Times of Oman - December 2, 2015 by Muscat Media Group

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

On the occasion of the 28th National Day

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

If things are to be judged by results, we can say that what has been achieved, with the help of God, is a great achievement. History will testify that you, Sons of Oman, patiently faced the challenges, and overcame all problems.

WEDNESDAY, December 2, 2015 / 20 Safar 1437 AH

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OIL AGREEMENT

SAYYID FAHD RECEIVES GCC SECRETARY GENERAL

On behalf of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, received on Tuesday Dr. Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary General of the GCC. — ONA

His Majesty esty issues Royal Decree MUSCAT: His Majesty ajesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on n Tuesday issued a Royal Decreee No.48/2015 endorsing the oil agreement greement between the Government nment of the Sultanate of Oman n and Oman Lasso Exploration and Production Karawan Company mpany Ltd for bloc No. 54, signed d on September 22nd, 2015. Article (1) ratiﬁes es the abovementioned agreement. ent. Article (2) says that the decree shall be published lished in the Official Gazette and d enforced on its date of issue. -ONAA His Majesty sends greetings >A2

H I V T R E AT M E N T F O R A L L

National plan to tackle HIV to be ready by June, 2016 ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A national strategic plan to tackle HIV in Oman is expected to be complete by next year, said a senior official. It will hopefully be completed by June, 2016, Dr. Seif Al Abri, director general of the Directorate General for Disease Surveillance and Control, told the Times of Oman on Tuesday. He made the comments on the sidelines of an event held at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel on the occasion of World AIDS Day, being observed under the theme “HIV treatment for all”, this year. A new guide for healthcare workers, aimed at enhancing HIV management, was also unveiled at the event, which was held under the auspices of Dr. Mohammed Al Hosni, undersecretary for Health Affairs at the Ministry of Health (MoH). Around 200 participants, including senior officials and medical professionals, attended the conference. Al Abri also said there is a plan to establish an educational HIV club, which will bring together

Dr. Mohammed Al Hosni, undersecretary for health affairs, MoH

those who look after HIV patients, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and counsellors. The members are supposed to meet every three months to discuss various issues related to HIV, he noted. In his speech at the conference, the official said other measures considered by Oman on the way forward include HIV viral resist-

ance testing, primary HIV viral resistance testing, undergoing validation of mother-to-child elimination of transmission of HIV and syphilis, applied research, consultancy services all over the country, standardised care pathways and national audit, and benchmarking of HIV care centres. He expressed hope that with the new guidelines, those who are eligible, but are not receiving antiretroviral therapy, which is the main treatment for HIV, will be treated under the 2020 target. Al Abri also discussed a new global target for 2020, known as 90–90–90, which hopes to see that by 2020, 90 per cent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 per cent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 90 per cent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression. In addition, he emphasised the importance of public awareness, which will help reduce discrimination against HIV patients and the stigma surrounding this disease. >A2

His Majesty receives thanks >A2 TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Oman’s mining ng sector offers great potential

Mining and minerals sector in Oman offers great potential, which can be utilised effectively if certain challenges are addressed, said experts. >A3

REGION

Houthis killed in Saudi offensive

Dozens of Yemeni Houthi ﬁghters were killed during an assault on the border with Saudi Arabia, Saudi state television said. >A4

MARKET

Iraqi oil production boosts Opec supplies

Opec oil output has risen in November from the previous month, a Reuters survey found. >B1

MUSCAT: Three people were killed in an accident in Buraimi on Tuesday, said the Royal Oman Police (ROP). The car in which the victims were travelling collided with a truck leading to the death of the three, said the police. “Those killed in the incident have been identiﬁed as one Omani national and two Egyptians teachers. They were from a school in Mahadha, near Buraimi,” the police official said. According to the data released

and businessmen have termed the imposition of additional income tax to shore

‘regressive’ step

Three teachers killed in Buraimi car crash hassan@timesofoman.com

Some officials

up ﬁnances a

COLLISION OF VEHICLES

HASSAN SHABAN AL LAWATI

Income tax plan worries business leaders

REJIMON K HASSAN SHABAN AL LAWATI

reji@timesofoman.com hassan@timesofoman.com

in October, road accident deaths in the Sultanate have dropped by 50 per cent since 2012. The number of deaths from road accidents dropped to 502 this year, from 1,139 deaths registered in 2012. Accident deaths The number of deaths related to road accidents in 2013 was 913, while it was 816 in 2014. According to police statistics, the number of licences issued has also increased. The number of vehicles registered during the last few years has seen a sharp increase.

Staycation offers up for grabs

MUSCAT: Plans to raise the level of income tax paid by companies in Oman, and scrap an exemption currently used by tens of thousands of ﬁrms, have sent shivers through the business community but economists say the move could help shore up the nation’s ﬁnances. On Monday, a Majlis Al Shura panel reviewed the income tax law, the foreign capital investment law and the insurance companies’ law provisions, for amendments. According to a Shura member, the income tax may be in-

creased by three per cent and the OMR30,000 tax payment ceiling exemption for companies may be removed. Tax payment ceiling “Discussions have proposed to increase the income tax from 12 per cent to 15 per cent and to remove the OMR30,000 tax payment ceiling exemption for companies,” the Shura member said, adding that out of the 200,000 companies operating in Oman, only 4,000 pay tax. “Rest come under the ceiling and they are exempted,” the Shura member said. However, the Shura member pointed out that an increase of 3 per cent would not help the economy. Increase pressure “It will only pressure the business community further,” the Shura member said. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia currently levy corporate income taxes of 15 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively. Meanwhile, a top official at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) said that the move has to be reconsidered as it may negatively affect foreign investments, which will force companies to exit the Oman market. “This will eventually aggravate the economic crisis, not solve it,” Redha Juma Al Saleh, vice chairman of OCCI said. >A2

I N S P I R E D BY A R A B I A N L E O PA R D

Commercial production of Oman’s electric car to begin in 2018 TARIQ AL HAREMI HASSAN SHABAN AL LAWATI

tariqh@timesofoman.com hassan@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Commercial production of Oman’s first electric car, the Nur Majan, is expected to commence in 2018, Sultan Hamad Al Amri, chairman of the Board of Directors of Nur Majan Company, has revealed. Nur Majan is the first Arab hand-manufactured car, specifically Oman-made, and is inspired by the Sultanate’s Arabian leopard in its attack position. The first car was solely made by hand, whereas the mass production will be done by machines only.

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Al Amri said the company plans to produce 1,008 cars per year, which will be the size of a Toyota Corolla made out of a treated carbon ﬁbre. This type of material comes in different colours, which means the car does not require colouring. It will be ﬁre as well as scratch resistant and not susceptible to rupture. According to the Nur Majan Company, “It will be impossible to smash the car body, leave aside scratching it.” >A2

HOMEMADE: Oman’s ﬁrst electric car, the Nur Majan. – Supplied photo

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OMAN BELARUS

CABLES

His Majesty sends greetings to UAE MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on the occasion of the 44th National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes of good health, happiness and a long life to Sheikh Khalifa, praying to Allah the Almighty to grant him success to achieve further aspirations of progress and prosperity for the United

Mining and minerals sector in Oman offers great potential, which can be utilised effectively if certain challenges are addressed, said experts. Mining sector in Oman offers great potential >A3

Arab Emirates people under his wise leadership. Laos His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Choummaly Sayasone of the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations and his best wishes to President Sayasone and his country’s people. -ONA

HM receives thanks cable

ROAD OPENED FOR TRAFFIC

A portion of the ﬁrst stage of Bidbid Sur dual carriageway project (after Wadi Al Uqq to Al Mudhabi turn) was opened by the Ministry of Transport and Communications on Tuesday. Eng. Salim bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, undersecretary of the ministry of transport and communications, said that 52 km of the total 115-km long road has been completed. -ONA

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, in reply to His Majesty’s congratulatory cable on the occasion of being re-elected as a President for a new term. In his cable, President Lukashenko expressed his utmost thanks and appreciation for His Majesty’s congratulations and best wishes to him and his country’s people. He wished His Majesty good health, happiness and success and the Omani people welfare and prosperity, expressing his hope to strengthen the relations and cooperation between the two countries. -ONA

Staycation offers up for grabs this holiday Hotels in Oman have come up with attractive packages to attract customers

MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: With the National Day holidays starting today, hotels and resorts in Oman are ready with their staycation packages. Staycation has become popular in Oman for short or extended weekend holidays. According to the spokesmen of hotels and resorts, 80 per cent of the revenue comes from the staycation programmes. Kay Paensanit, PR & Marketing Executive, Millennium Resort

Mussanah, wondered why people should travel aborad when they can enjoy the best of Omani hospitality at home. “Besides, two days will be lost in travelling. So, it would be wise to spend the holidays here itself,” she told the Times of Oman. Millennium Resort Mussanah is also offering two staycation packages for this holiday. They are offering a one night stay in a deluxe garden view room with breakfast for OMR70 which can

be upgraded to a sea-view room for OMR10. They are offering a free stay and complementary breakfast for one child below six- year-old. Second package of Millennium Resort is one night stay in the deluxe garden view room with breakfast and dinner for OMR90 which can be upgraded to a sea view room for OMR10. They are offering a free stay and complementary breakfast for one child below six-year-old. “Our deluxe and superior are not available for Wednesday and Thursday because of the huge bookings but we have deluxe and superior sea view rooms for Friday and Thursday,” Kay Paensanit said. Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz Carlton Hotel is also in the market with the staycation packages for the Omani residents. They are offering an overnight in a garden view Deluxe room for OMR120 including breakfast for two at Al Khiran Terrace. Guests can add a

degree of luxury and get an executive suite for OMR220, including breakfast for two. “Response has been positive from the local market, and we are still receiving enquiries. Traditionally, Omanis are keen to enjoy the holidays with family and relatives to celebrate the National Day. This year marks a unique milestone for the people of Oman who are celebrating the 45th years under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Locals are even more inclined to take this opportunity to treat themselves to a royal experience at Al Bustan Palace,” said Melanie Dorange, Director of Public Relations, Al Bustan Palace, a RitzCarlton Hotel. Intercontinental Muscat packages from OMR45 plus 17 per cent tax on standard rooms (without breakfast) with complementary WIFI and access to the Health Club. It is valid only for Oman resident card holders and the offer is valid until December 5.

ELECTRIC CAR

An innovation A1 to be proud of < FROM

The material is 4.5 times stronger than steel and 70 per cent lighter than it. The car will be able to travel 400 to 600km after a single charge depending on the speed and weight. When the car runs out of power, users can charge the vehicle just as they charge their cell phones through a plug on the wall. A standard 240 volt current will take the car four hours to charge at home. Nur Majan will need the ﬁrst maintenance after 20 years from the date of purchase. “Petrol stations will have threephase chargers installed for electric vehicle. In Nur Majan’s case, the car can be charged in 20 minutes at petrol stations,” said Mohamed Al Zagul, manager of Mechanics and A/C. The solar panel on the roof of the car takes advantage of the Middle East’s sunny environment to power the compressor; it is only used for the air-conditioning system. In addition to the many features that Nur Majan Company has incorporated into the vehicle, such as massage seats, Windows 8 in

the display screen and also a trash compartment, the company also added a black box, which is primary installed in aircraft. The black box, however, is not typical of the aviation type, but works almost in the same way. It can record and store car’s events with four cameras installed both inside and outside the vehicle and the information is updated every 30 minutes. The user of the vehicle will not be able to tamper with the black box where the Royal Oman Police are only authorised to handle the object. In case of an accident or suspicious behaviour, the police can check the black box for information about the incident. Nur Majan’s powerful 420 horsepower electric engine can reach a top speed of 260 km per hour. The car can also travel from 0 to 100 km per hour in 3.6 seconds, emitting 0 grams per km of carbon dioxide. “There will come a day for each of us, as an Arab nation, when everyone will be proud to drive an Arab-made car. Even when you will see a non-Arab driving the car, you will feel proud,” said Al Zagul.

MAJLIS AL SHURA PLAN

‘Seek substitutes; imposing A1 more taxes not the solution’ < FROM

“The SMEs (small and medium enterprises) funded and supported by OCCI will also be affected,” Al Saleh added. Commenting on removing of the ceiling, the vice-chairman said it would result in limiting job opportunities for Omanis. “Facing the decline in oil prices should be through finding alternative revenues, instead of imposing taxes, which will only lead to worsening the situation,” Al Saleh said. Businessmen also echoed a similar opinion. “Hiking the tax will affect the market badly,” Anvwar Al Balushi, chairman of the Anvwar Asian Investment Group, said. Another businessman said tax increases would cause pain as no one likes to pay more than what they have been paying. “But then that is being oblivious of the reality. I am sure most companies would be able to sustain, albeit there could be exceptions. But we need to look at the overall picture and not at the exception,” Yusuf Nalwala, managing director of the Al Ansari Group, said. Meanwhile, an expert said imposing taxes is one of the main revenue generating mechanisms for a government to discharge its obligations. “Given the continuous slide in oil prices and the bleak projections ahead, the rise in taxes is an option that can help reduce the fiscal deficit. But, I don’t have the data to support as to what extent it can help,” N. Gurumurthy, the

expert pointed out. On whether the tax hike would place companies in trouble, Gurumurthy said he didn’t think so. “Considering the high level of taxation followed in many countries including the United States, a 3 per cent increase cannot impact companies significantly,” Gurumurthy said, while adding that companies won’t sack employees, rather, they would look for ways to cut costs, increase price, increase productivity and so on. Gurumurthy also said the removal of the ceiling is not a welcome idea since it may hurt smaller companies. “When the government is laying greater thrust on the development of SMEs, the removal may come as a disincentive for them. On the contrary, with growing inflation, the ceiling may require enhancement, which cannot be attempted at this critical time,” Gurumurthy added. An expert in business tax advisory services said the intended effect of tax rate increase is to reduce the budget deficit and hence provide more outlay for investment in the development of Oman’s economy. “The aim of tax rate hike is to reduce the budget deficit and provide more outlay for the development of Oman. Hence, if increased collections translate into more spending by governments, as intended, it would spur growth,” Manjot Singh Chug, a Business Tax Advisory Services

expert, said. “Tax is a country’s economic resource. Currently, the corporate tax rate of 12 per cent in Oman is among the lowest in the world. Hence, there is a scope for increasing the corporate income tax rate without placing undue burden on the companies,” Chug added. Oman is expected to unveil the 2016 fiscal budget next month and if the government still insists on increasing spending, it will risk running a bigger deficit to open up serious cracks in its financial structure. It is obvious that the government cannot weather the crippling impact of lower oil prices as its finances are buckling under the weight of the committed projects, as well as its inflated capital spending. Oil prices in the international market are currently the lowest in six years — hovering at $42 per barrel. Oman’s income has fallen by more than 60 per cent since June 2014 when it sold oil at a price of $115 per barrel. The International Monetary Fund has already cautioned Oman that it is risking a wider deficit at 17 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product in 2016 unless it starts tightening its belt to a sustainable level.

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H I V T R E AT M E N T

< FROM

A1 New guide to help workers The expert also spoke about the importance of psychological care for HIV patients and said the healthcare staff dealing with these patients spend a lot of time talking about the power of ‘hope.’ Ministry of Health’s Al Hosni also highlighted the signiﬁcance of an exchange of knowledge and

experience between different nations of the world to combat HIV.

lot of efforts had been invested into developing the new guide.

New guidelines Commenting on the new guidelines, Dr. Mohamed Redha Moosa Al Lawati, head of the National TB, AIDS and Leprosy Control Programmes at the MoH, said a

Latest research It has been drawn up based on the latest research and international practices and will hopefully beneﬁt healthcare workers, HIV patients and their families.

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Mining sector in Oman offers great potential

SPECIAL OCCASION

Rob Willis, geologist, CELEBRATIONS: The 88th birth anniversary of the Thai monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the National Day of Thailand, was celebrated in Oman. - O. K. MOHAMMED ALI/Times of Oman

Mawarid Mining, said government

More than 78,000 Omanis visited Thailand in 2014

processes have not been streamlined for mining and multiple entities are

MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Omani tourists travelling to Thailand surpassed 78,000 in 2014, said Dr Pornchai Danvivathana, the Thai ambassador to the Sultanate, noting that Thailand provides a multiple-entry visa-on-arrival to Omani tourists. “Omanis are welcome to get a visa on arrival as usual. Thailand has already offered a multipleentry visa with a validity of six months and with the entitlement of a period of stay of 60 days at a time,” the ambassador said while addressing guests, who had gathered to celebrate the 88th birth anniversary of the Thai monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the National Day of Thailand. In 2015, the Sultanate and Thailand celebrated the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. “As ambassador of Thailand to the Sultanate of Oman, it is my honour to witness a major milestone in friendly relations between our two countries. The year 2015 marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the Sultanate and Thailand,” Danvivathana said. According

to him, there were exchanges of high-level visits between the two countries. He also said such visits have solidiﬁed common values and the sincere cooperation between Oman and Thailand. Speaking about the economic arena, the ambassador said, “We are working to increase bilateral trade and investment. I am conﬁdent that more exchanges of visit are expected next year. On the part of the Embassy, we have continuously been promoting a selection of Thai quality products under the ‘1 Mission 3 Products’ project targeting the Omani market.” Agro-tourism for Omanis Thailand’s embassy is also working to expand the scope of agrotourism for Omanis. “This project will provide an opportunity for tourists to immerse themselves deeply in Thainess or the Thai way of life,” the ambassador noted. On behalf of the Thai community, he congratulated His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on the occasion of the National Day of the Sultanate. “We are grateful for His Majesty’s kindness, which allows us to live prosperous lives in this beautiful country. We wish His

Majesty good health and happiness,” the ambassador said. Speaking about King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ambassador said, “He is an expert on water management and alternative energy, as well as a practitioner of a sufﬁciency economy. His ideas have been translated in more than 4,300 royal projects and have been widely acknowledged as best practices both domestically and internationally.” “Even here in Oman, our relevant line agencies are currently exploring the possibility of enhancing technical cooperation on weather modiﬁcation through the Royal Rainmaking Technology,” he added. The ambassador also expressed his appreciation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate, all Omani authorities, and the private sector for their assistance and generous support provided to the Royal Thai Embassy. He also thanked Team Thailand, in particular, PTTEP Oman., Thai Airways, the Tourism Authorities of Thailand, Dubai and the Middle East Office, Oman’s labour offices in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, the Thai community, and the embassy’s staff for their contributions and dedication.

GETTING ACQUAINTED: Eng. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, attended the Mineral and Mining Exhibition and Conference. - ONA

involved in licensing applications

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Mining and minerals sector in Oman offers great potential, which can be utilised effectively if certain challenges are addressed, said experts. The challenges and opportunities in the mining sector were discussed at the ﬁrst Oman Minerals and Mining Exhibition and Conference held at the Oman International Exhibition Centre on Tuesday. Commenting on the regulatory environment in Oman, Rob Willis, geologist, Mawarid Mining, said government processes have not been streamlined for mining and multiple entities are involved in licensing applications. A one-stop-shop is a simpler system, he said during a speech at the conference, in which he reviewed the activities of Mawarid Mining, the ﬁrst privately-owned copper mining company in Oman. Antony Benham, chief operating officer at the International Geosci-

ence Services (IGS), briefed the participants on the multiplying effect of geoscience investment in a country. There is a widely accepted association between geological knowledge and economic growth, he noted. State organisations Benham also discussed the role of state organisations in promoting mineral exploration, saying that a state-owned organisation is normally the national custodian of geological data for the country. Its ultimate role is to create wealth through the minerals sector by making the country competitive and attractive for exploration investment and contribute to economic growth by creating jobs in the minerals sector and have a ‘trickle-down’ effect into society, he added. It also seeks to improve the quality of life through the interaction of geoscience and the environment, he added. Reliable geodata In addition, Benham said availability of reliable geodata is as important as a stable ﬁscal and legislative regime. “Geodata needs to be

modern, relevant, as detailed as possible and available in the right format,” he said, adding that an efficient mines cadastre system is important to show ﬂexibility and transparency and balance the needs of state and companies. Oman is well-positioned to attract signiﬁcant new exploration in country by developing the role of the Public Authority for Mining, the expert stated. Port of Duqm Reggy Vermeulen, chief executive officer of the Port of Duqm Company, spoke about the project in the Port of Duqm for the mineral industry, saying that Duqm’s advantages include proximity to the (new) minerals concessions and direct road access between Duqm and the mines. He also said the development of the mining industry in Oman will further highlight the role of the upcoming railway project.

