Times of Oman - January 2, 2016

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

At the opening of the annual session of the Council of Oman, 2009

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

MAKE YOUR BABY’S MILESTONES STRESS-FREE

We are confident that the sons and daughters of Oman enjoy more than their fair share of those noble qualities. Their past and present performance bears witness to this, and we have no doubt that they are capable of building a happy future, God willing.

>B5

SATURDAY, January 2, 2016 / 21 Rabi Al Awal 1437 AH

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DECISION

HM issues three Royal Decrees

NEW YEAR MORNING

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While most partied late until night in Muscat on December 31 to welcome the New Year and were still in bed when the Sun came out on January 1 morning, this septuagenarian, sitting alone at the Corniche, found an unusual guest — a seagull — giving him the company. The eager bird too seemed to spare some of its fishing time, away from its flock. Together, they seemed to be enjoying a tête-à-tête, on a quiet New Year morning. —Jun Estrada See also >A3

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MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on Friday issued three Royal Decrees as follows: Royal Decree No. 1/ 2016 on approving the Ninth FiveYear Plan.

Article (1) approves the 9th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) whose objectives are outlined in Annex No. 1 attached to this Decree.

Article (2) stipulates that the Ninth Five-Year Plan shall be implemented by virtue of considering the basic pillars of the plan’s financial framework as stated in Annex No. 2 attached to this Decree. Article (3) instructs the Secretariat General of the Supreme Council for Planning to publish the details of the 9th Five- Year Plan in special reports to be issued exclusively for this purpose. >A2 SUDAN, CUBA

HM sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to Field Marshal Omar Hassan Ahmed Al Bashir, President of Sudan, on the occasion of his country’s Independence Anniversary.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes of good health, happiness and a long life to President Al Bashir, praying to Allah the Almighty for the return of this and similar occasions on him to achieve the aspirations of further progress and prosperity for the Sudanese people.

His Majesty the Sultan has also sent a cable of greetings to President Raul Castro of the Council of State and Council of Ministers to Cuba on his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere greetings along with his best wishes to President Castro and his country’s people. -ONA

Budget expenditure estimate falls 15.6% taxes, while measures will be taken to increase fees charged by the government for various services.

Yet another measure is being undertaken to reduce government expenditures and seek ways to raise income from non-oil sectors. These measures are aimed at covering a shortfall in budget revenues, since oil prices reached a five-year low.

While the Ministry of Finance will issue a statement on budget soon, the actual deficit of 2015 is likely to reach OMR4.5billion

Times News Service MUSCAT: Omani government expenditures and revenues for 2016 are estimated at OMR11.9 billion and OMR8.6 billion, respectively, leading to an anticipated deficit of OMR3.3 billion.

This was announced on Friday

by Darwish bin Ismail Ali Al Balushi, Minister Responsible for Financial Affairs.

The minister also said that the actual deficit for 2015 is expected

to reach OMR4.5 billion. This year’s expenditures are 15.6 per cent less than in 2015, which was OMR14.1 billion, while revenue estimates declined by 25.86 per cent, compared to the previous year’s OMR11.6 billion budget revenue estimates.

Detailed statement The Ministry of Finance will issue a detailed statement on the 2016 State Budget, he said.

Last week, the Omani govern-

Darwish bin Ismail Ali Al Balushi, Minister Responsible for Financial Affairs.

ment said that prices of petroleum products, mainly petrol and diesel, will be raised as part of a deregulation beginning in midJanuary this year. Further, there will be a rise in corporate income

Monitoring of prices Following the enthusiasm of the Council of Ministers to minimise the impact of these changing procedures, a government statement said, the Council of Ministers instructed the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) to intensify its monitoring of prices, “to avoid the occurrence of any unjustifiable increase in prices that might go beyond the direct impact of these procedures.”

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

INDIA

Odd-even scheme kicks off in Delhi

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The ambitious oddeven scheme of Delhi government, a first such intervention in the country to combat spiralling air pollution, got off to a decent start on new year with volume of cars on the city roads coming down significantly amid deployment of thousands of policemen. >A5

WORLD

Germany police get tips on terror attack

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Germany received a tip hours before midnight that militants from Iraq and Syria were planning New Year attacks in Munich but police could not find the suspects and are not even sure if they exist or are in the country, the city’s police chief said on Friday.>A10

S H E D S L I G H T O N C U LT U R E

Digital studios to boost Oman’s cultural heritage

A MILESTONE: During the opening ceremony, PART and its television and radio channels’ brands were launched. – ONA

MUSCAT: Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Sayyid Taimour bin Asa’ad bin Tariq Al Said, Assistant Secretary General for International Cooperation at The Research Council, on Thursday opened the digital studios complex of the Public Authority for Radio and Television (PART) at Madinat Al Ialam.

During the opening ceremony, PART and its television and radio channels’ brands were launched, as also unveiling of their new logos and the start of the trial broadcast of the Oman Cultural Channel.

The launching ceremony was held in the presence of Dr. Abdulmunim bin Mansour Al Hassani, Minister of Information, Dr. Abdullah bin Nassir Al Har-

rasi, PART Chairman, as well as a number of ministers and undersecretaries.

The cultural channel seeks to present Omani cultural treasures, as represented in Oman’s literary, scientific and artistic heritage

by Omani scholars, and consolidate the construction of Oman’s historical identity and its cultural heritage. The channel will also link the historical identity of Oman with its geography, so dominant throughout its history.

The channel will be responsible for reproducing the history of Oman in the media, as well as shedding light on all aspects of culture and its development in Oman, as well as on Arab and international levels. >A2

MARKET

Gold plunges 45% from record high

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Gold’s image as a haven asset has taken a battering with the metal capping its longest slump in more than three decades as investors sold from bullionbacked funds. Bullion futures fell for a sixth-straight quarter, the longest slump since 1984, and lost 10 per cent.>B1

DUBAI BLAZE

‘I thought I may not live to see 2016’ Times News Service MUSCAT: “I really got into trouble”. This was the first reaction of Indian expatriate Ahijit Seal, who travelled to Dubai to catch a glimpse of New Year’s fireworks at the nearby Burj Khalifa.

“We were near The Address Hotel when someone shouted at us that there is a big fire in the hotel. At that time we didn’t know what to do,” the 46-year-old, who was with his family, said.

He, along with his family and friends, then tried to escape from the area.

“But all the roads were blocked and I thought that I may not live

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to see 2016,” he said, adding that his panic multiplied when he heard that debris was falling from the hotel.

Huge fire “It was a huge fire and I haven’t seen anything like this before,” he said, thanking God that he and his family are still alive.

“I am not going to see the fireworks display at Burj Khalifa

anymore,” he pledged.

Meanwhile, firefighters on Friday appeared to have largely extinguished the blaze, according to witnesses, as reported by Reuters.

Plumes of white smoke still rose from the charred, 63-storey Address Hotel and residential block at daybreak, but civil defence crews had largely extinguished the fire, which erupted around 2130 (1730 GMT).

Dubai police said the building was evacuated and only 14 people were lightly injured, but a medic at the scene said more than 60 people were treated for mild smoke inhalation and problems caused by crowding as they fled

the hotel. Witnesses described seeing flaming debris falling from The Address Hotel as guests, some running, emerged from the hotel.

Celebrated annual tradition The New Year’s fireworks display at the nearby Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, is one of Dubai’s most celebrated annual traditions and attracted thousands of spectators on Thursday night — most of whom were evacuated before the celebration went on, as scheduled. Live TV broadcasts of the extravaganza appeared to show only a few dozen people in the vast viewing area near the tower.

See also >A4

A filmmaker who put Oman on world map

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016 I started doing events and films when no one in Oman had given it any thought Gautam Roy, Film-maker

OMAN

9TH FIVE-YEAR PLAN

D I G I TA L S T U D I O

< FROM

A1 ‘New complex uses advanced technology’ A1 Three decrees issued The Cultural Channel will also present a range of programmes delving into folk poetry by highlighting poets, in addition to interviews with folk poets.

It will include programmes, entitled”Ghaim al Qaaseed,’ which meets with folk poets, ‘Liwan Al Shear,’ a poetry session with elite Omani folk poets, ‘Al Mutaranim,’ which provides visual pictures that accompany Omani poems’, ‘Nagaham,’ which offers visualisations for a number of solo or group music compositions by the Oud Amateurs Society, ‘The Omani Library,’ which focuses on major Omani books through interviews with literary, academic or scientific personalities or researchers.

The Cultural Channel also includes talk show programmes discussing the local and Arab cultural scene, Omani Encyclopedia program that documents, with images, various Omani landscapes, and reports about landmarks and cultural topics.

There is also ‘Booh’ programme, which converts text to a visual picture, ‘Culture News’ programme, which displays the

< FROM

NEW SET-UP: The Cultural Channel will also present a range of

programmes delving into folk poetry by highlighting poets, in addition to interviews with folk poets. — ONA

latest cultural developments in Oman, ‘Culture of the Week’ programme, which highlights the major cultural events in the Sultanate and the world, in addition to reports about cultural issues.

The Cultural Channel will include programmes under the titles ‘ Muslim scholars, modern

arts, secrets of universe, adventure in archeology, Royal Omani orchestra symphonies, genuine Arab songs, in addition to songs

by Omani and Arab singers.

Additionally, the Sports Channel will include a number of programs,such as sports newsletter programme and Sport Event,

among others. New complex has been outfitted with the latest high-quality digital broadcasting technologies. The building has four floors and combines modernity along with the architectural heritage of Oman.

The systems, networks and devices in the complex are designed using the latest technologies in the field of production and television broadcast.

The new compound is a significant and advanced step for radio and television broadcasting in the Sultanate. The new building includes four large digital studios to produce dramas and various programmes. The areas of the studios range between 200 and 700 square metres. The complex includes a news centre, that consists of a main hall for editing, designed according to the latest global standards, with a studio for news bulletins broadcast from inside the hall, as well as three other digital studios for news programmes.

The complex also includes three radio studios for news and three studios for broadcast, as well as a theatre. — ONA

Film-maker who put Oman on world map

Article (4) directs all ministries and government departments to implement the 9th Five-Year Plan, without prejudice to the provisions of laws, statutes and regulations in force.

Article (5) approves the new projects of 9th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) in accordance with the scheme stated in Annex No. 3 attached to this Decree.

Article (6) states that the Supreme Council for Planning shall conduct a periodic assessment of the Ninth Five-Year Plan in line with local, regional and international developments.

Executive Plan Article (7) directs the Supreme Council for Planning to devise an Executive Plan for the 9th FiveYear Plan and instructs all government departments concerned to implement the Executive Plan after it is approved by the Council of Ministers.

Article (8) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and be enforced with effect from January 1st, 2016.

Royal Decree No. 2/2016 ratifies the State’s General Budget 2016 after it is presented to the Council of Oman .

Article (1) ratifies the State’s General Budget for fiscal year 2016 in accordance with the schedules (tables) attached to this Decree.

Article (2) instructs all ministries and government units to implement the provisions of this

Decree, each within the scope of its prerogatives, and directs all to continue to undertake necessary procedures to control and rationalize general spending.

Article (3) requires the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council to revise and evaluate the State’s General Budget for fiscal year 2016, in mid-year term, and to undertake measures capable of maintaining the State’s financial status.

Article (4) says that this Decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and be enforced with effect from January 1, 2016.

Royal Decree No. 3/2016 declares a project to develop Marfa’a Falaj Daris Park in the Wilayat of Nizwa as a public utility project.

Article (1) declares the Marfa’a Falaj Daris Park Development Project in the Wilayat of Nizwa as a public utility project, as per the memo and diagram attached to this decree, as a public utility project.

Article (2) stipulates that all departments concerned shall expropriate, through direct implementation, the properties and lands necessary for the aforementioned project, along with all installations therein, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Utility Expropriation Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. 64/78.

Article (3) says that this decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and be enforced on its date of issue. — ONA

WORKSHOP

Gautam Roy and his team are planning to conduct an audition to find Omani artistes for just 5 to 10 per cent but now almost 60 per cent of the people who help out during the shooting are Omanis,” he said.

his upcoming film which is going to be filmed this year.

It will be the first Bollywood film to be

Gautam Roy. — Supplied picture

shot completely in Sultanate of Oman

MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: While most of the Bollywood cinema lovers know their actors inside out, few know the people who envision and create the magic of cinema shoots that happen in Oman. Today, the Times of Oman (TOO) is featuring Gautam Roy and his endeavour in promoting the Sultanate to Bollywood cinema.

He is actively promoting the country’s diverse topography as an ideal location for Bollywood filmmakers to shoot their films.

Roy owns a production com-

pany called V4 Entertainment which provides logistical and production support to Bollywood film crews. He and his team are planning to conduct an audition to find Omani artistes for his upcoming film which is going to be shot this year. It will be the first Bollywood film to be shot completely in Oman.

Hiring Omani talent “The story of the film is based out of Oman, so for the first time, Oman will be shot as Oman and we are looking forward to hiring some good Omani talent,” Roy told the Times of Oman.

Roy came to Oman as an ordinary expatriate and later became one of the pioneers in promoting Oman to the world of cinema.

“I started doing events and

films when no one in Oman had given it any thought,” said Roy. V4 Entertainment has provided logistical and production support to films like Awara Pagal Deewana, Naach, Aaan, Gunday, with many more to come.

According to Roy, the film ‘Awara Pagal Deewana’ was the first Bollywood film to be shot in Oman. “These film production units have embraced a large number of locals to be the logistical and production support for their movies,” said Roy. “There are a large number of Omanis and expatriates who are always part of the unit whenever a Bollywood film is shot in Oman,” he says. According to him, nowadays, it has become very easy to involve the crowd in the shooting.

“Earlier, the involvement was

Picture-perfect locations Roy also said that Oman is slowly becoming a hotspot for Bollywood filmmakers as it has much to do with both, getting pictureperfect locations, as well as the friendly approach of the government. “Many directors have fallen in love with the beauty of Oman, as many of our neighbours do not have the beauty which Oman has,” he said. “However, we have to get as much support from the government as Bollywood gets from our neighbouring countries, so that we can make Oman one of the major destination for Bollywood films,” he added.

He also praised the support of the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Development (PAIPED) and Ministry of Tourism in their production.

According to, PAIPED in Oman is looking to position the country as a destination for big budget Bollywood film shoots.

Roy hopes that Oman will soon become one of the favourite locations for Bollywood films.

N C S I D ATA

Traded value of real estate in Oman soars MUSCAT: Total traded value of real estate in Oman this year stood in excess of OMR3.81 billion at the end of November 2015, reflecting a growth of 43.2 per cent, against OMR2.66 billion recorded in the same period in 2014, data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), shows.

Aggregate fees collected from all property-related legal transactions rose 18.8 per cent to touch OMR44.3 million, up from OMR37.3 million last year. The traded value of sale contracts rose 12.7 per cent to touch OMR1.22 billion. Number of sale contracts fell 0.5 per cent to 73,705, compared with 74,050 contracts during the same period of 2014.

The traded value of property in November was pegged at OMR394.2 million. — ONA

RIBBON-CUTTING: The workshop included a poster session and an exhibition on different soils by the students of Soil, Water and Agricultural Engineering Group of the CAMS. — Supplied picture

‘International Year of Soil’ observed Times News Service MUSCAT: A workshop was organised to celebrate the 2015 International Year of Soils by the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences (CAMS), in collaboration with the Directorate General of Agriculture and Livestock Research (DGALR) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF), in the presence of Dr Ahmed Nasser AlBakri, undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for Agricultural Affairs.

The workshop was also attended by participants from the Diwan of Royal Court, Royal Court Affairs, Farmers Association of Al Batinah, Public Authority of Electricity and Water, and SQU employees and undergraduate and graduate students.

The workshop included a poster session and an exhibition on different soils by the students of Soil, Water and Agricultural Engineering Group of the CAMS. The student exhibition was organised

by Dr Said Salim Al Esmaily and assisted by Dr Ahmed Salim AlBusaidi as part of the training programme for school students in community outreach and awareness onthe importance of soil.

Engr. El Zein El Muzamil, the FAO representative in Oman, said that the 68th United Nations General Assembly declared 2015 as the International Year of Soils (IYS). The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has been nominated to implement the IYS 2015, within the framework of the Global Soil Partnership in collaboration with governments and the secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. IYS 2015 aims to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of soil for food security and essential ecosystem functions.

Dr Salim Al Rawahy, in his keynote speech, mentioned that soil is a major resource contributing to food security and environmen-

tal sustainability. In addition, Dr Hamdan Al Wahaibi, from the MAF, in his presentation, gave an overview of soil resource and agricultural production and the challenges facing soil and land in the Sultanate. He said that the low utilisation of land that has a potential for agriculture is attributed to water scarcity and salinity.Other challenges facing agricultural lands in Oman are low productivity, soil erosion and degradation, apart from desertification, urbanisation, and land fragmentation.

Saud Saif AlHabsi of the MAF mentioned that the general soil map of Oman indicates that 7.07 per centof the total area of the Sultanate has soil that is suitable for agriculture. Further, Dr. Salem AlRasbi of the MAF mentioned that at least 50 per centof groundwater onthe agricultural coastal Al Batinah region was saline.

Dr Malik AlWardy, from the SQU stated that the south of Oman is inhabitedby80 per centof the biodiversity of the country and studies have shown that this area is already affected by a different kindof land degradation due to the extensive overgrazing, tourist activities and the urban sprawl.

Dr Slim Zekri, from the SQU,said that based on model studies, to control the salinity problem in Batinah,he recommended reducing the irrigated area by 45 per cent, keeping the vegetable crops and also reducingthe area allocated to trees and forage crops.

Dr Abdullah AlSaadi, from the SQU, through his studies, found that microbial diversity was negatively correlated with the use of fungicides in these farms, which may imply that the use of chemical fungicides have resultedin deterioration of fungal diversity and increased disease levels.

Dr Hayder Abdelrahman, from the SQU, opined that superabsorbent polymers and hydrogels are potential materials used in agricultural and horticultural applications for improving soil water holding capacities and hence indicate saving of water.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

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MUTTRAH CORNICHE ON FIRST DAY OF NEW YEAR Once a hub for the traders, Muttrah Corniche holds a unique charm evolving every season, for one and all. Times of Oman photographer Jun Estrada captures some of the images of Muttrah Corniche on the ямБrst day of the New Year.

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

REGION

Fighters from the Democratic Forces of Syria seized the village of Tanab near the town of Azaz after heavy clashes with the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and the powerful Ahrar Al Sham.

WA R W I T H I N NAT I O N

DUBAI BUILDING FIRE Plumes of smoke rise from the 63-storey Address Downtown Dubai hotel and residential block near the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, a day after the hotel caught fire on New Year’s Eve, in Dubai, on Friday. Security officials said the conflagration began on the outside of the structure at the 20th floor, and the deputy chief of police said the investigation into its cause was under way. — Reuters

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US-backed alliance advances in Syria’s north BEIRUT/AMMAN: A US-backed alliance of Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters advanced against hardline insurgents in the north of the country on Friday, capturing at least one village in Aleppo province, a spokesman and a monitoring group said.

Fighters from the Democratic Forces of Syria seized the village of Tanab near the town of Azaz after heavy clashes with the Al Qaedalinked Nusra Front and the powerful Ahrar Al Sham, spokesman Talal Selo told Reuters. “We liberated Tanab,” he said.

Captured Britain-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Democratic Forces of Syria had also captured the village of Tat Mrash. Selo said he could not yet confirm its capture.

It came just days after the alliance seized a dam from IS further east, cutting one of its main supply routes across the Euphrates.

Since the US-backed alliance was formed last October, its fighters have opened several major offensives against IS with the ultimate goal of capturing Raqqa. The alliance has separately been fighting in recent weeks against Nusra Front, Ahrar Al Sham and other insurgents in northern Aleppo province. The Democratic Forces of Syria includes the Kurdish YPG militia, which has been the most effective partner on the ground for US-led air strikes. — Reuters

MISSILE PROGRAMME

White House delays new Iran sanctions WASHINGTON: The White House has delayed imposing new financial sanctions on Iran over its ballistic-missile programme, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Journal, citing US officials, said the Obama administration was preparing to sanction nearly a dozen companies and individuals in Iran, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates for their role in developing Iran’s ballistic-missile programme.

The US sanctions were expected to be formally announced this week, the newspaper said.

Sources familiar with the situation confirmed to Reuters that the United States was preparing sanctions. The Obama administration is committed to combating Iran’s missile programme and the sanctions being developed by the US Treasury Department remain on the table, the Journal reported on Thursday, citing US officials.

But US officials offered no definitive timeline for when the sanctions would be imposed, the newspaper said. At one point, they were scheduled to be announced on Wednesday morning in Washington, according to a notification the White House sent to Congress, the Journal reported.

Imposing such penalties would be legal under the landmark nuclear agreement forged between global powers and Iran in July, the officials said, according to the Journal. Iranian officials have said the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would view such penalties as violating the nuclear accord. US officials have said the Treasury Department retains a right under the nuclear deal to blacklist Iranian entities suspected of involvement in missile development. — Reuters

Terrified families emerge from the rubble in Ramadi As an Iraqi army column advanced through the ruined city, an elderly woman emerged from a home waving a white flag on the end of a stick

RAMADI: Terrified families waved white flags as they emerged from homes reduced to rubble in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, where government troops were still battling IS militants fighters holed up on Friday, five days after the army recaptured the city centre.

The provincial capital in the fertile Euphrates River valley west of Baghdad is the biggest city to have been recaptured from IS, and the first retaken by Iraq’s army since it collapsed in the path of the militants’ advance 18 months ago.

The victory has been hailed as a turning point by the Iraqi government, which says its rebuilt army will soon march on IS’s main Iraqi stronghold Mosul further north, and defeat the group in Iraq in 2016. As an Iraqi army column advanced through the ruined city, an elderly woman emerged from a home waving a white flag on the end of a stick. Soon, she was followed by children, a wounded woman being pushed in a wheelbarrow and men carrying small

CLEARING CITY OF INSURGENTS: Iraqi pro-government forces stand near military vehicles during battles with IS group militants as they try to secure all the neighbourhoods of Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar province, about 110 kilometres west of the capital Baghdad, on Friday. – AFP

children in their arms. They flinched as explosions could be heard in the distance.

“They (IS) are beasts,” one of the men rescued from the central district told a Reuters television cameraman accompanying the advancing Iraqi column.

“We thank our security forces, from the soldiers to the generals.

They saved us,” the man said before breaking into tears.

Another man told Reuters television that the fighters had killed seven people who refused to come with them to another district where they were making a stand.

Major Salam Hussein told Reuters television that the militants were using families as human shields. More than 52 families had been rescued so far in the city, he said.

Another military officer, reached by telephone from the

battlefield, said security forces were using loudspeakers to urge civilians to head toward the advancing troops, before calling air strikes from a US-led coalition on residential blocks still held by the militants. The presence of civilians was delaying the advance of the troops eastward from the central district they captured on Sunday, where the provincial government is located, the officer said.

“Warplanes do not strike any target in central Ramadi unless they are sure there are no civilians nearby,” said the officer.

The victory in Ramadi, which was captured by IS militants in May, was by far the biggest success for Iraq’s army since it fled in the face of the fighters’ lightning advance across a third of Iraq in 2014, abandoning its American armour.

IS has declared a “caliphate” to

rule over territory it controls in both Iraq and Syria.

The militants have imposed an ultra-hardline version of religion and carried out mass killings and rapes. Most regional and world powers have joined the battle against them, often backing rival groups in complex, multi-sided civil wars in both Iraq and Syria that make it difficult to achieve international unity.

The United States is leading a coalition with European countries and major Arab states that has been striking IS targets from the air, but a central challenge has been rebuilding the Iraqi army into a force capable of capturing and holding territory on the ground.

Previous battles were fought with the army playing a supporting role behind militia fighters, although this risked alienating residents in IS-held areas.

