S - Oman Daily Observer

His Majesty greets Paraguay 

HIS Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent a cable of greetings to 

President Fernando Lugo Mendez of Paraguay on the occasion 

of his country’s National Day. His Majesty the Sultan expressed 

his best wishes to President Mendez and the friendly 

people of Paraguay. — ONA 

Allowance for students up 

A MINISTERIAL decision was issued raising the financial allocation 

for the students of the colleges of applied sciences to 

RO 90 per month for students residing 50 km or more from the 

college and RO 45 per month throughout the year for students 

residing less than 50 km from the college. � Details, P5 

�� Tuesday, May 15, 2012/Jumada al Thania 23, 1433 AH 

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

New era in spaceflight 

NASA’S space shuttle fleet may be landing in 

museums, but the next step in space exploration is 

already under way as private concerns work to get into 

the ground floor of commercial flight to near-Earth 

orbit and possibly beyond. The company Space X 

plans to reach a major milestone by launching the first 

commercial craft bound for the international station. 

15 28 20 

Mumbai beat Challengers 

MUMBAI Indians rode on Ambati Rayudu and Kieron 

Pollard’s swashbuckling knocks and their unbroken 

122-run sixth-wicket partnership to stage a dramatic 

fightback and beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 

five wickets in their Indian Premier League match in 

Bangalore. Rayudu smashed an unbeaten 81 off 54 

balls while Pollard remained not out on 52 off 31. 

� 50-60pc for all types � IMF report reviewed 

GCC nod for security pact RO 21m interchange project 

RIYADH — The GCC leaders 

and heads of delegations, who 

held a Consultancy Summit at 

Dir’iya Palace in Riyadh yesterday 

under the chairmanship 

of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz 

al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, 

approved the amended security 

agreement and assigned their 

foreign ministers to sign it in 

their next meeting. The leaders 

also reviewed developments in 

the Arab Gulf region and other 

issues of common concern. 

On behalf of His Majesty 

Sultan Qaboos, His Highness 

Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al 

Said, Deputy Prime Minister 

for the Council of Ministers, 

took part in the summit. 

On the outset of the meeting, 

the Saudi King welcomed 

the GCC leaders and heads of 

delegations, wishing them suc- 

Tourist arrivals up 27pc 

�� 

MUSCAT — The Ministry 

of Tourism will participate at 

the Riyadh Travel Fair 2012, 

which opens in the Saudi 

capital today. The four-day 

fair is a key networking event 

for leading travel and tourism 

companies in the kingdom 

and many other countries. 

Saudi Arabia is a growing 

tourism market for Oman 

with the number of Saudi nationals 

visiting Oman reaching 

60,000 in 2011, a 17 per 

cent increase over the previous 

year. 

The ministry will showcase 

popular tourist destinations 

and festivals, as well as 

Muriya’s newly opened resort 

hotels at Jebel Sifah and 

Salalah. As well, a number of 

hotels will open towards the 

end of 2012 including Best 

Western in Al Khuwair and 

Holiday Inn in Seeb. 

The ministry sees the fair 

as a valuable platform for 

trade and consumer communications, 

as well as reinforcing 

Oman’s Tourism Brand 

Campaign: Beauty has an 

address — Oman. Tourism is 

a key growth industry for the 

Sultanate with international 

arrivals to Muscat reaching 

2.4 million in 2011 (14 per 

cent higher than the previous 

year), with GGC arrivals increasing 

by 27 per cent. 

Ali Khaburi, Director- 

General of Tourism Promotion 

at Oman’s Ministry of 

Tourism, said: “Saudi Arabia 

is a key tourism market from 

many perspectives. Saudi visitors 

are growing in number 

and we think they are also increasing 

their length of stay. 

The tourism market is 

broadening from business 

and family segments with 

short break leisure travel becoming 

more prominent. 

“We also think Salalah 

has significant year-round 

potential for the Saudi market, 

and growing demand for 

travel will lead to non-stop 

air services between Saudi 

Arabia and Salalah.” 

Education trends promising 

�� 

SALALAH — Over the last 

few decades Oman has experienced 

a huge change in the 

education sector in terms of 

reforms, curriculum, teaching-learning 

processes and 

students’ concerns. It is the result 

of the great vision of the 

leader, with which the Sultanate 

has been at the forefront not 

just for the economic growth 

but also for human resources 

development. 

This was stated in a joint 

paper presented by two faculty 

members of Salalah College 

of Applied Sciences at the recently 

concluded International 

Conference on New Trends in 

Education and their Implications, 

which was held in Antalya, 

Turkey. 

“The new trends include 

focus on updating and developing 

the academic institutions 

so that they can be at par with 

established institutions so as to 

attract a large number of students 

for enrolment.” 

The country’s education 

policy intends to offer the 

Omani youth the opportunity 

not only to acquire the academic 

and professional skills, 

but also to have a capacity for 

original thoughts to study thoroughly 

with deep concern for 

their country’s civilisation with 

its great historical heritage. 

“The past few years have 

shown that the Gulf countries 

have taken bold steps in terms 

of bringing in internationalisation 

by letting the foreign universities 

establish their campuses.” 

� Details, P6 

A LOCAL alternative to imported animal feed was developed by SQU. � Details, P25 

cess. Upon his arrival in Riyadh, 

HH Sayyid Fahd said: “The 

14th Consultancy Summit held 

in the sisterly Kingdom of 

Saudi Arabia comes within the 

efforts which aim at activating 

the work mechanisms of the 

Council and � To page 3 

Plea to help 

drug addicts 

�� 

MUSCAT — Drug addiction 

has become an alarming 

phenomenon due to an 

increase in drug trafficking, 

with related cases of overdose 

suicides sending shudders 

in the society. 

Many families are victims 

or potential victims of 

drug abuse, either by some 

of their members taking to 

addiction or suffering from 

its impacts like theft or even 

murder. While thousands are 

arrested or being chased on 

charges of drug trafficking 

or addiction, thousands more 

are awaiting court rulings 

while in jail. � To page 6 

Spotlight on 

quarry issue 

MUSCAT — The Majlis 

Ash’shura Office yesterday 

discussed the proposal by 

one of the members regarding 

installation of lights on 

the Ibri/Hafeet dual carriageway. 

It discussed the issue of 

Omani female caretakers in 

government schools. 

The office also discussed 

some incoming letters by 

the members on a number 

of issues including crushers, 

quarries and extraction of 

minerals. � See also page 5 

Pakistan may 

open routes 

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan 

said it was time to “move on” 

and repair relations with the 

United States and Nato, the 

strongest sign yet that it is 

ready to reopen supply routes 

into Afghanistan closed for 

nearly six months. 

Foreign Minister Hina 

Rabbani Khar made the remarks 

one day before Pakistani 

leaders are to discuss 

ending the blockade, and 

so cave in to a key demand 

from the West in time to attend 

a Nato summit in Chicago 

on May 20-21. — AFP 

Loan deductions set 

MUSCAT — The Central 

Bank of Oman’s Board of 

Governors yesterday reviewed 

various issues on the agenda 

of its meeting, including the 

economic and financial report 

up to March 31, as well as the 

activity report of CBO’s departments 

during the period 

under review. 

The board approved the application 

of Al Ahli Bank to 

allow it to take over the assets 

and liabilities of Middle East 

Brokerage Company. 

The board also endorsed 

the stipulation of personal 

loans offered by various commercial 

banks operating in the 

Sultanate, whereby banks cannot 

deduct more than 50 per 

MUSCAT — Sohar Globe 

roundabout — one of the 

industrial port city’s public 

landmarks — will soon make 

way for a major interchange 

designed to address peak hour 

traffic congestion at this key 

junction. 

Well-known Omani con- 

cent of the borrower’s salary 

towards personal loans and 60 

per cent for housing loans. 

The board deliberated the 

recommendations included in 

the report of the mission of International 

Monetary Fund and 

World Bank on Financial Sector 

Assessment Programme 

(FSAP) and directed CBO’s 

executive management to follow 

up the implementation of 

the recommendations as far as 

possible. 

The board also discussed 

the annual report of Bank 

Deposits Insurance Scheme 

(BDIS) for 2012. The board 

also reviewed the CBO’s financial 

position as at the end 

of April. It also reviewed the 

tractor National United Engineering 

and Contracting 

Co LLC (NUEC) has won a 

contract from the Ministry of 

Transport and Communications 

to implement the interchange 

project at a cost of 

around RO 21 million. 

NUEC led a field of six 

financial and administrative 

matters and took decisions. 

The meeting was held under 

the chairmanship of Dr Ali 

bin Mohammed bin Moosa, 

Deputy Chairman of CBO’s 

Board of Governors. 

Recently, the CBO Board 

agreed to reduce the interest 

rate ceiling on new personal 

loans offered by various commercial 

banks operating in the 

Sultanate from 8 per cent to 7 

per cent per year from April 1. 

This decision has been taken 

in line with the existing international 

trend of low interest 

rates and is meant to reduce 

the financial burden on the 

borrowers, encourage banks 

to offer more credit to finance 

construction firms that bid 

for the contract. Competing 

for the project were Strabag 

Oman, CCC, Larsen & Toubro 

(Oman), Khalid bin Ahmed 

and Sons and Federici Stirling 

Batco. The existing roundabout 

sits astride one of the 

busiest traffic junctions on the 

productive projects, expansion 

in loans, encourage savings 

and curb consumption. 

The board also approved in 

principle the merger of Oman 

International Bank (OIB) and 

HSBC Bank Middle East’s 

Oman branches (HSBC Oman) 

provided that the merger does 

not conflict with the laws concerned 

in the Sultanate. 

Both HSBC and OIB said 

in October last year they were 

in talks about merging their 

operations in the Sultanate, 

without providing details. 

HSBC has had a presence in 

Oman since 1948, whereas 

OIB has a well-diversified 

customer base. — ONA 

Batinah Highway, which links 

Muscat with Khatmat Malaha 

and Dubai beyond. 

Vehicles plying this key 

carriageway between Muscat 

and Sohar Port, and the UAE 

beyond, must navigate this 

roundabout, often contributing 

traffic jams. � Details, P21 

THE Royal Cavalry of Oman performed during Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant in London. � See P3 

136 Sanad projects 

MUSCAT — The Board of Directors 

of Sanad Programme agreed to support 

136 new commercial projects. 

The subsidy, which stands at RO 1.3 

million, takes to 3,184 the number of 

projects supported by Sanad employment 

programme since its inception 

till the end of March 2012. Support to 

the projects reached 84 per cent. 

During its second meeting of the 

year here yesterday, Sanad’s board 

discussed formalities related to training 

on tailoring of women’s garments 

and the progress made in a ministerial 

decision on the recruitment of expatri- 

MUMBAI — India’s rupee sank to a 

record closing low of 53.92 against 

the dollar yesterday, dragged down by 

weak domestic economic data and an 

investor flight to safety on jitters over 

the euro zone debt crisis. 

The unit hit an intraday low of 53.96 

against the dollar — a level last seen in 

December — which traders said likely 

prompted central bank to intervene 

in forex markets to prevent the rupee 

breaching the key 54 level. 

Traders say the central bank appears 

to have intervened to sell dollars more 

than a dozen times this year in a bid to 

curb the Indian currency’s fall. 

The bank has a policy of not commenting 

on its actions in the forex 

ate manpower to operate in the field of 

women’s garments tailoring. 

The board also agreed to entrust a 

specialised company to conduct detailed 

analysis of the challenges facing 

Sanad. It also looked into the outcome 

of a study conducted by Sanad on the 

status of small and medium industries 

benefiting from Sanad’s support as 

against the current developments. 

It also reviewed the status of Sanad 

centres with a view to offering more 

employment opportunities. Sanad is 

operating 546 centres which have provided 

1,394 jobs for citizens. — ONA 

Indian rupee ends low 

market. “The falling rupee is a sign 

of worry. It is in a bearish zone due to 

global pressures,” said Naveen Mathur, 

associate director of commodities and 

currencies at Angel Broking. 

The unit was weakened yesterday 

by data showing annual inflation unexpectedly 

accelerated in April to over 

seven per cent, reducing chances of 

swift interest rate cuts to boost slowing 

economic growth. 

The currency also was hurt by global 

uncertainty, flagging domestic indicators, 

slowing overseas funds inflows 

and pressure from oil importers, who 

must exchange rupees for dollars. 

Energy-poor India imports fourfifths 

of its crude oil needs. — AFP 

MSM at 5,654 

MUSCAT — Muscat Securities Market 

(MSM) general index 30 yesterday lost more 

than 81 points, constituting a decline of 1.4 

per cent to close at 5,654 points compared to 

5,735 points previously. 

The daily report pointed out that the industrial 

sector declined by 2 per cent to close at 

6,705 points compared to 6,847 points previously, 

followed by the financial sector, which 

declined by 1.9 per cent to close at 6,520 

points compared to 6,650 points previously. 

The services sector also declined by 0.83 

per cent to close at 2,608 points compared 

to 2,630 points previously. The trading value 

yesterday stood at RO 3.8 million, comprising 

a rise of 167.7 per cent. — ONA 

News Briefs 

Sarajevo freezes 

THE first time in half a 

century snow has settled in 

Sarajevo at this time. — P7 

First batch home 

THE first batch of South 

Sudanese were welcomed in 

their homeland. — P9 

Uphill battle 

CHANCELLOR Angela 

Merkel’s problems mounted 

after a poll drubbing. — P12 

Nepal crash 

A SMALL plane crashed 

near a high-altitude airport in 

Nepal yesterday. — P13 

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

EXCHANGE RATES 

GOLD 

Dollar per Omani Rial 

PRICE 

Muscat 04:02 am 12:08 pm 03:31 pm 06:47 pm 08:05 pm Max ax 38 40 35 39 41 42 32 

Min 29 25 28 28 29 31 26 

Buying 0.382 Selling 0.388 $1,560.40

2 OMAN 

OMAN DAILY Observer 

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 

Looking for job, accommodation, vehicle, flats, furniture etc? 

Check out Classifieds page. It’s where buyers meet sellers.

3 OMAN 



GCC leaders approve security pact, discuss regional developments 

� From page 1 

the resolutions taken during its 

march which aim at promoting 

the growth and ensuring good 

living for GCC peoples.” 

“The rapid and subsequent 

developments witnessed in the 

regional and international arenas 

proved the importance of 

evaluating these developments 

and follow up of their implications 

to maintain stability 

and security of this region and 

achieve security and peace for 

its citizens.” 

“It is a great honour for me 

and the accompanying delegation 

to take part in this Con- 

sultancy Summit on behalf of 

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and 

convey the greetings of His Majesty 

along with his best wishes 

to the GCC leaders. The Sultanate, 

while reaffirming its full 

Oman to attend 

GCC, intl 

labour meets 

MUSCAT — Sultanate, 

represented by the Manpower 

Ministry, will participate 

in the technical 

meeting of GCC Labour 

and Social Affairs Ministries 

Under-Secretaries to 

be held in Saudi Arabia on 

May 20 and 21. 

The meeting will review 

the experiences and initiatives 

of the council states in 

regulating the labour market. 

The Sultanate’s delegation 

to the meeting is headed 

by Hamad bin Khamis al 

A’mri, Manpower Ministry 

Under-Secretary for Labour 

Affairs. 

The Ministry will also 

participate in the meeting 

of the technical working 

group to study social protection 

to be held in Bahrain 

today and organised by 

the Executive Bureau of the 

GCC Council of Ministers 

of Labour. 

The Ministry will also 

participate in a workshop 

entitled “the occupational 

safety and health management 

in enterprises, organised 

by the International 

Labour Organization in 

Italy from June 4 to 15. 

The Sultanate will also 

participate in the 18th 

Conference of the GCC 

e-Government and e-Services 

to be hosted by the 

UAE during from May 19 

to 23 which comes under 

the title “the best e-achievements 

and e-successes” 

organised by the Middle 

East Excellence Award 

Institute (datamatix 2012). 

— ONA 

and continuous support for the 

GCC march, it proudly greets 

the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi 

Arabia under the leadership of 

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz 

al Saud for its role in enhancing 

We’ve moved 

CHANGE OF OFFICE LOCATION: 

ZURICH INSURANCE MIDDLE EAST S.A.L 

(OMAN BRANCH) 

AL-ZAWAWI 

MOSQUE 

IBIS, MUSCAT 

SAFEER PLAZA 

HOTEL, MUSCAT 

the Council’s march appealing 

to Allah to make the meetings 

among brothers crowned with 

success to serve the higher joint 

interests.” 

Meanwhile, HH Sayyid 

AL WAZARAT STREET 

SOUQ AL KHUWAIR ST 

RADISSON BLU 

HOTEL, MUSCAT 

AL WAZARAT STREET 

Zurich Insurance Middle East S.A.L (Oman Branch) 

has moved offi ce. The new offi ce address is: 

3rd Floor (3B) 

Abdullah Said Al Sukery Building No.3235 

Way No.3341, Dawhat Al Adab Street, Al Khuawair, 

P.O. Box: 1101, PC 114 Jibroo, 

Sultanate of Oman 

Tel: 800 771 71 Fax: 24 484 883 

39 STREET 

Fahd received at Al Diriya Palace 

in Riyadh yesterday Shaikh 

Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, 

Emir of Qatar. 

During the meeting, good 

relations between the two 

THE Royal Cavalry, Oman, staged a number of performances during celebrations in London marking the anniversary of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. The Royal Cavalry’s performances began with the entry of a carriage named Victoria 

to the celebration square pulled by two Arabian horses and boarded by a man and a woman holding a frankincense burner whose exotic fragrance filled the place. 

This was followed by the music bands of the Royal Cavalry and the Royal Guard of Oman. The Omani mounted bagpipers played various folkloric and international tunes which were appreciated by the public. 

AL SULTAN QABOOS STREET AL SULT AN QABOOS STREET 

DAWHAT AL ADAB STREET 

AL-KHUWAIR 

SCHOOL 

AL KULEIAH STREET 

49 STREET 27 STREET 

Registered under Insurance Companies Register Certifi cate No. 33 – Commercial Registration No. 1002811 

brotherly countries and matters 

of common concerned were 

reviewed. The meeting was attended 

by members of the official 

delegation accompanying 

the HH Sayyid Fahd. — ONA 

ZAKHER MALL 

ZURICH OFFICE 

3RD FLOOR (3B)

4 OUTLOOK 



Sharing burden of nation-building 

THE nation-building 

process is not just a 

one-man show; it is 

a shared responsibility 

of the government and the 

people. Building the country 

is not only the government’s 

responsibility; but the society 

should also be involved 

in such a significant national 

process. 

In fact, building any nation 

is considered a burden which 

must be shouldered by all 

those living within the country. 

Any country’s government, as 

the top authority, is considered 

a facilitator and a decisionmaker 

of all the actions to be 

taken in order to serve the people 

and country alike. Usually, 

Abdulaziz Al Jahdhami 

Aljahdhami22@gmail.com 

the government handles the 

responsibility of setting up the 

infrastructure of all walks of 

life in the country. 

The society represented in 

all segments of people shall 

also show their roles in contributing 

to serve the nation, each 

in his or her work of interest. 

The individual’s efforts play 

a vital role in supporting the 

nation’s development process. 

Through all the different kinds 

of their work or initiatives, 

they show their full allegiance, 

support and belonging to the 

nation. 

The Sultanate’s comprehensive 

development including 

all sectors has been given 

top priority by the government 

since the start of the Blessed 

Renaissance of His Majesty 

the Sultan. Every step forward 

in this outstanding march was 

thoroughly planned. His Majesty 

has always believed in the 

citizens as the backbone of the 

national development. This 

indicates the personal interest 

of His Majesty in building 

a bright future to the country 

by the hands of its own people 

who are core partners in the 

national development process. 

During the Sultanate’s 25th 

National Day celebrations 

His Majesty said: “Countrymen, 

You have all played your 

part in the making of this new 

chapter in Oman’s history. 

Everyone has made his own 

contribution, according to his 

ability, in building this structure 

for our future”. 

What is really heartening 

and striking is to see Omani 

youth involved in almost all 

types of jobs in the country. 

For them, nothing is embarrassing 

as long as it contributes 

to developing the country and 

serving its subjects. You can 

see Omanis working even in 

low paid jobs as labourers and 

in the handicraft industries. 

The Omani youth while 

working in different fields 

are contributing in building 

their country. They do their 

best to become part of the 

nation-building process in a 

bid to pay back to the nation 

and to help in maintaining the 

country’s sustainable wealth 

and achievements to the new 

Omani generations. 

The government’s belief in 

the importance of developing 

human resources is marked 

through implementing several 

plans which are prepared 

to tackle all issues related to 

the Omani youth. Among the 

outstanding plans which have 

already worked effectively is 

the government’s plan of employing 

Omanis and offering 

them suitable job openings. 

This plan is targeting all parts 

of development in Oman including 

both government and 

private sectors. 

Last year, His Majesty’s 

grant to offer 50,000 jobs for 

Omanis was a strong evidence 

of His Majesty’s dedication to 

offer a decent means of livelihood 

to all citizens. A recently 

announced statistics revealed 

that around 62,000 Omanis 

were given jobs in 2011. 

Our pride of being Omanis 

is part of the belonging to this 

beloved homeland; however 

we should spare no efforts to 

help in building the country. 

We must make good use of our 

skills and abilities and utilise 

them for the sake of serving 

the common interest of the 

whole community. Today, it is 

our turn to complete the march 

of development which our ancestors 

had started hundreds of 

years back. We shall all strive 

to bring about the best we can 

in order to preserve our unique 

traditions, history and achievements 

which form the genuine 

identity of Oman. 

The nation-building process 

in the Sultanate is a constant 

one and it will never 

stop, especially when it relates 

to human development. The 

progress will continue in the 

interest of all, particularly the 

youth and the coming generations 

of Oman. 

The poetry of Atta Shad Baloch 

OMAN has its own 

history and glory. 

Oman is the land 

where all people are 

given the opportunities to play 

their vital and positive roles in 

building their own career as 

well as to develop the country. 

John Kennedy once said: "Ask 

not what your country can do 

for you, ask what you can do 

for your country". 

Oman is becoming an urbanised 

state, but the beauty of 

the nature still exists in many 

places. It is the nature of the 

land which attracts and allows 

people to think in deep and 

connects with those who are 

hidden in their own existence 

and with unspoken nature. 

There are many places in 

Oman which are worth visiting. 

I have visited so many 

places where I really tasted 

the nature and its beauty like 

Ras Al Hamra, Jabal Shams, 

Wadi Bani Khalid, Wadi Tiwi, 

Al Ashkhara, Masirah, Jaalan 

Bani Bu Ali and Hassan, 

Nakhal, Rustaq, Dhofar, Ras 

al Hadd and many more. I enjoyed 

visiting these places because 

they connected me with 

nature. I believe writers, poets 

and thinkers like such places. 

If you are one of those, try to 

have a visit. 

Poems, no matter what the 

language, allow you to think 

and be satisfied. Poets are great 

people; they create the courage 

and open many doors of wis- 

Mohammed Al Balushi 

morwared@hotmail.com 

dom and hope. Under this category, 

there are many names. 

In the world of Arabs, there 

are names such as; Mahmood 

Darwish, Nizar Qabbani, Khalil, 

Gibran, Ahmed Shouqi 

and Saif Al Rahbi an Omani 

poet. In Persian, there are for 

example; Al Rumi and Omar 

Al Khayam, who is known 

of Rubayat of Omar Khayam. 

In India Mirza Ghalib is unforgettable 

name to everyone. 

All these people have become 

institutions in the field of literature 

and poetry. 

Atta Shad (1939-1997) who 

is the subject of this topic was 

one of those poets who made 

nature to speak. He started 

writing poems in Urdu at first, 

and then moved to Balochi 

language, which is his mother 

language. He is the father of 

Balochi poetry after Mulla Fazul, 

from Makuran who visited 

Oman around 18th century 

and liked it very much and had 

composed a poem mentioning 

most of the names of wilayats 

of Oman, starting from Sohar 

and finishing at Muscat. At the 

end of the poem he praised the 

ruler of Oman. 

Atta Shad brought revolution 

in Balochi poetry with 

different thinking and style, 

which was not there before. 

He became a big name in the 

Balochi poetry. He published 

many books, some of these 

are; (Rochgir — Collection of 

Balochi poetry), (Shap Sahar 

Poems, no matter 

whatever the language, 

allow you to think and be 

satisfied. Poets are great 

people; they create the 

courage and open many 

doors of wisdom 

and hope 

Andem- Collection of Balochi 

poetry), (Singaab — Collection 

of Urdu poetry), (Barfaag 

— a collection of Urdu 

poetry), and others such as; 

Gichain, Dareen, and Haft Zubani 

Lughat. 

Unfortunately, his poems 

were not translated in other 

languages. If some of his poems 

were translated either in 

English or Arabic, there would 

have been great added value in 

the fields of literature and poetry. 

Literature identified that 

the English and Arab people 

began to think differently after 

reading English translation of 

"Omar Khayam" which was 

translated by Edward I. Khalil 

Gibran also brought great 

changes after his poems and 

other writings translated into 

different languages, like in 

English and Urdu. The work 

of Mahmood Darwish was 

also well appreciated after the 

translation in different languages. 

Atta Shad wrote beautiful 

poems. One of his poems in 

Urdu language in the collection 

of Singaap inspired me. 

On the other hand, his poetry 

in Balochi language was more 

attractive than in Urdu, as other 

poets noted out. 

I tried to translate that 

poem of Atta Shad in English, 

but I found it is not easy. It is 

not only translating word by 

word technically, someone 

has to consider what is there 

behind the poem. Some translators 

only try to make their 

readers and audiences happy, 

forgetting and not taking the 

“soul and proper meaning of 

verses” in to consideration. 

This in my opinion is wrong, 

because you are not giving the 

right of poets, who worked so 

hard and you finally mislead 

people by just decorating and 

playing with his words in your 

own way. Nevertheless, I have 

attempted in doing so, but I am 

not sure about my translation 

too, because translation is an 

"Art" as said by Gibran. 

Edward, who translated the 

Rubaiyat of Khayam was badly 

criticised by Persian writers. 

They believed that Edward did 

not properly translate the work 

of Omar Khayam. 

Here are translations of a 

few verses from one of his poems, 

under title Uske Naam. 

Meaning In his name, where 

he is trying deeply to connect 

with the nature and creatures, 

and let his thoughts to fly. 

In his name 

I have touched the fragrance 

and saw it 

I hold the dawn with my 

hands 

I have taken kisses of the 

moon 

I have seen the shadow inside 

the sun 

I may gossip with air 

I may notice pictures of 

hearings 

I hear the lyrics of every 

thought 

I recognize faces from every 

word 

I have seen the picture from 

colour 

I wear colour of each picture 

I have seen the whole “Dijla” 

in a drop 

I found no drop in a whole 

“Dijla” 

If I think what can’t I see 

If I see what can’t I think 

I am that power who lost in 

the nature 

I am that poet who is 

speechless in doubts 

If I think of you I can’t see 

anything else 

If I look at you I can’t think 

anything else 

Reading one of the articles 

where it is written that if you 

read and recite Atta Shad’s 

poetry you find that there are 

colours of different weathers, 

frozen winds, flowing streams, 

singing fountains, snow-covered 

valleys, rocky mountains, 

barren lands, and fluttering 

trees. 

Atta Shad who visited 

many countries such as; Iran, 

Saudi Arabia, USA, Australia, 

Germany, Thailand, Italy, 

China, England, Denmark, 

Turkey, United Arab Emirates, 

Bahrain, Oman and Singapore. 

This indicates that poets have 

no borders. They believe that 

Earth is of God and all people 

belong to Him. 

A message to all husbands 

FELLOW husbands, 

Gather around and 

listen to me because 

today I am in the mood 

of telling you things that you 

should never do if you want 

your marriage to really work 

and last. The secret is in what 

professionals call ‘job description’ 

— clear lines outlining 

each partner’s ‘job’ with minimal 

allowances for exceptions. 

Before I continue, I have to 

warn you that the father of junior, 

the man speaking to you 

right now, is not an expert in 

marriage counselling. As a matter 

of fact he is not an expert in 

anything. He just happens to 

be a scribe without portfolio. I 

hope you will be able to make 

sense out of the senseless. 

As a result of pursuing the 

modern ways of life, relations 

between men and women have 

become so confusing. Our 

elders left us with rules and 

guidelines on how husbands 

and wives should behave towards 

each other, but somehow 

things took a different turn. 

And because those rules and 

guidance are no longer being 

followed, we now have people 

practising trial and error in their 

marriages, and reading books 

to help them along. When these 

don’t work, they seek ‘help’ 

from their friends, who know 

no better than them. 

As a result of that confusion, 

there is a mixed up of 

roles between a man and his 

wife. More confusion is bound 

to happen because the lines 

between them begin to show. 

That is why when a woman 

takes on the responsibilities of 

her husband, you hear people 

say that she has become the 

REFORMS to the 

state administrative 

apparatus continues. 

The communication 

services and civil authorities 

at the ministries are also being 

sustained to promote the services 

provided to the Omani 

citizens and impose some sort 

of supervision on the governmental 

performance with the 

objective of promoting the 

work done in this sector and 

increasing the effectiveness of 

the governmental units. 

The sublime directives of 

His Majesty the Sultan to establish 

a call centre for governmental 

services at the Secretariat 

General of the Omani 

Council of Ministers came 

as a means of supervision to 

evaluate the governmental 

performance. 

This centre is expected to 

work according to modern 

technical mechanisms as a 

step forward to enforce an effective 

system that contributes 

in promoting the governmental 

agencies in a better way 

compared with its status today. 

This could accelerate the services 

provided to the citizens 

by the governmental authorities; 

activate the self supervision 

inside these authorities in 

a better way. 

Undoubtedly, the step of 

launching a call centre — to 

work as a means of supervision 

at the Secretariat General 

of the Omani cabinet — gains 

great importance on many aspects; 

the most important of 

which is that this centre will 

contribute in imposing some 

sort of supervision on the performance 

of the government, 

evaluating the course of work 

by these authorities to achieve 

their aims and disciplines on 

one part and to develop the 

way of work inside it so as to 

cope with modern updates on 

Nizar Al Musalmy 

As a result of pursuing 

the modern ways of 

life, relations between 

men and women have 

become so confusing. 

Our elders left us with 

rules and guidelines 

on how husbands and 

wives should behave 

towards each other, 

but somehow things 

took a different turn 

man of the house, rendering 

her husband useless. Similarly, 

when a husband takes 

on his wife’s responsibilities, 

he becomes the woman of the 

house and renders her useless. 

Neither scenario gives comfort 

to an amicable situation! 

The following are boundaries 

where no husbands should dare 

cross. 

The kitchen affairs; this 

is the wife’s role, and she can 

get a helper if she finds this 

task too much, especially if 

she works during the day. But 

as much as possible avoid it. 

Never allow a scene where you 

are found busy washing dishes 

in the kitchen while the wife 

sits on the sofa with nothing in 

her hands except a newspaper 

and a bar of chocolate. I cannot 

imagine a wife shouting across 

at her husband in the kitchen 

another part. 

The creation of a channel 

that has a clear mechanism in 

evaluating the performance at 

the Council of Ministers indicates 

the achievement rates 

and its nature at the ministries 

and governmental authorities 

precisely. It shall explain deficiencies 

at the governmental 

apparatuses and rectify them. 

Furthermore, this centre will 

increase the productivity of 

the governmental sector in a 

better way compared with its 

status currently. 

One of the most important 

aspects with regard to the establishment 

of this centre is 

that it will undertake the task 

of receiving opinions coming 

from different sections and 

sectors of the community regarding 

the services provided 

wondering how long it takes 

him to prepare those chapattis 

for dinner. So always leave this 

activity to her. If some cooking 

at home starts to taste like herbal 

leaves, tell her in an assertive 

manner. Be clear in your needs 

and express them respectfully. 

Never allow your wife to 

pay for any bills at home — 

water, electricity, telephone, 

mortgage, school fees, medical 

bills, groceries, credit payments, 

etc. All these should be 

funded from your pocket. Never 

wash your clothes, including 

your inner wears. 

Many women draw a line 

where washing their husband’s 

wear is concerned, and they 

have their own reasons but you 

should learn to leave this job to 

them. 

Never make the bed. When 

you require taking a nap, and 

the bed is still not made, you 

should let your wife know and 

she should do the needful. Another 

‘don’t’ for you is not to 

allow your wife to drive when 

you are around, or let her take 

the car to the garage. That’s 

your job. 

Arranging or selecting the 

wardrobe — that’s your wife’s 

job. She plays a bigger role in 

determining what you should 

wear where and when. Believe 

me; she knows where everything 

of yours is. So don’t cross 

her boundaries. Do not forget 

important dates. Occasions 

especially birthdays and anniversaries 

are very important to 

women. 

Forget it and you’re doomed. 

I know men don’t intend to hurt 

their wives by forgetting but at 

least make an effort to remember. 

If you know you’re the 

type who easily forgets then 

you definitely need a planner. 

And if you can’t avoid all 

these and you are really keen to 

keep your marriage brimming, 

with love in the loving cup, 

then remember that whenever 

you’re wrong always admit it 

and whenever you're right always 

shut up. Enjoy a happy 

marriage! 

A centre for evaluating 

governmental performance 

Ali Al Matani 

ali.matani@hotmail.com 

One of the most 

important aspects 

with regard to the 

establishment of this 

centre is that it will 

undertake the task 

of receiving opinions 

coming from different 

sections and sectors 

of the community 

regarding the 

services provided to 

the citizens by the 

governmental units 

to the citizens by the governmental 

units. It will also follow 

the actions taken to implement 

these visions with the 

respective authorities. 

It seems that the centre will 

be responsible for submitting 

a periodical report to the 

Council of Ministers about the 

extent of response by these 

authorities towards these services. 

This will pose some sort 

of pressure on the governmental 

authorities and encourage 

them to complete the dealings 

of citizens immediately, work 

with faster mechanisms and 

not to obstruct or postpone 

their transactions indefinitely. 

The role of the Secretariat 

General at the cabinet in setting 

the rules that regulate the 

management of this centre 

and the course of work inside 

it — in a way that achieves its 

objectives — could crystallise 

many mechanisms that drive 

work inside the governmental 

sector in a way that helps in 

improving the performance, 

decrease the mistakes, save 

time and efforts and improve 

the performance. 

These systems are used in 

the internationally renowned 

companies, which apply the 

Key Performance Indicators 

(KPIs). Such companies specialise 

departments and units 

that work to achieve many 

obligatory performance indicators 

annually. 

Therefore, the company 

promotes its performance. 

Consequently, this improves 

the service and increase the 

productivity inside the companies 

and institutions. On the 

contrary, sanctions are posed 

on the workers who do not 

achieve such KPIs. This is 

an internationally recognised 

system that has many gains on 

many standards and levels. 

We hope that these centres 

would be a start to develop 

the work at the governmental 

apparatus in a way that is 

commensurate with the needs 

of the next period. We also 

wish that this step will make 

the governmental authorities 

work high efficiently to 

achieve the best performance 

for the benefit of our country 

and citizens.

Issues of crushers, quarries discussed 

MUSCAT — The Majlis 

Ash’shura Of�ce yesterday 

held its regular meeting 

under the chairmanship of 

Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal al 

Maawali, Majlis Ash’shura 

Chairman. 

The Of�ce discussed the 

proposal by one of the members 

on lighting the Ibri-Hafeet 

dual carriageway, issues 

of crushers, quarries and the 

minerals extracted from them 

and the Omani female janitors 

at government schools. 

The Of�ce also discussed 

Tourism developments 

in Musandam reviewed 

MUSANDAM — Ahmed bin 

Nasser al Mehrzi, Minister of 

Tourism, and his accompanying 

delegation concluded 

their visit to Musandam Governorate 

with a meeting at 

the Governorate HQs’ with 

Sayyid Khalifa bin al Murdas 

al Busaidi, Musandam Governor, 

member of the Majlis 

Ash’shura, representative of 

the Wilayat of Khasab, representatives 

of government and 

private, security and military 

authorities and dignitaries 

from the governorate. 

During the meeting, a 

presentation was screened by 

Ahmed bin Rashid al Flaiti, 

Director of Tourism Department 

in Musandam Governorate, 

about projects that have 

contributed and will contribute 

to attracting tourists. 

The meeting also discussed 

ways of developing tourist sector 

in addition to the dif�culties 

facing those projects proposed 

for implementation during the 

next stage. — ONA 

a number of messages by citizens 

and took appropriate decisions 

towards them including 

a message on the status 

of disabled in the Sultanate 

and some proposals on housing 

and social loans, the HE 

Admission Centre, the Civil 

Service Pension Fund and a 

request to reduce electricity 

tariffs. The Of�ce approved 

minutes of the previous 

meeting and reviewed a 

follow up report of implementing 

decisions of that 

meeting. — ONA 

SEZAD delegation to 

visit Antwerp port 

MUSCAT — Yahya bin Said 

al Jabri, Chairman of the Special 

Economic Zone Authority 

at Al Duqm (SEZAD), and 

his delegation will visit the 

Belgian port of Antwerp from 

today till Friday to closely 

acquaint themselves with the 

Belgian experience in the 

management of ports. 

The visit aims to view the 

existing commercial activities 

in the port and the facilities 

and services provided by the 

port for investors. 

MUSCAT — Shaikh Khalid 

bin Omar al Marhoon, Minister 

of Civil Service, left 

here yesterday for Jordan to 

take part in the 1st Arab Civil 

Service Conference under the 

title of “Civil Service in Renewable 

Environment” which 

will be opened today. 

The two-day conference 

will discuss the changing environment 

of the civil service, 

Antwerp port is one of 

the busiest ports at the global 

level and the European level 

in particular. 

The relations between 

the Sultanate and Belgium 

is growing at economic and 

commercial levels. The Sultanate 

earlier signed a memorandum 

of understanding with 

the Consortium Antwerp Port 

to enter into negotiations on 

the concession agreement for 

the management of the port of 

Al Duqm. — ONA 

Arab civil service conference today 

the renewable role of the civil 

service, and managing the 

civil service and human resources 

affairs. 

Al Marhoon and his accompanying 

delegation were 

seen off by Dr Hammad bin 

Hamad al Ghafri, Adviser of 

the Ministry, Mut’ab al Zibn, 

Jordanian Ambassador to the 

Sultanate, and of�cials at the 

Ministry. — ONA 

5 OMAN 



Social dialogue makes headway 

MUSCAT — Manpower 

Ministry organised at Oman 

Chamber of Commerce and Industry 

(OCCI) HQs’ a seminar 

under the title “Tripartite on 

Enhancing the Legal and Institutional 

Framework for Social 

Dialogue” under the auspices 

of Dr Yahya bin Nasser al 

Khusaibi, Under-Secretary of 

the Legal Affairs Ministry. 

The two-day seminar includes 

eight working papers 

on the building of an effective 

Bursary 

raised 

MUSCAT — Dr Rawya 

bint Saud al Busaidiya, 

Minister of Higher 

Education, yesterday 

issued a ministerial 

decision raising the 

�nancial allocation 

for the students of the 

colleges of applied 

sciences to RO 90 per 

month for students 

residing 50 km or 

beyond that from the 

college and RO 45 per 

month throughout the 

year for student residing 

less than 50 km from the 

College. 

RO 45 per month 

throughout the year 

will be disbursed to 

female students residing 

50 km or beyond from 

the college in case 

they are provided with 

campus accommodation 

or RO 90 per month 

for accommodation 

and transportation 

throughout the year 

in case internal 

accommodation is not 

available or in case they 

desire not to live on 

campus. — ONA 

legal and institutional framework 

for social dialogue in 

Oman, the achievements made 

and challenges ahead, the social 

dialogue concepts and the 

international experiences in 

the �eld of social dialogue. 

Al Khusaibi hailed the 

role played by the Manpower 

Ministry and the Sultanate’s 

Trade Union in enhancing social 

dialogue and added that 

the Sultanate has made much 

headway in this �eld. 

The seminar aims at introducing 

the basic conventions 

(Cs) namely C87 Freedom of 

Association and Protection of 

the Right to Organize, C98 

Right to Organize and Collective 

Bargaining Convention 

and C144 Tripartite Consultation. 

The seminar also aimed at 

introducing the best practices 

in the �eld of social dialogue 

in other countries and enabling 

participants to identify legal 

loopholes and address them. 

Oman’s new Labour Law, 

which came into effect at the 

end of last month, meets many 

demands made by workers in 

private sector establishments. 

The Article 28 of the law 

stipulates that an establishment 

which employs 15 workers or 

more must display the Labour 

Law and amendments to it “in 

a conspicuous place” on their 

premises. so that their workers 

were fully aware of their rights 

and obligations.— ONA

A CEREMONY was held in Brussels yesterday to mark the opening of new premises of the Embassy of the Sultanate 

in Belgium. The event was attended by Dedier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Belgium. 

Diplomatic ties were established in 1978 and the �rst Oman embassy building in Brussels was opened in 2006. — ONA 

Two Omani schools win awards 

By A Staff Reporter 

MUSCAT — Under the 

auspices of Dr Humood bin 

Khalfan al Harthi, Under- 

Secretary of the Ministry of 

Education for Education and 

Curricula, the British Council 

celebrated the second 

International School Award 

and Big Science Challenge, 

an initiative organised by the 

British Council with support 

from Rolls-Royce, the global 

power systems company. 

The event, held at the 

City Seasons Hotel, attracted 

the teachers, supervisors, 

students and parents of the 

winning school. 

The ceremony also recognised 

the efforts of the Connecting 

Classroom teachers 

from Cohort 2 and Cohort 3 

who partnered with schools 

in the UK. 

The event began with 

a presentation by students 

from Ka’ab bin Zaid School, 

winner of the Connecting 

Classroom Big Science 

Challenge, which had devel- 

GENEVA — One Window 

System at the Commerce and 

Industry Ministry won the 

Information Society Summit 

Award in the Electronic Businesses 

Award. 

