KM Special Report - One More Rescue Mission
Succeeds
George Family Leaves Oman Peacefully
with Support of Philanthropists and Social Workers
Ending a period of harassment
lasting one and half years, the three member George family - George,
wife and the young daughter - is leaving Muscat by Oman Air Cochin
flight to night. The family has been escorted by leading social workers
of Muscat. However, established and recognised institutions like the
Christian Church, the Indian Social Club Linguistic Wings (Malayalam
Wing) and even the local media like the Times of Oman have been keeping
a safe distance from the issue. As earlier reported by KM on various
occasions, the house arrest and attempts to sexually exploit an young
Malayali girl is part of a major international racket which operates
from Kerala and the Gulf region. While one more case is exposed due
to the vigilence of some people, several other cases go unnoticed.
More News about George Family Case
We Dont Need
Any Ones Goodwill Certificate!
This
email KM received between 9 and 10 PM on May 11, 2004 from the Young
Daughter of George, who was trapped in a racket in Muscat! In
the News K M
To, Dear sir, i am the daughter of Mr
George Thomas one who was trapped by Mrs Nirmala Joboie. i would like
to sincerely thank all those who are behind this website and who have
helped us to escape from this pathetic situation. with the help of
ur website we were able to get the help of other social workers. Your
website have been a real helping hand for us and i truely pray to
God that it will continue to do so. your website have been a true
role model for other websites. without the support of your website
we wouldn't be able to reach india safely.i would also like to thank
all the social workers for their full support and guidance . And i
pray that u will continue to help all the others have been trapped
like us. More Appreciation Letters
MY FAMILY WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE MORAL
SUPPORT . YOURS SINCERELY George & family
Malayala Manorama lifts and publishes
KM Exclusive Photograph!
Malayala Manorama is a well known
newspaper from Kerala with more than 100 years publishing history.
However, when it comes to reporting such events from the Gulf, it
is normally the last one. But the credit for publishing the report
always go to the Manorma family. In this case, Malayala Manorama has
shamelessly lifted and published an exclusive photograph of George
posted by Kerala Monitor.com . Even the news report published by Malayala
Manorama one week after KM published it is a reproduction of KM report.
Malayala Manorama has not send any of its photographers to Badr Al
Samaa hospital to take a photograph of Mr. George, who was lying in
the hospital bed for a long time. George family, the hospital authorities
and others associated with the case say they did not see a Manorama
Photographer around. It was KM which published this photograph taken
by one of KM well wishers in Muscat and Manorama has just lifted this
KM photograph, without attributing any credit to it. Well Manorama
sets the standard for Kerala media! KM is small and MM is too big
which will not publish even a classified advertisment for seeking
journalists to keralamonitor.com.! More
News
GULF AIR OPERATES MORE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS FROM
MUSCAT
Muscat, Oman- 11 May 2004] Gulf Air,
the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Sultanate of Oman
and Emirate of Abu Dhabi, will expand its global network and increase
flight frequency to accommodate the growing number of travellers to
and from Oman. Gulf Air announced new flights, as well as an increase
in flight frequency from Oman to popular destinations in the Subcontinent,
Middle East and Europe. More News
Zero Discounting but for Indian School
Agents Special Discount from NTT! Indian Airlines? -- Watch this space.
Muscat Terry Fox Fun Grand Success!
MUSCAT - 11 May 2004. The fourth Muscat
Terry Fox Run that took place on the 23rd January 2004 was once again
a tremendous success thanks to the support of companies, institutions,
independent groups, schools, the media and individuals. The final
proceeds totaling OMR 14, 120 were recently handed over to Dr. Mansoor
Al Manthari from the Department of Breast Cancer at the Sultan Qaboos
University Hospital. The cheque was handed over by the proud Run Organiser
Line Brunswyck, and Torbjörn Bodin, General Manager of the Radisson
SAS Hotel, Muscat.