A key part of the strategy for the government is to put Ramadi in the hands of local tribal figures, an echo of the 2006-2007 “surge” campaign by US forces at the height of the 2003-2011 US war in Iraq, in which Washington secured the help of tribes against a precursor of IS. Provincial police chief Brigadier Hadi Rizaiyj said police were investigating males who remained behind in Ramadi to determine whether they had links with IS. “The counter-terrorism forces are freeing civilians in distress and delivering them to the Anbar province police; the police then have names of wanted people,” Rizaiyj said.

“If we can prove that a civilian had a brother fighting with IS and he helped him with information or something similar, then we keep him with us” before turning them over to the judiciary on terrorism charges, he said.

Some 4 million people have fled IS-held territory in Iraq.

Iraq’s most senior cleric Ali Al Sistani whose strong backing for the campaign against IS has helped rally majority community behind Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi’s government, called for local tribes to be enlisted to prevent IS militants from returning to recaptured areas.

“Bringing home the displaced people should be done according to a mechanism,” said a sermon read out by Sistani’s representative Sheikh Abdul Mahdi Al Karbalai in the city of Karbala. “Security forces, together with the residents of these areas and the tribes, should coordinate to ensure that the terrorist gangs cannot return again and form sleeper cells that constitute a danger.” — Reuters

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INDIA S E A R C H O P E R AT I O N L AU N C H E D

NEW YEAR BABIES Nurses hold newborn babies inside a maternity ward of a government hospital in Agartala on New Year day on Friday. - PTI

Alert in Punjab after armed men abduct, thrash SP PATHANKOT (Punjab): In an incident that has triggered an alarm in the northern Indian state of Punjab, a Superintendent of Police (SP) and two others were allegedly abducted and thrashed by five armed men who dumped them some distance away and sped away in his vehicle on Thursday night.

The vehicle of the Jalandhar SP Salwinder Singh was later found near Tajpur village here at a spot where curiously the body of an unidentified man was found.

Police said they are not ruling out the involvement of militants in the incident.

Inspector General (Border Range) Lok Nath Angra said high alert has been sounded and search operation was launched to apprehend the culprits.

Salwinder Singh, his friend Rajesh Verma and their cook

Odd-even scheme kicks off in Delhi to a decent start As the clock struck eight on Friday morning, the vehicular restriction policy came into effect with thousands of volunteers taking to the streets to assist traffic police in enforcing the pilot plan that will stay in force until January 15

NEW DELHI: The ambitious odd-even scheme of Delhi government, a first such intervention in the country to combat spiralling air pollution, got off to a decent start on new year with volume of cars on the city roads coming down significantly amid deployment of thousands of policemen and and moderately augmented public transport.

As the clock struck eight this morning, the vehicular restriction policy came into effect with thousands of volunteers carrying roses also taking to the streets to assist traffic police in enforcing the pilot plan that will stay in force till

riding his two-wheeler at around 9am and tweeted, “Wow Delhi Thank you for making #OddEvenFormula a success... just reached office on bike.. no traffic..

Delhi is following it voluntarily.”

Two-wheelers are included in the list of 25 categories that have been kept out of the ambit of the scheme.

The first prosecution for violating the restrictions odd-even scheme took place at ITO junction around 33 minutes after the restrictions were implemented this morning.

While being imposed with the Rs2,000 penalty, the offender told the police that he was heading towards his office and there was no convenient transport facility from Pari Chowk, the intersecAMBITIOUS SCHEME: Volunteers with traffic police explaining the rules to an even number car owner tion between NOIDA and Greater NOIDA, which is close to his resinear the Nizamuddin Bridge as odd-even scheme restricting movement of private cars, became opdence, said a senior traffic official. erational in New Delhi on Friday. - PTI Microblogging site Twitter is helping commuters find information about bus routes, Metro, January 15. “Overwhelmed” by deployed across the city to en- with an “open mind”.

“I repeatedly said that the autorickshaws during the roadthe response of the people to the sure strict implementation of the car rationing experiment, Delhi scheme which is stipulated till scheme will meet with success rationing experiment.

Twitter users can get details of only when people embrace it and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal 8pm on week days.

Even as the scheme was un- not though force. It has become a public transport available in parsaid that the pilot initiative of the AAP government has turned “into veiled, the air quality continued to movement and we are truly over- ticular areas by tweeting #polremain very poor with areas of the whelmed by the response we have lutionfreeDelhi followed by the a movement”. departure and destination point.

Cars bearing odd-numbered city including the Delhi Secretari- received so far.

Twitter will instantly send us“Delhi will show the way to the registration plates shall ply on at complex recording severe level rest of the country,” Kejriwal told ers real-time public transport upcity roads today (Friday) while of pollutants in real time. dates pertaining to the area.

An additional 3,000 buses have reporters outside his residence. those with even number plates, if Apart from that, users, who do However, the real test of the taken out, will attract a penalty of been deployed in the city as part Rs2,000 under relevant sections of efforts to augment public trans- scheme’s effectiveness will be on not wish to make their location port. The metro has also decided Monday as a number of private of- public, can send a message to @ of the Motor Vehicles Act. fices were closed on Friday. Also transportdelhi and thereafter, he It will be vice-versa in tomor- to run 70 extra trips.

The chief minister said that as the schools are having winter va- or she will get destination details row (Saturday). Two hundred teams of Traffic Police, 66 en- per initial reports, the plan has cation, which would have taken to be sent by @transportdelhi.

Under the scheme, 25 categoforcement teams of transport been “quite successful” and peo- off some load from the traffic.

Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil ries of people are being given exdepartment and 40 teams of ple in the national capital have sub-divisional magistrates were largely accepted the restrictions Mishra reached the Secretariat emptions including the VIPs. - PTI

Madan Lal were returning from Narot Mehra area of Pathankot last night when they were abducted, according to the complaint filed by the SP. He said Singh said that five youth waylaid their vehicle and kidnapped them. Later, the armed men thrashed and dumped them on the outskirts of Tajpur village.

Soon after the incident, ADG (crime) Hardip Singh Dhillon, Angra, SSP Gurdaspur Gurpreet Singh Dhillon and SSP Pathankot R. P. Bakhshi reached the spot with heavy police force.

Angra said the police was taking the matter seriously and investigating all angles, including possibility of involvement of militants. According to the police, the body of a man, identified as Ikagar Singh, was found near the vehicle, which made the case more complex. - PTI PA K I S TA N I S I N G E R

Adnan Sami gets Indian citizenship

ELATED: Noted singer and musi-

cian Adnan Sami with Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju showing the Certificate of Indian Citizenship by Naturalization presented to him, in New Delhi on Friday. - PTI

NEW DELHI: There is no intolerance in India, says Pakistan-born singer Adnan Sami after becoming an Indian citizen on Friday.

A smiling Sami also sang his famous song — Teri oonchi shaan hai maula...Mujhko bhi to lift kara de — after he received a citizenship certificate from Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju at North Block here in the presence of his wife Roya.

Asked about concerns expressed by actors Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan about alleged growing intolerance in India, the 46-yearold singer said everyone was entitled to his or her own opinion and their remarks were perhaps based on their own experience.

“Had there been intolerance, I would not have taken Indian citizenship. I have never experienced intolerance. There is no intolerance in India,” he said.

The singer said he was very happy after becoming Indian citizen and grateful to the government. - PTI

LETTER

Hazare writes to Modi, reminds him of unfulfilled poll promises

Anna Hazare

MUMBAI: Social activist Anna Hazare dashed off another letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reminding him of his unfulfilled poll promises and said there is “no visible difference” between his government and the previous Congress- led UPA regime.

Wishing Modi for the New Year, the 78-year-old anti-graft crusader in his three-page letter took a swipe at the prime minister,

saying he may have forgotten the things which he promised during the 2014 Lok Sabha campaign like bringing back black money and building a corruption-free India.

The letter was released to the press on Thursday.

Reminding Modi of the need to implement the Lokpal and Lokayukta properly and fulfil other key poll promises, Hazare said that several letters written by him ear-

lier on these subjects to the Prime Minister had been ignored.

“I am writing again to remind you of these things. I am aware that several letters written by me to you have been dumped in the waste paper basket. This letter may also meet the same fate,” Hazare said.

“I don’t expect a PM to respond to each and every letter written to him as it is not possible. However, there should be reply to the letter by a so-

cial activist who has dedicated his life to the nation,” Hazare said.

In his latest letter, Hazare said the Modi government should implement the Lokpal and Lokayukta laws properly to curb corruption and also take steps to ensure that farmers got remunerative prices for their produce.

“Corruption rose during the Congress-led regime earlier. Nobody could get work done in any

office earlier without paying bribe.

“People trusted your words but even on Friday no work gets done without paying money. Inflation has also not come down. Promise of bringing back black money has also not been kept. You don’t speak of implementation of the Lokpal and Lokayukta laws passed for curbing corruption. May be you have forgotten the things which you promised,” Hazare said. - PTI

A6

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016 Humbly, I do not understand how an individual who has chosen to involve himself in activities that have no connection with the party can later claim the shield of party discipline when instances of wrongdoing in that body are raised and proved Kirti Azad, BJP parliamentarian

INDIA

NDA’s ‘stubborn’ attitude to blame for delay in passage of GST: Ex-FM The Goods and Services Tax (GST)

These are ominous signals, and I would like to caution the government against following an illadvised policy

bill, touted as a major economic reform, has been passed by the Lok Sabha, but is stuck in Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA does not have a majority of its own

NEW DELHI: Blaming National Democratic Alliance’s ‘stubborn and unbending’ attitude for the GST logjam, Congress on Friday said the ball was in the government’s court even as it targeted the ruling dispensation over the handling of economy, which the party claimed was “stuck in a groove”.

Former finance minister P. Chidambaram said 2015 has ended on

P. Chidambaram MAKING HIS POINT: Former finance minister P. Chidambaram ad-

Former finance minister

dressing a press conference in New Delhi on Friday. - PTI

a “somber and subdued note” and many promises of the government — more jobs, greater investment and quicker infrastructure development — have not materialised. “...The economy is stuck in a groove,” he said.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC, the senior Congress leader said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Congress President and former prime minister Manmohan Singh to a meet-

ing, where they gave their three precise objections on the GST bill.

“What did the prime minister say... we will come back to you after reflecting within the government. That’s almost a month now.

We have not received the written response of the government or the revised formulation of the government on the three principal objections”.

He said the ball is entirely in the government’s court and it is

for them to come back and “tell us whether they accepting our objection (on GST bill), whether they are revising formulation, whether they are amending sections”.

Chidambaram further said the government has not been able to find a way to accommodate the views of the Opposition and pass the GST Bill.

“I am afraid the government has only to blame itself and its stubborn and unbending attitude,”

he said. The Congress wants a constitutional cap on GST rate, withdrawal of one per cent tax on inter-state movement of goods and Supreme Court judge headed dispute resolution panel.

He further said that after the Bihar elections, there were initial signs that the government would reach out to the Opposition and adopt a consensual approach.

That hope was short-lived and as a result, many important legislation remain stalled in Parliament, he said.

The Constitution amendment bill for introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST), touted as a major economic reform, has been passed by the Lok Sabha, but is stuck in Rajya Sabha where the ruling NDA does not have majority of its own.

Citing the example of the GST legislation, Chidambaram said the Congress and some other parties had objected to some provisions of the Bill on weighty and well-reasoned grounds.

The government was outright dismissive, until the Chief Economic Adviser virtually endorsed two of the three principal objections and made no recommendation on the third, he said.

Referring to the state of the

economy, the former finance minister said for the whole of 201516, GDP growth is not likely to be higher than 7 to 7.3 per cent, which means that it will be the same as, or lower than, in 2014-15.

Chidambaram said the the midyear economic analysis of has candidly admitted that private investment and exports -- two of the four drivers of demand - are languishing.

“The Indian economy is like a car running on two wheels. Corporate balance sheets are stressed, net sales have fallen by 5.3 per cent, and profit after tax is flat.

“Non-food credit growth at 8.3 per cent is the slowest in 20 years.

Growth of credit to industry is 4.6 per cent while credit to medium enterprises has actually shrunk by 9.1 per cent,” he said.

The government, he said, does not seem confident of meeting the fiscal deficit target of 3.9 per cent for the current financial year.

For 2016-17, Chidambaram said the government seems to be toying with the idea of departing from the path of fiscal consolidation — already delayed by a year.

“These are ominous signals, and I would like to caution the government against following an ill-advised policy,” he added. - PTI

C AT C H 2 2 S I T UAT I O N

Left parties divided over aligning with Congress for Bengal assembly election KOLKATA: Amidst talk of an alliance between the Marxists and the Congress in the ensuing Assembly election in West Bengal, the CPI-M and the Left Front seemed to be divided on the electoral tactical line in Bengal.

A section of the state Congress leadership was advocating a tieup with the Left to defeat Trinamool Congress and it has gained momentum after the grand alliance in Bihar was able to defeat the BJP led NDA. Although senior state Congress leaders, including state Congress President Adhir Chowdhury, had spoken in favour of alliance in West Bengal, the CPI(M) leadership is yet to take a call on this matter. According to the CPI-M leadership, the party is presently in a catch 22 situation.

“If the party goes for an alliance with the Congress in Bengal, it will impact party’s prospects in Kerala, where Congress is the main opposition of CPIM and that state will also go to polls along with Bengal in a few months time,” a senior CPI(M) leader said.

“To oust the TMC the people of the state want us to forge an alliance with secular and democratic forces which include Congress.

So whenever the party leadership takes a call on this matter they should keep in mind the opinion

CRUCIAL PARLEYS: CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury with party lawmaker Mohammed Salim (R) at a press conference during the party’s ‘Kolkata Plenum’, in Kolkata, recently. - PTI

and views of the masses,” he said.

CPI-M leaders from Kerala, however, countered the speculation of forging alliance with the Congress in Bengal, saying it would be a contradiction of the official party line adopted in the last party Congress which called for keeping both Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party at bay.

“We have adopted a official political line in last party Congress.

So the electoral tactical line of the respective states can’t be contradictory to the official line.

Whatever electoral tactical line we adopt in Kerala or West Bengal, should not be contradictory or harmful to each other,” senior CPI(M) leader from Kerala and politburo member M. A. Baby,

who was here in connection with the just concluded plenum of the CPI-M said. Baby’s views were echoed by a section of other CPI(M) leaders from Kerala, who were here to attend the Plenum.

Proposal “The CPI-M is a national and not a regional party and it has to stick to the line adopted at the party Congress. The party can’t have two political tactical lines for two states. The CPI(M) can’t align with Congress,” a senior CPI(M) leader from Kerala said on condition of anonymity.

The CPI-M central leadership has asked the Bengal unit to discuss the matter in January and send a proposal in this regard to

the central committee and politburo for the final call. “As far as the electoral strategy of our party is concerned, it will be discussed in the respective state committees considering the ground level situation of the respective states.

“The proposal regarding the poll strategy has to come from the state committee first then a decision will be taken in the central committee and politburo,” CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury has said.

A large section of CPI-M state leaders have advocated forging of either an open alliance or an understanding with the Congress to unitedly fight the TMC in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Even Yechury and his predecessor have pointed at the quotient of the “flexible tactical line” in accordance with the ground situation in the states.

“Yes, there can be flexible tactical line after gauging the ground situation of states but that can’t be contradictory to the official political-tactical line adopted in party Congress,” said the CPI(M) leader from Kerala.

CPI-M leadership in Bengal including former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, had admitted that Left parties still have some “deficiencies in terms of strength” in taking on Trinamool Congress on its own. - PTI

DDCA ROW

Jaitley cannot hide behind party discipline alibi: Kirti NEW DELHI: Unfazed by the prospect of his expulsion from BJP, suspended MP Kirti Azad on Friday again attacked the finance minister and told the party that Arun Jaitley cannot take the shield of party discipline as the Delhi cricket body issue has no link with BJP. In his point by point rebuttal of the charges in the show cause notice slapped on him by the party on Thursday, Azad said he had been pursuing the issue of “corruption” in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) for the past nine years “without any let up” and was not even once told

by BJP not to pursue it.

Questioning the party’s action against him, he said that he did not “name Jaitley or any party person” in the issue and the party did not depute Jaitley as the DDCA head.

He also made an apparent reference to previous BJP chiefs, saying “all three respected party presidents also realised that cricket had no connection with our party activities and Jaitley’s

IN TROUBLE: Arun Jaitley

role in DDCA was his own concern.” He did not name them.

Not one office-bearer apart from Jaitley has reason to feel aggrieved by my or the cricketers’ (Bishan Singh Bedi and others) complaint of wrongdoings in DDCA, a combative Azad said.

“Humbly, I do not understand how an individual who has chosen to involve himself in activities that have no connection with the party can later claim the shield of party discipline when instances of wrongdoing in that body are raised and proved,” says his reply to the party.

He noted that he had told party chief Amit Shah and general secretary, organisation, Ram Lal when he was summoned by them on December 18 that Jaitley was not deputed by BJP to be the DDCA head.

“In case he chose to be the DDCA president he was opening himself to all associated risks that are entitled in running an organisation and that he could not claim the shield of party position if he got implicated in any mismanagement, fraud and irregularity,” Azad said in his reply while referring to the meeting.

He had told Shah that he was willing to give all documents regarding the “corruption in DDCA” in a joint meeting with Jaitley but neither Shah nor Ram Lal got back to him.

“Since neither called back I assumed that a cricketing matter had no relation with any party activity and that I will be well within the norms of discipline if I did not name anybody in the party. I did not name Jaitley or any party person,” he says in his reply. - PTI

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

A7

PAKISTAN R A B I TA C O M M I T T E E

NEW YEAR REVELRY

Altaf disbands MQM body in Britain

Pakistanis celebrate New Year’s Day before midnight along a street in Lahore late on Thursday. — AFP

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain disbanded on Friday his party’s policymaking body Rabita Committee in London.

Altaf disbanded the Londonbased Rabita Committee with an immediate effect and directed all party leaders and workers to contact Manzoor Ahmed for any further coordination, the party announced in a statement published on its website.

This is not the first time Altaf has dismissed policymakers to reshape his party’s structure. In July last year, the MQM Rabita Committee was suspended, except three members, as the body remained “unable to effectively perform its responsibilities despite several assurances.”

Kaiful Warah, Abdul Haseeb and Arif Khan Advocate had been spared, while the rest of the committee was advised against showing up at party headquarters Nine Zero.

Numerous times In February, Hussain dismissed heads of the Rabita Committee in both Pakistan and London. Party sources said Rabita committee in-charge in Pakistan Qamar Mansoor was removed after workers complained about his attitude numerous times. The dismissed party officials had been appointed in December 2014, when Hussain had suspended the entire Rabita Committtee. — Express Tribune NEW YEAR MESSAGE

Raheel upbeat on fight against terrorism KARACHI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Friday said 2016 will be the year of unity and eliminating terror from the country.

“With the support of the nation, we will root out terrorism, crime and corruption and will make peace and justice prevalent in the country,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) quoted the army chief as saying.

General Raheel visited Talar and Turbat districts of Balochistan province before arriving at Gwadar where he held discussions with Baloch elders.

The army chief’s statement comes just hours after the military’s media wing, ISPR, announced that General Raheel confirmed the death sentences for nine terrorists convicted by military courts.

“The hardcore terrorists were involved in committing heinous offences relating to terrorism, including attack on Parade Lane Mosque, Inter-Services Intelligence Headquarters, Multan, attacks on Law Enforcement Agencies, kidnapping and killing civilians in Lahore.

These convicts were tried by military courts,” the statement said.

The army forces are currently carrying out a military operation, Zarb-e-Azb, against militants in the northwestern region of the country. — Express Tribune

Khattak’s warning over China economic corridor According to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa needs a proper corridor with all components including railway tracks, LNG transmission lines and electricity projects. If these components are not provided then the industrial parks and trade zones can’t be constructed along with it

Khattak chief minister, it was mutually agreed at the all-parties conference on May 28, 2015 that the

Pervez Khattak

western route of the

Chief Minister, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa

project would be built during the first phase on a priority basis

PESHAWAR: The KhyberPakhtunkhwa government has threatened to take extreme steps if the federal government does not complete the western alignment of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) on a priority basis.

This was said by Chief Minister Pervez Khattak at a news conference at his residence on Thursday following a meeting with Parliamentary Committee on CPEC Chairperson Senator Mushahid

Hussain Syed and other leaders.

According to Khattak, it was mutually agreed at the all-parties conference (APC) on May 28, 2015 that the western route of CPEC would be built during the first phase on a priority basis.

“However, it was later revealed the western route was not being constructed,” he said. “On the contrary, it’s only a road and a highway in place of the western route.”

Khattak added, “We do not need a road. The provincial government can make roads with its own budget.”

According to Khattak, his government will vehemently reject the construction of just a road rather than a western alignment.

“K-P needs a proper corridor with all components including railway tracks, LNG transmission lines and electricity projects. If these components are not provided then the industrial parks and trade zones can’t be constructed along with it.”

Khattak added the federal government has limited all the components to the corridor between Gwadar and Rawalpindi.

“Hazara will not have industrial parks and trade zones as the components of the corridor are limited till Rawalpindi,” he said. “The region will not be the beneficiary of the route.”

Khattak said China is using the economic corridor project to de-

velop its underdeveloped areas.

“Many areas on the western route are underdeveloped, but have been ignored,” he said.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif doesn’t look beyond Lahore, Multan and other areas of Punjab.

We, on the other hand, care about the country.”

Khattak said extreme measures are justified as K-P is a war-torn region and the corridor could alter its fate.

The chief minister also voiced reservations over the no-objection certificates (NOC) required by foreigners to visit the K-P and asked the Centre to alter its policies. “If foreigners can visit Karachi where people are killed every day then

why can’t they visit K-P, which is safer,” he said.

“Foreign investors are willing to visit K-P but the federal government has created hurdles for them.

No one has the right to stop someone from visiting our province.”

Khattak said the federal government should take steps to ensure the economic corridor passes through other areas if they think K-P is not safe.

“They should take the corridor [elsewhere] if they think we are terrorists,” he said. Khattak said the provincial government would do its best to oppose the change in the corridor.

According to Hussain, the K-P government invited him to convey their grievances to the parliamentary committee, Parliament and the prime minister. “CPEC is not just a road,” he said.

“It is a concept of economic development which has special economic zones, pipelines, technical training institutes and opportunities for the youth.”

The senator said two important decisions were made the APC. The first was to construct the western route on a priority basis while the second was to constitute a parliamentary committee for CPEC. The K-P government has invited Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal to the province to discuss the matter on January 6. Members of the parliamentary committee have also been invited to these deliberations. — Express Tribune

D E AT H O F T O D D L E R

Activist takes Sindh government to court on VIP culture KARACHI: Human rights activist Ansar Burney filed a petition in Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday against the Sindh government’s administration in regards to the prevalent VIP culture in the province.

Burney, who heads the Ansar Burney Trust International, requested the SHC to take notice of what he said was the violation of the fundamental human rights of citizens.

“Blocking public roads as part of VVIP protocols of government and private personalities is a violation of fundamental human rights,” Burney argued in his plea.

Last month, a 10-month-old girl died when her family was unable to enter Karachi’s Civil Hospital due to security measures in place

Blocking public roads as part of VVIP protocols of government and private personalities is a violation of fundamental human rights, human rights activist Ansar Burney argued in his petition to the Sindh High Court for the arrival of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other party leaders. Bisma, a resident of Gabol Park in Lyari, had been suffering

from measles and had a high fever when her father, Faisal, brought her to the hospital. He arrived at the trauma centre entrance, which was manned

by security officials for the arrival of Bilawal, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and others.

Faisal said the security officers deployed on the road stopped him

from using the gate even after he argued for some time. By the time he walked around the premises to arrive at the second entrance to the emergency ward, Bisma’s condition had deteriorated.

The doctors told him that she was dead and that her life could have been saved had she been brought in on time.

