MUSCAT // A court on Monday sentenced five men and a woman to one year in prison each for defaming Oman's ruler Sultan Qaboos and for cyber crimes, their lawyer said.
The six were part of a group of 36 intellectuals and bloggers demanding political reforms who were arrested at the start of June and subsequently released.
Four activists were sentenced on July 9 to jail terms of between six months and a year for defaming Sultan Qaboos, but were freed on bail pending appeal.
The latest six people to be convicted were also released on bail pending their appeal hearing on September 15, lawyer Yaqub Al Kharusi said.
Paris-based watchdog Reporters without Borders and New York-based Human Rights Watch have denounced the arrests.
Oman was hit by a wave of protests last year demanding political reforms and riot police dispersed the demonstrations with force.
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.