamed
al Khalili, Sultanate’s Grand
Mufti, will today receive
some of the rare copies of
Holy Quran printed in 1858 in
the Indian state of Lucknow.
Consisting of five chapters
of the holy book, some
of the first prints of the same
which are in the possession
of Rajkumar Dr Ranjit Bhargava,
the present head of the
Munshi Newal Kishore clan
in Lucknow, will be submitted
to His Eminence by himself
along with Allwin Peter
Dessa, his brother-in-law, a
resident of Oman.
In February this year, they
had dedicated copies of the
Holy Quran and The Hadith
From page 1
and total assets of $2.3 billion.
OSC’s Omanisation
ratio is 86 per cent, and the
company has an active cadet
programme for Omani deck
and engineering staff.
HHI is the world’s larg-
published about 150 years
ago by his family institution
Newal Kishore Press, to the
Grand Mufti.
“This mission is a token
of gratitude to the Sultanate
for having so caringly looked
after the Indian community
since time immemorial,” Allwin
Peter Dessa, Business
Manager Hydronix-USA,
told the Observer.
Munshi Newal Kishore
had set up the Newal Kishore
Press in Lucknow to preserve
the intellectual and cultural
heritage of South Asia, the
Arab world and Iran from being
swept away by the forces
of Western colonialism. A
Hindu, he printed 5,000 rare
manuscripts, 65 per cent of
them in Islamic languages
— Arabic, Persian and Urdu.
est shipbuilding company,
founded in 1972, with the vision
to be a global leader in
the heavy industries sector.
Today HHI has a global
business network in each of
its seven business divisions:
offshore and engineering, industrial
plant and engineering,
His succeeding three generations
right up to 1950 continued
this tradition and brought
out over 12,000 books from
their press. The press that
was never motivated by sheer
profit made all these efforts
just with their concerns for
their fellow Muslim fraternity
then.
Newal Kishore Press in
India and elsewhere has been
described as the epi-centre of
the revival and renaissance of
South Asia’s Islamic learning.
It took religious issues to the
Muslim masses of Asia at affordable
prices and with authenticity,
with the support of
Indian Ulemas of Deoband,
Firangi mahal and Nadwatul-ulema,
leading Islamic
scholars and the best calligraphers
of India.
Crude carrier Fida commissioned
Seat belt
saves drivers,
passengers
From page 1
Bus drivers, particularly
those transporting pupils,
are strongly advised to stop
close to zebra crossings
and not to restart driving
until they check that all
pupils have moved away
from their vehicles.
In the same context,
the Traffic Safety Institute
in Seeb is conducting
a “preventive driving”
course for drivers belonging
to the Ministry of Oil
and Gas. The fourth batch
of the programme comprises
189 employees of the
ministry.
The participants are
given specialist training
on safe driving distance,
safe speeds, traffic safety
regulations, priorities in
the passing of vehicles
where no traffic lights exist,
vehicular check-up
and environmental matters
to be taken into account.
— Courtesy Royal Oman
Police
engine and machinery, electro
electric systems, green energy
and construction equipment.
Employing around 24,400
staff, HHI made $20.6 billion
in sales and $17.2 billion
in new orders during 2010.
— ONA
Al Raffah Hospital to hold
blood donation drive today
MUSCAT — The Al Raffa Hospital is to hold a blood donation
drive in association with the Ministry of Health today.
The whole idea of the programme is to send in message
of ‘Donate a pint of blood at Al Raffah Hospital’ and give the
'gift of life'.
Anyone between the age of 18 and 76 and in good health
can donate blood in this campaign. They should also weigh
at least 50 kg. The donor should also be free from cold or flu
symptoms for the last 72 hours and should not be under any
chronic medication.
Donating blood — from registration to post-donation —
takes only about 45 minutes, each donor will undergo a simple
blood test to ensure that he/she is in good health and able
to give blood. The blood mobilised through the drive will be
stored at Central Blood Bank, Department of Blood Services.
The timing would be from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm. For more
information on donating blood, contact the organisers on
98506336.
GDP rose by 23.4 per cent
From page 1
Government deposits with commercial banks increased by
16.5 per cent to RO 2,504 million, while deposits of public
enterprises declined by 5.4 per cent to RO 823.2 million during
the same period. Private sector deposits with commercial
banks increased by 5.6 per cent to RO 7,147.7 million by the
end of March 2011 from RO 6,771.2 million a year ago.
For the first quarter of the year, provisional figures for net
profits stood higher at RO 71.1 million at the end of March
2011 compared to RO 64.4 million a year ago. — ONA

3 OMAN
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Maritime industry gets a big boost
DUQUM — The Al Wusta
Region recently witnessed the
launch of the operational stage
of the dry dock operated by
Oman Dry Dock Company
(ODC) here, which received the
first two vessels owned by Belgian
company for maintenance.
This augurs well in laying
strong pillars for a new industry
in the Sultanate which is expected
to make Duqm a driving
force in the future due to its geographic
location overlooking the
international trade lines.
With the launch of the operational
works at the dry dock,
the Sultanate is about to witness
unprecedented and active
movement that will have positive
impacts on the villages of
the Wilayat of Duqm in the Al
Wusta Region in particular and
the Sultanate in general.
This will result in economic,
tourist, commercial and
construction boom, as well as
diversification of sources of
national income which will reflect
on citizens’ social and living
conditions. The project will
provide many job opportunities
and attract foreign and local investments
to the region, besides
expanding the production base
of the national economy.
Said bin Hamdoon al Harthy,
Under-Secretary of the Transport
and Communications Ministry
for Ports and Marine Affairs
and Chairman of the Oman
Dry Dock Company, said “As of
today, the government pumped
more than RO 700 million towards
the construction of the
dry dock. He pointed out that
the company has received the
dry dock from the Transport and
Communications Ministry and
only limited works remain to be
done which will be completed
by the end of June.
He added that the government
relies heavily on these two
projects to effect a leap for the
Omani economy by diversification
of the economy, providing
jobs for Omanis, attracting more
investments to the Al Wusta Region
in particular and the Sultanate
in general, and supporting
construction and commercial activities.
This in turn will enhance
the economic infrastructure for
the wilayat and other wilayats of
the Al Wusta Region.
Al Harthy pointed out that
the company’s receiving of the
dry dock from the ministry encourages
the company to operate
the dry dock to prove to the
world that the wheel of economic
development in the Sultanate
is running and that the development
will continue.
He affirmed that the official
launch of the dry dock
will be held at the end of August.
Through soft operation,
the company focuses on certain
types of vessels to test the equipment
and systems and ensure
their efficiency. Employees will
also be trained.
As for the construction of a
floating dry dock in Duqm, Al
Harthy said that a study has been
conducted by the company and
submitted to the government.
M J Park, CEO, Oman Dry
Dock Company, said that the
dock will be ready by the end
of August to receive all types of
commercial vessels of different
sizes including oil tankers, container
vessels of the fourth and
fifth generations and other vessels
with a capacity of 600,000
tonnes. He affirmed that more
than 98 per cent of the construction
works at the dock has been
completed.
He noted that the soft launch
of the dry dock, in co-operation
with Daewoo Shipbuilding &
Marine Engineering Company
which will take part alongside
with the government in operating
and managing the dry dock,
marks the real start of the maritime
industry in the Sultanate.
This will contribute to attracting
more international companies to
the dock, as the Korean company
is experienced in shipbuilding
and repair.
Qasim bin Ahmed al Shizawi,
Director-General of Ports at the
Transport and Communications
Ministry, described the project
as a qualitative leap for the Sultanate.
The construction of the
dock comes within the government’s
strategy to develop ports
in the Sultanate.
He noted that the project will
diversify sources of national
income and provide jobs for
youths.
Shaikh Khalil bin Ahmed al
Salmi, Deputy CEO of Oman
Dry Dock Company, said that
the company is fully owned by
the government and that the
agreement signed by the government
and the Korean company is
related to managing and operating
the dry dock. He pointed out
that the soft launch of the dock
marks a new era.
Al Salmi said that the dry
dock is one of the most modern
in the region and North Africa
with its state-of-the-art techniques
and technologies, besides
scope for extensions.
He also pointed that ODC
seeks to be one of the world's
leading companies in terms of
receiving huge vessels because
it possesses the largest dock in
the Far East and North Africa.
Al Salmi said that the company
started promoting and
marketing the dry dock from
last year by participating in a
number of exhibitions globally.
The company officials visited
other countries to gain knowledge
in managing and operating
dry docks. Visits are also
planned to Greece, Germany,
Norway, Britain, USA, Japan,
Korea and India.
He also referred to the large
appeal from ship-making companies
for maintenance and
repair of their ships in the dry
dock in Duqm. The company
is studying these applications
in order to cope with the experimental
phase till reaching the
best operational level so as to be
able to build up a good reputation
in terms of maintenance and
repair as well as qualifying the
company to be a competitor.
About the social responsibility
of the company and support
for the community, Al Salmi
said that the company recently
allocated a fund for investing it
in development projects in the
region.
He added that the company
has trained 59 youths. They include
technicians, group managers
and engineers. They have
undergone a three-month course
at the International Maritime
College Oman (IMCO) and
two-month training at Daewoo
Ship Building & Marine Engineering
Co LTD in Korea and
its branch in Romania on the
fundamentals of vessel maintenance
and design.
He also said that the company
is looking forward to train
110 Omani technicians, group
managers and engineers in vessel
maintenance.
The construction of the
dry dock started in June 2008
on 1.2 million sq metres. The
project includes a platform of
2,800 metres, reclamation of
453,000 sq metres and comprises
two dry docks of 410
metres long, 80 metres wide,
10 metres deep and 14 metres
high.
The project also includes
With the
launch of the
operational
works at the
Duqm dry dock,
the Sultanate is
about to witness
unprecedented
and active
movement
that will have
positive impacts
on the villages
of the Wilayat
of Duqm in
the Al Wusta
Region in
particular and
the Sultanate
in general
platform accessories, yards,
workshops, warehouses, roads,
water drainage systems, restaurants,
administration offices
and staff accommodation, besides
mechanical and electrical
facilities. — ONA

Radiation found in seaweed
near crippled nuclear plant
TOKYO — Seaweed collected from the
coast near Japan’s crippled Fukushima
nuclear power plant and sewage in Tokyo
have shown elevated levels of radiation,
according to data released by an environmental
group and government officials
yesterday.
The findings, released separately by
Greenpeace and Tokyo government officials,
underline the difficulty of containing
the water-borne spread of radiation
from the Fukushima nuclear plant, which
was seriously damaged by a March 11
earthquake and tsunami, triggering a stillunfolding
crisis.
Operator Tokyo Electric Power has
poured massive amounts of water on four
of the reactors at the plant to cool the fuel
they contain, but struggled to keep the
radioactive water from leaking out to the
sea.
Environmental critics have also raised
worries about contaminated water seeping
into the water table.
Greenpeace said that 10 of the 22 seaweed
samples it had collected at sea near
40 arrested
for child
trafficking
BEIJING — Police in China
have arrested a gang of 40
people suspected of buying
at least 22 children in the
nation’s southwest and trafficking
them to a wealthier
region, state press said yesterday.
The suspected trafficking
ring allegedly bought young
children — 22 of them have
so far been recovered — in
impoverished areas of Yunnan
province and sold them
in coastal Fujian province
in the southeast, the Beijing
Times said.
More than 200 police were
involved in the Wednesday
arrests that took place in the
two provinces, it said.
Human trafficking remains
a serious problem
in China, with many sociologists
blaming the nation’s
“one-child” family planning
policy for fuelling the crime.
Wednesday’s arrests come
after an investigation was
launched this week in the
central province of Hunan
into the suspected involvement
of family planning officials
in the abduction and
sale of babies into overseas
adoption.
According to state press
reports, about 20 children
were forcibly taken away
from families who were allegedly
in violation of the
birth control policy, and put
up for adoption abroad.
the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant had
shown radiation levels as much as five
times the standard set by Japan for food.
“Radioactive contamination is accumulating
in the marine ecosystem that
provides Japan with a quarter of its seafood,
yet the authorities are still doing
very little to protect public health,” Ike
Teuling, Greenpeace radiation expert, said
in a statement.
On Wednesday, Tepco sealed a leak
of contaminated water found near the No
3 reactor that may have seeped into the
Pacific Ocean from the coastal plant. A
previous ocean leak sparked international
concern about the impact of the disaster
on the environment.
Radiation in food and other substances
is measured in Becquerel. The limit set
for food by Japan is 2,000 Becquerel (Bq)
per kg for radioactive Iodine-131 and 500
Bq/kg for radioactive cesium.
Greenpeace said 10 of its seaweed
samples had shown radiation levels over
10,000 Bq/kg. Some types of seaweed are
a staple of the Japanese diet.
Goshi Hosono, a special adviser to
Prime Minister Naoto Kan on the nuclear
crisis, said the government would look
into the finding by Greenpeace.
“I don’t want to ignore this and the
government will do its own follow-up
study as needed,” Hosono told reporters.
Separately, government officials in
Tokyo said radiation levels in sewage
had spiked in late March. The data was
released this week in conjunction with
a new government standard intended to
contain the spread of radiation in sewage.
Combined radiation levels of cesium
and others in waste burned at the sewage
treatment plant in Tokyo spiked to
170,000 Bq/kg in the immediate wake
of the Fukushima nuclear crisis, officials
said yesterday.
The radiation level was measured on
March 25, just over two weeks after the
earthquake.
Akiko Matsumoto, spokeswoman for
the Tokyo Bureau of Sewage said the radiation
figure is a composite of cesium
and iodine levels. — Reuters
4ASIA
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Japan approves Tepco nuclear claims plan
TOKYO — Japan yesterday announced a plan to help Tokyo Electric
Power compensate victims of the crisis at its tsunami-crippled nuclear plant
without going broke while it struggles to resolve the worst nuclear crisis
since Chernobyl.
The plan, agreed after weeks of wrangling between government officials,
bankers and Tokyo Electric executives over who should pay for the
crisis, allays investors’ fears that a collapse of the power firm would roil
financial markets.
It comes as engineers are still working to bring reactors under control
at Tokyo Electric’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant north of Tokyo
two months after the earthquake and tsunami that led to radiation leaks.
Ratings agency Standard and Poors lowered Tokyo Electric, known as
Tepco, to BBB from BBB+, saying in a statement: “The upper limit of compensation
remains unclear at this stage, and we expect Tepco’s profitability
to remain under significant pressure for a very long period.”
The government will issue special-purpose bonds to help finance a fund
that will allow Asia’s largest utility to handle compensation claims expected
40 injured in China bank blast
BEIJING — More than 40
people were injured yesterday
when a disgruntled former
employee set off a petrol
bomb at a bank in northwest
China, authorities said.
The attack started a fire at
the Agriculture Credit Cooperative
in Huazangsi, Gansu
province, according to a statement
issued by local officials.
Of the injured, 19 were in serious
condition.
The former employee,
identified as Yang Xianwen,
39, allegedly threw the bomb
into a room at the co-operative
while a morning meeting
was under way, the Tianzhu
Tibetan Autonomous County
government statement said.
“Some of the workers at
the meeting suffered burns,
others were injured after
breaking windows and jumping
to the roof of an adjacent
three-storey building,” it said.
“In April 2011, Yang Xianwen...
embezzled public
funds and was fired from the
credit co-operative,” it went
on. “This incident left hatred
in his heart. He started the fire
out of revenge and fled the
scene.”
The official Xinhua news
agency later reported that
Yang had been arrested.
It initially said the blast
had caused “significant
deaths and injuries” but later
issued a report saying the fire
had led to many injuries but
no deaths.
to run into tens of billions of dollars. No ceiling was set on Tokyo Electric’s
liabilities.
The government is also considering buying preferred shares from Tokyo
Electric, also known as Tepco, if it runs short of capital. It did not provide
details on the size of its planned fund injection but lawmakers told reporters
earlier this week the bond issue would total about 5 trillion yen ($62
billion).
In return for public backing, the government said it will exert control
“for a certain period of time” over management of Tokyo Electric and other
power utilities, which will also be asked to pay annual premiums into the
fund.
Though relieved that the worst may have been averted, investors sold
utility stocks, unsettled by the prospect of the government’s hands-on role
in running the sector.
Bank shares also slid after Japan’s top government spokesman said a
distinction should be made between loans made before the March 11 earthquake
and tsunami and those extended after the disaster and that banks
About a third of Tianzhu
county’s residents are Tibetans.
The government statement
said the chief suspect
was Han Chinese, China’s
dominant ethnicity.
A travel agent near the
scene of the incident said it
was unlikely the bombing
was related to the local Tibetan
population.
“I have not heard anything
about this being linked to ethnic
Tibetan problems,” the
agent, a Han Chinese who declined
to be named, said. “It
could have be due to a dispute
at the bank.”
Fire engines rushed to the
scene yesterday morning but
by midday the fire had been
put out, she said. — AFP
CREW members from the Greenpeace ship The Rainbow Warrior collect seaweed samples to monitor radiation
contamination levels as the ship sails up the eastern coast of Japan, in the vicinity of Fukushima prefecture. — Reuters
Seven injured
as HK jet hits
turbulence
HONG KONG — Seven
people, five of them cabin
crew, were injured yesterday
when a passenger
plane hit a pocket of air
turbulence en route from
Beijing to Hong Kong, carrier
Dragonair said.
A company spokeswoman
said it was not
immediately clear how seriously
the seven were injured
when the incident occurred
on the Airbus A330,
which was carrying 135
passengers and 14 crew.
“All involved passengers
and crew, after
undergoing medical treatment
at the Hong Kong
International Airport, have
been sent to the hospital
for further medical examination
or treatment,” the
airline said in a statement.
— AFP
S Korea aims to triple trade with France
PARIS — South Korea hopes
to triple its trade with France
over the next five years, its
President Lee Myung-Bak
said yesterday, hailing a
looming free trade agreement
with Europe.
“I call on you to multiply
by two or even three the
amount of trade between our
countries in the next five
years,” Lee told a gathering
of French and Korean business
leaders in Paris, on the
8 new reef fish found
off Indonesia’s Bali
DENPASAR — Scientists
from Conservation International
have discovered eight
new fish and one new coral
species off Indonesia’s Bali
island.
The new species include
eels and damsels, the colourful
little fish that dart among
coral branches and help give
reefs their dazzling appearance
while playing a key role
in reef ecology.
“We have carried out a
marine survey in 33 sites
around Bali island. We have
identified 952 reef fish, and
among them we discovered
eight new species,” team senior
adviser Mark Van Nydeck
Erdmann said.
The surveys were carried
out off the popular tourist
island’s northeast coast
at Tulamben, a well-known
recreational dive site, as well
as Nusa Dua, Gili Manuk and
last leg of a European tour.
Lee spoke after meetings
with business leaders including
Louis Gallois, chief
executive of the European
defence giant EADS, which
owns Airbus, and Cho Yang-
Ho, head of Korean Air.
Gallois said the Francebased
plane maker would deliver
Korean Air’s first Airbus
380 superjumbo on May 24.
Also at the gathering were
representatives of the South
should be asked to co-operate in easing Tokyo Electric’s financial burden.
The market interpreted the comments from Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio
Edano as an indication banks may be asked to forgive loans or make other
concessions. Shares of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, the utility’s main
creditor bank, dropped 3.8 per cent.
“The government is infringing on private firms’ profits. It has violated
the profits of utilities and now it’s trying to lower the burden for the taxpayer
by encroaching on banks’ profits,” said Kiyoshi Noda, chief fund
manager at MU Investments.
Government officials made great efforts to fend off criticism of the
scheme as an unjustified use of taxpayer funds. Some have argued the utility,
which has a history of safety lapses and is known for its cosy ties with
regulators, should have been allowed to fail.
“This framework is not meant as a bailout of Tepco. We made this framework
so that compensation can take place swiftly for the victims... and so
that Tepco can supply electricity in a stable way,” Trade Minister Banri
Kaieda told reporters. — Reuters
Petronas to build $20 bn energy complex
KUALA LUMPUR — Stateowned
energy giant Petronas
said yesterday it will construct
a $20 billion integrated refinery
and petrochemicals complex
in southern Malaysia near
the border with Singapore.
The Refinery and Petrochemicals
Integrated Development
(RAPID) will be commissioned
by the end of 2016
as Malaysia aims to become
a world class integrated oil,
gas and petrochemical trading
hub.
Petronas said the new complex,
to be built on 2,500 acres
of coastal land in Johor state,
will expand its petrochemicals
business and further spur the
growth of Malaysia’s oil and
gas downstream sector.
“Looking ahead, RAPID is
expected to attract significant
investments from international
companies within and further
down the business value
chain,” Petronas president and
chief executive officer Shamsul
Azhar Abbas said.
Shamsul said the project
will comprise a crude oil refinery,
a naphtha cracker and
a petrochemicals and polymer
complex.
“In terms of its contributions
to nation-building, our
downstream activities have
helped to broaden and diversify
the country’s industrial base
(and) strengthen the capacity
to meet domestic fuel requirements
indigenously, which has
enhanced the country’s securi-
ty of energy supply,” he said.
Petronas said the crude oil
refinery will be able to produce
300,000 barrels per day
of gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and
fuel oil.
Malaysia is Southeast
Asia’s second-biggest oil producer
after Indonesia.
The site in Pengerang was
picked because of its strategic
location near international
shipping lanes and deepwater
port facilities.
“Its close proximity to regional
demand centres is also
expected to attract potential
collaborations with global
partners in logistics and product
distribution,” the oil firm
said.
The RAPID project is cur-
Pemuteran, at depths of 10 to
70 metres.
Erdmann said the new fish
species had not been named
but they were in the genuses
of Siphamia, Heteroconger,
Apogon, Parapercis, Meiacanthus,
Manonichthys, Grallenia
and Pseudochromis.
In their two-week marine
survey which ended on
Wednesday, the team also
found a new species of Euphyllia
or bubble coral.
Indonesia is a massive
archipelago of 17,000 islands
which form part of the
so-called Coral Triangle, an
area of rich marine biodiversity
deemed vital to the health
of the seas and global food
stocks.
Tulamben is the grave of
the US Army Transport ship
Liberty, which was torpedoed
by a Japanese submarine in
1942. — AFP
Korean global shipbuilder
STX and European satellite
launch company Arianespace.
The free trade accord between
South Korea and the
European Union scheduled
to come into force on July 1
is the most ambitious the EU
has negotiated, and its first
with an Asian nation.
Two-way trade between
the EU and South Korea in
2009 was worth 53.5 bil-
rently at the detailed feasibility
study stage and a final decision
will be made in 2012.
Shamsul said Petronas aims
to partner major international
petrochemical players including
those from Singapore on
an equity basis to produce
premium speciality chemicals,
demand for which is growing
in the Asia Pacific region.
“We can do business integration
with Singapore. Our
door is open to Singapore
businesses. Let’s not view
Singapore as a competitor,”
he said.
Although Singapore does
not have its own natural energy
resources it has a larger
refining capacity than Malaysia.
— AFP
Indonesia
battles
forest fire
JAKARTA — Indonesia has
sent 120 firefighters to battle
blazes from peatland areas
that are causing unhealthy
levels of pollution in neighbouring
Malaysia, an official
said yesterday.
Authorities in Kuala
Lumpur said on Thursday air
quality had reached 104 in
Port Klang, on a scale which
rates 101-200 as unhealthy.
Elsewhere in central Selangor
state, 29 areas had “moderate”
readings. “The smoke
comes from fires in peatland
areas in Riau province,” forestry
ministry fire control official
Deni Haryanto said.
The fires are used to clear
land for palm oil plantations,
he said. “Our satellite monitoring
shows that the fires
in Rokan Hilir of Bengkalis
district have been on and off
since they started on Monday,”
Haryanto said. — AFP
lion euros ($72.8 billion),
with South Korean exports
— mainly cars, ships, electronics
and semiconductors
— accounting for 32 billion
euros.
Businesses leaders were
upbeat, despite eurozone jitters
and the South Korean
central bank’s unexpected decision
yesterday to hold interest
rates at three per cent for
a second month despite inflation
pressure. — AFP

Polish ruling party widens
lead ahead of election
WARSAW — Poland's ruling
Civic Platform (PO) has
widened its lead over rivals
ahead of an October election,
an opinion poll showed yesterday,
after the prime minister
took a tough line on soccer
hooligans.
The TNS OBOP survey put
support for the centrist PO at
44 per cent, up four percentage
points from its previous poll.
The right-wing, nationalist
Law and Justice (PiS) had 27
per cent and the post-communist
Democratic Left Alliance
(SLD) 18 per cent.
A separate poll by CBOS
published on Thursday gave
the PO 37 per cent, up six percentage
points, and PiS 21 per
cent. A senior PO lawmaker,
Rafal Grupinski, told the
Gazeta Wyborcza daily which
published the TNS OBOP poll
that Prime Minister Donald
Tusk's determination to quash
an outbreak of soccer hooliganism
might help to explain
the jump in support.
"Poles liked the decisive
stand of the prime minister,"
he was quoted as saying.
Tusk, a keen soccer fan,
has declared a crackdown on
LONDON — Britons probably
suffered the biggest drop
in incomes in 30 years over
the past 12 months, the Institute
for Fiscal Studies said
yesterday, leaving median incomes
close to levels last seen
in 2005.
The estimates from the
IFS, an independent think-
tank, echo the message from
official statistics released in
March, which showed household
disposable income in
2010 suffered its biggest fall
in real terms since 1977.
IFS economists said in-
hooligans ahead of the Euro
2012 tournament that Poland
will co-host with Ukraine. The
move follows a series of violent
incidents involving Polish
fans.
Opinion polls consistently
have shown Tusk's pro-business,
pro-EU party ahead of
all rivals since it took power
in 2007 but the margin of its
lead has varied widely in recent
surveys from as little as
1.6 percentage points to nearly
20 points.
On a less positive note for
PO, the two latest polls showed
its small coalition partner the
Peasants' Party (PSL) failing
to break above the 5 per cent
threshold for entering parliament.
With PO unlikely to win
a big enough majority to rule
alone after the next election,
speculation has mounted that
it may try to build a coalition
with the leftist SLD, but Tusk
angered them last week by
poaching a popular member of
the party.
Tusk appointed Bartosz Arlukowicz
as a state secretary
responsible for dealing with
social exclusion. — Reuters
comes were likely to have
fallen 3 per cent in the 2010/11
fiscal year, which ended in
March, despite a surprise rise
from 2008 to 2010. They also
warned the long-term effects
of the recession on living
standards were yet to be felt,
as wages failed to keep pace
with inflation.
"The figures released today
tell a story of pain delayed, but
not pain avoided," says Wenchao
Jin, a research economist
at the IFS. "The outlook for
incomes in 2010-11 is considerably
bleaker."
5 EUROPE
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Bosnia Serbs drop
referendum plan
BANJA LUKA — Bosnian
Serbs agreed yesterday to
cancel a referendum that
had threatened to throw the
country into deeper political
turmoil, their president said,
bowing to weeks of international
pressure.
The Serb region of Bosnia
had planned to ask its citizens
next month whether they accepted
the authority of the
national court and the international
envoy overseeing
Bosnia's fragile peace, a move
that could have caused deeper
ethnic splits.
The EU had urged the
Bosnian Serb leadership to
drop the referendum, saying
it risked undermining national
institutions in a state still
struggling to recover from
years of war.
International envoy Valentin
Inzko, who has extensive
powers in the Balkan country,
was expected to annul the vote
yesterday.
Bosnian Serb President
Britons suffer biggest income drop since 1981
The rise in average living
standards in the immediate
aftermath of the global crisis
was driven by large increases
in benefits and tax credits,
which have now been overtaken
by inflation consumer
price inflation rising towards
5 per cent.
Official income data for
the last financial year will
not be released for another 12
months, but the IFS said earnings
— pay before tax credits,
benefits and pensions —
plunged by 3.8 per cent in real
terms over the first 11 months
Milorad Dodik announced
the decision after meeting EU
foreign affairs chief Catherine
Ashton, who arrived on a
surprise visit to Bosnia late
on Thursday to demonstrate
the international community's
growing alarm.
Dodik told reporters he had
opted instead to start negotiations
with the EU over judicial
reforms in the country.
"I believe we have a credible
partner," Dodik said. "We
regard that a referendum is not
necessary for now," he said,
adding that he believed the
Serb parliament would agree
to reverse its decision to hold
the vote.
International envoy Valentin
Inzko had earlier said
the referendum was the most
serious challenge to Bosnia's
viability since the end of the
Balkan country's 1992-95 war
which killed 100,000 people.
Ashton, speaking at a joint
press conference with Dodik,
welcomed the cancellation of
of 2010/11.
"The trends in earnings
and benefits suggest that such
a fall (of 3 per cent) is entirely
possible," the IFS report said.
The report warned Conservative-Liberal
Democrat
coalition spending cuts designed
to eliminate a budget
deficit of 10 per cent of GDP
over four years risked pushing
300,000 children below the
poverty line in the next three
years.
In 2009/10 200,000 fewer
children were living in relative
poverty — defined as house-
the vote.
"I was pleased to hear your
commitments to remove the
threat of referendum and review
the conclusions," Ashton
told Dodik. "We consider that
this dialogue will establish solutions
to these concrete problems
and establish the country
back on the EU path."
Bosnia wants to join the
European Union but the political
deadlock has blocked the
progress of reforms demanded
by the bloc.
Dodik, who has often
called for the secession of his
region from Bosnia, says the
national court, which prosecutes
war crimes suspects, is
biased against Serbs.
The Bosnian Serb president
has often tested the limits
on what the international community
would accept in terms
of enhanced autonomy for his
region, but typically pulled
back when he judged a course
of action was getting out of
control. — Reuters
holds with incomes below 60
per cent of the median — but
the previous Labour government
missed its ambitious
target of halving child poverty
between 1998 and 2010 by
900,000 youngsters.
"Research by IFS economists
further suggests that
child poverty will increase by
around 300,000 by 2013-14,
driven largely by cuts to the
generosity of benefits and tax
credits by the coalition government,"
said David Phillips,
senior research economist at
the IFS. — Reuters

World’s poorest nations
aim to halve their number
LONDON — Leaders of the world’s poorest nations and their
donors unveiled yesterday a plan to cut the number of least
developed countries (LDCs) by half from the present 48 within
10 years. The 33 states of Africa and 14 from Asia plus Haiti,
with a per capita income of less than $745 a year, aim to increase
their productive capacities and promote investments to
reach this goal.
“National policies of the LDCs and international support
measures during the decade will focus on... specific objectives
with the aim of enabling half the number of LDCs to meet criteria
for graduation by 2020,” the Istanbul Action Plan stated.
The hallmark of the plan is an emphasis on productive capacity
— building infrastructure, human capital and governance
capabilities in the countries concerned, a press statement
issued at the end of a five-day conference on LDCs said.
“This is the best way to create growth and wealth in LDCs
so as to make sustainable human development gains that have
been achieved by LDCs,” Cheick Sidi Diarra, Secretary-General
of the UN-backed gathering told journalists.
The conference, the fourth of its kind, hosted more than
10,000 participants, including 36 heads of states and government
and 96 ministers. The event takes place every 10 years
to negotiate international support for LDCs. France staged the
first two in 1981 and 1990, while the third was held in Brussels
in 2001.
Drought conditions in
Britain amid heatwave
LONDON — Parts of southern Britain are suffering from
drought conditions following the warmest April on record
amid a heatwave sweeping across northern Europe, researchers
said on Thursday.
England and Wales received the lowest March and April
rainfall since 1938 with some regions getting the lowest rain
in records dating back more than 100 years, according to the
Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH).
Water flows in some rivers, including the Exe in southwest
England and the Ribble in northern England, were similar to
those experienced in a drought in 1976, considered the most
severe ever across much of Britain, said the CEH.
The dry conditions had “resulted in agricultural and hydrological
drought conditions affecting large parts of southern
Britain”, said the CEH.
“The primary impacts are on farmers and growers, an increased
risk of forest and heath fires and, importantly, on river
flows.” The dry weather sparked rare wildfires in England,
Scotland and Northern Ireland at the start of the month.
Lone protester paralyses
city in rush hour protest
SYDNEY — A lone protester paralysed rush-hour traffic
in Australia’s largest city for hours yesterday by scaling the
iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and forcing the closure of the
country’s busiest roadway.
The man, who said he was “ex-military”, evaded extensive
security precautions to climb the bridge at dawn and hang two
banners in a protest apparently linked to a custody dispute over
his children. The stunt forced the closure of the bridge that
links north Sydney with the downtown area for around two
hours, causing massive back-ups and leaving thousands of motorists
and train and bus commuters stranded.
The protester, who reportedly parked his truck near a bridge
pylon and used ropes to climb the arch, unfurled banners reading
“Plz help my kids” and “Kids first”.
“There is a major failure in the fact that there’s no one looking
after our kids when parents separate and divorce,” the protester,
who identified himself only as Mick, told a local radio
station by phone from atop the bridge.
Bosnian Serb jailed for 13
years over Srebrenica
SARAJEVO — Bosnia’s war crimes court sentenced a former
Bosnian Serb police officer yesterday to 13 years in prison after
he pleaded guilty to taking part in the 1995 killing of 10
men from the town of Srebrenica.
Dragan Crnogorac struck a plea bargain after being indicted
for genocide related to the 1995 massacre of about 8,000 Muslim
men and boys in the town, the worst atrocity in Europe
since World War II.
Crnogorac, a member of the Jahorina police training centre
which operated under the Bosnian Serb Republic Interior Ministry,
took part in the capture of men in the village of Sendici
who had tried to escape Srebrenica, the court said.
He and other Bosnian Serb policemen removed ten detainees
from a house. Six of the detainees were wounded, including
two in stretchers. Four detainees helped carry the wounded.
Network Rail fined £3m
for Potters Bar crash
LONDON — Network Rail must pay a fine of £3 million for
the 2002 Potters Bar rail crash which killed seven and injured
more than 70 people, a court ruled yesterday.
The firm, which took over the running of Britain’s rail network
from Railtrack a few months after the crash, apologised
after the hearing at St Albans Crown Court.
“We accept the fine as we accept the liabilities inherited
from Railtrack,” a spokesman said. “We say again today that
we are truly sorry.” The crash occurred on May 10, 2002 when
a West Anglia Great Northern train derailed at Potters Bar station
in Hertfordshire on its way to Norfolk from London.
“It is welcome that Network Rail, as successor to Railtrack,
pleaded guilty to health and safety breaches,” said the Office
of Rail Regulation’s director of rail safety Ian Prosser.
YouTube starts online
hits music video chart
LONDON — YouTube on Thursday began publishing a chart
that tracks top music videos at the popular Google-owned
website.
A YouTube 100 chart online at youtube.com/music will
be updated weekly based on the popularity of videos whether
works are amateur or professional, according to YouTube
product manager Chris LaRosa.
On the Floor by singer Jennifer Lopez was atop the inaugural
list followed by Judas by pop queen Lady Gaga and ET by
musician Katy Perry.
“Not only does the YouTube 100 give props when fans make
original videos for popular songs, it also captures YouTube’s
one-of-a-kind musical diversity,” LaRosa said. — Agencies
British police
to help in
McCann case
LONDON — Britain on
Thursday ordered London
police to “bring their expertise”
to the search for British
girl Madeleine McCann,
who went missing on a family
holiday to Portugal four
years ago.
Prime Minister David
Cameron responded to requests
for help from the
toddler’s parents, Kate and
Gerry McCann, and negotiations
are under way with
Portuguese police over how
the fresh review of evidence
will be conducted.
“The prime minister and
the home secretary have
today agreed with Sir Paul
Stephenson that the Metropolitan
Police will bring its
particular expertise to this
case,” a Home Office statement
said, in reference to the
head of the London police.
The couple earlier made
an emotional plea for a
“comprehensive review” of
the information about their
daughter’s disappearance
and for Cameron to ask his
Portuguese counterpart Jose
Socrates for assistance in the
matter. — AFP
6 THE WORLD
OMAN DAILY Observer
BRUSSELS — The European
Union executive threatened
legal action yesterday against
Denmark over its plan to patrol
its borders with Germany
and Sweden, saying this may
breach EU freedom of movement
laws.
The European Commission,
the guardian of EU treaties,
“will, if needed, use the
tools at its disposal to guarantee
the respect of EU law,”
said Cecilia Malmstroem, the
commissioner responsible for
home affairs.
Denmark, where the populist
far-right is an increasingly
significant force, suddenly
announced the measures this
week, causing outrage in some
EU quarters as the country is
a signatory to the 25-nation
Schengen border-free area.
Copenhagen said the controls
would see travellers
stopped by Danish customs officers
in the case of suspicion
of cross-border criminal activity
such as drug-trafficking.
The EU’s Swedish home
affairs commissioner said she
was open to dialogue with
Copenhagen, but stressed the
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Brussels slaps Denmark
in row over borders
authorities there must “refrain
from taking unilateral steps
and make sure that any measures
taken are in line with the
relevant law.”
At her disposal following
detailed probes are infringement
proceedings — a first
step against a state considered
in violation of EU law, which
could, although only after
years, result in the state being
taken to the European courts.
Her warning came as the
head of the commission, Jose
Manuel Barroso, too voiced
“important doubts” over Denmark’s
decision in a letter yesterday
to Danish Prime Minister
Lars Lekke Rasmussen.
Barroso said a first legal assessment
of the move “raises
important doubts about whether
the proposed measures, if
implemented in the ‘intensive
and permanent’ way that has
been announced, would be in
line with Denmark’s obligations
under European and international
law.”
He cited in particular the
obligation to respect “free
movement of goods, persons,
services and capital, and the
A WOMAN looks at a collapsed building in the Spanish town of Lorca yesterday two
days after a magnitude 5.1 quake killed 9 people. Sobbing relatives joined a funeral
mass in the quake-wrecked town for four of the nine victims who perished
in a hail of tumbling masonry and bricks. — AFP
Man beheads
woman in
supermarket
MADRID — A deranged
knifeman decapitated a British
woman in a supermarket
and fled with her head yesterday
on the Spanish resort island
of Tenerife, media said.
The man, said to be a
28-year-old vagrant known
in the area, apparently picked
his victim at random in the
Chinese supermarket, said
press reports quoting witnesses
and the national police.
He was caught while
fleeing.
“A man came running up
with something full of blood
in his hand and a private security
guard behind him, and
he threw it on the ground and
it almost hit me,” a witness
told Cadena Ser radio.
“What he had in his hand
was a head.” — Reuters
NUUK, Greenland — Arctic nations
agreed steps on Thursday to make the region
safer and promised to study ways to
prevent oil spills as fast-melting ice and
snow open access to rich mineral and petroleum
resources.
The Arctic Council, made up of eight
countries that surround the Arctic and
representatives of indigenous Arctic peoples,
signed a deal to split up search-andrescue
responsibilities in case of shipping
or plane accidents.
The deal in Greenland was the council’s
first binding agreement and officials
say it could be a model for future pacts
on more contentious issues, including
energy exploration and development in a
region estimated to hold as much as 25
per cent of the world’s undiscovered oil
and gas reserves.
Among oil majors eyeing the Arctic
are Royal Dutch Shell Plc, ConocoPhillips,
Exxon, Norway’s Statoil and Russia’s
state-controlled oil group Rosneft.
The ministers also pledged to study
new ways to both prevent and handle fu-
GENEVA — The world’s
leading baby milk companies
still flout a global code on
marketing breast milk substitute,
a campaign group said on
Thursday, the eve of the 30th
anniversary of its adoption.
Nestle and Danone, respectively
the number one
and number two baby milk
distributors, were the worst
offenders, the International
Baby Food Action Network
(IBFAN) said in its latest biennial
report.
“Breaking the Rules,
Stretching the Rules 2010”
accuses 11 major companies
of violating the code through
marketing techniques that can
mislead mothers into thinking
their products can improve a
child’s well-being.
“The biggest problem now
is the use of claims,” said
Annelies Allain, a director
for IBFAN in Malaysia, citing
suggestions formula milk
could improve health and intelligence.
IBFAN said it would keep
up the pressure on Swissbased
Nestle with an ongoing
boycott, but has for now
decided against calling on
consumers to shun Danone’s
products.
“ ... in response to this
report, Danone has said actions
it will put in place will
account for 50 per cent of the
violations in the report,” Mike
Brady, campaigns coordinator
in Britain for IBFAN, told a
ture oil spills. Environmental groups say
time is running short to establish vital
safeguards.
The Arctic Council comprises the
United States, Canada, Russia, Norway,
Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Denmark,
which handles foreign affairs for Greenland.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
who led the US delegation to Greenland’s
tiny capital of Nuuk, said there was no
doubt that climate change was occurring
and that humankind was to blame.
“The challenges in the region are not
just environmental,” Clinton said. “We
know that the decisions we make now
are going to have long lasting ramifications
and we want to make the right decisions.”
The search agreement also gave the
United States, Canada, Russia, Denmark
and Norway responsibilities for areas
right up to the North Pole — avoiding the
vexed question of which country’s territory
that might be.
“The Arctic Council is showing for the
first time that it can agree a binding deal,”
provisions of the Schengen
Borders Code.”
Barroso insisted in his letter
that “systematic” intra-EU
controls of goods or people
were banned under the bloc’s
freedom of movement legislation.
Member states “may however
make spot checks where
this is justified by over-riding
public interests,” he said, citing
in example the enforcement
of tax legislation.
But in such cases, members
of the 27-nation bloc must be
able to demonstrate that measures
were indispensable, he
wrote.
“In so far as the measures
announced would be implemented
in a way that amounted
to the introduction of systematic
frontier controls, they
would appear to be contrary
to the Treaty freedoms,” he
added.
Lawmakers in the European
Parliament too slammed
the new restrictions, with its
president, former Polish prime
minister Jerzy Buzek, saying
“we must not destroy Schengen.”
— AFP
Germany
returns Sphinx
of Hattusa
BERLIN — Germany announced
yesterday it will
return to Turkey a priceless
sphinx statue which is currently
in Berlin’s Pergamon
antiquities museum — but
stressed it was not a precedent
for other nations to demand
the return of treasures.
The sphinx, with a lion’s
body and a human head, is
one of a matching pair found
in 1915 in the ruins of Hattusa,
the ancient capital of
the Hittites, a literate Bronze
Age people of Anatolia.
“Both sides agree that
the Sphinx is a one-off case
that is not applicable to other
cases,” said Bernd Neumann,
Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s top culture official,
after talks. Its return was “a
voluntary gesture of friendship
between Germany and
Turkey.” — AFP
Campaigners say baby
milk code still breached
Geneva news briefing.
He said Nestle had said it
would address four out of 134
allegations of a breach of the
code.
Danone did not wish to
comment on the allegations
that it was in breach of the
code more than 100 times.
A Nestle spokesman disagreed
with IBFAN’s interpretation
of the International
Code of Marketing of Breastmilk
Substitutes and subsequent
World Health Assembly
resolutions.
“Obviously, we take these
allegations very seriously as
we take any allegations concerning
the code,” said Nestle
spokesman Robin Tickle.
— Reuters
Arctic nations agree steps to boost ties
Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr
Stoere told NRK public television. “This
is very positive.” The council has often
been criticised as toothless.
The council also called for work to begin
on an international deal to strengthen
offshore oil spill prevention and response
and urged new steps to control short-lived
pollutants such as soot and methane,
which have a particularly strong impact
on the Arctic.
Clinton and her Arctic colleagues got
a personal view of climate change, taking
a boat tour on a pristine Greenlandic fjord
dotted with blue icebergs.
Puttering in a small touring boat shadowed
by vessels carrying journalists and
security, the foreign ministers stopped to
view a threatened glacier -- a sign of retreating
ice.
“I can see the changes, I don’t need to
measure them,” said boat captain Henrik
Hansen, who said rising temperatures
were most noticeable in winter but now
clear year-round. — Reuters
FRANCE’S President Nicolas Sarkozy and French
First lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy are seen at the end of
a lunch with South Korean President Lee Muyng-Bak
and his wife Lee Kim Yun-Ok at the presidential
Elysee Palace in Paris yesterday. — AFP
RUSSIA’S Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (R) and
International Ice Hockey Federation President Rene
Fasel attend a news conference to comment on Russia
hosting the 2016 Ice Hockey World Championship
in Bratislava yesterday. — Reuters
BRITAIN’S Prince Charles speaks to members of
9 Regiment Army Air Corps in Boroughbridge,
northern England, yesterday. — Reuters
SPANISH King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia
observe a minute’s silence for quake victims in Lorca
during their meeting with the Spanish community
yesterday in Lausanne. The King is on a
two-day state visit to Switzerland. — AFP
EUROPEAN Union foreign policy chief Catherine
Ashton with the Member of Bosnia Presidency Bakir
Izetbegovic before their meeting in Sarajevo. — Reuters