Lifeless body “The doctors believed that she could have survived if I had reached at least 15 minutes earlier,” Faisal sobbed in front of television cameras as he held her lifeless body. VIP protocol took away her life, he said.

What made matters worse was senior minister Nisar Khuhro claiming that Bilawal’s security

was more important to them. The security measures were taken given the threats to the PPP chairperson who has already lost his mother and senior leaders to terrorist attacks, he said.

“The chief minister always has protocol but Bilawal’s security is more important to us,” he said.

Sit at home Only a day after the incident the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan announced he will make sure traffic is not halted for any VIP in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

“If a person is scared of the threats; [he or she] should sit at home, there is no need to come out,” he said at a gathering in Lodhran. — Express Tribune

A8

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READERS’ FORUM India-Pakistan cricket series should go ahead I refer to the story, There is nothing wrong in India playing a series against Pakistan (December 30), and fully agree with views of the former Indian cricketer and the nominee for this year’s Colonel C. K. Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award, Syed Kirmani. India and Pakistan have not played a full series since 2007. India halted cricket ties with Pakistan following the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, though they did play a limited over series in 2012.

There had been virtually no political and diplomatic communication between the two countries due to regular ceasefire Scan this QR code violations from both the sides in the past, to send letters to the but the scenario has changed drastically in Readers’ Forum, the last two months. The diplomatic talks containing not more than 200 words with between the two countries have resumed, full name, address and the unscheduled visit of Indian Prime and telephone Minister Narendra Modi to greet Nawaz number, may be sent Sharif on his birthday, has worked like an by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, icing on the cake. I believe it is time that P.C. 112, Ruwi). the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) once again requests the Indian government to grant permission for the India-Pakistan series to take place. Revival of the cricket series will be highly appreciated by the lovers of the game around the world and will convey a strong message of our intentions of having harmony and brotherly relations with our neighbours.

— Mohammad Osama Rawat, Ruwi

NEW INDIA ASSURANCE

“Insure with New India and be secure”

Tel: 24838800 | Fax: 24838899 | Email: niamct@omantel.net.om | Website: www.newindiaoman.com Nobody cleared a path for themselves by giving up

ALACIA BESSETTE

Russia and Ukraine, no longer Siamese twins

MAC MARGOLIS

What’s certain is that Brazil’s response to the crisis came late and may already have fallen short. True, after the surge in microcephaly cases, President Dilma Rousseff declared a “war on the virus,” deploying police and even the armed forces to join public health workers in a door-to-door mission bit.ly/brazilzikavirus

ussia and Ukraine have spent most of their post-Soviet history as Siamese twins, but for the last two years they’ve been undergoing political and economic separation surgery.

It will probably be more or less complete in 2016, and though both twins are in for a grim period, the weaker one, Ukraine, has the better prospects in some ways.

Ever since Ukraine declared independence in August, 1991, it sought to establish an identity that would set it apart from Russia. Its second president, Leonid Kuchma, even published a book called “Ukraine Is Not Russia” in 2003. In practice, however, Ukraine kept following its bigger neighbour even through its failed Westernisation period of 2005 to 2010. It inherited the same basis for its legal system and government -- the Soviet bureaucracy -- and even attempted reforms often imitated Moscow’s moves. When I moved from Moscow to Kiev in 2011, I felt no discomfort: Everything, from bureaucratic procedures to the pervasive corruption that made a mockery of them, was largely the same in the two countries.

Economically, Ukraine remained Russia’s colony. In 2013, its trade turnover with Russia, at $31.8 billion according to the official Ukrainian statistics agency, reached 28 per cent of its total trade. For Moscow, Ukraine wasn’t as important, but it was still its fifth biggest trading partner with a 5 per cent share of turnover. That last peaceful year, 6.1 million Ukrainians, out of a total population of 45.5 million, visited Russia, about two-thirds of them to work. Only Poland, Ukraine’s entry point to the EU, received slightly more visitors.

Russian rulers got used to this. Even this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin contended that “Russians and Ukrainians are one nation.”

It’s no longer true: The last two years, since Ukraine’s “Revolution of Dignity,” the Russian annexation of Crimea and the Russian-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine, have seen perhaps the biggest break-up between neighbouring, closely interconnected countries in post-World War II history. In 2014, only 4.6 million Ukrainians traveled to Russia -- less than two-thirds as many as to Poland.

This year’s statistics are not in yet, but another drop in travel to Russia is highly likely, because

Moscow has been tightening regulations to make it harder for Ukrainian migrant workers to stay indefinitely and because, as of last summer, there are no more direct flights between the two countries. Besides, starting in mid-2016, Ukrainians will be able to travel visa-free to the European Union, which will likely make travel to Europe vastly more popular.

As for bilateral trade, it has plummeted: Though both Russia and Ukraine have suffered declines in international trade because of sharply devalued currencies (the ruble has lost 20 per cent of its value against the US dollar this year, and the hryvnia lost 34 per cent), the decline in exports and imports between the two countries has been more pronounced than with the rest of the world. For example, Ukraine’s exports to Russia stood at 44 per cent of the 2014 level in the first 10 months of this year, while total exports were at 67 per cent.

Ukrainian businesses have fought to maintain sales to Russia, using a free economic zone in Crimea that the two countries quietly maintained as a window for cheap Ukrainian food. In the fall of 2015, though, Crimean Tatar and rightwing Ukrainian activists cut off the traffic, and Kiev decided against interfering. On the import side, Russian natural gas supplies have shrunk because much of Ukraine’s energy-intensive industry is in the war-torn east, the winter has been mild and the government has managed to secure alternative supplies from Europe.

Next year, the last vestiges of mutual dependence between Ukraine and Russia will probably be destroyed by Moscow’s decision to scrap the free trade area with Kiev in response to the removal of trade barriers between Ukraine and the EU. The two countries will keep fighting about the annexed territory, the status of the rebelheld regions and the $3 billion debt to Russia that Ukraine recently refused to honor, but these festering disputes are just the anticlimactic aftermath of a process that has been more drastic than any divorce. Both have been painfully depleted by the surgery.

Russia, of course, is far from a lost cause: It has rebuilt itself after worse crises. Neither is Ukraine a likely big winner: Its political and economic fabric may be too rotten for redemption. In 2016, however, Ukrainians have more to look forward to than Russians. - Bloomberg View.

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES DECEMBER 2000 Majlis holds 1st session of 4th term MUSCAT: The Majlis Al Shura yesterday began the first regular session of the first year of its fourth term, under the chairmanship of Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Qatabi, Majlis president. He gave a speech in which he pointed out that this session, during which the Majlis completes the formation of its main bodies, will continue for three consecutive years. He added this noble national mission carried out by the Majlis requires all to pay attention to the public interest and live up to their responsibilities.

PICTOGRAPH

NUMBER OF IN-PATIENTS IN OMAN 2010

268,000

2011

283,000

2012

293,000

2013

308,000

2014

320,000

TODAY IN HISTORY INVITATION TO WRITERS We invite our readers to write articles on topics related to Oman. The articles should not exceed 800 words.

Send us your article along with your picture to akhtar@timesofoman.com

1839: Photography pioneer Louis Daguerre takes the first photograph of the moon.

1918: Russian Bolsheviks threaten to re-enter the war unless Germany returns occupied territory.

1942: In the Philippines, the city of Manila and the US Naval base at Cavite fall to Japanese forces.

0 Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

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WORLD NEW YEAR ADDRESS

WISHING NEW YEAR WITH BALLOONS People release balloons to celebrate the New Year at the Prince Park Tower in Tokyo on Friday. More than 1,000 balloons were released, carrying with them new year wishes. — AFP

Kim blames South Korea for mistrust SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un blamed South Korea on Friday for increased mistrust in a New Year speech after a year of heightened tension between the rival countries.

The speech was Kim’s fourth since becoming leader in 2011 when his father, Kim Jong Il, died, sparking a long and turbulent succession process marked by several bloody purges in the isolated country. “South Korea has made a unilateral case for unification and increased mistrust and conflict between us,” Kim said during a 30-minute long address, broadcast on North Korean television, highlighting its suspicion of the South’s unification policies.

New family planning law comes into effect in China China’s new twochild policy allows couples to have two children from January 1

BEIJING: Couples in China are now allowed to have two children as the new family planning law came into effect from on Friday, ending the world’s most populous country’s controversial one-child policy amid concerns over an ageing population and shrinking workforce.

The new two-child policy, which was announced by the ruling Communist Party in October and approved by the national legislature in late December, allows couples to have two children from January 1.

“It is worth noting how people’s lives will be affected,” state-

run Xinhua news agency said in its report.

The one-child policy, which was implemented from 1978 and restricted most couples to only a single child through a system of fines for violators and even forced abortions, was credited to have prevented over 400 million births restricting the population to over 1.357 billion as per census held in 2013.

The three-decade-old policy was changed as demographic crisis deepened with sharp rise in population of old age people and shrinking workforce in the world’s second largest economy.

According to latest figures, the number of people aged 60 or over in China has reached 212 million at the end of 2014, accounting for 15.5 per cent of the country’s population, with the number of disabled elderly people approaching 40 million.

The United Nations has predicted that people over age 65 will account for 18 per cent of China’s population by 2030, double the number in 2011 which will have a negative bearing on China’s labour availability. — PTI

CHANGE IN LAW: A mother holds her child in Beijing on Friday. The three-decade-old one-child policy was changed as demographic crisis deepened with sharp rise in population of old age people and shrinking workforce. – AFP

Open to a summit Kim said in last year’s speech he would be open to a summit with Seoul but tension surged in August after a landmine blast on their border wounded two South Korean soldiers. The South blamed the North which denied responsibility. The two sides met for talks in August after a sustained military stand-off and agreed to reduce tension and hold further talks at vice-ministerial level, although subsequent negotiations have been fruitless.

On Wednesday, North Korean state media said its top negotiator with the South, Kim Yang Gon, had been killed in a traffic accident.

“We should cherish last year’s high-level talks and make continued efforts to seek dialogue and not take any further steps backwards,” Kim Jong Un said of the August negotiations, adding that he would be open to talks with anyone to discuss “peaceful unification”.

Applause was played at various points throughout what appeared to be a pre-recorded message.

Photographs of factories and farms were interspersed with video of Kim standing in a woodpanelled room in front of a red flag bearing the crest of the ruling Workers’ Party.

In a response to Kim’s speech, South Korea’s foreign ministry reiterated its position that it was open to talks with the North, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

“North Korea should take note that we are seeking to develop inter-Korean relations and lay the groundwork for peaceful unification,” an unidentified government official said.

Speeches by a North Korean leader used to be rare. The voice of Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, was only broadcast on state television once, and he made no known public speeches during his 17-year rule.

For years, leaders’ speeches were only presented as editorials in state newspapers.

Kim Jong Un, however, has turned to broadcasting his speeches and using them to deliver his message, which is closely watched for clues to any policy change.

Kim pledged to develop North Korea’s moribund economy and raise living standards, although North Korean leaders have been saying that for decades. — Reuters

FA I L U R E T O R E S O LV E P R O B L E M

Ghana’s minister quits over handling of electricity crisis ACCRA: Ghana’s power minister has resigned after failing to resolve a three-year-old electricity crisis that President John Mahama, who seeks re-election this year, had promised to fix, government sources said on Friday.

Power Minister Kwabena Donkor told voters in February he would resign if the crisis was not resolved by December 31. “The

president was unhappy with his performance, particularly in handling the crisis.

“He has accepted the resignation and thanked him for his service,” one of the sources said.

President Mahama will contest what is expected to be a close-run vote in November against opposition leader Nana Akufo-Addo.

The power crisis began in the

2012 election year and the opposition New Patriotic Party says it is a sign of government mismanagement.

Fiscal stability At the same time, the government is following an International Monetary Fund loan programme to restore fiscal stability. “The biggest problem the government has is lack

of credibility so trust and empathy are the next to go,” NPP policy advisor Boakye Agyarko told Reuters..

The Ministry of Power was created in 2014 to fix the blackouts. Donkor, its first head, submitted his resignation, a source close to the presidency told Reuters. A day earlier, he had said planned power cuts were over due to increased capacity the government installed in 2015.

His statement appeared to be an attempt to show that the government was upholding its promise but it was soon contradicted by another state institution that said power capacity, while improved, remained inadequate to meet demand. “The president wants to ensure that people entrusted with responsibility deliver and Donkor is no exception,” another govern-

ment source said, adding that Mahama would have dismissed the minister if he had not resigned. Attempts to contact Donkor were not successful.

The key issue is voter confidence in the president’s ability to keep his promises, John Gatsi, a senior lecturer in the business school at the University of Cape Coast, told Reuters. — Reuters

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

WORLD

China has been moving rapidly to upgrade its military hardware, but integration of complex systems across a regionalised command structure has been a major challenge.

MESSAGE

NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES A general view shows New Year party revellers and holidaymakers gathering on the North Pier Beach during New Year festivities in Durban in eastern South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, on Friday. According to police, close to 100,000 people are expected to spend the day at the beach. — AFP

Combat torrent of misery in world: Pope VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis, in his first message of the new year, on Friday urged people to combat the “torrent” of misery, injustice and violence in the world by overcoming all indifference to the many who are suffering.

Security was tight. Police checked the bags of people blocks away from St. Peter’s Square and about 10,000 people went through additional, airport-style screening to get into St. Peter’s Basilica and hear Francis celebrate Mass.

“We ask how long human evil will continue to sow violence and hatred in our world, reaping innocent victims... we are witnessing hordes of men, women and children fleeing war, hunger and persecution, ready to risk their lives simply to encounter respect for their fundamental rights,” the pope said. In his homily he urged people to overcome what he called “a torrent of misery” by “building an ever more just and fraternal world, a world in which every person and every creature can dwell in peace, in the harmony of Almighty’s original creation”.

The 79-year-old looked and sounded well despite having made many public appearances over the Christmas and New Year season.

He called on everyone to “let ourselves be reborn, to overcome the indifference which blocks solidarity, and to leave behind the false neutrality which prevents sharing”. — Reuters

KURDISH SOUTHEAST

Two Turkish police officers killed during operations ISTANBUL: Two police officers have been killed in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast during operations to push back Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, the Dogan news agency said on Friday.

Incidents The first policeman was killed in the district of Cizre late on Thursday when he and a group of colleagues came under rocket attack as they tried to break down barricades set up by PKK fighters, Dogan said. The second was killed on Friday by a remote-controlled bomb in the district of Sur, where the local authorities have imposed a ban on demonstrations, Dogan said.

Worst violence Southeastern Turkey has plunged back into some of its worst violence since the 1990s after a twoyear ceasefire between the PKK and the state collapsed in July.

The PKK first took up arms in 1984 to push for greater autonomy in the southeast and some 40,000 people have since been killed in the violence. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday there would be no let-up in a military campaign which he said had killed more than 3,000 militants this year in some of the heaviest fighting since their insurgency began three decades ago. — Reuters

Southern US states gear up for rain-swollen waterways their communities and begin the process of cleaning up. Hundreds of structures have been damaged or destroyed, local officials said.

Dozens died in US Midwest since the weekend in rare winter floods, mostly when driving into flooded areas

MISSOURI: Overflowing rivers were receding in Missouri and Illinois on Friday after flooding swamped communities and forced towns to evacuate, with forecasters warning that rain-swollen waterways flowing downstream could menace Southern states.

At least 28 people have died in the US Midwest since the weekend in rare winter floods, mostly when driving into flooded areas after storms dropped up to 12 inches (30 cm) of rain, officials said. Flooding in the Midwest usually comes in the spring as snowmelt swells rivers.

Dozens died in US storms that were part of a wild worldwide weather system over the Christmas holiday period which has also brought heavy floods and storms to Britain.

More than 100,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes in areas bordering Paraguay, Uru-

FLOOD WOES: Missouri Department of Transportation workers work along Interstate 55 in Arnold, Missouri, on Thursday. – AFP

guay, Brazil and Argentina due to severe flooding in the wake of heavy summer rains brought on

by El Niño, authorities said last week. Weather is dominating conversation on social media over the holiday season after the international climate deal in Paris.

Close to St. Louis on Friday, the water level on the Mississippi River, the second-longest river in the US, was falling on Friday after reaching near-record heights, the National Weather Service said.

The Meramec River, which meanders near St. Louis and emp-

ties into the Mississippi River, broke height records on Thursday, sending a deluge of water over its banks and forcing the closure of two major interstate highways.

Thousands of people evacuated from their homes earlier in the week were waiting to return to

Levees Towns farther down the Mississippi hoped their levees would resist rising river levels. Southern states like Louisiana and Mississippi will be affected in coming days, the National Weather Service said. The Mississippi is expected to crest in the small town of Thebes, in southern Illinois, at 47.5 feet (14 metres) on Sunday, more than 1-1/2 feet above the 1995 record, the NWS said. Workers in Tennessee were preparing for the Mississippi River in Memphis to reach flood stage over the weekend.

“We’re moving things up high and we’ve got our generators out and got some extra water,” said Dotty Kirkendoll, a clerk at Riverside Park Marina on McKellar Lake, which feeds off the Mississippi River.

Major flooding was also occurring on the Arkansas River and its tributaries in that state, the NWS said.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency to prepare for flooding.

“All that water’s coming south and we have to be ready for it,” Lieutenant Governor-Elect Billy Nungesser told CNN. “It’s a serious concern. It’s early in the season. We usually don’t see this until much later.” — Reuters

N E W Y E A R AT TA C K S

‘Syrian, Iraqi militants were planning midnight attack in Munich’ MUNICH: Germany received a tip hours before midnight that militants from Iraq and Syria were planning New Year attacks in Munich but police could not find the suspects and are not even sure if they exist or are in the country, the city’s police chief said on Friday.

Hubertus Andrae told a news conference that German officials had received a “very concrete” tip that suicide attacks were planned on New Year’s Eve at two train stations. Police closed the central and Pasing stations about an hour before midnight, and reopened them hours later. “We received names.

We can’t say if they are in Munich or in fact in Germany,” Andrae said.

“At this point we don’t know if these names are correct, if these people even exist, or where they might be. If we knew this we would be a clear step further. We have

no information that these people are in Munich or in Germany,” he added. The alarm came as Europe entered the New Year under a state of heightened alert, seven weeks after militants killed 130 people in shootings and suicide blasts across Paris.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said the Munich tip, which media reports said came from French intelligence, indicated that the IS militant group was behind the planned operation.

Police presence Herrmann told reporters later on Friday that the police presence at the train stations had been reduced. “We all know that there is a high risk of attacks in Europe and also here in Germany and Bavaria.

But we don’t have a concrete indication that there will be an attack

STRICT VIGIL: A German police secures the main train station in Munich, Germany, on Friday. – Reuters

today or tomorrow at a specific location,” he said.

Thomas de Maiziere, interior minister in the federal government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, said: “The situation in Europe

and also in Germany remains serious in the New Year. Security forces anticipate the high threat of international terrorism to persist.”

Police said they had received information that five to seven

suicide bombers were planning to take part in the attack.

After the deadliest year for militant attacks in Europe since 2004, the build-up to the New Year had been overshadowed by arrests, security warnings, and the scalingback of big traditional celebrations in Brussels, Moscow and Paris.

On December 26, police in the Austrian capital Vienna said a “frienwdly” intelligence service had warned European capitals of the possibility of a shooting or bomb attack before New Year.

That tip, too, had included the names of several suspects. In Belgium, authorities on Wednesday called off the usual New Year’s Eve fireworks display in the capital, citing fears of a possible militant attack. Police said on Thursday they were holding three people for questioning over an alleged plot.

Throughout the Munich alert, police kept up a stream of messages in several languages on Twitter, at times alternating incongruously between security warnings and New Year greetings.

“Good morning to those, who spent the night out in #munich!

Thanks for staying calm and for your understanding concerning our measures,” the latest message in English said.

The episode highlighted the dilemma facing authorities across the continent as they try to communicate potential threats without causing undue panic or disruption.

Herrmann, the Bavarian minister, urged the public to resist “being driven crazy by terrorists as we enter a new year in 2016. We need to take the danger seriously, but we can’t let them change the way we live here in Germany.” — Reuters

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

S P O R S

Pakistan name Amir in T20, ODI squads for New Zealand Mohammed Aamir’s comeback to international cricket remains dependent on him getting a visa and clearance to tour New Zealand

KARACHI: Tainted pacer Mohammed Amir on Friday returned to the Pakistan cricket squad for the limited-overs away series against New Zealand, completing a cycle of redemption following his spectacular fall from grace in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.

Amir, who served a five-year ban and jail time for indulging in spot-fixing during the 2010 tour of England, was expected to make the squad after being brought back into the national camp despite some resentment by fellow players.

“We have picked Amir in the touring squads for the internationals in New Zealand because he has done lot of hard work and shown intent to do well for Pakistan since returning to domestic cricket last year,” chief selector Haroon Rasheed said.

But Amir’s comeback to international cricket remains dependent on him getting a visa and clearance to tour New Zealand, Haroon said.

“If there are problems with travel documents and Amir can’t tour than Mohammed Irfan will replace him in the T20 squad. Irfan is not originally selected in the T20 squad because we want to give

COMEBACK: Pakistan’s Mohammed Amir bowls during a practice session. – AFP

him a short break from the game,” Haroon said.

Amir, 23, last appeared for the national team in a Test against England at Lord’s in August 2010 before the scandal came to the fore.

Amir and two other players — captain Salman Butt and Moham-

med Asif — were suspended by the International Cricket Council after the Test for taking money to bowl predetermined no-balls in a spot fixing scam.

The trio was than banned in February 2011 for five years for spot-fixing by the anti-corruption tribunal

of the ICC and also served varying jail terms for corruption and cheating in the United Kingdom.

Their bans expired in September last year and the ICC, under a special clause of its anti-corruption code, allowed relaxation to Amir to resume playing domestic

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

S PA N I S H L E AG U E

CRICKET

Swans can sour Van Gaal’s Happy New Year hopes

Benitez looks to in-form Ronaldo for better 2016 MADRID: Underfire Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez will look to an in form Cristiano Ronaldo to drive the team forward against Valencia on Sunday as they aim to put behind them a disappointing 2015.

It was a year that promised so much after they put together a run of 22 wins to finish 2014 but they ended up being overshadowed by a dominant Barcelona that won five trophies and scored a Spanish record of 180 goals in the process. The pressure has been building at the Bernabeu and the chorus of whistles that greeted Benitez ahead of their victory over Real Sociedad on Wednesday was an indication of the dissatisfaction in the crowd.

Benitez was brought in by president Florentino Perez to replace the popular Carlo Ancelotti and end Barca’s hegemony but so far he has been unable to provide the results or the style of play to win over the fans.

Real lie third in La Liga on 36 points, two behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid while the Catalans also have a game in hand.

However, the recent performances from Ronaldo, who has scored 12 goals in his last seven matches, has provided a boost.

He struck twice against Socie-

dad — which included scoring a penalty just before the interval having missed a spot kick 20 minutes earlier — to finish 2015 with 57 goals for club and country.

“He has been the driving force behind the team,” Benitez told a news conference.

“I congratulated him and the rest of the players who have been united. He was ready to accept the responsibility after missing the penalty and lift the team.

“Our aim is to win trophies this season and I think we are on the right lines.”

Lionel Messi celebrated his 500th appearance for Barca with his 425th goal in a 4-0 win over Real Betis and now they face derby rivals Espanyol.

Luis Suarez also hit a double and it takes the tally for the attacking trident, that includes Neymar, to 137 of the 180 goals scored by the team in 2015.

“It is great to finish the year this way and now we start again with a special match,” said midfielder Andres Iniesta.

“It is really tough to win these trophies and to win five or six is something that rarely happens.

I will remember them and being able to lift the Club World Cup trophy as captain was the icing on the cake for me.” - Reuters

LONDON: Any hopes of a Happy New Year will evaporate for Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal if his side fail to beat struggling Swansea City at Old Trafford on Saturday.

