Times of Oman - January 9, 2016

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

Opening of the annual session of The Council of Oman, 2008

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

DOMESTIC SECTOR IN US POWERS GROWTH OF JOBS

We are sparing no effort and will continue to spare no effort in order to provide our human resources with all the help they will need to develop, hone and train.

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SATURDAY, January 9, 2016 / 28 Rabi Al Awal 1437 AH

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PICTURESQUE VALLEY

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Wadi Dhum or ‘Valley of Dhum’, in the Wilayat of Ibri is one of the most picturesque destinations in Oman, endowed with natural beauty, including water bodies and lush green trees. — ONA See also >A3

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Call to stem high student dropout rate NUMBER OF STUDENTS WHO LEFT STUDY The high dropout rate of students in

Male

Reasons for leaving

exerting a burden on the country’s financial and human resources

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI elham@timesofoman.com

E X A M I NAT I O N O F PA S T

UN panel to review Oman’s record on rights of children Times News Service MUSCAT: Child rights in the Sultanate will be reviewed by the United Nations’ Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC), during live sessions on January 12 and 13, an official communiqué said on Thursday.

The Sultanate is one of the 196 countries that have ratified the

Convention on the Rights of Child and is, therefore, required to undergo regular examination of its record by a committee comprising 18 independent experts, the statement said.

The statement added that the CRC members will hold discussions with a government delegation from Oman on the implementation of the convention.

The committee will base its evaluation on the delegation’s replies, as well as information collected from the civil society groups, said the UN committee.

Apart from Oman, other countries that are being reviewed include Senegal, Iran, Latvia, France, Ireland, Haiti, Peru, Maldives, Zimbabwe, Maldives, Zambia, Benin, Brunei and Kenya.

MUSCAT: With around 6 per cent of students dropping out of higher education institutions in Oman, authorities have called for a joint effort to address the issue, saying it is exerting a burden on the country’s financial and human resources.

“The dropout rate in higher education institutions in Oman reached 6 per cent of the total enrolled students in the academic year of 2013-2014,” Minister of Higher Education Dr. Rawya Saud Al Busaidi said in an interview with Times of Oman.

According to the data from the ministry’s Higher Education Statistical System, 7,388 students left their studies at higher education institutions during the 20132014 academic year. Out of this number, 2,532 were female and 4,856 were male.

The data does not include students of vocational training centres institutes and those granted external scholarships.

Commenting on the reasons for the high dropout rate, the minister said student-related factors seem to be the main cause for dropouts, with the most common reasons being academic failure, bad behaviour, lack of desire to study, employment, and financial inability to pay the fees.

Total

2012 / 2013

2013 / 2014

104

722

876

152

540

Death

9

10

19

3

13

16

Other than academic failure

68

879

947

153

891

1044

Academic failure

the Sultanate is

Female

692

Financial reasons

171

178

349

20

86

106

Interruption of study

218

315

533

508

998

1506

Other personal reasons

1192

1364

2556

970

1180

2150

Lack of desire to continue study

398

596

994

662

938

1600

Employed

18

192

210

9

163

172

Exceeded the allocated time limit of study Health reasons

26

51

77

1

0

1

20

57

54

47

101

Grand Total

37

2241

Data does not include students of Vocational Training Centres Institutes and External Scholarships

2532

4377 6618

Source: Higher Education Statistical System (HESS)

Minister of Higher Education Dr. Rawya Saud Al Busaidi

Data for the 2013-2014 academic year showed that 692 students (152 female and 540 male) dropped out due to academic failure, 16 (three female and 13 male) due to death, and 1,044 (153 female and 891 male) due to exclusion for immoral reasons or reasons other than academic failure.

A total of 106 students (20 female and 86 male) left their stud-

4856 7388 Graphics

ies due to financial reasons, 1,506 (508 female and 998 male) due to interruption of study, and 2,150 (970 female and 1,180 male) for other personal reasons.

A lack of desire to continue studying was cited by 1,600 students (662 female and 938 male), who dropped out of higher education institutions, while the reason provided by 172 (9 female and 163 male) was employment.

Health reasons caused 101 students (54 female and 47 male) to drop out, while one female student dropped out because she exceeded the allocated time limit for completing her studies.

Negative impact The minister said she believed the dropout problem had negatively affected society as the dropouts have not only missed the opportunity to study themselves, but have also taken the opportunity away from others by occupying seats that could have been otherwise utilised, in a better way. >A2

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Oman, Iraq to boost bilateral relations

Rebels: Pressure to prolong Syria war

US presses China to rein in North Korea

1

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South Korea unleashed a propaganda across its border with North Korea in retaliation for its nuclear test, while the US called on China to end “business as usual” with its ally. South Korea said its foreign minister would speak to his Chinese counterpart. >A9

Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs received Ibrahim Al Ja’fari, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Iraq, currently visiting the Sultanate. The leaders discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries and means of enhancing them. >A2

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Syrian rebels said President Bashar Al Assad’s opponents are under international pressure to make concessions that would prolong the conflict, underscoring their doubts about a new UN-led drive for peace talks planned to begin this month. >A4

ARABIAN PENINSULA TOUR

Oman most beautiful and peaceful country: German couple MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: People of Oman are as beautiful as the country, said Hermann Vornwald, a German tourist, who is travelling in a “motor home” to explore the beauty of the Arabian Peninsula.

Hermann and his wife Heike have been in Oman for the last couple of days.

The tourist couple started its journey in a motor home from Frankfurt, Germany, in the first week of September.

Arabian Peninsula “For this winter, we planned a trip to go around the Arabian Peninsula in our motor home,” Hermann told the Times of Oman.

They are expected to be back in Germany in the last week of May this year. They intend to cover about 22,000 km during the journey.

IN LOVE WITH OMAN: The German couple started their journey in a motor home from Frankfurt, Germany in the first week of September.

So far, they have visited Austria, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iran, and entered the Gulf through a ferryboat boarded from Bandar Abbas in Iran.

They celebrated the New Year in the UAE and then entered Ibri in the Sultanate of Oman, and plan to spend nearly four to five weeks in every country and enjoy the beauty

and culture of the country.

Vornwald and his wife are scheduled to stay in Oman for six to seven weeks.

“We have to travel about 4,000 km, which is about seven weeks spent travelling through the country on the coast of Indian Ocean to the south, to Salalah, and on a western route through the ‘Rub al

Khali,’ or the ‘Empty Quarter’ or the world’s largest sand desert in the north again,” Vornwald said.

“We want to enjoy the beauty of Oman and its culture,” he added.

The German couple is visiting Oman for the second time.

Earlier in 2000, they had come with a group and spent two weeks in Oman.

So far, they have explored the beauty of Ibri, Nizwa, Tanuf, Seeb and Muttrah in the Sultanate.

Yesterday, they started their journey to Salalah and will spend three days there, enjoying the beauty of the Dhofar region.

After their stay in the Dhofar region, they will be back in the capital city to relish its beauty

and culture. The couple will start the journey back to Germany after their stay in Oman and after visiting the same countries via which they came, but through a different route.

According to Vornwald, Oman is the most peaceful and beautiful country that he came across during this journey.

“The people of Oman are lovable and friendly, especially near the border where they showed great respect towards me,” he added. >A2

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

OMAN

Today, sea travel has become a lifestyle— more Omanis are looking to share this extraordinary experience with loved ones Erwin Bamps, CEO of Gulf Craft

Oman, Iraq ministers discuss bilateral ties

I R A N I A N H O S P I TA L P R O P O S E D

The meeting touched upon aspects of MEETING: A proposal to construct an Iranian hospital in the Sultanate, was also discussed at the meeting. - Supplied picture

bilateral cooperation

Health Minister meets Iranian ambassador

countries and the

between the two means of further enhancing them in various fields

Times News Service MUSCAT: Iran and Oman discussed a proposal to construct an Iranian hospital in the Sultanate, at a meeting attended by number of senior officials from both the sides.

Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saidi, Minister of Health, received Ali Akbar Sebaweh, ambas-

sador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Sultanate, in his office on Thursday.

During the meeting, the two exchanged cordial conversation, and discussed a number of matters of common concern between the two friendly countries, particularly cooperation in the field of health, such as in the treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts.

BILATERAL COOPERATION: The meeting also exchanged viewpoints on a number of regional and international issues of common concern and the latest developments in the region. — ONA

MUSCAT: Yousef bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, received Ibrahim Al Ja’fari, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Iraq, in his office on Thursday.

The meeting touched upon aspects of bilateral cooperation be-

tween the two countries and the means of enhancing them in various fields.

The meeting also exchanged viewpoints on a number of regional and international issues of common concern and the latest

T H R E E - D AY P R E V I E W

developments in the region.

The meeting was attended

by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud Al Busaidi, secretary general of the Foreign Ministry, Dr Ali bin Ahmed Al Issa’eei, acting undersecretary of the Foreign

Ministry for Diplomatic Affairs and a number of officials from the Foreign Ministry.

It was also attended form by Amal Mousa, the Iraqi ambassador to the Sultanate and the delegation accompanying him. — ONA

R O YA L N AV Y O F O M A N

Gulf Craft to showcase new range RNO takes delivery of its third vessel of yachts, boats, sport cruisers Times News Service MUSCAT: Gulf Craft — one of the Sultanate’s yachting market giant — will showcase a range of semicustom yachts, boats, and sport cruisers at The Wave Marina in Muscat, an official statement said on Thursday. The statement said Oman’s boating enthusiasts will get the opportunity to explore the endless possibilities of water leisure at an exclusive three-day preview starting from January 14.

“Our Omani customers’ strong affinity with the sea and appreciation for water leisure continuously inspires us to produce new innovations,” said the statement quoting Erwin Bamps, chief executive officer of Gulf Craft.

Gulf Craft said it accounts for more than 30 per cent of the leisure craft market share in Oman.

The company’s yearly return to the country demonstrates its unwavering commitment to meeting

LEISURE CRAFT: Founded in the Emirates in 1982, Gulf Craft has a wide variety of premium craft, ranging from 27-155 feet in length. — Supplied picture

the evolving needs of its Omani clientele, the company statement added. Founded in the Emirates in 1982, Gulf Craft has a wide variety of premium craft, ranging from 27 feet to 155 feet in length.

With an expanding portfolio that includes the enchanting

Majesty Yachts, the oceangoing Nomad Yachts, Silvercraft fishing boats and family cruisers, and Oryx sport yachts and cruisers; Gulf Craft has built a lasting legacy in the region.

“Today, sea travel has become a lifestyle—more Omanis are look-

E D UC AT I O NA L I N S T I T U T I O N S

Official naming ceremony Upon the arrival of the RNO Commander to the location of the celebration, the Royal anthem of Oman and anthem of Singapore were played, followed by the official naming ceremony of ‘Khasab’, named by His Maj-

esty the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, followed by the delivery of ‘Sadah’, when the sponsor of the event signed documents of accepting ownership of the vessel from the manufacturer Singapore Technologies Marine (STM). The flag of the Sultanate was hoisted, along with RNO flag, marking the boarding of the first crew of the ship.

On the sidelines of the celebration, the RNO Commander and the attendees toured the various facilities of the ship, where they were briefed on the various facilities and equipment of Ofuq four vessels, manufactured according to the latest specialised military industries.

The ceremony was attended

by Sheikh Zakaria bin Hamad Al Sa’adi, Consul General of the Sultanate to the Republic of Singapore, Commodore Khalifa bin Hamad Al Qasimi, RNO Director General of Support, and a number of RNO staff. — ONA

AV I D T R AV E L L E R S

A1 ‘Effort to cut down number < FROM

of students dropout needed’

“In fact, this is a burden on financial and human resources, and time. Usually, the students who stay unemployed by doing are a financial burden on their parents,” Minister Al Busaidi noted.

She also called for a collaborative effort to decrease the number of students who drop out of higher

ing to share this extraordinary experience with loved ones, and want to do so comfortably,” Bamps added. “By bringing our latest creations to the shores of Oman, we hope to transform these aspirations for on-water living into a tangible reality,” he further said.

SINGAPORE: The delivery of the vessel ‘Sadah’, the third ship in Ofuq Project, was taken by the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) on Thursday in the Republic of Singapore, and the launching and naming the fourth vessel in the project ‘Khasab’, as part of the care of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, by providing RNO with the latest military vessels.

Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Khamis Al Raisi, Commander of the RNO, sponsored the celebration, in the presence of a number of RNO officers and non-commissioned officers and marines.

education institutions. Families should continuously follow up the students’ study progress and encourage them to continue academically until graduation, while providing continued parental support, the minister said.

“Ministries, authorities and institutions in charge of higher

education should improve the academic environment in terms of teaching quality, challenges and academic workload,” she said.

They should also provide adequate academic support and counselling services, health care and financial resources,” she further added. - To be concluded

A1 German couple travels to < FROM

explore beauty of the world

Sixty-year old Hermann was a businessman back in Germany.

He owned a shop, which sells all kinds of iron products. Five years back, he vended all his business properties and started to travel in his motor home with his wife Heike. “Now, we travel for six to seven months every year, explor-

ing the beauty of the world and we will be back in Germany in the summer,” Vornwald said.

“Last year, we were in North Africa,” he added.

According to him, the only problem he faces during the journey is the delays that take place in the borders. Sometimes he has to

wait for more than 12 hours. “So far, my journey has been good, but the process, such as security, clearances, all this makes it exhausting,” Vornwald said.

During our chat, Heike was preparing dinner in the kitchen of the motor home. The happy couple are enjoying their retired life.

T H R E E - D AY E V E N T

Heritage exhibition to focus on horses, camels of Oman Muscat: Sayyid Fatik bin Fahr Al Said will sponsor next Tuesday’s opening of the Fifth International Exhibition of Horses, Camels and ‘Omani Asayel’ Heritage, which will be held at the Oman International Exhibition Centre.

The three-day exhibition, organised by Vision Expo and Asayel Company for Press and Publication, will begin in the presence of many senior officials, as well as those members of the public interested in equestrian and camel sports, along with the nation’s heritage.

Opening ceremony The first day of the exhibition will include the opening ceremony, welcoming presentations for the chief guest and the attendees by the Royal Cavalry, Royal Camel Corps, Household Cavalry and the Royal Guard of Oman Cavalry, as well as the participation of the Ministry of Sports Affairs.

Mohamed bin Isa Al Fairouz,

The exhibition includes a number of exhibits and diverse competitions in the areas of equestrian, camels and the country’s heritage on January 12-14

Chairman of the Organising Committee of the exhibition, said this year’s exhibition is sponsored by a variety of government institutions involved in the tourism sector, including the Ministry of Tourism, out of their interest in

tourism and its promotion in the Sultanate, and to expand its reach throughout Oman.

Diverse competitions He also said that the exhibition includes a number of exhibits and diverse competitions in the areas of equestrian, camels and the country’s heritage from January 12th to 14th, adding that a number of government and private institutions will take part in the exhibition, particularly the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Sports Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the National Records and Archive Authority, the Public Authority for Craft Industries, Sultan Qaboos University, the Royal Cavalry, Royal Camel Corp, the International Tent Pegging Federation, Omani Camel Racing Federation, Household Cavalry and the Royal Guard of Oman Cavalry, in addition to the participation by a number of private sector companies. — ONA

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

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WADI DHUM’S NATURAL BEAUTY DRAWS GROWING NUMBER OF TOURISTS Wadi Dhum, located in the Wilayat of Ibri in the Governorate of A’Dhahirah, is a destination where tourists enjoy nature and natural beauty the most in the midst of water, trees and lush greens along the banks. The wadi is located at the base of the Shams Mountain from the west as it is located in the eastern part of the Wilayat of Ibri in Wadi Al Ain, about 75 kilometres from the centre of the wilayat. These destinations are great attractions boosting tourism, bringing in tourists, who love water and greenery, blended with the fragrance of Omani history — where forts, castles, towers and old neighbourhoods stand firm, narrating the history of ancient masterpieces that are deeply rooted in the Sultanate’s glorious history ,and act as a permanent beacon of goodness and virtue. – ONA

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

REGION

The Defence Department announced the repatriation of Faez Mohammed Ahmed Al Kandari, a Kuwaiti who had been held at Guantanamo for 13 years in a statement

UN ‘pressure’ would only prolong war: Syrian rebels Mistura arrives in Damascus

T E L AV I V AT TA C K

Israeli police kill Arab citizen wanted for shootings OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Israeli police killed in a shootout on Friday an Arab citizen wanted for a January 1 gun rampage in Tel Aviv, the security services said, ending a week-long manhunt but not the public mystery over what motivated his attack.

Israeli media showed pictures of Nashat Melhem’s body, with a submachine gun next to it, outside what they said was a mosque in his northern hometown where he was hiding from authorities. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement congratulated the security forces, who he said had “worked tirelessly, methodically and professionally to locate and eliminate the attacker”.

Police said in a statement that a special forces team closed in on a building in his hometown of Arara, in northern Israel, killing him when he stormed out, shooting at them. There were no police casualties in the incident. Melhem, whose age police gave as 31, was identified by relatives from CCTV footage of the Tel Aviv attack, where he was accused of killing two people in a central restaurant and a taxi driver whose vehicle he used to escape.

He had previously spent four years in prison for assaulting an Israeli soldier, said his lawyer, who also described Melhem as mentally unstable.

Commentators were divided on whether Melhem struck in Tel Aviv out of pro-Palestinian sympathy or in loyalty to IS, which in recent weeks has circulated messages threatening to attack Israel. — Reuters

US to transfer Al Qaeda suspect to Kuwait WASHINGTON: The United States released a suspected Al Qaeda propagandist to the government of Kuwait on Friday, leaving 104 inmates at the US naval prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Defence Department announced the repatriation of Faez Mohammed Ahmed Al Kandari, a Kuwaiti who had been held at Guantanamo for 13 years in a statement. It said his detention “does not remain necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States.”

Kandari, 38, was suspected of being a propagandist and also may have served as “spiritual adviser” to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to a US Department of Defence profile.

UN envoy Staffan de

BEIRUT: Syrian rebels said President Bashar Al Assad’s opponents are under international pressure to make concessions that would prolong the conflict, underscoring their doubts about a new UN-led drive for peace talks planned to begin this month.

An opposition council that met UN envoy Staffan de Mistura this week was under pressure “to offer concessions that will prolong the suffering of our people and the spilling of their blood”, a statement signed by prominent rebel groups said.

The opposition council of rebels and Assad’s political opponents was set up last month to oversee negotiations, which are envisaged as part of a new effort to settle the five-year-long war that has killed 250,000 people.

The rebels, including groups represented in the council, said they would not accept any concessions that run counter to “the principles of our revolution” and condemned what it called international connivance “against the revolution”.

Opposition leaders told de Mistura the government must take goodwill steps before any negotiations by halting bombard-

G UA N TA NA M O D E TA I N E E

DIPLOMATIC CAMPAIGN: UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, centre, arrives at his hotel with Syrian assistant foreign minister, Ayman Sosan, second from right, on Friday in Damascus, Syria. – AFP

ments of civilian areas, lifting blockades of rebel-held areas and releasing detainees. They are waiting to hear back from him.

The diplomatic drive follows the December 18 adoption of a UN Security Council resolution endorsing an international plan for a Syria peace process. The plan was backed by both the United States and Russia, which back opposing sides in the conflict.

It includes a nationwide ceasefire and six months of talks beginning in January between Assad’s government and the opposition on

forming a unity government.

But the rebel statement underlines the opposition’s growing concern about the process, including the absence of any mention of Assad’s future - a major point of contention between countries on either side of the conflict.

Plans De Mistura, who plans to begin the talks on January 25, arrived in Damascus on Friday.

Meanwhile, the European Union welcomed Syrian Assad’s decision to allow humanitarian ac-

cess to the town of Madaya, and called for a halt to all attacks on civilians in the conflict.

The blockade of Madaya, near the border with Lebanon, has become a focal issue for Assad’s opponents.

“The decision of the Syrian regime to allow humanitarian access in Madaya is a first step in the right direction,” Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief, and the bloc’s Commissioner for Humanitarian aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, said in a joint statement

on Friday. “The European Union welcomes it and expects it will be fully implemented and extended by all parties to all the cities under siege.”

Mogherini and Stylianides echoed the call of the new Syrian opposition group and said, “It will be important to implement concrete confidence building measures in support of the upcoming intraSyrian political talks scheduled to start at the end of January: an end to attacks on civilians, to aerial bombardments and sieges of civilian areas.” — Reuters

Rehabilitation Kandari’s lawyer, Eric Lewis of the Washington firm Lewis Baach PLLC, said Kandari was transferred on Friday to Kuwait, where he will undergo a medical examination and be put into a rehabilitation programme to help him reintegrate into society.

“Al Kandari is delighted to be going home and reuniting with his beloved parents and family after all these years away,” Lewis said.

Kandari was the last of 12 Kuwaitis who had been imprisoned at Guantanamo, Lewis said. The parole-style Periodic Review Board held a hearing in July to consider whether Kandari posed a threat to the United States. In September, it determined his detention was no longer necessary. — Reuters

RAIDS

Foreign special forces target IS in Iraq’s Hawija BAGHDAD: Foreign special forces have been carrying out raids on an IS stronghold in northern Iraq ahead of an offensive planned later this year to retake Mosul, the largest city under the group’s control, Iraq’s parliamentary speaker said.

Several attacks behind IS lines around Hawija, 210 kilometres (130 miles) north of Baghdad, were carried out in recent weeks, Salim Al Jabouri told Reuters on Thursday.

Both the US and Iraqi military have denied that US forces have carried out military operations on the ground in Hawija since October, when US special forces rescued 69 Iraqis in a raid that killed one US commando.

But Dubai-based Al Hadath TV and Iraqi media have reported at least half a dozen raids in and around Hawija since late December, led by US special forces.

Washington said last month it was deploying a new force of around 100 special operations troops to Iraq to conduct raids against IS there and in neighbouring Syria, without providing details. US Army Colonel Steve Warren, spokesman for the international coalition bombing IS, rejected the media reports this week.

He told Reuters that coalition forces in Iraq have not operated on the ground since the October operation. Iraq’s defence minister last week also denied that the US had a role in such raids.

Special operations in Hawija “have been repeated a second and third time... These operations are bearing fruit,” said Jabouri, Iraq’s most senior official. “They eliminate the terrorists and free innocents, and for us it represents a positive development.”

Jabouri said the advance to Mosul could not be rushed.

“We cannot think of moving to another province until Anbar province is cleansed completely, which means there is an upcoming battle related to Fallujah and what remains of it, and another one to the west of Ramadi,” said Jabouri. “At the same time there are preparations underway for Nineveh,” he added.

Fallujah, the first Iraqi city to fall to IS in January 2014, contains several hundreds militants and is encircled by Iraqi forces.

SECURING AREA: Iraqi forces secure an area near the Grand Mosque in central Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar province, on Friday, after retaking the city from IS group militants. – AFP

Jabouri said the raids were carried out “from time to time” and “supported by Iraqi forces” but did not specify whether the United States played a role or how many had occurred.

The raids are “not direct ground attacks; they are operations targeting the dens of IS in important and sensitive areas,” Jabouri said.

Strong blows He said they were not enough to get rid of IS but “are dealing them strong blows”.

Local sources near Hawija, including a police officer and a municipal official, said last week that several raids had targeted IS buildings including a courthouse and a police station, killing and capturing several militant leaders.