Repaired Endeavour ready
for launch on Monday
CAPE CANAVERAL — Two
weeks after technical problems
postponed the launch of
Endeavour, engineers have
fixed the problem and the
crew looks set to lift off on
Monday on the space shuttle’s
final flight, Nasa said.
The 16-day mission to
the International Space Station
will be the second to last
shuttle flight for the US programme,
which will end for
good later this year after the
final space mission by Atlantis.
“The trouble shooting
done over the last two weeks
is now complete,” Nasa shuttle
test director Jeff Spaulding
said yesterday, describing
extensive tests done to assure
that the power problem was
fixed.
“All the retests are complete,
it’s good and we are
ready to go from that perspective,”
he said.
The initial April 29 launch
attempt was scrubbed hours
before liftoff when technicians
discovered a power failure in
a heating line that served to
prevent fuel from freezing in
orbit.
Countdown to Monday’s
WASHINGTON — The White House
and Congress intensified negotiations
yesterday for a deficit-reduction deal,
as major US corporations clamoured for
lower tax rates they said would increase
their global competitiveness.
With the US deficit expected to reach
$1.4 trillion this fiscal year, there is
added urgency to finding a broad spending-cut
deal. President Barack Obama
launch at 8:56 am (1256
GMT) officially began yesterday
at 7 am (1100 GMT)
after the six-member crew
of astronauts including five
Americans and one Italian
arrived at Kennedy Space
Centre on Thursday.
Weather conditions are
expected to be 70 per cent favourable
for launch, according
to Nasa weather officer Kathy
Winters, who said that if a 24hour
postponement is needed,
the likelihood of good weather
would slip to 60 per cent.
The final rollback of the
massive service structure
around the shuttle is set for
midday tomorrow, marking
the last major movement on
launchpad 39A before the
spacecraft is loaded with crew
for take off.
Fuelling of the external fuel
tank is set to begin at 11:36 pm
tomorrow night (0336 GMT
Monday) in anticipation of the
early morning launch.
The key mission of Endeavour’s
trip to the orbiting
research lab is to deliver a
massive physics experiment,
the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2,
which will be left
behind to scour the universe
Obama to give Middle
East speech on May 19
WASHINGTON — US President
Barack Obama will give
his long-awaited speech on
uprisings in the Arab world
and North Africa and the wider
Middle East this Thursday
at the State Department, an
official said.
Obama’s address will
come amid region-wide reverberations
from the killing by
US special forces of Al Qaeda
leader Osama bin Laden and
in a week in which the president
will meet the leaders of
Israel and Jordan at the White
House.
It will also coincide with
new questions about the viability
of Obama’s push for
peace between Israel and
the Palestinians, given the
resignation of his regional
envoy George Mitchell,
which an official said was
expected to be announced
yesterday.
“We have gone through a
remarkable period in that region
— the Middle East and
North Africa,” said White
House spokesman Jay Carney.
“The president obviously
has some important things to
BUENOS AIRES — Argentine
oil refinery workers
started a nationwide strike
on Thursday, a union leader
said, the latest labour protest
to plague the nation’s energy
industry and raise the spectre
of fuel shortages.
However, YPF, which accounts
for about half the country’s
roughly 600,000 barrels
per day (bpd) refining capacity,
said none of its plants were currently
affected by the walkout.
Along with YPF, the biggest
refinery operators in Argentina
are Royal Dutch Shell
and Exxon Mobil Corp under
the brand name Esso. The
companies were not available
to comment.
“Due to the fact that we
haven’t had any offer from the
companies ... we’ve started an
indefinite strike in all the refineries
where our members
are represented,” the Federation
of Oil, Gas and Biofuels
Workers said in a statement.
Union Secretary Pedro
Milla said the strike had halted
say about how he views the
upheaval and how he has approached
the US response to
events in the region,” Carney
said.
“I am sure it will be fairly
sweeping and comprehensive.”
The president is believed
likely to make the case that uprisings
by the people of Middle
Eastern nations against
long-ruling autocrats reveal
the ideology of Al Qaeda to
be redundant.
“It’s an interesting coincidence
of timing — that
he is killed at the same
time that you have a model
emerging in the region of
change that is completely
the opposite of Bin Laden’s
model,” Ben Rhodes, a top
Obama foreign policy adviser,
told the Wall Street
Journal last week.
Bin Laden perished in a
US special forces raid at a
compound in Abbottabad,
Pakistan early on May 2, ending
a 10-year manhunt for the
mastermind of the September
11 attacks in 2001 and other
strikes against the United
States. — AFP
Refinery workers
strike over payment
operations at refineries including
Esso’s Campana plant, Refinor
in northern Salta province,
Oil Combustibles’ San
Lorenzo refinery and YPF’s
Lujan de Cuyo plant.
He said workers were also
starting to block the plants,
which would make it hard for
any non-striking workers or
supplies to enter. The Campo
Duran oil and gas refinery
owned by Refinor, which produces
26,000 bpd, was halted
by the workers stoppage.
However, Bolivian natural
gas imports, that pass through
the plant located in the northwestern
province of Salta,
were not affected by the work
stoppage, the source said.
YPF holds a 50 per cent stake
in Refinor.
Strikes are common at this
time of the year in Argentina,
Latin America’s No 3 economy,
but labour unrest has
flared in recent years due to
double-digit inflation that is
stoking wage demands.
— Reuters
for hints of dark matter and
antimatter.
US congresswoman Gabrielle
Giffords of Arizona, the
wife of shuttle commander
Mark Kelly, will watch the
launch from Kennedy Space
Centre, her office said.
Giffords, who was allowed
by her rehab doctors in Houston
to fly to Florida to watch
the planned April 29 launch,
was shot in the head in January
during a meeting with local
voters.
The bullet tore through the
left side of her brain, and she
has been undergoing gruelling
rehabilitation to regain speech
and movement on her right
side.
Endeavour’s delay has
pushed back Atlantis’s
planned liftoff from June 28 to
mid-July, but no final date has
been set.
After the final shuttle missions,
the three spacecraft in
the flying fleet and the prototype
Enterprise will be sent to
different museums across the
country.
Discovery was the first
shuttle to retire after its last
journey to the ISS ended in
March. — AFP
BUENOS AIRES — Argentine
President Cristina Fernandez
said on Thursday she was
not desperate to be president
again, adding to speculation
over whether the widowed
Peronist leader will seek reelection
in October.
Centre-left Fernandez has
a big lead over opposition candidates
in the polls, but she is
keeping the country guessing
about her plans.
“I’m not dying to be president
again. I’ve already given
all that I had to give ... I’m
making an immense personal
and even physical effort to
continue moving forward,”
Fernandez said in an emotional
speech to supporters at
a rally.
Fernandez’s husband and
predecessor as president,
Nestor Kirchner, died suddenly
in October and she
continues to dress in black
to show her mourning. She
refers to Kirchner constantly
and still gets teary-eyed from
time to time.
Fernandez’s health has also
raised questions about her political
future. She suffers from
and Vice-President Joe Biden hosted
separate meetings with Republican and
Democratic lawmakers in search of a
compromise.
Both sides have to “give a little” in
the negotiations, the White House said
after Obama met Senate Republicans.
House of Representatives Speaker
John Boehner, the top Republican in
Congress, reiterated his demand for tril-
lions of dollars in spending cuts as the
price for his party’s agreement to raise
the $14.3 trillion limit on how much the
United States can borrow. The United
States will reach that limit on Monday.
White House economic adviser Austan
Goolsbee has said that cutting trillions
from spending is “insane,” but
Boehner hit back saying, “What we ...
are asking for isn’t radical.”
7 AMERICAS
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
US Rep Ron Paul, (R-TX) announces his candidacy for US president at Exeter Town Hall in Exeter,
New Hampshire. Paul is the second republican to announce his candidacy,
with fellow republican Newt Gingrich also announcing earlier in the week. — AFP
Argentine leader says ‘not
dying’ for second term
low blood pressure, which has
forced her to cancel recent
trips and engagements.
Argentina’s presidential
hopefuls have to announce
their candidacies by late June
for the October 23 vote.
A decision not to run by
Fernandez would set off a
fractious nomination dispute
within the Peronist movement,
a coalition of disparate political
and labour groups.
In her speech, Fernandez
took aim at the traditionally
Peronist labour unions for
putting their own demands
ahead of the nation’s interests,
saying she would not accept
“extortion” from labour leaders
or big business.
Unions calling for wage
hikes of as much as 35 per
cent this year — above privately
estimated inflation of
around 25 per cent — have
held strikes in the key grains
sector and more recently in the
energy industry.
Refinery workers launched
a nationwide strike on Thursday
to push their wage demands,
drawing strong criticism
from the labour minister.
Argentina’s most powerful
union boss Hugo Moyano last
month called on Fernandez
to run again — with a union
leader for running-mate —
but she was noncommittal and
said unions should focus less
on politics and more on labour
negotiations.
“I’m tired of those who say
they help and that Cristina’s
name should live on, and then
the next day they do exactly
the opposite,” she said on
Thursday.
“We all need to understand
that the country’s success
doesn’t depend on the president
alone. We need responsibility
and maturity,” Fernandez
said.
Pascual Albanese, a political
analyst at the Institute for
Strategic Planning, said her
comments should be understood
as a warning to Moyano
for not heeding her calls for
a more moderate stance on
wage demands.
Asked whether he still
thought Fernandez would run
for re-election, Albanese said:
“Yes, I think she will.”
— Reuters
Obama, Congress ratchet up deficit-reduction talks
He declined to give details on a time
frame for achieving those cuts.
The White House-Congress talks
take place against the backdrop of some
stark deadlines. When the United States
hits the debt ceiling on Monday, the US
Treasury will take extraordinary measures
to pay US bills until August 2. After
that date, Washington risks its first-ever
government default.
US visa lottery
cancelled after
computer error
WASHINGTON — US officials revealed
yesterday they had cancelled an annual visa
lottery for citizens of poor nations, after a
computer programme failed to make a random
selection among some 20 million applicants.
“Regrettably, the results that were previously
posted on this website are not valid,
they were posted in error,” a State Department
official said, referring to the http://dvlottery.state.gov/
website.
“They did not represent a fair, random selection
of entrants as required by US law,” he
added. Some 22,000 people, who had already
been told that they could go ahead and apply
for a coveted visa, have now been told that the
results have been voided. “We regret any inconvenience
or disappointment,” the official,
who asked to remain anonymous, said.
Set up in 1994, the annual Diversity Immigrant
Visa programme gives workers from
poor countries the chance to travel to the
United States on a work visa even if they do
not have any relatives or an employer in the
country. The lottery is carried out by an electronic
random selection among the millions
of applications received every year.
For 2012, at least 100,000 hopefuls were
due to be chosen out of the 14.7 million applications,
comprising a total of 19.6 million
people when family members are included.
VENEZUELA’S Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro (2nd-L) during the opening of the Meeting of Foreign
Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean (CALC) in Caracas yesterday. — AFP
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke,
testifying to Congress, warned
it was “a risky approach to not raise the
debt limit in a reasonable time.”
A failure by lawmakers to send a
debt limit increase to Obama promptly,
Bernanke added, would at the minimum
result in higher interest rates and at worst
“have extremely dire consequences for
the US economy.” — Reuters
NEWS IN BRIEF
10-year-old seeking
mum ends up in Chile
A 10-YEAR-OLD Bolivian boy who hid
on a truck in an effort to visit his mother
who had just been released from prison
ended up in Chile after an unexpected
500 kilometre trek through the Andes
mountains, officials said.
The boy, identified as Franklin
Villca, ended up last Saturday in the
Chilean city of Iquique, some 1,800
kilometres north of Santiago, after a
three-day journey without food or water
in the compartment of a truck carrying
minerals. “I just wanted to see my
mother,” the boy told Chilean television
TVN.
The boy got on the truck in the
Bolivian town of Oruro thinking it would
take him to Cochabamba, where his
mother is incarcerated.
He ended up going in the wrong
direction, on a route over mountains
3,000 metres above level sea.
Franklin got off the truck and
wandered the streets of Alto Hospicio,
near Iquique, where a woman named
Margarita Flores took him home.
“I am a mother, and maybe his mother
is suffering,” she told local media.
The child was turned over to police
but a court in Iquique decided to allow
him to stay with the woman’s family
until he can be returned to Bolivian
authorities.
Newsman leaving
regular anchor role
US veteran newscaster Jim Lehrer will
end his role as a regular anchor of the
PBS NewsHour in June, the Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS) said.
The public broadcaster’s prime
television news show was called the The
NewsHour with Jim Lehrer from the mid
1990s until 2009, when it shifted to a
multi-anchor team.
Before that, Lehrer teamed up with
his longtime news partner Robert
MacNeil in 1983, and for two decades
they jointly anchored the The MacNeil/
Lehrer NewsHour.
While Lehrer, who has been with the
programme for 36 years, will no longer
have a regular anchoring role from June
6, he will continue to appear on many
Friday evenings to moderate the weekly
analysis, PBS said in a statement.
Lehrer, 76, will also still be
involved in the editorial direction of the
programme and its producer.
“I have been labouring in the glories
of journalism for 52 years ... 36 of them
here at the NewsHour and its earlier
incarnations,” Lehrer was quoted as
saying, and “there comes a time to step
aside from the daily process, and that
time has arrived.”
Lehrer was born in Wichita, Kansas,
and graduated from the University
of Missouri before serving in the US
Marine Corps. His journalism career
began with newspapers in Dallas,
Texas.
Honduras: US operation
nets tonne of cocaine
HONDURAS claims to have seized more
than a tonne of cocaine from a boat in the
Caribbean in a joint operation with the
United States.
Defence Minister Marlon Pascua said
on Thursday that three Hondurans and a
Colombian were arrested in the operation
off the coast of Honduras, which
involved a two-hour chase.
“It is estimated that these kinds of
boats can carry a tonne and a half (of
drugs),” he said, adding that the exact
amount of seized contraband would be
determined after a full inventory of the
boat. Honduras’s top military leader,
General Rene Osorio, said the capture of
the alleged drug smugglers “came in the
framework of Operation Blue Shield,”
which has been carried out with US
support.
He added that the boat in question
was carrying 10 empty barrels of fuel,
“implying that these people came from
South America, from Venezuela or
Colombia.”
Like a Rolling Stone
Dylan’s best song: mag
NO reason to get excited, as Bob Dylan
once sang, but the bard’s 1965 anthem
Like a Rolling Stone has been declared
his greatest song by none other than
Rolling Stone magazine.
Its latest cover story, marking
Dylan’s 70th birthday on May 24, lists
his 70 greatest songs, as determined by
an expert panel of writers, academics
and musicians. Additionally, celebrity
rockers such as Bono, Mick Jagger and
Lucinda Williams have weighed in with
essays about various songs on the list.
Like a Rolling Stone, which Bono
described as “a black eye of a pop song,”
was followed in the rankings by A Hard
Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Tangled Up in
Blue, Just Like a Woman and All Along
the Watchtower.
A list published on Rolling Stone’s
Web site lists 20 “overlooked classics,”
a handful from Dylan’s difficult ’80s
period when albums such as the gospel
release Saved and the synth-heavy
Empire Burlesque left many fans
scratching their heads. — Agencies

NEWS IN BRIEF
Philippines seizes huge
cargo of turtles, corals
PHILIPPINE authorities seized an
enormous haul of illegally harvested
corals and more than 100 preserved sea
turtles before they could be smuggled
abroad, officials said on Thursday.
Customs and fisheries officials seized
about 124,000 pieces of sea fan and sea
whip corals, as well as 158 stuffed sea
turtles — all protected species — at
Manila’s port on Wednesday.
The turtles, corals and 209 boxes of
shells — misdeclared as “rubber” —
were hidden inside two huge containers
that had been shipped from the southern
Philippine city of Cotabato, customs
officials said.
Although the corals and shells were
estimated to have a sale price overseas
of about P 20 million ($47,000), the
environmental damage was far more,
said fisheries bureau senior marine
biologist Ludivina Lave.
“This is worth even billions in
environmental and economic costs,
because if you remove these reefs
from their natural habitat, the effect is
exponential,” she said. “Coral reefs are
homes of many organisms. Technically
speaking, the organisms are interrelated.
If you lose one, all of the organisms are
affected.”
US drone strike kills
five in Pakistan
A US drone aircraft yesterday fired four
missiles at a vehicle in Pakistan’s restive
tribal region, killing five people, local
intelligence officials said.
The incident took place in the Datta
Khel area of North Waziristan, a known
hotbed of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters.
An intelligence official, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, said the first two
missiles missed the fast-moving vehicle.
“The third missile hit it and then yet
another destroyed it completely,” he said.
According to the official, all five
bodies were charred and beyond
recognition. The United States has
urged Pakistan to act against fighters
in North Waziristan, especially those
linked with the Afghan Haqqani group,
which is accused of carrying out deadly
cross-border attacks on Nato forces in
Afghanistan.
10 suspected activists
killed in clashes
TEN suspected communist activists
were killed yesterday in two separate
clashes with government troops in the
Philippines, the military said.
Eight suspects were killed in Rizal
town in Nueva Ecija province, 135
kilometres north of Manila, in a firefight
with policemen and soldiers at a
checkpoint.
Colonel Felicito Trinidad, an army
brigade commander, said the guerrillas
were intercepted after intelligence
indicated they were heading to rob a
sugar milling company of its payroll
money. In Albay province, 330
kilometres south-east of Manila, two
communist activists were also killed in
a clash with soldiers in Jovellar town,
according to army Lieutenant Colonel
Audrey Pasia.
Ex-army chief denies
accusing military
THE former head of Sri Lanka’s armed
forces on Thursday denied accusing
the military of war crimes, in his first
statement at his trial for provoking
“communal disharmony.”
Fonseka has been accused of bringing
the military into disrepute and fostering
ethnic tensions by saying in a press
interview that the military were ordered
to shoot surrendering activists in the final
stages of Sri Lanka’s civil war.
“I never wanted to discredit the
military that I served for 40 years,”
Fonseka said. “What I told the newspaper
has been distorted.” In December 2009,
the former chief of staff was quoted
by the Sunday Leader newspaper as
saying that Defence Secretary Gotabaya
Rajapakse given the order to a senior
military officer that the Tamil activists
were not to be spared.
Philippine court
sanctions cat killer
A PHILIPPINE court sentenced a
college student to two months of
volunteer work for killing a cat on a state
university campus two years ago, court
records showed yesterday.
The court also ordered Joseph Carlo
Candare to pay a fine of P 2,000 ($46)
for violating the country’s Animal
Welfare Act. Candare on Thursday
pleaded guilty to animal cruelty
for torturing and killing a cat at the
University of the Philippines.
Lawyer Roy Kayaban, a spokesman
for the Philippine Animal Welfare
Society, said Candare was the first
person in the country to be convicted
of animal cruelty. Several witnesses
testified that they saw Candare pull the
cat by its tail, throw it in the air and
stomp on it.
Candare also wrote about the
episode in his blog, according to court
records. — Agencies
ISLAMABAD — Two back-toback
suicide bombings at a paramilitary
police training centre in
north-western Pakistan yesterday
killed at least 80 people, most of
them recruits, and injured more
than 100, police and health officials
said.
The twin bombings took
place outside the base of the paramilitary
Frontier Constabulary
(FC) police in Shabqadar area of
Charsadda district, as the recruits
were preparing to go on leave.
Bashir Ahmad Bilour, deputy
chief minister of the northwestern
province of Khyber-
Pakhtukhwa, told reporters that
ISLAMABAD — In a bid to preempt
what is likely to become a
contentious budget debate in the
face of an increasingly hostile opposition,
the government is making
an attempt to form a common front
with its coalition allies in order to
restrain them from making antibudget
speeches on the assembly
floor.
The government plans to propose
economically necessary but
politically unpopular measures in
the budget for the fiscal year ending
June 30, 2012. In the past, the government
has been irked by speeches
against its budget proposals by its
ostensible coalition ally, the Muttahida
Qaumi Movement (MQM).
Already weakened and unpopular,
the government has taken a further
hit to its credibility in the aftermath
of the US raid on Abbottabad
on May 2 that killed Al Qaeda chief
Osama bin Laden. The ruling Pakistan
Peoples Party is determined
this time around to ensure that the
government is able to present a united
front on the budget.
A meeting was held at the fi-
8
THE PHILIPPINES/SUBCONTINENT
OMAN DAILY Observer
80 people had been confirmed
dead. “The majority of them are
recruits,” he said.
The Taliban claimed responsibility
for the attack, saying
it was to avenge the killing by
US special forces of Osama bin
Laden, the leader of the terrorist
group Al Qaeda, which has links
to the Taliban.
The FC commander Jehanzeb
Khan said two bombers arrived
near the main entrance on a motorbike
as recruits were loading
their belongings onto buses
parked in the adjacent market.
“One attacker hid himself
somewhere and the other deto-
nance ministries headquarters in
Islamabad yesterday to lay out the
ruling coalition’s strategy and included
representatives from the
government’s allies, the MQM, the
Pakistan Muslim League Quaid and
the Awami National Party.
According to sources familiar
with the matter, the government has
formed three groups with representation
from each of its allies, to formulate
a strategy by today.
The government plans to present
the money bill in Parliament on
May 28, a week earlier than usual.
The government has allocated at
least three weeks to debate the
budget proposal, in anticipation of
stiff resistance to many of its proposals.
A Pakistani delegation is currently
holding talks with the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) to
get the Washington based lender’s
initial input on the budget. The
delegation is expected to return on
May 18.
The IMF suspended an $11.3
billion bailout programme after the
government had failed to implement
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
THE CONVOY of Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani arrives for the in-camera session
of the parliament house regarding the Abbottabad fiasco. — Online
Blasts at Pakistani police training centre kill 80
nated his explosives near the
buses. The other bomber hit
when the people gathered at the
scene for rescue efforts,” Khan
said.
The Frontier Constabulary
is a federal paramilitary police
force.
It is sometimes confused with
the army’s paramilitary Frontier
Corps, which carries the same
abbreviation.
Both are front-line forces in
Pakistan’s fight against insurgents,
making them frequent targets
for the fighters.
Rahim Jan, the head of the
Lady Reading Hospital in pro-
Pakistani govt crafts strategy
to tackle budget opposition
several promised fiscal reforms last
year.
The government seems keen to
get the programme reinstated by implementing
many of those reforms,
including reducing the levels of subsidies.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Chairman
Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee
General Khalid Shamim Wyen
has cancelled his visit to the United
States as relationship between the
two allies are under stress after the
US killed Al Qaeda chief in a unilateral
raid in Pakistan.
Quoting military sources local
media reported that General Wyen
was scheduled to pay a 6-day visit to
the United States from May 22 but
he has cancelled his visit.
There was no official word as
to why the visit was cancelled and
military sources said that the United
States has been informed about the
visit’s postponement.
Geo TV reported that General
Wayen called the US Chairman Joint
Chiefs of Staff, Adm Mike Mullen
and said he would not be able to travel
to the United States. — Internews
vincial capital Peshawar, said
that 115 injured had been taken
there.
“Fifteen are in serious condition,”
he said.
Nisar Marwat, the district police
chief, said that the blast damaged
15 buses and several shops
in the nearby market. Television
news footage showed wrecked
vehicles, strewn personal belongings
and pools of blood.
It was the deadliest attack
since bin Laden was killed by
US special forces in his compound
in north-western Pakistan
last week.
Al Qaeda and the Taliban
DHAKA — Bangladesh’s
Nobel laureate Muhammad
Yunus has stepped down from
the pioneering microfinance
lender he founded, a week after
he lost a legal fight against
his government-backed sacking,
a statement said.
The 2006 Nobel winner
said he was relinquishing the
post of managing director at
Grameen Bank and his deputy,
Nurjahan Begum, would
take over.
“I am taking this step
without prejudice to the legal
issues raised before the
Supreme Court, and in order
to prevent undue disruption
of the activities of Grameen
Bank,” he said in a letter released
late on Thursday.
Yunus, 70, was removed
as head of the microlender on
March 2 by the central bank
for exceeding the mandatory
retirement age. He defied the
order by returning to work
and lodging an appeal against
the sacking.
But the Supreme Court
SOME 3,600 Sri Lankan army personnel take part in a prayer ceremony to commemorate 2,600 years of Buddhism at a military camp
outside Colombo yesterday. Sri Lankan Buddhists are preparing to commemorate Vesak festival on May 17, which marks the birth,
death and enlightenment of Lord Buddha. Buddhists account for nearly 70 per cent of Sri Lanka’s population of 20 million. — AFP
Convicted hedge fund
boss wins support
COLOMBO — The conviction
of disgraced hedge fund
magnate Raj Rajaratnam
was greeted with dismay on
Thursday by people who had
benefited from his charitable
largesse in his native Sri
Lanka.
Rajaratnam, who founded
the Galleon Group hedge
fund, was found guilty on
Wednesday by a US court on
all counts of fraud and conspiracy
in Wall Street’s biggest
insider trading trial for years.
But for many in Sri Lanka, he
is best remembered for using
his wealth to build thousands
of homes for victims of the
2004 Asian tsunami.
“I’m devastated and disappointed
that Mr. Rajaratnam
now faces spending the
rest of his life in jail,” said
retired post master Upasiri
Sumanaratne, a resident of
the Galleon Housing Scheme
in Rathgama, just south of
Colombo.
have vowed to avenge his death.
“This attack was carried out
to take revenge for the martyrdom
of Osama bin Laden and
the atrocities committed by Pakistani
forces in tribal areas,” said
Ihsanullah Ihsan, a spokesman
for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, an
umbrella group of more than a
dozen militant outfits.
“We warn the people that they
should not allow their children to
join the Pakistani military and
paramilitary forces,” Ihsan said
by phone from an undisclosed
location, threatening further similar
attacks on Pakistani troops.
“Our security forces have al-
ruled on May 2 that Grameen
Bank was a government institution,
not a private bank as
Yunus and his lawyers maintained,
meaning Yunus must
abide by the state’s mandatory
retirement age of 60.
The ruling dashed his last
hopes to stay at the helm of
the microlender, which has
lent more than $10 billion
to 8.3 million mostly rural
women since its inception in
1983.
Following the ruling,
which cannot be appealed,
Grameen Bank staff and board
members have said they have
been beaten or threatened to
stop them campaigning for
Yunus’s reinstatement.
Yunus said he hoped his
departure would “ensure my
colleagues and our eight million
members, and owners of
the bank, are not subjected
to any difficulty in discharging
their responsibilities”, he
wrote.
Staff and board members
had also petitioned the gov-
Rajaratnam may have had
his faults, but Sumanaratne
said the Sri Lankan-born billionaire
was a “living Buddha”
to many people in his
neighbourhood.
W Ariyapala, a carpenter
and fellow Galleon housing
resident said he would pray
for Rajaratnam and his family
and lobby to have a street
named after him.
“That’s the best way to remember
a living legend,” Ariyapala
said by telephone.
Rajaratnam, who spent his
childhood years in Sri Lanka
is a member of the island’s
Tamil minority, and some
hawks in the government establishment
had suspected
him of funding the LTTE.
At the time of Rajaratnam’s
arrest in 2009, the then
foreign minister, Rohitha Bogollagama,
had described him
as “an LTTE fund-raiser and
an activist in LTTE transactions.”
— AFP
lied themselves with the Americans,”
he said.
The United States also provides
some training, weapons
and financing to both the Frontier
Constabulary and the Frontier
Corps.
Bin Laden was discovered to
have been hiding in a compound
near a Pakistani military academy
for around five years, which
has strained the alliance between
Islamabad and Washington in the
fight against terrorism.
Pakistan has denied any links
with bin Laden or his group, but
some US officials remain sceptical.
— dpa
Yunus resigns from
Grameen Bank
KARACHI — The cellular
phone subscription witnessed
constant growth in the country
amid intense price war and
services by operators, crossing
the mark of 105 million
in February with addition of
2.37 million new users in the
first two months of 2011.
Pakistan Telecommunication
Authority (PTA) latest
update statistics showed
that total number of cellular
phone SIMs has increased to
105.151 million by February
with the tele-density reaching
63.2 per cent. The cellular
operators’ aggressive
services offers with constant
falling tariffs have attracted a
number of new and old users
to become subscribers of different
networks.
The total subscription of
mobile operators in the current
fiscal year registered a
tremendous growth with the
increase of 5.96 million on
the networks of different operators
from July to February.
On an average, 0.85 million
SIMs were sold in seven
months of current fiscal year,
ernment to appoint Yunus
Grameen Bank chairman to
ease the transition to new leadership,
but Finance Minister
A M A Muhith told reporters
late on Thursday this was
“not acceptable”.
“The staff of Grameen
Bank cannot appoint the
chairman,” he said.
Muhith said Yunus’s deputy
Nurjahan Begum would
be acting managing director
for three months while a
committee searched for a new
managing director to replace
Yunus on a permanent basis.
“Grameen Bank is a fully
government institution,”
Muhith said, adding that Yunus
had never agreed with
him on this point but that the
bank would now be run accordingly.
The government is currently
examining a set of
recommendations from an
investigation body to
radically restructure Grameen
Bank and its sister companies.
— AFP
Constant rise in cellular
phone subscription seen
PTA figures reported.
Telecom analysts termed
the market performance in
terms of subscribers’ growth
as tremendous because of
better-than-expected increase
in overall base by five operators.
They said the number of
subscription has increased
substantially compared with
number of users as different
calls and SMS packages attracted
a number of mobile
phone users to avail services
of every operator.
Mobile phone user’s
choice of purchasing connection
of more than one cellular
operator depends on quality
of services, international and
local call rates, SMS bundles,
mobile Internet and friends
and family packages.
Cellular phone operators’
strategies to enhance customer
base with revamped brands
have been successful as it attracted
new and existing mobile
phone users to obtain day
and night lowest calls packages
on similar network (onnet),
they said. — Internews

9 REGION
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Mubarak, wife questioned over wealth
CAIRO — Former Egyptian
president Hosni Mubarak and
his wife Suzanne were questioned
on Thursday over alleged
illegal acquisition of
wealth, the investigator’s office
said.
“A team of investigators
from the illicit gains department
headed by Khaled Selim
is currently questioning the
former president and his wife”
in the Red Sea resort of Sharm
el Shaikh, it said.
It was the first time the Mubaraks
have been questioned
by this branch of the justice
ministry, which is looking into
“charges that they used their
position to acquire wealth il-
legally,” the office said.
Mubarak, who is in custody
in a Sharm el Shaikh hospital
on grounds of ill health, has
already been interrogated by
the state prosecutor’s office
over several charges including
ordering the shooting of antiregime
protesters.
His 30-year grip on power
was brought to an end on February
11 following mass nationwide
protests that called
for his resignation and for political
and economic reforms.
Mubarak 83, was hospitalised
on April 12 after suffering
a heart attack, and detained a
day later. His detention was
extended twice most recently
on Tuesday.
The military council which
has been in power since
Mubarak stepped down has
vowed to bring to justice all
those accused of abuse and
launched a sweeping probe
into corruption.
Mubarak, his wife Suzanne,
his two sons Alaa and Gamal
and their wives were banned
from travel and their assets ordered
frozen by general prosecutor
Abdel Magid Mahmud.
The two sons, along with
dozens of officials and businessmen
associated with the
former regime, are being detained
in Cairo’s notorious
Tora prison which housed
political dissidents during the
Mubarak era.
The illicit gains depart-
ment said Mubarak and his
wife would also be questioned
about properties belonging to
their two sons, who both also
faced investigators last month
in Tora prison.
That interrogation focused
on their ties “with a company
in Cyprus and one of the British
Isles managing investment
funds of some businessmen,” a
spokesman at the public prosecutor’s
office said.
Both men are also accused
of forcing businessmen to give
them a cut in local partnerships
with foreign companies.
Before the popular uprising
which ousted Mubarak,
Gamal, who was close to busi-
ness executives and held a top
post in Egypt’s ruling party,
was regarded as the political
heir to Mubarak, while Alaa
concentrated on business.
The wives of Alaa and
Gamal, Heidi Rasekh and
Khadiga al Gammal, have also
been questioned over Mubarak’s
wealth.
Earlier this month, Switzerland
said it had frozen 410
million francs (around $463)
in funds linked to Mubarak
and his associates.
At least 846 were killed
during the anti-regime protests
that kicked off on January 25
and took 18 days to overthrow
Mubarak. — AFP
EGYPTIAN protesters hold an anti-Israeli sign while waving Egyptian and Palestinian flags in the coastal city of Alexandria yesterday during a protest calling for national unity after
attacks on Egyptian churches and solidarity with the Palestinians as they mark the ‘Nakba’ or ‘catastrophe’ which befell them following Israel’s establishment in 1948. — AFP
Bin Laden urged ‘spectacular’
attacks on US, says official
WASHINGTON — From his
hideout in Pakistan, Osama
bin Laden pushed for dramatic
attacks on American cities and
asserted his authority in correspondence
with Al Qaeda
deputies, a US official says.
Notebooks and computer
files seized in the US raid
that killed Bin Laden show
the Al Qaeda chief displayed
“a continuing emphasis on
spectacular attacks,” urging
his lieutenants to focus on US
and Western targets instead
of striking closer to home in
Yemen or Somalia, the official
said.
Behind the walls of his
compound in the Pakistani
city of Abbottabad, Bin Laden
wrote to senior leaders that
he wanted Al Qaeda to strike
at major US cities, including
Los Angeles, and to hit trains
as well as airplanes, said the
official, who spoke on condition
of anonymity.
The Al Qaeda mastermind
was focused on “transportation
and infrastructure” and
wanted the timing of a strike
to coincide with key dates
such as America’s July 4th Independence
Day celebrations
or the upcoming 10th anniversary
of the September 11
attacks, the official said.
Despite some media reports
that questioned whether Bin
Laden exercised operational
control from his residence,
the official insisted that intelligence
analysts believe Bin
Laden’s compound served as
an important headquarters.
“We remain convinced that
this was in fact an Al Qaeda
command and control centre...
It was a leadership node for Al
Qaeda,” he said.
Although the compound
did not resemble an American
intelligence or military command
post, “that doesn’t make
it any less dangerous,” the official
said.
“This was not an Al Qaeda
think-tank or the Abbottabad
retirement home for terrorists,”
the official said.
The material also showed
Bin Laden wrote about the
need to recruit and appeal to
“minorities” in the United
States to bolster Al Qaeda’s
efforts, a second official said.
The correspondence,
which included contact with
Al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen,
was akin to a “commander’s
intent” to his officers.
“These are specific ideas
about how things should be
handled and how the group
could do it,” the official said.
While Bin Laden’s presence
for years in a military
US to bolster security for
SEAL team: Gates
WASHINGTON — Defence
Secretary Robert Gates has
voiced concern about the safety
of the US Navy SEAL team
that killed Osama bin Laden
and said security would be
stepped up for the commandos.
“When I met with the team
last Thursday, they expressed
a concern about that, and particularly
with respect to their
families,” Gates told Marines
at Camp Lejeune in North
Carolina.
He said he could not divulge
details publicly but that
“we are looking at what measures
can be taken to pump up
the security.”
The raid against Bin Laden’s
compound less than two
weeks ago has sparked an
avalanche of media attention
around the secretive Navy
SEAL “Team Six” that carried
out the operation.
Reporters have travelled
to Virginia to try to uncover
more details of the SEAL
team, which is based at Dam
Neck, and retired SEALs are
in high demand as guests for
television news broadcasts.
“I think there has been a
consistent and effective effort
to protect the identities
of those who participated in
the raid. I think that has to
continue,” said Gates, whose
remarks were carried live
on the Pentagon’s television
channel.
He joked about how details
of the raid leaked out
even though there had been
an understanding among the
president’s top deputies at a
White House meeting to keep
information about the operation
secret.
“Frankly a week ago on
Sunday, in the (White House)
situation room, we all agreed
that we would not release any
operational details from the
effort to take out Bin Laden,”
he said.
“That all fell apart on
Monday, the next day.”
The role of the more than
20 SEALs who carried out
the helicopter assault on Bin
Laden’s hideout in Pakistan
was first publicly confirmed
by CIA Director Leon Panetta
and Vice-President Joe
Biden in the days after the
raid. — AFP
garrison town has fuelled
speculation that Pakistan may
have known of the Al Qaeda
founder’s whereabouts, the
documents found so far have
not confirmed any contact between
him and the Pakistani
government, officials said.
The details of Bin Laden’s
writings were first reported by
the Washington Post and other
US media on Thursday.
Via courier, Bin Laden
communicated with a relatively
small number of Al Qaeda
figures, including Ayman al
Zawahiri, long considered as
the network’s number two,
and Atiyah Abd al Rahman, a
Libyan believed to be the organisation’s
number-ranking
member, the Post wrote.
Bin Laden also appeared to
attach a low priority to staging
attacks inside Afghanistan
and Pakistan, preferring
strikes that would make the
United States look “weak,”
an unnamed official told the
Post.
A report published by
ProPublica said Bin Laden
described President Barack
Obama, the US defence secretary
and military chiefs as top
targets while giving less importance
to killing the American
vice-president.
Bin Laden also discussed
his concerns about the personality
of one of his deputies,
Rahman, ProPublica reported,
quoting officials familiar
with the material.
The CIA and at least nine
other government agencies
are translating and reviewing
the trove of material found at
the compound, which included
more than 100 flash drives
and DVDs as well as computers,
hard drives, handwritten
notes, recording devices and
mobile phones.
US National Security Adviser
Tom Donilon said on
Sunday that the cache of information
seized in the operation
amounts to “a small college
library,” with spy agencies
touting it as an extraordinary
intelligence coup.
Officials have indicated
that none of the correspondence
has revealed an unfolding
plot and cautioned against
reading too much into some
details that have begun to
emerge out of a vast amount
of material.
“It’s going to take a while
to pore through all this. No
one should take one little bit
of information that gets out
there and draw broad conclusions
about what Bin Laden
was thinking, saying or doing,”
the official said. — AFP
ACTIVISTS of Pakistan Tehreek Insaf shout anti-government and military slogans over
the Osama bin laden crisis during the joint sitting of parliament in Islamabad yesterday
where Pakistan’s intelligence chief Ahmad Shuja Pasha and army chief of staff
Ashfaq Kayani briefed lawmakers on the Bin Laden operation. — AFP
‘Commandos recorded
Abbottabad raid’
WASHINGTON — The US commandos who struck Osama
bin Laden’s compound in an operation that killed the Al Qaeda
leader recorded the raid on tiny helmet-mounted cameras, a
report has said.
The 25 SEALs that raided the compound in the garrison
town of Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2 were carrying the mini
cameras, said CBS News.
According to US officials who have seen images of the
40-minute operation, the only firefight in the raid took place
outside the main compound building, where Bin Laden’s couriers
opened fire and were themselves shot dead, CBS reported.
Commandos then saw Bin Laden for the first time after he
appeared on a third floor landing, and they fired and missed.
The terror chief then retreated into a bedroom.
The first SEAL that entered the room pulled aside Bin Laden’s
daughters who were there with him, while a second commando
was confronted by one of his wives who either rushed
him or was pushed in his direction, said CBS.
According to the report, that second commando pushed the
wife out of the way and fired a round into Bin Laden’s chest,
and a third commando then shot Bin Laden in the head.
Speculation has swirled on the precise details of the raid
that killed the world’s most wanted man.
Earlier on Thursday, it was revealed that the Central Intelligence
Agency had begun showing US lawmakers photos of
the slain Bin Laden, which President Barack Obama insists are
too gruesome to be released to the public. — AFP
US interviews Bin Laden’s
‘hostile’ wives: report
WASHINGTON — US intelligence services have interrogated
three of Osama bin Laden’s widows who were picked up in
a US raid that saw the Al Qaeda leader killed, CNN said on
Thursday, citing US and Pakistani sources.
The women were reportedly interviewed as a group, despite
US wishes to interview them separately, and were openly
“hostile” to US officials interviewing them, said CNN, quoting
a Pakistani government official and two US officials close to
matter.
The eldest of the wives spoke for all of them in the interview,
which was also attended by members of Pakistan’s Inter-
Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
Members of both governments told CNN that despite the
uptick in tensions between the two anti-terror allies, in the
wake of the US commando raid that killed Bin Laden, intelligence
sharing has continued.
The White House had called on Islamabad to help counter
growing mistrust by granting US investigators access to the
three, who have been in Pakistani custody.
It is thought the women could have vital information on the
Al Qaeda network and Bin Laden’s involvement — from his
hide-out — in their operations. — AFP
Raid ‘very gutsy call’ by
Obama, says Gates
WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama’s decision
to order a raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound was “a very
gutsy call,” Defence Secretary Robert Gates said in an interview
released on Thursday.
The Pentagon chief, who has worked under eight presidents
including as a CIA director, said Obama had to weigh a difficult
choice fraught with risk and danger.
“I’ve worked for a lot of these guys and this is one of the
most courageous calls — decisions — that I think I’ve ever
seen a president make,” Gates told CBS television’s “60 minutes”
news programme.
Given “the uncertainty of the intelligence, the consequences
of it going bad, the risk to lives of the Americans involved
— it was a very gutsy call,” he said.
Asked about the atmosphere in the White House situation
room as the president and his deputies followed the raid’s
progress, Gates said: “Let’s just say there wasn’t a lot of conversation,
by anybody in the room.”
CBS was due to broadcast the full interview today as Gates
— who also served under Obama’s predecessor George W
Bush — prepares to wrap up his tenure as defence secretary
at the end of June.
In an interview with the same programme aired last Sunday,
Obama described the risks involved in his decision and
said there was no definitive proof beforehand that Bin Laden
was at the compound. — AFP
Most Turks say he should
not have been killed
ISTANBUL — Most Turks disapprove the killing of Osama
bin Laden by US commandos in Pakistan, a public opinion
poll shows.
Seventy-nine per cent of respondents said he should have
been captured and put on trial instead of being killed, according
to the survey of Metropoll research company.
Sixty-two per cent cited the fact that the Al Qaeda leader
was unarmed when he was shot dead by special forces raiders
in a hideout north of Islamabad on May 2.
Seventy-eight per cent said they did not consider that Bin
Laden was representing Islam, and only 11 per cent believed
that militant attacks would decrease with his death.
The poll was conducted in May 6 and 7 among almost 1,500
people in 31 provinces around Turkey by phone interviews.
Meanwhile, 59 per cent of a similar number of participants
in a separate poll conducted by the same company believe that
the unrest in Middle East and North Africa has been provoked
by Western countries.
Only 30 per cent considered the uprisings a search for democracy,
but 60 per cent believe that Turkey should support
them. — AFP
Dalai Lama ‘sad’ about
Bin Laden killing
NEWARK, New York — The Dalai Lama says he was saddened
by the killing of Osama bin Laden by US commandos,
which he likened to the 2006 hanging of former Iraq president
Saddam Hussein.
“I feel it is rather sad,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said at a
press conference in New York. “I think this is wrong. It is like
for Saddam Hussein when he was hung. I felt very sad.”
The Dalai Lama’s comments appeared to contradict an impression
he had given last week in Los Angeles — that the
most wanted man in the world had deserved to die.
After those comments had been widely reported, the Tibetan
government-in-exile sent out a press release trying to clarify
his remarks, and said the Dalai Lama was emphasising the
need to find a distinction between “the action and the actor.”
“Forgiveness doesn’t mean forget what happened,” he told
an audience at the University of Southern California, according
to a report in the Los Angeles Times last week. — AFP