The selection came during 

the Sultanate’s participation 

at the World Summit on 

Information Society (WSIS) 

which kicked-off in Geneva 

yesterday. 

The Sultanate’s delegation 

to the WSIS is led by Dr Salim 

bin Sultan al Ruzaiqi, CEO of 

the Information Technology 

Authority, and comprised representatives 

of the Education, 

Health, Commerce and Industry 

ministries, besides Telecommunications 

Regulatory 

Authority (TRA) and Muscat 

oped a modern water distillation 

device. 

The winning team travelled 

earlier to London for 

a week-long programme 

of cultural exchange and 

educational activities. Dr Al 

Harthi later toured the Big 

Science Challenge student 

exhibition and spoke to the 

students about their projects 

that aim at solving water 

problems. 

Municipality. 

Yahya bin Salim al 

Wahaibi, Sultanate’s per- 

“Connecting Classrooms 

(CC) has actively raised the 

awareness of teachers and 

students on the importance 

of implementing international 

dimensions in their school 

activities. 

“I believe CC increased 

the pro�le of activities already 

taking place, giving 

them a higher status and 

encouraging students to become 

global citizen. The 

manent delegate to UN, and 

Other International Organizations 

in Geneva said the award 

International School Award 

(ISA) encourages teachers 

to document many activities 

that they are doing to 

get the recognition that is 

valued so highly by schools 

from around the world,” said 

Lamha al Habsi, Projects 

Manager at the British 

Council. 

Paul Doubleday, British 

Council Director said: “I 

am very excited about the 

relationship that has built 

between Oman and United 

Kingdom through Connecting 

Classroom projects that 

has been running for �ve 

years in Oman. 

“The rich range of work 

the schools are doing to support 

and encourage global 

citizens with a greater understanding 

of the world around 

them is truly fantastic.” 

The schools in Oman that 

have been awarded the prestigious 

International School 

Award are Bader al Kubra in 

Al Batinah South and Zainab 

bint Abi Sufyan in Muscat 

Governorate. 

One Window System wins recognition 

at world Information Society Summit 

comes as recognition of the 

Sultanate’s efforts and re�ects 

the success made in the �eld 

of ITC. 

On her part Manal al Abdwaniyah, 

Director-General 

of Planning and Follow-up at 

the Commerce and Industry 

Ministry, said that winning 

this award comes in recognition 

of this project’s contribution 

to the growth of the national 

economy. 

She added that the system 

simpli�es the procedures for 

businessmen and cut short the 

document cycle through use 

of modern technologies. 

She pointed out that the 

system now has more than 

60 e-services for the different 

economic sectors. — ONA 

Families of drug addicts plea for help 

� From page 1 

Although con�dentiality 

is maintained and the addicts 

who wish to go for remedy 

and rehabilitation are spared 

legal action, the lives of their 

families have been turned into 

nightmares. 

The question is “Where is 

the promised capital punish- 

ment against drug traf�ckers 

who damage the lives of these 

young people and their families?” 

The Sultanate devised a 

national drug control strategy 

aimed to diminish the impact 

of narcotics. Among the procedures 

is Royal Decree No 

17/99 which promulgates the 

Law on Narcotics, a 72 arti- 

cle statute which includes the 

establishment of the National 

Committee for Controlling 

Narcotics and Psychotropic 

Substances. 

The Health Minister’s 

Decision No 82/2000 which 

comes in implementation of 

the Royal Decree and in support 

of the work of the drug 

control panel. A medical team 

has been formed to deal with 

addicts in Ibn Sina Hospital. 

Despite all of these steps, 

the addicts being held in prisons 

plead for quick solutions 

to their dilemmas 12 years 

now since the National Committee 

for Drugs. 

Some of them reach such a 

point of despair that they take 

overdose to end their lives. 

6 OMAN 



WTO to devise HRD strategy 

for Oman tourism sector 

MUSCAT — The Tourism 

Ministry organised at Oman 

Tourism College a workshop 

on the needs of the tourism 

sector entitled “Human resources 

needed by Tourism 

Sector and the Operational 

Plan Until 2015” under the 

auspices of Maitha bint Saif 

al Mahrooqiyah, Tourism 

Ministry Under-Secretary. 

Al Mahrooqiyah explained 

that the tourism sector in the 

Sultanate contributes around 

3 per cent of GDP and is 

expected to contribute to 

AL RUSTAQ — Shaikh Hilal 

bin Said al Hajri, Governor of 

the Al Batinah Governorate, 

met with Hussein bin Ali al 

Hilali, Attorney-General during 

his visits to the Public 

Prosecution Directorate at the 

governorate. 

They discussed co-opera- 

Paper highlights emerging 

trends in HEIs in Oman 

By Kaushalendra Singh 

SALALAH — Over the last 

few decades Oman has experienced 

a huge change in 

the education sector in terms 

of reforms, curriculum, and 

teaching-learning processes 

and students concerns. It is 

the result of the great vision 

of the leader, with which the 

Sultanate has been at the forefront 

not just for the economic 

growth but also for human resource 

development. 

This was stated in a joint 

paper presented by two faculty 

members of Salalah College 

of Applied Sciences at the recently 

concluded International 

Conference on New Trends in 

Education and their Implications, 

which was held in Antalya, 

Turkey. 

Dr Neeta Baporikar of International 

Business Administration 

(IBA) and Vandana 

Jyotirmayee of Communication 

Studies highlighted many 

positive trends being initiated 

by the Sultanate in the recent 

past. 

“The new trends include focus 

on updating and developing 

the academic institutions 

so that they can be at par with 

providing numerous employment 

opportunities for Omani 

youths, indicating that the 

Ministry has commissioned 

the World Tourism Organisation 

to prepare a study and an 

operational plan for human 

resources development in the 

tourism sector in Oman until 

2015. 

She added that the Tourism 

Ministry was keen on 

supporting the study group 

with competent Omani cadres 

of expertise in training 

and education tourism, ex- 

tion �elds between the Public 

Prosecution and the other respective 

establishments and 

eliminating any dif�culties. 

The Attorney-General visited 

the Directorate-General of 

Public Prosecution in the South 

Al Batinah Governorate and 

discussed with them means of 

established institutions so as 

to attract large number of students 

for enrolment.” 

The country’s education 

policy intends to offer the 

Omani youth the opportunity 

not only to acquire the academic 

and professional skills, 

but also to have a capacity for 

original thoughts to study thoroughly 

with deep concern for 

their country’s civilisation with 

its great historical heritage. 

According to them, “the 

past few years have shown that 

the Gulf countries have taken 

bold steps in terms of bringing 

in internationalisation by 

letting the foreign universities 

establish their campuses for 

the local students.” 

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and 

UAE are some of the examples 

plaining that the operational 

plan for the study has identi- 

�ed a road map to address the 

challenges facing the plans 

of training, and Omanisation 

programmes in this sector. 

The Tourism Ministry 

Under-Secretary explained 

that the success of the proposed 

operational plan requires 

from the specialised 

government authorities to 

develop programmes to raise 

awareness among youth of 

Oman to publicise career 

opportunities offered by 

promoting work procedures. 

He also visited Shaikh 

Nasser bin Salim al Jabri, 

Chairman of the Court of Appeals 

in Al Rustaq, Shaikh 

Abdullah bin Ahmed al Nofali, 

Chairman of the Primary 

Court in Al Rustaq and discussed 

with them means of en- 

of doing this successfully in 

the Gulf region. 

The paper sought a balance 

between catering to the local 

needs and maintaining the 

standards and expectations on 

the international levels as “it 

is dif�cult to decide between 

the importance of traditional 

societal mission of education 

and the commercialisation of 

education.” 

The paper termed the recent 

trends in the higher education 

sector as “an academic revolution 

in the past half century 

which is marked by unprecedented 

transformations in its 

scope and diversity.” 

The paper states that it is 

not an easy task for any country, 

institution or individuals to 

take up the challenges of edu- 

the tourism sector. 

It also requires the development 

of the level of 

tourism education and training 

with the aim of raising 

the quality of the output of 

educational institutions and 

training, stressing that the 

Tourism Ministry, in co-ordination 

with the Manpower 

Ministry will submit the recommendations 

of the study 

and the workshop to the appropriate 

authorities of the 

Government for approval and 

implementation. — ONA 

Judicial co-ordination discussed 

hancing judicial coordination. 

He also met with Col 

Mohsen bin Ahmed al Abri, 

Commander of South Al 

Batinah Governorate Police, 

and discussed means of enhancing 

coordination between 

the governorate and the police 

command at the governorate. 

cation. “Arguably, the developments 

of the recent past are at 

least as dramatic as those in the 

19th century when the research 

university evolved, �rst in Germany 

and then elsewhere and 

fundamentally redesigned the 

nature of the university worldwide.” 

The paper examined the 

changes that took place since 

1990’s in the Sultanate. It also 

examined the main engines of 

change and their impact on 

higher education. 

And the main engines for 

change have been identi�ed 

in the forms of greater social 

mobility for a growing segment 

of the population; new 

patterns of funding higher education, 

increasingly diversi�ed 

higher education systems, generally 

an overall lowering of 

academic standards, and other 

tendencies. 

The paper �nds new trends 

in the areas of globalisation, 

technical and information literacy, 

enrolment retention and 

branding. 

The trends are seen also in 

the �elds of evolution of teaching 

and learning, pedagogical 

centres and innovative campus 

and edutainment.

HEAVY snowfall in the Bosnian capital yesterday. — Reuters 

Merkel: ‘Painful’ vote defeat 

won’t affect Europe policy 

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela 

Merkel acknowledged yesterday that her 

party’s heavy loss in a key regional vote 

was a “bitter, painful defeat”, but stressed 

it had no bearing on her belt-tightening 

policy in Europe. 

“The work in Europe is not affected” 

by the historic defeat suffered by her 

Christian Democrats (CDU) in Sunday’s 

snap election in Germany’s most 

populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia 

(NRW), Merkel told a news conference. 

And she insisted that she saw “no conflict 

between solid budgetary policy and 

growth” after some questioned whether 

the crushing poll result was down to Merkel’s 

tough stance on austerity. 

“Nobody on our side has anything 

against growth but the question is what 

it means for budgetary policy,” Merkel 

said. 

The vote saw Merkel’s CDU score 

its worst ever result in NRW of 26.3 per 

cent compared with 39.1 per cent for the 

main Social Democratic Party (SPD) opposition, 

according to official preliminary 

results. 

Merkel underscored the vote had been 

regional. “People knew that it was a regional 

legislative election and I was not 

up for election,” she said. 

But the defeat marks a setback for 

Merkel, 16 months ahead of general elections 

in which she will seek a third term at 

the helm of Europe’s top economy during 

a time of financial turmoil. 

Today, she will host France’s incoming 

president Francois Hollande after his 

inauguration. 

Their first meeting will likely be dominated 

by clear differences on the eurozone 

crisis with Merkel insisting on debt 

reduction and the new French leader calling 

for spending to boost growth. 

The SPD has echoed calls by Hollande 

to place more emphasis on growth in the 

fiscal pact, a German-inspired accord, 

hammered out in March and signed by 25 

of the 27 EU members for tighter budgetary 

rigour. 

Merkel, who needs a two-thirds majority 

in parliament to ratify the fiscal 

pact and will therefore require opposition 

support, also said she would hold discussions 

on it with opposition parties after 

next week’s informal EU summit. 

“We will speak to each other and we 

will see what the mutual expectations 

are,” she told reporters. — AFP 

7 EUROPE 



Snow hits 

Sarajevo 

SARAJEVO — The 

Bosnian capital and 

its surroundings were 

covered by snow 

yesterday, the first time 

in half a century snow 

has settled in Sarajevo 

at this time of year, as 

temperatures plunged to 

just above freezing. 

“The snow was 9 cm high at 

0500 GMT. It is the first 

time in the past 50 years 

that we have snow that 

remained in Sarajevo 

in May,” Dzenan 

Zulum of the national 

meteorological institute 

said. 

Zulum said snow had 

previously covered the 

capital in May in 1962 

and 1953, adding that 

it also fell in Sarajevo 

in May 2005, but 

immediately melted. 

Temperatures have 

plummeted in the 

past two days from 

28 degrees Celsius on 

Saturday to 0.3 degrees 

Celsius yesterday. 

Farmers have reported 

that many orchards had 

been damaged by the 

unseasonal cold snap, as 

snow also fell in central 

and eastern parts. 

However forecasts for the 

next few days predict 

temperatures soaring 

back above 20 degrees 

Celsius. Like much of 

Europe, Bosnia suffered 

a harsh winter, with 

snowfalls up to 2 metres 

high. — AFP 

EU decides to ‘wait-and-see’ 

on Ukraine football boycott 

BRUSSELS — The European 

Union failed to agree yesterday 

on whether to call a political 

boycott of the Ukraine 

half of the Euro 2012 football 

championships as Kiev demanded 

Brussels listen to its 

point of view. 

“We are not at a stage to 

make a decision on attendance 

but will follow developments 

carefully,” said EU foreign 

policy chief Catherine Ashton 

after what one EU source described 

as “long and heated” 

talks between the bloc’s 27 

foreign ministers. 

“I will listen to news the 

prime minister will bring tomorrow,” 

she added, referring 

to diplomatically sensitive 

talks today between Prime 

Minister Mykola Azarov and 

EU officials. 

With anger running high 

across Europe over the treatment 

of Yulia Tymoshenko, 

the jailed opposition leader 

and former premier, neither 

EU president Herman van 

Rompuy nor European Commission 

chief Jose Manuel 

Barroso is expected to meet 

Azarov. 

Tymoshenko was jailed 

for seven years in October 

on charges of abuse of power 

while in office, after a trial 

that was bitterly criticised by 

the West as appearing politically 

motivated. 

Ukraine had hoped to 

make the Euro the perfect 

shop window for the country, 

but despite prodding from cohost 

Poland, Barroso and Van 

UKRAINE’S national 

football coach Oleg 

Blokhin reacts during a 

news conference in Kiev 

yesterday. — Reuters 

Rompuy have both said they 

will snub the Ukraine half of 

the June event. 

German Chancellor Angela 

Merkel and others have threatened 

to do the same. 

But amid fears of Ukraine 

turning east to Russia, the 

mood was cautious in Brussels 

though Ashton denied 

divisions and said there had 

been agreement about “not 

taking decisions before you 

need to.” 

Meanwhile President 

Viktor Yanukovych said: “We 

will not allow this to happen. 

We are doing everything so 

that such situations are not repeated.” 

Asked at a news conference 

exactly what the EU 

expected of Ukraine before 

pressing ahead with talks to 

sign a partnership deal, Ashton 

said, “That justice is done 

and is seen to be done.” 

The EU wanted to connect 

through an association deal, 

she said, “but we cannot move 

forward if Ukraine doesn’t 

move forward.” 

Swedish Foreign Minister 

Carl Bildt said Ukraine elections 

later this year would 

show Europe whether Kiev 

wanted to follow co-host Poland 

in moving towards Western 

values, or whether it wanted 

to look to Belarus, a nation 

led by an authoritarian regime 

under EU sanctions. 

“I fail to see that attendance 

or non-attendance at football 

games is the main instrument 

of European policy,” he said. 

“If they want to go the 

European road there are enormous 

benefits to the society of 

Ukraine,” Bildt said. “If they 

want to take the country to 

Belarus, well, they will go to 

Belarus.” 

British Foreign Secretary 

William Hague said he personally 

did not plan to attend 

the Euro but that London was 

keeping the attendance of 

ministers “under review.” 

Dutch counterpart Uri 

Rosenthal — whose national 

team reached the final of the 

World Cup two years ago — 

maintained: “I’m not talking 

about a boycott. 

“I’m just talking about the 

Ukraine government, which 

has still time to do what is 

needed — that is, to show a 

visible improvement” in Tymoshenko’s 

well-being, he 

said. — AFP

PAKISTANI men push an injured soldier to hospital following a car bomb attack in Quetta yesterday. — AFP 

Car bombing kills two soldiers in Pakistan 

ISLAMABAD — At least two 

soldiers were killed and 10 injured 

yesterday in a car bomb 

attack in Pakistan's southwestern 

province of Balu- 

KABUL — An improvised 

bomb ripped through a bazaar 

in a remote town in northwestern 

Afghanistan yesterday, 

killing seven civilians and injuring 

eight, police said. 

The blast in Ghormach district 

in the province of Faryab 

was the latest in a string of 

chistan, police said. 

Arbab Asif Kansi, a senior 

city police officer, said that the 

bomb was hidden in a car and 

was detonated by remote con- 

deadly bombings and suicide 

attacks since insurgents 

announced the start of their 

spring offensive this month. 

A local councillor was 

among those killed by the 

remotely-detonated bomb, 

police spokesman Sayed Massoud 

Yaqoubi said. 

8 

THE PHILIPPINES/SUBCONTINENT 


trol when a military convoy 

passed by. 

"The security force was 

the target of the attack," Kansi 

said. Medical sources said five 

There was no immediate 

claim of responsibility for the 

attack. 

Insurgency has expanded 

to most of the country from 

traditional strongholds in 

southern and eastern Afghanistan 

along the rugged border 

with Pakistan.— AFP 

or six vehicles were damaged 

in the blast. 

Baluchistan has been 

rocked by violence over political 

and other issues. — dpa 

Measles kills 12 children in Pakistan 

MIRANSHAH, Pakistan 

— A measles outbreak has 

killed 12 children in one 

of Pakistan's lawless tribal 

districts and is spreading 

as fighting, power cuts and 

curfews cause a vaccine 

shortage, doctors said 

yesterday. 

"For the past three weeks 

we are daily receiving five 

to 10 children suffering 

from measles," said doctor 

Mohammad Ali Shah, chief 

of the main hospital in 

Miranshah, the area's biggest 

town. He would normally see 

only one or two deaths a year 

from the disease, he said. 

But another doctor, 

Mohammad Sadiq, said 12 

children and a man had died 

from measles in the last three 

weeks, and that there were 

up to 70 confirmed cases in 

hospital. 

The UN children's agency 

Unicef said there had been 

143 measles alerts this year 

in Pakistan's seven-district, 

semi-autonomous tribal belt. 

The measles virus is highly 

contagious and can be fatal, 

but can easily be prevented by 

proper immunisation. 

However Shah said: "We 

do not have proper storage for 

measles vaccination because 

of long power outages and 

curfews and most of our stock 

expires due to these reasons." 

Poverty and poor transport 

facilities mean villagers in the 

rugged, mountainous areas 

ISLAMABAD — The Planning Commission has assured Pakistan’s 

provincial Balochistan government of its full support 

for making the Gwadar port fully functional and completing the 

road network to link it with other parts of the country. 

However, the commission’s deputy chairman Dr Nadeemul 

Haq has asked the provincial government to review the port’s 

feasibility report, keeping in view its economic viability. 

“Most development projects in the country have been 

launched without properly preparing a feasibility report,” he 

told after a meeting held in the port town yesterday. 

When during the meeting Dr Haq asked the officials concerned 

about the feasibility report and who had prepared it, they 

said they would brief the Planning Commission on the matter at 

a coming meeting to be held in Islamabad. 

The deputy chairman of the Planning Commission advised 

the provincial government to study the report and look into the 

prospects for its development in line with the progress made 

by ports in Iran and Dubai. “The provincial government should 

submit its recommendations to the centre before decisions are 

taken for making the Gwadar port operational in the near future,” 

he said, adding that the proposals would be reviewed at a 

meeting between the provincial cabinet and the prime minister 

to be held in Islamabad soon. 

He said the federal government was determined to make the 

cannot come to hospitals for 

treatment, he added, while 

military operations and unrest 

mean vaccination teams 

cannot reach them. 

"There is accumulation 

of significant number of 

unvaccinated children in 

different parts of this region 

which are revealing as 

outbreaks or alerts over time 

to time," said doctor Quamrul 

Hasan of the World Health 

Organization (WHO). 

WHO and local health 

officials are to carry out a 

supplementary campaign 

in the tribal areas aimed 

at vaccinating more than a 

million children aged under 

10 by the end of June, he said. 

Polio vaccination 

Blast kills seven in Afghanistan 

campaigns in tribal areas have 

in the past suffered because of 

rumours — sometimes spread 

by radio stations or from 

mosque loudspeakers — they 

were a Western conspiracy to 

sterilise children to reduce the 

Muslim population. 

But Unicef said work 

had been done to tackle 

misconceptions and there was 

less suspicion of the measles 

vaccine, administered by 

injection, than of the orallyadministered 

polio dose. 

Nearly 140,000 people 

died of measles worldwide 

in 2010, according to the 

World Health Organisation 

— 95 per cent in low income 

countries with poor health 

infrastructure. — AFP 

Support for Gwadar port functioning 

TALIBAN members hand over their weapons after joining the Afghan government’s 

reconciliation and reintegration programme in Herat province yesterday. — Reuters 

port fully operational in the near future, but it was necessary to 

review its economic prospects. He said it should be ensured that 

it was a viable project instead of making ambitious proposals. 

Dr Haq said the federal government would issue directives 

to the National Highway Authority (NHA) for early completion 

of the Gwadar-Turbat-Ratodero highway. 

He asked officials of the Gwadar Port Authority to explain 

why the Singapore Port Authority, which had been awarded 

contract for port operation by the Musharraf government for 40 

years, was not working there. 

The meeting was informed that the work on the highway was 

likely to be completed in a couple of months and Rs15 billion of 

the Rs18 billion estimated cost had been spent on it. 

Dr Haq said the remaining Rs3 billion would be placed at the 

disposal of the Balochistan government for release to the NHA 

after reviewing the pace of the work. 

NHA’s representative Mohammad Musa said the contractor 

and labourers were reluctant to resume work because of security 

concerns. 

Balochistan Chief Secretary Fatah Yaqoob said all security 

agencies had promised their support for security of officials 

involved in development projects. He said failure of the port 

project would impact adversely on the province’s development. 

— Internews 

Large cache 

of explosives 

found in 

Sri Lanka 

COLOMBO — The Sri 

Lankan military recovered 

the largest haul yet of explosives 

hidden by separatist 

Tamil rebels who were 

defeated three years ago, the 

Defence Ministry said yesterday. 

The cache containing 

6,550 kilograms of C4 

explosive and other materiel 

was found in Puthkudiirippu, 

320 kilimetres north-east 

of the capital on Sunday, the 

ministry said. 

The area was a scene of 

heavy fighting between government 

forces and rebels 

of the Liberation Tigers of 

Tamil Eelam (LTTE). 

Soldiers and demining 

units are searching former 

rebel zones for hidden explosives 

and weapons. More 

than 16,000 civilian war refugees 

remain in camps until 

the operations are complete. 

The government is preparing 

to mark the third anniversary 

of the end of the 

war on May 19. — dpa 


Pakistan ‘to move on’ over 

Nato supply lines: minister 

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan said yesterday 

it was time to "move on" and repair relations 

with the United States and Nato, the 

strongest sign yet that it is ready to reopen 

supply routes into Afghanistan closed for 

nearly six months. 

Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar 

(pictured) made the remarks one day 

before leaders are to discuss the blockade, 

and respond to a key demand from 

the West in time before a Nato summit in 

Chicago on May 20-21. 

Islamabad shut its Afghan border to 

Nato supplies after US air strikes killed 

24 soldiers on November 26, provoking a 

major crisis in Pakistani-US relations. 

"It was important to make a point, Pakistan 

has made a point and we now need 

to move on and go into a positive zone 

and try to conduct our relations," the foreign 

minister told a news conference. 

"We are trying to put this relationship, 

you know, in a positive zone and I 

am quite sure that we will be successful 

in doing so." 

Pakistan has made what have so far 

been futile calls for an end to US drone 

strikes on its soil and a formal apology for 

the November killings. 

Asked whether Islamabad would allow 

a resumption of Nato supplies, Information 

minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said 

MANILA — Eleven people died and 10 

were injured when a bus fell into a ravine 

in the northern Philippines, police said 

yesterday. 

Ten people were injured in the accident 

on Sunday in Bontoc town in Mountain 

Province, 270 kilometres north of Ma- 

MANILA — The Philippines and China 

will both impose fishing bans in the South 

China Sea where the two countries have 

been involved in a tense territorial standoff. 

China had announced its annual ban, 

which it says is aimed at curbing overfishing, 

and includes the waters around 

the disputed Scarborough Shoal. 

The Philippines yesterday refused to 

recognise China's measure, which runs 

from tomorrow untill August 1, as it encompasses 

waters it considers as its own. 

But Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario 

said President Benigno Aquino welcomed 

the chance to replenish fish stocks 

and that the Philippines would issue its 

own ban. 

"We do not recognise China's fishing 

ban in as much as portions of the ban encompass 

our Exclusive Economic Zone 

(EEZ)," del Rosario said in a statement. 

a decision would be made within days. 

"There are a lot of sensitivities," he 

told reporters. "How we can share things 

with you which are under discussion? 

We will share it in the next three to four 

days." 

Yesterday, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza 

Gilani briefed President Asif Ali Zardari, 

army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani 

and ministers on his visit to Britain, 

the second largest contributor to the Nato 

mission in Afghanistan. 

The presidency said the talks discussed 

"regional security" but did not refer 

explicitly to Nato. 

Pakistani and US officials spent the 

EU urges Afghan progress as it 

promises further support 

BRUSSELS — European Union 

foreign ministers called 

yesterday on Afghan authorities 

to deliver on a laundry list 

of reforms, as they pledged to 

support the country well after 

the withdrawal of international 

combat troops in 2014. 

"This commitment requires 

a reciprocal and genuine effort 

by the Afghan authorities to 

meet (their) reform obligations," 

the 27 ministers said in 

a joint statement. 

The EU wants Afghanistan 

to hold "inclusive and credible" 

elections, carry out an 

"inclusive" peace process, promote 

an "independent" civil 

society, guarantee the respect 

of human rights and improv 

the country's justice and banking 

sectors. The bloc currently 

runs a police training mission 

in Afghanistan. 

Its foreign ministers said 

that policing would continue 

to be "the key focus of EU assistance 

in the security sector." 

"Assuring the professionalism 

and quality of the Afghan police 

is a higher priority than 

funding sufficient numbers 

alone," they said. 

The EU and its member 

states funnel a total of around 

1 billion euros (1.3 billion dollars) 

in assistance to the southern 

Asian country every year. 

The ministers did not put 

a figure on the EU's future 

contribution, saying only that 

there would be a "long-term 

commitment... to support Afghanistan 

during transition 

and the decade of transformation." 

Diplomats said one reason 

why an amount would not 

immediately be named is that 

member states are currently 

involved in acrimonious negotiations 

over what the EU 

budget should be from 2014 

to 2020. It is not expected to 

be finalised before the end of 

the year. 

The future of Afghanistan 

is set to take center stage at a 

Nato summit in Chicago this 

week. — dpa 

nila, said Chief Superintendent Benjamin 

Magalong, a regional police director. 

The mini-bus, locally called a jeepney, 

stopped while ascending a steep road after 

the baggage of one passenger riding on 

the roof of the vehicle fell off, Magalong 

said. The jeepney then slid off the road 

"However, the president has decided 

that in view of the accelerated depletion 

of our marine resources, it would be advisable 

for us to issue our own fishing ban 

for a period of time to replenish our fish 

stock." 

The standoff at the Scarborough Shoal 

began when China blocked an attempt by 

the Philippines on April 8 to arrest Chinese 

fishermen who were allegedly taking 

government-protected marine species 

from the area. 

The two nations have since stationed 

non-military vessels at the shoal in an effort 

to assert their sovereignty over the 

area. 

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman 

Raul Hernandez said that no dates or 

exact areas had yet been set for the Philippine 

fishing ban. 

But he added that Philippine ships at 

the shoal, which sits about 230 kilome- 

weekend locked in talks on reaching an 

understanding to govern fees, logistics 

and other obligations should trucks again 

carry Nato supplies through Pakistan. 

The supply line negotiating team arrived 

in the country with US special envoy 

Marc Grossman, who visited in April, 

and stayed on after he left, officials said. 

Pakistan's defence committee of the 

cabinet, the country's top civilian and 

military leaders, is to meet Tuesday to 

discuss ending the blockade and repairing 

US relations. Pakistan's parliament 

has demanded an end to US drone strikes 

on Pakistani soil, but American officials 

refuse to change their stand. 

Islamabad reiterated yesterday that it 

would still like an apology for the November 

air strikes with the foreign minister 

saying it was "on the table". 

The United States has expressed regret 

for the deaths, which an American and 

Nato investigation said stemmed from 

mistakes made on both sides. 

In a further sign that tensions are easing, 

Pakistan on Sunday hosted the most 

senior talks with Nato and the Afghan 

military in nearly a year. US General John 

Allen, the Nato commander in Afghanistan, 

said he was "very encouraged" by 

the talks, which concentrated on improving 

border co-ordination. — AFP 

Summer 

fruits arrive 

ISLAMABAD — With the 

approach of the summer, the 

seasonal fruits have started 

arriving in the markets but 

the prices of these fruits are 

high. 

“There is still some time 

for mangoes and peaches to 

ripe but the rains and cold 

wind have also slowed their 

ripening,” said Rizwan Farooq, 

a dealer at the wholesale 

fruits and vegetables 

market, Islamabad. 

However, the rains making 

the nights cooler than 

what is traditionally in May, 

has helped sufficient supply 

of vegetables including reddish, 

beetroot, spinach, turnips 

etc to the markets. 

RESCUERS use a stretcher to transport a casualty after an accident at Am-amcho town in Bontoc mountain province, 

north of Manila. Eleven people were killed and 10 others injured when a minibus fell 150 metres into a ravine. 

Eleven killed in Philippine bus plunge 

and fell into the ravine, he said. 

Six of the victims died at the scene 

while the rest died while being treated 

in hospital. Rescuers pulled some bodies 

from the bottom of the ravine and rescued 

14 people, including four who escaped 

injury. — Agencies 

Manila, Beijing impose fishing bans 

tres (140 miles) from the main Philippine 

island of Luzon, would remain in the 

area. 

China, which claims almost all of the 

South China Sea, says it has imposed the 

fishing ban every year since 1999 to protect 

"maritime biological resources". 

Vietnam, which also claims part of the 

South China Sea, has complained that the 

Chinese fishing ban violates its EEZ, and 

has lodged a formal protest. 

The Philippines also said yesterday 

it will lose out on about 2,000 Chinese 

tourists a year because of the dispute after 

Chinese travel agencies suspended trips. 

Philippine Tourism Under-Secretary 

Maria Victoria Jasmin said tour groups 

booked for May had been cancelled, reportedly 

on the request of Chinese tourism 

authorities. "The effect was immediate 

but we hope it will be temporary," she 

said. — AFP

9 REGION 



PALESTINIAN children peer from behind a wall at Shati refugee camp in Gaza City yesterday. Palestinians today marks “Nakba,” or catastrophe, of 

Israel’s founding in a 1948 war, when hundreds of thousands of their brethren fled or were forced to leave their homes. — Reuters 

EU Palestinian aid projects destroyed by Israel: NGOs 

JERUSALEM — Israel demolished 

dozens of Palestinian homes, water 

cisterns and farm buildings built with 

European funds in 2011, and over 100 

such structures are at risk, aid groups 

said in a report yesterday. 

The figures, compiled by a group of 

local and international NGOs chaired 

by the UN Office for the Co-ordination 

of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 

were published just ahead of a meeting 

of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. 

The report from the Displacement 

Working Group (DWG) said Israel 

razed 62 European-funded structures 

last year, and another 110 such projects 

were at risk. 

The DWG said that affected structures 

were financed by France, the 

Netherlands, Britain, Poland, Ireland 

and the European Commission. 

France last month protested to Israel’s 

ambassador in Paris over the 

demolition of two water cisterns in the 

Hebron area in the southern West Bank, 

which were financed under a French 

agricultural co-operation project. 

OCHA says that a total of 620 structures 

in the Israeli-occupied West Bank 

were torn down in 2011, of which 62 

were European-funded. 

Of those affected, 600 were in the 

Area C zone of the occupied West 

Bank where Israel has full civilian and 

security control. Twenty of the demolitions 

were in Area B, where Israel and 

the Palestinian Authority have joint responsibility. 

The Israeli military body in charge 

of civilian aspects of life in the West 

Bank says it is obliged to issue demolition 

orders against structures erected 

without the required construction permits. 

But Willow Heske, spokeswoman 

for UK charity Oxfam, said that the 

permit government “is discriminatory 

and is in contradiction of international 

law. In our experience trying to work 

within the permit government, it can 

sometimes take up to two years... just 

to get a denial,” she said. 

“We see that settlers are getting zoning 

and building permission in these 

areas with no trouble, this is obviously 

discriminatory and is in contradiction 

of international law.” 

The aid groups who compiled the 

report called on the EU to take action. 

“Aid from the international community, 

including European governments, 

is wasted when aid-funded projects are 

demolished,” Oxfam’s country director 

SUDANESE wait at the airport in Khartoum before taking a plane home to the South’s capital Juba as an 

airlift of up to 15,000 South Sudanese began yesterday. — AFP 

South Sudanese airlifted from 

Khartoum return home 

JUBA — The first batch of up to 15,000 

South Sudanese to be airlifted from Khartoum 

was welcomed in their homeland 

yesterday, after they were ordered to leave 

Sudan for the newly independent South. 

The first plane, chartered by the International 

Organisation for Migration 

(IOM), landed in the South’s capital Juba 

carrying 164 South Sudanese. 

“We are very happy... the citizens have 

arrived safely,” said Joseph Lual Acuil, 

the South’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, 

who was among officials waiting at 

Juba airport as the returnees arrived. 

They are among a group of 12,000- 

15,000 South Sudanese who are waiting 

to leave the crowded Kosti transit camp 

south of Khartoum. 

Kosti became home to the biggest 

single concentration of South Sudanese 

awaiting transport, and many have been 

living there in makeshift shelters or barnlike 

buildings, waiting several months to 

travel South. 

Sudan’s authorities declared the migrants 

a security threat and initially gave 

them a May 5 deadline to leave, sparking 

concern from the United Nations and the 

IOM, which has already helped thousands 

of South Sudanese to head home. 

Officials extended the deadline to May 

20 but then told the IOM to disregard the 

time limit after plans for the airlift were 

devised. 

Sisto Caesar, from the South’s Eastern 

Equatoria state, arrived in Juba with his 

five children, some of whom were born 

during the 14 years he spent in Khartoum, 

where he fled during Sudan’s 1983-2005 

civil war. 

“Life was not bad, but recently things 

started becoming hard,” Caesar said. “I 

have arrived home, and I am very happy.” 

The returnees will stay initially in a 

camp in Juba before later travelling on to 

the villages they came from originally. 

Vincent Houver, head of IOM in South 

Sudan, said two flights were scheduled 

yesterday, with flights later increasing to 

up to eight a day. 

“They will be returning gradually over 

the next two weeks,” Houver said. 

Over 376,000 ethnic Southerners — 

many of whom have spent decades in the 

north — have returned to the South since 

October 2010. 

However, up to 500,000 remain in the 

north, despite the passing of a six-month 

grace period for them to either formalise 

their status or leave Sudan, after the 

South separated and became independent 

in July 2011 following a two-decade-long 

conflict. 

An estimated two million people died 

in the war, one of Africa’s longest, and 

drove many more to the north. 

Recent border clashes between the armies 

— the most serious violence since 

Juba’s independence — prompted international 

fears of a return to full-blown 

conflict. 

However, fighting has since calmed 

on the disputed frontier, and Khartoum 

and Juba are due to restart stalled talks 

this week to comply with a United Nations 

Security Council resolution. 

Sudan will withdraw its troops from 

the Abyei area which it seized a year ago 

only after a joint administrative body is 

established, the foreign ministry said on 

Sunday. 

The comment followed a call by UN 

leader Ban Ki-Moon late on Saturday 

for Sudan to move its troops out of the 

disputed territory, after rival South Sudan 

withdrew its police from the area. 

Under a May 2 UN resolution that 

seeks to end weeks of border fighting and 

resolve protracted disputes between Sudan 

and South Sudan, both countries are 

to pull their forces out of Abyei by tomorrow. 

— AFP 

Nishant Pandey said in a statement accompanying 

the data. 

“European governments can ensure 

that their citizens’ money is going for 

good by calling on the government 

of Israel to end the demolition of aid 

projects and civilian infrastructure in 

Area C,” Pandey said. 

CIDSE, an international alliance of 

Catholic development agencies, said 

EU donors should get tough. 

“The EU must take a stand on ensuring 

respect for international humanitarian 

law, so that Palestinians 

can develop their communities,” the 

organisation’s Deborah Casalin said in 

the joint statement. 

“Member states should systematically 

monitor and report any impediments 

to aid delivery, and demand reparation.” 

— AFP 

Battles rage 

in Zinjibar 

ADEN — Battles raged yesterday 

in Yemen’s southern 

city of Zinjibar as the army 

intensified its drive to crush 

Al Qaeda militants, with 

tribal sources reporting 37 

jihadists killed in two days 

of fighting. 

A government official 

said meanwhile that suspected 

Al Qaeda fighters blew up 

a gas pipeline in southeast 

Yemen late on Sunday, in retaliation. 

“We can hear from 

Aden the sound of shelling 

in Zinjibar,” said a resident 

in Yemen’s main southern 

city, which is about a 30minute 

drive from Abyan’s 

restive provincial capital. 

A tribal source coming 

from the city said that 

21 jihadists had been killed 

since Sunday. Another tribal 

source said 10 militants 

were killed in an air raid on 

Al Qaeda hideouts in the 

coastal Shaqra area yesterday. 

— AFP 

6 die in Iraq 

bombings 

FALLUJAH, Iraq — Six 

people were killed in attacks 

in central and northern Iraq 

yesterday, including five 

who died in a spate of bombings 

in the former insurgent 

bastion of Fallujah, officials 

said. 

In Fallujah, just west of 

Baghdad, three bomb attacks 

in close succession killed 

five people and wounded 18 

others. 

An initial car bomb detonated 

in the centre of the 

city, killing five people and 

wounding eight, Anbar provincial 

police spokesman 

First Lieutenant Ali al Amiri 

and doctor Omar Dalli from 

Fallujah hospital said. 

Two more attacks — a 

motorcycle bomb and a roadside 

bomb — in the east and 

west of the city respectively 

wounded 10 more people, 

including two traffic policemen, 

the officials said. 

Explosives experts defused 

one more car bomb 

and two roadside bombs. 

Fallujah is in the western 

Anbar province. — AFP 

Syrian opposition 

snubs Arab talks 

AMMAN — Syrian dissidents 

killed 23 government soldiers 

yesterday, activists said, and 

efforts to find a viable political 

alternative to Bashar al Assad 

faltered when an opposition 

group said it would boycott 

Arab-backed talks to unite its 

splintered ranks. 

The latest bloodshed centred 

in the town of Rastan, 

where opposition sources said 

government forces killed nine 

other people, further unravelling 

a month-old UN ceasefire 

pact that is being overseen by 

international monitors. 

Rastan, 180 km north of 

Damascus, has slipped in and 

out of government control 

during a 14-month-old uprising 

in which peaceful protest 

has given way to a sectariantinged 

insurgency that answers 

Assad’s violent bid 

to crush unrest. Opposition 

activists said the 23 soldiers 

were killed during clashes 

at dawn that followed heavy 

army shelling of Rastan. 

“Shells and rockets have 

been hitting the town since 3 

am at a rate of one a minute. 

Rastan has been destroyed,” a 

member of the dissident Free 

Syrian Army in Rastan who 

declined to be named said. 

He said that among those 

killed was Ahmad Ayoub, an 

FSA commander whose fighters 

were battling army forces 

he said were comprised of 

elite units and members of 

Military Intelligence. 

The Britain-based Syrian 

Observatory for Human Rights 

said dissidents destroyed three 

armoured personnel carriers 

and seized two others, capturing 

around 15 soldiers. 

The Syrian official news 

agency Sana said Abdelaziz al 

Hafl, a tribal notable in the oilproducing 

province of Deir al 

Zor, was assassinated yesterday 

along with his son. 

Opposition sources said 

Hafl was the 17th pro-government 

figure slain in the eastern 

province in recent months. 

A member of Hafl’s tribe 

said he had been repeatedly 

warned by insurgents to stop 

co-operating with the secret 

police, “but he did not heed 

the warnings and was bumped 

off today”. 

There was no independent 

confirmation of any of the 

reports of fighting and killing 

from inside Syria, which has 

severely limited media access 

over the course of the uprising. 

The exile group that claims 

the right to speak for the political 

opposition to Assad, 

the Syrian National Council 

(SNC), said it would not join 

Arab League-brokered talks 

set for tomorrow and Thursday 

aimed at healing its divisions. 

“The SNC will not be going 

to the meeting in Cairo 

because it (the Arab League) 

has not invited the group as an 

official body but as individual 

members,” Ahmed Ramadan 

said in Rome, where the group 

is trying to decide its leadership. 

Political jockeying within 

the SNC has prevented it 

from gaining full international 

recognition as the sole representative 

of the anti-Assad 

movement. Executive members 

said they may choose a 

new president or restructure 

the council in a bid to garner 

broader support. 

Deputy Foreign Minister 

Gennady Gatilov defended 

Russia’s weapons deliveries 

to Syria in the face of Western 

criticism, saying government 

forces need to defend them- 

IAEA presses Iran 

ahead of N-talks 

VIENNA — The UN nuclear agency pressed Iran for greater 

co-operation yesterday in their first meeting since a “failed” 

visit in February, with world powers watching closely ahead 

of their Baghdad talks next week. 

“We are here to continue our dialogue with Iran in a positive 

spirit,” International Atomic Energy Agency chief inspector 

Hermann Nackaerts said as he went into two days of talks 

with Iran’s envoy, Ali Asghar Soltanieh. 

“It is important now that we can engage on the substance 

of these issues and that Iran let us have access to people, documents, 

information and sites,” he told reporters outside Iran’s 

embassy in Vienna. 