United are on an eight-match winless streak in all competitions and the Dutchman, whose team briefly topped the table in September, is under pressure as media speculation swirls around his future.

Swansea, who have already fired manager Garry Monk and are now under caretaker Alan Curtis, have been a bogey team for the triple European champions although the Welsh club have only one away league victory this season.

The Swans have won their last three Premier League matches against United by a 2-1 margin, including at the end of August when they turned the game around by switching from a 4-2-3-1 to a diamond formation at Liberty Stadium.

They also ruined Van Gaal’s first competitive game as United manager on the opening day of the 2014-15 season at Old Trafford.

With Swansea languishing in 17th place, and United sixth, the Dutchman should get the victory he needs but anything less will turn up the heat on him.

“The past year was one full of mixed emotions and we did not finish 2015 on a high as we’d have hoped,” Van Gaal wrote in his programme notes for his first game of 2016.

“We know it will be tough and know we have to be creative and take our chances if we are going to end this run without a win.”

Liverpool, level on points with United, can add to the pressure if they take three points at West Ham United in Saturday’s lunchtime kickoff.

With the opening of the January transfer window, there will be plenty of players in the spotlight as clubs prepare to relax the purse strings and splash out in the push

cricket in early 2015.

The left-arm pacer was just 18 and had appeared in 14 Tests, 15 ODIs and 18 T20 internationals when he played in the Lord’s Test.

It remains to be seen whether he would be able to reproduce the same form and talent he showcased five years back.

Haroon also announced the comeback of experienced pace bowler Umar Gul to the T20 squad.

Gul, 31, was recalled after a string of impressive performances in domestic first class cricket this season, triumphing over fitness issues that had derailed his Pakistan career in the last two years.

Gul last played a T20 against Bangladesh in last April but before that had struggled with a knee problem and lost the confidence of the national selectors.

“We felt he is ready to come back to international cricket that is why we have just included him in the T20 squad,” Haroon said.

The seasoned pacer has taken 163 Tests, 173 ODI and 83 T20 wickets.

The chief selector also made it clear that while selecting the T20 squad importance was given to players who were utility players.

T20 squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Mohammed Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Akmal, Saad Nasim, Shoaib Malik, Ifthikar Ahmed, Mohammed Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Anwar Ali, Aamir Yameen, Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, Mohammed Amir, Umar Gul. Reserve: Mohammed Irfan.

ODI squad: Azhar Ali (captain), Mohammed Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Zafar Gohar, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Mohammed Irfan, Mohammed Rizwan, Mohammed Amir. - PTI

UNDER PRESSURE: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.

for glory or simple survival.

Leaders Arsenal, the only club who did not buy an outfield player last time around, have already said they will be busy as they chase their first title since 2004.

Arsene Wenger’s men entertain relegation-threatened Newcastle United on Saturday while Leicester City, behind Arsenal on goal difference, host promoted Bournemouth.

There will be plenty of respect on both sides ahead of that encounter, with Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri describing the visitors as “very dangerous” opponents following December victories over Chelsea and Manchester United.

Bournemouth, unbeaten in six matches, will be worried about Leicester’s top scorer Jamie Vardy.

“I always admire any player that’s come from the non-league into the Premier League, it’s a hard journey to make and you really do have to excel to make it and be noticed,” said Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. “He deserves all the plaudits for what he’s done. He’s got unique strengths, he combines

an incredible work ethic with real pace and determination and fight to score his next goal...our defenders need to be very alert.”

Manchester City, third and three points adrift of the top two, travel to Watford for Saturday’s late kickoff.

That match offers another reunion for Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores with City’s Sergio Aguero and David Silva who played for him at Atletico Madrid and Valencia respectively.

Southampton, without injured top scorer Graziano Pelle, visit Norwich City while West Bromwich Albion host Stoke City.

In a battle of the bottom two teams, Sunderland aim to end a run of five successive defeats when they host Aston Villa who are four points below them.

High-flying Crystal Palace entertain troubled champions Chelsea, 14th and level on points with Norwich and Bournemouth, in a London derby on Sunday. Fourthplaced Tottenham Hotspur travel to Everton in the late match. - Reuters

PCB eyes series with India in England KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is hopeful that following the thaw in India and Pakistan relations a breakthrough will come soon in the restoration of bilateral cricket ties with a short series in England likely to open doors in 2016. A reliable source in the PCB told PTI that stung by whatever had transpired in the last two to three months by way of the planned bilateral series between Pakistan and India in December the PCB had now decided to change its policy.

“The PCB has also got feelers from the government to remain quiet on Indo-Pak cricket ties,” the source said.

“They have been told that the surprise visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendar Modi to Lahore which had led to a thaw in tensions between the two countries could lead to restoration of bilateral cricket ties as well,” the source disclosed.

“But the PCB has been told not to speak anymore on planned seriesa,” he stated.

According to the source there is hope that the Indian cricket board will get permission from its government to play cricket with Pakistan and they could then agree to play three ODIs and three T20 matches in England in 2016.

“The series could happen in England sometime in June as the IPL is from April 9 to May 29 and both teams will have a window in June,” the source said.

He said since Pakistan is due to reach England in early July for a three month tour the short series is also being planned in England where there is a big expatriate community of Pakistanis and Indians. — PTI

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

SPORTS Australia all set to test twin spin attack against Windies in Sydney The likelihood of a turning wicket at the SCG, have encouraged Australia to Test out the twin spin option of Nathan Lyon and Stephen O’Keefe ahead of their tour of Sri Lanka later this year

SYDNEY: Australia look set to field two specialist spinners at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) for the first time in a decade when they host West Indies in a dead rubber New Year’s Test starting this weekend.

An inexperienced and demoralised West Indies touring party succumbed by an innings and 212 runs in Hobart and 177 runs in Melbourne to hand their hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

That position, and the likelihood of a turning wicket at the SCG, have encouraged Australia to Test out the twin spin option of Nathan Lyon and Stephen O’Keefe ahead of their tour of Sri Lanka later this year.

That the hosts can afford to put out an experimental side in one of IPL

Kohli gains as BCCI lists actual salary of IPL players NEW DELHI: India Test skipper Virat Kohli was among the few cricketers who received a higher actual salary according to the salary details of the retained IPL players listed by BCCI on Friday.

Kohli’s actual salary in Royal Challengers Bangalore was listed as Rs 150 millione while the purse deduction amount was Rs 125 million in the list put up by BCCI in its website, just days ahead of the Lodha Committee’s reform report on January 4.

India’s limited over skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was bought by Pune recently, however, had the same actual salary and purse deduction of Rs 125 millionwhile playing for Chennai Super Kings.

Among other Indians, Harbhajan Singh (Rs 55 million vs 80 million) and Ambati Rayudu (Rs 40 million vs Rs 60 million) were the top gainers according to the list put up by BCCI as a part of its recent attempts to ensure transparency.

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle (Rs 7.50 crore vs Rs 8.40) and South African allrounder Faf du Plessis (Rs 40,000,000 vs Rs 47,500,000) were the gainers among international cricketers.

However, like Dhoni, South Africa’s ODI skipper AB de Villers (95,000,000), Shikhar Dhawan (125,000,000), R. Ashwin (75,000,000), West Indies’ Dwayne Bravo (40,000,000) too didn’t see any change in their actual salaries. — PTI

ONE FOR THE ALBUM: Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, centre in blue jacket, and his wife Lucy, centre left, pose for a photo with the West Indies (in white shirts) and Australian (in blue shirts) cricket teams at a New Year’s Day reception for the team at Kirribilli House in Sydney. – AFP

the more venerable fixtures in the Australian sporting calendar is not to say there will be nothing at stake when the match gets underway on Sunday (1030 GMT).

For West Indies there is pride and a chance to show more of the fighting spirit that stalled Australia’s victory match in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. A 3-0 sweep, meanwhile, would send Australia above

India to second in the test rankings and they would return to the summit if England can maintain a winning start and beat South Africa in their ongoing four-match series.

Off-spinner Lyon is one of the first names on the Australian team sheet these days and he looks like being joined by left-arm finger spinner O’Keefe in the Australian line-up. That was made all the

more likely when seamer Peter Siddle failed to train on Friday because of an ankle injury, leaving his place in the team in jeopardy.

O’Keefe’s inclusion for his second Test — his first on home soil — would make it the first time Australia have played twin spinners at the SCG since Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill took on South Africa at the ground in 2006.

Josh Hazlewood is likely to back up for a sixth straight Test alongside James Pattinson in the pace attack with all-rounder Mitchell Marsh offering support with his quickening medium pace deliveries after taking 4-61 in Melbourne.

While Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin and skipper Jason Holder showed some resistance with the bat in Melbourne, the paucity of the West

Indies bowling is starkly illustrated by the fact that they have taken just 10 wickets over the first two Tests.

Given how little pressure their pace attack have managed to exert on Australia so far in the series, West Indies might consider their own twin spin attack by bringing in leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo alongside left-arm orthodox Jomel Warrican. - Reuters

TEST SERIES

Rabada to replace injured Steyn for South Africa CAPE TOWN: South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn will miss the second Test against England, which starts at Newlands on Saturday, after failing to recover from a shoulder injury, captain Hashim Amla said.

He will be replaced by Kagiso Rabada while Quinton de Kock is likely to return as wicketkeeper, having been dropped for the last five tests, Amla added but said a final decision had still to be to be taken.

England won the opening Test by 241 runs at Kingsmead in Durban on Wednesday.

De Kock’s return would take pressure off AB de Villiers, who returned behind the stumps for the Durban Test but looked pressured with the burden of extra work.

Kyle Abbott, who reported stiffness in his hamstring on Wednesday, must face a fitness test to determine whether he stays in the side or is replaced by Chris Morris or Hardus Viljoen, neither of whom have played test cricket.

Steyn hurt his shoulder in the first Test and could bowl only 22 balls in the second innings. Rabada only made his debut in November in India and in three Tests took two wickets for 111 runs.

South Africa are still reeling after the first Test setback and have drafted in former captain Graeme Smith to assist the side with ideas and their psychological approach.

“He was a wonderful captain for and he knows more than most guys how to play Test cricket and how to deal with tough times,” explained Amla at a media conference on Friday.

“He had a few crushing defeats early in his career so he is well aware how important it is as a team to reassess and get back to form. That type of experience is in-

Captain Cook calls for better quality warm-up games

IMPRESSIVE PACER: Kagiso Rabada, who impressed during the India sojourn, will take the place of Dale Steyn in the second Test at Newlands.

valuable and that’s why we’ve tried to draw on it.”

Smith had been critical of the team’s performance during the first Test where he served as a radio and television analyst.

Anderson to return England’s leading all-time wickettaker James Anderson is set to return to their attack for the second Test.

Anderson, 33, was hardly missed in Durban as England bowled out South Africa for 214 and 174 en

route to a 241-run victory but is set to return in place of Chris Woakes for the Cape Town Test.

Anderson has gone through a lengthy session in the nets with no adverse results and coach Trevor Bayliss said “the signs look good.”

“He’s been working hard but we have to wait and see how he pulls up,” Bayliss told reporters.

“My thought is you’d probably go with him, so fingers crossed he comes to us and says his body’s feeling good. He’ll know his body and what he’s capable of.” - Reuters

CAPE TOWN: Captain Alastair Cook called for better quality warm-up games before and during major test series as he credited England’s first Test victory over South Africa to the team’s solid preparations.

Two warm-up matches ahead of the opening Test at Kingsmead, which England won by 241 runs on Wednesday, allowed the tourists an air of confidence. During the build-up, their top six batsmen scored 50 or more.

“We also had two pretty good warm-up games before we played Pakistan (in the United Arab Emirates in October) in terms of the quality of the opposition but we could have done with one being a first class game,” said Cook who travelled with his team mates from Durban to Cape Town on Thursday for the second Test that starts on Saturday.

“I think a first class game helps, it makes you concentrate your mind. It’s quite easy when you are playing a game with 13, 14, 15-a-side, it does become a little more relaxed.”

England began their South Africa tour with a match against an Invitation XI at Potchefstroom and then played a first class fixture

against South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg, which they won in convincing fashion.

“That’s why it is so good to start well, it can only give you confidence,” he added.

Cook also feels England could do with another first class match in the middle of their four-match test series against South Africa, although this is not scheduled with the tests taking place back-to-back.

“After two Test matches to play a game in between is just as important. That doesn’t happen due the length of tours. So when you get do in a rut on a tour, it’s very hard to get out of it. There’s no other cricket to go around,” he said.

Major tours used to be ponderous affairs with matches against provincial opposition between tests, which were well spaced out. However, the popularity of limited overs cricket has led to an overhauling of the tour programmes.

Once England have competed the fourth Test from January 22-26, they will put away their whites for five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals against South Africa.

Before each format they will get a single warm-up game against local opposition. - Reuters

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MORE PAIN SEEN FOR EMERGING CURRENCIES

MARKE

Emerging-market currencies slumped last year by the most since 1997, and analysts are forecasting further losses in 2016 as China’s economy slows and the US raises interest rates. >B3

BULLION MARKET

Gold loses sheen, plunges 45% from record high

NO LONGER A SAFE HAVEN: The precious metal booked its third annual loss, the longest run since 1998, as the dollar surged on the back of tight monetary policy in the United States. – File picture

DISINVESTMENT

Saudi Arabian stock market plans initial public offer in 2018 DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange, the Arab world’s largest, aims to sell shares in an initial public offering (IPO) in 2018.

The Saudi Stock ExchangeTadawul seeks to offer shares after completing a “readiness exercise and obtaining the necessary approvals,” according to a statement on its website on Thursday.

One of the world’s biggest petrochemicals manufacturers, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, trades on the Tadawul All Share Index. The gauge closed 0.1 per cent up on Thursday.

This year was the worst for Saudi stocks since 2008, even after the bourse allowed foreign investors to trade stocks directly for the first time in June.

Saudi finances The kingdom’s finances have been under pressure after its main source of revenue, oil, sank to the lowest level in 11 years and as the nation leads an expensive war in Yemen. The government on Monday said it would cut spending and ease subsidies in 2016.

“They are trying to engage the private sector in the economic expansion, and they don’t want to rely on fiscal budget alone,” said Mohammed Alsuwayed, the head of capital and money markets at Adeem Capital in Riyadh. “There’s going to be a restructuring of the market in Saudi Arabia, it’s not just the Tadawul IPO.” Under the leadership of King Salman, who ascended to the throne in January, the government announced plans to privatize “several sectors,” the Finance Ministry said in a statement this week.

The Tadawul All Share Index dropped 17 per cent this year. The exchange’s former chief executive officer Adel Al Ghamdi in May 2014 announced plans to hire banks for an IPO. - Bloomberg News

IPO-focused funds more than double

SINGAPORE: Gold’s image as a haven asset has taken a battering with the metal capping its longest slump in more than three decades as investors sold from bullionbacked funds.

Bullion futures fell for a sixthstraight quarter, the longest slump since 1984, and lost 10 per cent in 2015. Prices, which were little changed on Thursday, plunged about 45 per cent since reaching a record high in 2011.

The metal booked its third annual loss, the longest run since 1998, as the dollar surged on the back of tighter monetary policy in the United States, joining a collapse in prices of commodities from iron ore to oil.

Holdings in gold exchange-traded products have declined 10 times in the last 13 sessions to 1,466.4 metric tons, near the lowest in

more than six years. “Gold is suffering from the general exodus out of commodity investments,” Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen, said by e-mail. “Being one of the most-traded commodities through ETFs (exchange traded funds), the selling pressure from paper investors has been felt particularly hard and gold’s safe-haven status has suffered.”

Five-year low Gold futures for February delivery added less than 0.1 per cent to settle at $1,060.20 an ounce on the Comex in New York. The metal reached a five-year low earlier this month. Prices may approach $1,000 in 2016, before recovering toward $1,200 by the end of the year as the dollar and bond yields retreat, Hansen said.

The US Federal Reserve raised borrowing costs for the first time in almost a decade this month, and traders are now focusing on the pace of further rate increases.

While HSBC Holdings predicts just two moves next year, Goldman Sachs is among banks that see four. Bullion will drop to $950 by the end of next year, according to Barnabas Gan, an economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking who’s the top-ranked preciousmetals forecaster.

Money managers have been betting on more price declines since November, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission data show. Earlier this month, they held the biggest net-short position since at least 2006.

Silver futures also fell for a third year, dropping 12 per cent to $13.803 an ounce on the Comex. - Bloomberg News

Crude drops 35% in 2015; outlook bleak The Middle East oil production and United States shale oil drillers created

RIYADH: For all the pain low oil prices are causing Saudi Arabia’s financial markets, at least one area is flourishing.

The number of active initial public offeringfocused funds in the kingdom more than doubled in 2015, as investors respond to the nation’s efforts to develop its capital markets and boost participation from institutions.

The funds managed more than 4.9 billion Saudi riyals ($1.3 billion) as of Wednesday, compared to almost 2 billion riyals at the end of 2014.

Investors are anticipating rule changes that would see Saudi Arabia allocate most of its oftenlucrative IPOs to big money managers.

The Capital Market Authority is trying to curb price swings of a stock exchange dominated by retail investors, as the country continues a bid to diversify the economy away from oil. The $420 billion bourse opened directly to foreign institutions in June and has since lured the likes of BlackRock and Ashmore Group. - Bloomberg News

an unprecedented global glut that may take through 2016 to clear, say analysts

NEW YORK/LONDON: Oil prices rose on Thursday but fell as much as 35 per cent for the year after a race to pump by Middle East crude producers and United States shale oil drillers created an unprecedented global glut that may take through 2016 to clear.

Global oil benchmark Brent and US crude’s West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures rose between 1 and 2 per cent on the day on short-covering and buying support in a thinly traded market. But for 2015, both benchmarks fell double-digits for a second straight year as Saudi Arabia and other members of the once-powerful Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) again failed to boost oil prices.

The US shale industry, meanwhile, surprised the world again with its ability to survive rockbottom crude prices, churning out more supply than expected, even as the sell-off in oil slashed by two-thirds the number of drilling rigs in the country from a year ago.

The US also took a historic move in repealing a 40-year ban on US crude exports to countries outside Canada, acknowledging the industry’s growth. “You do have to tip your hat to the US shale industry and their ongoing ability to drive down costs and hang in there, albeit by their fingernails,”

GLOBAL GLUT: Both benchmarks fell double-digits for a second straight year as Saudi Arabia and other members of the once-powerful Opec again failed to boost oil prices. – File picture

48% Was the fall in Brent crude prices in 2014.

Brent settled up 82 cents at $37.28 a barrel, rebounding from a near 11-year low of $36.10 hit earlier in the session

said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital, an energy hedge fund in New York.

Prices at $20 Brent crude settled up 82 cents at $37.28 a barrel, rebounding from a near 11-year low of $36.10 hit earlier in the session. For the month, it was down 16 per cent and for the year, it fell 35 per cent. In 2014, Brent lost 48 per cent. WTI rose 44 cents to $37.04 a barrel. It slid 11 percent in December and 30 per cent for the year, after a 46 per cent loss in 2014.

The immediate outlook for oil prices remains bleak. Goldman Sachs has said prices as low as

$20 per barrel might be necessary to push enough production out of business and allow a rebalancing of the market. Adding to oil’s woes, floods across the Midwestern United States were threatening refineries and pipelines from Illinois to Louisiana, potentially swelling the glut of domestic crude at a time when stockpiles were already at record highs.

Industry pain “And our predictions are that oil inventories in Asia are going to get closer to saturation in the first quarter.” Morgan Stanley said in its outlook for next year that “headwinds (are) growing for 2016 oil.” The bank cited ongoing increases in available global supplies, despite some cuts by U.S. shale drillers.

Brent prices briefly hit a 2004 bottom below $36 a barrel last week, effectively wiping out gains from a decade-long commodity super-cycle sparked by China’s once-inexorable growth and energy demand boom.

Analysts estimate global crude production exceeds demand anywhere between half a million and 2 million barrels a day. This

means even the most aggressive estimates of expected US production cuts of 500,000 bpd for 2016 would be unlikely to fully rebalance the market.

Oil began falling in mid-2014 as surging output from Opec, Russia and US shale producers outpaced demand. The downturn accelerated at the end of 2014 after a Saudi-led Opec decision to keep production high to defend global market share rather than cut output to support prices.

Opec failed to agree on any production targets at its December 4 meeting in Vienna, cementing its decision to protect market share, as the world braces for the return of Iranian crude exports to the market after the lifting of Western sanctions against Tehran. Russia is also showing no signs of reining in production, prompting traders, hedge fund managers and other speculators to establish record short positions. - Reuters

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CRUDE OIL

Worst year for US rigs in three decades

WORST YEAR: This year was the worst period for Saudi stocks since 2008, even after the bourse allowed foreign investors to trade stocks directly for the first time in June. – File picture

CHICAGO: Oil explorers shut down more rigs in United States fields to finish out the worst year for drilling cutbacks in almost three decades.

Rigs targeting crude in the US fell by 2 to 536 in the past week, Baker Hughes said on its website on Thursday. Natural gas rigs were unchanged at 162, bringing the total of working rigs to 698.

Drillers searching for oil this year idled the largest proportion of their rig fleet since at least 1988.

In the 14 oil- and gas-rich regions tracked by Baker Hughes, rig counts declined or remained the same in all but two. Drillers in

the Permian Basin of west Texas and New Mexico added five rigs in the last week to boost the total to 217, according to the report. In the Haynesville shale, a source of gas in east Texas and Louisiana, one additional rig was put to work.

“I’m surprised the oil rigs were only down by two, given where prices have been going,” said James Williams, president of WTRG Economics in London, Arkansas. “Unless prices change for some unknown reason, we’re most likely going to continue to decline well into the spring.”

The continued downward slide in working rigs could crimp out-

put from shale fields by at least 400,000 barrels a day, Andrew Cosgrove and William Foiles, analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence, said in a December 28 report. Rigs designed to drill straight down into traditional fields have been hit harder than those capable of boring sideways through shale, Baker Hughes’ data showed.

Vertical reductions Vertical rigs are taking a bigger hit “as lower oil prices pressure development of legacy fields, mainly in Texas,” the analysts wrote.

About 70 per cent of the vertical rigs in the US have been disman-

tled this year, compared to 59 per cent of horizontal drilling units, according to the report.

Two-thirds of oil rigs in the US have been parked since drilling peaked in October 2014.

Growing supplies of crude outpaced demand, deflating prices below $40 a barrel and forcing severe spending cutbacks throughout the industry.

US crude dipped below $35 — its lowest price in 11-and-a-half years — earlier this month.

US oil production rose to 9.2 million as of December 25, rising from the year’s low of 9.1 million barrels a day in October. - Bloomberg News

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

B2

MARKET DECEMBER

SPAIN NEEDS POLITICAL STABILITY TO ENSURE ECONOMIC RECOVERY

China’s factory

Pedestrians look at the window display of a Chanel luxury fashion store in Madrid, Spain. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he is the best person to lead a broad-based government to guarantee Spain the stability it needs to ensure economic growth and attract investment. — Bloomberg News

output weakens BEIJING: China’s first official economic report of the year suggested manufacturing weakened for a fifth straight month in December, the longest such streak since 2009.

The purchasing managers index edged up to 49.7 last month from a three-year low of 49.6 in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday. That compared with a median estimate of 49.8 in a Bloomberg survey of economists.

The non- manufacturing PMI, meanwhile, rose to 54.4, the highest since August 2014. Numbers below 50 indicate deterioration.

Stimulus The slight improvement in the country’s sluggish manufacturing sector follows stepped-up stimulus including six People’s Bank of China interest-rate cuts.

Policy makers trying to meet Premier Li Keqiang’s goal of about 7 per cent growth this year are also facing pressure from employment, which has been steady thanks to a resilient services sector. Economists said the continued contraction portends more monetary and fiscal support.