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REGION

Brigadier General Ahmed Al Assiri, spokesman of the Saudiled coalition, put the number of those killed at 180 Houthis and allied ﬁghters loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Lebanese soldiers freed in exchange for hardliners Thirteen hardliners lodged in Lebanese jails, including Saja Al Dulaimi, the exwife of IS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, were released in a prisoner swap

BEIRUT: Al Qaeda’s Syrian wing freed 16 Lebanese soldiers and policemen on Tuesday in exchange for the release of jailed hardliners including the ex-wife of IS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi. The Nusra Front seized the Lebanese 16 months ago during an attack on the Lebanese border town of Arsal mounted together with the IS militant group which is still believed to be holding nine soldiers captured in the incursion. New light The exchange cast new light on the Nusra Front, a powerful player in the Syrian civil war that has been designated a terrorist group by the United Nations and United States. Live TV footage from an area between Lebanon and Syria showed the Lebanese captives in vehicles accompanied by masked men armed with assault riﬂes

RELEASED: Lebanese soldiers help a fellow member of the security forces, who had been kidnapped by militant groups from the eastern border town of Arsal last year, moments after his release on Tuesday in the village of Labweh in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. – AFP

and waving the Nusra Front ﬂag before they were released to the Red Cross. Thirteen hardliners in Lebanese jails, including Saja Al Dulaimi, the ex-wife of Baghdadi, were also released. Dulaimi, fully veiled, was shown in live TV footage from the area with her three children who were with her in prison. Nusra Front ﬁghters were shown kissing and hugging the sons of Dulaimi, who was arrested

by the Lebanese authorities a year ago. Speaking to Al Jazeera, she said her wish was to return to Beirut and then to leave to Turkey. “We accomplished the entire agreement with Nusra. We received our heroic soldiers and we are on our way back to Beirut,” top Lebanese security official Abbas Ibrahim, who oversaw the swap, told Reuters by telephone. “This joy not complete until the return of those kidnapped by IS. We are ready to negotiate with IS

if we ﬁnd someone to negotiate with,” he said. The Nusra Front ﬁghters chanted slogans as they arrived with the captives in preparation for the swap. One of the captives, interviewed by Al Jazeera, said the group had treated them well. Nusra has killed four of the captives. “The joy cannot be described,” another of the captives told Al Jazeera. The Arsal incursion was a dramatic and bloody example of

spillover from the 4-1/2 year old Syrian conflict. The army fought several days of lethal battles to drive the militants from the town not far from where Tuesday’s swap took place. The exchange began with the Nusra Front releasing the body of one of the Lebanese soldiers it had killed in captivity, Mohamed Hamieh. The freed soldiers and policemen were carried aloft during celebrations in the town of Labweh near the Lebanese border where they briefly stopped on their way to Beirut. Politicians from across the political spectrum congratulated the men on their release. Relatives of the captives celebrated at a tented sit-in they have held near the government headquarters in Beirut since last year to press for negotiations. There was dancing and sweets were offered to visitors who went to congratulate them. “I was born again today, this is a re-birth for me and my brother. It has been a year and five months of agony for the soldiers’ parents, my parents and me,” Marie Khoury, the sister of freed soldier George Khoury told Reuters at the sit-in. Qatar has been involved in efforts to mediate the release of the captives for a year or more. A previous effort to secure their release broke down a year ago after one of the captives was killed. The Qatar National News Agency said the successful mediation followed a request from the Lebanese government. While the Nusra Front and IS attacked Arsal together, the groups are enemies in the Syrian war, now in its fifth year. — Reuters

VIOLENCE

Knife-wielding Palestinians shot dead by Israeli forces OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli security forces shot dead two knife-wielding Palestinians on Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, Israeli authorities said, as a wave of Palestinian stabbings, car rammings and shootings entered its third month. Nineteen Israelis and a US citizen have been killed since October 1. Israeli forces have killed 97 Palestinians, of whom 58 were identiﬁed by Israel as assailants or caught on camera carrying out attacks, while others were shot in clashes with police and troops. Stabbing attack A police spokeswoman said a Palestinian man who tried to carry out a stabbing attack on Tuesday at a busy junction in the Etzion bloc of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank was shot dead. Gunﬁre from an Israeli officer trying to secure the scene slightly wounded a bystander, she said. Near the Jewish settlement of Einav, also in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian woman was shot dead by an Israeli officer whom she had attempted to stab, the army said. Palestinian allegations that Israel is trying to alter the religious status quo at a occupied Jerusalem site. Non-Muslim prayer is banned around Al Aqsa and Israel has said it will not change that, but an increase in visits by Jewish religious activists and ultra-nationalist Israeli politicians to the complex have contributed to Palestinian fears. — Reuters

YEMEN

Dozens of Houthi rebels killed in offensive on Saudi border DUBAI: Dozens of Yemeni Houthi ﬁghters were killed during an assault on the border with Saudi Arabia, residents and Saudi state television said on Tuesday, in what they described as a major push to try to capture territory inside the kingdom. The Houthis have been trying to push into Saudi territory since an alliance led by Saudi Arabia

intervened in Yemen’s civil war in March, trying to drive back the group and restore exiled Yemeni President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi. “There was an attempt, as usual, to breach the border and sneak into Saudi territory but the... armed forces as a whole, were watching them and this attempt was thwarted,” Brigadier General Ahmed Al Assiri, spokesman of the

Saudi-led coalition, said in comments broadcast by Saudi state television on Tuesday. “Those who tried to inﬁltrate were killed and the situation is stable,” he added. The channel said Assiri put the number of those killed at 180 Houthis and allied ﬁghters loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. That number could not be in-

dependently verified, but local residents said dozens of Houthi fighters had been killed in what they said was a major assault by hundreds of Houthi fighters on the border. Saudi forces used helicopters as well as rockets to repel the Houthis, they said. The Houthi-run Saba news agency said that fighters had seized three Saudi military outposts near

the city of Najran, destroying several armoured vehicles, including two US-made Abrams tanks and three Bradley vehicles. Meanwhile, Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah rejected a cabinet reshuffle ordered by Hadi as “illegitimate”, a senior government official said. Hadi said earlier on Tuesday he was replacing ﬁve ministers, including acting foreign

minister Reyad Yassin Abdulla, according to a decree carried by the Hadi-run state Saba news agency www.sabanew.net. “A personal announcement will be issued rejecting the ministerial changes because they are illegitimate,” the source told Reuters, adding that Hadi had made the changes without consulting Bahah, who is also the vice president. — Reuters

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WAT E R L O G G E D

Heavy rains hit train, bus services in Tamil Nadu CHENNAI: Heavy rains on Tuesday pounded several parts of Tamil Nadu with most areas of Chennai witnessing water logging severely disrupting train and bus services as Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaaa reviewed the situation and deputed ministers to inspect the affected regions. While Jayalalithaa said services of police, fire and rescue, NDRF and State Disaster Force and Coast Guard are ready to tackle the situation, weather office has cautioned of more showers in the next four days across Tamil Nadu with some regions likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall. “Police, fire and rescue, national and state disaster forces, Coast Guard have been kept ready for need-based evacuation of people from flood hit regions,” she said in an official release. As a result of the rains, Poondi, Cholavaram, Puzhal and Chembarambakkam reservoirs that feed Chennai have touched 83.8 per cent of its capacity and out of the 14,098 lakes under the PWD in Tamil Nadau 6,791 lakes are full. She also ordered a solatium of Rs4,00,000 to the kin of each of the four persons who were killed in rain related incidents. - PTI

INDIA

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Real dirt lies not in streets, but in our minds: President Pranab Mukherjee exhorted people to go strongly with the prime minister’s Swachh Bharat Mission but ensure the society was ﬁrst cleansed from within

AHMEDABAD: President Pranab Mukherjee here on Tuesday exhorted people to go strongly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission but ensure that the society was ﬁrst cleansed from within as evinced by Mahatma Gandhi through his life. “The real dirt of India lies not in our streets, but in our minds and in our unwillingness to let go of views that divide society into them and us; and pure and impure,” said President Mukher-

MAKING HIS POINT: President Pranab Mukherjee. – File photo

jee, who inaugurated here a new Archives and Research Centre at the Sabarmati Ashram as well as addressed the 62nd convocation of Gujarat Vidyapeeth founded by Mahtama Gandhi in 1920. “We must make a success of the laudable and welcome Swachh Bharat Mission. However, this also must be seen as just the beginning of a much larger and intense effort to cleanse minds and

DELHI BILL

Will step in if Modi government obstructs Janlokpal Bill: Hazare RALEGAN SIDDHI (Maharashtra): Social activist Anna Hazare on Tuesday said he will step in if the NDA government led by Narendra Modi puts obstructions in the way of Janlokpal Bill, introduced in Delhi assembly by the AAP government. The anti-corruption crusader was talking to reporters after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Kumar Vishwas and Sanjay Singh met him at his native Ralegan Siddhi village in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district to brief him on the salient features of the Janlokpal Bill, tabled in Delhi assembly by the Arvind Kejriwal government on Monday. Hazare said that during his discussions with the AAP leaders, he expressed apprehension that the federal government may pose obstructions as the legislation provides for probing corruption in Delhi, where the federal government offices are located. “If that is the case then I assured them of my full support. I SHOCKING INCIDENT

Schoolgirl delivers baby in washroom HYDERABAD: In a shocking incident, a Class IX student delivered a child in the washroom of her school in Madhapur area here, which is the city’s IT hub, police said on Tuesday. The 14-year-old student of a government high school went to the washroom after complaining of stomach pain while sitting in the classroom on Saturday, Malkajgiri’s deputy educational officer (DEO) A. Usha Rani said. “After sometime the students and teachers heard cries of a newborn baby and were shocked to ﬁnd the girl with the baby. Both the mother and the baby girl were handed over to police,” the DEO said, adding, even the girl’s friends said they did not notice her swelled abdomen. Madhapur Police Inspector K. Narasimulu said that based on a complaint by the girl’s father, they have registered a case of rape against a person named Dhanu who is known to the victim. The DEO has suspended the school headmaster, S. Basavalingam, and issued charge memos to class teachers as to why they failed to notice that the girl was pregnant. The girl’s father is a labourer and lives in nearby Lambada Tanda, the police officer said, adding, the girl’s family was aware that she was pregnant. - PTI

ride of 18 months in which they came together to run a highsteam anti-graft movement.

Anna Hazare. – File photo told them I am with them,” Hazare said when asked if he would launch an agitation on the issue. He said the federal government lacks the will to ﬁght corruption and there should be no ‘parochial attitude’ on the issue of dealing with graft. Hazare and some top activists of his team had in 2012 parted ways with the Kejriwal-led group, opposing their plans to form a political party, after a roller-coaster

Original 2011 version One of its prominent poll promises, the AAP emphasised that the Bill is similar to its original 2011 version. It will empower the proposed ombudsman to act against any public servant in the national capital, including those of the Centre. While the draft bill of 2015 states that no prosecution or legal proceedings can be initiated against the Janlokpal or any staff member of the Janlokpal office, AAP leaders said theprocess of impeachment will be applied for removal of any member of the Lokpal. The Bill has to be cleared by the lieutenant governor before it becomes a law. Hazare and some top activists of his team had in 2012 parted ways with the Kejriwal-led group, opposing their plans to form a political party. - PTI

fulﬁl Gandhiji’s vision in all its aspects,” he said. Convocation ceremony An many as 24 doctorates, 49 Masters in Philosophy, 405 postgraduates, 369 graduates degrees and 59 post-graduate diplomas were awarded at the convocation. Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said, “Gandhiji propounded the principle of Nai Talim

for social reconstruction which states that knowledge and work are not separate. The constituents of Nai Talim are the three H: Heart, Hand and Head. To put this philosophy into practice, Gandhiji promoted an academic curriculum of ‘basic education for all’.” Mukherjee explained Mahatma Gandhi made the beginning from Gujarat and the Vidyapeeth. “With ashram shalas and buniyadi schools operating in the remote areas, Gujarat is perhaps the only state where Nai Talim exists in an institutional form. Nai Talim infers charitra nirman or character building, whose relevance is increasing by the day. Learning with value-orientation must guide our approach in education,” the President said. Pointing out that Swatch Mission and Nai Talim worked complimentary to each other, Mukherje said, “Gujarat Vidyapeeth provides education aimed at building character, competence, culture and conscientiousness in students. This is needed to regenerate the country according to Gandhian ideals”. “Despite growing urbanisation, 68 percent of the country’s population still resides in rural areas. Intervention in food security,

education, skill development, employment, technology dissemination, health and nutrition, housing, drinking water and sanitation would go a long way to uplift the quality of rural life and address poverty concerns,” he said. Gandhi’s vision Mukherjee said students of Gujarat Vidyapeeth are trained to support rural development in line with Gandhi’s vision. “They keep the campus clean through their own labour, and the Vidyapeetth educates students in charkha and computer with equal enthusiasm and students are imbibed with the spirit of ‘dignity of labour’.” The President said such traditions in community life are not built in a day. “It must be our endeavour to proliferate this noble practice. Swachh Bharat, according to Bapu, implied a clean mind, clean body and clean environment. Every citizen has a duty to create a clean external and internal environment.” - IANS

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W EDN ESDAY, DECEMB ER 2, 20 1 5 India is the number four source market for Germany and on an average Indian are considered one of the top 5 spenders Romit Theophilus, GNTO official

INDIA PROMOTING TOURISM

Germany eyes 2 million Indian tourists by 2030 MUMBAI: With India considered one of the top ﬁve spenders, Germany has set a target to attract two million Indian travellers to the country by 2030. “India is the number four source market for Germany and on an average Indian are considered one of the top 5 spenders. We consider India to be very important market and we have set 2 million overnights from India by 2030,” the German National Tourist Office, India (GNTO) Director Sales and Marketing Romit Theophilus said in the western Indian city if Mumbai.

He said Germany is promoting itself as a affordable and mass leisure destination. “Traditionally, Germany is considered a business and meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) destination. We are now trying to focus promoting the country as an leisure destination as well,” he added. Germany has recorded over 4,70,000 overnights from India for the period of January-August, 2015, he said adding “we are expecting 7,00,000 overnights this year, which is a 10 per cent rise from last year.” In 2014, Germany

witnessed 6,50,103 overnights from India. Since the inception of the German National Tourist Office in India in 2006, Germany has seen a 73 per cent growth in visitor overnights from India, he said. For this year Germany is targeting big and metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata, to promote the country, Theophilus added. “We are looking at promoting Germany is cities like, Pune, Nagpur, Lucknow, Chandigarh among others from next year,” he added. - PTI

$2.5tr required for actions on climate change Fund needed for India’s actions in the next 15 years is to be met from domestic sources and leveraging of ﬁnancial commitments

PARIS: Around $2.5 trillion will be required for meeting India’s climate change actions in the next 15 years to be met from domestic sources and leveraging of ﬁnancial commitments made by developed countries, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar informed Lok Sabha on Tuesday. “About $2.5 trillion dollars will be required for meeting India’s climate change actions between now and 2030, that is over a period of 15 years which shall be met from domestic sources as well as leveraging of ﬁnancial commitments made by developed countries to mobilise $100 billion a year by 2020 for climate change,” the minister said.

He said that India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) includes reducing emission intensity of Gross Domestic Product by 33.35 per cent by 2030 from 2005, increase the share of non-fossil fuel-based electricity to 40 per cent of electric power installed capacity by 2030, enhancing carbon sink (forests), adaptation, mobilising ﬁnance, technology transfer and capacity building. Highlighting the impacts of Climate Change, he said that India’s Second National Communication submitted to the UNFCCC in 2012 has provided observed

impacts, projections on future climate scenarios and likely adverse impacts of climate change on water resources, agriculture, forests, natural eco-system, coastal zones, health, energy and infrastructure. China and India World can pursue an ambitious agreement that can meet both climate and development challenges of countries like India, the United States has said as it underlined the need for getting India and China on board to make the UN climate summit a success. “We can pursue an ambitious climate agreement even while India pursues an ambitious development policy. And, in fact, we can pursue the types of solutions that can meet both climate and development challenges,” top US official said. - PTI

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FUEL

Non-subsidised LPG price hiked NEW DELHI: Price of nonsubsidised cooking gas cylinder a consumer buys on exhausting the subsidy quota, was hiked by Rs61.50 per cylinder on Tuesday while aviation turbine fuel rates were reduced by 1.2 per cent. Market price of non-subsidised LPG cylinder of 14.4 kg is now Rs.606.50 in Delhi, Rs.636.50 in Kolkata, Rs.618.50 in Mumbai and Rs.621 in Chennai. - PTI

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E MB E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

PAKISTAN INSURGENCY

Two soldiers killed in rare targeted attack in Karachi KARACHI: Gunmen killed two Pakistani soldiers in the southern city of Karachi on Tuesday, the military said, a rare attack on the powerful army that could indicate the beginning of a push-back against a tightening crackdown on violence. The two were shot on a busy road in the centre of Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city and financial hub. The killings follow an attack that killed four soldiers last month. No soldier had been killed in Karachi before that since March, underlining their protected status in a city where murders of policemen, politicians and prominent businessmen are common. “The two were sitting in their official vehicle, when two men shot them from behind and fled,” senior police officer Jamil Ahmed told media. Pakistan’s military said unidentified gunmen riding a mo-

torcycle ﬁred on the soldiers. Karachi, a metropolis of about 20 million people, is home to the stock exchange and central bank and is plagued by political, ethnic and sectarian violence. Security officials say many politicians in the city have links to violent gangs, operating like a maﬁa to maintain their hold on power. Two years ago, the military launched a crackdown targeting suspected militants and violent criminals. Murders have sharply declined since the crackdown began, although violence is still common. In recent months, the crackdown has expanded to include alleged corruption. Opposition politicians say the military is using it as an excuse to target them. The military denies the accusations. - Reuters

SCENE OF ATTACK: Security officials inspect a military police jeep

following an attack by gunmen in Karachi on Tuesday. - AFP

Government okays Rs40b mini-budget to secure the next tranche of the International Monetary Fund’s three-year $6.2 billion programme approved earlier this month

ISLAMABAD: The federal government approved a Rs40 billion mini-budget on Monday, levying regulatory duties on hundreds of essential items and increasing customs duty on almost all imports by 1 per cent. The move aims to secure the next tranche of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) threeyear $6.2 billion programme approved earlier this month. The Economic Coordination Committee approved the additional revenue measures, including an increase in customs duty on all used, imported vehicles by 10%, besides enhancing federal excise duty rates on cigarettes up to 7.5 per cent. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced these measures while addressing a news conference on

CRUCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Ghani to visit Pakistan next week ISLAMABAD: In a crucial development against the backdrop of recent hiccup in ties between the two neighbours, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced on Tuesday he will visit Pakistan next week. A Foreign Office statement conﬁrmed that the Afghan President and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will jointly inaugurate the regional conference on AfghaniJANUARY 1, 2016

Registration deadline for INGOs extended ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Tuesday announced extending the registration date for international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) till January 1, saying 129 INGOs could start working after a security clearance. “A meagre 19 INGOs working inside the country had a proper security clearance while 129 applications were received till November 30, the deadline earlier set for registration,” he said. “All INGOs working beyond the set date without a security clearance will have to leave the country,” added the interior minister. Regarding Dr Imran Farooq’s murder case, Nisar said the government had decided to register an FIR of the murder, reiterating those perpetrating the attack will be brought to justice. - Express Tribune

stan on December 9 in Islamabad. “I look forward to the visit of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to Islamabad, for jointly inaugurating the Heart of Asia meeting on December 9,” the Foreign Ofﬁce quoted the prime minister as saying. Further, Nawaz is reported to have said he is looking forward to discussions on the sidelines of the meeting on “how the two

Economists fear the mini-budget will fuel inflation, as duties have been levied on the total value of the goods which will also increase sales tax incidence

The move aims

countries and the US and China can work together to pick up the thread of the reconciliation process from where it was left off in July 2015.” On Monday, Nawaz met Ghani on the sidelines of the world climate summit in Paris. The leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to work together to revive stalled peace talks with Taliban insurgents. - Express Tribune

Monday. Out of the 350 items that saw up to 10 per cent increase in regulatory duties, as many as 183 are food items, which Dar termed ‘luxury goods’, saying the consumers must pay higher prices, “if they want to eat imported yogurt and cheese”. The most regressive measure was the 1 per cent additional duty on ﬁve existing customs tariff slabs, which will raise an extra Rs21 billion in revenues. As a result, 2 per cent, 5 per cent, 10 per cent, 15 per cent and 20 per cent tariff slabs rates have been increased by another 1 per cent, partially reversing tariff reforms the government was implementing under an IMF condition. Economists fear the minibudget will fuel inﬂation, as duties have been levied on the total value of the goods which will also increase sales tax incidence. The federal excise duty (FED) rate on cigarettes for high-tier cigarette has been increased

from Rs3,030 to Rs3,155 per one thousand sticks. The FED rate on low-tier cigarettes rates will go up from Rs1,320 to Rs1,420 per thousand. The government has also increased taxes on 1300cc imported second-hand cars by onetenth to $13,200; on 1500cc cars to $18,509; on 1600cc to $22,550; and on 1800cc to $27,900. The rates for cars over 1800cc have been increased by 10 per cent. After a Rs40 billion shortfall in tax collection during the July to September quarter, the IMF had given only one option to Pakistan – introduce additional taxes till November 30. The IMF is now expected to approve the 10th loan tranche of $504 million on December 15. The government used the ECC stamp to introduce the minibudget and avoided parliament. One of the reasons behind the shortfall in collection was setting an ‘unrealistic’ target. The consumers will now pay

the price of the ill-conceived strategy through their nose. Despite levying the additional taxes, the annual tax collection target of Rs3,104 billion remains uncertain. Although the Federal Board of Revenue posted an impressive 27 per cent growth in revenue collection in November, the collection will still be short of the monthly target of Rs233.6 billion by at least Rs8 billion. Dar said the ECC decided to extend the 0.3 per cent reduced rate of withholding tax on banking transactions by tax non-filers till December 31. In the budget, the government had introduced 0.6 per cent withholding tax to raise Rs38 billion, which it had to subsequently halve. The government has also extended the date of filing income tax returns by one month. On a question of introducing mini-budgets in the future, Dar said the government would try not to revise its Rs3,104 billion annual target downwards. As many as 61 items have been brought under the regulatory duty regime for the first time. The government levied 5 per cent to 10 per cent regulatory duties on these items including 20 food items to generate Rs4.5 billion additional revenue. What Dar termed luxury items are – poultry, fish, dry fruits, clothes, baby garments, tracksuits, handkerchiefs, ties, bed linens, footwear, diapers, video games and sanitary towels. These items are already subject to 20 per cent customs duties. - Express Tribune

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READERS’ FORUM Mwasalat bus service a great news for commuters The new Mwasalat buses have brought a great joy to the residents of Muscat. Travelling will become much more comfortable for people who don’t own vehicles. The taxi drivers used to charge hefty amounts from the commuters. It is good to hear that the buses are disabled-friendly, air conditioned and equipped with cameras. The buses stop at designated bus points also, which is the right way forward. The new year gift of Mwasalat will be added to the opening of the Al Amerat-Ruwi and Muscat-Ruwi routes. I congratulate the Oman government on this great initiative. Scan this QR code - Vivek Pai, Wadi Kabir to send letters to the Readers’ Forum, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi).