In particular Nackaerts wants Iran to address claims made 

in an extensive IAEA report in November that at least until 

2003, and possibly since, there were activities which could 

only conceivably be aimed at developing the bomb. 

He also wants access to the Parchin military base near 

Tehran where the IAEA report — which cited foreign intelligence, 

its own sources and Iranian information — said Iran 

had conducted explosives tests in a metal container. 

In two visits to Tehran in January and February, branded a 

“failure” by Washington, the IAEA said Iran denied Nackaerts 

access to the site and dismissed out of hand the claims made in 

the report as based on forgeries. 

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said recently that access to 

Parchin was a “priority” and said in March that “activities” 

spotted by satellite there “makes us believe that going there 

sooner is better than later.” — AFP 

TRIPOLI — A candidate for 

Libya’s national elections 

was killed in the desert south 

shortly after submitting his 

registration, security sources 

said, highlighting the North 

African country’s volatility a 

month before the polls. 

Khaled Abu Saleh had registered 

as a candidate for the 

national assembly elections 

in the town of Obari around 

midday on Sunday and was 

travelling back home when his 

car was targeted by an armed 

group, a security source said. 

“We believe it was a criminal 

gang, an investigation is 

under way,” the source said. 

“He was travelling alone by 

car.” 

The election, set to take 

place on June 19, will be a 

novelty for Libyans as it will 

be the first since the fall in 

a popular uprising last year 

of Muammar Gaddafi, who 

banned the ballot box during 

his 42-year iron-fisted rule. 

The vote will play a central 

role in allocating power 

among competing regions and 

tribes and pave the way for 

a new constitution, although 

shaky security has raised concern 

for the viability of the 

election. 

The interim government 

is struggling to assert its authority 

over dozens of militias 

who take orders only from 

their commanders and refuse 

to disarm. 

Last week, one person 

was killed and several injured 

when militiamen protesting 

outside the prime minister’s 

office started shooting. 

In the assembly, 80 of the 

200 seats will go to political 

parties and the rest to independent 

candidates. 

More than 1.5 million Libyans 

have registered to vote so 

far, according to the national 

electoral commission. It estimates 

a total 3.4 million potential 

voters out of a population 

of 6 million people. 

Meanwhile, Nato’s bombing 

campaign in Libya left 

72 civilians dead last year, a 

selves against dissidents receiving 

arms from abroad. 

In Brussels, the European 

Union said in a statement 

that it had extended sanctions 

against Syria, freezing the assets 

of two companies it said 

gave financial support to the 

Syrian government, and imposing 

travel bans on three 

people. 

But Western powers have 

shown no appetite to repeat 

the military intervention that 

helped Libyan dissidents topple 

Muammar Gaddafi last 

year, and Moscow says arming 

Assad’s opponents would 

only lead to years of inconclusive 

bloodletting. 

UN Secretary-General Ban 

Ki-Moon said last week there 

was only a narrow window 

of opportunity to avert fullscale 

civil war in Syria, which 

straddles a crossroads of Middle 

East conflict bordering 

Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Iraq 

and Lebanon. 

Syria’s 23-million population 

comprises a mix of sects 

and ethnic groups whose tensions 

resonate in neighbouring 

countries. 

Those tensions have flared 

in the last two days in the 

Lebanese port city of Tripoli, 

where medical sources said 

yesterday that running battles 

between supporters of 

the government and dissident 

fighters left two dead and 20 

wounded. 

Tension in Tripoli had been 

on the rise since last week 

when those sympathetic to 

Syria’s dissidents and at times 

supporting them logistically 

held a sit-in to protest the arrest 

of a man who Lebanese 

authorities said had been in 

contact with an unnamed “terrorist 

organisation”. 

— Reuters 

‘Hunger strike 

deal reached’ 

GAZA — Egypt has brokered 

a deal aimed at ending 

a hunger strike by 1,600 Palestinian 

prisoners in Israeli 

jails, a Palestinian source 

close to the negotiations said 

yesterday. 

“Egypt has concluded a 

deal to resolve the prisoner 

crisis that included Israel’s 

acceptance of prisoners’ demands 

in exchange for ending 

the hunger strike,” said 

the Palestinian source who is 

close to the talks in Cairo. 

Asked about news of 

the deal, an Israeli Prisons 

Service spokeswoman said: 

“The strike is still on ... we 

are not commenting on the 

process.” 

Egyptian mediators have 

been meeting Palestinian officials 

negotiating on behalf 

of the hunger strikers, and 

the source said an official 

announcement would be 

made after prisoners sign off 

on the deal. — Reuters 

Libya election candidate 

killed in remote south 

leading human rights group 

said yesterday, accusing the 

military alliance of failing to 

acknowledge the deaths. 

In a 76-page report, Human 

Rights Watch (HRW) urged 

Nato to provide “prompt and 

suitable compensation” to 

families for the civilian deaths, 

injuries and loss of property. 

HRW’s field investigation 

at the sites of eight Nato air 

strikes found that 20 women 

and 24 children were among 

the 72 people killed. 

“To date, Nato has failed 

to acknowledge these casualties 

or to examine how and 

why they occurred,” the New 

York-based group said in the 

report. 

HRW reported a higher 

death toll than an investigation 

conducted by Amnesty International, 

which said in March 

that 55 people, including 16 

children and 14 women, were 

killed in strikes in Tripoli and 

the towns of Zliten, Majer, 

Sirte and Brega. 

— Reuters/AFP

A T-SHIRT referencing the social networking site Facebook is seen on sale at a roadside stall in New Delhi yesterday. 

Facebook may be the year’s hottest stock issue — but try getting a piece of it. Small investors will �nd the 

line long and hurdles high to get even a handful of shares. — AFP 

Virtual classrooms to be 

launched in 34 ITIs 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — Kerala will introduce virtual 

classrooms in 34 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in 

the state to improve quality of education in these institutions, a 

minister said yesterday. 

“Students from weaker sections of the society frequent 

ITIs. We have decided that they also should get advantage of 

the ongoing technological revolution and the latest information 

related to their curriculum,” said state Labour Minister 

Shibu Baby John to reporters here. 

The state government has spent Rs 2.30 crore for setting up 

virtual classrooms in these ITIs, he said. 

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will on Thursday inaugurate 

the new facility at the Women’s ITI at Kozhikode. 

“Through this facility, all the 34 ITIs will get a huge value 

addition. They will get connected to the latest technological 

developments across the globe, besides have an opportunity 

to listen to lectures by experts. We will also run a special soft 

skill course using this facility,” said John, an engineer-turnedpolitician. 

A new job website will also be launched for the nearly 

47,000 ITI students in the state. 

“All job aspirants can register for free and post their 

resumes, which will be linked to the state-owned Overseas Development 

and Employment Promotion Consultants. This will 

enable the employers to hire quali�ed hands,” said John. 

Kerala in the early ’70s launched the ITIs in the country, 

bringing technical education to the doorsteps of the underprivileged. 

— IANS 

Kidnapped 

girl freed 

KOLKATA — A female college 

student who was allegedly 

kidnapped from West 

Bengal’s North 24 Parganas 

on Friday was rescued and 

her abductor arrested yesterday, 

police said. 

“We have arrested one 

person for abduction of Karishma 

Jaiswal, a third year 

student,” Barrackpore Police 

Commissioner Sanjoy 

Mukherjee said. 

Jaiswal, a student of Rishi 

Bankim Chandra College in 

Naihati in the district, some 

40 km from Kolkata, went 

missing on Friday. 

The girl’s family had �led 

a missing complaint claiming 

that they have received 

calls demanding Rs 10 lakh 

as ransom for her release. 

The police gave the girl’s 

father Rajkumar Jaiswal a 

bag of fake currency notes 

and followed him to the 

place where he had been 

asked to come and deliver 

the ransom money. 

The abductor, constantly 

in touch with Jaiswal over 

phone, asked him to change 

trains every now and then 

and �nally told him to wait 

at Bandel station in Hooghly 

district where the girl would 

be handed over to him in return 

for the money. No sooner 

did the abductor come 

to Jaiswal with the girl, the 

police surrounded him and 

rescued the girl. — IANS 

CHANDIGARH — The Planning 

Commission yesterday 

approved a Rs 14,000 crore 

annual plan (2012-13) for 

Punjab, marking an increase 

of 22 per cent over the last 

year (2011-12). 

The plan was approved at 

a meeting of Planning Commission 

Deputy Chairman 

Montek Singh Ahluwalia 

with Punjab Chief Minister 

Parkash Singh Badal in New 

Delhi, a state government 

spokesman said here. 

The spokesman said that 

the approved plan outlay in- 

NEW DELHI — The Delhi 

High Court yesterday reduced 

from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 25,000 

the surety amount to be deposited 

by former Samata Party 

chief Jaya Jaitley before visiting 

abroad. Jaitley is facing 

trial in a graft case. 

Justice Mukta Gupta, while 

allowing Jaitley’s plea seeking 

a reduction in the surety 

amount that she was told to 

deposit ahead of a visit abroad, 

said Jaitley had earlier travelled 

abroad with the surety 

amount of Rs 25,000, so there 

is no need to increase it to Rs 3 

lakh. The high court set aside 

the order of a Central Bureau 

Kerala EC wants photo-ID 

cards for local polls too 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — The Kerala State Election 

Commission (SEC) yesterday decided to request the state government 

to amend the laws and make photo-ID cards mandatory 

for the electorate in the local bodies polls. 

An of�cial attached to the state election commission said 

the panel would ask the state government to amend the Kerala 

Panchayat Raj Act and the Kerala Municipalities Act to enforce 

photo-ID rule. 

“The other change that will be made is that currently a violation 

in the model code of conduct does not have a legal backup 

and hence the violators escape from the clutches of law. It 

has been decided to make changes to this, and similar to the 

action taken in assembly and parliament elections, any violation 

(in local bodies polls) will invite initiating of legal action,” 

said the of�cial, who did not wish to be identi�ed. 

Until now, people could establish their identity and cast 

their votes in local bodies polls using ration cards, bank passbooks, 

driving licences besides the photo-ID cards issued by 

the election commission, which are used in assembly and parliament 

elections. 

Kerala has a three-tier structure for the local bodies and 

around 22,000 seats to which elections are held. 

The commission also decided to ensure that electronic voting 

machines would used in as many booths as possible. 

The state panel’s recommendations will now be forwarded 

to the state government who will put this up before the 

Kerala assembly. As and when the act is amended, it would 

become a law. — IANS 

Rs 14,000 crore annual plan 

for Punjab approved 

cluded a one-time additional 

central assistance of Rs 480 

crore for the implementation 

of priority projects especially 

in the water sector. 

Last month, the Planning 

Commission had decided to 

�x Punjab’s annual plan at 

Rs 12,800 crore. Following 

the intervention of Chief Minister 

Badal, the plan was approved 

for Rs 14,000 crore. 

On the personal request of 

the chief minister, the Planning 

Commission gave in 

principle approval to creation 

of industrial infrastructure in 

of Investigation (CBI) special 

court that had allowed Jaitley, 

linked to a purported defence 

deal, to visit Singapore from 

May 30 to June 8 to attend a 

panel discussion after furnishing 

a surety bond of Rs 3 lakh 

in the form of �xed deposit receipts 

(FDRs). 

Jaitley is facing trial for 

allegedly taking Rs 2 lakh as 

bribe in 2000 for recommending 

a �ctitious defence deal to 

the defence ministry. 

Jaitley sought reduction in 

the amount saying: “I am not 

currently in any monetarily 

gainful employment and will 

not be able to produce a surety 

the border districts and training 

youth in specialised skills, 

a cancer research centre for 

Malwa region and greater access 

to central funds in irrigation 

and rural development. 

The chief minister called 

for drastic recasting of the 

planning process in the country 

and said that the unitary 

form of governance had 

brought the country to the 

brink of an explosive situation 

in which it was badly 

af�icted by conditions of insurgency, 

and other forms of 

violence. — IANS 

Jaya Jaitley’s surety amount cut 

LABOURERS work inside a clothes dyeing factory at an industrial area 

in Mumbai yesterday. — Reuters 

of Rs 3 lakh.” Jaitley added 

that she was 65 years old and 

was dependent on her son. 

“For my day-to-day survival 

and expenses, I am dependent 

on my son who gives 

me an allowance of Rs 50,000 

every month,” she said in her 

petition. 

Even her entire savings, 

she said, would not amount to 

Rs 3 lakh. She submitted that 

earlier she had applied for and 

was duly granted permission 

to travel abroad as many as 

�ve times and on all occasions 

she deposited �xed deposit 

documents of Rs 25,000 as 

surety. — IANS 

24-hour power 

in Haryana 

CHANDIGARH — Onefourths 

of Gurgaon and Faridabad 

towns in Haryana, adjoining 

national capital New 

Delhi, will get 24-hour power 

supply, a senior of�cer 

of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli 

Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) 

said here yesterday. 

The 24-hour power will 

be given to areas based on 

low aggregate technical and 

commercial (AT&C) losses. 

DHBVN Managing Director 

Amit Aggarwal said 

that consumers connected to 

405 independent, industrial 

and urban electricity feeders 

with low AT&C losses would 

get 24-hour power supply. 

10 INDIA 



Security high in Mizoram 

AIZAWL — Security forces 

in Mizoram have stepped up 

vigil after an intelligence report 

indicated possible violence 

by the separatist out�t 

Hmar People’s Convention- 

Democrats (HPC-D) in the 

northeastern state, police said 

here yesterday. 

Deputy Inspector General 

of Police (northern range) 

Zorammawia told reporters: 

“Security forces led by superintendents 

of police have been 

conducting �ag marches in 

various parts of the mountainous 

state, bordering Myanmar 

and Bangladesh.” 

“We have asked all the police 

stations to remain vigilant 

over the prevailing situation, 

so that the tribal guerrillas do 

not create any violence or any 

kind of disturbances,” he said. 

Of�cial sources said they 

Ganga activists threaten to 

re-launch campaign 

NEW DELHI — Activists 

working for the Ganga River 

conservation yesterday threatened 

to launch a massive campaign 

from Varanasi on May 21 

if the government failed to take 

effective steps in this direction. 

Lashing out at the central 

government for “not ful�lling” 

its promises, Pramod Krishnam, 

Ganga Mukti Mahasangram’s 

convenor, told reporters here: 

“The energy ministry is playing 

into the hands of a few 

corporates, instead of thinking 

about the Ganga, which is dei- 

�ed by crores of Indians.” 

Krishnam said political parties 

talk about Ganga conservation 

at the time of elections 

only and forget their promises 

once people vote them to power. 

“For people of the country, 

the Ganga is more important 

than the government.” 

Announcing the demands of 

SRINAGAR — Most Kashmiri handicraft 

traders are honest but a few dishonest ones 

are giving everyone a bad name, Jammu and 

Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said 

yesterday. 

Speaking at an international buyer-seller 

meet here, Abdullah advised the traders to always 

ensure high quality so that buyers get the 

best of Kashmiri handicrafts. 

“We have seen days when we did not have to 

seek out buyers. The wealthiest visitors would 

come here and take suitcases full of handicrafts 

for their families and friends. 

“We have also seen days when traders 

would pack suitcases full of shawls and handicrafts, 

take the cheapest tickets and sell things 

outside the state to keep the trade alive. 

“We have also seen days when the then defence 

minister would encourage the army to 

activists, he said if the Ganga 

is our national river, it must 

get the status accorded to other 

national symbols. “If Ganga 

is of�cially our national river, 

it should have a separate act 

like the one for national �ag, 

which prevents any disrespect 

towards the �ag. Also, instead 

of the National Ganga River 

Basin Authority (NGRBA), 

chaired by the prime minister, 

a dedicated commission should 

be formed,” Krishnam said. 

“Also, the hydro-electricity 

projects planned on the tributaries 

Alaknanda and Mandakini 

should be cancelled just like 

Bhagirathi, as Ganga is formed 

by all three of them...there 

should be strict regulation on 

the waste being dumped in the 

holy river,” he demanded. 

If the government does not 

pay heed to these demands, he 

said, a countrywide campaign 

will be launched from Varanasi 

on May 21. 

Krishnam said just like 

former IIT professor G D 

Agarwal, who had observed 

a 45-day fast for conservation 

of the river, some other activists 

like Gangapremi Bhikshu, 

Krishnapriyanand and Sadhvi 

Poornamba were fasting 

in Varanasi and their health 

was steadily deteriorating. “If 

any of these activists die... the 

responsibility will rest on the 

central government and the 

government of Uttar Pradesh.” 

Speaking on the occasion, 

Magsaysay Award winner and 

National Ganga River Basin 

Authority (NGRBA) member 

Rajinder Singh accused both 

the central and Uttar Pradesh 

governments of backing out 

on promises made during 

April 17 meeting of the authority. 

— IANS 

Be honest, Kashmiri traders told 

NEW DELHI — Delhi traf�c 

police �ned 86 bikers, some 

under the in�uence of alcohol, 

for dangerous driving and performing 

stunts around India 

Gate on Sunday night, an of- 

�cial said yesterday. Twenty 

bikes were impounded. 

Joint Commissioner of Police 

(Traf�c) Satyendra Garg 

on the force’s Facebook page, 

which has over a lakh followers, 

said the drive against the 

bikers was launched following 

complaints. 

A total of “86 bikers were 

booked, 20 for dangerous 

driving, 58 for not wearing 

helmets, some for drunken 

driving, triple riding etc. 20 

had received inputs that 

HPC-D cadres could indulge 

in violence. 

The HPC-D is a militant 

out�t operating mainly in 

Mizoram and neighbouring 

Manipur. It has been demanding 

a separate Hmar Autonomous 

District Council comprising 

Hmar tribal-inhabited 

areas in the north and northeastern 

parts of Mizoram. 

The Hmar tribals live mostly 

in the mountains of south 

Manipur, parts of Mizoram, 

southern Asom and parts of 

Meghalaya and Tripura, besides 

the Chittagong Hill 

Tracts (CHT) of southeast 

Bangladesh. In 1987, the 

Hmars launched an insurgent 

movement, and signed a 

cease�re with the government 

in 1992. Around 375 cadres of 

the out�t surrendered that year 

bikes were impounded,” said 

Garg. 

“There have been reports 

of stunts and even deaths of 

bikers. Taking note of it, we 

put teams yesterday (Sunday) 

at India Gate with local police 

and PCR (police control room) 

between 10 and 2 in night,” he 

added. 

The India Gate hexagon 

with its wide roads, offers the 

perfect setting for bikers who 

perform stunts, race or drive 

recklessly. Since the area is 

also a favourite with Delhiites 

on the weekends, the dangerous 

driving poses a grave 

threat to others, the police of- 

�cer said. 

in Aizawl. 

The HPC-D was an offshoot 

of the Hmar People’s 

Convention, following discontents 

with the 1992 peace 

agreement. 

Mizoram Home Minister 

R Lalzirliana said the purpose 

of the �ag marches was to create 

con�dence and maintain 

peaceful atmosphere and mutual 

trust among the people of 

the hilly and remote areas. 

Mizoram Chief Minister 

Lal Thanhawla recently informed 

the state assembly that 

peace negotiations with the 

HPC-D had run into a deadlock 

as the Manipur-based 

rebel group insisted on including 

a US citizen in its delegation 

in the talks with the state 

government — a proposal “unacceptable” 

to the Mizoram 

government. 

buy our products... (They) were then our only 

buyers.” 

Abdullah said it was heartening to see that 

the number of buyers coming to Kashmir was 

gradually increasing. 

“I hope the trend continues. Our attitude towards 

the buyers should be such that they keep 

on coming here year after year. 

“The majority of our traders are honest but 

a few unscrupulous ones give our handicrafts a 

bad name,” he lamented. 

Abdullah said adulteration of silk and saffron 

and selling machine-made shawls after 

claiming them to be hand-made ones was a 

no-no. 

Kashmir shawls, carpets, papier mache 

products, crewel, silk, copper utensils and walnut 

wood carving products were displayed at 

tastefully decorated stalls. — IANS 

86 rogue bikers penalised 

According to Garg, another 

on 500 bikers were prosecuted 

on May 10-12 at Delhi Gate, 

Ajmeri Gate, Rajghat, Bahadur 

Shah Zafar Marg, Tilak 

Marg and India Gate — all in 

central Delhi. 

“What surprises you is that 

parents are mostly unaware 

as to what their wards are up 

to. This I call abdication of 

parental responsibility which 

is dangerous for youngsters,” 

said Garg. 

He said that only “very 

stiff �nes and totally strict 

enforcement” would ensure 

compliance with rules as the 

society was not “self-disciplined”. 

— IANS 

“We had informed the state 

government’s stand on this to 

the central government,” the 

chief minister said. 

State Home Secretary Lalmalsawma 

told reporters: 

“The HPC-D can include any 

Indian of their choice as one of 

the members in their delegation, 

but not any foreigners.” 

Lal Thanhawla also accused 

the HPC-D of violating 

a suspension of operation 

(SOO) agreement it had signed 

with the central government in 

2007. 

“According to the agreement, 

the HPC-D was supposed 

to stop all kinds of 

violent activities. Instead, the 

underground group continued 

extortion rackets and abduction 

in northeastern parts of 

Mizoram,” the Chief Minister 

added. — IANS 

Six prisoners 

attempt 

suicide 

PATNA — Six undertrials 

in a Bihar jail attempted suicide 

yesterday in response to 

alleged high handedness of 

jail authorities, police said. 

According to police, 

authorities at the Phulwari 

Sharif jail in the state capital 

had shifted some prisoners 

to different wards which 

sparked a protest among 

them on Sunday evening. 

The prisoners started 

shouting slogans against the 

transfers, forcing guards to 

use batons to contain them, 

a jail of�cial said. 

“Nearly a dozen prisoners 

were injured in the incident,” 

the of�cial said. 

To protest against 

the baton charge by jail 

authorities, the six inmates 

cut their veins using a blade 

yesterday morning, the of�cial 

added. — IANS 

WOMEN cut grass to feed their cattle in a �eld on the outskirts of Srinagar yesterday. — Reuters 

Karnataka BJP 

govt safe, 

for now 

BANGALORE — Karnataka’s 

Bharatiya Janata Party 

government is safe for now 

as former chief minister B S 

Yeddyurappa yesterday said 

he has “temporarily put off 

decision to quit the party”. 

“I had decided to quit. 

This was my decision at 12 

noon. But I am putting it off 

by a few days in view of appeal 

by party president Nitin 

Gadkari and senior leader 

Arun Jaitley and several 

religious heads and many 

BJP supporters,” he said at a 

press conference here. 

Yeddyurappa, the BJP’s 

�rst chief minister in the 

state, and indeed in the south, 

who was forced to quit over 

corruption charges on July 

31 last year, also said nine 

ministers loyal to him who 

had given their resignation 

letters to him would for now 

continue in the ministry. 

He launched a blistering 

attack on his successor 

D V Sadananda Gowda, state 

party chief K S Eshwarappa 

and party general secretary 

H N Ananth Kumar, blaming 

them for the crisis that 

threatened to bring down 

the party government in the 

state. 

Yeddyurappa said Jaitley 

had telephoned him yesterday 

urging him not to take 

any extreme step. — IANS

A LABOURER carries vegetables as a vendor waits for customers at his vegetables stall at a market in Kolkata 

yesterday. In�ation accelerated in April to 7.23 per cent as price pressures for food, fuel and 

manufactured items all picked up. — Reuters 

In�ation at 7.23 pc; food prices surge 

NEW DELHI — In�ation 

moved up to 7.23 per cent in 

April as compared to 6.89 per 

cent in the previous month, 

mainly driven by a sharp increase 

in the prices of food 

items, adding to the woes of 

policy makers as the economic 

growth remains under pressure, 

government data showed 

yesterday. 

The monthly in�ation 

based on wholesale price index 

(WPI) was 9.74 per cent 

during the corresponding 

month of previous year. 

In the monthly report, the 

commerce and industry ministry 

revised upward the February 

in�ation �gure to 7.36 per 

NEW DELHI — A grounded 

�eet, ticket cancellations and 

unused labour have cost Air 

India Rs 100 crore in the seven 

days since the pilots went on 

strike, an of�cial said yesterday 

as the struggling �agship 

carrier cancelled more international 

�ights. 

The airline scrapped 14 

international �ights on the 

seventh day of the agitation 

yesterday while its low-cost 

international wing, Air India 

Express, cancelled four �ights. 

The carrier's domestic operations 

have been in disarray. 

A company spokesman 

said about 350 pilots had reported 

sick as part of a strategy 

to press the management to accept 

their demands in a dispute 

over training. 

They are protesting against 

former Indian Airlines pilots, 

who moved to Air India when 

the two state-run companies 

merged in 2007, being trained 

for new Boeing 787 Dreamliner 

planes. 

They say the plan threatens 

NEW DELHI — Dismissing 

opposition charges that led to 

an uproar in Parliament yet 

again, the government yesterday 

denied any wrongdoing 

in granting clearance to the 

Rs 4,000 crore Aircel-Maxis 

deal in 2006, particularly the 

involvement of then Finance 

Minister P Chidambaram in 

the decision. 

Finance Minister Pranab 

Mukherjee made statements 

in both the Houses, giving details 

about dates of application 

for investment and the grant of 

�nal approval by the foreign 

investment promotion board 

(FIPB). He said there were 

two separate proposals which 

were processed in "normal 

course" without any delay. 

"There is no scope for any 

misunderstanding and misinterpretation... 

In both cases, 

there was no delay in granting 

approval," Mukherjee said. 

Chidambaram, who has 

been under attack by the oppo- 

cent as compared to 6.95 per 

cent reported earlier. 

Food in�ation surged 

into double-digit. Food in�ation 

rose to 10.49 per cent in 

April as compared to 9.94 per 

cent in the previous month as 

vegetables, pulses, milk, egg, 

meat and �sh became costlier, 

pinching the pockets of common 

people. 

Food in�ation has re-entered 

the double-digit zone after 

a gap of six months. 

Expressing concern over 

the rise in food prices, Finance 

Minister Pranab Mukherjee 

called for institutional reforms 

in agricultural marketing to 

address the problem. 

their career prospects. 

"Some international �ights 

stand cancelled today but 

a contingency plan will be 

in place shortly," Air India 

spokesman Prasad Rao said in 

New Delhi without giving further 

details. 

Flights into New Delhi 

from Paris, Riyadh, Toronto 

and Tokyo were among those 

cancelled, as were �ights from 

Mumbai to New York. 

Rao said 71 Air India pilots 

had been �red over the strike 

in a crackdown to try to force 

the others back to work during 

the country's important May- 

June tourism season. 

The state-run carrier has 

some 800 pilots on its payroll. 

"There is concern about 

passengers and I would like 

to reiterate that there is no 

reason to strike," Civil Aviation 

Minister Ajit Singh said 

yesterday. 

"You want to talk to us... 

who has stopped you?" Singh 

asked the pilots. "We want to 

revive Air India and I expect 

sition for alleged involvement 

of his son Karthi, himself 

denied any illegality by any 

member of his family or himself 

and said the company in 

question, Advantage Strategic 

Consulting, could be probed 

by the �nance ministry. 

Raising the issue in the Rajya 

Sabha, leader of opposition 

in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley 

alluded the FIPB clearance 

to Aircel-Maxis with business 

transactions of Ausbridge, a 

company earlier co-owned by 

Chidambaram's son, saying the 

e-mail and web address of Ausbridge 

Holdings and Investments 

and Advantage Strategic 

Consulting, which is alleged to 

have invested in Aircel-Maxis, 

were the same in 2006. 

The Opposition alleged the 

company of the home minister's 

son was transferred money, 

before the FIPB cleared a 

proposal from Aircel pertaining 

to its telecom service venture 

in 2006. — IANS 

“Food in�ation is a matter 

of concern, particularly it 

has reached the double-digit,” 

Mukherjee told reporters while 

reacting on the monthly data. 

“Food in�ation can be 

tackled by creating storing facilities 

and cold chain and also 

is required the institutional reforms 

in the agricultural marketing,” 

the �nance minister 

said. 

Prices of vegetables surged 

by 60.97 per cent year-onyear. 

Potato price more than 

doubled. Milk became costlier 

by 15.51 per cent. Prices 

of egg, meat and �sh rose by 

17.54 per cent. Pulses became 

costlier by 11.29 per cent. 

many such hiccups." 

The Indian Pilots' Guild at 

the weekend said it was ready 

to negotiate an end to the walkout 

hitting Air India, which is 

facing problems due to rising 

fuel prices, competition from 

low-cost rivals and a record of 

labour disputes. 

"The total losses in the 

week is around Rs 100 crore. 

We had to face ticket cancellation, 

unused labour and an 

entire grounded �eet of our 

777s. We also have to cancel 

14 �ights for the day," a senior 

Air India of�cial with the operations 

arm, said. 

He said the contingency 

plan would be implemented 

"within two or three days" 

whereby a guaranteed minimum 

international operation 

will be on. "We are monitoring 

the situation and informing the 

passengers in advance." 

The airline has stopped 

bookings on some of its ultra 

long-haul routes till May 15, 

effectively cancelling more 

than 15 �ights per day to ma- 

Price of manufactured 

products increased by 5.12 per 

cent year-on-year, while price 

of fuel and power grew by 

11.03 per cent. 

The recent data showed that 

the country continued to face 

the problem of high in�ationary 

pressure and low growth. 

As per the data released by 

the Central Statistics Of�ce 

last week, India's industrial 

output shrank by 3.5 per cent 

in March due to poor show 

of manufacturing and mining 

sectors. 

It was the �rst contraction 

in the factory output since October 

2011, when it shrank by 

4.7 per cent. — IANS 

Air India loses Rs 100cr due to strike 

Government justi�es 

Aircel-Maxis deal 

jor sectors such as the US, 

Europe, and some other destinations 

like Shanghai, Hong 

Kong and Singapore. 

Air India had grounded the 

bulk of its 17 Boeing 777 aircraft. 

Maintaining the grounded 

aircraft add further to its 

expenditure. 

Meanwhile, the �ve independent 

directors of the company 

met at a meeting here 

supported the management's 

decision to sack pilots and 

derecognise their union, the 

Indian Pilots Guild (IPG). 

Earlier during the day, 

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit 

Singh reiterated that the pilots 

should come back to work after 

which all their issues will 

be discussed. 

Asked about the IPG pilots 

coming to meet him, Singh 

said: "There was no information, 

no meeting. My PA (personal 

assistant) told me they 

had come but there was no 

plan. I was not aware. I didn't 

know they came and went 

away." — Agencies 

Former US vessel 

barred from anchoring 

NEW DELHI — The Supreme 

Court yesterday declined 

permission, for now, 

to the erstwhile American 

oil tanker Exxon Valdez, rechristened 

Oriental Nicety, 

to anchor at the Gujarat shipbreaking 

port of Alang. 

Exxon Valdez hit the headlines 

in 1989 when it ran 

aground, resulting in the oil 

spill running into hundreds of 

thousands of barrels of crude 

oil in Alaska. It was billed as 

the second largest oil spill in 

the history of America. 

The apex court vacation 

bench of Justice Deepak Verma 

and Justice S J Mukhopadhaya 

said they would like 

to know the position of the 

ministry of shipping on the 

plea of the shipping company 

seeking permission to anchor. 

Senior counsel Vikas 

Singh, appearing for the vessel's 

owner Hong Kong-based 

M/s Best Oasis, asked the 

court to let the ship anchor at 

Alang. The court on May 3 

asked the ministry about the 

steps being taken to prevent 

the ship from berthing without 

decontamination. 

The petitioner company 

told the court in its application 

that following the oil spill, the 

tanker was repaired and used 

for transporting ore. 

Pointing to the letter of the 

Gujarat Maritime Board, the 

court asked the applicant company 

to disclose the complete 

facts about the ownership of 

the vessel. The court also inquired 

whether the owner of 

the ship had complied with 

the Basel Convention. 

The Basel Convention on 

trans-boundary movement of 

hazardous wastes and their 

disposal aims at restricting 

the movement of dangerous 

waste between nations. It is 

essentially to check the routing 

of hazardous waste from 

developed countries to less 

developed countries. 

11 INDIA 



Freedom of expression is 

contextual: Kapil Sibal 

NEW DELHI — Union Human 

Resource Development 

Minister Kapil Sibal yesterday 

said that freedom of expression 

is "contextual". 

His statement came even 

as members in the Lok Sabha 

once again united in criticising 

cartoons in NCERT textbooks, 

saying that these allegedly 

denigrated political leaders, 

especially the ones on B R 

Ambedkar. 

Sibal promised the Lok 

Sabha that all objectionable 

material would be removed 

and the role of advisers of 

NCERT (National Council 

for Educational Research 

and Training) probed. He 

later told reporters in the 

parliament complex that the 

government held the view 

that such cartoons were not 

suitable for "impressionable 

minds" as they may be misled. 

"Freedom of expression is 

contextual," Sibal said. 

"In a newspaper, it is acceptable. 

But in a textbook 

Maoists attack police, kill seven 

RAIPUR — Maoists ambushed 

a police patrol and 

shot dead six of�cers and a 

civilian in the central state of 

Chhattisgarh, a hotbed of leftwing 

extremism, police said 

yesterday. 

The team from the Central 

Industrial Security Force 

(CISF) were on patrol, guarding 

a state-mining company, 

when it was attacked late on 

Sunday in the southern region 

of Kirandul. 

"Dozens of armed Maoists 

attacked the CISF jeep 

in the dense forests," district 

police chief Narendra Khare 

said. "The rebels hid in the 

bushes and �red continuously 

at the vehicle till all sev- 

MUMBAI — Rupee sank to 

a record closing low of 53.92 

against the dollar yesterday, 

dragged down by weak domestic 

economic data and an 

investor �ight to safety on jitters 

over the euro zone debt 

crisis. 

The unit hit an intraday 

low of 53.96 against the dollar 

— a level last seen in December 

— which traders said 

likely prompted the central 

bank to intervene in forex 

markets to prevent the rupee 

breaching the key 54 level. 

Traders say the central 

bank appears to have intervened 

to sell dollars more 

than a dozen times this year in 

a bid to curb the Indian currency's 

fall. 

The bank has a policy of 

not commenting on its actions 

in the forex market. 

"The falling rupee is a sign 

of worry. It is in a bearish 

zone due to global pressures," 

said Naveen Mathur, associ- 

which can in�uence impressionable 

minds, it is not suitable," 

he said, adding that 

several cartoons in textbooks 

were against some people, 

group or communities. 

He, however, condemned 

the attack on a member 

of the committee that approved 

the book, Professor 

Suhas Palshikar in Pune. 

"Any kind of violence in democracy 

is condemnable," 

Sibal said. 

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, 

Sibal said, "We ordered the 

withdrawal of the Ambedkar 

cartoon on April 26. The role 

of the NCERT advisors would 

be probed". 

"The government appreciates 

the concern of the house. 

I have reviewed the class XI 

book on political science and 

found many cartoons in it were 

offensive. We will ensure that 

only educationally appropriate 

material goes into NCERT 

books," he said. 

Sibal also said NCERT advisors 

Suhas Palshikar and Yo- 

en CISF men were killed." 

Media reports citing police 

of�cials said the insurgents 

took the troopers' weapons 

before �eeing. Additional police 

forces were deployed in 

Kirandul, and senior police 

of�cials were also on their 

way to the region. 

Kirandul is located in the 

Dantewada district, which is 

considered a Maoist stronghold. 

Frequent clashes occur 

there between security forces 

and the insurgents. 

The latest attack came 

soon after a string of abductions 

by Maoists in India, 

the most recent being that 

of a government of�cial in 

Chhattisgarh. 

Rupee hits record 

closing low against $ 

ate director of commodities 

and currencies at Mumbai's 

Angel Broking. 

The unit was weakened by 

data showing annual in�ation 

unexpectedly accelerated in 

April to over seven per cent, 

reducing chances of swift interest 

rate cuts to boost slowing 

economic growth. 

The currency has also been 

hurt by global uncertainty, 

�agging domestic indicators, 

slowing overseas funds in- 

�ows and pressure from oil 

importers. India imports four- 

�fths of its crude oil needs. 

Analysts say the rupee 

could hit new lows in the 

coming days due to gloomy 

economic conditions. 

The Reserve Bank of India 

announced new measures last 

week to boost the currency by 

ordering exporters and other 

foreign-exchange earners to 

convert half of their total forex 

earnings kept in banks 

into rupees. 

gendra Yadav have resigned 

over the issue. 

Earlier, the Bharatiya 

Janata Party (BJP) used the 

opportunity to demand Sibal's 

removal. 

"Of late, I have noticed a 

tendency among some people 

to denigrate politicians, 

parliamentarians and even 

parliament. Just removing the 

cartoons would not do. HRD 

Minister Kapil Sibal should 

go," BJP leader Yashwant Sinha 

said. He added these books 

have an impact on "impressionable 

minds". 

NDA convenor and Janata 

Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav 

supported his view. "Sibal 

should be removed, so that 

future HRD ministers are cautious," 

said Yadav. 

Sibal had on May 11 assured 

the House that all "objectionable" 

material from 

books would be removed. 

Stating that "bashing up 

the politicians has become a 

fashion", Congress MP Sanjay 

Nirupam said the role of 

Maoist rebels, who said 

they are leading an armed 

rebellion to secure the rights 

of the poor and marginalised 

people, are active in more 

than one-third of India's 626 

administrative districts. They 

usually target security personnel 

and government installations 

and of�cials. 

The Maoists have been 

�ghting a deadly low-intensity 

war against authorities for 

decades for what they say are 

the rights of tribal people and 

landless farmers. 

India's government describes 

the guerrillas as the 

most serious internal security 

threat in the country. 

— Agencies 

NEW DELHI — The Delhi 

High Court yesterday restrained 

veteran Congress 

leader N D Tiwari from leaving 

the country until he furnishes 

his blood sample for a 

DNA test. 

Justice Reva Khetrapal, 

hearing the plea of a man who 

claims to be the biological son, 

granted two days time to Tiwari 

to inform the court if he 

wants to give blood sample 

willingly or not. The high court 

had directed Tiwari to give his 

blood sample for a DNA test 

to decide a paternity suit and 

said that the leader can even be 

forced to do so if he refuses. 

There is an urgent need of 

blood sample for DNA test as 

there are chances that Tiwari 

may depart from India in order 

to avoid the court order, Shekhar 

said in his petition while 

seeking an order restraining 

Tiwari from leaving until he 

furnishes DNA samples. 

Approaching the court, 32- 

NCERT advisors needed to 

be probed. "Who are these 

so-called intellectuals?" asked 

Nirupam. 

The Left parties, too, said 

the trend of showing politicians 

in a bad light was not 

good for the country. "There 

is a general assumption that 

all politicians are thieves," 

said Communist Party of India 

(CPI) leader Gurudas Dasgupta. 

Observing that the issue 

did not concern any single 

party, Rashtriya Janata Dal 

(RJD) leader Lalu Prasad said 

that "it brought parliamentarians 

together". 

Recalling a 1980 cartoon 

which depicted him as a dacoit, 

Samajwadi Party chief 

Mulayam Singh Yadav said 

the house should take the issue 

seriously. 

In an emotional outburst 

against cartoons denigrating 

politicians, Akali Dal MP Harsimrat 

Kaur Badal said there is 

"a wave of revulsion against 

politicians". — IANS 

No pushing 

from India, 

says Maldives 

NEW DELHI — Maldivian 

President Mohamed Waheed, 

said yesterday New 

Delhi was not pushing the 

Indian Ocean atoll nation to 

do anything "unconstitutional" 

on presidential elections. 

Waheed, who was propelled 

to the Maldivian 

presidency under extraordinary 

circumstances, said he 

was personally committed 

to holding early elections, 

but reiterated that political 

consensus was eluding the 

coalition government. 

— IANS 

MYANMAR refugees from the Rohingya community at a makeshift camp near New Delhi yesterday. Hundreds of 

refugees from Myanmar have set up a temporary camp in south Delhi near a protected monument. The UNHCR 

has issued them asylum seeker cards but they have been demanding refugee status. — AFP 

Tiwari restrained 

from leaving country 

year-old Rohit Shekhar said 

that due to the Tiwari's advanced 

age (86), time is of essence 

and irreparable loss will 

be caused him if the samples 

are not collected at the earliest. 

In his petition, Shekhar 

submitted that in case Tiwari 

fails to appear or furnish a 

blood sample on the date 

that will be appointed by the 

court, a commissioner be appointed 

to draw blood sample 

from him forcefully. 

Acting Chief Justice A K 

Sikri had said that if Tiwari 

continues to defy the court's 

order to give his blood sample 

for DNA analysis, police force 

will be used against him. 

Justice Sikri had passed 

the order on Shekhar's plea 

challenging the order of Justice 

Gita Mittal, who in September 

2011, said that Tiwari 

cannot be physically compelled 

or con�ned for submitting 

his blood sample for 

DNA analysis. — IANS

SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel (R) greets federal state premier of North-Rhine Westphalia Hannelore Kraft in Berlin. — Reuters 

Faces uphill battle 

By Jean-Baptiste Piggin 

CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel's 

problems mounted as her Christian 

Democratic Union (CDU) 

suffered a drubbing in a state-assembly 

election in the populous state of North 

Rhine Westphalia. 

Her party picked up about 26 per cent 

of the vote, according to projections by 

ARD and ZDF public television stations 

with most votes counted. It was the 

CDU's worst result ever in the country's 

most populous state, often seen as a bellwether 

of federal politics. 

The Free Democratic Party (FDP), 

which is Merkel's coalition ally at the 

federal level, arrested a long decline in 

public support, winning more than 8 per 

cent of votes, more than the 7 per cent 

the party had gained in the state at a poll 

two years ago. If neither party can score 

higher nationally when Germany holds 

its federal election next year, the chancellor 

will be out of her job. 

But pundits poring over the results 

said the outlook may not be that simple, 

since the popular Merkel was not running 

for office in the poll. 

The working-class state endorsed a 

popular Social Democratic (SPD) premier, 

Hannelore Kraft, who shares many 

of Merkel's characteristics: a woman in 

a male-dominated profession, pragmatic 

and credible to ordinary voters. 

By Philip Pullella 

HER family name 

means "little severe 

one", and Paola Severino 

(pictured) means to live 

up to it in her crusade against 

judicial inefficiency which is 

helping to stifle Italy's chronically 

weak economy. 

Seemingly endless legal 

delays such as in settling 

commercial disputes are estimated 

to cost up to one percentage 

point in Italian GDP 

growth — not that the economy 

is growing at all now — 

and the justice minister wants 

to tell hesitant investors that 

she is serious about solving 

the problem. 

"There is much to be done 

and we will forge ahead," 

Severino, the first woman to 

hold the justice portfolio, said 

in an interview. 

Severino is already setting 

up specialist business tribunals 

and wants to crack down 

on the huge number of appeals 

which are clogging up 

the legal system. 

With this message she is 

heading to the United States 

as part of an international 

"road show" to convince 

NEWSMAKER 

Dream to clean 

up legal system 

Kraft took over as premier two years 

ago and has ruled with Green help. 

Despite lacking a parliamentary majority, 

she persuaded parliamentary opponents 

to help her pass legislation on a 

case-by-case basis. Ultimately, she failed 

to win backing for her budget, so she 

called a snap election. 

She confirmed on Sunday that some 

Social Democrats had been pressing her 

to run for chancellor. "It's flattering," she 

said in a live TV interview. 

"But my job is here." A clumsy CDU 

state campaign to dislodge her was led by 

Norbert Roettgen, 46, who is also German 

environment minister. 

A mid-week opinion poll showed 74 

per cent of state voters considered Kraft 

close to ordinary people's concerns. 

Only 25 per cent said the same of 

Roettgen, an intellectual who preferred to 

harp on about economics and education 

policy. His blunders included refusing to 

commit himself to move home from Berlin 

to become leader of the opposition in 

the state if he lost. 

Roettgen, whose informal status as 

Merkel's heir apparent suffered a blow in 

the debacle, lent weight on Sunday to the 

interpretation that the state poll had been 

mainly about personalities. 

He resigned his state CDU chairmanship, 

minutes after the polls closed, taking 

personal responsibility for the defeat. 

"I think the situation is not the same at 

foreign companies considering 

investing in Italy that the 

government of Prime Minister 

Mario Monti will speed 

up the snail-paced system of 

civil justice. 

This week 63-year-old 

Severino, who was a top lawyer 

and legal scholar before 

Monti recruited her for his 

technocrat government, takes 

her pitch that Italy can be 

trusted to the United Nations 

and to investors at the New 

York Stock Exchange. 

"If a company has certainty 

about how laws will be 

interpreted by judges and if 

it can count on shorter times 

for court cases ... it will invest 

more and launch more longterm 

projects, helping the 

economy," she said. 

Studies by the World Bank 

show that it takes 1,210 days 

— or more than three years 

— to recover a claim in Italy 

compared with 394 days in 

Germany. 

The average costs paid by 

businesses in Italy usually 

amount to about 30 per cent 

of the value of the dispute, 

compared with 17 per cent in 

France. 

In 2010 the European 

Court of Human rights ruled 

against Italy 53 times for violating 

the European Convention's 

article protecting the 

right to a fair trial, and 44 of 

those condemnations were 

for the excessive length of 

proceedings. 

Severino often cites a 

Bank of Italy estimate that 

judicial inefficiency in civil 

cases cuts as much as one 

percentage point a year from 

economic growth. The country 

is currently in recession. 

12 

ANALYSIS/OPINION 


federal level," he said. 

Nationwide surveys have yet to pick 

up any groundswell of popular disaffection 

of the type that handed the French 

presidency a week ago to Francois Hollande, 

a Socialist and an ally of the German 

Social Democrats. 

Germans may have grumbled that 

continuing export-led economic growth 

is not trickling down to ordinary people, 

but Berlin's remedy for the euro zone 

debt crisis, balanced budgets and austerity, 

is endorsed by 61 per cent, a recent 

poll showed. An ARD poll two weeks 

ago also showed the same margin of Germans 

remain satisfied with Merkel's performance 

as chancellor. 

Nationally, Merkel's centre-right alliance 

with the FDP remains neck and 

neck with the SPD-Green opposition, a 

long string of opinion surveys show. 

Germany's federal opposition was 

nevertheless quick to claim a new dynamic 

that would sweep the SPD and 

Greens into power. Green Party co-leader 

Claudia Roth called the outcome an 

"echoing slap in the face" for Merkel. 

But Baerbel Hoehn, a Green parliamentarian, 

was more nuanced, saying, 

"This makes clear that perhaps we can 

win next year." Although Kraft called her 

win a "clear signal" for what could happen 

nationally, Forschungsgruppe Wahlen, 

a polling company, urged caution in 

an instant analysis. 


Social tensions 

rise amid crisis 

By Alan Wheatley 

STUDENTS are 

protesting on Barcelona's 

elegant boulevards, 

public-sector wages are being 

cut for the second time in 

three years and resentment is 

growing against the central 

government and beneficiaries 

of bank bailouts. 

Such is the daily fallout 

from the euro zone's debt 

crisis. Like the rest of Spain, 

Barcelona is looking at 

several years of hard grind as 

the country adjusts to living 

within its means after the 

collapse of a debt-financed 

housing bubble that has 

brought much of the banking 

sector to its knees. 

Yet unless the most 

pessimistic projections of the 

cost of rescuing the banks 

prove right, the signs are that 

Spain faces corrosion not 

collapse. 

Greece risks not being 

able to pay for vital 

imports if it cannot form 

a new government that 

sticks to the terms of an 

international bailout. But 

Spain is more representative 

of the generally insidious, 

demoralising nature of the 

crisis: austerity is sapping 

trust in politicians across 

the euro zone and fraying 

the social fabric as the 

bills for years of economic 

mismanagement are shared 

out. 

"The problem is social. 

What are we going to 

do when we have 25 per 

cent unemployment? It's 

dramatic," said Joan Ramon 

Rovira, head of economic 

studies at the Barcelona 

chamber of commerce. 

Even though every fourth 

Spaniard is unemployed, job 

protection is being eroded. 

In Barcelona, capital of 

the northeastern region of 

Catalonia, hospital wards are 

being closed, class sizes are 

growing and university fees 

are rising. 

The result is a hardening 

of attitudes as various groups 

campaign to preserve their 

entitlements. The crisis has 

also ratcheted up political 

tensions with Madrid as 

supporters of Catalan 

independence increasingly 

begrudge helping to bankroll 

the central government, 

which they feel treats them 

with disdain. 

"Spain is a backpack 

that is too heavy for us to 

keep carrying. It's costing 

us our development," said 

the spokesman for Catalan 

President Artur Mas, Joan 

Maria Pique. 

Rovira is optimistic that 

Spain will pull through. He 

produces figures showing 

how exports are rising from 

Catalonia, which makes up 

20 per cent of the national 

economy and generates about 

30 per cent of its exports. 

Spain's exports rose 11 per 

cent last year as it restored 

the competitiveness lost 

when wages spurted after the 

launch of the euro in 1999. 

The government expects the 

current account deficit to 

shrink to under 1 per cent of 

GDP this year from a peak of 

10 per cent in 2007. 

Joerg Kraemer, 

chief economist with 

Commerzbank in Frankfurt, 

estimated that Spain had 

recouped half of the pre-crisis 

deterioration in relative 

labour costs, a trend that 

should continue because of 

recent reforms making pay 

and contracts more flexible. 

The priority now, 

according to Catalonia's 

Economy Minister Andreu 

Mas-Colell is for firms in 

the region to bulk up. "The 

bright spot in our economy 

is exports," he said in an 

interview. "But our firms 

are too small. In an exportoriented 

economy size 

is important. We are too 

fragmented." 

In contrast to progress 

on external economic 

rebalancing, Spain is 

dragging its feet on reducing 

its budget deficit and is being 

punished by investors. 

Ten-year government 

bonds yield around 6 

per cent, a level that is 

unsustainable in the long run, 

on concerns that Madrid will 

have to spend tens of billions 

of euros to stop the rot in its 

banking system. 

CAMERON Dueck poses for a picture in Hong Kong. — AFP 

Braving the high seas 

By David Watkins 

WHEN Cameron Dueck set sail 

to the Canadian Arctic to witness 

what he calls "the front 

line of climate change", he did so knowing 

he would have to brave seas that have 

killed scores of sailors and reduced men 

to cannibals. 

For 450 years before the first successful 

voyage in 1906, people sought 

the Northwest Passage, a potentially lucrative 

shipping route linking Europe to 

Asia that would cut out the lengthy journey 

around the horn of South America. 

Many died trying to find it, including 

Sir John Franklin whose HMS Erebus 

and HMS Terror attempted the fabled 

Passage in 1845 but sank without a trace. 

Their 129 men died eating each other on 

the unforgiving ice. 

But by the time Dueck set off on his 

voyage more than 100 years later in June 

2009, 35 sailing yachts had made the trip. 

The majority of those took place after 

1990, made possible by a stark reality: 

the ice was now melting fast. 

"I wanted to see something very few 

people have seen," Hong Kong-based 

journalist and sailor Dueck said at the 

launch of his book about the voyage, 

The New Northwest Passage at the Royal 

Hong Kong Yacht Club last week. 

"It was about finding out what climate 

change looked like for real. Not just in 

terms of what we're told by politicians, 

or what corporations say in their mission 

statements," he said. 

The extent to which Arctic ice is 

breaking up is an illustration of the 

growing impact of climate change in 

the Poles, where temperatures are rising 

more quickly than the rest of the world. 

"There has been no ice for up to a 

month in the last several years during the 

summer," Peter Semotiuk, a long-term 

resident of the Canadian Arctic and an 

expert on sailing conditions in the area. 

Semotiuk said the 2011 season featured 

the highest number of yachts ever 

to complete the Passage, with 16 making 

it through — more than double the 

previous year's seven. "I do see the effect 

of less ice cover through the Northwest 

Passage route," Semotiuk said, adding 

that commercial shipping is also on the 

increase as the ice melts. "It seems the 

whole Arctic ice pack is affected." 

Dueck and his three crewmates sailed 

the 40 foot Silent Sound 8,000 nautical 

miles — from Victoria in British Columbia, 

up to Dutch Harbour in Alaska, 

through the Bering Straight, down into 

the Beaufort Sea before hitting the Davis 

Strait between Canada and Greenland. 

What they found was startling. 

While the loss of Arctic Sea ice threatens 

wildlife such as polar bears, seals and 

walruses that depend on it as a platform 

for hunting, mating and migration, the human 

cost is less well charted, said Dueck. 

He met Alaskan fishermen who sail the 

Bering Sea for fish and crabs, and who 

are increasingly joining the dots between 

disappearing ice, warmer temperatures 

and their own changing fortunes. 

"They used to be able to read the ice 

— look at wind, temperatures, the moon 

phase and understand when it was safe 

to be on the ice and when it was time to 

pack up and head to shore," said Dueck. 

Healing rifts 

By Richard Carter 

GERMANY'S Angela Merkel and France's Francois 

Hollande hold their first-ever meeting today, aiming 

to bridge differences on European economic policy 

as Greece's woes threaten to tear apart the euro zone. 

The German chancellor hosts Hollande for talks in Berlin 

just hours after his inauguration as president, a sign of the 

urgency of the task at hand as the European debt crisis returns 

with a vengeance after a brief respite. 

But while Merkel and Hollande's predecessor Nicolas 

Sarkozy formed such a close crisis-fighting team they were 

dubbed 'Merkozy', the new pair leading Europe has vastly different 

ideas on the best way out of the turmoil. 

Both sides have stuck to the diplomatic niceties before the 

meeting. Merkel said Hollande would be welcomed "with 

open arms" for the evening summit and used her weekly podcast 

to say she sought stable relations with Paris. 

Meanwhile Pierre Moscovici, a close Hollande aide, said 

he was sure the two neighbours could find compromises on 

the issues dividing them, adding that Franco-German ties 

should "transcend political differences." 

Nevertheless, the two are on a collision course over the 

German-inspired EU fiscal pact that aims to reduce the deficit 

mountains in several member states and prevent the current 

debt crisis from happening again. 

Hollande has called for this to be reconsidered, with measures 

promoting growth to be added to the text or even a separate 

"growth pact" to be agreed. 

Merkel insisted almost daily last week that the pact, signed 

by 25 of the 27 EU countries and already ratified in some, 

must stay as it is. 

The two are also likely to clash over eurobonds — pooling 

euro zone members' debt — which Hollande sees as a possible 

partial crisis cure but to which Merkel is implacably opposed, 

fearing a bigger bill for EU paymaster Germany. 

The role of the European Central Bank could also spark 

tensions. Hollande wants to see the Frankfurt-based institution 

do more in the crisis. Merkel is fiercely attached to the 

ECB's independence. 

No clarity 

By Edmund Blair 

NEAR the rock-strewn scene of a protest, politicians 

sat with ruling generals this month to haggle over 

Egypt's future after its first presidential poll post-Hosni 

Mubarak. At stake in the Defence Ministry meeting, held just 

hours after 11 people were killed in another flare-up marring the 

transition, was who would write a new constitution and what 

powers would the new president have. No clarity has emerged. 

When voting starts on May 23 and 24 in a presidential race 

that broadly pits religious parties against men who at one time 

or another served the earlier regime, Egyptians still won't know 

the next head of state's permanent job description. 

"It's a poker game," said Ahmed Said, head of the liberal 

Free Egyptians party, describing the talks he attended on May 2 

between political party leaders and military ruler Field Marshal 

Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who is also defence minister. 

The closed-door bargaining is a far cry from the adrenalinfuelled 

street protests. Sporadic street protests still flare, but 

change is now being dictated by a tortuous tug-of-war between 

the civilian politicians and the army. 

Faces of the 13 presidential candidates beam down from 

banners and posters across the nation of 82 million. They promise 

change. But the election will not mean a swift end to turbulence, 

even though it will add a new political player. 

"For at least the first year there will be a lot of muddling 

through. As long as the roles aren't defined you are going to see 

a struggle for power among the different forces," said Shadi 

Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Centre. 

"There is going to be lot of brinkmanship. There are going 

to be a lot of protests. There is going to be some violence." 

The grinding pace has left activists who inspired the revolt 

fuming at the unfinished work of dismantling the old legacy. 

Religious parties grumble that their sweeping parliamentary 

election mandate is being ignored. Many Egyptians are simply 

tired of the turmoil that has hammered the economy. 

"The revolution hasn't failed ... But it hasn't been completed 

yet. God willing, we will complete it. Maybe it will take five 

years," said Ahmed Gaber, 23, who was protesting against the 

army outside the Defence Ministry this month. 

Real horror 

By Boris Babic 

SEVENTEEN years after the end of the Bosnian war, 

former general Ratko Mladic finally goes on trial tomorrow 

to face genocide and other war crimes charges 

at the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia 

(ICTY). 

The trial is supposed to serve justice for the death of tens 

of thousands in the conflict and shed light on the still largely 

dark areas of responsibility for the ethnic cleansing carried 

out. Mladic was the chief commander of the Bosnian Serb 

military during the Bosnian war, which lasted from 1992 to 

1995 and pitted the Serbs — well armed and supported by 

Belgrade — against the majority and ethnic Croats. 

UN war crimes prosecutors have split their case against 

Mladic into five segments. Opening the trial is an overview 

of his alleged crimes which is due to end before the summer 

break in mid-July. In the subsequent segments, which may 

overlap, prosecutors intend to prove Mladic's role in four 

groups of crimes, all carried out with the intention of expelling 

people from territory under Serb control. 

Prosecutors will deal with the campaign of terror the Serbs 

launched in 1992, forcing many from large swaths of Bosnia. 

Prosecutors contend that the ethnic cleansing reached the 

scale of a genocide in several municipalities. 

The court will then address the sniping and shelling of 

Sarajevo, which claimed more than 11,000 lives, and the taking 

of UN personnel hostage in 1995. 

Finally, prosecutors will deal with the genocide at Srebrenica, 

where forces under Mladic's command executed 

nearly 8,000 men and boys. The former general, who was arrested 

in Serbia last year after 16 years on the run, has rejected 

all of what he says are "monstrous allegations." Mladic's trial 

will partly run parallel to that of his wartime political chief 

Radovan Karadzic, who faces the same charges, but was arrested 

and delivered to The Hague four years ago. 

The trial of Karadzic and Mladic may prove the crucial 

link between the effort of Bosnian Serbs to ethnically cleanse 

large parts of Bosnia and the authorities in Belgrade. 

In 2001, the ICTY found one of Mladic's subordinate generals, 

Radislav Krstic, guilty of genocide for his role in the 

Srebrenica killings. The verdict was strengthened with a 2007 

International Court of Justice ruling that the massacre was 

genocide. In 2010, two other officers under Mladic, Vujadin 

Popovic and Ljubisa Beara, were convicted.

13 

THE WORLD 



ONLOOKERS and rescuers are seen near the wreckage of an Agni Air Dornier Do 228 aircraft plane crash site in Jomsom, 

some 300 km west of Kathmandu, yesterday. — AFP 

Nepal plane crash kills 15; 6 survive 

KATHMANDU — A small plane 

crashed near a treacherous high-altitude 

airport in northern Nepal yesterday, 

killing 15 people while six others 

miraculously survived, of�cials said. 

The aircraft belonging to local carrier 

Agni Air crashed near Jomsom 

airport, a gateway to the nearby Annapurna 

mountain range, shortly after 

the pilot reported a fault, a rescue of- 

�cial said. 

“Fifteen people have been killed. 

Thirteen of them were Indian tourists 

and the other two were Nepali pilots,” 

police spokesman Binod Singh said. 

He said there were six survivors, 

among them a Nepali air hostess, two 

Indian children and a man who is being 

treated for head injuries. A Danish 

couple was also reported to have survived. 

The aircraft had been chartered by 

a group of Indian pilgrims for a �ight 

from Pokhara in central Nepal to Muktinath, 

a sacred place for Hindus and 

Buddhists at the foot of the Thorong 

La Himalayan mountain pass, region- 

al police spokesman Rajendra Singh 

Bhandari said. 

“A Nepal army barracks was near 

the accident site which made the rescue 

of survivors easier,” he added, saying 

they had been airlifted to hospitals in 

Pokhara. 

Agni Air Marketing Manager 

Pramod Pandey con�rmed that two 

passengers from Denmark were also on 

the plane and he later told Danish news 

agency Ritzau that they had survived. 

“They are in a stable condition.” 

The cause of the crash was not 

immediately clear, but Bimlesh Lal 

Karna, head of Nepal’s national rescue 

department, said the pilot had reported 

a warning light �ashing in the cockpit 

as he descended to Jomsom. 

The pilot told air traf�c control moments 

before the crash that he was diverting 

back to Pokhara, said Karna. 

“While returning to Pokhara, the 

aircraft seems to have lost balance,” 

Karna said. 

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai 

issued a statement saying he was 

‘Thatcher did not help 

Murdoch buy Times’ 

LONDON — Rupert Murdoch did not ask Margaret Thatcher 

to bend the rules to allow him to buy the Times of London in 

1981, one of his lawyers said yesterday, dismissing theories of 

a deal as “science �ction”. 

Lawyer Rhodri Davies said the media mogul had nothing 

to hide and rejected as baseless an accusation that Murdoch 

was suffering from “selective amnesia” when he said he had 

forgotten a 1981 meeting with the former British prime minister. 

“The suggestion that he must be lying is not an argument 

or a theory based on evidence, but a conviction,” Davies told 

an inquiry into press ethics, whose lead prosecutor Robert Jay 

made the accusation last week. 

“In the absence of any such evidence, Mr Jay opened up 

instead what one can only describe, with respect, as a science 

�ction theory, that deals were done not expressly but through 

implied messages,” he said. 

Murdoch’s acquisition of the Times is considered by some 

critics as a paradigm of how he exercises political in�uence, 

allegedly promising the support of his tabloids for politicians 

in exchange for their supporting his often controversial business 

deals. 

Last month, documents handed to the inquiry showed that 

a British government minister had given highly sensitive information 

to News Corp executives to help the company’s intended 

$12 billion acquisition of BSkyB. — Reuters 

Mexican police �nd 

49 headless bodies ATHENS 

MONTERREY, Mexico — 

Mexican police yesterday 

searched for perpetrators of a 

drug-war massacre in which 

49 people were killed, decapitated, 

dismembered and left 

in plastic bags on the side of 

a highway. 

The mutilated corpses, 

whose hands had been cut off 

to prevent �ngerprint identi�cation, 

were discovered close 

to the northern city of Monterrey, 

180 km from the US border. 

The bodies stacked up at 

the roadside were of 43 men 

and six women, said Jorge Domene, 

a public safety spokesman 

for the state of Nuevo 

Leon. 

Adrian de la Garza, a prosecutor 

in Nuevo Leon state, 

said some of the bodies in 

Sunday’s shocking �nd were 

naked and, although their 

hands had been cut off, forensic 

experts were collecting 

DNA samples. 

A note was found at the 

scene in which the Zetas — a 

gang set up by ex-commandos 

who deserted in the 1990s — 

claimed responsibility. 

Initial investigations indicated 

that the victims were 

killed up to 48 hours earlier in 

a different location, and were 

likely transported by truck to 

where they were found. 

“The grisly �nd was part 

of what has been happening in 

the country in general,” said 

Domene, pointing to other 

mass killings. 

“It is a continuation of 

what has already happened 

recently in Nuevo Laredo, 

a few weeks ago in Jalisco 

and a few months ago in Veracruz.” 

De la Garza argued the 

victims could be residents of 

a different state or migrants 

from other countries transiting 

through Mexico on their way 

to the United States. 

El Salvador’s foreign 

ministry said it was “following 

with attention” events in 

northern Mexico. 

“We condemn in the most 

energetic form the massacre 

of 49 people in Nuevo Leon... 

which becomes part of a series 

of violent acts perpetrated in 

this region,” said a statement 

by the Salvadoran foreign 

ministry. — AFP 

“deeply saddened” by the latest crash, 

while the Indian Embassy set up a 

hotline providing information for concerned 

relatives. 

“I express condolences to the bereaved 

families and wish for the speedy 

recovery of the injured. I urge all those 

involved in the rescue operation to continue 

their good work,” Bhattarai said. 

The incident was the second deadly 

air accident for Agni Air in less than 

two years. 

In August 2010, one of its planes 

crashed in bad weather near Kathmandu, 

killing all 14 people on board, 

including four Americans, a Japanese 

and a British national. 

The aircraft had been returning to 

Kathmandu after poor visibility prevented 

it from landing at Lukla, its 

intended destination in a popular trekking 

spot in eastern Nepal. 

The latest fatal crash in Nepal — the 

�fth in less than two years — will lead 

to new scrutiny of the country’s numerous 

small airlines, which provide vital 

links to remote parts of the country. 

Jomsom Airport, at an elevation of 

2,707 metres, has a reputation for being 

one of the world’s most dangerous 

air�elds due to the mountainous terrain 

on the approach. 

However, the US-based Flight 

Safety Foundation, an independent, 

non-pro�t, organisation researching 

air accidents across the globe, lists just 

three fatal crashes at or near the asphalt 

landing strip since 1970. 

In other recent accidents in Nepal, 

a small Buddha Air plane taking tourists 

on a sightseeing trip around Mount 

Everest crashed in September last year, 

killing all 19 people on board. 

Ten months earlier, a Tara Air plane 

carrying three crew and 19 passengers, 

including one American, smashed into 

a mountainside shortly after taking off 

from a small airstrip 140 km east of 

Kathmandu. 

The passengers were mostly Bhutanese 

citizens on a religious tour of 

Nepal and had chartered the plane to 

take them to a Buddhist holy site in the 

area. — AFP 

Greece hits stalemate, 

euro exit fears grow 

— Greece’s president met little enthusiasm from political 

leaders summoned to a �nal round of talks yesterday to 

avert a new election, reinforcing fears the country was �rmly 

on the path to bankruptcy and an exit from the euro zone. 

European shares slid and Spanish and Italian bond yields 

rose as the political deadlock threatened to reignite the euro 

zone debt crisis. Greek banking stocks tumbled 7 per cent. 

Greece’s political landscape has been in disarray since an 

inconclusive election on May 6 left parliament divided between 

supporters and opponents of a 130 billion euro ($168.3 

billion) EU/IMF bailout, with neither side able to form a government. 

After Sunday’s effort at cajoling party leaders into a coalition 

proved fruitless, President Karolos Papoulias summoned 

four party leaders for a fresh round of talks yesterday 

evening. 

But the talks appeared doomed long before they began, 

as the young leader of the radical leftist Syriza party said he 

would not attend and another leftist leader refused to take part 

in any coalition unless Syriza was on board. 

Papoulias must call a new election if he fails to engineer a 

compromise. Such a poll is expected to be held in mid-June. 

With Greece set to run out of money as early as next month 

and no government in place to negotiate the next aid tranche, investors 

have begun betting that a long-speculated Greek default 

and euro exit will happen sooner rather than later. — Reuters 

Quits UK 

politics 

LONDON — Peter Hain, 

a key �gure in the sporting 

boycott of apartheid South 

Africa, announced yesterday 

he is stepping down from 

front-line British politics. 

Hain, 62, has quit his post 

as Wales spokesman for the 

opposition Labour Party. 

He said he wants to spend 

more time campaigning for a 

tidal energy barrage across 

the River Severn between 

England and Wales. 

As a �rebrand antiapartheid 

campaigner, Hain 

led the disruption of tours 

by South Africa’s all-white 

cricket and rugby union 

teams in 1969 and 1970. 

Born in Nairobi, he grew 

up in South Africa where his 

parents were prominent campaigners 

against the apartheid 

government. They were 

eventually forced to leave 

the country for Britain. 

“I have wanted for a 

while to explore other opportunities,” 

Hain said in a 

letter to Labour leader Ed 

Miliband. — AFP 

UK �re: 6th 

child dies 

LONDON — A sixth child 

has died of his injuries after 

a suspicious house �re in the 

central English city of Derby 

killed �ve of his siblings last 

week, police said yesterday. 

Duwayne Philpott, 13, 

died overnight in hospital 

with his parents at his bedside, 

Derbyshire Police said. 

His brothers and sisters who 

died were aged 5 to 10. 

“Despite the intensive 

care team’s greatest efforts, 

the injuries that Duwayne 

received in the �re were too 

great for him to survive,” a 

spokesman for Birmingham 

Children’s Hospital said: 

Police have released 

without charge a man and a 

woman who were initially 

arrested over the �re that 

broke out early on Friday. 

On Saturday they said they 

were still treating the �re as 

suspicious. — AFP 

Superjet was 

replacement 

MOSCOW — The Russian 

Superjet plane that crashed 

in Indonesia killing all on 

board was a replacement 

for another plane that had 

carried out the �rst part of a 

promotional tour, its manufacturer 

said yesterday. 

The SSJ-100 Superjet 

was making an exhibition 

�ight in Indonesia on a promotional 

tour. 

But the plane which 

crashed was not the same 

aircraft which carried out the 

�rst part of the promotional 

tour in Kazakhstan and Pakistan, 

Olga Kayukova, the 

spokeswoman for Sukhoi 

Civil Aircraft which makes 

the plane said. 

The Moskovskiy Komsomolets 

and Kommersant 

newspapers earlier reported 

that the plane had been replaced 

in the middle of the 

exhibition tour. — AFP 

Mali leaders 

warned 

ABUJA — West Africa’s 

15-nation ECOWAS bloc 

threatened yesterday to impose 

new sanctions on Mali’s 

coup leaders and their allies, 

accusing them of blocking 

a return to civilian rule and 

further destabilising the divided 

nation. 

Mali’s neighbours and 

donors are furious that the 

of�cers who led a March 22 

coup are still meddling in 

politics despite a pledge to 

stand down. They have also 

criticised the coup leaders 

for failing to tackle separatist 

and Al Qaeda-linked 

dissidents in control of the 

north. 

Neighbours are looking 

to send a 3,000-strong 

military force to Mali 

but the deployment hinges 

partly on ending a political 

stand-off in the capital 

Bamako. — Reuters 

MAIN candidate of Germany’s Social Democratic 

Party (SPD) in the North Rhine-Westphalia regional 

elections Hannelore Kraft waves to well-wishers as 

she makes a statement at the SPD headquarters in 

Berlin yesterday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel 

was counting the cost of a historic drubbing for her 

conservative party in Germany’s most populous state, 

a major setback 16 months ahead of national elections. 

THE exiled president of the World Uighur Congress 

Rebiya Kadeer waves to well-wishers as she leaves the 

Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo yesterday. Kadeer is here 

to attend the 4th World Uighur Congress with ethnic 

Uighurs from around the world pressing their 

case for independence from China. — AFP 

A THAI Ranger stands guard as a woman takes her 

children to school on the �rst day of the school year in 

Thailand’s southern province of Narathiwat yesterday. 

More than 5,100 people have been killed in attacks 

across Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat since unrest 

escalated in January 2004, according to Deep South 

Watch which monitors the violence. — AFP 

FORMER prime minister and presidential candidate 

Ahmed Sha�q talks during a news conference in Cairo 

yesterday. Voting starts on May 23-24 in an election 

to choose a new president. MP Essam Sultan of the 

Wasat Party has accused Sha�q of exploiting his 

previous position as head of Egypt’s Young Air Force 

Of�cers Association by selling thousands of acres of 

state land in Ismailia earmarked for the association at 

reduced prices to �gures associated with the former 

government, local media reported. — Reuters

PORTA CABINS / TURNKEY CAMPS 

Our Services Manufacturing, Erection, Mobilization. 

Our Products Camps, Kitchens, Offices, Ablutions 

Phone 24503725 Fax 24503723 

Mobile 95228450 Mobile 99277505 

e-mail info@speedhouseoman.com 

Web www.speedhouseoman.com 

SPEED HOUSE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION LLC 

R 

CLASSIFIED SECTION 

RUWI: �24785668 

S 

ENT-A-CAR 

ENT-A-C 

Latest Model Cars — Excellent Service 

Saloon Cars, 4WD, Pick-ups, Buses 

Luxury Cars with Chauffeur 

Al Khuwair: 2448 9248/9648 

Ruwi: 24707074, Qurum: 24691110 

Mct. Airport: 24521189, 

Sohar: 26845565 

Salalah: 23296246, 

Sll.Airport 99323619 

SPECIAL Rates on 

New Cars & 4 WDs 

RENTING & LEASING 

Tours and Airport Transfer 

Tel: 24582663 

GSM: 95859497, 

Fax: 24582664, 

abcrent@omantel.net.om 

OMAN DAILY Observer � TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 

ERVICES 

SERVICES OOD NEWS NEW 

OR RENT 

FOR RENT 

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 

CARPET, sofa 

shampooing, 

GUARANTEED 

CLEANING. 

�24792998/ 99314807 

MARBLE 

CRYSTALLISATION, 

restore the original shine 

of your marble. 

�24792998/ 

99314807. 

1. A/C, Fridge & Washing 

Machine Servicing & 

Repairing 2. Painting, 

Plumbing, Electrical 

& Carpentry Works. 

Contact: �97014234/ 

97123569, 24504281. 

T 

OURS 

MARINE Tourism 

� 92808636, e-mail: 

info@alainain.com 

OUR of�ce at Al 

Amerat, Wadi Hattat 

Souq, typing the 

following: Labour Card 

form (typing), ID Card 

form, medical form, 

sponsor change form, 

amending form, labour 

escape form, labour 

release form, visa form, 

social insurance form, 

letter, photocopying 

sheet. Contact: 

� 24877763. 

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. 

D 

M 

RIVING SSCHOOL 

MORNING STAR 

DRIVING SCHOOL S 

— Learn driving 

manual/ automatic 

with professionally 

qualified male/ female 

trainees in brand new 

cars and flexible 

payments. Call: 

�99043283, 

24478589, 24478505, 

www.chamberman. 

com/member/ 

morningstar www. 

morningstar.com 

ANPOWER 

ANPOWE 

FRIENDS 

MANPOWER: Filipino 

housemaids and all kinds 

of workers. �24489268 

Tel/Fax: 24478153. 

AL Hikmani for 

HAJ and UMRAH 

— With a host of 

services including 

the following: Hiring 

luxurious coaches, 

arranging weekly 

trips, preparing 

visas for expats at 

cost-effective price, 

including transport, 

housing, meals 

and visits to shrine 

locations. Land and 

air trips weekly. 

(99311310, 24566016, 

99361982, 99707248, 

99322124. 

G 

FREE FRE 

INFORMA INFORMATION 

ABOUT ISLAM 

If you would like to 

know more about 

Islam, please call: 

Tel : 99425598, 

96050000, 99353988, 

99253818, 99341395, 

99379133, 

For ladies: 99415818, 

99321360, 99730723 

Or visit: 

www.islamfact.com 

AYURVEDIC Treatment, 

Yoga massage & 

slimming. Contact: 

�92504980/ 24475280 , 

www.drsajjay.com 

FOR NRI. BOOKING 

open for villas in 

Aluwa, Kochi, Kerala. 

Rs 50 lacs onwards near 

UC College. Contact: 

�98934705, or 

skprealty@yahoo.com. 

F 

C 

ARGO 

HURRY! Ramadhan 

sailing. Cargo for 

ZANZIBAR, DAR ES 

SALAAM & 

MOMBASA. Maritime 

Shipping Agency. 

�24834850/ 

99323513 

CARGO transfer with 

attractive price to all 

areas in the Sultanate 

and outside of Oman 

(by truck). 

Contact: �00968- 

99171758 

G 

OR SALE SAL 

MEDICAL Polyclinic 

with all equipment 

and supplies. Contact: 

�99812298/ 

99240928. 

UEST HOUSE HO 

MURAHIB HOTEL H 

APARTMENTS 

APARTMEN 

welcome our valuable 

GUESTS to our 

excellent location, 

AL KHUWAIR, near 

AL ZAWAWI 

MOSQUE, a single 

bedroom, a bedroom & 

majlis, two bedrooms & 

majlis �24478087, 

Fax: 24482454. 

QURUM BEACH 

HOTEL. �24564070. 

F 

SAVILLS OMAN 

QUALITY homes for 

rent throughout 

Capital Area Muscat. 

Contact: �24692151. 

www.sav-oman.com 

NEW villa at Maabela 

traffic light, spacious, 6 

BHK including split AC, 

car park, water and 

Internet. RO 500. 

�99436299 or 

99799889. 

3 BEDROOM villa at 

Al Hail South, near 

Khamis Shoes. Contact: 

�99316900. 

FLAT, 2 bedrooms and 

sitting room in Bausher. 

Contact �99316995. 

FLAT in Al Wattayah, 2 

bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 

hall & kitchen with 

balcony, RO 330/month. 

Contact �99428161. 

200 sq in Ghala Industrial 

Area can be used 

as labour camp or store 

or workshop. Contact 

�96477160, 99024949. 

FLAT, 3 bedrooms in 

Al Wadi Al Kabir. 

�95700400. 

OFFICES, shops, villa at 

Al Khuwair, �ats at Al 

Khuwair, Wadi 

Kabir, MBD, 

Mumtaz, furnished/ 

unfurnished. 

� 96596348. 

NEW villa in Qurum, 

5 bedrooms, car parking, 

automatic gate and 

camera. (RO 750) rent. 

�99346372 (Hussain), 

95128985 (Moideen). 

CLASSIFIED SECTION: 

FOR RENT 

9000M² of secured 

open land, with basic 

of�ce and labour camp 

facilities in GHALA. 

To be leased for long 

and short term lease. 

Serious offers write to 

2275/112. 

Tel : 24791485/ 

92137157 

A BIG �at at Mawaleh 

North, 3 bedrooms, 

4 bathrooms, a sitting 

room, big hall and a 

kitchen, behind Al Bahjah 

Centre. Contact 

�99046696. 

FLAT at Al Hail, Shimaliya. 

�99378837 

HOUSE for rent in Wadi 

Adai: 4 big rooms, 1 big 

hall, 1 kitchen, 

4 bathrooms with excellent 

furniture and other 

requirements. Call Ali: 

�95069613 

VILLA for rent at 

Maabela, 6 bedoorms 

�95272762. 

A FLAT consisting of 2 

bedrooms, a sitting room, 

2 bathrooms and kitchen 

at Al Ghubra north. Rent 

price: RO 350. Contact 

�99219333, 92328833. 

A BEDROOM with 

toilet and a kitchen at Al 

Khoudh and Al Ghuubra. 

Rent price: RO 150. 

Contact �99219333, 

92328833. 

VILLA consisting of 3 

sitting rooms, 5 bedrooms, 

2 halls and 7 bathrooms at 

Al Seeb. Rent price: RO 

450. Contact �99219333. 

SALES EXECUTIVE 

NEEDED 

Jewellery, Watches & Diamonds showroom seeking 

Senior Sales Person AND 

Sales Executive for new 

showroom in SALALAH 

Minimum 3 years experience required 

Address application to: platcap13@gmail.com 

SITUATION VACANT 

A FOOD manufacturing industry has vacancies for the 

following posts to be filled by Omanis only: 

1. Human Resources Executive 

2. Labour Shift Supervisor 

3. Receptionist (Females only). 

All interested candidates are requested to send 

their applications either through e-mail to 

mail@avod.com.om or by fax to 24448099 within 

one week from the date of publication of this notice. 

Sulaiman Awlad Thani: 95181747 

Ali al Maashari: 99639264 

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

S 

ITUATION VACANT 

14 

Available on very GOOD prices 

HP 1050 3 in 1 Printer 

NEW hotel opening 

Salalah required 

Housekeeping, 

marketing, waitress, 

administration, 

engineering, IT 

department, chefs, spar 

staff. E-mail CV’s: 

asalalah.plaza.hotel@ 

gmail.com 

REQUIRED GP Doctor 

and Omani female Receptionist 

for a reputed medical 

centre in Al Khuwair. 

Please send CV to Fax: 

24488660. e-mail: bashayermedical@gmail.com 

EXPERIENCED car 

upholstery workers with 

knowledge in car body 

polishing & car 

accessories fitting needed, 

interested persons. 

Contact: 95038750, 

95129135, 95119315, 

99577396. �99015624. 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

RO 15.900 only 

HP OJ6000 Printer 

RO 29.900 only 

HP Pavilion P6 Desktop 

RO 149.900 only 

Dell N5110 I5 Laptop 

RO 204.900 only 

AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung 

Cartridges also available. 

A TRAVEL and Tourism 

agent in South Al Hail 

requires staff: 1. Senior 

Accountant; 2. 

Reservation & Ticketing 

Officer. *Requires 

experience of not less 

than two years. Please 

send your CV to this 

e-mail address: afrah. 

aldhanki@myeduzone. 

org Fax no: 24490528. 

S 

COMPUTER SUPPLIES 

Ruwi: 24792792 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

REQUIRED Sales 

Engineers with minimum 

two years experience. 

Degree or diploma 

holder on the following 

disciplines: Instruments 

Engineer, Electrical 

Engineer, Mechanical 

Engineer. Please apply: 

hr@gploman.com Global 

Pavilion LLC. 

REQUIRED Outdoor 

Sales & Marketing. 

�99312700. 

REQUIRED urgently 

4 female Typists for 

smart cards. Salary: 

Basic salary RO 200, 

allowance RO 25, 

transport allowance 

RO 25. Send your CV 

to: bptland@gmail.com. 

�96777170/24794286. 

DIRECT: 24649594 - FAX : 24649590 

e-mail: classified@omandaily.om 

CLASSIFIED SECTION 

RUWI: � 24785668 

Behind Royal Oman Police Adjacent 

to Dhofar Building 

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

WE are a leader in the 

�eld of advertising; 

we need staff in the 

following areas: 

— Designer/Graphic/ 

websites/Interior/3d 

— Marketing, Silk 

— Screen printer 

�99427801. 

al-haditha 

centre 

AUTO REPAIR 

CENTRE 

Quality Repairs & Maintenance of all 

types of Cars and Heavy vehicles 

(ROP approved Grade A Workshop) 

Telephone: 24595951/1414, Fax: 24597979. 

A 

Executive Office 

Services aavailable 

� 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. 

A 

NNOUNCEMENT 

NNOUNC 

CCM AVA AVAILABLE 

A SPACIOUS room 

in Qurum for RO 85 

�99654530. 

ITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED 

INDIAN male, B.Com, 

working as Finance 

Manager (presently since 

10 years in a reputed 

oil�eld company in 

Oman) with 23 years 

experience in �nance & 

administration in Oman, 

seeks placement. Contact 

�96222366. 

B.TECH mechanical 

engineer, Indian male, 

27 years with AutoCAD, 

HVAC, seeks suitable 

placement �94230643 

midhunjaljith@yahoo. 

co.in. 

SYED Salman, 24 

years, BBM purchase/ 

documentation control/ 

administration/accounts 

with 3 years experience 

in India, looking for 

suitable position. Contact: 

� 93751702, e-mail: 

sayyed_salman82@ 

yahoo.com. 

INDIAN female 24, MBA 

Finance with 2 years 

experience in �nance 

& administration, seeks 

suitable placement. 

Contact: �93254104. 

WELL quali�ed �nance 

controller with 10 

years experience in 

reputable manufacturing, 

contracting & trading 

companies in Oman, 

looking for an 

opportunity, currently in 

Sri Lanka, available to 

join immediately. 

Please contact 

0094778560312, 

e-mail: gunaratnac@ 

gmail.com. Local 

�97195540. 

INDIAN male, 20 years 

of Gulf experience in HR 

& Admin, logistics and 

warehouses having Oman 

driving licence. Contact: 

� 99451254. 

B 

UY/SELL 

USED furniture and 

shifting. Contact: 

� 99320402. 

SALES & marketing, 

experience in Gulf, 

6 years, Indian male, 

30 years, B Com with 

valid D/L KSA, looking 

for suitable position, 

on visit visa. Contact: 

�92662408. 

INDIAN Civil Autocad 

Draughtsman, 10 years 

experience in Oman, 

seeks part-time job. 

Contact: � 99649272. 

MALE, 28 years, MA 

English and MSc 

Psychology, having D/L 

of Oman, searching for 

suitable service. Contact: 

�94240002 e-mail: 

sahadkeyi@yahoo.co.uk. 

SYSTEMS engineer, 

male 24 years, having 2 


TATA Consultancy, 

seeks suitable placement. 

�92515049. 

CLASSIFIEDS 

Continued on P-15

SPACE X’s Dragon spacecraft is to embark upon a three-day flight to the 

ISS and undertake a series of complicated docking manoeuvres. 

S 

15 

SPOTLIGHT/CLASSIFIEDS 



ITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED SITUATION WANTED 

INDIAN male, 23 years, 

B.Tech (Mechanical 

Engineering), worked as 

Graduate Trainee Engineer 

at Infinite Shipping 

and Engg Pvt Ltd from 2 

August 2011 to 12 April 

2012, knowing Autocad, 

Autodesk inventor, 

Solidworks, MS Office, 

Ansys analysis software, 

seeks suitable placement. 

frederick_000@yahoo.co.in 

INDIAN male, DECE, 

B.G.A, experience 

in CCTV, Emax. 

�96065269, E-mail: 

kamals_K@yahoo.com 

MALE, 24 years, Indian, 

BE in Electronics and 

Communications, seeks 


Contact: �99332185. 

I 

A MECHANICAL and 

Production Engineer trained 

in HVAC, Primeavera and 

Autocad, looking for a 


Contact: �93807969. 

DIPLOMA Mechanical 

Engineer, 25 years’ of service 

as Production Manager 

in a reputed manufacturer 

of domestic appliances in 

Oman with valid Oman 

driving licence, 

seeks suitable employment 

in Oman. Contact 

�92887806 e-mail: prakashnps4@yahoo.com. 

INDIAN female, 28 

years, having 5 years of 

experience in office 

related jobs, seeks 

suitable position. 

Contact: �93845945. 

INDIAN male, graduate, 

with over 13 years 

experience in sales and 

marketing in Oman, 

holding valid D/L, seeks 

suitable placement � 

92928747. 

CIVIL Engineer, Egyptian, 

long experience, all 

structural works, resident 

driving licence. 

�95378918. 

INDIAN female looking 

for job. Done BE in 

electronics and communication 

from Mangalore, 

worked in Dubai for 

MNC’s as IT procurement 

co-ordinator for 2 years. 

Contact �95986104. preethi_ferns&yahoo.com 

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 

New era in spaceflight — 1st commercial flight to ISS 

WASHINGTON — Nasa’s space shuttle fleet may be landing 

in museums, but the next step in space exploration is 

already under way as private concerns work to get into the 

ground floor of commercial flight to near-Earth orbit and 

possibly beyond. 

On Saturday, the company Space X plans to reach a major 

milestone by launching the first commercial craft bound 

for the International Space Station. 

Nasa’s ISS programme manager Mike Suffredini has 

dubbed it “one of those historic launches.” But there is 

much that could go wrong in what amounts to a test flight, 

and the launch has already been delayed repeatedly to make 

sure everything comes together correctly. 

“Space takes longer and is more expensive than people 

expect,” notes Scott Pace, director of the Space Policy Institute 

at the George Washington University in Washington. 

Space X’s Dragon spacecraft is to embark upon a threeday 

flight to the ISS and undertake a series of complicated 

OMANI seeks position 

in HSE. jeebal3000@ 

gmail.com 

INDIAN female looking 

for a suitable job. Done 

B.Tech in electronics 

and communication from 

Mumbai, India, worked for 

leading MNC for 23 years. 

harshi12moolya@gmail. 

com �95136230. 


holding diploma in fire & 

safety, diploma in marine 

mechanic STCW95, 

having 4 years experience, 

seeks suitable placement, 

presently in family visa. 

Contact: �96977054. 

PURCHASE/procurement/ 

documentation control/ 

logistics/administration, 

expert with more than 

15 years of Gulf and 

India experience in large 

organisation, seeks suitable 

position. Contact: Mosin 

Ahamed �+968-96269788 

e-mail: mosinahmed@ 

hotmail.com 


BBA Degree holder, 

on visit visa. OIFA 

(Diploma in Indian & 

foreign accounting) 8 

months experience in 

office section. Languages 

known: English, Hindi, 

Malayalam. Contact: 

�95176641, 93129142. 

INDIAN male with 30 

yrs experience in teaching 

field at college level for 

chemistry, holding PhD, 

experience in Industrial 

Chemistry also, seeks suitable 

placement, experience 

in administrative positions 

also. Contact �93438200. 

FILIPINO female 

looking for job placement 

for sales and marketing, 

knows Tally, Excel, 

administration job. 

Contact: �93421264. 

docking manoeuvres in order to establish that it can safely 

attach to the orbiting station. This will be only the third 

flight for Dragon. 

The flight carries significant risk, but Space X has 

vowed that if any part of the mission does not succeed it 

will learn and try again. 

The unmanned Dragon capsule will blast off atop a Falcon 

9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and 

carry 521 kg of cargo, mainly food for astronauts living on 

the station. If all goes as planned it will return to Earth with 

660 kg of discarded cargo. 

Nasa and Space X have said they were confident about 

the mission but stressed it was a test flight and that the 

docking to the station would be particularly difficult. 

The shift towards commercial spaceflight comes as part 

of an Obama administration review of space policy amid 

the retirement of the space shuttle fleet. Nasa will shift its 

focus to longer distance goals with the aim of eventually 

FINANCE professional 

seeks Finance Manager/ 

Controller position, 15 

years Oman & India exp 

in EPC/mnfg/media/ 

contracting/services in 

accounts finalisation/ 

finance/audit/banking/ 

funds. Immediate 

joining. Excellent 

English communication. 

� 99283938. 


BCom graduate with 3 

years experience, 

specialised in Tally Focus 

and good knowledge in 

MS Office, seeks suitable 

placement. Contact: 

�95408235. 

ACCOUNTANT, 33 

years Indian male, BCom, 

9 years experience in 

accounts with valid 

Omani D/L, exp in Focus 

RT, Tally, seeks suitable 

placement. Contact: 

�93086105. 

IT/Network administrator, 

Indian male, 32 years, 

8 years experience in 

hardware and networking. 

MCSE, MCDBA & CCNA 

certified, having Oman 

driving licence, seeks suitable 

placement. Contact 

�93721070, E-mail: 

shyju@msn.com 

STORE Warehouse & 

Logistics Manager, 

professionally qualified & 

broadly experienced in 

India, Saudi Arabia and 

Oman. Currently working 

with a corporate group in 

Muscat, seeks challenging 

opportunity. Contact: 

�94211162. 

INDIAN male, 

BE (Electronics & 

Communication), MBA 

(Finance & Marketing), 

good knowledge of SAP 

(ERP) in module BI/ 

BW, on visit visa, seeks 


� 96100735. 

MASTERS in 

Journalism, Mass 

Communication + 

Masters in Finance, 

excellent English, 

communication, good 

writing skills, Finance & 

Audit background in 

Oman, India, seeks 

corporate 

communication/business 

development/HR 

training/office 

management/ 

procurement role in 

MNCs/banks/NGOs/ 

universities. Can speak 

Arabic and join quickly. 

�99283938. 

SENIOR Accountant, 

Indian, male BCom, 

PGDCA. 10 years 

experience in Accounts/ 

Finance upto finalisation. 

Well versed with MIS 

reporting, Tally & ERP. 5 


Oman. Contact: 

�95593273. 

INDIAN Electrical Eng, 

27 years, diploma, BTech, 

EEE, (course completed) 

one year experience in 

Oman and three years in 

Kerala, India. Contact 

�98070061 

BE (Mechanical) with 


precision tool making & 


quality control (machine 

shop) seeks suitable 

placement (on visit). 

�98027867, 92762001. 

CHIEF Executive Officer/ 

General Manager with 

MBA, Engineering 

background and over 

20 years international 

experience, including 

Oman & Middle East, in 

General Management, 

Sales, Marketing and 

Business Development 

for Automotives/ 

Consumer Durables/ 

FMCG is looking for 

suitable employment. 

Contact: �97299135. 

reaching an asteroid and later Mars while handing over routine 

space station flights to commercial providers. 

“The US doesn’t have its own government access to the 

space station, so it is reliant on private providers, and for 

cargo that is a reasonable bet,” Pace said. But he expressed 

worries that the next step — commercial crew access — 

will be considerably more difficult. 

With the retirement of the shuttle, US astronauts can 

only reach the station via Russian Soyuz spacecraft, while 

cargo can be delivered on Russian, European and Japanese 

craft. 

Space X was awarded a possible $396 million contract, 

of which it has so far received $381 million, to develop its 

capsule. It is under contract for 12 supply flights to the station. 

If all goes well, the company eventually plans to convert 

the Dragon capsule to allow it to also bring astronauts 

aloft — but it will likely be years before the first astronaut 

blasts off in a private rocket. — dpa 

New wedding web app connects guests before the big day 

TORONTO — Planning a wedding? A new 

web app lets the bride and groom-to-be create 

a social website that connects guests 

with each other before the big day. 

Called Weduary, the web app provides 

a simple way of creating a modern-looking 

wedding website, and allows the couple to 

invite guests using Facebook. 

The site tells guests which of their Facebook 

friends will also be attending and 

points out people at the event who may have 

common interests and mutual friends. 

If a guest is attending alone, the Flirt 

section of the site shows other singles who 

will be there. 

“We’re giving people a cheat sheet on 

who to meet at these big wedding events,” 

said Brit Morin, CEO of Brit & Co, the digital 

lifestyle brand behind Weduary. 

In addition to connecting guests, the site 

provides details about the date and time of 

the wedding, hotel information and a link to 

the couple’s registry. 

Each guest also gets their own profile. 

“It says which hotel they’re staying at, 

when they are arriving to the event, their 

favourite story of the bride and groom and 

what their cellphone is,” she explained. 

Information on the site can be useful 

to help guests to co-ordinate travel plans, 

pitch in on registry gifts, or split accommodations. 

Morin said that she came up with the 

idea while planning her own wedding last 

year. 

“Not only were a lot of the templates, 

themes and web designs a little bit dated, 

but we also didn’t find anything that was social 

in nature,” she said, adding that couples 

are increasingly opting for non-traditional 

wedding registries. 

“We’ve seen a lot of websites catering 

towards inventive registries like donation 

registries, or registries to fund the purchase 

of the first house, or their honeymoon,” she 

INDIAN male, BSc 

(Hons), having 11 years 

experience in sales & 

marketing in FMCG 

products. Having valid 

Omani driving licence. 

Contact: � 93473827 

INDIAN male, 26 years, 4 


storekeeping and 

countersales having valid 

Omani driving licence, 

local release available, 

looking for suitable 

placement. Contact 

�95813406 E-mail: 

pbrateek@yahoo.co.in 

MALE, 24 years, Indian, 

MSW holder, specialised 

in Medical and 

Psychiatry with 2 years 

experience in India, 

currently in Oman, 

looking for opportunities 

in the health service 

industry. Contact: Brian 

Benjamin �95052079. 

CIVIL Draughtsman 


in AutoCad project 

ordination & site 

supervision, seeks 

suitable opportunity. 

� 98856716. 

B TECH Mechanical 

Engineer currently in 

Oman on visit visa 

having one year 

experience in Oman and 

one year apprentice at 

ISRO (Indian Space 

Research Centre India) 

seeks immediate 

employment. PDO or 

Refineries or Oilfield 

Companies preferred. 

Contact: C/o 

�99354090/24707540 

narayananviv@gmail. 

com. 

INDIAN male, 57 

years, having 5½ years 

experience in Oman, 

seeks suitable placement 

as office boy and 

gatekeeper, on visit visa. 

Contact: � 98163986. 

explained. 

Morin believes the wedding industry is 

ripe for innovation. Her company is also 

working on an iPhone app that will harness 

real-time communication between other 

guests at weddings. 

Other popular wedding websites include 

TheKnot.com, and WeddingWire, which 

provide free wedding website building 

tools, but without the social component. 

An app called SocialTables connects 

with Facebook to let guests see other guests 

attending the event and allows hosts to create 

seating arrangements, but it is not exclusively 

targeted to weddings. — Reuters 

INDIAN male having 7 

years UAE experience in 

accounts/store in-charge 

seeks suitable placement, 

prefer in auto parts 

�98579241. 


MBA Marketing UK, 9 

years experience UK & 

UAE in sales, marketing 

business development. 

Holding UAE driving 

licence, looking for 

suitable position. Contact: 

�00968 99787181. 

E-mail: tthomaspv@gmail. 

com 

BE (electronics & 

communication) 24 

years, Indian male, 

on-going MBA, 

CCNA, on visit, seeks 


Contact: �93807203 

thejus2310@gmail.com. 

INDIAN male, experience 

in building material/timber/aluminium/ 

water proofing, working 

with a reputed organisation, 

seeks suitable 

placement in sales/ 

stores. Contact 

�99879309, 92203891. 

INDIAN male, BE 

Industrial Engineering 


& expertise as project 

manager in leading 

garment companies in 

India, having larger 

insight into design, 

research & development, 

seeks suitable position. . 

�92138650. 

CLASSIFIED 

SECTION 

RUWI: 

� 24785668 

Behind Royal 

Oman Police 

Adjacent to 

Dhofar 

Building, 

Ruwi

FLIGHT LIGHT SSCHEDULE 

CHEDULE 

ARRIVALS LS S — TUESDAY 

S 

Flight No Aircraft From om / Via STA 

WY614 B737-8 Dubai 0005 

WY682 B737-8 Riyadh 0015 

WY648 B737-8 Kuwait 0015 

TK858 B737-8 Istanbul 0130 

BG021 DC10 Dacca-Chittagong 0130 

IX141 B737-8 Amritsar 0140 

PK225 B737-3 Karachi 0200 

QR170 A320 Doha 0315 

EY384 A320 Abu Dhabi 0350 

EK866 B777 Dubai 0355 

FZ041 B737-8 Dubai 0415 

GF560 E190 Bahrain 0425 

MS930 B737-8 Cairo 0500 

WY146 A330-200 Malpensa 0605 

WY122 A330-300 Munich 0630 

WY114 A330-300 Frankfurt 0645 

WY652 E175AR Bahrain 0700 

WY662 E175AR Doha 0700 

FZ043 B737-8 Dubai 0740 

WY132 A330-200 Paris 0745 

WY674 B737-8 Jeddah 0800 

WY202 B737-8 Bombay 0800 

WY914 B737-8 Salalah 0800 

WY632 ATR42 Abu Dhabi 0800 

WY602 B737-8 Dubai 0825 

WY326 B737-8 Islamabad 0900 

WY322 B737-8 Karachi 0900 

WY102 A330-300 London Heathrow 0900 

WY262 B737-8 Lucknow 0920 

EK862 B777 Dubai 0930 

QR166 A321 Doha 0950 

G9113 A320 Sharjah 0955 


PK191 ATR42 Gwadur 1045 

9W530 B737-8 Trivandrum 1045 

WY3302 ATR42 Mukhaizna 1045 

IX549 B737-8 Trivandrum 1050 

WY604 E175AR Dubai 1100 

WY916 E175AR Salalah 1200 

WY314 B737-8 Chittagong 1210 


IX337 B737-8 Calicut 1255 

WY918 ATR42 Khasab 1315 

WY606 B737-8 Dubai 1330 

WY924 A330-300 Salalah 1410 

IX815 B737-8 Mangalore 1425 


FZ045 B737-8 Dubai 1545 

RJ602 ERJ175 Amman 1545 

WY664 E175AR Doha 1615 

WY328 B737-8 Lahore 1640 



WY204 B737-8 Bombay 1655 

WY244 B737-8 Delhi 1710 

WY298 B737-8 Calicut 1750 

WY284 B737-8 Bangalore 1800 

WY216 B737-8 Trivandrum 1805 

GF564 A319 Bahrain 1810 

WY236 B737-8 Hyderabad 1835 


SV534 EMB170 Riyadh 1900 

TG507 A330 Bangkok-Karachi 1900 

G9117 A320 Sharjah 1905 

WY926 B737-8 Salalah 1945 

FZ047 B737-8 Dubai 2020 


WY338 B737-8 Kathmandu 2100 

AI973 A320 Delhi 2125 

BA073 B777 London Heathrow-Abu Dhabi 2130 


WY926 B737-8 Salalah 2155 

AI907 A319 Madras 2200 

WY406 B737-8 Cairo 2215 

WY381 A330-300 Male-Colombo 2215 

LH618 A330 Frankfurt-Abu Dhabi 2225 


QR168 A320 Doha 2235 

LX242 A330 Zurich-Dubai 2235 

GF566 B737-7 Bahrain 2250 

WY228 B737-8 Cochin 2250 

WY624 ATR42 Al Ain 2305 

WY656 B737-8 Bahrain 2305 

WY668 B737-7 Doha 2310 

WY928 B737-8 Salalah 2310 

AI985 A321 Ahmedabad-Bombay 2310 

WY672 A330-300 Jeddah 2315 


WY686 B737-8 Dammam 2320 

9W534 B737-8 Cochin 2330 

WY816 A330-200 Bangkok 2335 

9W540 B737-8 Bombay 2340 

WY258 B737-8 Madras 2340 

QUOTATIONS FOR TODAY 

Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty 

to the government when it deserves it. 

— Mark Twain 

A poem begins as a lump in the throat, 

a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a 

lovesickness. 

— Robert Frost 

CINEMA 

FILM INFORMATION 

www.citycinemaoman.net 

AL BAHJA CINEMA: 

24540856, 24540855. 

AL NASR CINEMA: 

24831358, 24831809 (after 3pm) 

AL SHATTI PLAZA: 

24607360, 24692656 (after 2pm) 

STARS CINEMA: 

24791641, 24792360 

MAJLIS A’SHURA 

ADDRESSES 

Keep in touch with Majlis Ash’shura’s 

news. 

Log on to the Majlis’s website: 

www.shura.om 

and the Majlis’s 

e-mail: info@shura.om 

Or write to the Majlis’s postal address: 

P O Box 981 

Postal Code 111, Muscat 

Tel: 24510344 / 24521427/ 

Fax 24510560 

INFORMATION 

MINISTRY WEBSITES 

Ministry: www.omanet.om 

Oman TV: 

www.oman-tv.gov.om 

Oman Radio: 

www.oman-radio.gov.om 

Omani Centre for Traditional Music: 

www.octm-folk.gov.om 

OMAN RADIO 

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

Morning Programme, Weather Forecast and Pharmacies 

on Duty; 6.15 Good Morning Oman; 7.00 News Bulletin; 

7.10 Good Morning Oman (Sat-Wed) with What the Paper 

Says; 9.00 News Headlines; 9.02 Piano; 10.00 

Instrumental Music; 11.00 Light Classical Music; 12.00 

News Headlines, 12.02 Midday Edition (Live) Sat-Wed; 

2.07 Around the World in 30 mins; 2:25 Jungle — On 

Road with 90.4 — Sat-Wed; 2.30 News Bulletin; 2.40 

Sports (Faiq) Daily except Thu & Fri; 2:50 Mix Music 

Except Thu & Fri; 3.00 Women in Focus — Nisham 

Repeat of Thu 6.40 & Fri 3.30 pm; 3.20 Radio Station 

Jingles and Programmes; 3.25 Mix Music; 3.30 Health 

Matters; 4.00 News Headlines; 4.02 Health Matters; 6.00 

Forts and Castles of Oman — Laxmi Repeat of Monday 

3.00 & Fri 2.40 pm;. 6.15 Radio Station Jingles and 

Programmes; 6.30 News Bulletin; 6.40 Mix Music; 7.00 

Football Lounge (Rumaitha); 8.00 News Headlines; 8.02 

Night Express; 10.00 News Bulletin; 10.10 Flash Back; 

11.15 Mix Music; 12.40 News Summary; 12.45 The Holy 

Quran; 01.00 National Anthem, Close Down. 

DEPARTURES 

DEPARTURESS 

Flight No Aircraft To / Via STD 

BA072 B777 Abu Dhabi-London Heathrow 0001 

AI986 A321 Bombay-Ahmedabad 0005 


9W539 B737-8 Bombay 0045 

KQ318 B737-8 Nairobi 0050 

WY601 B737-8 Dubai 0115 


WY261 B737-8 Lucknow 0125 

WY201 B737-8 Bombay 0130 

9W529 B737-8 Trivandrum 0130 

WY661 E175AR Doha 0130 


WY313 B737-8 Chittagong 0200 

WY325 B737-8 Islamabad 0220 

TK859 B737-8 Istanbul 0220 

WY321 B737-8 Karachi 0220 

IX816 B737-8 Abu Dhabi-Mangalore 0220 

PK226 B737-3 Karachi 0300 

BG022 DC10 Chittagong-Dacca 0300 

EK867 B777 Dubai 0500 

FZ042 B737-8 Dubai 0500 


QR171 A320 Doha 0550 

MS931 B737-8 Cairo 0600 



WY915 E175AR Salalah 0800 


FZ044 B737-8 Dubai 0820 

WY243 B737-8 Delhi 1000 

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

WY327 B737-8 Lahore 1000 

WY825 A330-200 Kuala Lumpur 1000 

WY923 A330-300 Salalah 1005 

WY297 B737-8 Calicut 1005 

WY215 B737-8 Trivandrum 1010 

WY815 A330-200 Bangkok 1010 

WY917 ATR42 Khasab 1030 

WY605 B737-8 Dubai 1030 

WY381 A330-300 Male-Colombo 1030 

G9114 A320 Sharjah 1035 

WY203 B737-8 Bombay 1040 

EK863 B777 Dubai 1045 


QR167 A321 Doha 1055 


WY235 B737-8 Hyderabad 1115 

PK192 ATR42 Gwadur-Turbat 1130 

9W533 B737-8 Cochin 1145 

IX554 B737-8 Cochin-Trivandrum 1150 

WY337 B737-8 Kathmandu 1155 

WY663 E175AR Doha 1215 


WY405 B737-8 Cairo 1310 



IX350 B737-8 Calicut 1355 

WY101 A330-300 London Heathrow 1400 

WY227 B737-8 Cochin 1445 


IX142 B737-8 Abu Dhabi-Amritsar 1515 

WY671 A330-300 Jeddah 1540 

WY257 B737-8 Madras 1545 

FZ046 B737-8 Dubai 1630 

RJ603 ERJ175 Amman 1630 


WY925 B737-8 Salalah 1750 


GF565 A319 Bahrain 1855 

WY685 B737-8 Dammam 1905 

WY647 B737-8 Kuwait 1905 

WY927 B737-8 Salalah 1905 

WY681 B737-8 Riyadh 1910 

WY667 B737-7 Doha 1910 

WY655 B737-8 Bahrain 1915 

G9118 A320 Sharjah 1945 

SV535 EMB170 Riyadh 2000 

TG508 A330 Karachi-Bangkok 2005 

WY623 ATR42 Al Ain 2015 

WY613 B737-8 Dubai 2045 

FZ048 B737-8 Dubai 2105 

WY635 E175AR Abu Dhabi 2105 

WY913 B737-8 Salalah 2245 

AI908 A319 Madras 2300 

AI974 A320 Delhi 2310 


LX243 A330 Dubai-Zurich 2335 

QR169 A320 Doha 2335 

GF567 B737-7 Bahrain 2345 

LH619 A330 Abu Dhabi-Frankfurt 2345 

CRYPTIC PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

1 On the road, Jack needs a 

raincoat (6) 

7 Rest of the game (4,4) 

8 Quality of a tow-headed 

individual (4) 

10 It’s in one’s bones (6) 

11 The best in a very posh 

street (6) 

14 Ever reduced numerically 

(3) 

16 Like the hair of the dog 

with a silly tail? (5) 

17 A shelter the woman had 

(4) 

19 They can always find a 

bit of work for their 

partners (5) 

21 Part of Greater London? 

Ha — indeed! (5) 

22 As a saint, he has a very 

good name (5) 

23 Where to buy piano 

music? (4) 

26 Rhoda’s secret store? (5) 

28 Find out what goose eggs 

contain (3) 

29 How soldiers march, on 

foot (6) 

30 Apply again after a time 

(6) 

31 A divorcee takes it on the 

way out (4) 

32 Obtained from the 

producer (8) 

33 Not much can be in an 

enclosure! (6) 

DOWN 

1 Father, running through 

London (6) 

2 Tied up at Greenwich or 

in the Dome, possibly (6) 

3 Chap, shall we say? (4) 

4 Wherein workers are not 

keen on cold 

refreshment? (7) 

5 A better beak? (5) 

6 A well-known J P (5) 

8 One growing in the 

family for generations? 

(4) 

9 Has it no right to be 

negative? (3) 

12 She’s so good, none can 

TAURUS 

(April 21-May 20) 

You may save yourself a 

great deal of trouble and 

money if you make sure there is a 

chance of a reasonable compromise in 

a financial transaction today. 

GEMINI 

(May 21-June 21) 

If you have a friend who is 

always enquiring into your 

personal affairs, you will have to point 

out quite firmly that you have no intention 

of discussing anything. 

CANCER 

(June 22-July 21) 

Postpone an unpleasant talk 

with the family about the 

need for economies until you have a 

clear picture in your head of the action 

to be taken. 

LEO 

(July 22-August 21) 

Your reserve and lack of 

response may at times be 

taken for coldness by people who do not 

know your ways, and think you are not 

concerned about your associates. 

16 

INFORMATION/LEISURE TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 

PHARMACIES 

PHARM 

24-HOUR SERVICE 

Al Hashar ph, Ruwi 24783334 

Muscat ph, Ruwi, 24702542 

Al Sarooj, 24695536 

Scientific ph, Qurum, 24566601 

Ruwi, 24702850 

DAY DUTY 

Muscat Tadawi 24450670 

Ibn Sina 24487273 

Al Hashar 24714687 

Ibra 22017291 

Sur Sur 25545298 

Ibri Muscat 25689025 

Buraimi Yass 1, 25653855 

Nizwa Basmat Nizwa 

25431060 

Salalah National 23291161 

NIGHT DUTY 

Muscat Bin Saeed 24423894 

Atlas 24503585 

Badr al Samaa 

24799760 

Muscat 24535977 

Sur Muscat 25543660 

Ibri Al Hekma 25688177 

Buraimi Yamama 25652225 

Barka Barka 26882140 

Rustaq Badr Al Samaa 

26876523 

Samayil Al Hurriya 25359435 

Nizwa Nizwa 25412323 

Salalah Naif 23299456 

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 

imitate her (3) 

13 County one can possibly 

slog around (5) 

15 It’s all very fine to accept 

ties as payments! (5) 

18 If you want to get the 

bird, don’t put her off! (5) 

19 A lot of money for a 

snack! (3) 

20 They chase girls for some 

time, normally (3) 

21 To conceal a love for us 

is certainly not nice (7) 

22 He’s got the knack (3) 

23 She sorts out aliens (6) 

24 That sought by certain 

modern missiles? (4) 

25 Riches loaned in extremes 

of penury (6) 

26 A bit of a beast (5) 

27 Villa site (5) 

28 The way certain counties 

finish makes the 

difference (3) 

30 Leftists in pocket, 

perhaps? (4) 

EASY PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

1 Hesitates to believe (6) 

CROSSWORD 

7 Finland’s capital (8) 

8 Augur (4) 

10 Overseas (6) 

11 Leg bone (6) 

14 Girl’s name (3) 

16 Measuring stick (5) 

17 Cooking vessels (4) 

19 Timorous (5) 

21 Group of witches (5) 

22 Senior member (5) 

23 Go up (4) 

26 Seminar (5) 

28 Rowing blade (3) 

29 Foreign language (6) 

30 Prance (6) 

31 Related by blood (4) 

32 Spice (8) 

33 Dozen (6) 

DOWN 

1 Abscond (6) 

2 Besoms (6) 

3 Cast off (4) 

4 Headache tablet (7) 

5 Make void (5) 

6 Cheroot eg (5) 

8 Grain husks (4) 

9 24 hours (3) 

12 Unopened flower (3) 

13 Jumps vigorously (5) 

15 Frogman (5) 

� YOUR STARS � 

VIRGO 

(August 22-Sept 22) 

You will be very glad and 

relieved to have word of a 

cancelled appointment, which you were 

in any case rather reluctant to keep. 

LIBRA 

(September 23- 

October 22) 

Don’t be �attered by the receipt 

of a surprising letter from a person 

you have not heard from in months. It 

may just be a �ash in the pan on his part. 

SCORPIO 

(October 23- 

November 21) 

Don’t hesitate to speak up 

at a business meeting if you don’t like 

the way it is being conducted, and are 

able to suggest a better approach. 

SAGITTARIUS 

(November 22- 

December 21) 

The position which you 

fear might be encountered at a special 

meeting could be mitigated if you 

approached it in a spirit of conciliation. 

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

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

Health Services Department 

Muttrah . . . . . .24797602 

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

SQH, Salalah .23211555 . . . .23211151 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

18 Detest vehemently (5) 

19 Plaything (3) 

20 Blokes (3) 

21 Causing laughter (7) 

22 Give a title to (3) 

23 Deep narrow gauge (6) 

24 Press (4) 

25 Complete (6) 

26 Ludicrous situation (5) 

27 Showery (5) 

28 Tree (3) 

30 Bevel (4) 

YESTERDAY’S CRYPTIC 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 1, G-host 6, Cited 

9, Crea-tor 10, E-N-try 11, 

Lidos 12, V-EN-us 13, Re- 

Gale-d 15, Sis 17, Adam 

18, Snatch 19, S-top-S 20, 

P-robes 22, F-ire 24, Hen 

25, D-RA-ined 26, (new-) 

Speak 27, Curio(-us) 28, 

M-us-ed 29, T-roop-er 30, 

Ber-E-t 31, Gents. 

DOWN: 2, Hinted 3, 

Screa-m 4, Try 5, Dated 6, 

Columns 7, Iris 8, Erotic 

12, Vents 13, Ra-L-ph 14, 

Gabon 15, St-E-in 16, Sh- 

I-ed 18, Spark 19, Seaport 

21, Refuse 22, Fi-gu-re 23, 

Re-sent 25, Damon 26, Sit-e 

28, Meg. 

YESTERDAY’S EASY 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 1, Burst 6, 

Islam 9, Hostile 10, Cedar 

11, Laird 12, Trait 13, 

Humdrum 15, Bid 17, Alas 

18, Dilute 19, Pivot 20, 

Pardon 22, Alto 24, Sly 25, 

Western 26, Steal 27, Forte 

28, Simon 29, Another 30, 

Beard 31, Terse. 

DOWN: 2, Useful 3, Shards 

4, Tor 5, Storm 6, Illicit 7, 

Seat 8, Adroit 12, Turin 13, 

Hasps 14, Marry 15, Bugle 

16, Demon 18, Dowel 19, 

Portend 21, Alcove 22, 

Attire 23, Troops 25, Waltz 

26, Star 28, Set. 

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY: Matters of personal finance will play a time consuming part in the year ahead and 

it may be necessary to make an extra effort to prevent everybody taking undue advantage of your generosity. You 

must protect your own interests and those of your family before considering the less well off. 

CAPRICORN 

(December 22- 

January 20) 

Don’t worry unduly about 

a possible upheaval at your place of 

work, just on the basis of some unconfirmed 

rumours. 

AQUARIUS 

(January 21-February 

19) 

Don’t be too ready to confide 

in a former colleague, as he still 

has contacts at your place of work and 

your thoughts and ideals could be 

banned about. 

PISCES 

(February 20-March 20) 

It is essential that you give 

a difficult task your undivided 

attention, as a half-hearted 

attempt is bound to end in disaster. 

ARIES 

(March 21-April 20) 

You may have to give into 

a majority opinion at a 

meting this evening, instead of following 

your own inclination. It would be 

best to suffer in silence. 

OTHER HOSPITALS 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sinaw . . . . . . .25474338 

ACROSS 

1 Army (4) 

4 Seed (3) 

6 Sapient (4) 

8 Affront (6) 

9 Ripe (6) 

10 Yelp (3) 

12 Vault (5) 

14 Attempted (5) 

15 Sea-duck (5) 

18 Chaff (6) 

20 Serviceable (6) 

24 Cede (5) 

26 Humorous (5) 

28 Youthful (5) 

30 Elderly (3) 

32 Assessor (6) 

33 Reviser (6) 

34 Plague (4) 

35 Youth (3) 

36 Mirth (4) 

DOWN 

2 Proprietor (5) 

3 Instrument (7) 

4 Compassion (4) 

5 Plimsoll (4) 

M USEUMS IN OMAN 

FAISAL BIN ALI AL SAID MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24641650 

MUSEUM OF OMANI HERITAGE, 

Tel: 24600946 

CHILDREN’S SCIENCE MUSEUM. 

Tel: 24605368 

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24641374 

NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tel: 24701289 

SULTAN’S ARMED FORCES 

MUSEUM, Tel: 24312646 

CURRENCY MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24796102 

MUSCAT GATE MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24739005. 

OMANI-FRENCH MUSEUM (Bait 

Fransa), Tel: 24736613 

BAIT AL ZUBAIR, Tel: 24736688 

BAIT A’NAMAN, Tel: 24641300 

SOHAR FORT MUSEUM. 

Tel: 26844758 

NAHKAL FORT, Tel: 26781384 

BAIT AL MAKHAM. Tel: 24641300 

BAIT ADAM MUSEUM, QURUM, 

Tel: 24605033, 24605013 

OIL AND GAS EXHIBITION 

CENTRE AND PLANE-TARIUM, 

Tel: 24677834. 

PLANETARIUM, Tel: 24675542. 

AQUARIUM at the Marine Science 

and Fisheries Centre (located next to 

Marina Bandar Rowdha, Sidab). 

SALALAH MUSEUM, Tel: 23294549 

CULTURAL CENTRE, Tel: 23294549. 

SUR MARITIME MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24541466. 

BAIT AL BARANDA, Tel: 24714262. 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

6 Irrigate (5) 

7 Dreamlike (7) 

11 Imitate (3) 

12 Taxi (3) 

13 Fasten (3) 

16 Parched (3) 

17 Regret (3) 

19 Inspire (7) 

21 Cunning (3) 

22 Worshipping (7) 

23 Ovum (3) 

25 Sick (3) 

27 Believe (5) 

29 Lasso (5) 

30 Spoken (4) 

31 Deceased (4) 

CARTOONS 

ROYAL OMAN POLICE 

EMERGENCY 9 9 9 9 

DG of Passports & Residency, 24569603 

DG of Customs, 24714626 

Traffic offences, 24510227/228 

ROP Public Relations, 24569270 

Consumer Complaints Cell, 24817013 

Muscat Governorate Headquarters, 24560021 

Muscat, 24736611 

Wattayah, 24677990 

Ruwi, 24701099 

Muttrah, 24712211 

Bausher, 24600099 

Al Amerat, 24875999 

Qurayat, 24845555 

A’Seeb, 24420099 

Al-Athaiba, 24521099 

AI-Khodh, 24425012 

Directorate of the University Security, 24513999 

Directorate of Traffic Muscat, 24567898 

Al Batinah Headquarters, 26840096 

Al Rustaq Division, 26875099 

Al Dakhiliyah, 25425099 

Nizwa Division, 25425099 

Samayil Division, 25350099 

Al Sharqiyah Headquarters, 25545070 

Ibra Division, 25570100 

Al Dhahirah Headquarters, 25650099 

Al Buraimi Division, 25650199 

Ibri Division, 25689099 

Al Wusta Headquarters, 23436099 

Haima Division, 23436211 

Special Task Force, 24560088 

Coastguard Headquarters, 24714888 

Dhofar Governorate Headquarters, 23234599 

Salalah Police Station, 23290099 

Thamrait Division, 23279099 

Musandam Governorate Headquarters, 

26730299 

Khasab Division, 26731502 

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

net and 

e-mail: ropnet@omantel.net.om 

YESTERDAY’S 

QUICK SOLUTION 

ACROSS: 2, Blank 

7, Spree 8, Major 10, 

Saver 12, Mar 13, 

Steed 15, Defamed 17, 

Letter 19, Tag 20, Resided 

23, Chic 25, Drag 

26, Cadaver 30, Lay 

31, Deride 34, Fielder 

37, Venue 38, Ago 39, 

Denim 40, Snout 41, 

Liked 42, Greet. 

DOWN: 1, Spite 2, Beset 

3, Leader 4, Need 

5, Damaged 6, Bored 

9, Jam 11, Retired 13, 

Slack 14, Ethic 16, Fad 

18, Relayed 21, Drain 

22, Agree 24, Callous 

27, Dad 28, Revile 29, 

Giant 32, Remit 33, 

Duvet 35, Ego 36, 

Rear. 

ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset 

CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson 

GARFIELD by Jim Davis 

STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot

CHRIS Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers shoots over Marc Gasol of the Memphis 

Grizzlies in Game Seven of the Western Conference quarterfinals in the 

NBA play-offs in Memphis on Sunday. — AFP 

Third edition 

of Oman Air 

Cricket Cup 

on May 25 

MUSCAT — The third 

edition of Oman Air Cricket 

Cup, organised by Gulf 

Sports Club, will be held 

on May 25 at Oman Club 

Stadium in Al Khuwair. 

Top ten cricket teams of 

the Sultanate will be participating 

in this one day 

tournament. Four teams — 

Enhance, Al Faisal Group, 

Arabian Industries, Muscat 

Champions — have 

already confirmed their 

participation and six more 

slots will be registered with 

first come first serve basis. 

There is no restriction for 

A and B division players, 

according to the organisers. 

The major attraction 

of the tournament, solely 

sponsored by Oman Air, 

will be the free air tickets 

to top performers, who will 

be awarded return air tickets 

to any destination of India, 

Pakistan or Sri Lanka, 

besides stunning trophies 

and other other prizes. 

Other attraction is, 

coach of Oman National 

Cricket Team, Mazher Saleem 

Khan will be providing 

a one hour free coaching 

session to the teams. 

The draw of the tournament 

will be held on May 

20 at McDonalds in Al 

Khuwair at 7.30 pm. 

CRICKET 

By Rex Berhardt 

MUSCAT — Renaissance defeated a 

depleted OCT Muscat team in an Al 

Ansari Group of Companies sponsored 

‘C’ division T20 cricket match played 

in the morning session during the 

weekend at the Municipality ground 

No 4 at Al Amerat. 

OCT Muscat, playing with nine 

men, did well to restrict Renaissance 

who won the toss and elected to bat to 

151 for the loss of nine wickets off their 

quota of 20 overs. Major contributions 

came from Sajeed Ahmed 33, Azhar 21 

and Navin Pinto 20 not out. 

Mohammed Ali Akbar al Balushi 

was the pick of the bowlers ending 

with figures of three for 14 whilst Akbar 

Qader al Balushi (2 for 17) and 

skipper Mohammed Aslam (2 for 44) 

off four overs each lent valuable support. 

OCT Muscat in reply lost wickets at 

regular intervals and could score only 

124 for seven at the end of 20 overs. 

Mohammed Aslam (25: 16b, 3x4) and 

opener Ahmed Mohamed Mahmood 

(21: 9b, 2x4) made major contributions. 

Sajeed Ahmed picked up three 

wickets conceding 23 runs and Rozario 

Blaise claimed two for 26 off 

four overs each. 

Brief scores: Renaissance CT 151 for 

9 off 20 overs (Sajeed Ahmed 33, Azhar 21, 

Navin Pinto 20 n.o.; Mohammed Ali Akbar 

al Balushi 3/14, Akbar Qader al Balushi 2/17, 

Mohammed Aslam 2/44) beat OCT Muscat 

124 for 7 off 20 overs (Mohammed Aslam 

25, Ahmed Mohammed Mahmood 21; Sajeed 

Ahmed 3/23, Rozario Blaise 2/26). Points: 

Renaissance 2 (7 gm, 4 pts), OCT Muscat 0 

(7 gm, 4 pts). 

ASSARAIN ‘B’ CLINCH 

‘G’ DIVISION TITLE 

Assarain ‘B’ registered a massive 

173-win against BankMuscat to clinch 

the Hasan Juma Backer (HJB) sponsored 

‘G’ division title for the season 

2011/2012. The two unbeaten teams 

clashed in a crucial match played during 

the afternoon session at the same 

venue. 

Choosing to bat after winning the 

toss Assarain ‘B’ amassed a huge 272 

for eight wickets thanks to a 115-run 

opening partnership between wicketkeeper-batsman 

Naseem Khushi 

(104: 41b, 6x6, 13x4) and Vishwanath 

Bhasker (55: 26b, 2x6, 9x4). Down the 

order Rajiv A (23: 11b, 1x6, 3x4) and 

Nidhin Mohan (20 not out: 11b, 1x6, 

1x4) made valuable contributions. 

MEMPHIS — The Los 

Angeles Clippers beat the 

Memphis Grizzlies 82-72 on 

Sunday to reach the second 

round of the NBA play-offs 

while the Miami Heat, led 

by MVP LeBron James, took 

another step toward the title 

they are expected to win by 

defeating Indiana in their series 

opener. 

James and Dwyane Wade 

combined for 61 points as Miami 

beat the Indiana Pacers 

95-86 but they lost forward 

Chris Bosh to an abdominal 

injury in the second quarter. 

Chris Paul shook off an 

ailing hip to register 19 points 

for the Clippers, who reached 

the Western Conference semifinals 

for the first time in six 

years. 

They set up a second round 

showdown with the top-seeded 

San Antonio Spurs, starting 

in Texas today. 

Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol 

each scored a team-high 19 

points for the Grizzlies who 

rallied from a 3-1 series deficit 

to force the winner-takesall 

decider in Memphis. 

The Grizzlies led by a 

point heading into the fourth 

quarter but Los Angeles went 

Nadeem Qureshi (three for 28), 

Gautam (two for 35) and skipper Mohammed 

Aslam (two for 43) shared the 

bowling honours. 

BankMuscat, requiring 273 for a 

win and championship honours, were 

bundled out for 99 off 16.5 overs. Mohammed 

Khalid (37: 27b, 6x4) and 

opener Ahmed Mohammed (24: 18b, 

5x4) made noteworthy contributions. 

The bowlers to cause the debacle 

were Sanjeev Kumar (three for 7 off 

2.4 overs) and Shameer K C (three for 

23 off 4 overs). 

Brief scores: Assarain ‘B’ 272 for 8 off 

20 overs (Naseem Khushi 104, Vishwanath 

Bhasker 55, Rajiv A 23, Nidhin Mohan 20 n.o.; 

Nadeem Qureshi 3/28, Gautam 2/35, Mohammed 

Aslam 2/43) beat BankMuscat 99 all out 

in 16.5 overs (Mohammed Khalid 37, Ahmed 

Mohammed 24; Sanjeev Kumar 3/7, Shameer 

K C 3/23). Points: Assarain ‘B’ 2 points (7 gm, 

14 pts), BankMuscat 0 (7 gm, 12 pts). 

ISC BHOJPURI WING 

END RUNNERS-UP 

ISC Bhojpuri Wing registered a 

massive nine-wicket win against Al 

Rehwan to take the runner-up position 

in the Gulf Cricket Academy sponsored 

‘H’ division T20 tournament 

conducted by Oman Cricket Club at 

the MOS ground No 1 at Al Amerat. 

Winning the toss and opting to bat 

17 SPORT 



Clippers beat 

Grizzlies to 

advance 

on an 11-2 run at the start of 

the period to seize control in a 

physical game. 

"“It's not what you wanted. 

It's not what you expected," 

said Memphis guard O 

J Mayo. “"But the results are 

the results. You've got to go 

into the off-season very motivated." 

Bodies collided and players 

clashed during a tough 

contest that saw both teams 

shoot poorly but the Clippers 

find a way to prevail, 

helped by 41 points from their 

bench. 

"“That's what we do, the 

bench comes in and we try to 

change the pace of the game," 

reserve Eric Bledsoe told reporters. 

"“We come in and get 

stops and just run." 

In Miami, James hoisted 

the MVP trophy he was 

awarded on Saturday to the 

crowd before the game. Then, 

he lifted the Heat to victory, 

scoring 32 points and making 

15 rebounds. 

Wade added 29 for Miami 

who lost Bosh early. The Pacers 

led by six at halftime but 

failed to consolidate their advantage 

as the Heat assumed 

control. — Reuters 

Rangers rip 19 hits in rout of Angels 

ARLINGTON, Texas — The 

hard-hitting Texas Rangers 

flexed their muscles yet again 

to thump the Los Angeles Angels 

13-6 on Sunday and improve 

their American Baseball 

League-best record. 

Red-hot slugger Josh Hamilton, 

who had hit nine home 

runs in his last six games, was 

limited to a single and a double 

good for three runs, but 

Nelson Cruz picked up the 

slack with a grand slam in the 

third inning to pace a 19-hit 

Texas attack. 

The sold-out crowd at 

Rangers Ballpark of nearly 

47,000 roared their support 

and for the second time in the 

series went home happy with a 

voucher for a free taco, guaranteed 

once Texas scored their 

10th run of the game. 

"Everybody up and down 

the line-up had a tremendous 

night," Texas manager Ron 

Washington told reporters after 

his club won for the sixth 

time in their last seven games 

against the Angels. 

Defending league champions 

Texas (23-12) dealt Jered 

Weaver his first defeat of the 

season in taking two of three 

against the Angels (15-20), a 

popular pre-season choice to 

challenge the Rangers in the 

West. 

Weaver, aiming to become 

the first American League 

pitcher to reach six wins, left 

with a 5-1 record after yielding 

10 hits and eight runs in 

three and one-third innings on 

the mound. 

"Guys stepped up and had 

TEXAS Rangers’ Nelson Cruz hits a grand slam home run against the Los Angeles Angels 

during their American Baseball League game in Arlington, Texas on Sunday. — Reuters 

some big hits," said Hamilton, 

who extended his hitting 

streak to 13 games. "And obviously 

Nellie, with the grand 

slam, kind of broke things up 

a little bit." 

The Rangers became the 

first Major League Baseball 

team to exceed 200 runs scored 

this season led by Cruz, who 

went 4-for-5 with four runs 

batted in and three runs scored. 

Elvis Andrus also chipped in 

and enjoyed a 4-for-5 night at 

the plate. 

"It was a big game," Cruz 

said. "We tried to get on top 

in the series and we take it 

against a really tough pitcher. 

"Everybody is doing their 

job, getting on base. Whatever 

it takes to get on base and drive 

it, we've been doing it." 

Mark Trumbo, Vernon 

Wells and Kendrys Morales 

homered for the losers. 

The starter and winner for 

the two-time defending American 

League champions was 

Neftali Feliz (3-1). The converted 

closer pitched six innings 

and gave up two runs on 

four hits and struck out five. 

"When you have that kind 

of support, you just attack the 

hitters," Feliz said through an 

interpreter. "I kept my fastball 

low and all my pitches low." 

Results: Seattle Mariners bt NY 

Yankees 6-2, Miami Heat bt NY 

Mets 8-4, Cincinnati Reds bt Washington 

Nationals 9-6, Tampa Bay 

Rays bt Baltimore Orioles 9-8, Boston 

Red Sox bt Cleveland Indians 

12-1, Philadelphia Flyers bt San Diego 

Padres 3-2, Pittsburgh Pirates bt 

Houston Astros 3-2, Chicago Cubs 

bt Milwaukee Brewers 8-2, Kansas 

City Royals bt Chicago WHite Sox 

9-1, Minnesota Twins bt Toronto 

Blue Jays 4-3, Atlanta Braves bt St 

Louis Cardinals 7-4, Detroit Tigers 

bt Oakland Athletics 3-1, San Francisco 

Giants bt Arizona Diamondbacks 

7-3, LA Dodgers bt Colorado 

Rockies 11-5, Texas Rangers bt LA 

Angels 13-6. — Reuters 

Renaissance down OCT Muscat by 27 runs 

Al Rehwan were restricted to 145 for 

seven wickets off the 17 allotted overs 

reduced from the usual 20 overs due 

to a delayed start. Opening batsman 

Ramees Raja made a top score of 51 

(30b, 5x4) and together with his partner 

Nithin K P (20: 7b, 4x4) put on 50 

runs for the first wicket off 3.2 overs. 

With the exit of the duo, wickets tumbled 

with only Aboo chipping in with a 

cameo 23 (11b (1x6, 1x4). 

The bowling honours were shared 

by Shah Nawaz and skipper Mohammed 

Irshad who claimed two wickets 

each conceding 10 and 30 runs respectively 

off three overs each. 

ISC Bhojpuri Wing started their innings 

with a penalty of 36 runs awarded 

due to late arrival of their opponents, 

raced to 147 for the loss of one wicket 

off 9.5 overs. Openers Idris Kayum 

(43: 24b, 1x6, 8x4) and Mohammed 

Irshad (39 not out: 28b, 4x4) set up the 

win with a 86-run partnership off 8.2 

overs. 

Brief scores: Al Rehwan 145 for 7 off 17 

overs (Ramees Raja 51, Aboo 23, Nithin K P 

20; Shah Nawaz 2/10, Mohammed Irshad 2/30) 

lost to ISC Bhojpuri Wing 147 for 1 wicket in 

9.5 overs (Idris Kayum 43, Mohammed Irshad 

39 n.o.). Points: ISC Bhojpuri Wing 2, (8 gm, 

12 pts), Al Rehan 0 (8 gm, 4 pts). 

American Kuchar captures 

Players Championship 

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, 

Florida — American Matt Kuchar 

kept his composure while 

others around him caved under 

the pressure to win the Players 

Championship by two shots 

on Sunday. 

Kuchar closed with a twounder 

70 to finish at 13-underpar 

275 for his fourth win on 

the USPGA Tour. Of the four 

wins, it is by far the biggest 

title of his career. 

"What an amazing feeling 

to hoist this trophy and win 

among one of the strongest 

fields in golf," Kuchar said. 

"To come out on top, to do 

it on Mother's Day ... it really 

is magical." 

Martin Laird rolled in five 

birdies in a seven-hole stretch 

from the seventh to grab a 

share of the lead. But Laird 

closed with a bogey for a 

five-under 67 at the TPC Sawgrass. 

Laird shared second place 

at 11-under-par 277 with Zach 

Johnson (68), Ben Curtis (68) 

and Rickie Fowler (70). 

Luke Donald closed with 

a six-under 66 to end alone in 

sixth at minus-nine. He needed 

a solo fourth or better to 

regain the world number one 

ranking. 

Third-round leader Kevin 

Na stumbled to a four-over 

76 as he dropped into a tie for 

seventh place at eight-underpar 

280. 

King of Kings scores twice 

as LA beat Phoenix 

PHOENIX — The Los 

Angeles Kings produced more 

Stanley Cup play-offs magic 

on Sunday with a 4-2 win 

over the Phoenix Coyotes in 

their Western Conference Finals 

opener. 

Dustin Brown and Dwight 

King scored third-period goals 

to clinch the Game One victory, 

with the second game of 

the best-of-seven series set for 

today, again in Phoenix. 

The win continued a fairytale 

post-season run for the 

West's eighth seeds, who have 

won nine of 10 play-off games 

to eliminate top seeds Vancouver 

in the opening round then 

swept the second-seeded St 

Louis Blues in the second. 

"It was really important we 

had a good start," Kings coach 

Darryl Sutter told reporters. 

"It wasn't so much scoring or 

any of that stuff. 

"Just make sure we match 

their start." 

Unbeaten on the road during 

the play-offs, the Kings 

spoiled the NHL-owned Coyotes' 

first appearance in a conference 

finals. 

Phoenix netminder Mike 

Smith kept the home team in 

the game in the first period 

where they were outshot 17-4 

by the Kings but went into the 

intermission tied at 1-1. 

However, he could not 

withstand the relentless Los 

Angeles barrage and surrendered 

two more goals. 

The Kings finished with a 

MUSCAT — Top seed 

Ashutosh Pant and talented 

Pranav Rao have set up a summit 

clash for the open men’s 

singles title at the BankMuscat-sponsored 

annual badminton 

tournament organised by 

the Indian Social Club Muscat. 

In the semifinals, Ashutosh 

defeated his talented protége 

Ajin Tom while Pranav Rao, 

another talented youngster 

played a superb game to upset 

second seed Albert V R to enter 

the final. 

Ashutosh was in good 

nick and showed no mercy as 

Ajin gave a creditable account 

of his talents. Ajin matched 

Ashutosh stroke for stroke, 

but the latter’s classy game 

saw him book a berth in the 

final with an emphatic 21-9, 

21-11 victory. 

In the second semifinal 

Pranav Rao stole the limelight 

with a gritty exhibition 

of badminton to send second 

MATT Kuchar of the US holds up the trophy presented 

to him after winning the Players Championship at TPC 

Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida on Sunday. 

Tiger Woods finished in 

equal 40th place after shooting 

a one-over par 73 to end 

the tournament at one-under. 

American Na was trying 

to be the first 54-hole leader 

to win the title since Canada's 

Stephen Ames did so in 2006. 

Na had a three-shot cushion 

early in the fourth round 

with a birdie on the second 

hole, but he fell apart. 

Na said he was heckled 

at almost every hole Sunday 

because of his reputation for 

playing slowly. 

"It is what it is," Na said. 

"I do need to work on what I 

need to. I do need to work on 

my pre-shot routine. I do need 

to play faster. 

"But the average golfer has 

total of 47 shots. 

"We knew coming in, you 

watch Phoenix play, they got 

a really good goaltender," said 

Brown. "Part of our thing is 

getting as many shots on him 

as we can, make him work, 

make it hard for him." 

Anze Kopitar gave the 

Kings an early lead with his 

fourth of the post-season before 

Derek Morris answered 

for the Coyotes. 

King restored Los Angeles' 

lead midway through the 

second only to have Mikkel 

Boedker answer for Phoenix 

to send the teams into the second 

intermission deadlocked 

at 2-2. 

no clue how much pressure 

we're playing under and how 

tough it is and how much of a 

fight it is mentally. 

"I honestly think with all 

that going on, I did pretty well 

fighting. I had a good fight. I 

hung in there, so you know 

what, I just take the positives 

from it." 

Things reached a boiling 

point for the affable Na who 

tried to reason with some unruly 

spectators. 

"I backed off and they're 

booing me," Na said. "I said, 

'Look, guys, I backed off because 

of you guys.' ... But it is 

what it is. I also felt that a lot 

of people were turning towards 

me and pulling for me, which I 

really appreciate." — AFP 

LOS Angeles Kings’ Dwight King celebrates his goal against 

the Phoenix Coyotes with team-mate Mike Richards (left) 

during Game One of the NHL Western Conference finals in 

Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday. — Reuters 

seed Albert crashing out 23- 

21, 21-8. 

The duo of Bishen Singh 

Bhalla and Sathisan Nair entered 

the semifinals of the 

men’s A doubles after scoring 

a 21-13, 21-13 victory over 

Sajeev and Shivadasan. 

In a repeat of the open 

men’s singles semifinals, 

Los Angeles captain Brown 

notched the game winner just 

over two minutes into the third 

and King collected his second 

of the night into an empty net 

with 48 seconds left. 

"It's just like pretty much 

any series," said Brown. "You 

get that first game out of the 

way, start looking at film, tendencies. 

"I'm not sure what they're 

going to try to do to stop us. 

It's one of those things where 

they're going to make adjustments. 

"It's up to us as players to 

make adjustments in games to 

be effective and have an impact 

on Game Two." — Reuters 

Ashutosh and Pranav enter 

open category men’s final 

OPEN men’s finalists, Ashutosh Pant (left) and Pranav Rao. 

Ashutosh will take on Ajin 

Tom and Albert will take on 

Pranav Rao in the semifinals 

of the ISC men’s singles. 

Malavika Venu and Shreyas 

Srinagesh were the winners 

of the lucky spectators’ 

prize. Surprises await the 

spectators on a regular basis at 

the tournament.

ANA Ivanovic of Serbia returns the ball to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia during their women’s singles match 

at the Rome Masters yesterday. The 13th-seeded Ivanovic beat Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3. — Reuters 

MANCHESTER — Roberto Mancini 

celebrated Manchester City's first 

English league title in 44 years with 

a succinct summary of his team's 3-2 

victory over QPR at Eastlands — 'a 

crazy finish for a crazy season'. 

City scored twice in injury time, 

through Edin Dzeko and Sergio 

Aguero, to make sure they won 

the title on goal difference from 

Manchester United, whose 1-0 victory 

at Sunderland had concluded 

seconds before the final goal at the 

Etihad. 

"That was a crazy finish for a 

crazy season," said Mancini after 

City won the title on goal difference. 

"I've never seen a final like this. 

"The best team won the title. I 

think we played the best football, 

scored most goals, beat United two 

times. When you beat them twice, 

when you score more goals than 

them, let in less goals, then you deserve 

it. 

"I am very proud of my players. 

They wanted to win this title and 

they worked hard for this, they were 

working until the last second of the 

last day. 

"To beat a strong team like United 

is fantastic. I think it will change 

the history of this club and for this 

we should be proud." 

City captain Vincent Kompany, 

referencing the many occasions on 

which United have won trophies 

in such dramatic circumstances, 

also coined a neat phrase to sum up 

events at Eastlands. 

"Miracles do happen in Manchester," 

he said. "But on this side of 

the road, this time. 

"This is one of the best moments 

in my life but please never again this 

way, please. We have been so good 

this season, we have been incredible, 

especially at home. Then all of 

a sudden in this game we couldn't 

get through. 

"But for some reason we have 

done it before this season and I never 

stopped believing. Never ever did 

I stop believing. 

"When we scored that goal, it 

reminded me of the game against 

Tottenham when we won (3-2) in 

the last minute and against Sunderland, 

we came back from two down 

(to draw 3-3). We have done it before 

so we had no reason to not believe." 

Among Mancini's many achievements, 

his ability to take on United 

manager Sir Alex Ferguson in the 

realm of mind games has been particularly 

impressive. 

For many weeks, until a pivotal 

win at Newcastle United in the penultimate 

game, Mancini had insisted 

United were overwhelming 

favourites and City had no hope of 

winning the title. 

"I never believed this," said Mancini. 

"I said this because I wanted to 

take the pressure off us for three or 

four games because I was sure we 

PARIS — Karim Ait-Fana 

scored in stoppage-time to lift 

Montpellier to a dramatic 1-0 

win over third-placed Lille on 

Sunday and keep them three 

points clear of Paris St Germain 

at the top of Ligue 1 with 

one game left. 

Montpellier, who have 

never won the French title, 

are on 79 points with PSG on 

76 after they thrashed Stade 

Rennes 3-0 home thanks to a 

hat-trick by Nene. 

Montpellier travel to basement 

side Auxerre, who are 

relegated, next weekend and 

PSG play at Lorient. 

Both clubs secured Champions 

League places and Lille, 

who surrendered their title 

at the Mosson stadium and 

are on 71 points, will feature 

in the qualifying round. "It's 

beautiful," a tearful keeper 

Geoffrey Jourdren said. 

Girondins Bordeaux 

climbed into the Europa 

League qualifying spot as 

Yoan Gouffran scored from 

the penalty spot in stoppagetime 

to help his side beat Lori- 

18 SPORT 



ROME — Rafael Nadal's 

chances of winning an open 

era record seventh French 

Open title next month will 

not be affected by his fall to 

number three in the world 

rankings, the Spaniard said 

yesterday. 

His third-round defeat last 

week in Madrid meant he was 

overtaken by tournament winner 

Roger Federer, with Novak 

Djokovic still top of the pile. 

"Being number two or 

number three isn't going to 

change my goal," Nadal told 

a news conference at the Foro 

Italico, the long-time home of 

the Rome Masters, which began 

on Sunday. 

"My goal will be the same, 

number two, three or number 

10. To win you have to beat 

the best players in the world. 

The only change is in the semifinals 

but it doesn't make any 

difference." 

would have another chance before 

the end of the season. 

"For us, it was important to arrive 

at the derby (won 1-0 by City 

last month) three points behind and 

it was important to take all the pressure 

off." 

In a remarkable game, Pablo Zabaleta's 

late first-half goal looked 

like handing City control, only for 

Djibril Cisse to equalise early in 

the second half. After 54 minutes, 

Joey Barton — QPR's controversial 

Montpellier move to brink of title 

Unconcerned by rankings slip, 

says third-ranked Nadal 

ent 1-0. Auxerre were relegated 

to Ligue 2 after they lost 

3-0 at Marseille. 

Rennes fell to seventh spot 

on 57 points, one point behind 

Bordeaux. They are still chasing 

a Europa League qualifying 

spot along with St Etienne, 

who are sixth on 57 points after 

they lost 3-2 at Nancy, and 

Toulouse, who drew 1-1 at 

19th-placed Dijon to move up 

on 56 points. 

Elsewhere, Lyon were held 

to a 1-1 draw at 18th-placed 

Ajaccio. 

Nadal could regain second 

spot from Federer this 

week but said he was more 

concerned with the way he is 

playing. 

"I will try my best to play 

my best and if I am able to do 

that I will have my chances to 

have a good result," he said. 

"I will just try to play the 

same way I did in Monte Carlo 

and Barcelona (where he won 

the title). The feeling is there 

and I am happy with how I am 

playing." 

Nadal and Djokovic were 

the most vocal critics of the 

slippery nature of the blue clay 

which was used in Madrid for 

the first time last week. 

"I don't think about Madrid," 

Nadal said. "I lost (to 

Fernando Verdasco). I accept 

that I played bad and I lost 

because I didn't play the level 

that I needed to win. 

"But Rome is a tournament 

former City midfielder — was redcarded 

for elbowing Carlos Tevez 

off the ball before kicking Aguero 

from behind as he left the field. 

Astonishingly, the 10 men of 

Rangers took the lead through Jamie 

Mackie after 65 minutes before 

City's stunning comeback. 

"I think for us it was really important 

to win this championship. In 

the future, Manchester City can have 

a big future," said Mancini when 

asked about the balance of power in 

Manchester football. 

"But we're happy because this is 

the first (league) trophy in 44 years. 

"I hope we can continue to win. I 

am happy Sir Alex says he feels two 

or three years younger because of 

the competition. I hope he feels 10 

years younger soon. 

"We showed big character to win 

in this way, showed our strength, but 

if we want to win this title again, we 

need to improve. We have improved 

a lot this year but next year we need 

to improve, in the championship and 

the Champions League." 

Mark Hughes, the QPR manager 

who Mancini replaced at City 

in December 2009, paid tribute to 

the effort of his players, although 

I love, one of my favourite 

tournaments of the year. I am 

just excited and motivated to 

come back here." 

Beaten in the final by 

Djokovic last year, Nadal is 

due to begin his title bid tomorrow 

against Florian Mayer, 

a German with an awkward 

game who beat him when they 

played in Shanghai last October. 

Federer will also be in action 

tomorrow against Carlos 

Berlocq of Argentina while 

Djokovic and fourth seed 

Andy Murray play today. 

Top seed Djokovic takes 

on talented Australian Bernard 

Tomic, a 4-6 6-2 6-4 winner 

over Spaniard Santiago Giraldo, 

and Murray plays Argentine 

David Nalbandian. 

Results (x denotes seeding): 

Men's singles (1st round): Gael 

Monfils (FRA x13) bt Alex Bogomolov 

Jr (RUS) 6-4, 6-1; Fern- 

Mancini marvels at ‘crazy finish, crazy season’ 

City ‘100 years’ behind 

us, says Ferguson 

SUNDERLAND — In congratulating 

new Premier 

League champions Manchester 

City, Sir Alex Ferguson 

reminded them that they have 

a long way to go before they 

can be considered Manchester 

United's equals. 

The United manager could 

not resist comparing his club's 

reputation as serial winners 

with City, who have lifted the 

title for the first time in 44 

years. 

While Ferguson grudgingly 

acknowledged City had 

legitimate cause for celebration, 

he insisted the blue half 

of Manchester still had plenty 

to do before they could rival 

United's history. 

"They can go on as much 

as they like — that's what 

you would expect — but the 

history of our club stands us 

aside," Ferguson said. 

"We don't need to worry 

about that. I think we have 

a rich history, better than 

anyone and it'll take them a 

century to get to our level of 

history." 

Even at 70, Ferguson is 

determined to be the man who 

tries to halt City's attempt to 

repeat their success next season. 

"We accept challenges. 

We are good at that," said 

Ferguson, after a 1-0 win at 

Sunderland on Sunday did 

not prove enough to claim top 

spot. 

But he was gracious in his 

praise of City's achievement, 

saying: "On behalf of Manchester 

United, I would like 

to say congratulations to our 

neighbours. 

"It's a fantastic achievement. 

This is not an easy 

league. It's the hardest league 

in the world, and anybody that 

wins it deserves it. 

"At the start of the season, 

if I remember correctly, I said 

82 points would probably win 

the league this season and we 

are seven points ahead of that. 

But look, it doesn't matter, 

we've lost the league. 

"It is a cruel way to have 

the title ripped away, but I've 

had a lot of ups and downs in 

my 25 years here. 

"There will be times when 

we can sit back and say we 

did this wrong, we did that 

wrong, but 89 points would 

have won the league most 

seasons." 

Wayne Rooney scored 

United's goal at Sunderland 

and, with City trailing to 

Queens Park Rangers, they 

believed they had won at the 

final whistle. Thirteen seconds 

later, City scored their 

winner and the championship 

had crossed the city. 

Ferguson said: "All we 

had to do was concentrate 

on our job and that's what we 

did, but you are going to get 

certain types of reaction from 

the crowd. 

"We knew five minutes' 

extra time was being played 

at City. Our game had three 

minutes' stoppage time and 

you don't know what can happen 

in the extra two minutes, 

but they got that break and 

won the game. 

"We should take credit 

because of the fact we had 

so many injuries and coped 

with them very well. We have 

some young players and they 

have now experienced what 

happened here today. 

"Hopefully in seven or 

eight years they will be at 

Manchester United and the 

experience is good for them 

— even if it's a bad one. 

"They're a good bunch 

of lads. The younger players 

will remember today because 

sometimes a bad experience 

is even better for you. 

"When you've got a certain 

character and a good purpose 

about you, then you shouldn't 

fear the future and I don't 

think these lads will." — AFP 

Fanja, Al Shabab wins 

take title race to wire 

ACTION from a match between Fanja and Al Arouba in the Omantel Elite League played 

at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex yesterday. Fanja won 1-0 to take the top spot from 

Al Arouba with 40 points. In another match, Al Shabab defeated Al Nahda 2-0 to also finish 

on 40 points but occupy the second place owing to their inferior goal average (8) than Fanja 

(10). Al Arouba are in third with 39 points. The victories of Fanja and Al Arouba have now 

taken the title race to the final week action which will take place on May 31. In the final 

round matches, Fanja will take on Ahli-Sidab, who were beaten 4-1 by Suwaiq yesterday, 

while Al Shabab square off against Al Musannah. Al Arouba are scheduled to face Al 

Musannah, a 3-0 winners over Salalah. In other matches yesterday, Sur defeated Dhofar 

2-0 and Oman edged Al Talee’a 2-1. — Picture by Mohammed Mahjoub 

MADRID — Qatar-owned 

Malaga secured fourth place 

in La Liga and a first shot at 

the Champions League with a 

1-0 home win over Sporting 

Gijon, who joined Villarreal 

in being relegated, in a dramatic 

finale to the season on 

Sunday. 

The last eight matches had 

three places in Europe and 

two relegation slots at stake as 

the games all kicked off at the 

same time with fans glued to 

their radios in grounds around 

Spain. 

Salomon Rondon headed 

Malaga in front from a corner 

just after halftime, putting 

the big-spending club on 58 

points ahead of Atletico Madrid 

and Levante who finished 

fifth and sixth to secure entry 

to the Europa League. 

Atletico beat Villarreal 1-0 

with an 88th-minute header 

from Radamel Falcao, the 

hero of their midweek Europa 

League final win over Athletic 

Bilbao, and condemned the 

team that finished fourth last 

season to relegation. 

Villarreal were hanging by 

a thread in 17th when news 

filtered through that Rayo 

Vallecano had grabbed a 

90th-minute winner through 

MADRID — Dutch striker 

Ruud Van Nistelrooy yesterday 

announced his retirement 

from professional football, at 

the age of 35, in Malaga. 

He joined Malaga in 2011 

from Germany's SV Hamburg 

but has spent more time on the 

subs' bench than on the playing 

field, only managing to 

score four goals in La Liga. 

Malaga on Sunday 

clinched fourth place by beating 

Sporting Gijon 1-0, but 

Van Nistelroy said on Monday 

that he will not be part 

he declined to address the future of 

Barton. 

"He should have been sent off, 

without a shadow of a doubt. Absolutely," 

said Hughes. "I haven't seen 

the incident and I haven't spoken to 

Joey but people who saw it were 

saying he had to go. 

"There were a lot of people on the 

pitch and you don't want to see those 

scenes. But we didn't allow that to 

disrupt what we were trying to do 

and went up the other end of the 

pitch and scored a fantastic goal." 

The consolation for the veteran 

manager in losing a game to two 

injury-time goals came when the 

final score from Bolton Wanderers' 

2-2 draw at Stoke City confirmed 

that Rangers had avoided relegation 

by one point. 

"It's a huge achievement, because 

people have no idea what I walked 

into, to be perfectly honest," said 

Hughes, who took over half-way 

through the season. 

"And to be able to bring the 

group together and galvanise them, 

and you saw what they were able to 

produce today in unbelievable circumstances, 

I think it shows great 

credit to QPR." — AFP 

Joy for Malaga, tears as 

Villarreal go down 

Raul Tamudo, for a 1-0 victory 

over Granada. 

Rayo pushed Villarreal 

down into the second division 

and a pitch invasion at their 

tiny stadium saw players being 

stripped of their kit. 

Real Zaragoza escaped 

from the bottom three with 

a 2-0 victory at Getafe who 

finished with eight men on 

the pitch. Levante secured 

their highest league finish 

in their 102 years with a 3-0 

rout of Europa League finalists 

Bilbao, and qualified for 

European competition for the 

first time. 

Champions Real Madrid 

signed off with a 4-1 hammering 

of Real Mallorca at 

the Bernabeu to set a new La 

Liga record of 100 points for 

a season, beating the previous 

best of 99 achieved by 

Pep Guardiola's Barcelona in 

2010. 

Cristiano Ronaldo, headed 

his 46th league goal of the 

campaign, Karim Benzema 

and a double from Mesut Ozil 

lifted Real to a league scoring 

record 121 goals. Real ended 

nine points ahead of deposed 

champions Barcelona, who 

signed off with a 2-2 draw at 

Real Betis on Saturday. 

Van Nistelrooy retires 

of their Champions League 

campaign. 

"My dream was to play in 

the Champions League with 

Malaga but the moment for 

my farewell has arrived," the 

Dutch veteran said in statement. 

Van Nistelrooy started out 

as a central defender, at Den 

Bosch, before being converted 

into a striker. 

He played at Heerenveen, 

PSV Eindhoven, Manchester 

United, Real Madrid, Hamburg 

and Malaga. 

ando Verdasco (ESP) bt Oleksandr 

Dolgopolov (UKR) 6-0, 0-0 retired; 

Bernard Tomic (AUS) bt Santiago 

Giraldo (COL) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; David 

Nalbandian (ARG) bt Albert Ramos 

(ESP) 6-3, 6-4; Fabio Fognini (ITA) 

bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) 6-2, 6-2; 

Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) bt Robin 

Haase (NED) 6-1, 4-6, 7-5; Carlos 

Berlocq (ARG) bt Blaz Kavcic 

(SLO) 6-1, 6-3. 

Women's singles (1st round): 

Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) bt 

Jarmila Groth (AUS) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3); 

Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) bt 

Zheng Jie (CHN) 6-2, 6-1; Vania 

King (USA) bt Tsvetana Pironkova 

(BUL) 6-0, 6-1; Ana Ivanovic (SRB 

x13) bt Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) 

6-4, 6-3; Julia Goerges (GER) bt 

Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) 6-1, 

6-7 (1/7), 6-3; Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 

(RUS) bt Ksenia Pervak 

(KAZ) 6-2, 6-4; Christine McHale 

(USA) bt Monica Niculescu (ROM) 

6-4, 6-4; Iveta Benesova (CZE) bt 

Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 6-4, 5-7, 

7-6 (7/5); Angelique Kerber (GER 

x12) bt Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) 

4-6, 7-5, 6-2; Shahar Peer (ISR) bt 

Peng Shuai (CHN) 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 

3-1 retired. 

Oman U-22s 

to train in 

Bahrain 

MUSCAT — The Oman 

national under-22 team 

will camp in Bahrain as 

part of their preparations 

for the AFC Under-22 

Asian Cup qualifiers. 

The Sultanate are 

scheduled to host the 

Group ‘A’ qualifiers from 

June 23. The other teams 

in the group are the UAE, 

Iraq, India, Turkmenistan 

and Lebanon. 

The Omanis, who 

are undergoing a local 

camp under the watchful 

eyes of newly-appointed 

French coach Philippe 

Burle, will travel to Bahrain 

on June 2. 

During the camp, 

which will conclude on 

June 8, the team will play 

two friendlies with their 

Bahraini counterparts on 

June 5 and 7. 

After the current 

camp, the team will also 

undergo two domestic 

camps from May 20 to 

26 and between May 31 

and July 2. 

After their return from 

Bahrain, the team will 

again meet on June 11 

for a six-day camp. They 

are also likely to play a 

friendly on June 17. 

Sports For All 

to mark Global 

Challenge Day 

MUSCAT — Oman’s Sports 

For All committee will observe 

the Global Challenge 

Day on May 30. 

The programme includes 

activities, under the supervision 

of the International Association 

on Sports for All, in 

the governorates of Muscat, 

Dhahirah and Sharqiyah. 

Governorates that will 

host local activities are 

Musandam, Al Buraimi and 

Al Dhahirah. 

The Global Challenge 

Day seeks to promote physical 

fitness. 

Anderson named 

England’s player 

of the year 

LONDON — England fast 

bowler James Anderson has 

beaten all-rounder Stuart 

Broad and opening batsman 

Alastair Cook to be named 

England cricketer of the the 

year for 2011-12. 

Anderson, third in the 

International Cricket Council 

(ICC) world rankings, 

has risen to fifth in the list 

of England's all-time Test 

match wicket-takers with 

258. 

"I have been pleased with 

my performances over the 

last year and was delighted 

with the way I bowled on the 

recent tour of Sri Lanka. I am 

flattered to win this award," 

Anderson said yesterday. 

"But I take even greater 

pleasure from being part of 

such a successful England 

team." — Reuters

Maldonado has the stuff 

of champions: Williams 

BARCELONA — Pastor 

Maldonado's first Formula 

One victory in Spain showed 

that the Venezuelan has what 

it takes to be a champion, according 

to Frank Williams. 

The 70-year-old team 

founder who has seen a string 

of champions drive his winning 

cars — including the 

likes of Nelson Piquet, Nigel 

Mansell, Alain Prost and Ayrton 

Senna — said the 27-yearold's 

win was no fluke. 

"Undoubtedly," Williams 

said when asked whether 

Maldonado had the material to 

one day be a champion as well 

as a winner. "I tell you why — 

because he's very quick and he 

makes no mistakes." 

That has not been entirely 

true in this most unpredictable 

of seasons, with five different 

drivers from five separate 

teams winning the five races 

to date, even if the speed has 

undoubtedly been there. 

Maldonado, a very fast but 

occasionally wild champion 

in the GP2 feeder series, has 

at times pushed too hard and 

crashed when points have 

been there for the taking but 

he has also impressed with his 

pace. 

Underrated and dismissed 

by some as just another 'pay 

driver', signed up because he 

brings much-needed sponsorship 

from Venezuelan state oil 

company PDVSA, Maldonado 

showed he is much more than 

that. 

As he said after the race, 

when asked about the title, 

'anything is possible'. 

Before Sunday he would 

have been laughed at. The 

pre-qualifying odds of 300-1 

on him winning in Spain, reduced 

from an even more generous 

500-1, emphasised that 

this was a prospect too unbelievable 

to contemplate. 

British bookmakers William 

Hill said they had received 

two 10 pound ($16.10) 

bets at 500-1 and hundreds of 

smaller wagers. 

GREAT POTENTIAL 

Williams, however, said 

his driver's potential 'could be 

very considerable indeed'. 

"We've got a real racing 

driver as well. I am just astonished 

by the way he just controlled 

himself, didn't make a 

mistake at all," he declared. 

Sunday's victory ended 

nearly eight years of waiting 

for the once-dominant 

former champions, whose last 

win came with another South 

American, Colombian Juan 

Pablo Montoya, in Brazil in 

2004. 

Last season was Williams's 

worst in Formula One since 

the 1970s, with just five points 

all year, and it was four years 

since the team that won nine 

constructors' crowns and seven 

drivers' titles last appeared 

on the podium. 

They have, however, made 

a raft of changes and hauled 

themselves back into midtable 

respectability. 

Renault, who also power 

world champions Red Bull 

and high-flying Lotus, have 

come in as the engine supplier 

instead of Cosworth and there 

have been key changes in the 

technical department. 

"Last year we just weren't 

up to speed technically," said 

Williams. "We had reasonable 

finance, enough money but 

things didn't come together 

properly and we made mistakes. 

"With a bit of restructuring... 

several key people were 

recruited and they have made 

a significant difference." 

The big question now is 

whether they can keep up the 

momentum. While Maldonado 

was a deserving winner, his 

achievement also makes winning 

a realistic aspiration for 

others who have not yet done 

so this season. 

That list includes McLaren's 

Lewis Hamilton, Lotus's Kimi 

Raikkonen, Red Bull's Mark 

Webber, Mercedes' Michael 

Schumacher, Ferrari's Felipe 

Massa. 

It also includes Sauber's 

Mexican Sergio Perez — second 

in Malaysia in a race he 

could have won — and like 

Maldonado representative of 

a rising generation of initially 

underrated Latin American 

talent. 

"I truly haven't got a clue," 

said Williams of his team's 

chances of winning more this 

year. "Everyone who didn't 

win is seething out there. 

We're not doing that today 

but tomorrow morning reality 

strikes." — Reuters 

POWER PACKED 

PERFORMANCE 

FROM RO 11,990 

19 SPORT 



Accessories/features shown in the visual may not be part of the standard model. Credit Card purchase is subject to approval and a surcharge will apply. 

*Terms and conditions apply. Dodge is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC 

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

classified page. It’s where buyers meet sellers. 

DODGE CHALLENGER SRT 

470 HP 6.4L V8 HEMI® ENGINE 

DODGE CHALLENGER RALLY PLUS 

292 HP 3.6L V6 ENGINE 

DODGE CHALLENGER SE 

292 HP 3.6L V6 ENGINE 

mideast.dodge.com 

For more information call: 

2458 4530 or email us at info@chrysler-oman.com 

Fia launches 

investigation into 

Williams fire 

BARCELONA — Formula 

One's ruling body the International 

Automobile Federation 

(Fia) yesterday confirmed 

it had launched an 

investigation into the cause 

of a fire in the Williams 

garage, injuring more than 

30 people, following their 

victory in Sunday's Spanish 

Grand Prix. 

The Fia said in a statement 

that a total of 31 people 

were treated at the Circuit 

de Catalunya medical 

centre and that seven were 

transferred to local hospitals 

for special treatment 

for burns and smoke inhalation. 

In the statement, the 

Fia said: "The flames were 

quickly brought under 

control and the Fia is collaborating 

closely with the 

Spanish authorities investigating 

this incident." 

The fire ignited about 

90 minutes after Pastor 

Maldonado had claimed his 

maiden victory and the first 

by a Venezuelan. 

It was the Williams' 

team's first win since the 

2004 Brazilian Grand Prix 

and came on the weekend 

that team founder Sir Frank 

Williams had celebrated his 

70th birthday at the circuit 

on Saturday. 

The team were celebrating 

again on Sunday 

evening, but they were cut 

short by the blaze that is believed 

to have been started 

by a fuel leak at the back of 

the team garage while they 

were packing up. 

Several Williams team 

members were injured as 

they fought the explosive 

blaze with members of other 

teams who joined them as 

a party, to mark the team's 

first win in 132 races, was 

quickly ended. 

Maldonado joined the 

rescue bid when Williams 

was quickly ushered away 

and the Venezuelan carried 

his 12-year-old cousin 

Manuel, whose broken right 

foot was in a protective casing, 

out of the garage on his 

shoulders. 

One of the injured mechanics 

was airlifted to hospital 

in nearby Barcelona 

with serious burn wounds, 

according to a statement 

from the Catalan regional 

government. 

Unconfirmed reports 

claimed that he had suffered 

burns to 40 per cent 

of his body. 

The Williams team 

issued a statement and 

thanked all those in the 

paddock who rushed to 

their aid. 

"The Williams F1 Team 

would like to thank all of 

the teams and the FIA for 

their support in this incident," 

said the team. 

The Force India team's 

deputy team chief Bob 

Fearnley criticised the circuit 

staff for being too slow 

to react. 

He said: "There's no 

training, no procedures. 

I went down to see how 

my man is, and I had to 

fight my way in — We 

need to look seriously at the 

training of people at the circuits. 

I'm not impressed at 

all." — AFP 

Join us at Dodge Middle East

Matt Kuchar 

captures 

The Players 

Page 17 


Impressive ceremony marks World Beach Handball Championships draw 

Oman grouped with champs Brazil 

By Sanjay Chakhaiyar 

MUSCAT — Hosts Oman 

will face world champions 

Brazil in the opening round of 

the fifth men’s and women’s 

Beach Handball World Championships 

to be held at the Al 

Musannah Sports City from 

July 8 to 14. 

The Sultanate team were 

placed in Group ‘A’ along with 

Brazil, Russia, Morocco, Australia 

and Ukraine. 

The draws were held at a 

glittering ceremony at the Al 

Bustan Palace Hotel last night. 

Dr Abdullah bin Mohammed 

al Saeedi, Minister 

of Legal Affairs, presided 

over the ceremony, which 

was also attended by Shaikh 

Saad bin Mohammed al Saadi, 

Minister of Sports Affairs, 

Said al Busaidy chairman of 

Oman Handball Association 

(OHA) and other top officials 

from the International Handball 

Federation (IHF) and the 

OHA. 

As per the championships 

rule, the host country has the 

right to choose the group of 

their preference and Oman’s 

Egyptian coach Wael Abdelatty 

decided in favour of being 

kept in Group ‘A’. 

‘‘I feel Group ‘B’ is slightly 

tougher especially with teams 

like Croatia, Egypt, Spain, and 

Uruguay who are a tough nut 

to crack. In Group ‘A’, except 

for world champions Brazil, 

the rest can be beaten and we 

hope to put up a good show 

against them,’’ said Abdelatty 

after the ceremony. 

However the star attraction 

of the evening was none other 

than Croatian legend Mirza 

Dzomba along with former 

Oman handball stalwarts Zaher 

al Busaidy, Ahmed Darwish al 

Balushi and Jamil Suraid al 

Hasani who all graced the occasion. 

Chairman of organising 

committee Shaikh Rashad 

al Hinai gave a welcome 

speech. 

The competition is being 

organised by the OHA with 

the support of the Ministry of 

Sports Affairs. 

Men’s: Group ‘A’: Brazil, 

Russia, Ukaraine, Oman, 

Morocco and Australia. 

Group ‘B’: Croatia, Egypt, 

Spain, Qatar, Uruguay and 

Kuwait. 

Women’s: Group ‘A’: 

Croatia, Denmark, Italy, Chi- 

na, Uruguay and Australia. 

Group ‘B’: Norway, Brazil, 

Hungary, Thailand, Poland 

and Singapore. 

— Pictures by 

Mohammed Mahjoub 

KOLKATA — Dwayne Bravo 

struck a last ball six as titleholders 

Chennai Super Kings 

scraped past the Kolkata 

Knight Riders by five wickets 

in a nail-biting IPL contest at 

the Eden Gardens here yesterday 

to brighten their chances 

of a play-off place. 

Mancini marvels 

at ‘crazy finish, 

crazy season’ 

Page 18 

Rayudu and Pollard lead 

MI to sensational win 

BANGALORE — An unbeaten 

122-run sixth-wicket partnership 

in 65 balls between 

Ambati Rayudu (81) and 

Kieron Pollard (52) helped 

Mumbai Indians beat hosts 

Royal Challengers Bangalore 

by five wickets in the Indian 

Premier League (IPL) at the 

Chinnaswamy Stadium here 

yesterday. 

Chasing a target of 172 in 

a delayed match due to rain 

earlier, Mumbai managed 173 

for five with two balls to spare 

and avenged their defeat by 

Royal Challengers back home 

by nine wickets. 

The unlikely win kept 

Mumbai Indians’ hopes for a 

berth in play-offs alive with 18 

points from 14 matches. They 

are tied on 18 points with table 

toppers Delhi Daredevils, 

who have played a match less, 

but the GMR-owned franchise 

stayed ahead on the basis of 

better run rate. 

Though Mumbai too had a 

disastrous start like the hosts, 

losing the top three batsmen 

— including maestro Sachin 

Tendulkar for duck, Herschelle 

Gibbs (2) and in-form 

Rohit Sharma (5) for just 19 

runs in the first four overs of 

the power-play. But man-ofthe-match 

Rayudu and Pollard 

snatched the game away with 

a steady innings in middle 

MUMBAI Indians celebrate after winning their IPL 

Twenty20 match against Royal Challengers Bangalore at 

the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore yesterday. 

orders and hammered a weak 

bowling attack in slog overs. 

Rayudu took time to settle 

after walking into the middle 

in eighth over and finished 

off the game with a four to remain 

81 not out from 54 balls, 

including four sixes and six 

fours. Pollard joined the party 

after his West Indian teammate 

Dwayne Smith left for 

six in ninth over for a quick 52 

in 31 balls that included three 

huge sixes and five fours. 

With the dramatic victory, 

Mumbai Indian maintained 

their all-win record 

against Royal Challangers in 

Bangalore. 

For Royal Challangers, 

seamers Zaheer Khan, Vinay 

Kumar and Harshal Patel and 

offie Muthaiah Muralitharan 

Replying to KKR's 158 

for six, CSK needed five off 

the last ball. But West Indian 

Dwyane Bravo (11 not out; 

7b, 1x6) held his nerves to 

dispatch a low full toss from 

Rajat Bhatia over the long on 

fence as the visitors reached 

160 for five. 

shared one wicket each, while 

Herschelle Gibbs was run out 

by Saurabh Tiwary from a 

long throw by K P Apanna. 

Earlier, Royal Challengers 

managed to reach 171 for six 

wickets in 20 overs, thanks to 

a rearguard assault by in-form 

Mayank Agarwal, who accelerated 

the score in the last two 

overs, hitting 35 runs in nine 

balls, including 24 in the last 

over of Munaf Patel, and remained 

64 not out in 30 balls, 

with four sixes and six fours. 

Brief scores: Royal Challengers 

Bangalore 171 for 6 in 20 overs 

(M Agarwal 64 n.o., T Dilshan 47, 

R P Singh 1/23) lost to Mumbai 

Indians 173 for 5 in 19.4 overs (A 

Rayudu 81 n.o., K Pollard 52 n.o.; 

M Muralitharan 1/16). 

Today’s fixtures: Delhi Daredevils 

vs Kings XI Punjab. 

Bravo’s last ball six carries CSK to a thrilling win 

Brief scores: Kolkata Knight 

Riders 158 for 6 in 20 overs (G 

Gambhir 62, B McCullum 37, 

D Das 19 n.o.; S Jakati 2/26, B 

Hilfenhaus 1/26, R Ashwin 1/26, 

R Jadeja 1/39) lost to Chennai 

Super Kings 160 for 5 in 20 overs 

(M Hussey 56, M Vijay 36, M S 

Dhoni 28, S Narine 2/14, R Bhatia 

2/33).

Bank Sohar 

participates in CBFS 

Open day 

� Page 24 

Wind-farm support vessels 

RENAISSANCE Services subsidiary, Topaz Engineering, a 

UAE-based full service ship building, ship repair and engineering 

services company, has confirmed it has completed the delivery of 

two wind farm support vessels (WFSV) to ASP Work Boats Ltd, 

part of the global ASP Ship Management Group. � Page 23 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 

NUEC wins RO 21m Sohar interchange project 

By Conrad Prabhu 

MUSCAT — Sohar’s Globe 

Roundabout — one of the industrial 

port city’s best-known 

public landmarks — will soon 

make way for a major interchange 

designed to address 

peak hour traffic congestion at 

this key junction. 

Well-known Omani contractor 

National United Engineering 

& Contracting Co LLC 

(NUEC) has won a contract 

from the Ministry of Transport 

and Communications to 

implement the interchange 

project at a cost of around RO 

21 million. 

NUEC led a field of six 

construction firms that bid 

By Ali Ahmed al Riyami 

MUSCAT — Khalil bin 

Abdullah al Khonji, Chairman 

of Oman Chamber of Commerce 

and Industry (OCCI), 

presided over the second Economic 

Board meeting that 

were recently held at their offices 

in the Central Business 

District (CBD). 

They discussed the importance 

of organising and hosting 

economic conferences in 

the Sultanate, so as to have a 

clear and specific vision, especially 

in the case of conferences 

organised by the private 

SOHAR’S Globe Roundabout will be dismantled to make way for a major interchange. 

MADRID — Spain's top four banks announced 

11.3 billion euros ($15 billion) 

in extra bad-loan provisions to meet new 

rules but their shares plunged yesterday 

as investors feared worse to come. 

The additional cash complied with 

a drastic government reform unveiled 

on Friday, obliging Spanish banks to set 

aside an extra 30 billion euros in 2012 in 

case loans to the collapsed property sector 

go bad. 

That was on top of the 53.8 billion 

euros the banks were told to set aside to 

comply with reforms enacted in February. 

Under the latest reform, Prime Minister 

Mariano Rajoy's conservative government 

charged two auditing firms with 

for the contract. Competing 

for the project were Strabag 

Oman, CCC, Larsen & Toubro 

(Oman), Khalid bin Ahmed 

& Sons and Federici Stirling 

Batco. 

The existing Globe Roundabout 

at Sohar sits astride one 

of the busiest traffic junctions 

on the Batinah Highway, 

which links Muscat with Khatmat 

Malaha and Dubai beyond. 

Besides feeding traffic 

into Sohar city, it also serves 

as a gateway into Dhahirah 

Governorate from the Batinah 

coast. 

Heavy vehicles plying 

this key carriageway between 

Muscat and Sohar Port, and the 

United Arab Emirates beyond, 

must navigate this roundabout 

sector. 

They noted that they have 

to meet outlined objectives for 

the development of economic 

action and standardisation efforts, 

as well as to attain set 

goals and recommendations 

that can be followed up later 

with authorities concerned. 

In this context, Al Khonji 

pointed out, the conference 

industry has become an important 

adjunct to world trade 

and the economy and is no less 

important than the exhibition 

industry. 

General and specialised 

conferences also contribute to 

tourism; as is often the case, 

en route to their respective destinations, 

often contributing to 

lengthy tailbacks especially at 

peak hours. 

NUEC’s brief is to dismantle 

the Globe Roundabout and 

build in its place an interchange 

that will allow for unimpeded 

traffic flows along the Batinah 

Highway. The roundabout will 

be converted into a signallised 

junction to streamline flows to 

and from the Yanqul and Sohar 

City ends. 

Also as part of the contract, 

a four-kilometre stretch of the 

highway straddling the roundabout 

will be converted from 

the present four-lane system 

into a six-lane carriageway. 

The six-lane system will taper 

back into four lanes as it 

well-known personalities are 

invited, together with trade 

delegations and media from 

different countries. The Sultanate 

is witnessing an increase 

in the number of these conferences 

and forums, which gives 

urgent rise for private sector 

parties concerned to act in organising 

and scheduling them. 

Other factors discussed 

included the economic vision 

of the Sultanate and the 

importance of clarifying and 

developing it in line with local, 

regional and global conditions, 

as well as the important 

part and contribution the private 

sector has to play for the 

Spanish banks reveal new provisions 

valuing banks' exposure to the property 

sector. 

It also forced banks to remove seized 

property assets from their balance sheets 

and place them in separate agencies. The 

big banks revealed the financial impact of 

the new rules for this year in a series of 

statements issued up to yesterday: 

� Santander, the biggest euro zone 

bank by market value, said it would set 

aside an additional 2.7 billion euros. 

� BBVA, the second largest Spanish 

bank, said it would make an additional 

1.8 billion euros in provisions. 

� CaixaBank, the country's third largest, 

will provision 2.1 billion euros more. 

� Bankia, which the government announced 

last week will be nationalised 

merges with the highway on 

either side. 

Several improvements will 

be made to integrate the new 

interchange with the rest of the 

road system at the project site. 

Pedestrian underpasses 

and overpasses are envisaged, 

in addition to bus bays and 

taxi stands at this key junction. 

A 3-kilometre network 

of at-grade roads will also be 

built along the Sohar-Yanqul 

stretch. 

The Ministry of Transport 

and Communications has 

specified an 18-month time 

frame for the completion of 

the project. National Engineering 

Services Pakistan (Nespak) 

are the design and construction 

supervision consultants. 

OCCI holds its 2nd Economic Board meet 

development of the economic 

sector. 

OCCI’s Economic Board 

seeks to strengthen the partnership 

between the government 

and private sector and to 

develop objectives that help 

to further develop the private 

sector and support and enhance 

its contributions to the 

national economy. 

It was agreed to form a 

working group, comprising of 

members of the Board, to develop 

a set of themes on economic 

issues that private sector 

organisations could discuss 

with the government bodies 

concerned. 

to salvage its balance sheet from a vast 

exposure to the property sector, said it 

would set aside 4.7 billion euros. 

Among others, Banca Civica, which is 

merging with CaixaBank, will provision 

1.2 billion euros; and number-five bank 

Banco Popular said it would set aside a 

net 2.3 billion euros, without giving gross 

figures. 

Investors sent banking shares into a 

slide despite the reform, enshrined in a 

royal decree, which was welcomed by 

European and IMF officials. 

By early afternoon, Santander had 

slumped 3.74 per cent to 4.689 euros; 

BBVA dropped 3.64 per cent to 5.052 

euros; and Caixa tumbled 1.14 per cent to 

2.42 euros. — AFP 

Significantly, the Sohar Interchange 

contract is the latest 

addition to NUEC’s expanding 

order book. The wholly 

Omani-owned company, 

which underwent a major rebranding 

and restructuring in 

2008, is currently undertaking 

a number of infrastructure 

projects on behalf of various 

government and public sector 

clients. 

The most prestigious of 

these is the RO 32 million 

Wadi Sahtin road project in 

Rustaq Wilayat. 

The 30-kilometre carriageway, 

ranked among the most 

challenging road projects 

currently under development, 

is being implemented on the 

Royal directives of His Majesty 

the Sultan. 

Earlier, the company is 

known to have proved its mettle 

in the execution of difficult 

road projects when it successfully 

completed the Yanqul- 

Fida-Dhank carriageway — a 

31-km blacktop built largely 

through twisting wadis and 

rugged terrain. 

Recently, NUEC was 

awarded a contract to replace 

four existing junctions along 

the Batinah Highway with 

flyovers at a cost of around 

RO 10 million. The contract 

covers the Bidaya-Sohar Gate 

stretch of the highway. 

In Barka Wilayat, the company 

is developing a modern 

sewerage network while upgrading 

the Sewage Treatment 

Plant at a total cost of RO 13 

million. The client is the Ministry 

of Regional Municipalities 

and Water Resources. 

Port Services Corp honoured 

PORT Services Corporation SAOG has been honoured with a 

prestigious award from the world famous cruise operator — 

Royal Caribbean International during their 2011-2012 Middle 

East Awards Ceremony conducted in Dubai on April 30. This is 

in recognition of the exceptional service and support. � Page 23 

UTICO unveils utility 

models with lower tariff 


MUSCAT — In a move that could benefit 

consumers in Oman and the region, UTICO, 

a leading private utility developer in the Middle 

East, unveiled a utility development project 

that would lead to lower consumer tariffs and 

zero subsidies at the Oman Water and Power 

Summit 2012 that recently concluded. 

UTICO is part of the $3 billion Ghantoot 

Group, which in February this year had announced 

a $500 million investment in Oman’s 

hospitality, water and energy sectors. As part 

of that process, UTICO is in active talks with 

Omani authorities to implement utility and 

water desalination projects that could lead to 

lower water and power bills for Oman’s consumers. 

The proposal is being currently reviewed 

by Oman’s Ministry of Finance, the Public Authority 

of Electricity and Water and also Oman 

Oil Company. When implemented, UTICO’s 

overall projects will also generate more than 

2,000 jobs for Omanis, besides translating to 

significant savings for the government. 

Addressing the Oman Water and Power 

Summit, Richard Menezes, Executive Vice 

Chairman and Managing Director of UTICO, 

one of the Middle East’s largest Private Utility 

and Developer, emphasised the role of the 

utility developer in creating value for both the 

government and consumers. 

“Consumers are not the end but the beginning 

of an economic regeneration,” Menezes 

told the gathering. “Therefore, they should decide 

what they want to pay and how they want 

to be served. Value creation and excelling in 

consumer satisfaction along with job creation 

should be the role of the developer of utilities, 

not building subsidies.” 

He added that Oman gave over RO 200 

million in subsidies in water and power sector 

last year alone, which could have been made to 

zero for water or halved, if not fully removed. 

It could also have generated net profits for the 

government. Oman’s budget deficit is project- 

ed this year at RO 1 billion, which means 20 

per cent of this deficit is allotted to the water 

and power sector. 

UTICO has offered a net revenue generating 

model with zero subsidy model to the 

Public Authority of Electricity and Water for 

several projects including Musandam Water 

and Power Supply. It also requires no off-take 

guarantee, thus saving hundreds of millions of 

rials for the government. 

UTICO owns more than 32 million gallons 

of desalination plants and is developing another 

15 million gallon desalination facility at the 

moment. It also develops and operates them. 

The total power plant ownership is 120MW. 

Another 300MW is currently being built. The 

company has over 300 km of T&D network 

and over 100,000 consumers. 

Focusing on renewable energy as the future, 

this year, UTICO has also set aside a $20 

million investment fund for viable renewable 

projects. 

In February this year, the Ghantoot Group 

announced that it would establish two power 

plants, three hotels and investment in other facilities 

in water desalination, transmission and 

distribution and oil and gas projects aimed to 

benefit the Sultanate.

Ford’s Expedition, Escape Hybrid 

win Cost of Ownership awards 

MUSCAT — Ford recently raked in two of the first-time Cost of Ownership awards 

from kbb.com for the Ford Expedition and the Ford Escape Hybrid. 

An acknowledged master of moving people, toting cargo and towing trailers, the 

Ford Expedition can seat up to eight in a smartly-styled cabin that's both comfortable 

and spacious. In addition to having the lowest fair purchase price and depreciation 

numbers, the Expedition's slightly better insurance and repair costs helped it edge out 

the competition. 

On the other hand, America's most fuel-efficient SUV, the five-passenger 2012 Ford 

Escape Hybrid offers an impressive roster of standard and optional features to complement 

its clean, green powertrain and user-friendly persona. 

Ford's unrelenting pursuit towards offering its global customers with superior vehicles 

has earned it a lot of recognition besides benefiting customers with a highly 

rewarding driving experience. 

Ford is renowned for giving discerning customers a wider range of vehicles to 

choose from. So no matter what age group the target audience belongs to, there is 

always a Ford vehicle ready to give them more than they expect. 

While initial price is always a prime issue in any new-vehicle purchase decision, the 

ultimate "best deal" also entails factoring in a number of other significant elements that 

can have an equally meaningful impact on long-term out-of-pocket expenses. 

How is it that buying a more expensive car can sometimes save you money? Because 

the total cost of owning a vehicle involves not just buying it, but insuring it, 

fuelling it, maintaining it and, the big one, selling it. 

Not only is depreciation the biggest piece of the car ownership pie, it's also the most 

variable across models. Even when two competing cars have similar sticker prices, 

deliver similar fuel economy and cost the same to insure, one can cost thousands less 

in the end simply because it's worth that much more when it’s time to trade it in or sell 

it. 

To help bring those big picture details into sharper focus, Kelley Blue Book (KBB), 

the world's most experienced and trusted automotive pricing organisation, calculates 

and integrates data from eight different categories to come up with real-world bottomline 

figures that allow for direct comparisons to be made over a five-year period. 

This year, KBB went one step beyond and formally recognised the best-in-class 

entries with the inaugural Kelley Blue Book 2012 Total Cost of Ownership Awards. 

Presented in conjunction with the Chicago Auto Show, Awards honoured individual 

winners in 21 different market segments as well as two overall brand awards. 

The comprehensive valuation criteria used to determine the most deserving cars, 

trucks, SUVs and minivans included their fair purchase price (FPP), projected depreciation, 

financing costs, insurance costs and state fees as well as the anticipated total 

cost of fuel, scheduled maintenance and repairs. 

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

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

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

its customers. 

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

the renowned Saud Bahwan Group. 

Toyota Hilux: easy to own, easy to run 

THOUSANDS of proud owners begin their day behind the wheel of their trusted reliable 

Toyota Hilux. Since its introduction in Oman, the Hilux has carved out a niche for 

itself on the sheer dint of rugged reliability, unfailing performance and lowest maintenance/running 

costs. Simply put, it is easy to own, easy to run and easy to resell — 

even after years of rough use. 

Stylishly, boldly and with power-punch, the Hilux is available in a range of models 

to suit every requirement. The stylish front and lower grille, engine hood, head lamp, 

over fenders, rear combination lamps, clear lens cover and body stripes are all part of 

the modern design adding to the toughness of the vehicle. 

Stepping inside, one is greeted by the stylish interior dashboard and the modern 

3-eye combination meter. They allow for excellent visibility and clear display of critical 

information — communicating the driving status, at a glance. The plush interior 

fabric patterns, cabin sound damping measures and thoughtful features enhance its 

luxurious feel. The new slide type rear window ensures easy access to the deck area 

from the cabin and also improves ventilation. 

Numerous storage spaces are integrated into the doors and there is plenty of storage 

under the rear seats. Its overhead console (located between the two sun visors) provides 

even more stowage. The newly added outer mirrors incorporate turn signal lamps on 

the sides, accentuating the look of a passenger car. 

Hilux now comes with a short pole roof antenna in double cab that can be folded 

forwards or backwards. This enhances antenna appearance as well as convenience. A 

unique combination of advanced Toyota technologies contribute to the Hilux’ robust 

strength and reassuring the power enables it to easily handle challenging landscape and 

conditions. The Hilux single and double cab is available in both 4x2 and 4x4 options 

with a choice of three engines, 2.0 & 2.7 ltr petrol and 2.5 ltr diesel variants. The Hilux 

engine is powered with VVT-i technology offering solid power, together with excep- 

22 OMAN TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 

BankMuscat board members attend IMD corporate governance workshop 

MUSCAT — BankMuscat, 

the flagship financial services 

provider in the Sultanate, in 

partnership with the Global 

Board Centre of the Institute 

of Management Development 

(IMD), Switzerland, organised 

a workshop on corporate 

governance for the bank’s 

board of directors. The 

workshop facilitated by 

Professor Didier Cossin, 

Director of IMD Global Board 

Center, was designed and 

customised for the bank’s 

board of directors led by 

Shaikh Khalid bin Mustahail 

al Mashani, Chairman. 

The workshop addressed 

best bank and non-bank board 

practices in order to inspire 

continuous improvement in 

corporate governance in the 

BUSINESS ALERT 

tional fuel efficiency. Further, the double cab 2WD and 4WD is now available with 

Automatic transmission also. There is also the SR grade with automatic transmission. 

The double-wishbone independent front suspension helps assist precise handling 

and superior ride comfort. The 4WD models incorporate an upper torsion bar for superb 

drivability on rough surfaces. At the rear, the leaf spring suspension provides the 

load bearing capacity essential in a pick-up. A large capacity fuel tank gives a reassuring 

range for long distances and the high positioned air intake helps prevent water from 

entering the engine when driving on flooded roads. 

Hilux is equipped with a range of active and passive safety features as standard, 

with the body offering a high level of safety for a vehicle in its class. The Toyota impact 

absorbing body structure with the crumple zone cabin help to protect occupants by 

minimising deformation of the passenger compartment. The chassis has been subjected 

to exhaustive simulation resulting in lighter weight with excellent torsion rigidity for 

precise handling. Other safety features include side impact door beams, protective seatbelts 

with modified components and energy absorbing steering column. All these triedand-tested 

safety features combined with the vehicle that’s engineered to withstand the 

toughest challenges imaginable. Not to mention, Hilux comes with airbags and ABS 

in most of its grades. 

This outstanding performer comes to you with the ever-reliable sales, service and 

parts network established by Saud Bahwan Group, which represents Toyota in Oman, 

backs every Toyota Hilux. 

Ahlibank holds its branch managers meet 

IN keeping with its enthusiasm to constantly perform better, ahlibank recently held its 

branch managers meeting at its training centre in Al Khuwair. 

The branch managers’ meeting is a regular interactive affair at ahlibank, where the 

bank employees at branch and divisional levels get to meet the senior management and 

are informed about the latest updates regarding the bank and the banking landscape. 

The recent meeting was attended by the bank’s CEO, Deputy CEOs, Marketing, 

Operations and Risk Management teams along with area managers and branch mangers 

of ahlibank. It evaluated and reviewed the overall activities and performance of the 

branches during the year 2011 and formulated an action plan and strategies to achieve 

the target fixed for the year 2012. 

Other key highlights and points of discussion and deliberation were Islamic banking, 

ahlibank’s marketing and product update keeping in mind the competitive banking 

scenario, as well as updates on different departments of operation, compliance and 

audit. This highly informative meeting took place in order to ensure that all bank employees 

are up-to-date about the bank’s recent activities and collective steps could be 

taken towards the future progress and development of the bank, especially in terms of 

risk management, services and products’ quality improvement. The CEO of ahlibank, 

Abdulaziz al Balushi, comments: “The branch manager’s meeting not only provides 

an ideal platform for exchange of valuable information between the staff, but also an 

excellent opportunity to discuss and draw a strategic plan for the entire bank. We, at 

ahlibank, want to constantly discuss and refresh our plans to improve our performance. 

And what better way to do it, than to exchange ideas and information with those who 

interact the most with our customers. Customer feedback is something we always look 

forward to and also discussions with all the ahlibankers at all levels, in order to optimise 

our services and increase customer satisfaction levels”. 

Highlighting the bank achievements in 2011, the CEO said, “Last year has been 

excellent for us, in terms of several achievements with the new products and services 

we have offered and our increased role in the community through our various CSR 

initiatives. The beginning of this year has been good for us, as we were rewarded for 

our efforts by being selected as the No 1 bank in the country in a survey done by OER 

and GBCM. Our commitment and motivation has increased tenfold to achieve further 

success and service excellence in 2012 and beyond”. 

Pizza Hut crowns pizza crusts with gems 

FOLLOWING the outstanding success of Crown Crust Pizza introduced in the year 2010 

by Oman’s favourite casual dining restaurant chain, Pizza Hut is bringing to Oman the 

culinary evolution of the Crown Crust concept — the first ever Crown Crust Carnival! 

Pizza Hut’s Crown Crust Carnival features all-new varieties pizzas with delicious 

gems studded around the edge of the pizza crust to make it a truly regal-looking treat — 

with an equally exquisite taste! 

The mouth-watering Crown Crusts Carnival features three varieties: The World’s First 

Chicken Fillet Pizzas, Cheese Burger Pizzas and the ultimate taste of Philadelphia Cream 

Cheese Pizzas. As usual, Pizza Hut has ensured that only the best quality ingredients go 

into the preparation, including the finest Philadelphia cream cheese from Kraft Foods. 

The first-ever Chicken Fillet Crown Crust 

Pizza has golden chicken fillets in the crust, 

topped with breaded chicken, grilled chicken 

strips, green pepper, onion and BBQ sauce. The 

juicy Cheese Burger Pizza is covered with melted 

cheese topped with ground beef, tomato slices, 

lettuce and onions. The Cream Cheese Pizza has 

creamy Philadelphia Cheese from Kraft with a 

choice of vegetarian and non-vegetarian toppings 

to go with it. 

“The Crown Crust Carnival offers the perfect 

occasion for the entire family to dine out,” said 

Vivek Pande, CEO, Khimji Ramdas Lifestyle 

Group. 

“At Pizza Hut, people get together, build relationships 

and create good memories while sharing 

great food; and the delicious Crown Crust 

Carnival is a grand treat to share with loved 

ones this summer,” added Anil Khimji, Director, 

Khimji Ramdas. 

Ramniklal B Kothary gets award 

RAMNIKLAL B Kothary and Co LLC has been presented with the prestigious “Team 

of the Year 2011” for the MENAP region. The award was presented to Prabodh R Kothary, 

Managing Director, Vishal M Kothary and Shreyans P Kothary, Directors, by 

Mazen Nubani, Commercial Director and Ramez Turk, Commercial Manager from 

bank. Other themes included 

causes of board failures, 

what makes boards effective, 

building strong management 

pool, establishing winning 

board culture and board’s 

role in driving strategies. 

The workshop benchmarked 

what boards of leading 

organisations do to maintain 

being the best in the world. 

The IMD Global Board 

Center is the leading board 

education centre in the 

world. It works with boards 

of prominent companies in 

Europe, the Middle East, the 

Americas and Asia. Global 

best practices in corporate 

governance acknowledge 

the necessity of regular and 

well tuned education to 

board members. The best 

boards engage in specific, 

targeted education to improve 

corporate governance 

standards to ensure the success 

of organisations. 

BankMuscat is the overall 

winner and the 1st place 

winner in the financial sector 

category in the Corporate 

Governance Excellence 

Awards hosted by Capital 

Market Authority (CMA). 

The board sets the tone 

and ensures that the bank 

is committed to fostering 

the corporate governance 

culture. The bank follows an 

internal review of practices to 

benchmark not only locally, 

but internationally against the 

Basel regulations and against 

top companies in the region 

and further afield. 

The board and the 

management of BankMuscat 

have absolute belief in and 

understanding of the key 

principles of corporate 

governance which is reflected 

in the way business is 

done. The main advantage 

of advanced corporate 

governance is that it protects 

all stakeholders — customers, 

creditors, regulators, 

shareholders and staff. 

Having the full suite of 

relevant policies in the areas of 

risk management, disclosures, 

anti-money laundering 

(AML), staff training and 

whistle blowing to flag an 

area of concern, BankMuscat 

fosters the culture of 

openness, transparency and 

accountability. 

Johnson and Johnson Middle East. The award was presented for “Excellence in Service, 

Partnership and Outstanding sales growth in the year 2011”. 

Prabodh R Kothary said during the celebrations, “It is a tremendous achievement 

and a great mark of appreciation for the hard work put in by the team in 2011. Johnson 

and Johnson is a prestigious brand and we are honoured to be their partners for more 

than 35 years in Oman. We are confident of providing more success with the support 

that we receive from Johnson and Johnson HQ in Dubai”. 

Trusted since 1935 and celebrating 75 years, Ramniklal B Kothary and Co LLC is 

the sole agent and distributor of numerous multinational brands of which Johnson and 

Johnson is one of the earliest agencies. It comprises of brands such as Johnson’s Baby, 

Neutrogena, Clean and Clear, Listerine, Reach, Band Aid, OB and Carefree. 

Infiniti M: luxury redefined 

STANDING head and shoulders above the rest in the category of premium luxury vehicles, 

Infiniti’s M Sedan recently won the ‘Best Premium Car’ award, from the Automan 

Magazine ‘Car of the Year’ awards in Oman. The Car of the Year awards were instituted 

by Automan to celebrate its twelfth anniversary in print. One of the main criteria 

for the cars to be considered for these awards was their usability in the Middle East. 

After a year-long testing, assessing and ranking of test vehicles from the entire 

range of cars and SUVs on offer in Oman, at the first Automan Car of the Year event, 

Infiniti M was chosen as the best premium car on the basis of its strong performance, 

engaging handling, many high-tech features, classy interior and high fuel economy. 

This is indeed a well-deserved recognition for this new premium performance sedan 

as it combines sheer excellence with powerful engine choices and transmission refinement. 

Not only this, the Infiniti M offers class-leading build quality, engineering and 

styling. Its loaded-features aspect is something that is commendable as it takes on the 

mantle of the flagship Infiniti sedan. 

Not just this, Infiniti M also combines the athletic stature of a sports sedan with the 

elegant lines of a coupe. With a long bonnet, short front overhangs, low rear window 

and compact rear, the powerfully flowing basic shape breathes dynamics and power 

from every millimeter. 

The Infiniti M is offered in M37 and M56 model designations. The Infiniti M37 features 

a refined, powerful and efficient 328hp 3.7-litre V6 engine and a range-topping 

402hp 5.6-litre V8 for those wanting ultimate performance and luxury. Both the Infiniti 

M37 and M56 engines feature Infiniti’s advanced VVEL (Variable Valve Event and 

Lift) system and all models are equipped with a standard 7-speed automatic transmission. 

The M56 engine also utilises Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG) technology. 

The Infiniti M moves with a responsiveness that is fluent and alive. The powerful 

rear wheel drive and front midship engine position ensure steering purity and invigorating 

handling. With no torque steer battling against you, the Infiniti M can be piloted 

with pinpoint accuracy and unerring balance. The confident, aerodynamic body lines 

further perfect control with a coefficient of drag at just 0.27 Cd and zero-lift driving 

stability. 

Land Rover wins another milestone 

JAGUAR Land Rover employees at Halewood Operations in Merseyside have celebrated 

an important milestone achievement following the production of the 300,000th 

Land Rover LR2. 

Production of the LR2 at Halewood operations commenced in October 2006 and 

earlier this week the plant's 300,000th LR2 was driven off the line. The vehicle is a 

2.2 litre Diesel in Barolo Black and is destined for a customer in Brazil — one of the 

brand's fastest growing markets. Land Rover is the leading SUV brand in the country 

with around a 40 per cent market share. 

Halewood operations Director Richard Else, said: "I'd like to congratulate the Halewood 

team for reaching this superb milestone and also sustaining the highest quality 

standards on LR2, during the Range Rover Evoque launch period. The LR2 was Land 

Rover's biggest selling model last year retailing around 52,000 units globally." 

In Oman, the 2012 LR2 is available with a 3.2-litre i6 engine offering a power 

output of 233hp. With class-leading on and off-road performance, featuring Terrain 

ResponseTM, Hill Descent Control, full-time 4-wheel drive and an affordable cost of 

ownership, the LR2 is available from RO 13,500 on the road.

Topaz Engineering delivers two 

wind-farm support vessels 


MUSCAT — Renaissance 

Services subsidiary Topaz Engineering, 

a UAE-based full 

service ship building, ship repair 

and engineering services 

company, has confirmed it 

has completed the delivery of 

two wind farm support vessels 


MUSCAT – Nasir bin Issa al 

Ismaily, General Manager of 

the Export Credit Guarantee 

Agency of Oman (EGCA), attended 

the Credit Alliance regional 

meeting of Africa Middle-East 

and the Country Risk 

Conference, which was held 

in Casablanca, Morocco at 

the weekend. The forum was 

hosted by SMAEX – Export 

Credit Guarantee Agency of 

Morocco in coordination with 

the Credit Alliance Secretariat 

under the auspices of Coface 

of France. 

(WFSV) to ASP Work Boats 

Ltd, part of the global ASP 

Ship Management Group. 

David Borcoski, Group 

MD and CEO of ASP Ship 

Management Group said: “Topaz 

Engineering has done an 

excellent job in completing the 

construction of our wind farm 

support vessels and delivering 

Among the various topics 

were roundtable discussions 

by the partners/members for 

better services from the Credit 

Alliance Network, as well as 

continuous exchange of valuable 

information among members. 

Separate workshops 

were also held including the 

major contribution of Credit 

Alliance members’ network in 

credit risk assessment in the 

region as well as the increasing 

role of credit insurance in 

facilitating SME funding in 

cooperation with commercial 

banks. 

Addressing the session, Al 

them within the time-frame 

requested. We look forward to 

working with ASP again in the 

future.” 

The contract, signed on 

September 19, 2011 was for 

the design and construction 

of two DNV +1A1 HSLC R1 

Wind farm Service Category 

1Vessels. The two boats have 

an LOA (length overall) of 18 

metres, a beam of 7.5 metres, 

and a lightship displacement of 

43 tons. Both are powered by 

two Scania 700hp engines and 

can operate up to 150 miles 

offshore at cruising speeds of 

up to 25 knots. 

The vessels were built 

in Topaz Marine Engineering’s 

Nico Craft Aluminium 

Boat Building Facility in Abu 

Dhabi, and were completed in 

7½ months. Nico Craft LLC is 

one of the leading shipyards 

in the region, offering full 

turnkey design, construction, 

delivery and life cycle support 

services for new vessel construction 

and vessel conversion 

projects. 

Thomas Bower, Managing 

Director of Topaz Engineering, 

added: “The wind farm 

sub-sector is one of the fastest 

growing segments of the 

Ismaily highlighted the experiences 

of ECGA of Oman 

in credit risks mitigation of 

buyers as well as financing 

facilities for credit insured 

exporters through export bills 

discounting under post shipment 

financing as well as preshipment. 

He described the Export 

Credit Insurance Policy of 

ECGA of Oman as very useful 

for SMEs, as it fills the 

security gap needed by banks. 

Considering one of the major 

constraints facing SMEs 

is financing and the need for 

secured collateral by credit in- 

offshore support vessel market 

and having just delivered on 

these two wind farm support 

vessels, we are keen to offer 

our further support to this 

niche industry. According to 

the 

“European Wind Energy 

Association (EWEA), there 

are now a total of 1,371 offshore 

turbines across 53 wind 

farms in 10 countries in Europe. 

Supporting these current 

and future wind farms is an attractive 

commercial opportunity 

and we looking forward to 

building on our order book.” 

Renaissance, through its 

wholly owned subsidiaries 

Topaz Marine and Topaz Engineering, 

provides offshore 

support vessel and engineering 

services. Both companies are 

regional leaders in undertaking 

turnkey engineering, procurement 

and construction projects 

with over 35 years of experience 

operating in MENA and 

more recently in the Caspian. 

Topaz Engineering operates 

two units: Topaz Marine Engineering 

and Topaz Oil & Gas 

Engineering, that cover fabrication 

&construction; maintenance 

services; ship building 

and marine repair. 

surance, the Agency can assist 

SMEs to avail export finance 

facilities through the banks 


Port Services honoured with award 

MUSCAT — Port Services 

Corporation SAOG has been 

honoured with a prestigious 

award from the world famous 

cruise operator — Royal Caribbean 

International during 

their 2011 — 2012 Middle 

East Awards Ceremony conducted 

in Dubai on April 30. 

This is in recognition of the 

exceptional service and support 

provided by the Corporation 

to their cruise vessels 

called at Port Sultan Qaboos 

(PSQ) during 2011 — 2012 

season. 

Royal Caribbean International, 

part of Royal Caribbean 

Cruises Ltd who operates Celebrity 

Cruises, Azamara Club 

Cruises, Pullmantur, CDF Croisieres 

de France, as well as 

MUSCAT — Following discussions 

with senior officials 

from concerned government 

agencies in charge for the mining 

sector, OITE Conferences 

announces the postponement 

of the Geo Minerals and Mining 

Conference 2012 from 

May to December 2012, while 

the new final dates will be announced 

shortly. 

The first event of its kind 

to be held in the Sultanate, the 

TUI Cruises through a 50 per 

cent joint venture with TUI 

AG, is a global cruise brand 

with 22 innovative ships, calling 

on more than 270 destinations 

in 72 countries across 

six continents. The line also 

Conference aims to explore 

the potential of the mining 

and mineral sector in Oman 

and will touch upon key topics 

through four sessions namely 

Mining and Mineral Landscape 

in Oman and GCC; HR, 

Skills and Training Development 

in Mining; Environmental 

and Safety Issues and 

Driving the future of Mining 

in Oman through technologies 

and best practices, which will 

offers unique cruise tour land 

packages in Alaska, Canada, 

United Arab Emirates, Europe, 

Australia and New Zealand. 

Port Services Corporation, 

in association with the ROP 

and immigration, made the 

be spread over a period of two 

days. 

A host of global industry 

experts will present on the 

development in the mining 

sector both regional and international 

including; regulatory 

and policy updated, environment 

issues and challenges, 

best practices in mining exploration 

and processing as 

well as Human Resources 

development, Safety and new 

embarkation and disembarkation 

process at PSQ easy and 

user friendly. This year the 

corporation has welcomed 76 

cruise vessels with a passenger 

count of 12, 9926 disembarking 

and 12, 9920 embarking. 

Geo minerals and mining meet put off to Dec 

while providing protection 

to them against the risks of 

non-payments by their buyers 

through the assignment of the 

export credit policy to them, 

he said. 

The meeting was preceded 

by a Country Risk Conference 

in view of the geo-political 

situation arising from the Arab 

Spring as well as the contagion 

effects from the European 

Sovereign Debt Crisis that 

has affected business as the 

level of both commercial and 

non-commercial risks have 

significantly increased. The 

incidence of businesses delin- 

quencies in a number of euro 

zone countries has risen and 

wide spread now. Therefore it 

is important for exporters to 

continuously insure their exports 

with ECAs. 

It was affirmed that the role 

ECAs played in the MENA 

Region are now even more 

crucial in supporting their national 

exports through risks 

mitigation and protection provided 

by credit insurance. 

The panel discussion included 

major multinational 

companies utilizing the services 

of credit insurance by 

ECAs in the Region then fol- 

lowed which provided insights 

from clients perspective as it 

was viewed by them that by 

insuring their credit sales, this 

allows opportunity to increase 

their sales volume significantly 

instead of selling on cash basis. 

The meeting and the conference 

was attended by a 

number Regional ECAs. These 

included ECAs from Oman, 

Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, 

Turkey, Algeria, South Africa, 

etc as well as credit information 

and debt collection agencies 

from many other countries 

and the Secretariat from Co- 

technologies. 

In a further attempt to 

bring all representatives 

of the mineral and mining 

sector together including 

representative companies, 

sponsors, supporting organisations, 

partners and potential 

clients, a mini exhibition will 

be held alongside the two 

day conference supporting 

the general theme of the 

event. 

ECGA attends regional credit alliance meeting in Morocco 

Nasir bin Issa al Ismaily 

face. 

The ECGA of Oman was 

one of the earliest and most 

active members joining Credit 

Alliance in 1996. The first Regional 

Meeting of the Credit 

Alliance was actually held in 

Muscat in 2001. The Agency 

of Oman through the years introduced 

many of the ECAs in 

the MENA Region to the Alliance 

which has now grown to 

97 countries worldwide. The 

ECGA of Oman has always retained 

its strategic relationship 

with the Alliance and with its 

respective members, Al Ismaili 

stated.

Nissan Oman brings 

exciting offers for all 

MUSCAT — In keeping with 

its unwavering commitment to 

offer world class services and 

products to its valued customers, 

Nissan Oman has recently 

launched a host of splendid offers 

along with the purchase of 

Nissan Altima, Nissan Micra 

and Nissan Sunny. 

All customers purchasing 

these vehicles during the 

scheme period will be eligible 

for free first year vehicle 

registration. Not only this, 

customers purchasing these 

saloon cars under the scheme 

will also get Free Periodic Vehicle 

Maintenance of 2 years / 

30,000 Kms. 

Coupled with this, all these 

Nissan vehicles will have free 

Extended 5 years / Unlimited 

Mileage warranty, to add to 

the pleasure and convenience 

of owning a Nissan car and ensuring 

hassle and worry-free 

driving at all times. 

With the purchase of Nissan 

Altima, complementary 

comprehensive insurance for 

the first year is offered, which 

is a boon considering the skyrocketing 

prices of auto insurance 

in the country. 

Those who are planning to 

buy a car should go for it before 

it is too late. This exciting 

and special offer is valid 

only till June 16, 2012. This 

scheme is going from strength 

to strength as a lot of customers 

are purchasing Nissan vehicles 

to take full advantage 

of this attractive offer and the 

strengths of these premium 

cars. 

Nissan Micra is a beauty 

with brains as it is a great 

combination of stylish curves 

and smart technology. The 

foundation of the all new Nissan 

Micra’s outstanding driving 

performance is the 99HP, 

16-valve, four cylinder 1.5litre 

engine, the largest capacity 

engine offered in its class. 

It is available in 5 trim grades 

with the range-topping model 

getting features such as the 

Nissan Intelligent Key with 

Push Button Ignition, which 

can lock or unlock doors or 

start the engine without using 

a key, Climate-control airconditioning, 

reverse parking 

sensors, 15-inch alloy wheels 

and front fog lights. 

Nissan Sunny is the most 

complete sedan in the midsize 

sedan segment, with luxury 

and comfort close to that of 

premium sedans and it appeals 

on a number of levels. Its sophisticated 

style sets it apart 

from the rest and its roomy interior 

and large trunk is ideally 

suited to families. 

