RO 20 billion foreign trade - Oman Observer

World News 

P23 Selling gold to help bailout 

OMAN 

NZ governor 

general due 

INDIA 

P7 US, Philippine Marines stage live-ire drill P15 Putin unveils major space programme 

P31 Funky chairs star in Milan design week 

DR IBRAHIM BIN AHMED AL KINDI Chief Executive Officer 

FAHMI BIN KHALID AL HARTHY Editor-in-Chief 

Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising 

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

Saturday APRIL 13, 2013 | JUMADA AL THANIA 2, 1434 AH 

Vol. 32 No. 150 | 200 baisas | 32 pages www.omanobserver.om facebook.com/omanobserver twitter.com/omanobserver editor@omanobserver.om AppStore 

SIR Jerry Mateparae, Governor 

General of New Zealand, will today 

begin a three-day oficial visit to the 

Sultanate during which he will meet 

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. He will 

be welcomed upon arrival by His 

Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood 

al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for 

the Council of Ministers, ministers 

and senior government oficials. 

The guest will be accompanied by 

his wife Jeanine Mateparae and a 

high-ranking delegation. 

India, Germany 

to ‘shape future’ 

INDIA and Germany have agreed to 

deepen their strategic partnership 

and “shape the future”, focusing 

on closer trade and investment, 

partnering in high technology and 

co-operating in multilateral fora. 

“Both governments will back a 

further intensiication of Indo- 

German business co-operation. 

Both sides would encourage cooperation 

in the ield of rare earths 

on mutually beneicial terms,” said 

a joint statement released at the 

end of the inter-governmental 

consultations co-chaired by Prime 

Minister Manmohan Singh and 

Chancellor Angela Merkel. 

KOREA 

FULL STORY ON PAGE 11 

Any new missile 

launch mistake 

US Secretary of State John Kerry 

yesterday warned North Korea 

it would be a “huge mistake” to 

launch a medium-range missile 

and said the United States would 

never accept the reclusive country 

as a nuclear power. Addressing 

reporters after talks with South 

Korea’s president and leaders of 

the 28,000-strong US military 

contingent in the country, Kerry 

also said it was up to China, North 

Korea’s sole major ally, to “put some 

teeth” in efforts to press Pyongyang 

to abandon its nuclear ambitions. 

FULL STORY ON PAGE 14 

PRAYER TIMING (Muscat) 

Fajr Dhuhr Asr Magrib Isha 

04:30 am 12:12pm 03:40pm 06:32pm 07:45pm 

WEATHER 

Muscat Nizwa Sohar Sur Duqm Salalah 

Max 34 36 32 35 35 31 

Min 24 21 24 28 22 24 

EXCHANGE RATES 

RO1 €1.98563 / $2.59791 

GOLD 

Price $1,500.87 

RO 20 billion 

foreign trade 

MUSCAT — The Sultanate's foreign 

trade has shown an increase of 10.7 

per cent by the end of December 

2012, compared to that during the 

same period in 2011. 

The statistics show that the total 

value of commodity exports stood at 

RO 20.047 billion as at the end of December 

2012, against RO 18.106 billion 

during the corresponding period 

in 2011. 

This is attributed to a rise of 8.9 

per cent in oil and gas exports, which 

amounted to RO 13.966 billion at the 

end of December 2012, compared to 

RO 12.826 billion during the corresponding 

period in 2011. 

The non-oil exports rose by 18.5 

per cent by the end of December 

2012 to stand at RO 3.594 billion 

compared to RO 3.033 billion during 

the corresponding period in 2011. 

Re-export trade also rose by 10.6 

per cent to stand at RO 2.486 bil- 

lion, compared to RO 2.247 billion in 

2011. 

India topped the list of countries 

importing Omani non-oil products 

as it imported goods worth RO 611.6 

million at the end of December 2012, 

followed by the United Arab Emirates 

(UAE) with RO 550.3 million and 

Saudi Arabia RO 329.7 million. 

The UAE topped the list of countries 

importing Omani re-exported 

commodities as it imported by the 

end of December 2012, RO 988.7 million 

worth goods, followed by China 

with RO 436.1 million and Saudi RO 

179.7 million. 

The import of commodities also 

recorded an increase of 19 per cent 

to hit RO 10.811 billion by the end 

of December 2012, compared to RO 

9.081 billion during the corresponding 

period in 2011. The UAE also 

topped the list of countries exporting 

goods to the Sultanate. — ONA 

Market value rose by 15.9pc 

MUSCAT — The Muscat Securities 

Market (MSM) 30 index closed at the 

end of the irst quarter of this year at 

5,989.68 points, registering a rise of 

5.27 per cent, compared to 5,690.07 

points during the same period in 


The quarterly statistical bulletin, 

released by MSM, pointed out that 

the market value stood at RO 12.19 

billion at the end of March 2013, 

compared to RO 10.52 billion during 

the same period in 2012, constituting 

a rise of 15.92 per cent. 

The value of securities traded 

stood at RO 515.94 million, compared 

to RO 268.53 million during the irst 

quarter of 2012, constituting a rise of 

Drowning of children more common in summer 

92.13 per cent. Around 2.182 billion 

of securities were traded during the 

irst three months of 2013, compared 

to 901.26 million during the same period 

in 2012, showing a rise of 142.17 

per cent. 

The inancial sector was the most 

active during the irst quarter of 2013 

with 1.501 billion shares being traded 

(68.79 per cent) out of the total 

number of securities traded, whereas 

the value of the inancial sector's 

shares stood at RO 288.38 million. 

The MSM quarterly statistical bulletin 

pointed out that the industry 

sector stood second with 321.21 million 

shares being traded on the market 

(RO 99.11 million). 

The services sector came third 

with 247.78 million shares (RO 

116.03 million). 

Regarding foreign investment in 

the MSM, the stake of non-Omani investors 

in capital of the joint stock 

companies stood at 27.66 per cent. 

The bulletin added that the value 

of shares bought by non-Omani investors 

during the irst quarter reached 

RO 116.49 million, comprising 22.58 

per cent. The value of shares sold by 

non-Omani investors during the same 

period reached RO 106.58 million, 

comprising 20.66 per cent. The net 

non-Omani institutional investment 

stood at RO 12.61 million during the 

irst quarter. — ONA 

Massa sets ‘incredible’ 

pace in Shanghai 

P25 

The Royal Oman Police has said that drowning of children is more common in the summer months due to the 

fact that many people practise more water sports and visit beaches more often in the summer. The sea is often 

affected by weather conditions, with a drastic variation in the level of waves, said the ROP in a cautionary note 

to swimmers. (Picture supplied by ROP rescue team) 

Water shortage in Seeb tackled 

Fresh supply to be released in the early hours today 

The PAEW workers linking the direct supply line with a parallel distribution line to help increase water pressure. 

By Kabeer Yousuf 

MUSCAT — The Public Authority for Electricity and 

Water (PAEW) has been taking extensive efforts 

to resolve the water shortage problem caused by 

a high rate of consumption in the Wilayat of Seeb. 

The PAEW linked the direct supply line with a parallel 

distribution line to help increase water pressure 

in areas where citizens staying in the second 

and third loor suffered a shortage. 

Sultanate eyes 

investments 

MUSCAT — The GCC Supply Chain 

and Logistics Conference will kickoff 

on Monday at Al Bustan Palace 

Hotel under the theme "Oman's 

Strategic Role as GCC Gateway and 

Indian Ocean Rim Hub". 

The opening ceremony will be 

held under the auspices of Sayyid 

Badr bin Hamad al Busaidy, Secretary-General 

of the Foreign Ministry. 

The conference will discuss various 

issues and opportunities. 

Oman Establishment for Press, 

Publication and Advertising 

(OEPPA), represented by the Communications 

and Special Projects 

Department, is supporting it as a 

Strategic Partner. See page 19 

The PAEW said that the alternative water link is 

being monitored and that fresh supply is expected 

to be released in the early hours of today. In the 

meantime, the authority has requested consumers 

to understand the situation and rationalise water 

use and avoid using drinking water for irrigation. 

The PAEW also opened a tanker illing station at 

Al Mawaleh area to help ease the pressure on Seeb 

water grid. Residents and commercial houses in 

Seeb, Al Khoud and Mabela areas have been reeling 

under water shortage since one week as the pumping 

pressure of the direct line that carries water to 

these areas went down drastically. 

Those who lived on top loors were the most affected 

as the pressure reduced further. Many buildings 

bore the brunt of the problem. 

The water tankers, making the most of the situation, 

charged the customers several times more 

than what they actually charged during normal 

times. To page 3 

ROP arrests 

drug trader 

MUSCAT — The Royal Oman Police 

(ROP) has arrested a man at Al Hail 

North, Governorate of Muscat, on 

charges of promoting narcotics and 

taking narcotics. 

The suspect was found with 32 

capsules of heroin in his possession, 

in his vehicle and his residence. 

The man was handed over to the 

Public Prosecution Department in 

preparation for trial before the designated 

court. 

The ROP requests citizens and 

residents to offer more co-operation 

in combating drug trading and drug 

addiction. Members of the public are 

asked to report any suspicious activities 

to the ROP’s Hotline Number 

1444 or Emergency Number 9999. 

Recently, the ROP arrested three 

men on charges of cultivating narcotic 

plants of khashkhash, of which 

the suspects planted 65 at their residence 

in the Wilayat of Bahla. Acting 

on a tip-off, the police raided the 

suspects’ home. 

The ROP ambushed a drug traf- 

icker who tried to bring into the 

Sultanate large amount of drugs, 

including 94 capsules of heroin, via 

Muscat International Airport. 

Oficers of the Narcotics and 

Psychotropic Substances Control 

Department apprehended the suspect 

who looked suspicious during 

checking at the Customs Section of 

the airport. (ROP sources) 

Bird lu vaccine 

in ‘many months’ 

SHANGHAI — US public 

health experts said developing 

a vaccine for the 

H7N9 strain of bird lu 

could take "many months", 

as China seeks to control 

an outbreak which had 

killed 11 people. 

Chinese authorities 

have conirmed 43 human 

cases of H7N9 avian in- 

luenza since announcing 

nearly two weeks ago that 

they had found the strain 

in humans for the irst 

time. — Reuters

2 

OMAN 

Children’s 

drowning more 

common during 

summer 

MUSCAT — The Royal Oman Police (ROP) 

has said that the drowning of children is 

more common in the summer months due to 

the fact that many people practise more water 

sports and visit beaches more often in the 

summer. The sea is often affected by weather 

conditions, with a drastic variation in the 

level of waves, said the ROP in a cautionary 

note to swimmers. 

In particular, beach visitors and sea goers 

should not leave their children unattended, 

said the ROP, noting that even children who 

know how to swim should be provided 

with life jackets because the current is often 

too strong in certain locations, particularly 

where international sea currents come closer 

to the shore, said Lt Col Hamoud al Wahaibi 

(pictured). 

The parents have to check out the depth 

of water at sea and they should prevent their 

children from swimming in still water ponds 

or mud water pools, said the ROP, said al 

Wahaibi, Director of Operations at the Coast 

Guards Command. Mud water pools are 

among the most dangerous areas to swim in 

because it is impossible to know the depth of 

water there, said al Wahaibi. 

The Director of Operations also cautioned 

against the dangers of sailing for non-professionals 

who might not be fully preparations 

for surprises like storms and engine breakdowns. 

SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2013 

Inlation index records 2.3pc; 

consumer price index 0.2pc 


MUSCAT — The inlation index in the Sultanate 

has recorded 2.3 per cent in the month of February 

2013 compared to the same period last 

year, according to the National Centre for Statistics 

and Information. 

The recent data and inlation report released 

by the Centre further shows that the rate of 

inlation in January was 0.2 per cent less compared 

with February 2013. 

The report by the NCSI based on the report 

World Economic Outlook Update indicate that 

inlation will reach approximately 6.1 per cent 

during 2013 in the emerging market economies 

and developing countries, and 1.6 per cent in 

developed economies. 

At the same time, the rate of inlation in the 

United States in February 2013 was about 2 per 

cent, and the UK 2.8 per cent, China 3.2 per cent, 

and India 10.9 per cent, while the inlation rate 

fell in Japan by 0.9 per cent during that period. 

The report further details that the report issued 

by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation 

(FAO) to stabilise the average food price 

index in February 2013 compared to levels is in 

January 2013, the prices of dairy increased by 

2.4pc, and oils and fats by 0.4 per cent. 

But sugar prices had a decline by 3 per cent 

and grains by 1 per cent. In contrast, meat prices 

remained generally stable during the period. 

At the regional level the report states that the 

rate of inlation in the Sultanate fell from 2.7 per 

cent in January 2013 to 2.3 per cent in February 

2013, and comparing it with the Gulf Cooperation 

Council — with the exception of Kuwait, 

the Sultanate ranked third after Saudi Arabia 

and the Qatar, which reached their inlation rate 

by 3.9 pc and 3.2 pc respectively. 

While the rate of inlation in Bahrain reached 

2.3 per cent which is the same rate recorded in 

the Sultanate, the UAE has recorded the lowest 

rate 0.7 pc during the month of February compared 

to the same period of the previous year. 

At the level of change in the indices of consumer 

prices in the GCC countries, the index recorded 

rise in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia by 0.2 

pc each in February 2013 compared to the previous 

month. 

The index also rose in Qatar by 0.1pc. As for 

the Sultanate and the UAE, the index recorded a 

decrease of 0.2 pc each during that period, the 

report issued by the National Centre for Statistics 

and Information further said.


Electricity rationalisation expo held 

MAHOUT — Dr Fuad bin Jaafar al 

Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and 

Fisheries, yesterday inspected an electricity 

rationalisation exhibition organised 

over the past four days by a local 

Blood donation campaign at IMCO 

SOHAR — The International 

Maritime College Oman 

(IMCO) in Sohar in co-ordination 

with Sohar Hospital 

organised a blood donation 

campaign on April 9 at its 

premises near Sohar Industrial 

Port. 

company. 

The exhibition included sections for 

subscribers, meter readers, call centres, 

public health and environment 

sanitation. Booklets on safety against 

A medical team from 

Sohar Hospital Blood Bank 

was sent to administer the 

event. Dr Hilal Al Hadhrami, 

Dean of IMCO, said participating 

in such campaigns 

was considered as a valuable 

healthy humanitarian 

practice. 

The dean has added that 

this campaign comes as 

part of the college’s social 

activities that aim to establish 

the concept of the 

social responsibility shared 

between the college and 

electricity hazards and methods of calculation 

of bills were among the key 

exhibits aimed to raise public awareness 

about the uses of electricity and 

dangers of neglect of maintenance. 

the local community, and 

to reinforce the voluntarily 

work and strengthen communication 

between the 

college and the local community. 

A signiicant number of 

staff and students has participated 

in the campaign 

and considered as one of 

the highest among the private 

colleges and universities 

of the Sultanate as stated 

by the medical team. 

The number of blood 

donors has reached more 

than 80. 

The medical team has 

expressed his deep gratitude 

to the management 

of the college for the good 

facilities and preparations 

of the event. Both the International 

Maritime College 

Oman and Sohar Hospital 

have agreed to organise 

more blood donation campaigns 

in future. 

The Dean thanked the 

medical team of Sohar Hospital 

for administering the 

event. He also thanked the 

donors for giving blood. 

The Dean also optimistically 

wished all IMCO’s upcoming 

events success. 

Customs 

inspection 

course held 

MUSCAT — The 

Directorate General 

of Customs carried 

out a training programme 

on exports 

and border security 

(EXBS), held in 

Muscat from April 8 

to 10. 

The programme 

was aimed at training 

customs workers 

about detecting 

hazardous products 

like explosives and 

drugs and ways to 

prevent the entry 

of these products to 

the Sultanate. 

Water shortage 

in Seeb tackled 

From page 1 

Tankers were seen plying left right and centre fetching 

water from as many places as possible and serving 

the customers across these three areas. 

“We had to pay the tankers RO 10 and 20 instead of 

RO 4 but still they were reluctant to come as others offered 

more than RO 25”, Mazin Musthafa, a resident of Al 

Khoud Commercial Street told the Observer. 

“It was so shameful that we had to pay that high price 

for water being the most necessary thing for human beings”, 

he added quoting the exorbitant rates that the 

tankers charged. 

Residents were seen depending upon the biggest 

water cans available at the supermarkets and vehicles 

loaded with such huge cans were also seen making trips 

from one households to the next, of course selling at 

piece triple times higher than the other times. 

“It is but much relieving to know that the PAEW has 

taken the measures to solve this issue and we are hopeful 

that the problem will be sorted out today”, Ahmed al 

Habsi, a resident of Seeb Wilayat said. 

ROP cautions against mobile 

phone use among drivers 

MUSCAT — The Royal Oman Police (ROP), in a recent 

report, cautioned against the use of mobile phones by 

motorists, saying that speaking on a mobile phone while 

driving is one of the most negative habits that can have 

serious consequences. 

Drivers who use mobile phones lose concentration 

on the road, slow and speed up at no speciic pace, easily 

lose control of their vehicles, fail to leave enough driving 

distance with the vehicles travelling ahead of them, keep 

shifting unknowingly between tracks and fail to react 

properly in risky situations, the ROP said. 

As part of its efforts to raise public awareness about 

issues of safety and security, recently published the latest 

edition of police magazine Al Ain Assahirah (the 

133rd issue) and the 31st edition of the magazine’s supplement, 

Ash’shurti Assagheer (Young Policeman), which 

addresses the young generation. 

The ROP’s public awareness programme last week 

also covered road safety. A Trafic Safety Caravan targeting 

road users was a key component of an open day 

organised by Middle East College for its students. Crew 

of the convoy made presentations, using computer programmes, 

which highlighted the dangers of speeding, 

wrong overtaking and use of mobile phones while driving. 

SULTANATE OF OMAN 

OMAN MEDICAL SPECIALTY BOARD 

Announcement 

Oman Medical Specialty Board in partnership with Prometric Inc. has opened the 

computer based testing center in Muscat, Oman last February 11, 2013. 

The test center, at present, offers the following examination: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OMAN 

Other available examinations are listed in the Prometric website. Candidates who 

desire to register and schedule for an examination should visit 

 

 

 

 

 

3 

OJA to attend international 

journalism conference 

MUSCAT — Oman Journalist Association (OJA) will take 

part in an international conference of press due to be 

held in South Korea from April 13 to 21. 

The Sultanate’s participation in the conference comes 

as part of OJA’s efforts to place Omani journalism in the 

world arena, as well as the Association’s programme of 

developing human resources. 

The conference, in which 80 countries will participate, 

will review international progress in the use of 

technology in the ield of journalism, particularly the 

spread of e-media. 

As part of the event, the Korean Minister of Culture, 

Sports and Tourism will present a paper about the Korean 

experience in journalism, peace in the Korean peninsula 

and the public response to electronic journalism 

(e-media), while Chairman of Korea press institution 

will deliver a lecture about “media exchange in the age 

of globalisation” and the changing role of journalists in 

age of digital media. 

OJA team will visit a number of Korean companies 

like giant industry Samsung, go on a free tour of Korean 

cities and visit the demilitarised zone between the two 

Koreas. The members will also attend entertainment 

programmes and receptions. 

The Royal Oman Police (ROP) arrested a man on 

charges of promoting narcotics. The suspect was 

found with 32 capsules of heroin in his possession, in 

his vehicle and his residence.

4 

THE WORLD 


Italy’s panel urges reform to help break political deadlock 

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano (4th L, irst row) speaks during a meeting with the "wise men" at the Quirinale palace in Rome yesterday. — AFP 

ROME — A panel of "wise men" named by 

Italy's president proposed a package of political 

and economic reforms yesterday, but there 

was little sign they would create a consensus 

programme to unite feuding political parties. 

Italy has been left with a caretaker government 

for 45 days since an inconclusive election 

gave no party enough seats in parliament 

to govern alone, while rivalries among faction 

leaders have made it all but impossible to 

agree a coalition. 

In an effort to bridge the divide, President 

Giorgio Napolitano, whose term ends in May, 

PARIS — The world's biggest 

scheme to certify that seaish 

come from sustainable sources 

has come under ire in a scientiic 

journal, where researchers say 

the label is too generous and may 

"mislead" consumers. 

Writing in the journal Biological 

Conservation, a team of scientists 

say that objections made to 

the Marine Stewardship Council 

(MSC) about its well-known labelling 

scheme fail to get properly 

vetted. 

Out of 19 objections iled to 

the MSC, only one has been upheld 

that has led to a refusal to 

certify a ishery, the study said. It 

also said there had been cases of 

mislabelling. 

Objections include lack of 

knowledge about the long-term 

impact of ishing; accidental catch 

of endangered sharks and turtles; 

and the impact of dredging 

or sealoor trawling on bottomliving 

species. 

"The MSC's principles for sustainable 

ishing are too lenient 

and discretionary, and allow for 

named a 10-man group last month to come 

up with policy proposals that could serve as 

the basis for a broad common platform. 

The panel including a former head of the 

Constitutional court, a member of the Bank of 

Italy's board and senior politicians, proposed 

a range of changes to Italy's system of government. 

They said red tape should be slashed, 

the bloated political system cut back, administration 

simpliied and tax collection made 

more eficient. 

Italy should also do more to help families 

hurt by the current recession and encour- 

‘Sustainable ish’ label comes under ire 

overly generous interpretation by 

third-party certiiers and adjudicators, 

which means that the MSC 

label may be misleading both 

consumers and conservation 

funders," the paper, published 

yesterday, said. 

The MSC was founded in 1997 

as a joint project between the 

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and 

Unilever, the food and household 

project giant, which wanted to 

buy all its ish from sustainable 

sources by 2005. 

Its goal is to reassure consumers 

that the ish come from wellmanaged 

isheries that encourage 

stocks to regenerate. 

The MSC label, whose criteria 

were designed by environmental 

NGOs, academics and commercial 

interests, often carries a price 

premium at the shop counter. 

Fisheries seeking certiication 

pay a fee, ranging between 

$15,000 and $120,000 (11,538 

and 92,300 euros), and must also 

stump up for an audit, which likewise 

is carried out by external assessors. 

Lanka blocks anti-hate 

protest in Colombo 

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka's police yesterday 

broke up a protest by dozens 

of activists denouncing religious extremism 

and hate speech for fuelling 

a wave of attacks against minorities, 

witnesses said. 

Police armed with guns, batons 

and tear gas dispersed the activists 

before they could stage a candle-light 

vigil against the nationalist Bodu 

Bala Sena (BBS, or Buddhist Force), 

in a campaign organised through 

Facebook. 

The protest by "Buddhists Questioning 

Bodu Bala Sena" asked those 

opposed to the BBS to join the protest 

which was brought to an end 

when police stopped them from 

gathering outside the BBS headquarters. 

"This is your vigil against hatred 

and bigotry, which sadly is propagated 

by certain Buddhists monks," the 

protesters said on Facebook. 

"Whilst there are many forms of 

hate inciting groups, hate incited by 

members of the majority is the most 

dangerous." 

The newly-formed monk-led BBS 

has denied involvement in recent attacks 

against minorities and say they 

have been wrongly accused for actions 

of other Buddhist groups. 

The BBS was successful last 

month in forcing monks to withdraw 

the 'halal' certiication of food 

saying it was an affront to non-Muslims 

in the country who form the 

majority. 

Earlier this month, a magistrate 

freed three Buddhists monks and 

14 of their followers who had been 

arrested in connection with the destruction 

of two minority-owned 

businesses. 

Local television footage, some of 

it posted on YouTube, showed a Buddhist 

monk bringing down a CCTV 

camera in front of a cheering mob 

outside a minority-owned store, 

watched by at least four police constables 

late last month. — AFP 

age small and medium-sized business, while 

sticking to iscal austerity targets promised to 

European partners, the panel said. 

It also called for a new electoral law to replace 

the system which helped to produce the 

current stalemate, although it did not come 

up with a inal recommendation for a replacement. 

"The decisions are now up to the political 

forces and it will be up to my successor 

to draw the conclusions," Napolitano said after 

meeting the group in his ofice at Rome's 

Quirinale palace. 

An individual or organisation 

that wants to raise an objection 

also has to pay a fee, capped at 

$7,500 (5,769 euros), but this can 

be waived in the event of inancial 

hardship. 

Responding to the criticism, 

the MSC said its procedure was 

"independent, fair and transparent." 

It attacked the study on the 

grounds of methodology and said 

it also appeared to have a con- 

lict of interest, as some of the 

researchers, or the NGOs that 

employed them, had iled about a 

third of the objections. 

In nine cases where objections 

had been raised, isheries were 

indeed given certiication but had 

had to meet 13 additional conditions, 

the MSC said. 

In addition, the MSC had refused 

certiication to nine other 

applicants, even when no-one 

had lodged an objection, the 

group said. 

In other cases, isheries had 

been required to supply additional 

data about the impact of trawling 

on the ecosystem. — AFP 

Swiss freeze Greek 

ex-minister’s 

assets 

ZURICH — Swiss prosecutors 

have frozen 10 million Swiss francs 

($10.76 million) in assets linked to 

Greek former Defence Minister Akis 

Tsohatzopoulos and are investigating 

whether Swiss-based individuals 

assisted him in laundering money. 

In its annual report, the Swiss 

federal prosecution service said it 

was investigating numerous money 

laundering allegations reported by 

banks after Tsohatzopoulos's arrest, 

adding this showed the Swiss banks 

could be abused to aid corruption. 

"This poses signiicant reputational 

risks not only for the banks 

involved but for Switzerland as a 

whole," the report said. 

A prosecution spokeswoman said 

10 million francs had been frozen in 

connection with the investigation. 

A Greek court sentenced Tsohatzopoulos 

in March to eight years 

in prison for failing to disclose the 

source of lavish wealth that made 

him a symbol of the corruption that 

has plagued the country. 

More kids recruited by armed 

groups in Central Africa: UN 

GENEVA — The UN's children's 

agency yesterday charged that 

armed movements in the Central 

African Republic were recruiting 

more children, including as soldiers, 

in the wake of a successful coup by 

rebels. 

"Unicef has clear evidence of the 

continuing recruitment and use of 

children by armed groups in the 

Central African Republic," the agency 

said in a statement, urging leaders 

on the ground to ight the "grave violation 

of international law." 

Even before the latest insurgency 

began last December, the UN Children's 

Fund (Unicef) said it estimated 

that more than 2,000 boys and 

girls were "associated with armed 

groups". 

Since then, "there has been an 

increase in terms of the geographic 

scope and the magnitude of the 

practice," Unicef spokeswoman 

Marixie Mercado told reporters in 

Geneva, without providing speciic 

estimates. 

The proposals, which have no legal force, 

differed little from a host of recommendations 

made by private economists, think-tanks, industry 

associations and institutions including 

the Bank of Italy, as even some of the "wise 

men" acknowledged. 

Maurizio Mauro, a centrist politician on the 

panel, said he agreed with one assessment 

that the recommendations amounted to "reinventing 

the wheel" but defended the exercise 

nonetheless. 

"This work has highlighted a number of 

points which show that the things we agree 

"The past four months of widespread 

lawlessness and insecurity 

and lack of access by humanitarian 

workers to large parts of the country 

is placing children at greater risk 

than ever," she said, pointing out that 

last month's coup had not improved 

matters. 

The Central African Republic 

was plunged into chaos when the 

Seleka rebel coalition seized power 

on March 24 after a rapid-ire assault 

on the capital Bangui, on the 

grounds that ousted leader Francois 

Bozize had failed to abide by a January 

peace deal. 

Mercado said both boys and girls 

had been recruited by both sides 

in the conlict and were being used, 

among other things, as "spies, porters, 

messengers, cooks in addition 

to ighting on the front lines." 

Mercado said the UN agency had 

urged the new leadership in the Central 

African Republic — currently 

headed by Seleka strongman Michel 

Djotodia — "to immediately release 

on are stronger than the things which divide 

us," he told SkyTG24 television. "Having said 

that the parties now have to get together for 

the good of the country." 

Among the panel's proposals were cutting 

the number of members of parliament, 

reforms to the Senate and changes to party 

inancing. 

Italy's political parties all say they are 

committed to deep reforms that would improve 

the way the country is run and help 

bring it out of a recession that already equals 

the longest in postwar history, with no end in 

sight. 

However, they have proved incapable of resolving 

the stalemate created by the election 

which left parliament split into three main 

blocs and gave no group the majority in both 

houses needed to form a government. 

Yesterday, former prime minister Silvio 

Berlusconi said he would be prepared to accept 

a centre-left candidate as president of 

the Republic but only in exchange for a "grand 

coalition" which would give his centre-right 

bloc a share in power. 

That option has already been ruled out repeatedly 

by centre-left leader Pier Luigi Bersani, 

who won control of the lower house but 

fell short of a majority in the Senate where he 

would need the support of rival parties to win 

a conidence vote. 

Bersani has failed to win the backing of the 

other main force in parliament, the anti-establishment 

5-Star Movement led by ex-comic 

Beppe Grillo, which refuses any deal with the 

mainstream parties. 

He now hopes to form a minority government 

tolerated by enough members of the rival 

parties to pass a limited set of reforms but 

he is under pressure within his own Democratic 

Party to abandon his attempt and go 

back to elections. 

Voting for the next president, due to begin 

on Thursday, is the next hurdle facing parliament 

and will be vital to ending the stalemate. 

Napolitano's mandate is almost complete and 

he no longer has the power to dissolve parliament. 

Numerous names have been loated as 

his successor including former prime ministers 

Romano Prodi and Giuliano Amato plus 

former European Commissioner Emma Bonino, 

but no favourite has emerged. — Reuters 

children associated with armed 

groups, and the new authorities in 

Bangui have indicated their intention 

to identify and release children 

among the ranks of armed groups." 

Since 2007, Unicef has helped 

release and rehabilitate more than 

1,000 children from armed and selfdefence 

groups in the chronically 

unstable and impoverished country, 

it said. 

Meanwhile, the M23 ighters in 

DRC yesterday warned that they 

would retaliate if attacked by a 

peacekeeping brigade that the United 

Nations has recently approved to 

deploy to the country’s restive northeast 

to disarm insurgents. 

“We, as M23, do not have the right 

to attack the UN contingent,” spokesman 

Vianney Kazarama said. “But 

if they attack us, we have the right 

to react, to retaliate... to defend ourselves.” 

— AFP 

Russian teenagers look at submachine guns as they visit the 247th Caucases airborn-assault regiment during 

the Day of Recruits in Stavropol yesterday. — AFP


EUROPE 

Queen at Thatcher's funeral highlights mutual respect 

Sergeant Major Pearse Lally inspects Chelsea Pensioners, who will take part in Margaret Thatcher's funeral, during a uniform inspection at the Royal 

Hospital Chelsea in London yesterday. — Reuters 

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II's attendance 

at Margaret Thatcher's funeral 

on Wednesday, a rare honour, 

sheds light on the largely secret relationship 

between two of the world's 

most famous and powerful women. 

Her presence at the ceremonial funeral 

— organised at the monarch's 

consent — might lay to rest decades 

of rumours that the pair could not get 

along. 

It will be the irst time that the 

Queen, now 86, has attended one of 

her prime ministers' funerals since 

that of Winston Churchill in 1965. 

Between 1979 and 1990, Britain's 

irst female prime minister had an 

audience with Queen Elizabeth every 

Tuesday, week in, week out. 

As with all her premiers, the wideranging 

and frank conversations were 

never recorded and the content never 

publicly discussed. A consummate 

constitutional monarch, Queen Eliza- 

Labour leader shrugs off Blair criticism 

LONDON — Britain's opposition 

leader Ed Miliband yesterday hit 

back at former Labour prime minister 

Tony Blair's criticism that the 

party was heading in the wrong direction. 

Miliband said that he respected 

Blair, who won three general elections 

and led the country for 10 

years, but disagreed with his appraisal, 

saying Labour was "moving 

on and moving forward". 

The party leader was responding 

to an article Blair wrote for the New 

Statesman magazine. 

In his most signiicant intervention 

in domestic politics since stepping 

down as prime minster in 2007, 

Blair dismissed the party's assumption 

that the country had shifted to 

the left in the wake of the inancial 

crash. 

"The Labour Party is back as the 

party opposing 'Tory cuts', highlighting 

the cruel consequences of the 

Conservative policies on welfare and 

representing the disadvantaged and 

vulnerable. 

"They (the Conservative Party) 

are back on the old territory of harsh 

reality, tough decisions, piercing the 

supposed veil of idealistic fantasy 

that prevents the Left from governing 

sensibly." 

Despite their current double-digit 

lead in opinion polls, Blair claimed 

that this was a dangerous situation 

as it could lead people to think of Labour 

as a protest party with no plan 

to curb the public-spending deicit 

and urged Miliband to resist "the 

temptation to go there". 

Miliband later insisted he was 

"leading in my own way and I think 

that's what's most important. 

"I always take Tony Blair very, very 

seriously, but I think what the Labour 

party's doing under my leadership is 

moving on and moving forward," he 

added. — AFP 

BBC in death song ding-dong 

with Thatcher fans 

LONDON — The BBC came under 

pressure on Friday to ban the Wizard 

of Oz song Ding-Dong! The Witch is 

Dead" from its airwaves as it surged 

towards the top of the British charts 

following the death of former prime 

minister Margaret Thatcher. 

Opponents of the "Iron Lady" 

launched an Internet campaign to 

push the song from the much-loved 

ilm The Wizard of Oz to number one 

after the country's irst female premier 

died on Monday of a stroke at the 

age of 87. 

The publicly-funded BBC, the 

world's largest broadcasting organisation, 

has not commented yet on 

whether it will play the song on the 

radio when the weekly chart comes 

out tomorrow — three days before 

Thatcher's high-proile funeral. 

John Whittingdale, a Conservative 

lawmaker who chairs parliament's 

Culture, Media and Sport committee, 

said the song should not be played. 

"This is an attempt to manipulate 

the charts by people trying to make a 

political point," he told the Daily Mail 

newspaper. "Most people ind that of- 

fensive and deeply insensitive, and for 

that reason it would be better if the 

BBC did not play it." 

The Oficial Charts Company said 

the song was at number three on 

Thursday, currently closing the gap on 

the chart leader by 2,000 copies a day 

but still 12,000 behind. Britain's rightwing 

Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph 

newspapers have led moves to have 

the song banned. The Mail called it an 

"insult to Maggie". 

The Daily Telegraph reported that 

new BBC chief Tony Hall, whose predecessor 

resigned last year following 

the scandal over late paedophile television 

host Jimmy Savile, has refused 

to ban the song and told staff further 

down the chain it is an "editorial decision". 

Songs the BBC has previously 

banned include Je T'aime... Moi Non 

Plus by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin 

(1969), God Save the Queen by the 

Pistols (1977) and Relax by Frankie 

Goes to Hollywood (1983). 

Baroness Thatcher has proved as 

polarising in death as she was in life. 

The state is sparing no expense on 

her funeral with Queen Elizabeth II 

set to attend the irst funeral of any 

British prime minister since Winston 

Churchill in 1965, and world leaders 

past and present on the 2,000-strong 

guest list. 

But opponents of Thatcher, whom 

they accuse of destroying the British 

industry and society with her freemarket 

economic policies, staged rowdy 

parties on the night of her death, 

while many Labour lawmakers boycotted 

a parliamentary tribute to her 

on Wednesday. 

Her oficial biographer Charles 

Moore, whose authorised account of 

her life will be published immediately 

after the funeral, accused the BBC itself 

of trying to promote the song. 

Conservatives have long said the 

BBC has a left-wing bias, which the 

corporation denies. 

"Basically the BBC's trying to get 

this Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead' up 

to the top of the charts by going on and 

on and on about whether it should be 

banned, and all this nonsense," Moore, 

a former editor of The Daily Telegraph, 

said in a BBC television debate. — AFP 

beth's political views are simply not 

known. 

For her part, Thatcher stuck with 

convention and gave little away on 

their 11 years of exchanges in her autobiography, 

The Downing Street Years 

(1993). 

"All audiences with the Queen take 

place in strict conidence," she wrote. 

"Anyone who imagines that they 

are a mere formality or conined to 

social niceties is quite wrong; they are 

quietly businesslike and Her Majesty 

brings to bear a formidable grasp of 

current issues and breadth of experience." 

Maybe straightfoward and respectful 

encapsulates their relationship 

better than cosy friendship, with each 

one perhaps somewhat in thrall to the 

other. 

Thatcher, a staunch monarchist 

with an amusingly low curtsey, was 

hugely in awe of Queen Elizabeth — 

who in turn, experts say, respected her 

fellow female igurehead for having 

made it to the top on merit in a maledominated 

environment. 

In 1986, The Sunday Times newspaper 

printed a Buckingham Palace 

leak saying the Queen was dismayed 

by the social impact of Thatcher's economic 

policies, found her "uncaring" 

and disagreed with her lying in the 

face of Commonwealth sanctions on 

South Africa. 

The leak sparked a furore and was 

denounced as misreported exaggeration. 

However, it was ultimately attributed 

to a close source — her press 

secretary, who had left sometime afterwards. 

"Although the press could not resist 

the temptation to suggest disputes between 

the palace and Downing Street, 

especially on Commonwealth affairs, I 

always found the Queen's attitude towards 

the work of government absolutely 

correct," Thatcher wrote. 

"Of course, under the circumstances, 

stories of clashes between 'two 

powerful women' were just too good 

not to make up." 

Six months apart in age, the pair 

went through World War II and the 

social and economic changes of the 

following decades at the same stages 

in their lives. 

Thatcher remains her longest-serving 

British prime minister. 

"I think they got on much better 

than the media would like us to be- 

5 

lieve. The only thing that they wouldn't 

necessarily have totally agreed on was 

the Commonwealth," well-connected 

royal biographer Hugo Vickers said. 

"The Queen would have had enormous 

respect for Thatcher as a woman 

who had made her way through life 

by merit. 

"I know for a fact that the Queen 

was very upset by the way Thatcher 

was disposed of by the Conservative 

Party. She thought it was a dreadful 

thing to happen," he said of her rapid 

ousting by colleagues in 1990. 

"She immediately gave her the Order 

of Merit and later the Order of the 

Garter," two rare and high honours. 

"Those are indications that the 

Queen liked her because those two orders 

are in her personal gift." 

The sovereign rarely attends personal 

prime ministerial celebrations 

but went to Thatcher's 80th birthday 

party in 2005. 

In ofice, Thatcher was defensive of 

the Queen's sovereignty and outside 

power, remained defensive of her as a 

person. 

When Argentina invaded Britain's 

Falkland Islands in 1982, the "Iron 

Lady" successfully sent a task force to 

recover them. 

"What was the alternative? That 

a common or garden dictator should 

rule over the Queen's subjects and 

prevail by fraud and violence? Not 

while I was prime minister," she said. 

And when US president Ronald 

Reagan sent troops into Grenada to restore 

democracy in 1983, she gave her 

closest ally a monumental ear-bashing 

for invading the Queen's territory 

without the Queen's permission. 

Vickers said Thatcher's now-deceased 

husband Denis told him in 

1997 that his wife was "absolutely 

horriied by the way the Queen was 

treated by the media" after the recent 

death of Diana, princess of Wales, "because 

she was such a kind and caring 

woman". 

"Denis said: 'Margaret and I are 

just ordinary middle-class people and 

we've got huge respect for her'. That 

was the attitude they took." — AFP 

Merkel, Cameron to bring families 

together in castle outside Berlin 

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela 

Merkel will host David Cameron 

and his wife and children at a castle 

outside Berlin at the weekend in a 

rare family get-together that she may 

hope will create the right mood to 

heal a growing rift between Britain 

and Europe. 

Cameron, who warned this week 

that British support for the EU was 

“wafer thin”, will spend the weekend 

with Merkel and her husband Joachim 

Sauer at Schloss Meseburg northwest 

of Berlin accompanied by his wife Samantha 

and their three children. 

Spokesman Steffen Seibert was 

unable to recall any previous time 

that Merkel has hosted a leader’s children. 

She and Sauer have no children 

of their own and are both serious sci- 

entists who like listening to Wagner 

operas and hiking. 

“Don’t worry, it will be an interesting 

experience for all those present,” 

Seibert said. “You need have no concerns 

about the plans. Adults and 

children alike will have a lovely time.” 

Merkel, 58, tends to keep her personal 

life private, rarely appearing 

with Sauer in public, though they 

were photographed in bathing suits 

on an Easter break in Italy and papers 

ran shots of her playing with her 

nieces and nephews. 

Asked why Merkel had turned the 

talks into a family gathering, Seibert 

said she and her husband had got to 

know the Camerons when they stayed 

at the British prime minister’s oficial 

country residence, Chequers, in 2011. 

The gathering “demonstrates how 

tight our friendship and partnership 

with Britain is”, said Seibert. 

The Camerons will arrive yesterday 

and Merkel and Cameron will 

hold wide-ranging talks early on Saturday 

that will naturally include Europe, 

he said. 

Cameron’s desire to roll back European 

Union powers and his plans 

for a referendum on Britain staying 

in the bloc if he wins a new term in 

2015 were “no surprise” to Berlin, 

said Seibert. 

Cameron said in an interview for 

several European media this week 

there was little support in Britain 

for an EU bureaucracy that he said 

“sometimes overreached itself” and 

needed reform. — AFP 

Cynthia Crawford (C), personal aid to late British former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, leaves Thatcher's 

home in London yesterday. — AFP

6 

REGION 

The fountation stone of the new Palestinian Museum in the Bir Zeit district of the West Bank city of Ramallah seen 

yesterday. Palestinians have started the irst phase of construction of a museum devoted to their history. — AFP 

Palestinian voter registration a success 

RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories 

— The Palestinian elections commission 

yesterday released the results of 

what it termed a successful drive to 

register more voters in the West Bank 

and Gaza Strip. 

"The commission is ready to carry 

out elections if the order is issued by 

the presidency for a date to be set," 

Central Elections Commission chief 

Hanna Nasser told president Mahmud 

Abbas, according to a statement. 

It was unclear, however, when a 

vote could take place. 

The results showed a marked increase 

in voters on the electoral register, 

which had not been updated since 

2006 legislative elections. 

Iraq bombs 

kill 12 

BAQUBA, Iraq — Bombs in Baghdad 

and north of the capital killed 12 

people yesterday, oficials said, the 

latest in an uptick in violence ahead 

of provincial elections next week. 

In the deadliest single blast, a 

roadside bomb struck in the town 

of Kanaan in Diyala province, a police 

colonel and a doctor said. 

Overall, 12 people were killed 

and 30 others wounded, the sources 

said. 

Another bomb explosion killed at 

least seven people and wounded 25 

in Diyala province, police and medics 

said. 

Iraq is to hold provincial elections 

on April 20, its irst polls since 


Attacks on candidates have left 

at least a dozen election hopefuls 

dead, according to a tally. That, and 

the fact that only 12 of Iraq's 18 

provinces will vote due to a government 

postponement, has drawn the 

credibility of the polls into question. 