“Growth momentum is stabilising somewhat, however, as the index remained below 50 for five consecutive months, the manufacturing sector is still facing strong headwinds,” said Zhou Hao, an economist at Commerzbank. The manufacturing PMI showed improvement. - Bloomberg News

FIRST

America’s shale gas export terminal starts operation NEW YORK: Cheniere Energy began production at what will become the first terminal to export natural gas from America’s shale formations, says ING Capital, which helped finance the project.

The company is receiving about 50 million cubic feet of the fuel a day, chilling it into liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana, and storing it in tanks before the first export, Richard Ennis, head of natural resources at ING, said by e-mail.

Ennis said he receives regular updates from the company and that he hadn’t been informed of a delay in the startup. Cheniere spokeswoman Faith Parker didn’t immediately respond to telephone and e-mailed requests for comment on Wednesday.

Cheniere has previously said the inaugural cargo will leave the complex in January by tanker and that UK-based BG Group is contracted to take the first shipment. Sabine Pass is “on schedule,” Ennis said.

“You can’t dock a ship to offtake the LNG until you have a full shipload of LNG in the tanks, which is planned to happen in January.”

The start at Sabine Pass paves the way for other planned liquefied natural gas terminals that are pro-

SABINE PASS

The start at Sabine Pass paves the way for other planned liquefied natural gas terminals that are projected to turn the US into one of the world’s largest suppliers. The country may be capable of exporting 7.76 billion cubic feet of gas a day by 2019

jected to turn the US into one of the world’s largest suppliers. The country may be capable of exporting 7.76 billion cubic feet of gas a day by 2019, a Bloomberg New Energy Finance analysis shows.

Shale boom While the US has been sending gas abroad from Alaska for years, Cheniere’s cargo would mark the first to leave from the lower-48 states, a testament to surging shale supplies that have sent domestic stockpiles to record levels.

Cheniere’s export terminal underscores how dramatically the shale boom has reshaped the natural gas market. Before drillers

started pulling the fuel out of tightrock formations using hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, Cheniere was building import terminals in anticipation of a domestic shortage.

Following the onslaught of shale gas, Cheniere started retrofitting terminals for exports.

Natural gas futures have plunged more than 80 per cent from 2008 highs to a 16-year low earlier this month on the New York Mercantile Exchange. February contracts rose 5.6 per cent to settle at $2.337 per million British thermal units on Thursday.

The US cargoes will mark “a paradigm shift for the industry,” Hadi Hallouche, head of liquefied natural gas trading at Trafigura Beheer BV, said from Geneva.

Pipeline nominations The supply of natural gas scheduled to arrive at Cheniere’s Sabine Pass terminal from two pipelines for liquefaction surged to 128,987 dekatherms on Wednesday from just 6,720 a month ago.

Sabine Pass still needs authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s director of energy projects “to initiate commercial service” of its first liquefaction plant. - Bloomberg News

India’s Jet Air stocks jump as fuel prices drop Etihad Airways’ partner shares climbed 10.8 per cent, making it the best performing share on the Bloomberg Intelligence Global Airlines Valuation Peers Index in the past month

NEW DELHI: Jet Airways India, Etihad Airways’ partner, paced a rally in Indian airline stocks after the region’s costliest fuel prices were cut to the lowest in five years.

Jet Airways, controlled by Naresh Goyal, climbed 10.8 per cent, making it the best performing share on the Bloomberg Intelligence Global Airlines Valuation Peers Index in the past month.

The stock is poised for its highest close since December 2010.

InterGlobe Aviation, the owner of IndiGo , advanced as much as 13 per cent, while SpiceJet rose 14.2 per cent.

India’s carriers have lost $10 billion in the past seven years as they offered base fares as low as Re1 (2 cents) in a nation where

FLYING HIGH: Jet Airways reported a second straight quarter of profit in the three months ended September 30. Net income rose 25 per cent to Rs875.9 million. – File picture

provincial taxes make jet fuel prices the most expensive in Asia.

The nation’s oil retailers cut fuel prices, which make up as much as 60 per cent of an Indian airlines’ cost, by 10 per cent in New Delhi on Friday as Brent, the benchmark for half of the world’s crude trading, plunged.

“A sharp reduction in fuel prices remains a key trigger for margin expansion going forward,” Rashesh Shah and Devang Bhatt, analysts at ICICI Securities wrote in a note on December 24.

“Given improving macro factors like healthy industry passenger traffic growth coupled with lowest ATF (aviation turbine fuel) prices, we expect” Jet to report healthy revenue growth along with better margins.

Fastest growth Jet Airways reported a second straight quarter of profit in the three months ended September 30. Net income rose 25 per cent to Rs875.9 million.

India was the world’s fastest growing aviation market in 2015, expanding more than 20 per cent, according to International Air Transport Association. In

comparison, passenger traffic in China grew at about 10 per cent, while growth in the Unites States was less than 5 percent, Iata said in a December presentation.

That’s lured Singapore Airlines and AirAsia to start Indian units in recent years. Indian airlines will need 1,740 new planes valued at $240 billion over the next 20 years, according to Boeing.

Almost 36 million Chinese traveled overseas in the third quarter, 12 percent more than a year earlier, according to the Chinese Outbound Tourism Research Institute, which forecasts 135 million outbound Chinese tourists for the full year.

IGATE Research, in a report cited on the Financial Express website, predicted India would have almost 30 million outbound tourists by 2018. India and China are among the fastest-growing markets for Airbus and Boeing.

- Bloomberg News

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

B3

MARKET C O M M E N TA RY

Global economy confronts new geopolitical risks MARTIN FELDSTEIN

T

he end of the year is a good time to consider the risks that lie ahead of us.

There are of course important economic risks, including the mispricing of assets caused by a decade of ultra-low interest rates, the shifts in demand caused by the Chinese economy’s changing structure, and European economies’ persistent weakness. But the main longerterm risks are geopolitical, stemming from four sources: Russia, China, the Middle East, and cyberspace.

Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, Russia remains a formidable nuclear power, with the ability to project force anywhere in the world. Russia is also economically weak because of its dependence on oil revenue at a time when prices are down dramatically. President Vladimir Putin has already warned Russians that they face austerity, because the government will no longer be able to afford the transfer benefits that it provided in recent years.

The geopolitical danger arises from Putin’s growing reliance

AV I AT I O N

Japan’s ANA to buy Airbus’ superjumbos TOULOUSE (France): Airbus won an agreement from ANA Holdings, Japan’s largest airline, to buy three of its A380 superjumbos, said a person familiar with the plan, giving the European planemaker a welcome vote of confidence for an aircraft that hadn’t won a new airline customer in three years.

The parent of All Nippon Airways will take delivery of the planes from 2018, with plans to use them on its Tokyo to Hawaii route, a popular destination for Japanese tourists, another person said. The order will form just a piece of a larger strategic plan, to be unveiled at the end of this month, calling for fleet renewal. The people asked not to be identified because an announcement is planned for later this month.

525 passengers Airbus has suffered a dearth of orders for its largest plane, whose list price is $428 million and typically seats about 525 passengers, but can carry over 800 depending on the configuration, as many airlines have favored somewhat smaller twin-aisle planes, including Airbus’s A350 and Boeing’s 777. While the order is only for three planes, enough to serve one route, success on that route could lead to further orders, one person said.

“I’d expect to see more,” said Addison Schonland, an analyst with AirInsight Inc. in Baltimore.

“Nobody ever bought three A380s; that’s enough to try the plane on one route.” The manufacturer had no comment.

ANA spokesman Ryosei Nomura said by phone: “We are currently formulating the next mediumterm management strategy and considering various options for planes.” He declined to comment specifically on the A380. Nikkei.

Any order for Airbus in Japan is a special victory given that the market for decades has been heavily dominated by Boeing. Since 2000 when it started marketing the A380, Airbus has said Tokyo would be a key airport for the plane. Airlines including Air France, Deutsche Lufthansa and Emirates have all flown their A380s into Tokyo.

on military action abroad – in Ukraine and now in Syria – to maintain his popularity at home, using the domestic media (now almost entirely under Kremlin control) to extol Russia’s global importance. Russia also uses its gas exports to Western Europe and Turkey as an economic weapon, although Turkey’s recent decision to source gas from Israel shows the limits of this strategy. As Putin responds to this and other challenges, Russia will remain a source of substantial uncertainty for the rest of the world.

China China is still a poor country, with per capita GDP at roughly a quarter of the United States level. But, because its population is four times larger, its total GDP is equal to America’s. And it is total GDP that determines a country’s ability to spend on military power, to provide a strategically significant market for other countries’ exports, and to offer aid to other parts of the world. China is doing all of these things on a scale commensurate with its GDP. Looking ahead, even with the more moderate

growth rates projected for the future, China’s GDP will grow more rapidly than that of the US or Europe.

China is now expanding its strategic reach. It is asserting maritime claims in the East and South China Seas that conflict with claims by other countries in the region (including Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam).

In particular, China is relying on the so-called ‘nine-dash line’ to justify its claim to most of the South China Sea, where it has created artificial islands and asserted sovereignty over their surrounding waters. The US characterises China’s policy as “anti-access area denial”: an ef-

fort to keep the US Navy far from the Chinese mainland and therefore from the coasts of America’s allies in the region.

Infrastructure bank China also is expanding its geopolitical influence through initiatives like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, aid programs in Africa, and its “One Belt, One Road” plan to establish maritime and territorial links through the Indian Ocean and Central Asia, extending all the way to Europe.

The current Chinese political leadership wants a peaceful and cooperative relationship with the US and other Western coun-

Malware These are important issues, but not nearly as serious as the threat that malware poses to critical infrastructure – electricity grids, air traffic systems, oil pipelines, water supplies, financial platforms, and so on. Recent cases of malware use have been attributed to China, Iran,

Russia, and North Korea. But states need not be involved at all: Individuals and non-state actors could deploy malware simply by hiring the needed talent in the international underground marketplace.

Cyber weapons Cyber weapons are relatively cheap (and thus widely accessible) and capable of reaching anywhere in the world.

They are the future weapons of choice for attacking or blackmailing an adversary. And we still lack the ability to block such attacks or to identify unambiguously their sources.

These four sources of risk constitute an unusually serious set of geopolitical challenges. By highlighting them, I don’t mean to downplay the importance of other issues – US monetary policy, weak commodity prices, debt crises, and the like – that are likely to affect the global economy in the year ahead.

What’s special about the threats emanating from Russia, China, the Middle East, and cyberspace is that they will persist and threaten our economic future for years to come. – Project Syndicate

Emerging currencies, stocks face more losses in new year Year of the dollar ends on a high

A measure of 20 developing-nation exchange rates depreciated 15% in 2015, the steepest slide since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when it slumped 23%

KUALA LUMPUR: Emergingmarket currencies slumped this year by the most since 1997, and analysts are forecasting further losses in 2016 as China’s economy slows and the United States raises interest rates.

The deteriorating sentiment also hurt stocks and bonds, with an index of equities covering developing countries posting the biggest annual drop since 2011.

The premium investors demand to hold emerging-market sovereign debt widened for an unprecedented third year after the US Federal Reserve took the long-awaited move of tightening monetary policy and signaled more to come.

UBS and Citigroup strategists said this month that more pain is coming because developing markets haven’t fallen enough to reflect subdued global growth.

A slump in commodities that pushed down the price of Brent crude is also damping confidence as economists forecast China, the world’s second- biggest economy and a major buyer of raw materials, will slow further in 2016.

“Fundamentally, none of the emerging-market currencies are going to buck against the tide of a stronger dollar,” said Sim Moh Siong, a foreign-exchange strategist at Bank of Singapore. “The focus for the Fed has shifted from lift-off to the next rate hike. We could be stuck in the low-for-longer scenario for commodity prices.”

DECEMBER

South Korean exports dip SEOUL: South Korea’s exports slumped for a twelfth straight month as a weak global outlook and softer demand from China hurt overseas shipments.

Trade Ministry data released on Friday show exports fell 13.8 per cent in December from a year earlier. Economists surveyed projected an 11.7 per cent decline.

Imports dropped 19.2 per cent in December and the trade surplus stood at $7.2 billion.

The slump is a risk to President Park Geun Hye’s target of achiev-

Although the Soviet Union no longer exists, Russia remains a formidable nuclear power, with the ability to project force anywhere in the world. Russia is also economically weak because of its dependence on oil revenue at a time when prices are down

tries. But, looking to the future, the challenge for the US and its allies will be to deter future generations of Chinese leaders from adopting policies that threaten the West.

The final source of risk, cyberspace, may soon overshadow all the rest, because borders and armies cannot limit it.

The threats include denialof-service attacks on banks and other institutions; unauthorised access to personal records from banks, insurance companies, and government agencies; and industrial espionage. Indeed, widespread theft of technology from US companies led to a recent agreement between China and the US that neither government will assist in stealing technology to benefit its country’s firms.

ing economic growth of 3 per cent for 2016, given that exports account for about half of gross domestic product. The drop in overseas shipments was driven by the global slowdown, more modest expansion in China, the effects of lower oil prices on Korea’s petrochemical industry and increased competitiveness of rival exporters in other nations.

Chinese manufacturers are also moving up the value chain to produce more sophisticated goods. - Bloomberg News

BLEAK OUTLOOK: All but six of the 24 emerging-market currencies tracked are expected to weaken again in the next 12 months, with Argentina’s peso, the Brazilian real and the Indonesian rupiah seen falling the most. – Bloomberg News

Exchange rates A measure of 20 developing-nation exchange rates depreciated 15 pe rcent in 2015, the steepest slide since the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when it slumped 23 per cent. All but six of the 24 emerging-market currencies tracked are expected to weaken again in the next 12 months, with Argentina’s peso, the Brazilian real and the Indonesian rupiah seen falling the most, according to data.

The former two led losses this year after wiping out at least a third of their value.

The Bloomberg Commodity Index tracking 22 raw materials sank 25 per cent this year, while Brent crude plunged 35 per cent.

China’s gross domestic product is forecast to increase 6.5 per cent in 2016, slowing from an estimated 6.9 per cent in 2015, the weakest pace in 25 years, according to a survey of economists.

“It will continue to be highly volatile,” Nathan Griffiths, a senior emerging-market equities manager who helps oversee $1.2 billion at NN Investment Partners in The Hague, said by e-mail. “The

main risk remains the Chinese economy. This is the biggest driver of global trade and emerging markets, and an inability to stabilize will drive emerging-market GDP lower again.”

The direction of currencies also remains a “big threat” for equities, he said.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index retreated 17 per cent in 2015. Chinese shares traded in Hong Kong and equities in Brazil, Colombia, Turkey and Egypt were among the biggest decliners this year. The measure is valued at 11 times projected 12-month earnings. The MSCI World Index fell 2.7 per cent this year and is valued at a multiple of 15.7.

Turkey turmoil All 10 industry gauges in the developing-nation index fell in 2015, led by declines of 20 per cent or more in energy, financial, telecommunications, utility and raw-material companies.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index was little changed Thursday after falling 1.3 per cent on Wednesday, paring this year’s

decline to 19 per cent. Markets in South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand were closed for holidays.

The Borsa Istanbul 100 Index fell 2 pe rcent on Thursday. The Turkish equity benchmark sank 16 per cent in a year marked by political turmoil and a deterioration in security due to the conflict in neighboring Syria.

The Dubai Financial Market General Index was little changed, setting its 2015 loss at 17 per cent as countries in the oil-exporting Gulf Cooperation Council suffered the brunt of the slump in the price of crude. The Tadawul All Share Index in Riyadh slid 17 percent this year, the most since 2008.

In Asia, currencies weakened this year mainly due to capital outflows in anticipation of higher US interest rates and the impact from China’s slowdown. Ringgit led losses. - Bloomberg News

HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your comments at facebook.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com

NEW YORK: United States dollar is outperforming all of its 16 major peers in 2015 after the UD Federal Reserve began its first interest-rate-raising cycle in almost a decade.

A gauge of the US currency is poised for a third year of gains after central bank policy makers deemed the economy strong enough to merit boosting rates from virtually zero. The yen is headed for a record fourth annual decline, while the euro slumped a second year, as stimulus in Japan and the euro area widened the gap between monetary policy in those regions and the US. Divergence was the name of the game for currency traders in 2015 as US policy makers inched toward tighter monetary conditions, while central banks elsewhere eased.

That sent the dollar flying higher during the first three months of the year, before disappointing economic data and dovish talk from the Fed stalled the rally.

Incremental gains followed as the Fed finally delivered higher rates.

“The story for most of the year was weakness in foreign currencies against the dollar rather than dollar strength, in the sense that Fed tightening expectations kept being pushed back,” said a foreign-exchange strategist. - Bloomberg News

B4

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

FEATURE

W

ell, the Federal Reserve has finally gone and done it. It raised short-term rates by 25 basis points, and Fed officials predicted four more similar hikes this year.

That will bring rates to a range of 1.25 per cent to 1.5 per cent. The era of the much-discussed zero interest rate policy, or ZIRP, has come to an end.

First, the immediate impact. Financial markets had long ago decided that this sort of modest rate hike was inevitable -- today’s announcement adds little new information. Unsurprisingly, markets did not dive in response (though recent troubles in the junk bond market might be related to anticipation of the Fed’s decision).

That the Fed met expectations of a rate increase is probably a positive signal for the economy, since it indicates confidence in the recovery.

And a rate of 1.25 per cent or 1.5 per cent would give the Fed room to cut rates in response to unanticipated negative shocks in the near future. So overall, the economic implications of the Fed’s move are either negligible or slightly positive.

What’s more interesting about this rate hike is the insight it gives into the Fed’s decision-making process. Why raise rates now? Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is right at the target of 2 per cent, and historically low labour force participation implies that some slack remains in the job market.

Meanwhile, China’s slowdown is threatening global growth, with possible knock-on effects for the US economy. Other major developed-country central banks are still implementing quantitative easing via asset purchases and are keeping rates at zero. In other words, the Fed’s move, small as it is, seems oddly hawkish in a global context.

It’s worth looking at all the hawkish arguments that have failed to sway the Fed during the seven years since the financial crisis. Usually, economists think that the main danger from overly easy monetary policy is the threat of runaway inflation. As soon as the Fed began its programme of quantitative easing and zero interest rates in 2009, hawkish economists such as John Cochrane were warning darkly of inflation. As recently as 2012, respected macroeconomists like Martin Feldstein and Steve Williamson were continuing to sound the alarm about inflation.

But inflation never materialised. Slowly, the warnings faded. Cochrane and Williamson even switched to an idea called Neo-Fisherism, which says that low interest rates cause low inflation.

Those who continued to call for rate hikes largely switched to a new argument: financial stability. Cheap borrowing, some suggested, would encourage irresponsible use of capital and pump up financial bubbles. Feldstein and other hawks called this hypothesis “reaching for yield.” Many people warned of a bond bubble.

But if there was a bubble, it never popped. Stock market volatility, if anything, was unusually low.

Low rates probably did encourage capital investment that otherwise would not have happened, but they did not cause any speculative manias. In the end, neither the inflation argument nor the financial stability argument swayed the Fed, which carried through with an ambitious programme of QE and kept rates at zero.

But a new argument succeeded where the others failed: Normalcy.

It simply was not normal, hawks began to argue, to keep interest rates at zero for the long term. In the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early 2000s, the Fed usually had positive interest rates -- rates were higher than inflation -- and the world seemed to work in a way that made sense. Rate hikes would hurt the economy but curb inflation, while rate cuts would boost both growth and inflation. Many Fed officials yearned for a return to those days.

Of course, there is no guarantee that a return to such a world is possible. Perhaps a rate increase will crush the economy, requiring a quick return to zero rates. But the Fed seems to have decided that the chance of returning to normalcy is worth the risk that a small rate hike might impair the recovery. So the Fed’s move tells us something very important -- normalcy is of key importance to the people who make policy. Traditional considerations such as growth, inflation and financial stability sometimes take a backseat to the Fed’s desire for a world that makes sense. – NOAH SMITH/Bloomberg News

Federal Reserve seeks normalcy. So the Fed’s move tells us something very important — normalcy is of key importance to the people who make policy. Traditional considerations such as growth, inflation and financial stability sometimes take a backseat to the Fed’s desire for a world that makes sense

B

SECTION

LIFESTYLE

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

Family WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

MAKE YOUR BABY’S MILESTONES STRESS-FREE ore than one adorable baby has thrilled his parents by taking his first unassisted steps ... only to sit back down on his little diapered bottom and not walk again for another month.

The milestones of infancy and childhood are filled with ups and downs, as well as joy. Children go at their own pace as they achieve all the milestones their parents cherish.

The wonderful transitions of babyhood and early childhood can be a source of both happiness and stress for parents if they feel things aren’t going as smoothly or as quickly as they expect, says Morgan Anderson, a blogger at Modern Mommyhood. “Fortunately, parents can do a lot to support their little ones through these transitions so that everyone can savour each milestone as it comes.”

As the seasons turn, you may be thinking about all the changes your baby will go through in the coming months. Here are some tips to help your child - and you - stay happy and on-track through some typical transitions:

M

• Coming home from the hospital. Taking

your newborn home from the hospital can be at once scary and exciting. Soak up every bit of knowledge you can from sources you trust, and ask plenty of questions in the hospital. Chances are the hospital will put your baby in Pampers it’s the No. 1 choice of US hospitals. “The Pampers Swaddlers line is their softest diaper ever, specially crafted to be gentle on a newborn’s skin,” says Anderson.

“Fortunately, stores like Babies‘R’Us make it easy to find the size and stage diapers that you need.”

• Sleeping through the night. The sleep deprivation of early parenthood is wellknown, but at some point your baby will begin sleeping through the night.

Dr Danny Lewin, associate director of paediatric sleep medicine at Children’s National Medical Centre in Washington, D.C., says babies typically start sleeping for an 8-hour or more stretch after six months, according to Parents.com. Many factors determine when a baby is ready to sleep through the night, including his overall health, weight, required feeding frequency and whether he is able to soothe himself back to sleep. Night time wetness can also hinder a baby’s sleep, so

The wonderful transitions of babyhood and early childhood can be a source of both happiness and stress for parents if they feel things aren’t going as smoothly or as quickly as they expect

choosing a diaper, like Pampers Swaddlers, that keeps a baby dry and comfortable through the night can help facilitate longer periods of sleep.

• Starting solids. While newborns and infants need only breast milk or formula, you may have heard that eating solids is more likely to help a baby sleep through the night. Don’t rush things, though. You can make the transition to solids more successful by waiting until your baby has developed the necessary skills to eat safely, including the ability to hold their head up on their own and sit up in a highchair. Look for signs of readiness, such as mouthing their own hands or toys, and an interest in what adults are eating.

Generally, by 4 to 6 months, most babies are ready to try solids.

• Self-feeding. By about 7 months, babies are ready to begin feeding themselves.

Choose soft foods that are easy for their little fingers to pick up. Remember, in the beginning a lot more food will wind up on babies' faces, shirts, highchairs and the floor than in their mouths. Since selffeeding is an important skill, don’t even try to keep them clean. Instead, do your

best to make clean-up easier by dressing them in a bib before meals (or stripping them down to their diapers). You can even place a disposable drop cloth under the highchair to catch spills.

• Walking. Parents eagerly await their baby’s first steps, and you may worry that they’re not walking soon enough or well enough. But the time frame for when babies should begin walking is huge - 9 to 18 months, by some estimates. Some babies go from their first tentative steps to running in no time, others take a little more time to get moving. “The best thing parents can do to support their babies in walking is to be there to keep them safe, encourage progress and celebrate their success,” Morgan says. “A diaper made for early walkers, like Pampers Cruisers, can also help reduce parents’ stress levels. The diapers are designed for the best protection and fit for on-the-go babies.”