Nawaz Sharif must not take the challenge from opponents lightly

This refers to the Trending page article on Nawaz Sharif. The writer is totally wrong in suggesting that the Pakistan prime minister has regained his mojo. Imran Khan is still out there and likely to remain a headache. It will be unwise for Sharif to be complacent. Also, with PPP stalwart Amin Fahim’s death and his own acquittal in long running corruption cases, party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari seems to be a man on a mission. The days of a friendly opposition are likely to be over. Former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhary is set to launch his own political party with his vision for a presidential system. So Sharif needs to remain one step ahead. - Saleem Ahmad, Mabella

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This month’s monetarypolicy statement from the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) contained a striking statement: “If endogenous momentum is inadequate and returns on investment low, growth must rely on debt to a great extent.” bit.ly/chinamonetarypolicy

UAE National Day marks 44 years of great achievements

he United Arab Emirates commemorates its 44th National Day on December 2, one of the most important milestones in its history. This day embodies the Spirit of the Union and celebrates 44 years of great achievements since the federation was established in 1971. The celebration was first announced by the founder President of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his fellow founding fathers of the UAE Federation. The path they laid down is now followed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, who continues to lead the nation’s march to progress and prosperity. The incredible achievements of the UAE in recent years have been made possible due to the directives of the wise leadership, of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as well as His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and their fellow members of the Supreme Council and Rulers of the Emirates, who have consistently contributed to promoting and developing the country through knowledge and innovation. The UAE today ranks among the world’s leading destinations across several key indicators and has become a true role model for all countries around the world. The country enjoys a prestigious position in the Arab world and beyond due to its significant achievements in various fields and its strong presence in all political, diplomatic, economic and humanitarian arenas on regional and international levels. The UAE has always been dynamic and proactive in communicating with other countries and building bridges of close cooperation and strategic partnerships to lead the way in political, economic, commercial, industrial, technological, scientific, educational, health and other sectors. Despite the current situation in the region, the UAE has maintained steady growth. Exceptional strides have been made in infrastructure, energy, space, information technology, telecommunications and other vital areas in addition to sustainability, these having significantly contributed to modernising the UAE and enabling the country to achieve top international rankings across major competitive reports. The UAE has maintained its ranking as the leading Arab country for the third year in a row in the World Bank report on the Ease

of Doing Business in 2016. The UAE ranked 31st globally in the same report, and is among top five countries in the world regarding non-payment of taxes, which does not affect business, process of construction permits and electricity connectivity. The nation is also first in MENA and fourth globally in electricity connectivity. The UAE led the region, and was ranked among the top 10 countries in the world for the number of documented improvements by the World Bank during one year, in the delivery of electricity, construction permits, protecting investors and enforcing contracts. The UAE also enhanced protection of small investors by preventing any subsidiary from obtaining shares in parent company. It also initiated a rule that, in the case of acquisition of 50% or more of the company, the acquired party should receive approval from shareholders, a step considered by the report to be an enabling one that safeguards the interests of investors. The UAE was ranked the top Arab country for well-being and life satisfaction and fifth globally, according to the Legatum Prosperity Index 2014. The UAE has also maintained its presence on the ‘green list’, a classification of some 30 of the more prosperous countries across the world. The country has been ranked high on many global competitiveness indicators. According to a 2015 report by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, the country was ranked first among Arab countries in 10 out of a total of 15 global competitiveness reports, as well as first globally in the confidence indicator. For the third consecutive year, the UAE was ranked first regionally in global competitiveness and 12th globally according to the 2015 annual World Competitiveness Yearbook. It was also ranked first regionally among the countries of the MENA region and 12th globally in World Economic Forum’s Global Enabling Trade Report 2014. In addition, the country was ranked first globally in three global competitiveness indicators in the tourism sector alone. At the same time, the UAE was placed first among Arab countries and 23rd internationally in the Global Information Technology Report. The UAE also came first regionally and 54th globally in the Human Capital Report, while it was ranked first among Arab countries and 20th globally in the World Happiness Report. As for ease of doing business, the UAE came first in the Arab world and 30th globally. This is an abridged version. For the full-length article, please visit www. timesofoman.com or scan the QR code

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES DECEMBER 2000 Sultanate, Egypt discuss information cooperation MUSCAT: A session of talks was held at the Ministry of Information yesterday between the Sultanate and Egypt. The Omani side was headed by Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al Rowas, minister of information, while the Egyptian side was headed by Safwat Al Shareef, Egyptian information minister. At the onset of the session, Rowas welcomed the Egyptian minister stressing the depth of the brotherly ties binding the two countries and their peoples, on various ﬁelds including information cooperation between the two information ministries.

TODAY IN HISTORY INVITATION TO WRITERS

1914: Austrian troops occupy Belgrade, Serbia.. 1918: Armenia proclaims independence from Turkey.

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

1993: NASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavor on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. 1999: UK devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive, the administrative branch of the North Ireland legislature.

PICTOGRAPH ARTISTS PARTICIPATING IN FINE ART EXHIBITIONS IN THE SULTANATE 2012

1,314 Omanis 38 Expatriates 2013

1,327 55 2014

15,250

50 17,891

143

18,034 Total

Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information

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‘Faulty rudder system led to AirAsia crash’ Investigators didn’t pinpoint a single underlying reason why ﬂight QZ8501 disappeared from the radar, but set out a sequence spotlighting the faulty component, maintenance lapses

PINPOINTING THE SEQUENCE: Soerjanto Tjahjono, the head of Indonesia’s National Transportation

and Safety Committee, holds a model plane during a news conference to announce the NTSC’s ﬁndings in the investigation of the AirAsia QZ8501 crash, in Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday. – Reuters

and crew actions

JAKARTA: Chronic problems with a faulty rudder system and the way pilots tried to respond were major factors in the crash of an Indonesian AirAsia jet last year that killed all 162 people on board, investigators said on Tuesday. The Airbus A320 crashed into the Java Sea on December 28, less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore. In their first public report, Indonesian investigators did not pinpoint a single underlying reason why flight QZ8501 disappeared from the radar, but set out a sequence spotlighting the faulty component, maintenance lapses and crew actions. “There was a chain of events, starting with a broken (part), how it was handled and then after it was handled what the consequences were and how the pilot handled it. It’s difficult for me to say what the main cause was,” National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) investigator Nurcahyo Utomo said.

Bad weather did not play a role. The crash was part of a string of aviation disasters in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, where rapid growth in air travel has led to overcrowded airports and stirred safety concerns. The NTSC said a system controlling rudder movement on the plane had cracked soldering that had malfunctioned repeatedly, including four times during the ﬂight and 23 times over the previous year. Black box data Officials told reporters there were indications from the black box data recorder that crew had tried to shut off power to the computer that controls the rudder system by resetting a circuit breaker, something not usually done during ﬂight. They cautioned there was no proof of this but said they had recommended to Indonesia AirAsia and Airbus that they take steps to prevent pilots from “improvising” when faced with problems. “The thing we recommend is to please provide some procedure to prevent the pilots from improvis-

ing. Today maybe they improvise by pulling the circuit breaker, tomorrow they may do something else,” said Utomo. Investigators confirmed that to reach the circuit breaker, the captain would have had to leave his seat. In February, the NTSC said there was no evidence for a Reuters report that the captain had left his seat or that the power was reset. The temporary loss of power to the computer would have cancelled the autopilot and removed automated protections against an in-flight upset, handing manual control to the crew. “Subsequent flight crew action resulted in inability to control the aircraft,” the NTSC said in a statement. Flown by the French co-pilot, the plane reared higher and entered a stall, a state in which the aircraft loses lift. The captain was heard shouting “Pull Down,” a command that investigators called “confusing” as a clearer instruction to point the nose lower and avoid a stall would be “Push Down”. Instructors and automated

INVITING CRITICISM

Japan whaling fleet set to resume hunt for mammals SHIMONOSEKI: Japan’s whaling fleet set out for the Antarctic on Tuesday to resume a hunt for the mammals after a year-long hiatus, prompting criticism from Australia as well as key ally, the United States. Japan aims to take more than 300 whales before the hunt ends next year and nearly 4,000 over the next 12 years as part of a scientific programme to research the whales. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled last year that Japan’s whaling in the Southern Ocean should stop and an International Whaling Commission (IWC) panel said in April that Ja-

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pan had yet to demonstrate a need for killing whales. Minke whales But Tokyo retooled its plan for the 2015/16 season to cut the number of minke whales it intends to take to 333, down by two-thirds from previous hunts. “Last year, regrettably, the ICJ made its ruling and we were unable to take whales,” said Tomoaki Nakao, the mayor of

the western city of Shimonoseki that is home to the whaling fleet and part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s election district. “There’s nothing as happy as this day,” he told the fleet’s crew at a ceremony prior to their departure. Shortly before noon the ships sailed away under a clear blue sky, with family members and officials waving from the shore. The hunt is expected to last until March. Japan, which has long maintained that most whale species are not endangered and that eating whale is part of its food culture, began what it calls “scientific whaling” in 1987, a year after an international whaling moratorium took effect. — Reuters

avoidance systems use “Pull Up” to mean pulling the stick back, which can cause or deepen a stall. During this time, the rebooted computer was coming back to life and waiting for new instructions. “The computer was back on but it wasn’t functioning to control (the aircraft). If they’d wanted it to control again there’s a button that must be pushed. If your Blackberry dies, you pull out the battery. When it comes back on you have to enter your PIN,” Utomo said. The plane reached an altitude of 38,000 feet before falling at a maximum speed of 20,000 feet per minute. There were “about five minutes” from the time it stalled to the moment of impact. Reuters first reported in January that investigators were examining maintenance records of the flight computer and how the crew responded to any technical fault. The report is not intended to attribute blame and cannot be used in court but could influence a potential legal battle and sour relations between Airbus and its top Asian customer. — Reuters

PRESIDENTIAL POLLS

Philippine senator barred MANILA: A Philippine senator until now the favourite to succeed Benigno Aquino as president was barred on Tuesday from running. Three members of the second division of the Commission on Election (Comelec) said Grace Poe could not run for president in elections in May because she fails to meet the 10-year residency requirement. Poe, a naturalised

American, returned to the Philippines when her adoptive father, who ran for president and lost, died in late 2004. Six years later, she renounced her US citizenship when Aquino appointed her to a government post. “I am disappointed in the decision, but this is not the end of the process,” Poe said in a statement. — Reuters

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W EDN ESDAY, DECEMB ER 2, 20 1 5

WORLD

British Prime Minister David Cameron wants to launch the strikes as soon as possible against IS in Syria, convinced Britain can no longer “sub-contract” its security to other countries after the group said it was behind last month’s Paris attacks.

Russia set to freeze work on Turkish gas pipeline project Freezing work on the

Medvedev approves sanctions against Ankara

pipeline would have a more symbolic than practical effect because the project is already beset by delays and doubts over its viability

MOSCOW: Russia may freeze work on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project for several years in retaliation against Ankara for the shooting down of a Russian air force jet, two sources at Russian gas giant Gazprom told Reuters. The Kremlin has imposed trade sanctions on Turkey over the jet incident last week but so far the measures have not affected the Russian energy exports to Turkey that are the core of their economic relationship. Freezing work on the pipeline - intended to pump Russian gas, via Turkey, into southeastern Europe while bypassing Ukraine - would have a more symbolic than practical effect because the project is already beset by delays and doubts over its viability. Gas exports Any freeze would also not affect another Russian project to boost gas exports to the north of Europe. Gazprom is going ahead with plans to expand the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany despite resistance from several ex-communist states in eastern Europe. Gazprom sources said no decision had been taken inside the company about changes to the Turkish Stream schedule in re-

MOSCOW: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved a raft of sanctions against Turkey in retaliation for the downing of a Russian warplane, but the measures stuck largely to what Moscow had previously threatened and had several notable omissions. The order, published on the government’s official website on Tuesday, listed agricultural products that Russia would no longer import from Turkey from January 1, 2016 and formalised a ban on charter ﬂights to Turkey from December 1. But it did not target important energy projects such as the Turkish Stream gas pipeline or food stuffs such as lemons or nuts, most of which Russia imports from Turkey.

sponse to the row with Ankara, but said they were awaiting instructions from President Vladimir Putin. “We’re expecting that the head of state, in all likelihood, could declare a freezing of Turkish Stream, or at least some kind of timeout should be announced,” said one Gazprom source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. A second source in Gazprom, who also did not want to be identiﬁed, said: “We are still hoping that Turkish Stream will be pushed back by a few years, rather than completely cancelled.” Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said last month Turkish Stream could be among the projects affected by sanctions against Turkey, but he did not specify how.

Moscow says the aircraft was over Syria, where Russia is carrying out an air campaign backing Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in a four-yearold civil war. The government order also included a halt on the activity of an inter-governmental trade commission and restrictions on Turkish transport companies. The list of foods banned from next year included fruit and vegetables such as TURKISH PRODUCT: Marrows, imported from Turkey according tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, to labels and product information on the boxes, are on sale at a grapes, apricots and apples, as well as chicken products grocery of the food retailer Dixy in Moscow, Russia. –Reuters and salt. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Saturish border on November 24. Relations between Mosday the sanctions would be Turkish officials say the cow and Ankara have sharply imposed. Russian officials have plane violated Turkish air deteriorated since Turkey said they could be expanded if space after being repeatedly shot down the Russian ﬁghter necessary. — Reuters warned to change its course. bomber near the Syrian-Turk-

Gazprom is pursuing a strategy of diversifying the routes by which it supplies gas to Europe - its biggest export market - so that less of the gas passes through Ukraine. Disrupted transit In the past, rows between Moscow and Kiev have disrupted transit ﬂows through Ukraine to the European Union. Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year and a rebellion by pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine have made the relations more fraught, and added urgency to the search for an alternative. The project is to involve, initially, building a new gas pipeline under the Black Sea to Turkey, and in subsequent phases the construction of a further line from Turkey

to Greece, and then overland into southeastern Europe. Even before the row with Ankara, the project had been delayed and reduced in scale, leading some industry insiders to doubt if it would ever happen. In October, the completion date for the ﬁrst phase was pushed back from 2016 to 2017. Russia abandoned a previous attempt to build a new route to southern Europe after Bulgaria, where the pipeline was to have made landfall, pulled out under pressure from Brussels. In September, a group of European companies signed an agreement with Gazprom to expand its Nord Stream pipeline so that it can deliver increased volumes directly from Russia to Germany, also without pumping them

through Ukraine. Gazprom, E.ON, BASF /Wintershall, OMV, ENGIE and Royal Dutch Shell form the new consortium for the project, which is called Nord Stream II and aims to double the route’s annual capacity to about 100 billion cubic metres of gas. The new pipelines are due to start transporting gas by the end of 2019, according to the consortium. The plan has met opposition from the US government and some eastern European countries, which say it allows the Kremlin to squeeze Ukraine out from its role as a transit country. The proWestern government in Kiev, in power since street protests overthrew a Moscow-friendly president last year, earns signiﬁcant revenues from transit fees. — Reuters

JET DOWNING

Obama urges Turkey to reduce tensions with Russia PARIS: US President Barack Obama urged Turkey on Tuesday to reduce tensions with Russia that are hampering efforts to fight IS militants in Syria and stressed that US support for its NATO ally’s security remained steadfast. Obama met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Paris, where they have been attending an international climate summit, a week after Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane along the Syrian border. “The United States supports Turkey’s right to defend itself and its airspace and its territory,” Obama said. “We discussed how Turkey and Russia can work together to de-escalate tensions and find a diplomatic path to resolve this issue.” Obama told Erdogan that the IS militant group, also known as ISIL, was the entity that all sides needed to pursue, echoing a message he delivered to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Paris on Monday. “We all have a common enemy, and that is IS, and I want to make sure that we focus on that threat,” Obama said. Tensions Tensions between Russia and Turkey have complicated US efforts to prod Moscow into steering its military might towards IS rather than the moderate Syrian opposition. The downed plane incident has been further exacerbated by the strong personalities of the Russian and Turkish leaders. Obama’s relationship with Putin is tense but direct. His relationship with Erdogan, whom he referred to by first name, is also not close, though the two men are in contact frequently. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called for the opening of communication channels between Turkey and Russia to prevent further incidents like the downing of the warplane. — Reuters

M O T I O N I N PA R L I A M E N T

‘UK government united on Syria strikes’ LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday his government had unanimously agreed a motion on air strikes against militants in Syria, portraying the ruling party as united on an issue that has split the Labour opposition. Cameron wants to launch the strikes as soon as possible against IS in Syria, convinced Britain can no longer “sub-contract” its security to other countries after the group said it was behind last month’s Paris attacks. But his push to win approval for the action in the House of Commons on Wednesday, avoiding a repeat of a damaging defeat in 2013 on a motion to strike Syria, has deepened divisions in the Labour Party. New Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Cameron of rushing to war, and appealed to those Labour lawmakers who favour the motion to “think again... and please cast your vote against supporting this government’s military endeavours in Syria”. Cameron said his cabinet had agreed the motion on extending air strikes to Syria from Iraq, where British warplanes have been bombing targets since September 30 last year. “That motion talked about, yes, the necessity of taking military action against IS in Syria as well as in Iraq but it is part of a broader strategy,” he said in a televised statement, adding that the debate in parliament would be thorough and would last 10-1/2 hours. Asked about the prospects

German cabinet approves campaign against IS BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet approved plans on Tuesday for Germany to join the military campaign against IS militants in Syria, a big step for the country, which had long resisted a direct role in the conﬂict. In response to an appeal from France after the November 13 attacks in Paris which killed 130 people, Merkel’s government agreed to send Tornado reconnaissance jets, refuelling aircraft, a frigate to protect a French aircraft carrier, and up to 1,200 soldiers to the region. Germany will not join

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for winning a majority, he said: “Let’s wait and see.” Cameron is all but assured of winning parliamentary approval after Corbyn said he would allow his lawmakers to vote according to

France, the United States and Russia in conducting air strikes in Syria, but the move is significant given the country’s post-war history of avoiding foreign military entanglements and voter misgivings about getting involved in the conflict in the Middle East. A letter from the foreign and defence ministries said the deployment was aimed at preventing “terrorist acts” by IS and supporting France and other partners in their fight against the extremist group, which has taken large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq. Defence Minister Ur-

their conscience on Wednesday -breaking with a tradition for leaders to instruct lawmakers how to vote on big decisions. Media reports say about 50 Labour members of parliament (MPs) will vote with the government, although their leader, a veteran anti-war campaigner, hoped he could still persuade them to change their minds. Corbyn argued that Cameron’s case did not meet his party’s de-

sula von der Leyen sought to reassure voters, saying that Germany had not been drawn into war against its will but taken a conscious decision to get involved. She also made clear that there would be no cooperation between German forces and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad or his troops. “The top line is: there will be no cooperation with Assad and no cooperation with troops under his command,” she said, though she did not rule out including supporters of Assad in a long-term solution for the country. — Reuters

mands. “I am saying to every MP, you’ve got to make up your own mind... on whether we should commit British troops into yet another war in the Middle East with no endgame in sight,” he told BBC Radio Two. Many Britons are wary of entering into more military action in the Middle East after Western intervention in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan failed to bring stability and, some believe, led to the rise of militant groups such as IS. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015

S P O R S

G R E AT M I S TA K E

Third umpire made wrong call in Adelaide Test: ICC DUBAI: Third umpire Nigel Llong made an incorrect call after using video technology to review an appeal during the daynight Test between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday. Australia’s Nathan Lyon was given not out by the on-field umpire when the ball was caught at slip after he attempted to sweep spinner Mitchell Santner. New Zealand reviewed the decision. Although “Hot Spot” showed the ball did hit Lyon’s bat, “Snicko”, a different form of technology, did not detect any contact and Llong upheld the original decision.“ICC has reviewed the decision and acknowledged that it was incorrect,” the ICC said on Twitter. “ICC confirms the umpire followed the correct protocol, but made an incorrect judgement.” Lyon, on nought at the time, went on to score 34 and help Australia recover from 118 for eight to secure a first-innings lead of 22 which proved crucial in a game the hosts won. - Reuters

South Africa hope Delhi Test will last more than three days Poor technique, not pitches ‘responsible’ for Proteas’ loss

South Africa were naturally eager to have a look at the pitch to be used for the ﬁnal Test starting on Thursday and assistant coach Adrian Birell was hopeful it would last longer

NEW DELHI: The 22-yard wicket at Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium filled the beleaguered South African team with optimism on Tuesday that the fourth and final Test against India will buck the trend and last more than three days. South Africa kicked off their longest tour of India by winning the Twenty20 and one-day series before the hosts rolled out turning pitches and unleashed their formidable phalanx of skilful spinners to turn the tables in the Test matches. The world’s top-ranked Test team were beaten inside three days in Mohali and Nagpur while India also dominated what little play was possible in the rain-ruined match in Bangalore. The visitors were naturally eager to have a look at the pitch to be used for the final Test starting on Thursday and assistant coach Adrian Birell was hopeful it would last longer. “We are playing in India so we

TACTICAL DISCUSSION: South Africa’s captain Hashim Amla, right, talks with teammate Faf du Plessis while waiting for their turn to bat in the nets. – AFP

expect the pitches to turn. This one looks like it will go more than three days,” Birell told reporters after the team’s practice session. South Africa lost all 20 wickets in Nagpur to the Indian tweakers, with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claiming 12. Birell said he and spin bowling consultant Claude Henderson were helping the batsmen prepare better for the likes of Ashwin and leggie Amit Mishra. “We are trying to do very speciﬁc training. We take the stumps and put it behind and use the rough there to try and simulate maybe what we’re going to get in the match,” he

said. “I’m an old leg-spinner and I bowl from a very shortened run-up and bowl from about 15 yards, try and simulate Mishra. I’m not even close, but we try. “And we got others guys that throw off-spinners and try and simulate Ashwin. We’re doing what we can to try and prepare as specific as possible. Unfortunately, we’re not as good as Ashwin.” South Africa have missed Dale Steyn, nursing a groin injury, after the first Test in Mohali and Birrell said the pace bowler will undergo a fitness Test on Wednesday before a call is made on his participation in the final match.- Reuters

NEW DELHI: Brushing aside the controversies over the nature of the pitches during the ongoing Test series against South Africa, India leg-spinner Amit Mishra said on Tuesday that poor batting technique is more responsible for bowlers’ domination. The pitches during the series have been spinners’ paradise with the ﬁrst and third Tests at Mohali and Nagpur respectively being decided within three days. Even the second Test in Bengaluru saw 12 wickets fall on the opening day before heavy rain forced the match to be abandoned. “There was a lot of turn in the wickets, but the low scores were more due to lack of technique from the South African batsmen. Many of the dismissals were due to poor judgement of edges resulting from a lack of proper application,” Mishra told reporters here on Tuesday. The 33-year-old pointed out that since Indians have to deal with fast and bouncy tracks during foreign tours, visiting teams have to cope with the unique conditions in the subcontinent. “Visiting teams have to adjust to the conditions of the country they are playing in. When we travel outside the sub-continent, we have to adjust to the pace and bounce.