— Agencies 

In February, election oficials extended 

by two days the process of updating 

the electoral rolls in Gaza and 

the West Bank to allow more people 

to register. 

Voter registration was delayed for 

years due to a long-running dispute 

between the Hamas rulers of Gaza 

and its Fatah rival which dominates 

the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. 

It is a key part of preparations for 

legislative and presidential elections 

called for under the terms of a reconciliation 

deal signed in 2011 but 

which has never been implemented. 

Fatah welcomed the CEC's announcement 

it had completed voter 

registration as an important step towards 

"ending division" between it 

and Hamas, spokesman Ahmed Assaf 

said. 

Fatah central committee member 

Azzam al Ahmed said "in theory 

Abbas can now begin consulting political 

forces to agree on a date for 

elections." 

The total number of voters registered 

now stands at 1,861,211, CEC 

igures showed, representing 82.1 

per cent of the electorate. 

That percentage stood at 69.1 at 

the last count. 

Of the total number of voters, 

1,090,575 are based in the West Bank 

and 770,636 in the Gaza Strip. 

Turkey passes reforms 

in anti-terror law 

ANKARA — Turkey's parliament 

passed a reform of its anti-terrorism 

laws late on Thursday, narrowing the 

deinition of terrorist propaganda in 

line with EU demands that it boost 

freedom of expression. 

The changes coincide with 

progress in efforts by the government 

and Kurdish ighters to negotiate 

an end to a 28-year insurgency, 

but the justice minister rejected the 

idea that the new laws would facilitate 

the release of prisoners linked to 

the groups. 

Turkey has used the legislation 

widely to prosecute thousands of 

politicians, activists and journalists, 

frequently for things they have said 

or written. 

"The adoption by parliament of 

the long-awaited legislation on antiterror, 

which will align the Turkish 

law with European standards, is 

overall a very positive development," 

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan 

Fule said in a statement. 

"I expect it will address a number 

of issues on fundamental rights that 

were a source of concern over the 

past years in Turkey," he said, although 

he noted some omissions. 

According to the new law only 

direct incitement to violence will 

constitute a crime, and justice ministry 

oficials said it was in line with 

European Court of Human Rights criteria. 

Turkey is holding thousands of 

defendants accused of links to the 

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) — 

deemed a terrorist group by both the 

EU and United States. 

Justice Minister Sadullah Ergin 

said those defendants were being 

tried for membership of a terrorist 

organisation, rather than spreading 

propaganda. 

Ankara has held several months 

of peace talks with jailed PKK leader 

Abdullah Ocalan on ending a conlict 

in which more than 40,000 people 

have been killed and his ighters last 

month declared a ceaseire in line 

with his demands. — Reuters 

Iraqi elections oficials prepare a polling station in Baghdad yesterday. Security forces will cast their ballots 

for Iraq's provincial elections today, one week before the rest of Iraqis head to the polls on April 20. — AFP 


West sees a question mark 

over its Syria strategy 

PARIS — The West is loundering 

over its stand over Syrian unrest after 

a leading opposition group pledged 

allegiance to Al Qaeda, opposition 

oficials and experts say as Syrian 

troops clashed with opposition forces 

in the eastern border city of Qamishli 

yesterday. 

The move by the Al-Nusra Front 

earlier has complicated efforts by US 

and European oficials to come up 

with uniied strategy to back the opposition 

groups against the government 

of President Bashar al Assad. 

After pushing for weeks to lift a 

European embargo so arms could 

be supplied to the activists, France 

and Britain have recently backed 

away from the initiative amid fears 

weapons could fall into the wrong 

hands. 

Speaking to reporters, French foreign 

ministry spokesman Philippe 

Lalliot said given the announcement 

by Nusra, it was logical to look at how 

to deal with the Syrian group in the 

framework of the "ight against terrorism". 

"One option is to act at the UN Security 

Council ... through the Al Qaeda 

1267 sanctions committee ," he said. 

"It is one solution that we are studying 

and discussing informally with 

our UN Security Council partners and 

European allies," he said. 

He said talks were still at a very 

early stage. Potential sanctions could 

include assets being frozen and travel 

bans. 

Meeting in London this week, G8 

foreign ministers said they were "appalled" 

by the violence in Syria but 

made no mention of supplying arms 

to the rebels. 

The rebels' diplomatic representative 

in Paris, Monzer Makhous, said 

he was increasingly sceptical of the 

West backing up its promises of support 

for Syria's opposition with real 

action. 

"There will never be any guarantees 

of where the arms will end up. 

And there will never be a total lifting 

of the European embargo," he said. 

The Al Nusra Front has become a 

key spearhead in the opposition campaign 

in Syria, attracting many ighters, 

including foreigners, to join its 

ranks. 

Western diplomats have complained 

that the opposition coalition 

is divided and disorganised, making 

it dificult to provide support. 

"We want to know who we are 

dealing with," French Foreign Minister 

Laurent Fabius recently complained 

of the frequently shifting 

leadership. 

She said it was unlikely a political 

solution to the conlict would be possible 

this year and that the stalemate 

between the rebels and Assad's forces 

would continue. 

Rebels battled Syrian troops in the 

eastern border city of Qamishli yesterday, 

a monitoring group opposed 

to the president said, ending a de facto 

truce in the area. 

Austrian peacekeepers on daily watch 

GOLAN HEIGHTS — Austrian UN 

peacekeepers, fearing their safety, 

will assess on a daily basis if they can 

stay to monitor a truce between Israel 

and Syria, Austria's foreign minister 

said yesterday. 

Israel is anxious for the peacekeepers 

to remain. 

"We have decided, as Austrians, 

to stay as long as we can, this is our 

mandate... (but) we have to decide 

every day if it's possible," Foreign 

Minister Michael Spindelegger said. 

"We will do so as long as is possible," 

he said after visiting Austria's 

UN contingent on the Golan Heights, 

where he was briefed about the situation. 

In the past three months, Japan 

and Croatia have both said they were 

withdrawing their troops from the 

United Nations Disengagement Observer 

Force (UNDOF). 

Austrians account for around 

380 of the 1,000-strong mission and 

should Vienna quit the operation, it 

was unclear if any other nation would 

be ready to step into the breach. 

Last month, Syrian rebels held 21 

Filipino peacekeepers for three days, 

prompting the force to scale back on 

patrols. 

Two Austrian peacekeepers were 

wounded in November when their 

convoy came under ire near Damascus 

airport. 

Israeli military sources have said 

they fear UNDOF will not hold up 

under the insurgency in the Golan, a 

strategic plateau Israel captured from 

Syria in the 1967 Middle East War 

and not recognised internationally. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin 

Netanyahu met Spindelegger on 

Thursday and outlined the Jewish 

state's concerns over the disintegration 

of power in Syria. 

The Israel-Syria frontier was quiet 

for decades but recent battles between 

Assad government forces and 

rebels have raged in villages on the 

Syrian foothills of the Golan, with 

mortar shells and gunire straying 

into Israeli-occupied land. — Reuters 

Yemenis shout slogans in support of the recent pro-military decisions by Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu 

Mansour Hadi, during Friday prayers at a weekly rally on Siteen Road in Sanaa. Hadi removed the commander 

of the elite Republican Guard from the military on Wednesday, state television reported, in an apparent move 

to unify the divided armed forces under his own control. — Reuters 

Egypt's Mursi plans to visit Russia 

CAIRO — Egyptian President 

Mohamed Mursi will visit Russia next 

week, a state-run newspaper reported 

yesterday, in a visit market sources expect 

to focus on the country's energy, 

wheat import and inancing needs. 

Mursi will meet President Vladimir 

Putin for talks that would explore 

"ways to strengthen co-operation between 

the two countries in all ields", 

Al Gomhuria reported, citing an anonymous 

source. 

The Syria crisis would be high on 

his agenda, it said. The presidency 

could not immediately be reached for 

comment. 

Egypt is grappling with an economic 

crisis caused by more than two years 

of political instability. The country's 

foreign currency reserves are at critically 

low levels and the government is 

struggling with an unaffordable deicit. 

Shortages of imported fuel are disrupting 

transport and causing power 

cuts in the country of 84 million. The 

situation is expected to worsen as 

summer approaches and Egyptians 

switch on their air conditioning. 

The world's biggest importer of 

wheat, Egypt has cut back on international 

purchases this year in the hope 

of a bumper local harvest. 

In another development, Mursi and 

the military have reportedly closed 

ranks to deny claims that soldiers 

had killed and tortured protesters, 

following leaks of an inquiry report 

implicating oficers. 

Defence Minister Abdel Fattah al- 

Sissi, who is also army chief, denied in 

a statement aired yesterday that the 

military had committed abuses, after 

talks on Thursday night with Mursi, 

who had named the fact-inding inquiry 

last year. 

"I swear, by God, the armed forces 

did not kill nor order killings; it did 

not act treacherously, nor did it order 

treachery," Sissi, standing next to Mursi, 

said in a televised statement. 

Mursi in turn praised the armed 

forces for "protecting Egypt when it 

started its march on January 25," referring 

to the 2011 uprising and ushered 

in interim military rule. 

Egypt's press and Britain's Guard- 

ian newspaper have published leaks 

purportedly from the report by the 

fact-inding panel, named shortly after 

Mursi took ofice last June, implicating 

the military in killings, torture and disappearances. 

According to a report in The Guardian, 

the inquiry found that army oficers 

ordered doctors to treat wounded 

demonstrators without anaesthesia 

after they clashed with soldiers during 

protests against military rule in 2012. 

The inquiry also reportedly documented 

cases of soldiers committing 

killings and torture during the 18-day 

uprising which overthrew Mubarak in 

early 2011, after he had deployed the 

military to try to quash the unrest. 

Several sources on European commodities 

and energy markets told 

Reuters the Egyptians may discuss inancing 

needs and oil and wheat supplies 

during their visit to Russia. 

"Talk is that an Egyptian delegation 

to Russia has both oil and gas as a 

focus," said one European trader. "Imports 

by Egypt with delayed payment 

seem to be on the wish-list."


US, Philippine Marines stage live-fire manoeuvres 

US MV-22 Ospreys are seen during a drill as part of the Balikatan 2013 combined US-Philippines military 

exercise at the Crow Valley, Tarlac province, north of Manila yesterday. — Reuters 

Indonesian 

murders 

family, sleeps 

among bodies 

JAKARTA — An Indonesian 

man slit the throats 

of his wife and three children 

then slept alongside 

their lifeless bodies before 

turning himself in, police 


Hasan Fadli, 41, went 

on the bloody rampage 

on the Indonesian part of 

Borneo island after getting 

into a row with his 

wife about whether the 

family could afford to pay 

for their son's circumcision. 

He used a spear-like 

device designed to harvest 

fruit from oil palms to kill 

his wife, 31, and children 

— a 12-year-old boy, a 

four-year-old girl and a 

two-year-old boy, police 

said. "He slept in the same 

bed as the bodies," said local 

police spokesman Hadi 

Pambudi. In the morning, 

he "reported his crime to 

the security guard of the 

palm oil company where 

he worked", said the 

spokesman. He was living 

with his family in a housing 

compound run by the 

company. 

Fadli is in police custody 

and is yet to be 

charged, said Pambudi. He 

could face the death penalty, 

said the spokesman. 

Fadli claimed that 

he heard voices before 

launching the attack on 

Monday, police said, adding 

that doctors are assessing 

the state of his 

mental health. — AFP 

Japan races to read new Murakami novel 

TOKYO — Japanese salarymen interrupted 

their morning commute to 

buy Haruki Murakami's new novel 

yesterday, as papers and broadcasters 

raced to give the irst review of one of 

the most awaited books of the year. 

Stores opened early in Tokyo, with 

special stands stacked high with the 

hardback books, as businessmen, 

housewives and students rushed to 

get a copy. 

The new novel, Shikisai wo Motanai 

Tazaki Tsukuru to Kare no Junrei 

no Toshi (Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki 

and His Years of Pilgrimage)", was 

unveiled to a dedicated band of followers 

at midnight. 

More than 100 excited Harukists 

locked to Tokyo's Daikanyama T-Site 

bookstore, which lung open its doors 

at exactly 12 am. 

Sanseido bookstore temporarily 

became "Murakami Haruki-do 

(store)", installing a new name board 

to mark the release of the eagerly 

awaited novel. 

Fans were told virtually nothing 

about the book ahead of the release, 

adding to the mystique of an author 

Japan government gets 

new anti-lu powers 

TOKYO — Japan's government yesterday 

gave itself new powers aimed 

at curbing the outbreak of infectious 

diseases, as the country nervously 

watches the spread of deadly H7N9 

bird lu in China. 

Under a new law, if the virus mutates 

and becomes transmissible 

between humans, the government 

would set up an emergency headquarters, 

strengthen quarantine activities 

at airports, and vaccinate doctors 

and government oficials. 

Local oficials will also have the 

power to order the cancellation of 

events at which large numbers of 

people are expected to gather and to 

shutter schools. 

If the government foresees a rapid 

increase in the rate of infection, the 

prime minister will also be empowered 

to declare a state of emergency, 

with the option to vaccinate the entire 

population. 

Health Minister Norihisa Tamura 

told reporters: "We have drafted a 

law that would have the government 

who delights in setting riddles for 

characters and readers alike. 

A skim reading of the work by a 

journalist reveals it is the story of a 

young man struggling with an ordeal 

in his past, who uses the support offered 

by a romance to get back on his 

feet. 

The mass-circulation Yomiuri 

Shimbun managed a short article on 

the 370-page book in its later yesterday 

editions. Breakfast television programmes 

showed journalists who had 

been at their desks all night reading. 

"It's gripping," said one NHK reporter, 

adding he was mid-way through. The 

Asahi Shimbun posted what it called a 

"super-quick" review on its website 

at 7:46 am. 

"This is a story about a man who 

tries to get back into his life again," 

the review said. 

"You see the strength of a person 

who tries to overcome the feelings 

of loss and loneliness that he had 

amassed deep inside of himself," the 

Asahi said. 

The book's cover — featuring 

American artist Morris Louis's Pillar 

take effective measures in places 

where lots of people gather." 

The plans come as the death toll 

from H7N9 bird lu in China reached 

10 out of 38 human cases with another 

victim in Shanghai on Thursday. 

Beijing announced on March 31 

that it had found the strain in people 

for the irst time. 

The virus is believed to spread to 

humans from birds, triggering the 

mass culling of poultry in several 

Chinese cities. Experts fear the prospect 

of such viruses mutating into a 

form easily transmissible between 

humans has the potential to trigger a 

pandemic. 

The World Health Organisation 

(WHO) said earlier this week that 

there was as yet no evidence of human-to-human 

transmission. 

The World Organisation for Animal 

Health (OIE) said H7N9 bird lu 

posed an "exceptional situation", explaining 

that the virus, while dangerous 

to humans, was hard to detect in 

the avian host. — AFP 

of Fire" — was also the subject of hot 

debate on the micro-blog Twitter. 

Ryosuke Kawai, 26, who was one 

of the irst to get his copy at the midnight 

event said he had been caught 

off guard by the cover of the book, a 

painting involving colourful stripes. 

"The title says 'colorless'. What 

does this illustration mean? I cannot 

wait to read it," he said excitedly. 

Some observers had speculated 

the title may be a deliberate echo of 

a collection of piano pieces called 

"Years of Pilgrimage" by Hungarian 

composer Franz Liszt. 

Twitter users praised the author 

for the excitement he had been able 

to engender with the book, in a nation 

of people hooked on smartphones 

and videogames. 

But there was also something of 

a backlash against the secrecy, dismissed 

as little more than a marketing 

ploy for an author whose works 

often explore alienation among characters 

with speciic quirks. One Twitter 

user complained that even without 

reading the book he knew what it 

would be about. — AFP 

CAPAS, Philippines — US and Filipino 

marines staged armoured assault 

manoeuvres yesterday as part 

of annual military exercises the Philippines 

has deemed vital in building 

its capacity to defend itself. 

This year's edition is taking part 

amid a tense territorial dispute between 

the Philippines and China in 

the South China Sea, as well as bellicose 

anti-US rhetoric by North Korea. 

More than 8,000 soldiers from 

both countries, 30 military aircraft 

including a dozen US F/A-18 Hornets 

and three naval vessels are taking 

part in 12 days of military exercises 

that end on Wednesday. 

The exercise, part of annual 

large-scale war games, highlighted 

how two allied armed forces 

with unequal military capability 

can work together to defeat a 

common enemy, said First 

Lieutenant Garth Langley, a US participant. 

"They didn't have their own vehicles, 

but we put them inside our 

vehicles and showed them what we 

can do with inter-operability," Langley 

said, speaking of their Filipino 

Marine counterparts. 

ASIA 

About 60 US and Filipino Marines 

aboard four US AAV-7 amphibious 

assault vehicles ploughed through 

the volcanic ash of Crow Valley, a 

gunnery range laid waste by the 

1991 eruption of nearby Mount 

Pinatubo. 

The marines ired live rounds 

from the armoured vehicles' mounted 

machine guns, after which their 

occupants got off and used their 

automatic riles to hit designated 

targets, said Langley, a 25-year-old 

from California. 

Afterwards, a US F/A-18 Hornet 

ighter jet screamed atop the Crow 

Valley canyons in a related military 

exercise being conducted from the 

nearby Clark air ield. 

At a time of rising regional tensions, 

the Philippines has sought 

closer diplomatic and military ties 

with the United States, its former 

colonial ruler. 

The two countries share a 61year-old 

mutual defence pact, which 

requires the US to come to the 

aid of the Philippines if it is attacked. 

Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert 

del Rosario said at the opening 

of the manoeuvres last week that 

7 

the war games are an important 

contribution to building his country's 

capacity to defend its territorial 

integrity. 

However First Lieutenant Langley 

said yesterday's live-ire exercise 

was not conducted with a speciic 

enemy force in mind. 

"We're focused on what we're doing. 

It doesn't matter what's going 

on in the world," he added. 

Balikatan means “shoulder-toshoulder,” 

and characterises the 

spirit of this bilateral Philippines-US 

exercise. 

Exercise Balikatan 2013 (BK13), 

takes place from April 5-17, in various 

locations throughout the Philippines. 

Combined staff exercises and 

ield training will take place at Camp 

O’Donnell and Crow Valley in Tarlac, 

Subic Bay, and Fort Magsaysay in 

Nueva Ecija. 

Also a part of this year’s exercise, 

members of the Philippines and US 

armed forces will undertake joint 

humanitarian assistance projects in 

communities throughout Zambales 

province, and a multinational maritime 

tabletop exercise will in Camp 

Aguinaldo. — AFP 

Suspected explosives found 

on Taiwan train: police 

TAIPEI — More than 600 passengers 

were evacuated from a highspeed 

train bound for Taiwan's capital 

Taipei yesterday after suspected 

explosives and triggering devices 

were found on board, police said. 

"We think they are explosives as 

they contain liquid that smells like 

gasoline and some triggering devices, 

but further testing is required 

to identify the substance," a police 

spokesman said. 

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp said 

it alerted police after two unattended 

suitcases with a "strong odour" 

were spotted in a bathroom in train 

616 bound for the capital. 

It evacuated the passengers when 

the train arrived at Taoyuan station 

near Taipei, and police removed the 

bags for investigation. 

In another development, a bomb 

squad and emergency services were 

called in when two suitcases appar- 

ently containing gasoline were found 

in lawmaker Lu Chia-chen's ofice in 

New Taipei city, his assistant told reporters. 

Police were not immediately 

available for comment on whether 

the two cases were linked. 

The train passengers were later 

put on another train to continue 

their journeys. 

Oficers searched the train for evidence 

and the platform for Taipeibound 

trains was temporarily closed 

during the removal of the suitcases, 

the company said. 

It said it had not received any 

threats prior to the incident and 

added that it was the irst time an 

evacuation was carried out over unidentiied 

objects found on one of its 

trains. 

The Taipei-based news radio BCC 

quoted sources saying police were 

screening passenger lists and sur- 

veillance camera footage for possible 

suspects. 

"The high speed train I rode today 

stopped in Taoyuan for a long 

time and I thought it was a mechanical 

failure but later heard that 

there were gasoline bombs on the 

train," passenger and lawmaker Lu 

Shiow-yen wrote on her Facebook 

page. 

In 2004, "rice bomber" Yang Juman 

was arrested for planting 17 

bombs to raise awareness of the 

plight of the island's agricultural 

sector after Taiwan's entry into the 

World Trade Organisation. 

Yang planted small explosives 

— some made from old-fashioned 

gunpowder with a handful of rice 

thrown on top — in parks, telephone 

booths, commuter trains and 

public restrooms in Taipei. Only two 

bombs actually went off and no one 

was injured. — AFP 

Myanmar Rohingya detained Ministers concerned at Fiji developments 

MAKASSAR Indonesia's navy detained 82 asylum seekers including scores 

of Rohingya from Myanmar when their boat ran aground as they headed to 

Australia, an immigration oficial said yesterday. 

The 51 Rohingya, 24 Iranians and seven Somalis had been heading from 

Sulawesi island, in the east of the country, to East Nusa Tenggara, one of the 

closest Indonesian provinces to Australia, he said. 

An increasing number of Rohingya, described by the UN as one of the 

world's most persecuted minorities, have been arriving in Indonesia as they 

lee violence which erupted in their home state of Rakhine last year. 

"They were heading to Australia, as usual," immigration oficial Muhammad 

Bakri said. The boat left from southwest Sulawesi but their boat ran 

aground nearby and they were picked up by a naval patrol, he said. 

The migrants, including several children, were taken to the nearby city 

of Makassar where they were being registered and questioned by immigration 

oficials. Bakri said the Rohingya would be kept apart from other asylum 

seekers following an outbreak of violence at an immigration detention centre 

last week in which Rohingya killed eight Buddhists from Myanmar. — AFP 

SUVA — Ministers from the Paciic Islands Forum (PIF) 

expressed concern about the Fiji military regime's recent 

actions yesterday and stressed elections scheduled to be 

held next year must be free and fair. 

A ministerial contact group led by New Zealand Foreign 

Minister Murray McCully visited the Paciic nation 

for the irst time since May last year to assess progress towards 

holding the irst popular vote since a coup in 2006. 

The group said much work had been done but noted 

the regime of military leader Voreqe Bainimarama had 

failed to stick to an agreed "roadmap" to democracy. 

"Ministers expressed concerns about departures from 

Fiji's previously announced roadmap process and emphasised 

the need for a constitution-building process that 

enjoyed the support of the people of Fiji and the respect 

of the international community," they said in a statement. 

The PIF suspended Fiji in 2009 after Bainimarama 

failed to honour a vow to hold elections. 

Last month, he scrapped plans to hold an assembly to 

review a proposed new constitution, saying he wanted 

opinions directly from the people since opposition parties 

could not be trusted. It followed his ditching in January 

of a draft constitution prepared by an academic panel 

in favour of a version prepared by the regime. 

The original draft, never oficially released, was believed 

to have called for the military, a key player in the 

four coups the Paciic nation has endured since 1987, to 

stay out of politics after the 2014 elections. 

In February the government issued a decree imposing 

restrictions on political parties and 14 of the 17 opposition 

parties were deregistered. 

McCully said the PIF ministers held "very professional 

constructive discussions" with members of Bainimarama's 

government. — AFP 

Farmers shake unhusked rice during a harvest in an agriculture area in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta 

yesterday. Indonesia will scrap import quantity limits on horticultural products, the trade ministry said, as it 

looks to head off a World Trade Organisation trade spat with the United States. — Reuters

8 

It was the irst time a claim from 

a US intelligence body that North 

Korea is near to having nuclear 

missiles has been made public, 

writes Mark Hosenball 

Nuclear worries 

AN excerpt from a Pentagon report that set off worries about a North 

Korean nuclear missile appears to be a tentative assessment of 

Pyongyang's atomic weapons capabilities that was not intended to be 

released to the public. 

The evaluation from the Pentagon's Defence Intelligence Agency, or DIA, 

concluded that North Korea likely has a nuclear bomb that can be launched 

on a missile, although US defence and intelligence oficials later cast serious 

doubt on whether the hermitical nation can in fact ire a nuclear missile. 

It was the irst time a claim from a US intelligence body that Pyongyang is 

near to having nuclear missiles has been made public, adding to the tensions 

on the Korean peninsula where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has frequently 

threatened war in recent weeks. 

A little-known US lawmaker, Representative Doug Lamborn, set off alarm 

bells when he read a small section of a DIA report on North Korea at a hearing 

in the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee last Thursday. 

The passage said the DIA had "moderate conidence" that North Korea has 

nuclear weapons that are capable of delivery by ballistic missiles. But the report, 

entitled "Dynamic Threat Assessment 8099: North Korea Nuclear Weapons 

Programme (March 2013)," seems not to be a high-level document. 

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the 

same congressional hearing he had not read the assessment. "Well, I haven't 

seen it," Dempsey said. "And you said it's not publicly released, so I choose not 

to comment on it," he told Lamborn. 

The passage on possible nuclear missiles became public because it was erroneously 

marked as unclassiied, a US oficial said. 

Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado, acknowledged on CNN that he had 

only read a small portion of the report. "I have not read the entire seven-page 

report, I'm in the process of getting my hands on that," he said. 

James Clapper, the country's senior intelligence oficial, warned that the assessment 

was not necessarily shared by the wider US intelligence community. 

"I would add that the statement read by the Member is not an Intelligence 

Community assessment. Moreover, North Korea has not yet demonstrated the 

full range of capabilities necessary for a nuclear armed missile," Clapper, the 

director of national intelligence, said in a statement. 

The DIA gathers information about the capacity and strategic intentions of 

foreign militaries. It was criticised after the start of the Iraq war in 2003 for 

being too bullish in predicting that Baghdad might have weapons of mass destruction. 

Pyongyang has deployed as many as ive medium-range missiles on 

its east coast, according to assessments by Washington and Seoul, possibly in 

readiness for a test launch that would demonstrate its ability to hit US bases 

on Guam. Those missiles are not believed to be nuclear-armed. 

The DIA report said any North Korean nuclear missile would probably be 

unreliable. Greg Thielmann, a former State Department intelligence analyst 

now with the Arms Control Association, said that while he did not have access 

to the classiied material apparently cited in Congress, what was said publicly 

about DIA's assessment sounded quite tentative. 

"It really says to me that this is a speculative statement," Thielmann said. 

"Moderate (conidence) is higher than low conidence but it doesn't say they 

know very much." 

It was not clear if the report was part of the US military's thinking as it announced 

new anti-missile defences in Alaska and Guam in recent weeks in the 

face of threats of war from North Korea. 

"It didn't come across like the director of the intelligence community saying 

'Here's what we think.' This was more sort of a document that one of the 

congressmen pulled out of the bag," said Hans Kristensen, a nuclear weapons 

analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. 

AFTER a week of sometimes 

bizarre scrutiny of candidates 

for Pakistan's election, fears 

are growing that the process has 

failed to weed out the bribe-takers 

and tax-dodgers it was meant to target 

during elections. 

Pakistanis go to the polls on May 

11 in a general election that should 

see power pass from a civilian government 

that has served a full term 

to another through the ballot box 

for the irst time in the country's 

history. There has been furious debate 

about the process of vetting 

candidates for the national assembly, 

after returning oficers grilled 

them on prayers and rituals and 

even hit them with bafling general 

knowledge questions. 

The independent Human Rights 

Commission of Pakistan has warned 

that the scrutiny process had turned 

into a "witchhunt aimed at harassing 

and humiliating candidates" and 

was undermining democracy. 

Two clauses of the Pakistani constitution 

requiring lawmakers to be 

knowledgeable about religion and 

follow injunctions lie behind the 

questioning. They were introduced 

by Zia-ul Haq in the 1980s but lay 

largely ignored until cleric Tahir-ul 

ANALYSIS 

Qadri recently launched an anticorruption 

campaign, leading tens 

of thousands of protesters into the 

streets demanding rigorous scrutiny 

of politicians. 

Qadri's message struck a chord 

in a country plagued by corruption, 

where politicians are notoriously 

venal and few MPs pay tax. 

Sarwar Bari of the Free and Fair 

Guns black market thrives 

BESPECTACLED and clean 

shaven, 37-year-old Jomari 

Paraas could pass for a typical 

ofice employee in the Philippines, 

except he has six guns in 

his backpack that he will soon 

sell in the market. 

The father-of-two is a proliic 

player in the country's enormous 

and lucrative weapons black 

market, which has been under 

scrutiny following a spate of highproile 

massacres and shoot-outs 

this year. 

"Why do I trade guns? Because 

there is a demand for it. And 

it's extra income," said Paraas, 

a former communist guerrilla 

whose day job as a community 

organiser for a non-government 

organisation is not enough to pay 

his bills. 

Speaking in a crowded Manila 

slum where he was planning 

to sell the six guns, Paraas said 

he had been a irearms trader 

for more than a decade, starting 

in his late 20s when he quit the 

movement. 

Paraas is a made up name 

for security reasons, but his real 

identity has been vetted by a 

Filipino expert on security issues 

who advises local law enforcement 

oficials on the gun trade. 

Paraas started selling used 

guns and knock-offs of foreign 

brands made by illegal gunsmiths 

in the central and southern Philippines, 

before moving to more 

expensive weapons smuggled 

Election Network (FAFEN), an independent 

group which monitors elections 

in Pakistan, said the returning 

oficers, who have rejected 1,209 

out of 8,059 national assembly nominations, 

had missed the key issue. 

"In my view corrupt politicians 

have been given clearance and that 

is very sad. It has damaged people's 

trust in the whole process," he said. 

from abroad. 

The American-made .22 calibre 

Magnum Black Widow revolvers 

in his bag were ordered 

by a buyer through a shadowy 

network of small-time gun runners 

who take advantage of the 

city's urban squalor to peddle 

their deadly wares. 

Their clients range from security-conscious 

house wives to 

slum dwellers and members of 

"private armies" employed by political 

warlords. 

"They are light and easy to 

move, and in demand from many 

people because they primarily 

use it for self-defence," Paraas 

said of the revolvers, which he 

sells for 5,000 pesos ($120) each. 

"Higher calibre guns and automatic 

riles can also be bought, at 

a higher price." 

The proliferation of irearms 

in the Philippines has been in the 

spotlight since January, following 

a series of shooting-related 

deaths, including of two children 

hit by stray bullets on New Year's 

Eve. 

A drugs-crazed gunman also 

killed seven people in a slum 

rampage, and a shoot-out linked 

to a gambling turf war left 13 

dead, among them corrupt police 

and military oficers. 

The Philippines has a strong 

gun culture dating back centuries, 

with a history of armed struggle 

against Spanish and US colonial 

rulers. 

Today, people typically carry 

guns because they lack coni- 

dence in the country's security 

forces to protect the public, according 

to security analysts and 

irearms traders. 

There were 1.2 million registered 

irearms in the Philippines 

last year, with another 600,000 

unlicensed irearms in circulation, 

according to national police 

data. Getting a license to own a 

conventional gun is easy, subject 

to police clearance and security 

checks that include psychological 

tests, and irearms shops sit 

alongside clothes outlets in malls. 

But getting one without a police 

clearance can be even easier. 

Security analyst Ed Quitoriano, 

who regularly advises foreign 

embassies on threat issues, said 

there could be as many as four 

million unlicensed guns across 

the country. The gun culture can 

be unsettling, particularly for foreign 

visitors. 

Private security guards with 

loaded, sawn-off shotguns infest 

the crime-plagued cities, protecting 

small and large private businesses. 

Trafic wardens deputised by 

the police but with little security 

training stand at intersections 

with revolvers hanging off their 

hips. 

Restaurants, nightclubs and 

banks often have signs asking 

patrons to leave their irearms at 

entrance counters. 

Foreigners are warned by 

long-time expatriates to avoid any 

incident that could escalate into 

violence, because of the potential 

Proliferation 

of irearms 

has been in 

the spotlight 

since January, 

following 

a series of 

shooting 

deaths, says 

Jason Gutierrez 

for a gun to be used on them. 

This month an Australian man 

was shot in the head from point 

blank range at a beach resort he 

managed, with police suspecting 

an aggrieved former staff member 

may have ordered the murder. 

President Benigno Aquino 

launched a high-proile campaign 

at the start of the year to get unlicensed 

guns off the streets. 

But government data shows 

this has so far netted fewer that 

2,200 irearms, highlighting what 

Quitoriano said was the government's 

lack of resolve and capabilities 

to tackle the issue. 

Quitoriano said many powerful 

igures, including soldiers, police 

and politicians, proited from 

the irearms trade, part of a huge 

corruption problem that plagues 

all sectors of society. 

"Many of the unlicensed guns 

that leak into the grey market 

actually come from legal imports 

and government purchases," he 

said. 

Quitoriano said the climate of 

fear fuelled the black market. 

"If the public trusted the government 

more, there would be no 

need for them to protect themselves 

by arming," he said. 

Alexander Reyes, who owns 

self-defence speciality shop Aquila 

Firearms and Ammunition 

Corp at a Manila mall, agreed. 

"It used to be for prestige, because 

guns equate with power," 

Reyes said. "But nowadays, it is 

mostly for protection. The police 

cannot protect you 24/7." 

Fears tax dodgers escape Pakistan poll scrutiny 

The independent Human Rights 

Commission has warned that the 

scrutiny process has turned into 

a ‘witchhunt’ aimed at harassing 

and humiliating candidates and 

was undermining democracy in the 

country, writes Damon Wake 

A sales woman at a practical defence and weapons shop in Manila. — AFP 

Supporters of Pakistan Muslim League after the acceptance of their 

candidate’s nomination papers for general election in Lahore. — AFP 


"The biggest issue in Pakistan is 

corruption and that has not been 

addressed — no politician so far has 

been disqualiied on that basis." 

A report in December found 

that two thirds of federal lawmakers 

paid no tax the previous year 

despite an estimated average net 

wealth of nearly $900,000, and 

some of the most prominent MPs 

have faced major corruption allegations. 

Under the constitution, anyone 

who fails to pay their taxes or 

utility bills or who has outstanding 

debts of over two million rupees 

($20,000), is disqualiied from running 

for parliament. 

Two of the country's leading English-language 

newspapers ran editorials 

last Thursday denouncing the 

apparent failure to apply the rule. 

"Not being able to recite Quranic 

verses became ground for disquali- 

ication but inancial impropriety 

is apparently considered more kosher," 

wrote the Express Tribune. 

The News lambasted the "dismal, 

disappointing and shameful" 

amount of tax paid by MPs in the 

past three years and voiced surprise 

that "not one big name has been 

disqualiied for not paying taxes or 

defaulting on bank loans".


Austrians’ love of bank secrecy has deep roots 

Unlike in 

Luxembourg and 

Cyprus, brought 

to the brink of 

bankruptcy by its 

overblown banking 

sector, foreign 

deposits play a 

relatively modest 

role in Austria, says 

Michael Shields 

CALL it the battle for grandma's passbook. That is how 

politicians are framing a debate over whether Austria 

should roll back banking secrecy and share information 

on depositors with European partners and the United States. 

Luxembourg's decision last week to open its books has ixed 

attention on Austria, the last EU holdout. 

The discussion has touched a nerve in a country where 

the conidentiality banks offer is so cherished that banking 

secrecy is anchored in the constitution. Why Austrians are so 

wedded to such secrecy is answered in part by a distrust of 

authority. The country's Catholic identity and a nod-and-wink 

approach to off-the-books work in the shadow economy may 

play a role too. 

"I and certainly many other customers require two things 

above all from banks: reliability and discretion," reader Florian 

Stadler wrote to Krone, Austria's most-read tabloid. "It 

is no one else's business how much money I save or spend 

or with whom I do business." Oficials insist they will defend 

Austrian citizens' privacy from the taxman and discuss revealing 

details only of foreigners with accounts in Austria. Unlike 

in Luxembourg and Cyprus, brought to the brink of bankruptcy 

by its overblown banking sector, foreign deposits play a 

relatively modest role in Austria. Central bank data show other 

EU citizens have around 35 billion euros ($45.9 billion) in 

banks here, a tenth of overall deposits. In all foreigners have 

53 billion in local banks. 

Finance authorities can already get access to accounts if 

they have well-founded suspicions of wrongdoing. Politicians 

like to say that Austrian bank secrecy is centuries old. Vienna 

inance professor Werner Doralt said the real roots of modern 

bank secrecy stem from the post-war era of contraband 

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti with Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague in central London. — Reuters 

Italy stalemate hits reforms 

Without a deep reform 

of political institutions 

it is unclear a new 

government on its 

own can make much 

progress without the 

kind of underlying 

consensus which the 

current crisis has 

shown to be lacking, 

write James Mackenzie 

and Lisa Jucca 

A 

LONG stalemate since Italy's inconclusive 

election has left government departments 

in Rome becalmed until a new administration 

arrives and powerless to respond 

to increasingly desperate calls for action from 

business leaders. 

More than 40 days have passed since the 

parliamentary election, with rival centre-left 

and centre-right leaders Pier Luigi Bersani and 

Silvio Berlusconi and the populist 5-Star Movement 

led by ex-comic Beppe Grillo no closer to 

an accord that would allow a government to be 

formed. 

Although bond markets have not fallen into 

panic as many had feared, hopes have been 

shelved of any early attack on problems ranging 

from slashing bureaucracy and overhauling the 

cumbersome public administration to boosting 

employment among the young. 

"I don't care about the political colour (of a 

possible government), I am beyond that. They 

can choose the left, the right or the comedian. 

But we need decisions," said Paolo Galassi, a 56year-old 

entrepreneur whose company makes 

aircraft components. "How is it possible that 

politicians cannot see that we need to address 

the economic situation?" he said. 

Italy's economy is falling ever deeper into recession 

and public inance targets have begun to 

slip, with the 2013 budget deicit now expected 

to scrape in just under the European Union limit 

of 3 per cent of gross domestic product. 

The government has slashed its forecasts and 

now expects the economy to contract by 1.3 per 

cent this year, and oficials say even that target 

is optimistic, meaning unemployment will continue 

to rise and efforts to cut the 2 trillion euro 

($2.6 trillion) public debt will falter. 

The situation facing companies is worsening. 

More than 12,400 went out of business last 

year, 33 per cent more than in 2009, according 

to business information provider Cribis D&B. 

In the last quarter of 2012 dismissals were 

up 15.1 per cent from the same period of the 

year before, according to Labour Ministry data. 

Until a new government is formed, Prime 

trading in a makeshift economy lattened by World War Two's 

devastation. "There was a lot of dirty money that people did 

not want to put in the bank because they were afraid. Then 

we said in Austria it is better to have dirty money in the bank 

than under mattresses at home, then at least it is in circulation 

and can be lent on," he said. "To give people a feeling of 

security, the anonymous bank account was made possible. 

That is the real history. Our banking secrecy was stronger 

than that in Switzerland." 

Anonymous accounts — accessed with a passbook and 

secret code — ended only under international pressure a 

decade ago. There was a popular uproar but scant outlow of 

funds. Conidentiality was diluted again when Austria determined 

that authorities could get access to bank records when 

checking speciic allegations of tax evasion, not only when a 

formal investigation had been opened, Doralt said. 

But secrecy remains strongly embedded in popular culture. 

"We are a 'do you need a receipt?' society. That is why 

it is so sensitive," political analyst Peter Filzmaier said, adding 

people fear more transparency would mean the taxman 

or social services could suddenly see the few hundred euros 

people may make on the side by helping out on a construction 

project. 

With elections due by late September, "no one wants to be 

the pioneer who cries out this is no longer acceptable. You 

know that lots of Austrians — and thus voters — do this," he 

said. Erich Kirchler, a business psychology professor at Vienna 

University, said many countries cling to traditions. "But in 

this case it concerns banking secrecy, which is something very 

special in Austria. It doesn't exist in Germany, for instance." 

Much like Austria's political neutrality, however, bank se- 

Minister Mario Monti remains in ofice at the 

head of a caretaker administration but activity 

on major reforms that would need strong political 

direction has come to a stop. 

"We're just doing 'ordinary administration', 

which in effect means most people are 

just illing in time or working on their own 

personal projects," said an aide to one minister. 

"You look along the corridors and it's completely 

dead." 

Even if the deeply divided parties patch up 

some deal, it is likely to produce a coalition so 

fragile as to be incapable of tough and unpopular 

reforms, said Alberto Mignardi, director 

general of the Bruno Leoni Institute, a marketfriendly 

think-tank. "Getting reforms done in 

Italy today, in this political situation, is not possible. 

The conditions just aren't there." 

A weekend agreement to release 40 billion 

euros to settle unpaid bills owed to private sector 

suppliers was a rare sign of movement from 

the caretaker government, which had been trying 

to get the measure through for months. 

Although the accord may ease some pressure 

on cash-strapped companies, the complex procedures 

involved in releasing the money points 

to wider problems such as the urgent need to 

overhaul an unwieldy public service. 

"There are some issues that can be taken on 

in the short term, like this issue of unpaid bills, 

but there are other questions that need a deeper 

response — reviving investment, improving 

competitiveness, creating conditions for jobs, 

cutting taxes, reorganising public spending," 

said Claudio Giovine, head of industrial policy 

at small business association CNA. 

"All these sort of things are issues for the medium 

term, they're not questions that can be resolved 

from one day to the next, they need signiicant 

political consensus," he said. 

The European Central Bank's pledge to support 

countries on the bond markets has so far 

staved off the panic seen during the last serious 

political crisis, which drove Berlusconi from 

ofice in 2011 and nearly broke the euro zone 

apart. 

ANALYSIS 

crecy has been surrounded by myths, particularly that it is 

needed to keep snooping eyes away from people's wealth, 

Kirchler said. "The fear of envy, the fear of checks by the authorities 

may be especially relevant here from a psychological 

perspective. There is fear that giving up banking secrecy could 

make people transparent, helplessly exposed to the state or 

other powerful igures. This fear is certainly there, whether 

justiied or not," he said. 

When people feel their freedom is under attack, they quickly 

go on the defensive, even if they would be hard pressed to 

explain exactly why they feel that way about bank secrecy. 

Austria's traditional Catholic roots also come into play. 

"For Catholics money and wealth is not necessarily a sign 

of God's favour. On the contrary, the poor will pass through 

the eye of the needle into heaven," Kirchler said, citing the Bible. 

"In Protestant or Calvinist culture, wealth is seen as the 

result of the positive virtues of hard work and thrift. There 

are certainly things here that you can explain with the country's 

religious background and ideology." 

