Qatar Daily News

According to Times Online England: Saudi Arabia gives Israel clear skies to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Saudi Arabia has conducted tests to stand down its air defences to enable Israeli jets to make a bombing raid on Iran’s nuclear facilities, The Times can reveal.

In the week that the UN Security Council imposed a new round of sanctions on Tehran, defence sources in the Gulf say that Riyadh has agreed to allow Israel to use a narrow corridor of its airspace in the north of the country to shorten the distance for a bombing run on Iran.

To ensure the Israeli bombers pass unmolested, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defence systems not activated. Once the Israelis are through, the kingdom’s air defences will return to full alert.

“The Saudis have given their permission for the Israelis to pass over and they will look the other way,” said a US defence source in the area. “They have already done tests to make sure their own jets aren’t scrambled and no one gets shot down. This has all been done with the agreement of the [US] State Department.”
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The Israeli government is holding official contacts with its Irish counterpart in a bid to convince the Rachel Corrie aid ship to unload its shipment of relief material to Gaza Strip in the Israeli-controlled port of Ashdod.

The Hebrew radio said on Thursday that Israel was trying to convince the Irish government and the captain of the Ship to divert its destination to Ashdod to avoid another attack at sea similar to the one against the Freedom Flotilla on Monday that ended with the killing and wounding of many solidarity activists on board at the hands of the attacking Israeli commandos.
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The Government of National Unity and Reconciliation in Nicaragua, condemned the criminal assault conducted by the Israeli Government against the fleet of La Libertad, composed of unarmed human rights activists on their way to Gaza on a humanitarian mission to bring relief to the Palestinian and Arab people living under the blockade of their territory.

The Government of Nicaragua emphasizes the illegality of the act committed by Israel in international waters in violation of the Law

International Law and International Humanitarian Law.

Also, the Companion Commander Daniel Ortega Saavedra, President of the Republic, on behalf of his people and the Government wishes to express its sympathy and deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the governments of countries whose citizens have been killed, and makes a call for the release of the remaining members of the flotilla, detained by the Government of Israel.

The Government of Nicaragua reaffirms its unconditional support for the Palestinian people’s struggle to achieve their inalienable right to live in peace and security in their own territory, their right has been violated by more than sixty years by the occupying power, and joins international condemnation at the same time required to lift the inhumane blockade to the Gaza Strip.

The Government of Nicaragua, suspended from this date, diplomatic relations with the Government of Israel.

Managua, June 1 2010.

Israeli commandos have attacked to Aid Flotilla, killing more than 10 peace activists headed to Gaza from 50 countries. Agencies said more than 10 people died 80 wounded.

Turkey recalled its ambassador to Israel and warned of unprecedented and incalculable reprisals.

Six Turkish activists were reported to be among those killed in the flotilla. Ankara warned that further supply vessels will be sent to Gaza, escorted by the Turkish Navy. Turkish diplomats said that: there will be strict consequences of this terrorist action action of Israel.

State-owned Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) said Thursday it has signed a contract worth 48.35 million dinar (around 170 million U.S. dollars) with an Italian company for laying down a crude oil pipeline.

That was part of the company’s plan to inject 17.5 billion to 24.5 billion dollars into oil and gas facilities in the next five years.

The official KUNA news agency said the Italian company ABB Italia will build a crude pipeline from northern Kuwait to the central mixing unit and the northern reservoirs.
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The Boeing 727 from Dubai was carrying 160 passengers and six crew members when it crashed outside the city of Mangalore at 6:30 a.m. It then caught fire, hampering immediate rescue attempts from people in the neighboring village of Manapur.

Eight passengers were rescued and taken to local hospitals for treatment, Air India director Anup Srivastava said in a statement. “We are setting up helplines and contacting relatives and making arrangements for all possible rescue teams,” he said.
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Fluor Corporation announced today that its Fluor Offshore Solutions unit has been awarded a front-end engineering and design (FEED) contract by Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO) for offshore facilities located at the Umm Lulu field about 30 kilometers northwest of Abu Dhabi in the Arabian Gulf. Fluor booked the undisclosed contract value in the first quarter of 2010.

“This new FEED contract with ADMA-OPCO reinforces Fluor Offshore Solutions’ strength in the offshore oil and gas sector in the Middle East,” said Peter Oosterveer, Fluor’s Energy & Chemicals president. “We have performed numerous projects for ADMA-OPCO for 35 years and this additional project demonstrates the excellent relationship we enjoy with ADNOC and its operating companies.”
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Dubai’s second airport, designed to be the world’s largest when completed, will open in June for cargo only, with plans to receive passengers in spring next year, Dubai Airports chief said Tuesday.

“Dubai will no longer be a single airport city,” chief executive officer, Paul Griffiths, told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual Arabian Travel Market held in Dubai.

He set June 27 as the date for the start of operations at Al-Maktoum International Airport.

He said that the passenger terminal is scheduled to be ready by the end of the year and that it will enter service at the beginning of the summer season in 2011, towards “the end of March.”

The airport, which is designed to have six runways and handle 120 million passengers when fully completed, was supposed to be operational by the end of 2008. Its runway has been ready since 2007.
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Drake and Scull International Oman (DSO) has won two contracts worth US $12 million (OR4.6 million) to supply MEP works to government-owned projects.

The company is set complete the work on the Sohar Court Complex (SCC) and the Oman National Museum (ONM) in Muscat by June 2011 and September 2011 respectively.

“The value of projects in Oman that are set to go ahead in 2010 – at the prequalification, bid or engineering, procurement and construction stage – are estimated at $22 billion, highlighting the wealth of potential that the country has to offer,” said DSI CEO Khaldoun Tabari.
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The total passenger traffic (including transit & transfer passengers through Muscat International Airport has increased by 29% to 854,387 passengers during January and February 2010 compared to 660,578 passengers for the same period of 2009.

Statistics issued by the Directorate General of Safety and Aviation Services at the Ministry of Transport and Communications pointed out that the number of arrival and departure passengers through Muscat International Airport has increased by 8.97% to 858,390 at the end of February 2010 compared to 537,187 at the same period of the year 2009.
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