SUPPORT FROM BOARD

SQUAD

McCullum gets backing after Cairns verdict WELLINGTON: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have promised to support Brendon McCullum after former Test all-rounder Chris Cairns was acquitted of perjury in London despite evidence given against him by the Black Caps captain. Cairns had been accused of falsely claiming he had never cheated at cricket when he won £90,000 ($135,531) in damages from Lalit Modi, the former boss of the Indian Premier League, in a libel action three years ago. McCullum was one of two former teammates, along with self-confessed matchfixer Lou Vincent, who gave key evidence against Cairns in the trial, accusing his predecessor as Test skipper of twice asking him to fix matches. On Monday, however, Cairns was found not guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice, ending what the 45-year-old described as “five years of hell”. “Brendon is an employee of ours, so we’ve got a duty of care around him that makes sure he’s in a safe working environment and free of harassment and all that humiliation stuff,” NZC chairman Stuart Heal told the New Zealand Herald. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, but of course we will support Brendon. As I say, he’s our current

So when other teams visit us, they should adjust to Indian conditions. It is all about adaptability,” Mishra said. “It is a given that there will be more turn on offer when teams come to India. Batsmen need to do their homework and improve their technique on pitches that offer turn. I believe they are under a lot of pressure because we have not given them boundary balls,” he added. Mishra also lamented the fact that the focus on the pitches has undermined the performance of the Indian spinners. The Indian spin trio consisting of Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have clinched 47 of the 50 South African wickets to fall so far in the series. Ashwin is the most successful bowler in the series with 24 wickets. Jadeja has 16 scalps to his name while Mishra has seven. “We have not been given due credit, with so much talk about the pitch. Our achievements should have been highlighted more and talked about. Our home conditions have been like this for the last 15 years and it is not from today. When we went to Sri Lanka, we got turning tracks there and bowled well,” Mishra said. — IANS

Santner retains spot in squad WELLINGTON: Spinbowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner has been retained in New Zealand’s 12-man squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka after an impressive debut in the third and ﬁnal Test against Australia. “The level of composure Mitchell showed on debut was very impressive and he certainly displayed how exciting a player he is with both

captain and an employee of New Zealand Cricket. “We need him on the park leading our side and doing what he does best.” The International Cricket Council (ICC) acknowledged the verdict in the perjury trial in a brief statement. “The ICC notes the decision of the jury ﬁnding Mr Chris Cairns not guilty and conﬁrms its utmost respect for the process that has been followed,” it read. “The ICC and its (Anti-Corrup-

the bat and ball,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said. “His ability to bat in the top six and bowl good overs gives us options. We’re looking forward to watching Mitchell’s continued development.” New Zealand host Sri Lanka in the ﬁrst Test in Dunedin from December 10, with the second in Hamilton on December 18. All 12 of the squad toured Australia. - Reuters

tion Unit) will continue to work closely with and provide all possible support to players in order that the ﬁght against corruption can be tackled effectively and collectively.” Nothing sinister Cairns acknowledged both meetings with McCullum, one in England and one in India, had taken place but said there was nothing sinister about them. “I think overall, Brendon’s in-

terpretation of what happened in 2008 has just changed. Why that is, I can’t answer for Brendon,” Cairns told Fox Sports TV in an interview in London on Monday. “I suppose questions will be asked of Brendon as to why he did that.” McCullum has come under ﬁre for taking three years to report the alleged approaches by Cairns. “I think it’s really important that we understand (he) came forward for the right reasons,” Heal added. “I think with Brendon, he said — didn’t he — in the trial that he delayed his report on the basis that he was reluctant to incriminate a friend. And I think what was happening in 2008 and now, today — it is a different environment.” Indian Modi acknowledged Cairns’ acquittal on Twitter, the same platform he used to allege the New Zealander had been involved in match-ﬁxing in 2010, prompting the libel trial. “I am aware of the verdict at Southwark Crown Court,” Modi tweeted from London. “As you know I am limited in what I can say as I am restricted by the injunction put in place following the 2012 libel trial. I will consider how this affects my own civil claim against Mr Cairns in due course.” - Reuters

Coulter-Nile gets call after Starc injury ADELAIDE: Australia called up uncapped paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile for the ﬁrst Test against West Indies on Tuesday as a replacement for left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc, who was ruled out of the series due to a broken foot. The 28-year-old Western Australian comes into the 12man squad for ﬁrst of three Tests in the series against the Caribbean Islanders, which starts at Bellerive Oval Hobart a week on Thursday. Coulter-Nile, who has played 13 One-day Internationals and 11 Twenty20s for Australia, is short on match practice after being suspended from his most recent Sheffield Shield outing for showing dissent to an umpire. Right-armer Coulter-Nile’s best chance of a start in Hobart is if Australia decide to rest Hazlewood, who played all three Tests against New Zealand. The squad: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Joe Burns, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Peter Nevill (wicketkeeper), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Nathan Lyon. - Reuters

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SPORTS Chennaiyin maul Mumbai City to keep semifinal hopes alive Goals from Stiven Mendoza, Jeje and Mendy guided the Chennai team to comfortable victory in their last home match of the season

CHENNAI: Riding on a splendid performance, hosts Chennaiyin FC moved a step closer to cement their semiﬁnals spot as they thrashed hapless Mumbai City FC 3-0 in the Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Jawaharlal

Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday. Goals each from Stiven Mendoza (9th minute), Jeje Lalpekhlua (17th), Bernard Mendy (45th) guided the hosts to comfortable victory in their last home match of the season. With their win, Chennaiyin climb to fourth spot with 19 points from 13 games, having won six, lost six and drawn one. On the other hand, after a poor run in this season, Mumbai’s dream of making it to the play-offs were shattered after they were beaten in all the departments of the game. The visitors ﬁnd themselves

struggling in the seventh position with 13 points from 13 games, having lost six, won three and drawn four. For the crucial match, Marco Materazzi-managed side made two changes. Mailson Alves made way for Alessandro Potenza who returns after serving a one match suspension, while suspended Harmanjot Khabra was replacement by Zakeer Mundampara. Nicolas Anelka-managed Mumbai made four changes: Rowilson Rodrigues, Darren O’Dea, Frederic Piquionne and Ashutosh Mehta were included in the starting XI

in place of Aitor Fernindez Lopez, Pavel Cmovs, Saran Singh and Subash Singh. It was a one-sided encounter right from the word go, as the hosts took on the initiative to play aggressively and move as close as possible in their opposition box. Colombian footballer Mendoza who is now the season’s top scorer with 11 goals helped side get the ﬁrst lead within 10 minutes of play. Much to surprise of the visitors, Mendoza was put through on goal with a wonderfully pass by Mundampara. The Colombian made

no mistakes from the 6-yard box, slotting the ball past Mumbai goalkeeper Subrata Paul into the bottom left corner with ease to give his team the lead. Just eight minutes after taking the lead, the hosts doubled it to make it even more difficult for Mumbai to stage a comeback. Thoi Singh knocked the ball forward from inside the box and it looked like the ball was heading straight to the keeper. Jeje reacted the earliest to tap it past Paul to make it 2-0 for the hosts. From there on, Chennaiyin nev-

er looked back as they pressed even more into Mumbai box to create more chances. Mumbai however failed to sneak through the defence of the hosts as some easy chances went past the visitors at ease. To make it impossible for Mumbai to even think of staging a comeback, Chennaiyin scored their third of the night to ensure Mumbai had no chance to qualify for semifinals. Skipper Mendy made a good run and was found by Thoi Singh. The French footballer was through one-on-one with the Paul and delightfully chipped the ball over the keeper to find the back of the net in a classy finish from the defender to make it 3-0. Chennaiyin next travel to face FC Pune City in their last league match of the season on December 5 while Mumbai will play for pride against defending champions Atletico de Kolkata in an away match on December 4. - IANS

TENNIS

Talking to LTA about future a waste of time, says Murray

HISTORY MAKERS: Britain’s Davis Cup winning team members,

from left, Andy Murray, James Ward, Dominic Inglot, captain Leon Smith, Kyle Edmund and Jamie Murray pose on the doorstep of No. 10, Downing Street with British Prime Minister David Cameron in central London on Tuesday. – AFP

LONDON: Andy Murray, who put Britain on top of the tennis world with victory in the Davis Cup at the weekend, says he has given up talking to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) about the future of the game back home as it is a waste of time. The 28-year-old inspired Britain to the Davis Cup title for the ﬁrst time in 79 years with their victory over Belgium in Ghent, but Murray, who clinched the ﬁnal point on Sunday, said not enough was being down to nurture fresh talent. “Nothing ever gets done. So I don’t want to waste my time talking about stuff. I don’t speak to any of the people who are in a high-up position about that,” Murray told reporters on Monday. “I don’t know where the next generation are. It is a shame because, regardless of whether or not we had a load of players at the top of the professional game, the juniors were never a problem before. “We used to have junior No.1s,

and juniors competing for Grand Slams on the guys’ and the girls’ side. It was just that bringing them on to become the best seniors was something we weren’t so good at. “It’s concerning not to have any juniors in the Grand Slams because that is something we were always very good at. It’s not ideal.” Murray also complained about a lack of practice partners when he returned home to train at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton. “There is nobody to train with when I am at home, nobody to practise with anymore, which makes things frustrating,” Murray said. “You want to have the best possible practice and training to prepare for the biggest events and we don’t have that anymore. “There was not one person using any of the indoor courts and not one person in the gym. I took photos of it because the place cost like 40 million pounds ($60.38 million) and there are no people.” - Reuters

CRICKET

ICC to review ‘poor’ Nagpur Test pitch DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that the pitch for the third Test between India and South Africa in Nagpur was “poor” and has in turn triggered a review of the performance of the pitch under the ICC’s pitch monitoring process. “In accordance with Clause 3 of the process, ICC match referee Jeff Crowe submitted his report to the ICC expressing the concerns of the match officials over the performance of the pitch. This report has been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which now has 14 days to provide its response,” the ICC said in a release on Tuesday. After the BCCI comes up with a response, ICC general manager Geoff Allardice, and the chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle

will evaluate the evidence by watching video footage of the game and then come to a conclusion on the quality of the pitch. If it is found to have been unﬁt to play on, the duo will also decide if a penalty should be imposed. “The ICC will make no further comments until Mr Allardice and Mr Madugalle have reached their decision,” the release added. The Nagpur Test was played from November 25 to 27 in which India scored 215 and 173, while South Africa could only manage 79 and 185. The pitch at the Vidarba Cricket Association Stadium was a rank turner which saw prodigious turn and unpredictable bounce from the very ﬁrst day. Batsmen on both sides struggled to deal with the difficult conditions with the match coming to an end within three days. - IANS

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2015

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Oman Crude............. (Spot) ......... $41.57 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) .........$41.32 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$42.84 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) .........$40.15 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ........$44.40 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) .........$41.64

* Rates are as of Dec. 1 Source: Bank Muscat

* Rates as of Dec. 1 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

New mining law to boost investments Public Authority for Mining has already drafted the law and sent it to concerned government ministries to review it, said a senior ministry official

A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman’s new mining law, which was recently drafted by the Public Authority for Mining and is awaiting approval from the relevant ministries, will help attract investment and develop the sector to enhance its contribution in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). “The Public Authority for Mining has already drafted the law

New law will be more flexible, more easy and transparent and there is (going to be) more control in terms of processing Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb Undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and sent it to the concerned government ministries to review it,” Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, told journalists, on the sidelines of the Oman Mineral and Mining Exhibition and Conference on Tuesday. The draft law is currently with the Ministry of Justice for review and approval. He said the new law would be more ﬂexible, more easy and transparent. “There is (going to

OIL SUPPLIES

M A N U FA C T U R I N G

Rebound in Iraqi crude production aids growth in Opec supplies VIENNA: Opec oil output has risen in November from the previous month, a Reuters survey found on Monday, led by a rebound in Iraqi exports after bad weather had temporarily halted supply growth from the group’s second-largest producer. The increase indicates the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) is again pumping close to a record high as Saudi Arabia and other big producers focus on market share. Opec meets this week to review the policy, with no change expected. Opec supply has risen in November to 31.77 million barrels per day (bpd) from 31.64 million in October, according to the survey, based on shipping data and information from sources at oil companies, Opec and consultants. Opec meeting on Friday The Opec meeting on Friday comes almost a year after its historic decision, led by Saudi Arabia, to refuse to prop up prices. Oil has more than halved in 18 months due to persistent oversupply, but even those in Opec who want a change in approach do not expect one. “I am seeing that Saudi Arabia will not change its position,” said an Opec delegate from a non-Gulf country which favours supply restraint. “No favourable outcome will be reached at the next meeting.” Boosted production Opec has boosted production by about 1.50 million bpd since its November 2014 policy shift. Output is not far below July’s 31.88 million bpd, the highest since Reuters records began in 1997. The biggest monthly rise in output has come from Iraq, the world’s fastest growing source of supply growth this year. Ex-

be) more control in terms of processing.” Al Dheeb said the Public Authority for Mining is formulating a mineral strategy to enhance the sector’s contribution to GDP. Addressing the conference, Dr Ali Alrajhi, assistant general manager at the Public Authority for Mining, said the authority has four major focus areas—legislation, organisational structure, investment and local community—while developing the sector. “We have almost ﬁnished the framework

ports from Iraq’s main outlet, its southern terminals, have risen in November to at least 3.06 million bpd and could top that and set a record if tankers currently waiting depart before Tuesday, according to loading data and industry sources. Exports from Iraq’s north by the Kurdistan Regional Government via Ceyhan in Turkey have edged lower, while those by Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation have remained zero for a second month, the survey found. Data from Iraq’s oil ministry showed oil exports rose to a decades-high average of 3.37 million bpd in November, with output at 3.66 million bpd. More crude abroad An increase has also come from Saudi Arabia, sources in the survey said, as the kingdom sent more crude abroad and used more in refineries, outweighing a seasonal drop in usage in domestic power plants. “November exports and refinery runs are up compared to October by more than direct burn was down,” said one of the sources who tracks Saudi output. “So, supply to the market is up in November.” Saudi output, at 10.25 million bpd in this survey, is not far from the record high of 10.56 million bpd it pumped in June. Output declined in Opec’s two West African producers, Angola and Nigeria, the survey found. Libyan output, which was already at a fraction of the pre-conflict rate, edged lower in November. Supply from Iran, Opec’s second-largest producer until sanctions forced a cut in exports in 2012, stayed flat in November, the survey found. A lifting of sanctions on Iran has the potential to boost Opec output further in 2016. — Reuters

Asia’s factory production still ‘struggling’ JAKARTA: Factory activity deteriorated across much of Asia in November, with China sinking to a three-year low, as policymakers braced for an expected rise in US interest rates later this month that could jolt the global economy. Business surveys showed few signs of vigour across the trade-reliant region apart from Japan, with sluggish demand at home and abroad forcing manufacturers from China to Indonesia to throttle back production, cut selling prices and shed more jobs. “Asia’s economy looks decidedly wobbly going into yearend. Exports continue to struggle amid sluggish demand in the West and other emerging markets,” said HSBC economist Frederic Neumann. “A Fed rate hike would represent a further pinch. With growth having been highly credit dependent in recent years, higher interest rates in the US will inevitable add to the region’s challenges.” Global policymakers and investors are bracing themselves for the ﬁrst hike in US rates since 2006, which most analysts see coming at the Federal Reserve’s December 15-16 meeting. After many months of speculation, a rate increase might remove some of the uncertainty that has caused large swings in emerging-market currencies and stock markets. But Asian exporters will be on edge, hoping rising US rates at a time of global weakness will not backﬁre and stunt demand in one of their biggest markets. “Industrialised Asia is still feeling the hurt from reduced external demand,” said Barclay’s economist Wai Ho Leong. “The US is providing some year-end festive lift but these economies are saddled with high inventories which take time to clear.” Similar business surveys will be released later in the day for Europe and the US. — Reuters

of the strategy,” noted Alrajhi. He also said that Oman has the potential for viable metallic and nonmetallic mineral deposits for development. The newly established authority is focusing on exporting processed minerals, rather than raw minerals to enhance value addition. MowafaTaib, mineral industry expert, US Geological Survey, said mineral production would increase substantially in the next ﬁve years as a result of several expansion projects. Taib said the non-oil sector had contributed 18 per cent of the Sultanate’s GDP in 2014 and the mining sector alone contributed two per cent of the GDP in 2013. Taib added that Oman had witnessed strong growth in industrial minerals, especially in the last decade. Gypsum production had surged ahead by six times between 2010 and 2014, while limestone output had soared from 4.6 million tonnes to 8.7 million tonnes per year during the period. Cement and marble production had also risen in the last ﬁve years. Taib noted that Oman is a leading producer of chromite and that the country is the second leading producer of gypsum, after Iran, in the region, according to 2014 data.

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......13.30 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ........... 128.00 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ..............121.25 * Rates as of Dec. 1 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA

India’s central bank keeps key interest rate unchanged MUMBAI: India’s central bank left interest rates unchanged after four cuts this year to meet inflation targets that are starting to look more vulnerable. Central bank governor Raghuram Rajan kept the benchmark repurchase rate at 6.75 per cent, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in a statement in Mumbai on Tuesday. The move was predicted by all 47 economists in a Bloomberg survey. “The Reserve Bank will use the space for further accommodation, when available, while keeping the economy anchored to the projected disinflation path that should take inflation down to five per cent by March 2017,” Rajan said. Rajan, who took advantage of a commodity slump to slash one of Asia’s highest borrowing costs, now has to contend with rising food prices that are fanning inflationary pressures. An anticipated increase in US interest rates this month also risks triggering capital outflows. “There are three events which the RBI will wait for before moving,” said Sujan Hajra, a Mumbaibased economist at Anand Rathi Financial Services. “The mon-

etary policy stance of the Fed, what’s happening to the budget and the impact of the pay commission on inflation. Pending this, we don’t expect RBI to do anything in the next two-three months,” he further added. Consumer-price gains accelerated to five per cent in October led by a surge in food items such as lentils, matching Rajan’s target for March 2017. Such spikes have contributed to pushing up inflation expectations, a key obstacle in the fight to bring the gauge toward four per cent a year later. India’s rupee and stocks pared gains. The currency weakened to 66.5275 a dollar as of 11:45am in Mumbai from 66.4350 before the decision and the S&P BSE Sensex Index was 0.2 per cent higher. The yield on the benchmark 10-year note was at 7.75 per cent. RBI will pay close attention to food and oil prices while tracking inflationary expectations and external developments. Inflation is expected to accelerate until December before plateauing, he said, adding that government measures are needed to maintain food supplies if crops suffer due to poor rainfall. — Bloomberg News

W EDN ESDAY, DECEMB ER 2, 20 1 5

MARKET MSM index recovers

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................5,569.31 ...............5,547.88 .................... 5,557.73 ................... 5,547.85....................9.88 ................... 0.18 Financial Index .....................................6,712.62 ...............6,651.57 ....................6,695.31 ................... 6,645.79................. 49.52 ................... 0.75 Industrial Index ....................................6,899.67 .............. 6,874.90 ................... 6,893.06 ................... 6,875.87.................. 17.19 ...................0.25 Services Index .......................................3,142.67 ...............3,130.56 ................... 3,134.36 ................... 3,130.56....................3.80 ................... 0.12 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................876.49 .................. 872.81 .......................876.45 ...................... 872.79....................3.66 ...................0.42 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 20,886,141 ................. 4,216,299 .................. 1,112 ............... 14,685,836,188 ................25 ........................5 ..................... 9 ..........................39

As many as 1,112 trades were executed on Tuesday, generating a turnover of OMR4.2m

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1

on a volume of 20.8m shares ISIN ......................................SECURITY NAME ..................................................................VOLUME..... TURNOVER............TRADES ......OPEN PRICE......HIGH ............. LOW ........ CLOSE PR. ...PREV. CLOSE...DIFF (RO).........DIFF % .............LAST PR.....LAST BID .............LAST OFFER ........MARKET CAP.PAR VALUE

MUSCAT: Supported by local buying, the local bourse witnessed the end to the longest losing streak of Omani stocks and the MSM30 index closed marginally up by 0.18 per cent at 5,557.73 points. The Sharia Index gained 0.42 per cent to close at 876.45 points. Bank Nizwa was the most active in terms of volume while Bank Muscat led in terms of turnover. Construction Materials, up by 10 per cent, was the top gainer on Tuesday, while BankDhofar, down by 2.24 per cent, was the top loser. As many as 1,112 trades were executed on Tuesday, generating turnover of OMR4.2 million with 20.8 million shares changing hands. Out of 39 traded securities, 25 advanced, ﬁve declined and 9 remained unchanged. Omani investors remained net buyers for OMR1.19 million followed by GCC and Arab investors for OMR170,000 while foreign investors were net sellers for OMR1.37 million worth of shares. Financial Index recovered 0.75 per cent to close at 6,695.31 points. Gulf Investment Services, Al Anwar Holding, Al Sharqia Investments, Al Izz Bank and Bank Nizwa gained by 6.82 per cent, 5.03 per cent, 5 per cent, 4.55 per cent and 4.17 per cent, respectively. BankDhofar and Global Financial Investment declined by 2.24 per cent and 0.96 per cent, respectively. Industrial Index advanced by 0.25 per cent to ﬁnish at 6,893.06 points. Construction Materials, Oman Fisheries, Oman Textiles, Galfar Engineering and Al Maha Ceramics increased by 10 per cent, 8 per cent, 2.76 per cent, 2.70 per cent and 2.45 per cent, respectively. Al Jazeera Steel declined by 1.54 per cent to close at OMR0.128. Services Index ended the session at 3,134.36 points, up by 0.12

per cent. Port Services, OIFC, Phoenix Power, Renaissance Services and Al Jazeera Services gained by 7.09 per cent, 2.47 per cent, 2.13 per cent, 1.85 per cent and 1.16 per cent, respectively. Both Al Suwadi Power and Al Batinah Power declined by 1.47 per cent each.