Eight Indian School Students Die in Jeddah
Bus Accident
In yet another tragic school bus accident six students
including six Malayalis died in Jeddah yesterday. The accident occured
due bus tyre burst. The bus driver, Habeeb Rahman, from Kerala and
his children comprise the main victims. Details in Arab News..www.arabnews.com
Reporters Without Borders urges release of newspaper
editor
JORDAN - 11 May 2004 Reporters Without Borders has
condemned a Jordanian legal decision to detain Fahd Al-Rimawi, editor
of the bi-monthly Al-Majd, for two weeks for infringing Article 118
of the criminal code by "harming relations with a brotherly country",
namely Saudi Arabia. The international press freedom organisation
called for his immediate release and termed his arrest a "serious
press freedom violation." The state prosecutor Mohannad Hijazi decided
on 10 May 2004, to have Al-Rimawi held in the Al-Juedia prison in
the south of the country, pending his appearance before the state
security court for "harming relations with a brotherly Arab country"
Full Report
Oman Ministry of Heritage intensifies campaign against
software piracy
Several companies using pirated software raided at COMEX Oman 2004
May 9, 2004 Oman authorities intensified
their campaign against traders and companies using pirated software
across the Sultanate, in a bid to protect Intellectual Property Rights
(IPR) and reduce software piracy.As part of the campaign, the authorities
raided several companies selling pirated software during the recently
held COMEX 2004, Oman’s leading IT exhibition, and seized copies
of pirated software. Full Report and More
News
NATO - Western Troops Sexually Abuse
Muslim Women in Kosova
Trafficked women and girls are exposed
to a series of human rights abuses, including abduction, deprivation
of liberty and denial of freedom of movement, torture and ill-treatment,
including psychological threats, beatings and rape. Young women and
girls, often vulnerable because of economic deprivation or for having
already been physically abused, are easy targets. They dream of a
better life which the traffickers use when they offer them "work"
in the West. Instead of getting a proper job the women and girls find
themselves trapped, enslaved, forced into prostitution. According
to reports the number of establishments in Kosovo where trafficked
women and girls may be exploited has increased from 18 in 1999 to
over 200 in 2003. Full Report
Five year old Expatriate
Girl Brutally Murdered in Saudi Arabia More
Suhail Bahwan Group to Open $10 Million
BMW Showroom in Oman
DUBAI -
Al Jenaibi International Automobiles, a division of the Suhail Bahwan
Group and the exclusive importer for BMW Group cars and motorcycles
in the Sultanate, is to open its new, $10 million state-of-the-art
showroom and after sales centre in the early summer. The announcement
follows the appointment of Al Jenaibi International Automobiles as
the sole importer in Oman for BMW Group’s premium brands: BMW
and MINI. Among the first cars on display in the new venue will be
the new BMW 5 Series, the dynamic and versatile X3 and the 6 Series
Coupé. The much anticipated BMW 1 Series will arrive in the
showroom in September followed by the MINI Convertible later this
year. Full Report
Shocking new evidence of the dangers of GM crops Genetically
modified strains have contaminated two-thirds of all crops in US More
Nokia Announces Ashen for the N-Gage Mobile
Game Deck
DUBAI - May 10, 2004
Nokia today announced Ashen, its third self-published title for the
N-Gage™ mobile game deck. Exclusively for the N-Gage game deck,
Ashen is a 3D gothic-horror-themed, first-person shooter that pits
mobile gamers against a host of enemies. In addition to exciting single-player
action, up to four people can play in deathmatch mode via Bluetooth
wireless technology. "Ashen will capture mobile gamers
with its impressive gameplay and unique features," said Pasi
Pölönen, Director of Game Publishing, Entertainment and
Media Business Unit, Nokia Mobile Phones.Full
Report and More News
Despite Al Qaeda Terrorism
targeting Hotels, Restaurants Saudi Arabia's Hotel Business is still
booming, writes V M Sathish in the International Herald Tribune
Recent reports from Saudi
Arabia indicated that terrorists are targeting Western hotels and
restaurants. Shooting incidents occurred around local American fast-food
outlets and American hotel chains. Recent terror attacks that killed
seven people, including American and British civilians, included a
gun battle outside the Holiday Inn. The latest attack in Yanbu occurred
near the Al-Hayat Hotel Saudi Arabia. Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts
announced two significant new properties in Saudi Arabia.The Accor
group, which operates over 4,000 properties in 90 countries, has tied
up with a prominent Saudi Royal family member to set up and manage
new hotel chains in the kingdom, the report says. Even the Saudi Royal
family has realized the importance of aligning with a French hotel
group to manage new investments in the hotel sector. Click
for Full report
Intercontinental Priority
Club in Alliance with Gulf Air
From left to
right: Chris Moloney, Chief Operating Officer, InterContinental Hotels
Group, Middle East and Africa with John Butler, Vice President Sales
and Marketing, Gulf Air celebrating the addition of Gulf Air Miles
benefits to the Priority Club Rewards programme during Arabian Travel
Market 2004.
Dubai , 09 May, 2004 : InterContinental
Hotels Group has expanded the benefits of its Priority Club® Rewards
for Middle East travellers through the signing of a new partnership
agreement with Gulf Air. From 1 June, Priority Club® members can
select Gulf Air as their preferred earning alliance and gain 500 Gulf
Air Miles with every qualifying stay at any of the 3,500 InterContinental,
Crowne Plaza , Holiday Inn, Express by Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites
and Candlewood Suites properties worldwide.
Full Report
8 Years old Suraj, Emirates
School Sharjah Needs Help
Suraj Suffers from
a major ailment. He needs an urgent marrow transplantation which is
quite expensive. His father cannot afford to meet the medical expenss.
Full
Report
US
soldiers abused young girl at Iraqi prison'
"They
brought a 12-year-old girl into our cellblock late at night. Her brother
was a prisoner in the other cells. "She was naked and screaming and
calling out to him as they beat her. Her brother was helpless and
could only hear her cries. This affected all of us because she was
just a child. Full Report
Palm
sells 780 apartments in 48 hours!
Dubai -May 8 2004
Nakheel, developers of The Palm and IFA Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary
of Kuwait based International Financial Advisors (IFA), have announced
that the 780 freehold apartments on their joint venture Golden Mile,
on the Palm, Jumeirah were sold within 48 hours of them being placed
on the market. Full Report
USA: Pattern of brutality and cruelty -- war crimes at Abu Ghraib:
AI
In an open letter to US President George W. Bush today,
Amnesty International said that abuses allegedly committed by US agents
in the Abu Ghraib facility in Baghdad were war crimes and called on
the administration to fully investigate them to ensure that there
is no impunity for anyone found responsible regardless of position
or rank. Amnesty International said that it has documented a pattern
of abuse by US agents against detainees, including in Iraq and Afghanistan,
stretching back over the past two years. Despite claims this week
by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to be "stunned" by abuses in Abu
Ghraib, and that these were an "exception" and "not a pattern or practice",
Amnesty International has presented consistent allegations of brutality
and cruelty by US agents against detainees at the highest levels of
the US Government, including the White House, the Department of Defense,
and the State Department for the past two years. Full
Report
Adobe
Systems reports 43 percent growth in revenue for 2004 Full
Report
Stubbing Out the Tobacco Menace
E.C. Thomas*
The anti-tobacco
movement in India is gaining momentum. The government has enforced
a new law to combat the tobacco menace. The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco
Products Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and
Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution Act, 2003 has been enforced
to the delight of non-smokers. This is an important step in the movement
against tobacco menace and anti-smoking campaign in the country. The
law banning tobacco advertising has come into force from May 1, 2004.
It is now illegal to smoke in public places and on public transport.