Reuters could not independently

verify the reports. The October raid that included US special forces “is the only operation that we have spoken about and the only one that we will speak about,” Warren, the coalition spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday.

That operation, conducted with peshmerga commandos from northern Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, sparked outrage by powerful militias and Abadi’s own ruling coalition.

The militias, many of which fought US forces after the 2003 invasion, have decried the reports of more recent raids as US attempts to divide Iraq.

Jabouri said such sensitivities were easing and described the raids as part of Baghdad’s strategy to retake Mosul, the city 400 km (250 miles) north of Baghdad

where IS declared its intention to establish a caliphate stretching across the border with Syria.

Strategically located east of the road from Baghdad to Mosul and near the Kurdish-held oil region of Kirkuk, the region became an IS stronghold when the militants swept across northern and western Iraq in 2014.

The government has designated Mosul as the next target for Iraq’s armed forces after they retook the western city of Ramadi last month, the first major success of the US-trained force that initially fled in the face of IS’s advance.

Baghdad and the US-led coalition, though, have not made clear what path they intend to take to the capital of Nineveh province while most of Anbar province remains under IS control.

Attack expelled Meanwhile, Turkish troops repelled an attack by IS militants on a military base in northern Iraq where Turkish soldiers are training an Iraqi militia, Turkish military sources told Reuters on Friday.

The Turkish sources cited local sources as saying 17 IS militants were killed in an attack on the Bashiqa camp in Nineveh province, about 140 Km (90 miles) from the Turkish border.

Turkey deployed a force protection unit of around 150 troops last month citing heightened security risks near Bashiqa, where its troops are training the Iraqi militia to fight IS, and stirring a diplomatic row.

Meanwhile, Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said the attempted attack shows Turkey’s decision to deploy troops there was justified. Erdogan said no Turkish soldiers were harmed. “This incident shows what a correct step it was, the one regarding Bashiqa. It is clear that with our armed soldiers there, our officers giving the training are prepared for anything at any time,” he told reporters in Istanbul. — Reuters

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INDIA

PAT H A N K O T A I R B A S E AT TA C K

NIA summons Punjab SP for questioning; picks up footprints PATHANKOT: NIA on Friday issued summons to a Punjab SP, who was allegedly abducted by terrorists involved in Pathankot attack, to appear before it on Monday for detailed interrogation even as the probe agency has picked up some footprints in the fields of a border village and the Indian Air Force base here and sent them to central forensic lab for matching.

NIA teams have fanned out to various areas in Pathankot and adjoining Gurdaspur district for collecting evidence related to the audacious terror strike on the IAF base of Pathakot during intervening night of January one and two, official sources said.

The sources said that summons have been issued to Salwinder Singh, who is at present Assistant Commandant of 75th battalion of Punjab Armed Police, to appear before the agency for thorough questioning as there were some discrepancies in his statement to NIA and Punjab Police.

The sources did not rule out the possibility of subjecting him to lie detector test.

Singh, along with his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal, were allegedly kidnapped by terrorists on the intervening night of December 31 and January one before they entered the IAF base in Pathankot and carried out a terror strike on the following intervening night in which seven security personnel including a Lt Colonel of NSG were killed.

Singh was recently shunted as SP (headquarters) of Gurdaspur following allegation of breach of

Pakistan pledges to cooperate with India in Pathankot probe

PAYING TRIBUTES: BJP members light candles to pay tribute to the martyrs of Pathankot air base attacks, in New Delhi on Thursday. - PTI

discipline. National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also picked up some foot prints from a field near Bamiyal village on India-Pakistan border as well as from the site of encounter at the air base, the sources said, adding the same have been sent to CFSL Chandigarh for matching as this would help in understanding the route for infiltration used by the terrorists.

NIA Director General Sharad Kumar on Friday called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and gave him a detailed briefing on the investigations carried out so far.

The NIA has also sought the call details of Ikagar Singh, the taxi driver who was killed by the

BRIEFS

Low visibility due to fog disrupts flight operations NEW DELHI: Five flights were on Friday disrupted with at least three diverted as heavy fog led to low visibility at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here. Flight departures were disrupted between 0414 hours till 1008 hours due to low visibility, airport sources said. Three incoming flights were diverted during the low visibility operations period, airport authorities said. All landings are taking place under CAT-III B landing system, the sources said. CAT-III B allows the aircraft to land in visibility as low as 50 metres.

Limited edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas from today NEW DELHI: The first limited edition of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, an annual event to mark contribution of the diaspora to India’s development, will be held here on Saturday during which government is likely to pitch for deeper engagement with the community in diverse areas. The event is being organised for the first time by External Affairs Ministry (MEA) in the wake of government’s decision to merge Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs with it.

Ten tourists killed, 32 hurt in Tamil Nadu accident TIRUNELVELI (TAMIL NADU): Ten tourists were killed and 32 injured when the driver of the luxury bus in which they were travelling lost control after hitting a divider on a fourlane road near Panangudi in Tirunelveli district in the wee hours on Friday. Three of the deceased are from south Indian state of Kerala, two from west Indian state of Gujarat and two from Kanyakumari in south Indian state of Tamil Nadu, police said, adding the other three are yet to be identified. Those killed included two children and four men. The condition of four of those injured was stated to be serious, they said. Police said the bus driver lost control of the vehicle while driving at high speed, leading to the accident.

BSF officer, jawan killed as Naxals trigger IED blast KORAPUT/BHUBANESWAR: A BSF officer and a jawan were killed in Odisha on Friday when Naxals triggered an improvised explosive device blast(IED) while they were on a bike patrol in the jungles of Koraput district. The Naxal strike came on a day when Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik termed Left Wing Extremism(LWE) as a major cause of concern for Odisha, adding recent activities of Maoists in Bolangir, Kalahandi and Boudh districts was worrisome and needed to be handled effectively. The incident occurred at around 1pm. - PTI

terrorists. It has also sought the location of mobile towers through which the signals for those calls were routed.

His past history was being also looked into. The NIA has registered three cases in connection with the terror strike at Pathankot IAF base.

The first case pertains to Salwinder Singh’s abduction and the second for the killing of the taxi driver. Both the cases were registered at Narot Jaimal Singh Police Station in Pathankot district.

The third and the main case, registered at Police Station Division No. 2 Pathankot, relates to the terrorist attack on the Air Force

Station. A 20-member team of NIA led by an Inspector Generalrank officer has been camping at Pathankot since January 2 to supervise the ongoing investigations.

An officer of the rank of Superintendent of Police has been appointed as the Chief Investigating Officer of the case.

The NIA registered the case under various sections of Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Arms Act against unknown persons, official sources said. The Pathankot IAF facility, located near the border with Pakistan, is the base for MiG-21 fighter planes and MI-25 attack helicopters of the Air Force. - PTI

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister and army chief pledged on Friday to cooperate fully with India on investigations into an attack on an Indian air base last week, as the fate of scheduled talks between the nucleararmed neighbours remains uncertain.

The comments come a day after India called on Pakistani authorities for “prompt and decisive” action against militants it blames for the weekend attack that killed seven Indian military personnel and wounded 22.

Participants at a high-level meeting in Islamabad “reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to cooperate with India to completely eradicate the menace of terrorism,” Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s office said in a statement.

The meeting was also attended by Army Chief Raheel Sharif, the head of the military’s powerful InterServices Intelligence (ISI) Rizwan Akhtar, and several top civilian and military officials.

India says it gave Pakistan “specific and actionable information” regarding the

Pathankot air base attack on Tuesday.

In its statement, Sharif’s office said the meeting had reviewed the progress on the information received from India and would stay in touch with the Indian government.

A meeting between the two countries’ foreign secretaries was scheduled for January 15, but it is unclear if it will go ahead. The fate of the talks rested on Pakistan’s response to the information, Indian government spokesman Vikas Swarup said on Thursday.

Struggling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sharif have been struggling to keep their renewed dialogue, announced last month, on track in the wake of the attack.

Attempts to restart talks between India and Pakistan have often been derailed by similar past attacks.

Pakistan’s leadership on Friday said it hoped “the two countries would remain committed to a sustained, meaningful and comprehensive dialogue process” in the wake of the attack. - Reuters

‘BJP putting up false smoke screen on GST’ Congress said that the BJP government

Government willing to accommodate Congress view on GST ‘to the extent feasible’, says BJP

has been accusing Congress for obstructing GST, while the truth is that GST stands consistently redflagged for last nine years by RSS

NEW DELHI: Hitting back at BJP for its allegation that the main opposition party was “not serious” about GST, Congress Friday ripped into Modi government saying it was putting up a “false smoke screen” and its attitude on GST was marked by “deception, deceit and doublespeak”.

“BJP government, including prime minister and finance minister, has been putting up false smoke screen by accusing Congress for obstructing GST, while the truth is that GST stands consistently redflagged for last nine years by RSS and Swadeshi Jagran Manch.

“BJP government has resorted to misleading and dramatic optics to masquerade its mal-intent rather than sincere operationalisation of GST in the interest of people of India,” party spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil told reporters.

The Congress leader also furnished a number of purported documents to show that under Modi’s chief ministership, Gujarat

NEW DELHI: Facing Congress criticism that his meeting with Sonia Gandhi on GST issue was mere “optics”, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said that government is willing to accommodate the views of Congress party “to the extent feasible.”

“Any stalemate could only be resolved based on give and take. On GST, the government is willing to accommodate views of Congress party to the extent feasible. Congress should reciprocate to enable the much-awaited tax reform through introduction of GST. “It was in this context that I met Congress President yesterday with a request to cooperate for early passage of GST Bill. It was very unfortu-

“consistently and bitterly opposed the GST”.

“Between the years 2007 to 2014, 54 meetings of ‘Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers’ were held. In each meeting, Modi-led Gujarat government not only opposed the Constitutional amendment comprising GST Bill but also described it against the federal spirit of Constitution as also the rights of states to fiscal autonomy,” he alleged.

Gohil also read out portions from BJP manifesto of 2009 Lok Sabha polls, in which the party had purportedly said that the Central

nate that Congress described government’s outreach to Congress as only meant for optics,” Naidu said in a statement.

Seeks cooperation Naidu on Thursday drove to Sonia’s residence to seek Congress cooperation in passage of GST and Real Estate Bills. Noting that the introduction of GST is a matter of serious and far-reaching reform initiative, Naidu said that it was first mooted by the NDA government and later the UPA government introduced GST Bill which is pending for several years.

“Several issues were raised by chief ministers of different states and over the years considerable progress has been made addressing the concerns

Sales Tax (CST) will be abolished and Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be rationalised between 12 to 14 per cent while Fringe benefit tax (FBT) will go.

Doublespeak “What completely exposes the doublespeak of BJP is the fact that in the 2009 election manifesto, BJP itself had suggested a maximum taxation cap of 12 per cent to 14 per cent,” Gohil said whose party is insisting on putting a 18 per cent cap on GST in Constitution.

Gohil alleged that Modi, Jaitely and the entire BJP are ideologi-

of several states.

“There is now a broad consensus on GST due to efforts made by the Committee headed by Finance Ministers of different states and the Union Finance Ministry.

“In this backdrop, the NDA government has now stepped up efforts to take forward GST Bill pending in Rajya Sabha.

“Further to the meeting between the prime minister and the Congress president in November last year, several rounds of discussions have taken place between the government and Congress leaders.

Issues raised by Congress party have been discussed threadbare and what is feasible has been communicated to the Congress’ interlocutors,” Naidu said. - PTI

cally opposed to a universal GST regime in India as an engine for economic growth.

“Modi and BJP government are now camouflaging the paralysis of governance failure of leadership over last 19 months to misguide people by stating that current day grave economic crisis as also deflation of economy is happening because GST has not been cleared.

Double speak, deception and red herring of BJP’s leadership, particularly Prime Minister, Modi is opposing GST, is borne out from overwhelming documentary evidence,” Gohil said. - PTI

A6

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

INDIA

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has utmost respect for the judiciary but the fact of the matter is that he has personally never received any summons with respect to the present case; therefore the order appears to be erroneous Rajneesh Chopra, Lawyer

GLOBAL ECONOMIC PROSPECTS REPORT

India remains global growth champ with 7.8% economy expansion NEW YORK: India remains the global growth champion with its economy set to increase by 7.8 per cent in the new year although a World Bank report released on Thursday cut it from the 7.9 projected last June.

Overall the bank’s Global Economic Prospects Report painted a gloomy global outlook cutting the global growth by almost a half percent to 2.9 per cent in 2016 from the 3.3 per cent forecast last June.

In the growth race among the major economies, China remains the runner-up with its economy projected to grow by 6.7 per cent this year and 6.5 per cent next year.

The growth projections for US economy are 2.7 this year, 2.4 next year and 2.2 in 2018.

It kept India’s economic growth as measured by increase in gross domestic product at 7.9 per cent for 2017, “although the pace of reforms has slowed somewhat.”

For 2018, it cut the projection from 8 per cent made last June

to 7.9 per cent. The report recognised India’s resilience saying, “Compared to most other major developing countries, India is well positioned to withstand near-term headwinds and volatility in global financial markets due to reduced external vulnerabilities, a strengthening domestic business cycle, and a supportive policy environment.”

However, it also drew attention to the dark clouds overhanging the reform process.

“In India, progress in reforms is not assured as the upper house of parliament, which the ruling party does not control, has the power to block the government’s legislative agenda,” the report said. ‘ Challenge “A failure to pass the goods and services tax (GST) could hamper the government’s ability to ramp up spending on infrastructure needs and preserve the status quo of fragmented domestic markets.”

THE POSITIVES ON INDIA’S REPORT CARD Sharp reduction in current account deficit, to about 1 per cent of GDP in the second quarter of 2015 from about 5 per cent in mid-2013 during the turmoil in the financial markets over US Federal Reserve policy

The central bank rebuilding reserves while net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have stayed positive

Reduction in the central government’s fiscal deficit close to 4 per cent of the GDP, down from a peak of 7.6 per cent in 2009 through fiscal consolidation.

The recently announced salary increases for public sector employees and support for urban spending from lower inflation offsetting fall in rural incomes because of two successively weak monsoons

“Slow progress on land reforms could add to investment delays,” it added. “And private investment growth may be unable to build further momentum. The financing of

public-private partnerships also remains a challenge.”

The report also referred to another area of concern, the slowdown in industrial production.

Both the services and manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Indices (PMIs) have softened, it said.

The PMI fell from 54.5 for December 2014 to 49.15 last month.

Growth in states must for India to fight poverty: FM

On the bright side, the report said, “The investment cycle is gradually picking up, led by a government efforts to boost investment in infrastructure, particularly roads, railways and urban infrastructure.” It added that India’s currency and stock markets weathered the volatility in the global financial markets last year.

Sensex, a key Indian stock market index ended 2015 up 1.08 per cent.

Investment “Progress on infrastructure improvements and government efforts to boost investment are expected to offset the impact of any tightening of borrowing conditions resulting from tighter US monetary policy,” the report said.

“Such investment will also lift potential growth over the medium term. Low international energy prices and domestic energy reforms will ease energy costs for Indian firms that tend to be energy intensive.” - IANS N O N B A I L A B L E WA R R A N T

Warrant issued against Dhoni for hurting sentiments

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said

Summits of these kinds held every year clearly demonstrate the intention that the need of the hour is to generate growth, increase revenue and fight poverty for which investments are required

West Bengal contributes nearly 6 to 7 per cent of national GDP. Given the fact that growth of the eastern states was lower than those of the western states, the additional growth will have to come

Arun Jaitley

from the former

Finance minister

PARLEYS: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the Bengal Global Business Summit, in Kolkata on Friday. - PTI

KOLKATA: Strong economic growth in states is “imperative” for pushing up the country’s GDP and giving it a “cutting edge” to fight poverty and generate jobs, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday.

He also said that additional growth has to come from eastern states like West Bengal where industrialisation had suffered because of the policies followed in the last 35 years.

“In a global situation which is so adverse, India’s GDP growth is 7.5 per cent. Is it difficult to add 1 per cent more which will give us that cutting edge to fight poverty and generate jobs?” Jaitley said at the second edition of Bengal Global Business Meet here.

“Given the structure of India’s federal polity, it is imperative that the states grow as well. Despite political differences, strong states mean a stronger India. West Bengal contributes nearly 6 to 7 per cent of national GDP. Given the fact that growth of the eastern

states was lower than those of the western states, the additional growth will have to come from the former,” he said.

Referring to West Bengal, he said industrialisation in the state had suffered due to policies pursued in the last three and half decades.

Need of the hour “Summits of these kinds held every year clearly demonstrate the intention that the need of the hour is to generate growth, increase revenue and fight poverty for which investments are required,” he said.

“It is in this context that West Bengal that has lost its glory of the past could be restored and I assure you that the Centre will give all its support to the state’s endeavour to attract investments,” Jaitley said.

If Bengal followed such a policy, it would be able to generate jobs and revenue needed to fight poverty, else would have to fall back on shallow political slogans, he said. Jaitley said investors anx-

iously look forward to an environment to see their investments yield results.”If you are not in a position to attract that, then investments will dry up,” he cautioned.

Nationally, the services sector has improved, while greenshoots are visible in manufacturing, the finance minister said.

“Our priority will be to enhance public expenditure in infrastructure, social infrastructure, enhance expenditure on the rural sector,” he added.

Jaitley said the Centre had been following a policy to economically empower the states for which it had readily agreed to the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission.

“West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra is regularly in touch with us and all issues are cleared expeditiously despite political differences,” he said.

Jaitley, who attended the summit second time in a row, shared the dais with Delhi Chief Minister

Arvind Kejriwal. The summit was also attended, among others, by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, UK Employment Minister Priti Patel, Bhutan Tshering Togbay, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and industrialists Mukesh Ambani, Mohan Das Pai, Subhas Chandra Sajjan Jindal and others.

Wooing investors Wooing investors Mamata said there is no communal tension in the state, in comments that came barely days after the communal violence in Malda.

With the state assembly elections round the corner, the Trinamool Congress chief also assured industry captains that her party will not come in the way of investment in the state, claiming her government will retain power.

“We have already set up a core group for industries. Our elections are coming but don’t worry everything will be sorted out. Democra-

cy will continue. This elected government (TMC government) will come up ( will return),” Mamata said addressing the summit here.

Claiming that a peaceful atmosphere prevailed in West Bengal, she said it was the most conducive aspect for setting up industries.

Only political critics try to portray Bengal as a violent state, she said.

“Bengal is a peaceful state where we all work together. There is no such communal incident or tension. Somebody might criticize it politically. We don’t allow all these (communal problems).

Because we know that if there is peace everything is settled,” Mamata said.

She also referred to the “peaceful atmosphere” at the Maoist hotbed of Jangalmahal. Her comments came against the backdrop of the communal violence that broke out at Kaliachak in Malda, which had prompted the Union Home Ministry to seek a report from the state government. - PTI

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

ANANTPUR: India’s limited overs cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni found himself in a spot of bother on Friday after a non bailable warrant was issued against him for failing to appear before a local court here in a case against him for hurting religious sentiments.

Dhoni, who is currently in Australia for an ODI and Twenty20 series from January 12 to 31, has been asked to be present in the Court on February 25 for the hearing of the case filed by Viswa Hindu Parishad activist Y. Shyamsunder.

The Indian ODI and Twenty20 captain has been accused of hurting religious sentiments by appearing as deity Vishnu on a magazine cover photograph which depicted him holding several things including a shoe.

Ignoring summons Dhoni has been accused of ignoring summons from the local court here, an allegation that the star cricketer’s lawyer Rajneesh Chopra denied on Friday.

Chopra insisted that the Non Bailable Warrant issued against the wicketkeeper-batsman was “erroneous”.

“Mahendra Singh Dhoni has utmost respect for the judiciary but the fact of the matter is that he has personally never received any summons with respect to the present case; therefore the order appears to be erroneous,” Dhoni’s lawyer Chopra said in a statement issued by Rhiti Sports, the company managing Dhoni. - PTI

D I S P R O P O R T I O NAT E A S S E T S C A S E

SC to commence hearing against Jaya’s acquittal NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday decided to commence final hearing from February 2 on various appeals including the one filed by Karnataka against acquittal of AIADMK Chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and others in the disproportionate assets case.

“We will start the hearing from February 2 and will hear the matter on February 3 and 4 as well,” a bench comprising justices P. C. Ghose and Amitava Roy said.

The bench, meanwhile, asked the counsel for both the parties to file the “issues” highlighting main points to be considered within the next two weeks.

Earlier the apex court had agreed to conduct day-to-day hearing on the appeals filed against the Karnataka High Court verdict acquitting Jayalalithaa

and three others in the case.

On July 27, the apex court had issued notices on Karnataka government’s appeal seeking stay of the high court judgement, to Jayalalithaa, her close aide Sasikala and two of her relatives, V. N. Sudhakaran and Elavarasi, and asked them to file their replies within eight weeks.

The apex court had allowed an intervention application by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy in the matter and had asked him to file issues he wished to press before it.

Infirmity The Karnataka High Court had on May 11, 2015 ruled that All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(AIADMK) supremo’s conviction by special court suffered from infirmity and was not

sustainable in law, clearing decks for her return as Tamil Nadu chief minister. Karnataka government, in its plea against the May 11 order, claimed that HC erred in computing disproportionate assets of the AIADMK leader.

The Karnataka government also asked whether the high court had “erred in law” by according benefit of doubt to Jayalalithaa in pursuance of a Supreme Court judgement holding that accused can be acquitted if his or her disproportionate assets were to the extent of ten per cent.

The state government had also claimed that the high court has erred in overruling preliminary objections raised by it and added that the accused had filed their appeals against conviction without impleading Karnataka as a party. - PTI

TROUBLE CONTINUES: The special court had in 2014 held All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo J. Jayalalithaa guilty of corruption and sentenced her to four years imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs100 crore. - AFP file photo

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

A7

PAKISTAN R O U S C H PA K I S TA N

SINGLE SHARE TRADING ENTITY Pakistani brokers sit under monitors showing the latest share prices during trading at The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) in Karachi on Friday. Pakistan’s benchmark Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) will become the Pakistan Stock Exchange next week after merging with two other major bourses to become the single share trading entity in the country, officials said January 8.

The merger of the Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad Stock Exchanges into the PSX could pave the way for selling the bourse to foreign investors, observers said. — AFP

Afghanistan Taliban claim commander assassinated Maulvi Muhammad Alam, loyal commander to Taliban supremo Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, was shot dead Thursday evening in Kuchlak area, some 25km from Quetta

ISLAMABAD: Unidentified assailants have shot dead a senior Afghan Taliban commander in Balochistan, two Taliban officials claimed on Friday.

Maulvi Muhammad Alam, loyal commander to Taliban supremo Mullah Akhtar Mansoor,

was shot dead Thursday evening in Kuchlak area, some 25 kilometres from Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, Taliban leaders told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

“I can confirm that Maulvi Muhammad Alam has been killed.

Investigations are underway but we do not have details as to who is behind the incident,” a Taliban leader, aware of the incident, said.

High profile No group claimed responsibility for the killing. A senior Taliban leader said they are investigating motives behind what he called a high profile assassination.

Meanwhile, Taliban sources said Alam led fighters against Taliban dissidents in Afghanistan’s Zabul province in recent days that left dozens of militants dead.

Top Taliban commander, Mansoor Dadullah, who had rejected Akhtar Mansoor as the new chief, was among the rivals killed in Zabul. Although the Taliban routinely blame the Afghan intelligence for such target killings,

some sources said it could be the result of Taliban’s internal rivalry.

Further, a Taliban leader said Maulvi Alam had strong influence in Zabul province and also sheltered many foreign fighters.

The killing of the senior Taliban commander highlights the possible trend of revenge attacks in view of the Taliban infighting.

However, inside Afghanistan, the Taliban factions have agreed on a ceasefire after religious clerics intervened and issued a decree to declare infighting as unIslamic.

Militants killed Meanwhile, a large number of local and foreign militants were killed in airstrikes in the border region of North Waziristan on Friday, officials said.

Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed the airstrike in the agency but did not immediately confirm human and logistic losses in the incident.

However, civil officers in the political administration said 38 militants were killed in the strike that targeted hideouts in Meezar and Sherani areas just on the Afghanistan border. — Express Tribune

FA C I L I TAT I N G T E R R O R

Pasban-e-Pakistan leader held in Zardari aide case KARACHI: Police officials on Friday arrested Pasban-e-Pakistan general secretary Usman Moazzam on charges of facilitating treatment to injured terrorists at Dr Asim Hussain’s private hospital in Karachi.

“Usman Moazzam has been arrested for his role in treatment of injured terrorists at Dr Asim’s Ziauddin Hospital,” an investigation officer told The Express Tribune.

The investigation officer informed an anti-terrorism court in Karachi of the arrest as he filed a report in a case lodged by Rangers against Dr Asim Hussain, three MQM leaders, a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and Pasban-ePakistan general secretary.

The absconders have been accused of asking Dr Asim, in his capacity as the head of the Ziauddin Hospitals, to treat on discounted rates the militants injured in encounters with law enforcers and to shelter them.

Last month, an anti-terrorism court in Karachi issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Muttahi-

Dr Asim, chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission and a close aide of former president Asif Ali Zardari, is facing charges of abetting and harbouring terrorists at his familyowned hospitals

da Qaumi Moverment’s mayoral candidate Waseem Akhtar, Anis Qaimkhani, Saleem Shahzad, PPP’s Qadir Patel and general secretary of Pasban-e-Pakistan Usman Moazzam.

The officer informed the court that while Rauf Siddiqui has already been granted bail in the respective case, Anees Qaimkhani and Saleem Shahzad are out of the country and hence cannot be arrested.

During the hearing, the court re-issued non-bailable arrest warrants for MQM leaders Waseem Akhtar, Saleem Shehzad and Anees Qaimkhani for January 19.

After spending 90 days in the custody of paramilitary Rangers, who detained him on August 26, Dr Asim was handed over to the Karachi police for further interrogation.

The police, however, relieved him of the charges and got him released, sparking a tussle between the federal and provincial governments. — Express Tribune

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

ACTIVISM

‘Sleeping beauty’ campaign gathers pace KARACHI: As the campaign highlighting open manholes by drawing the chief minister’s stencil bore fruit, with orders issued to fix all such issues ‘or else’, residents of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Clifton felt the need to follow in similar footsteps.

Ali Akbar Fakhruddin, who owns a car repair workshop, recently posted a photograph of a manhole with a missing cover right outside his shop.

“After the market is closed and when it becomes dark once the lights go off, anyone can become a victim [by tripping],” said Fakhruddin, who said he has complained to the authorities several times but there has been no response.

For their part, Cantonment Board Clifton’s (CBC) chief sanitary inspector Shabbir Hussain insisted that, for the last few days, they have been working rigorously to cover all potholes in DHA. CBC is introducing a different colour code for every manhole cover for every phase of DHA, he explained.

He admitted in many commercial areas, the problem of open potholes persists.

“Since the streets are narrow, the water tankers and heavy vehicles that pass through keep damaging covers.

“Other times they are stolen by people,” Hussain said. — Express Tribune

Consumers pay capacity charges for idle power plant ISLAMABAD: Consumers of electricity have paid billions of rupees in capacity charges to an idle power plant as gas supply, earmarked for it, has been diverted to textile manufacturers.

The consumers are not only forced to pay that much money, but they also face power outages that disturb life and business.

According to officials aware of the development, Rousch Pakistan Power Limited, located in Abdul Hakeem, Punjab had not been receiving gas for the last two years during winter.

However, the Water and Power Development Authority and National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) continued to pay monthly bills in shape of capacity charges to Rousch in line with a power purchase agreement.

The gas thus saved was diverted to the textile industry.

This disclosure was made in a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) held on December 31, 2015.

Estimates suggest the consumers are paying Rs600 million per month in capacity charges to the power plant without receiving 412 megawatts of electricity.

It is interesting to note that

The consumers are not only forced to pay that much money, but they also face power outages that disturb life and business the Ministry of Water and Power, which had been a strong advocate of gas supply to power plants, sent a couple of summaries calling for diverting gas from Rousch plant to the textile industry.

Complaints Considering a summary of the ministry, the ECC, in its meeting on December 17, 2013, approved provision of 85 million cubic feet of gas per day (mmcfd) for 60 days to the industrial units in the light of consent given by the power producer.

In the winter of 2014, the Ministry of Water and Power again sent a summary to the ECC on the same subject following directives from the prime minister, who had received complaints from the textile industry. — Express Tribune

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READERS’ FORUM Disappearance of MH370 a sinister plot This refers to the news story, Malaysia Airlines resumes checked baggage on Europe routes (January 6). This is one of the first good news that has come in for the tragedy-hit airlines. However, the global experts and the airline’s management need to explain why the fate of flight MH370 still remains unclear. We live in a technologically advanced world so how is it possible that we have been unable to find the debris of the plane. The aircraft’s parts were reported to be found on the beach of Reunion Island. In my opinion, these cannot be parts of this missing plane Scan this QR code but a facet of a pre-planned plot to hide to send letters to the the real fate of the jet. However, I am sure Readers’ Forum, the greatest mystery of our times will be containing not more than 200 words with solved. — Munir Butt, Ruwi full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi).

MAC MARGOLIS

Venezuelan opposition lawmakers has not given concrete proposals to pay down the gaping fiscal deficit, contain runaway inflation without the flimflam of price controls, make the streets safe and end the profligate gasoline subsidies that end up in the tanks of the privileged bit.ly/endofchavismo

Corbyn’s decision shows his dictatorial nature This refers to the news story, Seeking control, Britain’s Corbyn sacks top team members (January 6). The measures taken by Corbyn seem more apt for a dictator than a democrat. It is a pity that the top leadership spot in Britain’s Labour Party is quite unpatriotic as he seems motivated to undermine Britain’s foreign policy stance. I hope his decision will make party members realise his views and make his candidacy a non-starter by the next general elections. — Martha Owens, Darsait

NEW INDIA ASSURANCE

“Insure with New India and be secure”

Tel: 24838800 | Fax: 24838899 | Email: niamct@omantel.net.om | Website: www.newindiaoman.com The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none

THOMAS CARLYLE

Writing longer tweets won’t debase art form witter’s founder Jack Dorsey has taken a lot of flak for tweetingon Wednesday that the company might abandon its 140-character-per-post limit. Many see the “beautiful constraint,” as Dorsey called it in his post, as the service’s defining feature. It’s not, and it shouldn’t be.

Dorsey suggested that the ability to post more text could add utility to Twitter. In response, the movie producer Brian Koppelman tweeted: “I don’t believe those who love Twitter want this.

Why do you love it? This message doesn’t make that clear.” That was one of the milder comments.

Other users accused Dorsey of caring only about the increased ad revenue that allegedly could be derived from longer posts. Yet others wondered how Twitter would differentiate itself from Facebook, which technically allows posts of 63,206 characters. Twitter’s users probably include a disproportionate number of journalists and other professional writers. That’s definitely true of the 150,000 verified users. Of this select group among Twitter’s 300 million user base, 25 per cent are journalists and 6.5 per cent are media outlets.

Those of us who write for a living like translating our thoughts into the abbreviated format. It’s a fun experiment and a promotional exercise for authors, too: David Mitchell, the author of “Cloud Atlas,” serialised a story on Twitter in 2014.

There are some beautiful examples of the 140-character form. Here’s one from Hungarianborn British poet George Szirtes: https://twitter.com /george_szirtes /status/682312735661637632 Szirtes is a critic of Dorsey’s proposed liberalisation: h tt p s : //t w i tt e r.c o m /g e o r g e _ s z i r t e s /s t a tus/684683588164567040 Yet he also has done what Dorsey has noticed a lot of Twitter users are doing -- taking screenshots of longer texts and then sharing them on Twitter. Dorsey was forced to use this trick to share his suggestion with users, rather than relying on 140 characters. Sometimes your message just doesn’t fit, and that shouldn’t be a reason to go to a different platform.

That should answer Koppelman’s question.

There are other answers, though -- concerning progress, user convenience and money.

As Dorsey pointed out Wednesday, the limit

was added to Twitter “early on” so a post could fit into a single SMS message. Remember those?

People used to send them when mobile operators ruled. But in 2014, WhatsApp, a Facebook-owned messaging app -- just one of several popular overthe-top messengers -- surpassed the entire global SMS system, moving more messages per day. The messenger apps don’t have character limits, so the original reasoning no longer holds. To quote Keynes, “When the facts change, I change my mind.” Insisting on the limit doesn’t make much sense from the usability point of view. The system is being taken over by those ugly text screenshots, which are a hassle to create on a mobile device.

Facebook acted a long time ago. Until March 2009, it had a 160-character limit for wall posts -- also to allow users to post by SMS. Then the limit was raised to 420 characters; the big leap, to 5,000, was in September 2011.

This does make the Facebook timeline less dynamic. Sometimes the beginning of a long post, the bulk of which is hidden under the cut, doesn’t even suggest what the post is about. And when writers aren’t forced to stick to the point, they often waste readers’ time. That’s where the business argument comes in, though. Time spent on a site is a valuable metric to advertisers. In November 2014, the average US Internet user spent 42.1 minutes per day on Facebook and just 17.1 minutes on Twitter. Even young people, who have supposedly fallen out of love with Facebook, spend more time on it. That is one reason that Twitter’s projected 2015 revenue is about 35 per cent of Facebook’s net income and that Facebook stock is so strongly outperforming Twitter: Twitter, with its stagnating user base and slow revenue growth, is right to be concerned about increasing user engagement and convenience for newcomers. And there are ways to avoid diluting the experience for the hard-core users who treat a tweet as a perfect haiku. The company could keep the 140-word format as an obligatory feature in a post. Bloggers who contribute longer texts could use it to write a catchy headline or summary.

Purity is an attractive stand, but it’s rarely the most convenient or profitable one. Twitter is a mass product. It cannot afford to stagnate and scare off potential users. As for the writers who loved the “beautiful constraint” -- well, we’ll figure out what to do to keep our Twitter feeds dynamic and to the point. - Bloomberg View

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES JANUARY 2001 New tourism projects in Muttrah and Darsait MUSCAT: Tourism projects and resorts costing RO45 million ($135 million) are to be established at Kalbuh (Muttrah), Shatti Al Qurum and Aint (Darsait), Anton Esteban, executive president of Drapco Modern Projects and Research, said in an interview published by a local Arabic daily yesterday. Esteban said his company was planning to launch several tourist projects in Oman, particularly in the governorate of Muscat, in conjunction with Omani, Gulf and European partners.

PICTOGRAPH EXPENDITURES ON GOVERNMENT EDUCATION In million OMR 2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

1245.5

920.1 866.2 737.3 669.5

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

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

1908: Count Zeppelin announces plans for his airship to carry 100 passengers.

1945: US troops land on Luzon, in the Philippines, 107 miles from Manila.

1996: A raid by Chechen separatists in the city of Kizlyar turns into a hostage crisis involving thousands of civilians.

0 Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016 SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH FACEBOOK PAGE

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ASIA

US presses China to rein in North Korea after bomb test South Korea begins loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts across border as Britain urges restraint

SEOUL/BEIJING: South Korea unleashed a high-decibel propaganda barrage across its border with North Korea on Friday in retaliation for its nuclear test, while the United States called on China to end “business as usual” with its ally.

The broadcasts, in rolling bursts from walls of loudspeakers at 11 locations along the heavily militarised border, blared rhetoric critical of the Pyongyang regime as well as “K-pop” music, ratcheting up tension between the rival Koreas.

North Korea later responded with its own broadcasts.

South Korea, which has grown increasingly close to China in recent years, also said its foreign minister would speak with his Chinese counterpart later on Friday.

Wednesday’s nuclear test angered both the United States and China, which was not given prior notice, although the US government and weapons experts doubt Pyongyang’s claim that the device it set off was a hydrogen bomb.

China is North Korea’s main economic and diplomatic backer, although relations between the Cold War allies have cooled in recent years.

China’s Foreign Ministry urged North Korea to stick to its denuclearisation pledges and avoid ac-

CELEBRATIONS: North Koreans dance to celebrate what the country claims was a ‘successful hydrogen bomb’ test at Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo released by Kyodo on Friday. – Reuters/Kyodo

tion that would make the situation worse, but also said China did not hold the key to resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.

“Achieving denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula and safeguarding the peninsula’s peace and stability accords with all parties’ mutual interests, is the responsibility of all parties, and requires all parties to put forth efforts,” ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a news briefing.

The North agreed to end its nuclear programme in international negotiations in 2005 but later walked away from the deal.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday he had made clear in a phone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that China’s approach to North Korea had not succeeded.

“China had a particular ap-

RISING TENSIONS

versity, wrote in a post on the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists website, adding to scepticism about the hydrogen bomb claim.

The South Korean broadcasts are considered an insult by the isolated North which has in the past threatened military strikes to stop them.

The last time South Korea deployed the loudspeakers, in retaliation for a landmine blast in August that wounded two South Korean soldiers, it led to an armed standoff and exchange of artillery fire.

The sound from the speakers can carry for 10 km (6 miles) into North Korea during the day and more than twice that at night, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported.

A male announcer could be heard from South Korea telling North Koreans that Kim Jong

Un, the leader of their impoverished country, and his wife wear clothes costing thousands of dollars. Another message said Kim’s policy to boost both the economy and its nuclear programme was unrealistic.

The North broadcasts were not clearly audible from the South and appeared intended to drown out those from the South, Yonhap said, citing a South Korean official.

North Korea boosted troop deployments in front-line units on Friday, and South Korea raised its military readiness to the highest level at locations near the loudspeakers.

The South vowed to retaliate against any attack on the equipment, raised its cyber security alert and cancelled tours of the Demilitarised Zone on the border.

US Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives could join forces in a rare display of unity to tighten sanctions on North Korea.

Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, told reporters that Democrats would support a North Korea bill likely to be brought for a vote by Republicans next week. A congressional source said it was expected as soon as Monday.

It was unclear how more sanctions would deter North Korea, which has conducted four nuclear tests since 2006.

The United States and South Korea are limited in their military response. Washington sent a pair of nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers over South Korea in a show of force after North Korea last tested a nuclear device in 2013.

North Korea responded then by threatening a nuclear strike on the United States.

A South Korean military official said Seoul and Washington had discussed the deployment of US strategic weapons on the Korean peninsula, but declined to give details. Media said the assets could

SOCIAL MEDIA

Skin-whitening advertisement sparks outrage in Thailand BANGKOK: An advertisement for a skin-whitening product in Thailand has drawn criticism on social media and sparked debate over beauty ideals and advertising standards by claiming you “need to be white to win”.

A pale complexion is highly valued in Thailand, particularly by women, and is associated with a high social status. Darker, tanned skin is associated with lower class people who work outside in the fields.

The advertisement, for a skinwhitening pill called “Snowz”, made by Thai brand Seoul Secret, and posted on video website YouTube, features one actress whose skin gets darker next to a rival with light skin.

“You just need to be white to win,” runs the tagline.

Some members of Thai-language forum Pantip.com were dismayed and angry.

“I’m perfectly fine being darkskinned and now you’re saying I’ve lost? Hello? What?” said member 1575141. “Suggesting people with dark skin are losers is definitely racist,” said another user.

It is the latest in a series of advertisements deemed insensitive that have drawn criticism in Thailand.

“Thai craze for whiteness rears its ugly head again,” a prominent social-media commentator who goes by the name of Kaewmala posted on Twitter.

The video was removed from YouTube later on Friday.

Wattanapak Jinsirivanich, managing director of Yulihan Group (Thailand), the company that produces Seoul Secret beauty products, apologised and said the advert was not meant to stir controversy. “We did not intend to create this issue,” he said. “We would like to apologise and we will fix it.”

“Our message is to take good care of yourself and continue to do so.” — Reuters

RIPPING THROUGH

Philippines urges ASEAN pressure on China for rules on disputed sea MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Friday urged Southeast Asian neighbours to put pressure on China to agree on a binding code of conduct to ease tension in South China Sea following Chinese test flights to an island it has built.

Since 2010, China and the 10 members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been discussing a set of rules for rival claimants in the South China Sea aimed at avoiding conflict.

“Can we put a little more pressure on China to sit down and agree on a binding code of conduct?” Aquino said to reporters in southern Davao City, referring to ASEAN. China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade passes every year, and has been increasingly assertive in staking its claim.

Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines have rival claims to parts of the sea, which is believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas. Aquino said the Philippines had done every-

proach that it wanted to make, that we agreed and respected to give them space to implement that,” Kerry told reporters.

“Today, in my conversation with the Chinese, I made it very clear that has not worked and we cannot continue business as usual.”

South Korea’s nuclear safety agency said it found a miniscule amount of xenon gas in a sample from off its east coast, which could be the first chemical evidence of a nuclear test, but said more analysis and samples were needed to determine if it came from a nuclear test.

The presence of xenon would not indicate whether the blast was from a hydrogen device or not.

Seismic waves created by the blast were almost identical to those generated in North Korea’s last nuclear test in 2013, Jeffrey Park, a seismologist at Yale Uni-

A9

thing it could to push forward discussions on the code - a set of rules setting out how claimant states should behave, and imposing sanctions on countries that violate it, aimed at preventing provocative action, the raising of tension and conflict.

Aquino said China and ASEAN were due to meet next month to draw up elements of the code.

China, which has long said it was ready to discuss rival claims bilaterally, has said it will agree on a code of conduct when “the time is ripe”.

Analysts say it might be waiting for the completion of its work on artificial islands it is building in the South China Sea before sitting down with ASEAN. China landed two test flights on one of the islands on Wednesday, four days after its first landing on the 3,000 metre (10,000 feet) runway on a reef in the Spratly Islands.

The Philippines denounced the flights. In 2013, the Philippines filed an arbitration case in The Hague to force China to negotiate a peaceful settlement of their territorial dispute. — Reuters

Australia bushfire destroys 100 homes SYDNEY: A bushfire destroyed nearly 100 homes in western Australia as it swept through countryside south of Perth, but there were no casualties reported after emergency officials and local media said on Friday that three missing people had been found safe.

Fanned by blustery, hot winds, the bushfire, which razed 58,000 hectares (143,321 acres) of land this week, ripped through the small rural town of Yarloop on Thursday night.

Around 95 homes were destroyed the town of 545 people, along with its post office, fire station and shops, media reports said. “I believe we’ve had what I would suggest are catastrophic losses within Yarloop,” said Wayne Gregson, Western Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner.

Three people, who were registered as missing, were found safe, while most of people who stayed to defend their properties were being evacuated by air or road, The Australian newspaper reported.

“It just got out of control...after that it just ripped through, it was quite scary,” volunteer firefighter Jesse Puccio told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “It’s like when you see in the war when the napalm bombers go through.”

The bushfire continues to threaten other beef and dairy producing towns in the state, emergency workers said.

BATTLING FIRE: Firefighters battle a fire near Yarloop in Western Australia. Three people, who were registered as missing, were found safe, while most of those who stayed to defend their properties were being evacuated by air or road. – AFP/Department of Fire and Emergency Services

Alcoa Inc said two of its buildings have been destroyed but its Western Australia alumina refining operations were unaffected by the fire. Australian has suffered a series of fires due to a long hot, dry spell.

Four people were killed in a series of bushfires sparked by light-

ning in Western Australia in November, two people were killed in fires in South Australia state, and more than 100 homes were destroyed in fires on Christmas Day in Victoria state.

Wildfires are an annual summer event in Australia, but rising temperatures have prompted some

scientists to warn that climate change could increase the length and intensity of the summer fire season.

Australia experienced its fifth hottest year on record in 2015, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, which has been keeping statistics since 1910. — Reuters

A 10

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

WORLD

The operation was part of an investigation into a June 2015 murder suspected to have been carried out by PKK members and was based on a tip-off that the murder weapon was in the HDP building.

Istanbul police

Greeks protest against plans to overhaul pension system

Turkey detains pro-Kurdish party members ISTANBUL: Turkish police detained six people including local officials from the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) on Friday in a raid on one of its Istanbul offices, days after President Tayyip Erdogan said he backed legal action against its members.

Riot police and special forces took part in the operation, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency, which said the action was part of a crackdown on urban networks of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group’s youth wing.

Protesters supporting the Communistaffiliated union slam the plan as ‘a guillotine for the pension system’

ATHENS: Hundreds of Greek pensioners and workers marched in central Athens on Friday, protesting against plans to overhaul an ailing pension system as the government sought backing for its proposals at home and in European capitals.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has said the pension system is on the verge of collapse; but reforming it will challenge his resolve to implement measures demanded

by Greece’s international creditors, who must sign off on the plan.

About 100 protesters supporting the Communist-affiliated union PAME unfurled a huge banner outside the prime minister’s office, slamming the plan as “a guillotine for the pension system”.

Hundreds more public sector workers and pensioners, worn down by several rounds of wage and pension cuts Greece has imposed over the years in return for rescue funds marched in the city’s centre. Tensions flared briefly when the crowd broke past a line of police in riot gear and headed towards Tsipras’s office. Police responded with tear gas.

“The government tricked the workers and the farmers into thinking that it will create a better society with more justice and less unemployment,” 74-yearold pensioner Babis Kattis said from the rally. “Pensioners are

I S TA N B U L R A I D

Extension of PKK Erdogan and the government accuse the HDP, parliament’s thirdbiggest party, of being an extension of the PKK, which has fought a three-decade insurgency for greater Kurdish autonomy in the southeast and which is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

HDP says it is opposed to violence and wants a peaceful solution for Turkey’s Kurds.

UP IN ARMS: A protester argues with police blocking demonstrators on their way towards the prime minister’s offices in Athens on Friday, during a protest march against the reforms the government has proposed for the new pension plan, as part of measures demanded by country’s creditors. – AFP

about to become beggars.”

Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos began a tour of European capitals to discuss debt and pension problems with counterparts in Rome, Lisbon, Paris, Helsinki, Amsterdam and Berlin.

According to the proposals Greece sent its lenders on Monday, all six main pension funds will be merged into one and future main pensions could be cut by up to 30 per cent.

It sets a lower limit at 384 eu-

ros per month and sets a ceiling of 2,300 euros on the maximum monthly pension outlay. The average monthly pension currently stands at about 850 euros.

An EU source said Greece had sent the draft pension reform bill to the lenders and Eurogroup secretariat in Greek only, and as of Friday morning they were still waiting for the translation.

“The crisis has blown up the foundations of the social security system,” Katrougalos said. “We

want to give the social security system hope, so that the average pensioner does not lose hope that they will continue receiving a pension.”

Greece must implement the reforms to conclude the first review of its multi-billion bailout out agreed with its lenders in July.

The government plans to submit the proposal to parliament by the end of the month and vote on it in early February, a government official told Reuters.

It secured the cautious backing of four employers’ associations on Thursday, who said they were not opposed to “a small, temporary rise in social security contributions.”

But opposition political parties have said they will not back the plan when it is tabled in parliament and the country’s biggest private sector union GSEE said on Friday it planned labour action against the reforms “to avoid the worst.” — Reuters

Detentions The detentions come less than 48 hours after Erdogan said some HDP lawmakers and local mayors were behaving like members of a terrorist organisation and that their positions should not shield them from prosecution.

Istanbul police said in a statement that the operation was part of an investigation into a June 2015 murder suspected to have been carried out by PKK members and was based on a tip-off that the murder weapon was in the HDP building.

On Friday, six Turkish soldiers were wounded in clashes in Sur, the historic district of southeastern Diyarbakir province that has been under a police curfew for over a month, security sources said. In Silopi, bordering Iraq, 58 PKK militants were captured while trying to flee, the Turkish military said. — Reuters

A S S A U LT S

Asylum-seekers among suspects in Cologne violence BERLIN: Asylum-seekers are among those suspected of involvement in violence on New Year’s Eve in Cologne, officials said on Friday, intensifying debate about Germany’s welcoming of hundreds of thousands of migrants.

Some 121 women are reported to have been robbed, threatened or molested by gangs of men as revellers partied near the city’s twinspired Gothic Cathedral.

The assaults have shaken Germans and prompted ruling parties to promise to crack down on migrants who commit crimes.

Cologne police said they had arrested two males aged 16 and 23 with “North African roots” suspected of involvement in the assaults. A spokeswoman gave no further details. Separately, Interior Ministry spokesman Tobias

Plate told a news conference that federal police had identified 31 people suspected of playing a role in the violence, 18 of whom were in the process of seeking asylum in Germany. “As of yesterday, the federal police had determined there were 32 criminal acts on the night, with 31 suspects whose names are known,” Plate said. “Eighteen had asylum-seeker status.”

Plate said most of the 32 criminal acts were tied to theft and bodily injury. Three were related to physical assaults, and police had not yet identified suspects for these attacks. Of the 31 suspects, nine were Algerian, eight Moroccan, five Iranian, and four Syrian.

Two German citizens, an Iraqi, a Serb and a US citizen were also among those suspected of having committed crimes. Plate did

DEBATE RAGES: People walk in front of the main railway station in Cologne, Germany on Thursday, near the city’s cathedral. – Reuters

not say if any of the 31 had been charged. “The investigations are ongoing,” he added.

In response to the assaults, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) have called

for tougher penalties against offending asylum-seekers, according to a draft paper seen by Reuters ahead of a meeting of the party leadership in Mainz. The paper says those who have been

sentenced to prison or probation should be ineligible for asylum.

“Why should German taxpayers pay to imprison foreign criminals?” said Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), coalition partners to Merkel’s conservatives.

“The threat of having to spend time behind bars in their home country is far more of a deterrent than a prison sentence in Germany.”

The CDU paper calls for lower barriers to deport criminal asylum seekers, increased video surveillance and the creation of a new criminal offence of physical assault. The attacks have raised doubts over whether Germany, which took in 1.1 million refugees last year, can succeed in integrating the latest wave and prompted calls for limits on the number of

new arrivals. A new poll for public broadcaster ARD showed Merkel’s popularity rising 4 points to 58 per cent and support for her conservative bloc up to 39 per cent.

Peter Tauber, general secretary of the CDU, rejected the idea of a cap on numbers. “There are many refugees that are happy to have survived, to have made it here and who are looking for jobs.

These people who can contribute to our country are welcome,” he told Deutschlandfunk. “But clearly there are also some who haven’t understood what kind of opportunity they’ve been given.”

Julia Kloeckner, leader of the CDU in the state of RhinelandPalatinate and seen as a possible successor to Merkel, told ZDF television the attacks had been a wake-up call for Germany. — Reuters

VENERABLE ENGINE

Legendary steam locomotive ‘Flying Scotsman’ set to return LONDON: One of the world’s most famous steam engines, “Flying Scotsman,” is set to return after a decade of restoration and over 80 years since it became the first locomotive to reach 100 miles an hour (160 kph).

The venerable engine, which has toured both the United States and Australia since it was retired from service, made a series of short test runs on Friday, ahead of a programme of heritage journeys this year on Britain’s main lines.

It emerged dramatically from huge clouds of steam at Bury station in northern England to the delight of dozens of rail enthusiasts who had gathered to mark the occasion.

Restoration Restoration work for the National Railway Museum that has cost some £4 million ($6 million) has now almost finished, although the engine will not be repainted in its traditional green livery until next month. “Flying Scotsman is argu-

WORLD FAMOUS: The Flying Scotsman steam engine leaves East Lancashire Railway in Bury, Britain on Friday. – Reuters

ably the most famous locomotive in the world,” the museum said on its website. “Once restoration is complete, it will be back hauling mainline railtours, steaming proudly into the 21st century.”

Built in 1923, the engine hauled the first ever non-stop service between London and Edinburgh in 1928, taking eight hours.

It set the record-breaking 100 mph mark in 1934.

After it was retired in 1963 as the age of steam in Britain drew to a close, the Scotsman was sold to a businessman who took it on a tour of the United States where it was fitted with a bell, headlamp and cow-catcher. In 1988-9 under new ownership, it toured Australia, where at one point it recorded the longest ever non-stop run by a steam locomotive, travelling 422 miles. — Reuters

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

S P O R S

Azarenka sails into final, Federer downs Dimitrov Azarenka ended American qualifier Crawford’s dream run with a 6-0, 6-3 win to set up a decider with Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who also cruised through to the final with a 6-2 6-3 win over Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarr

BRISBANE: Roger Federer quelled Grigor Dimitrov’s challenge in three sets in the Brisbane International quarterfinals and Victoria Azarenka blew away Samantha Crawford to reach the final in the women’s draw on Friday.

Azarenka ended American qualifier Crawford’s dream run with a 6-0, 6-3 win to set up a decider with Germany’s Angelique Kerber, who also cruised through to the final with a 6-2 6-3 win over Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro.

Defending champion Federer, battling a flu bug according to the local media, was made to work hard by his Bulgarian opponent before the Swiss master prevailed 6-4 6-7(4) 6-4 at the Pat Rafter Arena.

“It was tough. Grigor’s a great shotmaker, the future’s ahead of him in the game,” Federer said after setting up a semi-final against Aus-

CELEBRATION: Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates after winning his match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. – Reuters

trian youngster Dominic Thiem.

Federer broke Dimitrov in the 10th game to claim the first set but the Bulgarian refused to throw in the towel.

For the first time in his four meetings with the world number three, Dimitrov managed to win a set via a tiebreak to force the decider but could not pull off an upset.

“The third was close and thankfully I started to serve a little bit better,” Federer said.

“Maybe he didn’t have his best finish of the match today, but I enjoyed it anyway.”

Eighth seed Thiem made it through to the semis by beating former U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4, while home hope Bernard Tomic continued his promising form by overcoming Kei Nishikori. Tomic prevailed 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 against 2014 U.S. Open runner-up Nishikori.

“Obviously this win is huge,” the world number 18 said after taking out the second seeded Japanese to set up a semi-final against bigserving Canadian Milos Raonic.

“Now I’m at the level the last few months of being in the top 20

HOPMAN CUP

SHENZEN OPEN

German’s inconsistent forehand as he secured an early break in each set. Zverev, though, refused to balk and continued to try to push Murray. The young German pulled back a break in the eighth game of the second set after an errorstrewn game by the Scot but Murray recovered to seal the victory on his next service game after a big serve down the middle.

“I started missing a few balls and dropping a few short and he was able to dictate some of the points at the end so (that is) something I need to do a bit better,” the 28-year-old said in a courtside interview. — Reuters

GOOD GOING: ndy Murray of Britain hits a return against Alexander Zverev of Germany. – AFP

TENNIS

BRISBANE: World No.1 women’s doubles pair of Sania Mirza and Martina Hingis won their 25th match in a row, beating Andreja Klepac and Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3, 7-5, at the Brisbane International on Friday.

The top seeds at the Premierlevel tournament faced some resistance from the No.4 seeds, who jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and, after dropping the first set, were a game away from winning the second set up 5-4.

But the Indo-Swiss pair did all the right things at all the right times and closed out the match smartly.

“I think we’re off to a great start in the new season,” Hingis said after the match.

“We never really felt like we finished in 2015 - I played the Indian league and Sania played IPTL, so we still kind of kept our routine. We’re really happy to have the possibility to be in another final, and win another title.”

Hingis and Mirza’s 25-match winning streak, which has brought them five titles in a row at the US Open, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Beijing and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals, is the longest winning streak since Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci’s 25 in a row in 2012.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve lost, but it’s never easy to start a new season, especially when you’re coming off such a great season. Everyone’s gunning for us - we’re the hunted,” Mirza commented.

“We’re just taking it one match at a time, staying positive, and picking up from where we left off.” — IANS

Chelsea must avoid another FA Cup stumble: Hiddink LONDON: Chelsea must not fall victim to another FA Cup giant-killing as they did last year because their chances of success in the Premier League are limited after a poor start to the season, manager Guus Hiddink said on Friday. Chelsea, who have lifted the Cup four times in the last nine years, face League One (third tier) Scunthorpe United in the third round on Sunday.

Chelsea suffered one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s 145-year history last year when League One Bradford City beat the Premier League leaders 4-2

in the fourth round at Stamford Bridge having trailed 2-0 after 40 minutes. Chelsea are now 14th in the table and Hiddink, who guided the club to an FA Cup final win over Everton in 2009 in his initial spell as interim boss, said they cannot afford to slip up again.

“I didn’t see it but I know we must not stumble again,” he said when asked about Bradford defeat. Besides if you see the impact of the FA Cup not just in England but worldwide it’s a huge tradition. I remember when I was a young man watching Cup games on a Saturday afternoon.” — Reuters

S PA N I S H L E AG U E

Zidane’s attacking style must deliver results at Real

Ranking boost for Radwanska SHENZEN: Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska will move to fourth in the world rankings after beating Germany’s AnnaLena Friedsam to reach the final of the Shenzhen Open in China on Friday. The Pole, currently ranked fifth, prevailed 6-2 6-4 to set up a Saturday showdown with American Alison Riske, who beat Hungary’s Timea Babos by the same scoreline in the other semifinal between two unseeded players.

The ranking boost takes Radwanska above Russia’s Maria Sharapova ahead of the Australian Open, which gets underway on Jan. 18 in Melbourne.

“Reaching the final here is great preparation for the Australian Open, and that’s a good projection too,” Radwanska said of the new ranking which will be confirmed on Monday.

“First I’ll focus on winning here in Shenzhen, and then I’ll just try to play the same tennis in Sydney and in Melbourne.” - Reuters

Sania-Hingis win 25th doubles match on trot

FOOTBALL

Murray too strong for Zverev in Perth PERTH: Briton Andy Murray showed no signs of the thigh injury that had previously troubled him as he dispatched German teenager Alexander Zverev in the punishing Perth heat at the Hopman Cup on Friday.

The world number two had spoken of soreness in his right thigh during Wednesday’s loss to Australian Nick Kyrgios at the mixed team event but his movement was sharp as he picked apart Zverev 6-3, 6-4 to keep alive Britain’s hopes of making the final.

Murray, four-times an Australian Open runner-up, wore down his 83rd-ranked opponent by keeping him on the move and targeted the

and playing these players that have been consistently in the top 10, five in the world.”

“Being in the top 10. It’s near. If I keep playing the way I’m playing there is a chance.”

The Australian, who has been criticised for poor behaviour in the past, went from 78th in the world to his current career-high last year when he claimed a third tour title in Colombia. Raonic will provide another stern examination of those top-10 credentials after the Canadian easily took down France’s Lucas Pouille 6-4 6-4. - Reuters

TENNIS

SMELLING HAT-TRICK: Defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka eases through. – AFP

Wawrinka sets up semifinal date with Paire in Chennai CHENNAI: Seeking a hat-trick of title triumph, Stanislas Wawrinka cruised into the singles semifinals of Aircel Chennai Open tennis with a straight sets 6-4, 6-4 victory over Garcia Lopez of Spain here on Friday.

In the day’s other quarterfinal, third seeded Benoit Paire also scored a straight sets win, beating Italian qualifier Thomas Fabbiano 6-4 7-5 after spending 80 minutes

on the court. World number 4 Wawrinka, from Switzerland, will take on Paire in the last-four clash on Saturday. Wawrinka needed 77 minutes to see off the challenge of Spaniard Lopez, seeded fifth in the ATP Tour event.

Leaving aside the 8th game in which Wawrinka made three unforced errors, the Swiss was in total control, winning eight straight points from 4-4 to close the set 6-4

in 53 minutes. Wawrinka came up with superb returns and his defensive forehands were perfectly executed, the highlight being the fourth game when he followed up a big serve with a perfect volley before earning a break point in the fifth.

Keeping up the momentum, Wawrinka broke Lopez in the seventh game before sealing the match in his favour. - PTI

MADRID: New Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane’s attacking football may be welcomed by the players but he will need to deliver results he was unable to achieve when in charge of the club’s reserve team. James Rodriguez and Isco are set to be two of the main beneficiaries from the arrival of Zidane who has shown versatility in his limited coaching career but prefers a 4-2-3-1 formation similar to that employed

by Jose Mourinho at Real.

Both had their options limited under former coach Rafa Benitez who opted for a more solid approach and often employed the defensive Carlos Casemiro in a three-man midfield where Toni Kroos was also told to sit deep.

“James and Isco are both important players so I am trying to give them a lot of support and confidence like all the team,” Zidane told a news conference on Friday ahead of the La Liga game against Deportivo La Coruna.

“The players are happy and concentrated on working hard.

They want to change certain things and we have been working on this in training.”

In the Real B team, Marcos Llorente was the only player who held his position in front of the defence with the side often converting to a 4-1-4-1 formation with Borja Mayoral or Mariano Diaz as the out and out striker.

Zidane is a coach who prefers to use the ball during training and a more simplistic tactical approach than Benitez which is the preference of the ball players and the way he used to like playing the game.

One of the main concerns for the club, though, will be his lack of success with the Real B team and the inability to get the best out of their top players.

After being an assistant to Carlo Ancelotti, Zidane became coach of the reserves last season following their relegation to the third tier of Spanish football and his inability to win promotion has generally been regarded as a failure. — Reuters

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

SPORTS Sran shines, Kohli and Dhawan among runs as India win opener Batting first, India scored a healthy 192 for four in 20 overs with Dhawan and Kohli contributing 74 runs each

PERTH: India started their limited-overs tour of Australia on a positive note, comprehensively beating a second-string Western Australia XI by 74 runs in a Twenty20 warm-up game here on Friday with Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan striking fluent half-centuries.

Batting first, India scored a healthy 192 for four in 20 overs with Dhawan and Kohli contributing 74 runs each.

The duo added 149 runs for the second wicket after Rohit Sharma (6) missed out on a run feast on a bouncy WACA wicket.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who promoted himself to No. 4, also hit a quickfire 22 off 14 balls.

In reply, Western Australia XI could only manage 118 for 6 as rookie left-arm speedster Barinder Sran bowled impressively to notch up figures of 2 for 24 from 4 overs.

More importantly, Sran hit the right length, hurried the batsmen with short balls and also showed his skills of being able to swing the white kookaburra at a lively pace.

COACH SPEAKS

Expect exciting series against aggressive India: Lehmann PERTH: Australia coach Darren Lehmann has said the forthcoming limited-overs series against India will be an exciting one, considering the aggressive nature of cricket the visitors are playing lately.

The visitors will be playing five One-Day Internationals (ODI) starting on January 12 in Perth followed by three Twenty20 Internationals. Youngsters Gurkeerat Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Varinder Sran and Manish Pandey have been included in the ODI squad while Hardik Pandya has been named in the T20 squad.

“They are a good one-day side as they made the semis of the World Cup. They are a quality side so from our point of view we have got to start well and play well against them. We haven’t played in Perth for a while, so that is exciting for us and I feel it’s a fast bouncy track,” Lehmann told reporters here on Thursday.

“They are playing an aggressive brand of cricket as well, so I don’t really see that changing in the next five games,” he said.

The 45-year-old said Steve Smith and David Warner are waiting to take on the 2011 World Cup champions.

“Yes, Warner and Smith will certainly play. Of course Daves is going to and fro with the baby but that will be later and he is keen to play. Yes, if something happens earlier, we have an extra batter to take his place,” he said.

Australia will miss recently retired Mitchell Johnson and the injured Mitchell Starc in their bowling line-up. - IANS

He got opener Darcy Short (5) with a delivery that kicked up as the batsmen was hurried into playing a shot and an easy catch was taken at mid-wicket.

Sran also got rival skipper Will Bosisto (1) with a delivery that was just short of three-quarter but Bosisto, trying to hit over long,-on provided an easy skier for Ravichandran Ashwin.

Western Australia were never in the match save for former Australia opener Travis Birt, who scored an unbeaten 74 off 60 balls.

Among other bowlers, left-arm spinners Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja had identical figures of 2 for 13 from three overs.

In all, Dhoni used six bowlers resting Ishant Sharma for Saturday’s warm-up one day match.

Earlier, Test captain Kohli came back from a well-deserved break and warmed up nicely with a 44ball 74 that had seven boundaries and three sixes.

Dhawan, whose form has been patchy of late, also looked in good touch as he played 46 balls hitting eight boundaries and an equal number of sixes.

The Delhi duo was helped by the fact that the ball came onto the bat nicely and they were able to play their strokes in free-flowing manner.

Dhawan hooked fast bowler Matthew Kelly for a couple of sixes and also punished leg-spinner James Muirhead with a slogswept six over deep mid-wicket.

Kohli, on his part, looked more solid as he hit medium pacer David Moody for two sixes including one that was pulled in front of square.

He also flicked Kelly for his third six. - PTI

Sran looks to be a good prospect for India: Dhawan PERTH: Opener Shikhar Dhawan on Friday praised newcomer Barinder Sran for his impressive show in the opening T20 warm-up game, stating that the left-arm speedster looks to be a “good prospect for India”.Asked what he felt about the rookie pacer, who played his first competitive match in India shirt, senior opener Dhawan said: “It was great boost for Beri, actually I call him by that name. It always nice to get three wickets (2/24).With time, he will get more matured as he gains experience. He is fit and strong. He looks to be a good prospect for India.”

Dhawan, who looked in good form having scored 74 runs, said that the “team got what it wanted” from the opening tour fixture.

“I am happy that I scored runs in a practise match. It gives me confidence. I got used to the pitch. More time that I spend at the wicket in the coming days, better it will be for me,” the Delhi left-hander said. He was happy that the team got into a groove at the onset and he could share a 100-run stand with Virat Kohli.

“It was good to get into

groove and get a 100 run partnership before main match.

We got what needed from the practice match,” said Dhawan, who would be facing the Australian pace attack at the WACA in the opening ODI on January 12.

The Indian team is back in Australia after 10 months but Dhawan insisted that the attitude remains same.

“If you ask me about what changed from last time, I would say some players have changed. But the attitude is still the same as there can’t be much change on that aspect.

Because at international level, one needs maintain a certain degree of hard work.

We will be aggressive.”

“We are pumped up and well prepared for this tour.

We are covering all areas in regards to fitness and skill work. We have just got to work hard, keep calm and focus. We will try to achieve the goals given by support staff,” the southpaw remarked.

He agreed that beating Australia in their den is on top of their agenda. “Australia are one of the best side in the world.

Winning against a good side always gives a good feeling. We will give our best shot.” — PTI

IMPRESSIVE: India’s Barinder Sran bowls during the T20 cricket match between India and a Western Australian XI in Perth. – AFP

CRICKET

We will be fighting fire with fire, says Rohit PERTH: The famous rivalry set to resurface, India’s star batsman Rohit Sharma says the upcoming limited overs series against Australia Down Under will be a case of “fighting fire with fire”.

The five-ODI and three-T20 series begins here on January 12 and both Australia and India, after enjoying big wins against lacklustre West Indies and South Africa in their previous Test assignments respectively, are keen to get going in the shorter formats of the game.

“It will be a case of fighting fire with fire. Both teams have a history against each other and are highly charged up wanting to get results in their favour,” Rohit told ‘bcci. tv’. Coming off a big Test series win over South Africa, Rohit believed the transition from the five-

day format to ODIs wouldn’t be very difficult.

“For me the transition between formats just goes with the flow.

As professional cricketers we have been switching formats for a long time and we are used to it by now. It is just about staying in the right frame of mind. It is very important to understand what your strengths and weaknesses are and prepare accordingly. Preparations are key for any format.”

The Mumbai batsman recalled the team’s last tour of this country.

“The last series that we played here (in 2014) was very closely contested. Although the result didn’t go our way, we fought right till the end. We played some good and positive cricket, which is exactly what we want to do

this time as well,” he said.

Rohit, whose first tour Down Under was way back in 2008 when he batted alongside Sachin Tendulkar and scored a patient half-century in an all-important CB series final, made two more visits here, the last being the 2015 World Cup. “Having been here before, you do get to know what to expect from the opposition. Australia is an opposition who do not give anything away easily. As a side playing against them, you have to grind your way and test yourself in the middle. Nothing comes easy here; you have to earn every run.

“As a cricketer it is very exciting to face and thrive on such challenges. What you do to conquer them and come out winning will

be a real test of your character.

People appreciate your performances here and putting up notable contributions will do a world of good,” Rohit said.

The Indian team has arrived well in advance for the tour.

“We have got close to a week’s time here before we play our first ODI. We do know what to expect from the conditions at Perth. I have played some cricket here in the past. I will be trying to get into the groove and would be looking to get my positions right.

“Getting my basics right will top my list. I will try to be a bit innovative and see what would work for me. It is an exciting venue and you get a lot of value for your shots with a bit of bounce and carry off the pitch.” - PTI

Rohit Sharma plays and misses during the T20 cricket match between India and a Western Australian XI in Perth. - AFP

FOOTBALL

CHEERS XI DEFEAT BLUE STAR TO LIFT LIONS XI CUP Cheers XI defeated Bluestar to lift the title of the Lions XI Cricket Tournament in Salalah. In the final, Bluestar won the toss and batted first. Blue Star were all out for 35 in 8.3 overs, thanks to brilliant bowling performance by Noushad (4 wickets), Irfan (2wickets), Abdul (1 wicket), Abhi (1 wicket) and some tight bowling by Sachin.Then Cheers XI chased the target in 4 overs and won by 10 wickets, thanks to unbeaten partnership by openers Sohan and Abdul. The indivldual awards went to Noushad (man of the final) of Cheers XI, Shailesh (man of the semifinal ) of Cheers XI, Sanoj (best bowler) of Blue Star and Rubiu l(Best batsman) of Lions XI. — Supplied

Wenger hopes to seal Elneny deal LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hopes to complete the signing of FC Basel midfielder Mohamed Elneny by early next week after reported work permit issues threatened to stall the transfer. With midifielders Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin out with injury, Elneny would be an welcome addition to squad, which was stretched thin during the festive period. “It’s complicated a little bit, but we are working hard on it and hope in the next two-three days we get to the end of it,” Wenger told reporters on Friday. - Reuters

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM S ATU RDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

US JOB MARKET POSTS HEALTHY GROWTH

MARKE

US employers have maintained a fairly strong pace of hiring in December, suggesting that a recent but sharp manufacturing-led slowdown in economic growth would be temporary. >B3

C O R P O R AT E

Samsung’s profit miss a sign of waning demand for smartphones SEOUL: Samsung’s profit miss is the latest sign the global smartphone market is running out of steam, spelling trouble for the suppliers of displays, semiconductors and other components that go into mobile devices.

The world’s largest maker of displays and memory chips, which sells to Apple and many other brands, posted fourth-quarter profit that fell short of analysts’ estimates as sales remained sluggish over the holiday season. Demand is waning for smartphones as markets mature and China’s economy slows, pressuring profit margins at Samsung.

Concerns that the smartphone market is fizzling out has spurred analysts to trim estimated demand, which in turn has hammered device vendors as well as suppliers of components and contract assemblers. Apple, which garners most of the industry’s profits, ended on Thursday below $100 for the first time in over a year after investment brokerages from UBS to Morgan Stanley lowered forecasts on iPhone shipments.

“I see no signs of a recovery in demand for electronics products which only means the component businesses will remain pressured,” said Song Myung Sup, a Seoulbased analyst at HI Investment & Securities Co. “The situation is only getting worse and the firstquarter earnings will likely be even lower than the fourth quarter.”

Stagnant sales Samsung’s operating income was 6.1 trillion won ($5 billion) in the three months ended December, the Suwon, South Korea-based company said in preliminary results released on Friday. That compares with the 6.64 trillion-won average of analysts’ estimates.

Sales were 53 trillion won in the quarter, little changed from a year earlier, the company said. Samsung won’t provide net income or break out the results of various divisions until it releases audited results later this month.

The result comes just days after Co-chief executive officer Kwon Oh Hyun warned of escalating competition and urged employees to find ways to safeguard its lead now that software and platforms are eclipsing hardware.

Declining shipments Samsung phone shipments are headed for their second straight annual decline in the wake of tougher competition from Apple in the high-end segment to China’s Xiaomi and Huawei for budget consumers. Yet even Xiaomi, which rose from obscurity to become the country’s biggest phone brand, may have missed its 80-million unit sales target in 2015, people with knowledge of its production plans have said.

Largan Precision, which gets more than a quarter of its sales from Apple, this week said sales dropped 31 per cent. - Bloomberg News

PASSENGER-CARRYING DRONE UNVEILED The EHang 184 passenger-carrying drone being displayed during the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, United States. CES is expected to attract major names in technology for showcasing new developments in virtual reality, self-driving cars, drones, wearables, and the Internet of Things. The world’s largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 9 and features 3,600 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 150,000 participants. – Bloomberg News

Measures by China help emerging stocks recover China suspended a controversial circuitbreaker system that sparked a selloff in mainland shares and moved to stabilise the currency yuan

NEW MEASURES: About $1.5 trillion was erased from the capitalisation of the 31 largest emerging equity markets this year as China abandoned a system of market circuit breakers. – Bloomberg News

LONDON:Emerging-market stocks trimmed the worst weekly drop since 2012 and currencies rose after China suspended a controversial circuit-breaker system that sparked a selloff in mainland shares and moved to stabilise the yuan.

Energy shares rebounded with oil as the MSCI Emerging Markets Index climbed from a six-year low.

The Shanghai Composite Index rallied after people familiar with the matter said state-controlled funds bought equities. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng China Enterprises Index halted a four-day drop. A gauge of developing-nation currencies increased from a record

low, led by the Indian rupee. Eastern European stocks advanced.

About $1.5 trillion was erased from the capitalisation of the 31 largest emerging equity markets this year through Thursday as China abandoned a system of market circuit breakers after plunges closed Chinese trading early twice this week.

China’s central bank also set its reference rate little changed from Thursday’s fixing after an eight-day run of reductions ignited fears of competitive devaluations among developing nations, rattling investors already concerned about slowing growth in

Asia’s biggest economy.

“It’s a temporary rebound, so too early to sound the all clear,” said Michael Wang, a strategist at hedge fund Amiya Capital. “Valuations are getting cheaper but I’m not getting a strong signal to buy yet. We need to see stability in oil prices and China.”

Trading The 14-day relative-strength index for emerging equities has traded below 30 for three days, the threshold that signals to some technical analysts that an asset is poised to rebound.

The measure touched 22.4 on

Thursday, the lowest since August.

Following this week’s 6.6 per cent drop, developing-nation stocks trade, on average, at 10.5 times projected 12-month earnings, near the cheapest since September and a 30 per cent discount to advancedcountry shares in the MSCI World Index, according to data.

Brent crude is on course for a 9.1 per cent weekly retreat that dragged it to 12-year lows. Currencies in South Africa, Turkey and Russia weakened at least 1.6 per cent against the dollar in the five days. Investors will be watching United States payrolls data on Friday for clues on the timing of interest rate increases that could affect demand for riskier assets.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index climbed 0.4 per cent to 742.12 in London as nine out of 10 industry groups gained, led by energy stocks. China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation jumped 5.6 per cent in Hong Kong, rebounding from the lowest close since April 2009, and Sasol increased 1.8 per cent in Johannesburg.

Brent crude climbed for the first day this year, adding 0.3 per cent to $33.85 a barrel.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises measure rose 1.1 per cent, after sliding to the lowest level since October 2011 on Thursday.

Shanghai Composite The Shanghai Composite added 2 per cent, reducing its weekly decline to 10 per cent, still its biggest loss since August. Statecontrolled funds purchased Chinese stocks on Friday, focusing on financial shares and others with large weightings in benchmark indexes, according to people familiar with the matter.

Sino Biopharmaceutical fell 20 per cent in Hong Kong, the biggest decline among emergingmarket shares, after agreeing to pay 4.9 billion yuan ($744 million) for shares in China Cinda Asset Management. Equity indexes in emerging Europe rallied, with Hungarian and Czech stocks adding at least 1.4 per cent. The Borsa Istanbul 100 Index climbed 0.7 per cent in its fourth day of gains.

Russian markets were closed for a public holiday.

A measure tracking 20 emerging-market currencies gained for the first time in the new year, rising 0.1 per cent. The index dropped. - Bloomberg News

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C A P I TA L M A R K E T

Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering is on the cards LONDON: By any measure, Saudi Arabian Oil Company is in a league of its own.

Take its oil reserves — roughly 260 billion barrels, nearly 10 times those of the global ultra-major Exxon Mobil. Or its daily production — 10 million barrels, more than the domestic output of every United States oil company combined. Which is why the mere suggestion that this state-owned oil giant might go public seems so outlandish.

Would the Kingdom of oil really place its crown jewel in the hands of fickle investors? The answer, according to the kingdom’s deputy crown prince, is maybe.

In an interview, Mohammed bin Salam said Saudi Aramco, the linchpin of the world oil market, was considering an initial public

offering (IPO) as the kingdom confronts the hard economic and geopolitical realities of cheaper and cheaper crude.

It’s impossible to overstate the power Aramco wields in Saudi Arabia and the global oil market.

The company traces its origins back to the oil shortages of World War I and is deeply intertwined with the rise of one of the most powerful forces of the past half century: the modern petro state.

What is that worth? “Trillions of dollars,” according to ‘The Economist’, which first reported the prince’s comments.

That would easily rank Aramco among the world’s most valuable companies, well above Apple, at $600 billion. Based simply on its oil reserves and using a conservative valuation of roughly $10 per

VALUATION

barrel, Aramco could be worth more than $2.5 trillion. And yet stock market investors rarely value state-owned oil companies as dispassionately as the numbers suggest — or as government officials might hope. Should Aramco go public, it might actually fetch

Based simply on its oil reserves and using a conservative valuation of roughly $10 per barrel, Aramco could be worth more than $2.5tr. Should Aramco go public, it might actually fetch as little as $100b, based on valuations

as little as $100 billion, based on valuations applied to similar stateowned groups.

Russia’s Rosneft is paradigmatic. The Kremlin-owned company is the largest oil producer in Russia and one of the largest in the world. It pumps 5 million barrels

a day — far more than Chevron.

Yet its market capitalisation is just $35 billion, a fraction of Chevron’s $160 billion. Petroleo Brasileiro is worth even less, $23 billion, even though it controls nearly every aspect of Brazil’s oil industry.

PetroChina Of all the major state-owned oil groups, only Chinese companies such as PetroChina have large market capitalisations, running in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

The reasons? One is political risk, real or perceived.

Investors often worry governments will put their interests ahead of shareholders. Others are a lack of transparency and, in some cases, corruption. In the case of Saudi Arabia, Jason Bordoff, director of the Center on Global Energy

Policy at Columbia University and a former senior oil official at the White House, said that some people have “raised questions about the true size” of Saudi Aramco’s oil reserves. The kingdom has never published an audit of the reserves.

Most details about the size of its giant fields remain secret. What’s more, “Aramco has obligations beyond producing just oil that other publicly listed companies do not have, such as, for example, running a good part of the health-care system,” Bordoff said.

As news hit Thursday of the possible IPO for Aramco, Rabigh shares fell to an all-time low, leaving them down 51 per cent since the IPO. That shows that while Aramco may be in a league of its own, it still faces the same challenge as everyone else. - Bloomberg News

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

MARKET PREMIUM VEHICLES

Volvo forecasts third consecutive record in annual sales FRANKFURT: Volvo Car predicted its third consecutive record in annual auto sales in 2016 as the Swedish company adds to its lineup of premium vehicles targeting American consumers.

Buoyed by the new XC90 sport utility vehicle, deliveries reached a new high last year, rising 8 per cent to 503,127 vehicles, Gothenburgbased Volvo Cars said on Friday in a statement. It was the first time the 89-year-old automaker has breached the half-million sales mark in one year.

The company, owned by Chinese billionaire Li Shufu’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, is re-

tooling its lineup to compete with leading luxury-car makers including BMW. It’s counting on growing demand for premium models in the United States, where it’s planning to build a car factory, to propel sales gains.

The Swedish company is presenting the S90 sedan to the public for the first time next week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and it said on Friday that the entire model range will be renewed in four years.

“Volvo is about to enter the second phase of its global transformation,” chief executive officer Hakan Samuelssonsaid in the statement.

“Once completed, Volvo will have ceased being a minor automotive player and taken its position as a truly global premium car company.”

Demand last year jumped 24 per cent in the United States and 11 per cent in Europe and ended unchanged in China after an 11 percent gain in the fourth quarter. “These upward sales trends are expected to continue in 2016,” Volvo said. The company reiterated a medium-term goal of selling 800,000 cars a year. While China’s car market in 2015 was “challenging,” the automaker said it expects to continue expanding there over time. - Bloomberg News

NEW SEDAN: The Swedish company is presenting the S90 sedan to the public for the first time next week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. – Bloomberg News

Indonesia planning to sell dollar sukuk for sixth year It’s the sixth straight year the country will have sold Sharia-compliant debt overseas and coincides with waning risk appetite across world markets driven by a sell-off in Chinese shares

JAKARTA: Indonesia plans to sell dollar Islamic bonds, kickstarting 2016’s sovereign issuance after the poorest showing for global annual offerings in five years.

The deadline for proposals is next week and selections for the arrangers will be made before the end of January, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the process is private.

No details on the size and maturity were given. Suminto, Islamic financing director at Indonesia’s Finance Ministry, couldn’t imme-

SHARIA-COMPLIANT: The government plans to issue as much as $2 billion of global sukuk in 2016. The deadline for proposals is next week and selections for the arrangers will be made before the end of January. – Bloomberg News

diaely comment.

It’s the sixth straight year the Southeast Asian nation will have sold Sharia-compliant debt overseas and coincides with waning risk appetite across world markets driven by a selloff in Chinese shares. The government plans to issue as much as $2 billion of global sukuk in 2016, Robert Pakpa-

han, director general for budget financing and risk management at the Finance Ministry, was citing as saying by Kontan in October.

“While it may not be the best time to issue, weighing against the risk of potentially higher dollar-funding conditions when the United States Federal Reserve tightens further, it could still be a

better window of opportunity to tap the market now,” said Winson Phoon, a Kuala Lumpur-based fixed-income analyst at Maybank Investment Bank Bhd. “With some yield concession, I think there will be demand.”

The sovereign sold $2 billion of 10-year dollar Islamic notes in May last year at a coupon rate of

4.325 per cent and got $6.8 billion in orders. The securities were paying 4.84 percent on Friday, compared with 4.96 per cent at the end of 2015, data shows.

Sales of global Sharia-compliant notes fell 30 per cent last year to $34.9 billion, the least since 2010’s $19 billion, according to data. - Bloomberg News

AUTOMOTIVE

Hyundai mulls making luxury cars in China SEOUL: Hyundai Motor is weighing plans to build its new luxury Genesis cars in China to overcome import tariffs that add 25 per cent to the sticker price and are seen as inhibiting the company’s ability to compete with locally made BMWs and Audis.

South Korea’s biggest automaker still needs to reach an agreement with a local partner, said Cho Won Hong, Hyundai’s chief marketing officer. BAIC Group currently makes the Sonata and Elantra in a joint venture with Hyundai, though Cho wouldn’t say whether the two sides were discussing Genesis production.

“China has a high tariff and that makes our vehicles more expensive than competitors, which makes it difficult to be profitable,” Cho said in an interview.

“There are a lot of issues that need to be solved before we could go in. But we will definitely go in,” he added.

Hyundai is seeking ways to turn around the China business after sales of its predominantly midmarket lineup fell last year for the first time since 2007 on a slowing economy. One option is to tap into the luxury segment as cuts in sales taxes and looming limits on vehicle registration prompt buyers to splurge on the most expensive car they can afford.

“Hyundai has no choice,” said Heo Pil Seok, chief executive officer of Midas International Asset Management in Seoul. - Bloomberg

ECONOMY

Indonesia’s foreign exchange reserves jump by $5.7 billion SINGAPORE: Bank Indonesia’s foreign-exchange reserves jumped the most since April 2012 last month, giving the central bank more scope to manage the exchange rate in the face of external headwinds.

The stockpile grew by $5.7 billion to $105.9 billion, the monetary authority said in a statement. That came after Bank Indonesia posted the figures on its website earlier on Friday before removing them.

The gain is the largest since April 2012 and the first increase following a nine-month run in which the reserves fell 13 percent.

The jump in the reserves reduces concern that Bank Indonesia will run out of ammunition should it wish to defend the rupiah amid rising U.S. interest rates and growing worries that the weakening yuan will spur a regional currency war. Only the Philippine peso and Thailand’s baht have fared better than the Indonesian exchange rate

cent to 13,910 a dollar in Jakarta, paring its loss this week to 0.9 per cent, prices from local banks show.

this week among Asian emerging markets.

“It probably means a period of stability for the rupiah,” said Wai Ho Leong, a senior regional economist at Barclays in Singapore.

“And indeed if you look at the last few days through the China turmoil, I think it’s been one of the better performers regionally. It’s been a bedrock of relative stability against expectations.”

The rupiah advanced 0.1 per

Fund flows Indonesia’s government sold $3.5 billion of sovereign dollar bonds at the beginning of December, which helped boost the reserves. Some of the remaining increase may have been due to Indonesia drawing down infrastructure loans from China, said Leong.

Overseas investors bought a net 10 trillion rupiah ($719 million) of local-currency government debt in December, Finance Ministry figures show. They’ve added $5.8 million to local stock holdings this year, following $1.6 billion of outflows in 2015.

Indonesian local-currency sovereign bonds rose, pushing the 10year yield down three basis points to 8.79 per cent on Friday, according to the Inter Dealer Market Association. - Bloomberg News

INDIA GOES POSTAL IN QUEST TO OPEN BANK ACCOUNTS A woman enters the India Post Chembur branch in Mumbai, India. The world’s largest post office network is planning to ramp up its financial services across India, triggering a race among commercial banks to set up partnerships to reach remote areas that have been unprofitable. - Bloomberg News

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

B3

MARKET DIVESTMENT

Indian bank appoints advisers for share sale

CHEVROLET UNVEILS BOLT ELECTRIC VEHICLE General Motors’ Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle (EV) is displayed at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, United States. A range of announcements from major names in the field of technology are expected as the consumer technology trade show, runs through January 9, showcases new developments in virtual reality, self-driving cars and drones among others. — Bloomberg News

MUMBAI: IDBI Bank, the statebacked Indian lender, appointed advisers including Bank of America Corporation, Citigroup and Credit Suisse to arrange a share sale of as much as Rs37.7 billion ($564 million), people with knowledge of the matter said.

The lender also hired Deutsche Bank, HSBC, IDBI Capital Market Services and SBI Capital Markets for the institutional placement, according to the people.

It has started reaching out to potential investors, including the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), two of the people said, asking not to be identified as the details are private.

The fundraising will help IDBI Bank to bolster its balance sheet as it seeks to rein in bad debts that totaled 6.9 per cent of its loans at the end of September.

The Mumbai-based lender had a capital adequacy ratio of 11.7 per cent at that date, compared to 12.7 per cent for the country’s entire banking system, data compiled by the Reserve Bank of India show.

IDBI Bank shares, which gained 21 per cent last year, rose as much as 2.8 per cent in Friday trading.

The S&P BSE Bankex Index was up 0.6 per cent in Mumbai. The lender won government approval in December to sell as much as Rs37.71 billion of stock to institutional investors. IDBI Bank could start the offering as early as this quarter . India’s deputy finance minister Jayant Sinha said in November the government is ‘going to transform’ IDBI Bank in a similar fashion to its previous overhaul of Axis Bank. - Bloomberg News C O M M E N TA RY

Another slow year for global economy ASHOKA MODY

L

ast April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected that the world economy would grow by 3.5 per cent in 2015.

In the ensuing months, that forecast was steadily whittled down, reaching 3.1 per cent in October. But the IMF continues to insist – as it has, with almost banal predictability, for the last seven years – that next year will be better. But it is almost certainly wrong yet again.

For starters, world trade is growing at an anemic annual rate of 2 per cent, compared to 8 per cent from 2003 to 2007. Whereas trade growth during those heady years far exceeded that of world GDP, which averaged 4.5 per cent, lately, trade and GDP growth rates have been about the same.

Even if GDP growth outstrips growth in trade this year, it will likely amount to no more than 2.7 per cent.

The question is why.

According to Christina and David Romer of the University of California, Berkeley, the aftershocks of modern financial crises – that is, since World War II – fade after 2-3 years. The Harvard economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff say that it takes five years for a country to dig itself out of a financial crisis. And, indeed, the financial dislocations of 2007-2008 have largely receded. So what accounts for the sluggish economic recovery?

One popular explanation lies in the fuzzy notion of ‘secular stagnation’: longterm depressed demand for goods and services is undermining incentives to invest and hire.

But demand would remain weak only if people lacked confidence in the future. The only logical explanation for this enduring lack of confidence, as Northwestern University’s Robert Gordon has painstakingly documented and argued, is slow productivity growth.

Before the crisis – and especially from 2003 to

2007 – slow productivity growth was being obscured by an illusory sense of prosperity in much of the world. In some countries – notably, the United States, Spain, and Ireland – rising real-estate prices, speculative construction, and financial risk-taking were mutually reinforcing. At the same time, countries were amplifying one another’s growth through trade.

Global boom Central to the global boom was China, the rising giant that flooded the world with cheap exports, putting a lid on global inflation. Equally important, China imported a huge volume of commodities, thereby bolstering many African and Latin American economies, and purchased German cars and machines, enabling Europe’s largest economy to keep its regional supply chains humming.

This dynamic reversed around March 2008, when the US rescued its fifthlargest investment bank, Bear Sterns, from collapse.

With the eurozone banks also deeply implicated in the subprime mortgage mess and desperately short of US dollars, America and much of Europe began a remorseless slide into recession.

Whereas in the boom years, world trade had spread the bounty, it was now spreading the malaise. As each country’s GDP growth slowed, so did its imports, causing its trading partners’ growth to slow as well.

The US economy began to emerge from its recession in the second half of 2009.

Eurozone policymakers, by contrast, rejected monetary stimulus and implemented fiscal austerity measures, while ignoring the deepening distress of their banks.

The IMF should stop forecasting renewed growth and issue a warning that the global economy will remain weak and vulnerable unless world leaders act energetically to spur innovation and growth. Such an effort is long overdue. – Project Syndicate

Domestic sector in US powers growth of jobs The jobless rate is expected to have held steady at a sevenand-a-half-yearold low of 55. The economy grew at a 2 per cent rate in the third quarter of 2015

WASHINGTON: United States employers likely maintained a fairly strong pace of hiring in December, suggesting that a recent but sharp manufacturing-led slowdown in economic growth would be temporary.

Non-farm payrolls probably increased by 200,000 jobs, just a slight step down from the 211,000 created in November, according to a survey of economists. The unemployment rate is expected to have held steady at a seven-and-a-halfyear-old low of 5 per cent.

A solid employment report could soothe fears over the economy’s health by showing recent weakness largely contained in the manufacturing and export-oriented sectors, which have been hit by a strong dollar and anaemic global demand.

Efforts by businesses to whittle down an inventory glut and spending cuts by energy companies

SOOTHING FEARS: A solid employment report could soothe fears over the economy’s health by showing recent weakness largely contained in the manufacturing and export-oriented sectors, which have been hit by a strong dollar. – Bloomberg News

have also inflicted pain. “The US economy is a two-sided economy.

The domestic sector continues to power job growth. There is a risk that the weakness in manufacturing could spread to services, but we don’t see that right now,” said Thomas Costerg, a senior economist at Standard Chartered Bank in New York.

In the wake of soft reports on manufacturing, construction spending and export growth, economists this week slashed their fourth-quarter growth estimates by as much a full percentage point to as low as a 0.4 per cent annual rate.

The economy grew at a 2 per cent rate in the third quarter of last year.

The Labour Department’s close-

ly monitored jobs report, which will be released on Friday (1330 GMT), could offer a brief respite to global stock markets after heavy selling this week sparked by signs of slowing growth in China.

Labour market While labour market resilience would favour another interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve in March, economists say financial market turmoil and concerns among policymakers over low inflation suggest the US central bank may stay on the sidelines a bit longer.

The Federal Reserve last month raised overnight interest rates by a quarter percentage point to be-

tween 0.25 and 0.50 per cent, the first increase in nearly a decade, and a subsequent move at its next meeting this month was already seen as off the table.

“The Fed has shifted its emphasis away from the job market and toward actual progress in inflation,” said Ryan Sweet, senior economist at Moody’s Analytics in Pennsylvania. “Whether they will be hiking in March will be dependent on financial market conditions and moving core inflation toward the 2 per cent target.”

As such, wage growth will come under scrutiny. The jobs report on Friday is expected to show average hourly earnings increased 0.2 per cent in December. - Reuters

B4

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

FEATURE TU URE UR RE Global demand for natural rubber, used mostly in tyres, is slowing as the economy cools in China, the world’s largest buyer of new cars. And the market may only get worse for rubber growers

A

s rubber prices slumped toward a six-year low, 20 of 30 workers who drained the sticky latex from trees on Winai Chaikunanant’s plantation in Thailand quit. Even with income sharing, they earned less than the minimum wage.

Winai is not faring much better. The 70-year-old loses money on every kilogramme produced on the farm he’s tended for five decades because government subsidies are not big enough to make up the difference. Half his trees were left untapped this season, and he plans to raze about 100 rai (40 acres) to grow cassava or pineapple instead. And the market may only get worse for rubber growers.

Global demand for natural rubber, used mostly in tyres, is slowing as the economy cools in China, the world’s largest buyer of new cars. Supplies are expanding af-

ter a decade-long rally in prices to a record in 2011 encouraged top producers like Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam to plant more trees. Output will exceed use for two more years, with the surplus quadrupling in 2016, according to The Rubber Economist, a London-based industry researcher.

“We face so many challenges from all sides,” Winai said on his 600-rai plantation in Rayong, about 180km southeast of Bangkok. Rubber traded in Tokyo, a global benchmark, has tumbled 70 per cent from a record in 2011, touching a six-year low of ¥153 ($1.26) a kilogramme on November 6. Futures in Shanghai have slumped 22 per cent in 2015. The export price from Thailand, the top producer, is down 23 per cent.

Global production is set to exceed demand by 411,000 metric tonnes next year and by 430,000 tonnes in 2017, compared to a

411,000 Global production is set to exceed demand by 411,000 metric tonnes next year

surplus of 98,000 tonnes in 2015, The Rubber Economist predicted.

Output will increase 3.8 per cent next year to 13 million tonnes and will keep expanding through 2018, the researcher said.

Consumption would not grow nearly as fast, which will leave stockpiles by the end of 2017 at a record 3.7 million tonnes, said Prachaya Jumpasut, managing director of The Rubber Economist.

China, which buys more than third of world output, forecast imports of natural rubber will plunge 10 per cent this year to 3.7 million tonnes as consumption growth slows to 2.9 per cent from 13 per cent in 2014, the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) said in a report.

Price outlook Excess supplies may keep prices subdued for a decade, said Hidde Smit, an industry adviser who

has studied the market for more than 30 years and is the former secretary-general of the International Rubber Study Group. Even with some smaller farms cutting back now, the planted area across 11 Asian countries that are the primary growers has surged 45 per cent since 2004, he said.

In Thailand, the local price of rubber sheet has plunged to about 37 baht a kilogramme from an average of 56 baht last year and 76 baht in 2013, according to the Rubber Authority of Thailand.

The average cost of production is around 65 baht, the farm ministry estimates.

Farmer subsidies The government approved 13 billion baht to support farmers. Land owners and their workers will get a combined 1,500 baht a rai for plantations up to 15 rai. About 80 per cent of growers own as much

as 25 rai. An additional 5 billion baht was approved in December for producers who pursue alternative employment.

The stress of money-losing crops could limit supplies more than forecast. Output from growers accounting more than 90 per cent of world supply may decline 0.3 per cent to 10.92 million tonnes this year, the lowest since 2012, according to the ANRPC. Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, which account for 80 per cent of world shipments, have said they would consider limiting exports and would seek to increase domestic uses of natural rubber.

Vietnamese farmers are cutting down trees, and the government is urging them to switch to other crops. Rubber producers in Indonesia say output this year may drop 10 per cent as dry weather and haze from forest fires disrupts tapping. - Bloomberg News

B

SECTION

LIFESTYLE

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

Family WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

Secrets of Experienced Moms to Save Time, Money and Stress The first time around, being a mom means learning a lot of new things and approaching each new stage with caution. The second time around, moms know sometimes you need to wing it and embrace the imperfections (and humour) of parenthood. Through this experience, moms learn some amazing time-saving, stress-busting, mind-blowing parenting tricks. Want to know the best time-tested strategies?

Here are eight genius hacks of those who have been around the mommy block a few times:

Smart snack storage: There’s no need to buy expensive snack food containers for all the kiddo’s goodies. When you’re done with your coffee creamer, simply remove labels, wash and fill with favourite dry snacks. These handy containers are a breeze to pop open and pour into bowls, plus the upright bottle maximises space in cabinets.

Quick and easy diapering: Experienced moms make diaper time easier by using Luvs with NightLock. The new, larger refastenable stretch tabs make fastening Luvs diapers super quick and easy, plus moms can rest-assured knowing baby’s getting a secure, snug fit every time. Best yet: these high-quality features come at less cost than the premium brands. Parenting is full of stressful moments, so don’t let diapering be one of them.

Simplify dressing: If you dread putting onesies over your baby’s head, you can take a sigh of relief because there’s an easier approach. Those layered shoulder tabs on onesies mean you can stretch the neck out and dress baby from the bottom up. When it’s time to undress, simply pull down. No more wiggling, crabby baby.

Inventive cold packs: From babies to toddlers to big kids, boo-boos are a fact of life. For little bumps, a mini-marshmallow pack is a fun way to make ouchies feel better. Mini marshmallows are lightweight, soft and hold the perfect amount of cold; all you have to do is place them in a plastic bag, seal and keep in the freezer.

Cut car chaos: If you have kids, you know all about car clutter, but this doesn’t have to be your reality. A canvas shoe organiser in the back seat is a fantastic way to store toys and supplies. Next, eliminate spills and goo by placing silicone cupcake liners into cup holders. Finally, a tackle box is ideal for creating a food travel kit with various snacks in each compartment.

Streamline grocery shopping: A trip to the grocery store doesn’t have to be a disaster with kids in tow. First, eat before you shop. Empty tummies make for grumpy kids who want everything in sight. Next, to keep kids focused on the task at hand, let them be shopping assistants. Bigger kids can help get foods on your list (yay for grocery store scavenger hunts!) and little ones can assist by holding a small item safely and helping you spot foods from the cart (who sees a red apple for mommy?).

Streamline midnight feeding: Don’t lose precious Z’s because it’s feeding time. Keep baby in “sleep zone” with little-to-no light and refrain from talking. Light and moms voice are extremely stimulating to baby. Another smart idea: change her diaper first so if she falls asleep while eating, you can lay her down and get back to bed quickly.

Keep small hands clean: There’s no need to strain your back holding your kid up so he can reach the sink to wash his hands. An empty shampoo bottle can easily transform into a handy faucet extender. Ditch the cap and cut a hole on the bottom to hook to the faucet. Secure on the spout and the water will extend out so it’s within a child's reach.

Experienced moms know more, know better and know that clever tips and tricks can help save time and money. That means less stress plus more time and energy for creating lasting memories with the little loves of your life. — Courtesy of Brandpoint

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

B6

PRAYER TIMINGS

FIND-IT-ALL @MGM

@SOHAR

13:30, 4:00PM Echo Effect ( Action | Thriller ) ( 12+ ) Cast: Michael Jai White, Max Ryan 2:15, 6:35, 10:00 PM Wazir - (Hindi)( Action | Thriller ) ( PG12 ) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhta 2:00, 5:30, 11:00 PM Charlie (Malayalam) (Comedy) (PG12) Cast: Dulquer Salman, Parvathi Menon 11:55 AM, 7:30 PM The Revenant (Adventurer) ( 12+) Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 3:50, 8:15, 11:45 PM

@SHATTI

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Extraction(2D) (Action | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano 2:45, 8:15 PM The Revenant (2D) (Thriller) (12+) Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 2:30, 5:30, 8:30, 11:30 PM Point Break (3D) (Action | Sports) (12+) Cast: Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey 7:15 PM Wazir (Action | Crime | Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari 5:15, 9:30 PM The Forest (Horror) (15+) Cast: Natalie Dormer, Eoin Macken, Stephanie Vogt 10:00, 11:45 PM Lost in the Sun (2D) (Action) (12+) Cast: Josh Duhamel, Josh Wiggins 3:00, 11:30 PM Daddy’s Home (2D) (Comedy) (12+) Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg 4:30, 6:15 PM MUSCAT GRAND MALL The Revenant ( Drama | Thriller) 12+ Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 12:15, 8:45 & 11:30PM Gold Class: 3:00 & 8:00PM Wazir (Hindi | Action| Thriller) PG12 Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar 3:15 & 9:30PM Gold Class: 6:00 & 11:00PM Fathers and Daughters (Drama) 12+ Cast: Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Jane Fonda 5:15PM Extraction (Thriller) 12+ Cast : Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano 7:30 & 11:45PM

Wazir (Hindi | Action| Thriller) PG12 Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar, Aditi Rao Hydari 3:15 & 9:30PM Gold Class: 6:00 & 11:00PM

Charlie - 2D (M) (PG12) (Comedy/ Romance) Cast : Dulquer Salman, Parvathi Menon, Aparna Gopinath 12:30, 9:00 PM

Snow Time - (Animation | Family) PG 3:00PM The Peanuts Movie - (Animation) PG 1:15 & 4:45PM The Good Dinosaur-3D (Animation) U 11:15PM & 6:45PM

RUWI Screen 1 Wazir (Action / Thriller) – PG12 Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Screen 2 Ho Mann Jahan – Pakistani (Musical/ Drama)– TBC Cast: –Mahira Khan, Sheheryar 3.30, 6.45, 10.00 PM Screen 3 Bajirao Mastani (Romance/Drama) – PG12 Cast: – Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh 3.45, 9.45 PM Dilwale (Action/Romance) – PG12 Cast: – Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan 6.45 PM

SOHAR Dilwale - 2D (PG12) Action | Comedy Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan 6:45 PM Point Break - 3D (12+) Action | Crime | Sport Cast : Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey 5:30 PM The Good, the Bad and The Dead - 2D (15+) Action| Thriller | Western Cast : Johnny Messner, Dolph Lundgren 7:45 PM The Revenant - 2D (12+) Adventure | Drama Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 2:30, 8:45, 11:30 PM Wazir - 2D (PG12) Action| Thriller Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar 12:45 , 03:00 , 09:30 , 11:30 PM The New Adventures of Aladin - 2D (PG12) Cast : Kev Adams, Jean-Paul Rouve 5:00 PM Echo Effect - 2D (12+) Action | Thriller Cast : Michael Jai White, Max Ryan 7:00, 09:45 PM Lost in the Sun - 2D (12+) Action | Drama Cast : Josh Duhamel, Josh Wiggins 2:45 , 7:00 , 11:45 PM The Forest - 2D (15+) Horror Cast : Natalie Dormer, Eoin Macken 3:00 , 11:30 PM Get Squirrely - 2D (PG) Animation | Cast : Victoria Justice, Will Forte 12:45, 5:00 PM Charlie - 2D (M) (PG12) Comedy/ Romance Cast : Dulquer Salman, Parvathi Menon 12:30, 9:00 PM

SUR Get Squirrely ( Animation ) ( PG ) Cast: Victoria Justice, Will Forte

BURAIMI Echo Effect – 2D (Action, Thriller) (12+) Cast: Michael Jai White, Max Ryan

The Revenant (2D) (Thriller) (12+) Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter 2:30, 5:30, 8:30, 11:30 PM

Cast : Angela Galuppo, Mariloup Wolfe 5:45 pm Star Wars (Action, Adventure)(MX4D)(PG12) Cast : Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac 3:45, 6:30, 9:00, 11:30 pm Point Break (Action, Crime)(3D)(12+) Cast : Édgar Ramírez, Luke Bracey 3:00 pm Bajirao Mastani (Drama)(2D)(PG12) Cast : Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone 8:45 pm

PANORAMA MALL The Revenant (Adventure, Drama)(2D)(12+) Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 2:45, 5:45, 11:45PM The Revenant (Adventure, Drama) (2D) (12+) VIP LOUNGE Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 3:00, 6:00, 11:00PM Lost In The Sun (Action, Drama)(2D) (12+) Cast : Josh Duhamel, Josh Wiggins 5:15, 11:15 pm Daddy’s Home (Comedy)(2D)(12+) Cast : Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg 7:00, 9:15 pm Wazir (Hindi, Action)(2D)(PG12) Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar 3:45, 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm Wazir (Hindi, Action)(2D)(PG12)-VIP LOUNGE 9:00 pm Snow Time (Animation)(2D)(PG)

2:45, 8:45, 11:30 PM The Revenant – 2D (12+) | Drama | Thriller Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 2:30, 5:30, 11:30 PM

AZAIBA Wazir – 2D (PG12) Hindi | Action| Thriller Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar 1:00, 2:30, 4:30, 6:30, 8:30, 10:30, 11:45pm Charlie – 2D (PG12) Comedy/ Romance Cast: Dulquer Salman, Parvathi Menon 12:15, 6:30, 9:00 PM Dilwale – 2D (PG12) Action, Romantic Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhavan 5:45, 8:30 PM Get Squirrely – 2D (PG) Animation Cast: Victoria Justice, Will Forte 3:00, 4:45 PM Bajirao Mastani – 2D (PG12) Drama, History, Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone

5:45, 7:15, 11:30PM The Revenant– 2D (Adventure, Drama, Thriller) (12+) Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter 3:00, 9:00, 11:45PM The Forest – 2D (Horror) (15+) Cast: Natalie Dormer, Eoin Macken , Stephanie Vogt 5:15, 9:45, 11:30PM Get Squirrely – 2D (Animation) (PG) Voice Overs: Victoria Justice, Will Forte 3:30, 5:45PM Wazir – 2D (Action, Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar 3:45, 7:30, 9:30PM Charlie– 2D (Comedy, Romance) (12+) Cast: Dulquer Salman, Parvathi Menon, Aparna Gopinath 7:15PM

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

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

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

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

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

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 17:30

Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

Daily

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

Daily Daily

07:00

Ruwi

10:25

Daily

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

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

Daily Daily

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

Fahud Yibal

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

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

Daily Daily

Marmul

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

Daily Daily

12:30 12:30

Fahud Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

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

Ruwi Marmul Ruwi Ruwi

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

25 18 Minimum

0

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

55-85%

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

15:00

Salalah

07:00

Daily

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

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

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

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

NIDHI NIHARA SABISH January 9, 2008 Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

LISTINGS

11.45 13.30 14.00

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

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

Daily Daily Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

07:00

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

10:45 19:00

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

Ruwi Ruwi

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

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

06:00 14:30

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

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

Programmes are subject to change

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) Sur Sur

Charlie ( Mal) ( Drama\Comedy) Cast : Dulquer Salmaan & Parvathy 3-00, 6-30 & 10-00 pm Cinema Main Su Su Sudhi Vatmeekam (Mal) (Drama\Com) Cast : Jayasurya , Mukesh & Shivada 3-30 & 6-30 pm Cinema -2 Dilwale ( hindi ) ( Act\ com) Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol & Varun Dhawan 9-30 PM Cinema -2 Wazir ( Hindi) (Act Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akthar & Aditi Rao Hydari 3-45, 5-45, 7-45 & 9-45 pm Cinema-3 Bajirao Mastani (Hindi) (rom\ Act \ drama ) Cast : Ranveer Singh , Deepika Padukone & Priyanka Chopra 6-45 pm Cinema-4 Pasanga 2 ( Tamil) ( Drama \Comedy) Cast : Surya & Amala Paul 3-45, & 9-45 pm Cinema -4

MUHAMMED MAZIN January 9, 2009

ROYAL OMAN POLICE 07:30 14:30

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

0

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

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

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

STAR CINEMA

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 20:50

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

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

Echo Effect (Action / Thriller) Cast: Michael Jai White, Max Ryan, Steve Austin 4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 pm CP No : 3060 (12+) Daddy’s Home (Comedy) Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini 3.45, 7.30 & 9.15 pm CP No: 3061 (12+) Fathers and Daughters (Drama) Cast: Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Jane 2.00 & 6.00pm CP No: 3062 (12+) Get Squirrely (Animation / Comedy / Family) 2.00 & 5.30 p.m.

CP No: 3063 (PG) Dilwale (Action / Comedy) Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan 11.00 p.m.

CP No: 3047 (PG12)

WEATHER

15:00 15:00 15:00

16:30 18:00 19:30

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

WITH LOVE

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

BAHJA CINEMA

SALALAH The Revenant (2D) (12+)( Action| Thriller) Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy 11:45AM, 3:15, 8:45, 11:45PM Fathers and Daughters (2D) (12+) (Drama) Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Jane Fonda 4:30PM Daddy’s Home (2D) (12+) (Comedy) Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg 11:30AM, 6:45PM Extraction (2D) (12+) (Thriller) Cast: Bruce Willis, Kellan Lutz, Gina Carano 2:45PM Wazir (2D) (PG12)( Action| Thriller) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar 1:15, 3:00, 9:15, 11:15PM Dilwale (2D) (PG12) (Action | Romantic ) Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon 6:15PM Lost in the Sun (2D) (PG12) Action | Drama ) Cast: Josh Duhamel, Josh Wiggins 11:15AM, 7:00PM Charlie (2D) (12+) (Malayalam)( Comedy) Cast: Dulquer Salman, Parvathi Menon, Aparna Gopinath 9:00PM Snow Time (2D) (PG) (Animation) Cast: Angela Galuppo, Mariloup Wolfe 1:15PM The Forest (2D) (15+) (Horror) 5:00, 11:30PM Cast: Natalie Dormer, Eoin Macken

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

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) Destination

12.19pm 3.21pm 5.41pm 6.56pm 5.31am

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

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

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

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

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

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

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

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

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

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

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

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

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

B7

LIFESTYLE STORY TIME

By Swati Dasgupta

Who Took the Brownies Away?

S

oham was busy doing his school project when the telephone rang. The phone kept on ringing for a while and then it stopped. Soham was in no mood to get up and answer the call.

He was sure his mom would do the needful. Or Smita, his elder sister, would.

Suddenly it stopped. “Thank God it stopped,” Soham heaved a sigh of relief.

But not for long. Within minutes it again started ringing again.

“Soham, where are you? Please pick up the phone. I am doing something important and can’t come,” Soham’s mother called for her son from her bedroom. “Mum, I am doing something now. Ask Smita, Soham retorted lazily.”

This was not for the first time.

Soham had this bad habit of putting off things. He always had this one-liner ready “I will do it later”.

And that ‘later’ would never come. Soham’s careless attitude would often disturb his mother. He would use sauce, but never put the lid back, never close the biscuit tin after eating and most of the time would forget to put his messy plate back in the sink.

This was an everyday affair at Soham’s house. His mother would tell him nicely and at times even scold him, but Soham never listened. He would either run off to

play or sit with his favourite video game and say “I will do it later”.

Soham’s birthday was near and he was very excited about it.

Last year his dad had promised to throw a big party for all his friends.

He was sure he would remember his promise. He asked: “Dad, my birthday is next week. I hope you remember the promise you made.”

“Yes dear, but there’s a condition to it. You have to promise me that you would be prompt and not say ‘I will do it later’,” his father said.

Soham wasn’t expecting this, but was left with no choice. The other day only he had told his friends Rehman, Robby, Jamila, Asila, Aaliya, Jia and Matt about the great birthday bash that he had planned. He

promised to be prompt.

Soham made cute birthday invitation cards for all his friends. He was quite happy on his birthday.

He got his favourite storybook, some lovely shirts and a pen stand from his parents as birthday present and Smita made a cute little card. There was no end to Soham’s excitement. His mother called him

to help him decorate the house, but Soham was as usual feeling quite lazy. Mom, ask Smita now, I will do it “later,” he reluctantly said. Soham’s mother was annoyed at his behaviour, but didn’t want to scold him on his birthday. So she and Smita did all the work. She made some nice goodies and was sure that the kids would love them The huge cake that his father ordered soon arrived. The next two hours were full of fun and frolic.

The children played all the games and after a hearty treat went back home. As soon as they left Soham got busy with his gifts. “Oh wow, I have got the box of marbles that I wanted. And also a box of my favourite brownies.”

“Soham, please put the brownies and the gifts in the cupboard and help me clear the mess,” his mother pleaded.

Soham gave a big yawn in return. “Mom, I am sleepy, I will do it later,” saying this he went to his bedroom. Soham’s mother was extremely hurt at his attitude. His father saw Soham’s careless behaviour and thought it was time for Soham to learn a lesson.

The next morning Soham ran towards the hall thinking about the brownies. But he was shocked to see the empty table.

Mom must have kept it in the cupboard, he thought. But nowhere he could find them. He shouted:

“Mom where are the brownies?

Soham’s mother, who was making tea gave a solemn look at him and said: “You left the brownies on the table. In the morning I saw a cat nibble on it. So I had to dispose them off.”

Soham was almost in tears. He said in a complaining tone, “Mum, why you didn’t keep it safely?”

Soham’s mother said in a composed voice, “I would have dear, but you only said ‘I will do it later’. So I thought you had already done it.”

Oh no mom. Soham sobbed and continued: “I lost my brownies just because of my laziness. Wish I had picked them up. I’m sorry, mum.

From now I promise to do things without delaying,” saying this Soham hugged his mother.

Since that day Soham became very prompt. He kept his things in place, and never said ‘I will do it later’. He picked up his plates and even got up to answer the telephone. Few days later Soham was pleasantly surprised to see a box of brownies on the dining table. He was confused and before he could ask anything his mom said: “No cat had nibbled on these. I had put it away safely. We wanted you to learn a lesson and we are glad you really did. Now you can relish the brownies to your heart’s content.”

Soham gave a broad smile. He had indeed learnt his lesson.

-swati@timesofoman.com

Questions & Answers

One thing that puts me off...

When I get a load of homework during my vacations

When I’m in doubt...

I google it up

I go crazy when...

I score a goal while playing Fifa 15

If I win a lottery...

I would go and redeem it

One movie/book I can watch/ read over and over again...

Dog Days Diary of the Wimpy Kid (book)

CDUR

Crossword Puzzle ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

It’s better not to argue with...

My class teacher

The scariest thing that I have done...

Nothing yet…

If I met an alien I would...

Ask him his worst secrets

ACROSS

1 4 8 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 21 23 27 30 32 33 34 35 36 38 39 40

If I could go back in history, I would like to meet Abraham Lincoln One skill I would like to learn...

Ride a bicycle just using the front wheel

AASHISH GEORGE ABRAHAM

If I have to describe myself as a flavour it would be...

Praline

One person I would trade places with (real or ficitional) Lemuel Gulliver

If I had treasures I would hide them...

In my pencil box

The best way to my heart is...

Reading story books

Send your contributions to lifestyle@timesofoman.com. A good quality photo is compulsory. Lifestyle reserves the right to publish the contributions.

DOWN

1 Lively dances 2 Bone below the elbow 3 Hit with a powerful punch 4 Fossil rock 5 Didn’t throw in the trash 6 Explosive ltrs.

7 B — — baker 8 Foulard kin 9 Decompose 10 Flight dir.

11 Gob of bubblegum

17 Thoroughly investigate 19 Potato bud 22 Adds to staff 24 Prefix for second 25 Chuck wagon fare 26 Himalayan sighting 27 Branch 28 Artefact 29 Burrito alternative 31 Soothed 37 “Beam me up, —!”

39 Rare mineral

41 43 45 47 48 49 50 51 52 53

Library caution Sweater features Dissolve Pleased sighs Body of traditional knowledge Lohengrin’s bride Visualise Birthday no.

Carpet pile Herbal soother

42 44 46 50 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

Roast beef au — Mlle. in Barcelona Shuttle complement Under par Chicks’ mothers Santa —, Calif.

Lion’s quarry In force Wisely Carson City loc.

Gross!

Having a sharp flavour Lo-cal Rim Weight rebate Mont. neighbour Geologic division Wrench target Soft shoes Holiday mo.

High desert of Asia Groups of like-minded voters Trig function Unit of electrical resistance Having two X chromosomes Like Orlon or Dacron Early ISP QED part Mild onion Day divs.

Catch sight of Smidgens Dolphin habitat

B8

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

LIFESTYLE

Children up to the age of 16 who would like to have their art considered for inclusion in “Art for the Ages” can e-mail their drawings or paintings (in jpeg or tiff format) to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Art for the Ages

Children’s Poetry

Stars Ritika Sunil Grade V Indian School Sur

Mohd. Anan Khalifa, Grade 10, ISWK 1

Sai Nikhil G, Grade 3, ISM

The stars so high With the world so high I twinkle in the sky In the dark night sky.

I love to see the children on earth They know my name They smile at me When I’m happy I twinkle in the sky.

I’m a small little star that twinkles in the sky My world is so high Up in the sky So high so high.

Marvellous Maths Lakshita Babu Grade V Indian School Muscat How fast does a New York taxi go?

What size is grandpa’s attic?

How old is the oldest dinosaur?

The answer’s in mathematics!

How many seconds in a hour?

How many in a day?

What size are planets in the sky?

How far is the milky way?

How fast does lighting travel?

How slow do feathers fall?

How many miles to Istanbul?

Mathematics knows it all!

Ahmed Jazil Janeef , Grade 9, ISWK

Sudoku How to play Fill empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and area.

SOLUTION Answer to previous puzzle

V. Ria Thanmayee, Class 6, ISWK 1

Malavika, Grade 4, ISWK

Send your contributions for Children’s Poetry to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Teleword All the words below appear in the puzzle - horizontally, vertically, diagonally, even backward. Find them and circle their letters.

The leftover word spells the Teleword.

A L C H OM P R N Y O B I L L A L I E N H O M L E O S C E E

B R T O T E R C A T L U A L N

CLUE: TANYA TUCKER

UM O N WA D I S I A U B A A E H V I D N S P T I L E E C S

S I N G E R R H F A A G L G S

L C G Y F E S A N L D E N E L

D L Y H P A R G O I B O T U A

A E E Y N M L V W R S L T N P

U R H B H E G A I N A T I R S

G H T M E S E U G O E S P Y R Y M I R Y A T F A N S R U U E O K L C S I E L M L P S A T L

E R C B U P D L I E A C C C C E L Y E S KM I A M E D R E D

SOLUTION: 11 LETTERS

Albums, Angle, Autobiography, Bars, Beau, Bravado, Busy, Campbell, Career, Casual, Celebrity, Chronicle, Colonial, Country, Daughter, Delta, Dreams, Edge, Face, Farmhouse, Feisty, Gain, Glen, Hellion, Hype, Mike, Mother, Music, Nashville, Nickel, Pals, Presley, Prodigy, Singer, Skills, Smile, Songs, Sound, Space, Step, Tour, Twangy, Volatile, Warm.

Answer: Complicated

C

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M S AT U R DAY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 6

SECTION

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

RENT

C2

VACANCY

C4

CARGO

C6

FOR RENT AL KHUWAIR :

5 BED ROOM VILLA SPLIT A/C - MAID ROOM

RUWI : Ware House - 630 M2 SPACIOUS -2 B H K FLATS

Contact :

24 70 30 60

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

C2

S AT U R D AY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

NEW Flats & Showrooms for Rent

FOR RENT

1/2/3 BHK Flats & Showrooms at Muttrah, near Oman flour mills, 10 min. from corniche. equipped with split/ cassette unit ACs, internet points, freeto-air dish connection, CCTV monitored, basement parking. Rent RO.250/350/450 (Negotiable) per month.

2BHK, 3 washroom Flat with Split Air Conditioners Near Lulu Darsait

Contact : 99229263; 93221054; 95215289

Apartment and room for rent in Al Khuwair near IBIS hotel.

Contact: 95724975 3 Bedroom flat for rent near ONTC Ruwi. Contact: 99653336 Flats for rent Direct from the owner: 2BHK flats with A/Cs at Ruwi MBD area, Way No. 3526, Pizza Muscat building.

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Contact 95755953 / 95555162 To let rooms in Qurum.

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Contact : 99342733 /99795241 Flat for rent in Darsait 3 BR, 2 toilets, sitting room R.O 250/-.

Contact: 92328142

FLATS FOR RENT

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In a Luxury Building in Al Seeb Market Near Police station

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Only for serious people a Restaurant for rent or sale at excellent site in Al Ghubra area with all its equipment & approval to bring workers. Contact: Numan 95094062

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2 rooms, Bathroom, kitchen near Muscat OR 110/-.

Contact: 95094028

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Contact: 99376454

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Contact: 99224748 / 99332297

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Contact: 92144045 / 97799175

CONTACT :

93202733 Show room / shop for rent area 155 sqm at 600/-R.O shops at 160/- R.O. Contact 97714433 / 92822437 1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-.

Contact: 97799175 / 92144045 3 BHK flat near Darsait ID medical.

RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 / 97079146 / 95570288 7 Bedrooms villa in Ghobrah North.

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Contact: 97293708 / 92433127 0Shop for rent behind building behind whole center Al Amerat good for offices or stores only space 11x4 meters R.O 250/- PER month.

Contact : 92877449 For rent 1bed room flat, near Indian school (ISD) at Darsait.

Contact: 94776771/ 99669216 Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

2BHK Ghubra R.O 300/- , 325/-.

Contact: 92144045 / 97799175

600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact 91214849/ 99364735

Duplex villa in QURUM 29.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Flats in Darsait.

Contact 94051789-97201688

S AT U R DAY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 6

C3

DAILY GUIDE

DRIVING

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

FOR SALE Dozer Kom 355A -3 Dozer Kom 155A- 3 Grader Champion 780 Excavator PC 400 with breaker Man green water tanker 5000 IG All are in good condition

GOOD NEWS

99310448/99612010/95208455

ACC. AVAILABLE

BUILDING

FOR SALE MUMTAZ AREA (NEAR RUWI HOTEL)

CONTACT - 99353931 FOR RENT One flats for rent 2 bedroom all with bath al Ghobrah north near Indian school (hot burger restaurant) Tel. 9976610 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 1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/Contact 99358589 /95570288 Flats in Wadi Kabir. Contact 94051789-97201688 Flats in Muttrah. Contact 94051789-97201688 Offices in Ghala. Contact 94051789-97201688 Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum. Contact 9405178997201688 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact 9405178997201688

FOR SALE Office furniture, fixtures & electric appliances for urgent sale.

Contact: 92122705 Used home furniture and household appliances in good condition for sale. (Else 3bhk can be taken for rent along with furnitures.)

Contact: 99738104 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 3 BHK flat in Greater Muttrah Dar Al Maha for immediate sale.

Contact: 95061994 / 96435858 Dental equipments sparingly used for sale. Contact: 91232778 / 99722457 Exercise cycle for sale.

Contact – 92847957 Full dental unit for sale.

Contact: 00968 92737149 Email: drpkabbas@yahoo.co.in Used Portacabins.

Contact: 94521205 Godown Rack sets (shelf).

Contact: 94521205 Luxury villa for sale at Al Hail South building area 375m land area 323, 6 rooms, 3 halls, 7 toilets.

Contact 99839898 Luxury Apartments in Boucher (35). Contact - 9505680897201688 Mangalorean restaurant at Wadi Kabir & shop at Ruwi for sale.

Contact: 98428507 / 93655003 Villas in Al Khoud. Contact 95056808-97201688

Offices in Qurum opposite City Center. Contact: 9405178997201688

3Ton Forklift, Special made for Oman market, Japanese Isuze C240 Engine, Cascade side shifter, High amount exhaust, 3m lifting height, Solid tyres, One year warranty. Contact: 98883445

Single BHK flat available in Honda road Ruwi. Contact - 24833972/ 24833974/99367448

Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact -9505680897201688

1,2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, 325/- & 350/-. Contact: 97799175

Furnished sharing accommodation in ruwi near O.K. Center for non-cooking indian bachelor.

Contact - 98805474 Large size room in Al Falaj with attached bathroom for Executive bachelor (non cooking) with A/C, rent RO 150 inclusive Electricity & Water. Contact Mr. Hari : 24821717 / 99657906 Independent rooms in Qurum RO 140/- & 160/-. Contact 95529970 Veg Couple or bachelor room in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99014325 / 91165580 2 rooms with separate bathroom near Lulu Darsait for couple / bachelors. Contact: 98929665 / 99352320 Family sharing 3 B/R, hall, 2 toilets in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99336206 FOR RENT 3BHK along with furnitures in Ruwi.

Contact: 99738104 Semi furnished spacious room with attached washroom separate entrance near Indian school Al Ghobrah for non cooking Executive Indian bachelor.

Contact: 95146361/92657598 Single room for expat Indian bachelors near Al Aktham restaurant Al khuwair for RO 120.

Water and electricity included.

Contact 98803261 Single bedroom flat near Indian School Ghubrah.

Contact 99203954 Single bedroom flat behind German Embassy, near Al Nahdha Hospital.

Contact 99203954 Furnished room in new building for working Muslim lady/ Muslim couple only. Location AINT, Darsait.

Contact - 99008069 Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan villeage.

Contact 93687466

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

BULK SALE Hall type & Individual Portacabins (100 nos.) for immediate sale in Muscat area.

Contact 93208398 / 93215830 FOR HIRE Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299 Low bed Trailer (PDO – SPC) available monthly / daily for Rent.

Contact: 96633970

MV SALE Toyota Innova family, 2011 model, fully automatic, white color expat driven , kms-84500. dealer maintained, no accident. good condition. Contact 99001726 Mercedes Benz E-300, Model 2010-Advantgrade, Color Obsidian Black Not in Working Condition.

Interested parties can see the car at Embassy of India premises during 1000 hrs to 1600 hrs and send offers in sealed envelopes latest by 15.01.2016 addressed to HOC, Embassy of India, Muscat.

Contact: 24684577 Hummer H2 model 2006, 178000 km, Full options Number 1 Army edition.OMR 7200. Contact -99466773

AL RAZI AYURVEDIC CLINIC Near Khimji Mart, MBD Area, Ruwi Our Ayurvedic Treatment includes Abhyangam, Kizhi Massage, Shirodhara, Vasti, Udwarthnam 50% Discount on full body massage.

Contact 24814222 or 97112510 for appointment Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage steambath, obesity, Spondylitis, Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street Azaiba.

Contact: 99639695 / 98342990

NRI Plot for sale Shadnagar Municipality, Mahboob Nagar District, walk able distance to existing colonies, national highway and basic amenities at reasonable price. Contact – 0091 8686631669 Plot, propeties for sale in prime location in pune 95272138, (+918390982975)

MATRIMONIAL Chaverlet Epica 2004 model RO -700, for sale.

Contact 92194205 BMW 318/ 2003 for sale.

Contact 96364990

WANTED Second hand cup lock scaffolding system required any sellers please Contact: 99340205 IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area. Please call on mobile or msg on Whats up.

Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

Christian Orthodox girl 24 yrs, BSC MLT working in Government Hospital Thiruvalla, seeking suitable alliance from Orthodox family.

Contact: 99734325 / 99898130 Proposal invited for employed BSc Nurse in Muscat for her, Remarriage age 28 years Christian Jacobite.

Contact: 93262428

Looking for investor in steel fabrication plant. Contact 98667442 / 98119694 Canadian Consultancy company (recruitment & immigration) is looking for a partner company in Oman.

For contact 00973 39990830 eurogulf.ca@gmail.com, Low firm office in Shatti Al Qurum looking for an Indian legal advisor has got 5 years experience in Oman and good contacts with the big companies and banks in Oman.

Email: rahbi.lawyers@gmail.com We will register LLC. trade license for foreign investors and do all actions. Contact: 92833566

LOST Ahmad Osama Al Absi has lost Jordanian Passport No. M 471455.

Finder please handover to ROP

CHANGE OF NAME I Bollina Rama Chandra Rao (name exactly as in present passport) Son of Bollina Subbarayudu presently residing at the following address in Al Azaiba P.B No. 15 P.C No.105 Sultanate of Oman and having permanent address in India Flat No. 401, H. No 2.22.170, Plot 176, Vytla Residency, Jaya Nagar , OPP KPHB, Kukatpally, Hyderabad (as per present passport), holder of passport No. G 8451296 date of issue 24/04/2008 place of issue Hyderabad solemnly affirm and declare that my Mother’s name is Bollina Rama Ratna Paripurna for all 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.

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S AT U R D AY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT A Leading Manufacturing Company in Muscat has immediate Requirement Looking for Qualified and Experience

URGENTLY REQUIRED A reputed 3 star hotel in Muscat is looking for a

Trading Business Development Manager

MARKETING MANAGER

With Min. 10yrs experience in the field of Electrical & Building Material Products and should have good knowledge of Local and Export Market and should have valid GCC / Omani Driving License Send CVs to

Must possess: Relevant hotel experience Valid GCC driving license Strong communication skills

Contact – 95020704 operations@hotelgoasis.com

vacancyinoman123@gmail.com

URGENTLY REQUIRED FOLLOWING STAFFS FOR A LEADING ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY 1. DESIGN ENGINEER ROADS AND BRIDGE - BTECH CIVIL +MINIMUM 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

2. SENIOR QUANTITY SURVEYOR

- BTECH CIVIL

+MINIMUM 12YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IS CIVIL & MEP

3. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

- MTECH STRUCTURE

+MINIMUM 8 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN BUILDINGS

4. ELCTRICAL ENGINEER

- BTECH ELCETRICAL

+MINIMUM 12 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

5. PROJECT PLANNER – BTECH CIVIL + PSP CERTIFICATION +MINIMUM 12 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

All the above position required Experience in Huge Medical City Construction

REPLY IMMEDIATELY EMAIL :- vacancyamec@gmail.com

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE We are looking for Chief Financial Officer, Male 40- 45 years old, Bachelor of Science in Accountancy with 5 - 15 yrs. of experience.

Contact: +968 24702133 Email: admin-dept@daud.om

BEAUTY Urgently requited Indian Gulf experienced Beautician al Hail, good salary & allowances.

Contact: 96175350 Required experience Beautician.

Contact 99619409

CATERING Asian Oriental / BBQ cook.

Contact: 95529970 Indian Chinese Tandoor cooks required for hiring.

Contact: 95061994 / 96435858 A fast food restaurant in Muscat required experience:- (i). Social Media service provider. (ii). Part time Marketing and Forward CV :fastfoodoman2014@gmail.com

DESIGNER A reputed Interior company urgently required Interior Designer having well experience for self-design, AutoCAD, 3D max, Photoshop & V-ray Email: suresh@saharaintl.net

DRIVER Personal Driver for reputed family in Muscat. Requirements is fluent in English, valid GCC driving license, age must be 28 to 35.

Contact: 99466062 Wanted HEAVY DUTY DRIVER for an Electro-Mechanical Company.

Pl mail resume to heavydutydrivermuscat@gmail. com or call 92343611. Local candidates need to have an NOC. Reputed Construction Company require experienced light Vehicle Driver. Contact 95526871 Looking for an Indian experienced house Driver for an Omani family. Interested candidates may call: 96203333

DOMESTIC HELP Looking for housemaid urgently clearance available good salary yearly ticket. TEL 24446920 / 99238121, Email: ravi.ztc@omzest.com

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH

Well reputed Marble Company looking for

3 SALESMEN Requires minimum 3 years experience and valid Omani driving license.

Interested candidates please Fax your CV to 24601724 or Email on saab2803@gmail.com

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH Wanted Market Research Expert with experience in Feasibility Studies. Kindly send your resumes to advance@omantel.net.om or Fax us at +968-24792175.

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

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR A reputed Interior and Kitchen company urgently required well experienced supervisor having minimum 5 years of experience in Carpentry related job with valid Omani driving license. Send CV to suresh@saharaintl.net.

MEDICAL Urgently required Medical Staff only male LAB Technician, Radio Tech, Assistant pharmacist, Dental Tech. Must be with 5 years experience along with 60% prometric. # 92412429 / 99648532 Wanted urgently lady Doctor GP or DGO for immediate appointment. Contact : 99310590 Email: tjmaluke@gmail.com Wanted a female Nurse for a dental clinic in capital area.

Contact:-99855050 Urgently required General Practitioners (male), lab technician, Staff Nurse & Receptionist (female, Arabic & English speaking) for a reputed Medical Centre, Salalah.

Email : hrmdimc2010@gmail.com Required General Practitioners male & female with MOH license to work in a polyclinic in the Capital area. Contact 99372860 Required female Nurse with MOH license dental clinic in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 99010755 Email: akdmuscat@hotmail.com Female marketing for medical centre in Al Khuwair with driving license. Contact: 99010755 Email: akdmuscat@hotmail.com Required experienced Dentist with MOH license to manage dental clinic in Muscat.

Email: akdmuscat@hotmail.com Wanted Nurse for a Dental centre in capital area. Interested may contact 93431024 or send CV to – drasyanaseem@gmail.com

Urgently required Electrical foreman with driving license. electrician with electrical license for an electrical company in Muscat.

Contact 93284291

Wanted GP Doctor with MOH license, job location in Muscat with good salary and benefits. Drop your cv at 0careerhr1972@gmail.com.

BE Civil Engr - 5-10 yrs Exp Diploma Civil Engr - 5-7 yrs Exp Civil Foreman - 10-15 yrs Exp All must have valid DL send CV to jnstpmco@gmail.com

Urgently required Lab Tech & Radiologist for medical Center in ruwi interested candidate kindly send short CV bmdcsg@yahoo.com or cont: 95220350

Crankshaft Grinding Technician, Engine block boring Technician, turner required urgently for immediate appointment. call or whatsapp 98898273

Urgently required full time female Nurse (with MOH), Receptionist (Omani) for Dental clinic in Muscat (Ruwi). Candidates in Oman only need to apply. Contact 93582582, abbas@essacogroup.com

SITUATION WANTED SIT.WANTED

INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING FIRM WISHES TO RECRUIT HIGHLY QUALIFIED ENGINEERS FOR OUR PROJECTS IN SULTANATE OF OMAN

Sr. Electrical Engineers 4 Nos. • Maters/B.Sc Degree in Electrical (Power) with 15 yrs. experience including 5 yrs. in GCC • Construction of 400/220/132kV Grid Stations, OHTL and UGC. • SCADA/PROTECTION/AutoCAD • Design of Electrical protection system complying with latest standards.

• Software experience in designing & PMP Certification • Computer skills (Microsoft Office) & MS projects program • Knowledge in all financial aspects & market changes research experience • HSE Skills for different construction projects.

• Light vehicle license is mandatory

Email: omanengineco@yahoo.com

REQUIRED 1. Occupational Health Advisor (with OH qualifications & 5 years oil field or relevant experience)

2. Lead Emergency Physician (10 yrs experience in emergency medicine in remote work (occupational) setting.

Have ACLS, ATLS, PHTLS & food safety level 4.

Email : medicalinformation2016@gmail.com

MEDICAL

SALES / MARKETING

Staff Nurse required for a reputed dental centre in Muscat. Send the CV to omandentalnurse@gmail.com

An excellent grade company requires Sales Executive for their Aluminium division. Min 3 to 5 years GCC experience in the same field with D/L may kindly send CV to info@sunubunited.com or sunubunited@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Sales Ladies wanted for Ladies Boutique. Age: 20-35 yrs.

Al Khoudh. Send CV to sameer916@hotmail.com or call 91159905 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 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 Part Time Job Seekers mail your timejoboman@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING A reputed Interior and Kitchen (Domestic & Commercial) company urgently required well experienced Sales & Marketing Executive having minimum3 years of experience at the related job with valid Omani driving license. send CV to suresh@saharaintl.net An excellent Grade company requires Foreman / Supervisor for their false ceiling division. Min 5 to 8 years experience in handling the projects & execution, kindly send CV to hrjobs1679@gmail.com

Salesman require for building material with driving license & 10 years working experience.

Fax your C.V 24833043.

(Mustafa Hardware Store) Looking for a foreign staff has experience in Oman in real estate field. Contact Email: aburashid94dd@gmail.com Male Sales Executive wanted: age 24-32 yrs, minimum 2-5 yrs experience in sales, preferably in furniture / interior design / turnkey contracting business.

Salary commensurate with experience. Any degree with GCC driving license preferred.

Apply to fax : 24560806 careers@teejanequipment.com Wanted Sales Executive for IVMS, experienced minimum 1 year in the same field. Interested Candidate can email the details to: sameeh@cyclonellc.net A Chemical trading Company is looking for Salesmen with diploma certificate, 3 years experience, with valid driving license and a car. Send CVs to greatstar@omantel.net.om

SKILLED LABOR Immediate Requirements for experienced Tailors (Designer wears, casual clothing). Please call for interview 99471085 Looking for experienced construction laborers as a subcontractor for a villa construction in Mawaleh.

Contact: 96203333

SITUATION WANTED SIT.WANTED HR Manual, Employee Handbook, Recruitment, Training, HR Consultancy. Are you looking for freelancer HR professional. # 97914669

Marketing executive qualification B.com MBA with 3 years of experience in sales looking for suitable placement. Contact: 91345727

Sudanese diploma holder in civil engineering with experience 5 year.

Tel: 96995670

Purchase & Stores In charge – Having continues 13 years experience in a single firm, looking for a placement. # 99627427, 96154564

Accountant, Indian female B.com, M.com (incomplete) tally, MS office skills, 8 years experience in Oman , up to finalization seeks suitable position. Contact: 92712559 Indian female 25 years computer science Engineer with 3 yrs experience in IT support, seeking job presently available in Oman.

Contact: 95933507 Email: neenuhar189@gmail.com Indian male 26 yrs accountant, MBA finance having 3 years experience in Oman with Oman license NOC available seeking job suitable positions. Contact: 94282980 Email: msjob4578@gmail.com Indian male fresh civil engineering graduate from Muscat College with D/L seeks suitable position with employment visa.

Contact: 93121505 Indian male 26 yrs electrical engineer with 3 years of expert engg looking for suitable employment.

Contact: 92953046 Email: divinmathew007@gmail.com

34 years vast experienced in Oman as Sales & Marketing, any suitable senior position. NOC available. Can join immediately.

Contact: 9986 8330 / 9984 8831.

E-mail: rwahedi458@gmail.com Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ networking/ server support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 Planning Engineer: B.E (Electrical and Electronics Engineering): Indian Male 33 yrs with 10 years of exp. in UAE & Muscat. Skilled in the areas of project coordination, planning & procurements. Contact: 00971503529608 Email Id: saravananbe44@gmail.com SOFTWARE ENGINEER, 24 years, B.Tech in computer science. 2 Years of experience in technical support, software development, networking, troubleshooting and managing. seek suitable placement. Contact GSM- 98184170

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 Male 15yrs experience as Senior Accountant with D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact: 91176085 Email: sahil_70@hotmail.com 28/male/MBA - finance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement. shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com Contact 90187483 Part time accountant, up to finalization of accounts, looking for job after 5PM (Location prefers –n MSQ to AL Hail) Contact: 95694737 Accounts & finance Indian male 35 years B.Com M.B.A (F) 7 years experience valid Oman D/L family visa N.O.C available.

Contact: 93257426 / 95230114 Email: sibigeorgep@gmail.com Chartered Accountant - Indian, 9 yrs + Exp (7 yr in Oman & UAE ) in Finance, Accounts & Auditing, seeking suitable position in Muscat/ Dubai, Can Join Immediately, NOC Available , Contact #: 98707434 / Email: casmart007@gmail.com Indian, well experienced in UAE and Oman, in construction accounts and administration with own car seek part time/full time placement. Contact 98598099 Indian Male, 24 yrs, BBM, 3+ years’ experience as an assistant Accountant & Assistant Auditor, now on visit visa, looking for suitable placement in Accounts / Sales / Stores. Contact 93498293 Email:kevingieven@gmail.com

Indian male good experienced in Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in India & Oman, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687 Indian male Accountant looking for a suitable placement in Salalah/ Muscat. More than 20 yrs experience in Accounting job (upto the finalization of accounts).

8 yrs working experience in Middle East in Dubai, Muscat & Salalah. Contact 91325029 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 India Architect (B.arch) with 5 years working experience available in Muscat on visit visa.

Contact 92774992 , Email: shabnaarch@gmail.com Architect looking for freelance work in (design plans and 3dmax).

Contact: 96041201

ADMIN Indian Female MBA, 3 Year experience in Admin MIS, Family Visa.

Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com Indian lady, having NOC seeking admin or accounts asst or showroom sales job. Contact 94417080 14 years of Gulf experience in HR/ Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic & English with D/L looking for suitable position, NOC available.

Contact: 95824598

MBA (Banking & Finance) Pakistani male-37 yrs, 15 years experience (12 years in banking Industry with Omani D/L) Seeking suitable position, Contact : 93865002, madeelazhar@gmail.com

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

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com Finance-Indian with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to finalization. Currently employed in Oman. Having D/L & NOC. Mob:94122464, cammk13@gmail.com

Indian female Graduate over 6 years of Admin operations experience looking for similar jobs.

Contact: 94231020

28 years, female, 4 years experience in finance currently in Oman, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 94743790 Part time Accountant with 15 yrs exp. in Accounts Finance, Tax Audit Management.Contact 95857199 Accounts part time services available to handle all accounts up to finalization, consulting & audit works. Contact: 96247295 25 years Oman experienced, who can handle accounts up to finalization, job costing, timely follow for receivable & timely settle payable looking for suitable opening.

Contact : 94070799 Indian male B.Com accountant job 6 years experience in Oman looking suitable placement.

Contact 95741442 navaskamaru944@gmail.com Accountant Indian female, 26 yrs, B.Com 2 yrs experience in accounting, purchase vouchers, bank reconciliation. Contact: 95690207 Email: pereira.rita08@gmail.com Indian lady, bachelor degree in Preparatory Programme (BPP) and Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), completed training course in MS Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook from KTI looking for full time / part time job opportunity in Oman.

Contact 92437568, 96795853, Email: linda_navs@yahoo.com MBA (finance) one year experience in Oman, have Oman license looking for a good job. Contact 94103975 Young 24, ACCA affiliate, advanced diploma in Accounting and business, seeking suitable placement in accounts, finance or audit with valid driving license.

Contact: 92430152 Email: rau_dey@yahoo.com 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

Indian female 29 MBA (HR) BSc Oman & India, 3 years exp in Admin & HR seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95619537 13 years Gulf experience in FMGC & CFD administration dept with GCC valid D/L looking for suitable placement. Contact: 93553051 Indian female 27 yrs with 5 yrs HR /Admin experience seeking suitable placement with valid Oman driving license.

Contact: 98236033 Gulf experienced (7 years in UAE) as Site Administrator/Document Controller/Site Secretary/Site Store Keeper in visit visa seek suitable placement.

Contact 94674031 Pakistani female Graduate plus Post Graduate diploma in logistics 6 years experience in shipping, office administration and customer service. Fluent English and very presentable on visit visa.

Contact: 91528567 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 Filipino male with 13 years HR and Administration managerial experience. MBA & CIPD holder. Currently looking for job in Oman. Interested employer pls call 97728418.

Male Graduate , worked 19 years experience in U.A.E , Oman , Qatar , Saudi, Kuwait in the field of documentation as a document controller , planning Asst & some part of admin seeking suitable placement & ready to join immediately.

Contact: 93220534 Email: aniyer789@gmail.com Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/ HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa,looking for suitable position. Contact: 90196235 Indian having more 15 years of experience (7 years in UAE) in construction as site administrates for / document controller / HR assistant / store assistant presently on visit seek suitable placement.

Contact: 92196001/98598099

S AT U R DAY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 6

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED 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

DOMESTIC HELP Full time Malayalee House maid.

Contact: 90178404 / 94451344 / 93000935

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 Looking for light driving job, 2 years exp. Contact: 91625977 Light duty driver with 3 yrs exp Pakistani seeks placement.

Contact: 98004139 Bangladeshi male light driver exp 14 years need job and visa transfer, release paper available.

Contact: 99165961 Driver looking for a job. NOC available 95154610 Looking for heavy duty driving job 5 years experiences in G.C.C, with heavy duty license.

Contact: 97474978 Light driver Pakistani male 32 years with valid driving license seeking placement required visa.

Contact: 97106232 Driver with new car looking for job.contact: 95873286 Indian light driver having 2 years experience in Oman know language Hindi, English & Arabic need job. Contact: 97366822 Light driver 6 years exp education CO level language English, Arabic, Hindi looking for office driver. Contact: 99640986 Looking for job driver with car.

Contact: 99154473 Bangladeshi male 48 yrs, light driver 14 yrs of exp, need job & visa. Contact - 98326656 Driver (light & heavy duty) valid gulf /Indian) looking job.

Contact: 95175192

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. B.Tech Civil Eng with 3 years experience in the field of quantity survey skilled in the areas of Primavera, AutoCAD, MX excel.

Contact: 94853061 Email: arunmohan.13990@gmail.com Electrical Engineer (B. Tech) 6 years experience in Oman, expertise in medc/mzec projects, valid oman D/L. Contact : 99281715 Indian Electrical Engineer Btech, female 24 seeking job, presently in oman having 2 year experience in design and estimation of Ht &Lt projects. Contact 968 97436557, Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.com Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975528 B. Tech Mechanical Engineer fresh Graduate, on visit visa looking for opportunities. Contact:94743373 email:akasharavind1@gmail.com B.Tech Civil Engineer Indian male having 1 year experience in home country, having Indian driving license. Contact 92367429 / 918801851806 Civil AutoCAD Draughtsman 12 years experience 9 years Gulf experience. Contact: 93528255

SALES & MARKETING

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Civil Engineer 11 years experience in construction having driving license & NOC. Contact: 94194399 Email: shiblyrock@gmail.com

BE Electronics, Female with 2 years experience in Oman with Omani D/L. NOC available.

Contact 95143294

Male 29 years (BE) MEP Engineer 8.5 years of experience in building construction. Seeking a suitable job. Contact -95119765/ Email id jayachandranmep@gmail.com NOC available

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact:97416564, Email:jovinmathias@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 B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Networking, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately. NOC available. Contact: 92462578 Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com Senior Telecom Engineer 4 years experience in Oman valid driving license MBA project management.

Contact: 95688953 Email: johan.joy@gmail.com Male (23) BE Electrical Engineer looking for job as Electrical Engineering job experience 6 months in MEP designing & electrical designing job. Contact 98209070 Email: punivinlal@gmail.com B.Tech (IT) Indian male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Networking, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement.

Ready to join immediately. NOC available. Contact: 92462578 email: kiren88@gmail.com Indian Civil Engineer 2 yrs exp in building construction /knowledge in staad PRO primavera / apostille attested certificate seeking immediate placement.

Contact: 96637494 Civil Engineer (BE) male 3 years experience (2 yrs in India) seeks placement, NOC available.

Contact 98639039 Sudanese Architectural Engineer 2 years experience in Oman, Revit, AutoCAD 3Ds max Archicad looking for suitable job.

Contact: 94722356 Email: maya40999@hotmail.com Civil Engineer, 2 years GCC experience seeking job in construction & infrastructure industry.

Contact: 97309549

Project Engineer, BSc, 6 years experience in Oman, building construction Fluent Arabic, English and good Hindi Release and NOC Available). Tel: 97858589 Indian male, 25 yrs, Diploma in Hardware & Network Engineering having 4 yrs experience now in Oman, on visit visa seeking suitable placement. Contact 98779754 / 92720311 Fresher Graduate looking for job (Electrical & Electronics Engineering), special course (Simatic P/C).

Contact 97304565 Sudanese Civil Engineer with 5 years experienced AutoCAD primavera & GIS Arabic & English language looking for a suitable job. Contact: 91340584 29 yrs Indian male B.E (ECE) with more than 5 yrs experience in Oman with valid D/L. Contact: 96652145 Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs experienced as AutoCAD civil draftsman (2 yrs experience in Oman) currently in Oman seeks suitable.

Contact 96789441 Email: simi5304@gmail.com Network Engineer BA: CS with experience CCNA, MCSA. Contact: 92346191 Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975528 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598 Indian male (B.Tech EEE) 31 yrs having managerial skills AutoCAD quality control electrical fault debugging 6 yrs experience in electric field & good communication skills. Contact: 90181566 Email: jittoandrewsnesto@gmail.com Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113

Civil Engineer (Diploma) having total 11 yrs experience in building construction looking for suitable placement having Oman driving license, NOC available.

Contact 95075365, Email : azharraaz@gmail.com

Diploma in Mechanical Engineering, 36 years, Male, Indian, having 16 years of experience in machine maintenance & machine breakdown, worked with reputed companies in India, currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement.

Contact- 99011507 E-mail: rsdengroman@gmail.com

Civil structural Engineer 6 years experience Oman license.

Contact: 96380693

Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: shassalih66@gmail.com

Indian male, 26 yrs, having 5 yrs Gulf experience as pre sales Engineer in IT field, looking for suitable job. NOC available, having Oman driving license with own car. Contact 96929899, Email : umeshreshmiya2@gmail.com

Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:- 95042656

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer with 6 yrs experience in MEP field, seeking for a job, on visit visa with GCC license available.

Contact 98086267, Email : khaleel1586@gmail.com Instrument Technician (diploma), Indian male, 24 yrs, 3 yrs experience in reputed oil & gas companies, currently on visit visa, seeks suitable job. Contact: 92007218 Email: ahmed0515@gmail.com

Diploma in Electronics, 2 years exp in telecommunication.

Contact: 94519571 Email: telecommunicationvishnumadhull @gmail.com

Indian male, BE, Mechanical, with trainee level experience at Galfar & autoCAD, Creo, Ansys, certified individual looking for suitable placement in Oman. Contact 91232147, Email : shamil21siraj@gmail.com, Mr. Shamil Siraj.

Male B.S.C Engineer Civil total 10 years experience 7 years in Oman 2.5 years as Contractor Engr and 4.5 years as Consultant Engr, total 7 years in Oman seeking a job.

Contact: 95540721 Email: sheikcuet@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer: Indian male, 30 yrs having 5 yrs of experience in industrial automation & utility maintenance in India (MRF tyres), holding valid Oman D/L. Contact 92789995, email : akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270 Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95345591 Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802 / acmfaslan123@gmail.com

B.Tech C.Eng. AMIEI, Electrical Engineer with 5years experience in the field of electrical power system (transmission & distribution) area expertise in design Ele-SLD, preparing BOQ, LS & estimation transformers switchgear selection installation testing & commissioning in all sectors. Contact: 94638744, EMAIL : ceng.shaz@gmail.com Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711 Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

Diploma in Electrical Engineering with 6 years’ experience in Electrical Automation, Programming, Project, Power, Energy and Supervision in Civil Work.

Currently in Oman and looking for suitable position, Please contact 94873560/92406652.

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

PROFESSIONAL WITH 17 YRS OF EXPERIENCE IN CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SEEKS C-LEVEL PLACEMENT. COMMITTED P&L DELIVERIES COUPLED WITH BUSINESS DEVPT & STRATEGY FORMS MY CORE.

CALL +968 97912950 MISCELLANEOUS Indian Female, 24 Years - MSc Biotechnology. Worked in International Crops Research Institute For The Semi Arid Tropics for project work as trainee. Looking for suitable job. Mobile: 92619048, Email: anusreeg1991@gmail.com

MEDICAL Indian female 27 years, BSC ML T 3 years experience as lab technician currently in Muscat looking for job. Contact: 91849807 Email: jeethaiype63@gmail.com 10+ yrs experience as Optical Practice Manager, Diploma in Ophthalmic Assistant, BCA seeking for good placement.

Email : udayasuresh87@gmail. com, 99576403 / 91 9962888824

Indian female with experience in Physiology & logistics, currently as Logistic Coordinator seeks suitable placement. Contact 96400107, Email : amiablesheru@gmail.com

Dentist Indian female with MOH license working in Oman since last 2 yrs & worked in India for 5 yrs is looking for a suitable placement in Sohar urgently. NOC available.

Contact : 94227073

Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 98805474

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

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

SALES / MARKETING

Purchase MGR / Transport in charge 9 yrs exp in Oman having D/L & NOC join immediately.

Contact: 90187891 Email: mohammedshariff35@gmail.com

Professional with 12 years experience in Export industry. Dealt with markets across US, EU, Latin America & Asian countries for business development, sourcing & supply chain in the made-to-order business inclusive of product development & marketing. Currently employed in Oman with driving license. NOC available. Contact 96931557.

HOSPITALITY Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC available) Contact: 96059470

IT Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration.CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867 Indian female B.Tech IT with 2 years experienced in HCL presently on family visa.

Contact: 90357203 Email: ammupravda123@gmail.com IT Coordinator 6 years experience in hardware & networking diploma (2 yrs) in Hardware & net working on visit visa. Contact: 99610415 Bachelor of Computer Applications, 27 years, Male, excellent communication skills in English, 2 years experience as Administrative Assistant, seeks suitable placement. Contact GSM: 93985563, Email: wazim86@gmail.com 10 years Oman experience ICT Sector, capable of handling large accounts, looking for suitable Senior Executive position.

Contact: 98987654 Indian female, 28 yrs, MCA, B. Com, 3 yrs experience in the field of Computer hardware, ERP Softwares & windows networking where planning, implementing & trouble shooting with multiple platform of OS Microsoft XP / 7/ on visit visa. Contact 95089170, email : anjuretnakar@gmail.com Communication Network CCNA fresh Graduate. Contact: 98194924 Indian male MCA, Oracle , orion , ERP, 15 years experience , 5 years in Oman with NOC. Contact: 95398567 Email: anasa4@gmail.com Senior IT Engineer Sudanese male 9 years experience in Govt./ Private sectors. Contact: 94675984 Senior IT Engineer Sudanese male 9 years experience in Govt. / Private sectors.Contact: 94874758 B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Networking, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement. Ready to join immediately.

NOC available.

Contact: 92462578 Hardware & net working, 2 years exp. Contact: 96244031

MISCELLANEOUS Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Marketing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/ BW with 1 year experience seeking for job Contact: 90228586 Email:fathimasha16@gmail.com

Indian male, MBA Graduate, GCC with valid D/L, currently working as branch Manager in Muscat, 4 yrs Oman experience in Admin & HR Executive trainer, customer service, sale supervising accounting, fluent in Arabic, English, Hindi looking for suitable placement.

Release & NOC available.

Contact 97644108, email : basheervision21st@gmail.com MBA (marketing) with 17 years experience in freight forwarding/ logistics industry in GCC & Oman.

Presently working as branch manager in Muscat. Looking for a suitable position. Release and NOC available. Contact: 99856331 Indian, 40 yrs, 16 yrs in Gulf, Supervisor in steel fabrication company, seeks suitable placement98667442 / 98119694 Indian HSE Manager Grad IOSH & I Dip NEBOSH with 18 years experience presently working in Oman seeking suitable HSE jobs Oman driving license & NOC available.

Contact: 94401830 Email: hseoman101@gmail.com 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 Indian male M.B.A with 7 years Oman experience in Insurance sector with D/L, NOC available seeking suitable position.

Contact: 99278672 Indian male, with experience in operations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact 91904541 Email: naushers@yahoo.com Indian male 8 yrs exp in Oman working as housekeeping supervisor in star hotel, seeking for a job NOC available. Contact – 91753210 Purchase/Planning & Logistics Manager, MBA (Finance), 14yrs.

Oman Exp. with D/L, NOC available, looking for suitable position.

Contact : 93826090, Email: jskanchan01@gmail.com 25 years Gulf experienced Manager in operations, projects, properties, holding valid Oman driving license, with NOC, looking for suitable opening.

Contact: 91283701 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

Indian Male B.com, PGDCA & Tally,14 years’ experience in Customer Care, Operations, Sales, Coordination, Accounts & Admin.

Seeking suitable position.

Currently on Visit Visa Contact – 94871963 or 99440152.

Email: rajeshkv.pmna@gmail.com MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement. Cont : 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com B.Com male 2 yrs experience in sales Computer knowledge, seeking suitable placement. # 99648334 14 yrs MNC Sales /Marketing Manager experience with D/L visa NOC. Contact: 90205082 Looking for immediate sales & marketing job with 7 yrs Gulf experience and driving license till 12 Feb 16.

Contact: 99642611 Email: kashif_lam@yahoo.com Indian (keralite) male 25 yrs MBA in marketing & logistics ,2 yrs marketing exp presently in Oman in residential visa (NOC could obtained) with Oman D/L seeks suitable placement. Contact :90263368, Email: getintouchtst@gamil.com MBA ( HR & Marketing), B.Com, Indian male, 28 yrs, 2 yrs exp. in Qatar, having Oman driving license, presently on family visa in Salalah (NOC available), looking for HR, Admin (NOC available), looking for HR, Admin, Assistant Accountant, Marketing & sales job in Salalah.

Contact 98138376, Email : subinabraham87@gmail.com Indian male 5 years experience in Store keeping & driving license, release available. Contact: 95197065 Indian male, 25 yrs, MBA, Marketing with 1 yr experience in Sales & Marketing looking for immediate placement. Contact 91945577 Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com 30 yr old experienced available with NOC & Oman driving license 6+years experience in chemicals Industry. Contact: 96675065 Indian male B.Com Graduate having 14 yrs Gulf experience in indoor sales and shop management currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement in Oman. Contact : 94873251 Email: imtiazsulthan@gmail.com Indian male, 28 yrs, 3 yrs In Oman, B.E. Instrumentation, 5.5+ yrs experience in oil & gas projects, proposals, EPC, sales & marketing preferred, profile – sales & marketing status married can join immediately. Contact 91 9650336344, prashant.colligator@gmail.com

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DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED SALES / MARKETING Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 9880-5474 Indian Male 32, MBA (Marketing & Finance) with 10 years experience in Marketing of Banking Products & Insurance Industry.

Seeking for a Job in Oman.

Contact: 93576980, 97750460 Email: senthil.cbe83@gmail.com Dedicated professional with over 18 yrs experience in sales marketing business development & new product launches with Oman driving license & NOC with 4 yrs experience in Oman looking for suitable openings.

Contact 93575165 / 99254080 Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA Finance and Marketing with IT skills, 7+ yrs of experience, looking for suitable placement.

Contact : 94879615. Emailsajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com 5 years experience in Sales currently looking for a placement.

Contact: 93458869

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

Indian male, MBA Finance & Marketing 28 yrs,6+ Exp, with Driving license, Hospital Phrma Herbal Marketing, construction A/c & sales , F&B industry, Contact : 93379044 Indian male 23 years with 4 years experience in Purchase and Sales, graduate in EC, currently on visiting visa, seeking suitable job in Oman. Contact: 96761020. Email: adikmuthumuttam@gmail.com Sales & Marketing Executive MBA with 3 years experience in sales looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 91345727.

Indian male, 24, MBA Marketing and HR, I year experience. On visit visa. Looking for suitable job.

Contact 94014073 Marketing Executive/Merchandiser, Omani License, BA 8 years Experience in Multinational Groups. Contact 97601343 Chief Accountant looking for full / part time job. Contact :95598477 / 98803439

Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192 Indian male Senior Safety Officer (NEBOSH) 9 years experience, valid GCC license looking for suitable job .

Contact: 96586672 Email: mrudul.v2008@gmail.com 37 years, Indian male, X- Ray welder 7 years experience, looking for job on visit visa now. Contact: 91360190 / 98223683 Electrician, plumber (exp gulf / Indian) looking job. Contact 95175192

TOURS & TRAVELS Indian female BSC IATA, 14 years exp in travel & tourism in Oman looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 96433490 Email: indu623@yahoo.co.in

MISCELLANEOUS Indian Female, Diploma in Aviation and Hospitality management (IATA), Having 4 years experience, seeking for a suitable Job, Contact 99104529.

TECHNICIAN /MECH.

Male B.com with 15 years of experience in Production, Administration and Operations Management seeks placement Contact: 92369241

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

Diploma civil Engineer (Maintenance/Facility Management) having 10 years exp. presently in Oman with Oman driving License.

Cont: 95346983 Mail: asherlalitha@yahoo.com

Indian male M.com looking for part time job in accounts including finalization, date entry, financial guidance please contact:97433387

Indian female, MBA HR & Finance, having 1 year experience, seeking suitable placement. Currently in Oman. Contact: 96052366.

Indian male Accountant, 12 years experience, looking for a full time or part time job, experience in tally also. Contact 98983122

Indian, M.Com with 20 years Gulf experience in Marketing Communications, ATL& BTL branding exp. with Oman D/L. Contact 93031168

Light Driver looking for job.

Contact:99594946 Electronics Technician , 4 Years experience as Electronics service engineer. Knowledge in all type of Electronics items. Looking for suitable placement.

Contact 99105043

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

RENT A CAR

RENT A CAR

TRANSPORTATION

RENT A CAR

TRANSPORTATION 7 Ton/ 10 Ton- Trailer Local transport- MCT- UAE

Contact 96609857 Amir Ali Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909 Transportation. Contact 99508282 Transportation. Contact: 99664703 Transportation. Contact 96173326 Transportation. Contact 94510847 Transportation Contact: 99077395

TRANSPORTATION Pick & drop anytime in Al Khuwair. Contact 99764307

Transportation taxi mini bus.

Contact: 93091106

Al Sharouq rent a car. Contact: 99222617 Silver car, car rental at good rate.

Contact: 96166155/93530540

Car available with driver for monthly, weakly, daily rent.

Contact 96728056 / 98031620

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP specification for monthly rent & small car with driver.

Contact 99839898

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DAILY GUIDE TOURS

SITUATION WANTSERVICES

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

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/CLASSES/TRAINING

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

Ph # 24480800 / 99347202

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

in Azaiba and Ruwi

• Learn in two months • Satisfaction guaranteed

Tel: 95244310 Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM. CONTACT 98294551

COMPUTER

SERVICES

IELTS PREPARATION

We Provide Cleaners, Office boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc.

Al Mudakhir National Est. LLC Contact : 94277020

Classes for Spoken English TOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed EAGLES INSTITUTE

Target Band 8.0

92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422 Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. #: 93769089 / 95323517 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Catering for Party & Birthday service Cnt 97196675 Marble grinding resurfacing & ceiling crystallization / polishing general cleaning of villas & flats.

Terrazzo floor scrubbing, ceiling, polishing & buffing.

Contact: 98598280 /94134784 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807

Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Pest Control Treatments.

Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 House shifting. Contact: 99657644/98518013

WEBSITE

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting,Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. Contact: 24810137, 99450130 Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance.

Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722

FOR LADIES Special offer for ladies only, All beautification for 15 RO. Al Doom beauty parlour in Ruwi. (Home service also) Contact 99619409

SERVICES We provide loading unloading helper for contracting.

Contact: 94777137

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

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DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTED DINING DELIGHTS

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