REGULAR MARKET ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ..........................17,770 ...............2,409........................6 ............0.135 ........... 0.136 ...........0.135 ............0.136 ............. 0.127............ 0.009............. 7.087 ................0.135 ..............0.132...................0.135 ...................12,925,440 .........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ...........................27,500 ...............2,585........................4 ........... 0.094 ...........0.096 ...........0.093........... 0.094 .............0.088 ........... 0.006............. 6.818 ................0.094..............0.094...................0.095.................... 5,531,262 ..........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 2,525,407..... 422,380...................142 ............0.162 ........... 0.170 ...........0.161 ............0.167 ............. 0.159............ 0.008............. 5.031 ................0.168 ..............0.169...................0.170...................25,062,525.........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 267,750.............28,114......................12 ............0.105 ........... 0.105 ...........0.105 ........... 0.105 .............0.100 ........... 0.005.............5.000 ................0.105 ..............0.103...................0.105....................9,450,000 ..........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 127,700 ...............9,697......................17 ........... 0.077 ........... 0.077 ...........0.075........... 0.076 .............0.074 ........... 0.002............. 2.703 ................0.076..............0.075...................0.076...................22,038,528.........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 121,140 ............... 9,691........................7 ........... 0.080 ...........0.080 ...........0.080........... 0.080 .............0.078 ........... 0.002.............2.564 ................0.080..............0.082...................0.083...................14,000,000.........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 216,156 ............ 35,990......................15 ............0.165 ........... 0.169 ...........0.165 ............0.166 .............0.162............ 0.004............. 2.469 ................0.168 ..............0.168...................0.169...................33,200,000 ........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS .................................................. 10,965 ...............4,578..................... 10 ............0.410 ...........0.420 ...........0.410............0.418 .............0.408 ............0.010 ............. 2.451 ................0.418 .............. 0.418...................0.428 ..................21,945,000.........0.100 OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING .........................17,700 ...............1,624........................5 ........... 0.094 ...........0.094 ...........0.091 ........... 0.092 .............0.090 ........... 0.002.............2.222 ................0.093..............0.091...................0.093....................2,760,000 ..........0.100

Qatar stocks jump Qatar stocks rose the most in the world as investors speculated on Monday’s selloff was overdone. The QE Index closed 4.4 per cent higher in Doha, the biggest increase in almost a year, as 687 million riyals ($189 million) worth of shares traded. That’s more than double the market’s daily average in the last three months. Qatar National Bank’s 5 per cent increase was the biggest contributor to gains. The lender accounts for about 15 per cent of the nation’s benchmark stock gauge. The rally reversed losses from Monday’s selloff, which was spurred by MSCI Inc.’s decision to cut Qatari companies’ weighting in its emerging-markets index. The re-balancing came as trading volumes had slumped amid an equity selloff across the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council as the price of Brent crude sank. Governments in the region rely on income from energy to fund public spending, one of the biggest drivers of economic growth. “What happened yesterday was that traders re-balanced their weightings in certain stocks due to MSCI’s changes,” Montasser Kheliﬁ, a Dubai-based director of advisory at Quantum Investment Bank Ltd., said by telephone. “This created a good entry point for investors into companies such as QNB, because the selloff was due to technical reasons and not because of the companies’ fundamentals.”

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 632,233 .........104,224..................... 48 ............0.165 ........... 0.166 ...........0.164............0.165 .............0.162............ 0.003............. 1.852 ................0.165 ..............0.164...................0.165 ................... 47,957,418 .........0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE .......................................................26,250 ...............2,953........................6 ............0.111 ........... 0.113............ 0.111 ............0.112 ............. 0.110............ 0.002..............1.818.................0.113 .............. 0.112................... 0.114 ...................34,805,673.........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT .................................... 80,000 ...............4,569........................5 ........... 0.058 ...........0.058 ...........0.057........... 0.057 .............0.056 ............0.001 ............. 1.786.................0.057..............0.056...................0.059................... 11,807,629 .........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 689,549 ..........196,521......................31 ........... 0.285 ...........0.285 ...........0.285........... 0.285 .............0.281............ 0.004............. 1.423 ................0.285..............0.282...................0.285..................382,102,421........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 721,489 .........252,559......................41 ........... 0.348 ...........0.352 ...........0.348........... 0.350 .............0.346 ........... 0.004..............1.156.................0.348..............0.342...................0.348 ..................21,421,496 .........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 199,286 ..........307,785..................... 55 ............1.540 ........... 1.550 ...........1.540............1.545 ............. 1.535.............0.010 ............. 0.651 ................1.550 .............. 1.545...................1.550................ 1,158,750,000 ......0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 1,957,434 ......322,977..................... 79 ............0.165 ........... 0.165 ...........0.165 ............0.165 .............0.164.............0.001 ............. 0.610 ................0.165 ..............0.160...................0.165 ..................237,837,600 ........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 112,742 ............ 82,076......................18 ............0.728 ........... 0.728 ...........0.728........... 0.728 .............0.724 ........... 0.004............. 0.552 ................0.728 ..............0.728...................0.732..................473,887,399........0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ........................................................45,261 ............ 46,533......................15 ............1.025 ........... 1.030 ...........1.025 ........... 1.030 ............. 1.025............ 0.005............. 0.488 ................1.030 ..............1.000...................1.030................. 206,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 1,065,000 ......246,540..................... 45 ........... 0.230 ...........0.232 ...........0.230............0.231 .............0.230 ............0.001 ............. 0.435 ................0.232..............0.232...................0.235...................23,100,000.........0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 297,606 ...........32,094..................... 52 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.106........... 0.108 .............0.108 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.106..............0.103...................0.107.................. 216,033,781 ........0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT .......................................................... 110,723 ............ 49,825......................16 ........... 0.450 ...........0.450 ...........0.450........... 0.450 .............0.450 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.450..............0.440...................0.450..................148,892,720........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ................................ 50,000 ............ 16,200........................4 ........... 0.324 ...........0.324 ...........0.324........... 0.324 .............0.324 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.324..............0.310...................0.324 ..................95,973,233 .........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ............................................................................281 .....................55........................1 ............0.194 ........... 0.194 ...........0.194............0.195 ............. 0.195............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.194..............0.180...................0.194..................277,882,048........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 1,976,406 ......984,250................... 138 ........... 0.498 ...........0.498 ...........0.498........... 0.498 .............0.498 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.498..............0.498...................0.500 ................1,141,327,653.......0.100 OM0000003281............TAAGEER FINANCE .................................................. 20,000 .............. 2,600........................2 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130........... 0.130 .............0.130............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.130 ..............0.130...................0.143...................32,966,700.........0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ........................................................2,211 .................. 929........................3 ........... 0.420 ...........0.420 ...........0.420............0.416 ............. 0.416............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.420.............. 0.416...................0.420 ..................25,168,000 .........0.100 OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 2,061,517 ...... 212,137......................17 ............0.103 ........... 0.104 ...........0.100........... 0.103 .............0.104 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.962 ...............0.100..............0.099...................0.100...................20,600,000 ........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER..................................................15,604 ............... 3,136........................2 ............0.201 ........... 0.201 ...........0.201........... 0.201 .............0.204 ...........-0.003 ............-1.471 ................0.201............. 0.200...................0.204 .................135,652,373 ........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................... 16,273 ............... 3,271........................3 ........... 0.204...........0.204 ...........0.201........... 0.201 .............0.204 ...........-0.003 ............-1.471 ................0.201............. 0.200...................0.204 .................143,595,674 ........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 1,770,938 ......226,722......................31 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.128........... 0.128 .............0.130............-0.002 ............-1.538................0.128 .............. 0.121...................0.128...................15,986,939 .........0.100 OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 439,690 ........... 95,892........................6 ........... 0.220...........0.220 ...........0.218........... 0.218 .............0.223 ...........-0.005 ........... -2.242 ...............0.218 ............. 0.224...................0.230 .................336,750,823........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 15,622,581 . 3,710,916...................836 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......31........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 338,716 ............. 11,178......................19 ........... 0.033 ...........0.033 ...........0.033........... 0.033 .............0.030 ........... 0.003............10.000 ...............0.033..............0.033...................0.000 ...................2,805,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ....................................................... 87,525 ............... 4,701......................15 ........... 0.053 ........... 0.055 ...........0.052........... 0.054 .............0.050 ........... 0.004.............8.000 ................0.054..............0.054...................0.055....................6,750,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 273,820 ............18,777......................17 ........... 0.070 ...........0.070 ...........0.068........... 0.069 .............0.066 ........... 0.003............. 4.545 ................0.068..............0.067...................0.068...................69,000,000.........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 3,043,619 ......227,003..................... 85 ........... 0.074 ........... 0.076 ...........0.074........... 0.075 .............0.072 ........... 0.003............. 4.167 ................0.075..............0.074...................0.075..................112,500,000........0.100 OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING ................................... 117,290 ............ 43,734..................... 34 ........... 0.366 ........... 0.376 ...........0.366........... 0.372 .............0.362 ............0.010 ............. 2.762 ................0.372..............0.368...................0.374....................2,232,000..........1.000 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 1,130,872 ......162,399..................... 95 ............0.142 ........... 0.145 ...........0.142........... 0.144 ............. 0.141............ 0.003............. 2.128 ................0.145 ..............0.144...................0.145..................210,614,610 ........0.100 OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ................................................ 20,000 ...............9,400........................4 ........... 0.470 ...........0.470 ...........0.470........... 0.470 .............0.470 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.470..............0.470...................0.500 ..................74,025,000.........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 5,011,842 .......477,191...................269 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 7........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ...................... 251,718 .............28,192........................7 ............0.112 ........... 0.112............0.112 ............0.112 ............. 0.112............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.112 .............. 0.112...................0.000 ..................33,907,900.........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 251,718 .............28,192........................7 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. .........1........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

- United Securities/Bloomberg News

INDIA BUSINESS WEEK

India needs to boost growth to attract global interest JOHANNESBURG: India has to ﬁnd ways to take its current GDP from seven per cent to 10 per cent within the next three years to take advantage of the renewed global interest in the country as a prime business destination, according to business leaders. This was the consensus at a seminar here on Monday titled ‘Doing Business with India: An In-

dustry Perspective’, which kicked off an India Business Week series of events hosted by the Indian Consulate General and the Gordon Institute of Business Science. President and managing director of Emerson Network Power Sunil Khanna said India had emerged as the fourth largest economy globally with a high growth rate and has also improved

its global ranking. India achieved a growth of 6.2 per cent between 1980 and 2010 while the world as a whole registered a growth rate of 3.3 per cent in the same period, Khanna, who represented Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) said. “As a result, India’s share in global GDP, measured in terms of constant 2005 PPP international dollars, more than doubled from

2.5 per cent in 1980 to 5.5 per cent in 2010,” Khanna said. “India needs to ﬁnd ways to take its current GDP of seven per cent to 10 per cent within the next three years if it is to take advantage of the renewed global interest in the country, including projections of it having the biggest growth in 2016,” he said. Concerns cited by Khanna included the need to grow Indian

exports further amid the growing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and ﬁnding ways of reducing imports from China. “We instituted India Business Week to highlight the Make in India programme, which offer investors around the globe the best of business and political support as well as ease of doing business in India for foreign direct inves-

tors,” said Indian Consul-General Randhir Jaiswal as he introduced a delegation of Indian CEO’s from the CII to interact with business leaders from South Africa. Noting that the Indian government has revived the “feel-good factor” in the economy, Khanna said India’s share still remains minuscule and it rank 19th in the global order of exporting countries. — PTI

R E N E WA B L E E N E R G Y

Saudi to focus on clean energy PARIS: Saudi Arabian oil minister Ali Al Naimi said investment in clean-energy innovation is essential to the ﬁght against climate change as the country pledged to double spending on research and development. Saudi Arabia’s efforts “include the development of a road map for technology and research in the ﬁeld of carbon management from all stationary and mobile sources

and its utilisation in industrial areas and for enhanced oil recovery,” Al Naimi said statement that was dated on Monday and emailed on Tuesday. “The Kingdom also invests in the development and implementation of energy efficiency technologies and in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy.” The world’s biggest oil exporter was one of 20 nations

that made the pledge to double clean energy spending, as part of a joint initiative with a group of investors led by Microsoft Corp. billionaire Bill Gates, the world’s richest man. As part of the deal, the nations promise to step up expenditure, and the philanthropists then aim to invest in startup companies in those countries to further advance early-stage technologies. - Bloomberg News

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E MB E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

MARKET BENCHMARK CURRENCY BASKET

Chinese yuan gets reserve asset status WASHINGTON: China’s yuan has been taken into the benchmark currency basket of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday, in a victory for Beijing’s campaign for recognition as a global economic power. The decision to add the yuan, also known as the renminbi, to the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket alongside the dollar, euro, pound sterling and yen, is an important milestone in China’s integration into global ﬁnances and a nod to the progress it has made with reforms. IMF’s criteria To meet the IMF’s criteria, Beijing has undertaken a ﬂurry of reforms in recent months, including better access for foreigners to Chinese currency markets, more frequent debt issuance and expanded yuan trading hours. IMF chief Christine Lagarde, who along with in-house experts had previously given her support for the inclusion, made it clear she did not expect Beijing to stop there. “The renminbi’s inclusion in the SDR is a clear indication of the reforms that have been implemented and will continue to be implemented,” she told reporters. The People’s Bank of China said the move, which was backed

by countries including the United States, Britain and Japan, showed the international community expected China to play a bigger role in the world economy. “Going forward, China will continue to deepen and accelerate economic reforms and ﬁnancial opening up, and contribute to promoting world economic growth, safeguarding ﬁnancial stability and improving global economic governance,” it said in a statement. The PBOC’s vice governor Yi Gang said he expected the inclusion would make the yuan more stable and there was no basis for it to devalue further, as some traders had expected.

Mining event explores investment avenues The expo provides a platform to showcase current industrial projects that will attract local and international mining ﬁrms for investments

SEEKING OPPORTUNITIES: A qualiﬁed line-up of 40 local and international speakers representing

various segments and companies from the mining sector are presenting papers at the meet. — ONA

Landmark recognition An IMF official said it was not IMF policy to disclose board voting records, but a person familiar with the IMF deliberations said approval had been unanimous. The yuan will have a 10.92 per cent share, in line with expectations, after a review of the weightings formula for the SDR that also cut the euro’s share by more than six percentage points. An editorial in China’s official Xinhua news agency said the decision was a “landmark recognition” of China’s increased role in the global economy. — Reuters

Times News Service MUSCAT: Amid recently discovered mineral deposits and the foreseen increase in bulk mineral exports in Oman’s gateway ports—Sohar Port and Freezone, Port of Duqm and Port of Salalah—there is much opportunity for investment in mineral development, mining and quarrying exploration and operations. Omanexpo’s ﬁrst Oman Minerals & Mining Exhibition & Conference, co-organised with Autad

Oman in cooperation with the Public Authority for Mining, provides a platform to showcase current industrial projects that will attract local and international mining ﬁrms for investment. Trade visitors saw an exhibition of top local and international mining ﬁrms that included main sponsor Kunooz Oman Holding, Port of Duqm, Port of Salalah, Sohar Port and Freezone and WorleyParsons, apart from key private and public companies from Iran, headed by silver sponsor Golgo-

I N T E R NAT I O NA L B U L K J O U R NA L AWA R D

Vale in Oman wins global recognition Times News Service MUSCAT: Vale in Oman was awarded the prestigious Best Specialist Dry Bulk Port or Terminal award, for its terminal located in Sohar Port at the 2015 International Bulk Journal Awards in Belgium in November. Its terminal was recognised for its ability to receive the very large ore carriers (VLOC) which have the capacity of 400,000 dead weight tone (DWT) and require a draft of 25m. As well, it is highlighted as the largest bulk terminal in the Arabian Peninsula in terms of handling capacity and it is the deepest in South Asia and the Gulf region. In addition to that, the terminal

is equipped with high-tech and modern equipment that ensures safe mooring of ships and environmental monitoring systems. “We are absolutely thrilled to have been recognised for our industrial complex at the IBJ Awards tonight. A lot of hard work and energy has gone into this project and we are happy to see the fruit of our labour,” said Sergio Espeschit, Vale in Oman’s chief executive officer. “Creating sustainable economic value in Oman and contributing to the development of the region is key to our day-to-day operations. Vale in Oman has awarded contracts to supply its facilities with engineering, human resources and maintenance services locally

which ensures sustainability of our company but also creates new revenue streams that help local entrepreneurs and businesses to grow,” he added. Vale’s investments in the coastal city of Sohar include a Pelletizing Plant with a production capacity of nine million tonnes of pellets per year and a Distribution Centre with a throughput capacity of 40 million tonnes per year. Integrated logistics system The company’s efficient and integrated logistics system has established just-in-time operations that better serve key regional markets and is essential for its global logistics strategy to generate customized solutions for its

CRITICAL DECISION

Greece targets debt relief deal next year ATHENS: Greece wants a deal on debt relief with its euro zone creditors in February to remove financial uncertainty and spur economic recovery, its finance minister said, but euro zone officials said that timetable was very ambitious and likely to slip. Addressing a conference of investors, Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said on Monday that making the ailing euro zone country’s debt sustainable was the key to liberating the economy and restoring confidence among depositors and companies. “If we don’t make the critical decision in let’s say February 2016, and we push the critical decision back to next summer or even 2017, then all the results will be delayed,” Tsakalotos told the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. Euro zone creditors have said they are willing to consider a debt rescheduling but only once Athens successfully completes a first review of its bailout programme, which requires the

adoption of a further set of contentious reforms. Weeks of delays in completing the ﬁrst batch, which was less challenging politically, suggested the second set would take even longer. A February deadline for a debt deal was therefore very ambitious, euro zone officials said. The second wave of measures which creditors want completed by mid-December include changes to the pension system to give workers incentives to work and contribute to the system longer. They also feature overhauling the income tax systems, opening electricity markets and setting up an independent revenue office for tax revenue. The European Commission’s mission chief to Greece, Declan Costello, told the conference the EU wanted all these reforms to be wrapped up by early next year to pave the way for the start of debt relief talks. But the pace of progress depended on the Greek government and lawmakers, he said. — Reuters

Don’t litter a beautiful country like OMAN. Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

clients in North Africa, Middle East and Asia while raising the competitiveness of its products. Sohar Port Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, Andre Toet, added, “We are extremely proud to work with Vale. The Port of Sohar’s strategic location outside of the Strait of Hormuz with the advantage of deep-water seas has allowed VLOCs to be docked here which has helped increase Oman’s competitiveness in the global economy. Vale’s terminal which is only one of about ten ports around the world equipped to receive this vessel’s impressive capacity is working to contribute to diversifying the economy and supporting Oman’s Economic Vision for 2020.”

har Mining and Industrial Co. Concurrent to the exhibition was a two-day conference, which featured a qualiﬁed line-up of 40 local and international speakers representing various segments and companies from the mining sector, among them US Geological Survey, British Geological Survey, Public Authority for Mining, Mawarid Mining and CRU Mining. The event was opened on Tuesday by Eng. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and In-

dustry, with keynote speeches by Dr Ali Alrahji of the Public Authority for Mining, Nick Collier of the CRU Group, and MowafaTaib of the US Geological Survey. In his opening remarks, Dr. Salim Al Busaidi of Autad Oman, said; “More than 300 active mining operations are currently in Oman. From 1996, the production of non-metallic minerals has increased about eightfold. In 2013, exports of mineral products accounted for 33 per cent of Oman’s total non-oil exports.”

