S - Oman Daily Observer

HM condolences to Ethiopia 

HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent a cable of condolences 

to President Girma Wolde-Giorgis of Ethiopia on the death 

of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. His Majesty the Sultan expressed 

his sympathies to the president, the family of the deceased 

and the friendly people of Ethiopia. — ONA 

�� Thursday, August 23, 2012/Shawwal 5, 1433 AH 

www.omanobserver.om ��editor@omanobserver.om 

Heavy rush 

at tourist 

attractions 

THE Wilayat of Wadi Bani 

Khalid witnessed feverish 

tourism activities with 

large numbers of tourists 

thronging the wilayat’s 

attractions at Maqal cave 

and water springs. The 

Niyabat of Ras al Hadd has 

also seen an unprecedented 

flow of Omanis, residents 

and Gulf citizens to enjoy 

the beauty of the place. 

Better civic 

services in 

wilayats 

AS part of its efforts aiming 

at providing basic services 

at public facilities, Muscat 

Municipality has embarked 

on construction of paid 

toilets at public places such 

as filling stations and tourist 

spots. One such public toilet 

has already been set up by 

the municipality at Oman 

Oil filling station near Al 

Sahwa Roundabout. 

Passenger 

sleeps in 

journey 

A FRENCHWOMAN 

endured an 18-hour journey 

from the Pakistani city of 

Lahore to Paris and back 

again after sleeping through 

her plane’s stop in the 

French capital. Pakistan 

International Airlines are 

investigating how ground 

crew failed to notice the 

woman during the plane’s 

stopover. 

Emphasis 

on public 

transport 

MUSCAT is seeing a 

relentless sea of an everincreasing 

number of cars. 

Even though the roads 

are overcrowded by cars, 

they “serve” only a limited 

number of people, far less 

than is their capacity. An 

efficient public transport 

system could solve the 

problem of traffic snarls and 

accidents to some extent. 

Bank strike hits financial sector 

BANKING transactions across India were severely 

affected yesterday as employees of most public sector 

banks and some private and foreign banks went on a 

two-day strike, protesting reforms in the sector and 

outsourcing of non-core services among other things. 

The strike in 27 public sector, 12 private banks and 

eight foreign banks also affected stock markets. 

P2 

P2 

P4 

P11 

NASA artist’s rendition 

shows the interior of Mars 

of the formation of rocky 

bodies in the solar system 

and how they form and 

differentiate and evolve 

into terrestrial planets. 

P4 

Outbreak 

very mild 

The ministry 

described the 

outbreak of 

gastroenteritis 

in Rustaq mild 

to moderate 

�� 

MUSCAT — The Ministry of 

Health (MoH) has described 

the recent outbreak of gastroenteritis 

in the Wadi Sahtan 

area of Wilayat Rustaq as 

“mild”. 

No deaths have occurred 

to date, with all of the cases 

brought for treatment to the 

local health characterised as 

“mild to moderate”, an official 

told the Observer. 

“Because of the geographical 

settings of Wadi Sahtan 

and the remote location of 

its villages, outbreaks of gastroenteritis 

are not unusual 

in these parts. Still, we have 

A 300-bed, four-star hotel will be built at the Oman 

Convention and Exhibition Centre. � Details, P7 

15 14 20 

dispatched our team and all 

necessary resources to assure 

the local population that the 

situation is completely under 

control,” the official said. 

Also referred to as ‘stomach 

flu’, gastroenteritis is an 

inflammation of the lining 

of the intestines caused by a 

virus, bacteria or parasites. 

The disease typically spreads 

through contaminated food 

or water, and contact with an 

infected person. Symptoms 

include diarrhoea, abdominal 

pain, vomiting, headache, fever 

and chills. 

According to the official, 

efforts to manage the outbreak 

were confounded by rumours 

that helped fuel alarm amongst 

local residents. 

“There were wild rumours 

circulating that a viral infection 

was behind the outbreak, 

and that local residents were 

being prohibited from leaving 

their villages. Of course, this 

was completely untrue. We 

urge the local people not to 

heed such rumours, and only 

go by advisories from the local 

health centre.” � To P2 

Oil prices at $114 

LONDON — Crude oil prices 

fell yesterday following recent 

gains, mirroring events across 

world stock markets, as traders 

showed caution ahead of 

Greek talks, Fed minutes and 

US energy inventory data. 

Brent North Sea crude for 

delivery in October dropped 

79 cents to stand at $113.85 

a barrel in London midday 

trade compared with Tuesday’s 

closing level. 

New York’s main contract, 

light sweet crude for October 

slipped 22 cents to $96.62. 

Crude oil prices had risen 

in earlier Asian deals, building 

on the week’s strong gains, on 

growing hopes of imminent 

European Central Bank intervention 

to ameliorate the euro 

zone debt crisis. 

New York crude on Tuesday 

reached $97.60 a barrel, 

which was the highest level 

since May 10. Middle East 

tensions have also lent support 

to oil prices in recent 

days, traders said. 

Greek Prime Minister 

Antonis Samaras yesterday 

called for more time to make 

spending cuts and reforms to 

unlock funds to keep the debtwracked 

country afloat. 

Australia ready for UAE heat 

AUSTRALIA’S acting coach Steve Rixon said 

yesterday he hoped his players would adjust to the 

hot conditions in United Arab Emirates during their 

upcoming matches against Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

Australia’s squad arrived with the temperature at 43 

degrees Celsius, but Rixon said sleeping late and 

breakfast at noon would help during the series. 

Construction gains momentum 

THE work on the RO 18.6 million multi-level interchange at Wadi Adai, featuring a new steel bridge above the existing flyover at the junction, is 

fast progressing and is expected to be opened for traffic within the stipulated period. Once completed the new network of bridges constructed 

as per global standards will ease traffic congestion and smoothen the flow of vehicles on all sides. � Details, P2 (Picture by Khalfan al Ruzaiki) 

UN chief to 

attend Nam 

summit 

UNITED NATIONS — UN 

leader Ban Ki-Moon will go 

to a Non-Aligned Summit in 

Tehran next week in the face 

of protests by Israel and calls 

by the United States to stay 

away from the event, a UN 

spokesman said yesterday. 

US Ambassador to the 

UN, Susan Rice, advised 

Ban against going. US State 

Department spokeswoman 

Victoria Nuland said it 

would be “strange” for Ban 

to attend the summit. 

Ban’s spokesman rebuffed 

the criticism. 

UN spokesman Martin 

Nesirky said the UN chief 

would “discuss frankly” the 

Syrian situation but believed 

that Iran must be part of the 

solution, and that he would 

raise the other topics. 

“By going he is making 

the extent of international 

concern all that much clearer,” 

Nesirky told reporters. 

Ban will be in Tehran 

from August 29 to August 

31. He will have a private 

meeting with Iran’s President 

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, 

diplomats said. 

About 30 heads of state 

and government are to attend 

the Nam Summit on August 

30-31. — Reuters 

Hope to boost rice yield 

PARIS — Scientists yesterday 

said they had developed a 

strain of rice that grows well 

in soils lacking the nutrient 

phosphorus, a feat that could 

boost crop yields for some 

farmers by as much as a fifth. 

The announcement ends 

a quest to pinpoint a mystery 

gene that helps the roots of 

baby rice plants tease phosphorus 

from the soil, enabling 

them to notch up strong, early 

growth. The gene has now 

been transferred to modern 

varieties of rice using classic 

methods of cross-breeding, 

not genetic engineering, said 

Sigrid Heuer at the Interna- 

tional Rice Research Institute 

(IRRI) in the Philippines. 

Next week, national rice 

breeders from Bangladesh, 

India, Thailand and India will 

be briefed on the exciting find, 

which should benefit small 

farmers most of all, Heuer 

said from Manila. 

“I would expect to see 

(an improvement in yield of) 

around 20 per cent, but it depends 

so much on the type of 

the soil and how severe the 

stress is,” Heuer said. 

“But realistically, we are 

talking conservatively of an 

average of 10-20 per cent, 

and locally a little more if the 

(phosphorus) stress is severe,” 

she said. 

The breakthrough seeks 

to address one of the biggest 

problems facing rice growers 

from the southeastern United 

States to South America, 

Southeast Asia and China. 

Many soil types bond tightly 

to phosphorus, surrendering 

only a tiny amount of the precious 

mineral to plant roots. 

To get around this, farmers 

look to phosphorus fertilisers 

which are spread on the field. 

But in poorer countries, 

this option is often too costly, 

which means the plant is left 

undernourished. — Reuters 

11 die in road accident 

�� 

MUSCAT — In one of the 

worst road accidents that Oman 

has witnessed in the recent 

past, two expatriate families 

and two young Omanis were 

killed in Haima yesterday. 

The accident which shook 

Al Wosta Governorate happened 

when a car with members 

of two families who were 

on their way back from Salalah 

had a head-on collision with a 

4WD carrying two Omanis. 

The families were identified 

as Mustafa, a native of Kut- 

tipuram in Malappuram district 

of Kerala, who runs a shop 

Zahrat al Hail in Al Khadra, his 

wife Ruqiya, daughter Muhsina 

and brother Anver. 

Along with them Khalid 

Moulavi, a native of Kannur 

in Kerala, who runs a coffee 

shop in Bidiya, his wife 

Shafnas, their children Anas, 

Hashim, and Fatma, who were 

travelling in the ill-fated car, 

were killed. 

Eye-witnesses told the Observer 

that the 4WD caught 

fire immediately after it hit 

the car and within minutes it 

was completely burnt before 

any rescue efforts could be 

launched. The salon car on 

the other hand rolled several 

times before it came to a halt 

killing all those inside. 

This is the second major 

accident that raises concern 

among holiday-makers. 

In the first such accident 

in Thumrait on Monday, a 

housewife and an infant were 

killed when two families were 

on their way to Salalah. A seriously 

injured girl is still in the 

intensive care unit at a hospital 

in Salalah. � Picture on P2 

Indian parliament stalled 

NEW DELHI — A determined 

opposition BJP refused 

to let parliament function for 

a second day yesterday demanding 

that Indian Prime 

Minister Manmohan Singh 

resign over a CAG report on 

coal blocks allocation, in the 

worst showdown between the 

government and the main opposition 

in two years. 

The government as well as 

the Congress hit back at the 

Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing 

it of running away from a 

parliamentary debate, even as 

the first signs of a divide in 

opposition ranks surfaced. 

The BJP-Congress crisis 

spread quickly to the Joint 

Parliamentary Committee 

(JPC) on the 2G spectrum 

scandal yesterday when five 

BJP members trooped out of 

a meeting, accusing Congress 

members of using “foul language.” 

The Congress denied 

the charge. 

In what would be comforting 

to the Congress-led United 

Progressive Alliance (UPA), 

BJP’s ally Janata Dal-United 

(JD-U) indicated it was not 

happy with the situation. 

“We are ready for discussion 

in parliament... The government 

should give a clarification 

over coal allocation,” 

JD-U’s Shivananda Tiwari 

said. This prompted JD-U 

chief Sharad Yadav to say it 

was Tiwari’s “personal opinion” 

and that he was bound by 

whatever the BJP-led National 

Democratic Alliance decides. 

As for the BJP, it was adamant 

on seeking the prime 

minister’s ouster, holding him 

responsible for the notional 

loss of $37 billion to the exchequer. 

� See also page 16 

Egypt seeks 

$4.8 billion 

from IMF 

CAIRO — Egypt requested 

a $4.8 billion loan from the 

International Monetary Fund 

and hopes for a deal by the 

end of year, officials said 

during a visit by IMF chief 

Christine Lagarde to discuss 

helping the ailing economy. 

Egypt said it would discuss 

a bigger-than-expected 

loan from IMF, whose support 

could help to stave off 

a balance of payments crisis 

and rebuild confidence of 

investors who fled during 18 

months of political turmoil. 

Egypt’s interim government 

had been negotiating a 

$3.2 billion package before 

it handed power to President 

Mohamed Mursi on June 30. 

The deal was not finalised. 

“We have officially requested 

a $4.8 billion loan 

from the IMF,” presidential 

spokesman Yasser Ali said 

as Lagarde met Mursi. An 

IMF official confirmed it. 

Lagarde’s visit signals a 

fresh determination on both 

sides to seal a long-pending 

accord after Mursi, who took 

office on June 30, appointed 

his first government last 

month. 

She said the IMF would 

look at fiscal, monetary and 

structural issues in Egypt. 

DHOFAR Governorate saw huge rush of tourists at all major spots and this led to traffic congestion. � Details, P2 

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

EXCHANGE RATES 

GOLD 

Dollar per Omani Rial 

PRICE 

Muscat 04:27 am 12:15 pm 03:42 pm 06:38 pm 07:52 pm Max M 33 42 33 43 36 34 28 

Min 29 28 29 31 26 24 26 

Buying 0.382 Selling 0.388 $1,637.51

2 OMAN 

OMAN DAILY Observer 

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 

Work at Wadi Adai interchange gains momentum 

By Kabeer Yousuf 

MUSCAT — The construction 

of the multi-level interchange 

at Wadi Adai, featuring a new 

steel bridge above the existing 

flyover at the junction, is fast 

progressing and is expected to 

By A Staff Reporter 

MUSCAT — The Port of 

Salalah’s efforts in promoting 

road safety through various 

internal and external initiatives 

have been lauded by 

the organisers of the Traffic 

Safety Expo 2012. 

The Expo is scheduled to 

take place during October 

16-18, 2012 at the Oman International 

Exhibition Centre 

from 10 am to 1pm and 

4:30 pm to 8 pm. 

“It is a positive step that 

companies impacted by 

Oman’s harmful road habits 

continuously align with the 

government sector in various 

ways to support various 

traffic-safety and awareness 

campaigns. 

“The Port of Salalah has 

committed to a number of 

internal traffic-safety measures 

which regulate trafficsafety 

at the port premises. 

The Port continues to sup- 

be open for public within the 

project period. 

Once completed the new 

network of bridges constructed 

as per global standards are expected 

to ease the traffic congestion 

and smoothen the flow 

on all sides. 

Traffic Expo praises Salalah 

Port’s road safety initiatives 

port external campaigns 

as well, which raises the 

standard for safe driving,” 

says Mohammed al Mashani, 

HSSE Manager, Port of 

Salalah 

Internal measures taken 

at Port of Salalah include 

speed governors in lightvehicles 

along with speed 

bumps that stop the car from 

going over a certain limit. 

Other measures include 

speed radars to monitor 

speed, installation of 3-point 

seatbelts on port tractors, 

and introduction of shuttle 

bus systems in the operational 

area to remove personal 

vehicles from inside 

the terminal and to reduce 

pedestrian walking. 

Also, a strict no-walking 

policy ensures that employees 

are not permitted to enter 

machine operated zones. 

Besides, daily safety briefings 

and email alerts help 

emphasise the importance of 

road safety. 

The project includes construction 

of four-way crossroads 

controlled by traffic 

signals that will replace the 

existing roundabout and a 

new bridge over the existing 

one from Ruwi side towards 

Seeb. 

A speed limit of 30 km/ 

hour at terminal is in force, 

while access to operations 

areas is limited. 

External initiatives also 

launched by the Port include 

school awareness campaigns 

about road safety, and 

safety courses for external 

visitors and schools around 

the Port. 

Designed for those who 

wish to gain insights into the 

latest and most innovative 

road safety solutions, Traffic 

Safety Expo 2012 is the first 

national event of its kind. 

The expo provides both 

exhibitors and visitors with 

an exclusive opportunity 

to meet senior government 

officials, senior police, representatives, 

fire and rescue 

safety officers, local authorities, 

industry, executives, 

engineers, fleet managers 

and other road safety related 

professionals. 

In addition to that, there 

will be another bridge parallel 

to the existing one to serve 

those travelling from Ruwi to 

Wadi Adai. 

Steel posts will be used to 

construct the new bridges. 

Those who are heading to 

11 killed in road accident 

MANGLED remains of the salon car in an accident at Haima yesterday. 

Rush of tourists 

in Dhofar 

SALALAH — Dhofar Governorate 

yesterday saw an 

influx of tourists pouring on 

major tourism spots to enjoy 

the khareef season while 

the roads leading to these 

locations experienced unprecedented 

traffic congestions 

with some roads totally 

blocked for more than two 

hours due to traffic flow from 

mountains and vehicles coming 

from neighbouring wilayats 

and meeting at Darbat 

intersection. 

The situation got worse by 

trucks belonging to companies 

working at the area driving 

down already congested 

roads. ROP traffic personnel 

from Taqah and Tiwi police 

stations managed to ease the 

traffic flow only after separating 

large trucks from the 

main road. 

Meanwhile, the accommodation 

crunch has aggravated 

due to new tourist 

arrivals despite efforts being 

made by real estate brokers 

to provide more flats and villas 

so as to meet the increasing 

demand. 

— By Ghanim al Rawas 

Amerat from Ruwi area will 

be taken by the bridge over the 

flyover ensuring that the traffic 

flow is smooth. 

“The project is unique in 

that it has incorporated a steel 

road bridge — a structure that 

will be constructed at special- 


MUSCAT — OITE Conferences 

has announced that the 

3rd Oman International Food 

Safety Conference 2012 will 

now be held during November 

6-8, at the Grand Hyatt Muscat. 

Currently in its 3rd year, 

the Conference will see more 

than 250 key players related to 

the food industry get together 

to share their insights with 

regional and international experts 

on food safety issues. 

A number of speakers will 

also highlight developments 

on the food safety front in the 

Sultanate, and present case 

studies from around the globe 

through presentations and 

panel discussions. 

This year the Conference 

will cover topics on international 

policy implementations, 

and strategic implementation 

and management of food safety 

programmes and initiatives. 

Outbreak 

very mild 

From page 1 

However, he acknowledged 

that a spike in gastroenteritis 

cases in the area 

was detected during the latest 

outbreak. 

“We observed an increase 

in the number of gastroenteritis 

cases above the normal 

trend over the past two days. 

The factors contributing to 

this spike are being carefully 

investigated. In any event, 

outbreaks of gastroenteritis 

are not uncommon in these 

parts. Often, poor hygiene is 

to blame. We have encouraged 

the local villagers to 

practice hygiene procedures 

to help fight the spread of the 

disease.” 

Provisional findings by a 

team of officials have concluded 

that the outbreak is 

far from serious, he said. 

Nevertheless, a comprehensive 

review of the factors 

contributing to the outbreak 

will be initiated after the current 

Eid holiday, the official 

added. 

ist steel fabrication facilities 

in Italy and shipped to Muscat 

for erection at site”, Salvatore 

Simonetti, CEO of Federici 

Stirling Batco which, the contractor 

of the project whose 

initial cost is estimated at RO 

18.6 million, said. 

The new bridge will soar 

above the current Wadi Adai 

flyover and will go around the 

hillock located on the other 

side of the junction and connects 

with the existing Ruwi- 

Qurum highway. 

The Wadi Adai junction 

serves as the city’s principal 

gateway into the wilayats of 

Al Amerat and Qurayyat beyond. 

City-bound traffic originating 

from the Al Amerat 

and Qurayyat ends, typically 

extends for several kilometres 

during peak hours, underscoring 

the challenges for 

the contractor in building the 

interchange while ensuring 

that traffic flows are unhindered. 

“Accordingly, considerable 

changes are made in the water 

drainage system and electricity 

lines, and the mountainous 

areas near the bridge network 

were also well prepared for the 

construction”, a senior official 

at the Muscat Municipality 

told the Observer. 

In all, two kilometres of 

dual-lane bridge structures and 

access ramps will be built as 

part of the Wadi Adai Interchange 

project, says Simonetti. 

Special weathering steel, also 

known as ‘Corten Steel’, will 

be used in the fabrication of 

the girders for the steel bridge. 

Corten steel represents a 

group of steel alloys which 

were developed to obviate the 

need for painting, and form a 

stable rust-like appearance if 

The forum will deliberate on 

solutions to food safety challenges 

as well as to mitigate 

the risk on food borne illnesses 

and outbreaks. 

“An effective food safety 

system will only come about 

through collective efforts by 

concerned government authorities 

in collaboration with the 

food industry. In doing this, we 

must not look at selective ac- 

exposed to the weather. 

Around 3,000 tonnes of 

Corten steel will be used in the 

manufacture of the girders at 

a special facility in Italy, says 

Simonetti. 

The girders are shipped to 

Muscat via Port Sultan Qaboos 

tion in selective areas, but focus 

on increasing all efforts in 

all areas related to food safety 

simultaneously if we want to 

raise the country’s food safety 

system to an international 

standard. Information, discussion 

and solutions will be a 

part of this years Conference, 

with a stronger focus towards 

effective implementation of a 

food safety system in Oman,” 

says Sherwin Sevillena, Senior 

Manager, OITE Conferences. 

In keeping with the theme 

“Putting Practice into Action - 

Raising the Standards of Food 

Safety in Oman”, the Conference 

will seek to highlight the 

need for implementation of an 

effective food safety system 

in the country, taking cues 

on tackling challenges from 

in around 12 consignments for 

assembly at site. 

Italian specialists are also 

on hand to oversee the construction 

of a blacktop, consisting 

of a layer of concrete 

and asphalt, on top of the steel 

bridge. 

OITE to hold Food Safety 

Conference from Nov 6 

MUSCAT — As part of its 

efforts aiming at providing 

basic services at public facilities, 

Muscat Municipality 

has embarked on construction 

of paid toilets at public 

places such as filling stations 

and tourist spots. 

One such public toilet has 

already been set up at Oman 

Oil filling station near Al Sahwa 

Roundabout. 

The new public conveniences 

will be equipped with 

automatic cleaning systems 

and the users have to pay a 

nominal charge of 50 bz for 

service. 

WADI BANI KHALID: 

The Wilayat of Wadi Bani 

Khalid in Northern Al 

Sharqiyah Governorate is 

seeing feverish tourism activities 

with large numbers 

of tourists thronging the 

wilayat’s tourist attractions 

at Maqal cave and the water 

springs. 

The Hour Natural Park 

and Al Sarooj Springhead 

east of the wilayat are also 

seething with tourists. 

Oman’s counterparts and overcoming 

critical food safety issues 

as a global phenomenon. 

Complementing the Conference 

is a dedicated display 

area that will showcase cutting-edge 

technologies, products, 

services and basic food 

safety demonstration which is 

suitable for small food establishments. 

A special workshop on 

“National Food Agencies — 

A Means on Enhancing Food 

Safety” will be facilitated by 

Prof Raymond O’ Rourke, 

Barrister and a Specialist Food 

Regulator and Consumer Affairs 

Lawyer in Ireland. 

This workshop is targeted 

at government authorities in 

charge on the country’s food 

safety. 

It will look at examples 

of food agencies in the USA, 

Canada, EFSA, UK, Ireland, 

France, Sweden and Finland 

and explore the possible establishment 

of a dedicated food 

agency. 

Paid toilets at public places

Korean court recognises 

Chinese activist as refugee 

SEOUL — A South Korean 

court has granted refugee status 

to a woman who �ed China 

after helping escapees from 

North Korea there, saying she 

could face severe punishment 

from Beijing if sent back. 

The Seoul Administrative 

Court ruled in favour of 

the woman, an ethnic Korean 

identi�ed only as Lee, a court 

spokesman said yesterday. It 

reversed the justice ministry’s 

decision to deny her refugee 

status. 

Lee, who lived near the 

border, said she had helped 

some 20 refugees �ee North 

Korea until police raided her 

house in March last year. Her 

husband was arrested but Lee 

escaped with her daughter. 

She arrived in South Korea 

via the Yellow Sea along with 

other refugees aboard a �shing 

boat. 

BEIJING — China has 

blocked Internet searches for 

the term “body double” after 

web users expressed suspicions 

that convicted murderer 

Gu Kailai used a stand-in 

at her court hearings. 

Chinese state television 

on Monday showed a brief 

clip of Gu, wife of the disgraced 

former Communist 

party leader Bo Xilai, standing 

in the dock as she was 

convicted and sentenced for 

the murder of a British businessman. 

But her appearance — 

The justice ministry refused 

to grant Lee refugee 

status, saying her claim lacked 

credibility. 

South Korean courts rarely 

grant such status to ethnic Koreans 

with Chinese nationality. 

Lee is only the second. 

But the administrative 

court ruled last week that she 

could face harsh punishment 

if returned to China. “In this 

case, her past activities to 

help refugees in China were 

recognised by the court,” the 

spokesman said. 

China is North Korea’s 

sole major ally and repatriates 

those North Korean refugees 

it catches. 

It also punishes people 

who help the refugees. 

On March 29 China arrested 

Kim Young-Hwan and 

three other South Korean activists 

who had been trying to 

looking notably plumper 

than in earlier photographs 

that have appeared in foreign 

media — sparked 

suspicions that the woman 

in court might actually have 

been someone else. 

Some overseas Chinese 

websites even alleged the 

person who appeared in court 

was a woman called Zhao 

Tianshao, from northern China’s 

Langfang city. 

China’s censors moved 

quickly to muzzle the rumours 

and yesterday the term 

“ti shen”, or body double, 

help fugitives from the North. 

They were held for almost 

four months before being deported. 

Kim said in Seoul that Chinese 

agents beat him, stopped 

him from sleeping for days 

and tortured him with electric 

shocks to collect information 

on activities by his group and 

its Chinese helpers. 

China denied the torture 

claims but the South’s government 

urged it to investigate 

further. 

Meanwhile, last week, 

Moon Jae-in, the most popular 

South Korean opposition presidential 

candidate, said that if 

elected this year he would 

offer no strings attached economic 

aid to North Korea in a 

radical departure from current 

policy that has seen ties between 

the two states frozen. 

— AFP 

remained blocked on many 

popular websites in the country. 

A search for the combined 

terms “ti shen” and “Gu Kailai” 

on Baidu, the top search 

engine in China, returned a 

line saying “part of the search 

results are not displayed according 

to relevant laws and 

policies”. 

Sina Weibo, a microblogging 

service similar to Twitter, 

which is banned in China, 

blocked any postings that 

mentioned “ti shen”. 

It is not the �rst time 

that a high-pro�le defendant 

has been accused of using a 

stand-in in China. 

In 2009 there were suspicions 

that the son of a wealthy 

businessman who ran over 

and killed a young man had 

used a stand-in at his trial, 

after he appeared noticeably 

heavier than in pictures taken 

at the scene of the accident. 

China’s state-run media 

have stuck to of�cial accounts 

of the Gu murder 

case, which brought down 

her politician husband and 

rattled the Communist party 

3ASIA 



A RESIDENT stands beside the ruins of his house in Lindu village located in central Indonesian island of Sulawesi as rescuers reached the isolated areas 

following a powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake. The death toll has risen to six while 43 people are injured and more than 400 homes damaged. The 

quake struck on Sunday 19 near the mountainous districts of Central Sulawesi province, where access had been cut off by landslides. — AFP 

China stamps down on Gu ‘body-double’ rumours 

HONG Kong �shing vessel Kai Fung No 2, which went to the disputed Senkaku islands, reaches Hong Kong’s island. 

Aquarium apologises 

for whale shark’s death 

SEOUL — A South Korean aquarium publicly apologised yesterday 

for the death of a captive whale shark, and said it would 

release a second such shark following protests from conservationists. 

“We admit a lack of proper preparations (for sustaining 

whale sharks in captivity) and we regret causing concern 

among the people,” Aqua Planet, which opened last month in 

the southern island of Jeju, said in a statement. 

Whale sharks, the world’s largest �sh, are protected under 

the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species. 

The aquarium said they were caught by chance in a �sherman’s 

nets off the southern island last month, about a week 

before the facility opened. 

One of them stopped feeding around the end of last month 

and died last week. 

The Korea Federation for Environmental Movement of Jeju 

said the whale shark had also died of extreme distress in captivity. 

It criticised the aquarium for holding the pair in a tank 82 

feet long, 23 metres wide and 8.5 metres high, along with some 

8,000 other �sh. 

Awareness of conservation is growing in South Korea. 

Jeju will host a major international congress on the issue next 

month. 

In April, a court on the island ordered the release into the 

ocean of �ve dolphins which had been captured without permission 

and used in a circus. — AFP 

before a handover of power 

due to start later this year. 

Earlier, a Chinese court 

had sentenced Gu to death 

on Monday but suspended 

her execution, ending one 

chapter in a scandal that has 

shaken the ruling Communist 

Party ahead of a leadership 

transition later this year. 

The sentence means Gu 

is likely to face life in jail for 

murdering British businessman 

Neil Heywood last year, 

provided she does not commit 

offences in the next two 

years. — AFP 

Activists 

arrive in 

Hong Kong 

HONG KONG — The last 

of the activists arrested and 

deported by Japan after landing 

on disputed islands in the 

East China Sea arrived back 

in Hong Kong yesterday. 

The seven were among 

14 members of a Hong 

Kong-based action group 

who on 15 August landed 

and pitched a Chinese �ag 

on one of the islands known 

as the Senkaku Islands in 

Japan, the Diaoyu Islands in 

China and Tiaoyutai in Taiwan. 

Japanese authorities arrested 

them for violating 

immigration laws, but the 

activists claimed they were 

on Chinese territory. 

The other seven �ew 

back on Friday after Japan 

deported them following demands 

for their release. 

The Hong Kong adminstration 

said it was pleased to 

see the activists back safely, 

to Hong Kong. — dpa 

Japan PM meets activists 

as he ponders N-power 

TOKYO — Japanese Prime 

Minister Yoshihiko Noda met 

representatives of a growing 

anti-nuclear energy movement 

yesterday amid signs his government, 

pressured by public 

safety fears, might be leaning 

towards a target to eliminate 

atomic power within two decades. 

Energy policy has become 

a major headache for Noda and 

his Democratic Party of Japan, 

its ratings battered ahead of a 

general election many expect 

within months. 

The activists demanded a 

swift exit from nuclear power, 

with trust in it undermined by 

last year’s Fukushima atomic 

disaster, while Noda restated 

the government’s stance to 

reduce reliance on atomic energy 

without saying by how 

much or when. 

“We will never, never, never, 

never give up until reactors 

are shut. We will never forget 

the accident on March 11 and 

what we’ve lost because of 

that,” one of 11 representatives 

told Noda in a meeting 

that was open to media. 

Meltdowns at the Fukushima 

nuclear plant after a March 

11, 2011, earthquake and tsu- 

BANGKOK — Bangkok 

Criminal Court yesterday revoked 

the bail of one of the 

leaders of anti-government 

demonstrations that rocked 

the Thai capital two years ago, 

and tightened conditions on 18 

other bailed defendants. 

More than 1,000 supporters 

gathered outside the court 

and shouted their disapproval 

of the ruling, as the defendants 

were found to have violated 

the terms of their bail. 

LONDON — North Korea 

has put a dome on a lightwater 

reactor it is building, a 

key step towards completing 

a plant that could be used to 

support its nuclear weapons 

programme, a leading defence 

journal said. 

Jane’s Defence Weekly, 

examining images taken on 

August 6 by the GeoEye-1 

satellite, said the dome, which 

had been lying on the ground 

at the Yongbyon complex, has 

now been put in place. 

“North Korea has taken 

a major step in its mission to 

build a modern, indigenous 

nuclear reactor with a 21-metre 

diameter dome now having 

been emplaced over the reactor 

building,” said image analyst 

Allison Puccioni. 

“The emplacement of the 

dome is a signi�cant development, 

although it may take 

several more years for the 

nami caused radiation to spew 

over large areas, forcing more 

than 160,0000 people to �ee. 

In the following months, all 

of Japan’s nuclear plants were 

shut for safety checks. Two reactors 

resumed operations last 

month. 

“We’ll never stop our protests 

until the government says 

in clear words, that even children 

can understand, that it 

will abandon nuclear power,” 

the activist said. 

Noda is trying to decide on 

a medium-term energy plan 

after the accident forced the 

government to scrap a 2010 

plan to boost nuclear power’s 

share to more than half of 

electricity needs by 2030. The 

share before the disaster was 

about 30 per cent. 

“We aim to set a direction 

on energy mix that will give a 

sense of security to the public 

in a responsible way,” Noda 

told the activists. 

Anti-nuclear protests, including 

demonstrations every 

Friday outside Noda’s of�ce, 

have grown since he decided 

to restart the two reactors in 

July to avoid blackouts. 

A protest was underway 

before the meeting with the ac- 

All 19 are facing charges 

including terrorism and incitement 

to violence in connection 

with the street protests that 

ended with 91 people dead and 

around 2,000 injured in April 

and May of 2010. 

The bail was revoked for 

Yoswarit Chuklom, alias Jeng 

Dokjik, whose alleged bail 

violations included disclosing 

the phone numbers of Constitutional 

Court judges at a 

political rally and urging dem- 

facility to be completed and 

brought into full operation.” 

The secretive, communist 

state shut down its plutoniumproducing 

reactor at Yongbyon, 

some 90 kilometres north 

of the capital Pyongyang, in 

2007 as part of an international 

disarmament deal which it 

later abandoned. 

North Korea �rst disclosed 

in 2010 to visiting US scientists 

that it was working on 

a new light-water reactor at 

Yongbyon, ostensibly for civilian 

purposes. 

The impoverished nation 

desperately needs energy, but 

the reactor could also be run to 

produce weapons-grade plutonium. 

The reclusive regime has 

based its nuclear weapons 

programme on plutonium and 

has tested two nuclear bombs 

since 2006, triggering repeated 

international crises. 

tivists, with about 100 people 

shouting and beating drums. 

The rest of the country’s 50 

reactors remain shut, mostly 

for safety checks, but feared 

blackouts have not materialised. 

The government is considering 

three options for its energy 

portfolio: reduce nuclear 

power’s role to zero as soon as 

possible, aim at 15 per cent by 

2030, or seek a 20-25 per cent 

share by the same date. 

A government survey of 

nearly 300 people showed almost 

half — by far the largest 

group — favoured the zero 

option. Kyodo news agency 

said almost 90 per cent of 

those who submitted comments 

agreed. 

Economics Minister Motohisa 

Furukawa, who heads a 

group of ministers in charge of 

energy strategy, told reporters 

on Tuesday he wanted to aim 

for reducing reliance on nuclear 

power to zero. 

But it was not clear if he 

meant that as a short-term 

target or something to strive 

for in the longer term, said 

a government source with 

knowledge of the debate. 

— Reuters 

RED shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan talks with reporters upon his arrival at a criminal 

court in Bangkok yesterday. Prompan’s bail was not revoked in a ruling by the 

court yesterday. The Of�ce of the Constitution Court had 

earlier petitioned for the revocation of Prompan’s bail. — Reuters 

Thai court revokes bail for 

leader of street protests 

onstrators to call the judges to 

voice their disapproval. 

He said he would not appeal 

yesterday’s ruling and 

would return to prison. 

The other 18 will remain 

free on bail, but prohibited 

from leaving the country or 

making provocative political 

statements. “I’m angry and 

upset by the court ruling,” 

said Wunpen Pantai, 42, who 

attended the rally outside the 

court. — dpa 

Dome now in place on 

N Korean nuclear plant 

Pyongyang has also said 

that it is building a uranium 

enrichment plant to produce 

low-enriched fuel for the new 

reactor. 

The steel-reinforced concrete 

reactor dome was placed 

on top of the reactor’s containment 

structure “at some point 

between June 21 and August 

6,” Puccioni said. 

“The cloud cover from 

weather patterns that caused 

extensive �ooding in the region 

during late June and July 

precluded imagery analysis 

over the territory at Yongbyon 

during that time. 

“Indeed, the river levels 

around the reactor building 

on August 6 were signi�cantly 

higher than previously 

observed during any season 

over the past four years, extending 

to within 100 metres 

of the reactor building itself.” 