Austrian banks at times use banking secrecy as a marketing 

tool, noting that only a constitutional amendment could 

end the practice. Austria does not share personal data on EU 

citizens' wealth, but imposes a 35 per cent withholding tax on 

their interest income and returns most of those funds anonymously 

to home countries. Peter Pilz, a member of parliament 

from the opposition Greens party, said the Italian maia, especially 

the Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta, had years ago used 

Austria as a money-laundering centre, cleansing around 2 billion 

euros. "Now it is mainly a matter of Russian money. A lot 

of banks must be afraid that the Russians will take their millions 

and lee to Asia," he said. 

Immigration plan makes a 

complex road to citizenship 

By Richard Cowan and Rachelle Younglai 

An immigration bill being written in the Senate aims to wipe out nearly 

all illegal crossings along the southwestern border with Mexico while 

maintaining a 13-year timetable for existing illegal residents to win citizenship, 

sources said. The carefully crafted language is intended to attract Republican 

support in Congress for comprehensive immigration legislation this 

year, while accommodating Democrats' desire to help the estimated 11 million 

foreigners living in the United States illegally. 

The idea is to create tough law-and-order provisions that backers could 

argue would inally ix a porous US border, as well as keeping foreigners who 

have obtained visas from overstaying them. A bipartisan group of eight Democratic 

and Republican senators writing the bill is hoping to sign off on the 

measure in coming days. Under the tentative deal worked out by the group, 

the Department of Homeland Security would be tasked with developing plans 

to stop nearly all illegal border crossings, two sources familiar with the plan 

said. Border security would be linked to the path to citizenship and the standards 

would be set by Congress. Once DES submitted the plan, the government 

would be allowed to start providing initial provisional legal status to the illegal 

immigrants who qualify, one source said. 

The agency would be given $3 billion to immediately implement the plan, 

according to one Senate aide familiar with the legislation. The two sources, 

who asked not to be identiied, said the DHS border plan would have a goal of 

stopping 90 per cent of illegal border crossings at "high risk" areas. 

If the agency failed to meet the goal in any of the irst ive years after the immigration 

law was enacted, a newly created commission would come up with 

additional steps to stop visa overstays and illegal border crossings, the sources 

said. The federal government would dedicate another $2 billion to achieve 

these security steps, the Senate aide said. 

In addition, $1.5 billion in new funding would be dedicated to additional 

border fence construction, making for a total of $6.5 billion in new security 

spending. In order for the 11 million illegal immigrants to transition from the 

provisional legal status to permanent residency, a number of other requirements 

would have to be met, including more fencing on the border and a mandatory 

employment veriication system known as e-verify. 

The Senate aide familiar with the legislation said if the 90 per cent goal is 

unfulilled after 10 years, undocumented residents who qualify would still be 

allowed to apply for "green cards," the open-ended visas that are widely seen 

as the gateway to US citizenship for foreigners. But other requirements could 

slow the path to citizenship. 

The four Democratic senators in the bipartisan group — Charles Schumer 

of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and 

Michael Bennet of Colorado — huddled with Hispanic members of Congress 

to update them on the plan, which could be considered by the Senate Judiciary 

Committee this month. Upon leaving that meeting in the Capitol, Durbin told 

reporters: "We are closer now than we have been in 25 years for serious immigration 

reform." Durbin said the Hispanic members of the House of Representatives 

were told that while legislation was still being crafted in secret, "We 

need to have your approval" before moving forward with any bill. 

Immigrant rights and Latino groups activists stage a protest. — AFP 

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

9

10 

INDIA 

Residents gather after a ire in Bawana on the outskirts of New Delhi yesterday in which a report said one 

person died and ive were injured. — AFP 

2 children die in 

Delhi slum ire 

NEW DELHI — At least two children 

died and six people were injured 

after a major ire broke out 

in a sprawling slum cluster in west 

Delhi's Narela area yesterday afternoon. 

Four ire service oficials 

also sustained minor injuries when 

an angry mob attacked them, a ire 

service oficial said. 

The children who died of burn 

injuries have been identiied as Sartaj 

and Manish, both aged around 

ive. "All the injured were rushed to 

the Maharishi Valmiki Hospital," a 

police oficer said. 

Armed with stones and sticks, a 

mob attacked ire oficials for delaying 

the rescue operation. A ire tender 

was also vandalised by the mob. 

"Four ire service oficials were 

injured in the attack. They have 

been admitted to hospital and their 

condition is stated to be stable," Delhi 

Fire Service Director A K Sharma 

said. — IANS 

35 pc women quota 

in Bihar police 

PATNA — Bihar police yesterday 

decided to reserve 35 per cent 

posts for women and to set up 

women's desk at all police stations. 

"It was decided that 35 per cent 

of the 47,000 vacant posts in the 

rank of constables and sub-inspectors 

will be reserved for women," 

an oficial said. 

Bihar police chief Abhayanand 

said the recruitment process will 

start after the cabinet approves the 

proposal. 

"The recruitment of women will 

take place in two phases," he said. 

He added that the 35 per cent 

reservation would be in addition to 

the existing three per cent for women 

from extremely backward class. 

Inspector General Arvind Pandey 

said he had asked all superintendents 

of police, including those 

of the Government Railway Police, 

to set up women's desk in each 

police station within a fortnight. 

— IANS 

IEEE Kerala to promote 

all-woman start-ups 

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM — The 

Kerala chapter of the Institution of 

Electronics and Electrical Engineers 

(IEEE) will launch the irst all-woman 

start-up here next month, an of- 

icial said yesterday. 

The start-up will utilise existing 

technology trends in social media 

to address the applications of crowd 

sourcing, with special relevance to 

the market and social requirements 

of the country. 

"Even though women constitute 

50 per cent of students in engineering 

and other technical areas, their 

presence and visibility in the realms 

of start-up enterprises is low... due 

to lack of family support, risk aversion 

and the organisational culture 

of start-ups," said Sarada Jayakrishnan, 

who heads the Women in 

Engineering (WiE) initiative of IEEE 

Kerala chapter. 

IEEE Kerala is the fourth-largest 

section of IEEE in the Asia-Paciic 

after Tokyo, Chennai and Bangalore. 

IEEE, headquartered in New 

York, is the world's largest technical 

body with over 400,000 members 

in over 160 countries. 

R Srinivasan, Chairman of IEEE 

Kerala, said: "Women are a hidden 

resource for start-ups in Kerala as 

there are many women who are 

unable to go to the metros to work. 

Women's start-ups will go a long 

way to tap into this resource, thereby 

bringing women into the mainstream." 

The Kerala section, with about 

5,500 members and student branches 

in 70 academic institutions, is 

one of the most rapidly growing in 

the country and in the Asia-Paciic 

region. — IANS 

Amethi, Rae Bareli lose in ‘power’ play 

LUCKNOW — Uttar Pradesh has ended 

24x7 power supply to Amethi and 

Rae Bareli, represented in parliament 

by Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, indicating 

a rift between the Samajwadi 

Party and the Congress. 

The move was taken by the Uttar 

Pradesh Power Corp Ltd, oficials said 

yesterday. 

The nine-month-old decision to 

provide round-the-clock electricity 

to these two places was revoked late 

Thursday, after which power went 

off for more than four hours, oficials 

said. 

The Akhilesh Yadav government 

had run into rough weather when 

the power regulatory authority had 

sought a reply from it on the logic 

behind giving 24x7 power supply to 

nine districts, including Rae Bareli 

and Amethi. 

This was when other parts of the 

sprawling state faced acute power 

shortage. 

While oficials were mum on the 

matter, some privy to the decision said 

that from now on VIP districts would 

also get "normal" power supply. 

"I would not like to draw any political 

inference," a senior UPPCL oficial 

said. 

Oficials justiied the move. "With 

the onset of summer, power demand 

is at its peak. We have to devise ways 

to accommodate every district," an of- 

icial said. 

Uninterrupted power supply, however, 

continues to other VIP zones 

like Mainpuri (Samajwadi Party chief 

Mulayam Singh Yadav's Lok Sabha 

constituency), Kannauj (Chief Minister 

Akhilesh Yadav's wife Dimple's 

constituency), Etawah (home district 

of the Yadav family), Sambhal 

(constituency of Mulayam's nephew 

Dharmendra Singh Yadav) and Rampur 

(home turf of UP cabinet minister 

Mohd Azam Khan). 

Congress spokesman Amarnath 

Agarwal said the move smacked of 

politics. He asked why some districts 

continued to get uninterrupted 

power supply if power shortage was 

really the reason behind the move. 

— IANS 

Hundreds of supporters from left parties shout anti-US, Korean and Indian government slogans against 

farmland being converted into an industrial development area during a protest against the American-Korean 

Posco steel plant in New Delhi yesterday. South Korean steel maker Posco is likely to start work on its muchdelayed 

steel unit in Odisha within a year as the state has transferred a signiicant chunk of land required for 

the mega project to the irm, a senior government oficial said. — AFP 


More arrests over Trinamool 

attack on Presidency varsity 

Mamata Banerjee’s condition getting better, says doctor 

KOLKATA — The condition of West 

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata 

Banerjee undergoing treatment at 

a private nursing home here is "improving", 

a doctor attending on her 

said yesterday as more arrests were 

made over vandalism at a prestigious 

institution by cadres from her party. 

Armed with sticks and rods, 

Trinamool Congress Chhatra 

Parishad members allegedly stormed 

the Presidency University campus 

on Wednesday, assaulting students, 

including women, and vandalised its 

famous physics department. 

The miscreants ransacked the heritage, 

century-old Baker's Building 

which houses the physics laboratory 

where eminent scientists like Jagad- 

Maoists, police 

shootout kills 7 

GADCHIROLI, Maharashtra — Seven 

people, including a policeman, 

were killed yesterday in a shootout 

between police and alleged 

Maoist cadres in a village in Gadchiroli 

district, an oficial said. 

The Maoists had opened ire on 

a police team near Sindesur village 

in the eastern part of the district. 

The police team retaliated, killing 

at least six, following which others 

escaped in the thick forest, a Gadchiroli 

police spokesperson said. 

Gadchiroli in Vidarbha region is 

over 1,000 km from Mumbai. 

The police claimed that four of 

those killed have been identiied 

as Maoist cadres through their 

uniforms. Two others in civilian 

clothes were also suspected to be 

Maoists. 

A policeman identiied as 

Govind Farkade, 41, was also killed 

in the shootout. 

Police have also recovered some 

weapons from the spot. — IANS 

ish Chandra Bose, Satyendra Nath 

Bose and Meghnad Saha conducted 

research. 

Banerjee was taken to the Belle 

Vue Clinic on Wednesday, with complaint 

of breathing problems, palpitation 

and body pain. 

The doctor, part of the medical 

team formed for Banerjee's treatment, 

said: "She is a bit nauseous because 

of the analgesics (pain-killers) 

she is taking for the back and knee 

pain but her condition is improving." 

According to the doctor, her discharge 

date has not yet been decided. 

"She is having dificulty while getting 

off her bed," the doctor said. 

Banerjee and her Finance Minister 

Amit Mitra were on Tuesday heckled 

by activists of the Students Federation 

of India, the students wing of the 

Communist Party of India-Marxist, 

when she went to the Planning Commission 

ofice in Delhi for a meeting. 

Three more people were arrested 

in connection with the Presidency 

University vandalism, taking the total 

number of people arrested in the incident 

to ive, police said yesterday. 

"We have arrested three more people 

in connection with Wednesday's 

vandalism at Presidency University," 

Joint Commissioner of City Police 

(Headquarters) Jawed Shamim said. 

The latest arrests were effected 

late on Thursday night. All ive accused 

were presented in a city court 

yesterday. — IANS 

Electronic toll collection 

launched in Maharashtra 

DAHANU, Maharashtra — India's 

irst inter-operable, electronic toll 

collection system based on radio frequency 

identiication (RFID) technology 

was launched here yesterday. 

The launch function was held at 

village Tawa, near Dahanu in Thane 

district. The system was inaugurated 

by union Minister for Road Transport 

and Highways C P Joshi. 

The facility has been made available 

on certain toll plazas on the 

Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway 

No 8 and will soon be extended 

to Vadodara-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Pune 

sections of the highway as 

well. 

The RFID tags can be bought 

from identiied kiosks near toll plazas. 

They can also be bought online 

through the website of ICICI Bank. 

The tags can be recharged both at the 

kiosks, as well as through the ICICI 

Bank website. 

Joshi announced that victims of 

road accidents on Mumbai-Vadodara 

stretch would be provided with cashless 

medical treatment as immediate 

relief. 

Underlining the increasing presence 

of his ministry on the social media, 

Joshi said that complaints about 

road conditions may be posted on 

the Facebook page of NHAI or ministry 

of road transport, which will be 

attended to in a ixed time-frame. 

India has one of the largest road 

networks in the world. Approximately, 

13,000 km length of roads are under 

tolling through 220 toll plazas. 

The toll collection during 2012-13 

was in excess of Rs 9,000 crore. 

Elaborating on how the RFID tag 

works, an oficial said it "will be af- 

ixed in the upper central portion of 

the vehicle's windscreen. It will work 

as a prepaid toll account and there 

will be automatic toll deduction 

when the vehicle crosses a toll plaza". 

— IANS 

An illegal structure in the "Lucky Compound" where a building collapsed last week in Thane district on the 

outskirts of Mumbai is demolished. — Reuters 

Tripura set to be declared fully literate 

AGARTALA — Th northeastern state 

of Tripura will be declared fully literate 

by September, state inance minister 

Badal Choudhury said here yesterday. 

"On the occasion of World Literacy 

Day (September 8), Tripura will be 

declared a totally literate state. All our 

efforts to attain this goal have now 

borne fruit," Tripura Finance Minister 

Badal Choudhury said after a meeting 

of the State Literacy Mission Authority 

(SLMA). 

"The SLMA meeting, chaired by 

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar also decided 

that the inal evaluation of the 

remaining illiterate people in the 

state would be complete by August," 

Choudhury said. 

According to a government survey 

conducted by the eight district magistrates 

in August last year, there are 

only 1,47,261 people of the state's 3.7 

million people, including those aged 

50 and above, who are illiterate. 

As per the adult literacy guidelines 

of the union ministry of human 

resource development, people 

aged between 15 to 45 years would 

be targeted under the literacy mission. 

"The Tripura government has 

taken efforts to make people in the 

15-50 age group literate, instead of 

the upper age of 45. Over 8,250 voluntary 

literacy workers (VLW) are 

working through 8,152 adult literacy 

centres to make the leftover unlettered 

people literate," the inance 

minister said. 

Over 85 master trainers are supervising 

the work of the VLWs, who are 

at work at the village and habitation 

levels. Anganwadi Workers under the 

social welfare department are also assisting 

the VLWs in their endeavour. 

"Tripura jumped to third position 

among the states in literacy in the 

2011 census, from the 12th position 

in the 2001 census. Our all out efforts 

are on to achieve 100 per cent literacy 

in Tripura," Choudhury added. 

He said Tripura would have attained 

100 per cent literacy long back 

had there been no terrorism and their 

(militants') violent activities. 

"Work on literacy programmes had 

slowed down also due to the recent 

assembly polls," the minister said. 

"Education, developmental activities 

and agricultural expansion have 

been affected due to terrorism in the 

state until 2009," he pointed out. 

According to the 2001 census, 

Tripura was the 12th most literate 

state in India with 73.19 per cent literacy 

and the second most literate 

state in the northeast region after 

Mizoram, where the literacy rate was 

88.80 per cent. 

As per the provisional data for the 

2011 census, literacy level is 91.58 

per cent in Mizoram and 87.75 per 

cent in Tripura. 

The two northeastern states are 

only behind Kerala (93.91 per cent), 

which continues to occupy the top 

position in the literacy chart. The national 

literacy rate is 74.04 per cent. 

The Tripura success story is attributed 

to the involvement of local government 

bodies, including gram panchayats, 

NGOs and clubs. — IANS


SC rejects mercy plea of 

blast convict Bhullar 

NEW DELHI — The Supreme Court 

yesterday dismissed a plea by 1993 

Delhi bomb blast convict Devender 

Pal Singh Bhullar challenging the rejection 

of his mercy plea by the president, 

while noting that the home ministry 

had failed to alert the president's 

secretariat of the "dire necessity of 

deciding the mercy petitions". 

Rejecting the plea by Bhullar, his 

wife and NGO Justice on Trial Trust, 

an apex court bench of Justice G S 

Singhvi and Justice S J Mukhopadyay 

said: "We hold that the petitioners 

have failed to make out a case for invalidation 

of the exercise of power by 

the president under Article 72 of the 

constitution not to accept the prayer 

for commutation of the sentence of 

death into life imprisonment. The writ 

petitions are accordingly dismissed." 

Bhullar was given capital punishment 

for the September 10, 1993 

blast at the Youth Congress ofice in 

Delhi that left nine dead and 17 injured. 

The attack was targeted against 

then Youth Congress chief M S Bitta. 

In an apparent censure of the home 

ministry, the court said: "What was 

done in April and May, 2011 (rejecting 

mercy petition) could have been done 

in 2005 itself and that would have 

avoided unnecessary controversy." 

The judgment said that the documents 

placed before it "do give an indication 

that on account of prolonged 

detention in jail after his conviction 

and sentence to death, the petitioner 

has suffered physically and mentally, 

the same cannot be relied upon for 

recording a inding that the petition- 

er's mental health has deteriorated 

to such an extent that the sentence 

awarded to him cannot be executed." 

However, there is uncertainty over 

when Bhullar would be hanged. 

Doctors and jail oficials said that 

Bhullar needed more mental health 

treatment and cannot be hanged till 

declared it. 

Bhullar is undergoing treatment at 

the Institute of Human Behaviour and 

Allied Sciences (IHBAS). "It is not easy 

to say how much time is required for 

him to be mentally it," Rajesh Kumar, 

one of the doctors treating Bhullar at 

the IHBAS, said. 

Tihar Central Jail spokesman Sunil 

Gupta said: "As per Indian law, a 

convict cannot be hanged till he is declared 

mentally and physically it." 

The court noted that 18 mercy petitions 

iled between 1999 and 2011 

remained pending for one year to 13 

years. "It gives an impression that 

the government and the president's 

secretariat have not dealt with these 

petitions with requisite seriousness. 

We hope and trust that in future such 

petitions will be disposed without unreasonable 

delay," it observed. 

Bhullar's appeal challenging his 

conviction by the trial court was rejected 

by the apex court in 2002 and 

the review petition too was rejected 

on December 17, 2002. 

Bhullar iled a mercy petition on 

January 14, 2003, which was rejected 

by the president on May 25, 2011. 

The target of the attack — M S Bitta 

— welcomed the ruling. 

"Bhullar's ile kept moving inside 

the home ministry, law ministry and 

the Delhi government for 15 years 

I didn't expect Bhullar will get the 

death sentence," Bitta said . 

While the Congress and the 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed 

the Supreme Court ruling, in 

Punjab the ruling Shiromani Akali 

Dal and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak 

Committee (SGPC) termed it 

"unfortunate". 

"We respect the Supreme Court 

judgment. We respect any judgement 

of any court. We never intervene in 

any legal system," Congress spokesperson 

Rashid Alvi said. 

Bharatiya Janata Party leader 

Balbir Punj said: "Whatsoever punishment 

awarded by the apex court 

should be implemented. There cannot 

be any exceptions. And those who 

dared to challenge the authority of the 

state and those who wage war against 

the state and conspire to destabilise 

the country should be ready to face 

consequences." 

Senior Akali Dal leader Prem Singh 

Chandumajra said in Chandigarh: "It 

is an unfortunate judgment. We were 

hoping that the court would keep in 

mind the situation in Punjab at that 

time. We will appeal to the president 

to review the decision. We will also 

appeal to the prime minister to intervene." 

The SGPC, the mini-parliament of 

the Sikhs, said it was "disappointed" 

by the apex court ruling. 

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar 

said: "This is an unfortunate thing for 

the Sikh community." — IANS 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is greeted by German President Joachim Gauck prior to talks at the 

presidential palace in Berlin yesterday. — AFP 

India, Germany to ‘shape the 

future’ with trade, technology 

BERLIN — India and Germany have 

agreed to deepen their strategic partnership 

and "shape the future", focusing 

on closer trade and investment, 

partnering in high technology and cooperating 

in multilateral fora. 

"Both governments will back a further 

intensiication of Indo-German 

business co-operation. Both sides 

would encourage co-operation in the 

ield of rare earths on mutually beneicial 

terms," said a joint statement 

released at the end of the inter-governmental 

consultations co-chaired by 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 

Chancellor Angela Merkel here. 

The statement stressed that close 

trade and investment relations were 

a core dimension of bilateral partnership 

and held great importance for the 

development of the Indian and German 

economy. 

The two countries agreed to facilitate 

the freedom of movement for 

business visitors and professionals. 

The statement said that new initiatives 

in the area of energy, environment, 

culture, education and defence 

could "catalyse and activate" the great 

potential of bilateral relations. 

Both nations recognised that expanding 

high technology trade and cooperation 

was key to deepening the 

strategic content of their relations. 

"Both sides agree to consult regu- 

larly on advancing this objective and 

to this end form a High Technology 

Partnership Group, including both 

government and business," the statement, 

titled "shaping the future together", 

said. 

In a separate statement to the media 

after the talks, the prime minister 

said, "We look forward to expanded 

defence co-operation anchored in 

technology transfer, co-development 

and co-production in India. High technology 

commerce would beneit from 

further easing of German export controls 

for India. 

"The agreement today on scientiic 

collaboration on technologies for civilian 

security adds a new dimension 

to our growing security cooperation. 

I am very happy that, following our 

discussion, we have agreed to set up a 

High Technology Partnership Group." 

He said economic ties had been a 

deining feature of the India-German 

relationship and sought increased German 

participation in India's economic 

growth and its plans to modernise and 

upgrade our manufacturing and infrastructure 

sectors. 

"I also sought continuing openness 

and support to growing Indian 

presence in Germany, including in the 

services sector. We agreed on the importance 

of an early conclusion of a 

balanced India-EU Broad Based Trade 

and Investment Agreement." 

The two sides agreed that the 

persisting weakness in the global 

economy required concerted global 

response to stimulate recovery without 

adding to iscal and inancial risks. 

On international security, both sides 

agreed to intensify their security policy 

dialogue and called for expanding 

the United Nations Security Council. 

"We also emphasised the importance 

of sustained international 

support to Afghanistan through its 

transition to a stable, peaceful and 

democratic future. We called for an 

end to violence in Syria and a peaceful 

resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue. 

We underlined our shared interest in 

peace and stability in the Asia Paciic 

region, including on the Korean peninsula." 

At the closing ceremony of the 

Days of India in Germany, the prime 

minister said today's is a world of 

"inter-dependent prosperity and 

shared vulnerability" and that India 

has a stake in Europe's economic recovery, 

its growth. "This is a world not 

of declining and rising powers, but of 

broadening opportunities and more 

widespread hope. This is an age when 

change is rapid, but transformation 

can also be quick. This is an age that 

calls us to connect, to engage and to 

embrace each other," said he. — IANS 

INDIA 

Liver transplant for Pak teenager 

NEW DELHI — Madhia Tariq, 16, had 

no hope of survival when she slipped 

into a coma after collapsing in her 

Lahore school in January due to acute 

liver failure. An air ambulance from 

Delhi brought the young Pakistani 

student to India — and back to life. 

Madhia underwent a liver 

transplant at the capital's Indraprastha 

Apollo hospital where a 

team of 18 doctors operated upon 

her. Her brother Rizwan donated almost 

half his liver to her on February 

3. 

Madhia had developed acute liver 

failure due to Hepatitis A. She was 

off the ventilator within 24-hours 

after the surgery. Over the following 

weeks, her condition improved and 

she is now ready to ly home. 

"The process of sending an air ambulance 

to Pakistan, arranging visas 

for the entire family and taking a decision 

on the transplant took just 48 

hours, which were very crucial," said 

Anupam Sibal at the hospital. 

He said it was the irst time that 

Apollo Hospitals had sent an air ambulance 

to any foreign country to 

pick up a liver transplant patient. 

"The entire government machinery 

in both India and Pakistan was 

extremely helpful," he said. 

Neerav Goyal, who operated upon 

Madhia's brother Rizwan, 25, said undergoing 

a donor surgery is also very 

major. It is usually the family members 

who are the donors. — IANS 

11 

Police detain a Kashmiri family during a protest over a relative’s death in Srinagar yesterday after the victim 

was attacked inside Srinagar's central jail. — AFP 

Rajnath speaks to miffed Navjyot Sidhu 

NEW DELHI — BJP president Rajnath 

Singh yesterday spoke to party MP 

Navjot Singh Sidhu following reports 

of his feeling ‘suffocated’ in the system 

and assured that his grievances 

will be looked into. 

The cricketer-turned-politician, 

who is party MP from Amritsar, 

is reportedly unhappy over 

not having a say in appointments in 

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) local 

unit. 

Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur, who is a 

BJP MLA has said that he would not 

contest the Lok Sabha polls. 

She told the media that her husband 

was feeling "suffocated" in the 

system due to lack of adequate respect. 

Sidhu has been elected thrice from 

Amritsar. Asked about the possibility 

of BJP leader Arun Jaitley contesting 

from Amritsar, Navjot Kaur said they 

will support whoever the party nominates. 

BJP source said Rajnath Singh 

Eyesight restored after acid attack 

NEW DELHI — Doctors at a city hospital 

have been able to bring substantial 

improvement in the eyesight 

of a 26-year-old acid attack victim by 

performing a unique procedure, hospital 

authorities said yesterday. The 

woman, a school teacher from Uttar 

Pradesh, was attacked earlier this 

month while she was heading home. 

She was brought to the Sir Ganga 

Ram Hospital in the capital the same 

day and doctors performed amniotic 

membrane transplantation on her. 

"We performed a unique procedure 

called amniotic membrane 

transplantation which fortunately 

has helped to bring a substantial im- 

provement in her eyesight," said A 

K Grover, chairman of the hospital's 

department of opthalmology. "At the 

time of admission, she had severe 

acid burns on face, neck and chest. 

Besides, her left eye was also severely 

damaged by acid," Dr Grover said. 

Describing the procedure, Grover 

said: "An amniotic membrane was 

obtained from one of the prospective 

donors undergoing Caesarean section 

who did not have any communicable 

diseases. After cleaning this 

membrane with balanced salt solution 

containing a mix of antibiotics, 

the membrane was implanted in the 

victim's eye." — IANS 

spoke to Sidhu yesterday morning. 

They said Sidhu is expected to meet 

Rajnath Singh after the ongoing IPL 

cricket tournament. 

BJP leaders said Sidhu had not 

spoken to the party leadership about 

issues concerning him. 

He had campaigned for the BJP in 

the Gujarat assembly polls but had 

created a controversy with his remarks 

mocking ambitions of Gujarat 

Parivartan Party (GPP) president Keshubhai 

Patel. — IANS 

Cobblers to polish 

work skills through 

varsity course 

MUMBAI — The humble roadside 

cobbler has now been given 

an opportunity to acquire higher 

education, courtesy a state government 

initiative with the Y.B. Chavan 

Maharashtra Open University (YC- 

MOU), a top oficial said here yesterday. 

The YCMOU has developed a 

week-long training programme for 

cobblers to provide them with advanced 

work skills and reward them 

with a certiicate. 

"This certiicate will be valid 

to obtain loans from nationalised 

banks and help cobblers 

buy better equipment or expand 

their trade and become entrepreneurs," 

said YCMOU spokesperson S 

Belsare. 

The initiative, with a nominal 

course fee, has been sponsored by 

the Leather Industry Development 

of Maharashtra (LIDCOM) and the 

course was designed by YCMOU 

vice-chancellor R Krishnakumar in 

consultation with several cobblers' 

trade organisations and experts like 

Sanjivni Mahale of the Department 

of Education of YCMOU and former 

state minister Babanrao Gholap, he 

said. 

Presently, the course is 

being introduced in ive 

districts: Dhule, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, 

Nashik and Nandurbar, and will 

later cover the entire state, Mahale 

said. — IANS 

Schoolchildren gather during the 94th anniversary eve of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar yesterday 

near the monument on the eve of the Baisakhi Festival. The massacre took place on April 13 1919 iring on an 

unarmed gathering killing at least 379 men, women and children according to oficial records. — AFP

12 

AMERICAS 

Members of the ‘Pistol Packing Ladies’ shooting club prepare their targets at a shooting range outside 

Fredericksburg, Virginia on Thursday. Members of the club are women of all ages who are interested in 

learning how to handle and shoot a pistol. — AFP 

Newtown mom to deliver Obama address 

WASHINGTON — President Barack 

Obama has asked a mother whose 

6-year-old son was killed in the Newtown, 

Connecticut massacre to deliver 

his weekly radio address, an unusual 

move expected to turn up the pressure 

on Congress to pass tougher gun 

control laws. 

Francine Wheeler, whose son Ben 

was one of the 26 people killed by a 

gunman at an elementary school on 

December 14, will deliver the Saturday 

radio address, White House 

spokesman Jay Carney said. 

Obama brought families of the Newtown 

victims to Washington on Air 

Force One on Monday, and they have 

US says $2.8 bn 

in drug assets 

seized last year 

WASHINGTON — The US Drug Enforcement 

Agency (DEA) last year 

seized $2.8 billion dollars in illicit 

drugs assets and proits, including 

some $750 million in cash, the agency's 

top oficial said yesterday. 

Michele Leonhart told a congressional 

panel that the drug seizures 

occurred between October 2011 

and October 2012, during the last 

US iscal year. 

"During FY 2012, DEA denied total 

revenue of $2.8 billion from drug 

traficking and money laundering 

organisations through asset and 

drug seizures," Leonhart said. 

"This includes nearly $750 million 

in cash seizures." 

From 2005-2012 the DEA "denied" 

more than $21.5 billion in 

drug traficking revenue, $5.8 billion 

of which was cash, she said. 

Leonhart also noted the capture 

of several top foreign cartel igures, 

at least four of whom have been 

extradited to the United States for 

prosecution. — AFP 

been meeting with senators to urge 

them to support new laws that, among 

other measures, would require more 

background checks for gun sales. 

"He believes their voices and resolve 

have been critical to the continued 

progress we've seen in the Senate," 

Carney said. 

Vice-President Joe Biden has occasionally 

delivered the weekly address, 

but the short message to Americans 

is traditionally given by the president 

himself. Obama and Biden have repeatedly 

urged Americans to call their 

senators and representatives to express 

their views on gun violence. 

The Wheelers and other Newtown 

families met on Wednesday with US 

Senator Joe Manchin, a conservative 

Democrat and strong supporter of 

gun rights, who was moved to tears 

by their stories. Manchin, of West Virginia, 

reached a breakthrough deal 

this week with Republican Senator 

Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania on background 

checks. 

But the legislation faces weeks of 

expected debate in the Senate. 

"This process is still very much in 

its early stages," Carney said, noting 

"the other chamber" — the Republican-led 

House of Representatives 

— has yet to look at the legislation. 

— Reuters 

Brazil police launch 

probe of ex-leader Lula 

BRASILIA — Brazilian police said 

yesterday they have launched an investigation 

into whether popular expresident 

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 

had a role in a congressional votebuying 

scandal. 

"A police investigation was 

opened at the request of the prosecutor's 

ofice in Brasilia. It will be 

carried out by the inancial crime 

unit," a police spokesman said. 

The probe is expected to last 30 

days. 

Federal prosecutors want to 

know whether Lula was aware of 

the vote-buying scheme put in place 

by his Workers Party (PT) from 

2003 to 2005 during his irst term in 

ofice. 

The former president has always 

maintained he was unaware 

of the scheme, and has never been 

charged. 

In December, the high court concluded 

Brazil's biggest ever corruption 

trial, convicting 25 of 38 people 

accused of graft, including senior 

ruling party members. 

They include three former Lula 

aides, ex-chief of staff Jose Dirceu, 

Jose Genoino, who headed the 

Workers Party at the time, and party 

treasurer Delubio Soares. 

Prosecutors called for the probe 

last week after the trial's main defendant, 

businessman Marcos Valerio, 

charged that Lula and ex-inance 

minister Antonio Palocci negotiated 

a $7 million payoff in 2005 with the 

one-time president of a Portuguese 

phone company through an account 

in Macau. 

Valerio received a 40-year sentence 

last year after he was found to 

have run much of the scheme that 

channeled cash to the ruling party. 

He is now seeking a plea bargain for 

a reduced sentence. 

Lula enjoyed soaring popularity 

while in ofice and handed over 

power to his protege and fellow PT 

member Dilma Rousseff after his 

second four-year term ended in 

2010. — AFP 

US President Barack Obama presents the 2012 Commander-in-Chief trophy to the US Naval Academy in the 

East Room of the White House yesterday. — Reuters 


Brazil's Rousseff to make 

rare state visit to the US 

SAO PAULO — President Dilma 

Rousseff will make the irst formal 

state visit by a Brazilian leader to 

the United States in nearly two decades, 

a diplomatic breakthrough for 

an emerging power that has clashed 

with Washington but is hungry for 

closer ties and recognition of its 

growing prestige. 

The trip will occur later this year, 

likely in October, oficials said on 

condition of anonymity because the 

White House has not yet announced 

the visit. A White House spokeswoman 

declined comment. 

A state visit, which includes formalities 

such as a black-tie dinner 

and a military ceremony upon arrival, 

is usually reserved for Washington's 

closest strategic partners. 

"It's great news, long overdue," 

said Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil 

Institute at the Wilson Center, a 

think-tank in Washington. "It shows 

that the United States really values 

the relationship, which is what Brazil 

most wants to hear." 

The upgrade in diplomatic ties is 

likely to rekindle hopes for a longsought 

treaty to avoid double taxation 

on Brazilian and US businesses, 

as well as the chance for greater commerce 

between the two largest economies 

in the Americas. 

Bilateral trade totaled about $59 

billion last year, but Brazil's economy 

remains relatively closed to imports 

and its 200 million-strong population 

is seen as a big potential growth market 

for US companies. 

The red-carpet reception also will 

be a political victory for Rousseff, a 

left-leaning but pragmatic leader who 

has sought closer relations with the 

United States but felt snubbed when 

President Barack Obama did not host 

a more elaborate welcome during a 

White House visit in April 2012. 

Relations have been cordial, but 

marked by disagreements. 

Latin America's biggest country 

has been frustrated by a perceived 

lack of support from Washington as it 

seeks a permanent seat on the United 

Nations Security Council and other 

recognition of its rising inluence 

following an economic boom over the 

past decade. 

Rousseff's predecessor, Luiz Inacio 

Lula da Silva, angered Washington 

by blocking hemispheric trade talks 

and trying to broker a deal to end the 

global standoff over Iran's nuclear 

program in 2010, the inal year of his 

presidency. 

Rousseff, by contrast, has mostly 

avoided dealing with Iran, more 

strongly emphasised human rights in 

Brazil's foreign relations and also taken 

a relative distance from Venezuela, 

Washington's loudest antagonist in 

Latin America. 

Sotero said Obama's visit to Brasilia 

in March 2011 marked the beginning 

of a "reset" in relations. 

Murdoch urged not to air 'NRA-500' race 

WASHINGTON — A US lawmaker from 

Connecticut, where 20 children were 

massacred in December, has pleaded 

with Fox owner Rupert Murdoch not 

to air today's NASCAR race sponsored 

by the National Rile Association. 

Senator Chris Murphy wrote to the 

chairman and chief executive of News 

Corp, which owns Fox Sports, to say 

the race, labeled the NRA-500, "is inappropriate 

in the immediate wake of 

the Newtown massacre." Murphy has 

been active in the effort to bring about 

the most signiicant US gun safety legislation 

in 20 years, after the tragedy 

at Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary 

School, which he referenced in 

his Thursday letter to Murdoch. The 

senator said the race "not only brings 

national attention to an organisation 

that has been the face of one side of 

this heated debate, it also features the 

live shooting of guns at the end of the 

race." The National Association for 

Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) NRA 

500 will be staged at the 1.5-mile (2.4kilometre), 

190,000-seat Texas Motor 

Speedway oval in Fort Worth. 

Winners of races at Texas Motor 

Speedway are often given a pair of revolvers 

and a cowboy hat before being 

photographed in the victory lane. 

The NRA has sponsored auto races 

before, but Saturday will be the irst 

time the nation's most powerful gun 

rights lobby will attach its name to a 

race in NASCAR's top series. 

Sponsorship of NASCAR races and 

cars allows corporations or groups 

to reach millions of viewers, but Murphy 

suggested it was wrong to be 

"strengthening the brand of a radical 

organisation that is currently standing 

in the way of meaningful progress on 

this issue." He also noted in his letter 

that Murdoch himself is an avid supporter 

of gun control, citing the CEO's 

post on Twitter shortly after the Newtown 

tragedy asking when politicians 

will "ind courage to ban automatic 

weapons." 

A boy plays on a swing at Caju slum, ahead of the inauguration of the Police Peacekeeping Unit (UPP) in this 

slum in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. The introduction of the peacekeeping programme in the region is part of the 

effort to crack down on crime and ensure security as the city prepares to host the 2014 World Cup 

soccer matches and the 2016 Olympic Games. — Reuters 

Venezuela’s bitter campaign ends 

CARACAS — Venezuela's acting President 

Nicolas Maduro tearfully vowed 

to complete Hugo Chavez's socialist 

revolution on Thursday while rival 

Henrique Capriles promised change at 

emotional rallies to close their bitter 

campaign. 

Maduro was joined on stage by the 

late leader's friend, Argentine football 

icon Diego Maradona, who signed and 

kicked balls to tens of thousands of 

people clad in red in Caracas ahead of 

Sunday's election. 

Parakeets were released and Maduro 

put one on each shoulder in a 

nod to his assertion last week that 

Chavez's spirit had visited him in the 

form of a "little bird" — a story the 

opposition seized on to mock the late 

leader's chosen successor. 

The inal rallies closed a brief campaign 

that was marked by name-calling, 

allegations of assassination plots 

and the transformation of Chavez into 

a religious-like igure in this politically 

polarised nation. 

Before Maduro's speech, the crowd 

sang along as a large screen showed a 

video of Chavez singing the national 

anthem under the rain during his last 

campaign rally in October. 

Surrounded by his cabinet, Maduro, 

50, pledged to fulill his mentor's 

oil-funded socialist revolution, which 

brought popular education, health and 

food programs to the poor. 

"We, his sons and daughters, will 

collectively guarantee that this is the 

case. We swear that the revolution 

will continue," he said, calling Chavez 

"Christ the redeemer of the poor," one 

month after he lost his battle with cancer. 

"For the love of the poor, I aspire 

one day to join Hugo Chavez again, 

my father the redeemer," Maduro said, 

struggling to stile tears. "Long live 

Chavez! Long live the Bolivarian revolution!" 

Maduro, a former bus driver and 

union activist who rose to foreign minister 

and vice president under Chavez, 

has enjoyed leads of 10 to 20 percentage 

points in opinion polls. 

A survey by pollsters Datanalisis, 

published on Thursday by Credit Suisse 

bank, gave him a 9.7-point lead. 

The poll was conducted between April 

1-5. Datanalisis president Luis Vicente 

Leon wrote on Twitter that Maduro's 

campaign was "weaker than at the 

beginning" but that it was not weak 

enough for Capriles to catch up. 

"It was a very quick, mega-campaign 

but the people want to continue 

the revolution," said Feliz Oropeza, a 

55-year-old housing ministry employee 

who donned replicas of Chavez's 

signature on each cheek and wore a 

red beret like the comandante. 

While the late leader reduced 

poverty, he left behind the highest 

murder rate in South America, with 

16,000 homicides last year, and a 

slew of economic problems, from 

high inlation to shortages of basic 

foods despite Venezuela's oil wealth. 

Wearing a shirt and matching baseball 

cap in Venezuela's yellow, blue 

and red colours, Capriles voiced con- 

idence he would win, six months after 

losing to Chavez by 11 points in 

the last presidential election. 

"Make no mistake, next Sunday is 

time to open a new cycle and change 

this situation," he told a huge rally in 

the western city of Barquisimeto.


Former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf (C) is escorted by soldiers as he arrives at the High Court in Islamabad yesterday. — AFP 

Ex-coalition partners in hot water ahead of poll 

ISLAMABAD — Once considered an 

indomitable winning combination of 

political parties, the coalition partners 

of the former government, led 

by Asif Zardari’s Pakistan People’s 

Party, are currently trying to negotiate 

a strong political headwind in 

their election campaigns. 

Be it the PPP, Altaf Hussain’s Muttahida 

Qaumi Movement, Asfandyar 

Wali’s Awami National Party or 

Shujaat Hussain’s Pakistan Muslim 

League-Q, they are all facing some 

basic ground realities, which, speculate 

independent political observers, 

will damage their already minimal 

chances of winning elections. 

The PPP is in proverbial hot wa- 

New $600m oil 

reinery in ofing 

ISLAMABAD — The country’s irst trillionrupee-company 

Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and 

the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 

province have signed a deal to build a $600 

million oil reinery, with a reining capacity of 

40,000 barrels of oil per day. 

The multimillion dollar project is expected 

to be fully commissioned by 2016-17. 

The reinery will be established as a publicprivate 

partnership, of which PSO will hold a 

stake of 45 per cent and KP to own 25 per cent. 

The remaining 30 per cent stake will be divided 

into private equity which can own a maximum 

20 per cent stake and the rest (10 per cent) will 

be loated on the stock market after completion 

of the project. 

The cost of the project had been estimated 

at $600 million however, inal cost will be 

determined after completion of the feasibility 

study. They said that physical work on the 

project was expected to start by the end of the 

calendar year. An oficial of the petroleum ministry 

said that the proposed reinery will be a 

state-of-the-art project, capable of producing 

Euro-4 compliant products. — Internews 

ter. Both its chairman and vice chairman 

are out of the election fray and 

President Zardari has also resigned 

from his position of co-chairman of 

the party. It seems that the former 

ruling party is practically dragging 

its feet on the trail of a very happening 

election campaign. 

Bilawal Bhutto, the young PPP 

chairman, is still a few months short 

of becoming eligible to contest the 

general elections. He will celebrate 

his 25th birthday in September this 

year. Bilawal’s latest reported differences 

with his father and aunt, Faryal 

Talpur, who is currently running 

the party’s affairs, has also cast dark 

shadows over the election prospects 

Overseas Pakistanis planning 

protests for voting rights 

LONDON — Non-resident 

Pakistanis are planning agitation 

against the reluctance 

of Election Commission 

of Pakistan (ECP) to make 

speedy arrangements to enable 

more than eight million 

overseas Pakistanis to vote 

on May 11 elections. 

Despite clear orders by 

the highest judiciary of the 

land to make speedy arrangements, 

the ECP has 

continued to tell the court 

about a range of hurdles to 

giving overseas Pakistanis 

right to vote in the 2013 general 

election. 

Since the start of the case 

overseas Pakistanis had 

hoped that they would soon 

hear good news but that has 

not happened and various 

groups are in discussion to 

start protests against the 

ECP and other government 

agencies. 