W EDN ESDAY, DECEMB ER 2, 20 1 5

FEATURE

bigge r all, ac threat than c hart. ording to O smartwatc T to the he maker mega presi hes is no w at of lux dent S J young a ury teph ches at ver ames Bo e mobil r consum age for mo nd movie f watches — en Urqur e r e a You phone as rs. More t e than $6,0 anchise — some tied t han h Gov p their alf of 00 is tryin hat sell on main “For m oll. g to a w 1 6 a y e 3 , 4 t tt that’s o tell sure t a the ti year-olds ract h me, a u image at we are r bigger cha ccord se a ll e ing to interv of being th aching out enge than s eir to iew ma Swiss in Zurich parents’ so them for a p rtwatches . :t rt of w watch r es: a t orld,” oduct that o make ma h Urquh h the su ree-year c kers alrea art sa as this d r r id in a Apple ge in the S ackdown i y face a gro n n w ’s of the smartwa iss franc, China on wing list o e f t a x c c n s t h h t d ravag . Attr alleng comp Group rategy o ant act et f ter, th . Swiss wa the comp ing younge ition from spending, t n r a c e e n h c i w r y l ex ie , c bigge show s t d e p o r t s fe l w h i c h i s n t s i s a k o m e r ed, The wsending Sw cline sinc l 7.2 per ce owned by ey part nt in t e 200 atch s atchm old O he th Swatch 9, f har ak s to joi car-winni er selecte es down a ederal cus ird quars n n t d Omeg George C g UK acto Eddie R much as 3 oms data .4 per r, as a edma a’s affi loone y cent . it’s se y b l n , iatio rand e, a who l agent ling two limn with the is 54, an ambassad 33-yeard J d e ca d a p p e a l s t o i t e d e d i t i o a m e s B o n N i c o l e K o r i n M ay idman d fran mille ns thi es old n ch s , Ur q u , n 1HſE hart s ials even t year, also h ise, for wh 48. K aid. hough elps a ic Omeg CN VKOGMG s the fr the 00 h a has G a R 7 n G c T hise i n’t sh funct io s six u the O ns to its w t the door l a said. ympics, for tches, pos to the idea In the sibly i which of add n such a s s grap py movies it is the offi models tie ing electr onic d to th pling , the cial t “The lookin populatio hooks and brand’s wa imekeeper e Bond or d n , t g c e U h tonat the O for, we’ve is aging, or pi es feature rquhart b c gadge they’r tober 14 in covered it,” ut that’s n ns. ts o t e watch 70 or 80 i erview. “To the 69-yea t the consu s r es. mer w -o ch m e’re In th If they do ore diffic ange som ld Urquh be you at sense, A n’t, I’m not ult. If they eone’s min art said in s l d s n i to try ger, often ia is a strat ure we’re ke watche set when g e t s b bigges o ﬁnd loyal etween 25 gic market oing to cha , they like n a quart t import m clients in th and 45, and s buyers th ge that.” er of t he tim arket for S at age grou the watchmere tend to wi p epiece .KOKV a s Swit ss watches . Greater C ker aims h Omeg GF GFKVKQ z , ina e r r e l c and p P a roduc eiving abo is the lion) o is putting U ut on e s m . f e numb James Bo ore than 1 40 mi er bei nd wa llion S Biel, S ng so tches l w Seam witzerland d and thei up for sale iss francs aster -base r reco t ( h d com Aqua Seam mmen is year, ba $146 milT p a franch ster 300 la erra in Ma any unveil ded retail sed on the r e st mo ise. — nth, b ch and beg d a 6,600 S price. The Bloo mber o a t g Vie h limite n selling wiss-fran w d edit a ions t 6,800 fran c ied to the 00 c 7

SECTION

LIFESTYLE

Leisure WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

BOLOGNA An Italian Masterpiece Replete with ediﬁces and ancient structures that are hued in a lovely shade of deep brown, the ancient Italian city of Bologna reﬂects antiquity and artistry in every nook and corner. Story Rahul Das

W EDN ES DAY, D EC EMB ER 2 , 2 0 1 5

W EDN ESDAY, DECEMB ER 2, 20 1 5

LIFESTYLE HOW TO GET THERE? Bologna is connected by daily flights from Muscat via Dubai. The Emirates flight leaves at 5am from Muscat and reaches Dubai at 6am. From Dubai, you can take a direct flight to Bologna which leaves at 9am and reaches around 12:15pm.

WHERE TO STAY? Located within an 18th-century palace, the Grand Hotel Majestic gia’ Baglioni offers elegant surroundings and antique furnishings in the centre of Bologna. It is just 250 metres away from the Piazza Maggiore and the famous Two Towers and located next to the Palazzo Fava. The Bologna central train station is a 15-minute walk away.

WHAT TO EAT? In Bologna, also known as Bologna the Fat, don’t miss out on the fresh egg pasta and the Bolognesi and sausage, which is a delicacy. It deserves to be eaten on its own, either cut into cubes and served with toothpicks, or sliced thinly.

WHAT TO SEE?

here is something about Italy, as it still retains the charm of a medieval world. Perhaps it is the cheerful and colourful people — their inherent love for the arts and creativity that has helped the country preserve its pristine past so aptly. Preserving this very spirit is the city of Bologna. The capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, and located halfway between Florence and Milan, the ancient city is lined with arched colonnades, cafes, and medieval and Renaissance structures. Home to the oldest university in the world, Bologna is a treasure-trove of art, breathtaking landscapes and gastronomical delights. A relatively unknown entity for Omani tourists, Bologna throbs with an animated energy that is completely its own— a city where every stone has remained unchanged for centuries. The reason I am lingering on Bologna in this travel tale is because a majority of Omani tourists bound for Italy are expected to do just travel in the Rome-FlorenceVenice triangle, while the business crowd goes to Milan. As I walked through its narrow alleys, surrounded by buildings in the lovely shade of deep brown, it almost seemed as if I had been transported to a place frozen in the Middle Ages. The red and ochre shades of the roof tops on the houses create an attractive and snug atmosphere. No other city in the world has as many arcades as Bologna. In fact they are more than 35 kilometres long, if one counts only those

It is the perfect mix of antique and modern, which immediately strikes those who visit Bologna. It is a city that can associate monuments with historical buildings that have a strong cultural value, which is always open to new stimuli and new horizons, thanks to its cosmopolitan nature created by the presence of the old University Celso De Scrilli

Chairman of Bologna Welcome—the official tourism information service in the city

located in the centre of the town. “You never need an umbrella in Bologna, because walking under them will ensure that you will never get wet,” said Celso De Scrilli, chairman of Bologna Welcome — the official tourism information service in the city. Scrilli said the city of Bologna preserves traces of past civilisations and medieval splendour. “It is the perfect mix of antique and modern, which immediately strikes those who visit Bologna. It is a city that can associate monuments with historical buildings that have a strong cultural value, which is always open to new stimuli and new horizons thanks to its cosmopolitan nature created by the presence of the old University,” he added. As the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, which is known for its fully ﬂavoured pastas and meat dishes, Bologna is also considered one of the gastronomical capitals of Italy and receives a fair amount of local tourism for its food alone. Veal Bolognese and pasta Bolognese can be tasted at any number of restaurants that line the plazas and downtown streets, and the famous sausage can be found in most shops. The surrounding countryside is home to traditional cheese makers, wineries and traditional family farms. And while my view of Bologna wasn’t sufficiently rose-tinted to describe it as an oil painting, a visit to Bologna the Fat; doesn’t have to be an ordeal to be endured between airport arrival and visiting museums. There is plenty to savour among its cultural and surprisingly, natural attractions.

In the heart of the city, there are two main squares: the Piazza Maggiore and the Piazza del Nettuno. From here most of Bologna's main tourists attractions and historical monuments are within walking distance, including the two leaning towers — one of the main symbols of Bologna and an almost gravity defying structure, the Piazza Maggiore — located at the centre of the oldest part of Bologna, a huge pedestrian square that is surrounded by some of Bologna’s most impressive medieval and Renaissance buildings, and the Piazza del Nettuno, with its well-known fountain, the Fontana di Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune). People capturing the beauty and breathtaking sights onto their canvas is a common sight in the square. Bologna’s Basilica di San Petronio is the city’s largest church and the ﬁfth largest of its kind in the whole world. The original plans had to be scaled down after the Vatican declared that the church must not be larger than St Peter's in Rome, which is the home of the Pope.

WHAT TO BUY? A large variety of coloured pastas, different types of cheeses, Bolognese sweets, and of course shoes, as it seems that there are more shoe shops per square foot in the city than anywhere else on the planet. One of the best is Daniele Ancarani. His court shoes are nothing short of exquisite. You can also choose your style statement from big brands.

PEOPLE The people of Bologna are friendly, helpful and courteous. They speak English, in addition to various native dialects. The common language is Italian. Communication should not pose a problem.

CURRENCY OMR1 is equivalent of 2.44 euros. rahuldas@timesofoman.com

Photography: Supplied

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E MB E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

12.01pm 3.04pm 5.25pm 6.39pm 5.13am

FIND-IT-ALL

CINEMA SCHEDULE

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

@PANORAMA MALL

@SHATTI

@RUWI

SUR In the Heart of the Sea 3D (Action) (PG12) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 9:00 PM The Hunger Game - Mockingjay 2 3D (Action | Adventure | Sci Fi ) (PG12) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 7:00 PM Hunting the Phantom (Action) (12+) Cast: Kristanna Loken, Armand Assante 4:45, 11:45 PM Bound to Vengeance (Horror) (18+) Cast: Richard Tyson, Tina Ivlev, Amy Okuda 9:45 PM Tamasha (Hindi) (Drama) (PG12) Cast: Ranbir kapoor, Deepika Padukone 4:30, 6:30 PM Anarkali (Malayalam) (Thriller) ( TBC) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaram, Biju Menon, Mia 11:30 PM

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-2 (3D) (Adventure | Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 7:30, 11:45 PM Bridge of Spies (Drama | History) (PG) Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda 3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 PM Hunting the Phantom (Action) (12+) Cast: Kristanna Loken, Armand Assante 2:00, 3:45, 10:00 PM Creed (Drama | Sport) (15+) Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone 4:00, 6:30 PM Bound to Vengeance (2D) (Horror) (18+) Cast: Richard Tyson, Tina Ivlev, Amy Okuda 11:45 PM Blinky Bill The Movie (2D) (PG) Animation 2:00 PM Tamasha (Hindi) (Drama) (PG12) Cast: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor 9:00 PM 4 G Algeil Al Rabea (Arabic) (TBC) Cast: hmed Malek, Sherif Ramzy 5:30 PM MUSCAT GRAND MALL Bridge of Spies (Drama | History) PG Cast : Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda 3:30, 9:00 & 11:30PM Gold Class: 2:45, 8:15 & 11:00PM Tamasha (Romance| Drama) PG12 Cast : Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor 12:45 & 8:45PM Gold Class : 5:30PM Creed (Drama | Sport) 15+ Cast : Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone 6:15 & 11:45PM Blinky Bill The Movie (Animation) U 11:45AM & 4:15PM

Creed (Drama, Sport)(2D)(15+) Cast : Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson Timing: 4:00, 9:00, 11:50 pm VIP Lounge: 6:00 pm

Bridge of Spies (Drama | History) (PG) Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda Timing: 3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 PM

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-2 : 3D (Adventure/Sci-Fi) PG12 Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 6:15PM Spectre : 2D (Action/Adventure) PG12 Cast : Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz 1:30PM PANORAMA MALL Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 (3D) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 6:30, 11:30 pm (Action, Adventure) (PG12) Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 (Action, Adventure)(MX4D)(PG12) 2:00, 5:15, 8:30, 11:45 pm Creed (Drama, Sport)(2D)(15+) Cast : Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone 4:00, 9:00, 11:50 pm Creed (Drama, Sport)(2D)(15+)-VIP LOUNGE Cast : Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone 6:00 pm Blinky Bill The Movie (Animation)(2D)(U) 2:15 pm Miss You Already (Drama)(2D)(15+) Cast : Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette 4:45 pm

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) Destination

Cast: Prithviraj, Biju Menon, Mia, Priyal Glor, 5:25, 8:45 PM Spectra – 2D (PG12) Action, Adventure Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz 11:45 PM The Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 – 3D (PG12) Adventure, Sci-Fi Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 9:15 PM

AZAIBA Tamasha – 2D (PG12) Romance, Drama Cast: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor 2:30, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45, 11:30 PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – 2D (PG) Family Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor 3:15, 8:30 PM Inji Iduppazhagi – 2D (PG12) Romance Cast: Arya, Anushka Shetty, Sonal Chouhan 6:15 PM Bridge of Spies - 2D (PG) Drama, History Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda 2:45, 6:30, 11:45 PM Blinky Bill The Movie – 2D (U) Animation 2:30, 4:30 PM Anarkali – 2D (PG) Romance, Thriller

RUWI Screen 1 Tamasha (Romance/Drama) – PG12 Cast: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Screen 2 Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Family) – PG Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM Screen 3 Spectre (Action) – PG12 Cast: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes 3.45 PM Inji Iduppazhagi – Tamil (Comedy ) – PG12 Cast: Arya, Anushka Shetty, Sonal Chauha 6.45, 9.45 PM

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

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

Anarkali (Mal) (Rom/Drama) Cast : Prithviraj, Biju Menon, Mia & Priyal Glor 3-30 & 6-30 Pm At Cinema-2 ; 9-30 Pm Cinema Main Amar Akbar Anthony (Mal) (Act/Drama) Cast : Prithviraj,Jaya surya,Indrajith & Namitha 3-30 & 6-30 Pm Cinema Main; 9-30 pm Cinema -2 Inji Iduppazhagi (Tamil) (Rom/Com) Cast : Arya, Anushka Shetty & Bharath 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 Pm At Cinema-3 Size Zero (Telugu) (Rom/ Com) Cast: Arya, Anushka Shetty & Bharath 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 Pm At Cinema -4 NEXT CHANGE: Pathemari (Mal); Shankarabharanam (Telugu); Rajini Murugan (Tamil) Programmes are subject to change

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SAANVI J. SUVARNA December 2, 2009

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

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TARA CHARITH December 2, 2004 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

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ROYAL OMAN POLICE 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

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TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

10:25

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

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

Ruwi

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

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

07:00

STAR CINEMA

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 07:30 14:30

Minimum

In the Heart of the Sea (Action / Adventure ) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson 11.55 p.m. CP No : 3031 (PG12) Hunting the Phantom (Action / Adventure) Cast: Kristanna Loken, Armand Assante 2.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 pm CP No : 3027 (12+) Creed (Sports / Drama) Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone 4.30, 9.30 pm CP No : 3026 (15+) Blinky Bill the Movie (Animation / Adventure) Voice Overs: Toni Collette, Rufus Sewell, Ryan 2.00 & 6.00 pm CP No : 3024 (U) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (Adventure / Sci-Fi) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam 7.00 pm CP No: 3015 (PG12) Tiger House (Action / Crime / Drama) Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Dougray Scott, Ed Skrein 4.00 pm CP No: 3016 (12+)

SALALAH In the Heart of the Sea (3D) (PG12) (Action ) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 9:15/11:15PM Bridge of Spies (2D) (PG) (Biography ) 10:00AM/01:30/06:30/11:45PM The Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2 (2D) (PG12) (Adventure/Sc-Fi) 11:00AM, 4:00PM Creed (2D) (15+) (Drama | Sport) Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone 12:30, 4:15, 11:45PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (PG) (Family) Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin 3:05PM Blinky Bill The Movie (2D) (U) (Animation ) 10:15AM, 12:05PM Miss You Already (2D) (15+) (Comedy) 2:00PM 4 G Algeil Al Rabea (2D) (TBC) (Arabic) 6:15PM (Comedy) Tamasha (2D) (PG12) (Romance| Drama) 9:00PM Inji Iduppazhagi (2D) (PG12) (Tamil) 6:45PM Anarkali (2D) (PG) (Malayalam)( Romance) 8:15PM

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

28 22

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

BURAIMI The Hunger Game: Mocking Jay– 3D (Adventure, Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 4:30, 9:00PM Hunting the Phantom– 2D (Action) (12+) 4:30 7:15, 9:30, 11:30PM Bound to Vengeance– 2D (Horrory ) (18+) Cast: Richard Tyson, Tina Ivlev, Amy Okuda 11:45PM Creed– 2D (Drama, Sport) (15+) 4:45, 7:00PM Tamasha– 2D (Romance, Drama) (PG12) 6:15PM In the Heart of the Sea– 3D (Action) (PG12) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 11:15PM Anarkali– 2D (Romance, Thriller) (PG) 8:45PM

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

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

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

SOHAR Spectre - 2D (PG12) Action |Thriller 6:25 PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo - 2D (PG) Family 5:30 PM The Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 - 3D (PG12) Adventure, Sci-Fi 5:10 PM The Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 - 2D (PG12) Adventure, Sci-Fi 2:15 PM Bridge of Spies - 2D (PG) Drama | History Cast : Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda 2:45, 8:45, 11:30 PM Tamasha - 2D (PG12) Romance| Drama Cast : Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor 2:30, 9:15, 11:15 PM Anarkali - 2D (M) (TBC) Romance / Thriller Cast : Prithviraj, Biju Menon, Mia, Priyal Glor, 7:45 PM Miss You Already - 2D (15+) Comedy 4:45 PM Creed - 2D (15+) Drama | Sport 6:45, 11:45 PM Blinky Bill The Movie - 2D (U) Animation 2:30 PM 4 G Algeil Al Rabea - 2D (Arb)(TBC) Comedy 4:20 PM Bound to Vengeance - 2D (18+) Horror 11:55 PM

BAHJA CINEMA

In the Heart of the Sea - 3D (PG12) Action Cast : Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 9:00 PM

WEATHER

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

Tamasha – 2D (PG12) Romance, Drama Cast: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Javed Sheikh Timing: 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

Tamasha (Romance, Drama)(2D)(PG12) Cast : Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor 2:00, 6:40, 9:15 pm Bridge Of Spies (Drama)(2D)(PG) Cast : Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda 3:00, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 pm Bridge Of Spies (Biography, Drama)(2D) (PG)- VIP LOUNGE 3:15, 8:30, 11:15 pm

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

Dept time

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

W EDN ESDAY, DECEMB ER 2, 20 1 5

LIFESTYLE

BORN TO LEAD

Every time I watched my father buckling in

THE HOBBYIST

and setting out to conquer the track, I wanted to be in the

Saif Al Harthy Rally Driver

driver’s seat even more.

Why do you love rallying? I started rallying in 1999, just two years after I got my licence in 1997. My father was a rally driver during mid seventies to eighties. I was very small that time and I wanted to be like my father, who is always my hero. Every time I watched him, buckling in and setting out to conquer the track, I all the more wanted to be in the driver’s seat. How did you get into it? I went along with my father to most of the rallies he participated when I was small. I followed his steps and he supported me to become a rally driver. When I entered into the rally scene, he brought me a 1985 model Toyota Celica GT4 Turbo. I participated in my ﬁrst rally with that car and ﬁnished in 4th position, it was in Al Khoud. Those days I was the only rally-man driving a saloon car. All others were having Range Rovers and Land Rovers then. How can I get into it? You must be born to lead. What is your pro-tip? Rallying is not about always driving fast. It is a challenge and it has a strategy. You need to push other drivers to the limits, and you have to make them nervous and under the constant pressure they commit some mistakes. And, you know, making mistakes is a good thing, but not to learn from them is bad.

Photography: Supplied

Contact info/resources for Rallying in Muscat Oman Automobile Association +968 2451 0239 +968 2451 0630 omanauto.org

Y O U R FAV O U R I T E B O O K

The Picture of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde IT IS ALWAYS a fascinating factor for me, themes revolving around the relation between art and life. The plot of The Picture of Dorian Gray, if seen apart from the wit and epigrams of Lord Henry is serious and, at times, even sombre. Dorian Gray is a young and handsome man whose well-off friend Lord Henry takes him to an artloving painter, Basil Hallward. The painter makes a picture of Dorian Gray, a fascinating piece that makes Dorian wish to stop ageing. His wish is fulﬁlled and the picture starts ageing instead of young Dorian. The consequence is disaster.

Oscar Wilde has created an amusing tale that does not end very happily but ends beautifully with our easy-going Lord Henry still chirping. The novel, the only one from Wilde, addresses more than one theme. The primary appeal of the subject of beauty, as it appears to eyes, is the main focus of the novel. Wilde reveals the tenderness of self-love, or narcissism, which sometimes fails to ﬁnd an object outside itself. Dorian’s beauty, unlike Basil’s art and Lord Henry’s social status, is more vulnerable to decay with time. It would be too presumptuous to conclude that The Picture of Dorian Gray is

a work of beauty with no moralistic purpose. We can easily see that beauty is ephemeral and any attempt to deny this fact is amoral. It brings ruin as shows the case of Dorian Gray. In the preface of his 1891 novel, Oscar Wilde writes “diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex and vital”. He would no doubt be pleased to know that his book with its themes of beauty, art, pleasure, and hedonism has been generating a diversity of opinion for more than one hundred years. But Oscar Wilde’s book fared far better than he. A few years after its publication, he faced

charges of “gross indecencies”, and went from being a British celebrity to a broken, penniless man living in exile. -Reviewed by Mohammed Shafeeqe ARE YOU A PROLIFIC READER? Which is your favourite book? Pick one and send in your thoughts on it. Contact shafeeq@timesofoman.com

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

VACANCY

CARGO

EVERY FRIDAY 2.00PM Call: 0096824790400 Email: info@omanorienttravels.com

*Classiﬁed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

E t &ůĂƚƐ Θ ^ŚŽǁƌŽŽŵƐ ĨŽƌ ZĞŶƚ 1/2/3 BHK Flats & Showrooms at DƵƩ ƌĂŚ͕ ŶĞĂƌ KŵĂŶ Ň ŽƵƌ ŵŝůůƐ͕ ϭϬ ŵŝŶ͘ ĨƌŽŵ ĐŽƌŶŝĐŚĞ͘ ĞƋƵŝƉƉĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƐƉůŝƚͬ ĐĂƐƐĞƩ Ğ ƵŶŝƚ Ɛ͕ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĞƚ ƉŽŝŶƚƐ͕ ĨƌĞĞͲ ƚŽͲĂŝƌ ĚŝƐŚ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟ ŽŶ͕ ds ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌĞĚ͕ ďĂƐĞŵĞŶƚ ƉĂƌŬŝŶŐ͘ ZĞŶƚ ZK͘ϮϱϬͬϯϱϬͬϰϱϬ ;EĞŐŽƟ ĂďůĞͿ ƉĞƌ ŵŽŶƚŚ͘

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ ϵϵϮϮϵϮϲϯ͖ ϵϯϮϮϭϬϱϰ͖ ϵϱϮϭϱϮϴϵ

We have 3BHK villa fully furnished in Ghobrah 18th November. Contact: 93782735/99208033 We have open space offices in Ghala new building. Contact: 93329476/99208033 We have coffee shop for rent or sale in Al Khuwair. Contact: 93782735/99208033 We have 200sqm Basmat in Al Khuwair. Contact: 93329476/ 99208033 Flat in Wadi Kabir, 3 BHK rent 280/- R.O. Contact: 99330810 An industrial land 1400SQM in industrial Bausher (Muscat) in front of Oman cement located on the main road for further details. Contact: 99719973 /95858928 2 Bed rooms ﬂat with hall, 2 bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat Municipality. Contact: 92584715/ 24700120 1000 SQMTRS industrial land for rent in Ghala suitable for warehouse workshop etc. Contact 24700120 /92584715 1 BHK available at Al Khoud in Baskin Robbins building. RO 200/Contact: 97261418, 99478492, 98181649