— AFP

RESCUE workers remove a crashed bus from the A92 highway near Munich, Germany, yesterday. Thirty-three people 

were injured. Among them 30 children are coming back from a holiday trip, when the bus overturned. 

Merkel most ‘powerful’ woman 

NEW YORK — German 

Chancellor Angela Merkel and 

US Secretary of State Hillary 

Clinton are the world’s most 

powerful women, according to 

Forbes magazine’s annual survey. 

Following the two stateswomen 

in the 2012 rankings 

was Brazil’s President Dilma 

Rousseff. 

The list covers women in 

fields as diverse as politics, 

business, media, entertainment 

and non-profits, their 

rankings determined by calculating 

wealth, media presence 

and overall impact. 

The 100-strong list at www. 

forbes.com/power-women includes 

25 CEOs overseeing 

$984 billion in revenues. The 

women come from a total of 

28 countries, with an average 

age of 55. 

Kyrgyzstan 

coalition falls 

BISHKEK — Kyrgyzstan’s 

coalition government collapsed 

yesterday after two 

parties withdrew in protest 

over a shrinking economy 

and alleged corruption in the 

former Soviet republic. 

As they left the four-party 

coalition that has governed the 

impoverished Central Asian 

country since December, 

deputies from the Ata-Meken 

and Ar-Namys factions called 

on Prime Minister Omurbek 

Babanov to resign. 

“Not a single reform declared 

by the prime minister 

has been carried through to its 

conclusion,” Ata-Meken deputies 

said in a joint statement 

announcing their withdrawal 

from the coalition. They also 

accused Babanov of failing to 

clean up corruption and of using 

“shadowy” organisations 

to handle money. 

The move may trigger a 

prolonged political turmoil 

with Ata-Meken deputies 

warning that Kyrgyzstan 

risked defaulting on its foreign 

debt, which stands at 

$2.8 billion. — Reuters 

LOS ANGELES — A little 

more than two weeks after its 

arrival on Mars, Nasa’s Curiosity 

rover was scheduled 

to make its first “test drive” 

before setting off on its Red 

Planet mission, the US space 

agency said. 

The $2.5 billion rover, 

which landed on Mars on August 

6, has performed a battery 

of tests and appears ready to 

embark on its two-year mission 

to explore the Red Planet 

in the hunt for signs of life, 

Nasa said on Tuesday. 

On Monday, Nasa “did 

the wheel steering test,” said 

the Mars Science Laboratory 

(MSL) mission manager, Mike 

Watkins, at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, 

California. 

The size of a small car, the 

one-ton rover is equipped with 

Sixteen women enter the 

list for the first time, including 

singer Jennifer Lopez, former 

US Republican presidential 

candidate Michele Bachmann, 

Meg Whitman of HP and 

Marissa Mayer of Yahoo. 

Lady Gaga, the pop singer, 

makes it to 14 and at 26 years 

old is the youngest. The oldest, 

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth 

II, who is 86, ranks only at 

number 26. 

Others in the top tier include 

US First Lady Michelle 

Obama at seven, and Indian 

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi 

at six. The first female 

executive editor of The New 

York Times, Jill Abramson, is 

at five, while influential philanthropist 

Melinda Gates is 

ranked fourth. 

For Merkel, the top spot 

comes for the second year in 

a row and reflects her role in 

trying to resolve the European 

Union’s financial crisis. 

She “is the ‘Iron Lady’ of the 

European Union and the lead 

player in the euro zone economic 

drama that continues 

to threaten global markets,” 

Forbes said. 

Clinton, the magazine says, 

“has had a formidable past 12 

A HELICOPTER drops water on a fire in Torneros de la 

Balderia yesterday. Firefighters battled a wildfire in Spain 

yesterday that has ravaged 10,000 hectares of land. — AFP 

4 THE WORLD 


months” and is set to resign at 

the end of they year. 

Another major US political 

figure, Secretary of Homeland 

Security Janet Napolitano, 

makes nine on the list. She is 

also the first female head of 

that department. 

“This year’s Power Women 

exert influence in very different 

ways, and to very different 

ends, and all with very different 

impacts on the global community,” 

said Moira Forbes, 

president of ForbesWoman. 

“Whether leading multibillion-dollar 

companies, governing 

countries, shaping the 

cultural fabric of our lives, or 

spearheading humanitarian 

initiatives, collectively these 

women are changing the planet 

in profoundly powerful and 

dynamic ways.” — AFP 

Safari plane 

crash kills 2 

NAIROBI — Two German 

tourists and two Kenyan pilots 

were killed when a plane 

carrying tourists crashed in 

Kenya’s Maasai Mara game 

reserve yesterday, local police 

said. 

Air strip workers and locals 

rushed to the crash site 

and pulled survivors out of 

the mangled wreckage. There 

were 11 tourists on board the 

aircraft: five Germans, four 

Americans and two Czechs. 

The group was originally reported 

to be all German. 

Peterson Maelo, the 

Narok district police chief 

in the East African country, 

said a middle-aged man 

and an elderly woman were 

killed along with the Kenyan 

two pilots. “The twin-engine 

plane nose-dived about one 

kilometre from the air strip 

and landed in a marshland,” 

Maelo said. 

Chimwaga Mongo, 

Narok South’s district commissioner, 

said it appeared 

the plane failed to gain altitude 

before careering into 

the ground. — Reuters 

Mars rover set for first ‘test drive’ 

six wheels, four of which can 

pivot. A series of photos posted 

to the Nasa website show the 

wheels are fully functioning 

and ready to roll. 

“We’ll go for our first test 

drive tomorrow,” Watkins told 

reporters on a teleconference. 

“We’ll drive about three 

metres forward, and then turn, 

and then drive back a little less 

than that... We don’t back up 

right to the same location that 

we are in right now.” 

If the test, set to last “about 

half an hour, a little less,” is a 

success, Curiosity will leave 

its landing spot in three or four 

days, Watkins said. 

“We have a couple more 

activities to complete before 

we start driving,” he said. 

Curiosity — the largest rover 

ever sent to Mars — hopes 

to conquer Mount Sharp as 

part of its two-year mission to 

explore the planet and analyse 

sediment layers that are up to a 

billion years old. 

It will first head in the direction 

of Glenelg, a spot in Gale 

Crater less than 500 metres 

away from its current position. 

The site contains three different 

kinds of terrain that Nasa 

scientists aim to explore. 

The rover is expected to 

adopt a moderate pace of 

“10, 20, 30 metres a day for 

a while” but will eventually 

reach a pace of “over 100 meters 

a day,” Watkins said. 

Nasa on Tuesday also announced 

its first real setback 

of the Curiosity mission — 

one of two sensors to measure 

wind speed has been damaged, 

probably during landing, and 

cannot be repaired. 

One of the scientists respon- 

sible for the rover’s weather 

station, Ashwin Vasavada, said 

the damage is “a little disappointing,” 

but not “dire,” as 

the other sensor is “completely 

operational.” 

“The only thing is that there 

will be a small ambiguity if the 

wind were coming directly 

from behind” the sensor, Vasavada 

added. 

Scientists do not expect 

Curiosity to find aliens or living 

creatures but they hope to 

use it to analyse soil and rocks 

for signs the building blocks of 

life are present and may have 

supported life in the past. 

The project also aims to 

study the Martian environment 

to prepare for a possible human 

mission there in the coming 

years. US President Barack 

Obama has vowed to send humans 

to the planet by 2030. 


Zuma meets miners to 

ease tensions after killings 

MARIKANA — South African President Jacob Zuma met 

yesterday with disgruntled miners at the Lonmin facility 

where 44 people have died in a wildcat strike, as tensions rippled 

to nearby shafts. 

The visit was his second since police gunned down 34 

armed miners one week ago, in a crackdown on the violent 

strike that had earlier left 10 people dead in inter-union attacks. 

“This is painful to all of us. It is not acceptable for people 

to die where talks can be held,” Zuma told about 2,000 workers, 

speaking to them in a field while an aide held an umbrella 

over him. 

“But I do feel your pain and have come personally to express 

that. I am certain that the commission of inquiry will get 

to the bottom of what happened here.” 

Zuma has announced a judicial commission to investigate 

the police shoot-out, which shocked South Africa in the deadliest 

day of protest since apartheid. 

Police are undertaking their own investigation, while the 

independent police watchdog is also probing the police conduct. 

That’s done little to soothe the tempers among the 3,000 

workers, mainly rock drill operators, who launched an illegal 

strike on August 10 at Lonmin’s platinum mine in Marikana 

to demand higher wages of 12,500 rand ($1,500, 1,200 euros) 

a month. 

Yesterday, similar demands were being pressed at the nearby 

Royal Bafokeng Platinum Mine, where 600 rock drillers 

downed tools. 

Anglo American Platinum, the world’s top producer, said it 

had also received a list of demands from its workers in Marikana 

but declined to comment on the issues raised. 

The new disputes emerged following Lonmin’s first talks 

late on Tuesday with representatives of the strikers. — AFP 

Ethiopia’s acting PM to 

remain at helm until 2015 

ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia’s acting prime minister Hailemariam 

Desalegn will run the country until an election in 

2015, showing that the ruling party is determined to ensure 

a swift and smooth transfer of power following the death of 

Meles Zenawi. 

Meles, 57, died late on Monday in a Brussels hospital after 

a long illness, leaving a gaping hole in Ethiopian politics. 

“He (Hailemariam) will be the prime minister until 2015. 

He is to be sworn in and he is to finish the five-year term of 

government and that is indisputable,” government spokesman 

Bereket Simon said. 

Parliament would be summoned within the next two days 

and Hailemariam would be sworn in as prime minister, Bereket 

said. Crowds of mourners, many holding candles, gathered to 

witness Meles’ casket arriving in the capital, Addis Ababa, late 

on Tuesday. His body is now lying in his private residence as 

preparations are made for a state funeral. 

Bereket said that the ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary 

Democratic Front (EPRDF) party, a coalition of regionbased 

parties, would hold a party congress at an undisclosed 

date to nominate a leader but said there was no scenario under 

which Hailemariam would not remain as premier. After taking 

power in 1991 from Mengistu Haile Mariam’s military junta, 

Meles became one of the central political figures. 

Sleepy woman flies Pakistan 

to France... and back again 

ISLAMABAD — A Frenchwoman endured an 18-hour journey 

from the Pakistani city of Lahore to Paris and back again 

after sleeping through her plane’s stop in the French capital, 

officials said yesterday. 

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) are investigating 

how ground crew failed to notice the woman during the 

plane’s two-hour stopover at Charles de Gaulle Airport in 

Paris. 

The woman, named as Patrice Christine Ahmed, who is 

married to a Pakistani, left Lahore at noon on Tuesday to fly 

to Paris via Milan, but did not wake up to get off the plane, 

airline spokesman Sultan Hasan said. 

The woman did not mention her mistake to cabin crew 

and the matter only came to light when she was stopped by 

immigration officials on arrival back in Lahore yesterday 

morning — after a 12,000-kilometre round trip. 

Hasan said PIA were investigating the incident and the 

French subcontractor responsible for passenger handling in 

Paris. 

“We have put questions to this French firm also about the 

incident but it is also the responsibility of the passenger to 

disembark at the destination,” he said. 

“It is a passenger’s responsibility to check about the destination 

and disembark when the plane arrives at the particular 

airport.” 

PIA later arranged to send the woman back to Paris with 

another airline because none of its own flights were available, 

but said that the party responsible for the negligence 

will pay for the extra ticket. 

“It depends who is at fault. If it is a mistake by the local 

firm, they will pay and if the woman herself is responsible 

than she will have to bear the cost,” Hasan said. — AFP 

Singer Brightman may be 

Russia’s next space tourist 

MOSCOW — British singer Sarah Brightman may be the next 

paying passenger to ride a Russian rocket to the International 

Space Station, the Interfax news agency reported yesterday, 

citing an unidentified official in the space industry in Russia. 

If it happens, Brightman, 52, would make the journey in 

2015 and would be the first paying customer since Cirque du 

Soleil founder Guy Laliberte who donned a red clown’s nose 

during his 2009 trip, the official was cited as saying. 

Russia has sent seven private passengers to the International 

Space Station, each of them reportedly paying at least 

$20 million. American investment manager Dennis Tito was 

the first to make the journey in 2001. 

But seats on the three-person Soyuz capsules have become 

scarce since US space agency Nasa retired its space shuttles 

last year, leaving Russian rockets as the only craft capable of 

carrying crews to the station for now. 

Brightman — who rose to fame starring in the original 

London and New York casts of The Phantom of the Opera — 

visited Russia about a month ago and received the approval 

of a medical commission to begin training at the Cosmonaut 

Training Centre outside Moscow, the source added. 

Brightman’s agent was not immediately available for comment. 

— Reuters 

SPAIN'S King Juan Carlos welcomes Prime Minister 

Mariano Rajoy at the Zarzuela Palace yesterday 

in Madrid. — AFP 

CANADA'S Prime Minister Stephen Harper 

announcing the establishment of the National Park 

Reserve in Norman Wells yesterday. 

KYRGYZ President Almazbek Atambayev (R) and his 

Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev as they 

meet in the Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, yesterday. 

FRANCE'S Parti de Gauche leader Jean-Luc 

Melenchon with customers during a sale of fruits and 

vegetables "at the right price" in Paris yesterday. 

GERMAN Minister for Science and Research 

Annette Schavan holds a robot of Dresden's Technical 

University yesterday in Dresden, Germany. — AFP

Fighters reject claims 

of gains in Aleppo MOSCOW 

BEIRUT — Syrian �ghters 

yesterday rebuffed government 

claims of having gained 

the upper hand in �ghting for 

control of the northern city of 

Aleppo, as activists reported 

that violence across the country 

had killed 80 people. 

State television had reported 

that troops had forced “terrorists” 

to �ee the city, Syria’s 

main commercial centre. 

“I can tell you our �ghters 

are now controlling more 

than half of Aleppo and soon 

they will take over all of it,” 

Aleppo-based Free Syrian 

Army commander Abu Omar 

al Halabi said by phone. 

Fighting was taking place 

in the southern district of 

Salaheddine, as well as in the 

nearby areas of al Shaar and 

Hananou, he said. 

Government forces have 

BEIRUT — Chances of a negotiated 

solution to the con�ict roiling Syria that 

could include the departure of President 

Bashar al Assad, as suggested by a top 

of�cial, are virtually nil, experts and the 

opposition say. 

“This is another delaying tactic,” said 

Thomas Pierret, a lecturer in contemporary 

Islam at the University of Edinburgh. 

“The government has opted for a military 

solution and will not change until it 

falls.” 

He said Russia has “never been seriously 

interested in a smooth exit.” 

“Russia initially supported a military 

solution thinking that it would succeed, 

like in Chechnya, and when it recognised 

its mistake, it was too late — the government 

was doomed.” 

On Tuesday, Syrian Deputy Prime 

Minister Qadri Jamil said the government 

was willing to negotiate Assad’s departure. 

“As far as his resignation goes — 

making the resignation itself a condition 

for holding dialogue means that you will 

never be able to reach this dialogue,” he 

said during a visit to Moscow. 

He added: “Any problems can be discussed 

during negotiations. We are even 

ready to discuss this issue.” 

The Syrian opposition, however, 

has ruled out any dialogue unless Assad 

leaves power, thereby giving up the control 

of the country his family has wielded 

for four decades. 

Political sources in Damascus, speaking 

on condition of anonymity, said that 

while Jamil was in Moscow, he discussed 

killed dozens of civilians in 

a raid on a Damascus suburb, 

the opposition group Syrian 

Observatory for Human 

Rights said. 

The London-based watchdog 

said that many of the victims 

were summarily executed 

and others killed at a funeral. 

Most of yesterday’s deaths 

were in Damascus and the 

southern province of Daraa. 

News coming out of Syria 

cannot be independently veri- 

�ed. More than 23,000 people 

have been killed in Syria since 

the uprising erupted in March 

2011, according to the observatory. 

The UN puts the death 

toll at 17,000. 

Across the border in northern 

Lebanon that has seen a 

spill-over of Syria-related violence, 

an easy calm prevailed. 

Hospital of�cials in the 

port city of Tripoli said the 

death toll from �ghting between 

supporters and opponents 

of Syrian President 

Bashar al Assad rose to eight. 

Some 100 people, including 

nine Lebanese army soldiers 

were wounded in the clashes. 

In Moscow, a Russian of- 

�cial denied yesterday that 

ethnic Chechens were �ghting 

on the side of the �ghters in 

Syria. 

“There are no residents 

of the Chechen republic participating 

in the con�ict in 

Syria,” said Alvi Karimov, a 

spokesman for the Chechnya 

government. 

“The so-called armed opposition 

in Syria is generously 

supported by Western nations 

with weapons and money, and 

they are buying off politicians 

and generals.” — AFP 

HANDOUT picture 

released by the of�cial 

Syrian Arab News Agency 

yesterday shows undated 

picture of Sedki al Maket, 

the longest serving Syrian 

prisoner in Israel. Al 

Maket has been freed 

after 27 years behind bars. 

It said Al Maket, who was 

arrested in August 1985 

for resisting the Israeli 

occupation of the Golan 

Heights, was released and 

had returned to his home 

town on the strategic 

plateau. — AFP 

the possibility of organising a presidential 

election open to all candidates, including 

Assad, under international supervision. 

But Assad’s candidacy has been rejected 

by the United States, European countries 

and several states. 

“The government cannot organise 

such elections, because the result would 

be a humiliation for Assad, a veritable 

political execution,” said Pierret. “It cannot 

hope for a decent election result after 

destroying almost all of the cities in the 

country.” 

In addition, he said, “organising elections 

presumes the government controls 

most of the country’s territory, which is 

not the case”. 

Rime Allaf, another Syria expert, echoed 

Pierret’s views. 

“Qadri Jamil is either wrong, or it is 

a propaganda exercise to show that the 

government wants to save the country, 

and all of this is to buy time,” said Allaf, a 

researcher at the London-based Royal Institute 

of International Affairs, more commonly 

known as Chatham House. 

“The government’s line has always 

been to say, ‘we want dialogue, but Assad 

is untouchable’. Anyway, it is too late — 

it cannot have dialogue with all of these 

massacres.” 

The opposition, too, has dismissed 

Jamil’s remarks as a delaying tactic. 

“Every time the government wants to 

buy time, it calls for dialogue,” said Burhan 

Ghalioun, former chief of the opposition 

Syrian National Council, the largest 

anti-Assad opposition group. “It doesn’t 

think for a moment to stop the war on the 

Ex-Chechen 

warlord’s 

son killed 

— The son of a 

late Chechen �eld commander 

who waged two post-Soviet 

wars against Russian forces 

has been killed while �ghting 

with the �ghters in Syria, a 

Russian website said. 

Rustam Gelayev, son of 

former warlord Ruslan Gelayev, 

“entered into a battle 

with superior forces of the 

Alawite government in a Syrian 

district, presumably between 

August 11 and August 

13,” the KavkazCenter website 

said. 

“During the �ghting, he 

was martyred,” said the website, 

which is regularly used 

by Russian-based �ghters to 

exchange information and 

has developed a history of 

providing accurate battle�eld 

reports. 

The elder Gelayev was 

one of the top commanders 

in Chechnya’s �rst war for 

independence that killed tens 

of thousands between 1994 

and 1996 and ended with the 

region winning broader sovereignty 

within Russia. 

The improvised region 

was then wrecked by in�ghting 

between the various �eld 

commanders and remained 

infested by violent organised 

crime until its more leaders 

challenged Russia again. 

The elder Gelayev joined 

the second war as well, which 

continued to simmer for years 

after Russian troops claimed 

control over Chechnya’s main 

cities in 2000. 

‘Election talk is delaying tactic’ 

people.” 

“If it were serious about dialogue, it 

would stop the war.” 

Ghalioun described Tuesday’s overtures 

as “a way to dupe international public 

opinion into thinking reform is still 

possible, while in reality, the army continues 

to shell Syria’s cities and carry out 

daily massacres.” 

On the ground, he said, “there is no going 

back for the opposition.” 

The Local Co-ordination Committees 

(LCC), a network of grassroots activists, 

described the idea of a nationwide vote as 

“insulting.” 

“The notion of the government staging 

an early election, when hundreds of 

thousands of Syrians are displaced, thousands 

have been killed, and the wounded 

are prohibited from reaching hospitals for 

health care, is insulting,” said Omar Idelbi 

of the LCC. 

“We have no trust in the government or 

its �gureheads,” Idelbi said by telephone. 

“We want all the government and its 

�gures to go, and after so much death, the 

opposition on the ground can accept nothing 

less.” 

Activists say more than 23,000 people 

have been killed since March 2011, 

as what began as a brutal crackdown on 

peaceful anti-government protests has descended 

into a war between government 

forces and opposition �ghters. 

The United Nations puts the death toll 

at 17,000 and says hundreds of thousands 

more have �ed to Syria’s neighbours while 

another 2.5 million still in the country are 

in desperate need of aid. — AFP 

5 SYRIA 



Forces launch offensive 

against activists 

AMMAN/ALEPPO — Syrian 

army shells crashed into 

southern Damascus yesterday 

and helicopters �red rockets 

and machineguns during an 

assault to shore up President 

Bashar al Assad’s grip on the 

capital 17 months into a popular 

uprising, opposition activists 

said. 

The army has used tanks 

and helicopter gunships this 

week in an offensive around 

Damascus that has coincided 

with the departure of UN military 

observers after a failed 

mission to stop the bloodshed 

and nudge Syria toward a 

peaceful transition. 

The United Nations estimates 

that 18,000 people 

have been killed in what has 

become a civil war after a violent 

state response to peaceful 

street protests generated an 

armed rebellion in the pivotal 

Arab country. 

Anti-Assad activists said at 

least 47 people had been killed 

in Damascus in what they 

called the heaviest bombard- 

MOSCOW — Russia believes 

Syria has no intention 

of using its chemical weapons 

and is able to safeguard them, 

the Russian newspaper Kommersant 

reported yesterday, 

citing a unidenti�ed Foreign 

Ministry of�cial. 

The report seemed aimed 

to reassure the West that Syrian 

President Bashar al Assad 

will not use chemical weapons 

against �ghters after US President 

Barack Obama threatened 

“enormous consequences” if 

Damascus even moved them 

in a menacing way. 

A “con�dential dialogue” 

with the Syrian government 

on the security of the arsenal 

has convinced Russia that “the 

Syrian authorities do not intend 

to use these weapons and 

are capable of keeping them 

under control themselves,” 

Kommersant reported. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry 

declined immediate comment 

on the report, which 

cited the of�cial as saying 

Russia considered it “entirely 

probable” the United States 

would take military action if it 

saw a threat from arms. 

Russia vehemently opposes 

military intervention in Syria, 

where Assad has given Moscow 

its �rmest Middle East 

foothold in recent years, and 

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov 

warned the West against 

unilateral action on Tuesday. 

Russia and China have 

vetoed three Western-backed 

ment this month. 

“The whole of Damascus 

is shaking with the sound of 

shelling,” said a woman in 

Kfar Souseh, one of several 

districts hit during the military 

offensive to root out �ghters. 

At least 22 people were 

killed in Kfar Souseh and 25 

in the nearby district of Nahr 

Eisha, activists said. One 

of the dead was named as 

Mohammad Saeed al Odeh, 

a journalist employed at a 

state-run newspaper who was 

sympathetic to the anti-Assad 

revolt. Activists said he had 

been executed in Nahr Eisha. 

“There are 22 tanks in Kfar 

Souseh now and behind each 

one there are at least 30 soldiers. 

They are raiding houses 

and executing men,” an opposition 

activist in Kfar Souseh, 

who gave his name only as 

Bassam, said by Skype. 

More than 250 people, including 

171 civilians, were 

killed across Syria on Tuesday, 

mostly around Damascus, 

Aleppo and the southern city 

UN Security Council resolutions 

that would have raised 

pressure on Assad to stop 

bloodshed that the United Nations 

says has killed more than 

18,000 people since protests 

began in March 2011. 

But after a Syrian of�cial 

acknowledged last month 

that the country had chemical 

weapons and could use them 

against external aggressors, 

Russia says it had told Syria 

even the threat to employ the 

arsenal was unacceptable. 

Kommersant also quoted 

the Foreign Ministry of�cial 

as saying the United States had 

“�rmly warned insurgents not 

to even come close to chemical 

weapons storage sites and 

production plants” and that 

“opposition groups are heeding” 

those demands. 

“This shows that the West 

can exert very speci�c in�uence 

on Assad’s opponents 

when wants to do so,” the of- 

�cial said. 

Russia, which Western of- 

�cials say has aggravated the 

violence in Syria by shielding 

Assad from pressure through 

its Security Council vetoes, 

contends that the West is encouraging 

�ghters and must 

instead press them to stop 

�ghting. 

“Our Western partners have 

still done nothing to in�uence 

the opposition and induce it to 

enter into dialogue with the 

government,” a Foreign Ministry 

statement said yesterday. 

of Deraa, according to the Syrian 

Observatory for Human 

Rights, a British-based opposition 

monitoring group. 

Activists in the southwestern 

Damascus suburb of Mouadamiya 

said Assad’s forces 

had killed 86 people there 

since Monday, half of them by 

execution. It was not possible 

to verify that report. 

There was no immediate 

government account of 

the latest �ghting. But state 

television broadcast footage 

of weapons it said had been 

seized from �ghters in Mouadamiya, 

which was one of 

the �rst districts to join the 

uprising. 

The con�ict, which pits a 

mainly opposition against a 

ruling system dominated by 

Assad’s Alawite minority, 

threatens to destabilise neighbours 

including Lebanon, 

where violence �ared for a 

third day. 

The death toll from the 

�ghting in the northern Lebanese 

city of Tripoli rose to at 

‘Assad not to use chemical 

arms against �ghters ’ 

“Instead they are openly 

encouraging it to continue the 

armed �ght,” it said. 

“Clearly it is impossible to 

achieve a political solution to 

the crisis through such methods.” 

It said Western nations had 

refused last week even to discuss 

a Russian proposal for 

UN Security Council members 

and neighbours of Syria 

to issue a declaration calling 

on the government and its 

foes to stop �ghting and start 

talks. 

Meanwhile, Syrian government 

forces fought �ghters 

yesterday for control of a 

military base and an air�eld 

near the eastern town of Albu 

Kamal on the Iraqi border, a 

local Iraqi of�cial and a Syrian 

rebel commander said. 

“There is �erce �ghting 

between the Free Syrian Army 

and Syrian border guards to 

control the base, where tanks 

and artillery were used to bombard 

(Albu Kamal),” Farhan 

Ftiakhan, mayor of the nearby 

Iraqi town of Qaim, said. 

“Most Albu Kamal areas 

are in the hands of the Free 

Syrian Army, but the Syrian 

regular army is deployed and 

controlling the areas just outside 

Albu Kamal,” he said by 

telephone. 

Insurgents �ghting to topple 

Syrian President Bashar 

al Assad have made gains in 

Albu Kamal in the past week. 

— AFP 

least 10 with more than 100 

wounded, medical sources 

said, in what residents said 

were some of the �ercest 

clashes there since Lebanon’s 

1975-90 civil war. 

The Syria con�ict has revived 

old tensions in Tripoli 

between pro-Assad Alawites 

in the hilltop district of Jebel 

Mohsen and their neighbours 

in Bab al Tabbaneh below. 

In Syria, Assad’s forces 

have lost swathes of territory 

in recent months, but have 

fought back hard in Damascus 

and in Aleppo, the country’s 

biggest city and commercial 

hub until it became a theatre 

for urban warfare. 

Journalists in Aleppo 

heard gun�re and shells exploding 

every minute. Fighters 

trying to advance in Saif 

al Dawla, a front-line Aleppo 

district, encountered mortar 

and rocket-propelled grenade 

barrages. At one point, their 

escape route was cut off by 

gun�re as tank shells exploded 

nearby. — Reuters 

France gives 

military aid 

to opp: PM 

PARIS — France is providing 

the Syrian opposition 

with “non-lethal” military 

aid, Prime Minister Jean- 

Marc Ayrault said yesterday. 

Speaking on BFMTV- 

RMC radio, Ayrault said 

France had responded positively 

to a request for help 

from the �ghters seeking to 

overthrow Syrian President 

Bashar al Assad. 

“On the military level, 

what we have done is we have 

responded to a request by 

the Syrian National Council 

and the Syrian resistance to 

provide a certain number of 

non-lethal elements... means 

of communication and protection,” 

Ayrault said. 

The premier reiterated 

that there was no question 

of France becoming directly 

involved in military action in 

Syria without UN backing, 

citing the example of former 

US president George W 

Bush’s 2003 Iraq invasion. 

“We have the example 

of Iraq where George Bush 

alone decided to go to war,” 

Ayrault said. 

“We were opposed and 

we were proved right. It 

ended in chaos.” Ayrault also 

reiterated France’s position 

that Assad must step down, 

a day after Syria’s deputy 

prime minister indicated that 

the government was open to 

discussing the leader’s departure. 

— AFP 

DESTROYED vehicles and houses said to be caused by a Syrian Air Force air strike in Mara near Aleppo. — Reuters

6 

THE PHILIPPINES/PAKISTAN 



FIREFIGHTERS extinguish a fire at a squatter colony in Pasay city, metro Manila, yesterday. The fire razed at least 200 shanty houses. — Reuters 

ISLAMABAD — Pakistanis 

expect high inflation and unemployment 

and feel the prevailing 

economic policies are 

not sufficient for economic 

growth, a survey’s findings 

of inflation expectations conducted 

by Pakistan Institute 

of Development Economics 

(PIDE) reveals. 

Persistent inflation, policy 

credibility, budget and the 

law and order situation are the 

main factors behind the public’s 

expectations about high 

inflation, according to the respondents 

of the survey. 

Inflation is expected at 15 

per cent in August, according 

to the PIDE inflation expectations 

survey of June 2012, 

and respondents are forecast 

inflation will remain at 13 per 

cent for the first six months of 

2012-13. The vast majority of 

respondents are of the view 

that inflation is likely to overshoot 

its target of 9.5 per cent 

for 2012-13 fiscal year. Annual 

average inflation for 2011- 

PESHAWAR — Recently a 

displaced person was killed 

and two others were injured 

when violence broke out at 

a distribution point at the 

sprawling Jalozai Camp for 

IDPs (internally displaced 

persons) in this northwestern 

Pakistani city. 

While the protesting IDPs 

blamed the guards present 

there for opening fire at the 

people there to collect sanitation 

kits, the authorities concerned 

denied the charge. 

In April Peshawar High 

Court Chief Justice Dost Khan 

had taken suo moto notice of 

the inadequate facilities available 

to the IDPs at the Jalozai 

Camp. The court has expressed 

apprehensions that the plight 

of these IDPs might result in 

any untoward incident. 

The apprehension of the 

court proved correct when 

the said incident took place 

at Jalozai. From time to time 

MANILA — A homemade 

bomb exploded yesterday 

outside a provincial police 

headquarters in the southern 

Philippines, injuring a police 

officer and two civilians, police 

said. 

The blast damaged a police 

vehicle and a passenger minibus 

parked outside the police 

camp in Shariff Aguak town 

in Maguindanao province, 

960 km south of Manila. 

An initial investigation 

12 was at 11.01 per cent. 

Unrestrained government 

borrowings from the central 

bank, severe energy crisis and 

low policy credibility triggered 

the rise in the pace of 

inflation for the last several 

months, according to the survey 

which was taken in June. 

Inflation in Pakistan is 

largely driven by bad governance, 

rising food and oil 

prices and the widening of the 

budget deficit. According to 

the survey, monetary policy 

is not the only tool to curtail 

inflation, but needed co-ordination 

with the fiscal policy to 

retain inflation at the target of 

9.5 per cent. 

The survey highlights 

that 38.1 per cent respondent 

think that bad governance is 

the major cause of high inflation. 

Other factors are food 

prices 23.8 per cent, oil prices 

22.8 and fiscal deficit 19.5 per 

cent, followed by money supply, 

utility prices and international 

inflation. 

the high court continued to 

issue directives to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 

Provincial Disaster 

Management Authority 

(PDMA) and the Fata (Federally 

Administered Tribal 

Areas) Disaster Management 

Authority (FDMA) regarding 

provisions of certain facilities 

to the IDPs, but the pace of 

implementing the court orders 

always remained slow. 

An official of the PDMA 

on April 24 made commitment 

before a two-member bench 

of the high court that within 

a week electric fans would 

be provided to around 11,000 

families at the camp. 

When the high court again 

took up the case for hearing on 

July 12 it was informed that 

so far fans had been provided 

only to around 3,000 families 

out of the total around 12,000 

families and the remaining 

families would be provided 

electric fans before the com- 

showed the bomb was made 

from a 105-millimetre mortar, 

said Senior Superintendent 

Marcelo Pintac, provincial 

police director. 

Pintac said authorities 

were still determining a motive 

for the attack, but past 

bomb attacks in the province 

have been blamed on separatist 

fighters or extortionists. 

Meanwhile, rescuers recovered 

the body of Interior 

Secretary Jesse Robredo three 

According to 28.2 per cent 

respondents, current inflation 

is cost push whereas 14.1 per 

cent of the respondents think 

that it is demand pull and 7.1 

per cent consider it structural 

in nature. In response to a 

question about which class of 

the society is most hurt when 

there is an increase in inflation, 

the majority, 57.1 per 

cent, said it was the middle 

class. The rupee has continuously 

been under pressure for 

the previous months and according 

to the results of the 

survey 59.6 per cent of the 

respondents expect the rupee 

will depreciate further in the 

next six months while 31 per 

cent expect it to appreciate. 

The results also indicated 

that the respondents are pessimistic 

about economic growth 

and 44 per cent believe it will 

remain the same, 33.3 per 

cent expect a lower growth 

rate while 22.6 per cent are 

expecting an increase in economic 

growth. — Internews 

mencement of Ramadhan. 

Presently the Jalozai Camp 

has mostly been sheltering 

IDPs from Bara tehsil of 

Khyber Agency. It is still not 

known for how long the conflict 

in Bara area would continue, 

but keeping in view the 

situation on ground it could be 

assumed that the conflict there 

is far from over. 

The IDPs have been facing 

difficult situation also because 

of their geographic location. 

While they belong to Fata they 

had taken refuge in Khyber 

Pakhtunkhwa and legally it is 

not clear as which of the authority 

is responsible to look 

after these IDPs, the FDMA or 

the PDMA. 

During previous hearing the 

high court directed the FDMA 

to share the responsibility with 

the PDMA. Presently, the law 

dealing with the disasters is 

the National Disaster Management 

Act (NDMA), 2010. 

days after his plane crashed at 

sea in the eastern Philippines. 

The body of Robredo, 54, 

was found about 800 metres 

from the shore of Masbate 

City, 390 km south-east of 

Manila, Transportation and 

Communication Secretary 

Mar Roxas said. 

Rescuers were also retrieving 

the bodies of the two pilots 

from the cockpit of the Piper 

Seneca twin-engine plane that 

crashed on Saturday. 

ISLAMABAD — Pakistanis 

know how defend every inch 

of their country, said Prime 

Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf 

as the nation was battered by 

a string of terror attacks with 

the latest assault taking place 

at a key airforce base. 

Rejecting talk of despondency, 

Ashraf said that being a 

brave and courageous nation, 

Pakistanis know how to defend 

every inch of their country 

and can even sacrifice 

their lives for this purpose, 

reported Associated Press of 

Pakistan. 

“There is no need of any 

despondency. No nation is 

more brave, tolerant, courageous 

than Pakistanis. Each 

one from the brave Pakistani 

nation knows how to defend 

every inch of their country 

and sacrifice their lives for 

this purpose,” Ashraf said 

while addressing a public 

meeting in his hometown Gujar 

Khan in Punjab province. 