Your baby’s development in the first year is amazing. By keeping a positive attitude and taking some simple supportive steps, parents can help ensure their baby’s milestones and transitions go as smoothly as possible. —Courtesy of Brandpoint

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

B6

PRAYER TIMINGS

FIND-IT-ALL @SHATTI

@PANORAMA MALL

@AZAIBA

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Extraction (2D) (Action | Thriller) (12+2) Cast: Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano 2:30, 7:00, 10:00, 11:45 PM Joy (2D) (Biography | Comedy) (PG12) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro 4:30, 7:30 PM Point Break (3D) (Action) (12+) Cast: Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey 4:30, 9:00, 11:30 PM Dilwale (Action | Crime) (PG12) Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon 3:00, 8:30 PM The Good, the Bad and The Dead (Action | Thriller | Western) (15+) Cast: Johnny Messner, Dolph Lundgren 6:45, 11:30 PM Snowtime (2D) (Animation) (PG) Voice Overs: Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez 2:45, 6:00 PM

8:45PM Gold Class: 5:30PM The Good Dinosaur-3D (Animation) U Voice Overs: Jeffrey Wright 3:45 & 7:30PM

MUSCAT GRAND MALL Extraction (Thriller) 12+ Cast : Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano 9:30PM & 11:45PM Gold Class: 3:15PM & 8:30PM Love the Coopers - (Comedy) PG12 Cast: Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Ed Helms 11:45AM & 4:15PM The Big Short - (Biography | Drama) 12+ Cast : Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling 6:15PM Snow Time - (Animation | Comedy) PG Voice Overs: Angela Galuppo, Mariloup Wolfe 12:15PM & 5:45PM Point Break -3D (Action | Crime | Sport) 12+ Cast : Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey 1:45PM & 11:30PM Gold Class: 11:00PM The Peanuts Movie - (Animation) PG Voice Overs: Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez 2:00PM Dilwale (Action | Romantic | Comedy) PG12 Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon

PANORAMA MALL The Good, the Bad and The Dead (Action) (2D)(15+) Cast : Johnny Messner, Dolph Lundgren 3:15, 11:30 pm Snow Time (Animation)(2D)(PG) Voice Overs : Angela Galuppo, Mariloup Wolfe 2:30, 5:00 pm Joy (Biography, Drama)(2D)(PG12) Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro 6:45 pm Extraction (Thriller)(2D)(12+) Cast : Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano 4:00, 8:15, 10:00, 11:45 pm Star Wars (Action, Adventure)(3D)(PG12) Cast : Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac 5:45, 9:00 pm Star Wars (Action)(VIP LOUNGE)(PG12) Cast : Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac 5:15 pm Point Break (Action, Crime)(MX4D)(12+) Cast : Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey 2:45, 5:45, 8:45, 11:15 PM

Extraction (2D) (Action | Thriller) (12+2) Cast: Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano 2:30, 7:00, 10:00, 11:45 PM

The Good, the Bad and The Dead (Action) (2D) (15+) Cast : Johnny Messner, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo 3:15, 11:30 pm

Su Su Sudhi Vatmeekam – 2D (PG12) Cast: Jayasurya, Aju Verghese, Mukesh & Shivada 11:45 AM, 12:00, 6:30, 9:15 PM

Point Break (Action )(3D) (VIP Lounge) (12+) Cast : Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey 3:00, 11:00 pm Dilwale (Action, Romance)(2D)(PG12) Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon 2:30, 5:30, 11:30 pm Dilwale (Action) (2D) (PG12) -VIP LOUNGE Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon 7:45 pm Bajirao Mastani (Drama)(2D)(PG12) 8:30 pm

Star Wars – 3D (PG12) Action | Adventure Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 2:30, 9:00 PM

Munawar Siddiqui 7:30 PM Su Su Sudhi Vatmeekam - 2D (Malayalam) (PG12) Comedy Cast : Jayasurya , Aju Verghese 8:00 PM

SUR Savva : Heart of the Warrior 3D ( Animation | Adventure | Fantasy ) ( PG ) Voice Overs: Olga Seryabkina 12:00, 2:30, 5:55 PM Extraction ( Action | Thriller ) ( 12+ ) Cast: Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano.

4:15, 7:05, 11:45 PM Point Break (3D) ( Action | Crime) (12+ ) Cast: Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey 11:55 PM The Good The Bad and The Dead (Action) (15+) Cast: Dolph Lundgren, Johnny Messner 5:25, 10:15 PM Diwale (Action | Romance ) (PG12) Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan 2:30, 8:45 PM Su Su Sudhi Vatmeekam (Malayalan ( PG12) Cast: Jayasurya, Aju Verghese 12:00, 7:40 PM

BURAIMI The Good, the Bad and the Dead– 2D (Action/Thriller/Western) (15+) Cast: Johnny Messner, Dolph Lundgren 3:15, 7:00, 9:45, 11:30PM Point Break – 3D (Action, Crime, Spot) (12+) Cast: Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey 3:00, 7:30, 11:30PM Savva: Heart of Warrior– 3D (Animation, Adventure, Fantasy) (PG) Voice Overs: Olga Seryabkina 5:15PM Extraction– 2D (Thriller) (12+) Cast: Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano 3:00, 5:00, 9:45, 11:45PM Dilwale – 2D (Action, Romantic) (PG12) Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon 9:00PM Su Su Sudhi Vatmeekam – 2D (Comedy) (PG12) Cast: Jayasurya, Aju Verghese 7:15PM

SOHAR Dilwale - 2D (PG12) Action | Comedy Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan 3:15, 6:20, 10:45 PM Bajirao Mastani - 2D (PG12) Drama | History Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone 4:30, 10:45 PM Point Break - 3D (12+) Action | Crime | Sport Cast: Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey 2:30, 9:15, 11:30 PM Snow Time! - 2D (PG) Animation | Comedy Cast: Angela Galuppo, Mariloup Wolfe 3:00, 4:45 PM The Good, the Bad and The Dead - 2D (15+) Action| Thriller | Western Cast : Johnny Messner, Dolph Lundgren 6:15, 9:30, 11:45 PM Paparazzi - 2D (Arb)(TBC) 4:45 PM Joy - 2D (PG12) Biography | Comedy | Drama Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro 7:00 PM Love the Coopers - 2D (PG12) Comedy Cast : Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Ed Helms 2:30 PM Ho Mann Jahaan - 2D (Pakistani) (TBC) Cast : Mahira Khan, Adeel Hussain, Sheheryar

RUWI Screen 1 Bajirao Mastani (Romance/Drama) – PG12 Cast : Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh 3.30, 9.30 PM Dilwale (Action/Romance) – PG12 Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan 6.30PM Screen 2 Ho Mann Jahan – Pakistani – Urdu - (Musical/Drama) – TBC Cast : Mahira Khan, Sheheryar Munawar, Adeel Husain 1.00 PM Dilwale (Action/Romance) – PG12 Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan 4.00, 9.45 PM Bajirao Mastani (Romance/Drama) – PG12 Cast : Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh 6.45 PM Screen 3 Ho Mann Jahan – Pakistani – Urdu - (Musical/Drama) – TBC

AZAIBA Dilwale – 2D (PG12) Action, Romance Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhavan 2:00, 5:00, 6:15, 8:00, 11:00, 11:30 PM Bajirao Mastani – 2D (PG12) Drama, History, Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone 2:15, 5:15, 8:15, 11:15PM Point Break – 3D (12+) Action | Crime Cast: Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey 4:00, 11:45 PM Su Su Sudhi Vatmeekam – 2D (PG12) Cast: Jayasurya, Aju Verghese 11:45 AM, 12:00, 6:30, 9:15 PM Savva: Heart of Warrior – 3D (PG) Animation |Adventure | Fantasy Voice Overs: Olga Seryabkina, Konstantin 12:30, 2:20, 4:55 PM

Cast : Mahira Khan, Sheheryar Munawar, Adeel Husain 3.45, 7.00, 10.00 PM Dilwale (Action/Romance) – PG12 Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan 1.00 PM

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 06:30 08:00 13:00 13:00 16.00 16.00

07:00 07:00 13:30 13:00 13:00 13:00 17:00

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

08:50 Daily 11:00 Daily 14:30 Daily via Ibri 15:45 Daily 17:40 Daily 18.35 Daily 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 17:30

Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

Daily

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

28 20

07:00

Ruwi

10:25

Daily

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

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17:55 20:20

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TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62) 06:30 06:30

Fahud Yibal

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

20:00 20:30 23:30 07:40

Daily Daily

Marmul

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

Daily Daily

12:30 12:30

Fahud Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Ruwi Marmul Ruwi Ruwi

19:50 13:15 22:30 07:30

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

70-85% Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

LISTINGS

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

15:00

Salalah

Daily

07:00

Daily

10:50 13:40 16:15 19:10 18:45 21:35

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 07:30 07:30 13:00 13:00 15:30 15:30

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

11.45 13.30 14.00

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence 24569603 Directorate General of Customs 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries 24510228 Public Relations Admin 24560099 EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Daily Daily Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

07:00

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 06:00 06:00 13:00 13:00 15:00 15:00

10:45 19:00

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

Ruwi Ruwi

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100) Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

06:00 14:30

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100) 07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Programmes are subject to change

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) Sur Sur

Su Su Sudhi Vatmeekam (Mal) (Comedy\ Drama) Cast : Jayasurya, Mukesh & Shivada 3-00, 6-30 & 10-00 pm Cinema Main Dilwale (Hindi) (Act\Com) Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol & Varun Dhawan 6-30 pm Cinema -2 Bajirao Mastani (Hindi) (Rom\ Act \ Drama ) Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone & Priyanka Chopra 3-30 & 9-30 pm Cinema-2 Pasanga 2 (Tamil) (Drama \ Comedy) Cast: Surya & Amala Paul 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 pm Cinema -3 Thanga Magan (Tamil) (act) Cast: Dhanush, Samantha Ruth & Amy Jackson 6-45 & 9-45 Pm Cinema-4 Soukhyam (Telugu) (Act) Cast: Gopichand & Regina Cassandra 3-45 pm Cinema -4 Next change: Charlie (Mal)

0

ROYAL OMAN POLICE 07:30 14:30

Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

Minimum

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54) 08:00 08:00

08:55 Daily 11:40 Daily 20:20 Daily via Ibri 14:55 Daily 17:40 Daily 19:20 Daily 22:15 Daily

STAR CINEMA

0

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 20:50

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

The Big Short (Drama / Biography) Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling 4.30, 7.00, 9.30 & 11.55 p.m.

CP No: 3057 (12+) Savva Heart of the Warrior (Animation / Adventure / Fantasy) Voice Overs: Maksim Chukharyov, Konstantin Khabenskiy, Armen Dzhigarkhanyan 1.30 & 3.00 p.m.

CP No: 3058 (PG) Point Break (Action / Crime) Cast: Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone 2,00, 4.00 & 11.55 p.m.

CP No: 3051 (12+) Dilwale (Action / Comedy) Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon 6.00 & 9.00 p.m.

CP No: 3047 (PG12)

WEATHER

15:00 15:00 15:00

16:30 18:00 19:30

Film information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

WITH LOVE

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36) Quriyat Sur Jaalan

BAHJA CINEMA

SALALAH Point Break (3D) (12+) (Action/Crime/Sport) Cast: Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey, Ray Winstone 11:45AM, 2:00, 9:35PM The Big Short (2D) (PG12) (Biography) Cast Christian Bale, Steve Carell 1:00, 4:15PM Extraction (2D) (12+) (Thriller) Cast: Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano 11:15AM, 3:30, 10:00, 11:55PM The Good, the Bad and The Dead (2D) (15+) ( Action| Thriller| Western) 12:20, 6:30, 11:45PM Dilwale (2D) (PG12) (Action | Romantic) 3:35, 8:15, 11:15PM Bajirao Mastani (2D) (PG12) (Drama/ History) Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone 6:35PM Su Su Sudhi Vatmeekam (2D) (PG12) (Malayalam)(Comedy) 7:15PM Snow Time (2D) (PG) (Animation) Voice Overs: Angela Galuppo, Mariloup Wolfe 10:45AM, 2:00, 5:15PM

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) Destination

12.15pm 3.17pm 5.37pm 6.52pm 5.29am

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Bangladesh Brazil Brunei China Cyprus Egypt France Germany India Indonesia Iran Iraq Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya South Korea Kuwait

24698 791/4 24605 593 24 605 074/133 24 698 660 24640100 24 603533 24 696782 24 699815 24 600 982/411 24681 800 24835000 24684500 2469 1050 24 696 944/7 24603642 24693727 24 601 028 24692760/1/3 24 692418 24 697664 24 691490 24 699628

Lebanon Libya Malaysia Morocco Nepal Netherlands Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Switzerland Syria Tanzania Thailand Tunisia Turkey UAE United Kingdom United States Yemen

24 693208 24603466 24698329/643 24696152/3 24696177 24603706 24603439 24601312 24605335 24 691 153/2/4 24602894 24601705 24694139 24697977 24647300 24691101 24697841/2 24697875 24603267 24697904 24601 174 24 602684/5 24603486 24697050/1/2 24400000 24609000 24643400 24600815

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi Salalah Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya Muscat, A Seeb Market Muscat, Al Khuwair Muscat, Al Hail South Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre 24485052 Atlas Hospital Ruwi 24811743/ Ghubra 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi 24563641 Azaiba 24499269 Sohar 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740 Ceregem National Raak 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217 Elixir Health Centre 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274 Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128 MBD 24799077 Al Khuwair 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours) 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot 24704455 Air Arabia 24700828 Air France 24562153 Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732 Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128 British Airways 24568777 Cathay Pacific 24789818 Egypt Air 24794113 Emirates Air 24404400 Ethiopian Airlines 24660313 Gulf Air 80072424 Indian 24791914 Iran Air 24787423 Japan Airlines 24704455 Jazeera Airways 23294848 Jet Airways 24787248 Kenya Airways 24660300 KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737 Kuwait Airways 24701262 LOT Polish Airlines 24796387 Lufthansa 24796692 Malaysian Airlines 24560796 Middle East Airlines 24796680 Oman Air 24531111 Pakistan International Airlines 24792471 Qatar Airways 24771900 Qantas 24559941 Royal Jordanian 24796693 Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485 Singapore Airlines 24791233 Shaheen Air 24816565 SriLankan Airlines 24784545 Swiss International Airlines 24796692 Thai Airways 24705934

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

B7

LIFESTYLE STORY TIME

By Swati Dasgupta

Mum’s the Best

T

he doorbell rang.

Shyla was busy reading the latest from Harry Potter series and didn’t like the interruption. She looked at the wall clock and it was 4.30 in the evening. Being a bookworm she often read her storybooks at this time.

She reluctantly opened the door to find Carol. “Hey Carol, what a nice surprise? I didn’t expect you to be here at this time,” saying this Shyla hugged her friend.

Carol was Shyla’s next-door neighbour and both of them were great friends. They went to different schools but shared many things in common. And one of them was story books. Carol's parents would often buy her books and Shyla would enjoy them to her hearts content. “Shyla, look I have got another book for you, Carol said with a smile.”

Oh wow, Shyla exclaimed. I must say I am indeed blessed to have a friend like you who is so generous.

“Thank you so much,” saying this Shyla started flipping the pages of the book. She had almost forgotten Carol when her mother called.

Shyla, who’s at the door?

She quickly replied: “It’s Carol, mum.”

She continued: “I am sorry Carol, I really got carried away and didn't remember you. But tell me

something, what’s the matter with you? Why do you look so sad?”

Carol smiled at Shyla and assured that nothing was wrong with her. For the next two hours the two got busy playing. Shyla's mum peeped into her room and affectionately asked Carol: “Would you like to eat something?”

“Thank you aunty, but I don’t want anything, she said.” Shyla’s mum knew Carol was a shy little girl and she would never say yes.

She quickly went to the kitchen and made some sandwiches for the kids. As the kids nibbled their sandwiches Carol suddenly remarked: “You are so lucky Shyla, wish God had blessed me with your kind of luck.”

Shyla’s mum, who was busy serving the kids, was taken aback hearing Carol’s words. She didn't know what made her feel that God was not kind enough.

Something must be surely

wrong with Carol, she thought. She decided to talk to her later about this. “My dear Carol, wouldn’t you tell me what’s the matter? Shyla’s mum seemed to be a little worried.

Carol said: “Nothing aunty, but I think Shyla is lucky because you are always there at home for her whereas my mum is never there.

I really wish my mum had never gone for work.”

Shyla’s mum stared at Carol in astonishment. She didn’t expect

this from her. Carol’s mother was the general manager of some company and was indeed a busy woman. But everyone in their apartment admired Carol’s mum at the way she managed home and office so well. She thought Carol was simply missing her mum.

But it was not right to say such things. Before she could say anything Carol continued: “See aunty, how nicely you make sandwiches for Shyla, play with her and talk to her. But my mum has no time at all. She is always late from office.

If you can stay at home why can't my mother?” Carol was almost in tears. Shyla’s mother hugged Carol and comforted her.

She continued: “Carol, I think you are one of the luckiest daughters in this world for having such a wonderful mother. Everybody cannot go for work that’s why I don’t. Your mother is so well educated. “Won’t you work when you grow up? Also, she takes care of you so well. One day you will surely understand that.”

Carol didn’t seem to agree to what Shyla’s mum said. But she kept quiet and returned home.

Somehow she felt that her mother was not doing enough. At times she would even tell all this to her friends at school.

Few days later an elocution competition was held at Carol’s school and Carol was participating in it.

Most of her friends’ mothers had come and Carol knew her mother would never be able to come. So she didn’t even bother to inform her. When it was Carol’s turn she went on stage with confidence and was surprised to see her mother sitting right in the first row.

How come mum got to know about this, she thought. Carol recited her poem well and when the winners’ names were announced she was thrilled to hear her name being called. But when the chief guest was called on stage Carol was stunned. It was non other than her mother. Slowly she went on to the stage to receive the prize. Her mother smiled at her.

People in the auditorium clapped loudly. In his vote of thanks the principal praised Carol’s mother for all her achievements. “Oh Carol, you are so lucky to have such a wonderful mother,” her friends said later in the day.

Carol felt strange. She felt happy, proud and sad all at the same time - happy for winning the competition, proud to have such a wonderful mother and sad for not understanding her importance.

In the evening when she returned home she found her mother waiting with her freshly baked strawberry cake. Carol ran and hugged her mother. She knew her mother was the best.

-swati@timesofoman.com

Questions & Answers

One thing that puts me off...

When my father says to study maths

When I’m in doubt...

I will ask my mother

I go crazy when...

I am hungry

If I win a lottery...

I will go to London with my family

One movie/book I can watch/ read over and over again...

Dilwale

CDUR

Crossword Puzzle ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

It’s better not to argue with...

My brother

The scariest thing that I have done...

Climbing on door frames

If I met an alien I would...

Ask him to give his spaceship

ACROSS

1 4 8 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 21 23

If I could go back in history, I would like to meet Mahatma Gandhi

One skill I would like to learn...

Magic

If I have to describe myself as a flavour it would be...

Vanila with choco chips

ANGELO JENSON If I had treasures I would hide them...

Sorry... it’s a secret One person I would trade places with (real or ficitional) Shah Rukh Khan

The best way to my heart is...

Be honest and loving

Send your contributions to lifestyle@timesofoman.com. A good quality photo is compulsory. Lifestyle reserves the right to publish the contributions.

DOWN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 16

Former Montreal ballplayer Cello kin Wicked Thin layer Mouths, in biology Lodging places Talk out of Pottery fragments Cellar contents Oodles (2 wds.)

Fillet a fish Surround

20 22 24 25 26 27 29 30 31 34

Average grade Good ol’ one?

Director’s shout Santa — winds Varnish ingredient — de guerre That yacht Aussie duo — Supply Fabric meas.

— Montgomery of jazz 37 Steel girders (hyph.)

38 Make lace like granny 40 Shy

41 43 45 46 47 48 50 51 52 55

Friction injury Gulf nation Jetty Lahore language Meryl, in “Out of Africa” Lavish attention PIN askers Medical researcher’s goal Jump over More, to Pablo

24 28 32 33 35 36 39 42 44 45 49 53 54 56 57 58 59 60 61

Morn’s counterpart Empty space Q-tip Centurion’s 14 Type of eagle Port near Mauna Loa Touching Erelong Kukla’s friend Place out of sight CSA defender Like maple leaves in autumn Large kettle Emerson opus Ms. Merkel Zippy’s word Took cover Implied Club joiners — of Fundy Worthless coin Calmed down Dragon constellation Sky bear Speed of movement Eliot’s — Bede LAX postings Hi-tech scan Hearty laughs Wren’s residence Jet –

B8

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 2016

LIFESTYLE

Children up to the age of 16 who would like to have their art considered for inclusion in “Art for the Ages” can e-mail their drawings or paintings (in jpeg or tiff format) to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Art for the Ages

Children’s Poetry

Happy New Year

Samhita Nulu, Grade 10, ISG

Alex Roy Grade 10 Indian School Wadi Kabir It’s all just within the blink of an eye, A whole year passed by.

Memories gripping our minds of the past, Time elapsed and ran, all so fast.

Fiona Sarah Prakash, Grade 3, ISG

Alfred Benoy , Grade 2, ISM

Divya Soni, Grade 9, ISM

But our efforts, have yet not, gone in vain, Our lives, full of aspirations still remain.

We carry the lessons of the past with us, To avert our mistakes and look forward with poise.

It’s a fresh beginning for every man, As he starts a new journey in his life span.

A chance for us to get our faults, all right, To never leave it - always stand up to fight.

An occasion for us to make new resolutions, Which may help us achieve our ambitions.

We look forward to new challenges that may come through, Hoping all our dreams and desires come true.

There’s no pause in the march of life, We may stumble upon tribulations and strife.

But the light at the end of the tunnel will certainly draw near, Here’s wishing you a Happy New Year!

Mohd. Anan Khalifa, Grade 10, ISWK

Ria Thanmayee, Grade 6, ISWK

Sudoku How to play Fill empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and area.

SOLUTION Answer to previous puzzle

Send your contributions for Children’s Poetry to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Teleword All the words below appear in the puzzle - horizontally, vertically, diagonally, even backward. Find them and circle their letters.

The leftover word spells the Teleword.

O F E S S O R G D E R I M D A

L U E X E A E R E T N A B I E

A T F O N T H O U G H T F U L

CLUE: JOHN CUSAK

U U I G N E N L E K R E T T Y

G R L I R F G E U E N A K A T

H E O G A C I H C O E N R G S

S P S P P U O O I M R I G R G W G O A D E U MH A C B N L T A I M M I V N E U T R N S E T

S N T N R E O S A I E O E I S

E E A P K M T G T N T C V D E

R L U F S S E C C U S I U E N

P U S K A E R B P I R T O O S

P R Y C T M O V I E S E C N E

T R A D E T N E L A T I S A S

SOLUTION: 13 LETTERS

Acts, Admired, Ambition, Armitage, Banter, Blank, Breaks, Casts, Chicago, Chomsky, DeVincentes, Famous, Fans, Future, Gen-X, George, Gestures, Grin, Grosse, Icon, Laughs, Life, Moves, Movies, Neat, Nest, Noam, Pink, Pointe, Press, Producer, Rangles, Rule, Scene, Steve, Studs, Style, Successful, Talented, Terkel, Thoughtful, Timing, Tours, Trade, Trip, Writer.

Answer: Opportunities

C

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M S AT U R DAY, JA N UA RY 2 , 2 0 1 6

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

C2

VACANCY

C4

CARGO

C6

C2

S AT U R D AY, JA N UA RY 2 , 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

NEW Flats & Showrooms for Rent 1/2/3 BHK Flats & Showrooms at Muttrah, near Oman flour mills, 10 min. from corniche. equipped with split/ cassette unit ACs, internet points, freeto-air dish connection, CCTV monitored, basement parking. Rent RO.250/350/450 (Negotiable) per month.