Many workers of Asif 

French photographer, Pierre Borghi (L), 29, and his friend Payvand Seyedali 

look at a picture on a phone at the French Embassy in Kabul yesterday after 

he was freed on Sunday after four months in captivity. — AFP 

of the party. 

To add insult to injury for the 

party, Bilawal’s lack of experience, 

tender age and security concerns, 

all mean that he may not be able 

to make a noticeable impact on the 

outcome of the elections. Others in 

the people’s party’s ranks include 

former Prime Minister and Vice 

Chairman of the party Yousaf Gilani, 

who was disqualiied from contesting 

elections for ive years in a contempt 

of court case, which had also 

cost him his premiership. Although 

Gilani has appealed against his disqualiication, 

he will not be contesting 

the May 11 elections. 

Similarly, President Zardari has 

Zardari’s Pakistan People’s 

Party, Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan 

Muslim League-N and 

Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek 

Insaf have plans to 

take part in election campaign 

in Pakistan but they 

have stayed back in the UK 

till now just in case British 

Pakistanis are allowed to 

cast vote on May 11 polls. 

A Pakistani doctorate student 

at the Oxford University 

Souia Siddiqi has started a 

petition for overseas Pakistanis 

to be allowed to vote. 

Within hours of its launch, 

the petition has received 

1,000 signatures. 

Siddiqi said yesterday 

that if the ECP wants, it could 

grant National Database 

and Registration Authority 

(NADRA) permission to implement 

e-voting software 

for Pakistanis abroad, especially 

when NADRA has reported 

that software is ready 

been categorically told by the Lahore 

High Court that as president, 

he cannot participate in the election 

campaign. 

The party received another blow 

when the nomination papers of another 

former Prime Minister from 

the party, Pervez Ashraf, who was 

made head of the PPP’s election 

campaign by the party leadership, 

were rejected by the returning of- 

icer due to his alleged role in the 

rental power project case. 

It is still to be seen whether 

his appeal against the rejection of 

nomination papers with the election 

tribunal is accepted or not. 

— Internews 

to be distributed to identify 

polling stations outside of 

Pakistan where Pakistanis 

can cast their electronic 

votes. 

She said: “It only needs 

Election Commission’s permission. 

The Supreme Court 

of Pakistan has already 

made its stance very clear. It 

wants all Pakistanis abroad 

to be able to cast their votes 

in 2013 general election. 

Despite NADRA’s readiness 

and willingness to pilot this 

historic effort in modern-day 

civic and democratic participation, 

reports from the 

Election Commission believe 

arrangements have not been 

made”. 

This petition contests 

that the biggest obstacle 

that of creating a digital voting 

system — has already 

been surmounted. All that 

is required is political will. 

— Internews 

Tax revenue shortfall 

may swell further 

ISLAMABAD — The change of the guard at Pakistan’s Federal 

Board of Revenue at the start of the fourth quarter of the current 

inancial year and the FBR’s involvement in scrutiny of nomination 

papers for the general elections may affect revenue collection 

and preparation of the next annual budget. 

“Traditionally, major concentration in the last quarter is on 

enhancing the collection and focusing on the next year’s budget 

preparation, but this year the FBR is part of scrutiny process of 

nomination papers iled by the candidates for the elections,” said 

an FBR oficial. 

Tax collection has already witnessed a shortfall of Rs 356 billion 

during the irst nine months (July-March) of the iscal year. 

The government has appointed Ansar Javed as new chairman of 

the FBR after the Islamabad High Court suspended the notiication 

for appointment of outgoing chairman Ali Arshad Hakeem 

on April 7. 

FBR oficials fear that the revenue shortfall could go up further 

as the authority itself was not as stable as it should have 

been in the last quarter of a inancial year. The new chairman, 

who is assessing the situation after the ouster of his predecessor, 

has said that he would strive to establish a credible team, ensure 

transparency and eficiency in the working of the tax collection 

machinery. Therefore, he will perhaps take a few days to have an 

understanding of the issues. — Internews 

SUBCONTINENT 

13 

Massive security for 

Musharraf at court 

ISLAMABAD — Massive security accompanied 

Pakistan's former leader 

Pervez Musharraf as he appeared 

again in court yesterday, bailed for another 

week for charges relating to his 

nine years in ofice. The authorities 

shut down main roads, causing signiicant 

bottlenecks, as heavily armed 

paramilitary police, some of them 

dressed in riot gear, and plain-clothed 

intelligence agents fanned around the 

Islamabad high court. 

Snipers were posted on rooftops to 

guard the main approach as Musharraf 

— who the Taliban have threatened to 

assassinate — arrived in a black jeep, 

accompanied by a bristling convoy of 

bodyguards. Local television channels 

reported that he wore a bullet-proof 

jacket, an unprecedented precaution 

by a major igure making a public appearance 

in the capital, but AFP reporters 

could not approach the former 

military ruler to conirm. 

Musharraf spent barely 20 minutes 

inside the courtroom to listen to the 

judge grant him bail until April 18, 

when he has been ordered to appear 

in person again, over his November 

2007 sacking of judges, which paved 

the way for his downfall. 

It was Musharraf's second appearance 

in court since he returned home 

on March 24 to contest general elections 

in May after four years of selfimposed 

exile, and his third bail extension 

in the judges' case. 

He has also been bailed over the 

2007 killing of former prime minister 

Benazir Bhutto and a Baluch rebel 

leader in 2006. At his previous court 

appearance on March 29, a lawyer 

threw a shoe at Musharraf. 

On Monday, Musharraf's lawyers 

will also appear in the Supreme Court 

over demands that the 69-year-old 

go on trial for treason for subverting 

the constitution by sacking judges in 


Musharraf has been approved to 

stand in one constituency in the May 

11 election, which will mark the irst 

democratic transition of power after 

a civilian government has served a full 

term in ofice in the country's history. 

— AFP 

China to help in satellite 

monitoring of crops 

ISLAMABAD — The Planning Commission 

of Pakistan, with Chinese inancial 

assistance, has decided to launch a key 

project of satellite monitoring of crops. 

The project would enhance data collection 

as current assessments are being 

done by Pakistan’s Space and Upper 

Atmosphere research Council (SUPAR- 

CO) but it can monitor only ive major 

crops through satellite imageries. Under 

the project, real picture of the agriculture 

sector would be available. 

Among various options, the Planning 

Commission would initiate a study 

through a third-party contract to have 

an in-depth assessment of overall crop 

reporting system in the country by all 

stakeholders. Upon completion of this 

study, SUPARCO along with four provincial 

agriculture departments, would be 

authorised to undertake an actual assessment 

of production of main crops. 

The project would be executed by 

SUPARCO as its initial programme for 

monitoring of crops. The data collection 

includes input from the crop assessment 

committees of the provincial 

agriculture departments, data provided 

by SUPARCO and data provided by the 

relevant sector. — Internews 

Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi waves her hand to 

supporters as she celebrates Thingyan, Myanmar’s new year water festival, 

in front of her home in Yangon yesterday. — Reuters 

13 troops killed in attack 

KUNAR Scores of heavily armed 

Taliban militants killed 13 Afghan soldiers 

in ierce clashes yesterday after 

storming an army post in the east of 

the country near the Pakistan border, 

police said. 

More than 100 militants armed 

with rocket-propelled grenades and 

guns launched the attack in the Nari 

district of Kunar province, attacking 

the post from three directions before 

dawn. 

"The attackers were heavily armed," 

a senior police oficer in the district, 

who declined to be named, said. "We 

have recovered the bodies of 13 of our 

soldiers, the outpost has been nearly 

destroyed." 

The attack was inally pushed back 

after several hours when Afghan military 

and police reinforcements arrived. 

One soldier was severely injured, police 

said. 

Defence ministry spokesman General 

Mohammad Zaher Azimi con- 

irmed the attack but said that exact 

casualty igures were not available. 

"We are still in the process of gathering 

information," he said. Taliban 

spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed 

responsibility for the assault in an 

e-mail to AFP, and said that the militants 

had seized all weapons and ammunition 

from the remote post. 

He added that 15 soldiers had been 

killed. The border region between Afghanistan 

and Pakistan is a key battleground 

in the ight against the militants. 

There are presently around 100,000 

international troops ighting the insurgents, 

with Afghan soldiers and police 

gradually taking over security responsibilities 

ahead of the withdrawal. 

Kunar province has seen some of 

the iercest clashes in the country over 

recent years as ighting spread from 

the southern hotspots of Helmand and 

Kandahar to the eastern border regions. 

A Nato air strike in the province 

on Sunday killed 11 children, oficials 

said, when air support was called in 

after local and coalition forces came 

under attack. — AFP

14 

KOREA 

Anti-war civic group activists chant slogans during a rally in front of the Foreign Ministry in Seoul yesterday. — Reuters 

New missile launch mistake 

SEOUL — US Secretary of State John 

Kerry yesterday warned North Korea 

it would be a "huge mistake" to 

launch a medium-range missile and 

said the United States would never 

accept the reclusive country as a nuclear 

power. 

Addressing reporters after talks 

with South Korea's president and 

leaders of the 28,000-strong US military 

contingent in the country, Kerry 

also said it was up to China, North 

Korea's sole major ally, to "put some 

teeth" in efforts to press Pyongyang 

to abandon its nuclear ambitions. 

Kerry, like other US oficials, 

played down an assessment from the 

Pentagon's intelligence agency that 

the North already had a nuclear mis- 

sile capacity. The US, he said, wanted 

to resume talks about North Korea's 

earlier pledges to halt its nuclear programme, 

but would defend its allies 

in the region if necessary. 

North Korea has repeatedly said 

it will not abandon nuclear weapons 

which it said yesterday were its 

"treasured" guarantor of security. 

Kerry's visit coincided with preparations 

for Monday's anniversary of 

North Korean state founder Kim Il- 

Sung's birth date, a possible pretext 

for a show of strength, with speculation 

focusing on a possible new missile 

launch. 

Kerry, who lies to China today and 

to Japan tomorrow, said that if North 

Korea's 30-year-old leader, Kim Jong- 

Stop ‘belligerent approach’ 

WASHINGTON — President Barack 

Obama urged North Korea to end its 

"belligerent approach," as US oficials 

sought to downplay a leaked intelligence 

report suggesting Pyongyang 

could ire a nuclear-tipped missile. 

The alarming assessment of the 

North's nuclear capabilities, revealed 

by a US lawmaker at a congressional 

hearing, came as tensions on the Korean 

peninsula mounted over an expected 

missile launch by Pyongyang 

in the coming days. 

A senior oficial again pressed China 

to encourage its wayward ally to 

stop its destabilising nuclear activities 

and threats to the region. 

The North's December rocket 

launch and February nuclear test, 

along with UN sanctions imposed 

for each, are at the core of the current 

crisis that has seen Pyongyang 

threaten nuclear strikes against the 

United States and its allies. 

Obama said "nobody wants to see 

a conlict" with the North, but emphasised 

that the US was ready to 

take "all steps to protect its people" 

and defend its allies in the region. 

"We both agree that now is the 

time for North Korea to end the kind 

of belligerent approach that they've 

been taking," Obama said, appearing 

by the side of UN Secretary-General 

Ban Ki-Moon after talks in the Oval 

Ofice. — Reuters 

Un, proceeded with a launch, "he will 

be choosing, willfully, to ignore the 

entire international community". 

"I would say ahead of time that it 

is a huge mistake for him to choose to 

do that because it will further isolate 

his country and further isolate his 

people, who frankly are desperate for 

food, not missile launches." 

The North has issued weeks of 

shrill threats of an impending war 

following the imposition of UN sanctions 

in response to its third nuclear 

test in February. Kerry said the 

threats were "simply unacceptable" 

by any standard. 

"We are all united in the fact that 

North Korea will not be accepted as a 

nuclear power," he said. 

Kerry later told US businessmen 

in Seoul that China, as an advocate of 

denuclearisation, was in a position to 

press for a change in the North's policy. 

"The reality is that if your policy is 

denuclearisation and it is theirs as it 

is ours, as it is everybody's except the 

North at this moment... if that's your 

policy, you've got to put some teeth 

into it," he told the gathering. 

Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece 

of the ruling Workers' Party, said 

Pyongyang would never abandon its 

nuclear programme. 

"The DPRK will hold tighter the 

treasured sword, nuclear weapons," 

it said, referring to the country by its 

oficial name, the Democratic People's 

Republic of Korea. — Reuters 


Japan to deploy 

Patriot missiles 

TOKYO — Japan yesterday said it 

would deploy Patriot missiles in 

Okinawa permanently from this 

month as part of its efforts to boost 

defence capability amid concerns 

over North Korea's missile threat. 

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera 

said his ministry would station 

Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC- 

3) systems at two military bases in 

the southern Japanese island "at the 

earliest opportunity in April". 

The ministry had earlier planned 

to deploy them by March 2015 but 

"we were considering advancing the 

plan that will protect people's lives 

and property against ballistic missiles," 

Onodera said. 

The move came as the country 

remains on full alert ahead of an expected 

mid-range missile launch by 

North Korea. 

South Korean intelligence says the 

North has prepared two mid-range 

missiles for imminent launch from its 

east coast, despite warnings from ally 

China to avoid provocative moves at 

a time of soaring military tensions. 

The issue appeared to take on 

greater urgency after it was revealed 

a report compiled by the US military 

spy agency had suggested Pyongyang 

has the ability to launch a nucleararmed 

ballistic missile. 

Japan, where the armed forces 

have been authorised to shoot down 

any North Korean missile headed towards 

its territory, has already stationed 

PAC-3s in its capital to protect 

the 30 million people who live there. 

In addition to PAC-3 batteries, 

Aegis destroyers equipped with seabased 

interceptor missiles have been 

deployed in the Sea of Japan. 

Pyongyang's bellicose rhetoric has 

reached fever pitch in recent weeks, 

with near-daily threats of attacks on 

US military bases including in Japan 

and South Korea in response to ongoing 

South Korean-US military exercises. 

The timing of the North's missile 

launch is still "unpredictable", Onodera 

said, "but we will continue to be 

on alert so that we can take action at 

any time". 

Analysts said Tokyo's measures 

were purely precautionary and a 

mis-targeted missile that might end 

up falling uncontrollably towards 

Japanese territory was most likely 

what Tokyo was readying for. 

Japan vowed it would respond to 

“any scenario” after a threat by North 

Korea that Tokyo would be “consumed 

in nuclear lames”. 

“We are aware of the remarks 

made by North Korea, through the 

media and other channels. We cannot 

comment on our reaction to the 

remarks for operational reasons,” a 

Defence Ministry oficial said. 

“All we can say is we will take every 

possible measure to respond to 

any scenario.” 

Japan, the only country ever to 

have suffered a nuclear attack, has 

authorised its armed forces to shoot 

down any North Korean missile 

headed towards its territory. 

“Japan is always in the crosshairs 

of our revolutionary army and 

if Japan makes a slightest move, the 

spark of war will touch Japan irst,” 

KCNA said in a commentary. 

Few tourists over divided Korea 

GOSEONG, South Korea — Endless stretches of 

beach and lush forested hills long made a small 

South Korean border town the traditional playground 

of the elite in divided North and South 

Korea. Now it struggles to attract tourists, partly 

under the weight of hostilities hurled across the 

militarised border a few kilometres away coupled 

with no realistic prospect of moves leading to uni- 

ication. 

Kim Il-Sung, the lionised founder of North Korea 

who launched the 1950-53 Korean war in which 

more than a million people died, favoured a seaside 

villa built for foreign missionaries when Japan 

occupied the Korean peninsula. The South's irst 

president had his own retreat just down the road 

on the shore of a picturesque lake. 

Fewer holidaymakers now trickle into the area 

and even the 101st anniversary of Kim's birthday, 

to be celebrated on Monday in the North with 

pomp and perhaps missiles, has done nothing to 

lift interest. 

"This is where the top one per cent of high-ranking 

oficials came for their holidays," said Ham Ji- 

Su, a guide at Goseong town's empty tourist information 

kiosk on a blustery spring day. "People just 

want to ind out why these people came here." 

Kerry backs 

peace moves 

SEOUL — Secretary of State John 

Kerry gave qualiied US blessing 

yesterday to peace overtures from 

South to North Korea, even as he 

slammed Pyongyang's incendiary 

rhetoric and demanded it abandon 

an expected missile test. 

With a US intelligence report offering 

a chilling new evaluation of 

Pyongyang's offensive ability as it 

aimed nuclear threats at Japan, Kerry 

urged China to step in and said 

the North would never be accepted 

as a nuclear power. 

Visiting Seoul to give fulsome US 

backing to military ally South Korea, 

Kerry mixed tough talk with more 

conciliatory comments about the 

prospects for a peaceful way out 

of a crisis that has sent inter-Korea 

tensions soaring. 

In particular, he said Washington 

chose to "honour" the vision of 

South Korea's new President Park 

Geun-Hye. "We're prepared to work 

with conviction that relations between 

North and South can improve 

and they can improve very quickly," 

Kerry said. 

Advocates of cross-border tourism, part of a 

short-lived "Sunshine Policy" that brought warmer 

North-South ties at the beginning of the millennium, 

say it has gone the way of failed co-operation 

ventures under the North's 30-year-old leader, Kim 

Jong-Un, the state founder's grandson. 

They point to North Korea's closure last week of 

the jointly run Kaesong industrial park. There are 

also reminders of Goseong's own aborted project - 

a recreation complex at Mount Kumgang over the 

border, closed in 2008 when a North Korean guard 

shot and killed a South Korean tourist. 

Small groups of South Koreans make their way 

up a promontory to the three-storey, stone "Kim 

Il-Sung villa", where he and other Communist dignitaries 

holidayed from 1948 until the outbreak of 

war two years later. 

"How would Kim Jong-Un feel if he came here? 

He would want to make a grab for this place as 

quickly as possible," said Kim Jae-Heei, 67, a reluctant 

visitor who came at his wife's urging. 

"In these confusing times, I just feel sad, extremely 

sad, seeing the villa where Kim Il-Sung 

stayed." 

After the Korean War ended in 1953, redrawn 

frontiers placed it inside South Korea, 11 km from 

The move by Tokyo 

comes as the country 

remains on full alert 

ahead of an expected 

mid-range missile 

launch by North 

the border. There is little at the villa, now a museum, 

linked to the late leader. The main exhibit is 

a mock bedroom with period costumes and a battered 

short-wave radio. 

Posted on an outside stairway is a blow-up of a 

1948 photograph at the spot where his son, Kim 

Jong-Il, the current North Korean leader's late father, 

is seated next to a playmate, the son of a Soviet 

army oficer. Kim Jong-Il was six years old at the 

time. In an adjacent carpark, designed to accommodate 

100-odd vehicles, a handful of tour buses 

sit. One arrives with a party of school children, who 

scamper up the stairway only to return within ive 

minutes. 

They pay little attention to stall vendor Kim 

Sang-Jin, glum that he has not sold a single pack of 

dried squid all morning. He blames not bellicose 

rhetoric, but a feeling of despondency after the 

closer of the joint industrial park at Kaesong. 

"After that news was broadcast, we lost about 70 

per cent of visitors," he said. 

A few metres away, an information oficer waits 

for visitors to turn up at a cosier villa perched on 

the lakeshore and once frequented by Syngman 

Rhee, South Korea's irst strongman president who 

led the country through the 1950-53 war. 

US Secretary of State John Kerry with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye at the presidential 

Blue House in Seoul yesterday. — AFP


French Interior Minister Manuel Valls (C), listens to Seine Saint-Denis prefect Christian Lambert (R) as he visits the Beaudottes estate on 

Laperouse street in the northeastern suburb of Sevran, outside Paris, yesterday. Valls promised to an increased police presence 

on the estate to help ight crime and drug dealing. — AFP 

Putin unveils major space programme 

VOSTOCHNY COSMODROME, Russia 

— President Vladimir Putin told 

astronauts in orbit yesterday that 

Russia will send up the irst manned 

lights from its own soil in 2018, using 

a new launch pad he said will 

help the once-pioneering space 

power explore deep space and the 

moon. 

Speaking by video link with the International 

Space Station's crew from 

the building site, Putin said it will be 

open to use by the United States and 

Europe — playing up cooperation on 

the anniversary of cosmonaut Yuri 

Gagarin's 1961 light, which set off 

the Cold War space race. 

But with the image of a iery rock- 

JUBA — Sudanese President Omar 

Hassan al Bashir said yesterday 

he wanted peace and normal relations 

with South Sudan in his irst 

visit there since it split off from 

his country in 2011 after decades 

of civil war. 

The neighbours agreed in 

March to resume pumping oil 

through pipelines from south to 

north and ease the tensions which 

had threatened to reignite the war 

between them. 

Diplomats hope Bashir's visit 

will help the two sides overcome 

deep mistrust and solve their remaining 

disputes over the ownership 

of Abyei and other contested 

border regions. 

Bashir, who cancelled a visit 

to Juba a year ago when border 

ighting almost lared into fullscale 

war, said in a speech in the 

et launch as a backdrop, Putin also 

said he wants the Vostochny Cosmodrome 

to help Russia catch up with 

other powers in exploring beyond 

Earth's orbit. 

"We are lagging behind the world 

in some areas," Putin said on a tour 

of the future launch site in eastern 

Siberia near the border with China. 

"We've developed a noticeable gap 

from the leading space powers in the 

technologies of so-called deep space 

exploration." 

Russia wants Vostochny, where it 

hopes to exploit a new generation of 

rockets carrying heavier payloads, to 

rival its current launch site in Kazakhstan, 

the lease of which has been 

German prosecutors charge 

ex-president with corruption 

BERLIN— Former German president 

Christian Wulff was charged yesterday 

with accepting a bribe in exchange for 

a political favour, a year after a broader 

corruption probe forced him to resign 

from the largely ceremonial post. 

Wulff was hand-picked by Chancellor 

Angela Merkel for the job of head 

of state in 2010. But he stood down after 

20 months when prosecutors said 

they suspected he had accepted undue 

privileges and asked parliament to lift 

his immunity. 

Lower Saxony state prosecutors 

suspect Wulff of lobbying Siemens AG 

to help market the ilm John Rabe after 

a movie producer paid Wulff's expenses 

during a trip to Munich's Oktoberfest 

festival in 2008. 

The producer, David Groenewold, 

faces the same charges of corruption 

and bribery after footing a bill for Wulff 

totalling thousands of euros, the prosecutors 

said in a statement. Wulff's lawyers 

said they would issue a statement 

later. His reputation took a hammering 

in his time as president when top-selling 

newspaper Bild accused him of mis- 

leading the state assembly over a cheap 

home loan from a businessman friend. 

He later apologised for threatening the 

editor of Bild with "war" if he published 

the story. 

Allegations about free light upgrades, 

hotel stays and gifts further undermined 

his credibility. The media has 

even invented a new verb — "wulffen", 

or "to Wulff", which means being evasive 

without telling a clear lie. 

If convicted, Wulff theoretically faces 

from 6 months to ive years in jail. But 

it is likely he would get probation. 

southern capital that he had ordered 

Sudan's borders with South 

Sudan to be opened for trafic. 

in contention since the 1991 breakup 

of the Soviet Union. 

Since Nasa retired its shuttles 

last year, Russian rockets blasting 

off from the Soviet-built Baikonur 

launch pad provide astronauts 

around the world with the only ride 

to the $100-billion research laboratory 

some 400 km above Earth. 

While Nasa pays a steep fee for 

the trip, the upkeep and lease of the 

Baikonour Cosmodrome comes at 

Russia's expense. 

Putin said the irst launch from 

Vostochny will be in 2015 and the 

irst manned light in 2018. The site, 

near Russia's Paciic Coast, was chosen 

to allow cosmonauts to splash 

UN court to hear Australia 

bid to halt Japan whaling 

THE HAGUE — Australia will 

ire the opening salvoes in a legal 

battle before the United Nations' 

highest court in June to 

try to stop Japan's whale hunt 

in Antarctica. 

"The International Court 

of Justice... will hold public 

hearings in the case concerning 

whaling in the Antarctic, 

Australia versus Japan, from 

Wednesday 26 June," the 

Hague-based ICJ said in a statement. 

Canberra took Tokyo to 

court on May 31, 2010, alleging 

"Japan's continued pursuit" of a 

large-scale whaling hunt, which 

Japan calls scientiic research, 

put the nation in breach of international 

conventions and its 

obligation to preserve marine 

mammals and their environment. 

Unlike Norway and Iceland, 

which openly lout the 1986 

moratorium on commercial 

whaling agreed through the In- 

"I have instructed Sudan's authorities 

and civil society to open 

up to their brothers in the Repub- 

down on water after their mission. 

"I very much hope that it will be 

used not only by our specialists, but 

by our colleagues from the United 

States, Europe and other countries," 

he said. 

Even after the new site is built, 

Putin said Russia will continue to use 

Baikonour, which it leases at a cost of 

$115 million a year under a deal that 

expires in 2050. But he said the facility 

on Kazakh soil was "physically 

aged." 

Putin, whose ambition is to restore 

Moscow's Soviet-era might, 

said Russia will spend 1.6 trillion 

roubles ($52 million) on space exploration 

through 2020. — Reuters 

ternational Whaling Commission 

(IWC), Japan hunts exploit 

a loophole that allows lethal 

scientiic research. 

Japan's annual whale hunt 

has long drawn worldwide 

criticism but Tokyo defends the 

practice, saying eating whale is 

a culinary tradition. 

In Sydney yesterday, Attorney-General 

Mark Dreyfus, who 

will appear before the court, 

said in a statement: "Australia 

wants this slaughter to end. 

"We will now have our day 

in court to establish, once and 

for all, that Japan's whaling 

hunt is not for scientiic purposes 

and is against international 

law." 

His statement went on: "The 

ixing of the date sets up the 

inal stage in this case brought 

by the Australian Government. 

The oral hearings are the last 

phase of legal proceedings before 

the Court makes its decision. 

— AFP 

Bashir pledges peace in irst S Sudan visit 

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (R) and Sudan's President 

Omar al Bashir (C) at the State house in Juba yesterday. — AFP 

lic of South Sudan," Bashir said, 

alongside South Sudan's President 

Salva Kiir. 

Kiir said he had agreed with 

Bashir to continue talks to solve 

all conlicts over disputed regions 

along their volatile 2,000 km 

frontier. "I and President Bashir 

agreed to implement all co-operation 

agreements," Kiir said. 

After their meeting in the presidential 

ofice, Bashir, who invited 

Kiir to visit Khartoum, swapped 

his business suit for a traditional 

white robe to join yesterday 

prayers in the Kuwaiti-built 

mosque in central Juba. 

"I came to Juba because we 

now have the biggest chance to 

make peace," he told 400 worshippers 

from South Sudan and 

the Sudanese expatriate community. 

— Reuters 

THE WORLD 

15 

Efforts fail to stop auction 

of sacred Hopi masks 

PARIS — An auction of ceremonial 

masks originating from Arizona's Hopi 

tribe took place in Paris yesterday only 

a few hours after a court allowed a sale 

that opponents said amounted to "sacrilege". 

Some 70 brightly coloured "Kachina" 

visages and headdresses were put on 

sale by the Neret-Minet auction house, 

with an estimated total value of between 

between $780,000 and $1 million. 

A court in Paris had earlier rejected 

a request for an injunction against 

the sale of the artefacts, which representatives 

of the Native American tribe 

said were sacred objects that should be 

returned to them. 

High-proile igures including actor 

Robert Redford and the US ambassador 

to Paris had called for the sale to 

be cancelled or delayed, but the court 

ruled that the auction did not violate 

the law. The auction has outraged 

members of the 18,000-strong Hopi 

tribe, who say the items are blessed 

with divine spirits. Two Arizona museums 

had also called for the sale to be 

cancelled. 

Neret-Minet said there were no 

grounds to halt the sale because the 

items were acquired legally by a French 

collector during a 30-year residence 

in the United States. It welcomed the 

court's ruling, saying a ban would have 

set a dangerous precedent. 

"It seems important not to create 

a precedent banning the sale of all 

objects of a sacred nature, whatever the 

culture concerned," the auction house 

said in a statement. 

"Our goal has always been to showcase 

Hopi culture and to make it accessible 

to the greatest number of people 

in the strictest accordance with the 

law." But Bo Lomahquahu, a 25-yearold 

Hopi and student in Paris who attended 

the auction, said the sale should 

never have been allowed to take place. 

"They aren't just art objects, we believe 

they have a spirit in them," he said. 

Lomahquahu said the objects were part 

of private rituals and were not meant 

to even be on public display. "Hopefully 

someone will step in and buy the masks 

and bring them back to us," he said. In 

the ruling allowing the sale, judge Magali 

Bouvier said that while the masks 

may be considered to have a "sacred 

value or religious nature", they did not 

qualify to be banned for sale. — AFP 

SPD losing support: core issues 

BERLIN — The German opposition Social 

Democrats (SPD) are losing support 

in their bid to unseat Chancellor Angela 

Merkel in September's election and are 

no longer trusted more than her conservatives 

on social issues, according to 

a poll out yesterday. 

The Politbarometer poll for public 

broadcaster ZDF will make tough reading 

for candidate Peer Steinbrueck 

ahead of a congress of his centre-left 

SPD in Bavaria to present the oficial 

platform for the federal election on September 

22. 

The long-standing lead for Merkel's 

coalition widened to 46 per cent versus 

41 per cent for the SPD and their Greens 

allies, while the proportion of Germans 

who would prefer a third term for 

Merkel rose three points to 63 per cent. 

Only 27 per cent said they would 

prefer Steinbrueck, down from 29 per 

cent in the last Politbarometer poll in 

March. The 66-year-old former inance 

minister, who was Germany's most 

popular politician less than two years 

ago, ranks eighth in approval ratings, 

where Merkel consistently ranks irst. 

A Forsa poll out on Wednesday suggested 

for the irst time in three years 

that Merkel could get a governing majority 

with one point more support 

than the SPD, Greens and hardline Left 

combined. The Politbarometer poll put 

the combined opposition one point 

ahead - but the SPD rules out an alliance 

with the Left because of its extreme 

views. — Reuters 

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble (L) with a colleague as 

ministers arrive to attend the meeting of Economic and Financial Affairs 

Council (ECOFIN) ministers at Dublin Castle in Dublin yesterday. — AFP 

30-year jail for murder upheld 

NANTERRE, France — A 37-year-old 

Frenchman has lost his appeal to overturn 

his 30-year jail sentence for murdering 

an Australian student who was 

beaten, strangled and dumped in a car 

park outside Paris. 

Brazilian-born Adriano Araujo Da 

Silva was found guilty and sentenced to 

30 years in prison in January last year 

for the murder 11 years earlier of 28year-old 

Jeanette O'Keefe. 

O'Keefe's body was found rolled up 

in a sleeping bag in a parking lot in the 

Paris suburb of Les Mureaux on January 

2, 2001 — three days after a series 

of events left her alone and without a 

bed for the night on New Year's Eve. 

Araujo Da Silva insisted that he was 

innocent throughout the appeal hearing 

in the Paris suburb of Nanterre 

that began on Tuesday. But after only 

four hours of deliberation the court on 

Thursday rejected his appeal and upheld 

the original sentence. 

Araujo Da Silva had confessed to the 

crime twice before retracting his testimony, 

saying he had been pressured by 

police. He admitted to taking the woman 

home and having an argument with 

her, but insisted she left unharmed. 

O'Keefe's four brothers and sisters, 

who were civil plaintiffs in the case, 

were in Paris for the appeal. "It was 

extremely stressful to be honest, the 

whole time since Jeanette passed, but 

now I think today it lets us have some 

closure, and for our parents to have 

some closure," her sister Denise, 43, 

said after the verdict. "We don't know 

exactly what happened to Jeanette but 

we have a pretty good idea and her killer 

is going to be locked away for a very 

long time, so that's what we wanted." 

Araujo Da Silva said he had met 

O'Keefe on the Champs Elysees on New 

Year's Eve and taken her to his home 

in Les Mureaux, where her body was 

found three days later. Investigators 

found male DNA under the victim's ingernails, 

but it was eight years before 

they found a match, when Araujo Da 

Silva's genetic proile was entered into 

a database after he was arrested for 

petty theft. — AFP

16 

PANORAMA 

Walter Rush and his son Leif, 3, slide down a hill on an inner tube in Minneapolis. — Reuters 

A track marshal sleeps as Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen of Finland 

(background) drives past during the second practice session of the 

Formula One Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai yesterday. — AFP 

WW-II era shell 

found at harbour 

MUMBAI An un-exploded 10kg 

shell, believed to be from the 

World War II era, was found stuck 

in a dredging vessel at the Mumbai 

Harbour, an oficial said here 

yesterday. The navy took it in their 

possession for disposal. 

The projectile shell was found 

stuck to the vessel's drag head 

during a dredging operation in the 

harbour. 

The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust 

alerted the Indian Navy which 

dispatched a team of explosives 

experts to the site. The naval team 

successfully retrieved the shell from 

the ship's dredging arm. 

The shell was 40 cm long and 

10 cm in diameter. It was sent for 

analysis and safe disposal by the 

naval authorities. — IANS 

Nobel medal for 

discovery of DNA 

auctioned 

NEW YORK — The Nobel medal 

awarded to Francis Crick in 1962 

for his discovery of DNA was sold 

here at an auction for more than $2 

million. 

Crick won the Nobel Prize in 

Physiology or Medicine along with 

James Watson and Maurice Wilkins. 

The medal had been kept in a safe 

deposit box in California since 

Crick's widow passed away, and 

was consigned to auction by his 

heirs, reported Xinhua. 

"The discovery of the structure 

of DNA launched a scientiic 

revolution and forever changed 

human understanding of life," 

said Sandra Palomino, director of 

Historical Manuscripts for Heritage 

Auctions. 

"This medal is the embodiment 

of the respect and recognition 

that came with that momentous 

breakthrough." — IANS 

A man paddles on a boat with his wife in a looded street during spring 

lood in a village of Vereshitsa near Pripyat river, some 300 km south of 

Minsk, Belarus, yesterday. — AFP 

World’s first tunnel 

for ships planned 

OSLO — Norway's government 

announced plans yesterday for 

what is being labelled the world's 

irst tunnel for large ships, aimed at 

helping them navigate a treacherous 

section of the southwestern coast. 

Unveiling a 10-year 

transportation plan, the 

government said it would earmark 

one billion kroner ($175 million) 

for the construction of the Stad 

maritime tunnel, named for the 

peninsula notorious for high winds 

and heavy seas. 

The 1.7-kilometre passageway 

will be carved into a piece of 

the peninsula's mountainside, 

linking two jords, hallmarks of 

the Norwegian coastline. "The 

project will help increase safety 

and navigability" in the region, the 

government said. 

Estimated at a cost of 1.6 billion 

kroner, construction is expected to 

begin in 2018 at the earliest and 

take four years. It was unclear how 

the costs exceeding the one billion 

kroner provided by the government 

would be inanced. — AFP 


A farmer sleeps as he takes a break during a harvest in an agriculture 

area in Bekasi, on the outskirts of Jakarta yesterday. — Reuters 

Tycoon to build 

dinosaur park 

SYDNEY Mining tycoon Clive 

Palmer, known for his plans to build 

a replica of the Titanic, is making 

the world's largest dinosaur park in 

Australia. 

The businessman has ordered 

165 robotic dinosaurs from 

manufacturers in China for 

the forests at his 150-hectare 

Coolum vacation property in 

the northeastern coastal city of 

Sunshine. The dinosaurs will roar, 

wag their tails, move their chests 

and blink. 

Some of the dinosaurs will weigh 

up to 1,200 kg and be 20 meters tall. 

The manufacturers have already 

delivered 50 of the giant robotic 

creatures and some, including a 

T-Rex known as "Jeff", have been 

put on display at Coolum, the 

Australian press reported.— IANS 

German dairy farmers gather for a demonstration at the Obersalzberg 

mountain near Berchtesgaden yesterday. The farmers attended the 

protest to urge politicians to take eficient legislative measures for the 

milk market and to listen to farmers' demands for cost-covering prices 

and fair remuneration, according to the organisers. — Reuters 

Elephants spray water at tourists in celebration of the Songkran water festival in Thailand's Ayutthaya 

province, about 80 km north of Bangkok yesterday. Songkran, the most celebrated festival of the year, marks 

the start of Thailand's traditional New Year. — Reuters

International 

P23 Recession-weary Portugal tests limits of austerity P18 Germany’s JAB to buy Douwe Egberts for $9.8 billion 

P19 P23 

P24 

By Conrad Prabhu 

MUSCAT — Investor interest in 

the operation of low-cost airlines 

in the Sultanate remains strong 

with a number of prospective irms 

currently studying opportunities in 

this potentially promising sector, according 

to the head of the Public Authority 

for Civil Aviation (PACA). 

Salim al Aufy, Chief Executive Of- 

icer, said national carrier Oman Air, 

was not the only company weighing 

interest in a budget airline ahead of 

the country’s planned opening of the 

aviation sector to low-cost carriers. 

“I think there is a huge potential 

for low-cost carriers in Oman,” said 

Al Aufy. “But we need to igure out 

exactly how many service providers 

will be necessary, where their hubs 

will be, what impact it will have on 

Oman Air, and so on. We need to 

understand that impact, the consequences 

— positively or otherwise 

— and work with (the national airline),” 

the oficial stated in comments 

Saturday 

APRIL 13, 2013 | JUMADA AL THANIA 2, 1434 AH 

www.omanobserver.om facebook.com/omanobserver twitter.com/omanobserver editor@omanobserver.om AppStore 

Strong potential for low-cost 

carriers in Oman: PACA 

NICOSIA — Cypriot President Nicos 

Anastasiades appealed for more 

help from European Union yesterday 

as the spiralling costs of a euro zone 

bailout impose a crippling burden on 

the island's economy. 

Anastasiades did not specify what 

additional assistance he was seeking, 

but a Cypriot diplomat in Dublin for a 

meeting of euro zone inance ministers 

called to inalise the terms of the 

bailout said Cyprus was not seeking 

more money. 

Germany made plain in any case 

that the 10 billion euros ($13 billion) 

that the European Union and 

the International Monetary Fund will 

stump up as their part of the 23 billion 

package is not up for debate. 

That leaves Cyprus having to fund 

the whole of a 6 billion euro funding 

shortfall that emerged this week in 

addition to the 7 billion euros it is already 

raising from swingeing austerity 

measures and a massive hit to its 

once lucrative banking sector. 

Anastasiades called for a change 

of EU policy towards Cyprus to help it 

to the Observer. 

PACA, under 

Al Aufy’s 

auspices, has 

mooted the 

opening of the 

domestic aviation 

industry, 

currently dominated 

by Oman 

Salim al Aufy, CEO 

Air, to new 

service providers 

spanning a broad spectrum 

of areas, including low-cost airline 

operations, seaplane services, helicopter 

and charter services, air-cargo 

operations, aircraft maintenance and 

overhaul, and so on. This vision of a 

liberalised aviation and aeronautical 

services industry is the subject of a 

study currently under way on behalf 

of the Authority. 

Earlier this month, the government 

revealed that national carrier 

Oman Air was weighing options with 

regard to opportunities in the lowcost 

space. According to Al Aufy, the 

tackle the resulting crisis. 

Anastasiades said he had already 

spoken to EU Economy and Euro 

Commissioner Olli Rehn ahead of the 

Dublin ministers' meeting. He said he 

would also write to European Commission 

chief Jose Manuel Barroso 

and to EU President Herman Van 

Rompuy. 

"The letter to Mr Barroso and Mr 

announcement does not amount to 

a government nod for the launch of 

a budget carrier, but only the commencement 

of a study to that effect. 

“What the government gave was 

a green-light to Oman Air to start 

studying the market and do a feasibility 

study, and was not a green-light to 

establish a low-cost carrier per se. No 

one has so far been given the greenlight 

to establish a low-cost carrier. It 

is only provisional approval to study 

the market, the inancial implications, 

what it means to establish a low-cost 

carrier, and so on. And once you’ve 

completed the study, identiied the 

market, described the cash low, explained 

how you intend to implement 

your plan, detailed your strategy 

for buying aircraft, outlined your 

routes, and so on, then you can seek 

authorisation from the government 

to establish the airline. Ultimately, 

the decision rests with the Council of 

Ministers.” 

Signiicantly, a number of prospective 

players have made headway in 

undertaking market studies as a prerequisite 

for seeking the government’s 

nod for investing in the budget airline 

business. “Some of the competition is 

already almost completing their studies 

and ready to (move ahead with 

their plans). Oman Air is not the only 

(interested) player in the market, but 

one of many... Other potential investors 

in the low-cost business are ready 

to complete their studies.” 

PACA, according to the oficial, 

envisions the potential for budget 

airlines to use the new provincial airports 

at Sohar, Ras al Hadd and Duqm 

as hubs for their operations, thereby 

contributing the development of 

these respective destinations. 

Cyprus pleads for more EU help 

Nicos Anastasiades 

Rompuy will refer to the need for EU 

policy to change towards Cyprus by 

giving it extra assistance, given the 

critical times we are going through as 

a result of the economic crisis and the 

measures imposed on us," Anastasiades 

told reporters. 

A member of the Cypriot delegation 

in Dublin said Cyprus was seeking 

"no extra money" and was instead 

seeking help from a European Commission 

task force to lessen the burden 

of measures agreed in exchange 

for loans. 

German government spokesman 

Steffen Seibert said: "The contribution 

from international creditors will 

not change," adding that the 10-billion-euro 

package of emergency loans 

was "already very large". 

Under the preliminary bailout 

terms agreed with international creditors 

last month, Cyprus was already 

drastically downsizing its banking 

sector, raising taxes, reducing the 

public sector workforce and privatising 

state-owned utilities to raise 7 

billion euros. — AFP 

Austria deies EU pressure to lift bank secrecy 

DUBLIN — Austria vowed yesterday to stick to its bank 

secrecy laws, defying renewed pressure to follow Luxembourg 

in revealing information on European Union depositors 

with governments to clamp down on tax evasion. 

The issue of tax havens and bank secrecy was a lastminute 

addition to the agenda of informal talks of European 

Union inance ministers in Dublin. Cyprus's bailout 

and extending loan repayments for Portugal and Ireland 

are also under discussion. Austria is a minority of one in 

defending its right to keep secrecy. 

"Austria is sticking to bank secrecy," the country's inance 

minister, Maria Fekter, told reporters before the 

irst day of talks. She said she did not believe an automat- 

ic exchange of information was needed, as is accepted in 

other EU countries, and that such a step would be an invasion 

of privacy rights. 

Ministers are set to agree to give Ireland and Portugal 

seven more years to repay bailout loans from the European 

Union. 