He said: “No power in the 

world can frighten us, as we 

are brave people and know 

how to defend our soil and its 

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani political 

leader Fazlur Rehman’s plan to revive 

the broken politico-religious electoral 

alliance of Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal 

(MMA) appears to be in vain after a 

few leaders from its six member parties 

have refused to revive it. 

Officials of Munawar Hassan's 

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) said that they had 

conveyed it to Rehman that they were 

not ready to make any formal association 

for the upcoming parliamentary 

polls expected next year. 

integrity. This is also evident 

from the past.” 

He referred to the terror 

attack at the airbase in Kamra 

and paid tribute to the country’s 

brave soldiers for eliminating 

the terrorists. 

Heavily armed gunmen 

had stormed the Kamra 

airbase in Punjab province 

last Thursday. An intense 

gunfight broke out between 

the fighters and security personnel 

in Attock, a district 

that is considered to be one 

of the areas where Pakistan 

stores its nuclear arsenal. 

Nine fighters and one soldier 

were killed. — IANS 

Rehman, the head of Jamiat Ulema 

Islam-F (JUI-F), had been trying to 

convince for alliance all the parties 

who were part of the MMA before it 

broke down prior to the 2008 elections. 

Six religious parties formed the 

MMA before the general polls in 2002 

and were able to establish independent 

and coalition governments in Khyber 

Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces 

respectively. It was for the first 

time in the history of Pakistan that a 

religious group had formed govern- 

Pakistan govt closes 

tunnel to foreigners 

PESHAWAR — The government 

in Pakistan's northwest 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province 

has banned travel of 

foreigners from Peshawar to 

southern districts of the province 

and tribal and semi-tribal 

regions through the strategic 

Kohat transport tunnel close to 

the Afghanistan border. 

Besides, security at the 

tunnel has been beefed up and 

all those intending to travel 

through it must carry their 

computerised national identity 

cards, official sources confirmed 

here yesterday. 

The standard operating 

procedure (SOP) in this regard 

was announced by Home and 

Tribal Affairs Department. It 

stated that travel of foreigners 

from Peshawar to Kohat, 

Hangu, Karak and Bannu districts, 

and North and South 

Waziristan agencies through 

Kohat tunnel had been banned, 

as for this they would have to 

pass through the restive Darra 

Adamkhel, a Frontier Region 

ISLAMABAD — The Election 

Commission of Pakistan 

(ECP) will hold a crucial consultative 

session with political 

parties and other stakeholders 

on the proposal of making the 

code of conduct a part of law 

after legislation from the Parliament. 

The code, introduces during 

the recently-held bye-election 

in Multan, had some new 

things in it that included opening 

of a separate bank account 

by the contesting candidates to 

keep their election expenses to 

the maximum limit of Rs 1.5 

million. 

The code, presently, is not 

a part of the Representation of 

the People’s Act. 

A senior ECP official, who 

was present in Multan during 

the electioneering, noted that 

the district administration was 

quite helpful for instance in 

ensuring no hoarding bigger 

than the prescribed limit and 

wall-chalking was done. 

“We had people, who 

(FR) of Kohat district, and onwards 

through Kohat tunnel. 

Similar restriction is also 

meant for all those Pakistani 

staff members working with 

any international or local NGO. 

The restraint is also applicable 

in case of other remaining five 

FRs, i.e., FR Peshawar, FR 

Bannu, FR Lakki, FR Tank 

and FR Dera Ismail Khan as 

well as the seven tribal agencies, 

including Bajaur, Mohmand, 

Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, 

North Waziristan and 

South Waziristan. 

However, people will have 

to obtain prior permission from 

the Home and Tribal Affairs 

Department so that necessary 

NOC and proper security arrangements 

could be made for 

them well in advance. 

Ban on travel through Kohat 

tunnel is in addition to the 

restriction already imposed 

for 10 districts for visiting 

foreign tourists, diplomats, 

foreign missions, expatriates 

and Pakistani staff mem- 

would remove hoardings and 

erase wall-chalking, violating 

the code but no one could be 

penalised,” he contended. 

The ECP sources said here 

that a proposal had been firmed 

up for the stakeholders’ deliberations 

and soliciting their 

views, as the electoral process 

would get immense strength if 

the code was made a formal 

part of the election law. 

The sources pointed out 

that political parties and stakeholders’ 

would be welcome to 

give their idea if any on the 

proposed piece of legislation, 

which after their feedback, 

would be sent to the Ministry 

of Law for vetting on its way 

to the Parliament. 

“Presently, the code exists 

on two or three pages and the 

ECP usually can’t take action 

against its violators and 

this anomaly needs to be addressed,” 

an electoral expert 

maintained, when contacted 

on phone for his comment on 

the matter. 

ment in any of the provinces. 

MMA’s victory was largely due to 

the anti-West sentiments in Pakistan 

immediately after the US invasion of 

Afghanistan in 2001, a year ahead of 

polls. The alliance shattered in late 

2007 when JI decided to boycott the 

election but Rehman did not. 

According to a top leader the JI had 

assured Rehman support for implementing 

religious law but added that 

they would never be part of any formal 

political alliance. A leader from JUI-F 

bers working in NGOs and 

INGOs with regard to entire 

seven districts forming 

Malakand Division, including 

Swat, Lower Dir, Upper Dir, 

Shangla, Buner, Malakand 

and Chitral and three southern 

districts of Hangu, Tank and 

Dera Ismail Khan. 

The home department advisory 

clarified that all ambassadors/foreign 

missions/ 

diplomats/embassies’ officials 

intending to visit the aforementioned 

specific areas were 

advised to route their written 

requests through the federal 

ministry of foreign affairs, 

Islamabad, so that it should 

reach the provincial government’s 

home department, 

Peshawar, a fortnight or at 

least 12 working days in advance, 

enabling it to process it 

and obtain security clearance 

from the quarters concerned 

and to make proper security/ 

protocol arrangements for the 

visiting foreigners/dignitaries. 

— Internews 

Inflation likely to 

to defend country 

hit growth further Panel mulls talks 

Shelter for internally-displaced 

Changes in law soon 

Citizens know how 

Code of conduct for elections 

A PAKISTANI couple ride on a camel at Clifton beach to celebrate Eid al Fitr holidays in Karachi yesterday. — AFP 

The ECP sources explained 

that it was also a part of the 

proposal to make the concerned 

district police officers 

and district co-ordination 

officers and even provincial 

governments’ concerned responsible 

in case of violation 

of the code by a candidate or 

candidates. 

For instance, the sources 

noted violation of the code by 

visiting the constituencies after 

the announcement of election 

schedule by top government 

functionaries, including prime 

minister, chief ministers and 

ministers in full media glare 

would automatically stop, if 

the code was made law and 

various penalties envisaged in 

it for violators. 

In India, if a prime minister 

resorted to the code violation, 

he could not escape penalty, 

they said and added that it was 

the basic reason of a more 

transparent electoral process 

there and far lesser code violations. 

— Internews 

Bomb hurts 3 in Philippines MMA rules out electoral alliance 

said his party would like to see all religious 

parties get together as they did 

in 2002 and ‘God blessed them with 

success’ but that it seems impossible 

now with the general elections around 

the corner once again. 

JI deputy secretary-general Liaqat 

Baloch said, when contacted, the party 

had given up the efforts to revive the 

alliance after realising that gathering 

all the political groups on a single 

electoral platform again was next to 

impossible.

Drive-in old, 

drive-out new 

� Page 9 

Banks, miners weigh on UK stocks 

BRITAIN’S top shares fell back yesterday, reversing a rally in the 

previous session as technical factors held sway in the absence of 

fresh news or data. The blue chip index was below the 5,800 level 

for the first time since August 6. Analysts said the next low technical 

target level was 5677.10 to 5630.11. � Page 10 

Thursday, August 23, 2012 

AECOM wins cost management contract 

for 4-star Oman Convention hotel 


MUSCAT — AECOM, a global provider 

of professional technical and 

management support services, says it 

has been awarded a contract by Omran, 

the government-owned tourism development 

company, for the cost management 

of a 300-bed, four-star hotel at 

the Oman Convention & Exhibition 

Centre precinct in Muscat. 

AECOM’s programme, cost, consultancy 

team is contracted to carry 

out pre- and post-contract cost management 

of the convention center, its 

associated hotel, and all the roads and 

utilities required to service the growing 

precinct. 

“It is always gratifying when a major 

client awards repeat work,” said Chris 

Beasley, AECOM’s regional manager 

for Oman. “It demonstrates that the 

high quality of the services we provide 

are appreciated and that our clients will 

continue to look to AECOM to assist 

them with continuing work." 

Located in Muscat, the Oman 

Convention & Exhibition Centre is 

situated within a purpose built, fully 

integrated business precinct and has 

been designed to accommodate world 

congresses, exhibitions, regional meet- 

BHP delays Olympic Dam 

project as profits dive 

SYDNEY — Mining giant 

BHP Billiton yesterday delayed 

expansion of its huge 

Olympic Dam project as it 

posted a 34.8 per cent slump 

in annual net profit in a sign 

the global slowdown is hurting 

commodities. 

The world's biggest miner 

put plans to grow the copper 

and uranium mine in Australia 

on hold after a 15 per cent 

plunge in underlying earnings 

due to softer prices for most of 

its products through 2012. 

BHP's first profit drop 

in three years to $15.42 billion 

is a significant reversal 

of fortunes for the company 

following a record $23.6 billion 

profit last year — the 

largest ever recorded in Australian 

corporate history. 

Though BHP achieved 

record annual production at 

10 of its operations including 

its flagship west Australia iron 

ore business, slowing global 

growth and uncertainty over 

the outlook hit commodity 

prices, undercutting profit. 

"Concerns surrounding the 

stability of the euro zone and 

the decline in economic activity 

that accompanied the man- 

aged slowdown of growth in 

China led to significant market 

volatility in the 2012 financial 

year," BHP said. 

"In the short-term, we expect 

volatility in commodity 

markets to persist as temporary 

weakness in the manufacturing 

and construction sectors 

across all key markets is 

expected to weigh on market 

sentiment." 

As a result, BHP chief 

Marius Kloppers said the 

company would explore a 

"less capital-intensive design" 

for its mammoth multi-billion 

WASHINGTON — A study warned the United States 

could lose 2,600 auto industry jobs and thousands 

more in the broader economy if Japan is allowed to 

join a proposed free trade pact at the centre of President 

Barack Obama's trade agenda. 

"We firmly believe a free trade agreement with 

Japan will lock in one-sided trade benefits that Japan 

enjoys today at the expense of US auto jobs," Matt 

Blunt, President of the American Automotive Policy 

Council, told reporters. 

"It will deliver a blow to America's auto industry 

and auto workers at really at critical juncture in our 

recovery," said Blunt, a former Missouri governor. 

The study was paid for by Ford Motor Co, which 

has led the US auto industry charge against Japan 

joining talks on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership 

pact. It was prepared by the Center for Automotive 

Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

The TPP talks currently include the United States, 

Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, 

Brunei, Chile and Peru. Canada and Mexico 

will formally join the talks in coming months. 

Countries will hold their 14th round of negotia- 

dollar Olympic Dam expansion 

which would make it the 

world's largest open pit mine. 

Australia's Resources Minister 

Martin Ferguson said he 

was not surprised by the Olympic 

Dam delay given current 

conditions but expressed 

confidence in the mining industry. 

Only iron ore, petroleum 

and energy coal were earningspositive 

in the year to June 30, 

and the strong Australian dollar 

and exchange rate volatility 

shaved $820 million from 

the bottom line. — AFP 

ings, gala events, performances and 

concerts. An integral part of a larger 

mixed use development, the business 

precinct is an oasis of enjoyment for 

delegates, exhibitors, and visitors. 

The centre will host international, 

regional and national conventions, exhibitions 

and business events. Features 

include a 3,200-seat, tiered auditorium 

and more than 22,000 square metres 

(236,806 square feet) of exhibition 

space. The precinct will house two business 

parks, an additional three hotels 

and a number of residential properties, 

offering 1,000 hotel rooms as well as a 

conveniently located shopping centre. 

tions next month in Virginia, but a final deal could 

be a year away. 

Japan, which exported about 1.5 million cars to 

the United States in 2011, has no tariffs on auto imports. 

But Ford contends the Japanese government 

maintains a number of regulatory and other "nontariff 

barriers" to keep out most foreign cars and in 

the past has intervened heavily in currency market to 

help its auto companies compete. 

The study estimated eliminating the current 2.5 

per cent US tariff on Japanese auto imports would 

boost Japan's exports to the United States by 105,000 

units, resulting in "a loss of 2,600 direct US automotive 

manufacturing jobs." 

It estimated another 9,000 jobs would be lost 

among manufacturing and services companies that 

supply US auto firms, and an additional 14,900 jobs 

would be lost in the broader US economy because of 

lower income. 

Direct US auto industry job losses from the pact 

could swell to 9,120 if the Japanese yen were to depreciate 

significantly against the dollar, with addi- 

Architecturally advanced in design and 

capability, this world class venue will 

be amongst the first to be built to meet 

the rigorous LEED certification by the 

US Green Building Council. 

The functional and flexible design 

ensures a wide array of meeting and 

exhibition spaces with the very latest 

in communications and audio-visual 

technology to meet the demands of the 

most discerning global event organisers. 

AECOM’s contract is worth approximately 

$1.1 million and begins 

immediately. The hotel is expected to 

be completed by December 2015. 

Best Buy suspends profit 

outlook, share buybacks 

HONG KONG — Electronics 

retailer Best Buy Co Inc 

— its share price near a nineyear 

low — suspended profit 

forecasts and share buybacks 

for the rest of the year to give 

its newly named chief executive 

time to construct his own 

turnaround plan. 

The moves came in tandem 

with weaker-than-expected 

quarterly earnings and 

underlined the challenges 

facing Hubert Joly in reviving 

the company, the world's 

largest consumer electronics 

retailer. 

Adding to the company's 

woes was surprisingly weak 

demand for electronics in key 

markets, particularly China 

where retailers have been hit 

by the country's slowest economic 

growth in three years. 

"The clock is ticking on 

this one. He doesn't have the 

liberty of taking time to get to 

know the business model intimately," 

said Stacey Widlitz, 

president of consulting firm 

SW Retail Advisors, referring 

to Joly. "Investors are impatient, 

and the last thing you 

want to do is make vendors 

impatient." 

Best Buy cut its fiscal year 

earnings forecast without giv- 

ing a figure and said it did not 

expect to further update its 

outlook for the year. 

BB&T Capital Markets 

analyst Anthony Chukumba 

said it was a "little bit jarring" 

to see the company withdraw 

its profit outlook, especially 

since he expects industry fundamentals 

to improve, driven 

by the upcoming debuts of 

Windows 8, the iPhone 5, 

the Nintendo Wii U video 

game console, and a stronger 

videogame title release schedule. 

Critics have complained 

that Best Buy has become a 

showroom for Amazon.com 

Inc and other online retailers 

as shoppers go to its stores 

to check out electronics like 

high-definition televisions, 

then buy them elsewhere for 

less. 

Ending the practice of 

showrooming is a top priority, 

Best Buy said in June. 

The company has also said 

it is working to improve its 

online business and wants to 

reduce retail square footage 

further than a March plan to 

close 50 of its 1,100 large US 

stores. Many investors were 

looking for deeper cuts to turn 

around the chain. — Reuters 

Study sees US auto job losses if Japan joins trade pact 

tional job losses of 82,394 among suppliers and the 

broader economy, the study said. 

Japan last year signaled its interest in joining negotiations 

on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but has 

been pressed by the Obama administration to first 

make progress on a number of trade irritants, including 

auto market barriers. 

"The Administration shares the concerns of US 

auto companies and workers about the lack of a level 

playing field in the Japanese automotive market. 

That is why we have made clear to Japan the need to 

address long-standing concerns in this sector, among 

others, as we consider Japan's interest in joining the 

TPP," Nkenge Harmon, a spokeswoman for the US 

Trade Representative's office, said in response to the 

study. 

Bill Duncan, who heads the Japanese Automobile 

Manufacturers Association's office in Washington, 

questioned the study. 

""Something is clearly either wrong or incomplete 

here. Japanese makers produce 70 per cent of their US 

sales in North America, the bulk of which are in US 

plants with US workers," Duncan said. — Reuters 

Asian shares ease, euro resilient 

ASIAN shares fell after recent rally but the euro held near a 

seven-week high yesterday on views the European Central 

Bank will act to rein in surging euro zone borrowing costs and 

policymakers will find ways to keep Greece on lifelines. BHP 

Billiton may put three mega projects on hold. � Page 10 

ATHENS — Greek Prime 

Minister Antonis Samaras 

(pictured) kicked off a European 

charm offensive 

yesterday with talks to persuade 

euro zone chief Jean- 

Claude Juncker that the 

debt-laden nation has the will 

to ram through unpopular reforms 

and deserves more time 

to do it. 

With cash coffers running 

empty and renewed talk of a 

Greek euro zone exit without 

more aid, Samaras is under 

pressure to convince European 

leaders that Greece has finally 

mustered the political courage 

to fulfill pledges under its latest 

bailout. 

Juncker, the most influential 

European policymaker to 

visit Athens since Samaras's 

conservative-led government 

took power in June, is expected 

to bluntly tell Samaras that 

Greece must carry out promised 

cuts and that little room 

for leeway exists. 

That message is likely to 

be hammered home again to 

the Greek leader when he travels 

to Berlin on Friday to meet 

German Chancelor Angela 

Merkel and to Paris a day later 

for talks with French President 

Francois Hollande. 

Days after being elected, 

Samaras's government promised 

he would embark on a 

European tour to seek two 

more years to hit targets under 

Greece's 130-billion euro bailout 

from the European Union 

and International Monetary 

Fund. 

But faced with the reality 

of a messy bankruptcy without 

further aid, the govern- 

ment has since toned down its 

rhetoric on the issue and now 

expects to only broach the idea 

during talks this week rather 

than formally requesting it. 

"We must first re-establish 

our relationship with European 

partners that has been seriously 

damaged," said a government 

official, who spoke on 

condition he not be identified. 

"This is most crucial. Talking 

about certain parameters then 

comes at a second stage." 

European paymaster Germany, 

where patience over 

Greece has worn thin, has 

already said it will not soften 

its demands from the twicebailed 

out country. 

Key to restoring credibility 

will be Greece's attempt 

to push through 11.5 billion 

euros of cuts over the next two 

years as demanded under the 

bailout — which Samaras's 

administration has yet to fully 

piece together after weeks of 

wrangling. 

Samaras and his moderate 

leftist and Socialist allies 

have broadly agreed on the 

measures, but the government 

is still struggling to nail down 

China’s Geely H1 

profit rises 

� Page 8 

Greek PM hosts Eurogroup 

chief, begins lobbying effort 

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Apple 

Inc spent years developing its 

iconic iPhone, but Samsung 

took a shortcut by copying its 

rival's designs after realising it 

could not keep up, an Apple attorney 

said as the high-stakes 

patent infringement trial drew 

towards a climax. 

Closing arguments kicked 

off on Tuesday at the closely 

watched trial between Apple 

and Samsung Electronics Co 

Ltd in a federal court in San 

Jose, California. . 

Samsung attorney Charles 

Verhoeven countered by saying 

consumers are not confused 

between the products 

from the two mobile companies. 

He urged jurors to consider 

that a verdict in favor of 

Apple could stifle competition 

and reduce choices for consumers. 

"Rather than competing 

in the marketplace, Apple is 

seeking a competitive edge 

in the courtroom," Verhoeven 

said. Apple thinks "it's entitled 

to having a monopoly on a 

rounded rectangle with a large 

screen. It's amazing really." 

Apple and Samsung are 

going toe-to-toe in a patents 

dispute that mirrors the strug- 

gle for industry supremacy 

between the two companies, 

which control more than half 

of worldwide smartphone 

sales. 

A win for Apple could 

have a major impact on the industry 

because the South Korean 

company's mobile products 

are run on Google Inc's 

Android operating system, a 

popular software that is used 

by many other manufacturers. 

Apple attorney Harold 

McElhinny urged jurors to 

consider the testimony of a 

South Korean designer who 

said she worked day and night 

on Samsung's phones for three 

months. 

"In those critical three 

months, Samsung was able 

to copy and incorporate the 

result of Apple's four-year investment 

in hard work and ingenuity 

— without taking any 

of the risks," McElhinny said. 

Apple is seeking more than 

$2.5 billion in damages from 

Samsung. An Apple expert 

said Samsung earned 35.5 per 

cent margins on the phones 

in the lawsuit from mid-2010 

through March 2012, on 

$8.16 billion in US revenue. 

Samsung has disputed that 

the final cuts amid howls of 

protest over plans to slash 

pensions and put civil servants 

in a so-called labour reserve 

before laying them off. 

"We are trying to find the 

best possible mix and a fair 

distribution of pensions. We 

also have to protect those 

getting very low pensions," a 

finance ministry official said. 

"A second issue we continue 

to work on is the labour reserve." 

Because salary and pension 

cuts will lead to lower tax 

revenues, the government will 

have to find 13.5 billion euros 

in nominal savings to achieve 

its 11.5 billion target, the official 

said. Parties have identified 

10.8 billion in cuts so far. 

The measures will be presented 

for approval to the 

troika of European Union, 

European Central Bank and 

International Monetary Fund 

lenders due back in Athens 

early next month for a final 

verdict on whether to keep 

money flowing to Greece. 

After his election victory 

in June averted fears of an imminent 

Greek euro zone exit, 

Samaras won a positive initial 

reception from European 

governments. A Reuters poll 

last week showed a growing 

number of economists now 

believe Greece will remain in 

the euro zone. 

But the country is hugely 

off track from targets under 

its bailout and EU officials expect 

a further debt restructuring 

will be likely — with the 

cost falling on the European 

Central Bank and euro zone 

governments. — Reuters 

Apple, Samsung make final 

pitch to US jury 

figure. 

Apple accuses Samsung of 

copying the design and some 

features of its iPad and iPhone, 

and is asking for a sales ban in 

addition to monetary damages. 

Samsung, which is trying 

to expand in the United States, 

says Apple infringed several 

patents, including some for its 

key wireless technology. 

McElhinny laid out what 

he said was chronological evidence 

that showed Samsung 

copied Apple's designs. He 

also told the jury that, while 

Apple brought many of its top 

executives to testify and face 

cross examination, Samsung 

had presented no major decision 

makers. 

"From the very beginning, 

Samsung has disrespected this 

process," he said. 

McElhinny urged jurors to 

consider Samsung's internal 

documents, which compared 

its products with Apple's and 

determined it had a crisis of 

design. 

The nine member jury 

spent over two hours listening 

to granular legal instructions 

before Apple's McElhinny began 

his presentation just after 

lunch. — Reuters 

SOUTH Korean models pose next to a LG Electronics ultra-definition TV with an 84-inch 

(213-cm) screen during a media briefing in Seoul. LG Electronics started selling what it 

claims is the world’s largest ultra-definition television, with a view to expanding its share 

of the luxury global TV market. — AFP

Japan trade deficit shows 

world economy ‘serious’ 

CONTAINERS are loaded and unloaded onto a cargo ship at an international cargo terminal in Tokyo yesterday. 

Sagging export markets in Europe and Asia left Japan with a much worse-than-expected trade deficit, figures showed, 

ringing alarm bells over the parlous state of the global economy. — AFP 

TOKYO — Sagging export markets in 

Europe and Asia left Japan with a much 

worse-than-expected trade deficit, figures 

showed yesterday, ringing alarm 

bells over the parlous state of the global 

economy. 

The rumbling debt crisis in Europe 

and slowing demand in Asia — until recently 

a bright spot on the economic horizon 

— are taking their toll, with analysts 

sounding warnings that things are getting 

"even more serious". 

Japan's trade with the rest of the world 

in July showed a shortfall of 517.4 billion 

yen ($6.5 billion), the largest ever deficit 

for the month and nearly double the 275 

billion yen deficit that had been forecast. 

The figure also marked a drastic reversal 

of June's numbers, when Japan recorded 

a small but respectable surplus of 

60.3 billion yen. 

The data showed "the recent trend in 

which weakness in China and Europe has 

been putting major downward pressure 

on Japan's trade is getting even more serious", 

said Takahiro Sekido, Japan strategist 

of Global Markets Research at Bank 

Italy’s instability deepened 

by unwieldy law 

ROME — It is universally 

known as the worst of Italy's 

electoral law that is at the 

centre of political instability 

stoking fears the euro zone's 

third-largest economy could 

topple into a Greek-style debt 

crisis. 

Market jitters over whether 

Italy is heading for a default 

that would probably destroy 

the euro have been aggravated 

by uncertainty over what 

will happen when respected 

technocrat Prime Minister 

Mario Monti steps down for 

elections next spring. 

Those worries are compounded 

by confusion over 

what electoral system will be 

used, with time running out 

for politicians to keep years of 

promises to replace the law. 

SHANGHAI — China's rural 

inequality is nearing "danger" 

levels as hundreds of millions 

of people shun farming for 

better paid city work, causing 

a widening wealth gap, a report 

said. 

The state-linked Centre for 

Chinese Rural Studies said inequality 

within rural areas was 

growing given the difference 

in incomes between those who 

farmed and those who flocked 

to cities as migrant workers. 

Although the majority of 

migrant workers live in cities 

for most of the year, they are 

officially registered as rural 

residents. 

"The difference in rural residents' 

income is getting bigger 

and pressure on living expenses 

is increasing," the centre 

said in a statement reported in 

state media yesterday. 

China's growing wealth gap 

is a major concern for authorities 

keen to avoid public discontent 

that could lead to social 

unrest in the rapidly developing 

country of 1.3 billion people. 

The centre estimated the 

Gini coefficient — a commonly 

used measure of inequality 

— was 0.3949 for rural residents 

last year, nearing what 

it called the "danger" level of 

0.40, the statement said. 

The Gini coefficient measure 

varies between 0, reflect- 

of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. 

The latest figures "indicate that they 

are not just risks anymore but a reality", 

he told Dow Jones Newswires, adding the 

result may encourage the Bank of Japan 

to take "preemptive" action to shore up 

the economy, where exports play a vital 

role. 

He said he expected the next monetary 

easing moves by the Japanese central 

bank to come in late October, when it is 

slated to release a semi-annual outlook 

report. 

Overall exports slid 8.1 per cent to 

5.31 trillion yen with shipments of electronic 

parts falling, even as automobile 

exports rose. 

By region, exports to the European 

Union plunged 25.1 per cent year-on-year 

amid the debt crisis. Imports from the EU 

rose 10.6 per cent, leaving Japan with a 

deficit of 95.2 billion yen with the embattled 

economic zone. 

Exports to China fell 11.9 per cent 

against a 3.3 per cent rise in imports, 

making Japan's deficit with its biggest 

trading partner nearly double that in June 

The remarkably resilient 

"porcellum" or pigsty law 

was passed in 2005. It robs 

the electorate of the power 

to choose candidates directly, 

voting instead for a fixed list 

selected by party leaders under 

a proportional system. 

This enables the leaders to 

select compliant party hacks 

or favourites, including in 

the case of Silvio Berlusconi 

a former starlet who became 

a minister in his last government. 

The law also awards a 

large premium to the winning 

party or coalition, guaranteeing 

a strong majority in parliament. 

Even the man who 

introduced the law, the separatist 

Northern League's Roberto 

Calderoli, called it "crap" 

soon afterwards. — Reuters 

ing complete equality, and 1, 

which indicates complete inequality. 

The release marked the first 

time the centre had compiled 

an estimate, so no comparative 

figure was available. 

at 250.1 billion yen. 

Japan's combined exports to other 

leading economies in Asia — South Korea, 

Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore 

— also fell a sharp 14.2 per cent. 

US-bound shipments rose 4.7 per cent, 

slower than the 15.1 per cent rise in June, 

while imports turned up 7.6 per cent. 

Mizuho Securities Research and Consulting 

senior economist Norio Miyagawa 

said "exports to the United States were not 

as strong as we had expected while those 

to Europe and Asia remain subdued". 

Japan's trade would continue to show 

a deficit "as we'll see more increases in 

imports due to higher energy prices" he 

said, but added a pick-up seen in the US 

economy provided some hope. 

Japan's overall imports rose 2.1 per 

cent to 5.83 trillion yen on the high cost 

of liquefied natural gas. Japan has struggled 

to meet its energy needs and turned 

to pricey fossil fuel alternatives as nuclear 

reactors have gone offline amid public 

distrust of the technology following the 

tsunami-sparked crisis at Fukushima in 

March 2011. — AFP 

8 THE WORLD THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 

Calls for probe 

into Aussie 

central bank 

‘cover-up’ 

SYDNEY — Pressure 

mounted yesterday for an 

independent inquiry into allegations 

that the Reserve 

Bank of Australia (RBA) 

covered up evidence of bribery 

by its note-printing subsidiaries. 

Eight executives from 

two firms either wholly or 

part-owned by the central 

bank — NPA and Securency 

— are facing claims they 

conspired to bribe officials 

at foreign banks to secure 

contracts to make plastic 

banknotes. 

On Monday, one former 

Securency executive avoided 

jail after admitting he disguised 

a payment to a middleman 

allegedly hired to 

bribe corrupt bank officials 

in Malaysia in order to win 

contracts. 

In handing David Ellery, 

56, a suspended sentence, 

the judge said "secrecy, 

and a denial of responsibility 

for wrongdoing" seemed 

to be part of the company's 

corporate culture at that 

time. 

The scandal was exposed 

by Australian media in mid- 

2009 and police were called 

in, but a confidential memo 

has now emerged that suggests 

at least one senior 

RBA official knew of the 

allegations long before they 

became public. 

The Sydney Morning 

Herald said it showed recently 

retired deputy governor 

Ric Battellino was 

given a detailed memo cataloguing 

alleged bribery and 

corruption inside NPA, or 

Note Printing Australia, in 

2007. 

Reports said the memo 

contradicted several statements 

made by central bank 

governor Glenn Stevens to a 

federal parliamentary committee 

in 2011 that the RBA 

did not know of bribes and 

corruption before the 2009 

media reports. —AFP 

Argentina gets slammed for 

‘protectionism’ at WTO 

GENEVA/BUENOS AIRES 

— The United States and Japan 

blasted Argentina's import 

rules at the World Trade Organisation, 

putting more pressure 

on the country to revamp 

policies that they say violate 

global norms. 

The two complaints mirrored 

litigation brought 

by the European Union 

in May and triggered a 

swift reaction from Argentina's 

center-left government, 

which vowed to challenge US 

policies on lemon and beef 

imports. 

Argentina is seen by many 

fellow Group of 20 nations as 

a chronic rule-breaker ever 

since it staged the world's big- 

China has not released a 

Gini coefficient for the country 

as a whole for more than a decade, 

putting the figure at 0.412 

in 2000, amid worries over the 

widening income gap. 

An official said in Janu- 

gest sovereign debt default 

in 2002. President Cristina 

Fernandez's government has 

since angered trade partners 

by moving to reduce imports 

and riled historic ally Spain 

with the takeover of energy 

company YPF. 

The disputes at the WTO 

reflect mounting frustration 

with the country's unorthodox 

policies. 

"Argentina's protectionist 

measures adversely affect a 

broad segment of US industry, 

which exports billions of 

dollars in goods each year to 

Argentina. These exports support 

jobs and businesses here 

at home," US Trade Representative 

Ron Kirk said in an 

China study warns rural wealth gap near ‘danger’ level 

Labourers working on a construction site in the summer heat in Ningbo, 

east China’s Zhejiang province. — AFP 

ary that data on high income 

groups was incomplete to explain 

why the government had 

again failed to issue the statistic 

for 2011. 

Rural residents who work 

as migrant labourers in cities 

emailed statement. 

"The Obama Administration 

insists that all of our 

trading partners play by the 

rules and uphold their WTO 

obligations so that American 

workers receive the 

benefits negotiated in our 

agreements," the Kirk statement 

added. 

Argentina began requiring 

government pre-approval for 

nearly all purchases abroad 

in February. Imports have 

since fallen compared with 

last year's levels, boosting the 

government's prized trade surplus 

but causing some shortages 

of goods and parts and 

sharply reducing capital goods 

imports. — Reuters 

earn twice as much as those 

who farm for a living, the official 

Xinhua news agency 

quoted the centre as saying, 

but gave no figures. 

As a result, incomes as a 

whole for rural households 

were rising sharply, with average 

cash income jumping more 

than 14 per cent to around 

38,894 yuan ($6,174) last year, 

the Xinhua report said. 

Deng Dacai, deputy head of 

the centre, said the Gini coefficient 

for all of China was likely 

"well above" 0.40, Xinhua 

reported. The authors of the 

study could not be reached for 

comment. The governmentbacked 

Chinese Academy of 

Social Sciences estimated China's 

Gini coefficient at nearly 

0.47 in 2005. 

"China should already have 

the statistical foundation to issue 

the nationwide Gini coefficient," 

said Wang Jianmao, 

an economics professor at the 

China Europe International 

Business School in Shanghai. 

"The key is whether it's 

willing to issue it." 

The United Nations Industrial 

Development Organisation, 

referring to the 0.47 level 

and lagging rural incomes, has 

said: "At this level of disparity, 

many would argue that China 

is in danger of serious social 

instability." — AFP 

China’s Geely H1 profit 

rises as exports surge 

HONG KONG — Chinese 

automaker Geely said yesterday 

its first-half net profit rose 

nine per cent year-on-year, as 

strong exports helped to offset 

a domestic slowdown in the 

world’s biggest car market. 

One of China’s largest private 

car makers and the owner 

of Swedish nameplate Volvo, 

Geely said its net profit for the 

six months to June stood at 

1.02 billion yuan ($159 million), 

up from 937.65 million 

a year ago. 

Revenue rose six per cent 

to 11.18 billion yuan, the 

firm said in a filing to the 

Hong Kong stock exchange 

where it is listed. A total of 

222,390 units of vehicles were 

sold during the period, up four 

per cent compared to a year 

ago. 

“The group’s performance 

in the first half of 2012 was 

in line with our expectations 

despite continued slowdown 

in the growth of motor vehicle 

sales volume in China,” Geely 

said. 

The group’s domestic sales 

volume fell nine percent during 

the six months, which 

paled compared to a 199-per 

cent surge in its exports market, 

with over 40,000 units 

sold to destinations like Russia, 

Iraq and Saudi Arabia. 

Export sales accounted for 

BANGALORE — Trina Solar 

Ltd cut its full-year forecast 

for solar panel shipments 

and said it expects margins to 

shrink further in the current 

quarter as prices continue to 

plummet but shares rose as 

investors cheered the fall in 

processing costs. 

Margins have eroded and 

profits have disappeared at 

solar companies as demand 

dropped in top market Europe 

and rapid expansion in manufacturing 

capacity created a 

glut of panels, sending prices 

plunging. 

Trina Solar has been cutting 

processing costs to arrest 

the steep fall in margins. Second-quarter 

non-silicon costs 

fell by 6 cents per watt from 

the preceding quarter. 

EMPLOYEES install car doors along the assembly line of 

Geely auto company. — Reuters 

nearly one-fifth of its overall 

sales volume. 

“Against a background of 

increasing global economic 

uncertainty, slower growth 

and continued fierce competition 

in China’s sedan market, 

trading conditions in the second 

half of 2012 are expected 

to be more challenging,” 

Geely said. 

The car maker maintained 

its sales target of 460,000 

units for this year. 

Growth in China’s auto 

sales slowed to 8.2 per cent 

year-on-year in July, down 

from 9.9 per cent in June, ac- 

The company said it continues 

to expect manufacturing 

costs to fall in the third 

quarter from the second. 