Full Report
InterContinental Hotels Group wins
Award for the Best Middle East Hotel
Dubai, 06 May, 2004: Business travellers have named InterContinental Hotels Group as their first choice when travelling in the Middle East.The hotel group received the award for Best Hotel Group in the Middle East at yesterday’s Business Traveller Middle East Awards. In addition to the main award, the InterContinental Phoencia in Beirut won the best business hotel in the Middle East as well as a second award as best business hotel in Lebanon. Full Report and More News
NEW
US $430 MILLION SHIPPING JOINT VENTURE SETS SAIL Full
Report
New Indian route for Sri Lankan Airlines
Dubai, May 2004 : SriLankan Airlines will begin flights to Calicut, the historical city in southwestern India, from July 1, becoming the first non-Indian airline to operate regular services to Calicut’s International Airport. Calicut will be SriLankan’s tenth destination in India and will be serviced by four flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The 90-minute flight to Calicut, Flight UL169, leaves Colombo at 0900 hours and arrives in Calicut at 0950 hours. Full Report
CBI should have autonomy for effective investigation: Justice Verma
New Delhi May 6: The former Chief Justice of India and the former Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission, Justice J.S. Verma today said that in the absence of faithful discharge of their role by all the law enforcement agencies, genuine rule of law is an illusion. He said that rule of law is the bedrock of democracy; hence its significance is evident. Full report
CBI award for the best investigating officer and best detective constable of CBI
CBI files chargesheet against Maharashtra police official inTelgi Case
New Delhi May 4: The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a chargesheet against A.B.Sonwalkar, Assistant Police Inspector (API) of Maharashtra Police in the court of ACMM, 19th Court, Esplanade, Mumbai in the multi crore counterfeit Govt. Special Adhesive Stamps sold by accused Abdul Karim Ladsahab Telgi & others. Full report
SriLankan earmarks Dubai route for increase in frequency
Dubai, May 2004 : SriLankan Airlines has set its sights on double daily Dubai services to complement a growing Middle East and Gulf network.Barry Brown, the carrier’s regional manager for Europe, Middle East and the Americas, said: Full report
.50% OF NAKHEEL & IFA “GOLDEN MILE” PROJECT SOLD IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS
5th May 2004 Nakheel, developers of The Palm and IFA Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of Kuwait-based International Financial Advisors (IFA), have announced that 50% of the 780 exclusive freehold apartments on Golden Mile, Palm, Jumeirah have been sold within less than 24 hours of going on sale at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai Full report and More Newws
Pravasi Bandhu Says India falling back in Debt Trap
India had again fell in to the trap of another loan deal of $4b with World Bank for major road linking program called India Connect. Whenever India borrow from WB it always with strings, demands and compulsions and unreasonable interest rate of many fold of current LIBOR. More News
Job Vacancy in Saudi for Doctors, Nurses and Paramedical Staff
Thiruvananthapuram May 5: Applications are invited for the posts of doctors, nurses and technicians from among muslims in the Mecca-region Health Ministry of the government of Saudi Arabia. The interview for the posts will be conducted on May 30 th in Bangalore. More News
UAE UNIVERSITY, IBM TEAM TO DESIGN CAR SAFETY DEVICE
Power Architecture “Smart Box” Reduces Vehicle Accidents, Injuries
PARIS, May 6, 2004 - Noting that one person is injured every two hours in a road accident in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a leading university there announced today it will work with IBM on a device aimed at reducing
traffic collisions. United Arab Emirates University, pointing to government traffic studies, said the country has seen a steady climb in the number of auto-related fatalities in the past few years. In addition to those people injured, there is one death on UAE roads approximately every 15 hours. More News
AUSTRIA PLANS TO EXPAND ATM PRESENCE INTEREST IN 2005 EVENT TAKES OFF
DUBAI May 5, 2004 As Arabian Travel Market 2004, the largest in the annual series of the Middle East’s premier travel and tourism show, entered its second day at the Dubai World Trade Centre, exhibitor plans to expand their presence at next year’s show began to emerge. More News
Millionaire Pastore Found Guilty of Sexual Offences
LONDON - A millionaire church minister has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a member of his congregation. According to Reuters Pastor Douglas Goodman, who lived a rock-and-roll lifestyle and enjoyed "pop star" status in his church, was convicted of abusing a 24-year-old member of his choir. Full Report
Bombay sisters offer special Swati Tirunal Jayanthi musical feast
Special report by R S Priya
Thiruvananthapuram May 4: The popular Bombay Sisters -Saroja and Lalitha -filled the hearts of music lovers here with joy and refreshment with their beautiful vocal recital. With Sreekanth on Violin, Palladam Ravi on Mridangam and Sukanya Ramgopal on Ghatom there was more flavour to the Swathi Tirunal Jayathi, which was inaugurated here yesterday evening at the Karthika Tirunal theatre by the State Culture Affairs Minister G.Karthikeyan. Full report
Indians were abused, treated like Slaves in US kichens in Iraq
“We were slaves in the American kitchens. We barely got two hours of sleep. Any slip-ups and we were tortured for days,” Hameed said. read the full report
KM Speciala from Dubai
An exclusive KM Photo A bus on fire in Al Zaabeel area of Bur Dubai
Job Vacancy in Qatar
Thiruvananthapuram May 4:Applications are invited for the post of Civil Foreman to a private contracting and trading company by O.D.E.P.C More
Keralites Trapped in Iraq return home..