Villa for rent four spacious bath attached bedroom private swimming pool, Gymnasium (common) with electrical equipment and free maintenance secured compound at Madinat Al Illam. Contact: 98027975 One & two bed room apartments available for rent, opposite the new Panorama Mall at south Ghobrah close to Muscat Grand Mall, next to Diwan office. Contact: 99833747 1 Bed room in Al hail south R.O 130/- Monthly. Contact: 93993354 4 Bedroom Twin Villa for rent in Al Hail South, easy access to Sultan Qaboos Highway Contact 98080822 Brand new 2 Bedroom apartment with maid room for rent in Rimal Bausher with private parking Contact 98080822 One BHK with A/C and one large room for rent in AL Khuwair near Ibis hotel. Contact: 95724975 Rent one room, 1 toilet, big hall, with air-condition Wadi Adai. Contact: 99345137 One ﬂats for rent 2 bedroom all with bath al Ghobrah north near Indian school (hot burger restaurant) tell 9976610

2BHK near Oman house behind Khimji H.O R.O 200/-. Contact: 95865686 We have 2 BHK ﬂats in Ghobrah, Ghala, Azaiba. Contact: 93782735/99208033 Showroom for rent at Wadi Kabir perfectly suitable for travels, money exchange, Auto parts up holster advertising materials. Contact: 94143636

We have fully furnished offices in Ghala new building good price. Contact: 93782735 / 99208033 We have office in Ghobrah main road Prime location. Contact: 93782735/99208033

2 BHK with spilt A/C in W.K behind Sana fashion. Contact: 96708000 1 BHK with split A/C in Darsait opposite Muscat Municipality. Contact: 96708000 2 BHK with spilt /AC in MSQ opposite AL Fair. Contact: 96708000

Room for rent near Al Dasar Ruwi. Contact 99797645/ 92099367

We have 2BHK ﬂat in Ghala. Contact: 93329476/99208033 1BHK ﬂat near Hamriya hotel. Contact: 96500860

Beautiful villa directly on beach in best location in Shatti Qurum 1800 OMR. Contact: 95887572

Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99376454

4 BHK villa for rent Al Khuwair 650/- O.R Contact: 94232344

Room, kitchen & bath in north Ghobrah include E/W & AC split 200/- R.O. Contact: 92811110

Flat for rent at Wadi Al Kabir next Al Hassan.co, 2 bedroom, 3 WS, 1 sitting room. Contact: 99210008

One ﬂats for rent 2 bedroom all with bath al gubrah north near indian school (hot pargur restaurant) Tel: 99766103

1BHK near medical Darsait Muttrah house R.O 175/- & 2 BHK R.O 220/-. Contact: 98748925

Villa for rent 4 BHK, plus 1 sitting room and 1 extra servant room at 18 November road behind Oman Oil. Contact: 99373290/ 24815012

Flat for rent 3 bedrooms, kitchen & bathroom in Wadi Kabir for 260/RO. Contact- 97771444

Excellent office 5 rooms Al Khuwair O.A. Bank building 850/-R.O. Contact: 94232344

1BHK new bldg with A/C curtains near Khimji mart MBD. Contact: 99061408 /99024039

2 BHK in Al Meera MKT building in Al Khuwair available. Rent RO420. Contact 94047434 Sohar: 3BHK AND 4BHK FLATS, R.O 200 and R.O 215 respectively. (New Building with CCTV camera with Split A/C). Contact: 99881426 / 92123699 2 BHK Honda road Ruwi. Contact: 99224748 /99332297 House for rent in AL Amerat opposite office Justice, 3rooms, Majlis , 4 toilets, living room ,food hall & kitchen. Contact: 99252494 5 BHK villa at Mabela 7 for Rent. Contact: 99428221/ 99269912

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE HOME THEATER & KARAOKE BRING HOME - LIVE MUSIC & CINEMA GENERAL ELECTRONICS SERVICES LLC CONTACT: 99627299 / 93327841

NRI royal castles

vakathanam, kottayam

ACC. WANTED

Luxurious villas in a Gated community with all the modern facili es at Vakathanam By-Pass (MC road-NH 220) Web: www.royalcastles.in email: info@royalcastles.in +968 92855909, +91 9961 11 9988

Sharing Accommodation Required for Non cooking Executive Lady in Darsait /Ruwi/Wadikabir. Contact 99360615

Plot, propeties for sale in prime location in pune 95272138,(+918390982975)

FOR RENT

Available on rent 2 Bedroom furnished ﬂat in Koregaon Park, Pune and Maharashtra, India. Contact 99374187.

ZƵŶŶŝŶŐ ĨƵƌŶŝƚƵƌĞ ƐŚŽǁƌŽŽŵ ĨŽƌ ƵƌŐĞŶƚ ƐĂůĞ͘ >ĂĚŝĞƐ ďĞĂƵƚǇ ƉĂƌůŽƌ ƐĂůĞ Ăƚ DƵƩ ƌĂŚ͘

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ Ͳ ϵϭϭϯϱϵϯϬ MV SALE SHARED OFFICE SPACE

MAZDA 626, 2001, VGC, full service history, expat single user RO 1100, Contact: 99296768/ 93033072

FOR RENT AVAILABLE SHARED FULLY FURNISHED OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT WITH SEPARATE ENTRANCE PRIME LOCATION IN AZAIBA. TOTAL AREA 201sq.m.

FOR SALE or rent Tata Dawoo Truck 12 ton 2014 Model. Contact: 92719681

New flats for rent Darsait Al Sahel. Contact: 99311525 / 92533356 Studio in souk Al Khoud behind of Al Ahali bank with 2 BR toilet+ kitchen in 2 floor 160RO. Contact 99738881 Flats and shops for rent in Ruwi Honda road Mumtaz area. Contact: 97293708 / 92433127 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 600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact: 91214849/ 99364735

For Rent Flats in Darsait 94051789-97201688

Urgent shop sale in Wadi Kabir Sanaya. Contact: 95949668 Porta cabin for sale. Contact: 99883502/95398929 We have complete office furniture for sale very nice like new rare use. Contact: 93782735 93329476 Fully equipped running café for sale at Wadi Al Kabir. Contact: 99636550

Cat – D8K, Model 1985, Scania water tanker, model 1993, Mitsubishi bus s28 seat, Model 2003, Hamm roller, model 2003. Contact: 99207592 & 99882570

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

For Rent Flats in Ghala Heights 94051789-97201688

BMW 318/ 2003 for sale. Contact 96364990

Ladies saloon with 2 staff for sale in Mawalah. Contact 94197589

For Rent Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) 94051789-97201688

Ford focus, automatic, 2010 model, silver colour, expat driven, 58000 kms, dealer serviced, registration till sep 2016, price ro 2750. Contact- 93207590

Sale house & office furniture & electronic items. Contact : 99834373/ 96642500/22010080

For Rent Flats in Wadi Kabir 94051789-97201688

2 B/R Apartment Executive Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33 1 B/R Apartment Executive Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33 1 B/R Flat - Fully Furnished @ Salalah Near New Lulu. 2 B/R Flat - Fully Furnished American standard @ Salalah. 5 B/R Villa - Fully Furnished @ Madinat Al Ilam, 5 B/R Villa Unfurnished @ Madinat Al Ilam 5 B/R Villa - Unfurnished @ Al Mawalah North Brand New Please Contact: Atlas Real Estate & Rent A Car LLC. 24834888, 99249069 / 92888376/92888374 Email: info@alshahiintl.com

Building material and jotun paint shop for sale at Ruwi and Ghala. Contact: 99421228

Coffee shop Mabela industrial area for sale. Contact: 92253080

95621492/96554579

1BHK ﬂat near Star Cinema 220/-. Contact 99358589 /95570288

Immediate sale of well running pharmacy at prime location. Contact- 99627621, 99516236

Chaverlet Epica 2004 model RO -700, for sale. Contact 92194205

FOR FUTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT ON

A Bedroom along with separate bathroom available for rent for an Executive Bachelor in Al Khuwair (near Zawawi Mosque). Contact 92138451

FOR SALE

For Rent ﬂats in MuttrahContact – 94051789-97201688

FOR RENT

Offices for Rent GalaContact –94051789-97201688

For Rent Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud- 94051789-97201688

For Rent Duplex villa in Qurum 29- 94051789-97201688

For Rent Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum- 9405178997201688

For Rent offices in Qurum opposite city center- 9405178997201688 Villa with 5 rooms, two sitting rooms, 5 toilets and kitchen at Al Hail North. Contact: 91130875 Single BHK ﬂat available in Honda road Ruwi. Contact - 24833972/ 24833974/99367448

For Rent Flats in Mawalah south-94051789-97201688 For Rent brand new villas in Al Ansab- 94051789-97201688 For Rent Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah -94051789-97201688 2 BHK ﬂat available for rent in Darsait. Contact: 99357586

For Sale Luxury Apartments in Bousher (35) -Contact 9505680897201688 For sale Fully Furnished apartments in Bousher (35) Contact- 95056808-97201688 A running restaurant for sale near Oman oil petrol Pump Al Uqdah (Barka). Contact: 99059013 Beauty parlor for sale Muttrah. Contact: 93142676 For sale villas in Al Khoud 95056808-97201688

ACC. AVAILABLE Room with bath for executive bachelor near A/C ﬂat, hotel. Contact: 99643845

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished sharing accommodation in ruwi near O.K. Center for non-cooking indian bachelor. Gsm 9880-5474 Full furnished 1BHK ﬂat at OMR 260/- available for 4 months. Contact: 92148699 location Ghala Furnished room for non – cooking bachelor near Softy ice cream Ruwi. Contact: 93120054/91107383 1 Bedroom with attached Bath, fully furnished, separate entrance at Mabela for ladies only. #99634841 Furnished rooms attached bath for Indian bachelor in Al Falaj Ruwi & lady in Wadi Kabir. Contact 96202458 /96761960 1BHK fully furnished spacious for rent CBD, ideal for family or two bachelors easy access to Main road near Sheraton hotel with all electronics & furniture. Contact: 96444400 /5pm -10pm Single bid room with attached bath, separate entrance, Honda road near NBO for ex bachelors.# 91410434 Big room available near Hamriya R/A for Muslim couple / small family / Executive bachelor rent 150/- per month including W+ E. Contact : 99495131 1 Bedroom with bathroom available for rent. Only Indian female. Contact - 92394614 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting room, Kitchen & store including utilities bills at Al hail. # 92817777 Large room with separate bathroom, sharing available in Al Khuwair. Contact - 95250161 Single room bathroom in Darsait R.O 140/-. Contact: 93289652 Single room for expat Indian bachelors near Al Aktham restaurant Al khuwair for RO 120. Water and electricity included. Contact : 98803261

AVAILABLE 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 Available office space in Prime location on 18th November Street, Azaiba Kindly. Contact: 99288664

FOR LADIES Home service for ladies only facial, waxing, body massage, (if you not waxing menicure pedicure) only 20 Riyal, Contact 9243 0239

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

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REQUIRED for a Contracting Co.

- Civil Engineer / Buildings (with not less than 5 years experience).

- Mechanical Engineer Email: haldun.yildirim@icc-oman.com A reputed Dairy Company in Oman is looking for following Vacancies.

ACCOUNTANT A leading Company in Oman looking for Accountant, B.Com with min 3 -5 yrs of exp required. Female preferred. Please send your CV to :

Mail your CV at: wps1986@yahoo.com

REQUIRED

A Leading Marble Manufacturing Company in Sultanate of Oman having a vacancy for the post of

for a Contracting Co.

Freelance Civil Engineer / QS Required for preparation of BAR BENDING SCHEDULE for completed project of approx. area 10,463 Sq. M, GF only.

WANTED

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3 Year experience with NOC

Qualification: BE in Civil Engineering Electro Mechanical Engineer (Building Services)1 No.

ǀĂĐĂŶĐǇϬϵϳΛŐŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ WASTE MANAGEMENT AND WATER TREATMENT SPECIALIST Looking for dynamic and talented individuals to join our team in Oman for the position of “waste management and water treatment specialist” with at least 5 years experience in the relevant field. And one in-house specialist issa@nibrasholding.com

em-o@nassarstone.com or seniorpro@nassarstone.com Or Fax –on: 24446049 Nationality – Indian or Philippines (better if available in Oman)

Drivers – Omani National Only:

Omani National with 4 years experience with Valid Omani D/L Please forward your CV’s to

Electrical Engineer The candidate must be an university qualified engineer or a higher degree diploma holder with a minimum industry experience of 3 years. Fluent in written & spoken English, knowledge about power, CPU, inverters & electrical panels isrequired. Suitable candidates may submit their complete CV with certificates to:

Contact – 97257060

Van Salesman:

Debt collector:

for IGCSE & CIP for (English, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, IT, lab assistant for Chemistry and Physics) - MSc / BSc and M.Ed / B.Ed with (IELTs / TOFEL) and at least 3 years of teaching experience with attested documents.

cvoman5@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (Building Construction) 2 Nos

2 year experience with Valid Omani D/L

A group of well reputed Private Schools associated with Cambridge Programs in Muscat – Sultanate of Oman Requires following teaching posts: WELL QUALIFIED TEACHERS

Qualification: BE in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Send detailed resume to sskpvr@gmail.com

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VACANCY 1. Service Administrator: A qualified Electro/Automobile/Electric Diploma holder with minimum 2 years’ experience on deskjobs such as preparing quotation, supplier correspondence, warranty claims etc. Age between 25 – 30.

2. Accountant:

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Candidates with NOC or on visit visa can apply, please drop your CV at

Kevin.dodd@oasismaritimeservices.com

ĂƉƉůǇŝŶŐŐĐŚƌΛŐŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ

careerhr1972@gmail.com

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ENGINEER

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

MEP Engineer with minimum ﬁve years PDO / ministry experience. Please send CV to info@globaltechinternational.com Contact: 99150203/91404425

BEAUTY Branded salon in Muscat requires a beautician with skills of: Manicure, Pedicure, Nails techniques, Massage, Facial and waxing. Contact- 98500222

Civil Engineer with minimum ﬁve years, PDO Experience, earth work and building construction (PDO driving license preferred. Please send CV to info@globaltechinternational.com Contact: 99150203/91404425

A qualified B.Com/M.Com/C.A. Inter accountant with minimum 4 years’ experience in accounting with banking knowledge. Age between 25-30. Attractive Salary and terms Offered

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MEDICAL Wanted Lab Technician with MOH license for Ibra clinic. Contact – 99373493/ Email: jmjmedicare@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Sales man / Interior Designer wanted for prestigious interior design and office furniture Supply Company. Experience and drivers license needed excellent remuneration package. Email: tony@materials-plus.com

SECT. /OFFICE Personal Assistant, 5yrs experience in Oman or GCC. MBA or equivalent. Part-time preferred. Call 95364625.

LAWYER DRIVER Required locally available Indian national light duty driver for Omani House. Visa readily available. Contact: 99420752 Wanted heavy driver. Contact 91770195 Wanted driver. Contact 91025698

DESIGNER Media company need Graphic Designer Male - Female no need experience, need to have experience on Graphic Design Programs. magicﬁngerprint1@gmail.com

DOMESTIC HELP Need excellent cook & housekeeper. Contact Whatsapp: 95887572 Small Omani family in Muscat requires an educated House maid. Contact – 98500222

Full time living House maid required for an Indian female in Al Ghobrah. Contact: 97084023

ENGINEER Civil Site Supervisor for telecom tower projects across Oman. Send CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or call +968 9946 7227 Seeking a well experienced diploma Engineer (electrical) with valid Oman driving license kindly. Contact: 99288664 Engineering consultancy ﬁrm in Sur looking for graduate Civil Engineers. Interested candidates apply to babupj@ gmail.com or call 99318205

Arab lawyer fluent in English with five years experience for law firm. Contact: 92424593

Wanted GP Doctor with MOH license, job location in muscat with good salary and beniﬁts. Drop ur cv at careerhr1972@gmail.com.

MEDICAL

Urgently required Philipina Nurse with MOH license at prometric parsed. Contact: 99724013

Medical CARE Centre, Al Seeb, requires General Practitioners and Pharmacist, Please Mail CVsarita_h23@yahoo.com or call 97884856.

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

Required General Physician, Gynecology, Lab Technician & Pharmacists. Contact: 95133572 Email: kunoozghala@gmai.com Lab Technician Wanted A Polytechnic in Sohar is looking for a lab technician with or without MOH license Contact 93828382 or sajapharmacy@gmail.com Wanted Staff Nurses (female) for a polyclinic with or without MOH license. Excellent salary & accommodation. Contact – 99006915 / dxbclinic@yahoo.com Wanted Canary clinic MBBS Doctor with 3 years experience MOH license holder gets, Good offer salary. Contact 94395199 Email: canarymoh@gmail.com Required for urgent appointment with MOH license and valid NOC against the following vacancy in a polyclinic in Muladdah (Musanah) radiologist cum sinologist, Gynecologist & obstetrician & pediatrician & Lab Technician. Contact: 99110254 Wanted a female staff Nurse with MOH license to work in a polyclinic good salary offered. Contact: 97121359/96493058 (2 to 4 pm)

Wanted Business Development Exe/ Sr.Exe with customs clearance & shipping exp. Contact: 91204131 Email: daralhamael@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS 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 Urgently require two caretakers for a building in capital area. Contact: 93888666/99228454/24493666 A reputed construction company in Muscat urgently requires the following candidates (Omani Nationals only) Civil Engineer & P.R.O & light duty driver. Send C.V to hr.azatllc@gmail.com or call 99344896 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

TECHNICIAN /MECH. Urgently required cold room refrigeration Technician must know up to commissioning gulf experience preferred .Pls forward CV to nasmatmasirah@gmail.com Contact: 97982623/ 95183616 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

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCA affiliate, fresher, Indian male, valid driving license, looking for full time employment in Accounting and Finance, also open to other opportunities, Contact +968 91291520, Email: shahidazeez5@gmail.com Sr. Accountant ( CA- inter) Indian male 31 years having 9 years experience in finance & accounts looking for suitable placement. NOC available and valid Oman D/L. Contact: 94108678 Email: vijeshvasu@gmail.com 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 Indain male Accountant, 8 years experience 4 years In dubai,4 yrs in Muscat. Additional knwoledge in JDE and Tally.9, NOC available ready to join immediately. Contact: 95364896 /92912347 Email: bsdv1978@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTED SIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE 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 CA Final (Group I), Indian Female, Accountant, 5+ year’s exp, in A/ Cs, Audit, Tally, ERPs. Available in Muscat & looking job in A/Cs. Ph:94704800 email id: vinithsavith@gmail.com Senior Accounts Admin Manager B.com M.com 25 years experience accounts up to finalization holding light duty license seeks suitable placement. Contact: 93064975 Accountant Bachelor of commerce English, 2 years experience visit visa. Contact: 98584398/ 95539923 Male Indian with 7 years experience in accounting & 6 years experience in sales and marketing very good knowledge of tally currently in Muscat on a visit visa. Contact: 96148427 Email: jijokurianp@gamil.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 Accountant with more than 30 years experience in construction (experience in accounting/administration/HR/material management) and with own car seeks part time or full time assignment preferably in construction either in Oman or UAE. Contact 94674031 Accountant Indian female 23 years M.com graduate 2 and half years of experience as accountant in Indian, now on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 91358654 Email: rizwanagul92@gmail.com Indian female accountant 5 years of experience in accounting tally,sales coordination, and admin, currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement Contact :95684179

Accountant Indian 10 years experience in Oman, capable for handling all accounting functions and ﬁnalization good knowledge of tally ERP9 NOC / release available with immediately joining. Contact: 94134085 Email: muscatoman95@yahoo.com Indian female, MBA HR & Finance, having 1 year experience, seeking suitable placement. Currently in Oman. Contact: 96052366.