NEWS IN BRIEF
Anna Hazare is anti-Dalit,
says Mayawati
SOCIAL activist Anna Hazare has
laid bare his anti-Dalit mindset by not
including even one member from the
community on the anti-graft Lokpal Bill
drafting committee, Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Mayawati said yesterday.
Addressing a special function to
mark the completion of four years
of her government, she said: “Just as
the Congress-led central government
displayed its anti-Dalit approach by not
caring to include a Dalit in the Lokpal
Bill draft committee, so did Anna
Hazare, by not bothering to have a Dalit
on his civil society panel, which reflects
his anti-Dalit mindset.”
According to her, “the exclusion of
Dalits from the draft committee as a
whole is a betrayal of the entire Dalit
population of this country”.
“While I welcome the various
anti-corruption movements across the
country, I am intrigued about the intent
behind Anna Hazare’s move to use
Uttar Pradesh as a launch pad for his
movement.
Govt to conduct economic
census next year
THE government plans to carry out an
economic census next year to assess the
impact of economic reforms on various
industries and to formulate policies
better.
“The census would involve collection
of data from entrepreneurial units in
the country,” said a statement from the
ministry of statistics and programme
implementation.
“Data on sectoral activity of the unit,
number of workers, social group of the
owner, female-owned enterprise among
others would be collected for micro level
planning and policy formulations with
respect to various economic activities,”
it added.
Shops gutted in major fire
in national capital
A MAJOR fire broke out in a shop under
a flyover in the national capital yesterday
morning, destroying a number of shops
nearby. No casualties were reported,
officials said.
The fire broke out in a shop under
the Defence Colony flyover in South
Delhi around 4.30 am. At least 30 fire
tenders doused the blaze after a four-hour
operation, according to officials.
All the 58 shops under the flyover
were gutted, said the official.
Five pilgrims killed in Uttar
Pradesh road accident
AT least five pilgrims, including two
women, were killed and 29 injured when
a speeding truck yesterday rammed into
the tractor trolley carrying them, police
said. The accident took place in Ataria
town, near Lucknow, when the truck
veered out of control and ploughed into
the tractor trolley.
“While four pilgrims died on the spot,
another succumbed in hospital. Of the 29
injured, the conditions of 10 is stated to
be serious,” police Inspector P L Saroj
told reporters in Sitapur, some 80 km
from Lucknow.
The people, mostly hailing from
villages on the outskirts of Sitapur
and adjoining Lakhimpur district,
were returning from the famous
Naimisaranyam religious centre in
Sitapur.
EU delegation meets JKLF
leader Yasin Malik
THE European Union (EU) delegation
visiting Kashmir yesterday met
Muhammad Yasin Malik, chairman of the
pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir
Liberation Front (JKLF) in Srinagar and
discussed the situation in the state.
The delegation, comprising EU
Ambassador to India Daniele Smadja,
Irish Ambassador Kenneth Thompson,
Belgian Ambassador Pierre Vaesan, EU
delegation’s First Secretary Philipp Gross
and delegation attaché Anne Vaugier-
Chatterjee met Malik at his Maisuma
residence.
Rs 1m compensation
for tycoon’s widow
THE Delhi High Court yesterday
awarded compensation of Rs 1 million
to Nina Pillai, wife of ‘Biscuit King’
Rajan Pillai, on her petition seeking
compensation from the central
government for his custodial death in
Tihar Jail in 1995.
Delivering the judgement,
Justice S Muralidhar said: “In these
circumstances, it is clear that the lack
of medical personnel and the faulty
system of Tihar Jail were responsible
for the prisoner not being given medical
treatment as soon as possible.”
He asked the Delhi government to
pay Nina Pillai a compensation of Rs 1
million within four weeks, along with
Rs 20,000 as litigation cost.
“The petitioner will deploy the
compensation amount in any charitable
cause of her choice, as stated by the
petitioner,” the court said. — IANS
CHENNAI — After five years in
the wilderness, AIADMK’s star and
former chief minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa
stormed to power yesterday
for a third time in Tamil Nadu,
crushing a corruption-hit DMK.
In a sweep that few pundits had
anticipated, the AIADMK-led alliance
was on the victory lap in 196
of the state’s 234 constituencies. A
stunned DMK and its allies were set
to get only 36 seats.
Although DMK leader and
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and
his son and Deputy Chief Minister
M K Stalin would win, most ministers
in Tamil Nadu were facing defeat,
election officials said.
The AIADMK alone could get as
many as 145 seats to give the party
the numbers to form a government
on its own.
A humiliated Karunanidhi lost no
time in offering his resignation.
“It is a vote against the DMK and
its family rule,” political commentator
Cho Ramaswamy said, referring
to Karunanidhi and his siblings —
Stalin, elder son and cabinet minister
M K Alagiri as well as daughter and
Rajya Sabha member K Kanimozhi.
Kanimozhi is in deep trouble
over her involvement in the spectrum
allocation scandal that has sent
to prison DMK’s disgraced former
minister A Raja. The scam has battered
the DMK’s image.
“The verdict is a total rejection of
the one family rule of Karunanidhi,”
said AIADMK Rajya Sabha member
V Maitreyan.
AIADMK allies, including charismatic
actor Vijayakant’s DMDK
and the two Communist parties,
were ahead in around 50 seats, dealing
a mortal blow to the DMK, one
of India’s oldest political parties.
Thousands of overjoyed
AIADMK supporters and members,
including a large number of women,
gathered outside Jayalalithaa’s heavily
guarded residence shouting fullthroated
slogans hailing the actorturned-politician.
There was plenty of drum beating.
Many kilos of sweets were distributed
— and consumed.
As news of the impending victory
spread, dozens of police officers and
bureaucrats made their way to Jayalalithaa’s
residence. An informed
source said that the new government
10 INDIA
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
AIADMK sweeps TN, DMK stunned
would be sworn in on May 16.
Fearing possible defeat in the
wake of the spectrum scam, the
DMK unleashed freebies to the electorate
and reportedly pumped in vast
sums of money. But nothing worked.
The DMK’s main ally, the Congress,
which has insisted on fighting no
less than 63 seats, could win only 10
— reaping a miserly six-seven per
cent of vote share.
While Health Minister and Congress
leader Ghulam Nabi Azad
attributed the AIADMK sweep to
“anti-incumbency”, Home Minister
P Chidambaram’s son Karti said
actor Vijayakant’s decision to back
Jayalalithaa played a role in the
DMK-Congress rout.
Aligning with the DMK, the
Communists were set to win 15 of
the 20 seats they contested. Vijayakant’s
DMDK was poised to win
from 26 places.
The victory would make Jayalalithaa
chief minister for a third time.
She was chief minister from 1991 to
1996 and from 2001 to 2006.
In 2006, the AIADMK
won only 61 seats in a house of 234.
— IANS
JAYALALITHAA flashes a victory sign towards
supporters from the balcony of her house after
winning the election in Chennai yesterday. — Reuters
UDF clinches neck-and-neck race
By Ashraf Padanna
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM
— Kerala’s Congress party-led
United Democratic Front (UDF)
rode back to power after five
years in opposition with a wafer
thin majority thanks to its key
ally, the Indian Union Muslim
League when the votes in the
April 13 elections were counted
yesterday.
The UDF won 72 seats in the
140-member Assembly (Congress
38, IUML 20, Kerala Congress
(M) nine, Socialist Janata
Democratic two and Kerala Congress
(B), Kerala Congress (J)
and Revolutionary Socialist Party
(B) one each) while the ruling
coalition which came to power
winning 98 seats in 2006 had to
contend with 68 seats, missing it
by a whisker.
The UDF won at least three
seats by a margin of less than 500
votes as the counting came to a
nail-biting finish and at times the
LDF looked overtaking rivals.
The UDF, which established lead
in around 100 seats in the 2009
parliamentary elections and civic
polls in October, was expecting a
HYDERABAD — Sending a
strong message to the ruling Congress,
Y S Jaganmohan Reddy,
son of former Andhra Pradesh
chief minister Y S Rajasekhara
Reddy, retained the Kadapa Lok
Sabha seat yesterday while his
mother Y S Vijayalaxmi retained
the Pulivendula assembly seat
with record margins.
Making an impressive electoral
debut within three months of
its launch, YSR Congress party
wrested both the seats from the
Congress in the high-profile byelections.
Both Jaganmohan and Vijayalaxmi
have thus continued the
family tradition of never losing
an election.
Riding on a sympathy wave in
the first election after the death of
YSR in a helicopter crash in 2009,
comfortable win.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist
(CPM) which leads
the Left Democratic Front (LDF)
however emerged the single largest
party winning 47 seats (including
two independents that it
fielded) while its allies cornered
21 seats (Communist Party of India
13, Janata Dal (Secular) four
and Nationalist Congress Party
and Revolutionary Socialist Party
two each).
The Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) failed to open its electoral
accounting in the state’s watertight
bipolar politics this time too
when the state kept its tradition
of alternating the two rival fronts,
though the party came third in at
least three constituencies.
Congress leader Oommen
Chandy, 67, who is tipped as
the next chief minister, won his
Puthuppally seat by a margin of
33,255 votes (up from 19,863 in
2006) for the tenth consecutive
term while the outgoing chief
minister V S Achuthanandan, 87,
retained his Malampuzha seat for
the third time by a slightly increased
margin of 23,440 votes
(20,017 in 2006).
Chandy who looked sad as his
Jaganmohan Reddy retained the
Kadapa parliamentary seat with a
margin of 543,053 votes.
Jagan, as he is popularly
known, polled a whopping
687,068 votes while state Health
Minister D L Ravindra Reddy of
the Congress got 144,015 votes.
M V Mysoora Reddy of the
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) finished
a poor third with 127,183
votes. Both the Congress and
TDP candidates lost their deposits.
The highest victory margin
from Kadapa till now was
418,000, secured by YSR in
1991.
The YSR family has been winning
this seat since 1989.
Of the 1.329 million eligible
voters in Kadapa, 1.028 million
exercised their franchise in the
party suffered an unexpected setback
said the UDF would stake
claim for forming the government.
He said Achuthanandan
had succeeded in misleading people
and diverting attention from
the real issues of development.
He owned up the responsibility
for the setback.
“We expected a continuation
of the performance we had put in
during the 2009 Parliament elections
and 2010 civic polls,” he
said. “We don’t expect the narrow
majority to affect the cohesion
of the UDF in anyway. We
had stood together during the
campaign and we shall stand together
in crisis too.”
Achuthanandan, who spent
the day in his northern Kerala
constituency, said he would meet
Governor R S Gavai this morning
and put in his papers. “We’ll sit
in opposition and put up a strong
fight (against the government).
We would not try to woo anybody
from the other side to cobble
up an alternative,” he said.
Three of his cabinet colleagues
(N K Premachandran,
Ramachandran Kadannappally
and V Surendran Pillai)
were defeated while Speaker
A SUPPORTER of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) with a mock rupee
note with photos of politicians allegedly involved with the 2G spectrum scam during celebrations
for party leader J Jayalalithaa in Chennai yesterday. — AFP
May 8 by-election.
Y S Vijayalaxmi bagged
Pulivendula assembly seat with
a margin of 85,191 votes, breaking
the record of her husband
who won only two years ago by
68,681 votes.
She polled 114,198 votes
while her brother-in-law Y S
Vivekananda Reddy of the ruling
Congress secured only 28,626
votes.
B Tech Ravi of the Telugu
Desam Party (TDP) finished a
poor third with 11,552 votes and
lost his deposit.
Vijayamma, as she is popularly
known, was elected unopposed
in the December 2009 byelections
held four months after
YSR’s death.
In Pulivendula, one of the seven
assembly segments of Kadapa
K Radhakrishnan, Home Minister
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, Finance
Minister Dr Thomas Isaac,
Transport Minister Jose Thettayil,
Co-operation Minister G
Sudhakaran, Industries Minister
Elamaram Kareem, Food Minister
C Divakaran, Education Minister
M A Baby and Agriculture Minister
Mullakkara Ratnakaran won
comfortably.
At least five minuscule parties,
UDF constituents Communist
Marxist Party of M V
Raghavan and Janathipathya
Samrakshana Samithy of 92year-old
K R Gowri and LDF
members Kerala Congress (Anti-
Merger), Congress (S) and Indian
National League were completely
wiped out in the elections. But
the IUML scripted history by
winning 20 out of the 24 seats it
contested and registered the first
three highest margins of victory.
P Ubaidullah, who won
Malappuram seat for the IUML,
had the record of the highest
winning margin (44,508) while
the Kerala Congress (J) leader
T M Jacob won by the lowest
margin of 157 votes but ensured
his berth in the cabinet.
The IUML general secretary
BJP bags all 3 assembly
by-polls in Karnataka
BANGALORE — Karnataka’s
ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) yesterday
bagged all the three assembly
by-polls held on April 9,
wresting two from the Congress
and one from the Janata
Dal-Secular (JD-S).
BJP’s C P Yogeshwar won
by 12,000 votes in Channapatna
in Ramanagarm district,
S V Ramachandra bagged
Jagalur in Davangere district
by 4,433 votes and M Narayanswamy
took the Bangarpet
seat in Kolar district by
4,044 votes.
The by-polls were held
following the resignation of
two Congress and one JD-S
lawmakers who quit their
seats and their parties to join
the BJP.
Chief Minister B S
Yeddyurappa, battling cor-
Lok Sabha seat, 156,276 of the
189,000 electorate voted.
In 2009, Jagan won with a majority
of 178,846 votes. He had
polled 542,611 votes while Palem
Srikanth Reddy of the TDP had
secured 363,765 votes.
The YSR family won the Kadapa
seat for the record seventh
consecutive time and Pulivendula
seat for the 11th time. While it
won all the previous elections on
Congress tickets, this time, the
victory was in the form of YSR
Congress.
YSR’s younger brother Y S
Vivekananda Reddy lost the election
in Pulivendula despite contesting
as Congress candidate.
In the past, Vivekananda was
elected twice each from Kadapa
and Pulivendula.
Jagan and his mother quit the
P K Kunhalikkutty registered the
second highest margin of 38,237
votes from Vengara constituency
in Malappuram district. M P Abdussamad
Samadani won nearby
Kottakkal seat by a margin of
35,902 votes.
However, Kunhalikkutty said
his party would not stake claim
for the deputy chief ministership
and behave like a responsible
coalition partner. He refused to
reveal the number of cabinet
berths his party was going to demand.
One of the most exciting win
was of P K Jayalakshmi, 29, the
former state archery champion,
wresting the Mananthavady seat
defeating the sitting LDF MLA
K C Kunhiraman by a margin
of 12,734 votes. A pick of Rahul
Gandhi, the tribal girl is sure to
become a minister as she is the
lone woman MLA in the UDF
who will also represent the
scheduled caste and scheduled
tribe communities.
Women’s representation
dropped sharply this time as only
seven female candidates could
emerge victorious but six of
them would sit on the opposition
benches.
ruption charges and dissidence
against him, said “the
voters have taught a lesson to
opposition for levelling baseless
charges against me”.
The three wins take BJP’s
strength in the 225-member
assembly, including one
nominated, to 109.
The ruling party has the
support of one independent
candidate.
The Congress strength remains
at 71 and JD-S 26.
There are 17 vacancies in
the assembly — 16 from disqualification
of 11 BJP and
five independent law makers.
They were disqualified
after they withdrew support
to the Yeddyurappa government
in October last year.
One JD-S lawmaker resigned
in March this year and
joined the BJP. — IANS
YSR’s son, widow victorious in by-polls by record margins
Congress in November last year
and also resigned from parliament
and assembly, respectively,
accusing the leadership of trying
to divide their family.
In March, Jagan launched
the YSR Congress, promising to
work for the implementation of
all the welfare schemes launched
by his late father.
The result is a huge setback
to the ruling Congress party as it
had gone all out to defeat Jagan
or at least reduce his victory margin.
It not only fielded a minister
against him but deployed nearly
a dozen ministers to run the party
campaign.
Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar
Reddy himself campaigned in
Kadapa.
The party also used the services
of actor-turned-politician
Rangasamy
leads new
party to power
in Puducherry
PUDUCHERRY — Forming
a new party — the All
India NR Congress (AIN-
RC) — only two months
back, N Rangasamy is all set
to return to the chief minister’s
post in Puducherry.
In the process he spoilt
the chances of the Congress
to score a hat-trick of victories
here.
The AINRC-AIADMK
combine has won 18 seats
in the 30-member house.
The AINRC, which was
launched in February after
Rangasamy parted ways
with the Congress, contested
17 seats and shared
the rest with alliance partners
— AIADMK (10) and
one each to the DMDK, the
Communist Party of India-
Marxist (CPM) and the
Communist Party of India
(CPI).
The Congress also contested
in 17 seats and had
given 10 seats to the DMK,
two to the PMK and one to
VCK.
For Rangasamy, a 60year-old
bachelor, being at
the helm of affairs in Puducherry
is nothing new.
A former Congressman,
Rangasamy was the chief
minister of the union territory
from 2001 to 2008.
A man of simple life
style, the chief minister
would surprise the people
by touring his constituency
on his two-wheeler.
Rangasamy is largely responsible
for developing the
infrastructure in Puducherry.
One of his major achievements
as chief minister was
the provision of free education
in government schools
and the breakfast and midday
meal scheme for poor
schoolchildren.
In 2008, the Congress
high command asked him
to step down from the chief
minister post owing to internal
problems.
The party replaced Rangasamy
with V Vaithilingam.
— IANS
SC reinstates
16 Karnataka
legislators
NEW DELHI/BANGALORE
— The Supreme Court yesterday
restored the membership
of 16 disqualified Karnataka
legislators.
The 16 lawmakers, 11
of the ruling BJP and five
Independents, were disqualified
on October 11, hours
before Chief Minister B S
Yeddyurappa was to seek
confidence vote in the assembly
following their withdrawal
of support to him.
Most of the 16 lawmakers,
who were in New Delhi
for the keenly awaited verdict,
told reporters that they
would meet later to decide
their future course of action.
They did not give a
direct reply to whether they
would again seek removal of
Yeddyurappa. — IANS
Chiranjeevi, whose Praja Rajyam
Party (PRP) is set to merge with
the Congress.
Former chief minister and
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu
himself led his party’s campaign.
Interestingly, both Congress and
TDP targeted Jagan for his alleged
corruption.
Both the principal parties questioned
Jagan on how he amassed
vast assets since his father became
chief minister in 2004.
YSR had represented Kadapa
constituency for four consecutive
terms, while his younger brother
Y S Vivekananda Reddy won the
seat in 1999 and 2004.
The YSR family has been representing
the Pulivendula Constituency
since 1978. YSR was
himself elected six times from the
constituency. — IANS

RAIPUR — Chhattisgarh’s ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) yesterday won the Bastar
Lok Sabha seat for the fifth time in a row. The
BJP candidate Dinesh Kashyap won the seat
by over 88,900 votes defeating his nearest rival
Kawasi Lakhma of the Congress.
The BJP state headquarters, Ekatm Parisar,
wore a festive look after the result was announced
at Jagdalpur, headquarters of the
Bastar region, while the Congress state office,
11 INDIA
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Mamata wave ends 34 years
of Left rule in West Bengal
KOLKATA — Mamata Bannerjee’s
Trinamool Congress and its
allies swept the assembly polls
in West Bengal yesterday ending
the Left Front’s unprecedented
34-year rule in the state.
Of the 272 results declared, Trinamool
and allies won 210 seats
leaving the Left Front 58 seats, its
worst showing in decades.
The red fort crumbled under
‘parivartan’ (change) slogan that
saw the Trinamool-Congress-
Socialist Unity Centre of India
(Communist) combine canter to
a two-thirds majority leaving the
Left spearheaded by the Communist
Party of India-Marxist
(CPM) way behind.
Trinamool won a majority on
its own with 166 seats in the 294seat
assembly, with the Communist
Party of India-Marxist (CPM)
coming a distant 37. It was a far
cry from 2006, when the Left
Front got 235 seats.
Among the casualties in the
Trinamool or, as most people
here say, Mamata wave was state
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee,
who went down by a
margin of 16,684 votes to former
state chief secretary and firsttime
contestant Manish Gupta in
the red citadel of Jadvapore.
The Marxists have won every
time in Jadavpore since the constituency
was formed in 1967.
Bhattacharjee, who had been
winning the seat since 1987, became
only the second sitting chief
minister of the state after Prafulla
Chandra Sen in 1967 to be humbled.
Soon after, a crestfallen Bhattacharjee
went to Raj Bhavan and
put in his papers. Hours later,
Banerjee — mobbed by her loyalists
all day — met Governor M
Five-time
Nagaland CM
loses by-poll
MOKOKCHUNG, Nagaland — Veteran
Congress leader and former Nagaland chief
minister S C Jamir yesterday lost an assembly
by-poll to the ruling Naga People’s Front
(NPF) candidate Toshikopba Longkumer.
“Longkumer defeated Jamir by 1,320
votes,” L G Chishi, returning officer of
Mokokchung, said.
Jamir, a five-time chief minister and former
governor of Maharashtra and Goa, managed
to get 4,945 votes, while Longkumer bagged
6,265 votes.
The by-election was necessitated following
the death of Congress legislator Nungshizenba
Longkumer in 2011.
Jamir, who had never lost an election in
his political career, said: “It’s a contest and
someone must win and lose and I am not losing
anything.”
However, Congress termed Jamir’s defeat
as a “major embarrassment” for the party,
which is plagued with internal bickering over
the leadership issue.
With yesterday’s victory, the ruling NPF
has increased its strength to 35 in the 60member
assembly, while the opposition Congress
is reduced to 17. — IANS
MAMATA Banerjee waves to supporters outside her home in
Kolkata yesterday. — Reuters
K Narayanan.
The Left Front’s defeat was
total. Apart from Bhattacharjee,
14 members of his cabinet bit
the dust, some of them suffering
heavy defeat at the hands of political
greenhorns from apolitical
fields like the cultural world.
While Gautam Deb, CPM’s
star campaigner in the election,
lost by over 31,000 votes, Finance
Minister Asim Dasgupta’s
margin of defeat was over 26,000
and minister Naren De finished
about 45,000 votes behind his
Trinamool rival.
The Trinamool Congress winners
included leader of opposition
in the outgoing assembly
Partha Chattopadhyay, Kolkata
Cong gains absolute
majority in Asom
GUWAHATI — The Congress
wave decimated the opposition
to smithereens by securing a majority
by winning 78 of the 126
assembly seats in Asom with the
wily 76-year-old Tarun Gogoi set
to become the chief minister for
the third straight term.
“I would say this thumping
victory is a victory for good governance
and development in the
last 10 years of Congress rule in
Asom,” a jubilant Gogoi said in an
interview flanked by his family.
“Bringing peace to Assam is
also one of the main reasons for
the confidence reposed in us by
the voters of Asom.”
Gogoi won the Titabar seat
defeating his nearest Asom Gana
Parishad (AGP) rival by more
than 55,000 votes.
The Congress won 78 seats, 25
more then it won in the 2006 assembly
elections. The Bodoland
People’s Party (BPF), an ally of
the Congress, won 12 seats.
Gogoi and his new council
of ministers are expected to be
sworn-in on May 19.
The two main opposition parties
— the AGP and the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) — were literally
decimated. The AGP managed
to win in just 10 seats, down
from 24 in the 2006 polls, and the
BJP in five seats, five less then
what it got in the last assembly
elections.
From 10 seats in the 2006
elections, the Asom United Democratic
Front (AUDF) rose to become
the main opposition party
this time by winning 18 seats.
The Trinamool Congress won
one seat and independents triumphed
in two seats.
Meanwhile, there were celebrations
across Asom in the
Congress camp with victory processions
being taken out and jubilant
supporters and candidates
bursting crackers and distributing
sweets.
“I am grateful to the people of
Asom for reposing faith in us for
the third term,” Gogoi said.
But Asom’s beleaguered main
opposition AGP blamed manipulation
of electronic voting machines
(EVM) by the Congress
for the regional party’s rout in the
assembly elections.
“We knew the Congress would
do something and they did so by
manipulating the EVMs. Otherwise
such a result would not have
come,” former chief minister and
senior AGP leader Prafulla Kumar
Mahanta told journalists.
Mahanta lost one of the two
seats he contested — in Samaguri
— to Forest Minister Rockybul
Hussain but won in Barhampur
defeating the Congress candidate.
“EVM’s were manipulated by
the government machinery at the
instance of the Congress,” former
AGP president Brindaban Goswami
said.
BJP wins Bastar LS seat
SUPPORTERS of the Trinamul Congress celebrate the victory of their candidate
Rudra Narayan Bhattacharjee (centre) in Siliguri yesterday. — AFP
mayor Sovan Chattopadhyay,
FICCI Secretary-General Amit
Mitra, theatre personality Bratya
Basu, Bengali film action hero
Chiranjeet (Dipak) Chakraborty,
and actress Debashree Roy.
State Congress chief Manas
Bhuniya also won.
The 56-year-old Banerjee,
who left the Congress saying it
was not sincere in fighting the
Bengal communists, and formed
the Trinamool 13 years back in
1998 was third time lucky.
Both In 2001 and 2006, she
raised expectations of getting the
better of the communist in state
assembly polls, only to finish
with poor tallies each time.
An emotive and overjoyed
Goswami, who won from
Tezpur the last four times, lost to
the Congress.
Among the prominent losers
include AGP president Chandra
Mohan Patowary and BJP state
president Ranjit Dutta — both
losing to the Congress.
Patowary lost in Dharmapur
Major upsets in the elections
NEW DELHI — Some of the major upsets in
the assembly elections in four states and one
union territory:
Outgoing West Bengal Chief Minister
Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (Communist
Party of India-Marxist) lost in Jadavpore
constituency by 16,684 votes to Trinamool
Congress’s Manish Gupta, his former chief
secretary.
Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president
Chandra Mohan Patowary lost in Dharmapur,
his home ground, to Congress rival Nilamoni
Sen Deka by over 5,000 votes.
West Bengal Industry Minister and CPM
politburo member Nirupam Sen was defeated
by Trinamool Congress candidate Rabiran-
Gandhi Bhawan, was a deserted place.
The BJP termed the by-election victory
“peoples’ approval” of its policy towards the
state’s poor” while the Congress alleged the
BJP victory was “a result of wide misuse of
money power and government machinery”.
The BJP has been winning the seat, reserved
for Scheduled Tribes, continuously since 1998.
The by-election was caused by the death of
BJP’s tribal leader Baliram Kashyap. — IANS
Banerjee described the verdict as
“historic” and compared it to the
country’s freedom struggle.
Addressing jubilant crowds
outside her residence in south
Kolkata’s Kalighat — that erupted
in jubilation with supporters
smearing each other in green gulal
and distributing sweets — Banerjee
promised to give good governance
in the next five years.
“This is a complete victory
of democracy... This is a historic
verdict. After 34 years, Bengal
has got new freedom,” she thundered,
addressing a crowd of
thousands that kept cheering her
with slogans of “Mamata Banerjee
zindabad”.
“This is just like a freedom
struggle. We want to dedicate
the victory to the people and the
motherland,” she said.
Shocked and dejected Left
leaders, who even on Thursday
had exuded confidence of winning
a comfortable majority,
termed the verdict as “unexpected”
but promised to play the role
of a responsible opposition.
In a joint statement, Chief
Minister Bhattacharjee and Left
Front chairman Biman Bose said:
“The results so far indicate the
end of 34 glorious years of Left
rule. The result is unexpected. We
accept the mandate of the people
and will strive to be a responsible
and constructive opposition in the
assembly.” — IANS
CHIEF Minister of Asom Tarun Gogoi is offered sweets by his wife after the Congress party’s
victory in state assembly elections leading to a third straight term, in Guwahati yesterday. — AFP
jan Chattopadhyay by a margin of more than
36,438 votes in Burdwan South seat.
West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta
lost to Amit Mitra of TMC by 26,154
votes in Khardah.
West Bengal Sports Minister Kanti Ganguly
lost to Debashree Roy of TMC by 5,553
votes in Raidighi in South 24 Parganas.
Former Tamil Nadu social welfare minister
Poongophai Aladi Aruna (DMK) lost from
Alangulam.
Former Tamil Nadu finance minister K
Anbazhagan (DMK) lost from Vilivakum
Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president
K V Thangkabalu lost from the Salem
constituency. — IANS
to first time candidate Jayanta
Malla Baruah by more than 5,000
votes, while Dutta lost to another
first timer Pallab Lochan Das by
more than 8,000 votes.
Nine women Congress candidates
won, while at least 10
first timers, most of them youths,
also trounced opposition heavy-
weights this time.
Health Minister Himanta
Biswa Sarma won the election
with a record margin of nearly
78,000 votes from Jalukbari.
“Development is one issue
that the people of Asom voted us
and we are grateful,” Sarma said.
— IANS
Women to rule over
1-third of population
NEW DELHI — With the results of West Bengal and Tamil
Nadu assembly elections yesterday throwing up two women
chief ministers, almost one-third of India’s over 1.2 billion
population will now be ruled by women.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and AIADMK
supremo J Jayalalithaa will soon take over as chief ministers,
respectively, of West Bengal, having a population of 80.2 million,
and Tamil Nadu, with 72.14 million population.
Already, Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 199.58 million,
is governed by Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati and
Delhi, with 16.75 million population, by Congress’ Sheila
Dikshit.
These four states’ cumulative population touched 368 million
or about 30 per cent of India’s population of 1.21 billion,
as per the provisional data of 2011 census.
In terms of area though, the four states (4.61 lakh sq km)
constitute only 14 per cent of the country’s total size of 32.87
lakh square km.
Women in the country have been campaigning vigorously
for the parliament to pass a bill according 33 per cent reservation
in seats to both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, apart from
the state legislatures.
Rajya Sabha has passed the women’s quota bill on March
9, 2010 after it was introduced a day earlier on international
women’s day. The Lok Sabha is yet to take up the bill for
passing due to lack of consensus among political parties.
— IANS
NEWS IN BRIEF
Award death in staged
shootout cases: SC
THE Supreme Court said yesterday
that staged shootouts involving contract
killing by policemen should be counted
in the category of rarest of rare cases and
those found guilty should be awarded the
death penalty.
“We are of the view that in cases
where a fake encounter is proved against
policemen in a trial, they must be given
death sentence, treating it as the rarest
of rare cases,” said an apex court bench
of Justice Markandey Katju and Justice
Gyan Sudha Misra.
Speaking for the bench, Justice Katju
said: “Fake encounters are nothing but
cold blooded, brutal murder by persons
who are supposed to uphold the law,” and
added: “Trigger-happy policemen who
think they can kill people in the name of
an encounter and get away with it should
know that the gallows await them.”
Mumbai port fire toll
reaches two
ONE more person succumbed yesterday
to burn injuries sustained in a fire which
broke out in a chemical container in the
yard at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust
(JNPT) in Mumbai two days ago, police
said.
“The death toll now is two. Two
more people were injured people in
Wednesday’s fire at the yard at JNPT,”
Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner
Javed Ahmed said.
The fire broke out following two
blasts in the yard at the Container Freight
Station in Navghar village, where
hundreds of containers were kept.
“The cause of the blast is not yet
known. We are looking into it,” Ahmed
said.
Young man stabbed to
death in Delhi
A 26-YEAR-OLD man was stabbed to
death and his brother injured in a fight
in West Delhi, police said yesterday. A
25-year-old man has been held for the
murder.
Sewa Lal and his brother Mewa
Lal got into a fight with Bal Mukund
at Bakkarwala in Mundka area of west
Delhi, said Additional Commissioner of
Police V Renganathan.
Mukund alleged that Mewa Lal
incited a street dog to fight with his pet
dog.
The fight turned ugly and Mukund’s
grandson Raj Kumar stabbed Sewa Lal
on the chest and Mewa Lal on the legs.
Both the brothers were rushed to
Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital where
Sewa Lal succumbed to his injuries and
Mewa Lal is recuperating.
Delhi ordered to pay over
Rs 1 bn to Ashok Leyland
THE Delhi High Court yesterday
directed the state government to release
the more than Rs 1 billion payable to
Ashok Leyland for the supply of lowfloor
buses.
A bench of Justice A K Sikri and
Justice Suresh Kait of the Delhi High
Court said: “The Delhi Transport
Corporation (DTC) should release 80 per
cent of the invoice, as per the contract
term, immediately to Ashok Leyland,
the supplier of low-floor buses for the
national capital roads.”
After the bench order, the company
also agreed to replace the spare parts
including the faulty wirings of 116 buses.
Four students drown in
Ganga river in UP
FOUR teenaged students of a private
school in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
drowned in Ganga river yesterday, police
said. “The four were aged between 14-16
years and drowned near Ramnagar ghat.
It took us nearly five hours to recover the
bodies,” police inspector R N Dwivedi
told reporters in Varanasi, some 300 km
from Lucknow.
The four were students of Prabhu
Narayan Inter College.
The deaths sparked protests by the
locals, who alleged that the victims could
have been saved if the police had arrived
on time to carry out the rescue operation.
MCI board of governors
reconstituted
THE board of governors for the Medical
Council of India (MCI) was reconstituted
yesterday as the term of the present board
expires today, an official release said.
K K Talwar, a former director of
Post Graduate Institute of Medical
Education and Research, Chandigarh,
will be the chairman of the new board,
replacing eminent gastroenterologist S
K Sarin.
The other members of the newlyconstituted
board are K S Sharma,
Harbhajan Singh Rassam, Rajiv
Chintaman Yeravdekar and Purushotham
Lal.
The MCI was replaced for a term
of one year by a six-member board of
governors through an ordinance last year.
The term of the board was extended
after a gazette notification was issued on
Wednesday by the health ministry.
— IANS

A Pandora’s box
By Yacine Le Forestier
WITH Europe’s open borders closing, bailouts turning
north against south and nations biting back at the
Brussels machine, backers of an ever-closer European
Union are clearly in for a rough ride.
While a year-long battle to defend the euro rages on, another
symbol of European unity is now in turmoil as EU states
consider the possibility of restoring border controls within the
celebrated passport-free travel area.
Denmark raised eyebrows, and a possible legal challenge,
last week when the right-wing government, under pressure
from anti-immigrant far-right voters, decided to permanently
deploy customs agents to its Swedish and German borders
within weeks.
The move came as Europe struggles to find common purpose
to deal with thousands of desperate migrants fleeing unrest
in Tunisia and Libya.
In a letter last Friday from European Commission president
Jose Manuel Barroso to Danish Prime Minister Lars Lekke
Rasmussen, the EU executive leader said a first legal assessment
of the move “raises important doubts about whether the
proposed measures, if implemented in the ‘intensive and permanent’
way that has been announced, would be in line with
Denmark’s obligations under European and international law.”
“It is unacceptable that states pick and choose things they
like from European integration but are not ready to stick to
agreements in a responsible manner in a spirit of solidarity,”
the head of the parliament’s conservative European People’s
Party, Joseph Daul, also warned.
Denmark took its decision after France and Italy opened the
Pandora’s box over the EU’s handling of an influx of tens of
thousands of north Africans washing up on the Italian island of
Lampedusa in search of a better life in Europe.
Despite the relevant European Parliament committee insisting
that Bulgaria and Romania are better-placed to manage their
borders than many existing Schengen member states, states are
blocking their entry.
Europe’s solidarity has already faced a tectonic test of wills
since a relentless debt crisis brought Greece, Portugal and Ireland
to their knees, raising fears over the very survival of the
single currency.
Final mission
By Anne K Walters
THE space shuttle Endeavour rose out of tragedy to mark
the United States commitment to space travel following
the 1986 explosion of the Challenger. Now, its last voyage
is at hand.
Endeavour is due to blast off for the 25th time on Monday
from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on a mission to deliver a
high-tech particle detector to the International Space Station.
The launch comes after engineers scrubbed an earlier liftoff
attempt with just hours left ticking on the countdown clock.
The crew was already in a van on the way to the launching pad
when Nasa said electrical problems with a hydraulic system
heater would force them to postpone the launch.
The last-minute halt disappointed the hundreds of thousands
of spectators gathered at the Kennedy Space Centre and along
the beaches of Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Nasa has spent the last several weeks trouble-shooting and
replacing circuitry that controlled a critical heater in the hydraulic
system needed to keep it from freezing in space.
Endeavour had originally been set to launch on April 19 but
was pushed back once to avoid conflicting with a Soyuz flight
before the technical delays.
The Endeavour launch was originally to have been Nasa’s
final shuttle launch, but the agency added a final flight now set
for the shuttle Atlantis in late June.
Still, the Endeavour mission will be full of lasts, including
the final spacewalks conducted by a shuttle crew. Three astronauts
will conduct a total of four spacewalks to conduct repairs
and install equipment outside the ISS, including installing a
spare robotic arm that has been part of the shuttle itself.
US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering
from a gunshot wound to the head, will be able to travel to
Florida to watch her astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, rocket into
space.
The Arizona politician was shot in the head while meeting
with constituents on January 8, in an attack in which six people
were killed. Giffords has been undergoing rehabilitation at a
Houston hospital.
The crew of five US astronauts and an Italian spacefarer
will be delivering a high-tech monitor to the station that scientists
hope could provide clues to the formation of the universe.
All in day’s work
By Katherine Haddon
FOR the handful of women police in one of Afghanistan’s
most volatile provinces, danger and disapproval are all
in a day’s work. Not that it bothers them.
“I’m police — police should not be scared of anything,” one
of them, Carmela, said. “I’m doing my job like a man.”
There are just 16 women police out of a total force of several
thousand in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan. Across
the war-torn country, the total is around 1,200 out of 126,000,
or roughly one per cent.
They mainly work at checkpoints, searching other women
for weapons, suicide vests or any other signs of insurgent activity,
although some have even lower grade jobs such as cleaning
buildings at police headquarters.
While on duty, most of them cover their faces and wear
sunglasses to avoid being recognised. All have had to secure
permission from their families to join the force.
Police in Helmand are frequently targeted by the Taliban
and other groups, who know that police will take on an increasing
role in the run-up to the transition to Afghan control of security
in 2014.
A parking lot containing bombed-out patrol vehicles outside
police headquarters in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah,
where AFP met the women, is a constant reminder of the dangers
they face.
Carmela, 37, said she joined up to support her family after
her husband, a policeman, was killed by the Taliban.
She insisted she was not afraid of the same fate, but said her
greatest ambition in policing was to be able to carry a gun.
“One of my favourite subjects in policing is firearms —
when I have a pistol and fire it, it feels good,” she said.
While most members of her family are happy with her job,
which comes with a relatively good salary of around $350 a
month, she said her father-in-law was “not happy” but could
not say why.
Such attitudes are common, particularly in areas such as
Helmand which are desperately poor and where many people
are poorly educated.
Just 32 per cent of people in southwest Afghanistan support
the idea of women police officers in the community, according
to a UN Development Programme (UNDP) survey released in
January, though figures tend to be higher in urban areas.
By Carmel Crimmins
IT will take Britain’s Queen Elizabeth
less than an hour to fly to
Ireland for a state visit this week
but it has taken close to a century to
deal with the historical and political
baggage surrounding such a trip.
The British monarch’s four-day
visit will be the most important state
sojourn the Irish Republic has hosted,
capping warm diplomatic ties with its
former colonial master and underscoring
the success of the peace process in
Northern Ireland.
A 1998 deal ending Irish nationalists’
guerrilla war against British
rule of Northern Ireland set the clock
ticking on a royal visit but it was not
until police and justice powers were
transferred from London to Belfast
last year, the last piece of devolution,
that the diplomatic wheels could be
set in motion.
It will be the first visit by a British
monarch since King George V in
1911 before a bloody uprising and
two-year war led to Irish independence
in 1921.
“The word historic is being used
12
ANALYSIS/OPINION
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Queen’s Irish trip a century in the making
justifiably for this visit,” said Diarmaid
Ferriter, professor of modern
Irish history at University College
Dublin. “It is the last piece of a jigsaw
that has been slowly put together over
the last 10 or 15 years.”
In the second half of the 20th century,
Northern Ireland’s continuing
membership of the UK and its treatment
of pro-Irish Catholics tarred relations
between London and Dublin
but problems between the two countries
have an ancient heritage.
Henry VIII declared himself King
of Ireland in the 16th century and
from then until independence in 1921,
the crown was the symbol of oppression
and Irish nationalism was synonymous
with republicanism.
During the 30-year Northern Ireland
conflict, in which 3,600 were
killed, British and Irish relations hit
several low points.
A crowd burnt the British embassy
in Dublin in 1972 in fury over British
troops killing 13 unarmed civilians in
Northern Ireland’s “Bloody Sunday”.
Guerrilla group the Irish Republican
Army (IRA) started bombing England
and in 1979 killed the Queen’s
cousin Lord Louis Mountbatten while
on holiday in northwest Ireland.
English people tended to avoid
holidaying in Ireland and Irish people
seeking work in London, a favourite
IRA target, often tried to mask their
accents for fear of being labelled a
“terrorist”.
Despite the IRA’s campaign,
which was not supported by the majority
of people, a flow of Irish emigrants
to Britain and British broadcast
media’s availability in Ireland meant
AFRICAN National Congress (ANC) supporters at a political meeting in Rammolutsi township. — AFP
Lingering economic disparities
By Peroshni Govender
JUST beyond the sprawling mansions
guarded by private security and the
high rise office blocks of Sandton,
Africa’s richest city, the poor in neighbouring
Alexandra township struggle to
eke a living.
The streets of what is known locally as
“Alex”, a shantytown next to Sandton’s
wealth, teem with thousands living in
poverty, many of whom share water, toilets
and illegal power connections.
The two districts, which nestle cheekby-jowl
in the Johannesburg conurbation,
are among 278 municipalities holding local
elections on Wednesday.
In post-apartheid South Africa, areas
such as Sandton and Alex are stark examples
of lingering economic disparities.
The gap between rich and the poor has
remained among the highest in the world
since decades of white minority rule ended
in 1994.
Policies introduced by the democratically
elected African National Congress
(ANC) have meant more blacks are among
the wealthy and progress has been made
in tackling infrastructure deficiencies, but
the backlogs are immense.
There is growing concern that the rich
and politically connected are becoming
richer, the poor masses have no way to
escape poverty and the middle-class has
been squeezed so hard that many wonder
By Michael Martina
CHINA and the United States
this week hold their first top
level military-to-military
talks since 2009 to try to bring more
trust to a relationship overshadowed
by weapons sales to Taiwan and unease
over the growing reach of Beijing’s
armed forces.
The week-long visit by People’s
Liberation Army (PLA) Chief of General
Staff Chen Bingde follows last
week’s talks of top government officials
seen as making some ground in
easing tensions between the world’s
two biggest economies.
“The lack of high-level and sustained
military-to-military engagement
means that the whole of the
US-China relationship remains unbalanced,”
said Cheung Tai Ming, a
senior fellow at the University of Cal-
how it will make ends meet in the future.
“If they don’t wake up, all hell will
break lose. The government is selective in
their development,” Themba Gramany an
unemployed, 50-year-old father of three
from Alex said.
“Ten years down the line Alex is still
not developing and there is only development
where there are whites.”
In the nearby leafy suburb of Morningside,
with its swimming pools and exclusive
schools, residents also complain.
“People think we are living the life but
it comes at a price, one that is becoming
more and more expensive to afford,” said
Kgotso Mokhele, an executive at a global
accounting firm.
Sipping a cappuccino at a cafe,
Mokhele, said he saw little return from the
high taxes he paid or the municipal rates
levied on his property.
“We are not getting value for our
money. The public schools are in shambles
and, unless it’s a real emergency, you
know to avoid public hospitals,” he said.
There are 4,275 ward seats and 460
proportional representation seats up for
grabs in Wednesday’s elections, which are
held every five years.
The Independent Election Commission
said 121 parties were taking part. Many
voters like Mokhele and Gramany are reluctant
to cast their ballots because they
believe the post-apartheid government
has done little to improve their lives.
ifornia’s Institute on Global Conflict
and Co-operation.
China sharply cut back military
contacts after the Obama administration
announced in early 2010 major
weapons sales to Taiwan, which
Beijing considers a renegade province.
Chen told a visiting US delegation
last month that those arms sales were
still the biggest obstacle facing military
relations.
His talks with Obama administration
officials and military commanders
are unlikely to yield breakthroughs
but could help warm relations.
“The US has a whole range of proposals
on information and operational
exchanges on the table, and none of
that can take place until the upper
echelons within the military, as well
as the civilian apparatus, agree on
this,” Cheung said.
With 12 per cent of the population paying
taxes and about 30 per cent receiving
welfare benefits, the economy faces longterm
risks from increasing the burden on
taxpayers to finance ever-expanding government
programmes to help the poor.
The combination waste through corruption,
a small tax base and increasing
welfare spending under the ANC and
President Jacob Zuma is not sustainable,
political analysts say.
Stringent labour laws make it difficult
and costly to hire and fire workers. In
addition, organised labour — part of the
governing alliance with the ANC — for
years has won salary increases double or
triple the rate of inflation.
This has kept unemployment at about
25 per cent for years despite consistent
growth since the ANC has been in office.
“I have a diploma in IT but I have been
unable to get a job. So what’s the point?”
asked Alex Harrison, 24, who now sells
second-hand clothes in Alex.
The veteran journalist and political
commentator, Allister Sparks, wrote
in the financial daily Business Day that
South Africans were not getting what they
deserved.
“The Zuma administration is a failure.
Under it the country is sinking into
a morass of corruption, service delivery
failure, wasteful expenditure, incompetence
and general maladministration,”
Sparks wrote.
But military strains could still
flare, especially with a United States
presidential race and leadership transition
in China in 2012 that could
distract decision-makers and make
them less willing to compromise on
disputes.
“Pretending that tensions between
our two militaries can be placed in an
isolation ward and not affect the views
of the top leadership in each country
is wishful thinking,” said David Finkelstein,
director of China Studies
at CNA, which advises Washington
policy-makers on security issues.
“I am confident that officials on
both sides understand that the military
dimensions of US-China relations
are too important to be held
hostage to polls, bloggers and Op-
Eds,” he said.
The United States, and others in
the region, have watched with con-
there was, and is, an underlying bond
between the countries.
The UK is Ireland’s largest trading
partner and for some sectors — fashion,
food and drink — Ireland is Britain’s
largest export market.
One per cent of the British population
classifies themselves as Irish according
to the last census but millions
have an Irish grandparent entitling
them to claim citizenship.
Some of Britain’s best-know
names are Irish; from broadcaster Terry
Wogan to milliner Philip Treacy, a
particular favourite of the Queen. Television
soap operas in Manchester
and London are avidly followed in
Ireland. For British people of Irish
descent, the relationship with the “old
country” can be complicated.
John Lydon, better known as
Johnny Rotten of punk group the Sex
Pistols, remarked in an interview last
year that he still gets abuse for having
an English accent while travelling on
an Irish passport.
Terry Hobdell, who came to Ireland
in 1973 from London and set
up a fencing business, said having an
English accent was never a problem.
By C J Kuncheria
MAMATA Banerjee
has waged a threedecade
long battle
that has catapulted her to the
upper echelons of India’s turbulent
politics, and yesterday,
she cemented her status as a
powerbroker by trumping one
of the world’s last democratically
elected communist governments.
With the thumping election
victory in West Bengal
state, the stronghold of India’s
communists since they took
power there in 1977, Banerjee’s
Trinamool Congress has
become the most important
of Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh’s coalition allies.
By decimating the communists,
Banerjee has removed
one of the loudest dissenting
voices to the Congress partyled
government’s economic
reform efforts.
But her track record of
opposing unpopular, fiscally
necessary measures such as
raising fuel prices or cutting
down subsidies also does not
bode well for Congress.
The diminutive, mercurial
56-year-old whose supporters
call “Big Sister” styles herself
as a woman of the people.
She is unmarried, lives with
her elderly mother and wears
simple cotton saris and rubber
flipflops.
But that matronly appearance
fronts a core of steel
which has pushed Banerjee
into the ranks of India’s powerful
women politicians who
have resonated with an ancient
tradition of revering virginal
mother figures.
Banerjee once dragged
a political opponent by the
collar during a scuffle over
women’s rights in parliament,
forced the relocation of a plant
to build the world’s cheapest
car and had her skull cracked
by communist thugs during
the 1990s.
Her stature as the communists’
most formidable opponent
was confirmed in 2007,
when she took over the leadership
of peasants enraged by
cern as China’s military has extended
its reach in Asia and built up its military
prowess.
In one display of military muscle,
China confirmed it had held its first
test flight of the J-20 stealth fighter
jet during a January visit to Beijing by
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates.
It is also possible China will launch
its first aircraft carrier later this year.
Chinese ships shadowing US vessels
in the South China Sea and Beijing’s
surprise launch of a missile that
destroyed an inactive Chinese satellite
in 2007 have raised worries about
the risk of dangerous missteps, especially
as China’s expanding military
capabilities rub up against US forces
in Asia.
For its part, China sees the heavy
American military presence in Asia,
especially its bases in South Korea
and Japan, as threats to its growing
“You get the odd ‘Plastic Paddy’
thing but that’s amongst people you
know and it’s an in-joke,” said the
65-year-old, whose mother was from
Co.Kerry and whose father was a
fourth-generation London cockney.
“I don’t consider racism the odd
guy on a motorbike calling me an
“English XXX” because I’ve told him
not to drive up against my car.”
During British colonial rule, sport
was divisive. Rugby, soccer and
cricket were dismissed as “garrison
games” and until 1971 the Gaelic
Athletic Association (GAA), which
represents Irish sports, banned its
members from playing them.
In recent times, sport has brought
the countries closer. Proud Irish republicans
happily support English
soccer clubs and the GAA has embraced
the new environment in Northern
Ireland.
In 2001, the association lifted its
ban on members of the British security
forces becoming members and
last month, GAA members helped
carry the coffin of a Catholic policeman
killed by dissident nationalists in
Northern Ireland.
NEWSMAKER
‘Big Sister’ knocks
out communists
the government’s acquisition
of their land for a drive to industrialise
the state.
One of the projects was
Tata’s plan to build a factory
to roll out the Nano, billed as
the world’s cheapest car. The
communists said it would provide
much needed jobs. The
peasants did not agree, and
staged several protests.
The communists’ repression
of these demonstrations
alienated their core supporters,
who moved over to Banerjee
and her slogan of “mother,
land and the people.”
That campaign statement
heightened fears her rule
could be one of anarchy and
policy drift, and her populism
raised doubts about her ability
to develop the moribund state
economy.
She has, however, been
courted by India’s big business:
aides include Hotmail
co-founder Sabeer Bhatia;
Amit Mitra, a veteran of the
Federation of Indian Chambers
of Commerce and Industry
and Kanwar Deep Singh,
the chief of the multibillion
dollar Alchemist Group.
Born into an impoverished
family to a father who was a
teacher, Banerjee cut her teeth
in politics in 1970s Kolkata,
where shotgun-wielding communists
and bomb-lobbing
Maoists were fighting the ruling
Congress government.
Mamata rose swiftly
through the ranks of the Congress’
youth brigade. In the
1984 general elections, she
defeated a veteran communist
leader in his local borough
and in 1991 became a federal
junior minister.
China and US grapple with military distrust
influence and interests.
However, both also see the need to
communicate better.
“This military relationship is taking
on more importance, not only
because as China’s military develops
so do the chances of mistrust, but
also because co-operation in problem
spots like Libya, Afghanistan and
Pakistan cannot develop without it,”
said Peking University professor Zhu
Feng.
Apart from meeting top US civilian
and military leaders, including
Gates, Chen will visit key military
sites, something a Chinese official
praised ahead of the visit.
“The US side has made considerate
arrangements. Some sites have
not accepted visiting military leaders
for years,” the state-run China Daily
quoted Defence Ministry official
Huang Xueping as saying.

13 REGION
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
PROTESTERS with their fingers painted with the Syrian flag demonstrate yesterday in front of the Syrian consulate in Istanbul. — AFP
Thousands protest in Syria
AMMAN — Thousands of
Syrians demonstrated after
weekly prayers yesterday,
activists and witnesses
said, keeping up a two-monthold
campaign of calls for
reforms, despite government
action that has killed hundreds.
With independent journalists
barred from the country,
it was not possible to assess
accurately the numbers taking
part nor to compare them to
previous weekly rallies against
40 years of Baathist rule by
President Bashar al Assad and
his late father.
Initial reports reaching correspondents
abroad indicated
that a heavy military presence
failed to deter many protesters,
despite military assaults
on some towns which Assad
aides said last week had turned
the tide against the disparate
opposition.
There were no immediate
reports of violence and bloodshed.
Following mounting international
diplomatic pressure,
the government, which has
blamed the unrest on armed
radicals, appeared to have ordered
its forces to stand back
— one rights campaigner said
he had been told by an aide to
the president that he ordered
troops and police not to fire on
demonstrators.
Assad has lifted a 48-year
state of emergency in the
country but also sent tanks to
several cities to suppress the
protests.
Witnesses said there were
protests in Damascus, in a
suburb of the capital and the
city of Hama. A Kurdish opposition
figure said thousands
also marched in three towns in
eastern Syria.
“I am moving among a
huge crowd... They are coming
from every direction,” said
Libya dissidents
seek funds
TRIPOLI/WASHINGTON —
Libyan dissidents will meet
senior White House officials
in Washington today to seek
cash and diplomatic legitimacy
in their battle to topple
Muammar Gaddafi.
The United States, Britain
and France say they will
maintain their Nato-led air
campaign until Gaddafi is
forced from power but the
dissidents say they also need
cash to hold their besieged
positions on the ground.
Libyan state television
said a Nato strike on the eastern
city of Brega yesterday
killed at least 16 civilians and
wounded up to 40. It showed
footage of at least nine bodies
with multiple wounds,
wrapped in blankets at an unknown
location.
It was not immediately
possible to confirm the report.
Dissidents fighting the
Libyan leader’s army for almost
three months control
Benghazi and the east of the
country, while Gaddafi’s
forces are entrenched in the
capital Tripoli and nearly all
of the west.
The dissidents have made
a plea for Washington to free
up some $180 million in frozen
Gaddafi assets to fund
their campaign.
The Washington meeting
comes a day after the council’s
chairman Mustafa Abdel
Jalil met British Prime
Minister David Cameron in
London, securing a promise
of more aid.
“To those who stand behind
Gaddafi they must know
his regime is ending. There
is no place for Muammar
Gaddafi in Libya’s future,”
Jalil told Al Arabiya in comments
yesterday, promising
amnesty to anyone who defects
from Gaddafi’s side.
Russia, which is critical
of the Nato mission, called
yesterday for talks between
the dissidents and the Libyan
government.
Moscow also said it was
up to the UN Security Council
to decide how to distribute
Gaddafi’s frozen assets, and
argued that the funds should
not be used to arm either
side.
The dissidents say they
need funds urgently to pay
salaries and run the areas
under their control, and want
international legitimacy to allow
them access to the frozen
assets.
Food, fuel and medical
equipment are in short supply
in the dissident-controlled
Western Mountains region,
where the main delivery route
is under threat from Gaddafi
forces.
Doctors have been forced
to open makeshift medical
theatres and say they are struggling
to treat the wounded
Nato forces bombed Gaddafi’s
compound on Thursday,
and dissidents say Nato air
strikes helped them secure
a major victory last week in
seizing the airport in the besieged
city of Misrata, their
only major stronghold in the
west.
Libyan television showed
footage of Gaddafi last week
ending doubt about his fate.
He had not been seen in public
for nearly two weeks following
an air strike that killed
his youngest son.
Tripoli says most Libyans
support Gaddafi. It calls the
dissidents armed criminals
and Al Qaeda militants and
says Nato’s intervention is an
act of colonial aggression.
Libyan officials showed
reporters the scene of Thursday’s
overnight Nato air strike
on the compound and said
three people were killed and
25 wounded. — Reuters
a witness in Hama, 270 km
north of Damascus, as demonstrators
converged on a city
square. He said security forces
backed off from confronting
the crowd.
It was not possible to put a
clear figure on the numbers.
In the Damascus district
of Barzeh and in the suburb
of Saqba, witnesses said protesters
chanted “We want the
overthrow of the regime”, the
slogan of the Arab uprisings
which toppled leaders in Egypt
and Tunisia earlier this year.
The main weekly prayers
are a rallying point for protesters
because they offer the
only opportunity for large
gatherings. Fridays have seen
the heaviest death tolls in the
wave of unrest in which rights
groups say 600 to 800 people
have been killed.
Rights campaigner Louay
Hussein said that Assad’s adviser
Bouthaina Shaaban told
him on Thursday that “definitive
presidential orders
have been issued not to shoot
demonstrators and whoever
violates this bears full responsibility”.
Shaaban made a similar
statement when protests
started in March. Authorities
have since blamed most of the
violence on “armed terrorist
groups” backed by radicals
and foreign agitators.
The Geneva-based International
Commission of Jurists
said troops have killed 700
people, rounded up thousands
and indiscriminately shelled
towns during the protests. The
government says about 100
troops and police have been
killed.
Foreign journalists have
been barred from the country,
making independent accounts
difficult to obtain.
In nearly two months of
unrest, protests and bloodshed
have spread across southern
towns, cities on the Mediterranean
coast, Damascus suburbs
and the central city of Homs.
But the two main cities of Damascus
and Aleppo have remained
relatively quiet.
Syrian forces spread
through southern towns on
Thursday and tightened their
grip on two other cities, broadening
a crackdown before the
weekly prayers.
Rights groups have criticised
Washington and its European
allies for a tepid response
to the violence in Syria, in contrast
with Libya where they are
carrying out a bombing campaign
they say will not end until
leader Muammar Gaddafi is
driven from power.
The United States and Europe
have imposed economic
sanctions on senior Syrian officials
but not on Assad himself.
Western powers say they
could take further steps.
“President Assad faces increasing
isolation and we will
continue to work with our international
partners in the EU
and elsewhere on additional
steps to hold Syria accountable
for its gross human rights
abuses,” US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton said on Thursday.
But Russia’s Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov appeared
to warn against any international
intervention.
Efforts to end the violence
in Syria were complicated by
“the desire of some participants
in these processes to attract
external forces to support
their actions”, Interfax quoted
him as saying.
The United Nations human
rights office said the death toll
may be as high as 850 and
urged the government “to exercise
restraint, to cease use of
force and mass arrests to silence
opponents”. — Reuters
LIBYAN men inspect a destroyed car after a rocket belonging to forces loyal to Gaddafi struck nearby in the
eastern city of Ajdabiya, between the dissident-held east and the mainly government-held west. — AFP
Saleh rejects calls for quick transition
SANAA — Yemeni President Ali
Abdullah Saleh vowed yesterday to stay
on and defend his people “by all means”
after the US insisted he agree to a transition
plan “now” and end months of political
violence.
“We will defend ourselves with all our
forces and by all means,” he told large
crowds of loyalists in the capital where
tens of thousands of opposition activists
also rallied to demand his immediate
ouster.
Saleh made no direct reference to the
United States, but the remarks came a
day after Washington asked him to sign
“now” a Gulf-brokered transition plan
that would see him out of power within
a month.
“We will not remain passive in the face
of law-breakers,” Saleh said warning the
opposition to “stop playing with fire.”
Loyalists carried huge portraits of
Saleh, who has ruled in Sanaa since 1978.
“People want Saleh, People want Saleh,”
chanted supporters. Banners read: “Army
is with you.”
His ritual Friday speech came as suspected
Al Qaeda men ambushed a military
vehicle and killed all five troops on-board
in the province of Marib, east of Sanaa, a
security official said.
In the capital, security forces massed
ahead of the rival demonstrations for
and against Saleh, witnesses said, adding
that there were no immediate reports of
clashes.
Heavily armed Republican Guards and
military vehicles were seen reinforcing
troops already guarding the presidential
palace, radio station and other key state
buildings in Sanaa, an AFP correspondent
said.
Opposition activists dedicated the
protests as a show of solidarity with the
people of Saada in the north, where Zaidi
dissidents are based, while Saleh’s supporters
marked yesterday as a “Day of
Unity.”
Pro-opposition troops led by dissident
General Ali Mohsen al Ahmar tightened a
cordon around University Square, dubbed
“Change Square,” to protect protesters
from any attack by Saleh loyalists, witnesses
said.
Tension escalated after a heavy crackdown
since Wednesday when a total of 19
people were killed by troops and gunmen
loyal to Saleh in several parts of the country,
including the city of Taez, Yemen’s
second largest.
On Thursday night, Ahmar issued a
statement condemning the repression and
called on government troops to disobey
orders and refrain from firing on protesters.
The escalation of political violence
came after the GCC urged all sides in
Yemen to sign a transition plan aimed at
ending the bloodshed.
Saleh has stalled by refusing to sign
in his capacity as president, insisting on
endorsing the agreement only as leader
of the ruling General People’s Congress,
contrary to the demands of the opposition.
He says that under the constitution he
should serve out his current term of office,
which expires in 2013. — AFP
Egypt revolt film
at Cannes stirs
anger at home
CANNES, France — A film about the Egyptian revolution to
be shown at the Cannes festival has stirred anger at home for
being partly filmed by directors perceived as having propped
up Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
The film, 18 Days, covers the events that led up to Mubarak’s
fall in February after more than 30 years in power and
is to be shown by Pacha Pictures on a special festival day honouring
Egypt on May 18.
Two of the 10 directors involved in the shorts compilation,
Marwan Hamed and Sherif Arafa, are accused of having made
adverts for Mubarak’s National Democratic Party, and an online
petition is demanding they not to go to Cannes.
Egypt’s Ambassador to France, Nasser Kamel, has also decided
not to attend the event, citing other engagements, after
he was accused of having backed a violent police crackdown
on the popular revolt that began on January 25.
But at Cannes itself, Egyptian film star Khaled Abol Naga
— who is a shareholder in Pacha Pictures and was also a demonstrator
in Cairo’s protest epicentre of Tahrir Square — says
the mood should be for reconciliation.
“I’m aware of the controversy. I understand it completely
and I signed the petition,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we
don’t attend. I’m totally against blacklists or whitelists.”
The Cannes festival hopes to make the honouring of a
country a tradition each year, and a spokeswoman refused to
be drawn into the controversy.
“It’s not up to the festival to decide who’s part of the Egyptian
revolution,” she said.
While the revolt achieved its aim of toppling Mubarak,
the military retains its absolute and unelected power in Egypt.
Many key figures of the former regime are in the dock, but
others face trial by public opinion.
Some show-business personalities are being targeted in
Egypt for having spoken out against the protests as they raged
and for having defended the regime. Many say they are ready
to turn the page and call for reconciliation, provided they apologise.
“Of course some apologies from some actors have to happen,
because some actors went really extreme,” said Abol
Naga. “Take Samah Anwar, she does talk shows and radios,
she basically asked for Tahrir Square to be burned.
“It’s probably a figure of speech, she didn’t mean it literally,
but it hurt a lot of people in Tahrir Square, I was one of
them.
“But Egyptians are very kind, they’ll totally forget and go
to movies and love the actors no matter what.”
Abol Naga’s partner at Pacha Pictures, Frenchman Frederic
Sichler, is more forthright about the value of his company’s
film, which has not yet been seen in public.
“Pacha is a professional company, we’re not involved in
politics. Do I think that in those films some of the best talents
from Egypt are there? Yes,” said Sichler, who has been in the
entertainment industry for decades.
“There is no controversy. Did (Nikita) Mikhalkov work under
the Soviet system and work after? Of course, and he’s one
of the greatest film-makers,” said Sichler, who lived in Cairo
for three years ahead of the revolution.
“Unless you can show me a film directed by one of the guys
who has participated in 18 Days who has shown something
in his films which is really shocking from a moral point of
view, which is not the case, we are not in a position to judge
anything.” — AFP
UN: 10 pc fatality
for sea migrants
GENEVA — One in 10 migrants fleeing conflict in Libya by
sea is likely to drown or die from hunger and exhaustion in appalling
conditions during the crossing, the UN refugee agency
said yesterday.
Around 12,000 migrants have arrived at reception centres
in Malta and Italy. An estimated 1,200 are missing and presumed
dead, adding a further human tragedy to the thousands
killed in three months of fighting to topple leader Muammar
Gaddafi.
“It is estimated they have got a one in 10 chance of perishing
during that journey” across the Mediterranean, Melissa
Fleming, chief spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR), told a Geneva news briefing.
In a UNHCR camp in Tunisia, agency workers interviewed
three Ethiopian men who said they were among nine survivors
from a boat that left Tripoli on March 25 carrying 72 people.
The boat is believed to be one that was the subject of a British
newspaper report, which prompted Nato to say on Monday
it was investigating the claim it had not gone to the aid of a
vessel even though it had made contact with a Nato warship.
One of the Ethiopians interviewed said the boat ran out of
fuel, water and food, then drifted for more than two weeks before
reaching a beach back in Libya.
Military vessels had twice passed the 12-metre-long boat,
crowded to the point there was barely standing room, without
stopping, he said.
The first boat refused a request to board and the second just
took photos, although he could not say where the vessels had
come from.
“According to the refugees, when water ran out people
drank sea water and their own urine. They ate toothpaste. One
by one people started to die,” Fleming said, adding that after
waiting a day or so, they decided they had to drop the bodies
into the sea.
The boat was among many believed to have left Libya
without a captain, leaving the migrants to do the navigation
themselves.
“I have heard accounts that perhaps there has been a captain
for the first 100 metres or so and then a small boat will
take the captain back to shore. They provide the passengers
with a compass and say ‘Lampedusa is in that direction. Best
of luck’,” said Fleming, referring to the small southern Italian
island where many refugees have headed.
It eventually reached shore on a beach near Zliten, between
Tripoli and the Tunisian border where one woman died on the
beach from exhaustion.
Ten surviving men walked to the town of Zliten, where they
were arrested, taken to a hospital and then a prison, where another
survivor died.
They were released from jail after Ethiopian friends in
Tripoli paid the prison $900. The survivors said they had also
paid the smugglers $800 to make the journey that cost so many
their lives.
Some 750,000 people have fled Libya over land to neighbouring
Egypt and Tunisia, which have borne the brunt of the
crisis, according to the UNHCR. — Reuters

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CLASSIFIED SECTION:
OMAN DAILY Observer SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
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Bachelor of Engineering
(BE) in Electronics &
Communications, 2 yrs
Indian experience as
Network
Telecommunication &
Automation Engineer.
Good knowledge on hand
for MCSE, CCNA, CCNP
& CISCO certified.
Seeking suitable placement
as instrumentation BMS
ELV Engineer or
Telecommunication
Engineer. Presently on visit
visa. Contact: 97113052.
Email: mannan_fru@
yahoo.co.in
CCOM. WA WANTED
REQUIRED 1 bedroom
+ hall flat, Wattayah /
Darsait area for family.
99258086.
ACCOUNTANT, Indian
male, 31 yrs, B Com, 10
yrs experience seeks
suitable placement.
97241887. E-mail:
rennymonjoseph@yahoo.
com
INDIAN male, AutoCad
Draughtsman (aluminium
and steel fabrication), 4
years experience in Oman,
seeks suitable placement.
Contact: 98997587.
INDIAN male, graduate,
holder of FIATA/DGR
foundation with 5 years
experience in shipping /
logistic operations, seeks
suitable placement
99284879
saviorodrigues2002@
yahoocom.
INDIAN female, MSc
computer science, more
than 3 years experience
as teacher, on family
visa, seeks placement
92124644.
INDIAN male, 27 years,
having 5 years experience
in Oman in sales, holding
valid Omani driving
licence, seeks suitable
placement. Contact:
95692459.
INDIAN female secretary,
graduate, having 6 yrs
experience in a reputed
company in Oman, seeks
suitable placement.
Contact:
99652943.
MBA (Operations) + B
Tech in Mechanical
Engineering with nearly
two years of corporate
experience in India seeks
suitable placement.
Tharheeb 92834634,
e-mail: tharheeb@gmail.
com
INDIAN female, MSc
computer science, more
than 3 years experience
as teacher, on family
visa, seeks placement
92124644.
WELL experienced in
travel & tourism trade
seeks senior position
in reputed companies,
local release available.
95451372.
B
UYING CA CARS
WE are buying buy cars
in cash. Contact Con
95921203.
Sulaiman Awlad Thani: 95181747
Ali al Maashari: 99639264
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
S
14
ERVICES
SERVICES
HOOPOE Smartcard
Services near Gulf
Transport Co, Ruwi.
Typing of all Labour
Agreements for Omanis
& expatriates & all
documents related to
Ministry of Manpower,
Immigration & ROP.
24793331, Ruwi.
GSM: 95959838.
Al Fahad Translation
Services
Near Gulf Transport
Co, Ruwi, Translation
of all kinds of
documents.
24794286 Ruwi,
GSM: 99231500
Landrail Smartcard
Services
Dohat Al Adab Street
Near Used Car
Showroom
Typing of all Labour
Agreements for Omanis
& Expatriates &
All documents related
to Ministry
of Manpower,
Immigration, ROP etc
24487759, Al
Khuwair, GSM:
96777170
Landrail Trading &
Services Co.
Near Gulf Transport
Co, Ruwi
Typing of all Labour
Agreements for Omanis
& Expatriates & All
documents related to
Ministry of Manpower,
Immigration, ROP etc.
24789117,
Fax: 24780244
GSM: 99231500
Website: www.
brightplanettrading.
com, E-mail:
bptland@gmail.
com/salim@
brightplanettrading.
com
G
UEST HO HOUSE
MURAHIB
HOTEL
APARTMENTS
APARTME
welcome our
valuable GUESTS
to our excellent
location,
AL KHUWAIR,
near AL ZAWAWI
MOSQUE, a single
bedroom, a bedroom
& majlis, two
bedrooms & majlis
24478087,
Fax: 24482454.
QURUM BEACH
HOTEL. 24564070.
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
P.C.O. (PEST
CONTROL OMAN
CO. LLC)
Professionals who
specialise in all types
of Pest Control
Services & Snake
control and
Guaranteed Termite
Control. Also
available Gel
treatment for
Cockroaches.
Suppliers of UK
Pesticides Chemicals,
Snake Repellent,
Cockroach Gels and
Peripel treated
Mosquito Nets.
24787606,
24787503,
Fax: 24787607.
TRANSFER and
installation of
furniture with
packaging.
92118538
MARBLE
CRYSTALLISATION,
restore the original shine
of your marble
24792998/99314807.
MAINTENANCE:
1. AC, fridge & washing
machine servicing &
repairing. 2. Painting,
plumbing, electrical
& carpentry works
97014234, 24504281
MARBLE polishing and
crystallisation building,
cleaning floor, floor
polishing, carpet, sofa
shampooing, pest
control, anti-termite,
shifting, maintenance.
99504275.
CARPET, sofa
shampooing,
GUARANTEED
CLEANING
24793614/99314807
OST
DIRECT: 24649594 - FAX : 24649590
e-mail: classified@omandaily.om
AFAQ WADI AL-MA’AWIL LLC
CRANE (35 - 80 Ton)
DOZER
LOAD/ALL
GRADER
EXCAVATOR
BACK HOE/LOADER
FUEL TANKER
SEWAGE TANKER
WATER TANKER
Available on very GOOD prices
HP DJ1000 InkJet Printer
RO 12.500 only
HP F1050 3 in 1 Printer
RO 12.600 only
HP OJ3680 5 in 1 Printer
RO 21.800 only
Samsung ML 1660 Laser Printer
RO 19.900 only
AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung
Cartridges also available.
COMPUTER SUPPLIES
Ruwi: 24 792-792
Sohar: 2684 2420
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
CONTACT: 99310448 /99333506 /24505994
FAX: 24504023. E-mail: afaqwadi@yahoo.com
L
GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!!
MOHAMMED Hassan
Karoki has lost Pakistani
passport No DG
6807841. Finder please
handover to ROP.
al-haditha
centre
for vehicles repairing
G
F
OOD NEWS NEW
FREE FRE
INFORMATION
INFORMA
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
OR SALE
SECONDHAND clinical
equipment for sale.
Sonography, Dental
chair, hormone machine
etc. Contact
99580327.
INDUSTRIAL land
1,400 sq m in Madam Al
Roudha, Dubai.
99323957, 95490842.
JCB Breaker (only
breaker) — 3 Nos.
4000IG Fuel tanker - 1
No. 99310448.
NEW &
REFURBISHED
PORTA-CABINS.
Srinivas 99460340.
F
C
OR RENT/S RENT/SALE/INVT
ARGO
CARGO for
Zanzibar, DDar-Es-
Salaam & Mombasa.
Maritime Shipping
Agency. Contact
24834850/
99323513.
CARGO transfer with
attractive price to all
areas in the Sultanate
and outside of Oman
(by truck). Contact:
00968/99171758.
CLASSIFIEDS
Continued on P-15
F
O
R
H
I
R
E
High quality maintenance and repairing for
all kinds of light and heavy vehicles
(A certified workshop from ROP, Grade A)
INDUSTRIAL and
commercial land at Al
Maabela, Rusayl,
Barka, Al Amerat and
Quriyat. 95113217,
95490842, 99323957,
24453352.
D
Telephone: 24595951, 95306257.
RIVING SSCHOOL
MORNING STAR
DRIVING SCHOOL S
— LLearn ddriving i
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

Top court bans ‘toxic’ pesticide
NEW DELHI — India’s top
court yesterday temporarily
banned use of the pesticide
endosulfan, which the government
has resisted blacklisting
despite curbs imposed in 60
other countries over health
concerns.
India is the world’s biggest
producer and user of
the controversial chemical
that is sprayed on crops from
cocoa, rice to cotton even
though it has been linked
to birth deformities and illnesses
in farmers and their
families.
The Supreme Court bench,
headed by Chief Justice S H
Kapadia, declared it was “the
risk that is bothering us” before
imposing the eight-week
ban and asking the government
to produce a report on
the chemical.
“Even if one child suffers
we do not want it on our heads.
S
B TECH/MB TECH/MBA / —
Marketing wi with 2 years
experience in
Sales and
Marketing, now working
as senior executive
manager in a leading
MNC in India, on visit
visa, seeks suitable
placement.
95468038. E-mail:
beffin@gmail.com
DIPLOMA in Civil
Engineering, 8 years
experience in Qatar and
Sharjah, now working in
Oman, seeks suitable
placement. E-mail:
sajusandeep30@gmail.
com. 94063819.
15 YEARS of experience
in sales and marketing
management in UAE &
Oman looking for
suitable placement.
95790059.
INDIAN male, 32 yrs B
Com, 5.5 yrs exp as an
accountant in Oman seeks
suitable placement,
knowing Tally, ERP.9,
Tally 6.3 & Focus.
Contact: 92568253.
That is why we are imposing
an all-India ban on the use and
production of endosulfan,”
the bench said. Opposition to
use of the chemical in India
has been strongest in Kerala
where studies suggest one
sprayed area, Kasargod, has
experienced unusually high
levels of severe sicknesses
and birth deformities.
Cashew plantations were
aerially sprayed with the
chemical during the 1980s and
1990s, but use of the chemical
in Kerala is now banned.
The Kerala government
says several hundred people
died from problems related
to the spraying and has paid
compensation to their families.
“It’s a very dangerous
chemical, it causes birth deformities,
neurological problems,
and has an impact on
the reproductive system,” said
INDIAN male 38 yrs, BA,
MBA, 15 yrs experience in
Logistics, Import, Export
and Supply chain, 13 yrs
with leading automobile co
in Oman, with D/L.
98962891.
INDIAN female, M Phil
(Eng), MA (Eng), B Ed,
dip in TESOL, B Sc, 11
years of English teaching
experience, seeks suitable
teaching, editing or
relevant job. Contact:
92245591, 96042978.
MALE, 26 years,
Bachelor of Management
(Western educated), 3
years+ administrative
experience. Tech savvy.
Good knowledge of MS
Office applications. Seeks
immediate placement.
Contact: 98569053.
PAKISTANI diploma
Mechanical Engineer
having experience more
than 39 years in Oil & Gas
Industry as company Man/
Rig Manager and special
services. Contact:
92022127, on visit visa.
Chandra Bhushan, deputy director
of the New-Delhi based
Centre for Science and Environment,
a non-governmental
organisation.
“The producers of
endosulfan have been unwilling
to admit its dangers
and the government has been
complicit,” he said. “It’s a big
business.”
Representatives of 127
governments meeting in Geneva
last month agreed to
add the pesticide, which is
also produced by China, to
the UN’s list of pollutants and
said it should be eliminated
worldwide by 2012.
India, which supplies at
least 70 per cent of endosulfan
globally, initially lobbied
strongly against a global ban.
But it gave in after winning
concessions for an 11-year
phase-out period to give scientists
and farmers time to
BE, MBA (HR),
PGDBM, Indian female,
3 yrs experience in HR &
administration, well versed
with Oman HR practice,
Oman labour laws, good
interpersonal skills,
proficient in MS Office.
Contact:
992474376.
A FEMALE, Bachelor
of English Literature is
looking for a suitable
teaching job in one of
private colleges. Contact:
96456688.
INDIAN male 25 years on
visit visa having Master
of Science degree in
petroleum engineering
from University of New
South Wales Australia.
Possessing good subject
knowledge in Reservoir/
production operations,
seeks placement in Oman.
95701429. yahoo.com
MBA Finance, LLB,
Indian male, 5 years
experience as finance &
admin manager with
Omani D/L, seeks suitable
placement. 92105416.
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
15
INDIA/CLASSIFIEDS
OMAN DAILY Observer
find alternative pesticides and
allow its industry to adjust to
the ban.
India had argued
endosulfan, developed in the
1950s, provided “a much
needed cost-effective crop
protection tool.”
Endosulfan sells for around
Rs 270 a litre while alternatives
would cost the farmers at
least 10 times more, according
to the Pesticides Manufacturers
and Formulators’ Association
of India.
Farmers’ groups reacted
angrily to the court’s move.
“Endosulfan is an important
affordable insecticide used by
over 75 million farmers,” said
P Chengal Reddy, secretary
general of the Consortium of
Indian Farmers Associations,
alleging the chemical was
the “victim of a vicious campaign”
by environmental activists.
— AFP
INDIAN Engineer,
BE (Civil), working as
Senior Manager, having
20 years experience in
Oman, seeks suitable
placement. Contact:
98839709.
QUALIFIED Finance
Manager with almost
10 years experience
in manufacturing,
contracting and trading
companies, looking for
an immediate placement.
Contact: 96341326.
INDIAN executive having
15 yrs of experience in
sales and marketing of
various products, having
driving licence and
release is looking for a
suitable position. Presently
working for a food stuff
company and I can shoulder
bigger responsibility
and give positive results.
97905735.
INDIAN male, currently
on visit visa, B Com
having experience in
logistics, accounts,
looking for account/office
related jobs.. Contact:
96434197.
INDIAN female, B Com,
15 years experience as
chief accountant in Oman,
4 years as accountant
in India, Experience in
finance, tax and accounts
upto finalisation. Having
valid Oman D/L. Contact:
92107410.
CHARTERED accountant,
Indian male with nine
years of experience from
business sourcing to core
accounting & auditing.
Contact: gvdsmehta@
yahoo.co.in
INDIAN female, computer
Engg, looking for suitable
job in admin, HR, IT, back
office, 2 yrs exp as quality
analyst. Contact:
92597626.
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
ITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED
FEMALE graduate
accountant, 6 years
experience in Oman
92298263, 99367695
PRIME Minister Manmohan Singh with Afghanistan’s former president and
chairman of the Independent High Council for Peace Burhanuddin Rabani
during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Kabul yesterday. — Reuters
INDIAN male, BA
graduate, having 19 years
experience (3 years in
Oman) as commercial exe/
secretary/exp & import
documentation/storekeeper,
seeks suitable
position. Contact:
98178614.
MCA, 9 years experience,
Oracle 9i/10g, PL/SQL,
Forms, Reports, Java,
seeks suitable placement.
99564639.
B.TECH Electronics &
Instrumentation, 6 yrs
experience in technical
sales, 2.5 yrs Oman exp,
valid Omani D/L, seeks
suitable placement.
Contact: 92473638.
ACCOUNTANT, Indian
(M), 15 years experience
in finance/accounts
(finalisation/Admin/HR in
India, UAE, Africa, Oman
(currently) in contracting/
manufacturing/
consultancy, seeks
immediate placement.
Contact 97655759.
B Tech Electrical
engineer seeking suitable
job. 94005950.
ACCOUNTANT, Indian
male, BCom, 12 yrs exp
in accounting/finance upto
finalisation, 6 yrs in
Oman, well versed with
Tally, ERP 9, MS Office,
Excel, release available.
Contact: 99622639.
INDIAN male, BCA
graduate with MCSF &
CCNA courses and 2 years
experience in US based
web hosting company
in India, seeks suitable
placement.
92758127
QUALIFIED Finance
Manger with almost
10 years experience
in contracting,
manufacturing and trading
companies looking for
an immediate placement.
Contact: 96341326.
INDIAN female,
computer Engineer
(BTech) looking for
suitable job in IT, back
office, admin, HR, project
co-ordination PHP
experience, 2 yrs
experience as Quality
Analyst.
92597626, 99381420.
OMANI seeks a position
in a leading company.
Admin/HR & other
experiences.
96658377. asaleel@
hotmail.com
CHARTERED
Accountant, Indian
female, with more than
4 years experience of
Banking (Nationalised
Bank), finance, audit,
accounts and reports of
financial statements, MIS,
is looking for a suitable
placement. Currently in
Oman. 97849892,
99877305 e-mail:
unigenre@yahoo.com
INDIAN male, MCom
with 5 yrs experience as
an Accountant (2 years
in Oman), seeks suitable
placement. Contact:
92841209. e-mail:
sanishkumar@gmail.com
PAKISTANI male, B Com,
MS Office, telecommunication
experience in call
centre, working currently.
Looking for suitable
placement in marketing,
accounts, sales, administrative
departments.
93223577.
YOUNG, dynamic
Sudanese female graduate
in BSc Business with 2½
years experience in USA
and Oman, seeks job in
admin, HR, Business
Development. Release
available. 98591626.
CHARTERED
Accountant having 19
years experience
including 11 years in
GCC, looking for a
suitable position. Contact:
95215241
ZAJEL weekly magazine evry saturday along with OMAN DAILY
for advertising contact
Mobile 96224397 95181747
Tel 24649593 Fax 24649590 Email zajeloman@yahoocom
20 YEARS Oman
experienced male,
who is able to introduce
full fledged accounting
procedures and system &
could manage the day to
day affairs of the
whole accounts
department &
administration, seeking
for a suitable placement,
part-time or full-time
97221993.
LOGISTICS, Indian male
with 20 yrs experience (6
years in Oman), seeks parttime
any official job in
Thumrait area. Contact:
95853146 (3 pm onwards).
B TECH/MBA —
Finance (29) presently
working in Industrial
Finance division of a
leading nationalised
bank in India is looking
for a suitable post.
Knowledge of Peoplesoft
8.9 implementation,
C,C++, oracle9i, SQR etc.
Contact: 98416190.
INDIAN female software
engineer with S/W testing
knowledge and proficiency
in technical support
with IBM experience.
Seeks suitable placement.
Contact 99814320
e-mail: romy_reynold@
yahoo.co.in
IRAQI Civil Engineer
with 10 years experience
(4 years in Oman) with
masters degree in civil
engineering.
95612180.
CLASSIFIED
SECTION
RUWI:
24785668
Sulaiman Awlad
Thani: 95181747
Ali al Maashari:
99639264
Saada:
95919344
Airlines
quizzed on
fare hike
NEW DELHI — The Competition
Commission of
India (CCI) yesterday met
representatives of private airlines
seeking an explanation
for the sudden hike in fares
during the 10-day strike by
Air India pilots which ended
earlier this month, an official
said.
“Our officers have met
the private airline officials.
Notices were issued to them
on Tuesday to explain why
the sudden price surges
took place when Air India’s
domestic operations were
disturbed,” a senior official
with the competition watchdog
said. Private airlines
were alleged to have hiked
their fares to cash in on the
strike. — IANS
MBA Finance, 11 years
experience (Financial
statements, inventory,
budgeting, payroll,
Oracle 11i) Now on
family visa, looking for a
suitable placement.
96364241.
INDIAN driver, having
valid Oman driving
licence, 5+years GCC
experience, seeks suitable
placement. Contact
93054924.
INDIAN male, M.Com/
MBA (finance), 32 years,
experience of 4 years in
Gulf/India as accountant,
administrator on
visit visa. Contact
95309741,
92880150. e-mail:
psnair1808@gmail.com
U
AL Hikmani
for
HAJ and and UM UMRAH
— With a host of
services including
the following: Hiring
luxurious coaches,
arranging weekly trips,
preparing visas for
expats at cost-effective
price, including
transport, housing,
meals and visits to
shrine locations. Land
and air trips weekly.
(99311310, 24566016,
99361982, 99707248,
99322124.
F
MRAH/HAJ
MRAH/HA
OR INVES INVESTMENT
AVAILABLE industrial/
commercial in
Ghala,
Wattayah, Wattayah Al AAmerat,
Al
Masafah, Al Rumaiz, Al
Thraf in Sohar. For Rental/
Business Investment. Front
road facility available.
99612010.
AVAILABLE industrial/
commercial land in
Ghala, Wattayah, Al
Amerat, Al Masafah, Al
Rumaiz, Al Thraf in
Sohar. For Rental/
Business investment.
Front road facility
available. 99612010

FLIGHT LIGHT SSCHEDULE
CHEDULE
ARRIVALS — SATURDAY
Flight No Aircraft From/Via STA
WY672 A330 Jeddah 0005
WY648 B737-8 Kuwait 0005
TK858 B737-8 Istanbul 0130
BG021 DC10 Dacca 0135
PK259 B737-4 Islamabad 0200
QR170 A320 Doha 0335
EK866 A330 Dubai 0355
WY662 B737-8 Doha 0400
MS930 B737-8 Cairo 0400
EY384 A320 Abu Dhabi 0400
GF560 A319 Bahrain 0420
WY602 B737-7 Dubai-Abu Dhabi 0610
WY122 A330 Munich 0630
WY114 A330 Frankfurt 0645
WY322 B737-8 Karachi 0655
WY652 B737-8 Bahrain 0700
FZ043 B737-8 Dubai 0725
WY202 B737-8 Bombay 0750
WY902 B737-8 Salalah 0830
WY262 B737-8 Lucknow 0900
WY102 A330 London Heathrow 0905
WY232 B737-7 Hyderabad 0905
WY282 B737-8 Bangalore 0925
EK862 A330 Dubai 0930
WY242 B737-8 Delhi 0930
WY292 B737-8 Calicut 0930
EY382 A320 Abu Dhabi 0955
QR166 A320 Doha 0955
G9119 A320 Sharjah 1000
PK191 ATR42 Turbat-Gwadur 1045
9W530 B737-8 Trivandrum 1045
WY604 B737-8 Dubai 1055
IX815 B737-8 Mangalore 1100
IX543 B737-8 Trivandrum-Cochin 1115
WY918 ATR42 Khasab 1145
WY3302 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1230
GF562 A319 Bahrain 1235
IX337 B737-8 Calicut 1305
WY906 B737-8 Salalah 1505
WY606 B737-8 Dubai-Abu Dhabi 1505
WY204 B737-7 Bombay 1645
WY328 B737-8 Islamabad 1715
FZ045 B737-8 Dubai 1725
WY3304 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1730
GF564 A320 Bahrain 1745
WY608 B737-8 Dubai 1750
WY664 B737-8 Bahrain 1800
WY214 B737-8 Trivandrum 1805
WY224 B737-8 Cochin 1815
KQ316 B737-8 Nairobi 1850
G9117 A320 Sharjah 1855
WY3906 B737-8 Salalah 1925
WY254 B737-8 Madras 1955
WY908 B737-8 Salalah 2000
WY610 B737-7 Dubai 2045
IC885 A320 Delhi 2125
BA073 B777 London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi 2140
IC923 A319 Madras 2200
GF566 A320 Bahrain 2210
WY628 ATR42 Ras Al Khaima 2210
WY681 A330 Mali-Colombo 2215
WY624 B737-7 Al Ain 2220
WY682 B737-8 Riyadh 2225
WY402 B737-8 Cairo 2230
EY388 A320 Abu Dhabi 2235
LX242 A330 Zurich-Dubai 2235
QR168 A320 Doha 2235
WY636 B737-8 Abu Dhabi 2305
WY656 B737-8 Bahrain 2305
WY666 B737-8 Doha 2305
IC685 A319 Ahmedabad-Bombay 2310
9W534 B737-8 Cochin 2330
WY910 B737-8 Salalah 2335
WY612 B737-8 Dubai 2335
9W540 B737-8 Bombay 2340
WY702 B737-8 Daresslam 2355
QUOTATION FOR TODAY
Generosity is not giving me that which I need
more than you do, but it is giving me that which
you need more than I do.
— Khalil Gibran
Generosity is nothing else than a craze to
possess. All which I abandon, all which I give, I
enjoy in a higher manner through the fact that I
give it away. To give is to enjoy possessively the
object which one gives.
— Jean-Paul Sartre
CINEMA
FILM INFORMATION
AL BAHJA CINEMA:
24540856, 24540855.
AL NASR CINEMA:
24831358, 24831809 (after 3pm)
AL SHATTI PLAZA:
24607360, 24692656 (after 2pm)
STARS CINEMA:
24791641, 24792360
MAJLIS A’SHURA
ADDRESSES
Keep in touch with Majlis Ash’shura’s
news.
Log on to the Majlis’s website:
www.shura.om
and the Majlis’s
e-mail: info@shura.om
Or write to the Majlis’s postal address:
P O Box 981
Postal Code 111, Muscat
Tel: 24510344 / 24521427/
Fax 24510560
INFORMATION
MINISTRY WEBSITES
Ministry: www.omanet.om
Oman TV:
www.oman-tv.gov.om
Oman Radio:
www.oman-radio.gov.om
Omani Centre for Traditional Music:
www.octm-folk.gov.om
OMAN RADIO
6.00 Opening, Royal Anthem, The Holy Quran, Preview of
Morning Programme, Weather Forecast and Pharmacies on
Duty; 6.15 Morning Tea; 7.00 News Bulletin; 7.10 Morning
Tea; 9.00 News Headlines; 9.02 Piano; 10.00 Instrumental
Music; 11.00 Light Classical Music; 12.00 News Headlines,
12.02 The Holy Quran; 12.15 Pioneers of Civilization; 12.45
Slow Mix Music; 01.00 Top 10 (Laxmi) Repeat on Thursday
5.30; 2.00 Let’s Talk Business — Nisham Repeat of Sat 3.00
& Sunday 6.00; 2:20 Radio Station Jingles And Programmes;
2.30 News Bulletin; 2.40 Forts and Castles of Oman — Laxmi
Repeat of Monday 3.00 & Tuesday 6.00; 3.00 Short Stories
(Judith) Repeat on Saturday 6.00; 3.20 Radio Station Jingles
and Programmes; 3.25 Mix Music; 3.30 Women in Focus —
Nisham Repeat on Tuesday 3.00 & Thursday 6.40; 03.50
Radio Station Jingles and Programmes; 4.00 News Headlines;
4.02 Around The World Live; 6.30 News Bulletin; 6.40 Words
in Action (Judith) Repeat of Sunday 3.00 & Mon 6pm; 7.00
Night Groove; 8.00 News Headlines; 8.02 Night Groove; 10.00
News Bulletin; 10.10 Oman in Focus (5 mins) Daily; 10.15 D
J Rock Special; 11.15 Mix Music; 12.40 News Summary;
12.45 The Holy Quran; 01.00 National Anthem, Close Down.
Flight No Aircraft
DEPARTURES
To / Via STD
BA072 B777 Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow 0001
IC686 A319 Bombay-Ahmedabad 0015
9W539 B737-8 Bombay 0045
WY901 B737-8 Salalah 0120
WY241 B737-8 Delhi 0120
WY281 B737-8 Bangalore 0125
WY201 B737-8 Bombay 0125
WY231 B737-7 Hyderabad 0130
9W529 B737-8 Trivandrum 0130
WY261 B737-8 Lucknow 0130
WY291 B737-8 Calicut 0150
WY601 B737-7 Dubai-Abu Dhabi 0200
TK859 B737-8 Istanbul 0220
WY651 B737-8 Bahrain 0230
WY661 B737-8 Doha 0235
WY321 B737-8 Karachi 0250
BG022 DC10 Chittagong-Dacca 0300
PK260 B737-4 Islamabad 0300
EK867 A330 Dubai 0500
MS931 B737-8 Cairo 0500
EY385 A320 Abu Dhabi 0535
QR171 A320 Doha 0550
WY603 B737-8 Dubai 0755
WY3301 ATR42 Mukhaizna 0800
FZ044 B737-8 Dubai 0810
GF561 A319 Bahrain 0820
WY917 ATR42 Khasab 0900
WY213 B737-8 Trivandrum 1020
WY823 A330 Kuala Lumpur 1020
WY381 A330 Mali-Colombo 1030
WY223 B737-8 Cochin 1040
G9110 A320 Sharjah 1040
WY327 B737-8 Islamabad 1045
EK863 A330 Dubai 1045
EY383 A320 Abu Dhabi 1045
WY203 B737-7 Bombay 1050
QR167 A320 Doha 1055
WY905 B737-8 Salalah 1100
WY605 B737-8 Dubai-Abu Dhabi 1105
WY811 A330 Bangkok 1130
PK192 ATR42 Gwadur 1130
9W533 B737-8 Cochin 1145
IX816 B737-8 Abu Dhabi-Mangalore 1150
WY253 B737-8 Madras 1205
IX542 B737-8 Trivandrum 1215
WY663 B737-8 Doha-Bahrain 1245
WY121 A330 Munich 1245
WY401 B737-8 Cairo 1300
GF563 A319 Bahrain 1325
WY3303 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1330
WY101 A330 London Heathrow 1400
IX350 B737-8 Calicut 1405
WY607 B737-8 Dubai 1430
WY3905 B737-8 Salalah 1520
WY907 B737-8 Salalah 1605
WY671 A330 Jeddah 1630
WY681 B737-8 Riyadh 1715
WY609 B737-7 Dubai 1745
FZ046 B737-8 Dubai 1810
GF565 A320 Bahrain 1835
WY647 B737-8 Kuwait 1910
WY665 B737-8 Doha 1910
WY655 B737-8 Bahrain 1915
WY623 B737-7 Al Ain 1920
WY627 ATR42 Ras Al Khaima 1930
WY909 B737-8 Salalah 1930
G9118 A320 Sharjah 1935
KQ316 B737-8 Dubai 1950
WY635 B737-8 Abu Dhabi 2000
WY611 B737-8 Dubai 2030
IC924 A319 Madras 2300
GF567 A320 Bahrain 2300
IC886 A320 Delhi 2310
EY381 A320 Abu Dhabi 2325
QR169 A320 Doha 2335
LX243 A330 Dubai-Zurich 2335
CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
9 Tries to move the bar in
front of the rail (8)
10 The foreigner with the
excellent figure, coming in
(3)
11 Think the commercial about
was funny (6)
12 A sound investment for
music lovers (6)
13 Dog having been exercised,
I eat out in the garden (7)
14 Bear up when there’s a
suspension (4)
15 Lucky for us, having run
out, it had been trapped (10)
17 A loose qualifier of ‘good’
to mean ‘really good’ (8)
18 Did better than many in and
was shown appreciation (7)
19 Mingle with, in prison (4)
21 The fame of somebody
who’s brilliant? (6)
24 One person with half an
ounce of sense, stewed, in a
car? (6,3,8)
27 To convert into, turn the
head away (6)
29 Dish containing meat that’s
not well done? (4)
30 I do it clumsily and I get
caught. Stupid (7)
33 Take heart when you shed
more light on (8)
35 Said it’s obvious (10)
36 Returning from study, helps
a stranded motorist (4)
37 Suppose it’s made soft by
condensation (7)
38 Had a crack at Ð wouldn’t
work (6)
40 Makes a difference to a
starlet, mostly, getting a
break (6)
41 Not only such dogs do,
when thirsty! (3)
42 I am to spray in the battered
car: it’s perfumed (8)
DOWN
1 He’s known for his
overhastiness (4,6)
2 The bar is up — but he says
it’s down? (4)
3 Think first the rat was
destroyed by poison (8)
4 Oblige to pull over to let the
band through (7)
5 Your choice in art will
depend on it (7,4)
TAURUS
(April 21-May 20)
As you get better acquainted
with a person who did not
impress you much at first you will
become aware of his many good qualities.
Some people improve on acquaintance.
GEMINI
(May 21-June 21)
Although you had planned a
nice quiet evening by yourself
tonight an unexpected guest may
knock at your door and provide a few
hours of cheerful companionship.
CANCER
(June 22-July 21)
Knowledge acquired at
evening classes may equip
you in time for a better post. Selfimprovements
are great factors in helping
anybody on the way to a successful career.
LEO
(July 22-August 21)
Don’t let an impulsive move
spoil the success of a wellproven
plan. If patience is needed to
overcome certain obstacles rash action
may waste the time you have spent so
far.
16
INFORMATION/LEISURE SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
PHARMACIES
24-HOUR SERVICE
Al Hashar ph, Ruwi 24783334
Muscat ph, Ruwi, 24702542
Al Sarooj, 24695536
Scientific ph, Qurum, 24566601
Ruwi, 24702850
DAY DUTY
Muscat Muscat 24703345
Belqees 24535398
Ibn Sina 24597942
Modern Advance
24460305
Sur Al Jawi 25541188
Ibri Ataka 25691455
Buraimi Zahrat Al Buraimi
050-693504
Nizwa Al Hazfah 25426102
Salalah Al Eman 23290170
NIGHT DUTY
Muscat Al Hashar 24833115
Badr Al Samaa
24549088
Muscat 24695536
Belqees 24454624
Sur Al Safa 25542240
Ibri Sarah 25689460
Buraimi Muscat 25652145
Rustaq Al Muslhi 26877687
Barka Muscat 26885372
Samayil Al Rahbi 25350153
Nizwa Qarn Al Rawdah
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
CROSSWORD
6 Jack let Alan off going to the
dance (10)
7 ‘Beef’, you say, ‘won’t be
eaten by a vegetarian’ (6)
8 He won’t hand over the fee
(8)
10 A cockney member of the
staff: he’s in South America
(5)
16 About now a plot is
concocted to hold in charge
(7)
20 Goes off and there are shots
(5)
22 Doesn’t realign the W in
‘write’ (3,4)
23 How you said casually ‘My
employees are on holiday’?
(3-8)
25 Nasty situation it’s lovely to
put behind you (6,4)
26 Creates a fuss when the
water damaged case is
brought in (6,4)
28 Thoroughly satisfactorily or
just all right (4,4)
31 Unexpected return to have a
little drink: a nip (4,4)
32 Because, as we worked out
and anticipated (7)
34 The fish around from shoals
(6)
35 Shake to make comfortable
and flop down on (5)
39 Train that will get you back
(4)
EASY PUZZLE
ACROSS
9 Apron (8)
10 Star sign (3)
11 Motive (6)
12 Shriek, shrill cry (6)
13 Gather together (5,2)
14 Consumes food (4)
15 Situated directly below (10)
17 Bedtime drink (8)
18 Cure for all ills (7)
19 To pant (4)
21 Not far from (4,2)
24 Very quickly (2,3,5,2,2,3)
27 Save (6)
29 Unemployment benefit (4)
30 Proof of purchase (7)
33 Type of Mexican hat (8)
35 Posh bed (4-6)
36 Among (4)
37 Of current affairs (7)
38 Naturist (6)
40 Younger in years (6)
41 Decompose (3)
42 Physical effort (8)
DOWN
1 American city (10)
2 Vessel for flowers (4)
3 Start (8)
4 Gossip, rumour (7)
YOUR STARS
VIRGO
(August 22-September 22)
A very young and inexperienced
junior would be truly
grateful if you were able to offer your
constructive advice to help with his problems.
LIBRA
(September 23-
October 22)
Recognise your obvious limitations
when starting on a new job and be
ready to accept he help of someone who
has had more experience.
SCORPIO
(October 23-
November 21)
Don’t rush into a job offered
to you unless you have considered its implications
and are quite sure that you are
temperamentally suited to it.
SAGITTARIUS
(November 22-
December 21)
You should keep your eye on
a colleague who is trying to get credit for
a job which actually has been done by
you.
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
5 A booby prize (6,5)
6 Misleading publicity (10)
7 Mother, say (6)
8 Painting of a person (8)
10 Show amusement (5)
16 Stretchy (7)
20 Rescind (5)
22 Timeless, eternal (7)
23 Large heavy shoes (11)
25 Simple (10)
26 Word or phrase (10)
28 Gigantic (8)
31 Overheads (8)
32 One who constructs houses
(7)
34 Large blunt needle (6)
35 Aspect (5)
39 Import tax (4)
WEDNESDAY’S CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 4, Sahara 7, In-ex-pert
8, Africa 10, T-odd-y 13, C-r-op
14, Hose 15, Pat’s 16, Gnu 17,
Pair 19, Spit 21, Companion
(way) 23, Data 24, Vile 26,
DAB 27, Zeal 29, Sari 32, Torn
33, Dy-L-an 34, Kim-ono 35,
Down-town 36, Cheese.
DOWN: 1, Firth 2, Tends 3,
S-pry 4, St.-art 5, Harp 6,
Recant 9, Fo-ss-il 11, O-of 12,
Depo-t 13, Car-a-van 15, P-i-p
16, Gin 18, Amazon 20, Poesy
21, CAB 22, Nil 23, Dan-ish 25,
Era 28, E-rod-E 30, All-o-y 31,
Inane 32, Tome 33, Done.
WEDNESDAY’S EASY
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 4, Secure 7, Nitrogen
8, Orange 10, Crank 13, Crew
14, Kepi 15, Keep 16, Wet 17,
Chin 19, Owed 21, Shattered 23,
Peer 24, Rate 26, Lax 27, Dear
29, Draw 32, Seal 33, Aside 34,
Stains 35, Eeriness 36, Ordeal.
DOWN: 1, Snack 2, Strap 3,
Book 4, Snore 5, Claw 6,
Rugged 9, Report 11, Rep 12,
Niche 13, Central 15, Kit 16,
Wed 18, Harden 20, Weeds 21,
Sex 22, Ear 23, Pastor 25, Bad
28, Easel 30, Rider 31, Welsh
32, Side 33, Acid.
IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY: A marital disagreement in the coming year will cause you to ponder on the reasons.
You will realise that you are at times rather hard to live with as you are inclined to insist you are always right.
There are always two sides to every question and you would do well to consider your partner’s views.
CAPRICORN
(December 22-
January 20)
Continued meetings with
an interesting person of the opposite
sex will soon make you overcome your
natural shyness.
AQUARIUS
(January 21-
February 19)
You may have a chance to
accumulate some extra cash. Stick to
the resolution you made a long while
ago and put it aside.
PISCES
(February 20-March 20)
Do your best to make every
guest present feel that he or
she is your favourite if you want to
make your party a great success.
ARIES
(March 21-April 20)
If you have to deal with
foreigners make due allowances
for their different outlook
and unfamiliarity with local customs
and conditions.
OTHER HOSPITALS
Al Buraimi . . . .25650855 . . . .25652319
Sur . . . . . . . . .25440244 . . . .25461373
Tanam. . . . . . .25499011 . . . .25499033
Masirah. . . . . .25404018 . . . .25404018
Ibra . . . . . . . . .25470533 . . . .25470535
Adam . . . . . . .25434167 . . . .25434055
Bidiya . . . . . . .25483535 . . . .25483535
Ibri. . . . . . . . . .25491011 . . . .25491990
Saham . . . . . .26854427 . . . .26855148
Khasab . . . . . .26830187 . . . .26830187
Dibba . . . . . . .26836443 . . . .26836443
Burkha . . . . . .26828397 . . . .26828397
Sinaw . . . . . . .25474338
ACROSS
3 Turn (5)
9 Feline (6)
10 Vegetable (6)
11 Handrail (5)
12 Therefore (4)
15 Skin (4)
17 Serious (7)
20 Test (3)
21 Noblemen (5)
23 Thing (4)
25 Flair (4)
26 Repeated (5)
28 Prize (3)
30 Horse (7)
33 Plant (4)
35 Sea-eagle (4)
36 Female (5)
38 Chilled (6)
39 Divergence (6)
40 Animal (5)
DOWN
1 Sharp (5)
2 Bode (5)
3 Flap (3)
4 Fish (6)
5 Lively (4)
M USEUMS IN OMAN
FAISAL BIN ALI AL SAID MUSEUM,
Tel: 24641650
MUSEUM OF OMANI HERITAGE,
Tel: 24600946
CHILDREN’S SCIENCE MUSEUM.
Tel: 24605368
NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,
Tel: 24641374
NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tel: 24701289
SULTAN’S ARMED FORCES
MUSEUM, Tel: 24312646
CURRENCY MUSEUM,
Tel: 24796102
MUSCAT GATE MUSEUM,
Tel: 24739005.
OMANI-FRENCH MUSEUM (Bait
Fransa), Tel: 24736613
BAIT AL ZUBAIR, Tel: 24736688
BAIT A’NAMAN, Tel: 24641300
SOHAR FORT MUSEUM.
Tel: 26844758
NAHKAL FORT, Tel: 26781384
BAIT AL MAKHAM. Tel: 24641300
BAIT ADAM MUSEUM, QURUM,
Tel: 24605033, 24605013
OIL AND GAS EXHIBITION
CENTRE AND PLANE-TARIUM,
Tel: 24677834.
PLANETARIUM, Tel: 24675542.
AQUARIUM at the Marine Science
and Fisheries Centre (located next to
Marina Bandar Rowdha, Sidab).
SALALAH MUSEUM, Tel: 23294549
CULTURAL CENTRE, Tel: 23294549.
SUR MARITIME MUSEUM,
Tel: 24541466.
BAIT AL BARANDA, Tel: 24714262.
QUICK CROSSWORD
6 Digit (3)
7 Custom (5)
8 Wealth (5)
13 Visitor (7)
14 Scorn (5)
16 Intoxicated (7)
18 Unspoken (5)
19 Beer (3)
22 Bluish-grey (5)
24 Males (3)
27 Fears (6)
28 Split (5)
29 Tea (5)
31 Flock (5)
32 Raises (5)
34 Shade (4)
CARTOONS
ROYAL OMAN POLICE
EMERGENCY 9 9 9 9
DG of Passports & Residency, 24569603
DG of Customs, 24714626
Traffic offences, 24510227/228
ROP Public Relations, 24569270
Consumer Complaints Cell, 24817013
Muscat Governorate Headquarters, 24560021
Muscat, 24736611
Wattayah, 24677990
Ruwi, 24701099
Muttrah, 24712211
Bausher, 24600099
Al Amerat, 24875999
Qurayat, 24845555
A’Seeb, 24420099
Al-Athaiba, 24521099
AI-Khodh, 24425012
Directorate of the University Security, 24513999
Directorate of Traffic Muscat, 24567898
Al Batinah Headquarters, 26840096
Al Rustaq Division, 26875099
Al Dakhiliyah, 25425099
Nizwa Division, 25425099
Samayil Division, 25350099
Al Sharqiyah Headquarters, 25545070
Ibra Division, 25570100
Al Dhahirah Headquarters, 25650099
Al Buraimi Division, 25650199
Ibri Division, 25689099
Al Wusta Headquarters, 23436099
Haima Division, 23436211
Special Task Force, 24560088
Coastguard Headquarters, 24714888
Dhofar Governorate Headquarters, 23234599
Salalah Police Station, 23290099
Thamrait Division, 23279099
Musandam Governorate Headquarters,
26730299
Khasab Division, 26731502
ROP websites: www.rop.gov.om, www.ropoman.
net and
e-mail: ropnet@omantel.net.om
36 Network (3)
37 Mesh (3)
WEDNESDAY’S
QUICK SOLUTION
ACROSS: 1, Preach 5,
Senses 9, Hover 10,
Driven 11, Eating 12,
Weeds 14, Lame 17,
Say 18, Aloe 20, Evade
22, Field 23, Uranium
24, Piece 26, Refer 29,
Else 30, End 32, Dine
33, Wagon 35, Blades
36, Gentle 37, Reams
38, Evened 39, Astray.
DOWN: 1, Puddle 2,
Enigma 3, Chew 4,
Hones 5, Seedy 6, Eras
7, Stifle 8, Sagged 13,
Earning 15, Avail 16,
Educe 18, Aimed 19,
Olden 21, Ere 22, Fur
24, Pebble 25, Escape
27, Filter 28, Remedy
30, Eased 31, Dogma
33, Were 34, Ness.
ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset
CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson
GARFIELD by Jim Davis
STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot

Russia see off Canada
for a semifinal spot
RUSSIA’S Ilya Kovalchuk celebrates after scoring against
Canada during their Ice Hockey World Championship
quarterfinal match in Bratislava on Thursday. — AFP
BRATISLAVA — Last year's
runners-up Russia battled back
from a goal down to earn a
place in the world championship
semifinals with a tough
2-1 win over Olympic champions
Canada on Thursday.
New Jersey Devils forward
Ilya Kovalchuk scored
the winning goal, while goalie
Konstantin Barulin made 36
saves to record Russia's fourth
consecutive win over Canada
at the championships.
"We were just in need of a
bit of something," Kovalchuk
said. Canada outshot Russia
17-6 in the first period but
had to wait until 5:32 into the
second when Ottawa Senators
striker Jason Spezza put
Canada into the lead.
Early in the third period
Russia's defender Ilya Nikulin
sent the puck into the net but
his goal was disallowed by
the referee after a consultation
with a video replay judge.
Russia levelled at 49:07
with a shorthanded goal by
Alexei Kaigorodov, who
picked the puck in his own
zone and skated to the other
side of the rink to wrist the
puck in past 'keeper Jonathan
Bernier.
Kovalchuk put Russia 2-1
up three minutes later scoring
his first goal at the event
on Alexander Radulov's pass
from behind the goal line.
In the early quarterfinal,
Finland enjoyed a 4-1 win
against Norway after also battling
from a goal down.
Jarkko Immonen netted a
double to gain a temporary
lead in goal scoring with seven
so far, while goalie Petri
Vehanen produced 37 saves
to record Finland's 19th win
over Norway in their 20th
meeting at the world championships.
Norway jumped into the
SAN JOSE — Forward Patrick
Marleau made the most of
his first point of the series,
banging in a rebound late in
the game as San Jose Sharks
edged Detroit Red Wings 3-2
on Thursday in game seven of
their second round series.
The Sharks advance to the
NHL semifinals to play the top
seeded Vancouver Canucks.
The first game is tomorrow in
Vancouver.
Marleau scored with just
under eight minutes left in the
third period for the Sharks,
who had to claw their way to
victory on Thursday.
They almost blew the series
after earlier holding a 3-0 series
lead.
"For him to end up with the
winning goal was pretty special
for our team and for him,"
coach Todd McLellan said. "I
think the monkey may be off
his back for the next series.
lead through Ken Andre Olimb
3:56 into the second
when he was awarded a penalty
shot, which he confidently
sent in.
The Finns replied positively
and scored on four occasions
before the second break
through Immonen, who netted
two powerplay goals, while
Tuomo Ruutu and Jani Launen
added one apiece to give Finland
a 4-1 advantage and a
semifinal against Russia.
RUSSIA TO HOST 2016
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Russia won the right to
stage the 2016 world ice
hockey championship yesterday,
the latest in a series of
international sporting events
to be awarded to the world’s
largest country.
“Russia will host the world
championship in five years in
Moscow and St Petersburg in
state-of-the-art venues,” the
sport’s world governing body
said. “The event will take
place from April 29 to May
15, 2016.”
The Russians had been
favourites to land the 2016
tournament after Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin arrived at
the current world championship
in Bratislava on Friday to
throw his weight behind their
campaign.
Moscow last hosted the
world championship in 2007
at the Khodynka arena, while
St Petersburg was the venue
of the 2000 tournament.
Moscow’s Khodynka
arena also hosted the world
figure skating championships
last month after Japan abandoned
its plans to stage the
event.
Putin has also helped Russia
land the 2014 Winter Olympics
in Sochi and the 2018
soccer World Cup.
— Reuters/AFP
He was a difference maker tonight."
Antti Niemi, who won a
BRISBANE — The Queensland
Reds leapfrogged the Auckland Blues
at the top of the Super rugby standings
after a scintillating 37-31 victory
over their New Zealand opponents
yesterday.
The Blues, who had won seven
successive games and were unbeaten
in nine, had fought back from a 24-0
deficit after 30 minutes to get within
three points of the lead with 20 minutes
remaining but were unable to
close out the match.
The Australian side now have 50
points, one ahead of the Blues, who remain
in second place but could be under
pressure from the Canterbury Crusaders,
who are on 44 points and play
the Cheetahs later in the weekend.
"We knew the Blues like to come
out and play footy and we have to try
and starve them of the (ball) as much
as possible and we did that early in
the first half," Reds' captain James
Horwill said in a televised interview.
"And late in that first half ... and in
the second half you saw how difficult
they are to stop when they put phases
together."
The Reds, playing a high tempo
game, dominating possession and
feeding off Blues' mistakes, had
raced to the 24-0 lead with Quade
Cooper, hooker Saia Faingaa and
blindside flanker Scott Higginbotham
all scoring tries.
The Blues, however, showed how
dangerous they can be with blindside
flanker Chris Lowrey and replacement
Lachie Munro grabbing tries
within three minutes of each other.
Luke McAlister converted to drag
his side back into the match though
Cooper added his second penalty
17 SPORT
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Reds edge Blues in Brisbane thriller
Stanley Cup with Chicago last
year, stopped 38 shots for San
Jose. Devin Setoguchi and
AUCKLAND Blues’ Jared Payne is tackled by Luke Morahan (top) and Scott Higginbotham of Queensland
Reds during their Super rugby match in Brisbane yesterday. — Reuters
right on halftime to give the Reds a
27-14 lead at the break.
The Blues reduced the deficit
shortly after the break when Alby
Mathewson scored his side's third
try following a burst from flyhalf
Stephen Brett, and they got back to
27-24 when McAlister slotted a 58th
minute penalty.
However, replacement hooker
James Hanson charged down a Brett
clearance kick and flopped on the ball
shortly after. Cooper restored the 10point
advantage with the conversion
then extended it with 11 minutes remaining
with his third penalty.
While the Blues hammered away
Logan Couture scored first
period goals for the Sharks,
who eliminated Detroit for the
at the line, silly passes and turnover
when the Reds' defence was tiring
cost them any chance of a last-gasp
victory though Rene Ranger's late try
ensured they got two bonus points.
HIGHLANDERS RETURN
TO WINNING WAYS
Meanwhile, the Otago Highlanders
put their Super 15 play-off hopes
back on track yesterday when they
snapped a two-match losing streak
with a dogged 13-6 win over the Wellington
Hurricanes.
The sole try, scored by Highlanders
fullback Ben Smith just before
half-time, proved to be the difference
in a match played in cold, wet condi-
Watney grabs lead, Woods limps out
PONTE VEDRA BEACH,
Florida — Nick Watney reversed
his recent fortunes on
Thursday to seize The Players
Championship first-round
lead.
Watney carded an eight-under
par 64 for a one-shot lead
over Lucas Glover.
Tiger Woods, however,
hobbled off after nine holes
because of knee and Achilles
injuries in his left leg.
"I'm having a hard time
walking," said Woods, who
was making his first start since
an equal fourth place finish at
the Masters.
It was at Augusta that
Woods said he suffered the
"minor injury" to his leg, although
it now appears it could
cost him serious time from the
course.
Watney launched his round
with birdies in a row from
the 10th. He rebounded after
a double-bogey at 14 with a
birdie at 15 and had five more
birdies and an eagle against
one more bogey on the front
nine.
His performance came after
he missed the cut at Quail
Hollow.
"Last week in Charlotte,
I got off to a bad start and I
Marleau helps Sharks oust Red Wings in NHL play-offs
DANIEL Cleary (right) of the Detroit Red Wings tries to skate past Marc-Edouard Vlasic
of the San Jose Sharks in the NHL play-offs in San Jose on Thursday. — AFP
second consecutive year in the
second round of the playoffs.
The 4-3 series win for the
Sharks, who have a reputation
for choking in the play-offs,
meant they narrowly averted
becoming just the fourth team
in league history to blow a 3-0
series lead.
"There's a lot of doubters
who said we probably couldn't
do this," captain Joe Thornton
said. "But that's two years in
a row we beat a pretty good
team. We're a pretty good team
now, too."
Detroit came into the game
banged up and it got more
crowded in the infirmary
Thursday when Todd Bertuzzi
left the game early with
an injury following a collision
along the boards.
Dan Cleary was sent to the
locker room after a violent
open ice collision with teammate
Jiri Hudler. Forward
Player Championship, was tied
for third after a six-under 66.
The 54-year-old US veteran
was even with David Toms,
who played without a bogey.
PGA champion Martin
Kaymer of Germany, who can
reclaim the world number one
ranking by winning or finishing
alone in second, opened
with a 67.
He also had a close-up look
at Woods' struggles as he was
paired with the 14-time major
champion and Matt Kuchar.
"Nobody really knows how
much pain he was in," Kaymer
said of Woods, who lagged behind
his playing partners.
"He was walking really
slowly. He was walking behind
us. But I didn't know that
it was because of pain or I just
thought that he walks a little
slower than me."
Johan Franzen didn't dress because
of an ankle injury.
"It's not easy being down 3-0
and having to win four games,"
Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom
said. "I felt like we had
the upper hand. It's still disappointing
to win three games and
come back here with a chance
to win or tie it in the final minutes
and then fall short."
There are a lot of hockey
watchers wondering if the
41-year future Swedish hall
of famer has played his last
game.
"I'm going to take my time
before making a decision,"
Lidstrom said.
"We'll have our meetings
and go from there. I'm going
to take the whole year into account.
I'll take about as much
time as last year. I'll meet
with the coaching staff. It's
been tough the last couple of
years." — AFP
tions with the rest of the points coming
from two penalties by each side.
The Highlanders proved betterequipped
to handle the wintry weather
— relying on the kicking skills of
Jimmy Cowan, Lima Sopoaga and
Smith to force the Hurricanes back.
With the Hurricanes uneasy under
the high ball it was a tactic that
worked well although Highlanders
captain Jamie Mackintosh acknowleged
“it definitely wasn’t pretty”.
“The plan during the week when
we knew it was going to be wet was
to do a lot of box kicking and Jimbo
(Cowan) worked hard at it and really
put it together tonight,” he said.
ATLANTA, Georgia — The
Chicago Bulls advanced
to their first NBA play-off
semi-finals in 13 years as
league MVP Derrick Rose
scored 19 points in a 93-73
rout of the Atlanta Hawks on
Thursday.
Rose, who has been averaging
30 points a game in the
playoffs, also had 12 assists
and Carlos Boozer had 23
points for the Bulls who won
the best-of-seven series four
games to two.
"It's not surprising me at
all, where we're at right now,"
said Rose, who was chosen
as a first-team all-star earlier
in the day. "We know that we
have something special in
front of us. "If anything, our
defence won this game."
By winning in six games,
Chicago has reached their
first Eastern Conference final
since 1998, when the Michael
Jordan-led Bulls were en route
to a second three-peat.
The Bulls advance to play
the Miami Heat with the winner
earning a spot in the NBA
finals. The first game is set for
Sunday in Chicago.
"When we showed up for
training camp, we knew we
could be special," Rose said.
"We were ready to put in the
work and not be concerned
with statistics. We just were
The Highlanders’ eighth win of
the season kept them in touch with
the leaders while the Hurricanes,
suffering their eighth loss, are out of
play-off contention and bottom of the
New Zealand conference.
Stung by losses to the Auckland
Blues and Waikato Chiefs in the past
two weeks the Highlanders were desperate
to return to winning ways but
it was the Hurricanes — bolstered by
the return of All Blacks Piri Weepu
and Ma’a Nonu — who started
stronger.
Flyhalf Aaron Cruden had them
ahead 3-0 with a first minute penalty
and the visitors retained control
through the first quarter, although
problems holding on to the slippery
ball denied them points on at least
three occasions.
But as the half progressed, the
Highlanders forwards came into their
own supplying a steady stream of
possession for Cowan, who had an
impressive all-round game, to exploit
the Hurricanes’ handling woes with
deft chip kicks.
One of them, from an attacking
scrum, produced Smith’s try when
the flying fullback leaped between
two Hurricanes defenders to snatch
the ball and score.
It was part of a five-minute burst
on either side of half-time in which
Sopoaga also landed the conversion
and two long-range penalties to lift
the Highlanders to a 13-3 lead.
Cruden struck back with a second
penalty for the Hurricanes but they
were unable to score again, with tight
defence by the Highlanders holding
out sustained attacks in the closing
five minutes. — Reuters
Rose shines as Bulls
rout Hawks to advance
TIGER Woods reacts to his tee shot on the fifth hole during
first round play in the Players Championship in Ponte
Vedra Beach, Florida, on Thursday. — Reuters
never really righted the ship," tum going.
Watney said.
"Got things going," Glover
"So still play a good round said. "Just the confidence from
is a rewarding feeling, just be- last week, from looking up and
cause I didn't let it affect the seeing the ball where I'm look-
rest of my day."
ing instead of not. And that's
Glover, who won last week been an issue."
at Quail Hollow, birdied his Mark O'Meara, who quali-
Kaymer was joined on 67
by US Open champion Graeme
McDowell of Northern
Ireland, South African Rory
Sabbatini and Spain's Alvaro
Quiros.
US Ryder Cup captain
Davis Love, a two-time Players
champion carded a 68, as
did Ben Crane and J B Hol-
DERRICK Rose of the Chicago Bulls waits for the ball
against the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA play-offs at the
Phillips Arena in Atlanta on Thursday. — AFP
first hole to keep that momenfied by winning the Seniors mes. — AFP
concerned with winning each
night."
Luol Deng scored 13
points and Joakim Noah
finished with 11 and three
blocked shots for the Bulls.
Boozer, who has had trouble
with a toe injury, went 10of-16
from the field, grabbed
10 rebounds and dished out
five assists.
"What goes underrated
about them is the depth of
their team," said Atlanta's Al
Horford.
Chicago came out quickly,
led by 10 points heading into
the second quarter and never
trailed in the contest.
Joe Johnson scored 19
points and Josh Smith was
the only other player in double
figures with 18 for Atlanta
who went a dismal one-of-11
from the three point line.
The loss marks another
playoff disappointment for
the Hawks who have the dubious
distinction of having
never made it past the second
of the post-season since
the franchise moved from St.
Louis 43 years ago.
Chicago next task is to
shut down the Heat's big three
of LeBron James, Dwyane
Wade and Chris Bosh.
"It's going to be a great
matchup," Rose said.
— AFP

LONDON — Manchester City
will attempt to end 35 years
of failure today when they
face Stoke in an FA Cup final
which threatens to be upstaged
by Manchester United's record
19th league title.
Wembley's hosting of the
May 28 Champions League
final means that for the first
time, English football's traditional
end-of-season showpiece
is taking place alongside
a round of Premier League
fixtures.
The nightmare scheduling
scenario has left City's moment
in the sun jostling for attention
with United, who require a
solitary point at Blackburn to
become the most successful
club in English history.
Yet even if Manchester
United are crowned Premier
League champions, City can
nevertheless be able to confirm
their emergence as English
football's rising force with
their first trophy since 1976.
Victory at Wembley would
be the perfect end to a week
that saw Roberto Mancini's
men clinch a Champions
League spot.
And for Mancini, winning
the FA Cup would be the first
step in his mission to change
the mentality of City.
"I'm excited by this and
very proud for my players,"
Mancini said. "I always saw
this game on TV in Italy -
Manchester United against
Chelsea and I watched when
Harry Redknapp won with
Portsmouth.
"This is a very important
moment for me in my career.
The FA Cup is very important,
it is my first final and the first
time Manchester City have
been in it for a long time. It
will be a special day.
"Our target was the Champions
League and after that we
wanted to get into one of the
finals. We are in the FA final.
It's a good moment for us."
Mancini says he will wait
until today morning before deciding
whether or not to start
Carlos Tevez, the Argentinian
international who returned
from a one-month injury layoff
as a substitute in Tuesday's
win over Spurs.
"Carlos is getting better,"
said Mancini. "We now have
two days to decide if he can
play or not. At this stage I still
don't know whether he could
play or not, we will make a decision
today morning."
The danger for Mancini and
City is that they face a Stoke
side in superb form who will
travel to Wembley comfortable
in the knowledge that all of the
pressure rests firmly on their
lavishly-funded opponents'
shoulders.
The Potters thrashed Bolton
5-0 in the semi-finals, and
head to London fresh from a
3-1 demolition job on Arsenal
last weekend.
For Stoke manager Tony
Pulis, today is an opportunity
to avenge the bitter memory of
1999's second division playoff
final, when his Gillingham
side led City 2-0 with two minutes
to go only to end up losing
on penalties.
"It will mean more against
City," Pulis said. "We didn't
deserve to lose that game and
I had never been back to Wembley
for a game since because
of it.
"But it made me a stronger
18 SPORT
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Man City face defining moment in FA Cup final
Galaxy to host
Man City in
friendly
LOS ANGELES — The Los
Angeles Galaxy will host
FA Cup finalists Manchester
City in a friendly on July 24
at the Major League Soccer
club's Home Depot Center
ground.
The match announced on
Thursday is part of a preseason
tournament called
the World Football Challenge,
which also includes
Champions League finalists
Manchester United and
Barcelona, Real Madrid, the
New England Revolution,
Chicago Fire and Vancouver
Whitecaps, and Mexico's
Chivas and America.
The Galaxy announced
last week they will play Real
Madrid, runners-up to Barcelona
in the Spanish title
race, on July 16 at the Los
Angeles Coliseum.
Preparing for its first
season in the Champions
League, Manchester City
already had scheduled a July
18 game at Vancouver.
England's Premier
League kicks off on August
13. — AFP
MANCHESTER City players warm up during a practice session at the club’s Carrington training complex in Manchester. Manchester City
will play Stoke City in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London today. — Reuters
person. You take things out of
defeat as well as victory."
Pulis is relishing the opportunity
of taking on the financial
Goliaths of the Premier
League.
"I think in comparison of
what the clubs have spent, in
comparison of the size of the
clubs, in comparison of who
we're dealing with, it's as big
a void as you will get," Pulis
said.
"I'm not just saying that
because it's Stoke. I think Man
City with most clubs, that's go-
LONDON — Michael Schumacher's
future, rather than
his past, continued to be the
focus of much attention this
week as he reflected on his
feelings following a despondent
outing in last Sunday's
Turkish Grand Prix.
The 42-year-old German,
a seven-times drivers' champion
and winner of a record
91 Grands Prix, told reporters
after climbing from his Mercedes
car at the Istanbul Park
circuit that he no longer felt
any great joy in racing.
But by yesterday morning,
following several days of careful
consideration of his own
performance and the potential
of the team run by his longtime
friend and technical guru
Ross Brawn, he had revised
his comments.
In a statement issued to
preview the upcoming Spanish
Grand Prix next weekend,
Schumacher was quoted as
saying he was still 'motivated'
to succeed and effectively
ending speculation over his
immediate future.
Doubts had been raised following
four unspectacular outings
this season in which so
ing to be what's going to happen."
While Mancini and City
dream of dominating a new
era of English football, Pulis
and Stoke have more modest
goals.
"The greatest achievement
is that next year we'll be playing
for a fourth year in the Premier
League.
"If you have a look at the
way we've moved along and
what we've done at the football
club, on and off the pitch — it's
been a remarkable story."
far his best has been eighth, in
China, and he has been comprehensively
outperformed in
all departments by his more
youthful team-mate and compatriot
Nico Rosberg, 25.
"While I was not happy
with my weekend in Turkey,
there have been clear signs
of improvements for us as a
team, which obviously push
and re-boost my motivation
even more," said Schumacher.
"It's more than encouraging
to see that the hard work
of the team is starting to pay
off. We are all determined to
make progress."
After 271 race starts in
a 20-year career that began
at the Belgian Grand Prix in
1991, Schumacher has been
showing clear signs of wear
REID BACKS STOKE
Former Manchester City
boss Peter Reid predicted that
Stoke, where he was assistant
manager until last year, will
beat City to win the FA Cup
today.
“I think Stoke will win because
they’re playing with less
pressure than City and you
saw how they performed in the
semifinal,” Reid, who made
his name as a player at Everton,
said in Hong Kong.
Stoke, who under manager
Tony Pulis have become a
regular fixture in the Premier
League, stormed into Saturday’s
final at Wembley with a
5-0 thrashing of Bolton.
But Reid, in the southern
Chinese city for the International
Soccer Sevens that kicks
off on Friday, said he wanted
City to win because that was
where he was manager, in the
1990s. He later took over Sunderland.
“If City do get beaten in the
final, it will be a massive blow
to the supporters.
“They need a trophy.
They’ve not won anything for
30-odd years. I know many of
the supporters and the tough
time they’ve had, especially
when they went down to the
third tier of football.”
Reid, who left his post as
Thailand coach in 2009 to
become No 2 to Pulis before
taking the job at Plymouth last
year, said Roberto Mancini
needed time to gel City into a
team rather than just a set of
individuals.
“It takes time to build a
team, make no mistake about
that,” said Reid. “I was Manchester
City manager when
Alex Ferguson was under extreme
pressure (at neighbours
United).” — AFP
Vidic glad of criticism as United eye Premier League crown
MANCHESTER, United
Kingdom — Manchester United
visit Ewood Park to face
Blackburn today requiring just
a point to win their 19th English
title, with captain Nemanja
Vidic believing the club's critics
have propelled them to success
this season.
Sir Alex Ferguson's squad
has never been that easy on
the eye this term but that has
not stopped them from being
the most successful side in
the Premier League and, with
36 games played, they are six
points clear at the summit.
Last weekend’s victory
against Chelsea at Old Trafford
means United simply
need to avoid losing against
either Rovers or Blackpool in
their remaining two encounters
to regain the title from the
second-placed Londoners.
If they do, United will finally
become the most successful
English club in terms
of domestic championships,
breaking the record of 18 they
currently share with arch-rivals
Liverpool, although Liverpool
still have five European Cups
to United's three.
That could become four
later this month when United
face Barcelona in the Champions
League final at Wembley.
But for now, Vidic is concentrating
on picking up the
valuable point required to enable
him to lift his first trophy
as United's captain.
"Compliments are not always
good for you. Criticism
can help a team," Vidic said.
"Back in early season there
were people who were always
trying to compare this team to
other United teams.
"They were saying that we
didn't have the individuals like
we used to and we were not as
good.
"But you look at the names
in this team and you think 'how
could they say that?' I couldn't
agree with all that was going
on then.
"We have never been focused
on what people have
been saying about us but you
can still get benefits from it. It
can be positive."
Central defender Vidic
added: "Sometimes criticism
can help a side. It can drag you
forward. You have to work
harder to prove to your critics
that anything they are saying is
not true. That it is different to
their opinions.
LONDON — Manchester United manager
Alex Ferguson was charged with
improper conduct by the Football Association
yesterday over comments about
referee Howard Webb in which he called
him "the best referee in the country".
The charge, which comes two months
after Ferguson received a five-match
touchline ban for criticising referees,
relates to views expressed at a news conference
before last Sunday's 2-1 victory
over Chelsea.
FA regulations make it clear that
managers are not allowed to comment
on referees before a match.
"Manchester United manager Sir
Alex Ferguson has been charged with
improper conduct. The charge relates to
media comments made about match official
Howard Webb on May 6," the FA
said in a statement.
"Ferguson has until 4 pm on May 16
to respond to this charge."
Ferguson's previous misconduct
charge from English soccer's governing
body came after he said he "feared the
worse" when he found out Martin Atkinson
was refereeing United's match
at Stamford Bridge in March, which his
"If we win the title we will
have proved to everyone that
Barcelona likely to rest key stars
MADRID — High-flying
Barcelona, with a third La
Liga title already wrapped
up, will rest key stars ahead
of the Champions League final
when they welcome Deportivo
La Coruna to Camp
Nou tomorrow.
Barcelona became the first
team since 1993 to win three
successive Spanish titles when
they drew 1-1 at Levante on
Wednesday.
They now have the luxury
of two league games to prepare
for the European showpiece
against Manchester United at
Wembley on May 28.
"Now is the time to party
and that's what winning a title
deserves and we have time to
get ready for the final in London,"
said Guardiola.
"These players are unique
and an enormously strong
bunch and you have to remember
the schedule they have had
to put up with over the last two
and half years. I hope people
have enjoyed watching us play
— that would really be the
best reward."
Depor will provide the
traditional guard of honour at
Camp Nou tomorrow, but will
BARCELONA’S Seydou Keita (top) heads the ball to score
next to Levante’s Javier Venta in Valencia on Wednesday.
hope to upset the celebrating
home fans with a win to aid
their survival bid.
La Coruna, Champions
League semifinalists in 2004,
are three points above the relegation
zone and fighting to
extend their 20-year stay in
the top flight.
Real Madrid have nothing
to play for but pride when they
travel to Villarreal tomorrow.
Real have had second place
wrapped up for months but
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo
insists the team want to
finish the campaign with two
more victories.
"The coach has asked us to
finish the league by winning
Ferguson charged over ‘best referee’ comments
our games and we will try to
do that," said Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has scored an incredible
seven goals in his
last two league outings to take
his season's tally to 36 and is
on course to win the Pichichi
crown for the league's topscorer.
Ronaldo lies five goals
ahead of Barcelona's Lionel
Messi and could break the alltime
record of 38 set by Athletico
Bilbao's Telmo Zarra in
1951 and matched by Real's
iconic Mexican striker Hugo
Sanchez in 1990.
Villarreal have fourth place
secure and trail third-placed
Valencia by five points with
six points to play for.
Valencia can secure third
place with a draw at home to
derby rivals Levante tomorrow
due to their superior head
to head record over Villarreal.
The battle for Europa
League places is set to go
down to the wire with four
teams fighting for two places.
At present Athletic Bilbao
are in pole position in
fifth place but have Sevilla
and Atletico Madrid just two
points behind. — AFP
ALEX Ferguson reacts during an
English Premier League match in
this May 1 file photograph.
team lost 2-1. Before Chelsea headed
to Manchester last weekend for a top-
we are a very good team. We
are nearly there now to prove
them wrong. This team has
space to grow. I think that next
of-the-table clash, Ferguson was asked
whether he took comfort from the fact
that experienced World Cup final referee
Webb would be officiating.
"He's definitely the best referee in the
country, there is no doubt about that,"
Ferguson replied. "I think we're getting
the best referee.
Ferguson had spoken before about
refereeing decisions seeming to go Chelsea's
way, saying after April's Champions
League quarterfinal first leg that
he felt no guilt when the referee failed
to award the London side a penalty as
United had waited years "to get a decision"
at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was
surprised at Ferguson's latest charge and
offered a light-hearted reason for it.
"They are not used to him being complimentary,
it was a shock to the FA," he
joked at a news conference. It doesn't look
serious... I wouldn't charge him for that."
Ferguson may decide to wait until
after the weekend before revealing
whether he plans to appeal as his team
can clinch the Premier League title
today with a point at Blackburn
Rovers. — Reuters
season we will be even better."
United could never have
Schumacher still motivated to succeed
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER
and tear as he has struggled to
turn his 'comeback' after three
years in retirement into a return
to glory.
He has trained furiously to
recover his sleek fitness, but
no amount of work in a gym
can rejuvenate human reflexes
or reverse the ageing process.
Without a victory in the
17 months since his return,
Schumacher has, quite simply,
become 'just another driver' on
the circuit to his rivals even if,
on his best days and with a car
that he enjoys, he can put up a
vigorous defence of his great
reputation.
But, now working in the
shadow of the new champion,
Sebastian Vettel, who was
heralded as the 'new Schumi'
when he first came into Formula
One, the old champion
knows his days at the top are
numbered.
The question, as recent
events have exposed, is how
many does he have left?
With Rosberg closing in on
his first win and establishing
himself as Mercedes team's
likeliest victor on current
form, Schumacher is having to
reconcile himself to a role that
Rangers on
verge of title in
Scottish League
GLASGOW — The Scottish
Premier League title will
once again be decided on the
final day of the season with
Rangers and Celtic desperate
to put a controversial week
behind them, tomorrow.
Rangers, who hold a
one point advantage over
their Glasgow rivals, know
that a win away to Kilmarnock
would see them being
crowned champions for the
third successive season.
Celtic, whose loss to Inverness
last week handed the
title initiative to Rangers,
host their Scottish Cup final
at Parkhead needing a win
and hoping the Gers slip-up.
Such a dramatic finish to
the season has become the
norm in Scotland in recent
years with five of the past
eight title races going down
to the wire.
Rangers have been victorious
in three of the previous
four against Kilmarnock this
season are the clear favourites.
Rangers goalkeeper Allan
McGregor, who has kept
15 clean sheets in his past 20
games, said the players were
desperate to give Walter
Smith a winning send-off.
"He has the respect of
every player and he makes
everyone want to go out
there and win matches.
"Now it's just a case of
one final push and hopefully
getting across the finishing
line in first place.
"We've got to go down to
Kilmarnock tomorrow and
win the game to make sure
we win the title and we'll
give them every respect.
— AFP
dreamt of such an easy-looking
end to the season with fixtures
against Rovers and fellow relegation
candidates Blackpool.
Steve Kean has failed to inspire
Rovers since he replaced
Sam Allardyce as manager in
December and is a divisive figure
among the club's fans.
However, victory over
United would secure Rovers'
Premier League future and
strengthen Kean's managerial
position. Those two factors
mean United will face a side
unwilling to allow them to
cruise to the title.
"I think looking at Man
United's point of view they
have an agenda but we have
our own agenda at this point of
the season," Kean said.
"They will be determined
like we will be. We are confident
we will get something
from the game. It will be tight.
"We won't be approaching
this game to defend. It's a fantastic
time to play them with
them having one eye on the
championship.
"You relish coming up
against Sir Alex. Just look at his
record. I now have the opportunity
to select a team to come up
against one of his." — AFP
he did not really expect.
Rosberg himself is ready to
push harder in pursuit of his
breakthrough triumph and this
week welcomed another update
package for his car ahead
of next weekend's contest at
the Circuit de Catalunya.
"Our upward trend is clear
for all to see, even though we
still have a little more progress
to make in race configuration
compared to qualifying," he
said.
"I'm looking forward to
Barcelona, where we will also
be introducing an update package
and I'm excited to see how
it works.
"We showed a good level
of performance at the final
winter test on this circuit and
hopefully we can translate that
into a strong result this weekend."
It was at that final winter
test before the season began
that Mercedes raised hopes of
title-challenging year ahead.
Now, it may be seen as a
chance for Rosberg to shine
again and for Schumacher to
roll back the years and, once
again, prove he has the guile
and performance to put a smile
back on his face. — AFP

MUSCAT — The 'C' division
league champions of Oman
Cricket, National Bank of
Oman (NBO), and Technical
Supplies (TECS) lifted the
Khimji Ramdas-sponsored
Intermediate Cup and Junior
Cup respectively, at the OAC
grounds yesterday, bringing
the current cricket season that
had commenced in September
2010 to a glittering close.
At the OAC IV grounds,
NBO took on Stars Light in
the Intermediate Cup final and
beat them by six wickets.
Stars Light who won the
toss and batted first, made 194
for nine in their 20 overs with
Shafqat (40), Mujtaba (52)
and Omer (62) being the main
scorers.
NBO's Imran Mohammed
stole the bowling honours with
a hat-trick while Punit Mehta
bagged two wickets for 31
runs.
NBO, helped by Nayaz Mohammed's
unbeaten 76, chased
the target successfully in 18.3
overs to lift the title.
Nayaz was rightly declared
the man of the match while
team-mate Imran received
consolation prize for his hattrick.
NBO had reached the final
with wins against Arabian Industries,
Al Shabiba OCT Seeb
and Dynamos Cricket Team.
Stars Light came through with
victories over OCT Mabella,
TR Engineering and Enhance
Eagles.
The Junior Cup final be-
tween current ‘G’ division
league champions Al Hail and
TECS at the OAC III grounds
proved a thriller before the latter
won by 11 runs.
Inserted by rivals to take
first strike, TECS with Nishanta's
44, Shamas' 40 and some
useful contributions from
Raniz and Raju, piled up 165
for nine in 20 overs and then
halted Al Hail's gallop at 154/7
to win by 11 runs.
The prime architect of
TECS' victory was Ranjith
19 SPORT
OMAN DAILY Observer
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
OTA’s 2011 Nawras mini inter-schools tourney and tennis coaching course a grand success
MUSCAT — The 2011 Nawras
fourth mini inter-schools tennis
tournament hosted by Oman Tennis
Association (OTA) successfully
ended with full of fun and excitement
at the Suktan Qaboos Sports
Complex. The tournament was preceded
by a mini tennis (tennis 10’s)
coaching course which was attended
by representatives from regions,
clubs in Oman, school teachers,
tennis coaches and players.
Participants enjoyed the course
as they found it very interesting
with new coaching approach
was presented to them by Karim
Saadallah, course director and technical
adviser of OTA, with video
and data show presentation on the
lecture room followed by on court
demonstration.
All candidates had to work in
the afternoon with the groups of
mini tennis tournament to see the
mechanics of mini tennis competition.
The closing ceremony was
conducted by Mutassim Hamood al
Zadjali, Chairman of OTA.
The participants of the coaching
course received certificates and the
winners of the mini tennis tournament
received cups, medals and
cash vouchers.
More than 50 kids aged between
six and nine years from different
schools — French, Sultan, Bausher
Philippine, Nibrass, Indian, Madinat
Qaboos, TAISM — took part in
the tournament.
The results of mini tennis inter-
NBO lift Intermediate Cup, TECS take Junior Cup
who wrecked Al Hails' batting
with four for 30 runs. And
he was named the man of the
match. The consolation prize
went to Nishanta for his 44.
Al Hail CT qualified for
the Junior Cup final with wins
against BankMuscat, Moosa
Abdul Rahman Hassan and
Al Hassan Cricket Team while
TECS got the better of Towell
Construction, Towers Logistics
and Muscat Duty Free.
Pankaj Khimji, Director,
Khimji Ramdas and Board
schools tournament: Skills event: 1 Al
Nibrass School, 2 Sultan School team 1,
3 Bausher team. Mini tennis event: 1 Al
Nibrass School, 2 Bausher team, 3 Sultan
School team 1. Most promising player:
Mini tennis event: Qusai Ahmed (Azzan
Bin Qais School); Skills event: Jomerson
member was the chief guest
and gave away the trophies
and awards to the winners and
runners-up.
Also present at the event
were Madhursinh Jesrani, Secretary,
Kiran Ashar, Treasurer,
Madhu Sampat, Chairman
Domestic Tournaments and
Board member Dad Mohammed
al Balushi.
Results (finals): Intermediate
Cup: Stars Light 194 for nine in
20 overs (Shafqat 40, Mujtaba 52,
Omer 62; Imran Mohammed 3/29,
Constantino (Philippine School). Overall
winners: 1 Al Nibrass School, 2 Sultan
School team, 3. Bausher team.
Nawras is the official sponsor of
the three events, coaching course
and mini tennis tournament held
THE winners of Intermediate Cup, NBO, and (picture left) man of the match of the final, Nayaz Mohammed. JUNIOR Cup winners TECS and (picture left) man of the match of the final, Ranjith.
C’wealth Games keen
on Twenty20 cricket
KUALA LUMPUR — A top
Commonwealth Games official
on Thursday said the
sports body will attempt to
convince the International
Cricket Council (ICC) to include
Twenty20 cricket in future
Games editions.
"We need to engage the
ICC to include cricket as we
want to sustain the Games
as one of the world’s leading
multi-sport events," Commonwealth
Games Federation
(CGF) sports review committee
chairman Tunku Imran
told reporters.
But Tunku Imran admitted
that it would be an uphill task
to get the ICC to agree to their
request. "If the ICC agrees,
we could have the sport in the
2018 Commonwealth Games.
But it is not going to be easy,"
he said.
Cricket was played during
the 1998 Commonwealth
CHRISTCHURCH — South
African pace legend Allan
Donald is all set to sign a
fresh contract with New Zealand
Cricket (NZC) as bowling
coach.
Donald had delayed signing
a new contract with NZC
since he was one of the frontrunners
for Cricket Australia's
bowling coach. He was also
interviewed this week but finally
was pipped by Australian
Craig McDermott for the
post. A NZC spokesman said
that the board is still finalising
the details with Donald.
"As far as we were con-
Games in Malaysia but was
dropped in subsequent Games
due to difficulties in coming
to an acceptable format between
the CGF and ICC.
The influential Indian
cricket board rejected a request
by organisers of last
year’s Delhi Commonwealth
Games to include Twenty20
cricket.
Tunku Imran said cricket
was a popular sport in the two
2018 bidding countries —
Australia and Sri Lanka.
He added that Gold Coast
and Hambantota had included
beach volleyball in their bid
books lodged on Wednesday.
The 71 member countries
of the CGF will be asked to
vote on the right for future
hosts to include beach volleyball
at their C’wealth Games
when they meet in St Kitts and
Nevis in November for their
general assembly. — AFP
Donald all set to sign new
contract with New Zealand
cerned it was always progressing
reasonably positively. We
haven't really adjusted anything
that we've been doing.
It's things like immigration
and amounts, all those sorts
of details we're just working
through at the moment.
We're not going to be making
an announcement in the
next couple of days until all
those things are signed off,"
the spokesman was quoted as
saying by Stuff.co.nz.
NZC's new director of
cricket, John Buchanan, had
also hinted that the board is
keen on retaining Donald.
Punit Mehta 2/31) lost to National
Bank of Oman 195 for four in
18.3 overs (Nayaz Mohammed 76
n.o., Mohsin al Balushi 27, Khurram
Bilal 23, Anil Koshy 27 n.o.;
Imitiaz 2/26, Mohsin 2/20). MoM:
Nayaz Mohammed (NBO).
Junior Cup: TECS 165 for
nine in 20 overs (Nishanta 44, Shamas
40, Raniz 19, Raju 16; Ashraf
1/34, Ismail 1/24, Asad 3/28, Sana
2/27) beat Al Hail CT 154 for
seven in 20 overs (Sharif 40, Najam
21, Jamshare 38, Ranjith 4/30,
Shamas 1/29, Raniz 1/30). MoM:
Ranjith (TECS).
on May 11 and also the officiating
course to be held from May 17 to 19
at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.
All these activities are a part the
strategy of OTA to promote tennis
all over the country.
Liverpool set
up academy
in Indonesia
JAKARTA — Liverpool
will set up a youth academy
in Indonesia, their first outside
Europe, as the Premier
League soccer side seek to
increase their global commercial
presence, the club
said yesterday.
Working with the British
Chamber of Commerce in
Indonesia, Liverpool aim to
train children in the world's
fourth most populous country,
which is soccer-mad but
has yet to see its national
team succeed at an international
level. Liverpool
brought their most decorated
player Phil Neal to launch
the academy in Jakarta, the
club statement said.
Neal is scheduled to meet
Indonesia's foreign minister
Marty Natalegawa in a dinner
today hosted by bank
Standard Chartered, which
in 2009 signed a four-year
shirt sponsorship deal with
Liverpool worth a reported
$131 million. — Reuters

Reds edge
Blues in
thriller
Page 17
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Karthik guides Kings XI Punjab home
INDORE — A blistering century
stand between Dinesh
Karthik and Shaun Marsh
guided Kings XI Punjab to
a six-wicket win over Kochi
Tuskers Kerala and kept their
Indian Premier League playoff
hopes alive yesterday.
Chasing 179, Punjab lost
both openers cheaply in the
first five overs, including
skipper Adam Gilchrist, but
Karthik hammered a 33-ball
69 with the help of five sixes
and seven fours to tear apart
the Kochi attack.
Karthik found an able ally
in Marsh (42) and they stitched
GEORGETOWN, Guyana —
Pakistan were 113 for six at
tea, replying to West Indies'
first innings total of 226, on
the second day of the opening
Test yesterday at the Guyana
National Stadium.
Earlier, Azhar Ali and Taufeeq
Umar guided Pakistan
to 45 for one, after they lost
an early wicket before lunch.
Azhar was not out on 27 and
Taufeeq was not out on 13 at
the interval.
Pakistan lost opener Mohammed
Hafeez — their most
prolific batsman in the preceding
one-day series — in the
second over of their innings,
when he was bowled for four,
dragging a delivery from Ravi
Rampaul into his stumps.
But Azhar and Taufeeq
made steady progress in between
a couple alarming moments.
Taufeeq was fortunate on
one when he edged a rising
ball from Rampaul between
second slip and gully for his
first boundary.
West Indies raised his heart
rate again when he was on
STANDINGS
together a 111-run partnership
in 9.3 overs that tilted
the game in favour of Punjab
who jumped to the sixth place
after their fifth victory in 11
matches.
Kochi paceman Rudra
Pratap Singh claimed four for
25 but that was not enough to
prevent Punjab from romping
home in 18.5 overs.
For Kochi, it was a bitter
end to a match that began so
promisingly as skipper Mahela
Jayawardene (76) and
his opening partner Brendon
McCullum (32) gave them a
fine start at the Holkar Stadi-
P W L T N/R NRR Pts
Chennai 12 8 4 0 0 +0.544 16
Mumbai 11 8 3 0 0 +0.314 16
Bangalore 11 7 3 0 1 +0.863 15
Kolkata 11 7 4 0 0 +0.464 14
Rajasthan 12 5 6 0 1 -0.587 11
Punjab 11 5 6 0 0 -0.338 10
Kochi 12 5 7 0 0 -0.628 10
Pune 11 4 7 0 0 -0.003 8
Delhi 12 4 8 0 0 -0.363 8
Deccan 11 3 8 0 0 -0.177 6
(Read as played, won, lost, tied, no result, net run rate, points)
um, staging an IPL match for
the first time. They added 93
runs before McCullum fell in
the ninth over and Kochi, who
were at a commanding 103
for one wicket at the midway
stage, could not continue the
momentum and settled for 178
for seven.
Today’s matches: Royal
Challengers Bangalore
vs Kolkata Knight Riders;
Pak 113 for six at tea against Windies
WEST Indies bowler
Devendra Bishoo delivers
during the second day of the
first Test against Pakistan in
Guyana, yesterday. — AFP
five, appealing unsuccessfully
for a caught behind off the
same bowler.
Azhar hardly placed a foot
wrong and got into the thick
of things with a square drive
through cover and a back-foot
cover drive from successive
deliveries in Kemar Roach's
fifth over.
KINGS XI Punjab’s Dinesh Karthik celebrates his half
century during the IPL match against Kochi Tuskers
Kerala at the Holkar Stadium in Indore yesterday. — AFP
In the morning, Pakistan
needed half an hour to complete
the demolition of the
West Indies first innings, after
the hosts resumed from
their overnight total of 209 for
nine.
Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal
suffered the indignity of
Roach smashing a searing
drive through cover for his
third boundary, but he had the
last laugh when he had the
West Indies fast bowler caught
at forward short leg for a Testbest
24 from bat-pad, playing
defensively forward.
Ajmal finished with the
impressive figures of five for
69 from 33 overs, fellow offspinner
Hafeez supported with
two for 22 off 13 overs, and
left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman
captured two for 51 from
29 overs.
Pakistan are seeking their
maiden Test series victory in
the Caribbean.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies (1st innings)
(overnight 209-9)
D Smith b M Hafeez .................. 13
L Simmons lbw S Ajmal ............ 49
D Bravo lbw W Riaz .................. 25
R Sarwan c M Salman
b A Rehman ............... 23
S Chanderpaul b S Ajmal ........... 27
B Nash lbw S Ajmal ..................... 5
C Baugh lbw S Ajmal .................. 4
D Sammy c U Akmal
b A Rehman ............... 12
K Roach c Azhar Ali b S Ajmal . 24
R Rampaul lbw M Hafeez .......... 14
D Bishoo (not out) 15
Extras: (b-5, lb-7, w-1, nb-2) .... 15
Total: (all out) 226
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-71, 3-127,
4-136, 5-142, 6-159, 7-162, 8-175,
9-198.
Bowling: Umar Gul 13-0-40-0;
M Hafeez 13-5-22-2; A Rehman
29-11-51-2; S Ajmal 33-14-69-5;
Wahab Riaz 10-1-32-1 (nb-2, w-1).
Pakistan (1st innings)
Mohd Hafeez b Rampaul ............. 4
Taufeeq Umar lbw Sammy ........ 19
Azhar Ali b Sammy .................... 34
Misbah-ul Haq lbw Bishoo .......... 2
Asad Shafiq lbw Bishoo ............... 2
Umar Akmal (not out) ................ 27
Mohd Salman lbw Bishoo ............ 6
Abdur Rehman (not out) ............ 13
Extras: (b-6, lb-1, w-1) ............... 8
Total: (6 wkts) ......................... 113
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-57, 3-60,
4-62, 5-66, 6-80.
Bowling: Roach 9-2-32-0 (nb-1);
Rampaul 10-2-17-1; Sammy
12-6-16-2; Bishoo 16-5-41-3.
Mumbai Indians vs Deccan
Chargers.
SCOREBOARD
Kochi Tuskers Kerala
B McCullum lbw B Sharma ....... 32
M Jayawardene run out .............. 76
R Jadeja lbw Chawla .................. 17
B Hodge c Marsh b B Sharma ..... 4
OA Shah run out ......................... 23
P Patel c Karthik b Srivastava ...... 0
RV Gomez lbw Harris .................. 2
R Vinay Kumar (not out) ............. 1
Extras: (lb-4, w-19) ................... 23
Total: (7 wkts, 20 overs) .......... 178
Fall of wickets: 1-93, 2-122, 3-129,
4-165, 5-165, 6-177, 7-178.
Bowling: R Harris 4-0-42-1 (w-2);
B Bhatt 4-0-36-0 (w-2); Bipul
Sharma 4-0-32-2 (w-1); S
Srivastava 4-0-34-1 (w-2); P Chawla
4-0-30-1 (w-2).
Kings XI Punjab
A Gilchrist c Patel b RP Singh ..... 9
P Valthaty b RP Singh ................ 17
S Marsh c & b RP Singh ............ 42
D Karthik c Jayawardene
b RP Singh ............ 69
D Hussey (not out) ..................... 21
Mandeep Singh (not out) ........... 15
Extras: (lb-2, w-6) ....................... 8
Total: (4 wkts, 18.5 overs) ....... 181
Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-31, 3-142,
4-145.
Bowling: RP Singh 4-0-25-4 (w-2);
S Sreesanth 3.5-0-38-0 (w-1);
R Vinay Kumar 3-0-28-0 (w-1);
B Hodge 2-0-26-0; P Parameswaran
2-0-23-0 (w-1); RV Gomez
1-0-12-0; R Jadeja 3-0-27-0.
ROME — Rafael Nadal
showed no signs of the fever
that has been troubling him
this week as he strolled into
the Rome Masters semifinals
here with a 6-1, 6-3 demolition
of Marin Cilic.
Earlier Andy Murray became
the first British man to
reach the Rome semis in the
Open era after a bizarre 1-6,
6-1, 6-1 victory against Florian
Mayer.
Having been totally off
colour on Wednesday in a
tortured three-set victory over
Italian qualifier Paolo Lorenzi,
Nadal proved he was back
to his best against Cilic.
"I improved today more
than a little bit, I played better.
First of all, to win a tournament
you have to play well
every day," said Nadal.
"I'm in the semis now. I've
played three finals in a row
on clay, I won two and lost
one and now I'm in the semis
again and that's very positive
for me.
"Tomorrow will be a difficult
match, I will have to play
well another time, a little bet-
NEW DELHI — Opener
Gautam Gambhir will lead a
second-string Indian side in
the limited-over series in West
Indies next month after the selectors
rested regular skipper
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and a
few other senior players yesterday.
"Mahendra Singh Dhoni,
Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer
Khan have been rested. They
will be available for the Test
series," Board of Control for
Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary
N Srinivasan said in a
statement after the selection
committee meeting in Chennai.
The June 4-July 10 series,
featuring one Twenty20 and
five one-day internationals
followed by three Tests, will
be Duncan Fletcher's first assignment
as new India coach.
Dhoni's absence gives 29year-old
Gambhir another
crack at the captaincy, having
led India to a 5-0 win over
New Zealand in a one-day series
last year.
India will also be without
ter than today."
Nadal will play Roger Federer's
conqueror Richard Gasquet
in the semifinal after the
16th seed came back from a
set down to beat seventh seed
Tomas Berdych 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Murray became the first
British man since George 'Pat'
Hughes in 1932 to get this far
in Rome.
Fergie charged
over ‘best referee’
comments
Page 18
Gambhir to lead India in
Windies ODI series
opener Virender Sehwag, who
is set to undergo shoulder surgery
in England that renders
Nadal, Murray in last four
ANDY Murray of Britain
celebrates after defeating
Florian Mayer of Germany
at the Rome Masters
yesterday. — Reuters
"It is important, it's nice to
do well in tournaments abroad
and this tournament has been
around a long, long time," said
Murray.
"There's a lot of history, it's
always had great fields. Every
year I've been here when you
walk to the practice courts
there's a list of winners down
a wall that has a lot of great
players."
In the women's event,
world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki
reached the semis after
a three-set thriller that lasted
almost two and a half hours.
The Dane survived a midmatch
collapse to edge past
twice former winner here Jelena
Jankovic 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
Li Na of China was the
first person into the semifinals
after completing a quick 6-3,
6-1 victory over Hungarian
Greta Arn.
Li will face Australian
Samantha Stosur next as she
upset home hopes and gained
revenge for her French Open
final defeat last year by beating
Francesca Schiavone 6-2,
6-4. — AFP
him doubtful for the entire
series. Dhoni's absence facilitated
Parthiv Patel's inclusion,
while the 16-member squad
also has a second wicketkeeper
in Wriddhiman Saha.
In the bowling department,
Praveen Kumar and Ishant
Sharma will fill the void
left by the absence of Zaheer
and his new ball partner Ashish
Nehra, who sat out last
month's World Cup final victory
with a finger injury.
Off-spinner Ravichandran
Ashwin was selected ahead
of leg-spinner Piyush Chawla
to join Harbhajan Singh in the
slow bowling attack, which
also includes Amit Mishra.
Squad: Gautam Gambhir
(captain), Suresh Raina
(vice-captain), Parthiv Patel
(wicketkeeper), Virat Kohli,
Yuvraj Singh, Subramaniam
Badrinath, Rohit Sharma,
Harbhajan Singh, Ravichandran
Ashwin, Praveen Kumar,
Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel,
Vinay Kumar, Yusuf Pathan,
Amit Mishra and Wriddhiman
Saha. — Reuters
Fatma loses
in New Delhi
MUSCAT — Oman's
Fatma al Nabhani and
her Indian partner
Rushmi Chakravarti
went down fighting to
Aishwarya Agrawal
and Ankita Raina 6-4,
6-3 in the title-clash at
the $10,000 ITF women's
tournament in New
Delhi yesterday.
According to information
received here,
top seeds Fatma and
Rushmi gave terrific
fight to the secondseeded
Indian duo in
both sets before losing.
In the semifinals,
Fatma al Nabhani and
Rushmi Chakravarti
had scored a convincing
6-2, 6-1 victory over Indian
duo Natasha Palha
and Nova Patel.
Fatma who was expected
to win at least
one title here, had lost
to British girl Manisha
Foster in the second
round of singles event.

440 firms to
take part in
GITEX 2011
RIYADH — GITEX 2011
will kick off on Monday at
Riyadh International Convention
and Exhibition Centre
(RICEC) in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
It is expected that more
than 400 companies from the
Middle East, Europe, North
and South America and Asia
will take part in the 4-day exhibition,
The exhibition aims
at reviewing the latest developments
and trends within
the growing informational
communications technology
(ICT) sector in the KSA.
GITEX will showcase
innovative solutions related
to how to meet needs of
the Saudi ICT sector, main
objectives that should be
followed by manufacturers,
service providers, decision
makers and consumers
to achieve progress in this
field.
The 13th International
Saudi Communications Exhibition
2011 approved by
the International Exhibition
Union and 10th session of
the Computer Market Fair
2011 will be organised in
coincidence with GITEX
2011. A number of seminars
organised by the Saudi
Communications and Information
Technology Ministry
will be held on the sidelines
of activities of the GITEX
— ONA
Certificates
of deposit
tender results
MUSCAT — Certificates of
deposit (Issue No 717) tender
was held at the Central
Bank of Oman (CBO) last
week. The total amount allotted
was RO 517 million.
A bulletin issued by the
CBO stated that the average
interest rate of these certificates
was 0.05 per cent
while the maximum accepted
interest rate was 0.05 per
cent. The tenor of these certificates
is 28 days so their
maturity date is on June 8.
The certificates of deposit
issued to licensed banks
by the CBO as a monetary
policy instrument aimed
at absorbing excess liquidity
at the banking sector in
particular and maintaining
stability of the interest rate
and the money market in
general.
The Repo rate during
May 11 to 7 is 2 per cent.
— ONA
Muriya, NBO sign agreement
MURIYA Tourism Development and National Bank of Oman,
have recently signed an agreement, to provide housing loans for
Muriya. Adil Taqi, CEO of Muriya and Abdul Qadir al Sumali,
NBO’s AGM and Head of Branch Sales, signed the agreement to
finance loans for the units and villas of Muriya.● Page 22
By Conrad Prabhu
MUSCAT — Domestic demand
for desalinated water is expected to
surge from 163 million cubic metres
(m3) as of end-2010 to 278 million
m3 by 2017, entailing an increase
of nearly 70 per cent over the next
seven years.
This demand will be fuelled by
an average annual growth rate of
around eight per cent in potable and
industrial water consumption, according
to a 7-Year Outlook Statement
issued recently by the government-owned
Oman Power and
Water Procurement Co (OPWP),
the officially mandated offtaker of
all electricity and desalinated water
output.
Projected water demand growth
in the Ghubrah Zone, covering the
wilayats of Muscat, Muttrah, Al
Amerat and Bausher in Muscat
Governorate, will be met through
the procurement of new desalination
capacity of around 191,000 m3/day
(42 million imperial gallons per day
MIGD) by 2014.
OPWP, which has the mandate
to oversee the procurement of a new
power generation and associated
desalination capacity, will procure
Saturday, May 14, 2011
this new capacity as an Independent
Water Project (IWP) to be located
adjacent to the Ghubrah Power and
Desalination Plant. The project will
be developed in a phased manner
with an initial 138,000 m3/day (30
MIGD) of capacity slated to be in
operation in 2013. The new Ghubrah
IWP will be based on reverse osmosis
(RO) desalination technology
with its energy needs sourced from
the electricity grid.
Importantly, the new Ghubrah
IWP will help offset part of the
existing capacity at the Ghubrah
Power and Desalination Plant that
is slated to be permanently decommissioned
over the next two years.
Of the seven units that presently
make up the plant’s desalination capacity,
two older units are proposed
to be pulled out of service over the
2012-2013 timeframe. This will effectively
reduce the plant’s net capacity
from the current 182,000 m3/
day (40 MIGD) to 138,000 m3/day
(30 MIGD) by the fourth quarter of
2013.
Short-term supply shortfalls in
the ‘Ghubrah Zone’ will be supplemented
with imports from the nearby
‘Barka Zone’ in the Batinah region.
Besides, a temporarily reverse
osmosis plant currently in operation
at Ghubrah can provide up to 23,000
m3/day (5MIGD) of water to help
tide over any supply shortfalls in
the Ghubrah Zone. This temporary
capacity, contracted by the Public
Authority for Electricity and Water
(PAEW), is expected to remain in
place at Ghubrah till 2013.
In the Barka Zone, OPWP’s
outlook statement envisages the
need for new desalination capacity
from 2014 onwards, starting with
a requirement of 32,000 m3/day (7
MIGD) and rising to 96,000 m3/day
(21 MIGD) by 2017.
The Barka Zone is served by the
Sony battles to regain trust
JAPANESE entertainment and technology giant Sony faces a
battle to regain the trust of millions of consumers after online networks
integral to its strategy were hacked, say analysts. One of the
biggest data breaches since the advent of the Internet could cost it
around $1 billion and damage Sony’s brand image.● Page 23
Desalinated water demand to jump 70pc by 2017
New Ghubrah IWP to be based on RO technology
Temporary desalination units at Ghubrah by 2013
Short-term shortfalls to be met via transfers
between Sohar, Barka and Ghubrah zones
Germany, France propel
euro zone growth
BRUSSELS/BERLIN —
Powerful performances by the
German and French economies
propelled growth in the
euro zone well above forecasts
in the first quarter while also
highlighting the yawning gap
between the bloc’s strong and
weak.
The 17-nation currency
area expanded by 0.8 per cent
in the first three months of the
year, data showed yesterday,
fuelled by startling 1.5 per
cent GDP growth in Germany,
while the French economy
grew 1 per cent, driven in part
by consumer demand.
Economists had forecast
euro zone growth of 0.6 per
cent. Analysts said the better
than expected data — despite
Portugal returning to recession
and Greece still buried under
a debt mountain — strengthened
the case for a European
Central Bank rate rise by July,
which would be the second
this year.
Germany and France account
for nearly half the region’s
gross domestic product.
Both nations bounced back
from a modest showing in the
last quarter of 2010 when bad
weather hit output.
The European Commission
forecast quarter-on-quarter
growth in the euro zone would
slow to 0.3 per cent in the second
quarter and then stabilise
at 0.4 per cent for the next two
quarters.
“Nevertheless, there now
looks a very decent chance
that euro zone GDP growth
will reach 2 per cent in 2011
for the first time since 2007,”
Archer said.
The European Commission
was less optimistic, sticking to
its February projection of 1.6
per cent growth this year with
inflation well above the ECB’s
two per cent target. In 2012, it
expects euro zone growth of
1.8 per cent.
Italy bucked the trend,
growing by just 0.1 per cent
in the first quarter, posting
the same weak rate as the last
three months of 2010.
The government predicts
growth of 1.1 per cent this
year and the Commission only
1 per cent.
For the euro zone’s most
debt-ridden economies, solid
growth is a distant dream.
Portugal’s economy shrank
0.7 per cent in the first quarter,
sending the economy back into
recession. Its government has
admitted that, having sought
a bailout, its economy will
shrink both this year and next.
The Commission expects 2.2
per cent contraction in 2011
and 1.8 per cent in 2012.
Greece actually achieved
quarterly growth — of 0.8 per
cent — for the first time since
late 2009 but that followed a
vicious 2.8 per cent contraction
in the last quarter of 2010.
The Commission expects
Athens to announce new austerity
measures this year to
meet its bailout targets.
Spain gained some support
for its efforts to persuade
markets it can avoid being
sucked into the debt crisis —
its economy expanded 0.8 per
cent on an annualised basis, its
strongest rate since the second
quarter of 2008. — Reuters
Glencore to close books early
HONG KONG — Commodities
trader Glencore will close
the books for its planned $11
billion initial public offering
(IPO) a day ahead of schedule,
underscoring strong investor
demand for its shares despite
volatile commodity markets.
According to details in a
term sheet seen by Thomson
Reuters IFR and confirmed
by sources close to the deal,
subscriptions to the IPO will
now close on May 17, though
pricing will still go ahead as
planned on May 19, the day
conditional trading begins.
No reason for the early
close was provided in the term
sheet, but one of the sources
said the offer was already
“multiple times covered”
across the price range.
Typically, an early close is
A RESIDENT picks up prospectus and application forms
for Glencore IPO in Hong Kong yesterday. — AFP
a positive sign. It will also give
underwriters more time for the
orderly allocation of shares to
investors across the globe.
“Books will close one day
earlier than previously announced.
The only exceptions
to be made are for investors
with meetings thereafter,” the
Euro zone grows 0.8pc in Q1, above forecast
Spain GDP rise moderate, Italy barely grows
Portugal back in recession, Greece expands
Data strengthens case for July ECB rate rise
term sheet said.
Glencore declined to comment,
which is set to boost its
firepower for deals but will
also push the group into the
public eye after 37 years and
make its publicity shy executives
paper multi-millionaires.
Order books for shares in
Glencore, the world’s largest
diversified commodities trader,
were fully covered within
hours of the start of the sale
process last week, but part of
that success is due to the relatively
small stake in the company
being placed with funds
and to Glencore’s size, which
makes it a must-buy for many.
Chief Executive Ivan
Glasenberg said on Thursday
that the IPO had generated
strong demand, dismissing agitation
in commodity markets
as “froth”.
“This is a good sign,” Alex
Wong, a director with Ample
Finance Group said of the
change to closing dates. “But
the retail demand for the offer
is unlikely to be strong because
of the recent slump in commodity
prices.” — Reuters
Barka I and Barka II desalination
plants, which together account for
211,200 m3/day (46 MIGD) of capacity.
The Zone covers Seeb Wilayat
(Muscat Governorate), Barka, Al
Musannah, Wadi al Maawil, Nakhl,
Al Awabi and Rustaq Wilayat in Batinah
region, as well as the whole
of the Dakhiliyah region. Its location
between the Ghubrah Zone and
Sohar Zone allows for transfers of
WASHINGTON — US consumer
prices rose as expected
in April on higher food and
energy prices, but continued to
exhibit little sign of a broader
pick-up inflation that would
trouble the Federal Reserve.
The Labor Department
said its Consumer Price Index
increased 0.4 per cent after
rising 0.5 per cent in March.
Economists polled by Reuters
had expected a 0.4 per cent
rise last month.
Core CPI — excluding
food and energy — gained 0.2
per cent after edging up 0.1
per cent in March and in line
with economists’ expectations.
The monthly increase in core
CPI has been bouncing around
0.1 per cent and 0.2 per cent
since November.
The core reading is closely
watched by the US central
bank as a guide to monetary
surplus volumes between all three
zones, thereby addressing short-term
shortfalls across the networks.
In the Sohar Zone, the OPWP report
outlines the potential need for
new desalination capacity starting
from 18,000 m3/day (4 MIGD) in
2015 and rising to 64,000 m3/day
(14 MIGD) by 2017. Sohar Power
Company’s 150,000 m3/day (33
MIGD) capacity desalination plant
policy.
Fed officials believe high
commodity prices, which undercut
economic growth in the
first quarter, will not have a
lasting effect on inflation.
Gasoline prices accounted
for almost half of the rise in
overall consumer inflation last
month, advancing 3.3 per cent.
The pace of increase, however,
slowed from March’s 5.6 per
cent rise.
is the principal source of supply for
the Sohar Zone, which covers the
wilayats of Suwaiq, Al Khabourah,
Saham, Sohar, Liwa and Shinas in
Batinah region, as well as Buraimi
Governorate and the Dhahirah region.
Demand growth in the Sur Zone,
covering the Sharqiyah Region, will
be met by the existing Sur Desalination
Plant which boasts a capacity of
around 80,000 m3/day (18 MIGD).
Potable water demand in the
Duqm Zone will also be largely addressed
by a small 6,000 m3/day
desalination plant, which came into
operation recently. But depending
upon the needs of an industrial and
economic hub envisioned at Duqm,
desalination capacity shortfalls could
climb to as much as 15,000 m3/day
(3 MIGD) by 2017, says OPWP.
In the Salalah System, serving
the wilayats of Salalah, Taqah and
Mirbat, potable water demand —
currently addressed entirely through
groundwater supplies — will be
met by a new Independent Water
and Power Project due to be partially
commissioned later this year.
The IWPP, located at Taqah, has a
desalination capacity of 68,190 m3/
day (15 MIGD).
US consumer prices rise on food and gasoline
Food prices rose 0.4 per
cent after increasing 0.8 per
cent in March.
Rising costs for housing,
new vehicles, used trucks and
medical costs bumped up core
inflation last month.
Shelter costs, which account
for about 40 per cent
of core CPI, rose 0.1 per cent,
rising by the same margin for
a seventh straight month. —
Reuters

Oil spill response drill held at Port of Salalah
By A Staff Reporter
MUSCAT — Port of Salalah
and Lamor Clean Globe Oman
conducted an oil spill response
exercise at the Port of Salalah
recently.
The purpose of the exercise
was to demonstrate and test the
current capabilities within the
port to respond to an oil spill
scenario. Moreover, the exercise
provided an opportunity
for Port of Salalah and Lamor
Clean Globe Oman to facilitate
communication with each
other, and promote awareness
of the equipment and person-
nel available in the event of an
incident.
“The simulated exercise
provided an opportunity to test
the response capability of the
various parties involved in the
event of an unplanned release
of Bunker Fuel during a barge
loading,” says Peter Rigby,
Managing Director, Lamor
Clean Globe Oman.
The exercise was attended
by varying parties engaged
within the Port including representatives
of the Ministry of
Environment and Climate Affairs.
The day started with an
introduction and tour of Lamor
Clean Globe Oman’s Oil Spill
Response within the Port and
training was provided on the
different oil spill response
items and different strategies
which can be deployed in the
event of an oil spill. At 10.30
am a simulated emergency call
was then made from the Bunker
Barge informing that there had
been a failure of the oil containment
system resulting in an oil
spill. The emergency response
procedures of Port of Salalah
and Lamor Clean Globe Oman
were activated and the response
mobilised. During the exercise
several items of Lamor Clean
22
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Globe Oman’s specialist equipment
were deployed in one of
the berths such as oil containment
booms and skimmer
systems designed to collect oil
from water.
The exercise was followed
by a debrief session between
all parties where each party
gave valuable feedback. The
participants’ representatives
all agreed that the exercise had
shown that the capability for
oil spill response within the
Port was working very well
and communication channels
were excellent. These types
of exercises prove to be ex-
tremely beneficial in oil spill
incident preparedness and that
all participants would continue
to improve their capabilities.
Port of Salalah HSSE Manager
Mohammed al Mashani
said: “Whatever type of oil
spill you have to deal with, it
is all about containment and
limiting the effects and result
to the environment and business.
One of the things we’ve
learned is that preparation and
communication are critical, so
exercises like this help all of us
involved in oil spill prevention
and response to fine-tune our
co-ordination and skills.”
Muriya, NBO sign housing loan agreement
By A Staff Reporter
MUSCAT — Muriya Tourism
Development and National
Bank of Oman (NBO), have
recently signed an agreement,
to provide housing loans for
Muriya.
Adil Taqi, CEO of Muriya
and Abdul Qadir al Sumali,
NBO’s AGM and Head of
Branch Sales, signed the
agreement to finance loans
and strategies for the units and
villas of Muriya.
Also present at the ceremony,
from NBO was Hassan
Shaban — Chief Marketing
Officer, Moosa al Jadidi —
Head of Wealth Management
and Mohammad al Balushi —
Head of Mortgage Sales and
HONG KONG — Hong Kong
and China shares rose yesterday
to snap their weekly losing
streaks but light trading volumes
are likely to keep benchmarks
within narrow chart levels
in the near-term.
Tokyo stocks fell to a twoweek
low in heavy volume
yesterday as bank shares tumbled
after the government’s
top spokesman sparked concerns
that banks are likely to
be asked to ease troubled Tokyo
Electric Power Co’s loan
burden.
The benchmark Hang Seng
Index rose 0.9 per cent to
23,276.3, finding support at its
200-day moving average, currently
at 22,949.8, from which
it had bounced back following
the Japan earthquake. On the
upside, the 100-day moving
average around 23,431.5 is
seen as near-term resistance.
Inflation remains a concern
after a fifth increase this year
in reserve requirements for
China's commercial banks signalled
that mopping up excess
cash in the financial system
and reining in prices remained
a top priority for authorities.
Traders said the late rebound
followed market talk
that China's securities regulator
may introduce a programme
Muriya’s Roger Beamont —
VP Sales, and Michael Daniel
— Corporate Treasuring
Manager.
Muriya, established in
Oman in March 2006, is a joint
venture between Orascom Hotel's
and Development, and
that allows Chinese fund
houses to raise money outside
China to invest in domestic financial
markets, known locally
as "mini-QFII"," as well good
GDP numbers from Europe.
But stubbornly high consumer
prices in both Hong
Kong and China, and concerns
over further measures to curb
inflation are likely to keep investors
wary.
Omran. Muriya has invested
in several projects, namely the
four major projects of 'Jebel
Sifah,' 'Salalah Beach,' 'City
Walk' in Muscat, and an exclusive
eco-lodge on Soda Island.
NBO is the first local bank
in the Sultanate of Oman
"They (China) have sufficient
reserves at their disposal
to pump prime the economy as
and when required. But it's going
to be a fairly volatile period
where we could probably see
the economy slow down more
than the market would like,"
said Arjuna Mahendran, head
of Asia Investment of HSBC,
in a Reuters Insider interview.
Investors looking to in-
founded in 1973, and is now
acclaimed as one of the largest
banks in Oman.
The agreement with NBO,
first made in 2008, is now reestablished
with slight amendments
to the terms and conditions,
to allow housing loans
of up to 30 years, with an attractive
interest rate of 6.75
per cent. The agreement now
applies to tenants interested
in property ownership in Jebel
Sifah and Salalah Beach, and
is extended to both local citizens
and expatriates. National
Bank of Oman is also willing
to extend a secure 80 per cent
of the property value.
Taqi from Muriya said:
“This agreement is the fruit of
our many years of co-operation
crease exposure to Chinese
shares are likely to find better
entry levels in coming months,
said Mahendran.
Cyclicals rose after a choppy
week but continued to underperform
the broader market
as commodity prices remained
volatile with oil prices swinging
between gains and losses
through the day. CNOOC rose
0.3 per cent while Petrochina
and commitment to NBO. Now
hopeful home owners have the
promise of owning their own
property with Muriya. Not
only can they own homes in
Jebel Sifah and Salalah Beach,
but they will also experience
the height of luxury."
NBO’s Al Sumali added:
“Muriya is a long standing and
valued client. At NBO we are
committed to offer our customers
and clients the best of
products and services that will
allow and enable them to live
with elegance."
The signing ceremony reflects
the promise of tourism
development in Muscat, and
reinstates Oman's reputable
position as a stable and developing
nation.
was up 0.4 per cent.
Choppy energy sectors
pushed investors back into defensive
sectors such as utilities,
with China Resources Power
rising 3.5 per cent. Power
Assets, formerly HongKong
Electric, rose 3.4 per cent on
good volumes.
Hengan International
Group Co Ltd, China's largest
maker of sanitary napkins,
rose 2.9 per cent after being included
in the benchmark Hang
Seng Index from next month,
according to a statement from
the index reviewer.
Shares of Foxconn International,
which is set to be
dropped from the benchmark,
slid 3 per cent on expected
selling by index funds that replicate
the benchmark.
Large banks led a broad
uptick in China shares yesterday,
propelling the benchmark
Shanghai Composite to its first
weekly gain in a month. China's
top lender, Industrial and
Commerical Bank of China
(ICBC), was the biggest support
to the benchmark, gaining
2 per cent on the day.
"Larger banks are seen to be
less affected than their smaller
competitors by the latest hike
in bank reserve requirements,"
said Zhang Qi, an analyst with
New projects ease housing woes
THE strength of
Oman’s real estate
stems mainly from
both proactive government
foresight and the nature
of the market here.
The country’s growing
population means housing
demand will continue to
rise.
Approximately 73
per cent of the country’s
population is now
urbanised. As a result,
demand is buoyant for
residential leasing sector
with positive growth in the
number of tenants seeking
housing in comparison to
previous years. The higher
demand is the result of
establishment of more
and more companies and
expansion of the existing
ones creating more jobs.
When allied to the
trend of Muscat to
expand westwards due to
topographical constraints,
the result has been an
increasing need for housing
affordable in areas such as
Al Khoud, Maabela and
Seeb.
The development of
the western part of the
capital has also received
a significant boost
from the opening of the
Muscat Expressway
which has increased the
area’s accessibility, and
significantly improved the
travel woes.
At the same time, thanks
to the increasing amount of
supply, price-driven rents
have dropped over the last
few months. To add to this,
tenants have now a wide
range of choices with many
new apartments and villas
coming up in the city area.
In contrast to the past, the
new buildings have more
quality and amenities.
According to experts,
Haitong Securities. The benchmark
Shanghai Composite Index
closed up 1 per cent on
the day and 0.2 per cent on the
week to 2,871.0 points yesterday.
On the upside, the index is
likely to be capped by its 125day
moving average.
A-share turnover declined
yesterday to RMB 10.3 billion,
23.1 per cent lower than
its 2011 average of RMB 13.4
billion, according to Thomson
Reuters data. The decline
in volume has coincided with
By Samuel Kutty
samkutty@omanobserver.om
the decrease shows the
reflection of demand/supply
dynamics suggesting that
the property market has
crossed the equilibrium.
This trend is expected to
continue in the coming
years with many more
building projects coming up
in the capital area.
Rental values have
continued to soften although
the rate of decline has
started to level off. Some
areas have been harder
hit due to the quality of
the area or the properties
available. Rates are variable
and relative to the area with
micro markets developing
within each area.
Further softening of
rental values is expected in
the short to medium term,
particularly as the supply
of new apartments comes
into the market, according
to reports. The long term
outlook is that the market
should start to show signs
of recovery as the economy
continues to expand.
But many landlords are
still seeking rent in excess
of the realistic market rates.
In Ruwi and its adjoining
area demand is high for
lease by the middle income
group of both local and
expatriate community. The
business community also
contributes to the demand
the benchmark's slide from its
2011 high in mid-April.
"This rise could be a technical
rebound and further dips
could be in store due to persistent
inflationary pressures
and as the economy slows,"
said Wang Aochao, head of
research at UOB Kay Hian in
Shanghai.
Beijing lifted bank reserve
requirements by 50 basis
points late on Thursday, a day
after data showed factory output
growth in April eased much
for their proximity to
their establishments in the
area. Till one year before,
landlords in these areas had
hay days thanks to shortage
of flats leading to high
demand. In some cases rise
in rent amounted to 300 per
cent in the past.
The situation now
is that vacancy level in
several flats has outstripped
the demand with the
construction of several
new buildings and many
more are in the face of
completion.
But the fact is that some
landlords are reluctant to
reduce the rent, rather they
prefer to keep the flats
locked for what they claim
is a ‘prestige’ issue. “Rent
once increased will not be
reverted, even if we have to
keep them locked”, claims
one landlord in Ruwi.
Many of the apartments
and villas in this area are
decades old and they are
in a dilapidated condition.
Maintenance is also not
done properly.
In the current market
conditions, it is vital
that landowners adopt a
proactive approach with
more emphasis on achieving
and maintaining good
occupancy rates rather
than concentrating on high
headline rental values.
HK, China shares snap weekly losing streak; Tokyo down
A MAN looks at a stock index board in front of a brokerage in Tokyo yesterday. — Reuters
more than expected, while annual
increases in money supply
and outstanding yuan loans
hit their lowest pace in 29
months — signs that measures
to slow the economy are starting
to bite.
Property stocks outperformed
the broader market
yesterday, as they have done
for most of the week. The
Shanghai property sub-index
finished up 1.9 per cent on the
day and up 2.8 per cent on the
week. Poly Real Estate Group
Co Ltd closed up 1.9 per cent
on the day and 3.2 per cent on
the week.
Stocks in Tokyo lost
ground in yesterday’s trading
due to the yen strengthening
against the dollar. The benchmark
Nikkei 225 Stock Average
lost 23.29 points, or 0.24
per cent, to trade at 9,693.26.
The broader-based Topix index
was down 3.38 ponts, or
0.4 per cent, at 845.96.
On currency markets at 9
am (0000 GMT), the dollar
traded at 81.01-02 yen, down
from Thursday's 5 pm quote of
81.09-10 yen.
The euro traded at $1.4230-
33, up from $1.4222-23 on
Thursday, and at 115.28-32
yen, down from 115.33-37
yen. — Agencies

23
OMAN/INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
EADS record cash pile
boosts acquisition scope
PARIS — Airbus parent
EADS saw its capacity for acquisitions
boosted by a record
12.2 billion euro ($17.3 billion)
cash pile disclosed with
upbeat results on Friday, weeks
after governments bailed out a
troubled project.
The news could create a
headache for the company,
which in April signed a deal
with seven European nations
for a 3.5 billion euro bailout
of its A400M military aircraft
programme and is expected to
receive European loans for its
A350 airliner.
Chief Executive Louis
Gallois (pictured) defended
the bailout. "I don't think it
(the cash surplus) is changing
anything. The bailout money
is to reduce the level of losses
we have," Gallois said during
a meeting of business leaders.
The world's second largest
aerospace group after Boeing
beat expectations with a
strong first quarter at Airbus,
which is considering increasing
its production to meet demand.
EADS said the rebound
fuelled signs of recovery,
which has bounced back
strongly from its financialcrisis
recession. Shares in the
company rose almost five per
cent.
However, the speed of the
TOKYO — Japanese entertainment
and technology giant
Sony faces a battle to regain
the trust of millions of consumers
after online networks
integral to its strategy were
hacked, say analysts.
One of the biggest data
breaches since the advent of
the Internet could cost it around
$1 billion, but deeper damage
to Sony's brand image could
undermine efforts to link its
gadgets to an online network of
games, movies and music. "It is
difficult to make profits on such
devices without networking
functions," said Mizuho Investors
Securities analyst Nobuo
Kurahashi. "What is necessary
is for Sony to restore consumer
confidence."
The cyber attacks on Sony
in recent weeks involved the
theft of personal data that include
names, passwords and
addresses from more than 100
million accounts on its Play-
Station Network and Sony
Online Entertainment services.
Sony has said it cannot rule
out that millions of credit card
numbers may have been compromised
and has delayed the
planned restart of PlayStation
Network and Qriocity music
streaming services after shut-
NEW YORK — The massive
quake which knocked Toyota
out of the top spot in the first
quarter will likely help General
Motors regain the global
sales crown this year and could
even see Toyota overtaken by
Volkswagen.
"It is almost certain that
Toyota will lose its number
one position this year," said
Bill Visnic, an analyst with the
automotive website Edmunds.
com. "Its production won't be
fully back before very late in
the year. It is hard to predict
another outcome."
Toyota sold 1.79 million
vehicles worldwide in the first
three months of the year, down
12 per cent from the first quarter
of 2010.
GM sold 2.22 million vehicles
to regain the crown — at
least for the quarter — lost to
Toyota in 2008 after 77 years.
Volkswagen — which is
actively seeking the top spot in
global sales — sold two million
vehicles in the same period.
The 9.0-magnitude earthquake
and the resulting tsunami
hammered production,
shattered supply chains and
crippled electricity-generating
facilities, including a nuclear
power plant at the centre of an
ongoing atomic emergency.
A parts shortage forced
recovery has handed EADS a
dilemma over a cash surplus
swelled by deposits on airliner
sales.
EADS must now answer
both to private investors calling
for it to put its warchest to
good use — while targets in
the protectionist defence sector
are scarce — and simultaneously
maintain support
from taxpayers to research
and build aircraft.
"If they are unable to
find suitable acquisitions or
find anything else to do with
the money, then they have
to distribute it to shareholders
through a share buyback
or special dividend," said
Howard Wheeldon, senior
strategist at BGC Partners.
"They must retain cash for
ting them down.
Already reeling from the
impact on production and
output of Japan's March 11
earthquake and tsunami disaster,
analysts say Sony faces
further costs in beefing up security
and compensating consumers.
The company’s CEO
Howard Stringer (pictured)
in a recent blog post tried to
stem the anger of users furious
that it did not admit the
full extent of the security risk
until a week after shutting the
services down.
“I know some believe we
should have notified our customers
earlier than we did. It’s
a fair question,” he said.
“I wish we could have
Toyota to slash production not
just domestically but also in
the United States, European
Union, China and Australia
in the wake of the March 11
disaster.
The Detroit Three carmakers
will likely benefit the most
from Toyota’s decline in the
United States, but European
rivals will gain from supply
shortages at Toyota’s luxury
Lexus brand.
Toprak expects GM to
win the top spot for the year,
as it would be “tough” but
“mathematically possible” for
Volkswagen to overtake the
US automaker.
“They’ve been very vocal
about their desire to be a high
volume automaker in every
market, including in the US”
future developments but if
they generate cash at this level,
then they must find further
use for it or give up the possibility
of any future government
support for developing
commercial aircraft."
EADS recently broke a
two-year acquisition drought
with a $640 million bid to
buy Canadian repair firm Vector
Aerospace but is under
mounting pressure from analysts
to tell shareholders what
else it can do with its growing
wealth.
EADS Chief Executive
Louis Gallois has spoken of
potential acquisitions worth
1-2 billion euros with an emphasis
on defence and highermargin
services businesses in
the United States. — Reuters
Sony battles to regain
trust after data breach
gotten the answers we needed
sooner, but forensic analysis
is a complex, time-consuming
process.”
Consumer trust in security
is crucial to the success of
such "cloud-based" systems,
say analysts, and the fact that
Sony failed to encrypt some
of its customers' personal data
has undermined confidence,
they say.
"The network strategy is
very important to Sony, and is
representative of their efforts
to move away from one-off
sales of hardware and toward
monetising a vast content library
and adding a competitive
edge to their hardware,"
said Jay Defibaugh at MF
Global in Tokyo. — AFP
General Motors likely
to retake top spot
where they have a marginal
market share of 2.5 per cent,
Toprak said.
“GM on the other hand has
been focusing on profitability
instead of market share,”
which means “VW might have
an opportunity to be more aggressive
and has more capacity
to weather production increases
to answer to consumer
demand.” A Toyota spokesman
dismissed concerns about
losing the top spot.
“Being the largest automaker
has never been our
goal,” Javier Moreno said.
“We are optimistic about
our success in 2011. As always,
Toyota is committed to
providing customers with high
quality vehicles at affordable
prices.” — AFP

Lexus IS-F — outstanding performance
MUSCAT — The Lexus IS-F is the first in Lexus’ line-up of sportier models. It’s the
latest incarnation of the Lexus IS, a rear-wheel-drive; entry-level compact sport sedan.
The “F” refers to Lexus’ newly formed F-Sport division, which is expected to churn
out high-performance versions of Lexus models designed to rival high-end European
sport sedans and coupes. Although Lexus used the F denotation internally in the past
for special projects, the IS-F will be the first production car to bear the F badge.
A compact super sport sedan, the Lexus IS-F has a few styling cues that definitely
separate it from its IS siblings. These include a unique — faux quad exhaust design,
which appears as two staggered, vertically stacked ovals on the car’s lower rear fascia.
The IS-F also features aerodynamic enhancements on the hood and front bumper, wider
front fenders and a rear spoiler, all of which give the car a more aggressive, though
somewhat aftermarket, look.
Under the IS-F’s hood is a 5.0-litre V8 engine tuned to produce a mighty respectable
417 horsepower and 51.5 Kg M of torque. The transmission is an eight-speed
automatic, controlled by paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Other high-performance
features include engine oil and transmission fluid coolers, as well as an oil pump designed
for high-speed cornering. The IS-F also features a new, performance-oriented
version of Lexus’ electronic stability control system.
The overall cabin is intimate, but comfortable for the driver and shotgun passenger.
The heavily bolstered sport seats fit well with ample leg space. Set immediately behind
the steering, perfectly distanced from the fingertips, are dual transmission paddles.
Lexus has eliminated the middle rear seat, allowing just four passengers to enjoy the
IS-F.
Major standard features on the Lexus IS-F include 19-inch BBS MESH design
forged alloy wheels with Brembo Brake calipers, HID headlamps with Intelligent
24 OMAN SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Adaptive Front Lighting System, Leather Upholstery, Powered and Ventilated front
sport seats and a rear-seat trunk pass-through opening. Also standard is the 14 Speaker
Mark Levinson — premium surround system with DVD, as well as a navigation system
with touchscreen, voice activation, a back-up camera and Bluetooth.
Lexus IS-F’s strengths include acceleration, handling and braking abilities. The automatic
transmission also works surprisingly well. IS-F accomplishes the 0-100 Kmph
dash in just 4.8 seconds, impressively quick by anybody’s standards.
Safety has been diligently taken care of in the new Lexus IS-F. It is equipped with
standard 10 airbags which include curtain shied airbags for all-round protection, adaptive
front lighting system and vehicle dynamics management system that integrates
anti-lock braking system (ABS), brake assist system (BAS), traction control system
(TRC), electronic brake force distribution (EBD) and vehicle stability control (VSC).
Also included are the pre-crash system with milli-wave radar and daytime running
lights.
Lexus vehicles are marketed in Oman by the Saud Bahwan Group. In Oman, every
Lexus vehicle comes with special benefits and privileges such as 6 years unlimited extended
mileage protection — Aman Bahwan and Lexus Prestige Club Card that offers
24 hours on-road assistance from AAA.
Toyota Alphard — ultra luxurious
THE new Toyota Alphard is an ultra-luxury, multi-purpose vehicle that has a powerful
presence — a bold front grill, shimmering head lights, 16-inch alloy wheels, sporty
rear spoiler and classy retractable outer mirrors with turn signals.
The new Alphard has a plush cockpit, to make anyone easily feel pampered and
powerful — like an airline pilot. A classically laid-out dashboard is studded with sophisticated
features... all within easy reach. The power to cruise comes from either the
3.5-litre, 6-cylinder, 24-valve, DOHC, EFi, dual VVT- I engine with (6-speed A/T) or
the 2.4-litre, 4-cylinder, 16V, DOHC, EFi, VVT-i engine (4-speed A/T).
Coupled with the wide-tread and long wheelbase, the Alphard creates an exceptionally
silky ride.
The opulent interior of the Alphard pays a huge compliment to elite lifestyle. A
variety of lighting modes can be obtained by the high brightness LEDs with 4-step
adjustable brightness on both sides of the ceiling, twin moon-roofs with shades, among
others. The climate control system enables automatic controls with separate temperature
setting for three zones — the driver seat, front passenger seats and the rear seats.
Power sliding doors on both sides open easily to reveal numerous features designed
to optimise comfort, promising all passengers a pleasant experience as they step into
the spacious interior. While an 8-speaker audio system delivers sound of a very rich
timbre and tone.
Classy Alphard offers luxurious front passenger seat with power Ottoman & front
power seats (8-way driver and 4-way passenger). The rear 1st row seats are manual
captain seats with Ottoman mechanism (extendable leg rest) and footrests.
The spirit of hospitality that permeates the Alphard is amply visible by the second
row genuine leather executive power seats with slides of up to 448mm. The seats also
incorporate power-recline that is continuously adjustable up to 78 degrees. The Otto-
TEL: 24601003, 24600586 • FAX: 24600736
• WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com
man seats with footrest, large headrests, armrests and with cup holders, provide unique
comfort. A wood grain side table and various storage spaces add to its crest-of-luxury
feel.
Alphard is equipped with class-leading safety features that provide the best protection
for both the driver and passengers. Several vehicle control functions are incorporated
in the form of highly reliable advance systems including the EPS-VSC integrated
control system, ABS with EBD, BA and TRC in order to offer occupants an excellent
level of safety and peace of mind.
Features such as projector type low beam HID headlamps with intelligent AFS focuses
on ensuring maximum visibility for the driver. Furthermore, it is designed to
provide exceptional passive safety performance in the event of an accident, thanks to
the body structure which helps reduce injury to pedestrians. The hood, bumper and
other components feature an impact absorbing structure.
Alphard also boasts of several other safety features such as 11 SRS airbags (driver,
front passenger, side airbags, driver knee airbag and side curtain airbags); Steeringassisted
vehicle stability control (in an emergency S-VSC co-ordinates with VSC —
vehicle stability control); EPS (electronic power steering) to control the amount of
steering torque and assists in contributing to excellent vehicle stability and control;
Active headrests provide extra protection during vehicle collision; Advance headlights
— auto on/off HID headlamps with intelligent adaptive front lighting system and auto
levelling and front and rear parking sensors and monitors, among many others.
This outstanding performer comes to you from Toyota — a household name in
Oman and a part of people’s lives.
Toyota offers enduring quality and nothing comes close to it in terms of value-retention.
It is no surprise; therefore, that Toyota soars far above the rest, with a dominant
market share and ever-expanding customer base.
The unmatched, nationwide parts and service support of Saud Bahwan Group
makes Toyota’s pride of place a reality. Toyota customers in Oman enjoy 6-year unlimited
mileage protection, over 98 per cent parts availability and round-the-clock care,
among many other exclusive privileges from the Group.
Towell Auto Centre at CBFS Open Day
IT’S not all work and no play at Towell Auto Centre (TAC), and their spirited participation
at the College of Banking and Financial Studies’ (CBFS) Open Day certainly
proved this. Catching the attention of all present, TAC’s rich and vibrant line-up of
Mazdas was a big hit among all.
Representatives from TAC greeted students and guests at the show and briefed them
about the various models available from Mazda’s vast stable. With its presence at this
youth-oriented event, TAC has further demonstrated its commitment to the youth; perfectly
in line with its strategy to offer stylish, sporty products with a fun element.
Annurag Chawla, Head of Marketing and Communications, Towell Auto Centre,
says, “Typical of TAC’ s ethos, we decided to be a part of CBFS’s Open Day because it
would help communicate the essence of our brand in a high strung, youthful environment.
At TAC we believe in youth empowerment; and were delighted that vis-à-vis
our line-up at CBFS we were able to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the
students about our products. The response we got from students and others present has
been overwhelming. The racy design and funky bodywork of our vehicles, excites the
students to know more about on-road driving experience. We are pretty confident that
these students will come back to our showroom and purchase a Mazda.”
TAC’s participation at CBFS’s Open Day reinstated its commitment to educational
and fun activities, and characterises the values reflected in its brand claim — your
trusted partner.
TAC provides quality service to all models of Mazda and makes owning a Mazda
extra pleasant with its efficient after sales service and quick response time. With a network
of 15 service outlets and ten parts outlets spread across Oman, TAC is the only
Mazda distributor in the world to win the Mazda Customer Service award five years in
a row. With 98.2 per cent parts deliverability, TAC also offers quick, efficient service
with genuine parts available for all models and have highly trained staff who pride in
their quality of service.

Dr Chinery-Hesse,
the West African
representative in the
highly distinguished
African Union (AU) Panel
of the Wise, has been
invited to be the keynote
speaker at this year’s
Africa Day Ball, an annual
event organised by the
African Community in
Oman, with the support
of African diplomatic
missions in the
Sultanate, as a forum for
drawing attention to the
rich potential of Africa,
as well as supporting
charitable causes
in Africa
and Oman
By Ben Nnamdi Emenyeonu
CENTURIES ago, when most
traditional African societies
were dripping with discrimination
against women, which was
largely fed by cultural prejudice
and stereotypes, Ghana’s world renowned
scholar and missionary, Dr
James Kwegyir-Aggrey, weaved an
inspiring parable, as he campaigned
to redress the situation.
The parable was about a man
who caught a young eagle in the
woods and decided to domesticate it
among his fowls and ducks. Several
years later, a conservationist, who
was passing by saw the captive eagle
and appealed for its release, but the
captor refused, insisting it was no
longer an eagle, as he had trained it
to become a chicken. “No, an eagle
will always be an eagle, the king of
birds. It may be fed chicken feed, but
it has the heart of an eagle and I can
make it soar high up to the heavens,”
argued the conservationist. He then
picked up the eagle and said to it,
“You are an eagle, you belong to the
ARCHAEOLOGISTS
digging for the remains
of a 16th-century woman
believed to be the model for
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona
Lisa have found a crypt and
a stairway to a second tomb
inside a medieval convent
in Florence.
“What we found confirms
the precise corroboration
between the historical
documents and the preliminary
results that emerged
from geo-radar soundings,”
said Stefania Romano,
spokeswoman for the group
behind the excavation at the
convent of Saint Orsula.
The team of historians
plans to use geo-radar
equipment to locate the
skull of Lisa Gherardini
Del Giocondo, who died
in Florence in 1542 and is
believed to have modelled
for Leonardo’s celebrated
portrait now hanging in the
Louvre.
Once they locate the
skull, the team will try
and recreate a likeness of
what the woman would
have looked like, compare
her to Leonardo’s worldfamous
portrait and unlock
the centuries-old mystery
Winfrey gets street
named after her
Page 26
sky and not to this earth, stretch forth
your wings and fly,” but looking
down and seeing the chickens eating
on the ground, the eagle jumped
down and joined them. “See, I told
you it is now a chicken,” the captor
said triumphantly.
But the conservationist asked for
one more chance to prove his point.
The next morning, they took the eagle
away from the house to the foot
of a high mountain. The sun was just
rising, draping the top of the mountain
with a hue of gold and making
every crag glisten in the joy of that
beautiful morning. As soon as the
conservationist made the eagle look
at the sun, it suddenly stretched out
its wings and with the screech of an
eagle, it mounted higher and higher
and never returned!
Among other interpretations, the
parable was an exhortation for the
downtrodden, especially women, to
rise beyond the stereotypical roles
that weighed them down, and soar to
the heights of their dreams and potential.
Today, Ghana’s Chief Justice,
nine ministers (including the attorney
surrounding Mona Lisa’s
identity.
The historians will compare
the DNA with that of
two of her children buried
in Florence’s Santissima
Annunziata church to prove
her identity. Many experts,
however, say Leonardo’s
Justin Bieber’s bodyguards
outnumber fans
Page 28
painting may be a composite
of many faces.
The Mona Lisa has exceptionally
large hands and
some art historians believe
the sitter was a man —
Gian Giacomo Caprotti,
apprentice to and alleged
lover of the maestro. Many
Talmiz Ahmad’s
book launch
Page 26
Jolie, Black seek ‘inner peace’
in Kung Fu Panda 2
Page 28
Fea ures
Saturday, May 14, 2011
‘You are an eagle, you belong to the sky and not to this
earth, stretch forth your wings and fly’
general and minister of justice), a
glitterati of intellectuals, technocrats,
novelists and other women who have
made it to the top of their careers,
have proved beyond any reasonable
doubts that women were not born just
to be cooks or concubines, fishwives
or farmhands. It is within this fold of
high-flying daughters of Ghana, who
have left indelible imprints not only
on their homeland but also at the international
scene, that we meet Mary
Chinery-Hesse.
Born at a time when her society
was so male-centred that girls were
hardly granted equal access to western
education as boys, young Mary
was determined to soar to great
heights on the wings of education. It
was a resolve, which propelled her
as she earned a first degree in Sociology
and Economics from the University
of Ghana, and a postgraduate
training in Development Economics
from the University of Dublin, and
the World Bank Institute, where she
was also inscribed as a fellow.
As a young graduate, Mary’s first
port of call on her flight to greatness
Archaeologists find new tomb as
hunt for Mona Lisa continues
have wondered if a secret
lies behind the model’s famously
cryptic smile.
But most modern scholars
now agree the Mona
Lisa sitter was Del Giocondo,
the wife of a rich
Florentine silk merchant,
who according to Leonardo
expert Giuseppe Pallanti
became a nun after her husband’s
death and died in the
convent on July 15, 1542,
aged 63.
The dig began in the
hallways of the convent and
the team’s radar showed
there could be burials there
dating back to Gherardini’s
time as little as two metres
below the surface. “In the
next few days, we will enter
the most critical phase
of the research, when the
tombs are opened and we
find if there are human remains
inside or not,” said
Romano.
If found, Mona Lisa’s
body will be examined by
archaeologists, art historians,
anatomic pathologists,
anthropologists and biologists,
and the tomb and investigation
finding with go
on public display, according
to Romano.— IANS
was the Ghanaian Civil Service,
where she rose to the powerful position
of Permanent Secretary in the
Ministry of Finance and Economic
Planning, and also became the Secretary
of the National Economic
Planning Council. Determined to
soar even higher, she later joined the
United Nations, serving as Resident
Representative of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP)
in Sierra Leone, Tanzania, the Seychelles
and Uganda.
She then became the Deputy
Director-General of the International
Labour Organization (ILO) from
1989-1999, making her the first African
woman to rise to the rank of Under
Secretary-General of the United
Nations. At the end of her UN career,
and with an irresistible wealth of experience,
she was appointed to the
high office of Chief Adviser to the
President of the Republic of Ghana
under the administration of John Kufuor.
She also was Vice-Chairperson
of the National Development Planning
Commission, and a member of
the Board of the Centre for Policy
Analysis. At one time or the other,
she had served as chairperson, adviser
or member of regional and
international bodies including the
African Union, the Commonwealth,
the World Bank and the Global Humanitarian
Forum.
Today in retirement, she remains
ever active, serving not only as chairperson
of Zenith Bank of Ghana, but
also as the West African representative
in the highly distinguished African
Union (AU) Panel of the Wise.
The Panel, which comprises eminent
Africans of high repute and integrity,
serves to advise and support the
Peace and Security Council of AU,
particularly in the area of conflict
resolution. She sits on the Panel with
the likes of former President Kenneth
Kaunda of Zambia, former President
Ahmed Ben Bella of Algeria and Dr
Salim Ahmed Salim of Tanzania,
among other highly respected African
personalities.
In recognition of her distinguished
services, she has received
several prestigious awards and decorations
including an honorary Doctor
of Laws from the University of Ghana,
and the highest national award,
the Order of the Star of Ghana.
In November 2010, she was
awarded the Gusi Peace Prize for
International Diplomacy and Humanitarianism.
Dubbed the Asian
equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize,
the Philippines-based Gusi Prize is
awarded to individuals from any
part of the world who, in the words
of the award charter, “represent the
most brilliant examples of those
working towards the attainment of
peace and respect for human life and
dignity.”
As a repository of knowledge
and experience, Dr Chinery-Hesse
has been invited to be the keynote
speaker at this year’s Africa Day
Ball, an annual event organised by
the African Community in Oman,
with the support of African diplomatic
missions in the Sultanate, as
a forum for drawing attention to the
rich potential of Africa, as well as
supporting charitable causes in Africa
and Oman. The theme of this
year’s event, which will take place
on Thursday, May 19, at Grand
Hyatt Muscat is, ‘Celebrating Creative
Arts in Africa’.
Whenever in trouble, I call
for Salman: Zarine
Page 26
Warning bells over
climate change
LEADING US research agency has sounded
A warning bells over the risk of dangerous climate
change which is growing with every additional tonne of
greenhouse gas emission.
A National Research Council committee has reiterated
the pressing need for substantial action to limit the
magnitude of climate change and to prepare to adapt
to its impact.
The committee that authored the report included
not only renowned scientists and engineers but also
economists, business leaders, an ex-governor, a former
congressman and other policy experts.
“The goal is to ensure that climate decisions are informed
by the best possible scientific knowledge, analysis
and advice, both now and in the future,” said committee
chair Albert Carnesale, chancellor emeritus and
professor, University of California, Los Angeles.
The new report reaffirms that the preponderance
of scientific evidence points to human activities — especially
the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
gases into the atmosphere — as the most likely
cause for most of the global warming over the last several
decades.
This trend cannot be explained by natural factors
such as internal climate variability or changes in incoming
energy from the sun.
The report adds that the impact of climate change on
human and natural systems can generally be expected
to intensify with warming, according to a California
statement.
While it recognised that climate change is inherently
a global issue requiring an international response,
the committee focused on the charge from Congress to
identify steps and strategies that US decision-makers
could adopt now.
Because emissions reductions in the US alone will
not be adequate to avert dangerous climate change
risks, US leadership needs to remain actively engaged
in international climate change response efforts, the
committee emphasised.
If the US pursues strong emission reduction efforts,
it will be better positioned to influence other countries
to do the same, the committee said. — IANS
A bug that nips malaria in the bud
JOHNS Hopkins researchers
have identified a bug that nips
malaria in the bud by halting
the development of the parasite,
plasmodium falciparum, that
causes it. The enterobacter
bacterium is part of the naturally
occurring microbial flora of
the mosquito’s gut and kills the
parasite by producing reactive
oxygen species (free radical
molecules).
Worldwide, malaria afflicts
more than 225 million people
and kills nearly 800,000, many of
whom are children living in Africa,
the journal Science reports.
“We’ve previously shown that
the mosquito’s midgut bacteria
can activate its immune system
and thereby indirectly limit the
development of the malarial parasite,”
said George Dimopoulos,
senior study author and associate
professor at the Johns Hopkins
Malaria Research Institute.
“In this study, we show that
certain bacteria can directly block
the malaria parasite’s development
through the production of
free radicals that are detrimental
to plasmodium in the mosquito
gut,” said Dimopoulos, who has
specialised in molecular microbiology
and Immunology.
“We are particularly excited
about this discovery...and we may
also use this knowledge to develop
novel methods to stop the spread
of malaria,” said Dimopoulos, according
to a Johns Hopkins state-
ment.
“One biocontrol strategy may,
for example, rely on the exposure
of mosquitoes in the field to this
natural bacterium, resulting in resistance
to the malaria parasite.”
The researchers isolated the
enterobacter bacterium from the
midgut of Anopheles mosquitoes
collected near the Johns Hopkins
Institute in southern Zambia.
About 25 per cent of collected
mosquitoes had the specific
enterobacter strain. Lab studies
showed the bug halted the growth
of plasmodium up to 99 per cent,
both in the mosquito gut and in
a test tube culture of the human
malaria parasite. Higher doses of
bacteria had a greater impact on
plasmodium growth.
Flatworm regenerates new
body from single cell: A single
adult cell from one of the most
impressive masters of regeneration
in the animal kingdom —
the planarian — is all it takes to
build a completely functional new
worm, researchers say.
Planarian is the common name
given to many non-parasitic flatworms
of Turbellaria class. They
are common to many parts of the
world, living in both saltwater and
freshwater ponds and rivers.
The study provides the first
hard evidence that adult planarians
harbour pluripotent stem
cells — cells capable of producing
the diverse range of tissue
types necessary to build a complete
animal.
Distributed throughout the
worm body, the newfound cells
appear to have the same all-purpose
qualities as embryonic stem
cells. Such cells are essential for
supplying the rapidly diversifying
cells in a developing embryo, but
usually disappear after the earliest
stages of development. — IANS

Whenever in trouble, I take
Salman’s help: Zarine Khan
AT a time when film-makers are splurging money on
their movies, Aamir Khan is concerned about the
budget of his next production Delhi Belly. The cost might
touch Rs 25 crore, which the actor-film-maker feels is high
for an adult comedy.
“Its budget is on higher side. It would end somewhere
between Rs 20 to Rs 25 crore, which doesn’t include promotion.
I am worried about that. We are trying to keep as
low as possible right now,” said Aamir. This is not his first
movie where the budget has shot up, says the 46-year-old
who has produced films like Laagan, Taare Zameen Par
and Peepli Live.
“All my films have gone over budget to different degrees.
I feel I am not a hardcore producer who fixes budgets
before starting a film and no-matter what, he makes sure he
doesn’t have to spend a penny more. I am more of a creative
person. It happens with all my films. For one reason
or the other, it always exceeds the stipulated budget,” said
Aamir.
The adult comedy, which Aamir feels will mar his reputation
as a family film-maker, is directed by Abhinay Deo
who roped in Imran
Khan, Vir Das and Kunal
Roy Kapoor to tell
this funny story. The
release date of Delhi
Belly is July 1 and it is
clashing with megastar
Amitabh Bachchan’s
Bbuddah... Hoga Tera
Baap, but that won’t
affect business, said
Aamir.
“I think this is not
new. Two big films
have released together
previously too. Dil and
Ghayal came together.
Welcome and Taare Zameen Par, Laagan and Gadar there
are so many examples like it. I don’t think it matters. If
your film is good, audiences will love to see your film. If
your film is not good, then no way you can draw audience.
So, I don’t think it matters. We have place for two films in
our theatres now,” said Aamir.
Brangelina sued by former employee
HOLLYWOOD star couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
are being sued by a former employee who was fired
while on sick leave. The unnamed woman worked as a
bilingual secretary at their Miraval chateau in the South of
France. She was dismissed by a manager at the estate while
on sick leave on the grounds that her absence impacted
the running of the
property.
The woman is now
seeking 80,000 euros
in compensation for
unfair dismissal. “She
has nothing against
them personally and
says she was always
treated well. But they
did not step in to prevent
her being dismissed,”
femalefirst.
co.uk quoted the woman’s
lawyer Emmanuel
Ludot as saying.
“Brad Pitt, who is
also famous for his charity work and adoption of children,
should understand that my client needs compensation as
soon as possible, and that she’s not asking for millions, just
a fair amount for unfair dismissal. We hope they will both
be faithful to their reputation for humanitarian causes,” Ludot
added. — IANS
26
ENTERTAINMENT SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
RELATIONSHIP rumours keep
newcomers in the news and
something similar happened
to Zarine Khan, (pictured) born and
brought up here, when she debuted opposite
Salman Khan in Veer. But she
has no qualms admitting that when she
is in trouble, she falls back on him.
"I don't know about camp, but, yes,
I believe in being loyal to the person
(Salman) who brought me to the industry.
He doesn't have any block in
his head. In professional life, I am free
to do whatever I like. I do not have a
Bollywood background and do not
know a lot of people here; so wherever
I am in a fix, I fall back on him
(Salman)," Zarine said.
"I was a struggling model and was
looking for some kind of work to take
care of my family. I was doing small
print ads now and then for saris. One
day I got a call from Mukta Arts. They
called me on the sets of Yuvvraaj.
There I met Salman. When I asked for
his autograph, he said, 'No sweetheart
you will sign autograph for the world'.
Later I got to know that he has selected
me for the film," she added.
Zarine has been roped in for Housefull
2 and says it will help her in breaking
her image. "I really wanted to do
this film because I wanted to break
the perception of people who thought
that because I am from the UK, I can't
speak Hindi and I am not fit for a particular
look. I wanted to break the image
I had during Veer. I think Housefull
2 will help me in proving my point,"
she said.
For the sequel to the 2010 comedy
Housefull, director Sajid Khan has cast
a new set of actresses — Zarine, Asin
Thottumkal and Jacqueline Fernandez
who did an item song in the first instalment.
The male leads have also been
TALK show queen Oprah Winfrey has
been immortalised with a street name
in Chicago, where her talk show is based.
The 100th block of North Carpenter
Avenue in the city — which is the location
of her chat show — has been renamed as
Oprah Winfrey Way.
"It is really just a full-circle miracle
story that a little coloured girl born in
Kosciusko, Mississippi, on a red dirt road
ends up with my name on a street in the
greatest city in the world, Chicago. So,
thank you! That's better than an Oscar or
an Emmy," contactmusic.com quoted her
as saying.
Mayor Richard Daley — who was
with Winfrey to unveil the road sign —
described her as a "great presence" in the
city. "There isn't enough time or adequate
words that can describe what your 25year
journey has meant to Chicago. Your
presence in Chicago has been a gift over
two decades. The Oprah Winfrey Show
has drawn worldwide attention to our city
and an instinctive energy from it," said
Daley.
Tarantino wants to cast Gaga in new
film: Film-maker Quentin Tarantino is
reportedly eager to cast pop singer Lady
Gaga in his next movie. The Pulp Fiction
SPANISH studio Vertice
360 and Quinta
Communications,
owned by Frenchman Tarak
Ben Ammar, have signed
an agreement with Spanish
actor-director Antonio Banderas'
Green Moon Productions
to co-produce his next
two films, Automata and
Solo.
Automata, to be directed
by Spaniard Gabe Ibanez,
is a science-fiction epic that
will offer a vision of the moment
when human civilisation
is contacted by artificial
intelligence.
Banderas will play Jacq
Vaucan, an insurance agent
with a robotics company
who during a routine investigation
discovers something
that will have profound consequences
for the future of
humanity. Automata, a $35
million project, will be shot
on location in Tunisia and
Egypt beginning late this
year.
Meanwhile, filming of
Solo, in which Banderas
will produce, star and direct,
will start in 2012. That psychological/science-fiction
thriller will tell the story of
a soldier who suffers from
post-traumatic stress syndrome
and becomes immersed
in a world of nightmares
and hallucinations.
Banderas said in a statement
that the alliance among the
re-shuffled slightly — while Akshay
Kumar has been retained, John Abraham
is the new entrant.
Zarine's weight issue followed her
to Housefull 2 too — she has been
asked to get into shape for the comedy.
"The film excites me as well as makes
me nervous because the role in the
movie is ultra-glamorous and I am expected
to be super-fit. I am really trying
hard. We are going to start shooting
in the mid of this month. I have a very
long way to go in very little time.
"The most important thing for me
is weight loss because the only thing I
was told was to get into proper shape,"
said Zarine who doesn't mind working
in a multi-starrer. "It's a setback for a
newcomer not to have a Bollywood
background. If you have a father or
someone who is from here, then you
don't have to suffer the partiality that
happens."
But the positive response to her
item song Character Dhila with
Salman in Ready has raised her hopes.
"Veer was a dream debut with Salman.
Everything was so good, but the film
didn't do well. It was written off everywhere,
my weight was criticised. I was
wondering what went wrong, why no
one is supporting me? The media just
broke me off. Whatever event I attended,
they wrote about my dressing, my
weight again and again.
"I was very disappointed. After
Character Dhila becoming a hit, people's
perspective about me has changed.
People have started accepting me,"
said Zarine. Asked if she has any other
project in her kitty, she said, "After
Housefull 2 I might be doing another
film that I am not sure of as yet, but it's
not with him (Salman).” — IANS
director tried to impress Gaga by inviting
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to meet the
singer and she wasted no time asking the
couple to attend her Cannes Film Festival
gig on Wednesday.
"Tarantino knows Gaga's a big fan of
Brad and Angelina. When she heard they
Bipasha not
in Amar tape,
says Celina
Bipasha Basu,
ACTRESS currently in the midst
of a controversy over her
alleged conversation with
former Samajwadi Party
leader Amar Singh, has found
support from Celina Jaitley
(pictured). Celina says she
is confident that Bipasha is
not in the controversial tape.
"I wld lk 2 stand up 4
Bipasha ..I hrd the tape n
I do not believe its her at
all! have known Bips since
Kolkata days the voice is not
hers (sic)," Celina posted on
micro-blogging site Twitter.
Bipasha grabbed headlines
when transcripts of
some of Amar Singh's tapes
which were barred from being
published in media until
now, surfaced on Thursday.
The actress has denied her
involvement, and says she
has been pulled into it unnecessarily.
"The voice in the recording
is certainly not mine.
I dare say that my voice
has distinct characteristics
and the voice on the tape is
completely different. Nothing
could be farther from
the truth," Bipasha said in a
press statement.
She also added that she
has never ever had a telephonic
conversation with
Singh. — IANS
Banderas’ firm inks deal for his next two films
Cast members Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek seen
during a beachfront photocall for Puss In Boots at the 64th
Cannes Film Festival. — Reuters
were both in Cannes, too, she mentioned
that she'd love to have them come and
watch the show. So Quentin gave his pal
Brad a bell to ask the couple to join them,"
mirror.co.uk quoted a source as saying.
"It's no secret Quentin's been eyeing
up Gaga for a role in one of his up-andcoming
films. And now they're both in
Cannes, he's keen to show off his movie
star credentials," the source added.
Dicaprio, Refaeli part ways: Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly parted
ways with his longtime girlfriend with
Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli. DiCaprio
first became involved with the catwalk
beauty in 2005 and they dated for four
years before parting ways in 2009, reports
contactmusic.com.
They rekindled their relationship last
year, but have now split for good, according
to New York Post gossip column Page
Six. The publication reports the couple
broke up late last week.
"It was amicable, they're still friends
and they are still talking. They just grew
apart and went their separate ways. Neither
were ready to settle down, and both
have busy careers that have been taking
them in different directions," said a
source. — IANS
three companies represents
"a great opportunity for European
cinema".
I’m in love with Vancouver:
Kristen: Actress
Kristen Stewart, who recently
finished filming the final
scenes for the two Breaking
Dawn movies admits she
fell in love with Vancouver
while shooting for the franchise.
“We shot most of the Twilight
series in Vancouver.
I fell in love with it — it’s
such a beautiful city. I found
the climate so different from
what I’m used to in Los
Angeles. The air is clean and
fresh and there are beautiful
mountain views everywhere.
But I didn’t get to go out as
much as I would have liked,”
femalefirst.co.uk quoted her
as saying.
Stewart, who is dating
her co-star Robert Pattinson,
also loved shooting the
second movie in the series
in Italy and she especially
enjoyed the European country’s
food.
“When we shot Twilight:
New Moon in Italy, I tried
all different kinds of pasta
dishes — Alfredo, fettuccine
with cream, basil and Romano
cheese — and gnocchi
with seafood. I suddenly
took an interest in cooking.
It was amazing! It’s now
my favourite cuisine,” she
added.
Designers give thumbs up to
Ash’s Cannes outfit
IT'S thumbs from designers for Bollywood actress
Aishwarya Rai who walked the red carpet in a beige
one-shoulder Elie Sahab outfit on the opening day of the
64th Cannes International Film Festival.
"I think Aishwarya's outfit is very elegant and trendy.
Its very sophisticated and reflects maturity. I would say it's
the perfect mix of east and west," designer Leena Singh of
designer duo Ashima-Leena said.
The actress completed her look with her hair tied up,
simple earrings and Jimmy Choo clutch bag in her hand.
Aishwarya has been attending the French film festival
since 2002 as the global face of L'Oreal. Last year, the actress
wore a violet blue fully embroidered tulle and mousseline
gown, which also belonged to Lebanese designer
Elie Saab's fashion house.
The designers feels that the 37-year-old actress's stylish
and classic look this year is much better than her previous
ones. "She is looking great. It seems she has lost a lot of
weight and looks more fitter. It is definitely a better option
than her previous outfit she wore on Cannes last year. It's
classic and stylised," said designer Charu Parasher.
Designer Alpana of Alpana-Neeraj echoed a similar
view. "I think she has been wise with her pick this time.
The colour, the work and her hairdo are taken care of in the
right manner. The minimalistic approach makes her look
young. And definiteley she looks far better than the previous
years," said Alpana.
While Aishwarya's hair was tied up, designer Reena
Dhaka feels that the
former beauty queen
should have left her
hair open. "It is very
much of the 90s look,
which is in fashion. I
wish she would have
let her hair down.
I like her more in
that," said Dhaka.
Designer Pravesh of
Pravesh and Jai says,
"She has done full
justice to the outfit."
Actress Minissha
Lamba (pictured)
also walked the red
carpet on Wednesday
in a one shoulder
gown designed by Gauri and Nainika. Minissha was in
Cannes to attend the premiere of Woody Allen's Midnight
in Paris.
This year Bollywood will have a strong presence at
the Cannes fest, which started on Wednesday. apart from
Aishwarya and Minissha, actresses like Sonam Kapoor,
Frieda Pinto and actor Saif Ali Khan will be walking the
red carpet at various events. The festival will end on May
22.
Applegate to star in TV
comedy Up All Night
AC T R E S S
Christina
Applegate has been
roped in to star in
comedy show Up
All Night. The show
to be aired by US
network NBC will
see the 39-year-old
actress portraying
a working mother
with a stay-at-home
husband coping with
family pressures.
Saturday Night Live's
star Maya Rudolph
will also star along with Lorne Michaels, who is also a coexecutive
producer of the new show.
Campbell to raise funds
with charity show
SUPERMODEL
Naomi Campbell
is busy organising a
charity catwalk show
to raise funds for Japan
during the Cannes
International Film
Festival in France next
week. Campbell wanted
the show to be a followup
to the Fashion For
Relief fundraiser she
staged in the aftermath
of the Haiti earthquake
in 2010, revealing
last month, "It's not
100 per cent confirmed but we are in talks right now and
hopefully... we should know if we're doing a Fashion For
Relief for Japan. Not in Japan, hopefully in Cannes."
The show has been scheduled for Monday, according
to Britain's Daily Mirror. "I hope the money will support
those who need it most," said Campbell. — IANS

KNOWLEDGEOMAN.com
members, the leading knowledge-based
community platform
in the Sultanate, are actively
sharing their knowledge through
presentations, talks and community
events to move forward the mission
of a knowledge society. With a team
of over 60 volunteers and 9,000 members,
KnowledgeOman.com recently
participated in the first Database Management
Forum in northern Sharqiyah
region. Facilitated by the team member
Abdullah al Harthy and led by the team
member Nasser al Toobi, a research paper
and talk was presented on the Benefits
of the Internet, creating awareness
and value on how to successfully benefit
from the Internet platform.
“The participation of KnowledgeOman.com
at the Database Management
Forum is part of the mission to spread
knowledge and create awareness. The
community is eager for knowledge,
development and attaining news skills,
and our aim as a team is to contribute
in fulfilling these needs of a knowledge
society,” said Nasser al Toobi, representative
of KnowledgeOman.com in
the conference.
The Database Management Forum
brought together more than 120 participants
over the two-day conference
period, with a range of 38 experts in the
field. The Forum was inaugurated in the
presence of Hamid Salim al Na’amani,
the Vice Directorate General of Education
of Sharqiyah North, and a number
of educators and administrators from
the region.
The event was also aligned with the
27 SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Talmiz Ahmad’s Children of
Abraham book launch today
TALMIZ Ahmad’s new
book, Children of Abraham
at War — The
Clash of Messianic Militarisms,
will be launched at
WH Smith, Jawaharat Al
Shatti, today at 10.30. This
landmark book, published
last year, has attracted excellent
reviews from Indian,
Saudi and international
scholars.
Talmiz Ahmad, former
Indian ambassador to Oman
and presently Ambassador to
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,
has had a diplomatic career
of 37 years, a large part
of which has been spent in
the Gulf and West Asia.
The book examines the
role of religion in providing
the ideology, organisation
Ministry of Education being awarded
the United Nations Public Service
Award in the category of ‘Improving
the Delivery of Public Services’ with
its education portal.
Nasser al Toobi added, “KnowledgeOman.com’s
participation focused
on highlighting the benefits of the Internet
in different life aspects to shift
perception about Internet usage and
and motivating impulse in
contemporary times. The author
has pointed out that messianic
belief, which is central
to the three Semitic religious
traditions, while providing
comfort during periods of
crisis and calamity, also demonises
the “Other”, and is
used to provide “divine sanction”
for the perpetration of
extraordinary violence upon
the evil “other”.
In a recent review of the
book in International Affairs,
London, Faisal Devji of Oxford
University has said: “In
regard to the debate on terrorism
after 9/11…writers
of all hues feel compelled to
identify themselves with one
or another position within the
conflict…Talmiz Ahmad’s
clear-headed account of the
theological reasoning that
informs even the most ‘realistic’
narratives of all sides in
the war on terror manages to
stand outside this debate.”
Lisa Kaki commented in
Arab News, Jeddah, as follows:
“Children of Abraham
at War offers a fresh look at
the situation in the Middle
East with its focus on the role
of messianism in contemporary
politics, a force too often
unacknowledged.”
About the author, distinguished
Indian journalist,
Saeed Naqvi, has pointed
out: “This book is a reassertion
that the thinking ambassador
is not quite extinct.”
Ambassador Talmiz
Ahmad will be present at
better empower our community with
this platform.”
KnowledgeOman.com has also recently
participated at the SQU Tech
Gathering event with a presentation on
the Future of Technology and its impact
on business, society, youth, government
and education. This is in addition
to holding free community seminars
bringing together various profession-
WH Smith, Jawaharat Al
Shatti, at the launch of the
book and will sign the book
for the visitors.
WH Smith is recognised
as one of the most popular
chain of retail outlets in the
UK, has over 1,000 outlets
in 565 High Street stores
and 490 locations and sells
1.5 million magazines every
week and over 50 million
books a year.
In Joint Venture with Asha
Enterprises (Ajit Khimji
Group), WH Smith offers a
popular collection of books,
magazines, toys, confectionery
and novelties. In addition
to Jawaharat Al Shatti, it has
stores at the Muscat International
Airport and at The
Wave, Muscat.
als, academicians and students to engage
on knowledge-based topics and
community development.
Established in April 2008, KnowledgeOman.com
is run by a team of volunteers
from various backgrounds and
nationalities with the mission of connecting
people to create, share and promote
knowledge through online-based
and community-driven initiatives.
Bangladesh Social Club elects new executive committee
The newly elected members of the Executive Committee of Bangladesh Social Club with Nurul Alam Chowdhury, Ambassador of Bangladesh
PDO School donates
to Japan charity fund
THE Petroleum Development of Oman (PDO) School
donated a cash cheque to the Japanese community for the
victims and sufferers of the recent tsunami.
Seiji Morimoto, Ambassador of Japan to the Sultanate of
Oman, visited the school on Wednesday, to receive the support.
The PTA of the school has held “Bake Sale for Japan”
last month to help those inflicted Japanese people. The PDO
school authority also showed generosity by donating the same
amount.
At the donation ceremony, Ambassador Morimoto received
a “giant cheque” from three children representing 303
students from 25 different countries. He then expressed, on
behalf of the people of Japan, deep appreciation for the goodwill
and sympathy shown by the entire school community, and
reaffirmed the resolution of the nation to restore the affected
area.
The donation will be deposited into the special account
named “Friends of Japan” and transmitted later to the Japanese
Red Cross Society.
MUSCAT Gujarati Samaj,
the Gujarati wing
of Indian Social Club,
celebrated Suwarnim Gujarat
Day on May 6, 2011 at the Indian
Social Club Hall.
Having a stamp of approval
from enthusiastic spectators,
the hall was full to its capacity
to witness some of the fantastic
performances. The show started
with a song Jay Jay Garvi
Gujarat, which thrilled all who
were present in the hall.
The programme took the
evening away from one and all,
taking them in the era ranging
from Independence to modern
days. Kids from four years to 14
years of age showcased their talents
representing nine prominent
personalities of Gujarat, which
included Mahatma Gandhi as
well.
There were performances
from five groups of boys and
girls who practised for months to
demonstrate the finest skills of
traditional Gujarati dances, choreographed
by Aastha Parekh,
Tejas Udani Gupta and Krishna
Udani.
During the show, spectators
got an insight on the stand of
Gujarat as a state of India and
also its achievements in global
perspective as well. They
also got chance to answer general
questions about Gujarat
for which won spot were given
away. Heena Kothari was the
Guest of Honour.
Towards the end of the programme,
all the spectators
chipped in for a dandia/garba
raas round, and all the enthusiasts
from kids to senior citizens
enjoyed the round alike. The
beats were arranged and sung by
Hiren Gagwani and Neha Shah,
while Dr Parthiv Desai and Ma-
THE Bangladesh Social Club recently conducted
election to its Executive Committee and selected
12-member body to run its year 2011 activities. A
total number of 338 members casted their votes.
The election was held in the presence of the officials
of the Ministry of Social Development and conducted
by three Independent Election Commissioners
at the Hotel Golden Oasis, Wadi Kabir.
Mohammed Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan has been elected
as President, Mohammed Ismail as Vice-President,
Mohammed Yaseen Chowdhury General Secretary,
and K B M Abu Taher Chowdhury as Treasurer.
The others are Mohammed Ashrafur Rahman (Assistant
General Secretary), Mohammed Golam Mostafa
Nizam (Organising Secretary), Shahab Uddin (Cultural
Secretary), Mohammed Ismail Chowdhury (Sports
Secretary), Mohammed Nuruddin Zahed Chowdhury
(Publicity Secretary), Parvez Mohammed Amanullah
Chowdhury (Welfare Secretary), and Mohammed Bilal
Uddin (Member, Executive Committee)
Muscat Gujarati Samaj celebrates Suwarnim Day
hesh Paleja accompanied on the
musical instruments, whereas
chorus was supported by Kala
Ved, Snehal Jani and Dilesh Ramaiya.
Lakhoos, Suresh Tanna, Al
Rawahi International, Kishor
Mehta R B Kothari, Ashween
Dharmsey and Kamlesh Mehta
were sponsors of this event.
The need of organising such
programmes more frequently
was felt and received well by
Muscat Gujarati Samaj. The programme
ended with a promise
to celebrate a Gujarat Day every
year in addition to all other programmes.
Dr Asyah al bu Aly
Against ‘Where is the
Citizenship’ article
RECENTLY I read an article in Al Shabiba
newspaper written by Dr Saiyda Khatir, it
was titled ‘Where is the Citizenship’. The
first part of the article was published on April 24,
and the second one on May 1. The latter is the one I
am writing about. In the beginning Dr Saiyda gave
a definition of the concept of citizenship as (a mutual
relationship between man and the country, in
which both sides exchange duties and rights, the
most important thing the country gives to the citizens
is the identity).
After this introduction she divided the citizenship
into four categories; political, social, economic
and cultural. I hoped that she would have
cited the name of the reference from which she
got these categories of citizenship. Citizenship is
a whole that cannot be divided into smaller components.
The writer also divides the Omani people into
two categories native and non-native Omanis, and
that the government doesn’t discriminate between
both in terms of citizenship rights. This classification,
using words like ‘race’ and ‘tribe’ raises a
question about the purpose behind putting the issue
in this way, especially at a time when we have
enough troubles. Such a way of thinking could provoke
division and cause the social fabric to disintegrate.
Opinions of this kind need to be dealt with decisively,
particularly when it goes beyond the limits
of freedom of expression and touches on sensitive
matters that affect the security of the nation as a
whole. The article mentions the ‘cultural citizenship’
— personally. I know nothing about this term
— adding that some Omanis insist on speaking languages
other than Arabic, Urdu and Baluchi. Such
a behaviour, Dr Saiyda thinks, diminishes their
citizenship. I would like to ask her about her intent
behind publishing these ideas, and who gave her
the right to judge the people’s citizenship and to
describe it as incomplete.
The writer wonders how we can recognise our
heritage and history when we do not care about the
Arabic language. This claim can easily be refuted
because the knowledge about history and heritage
in a given country is not necessarily obtained
through the indigenous language of the country in
question.
As Arabs we have a good knowledge of other
nations’ cultures which we obtained via the Arabic
language and the original languages of these cultures.
The problem of identity and citizenship, the
writer says, was not discussed as well as it should
have been. The media and the press shy away from
dealing with the issue as a real problem lest they
hurt someone’s feeing. “A local magazine turned
down one of my articles because it includes opinions
on a subject matter they considered a taboo”
says Dr Saiyda.
The media is well aware of its responsibility
towards the community, and they are inspired by
His Majesty’s visions and wisdom, who managed
to keep Oman as one nation with a coherent social
fabric. It should be borne in mind that all the
destructive civil wars were sparked by such biased
opinions, so don’t be the one who would start the
fire. The article in question has created angry reaction
among the people, and if the writer doesn’t
believe this all she has to do is read the comments
which were posted on the Internet.
Those people whose citizenship and identity
you doubted — just because of their languages
— are true citizens and their identities are deeply
rooted in history.
The Baluchi tribe, with its many subdivisions,
has shown a great patriotism defending the country
and the ruling family, and countless Baluchis died
as martyrs for the sake of Oman. History registered
their heroic acts both inside and outside the Sultanate,
in Zanzibar. In the neighbourhood of Saa’tein
— in almost all Baluchi families a grandfather or a
great grandfather died a martyr in wars and revolutions
for the Sultanate.
There are Baluchi families who settled down
in Oman more than five centuries ago, they reside
in all regions and governorates of the Sultanate,
and they know no language other than Arabic and
they speak it fluently. The Baluchi — is not a written
language — as the article's writer thinks, it is
rather regional dialect like all the dialects spoken
in Oman.
The Lawati tribe also has contributed greatly to
Oman’s history and economy, evidence of this is
found in many studies that were recently conducted
at the Sultan Qaboos University. Some Lawati literati
have translated works of Indian and Persian
literature into Arabic. According to the writer's own
term 'cultural citizenship', those people are considered
true citizens.
As for those whose citizenship the writer questioned
only because they speak Ki, let me tell you
that they sacrificed their souls and money for the
sake of establishing an Omani empire on the western
coast of Africa which dates back to the 16th
century, and the history bears testimony to this
great and powerful empire.
At the present times there is a long list of
Omanis, hailing from different tribes and speak
Swahili, however they achieved great successes
in various fields on the name of Oman, even prior
to the blessed Renaissance. These people gave up
their luxurious lives and large salaries and returned
to their homeland to devote themselves to the service
of the nation.
Finally, I would like to remind the article’s writer
that the spoken or written word is a great responsibility,
so we have to be careful of what we write.
You have to remember that the nation is a greater
responsibility and you have to respect and protect
it by all means possible.
I want to alert all the people to the perils of such
opinions that lately began to spread among the nation,
and we have to come together to confront this
risk and not to allow anyone the slightest chance
to put the country in jeopardy. The authorities concerned,
likewise, should be vigilant and face such
opinions firmly because of the destruction that they
could cause.

28 CINEMA SATURDAY, MAY 14, 2011
Jolie, Black seek ‘inner peace’ in Kung Fu Panda 2
Voice actress Angelina Jolie seen with her panda during a photocall for Kung Fu Panda 2
By Mike Collett-White
in Cannes
ACTRESS Angelina
Jolie said 3D animation
drama Kung Fu
Panda 2 was about finding
your "inner peace", while costar
comic Jack Black pondered
whether all life forms
had "fleeting moments of existentiality".
Justin Bieber’s bodyguards
outnumber fans
VIDEO showing teen pop idol Justin Bieber arriving
A in Hong Kong with 20 bodyguards to be greeted by
just seven female fans was a hit on the YouTube website
yesterday.
The 17-year-old Canadian — usually mobbed by huge
crowds of fans on tour — found only a tiny gaggle of young
girls waiting at Hong Kong International Airport when he
arrived on Wednesday.
By contrast, however, more than 20,000 YouTube viewers
had by yesterday afternoon watched a video uploaded
on Thursday of Bieber arriving with a reported 20 bodyguards
to the embarrassingly muted reception.
Looking grumpy, the singer of Baby, wearing a trademark
baseball cap and carrying a skateboard, leaves the
airport and gets into a waiting vehicle where he tries but
fails to draw the curtains.
The video, compiled and uploaded by Chinese newspaper
Apple Daily, includes clips of the young star arriving in
other world cities to frenzied mobs of female fans.
Fans of singer Justin Bieber who call themselves the
‘Beliebers’ pose for a picture with posters of Bieber as
they arrive for his concert in ShoeMart Mall of Asia
concert grounds in Pasay city, Metro Manila. — Reuters
At a sometimes surreal
press conference to promote
the movie at the Cannes Film
Festival on Thursday, the topics
of discussion ranged from
violence in film to China to
adoption, although Black never
allowed proceedings to get
too serious.
"My inner peace is in pieces
at the moment," he quipped
to a large crowd of reporters in
a plush hotel ballroom.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is the
sequel to the successful 2008
original which earned $632
million at the international
box office, and Black said
there would be further sequels
should the movies continue to
succeed commercially.
In Kung Fu Panda 2, portly
panda hero Po, voiced by
Black, must find inner calm
to defeat his nemesis Lord
Shen, an evil peacock played
by Gary Oldman who sets
out to conquer China with an
"unstoppable" weapon and to
destroy kung fu once and for
all.
He also discovers that he
is adopted — not a major surprise
to movie goers considering
his "father" is a goose.
Oscar-winner Jolie provides
the voice for Tigress,
while Dustin Hoffman portrays
Master Shifu, Po's mentor
in a story set in ancient
China against backdrops of
lush forests, towering temples
and crowded cities.
Although Kung Fu Panda
2 is not in the main Cannes
line-up, the festival welcomes
such blockbusters because
they attract A-list stars like
Jolie and generate the kind of
buzz among media and fans
on which the annual event
thrives.
Jolie is in France with her
family, and partner Brad Pitt
is expected on the red carpet
later in the festival for his part
in Terrence Malick's in-competition
The Tree of Life.
The actress said the fact
that Po discovers he is adopted
in the movie meant her three
adopted children felt closer
to the character. She also has
three biological children.
"I brought my children to
see the movie and they absolutely
love the movie ... and I
wondered whether they'd ask
me questions about it.
"But because 'adoption' and
'birth mothers' and 'orphanage'
and all that in our home these
are happy words, they're used
to these discussions and they
just felt that much more proud
that they were a little more like
Po."
Asked about the violence in
the film, Black replied: "It (the
film) discourages weaponry.
I don't like guns. I don't own
one. I like laser blasters. That's
where I draw the line."
Hoffman said the first movie
he ever saw was the cartoon
Bambi, which contained surprisingly
disturbing scenes.
"You can connect Bambi
and Pinocchio to violence,"
said the 73-year-old Oscar
winner. "In Bambi there was
a big fire in the woods. I literally
remember bursting out
crying and leaving because all
the animals were being killed
by fire."
Asked whether he thought
pandas had "existential moments",
Black replied: "Maybe
they do for brief moments,
gnawing on a bamboo shoot
they think what is life all
about? What is the point in this
meaningless universe that goes
on forever? May be all life
forms have fleeting moments
of existentiality. You can print
that." — Reuters
Dark drama about school jolts Cannes
By Nick Vinocur
in Cannes
WANTON cruelty
and twisted family
dynamics took centre
stage in Cannes on Thursday
with We Need to Talk
About Kevin, a dark drama
in which Tilda Swinton plays
the mother of a sadistic son.
Dragging the Cannes
Film Festival into a darker
mood on day two, the movie
by Scottish director Lynne
Ramsay jolted critics with its
stark, unflinching portrayal
of a mother-son relationship
defined not by love but cruelty
and mutual hatred.
Tension and a sense of
anxiety run high from the start
of the film, which opens with
Swinton's American character,
Eva, attempting to put her
life back together in the wake
of a tragedy and facing outrage
from her neighbours.
As her house is vandalised
with splashes of blood-red
paint and townspeople slap
her face in the street, Eva
isolates herself and retreats
into her past — remembering
her family life in a series of
extended flashbacks that give
the movie a halting, disjointed
feel.
Sticking closely to Eva's
point of view, Ramsay shows
Director Lynne Ramsay (left) and cast member Tilda
Swinton attend a news conference for the film We Need
To Talk About Kevin. — Reuters
the birth of her son and tracks
his development from colicky
baby to taciturn boy,
played by Ezra Miller, who
seems intent on punishing
his mother by any means —
from spilling food to killing
his sisters' pet hamster to the
movie's murderous climax.
Despite some carefully
framed scenes of horror,
Ramsay said the movie's intent
was not to show violence
but take on the psychological
taboo of a dysfunctional
mother-son dynamic.
"Sometimes the child is
born and you don't know who
that child is," she told jour-
nalists at a news conference.
"It's not a film about a high
school shooting, it's about a
mother-son relationship...It's
about guilt."
John C Reilly, a US actor
better known for his role in
comedies, plays convincingly
opposite Swinton as Eva's
husband and defender of the
young Kevin, with whom he
seems to enjoy a normal parent-child
relationship.
Adapted from Lionel
Shriver's popular 2003 novel,
the movie is dark and slowmoving
with sparse dialogue
and acts of violence that are
implied, rather than shown
on-screen.
"I'm of the opinion that
cinema went downhill since
people started talking in it,"
said Swinton, 50, who looked
healthier with her platinum
blonde hair than she did in
the movie.
Miller, 18, known for his
role in the US series Californication,
said he had no trouble
getting into the role of a
murderous teen. "To my horror,
I do feel a little connected
to Kevin," he said.
Immediate reaction to the
movie was mixed, as a small
number of viewers in the audience
left long before the
end while others applauded
heartily at the end.
Also premiering in the
main competition on Thursday
was Sleeping Beauty,
the first feature by Australian
novelist Julia Leigh.
It tells the story of student
Lucy, played by Emily
Browning, who offers herself
up for money before being
drawn into a strange world
where she is heavily sedated
while elderly men admire
her.
Desperate to find out what
happens while she is unconscious,
she sneaks a small
camera into the room, and it
is images from that camera
which close the disturbing,
understated tale. — Reuters
Chief Executive Officer ABDULLAH BIN NASSIR AL RAHBI. Editor-in-Chief FAHMY BIN KHALID AL HARTHY
Printers and Publishers OMAN ESTABLISHMENT FOR PRESS, PUBLICATION AND ADVERTISING
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
British actress Tilda Swinton seen on the red carpet
for the screening of We Need to Talk About Kevin
presented in competition at the 64th Cannes
Film Festival. — AFP
Actress and director Hagar Ben Asher poses
during a photo session. — AFP
Cast members Marina Fois (left) and Sandrine
Kiberlain of the film Polisse by director
Maiwenn. — Reuters
Cast member Margherita Buy gestures during a
photocall for the film Habemus Papam
(We Have A Pope). — Reuters
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