Contact : 99229263; 93221054; 95215289

Flat villa type for rent - in al khuwair 33/, 4 Bed Rooms .4 bath Rooms, 1 Family Hall, 1 Dining Room, 1 Living Room, 1 Kitchen, Store. Contact 99315515

FLATS FOR RENT In a Luxury Building in Al Seeb Market Near Police station 3 bedroom flat in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact 95755953 / 95555162 1BHK, R.O 170/- & 2BHK R.O 220/near Medical Darsait.

Contact: 95076261 Wadi Kabir, one bedroom flat.

Contact: 99313274 House in old Muscat town near Bab Al Mathaib, 5 bedrooms, living room & kitchen. Contact 99319829 1 BHK new bldg with A/c curtains, near Khimji Mart, MBD. Contact 99061408 / 99024039

Call: 99888007 - 99473500 Residential Commercial building consists of 30 Flats in Al Khoud 6 the following details: 20 flats with 2 rooms and a hall, bathroom and kitchen. 10 flats with room and hall and 2 toilet. Shop 500 square meters. for total 30 Flats rent 7,000 RO per month and rent the exhibition 10 RO per m2 Contact 99314314 500 sqm Basement Godown/warehouse For Rent in Mabela industrial area. CALL: 99366008 / 99236455

Profs/ Jack. Contact 93219378 2 BHK at Ghala & Al Khuwair.

Contact 99024730

Flat for Rent 1/2 BHK Flat at Muttrah, near Oman flour mills, 10 min. from Corniche.Equipped with split unit ACs, internet points, free-to-air dish connection, CCTV monitored, basement parking.

Rent RO.250/350 per month.

Contact: 99229263; 93221054; 95215289

Office / shop NR Oman house & Khimji H.O. Contact: 99233116

Two apartments for rent in Wadi Al Kabeer near the Kuwaiti Mosque. Contact: 99425958 Luxurious, 2 BHK flat with 3 toilets, store, equipped kitchen, split ACS , Gym, party hall& 24 hours security at Mumtaz area Ruwi rent RO 375/-. Contact: 92622506 2BHK commercial RO 375/-, 350/Contact: 97799175 / 92144045 2BHK Al Khuwair R.O 375/-.

Contact: 92144045 / 97799175 2BHK Ghubra R.O 300/- , 325/-.

Contact: 92144045 / 97799175

1,2,3 BHK Darsait.

Contact 99024730

2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near Oman house S/ AC. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232

Villa at Shatti Qurum for rent.

Contact 99315150

Flat new Al Wadi Kabir. Contact: 92130703 / 99733992

2 Room + hall & kitchen ,3 toilets in Bareeq Al Shatti 750 RO. Contact 99314314

Small hall with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and a kitchen for 220 R.O per month. Contact: 99425958

1,2 BHK Darsait R.O 300/-, 225/-.

Contact: 92144045 / 97799175

Brand new apartments opp Oman flour mills MUTRAH 1,2,3 BHK with private parking, suitable for bachelors call 95450450

Shop for rent 150Sqtr available Gf + Mez office + showroom + store location: Honda road Ruwi.

Contact: 91219880 / 99345044

Office space for rent at MBD area near Atlas Hospital.

Contact : 99016180 Email: info@rns-group.com

1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.

Contact: 97799175 / 92144045 3 BHK flat near Darsait ID medical.

RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 / 97079146 / 95570288

2 BR flat with 1 sitting room, 1 family hall with 3 attach bathroom in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99277787 Flat Al Mabelah 2 bedrooms semi furnished near NESTO visiting family also welcome 250/- E & W. Contact: 93533108 / 97653523 Villa sharing Ghala semi furnished 1 bedroom attached, hall Kitchen sharing 100 +E& W, visiting family also welcome.

Contact: 98518595 FLATS FOR RENT Well maintained 2/3 BHK Flats at Wadi Kabir, Near Indian School.

Contact: 99021969 / 24793982 Room available Walja. Contact: 96246625 / 99886469 2 BHK near Oman house behind Khimji H.O. Contact – 95865686 Show room / shop for rent area 155 sqm at 600/-R.O shops at 160/- R.O. # 97714433 / 92822437

Shop for rent behind building behind whole center Al Amerat good for offices or stores only space 11x4 meters R.O 250/- PER month.

Contact : 92877449 1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Hamriya Mabela and Al Khoud shop at Al Khoud. Contact: 24834644 / GSM : 93994401 /02/03/3lines 3bedrooms with 2 bathrooms and a kitchen for 250/- R.O per month.

Contact: 99425958 For rent 1bed room flat, near Indian school (ISD) at Darsait.

Contact: 94776771/ 99669216 New villa at south Mawalah 5 bedroom, family hall, Majlis, 5 twl for RO.650/- Contact - 99332367 7 Bedrooms villa in Ghobrah North. Contact - 96420432 1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/Contact 99358589 /95570288

Flats in Darsait.

Contact 94051789-97201688 Flats in Wadi Kabir. Contact 94051789-97201688 Flats in Muttrah. Contact 94051789-97201688 Offices in Ghala. Contact 94051789-97201688 Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum. Contact - 9405178997201688 Duplex villa in QURUM 29.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Flats shops & store for rent in Ruwi Honda road Mumtaz.

Contact: 97293708 / 92433127 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact - 9405178997201688

S AT U R DAY, JA N UA RY 2 , 2 0 1 6

C3

DAILY GUIDE

BUILDING

FOR SALE MUMTAZ AREA (NEAR RUWI HOTEL)

CONTACT - 99353931

FOR SALE Dozer Kom 355A -3 Dozer Kom 155A- 3 Grader Champion 780 Excavator PC 400 with breaker Man green water tanker 5000 IG All are in good condition

99310448/99612010/95208455

FOR LEASE

Warehouse/ Light Industry Rumais/ Barka Good Quality Property available For lease in Rumais/ Barka Opp Naseem Garden for Warehousing/ Light Industry available 3300 sq mts area @RO 2.500 PER SQ MTR

FOR SALE

Contact - Vasant

92818099

ACC. AVAILABLE 1 Bedroom with bathroom for female in Al Hail including electricity & water. Contact - 92817777 FOR RENT 3BHK along with furnitures in Ruwi. Contact: 99738104 Independent rooms in Qurum / Al Hail. Contact 95529970 Acc at Wadi Kabir couple or Executive bachelor.

Contact: 91165580 Semi furnished spacious room with attached washroom separate entrance near Indian school Al Ghobrah for non cooking Executive Indian bachelor.

Contact: 95146361/92657598 Furnished room for indian executive -alkhuwair33. 95234062

FOR RENT 1,2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, 325/- & 350/-. Contact: 97799175 Offices in Qurum opposite City Center. Contact: 94051789-97201688 Open showroom AL Ghobrah 18 November 175SQM & office space Al Qurum next to Al Araimi Complex.

Contact: 94300909 Single BHK flat available in Honda road Ruwi. Contact 24833972/ 24833974/99367448 Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact: 91214849/ 99364735 One flats for rent 2 bedroom all with bath al Ghobrah north near Indian school (hot burger restaurant) Tel. 9976610

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished sharing accommodation in ruwi near O.K. Center for non-cooking indian bachelor.

Contact - 98805474 Single bedroom flat near Indian School Ghubrah.

Contact 99203954 Single bedroom flat behind German Embassy, near Al Nahdha Hospital.

Contact 99203954

Used home furniture and household appliances in good condition for sale. (Else 3bhk can be taken for rent along with furnitures.)

Contact: 99738104 Marble factory for sale location Misfa. Contact: 98586828 Curtain shop for sale with 2 visas at Muttrah. Contact 91135930 / 93231403 Paint maker & shaker.

Contact 96173326 Expat leaving, household items & computers for sale.

Contact 94412557

Furnished room in new building for working Muslim lady/ Muslim couple only. Location AINT, Darsait.

Contact - 99008069

Used portacabin, good condition for sale in misfah. Contact : 96578789

1 Bedroom with attached Bath, fully furnished, separate entrance at Mabela for ladies only Contact 99634841

A well running coffee shop for sale, at Wadikabir, near KFC. Contact 92772825

New house for rent near Indian School Mabella, 2 Bedrooms, 1 living room, 3 bathrooms.

Contact: 99112880 Big room available near Hamriya R/A for Muslim couple / small family / Executive bachelor rent 150/- per month including W+ E. Contact : 99495131 Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan villeage.

Contact 93687466 Single room for expat Indian bachelors near Al Aktham restaurant Al khuwair for RO 120.

Water and electricity included.

Contact 98803261

FOR LADIES Special offer for ladies only, All beautification for 15 RO. Al Doom beauty parlour in Ruwi.

(Home service also) Contact 99619409

Printing press for sale Mobelah.

Contact: 93478181

Exercise cycle for sale.

Contact – 92847957 Luxury Apartments in Boucher (35). Contact - 9505680897201688 Beauty Salon for urgent sale in Azaiba prime location behind Al Fardan building. With sponsor and 1 staff and 1 ready visa clearance. Call: 95318629 / 95169411 Mangalorean restaurant at Wadi Kabir & shop at Ruwi for sale.

Contact: 98428507 / 93655003 Villas in Al Khoud. Contact 95056808-97201688 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact -9505680897201688 3Ton Forklift, Special made for Oman market, Japanese Isuze C240 Engine, Cascade side shifter, High amount exhaust, 3m lifting height, Solid tyres, One year warranty. Contact: 98883445

MV SALE 2008 Model Hyundai Tucson 90,000 KM expatriate driven in very good condition & Accident free for Sale for OMR 4,000/- , Serious buyers contact Mobile : 95137538 Toyota Prado 2008, 4 cylinder single used perfect condition RO 5800/-. Contact: 95885852 Mazda 2.5 CC No 2, 2014 model, KM 35000, Warranty still, R.O 6900/-.

Contact: 97984466 Hyundai Tucson No.1 2013, KM , 1,27,000, R.O 5800/-.

Contact: 97984466 Hyundai Velostar new model 2015, KM 3000, 5 years warranty, full insurance R.O 6800/-.

Contact: 97984466 Santafe No.1 2015, new model, KM 5800, warranty still.

Contact: 99666059

BULK SALE

LOST

Hall type & Individual Portacabins (100 nos.) for immediate sale in Muscat area.

Nur Alam Sayed Noor has lost Bangladeshi Passport- AD 9918114.

Finder please handover to ROP.

Contact 93208398 / 93215830 SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

Expat used Ford Escape 2012, 102000 kms insurance Oman / UAE Mulkiya 10-2016.

OMR 4850/-.

Contact - 93264005 Hummer H2 model 2006, 178000 km, Full options Number 1 Army edition.OMR 7200.

Contact -99466773

NOTICE Dhai Al Shams Trading/ Joint Liability, registered at Commerce & Industry Administration in Al Dakhlia Government, Nizwa under rig No. 1195561, announces that it will change its legal liability from joint to limited liability in the registered name of Dhai Al Shams Trading LLC, according to the Clause 13 repeated 2 of the commercial companies law no. 4/74 and its amendments. All those who reject this action shall submit their rejection reasons to the above administration during two months of the announcement of this notice publicly.

NRI

Chaverlet Epica 2004 model RO -700, for sale. Contact 92194205

Plot for sale Shadnagar Municipality, Mahboob Nagar District, walk able distance to existing colonies, national highway and basic amenities at reasonable price. Contact – 0091 8686631669

BMW 318/ 2003 for sale.

Contact 96364990 Nissan Tiida H/B 1.8 CC No.1, 2014, Km 5300, warranty & full insurance R.O 5400/-.

Contact: 99666059

Rubel Miah Abdus Salam has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AA3783959.

Finder please handover to ROP.

We will register LLC. trade license for foreign investors and do all actions. Contact: 92833566

Plot, propeties for sale in prime location in pune 95272138, (+918390982975)

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

C4

S AT U R D AY, JA N UA RY 2 , 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

URGENTLY REQUIRED An Excellent Grade Construction Firm based in Muscat has immediate vacancy for the following position INTERIOR & FITOUT DESIGN DRAFTSMAN Capable to develop details of concept design of id projects, preparation of joinery/ detail drawing. with minimum Of 3 to 5 years GCC Experience with valid Omani Driving License - 1 Nos & Fitout Estimator capable to handle joinery estimation, fitout tender etc, with minimum 3 to 5 years GCC Experience with valid Oman Driving License - 1 Nos Interested Candidates May forward their CV, To

Email - cvomanhr@gmail.com Fax : 2449 5965

SITUATION WANTED

The following staff is required by a leading Engineering & Contracting Company in Oman.

Estimation Engineer (1Position) Mechanical Engineer with 5-7years post graduate experience in MS, CS, SS Piping work, HVAC piping, Storage tanks, Vessels and steel structure estimation. Applicant must have commands on AutoCAD, familiarity of budgets and can estimate EPC Projects.

Site Engineer (1Position) Mechanical Engineer with 5years post graduate experience as a Site Engineer in piping or HVAC piping installation works. Applicant must be professional and have expertise in project planning & coordinating with client

Interested Candidate can send their CVs at hr.muscat2015@gmail.com

URGENT HIRING SALES EXECUTIVE

URGENTLY REQUIRED For a reputed excellent grade Catering Company.

CATERING MANAGER / SUPERVISOR Minimum 5 to 10 yrs experience in the field of catering with valid Oman driving license.

Interested candidates may mail their resume to

mast.llcoman@gmail.com or hr@mast-oman.com

JOB OPPORTUNITY A Leading steel fabrication company in Oman is looking for the following person for immediate appointment.

Applicant must have valid driver’s license & with at least 3 yrs work experience in same field.

1. Freezer body Fabricator.

2. Water Tank, Trailer Tanker Fabricator.

3. Steel Fabrication Engineer.

(Knowledge of all kinds of Truck bodys, trailer fabrication etc.)

4) Auto cad, 5) Sales Executive

Submit your detailed CV via Email

Email : infojob16@yahoo.com Contact : 00968-98999487

ENGINEER

Experienced Accountant required for Restaurant. Contact 96500750

Wanted Chemical Engineer with 5-10 years experience in STP Operations and Maintenance. Also wanted Market Research Expert with experience in Feasibility Studies. Kindly send your resumes to advance@omantel.net.om or Fax us at +968-24792175.

BEAUTY

Looking for a Quantity Surveyor for a construction company in Oman. Contact : 94069402

Wanted experienced Beautician & hairdresser for the reputed ladies beauty center at Qurum.

Contact 99791572 / 97453246, souzawilfred@gmail.com

Wanted Market Research Expert with experience in Feasibility Studies. Kindly send your resumes to advance@omantel.net.om or Fax us at +968-24792175.

Required experience Beautition Contact 99619409

Civil Site Supervisor for telecom tower projects across Oman. Send CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or call +968 9946 7227

CATERING Shawarma /Griller helper wanted.

Contact 95529970

DRIVER Urgently required Heavy Driver with GCC license for a leading FMCG Co, located at Seeb.

Please forward your CV at Email recruityarek@gmail.com, contact 99719124

MEDICAL Wanted Staff Nurses (female) with or without license for a polyclinic near Sohar. Excellent salary and accommodation.

Contact: 99006915 Email: alhinaee.clinic@yahoo.com Staff Nurse required for a reputed dental centre in Muscat. Send the CV to omandentalnurse@gmail.com

Looking for House Driver (Indian) with experience to work in Salalah.

Contact 92322588 / 99653350, Email : sadiq.fm@omantel.net.om

Wanted GP Doctor with MOH license, job location in Muscat with good salary and benefits. Drop your cv at 0careerhr1972@gmail.com.

Reputed Construction Company require experienced light Vehicle Driver. Contact 95526871

Canary clinic (GP) MBBS Doctor with 3 years experience MOH license, male or female. Good offer salary. Contact 94395199 Email: canarymoh@gmail.com

Required a Driver (L.M.V).

Contact 92392979 Urgently required 1 experienced House Driver to work in capital area. Contact 93888666 / 24493666 Looking for an Indian experienced house Driver for an Omani family. Interested candidates may call: 96203333 Required driver with car in Sohar.

Contact: 24460287 / 96905535

DOMESTIC HELP Looking for housemaid urgently clearance available good salary yearly ticket.

Contact ravi.ztc@omzest.com TEL 24446920 / 99238121 Wanted Housemaid full-time 6am-6pm, six days a week, for Kerala family in Darsait, near ISD, Salary 200/-.

Contact 98564647 or 99864290

ENGINEER Projects Manger Engineer wanted to manage a construction company, experience required.

Contact 99441122, Email: sr@touchcdc.com Required Software Engineer with minimum 2 years experience in vb.net/C# & SQL. Contact: 99016180 Email: info@rns-group.com Required App Developer with minimum 2 years experience in android & IOS. Contact: 99016180 Email: info@rns-group.com

zecdoha3@yahoo.com & adminoman@zainalelectronics.com Salary offer commensurate w/qualification.

Minimum 5 years Experience, interested candidates can forward their resume immediately.

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

We are looking for Chief Financial Officer, Male 40- 45 years old, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with 5 - 15 yrs. of experience.

Contact: +968 24702133 Email: admin-dept@daud.om

For home Electronics appliances Distributor Company.

Dreams Clinic - Muscat-Al Khoudh Urgently required Medical Laboratory Technician Salary + Accommodation Minimum 3 Years Experience IN Sultanate of Oman Doctors + Nurses, Salary +Accommodation Minimum 5 years experience in sultanate of oman Contact : towershr70@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com or call Ph:+968 99450811 Urgently required for a reputed company in Oman (Tyre, Battery & Lubricant division) Sr. Executives/Executive-5 nos (Sohar, Nizwa & Muscat), Techno Commercial Professional-5nos, Driver (Omani)-1no. Required minimum 3-5 yrs experience in the same field with market exposure holding valid Omani driving license or GCC. Kindly fwd your CV’s to ashwin@taasintl.org Contact: (+968)93891700 Sales Ladies wanted for Ladies Boutique. Age: 20-35 yrs.

Al Khoudh. Send CV to sameer916@hotmail.com or call 91159905

SKILLED LABOR Urgently required 2 caretakers / cleaners for a building in Capital area. Contact 93888666, Email : arajtrad@gmail.com

SKILLED LABOR Looking for experienced construction laborers as a subcontractor for a villa construction in Mawaleh. Contact: 96203333

SALES / MARKETING A Chemical trading Company is looking for Salesmen with diploma certificate, 3 years experience, with valid driving license and a car. Send CVs to Greatstar@omantel.net.om Business coordinator with valid Oman driving license.

Contact: 95327813 Required Sales & Marketing person with driving license for IT / Telecom / Security system company with minimum 2 years experience in Oman. Contact: 99016180 Email: info@rns-group.com Number of Salesman two (any nationality) with at least 4 years of experience in FMCG or house ware accountant (preferably Pilipino) with 2 to 4 years of experience.

Contact: 92802204 Email us your CVs on to: info@alliusie.com

SALES / MARKETING Salesman require for building material with driving license & 10 years working experience.

Fax your C.V 24833043.

(Mustafa Hardware Store) We are looking for a student counselor male/female who has good knowledge of colleges and universities abroad and can speak Arabic/ English/Hindi .

Email your CV at mozahamed786@gmail.com Wanted Sales Executive for IVMS, experienced minimum 1 year in the same field. Interested Candidate can email the details to: sameeh@cyclonellc.net We are looking for a Visa Consultant/sales consultant male for our office. Freshers can also apply.

Arabic and English speaking male.

Email CV at mozahamed786@gmail.com Kitchen cabinet manufacturing company is looking sales person, most have Oman D/L and must know any kitchen designed software and two years experience.

Contact: 93326636

SITUATION WANTED SIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian male good experienced in Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in India & Oman, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687 Filipino,29,Male,5years experience Payroll/Payable/Receivables/Document Control.Excellent Communication/AccountingSoftwareSAP /MSOffice skills.

Contact: patrick110486@yahoo. com/95057206 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M.Com Finance-Indian employed in Oman with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to finalization. Having D/L & NOC. Mob: 94122464, cammk13@gmail.com Accountant senior looking suitable job please call 91422074 MBA (finance) one year experience in Oman, have Oman license looking for a good job.

Contact: 94103975 Indian male, B.Com, 10 yrs Accounts exp in Tally & focus knowledge of Admin, HR, Purchase having NOC & D/L, looking for suitable job. Contact 93086105 Indian male , B. Com, (CA), 30 years, 10 years experience in GCC in Stores / Warehouse and Administration Management, seeks suitable placement. Currently on visit visa. Contact : 94818449; Email: laveen.tilak@gmail.com Chartered Accountant - Indian, 9 yrs + Exp (7 yr in Oman & UAE ) in Finance , Accounts & Auditing , seeking suitable position in Muscat/ Dubai, Can Join Immediately, NOC Available, Contact 98707434 / Email: casmart007@gmail.com Indian lady, bachelor degree in Preparatory Programme (BPP) and Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), completed training course in MS Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook from KTI looking for full time / part time job opportunity in Oman. Contact 92437568, 96795853, Email: linda_navs@yahoo.com

B.Com, doing M.Com, Diploma in IATA, Tally PGDCA 2 years experience as Accountant seeking for placement currently in Oman NOC available. Contact: 99055820 Email Id: rohithpanamukkath@gmail.com Indian male Accountant looking for a suitable placement in Salalah/ Muscat. More than 20 yrs experience in Accounting job (upto the finalization of accounts).

8 yrs working experience in Middle East in Dubai, Muscat & Salalah. Contact 91325029 Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ finance field. On visit visa.

Immediately available.

Contact – 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Pakistani male, 27 yrs, MBA finance having 3 yrs work experience in Accounts & finance in Muscat, Oman on visit visa.

Contact 99685330, Email : hussain_ca87@yahoo.com

Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Education, Admin, Corporate communications. Contact 98252030

Part time Accountant with 15 yrs exp. in Accounts Finance, Tax Audit Management.

Contact 95857199

Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/ HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa, looking for suitable position.

Contact: 90196235

Indian male 10 years experienced Accountant looking for job, Knows up to finalization costing etc, Oman driving license available.

Contact: 91319600 Accountant B.Com 8 yrs exp in UAE, having Dubai D/L looking for a good job. Contact: +968 93546483 & 971567745263 Accountant, Indian male, 16 years experience (10 years in Oman with driving license & NOC) Tally, ERP.9 & focus expert up to finalization.

Contact: 99622639 Email: venugopal39@yahoo.com Accountant Indian female, 26 yrs, B.Com 2 yrs experience in accounting, purchase vouchers, bank reconciliation. Contact: 95690207 Email: pereira.rita08@gmail.com Young 24, ACCA affiliate, advanced diploma in Accounting and business, seeking suitable placement in accounts, finance or audit with valid driving license.

Contact: 92430152 Email: rau_dey@yahoo.com B-Com Graduate male 28 yrs seeks suitable job in the field of administration, clerical or accounting related to construction, automobile, hospital admin ,money exchange or project management. Contact :97892255 Junior Accountant available.

Contact: 99854384 Email: syedimtiaz1234@gmail.com

Pakistani driver, with 3 yrs, exp looking for job.

Contact: 96342684 5 years experience in Oman D/L (driver) seeking suitable placement. Contact: 95274160 Light driver 6 years exp education CO level language English, Arabic, Hindi looking for office driver. Contact: 99640986 15 years experienced heavy duty driver experienced all over in Oman English, Arabic, Hindi, Malayalam speaking. # 90388687 Light driver need job 4 years experience, English , Arabic, Urdu.

Contact : 94208089 Looking for light driving job 3 years exp. Contact: 92819475 Looking for light driving job, 2 years exp. Contact: 91625977

Indian light driver.

Contact: 92279370

Part time Accountant services, yearly finalization works, monthly report, profit& loss report, consulting and audit works.

Contact: 96247295

Light driver. Contact: 96313100

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, finance, banking, L/C, import, export & finalization seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com 28/ male MBA – finance /B.com – accountant with 4 years of Dubai / India experience looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 90187483 Email: shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

Bangladeshi male 48 yrs, light driver 14 yrs of exp, need job & visa. Contact - 98236656

Driver with experience of 10 years in Oman seeks suitable placement. Contact: 92191698

Driver with new car looking for job.contact: 95873286 Driver (light & heavy duty) valid gulf /Indian) looking job.