Trina Solar is setting itself 

up to be a low-cost producer 

over the long term, said Avian 

Securities analyst Mark Bachman, 

adding that the cost cuts 

were a positive for the stock. 

Trina Solar shares, which 

fell 3.7 per cent to $4.77 on 

the New York Stock Exchange 

on Tuesday, reversed course 

to trade up 7 per cent in afternoon 

trade. 

However, the company 

expects the rate of decline in 

costs to be lower than the fall 

in selling prices, an executive 

said on a conference call. 

China-based Trina Solar, 

which reported its fourth 

cording to the China Association 

of Automobile Manufacturers. 

Sales began to slow last 

year after Beijing rolled back 

buying incentives and come 

cities imposed tough restrictions 

on car numbers to ease 

chronic traffic congestion and 

pollution. 

Geely said in February that 

it will begin assembling cars 

in Egypt this year with a local 

partner. 

The company’s share 

price rose 0.4 per cent to 

HK$2.73 after the announcement. 

— AFP 

Trina Solar expects lower 

margins, shipments 

COPENHAGEN — Vestas, 

the world’s top wind turbine 

maker, said yesterday it 

planned to eliminate another 

1,400 jobs this year, in addition 

to the more than 2,300 

positions it has already said it 

would shed. 

“The further reduction in 

the workforce is part of the 

continued cost saving plans 

which Vestas has been working 

on since November 2011,” 

Chief Executive Ditlev Engel 

said. 

The additional job cuts are 

expected to increase the savings 

in the company’s fixed 

costs from 150 million to 250 

million euros ($310 million). 

“It is always unfortunate to 

have to say goodbye to good 

colleagues in Vestas, but we 

have said before that 2012 

will be tough and 2013 will be 

even tougher for Vestas, and 

in order to reach our target 

of making 2013 profitable, it 

is unfortunately a necessity,” 

added Engel. 

The additional job cuts will 

take the company’s work force 

down to 19,000 by the end of 

the year, instead of the 20,400 

previously planned. 

Despite the downsizing of 

staff the company managed to 

increase its production by 16 

per cent in the second quarter 

compared to the same period 

in 2011. Sales rose by 15 per 

cent to 1.6 billion euros. 

But it still posted a net loss 

of 8 million euros for the period 

from April to June. 

However its operating 

profit measured by earnings 

before interest and tax came 

in at 40 million euros, for an 

operating profit margin of 2.5 

per cent. 

The company maintained 

its target of an operating margin 

of 0-4 per cent for the year 

on sales of 6.5 to 8 billion 

straight quarterly loss on 

Tuesday, expects overall gross 

margin for the third quarter 

to be in “middle-single digits 

in percentage terms.” Overall 

gross margin was 19.6 per 

cent in the second quarter. 

Trina Solar’s move to push 

up sales in emerging market 

China, where companies 

need to sell products at lower 

prices, is also expected to hurt 

margins. 

“Margin guidance for the 

third quarter came in far below 

our expectations, showing 

that margin pressures remain 

severe,” said Raymond James 

analyst Alex Morris. 

Rival Canadian Solar Inc 

said last week that gross margin 

would fall in the third 

quarter. 

Chinese solar companies 

are also facing pressure in 

the United States and Europe 

where they have been accused 

of flooding the market with 

cheaper products. 

Trina Solar, which is a 

sponsor of the Renault Formula 

One Team, expects to ship 

between 1.75 gigawatts (GW) 

and 1.80 GW modules this 

year, lower than its prior forecast 

of 2.0 GW to 2.1 GW. 

Current-quarter module 

shipments are expected to be 

in the range of 450 megawatt 

(MW) to 480 MW, higher than 

the 419 MW it shipped in the 

second quarter. — Reuters 

Danish wind turbine maker 

Vestas to cut more jobs 

euros. The company’s shares 

were up 1.33 per cent after an 

hour of trading, while the Copenhagen 

market was down 

0.65 per cent overall. 

Fletcher profit down: New 

Zealand’s Fletcher Building 

posted a 35-per cent fall in annual 

net profit, reporting low 

volumes in its core home and 

Australian markets. 

The Auckland-based company 

said business had been 

hurt by aftershocks following 

last year’s 6.3-magnitude 

earthquake in Christchurch, 

which had delayed reconstruction 

of New Zealand’s secondlargest 

city. — AFP

BUSINESS ALERT 

Stylish Kia Optima now with 

MUSCAT — A STAND-OUT performer, Kia Optima is one of the most awarded 

new cars around. The Optima is available with Free Service for 50000 kms/3years, 

free insurance and free gift! 

According to a spokesperson, “This is a Kia having some serious accolades 

under its belt. The highest in class in J.D. Power and Associates APEAL study. 

(* APEAL : Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout), the iF Design 

Award (Germany) * Good Design Award (US) * Editors’ Most Wanted Award 

by www.edmunds.com (US) * ‘Best of 2011’ by www.cars.com (US) * ‘Top 

10 Cars to Look Forward in 2011’ by www.CarsDirect.com (US) * ‘Best New 

Model’ by Kiplinger (US) * Red Dot Design Award ‘Best of Best’ (Germany) 

* NCAP 5 Star Crash Safety Rating by NHTSA (US) * ‘Top Ten Best-Looking 

Cars’ by www.edmunds.com (US) and the ‘Ten Best Interior Winner’ by Ward’s 

Auto (US).” 

“In Oman, the Optima has already cut a broad swathe with customers and 

boasts a large and growing family of happy Optima owners,” he added. 

Powered by a 2.0/2.4-litre petrol engine with 175 hp coupled to a six-speed 

automatic transmission, at a cost of RO 7375 onwards the Optima is an absolute 

bargain. A proven performer, the Kia Optima been tested on twisty country 

roads, rough gravel roads and the like. 

The Optima comes with pretty much everything. Powered front seats with 

best in class lumbar support, panoramic sunroof, an eight-speaker Infinity (a 

sub-brand of Harman) sound system, six-speed automatic transmission, full 

Bluetooth support (phone and audio streaming). The most notable feature of the 

Optima’s interior is the centre stack instrument panel which is angled towards 

the driver. 

All the controls are at the driver’s fingertips like Bluetooth, auto cruise control, 

“ECO” — switch (more about it below) and audio controls, which are all 

mounted on the steering wheel. This allows for easier control access to the stereo, 

air-conditioning and other features. The passenger can still easily fiddle with the 

controls but the 9.6 degree tilt towards the driver means less glare during those 

really sunny days. The rear is spacious, there is ample head and leg room and 

thanks to the excellent sound proofing you can fall asleep in the back seats rather 

quickly. 

The Infinity Stereo system can connect to your iPod/iPhone with a cable without 

any issues. It natively supports Apple products so you can pick your music 

using the car’s stereo system. Best of all though, you can use your iPhone (or 

iPod Touch) to wirelessly stream music to the Optima’s stereo via Bluetooth. 

This means crisp and clear sound without any distortion of signal over wire. 

It works just as well for Bluetooth phone connection. Numerous calls were 

made as part of the test and the Optima’s microphone and speaker performed 

well, in fact, it allows for quick redials if you use the phone buttons on the steering 

wheel. 

The Optima’s 10.9 metre turning circle and easy steering makes it a simple 

drive and highway driving is no different. With 148 kW to boot, it accelerates 

faster than expected (0-100km/h in 9 seconds) and that’s partially due to the 

Korean’s own six-speed automatic (apparently the most compact six-speed automatic 

in the world) synched perfectly to the engine. 

Ride and handling are taken care of by MacPherson strut suspension for the 

front and multi-link, independent suspension at the back. The car’s electronic 

stability (ESC) and traction control (TC) work together to make sure the Optima 

goes where the wheels are pointing. 

Another new feature for the Kia Optima is the “ECO” mode, which works by 

adjusting the transmission gear changes and momentarily cutting the air-conditioning 

compressor (only when cabin temperature is already adequate) to help 

reduce fuel usage by about 7.5 per cent. The Optima’s safety systems — ESC, 

TCS, BAS (Brake Assist System), HAC (Hillstart Assist Control), ABS (antilock 

system) and EBD (electronic brakeforce distribution), make it more likely 

to avoid an accident. Dual front airbags are another added safety feature. 

Kia today has over 47,000 employees worldwide and annual revenues of over 

$39 billion. It is the major sponsor of the Australian Open and an official automotive 

partner of FIFA — the governing body of the FIFA World Cup. Kia 

Motors Corporation’s brand slogan — “The Power to Surprise” — represents 

the company’s global commitment to surpassing customer expectations through 

continuous automotive innovation. 

Reliable International Automotive, the distributor for Kia in Oman provides 

a rewarding ownership experience for customers. Excellent product attributes 

and unmatched 18 facilities easily ensure their absolute satisfaction, every mile 

of the way. 

“You can like us and follow us on www.facebook.com/kiaoman for the latest 

happenings on Kia in Oman,” invites the spokesperson. 

Drive-in old, drive-out new 

THE all-time favourite Toyota Camry is a huge success in Oman thanks to its 

excellent features, great prices and offers. 

Now, special trade-in for old vehicles is being made available. This means 

that anyone who has an old used vehicle can comes into the Toyota showroom 

and get a brand new Camry to drive out in. In addition, this, the Toyota Camry 

is now available with a 2 years/40000 Comprehensive Service Package, totally 

free. The Insurance (One Year Comprehensive for Oman) is free, too. 

Cars registered as Taxis will receive additional painting and the mandatory 

9 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 

lights — free. Driving School operators would also benefit with the statutory 

painting currently offered for free. 

Every Toyota customer also gets a chance to win a 2012 YM Camry 2.5 GL 

Automatic Transmission or a 2012 YM Fortuner 2.7 SR5 Premium Automatic 

big deal Ramadhan offer Transmission in a Grand Raffle! 

SAN FRANCISCO — Dell 

There’s still more...an exciting range of high value gifts on offer include LCD 

TVs, laptops, tablets, PlayStation, mobile phones and music system. 

Coupled with the Mazallat Bahwan, the 6-year unlimited mileage protection 

plan on new Toyota cars, the deal offers complete peace-of-mind motoring, for 

years. 

This offer is subject to conditions. Full details are available at the Toyota 

showroom. 

The Toyota Camry is a best seller in many countries and also the winner of 

many prestigious accolades including the “2012 Best Resale Value Award” as per 

Kelley’s Blue-book (www.kbb.com), is hailed as the #1 selling card in America 

and has obtained the 5-star safety rating. 

The high integrity cabin with impact absorbing structure and 6-advanced SRS 

airbags for driver and front passenger is also a standard on all Camry models. 

So is the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and the sophisticated Toyota Traction 

Control System (TRC) helps avoid slippage of the driving wheels by slightly applying 

the brake and reducing the throttle thus maintaining traction according to 

the road surface conditions. The system eliminates the need for a subtle accelerator 

pedal operation and helps ensure vehicle control when starting or accelerating 

on slippery roads. The anti lock brake system (ABS) with brake assist (BA) 

senses an emergency stop and applies increased braking power once the driver 

touches the brake pedal. Thoughtful touches include a authentic hand stitched 

dashboard cover to add a touch to elegant style to the interior. 

Camry is also available in a sport model (Camry SE), which injects a dynamic 

edge into the driving experience. Its sport — focused features highlight a fresh 

energy and lively spirit, sparking a desire to drive. SE model features sporty alloy 

wheels, new design front grille & headlamps, Sporty seats, Front and rear 

spoilers and side skirts. 

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-theclock 

care, amongst many other exclusive privileges from the Group. 

For Test Drive requests, latest press releases and more, please visit www. 

toyotaoman.com 

MINI Cooper S Avenue has Mideast style 

CREATED especially for and inspired by the Middle East, the MINI Cooper S 

Avenue Edition is stylish, daring and on sale now. From an exclusive body colour 

to Arabesque designed exterior and interior features, this special edition of 

the three-door MINI is the ultimate embodiment of beauty and style — oozing 

Middle Eastern flare and standing out in every detail. Available now in the UAE, 

MINI enthusiasts can place an order for the new MINI Cooper S Avenue Edition 

at AGMC showrooms in Dubai or Abu Dhabi Motors. 

The most striking features of the exterior design is the body finish in Highclass 

Grey, an exclusive colour –– and special twin blade 17-inch light alloy 

wheels sporting a multi-spoke design. Other highlights include Soda wing mir- 

ror caps with an avant-garde hologram design and matching Arabesque bonnet 

stripes and side scuttles. 

Luxury meets functionality inside the MINI Cooper S Avenue Edition. Passengers 

can sit back and relax in Arabesque trimmed Soda leather lounge satellite 

seats which ooze style and complement the exterior High-class Grey colour and 

trims. 

A multicoloured, multifunctional MINI Sport Steering Wheel in Carbon Black 

and Satellite Grey complements the leather seats perfectly while the instrument 

panel in leather black and satellite grey further enhances the high-quality look 

and feel of the limited edition model. 

With finesse right down to the last detail, and exclusive to customers in the 

UAE, a special interior trim reminiscent of the unique exterior design and mirrors 

key elements of the other parts of the interior. 

US e-commerce giant Amazon launches Kindle Store in India 

SAN FRANCISCO — US e-commerce giant Amazon 

yesterday launched its Kindle Store in India, claiming 

to have the largest selection of any e-bookstore in the 

country. 

The India Kindle Store offers over one million ebooks, 

priced in Indian rupees, including 70 of the top 

selling editions. 

“We are proud to launch this new Kindle store for 

Indian customers, offering Kindle book purchases in 

rupees and the ability to buy and read the work of 

many great Indian authors,” said Russ Grandinetti, 

vice president of Kindle content for Amazon. 

The Kindle reader will be sold exclusively in Croma 

stores across India at an introductory price of Rs 

6,999 (around $125). 

“Kindle is the bestselling e-reader in the world 

and has revolutionised the way people read,” said 

Ajit Joshi, chief executive and managing director of 

Croma. 

Customers may also download and read books on 

the iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, Mac, PC, and Androidbased 

devices. 

The India Kindle Store features new releases, 

best sellers and other works from a range of Indian 

authors, including Chetan Bhagat, Ashwin Sanghi, 

Ravinder Singh and Amish Tripathi. 

Some exclusive Kindle books will be available 

and over one million classics can be downloaded for 

free. 

Amazon also launched Kindle Direct Publishing 

for independent authors and publishers in India, allowing 

them to make their books available to customers 

worldwide on Kindle devices and reading apps. 

Dell Q2 profit slumps on 

‘challenging’ PC market 

profits for the second quarter 

fell as the US tech firm faced a 

“challenging” PC market and 

pursued efforts to shift into areas 

such as software and cloud 

computing. 

Dell said its net income fell 

18 per cent from a year ago to 

$732 million, and lowered its 

outlook for full-year earnings. 

Earnings translated to 50 

cents per share excluding special 

items, above most Wall 

Street estimates. Revenues 

dropped eight per cent to 

$14.5 billion, shy of forecasts. 

Still, Dell said it was on 

track to become a more diversified 

tech firm, less dependent 

on personal computers, which 

are seeing slowing sales as 

consumers move to various 

mobile devices. 

“We’re transforming our 

business, not for a quarter or 

a fiscal year, but to deliver differentiated 

customer value for 

the long term,” said Michael 

Dell, chairman and chief executive. 

“We’re clear on our strat- 

ConocoPhillips 

exits Russian 

Lukoil venture 

NEW YORK — US energy 

company ConocoPhillips 

said yesterday that it had 

exited a joint venture with 

Russian firm Lukoil as it 

restructures to focus on its 

core businesses. 

ConocoPhillips said it 

had sold its indirect 30 per 

cent interest in Naryan- 

MarNefteGaz (NMNG) and 

certain related assets to the 

privately held Lukoil, “as 

part of its ongoing strategy 

to reposition its asset base.” 

The Houston, Texasbased 

company did not disclose 

the terms of the sale, 

but said it expected to book 

an after-tax financial gain of 

approximately $400 million. 

“The sale of this non-core 

quality asset is an important 

component of our divestiture 

program for 2012,” 

said Don Wallette, executive 

vice president, Commercial, 

Business Development, and 

Corporate Planning, in a 

statement. 

“We are pleased that 

Lukoil, the co-owner of 

NMNG, recognizes the value 

of this asset.” 

As part of a larger strategic 

alliance, ConocoPhillips 

entered into an agreement 

with Lukoil in 2004 to create 

the NMNG joint venture to 

develop oil and natural gas 

resources in the northern part 

of Russia’s Timan-Pechora 

Province. — AFP 

egy and we’re building a leading 

portfolio of solutions to 

help our customers achieve 

their goals.” 

Brian Gladden, Dell chief 

financial officer, added, “We 

continued our progress in 

shifting the mix of our business 

to higher-margin enterprise 

solutions, led by solid 

growth in our server, networking, 

services, and Dell IP storage 

businesses. 

“Growth in our PC business 

was challenging, as we 

saw a tough macroeconomic 

and competitive environment, 

and continued to focus on 

WARSAW — Billionaire Richard 

Branson’s Virgin Mobile 

yesterday launched operations 

in Central Europe offering a 

prepaid service in Poland and 

aims to expand its mobile 

telephony presence in the region. 

“Virgin Mobile Central 

and Eastern Europe is a new 

regional company in the Virgin 

group. We are looking 

into expanding our business 

into Poland obviously but also 

potentially to Turkey, Russia, 

Hungary and others,” Kristian 

Myrup, head of Virgin Mobile 

Central and Eastern Europe 

told reporters in Warsaw. 

Virgin becomes the third 

global brand on the competitive 

Polish mobile market, following 

Deutsche Telecom’s Tmobile 

which controls 28 per 

cent of the market and France 

Telecom’s Orange which commands 

29 per cent. 

Branson’s Virgin enters the 

game as the fifth player in Po- 

higher-value solutions in this 

business,” Gladden said. 

Texas-based Dell, once the 

biggest PC maker, has fallen 

to fourth place in global sales. 

Dell has expanded its effort 

in the Internet “cloud” in the 

face of softening demand for 

traditional computing hardware 

and has also moved into 

software and other services. 

Dell announced in June it 

will use some of its cash stockpile 

to pay dividends in a bid 

to boost shareholder value. 

But in after-hours trade, 

Dell shed 3.5 per cent to $11.90 

on the earnings news. — AFP 

Virgin Mobile in Poland, 

eyes Russia, Turkey 

land overall and company officials 

hope to capture at least a 

million pre-paid clients within 

three years, company officials 

said. 

The Plus mobile operator 

holds 28 per cent of the 

market, while Play pre-paid 

has 14.6 per cent, according 

to market research presented 

by the Warsaw-based Audytel 

analysts. 

There are over 53.1 million 

active mobile phones in 

Poland, a country of 38.2 million 

people. Analysts at Arc researchers 

also found that about 

25 per cent of pre-paid customers 

— or some six million users 

— were open to changing 

their pre-paid operator if they 

were offered a better deal. 

Virgin Mobile is one of 

around 400 companies comprising 

the Virgin Group 

owned by the British tycoon 

Branson, 62, who is expected 

to visit Poland later this year. 

— AFP 

MODELS display the Nikon Coolpix S800c based on Google's Android OS in Tokyo 

yesterday. The Coolpix S800c, equipped with a 16 mega-pixel CMOS image sensor, 

3.5-inch wide OLED display and a 4.5 - 45mm/F3.5 - 5.8 zoom lens (equivalent to 

25 - 250mm in 35mm camera) will go on sale next month. — AFP

Asian shares ease, euro resilient on ECB hopes 

AN investor lies down on a bench in front of an electronic board showing stock information at a brokerage 

house in Wuhan. — Reuters 

TOKYO — Asian shares fell 

after recent rally but the euro 

held near a seven-week high 

yesterday on views the European 

Central Bank will act to 

rein in surging euro zone borrowing 

costs and policymakers 

will find ways to keep Greece 

on lifelines. 

Top global miner BHP 

Billiton may put three mega 

projects on hold when it is expected 

to report its first annual 

profit fall in three years due to 

rising costs and falling commodity 

prices. 

BHP’s woes will wrap up 

a torrid earnings season for 

the world’s biggest miners, all 

battered by weaker prices for 

iron ore, copper, coal, nickel 

and aluminium as economic 

growth in big-buyer China 

slows to its weakest pace in a 

decade. 

MSCI’s broadest index of 

Asia-Pacific shares outside 

Japan was down 0.3 per cent 

while Japan’s Nikkei stock average 

fell 0.4 per cent. 

Data showed Japan’s exports 

fell 8.1 per cent in July 

from a year earlier, boding ill 

for the fragile economy heavily 

dependent on overseas demand. 

Asian credit markets were 

steady, with the spread on 

the iTraxx Asia ex-Japan investment-grade 

index barely 

changed and pinned near its 

tightest level in five months. 

Asian equities are not yet 

overbought, judging from the 

CUPERTINO, California — Steve Jobs resigned as chief executive 

of Apple on the evening of August 24, 2011, six weeks 

before he lost his long battle against pancreatic cancer. 

But his ideas live on in the iconic technology company he 

co-founded in a garage. 

“I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are 

ahead of it,” Jobs wrote in his open resignation letter as, with a 

heavy heart, he was forced by ill-health to relinquish his leadership 

of Apple. 

Debilitated by the long fight with cancer, his body was 

no longer able to cope with the daily stress of running a 

multi-national that had just eclipsed oil giant Exxon Mobil as 

the publicly traded company with the world’s biggest market 

valuation. 

Spurred by the success of the iPhone, Apple has gone on to 

become the most valuable company in the history of stock markets. 

This week, Apple’s surging sales and new products on the 

horizon propelled the company’s value to $624 billion, topping 

Microsoft’s 1999 record market capitalisation at the height of 

the Internet bubble. 

Hollywood could not have scripted Apple’s history better. 

amount of net foreign buying, 

which stood at $8.1 billion so 

far in August, Credit Suisse 

said in a research note. They 

define markets to be overbought 

when net foreign buying 

on a rolling 12-month basis 

is 1 per cent of market capitalisation 

or more and net foreign 

buying over two months is 0.6 

per cent or more. 

“On this definition, we 

are not yet overbought, as net 

foreign buying over the past 

12 months is 0.6 per cent of 

market cap, and over the past 

two months is 0.26 per cent,” 

it said. 

Speculation that the ECB 

will take a decisive step to cut 

borrowing costs in Spain and 

Italy to help reduce their high 

10 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 

public debts gained further 

momentum with an article in 

London’s Daily Telegraph, 

which said the ECB was examining 

plans to put a hard cap 

on Spanish and Italian yields. 

A similar report on the 

ECB’s bond-buying scheme in 

German media was on Monday 

denied by the bank, which 

also repeated its stance over 

the latest British report. 

Meanwhile, German Chancellor 

Angela Merkel has 

voiced support for the ECB’s 

crisis-fighting strategy last 

week. 

“The market rallied on 

growing convictions that Germany 

stands ready to do more 

to keep the euro zone united. 

Merkel’s government seems 

more willing to ease the official 

debt burden on Greece, as 

long as the basic elements of 

the second bailout programme 

remain,” Barclays Capital said 

in a research note. 

The euro traded at $1.2470, 

not far from $1.2488 hit on 

Tuesday, its highest since July 

5. The dollar was down 0.1 per 

cent against the yen at 79.24 

yen , off a five-week high at 

79.66 yen hit on Monday. 

The dollar index measured 

against key currencies hovered 

near its seven-week low 

touched the previous day. 

US stocks fell on Tuesday 

as investors took profits after 

driving the Standard & Poor’s 

500 index to a four-year high, 

while European shares rose 

and yields in Spain and Italy 

fell further. Spain’s 10-year 

debt yields have shed about 8 

per cent this month. 

A rise in the CBOE Volatility 

Index, a gauge of Wall Street’s 

risk sensitivity, US Treasury 

yields capped at recent highs 

TEL: 24601003, 24600586 • FAX: 24600736 

• WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com 

and many assets failing to top 

the upside of their ranges suggested, 

however, investor were 

not entirely convinced yet of a 

breakthrough in the three-year 

euro zone debt crisis. 

Greek Prime Minister 

Antonis Samaras is holding 

bilateral talks with leaders 

of France, Germany and the 

Eurogroup this week to seek 

concessions for its austerityto-bailout 

swap. His meeting 

with Merkel is set for Friday. 

Oil inched higher, with 

Brent up 0.2 per cent to 

$114.81 a barrel and US crude 

up 0.1 per cent at $96.90. 

Spot gold eased to $1,637.21 

an ounce after hitting a 3-1/2 

month high of $1,641.20 on 

Tuesday, while platinum also 

retreated from its highest since 

early May at $1,508.25 hit the 

previous session. 

The worst US drought in 

half a century hoisted soybeans 

on Tuesday to another 

peak, and corn up nearly 2 per 

cent. — Reuters 

Steve Jobs’ legacy: Best still to come from Apple 

The college dropout Jobs builds one of the first home computers 

in a garage with friend Steve Wozniak. The company 

grows quickly, but a rift in management leads to Jobs’ ouster 

from his own company in 1985. 

In 1997, with Apple facing oblivion in the face of rival Microsoft’s 

dominant Windows operating system, Jobs returns as 

the saviour, redesigning the once-revolutionary Macintosh computer 

as the iMac and making it cool once again. 

The first glimpse of Jobs’ greater goal emerges with the success 

of the iPod digital music players, and Apple’s iTimes ushers 

the company into the business of marketing music and later 

films and books. Apple is now more than a simple computer 

manufacturer. 

The first iPhone was introduced in 2007. Initially laughed 

at by competitors such as Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer, Apple 

turned the entire mobile-phone market upside down with its 

smartphone. 

The iPhone’s touch screen quickly became standard, and industry 

giants such as Nokia and Blackberry-maker Research In 

Motion began to shudder at the market power of Apple. 

PC manufacturers learned to fear Apple in 2010 when the 

company launched the iPad. Rather than trying to claw back 

long-lost market share in the computer industry that he helped 

pioneer, Jobs innovated PCs into obsolescence and positioned 

Apple to dominate the next big thing: mobile computing. 

Apple is still reaping the profits from the ideas and decisions 

of its founder, with the iPhone raking in profits while the iPad is 

the growth engine. 

Yet new Apple chief Tim Cook has managed to step out of 

the shadow of his long-time mentor. While Jobs often ruled like 

an emperor in his kingdom, Cook has made the company more 

transparent. 

Cook heeded criticism of work conditions for employees of 

Apple’s Chinese suppliers, putting in place reforms at the company’s 

manufacturing contractors. He has listened to calls from 

shareholders for the payment of a dividend and did a u-turn after 

coming under fire for dropping out of an environmental rating 

system. 

By comparison, Jobs was famous for letting such pressure 

simply bounce off him. 

Since Cook took the helm at Apple, the company’s value has 

doubled to more than $600 million. — dpa 

BEIJING — Chinese 

automakers have had their 

toughest first half since the 

global financial crisis and the 

rest of this year looks set to 

be tougher still as the world’s 

largest auto market sputters in 

a slowing economy. 

State auto groups with 

strong foreign ties, such as domestic 

champion SAIC Motor 

Corp, can still deliver earnings 

growth, but others may find 

themselves locked in reverse 

gear, industry observers say. 

“This is a tough year for 

all automakers, large or small. 

2011 wasn’t so good either because 

(government stimulus) 

incentives were gone, but it’s 

much worse now as the economy 

is not doing so well,” 

said Zhang Xin, an analyst at 

Guotai Junan Securities. “It’s 

like a double whammy.” 

China’s economy grew at 

its slowest pace in more than 

three years in the second quarter 

as demand at home and 

abroad slackened, confirming 

a downtrend that has full-year 

growth on course for its weakest 

in 13 years. 

The China Association of 

Automobile Manufacturers 

is keeping to its forecast for 

a 5-8 per cent rise in overall 

vehicle sales this year — a far 

cry from explosive growth of 

46 per cent and 32 per cent in 

2009 and 2010 respectively. 

January-July total vehicle 

sales rose just 3.6 per cent after 

anaemic growth of 2.5 per 

cent in 2011, setting China up 

for its slowest back-to-back 

years of growth since the late 

1990s. 

Life for China’s local 

brands is tough. 

Geely Automobile Hold- 

BHP Billiton copper/uranium/gold/silver processing 

plant in South Australia. — AFP 

Banks, miners weigh 

on UK stocks 

LONDON — Britain’s top shares fell back yesterday, reversing 

a rally in the previous session as technical factors held 

sway in the absence of fresh news or data. 

The blue chip index was below the 5,800 level for the first 

time since August 6. Analysts said the next low technical target 

level was 5677.10 to 5630.11, but that the main trend was for 

stocks to rise. 

“With thin trading looking set to continue, the defensive 

tone could last through the day, with little to provide direction, 

although the (US Federal Reserve) minutes due after the 

London close could be of interest.” said Mike Mason, a senior 

trader at Sucden Financial Private Clients. 

A retreat by mining stocks, which had led the market higher 

on Tuesday, weighed on the blue chips yesterday as BLT 

Billiton bought a drab sector earnings season to a close. 

BLT Billiton shares shed 1.9 per cent as the global miner 

posted a 35 per cent fall in second-half profit, battered by 

weaker commodity prices and industrial action, and said it was 

taking its Olympic Dam copper expansion plan back to the 

drawing board. 

“With earnings under pressure and macro uncertainty 

abounding, we believe the sector is increasingly turning into a 

relative call,” JP Morgan Cazenove said in a note on the European 

metals and mining sector published yesterday. 

“In an environment of more stable (albeit high) commodity 

prices, we believe those companies with low costs, good cost 

control and high-quality growth projects plus value-accretive 

capital allocation should be rewarded with higher relative ratings,” 

the bank added. 

To reflect this view, JPMorgan downgraded its ratings for 

both Anglo American and Kazakhmys to “underweight”, and 

upgraded its stance on Antofagasta to “overweight”. 

Banks were also a drag on blue chip sentiment as fresh litigation 

risks in the sector took their toll. 

Royal Bank of Scotland, down 1.4 per cent, came under 

pressure after the Financial Times reported that the US Reserve 

and Department of Justice are investigating RBS for possible 

violations of sanctions with Iran. 

“It is not entirely new information. Nevertheless, this is just 

one investment distraction in a lengthy list,” Oriel Securities 

said in a note maintain a “hold” rating on RBS. 

Kingfisher was also a top blue chip faller, down 3.6 per 

cent as Deutsche Bank cut its rating for Europe’s biggest DIY 

retailer to “hold” from “buy” with a reduced target price of 315 

pence, down from 340 pence. 

“We previously applied a 10 per cent discount (target price 

to share price) given risk the downturn could be longer than 

forecast, but we have increased this to 15 per cent due to the 

delay in UK housing recovery and greater French macro concerns,” 

Deutsche Bank said in a note. 

Early FTSE 100 volume was low at 8.9 per cent of the 90day 

daily average. Trading volumes have struggled over the 

past few weeks with the summer holiday lull feeling more like 

the Christmas exodus, hitting lows not seen for over 10 years. 

— Reuters 

Weak demand drags on Chinese 

carmakers, earnings growth stalls 

WORKERS assembling a car in the Chang’an 

automobile factory in Beijing. — AFP 

ings Ltd, which reports halfyear 

earnings later yesterday, 

and Great Wall Motor Co Ltd 

should hold up better than 

most as they have expanding 

export businesses, analysts 

say. 

But Warren Buffett-backed 

BYD has warned of a more 

than 50 per cent slump in its 

January-June earnings, blaming 

weak car sales and continuous 

losses in its solar energy 

business. The safety of 

its electric car was also called 

into question after an e6 taxi 

caught fire in a fatal accident 

in May. 

And FAW Car has predicted 

it could swing to as much 

as a 75 million yuan ($11.8 

million) first-half net loss. 

SAIC, which makes cars 

in China in partnership with 

General Motors and Volkswagen 

AG, the two largest foreign 

automakers in the market, 

could still achieve doubledigit 

earnings growth in the 

second quarter, according to 

forecasts by three analysts 

— still a far cry from recent 

growth spurred by Beijing’s 

stimulus measures. Earnings 

jumped by around a quarter 

last year when the Chinese 

economy appeared largely immune 

from the debt crisis seizing 

Europe. 

Net income at Dongfeng 

Motor Group Co — which 

makes cars in partnership with 

Nissan Motor, Honda Motor 

and PSA Peugeot Citroen — 

is seen flat in the first half as it 

is exposed to a steep downturn 

in heavy truck sales. 

Geely is the second-best 

performer in the sector this 

year among 53 large- and 

mid-cap autos firms globally, 

with its share price rising 62 

per cent, Thomson Reuters 

StarMine data shows. Chinese 

automakers crowd the 

list of losers in the global auto 

sector, with shares in BYD, 

Dongfeng, SAIC and Brilliance 

China among the worst 

performers so far this year. 

Even the popular German 

luxury brands have resorted 

to a price war this year as they 

look to hit ambitious sales targets 

in China — a move that 

may further cannibalise the 

sales and earnings of massmarket 

marques. — Reuters

By Dr Frank C Smigura 

BEAUTIFUL Muscat is drowning 

in a relentless sea of an ever 

increasing number of cars. For 

proof, all one needs to do is to look 

around or drive on one of the roads or 

highway in the city. 

It is a sad predicament and the scenario 

invites a number of questions, such 

as: What is the cause of the problem? Is 

the deleterious development really inevitable? 

Can anything be done to stop the 

destructive trend? 

Let’s first examine the situation in 

an effort to identify some of the causes 

responsible for the prevailing trend and 

then look at some workable remedies. 

It must be obvious to anybody, even to 

a casual observer that the roads in Muscat 

are congested. Is it because Muscat does 

not have enough roads? Comparing to 

any other big Western city there does not 

seem to be a shortage of roads in Muscat 

or Oman. The problem is that there are 

simply too many cars for the given capacity 

of the roads. 

I’ve been in Muscat for more than 23 

years and up until 6 to 7 years ago the traffic 

in the city was quite normal, by any 

standard. Then, quite abruptly, the number 

of cars reached a “critical volume” and 

ever since, the beautiful city of Muscat has 

been drowning in a sea of cars. No matter 

where one looks, cars are everywhere, 

often parked in a haphazard, undisciplined 

manner. 

If this trend persists, Muscat will end 

up in the same class of so many overcrowded, 

polluted, unattractive large cities 

around the world. Is this what the Muscat 

planners want? 

One factor contributing to the problem 

is readily discernable. Even though 

the roads are overcrowded by cars, they 

“serve” only a limited number of people, 

far less than is their capacity. Why so? The 

reason is that 90-95 per cent of cars are 

occupied by one person only. 

The second striking revelation is that, 

no matter how hard one looks, there are no 

buses or any other public transport vehicles 

to be seen. Compared to other big cities, 

this is a serious anomaly. Indeed, lack 

of efficient public transport is the core of 

the problem, the real reason for the con- 

Rita Ora loves planning 

surprises 

� Page 13 

Film confronts domestic 

servants’ plight 

� Page 14 

gestion of the roads in Muscat. 

The current state of affairs is not sustainable. 

To find a remedy is not an easy 

task and more than one option as to what 

may be the appropriate and workable solution 

should be examined. 

What are the options? 

1. Constructing new roads: There 

seems to be road widening or constructions 

everywhere, but the benefits of 

Can Elmo make 

kids like apples? 

� Page 12 

Jennifer Lopez plans 

concert film 

� Page 14 

Fea ures 

Thursday, August 23, 2012 

such projects are questionable. Adding 

new roads is not the solution it is only 

a temporary respite and in the long run, 

it will have the opposite effect. The expanded 

road network will attract more 

cars and ultimately that will make the 

situation worse. In biology this is called 

“positive feedback” and nearly always, 

the end result is deadly. 

Furthermore it appears that most of 

the new roads in the city are built or rerouted 

to serve cars rather than people. 

Service roads and streets are transformed 

to throughways with very little possibilities 

to enter or exit the roads. On a number 

of locations to turn left requires driving a 

kilometre or more to a stoplight to make 

a U-turn and then driving back to the intended 

point of turning left. 

2. Reducing the number of cars: Common 

sense would dictate that there is a 

need to implement measures that would 

decrease the number of cars on the roads. 

There are two ways to accomplish this: 

First, increase the number of passenger per 

vehicle by offering incentives for higher 

occupancy of the cars. Secondly, and this 

is the major step forward, to eliminate 

large fraction of cars from the roads can 

be achieved by developing an alternative 

mode of transport in a form of an efficient 

Public Transport System. 

In my opinion such a solution would 

be rewarding in many ways. The number 

of cars on the roads would be reduced 

considerably and the remedy would be 

permanent and adjustable in accordance 

with evolutionary trends. Economically, if 

chosen and implemented with care, public 

transport would be cost effective, probably 

cost less than building and expanding 

roads and freeways. 

An efficient public transport system is 

nothing new. To see and “feel” such operation, 

all one needs to do, is to visit some of 

the large cities in Europe. Most of these 

places went through stages of development, 

just like Muscat. 

In late fifties and sixties most of these 

cities embarked on developing efficient 

public transport systems in different 

forms. Very quickly car users realised 

(and I was one of them) that it is much 

faster, less expensive and less aggravating 

to take the public transport. As a result, 

in some cities the number of cars on the 

roads decreased by up to 50 per cent and 

so did the rate of accidents. Cities became 

less congested, less polluted, cleaner and 

more livable. 

Furthermore, many localities declared 

the central area of the city (usually 2 to 3 

sq km) as “car free zone”, for pedestrians 

only. Supply vehicles enter the restricted 

areas only during certain hours. 

Why could not the city of Muscat do 

Do athletes make 

better doctors? 

� Page 12 

For an efficient public transport system 

the same? The shape of Muscat footprint 

is conducive to develop an efficient transport 

system. In principle, the network 

would consist of a long corridor track running 

west to east with several feeding arteries 

from north and south. 

With regards to the vehicles, one of 

the most efficient, clean and economical 

modes of transport are trolleybuses, which 

are buses running on electricity drawn 

Extra long vehicles and trolleybuses (right) are used as efficient and economical modes of transport in many Western countries. 

The roads in 

Muscat are 

congested. Is it 

because Muscat 

does not have 

enough roads? 

Comparing to any 

other big Western 

city there does 

not seem to be 

a shortage of 

roads in Muscat 

or Oman. The 

problem is that 

there are simply 

too many cars for 

the given capacity 

of the roads 

from cables suspended from steel posts. 

The cost of development of such network 

is much lower than building a metro or 

street tram system. 

The country with a vast experience 

with this system is Czech Republic, Scotland 

and others. They have been using and 

exporting trolleybuses to many countries 

and have expertise in development of such 

systems.

PEOPLE’S 

PLATFORM 

AS the accompanying photograph 

will demonstrate, civil contractors 

are leaving our city’s 

pavement in a shabby state. Take, for 

example, the recent job undertaken by 

a contractor laying cables on a street at 

Darsait. The once neatly tiled pavement 

has now been left in shambles after the 

excavation job. True, a sign left behind by 

someone (not sure if it was the contractor 

or a kindly local resident!) warns motorists 

and pedestrians of the ditch created 

by the contractor’s shoddy work. Also 

disconcerting is the fact that the contractor 

concerned left behind his handiwork 

right under the nose of Muscat Municipality, 

whose head office is right across 

the street. Perhaps, our civic authorities 

will take note. 

— Hisham R 

Editor: One can understand your anguish 

over the poor state of the particular 

pavement you’ve referred to in your 

mail. If it’s any consolation, we reckon 

that the damaged footpath will be repaired 

or returned to its original state 

after the entire cable laying job has been 

completed. 

Therapeutic holiday break 

THE extended Eid holiday that is 

now coming to a rapid end was a 

opportune time for the employed class 

to take time off their humdrum routines 

and spend some quality time with their 

families and friends. Weekends and the 

occasional national holiday hardly afford 

the kind of time and setting for most 

people to consider doing something out 

of the ordinary. Most weekends are spent 

by families either hanging out at malls 

or staying indoors glued to television. 

But this pretty long Eid holiday afforded 

Parasite in cats may lead 

people to suicides 

EXPOSURE to a parasite hosted by cats could make 

people more likely to attempt suicide, says a new 

study. 

Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause toxoplasmosis, is 

easily transmitted to humans, with most catching it by consuming 

undercooked meat or anything contaminated with 

cat faeces, the Daily Mail reported. 

A group of 54 patients of both genders in a Swedish 

hospital, all with a history of attempting suicide, were studied, 

along with 30 control subjects. 

It found that people who were exposed to toxoplasmosis 

were seven times more likely to attempt suicide. 

Scientists have linked toxoplasmosis to behavioural 

changes and even the development of schizophrenia. 

Infected people become more expedient, suspicious, 

jealous and dogmatic. 

The report said identifying toxoplasmosis as a risk factor 

for suicide could be of benefit in suicide prevention. 

Czech scientist Jaroslav Flegr has claimed to be a living 

example of toxoplasma gondii causing schizophrenia. 

The 63-year-old said he had contracted the parasite, and 

that it had led him to behave in strange, self-destructive 

ways. 

Signs of toxoplasmosis include mild flu-like symptoms 

such as a high temperature, sore throat or aching muscles, 

although the infection often causes no symptoms at all. 

The study will be published in the Journal of Clinical 

Psychiatry. — IANS 

Aziza bint Hamood al Mawali 

Oman Daily Observer would like to take the lead in sharing the joy 

with its readers. Send us a colour photograph of your baby (below 10 

years) along with name, date of birth, address, telephone number and 

parents’ names. Send in your baby’s picture and other details to: 

observerfeatures@gmail.com or Kids Corner, Oman Daily 

Observer, P O Box 974, PC 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman 

many people the opportunity to do 

something on their ‘bucket lists’. For 

some, it was an opportunity to visit some 

natural attraction of Oman or delve into 

a hobby or pursuit. Of course, those who 

could afford it, grabbed flights out of 

Oman to destinations in Europe and the 

12 

LETTERS/HEALTH THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 

Cable laying job leaves behind ruined pavement 

Far East. Regardless, it was a splendid 

holiday to just kick up one’s feet and 

relax. 

— Maureen Odioke 

Editor: A long break can indeed be 

therapeutic. 

Taking fuel marketing 

companies to task 

REPORTS of fuel shortages at 

filling stations en route to Salalah 

do not augur well for Oman’s image. 

The assertion of Orpic, the company 

that manages the country’s refineries, 

has helped assure consumers that the 

purported shortage has nothing to do 

with the refineries’ output. It’s evident 

that that fuel marketing companies 

have failed to gauge demand over the 

holiday and not done enough to ensure 

Do you have a word of appreciation for any services you received? Or suggestions for improvement? Observer is 

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

DAILY cup of latte 

A coffee can add around 

4.5 kg (10 pounds) to your 

weight a year, British experts 

have warned. 

The boom in high-street 

coffee shops is helping fuel 

the obesity epidemic in Britain, 

the Daily Express reported, 

citing fitness trainers' 

body the Register Of Exercise 

Professionals (REPS). A 

small cup of latte with full-fat 

milk contains 153 calories 

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

Do athletes make better doctors? 

IT may not be the first 

quality that most medical 

residency programmes 

evaluate in their applicants, 

but a new study suggests past 

success in team sports could be 

the best indicator of how well 

a doctor-in-training will do as 

a resident. 

When residency programmes 

evaluate medical 

school applicants for a few 

coveted spots, they typically 

consider grades, standardised 

test scores, recommendations 

and interviews. 

But researchers from one 

head and neck specialty programme 

found that a resident 

having excelled in team sports 

was a more accurate predictor 

of success in the programme 

than any of those other factors. 

The results were published 

on Monday in the journal Archives 

of Otolaryngology-Head 

& Neck Surgery. Residency 

programmes are graduate 

training after would-be doctors 

receive medical degrees when 

they work under the supervision 

of fully licensed physicians. 

Lead researcher Dr Richard 

Chole from Washington University 

School of Medicine in 

St Louis said he'd been "mystified" 

that applicants with great 

grades and medical school 

recommendations didn't end 

up necessarily being the best 

doctors by the end of residency 

training. 

But now, he said, it makes 

sense that being part of a team 

helps prepare people for a career 

in medicine. 

"There's a lot more to being 

a good doctor than answering 

multiple-choice questions," 

Chole said. 

"In the operating room, it's 

not just a principal surgeon 

doing the surgery — it's an anesthesiologist 

and all the nurses," 

he said. "Unless a person is 

willing and able to work with a 

team, they don't do well." 

Chole and co-author Dr M 

Allison Ogden evaluated the 

original applications of their 

last 46 residents in the head 

and neck training programme, 

comparing applicant qualities 

with faculty members' assessments 

of who ended up being a 

good doctor. 

There was no link between 

applicants' scores on medical 

licensing exams or their medical 

school recommendation 

letters and the post-residency 

assessments, the researchers 

reported. 

Interview scores from 

the application process were 

"weakly correlated" with residency 

performance, as were 

the rankings of applicants' 

medical schools. 

Only students' past "established 

excellence in a team 

sport" — as opposed to mere 

proficiency in an athletic skill, 

or no sports experience — was 

clearly linked to faculty members' 

assessments. 

"Team sports are actually a 

very telling thing. That's what 

medicine is nowadays," said 

Dr Marvin Fried, an otorhinolaryngologist 

from Albert 

Einstein College of Medicine 

and Montefiore Medical Center 

in the Bronx, New York. 

"If they have achieved well 

as team player, they tend to 

do the same as a professional 

physician," Fried, who wasn't 

involved in the new study, 

said. 

Chole said the results of the 

study have already changed 

the way he and his colleagues 

evaluate applicants for their 

residency programmes. Rather 

than focusing on test scores 

and grades, he said they're 

now looking for evidence that 

a candidate has experience in 

something that requires teamwork, 

like a sport or a musical 

group. 

"It's disturbing really that 

the goal of most medical 

students is just to get great 

grades," he said. — Reuters 

In the works: A food additive to quell hunger 

RESEARCHERS are developing a 

new 'anti-hunger' powder that dieters 

can just mix into curds or smoothies for 

freedom from the pangs of hunger. 

The new ingredient is a modified 

version of a common food additive, methyl 

cellulose. It could help people shed 

pounds by making them feel full after eating 

smaller amounts of food, according to 

German scientists. 

A trial by Dow Wolff Cellulosics, the 

company behind the product, showed 

that volunteers who ate food containing 

the additive consumed 13 per cent fewer 

calories when given a second meal two 

hours later, the Telegraph reports. 

If further trials prove that it could be of 

benefit to dieters, the ingredient would be 

suitable for use in a variety of cold foods 

and drinks including yogurts, fruit shakes 

and smoothies, they said. 

Carsten Huettermann, the German 

scientist from Dow Wolff, said: "With a 

sense of fullness and hunger-satisfaction, 

people would not crave more food. In our 

first study, we saw that fewer calories 

were consumed at the following meal after 

eating our new product." 

Huettermann presented the findings 

at a meeting of the American Chemical 

Society. 

The ingredient, known as SATISFIT- 

LTG, is a modified version of methyl cellulose, 

a food additive used as a binding 

agent in ready meals, baked goods and 

other snacks for 50 years. 

Methyl cellulose is a white powder 

which dissolves in cold water and, when 

heated, turns into a gelatin-like material 

that holds ingredients together and gives 

foods a more desirable texture. In its normal 

state, the ingredient passes through 

the stomach very quickly and does not 

make the person who has eaten it feel any 

less hungry. 

But Dow Wolff, which manufactures 

methyl cellulose, claims it can be modified 

to form a gel at body temperature, 

meaning it remains in the stomach for 

longer and is absorbed by the small intestine. 

— IANS 

Daily cup of coffee adds 4.5 kg to weight annually 

while a cup of black coffee 

with semi-skimmed milk has 

only 35. 

Even health-conscious 

people who avoid junk food 

do not realise how much fat 

and sugar they are drinking, 

said REPS, which carried out 

a dietary study of 2,000 British 

adults. It added that half 

of Britons are now classed 

as overweight or obese, and 

warned that the number will 

rise higher. — IANS 

timely supplies to filling points on the 

highway to Salalah. The companies 

concerned should have prepositioned 

stocks in advance of the holiday in 

anticipation of the spike in traffic on this 

arterial carriageway. Tough questions 

should be asked as to whether the top 

honchos of these companies, which 

are obligated to ensure that their filling 

stations are well-supplied as long as the 

refineries are in operation, nodded off on 

their job. 

— Jamshed Khurana 

Editor: Yes, the government should 

penalise companies that may have neglected 

to anticipate demand and keep 

fuel stocks flowing to their respective filling 

stations. 

Spike in vegetable prices 

should be investigated 

THE sharp spike in the prices of some 

kinds of fresh foods towards the end 

of Ramadhan and over the Eid holiday 

is an issue for the consumer protection 

authorities to investigate. 

It is evident that traders, particularly 

those engaged in the procurement and 

sole of fresh fruits and vegetables, may 

have hoarded some supplies and helped 

artificially inflate prices of some produce. 

Tomatoes, for instance, were retailing 

at a staggering 800 baizas per kilo 

in some stores. This amounts to daylight 

robbery. 

— Masoom Kalra 

Editor: The Public Authority for Consumer 

Protection has done a commendable 

job in enforcing consumer rights, and 

doubtless, will investigate this seemingly 

unwarranted price rise. 

FOOD CORNER 

Can Elmo make kids 

like apples? 

FOR children who turn up their noses at fruits 

and vegetables, slapping a cartoon face on 

a healthy snack may make those choices more 

appealing, according to a US study. 

Researchers, whose findings appeared in the 

Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 

discovered that when elementary school students 

were offered apples and cookies with lunch, 

children were more likely to opt for an apple when 

it was branded with a cartoon sticker — such as 

one of the "Sesame Street" character Elmo. 

"If we're trying to promote healthier foods, 

we need to be as smart as the companies that are 

selling the less-healthy foods," said David Just, 

co-director of the Cornell Center for Behavioral 

Economics in Child Nutrition Program, who 

worked on the study. 

Noting that cartoon characters and flashy 

advertising often don cookie and candy packaging, 

he added, "The message should be: fight fire with 

fire." 

Just and his colleagues offered cookies and 

apples to 208 eight- to 11-year-olds at suburban 

and rural schools every day at lunch for a week. 

Children were allowed to choose an apple, a cookie 

or both, along with their normal meal. 

Some days, the snacks were offered without 

cartoon stickers or other branding. On other days, 

either the cookie or the apple was branded with a 

familiar cartoon character. 

When the snacks weren't specially marked, 91 

per cent of children took a cookie and just under 

one-quarter took an apple. 

But when an Elmo sticker was slapped on the 

apples, 37 per cent of children took fruit, the 

researchers reported. 

Stickers on cookies didn't affect children's 

choice of the sweet snack. 

"There are so many foods that are of poor 

nutritional quality and they are being marketed to 

children," said Christina Roberto, who studies food 

choices at the Harvard School of Public Health in 

Boston and did not take part in the study. 

Kid-friendly characters used for this marketing 

"aren't popping up on the carrots and apples as 

much as they are on a wide range of foods that 

aren't good for kids," she added. 

Using stickers on fruits and vegetables could be 

one cheap option to help improve students' diets, 

she said, as well as something parents can try at 

home. 

"It's not a bad idea to create these positive 

associations, especially if you're struggling to get 

kids to eat healthy foods," she added. 

— Reuters Health

FLIGHT LIGHT SSCHEDULE 

CHEDULE 

ARRIVALS S — THURSDAY 

S 

Flight No Aircraft From om / Via STA 

WY614 B737-8 Dubai 0005 

WY682 B737-8 Riyadh 0015 

WY648 B737-8 Kuwait 0015 

PK229 B737-3 Sialkot 0030 

TK858 B737-8 Istanbul 0130 

BG021 DC10 Dacca-Chittagong 0130 

QR170 A320 Doha 0315 

EY384 A320 Abu Dhabi 0350 

EK866 B777 Dubai 0355 

GF560 E190 Bahrain 0425 

MS930 B737-8 Cairo 0500 

RJ600 A319 Amman 0505 

WY114 A330-200 Frankfurt 0645 

WY652 E175AR Bahrain 0700 

WY662 E175AR Doha 0700 

FZ043 B737-8 Dubai 0740 

NL771 B737-2 Peshawar 0800 

WY202 B737-8 Bombay 0800 

WY674 B737-8 Jeddah 0800 

WY632 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 0800 

WY602 B737-8 Dubai 0825 

WY274 B737-8 Jaipur 0840 

NL768 B737-2 Lahore 0845 

WY238 B737-8 Hyderabad 0850 

WY102 A330-300 London Heathrow 0900 

WY254 B737-8 Madras 0920 

WY286 B737-8 Bangalore 0920 

WY218 B737-8 Trivandrum 0925 

WY224 B737-8 Cochin 0925 

EK862 B777 Dubai 0930 

WY242 B737-8 Delhi 0945 

QR166 A321 Doha 0950 

G9113 A320 Sharjah 0955 


9W530 B737-8 Trivandrum 1045 

WY604 E175AR Dubai 1100 

PK233 B737-3 Karachi 1110 

WY371 A330-300 Colombo-Male 1130 

IX543 B737-8 Trivandrum-Cochin 1130 

WY336 B737-8 Kathmandu 1140 

PK291 A310 Lahore 1140 

WY916 E175AR Salalah 1200 

WY3302 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1230 


IX337 B737-8 Calicut 1255 

WY918 ATR42 Khasab 1315 

WY606 B737-8 Dubai 1330 

IX815 B737-8 Mangalore 1425 

WY924 B737-8 Salalah 1440 

WY324 B737-8 Karachi 1440 

FZ045 B737-8 Dubai 1545 

WY664 E175AR Doha 1615 

WY826 A330-300 Kuala Lumpur 1635 

WY204 B737-8 Bombay 1655 




QR164 A321 Doha 1735 

WY608 B737-8 Dubai 1740 

WY298 B737-8 Calicut 1750 

WY264 B737-8 Lucknow 1755 

WY646 B737-8 Kuwait 1805 

GF564 A319 Bahrain 1810 

TG507 A330 Bangkok-Karachi 1900 

G9117 A320 Sharjah 1905 

WY316 B737-8 Chittagong 1910 

WY926 B737-8 Salalah 1945 

UL205 A320 Colombo 2020 


FZ047 B737-8 Dubai 2020 

KL449 A330 Amsterdam-Abu Dhabi 2045 

AI973 A320 Delhi 2125 

BA073 B777 London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi 2130 

WY616 B737-8 Dubai 2145 

AI907 A319 Madras 2200 

WY3928 B737-8 Salalah 2205 

WY406 B737-8 Cairo 2215 

LH618 A330 Frankfurt-Abu Dhabi 2215 


LX242 A330 Zurich-Dubai 2235 

QR168 A320 Doha 2235 

GF566 B737-7 Bahrain 2250 

WY624 ATR42 Al Ain 2305 

WY656 B737-7 Bahrain 2305 

WY668 B737-8 Doha 2310 

WY928 B737-8 Salalah 2310 

AI985 A321 Ahmedabad-Bombay 2310 

WY672 A330-300 Jeddah 2315 

WY636 E175AR Abu Dhabi 2315 

WY686 B737-8 Dammam 2320 

WY425 B737-8 Amman-Beirut 2325 

9W534 B737-8 Cochin 2330 

9W540 B737-8 Bombay 2340 

QUOTATIONS FOR TODAY 

Human beings must be known to be loved; but 

Divine beings must be loved to be known. 

— Blaise Pascal 

God made everything out of nothing, but the 

nothingness shows through. 

— Paul Valery 

Prayer does not change God, but it changes him 

who prays. 

— Soren Kierkegaard 

CINEMA 

FILM INFORMATION 

www.citycinemaoman.net 

AL BAHJA CINEMA: 

24540856, 24540855. 

AL NASR CINEMA: 

24831358, 24831809 (after 3pm) 

AL SHATTI PLAZA: 

24607360, 24692656 (after 2pm) 

STARS CINEMA: 

24791641, 24792360 

MAJLIS A’SHURA 

ADDRESSES 

Keep in touch with Majlis Ash’shura’s news. 

Log on to the Majlis’s website: 

www.shura.om 

and the Majlis’s 

e-mail: info@shura.om 

Or write to the Majlis’s postal address: 

P O Box 981 

Postal Code 111, Muscat 

Tel: 24510344 / 24521427/ 

Fax 24510560 

INFORMATION 

MINISTRY WEBSITES 

Ministry: www.omanet.om 

Oman TV: 

www.oman-tv.gov.om 

Oman Radio: 

www.oman-radio.gov.om 

Omani Centre for Traditional Music: www. 

octm-folk.gov.om 

OMAN RADIO 

06.00 am Opening, Royal Anthem, The Holy Quran, 

Preview of Morning Programme, Weather Forecast, 

Pharmacies on Duty; 06.15 Morning Tea; 07.00 

News Bulletin; 07.10 Morning Tea; 10.00 News 

Headlines; 10.02 Piano; 11.00 Instrumental Music; 

11.30 Light Classical Music; 12.00 News Headlines; 

12.02 Country Music (June); 12.45 Words in Action 

(Monday 6.40pm); 01.00 Jazz Cafe (Suhail) (Sat 

12pm); 02.30 News Bulletin; 02.40 Mix Music; 03.00 

World Chart Show (Repeated); 05.00 Kidz Zone 

(Live) Anika - (Live); 06.00 Mix Music; 06.30 News 

Bulletin; 06.40 Out in Oman; 07.00 The Thursday 

Night Show-(Abdulhafedh al Harthi) Live; 08.00 

News Headlines; 08.02 The Thursday Night Show- 

(Abdulhafedh al Harthi) Live; 10.00 News Bulletin; 

10.10 Hollywood Hamiltons Remix Top 30; 12.40 

News Summary; 12.45 The Holy Quran; 01.00 

National Anthem, Close Down. 

DEPARTURES 

Flight No Aircraft To / Via STD 

BA072 B777 Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow 0001 

AI986 A321 Bombay-Ahmedabad 0005 

WY371 A330-300 Colombo-Male 0025 

9W539 B737-8 Bombay 0045 

KQ318 B737-8 Nairobi 0050 

WY601 B737-8 Dubai 0115 

WY217 B737-8 Trivandrum 0115 

WY253 B737-8 Madras 0115 

WY237 B737-8 Hyderabad 0120 

WY223 B737-8 Cochin 0120 



WY661 E175AR Doha 0130 

WY201 B737-8 Bombay 0130 

PK230 B737-3 Sialkot 0130 

9W529 B737-8 Trivandrum 0130 

WY241 B737-8 Delhi 0130 

WY285 B737-8 Bangalore 0135 


WY273 B737-8 Jaipur 0205 

TK859 B737-8 Istanbul 0220 

WY335 B737-8 Kathmandu 0235 

BG022 DC10 Chittagong-Dacca 0300 

EK867 B777 Dubai 0500 


QR171 A320 Doha 0550 

MS931 B737-8 Cairo 0600 


RJ601 A319 Amman 0715 


WY915 E175AR Salalah 0800 

FZ044 B737-8 Dubai 0820 


WY315 B737-8 Chittagong 0900 

NL772 B737-2 Peshawar 0900 

NL769 B737-2 Lahore 0945 

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

WY297 B737-8 Calicut 1005 


WY815 A330-200 Bangkok 1010 

WY263 B737-8 Lucknow 1010 

WY323 B737-8 Karachi 1020 

WY917 ATR42 Khasab 1030 

WY605 B737-8 Dubai 1030 

WY923 B737-8 Salalah 1035 

G9114 A320 Sharjah 1035 

WY203 B737-8 Bombay 1040 

EK863 B777 Dubai 1045 


QR167 A321 Doha 1055 

9W533 B737-8 Cochin 1145 

PK234 B737-3 Karachi 1210 

WY663 E175AR Doha 1215 

IX542 B737-8 Trivandrum 1220 

PK292 A310 Lahore-Islamabad 1240 

WY645 B737-8 Kuwait 1255 

WY425 B737-8 Amman-Beirut 1300 

WY405 B737-8 Cairo 1310 



WY115 A330-200 Frankfurt 1325 



IX350 B737-8 Calicut 1355 

WY101 A330-300 London Heathrow 1400 

WY607 B737-8 Dubai 1440 

IX142 B737-8 Abu Dhabi-Amritsar 1515 

WY925 B737-8 Salalah 1540 

WY671 A330-300 Jeddah 1540 

FZ046 B737-8 Dubai 1630 


WY3927 B737-8 Salalah 1800 

WY615 B737-8 Dubai 1805 

QR165 A321 Doha 1840 

GF565 A319 Bahrain 1855 

WY685 B737-8 Dammam 1905 

WY647 B737-8 Kuwait 1905 

WY927 B737-8 Salalah 1905 

WY667 B737-8 Doha 1910 

WY681 B737-8 Riyadh 1910 

WY655 B737-7 Bahrain 1915 

G9118 A320 Sharjah 1945 

TG508 A330 Karachi-Bangkok 2005 

WY623 ATR42 Al Ain 2015 

WY635 E175AR Abu Dhabi 2015 

WY613 B737-8 Dubai 2045 

FZ048 B737-8 Dubai 2105 

UL206 A320 Colombo 2120 

KL450 A330 Abu Dhabi-Amsterdam 2200 

WY913 B737-8 Salalah 2245 

AI908 A319 Madras 2300 

AI974 A320 Delhi 2310 


LX243 A330 Dubai-Zurich 2335 

LH619 A330 Abu Dhabi-Frankfurt 2335 

QR169 A320 Doha 2335 

GF567 B737-7 Bahrain 2345 

LEO 

(July 22-August 21) 

If you have some spare 

hours in your day, you 

could find your time usefully filled 

by voluntary work in the community. 

Many people would appreciate 

your efforts. 

VIRGO 

(August 22-Sept 22) 

You may be passing up 

advantages which you 

now take for granted if you decided 

to move from your present home. 

Think things over carefully before 

deciding. 

LIBRA 

(September 23- 

October 22) 

There will be quite a 

few business documents to attend 

to in the next week or two. Don’t 

let any of them slip your mind or 

you may be in trouble with the law. 

SCORPIO 

(October 23-Nov 21) 

Only a very convincing 

argument will make 

you change your point of view on 

a matter on which you have formed 

a de�nite �rm opinion. 

13 

INFORMATION/LEISURE THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 

PHARMACIES 

PHARM 

24-HOUR SERVICE 

Al Hashar ph, ph Ruwi 24783334 

Muscat ph, Ruwi, 24702542 

Al Sarooj, 24695536 

Scientific ph, Qurum, 24566601 

Ruwi, 24702850 

DAY DUTY 

Muscat Al Alexandria 24541644 

Scientific 24496546 

Al Jabri 24420761 

Scientific 24702850 

Sur Muscat 25543660 

Ibri Al Hekma 25688177 

Buraimi Yass 25653855 

Nizwa Muscat 25410235 

Salalah Al Arabia 23294710 

Sohar Sohar 26841511 

NIGHT DUTY 

Muscat Starcare 24557222 

Atlas 24503585 

Capital 24456760 

Muscat 24833323 

Sur Sur 25545298 

Ibri Muscat 25689025 

Buraimi Al Madina 25653373 

Barka LuLu 26885340 

Rustaq Rustaq 26875045 

Nizwa Al Quala 25410076 

Samayil Samayil 25350653 

Salalah Mirbat 23298268 

Mudhaibi Al Inaya 25524650 

Ibra Muscat 25570473 

Saham Scientific 26854302 

Sohar Scientific 26841174 

KHOULA HOSPITAL VISITING HOURS 

Private & Other Wards 

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

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

ICU 

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

Holidays: 16:00-17:00 

Special Care Baby Unit 

Working Days: Parents may visit at any time. 

Weekends & Public Holidays: Parents may visit 

at any time 

� YOUR STARS � 

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY: You will find yourself taking up a new sport or hobby in the coming year and although 

you cannot expect to be champion you will get great satisfaction from your achievements. The romantic side of 

your life will be more settled and you can look forward to the future with confidence. 

SAGITTARIUS 

(November 22- 

December 21) 

At a party tonight, a 

very practical suggestion may be 

put to you which could prove very 

advantageous in the work youa re 

doing. 

CAPRICORN 

(December 

22-January 20) 

Teach a younger person 

to acquire a real sense of value and 

not to judge things in everyday life 

by appearance only. 

AQUARIUS 

(January 21-Feb 19) 

You will be entrusted 

with a great secret and 

must keep it to yourself unless of 

course it stops to be a secret at a 

later date. 

PISCES 

(February 20- 

March 20) 

Information from an 

unexpected source may provide 

you with details, which could help 

you at the right time to get out of 

a rather tricky situation. 

CARTOONS 

ARIES 

(March 21-April 20) 

Adhering to your old 

established principles 

must be the deciding factor 

when making an important decision 

today, never lower your 

standards. 

TAURUS 

(April 21-May 20) 

If you don’t feel so 

good today you can 

give yourself a bit of a rest without 

feeling guilty. You know you do 

more than your fair share most of 

the time. 

GEMINI 

(May 21-June 21) 

By sticking closely to 

your usual routine and 

not allowing any occasional variations 

you may be making your task 

unnecessarily boring. 

CANCER 

(June 22-July 21) 

If a plan no matter 

how well laid, has 

gone wrong don’t blame anybody 

else for its failure but you 

will have learned a lesson for 

the future. 

ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset 

CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson 

GARFIELD by Jim Davis 

STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot 

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

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

Health Services Department 

Muttrah . . . . .24797602 

Quriyat . . . . .24845001 . . 24845003 

SQH, Salalah 23211555 . . 23211151 

Police . . . . . .24603988 . . 24603980 

Al Nahda. . . .24831255 . . 24837800 

Ibn Sina . . . .24876322 . . 24877361 

Nizwa . . . . . .25439361 . . 25425033 

Al Rustaq . . .26875055 . . 26877186 

Sumayil. . . . .25350055 . . 25350022 

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

Haima . . . . . .23436013 . . 23436055 

OTHER HOSPITALS 

Sohar . . . . . .26840022 . . 26840099 

Al Buraimi . . .25650855 . . 25652319 

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

Tanam. . . . . .25499011 . . 25499033 

Masirah. . . . .25404018 . . 25404018 

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

Adam . . . . . .25434167 . . 25434055 

Bidiya . . . . . .25483535 . . 25483535 

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

Saham . . . . .26854427 . . 26855148 

Khasab . . . . .26830187 . . 26830187 

Dibba . . . . . .26836443 . . 26836443 

Burkha . . . . .26828397 . . 26828397 

Sinaw . . . . . .25474338 

SINGER Rita Ora says she likes 

doing things that surprise people. 

"I like to do things people don't 

expect. I'm not one-sided — I'm human 

too. I love partying, but I'm also 

up for great music," dailystar.co.uk 

quoted her as saying. 

The 21-year-old is set to release 

her next album — How We Do (Party). 

"I can't wait for people to get the 

album. It's going to make sense. I 

wanted to make sure I made a record 

which everything was different on as 

I never grew up listening to one type 

M USEUMS IN OMAN 

FAISAL BIN ALI AL SAID 

MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24641650 

MUSEUM OF OMANI HERITAGE, 

Tel: 24600946 

CHILDREN’S SCIENCE MUSEUM. 

Tel: 24605368 

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24641374 

NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tel: 24701289 

SULTAN’S ARMED FORCES 

MUSEUM, Tel: 24312646 

CURRENCY MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24796102 

MUSCAT GATE MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24739005. 

OMANI-FRENCH MUSEUM (Bait 

Fransa), Tel: 24736613 

BAIT AL ZUBAIR, Tel: 24736688 

BAIT A’NAMAN, Tel: 24641300 

SOHAR FORT MUSEUM. 

Tel: 26844758 

NAHKAL FORT, Tel: 26781384 

BAIT AL MAKHAM. Tel: 24641300 

BAIT ADAM MUSEUM, QURUM, 

Tel: 24605033, 24605013 

OIL AND GAS EXHIBITION 

CENTRE AND PLANETARIUM, 

Tel: 24677834. 

PLANETARIUM, Tel: 24675542. 

AQUARIUM at the Marine Science 

and Fisheries Centre (located next to 

Marina Bandar Rowdha, Sidab). 

SALALAH MUSEUM, Tel: 23294549 

CULTURAL CENTRE, 

Tel: 23294549. 

SUR MARITIME MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24541466. 

BAIT AL BARANDA, Tel: 24714262. 

of music," she said. 

Ozomatli sings to kids in new 

disc: Ozomatli, the band that gained 

international fame with its fusion of 

styles ranging from salsa, jazz, funk 

and reggae to rap, cumbia, merengue 

and hip hop, now adds to its 

repertoire a new disc for youngsters 

dubbed Ozokidz. 

The original idea, according 

to vocalist and trumpet player Asdrubal 

"Azdru" Sierra, arose when 

band members commented on the 

constant absence of friends and fans 

from their concerts. 

"We knew a lot of fans didn't 

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 

Rita Ora loves planning surprises 

THE Screen Actors Guild, which represents �lm, 

television and other performers in the United 

States has said it will give its lifetime achievement 

award to Dick Van Dyke at its annual awards ceremony 

in January 2013. 

The honour comes one year after Van Dyke's costar, 

Mary Tyler Moore, on 1960s TV programme The 

Dick Van Dyke show was awarded the Screen Actors 

Guild's (SAG-AFTRA) lifetime honour. 

"Dick is the consummate entertainer — an enormously 

talented performer whose work has crossed 

nearly every major category of entertainment," SAG- 

AFTRA co-president Ken Howard said in a statement. 

Van Dyke, 86, has won numerous awards over the 

years for his work on TV, Broadway, �lm and in music 

with a wide range of performances that include the 

movie classic Mary Poppins, the stage and �lm version 

of Bye Bye Birdie and his Dick Van Dyke show, which 

was a groundbreaking TV comedy in its day. 

Van Dyke guest-starred in numerous TV programmes 

during the 1970s and 1980s, including The 

Carol Burnett Show and Matlock, and scored another 

major TV hit with crime drama Diagnosis Murder in 

the 1990s and early 2000s. 

The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation 

of Television and Radio Artists merged earlier this 

year to form SAG-AFTRA, which is the trade's leading 

come to our shows because they 

couldn't get a babysitter, so that's 

where we got the idea of doing concerts 

that were kid-friendly as well," 

he said. 

Their idea �nally came together 

when PBS television asked them to 

record some educational numbers for 

its online children's programming. 

At the same time, Sierra said, the 

band wanted to be proud of their recording 

as musicians. 

"My kids played their records for 

me and they were horrible to listen 

to, which is why we wanted to make 

a disc that grown-ups could enjoy 

too," he said. 

Ozokidz is made up of 14 songs 

including Pirana, Let's Go to the 

Movies, Germs and Changuito, 

which don't sound like traditional 

children's music but they do have 

educational messages. 

"We don't want to get mixed up 

in politics but we do want to teach 

good manners, good behaviour and 

the difference between good and 

bad," Sierra said. 

Speculations rise about Minaj 

judging 'American Idol': Singer 

Nicki Minaj will reportedly be judging 

the next season "American Idol" 

but whether she has signed the deal 

remains unclear. 

"I'm not sure the deal is completely 

done yet, but yes, she is de�nitely 

doing it. A few more things 

to sign off on but it is happening," 

usmagazine.com quoted a source as 

saying. 

"She has 100 per cent con�rmed 

to judge 'American Idol'," another 

source said. 

However, 29-year-old's representatives 

have not con�rmed any 

such news. — IANS 

Film, TV actors to honour Dick Van Dyke 

group that represents some 165,000 actors, broadcasters, 

dancers, recording artists and other performers. 

The group's awards show, which will take place on 

January 27, 2013 in Los Angeles, annually recognises 

the best performances of the previous year on �lm and 

TV. — Reuters

14 

ENTERTAINMENT THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 

Film confronts domestic servants’ plight 

MIDDLE-CLASS 

Indian moviegoers 

are set to squirm in 

their seats this week as a new 

�lm explores how wealthier 

families treat the household 

staff who answer to their every 

whim. 

Delhi in a Day tells the story 

of an idealistic British traveller 

who �nds he is stuck in 

a sti�ing and snobbish home 

where poorly-paid and vulnerable 

domestic workers are 

taken for granted and casually 

humiliated. 

The family taunt and bully 

their staff, who — in a scenario 

familiar to millions of urban 

Indian homes — work round 

the clock cooking, cleaning 

and completing an endless 

list of other duties expected of 

modern-day servants. 

Director Prashant Nair 

says his �lm uses �ashes of 

comedy to shine a light on the 

uncomfortable realities of contemporary 

life in a country that 

has been transformed in many 

ways by two decades of economic 

growth. 

Jennifer Lopez plans 

concert �lm 

INGER-actress Jennifer Lopez is taking her 

Smusic career to the big screen for a 3D concert 

extravaganza. 

Lopez's manager, Benny Medina, has con�rmed the 

news and revealed the project will document her trials and 

tribulations behind the scenes and onstage, reports contactmusic.com. 

The 43-year-old, who is currently on a joint tour of North 

America with Enrique Iglesias, will follow in the footsteps 

of Katy Perry and Justin Bieber, who have both seen success 

at the box of�ce with their own concert �lms. 

Cher to marry Medvetz soon?: Singer Cher is reportedly 

planning to tie the knot with her biker boyfriend Tim 

Medvetz. 

The 66-year-old is planning to walk down the aisle with 

Medvetz, 42 this autumn, in a small chapel in Las Vegas. 

"Cher and Tim plan to hop on the back of a chopper this 

fall and take off on a road trip that will end at a Vegas wedding 

chapel," National enquirer magazine quoted a source 

as saying. 

Apparently, it was her sons Chaz, 43, and Elijah Blue, 

36 who convinced her to tie the knot with Medvetz. 

"This is Cher's last chance at love, and she has her sons 

Chaz and Elijah Blue to thank," a source said. 

The singer has been married to late Sonny Bono who 

is Chaz's father and later marries musician Gregg Allman, 

who is Elijah Blue's dad, but both marriages ended in a 

divorce. 

Cher and Medvetz intend to have a road trip to Vegas 

before tying the knot there. 

TV actress Maria Gabriela de Faria to debut in 

movies: Venezuelan actress Maria Gabriela de Faria, 19, 

has not only been nominated for the Kids' Choice Awards 

Mexico but she's out to conquer the world of movies and 

music. 

De Faria, who plays the evil witch Mia in the popular 

Nickelodeon teen series Grachi, will play the part of the 

rebellious daughter of John Leguizamo and Karen Martinez 

in the Spanish-language �lm El Paseo 2 that has just 

�nished �lming in Colombia. — IANS 

Bollywood doesn’t de�ne fashion, it in�uences it: Rick Roy 

Rick Roy dressed Sonakshi Sinha and Akshay Kumar 

for their upcoming �lm Joker 

"The rich hire the workers 

and expect them to do everything," 

he said. "They enjoy 

the right to insult, abuse them 

and even accuse them of stealing. 

Domestic workers are always 

the �rst suspect. 

"I wanted to show how the 

sole aim of the worker is to 

appease their masters as they 

cope with a constant sense 

of insecurity and live with 

the fear of being �red for the 

smallest error." 

Nair, 34, said the divide 

between servant and employer 

MANY feel 

Bollywood �lms 

have become one 

of the biggest platforms 

to launch new trends, but 

Rick Roy begs to differ and 

says there are many more 

channels that people take 

style inspiration from. 

"Bollywood doesn't 

de�ne fashion, it de�nitely 

in�uences it to some extent 

but doesn't de�ne it. People 

have too much access to the 

world of fashion now, and 

a lot of availability of those 

clothes as well," Roy said. 

He recently dressed 

Sonakshi Sinha and Akshay 

Kumar for their upcoming 

�ick Joker, a sci-� comedy 

directed by Shirish Kunder. 

was getting wider as traditional 

bonds have been broken by 

mass migration to Indian cities 

and the growing trend against 

extended families living together. 

Many Indian servants are 

youths from poverty-stricken 

states such as Bihar and Uttar 

Pradesh, and can be paid as 

little as 1,200 rupees ($20) a 

month if they are given spartan 

accommodation in the house. 

Set in a sprawling bungalow 

in the leafy part of New 

Delhi, Nair's �lm relates how 

It is all set to release on 

August 31. 

"It was a pleasure 

dressing Sonakshi Sinha 

and Akshay Kumar in 

'Joker'. They were super 

fun and pretty open to 

ideas, quite understanding 

and accommodating. I had 

a great time and Shirish 

supported me in every step 

and the work became very 

smooth," he said. 

The �lm is set in a 

village, so Roy tried to keep 

the out�ts as traditional 

as he could and added: 

"I made sure the style of 

their clothes are authentic 

and didn't experiment with 

that too much. I added 

different colours and texture 

the British visitor — played 

by Lee Williams — has his 

dreams of a "spiritual journey" 

in India dashed by a scandal 

over stolen money. 

Activist Ramendra Kumar, 

who heads domestic workers' 

union Delhi Shramik Sangathan, 

hopes the movie will boost 

the campaign for better legal 

protection when it is released 

in 65 cinemas nationwide tomorrow. 

"A factory worker can �le a 

court case against the employer 

to claim a pension and other 

bene�ts but a domestic worker 

cannot make any such claims," 

he said. 

"There is no legislation in 

place to de�ne their rights, 

there is not a single law to 

protect the rights of domestic 

workers. They have to live 

on the mercy of their masters 

—and many employers miss 

It’s not easy to scare me: Esha 

ACTRESS Esha Gupta says it was tough 

to play a part in a horror �lm like Raaz 

3 especially because in real life, she 

doesn't get scared very easily. 

"I love watching horror �lms because I 

don't get scared easily. So for me it was like, 

Arey, kaise karungi ye main (How will I do 

it!)... when I don't get scared, how am I going 

to act that I am scared, I can't do it'," the 26year-old 

said. 

But the model-turned-actress gives full 

marks to her director, Vikram Bhatt for guiding 

her the right way. 

"I don't think any one could have made me 

do what Vikram (Bhatt) has made me do. The 

whole imagination and expressions... I think 

the whole credit goes to the director," Esha 

said. 

Raaz 3 revolves around black magic, but 

Esha doesn't believe in the concept. 

"I don't believe in black magic. But, I mean 

its never happened to anyone around me or to 

me, touchwood. I just think if there is good, 

there is (also) bad," she said. 

Raaz 3, set to hit screens on September 

7, also features Emraan Hashmi and Bipasha 

Basu. — IANS 

No more �lms for Sonali after Once Upon... 

ONCE Upon A Time 

In Mumbaai 2 may 

be Sonali Bendre's 

last �lm, if she has her way. 

"Yes, I am doing a �lm. 

It's a role in Once Upon A 

Time in Mumbaai 2 and I 

don't know if I will ever do 

another �lm. But this role 

was very interesting and I 

said yes to it," the 37-yearold 

said in Mumbai on the 

sidelines of the India International 

Jewellery Week 

(IIJW). 

The actress is making 

her comeback with the Ekta 

Kapoor production. 

She says that the Balaji 

Tele�lms team is like family 

to her and that's the reason 

she agreed to do the movie. 

"It's Balaji's �lm, which 

is Ekta (Kapoor) and Shobha 

(Kapoor) aunty and they are 

like family. So Shobha aunty 

spoke to my mother-in-law 

and said I want your daughter-in-law 

to do this and it 

was a very nice role and I 

did agree," Sonali said. 

Once Upon... is being 

directed by Milan Luthria, 

who has chalked out a special 

role for Sonali. 

The 37-year-old was last 

seen in a guest appearance in 

2003 hit "Kal Ho Naa Ho". 

Sonali was at IIJW to 

walk the ramp for jewellery 

designer Anand Shah. She 

was a successful model before 

her acting career took 

off, but Sonali says she is 

petri�ed of walking the 

ramp. 

"(I was) Very nervous because 

I am not used to walking 

the ramp (anymore). I 

have been seeing his (Anand 

Shah) designs. Unfortunately, 

I couldn't walk for him earlier," 

Sonali said. — IANS 

to the style and a lot of 

crazy funky accessories to 

the look. It all goes with 

the story and as per the 

progression of the script." 

A well-known designer 

in Bollywood, Rick Roy 

has also designed costumes 

for Jannat 2, Raaz 3 and 

Himmatwala remake. 

Talking about his 

techniques, he said: "I do 

exactly what's needed from 

the �lm and exactly what 

my directors visualise the 

characters to be like. 

"I have done six �lms 

in one-and-a-half year 

and each one of them 

has a very different look. 

Jannat 2, Joker, Raaz 

3, Inkaar, Ghanchakkar 

no chance to exploit them." 

Since 2010, his union has 

registered more than 400 complaints 

by domestic workers in 

New Delhi who say they were 

beaten or abused for overcooking 

vegetables, forgetting to 

wash dishes or over-sleeping. 

In one recent example that 

made headlines in Delhi, a 

doctor couple were arrested for 

allegedly locking up their 13year-old 

maid in their house 

when they went on holiday to 

Thailand. 

Nair says such attitudes 

exist widely across India, and 

that many families live lives of 

luxury that depend on the exploitation 

of household staff. 

"At one level the rich try 

to be so polite and display all 

their etiquette at high society 

parties in New Delhi, but at 

home their entire tone changes," 

he said. — AFP 

Gisele Bundchen 

pregnant again? 

RAZILIAN supermodel 

B Gisele Bundchen is 

reportedly pregnant with her 

second child. 

She has a two-year-old 

son, Benjamin, with husband 

Tom Brady. 

According to contactmusic.com, 

Bundchen is said to 

have told Brazilian network 

TV Globo that she is �ve 

months pregnant and that the 

couple are "very happy". 

Madonna holidays with 

boyfriend's mum, cousins: 

Singer Madonna has invited 

her boyfriend, French dancer 

Brahim Zaibat's mother to 

join them on a holiday and 

even sponsored it. 

The couple are holidaying 

at Hotel Du Cap, near 

Antibes, on the French Riviera, 

reports contactmusic. 

com. 

Zaibat's mum, Patricia 

Vidal, seven years younger 

to Madonna, has left her 

small apartment in Marseille, 

France, for a week so that 

she and her son's girlfriend 

can get to know each other. 

Madonna has also invited 

Zaibat's cousins to join 

them. 

"Brahim lives in New 

York now, so it's nice for 

him to see his mum and his 

cousins. They're all going to 

relax with Madonna's four 

kids," said a source. 

Pattinson bags lead 

role in ‘Cosmopolis’: Actor 

Robert Pattinson has bagged 

the lead role in Cosmopolis 

because of his "charismatic" 

behaviour. 

According to director 

David Cronenberg, the 26year-old's 

personality played 

a big part in getting the role 

in the drama movie. 

"I'm completely aware 

of all of those elements and 

also, of course, when you're 

making a movie that for an 

independent movie which 

was relatively expensive, 

you have to have a leading 

character who is very charismatic 

and who can carry 

the weight and has the star 

quality and so on, because 

you're going to be looking 

at him. 

and Himmatwala all are 

extremely different from 

one another." 

Best part is that Roy's 

costumes has never been 

refused by any actor and he 

believes "as long as you are 

following the correct brief 

for the character and keep in 

mind the comfort factor of 

the person wearing it, there 

are very little chances of 

going wrong." 

Roy loves making 

glamorous out�ts. 

"I actually cherish the 

fact that I'm associated 

with glamour. I like doing 

clothes that make a person 

look and feel glamorous. 

There is no down side to it," 

he said. — IANS 

IN THE SPOTLIGHT 

Bollywood �lm actress Juhi Chawla showcases 

jewellery designer Kays Jewels creations as she walks 

the ramp during the third day of India International 

Jewellery Week 2012 (IIJW) in Mumbai. — AFP 

Bollywood actress Zarin Khan showcases jewellery 

designer YS18 Jewels and fashion designer Riyaz 

and Reshma Gangji creations as she walks the ramp 

during the IIJW in Mumbai. — AFP 

Actresses Savannah Wise and Sugar Lyn Beard 

(below) attend the For A Good Time, Call... premiere at 

Regal Union Square in New York City. — AFP

NEW DELHI — Banking 

transactions across India were 

severely affected yesterday 

as employees of most public 

sector banks and some private 

and foreign banks went on a 

two-day strike, protesting reforms 

in the sector and outsourcing 

of non-core services 

among other things. 

The strike in 27 public sector, 

12 private banks and eight 

foreign banks also affected 

the equities, bond and foreign 

exchange markets. 

The All India Bank Employees 

Association (AIBEA) 

said over a million employees 

joined the strike after talks 

with the union labour commissioner 

in New Delhi on 

Tuesday failed. 

“The strike has been a 

success all over the country. 

Banking services have 

been affected and paralysed,” 

AIBEA General Secretary C 

H Venkatachalam said in a 

statement. 

Reports indicated that the 

strike had its maximum impact 

in Karnataka, West Bengal 

and the northeast. 

“The strike call received 

an overwhelming response as 

over 50,000 employees and 

officers abstained from work 

across the state in support of 

our long-pending demands, 

especially fresh recruitments 

and promotions,” United Forum 

of Banks Unions (UFBU) 

Karnataka convener B S 

Ravindra said in Bangalore. 

“Our main demand is to 

stop unilateral implementation 

of the A K Khandelwal 

committee recommendations, 

which led to freezing recruitments 

and denial of promotions 

to thousands of employees 

and officers at various 

cadres. The percentage of vacancies 

in state-run banks has 

increased to 40 per cent from 

30 per cent over the last 15 

years,” Ravindra asserted. 

The government constituted 

committee on human 

resources (HR) issues of 

state-run banks submitted its 

report on June 24, 2010 with 

105 recommendations on 

manpower and recruitment 

planning, training, posting, 

promotion, wages, services 

conditions and welfare. Of 

them, the banks have implemented 

only 56 with the remaining 

49 requiring further 

deliberations with employees 

and officers. 

Closure of about 2,500 

branches of state-run and 

private banks across the state 

impacted business severely as 

millions of customers could 

not withdraw or deposit cash 

and cheques and transact 

other instruments, including 

clearing. 

Cash withdrawal through 

automatic teller machines 

(ATMs) by retail customers, 

15 INDIA 



UNMANNED customer service counters of a closed Maharashtra bank during a nationwide bank strike in Mumbai yesterday. — AFP 

Bank strike hits financial sector 

MEMBERS from All India Central Council of Trade Unions participating in a protest in New Delhi yesterday. They were 

protesting against the sacking of 500 workers and for the removal of police from the Maruti’s Manesar plant. — Reuters 

Kannur airport opening may be delayed 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 

— The work on the Kannur 

international airport, the first 

phase of which is tentatively 

scheduled to be commissioned 

in 2014, is likely to be delayed 

with a failed bidder approaching 

Kerala High Court against 

awarding consultancy contract. 

The Kannur International 

Airport Limited (KIAL) had 

on Tuesday signed an agreement 

with a consortium of 

STUP Consultants and Darashaw 

as integrated airport 

project consultant. 

A day later, the HC issued 

notice to the state government 

and the KIAL, on a petition 

filed by the Kochi-based 

Mir Projects and Consultants, 

which was part of the consortium 

of the second highest 

bidder along with INECO, 

RITES Ltd and Pricewaterhouse 

Coopers. 

The petitioner wants the 

court to cancel the contract 

with STUP-led consortium 

and award it the one led by 

INESCO. According to the petitioner, 

the lowest quote was 

given by them whereas STUP 

quoted a price Rs 35 million 

higher than INESCO. 

As per the tender condition, 

the participants in the consultancy 

bid should not be blacklisted 

nor fail to perform any 

agreement or contract awarded 

by government bodies. The 

petitioner points out that the 

STUP was disqualified by Uttarakhand 

State Infrastructure 

Development Corporation for 

the expansion of Naini-Saini 

Airstrip. 

According to them, the 

group was also blacklisted by 

the Rajkot Municipal Corporation 

(RMC) for faulty design 

of a triangular flyover and also 

by Bruhat 

Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike 

(BBMP). 

The case has been posted 

for September 6. The successful 

bidder was to help KIAL 

to develop the greenfield air- 

port project from the design 

to operational stage providing 

advisory services on strategy 

and technical, finance, legal 

and operational aspects of the 

carbon-neutral airport. 

The Kerala government, 

which holds 26 per cent stake, 

is the largest shareholder of 

the airport company followed 

by Bharat Petroleum Corporation 

Limited (BPCL) which 

will hold 21 per cent investing 

Rs 1.7 billion. 

The Kerala Minerals and 

Metals Limited (KMML) 

and Kerala State Beverages 

Corporation (KSBC) have 

invested Rs 50 million each 

besides Kerala State Industrial 

Enterprises Rs 1 million. 

The airport company which 

has an authorised capital of 

Rs 10 billion wants to raise Rs 

7.84 billion initially in subscriptions 

as against the original 

plan of Rs 5 billion paid up 

capital. 

The state government has 

acquired shares worth Rs 1.3 

billion by converting a portion 

of the value of the land (645 

acres) that it acquired for the 

company into shares while the 

public are offered 49 per cent 

stake worth Rs 3.84 billion 

through private placement, 

which is now open for subscription. 

These shares are available 

with a face value of Rs 

100 and the minimum lot is 

500. Two per cent of shares 

are set apart for the private 

firms with public partnership 

like Infrastructure Kerala 

Limited (INKEL), which is 

promoted by nonresident Indians. 

The Cochin International 

Airport Limited, which was 

also developed on the similar 

manner by the state government 

to run India’s first corporate 

airport, has drawn up 

a detailed project report for 

its northern cousin which will 

have a 3,400-m-long runway 

coming up in around 2,000 

acres. — Third Wave 

however, was not affected as 

banks deposited enough notes 

in their respective ATMs by 

late on Tuesday. 

The strike coincided with 

the government move to take 

up the Banking Laws Amendment 

Bill, 2011, today, which 

contains provisions such as 

raising shareholders’ voting 

rights from 10 per cent to 26 

per cent in private banks and 

supersession of bank boards. 

The forum further said that 

the outcome of the proposed 

bill will translate into closure 

of rural bank branches and 

lead to opening of ultra-small 

branches, thereby privatising 

rural banking operations 

through contractual business. 

Land takeover 

process begins 

NEW DELHI — Five of the 

six states through which the 

proposed $100 billion Delhi- 

Mumbai Industrial Corridor 

(DMIC) would pass, have 

started the process of land 

acquisition, Minister of State 

for Commerce and Industry 

Jyotiraditya Scindia said 

yesterday. 

Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, 

Madhya Pradesh and 

Maharashtra have started the 

land acquisition process for 

the project. 

However, Uttar Pradesh 

has yet to start the process, 

Scindia said in his written 

reply to a question in the Rajya 

Sabha. 

The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial 

Corridor project 

aims to develop new industrial 

cities with manufacturing 

as the key economic 

driver. 

“Preparation of the perspective 

plan for the overall 

DMIC region is complete,” 

the minister said. — IANS 

Plan to restart 

Airport Metro 

NEW DELHI — The government 

proposes to re-start 

the Airport Metro Express 

line which has remained suspended 

for over two months 

due to construction defects, 

Minister of State for Urban 

Development Saugata Roy 

said here yesterday. 

In a written reply in Rajya 

Sabha yesterday, Roy 

said: “The average ridership 

of the Airport metro Express 

line till it shut down for repairs 

was about 17,000 passengers 

per day. It (repairs) 

will be done by Delhi Airport 

Metro Express Pvt Ltd 

(DAMEPL), the concessionaire 

and operator of the Airport 

Metro Express train.” 

Roy said prima facie, the 

investigations showed that 

there are defects in civil works 

of the Airport Metro Express 

Line. Operations on the Airport 

Metro were suspended 

July 8 after some faults were 

detected. — IANS 

Kolkata among most 

flood vulnerable cities 

LONDON — Nine coastal cities 

around the world are most 

vulnerable to serious flooding 

with Shanghai at the top of the 

list and Kolkata and Dhaka 

standing midway, according 

to a finding. 

These findings are based 

on a new method to calculate 

the flood vulnerability of cities, 

developed by a team of 

researchers from the Netherlands 

and the University of 

Leeds. 

Researchers used their index 

to analyse the vulnerability 

to coastal flooding of nine 

cities built on river deltas: 

Casablanca (Morocco), Kolkata 

(India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), 

Buenos Aires (Argentina), 

Osaka (Japan), Shanghai 

(China), Manila (Philippines), 

Marseille (France) and Rotterdam 

(the Netherlands). 

The results of the analysis 

reveal that the highly prosperous 

megapolis of Shanghai, 

in China, is more vulnerable 

than much poorer cities such 

as Dhaka in Bangladesh, the 

journal Natural Hazards reported. 

Manila in the Philippines 

Aarushi case: Defence 

questions forensic report 

Ghaziabad — The defence in 

the Aarushi-Hemraj double 

murder yesterday questioned 

the basis on which a forensic 

expert drew his conclusions 

on test samples, while a special 

court here deferred the 

witness’ cross-examination 

by a day. 

During the cross-examination, 

defence lawyer G P 

Thareja asked B K Mahapatra, 

a scientist from the Central 

Forensic Science Laboratory, 

Delhi, about how he arrived 

at his conclusions. 

Mahapatra told the court 

on August 14 that the sexual 

BANGALORE — The Netherlands-based 

Maastricht University 

will conduct joint research 

with Narayana Nethralaya in 

this tech hub on preventive eye 

care, leading to discovery of 

cost-effective medicine for eye 

ailments, an official said. 

“We hope the joint research 

in ophthalmology will lead to 

finding affordable medicine 

for various eye ailments and 

reduce the cost of treatment,” 

Maastricht University medical 

centre Chief Executive, 

Guy Peeters, told reporters 

here yesterday, after signing an 

agreement with the leading eye 

hospital in the city. 

As a leading super specialty 

eye hospital, Nethralaya 

provides advance eye care and 

conducts applied research in 

stem cells, molecular techniques, 

genetics, ocular immunology 

and infectious disease. 

“We selected Narayana 

By Ashraf Padanna 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 

— Kerala Chief Minister 

Oommen Chandy, who used 

to reach his office 8 am and 

remain there past midnight 

when in town, had to start even 

earlier yesterday to avoid confrontation 

with the opposition 

protesters. 

Chandy, five of his ministers 

and bureaucrats, reached 

the North Block of the State 

Secretariat housing his office 

at around 5 am as the Communist 

Party of India-Marxist 

(CPM) activists protesting spiraling 

prices of essential commodities 

began laying siege on 

the seat of power. 

Chandy chaired the weekly 

meeting of his cabinet at 9 am 

as scheduled. He also kept all 

his appointments during the 

day. Though the CPM had ear- 

and Kolkata in India are also 

highly vulnerable, largely because 

of their large populations 

and degree of exposure 

to storms. The vulnerability index 

also revealed that Dhaka, 

which sits just metres above 

current sea levels, is regularly 

hit by tropical cyclones and 

floods, yet it has few defences 

in place and little resilience. 

“Vulnerability is a complex 

issue,” explained Nigel 

Wright, professor from the 

University of Leeds, who led 

the study. 

“It is not just about your 

exposure to flooding, but the 

effect it actually has on communities 

and business and 

how much a major flood disrupts 

economic activity,” he 

added, according to a university 

statement. 

“Our index looks at how 

cities are prepared for the 

worst — for example, do they 

have flood defences, do they 

have buildings that are easy 

to clean up and repair after 

the flood? It is important to 

know how quickly a city can 

recover from a major flood,” 

said Wright. — IANS 

assault of teen Aarushi could 

not be established on the basis 

of samples provided by 

the Central Bureau of Investigation 

(CBI). 

The defence lawyers filed 

an application that the basis of 

Mahapatra’s findings should 

be put on the case file in the 

court and they be allowed to 

inspect it. 

Special Judge S Lal deferred 

Mahapatra’s cross-examination 

till today and kept 

pending the decision on the 

defence plea. 

On July 31, the forensic 

expert told the court that 

Nethralaya after due diligence 

taking into consideration its 

capabilities and track record. 

Though we have generic 

agreements with other medical 

institutions in India, this is the 

first tie-up, which mandates 

setting up a centre of excellence 

for research into ophthalmology,” 

Peeters said on 

the occasion. 

The Dutch varsity has 

agreements with the state-run 

National Institute of Mental 

Health and Neuro-Sciences 

(Nimhans) and Narayana 

Hrudayala, a super specialty 

heart hospital in Bangalore, 

and Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara 

(JSS) University at 

Mysore. 

Admitting that the thrust in 

India was more on treating ailments 

with drugs and therapies, 

Nethralaya founder Chairman 

Bhujang Shetty said the joint 

research with the Dutch varsity 

lier announced that they would 

put up a human wall around 

the Secretariat, the turnout was 

far less than expected. 

The police also cleared one 

of the four entrances of the 

Secretariat campus ensuring 

smooth passage of vehicles 

carrying ministers and officials. 

The chief minister addressed 

a news conference at 

4 pm in the Secretariat. The 

blockades, including the dis- 

Coastal radars 

by mid-2013 

NEW DELHI — India’s 

ambitious project to install 

coastal surveillance network 

with a chain of static radar 

and electro-optic sensors at 

84 places along the 7,500km 

coastline is slated for 

completion by the middle 

of 2013, parliament was informed 

yesterday. 

“The network is envisaged 

to be fully functional 

by middle of next year,” Defence 

Minister A K Antony 

told the Rajya Sabha in written 

replies to questions. 

He also noted that in the 

first phase of the project, 

46 sites along the coast will 

have the radars operationalised 

in clusters. 

“A coastal surveillance 

network consisting of a 

chain of static radar and 

electro-optic sensors at 84 

remote sites is envisaged all 

along the coast line, including 

the island territories to 

detect movement of suspicious 

vessels. 

“In the first phase, 46 radars 

(36 on main land and 10 

in island territories) are being 

operationalised in clusters,” 

he said. — IANS 

blood stains found on Aarushi’s 

clothes and her bed’s 

mattress matched her blood 

group. 

He said an alcohol bottle, 

sent by the CBI for test, carried 

the finger prints of both 

Aarushi and Hemraj, her domestic 

help. 

Nupur Talwar, teen Aarushi’s 

mother and accused, 

on Tuesday sought delaying 

the cross-examination of Mahapatra 

so that 13 other key 

witnesses could depose in the 

court, ahead of the hearing on 

her bail plea in the Supreme 

Court next month. — IANS 

Dutch varsity to conduct 

joint research in eye care 

would be to identify the cause 

for eye ailments. 

“We will focus on drug 

discovery from the preventive 

perspective to benefit developing 

nations like India where 

population density is high and 

preventive medicine is the way 

forward,” Shetty observed. 

Besides joint research, 

the agreement envisages faculty 

exchange programmes in 

healthcare, working with overseas 

partners on projects and 

organising international conferences 

on eye care. 

“The cost of treatment is 

very high in India because we 

have to pay for patents pharmaceutical 

companies hold. 

The joint research will enable 

us to identify the root cause of 

ailments and find preventive 

medicine, which will become 

more affordable,” said Nethralaya 

vice-chairman, Rohit 

Shetty. — IANS 

Early start for Chandy as 

oppn lays siege on his office 

trict headquarters, ended in the 

evening. 

Police said adequate protection 

was given to collectorates, 

especially in nine districts 

where courts were also 

functioning on the collectorate 

premises. Interestingly, the protest 

crippling public life came 

a day after Supreme Court refused 

to grant a stay on the ban 

imposed by Kerala High Court 

on roadside meetings. 

Addressing the protesters 

before the Secretariat, CPM 

state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan 

said the skyrocketing prices 

and corruption were the fallout 

of liberalisation and globalisation 

policies vigorously pursued 

by the Congress-led coalition 

in New Delhi. 

The CPM leaders claimed 

that more than 1.5 million people 

had taken part in the agitation 

in 14 districts.

16 INDIA 



PRIYANKA Gandhi Vadra, Trustee for Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and daughter of Congress Party President Sonia Gandhi (C) meets physically disabled 

scooter recipients in New Delhi yesterday. Some 450 three-wheeler scooters were distributed to disabled people in the country by the foundation. — AFP 

Cong slams BJP for walkout from 2G panel 

NEW DELHI — Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP) members 

of the Joint Parliamentary 

Committee (JPC) on the 2G 

spectrum allocation scam 

yesterday walked out from a 

meeting of the panel, accusing 

some Congress members 

of using “foul language” even 

as the Congress condemned 

their action. 

The BJP members were 

upset over former prime minister 

Atal Bihari Vajpayee being 

named among those the 

JPC could summon. 

They were also miffed as 

the Congress wanted to summon 

Arun Shourie, who was 

the telecom minister during 

the National Democratic Alliance’s 

(NDA) rule. 

The BJP members wanted 

Officer gets 

jail for forgery 

NEW DELHI — A CBI special 

court here has awarded 

four years jail term to an 

officer of the Commission 

for Scientific and Technical 

Terminology in a 2008 forgery 

case. A penalty of Rs 

1 lakh was also slapped on 

the convict. 

Central Bureau of Investigation 

(CBI) Special 

Judge Sanjeev Jain, in a 

recent verdict, awarded the 

sentence to Ram Krishna 

Mishra, 44, who was a senior 

scientific officer and assistant 

director in the central 

government organisation at 

the time of committing the 

offence. 

The court said that 

Mishra, by using forged bills 

knowingly, made an attempt 

to cheat the commission. 

The court held him 

guilty under the Prevention 

of Corruption Act and penal 

provisions for forgery and 

cheating. — IANS 

J&K highway 

blocked 

JAMMU — Incessant rains 

and landslides for two days 

have left many stranded on 

the Jammu-Srinagar highway, 

considered the lifeline 

of Indian-administered 

Kashmir, officials said yesterday. 

Over 500 vehicles were 

stranded around Ramban 

area, 160 km from here, said 

a traffic police officer. 

Many passengers were 

also stuck on the 300-km 

highway. 

“We are trying to clear 

the landslides but shooting 

stones and continuing slides 

are impeding the clearing 

process,” a Border Roads 

Organisation (BRO) official 

said. 

Besides the highway, 

many other mountainous 

roads in Jammu 

region are closed due to 

landslides — disrupting connectivity 

with major townships. 

— IANS 

to summon Prime Minister 

Manmohan Singh and Finance 

Minister P Chidambaram. 

Their demand was rejected 

by Congress members, 

a source said. 

“They want to convert it 

into a kangaroo court, so we 

came out,” a BJP member 

said. 

Jaswant Singh, Yashwant 

Sinha, Dharmendra Pradhan, 

Gopinath Munde and Ravi 

Shankar Prasad were among 

the BJP members who walked 

out of the meeting, which was 

expected to finalise the list of 

people who would depose before 

the JPC. 

Yashwant Sinha alleged 

that some junior members of 

the Congress started “using 

foul language against us”. 

NEW DELHI — South Africa 

and India are set to reach a target 

of trade worth $15 billion 

by 2014 and South Africa is 

keen about Indian investment 

in the country, its Deputy 

Minister for Trade and Industry 

Elizabeth Thabethe said 

yesterday. 

“We want to encourage 

Indian investments in all sectors 

in South Africa as part of 

our efforts at job generation. 

President Jacob Zuma has 

set a target of five million jobs 

to be created by 2020,” Thabethe 

said on the sidelines of a 

seminar here on the occasion 

of South Africa’s Women’s 

Month organised by FICCI 

Ladies Organisation. 

“The latest developments 

have indicated that India has 

progressed impressively in 

the area of informal business 

development and the Indian 

institutions that we will be engaging 

with will present simple 

solutions for our SMEs, 

including technology and 

“The chairman made no 

comment on it despite some 

of them making accusations 

against us, so we decided to 

walk out,” Sinha said. 

Congress JPC member 

Deepender Singh Hooda condemned 

the action of BJP 

leaders and said they were trying 

to politicise the proceedings. 

Hooda denied that he or 

his party colleague Manish Tewari 

had showed disrespect to 

any member. 

“Walk out. I totally condemn 

it. I did not disrespect 

any member. Neither did Manish 

(Tewari). We expressed our 

opinions,” Hooda said. 

He added that if some members 

took the message personally, 

it was “rather strange”. 

Referring to BJP members 

market development,” said 

Thabethe. 

India is one of South Africa’s 

top 10 export countries 

and it is among the top five 

import countries for South 

Africa. 

Indian companies that are 

investing in South Africa include 

Mahindra, Tata, UB 

Group, a number of pharmaceutical 

companies like Ranbaxy 

and CIPLA, IT companies 

and some investments in 

the mining sector. 

“Several South African 

companies operate in India, 

such as the Airports Company 

South Africa, which is assisting 

India’s Mumbai airport, 

and Sasol, which is planning 

to invest,” the minister said. 

South African investments 

in India are led by SAB Miller, 

SANLAM and Old Mutual 

(insurance), ALTECH (set-top 

boxes), Adcock Ingram (pharmaceuticals), 

Rand Merchant 

Bank (banking). 

The two countries co-op- 

pointing to their seniority in 

their remarks to the media, 

Hooda said every member had 

an equal right to speak in the 

JPC. 

“Claiming to be senior 

should be reflected in large 

heartedness,” Hooda said. 

Referring to BJP members 

staging a walkout and some of 

them subsequently speaking to 

the media, Hooda said: “They 

were violating the code of conduct.” 

“I regret what happened,” 

he said. 

Tewari said he had not used 

any unparliamentary language 

and added that he would dissociate 

himself from the JPC 

proceedings if a single such 

word is found in his remarks. 

“If anybody can find a sin- 

South Africa seeks investments 

erate bilaterally in a number 

of areas at forums such as the 

South Africa-India CEOs’ 

Forum, while multi-laterally 

there is co-operation in the 

IBSA Business Forum and 

the BRICS Business Forum, 

which provide for direct business- 

to- business interaction 

and allow for collective 

consensus building on global 

policy areas. 

From 2002 to 2011, South 

African exports to India increased 

by 21 per cent, while 

imports from India went up by 

28 per cent. 

“As for joint ventures between 

women of both countries, 

we encourage them in all 

sectors but certain areas like 

crafts and jewellery making 

have been identified as specially 

favourable for women 

entrepreneurs,” Thabethe said. 

“Among new areas of cooperation, 

agro-processing is 

of immense potential as both 

countries have food security 

as a major priority.” — IANS 

gle (unparliamentary) word (in 

the verbatim record), I would 

permanently recuse myself 

from proceedings of the JPC,” 

Tewari said. 

Tewari said he had been 

spokesperson of the Congress 

for almost four years and his 

worst critics cannot accuse 

him of using derogatory or unparliamentary 

language. 

He said that if anyone has 

to be summoned by the JPC, it 

should be backed by valid reason 

by the member. 

He said the decision on 

summoning people before the 

JPC has to be “taken by consensus”. 

Tewari said the JPC meeting 

yesterday was aimed at 

mapping out the future course 

of action. — IANS 

Andhra seeks 

more electricity 

HYDERABAD — Facing 

severe power shortage, the 

Andhra Pradesh government 

has urged the central government 

to allocate 500 MW 

from the central pool to tide 

over the crisis. 

Chief Minister N Kiran 

Kumar Reddy told reporters 

yesterday that the government 

has also appealed for 

supply of power from the 

Kudankulam Atomic Power 

Project in Tamil Nadu. 

The gap between electricity 

demand and supply in 

the state has mounted to 67 

million units (MUs) per day, 

forcing authorities to impose 

long power cuts. 

Amid protests from farmers 

and opposition parties in 

some parts of the state over 

insufficient supply, the chief 

minister said that the sevenhour 

power supply would be 

maintained. He said the government 

was spending Rs 14 

crore daily to buy 124 MUs 

from outside the state. 

A VEGETABLE vendor clears water from his flooded shop after a downpour in Amritsar yesterday. Heavy rains which 

fell in several areas of northern region brought respite to the scorching heat which dominated life in the previous days. 

Political crisis as PM’s 

resignation demanded 

NEW DELHI — The BJP 

yesterday vowed to obstruct 

parliament till Prime Minister 

Manmohan Singh quit over 

faulty coal blocks allocation, in 

the worst showdown between 

the government and the main 

opposition in two years. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party 

refused to let parliament function 

for a second straight day 

demanding that Manmohan 

Singh resign over a CAG report 

on coal blocks allocation. 

“Parliamentary obstructionism 

is normally to be avoided, 

but in rare cases parties do 

adopt it,” Jaitley told Times 

Now channel, reflecting the 

aggressive mood in the main 

opposition party. 

The government as well as 

the Congress hit back at the 

BJP, accusing it of running 

away from a parliamentary 

debate, even as the first signs 

of a divide in opposition ranks 

surfaced. 

The BJP-Congress crisis 

spread quickly to the Joint 

Parliamentary Committee 

Call to take decision on Telangana 

KONDRUPROLU — The 

union government must take 

a call soon on the issue of 

statehood for the Telangana 

region, says Andhra Pradesh 

Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar 

Reddy as concerns mount 

in the Congress about the future 

of the party in the volatile 

region. 

“I am requesting them (central 

government) that it (Telangana 

issue) should be decided 

soon. The central government 

has to decide on it and we will 

abide by it,” Reddy said in an 

interview during a recent visit 

to West Godavari district’s 

Kondrupolu area, about 350 

km from Hyderabad, as part of 

a mass outreach programme. 

The 52-year-old Congress 

leader, who took over as chief 

NEW DELHI — The Union 

Public Service Commission 

(UPSC) yesterday informed 

the Delhi High Court that it 

has introduced a new aptitude 

test paper on English 

in the civil services exam on 

the suggestion of its experts’ 

panel. 

A division bench of Acting 

Chief Justice A K Sikri 

and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw 

asked the commission to 

present the panel’s report by 

September 19, the next date 

of hearing. 

The court’s direction came 

on a petition challenging the 

new pattern for English paper 

in the preliminary examination 

for civil services. 

The court was informed 

that the new system had been 

approved by the government. 

Petitioner Dina Nath Batra 

said that the new pattern deprived 

a vast majority of Indians 

who had studied in Hindi 

(JPC) on the 2G spectrum 

scandal when five BJP members 

trooped out of a meeting, 

accusing Congress members 

of using “foul language”. The 

Congress denied the charge. 

In what would be comforting 

to the Congress-led United 

Progressive Alliance (UPA), 

BJP’s ally Janata Dal-United 

(JD-U) indicated it was not 

happy with the paralysis of 

parliament. 

“We are ready for discussion 

in parliament... The government 

should give a clarification 

over coal allocation,” 

JD-U’s Shivanand Tiwari said. 

This prompted JD-U chief 

Sharad Yadav to say it was Tiwari’s 

“personal opinion” and 

that he was bound by whatever 

the BJP-led National Democratic 

Alliance (NDA) decides. 

As for the BJP, it was adamant 

on seeking the prime 

minister’s ouster, holding him 

responsible for the notional 

loss of Rs 1.85 lakh crore ($37 

billion) to the exchequer due to 

allocation of coal blocks when 

minister of Andhra Pradesh in 

November 2010, said views 

and expectations of those in 

favour and those against a separate 

Telangana state had been 

sent to New Delhi. 

New Delhi’s indecisiveness 

on the volatile issue that 

has seen various parties, including 

the Congress, come 

together on one platform, has 

been much discussed, but the 

chief minister disagreed that it 

had affected development or 

investment in the state. 

“We have seen many agitations 

in the last four decades 

and it is a part of the process. 

Investment projects worth 

Rs 130,000 crore are in different 

stages of sanctions in 

the state,” said Kiran Reddy, 

a keen cricketer who repre- 

FARMER planting rice in Ahmedabad. Scientists yesterday 

said they had developed a strain of rice that grows in soils 

that lack phosphorus, a feat that could boost crop yields. 

‘Civil services English 

paper has experts’ nod’ 

medium or any Indian language’s 

medium from fairly 

competing in the exam. 

The public interest litigation 

(PIL) challenged a new 

system of the Union Public 

Service Commission making 

‘English Language Comprehension 

Skills’ a compulsory 

topic. 

Filing its response, the 

UPSC said: “The new format 

of civil services (preliminary) 

examination is evolved 

through a process of intense 

review of the examination 

system by an expert committee 

and the new system had 

been approved by the government.” 

The UPSC sought the 

dismissal of the petition and 

said: “The scope of judicial 

review in cases where 

a policy decision is taken 

pursuant to the recommendations 

of an expert committee 

is limited.” — IANS 

Manmohan Singh headed the 

coal ministry. 

“Like A Raja and Dayanidhi 

Maran, the prime minister 

should also resign. It is his 

moral obligation,” BJP spokesperson 

Prakash Javadekar said, 

referring to the two former 

cabinet ministers linked to the 

2G scam. 

The Congress defended 

Manmohan Singh. 

“The prime minister is 

clean,” said Congress spokesman 

Rashid Alvi. He accused 

the BJP of routinely “disrupting 

parliament and asking for 

the resignation of ministers 

and the prime minister”. 

“The opposition is running 

away from debate,” Parliamentary 

Affairs Minister Pawan 

Kumar Bansal said. “The 

government is confident it will 

be able to overcome any allegation 

during a debate.” 

With both the BJP and the 

government digging in their 

heels, it appeared that the parliament 

deadlock could last the 

entire week. — IANS 

sented Hyderabad in the Ranji 

Trophy tournament. 

The Telangana region comprises 

10 districts, including 

Hyderabad. The demand for 

a separate Telangana state has 

been festering for long, leading 

to turmoil in the area, suicides 

and mass hunger strikes. 

In 2009, Home Minister P 

Chidambaram had said the 

process of formation of the 

state “had begun”. 

Besides Telangana, the 

YSR Congress’s big wins in 

the June by-elections are a 

worry. Referring to the rise 

of the YSR Congress, started 

by Jaganmohan Reddy, son of 

late Congress chief minister Y 

S Rajasekhara Reddy, Kiran 

Reddy admitted it was an issue 

but not a problem. — IANS 

6 perish in 

heavy rains 

JAIPUR — At least six people 

died in a wall collapse and 

due to electrocution as heavy 

rains lashed the Rajasthan 

capital overnight, officials 

said yesterday. 

The rains created havoc as 

over 100 colonies in low-lying 

areas and the walled city 

were inundated, they said. 

The district administration 

announced a holiday for 

all government and private 

schools yesterday. Heavy 

rains, that began lashing the 

city from 11 pm on Tuesday, 

were estimated at 148.4 mm 

yesterday morning. 

Commissioner of Police B 

L Soni said the rains had so 

far claimed four lives. 

However, a police officer 

said two children were buried 

alive after a wall collapsed 

in Bhatta Basti. “Two people 

were electrocuted in Sodala, 

while two children were reportedly 

swept away in Ghat 

Ki Guni,” the officer said. 

Power plants 

remain shut 

SHIMLA — The Satluj Jal 

Vidyut Nigam Ltd’s 1,500 

MW Nathpa Jhakri Power 

Project and Jaypee Karcham 

Hydro Corp. Ltd’s 1,000 MW 

Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric 

Project in Himachal 

Pradesh’s Kinnaur district 

remained closed for the third 

day yesterday, project officials 

said here. 

The shutdown has hit 

power supply to states like 

Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, 

Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, 

Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 

The silt content in the 

Satluj river, on which both 

the projects are located, remained 

much higher than the 

permissible limit due to continuous 

rainfall, V K Verma, 

SJVNL deputy general manager, 

said. 

Likewise, NHPC’s 300 

MW Chamera stage II located 

on the Ravi river in Chamba 

district remained closed.

PORTA CABINS / TURNKEY CAMPS 

Our Services Manufacturing, Erection, Mobilization. 

Our Products Camps, Kitchens, Offices, Ablutions 

Phone 24503725 Fax 24503723 

Mobile 95228450 Mobile 99277505 

e-mail info@speedhouseoman.com 

Web www.speedhouseoman.com 

SPEED HOUSE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION LLC 

R 

S 

ENT-A-CAR ENT-A-C 

BUSINESS or PLEASURE 

OMAN or ABROAD 

ALKH: 24489248/648 

RUWI: 24707074, QURUM: 24691110 

SOHAR: 26845565 

MUSCAT AIRPORT: 24521189 

SALALAH: 23296246 

Also available — Luxury Cars with 

Chauffeur Service 

RENT-A-CAR - Special 

rates for Saloon & 4WDs. 

Tel: 24472006, GSM: 

99826300/98048193 

E-mail: ueprentacar@ 

gmail.com 

ERVICES 

SERVICES 

HOOPOE SMART 

CARD SERVICES SE 

Sanad Servi Service Centre 

We provide the following 

services: Typing, clearing 

all transactions related to 

government departments 

and private sector, eg 

labour agreement for 

Omanis and expatriates, 

typing of labour 

card for expatriates, 

typing of visas and 

document clearing from 

immigration department, 

Ministry of Commerce 

& Industry, Ministry of 

Manpower, Commercial 

names reservation, 

renewal of commercial 

registration, renewal 

of OCCI membership, 

attestation of all 

documents from OCCI 

& Ministry of Foreign 

Affairs. Renewal of 

labour cards through 

electronic payment or 

cash payment. 

Please note you may 

deliver your transaction 

through our e-mail 

and our representative 

will deliver it to your 

of�ce personally after 

completion. Our address 

is: Ruwi, near Gulf 

Transport Co. (GTC), 

Fax: 24793331, GSM: 

98793665 (Direct) 

99231500. 

E-mail: hoopoeoman@ 

gmail.com 

AL FAHAD 

TRANSLATION 

SERVICES 

Translation of all kinds 

of legal, medical, and 

other types of documents, 

Commercial Agencies, 

etc. Ruwi, near Gulf 

Transport Co (GTC), 

Fax: 24794286. GSM : 

98793665 (Direct) 

95959838. E-mail: 

bptland@gmail.com 

LANDRAIL 

TRADING & 

SERVICES 

(Smart Card) 

Ruwi, near Gulf Transport 

Co. (GTC), Fax: 

24780244, Tel: 24789117, 

GSM 98793666 (Dir), 

96777170. E-mail: 

landrailoman@ 

gmail.com 

1. A/C, Fridge & Washing 

Machine Servicing & 

Repairing 2. Painting, 

Plumbing, Electrical 

& Carpentry Works. 

Contact: �97014234/ 

97123569, 24504281. 

SHAMPOO cleaning 

of mosque carpet and 

house majlis, sofa carpet 

and curtains, general 

cleaning all types of 

old and new building, 

gardening mosaic tiles 

polishing marbles and 

granites, house painting 

�96642500. 

T 

OURS 

MARINE Tourism 

� 92808636, e-mail: 

info@alainain.com 

CLASSIFIED SECTION 

RUWI: �24785668 

WE are at Quick Fix 

offer a wide range 

of superior services 

including electrical 

repairs, maintenance, 

plumbing, cleaning, 

pest control, swimming 

pool construction & 

maintenance, gardening 

and landscaping. Our 

adept Philippine workers 

are well-trained to meet 

your expectations. 

Please call us on 

�92849838/95790142 

P.C.O. (PEST 

CONTROL OMAN 

CO. LLC) 

Professionals who 

specialise in all types 

of Pest Control 

Services & Snake 

control and 

Guaranteed Termite 

Control. Also 

available Gel 

treatment for 

Cockroaches. 

Suppliers of UK 

Pesticides Chemicals, 

Snake Repellent, 

Cockroach Gels and 

Peripel treated 

Mosquito Nets. 

�24787606, 

24787503, 

Fax: 24787607. 

Executive Office 

Services available 

� Modern Furniture 

� Personalised telephone 

line with receptionist 

services 

� Unlimited wireless 

Internet 

� PO Boxes address 

� Executive conference 

room (10 people) 

� Prime location 

(Al Khuwair) 

� Complimentary 

tea & coffee 

� Service duration, 

quarterly. 

Contact: 99463334, 

99201763, 24479400. 

G 

UEST HO HOUSE 

MURAHIB HOTEL H 

APARTMENTS 

APARTMEN 

welcome our valuable 

GUESTS to our 

excellent location, 

AL KHUWAIR, near 

AL ZAWAWI 

MOSQUE, a single 

bedroom, a bedroom & 

majlis, two bedrooms & 

majlis �24478087, 

Fax: 24482454. 

QURUM BEACH 

HOTEL. �24564070. 

SPECIAL Rates on 

New Cars & 4 WDs 

RENTING & LEASING 

Tours and Airport Transfer 

Tel: 24582663 

GSM: 95859497, 

Fax: 24582664, 

abcrent@omantel.net.om 

S 

URGENTLY required: 

1, procurement 

procureme 

Manager; 2, MMarketing 

Development Manager; 

3, IT Co-ordinator. 

Expats candidate 

must have at least 5 

years of experience 

in supermarket retail 

division. Contact e-mail: 

varghese@altaher.com 

Address: P.O. Box 

1413, PC-112, Ruwi 

�99761217. 

REQUIRED for an 

LLC company in 

Salalah, experienced 

staff in IT, Fibre 

Optics Termination, 

Networking, Cable 

Jointing, Civil & 

Construction, Cleaning 

& Foreman. Mail CV & 

details with latest photo 

to handymanoman@ 

gmail.com 

REQUIRED Cook male/ 

female from 8.30 to 

11.30am and Housemaid 

full time. �93387962. 

WANTED urgently 

Site Foreman currently 

residing in the Sultanate 

with good experience 

in reading drawings. 

Contact � 99112262, 

Fax: 24814889 e-mail: alnoumani@hotmail.com 

G 

OOD NEWS NEW 

FREE FRE 

INFORMATION 

INFORM 

ABOUT ISLAM 

If you would like to 

know more about 

Islam, please call: 

Tel : 99425598, 

96050000, 99353988, 

99253818, 99341395, 

99379133, 

For ladies: 99415818, 

99321360, 99730723 

Or visit: 

www.islamfact.com 

AYURVEDIC 

Treatment, Yoga massage 

& slimming. Contact: 

�92504980/ 24475280, 

www.drsajjay.com 

FOR NRI. BOOKING 

open for villas in Aluva, 

Kochi, Kerala. Rs 50 

laks onwards near UC 

College. Contact: 

�98934705, or 

skprealty@yahoo.com 

L 

ITUATION VACANT 

OST 

HAWA Said has lost 

Rwandan Passport No. 

PC 114658. Finder 

please handover to 

ROP. 

SHAIKH Muhammad 

Anwar has lost 

Pakistani Passport No. 

ZA - 1790831. Finder 

please handover to 

ROP. 

OMAN DAILY Observer � THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012 

F 

OR RENT 

SAVILLS OMAN 

QUALITY homes for 

rent throughout 

Capital Area Muscat. 

Contact: �24692151. 

www.sav-oman.com 

VILLA for rent in 

Mawalah, 2 bedrooms, 1 

sitting room, 3 

washrooms + kitchen. 

RO 400/-. Contact: 

�97711403, 93961672. 

VILLA for rent in Al 

Ansab (St Falaj Al 

Sham) 3 bedrooms with 

bathrooms, 1 hall, 1 

sitting room, outside 

kitchen, all with split unit 

a/c. RO 400/-. Contact: 

�97711403, 93961672. 

FLATS for rent in Al 

Khuwair, 3 bedrooms, 1 

hall, 1 sitting room + 

kitchen, all with a/c. RO 

600/-. Contact: 

�97711405, 93961672, 

97711403. 

FLAT for rent in Al 

Washal, 3 bedrooms, 1 

sitting room + kitchen. 


�93961672, 97711403. 

FLAT for rent in Al 

Waljah (Ruwi), 3 

bedrooms, 1 sitting room 

+ kitchen, RO 350/-. 

Contact: �97711403, 

93961672. 

NEW flats for rent in 

Baushar, 2 bedrooms 

with bath, 1 hall + 

kitchen with split units. 


�97711403, 93961672. 

VILLA for rent in Al 

Khuwair. �97711403, 

93961672. 

A SHOP with storeroom 

for rent at Ruwi, RO 300 

a month (4 in advance). 

Contact: �99369347. 

FULL equipped 

warehouse, 600m and 

6m height at Musannah 

Al Shars. For inquiries 

contact: �96378882, 

99808868, 95840754, 

99838698. 

CLASSIFIED SECTION: 

M 

ANPOWER ANPOWE 

FRIENDS 

MANPOWER: Filipino 

housemaids and all kinds 

of workers. �24489268 

Tel/Fax: 24478153. 

FLAT for rent in 

Wattayah behind 

Honda showroom 

consists of 2 rooms, 2 

bathrooms, sitting hall 

and kitchen with balcony 

�98544508. 

OFFICES, shops, villa 

at Al Khuwair, �ats 

at Al Khuwair, Wadi 

Kabir, MBD, Mumtaz, 

furnished/unfurnished. 

� 96596348. 

F 

OR SALE 

SPARE parts shop for 

sale at Wadi Kabir. 

�96075258. 

LAND for sale at Al 

Khoud, Block No 6, 

land sqm: 600. RO 

60,000. Contact: 

�97711405. 

VILLA for sale in Al 

Ghubra, 9 bedrooms, 2 

sitting rooms, 2 halls, 2 

kitchens all with a/c. 

RO 260,000/-. Contact: 

�97711405. 

LAND for sale. 

Muttrah near Star 

Cinema. Land sqm: 

880. And approved for 

16 flats. RO 150,000/-. 

�97711405. 

LAND for sale. Al 

Amerat — Al Hashaya, 

Phase No. 2. Land No. 

4829. Land sqm: 600. 

Contact: �97711405. 

LAND at Ghubra near Al 

Maya hypermarket, 2,700 

sqm. Contact 

�99009179, 99466655. 

FORKLIFT for sale as is 

where is basis. Muscat: 

2# Komatsu Forklift- 

FD30 —1992/1999, 

�96924896. Salalah: 1# 

Komatsu Forklift-FB25 

— 1997. Contact 

�99085106. 

CARAVANS and 

building materials in 

good condition for 

sale. �95414115/ 

95164903. 

Sulaiman Awlad Thani: 95181747 

Ali al Maashari: 99639264 

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

F 

C 

ARGO 

17 

Available on very GOOD prices 

CARGO transfer with 

attractive price to all 

areas in the Sultanate 

and outside of Oman 

(by truck). Contact: 

�00968-99171758. 

OMANI seeks seekk 

administration & PRO 

position. position Con Contact: 

salam2oman@yahoo.com 

OMANI seeks HSE 

position. Contact: 

jeebal3000@gmail.com 

HP 1000 3 in 1 Printer 

DRIVER — LMV, 15 

years experience, UAE 

and Oman, seeks suitable 

placement. �93496586. 

BA passed, good 

knowledge of MS Word, 

MS Excel, Photoshop, 

Illustrator, seeks any 

suitable placement. 

Contact: �93412989. 

INDIAN male graduate in 

B Com, ICWAI (Inter-1 

Group), PGDMM with 

27 years experience 

in accounts, admin, 

HR, secretarial, good 

communication skills in 

English and in sales, look 

for a job change. 

Contact: �95519182 

e-mail: uthay_sai@ 

rediffmail.com 

SRI LANKAN Doctor 

(MBBS, MRCP) with 

valid MoH licence 

available for suitable 

place. Contact e-mail: 

jayantha212000@yahoo. 

com.au � 95200293. 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

RO 10.900 only 

HP 1050 3 in 1 Printer 


HP OJ 4500 4 in 1 Printer 


HP Laser M1132 3 in 1 


AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung 

Cartridges also available 

OR RENT/INVEST. 

RENT 

INDUSTRIAL land in 

Rusayil, 400m 2 divided 

1,000 m 2 , divided 1,000 

m2 for each land. Ready 

for industrial workshops 

�99323957, 95490842, 

96554668. 

IT WAN WANTED 

SITUATION VACANT 

Production Manager/Asst. Production 

Manager/Supervisor 

For an existing reputable Carpentry/Joinery Workshop 

� Candidate should have minimum qualification of BE/ 

Diploma in Mechanical Engineering with Interior 

background and AutoCAD exposure, worked in the 

same line of carpentry 

� Salary commensurate with Qualification & Experience. 

Interested candidates may send CV’s to 

E-mail ID: ffu1999@gmail.com 

S 

COMPUTER SUPPLIES 

Ruwi: 24792792 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

U 

DIPLOMA with 13 years 

experience in secretarial/ 

of�ce assistance/ 

documentation jobs, Gulf 

experienced, pro�cient in 

computer with ability to 

multitask jobs and good 

communication skills in 

English, seeking a job 

for immediate joining, 

presently on visit visa. 

Contact �93464456. 

INDIAN male 9 years 

experience in Oman 

as salesman, knowing 

Arabic, English looking 

for immediate placement. 

Contact � 99591608. 

INDIAN male with 

15 years experience 

in hospitality industry, 

looking for general 

manager or pro�t center 

head operation in hotel or 

restaurants. �97855160. 

SRI Lankan male, 8 years 

experience in cleaning, 

ironing, gardening. 

Working experience in 

Saudi Arabia, seeks 

suitable job. �96128795. 

COMPUTER Technician, 

25 yrs, hardware + laptop 

chip level maintenance, 

CC TV/ IP Cam 

installation with good 

knowledge in updated 

computer accessories, 4 

years Gulf experience, 

speaking Arabic and 

English, seeks suitable 


DIPLOMA Civil Engineer, 

Indian male, 42 years, 15 

years experience, well 

experienced in civil 

construction, seeks 

suitable placement. On 

visit visa. �95725007, 

binikk76@gmail.com 

DIRECT: 24649594 - FAX : 24649590 

e-mail: classified@omandaily.om 


RUWI: � 24785668 

Behind Royal Oman Police 

Adjacent to 

Dhofar Building 

MRAH/HAJ MRAH/HA 

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

AL Hikmani 

for 

HAJ and UMRAH UM 

— With a hhost 

of 

services including 

the following: Hiring 

luxurious coaches, 

arranging weekly trips, 

preparing visas for 

expats at cost-effective 

price, including 

transport, housing, 

meals and visits to 

shrine locations. Land 

and air trips weekly. 

(99311310, 24566016, 

99361982, 99707248, 

99322124. 

Presents 

1. Tourism journeys to all around 

the Sultanate's areas. 

2. Delivery service from/to Dubai. 

3. Delivery service from/to the airport. 

In association with Thrifty Rent-A-Car 

For enquiries: 24478902/99337159 


RUWI: 24785668 

EXECUTIVE Secretary/ 

PA/HR Assistant, looking 

for a suitable placement. 

�95128596. 

INDIAN driver (BCom) 

with own car, looking for 

trip basis or part-time job. 

Contact: �92581644. 

D 

RIVING SSCHOOL 

MORNING STAR S 

DRIVING SCHOOL SC 

— — Learn driv driving 

manual/ automatic with 

professionally qualified 

male/ female trainees in 

brand new cars and 

flexible payments. Call: 

�99043283, 24478589, 

24478505, www. 

chamberman.com/ 

member/morningstar 

www.morningstar.com 

C 

AR BUY & 

SELL 

IF you are in interested 

to sell your ccars, 

send 

SMS, SMS we pay cash 

�99333088. 

ILYA MANPOWER 

HOUSEMAIDS 

available from 

Philippines, 

Sri Lanka & 

Africa. All 

types of skilled 

workers (waiters, 

cooks, drivers, 

constructions, 

industrials, hotels 

& ministries.....) 

Tel/Fax 

22050086 — Hail 

Shimaly Al Jabri 

Blg. next to 

Bahja Mall. 

CLASSIFIEDS 

Continued on P-18

INDIAN female, 23 years B. 

Tech (IT) with SAP-ABAP 

certified, CISCO certified, 

S 

JAVA, C#, C++. Looking for 

immediate placement, now on 

visit visa. Contact: 

� 93214845 

thambi@ptech.co.com 

30 YEARS Indian male 

PGDBA operations, having 

8 years experience in sales 

co-ordinator and logistics 

looking for suitable 

placement. Contact: 

�92337137. 

ACCOUNTS Manager, 

M Com, Indian male, 21 

years wide experience 

in accounts and finance in 

Muscat seeks job 

change. Contact: 

�92785207. 

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 

INDIAN electrical 

engineer having 2 years 

of experience in Oman 

seeking for a suitable 

placement. Contact: 

�95961347. 

PAKISTANI male, MBA 

HRM and BC(IT) having 

10 years experience in 

administration & HR, 

expert in English drafting 

& correspondence, on visit 

visa, seeking placement. 

Contact: �93084105. 

14 YEARS Gulf 

experienced store in-charge 

looking for a job. Contact: 

�99175391. 

INDIAN male secretary 

having more than 10 years 

experience in Oman, seeks 


INDIAN, 47 yrs looking 

for a job as watchman/flats 

security with visa. Now on 

visit. � 94075808 

18 



INDIA/CLASSIFIEDS 

PEOPLE hold candles during a vigil to show solidarity with the people of Asom during a rally in front of the India Gate in New Delhi yesterday. — AFP 

Atomic power station reactors to generate 340 MW 

CHENNAI — One of the 

two atomic reactors at the 

Madras Atomic Power 

Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam, 

belonging to the Nuclear 

Power Corp of India 

Ltd, was scheduled to start 

feeding power to the grid 

yesterday night, said an official. 

“The first unit will start 

generating power between 

10-11 pm tonight (Wednesday). 

Initially around 110 

MW will be generated 

and in five hours time the 

S 

generation would go up to 

around 140 MW,” K Ramamurthy, 

station director, 

MAPS, said over phone 

from Kalpakkam yesterday. 

Kalpakkam is located 

around 70 km from here. 

According to him, by 

today or tomorrow power 

generation would go up to 

180 MW. 

“The second unit will 

start operating on Friday 

and would generate around 

130 MW. By Saturday 

around 340 MW (Unit I 180 

MW, Unit II 160 MW) will 

be generated by MAPS,” 

Ramamurthy said. 

The two reactors at 

MAPS shut down automatically 

early on Sunday 

after a critical component 

(breaker) in the 230 KV 

switchyard tripped resulting 

in power supply failure 

to the reactors. 

As a result the reactor’s 

automatic shutdown process 

was triggered. Both 

reactors shut down their 

operations. 

According to Ramamurthy, 

four standby diesel 

generators got into operation 

immediately when 

the main power supply 

failed. 

He said that the breaker 

that failed is one of the old 

ones, all of which MAPS is 

replacing. 

“We have 11 such breakers. 

Each component costs 

about Rs 20 lakh,” Ramamurthy 

said. 

“The automatic safe shut 

30 years, Indian male 

PGDBA-operations, 

having 8 years experience 

in sales co-ordinator 

and logistics looking for 

suitable placement. Contact 

�92337137. 

down of the two reactors 

proves the safety measures 

of the Indian reactors,” he 

said. 

MAPS has two reactors 

of 220 MW each, but they 

have been functioning below 

their rated capacity 

owing to paucity of fuel. 

“The fuel supply situation 

is improving. By the 

end of this year we expect 

the power generation to 

touch full capacity at both 

the units,” Ramamurthy 

added. — IANS 

INDIAN female, 25 years, 

B Tech (electronics & 

communication) 2 years of 

experience as lecturer, 

seeks suitable position in 

technical/nontechnical/ 

teaching. �99805368. 

CHARTERED Accountant, 

Indian male with 1 year 

Gulf experience seeks 

suitable placement. 

Contact: �92416051. 

FINANCE Manager, 15 

years + experience in 

project financing, 

management accounts, 

ERP, finalisation, cost 

control, financial analysis, 

feasibility study, business 

development etc. 

�92439941. 

E-mail: georaji9@hotmail. 

com 

EXPERIENCE with more 

than 15 years in Accounts 

& Finance, looking for a 

suitable placement. Ready 

to join on immediately. 

�97309276. 

ACCA (UK) Female, 26 

years old with 5 years 

experience is seeking 

accounts, audit, finance 

roles in Oman. 

sidrashamsuddin@gmail. 

com Contact: �94025276. 

Air Force ahead with 

10 pc women officers 

NEW DELHI — Women 

officers in the Indian army, 

navy and air force constitute 

only 3.3, 3.9 and 

10.4 per cent of the officer 

cadre respectively and these 

figures were achieved 

within 20 years from when 

they were first recruited, 

parliament was informed 

yesterday. 

Defence Minister A K 

Antony said in a written 

reply in the Rajya Sabha 

that the representation of 

women in the armed forces 

has been progressively 

increasing since their first 

recruitment in 1992-93. 

“At present, the percentage 

of women officers in 

army, navy and air force, 

excluding medical streams, 

is 3.3 per cent, 3.9 per cent 

and 10.04 per cent respectively,” 

Antony said. 

“The representation 

of women officers in the 

armed forces has increased 

progressively over the 

years,” the minister added. 

To another query on 

the same subject, the 

minister said the number 

ITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED 

HR manager/ 

administration manager 

with 25 years experience 

in Oman. Contact 

�92719485. 

CHARTERED accountant, 

Indian male, having 5 years 

experience, presently 

working in a reputed group 

in Oman, seeks suitable 


8 YEARS experienced Sri 

Lankan houseboy looking 

for gardening, ironing, 

cleaning job. �99085573, 

99085574. 

12 YEARS experience, 

male candidate, as medical 

secretary, in medical 

records management, 

and office administration, 

looking for a suitable 

placement. Good 

knowledge in MS Office, 

Windows OS and the 

Internet. � 97893716, 

95727612. 

GENERAL manager, BE 

civil, 22 years experience 

in Oman since 1995 is 


opening in reputed 

construction company. 

Contact: �94006761. 

of women officers in the 

army is 1,214, in the navy 

302 and the air force 1,079. 

At present, the existing 

strength of the army is 

36,788 officers, the navy 

7,744 and the air force 

10,747. There is a shortfall 

of 13,000 officers across the 

three services. 

These figures are excluding 

the medical stream 

women officers. 

Women officers are inducted 

in the branches open 

to them within the overall 

authorised strength of officers’ 

cadre of respective 

service, based on merit on 

an all-India basis. 

“There is no separate 

fixed sanctioned strength 

for women officers in the 

armed forces,” he added. 

Noting that a fresh 

policy on induction of 

women officers was laid 

down last November, 

Antony said it was issued 

after considering the paper 

submitted by a high-level 

tri-service committee with 

the approval of the chiefs of 

staff committee. 

INDIAN male, looking for 

a vacancy of a recreation 

manager/supervisor position 

in hotel/clubs. 15 years 

of experience as gym trainer 

and 2 years of experience 

as recreation manager. 

Contact: �97093993. 

INDIAN female graduate + 

INDIAN male, logistics 

in-charge, 4 years 

experience in Oil & Gas 

sector, Oman; and 9 years 

in Dubai, seeks suitable 

placement. �96976133/ 

92882081. E-mail: 

reji_nm@yahoo.com; 

lijirajiv@yahoo.com 

INDIAN male 22 years, 

B Tech in electronics & 

communication, having 

5 months experience in 

CCTV configuration, 

looking for job, please 

contact: �92533114. 

INDIAN male, BTech, 

Computer Engineer with 

experience as asst system 

Eng — Diploma in Oracle- 

10G, Database 

Administration, and Java. 

Good knowledge in ASP. 

NET, C, C++, MS Office, 

Photoshop, on visit visa 


placement in software, 

networking, IT sales. 

Contact: 

�97638112/93937141. 

E-mail: getrenji@gmail 

“There is an endeavour 

to fill up the vacancies of 

officers from amongst eligible 

candidates, which is a 

continuous and an ongoing 

process,” Antony said. 

Barring the medical 

stream, women officers are 

inducted on short service 

commissions in certain 

branches of the three armed 

forces. 

In the army, women 

officers are recruited in 

the Signals, Engineers, 

Army Aviation, Army Air 

Defence, Electronics and 

Mechanical Engineers, 

Army Service Corps, 

Army Ordnance Corps, 

Intelligence Corps, Army 

Education Corps and Judge 

Advocate General branches. 

In the navy, they are 

inducted into the Judge 

Advocate General, Logistics, 

Observer, Air Traffic 

Controller, Naval Constructor 

and Education branches. 

In the air force, though, 

women officers are recruited 

in all branches and streams, 

except the fighter stream of 

the flying branch. — IANS 

Odisha, Jharkhand to intensity 

anti-mineral smuggling drive 

BHUBANESWAR — Odisha 

and its neighbouring state of 

Jharkhand have said that they 

will jointly intensify crackdown 

against the mineral 

smuggling across their borders. 

Speaking to reporters after 

the second inter-state coordination 

meeting held on Tuesday 

to check theft of minerals 

including iron ore, the home 

secretaries of Odisha and 

Jharkhand mentioned about 

their plans and ongoing efforts. 

“We have adopted some 

IT (Information and Technology) 

based solution. We are 

also working on some other 

measures,” said Odisha Home 

Secretary UN Behera. 

Jharakhand home secretary 

expressed the hope that 

the joint efforts will help in 

bringing an end to the prevail- 

ing menace of mineral smuggling. 

“We are aware that we 

have a common border. In 

the coming days, we will be 

able to stop all illegal mining 

jointly,” said Jharkhand Home 

Secretary J BTubid. 

Senior officials of the police, 

home, forest, and mines 

departments of both the states 

participated in Tuesday’s 

meeting. — IANS 

SOFTWARE engineer, 

B Tech, 4 years experience 

in Java, J2ee, struts. Looking 

for a suitable placement. 

�96200984 e-mail: 

shiljyrajan@gmail.com 

INDIAN female, BBA in 

Finance available for 

immediate placement under 

finance/ banking/ back 

office/ accounts/ 

administration. 

�95910427. 

A 3D Animator and 

Modelor cum Graphic 

Designer looking for job 

currently on visit visa in 

Muscat. Fluent in English 

and Urdu languages. 

�96658544. 

SALES professional with 

15 years experience with 

International food and 

consumer brands. Seeks 

immediate placement as 

sales manager. Contact: 

�98030097 e-mail: 

shijuthomsong@gmail. 

com. 

AN Egyptian male on a 

visit visa, worked as 

purchasing officer in a 

construction company and 

as a supervisor, with 4 

years experience in UAE 

and have Emirati driving 

licence, seeks suitable 

placement. Please 

Contact: �96987787.

Top seed Tsonga moves up 

JO-WILFRIED Tsonga of France returns a shot during his match against Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil on Tuesday. — AFP 

WINSTON-SALEM, North 

Carolina — Top-seeded 

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 

launched his campaign at the 

ATP’s Winston-Salem hardcourt 

tournament with a 6-3, 

7-6 (7/3) victory over Thomaz 

Bellucci on Tuesday. 

Tsonga, ranked sixth in the 

world, converted just one of his 

nine break point opportunities, 

but saved all five that he faced 

to beat the Brazilian in a match 

lasting one hour 49 minutes. 

Tsonga, who also beat Bellucci 

at the London Olympics, 

was one of 16 seeded players 

to enjoy a first-round bye. 

In the third round he’ll face 

Ukrainian qualifier Sergiy 

Stakhovsky, a 6-2, 6-3 winner 

over Spain’s Pablo Andujar. 

Second-seeded Czech Tomas 

Berdych, who like Tsonga 

is appearing for the first time 

at this US Open tune-up event, 

needed just 95 minutes to 

oust Russian Alex Bogomolov 

6-3, 7-5. 

Berdych will next play Finland’s 

Jarkko Nieminen, who 

beat German qualifier Benjamin 

Becker 6-3, 6-3. 

Defending champion and 

third seed John Isner of the 

United States shook off a slow 

start to beat 50th-ranked Slovakian 

Martin Klizan 4-6, 6-3, 

7-5. 

“The first one is normally 

the toughest,” said Isner, 

ranked 10th in the world. 

“Credit to him, he came out 

and was playing pretty well, 

and I wasn’t on top of my game 

and that’s all it took in the first 

set. From that point on, I knew 

it was going to be a battle.” 

Isner gained the decisive 

break for a 6-5 lead in the 

third set and wrapped up the 

victory in two hours and two 

minutes. 

“I wasn’t that great out there 

today, but I think as the tournament 

progresses I’ll keep get- 

Royals outlast Rays in 

pitcher’s showdown 

TAMPA BAY — The Kansas 

City Royals came out on top 

after a pitcher’s duel between 

Luke Hochevar and Tampa 

Bay ace David Price on Tuesday, 

edging the Rays 1-0 in 

10 innings in a Major League 

Baseball game. Starter Hochevar 

went pitch-for-pitch with 

Price, both players tossing 

eight scoreless innings before 

the visiting Royals (55-67) 

prevailed in the 10th. 

Jeff Francoeur reached 

second base on an infield single 

and error with two outs, 

setting up Eric Hosmer’s 

game-winning RBI single. 

Hochevar had to settle for 

the no-decision despite striking 

out 10 batters and allowing 

just one hit. The Rays (68- 

55) managed just two hits in 

the game. 

Tampa Bay starter Price 

struck out eight and gave up 

PARIS — Celtic took a giant 

step towards reaching the 

Champions League group 

stages for the first time in 

four years with a 2-0 win over 

Swedish side Helsingborg on 

Tuesday. 

The Glasgow giants took 

command of this first leg playoff 

in large part thanks to Georgios 

Samaras, who played a 

pivotal part in both goals, and 

goalkeeper Fraser Forster, who 

kept an invaluable clean sheet. 

Greece international Samaras 

set up the lightning fast 

opener when crossing into the 

box for Kris Commons to volley 

home, then rose highest to 

nod in a corner from the right 

to seal the seal 15 minutes 

from time. 

Fraser then managed to 

hold Helsingborg at bay, despite 

intense pressure from 

the Swedish champions, with 

Celtic manager Neil Lennon 

describing his keeper’s performance 

as “excellent”. 

Lennon’s men will now be 

looking to wrap up the tie in 

the second leg at Celtic Park 

on August 29. 

If everything goes according 

to plan Celtic will go 

through to the lucrative group 

stages of Europe’s premier 

just three hits and no walks. 

Price leads the American 

League in wins (16) and ERA 

(2.28) and has not lost since 

June 13. 

Results: Detroit Tigers bt 

Toronto Blue Jays 5-3, Washington 

Nationals bt Atlanta 

Braves 4-1, Cincinnati Reds 

bt Philadelphia Phillies 5-4, 

Colorado Rockies bt NY Mets 

6-2, LA Angels bt Boston Red 

Sox 5-3, Kansas City Royals 

bt Tampa Bay Rays 1-0, Baltimore 

Orioles bt Texas Rangers 

5-3, Chicago White Sox bt 

NY Yankees 7-3, Milwaukee 

Brewers bt Chicago Cubs 5-2, 

St Louis Cardinals bt Houston 

Astros 7-0, Miami Marlins bt 

Arizona Diamondbacks 6-5, 

Oakland Athletics bt Minnesota 

Twins 4-1 San Diego Padres 

bt Pittsburgh Pirates 7-5, 

San Francisco Giants bt LA 

Dodgers 4-1. — Reuters 

club competition, where they 

will be joined by the nine other 

victors of the play-off ties. 

That could well include 

Dynamo Kiev, 3-1 winners at 

Borussia Moenchengladbach, 

but French side Lille have 

plenty of work to do after a 1-0 

ting stronger,” he said. 

Fourth-seeded Ukrainian 

Alexandr Dolgopolov lost only 

10 points on his serve and fired 

eight aces en route to a 6-1, 6-3 

victory over Taiwan’s Lu Yen- 

Hsun. 

Poland’s Lukasz Kubot 

withstood 15 aces from eighth 

seed Julien Benneteau in a 

2-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over the 

Frenchman, who lost to Isner 

in the final here last year. 

Another seeded casualty 

was No 11 Denis Istomin of 

Uzbekistan, who fell to Belgian 

Steve Darcis 6-2, 6-2. 

Darcis will play American 

Andy Roddick, the fifth seed, 

in the third round. 

Sixth-seeded Marcel 

Granollers of Spain and 

number seven Sam Querrey 

of the United States both advanced. 

Granollers defeated American 

Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-2, 

while Querrey dispatched Co- 

defeat at FC Copenhagen. 

In other ties, Spartak Moscow 

enjoyed a 2-1 home win 

over Turkish visitors Fenerbahce 

while Swiss outfit FC 

Basel suffered a 2-1 loss to 

CFR Cluj of Romania. 

In Germany, Dynamo Kiev 

lombian Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 

6-2 in a match that had been 

suspended on Monday night 

because of rain. 

Results (x denotes seeding): 

2nd round: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 

(FRA x1) bt Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 

6-3, 7-6 (7/3); Sergiy Stakhovsky 

(UKR) bt Pablo Andujar (ESP x15) 

6-2, 6-3; Ernests Gulbis (LAT) bt 

Kevin Anderson (RSA x12) 6-4, 7-6 

(7/2); Marcel Granollers (ESP x6) bt 

Ryan Harrison (USA) 6-4, 6-2; John 

Isner (USA x3) bt Martin Klizan 

(SVK) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5; Jurgen Melzer 

(AUT x13) bt Michael McClune 

(USA) 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (12/10); Lukasz 

Kubot (POL) bt Julien Benneteau 

(FRA x8) 2-6, 7-5, 6-3; Sam Querrey 

(USA x7) bt Santiago Giraldo 

(COL) 6-3, 6-2; Feliciano Lopez 

(ESP x9) bt Donald Young (USA) 

6-2, 6-3; David Nalbandian (ARG 

x14) bt Robin Haase (NED) 6-2, 6-4; 

Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR x4) bt 

Lu Yen-Hsun (TPE) 6-1, 6-3; Steve 

Darcis (BEL) bt Denis Istomin (UZB 

x11) 6-2, 6-2; Jarkko Nieminen (FIN 

x16) bt Benjamin Becker (GER) 

6-3, 6-3; Tomas Berdych (CZE x2) 

bt Alex Bogomolov Jr. (RUS) 6-3, 

7-5. — AFP 

Former All Blacks coach 

Henry joins ailing Blues 

AUCKLAND — Former 

New Zealand coach Graham 

Henry has returned to his 

roots in joining the Auckland 

Blues’ revamped coaching 

roster in a boost for the ailing 

Super Rugby side. Henry, 

who oversaw the All Blacks’ 

World Cup win on home soil 

last year, joins as technical 

adviser and defence specialist 

from 2013 under head coach 

John Kirwan, the team said on 

their website yesterday. 

Prior to his 2004-2011 stint 

with the All Blacks, Henry 

coached the Blues from 1996- 

1998, winning the inaugural 

Super 12 rugby title in 1996 

and again the following year. 

Henry reunites with 

former All Blacks specialist 

skills coach Mick Byrne, who 

will be forwards and kicking 

coach with the Blues. 

Grant Doorey, who assisted 

Kirwan during his 2007-2011 

tenure as head coach of Japan, 

has been named as skills and 

back-line coach to complete 

the high-profile line-up. 

“I’m thrilled with this 

coaching team. The experience 

and individual expertise 

these three men offer is exciting 

for me as head coach, for 

the Blues and our supporters,” 

Kirwan said. 

Kirwan, named head coach 

last month, replaced Pat Lam, 

who spent four years in charge 

of the team in New Zealand’s 

largest city. Lam was asked to 

re-apply for his position as the 

Blues lurched through a terrible 

season to finish 12th in the 

15-team southern hemisphere 

provincial competition. 

Henry stepped down from 

the All Blacks in the wake 

of the team’s World Cup triumph. 

put one foot in the Champions 

League’s group phase despite 

the hosts taking the lead. 

Goals by Kiev’s Taras 

Mikhalik, Andriy Yarmolenko 

and an own goal by Gladbach’s 

Luuk de Jong left the 

hosts with a mountain to climb 

19 SPORT 



Welbeck signs 

new deal with 

Man United 

LONDON — Manchester 

United striker Danny Welbeck 

signed a new four-year 

contract with the Premier 

League club yesterday. 

Welbeck, 21, has been 

rewarded for his impressive 

performances over the last 

18 months which have made 

him a key figure for both 

United and England. 

He made his United debut 

in 2008 before finally 

establishing himself in manager 

Alex Ferguson’s firstteam 

last season, while also 

earning a starting place for 

England at Euro 2012. 

Despite United’s swoop 

for Dutch forward Robin 

van Persie last week and the 

presence of other top strikers 

like Wayne Rooney and 

Javier Hernandez, Ferguson 

insists Welbeck will continue 

to play a major role over 

the coming seasons. 

“Danny has been with the 

club since he was eight years 

old and has made fantastic 

progress in the last couple of 

years — first out on loan and 

last year as a regular in the 

first team,” Ferguson told 

United’s website. 

“He has become an important 

player at international 

level as well, as the 

maturity of his performances 

at the European Championship 

showed. 

“This year is another important 

one for him. He has a 

bright future ahead of him.” 

Manchester-born Welbeck 

said that the opportunity 

to continue playing for 

his boyhood club is a dream 

come true. 

“Playing for United is all 

I’ve ever wanted to do — it’s 

the club I’ve supported all 

my life,” he said. 

“I can’t wait for the challenge 

of the new season to 

play my part in helping the 

team compete for trophies.” 

Federer top 

seed for 

US Open 

NEW YORK — Five-time 

champion and world No 1 

Roger Federer of Switzerland 

was confirmed on Tuesday 

as the top men’s seed at 

the US Open, the last Grand 

Slam tennis tournament of 

the year that starts on Monday 

at Flushing Meadows. 

Defending champion Novak 

Djokovic of Serbia is 

seeded second and world No 

4 Andy Murray of Britain, 

who won Olympic gold at 

Wimbledon, is seeded third 

— higher than his world 

ranking because of the injury 

absence of Spain’s Rafael 

Nadal. 

Spain’s David Ferrer is 

seeded fourth. 

The singles draw for the 

tournament, which runs from 

August 27 to September 9, 

will be made today. 

Celtic close in on return to Champions League 

CELTIC’S Thomas Rogne (left) vies with Helsingborg’s Nikola Djurdic during their 

Champions League play-off match in Helsingborg, Sweden, on Tuesday. — AFP 

at Kiev’s Olympic Stadium in 

next Wednesday’s return leg. 

Gladbach dominated the 

opening phase and took a 

deserved lead when Juan 

Arango’s pass found Finland 

midfielder Alexander Ring in 

space deep in the penalty area 

and he fired home at the near 

post with 13 minutes gone. 

Dynamo drew level against 

the run of play when Ukraine 

defender Mikhalik fired in a 

shot from well outside the area 

which deflected off Gladbach 

captain Filip Daems on 28 

minutes. 

Kiev’s second goal eight 

minutes later came when 

Ukraine midfielder Denys 

Garmash split the home defence 

with striker Yarmolenko 

gratefully receiving the pass. 

But he still had plenty to 

do as he beat the Gladbach defence 

to fire home past Borussia 

goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter 

Stegen to give the guests the 

lead. 

With time almost up, striker 

De Jong’s first goal for his new 

club, having joined from FC 

Twente, proved to be an own 

goal when the 21-year-old 

turned the ball into the Borussia 

net from a free-kick on 81 

minutes. — AFP 

Sore shoulder ends Radwanska’s 

New Haven Open bid 

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut 

— Top seed Agnieszka 

Radwanska retired from her 

opening match at the WTA’s 

New Haven Open on Tuesday 

with a sore right shoulder. 

Qualifier Olga Govortsova 

of Belarus was leading 

their second-round contest 

6-0 and 2-1 when Poland’s 

Radwanska, the Wimbledon 

runner-up, called it a day. 

Radwanska, who enjoyed a 

first-round bye, had received 

treatment on the shoulder after 

the first set. 

Govortsova advanced to a 

quarterfinal clash with Russian 

seventh seed Maria Kirilenko, 

who advanced on a walkover 

when Germany’s Mona Barthel 

withdrew before their 

scheduled match with a stomach 

ailment. 

Earlier, French Open finalist 

Sara Errani and former 

Wimbledon runner-up Marion 

Bartoli booked a quarterfinal 

meeting. 

Italy’s Errani, the fourth 

seed, defeated Spain’s Carla 

Suarez Navarro 6-4, 6-3, 

while fifth-seeded Bartoli of 

France survived a scare to beat 

American Sloane Stephens 

6-1, 0-6, 6-3. 

Bartoli trailed 0-3 in the 

third but won the next six 

games to advance in the US 

Open tune-up event. 

Despite the mountain facing 

her in the third, Bartoli 

said she never lost heart. 

“I started to hit the ball 

harder — (to) be mentally very 

tough,” she said, although she 

admitted she had expected 

things to be much easier after 

she breezed through the opening 

frame in 21 minutes. 

“I really thought after the 

first set, I was just on a run,” 

Bartoli said. 

Stephens, however, 

stormed back, winning the 

first game of the second set 

and breaking Bartoli in the 

Defenders Dawson, Carvalho 

look bound for QPR 

LONDON — Queens Park 

Rangers continued to be one of 

the most active English clubs 

in the transfer market with 

Tottenham Hotspur’s Michael 

Dawson and Real Madrid’s 

Ricardo Carvalho both linked 

with the Premier League side 

yesterday. 

Manager Mark Hughes, 

reacting to Saturday’s seasonopening 

5-0 home defeat by 

Swansea City, could have both 

defenders in his side for next 

Saturday’s match at Norwich 

City if the deals are finalised 

in time. 

According to widespread 

media reports, QPR and 

Spurs have agreed a fee for 

England international Dawson, 

whose move from north 

to west London would come 

as a surprise. 

New Spurs manager Andre 

ROME — Italy’s football 

federation (FIGC) yesterday 

announced that they have upheld 

a 10-month ban for Juventus 

coach Antonio Conte 

for failing to report suspicions 

of match-fixing at a previous 

club. 

The Serie A club’s coach 

is one of the most high-profile 

figures caught up in a sweeping 

investigation that has 

shaken the Italian football 

world. 

He was found guilty of 

not informing the authorities 

of possible corruption in two 

matches involving his former 

club Siena during the 2010-11 

season. 

Conte is now expected to 

take his case to Italy’s sports 

arbitration tribunal (TNAS), 

according to the daily La Repubblica. 

But his continued suspension 

effectively leaves the 

defending Serie A champions 

without a manager just days 

before the start of the new season 

this weekend. 

Massimo Carrera, a member 

of Juve’s technical staff, is 

due to take charge of the first 

MARION Bartoli of France returns a shot to Sloane 

Stephens of the USA during their New Haven Open 

match on Tuesday. Bartoli won 6-1, 0-6, 6-3. — AFP 

next as the French player double-faulted 

twice. 

Bartoli’s serve was a weak 

spot throughout the second 

set, in which she double-faulted 

six times. 

She surrendered a break in 

the second game of the third 

set with another double fault, 

but finally held serve in the 

fourth game to gain the toehold 

she needed. 

“Of course my experience 

helped me, but also I felt like I 

was able to increase my level 

of intensity and not make a lot 

of mistakes,” Bartoli said. 

First-round action con- 

Villas-Boas said last week he 

was going to name him as the 

new captain following the retirement 

of Ledley King, but 

then left him out of the squad 

for their first game at Newcastle 

United, which they lost 

2-1. 

Dawson, 28, was injured 

for much of last season and 

was left out of England’s Euro 

2012 squad. However, he is a 

solid centre back even if he 

lacks some pace. 

Carvalho, who won 75 

Portugal caps, knows London 

well having spent six seasons 

at Chelsea and being a mainstay 

in their title-winning 

teams of 2005 and 2006 before 

moving to Real Madrid 

in 2010. 

Reports said the 34-yearold 

would be joining QPR on 

a season-long loan and if he 

team on a temporary basis. 

Juventus begin their title 

defence with a home game 

against Parma on Saturday. 

The so-called ‘Calcioscommesse’ 

illegal betting scandal 

— which concerns mainly 

second-division clubs — has 

led to a wave of arrests across 

Italy and even saw searches 

at the Italian national squad’s 

hotel before Euro 2012. 

The football federation 

panel did, however, show 

clemency to Conte’s assistant, 

Angelo Alessio, whose 

ban was reduced from eight 

months to sixth months after 

he had also been found guilty 

of the same offences at Siena. 

The panel also affirmed 

cluded on Tuesday as China’s 

Zheng Jie defeated Bulgarian 

Tsvetana Pironkova 7-5, 6-2 to 

set up a second-round match 

with eighth-seeded Czech Lucie 

Safarova. 

Results (x denotes seeding): 

1st round: Zheng Jie (CHN) bt 

Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 7-5, 

6-2. 2nd round: Olga Govortsova 

(BLR) bt Agnieszka 

Radwanska (POL x1) 6-0, 2-1 

retd; Maria Kirilenko (RUS x7) 

bt Mona Barthel (GER) walkover; 

Marion Bartoli (FRA x5) 

bt Sloane Stephens (USA) 6-1, 

0-6, 6-3; Sara Errani (ITA x4) 

bt Carla Suarez (ESP) 6-4, 6-3. 

— AFP 

and Dawson sign as expected, 

it would mean 10 new players 

have arrived at Loftus Road 

since the end of last season 

following their close shave 

with relegation. 

Spurs have also been busy 

in the transfer market, signing 

Togo striker Emmanuel 

Adebayor on a permanent 

deal from Manchester City on 

Monday following his loan 

spell at White Hart Lane last 

season. 

Earlier on Monday, Cameroon 

international defender 

Sebastien Bassong left Spurs 

for Norwich City on a permanent 

three-year deal while 

on Tuesday, reports said midfielder 

Tom Huddlestone was 

also set to leave Spurs for 

Premier League rivals Stoke 

City on a season-long loan 

deal. — Reuters 

Match-fixing ban upheld for 

Juventus coach Conte 

their previous ruling that Juve 

players Leonardo Bonucci and 

Simone Pepe were cleared of 

wrong-doing. 

Defenders Nicola Belmonte 

of Bari and Salvatore Masiello 

of Udinese, who were suspected 

of involvement in fixing a 

match between the two sides 

in May 2010, also saw their 

acquittals confirmed. 

In the federation’s August 

10 ruling, Serie B sides Lecce 

and Grosseto were demoted, 

while Lecce’s former president, 

Giovanni Semeraro, and 

ex-Grosseto president Piero 

Camilli were given five-year 

bans from the game. 

Yesterday, the federation 

rejected Lecce’s appeal 

against the demotion, but reinstated 

Grosseto in Serie B. 

The football federation’s 

disciplinary committee has 

been investigating 13 football 

clubs in total in a scandal over 

match-fixing and illegal betting. 

The investigation comes six 

years after a similar scandal 

deprived Juventus of two Serie 

A titles and saw them demoted 

to the second tier. — AFP

Top seed Tsonga 

advances at 

Winston-Salem 

Page 19 

INDIAN captain M S Dhoni (3rd right) watches as Pragyan Ojha (right) bowls during a 

training session at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Hyderabad yesterday. India will play the 

first of the two Test matches against New Zealand from today. — AFP 

Super Cup is no 

indicator for 

season: Mourinho 

MADRID — The first ‘Clasico’ 

of the new campaign in 

the Spanish Super Cup will 

reveal little on how Real Madrid 

and Barcelona will fair 

throughout the new season, 

Real coach Jose Mourinho 

said yesterday. 

Today’s first leg at the Nou 

Camp will be a first chance 

for fans to see how new Barca 

coach Tito Vilanova, who 

has replaced Pep Guardiola, 

measures up against the L a 

Liga champions. 

“A match between rivals 

is always important, even in 

a summer tournament, but the 

Super Cup is the least important 

of the four we play during 

the season,” Mourinho told a 

news conference. 

“I believe there is no relation 

between the winner 

and what is going to happen 

in the whole season. We lost 

the Super Cup last season and 

we won the league breaking 

records. 

“At Inter (Milan) I also lost 

the Super Cup and that season 

we won the treble — the Cup, 

the Champions League and 

the league — and with Chelsea 

we won the Super Cup 

and didn’t win the championship.” 

Barca’s stormy 5-4 aggregate 

win last year marked a 

low point in relations between 

the arch-rivals. 

Three red cards were 

flashed after a melee between 

the players at the end, while 

Mourinho’s infamous fingerin-the-eye 

attack on Vilanova, 

who was Guardiola’s assistant, 

led to bitter recriminations 

from both sides. 

There has been a much 

calmer build-up to the latest 

clash between the Spanish 

powerhouses, with the head 

injury suffered by defender 

Pepe in last Sunday’s league 

match against Valencia a case 

in point. 

Pepe, who collided heads 

with Iker Casillas, spent Sunday 

night in hospital after he 

lost consciousness and was 

still being monitored by medical 

staff after his release on 

Monday. 

During the week Barca defender 

Gerard Pique tweeted 

his best wishes to the Portuguese 

international, a favourite 

hate-figure at the Nou 

Camp, wishing him a swift 

recovery. 

“Pepe will not play, it isn’t 

humane to risk a player for 

a game of football, however 

important it may be,” Mourinho 

said. 

“He is recovering very 

well and we think he will be 

back again on Sunday without 

any type of risk.” 

With just under two weeks 

to go to the end of the transfer 

window, Real have yet 

to make a major move in the 

market while the futures of 

Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin 

and Brazil playmaker Kaka 

are the subject of much media 

speculation. 

Mourinho said he wanted 

Sahin to go out on loan, ideally 

to the Premier League 

with reports saying Arsenal 

are leading Liverpool in the 

chase. 

“It can teach him particular 

characteristics of play that he 

doesn’t have at the moment,” 

Mourinho said. 

“I couldn’t care less if he 

goes to Arsenal, or Liverpool 

or Tottenham. I have no preference. 

“With Nuri we have proposals 

on the table, but we 

have no official proposals for 

Kaka.” 

Former club AC Milan 

had been mulling a bid for 

Kaka. — Reuters 


DUBAI — Australia’s acting 

coach Steve Rixon said yesterday 

he hoped his players 

would adjust to the hot conditions 

in United Arab Emirates 

during their upcoming 

matches against Afghanistan 

and Pakistan. 

Australia’s squad arrived 

with the temperature at 43 

degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit), 

but Rixon said sleeping 

late and breakfast at noon 

would help during the series 

in which one-day games will 

start as late as 6 pm. 

Australia take on Afghanistan 

in the first-ever one-day 

game between the two countries 

in Sharjah on Saturday 

before facing Pakistan in three 

one-day and three Twenty20 

games. 

The pre-series hype focused 

on how Australia will cope up 

with the high temperatures but 

Rixon said a policy had been 

devised to combat it. 

“Our guys will have to eat 

late in (the) night and just start 

the pattern. We need to start 

the patterns now so by the time 

the first game comes around, 

we’ll be starting to build some 

sort of body clock that’s going 

to work for us,” Rixon told a 

press conference. 

The 58-year-old former 

Australian wicketkeeper-batsman 

is standing in for head 

coach Mickey Arthur who 

will join the tour later, having 

been busy with plans for next 

month’s World Twenty20. 

Rixon said the team had 

prepared to combat heat. 

“The weather was very 

warm up in Darwin where we 

camped but nothing as oppressive 

as over here. We’re well 

aware of how hot it’s going to 

be. If we sit here and talk about 

the weather all day, we’re not 

getting the job done. 

“We don’t see the sun,” he 

said. “We’ll be in night-cricket 

mode, although it will be warm. 

But we’re not getting the (sun) 

rebound off the ground which 

is always a big problems at 

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

Printers and Publishers OMAN ESTABLISHMENT FOR PRESS, PUBLICATION AND ADVERTISING 

Match-fixing ban 

upheld for Juve 

coach Conte 

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

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

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

P.O. Box 974, P.C. 100, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, Tel: 24649351/24649360, Fax: 24649379, subscribe@omandaily.om 

Page 19 

Chance for youngsters to fill void: Dhoni 

Clarke says 

Australia 

rankings 

‘unacceptable’ 

SYDNEY — Australian 

captain Michael Clarke has 

told his team their world 

rankings are “unacceptable” 

as he worked to fire them up 

ahead of upcoming matches 

against Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

Clarke and the Australian 

team face emerging cricketing 

nation Afghanistan in a 

single one-dayer in the UAE 

on Saturday before three 

matches against Pakistan 

and a Twenty20 series. 

Speaking ahead of his 

departure, Clarke said the 

players need to improve significantly 

on their 4-0 humbling 

by England in their last 

one-day series. 

“I think it’s a good opportunity 

for us to get some 

of that consistency back 

in the one-day format,” he 

said on the Cricket Australia 

website. 

“We didn’t play anywhere 

near as well as we would’ve 

liked in England.” 

Going into the UAE series, 

Australia sit behind 

England, South Africa and 

India while things are even 

worse on the T20 ladder, 

with Australia ninth, below 

New Zealand and minnows 

Bangladesh. 

They are third in the Test 

stakes, adrift of South Africa 

and England. 

“It’s not about what you 

say now, it’s about what we 

do as a team,” Clarke said. 

“It’s now up to us, as individual 

players and as a team, 

to do something about it. 

“To realise that we sit 

fourth in the one-day rankings, 

we sit third in the Test 

rankings and I think we sit 

eighth or ninth in the Twenty20 

rankings. 

“Every player knows 

that’s unacceptable for an 

Australian team.” — AFP 

HYDERABAD, India — India’s cricket 

captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has no 

doubts the team will miss the experience 

of Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman but 

expects young players to step up and fill 

the void created by the retirement of the 

batting stalwarts. 

The hosts finally face the transition 

problem that had been on the cards 

for quite some time when they start the 

two-Test series against New Zealand in 

Hyderabad today. 

India lost eight consecutive away Tests 

in England and Australia last year which 

prompted Dravid and Laxman to quit and 

pave the way for the next generation. 

“One of the ways to look at it is to look 

ahead to the future... definitely these two 

are great players and we will miss them 

on the field,” Dhoni told reporters yesterday. 

“But at the same time it’s an opportunity 

for youngsters to take up the responsibility 

in the longest format and we are 

hoping the youngsters will grab these opportunities 

and do well. 

“You have to accept things as they 

come.” 

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane 

are the most likely candidates to fill 

in the batting slots although Subramaniam 

Badrinath, who was drafted into the squad 

as a replacement for Laxman, will also 

fancy his chances. 

India will also need to find two dependable 

slip fielders in the absence of Dravid 

and Laxman and Dhoni feels it will be a 

far easier problem to deal with than make 

up for their wealth of runs and experience. 

“Well, we are hoping we won’t miss them 

at least in the slip cordon because when 

it comes to scoring runs and the kind of 

experience they had, it will be quite difficult,” 

Dhoni added. 

“But as far as the slip cordon is concerned, 

we have seen some of the youngsters 

catch really well. We have Virat 

(Kohli), (Suresh) Raina and we already 

have (Virender) Sehwag there, he will 

most likely stand at first slip. 

“Spinners can be a bit of an issue because 

it will be challenging especially 

when there is bounce. 

“We may miss Rahul over there, but 

let’s just look ahead and give youngsters 

a chance and one of them may take some 

catches.” 

India will also play Tests with England 

and Australia at home later in the season 

and the two-Test series against New Zealand 

will help the team get back in the 

groove, Dhoni said. 

“We have not played a Test match in 

the last six to seven months, so it will be 

important to turn up on the field and look 

to do small things right,” the 31-year-old 

said. 

“So it’s important to get into the 

groove, give a bit more respect to the 

bowlers. 

“Yes, we had a disappointing last eight 

(away) Test matches, but if you look at 

the positive side of it, there is only one 

way and that’s going up.” 

New Zealand, ranked eighth among 

nine Test-playing nations in the world, 

are hoping there will be some swing for 

their pacemen to trouble the Indian batsmen 

in the absence of their most capped 

cricketer Daniel Vettori. 

The all-rounder has been ruled out 

by injury and New Zealand will miss the 

spinner’s experience on the low and slow 

surfaces of India. 

Captain Ross Taylor said: “The guy 

has played the most Tests for New Zealand, 

you can never replace that but once 

again, it gives an opportunity and with 

these conditions, everyday we have been 

here so far, it has been cloudy. 

“We are expecting it to swing. It swung 

in training and hopefully it can swing for 

five days as well.” 

India (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), 

Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin 

Tendulkar, Subramaniam Badrinath, Cheteshwar 

Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, 

Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, 

Ajinkya Rahane, Piyush Chawla, Ishant Sharma, 

Suresh Raina. 

New Zealand (from): Ross Taylor (capt), 

Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Daniel Flynn, 

James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Chris Martin, 

Brendon McCullum, Tarun Nethula, Jeetan 

Patel, Tim Southee, Kruger van Wyk, Neil 

Wagner, Bradley-John Watling, Kane Williamson. 

— Reuters 

Australia ready for UAE heat, hopes Rixon 

LONDON — England coach 

Andy Flower insists Kevin Pietersen’s 

infatuation with the 

Indian Premier League (IPL) 

played a significant role in the 

collapse of his international 

career. 

Pietersen’s England future 

looks bleak after his relationship 

with Flower and English 

captain Andrew Strauss was 

shattered by the flamboyant 

batsman’s controversial actions 

over the last few months. 

The 32-year-old has been 

cast into exile after sending 

text messages to South African 

players that allegedly 

contained criticism of Flower 

and Struass during England’s 

recent Test series against the 

Proteas. 

But Flower believes 

Pietersen, dropped for the third 

Test and left out of England’s 

NEW Zealand’s Tarun Nethula bowls during practice session yesterday. — AFP 

Twenty20 World Cup squad, 

stopped focusing on international 

action after his lucrative 

spell playing domestic cricket 

in India. 

Pietersen announced his 

shock retirement from limited 

overs internationals earlier this 

year in a move that would allow 

him more scope to play 

with his high-profile IPL franchise 

the Delhi Daredevils. 

He subsequently backtracked 

on playing a full IPL 

tournament next year in a 

YouTube video, where he reaffirmed 

his commitment to 

representing England in all 

three formats. 

But Flower is certain Pietersen’s 

availability for the 

cash-rich tournament is at the 

heart of the current problems 

and, with little hope of an IPL 

window being introduced to 

avoid clashes with England 

matches, that could herald the 

end of the batsman’s international 

career. 

“I think it’s fair to say that 

his issues over being available 

for the entire IPL have changed 

his attitude,” Flower said. 

“I think that was the catalyst 

for a lot of the stuff. The 

most cricket grounds. 

“So to me, just get on with 

it.” 

Rixon said the matches in 

UAE will help the team warm 

up for World Twenty20 in Sri 

Lanka. 

“Whatever happens here 

will be a very big stepping 

stone to us being successful in 

Sri Lanka,” said Rixon of Australia 

who slipped to fourth in 

one-day rankings for the first 

time in three years. 

He said players were now 

accustomed to playing in heat. 

“I think a lot of players in 

the modern day games playing 

a lot more in the subcontinent 

with IPL (Indian Premier 

League) and other forms of 

cricket played in the subcontinent 

in places like Chennai 

where it is very warm.” 

The acting coach agreed 

Afghanistan will be an unknown 

quantity, but was sure 

his team can beat them. 

“Afghanistan has come in 

as a minor contender but they 

IPL and the international fixtures 

in England are an area of 

conflict. And it will continue 

to be an area of conflict in the 

future. 

“It would be better if there 

was a very clear window prior 

to our international season 

starting. But it doesn’t look 

like that is an issue that is go- 

Disgraced 

S Korean 

shuttlers have 

bans reduced 

SEOUL — South Korea’s 

Olympic badminton coach 

Sung Han-Kook has had 

a lifetime suspension cut 

to two years, while four 

players sent home from the 

London Games for throwing 

matches also had their 

bans reduced. 

The four women’s doubles 

players booted out of 

the Games for their part in 

the scandal had two-year 

bans cut to six months after 

an appeal to Korean 

badminton’s ruling body. 

Jung Kyung-Eun, Kim 

Ha-Na, Ha Jung-Eun and 

Kim Min-Jung remain ineligible 

for national and international 

competition for 

six months. They will also 

not be allowed to represent 

South Korea for a year, according 

to Yonhap news 

agency. 

Assistant coach Kim 

Moon-Soo also had a lifetime 

ban cut to two years 

yesterday. 

The four players, along 

with four women’s doubles 

players from China and 

Indonesia, were kicked 

out of the London Olympics 

earlier this month for 

deliberately trying to lose 

matches. 

Amid farcical scenes, 

the players served into the 

net and missed easy shots 

in an attempt to lose their 

matches and gain favourable 

draws in the knockout 

stages. 

Sung, who blamed the 

Chinese pair for starting 

the affair, had accepted his 

penalty and asked for leniency 

for the players while 

his assistant Kim had appealed, 

Korea’s badminton 

association said. — Reuters 

are now competing at the top 

and best level. So we have got 

to come in with every answer 

and respect for the opposition. 

“We also like to think that 

we are going with the upper 

hand to be able to beat them 

in these sort of conditions with 

the sort of side we have with 

us.” 

Rixon said Australia have 

prepared well to tackle Pakistan’s 

much vaunted spin-attack, 

led by Saeed Ajmal. 

“The emphasis on Darwin 

camp was on spin. So we are 

looking at the strength of the 

opposition. We are trying to 

play to our strengths more 

importantly but we have prepared 

well for Pakistan,” said 

Rixon. 

Pakistan and Australia will 

play the first one-day in Sharjah 

on August 28 followed by 

ones in Abu Dhabi (August 

31) and Sharjah (September 

3). All three T20 matches will 

be played in Dubai on September 

5, 7 and 10. 

Pietersen’s head turned by IPL, insists coach Flower 

ing to be sorted out in the future, 

so it may well recur.” 

England’s central contracts 

for their key players will be 

decided next month but Flower 

does not expect any resolution 

on the Pietersen matter to have 

been concluded before then. 

That would likely cast further 

doubt over the South Africa-born 

batsman’s future, although 

Flower was reluctant to 

be drawn on the consequences 

it might have on Pietersen’s 

contract negotiations. 

“I don’t think it would be 

fair for me to say that. Regardless 

of central contracts, 

I wouldn’t like to put a time 

frame on it because that might 

be unrealistic,” he said. 

“To resolve certain issues 

of trust and mutual respect, 

it might take longer than 

that.” — AFP

S - Oman Daily Observer

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?