Also, it has high levels of 

active and passive safety and 

advanced features designed to 

enhance both the driving and 

ownership experiences. Advances 

safety features such as 

Anti-Lock Breaking System 

(ABS), Electronic Break-force 

Distribution (EBD), Break Assist 

(BA), Engine Immobilizer 

and Airbags are its strengths. 

The all new Nissan Sunny 

design is also distinct from 

most current compact sedans, 

both inside and out. Externally 

Sunny offers a refreshing design 

character that is both 

sophisticated and highly aerodynamic 

while inside it offers 

five-passenger practicality 

with a high degree of comfort 

and refinement. Moreover, 

the effective room length of 

1828mm gives more cabin 

space than most of the midsize 

sedans. 

HSBC improves industry ranking 

to fifth in Euromoney FX Poll 

MUSCAT — HSBC has been recognised as 

a leading global FX house in the 2012 Euromoney 

FX Poll with an improved ranking 

of fifth place overall. 

This year’s top five ranking highlights the 

strong progress being made to develop the 

Bank’s FX business and builds on last year’s 

sixth place. The Bank’s fifth place position 

represents a doubling of our volume of votes 

and market share over the last three years, 

with our clients registering USD14 trillion of 

business in the 2012 poll. 

Frederic Boillereau, Global Head of FX 

and Commodities said: “Improving our ranking 

for the second year running highlights 

what a strong and competitive FX business 

we are developing. We continue to improve 

our global connectivity with clients, increase 

market share and deliver on our strategy for 

sustainable revenue growth. We can all be 

proud of this result which shows our grow- 

NBO launches Middle Management 

Development Programme 

MUSCAT — NBO Academy 

of Excellence recently 

launched its flagship “NBO 

Middle Management Development 

Programme”. 

This comprehensive and 

rigorous programme that runs 

over 10 consecutive weeks, 

aims to provide Middle Managers 

of the Bank with a solid, 

all-round practical NBO 

Banking and people leadership 

exposure. 

The main objective of the 

programme is to cultivate a 

middle management layer of 

hardcore professional bankers, 

who will assume leadership 

roles in taking the Bank 

to new heights. The Programme 

provides an in-depth 

coverage on all the functional 

areas of the Bank. It will enable 

participants to understand 

and appreciate the functional 

interdependencies of the various 

business constituents of 

the Bank, and to acquire a 

strategic perspective of the 

business. 

The Programme is targeted 

at selected employees who 

have already gained considerable 

banking experience, 

whose performance has consistently 

been rated high and 

who have exhibited initiative 

and potential for assuming 

higher responsibilities. 

While inaugurating the 

Programme, Ahmed al Musalmi, 

NBO’s Deputy Chief 

ing status in the market place at a time when 

competition is as strong as ever.” 

The volume-weighted poll is the FX industry 

benchmark survey which is viewed by 

the Bank’s clients and also measures its performance 

against the competitors. 

Our year on year growth in the Euromoney 

poll, along with other key successes 

including our ranking as number one in the 

Greenwich Quality Index for the second year 

running, marks HSBC out as having a leading 

global foreign exchange and commodities 

business. 

Group Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver 

commented, “A lot of progress has been 

made in FX over the last 3 years, for which 

we should be proud. Our strong FX result 

and industry survey recognition confirm that 

we are a market leading FX house. We aim 

to continue this positive momentum with the 

same drive and intensity.” 

Executive Officer said: “I 

am very happy to witness 

the come-back of this exclusive 

Programme, at NBO. I 

am a proud graduate of this 

Programme! Those who successfully 

complete this programme 

will see its benefits 

in their lives and careers. We 

believe that this is a quantum 

leap forward in transforming 

the mindset of our employees 

and thereby enable them 

to take NBO to the number 

one position. Developing our 

people, therefore, will remain 

our foremost priority. We 

will leave no stone unturned 

to groom staff to take NBO to 

where it belongs and sustain 

that leadership position.” 

MUSCAT — Bank Sohar participated 

in the Annual Open 

Day Event of College of Banking 

and Financial Studies 

(CBFS), which was held on the 

College premises recently. 

It was the third time that 

Bank Sohar had the privilege 

to support the CBFS in their 

Annual Open Day Event. The 

main objective of the event was 

to showcase the students’ creative 

projects and also to further 

activate the students’ activities 

at the College. 

Commenting on the support 

to the annual open day event, 

Khalfan Rashid al Tal’ey, DGM 

Retail Banking, Bank Sohar 

said, “Bank Sohar, which is 

celebrating its fifth anniversary, 

has been in the forefront of supporting 

educational initiatives 


Bank Sohar attends CBFS annual open day 

in the Sultanate since inception. 

Open days are the culmination 

of the students’ efforts over the 

year and provides an opportunity 

for the students to showcase 

their creativity and talents.” 

“CBFS considered as one 

of the premier educational institutions 

in the Sultanate is 

engaged in imparting quality 

education to students especially 

in finance specialisations. We 

were indeed glad to support the 

youth oriented Annual Open 

day event of the CBFS for the 

third year. It also provided us 

an opportunity to showcase our 

products and services including 

the popular Al Mumayaz Savings 

Scheme 2012,” added, Al 

Tal’ey. 

Various activities were 

conducted at the event such 

as talent competition, musical 

programmes, art and painting, 

plays, entertainment games, 

folklore dance, charity events, 

car show, traditional dance 

show and a traditional Omani 

fashion show. Representatives 

from various other companies 

and Banks were present to 

showcase their products and 

services to the student community.

FISH silage can replace up to 

20 per cent of soyabean meal 

in broiler chicken diets without 

affecting either growth performance 

or the sensory quality of broiler 

meat, a new study has reported. 

Dr Waleed al Marzooqi, who led 

an SQU team through the research, 

said it would be economically profitable 

to include fish silage in feed 

mixtures for broiler production as 

part of their balanced diet. 

Fish silage is a liquid product 

made from whole fish or parts of 

fish that are liquefied by the action 

of enzymes in the fish in the presence 

of an added acid. The enzymes 

break down fish proteins into smaller 

soluble units, and the acid helps 

to speed up their activity while preventing 

bacterial spoilage. 

The researcher pointed out that 

Oman is a sub-arid country with 

hot climate and negligible rainfall, 

which reduces the chances of producing 

animal feed ingredients. 

Isabeli to wed one of 

Bob Marley’s sons 

� Page 28 

Therefore, the poultry industry in 

Oman totally depends on imported 

feeds. Looking for local cheap 

sources of protein is a must, given 

the high prices of animal feeds in 

international markets, he stressed. 

The sardine fish is the most abundant 

species of small pelagic fish 

in all regions of Oman, comprising 

more than 95 per cent of the total 

landings. Sardines are available at 

reasonable prices in the local fish 

market. 

The technology of fish silage 

production is very simple and the 

silage process is fast in tropical 

climates, he said. The production 

cost of fish silage can be reduced 

because the silage is generally produced 

locally resulting in no importation 

or handling costs. 

Experiments 

The team conducted two experiments 

aimed to evaluate the use of 

fish silage prepared from Indian 

Oil Sardines, Sardinella longiceps, 

Unlocking the dark secrets of 

Alzheimer’s disease 

� Page 27 

TV linked to 

unhealthy eating 

� Page 27 

PSM organises food festival 

to raise funds 

� Page 26 

Fea ures 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 

as partial replacement of soyabean 

meal as a sole source of protein for 

growing broiler chickens. The first 

experiment, an ileal digestibility assay, 

had as its main objective to assess 

the nutritional value of fish si- 

lage compared with soyabean meal 

for feeding broiler chickens. The 

two test ingredients, soyabean meal 

and dried fish silage, were incorporated 

into semi-synthetic diets, 

as the only component containing 

protein. The ileal digestibility coefficients 

of amino acids of fish silage 

were considerably higher than those 

of soyabean meal (p

BEING in a leadership 

role isn’t easy. If it 

were, you’d see more 

people stepping up and insisting 

on the opportunity. It 

seems that most prefer to follow 

rather than taking the 

risk of standing out and making 

mistakes. When one approaches 

leadership from the 

standpoint of ‘being’ instead 

of ‘acting’ or ‘doing’; then it 

changes the focus and the potential. 

The 8 Cs of leadership are 

in no particular order because 

the order of importance will 

shift and change depending on 

what’s happening or the point 

of the cycle the leader is in at 

any one time. Just like life, 

leadership has cycles and is 

ever-changing. It’s not something 

that someone masters 

and that’s it as if there’s nothing 

more to learn. The world 

is constantly changing and 

we need to continually adapt. 

Having this understanding 

while being willing to learn, 

adapt and make mistakes takes 

a lot of pressure off, which allows 

the leader’s strength and 

true essence to come through. 

1. Character: This is 

where the leader determines 

the values, ethics and integrity 

that will underpin their leader- 

ship. The simplest way to describe 

this is a code of behaviour. 

Anyone can talk a story, 

but the truth is always determined 

in the behaviour. One 

leader I worked for always 

said he would rather err on the 

side of the employee or the 

customer. I watched over the 

course of 7 years as that leader 

held to his principles building 

a highly successful business 

and very loyal followers. Another 

leader I worked for told 

me his word was stronger than 

any contract. However after 

working almost double the 

agreed hours and performing 

services that weren’t specified 

in the contract based on 

his direction, he refused to pay 

the promised bonus stating I 

hadn’t met the criteria in the 

contract. Which leader do you 

want to emulate? 

2. Clarity: A major downfall 

of many leaders is the lack 

of clarity. Every leader would 

benefit from developing their 

intuition and knowing their internal 

“Yes” and “No”. “Maybe’s” 

really stink because they 

keep people stuck but meanwhile 

the world is changing. 

Copying what others are doing 

doesn’t work either. Having 

clarity on each aspect of one’s 

leadership, particularly the 

leadership purpose, is empowering 

and an energy booster. 

Clarity brings everything into 

alignment. 

3. Connection: Connecting 

with people is one of the 

most critical components of 

leadership. If it’s a business, 

then the employees must feel a 

connection to the leader, their 

vision and mission. In building 

brand loyalty, it’s equally 

important for the customers to 

feel connection. A person in a 

leader role recently told someone 

that he wore gumshoes so 

that people wouldn’t know if 

he were around. He sat hidden 

in his office, afraid to do anything 

and lacked support from 

everyone around him. 

4. Communication: To 

share ideas and information, 

the leader must communicate. 

Typically it’s done through 

speaking or writing, but until 

the leader knows the message 

is received and understood, it 

hasn’t been fully communicated. 

Communications are 

generally 2-way — just like 

with a radio. The message is 

sent and then it is received. 

26 SPOTLIGHT TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 

PSM organises food festival to raise funds 

THE Pakistan School Muscat 

organised the Annual 

Food Festival and Cultural 

Show recently which was 

attended by more than 5,000 

people from all walks of life. 

The purpose of the festival was 

to raise funds for the development 

of PSM and to provide 

healthy entertainment to the 

Pakistani people and other 

By Susan Bagyura 

communities living in Muscat. 

This food festival was held with 

the efforts of Chairman Zia ul 

Haq Siddiqui, members BOD, 

Principal Mohammad Zakariya 

Babur and the teachers. 

The Ambassador of Pakistan 

to the Sultanate of Oman 

Nawabzada Aminullah Khan 

Raisani inaugurated the festival. 

The school was decorated 

LEADERSHIP CORNER 

A major downfall of 

many leaders is the 

lack of clarity. Every 

leader would benefit 

from developing their 

intuition and knowing 

their internal 

‘Yes’ and ‘No’ 

beautifully for the festival. 

There was variety of stalls 

including biryani, chappal 

kabab, roll kabab pratha, chicken 

tikka, nihari, haleem, pizza 

and ice cream. 

Many women from Pakistan 

Social Club, community 

and wives of Board Directors 

organised food stalls and other 

stuff. There were many stalls 

exclusively for women and 

children such as mehandi, face 

painting, computer games and 

many more. 

The income obtained from 

all the stalls was given to the 

school fund. The Principal 

Muhammad Zakariya Babur 

thanked the audience and the 

sponsors. 

The chief guest congratu- 

The Eight Cs of Leadership 

Just sending without making 

certain that people are receiving 

the information is futile 

and leads to misunderstanding 

and potential problems. Today 

the modes of communications 

are much easier and faster, but 

still require us to know that 

we are being properly understood. 

5. Competence: As with 

each of these points, they can 

apply to the leader, to the organisation, 

to its business/ 

function, to the employees, etc. 

When examining competence, 

look at the competence of the 

organisation to deliver on what 

it is that it does. Do you have 

competent people working for 

you? It’s not unusual to find 

‘bad hires’ within organisations. 

A bad hire is never going 

to turn into being a good 

one and ignoring the situation 

actually de-motivates ‘good 

hires’. Some areas to look at 

when determining competence 

are: 

A. Experience. There’s 

an old saying that states: Experience 

is life’s best teacher. 

There are many things that 

lated the management for the 

successful festival and variety 

show. He announced to donate 

some money to the school fund 

on behalf of the embassy. 

An auction was held for 

glass paintings made by special 

education children and 

the money was donated for the 

school fund. 

A cultural programme was 

can’t be taught; it must be 

experienced. A neighbour of 

mine thought he was an expert 

on sales because he studied 

selling for 100s of hours 

and knew all the points. Then 

he went out to sell and failed 

miserably. Experience teaches 

problem-solving, people management 

and leadership skills 

that can be applied to everything. 

B. Education. Does the 

person have the knowledge 

they require in order to do the 

job? 

C. Skill Set. I’ve seen people 

promoted as a manager because 

they were doing an excellent 

job, but weren’t taught 

the necessary skills to manage. 

Determine what people need in 

terms of coaching, mentoring, 

training or further education to 

do their job competently. 

D. Lifelong learning. Is 

the organisation looking at 

how it can improve and update 

its knowledge and skills in its 

chosen field or industry? Is it 

leading or following? Then 

look at each person within the 

company and prepare a personal 

development plan. Set 

milestones and time frames. 

6. Courage: It takes courage 

to stand out as a leader. 

Each of your decisions will be 

scrutinised and some of them 

will be unpopular. It requires 

courage to believe in yourself; 

to take risks; to invest in people; 

to believe in others and allow 

them to prove themselves; 

to confront conflicts; to lead 

change and to stick to your 

path when things aren’t going 

well at the time. Having 

clarity will certainly help build 

courage. 

7. Commitment: Leader- 

presented on the sidelines of 

the festival in which students 

performed various dance forms 

and many songs were sung by 

the participants which were 

choreographed by the teachers. 

A musical show was arranged 

in which famous singers of 

Muscat captured audience’s 

hearts with their mellifluous 

rendition. 

ship is all about relationships 

and commitment sits at the 

core. People will want to see 

and feel the leader’s commitment. 

How the leader demonstrates 

commitment is the axis 

point for the passion, excitement 

and fun. The staff’s level 

of commitment will be deepened 

when they understand 

the reasons behind decisions. 

Commitment is very much a 

synergistic arrangement. 

8. Change: Change is constant 

and inevitable. There’s 

always resistance to change 

even when people know it 

must happen for growth so 

the effective leader is willing 

to lead, push and pull people 

through the change. The ineffective 

leader leaves them to 

figure it out. By embracing 

change and showing a willingness 

to learn, make mistakes 

and take corrective actions, 

the leader paves the way for 

growth. 

Great leaders don’t always 

have all the answers, but they 

are able to courageously lead 

people through times of change 

by communicating the new vision, 

with clarity and passion, 

gaining commitment and support 

of people both inside and 

outside the organisation while 

connecting all the points and 

people for a smooth transition, 

and improving the competence 

through better hiring and great 

support. 

(Susan Bagyura, a leadership 

coach and author, works 

with leaders to inspire success 

from the top down. The book 

is available at Family Bookshop 

in MQ or online. To listen 

to the audio of this article, go 

to http://susanbagyura.com/ 

audio/8cs.html.) 

Petrogas organises special day for Child Care Centre children 

PETROGAS E&P, a 

subsidiary of MB Group of 

Companies recently organised 

a special day for the children of 

Child Care Centre at the newly 

opened Jungle Restaurant in 

Qurum. The Child Care Centre, 

which was established in 1995 is 

located in Al Khoudh and is the 

only orphanage in the Sultanate. 

The Centre looks after about 

120 children, both boys and 

girls from different age groups. 

This event which saw the 

participation of some 100 children, 

started with much fanfare 

when the children entered 

a room specially decorated for 

them with balloons and ribbons. 

The children enjoyed 

themselves in an evening filled 

with fun and laughter. The high 

point of the evening was when 

Sponge Bob enthralled the children 

with his wit and charm. 

As a special treat, the children 

were given a tour of the 

Jungle Restaurant where they 

encountered creatures such as 

dinosaur, peacocks and croco- 

diles. These life-like creatures 

created much curiosity among 

the children and the guides educated 

them about these animals. 

The children found the extinct 

dinosaur the most fascinating. 

After the tour, the children 

were given a small talk on eco 

sustainability and each student 

was encouraged to pot- a-plant, 

which they could take home 

with them. 

Jean Denis Bouvier, CEO, 

Petrogas E &P, said, “This is an 

annual event in Petrogas social 

contribution calendar and this 

third edition is probably the 

best so far. Spending time with 

the children is such a learning 

experience and it is a privilege 

to be given the opportunity to 

modestly contribute to education 

and well-being. I am very 

happy to have seen several employees 

joining in with their 

children and contributing to the 

success of the party as we encourage 

them to carry out community 

involvement outside the 

work place.” 

Celebrating the Beauty 

and Sanctity of Families 

THE family constitutes the basic building block of society. 

It plays a vital role in keeping alive and transmitting 

the cultural heritage from one generation to another. It 

provides a stable and unfailing shelter. It is an institution that 

has stood the test of time through the ages. 

These random thoughts flitted through my mind in the context 

of the International Day of Families being observed today, 

May 15. 

The Day was instituted by the United Nations Organization 

(UNO) and observed annually since 1995. It is supported 

by the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD). 

The impetus came from the UN proclamation of 1994 as the 

International Year of Families. 

The Day is meant to promote awareness about issues relating 

to family welfare and to acknowledge its sterling role 

in furthering the social, economic and cultural aspirations of 

nations. It is an apt time to reflect on and build on the inherent 

strengths of families, like self-reliance, mutual support and 

unreserved love and affection. 

Activities include workshops and conferences, cultural 

shows, exhibitions and media events. 

Each year a specific and noteworthy theme is chosen to 

provide focus for the observance. For instance 2009 had the 

theme "Mothers and Families: Challenges in a Changing 

World" and 2007: "Families and Persons with Disabilities". 

The theme for 2012 is “Ensuring work family balance" . 

It is quite relevant in today’s busy and work-centred world 

in which interests of the family and the children get seriously 

compromised when both parents work. 

The role of the family in shaping the character and personality 

of the children at a tender and impressionable age can 

never be over estimated. Here they inherit basic human values 

like patience, care, understanding and commitment. 

Some teenagers choose to spend most of their free time 

with friends. They ought to remember that friends will come 

and go, but family alone stands by you at all times. 

Deeper reflection reveals that family is where we are accepted 

without any terms or conditions. Our handicaps and 

weaknesses are accepted with love. We get support when engulfed 

by problems and our achievements are genuinely appreciated. 

A close knit family is a safe haven to seek refuge amidst 

the storms of life. The power of a caring family becomes obvious 

when we read of juvenile delinquents and teenage victims 

of drug and alcohol abuse and suicides, many of whom come 

from insecure and broken homes. The family is the best support 

system to help survive these turbulent times. 

In this context, the immense value of an extended family 

that comprises grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins becomes 

obvious. The children in such an environment, as is 

seen in Oman, are truly fortunate. 

How can we foster a greater sense of family belongingness? 

We must revive traditions like having the family meal 

around a table — not in the privacy of one’s room or in front 

of a television. 

We must find quality time to spend together in the open in 

the lap of nature and away from the din and frenzy of the world 

of work. Likewise, occasional holiday trips to new destinations 

will strengthen family bonds while sharing memorable experiences 

that can be cherished over a life time. 

Home is probably the only ‘place we are treated the best 

and yet grumble the most.’ Let us instead, on this Day dedicated 

to families, rejoice being part of a caring family and do 

all we can to nurture the natural bonds of love. 

Quotes : 

� The family is the nucleus of civilisation. — Ariel and Will 

Durant 

� The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the 

home. — Confucius 

� Families are like fudge... mostly sweet with a few nuts. 

— Anon 

Muscat Singers’ Spring 

Concert on June 1 

THE Muscat Singers 

will perform their 

Spring Concert on June 

1, 2012, at 4 pm. They will be 

performing with the Muscat 

BrassWorks at the new Bosch 

Centre for the Performing 

Arts in Al Athaiba. 

The exciting and emotional 

programme has been carefully 

chosen by The Muscat 

Singers Director Gwen Willson. 

It includes a wide range 

of American music to honour 

the homeland of Dr and Mrs 

Bosch who have been great 

patrons of the arts and culture 

in Oman and after whom the 

new theatre has been named. 

With compositions by Irving 

Berlin, Aaron Copland and 

Eric Whitacre, the concert 

will touch upon the most eclectic 

elements of American 

choral traditions. 

Concert-goers will be 

treated to classic songs from 

the USA such as Shenandoah, 

The Promise of Living, In The 

Mood and Count Your Blessings. 

In addition, the beautiful 

choral standard, Gloria 

by John Rutter, will be highlighted 

along with music from 

Muscat BrassWorks, a local 

nine-part brass ensemble. 

The Bosch Centre for the 

Performing Arts is a stateof-the-art 

concert theatre that 

seats 520 and has just been 

completed on the campus of 

The American International 

School in Muscat (TAISM). 

The Centre is welcoming 

music-lovers to an inaugural 

concert series this June and 

The Muscat Singers are proud 

and excited to have the opportunity 

to perform in such an 

advanced acoustical setting 

for instrumental and choral 

concerts. 

Tickets are expected to 

be in high demand due to the 

opening of the new theatre, 

and will not be sold on the 

door. 

Tickets can be bought in 

advance at the TAISM main 

office or directly by SMSing 

9557 4887. Ticket prices are: 

Adults RO 3, Students and 

Seniors RO 2. 

The Muscat Singers is 

Oman’s long-standing expatriate 

community choir. They 

were established in 1990 and 

have been entertaining audiences 

in Oman with regular 

concerts ever since. They 

regularly hold a festive winter 

concert in December and a 

spring concert just before the 

summer break. 

Newcomers will be able 

to join the choir in September 

at the start of the next season. 

Visit muscatsingers.org for 

more information.

PEOPLE’S 

PLATFORM 

IT is learnt that the Muscat Municipality 

is considering to remove 

all the street vendors from 

the municipal area. I fully support 

the initiative provided they are rehabilitated 

properly, because it is 

their livelihood. Street vendors are 

an integral part of urban economies 

around the world. As distributors of 

affordable goods, these people provide 

consumers with convenient and 

accessible retail options and form a 

vital part of the social and economic 

life of a city. 

Street vendors face unique kinds 

of livelihood risks because of the 

legal, physical and socio-cultural 

environment in which they work. 

The most pressing and ongoing 

risk for many street vendors is the 

possibility that local government 

authorities will forcibly remove 

them from the streets or confiscate 

their merchandise. They are also 

exposed to a high concentration 

of air pollutants and to inclement 

weather. 

— Abdullah 

Editor: The Municipality is right 

in considering to remove the street 

vendors in order to beautify the 

city. However certain important 

points should be considered very 

seriously in this respect. These poor 

vendors are doing this in order to 

support their families. Most of them 

may be jobless and can’t find a job. 

As done in other countries around 

the world the authorities concerned 

should find alternative place for 

these people to do business or 

make arrangements to provide mobile 

vending facilities for them so 

that they are looked after and lead 

a decent life. Help them to lead a 

decent life instead of banning them 

from doing something for their livelihood. 

Stretching before strength 

training does not prevent injuries 

DO I N G 

stretching 

exercises 

before strength 

training does not 

prevent injuries, 

according to 

Ingo Froboese, a 

professor at the 

Health Centre 

of the German 

Sport University 

in Cologne. 

"On the contrary, 

there may 

even be negative 

effects," he 

warned. 

"A long 

stretching programme 

before 

a workout can 

lower performance." A stretching programme is especially 

counterproductive before exercises aimed at training for 

explosive strength, such as weightlifting, Froboese said. 

"Before strength training, you should do very brief 

and dynamic stretching at most," he advised. "You should 

prepare the muscles that you plan to train because this increases 

blood flow and the muscles brace themselves mechanically 

for the exertion." Stretching after a workout is 

not a good idea either since the sometimes extremely high 

muscular strain during strength training can cause microinjuries. 

"These micro-injuries can be aggravated by an intensive 

stretching programme. So especially after strength 

training — no stretching," Froboese advised. — dpa 

How to react when someone 

has an epileptic seizure 

PEOPLE present when someone is having an epileptic 

seizure should by no means try to restrain the person or 

put a bite block into the person’s mouth, warned Bernhard 

Steinhoff, a member of the advisory council of the German 

Neurology Society (DGN). Otherwise injuries could occur 

to either the epileptic, the would-be helpers or both, he 

said. 

Instead, bystanders should clear away potentially dangerous 

objects, he advised. They could also cushion or 

surround the person to protect him or her from injuries. 

Emergency medications should be given, if need be, only 

by experienced family members who have been trained 

how to do so. 

Those witnessing a seizure should remain until the person 

has recovered. They should make sure the person’s airways 

are unobstructed and remove any dentures once the 

seizure has subsided. 

According to the DGN, it is also a good idea to make a 

note of the duration and symptoms of the seizure in order 

to inform a doctor afterwards. 

If the epileptic, after a single seizure causing no visible 

injuries, refuses to be taken to hospital, this wish should be 

respected. However, bystanders should definitely summon 

an emergency physician if the seizure lasts longer than five 

minutes, several seizures occur in succession, or the person 

remains groggy for longer than 20 or 30 minutes after the 

seizure. — dpa 

Fencing at border crossing 

in Buraimi 

ON a recent visit to Buraimi, I 

was surprised to see the barbed 

wire topped fencing that had been 

27 

LETTERS/HEALTH TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 

Remove street vendors, but provide another place 

put up at the border crossing with 

the UAE. 

In the past there were no border 

crossings for entry into the UAE 

from Oman. I understand the need 

for checking access for non-GCC 

travellers, travelling between Oman 

and the UAE, but it also inconveniences 

GCC nationals. 

As a GCC citizen, I’m all for 

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

improvement? Observer is giving you an opportunity to rant or rave about anything and 

everything around you: Please write to: 

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

Unlocking the dark secrets of Alzheimer’s disease 

EXPERTS believe that 

mental exercise and 

learning a foreign language 

or how to play a musical 

instrument can lower the 

risk of developing Alzheimer’s 

disease, a form of progressive 

dementia that usually occurs 

in old age. 

“Solving sudoku or crossword 

puzzles for 20 years 

won’t help, though. It has 

to be real mental exertion,” 

TREATING eyes with gentle 

infrared light can help 

prevent damage caused by 

subsequent exposure to bright 

light, says a study. 

A breakthrough by The Vision 

Centre at the Australian 

National University can protect 

the vision of people exposed 

to bright sunlight or artificial 

lights, namely construction 

workers, sportspeople, fishermen, 

farmers, welders, actors, 

entertainers and others. 

Krisztina Valter and doctoral 

researcher Rizalyn Albarracin 

at The Vision Centre have 

shown that pre-treatment with 

near infrared light (NIR) prevents 

a build-up of scar tissue 

in the retina causing subsequent 

remarked Andre Fischer, a 

professor at the Goettingen 

University Medical Centre 

and spokesman of the German 

Centre for Neurodegenerative 

Diseases (DZNE). 

According to Fischer, the 

long-term goal of the DZNE’s 

research at its Goettingen centre 

is “to understand the cellular 

and molecular mechanisms 

underlying brain diseases 

and to develop neuroprotec- 

harm to sight, the journal Photochemistry 

and Photobiology 

reported. 

“There’s a group of cells that 

look after our vision and work 

behind the scenes called Muller 

cells,” said Albarracin. “They 

act to protect the retina by clearing 

toxins and inducing healing 

whenever there is injury to the 

vision cells.” 

“However, their protection 

is a double-edge sword for the 

eyes. When the retina comes 

under extreme stress, as when 

it is exposed to intensely bright 

light and loses a large number 

of vision cells, the Muller cells 

can over-react by multiplying 

and forming scar tissue behind 

the retina,” she said. 

tive and neuroregenerative 

therapeutic approaches. To 

understand the pathogenesis 

of Alzheimer’s disease and to 

identify effective therapeutic 

strategies is a major focus.” 

He added there was now “accumulating 

evidence that on 

an individual level, health or 

disease critically depends on 

the interaction between genes 

and environment.” This interaction, 

which is the subject of 

Infrared light stops eye damage caused by bright lights 

DON’T allow your children 

to be glued to TV if you 

want them to eat healthy. 

Television viewing time is 

associated with lower odds of 

consuming fruit or vegetables 

daily, says a new study. 

Young people ate too little 

of whole fruit, whole grain, 

legumes and dark green or 

orange vegetables, while taking 

excess of fat, sodium and 

added sugar that can increase 

the risk of obesity and chronic 

disease throughout a lifetime, 

according to a national survey. 

Leah M Lipsky and Ronald 

J Iannotti from the Eunice 

Kennedy Shriver National Institute 

of Child Health and Human 

Development, Bethesda, 

surveyed the link with TV with 

the new field of epigenetics, 

was the topic of this year’s 

Berlin Colloquium of the 

Daimler and Benz Foundation, 

held earlier this month 

in the German capital. Fischer 

was one of the speakers. 

“For it long time it wasn’t 

exactly known how the 

brain loses its plasticity,” 

said Fischer, referring to the 

brain’s ability to reorganise 

neural pathways based on new 

experiences. “Today we think 

that epigenetic processes are 

the cause.” When a person is 

young, his or her brain stores 

an abundance of stimuli without 

any problems. “Chromatin, 

which is kind of DNA’s 

backbone, opens up and learning 

occurs,” he said, referring 

to the dense, compact fibre 

made up of DNA and proteins. 

In old age, however, 

this no longer functions properly. 

The trouble-spots in the 

learning process are molecular 

“switches” lying not in the genetic 

material itself but in its 

three-dimensional packaging, 

the chromatin. 

Watching TV linked to unhealthy eating 

eating behaviours in US adolescents. 

They included a nationally 

representative group of 12,642 

students in the fifth through 

10th grades with a mean (average) 

age of 13.4 years, the journal 

Archives of Paediatrics & 

Adolescent Medicine reports. 

“Television viewing time 

was associated with lower odds 

of consuming fruit or vegetables 

daily and higher odds of 

consuming candy and sugarsweetened 

soda daily, skipping 

breakfast at least one day per 

week and eating at a fast food 

restaurant at least one day per 

week in models adjusted for 

computer use, physical activity, 

age, sex, race/ethnicity and 

family influence.” 

closer ties in all spheres by all of the 

GCC member states, as the grouping 

adds more weight to measures 

taken for the benefit of its member 

citizens. However, special access 

points for GCC nationals at these 

types of border crossings will help 

to alleviate discomfort for them, 

especially in the case of the border 

crossing between Buraimi and 

Al Ain, where nationals from both 

countries frequently have to cross 

the border, whether for business, social 

or commercial transactions. 

— Ahmed Sabil 

Editor: At the airports of GCC 

countries there is normally a queue 

line reserved for GCC nationals — 

which is a similar to specially reserved 

queues in other countries — 

perhaps this type of system could be 

used at border crossings as well. 

Staying fit during summer 

AS the mercury continues to rise 

and the hot summer weather 

slows down the pace of life, instead 

of languishing at home beneath the 

air-conditioner, there are activities 

that can help you stay fit and slim 

even at this time of the year. 

Those who love to go for a stimulating 

jog or brisk walk can do so 

during the early hours of the day, 

when the sun is still rising, or in the 

evening, when the sun sets. At these 

times, weather conditions tend to 

be more favourable for this type of 

activity. 

And then, of course, there are 

a whole range of water sports and 

activities that allow you to enjoy a 

cooling dip in a shaded pool or along 

the beach — if swimming along the 

beach or if the pool is not shaded, 

then use of proper sun protection 

creams is a must. 

Working out in the air-conditioned 

environment of a local gym is 

a very good way of staying in shape. 

All of the equipment required to exercise 

different parts of the body and 

for aerobic workouts can be found 

here and there is always someone 

around who can guide you on the 

best way to use the equipment. 

For those who prefer to workout 

in the comfort of their own homes 

then there are many different exercises 

one can perform — such as 

press-ups, sit-ups etc — that do not 

require equipment. A short 15-20 

minutes workout can do wonders for 

your circulation and muscle-tone. 

Remember it’s about keeping a holistic 

approach so that one is physically, 

mentally and spiritually fit. 

— S Shahida 

Editor: One can never over-rate 

the many benefits of positively applied 

physical exercises. 

Some like it hot 

WHILE many of us, at this 

time of the year, moan about 

the oppressive heat, there are those 

who actually enjoy the hot weather. 

It just goes to show that ‘one man’s 

meat is another man’s poison’. 

This is the same in many different 

areas of life as well. There are 

those who love cold snowy weather, 

others who are happy when it rains 

and for sailors a good breeze is always 

welcome. 

In this way we can see that there 

is no one perfect climate that suits 

everyone, but, as is the case in other 

areas as well, there are a variety of 

them that suit different individuals. 

So while it may be too hot for 

some of us, it’s just fine for others. 

Editor: Viva la differences 

HEALTH BRIEFS 

Smoking and high cholesterol 

spell double trouble 

SMOKING and high 

cholesterol levels 

are the prime risk 

factors for heart disease, 

together accounting for 

two-thirds of elevated 

risk, according to 

the German Society 

for the Treatment of 

Lipid Disorders and 

Associated Diseases 

(DGFF). 

The nicotine in cigarette 

smoke narrows 

arteries and allows deposits 

of cholesterol 

— a waxy substance 

found in the fats (lipids) 

of the blood — as well 

as other substances, impeding 

blood flow and increasing the risk of a heart attack 

or stroke. High lipoprotein levels — in other words, too 

much low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad" cholesterol) 

and triglycerides (a type of fat) — can also lead to dangerous 

arterial deposits. 

Smokers with high cholesterol levels are therefore doing 

double damage to their blood vessels, the DGFF warned. 

Quitting smoking, it said, immediately improves blood lipid 

levels and lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases. 

The risk of a heart attack begins to drop after just 24 hours 

of not smoking, and falls by half after a year, according to 

the DGFF. 

For adults without additional risk factors such as diabetes, 

high blood pressure or excess fat around the waist, 

the following cholesterol levels are considered normal: 

total cholesterol of less than 200 ml'dl, LDL of less than 

160 mg'dl, high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol) 

of at least 40 mg'dl and triglycerides of less than 

150 mg'dl. 

Children with suspected food 

allergies need testing 

PARENTS ought not simply stop serving their child 

foods that they suspect the child is allergic to, according 

to Ulrich Wahn, an allergist with Healthy Start — Young 

Families' Network, an organisation set up by Germany's 

Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer 

Protection. 

"Children shouldn't be put on a diet before having a 

proper allergy diagnosis, otherwise they're at risk of malnutrition," 

he said. 

Wahn advises parents who feel their child has a food 

allergy to have the child examined by a specialist. After 

various blood and skin tests, the doctor can test whether 

symptoms improve when the suspected food is avoided. If 

symptoms return after provocation (challenge) testing — 

in which the person is exposed to the suspected allergen 

under controlled circumstances — a food allergy diagnosis 

has been confirmed, and the doctor and parents can draw 

up a balanced anti-allergy diet together. 

"In this way children receive all of the important nutrients 

they need for healthy growth despite their avoidance 

of allergy-causing foods," Wahn said.

Sonam to walk Cannes red carpet 

BOLLYWOOD actress Sonam Kapoor will walk the 

red carpet at the 65th edition of the Cannes International 

Film Festival, which is starting tomorrow. 

Sonam, brand ambassador of L’Oreal Paris, will represent 

the cosmetic giant at the fest for the second consecutive 

year, reports a statement. 

“The Cannes film festival is the oldest and most prestigious 

film festival where the best in cinema gets showcased. 

I am excited to be at the closing ceremony where the best 

films will get awarded,” said Sonam. 

The brand will complete 15 years as the official makeup 

partner for the fest this year and to celebrate the occasion, 

the 26-year-old will walk the red carpet at the closing 

ceremony on May 27. 

She would be joined by approximately 35 other representatives 

of L’Oreal Paris including Aishwarya Rai 

Bachchan, Freida Pinto, Eva Longoria, Jane Fonda and 

Bianca Balti. 

28 

ENTERTAINMENT TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 

Isabeli Fontana to wed one 

of Bob Marley’s sons S 

BRAZILIAN supermodel Isabeli Fontana 

told Veja magazine that she planned to 

marry Rohan Marley, son of legendary 

reggae singer Bob Marley, in Ethiopia, the 

birthplace of the Rastafarian movement. 

“Rohan told me we have to return to the 

roots so the marriage will last forever,” the 28year-old 

model, who will be marrying for the 

third time, said. 

Fontana said the couple had not set a wedding 

date, but the Brazilian press speculated that 

the two could tie the knot this year at a ceremony 

for family and a few close friends. 

The model has two children from her first 

two marriages, while Marley has two children 

from his first marriage to Geraldine Khawly and 

five others with singer Lauryn Hill. 

Marley separated from Hill last year after it 

came out that she was expecting a child from an 

affair with another man. He met Fontana a short 

time later. Marley and Fontana “see each other 

very little” because she continues living in Sao 

Paulo and he lives in New York, Veja said. 

The model’s mother, Maribel Fontana, told 

the magazine she was a bit concerned about the 

wedding plans. 

Beth Ditto impressed 

by Adele’s voice 

SINGER Beth Ditto has praised Adele’s 

(pictured) soulful voice and said she was 

impressed with her beauty and talent. 

“I love Adele so much and it’s honestly 

not because we’re both big. I love that she’s 

a singer and that she just so happens to be 

beautiful. It gives me chills to think about it,” 

contactmusic.com quoted Ditto as saying. 

Ditto said her childhood idols included 

pop star Madonna and actress Priscilla Presley. 

“I love the way Priscilla Presley looked. I 

thought she was incredible. And Madonna’s 

mole — I thought it was fascinating that you 

could just draw on a mole,” she said. 

Aguilera fined 

for coming late 

inger Christina 

Aguilera has 

reportedly been fined for 

being late on the sets of 

NBC’s music reality show 

— The Voice. 

“Christina is consistently 

about two hours late. 

For season three, this has 

got to stop,” showbizspy. 

com quoted a source as 

saying. 

“Whatever her fine is 

now doesn’t bother her. 

She has so much money 

she probably doesn’t notice. 

Higher-ups on the 

show want to raise it to a 

number that does bother 

her so she actually arrives 

on time. 

“Adam Levine, Cee 

Lo Green and Blake Shelton 

can’t stand how late 

she is. They know she’s a 

girl and she takes longer 

to get ready, but this is 

ridiculous. And when she 

gets to the set she still 

has to go through hair 

and make-up,” the source 

added. 

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 

Indie films show Cannes 

the other Bollywood 

A 

TRIO of “indie Hindi” films are bringing a new Indian 

cinema to the Cannes Film Festival, where Bollywood 

stars like to spice up the red carpet but their movies 

seldom create a serious buzz. 

Dealing with corruption and coal mafias, impotency and the 

porn industry, the films in this year’s line-up are part of a burgeoning, 

alternative Bollywood that departs from commercial 

song-and-dance hits so popular at home. 

“Indian cinema is coming of age. We are ready to interact 

with film-makers from across the world,” said Anurag 

Kashyap, who has a hand in two of the productions showing 

at Cannes. 

Kashyap directed the longest-running entry in the festival, 

“Gangs of Wasseypur”, a five-hour and 20-minute film 

he describes as “a Bollywood-influenced gangster epic, part 

Western, part documentary.” 

With a folk-meets-dubstep soundtrack and a basis in true 

stories, the film follows three generations of coal and scraptrade 

mafia gangs in a suburb in east India who are obsessed 

with traditional Hindi cinema. 

“These people grow up wanting to be gangsters, they don’t 

go to school or colleges, they watch Bollywood,” he said. 

“Everyone has a false sense of film screen heroism that they 

follow.” 

Over coffee and roll-up cigarettes at his Mumbai apartment, 

Kashyap confessed he was “like a zombie” after rushing 

to finish the two-part film in time for the Directors’ Fortnight 

sidebar section of the Cannes festival. 

“But it’s been fun making this film and the good thing is the 

fun is translating to other parts of the world,” he said. 

He is also excited about the experimental Peddlers, backed 

by his Anurag Kashyap Films production house, which is 

running in the other main sidebar section at Cannes, Critics’ 

Week. 

Directed by newcomer Vasan Bala and financed through appeals 

on Facebook, the Mumbai-based movie “takes on subject 

matters which are normal and everywhere but still considered 

taboo in cinema,” Kashyap said. 

“Like a man dealing with his own impotency, and how it 

brings out the violence in him, and quite fearlessly the camera 

just lingers on, watches these lives, almost like a voyeur.” 

After blazing a trail for two decades in the industry, Kashyap 

is a reluctant producer. He sees himself as a director at heart 

and says he only set up his production house so he could make 

his own kind of films. 

“That company has become a monster of its own. It’s a good 

monster,” he laughed. The group aims to “find these new voices 

and independent film-makers and be their support system.” 

Kashyap believes the role of social networking will grow 

in funding future indie productions by appealing to Indian 

cinephiles who want something other than the typical actionpacked, 

romantic, comedy musical. — AFP 

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

S - Oman Daily Observer

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

Delete template?

Save as template?