Four Keralites who were 'cheated' by job agents and taken to a US military camp in Iraq have managed to reach home here after going through the nine-month-long ordeal in the camp as slaves Full Report
Private military companies in Iraq: profiting from colonialism
3 May 2004 - Operating behind a veil of state and corporate secrecy, dozens of private security firms with intimate connections to the American political establishment are playing a crucial role in the US occupation of Iraq. The wholesale contracting of military work to these companies is one of the most outrageous forms of war profiteering taking place under the auspices of the Bush administration. Modern-day mercenaries are amassing vast fortunes assisting the US ruling elite to establish a puppet regime in Iraq, repress the Iraqi people and plunder the country’s resources. Full Report
Americans say they face terrorist threat in the Gulf, all over the world.
The Department of State remains concerned by indications that Al-Qaida continues to prepare to strike U.S. interests abroad. Al-Qaida and its associated organizations have most recently struck in the Middle East and in Europe but other geographic locations could also be venues for attacks. Future Al-Qaida attacks could possibly involve non-conventional weapons such as chemical or biological agents as well as conventional weapons of terror. We also cannot rule out that Al-Qaida will attempt a catastrophic attack within the U.S. Full Report
Torture commonplace, Guardian report says quoting inmates' families
Luke Harding of the Guardian reported from the Abu Ghraib prison, near Baghdad, where stories of US guards routinely abusing prisoners come as no surprise to Iraqis full report
New high tech Methods to fight Crime
Dubai, UAE, 3 May, 2004: The second Middle East Police and Law Enforcement Exhibition (MEPLEX) opened today, with a major gathering of police forces, Interior Ministry officials, security industry suppliers and international experts assembling within the secured premises of Dubai Police Academy for the important three-day event.Held under the patronage of H.H.General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Defence Minister and Head of Dubai Police and Security, the event is organised by event management and marketing specialists Streamline Marketing, Full Report
Arabian Travel Market to attract thousands from 95 countries
DUBAI May 3, 2004 Arabian Travel Market, the Middle East’s premier travel and tourism show which gets under way at the Dubai World Trade Centre tomorrow, has registered unprecedented growth with 30% more occupied floor space than last year, over 1,400 exhibitors from 55 countries and a visitor pre-registration profile spanning 95 nations. The 11 th in the annual series and spanning some 11,800 square metres, Arabian Travel Market 2004 is the largest ever and organisers Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) say further growth is on the cards for next year. Full Report
Nakheel & IFA Launch the Marketing of the "Golden Mile" Jumeirah
$ 300 million Cost of the Project
Dubai 3 rd May 2004 Nakheel, developers of The Palm, and IFA Hotels & Resorts, a subsidiary of Kuwait-based International Financial Advisors (IFA), will launch the highly-anticipated sale of its joint venture luxury, waterfront Golden Mile apartments on The Palm, Jumeirah in Dubai , United Arab Emirates at the Arabian Travel Market from 4 – 7 May. International demand for the exclusive, waterfront properties has been running at a premium since news of the joint venture project made global headlines two months ago. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Nakheel said “There has already been intense world-wide interest in the Golden Mile and we are confident of a swift response to this latest Palm, Jumeirah sales opportunity Full Report
ZIAD AL HAREMI APPOINTED AS DIVISIONAL MANAGER CO MM ERCIAL OMAN AIR
MUSCAT In line with its Omanisation policy, Oman Air recently appointed Mr. Ziad bin Karim bin Ahmed Al Haremi as Divisional Manager Commercial. Ziad obtained his University Degree in Aviation Technology from Embry Riddle University in the USA in 1984. He also has a Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance and a Private Pilot License. He has attended several training courses, lectures and workshops covering various aspects of the aviation industry especially pertaining to the Commercial field. Full Report
Saudi Arabia bans small companies from recruiting foreign workers
Saudi Arabia banned small companies from recruiting
foreign staff “Labor offices have been instructed to prevent
small companies with fewer than 10 workers from recruitment”
of foreign staff, Arab News siad quoting Labor Minister Ghazi Al-Gosaibi
.Full
Report
Oxygen appointed Middle East partner to deliver internationally acclaimed TMI courses
May 3, World Press Freedom Day
More than 130 journalists are currently imprisoned around the world just for doing their job. Forty-two were killed in 2003 in the course of their work or because of their opinions. The Reporters Without Borders annual report lists the attacks on press freedom worldwide in 2003. 42 journalists were killed during the year, mainly in Asia and the Middle East (especially the Iraq war). It was the most since 1995. 766 others were arrested, at least 1,460 physically attacked or threatened and 501 media censored. More
Social Organisations should bear part of the treatment expenses
MUSCAT Now it is the turn of social organisations to foot the medical bill. Badr Al Samaa has been treating George free of cost for one and half months. Now it is the turn of the social organisations in Oman and the UAE to pay for the latest surgery and other treatments. After all the hospital is a private business, and through charity alone it cannot sustain business. While everybody should appreciate the manner in which the hosptial management has tackled an issue, they should not be burdened with the entire cost of treating George. What is the Christian Church doing? Dont they have any moral obligation to take care of a Christian family in distress? What are the other social clubs doing? Wasing all their money on Keralolsavams and Cultural Shows? ISC is sleeping?
K E R A L A M O N I T O R M E D
I A M O N I T O R
May 3 is observed as World Press Freedom Day every year under the aegis of the United Nations. In a message, the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, has said that information is, undoubtedly, a source of power. Those who have access to a free and independent media have more options. The World Press Freedom Day is an important reminder of the contribution that journalists play in the information age, especially in the protection of human rights and in promoting development. More
IATA admits DNRD as advisory member of Simplifying Passenger Travel (SPT)
DNRD is first immigration authority in the region to achieve this status
DUBAI May 2, 2004 International Air Transport Association (IATA), the official airline trade association that controls approximately 280 airlines globally, has made Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) an advisory member of it’s Simplifying Passenger Travel (SPT) group. Full Report and More News
Consumers in the Middle East move towards a wireless age with adoption of multi-functional mobile phones
DUBAI May 2, 2004 Consumers in the Middle East are increasingly moving towards a wireless age, say industry experts. With the introduction and increasing adoption of a new breed of multi-functional mobile phones, a growing number of consumers in the region are using their mobile phones as a wireless PC. More
Dubai Festival City Completes Retail Leasing Team Recruitment
Dubai 2nd May 2004 Dubai Festival City, the ‘city-within-a-city’ under construction on the banks of Dubai Creek, has completed recruitment of its retail leasing team ahead of foundation laying for its multi-level, 2,500,000 square foot entertainment, hospitality and retail super-centre - The Waterfront.. More
Three-day Middle East police event combines exhibition of latest security equipment, live demonstrations, and workshops
Dubai, UAE, May 2, 2004: Some of the most advanced “weapons” now available for use in the global fight against crime will be unveiled during the Middle East Police and Law Enforcement Exhibition (MEPLEX) which gets under way in Dubai tomorrow (Monday, May 3).Full Report
Middle East Police Conference New Ways to tackle criminals
DUBAI MEPLEX provides vital and interactive forum for regional security agencies and police forcesDubai, UAE, April 30, 2004: Senior police officers and Ministry of Interior officials from across the Middle East assemble in Dubai on Monday for a major three-day conference to examine the effects of crime on its victims and highlight the latest security measures to tackle criminals. . Full Report and More News
Five More Westerns Killed in Saudi Arabia