Their support for extending loan maturities for Portugal 

is likely to be conditional on Lisbon inding new ways 

to meet its 2013 budget targets, thrown into doubt by 

the constitutional court's ruling that rejected some earlier 

planned measures. Euro zone ministers attending are 

also to give their backing to a 10 billion euro bailout plan 

for Cyprus. — Reuters

18 OMAN/INTERNATIONAL 

SMEs to get a boost from logistics 

conference: Sohar Port CEO 


MUSCAT — The upcoming GCC Supply 

Chain and Logistics Summit will offer a 

major illip to the continuous attention 

paid by the government to boost the SME 

sector in the country, according to Andre 

Toet, CEO, Port of Sohar. 

The GCC Supply Chain and Logistics 

Conference will be held on April 15-16, 

2013 at Al Bustan Palace — A Ritz Carlton 

Hotel. 

In comments to the Observer, Port of 

Sohar CEO said the forum will provide 

strong impetus to the national economy 

and to the region as a whole. 

“The GCC Supply Chain and Logistics 

Conference is to put Oman on the logistics 

map of the world and the GCC. Oman has 

to showcase its strategic location and fully 

focus on developing itself as a logistics 

hub for the GCC and the Indian Ocean Rim. 

By having attracted well known speakers 

Business leaders call for changes 

in corporate reporting 

By A Staff Reporter 

MUSCAT — With the effectiveness of corporate 

reporting under the spotlight in 

the wake of the inancial crisis, KPMG has 

published a new report which brings together 

a range of leaders in their ield discussing 

the direction that reporting needs 

to take. 

The report — The future of corporate 

reporting: towards a common vision — 

contains the views of inluential igures 

from key different vantage points in the 

inancial chain: preparers, users, standard-setters, 

regulators, auditors. 

KPMG’s global chairman Michael 

Andrew, writing in the foreword 

of the report, says: “If there is one point 

of consensus, it is that corporate reporting 

deinitely needs to move on. 

It has to evolve if it is to be it for purpose 

in a rapidly changing world.” Andrew 

adds that good corporate reporting 

has an important role to play “in helping 

to restore the trust that has been lost.” 

Common themes in the interviews 

include: the need to make corporate 

reports more forward-looking; how to 

achieve a balance between too much information 

and too little; how to provide 

more useful real-time information and 

to deal with ‘Big Data’; the proper role 

of narrative reporting in the ‘front end’; 

whether the notion of ‘integrated re- 

from all over the world, this will create 

this focus on logistics and the position of 

Oman”. 

Additionally, the conference will be able 

to contribute to the GDP and to the overall 

economic growth of the country in a 

number of ways. A number of key experts 

will provide their views on how to further 

develop Oman in the area of logistics, as 

well as spur employment generation. 

“Oman has invested a lot in port infrastructure, 

roads, and so on, and will invest 

in the future GCC railway. The country 

needs to utilise those investments to its 

maximum, by further developing Oman as 

a strategic hub.” 

He further said the conference will 

shed more light on the development of logistics, 

infrastructure projects, and so on, 

thereby enabling Oman to play its key role 

as a hub. Ease of doing business is the next 

step to further develop Oman as a strategic 

hub. 

porting’ could 

be the “next 

big thing”; and 

whether there 

is a need for 

more detailed 

reporting from 

the auditor 

and/or for the 

auditor to give 

assurance over 

a wider range 

of risks. 

Joachim Schindler, Global Head of Audit 

at KPMG, says that auditors would be willing 

to expand the content of their audit reports, 

if the agreed parameters were right: 

“As long as we have clear lines of responsibility, 

we are in favour of expanding the 

auditor’s report. We have to do this. The 

issue is deining what more we should report.” 

Ahmed Tufail (pictured), Audit 

Director with KPMG Oman emphasised 

on the importance of this report and 

its implication on shaping new standards. 

He says “Oman has been one of the 

irst countries to formally adopt IFRS in 

the region. The growing needs of capital 

market for more useful information to 

stakeholders will need to be considered 

by Accounting Standards Setting Boards 

around in the world.” 

Certiicates of deposit tender results 

MUSCAT — Certiicates of deposit tender 

was held at the Central Bank of Oman 

(CBO) last week. The total amount allotted 

for issue No 812 was RO 378 million. 

A bulletin issued by the CBO stated that 

the average interest rate of these certiicates 

was 0.13 per cent whilst the maximum 

accepted interest rate was 0.13 per 

cent. The tenor of these certiicates is 28 

Germany’s JAB to buy Douwe 

Egberts irm in $9.8 bn deal 

AMSTERDAM — German investor Joh A 

Benckiser (JAB) is to buy the owner of 

Douwe Egberts coffee in a 7.5 billion euro 

($9.8 billion) deal to form a global hot 

drinks empire aimed at taking on market 

leaders Nestle and Mondelez. 

D E Master Blenders 1753, the Dutch 

owner of Douwe Egberts coffee and Pickwick 

tea, said yesterday it had reached 

conditional agreement on a 12.50 euros 

per share cash takeover offer from a group 

of investors led by JAB. 

JAB, the investment vehicle of the billionaire 

Reimann family, has been building 

a hot drinks business in a bid to tap strong 

growth driven by new products, such as 

single-serve coffee brewers, and demand 

from emerging markets. 

Its brands include Caribou Coffee Co 

Inc and Peet's Coffee & Tea Inc in the United 

States, while D E Master Blenders will 

give it a strong position in Europe. 

The offer is below JAB's original proposal 

of 12.75 euros per share, but still 

represents a 36 per cent premium to D E 

Master Blenders' average closing share 

price in the three months to March 27, 

when the initial proposal was disclosed. 

Analysts said the price compared favourably 

with recent similar deals and 

saw little chance of a rival bid, not least 

because JAB already owns around 15 per 

cent of D E Master Blenders, meaning it 

will actually pay about 6.4 billion euros. 

"We consider the probability of a higher 

offer to be slim," said KBC Securities 

days and their maturity date is on May 8. 

The certiicates of deposit issued to licensed 

banks by the CBO as a monetary 

policy instrument aimed at absorbing 

excess liquidity at the banking sector in 

particular and maintaining stability of 

the interest rate and the money market in 

general. The Repo rate during April 10 to 

16 is one per cent. — ONA 

analysts Pascale Weber and Jan-Willem 

Billiet in a note, recommending investors 

accept the offer. 

They said the price represented a ratio 

of enterprise value (debt plus equity) to 

forecast earnings before interest, tax, depreciation 

and amortisation (EBITDA) for 

2014 of 15.7 times. By comparison, analysts 

have pointed to the recent takeover 

of Heinz, which was done at a 2013 

EV/EBITDA of 14.6 times. 

D E Master Blenders declined to specify 

why the offer price had been reduced 

from the initial proposal and chief executive 

Jan Bennink, who will step down after 

the takeover, said it had not had contacts 

with other potential buyers. 

At 0940 GMT, its stock was down 0.4 

per cent at 12.18 euros. — Reuters 

SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2013


GCC Supply Chain and Logistics Conference 2 

THE implications for Oman’s 

transport and logistics sector 

post the establishment of 

a high-speed national rail network 

will be detailed at the GCC Supply 

Chain and Logistics Conference, set 

to take place during April 15-16 at Al 

Bustan Palace — A Ritz Carlton Hotel. 

An entire session, dubbed ‘The Game 

Changer — Oman and GCC Railway 

Project’, has been allocated to this 

keenly anticipated topic on the second 

day of the two-day forum. 

Abdulrahman al Hatmi, Director 

of the Oman Railway Project at the 

Ministry of Transport and Communications, 

will kick off deliberations on 

ongoing efforts to design and develop 

a modern passenger and freight based 

railway system running the length and 

breadth of the Sultanate. Estimated to 

cost in the order of RO 6 billion, the 

project will initial run from Buraimi 

in the northwest to Sohar, and onward 

to Muscat and Duqm. 

The roughly 1,061 km alignment 

envisaged in Phase 1 of the project 

also takes the railway line to Muscat, 

Nizwa, Ibra and Sinaw. Onward connectivity 

with Thamrait and Salalah, 

as well as Al Mazyounah on the bor- 

der with Yemen, is also a priority for 

the Omani government once technical 

challenges related to the alignment 

and terrain are addressed. 

Rail-based logistics are a key topic 

for discussion at the GCC Supply Chain 

and Logistics Conference, organised 

by Al Nimr Expo in collaboration with 

the Ministry of Transport and Communications. 

Also backing the forum 

are the Oman Logistics and Supply 

Chain Association (under formation), 

the Chartered Institute of Logistics 

and Transport (CILT), and the Embassy 

of the Kingdom of the Netherlands 

in Muscat. Oman Establishment 

for Press, Publication and Advertising 

(OEPPA), represented by the newly 

established Communications and 

Special Projects Department, is a Strategic 

Partner. 

The session on the Oman-GCC railway 

project will also feature presentations 

by a number of international 

experts who will provide their perspectives 

on experiences and lessons 

learnt from the European Union’s 

perspective. Speakers include Anders 

Lundberg, Senior Consultant — Vectura, 

Stockholm and Former Director 

of Swedish Rail; and Micheal A Bedke, 

Co-Chair of the Rail Sector, Partner, 

DLA Piper, US. An overview of the 

UAE’s immense success in developing 

the trappings of a rail network will be 

provided by a senior executive of Etihad 

Rail. 

Later, a panel discussion will deliberate 

on the challenges and opportunities 

linked to the development of a 

pan-GCC railway network. The panel- 

lists will debate the challenges of developing 

a common GCC-level technical, 

legal and regulatory framework. 

Experts are of the opinion that 

Oman’s National Rail Network has the 

potential to serve as a ‘land corridor’ 

for the movement of freight between 

the country’s principal maritime gateways 

at Salalah and Sohar, on the one 

hand, and the rest of the GCC, on the 

other. Integrated with the GCC-wide 

rail network, the national rail system 

can effectively help international 

shippers bypass the sensitive Strait of 

Hormuz waterway to get their goods 

safely into and out of the Gulf region. 

This, in effect, makes the national rail 

project a logistics game-changer, it is 

stressed. 

It is understood that the 165km 

Sohar-Buraimi segment of the network 

will among the irst sections of 

the rail project be the irst to be taken 

in hand for implementation, given 

the strong potential for an early 

uptake of rail-based freight services 

between the industrial port and the 

Gulf states. 

Sohar Industrial Port Company 

(SIPC), which operates and manages 

the Port of Sohar and the adjoining 

Freezone Sohar, says it has been liaising 

the Omani authorities to ensure 

that its key industrial tenants and logistics 

service providers are suitably 

integrated with the national network. 

SIPC has also been studying the 

rail connectivity requirements of Vale 

Oman, which operates a huge iron 

ore pelletising plant, Oman International 

Container Terminal (OICT), and 

C Steinweg Oman, which operates a 

general cargo terminal at the port. 

The port authority says it is preparing 

for a more intensive study with 

assistance from a Dutch company to 

ensure that rail connectivity with the 

port and free zone is optimised. It is 

also working to ensure improved rail 

connectivity with Abu Dhabi in the 

United Arab Emirates. 

Freight volumes expected to be 

generated by Sohar Port are projected 

in the range of 12 million tons per 

year in 2016, dominated primarily 

by shipments of iron ore pellets from 

Vale’s operations to DRI steel mills in 

Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Other 

cargoes expected to be transported 

by rail include shipping containers, 

aluminium ingots, and dry bulk merchandise. 

Freight volumes are expected 

to burgeon once major industrial 

schemes such as Jindal Shadeed Iron 

and Steel and Vale Oman expand the 

capacities of their respective plants, it 

is learnt. 

But it is Salalah Port that authorities 

have billed as key to the long- 

OMAN/INTERNATIONAL 

Oman Railway Project — the logistics game-changer 

Oman Establishment for Press, Publication 

and Advertising (OEPPA), 

represented by the Communications 

and Special Projects Department, is 

supporting the two-day conference 

as a Strategic Partner. 

Asian markets slip at end of strong week 

HONG KONG — Asian markets fell 

yesterday at the end of a strong week 

for equities and the dollar, despite another 

record day for US stocks on Wall 

Street fuelled by upbeat jobs data. 

Dealers are keeping tabs on the 

currency markets as the dollar approaches 

the 100-yen level, not seen 

for four years, while the euro dipped 

following an announcement from Cyprus 

that the cost of its bailout had 

expanded. 

Tokyo fell 0.45 per cent, or 61.28 

points, to 13,487.88, with proit-takers 

moving in to reap the beneits of 

a rally of about 10 per cent since the 

Bank of Japan's huge stimulus plan 

last week. 

Seoul lost 1.31 per cent, or 25.57 

points, to end at 1,924.23 amid simmering 

tensions on the Korean peninsula. 

But Sydney rose 0.13 per cent, or 

6.4 points, to 5,013.5. 

Hong Kong was lat, edging down 

12.22 points to 22,089.05, while 

Shanghai fell 0.58 per cent, or 12.77 

points, to 2,206.78. 

Regional markets have enjoyed a 

bright week, in line with a global advance, 

with the Bank of Japan's promise 

of huge spending to ight delation 

sending the yen tumbling and stocks 

soaring. 

Soft inlation igures from China 

also tempered fears of monetary 

tightening from Beijing, which provided 

regional support. 

US investors provided a positive 

lead after the Labour Department 

said new claims for unemployment 

beneits came in at 346,000 last week, 

below the forecast 365,000 and a 

sharp fall from the previous week. 

A Chinese investor naps in front of screens showing stock information at 

a brokerage house in Qingdao, Shandong province, yesterday. — Reuters 

On Wall Street the Dow climbed 

0.42 per cent and the S&P 500 rose 

0.36 per cent, both inishing at record 

highs for a second straight day. The 

tech-rich Nasdaq added 0.09 per cent. 

On foreign exchange markets 

the dollar eased but hovered below 

the 100-yen mark, which it has not 

breached since April 2009. 

The dollar bought 99.31 yen in Tokyo 

trade, compared with 99.73 yen 

in New York late on Thursday. The 

greenback came within a whisker of 

the key marker on Thursday, hitting 

99.95 yen at one point. 

The euro was at $1.3061 and 

129.74 yen, compared with $1.3096 

and 130.68 yen. 

The European single currency 

edged down on renewed concerns 

over Cyprus, which said on Thursday 

the cost of its EU-IMF rescue package 

had surged to 23 billion euros 

($30 billion) from 17.5 billion euros, 

putting it back in danger of collapse. 

The rise means Nicosia will now 

have to ind 6.0 billion euros more 

than irst quoted in an agreement 

reached on March 25 in order to secure 

an EU-IMF contribution of 10 

billion euros. 

Global markets were rocked last 

month after Cyprus said it would tax 

all deposits to ind the matching cash. 

While that was changed to protect 

small savers, those with more than 

100,000 euros will still be hit. 

A source close to talks in Cyprus 

said its inancing needs had 

"evolved". 

"Notably, while the restructuring 

of the inancial sector will now be 

very largely inanced through private 

means, the projected iscal needs of 

the state have increased as a result of 

the deeper-than-expected recession," 

the source said. 

Eyes are also on the stand-off between 

North Korea and South Korea 

and the United States after Pyongyang 

threatened a thermo-nuclear war. 

US President Barack Obama urged 

the North to end its "belligerent approach" 

as US oficials sought to 

downplay a leaked intelligence report 

suggesting Pyongyang could ire a nuclear-tipped 

missile. 

Oil prices were lower, with New 

York's main contract, light sweet 

crude for delivery in May, down 58 

cents to $92.93 a barrel in the afternoon 

and Brent North Sea crude 

for May delivery losing 57 cents to 

$103.70. 

Gold was at $1,557.30 an ounce at 

0815 GMT compared with $1,558.48 

late on Thursday. 

In other markets: 

Taipei fell 0.46 per cent, or 36.35 

points, to 7,821.63. 

Hon Hai fell 2.36 per cent to 

Tw$78.6 while TSMC was 0.99 per 

cent down at Tw$100.5. 

Manila closed 0.87 per cent 

higher, adding 59.69 points 6,891.43. 

SM Investments added 1.43 per 

cent to 1,135 pesos, while Ayala Corp. 

rose 0.84 per cent to 602 pesos and 

DMCI Holdings surged 5.78 per cent 

to 60.40 pesos. 

Wellington closed 0.59 per cent, 

or 26.23 points, higher at 4,435.77. 

Fletcher Building was up 0.70 per 

cent at NZ$8.66, Contact Energy rose 

2.47 per cent to NZ$5.81 and Telecom 

was steady at NZ$2.43. — AFP 

term success of a ‘land corridor’ for 

moving rail-based freight between 

Omani ports and destinations across 

the Gulf. 

The logistics hub overlooking the 

Indian Ocean currently handles 3.5 

million TEUs of containers per year 

and has plans to eventually lift this 

capacity to 10 million TEUs per year. 

General cargoes are also growing in 

volume and variety at the maritime 

gateway. 

Rail connectivity between Salalah 

Port and GCC network, say experts, 

has the potential to encourage international 

shippers to use Salalah as a 

transshipment point for merchandise 

lowing in and out of the Gulf. Railbased 

transit of goods to and from 

Salalah is not only faster than sea- 

19 

Global thinker Robert Kaplan 

to address conference 

NAMED one of the world’s “100 

Top Global Thinkers” in 2011 and 

2012 by the Foreign Policy magazine, 

Robert D Kaplan, Chief Geopolitical 

Analyst for Stratfor — a private global 

intelligence irm, will give a keynote 

speech at the GCC Supply Chain and 

Logistics Conference on April 15, 

2013 at the Al Bustan Palace — A Ritz 

Carlton Hotel. 

Kaplan is the author of 14 books on 

foreign affairs and travelstranslated 

into many languages. He is a foreign 

correspondent for The Atlantic for 

over a quarter–century and is dubbed 

Robert D Kaplan 

as one of the ‘most widely read’ authors. 

In the 1980s, Kaplan was the irst American writer to warn in print 

about a future war in the Balkans. His book, Balkan Ghosts was chosen 

by The New York Times Book Review as one of the “best books” of 1993. 

The Arabists, The Ends of the Earth, An Empire Wilderness, Eastward to 

Tartary, and Warrior Politics were all chosen by The New York Times as 

“notable” books of the year. An Empire Wilderness was chosen by The 

Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times as one of the best books of 

1998. The Wall Street Journal named The Arabists as one of the best ive 

books written about America’s historical involvement in the Middle 

East. 

A provocative essayist, Kaplan described Oman as an example of 

how globalisation at its best is built on vigorous localisms that survive 

the onslaught of destructive commercial forces. In his book titled “Monsoon”, 

he cited that “Although Oman’s inluence declined with the age of 

steam, it is now recovering with newly enlarged container ports, with 

Salalah becoming a major global transshipment centre for A P Moller 

— Maersk — one of the largest container terminal irms in the world. 

He likewise cited Sohar as one of the world’s largest port developments, 

as well as maritime and industrial hubs. 

During the GCC Supply Chain and Logistics Conference, Kaplan will 

share his views on Oman being conigured as the Gulf countries’ alternative 

link to the outer world. He will provide key insights on the various 

opportunities of Oman as the next potential trans-shipment hub. 

TOKYO/WASHINGTON — Japan and 

the United States have agreed on a 

deal to allow Tokyo to join talks on 

a US-led Asia-Paciic free trade pact 

that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is 

making a keystone of his strategy to 

open Japan's economy and spur longsought 

growth. 

The agreement brings Japan closer 

to entering talks on the Trans-Paciic 

Partnership (TPP), which Japan 

hopes to participate in as early as 

July. 

"Japan and the United States have 

reached an agreement on Japan's 

participation in the TPP talks," Abe 

told reporters yesterday after a meeting 

with cabinet ministers. 

"I think Japan's national interests 

are protected under this US-Japan 

agreement," he said, adding he hoped 

Japan could take part in the negotiations 

as soon as possible. 

In Washington, Acting US Trade 

Representative Demetrios Marantis 

said Japan had agreed to "a robust 

package of actions and agreements" 

to address US concerns in the automotive, 

insurance and other sectors. 

"As a result, we are pleased to welcome 

Japan's participation in the TPP 

negotiations pending a consensus 

agreement among the current TPP 

members and the completion of our 

respective domestic processes," Marantis 

said. 

Still, a key US lawmaker reserved 

judgement on the deal. 

"I will not support Japan's entry 

into TPP unless we obtain airtight 

assurances that Japan's participation 

in the TPP negotiations will neither 

diminish the comprehensive and am- 

based transshipment, but also delivers 

signiicant cost beneits to shippers, 

it is pointed out. 

For example, freight trains travelling 

at a proposed speed of 120 km 

per hour can get containerised goods 

to their destinations in the Gulf, in 

some cases, 5 to 6 days earlier than 

if transshipped by sea. Additional 

steaming time into the Upper Gulf, 

plus days spent by the container 

idling at a transshipment hub, can add 

to shipping costs, it is noted. 

More importantly, shippers and 

shipping lines can bypass the Hormuz 

Straits, passage through which typically 

attracts higher insurance costs 

and other risks, particularly during 

periods of political tension in the Arabian 

Gulf. 

Japan, US agree on Tokyo 

joining TPP talks 

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 

bitious nature of these negotiations 

nor delay the goal of concluding the 

negotiations this year," said House 

of Representatives Ways and Means 

Committee Chairman Dave Camp, a 

Michigan Republican. 

Abe last month announced his 

decision to join the trade talks — despite 

ierce opposition from Japan's 

politically powerful farm lobby — as 

part of a "third arrow" in his "Abenomics" 

policy triad, after iscal 

spending and drastic monetary policy 

easing. 

Japan needs formal approval by 

all 11 participating countries to take 

part in the talks. If Japan does join, 

the pact would cover an area that 

accounts for almost 40 per cent of 

world economic output. 

The US-Japan agreement allows 

the White House to give Congress 

90-days' notice that it plans to start 

trade negotiations in time for Japan 

to participate in a July round of TPP 

talks. — Reuters

Rent-A-Car 

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 

MARBLE Marble 

polishing and 

crystallisation building, 

cleaning floor, floor 

polishing, carpet, sofa 

shampooing, pest 

control, anti-termite, 

shifting, maintenance. 

99504275. 

· · · · · 

HOOPOE SMART 

CARD SERVICES Sanad 

Service Centre 

We provide the 

following services: 

Typing, clearing all 

transactions related 

to government 

departments and 

private sector, eg 

labour agreement for 

Omanis and expatriates, 

typing of labour 

card for expatriates, 

typing of visas and 

document clearing 

from immigration 

department, Ministry of 

Commerce & Industry, 

Ministry of Manpower, 

Commercial names 

reservation, renewal of 

commercial registration, 

renewal of OCCI 

membership, attestation 

of all documents from 

OCCI & Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs. Renewal 

of labour cards through 

electronic payment or 

cash payment. Please 

note you may deliver 

your transaction 

through our e-mail 

and our representative 

will deliver it to your 

ofice personally after 

completion. Our address 

is: Ruwi, near Gulf 

Transport Co. (GTC), 

Fax: 24793331, GSM: 

98793665 (Direct) 

99231500. 

E-mail: hoopoeoman@ 

gmail.com 

AL FAHAD 

TRANSLATION 

SERVICES 

Translation of all 

kinds of legal, medical, 

and other types of 

documents, Commercial 

Agencies, etc. Ruwi, near 

Gulf Transport Co (GTC), 

Fax: 24794286. GSM: 

98793665 (Direct) 

95959838. E-mail: 

bptland@gmail.com 

LANDRAIL TRADING 

& SERVICES (Smart 

Card) Ruwi, near 

Gulf Transport Co. 

(GTC), Tel: 24789117, 

GSM 98793666 (Dir), 

96777170. E-mail: 

landrailoman@gmail. 

com 

· · · · · 

Services 

PEST CONTROL 

OMAN CO. LLC. 

Supply of 

Pesticides, 

Gel (Cockroaches), 

Public Health 

chemicals, 

Agriculture 

chemicals, 

Snake repellent, 

Rodent 

baits and 

other insect 

repellent from 

Agropharm 

Ltd UK. 

PROFESSIONALS 

in Pest Control Service, Bedbug 

Treatment, Rodent 

Treatment, Snake Treatment 

and Termite Treatment 

(Pre and Post Construction). 

Tel: 24787606 / 24787503 

Fax: 24787607 

E-mail: pcomctom@omantel.net.om 

P. O. Box: 233, Wadi Kabir, 

Postal Code: 117, 

SULTANATE OF OMAN 

FOR Building 

maintenances and 

repairs. 95218056 

· · · · · 

INSTALLING, transferring 

furniture. 92471173. 

· · · · · 

INSTALLING, transferring 

furniture. 98949690. 

· · · · · 

1. AC, Fridge & Washing 

Machine Servicing & 

Repairing 2. Painting, 

Plumbing, Electrical 

& Carpentry Works. 

Contact: 97014234/ 

97123569, 24504281. 

· · · · · 

MURAHIB HOTEL 

APARTMENTS 

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. 

· · · · · 

REQUIRE Computer 

Engineer, specialised 

in networking and 

hardware. Contact: 

99337414. 

· · · · · 

Wanted female in 

marketing. 

92868636. 

· · · · · 

Guest House 

For Sale 

REAL estate services, 

renting, selling and 

brokerage for lands, 

construction contracting 

with special prices and 

service. 94222882. 

· · · · · 

Situation Vacant 

SALES clerks 

required. • Two clerks 

• Experience in the 

field of decor • Fluent 

Arabic/English skills 

• Holding a valid 

licence. 95453149. 

· · · · · 

Saturday 

APRIL 13, 2013 JUMADA AL THANIA 2, 1434 AH 

www.omanobserver.om facebook.com/oman observer twitter.com/omanobserver editor@omanobserver.om AppStore 

For Rent 

SAVILLS OMAN 

QUALITY homes 

for rent throughout 

Capital Area 

Muscat. Contact: 

24692151. 

www.sav-oman. 

com 

OFFICES, shops, 

lats (Al Khuwair), 

furnished 1 bedroom 

deluxe lats (Al 

Ghubra), new 6 

bedroom villas 

(Mumtaz), lats (Wadi 

Kabir) 

96596348. 

· · · · · 

EXCELLENT 4 bedroom 

apartment with utilities 

in Al Hail. 92817777. 

· · · · · 

A BUILDING at Falaj 

A’Sham, besides the 

express way, consists of 

wide shops, 16 lats with 

ACs and kitchens. 

22019136, 97719555. 

· · · · · 

A FLAT for rent in 

Wattayah near Abu 

Bakir Mosque (5 

bedrooms and 3 wash 

rooms), recently 

renovated, suitable for 

single company staff. For 

enquiries contact. 

99245088. 

· · · · · 

RESIDENTIAL Villa 5 

bedrooms, 2 sitting 

rooms, fully furnished at 

Al Ghubrah near Indian 

School. 

93632943, 

24482230. 

· · · · · 

FLAT for rent in Al 

Hail South near Sultan 

School, 3 bedrooms, 

furnished. 95120900. 

· · · · · 

SHOWROOM/Shops for 

rent in Barka industrial 

area. 99374727. 

· · · · · 

A BUILDING in south 

Al Hail consisting of 18 

apartments and 6 shops 

with ACs. The apartment 

consists of two rooms 

and a living room, to be 

rented to one direction 

or certiied companies. 

94222882. 

· · · · · 

VILLA for rent in 

Wattayah 3 bedroom. 

99071071, 

99469636. 

· · · · · 

PENTHOUSE, 3 

bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 

kitchen & sitting room, 

balcony. 99332907. 

· · · · · 

Car Buy & Sell 

IF you are interested 

to sell your cars, send 

SMS, we pay cash. 

Contact: 99333088. 

FRIENDS MANPOWER: 

Filipino housemaids 

and all kinds of workers. 

24489268 Tel/Fax: 

24478153. 

· · · · · 

Umra/Haj 

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. 

ILYA MANPOWER 

HOUSEMAIDS 

available from 

Philippines, Sri 

Lanka & Africa. 

All types of 

SKILLED 

WORKERS 

(Waiters, 

Cooks, Drivers, 

Constructions, 

Industrials, Hotels 

& Ministries...) 

Tel/Fax: 

22050086 

Hail Shimaly al Jabri 

Bldg, next to Bahja 

Mall. 

Sale/Rent/Purchase 

REQUIRED immediately 

on sale, lease or 

purchase plots in Seeb 

or nearest places. We 

sell your industrial and 

commercial land. 

95490842, 

99323957. 

· · · · · 

Good News 

ALL Season clinic 

Ayurvedic Treatment, 

Yoga massage & 

slimming. Contact: 

92504980/24475280. 

· · · · · 

Manpower 

CLASSIFIED SECTION: 

FREE 

INFORMATION 

ABOUT ISLAM 

If you would like to 

know more about 

Islam, please call: 

Tel : 99425598, 

96050000, 99353988, 

99253818, 99341395, 

99379133, For ladies: 

99415818, 99321360, 

99730723 

Or visit: 

www.islamfact.com 

KIA Sportage EXI TE, 

4WD, 2009 model for 

sale. 98262308. 

· · · · · 

2007 - 2008 Model 

used cars for sale, three 

Corollas (M/T) and one 

Yaris (A/T). 

99563922. 

· · · · · 

Vehicle Sale 

Buying/Selling 

BUY and sell — Land 

anywhere in Muscat 

97222272. 

· · · · · 

Driving School 

MORNING STAR 

DRIVING SCHOOL — 

Learn driving manual/ 

automatic with 

professionally 

qualified male/ female 

trainees in brand new 

cars and flexible 

payments. Call: 

99043283, 

24478589, 24478505, 

www.chamberman. 

com/member/ 

morningstar www. 

morningstar.com 

· · · · · 

Ali al Maashari: 99639264 

Salim al Naamani: 99355675 

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

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

Available on very GOOD prices 

HP 1050 Wireless Printer 

RO 13.900 only 

HP 4610 4 in 1 Printer 


HP OJ 8100 wifi Printer 


HP LED 18.5” Monitor 


AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, 

Samsung Cartridges also available 

COMPUTER SUPPLIES 

Ruwi: 24792792 

INDIAN male, 19 years 

experience as purchase 

executive in electronics, 

valid Omani driving 

licence seeks immediate 

placement. Contact 

95621591. 

· · · · · 

POSTGRADUATE in 

Organic Chemistry, 19 

years experience in 

perfumes, cosmetics 

personal & home care 

products manufacturing 

seeks suitable 

placement. Contact 

93080448. E-mail: 

sajivila@gmail.com 

· · · · · 

INDIAN female, 28 

years, MSc with good 

computer knowledge 

and 4 years experience 

in Oman, looking 

for good placement. 

99189614. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, MBA, 

15 years in Oman, 

working as Asst 

Manager, experience 

in supply chain mgmt, 

domestic and export 

sales, logistics, import 

export mgmt, purchase 

and inventory mgmt. 

Contact: 91141206. 

· · · · · 

GOOD PRICE!!! GOOD PRICE!!! 

REQUIRED 

MOTOR GRADER 

OPERATOR (FINAL LEVEL) 

WITH VALID GCC LICENCE 

PERSONS WHO ARE INTERESTED 

MAY CONTACT IMMEDIATELY 

STRABAG OMAN LLC 

P. O. BOX 444, MUSCAT, P. C. 100 

E-mail: 444CV100@gmail.com 

DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590 

e-mail: classified@omandaily.om 

PORTA CABINS / TURNKEY CAMPS 

Our Services Manufacturing, Erection, Mobilization. 

Our Products Camps, Kitchens, Offices, Ablutions 

Phone 24503725 Fax 24503723 

Mobile 95228450 Mobile 99277505 

e-mail info@speedhouseoman.com 

Web www.speedhouseoman.com 

SPEED HOUSE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION LLC 

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

Situation Wanted 

ASST General Manager, 

MCom, MBA, Indian 

male, 25 years 

experience (10 in India, 

3 in Saudi Arabia & 12 

in Oman) as Finance 

Manager, capable to 

handle overall business 

operations as Asst 

General Manager to 

develop and grow 

the business (Ready 

to join immediately). 

Please contact: 

99509450. E-mail: 

gm.anand2013@yahoo. 

com 

· · · · · 

FINANCE MANAGER, 

MCom, MBA, Indian 

male 25 years 

experience (including 

3 in Saudi Arabia 

& 12 in Oman) in 

Accounts, Finance, 

Budgeting, Cashlow, 

MIS Reports & Business 

development. (Ready to 

join immediately) Please 

contact: 94117488, 

E-mail: fmanand@ 

yahoo.com. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 

graduate, Logistics/ 

HR/Admin, 10 years 

exp, holding Omani 

driving licence, seeks 

suitable placement. 

94463777. 

· · · · · 

al-haditha 

AUTO REPAIR 

CENTRE 

(ROP approved Grade A Workshop) 

HURRY! HURRY! 

FREE AC CHECKUP 

with every Service 

of your Vehicle 

50% DISCOUNT 

on every 3rd Service 

(Offer valid for a limited period only) 

Conditions apply 

Best Mechanical & 

Electrical Repairs 

Top Class Denting & Painting 

with Quality Service at Very 

Reasonable cost 

Call: 24595951/Fax: 24597979 

Workshop@ahoman.com 

www.AlHadithaOman.com 

Tours 

DOLPHIN WATCHING 

Snorkelling & Sunset 

Trip 

Private Luxury Yacht 

charter 

For booking: 

94110088 

Coral Ocean Tours LLC 

E-mail: 

coraloceantours@ 

gmail.com 

Web: www. 

coraloceantours.com 

MARINE Tourism 

92808636, e-mail: 

info@alainain.com 

LOOKING for job, House 

boy/ House hold etc 

well educated well 

mannered and faithful 

+ Honest worked for 

any families. Please call: 

93285453. 

· · · · · 

10 YEARS experienced, 

sales and store keeper 

looking for job. 

96101540 

· · · · · 

ACCOUNTANT having 

7 years experience 

and 5 years middle 

east experience in the 

ield of Construction, 

Accounts and 

Administration with 

knowledge of SAP 

software. Currently 

in Oman on visit visa, 

seeking for suitable 

position. Contact 

93630285/96536295, 

E-mail: juryckpdel@ 

yahoo.com. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male B Tech 

electronics and 

instrumentation 

engineer having 2yrs 

experience in Oil & 

Gas projects in India 

seeking suitable 

position in projects, 

design & maintenance 

NOC-Release available: 

91154728. 

· · · · · 

Classifieds 

Continued on P21

INDIAN male, 23 years 

BBM knowledge in 

Tally, MS Ofice, two 


sales in Oman, looking 

for suitable vacancies in 

ofice job: 99853194. 

· · · · · 

ASST general manager, 

M.Com, MBA, Indian 

male, 25 years 

experience (10 in India, 

3 in Saudi Arabia and 

12 in Oman) as inance 

manager, capable to 

handle overall business 

operations as Asst. 

general manager to 

develop and grow the 

business (Ready to join 

immediately). Please . 

contact: 99509450. 

E-mail: gm.anand2013@ 

yahoo.com 

· · · · · 

B-Tech electrical 

engineer (age- 

26) with 4 years 

experience in power 

distribution (switch 

gear projects), seeking 

a suitable placement in 

marketing/sales sector. 

Having valid Oman 

driving licence. Contact: 

98568796. E-mail: 

jijishkumartv@gmail.com 

· · · · · 

B-Tech mechanical 

engineer (age-27) with 

51 / years experience 

2 

in construction 

industry (structural 

steel projects, oil and 

gas piping jobs, MEP 

projects), seeks a 

suitable placement in 

procurement/sales 

sector. Having valid 

Oman driving licence. 

Contact: 

95124592. E-mail: 

aneeshmenon999@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 23 years, 

BSc graduate knows 

English, Hindi, working 

in a construction 

company as accountant 

and ofice incharge. 

knows MS Word, Excel, 

Tally, PowerPoint, 

Internet suring, 

Photoshop, valid Omani 

driving licence. Contact 

92612927. E-mail: 

imanulal@gmail.com 

· · · · · 

MASTERS in journalism, 

communication, 

Finance Masters, 

excellent English, 

communication 

skills, writing 

abilities, Oman, India 

inance experience. 

Arabic speaking, 

seeks co-operate 

communication/similar 

role. Immediate joining. 

99283938. 

· · · · · 


INDIAN 23 years 

experience as 

electrician foreman/ 

site incharge, exp in 

Oman and UAE seeks 

job. Contact: 

95628937. 

· · · · · 

MECHANICAL engineer 

with professional 

certiicate in PPM, 6 

months experience in 

production ield seeks 

a suitable placement. 

Contact: 98947181. 

· · · · · 

SRI Lankan Quantity 

Surveyor, having 7 

years experience on 

hand including 4 years 

Middle East experience. 

Successfully completed 

higher national diploma 

in Civil Engineering 

(HNDE-BTECH-UK), 

advanced diploma in 

quantity surveying 

(City & Guids-UK). 

Currently working in 

Qatar, notice period 

30 days. Contact: 

974-66140218. E-mail: 

unaisnt@yahoo.com 

· · · · · 

SRI LANKAN Muslim, 

well experienced trust 

worthy (bus/light 

vehicle) driver (45 

age) worked in Saudi, 

speaking Arabic, Hindi 

and English. Looking for 

a suitable placement. 

Contact: 

+94776184096. 

· · · · · 

FILIPINA, female, BS in 

Commerce graduate, 

1 year experience in 

Oman as PA/executive 

secretary to the GM and 

4 yrs experience in UAE 

as operations oficer 

with secretarial skills 

in line with tourism 

industry, knowledge 

in MS Ofice, business 

correspondence and 

highly levelled customer 

service oriented. 

96893261158. E-mail: 

arcel77@yahoo.com 

· · · · · 

FEMALE, graduated 

from Sultan Qaboos 

University - Tourism 

Operations Management 

is looking for a 

suitable job. Two years 

experience on coordination. 

92440509/ 

95247995. noor_313@ 

hotmail.com 

· · · · · 

CIVIL Engineer 

(Diploma), 2 years 

experience, Omani D/L, 

seeks placement. 

96690396. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male 41 years, 

Diploma Engineering 

in Electronics with 10+ 

years of experience in 

sales in India (furniture 

industry), seeking 

suitable placement, 

holding valid 

Oman D/L. Contact 

96151002. E-mail: 

binomathew.2008@ 

rediffmail.com. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 41 

years accounts/ 

inance, data entry, 

computer operating, 

stores keeping, sales 

and purchase entries. 

BA (Eco), DCA, Auto- 

Cad, Tally 9 Wings, 

Focus A/C packages 

done. 10 years India 

exp in accounts, 

currently working 

in reputed company 

in Oman seeks 


95244766. 

· · · · · 

B TECH graduate in 

electrical, 2 years 

experience, Indian 

male, 27 years, seeks 


Please contact: 

95127014. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, BE 

Mechanical, 4 years 

experience, PG diploma 

in pipeline engineering, 


placement. 

98267801. 

· · · · · 

17 YEARS experienced 

Accountant, seeks 

suitable position. 

Contact: +968 

95370549 or e-mail: 

nilappana1970@ 

yahoo.co.in 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 

graduate having 

diploma in computer 

management, working 

as Logistics Supervisor 

(PDO approved) with 

14 years of experience 

in logistic ield in 

Oman, seeks suitable 

placement. Contact: 

96093876. 

· · · · · 

B. TECH (Electrical & 

Electronics) Engineer 

with 2 years experience 

in MEP projects, 

proicient in AutoCAD. 

Premavera with 

driving licence, seeks 


99790427. 

genius6551@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 

14 years in Oman, 

Indian male, English, 

Arabic, Hindi & Urdu 

speaking driver cum 

delivery salesman, 

seeks immediate 

replacement with 

local release. Driving 

licence valid till 

2020. Contact at 

92397408/99331481 

· · · · · 


years, MCom with 

valid Omani driving 

licence, more than 5 


marketing in Oman, 

looking for good 

placement. 

92238560. 

· · · · · 

DEGREE in Civil Engg 

(BE) 5 years exp in 

Muscat. Indian male 

(28) well exp in govt 

and multi storeyed 

projects, seeks suitable 

position in reputed 

company. Oil and gas 

preferred. Contact: 

96381205. E-mail: 

civilenggjob2013@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

CHARTERED 

Accountant Inter, 

Bachelors in Commerce 

and article ship 

from big 10 having 

more than 8 years of 

experience in audit 

and accountancy 

both nationally 

and internationally 


98508174 E-mail: 

zahidulhassangulf 

@gmail.com 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, MBA, 


in sales & marketing, 

having Omani D/L 

looking for suitable 

opening. Contact: 

95475833. 

· · · · · 



as HR Executive/ 

Administration (PDO 

Project) seeks a 

suitable placement 

92576038. E-mail: 

rijoshmp@gmail.com 

· · · · · 


years, BE in Electronics 

and Communication, 

2 years industry 

experience (telecom) 

and 4 years teaching 

experience in 

engineering college, 

good computer 

knowledge, presently 

in Oman. Contact: 

95915617. 

· · · · · 

PAYROLL & payable 

accountant , NOC 

release available, I 

will be available in 

Oman till April 20. 

BCom, 29 years, Indian 

male, total 7 years 

experience. Last 5½ 

yrs working in Oman 

as payroll & payable 

accountant. Also prefer 

inventory & logistic 

co-ordinator position, 

Can join immediately. 

96979350, 

98738602. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, BCom, 

10 + Gulf experience 

in admin, HR, 

operations, purchase, 

sales, marketing 

and banking, back 

ofice compliance 

with Oman/UAE D/L 

with 2 years visa 

transfer. 91015956/ 

99763107. E-mail: 

sas67672@yahoo.com, 

sasisuku1@gmail.com 

· · · · · 

Situation Wanted 

SRI LANKAN, 32 years, 

10 years experience in 

sales/ marketing ield, 

seeks placement as 

Senior sales executive/ 

sales/showroom 

manager. Contact: 

96953676. E-Mail: msa. 

iham@yahoo.com 

· · · · · 

INDIAN female, MBA 

(HR), 1½ years of 

experience, seeks 


Contact: 95662154. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male (23), BE 

Mechanical with one 

year experience seeks 


93638564, e-mail: 

rexmich31@gmail.com 

· · · · · 

ENGLISH language & 

communication skills/ 

soft skills trainer 

seeking employment 

(6+ years experience 

in corporate (MNC) & 

retail 

training sector. Call 

96538106. 

· · · · · 

TUNISIAN male, having 

4 years experience as 

Tourist Guide, knows 

English, Arabic, French, 

Spanish, Italian looking 

for suitable placement. 

Contact 92623297. 

· · · · · 


yrs) BE (elec and 

communication) 

having good 

experience at multinational 

IT company, 

good knowledge of 

hardware and software, 

seeks opportunity 

93252358. 

· · · · · 


M Sc postgraduate 

1½ years experience, 

seeks suitable job 

92532438, E-mail: 

bigsvp@gmail.com 

· · · · · 

NOC release available, 

B Com, Indian male, 29 

yrs, 7 yrs experience. 

Last 5½ yrs working 

in Oman as an 

accountant payroll 

and payable position 

looking for suitable 

placement. Also 

prefer HB & logistic 

co-ordinator position. 

Can join immediately 

96979350, 

98738602. 

· · · · · 


yrs, BE electronics 

and communication, 

2 yrs work experience 

in procurement/ 

administration 

(Dubai) seeks 

suitable job. Contact 

95986104. Email: 

rodriguespreethi@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

B.TECH Mechanical 

Engineer (Indian) with 


having valid Omani 

driving licence 


93952957. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 27, 

BTech, Electrical 

Engineering, 2 


Oman with Omani 

driving licence seeks 


93487256. 

· · · · · 

MBA (Finance), Indian 

male, 24 years, having 

one year experience in 

India as an Accountant, 

currently in Oman on 

visit visa, seeks suitable 

position. 92601455. 

E-mail: sharis246@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

IB-TECH mechanical 

engineer (Indian) with 


having valid Omani 

driving licence. Seeks 

placement. Contact 

93952957. 

· · · · · 


years, BE (Mechanical 

Engineer) with one 

year of experience 

as QA/QC Engineer 

in LNG project in 

India, holds CSWIP3.1 

and ASNT level II 

certiications, seeks 


93569223. E-mail: 

thufz00@gmail.com 

· · · · · 


MBA (Finance) with 


in inancial sector. 

Currently on visit visa, 

looking for immediate 

placement 

96329757, 92877083. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN female, 

26 MCA, 2 years 

experience in 

Software, family visa, 

preferred teaching 

profession seeks 


96704824. 

· · · · · 

COMPUTER Engineer, 

Iraqi male M Sc in 

Computer Science, 

Pune University, India, 

holding certiicates 

from Microsoft in 

MCITP Server 2008Rz, 

MCSA, MCTS, Network, 

Java language. E-mail: 

mohanadasw@hotmail. 

com 94369946. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male in Al 

Ghubra, has B.Com 

Degree, works 

Accountant with 

two years working 

experience looking 

for job like Computer 

Software. 

95089550, 99142416 

· · · · · 

MECHANICAL Engineer 

with 3 years experience 

available for any job 

96186976/ 

99482476. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male 26 

years, MCom having 

more than 5 years of 

experience (including 

CA Articleship) in 

Finance (Finalisation of 

accounts and cash low 

statements) with good 

proiciency in Tally, 

MS Ofice, Sap and 

AS 400 seek suitable 

placement. 

93267372. 

· · · · · 

CLASSIFIEDS 

INDIAN male 25 

years, BE Mechanical 

& Diploma in 

AutoCAD with 2 

years experience, 


position. Contact: 

92481817 or e-mail: 

mohammed241988@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 


MBA with 2 years 

experience, currently 

on visit visa, looking for 

immediate placement. 

Contact: 94269756. 

· · · · · 

IT Qualiied & Accounts 

Executive, having 


in accounts and 

Administration, seeks 


93888504. 

· · · · · 


yrs of teaching exp in 

Business in college in 

India, 3 yrs in business 

studies in international 

school in Oman, seeks 

placement in school, 

college. Contact: 

96040624. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, B Sc IT 

with MBA in marketing 

& management, 28 yrs, 

presently working in 

Godrej & Boyce in India, 

seeks suitable position. 

Contact: 99341622. 

· · · · · 

BE Electrical & 

Electronics engineer 

with 4 years 

experience, in 

Oman 2 years 

experience in MEP 

project, seeks 


93797378, 

96681536, e-mail: 

morshed602@gmail. 

com. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male, 23, CNC 

operator, mechanical 

engineering, computer 

numerical control & 

mechanical AutoCad. 

Contact: 99678941. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN female (29), 

work ex (2 years - 

India), 6 months (Oman 

with PDO contractors) 

looking for full/parttime/contract 

based 

job in Admin, HR, 

back ofice. Education: 

B Tech (CSE), MBA 

(HR), Final Sem, 

Contact 93653426, 

95328330. 

· · · · · 

EVENTS and Marketing 

Communication 

Professional with 18 

years of consolidated 

experience in Marketing, 

Corporate and Brand 

Communication, Event 

Operations, Business 

Management and 

Resource Consulting 

Skills seeks Career 

Opportunity. 

Indian Male on Visit 

Visa: Mob- 96377131. 

Email- igeez.marcom@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · 

INDIAN male, B Com, 

ICWAI intermediate 

having 5 years 

experience in accounts, 

credit operations, 

audit, insurance, 

cashlow statement 

and inalisation, seeks 


Contact: 91086695. 

· · · · · 

INDIAN female 26 yrs, 

(diploma nursing) with 

MoH licence, 5 yrs exp, 

presently working 

in Oman, seeks 


in hospital. 

96114228. 

· · · · · 

PAKISTANI male, 

MBA marketing & 

management, 10 

years experience, on 

visit visa, looking for 

immediate placement. 

92740973 E-mail: 

liaquatalinaz8@gmail. 

com 

· · · · · 

INDIAN with 5 

years experience as 

driver seeks suitable 

openings as Driver for 

companies. 

Knowledge of Arabic 

and Hindi. Contact 

93324375 

· · · · · 

INDIAN male (30 years) 

M Sc postgraduate 

having 9 years of rich 

experience in Admin/ 

secretarial ields, seeks 


95912433. 

· · · · · 

GENERAL manager 

with more than 

20 (Twenty) years 

experience in civil 

construction, currently 

working in a reputed 

construction company, 

seeks change. 

94006761. 

· · · · · 

MALE 27years BBA, 5 


sales & Purchasing 

sector. Working as 

Purchaser in MNC, 

seeks a suitable job. 

95417920. vimalff@ 

gmail.com 

· · · · · 

CLASSIFIED SECTION 

RUWI: 24785668 

Behind Royal Oman 

Police, Adjacent to 

Dhofar Building 

21

22 

Cinema 

FILM INFORMATION 

www.citycinemaoman.net 

AL BAHJA CINEMA: 

24540856, 24540855. 

AL NASR CINEMA: 

24831358, 24831809 (after 3pm) 

AL SHATTI PLAZA: 

24607360, 24692656 (after 2pm) 

STARS CINEMA: 

24791641, 24792360 

Majlis A’Shura 

Addresses 

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

Log on to the Majlis’s website: 

www.shura.om 

and the Majlis’s 

e-mail: info@shura.om 

Or write to the Majlis’s postal address: 

P O Box 981 

Postal Code 111, Muscat 

Tel: 24510344 / 24521427/ 

Fax 24510560 

Information 

Ministry Websites 

Ministry: www.omanet.om 

Oman TV: 

www.oman-tv.gov.om 

Oman Radio: 

www.oman-radio.gov.om 

Omani Centre for Traditional Music: www. 

octm-folk.gov.om 

Oman Radio 

06.00 am Opening, Royal Anthem, The Holy 

Quran, Preview of Morning Programme, 

Weather Forecast, Pharmacies on Duty; 06.15 

Good Morning Oman; 07.00 News Bulletin; 

07.10 Good Morning Oman (Sat-Wed); 10.00 

News Headlines; 10.02 Classical Music; 12.00 

News Headlines; 12.02 Around Town (June); 

02.30 News Bulletin; 02.40 Afternoon Buzz; 

04.00 News Headlines; 04.02 Radio Magazine 

- (Laxmi); 06.30 News Bulletin; 06.40 Herbs 

and Health- (Huda Sultan); 07.00 Sun down 

Rhythm (Frank) Live; 08.00 News Headlines; 

08.02 Sun down Rhythm (Frank) Live; 10.00 

News Bulletin; 10.10 Country Music (June); 

11.00 Jazz Cafe (Suhail); 12.40 News 

Summary; 12.45 The Holy Quran; 01.00 

National Anthem, Close Down. 

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Quotations for Today 

Health is the greatest possession. 

Contentment is the greatest treasure. 

Confidence is the greatest friend. 

Non-being is the greatest joy. 

— Lao Tzu 

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of 

correct understanding. 

— Mahatma Gandhi 

ARIES 

(March 21-April 20) 

One of the family may 

bring home some unexpected 

visitors tonight. This is 

something you will have to accept 

with good grace, as it is all part of 

family life. 

TAURUS 

(April 21-May 20) 

Leave your credit 

cards and most of your 

money at home if you feel you are 

in danger of overspending. Living 

within your income is hard, but it 

brings peace of mind. 

GEMINI 

(May 21-June 21) 

Last minute changes 

to your plans for the 

evening may have to be made 

when a long-standing engagement 

is remembered which cannot 

be cancelled. 

CANCER 

(June 22-July 21) 

It would be advisable 

to excuse yourself 

from a social engagement which 

you feel would cause a certain 

amount of embarrassment to all 

concerned. 

PHARMACIES 

24-HOUR SERVICE 

Al Hashar ph, Ruwi 24783334 

Muscat ph, Ruwi, 24702542 

Al Sarooj, 24695536 

Scientific ph, Qurum, 24566601 

DAY DUTY 

Muscat Al Raazi 24537524 

Belqees 24535398 

Ibn Sina 24487273 

Kims 24760135 

Sur Masirah 25544033 

Ibri Al Iraqi 25694515 

Buraimi Yaas 25653855 

Nizwa Nizwa 25412323 

Salalah Ibn Sina 23296112 

Sohar Naimi 26843775 

NIGHT DUTY 

Muscat Al Kawakeb 24830343 

Ibn Said 24423894 

Muscat 24497264 

Muscat 24833323 

Sur Badr al Samaa 

25546112 

Ibri Muscat 25689025 

Buraimi Modern 25650755 

Barka Abu Badr al Hosni 

26886882 

Rustaq Badr al Jashmi 

26876523 

Nizwa Al Qalaa 25431666 

Samayil Belqees 25352186 

Salalah Abu al Dhahab 

23291303 

Mudhaibi Abu al Khazmi 25524337 

Ibra Ibn Saleem 25570441 

Sohar Muscat 26840211 

Saham Saham 26856323 

Khoula Hospital Visiting Hours 

Private & Other Wards 

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

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

ICU 

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

Holidays: 16:00-17:00 

Special Care Baby Unit 

Working Days: Parents may visit at any time. 

Weekends & Public Holidays: Parents may visit at 

any time 

YOUR STARS 

IF IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY: Work and money will, as usual, have to be foremost in your mind, apart from the family. 

They are close linked and care has to be taken in the coming year to do them justice. Favourable influences 

will help your ambition to go all out and achieve considerable success. 

LEO 

(July 22-August 21) 

If your family are less 

than enthusiastic 

about the meals served at home, 

have a group discussion as to 

what they want and what is available 

and nutritious to give them. 

VIRGO 

(August 22- 

September 22) 

If you feel sure that 

some constructive criticism will 

help a certain person, don’t hold 

back fearing that he may be annoyed 

at your interference. 

LIBRA 

(September 23- 

October 22) 

Two members of your 

family may be ready to make up 

their old quarrel once you point 

out to them the distress they are 

causing to others. 

SCORPIO 

(October 23- 

November 21) 

You will have to be 

satisied for the time being with 

praise for your good work instead 

of the pay increase which you expected. 

CARTOONS 

SAGITTARIUS 

(November 22- 

December 21) 

An important agreement 

reached with a partner in 

business will be the beginning of 

a very happy beneicial time for 

you both. 

CAPRICORN 

(December 22- 

January 20) 

A secret you have 

kept from your partner cannot 

be withheld much longer and it 

would be better to be frank and 

make a clean breast of it. 

AQUARIUS 

(January 21- 

February 19) 

Your rather impetuous 

nature is going to have to be 

kept in check, because the plans 

you so badly want to see work are 

again delayed. 

PISCES 

(February 20- 

March 20) 

If you can see that a 

colleague is being treated unfairly, 

you should speak up on his 

behalf. He would do the same for 

you. 

ADAM @ HOME by Brian Basset 

CALVIN AND HOBBES by Bill Watterson 

GARFIELD by Jim Davis 

STONE SOUP by Jan Eliot 

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

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

Health Services Department 

Muttrah . . . . . . . 24797602 

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

SQH, Salalah. . . 23211555 . . . . 23211151 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Hospitals 

CRYPTIC PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

3 Reads as some of us can 

on the 1st of September 

(5) 

8 He was killed 

prematurely in a tram 

crash (5) 

10 Study of French? (5) 

11 It can turn in an arc (3) 

12 For a time, the first 

person to allure one? (5) 

13 Vessel raised at the 

dining table? (7) 

15 A woman splitting five 

pounds being 

mercenary (5) 

18 Due to finish in an hour? 

Not him! (3) 

19 The initial start of RPM 

(6) 

21 Would a fish see them as 

tender and small? (7) 

22 Including, apparently, a 

brace of ducks? (4) 

23 To one end of London 

can be a long way (4) 

24 Energetic type who 

hurtles around (7) 

26 Clever enough to correct 

a fault outright! (6) 

29 He usually knows how 

to keep mum (3) 

31 A failure in boozy roles 

(5) 

32 The essential extremist? 

(7) 

34 One way to turn when 

hounded (2,3) 

35 Deceive with Italian? (3) 

36 A girl to harbour? (5) 

37 Shove so as to grab a 

cigarette end? (5) 

38 Possibly Russian cloth 

(5) 

DOWN 

1 Speedy type apt to rear 

up going round a curve? 

(5) 

2 Quietly bent on getting a 

drink? (7) 

4 Shut up shop (4) 

5 Are they not steady 

negotiating the Severn? 

(6) 

6 Special sites for keeping 

pigs (5) 

7 Best line to town? (5) 


1 Holy (6) 

5 Empty (4) 

8 Harmonium (5) 

9 Curve (3) 

10 Cornet (4) 

11 Family (4) 

12 Composition (5) 

13 Smoothed (6) 

16 Daybreak (4) 

18 Crustacean (4) 

20 Jewel (3) 

22 Crib (3) 

23 Longing (3) 

24 Nimbus (4) 

25 Respect (4) 

28 Deflect (6) 

30 Supple (5) 

32 Surfeit (4) 

33 Group (4) 

34 Vehicle (3) 

35 Circular (5) 

36 Caribou (4) 

37 Promise (6) 

DOWN 

1 Disgraced (6) 

2 Chicken (8) 

3 Surpass (6) 

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 


9 Traitor, a bit of an 

ingrate (3) 

12 Nasty, perhaps, only 

seven-eighths truthful 

(7) 

14 Opposite of stag, in a 

sense (3) 

16 It’s low and possibly 

ultimately unfair (5) 

17 In a bar, midwives leer 

around! (5) 

19 When one is free to play 

ye darts? (4,3) 

20 Like a bad cut of veal, a 

veggie wouldn’t look at 

it! (5) 

21 Animals yielding 

material for togas (5) 

23 Claimed to be good for 

what ails you (7) 

24 Be fast to offend the 

French? (6) 

25 Left the keys for the boy 

(3) 

27 The proverbial dog? (5) 

28 Uneasy feelings about 

revised fares (5) 

30 A beastly complaint (5) 

32 Called an artist no good! 

(4) 

33 Crikey — a bit of a 

scorcher! (3) 

EASY PUZZLE 


3 Severe (5) 

Museums in Oman 

FAISAL BIN ALI AL SAID MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24641650 

MUSEUM OF OMANI HERITAGE, 

Tel: 24600946 

CHILDREN’S SCIENCE MUSEUM. 

Tel: 24605368 

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24641374 

NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tel: 24701289 

SULTAN’S ARMED FORCES 

MUSEUM, Tel: 24312646 

CURRENCY MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24796102 

MUSCAT GATE MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24739005. 

OMANI-FRENCH MUSEUM (Bait 

Fransa), Tel: 24736613 

BAIT AL ZUBAIR, Tel: 24736688 

BAIT A’NAMAN, Tel: 24641300 

SOHAR FORT MUSEUM, 

Tel: 26844758 

NAHKAL FORT, Tel: 26781384 

BAIT AL MAKHAM, Tel: 24641300 

BAIT ADAM MUSEUM, QURUM, 

Tel: 24605033, 24605013 

OIL AND GAS EXHIBITION CENTRE 

AND PLANETARIUM, Tel: 24677834. 

PLANETARIUM, Tel: 24675542. 

AQUARIUM at the Marine Science 

and Fisheries Centre (located next 

to Marina Bandar Rowdha, Sidab). 

SALALAH MUSEUM, Tel: 23294549 

CULTURAL CENTRE, Tel: 23294549. 

SUR MARITIME MUSEUM, 

Tel: 24541466. 

BAIT AL BARANDA, Tel: 24714262. 

CROSSWORD 

8 Snap (5) 

10 Turret (5) 

11 Set (3) 

12 Handle (5) 

13 Exhibition room (7) 

15 Foot lever (5) 

18 Age (3) 

19 Fascination (6) 

21 Pig-like (7) 

22 Unwrap (4) 

23 Eye-piece (4) 

24 Removed tension (7) 

26 Calmed down (6) 

29 Loose (3) 

31 Passenger ship (5) 

32 Extreme (7) 

34 More pleasant (5) 

35 Prisoner (3) 

36 Got up (5) 

37 Engine (5) 

38 Birds’ homes (5) 

DOWN 

1 Keyboard instrument 

(5) 

2 Old ship (7) 

4 Askance (4) 

5 Metal fastener (6) 

6 Boarding house (5) 

7 Tree (5) 

9 Slippery fish (3) 

12 Followed (7) 

14 Stray (3) 

16 Deceived (5) 

17 Contract (5) 

19 Awkward (7) 

QUICK CROSSWORD 

4 Offered (9) 

5 Opening (7) 

6 Sole (4) 

7 Notch (4) 

8 Individual (3) 

14 Sausage-dog (9) 

15 Bowl (3) 

17 Sorrow (3) 

19 Reticent (8) 

20 Breach (3) 

Royal Oman Police 

EMERGENCY 9 9 9 9 

DG of Passports & Residency, 24569603 

DG of Customs, 24714626 

Traffic offences, 24510227/228 

ROP Public Relations, 24569270 

Consumer Complaints Cell, 24817013 

Muscat Governorate Headquarters, 24560021 

Muscat, 24736611 

Wattayah, 24677990 

Ruwi, 24701099 

Muttrah, 24712211 

Bausher, 24600099 

Al Amerat, 24875999 

Qurayat, 24845555 

A’Seeb, 24420099 

Al-Athaiba, 24521099 

AI-Khodh, 24425012 

Directorate of the University Security, 

24513999 

Directorate of Traffic Muscat, 24567898 

Al Batinah Headquarters, 26840096 

Al Rustaq Division, 26875099 

Al Dakhiliyah, 25425099 

Nizwa Division, 25425099 

Samayil Division, 25350099 

Al Sharqiyah Headquarters, 25545070 

Ibra Division, 25570100 

Al Dhahirah Headquarters, 25650099 

Al Buraimi Division, 25650199 

Ibri Division, 25689099 

Al Wusta Headquarters, 23436099 

Haima Division, 23436211 

Special Task Force, 24560088 

Coastguard Headquarters, 24714888 

Dhofar Governorate Headquarters, 23234599 

Salalah Police Station, 23290099 

Thamrait Division, 23279099 

Musandam Governorate Headquarters, 

26730299 

Khasab Division, 26731502 

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

ropoman.net and 

e-mail: ropnet@omantel.net.om 

20 Neighbouring (5) 

21 Type of nut (5) 

23 Dictionary (7) 

24 Mock (6) 

25 Miserable (3) 

27 Beginning (5) 

28 Type of saw (5) 

30 Large house (5) 

32 Relax (4) 

33 Bed (3) 

THURSDAY’S CRYPTIC 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 9, Top secret 10, 

A-t a p-inch 12, Ac-R-e 13, 

Ac-ti-ve 14, Since-re 15, 

Get-a-t-able 17, In-dicated 

18, To-pmos-t 20, Mo-ti-ve 

21, Lien (lean) 24, Repaired 

26, More-over 28, Tied 29, 

Maroon 31, Close-up 34, 

Firm-ament 36, Tang-erine 

38, Leni-ent 39, T-he-ory 

40, I-De(cember)-s 41, 

Director 42, Turning up. 

DOWN: 1, Straight 2, Spirit 

3, Brick-bat 4, Strike 5, 

Face-lift 6, Passed over 7, 

Pin-nac-e 8, Accept 11, Pendan-t 

16, Too bad 19, Piece 

(peace) 20, Mad 22, Ir-(wh) 

en-e 23, Mor-OS-e 25, Re-al 

est-ate 26, Man 27, S-tiff-ly 

30, Out-stare 31, C-ont-rary 

32, Pres-s-up-s 33, Wavered 

35, Ran-CID 36, Tr-Eats 

37, I-ndigo. 

THURSDAY’S EASY 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 9, Landslide 10, 

Original 12, Amid 13, 

Plates 14, Balance 15, 

Identical 17, Delegates 

18, Natural 20, Strict 21, 

Taxi 24, Eurasian 26, Full 

time 28, Deep 29, Closet 

31, Drifter 34, Apprehend 

36, Collected 38, Central 

39, Expect 40, Omen 41, 

Shrapnel 42, Estimates. 

DOWN: 1, Alsatian 2, 

Engine 3, Biblical 4, Dental 

5, Consider 6, Diabolical 7, 

Biology 8, Gannet 11, Let 

slip 16, Turban 19, Truce 

20, Sin 22, Admit 23, Strike 

25, Ill feeling 26, Fat 27, 

Advance 30, Suddenly 31, 

Delicate 32, Rudeness 33, 

Hearsay 35, Poncho 36, 

Copper 37, Tomato 

21 Screen (7) 

26 Purify (6) 

27 Posture (6) 

29 Elderly (4) 

30 Entice (4) 

31 Finish (3) 

THURSDAY’S QUICK 

SOLUTIONS 

ACROSS: 3, Panel 9, 

Atoned 10, Aiding 11, 

Amuse 12, Onus 15, Here 

17, Eastern 20, Red 21, 

Eager 23, Clad 25, Mere 

26, Mused 28, And 30, 

Defiled 33, Stem 35, Code 

36, Vogue 38, Assail 39, 

Detect 40, Model. 

DOWN: 1, Canoe 2, Bonus 

3, Pea 4, Admire 5, Ease 

6, Lie 7, Tiger 8, Ogled 13, 

Nascent 14, Steam 16, Renewed 

18, Named 19, Hem 

22, Relic 24, Dud 27, Delude 

28, Assay 29, Dense 

31, Lower 32, Death 34, 

Polo 36, Vim 37, Eel.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13 2013 

Economy 

Debt Finance 

PERSPECTIVE 

Recession-weary Portugal tests limits of austerity 

By Alan Wheatley and Daniel 

Alvarenga 

BACK in 2008, the 500 or so slum 

dwellers of Terras do Lelo were 

inally looking forward to a better 

life. 

The authorities had decided where 

they would relocate the mainly Portuguese-speaking 

immigrants and 

Roma from their plywood and corrugated 

iron shacks that disigure the 

fringes of one of south Lisbon's smartest 

beach resorts. 

And then the inancial crisis struck. 

Five years on, as Portugal slashes 

its budget to please international 

lenders that provided a 78 billion 

euro bailout in 2011, there are no 

longer any public funds to erase the 

scar of shanties that would not look 

out of place in Mumbai or Soweto. 

"Right now the state has no money 

to move people from here, but 

they should at least provide us with 

minimum conditions," said Euclides 

Fernandes, 33. The slums have no 

legal electricity, no sewerage and no 

running water. 

"The emergency in the neighbourhood 

is water," said Fernandes, who 

lost his construction job when the 

sector slumped. "With unemployment 

everything gets worse. We're feeling 

it. Families who were paying rent and 

now don't have an income are coming 

back here." 

The poverty of Terras do Lelo may 

be extreme, but the one-two punch 

of budget austerity and recession is 

being felt across Portugal, a nation of 

10.6 million. 

Tiago Saraiva with the Lisbon 

architectural practice Ateliermob, 

which is working to improve condi- 

By Jan Harvey and Clara Denina 

HEAVILY indebted euro zone nations 

such as Italy and Portugal 

could come under pressure 

to put their bullion reserves to work 

as a result of plans for Cyprus to sell 

gold to meet its inancing needs. 

A European Commission assessment 

of what Cyprus needs to do as 

part of its European Union/International 

Monetary Fund bailout showed 

Cyprus is expected to sell in excess 

gold reserves to raise around 400 million 

euros ($523 million). 

Other struggling euro area countries 

may be pushed to take note. Between 

them, for example, Portugal, 

Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain, hold 

more than 3,230 tonnes of gold between 

them, worth nearly 125 billion 

euros at today's prices. 

The lion's share of that — 2,451.8 

tonnes - belongs to Italy. But Portugal 

and Spain also hold hundreds of 

tonnes and gold is currently trading 

around $1,558.95 per ounce in spot 

terms, or 1,189 euros. 

The metal makes up more than 

90 per cent of Portugal's foreign exchange 

holdings, and 72.2 per cent of 

Italy's. India, by contrast, holds less 

than 10 per cent of its reserves in 

gold. 

Gold sales on their own would be 

far from a magic bullet to solve euro 

zone inancing problems: Italy's entire 

gold reserves, for example, are 

worth less than 95 billion euros, 

against outstanding debt of around 

1.685 trillion euros. 

But the Cyprus situation shows 

that even a relatively small gold sale 

may help address severe debt problems. 

Cyprus' gold sale would allow it 

to easily come up with around 3 per 

cent of what it must contribute to the 

bailout. 

It is something that has the market 

somewhat concerned given that 

a big sale would push down the price. 

Central bank gold buying was one of 

the few areas of demand to increase 

last year at a time jewellery, coin and 

gold-bar buying was on the wane. 

Indeed, spot gold posted its biggest 

one-day drop in nearly two 

months on Wednesday after news of 

the planned sale broke. 

"Cyprus may be a one-off, (but) the 

market's concern will be that it isn't, 

and that other countries will be invited 

to sell their gold," one senior gold 

trader said. 

A woman hangs her laundry out to dry at the Terras do Lelo slum in Caparica, near Lisbon. — Reuters 

tions in the slums, says teachers at his 

daughter's school have to pay out of 

their own pockets to photocopy exam 

papers. 

Looking for cuts 

More cuts are baked in the cake: 

the government is scrambling to come 

up with 1.3 billion euros in savings, 

amounting to 0.8 per cent of GDP, after 

the constitutional court last week 

rejected plans to reduce public workers' 

beneits. 

The inance ministry responded 

with a freeze on non-essential spend- 

Selling gold to help bailout 

Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain hold more than 3,230 tonnes of gold among them. 

"It's a potential game-changer 

for the market," he added. "Given we 

know that Portugal rejected the most 

recent austerity plan, and they have 

over 90 per cent of the country's foreign 

exchange reserves in gold, does 

this mean that Portugal perhaps will 

be asked to sell some of its gold?" 

Prohibition 

Despite this, potentially hefty barriers 

lie in the way of central banks 

making sales to meet inancing needs. 

Article 7 of the Protocol of the European 

System of Central Banks, for 

instance, guarantees central bank independence 

and freedom from government 

inluence. 

In other words, if a central bank 

doesn't want to sell its gold, in theory 

it can resist. 

The European Central Bank issued 

an opinion against an Italian government 

proposal to levy a 6 per cent 

capital gains tax on the central bank's 

balance sheet, apparently including 

its gold holdings, in 2009. 

The ECB noted at the time that the 

monetary inancing prohibition within 

the Treaty "is of key importance to 

ensuring the primary monetary policy 

objective of price stability, which 

ing, generating front-page headlines 

on Thursday that everything from 

school lunches to police patrols and 

health inspections were being curtailed. 

Under orders from its troika of 

lenders - the International Monetary 

Fund, the European Union and the European 

Central Bank — Portugal has 

to make 4 billion euros in permanent 

savings between 2013 and 2015. 

What was already a huge task for 

Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho 

is now even more complicated due to 

the court's ruling that measures sin- 

must not be impeded", GFMS senior 

analyst Rhona O'Connell said. 

"We can't rule out the possibility 

of other banks trying to ind a way of 

mobilising gold, but history is against 

it," she told the Reuters Global Gold 

Forum on Thursday. 

"The Bundesbank has had a 

number of run-ins with the Bundestag 

on this issue and the bank has 

always won. So I suspect there would 

be heavy political pressure, as well as 

legal dificulties, that would preclude 

such activity." 

Cap on sales 

There is also the issue of how 

much central banks are actually allowed 

to sell even if they want to. 

The Central Bank Gold Agreement, 

originally signed in 1999 and 

currently in its third incarnation, 

caps gold sales by signatories at 400 

tonnes a year. 

Disposals have fallen well short 

of that in recent years, with just 4.2 

tonnes of bullion sold so far in the 

current year of the pact, which runs 

from last September. Central banks 

have been net buyers of gold since 


With the exception of some small 

gling out civil servants are unfair. 

"The cuts have to be done. It will 

not be easy. The job will have to be 

thorough and well thought-out," said 

Rui Constantino, an economist at 

Santander in Lisbon. 

The public sector wage bill and 

pensions make up 60 per cent of state 

spending, but analysts expect the government 

to ind cuts that pass muster 

with the court by taking the axe to areas 

such as health and education. 

The question for the government - 

and for inancial markets, which have 

so far taken the court ruling in their 

sales, chiely for coin minting, no 

large-scale disposals have been made 

by euro zone central banks since 

France sold 17.4 tonnes of gold in the 

irst half of 2009. 

But if central banks in troubled 

euro zone states started to sell, that 

could quickly change. 

Leveraging gold does not necessarily 

have to mean selling it, of course. 

Central banks can also swap gold 

for cash with other central banks or 

other institutions through a simultaneous 

sell spot/buy forward transaction, 

with a view to redeeming it later. 

The World Gold Council says methods 

other than selling may offer better 

returns for gold holders. 

"It is important that Cyprus explores 

all the options available to it 

and outright sales are not the only 

one,2 a spokesman for the WGC said. 

"We believe that the most effective 

way for countries to beneit from 

holding gold is to leverage its gold as 

collateral for sovereign issuance." 

"A gold-backed bond could raise 

four or ive times the value of Cyprus' 

current total gold reserves - more 

than 2 billion euros in today's money." 

That doesn't mean, though, that 

troubled countries won't look at their 

gold and see a quick ix. 

stride - is how the next slug of spending 

cuts will be judged in the court of 

public opinion. 

Hundreds of thousands of Portuguese 

have taken part in two anti-austerity 

protests in recent months. The 

demonstrations were peaceful but the 

message was clear: people are getting 

fed up with ever-rising unemployment 

— 16.9 per cent last quarter — 

and never-ending cutbacks. 

"The country is in chaos. It has hit 

rock bottom. There is little the people 

can do," said pensioner Manuela Ferreira, 

67. 

The consensus among political 

analysts in Lisbon is that Coelho, who 

survived a no-conidence motion last 

week, will soldier on. But his room for 

manouevre is shrinking. 

Jose Augusto Silva, 64, head of a 

neighbourhood association in northeast 

Lisbon, wishes his countrymen 

had more of a "culture of action" rather 

than passively accepting their fate. 

"The situation is very hard. There 

are many pensioners on 200-odd 

euros a month here and now their 

children and grandchildren are unemployed 

and come and ask their grandparents 

for money," he said. 

Like many people in bailed-out 

countries on the euro zone periphery, 

Silva is critical of euro zone paymaster 

Germany for the harsh terms of 

Portugal's bailout. 

"Germany ended up beating us not 

by war but by the force of money," 

Silva said. 

Hostage to fortune 

At a meeting in Dublin starting on 

Friday, euro zone inance ministers 

are likely to agree in principle to give 

Portugal — and Ireland — more time 

23 

to repay loans from Europe's bail-out 

funds. Stretching out loan repayments 

will help in the medium term but will 

not address the immediate imperative 

of growth. The economy shrank 

3.2 per cent in 2012 and the troika 

has pencilled in a further contraction 

of 2.3 per cent this year. 

Portugal hopes to regain full bond 

market access this year. But the unarticulated 

fear is that, without a return 

to vigorous growth, investors will 

baulk at the prospect that Portugal's 

debt, already 123 per cent of GDP, will 

fail to stabilise. Investment has fallen 

about 40 per cent from its pre-crisis 

peak, while banks and households are 

paying down debt. With the public 

sector shrinking, the only bright spot 

has been exports. 

Companies have done better than 

expected to diversify away from their 

home market, but exports need to be 

an ever-bigger driver of the economy, 

said Kathrin Muehlbronner, who covers 

Portugal for Moody's Investors 

Service. Yet here too, Portugal is not 

master of its own fate. 

"The export sector has to be the 

anchor to start a recovery, but for that 

you need a recovery in the wider euro 

zone and the global economy. That's 

very clear," she said. 

Back in the waterless slums of Terras 

do Lelo, things are not looking up 

for Miguel Bemba da Silva. "We don't 

have work. Life is bad," the 43-yearold 

Zairean said. 

Except da Silva does have work of 

sorts. He earns a few euros for hauling 

plastic jerrycans of water from a 

public fountain half a kilometre away. 

"Water is what we miss," he said. 

"It's better to do this than going 

around thieving." 

IMF warns against 

disorderly exit 

from stimulus 

COUNTRIES will 

face risks of inancialinstability 

if central banks do 

not manage well the 

winding down of their 

easy-money monetary 

policies, the IMF said. 

Risks do not necessarily 

come from the 

extremely low interest 

rates and high liquidity 

measures many 

major central banks have taken since the 2008 inancial crisis, the International 

Monetary Fund said in its newest Global Financial Stability 

Report. 

The challenge is more in managing the resumption of conventional 

monetary policies, it said, especially if damaged banks have not yet 

fully repaired their balance sheets and remain dependent on highly 

accommodative monetary policies, the IMF said. 

As monetary policy is tightened, higher interest rates may increase 

credit risk for banks, particularly if the rate increase is driven by a 

perceived inlation threat rather than from improvement in the economy. 

Higher rates also could spur bank losses on ixed-rate securities 

in the short term, weighing on weakly capitalised banks, the global 

lender said. 

"Even though monetary policies should remain very accommodative 

until the recovery is well established, policymakers need to exercise 

vigilant supervision to assess the existence of potential and 

emerging inancial stability threats," the Fund said. 

The IMF warned that a disorderly exit could also unhinge currently 

well-anchored inlation expectations. "Policy missteps during an exit 

could affect participants' expectations and market functioning, possibly 

leading to sharp price changes." 

The IMF analysis concluded that central banks' extraordinary 

measures to battle the crisis had improved soundness in the domestic 

banking sector and contributed to inancial stability in the short 

term. 

But the longer they policies are in place, the greater the risk of unwanted 

outcomes, it said. 

The report looks at the exceptional monetary policy of the Federal 

Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Bank of England and the 

Bank of Japan. 

All four lowered interest rates and pursued other unconventional 

policies, including large bond-purchase programs, or quantitative 

easing, to inject liquidity into economies and ease credit. 

"The exceptional nature of current monetary policies and the relatively 

untested macroprudential tools in many countries make this 

uncharted territory for policy makers," it said. 

The IMF called on policy makers to carefully monitor the effectiveness 

of their policy mix. 

It pointed out that inancial stability risks may be shifting to other 

parts of the inancial system, such as shadow banks, pension funds, 

and insurance companies. — AFP

24 OMAN/INTERNATIONAL 

Business Alert 

Toyota Aurion — a ‘super deal’ 

MUSCAT — A proven performer, the Toyota Aurion is available at RO 10,799 

onwards during the Super Deals offer. Apart from the tempting price, there is 

free insurance, quick and easy inancing, special low interest rates, affordable 

instalment options — and all with hassle-free and easy documentation. 

“And there is more,” adds a Saud Bahwan Automotive spokesperson, “Every 

Toyota customer enters a grand rafle with Sequoia as the trophy.” 

Conveying class and prestige with its wide, expansive stance, the Aurion is 

available with 6-speed sequential automatic transmission, with a 3.5 L engine 

and a maximum output of 268 HP, delivering top-class level fuel economy and 

a powerful driving experience. A newly adopted ECO meter allows drivers to 

recognise when they are driving in a fuel eficient and economical manner. The 

Aurion has also been designed to signiicantly reduce road and wind noise, 

resulting in a quieter cabin experience expected from prestige sedans. 

The headlamps and the grille have thin, long headlamps on either side of 

the impressive front grille. An elevated hood adds thickness to the vehicle, 

expressing a majestic and powerful presence. The side of the Aurion is 

accented for a stronger appearance through a lared bottom section and an 

accented door-cross section. 

The Aurion's 17-inch wheels enhance the character of the vehicle and 

provide a feeling of advanced luxury. The rear of the Aurion has also been 

redesigned, blending into the rear combination lamps for a greater emphasis 

on width, with the bumper corners protruding outwards, creating a wide 

stable feeling and a ground hugging stance. 

The Aurion offers new utility features such as a parking assist system, 

which alerts the driver when approaching obstacles in blind spots. The Aurion 

also has a new audio system with a 6.1-inch display, a USB/AUX Terminal for 

external audio devices, advanced Bluetooth communication compatibility, 

keyless entry, dual-zone air conditioning, and a back window power sunshade. 

The Aurion is also available in a sport grade for a sportier and advanced 

appearance and performance. Additional features include front and rear 

bumper spoilers, a wing-type rear spoiler, sports seats and suspension, 

aluminium pedals and a steering wheel with paddle shift switches. 

In Oman, Toyota is a household name in Oman, a part of people's lives. 

Toyota offers enduring quality and nothing comes close to it in terms of valueretention. 

It is no surprise; therefore, that Toyota soars far above the rest, with 

a dominant market share and ever-expanding customer base. 

The unmatched, nationwide parts and service support of Saud Bahwan 

Group makes Toyota's pride of place a reality. Toyota customers in Oman 

enjoy 6-year unlimited mileage protection, over 98 per cent parts availability 

and round-the-clock care, amongst many other exclusive privileges from the 

Group. 

Lexus LX with advanced features 

WHAT makes the 2013 LX the most advanced luxury SUV? The list can be 

exhaustive. Yet there are some features that stand out to make the LX what it 

is. And these are deinitely not the existing 5.7-litre V8 engine with 6-speed 

automatic transmission. Nor are they the crawl control or the active height 

control (AHC) or the adaptive variable suspension (AVS). Neither are they 

the four wheel active traction control (A-TRAC) or the pre-crash system with 

dynamic radar cruise control. 

Tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and trailer sway control (TSC). 

These are the two new features exclusive to the 2013 LX which give it the 

leading edge. The TPMS feature rewards LX users with increased levels of onroad 

safety by alerting them with a dashboard indicator light when your car's 

tyre pressure falls to the point of needing inlation. 

There are two different types of TPMS systems: direct TPMS and indirect 

TPMS. Direct TPMS uses a sensor that's mounted in the wheel and measures 

air pressure in each tyre. When air pressure drops 25 per cent below the 

manufacturer's recommended level, the sensor transmits that information to 

your car's computer system and triggers your dashboard indicator light. 

Indirect TPMS works with a vehicle's antilock braking system's (ABS) 

wheel speed sensors. If a tyre's pressure is low it will roll at a different wheel 

speed than the other tires. This information is detected by your car's computer 

system, which triggers the dashboard indicator light. 

The 2013 LX comes with the direct tyre pressure monitoring system. 

Trailer sway control (TSC) the other feature exclusive to the 2013 LX, uses the 

vehicle’s existing stability control system to reduce trailer sway when towing. 

It is designed to detect when trailer sway occurs and to help counteract it to 

bring the trailer under control. 

Trailer sway is a phenomenon that can occur without warning while towing 

a trailer and it starts to swing unpredictably side to side, making it dificult for 

the driver to master control. 

The trailer sway control feature provides additional conidence and control 

of the LX570 user while towing. It is designed to operate seamlessly and help 

the tow vehicle decelerate gradually. It is designed to work even when trailers 

have no braking systems. The TSC feature also works with multiple trailer 

brake conigurations. 

The 2013 LX packed with advanced features is now also available in Garnet 

Red and Sterling Silver. Customers can experience the LX by visiting any of the 

Lexus showrooms in Oman. 

TEL: 24601003, 24600586 • FAX: 24600736 

• WEBSITE: www.salalahport.com 


Lexus vehicles are marketed in Oman by the Saud Bahwan Group. In Oman, 

every Lexus vehicle comes with special beneits and privileges such as 6 years 

unlimited extended mileage protection — Aman Bahwan and Lexus Prestige 

Club Card that offers 24 hours on-road assistance from AAA. 

Toyota Corolla at RO 5,499 

“I want to make the most of the super opportunity,” smiles Rashid referring to 

'super deals', Toyota’s exciting offer. Saud Bahwan Automotive has announced 

that it is offering attractive prices on all models, plus lots more.” I have been 

thinking of the Corolla for a long time and now is the right time to go for it,” 

says he. 

Available at an attractive price of RO 5, 499 onwards, the Corolla comes 

laden with a bundle of beneits that include free insurance, quick and easy 

inancing, special low interest rates, affordable instalment options — and all 

with hassle-free and easy documentation. (Conditions apply speciic to the 

model purchased. Full details are available at the nearest showroom.) 

“And there is more,” adds a Saud Bahwan Automotive spokesperson, “Every 

Toyota customer enters a grand rafle with Sequoia as the trophy.” 

Stylishly equipped with several redesigned features, the 2013 Corolla 

Exclusive is a pride to own. It has all the touches that make driving a sheer 

delight, front and rear body-kit, alloy wheels, chrome side protection 

moulding, turn signal indicators on the outer mirrors, rear-lip spoiler, chrome 

garnish fog lamp, and chrome mufler cutter. In addition, the rich woodgrain 

panelling adorns the front console — along with woodgrain embellished 

steering wheel and gearshift knob. The Bluetooth kit adds to the convenience. 

Generous head, legroom, superb it and inish heighten the feel of relaxation. 

Other exciting features that ind place in the Corolla include driver seat 

height adjuster, power outer mirrors, moonroof, cruise control and addition 

of more interior ornamentation/garnishes on dashboard, blue colour 

illumination on combination metre. The Corolla integrates safety technology 

of the highest order to ensure peace of mind for the occupants — earning 

good rating from The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Corolla’s 

comprehensive Active and Passive safety measures provide the occupants 

with class-leading levels of safety. 

This outstanding performer comes from Toyota, Oman's most coveted 

brand. Toyota offers enduring quality and nothing comes close to it in terms 

of value-retention. It is no surprise; therefore, that Toyota soars far above the 

rest, with a dominant market share and ever-expanding customer base. 

The unmatched, nationwide parts and service support of Saud Bahwan 

Group makes Toyota's pride of place a reality. Toyota customers in Oman enjoy 

6-year unlimited mileage protection, over 98 per cent parts availability and 

round-the-clock care, amongst many other exclusive privileges from the Group. 

US jobless claims data calms 

jitters over labour market 

A job-seeker picks up a copy of the Washington Job Guide at a job fair in 

a Washington hotel. 

WASHINGTON — The number of 

Americans iling new claims for unemployment 

beneits fell more than 

expected last week, easing fears of a 

marked deterioration in labour market 

conditions after a surprise stumble 

in job growth in March. 

Initial claims for state unemployment 

beneits dropped 42,000 to a 

seasonally adjusted 346,000, the Labour 

Department said on Thursday, 

unwinding a jump in the prior week 

that appeared related to dificulties 

adjusting the data for seasonal variations. 

It was the largest weekly drop 

since mid-November. Economists, 

who had expected irst-time applications 

for jobless aid to fall only to 

365,000, said the decline suggested 

the sharp slowdown in employment 

growth in March was an aberration. 

"We will see more job generation 

this month than we did in March and 

today's jobless claims numbers are 

consistent with that expectation," 

said Robert Dye, chief economist at 

Comerica in Dallas. 

Employers added only 88,000 

workers to payrolls in March — the 

fewest in nine months — after a solid 

268,000 increase in February. 

Economists said the claims data 

suggested the slowdown in jobs re- 

lected seasonal hiring being brought 

forward rather than underlying 

weakness in the labour market. 

"All the March employment report 

provided a hint of is that jobs that 

normally would have got hired in 

March, some of them got hired earlier 

in February," said Michael Strauss, 

chief economist at Common fund in 

Wilton, Connecticut. 

"Seasonal hiring occurred a little 

bit earlier. The construction sector, 

for example, was so strong. This 

claims data supports that as well." 

Jobless claims are now back at the 

lower end of their range for this year, 

suggesting the labour market recovery 

remains on track. — Reuters

FOOTBALL 

>>FOOTBALL P26 Bayern vs Barca, Dortmund vs Real >>NBA 

P28 Bulls snap Knicks’ streak 

P26 

United’s Young out 

for fortnight 

MANCHESTER — Manchester United 

winger Ashley Young faces two 

weeks on the sidelines with an ankle 

injury, manager Alex Ferguson 


Young limped off in Monday's 2-1 

defeat by Manchester City. 

"He got a sore whack on his ankle, 

maybe two weeks with him," 

Ferguson, whose side have 77 

points from 31 games, told a news 

conference. — Reuters 

P27 P28 

Saturday 



Inside 

Uruguay back Suarez in ‘punch’ probe 

The Wave, Muscat pushed to second 

Garcia, Leishman lead Masters 

Massa sets ‘incredible’ pace in Shanghai 

SHANGHAI — Ferrari's Felipe Massa 

set an 'incredible' pace to top the 

timesheets at the end of Chinese 

Grand Prix practice yesterday after 

Nico Rosberg had led a Mercedes onetwo 

in the morning session. 

"In terms of everybody else on the 

tyre, the pace is not good, it's incredible," 

declared the Brazilian's race 

engineer Rob Smedley after Massa 

set a quickest time of one minute and 

35.340 on the soft Pirelli tyre being 

used for the irst time this season. 

Kimi Raikkonen, winner of Formula 

One's Melbourne season-opener in 

March, was second fastest for Lotus in 

1:35.492 at the circuit outside Shanghai. 

"When I itted the softs, the car improved 

a lot... it was impressive, like 

driving two completely different cars," 

said Massa, who has out-qualiied 

team-mate Fernando Alonso in the 

last four races. "Our race pace looks 

competitive, the car is handling well 

on both types of tyre and degradation 

was not excessive, even if the higher 

wear rate of the soft compared to the 

medium compound will be an important 

factor when it comes to choosing 

the right strategy." 

Last year's winner Rosberg had 

lapped in 1:36.717 before lunch, with 

2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton 

0.454 slower. Teams focused largely 

on longer runs in the afternoon. The 

German has led the race in Shanghai 

in the past three editions while his 

2012 win at the monumental circuit 

was the irst of his F1 career. 

Hamilton, third in Malaysia last 

month after Rosberg was ordered not 

to overtake because of concerns the 

cars might run out of fuel, is the only 

driver to have won twice in China. 

"I felt very comfortable in the car 

and it was a productive day for us, we 

deinitely learnt a lot," Rosberg said. 

"We looked good on one lap, but 

there is some work still to do on the 

longer runs. Tyre degradation was 

particularly high on the option tyre 

out there today." 

Red Bull's Mark Webber, whose 

working relationship with world 

champion Sebastian Vettel hit a new 

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa gestures in the team garage during a practice 

session of the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai yesterday. — Reuters 

low after a team orders storm in Malaysia, 

ended both sessions ahead of 

the German. Webber was third and 

ifth respectively while Vettel was 

fourth and 10th. 

"It was a tricky day for us. I seemed 

to struggle a little bit more this afternoon; 

the gap to the guys at the top is 

a bit bigger than I would like," Vettel 

said. 

"But we have two or three things 

to work on and we should be in better 

shape tomorrow. It's not a disaster." 

Alonso lapped ifth in the morning 

and third in the afternoon, but with a 

car in a different speciication to Massa's, 

while McLaren's Jenson Button 

was sixth in both. 

Triple champion Vettel leads the 

championship after two races with 40 

points, nine clear of Raikkonen. 

China's Ma Qing Hua, in the Caterham 

that will be raced by Frenchman 

Charles Pic today, wrote a footnote in 

Formula One history by becoming the 

irst Chinese driver to take part in a 

grand prix weekend on Chinese soil. 

He was last of the 22 drivers on 

track in the morning, 6.828 seconds 

slower than Rosberg, with both Caterhams 

lagging rivals Marussia at the 

tail end. 

Button's Mexican team-mate Sergio 

Perez damaged the front wing of 

his McLaren when he skidded off into 

the gravel at the pitlane entry at the 

end of the session. The team said they 

had plenty of spares. — Reuters

26 

SPORT 

Rubin Kazan’s Ivan Marcano (back) goes for a header with Chelsea’s 

Fernando Torres during their Europa League quarterinal second leg 

match at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on Thursday. — Reuters 

Chelsea and Benfica reach 

semis, Spurs exit 

LONDON — European heavyweights 

Chelsea and Benica reached the Europa 

League semiinals on Thursday 

and were joined by lesser lights FC 

Basel and Fenerbahce who made the 

last four of a continental competition 

for the irst time. 

European champions Chelsea 

grabbed a spot with a 5-4 aggregate 

win over Rubin Kazan despite going 

down 3-2 on the night in Moscow, 

while Benica scored in stoppage time 

to draw 1-1 at Newcastle United for a 

4-2 aggregate victory. 

Tottenham Hotspur had done the 

hard work to level their tie at 4-4 

against Basel before being reduced to 

10 men just before the end of normal 

time to leave themselves a man down 

for the extra period which they survived 

before losing 4-1 on penalties. 

Fenerbahce weathered an onslaught 

behind closed doors at Lazio 

to draw 1-1 and go through 3-1 on 

aggregate. 

Chelsea continue to inject some 

glamour into Europe's second tier 

club competition a year after they 

won the elite Champions League 

even if their side featured some lesser 

known names. 

Handing rare starts to Paulo Ferreira 

and 18-year-old Nathan Ake 

due to injuries, and with manager 

Rafael Benitez having one eye on tomorrow's 

FA Cup semiinal with Manchester 

City, they went ahead through 

a ifth-minute goal from Fernando 

Torres. 

The Russians pulled one back 

through Ivan Marcano's header after 

51 minutes before Victor Moses 

reestablished the visitors' lead four 

minutes later at the Luzhniki Stadium 

where Chelsea lost the 2008 Champions 

League inal to Manchester 

United. 

Goekdeniz Karadeniz headed in 

from close range to make it 2-2 and 

Rubin snatched victory on the night 

when Bebras Natcho converted a 

75th-minute penalty awarded after 

Cesar Azpilicueta was harshly adjudged 

to have pushed Aleksandr 

Ryazantsev. 

"It was a pity to lose the game but 

we went through and that's the main 

thing," Benitez told reporters. 

"I'm happy with the irst half but 

we have to improve on the second 

half, not just the defenders but the 

whole team. We have to deal with 

crosses better, but you have to give 

credit to them as well because they 

have some players with quality." 

NERVOUS CONCLUSION 

Benica, who held a 3-1 lead from 

last week's irst leg, endured a nervous 

conclusion to their game after 

falling behind to a 71st-minute 

header from Papiss Cisse that meant 

the hosts would go through on away 

goals if they could score again. 

The Portuguese former European 

Cup winners had to wait until the second 

minute of stoppage time to make 

absolutely sure of their passage into 

the last four with Eduardo Salvio inishing 

off Rodrigo's low centre from 

the left. 

"Two goals was a bridge too far," 

Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi told 

ITV4 referring to the irst-leg defeat 

against Benica who, like Chelsea, had 

dropped down from the Champions 

League to play in European soccer's 

second tier competition. 

"We see with the game tonight it 

meant a lot to us, we have given everything 

we have in this competition. 

We will take a lot out of it, experience, 

and (it will) help us moving forward. 

Making the quarterinals is a good 

achievement." 

Twice UEFA Cup winners Spurs, 

locked at 2-2 after the irst leg with 

Basel, resumed their tie in heavy rain 

in Switzerland. 

The visitors took a 23rd-minute 

lead when Clint Dempsey rounded 


keeper Yann Sommer to ire home 

but the advantage lasted only four 

minutes as the dangerous Mohamed 

Salah combined with Marco Streller 

before poking the ball in. 

Playing without injured regulars 

Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, Spurs 

lacked an attacking edge and Basel 

pulled ahead when defender Aleksandar 

Dragovic netted from close 

range after keeper Brad Friedel batted 

Fabian Schar's header to his feet. 

There was another twist, though, 

as Dempsey levelled the aggregate 

score in the 82nd minute with a tame 

shot that Sommer should have dealt 

with but had to watch crawl over the 

line. 

RED CARD 

Just as it looked like the momentum 

had swung in Spurs' favour they 

were reduced to 10 men in the inal 

minute of normal time when last man 

Jan Vertonghen tripped Streller to 

give Basel a numerical advantage for 

extra time. 

The Swiss could not capitalise and 

penalties followed with Basel eventually 

going through after Spurs substitute 

Tom Huddlestone was denied by 

an excellent save from Sommer and 

striker Emmanuel Adebayor sent his 

spot kick high over the bar. 

"We made the country feel different 

towards the competition," Spurs 

manager Andre Villas-Boas told ITV. 

"Although we are disappointed we 

have set this standard for the future." 

It was a much quieter affair at 

Lazio, mainly because they were 

playing behind closed doors at the Olympic 

stadium as punishment for the 

poor behaviour of their fans. 

The Italian side gave themselves 

hope of a comeback from their 2-0 

irst-leg deicit when Senad Lulic 

headed in on the hour but the Turkish 

side replied through Caner Erkin 

in the 73rd minute to settle their 

nerves and the tie. — Reuters 

Bayern to face Barca in semis, Real vs Dortmund 

NYON, Switzerland — Barcelona, 

chasing their third title in ive years, 

will face treble-chasing Bayern Munich 

in the Champions League semi- 

inals while Borussia Dortmund were 

drawn against Real Madrid for the 

second time in this season's competition. 

The draw ensured bitter local rivalries 

would not be renewed for the 

time being, although it opened up the 

possibilities of an all-German inal or 

a Real-Barca clash at Wembley. 

A Bayern-Real meeting would also 

have been potentially explosive as 

there is a long history of stormy encounters 

between them. 

The German pair, whose duel for 

domestic supremacy has sparked 

some acrimonious comments off the 

pitch, were glad to have avoided each 

other. 

"We are happy with this draw, not 

because we think it's an easy one, but 

because the Champions League is an 

international competition and we 

wanted an international game rather 

than a national tie against Bayern," 

said Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim 

Watzke. 

Bayern winger Arjen Robben said 

before the draw: "We'd like to be kept 

apart from Dortmund, but you don't 

have a choice in these things." 

The German sides will be at home 

in the irst legs in two weeks' time 

with the return games one week later. 

Bayern and Barcelona have surprisingly 

met just six times in European 

competition with only one win 

for the Catalans. 

Barcelona's 4-0 thrashing at the 

Nou Camp in the Champions League 

quarterinal in 2008-09 is still fresh 

in the mind of Bayern chief executive 

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. 

"Barcelona are the benchmark for 

me in Europe," he said. "They have 

won the Champions League more 

than any other team in the recent 

years. 

"They are the best team in Europe 

at the moment, with fantastic attacking 

potential. We played them in 2009 

and received a real thumping. 

"I remember that game well and I 

don't really like to think about it, because 

it was quite painful to watch. 

However, it's a wonderful opportunity 

to show that we have improved a lot 

since then. " 

However, Bayern are Europe's inform 

team, having already won the 

Bundesliga with six matches to spare 

and they demolished Serie A champions 

Juventus 4-0 on aggregate in the 

quarterinals. 

Dortmund had the upper hand in 

their group stage meetings with Real 

Madrid, drawing 2-2 at the Bernabeu 

and winning 2-1 at home. 

"We have already played them 

twice this season and we were unable 

to beat them," said former Real Madrid 

Emilio Butragueno, now a club 

director. 

"But we hope this time it will be 

different and we can get through to 

the inal." 

EUROPA LEAGUE DRAW 

English Premier League giants 

Chelsea and traditional European 

powerhouse Benica were both 

drawn against smaller opposition for 

the semiinals of the Europa League 

yesterday. 

The draw at UEFA headquarters in 

Nyon saw the Londoners draw Swiss 

FC Bayern Munich former player Bixente Lizarazu (left) shakes hand with FC Barcelona Director of 

Professional Football Andoni Zubizarreta after the draw for the Champions League semiinals 

matches at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, yesterday. — Reuters 

outit Basel while the Portuguese will 

take on Fenerbahce of Turkey. 

Chelsea are bidding to become 

only the fourth team in history to win 

all three of European football's club 

competitions. 

Having already won the Champions 

League last year and the Cup Winners' 

Cup in 1971 and 1998, they now 

hope to add the Europa League to join 

the likes of Juventus, Ajax and Bayern 

Munich in doing the European treble. 

Benica are bidding for their irst 

European trophy since their glory 

years of the 1960s. 

They reached the inal of the old 

UEFA Cup in 1983 but were beaten 

2-1 on aggregate by Belgian side Anderlecht. 

None of the four semiinalists has 

ever won the competition before. 

Fixtures: Champions League: Semiinals 

irst leg: April 23: Bayern Munich (GER) v 

Barcelona (ESP); April 24: Borussia Dortmund 

(GER) v Real Madrid (ESP). Second leg: April 

30: Real Madrid (ESP) v Borussia Dortmund 

(GER); May 1: Barcelona (ESP) v Bayern Munich 

(GER). 

Final: May 25: Wembley Stadium in London. 

Europa League: Semiinals irst leg: April 

25: Fenerbahce (TUR) v Benica (POR), Basel 

(SUI) v Chelsea (ENG); Second leg: May 2: Ben- 

ica (POR) v Fenerbahce (TUR), Chelsea (ENG) v 

Basel (SUI). 

Uruguayan Football Association back ‘persecuted’ Luis Suarez in ‘punch’ probe 

MONTEVIDEO — The Uruguayan 

Football Association (AUF) have 

promised to staunchly defend Luis 

Suarez after Fifa launched a probe 

into allegations that he had punched 

a Chilean opponent during a South 

American World Cup qualiier last 

month. 

Argentine referee Nestor Pitana 

missed the incident during Chile's 2-0 

victory in Santiago on March 26 when 

forward Suarez and Gonzalo Jara tussled 

in the penalty area at a corner. 

Uruguayan media reports said 

Suarez, who plays his club football at 

Liverpool, reacted after Jara, who also 

plays in England for Championship 

(second division) side Nottingham 

Forest, grabbed his genitals. 

"Once again we feel Suarez is being 

persecuted by different football 

leagues, mainly the English, and we 

think this is unjust because it's a normal 

action in football," AUF president 

Sebastian Bauza said. 

"We will defend him very strongly. 

We are working with all the videos 

and pictures showing Suarez reacted 

to an initial aggression from Jara," 

he was quoted as saying on South 

American governing body Conmebol's 

website. 

The AUF earlier conirmed that 

soccer's world governing body were 

investigating the incident and said 

they would be consulting their lawyers 

before making their case ahead 

of an April 17 deadline. 

Suarez, who has scored eight goals 

in the qualiiers, was booked for a 

separate infringement and is suspended 

for Uruguay's next qualiier 

away to Venezuela on June 11. 

It was a second yellow card for 

Suarez, who was booked in a 1-1 

draw against Ecuador in Montevideo 

last September. 

Uruguay, World Cup semiinal- 

Luis Suarez 

ists in South Africa in 2010 and Copa 

America winners a year later, have 

taken only two points from their last 

six qualifying matches and are in danger 

of failing to reach the 2014 inals 

in Brazil. 

Suarez, who is no stranger to controversy, 

was sent off for saving the 

ball with his hands during Uruguay's 

2010 World Cup quarterinal against 

Ghana. The African side failed to score 

from the resulting penalty and lost 

the match in a shoot-out. 

The English Premier League's top 

scorer with 22 goals this term has 

also found himself in trouble play- 

Cooper out, 

Folau in for 

Wallabies 

camp 

SYDNEY — Code-jumper Israel 

Folau has been included but controversial 

ly-half Quade Cooper omitted 

from a Wallabies planning camp 

for the British and Irish Lions tour 

this weekend, the Australian Rugby 

Union (ARU) conirmed yesterday. 

Cooper had already told local 

media of his exclusion from the 

30-strong party but coach Robbie 

Deans said missing the camp did 

not rule a player out of participation 

in the three Tests against the tourists 

in June and July, a media release 

said. 

Former rugby league international 

back Folau was included on 

the back of improved performances 

for the New South Wales Waratahs 

in his debut season in union after 

making the switch from the Australian 

rules code. 

Folau was one of seven uncapped 

players invited to Sydney to participate 

in the camp on Sunday and 

Monday, when they will "conclude 

off-ield requirements and team 

planning" for the Lions series. 

"Although not an oficial Wallabies 

squad, the selection... does reward 

a number of players who have 

shown strong form in this year's Super 

Rugby competition," the release 

said. The irst 25-man squad for the 

Lions series will be named on May 

19 with a further six players added 

when the Super Rugby season pauses 

for the international break. 

Wallabies preliminary squad: Jesse 

Mogg, Israel Folau, Digby Ioane, Joe Tomane, 

Adam Ashley-Cooper, Ben Tapuai, Pat McCabe, 

Christian Lealiifano, Berrick Barnes, James 

O'Connor, Nic White, Will Genia, Wycliff Palu, 

Fotu Auelua, Michael Hooper, Liam Gill, Dave 

Dennis, Scott Higginbotham, Ben Mowen, Rob 

Simmons, James Horwill, Kane Douglas, Sitaleki 

Timani, Dan Palmer, James Slipper, Ben 

Alexander, Benn Robinson, Scott Sio, Stephen 

Moore, Tatafu Polota-Nau. — Reuters 

Brumbies clinical 

in defeat of 

Highlanders 

DUNEDIN — A thundering tackle 

by ACT Brumbies centre Tevita 

Kuridrani that forced a turnover 

summed up the Otago Highlanders 

30-19 loss to the tabletopping 

Brumbies in their Super 

Rugby clash at Otago Regional 

Stadium yesterday. 

The Dunedin-based side, 

tipped as potential title contenders 

before the competition began, 

have lost all seven games this season 

and are rooted to the bottom 

of the table. 

Yesterday's loss had its genesis 

in far too many errors against 

a clinical Brumbies side, who 

dominated the breakdown and 

were ruthless in their defensive 

pattern. That ruthless edge was 

no more evidenced when Kuridrani's 

tackle on opposite Phil 

Burleigh 13 minutes into the second 

half dislodged the ball, which 

winger Joe Tomane scooped up 

and sprinted untouched more 

than 50 metres to score under 

the posts. 

The conversion by inside centre 

Christian Lealiifano gave them 

13 unanswered points shortly 

after the break and took the visitors 

to a 30-12 lead, ending any 

hopes the Highlanders had of 

snapping their losing streak. 

The Brumbies have also fully 

embraced World Cup winning 

coach Jake White's template of 

kicking high for territory and 

forcing the opposition to make 

errors inside their own half. 

ing for Liverpool in the past, notably 

being banned for eight matches last 

season for racially insulting Manchester 

United's France defender Patrice 

Evra. 

He admitted to diving against 

Stoke City last October, but claimed 

he was picked on by the British media, 

and got away with handball as he 

scored the winner in an FA Cup tie in 

January. 

Before joining Liverpool from Ajax 

Amsterdam in January 2011 Suarez 

was handed a hefty ban for biting an 

opponent's ear. — Reuters


Al Qassimi sizzles in Sohar 

Rashid settles for second, Haitham and Ammar top in OYRC 

WINNERS ALL: Winners and oficials pose for a group photo at the end of second round of Oman Rally Championship in Sohar yesterday. 

SOHAR — The second day of the 

Oman Rally Championship Sohar 

round began yesterday at Al Muwelah 

with a 11.6km stage, followed by the 

Huwa stage consisting of an exacting 

24.3km run through a terrain that 

was deceptively lat, especially given 

some of the twists, turns and humps 

that lay in between. 

That was indeed, a tough round of 

the Oman Rally Championship, and 

saw the mettle of the competitors totally 

tested. Both man and machine 

were pitted against the terrain and 

competitive timing. 

An exotically beautiful location, 

the rally stages were highly challenging 

and saw many a competitor feel 

the pinch. The rally course set and designed 

by the Oman Automobile Association 

(OAA) forms an important 

part of this season’s national Oman 

Rally Championship rounds. 

Leading with a total time of one 

hour and two minutes the former 

Group ‘N’ Middle East Rally champion 

from UAE, Shaikh Abdullah al Qassimi 

along with co-driver Steve Lancaster 

took the lead from the start of the day 

and never looked back. Al Qassimi 

kept the pace, right till the end, leading 

by as much as 13.54 minutes over 

the next best team. 

Coming in position two, Rashid al 

Balushi and co-driver Waleed al Raisi, 

took one hour and 16 minutes to com- 

The Wave, Muscat pushed to second in Singapore 

MUSCAT — The pressure created 

by both the conditions and some 

stern competition was taking its toll 

on Oman’s The Wave, Muscat who 

dropped down to second place in the 

leaderboard after yet another frustrating 

day of Extreme Sailing Series 

racing in Singapore, according to information 

received here yesterday. 

After 11 races yesterday, the 

Oman-backed crew were in second 

place, trailing Alinghi by nine points 

after what Omani sailor Musab al 

Hadi described as ‘one of the most 

dificult days we’ve had in the Extreme 

Sailing Series’ contending with 

unpredictable winds and a day long 

tussle with Swiss team Alinghi. 

“It was getting extremely hard as 

the points gap with Alinghi crew,” said 

Musab. 

“The winds were still really shifty 

and it was another very light day. We 

started well and then just dropped 

down as Alinghi kept pushing. We still 

have two more days and we’re going 

to keep pushing as hard as we can.” 

The same view was echoed by 

Hashim Rashdi, the second Omani in 

the crew. 

“Singapore is a great venue but 

it’s really shifty and with the overcast 

conditions the breeze goes up and 

down. Today was a really hard day, really 

shifty, and Alinghi pushed us hard 

but there’s still two days to go. Alinghi’s 

a really strong team, especially 

with Morgan — we know him from 

last year and once again he proved 

just how good a sailor he is.” 

Skipper Leigh McMillan was not 

surprised to be fending off the challenge 

from Alinghi, which is being 

helmed in Act 2 by Morgan Larsen, 

the former skipper of Oman Air who 

inished second in 2012. 

“It’s absolutely no surprise that 

Morgan is the guy giving us a hard 

time,” said McMillan. 

“I said it in the press conference 

Oman’s Rashid al Balushi and co-driver Waleed al Raisi in action during 

second round of Oman Rally Championship in Sohar yesterday. 

plete the rally besting a close contest 

with Khalid al Minji and co-driver Saif 

al Aisri, who got a seven-minute penalty 

in the last stage relegating them 

to third position. 

Among the Oman Youth Rally 

Cup (OYRC) competitors, Haitham 

al Zadjali and co-driver Ammar al 

Balushi achieved a commendable 

fourth position overall and irst position 

among the OYRC teams. 

Al Zadjali and Al Balushi were 

competing for the irst time in a national-level 

rally championship and 

were representing OYRC Team Green, 

Close tussle: The Wave, Muscat and Alinghi 

that he is one of the top sailors in 

the world for sure and this kind of 

racing really its his mentality. He is 

a relaxed kind of guy and relishing 

the opportunity to be helming again 

on Alinghi who let’s not forget were 

Americans Cup winners and one of 

the best teams in the business. They 

are hot competition and will be dificult 

to beat.” 

The dip in performance was nothing 

to do with making errors, he added. 

It was more about staying patient 

in the luky winds. 

“It was a long day. We started racing 

at 8.30. We were hoping for some 

better breeze this morning and get 

some fair racing in, but it didn’t really 

happen and we spend a lot for time 

which has alternating drivers and codrivers 

for every round. 

While Yaqdhan al Rashdi, the previous 

Team Green driver secured seventh 

position overall in the Muscat 

round, with a fourth position in the 

Sohar round and irst position among 

the OYRC youth, Al Zadjali has made a 

considerable leap, making him one of 

the key contenders for the Cup. 

The 2011 Oman rally champion 

Khalid Soomar with co-driver Amur 

al Zadjali, came in ifth position with a 

time of one hour and 23 minutes. 

The difference in scoring timing 

today racing in very random conditions 

which is very punishing when 

you’re not necessarily making any 

mistakes so it can get very frustrating. 

“But we managed not to throw it 

away completely today and are still 

in the game. We just have to carry 

on tomorrow with a more relaxed 

approach and make the best of the 

tricky conditions here. If we get a few 

good races under our belt then maybe 

we will start paying more attention to 

Morgan and make life harder for him.” 

With no more morning races 

scheduled for today), large weekend 

crowds are expected to visit the Extreme 

Sailing Series Race Village on 

its third day at Marina Bay where the 

public can enjoy a great event and 

between Khalid Soomar and irst 

time entrant in fourth position overall, 

Haitham al Zadjali was a closely 

fought 26 seconds. 

In the sixth position with a time of 

one hour and 37 minutes were Faisal 

al Rashdi and co-driver Humaid al 

Waili, followed by Khalil al Zadjali 

and co-driver Taha al Zadjali securing 

seventh position with a time of two 

hours and four minutes. 

Well known drifting champion Mohammed 

‘Mambo’ al Asmi decided to 

participate in the Sohar rally round 

on behalf of Mohammed Omeri along 

with co-driver Mohammed al Mazroui. 

Equipment malfunction saw the 

team pull out after completing one 

set of two stages yesterday. Hamoud 

al Toqi and co-driver Mohammed al 

Wardi also had to pull out before they 

could complete the inal stage on account 

of vehicle malfunction. 

Two of the competing OYRC teams, 

Ehab al Zadjali and co-driver Mazin 

al Nadabi of Team White as well as 

Zakariya al Aui and co-driver Issa al 

Wardi of Ream Blue also retired from 

the Sohar round. 

Team Blue were leading after the 

Muscat rally round with a fourth 

overall and irst position among the 

OYRC teams, now face stiff competition 

from Team Green who have come 

in fourth overall and irst position in 

the Sohar round. 

watch the racing between 3.00 and 

7.00 pm. 

Extreme Sailing Series 2013 Act 2 standings: 

1 Alinghi (SUI) Morgan Larson, Stuart 

Pollard, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 

122 pts; 2 The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh 

McMillan, Ed Smyth, Pete Greenhalgh, Musab 

Al Hadi, Hashim Al Rashdi 110 pts; 3 Red Bull 

Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Hans Peter 

Steinacher, Matthew Adams, Pierre Le Clainche, 

Graeme Spence 97 pts; 4 GAC Pindar (NZL) Will 

Tiller, Brad Farrand, Stewart Dodson, Harry 

Thurston, Matt Steven 97 pts; 5 SAP Extreme 

Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus 

Kostner, Pete Cumming, Mikkel Røssberg, Nicolai 

Sehested 94 pts; 6 Team Korea (KOR) Peter 

Burling, Blair Tuke, Mark Bulkeley, Sungwok 

Kim, Sung Ahn Jung 93 pts; 7 Realteam (SUI) 

Jé rome Clerc, Bruno Barbarin, Arnaud Psarofaghis, 

Cé dric Schmidt, Bryan Mettraux 84 pts; 8 

Team Aberdeen Singapore (SIN) Scott Glen Sydney, 

Robert Greenhalgh, Andrew Walsh, Justin 

Wong, Rick Peacock 83 pts. 

SPORT 

Omani athletes shine 

at GCC swimming 

and diving meets 

MUSCAT — The Omani athletes 

excelled on day one of the 10th 

GCC Swimming Championships 

(short-course) and third GCC 

Diving Championships being held 

simultaneously in Kuwait yesterday. 

According to information provided 

by the Oman Swimming 

Association (OSA), Oman won a 

silver and two bronze medals in 

the morning session of the swimming 

championships. 

The silver medal was won for 

Aiman bin Hamad al Kulaibi, who 

clocked 28.39 seconds in the 50m 

backstroke event. He inished Kuwait’s 

Abdullah Ali al Thuwaini, 

who clocked 27.70 seconds. 

The irst bronze was won by 

Nayef bin Muneer al Qasmi, who 

clocked 9:49.00 in the 800m freestyle 

event while Hamad bin Saif 

al Hashmi took the second clocking 

39.91 seconds in the 50m 

backstroke event. 

Meanwhile, Oman divers won 

three bronze medals. Nasser al 

Shibli, of the age-group 14-15 

years, won third place in the platform 

event. Also winning bronze 

medal for Omanis in this championship 

were Ahmed al Masroori, 

who was ranked third in the 

three-metre sprint board event 

Aiman al Kulaibi (left) on the podium. 

27 

in the age group 16-18 years 

and Salim al Masroori, who came 

third in the one-metre sprint 

board in the general group. 

Debutant Finch powers 

Warriors to irst win 

PUNE — Aaron Finch made his IPL-6 

debut in style and powered Pune 

Warriors to a much needed victory 

against Rajasthan Royals at the Subrata 

Roy Sahara Stadium here on 

Thursday. 

Finch (64 off 53 balls), through his 

sheer display of brute force, ensured 

Pune ease past Rajasthan’s 145 for 

ive in 18.4 overs. 

Rajasthan skipper Rahul Dravid 

struck a spectacular 54 but could not 

prevent his team’s irst loss in three 

matches. 

On the other hand, it was a morale 

boosting win for Pune, who went 

down in their irst two matches of 

the competition and was staring at 

another sorry season. 

The chase was expected to be a 

tough one for the hosts as the pitch 

played slow, making stroke play dif- 

icult. But openers Finch and Robin 

Uthappa (32) made the job easier 

by smashing 51 runs in the irst four 

overs. 

The dangerous pair irst took on 

the young spinner Harmeet Singh, 

collecting 17 from his second over. 

The fourth over of the innings saw 

S Sreesanth leaking 22 runs with 

Uthappa doing the maximum damage. 

Uthappa fell in the next over but 

Finch carried on to guide the team 

home. The Australian hit six fours 

and three maximums in his cracking 

innings. 

Yuvraj Singh, returning to action 

after missing the last game, played 

well for his 23-ball 28. 

Earlier, Rajasthan could not capitalise 

on the start provided by Dravid 

and Ajinkya Rahane (30). 

The classy duo forged an 81- 

run partnership after Rahane’s 

opening partner Kusal Perera was 

trapped in front of the stumps by 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar on the irst ball 

of the match. 

Dravid’s sublime knock was full 

of conventional strokes, laced with 

eight boundaries. It was his second 

50 in three matches and the way the 

40-year-old is playing in the tournament, 

it does not seem that age is 

catching up with him. 

Hamed al Hashmi 

Aaron Finch: Brute force 

It took a special one-handed catch 

from Ross Taylor to dismiss the Indian 

batting great. 

The low of runs slowed down 

after Dravid’s dismissal before Brad 

Hodge (22) produced a useful knock 

towards the end. 

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 

145 ir 5 in 20 overs (R Dravid 54, A 

Rahane 30; R Sharma 2/16, Yuvraj 

Singh 2/27) lost to Pune Warriors 

148 for 3 in 18.3 overs (A Finch 64, 

R Uthappa 32, Yuvraj Singh 28 n.o., J 

Faulkner 2/17). 

Today’s ixtures: Mumbai Indians 

vs Pune Warriors; Chennai 

Super Kings vs Royal Challengers 

Bangalore.

28 

SPORT 


Garcia and Leishman lead Masters, Tiger lurks 

Sergio Garcia of Spain hits out of a bunker on the second hole during the irst round of the 2013 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Thursday. PICTURE RIGHT: Fourteen-year-old amateur Guan Tianlang of China 

celebrates sinking a birdie putt on the 18th green during irst round play. — AFP/Reuters 

AUGUSTA, Georgia — Sergio Garcia 

and surprise package Marc Leishman 

seized joint control in Thursday's 

opening round at the Masters, though 

tournament favourite Tiger Woods 

was lurking just four shots off the 

pace. 

On a mainly overcast day at Augusta 

National where there was very 

little wind, Spaniard Garcia and Australian 

Leishman ired six-underpar 

66s to surge one stroke clear 

of the ield in the year's opening 

Major. 

Long-hitting American Dustin 

Johnson, who missed last year's Masters 

due to a back injury, also got to 

six under but bogeyed the tricky parfour 

17th to end the day alone in third 

Jets pulverise 

Panthers 

WINNIPEG — Evander Kane scored 

twice and captain Andrew Ladd 

added a goal and an assist as hosts 

Winnipeg Jets pounded Florida Panthers 

7-2 in the National Hockey 

League (NHL) on Thursday. 

Dustin Byfuglien also recorded 

a goal and an assist while fellow 

defenceman Grant Clitsome, Aaron 

Gagnon and Chris Thorburn each 

scored for the Jets, who remained 

within two points of the Washington 

Capitals for the lead in the Southeast 

Division. Winnipeg (21-19-2) 

also pulled even with the New York 

Rangers (20-16-4) for eighth place 

in the Eastern Conference. 

In Tampa Bay, Jussi Jokinen recorded 

two goals and an assist and 

Pascal Dupuis scored a goal and set 

up two others as the visiting Pittsburgh 

Penguins beat the Lightning 

6-3. 

Chris Kunitz and Evgeni Malkin 

also scored and Tanner Glass added 

his irst for the Penguins, who lead 

Montreal by ive points in the race 

for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Jarome Iginla chipped in 

with two assists and Tomas Vokoun 

made 16 saves for his 11th victory. 

Teddy Purcell scored two powerplay 

goals and Brett Connolly added 

a third for Tampa Bay, who are eight 

points behind the eighth-place New 

York Rangers in the East. Ben Bishop 

turned aside 35 shots while making 

his ifth consecutive start for the 

Lightning after being acquired from 

Ottawa. 

In Buffalo, defencemen Andrei 

Markov and P K Subban each had 

a goal and an assist as the visiting 

Montreal Canadiens defeated the 

Sabres 5-1 to wrap up a play-off 

spot. 

Results: Ottawa Senators bt 

Philadelphia Flyers 3-1, Washington 

Capitals bt Carolina Hurricanes 

3-1, NY Islanders bt Boston Bruins 

2-1, Montreal Canadiens bt Buffalo 

Sabres 5-1, Pittsburgh Penguins bt 

Tampa Bay Lightning 6-3, San Jose 

Sharks bt Detroit Red Wings 3-2, 

Winnipeg Jets bt Florida Panthers 

7-2, St Louis Blues bt Minnesota 

Wild 2-0. — Reuters 

after shooting a 67. 

Former champion Fred Couples, at 

53, rolled back the years as he carded 

a 68 to inish level with fellow Americans 

Rickie Fowler and Matt Kuchar, 

Englishman David Lynn, South African 

Trevor Immelman and Spaniard 

Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. 

However, no one in the upper 

reaches of the leader-board 

will be able to ignore the ominous 

presence of four-time champion 

Woods who, watched by girlfriend 

Lindsey Vonn and ive-deep galleries 

when he started his round, inished 

with a 70. 

The world No 1 opened with a 70 

on the way to his irst three victories 

at Augusta National and is perfectly 

placed as he bids to win his irst Major 

title since the 2008 US Open. 

"It was a good day, a solid day," the 

37-year-old Woods told reporters after 

mixing three birdies with a sole 

bogey on greens which ran a little 

slower than he expected. 

"The biggest challenge today was 

just the speed of the greens. They just 

weren't quite there. They looked it, 

but just weren't quite putting it." 

Woods, who has been installed as a 

hot favourite this week after winning 

three times in his irst ive starts on 

the 2013 PGA Tour, made a solid start 

with a two-putt par at the irst, where 

he has often struggled in the past. 

The 14-time Major champion 

picked up his irst shot of the day at 

the par-three sixth, then birdied the 

par-ive eighth to reach the turn in 

two-under 34. 

Though Woods failed to cash in on 

the back nine, offsetting a birdie at 

the par-ive 13th with a bogey at 14 

before failing to birdie the par-ive 

15th, he was overall happy with his 

round. "It's a good start. I hit the ball 

very solid today and lag-putted pretty 

good today and I made a few here and 

there. Right now I'm only four back 

and I'm right there." 

CHINESE DELIGHT 

One of the most impressive performances 

of the day came from 

14-year-old Chinese Guan Tianlang 

who rolled in a 14-foot birdie 

putt from just off the green at the 

last for a 73, the best score among 

the six amateurs competing this 

week. 

Three-time champion Phil Mickelson 

opened with a 71 while Northern 

Irish world No 2 Rory McIlroy, who 

squandered a four-shot overnight 

lead with a inal-round 80 at the 2011 

Masters, carded a 72. 

Thirty-three players in the ield 

of 93 ended the day under par after 

taking advantage of relatively calm 

conditions at the spiritual home of 

American golf known by many as the 

'Cathedral of Pines,' but defending 

champion Bubba Watson battled to a 

75. 

Garcia, at the age of 33 still hunting 

his irst Major title, was delighted 

Bulls snap Knicks’ 13-game streak 

CHICAGO — Hosts Chicago Bulls overcame 

New York 118-111 in overtime 

and snapped the Knicks' 13-game 

winning streak in the NBA league on 

Thursday. 

Nate Robinson scored eight of his 

season-high 35 points in overtime for 

the Bulls. Jimmy Butler had 22 points 

and a career-high 14 rebounds and 

Luol Deng scored 16 points as the 

Bulls completed a four-game season 

sweep of the Knicks 15 days after 

halting Miami's 27-game winning 

streak. Chicago moved a half-game 

ahead of Atlanta for ifth place in the 

Eastern Conference. 

Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points 

— setting a franchise record with six 

straight 35-plus point games — and 

grabbed a season-high 19 rebounds 

for New York, who blew a 17-point 

lead before erasing a nine-point deicit 

in the inal 5:42 of regulation. New 

York's lead over Indiana for the No 2 

seed was cut to two games. 

Robinson, who scored 10 points in 

the fourth quarter, put the Bulls ahead 

to stay with a three-point play at the 

outset of the extra session. Robinson 

followed a three-pointer by Deng by 

making a technical free throw before 

scoring on a drive to push the lead to 

114-107 with 1:36 seconds to go. 

New York led by 17 in the irst 

quarter and were up 15 in the third 

before the Bulls used a 35-11 burst 

bridging the third and fourth quarter 

to surge ahead 99-90 with 5:42 to 

play. The Knicks clawed back by holding 

Chicago without a ield goal the 

rest of the way to force overtime. 

In another game, Kevin Durant 

collected 31 points, 10 rebounds and 

eight assists as the visiting Oklahoma 

Detroit Tigers cruise past Toronto Blue Jays 

DETROIT — Prince Fielder drove in 

four runs and Torii Hunter knocked 

in three to back Doug Fister's eight 

strong innings as the Detroit Tigers 

cruised past the visiting Toronto Blue 

Jays 11-1 in the Major League Baseball 

(MLB) on Thursday. 

Austin Jackson added three hits, an 

RBI and scored three times for the Tigers, 

who won two of three in the series. 

Fister (2-0) scattered eight hits 

and allowed one run while striking 

New York Knicks’ Jason Kidd (second right) looks to make a pass as Chicago Bulls’ Nate Robinson (right) leaps 

in during their NBA game in Chicago on Thursday. — Reuters 

out ive and walking one. 

Melky Cabrera and Colby Rasmus 

each recorded a pair of hits and Mark 

DeRosa lofted a sacriice ly in the 

second inning for the Blue Jays, who 

have given up 37 runs the last four 

games. 

In Chicago, Angel Pagan and Pablo 

Sandoval each drove in a pair of runs 

as the visiting San Francisco Giants 

overcame a ive-run deicit to take the 

series opener from the Cubs 7-6. 

Ryan Vogelsong (1-1) allowed ive 

runs — four earned — and eight hits 

in six innings to pick up the win and 

drew a bases-loaded walk to force in 

the tying run in the ifth for the San 

Francisco Giants, who have won four 

straight. 

Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run homer 

and Brent Lillibridge drove in two 

as the Cubs fell for the ifth time in the 

last six games. Scott Feldman (0-2) 

lasted 4-1/3 innings and did not get a 

State Thunder beat the Golden State 

Warriors 116-97. — Reuters. 

lot of help from his defence, yielding 

six runs — two earned — and seven 

hits to suffer the loss. 

Results of Thursday games: Detroit 

Tigers bt Toronto Blue Jays 11-1, 

San Francisco Giants bt Chicago Cubs 

7-6, Washington Nationals bt Chicago 

White Sox 7-4, Baltimore Orioles bt 

Boston Red Sox 3-2, New York Rangers 

bt Seattle Mariners 4-3, Oakland 

Athletics bt Los Angeles Angels 

8-1. — Reuters 

to complete a bogey-free round at a 

venue where he has never been entirely 

happy. 

"Today was a nice day," said the 

Spaniard, who has recorded just two 

top-10s while missing four cuts in his 

previous 14 appearances. "It's obviously 

not my most favourite place, but 

we try to enjoy it as much as we can 

each time we come here. 

"I played extremely well the irst 

10 holes and then I struggled with 

a couple of tee shots here and there 

over the last six or seven holes. 

"What I'm going to try to take into 

my pillow tonight, it's the irst 10 

holes. Without a doubt, I feel like it's 

the best ten holes I've played at the 

Masters." 

Almagro wins, 

Haas falls 

HOUSTON, Texas — Top seed 

Nicolas Almagro fought back to beat 

Frenchman Gael Monils 2-6, 6-0, 

6-3 in Thursday's second round at 

the US Men's Clay Court Championship 

here. 

Almagro grabbed the decisive 

break in the eighth game of the deciding 

set and the Spaniard will 

fancy his chances of securing a 

13th clay-court title of his career in 

his irst appearance at the Houston 

tournament. 

Fifth seed John Isner defeated 

20-year-old fellow American wildcard 

Jack Sock 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 in a 

match which featured just just one 

break of serve. 

Isner is aiming to reach his third 

semiinal of 2013, following Delray 

Beach and San Jose, but irst he 

must deal with Lithuanian Ricardas 

Berankis. 

The 73rd-ranked Berankis produced 

an upset beating 2004 Houston 

winner and No 2 seed Tommy 

Haas 6-3, 6-3. 

The 35-year-old German Haas 

stumbled after his ine effort at the 

Sony Open last month where he defeated 

world No 1 Novak Djkovic. 

Third seed and defending champion 

Juan Monaco made his way 

safely through his opener, beating 

American Tim Smyczek 7-6, 6-1. 

American Rhyne Williams 

reached his irst ATP World Tour 

quarterinal by defeating 2007 

Houston champion Ivo Karlovic of 

Croatia 6-4, 6-7, 7-6. 

Results (x denotes seeding): 

2nd rd: Paolo Lorenzi (ITA x7) 

bt Flavio Cipolla (ITA) 7-6 (7/4), 

6-1; Rhyne Williams (USA) bt Ivo 

Karlovic (CRO) 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 

(7/3); Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 

(ESP) bt Fernando Verdasco (ESP 

x6) 6-3, 6-2; John Isner (USA x5) 

bt Jack Sock (USA) 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 

7-6 (7/3); Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 

bt Tommy Haas (GER x2) 6-3, 6-3; 

Nicolas Almagro (ESP x1) bt Gael 

Monils (FRA) 2-6, 6-0, 6-3; Robby 

Ginepri (USA) bt Martin Alund 

(ARG) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4; Juan Monaco 

(ARG x3) bt Tim Smyczek (USA) 7-6 

(7/5), 6-1. — Reuters

29 

ENTERTAINMENT 

Loved doing Karan Johar’s Gippi: Divya Dutta 

Taylor Swift may pursue acting dreams 

SINGER Taylor Swift feels she has made 

a mark in the music world and is now 

ready to take on Hollywood. 

"Taylor has wanted to be a movie star 

ever since she was a child. She started 

acting lessons when she was nine and 

has never forgotten her original dream," 

contactmusic.com quoted Swift as saying. 

"As soon as she's inished touring her 

album 'Red', she's going to revamp her 

image adding a little more edge. She 

wants to move into acting while writing 

songs that aren't about her latest 

breakup," added the source. 

Swift, 23, was also reportedly devastated 

when she failed to land a role in Les Miserables, despite 

trying out. 

Miley postpones her wedding 

ACTRESSSINGER Miley Cyrus has 

reportedly postponed her wedding 

with iance Liam Hemsworth. 

"They were supposed to get married 

in June, but there have been so many 

problems with them, they thought it was 

best to work out their issues before making 

such a big commitment," femaleirst. 

co.uk quoted a source as saying. 

"They aren't ready. Their families are 

both concerned. They don't want to see 

Cyrus and Hemsworth get married and 

then get divorced. They're very young to 

be getting married," the source added. 

However, Hemsworth's elder brother Luke recently described 

Cyrus as a big part of their family. 

However, Hemworth's sister-in-law Elsa Pataky hinted earlier this 

week that she isn't sure if the wedding was still on the horizon. 

Vanessa not guilty about footwear 

ACTRESSSINGER Vanessa Hudgens 

says she has an impressive collection 

of high heels and isn't ashamed of her 

obsession with shoes. 

"I think shoes are every girl's guilty 

pleasure but I don't feel guilty about it," 

contactmusic.com quoted Hudgens as 

saying. 

The 24-year-old also can't be without 

her favourite leather jacket and says her 

style depends upon her mood. 

"I love my leather jacket, I wear it 

every day. My style changes every day, it 

depends on what kind of music I'm listening 

to, where I am in the world. I'm inspired 

by so many different things," said 

the Spring Breakers actress. 

The brunette's hair is also a major inluence on her look. 

ACTRESS Divya Dutta (pictured), who 

will soon be seen in Karan Johar's production 

Gippi, says this is her irst ilm 

with the ilmmaker and she loved doing it. 

"I loved doing the ilm. I got a beautiful 

compliment from Karan when he called me 

up and said he loved my performance," the 

actress said on the sets of TV show Wah Wah 

Kya Baat Hai. 

"Yesterday (Wednesday), I was watching a 

ilm and the promo of Gippi came. It is lovely 

to see your name and face with the Dharma 

Production tag," she said. 

"I got this feeling after working with Yash 

Chopra, Shyam Benegal, Rakeysh (Omprakash) 

Mehra. So it's great to work with such 

people who you have always admired," Divya 

added. 

The 35-year-old also praised debutant director 

Sonam Nair. 

"Gippi is my irst ilm with Karan Johar and 

a new girl Sonal is directing it. She has taken 

a leaf out of her own life. She has shown the 

growing up years very beautifully," she said. 

The actress, known for award winning 

roles in Veer-Zaara and Delhi 6, plays the lead's 

mother in Gippi and says she took a few tips 

from her own mother. 

"I have a lovely role. I have learned from my 

mother for the role and what she does with 

me, I have done with Gippi in the ilm," Divya 

said. 

Recently seen in Special 26 and Zila Ghaziabad, 

Divya has some interesting ilms lined up 

for release this year. 

"This year is fulilling some of my dreams 

as I am getting to work with those people I 

have always wanted. I have some ilms with 

some great ilm-makers this year," said Divya, 

who will be seen in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and 

Lootera. 

All-girl bands: Talent beyond just pretty 

faces: All-girl bands are not just about pretty 

faces, say India's growing tribe of female musicians, 

who are carving a niche for themselves 

while battling prejudices and regressive social 

norms. 

From forming bands, to handling all kind of 

musical equipment, they are proving that music 

is not just a man's passion. 

"Initially, we were not taken seriously because 

we were all girl members," Cheyyrian 

Bark, lead vocalist of The Vinyl Records Northeast, 

said. 

Muisc bands are usually made up of male 

members, she said. 

GO GOA GONE is a zombie 

comedy and Puja Gupta 

says the new genre and 

unusual script inspired her to 

accept the offer. 

Her character has a lot of 

action stunts in the movie, 

which has been co-directed by 

Krishna DK and Raj Nidimoru. 

"The unusual script attracted 

me to the ilm. This is 

the irst time they are doing a 

zombie comedy. I it the role 

too. They wanted someone 

who was young and could it 

into an action role," she said. 

"There was a proper stunt 

team who was lown from 

South Africa and we were 

trained properly. I didn't 

know how to be in a harness 

and jump down from trees. 

The stunt team was very nice," 

she added. 

Puja's co-star in the ilm 

are National Award winning 

actor Saif Ali Khan, who is also 

producing the movie. Kunal 

Khemu, Vir Das and Anand Tiwari 

also feature in it. 

Her character is tomboyish, 

yet stylish. 

"She is very simple and 

is like one of the boys, but at 

the same time she is also very 

stylish. She gets to hold guns 

and all," she said. 

Praising her co-stars, she 

said that Saif is "sweet" and 

has "worked so hard". 

"He (Saif) has no attitude 

and is humble... very respectful. 

“He would share his experiences 

and I ended up learning 

a lot. Initially, I would be 

even scared to stand under 

"It was only after a couple of performances 

that we got noticed. It was so because we were 

as serious about playing our music as any other 

rock band across the country. 

"Initially, there were a few sceptics and 

critics who judged our performances, since 

they couldn't believe that we could play all the 

instruments, normally played by male rock 

bands," Bark added. 

All-girl bands mostly emerge in colleges 

and universities, but their big dreams have to 

bite the dust when they clash with the age old 

ideologies of the society. 

Tamil Nadu-based band Colour Chaos have 

been far more fortunate and is thankful to 

their community for believing in their talent. 

"Initially, there was prejudice when people 

thought we are just pretty faces, but music 

won. I am grateful to my community," Shema, 

the lead vocalist of the band, said. 

Internationally, all-girl bands are a hit. 

Groups like Spice Girls, The Saturdays and 

Girls Aloud are a shining example of how female 

power has won hearts. 

The trend has been there for quite some 

time in India but is yet to catch up in a big way. 

In fact, in 2002 Channel V formed Viva, an 

all girls band. Although the ive-member band 

started with a bang, it soon withered away. 

According to Neha Bhasin, an ex-member, society 

has become more narrow minded in the 

last decade. 

"We had a lot of success back then. But I 

think the society has become more regressive 

now. In our times, we used to wear short 

dresses and no one objected to them. Now 

people have started making an issue out of 

everything," Bhasin said. 

But Bark said things are now looking upwards. 

"There are a couple of all-girl around the 

country that are being well-received and we 

certainly feel what they (the men) can do, we 

can do it as well," she said. 

Tritha is a girl band with a difference — it 

has two female members — Tritha Sinha and 

Ritika Singh, and a male musician, Paul Schneiter. 

There is also Space, an all-girl band. 

Tritha, the lead singer of the band, said: 

"India is becoming more and more aware of 

the exploitation of women and we are happy 

to see them (women) perform on stage." 

Space does as many as 50 shows annually 

and it travels across the country to places like 

Rajasthan, Arunnachal Padesh and Gujarat, as 

also Delhi. — IANS 

Unusual script attracted Puja to Go Goa Gone 

one umbrella with him. I am 

too young and junior in front 

of him, so I would be apprehensive," 

Puja said. 

She described Kunal as a 

"good actor" and added Vir 

and Anand Tiwari are her seniors 

and she "observed them" 

and "learned" a lot. 

LeAnn Rimes plans 

real-life sitcom? 

HOLLYWOOD actress LeAnn Rimes and 

her husband Eddie Cibrian reportedly 

want to star in a sitcom based on their own 

lives. The couple met on the set of TV movie 

Northern Lights and that time they were 

married to other people. 

"They've met with a few networks. Nothing 

is inalised yet, but they're seeing where 

the show could go," contactmusic.com quoted 

a source as saying. 

"They have been shopping around 

a scripted comedy loosely based on 

their lives. They would play versions of 

themselves, kind of like 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'. 

. 

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Adah’s comic lessons in 

Hum Hai Raahi Car Ke 

ADAH Sharma, who will be seen sharing 

screen space with the likes of Sanjay Dutt 

and Juhi Chawla in comedy Hum Hai Raahi 

Car Ke, says she got to learn a lot from her 

experienced co-stars about comic timing. 

The 23-year-old, who made her debut opposite 

Rajniesh Duggall in horror thriller 1920, 

will be seen romancing Dev Goel in the forthcoming 

comedy, set to hit the screens May 24. 

"We both are very lucky to work with established 

stars and to do comedy with them 

because one gets to learn a lot in comedy. Everyone's 

comic timing is different, Chunky (Pandey) 

ji, Juhiji, and Sanjay Dutt's. We got to learn 

different things from everyone," Adah said. 

Eesha Koppikar 

not an IPL fan 

INDIAN Premier League (IPL) matches might 

be a craze among Bollywod stars, but actress 

Eesha Koppikar does not like the tournament 

because she believes it divides the country into 

different teams. 

"For me, may the best person win. I did 

watch the World Cup because I am an Indian 

and I love my country. But what happens in 

IPL is that the country gets divided into different 

teams. I don't like it," she said at the Gudi 

Padwa celebrations. The 36-year-old is not at 

all fascinated by cricket. 

"Not much. Actually I have seen my father 

and my brother watching cricket like crazy 

since I was a kid. They used to forget everything 

that was happening around them. I don't 

get so engrossed in cricket," said the actress of 

ilms like Pinjar, 36 China Town and Don — The 

Chase Begins. 

Kunis’ new home 

next to notorious site 

ACTORS Ashton Kutcher and girlfriend Mila 

Kunis have reportedly bought a temporary 

house which is next to a notorious site. 

While Kunis is shooting in England for her 

latest movie Jupiter Ascending, Kutcher decided 

to buy a pad in Hampstead for the time being 

not knowing what was in the neighbourhood. 

The couple started dating in July last year after 

Kutcher's six-year-long marriage to actress 

Demi Moore failed. 

Printers and Publishers 

Oman Establishment for Press, 

Publication and Advertising

30 

PEOPLE’S 

PLATFORM 

THE Omani Products Exhibition 

which will be held in 

Doha in November will be a 

great landmark in the history of the 

Ministry of Commerce and Industry. 

Organised by the Public Authority 

for Investment Promotion and Export 

Development (PAIPED) in partnership 

with the Oman Chamber of 

Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and 

the Public Establishment for Industrial 

Estates (PEIE), the Exhibition 

also aims to foster enhanced trade 

relations and open-up new commercial 

opportunities for domestic 

manufacturers. 

This is a great potential for the 

more than 150 Omani companies 

which are expected to showcase 

their products and services at the 

Doha Fair to network and derive the 

results thereof. Keep up the good 

work. 

— Sulaiman al Hinai 

Editor: This is yet another 

milestone in the Ministry’s achievements 

as more than 150 companies 

are expected to be present at the 

Doha Products Expo in November 

this year. This is a part of its continuous 

support to the business community 

and is the result of the tremendous 

response to its Riyadh expo in 

December. 

Warning of CBO against fraudsters 

THE warning note sent out by the 

Central Bank of Oman is indeed 

timely and we really appreciate the 

same. 

The CBO has issued a warning 

to members of the public against 

fraudulent inancial activities now 

on the rise in Oman. The apex bank 

has also pointed out that swindlers 

are using smart ways of tempting 

their victims. 

It always pays to be dealing safe 

when it comes to money exchanging 

A 

BIOTECH company has 

developed a way to 

turn extra fat into new 

bones to replace missing or 

damaged bone structure. 

With the new indings, 

Bonus Biogroup based in the 

northern Israeli city of Haifa, 

will help millions of people 

all over the world suffering 

from bone diseases such as 

osteoporosis, bone infection 

and also accidents that cause 

irreparable damage to the 

bones, reported Xinhua. 

By making the cells grow 

in a scaffold after scanning 

the patient's bones to determine 

the shape, these cells 

then ill a mould and make a 

completely new bone resembling 

the lost one. 

"By using live adult cells 

inside the scaffold and mimicking 

the body's conditions, 

the cells ill the cast in a matter 

of a few months, two or 

three, so the patient is ready 

to receive an implant that his 

body will not reject, because 

it was taken from his own 

body," Bonus Biogroup founder 

and CEO Shai Meretzki told 

a press conference on Thursday. 

The cell extraction procedure 

is very non-intrusive, 

unlike bone replacement surgeries 

today that take a piece 

of the patients' bone and 

work on it to make it look as 

similar as possible to the bone 

it will have to replace. This, of 

course, is a painful and long 

process that requires months 

of post-operative care. 

"We do a small liposuction 

on the patient's stomach and 

make those cells turn into 

the new bone by telling each 

of them how to grow. Many 

patients encourage us to continue 

with the liposuction!" 

Meretzki laughed. 

For now, Meretzki and his 

team only researched on rats, 

but the trials on human will 

begin soon, as they expect 

that their technology will be 

available for everyone in no 

more than three years. 

LETTERS 

Omani products expo will hit it big in Doha 

as it constitutes to be the backbone 

of a nation. 

It also constitutes to be the 

foundation of transactions as people 

can be framed for no fault of theirs 


weekends and it’s just a matter of 

time that we follow the bill and 

adjust and attune our routines in 

line with the change. 

In this context, I would like to 

request the Indian Schools, the 

Board of Directors to follow the 

same pattern in all their schools 

so that a perfect balancing can be 

achieved. 

This will help the parents to find 

some time to be with their children and 

attend to their studies in families where 

both parents are working. 

— Moninder Matharu 

Editor: You are right as you said 

it will help the working parents to 

ind some time to be with their kids 

and attend to their studies. I sincerely 

hope the managements of all private 

schools will look into this and follow 

the same. 

until their innocence is proved. 

— Kabeer 

Editor: Indeed, the apex bank is 

vigilant and is monitoring the money 

transactions into and outside the 

country. The legal framework of the 

country is effective and alert and is 

always one step ahead in protecting 

the interests of the citizens and residents 

alike. 

Yellow checkerboard crossers 

IT is really disgusting to see some 

irresponsible drivers who heed 

to nothing and behave arrogantly 

on the road, break the rule of not 

crossing the yellow checkerboard 

when there are vehicles waiting 

for their turn. In return, these 

irresponsible drivers are causing 

delays in others reaching their 

destinations. Had they been a bit 

more cautious and considerate of 

others, things would have been 

different and no one will be delayed 

Change in weekends 

to reach their destination. 

The problem is that the new 

IT is a laudable move by the 

cameras that are ixed to catch the 

government to shift the weekends 

red signal jumpers are not suficient 

in synchronisation with the regional 

to catch the slow drivers who jump 

signals. 

— Ahmed al Qasmi 

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: 

Editor: Indeed, these thoughtless 

drivers need to be booked so that they 

wouldn’t cause others get delayed on 

their way. Time is in fact suficient for 

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

those who are behind wheels to wait 

facebook.com/oman observer twitter.com/omanobserver 

for their turn when there are vehicles 

at the signal waiting for their turn. 

La Buona Cucina at Capri Court 

Biotech company 

Former BSM student wins Harvard place 

grows bones 

ORMER British School Muscat 

from fat F(BSM) student and member 

CAPRI Court Restaurant at 

Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort 

and Spa is pleased to welcome 

the irst and only woman who 

holds the Pizza World Champion title 

Oriana Tirabassi. Resident chef of 

Rosso restaurant at Shangri-La Hotel, 

Jakarta will be the guest at Capri 

Court to delight our palate with her 

Italian cooking skills from April 17- 

28. 

Italy is known as an incredibly 

diverse country which is relected 

in its culinary. Dishes, ingredients, 

cooking times and seasonings change 

radically from one region to the next. 

Given its position in the middle of the 

Mediterranean, Italy is a crossroad 

and many foreign inluences left their 

mark. 

There is a quite bit of French inluence 

in the areas of Liguria, Piemonte, 

and the Valle D’Aosta. Austro-Hungarian 

inluences in the Veneto, Trentino 

Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia. 

Spanish inluences the South areas 

especially in Milan and Sardinia. You 

will ind English inluence in Tuscany 

where the classic zuppa Inglese, English 

trile and Bistecca alla Fiorentina 

are prepared for the enjoyment of the 

sizeable English colony that settled in 

Tuscany in the 1800s. 

In Sicily, you will ind a fascinating 

mixture inluence of Roman, Arab 

and to more recent recipes trade with 

North Africa. 

The essence of Italian cooking today 

is simplicity. One uses the freshest 

seasonal ingredients possible, and 

then uses basic cooking techniques to 

simply enhance the natural lavour of 

the food. 

Extra virgin olive oil, garlic, basils 

and tomatoes are used a lot in Italian 

food. Chef Oriana practices this 

traditional cooking techniques in her 

many exquisite signature dishes. 

She will showcase a perfect combination 

of Italian cuisine and ine 

dining, which not only pleases the 

taste buds, but also the eye of the beholder. 

Sample her unique scrumptious 

dishes that will be featured in a special 

à la carté menu which includes 

Vitello Tonnato, the wholesome 

chilled veal in tuna mayonnaise with 

capers and home-made pickles; Caciottina 

cheese with artichoke, arugula, 

walnuts and balsamic dressing; 

Bauletti illed with fresh ricotta 

cheese, roasted duck breast, porcini 

mushrooms and trufle sauce; and 

“Rossini” grilled wagyu beef tenderloin 

with foie gras medallion, mashed 

potatoes, spinach and black trufle 

cream sauce. 

If you want to have a guilt-free 

sweet, try the Semifreddo al Torroncino, 

it is a class of semi frozen Italian 

dessert with gelato, hazelnuts 

and cream. Chef Oriana joined Rosso, 

the Italian restaurant and lounge at 

Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta in 2011. 

She brings her passion and creativity 

to Rosso, where she creates authentic 

Italian lavours for diners. 

In her opinion, cooking and art are 

inseparable; both require a certain 

level of creativity in order to ensure 

innovation. 

One of her motto is, “Art is in our 

hands. It is up to us to give it a face.” 

Aside from her world pizza maker 

recognition, Chef Oriana has an exclusive 

position at Associazione Pizzioli 

E Similari Milano. 

of Muscat Marlins Swim Team, 

Patrick Pender, has won a place 

at top American university, 

Harvard. 

Letters and e-mail notiications 

of admission 

were recently 

sent to 2,029 

students, 5.8 per 

cent of the record 

applicant pool of 

35,023. Patrick 

(pictured) is one 

of only a handful 

of UK-based students 

to be admitted 

to the Harvard 

class of 2017. 

Born in Muscat, 

Patrick, 17, attended 

BSM from 

1999 to 2011 and 

is currently inishing A-levels at 

Bolton School near Manchester 

in England. 

Commenting on his success, 

Patrick said: “it was a really tense 

moment opening the e-mail from 

Admissions but after reading 

the acceptance letter the entire 

house erupted. It was an amazing 

moment, one I’ll remember for 

Madhav Madhusoodanan 

life, I’m sure.” 

The former BSM student went 

on to add: “My twin brother and 

I were born in Muscat and spent 

12 years at the British School but 

left for England in August 2011 

to study A-levels and train with 

leading North 

West swimming 

club, Bolton Metro. 

Oman is home 

for Teddy and I. 

Growing up in 

Muscat exposed 

us to so many 

interesting experiences, 

people 

and ideas. It’s 

that sort of exposure 

that singles 

you out. For that, 

I’ll be eternally 

grateful.” 

Patrick intends to study either 

Politics or Economics and 

remarks: “It’s going to be both a 

fantastic as well as challenging 

experience. I’m a very lucky guy. I 

didn’t achieve this success on my 

own — there have been so many 

people along the way that have 

helped me reach this point. It’s 

their success too.” 

Oman Daily Observer would like 

to take the lead in sharing the joy 

with its readers. Send us a colour 

photograph of your baby (below 

10 years) along with name, date 

of birth, address, telephone 

number and parents’ names. 

Send in your baby’s picture and 

other details to: 

observerfeatures@gmail.com 

or Kids Corner, 

Oman Daily Observer, 

P O Box 974, PC 100, Muscat, 

Sultanate of Oman


FUNKY CHAIRS STAR IN MILAN DESIGN WEEK 

A visitor takes a picture of hand-made dishes from Nina Menardi. (Right) This picture shows a view of the Segis stand. — AFP 

By Antonella Ciancio 

WARDROBES made from exotic 

Japanese wood by Armani, 

a brass and leather 

"Donatella Versace" chair and other 

"home" furnishings from Italian luxury 

designers were on show in Milan 

this week in an effort to woo wealthy 

tourists and high end hotel developers. 

Fashion groups such as Versace 

and Armani diversiied into home design 

decades ago in an effort to capture 

a bigger slice of the $750 billion 

global luxury goods market. 

But they continue to add items 

from drinks coasters costing 100 

euros ($130) to leather-covered 

wardrobes in an effort to lure buyers 

across the luxury spectrum from the 

aspirational European middle-class 

to wealthy Asians and property developers. 

"We have always looked at distant 

parts of the world, but this is inevitable 

now with the economic problems 

in Italy," designer Giorgio Armani said 

at an evening presentation of his Armani 

Casa 2013/14 collection at his 

theatre in Milan. 

Armani, who used natural but 

By Richard Ingham 

CHARRED food residues scraped from the 

world's oldest pots show humans used ceramics 

for cooking in the late Ice Age, long 

before hunter-gatherers settled down to become 

farmers, a study said. 

The ind raises questions about the turning 

point in history that saw hunters abandon their 

roaming lifestyle about 10,000 years ago to start 

domesticating animals and plants and gain food 

security. 

Scrapings taken from more than 100 shards of 

Japanese pots dated between 11,800 and 15,000 

years ago were analysed by mass spectrometry 

and gas chromatography to derive a chemical 

"ingerprint" from heating tiny samples. 

They revealed fatty molecules called lipids, 

which came from cooked ish and from "non-ruminant" 

animals, said the paper published in Nature, 

adding that further details about the meal 

were unknown. Non-ruminants include species 

such as pigs, horses and rabbits that have a single-compartment 

stomach. 

"Foragers irst used pottery as a revolutionary 

new strategy for the processing of marine 

and freshwater ish," said lead researcher Oliver 

rare materials such as Japanese tamo 

wood for a trunk-shaped wardrobe 

and banana tree stripes for round 

gaming tables, has made home design 

an integral part of his group, which 

had total revenues of 6.7 billion euros 

($8.77 billion) in 2011. 

In 2003, Armani set up an interior 

design studio for private clients 

and real estate builders, which also 

worked with Indian prime property 

developer Lodha at the World Towers 

in Mumbai. 

Global sales of luxury home furnishing 

rose 3 per cent to 18 billion 

euros in 2012, according to US consultancy 

Bain. 

The sector grew below the average 

of the industry, as Europeans cut back 

on non-essential purchases. But ana- 

Visitors chat by chairs displayed on the Alias stand at the 

Fiera Milano in Rho. — AFP 

lysts expect it to beneit from demand 

for all-round luxury services from 

travellers, who account for 40 per 

cent of global luxury goods sales. 

Hotel services, according to Bain, 

outpaced any other sector in the luxury 

industry in 2012, with global turnover 

estimated at 127 billion euros, 

up 18 per cent on the year before. 

Fashion houses at the design week, 

which includes an international furniture 

fair near Milan running until Sunday, 

used archive items to strengthen 

their brand image. 

Some partnered with other designers 

on limited collections to satisfy 

the most demanding clients. 

Platinum-blonde creative director 

Donatella Versace collaborated 

with Los Angeles designers Nikolai 

e Simon Haas on a "Donatella Chair", 

made of honeycomb brass and black 

leather. 

Fashion house Missoni also presented 

outdoor furniture and a variety 

of textiles inspired by their trademark 

"zigzag" motif. 

"Our chairs can even be used in a 

kitchen," Rosita Missoni, who started 

the family business with her husband 

Ottavio over half a century ago, said at 

a crowded cocktail event. — Reuters 

Hunter-gatherers had a home on the range 

Craig of Britain's University of York. 

The pieces were found at 13 sites around 

Japan but mainly on the western coast of Honshu. 

They are dated to a period called the Incipient 

Jomon, named after aboriginal foragers who 

inhabited the archipelago in the late Ice Age. 

The fragments were found years ago, but the 

forensic analysis has only now provided clues 

about what the pottery was used for. 

Pots are obviously useful for food storage and 

cooking. But the idea that they should be used by 

hunter-gatherers is controversial, because they 

are delicate and would seem to have no place in 

a tribe which is always on the move. 

Many anthropologists had presumed that 

Jomon pottery was brought out only for special 

rituals or ceremonies and not used for day-today 

living. 

But the new study points to a culinary use, 

and probably a widespread one, too. 

It notes that the 13 sites were on Japan's narrow 

coastal plain and rivers, where there would 

have been an abundance of ish, marine mammals 

and game — a terriic temptation for hunter-gatherers 

to give up life on the move. 

"For a long time ceramics have only been as- 

sociated with farmers, but now it is becoming 

clear that pottery was used by hunter-gatherers 

in many parts of the world," Craig said in an email 

exchange. 

"In Japan this has been known for a long time, 

but raises the question: why would these mobile 

hunter-gatherers invest time in heavy, fragile 

pots? 

"Our research shows that [hunter-gatherer] 

pottery was associated with processing ish — 

we suggest that these resource-rich water-edge 

environments meant that they could be slightly 

less mobile, thus freeing up time to invest in pottery 

production." 

Demographic and social factors, as well as the 

changing climate, no doubt also played a role in 

the switch towards this half-way house. 

"In Japan, agriculture (rice) was not introduced 

for another 10,000 years," said Craig. 

"We can't just assume that agriculturalists 

were sedentary and hunter-gatherers mobile — 

it's much more complex," he said. 

"Often too much emphasis is placed on the 

great changes brought about by the introduction 

of domesticated plants and animals when 

hunter-gatherers were living very similar lives" 

to settled farmers. — AFP 

Fossils show ‘weird’ mosaic of chimp-human traits 

By Kerry Sheridan 

SHE walked with a knock-kneed gait, with a 

heel like a chimp but the upright posture of a 

human, and she may provide the most complete 

evidence yet of early man's closest ancestor, 

scientists said on Thursday. 

Two-million-year-old Australopithecus sediba's 

awkward strut would eventually send a modern 

man begging for a knee or hip replacement, but 

scientists are stunned at how evolution equipped 

her for both climbing trees and walking. The latest 

research on an unprecedented set of fossil bones 

from South Africa reveal an ancient creature with 

long arms and primitive shoulders like an ape, but 

legs that could straighten, dexterous hands and a 

human-like thumb for precision grip. 

"Just a weird, weird combination," said Jeremy 

DeSilva of Boston University, lead author of one of 

the six articles in the US journal Science that describe 

the most complete set of bones ever found 

for an early hominid. 

The latest indings offer more distinctions from 

the famed hominid Lucy, who was discovered in 

1974 and whose species Australopithecus afarensis 

roamed eastern Africa 3.2 million years ago, experts 

said. 

"What these papers suggest is that sediba probably 

doesn't come from the East African species 

that Lucy comes from," said Lee Berger, who in 

A composite reconstruction of 

Au. sediba based on recovered 

material from MH1, MH2 and 

MH4 and based upon the research 

presented in the accompanying 

manuscripts. — AFP 

2008 discovered the fossil site of Malapa, north of 

Johannesburg, where excavations are ongoing. 

Au. sediba walked in a way never before seen by 

researchers, with a rib cage and spine that is "very 

ape-like at the top and human-like at the bottom," 

said Berger, a professor at the University of the 

Witwatersrand. 

The bones of ive individuals have provided 

some stunning irsts — the irst-ever kneecap, the 

most well-preserved upper limb, and a complete 

set of foot, leg and hip pieces from an adult female 

that have allowed her gait to be decoded. 

DeSilva said the adult female Au. sediba was a 

hyper-pronator, meaning her foot was tilted inward. 

Without a strong heel base like humans have, 

she would have landed on the outside of her foot, 

causing her shin, knee and thigh bones to twist inwards 

and she strode. 

Sound painful? To us, it might be. But maybe not 

to this female, referred to by researchers as MH2. 

"They have the anatomy that allows them to do 

this and to do it well," DeSilva said. 

The kneecap has a large ridge that keeps it in 

place, and likely kept MH2 and her cohorts alive in 

a dangerous world, he said. 

Experts believe the creatures are so well preserved 

because they died after falling into a sinkhole. 

So far they have uncovered remains of an 

adult female, a juvenile male, a toddler, an infant 

and another adult. 

"This could very well be a family group," said 

DeSilva. "I have never seen fossils this well preserved. 

It's unreal. They are stunning." 

Articles detailing Au. sediba's hands and teeth 

— signalling they ate a diet of fruit, leaves and bark 

— have been previously published. — AFP 

SPOTLIGHT 

Haider Al Lawati 

haiderdawood@hotmail.com 

31 

Omanisation in the 

Banking Sector 

THE Omani banking sector is one of the oldest sectors which started 

to the "Omanisation policy" since the mid-eighties under the 

supervision of the Central Bank of Oman, and the support and 

partnership of the College of Banking and Financial Studies. The College 

reinforces the banking and inancial institutions and the Omani 

market with manpower that is educated and specialised in the various 

disciplines related to the banking and inancial sector since it was established 

in 1983. This enabled thousands of Omani manpower to enter 

this important economic sector which is actively involved in the development 

of large-scale projects of the country through the funding of 

the activities of institutions, companies and individuals in various ields 

of interest to the general public. Despite the high Omanisation rates in 

banking institutions compared to the situation in the rest of the banks 

in GCC countries, CBO reviews and monitors the records of local banks 

from time to time for information on their Omanisation rates. As a result, 

CBO has recently issued a new circular to the banking sector demanding 

an increase in the Omanisation rates in this sector and imposing 

an obligation upon banks to take new measures to ensure increasing 

the Omanisation rates in upper and middle management positions. The 

circular also exempts Islamic banks and windows from maintaining the 

Omanisation rates in the banking sector for four years to allow these institutions 

to set up their operations in the present time before gradually 

starting the application of the Omanisation process. This will give 

ample opportunity for Islamic banking institutions and windows to take 

the necessary steps for employment, training and qualiication of Omani 

manpower to work in all departments and divisions that operate under 

the principles of Islamic Sharia Law. 

The circular also included the positive response of Omani banks in 

their quest to implement the requirements of Omanisation in the banking 

sector — issued by CBO in 1995 — demanding banks at the same 

time to seek to increase Omanisation rates in the upcoming period. 

CBO’s circular assures that there are numerous opportunities in the 

horizon for increasing Omanisation rates in the banking sector. It demanded 

all local banks to exert efforts to reach a minimum rate of 90 

per cent, with the need to separate the categories of upper and middle 

management positions where Omanisation rates are low, and to make it 

reach a minimum of 65 per cent in upper management and banks’ commitment 

to increase this percentage to reach 75 per cent by December 

2016, and then to 90 per cent in 2018. In the second category of middle 

management positions, the CBO circular demanded all banks to try and 

increase Omanisation rates in this category up to 90 per cent by the year 

2016. It will be no surprise if these rates are achieved over the upcoming 

years, especially since the educated Omani manpower working in 

the ields of banking are today present in GCC and international banking 

institutions as well because of their capabilities in these disciplines and 

are more than willing to return to their home country in the event of the 

availability of those jobs currently occupied by foreign labour in upper 

and middle management in the Omani banking institutions. Meanwhile, 

the number of Omani graduates from academic institutions and national 

and international institutes and colleges majoring in banking and inancial 

ields is increasing. 

No doubt that the Omani banking sector is among the most attractive 

to Omanis because of the generous inancial incentives offered by 

these institutions, as well as the quality of the work required in this sector. 

While CBFS plays a leading role in the education, training and quali- 

ication of Omani manpower to work in banking, inance and insurance 

and other areas of management required by these institutions, banking 

institutions are also keen on their part to qualify their employees and 

provide them with further education through academic courses in specialised 

areas to enable them to tackle the future challenges lying ahead 

for these institutions as well as abide by the rules of national and global 

banking business. 

These institutions also participate in annual job fairs held at the national 

level, which offer jobs and training opportunities to select young 

qualiied people wishing to work with them in the future. Senior oficials 

from Omani banks insist that taking interest in national manpower and 

providing them with job opportunities is part of the social responsibility 

that these institutions bear towards people of the country. It is also part 

of their involvement in providing initiatives and making use of any disciplines 

that provide further employment for these young people under 

the guidance of His Majesty on the importance of directing Omanis to 

work in the private sector which in return must employ Omanis in the 

areas and departments that they can work with. 

The Omani banking sector is constantly evolving and annually offers 

more products and services that facilitate the movement and transportation 

of people within and outside the Sultanate. With these products 

and services, the movement of Omanis to enter this sector is increasing 

every year. Oficial data by CBO shows that by the end of last year, 2012, 

the total number of employees in the banking sector reached 10,067 

from which 9,281 were Omanis and 786 non-Omanis, with an average 

Omanisation rate of 92.2 per cent. A number of Omani banks exceeded 

90 per cent, such as Oman Development Bank and Housing Bank, where 

Omanisation rates reach 95.7 per cent. 

Meanwhile, other banks are in the process of achieving the required 

rate of 90 per cent, and banking institutions and their boards of directors 

are required to Omanise senior management positions by 90 per 

cent by the end of 2018. 

The Omani banking sector has repeatedly announced that in response 

to the directives of His Majesty, who called upon the private 

sector to be a true partner in the recruitment and development plans, 

banks operating in the Sultanate have offered during the past period a 

number of programmes to attract Omanis in addition to providing education 

services. This can provide inancial support for young people to 

cover college costs and fees associated to qualify in the required disciplines, 

especially in the Islamic banking industry, which is under formation 

in Oman and which triggered remarkable mobility in the banking 

sector. This came as a result of opening Islamic banks and independent 

windows on one hand, and increasing the capital of Islamic banking in 

the country during this short period on the other hand. 

With the entry of Islamic banking to the country, it is expected that 

the banking sector will witness further positive developments. This is 

conirmed by all indicators when it was recently emphasised that the 

experience of the application of Islamic banking system in Oman would 

be one of the most successful contemporary applications. 

This calls the banks to play an important and vital role, especially in 

the ield of supporting the areas of productivity and employment, training 

and qualiication of Omani manpower and to be able to later support 

and promote Islamic products and services in the country, and 

ultimately enhances the Omanisation process in the various banking departments 

and divisions.

P29 

>> Entertainment 

Texting linked to 

poor academic 

performance 

SCIENTISTS have reported that 

rampant use of social networking, 

texting and chatting on 

mobile phone can result in lower 

grades and poor performance of 

students, says a study. 

The widespread use of media 

among college students — 

from texting, chatting on mobile 

phones to posting status updates 

on Facebook — may be affecting 

their academic performance, say researchers 

at the Miriam Hospital's 

Centres for Behavioural and Preventive 

Medicine in the US. 

The study showed that freshmen 

women spend nearly half their 

day — 12 hours — engaged in some 

form of media use, particularly 

texting, music, the Internet and social 

networking. 

Researchers found media use, in 

general, was associated with lower 

grade point averages (GPAs) and 

other negative academic outcomes. 

However, there were two exceptions: 

newspaper reading and listening 

to music were actually linked 

to a positive academic performance. 

The indings, reported online by 

the journal Emerging Adulthood, 

offer some new insight into media 

use in early adulthood, a time when 

many young people are living independently 

for the irst time and have 

signiicant freedom from parental 

monitoring, reports Science Daily. 

Interrupting 

protein can help 

boost immunity 

INTERRUPTING for a short period 

a protein responsible for immune 

functions can help boost 

the body's immunity against viral 

infections like HIV and hepatitis C, 

says a new study. 

The study conducted by scientists 

at the University of California- 

Los Angeles (UCLA) shows that temporarily 

blocking type-1 interferons 

(IFN-1), a protein critical to immune 

response, helps the body clear itself 

of chronic infections. 

Published in the April 12 edition 

of Science, the inding suggests new 

approaches to treating persistent viral 

infections like HIV and hepatitis 

C, reports Science Daily. 

"We suspect that halting IFN-1 

activity is like pushing the refresh 

button," said lead author Elizabeth 

Wilson, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher. 

"It gives the immune system time 

to reprogramme itself and control 

the infection." 

IFN-1 is released by cells in response 

to disease-causing organisms. 

It enables cells to communicate 

with each other and orchestrate 

an immune response against infections. 

Constant IFN-1 signalling is also 

a trademark of chronic viral infection 

and disease progression, particularly 

in HIV. 

P29 Taylor Swift may pursue acting dreams P29 Kunis’ new home next to notorious site 

P30 31 

Saturday 



Inside 

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TRAVELLING WITH A STRONG DESIRE 

TO EXPLORE THE WORLD 

By Melanie Held 

HOW many countries have you 

visited in the past six years? On 

an average anyone would answer 

this question saying, ‘two countries 

per year’. Well, Chris and Elayne 

and Victor (the buggy) has an entirely 

different story to tell, their answer 

is “123 including Oman”. 

They started the journey from 

their home country, Australia, where 

one of their aims was to make their 

own car, which they named ‘Victor’ 

and travel the world in the hope of 

getting the record for travelling the 

greatest distance with a homemade 

car. Their second aim is a noble and 

very important for people to realise. 

When they go back, they want to 

raise money for helping children with 

epilepsy and cancer. 

This should not be seen as a “romantic” 

thing to do, they do so in the 

hope of inspiring other people also 

to do the same and hopefully beat 

their already claimed record. 

So far, they have travelled 123 

countries around the world and 

endured a tremendous amount of 

bumps along the way, but “all of what 

has happened to us so far, has shaped 

our journey and has got us to where 

we are now,” explained Chris. 

Their journey has seen them travelling 

through the Amazon, across the 

whole of Russia, wander through Somaliland 

and recently on the shores 

of the Sultanate of Oman. 

“We arrived in Oman in a dhow 

from Somaliland and when we landed 

people were shocked to see a car coming 

out of the dhow,” Chris explains. 

“It was the irst time in 30 years that 

the people from Salalah have seen a 

car carried in a dhow, so far they have 

seen usually sheep and goats and other 

things taken out of dhows, this was 

something unusual for them.” 

The duo’s world tour is something 

more than ordinary. A normal night 

for them in a new country does not 

consist of relaxing in the luxury of a 

hotel with room service; for them it’s 

more like camping. On top of Victor, 

the buggy, lies their tent in which they 

have spent most of their nights sleeping. 

They have a clever mini kitchen in 

which Elayne cooks their meal. 

The construction of Victor took 

about six months to complete and 

even though its body parts are made 

from anything that would fulil the 

purpose. Eventhough not made in a 

technologically advanced car factory 

in a developed country, Victor, the 

buggy, has not broken down or given 

them any trouble that they could not 

handle themselves. 

As Victor was parked outside the 

Observer building, it was hard to 

imagine that the car that has no airconditioner 

was homemade, has gone 

through different terrains including 

landmines. Looking at the buggy, it 

tells the story of Chris and Elayne’s 

journey, as it had souvenirs from the 

123 countries coving its entire body. 

The trio want to see countries 

around the Gulf and they know one 

of their next stops will be the UAE. 

Qatar was also mentioned when 

they found out it’s about 5 hours 

drive from Oman, they responded 

with, “5 hours, that is not a problem, 

we can do that in 2 days since we do 

not drive at night,” said Chris. The 

thought of taking two days to drive 

5 hours would never cross most 

peoples minds, they would mostly 

likely do all that in one go, but after 

hearing Chris’ wise words it made 

sense as why they would consider 

taking two days, “there is no point in 

driving in the dark, you cannot see anything 

so we park the car and camp,” 

he added. 

“We want to go to India, Nepal and 

Tibet, so after travelling the Arabian 

Peninsula, we will head in that direction, 

explain Chris. The route of their 

journey is carefully planned out, but 

that is not to say that advices from 

the locals are not taken into consideration 

as to, “which border is better 

to use or what place to avoid seeing 

during a certain time”. Advices from 

locals are always welcomed by the adventurous 

team. 

Within a year’s time Chris, Elayne 

and Victor hope to return to Australia, 

where their family and friends are 

waiting for them and share with them 

their wonderful stories, the thrill of 

being able to have this experience. 

Fitting to the legendary hospitality 

of the Sultanate of Oman, the duo 

commented about the treatment they 

received from the people of Oman. 

“One thing we would like to leave this 

place with and the message we would 

like to take home with us is that we 

have gotten the best hospitality and 

the people of this country looked 

after us the best way in any Muslim 

country.”

RO 20 billion foreign trade - Oman Observer

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