Contact: 95175192

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN Multimedia and graphic designer Filipino male 25 , looking for job in Muscat 3 years experience in 6 graphic and 3D design on visit visa immediately available.

Contact: 95844940 Email: chrisrimas@gmail.com Interior designer 4+ exp, turnkey projects & freelancing for flats, office & corporate. Contact – 93140552/ ajayjangir.id22@gmail.com

ARCHITECT

14 years of Gulf experience in HR/ Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic & English with D/L looking for suitable position, NOC available.

Contact: 95824598

Chief / Senior Accountant having 12 years of Oman experience in reputed firms. Looking for suitable placement. Contact – 99513082

Experienced Light Duty Driver, Fluent in English, Arabic Well knowledge of Oman Areas Seeking Suitable placement 97950869

Indian male 24 yrs, B.Com graduation ongoing MBA, 2 years experience in Oman presently working in Muscat Municipality from (Ministry) looking for a suitable job in Accounts. Contact: 94627418

M.Com CMA with 15 years experience in Oman for finance / audit/ accountants /banking looking for suitable manager position.

Contact: 95694737 Email: gsmaiti@rediffmail.com

Indian male B.com accountant job 6 years experience in Oman looking suitable placement.

Contact: 95741442 navaskamaru944@gmail.com

DRIVER

Looking for job driver with car.

Contact: 99154473

Architect looking for freelance work in (design plans and 3dmax).

Contact: 96041201

Male 24 MBA fresher in marketing and finance seeking immediate placement. Contact: 96112920

CATERING Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

Indian male Accountant / Auditor ACCA finalist having 5 years experience in accounting up to finalization & audit experience currently on visit visa. Contact: 91350688 or 99078853

ASSISTANT MANAGER FinanceM Com Finance, 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts Department. Currently employed in Oman. Having D/L, NOC available.

Cont: 98278801, Email: mansoormk10@gmail.com

Indian male 22 BBM graduate with tally certified 5 month experience as accounts officer 2 looking for suitable job immediately now on visit visa.

Contact: 98949120 Email: mohammednazal93@gmail.com

ADMIN

ADMIN

Indian Female MBA, 3 Year experience in Admin MIS, Family Visa.

Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com HR & HSE (Nebosh & IOSH) experience 6 years in Oman with NOC & D/L. Contact: 00 971502550480

25 years male BA. English , Qualified as mast in digital animation having 5 yrs ex in character animation specialized Auto Desk mago and motion building software knowledge, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 97917357

EDUCATION Secondary Computer teacher, 5 years experience in Kuwait, IELTS 6, looking for job at bilingual or English School.

Contact: 96555397722 (viber, whatsapp, skype, imo) Email: samehj.adib@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf exp in Administration/ HR & Public relationship. Fluent in Arabic/ English with D/L. Looking for suitable position.

Contact - 99897280

Civil maintenance painting, tile works decor works, plumbing, electric, shop furnishing carpentary works and all other maintenance.

Contact 97897831, 92112094 (Indian, Keralite)

Indian having more 15 years of experience (7 years in UAE) in construction as site administrates for / document controller / HR assistant / store assistant presently on visit seek suitable placement.

Contact: 92196001/98598099

Electrical Engineer Indian male having 5 yrs of exp in designing, execution & planning in electrical field. Having valid GGC driving license. Looking for a suitable job.

Contact – 98052942 / azamjeelani@gmail.com

S AT U R DAY, JA N UA RY 2 , 2 0 1 6

C5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED ENGG. / TECH./MECH. B.Tech C.Eng. AMIEI, Electrical Engineer with 5years experience in the field of electrical power system (transmission & distribution) area expertise in design Ele-SLD, preparing BOQ, LS & estimation transformers switchgear selection installation testing & commissioning in all sectors.

Contact: 94638744, EMAIL : ceng.shaz@gmail.com Auto Electrician having experience 15 years Looking for suitable placement. Contact 94142502 Indian male, BE, Mechanical, with trainee level experience at Galfar & autoCAD, Creo, Ansys, certified individual looking for suitable placement in Oman.

Contact 91232147, Email : shamil21siraj@gmail.com, Mr. Shamil Siraj.

Fresher Graduate looking for job (Electrical & Electronics Engineering), special course (Simatic P/C).

Contact 97304565 Electrical Engineer: Indian male, 30 yrs having 5 yrs of experience in industrial automation & utility maintenance in India (MRF tyres), holding valid Oman D/L. Contact 92789995, email : akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Diploma in Electrical Engineering with 6 years’ experience in Electrical Automation, Programming, Project, Power, Energy and Supervision in Civil Work.

Currently in Oman and looking for suitable position, Please contact 94873560/92406652.

Indian Mechanical Engineer having 2+ yrs experience in India & Qatar looking for suitable job.

Contact 93828354. Email : shemseer23191@gmail.com Sudanese Civil Engineer with 5 years experienced AutoCAD primavera & GIS Arabic & English language looking for a suitable job.

Contact: 91340584 B, Sc Engineer looking job with visa. Contact: 96136615 Mechanical Engineer (B. Tech) knowledge in HVAC & fire fighting.

Currently in Oman on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 90154793 Email: sangu.vazhoor@gmail.com Mechanic Diesel Engines & Hydraulic , 25 years Experience in Multinational Companies.

M Arshad 91685048 Mechanical Engineer, 28 years, male with 4 years experience in Oman looking for suitable placement with driving license. NOC available. Contact: 968 97612297 Email: ymirza11@coledonian.ac.uk Instrument Technician (diploma), Indian male, 24 yrs, 3 yrs experience in reputed oil & gas companies, currently on visit visa, seeks suitable job. Contact: 92007218 Email: ahmed0515@gmail.com Software Engineer with FLMI level 1 certification having 7 years experience as system analyst for application development & maintenance projects in field of mainframe & UNIX systems worked in India & France on visit.

Contact: 92489160 / 92873243

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian male 24 years with 1+years Indian experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).

Looking for a Suitable position.

Available In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail: mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Networking, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately. NOC available. Contact: 92462578 Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com Indian male 25 years Mechanical Engineering 3 years diploma 3 years experience Chevrolet India as technician. Contact: 96974518 Indian male (B.Tech EEE) 31 yrs having managerial skills AutoCAD quality control electrical fault debugging 6 yrs experience in electric field & good communication skills. Contact: 90181566 Email: jittoandrewsnesto@gmail.com Indian male 23 years BE degree in electronics & telecommunication, diploma in industrial control & automation, holding valid Oman D/L. Contact: 95726383 Email: christosvaidyans@gmail.com 29 yrs Indian male B.E (ECE) with more than 5 yrs experience in Oman with valid D/L. #96652145 Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com Civil Engineer 5 Years exp 2 years in Oman as QS. Seeking part time job as QS. Contact - 91507508 Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113 Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, 36 years, Male, Indian, having 16 years of experience in machine maintenance & machine breakdown, worked with reputed companies in India, currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement. #- 99011507 E-mail: rsdengroman@gmail.com Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs experienced as AutoCAD civil draftsman (2 yrs experience in Oman) currently in Oman seeks suitable.

Contact 96789441 Email: simi5304@gmail.com Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: shassalih66@gmail.com 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598

B.E (CSE) Indian male 2 years of experience in IT & Networking presently in visit visa seeks for immediate placement. #93832694 Email: baijupp006@gmail.com

Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:- 95042656

Civil structural Engineer 6 years experience Oman license.

Contact: 96380693

Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer Indian male BE (Electrical & Electronics) having 3 years of experience, seeking for suitable placement.

Contact: 91917369 Bcs Civil Engineer, 3 years experience, NOC available looking for suitable replacement.

GSM-97409350.

Mail- kamrul07cuet@gmail.com Network Engineer BA: CS with experience CCNA, MCSA. Contact: 92346191 23 yrs, Indian male looking for good job electrician & good Indian family driver, have Indian license & office boy ready for NOC, visa transfer, ready to join.

Contact: 92108447/ 96507858 Civil Engineer, Indian, 2 years experience looking for a suitable job. Contact: 97309549

Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience as HVAC design engineer rev IT M.E.P AutoCAD. Contact: 91050913 Email: rahmanmechengg@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270 Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95345591

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711 Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1Year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 97416564, Email: jovinmathias@gmail.com Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

HOSPITALITY Indian male 42 B.A Degree & diploma in hotel management with 16 yrs experience in India Abroad having V/L Oman D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 91575956 / 95451547 Email: lijosaju@yahoo.com Dutch male qualified commercial pilot (Faa-ME-IR certified) is looking for job openings in middle east. rutjestom@outlook.com Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC available) Contact: 96059470

IT Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration.CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867 Indian female B.Tech IT with 2 years experienced in HCL presently on family visa.

Contact: 90357203 Email: ammupravda123@gmail.com Indian female, 28 yrs, MCA, B. Com, 3 yrs experience in the field of Computer hardware, ERP Softwares & windows networking where planning, implementing & trouble shooting with multiple platform of OS Microsoft XP / 7/ on visit visa. Contact 95089170, email : anjuretnakar@gmail.com

IT B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Networking, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately.

NOC available. Contact: 92462578 Hardware & net working, 2 years exp. Contact: 96244031

MISCELLANEOUS Indian Female, 24 Years - MSc Biotechnology. Worked in International Crops Research Institute For The Semi Arid Tropics for project work as trainee. Looking for suitable job. Mobile: 92619048, Email: anusreeg1991@gmail.com 21 yrs, male, Oman experience, 2 yrs, educational qualification S.S.E, languages Arabic, Hindi, with Oman driving license seeks job. Contact 94157194 / 94116029 Sri Lankan male 26 yrs, B.SC (Hons) in Business management (specialized in logistics management) IFQ, CCHRM of Sri Lanka.

Having 03 years excellent professional experience in supply chain or logistics & high value supply chain process and logistics function, is looking for a decent placement. Contact: 94292198/ 93522979 Email: raseeckmohamed@gmail.com Indian female 28 years, presently on family visa looking for a suitable post. Contact: 93916523 Email: arya.surendran87@gmail.com Indian 28 yrs, 5 years experience in purchase looking for a suitable NOC available, driving license available. Contact: 96772166 Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Marketing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/ BW with 1 year experience seeking for job Contact: 90228586 Email:fathimasha16@gmail.com

Indian (Keralite) female (25 years) MCA on family visit required suitable placement.

Contact: 90417133 Email: renjitharose04@gmail.com

Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement.

Gsm 9880-5474

Male 23 years 3 years experience in IT as Linux administrator at reputed MNC looking for a better change. Contact: 92889678 Email: amalpathikal@gmail.com

Indian female, Masters in Computer Application,26 yrs, 2 yrs of exp in administration, seeking suitable job in administration, IT, teaching, banking etc. Preferably in Muscat. Contact:99417993 dhanyaparumala@gmail.com

Sudanese Female 25 yrs, bsc architect engineer & master urban planning with 3 years experience look for situation vacant in Oman.

Contact : 00249910031942, Email : monasalah555.ms@gmail.com Indian male MCA, Oracle , orion , ERP, 15 years experience , 5 years in Oman with NOC. Contact: 95398567 Email: anasa4@gmail.com 10 years Oman experience ICT Sector, capable of handling large accounts, looking for suitable Senior Executive position.

Contact: 98987654 NEBOSH, IOSH Indian male HSE officer experience 8 yrs, 6 yrs GCC. Contact: 93235457 Email: srecjithsurcndran3@gmail.com Communication Network CCNA fresh Graduate. Contact: 98194924 Senior IT Engineer Sudanese male 9 years experience in Govt./ Private sectors. Contact: 94675984 Senior IT Engineer Sudanese male 9 years experience in Govt. / Private sectors. Contact: 94874758

MEDICAL Searching for a job Staff Nurse, General Nursing (GNM), Oman prometric exam passed 60%, ACLS passed, BLS passed, 4 yrs work experience (MED – ONCO & GenSurgery). Contact 98901149 Indian female Dentist prometric passed, 3 yrs experience looking for suitable position in Muscat.

Contact 91429337 / 98631283 MOH Licensed Indian Female Dentist, presently available in Oman seeking a suitable placement anywhere in Muscat.

Contact: 91410733 / 99310630.

An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license looking for job. Contact: 96436517 /97396088

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

Computer Engineer, Iraqi fresh graduated from Caledonian College excellent grade, experience in programming, web designing, networking and troubleshooting. valid Omani driving license – Contact: 98763390

The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: construction(Very strong and qualified to bringing business for civil work Or any type of the construction work for many million per year with a good experience in pricing and collect payment and cash management of the company & marketing projects & investments& tenders & real estate. # 92385033

Sudanese male 29 yrs (bs.c computer science) (diploma computer engineering), 6 yrs. experience DBA Oracle pl-sql , ms sql-server ,visual studio vb, network, driver license Oman.

Contact :91415886

Indian male, with experience in operations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact 91904541 Email: naushers@yahoo.com

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

SALES / MARKETING

Indian male, MBA Graduate, GCC with valid D/L, currently working as branch Manager in Muscat, 4 yrs Oman experience in Admin & HR Executive trainer, customer service, sale supervising accounting, fluent in Arabic, English, Hindi looking for suitable placement.

Release & NOC available.

Contact 97644108, email : basheervision21st@gmail.com

MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement. Cont : 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com

MBA (marketing) with 17 years experience in freight forwarding/ logistics industry in GCC & Oman.

Presently working as branch manager in Muscat. Looking for a suitable position. Release and NOC available. Contact: 99856331

Indian male, 25 yrs, MBA, Marketing with 1 yr experience in Sales & Marketing looking for immediate placement. Contact 91945577

Result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years management experience in Oman and other gulf countries looking for a suitable vacancy in hotels, restaurants and catering companies.

Contact: 97204636 Indian male 8 yrs exp in Oman working as housekeeping supervisor in star hotel, seeking for a job NOC available. Contact – 91753210 Purchase/Planning & Logistics Manager, MBA (Finance), 14yrs.

Oman Exp. with D/L, NOC available, looking for suitable position.

Contact : 93826090, Email: jskanchan01@gmail.com The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments& transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business. Contact :- 92385033

SALES / MARKETING Experienced export / Import operations Executive is on visit visa, seeking suitable employment. Contact: 00971 562228991 /00968 96529679 Email: rajanpookoth@gmail.com Whatsapp: 967733887410 Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA Finance and Marketing with IT skills, 7+ yrs of experience, looking for suitable placement.

Contact : 94879615. Emailsajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com 25 yrs exp-Shipping, freight forwarding, Marketing & Operations, valid Oman D/L & NOC available - seek suitable positionContact 93040366 5 years experience in Sales currently looking for a placement.

Contact: 93458869 American Male (speaks Arabic) looking for a job in Marketing & Sales, Contact 94076032 Indian Male B.com, PGDCA & Tally, 14 years’ experience in Customer Care, Operations,Sales,Coordination, Accounts & Admin. Seeking suitable position. Currently on Visit Visa Contact – 94871963 or 99440152.

Email: rajeshkv.pmna@gmail.com Indian male, MBA Finance & Marketing 28 yrs,6+ Exp, with Driving license, Hospital Phrma Herbal Marketing, construction A/c & sales , F&B industry, Contact : 93379044 Indian male 23 years with 4 years experience in Purchase and Sales, graduate in EC, currently on visiting visa, seeking suitable job in Oman. Contact: 96761020. Email: adikmuthumuttam@gmail.com Sales & Marketing Executive MBA with 3 years experience in sales looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 91345727.

Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement.

Gsm 9880-5474 Indian Male 32, MBA (Marketing & Finance) with 10 years experience in Marketing of Banking Products & Insurance Industry.

Seeking for a Job in Oman.

Contact: 93576980, 97750460 Email: senthil.cbe83@gmail.com Indian male, 24, MBA Marketing and HR, I year experience. On visit visa. Looking for suitable job.

Contact 94014073 Marketing Executive/Merchandiser, Omani License, BA 8 years Experience in Multinational Groups. Contact 97601343

Looking for immediate Sales & Marketing Job, 10 Years Experience, MBA Peter -93747126/ E-mail forlakei@yahoo.com

B.Com male 5 yrs exp. in sales Oman D/L. Contact: 94824000 Email: sharseem@gmail.com MBA 14 years Experience in Multinational Groups in Sales & Marketing with Omani Driving Licence.

M.Z. 96220975 Indian male with valid Oman driving license. Interested in technical sales. NOC available immediate joining. Contact: 95361454 Email: mohamedshalifawaz@gmail.com Indian male 23 MBA Marketing and HR with 8 months experience in sales and marketing looking for suitable placement. # 91987119 Email: reny.cherian1@gmail.com Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com Job MBA in Marketing seeking for a job and have an experience of 3 months. Contact: 91945577 30 yr old experienced available with NOC & Oman driving license 6+years experience in chemicals Industry. Contact: 96675065

SKILLED / UNSKILLED More than 8 yrs experienced mill with fitter & pipe fitter.

Contact 95600418 Indian, welder 20 yrs exp. in GCC & India looking for suitable post.

Contact ; 92300653 / +91-7034808745 (India ) Indian male 40 having 5 years experience in UAE, looking for suitable placement in Oman. Contact: Rethish Kumar: 00968 99282901 / 00968 93988015 Email: rethishkumar@gmail.com Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192 Electrician, plumber (exp gulf / Indian) looking job. Contact 95175192

TECHNICIAN /MECH. Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license call Ph:+968 99450811 Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com

TOURS & TRAVELS Indian female BSC IATA, 14 years exp in travel & tourism in Oman looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 96433490 Email: indu623@yahoo.co.in

MISCELLANEOUS B.E. Chemical, Total 12 yrs experience, QA/HSE experience in Engg.

Consultancy/ Construction/ ISO Management Systems, Lead Auditor for ISO 9001, 14001 & 18001 seeking suitable placement. NOC Available. Contact: 9415 7131, EMail: samirtrivedi_01@yahoo.com Electronics Technician , 4 Years experience as Electronics service engineer. Knowledge in all type of Electronics items. Looking for suitable placement.# 99105043 INDIAN MALE, 24 years, B.Tech in computer science.3Years of experience in technical support, software development, troubleshooting and managing, seek suitable placement. Contact GSM- 98184170 B.Tech EEE with 4+ years experience in the field of it, networking, ex-tonics etc. Presently working in amazon india development centre as a content quality associate.

Seeking for suitable jobs in oman.

Contact number : +91 9940514005, 0096893116402, Email: mail2nbn@gmail.Com

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DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

GOOD NEWS AL RAZI AYURVEDIC CLINIC Near Khimji Mart, MBD Area, Ruwi Our Ayurvedic Treatment includes Abhyangam, Kizhi Massage, Shirodhara, Vasti, Udwarthnam 50% Discount on full body massage.

Contact 24814222 or 97112510 for appointment

RENT A CAR

Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage steambath, obesity, Spondylitis, Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street Azaiba.

Contact: 99639695 / 98342990

TRANSPORTATION

TRANSPORTATION 7 Ton/ 10 Ton- Trailer Local transport- MCT- UAE

Silver car, car rental at good rate.

Contact: 96166155/93530540 Rental car. Contact: 92516090 25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP specification for monthly rent & small car with driver.

Contact 99839898

Contact 96609857 MATRIMONIAL

AVAILABLE

Amir Ali

Balloons beautiful design & Archie’s works for party, birthday & New Year functions all events.

Contact 95194801/96594592

FOR HIRE Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299 32 seater toyota bus available on hire basis monthly or yearly contract gsm 99705821

Transportation. Contact 94510847 Hindu Nair Malayalee 32 yrs working in Muscat seeking suitable alliance.

Contact 98262970 Christian Marthoma boy, 28 yrs B.Tech / MS (UK) working in reputed firm in Muscat seeking suitable alliance.

Contact: 91314475

Christian inviting proposals from Orthodox / Jacobite, Marthoma & Roman Catholics grooms of parents for our God fearing and homely daughter (Orthodox) 23 years B.D.S we are looking for well settled boy.

If interested reply on 92336530 / 92800143 Email: kochirikunnil@gmail.com

Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting.

Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

Transportation. Contact 96173326 Transportation taxi mini bus.

Contact: 93091106

TRANSPORTATION Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

Transportation Contact:99077395 Transportation. Contact 99508282 Pick & drop anytime in Al Khuwair. Contact 99764307

Transportation. Contact:99664703

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DAILY GUIDE TOURS

SIT.WANTED MISCELLANEOUS Indian Male, 28 Yrs, M.Tech having 5+ years experience (3 Year Industry+2 years Lecturer),Now on visit visa, looking for suitable position. Contact 94885747 Indian, Male, 24years, Bachelor’s degree, Two and half years experience with Oman driving license.

NOC Available. Looking suitable opening. Currently on visit visa.

GSM: 95484101.

Sudanese male 31 years, have 3 years Diploma in Electrical Engineer, 6 years and 1 year in Oman experience in building construction and electrical plants , have oman drive license. Contact : 94549609 26 Years oman experienced executive in automobiles, showroom & workshop areas seeks suitable replacement. Currently working as general manager in a reputed LLC” Contact +968-92009700/91494707 Indian Female Electronics System Eng. UK Graduate. Programmer Micro Controller Robot, Eng. Analysis, Instrumentation & Control, Eng. Projects, Integrated Circuit Eng., Electrical and Fluid Drives, Analogue Electronics, Wireless Systems. Seeking suitable post.

Contact: 97848075, s.dinesh1508@gmail.com Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ networking/server support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 Indian Male, 26 years, With 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in “Dubai” looking for suitable placement. Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. Contact: 90182494, Manojmallya999@gmail.com

WEBSITE

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636

WEBSITE

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

CLASSES

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES IELTS & TOEFL Academic / General Target Band 8 TQT Institute.

Ph # 24480800 / 99347202

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

in Azaiba and Ruwi

• Learn in two months • Satisfaction guaranteed

Tel: 95244310 Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM. CONTACT 98294551

SERVICES

COMPUTER

Bangladeshi Male, University MA, 5 years experience in IT sales & marketing working as sales coordinator in Oman; searching better job. Phone:91997605. email: mohamednazrulislam2@gmail.com Indian female, MBA HR & Finance, having 1 year experience, seeking suitable placement. Currently in Oman. Contact: 96052366.

Industrial Automation and Process Control Instrumentation trained Mechatronics Engineer seeking for a suitable job. Also possess GCC driving license.

Ph. 93370528, email: atulverghese@gmail.com.

Sales Executive, Male, 24years, Two and half years experience with Oman driving license. NOC Available. GSM: 95484101.

Post graduate master of social work having 5 years experience at present visit visa seeking suitable opportunity. Contact 99876307

Catering for Party & Birthday service Cnt 97196675 Enetstorage offer!! Cloud based software & mobile responsive websites locally developed, hosting, hardware & cctv/networking solutions. Contact 94369696 or admin@enetstorage.com Repair desktop laptop, printer, scanner, networking & all software inst. Contact 99876547

DRIVING

Part- Time Accountant, well experience senior accountant, doing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available. Contact 98803439 31 year Indian male PG in HR ,with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement(NOC Available).Kindly contact me on 93488914, emailKaarthickshankar@gmail.com

Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Pest Control Treatments.

Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting,Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. Contact: 24810137, 99450130 Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064

Learn driving with professional.

Contact: 94022250

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Office boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc.

Al Mudakhir National Est. LLC Contact : 94277020

House shifting. Contact: 99657644/98518013

Marble grinding resurfacing & ceiling crystallization / polishing general cleaning of villas & flats.

Terrazzo floor scrubbing, ceiling, polishing & buffing.

Contact: 98598280 /94134784

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/ 24792998

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807 Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact : 93769089 / 95323517 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

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DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTED DINING DELIGHTS

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiямБeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624