ADMIN Senior HR , professional MBA , 12 yr GCC experience at managerial recruitment, administration , policy formulator working with a leading construction co (4000 plus employees) looking for a immediate change over , NOC available. Contact: 94017306 Email: saneesh9181@gmail.com 10 years Gulf & 4 years Oman experience in HR / Admin & logistics ﬂuent in Arabic / English with D/L looking for suitable position. Contact 95824598 Male BBA graduate 5 years admin HR document controller purchaser account assistant (tally) experience NOC. Contact: 97015178 Indian female graduate over 6 years experience admin operations service looking for suitable job. Contact: 94231020 Indian male - 25 years - MBA (HR & marketing) with one year experience on visit visa looking preferably for suitable HR/ ADMIN / marketing jobs .contact : Mr. Harish Ravindranathan / mail ID : payyazhihari1990@gmail.com / 90189964 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 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

12 years of Oman experienced chief accountant looking for suitable position. Contact: 99513082

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

Accountant job wanted 8 years experience, 5 years in India, 3 years in Oman knowledge of tally ERP 9 NOC available. Contact: 91162503

26 yrs male, MBA, 3+ years experience in Administration in MNC, seeks suitable placement. Contact 95041201 Email: noyel55@gmail.com

Indian male 9 years experienced in storekeeper cum accountant with D/L Oman & UAE. # 97085435 Email: sudhimohd@gmail.com Indian male MBA ﬁnance 12 years experience in Muscat seeking suitable position can join immediately. Contact: 96055815 Email: shaiks111@gmail.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

ARCHITECT /AUTOCAD AutoCAD D/man Experienced. Contact : 93837973 Interior Designer Experienced knows 3D max Photoshop: Contact 93837973 Architect (B. Arch) 5 years experience seeking job. Contact 96146645 Email: anjuovil@gmail.com

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CATERING Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

DRIVER Experienced Light Duty Driver, Fluent in English, Arabic Well knowledge of Oman Areas Seeking Suitable placement 97950869 2 years exp Light driver. Contact: 97132269 Light driver personal driving, office boy, driver visa required 10 yrs exp N.O.C ready. Contact: 96693290

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Well experienced team available to provide feasibility reports & business solutions, product development, risk management methods for startups, progressive, defunct operations. Creating of ERP modules. Contact - 93343251 (PDLO SUR¿ WRPDQ#JPDLO FRP

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ƌĞƐƵůƚ ŽƌŝĞŶƚĞĚ ƉƌŽĨĞƐƐŝŽŶĂů ͘ ͘;DĞĐŚͿ͕ ϯϬн ǇĞĂƌƐ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ŝŶ Kŝů Θ 'ĂƐ WƌŽũĞĐƚƐ͕ &ĂďƌŝĐĂƟ ŽŶ͕ Z Θ D ĂŶĚ ^ĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ͘ ^ĞĞŬŝŶŐ ũŽď ĂƐ 'D͕ K͕ ŽƵŶƚƌǇ ,ĞĂĚ͘ EK Θ ŝŵŵĞĚŝĂƚĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďŝůŝƚǇ͘

Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience as HVAC design engineer rev IT M.E.P AutoCAD. Contact: 91050913 Email: rahmanmechengg@yahoo.com

Light duty driver looking for job. Contact: 98356230

Chemical Engineer, valid Oman driving license, Indian 2 years of exp in industrial production, seeking suitable placement Contact: 91247222

Looking for driving job. Contact 98219182

Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518

Driver looking for job. Contact 91354803

Civil Engineer B.E , 06 years experience in Oman having D/L seeking for a suitable position . Contact 95961336 Email: eyousuf04@yahoo.com

Light driver, looking for job. Contact: 98372745/99090362 Light driver. Contact: 95084826 Looking for Job driving. Contact: 97418036 Driving with car, looking for job. Contact: 97095200 Driver with new car looking for job.contact: 95873286 Heavy duty driver (Exp 3years) seeking suitable job. Contact: 91372623 Driver (light & heavy duty) valid gulf /Indian) looking job. Contact: 95175192

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN 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 Professional architect 3ds max (interior, exterior) looking for private work. Contact: 96041201

EDUCATION American female Master’s TESOL 12 yrs teaching exp. EFL Curriculum Developer & Teacher Trainer. Professional Development Specialist & Educational Activity Coordinator. Available February 1st 2016. Email: dellacorte.esl@gmail.com Contact: 99630244 Indian female M.SC B.Ed, 3 years experience looking for suitable placement. Contact: 94420033 Email: binitathanki@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Sudanese female Electrical Engineer graduated with distinction excellent knowledge and interested in protection. Contact: 98133281 B.E Biomedical Engineer 5 years experience in the subﬁeld (hospital / company) looking for suitable placement. Contact 92084807 Email: bonnygeorge1005@gmail. com Electrical Engineer Indian male 29 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres) seeking suitable placement. Contact: 92789995 Email: akhilabrahmlktr@gamil.com M.Tech Civil, certiﬁcate attested, Indian, 18.8 year experience seeks suitable position. Contact: 98327311 Email: sen.pangode@gmail.com Civil Engineer 11 years experience in construction, having driving license & NOC. Contact: 94194399 Email: shiblyrock@gmail.com B.E civil Engineer having 11 years experience with NOC looking for job. Contact: 95690780 Email: sadiq.asrar81@gmail.com Indian male 24, B.E. Civil Eng’g with 2 years experience as Structural Engineer looking for suitable job in Muscat. 97355352 Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.91295802 / acmfaslan123@gmail.com

Indian male, 29 years electrical engineer, having 5+ years of experience in oil / gas and construction ﬁeld (GCC) having valid GCC license too, looking for a preferable job. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani@gmail.com 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 Structural Draughtsman having 10 years experience in engineering consultancies N.O.C available. Contact: 00968 97612846

Mechanic Tractor Diesel Engines & Hydraulic, 25 years Experience in Multinational Companies. Contact - 91685048

HOSPITALITY Dutch male qualiﬁed commercial pilot (Faa-ME-IR certiﬁed) is looking for job openings in middle east. rutjestom@outlook.com

IT Female 26, B.E in computer science, having 4 years MNC experience as software developer, seeking suitable position in Muscat. Contact: 96784320 Email: preethasathya@yahoo.com Age 28 years experience 2years & 8 month in IT accounting technical skill, java, J.S.P tally Peachtree M.S excel, SQL ,Working java programmer India , accountant , Dubai ,Qualiﬁcation MCA, B.C.A mathematic visit visa. Contact: 95673451 Indian male MC.A 2 years experience in software knowledge of Java ASP Net, network in techno park Kerala. Contact: 99210940 Male 31 Years, IT 6 year’s online marketing experience in India seeks suitable placement. Contact-91175265

MEDICAL

Indian male diploma civil engineer 13 years of professional experience in projects and operations, seeking suitable placement NOC available. Contact: 96328643/96234670

An experienced Sudanese female GP with MOH license looking for job. Contact: 96436517 /97396088

Civil Site Supervisor for telecom tower projects across Oman. Send CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or call +968 9946 7227

Palestinian dentist looking for job in Muscat privet hospitals , polyclinics or dental centers – 15 yrs experience out Muscat at privet hospitals or polyclinics. Contact: 96951750

Indian male 27yrs, mechanical engineer (energy engineering M.Tech & HVAC diploma) with 4 yrs experience on visit visa, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 98791735 Email: anilengandiyur@gmail.com Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects. Contact – 90164912 7Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the ﬁeld of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598 Electrical Engineer, B-Tech, with 4 Yrs experience in India, 3 YEARS IN MRF and one year in KSEB. Available in Visit Visa looking for suitable Placement as an Engineer. Contact: 94741401 Email:sobinthomask05@gmail.com. B.E .Mechanical & Production, Indian male with (QA / QC mechanical) 6 months exp as sales engineer, seeking suitable placement on visit visa. Contact: 94818333 / 99789512/ Email: fred61l@gmail.com BSc Civil Engineer having 3 years experience with Construction Company seeking suitable placement. GSM-97409350. GIS Certiﬁed Pipeline Engineer with 3 years experience in diesel power plants and heavy industry. Contact: 93504812 Male, Electrical Engineer, ages 53 yrs, working since 8 years in Oman. With a consultant, exp in drawing / MAS work inspections, post contract activities, with NOC & valid Oman D/L, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 968 96243401 Email: sathyugk@yahoo.com B.E civil Engineer, 07 years experience in Oman having D/L, N.O.C available looking for a suitable position. Contact 95961336/93523507 Email: eyousuf04@yahoo.com B.E Electrical Engg with 5 yrs exp in Oman with D/L. Contact: 98425155 Email: rajeevkalaivanan@yahoo.com Hygiene Officer/QC, B.Tech Bio tech. HACCP LVL. 2 &3.Experienced in Food & water industry. 92940218

Male Nurse, Experienced, Pass Prometric (Oman) 93837973

MISCELLANEOUS Indian female , M.com gradate , 7 years of experience in Oman in accounts administration , secretarial and sales coordination with valid Omani driving license, looking for a suitable placement. Gsm 95134495 Purchase Officer with 8 years exp in Oman having D/L & NOC looking for urgently placement. Contact 96174564 email: azhar_5012@yahoo.co.in Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, omani d/l , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 9880-5474 24 years Indian female MSC Biotechnology 1 year exp.in clinical microbiology, worked in icrisat for project work as Trainee, looking for suitable job. Contact: 92619048 Email: anusreeg1991@gmail.com Indian female, 26, M.sc biotechnology now in family visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95210498/ 99850321/93093466 Omani national with bachelor in management looking for suitable placement please call: 91908052 or Email: saidoburndi257@yahoo.com

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR 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 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

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR Indian male 25 yrs of exp in construction field Oman. Good knowledge in same field worked as foreman + 15 yrs of driving exp looking for job, with visa. Contact: 93718164 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. Contact: - 92385033 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

SALES / MARKETING

MISCELLANEOUS

Sales Engineer 5 years experience looking for a placement. Contact: 91411043

Indian male, 29 years, B. Tech Electronics & Communication Eng. with 7 year’s experience seeking for a suitable placement, currently in UAE visit visa.# 00971 552513735 Email: rahul.rn198@gmail.com

Sales Manager having 12 years experience M.B.A in sales & marketing having valid GCC driving license seeking suitable placement, NOC available. Contact: 98125226 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 MBA marketing 2 years Oman experience with valid Oman driving license looking for a suitable position NOC available. Contact: 91202335 Email: mrishad90@yahoo.com Marketing Executive/Merchandiser, Omani License, BA 8 years Experience in Multinational Groups. Contact 97601343

SALES / MARKETING SKILLED / UNSKILLED 12 years of experience in Oman; marketing strategies & operations, logistics, government tenders, public relations & dealing with international companies -4 years of experience in UK, engineering CNC & industrial areas, have dual nationality, ﬂuent in English & Arabic speaking and writing , (I can travel abroad easily without visa, for ﬁnalizing business or any other purpose). Contact: 94123939 Indian male, MBA 25 yrs. 1 year experience in auditing and 10 month in sales. Currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement. Contact: 92054304 Indian male, 24, MB Marketing and HR, I year experience. On visit visa. Looking for suitable job. Contact 94014073

26 yrs Indian Male - fluent in Eng/ Arabic, qualified network technician seeks job: 98675047 / 98138750 Indian male, having 15 yrs of exp in site supervising, telephone line, supervising with valid D/L, looking for job. Contact: 93931162 8 years exp body fitter and electric welder. Contact: 93015630 Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job. Contact: 95175192 Electrician, plumber (exp gulf / Indian) looking job. Contact 95175192

MISCELLANEOUS

10 yrs exp in Oman in logistics/ purchase-have Oman D/L-looking for suitable placementcontact 96410767 email: harishkts@yahoo.com

Indian Electrical Engineer B. Tech, female 24 seeking job. presently in oman having 2 year experience in design and estimation of Ht &Lt projects. Contact 96897436557, Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.com

Indian male 25 age, MBA marketing (fresher) PGDM (HR) ﬂuency in English, Arabic, Hindi looking for suitable job currently in Oman on visit visa. Contact: 97127799 Email: vijnvijioo@gmail.com

B.Tech (Electrical & Electronic) with MBA in marketing having 9 years of experience seeking a suitable position as Sales & Marketing/Business Development executive. Contact-(97043494)

Sri Lankan male – 3.5 years experience as a site supervisor & Administration executive in Oman / 2 years experience as an HR executive with Oman driving license. (English/Arabic/Urdu)/ NOC available 97281617 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 Sri Lankan male BSc (Physics) – 5 years experience as a site supervisor & Administration executive with Oman driving license. (English/Arabic/Urdu)/ NOC available 93214717 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT: Indian male, Graduate & CA Article ship completed. 18 Years of experience. Currently on visiting visa. seeks suitable placement. Contact: 97498809, 98569025, Email: hilariankj@gmail.com Indian female dentist prometric cleared seeking suitable openings in Muscat.# 95585807, 92880267 Male 25 years, B.E. Mechanical with CSWIP 3.1 and ASNT level 2, 3 yrs. of experience in QC in oil and gas industry. Currently working in Oman, NOC available. Contact 91262792. vignesh1503@yahoo.com Indian male, B.E. mechanical, 16 yrs experience, for Quotation, Tender, Accounts, Business development, Sohar Area, Part Time. Mb. 94215208 Indian male 23yr BA TTM(Travel and Tourism Management) with Advanced Diploma in Supply Chain Logisitics and Shipping Management, exp in Logisitics (CHA) seeking in suitable placement, currently on visit visa(Oman) Contact;90291092 email:iyas.adhur@gmail.com

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED MISCELLANEOUS Indian male 23yr BA TTM(Travel and Tourism Management) with Advanced Diploma in Supply Chain Logistics and Shipping Management, exp in Logistics(CHA) seeking in suitable placement. Currently on visit visa (Oman) contact; 90291092 email:iyas.adhur@gmail.com

Looking for a part time accounting & admin job. Contact 99196621. Indian (Kerala) Male, 32yrs, looking for a job as Accounts Assistant/ Cashier/ Salesman (indoor), having 5 yrs experience in Oman. Currently on Visit Visa. Contact-94410485, Email: visanthvijay@gmail.com

Indian male auto cad draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience .seeking for job in Dubai & Qatar. Contact - 00968-99070584 (Mct):0091-9895061474 (India) email: remluvp@gmail.com

Indian Male 33 yrs, BCA ,10 years experience(India & Oman) IT Support, System administrator/ supervisor looking for suitable Job. #95448561.

Indian Female Accountant 5 Years of Experience in Accounting Tally, Office coordination, And Admin, Currently on Visit Visa Seeking Suitable Placement. Contact: 95684179

Indian female accountant 5 years of experience in accounting tally, office coordination,And admin, currently on visit visa. seeking suitable placement Contact: 95684179

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532

Indian male 23yr BA TTM (travel and tourism management) with advanced diploma in supply chain logistics and shipping management, exp in logistics (cha) seeking in suitable placement. currently on visit visa(oman) Contact;90291092 email: iyas.adhur@gmail.com

Indian male, 11 years exp. in accounting, knowledge in tally also. Looking for a part time job. Contact. 98983122 Manager / Working Partner. Indian M.Com with 20 years Dubai experience in media advertising industry, client service, marketing, production, gifts trading, branding with D/L. Contact -93031168 Indian male BE Electrical & electronics and pg in power systems (transmission & distribution) on visit, Seeking placement. Contact – 94669679 Email prsabarish@gmail.Com

Marketing or Business development-BSC in marketing 5 years of experience looking for suitable position. Contact (99522233) Indian male, 19 years oman exp. in purchase, material coordinator in building/pipe line 9yrs & factory production ﬁeld 10yrs.good computer skills & D/L & with NOC. looking for suitable placement. mr.victor2015@hotmail.com Contact: 99008101

Sales & Marketing executive MBA with 3 years of experience looking for suitable placement. Contact: 91345727

Part- Time Accountant, well experience senior accountant, doing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available. Contact 98803439

Indian male 42, 20 years experience building material sales man sales manager seeks suitable placement NOC available. Contact: 97457331

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532

Indian homeopathic doctor, 34 years, 8 years experience in medical industry, seeking job as insurance medical officer / heath care. Contact: 92428547 Email: ushus3@gmail.com

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/ Server support. Contact 92607532

Indian 32 years completed M.A. English, having three years experience in teaching filed searching for the suitable job. Contact: 99869535 Email: sahadkeyi33@gmail.com Accountant Indian male B.Com 15 years (8 years I Oman with valid Oman driving license) experience in accounts up to finalization NOC available. Contact: 94117616/ 91238272 Indian lady, B.com M.com (not completed) with tally and ms office skills, with 8 years experience in Oman in accounts up to finalization seeks suitable position. Contact: 93185841 Civil Engineer 2 years experience, major experience in Road work, Culverts and structure. Contact: 97427701 BE electronics & instrumentation engineer, with one year of experience. Looking for suitable positions. On visit visa. Contact-99339306, e-mail: kannanr101@gmail.com Indian male be electrical and pg in power systems (transmission & distribution) with one year experience on visit. Seeking placement contact – 94669679/ email prsabarish@gmail.com

Indian Males 32 years, Dip. In Hardware & Networking with 10 years of hands-on experience. Currently on visit visa seeking immediate placement in IT Support or relevant jobs. Good knowledge of Hardware & Networking. Contact: 9416 9341 / haripulikal@gmail.com Indian male, 19 years experience in purchase, material coordinator in building construction & factory production ﬁeld, have good computer skills & driving license and NOC. Looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 99008101 Indian male accountant, 12 years experience, looking for a full time or part time job. Experience in tally also. Contact-98983122 Male Accountant Indian, B.com, 2 Year experience currently working in Oman. NOC available, doing accounts in Tally and Excel searching for suitable Job. Email: contactanand31@gmail.com / 91894487, 98789958 Electronics/Electrical/Instrumentation Design Engineer with 2+ years of experience, having a Bachelors Degree in Instrumentation Technology. Seeking for a job, currently on visit visa. Contact- 90142166 / Mail: aksafwan@gmail.com

Indian Mechanical Engineer (16 Yrs Exp), Knowledgeable in Monitoring of workshop setup, Workshop run, Business Development, ISO certification, Quotation, Tender, Account verification, Sohar Area, Mb. 94215208’ Indian male, 27 BSC nurse 4.5 years experience in India. Pro metric passed with 61% Data flow processing, ACLS, BLS passed. Now on visit visa. Mob: 98926621, 94361049 e-mail: shemeermk@gmail.com Electrical Engineer, B-Tech, with 4 Yrs experience in India, 3 YEARS IN MRF and one year in KSEB. Available on Visit Visa. Contact: 94741401 :Email: sobinthomask05@gmail.com. Sudanese male...telecom engineer 11 yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing, management .Seeking suitable placement. Contact 91182027 31 years, Indian male PG in HR , with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement(NOC Available). Contact me on 93488914, emailKaarthickshankar@gmail.com FEMALE SYRIAN ARCHITECT ,new graduate have good experience in architect programs, autocad 3d max ,sketch up , Photoshop ,sketch up, searching for a job full time or part time, for Contact : 97482871 Sales & Marketing/ Business Development Executive: - B.Tech. (Electrical & Electronics) MBA in marketing having 9 years of experience seeking a suitable position. Contact (97043494) Purchase & Stores In charge – Having continues 13 years experience in a single firm, looking for a placement.# 99627427, 96154564 Indian male 23 years old graduate with one year experience in Sales & Marketing with valid Oman driving license seeking suitable opportunities.(NOC available) Contact: +968 98240510 Gmail: affanahamed0@gmail.com

RENT A CAR

Marketing Coordinator, Indian, Advertising Agency experienced person with D/L seeks good opening. Contact 93031168

MATRIMONIAL 27 years Kerala boy, Hindu Ezhava (Atham) diploma holder working in Oman seeking suitable alliance. Contact: 95606132 Ezhava divorcee, 37, 5.3”, pharmacist in Muscat. Contact - suryakv2010@gmail. com,+919961176066 Indian male christian 40yrs. working in muscat.looking for life partner.divorced or single. Contact :91429811 Keralite R.C. Boy, 30yrs, 161cm, MBA (Finance) Working in Oman seeking suitable alliance. Contact: 92290247 / 97302978 35 Christian male, LLB, working as project executive divorce. Contact: 97413778

GOOD NEWS Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

Best Rates for Saloon. Tel: 99826300 / 97869042, rentacar@modernreem.com

GOOD NEWS Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage steambath, obesity, Spondylitis, Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street Azaiba. Contact: 99639695 / 98342990 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

TRANSPORTATION Muttrah to Bausher. Contact: 99022790/24712088

Transportation. Contact: 95190627

Transportation. Contact: 96538078

Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba. Contact: 91103909

Transportation. Contact 99508282

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

FOR HIRE WITH OPERATORS 1. Back Hoe Loaders (Shovels): 5 Nos 2. 10 Tons Vibratory Roller Compactor: 1 No. 3. 42 Mtrs. Concrete Pump Putzmeister: 1 No. 4. 45 Cbm Tippers: 2 Nos 5. 50 M height, 50 Boom tower cranes: 5 Nos.

Please contact – Mr. Ravi on 96529679 Email – ravi@alliedoman.com / narayan@alliedoman.com

WEBSITE

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

CLASSES

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

Classes for Spoken English TOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed EAGLES INSTITUTE 92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

in Azaiba and Ruwi earn in two months tion guaranteed

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price. Contact: http//webviewoman

COMPUTER

IELTS & TOEFL Academic / General Target Band 8 TQT Institute.

Tel: 95244310

Ph # 24480800 / 99347202

Classes for bakery, cup cakes, icing decorations. Contact: 96202458 /96761960

DRIVING

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

^ Zs/ ^

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

tĞ WƌŽǀŝĚĞ ůĞĂŶĞƌƐ͕ Kĸ ĐĞ ďŽǇƐ͕ ůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ͕ 'ĞŶĞƌĂů ĐůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ĞƚĐ͘ ů DƵĚĂŬŚŝƌ EĂƟ ŽŶĂů Ɛƚ͘ >> ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ͗ ϵϰϮϳϳϬϮϬ

MANPOWER

D EWKt Z dŝůĞ DĂƐŽŶƐ͕ DĂƐŽŶƐ͕ ůĞĐƚƌŝĐŝĂŶƐ͕ WůƵŵďĞƌƐ͕ &ĂůƐĞ ĞŝůŝŶŐ ͬ 'ǇƉƐƵŵ tŽƌŬƐ ĂŶĚ ĂƌƉĞŶƚĞƌƐ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ ŝŵŵĞĚŝĂƚĞůǇ ŽŶ >ĂďŽƌ ƐƵƉƉůǇ ďĂƐŝƐ͘

Window & split unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact: 99557080

Learn driving with professional. Contact: 94022250

Split & window unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact: 96236476

CHANGE OF NAME

House shifting & transporting. Contact 92490422

/ŶƚĞƌĞƐƚĞĚ ƉĂƌƟ ĞƐ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ

'^D͗ ϵϲϳϳϱϬϮϯ ͬ ϵϲϳϳϱϬϮϰ

LOST Santhosh Kumar has lost Indian Passport No. J 2317576. Finder please handover to ROP

I Stube Pearl Nirajini Jayakumar (holder of Indian passport No. G 8908659) Daughter of Stube Jeremiah Williams having permanent residence in No. 66, 3rd main road Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Vellore 632002 ( complete postal address in India ) and presently residing in Rustaq (complete postal in Oman) intend to change my name from Stube Pearl Niranjini Jayakumar (old name) to Pearl Niranjini ( new name) for all practical purpose. Any objection towards my name change may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, diplomatic Quarters, AL Khuwair, P. Box No, 1727 postal code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807

SITUATION WANTSERVICES

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517

A/C Maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing. Contact: 99447257 /97014234 / 24504281

Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact: 93769089 / 95323517

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064

Water prooﬁng ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

House shifting. Contact: 99657644/98518013

Cleaning & carpet shampooing, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99884591 Pest control treatments. Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723

A/C maintenance, installation spilt A.C and maintenance window A/C and ducted and package the reunites. Contact: Asad Abbas 98667326 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 Cleaning Sofa shampoo carpet shampoo house. Contact: 92179395 Debt collection services your money we collect value commercial services. Fax: 0096824783669 Contact: 009682479815 /00968- 24701422 /00968- 94665476 Email: salim@valuedbtcollection.com 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

W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

TOURS

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

ABDULHAKIM AL BIMANI TRADING & CONTRACTOR Expert in Shipping cargo by sea & air to Zanzibar, Pemba, Dar es Salam in Tanzania, Burundi, The Philippines, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Reasonable price.

Contact: 97440625/95416662 Email: abdulhakimalbimani@hotmail.com

*Classiﬁed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability