Times of Oman - December 14, 2015 by Muscat Media Group

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

Before The Council of Oman, 2001

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ Nations are being built solely by the hands of the citizens: progress and prosperity can only be achieved through learning, experience, training and qualiﬁcations.

MONDAY, December 14, 2015 / 2 Rabi Al Awal 1437 AH

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OMAN VISION 2040

OMAN TO PLAY ITS PART ON CLIMATE CHANGE With Oman pledging to reduce its emission of green house gases and embrace energyefficient products, the country could get fund and technical help to tackle natural disasters

BABA UMAR

babaumar@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman could be rewarded for embracing the Paris climate change deal with funding and technical help to tackle the rise in tropical storms and ﬂooding affecting the Sultanate. Oman has committed to curb its expected Green House Gas

(GHG) emissions growth by two per cent in a document sent by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs to the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) before the landmark climate accord in Paris. In the ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contribution’ submission, Oman intends to slash its

Panel debates challenges of private sector MUSCAT: Oman Vision 2040 Main Committee discussed the challenges facing the Omani private sector, the national pillars of the vision, the demographic changes in the Sultanate and the needs for development up to 2040. Under the chair of His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture and Chairman of the committee, held on Sunday the third meeting of the year at the Ministry headquarters. See also >A2

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

‘Avoid Hatta border’ share of green house gases from 90,524 Gg (gigagrams, a unit of measurement equivalent to 1,000 million grams) in 2030 to 88,714 Gg from 2020 -2030 by reducing gas ﬂaring from oil industries and increasing the share of renewable energy besides launching other efforts. Energy efficiency projects “Oman will also increase the energy efficiency projects among industries, develop new legislation on climate change which will support the adoption of low carbon and energy efficiency technologies and reduce HCFC (Hydrochloroﬂuorocarbons) use in foam and refrigeration sector,” says the climate action report. Climate change has already affected the country with rising sea temperatures causing tropical cyVIRAL INFLUENZA

P U B L I C H E A LT H

e-cigarettes, e-shisha banned in Sultanate HASAN SHABAN AL LAWATI

Take steps against ﬂu, warn doctors

hassan@timesofoman.com

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Electronic cigarettes and electronic shisha (hookah) are now banned in Oman in keeping with a decision taken by the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACA). The electronic cigarette, or ecigarette, a battery operated cigarette-like device, which produces nicotine vapour, is one of the many products that smokers try to kick their tobacco addiction. Traders should remove all stock of e-cigarettes and ehookah from shops in Oman in the interest of safeguarding public health. Under the new ruling, a fine of OMR500 will be imposed on violators who trade in illegal cigarettes. “The fine will be doubled in case of a repeat violation,” the decision read. A repeat violation would attract a fine of OMR100 for each day of violation. “This ban came into effect as there is no scientific proof that e-cigarettes help cure addiction or are a better alternative to real traditional cigarettes,” said Dr Jawad Ahmed Al Lawati, director of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases Control at the Ministry of Health. Al Lawati added that many

MUSCAT: Doctors in the capital city have requested people take precautions against seasonal flu as winter sets in. Hospitals in Muscat have been receiving patients of all age groups, with symptoms of viral influenza, such as cough, sore throat, aching muscles and joints, accompanied by headache and fever. As a result of rapid fluctuation in temperature, there has been a rush of people complaining about seasonal flu across Muscat, doctors said. “Almost 25 to 30 per cent of my patients are those suffering from seasonal flu,” said Dr Basheer specialist of internal medicine at the Badr Al Samaa. >A5

cases of deadly explosions were reported due to people smoking e-cigarettes. “They cause throat irritation. e-cigarettes include nicotine which causes fast and irregular heartbeat and increases blood pressure,” Al Lawati added. He stressed that authorities should also consider banning smokers from smoking indoors as the risk that negative smoking poses is higher and children could be affected. Meanwhile, e-cigarette users do whatever they can to lay their hands on the device. “I haven’t had a real cigarette in three weeks and I feel a lot better. I have more energy and it is easier to breathe. “I have regained my sense of smell and taste and have no desire to smoke a real cigarette. But I just wish e-cigarettes were readily available in the Sultanate,” one such user of ecigarettes said.

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clones, and any change in the temperatures in the coming years is expected to hit coastal areas badly. Oman’s coastal areas, almost 400 square km of land, will be flooded in the case of the lowest sea level rise and more than 900 square km for the highest,” according to ‘Initial National Communication under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’ 2013 report of the environment ministry. That report named the Al Wusta Governorate most likely to be affected from higher sea level cases as around 280 square km of land can be flooded. Oman authorities fear the climate change could cause tropical cyclone, storm surge, flash flooding, heat waves, sea level rise, coastal erosion, water scarcity, desertification, reduction in fish-

eries and impacts on marine environment and agriculture. Oman plans to target green house gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrocarbons and perﬂuorocarbons, according to the report. Muscat has already launched efforts on checking the green house gas emission; however, the country has sought funds saying “further efforts would be made conditional to the fund, capacity building and transfer of technology which will be provided by the UNFCCC.”

Funds for developing world Officials at the UNFCCC told Times of Oman (TOO) that developed countries have re-conﬁrmed their pledge to provide $100 billion by 2020 to developing countries including Oman. >A5

Oman’s inflation falls

Avoid Hatta border crossing if planning to travel to the UAE by road, according to the UK Embassy in Oman. >A4

OMAN

Kick drinking habit

Seek help if you have a drinking problem as there are support groups in Oman to help you. >A5

MARKET

Oman’s consumer price index- based inﬂation registered a decline of 0.55 per cent in November. >B1

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

OMAN

Schoolchildren raise funds for cancer research

VISION 2040

The American International School Muscat (TAISM) raised OMR4,200 to donate to the Sultan Qaboos University Children’s Leukemia Research Study, which they have been doing for nine years, in order to further medical research DELIBERATIONS: Under the chair of His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Herit-

age and Culture and Chairman of the Oman Vision 2040 Main Committee, the third meeting of the Committee for the year was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture. – ONA

TARIQ AL HAREMI

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Main challenges facing private sector discussed MUSCAT: Oman Vision 2040 Main Committee discussed the challenges facing the Omani private sector, the national pillars of the vision, the demographic changes in the Sultanate and the needs for development up to 2040. Under the chair of His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture and Chairman of the Committee, held on Sunday the third meeting of the year at the headquarters of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture. Report reviewed The committee reviewed the report of the Oman Vision 2020 and discussed ways to seek its help for preparing and implementing Oman Vision 2040. It also discussed the national

Oman Vision 2040 Main Committee meeting also discussed the national priorities and ensuring consistency among the strategies of a number of public organisations and reviewed the draft statement of Oman Vision 2040

priorities and ensuring consistency among the strategies of a number of public organisations and reviewed the draft statement of Oman Vision 2040. International conference The committee discussed the

preparations for holding an international conference on the draft of Oman Vision 2040, scheduled to be held in the second half of 2018, in addition to a number of issues listed on the agenda of the committee and took appropriate decisions. -ONA

MUSCAT: More than a thousand students took part in The American International School Muscat’s (TAISM) Terry Fox Charity Run to raise money for childhood leukaemia research studies. Oman pride today takes a look at the yearly initiative organised by TAISM in order to raise funds for leukaemia research in the Sultanate by organising a run around the school campus, inspired by Terry Fox. Cancer research activist Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian and cancer research activist. Being diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma, a fast spreading bone cancer, in his right knee as a result of a road accident, surgeons suggested amputating the leg, followed by chemotherapy. Impressed with the medical advances in chemical research, he wondered why it wasn’t being funded as much as it needed to be, so he undertook a challenge to raise awareness and raise funds for cancer research by running a solo marathon across the length of Canada (East to West) while collecting donations. Unfortunately, the cancer spread to his lungs and he died before completing the run in 1981, aged 22. “He inspired Canadians to hold runs, and now in Canada, they hold runs every September. The initiative has now spread all over the world,” said Laura Macdonald, Middle and High School Health Education Teacher and organiser of the event. “Canadians like me are trying to start the tradition when we go to a new school or countries,” she further said. As a result of this tradition, TAISM raised OMR4,200 on Thurs-

day to donate to the Sultan Qaboos University Children’s Leukaemia Research Study, which they have been doing for nine years, in order to further medical research. As a result, the survival rate of children with leukaemia rose to 80 per cent. Making a difference “I’m so excited that we are able to contribute. The ﬁeld of cancer is such a big problem in the world and it’s really special to know that our students are learning that they can make a difference,” said Laura. The money funds a database which stores the information of diagnosed children. It is the only database in country for childhood leukaemia. “Now, the date pertaining to every child treated at the Royal Hospital or the Sultan Qaboos (University) Hospital goes to the database,” Laura explained, adding, “Using the database, they have been able to improve the treatment protocols. This ensures that the kids are diagnosed faster and receive more speciﬁc treatments.” On Wednesday, some high school students and staff took part in the head shave. Shaving the head is another attentionseeking event that is part of several cancer awareness occasions to show support for those going through chemotherapy. Laura said those shaving their head are showing that they are “standing in solidarity with people going through chemotherapy.” Laura left us with some words of inspiration by saying, “Terry Fox wanted to help. It all started with a dream and we can all be inspired, just like Terry, to start with a dream and then, with determination, hard work, asking for help and never giving up, we can achieve our dreams.”

SOLIDARITY: On Wednesday, some high school students and staff took part in the head shave. Shaving the head is done on several cancer awareness occasions and events to show support for those going through chemotherapy. – Supplied photo

MINISTRY OF HOUSING

November real estate deals crossed OMR395 million MUSCAT: A total of 36,616 transactions worth OMR395,434,390 were conducted in the real estate sector during November 2015, Abdallah bin Salim Al Makhini, Secretary of the Real Estate Registry at the Ministry of Housing has said. The fee collected amounted to OMR4,564,703, he added. The contracts included inheritance, donation, mortgage and mortgage redemption. Fee collection A total of 7,314 sale contracts worth OMR205,806,486 were signed in all the governorates with over OMR2,797,000 collected from fees, he said. The Governorate of North Al Batinah recorded the highest rate of real estate sale contracts with 1,454 contracts followed by the Governorate of Muscat with 1,316 contracts, 1,172 sale contracts were signed in the Governorate of South Al Batinah, 1,172 in the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah, 560 in the Governorate of North Al Sharqiyah, 476 in South Al Sharqiyah Governorate, 470 in the Governorate of Dhofar, 421 in the Governorate of Al Dahirah, 269 in the Governorate of Al Wusta, 266 in the Governorate of Al Buraimi and 26 sale contracts in the Governorate of Musandam, Al Makhini added. He explained that a total

The Governorate of North Al Batinah recorded the highest number of real estate sale contracts followed by the Governorate of Muscat of 2,122 mortgage contracts worth OMR188,855,458 were signed across the Sultanate with OMR1,026,349 in fees. He further said that the total title deeds issued for GCC nationals, as per the real estate possession regulations in the Sultanate, during November amounted to

175 with UAE on top with 83, followed by the Kuwaitis (66), Qataris (15), Saudis (7) and Bahrainis (4). Most of the possessions of the GCC nationals were focused in the Governorate of North Al Batina with 26.3 percent (46) and the Governorates of Dhofar with 17 percent (30).

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

DECISION

Service fees and procedures to access archives get approval MUSCAT: Sayyid Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture and Supervisor of the National Record and Archives Authority (NRAA), approved the decision No. 1/2015 issued on November 10th 2015, related to defining fees for the services provided by NRAA. Dr Hamad bin Mohammed Al Dhoyani, Chairman of NRAA also approved the decision No. 292/2015 dated November 10th 2015 about activating the rules and procedures for accessing NRAA archives. Encourage research These decisions come in a bid to encourage scientific research and highlight the cultural, scientific and educational value of archives. They also aim at facilitating access to NRAA archives and getting idea on the files available at NRAA website ( www.nraa.gov.om). Procedure It should be noted that those interested in getting these services should complete the registration form before they are granted access to the archives. They have also to submit an application to physically see such records and advise NRAA for the convenient time for reviewing files at the reading auditorium at NRAA. -ONA

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OMR41 m National Heart Centre opens in Bausher The 21,810 square metre three-ﬂoor building houses 139 beds and there are 597 medical staff members to take care of the patients

Times News Service MUSCAT: National Heart Centre was opened by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the wilayat of Bausher on Sunday. The health centre has been constructed at a cost of more than OMR41 million. The opening took place under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Fatik bin Fahar Al Said, secretary general at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, in the presence of Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saidi, Minister of Health, along with other dignitaries. The 21,810 square metre

three-ﬂoor building houses 139 beds and there are 597 medical staff members to take care of the patients. The centre houses departments, such as medical records, pharmacies, a post-graduate centre, outpatient clinics for children and adults, a surgery ward, paediatric ward, maternity ward, intensive care units, Central Sterilisation Services Centre, and a catheter laboratory. Additionally, the Saud Bahwan Charitable Foundation has donated part of the cost for the new medical centre. According to a recently published report, Oman’s Ministry of Health spent more than OMR754 million in 2014. The ministry, along with other health authorities in the Sultanate, is seeking to provide the highest level of primary and specialised healthcare for citizens and residents, reduce death rates, stem various diseases and lift the basic health indicators in the Sultanate to the level of its counterparts in developed countries. The Ministry of Health said earlier this year that it spent OMR754.1 million in 2014 as recurring and developmental expenses, an increase of 27 per cent in comparison to 2013 and 56.5 per cent compared to 2012.

E D UC AT I O N

NEW FACILITY: The opening took place under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Fatik bin Fahar Al Said, secretary general at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, in the presence of Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saidi, Minister of Health, along with other dignitaries. – Supplied photo

HONOUR

11 Indian school teachers awarded Times News Service

RECEIVED: The delegation was received by Her Highness Sayyidah Dr. Mona bint Fahad Al Said, As-

sistant Vice Chancellor for International Cooperation, SQU, and Prof. Said bin Ali Al-Yahyae, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Community Service. – Supplied photo

Carter Centre team visits SQU Times News Service MUSCAT: A delegation from the Carter Centre in the United States, visited the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) yesterday. The centre was represented by James Carter III, son of the former US President Jimmy Carter and Rebecca Carter, in-charge of Development, Donations Fund and Support at the Carter Centre. The delegation was received by Her Highness Sayyidah Dr. Mona bint Fahad Al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor for International CoEVENT

Sharakah forum to open today MUSCAT: ‘Sharakah’ Forum organised by Youth Projects Development Fund (Sharakah) will open at Shangri La Barr al Jissah Resort today. It will be opened under the auspices of Dr Abdul Munim bin Mansour Al Hassani, Minister of Information, in the presence of Hani bin Mohammed Al Zubair, Chairman of ‘Sharakah’, Sharakah’s board members, businessmen and women and journalists. The the theme of the from will be ‘The Role of Media in Developing SMEs’. The forum will explore the available opportunities in the media for supporting the growth of SMEs, as well as the challenges that hinder the growth of this sector. The speakers will also shed light on the different issues of interest for those interested in this sector. Speakers from within and outside the Sultanate will cover the role of the different print, audio and visual media means in supporting SMEs. -ONA

operation, SQU, and Prof. Said bin Ali Al-Yahyae, The Deputy ViceChancellor for Academic Affairs and Community Service. The delegation is currently visiting the Sultanate after receiving an invitation from the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Centre in Washington. The programmes During the visit, the delegation members were introduced to the different academic and research programmes, services and facilities offered by the university, as

well as the international relations the university carries out with various institutions and universities around the world. Overview During meetings, the delegation presented an overview of the programmes and activities offered by the centre. The Carter Centre is a nongovernmental, not-for-proﬁt organisation founded in 1982 by former US President Jimmy Carter. The Carter Center works to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering.

MUSCAT: Eleven teachers from Indian schools in Oman were conferred with the ‘Navin Asher-Kazi Awards for Excellence in Teaching’, at a ceremony organised by the Board of Directors, at the Indian School Muscat (ISM) on December 3. Indra Mani Pandey, the Indian ambassador to the Sultanate, was the chief guest on the occasion, and Her Highness Dr Shariffa Khalid Qais Al Said, Educational Expert at the Ministry of Education, delivered the keynote address. The ceremony was attended by the luminaries from the Indian community, officials from the Ministry of Education, teacher nomi-

nees for the awards, principals and senior staff of Indian schools. In his address, the Indian Ambassador said that education in the modern world has undergone a signiﬁcant change and teachers must be competent in the latest trends to do their work effectively. During her speech, Her Highness Dr Shariffa Khalid Qais Al Said recalled her own ordeals in education and exhorted the teachers to never give up on any student. The awardees Five awards went to ﬁrst and second position holders, and one special award went to Apex Centre for Special education. First positions in each of the categories were awarded to Priya Dias (Kindergar-

ten-IS Sohar), Shashikala Prabhat Kumar (Primary – IS Wadi Kabir), P Eskalin Gonsalves (Middle – IS Muscat), Rashmi Kumar (Secondary / Senior Secondary – IS Seeb) and P V Gopinathan (Co-scholastic – IS Darsait). A Special Award for the Centre for Special Education went to Joseph Prabhu E. Second positions in each of the categories were received by Rajani Anilkumar (Kindergarten-IS Buraimi), Sripriya Sundar (Primary – IS Muscat), Arti Luthra (Middle – IS Seeb), Chidambaram Ramasamy (Secondary / Senior Secondary – IS Salalah) and Somasundaran M.M. (Co-scholastic – IS Sur). All nominees were presented with certiﬁcates of recognition.

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

OMAN UK, UAE embassies differ on border rush In their post, the UK embassy reports that individuals using the Hatta border crossing are experiencing delays. However, a UAE Embassy official said they had not received any complaints so far

Times News Service MUSCAT: If travellers are planning to cross into the UAE by road, consider alternative routes, rather than the Hatta border crossing, according to the UK Embassy in Oman in a Facebook post. In their post, the UK embassy reports that individuals using the

Hatta border crossing are experiencing delays and in some cases, are being diverted to other border crossing areas. Security issues “We haven’t received any complaints or reports that people are getting delayed,” a UAE Embassy official told the Times of Oman. “But sometimes there are delays at the border because of security issues,” he said. The Facebook post from the UK embassy also reported there were delays at the Al Ain/Al Buraimi border when trying to re-enter Oman. Since November this year, there has been confusion regarding the border crossings between the Unied Arab Emirates and Oman via Hatta. During the National Day holidays, the public also faced similar problems at the Hatta border, as tourists were asked to use the Sharjah route via Kalba to enter Oman. Many people on their way to Oman said that they have to travel an additional two hours to cross into Oman via the Kalba road, which is confusing as most travellers are not familiar with this longer route.

BORDER CROSSING: A view of a post on Oman-UAE border. For

representation purpose only. - Photo courtesy: Michael Coghlan via Flickr under Creative Commons License

GOVERNANACE

Majlis panel discusses income tax, investments MUSCAT: Proposed amendments to Income Tax Law and Foreign Capital Investment Law were discussed on Sunday at a meeting of Majlis Al Shura’s Economic Committee’s action team. Impact discussed The meeting was held under the chair of Tawﬁq bin Abdul Hussein Al Lawati, Head of the action team. The meeting also discussed the likely effects of these on the growth of the private sector and foreign investments in Oman. -ONA

DELIBERATIONS: The Majlis Al Shura Economic Committee’s action team meeting was held under

the chair of Tawﬁq bin Abdul Hussein Al Lawati, Head of the action team. – ONA

HIGH ACHIEVERS

Students of Pakistan School Muscat stand out in Edexcel Examination Times News Service MUSCAT: Twelve students from Pakistan School Muscat have been recognised as high achievers for securing the world top 10 positions in Urdu and Islamiat in GCE A Levels, GCE AS Levels and IGCSE Edexcel International for the 2014-2015 session. In AS Level, the students who hold the world top 10 rankings are Iftikhar Ahmad (3rd –Urdu), Furqan Butt (5th–Urdu), Umar Akbar Baig (6th –Urdu), Raheel Mahmood (7th –Urdu), and Mustafa Ali Salman Ali (9th – Urdu). In GCE, Maham Fakhar and Abeer Asif, respectively, secured 3rd and 4th rung in Urdu. Finally, in IGCSE, Nusair Bin Munawar and Javeria Syed Muqtadir are standing at 8th and 9th rankings in the world in Islamiat, whereas in Urdu Syed Ali Mustafa and Asma Ghafoor placed in the 9th position worldwide, as Muhammad Ali took 10th position in the world ranking. Special commendation by the school administration and management has been conveyed to the students. Session 2014-2015 has proved to be a year of academic excellence for students in Edexcel and Cambridge, with test results focusing on the students of Pakistan School Muscat as being the frontrunners. Undoubtedly, these students are a source of great pride for the school and parents.

PSM student scores 100 per cent in SAT-II Times News Service MUSCAT: Saad Aftab, a student of Pakistan School Muscat who is currently studying in A2, has impressed everyone scoring 100 per cent in SAT-II exam. He scored 2400/2400 (Physics, Chemistry, Math) in the global testing of SAT-II, an exam that a large number of students from various institutes all over the world took. Students have to clear this examination for seeking admission in the top rated universities worldwide. “All students must make it binding upon themselves to take this test as it unveils very dynamic opportunities for them to become a part of the paramount institutes all over the world,’’ Saad said. Saad attributed his accomplishment to his hard work and deep rooted conceptual understanding, for which he credited his teachers, namely Asim Rana (Math), Gul Raheem (Chemistry), Shoaib Shah (Physics), Imarn Ashraf and Zafar Iqbal.

IMPRESSIVE PERFORMANCE: Saad Aftab. – Supplied photo

Last but not the least, he acknowledged the backing he received from his parents, Aftab Anwar and Fozia Aftab, and their prayers that kept pace with his efforts through every moment of his life. He expressed his gratitude to Farah Nasir for her continuous efforts to steer him towards academic excellence. Pakistan School Muscat

was already very proud of his rather impressive scores in the IGCSE, AS Level. This exemplary student aspires to join the Mechanical Department in MIT or in NUST. Students like Saad Aftab are trendsetters with their bench marking academic standards, and must be encouraged in all possible ways to enable them to win further glory.

E D UC AT I O N

Windows 10 Education for public schools launched

NEW INITIATIVE: The initiative comes as part of Microsoft’s commitment to collaborate with the Ministry of Education in Oman in their mission to put in place educational reforms. – OK Mohammed Ali

Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Windows 10 Education for public schools in the Sultanate was launched by the Ministry of Education and Microsoft Oman here yesterday. The event was held under the patronage of His Excellency Dr Hamoud Bin Khalfan bin Mohammed Al Harthy, Undersecretary for Education and Curricula, Ministry of Education. “We are proud to partner with Microsoft towards helping in the migration of the public schools learning platforms to Windows 10 solutions,” he said. “We aim to achieve our mission to align basic learning in schools with the needs of employers and serve the general interest of our economy,” he added. “We have monitored the progress of the pilot school that has already migrated to Windows 10 and we are pleased with the outcome.

We look forward to upgrading the systems and devices in our schools for the benefit of our students,” he added. He expressed his gratitude to Microsoft for their efforts in transforming the education industry in Oman through the adoption of latest technologies in the education and learning processes. Samer Abu-Ltaif, Regional General Manager of Microsoft Gulf, confirmed that this initiative comes as part of Microsoft’s commitment to collaborate with the ministry of Education in Oman in their mission to put in place educational reforms. “We are committed to cooperate with the Ministry of Education in Oman on their journey to redefine learning. Windows 10 empowers educators to create teaching environments that nurture students’ passions and enable them to achieve beyond their greatest imaginations – making, designing

We are keen to help educators and students create and share in entirely new ways. By giving educators the flexibility to teach their students, track progress and instantly adjust, we enable students to learn in a way that suits them and makes learning more personal and productive Samer Abu-Ltaif Regional General Manager of Microsoft Gulf

and building the future of Oman,” he said. “We are keen to help educators and students create and share in entirely new ways. By giving edu-

cators the ﬂexibility to teach their students, track progress and instantly adjust, we enable students to learn in a way that suits them and makes learning more personal

and productive,” he added. The event was hosted by Shamsa Al Khaliliya School - Al Khuwair in the presence of experts from the Ministry of Education and Microsoft, as well as representatives from public schools, private and public universities and colleges in the Sultanate. Shamsa Al Khaliliya School participated in the pilot phase of the Windows 10 launch and fully adopted the latest solutions and devices. Representatives from the school– teachers and students – demonstrated during the event the ease of teaching and learning brought to them by the adoption of Windows 10 solutions. “While great technology can never replace great teaching, it is essential that schools have access to the right tools to help drive the most effective learning. We believe that technology applied in new ways can shift behaviour and motivation. The goal is to en-

courage students to learn through doing via earning skill sets, such as practical application by solving problems, progressing and having fun, with real time feedback from educators,” Samer Abu-Ltaif noted. All public schools in the Sultanate will receive Windows 10 solutions and devices, along with Ofﬁce 2016 upgrades. According to Microsoft Oman, they have trained a group of teachers in the past years and introduced them to the latest technologies, while helping them to improve the use of technology in education. A large number of students also received intensive training programmes to raise their awareness about technology and provide them with the opportunity to innovate and build such 21st century skills as collaboration, communication, critical thinking and the use of technology in learning.

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

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Seek help if you want to kick drinking habit

5 T H G L O R I O U S N AT I O N A L D AY

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an international

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fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is a nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, group available almost everywhere with membership open to anyone who wants to do

RAY OF HOPE: Alcohol addicts should not give up hope because sometimes a solution is just around the corner. – Supplied photo

something about their drinking problem

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: “Seek help if you have a drinking problem as there are support groups in Oman to help you. Then, share your journey of recovery with as many people as possible.” These are the words of Alan, a 40-year-old Indian national who started drinking at the age of 15 and did not stop for the next 25 years until one day he decided enough was enough. Sober since September 20, 2014, he now wants to share his story with alcohol addicts and tell them not to give up hope because sometimes, a solution is just around the corner. In an interview with the Times of Oman, Alan said he had been living in the UAE since the age of 2 and moved to Muscat in 2013, where he pursued the path to recovery. He started drinking because of his “inability to accept life on life’s terms” and believes that the ﬁrst drink does the damage. Negative impact “My actions affected my family, friends and anyone who came into contact with me,” Alan said, adding that he had become a ‘completely different’ person. Recalling the moment when he

decided to quit drinking, he said, “There was a moment during my last drinking spree when I felt that I could not go on anymore and that I had enough. I just could not take one more drink. I was done with alcohol completely.” Moving to Oman, where he received meaningful support, was a turning point in his life. “Oman was where I indulged in my ﬁnal phase of drinking. I had hit rock bottom mentally, physically and emotionally,” Alan said, attributing his successful recovery to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Fellowship “The fellowship of AA is available worldwide in many countries. One alcohol addict shares his story with another alcohol addict to (help them) stay sober. I found that in AA Oman, and started my journey towards recovery,” he explained. According to its website, AA is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem. It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere. There are no age or education requirements. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about his or her drinking problem. “I always tried to control my drinking. Changing alcohol brands, environment, places, people etc but nothing worked,” Alan said. “I had tried to quit countless number of time, trying to muster

determination and will power, but failed. I realised that I could not do this alone, no matter how determined I was,” he added. Steps of recovery On his experience with AA, he noted, “AA practices 12 steps for recovery which dealt primarily with changing my behaviour and my life. It was this change that gave me the ability to accept life on its own terms, thus keeping me sober and happy.” AA conducts meetings in Muscat and Sohar multiple times a week for one hour, he said, adding that more information about AA can be found on www.aa.org. Challenges Asked about some of the challenges that he had to overcome during the recovery period, Alan said, “Loneliness was a prime factor. I do not have a family in Muscat and live alone. I had to ﬁnd things to do with my spare time. Keeping busy was important not to let my mind wander.” On whether he has been tempted to drink again, he said, “I have not had the temptation to drink again since joining AA, but some people do feel that way. It takes time for you to get rid of the temptation. I was always told to telephone an AA member before picking up the ﬁrst drink (after sobriety).” Accepting realities Alan now feels he is a ‘useful member of the society’ and has learned to face the ups and downs of life

PA R I S AC C O R D

A1 More funds will ﬂow to < FROM

cleaner energy sector “And there is good evidence that these investment ﬂows are indeed building. This public money from developed nations is only part of the story,” Nicholas Nuttall, UNFCCC spokesperson told TOO, in an exclusive interview. He said over the next 15 years an estimated $90 trillion will be invested in infrastructure world-wide. “The provisions and direction the Paris Agreement should mean that increasing amounts of that investment - leveraged by public funds from developed countries - will be channelled into cleaner, green infrastructure including renewable energy, sustainable transportation and more efficient building,” he said, adding “This in turn can assist in overcoming poverty, improving the environment and triggering a healthier and more prosperous world.” The UNFCCC official said the climate change accord marks a “decisive” turning point in combating climate change. “We now have a pathway that, over time, has the potential to dramatically bend down the emissions curve in order to avoid dangerous climate change and in doing so catalyse a far more sustainable development for billions of people including the peoples of Oman,” Nuttall added. The Paris accord aims to keep a global temperature rise below

The Paris accord aims to keep a global temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above per-industrial levels

2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above perindustrial levels. Safer defence line The 1.5 degree Celsius limit is a signiﬁcantly safer defence line against the worst impacts of a changing climate, according to the UNFCCC officials. Oman has said that the fund, capacity building and transfer of technology from the UNFCCC are required to make “further efforts” in sustainable buildings, development of renewable energy, energy efficiency, low carbon transport initiatives, low carbon technologies among the industries, methane recovery from solid waste dumping sites and carbon sinks. Mohammed bin Salim Al Toobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs, Head of the Sultanate’s delegation to the conference,

said on Tuesday in his speech at the climate conference in Paris that Oman hopes to complete in 2017 its national strategy to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. He was representing the Sultanate at the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the 11th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP). He said that the Sultanate will continue to shoulder its responsibilities in this regard on account of its belief in the principle of a common future and continue to work with the international community.

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in a healthy way and tries to overcome the challenges without taking a drink. “This is something I could never do before. Today, I enjoy life to the fullest, even though I do not consume alcohol anymore” he said. Awareness Asked how strong the social stigma attached to alcohol addiction is in Oman, Alan said, “I feel that people in Oman are open-minded about treatment of alcohol addiction. At the end of the day, we seek help for someone we love or care about. All we want is for that person to get well. I received a lot of support even outside of AA when I was recovering.” However, he believes that more awareness is required about this issue, especially in media outlets. “Most people are not aware of the dangers that liquor could pose to someone addicted to it. There is nothing wrong with consuming alcohol for those who use it responsibly,” he added. Decent life Asked whether it is easy for the recovered alcohol addicts to reintegrate into the society and ﬁnd a decent job, Alan said, “Once an alcohol addict recovers, he/she is pretty much normal in every aspect. Finding a decent job is not a problem. It is not necessary to divulge information about the addiction problem. If the person is in recovery and stays away from alcohol, then that is the most important thing.”

MUSCAT: Winners of the photography competition on the occasion of the 45th Glorious National Day were announced on Sunday by the Photographic Society of Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science. Ibrahim Al Rashidi won the ﬁrst place and the society’s gold medal. Ziad Al Dughaishi came second and won the silver medal, while Mahmoud Al A’meri came third and won the bronze medal.

The competition was held to coincide with the celebrations taking place in the Sultanate on the occasion of the 45th Glorious National Day to shed light on the Sultanate’s celebrations and the joy of citizens and decorations in all governorates of the Sultanate. Sixty-nine persons submitted 219 pictures. The judges chose 45 images for 31 photographers from various regions of the Sultanate. -ONA

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change A1 ‘Temperature causes infection’ < FROM

“In such a climate when the temperature ﬂuctuates, the chances of viral infection increases,” he told the Times of Oman. He also said infections and fever are common as winter sets in. “The number of people taking to bed will increase whenever there is a gap between maximum and minimum temperatures. The most ideal word during this time is precaution,” he warned. According to him, people with low immunity, such as aged people, diabetic patients and people who have asthma are the main victims of these seasonal diseases. City based paediatricians also prescribed that children be properly clothed if they are moving out. “Do not let children go out without wearing sweaters after sunset if the temperatures fall. School-going children must cover their ears in the morning. The early morning chill and fog can play havoc with health,” paediatricians advised. As per the paediatricians in the city, viral diarrhoea, tonsillitis, bronchitis and respiratory infections were common among children in the city. “The easiest way to stay safe is covering up, eating loads of fruits and vegetables that are good

source of Vitamin C and keeping the skin moisturised,” advised a nutritionist working in Muscat. The doctors also advised against self medication, explaining that the symptoms are best diagnosed by a doctor to avoid health risks. “We have to be doubly sure before coming to any kind of conclusion. People should not buy medicines without consulting a doctor,” said a Muscat doctor. However, as a preventive measure, they should avoid exposure to extreme temperatures or drinking water that is too cold or hot. They should avoid sudden change from very low temperature to high temperature areas too frequently, he said. The classic symptoms of a cold are mild fever, watery or slightly yellow nasal discharge, a scratchy feeling in the throat, cough and body ache. Sanoj Kumar, an Indian expat who had brought his son to the doctor, said the child had fever and cold for two days, and could not go to school. The doctor gave him some medicines and advised that he should stay at home for a couple of more days since he required rest and must not allow the infection to spread among his classmates.

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

OMAN

The continuation of the series comes from our belief in the role of education, arts and music as a driving engine for the development of nations. Ahmed Abouzahra, General Manager of Arabesque International

Muscat Singers leave all mesmerised

POLISHED PERFORMANCE: With new music director Dr Michael Buck at the helm, the expat choir put the audience in a celebratory mood as the festive season closes in. – Supplied photo

Times News Service

The ABA Vipers, comprising 23 children, won the hearts of the audience with a French and an American folk song

MUSCAT: A highly polished and professional performance was given by The Muscat Singers at The Bosch Center for the Performing Arts on December 12. With new music director, Dr Michael Buck at the helm, the expat choir put the audience in a celebratory mood as the festive season closes in. The opening number, It’s a Grand Night for Singing by Rodgers and Hammerstein set the mood

with its happy lighthearted air. The repertoire was sprinkled with traditional carols from England and Spain: The Holly and The Ivy and Fum Fum Fum - both beautifully sung acapella. No winter concert is complete without John Rutter and the audience was delighted with his arrangement of Deck the Hall. To add sweetness to an already fabulous evening, guest choir, The ABA Vipers, comprising 23 children aged 9- 11 years, won the audience hearts with a French

and an American folk song. The icing on top was when the Vipers Choir sang Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain, supported by The Muscat Singers and conducted by Andrew Elbin, Assistant Music Director. Highest calibre Accompanying guests at the performance were The Muscat Brass, an ensemble of the highest calibre, who performed ﬁve arrangements including Fantasy on Jingle Bells and Variations on AdesteFideles.

There was also a stunning piano solo performance of Greig’s Wedding Day at Trollhaugen. The best was still to come as the audience had the chance to sing along with the Choir and Brass to old favourites such as Mendelssohn’s Hark the Herald Angels Sing and a Christmas Medley including Rudolph and White Christmas. The Grand Finale won the show as The Muscat Singers and The Muscat Brass performed The Hallelujah Chorus from The Messiah

by George Frederick Handel and, as is traditional, the audience stood for the duration of this well loved and renowned piece. Celebration was the aim and there was no doubt that The Muscat Singers and their guests brought the spirit of celebration to their audience. The Muscat Singers are keen to attract new members and their Spring Season rehearsals will commence on January 17 at TAISM school. For details on how to get involved, visit the website www.muscatsinger.org.

M U S C AT C H A M B E R M U S I C C O N C E R T

K E N YA

Oman to take part in WTO conference MUSCAT: The Sultanate will take part in the 10th WTO ministerial conference in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday. Dr. Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, Minister of Commerce and Industry, will lead Oman’s delegation to the four-day conference. The delegation will also comprise a number of officials from the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Public Administration for Customs, the Ministry of Commerce

and Industry and the Sultanate’s Office at WTO in Geneva. The conference will discuss means of making progress at the Doha Round for development in the ﬁeld of liberalising agricultural and industrial commodities trade, in addition to service trade. The conference will also discuss the reports of the different committees on the issues related to the WTO. These reports will be submitted to the Commerce Ministers of the member countries. -ONA

DRIVING ENGINE: The aim of the project is to provide an opportunity to young talents who will beneﬁt from this non-proﬁt musical and outreach project. – Supplied photo

Arabesque continues with its musical, educational journey in Oman schools Times News Service MUSCAT: After the success of the ﬁrst Muscat Chamber Music project, Arabesque International will continue the series by organising the second Muscat Chamber Music concert in The Bosch Center at The American International School Muscat (TAISM). The event will be held under the patronage of Roland Dubertrand, Ambassador of France to the Sultanate of Oman on December 16, 2015 at 7:30pm. The soprano and opera singer, Amira Selim, will delight with arias from the most famous French operas, operettas, musicals, Christmas songs as well as renowned melodies by Arabic composers such as Sayed Darwish accompanied by the French pianist Nicolas Chevereau. “The continuation of the series comes from our belief in the role of education, arts and music as a driving engine for the development of nations. The artists will be staying in Muscat for a certain period of time before the concert to hold workshops for students from the French School on December 14 morning, for the PDO

School in the afternoon and the American British Academy on December 15. This is part of the project’s aim to provide an opportunity to the young talents to benefit from this non-profit musical and outreach project, which is considered the first of its kind in Oman,” said Ahmed Abouzahra, the General Manager of Arabesque International. Distinguished career Abouzahra stated that this concert is a distinguished one with Amira Selim, who was born in Cairo and comes from an artistic family as she is the daughter of pianist Marcelle Matta and painter Ahmed Fouad Selim. After studying piano, ballet and painting, she started voice training and Italian repertoire in Italy with soprano Gabriella Ravazzi. After graduating from the Cairo Conservatoire, she received a scholarship from the French Government to study with soprano Caroline Dumas at the l’École Normale de Musique de Paris. Amira also won the first prize at the international competition of Orvieto, Italy. Amira also featured in many

leading roles in Italy, at the Mancinelli Theatre in Orvieto. For her debut in France, she interpreted the title role of opera “Lakme” by Leo Delibes at the opera of Rennes. Amira also sang in ten performances “Carmina Burana” at the Palais des Congres, Paris, and performed “Ophélie” in “Hamlet” by Ambroise Thomas at the Opera Saint Etienne, France, “Queen of the Night” in Mozart’s “Magic Flute” in Paris, Lille, Biarritz, Nantes, Marseille. Amira also featured with Orchestre National de Bretagne in France through many performances. She also participated in Mozart l’Egyptien” at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris, and in the Vienna Festival “Spirits of Mozart” as well. Nicolas Chevereau was born in Paris in 1989. He studied the piano with Aldo Ciccolini and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in the class of vocal accompaniment of Anne Le Bozec and Erika Guiomar, piano accompaniment of Jean-Frédéric Neuburger and musical analysis of Michaël Levinas. He is also a graduate of the university of Paris-Sorbonne in musicology.

He partnered many singers over the years and won several awards, including the Prix de la Sacem, at the 9th Concours International de Musique de Chambre de Lyon and the Melody Prize at the 7th Concours international de chant-piano Nadia et Lili Boulanger with soprano Clémentine Decouture. In 2015, he won the “Best Pianist” award at the 8e Concours international de mélodie française in Toulouse, France. Classical music Arabesque International launched the Muscat Chamber Music Series project to make live classical music accessible to the younger generation. The project aims to communicate with the new talents through such music that is traditionally performed by a small group of instrumentalists in a relatively small space. In order to pursue this goal, Arabesque invites experienced high-quality chamber music ensembles to Muscat for a period ranging between one and three weeks, to provide educational and musical activities in schools.

NCSI

Pilot survey on road safety in Oman begins MUSCAT: A pilot survey on road safety in the Sultanate began on Sunday. The survey is being conducted by the National Center for Statistics and information (NCSI) to identify awareness and commitment to the principles and laws of road safety. The inputs can be used in decision-making and the preparation

of more detailed studies to promote traffic safety. A newspaper in its edition reported that the survey is aimed at citizens and residents in the Sultanate who are aged 18 years or more. The sample of the survey will include 3,000 individuals (as a minimum) from the various governorates of the Sultanate. This

size allows obtaining of estimates for most ratios to be measured in the survey at the overall level of the Sultanate and the level of the governorates, with less than 3 per cent error margin. The survey aims to provide important information and indicators on the status of traffic and road safety trends through questions about traffic jams and their

causes, knowledge and commitment to traffic laws concerning seat belts, legal speed and use of the phone while driving. The survey seeks to ﬁnd out views on traffic accidents and their causes and behaviours that lead to the problem and ﬁnd out the measures undertaken by the authorities concerned with regard to traffic safety. -ONA

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5 The election was the ﬁrst in which women could vote and run as candidates, a landmark step in Saudi Arabia

DUBAI

REGION

Global powers vow support to Libyan unity government The joint statement calls for immediate ceaseﬁre as West wants to stop IS from spreading in Libya

RESTORED: From top to bottom:

A combination picture shows the signboard before the removal of the name ‘Trump’, after the removal, on Thursday, and subsequently reinstated name at the Trump International Golf Club portion at the AKOYA by DAMAC development in Dubai on Saturday. – Reuters

Trump’s name restored at golf complex DUBAI: A Dubai real estate ﬁrm has restored Donald Trump’s name on a $6 billion golf complex it is building with the US businessman and presidential hopeful, days after taking it down following his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States. Gold letters spelling out “Trump International Golf Club,” affixed to a landscaped stone wall at the entrance to the golf complex being built by DAMAC Properties, were removed on Thursday, according to a Reuters photographer. Two days later they had been restored. DAMAC declined to comment on Sunday on the brief removal. — Reuters

ROME: Global powers on Sunday backed the formation of a national unity government in Libya, pledging economic and security support to help stabilise the North African country where IS militants have a foothold. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni, joined by UN envoy Martin Kobler, were optimistic that the majority of the representatives of Libya’s two rival governments would sign a unity deal on December 16. Representatives from 17 countries including Egypt, Germany, Russia, Turkey, and China signed a joint statement calling for an immediate ceaseﬁre and promising to cut off contacts with factions that do not sign the deal. Fifteen Libyans from different groups also attended the meeting. Past deadlines have slipped amid internal disagreements in the sprawling, oil-producing country rife with armed groups. Stand ready “We stand ready to support the implementation of the political agreement and underline our ﬁrm commitment to providing the Government of National Accord with full political backing and technical, economic, security and counter-terrorism assistance, as requested,” the statement said. Both Kerry and Gentiloni, who co-chaired the meeting, appeared

UNDERLINING COMMITMENT: Italy’s Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, centre, at a joint news conference with US Secretary of State

John Kerry, left, and UN special envoy for Libya Martin Kobler following an international conference on Libya at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome on Sunday. – Reuters

confident a deal was around the corner, and stressed that a unity government was needed also to fight the growing threat from IS militants. “The message of today’s meeting is clear,” Gentiloni said. “What matters is the stablisation of Libya because this too can contribute to the fight against terrorism.” Libya has sunk deeper and deeper into chaos since a Western-backed rebellion toppled Muammar Gaddafi four years ago. Former colonial power Italy has sought to focus international attention on the OPEC country’s drift towards anarchy, particularly since last month’s deadly IS attacks in Paris. Libya is less than 300 km (190 miles) across the Mediterranean

Sea from the Italian island of Lampedusa. With around 3,000 fighters, IS has solidified its foothold in Libya by taking over the central city of Sirte. It has attacked a hotel and a prison in Tripoli, oil fields and military checkpoints, and issued a video of its militants beheading 21 Egyptian Christians on a Libyan beach. Military assistance The UN brokered agreement would allow a new Libyan government to ask for international military assistance to fight IS’s growing presence. The recognised government and elected House of Representatives have operated only in the east of Libya since last year, when

LOCAL ELECTIONS

17 Saudi women elected to councils RIYADH: Saudi Arabians voted 17 women into public office in municipal elections in the kingdom on Saturday, the first to allow female participation, a state-aligned news site reported on Sunday. The election was the first in which women could vote and run as candidates, a landmark step in the kingdom. Sabq.org, a news website affiliated with the Interior Ministry, reported that a total of 17 women had been elected in various parts of the country. Some results had been announced on the official Saudi Press Agency, including the victories of four women. However, the election was for only two thirds of seats in municipal councils that have no lawmaking or national powers, and

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FIRST TIME: A Saudi woman

casts her ballot at a polling station in the coastal city of Jeddah, on Saturday during municipal elections. – AFP

follows men-only polls in 2005 and 2011. Under Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdulla bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who died in January and who announced in 2011 that women would be able

to vote in this election, steps were taken for women to have a bigger public role, sending more of them to university and encouraging female employment. Huda Al Jeraisy, who as the daughter of a former head of the chamber of commerce in the central part of the kingdom was seen by some Saudis as imparting an official stamp of approval on women’s candidature, won a seat in Riyadh. Salma bint Hazab Al Otaibi won a seat in the Madrika district of the holy city of Mecca. Lama bint Abdulaziz Al Sulaiman, Rasha

Hafza, Sana Abdulatif Abdulwahab Al Hamam and Massoumeh Al Reda won seats in Jeddah. In northern Saudi Arabia, Hanouf bint Mufreh bin Ayad Al Hazimi won a seat in Al Jawf, Mina Salman Saeed Al Omairi and Fadhila Afnan Muslim Al Attawi both won seats in the Northern Borders province. Two women won seats in Al Ahsa in Eastern Province, but their names were not immediately released. Elsewhere in the province, Khadra Al Mubarak won a seat in Qatif district. In the southern Jazan province, Aisha bint Hamoud Ali Bakri won a seat. In Qassim, two women were elected but their names were not immediately released. Another was elected in Al Babtain district. — Reuters

the capital Tripoli was seized by a faction that set up its own government. Each side is backed by competing alliances of former antiGaddaﬁ rebels. The UN proposal calls for a presidential council with the House of Representatives as the legislature alongside a second consultative chamber, the State Council. The presidential council could form a government in 30 days once a deal is signed and that would be ratiﬁed by parliament and bolstered by a UN Security Council resolution. But with Libya already fragmented, questions linger about how opponents and armed factions which might reject the deal will react to what they will see as an unrepresentative government,

and how they can be brought on board after. “We are prepared to meet with (the national unity government) rapidly in order to facilitate their capacity to govern,” Kerry said. Any government faces huge challenges, with the oil industry reeling from attacks and protests. Output is less than half of the 1.6 million barrels per day the OPEC state had before 2011. Western officials do not rule out more unilateral air strikes on militants. The United States has carried out air strikes and France has conducted surveillance ﬂights. But with most in the West opposing troop deployments on the ground, initial efforts will likely focus on training and aiding local forces. — Reuters

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

INDIA Demolition of Delhi slums leaves hundreds homeless Shakur Basti station,” another railway official said.

Fresh confrontation between Delhi government and the Centre erupted after Railways demolished a slum cluster to clear ‘encroachments’

NEW DELHI: A fresh confrontation between Delhi government and the Centre erupted on Sunday after Railways demolished a slum cluster here to clear ‘encroachments’ and a baby died there, evoking angry protests from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who wanted a murder case to be registered. The demolition was carried out on Saturday at Shakur Basti in West Delhi in which 1,200 slum units were removed, with the Railways insisting that the action was necessary to clear the ‘encroachments’ for expanding the infrastructure. The Railways said the demolition was carried out after three notices, the ﬁrst one with the March 14, 2015 deadline. A sixmonth-old baby died in one of the slum units, which the railways insisted occurred two hours before the demolition started at 12 pm.

HUTMENTS RAZED: People collect their belongings after a demolition drive carried out by Railways

in Shakur Basti of Delhi on Sunday. – PTI

Police said prima facie the baby died after a heap of clothes fell on the child while his parents were preparing to move out of the jhuggi and hence no case is made out. Two officials suspended Kejriwal, while slamming the Railways, suspended two Sub-Divisional Magistrates and another senior official for ‘failing to arrange’ food and shelter for those evicted. As the controversy broke out, Delhi Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Arun Arora told a press

conference here that the child’s death has no connection with the removal of encroachments which had become a ‘risk’ for train operations as the slums were within the 15-metre of safety zone. He said the National Green Tribunal had also ordered that the tracks should be cleared of solid waste and to ensure this the railways had to ‘remove the source’. Arora said the slum dwellers were given ﬁrst notice for vacating the land by March 14. However, the demolition could

not be undertaken then because police could not provide assistance then, Arora said. Subsequently, two more notices were given to them – one with the deadline of September 30 and the last one with the deadline of December 12 (Saturday), he said. “There is a need for constructing additional platforms, repairing yard, washing line, maintenance facility and office space for store and engineering division so that more long distance and local trains can be handled at the

Child dies Kejriwal, who visited the site late on Saturday night, slammed the Railways for undertaking the demolition drive at a time when the temperature saw a sharp drop. He ordered officials to immediately provide blankets and food to those who were rendered homeless following the drive. Talking to reporters, he said, “A child has died here. It is a very sad thing and I think that a murder case should be registered against the ofﬁcers. Compensation will be taken from them. It should be deducted from the salaries of the officers who have conducted these raids.” Earlier, in a series of tweets, Kejriwal said, “Railways have demolished 500 shanties in this extreme cold. One child has died. God will never forgive them. Had instructed the local SDM to arrange for food and shelter. They did not arrange the same, so have suspended them.” The chief minister said that he had spoken to federal Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, who was not “aware of this operation. He was also shocked.” He said “our Divisional Commisioner” told the SDMs and another official to arrange for the accommodation and food for those evicted. - PTI

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T E R R O R I S T AT TA C K

Tributes paid to parliament attack martyrs NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other parliamentarians on Sunday paid tributes to the martyrs of the 2001 attack on Parliament. Along with Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, veteran BJP leader L. K. Advani, Minority Affairs Minister Najma Heptulla, and deputy chairman of Rajya Sabha P. J. Kurien, were among those who paid ﬂoral tributes to the martyrs. Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, BJP MP Satyanarain Jatiya were among other members who attended a solemn ceremony held in the premises of Parliament on the occasion of the 14th anniversary of the attack. The prime

BRIEFS

Cold wave sweeps north; Leh records minus 12 degrees C NEW DELHI: Cold wave swept in several parts of north India today with Leh in Ladakh region experiencing the coldest night of the season at minus 12 degrees Celsius and higher hills of Himachal Pradesh receiving another spell of moderate snowfall. Delhiites woke up to a chilly morning with the mercury dipping to 6.8 degrees Celsius, a drop of nearly ﬁve notches from yesterday when the minimum settled at 11.5 degrees.

President: Do not throw pollutants into Ganga river KOLKATA: Stressing on the need to protect the Ganga, President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said it must be ensured that no pollutants are thrown into the river as he batted for the Clean Ganga initiative. Inaugurating a 51-feet statue of Shiva facing the river at Banshidhar Jalan Smriti Mandir at Salkia in nearby Howrah, he said that the river has tremendous inﬂuence, right from its starting point to its mouth in the Bay of Bengal. “The civilisational growth of this vast region was centred around Ganges. That’s why I consider the Clean Ganga call to be one of the most appropriate measures,” he said. He asked the trustees to ensure that no polluting element is thrown there.

Elderly man kills self after raping eight-year-old girl NEW DELHI: A 62-year-old man, who had allegedly raped a minor at his residence in southeast Delhi’s Sunlight Colony area, committed suicide by jumping in front of a speeding train, police said. The incident took place yesterday, when the accused, who is a retired government employee, found his tenant’s 8-year-old daughter alone and lured her to his residence in the same building, where he allegedly forced himself upon her.

Rahul savours street food in Delhi

FLORAL TRIBUTE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying ﬂoral

tributes to the martyrs of the 2001 Parliament attack at Parliament building in New Delhi, on Sunday. – PTI

minister also met some of the martyr’s family members. On December 13, 2001, ﬁve heavily-armed gunmen stormed the Parliament complex and opened indiscriminate ﬁre, kill-

ing nine persons. The martyrs included ﬁve Delhi Police personnel, a woman Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) ofﬁcial, two Parliament watch and ward staff, and a gardener. - PTI

NEW DELHI: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi spent a wintry Sunday afternoon with street vendors, savouring steaming hot “delicious street food” at a food festival organised by them. “Enjoyed the delicious street food at the National Street Food Festival organised by NASVI at JLN Stadium!,” he later said on microblogging website Twitter. - Agencies

AV I AT I O N

Air India gearing up for its direct flight to Washington SAN FRANCISCO: Air India has begun the process to start its fifth non-stop flight to the US by next year-end, making Washington the national carrier’s next destination after successfully launching direct flight to San Francisco. “We will complete the viability study in next few months and once it’s completed we will move on next step. If everything goes fine, we may start a direct flight to Washington by the end of 2016,” a top Air India official said. The national carrier now operates non-stop flights to four US cities — Chicago, New York and San Fransisco (From New Delhi) and Newark (from Mumbai). Air India earlier used to fly to Washington via New York, but the service was discontinued a few years ago. The official said the airline is encouraged by the response to its newly launched direct flight to San Francisco in California. The tickets for next two months have already been sold out and the demand was “huge”, he added. The San Francisco flight was airline’s first non-stop service connecting America’s West Coast with India and making the Silicon Valley its fourth destination in the United States. A large number of Indian IT professionals and students live in the region and a direct flight in the West Coast is aboon for them, making travel easy and conveni-

NEW ROUTE: An Air India official said the airline is encouraged

by the response to its newly launched direct ﬂight to San Francisco in California. – AFP ﬁle

ent. “A large number of passengers are older people who visit their children to spend some time with them,” another official said, adding that around 70 wheelchair-bound passengers were in the ﬁrst ﬂight to San Fransisco on December 2 which was booked to its full capacity. Indians in US Kandace Bender, Deputy Airport Director, Marketing and Communications, San Francisco International Airport, said that Indians are one of the fastest growing communities in San Francisco after Chinese. “We have more than 700 passengers to and from India daily

and the numbers are increasing,” she said, adding that the travellers include businessmen, tourists, professionals, students and elderly people. She said that Delhi and Bengaluru are among destinations in India. Hyderabad and Chennai are among other destinations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the Silicon Valley in September had announced to connect the city with India through a direct ﬂight. The return ﬂight from San Francisco provides onward connections to cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune and Bhubaneswar. - PTI

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

INDIA

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TAPI gas pipeline will integrate Asia: Ansari Indian vice president said that TAPI gas pipeline is a reﬂection of the common desire of

RECOGNITION FOR LEGENDARY ACTOR: Federal Home Minister

Rajnath Singh with Dilip Kumar after presenting him the Padma Vibhusahan at his residence in Mumbai on Sunday. - PTI

the four member

Ailing Dilip Kumar presented with Padma Vibhushan

connect themselves

MUMBAI: Ailing legendary actor Dilip Kumar, known as the “tragedy king of Bollywood”, turned emotional on Sunday when he was presented with Padma Vibhushan by federal Home Minister Rajnath Singh at his residence in Bandra, for his contribution to Hindi cinema spanning over six decades. The 93-year-old veteran, who shot to fame with Naya Daur, Jugnu, Andaz and Devdas and went on to give sterling performances in over 60 Hindi ﬁlms, was given the second-highest civilian award comprising a medal, certiﬁcate and shawl in the presence of the actor’s 71-year-old wife Saira Bano. Dilip Kumar, in a black suit, could barely open his eyes and was helped by Saira when the national honour was conferred on him. He felt happy and got emotional at the recognition, Saira said. After presenting the award to the actor, Rajnath said, “The prime minister asked me to go and personally present him with the Padma Vibhushan Award in Mumbai.

When Padma Vibhushan was presented in Delhi, Dilipji couldn’t make it due to health concerns.” “Dilip Kumar ji has contributed a lot to ﬁlm industry. Considering that, we’ve presented him with Padma Vibhushan,” the home minister said. Emotional State Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar were also present on the occasion. When asked about Dilip Kumar’s reaction at receiving the award, Saira later told reporters that, “He has always been quiet about himself. He is happy, he smiled and there were tears in his eyes. He is an emotional and sensitive person. For him material things do not matter. He is a simple man, down to earth.” While Saira feels proud of the honour bestowed her on husband, she says the biggest award is the love of the audience. - PTI

countries to re-

MARY (Turkmenistan): Assuring his country’s ‘constructive and cooperative approach’ to the project, Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari said on Sunday that the much-awaited TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-PakistanIndia) gas pipeline will help integrate economies of South and Central Asia. “The idea of an economicallyintegrated South and Central Asia is an idea whose time has come,” Ansari said at the ground-breaking ceremony of the ambitious project in this Turkmen city. The leaders on Sunday broke the ground here for the ambitious $7.6 billion TAPI pipeline project which will provide energy-hungry India gas to run its power plants. Among others present at the ground-breaking ceremony of the 1,800-km-long TAPI gas pipeline were Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Describing TAPI as much more than a gas pipeline project for the four countries, Ansari said that it was a reﬂection of the common desire of the four member countries to re-connect themselves.

UNITED WE STAND: Vice President Hamid Ansari, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Malikgulyyevich Berdimuhamedov, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif press buttons for initiating welding process during the signing ceremony of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project at Mary in Turkmenistan on Sunday. - PTI

$7.6b

is the value of the ambitious TAPI pipeline project which will provide energy-hungry India gas to run its power plants

“We are seeking to reclaim our shared geography and revitalise an age-old legacy of our mutually enriching interactions. The launch of TAPI also marks the ﬁrst step towards fulﬁlling the vision of an economically integrated region stretching from the Bay of Bengal to the Caspian Sea,” he said. He said the fact that the groundbreaking ceremony was being

conducted in the historic Silk Road city of Mary — earlier known as Merv — was entirely appropriate as “it was here, centuries ago, that caravans carrying goods paused to refresh themselves and thereby bestow on generations to come a colourful tapestry of mutually beneﬁcial exchanges”. Thanking President Berdimuhamedow for his “untiring leadership and the strength of your commitment towards TAPI”, Ansari also lauded Ghani and Nawaz Sharif for their active involvement in the project. “Your strong support for TAPI reﬂects your interest in securing the economic future of the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan respectively. Your personal commitment to the success of our common venture augurs well for the entire region and for the people of all our countries,” he said. The Indian vice president said

India would take a constructive and cooperative approach towards addressing issues related to the TAPI project. “We are conﬁdent that all issues can be addressed through a spirit of mutual accommodation and sharing of costs and beneﬁts,” Ansari said. Conceived in the 1990s, initially Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a framework agreement to implement the ambitious project after a meeting in Islamabad in 2002 and the preliminary feasibility studies were done by ADB. The Indian government requested the ADB for joining the project as an official member in 2006. - IANS

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M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

PAKISTAN Charter of economy need of the hour: Finance Minister The support of all the stakeholders is

External debt set to grow to a whopping $90b in four years

necessary to achieve the best results from the efforts made to put the economy back on track, says Ishaq Dar

LAHORE: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has suggested that the country needs a charter of economy with the support of all stakeholders in order to achieve best results from the efforts made to put the economy back on track. However, he said, there were MAKING HIS POINT: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar dismissed the some people who were not happy rumours that the government was going to introduce another tax, with these developments and terming them as baseless. – File photo were creating hurdles in the way by engaging in a propaganda campaign. “They want Pakistan not to to take strict action against the cials in the national exchequer. “I will appreciate the traders take its own decisions and keep wrongdoers.” He called global financial insti- who name such officers so we taking dictations from the lenders,” Dar commented while speak- tutions self-serving as they avoid- could deal with them accordingly.” About growing foreign currening at a seminar on Islamic bank- ed doing business with countries ing on Saturday. “We are trying that could not generate enough cy reserves, Dar voiced the hope to increase our income by taking income. “If these institutions are that these would touch $21 billion various steps, especially tax col- declaring Pakistan as good for in the first quarter of 2016 comlection, and will continue to make business, it means we have done pared to the current $20.4 billion, of which the State Bank of Pakiefforts to make Pakistan a sover- some better work,” he said. Dar, however, reminded that stan had around $16 billion. eign country.” He dismissed the rumours that the government was Pakistan was still the worst coungoing to introduce another tax, try in terms of tax-to-gross do- Islamic banking Turning to Islamic banking, Dar mestic product (GDP) ratio. terming them baseless. “We want everyone, especially said the government’s goal was to small traders, to help increase our switch to Islamic banking, but it Additional taxes The recent Rs40 billion worth of tax collection and will facilitate could not be done overnight. “We already have formed a additional taxes were on imported them in every manner,” he said, luxury items, but many profiteers stressing he would make improve- committee that will give recomhad pushed up prices of local ment in the Federal Board of Rev- mendations and we will act acproducts as well, he pointed out. enue and would encourage traders cordingly. However, the process “I have already talked to provin- to deposit half of the money that will take time.” He asked the Islamic banks cial authorities and asked them they were giving to corrupt offi-

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s external debt is projected to grow to a whopping $90 billion in the next four years and the country will need $20 billion a year just to meet its external financing requirements amid concerns that all constitutional arrangements put in place to manage debt have become ineffective. The external debt figures compiled by renowned economist and the country’s former finance minister Dr Hafiz Pasha are about $14 billion higher than the projections made by the International Monetary Fund. Dr Pasha on Saturday shared

working in the country to lend money to small and medium enterprises and the housing industry. There were many other sectors like agriculture where Islamic banks could enter to strengthen their roots and beat the commercial banks, he said. Speaking on the occasion, MCB Bank Chairman Mian Muhammad Mansha cautioned that things needed to be addressed wisely as 2016 would prove to be much tougher because of greater challenges like generating employment opportunities for three million people that were entering the ranks of workers annually. He recalled that his bank was the ﬁrst that opened an Islamic banking window, but “since then I have also realised that we could not run a proper Islamic banking

his doomsday scenario in a National Debt Conference, arranged by the Policy Research Institute of Market Economy (PRIME) – an independent think tank. Dr Pasha’s projections are based on official data. The $14 billion difference was mainly on account of foreign loans that will fly in to finance China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. The government is not including CPEC loans in total public debt. The current account deficit will widen due to import of machinery and plants for CPEC projects, in addition to imported LNG and coal. - Express Tribune

division within the bank because the issues were quite different, including the nature of customers as well as religious beliefs of people. We also gained some experience with investment in Maybank which came in 2008.” However, he said, “with the help of the State Bank governor and deputy governor, we came with a plan that probably every bank needs a complete subsidiary to have independent banking. We applied for a new bank and the ﬁrst branch of the bank was opened about a fortnight ago.”

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H O R T I C U LT U R E

Green signal for construction of three forest parks in Lahore LAHORE: A strategy has been evolved for the promotion of plantation and horticulture in the province, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said. He was presiding over a meeting to review steps to be taken in this regard. It was decided during the meeting to construct forest parks at three sites in Lahore. One of the parks will be established at Raiwind and two in Jallo area. Shahbaz Sharif said that development projects should not neglect the horticulture component. “Horticulture enhances the beauty of the cities. The work for improving recreational facilities and rehabilitation of parks should be accelerated,” he said. Promotion of plantation He said that a steering committee should be constituted for the promotion of plantation. “The committee should ensure timely completion of projects relating to horticulture, plantation, landscaping and rehabilitation of parks,” he said. The chief minister said that the government would also develop parks on railway lands. “Looking after these parks will be the responsibility of railway authorities,” he said. He said that action should be taken against encroachments on public parks. “A comprehensive plan should be formulated for removing encroachments permanently,” he said. He directed the officials concerned to implement relevant laws for ensuring provision of facilities at new housing schemes. “A comprehensive plan to set up picnic points and promotion of horticulture from Dharampura to Wagha Border should be formulated and submitted in two weeks,” he said. He said that work should be expedited for making walls and surroundings of ﬂyovers and underpasses more attractive. - Express Tribune

GAS IMPORT

Government signs $16b LNG deal with Qatari firm ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar have signed a governmentto-government (G2G) deal for the award of a $16 billion contract for LNG (Liquefied natural gas) supply from a Qatar-based firm without going through the mandatory bidding process. “The Petroleum Ministry has now provided details regarding G2G deal with Qatar to import LNG which was effective from March 2015,” officials said. The details of the deal were revealed by Petroleum Ministry officials to a committee constituted by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). Earlier, the Petroleum Ministry had sought ECC approval for Pakistan State Oil (PSO) to execute the sales-purchase agreement with Qatar Gas 2 (QG2) as seller following the government-togovernment agreement. But the approval was deferred following a question raised by the law secretary about the deal with Doha. Officials said the law secretary would present a report regarding the LNG deal with Qatar on government-to-government basis in the upcoming meeting, enabling the economic decision-making body to approve the General Sale Purchase Agreement (SPA), a commercial contract to be signed between PSO and QG2. They said that PSO had also imported six

cargoes of LNG from Qatar in line with the G2G deal. Officials said that price of LNG had been linked with a direct percentage of Brent crude oil and under current price of Brent the value of potential LNG supply under SPA amounted to around $16 billion. Price review provision The period of contract will last till December 2030. However, a price review provision which allows two parties Islamabad and Doha to seek a price review after ten years has been built in the contract, with the two countries maintaining the right to terminate the Sales Purchase Agreement (SPA) in case they fail to reach consensus on price revision. Under the agreement, PSO, a public sector company designat-

ed by the government, would receive supply of 1.5 million tonnes of LNG per year from QG2 and the supply would be enhanced to 3 million tonnes per year from the second year. The core business of PSO is oil but it is now going into a new business line of LNG. Economic decision making body was expected to allow PSO to sell the LNG to the gas utility companies including Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Line Limited and Sui Southern Gas Company.The PSO may also be authorised to sell LNG to third party consumers. Qatar had desired in its original plan that Qatargas would supply LNG through their company Qatar Liqueﬁed Gas 3 (QG3) under the SPA. However, Qatargas had now proposed for LNG supplies under SPA through QG2. - Express Tribune

TERROR

20 dead, 55 hurt in Parachinar blast PARACHINAR: Twenty people were killed and at least 55 injured in a blast in the northwestern Pakistani city of Parachinar on Sunday, officials said, but it was unclear which rebel group was responsible. Parachinar has a large Shiite population, unusual in Sunnimajority Pakistan, and locals have expressed fears that militias who splintered from the Taleban and sworn allegiance to IS might target them.

Pakistan also has its own sectarian groups, most notably Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ). Most of LeJ’s leadership were shot dead in police custody this year; police say they were trying to escape. No group has yet claimed responsibility for Sunday’s blast. Parachinar local government ofﬁcial Riaz Hussain said the blast targeted crowds at a market. “A blast in Eid Gah market in Parachinar killed 10 people including

a child and wounded at least 50 others,” said Amjad Ali Khan, the political head of Kurram Agency. Parachinar is the capital of Kurram. “Some of the injured are in critical condition and we are planning to send them to Peshawar and Kohat for better treatment,” said Shaﬁq Hussain, a health worker at the Agency Headquarters Hospital Parachinar. Some of the people suffered injuries due to a stampede after the explosion, he said. - Reuters

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

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ROUTINE DRILLS

China navy carries out more drills in South China Sea BEIJING: China’s navy has in recent days carried out more exercises in the disputed South China Sea, the Defence Ministry said on Sunday, calling them routine drills. China claims almost all of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of maritime trade passes each year. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims. “The People’s Liberation Army Navy in recent days organised a fleet to go to relevant seas in the South China Sea, by way of the Western Pacific, to carry out exercises,” China’s Defence Ministry said in a brief statement. “This action is a routine arrangement made in accordance with this year’s naval training plan,” it added, without elaborating. Pictures on social media accounts of Chinese state media have in recent days shown pictures of Chinese navy ships engaged in live-fire exercises in the

South China Sea, without saying where exactly they took place. China periodically announces such exercises in the South China Sea, as it tries to demonstrate it is being transparent about its military deployments. China has been at odds with the United States of late over the strategic waterway. Strategic waterway Washington has criticized Beijing’s building of artificial islands in the South China Sea’s disputed Spratly archipelago, and has conducted sea and air patrols near them. Last month, US B-52 bombers flew near some of China’s artificial islands and at the end of October a US guidedmissile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of one of them. China expressed concern last week about an agreement between the United States and Singapore to deploy a US P8 Poseidon spy plane to the city state, saying the move was aimed at militarising the region. - Reuters

BONE OF CONTENTION: A Chinese Coast Guard vessel, right,

passes near the Chinese oil rig, Haiyang Shi You 981, left, in the South China Sea, about 210km (130 miles) from the coast of Vietnam in this June 13, 2014 ﬁle photo. - Reuters

A1 1

ASIA

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY INSTALL WHATSNEWS

Troops try to hold off Taliban in Helmand Helmand police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang said security forces were holding on in the governor’s compound and police and army headquarters but the surrounding areas were all in the hands of the insurgents

LASHKAR GAH/KABUL: Afghan forces are battling to hold Marjah district centre in the volatile southern province of Helmand that Taliban insurgents have cut off as part of a months-long campaign in which they have taken three districts and threatened the regional capital. Helmand police chief Abdul Rahman Sarjang said on Sunday security forces were holding on in the governor’s compound and police and army headquarters but that surrounding areas were all in the hands of the insurgents. “Afghan police and army have a presence in Marjah district centre and the rest is controlled by Taliban,” Sarjang said. Helmand, an arid, semi-desert region and major centre of opium cultivation, has long been one of the Taliban’s heartlands and they have put increasing pressure on security forces since the withdrawal of international troops from combat last year. Major Taliban attacks in Kandahar and the capital Kabul last week

SECURITY CHECKS: An Afghan policeman searches commuters at a checkpoint in Helmand province on June 25, 2014. Taliban’s steady advances in Helmand pose a potentially more serious threat to the US-backed government. - AFP ﬁle photo

underlined the movement’s ability to strike high-proﬁle targets and heaped pressure on the government of President Ashraf Ghani. Threat to government But its steady advances in Helmand pose a potentially more serious threat to the US-backed government. In a campaign with distinct echoes of the build-up to September’s attack on the northern city of Kunduz, their biggest success in the 15-year war, Taliban forces have picked off a series of districts around the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. Over recent weeks, insurgents have taken the districts of Musa Qal’ah and Now Zad in the north of the province as well as Khanishin, a signiﬁcant drug smuggling hub, to the south as they have tightened

their grip on the province. The ﬁghting has been going on around Marjah for more than a month and the main road linking the district to Lashkar Gah some 35km (21 miles) away has been cut with around 12km of the route under Taliban control. “We plan to launch an operation to clear this area from the Taliban but they have planted hundreds of bombs which is making it very difﬁcult,” said Sarjang. Operations were also being hampered by supply interruptions and the chronic problem of desertions among the badly squeezed security forces. Around 10 per cent of the 10,000-strong police and army forces are absent from duty. Meanwhile, at least 848 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded following a Taliban attack on the

northern city of Kunduz in September, according to a UN report that detailed the grim conditions endured by residents during two weeks of fighting. The 289 dead and 559 injured included at least 30 killed and 37 injured in a US air strike on a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report. It said the figures were likely to rise as further information became available, noting that unstable security meant its officials had been unable to conduct detailed investigations in Kunduz. Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Saturday that its own count of the death toll from the Kunduz hospital attack had risen to 42, a figure UNAMA said it was verifying. - Reuters

CANCELLED

North Korean pop band cancels Beijing concert, leaves for home BEIJING: An all-female North Korean pop group formed by leader Kim Jong Un abruptly cancelled a Beijing concert due to “communication issues” and headed home, Chinese media and the concert venue said. The Moranbong Band was visiting China along with North Korea’s State Merited Chorus and had been due to perform at Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts on Saturday. A member of staff who answered the telephone at the venue said the show had been cancelled for unknown reasons while China’s ofﬁcial Xinhua news agency said the performance could not be staged as scheduled due to “communication issues at the working level”.

The band is Kim’s pet project as he tries to put his personal stamp on the North Korean arts, and the short haircuts of the group’s young women members are trend-setting in the capital, Pyongyang. On Sunday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the North Koreans may have cancelled the show after China decided to send a lower ranking delegation in protest over Kim’s apparent claim last week that the North possesses a hydrogen bomb. The Yonhap report cited an unnamed source quoting an unnamed Chinese government ofﬁcial as saying the North had initially requested an audience that included President Xi Jinping or Premier Li Keqiang.

C AT E G O RY 2 T Y P H O O N

BORDER BLOCKADE

Philippines braces for typhoon Melor MANILA: The national disaster agency on Sunday ordered a preemptive evacuation in coastal, low-lying and mountainous areas in the central Philippines as a category 2 typhoon approached areas hit by the destructive typhoon Haiyan two years ago. With winds of up to 140 kph (87 mph), typhoon Melor, known locally as Nona, is now about 440 km (273 miles) to the east of Northern Samar province, moving west and due to make landfall on Monday night. Alexander Pama, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said he had advised local emergency teams to take precautionary measures and initiate a preemptive evacuation in coastal, low-lying and mountain slopes. Storm alert “We will possibly raise a public storm alert in the capital Manila and suspend sea travel and ﬁshing due to storm surge and up to 4-metre high waves at the open

China agreed instead to send a politburo member, but then decided to send lower-ranking officials. China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The ensemble, whose members were reportedly handpicked by Kim, was formed in 2012 and their show in China was to be their ﬁrst overseas appearance. Chinese media said they were due to give three concerts in Beijing. There was no immediate word from North Korea on the band’s departure. Their visit to China was seen as an indication of improving relations between China and its isolated neighbour. China is North’s main economic and diplomatic backer. - Reuters

sea,” he said. Pama said typhoon Melor may bring torrential rains within a 300-km diameter and may cause ﬂooding and landslides in the Samar and Leyte islands and in the Bicol region at the southeastern tip of the main island of Luzon. Preemptive evacuation AccuWeather, a weather information provider, said Melor would further intensify into a category 3, dumping 300 mm (12 inches) of rain, before weakening to a tropical depression and exiting the Philippines on Friday. Herminio Coloma, a spokesman for President Benigno Aquino, said the government was preparing an evacuation plan to avoid the loss of life, moving people to higher and safer grounds. Typhoon Melor will pass through the area near where Haiyan struck in November 2013, killing more than 6,300 people and leaving more than 1.4 million homeless. An average of 20 typhoons hit the Philippines every year. - Reuters

Dream of developing Nepal hit by blockade: PM KATHMANDU: Nepalese Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli on Sunday said his “great dream” of developing the landlocked nation has been obstructed by the blockade at the border trade points with India and the devastating April 29 temblor. “Though I had a great dream of developing the nation, massive earthquake and border blockade have laid obstructions to the same,” the 63-year-old premier said. The loss as a result of the incidents was not only physical and economic, but would have a deep social effect as well, which would take a long time to heal, he was quoted as saying by The Himalayan Times. Last month, Oli had said that the blockade of key border points with India is ‘more inhuman than a war’ as he criticised New Delhi for raking up alleged rights abuse in Nepal at the United Nations Human Rights Council. - PTI

COMMUNICATION ISSUES: Members of Moranbong Band of North Korea arrive at Beijing International Airport before departing from Beijing, China, in this photo taken by Kyodo on Saturday. -Reuters/Kyodo

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The quest for lasting peace in Afghanistan P

eace has remained elusive for most Afghans ever since the seeds of conflict were sown after the abolition of the monarchy in 1973. In 1978, with the toppling of the Daoud government, armed resistance began to take root. Since then, Afghanistan has never looked back. Just when there was some hope of normalcy returning to the warravaged country with the departure of most coalition forces, the situation now looks even gloomier. In the last one year alone, more than 150,000 Afghans left the country as expectations for a better future subsided and uncertainty took hold. Despite the massive infusion of funding into the country over the last 14 years, the socioeconomic statistics are frightening. Unemployment, hovering at 50 per cent, is a grim reminder of the fact that the country is easily one of the poorest on the planet; 90 per cent of its GDP comes from external inflows or spending by coalition forces. The resistance forces either control, administer or have influence in decision-making in more than 50 per cent of the territory. A proof of that claim (verified by several surveys) is the fact that convoys of Afghanistan’s armed forces and coalition forces have to pay taxes to the resistance forces when passing through their territory. Chinese and other foreign companies working in the country on oil, gas and mineral exploration have to pay similar taxes to ensure the security of their employees. Some governors of provinces have to reach an understanding with the local Taliban commanders to ensure their own security. Although groups such as Fidayee Mahaz, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and the IS control a very small area compared to the Taliban, their presence and activities have cast a shadow over prospects of stability. This picture of several groups desperately trying to gain influence at the expense of one another has created an acute environment of fear. Right now, what is at stake is not only the unity and integrity of an important country but also the stability and economic prosperity of a troubled region. Afghanistan sits on mineral ores worth more than $1 trillion; it has, besides oil and gas, huge deposits of copper, lithium, precious stones and manganese. The country is a bridge between South Asia and resource-rich Central Asia. It shares a long border with Iran, which is poised to play a major role in the region following its recent nuclear agreement with the US. The Chinese

economic initiatives that are being launched in the energy, commerce and other sectors would certainly provide a tremendous boost to the fragile economy of war-shattered Afghanistan if the conflict were to end. Despite all the gloom, there are three reasons for hope and optimism. First, the Afghan National Army (ANA) has not buckled under pressure in areas from where the foreign forces have departed. The ANA has managed to hold its ground. Second, there is this feeling of war-weariness in the population. More than 35 years of conflict have devastated the country and its people. There is a deep yearning for peace. Third, a split has occurred in the ranks of the once cohesive and integrated Taliban hierarchy. Apart from the fissures that have opened up after Mullah Omar’s death, their authority has been challenged by the advent of organisations like the IS. The elite of the country, with their villas in the Gulf and Europe, would like foreign forces to stay on indefinitely so that they may enjoy the fruits of their ‘enterprise’. They would stand in the way of any reconciliation that threatens their position. A bigger obstacle is the belief in a narrative that has been constantly repeated and one which does not seem to find any resonance in the calculations of those who have taken up arms against the government and its foreign abettors. There is this conviction that the country has a viable system that is rooted in participatory democracy, based on the will of the people and reflected in the functioning of parliament. This has not been accepted by the Taliban as they feel that this edifice was constructed by the West. This refusal to accept the democratic structure can be addressed by making the Afghan Constitution a bit more compatible with religious law. The other major roadblock to bringing elements within the Taliban into the mainstream is the continued presence of some foreign forces on Afghan soil. There is also a need to establish a broad understanding between the Taliban and the government, on how the Taliban could be integrated into the political, electoral and administrative landscape. This can be a difficult task, but not an impossible one. The Afghans have the ability to work out the contours of a broad understanding that deals conclusively with all contentious issues, barring any foreign interference. Pakistan’s stake in a peaceful Afghanistan is larger than any other country’s. Forcing the Taliban to sit for negotiations is the easy part. But with no consensus on the issues confronting the interlocutors, making any headway is difficult. - Express Tribune

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES DECEMBER 2000 Unicef lauds Oman’s child care programme MUSCAT: The Child Survival and Development (CSD) in Oman is a success story, the Unicef’s State of the World’s Children Report (SOWCR) 2000 said yesterday. “A remarkable turnaround has been witnessed in the last three decades in the arena of the CSD, due to a demonstrated commitment to human development,” the SOWCR 2000 said. It credited the Sultanate with “some of the fastest moving positive trends among nations.” Data provided indicates that infant mortality has dramatically reduced from over 160 in 1960 to 15 per 1,000 live births in 1998.

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

1799: George Washington dies on his Mount Vernon estate. 1911: Roald Amundsen and four others discover the South Pole. 1960: A US Boeing B-52 bomber sets a 10,000-mile non-stop record without refuelling. 2003: Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan, narrowly escapes and assassination attempt.

PICTOGRAPH OMANI IN CIVIL SERVICE BY AGE AND GENDER (2014)

Women

Men

Age group

2 3,372

Under 20

79 2,959

20-24

19,086

13,304

25-29

24,551 15,458 6,983

30-34

18,105

35-39

17,388 12,565

40-44

2,241

45-49

8,012

871

50-54

6,091

449

55-60

3,299

Over 60

146

Total

154,977 Source: National Centre for Statistics and Information

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

WORLD

Waving Polish ﬂags and PiS party banners, the demonstrators chanted the names of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and PiS-backed President Andrzej Duda, who also took office this year.

Historic climate accord is personal victory for Ban It is a decisive turning point in our common efforts to make the lives of peoples sustainable and prosperous as well as a healthy planet, said the UN secretary-general

PARIS: United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was among the most jubilant — and most relieved — of the leaders raising their arms on a stage on Saturday to celebrate a historic agreement on climate change. For almost a decade, Ban, 71, has travelled the world from the glaciers of Antarctica to corporate boardrooms in New York in search of photo opportunities and allies to secure an elusive global deal to curb global warming. Saturday night marked a personal victory after a long, often thankless road, in stark contrast to a failed 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen when he sat glumly on the podium at a fractious allnight session as the meeting unravelled. “This is the apex of multilateralism,” he told Reuters of the deal reached in Paris among 195 countries that aims to end the fossil fuel era by phasing out greenhouse gases this century to rein in the rise in temperatures. “(It is) a decisive turning point in our common efforts to make the lives of peoples sustainable and prosperous as well as a healthy planet,” Ban said.

GLOBAL DEAL TO CURB GLOBAL WARMING: Left to right: Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres, Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki Moon, Foreign Affairs Minister and Presidentdesignate of COP21 Laurent Fabius, and France’s President Francois Hollande, raise their hands together after adoption of a historic global warming pact at the COP21 Climate Conference in Le Bourget, north of Paris, on Saturday. – AFP

“We have to make sure that all these agreements should be implemented. I will spare no efforts until the last day of my term as secretary-general,” he said. Ban, now widely praised by governments for his tireless focus on climate change, will host a signing ceremony for the deal on April 22, 2016, and follow that with a meeting in May to encourage actions by governments, businesses and civil society. The road to that signing has had more downs than ups. Ban said some of his key staff advised him when he took office in 2007 that his plan to focus on climate change - among challenges such as wars, economic upheaval and pandemics - would be risky with no guarantee of success. He ignored that advice. Among unexpected bright

spots, he once won encouragement from former US president George W. Bush, whose Republican administration often raised doubts about the science underpinning global warming. At a UN climate conference in Bali, Indonesia, in 2007, when Bush was in office, the United States was the last nation to drop opposition to a plan to launch two years of talks that led to the illstarred Copenhagen summit. The US delegation was even booed by other delegates for opposing the plan. Ban said Bush conﬁded to him at a private farewell lunch towards the end of the president’s term in 2009 that the US delegation leader had phoned him from Bali for advice. Bush told her, “’I would appreciate if you do it as the Secretary-

KEY TO PRESIDENTIAL POLLS

French regional election run-off a test for far-right PARIS: The French people voted on Sunday in runoffs for regional elections that will show whether the far-right National Front (FN) can turn popularity into power. Marine Le Pen’s party achieved a breakthrough last week by taking the lead in the ﬁrst round of the vote, drawing strength from fears over Europe’s refugee crisis and the IS militant attacks that killed 130 people in Paris a month ago. “For me, she is going to win. Maybe it will make all those politicians stop and think,” said voter Evelyne Risselin in Le Pen’s electoral home base Henin-Beaumont in northern France. But the anti-immigrant, anti-European Union FN was by no means certain to take any of the 13 regions. The outcome will depend largely on what left-wing voters will do after the ruling Socialist party withdrew from the race in the two regions where the FN was best placed - the north where Le Pen is a candidate and the southeast where her niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen is running. The Socialists urged their supporters to back Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservatives in those two constituencies to keep the FN out of power, and a series of opinion polls have shown that voters might well be heeding that call. “Voters should not be treated like children, nor be terrorised,” a smiling Marine Le Pen told reporters after casting her vote in Henin-Beaumont. Voter turnout stood at 19.59 per cent at midday compared 16.27 per cent at the same time in the ﬁrst round last week, when fullday turnout totaled 49.91 per cent. The Socialists fear that some of their supporters might stay home rather than go and vote for the party of Sarkozy, who is widely despised by the left. Just under one in two registered voters turned up at the polling stations last week. President Francois Hollande voted in his electoral home base in Tulle, southwest France, amid tight security following the Paris

POLLING: French far-right Front National (FN) party’s president and FN top candidate for the regional election in the Nord-Pas-deCalais-Picardie region, Marine Le Pen, casts her ballot on Sunday at a polling station in Henin-Beaumont, northern France, during the second round of the regional elections. – AFP

attacks on November 13. Voters took selﬁes with a relaxed Hollande, who scored a big diplomatic victory on Saturday by getting almost 200 countries to agree a pact to limit global warming. Voter intention polls were not run for all regions and several polls - especially in the southeast - forecast only small differences between the candidates that were often within the margin of error for such surveys anyway. “The only thing that is certain is that it will be a very tight race,” political analyst Joel Gombin, a specialist on the far-right, said of the run-offs. First estimates are due at 1900 GMT, when voting stations close. The Socialists, who currently govern in all but one of the 22 regions under a map that was redrawn for this election, were sure to suffer big losses of popular vote. But, paradoxically, the FN’s strength, by weakening Sarkozy’s conservatives, could help the Socialists cling to more regions than they hoped. Much attention will also be focused on the northeast AlsaceChampagne-Ardenne-Lorraine region, where the Socialist candidate rejected his party’s call to

drop out of the run-offs. The runoffs were seen as a testing of the waters for all three front-runners for the 2017 presidential elections, the Socialists’ Hollande, ex-president Sarkozy and Le Pen. The FN has never managed any constituency larger than a few small and medium-sized towns, and winning a region is key to its strategy to try and convince voters it could eventually be trusted to govern the country. In local elections in March, the National Front failed to win any department - councils that are smaller than the regions - in the run-offs despite a strong showing in the ﬁrst round. That was partly because, as opposed to mainstream parties, it is isolated to the extent that it could attract no parties to strike alliances with between the two rounds. For Sarkozy, who was hoping a landslide victory would raise his chances for re-election in 2017, the ﬁrst round was a severe disappointment that weakened his hand within his Republicans party. How many regions the conservatives eventually win will be pivotal to the struggle for power within the party. — Reuters

A1 3

General of the United Nations wants’,” Ban said. “Then the US agreed to this Bali roadmap. That was the most memorable and touching moment for me.” But Bali led nowhere, because the 2009 Copenhagen summit two years later collapsed. Leftwing Latin American nations and Sudan blocked a deal in a riotous final overnight session. Ban calls Copenhagen among the “frustrating moments”. Still, he said “I never was deterred” even though many other world leaders gave up on climate change to focus on other issues such as fixing the financial crisis. And in Copenhagen, a simple problem was that world leaders at the time did not appreciate the risks of global warming, from droughts and heat waves to more

powerful storms and rising seas. “They were not even fully educated,” Ban said. But the rubble of Copenhagen did provide a basis for success in Paris, he said. Ban has hosted three summits of his own on climate change since 2007, and joined a march of what he said was 400,000 people in New York last year. The UN leader grew up in a home in South Korea with no electricity and reading by a kerosene lamp. That made him aware of the dilemma for many developing nations, where governments are trying to widen public access to electricity — usually from cheap, dirty coal-ﬁred power plants — even as they try to cut emissions. “I myself know all of these climate problems,” he said. — Reuters

ROW OVER JUDGES

Thousands rally in Poland to support government WASRSAW: Tens of thousands of people marched through Warsaw on Sunday to express support for the ruling conservatives, as Poland remained locked in a constitutional crisis over the appointment of judges who could help the government pass its legislative programme. The march took place a day after a large anti-government protest, highlighting the depth of divisions, which have become more prominent since the eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) won an outright majority in October’s election. PiS say the centre-right Civic Platform (PO) party, which ruled Poland between 2007 and 2015, are refusing the accept the result and trying to stop it from executing its mandate. The conflict between the two parties has defined Poland’s political stage for nearly a decade, but the temperature rose after the new government appointed five out of 15 judges to the constitutional court, a move the opposition says was illegal. PiS says the judges needed to be replaced to ensure the balance of power, and that it was the previous government that broke the law when they made the original appointments. Gaining control Gaining control of the court is vital for the party. It may determine whether PiS is able to implement its flagship policy plans, such as overhauling the retirement system. Waving Polish flags and PiS party banners, the demonstrators chanted the names of PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and PiSbacked President Andrzej Duda, who also took office this year. “We won the election, but we have no right to set laws and remodel Poland,” Kaczynski told the crowds before they marched towards the constitutional court building. — Reuters

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M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

GLOBAL EYE

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GERMANY: A woman stands at the lakefront of the Forggensee Lake, where an Alps panorama reﬂects in the water, on Saturday near Schwangau, southern Germany. – AFP

MALAYSIA: Malaysian women walk past a Christmas tree in front SRI LANKA: A Sri Lankan family walks at the Galle Face Beach in the heart of the capital Colombo, on Sunday. –AFP

HONG KONG: Japanese jockey Yutaka Take, second right, takes part in the Longines Hong Kong Cup race on Japanese horse A Shin Hikari, trained by Masanori Sakaguchi of Japan, at the Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin race track on Sunday. – AFP

BRAZIL: Fireworks explode over a ﬂoating Christmas tree at the Rodrigo de Freitas lake, as it is lit for

the Christmas season in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday. – AP/PTI

of Malaysia’s landmark building, Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday. – AP/PTI

LEBANON: Fireworks light the sky as a Christmas tree designed by Lebanese fashion designer Elie

Saab is lit in front of the Al Amin Mosque in the Lebanese capital Beirut. – AFP

CHINA: Pigeons ﬂy as people attend a ceremony to mark the second national memorial day for the Nanjing Massacre, at the Nanjing Massacre Museum in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China. – Reuters

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

A1 5

WORLD

Seventy patients, some of them bed-bound or disabled, and four staff were in part of the building hit by the blaze.

23 die in Russian health clinic fire It had taken more than 270 people and 50 vehicles to deal with the blaze, said Russia’s Emergencies Ministry

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DESTROYED: Fireﬁghters and rescuers working among the debris of a psychiatric hospital destroyed by a ﬁre in the village of Alfyorovka, in the southern Voronezh region. – AFP/Russia’s Emergencies Ministry

MOSCOW: A ﬁre swept through a psychiatric clinic in a village in the Voronezh region south of Moscow late on Saturday killing 23 people, Russia’s Investigative Committee said on Sunday. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said it had taken more than 270 people and 50 vehicles to deal with the blaze and police investigators said the bodies of 23 people had been recovered after the ﬁre had been put out. Another 23 people were taken

to various medical facilities in the area, police said. The police said they had begun an investigation into possible negligence and experts from Moscow would be brought in to help out. “Investigators will look into every possible version of how the ﬁre started and led to such tragic consequences,” Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement, saying it considered the incident a crime. They said they did not know

what had started the fire, which broke out late on Saturday at the clinic in the village of Alferovka, around 300 miles (482.8 km) south of Moscow. Seventy patients, some of them bed-bound or disabled, and four staff were in part of the building hit by the blaze. State TV showed pictures of fire fighters using hoses to pour water on what was left of the roof of a red brick building. Lax fire safety standards and staff negligence have often been blamed for such episodes. In 2013, a fire killed 37 people in a psychiatric hospital in a provincial village north of Moscow, the second deadly blaze at such a facility that year alone. — Reuters

A16

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

WORLD VIOLENCE

One dead as clashes erupt in Bangui amid referendum

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Stop all provocations, Russia warns Turkey The Russian Defence Ministry said one of its warships, the destroyer Smetlivy, had been forced to

BANGUI: Voters in Central African Republic cast their ballots on Sunday in a constitutional referendum seen as crucial to ending nearly three years of violence, as heavy ﬁghting erupted in the capital amid a call by rebels for the process to be cancelled. The former French colony descended into chaos in early 2013 when mainly Seleka rebels seized control in the majority Christian nation. Their abuses led to reprisals by anti-balaka militias, sparking inter-religious violence that has killed thousands and displaced nearly a million in a de facto partition. Clashes broke out after UN peacekeepers from the MINUSCA mission, brought in to protect poll workers and voters, came under ﬁre in PK5, an enclave of Muslims who have refused to

flee the capital Bangui despite attacks by Christian militias. Fighters armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades launched repeated attacks in what MINUSCA’s force commander General Bala Keita said was an attempt by “spoilers” to block the vote. “Sometimes we stop the whole exercise to fight back and then we resume the voting. That’s happened three or four times,” he said. “It’s a war zone. I think it’s something extraordinary. We’re helping people to vote while we’re fighting the others.” Human Rights Watch said one person had been killed in PK5 on Sunday. Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said it admitted 23 people with gunshot and grenade wounds. - Reuters

ﬁre the warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean to

ESCORTING: Russia’s submarine Rostov-on-Don is escorted by a Turkish Navy Coast Guard boat as it sets sail in the Bosphorus, on its way to the Black Sea, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday. - Reuters

avoid a collision

MOSCOW: Russia on Sunday warned Turkey to stop staging what it called provocations against its forces in or near Syria after one of its warships ﬁred warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean to avoid a collision. The Russian Defence Ministry said one of its warships, the destroyer Smetlivy, had been forced to ﬁre the warning shots on Sunday morning and that it had summoned the Turkish military atta-

che over the incident. “The Turkish military diplomat was given a tough explanation about the potentially disastrous consequences from Ankara’s reckless actions towards Russia’s military contingent ﬁghting against international terrorism in Syria,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. “In particular, our deep concerns about more Turkish provocations towards the Russian destroyer Smetlivy were conveyed.” Earlier on Sunday, the ministry

said that the Turkish ﬁshing vessel failed to respond to Smetlivy’s warnings and changed course sharply only after shots were ﬁred before passing within just over 500 metres of the warship. “Only by luck was tragedy avoided,” the ministry said. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was in Rome for talks on Libya, said Ankara was investigating the matter and would make a statement once it had more information. He also reiterated Turkey’s position that it wanted to

resolve its difficulties with Russia. “We want to solve the tension with dialogue,” he said, in comments broadcast by TRT Turk. The incident is likely to heighten tensions between the two nations who are seriously at odds over Syria and the Turkish shooting down of a Russian military jet last month. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who called the downing of the plane a “stab in the back”, has since imposed economic sanctions on Turkey as a retaliatory measure. -Reuters

FA I LU R E T O R E M O V E R A C I S T H AT E S P E E C H

Facebook building damaged in Germany

VANDALISM: The message ‘facebook Dislike’ is written on the

wall of a building where US social media giant Facebook has its German headquarters in Hamburg, northern Germany, on Saturday. A group of 15 to 20 people damaged the Germany headquarters Facebook, police said. - AFP

BERLIN: Vandals have damaged the entrance to a building in Hamburg that houses the ofﬁces of social network Facebook, smashing glass, throwing paint and spraying “Facebook dislike” on a wall, police in the northern German city said on Sunday. Police said in a statement the overnight attack was carried out by a group of 15-20 people wearing black clothes and hoods. Probe on An investigation has been launched. Facebook was not immediately available to comment. The European head of Facebook is under investigation in Germany over the social network’s alleged failure to remove racist hate speech. The investigation was announced last month as German politicians and celebrities voiced concern about the

rise of anti-foreigner comments in German on Facebook and other social media as the country struggles to cope with a refugee inﬂux. Facebook’s Managing Director Northern, Central and Eastern Europe Martin Ott, who is based in Hamburg, may be held responsible for the social platform not removing hate speech, a spokeswoman for the prosecution said last month. A Facebook spokesperson last month declined to comment on a possible investigation, adding “we can say that the allegations lack merit and there has been no violation of German law by Facebook or its employees.” Facebook has a partnership with a group called FSM, which voluntarily monitors multimedia service providers, and has said it would encourage its users to push back against racism. -Reuters

IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS

Brazilians stage protest to demand Rousseff’s ouster SAO PAULO: Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets on Sunday to demand President Dilma Rousseff’s ouster in the ﬁrst nationwide protests since formal impeachment proceedings began against the leftist leader. A congressional committee is considering her impeachment for allegedly violating budget laws to increase spending during her 2014 re-election campaign. But many Brazilians are more upset about a deepening recession and a corruption scandal that has ensnared many in her party. “We are tired. We want change. Out with this corrupt gang!” one activist shouted into a loudspeaker in the capital Brasilia, where police estimated a maximum 6,000 people were gathered

in front of Congress, in the smallest of four main protests this year. Lower House Speaker Eduardo Cunha opened impeachment proceedings on December 2. Currently the opposition is not thought to have the votes to impeach Rousseff, who denies mishandling public accounts and has pledged to fight impeachment with all legal tools available in order to finish her second term. If the house committee decides in favour of impeachment, the process will go to a full vote on the house floor, where the opposition needs two-thirds of the votes to begin a 180-day impeachment trial in the Senate. During that trial, Rousseff would be suspended and replaced by Vice President Michel Temer. - Reuters

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2015

MARKE

Inflation falls in November However, year-on-year average inflation during the first eleven months edged up by 0.08 per cent, NCSI data shows

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman’s consumer price index (CPI)-based inflation registered a decline of 0.55 per cent in November compared to the same period of last year. However, year-on-year average inflation during the first eleven months marginally increased by 0.08 per cent, according to latest data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). Also, compared to October, the Sultanate’s inflation in November

posted a decline of 0.02 per cent. The food and non-alcoholic beverages group which carries a weightage of nearly 24 per cent in the CPI basket witnessed a price fall of 1.48 per cent in November this year compared to last year. Bread and cereals prices went down 1.34 per cent, ﬁsh and seafood by 15.21 per cent, meat 0.41 per cent, milk, cheese and eggs by 0.50 per cent, oils and fats by 0.47 per cent, and non-alcoholic beverages by 0.44 per cent in November compared to the same month in 2014.

Sub-segments that witnessed price rise in November as against last year include fruits (0.42 per cent), vegetables (2.53 per cent), sugar-confectionary (0.85 per cent), and other food products (0.45 per cent). Tobacco products became costlier by 2.62 per cent, while clothing and footwear prices went down by 0.13 per cent. Housing, water, electricity and fuels set logged a price rise of 0.57 per cent, while furnishing, household appliances and maintenance costs declined by 0.17 per cent in November compared to same month last year. Health set also witnessed higher inﬂation at 2.98 per cent, as also education at 3.03 per cent. Restaurants and hotels set logged a price rise of 0.03 per cent. At the same time, transport and communication segment registered a price fall of 1.22 per cent and 3.13 per cent,respectively.

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AL MAHA FINANCIAL REPORT

Telecom, oil marketing companies expected to pay higher dividends A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Telecommunication service providers and oil marketing companies are expected to maintain their dividend payments this year. Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) and Ooredoo Oman, the two telecom service providers, demonstrated a steady financial performance for the first nine months of this year, supported by healthy top line growth mitigating impact of higher costs including depreciation and on-recurrent expenses to some extent, according to a study conducted by Al Maha Financial Services. Low risk opportunities Cash dividends of Oman’s listed companies assume great significance as investors seek high dividend and low-risk investment opportunities in view of the current market scenario. “We expect oil marketing com-

panies too to maintain their track record of steady cash returns supported by steady earnings and strong balance sheets, paying out around 60 per cent of their combined earnings for the year, in line with their average historic payout,” noted the report. Al Maha Petroleum “Of the three ﬁrms, Al Maha Petroleum is expected to offer the higher yield of 5.7 per cent at an expected payout of 71 per cent, equaling a dividend of 110 baisas as last year.” However, industrial sector, cement manufacturers and ceramic tiles makers have been impacted with the doubling of natural gas prices from January 2015. Cement companies have posted around 30 per cent drop in ninemonth proﬁts on a year-on-year basis. However, the two cement producers in Oman are capable of continuing their combined average historical payout of around 65 per cent, supported by high

retained earnings, added Al Maha report. The ceramic tile firms, which were impacted by rise in gas prices, higher expenses and pressure on top line, also posted a 20 per cent fall in earnings for the first nine months of 2015. Average yield Al Maha report also noted that the Muscat Securities Market continues to be among the top bourses in the Gulf region with an average yield of 4.3 per cent over the last five years, which is also above riskfree rate of return in Oman. “Although the Muscat Securities Market too has fallen in line with the major GCC markets, its valuations are at a discount comparted to its regional peers,” Al Maha report further added.

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M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

MARKET FA C I L I T I E S M A NA G E M E N T

D U B A I B I G 5 G A I A AWA R D S

Qurum Business Group firm, Oman Arab Bank sign deal Times News Service MUSCAT: QBG Facilities Management (QBGFM), a Qurum Business Group company, has signed an agreement with Oman Arab Bank (OAB), to provide its full suite of integrated facilities management (IFM) solutions for the bank’s headquarters in Muscat. The agreement makes OAB one of the first organisations in Oman to partner with one single company to fulfil its entire facilities management requirements. “Our partnership with OAB is truly an honour as we will be able to showcase the many advantages companies can gain when they hire an integrated facilities management provider instead of multiple suppliers to each deliver a single service. Not only will OAB benefit from QBG FM’s full range of dynamic and flexible services including consultancy, the bank will also cut costs without compromising quality, benefiting from economies of scale,” said Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Ahmed Al Hosni, vice chairman and group managing director of QBG.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: QBGFM is a subsidiary of Qurum Business Group, one of the region’s leading diversiﬁed business solutions providers. - Supplied picture

“It is a pleasure to welcome QBGFM as our IFM partner and we are conﬁdent their expertise will allow our facility to reach maximum efficiency while enhancing service levels and quality,” commented Amin Rasheed Al Husseini, CEO of OAB. “We decided tosignthis pact with QBGFM due to its longstanding history, its proven track

record of delivering nothing but the best, and most importantly, its ability to provide OAB with an integrated facilities management approach that I am conﬁdent will add value to the bank.” QBGFM is an Omani-owned company with a signiﬁcant presence in the UAE and the Sultanate. Since beginning operations in 1987, the company has emerged as

a major player in the regional FM industry with more than 500clients in the GCC alone. QBG FMoffers the full range of hard and soft FM services, complemented by industry-leading consultancy. From core engineering services such as complex maintenance of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, to soft services such as cleaning, security, landscaping, pest control and façade cleaning, the company has been helping client’s in the region achieve their facilities’ full potential. QBGFM is a subsidiary of Qurum Business Group, one of the region’s leading international diversiﬁed business solutions’ providers. The group has delivered its management expertise, local knowledge and solutions to a growing roster of business sectors in Oman, the region, and the world. Qurum Business Group’s extensive portfolio also includes construction, engineering and marine services, information technology, staffing solutions, landscaping and ﬁnancial services, as well as a number of joint ventures with leading companies from Oman and abroad.

Abu Malak Global group bags award Times News Service MUSCAT: Abu Malak Global Enterprise (AMGE) Group, one of the leading renewable energy solution providers in the Sultanate, recently won a prestigious award as a ﬁnalist for innovation in Green Technology among 289 participants at the Dubai BIG 5 Gaia Awards, where it showcased the special design series pole wrapped solar street lights, manufactured by Inovus Inc, USA. Abu Malak is the sole distributor of Inovus’s solar street lights in the Middle East and North Africa region, according to a press release. Inovus Solar street lights have been judged best suited for the adverse climates found in the Middle East, with a zero maintenance assurance for 10 years. Inovus Design series solar street lights are dirt free and easy to clean. Invus uses LFP batteries that are guaranteed for more than 10 years, which is the longest lasting battery in the industry. “The award comes as a recognition to AMGE and Inovus Solar for their sustained efforts to introduce this green technology product in the Mena region,” said

– Supplied picture

T E Shibi Chandran, managing director of AMGE. AMGE earlier installed Inovus Solar Street Lights for Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and won praise for its guaranteed performance, out-performing other existing solar street lighting technologies. Gaia has grown into the industry’s most respected awards, honoring those construction equipment and products that have integrated the concept of moving towards a more sustainable environment. The awards are open to not only exhibitors, but also to non-exhibitors whose products are distributed within the Mena region.

Climate deal needs $16.5 trillion investment to reduce pollution The targets outlined in the agreement on Saturday, involving 195 countries, will require $16.5 trillion of spending on renewables and efficiency through 2030, according to the International Energy Agency

PARIS: Deal struck at United Nations climate talks requires an overhaul of historic proportions for energy policies worldwide and a huge investment in cleaning up the pollution now damaging the Earth’s atmosphere. Targets outlined in the agreement on Saturday, involving 195 countries, will require $16.5 trillion of spending on renewables and efficiency through 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). To accomplish that, governments will have to offer incentives for clean energy

production, scale back support for fossil fuels like oil, make emissions more costly, and reduce deforestation. The changes will touch industries from transport to construction, and encourage people to change their behaviour. “The strength of the agreement is that it allows a thousand policy ﬂowers to bloom,” Paul Bledsoe, a climate aide during US President Bill Clinton’s administration, said in an interview in Paris, where the deal was sealed. “This sends a powerful economic signal that fossil fuels will be saddled with ﬁnan-

cial and legal premiums to remain part of the energy mix, and clean energy will enjoy subsidies.” Deal aims to limit global temperature increase since the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), while calling on nations to “pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees.” That more ambitious goal implies vast cuts to emissions from burning fossil fuels. “Politically as well as technologically, this is no walk in the park,” said Ottmar Edenhofer, chief economist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research Institute near Berlin, and a lead author of the UN’s most rigorous assessment of climate economics. The target may trigger “a fundamental shift of investments towards renewables, energy efﬁciency, and carbon capture and storage,” he said. Policies such as carbon pricing through markets or taxes, and planting trees while burning biomass rather than fossil fuels, will also be needed, and in a 1.5-degree

scenario, they’ll need to be stepped up, Edenhofer said. Pledges to limit carbon Pledges to limit carbon from 187 nations aren’t yet enough to hold to a 2-degree pathway, let alone 1.5 degrees. according to researchers at the Climate Action Tracker, a group of four European institutions, who estimate the measures will cap the rise at 2.7 degrees. While those changes would be small for a single day, applied to the world they mark a shift in the climate that’s quicker than the one that ended the last ice age. That would mean “high risks by climate extremes, commitment to multimeter sea-level rise and detrimental impacts for global agriculture and food security,” said Bill Hare, chief executive officer of Climate Analytics, a Berlin-based research group. “It would also lead to complete loss of coral reefs and serious impacts on water resources in many regions.” Keeping that in mind, envoys in Paris established a review process that would ensure countries look

at their targets every five years, with a view to stepping up ambition based on advances in technologies and declining costs of clean energy. National emissions goals enshrined in the pact are voluntary, though binding transparency rules mean nations “risk a pariah status if they flout their pledges,” according to Bledsoe, the former Clinton aide. “The heart of the deal is emissions monitoring. The only way we’re going to be able to compel compliance is through accurate data.” The IEA’s figures reflect the costs of nations reaching the voluntary commitments they made under the Paris programme plus an estimate of what it would take to bring temperatures down to the 2-degree target. “The 2 degree target as it stands now is very challenging to meet,” Fatih Birol, director general of the IEA, said in Paris on December 9. “We need to accelerate our efforts even further to reach 1.5 degrees.” The new system will place more rigorous requirements on the largest developing countries, such as

China and India, to monitor and report their emissions and the progress made toward their targets. That’s important because developing nations account for more than half of global emissions and the agreement can’t succeed without them reducing their greenhouse gases. Undermines trust “If people don’t know if others are delivering on their promises, it undermines trust in the whole framework and makes them reluctant to increase their cuts in the future,” said Nick Mabey, chief executive officer of the UK policy analyst E3G, who as a climate adviser to former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair. New deal doesn’t take effect until 2020. Over the next ﬁve years, governments will have to complete the rules for the various mechanisms set up in the agreement on transparency and technology transfer. It won’t come into force until at least 55 parties, accounting for 55 per cent of global emissions, have ratiﬁed it. — Bloomberg News

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Schneider Electric launches latest ‘smart panel’ in Oman Times News Service MUSCAT: Schneider Electric, a global leader in energy management and automation, recently presented its latest Smart Panel to Oman-based customers, including consultants, contractors, building owners and facility managers at a launch event, held at InterContinental Muscat. During the event, company experts also shed light on its new brand strategy, ‘Life is On,’ and the importance of connectivity to overall energy management and smart living. They illustrated the benefits of Smart Panel through a demonstration and its role in energy efficiency, said a company release. Results of online survey indicated that 43 per cent of respondents attributed cost of energy and contract optimisation as their biggest challenge in energy management, whereas others pointed out to maintenance issues (21 per cent), quality of energy solutions (31 per cent) and system downtime (5 per cent). Meanwhile, around 39 per cent saw increased energy efficiency as the most prominent benefit of Smart Panel. Almost half the respondents prioritised other benefits (24 per cent chose energy monitoring, 14 per cent said it was improved power stability) and others appreciated reduced costs and ease of implementation or use. When

DEMONSTRATION: Smart panel is a product through which building owners and individuals can use less power while retaining the same level of performance. - Supplied picture

questioned about key trends in utilities, 28 per cent chose advanced metering infrastructure, 19 per cent chose asset performance management and 15 per cent chose advanced analytics. Speaking at the event, Enrique Pastor, vice president for partner projects and industry businesses, Gulf Countries and Pakistan, Schneider Electric, said, “The GCC is investing heavily in infrastructure to cater to rising urban population, mega-events in the pipeline and the growing demand for better and smarter connectivity. Since buildings consume almost 40 per cent of the energy used globally, we must implement better solutions as we combat the energy challenge.This includes daily management of power in an intelligent way. Our latest smart panel

is a product through which building owners and individuals can use less power while retaining the same level of performance.” “This solution is a step towards helping consumers monitor energy usage patterns and curb power usage to reduce the long-term carbon footprint. We are happy to present the Smart Panel to our trusted network of business partners in Oman, as it is an excellent example of how connectivity can steer environmental change.” The Smart Panel adds value in three stages - measure, connect and save. In the ﬁrst stage, it automates energy consumption metering through the year, helping owners control low voltage incoming panels and respective block cabinet panels to effectively manage energy.

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

MARKET Ample scope for joint development of mines by the Sultanate and Iran Doagouei also explained that Golgohar company has an annual net proﬁt of about $500 million and has around 10 factories involved in processing iron ore and producing iron ore concentrate, pallets and sponge iron, all with the use of modern equipment and machinery.

More opportunities will open up after the removal of trade sanctions against Iran and the full operation of the planned shipping lines between the two countries, said an Iranian official

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: There is huge potential for cooperation between Iran and Oman in the mining sector, especially when it comes to the implementation of joint projects and exchange of knowledge, said an Iranian official. Even more opportunities will open up after the removal of the sanctions against Iran and the full operation of the planned shipping lines between the two countries, said Abbas Doagouei, managing director of Gate Investment Delta. Speaking to the Times of Oman, Doagouei, who is also an investment consultant at Golgohar Mining and Industrial Company, said Gate Investment Delta is affiliated

MEMENTO: Abbas Doagouei, managing director of Gate Investment Delta and investment consultant at Golgohar (left), presents a memento to Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. — Supplied picture

with Golgohar company, which is one of the largest iron ore and iron pellet producers in Iran. Golgohar’s products “Gate Investment Delta was established in Oman around ﬁve years ago. We sell Golgohar’s products like iron ore concentrate, sponge iron and other iron and steel products in Oman and other international markets,” Doagouei noted. The products exported from

Iran to Oman are either used in Oman or re-exported to other countries, he said on the sidelines of the ﬁrst Oman Minerals and Mining Exhibition and Conference held recently in Muscat. “In addition, we source equipment for Golgohar company from Oman and other countries,” Doagouei said. Commenting on Golgohar company, the official said it is located in Kerman Province,around 55km

southwest of Sirjan City, which is very rich in mineral resources, including coal, copper, gold and most importantly, iron ore. Mines Golgohar’s mines contain six ore bodies spread over an area of 40 square kilometres, with an estimated deposit of 1.1 billion tonnes in total. The major ore body has a deposit of more than 650 million tons.

Auto sales buck soft retail spending trends BARRY L RITHOLTZ

AVE a look at retail sales. They have been fairly soft, disappointing, or whatever measured phrases like “OK, not terrible, but not great” that analysts and commentators favor to indicate mediocrity. Nearly all consumer spending reports are showing soft to ﬂat data. There is one notable exception, however, and that’s automobiles. Cars and light trucks purchased for homes and businesses are selling at a record pace -- a run rate of more than 18 million vehicles this calendar year. Why is that? Aside from the generally improving US economy, there are three reasons we can point to: falling gas prices, the aging of America’s auto ﬂeet and credit availability. Falling gas prices affects both the kind of autos purchased as well as total sales. When gas prices drop substantially, sales of hybrids and smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles tend to fall, while larger, less-efficient sport utility vehicles, trucks and large sedans see more sales. A Bloomberg analysis from last year shows it takes decades to make up the premium cost of a hybrid over a comparable conventional fuel-efficient compact. With the exception of Teslas, electric car sales fall, too (though some claim that plug-in cars have not been especially impacted by falling gas prices). Data from Autodata show that through August of this year, US auto dealers sold nearly 600,000 more SUVs and pickups than in

Where we really saw a move up in fleet age was during and after the Great Recession. New car sales dropped to below six million annual units, down from a more typical range of 10 million to 15 million vehicles sold. That lack of a few million new cars raised the overall age commensurately

the first eight months of 2014, and almost 168,000 fewer cars. Consumers with more cash in their wallets are buying more vehicles; of those increased purchases, we see larger vehicles — which thrills manufacturers, as these have much higher profit margins as well. Perhaps part of the reason for this increase is the age of the 254.4 million vehicles on America’s roads. In 2007, the overall median age of an automobile in the US was 9.4 years, a significant increase over 1990 (6.5 years) and 1969 (5.1 years). While automobiles today are of better quality and, therefore, last longer, that does not completely explain the recent big jump in the age of the fleet. Where we really saw a move up in fleet age was during and after the Great Recession. New car sales dropped to below six million annual units, down from a more typical range of 10 million to 15 million vehicles sold. That lack of a few million new cars raised the overall age commensurately. The fleet age hit 11.4 years in 2013, according to Polk, before

MAJOR PROJECTS OFFERED

Cairo seeks Saudi investments CAIRO: Egypt said Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will visit Cairo within days as the two governments prepare to discuss aid and major investments to support an Egyptian economy struggling amid a dollar crunch hurting business activity. Egyptian officials will present to Saudi Arabia “major” investment opportunities in areas including housing, education and energy, the cabinet said in a

Projects in Iran “There is a project for steel production in Sirjan, which is worth around $330 million,” he said, adding that foreign investors can also invest in water pipeline projects. Another project worth around $660 million involves constructing a pipeline from Bandar Abbas to Golgohar and toSarcheshmeh in Rafsanjan and then to Yazd, Doagouei explained. “We have implemented the ﬁrst phase of the project for laying a 300-km pipeline and a water desalination plant in Bandar Abbas

Oman plans Asked about Golgohar’s projects in Oman, he said the company had requested around two years ago for allocation of an area for mineral exploration in Ibra. “The initial agreements were made but the plan has still not been finalised due to some differences of opinion on the size of the area,” he said. “Also, we have obtained a land in Soharport and there is a plan to establish a steel factory there but it can only be set up if the Ibra plan is finalised. If enough deposit is available there, minerals can be transferred to the Sohar plant where iron ore concentrate can be produced,” Doagouei added. Exchange of expertise Additionally, he said Iranian and Omani companies can share knowledge and experience in the mining sector. “For instance, in Golgohar, we are keen to offer our expertise to companies in Oman in the fields of exploration, processing and steel production,” noted the investment consultant at Golgohar. There are 600 engineers specialised in mining and minerals industry at Golgohar, Doagouei concluded.

ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

C O M M E N TA RY

Export services According to him, the company uses a train with 700 wagonsto transport the products from Golgohar to the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, from where the materials are shipped to other countries. “Around 2 million tons of materials are exported by the company annually,” he said, adding that Golgohar company has around 3,000 personnel. The managing director of Gate Investment Delta said his company in Muscat is ready to handle any request for Golgohar’s products. Doagouei also encouraged Omani and other foreign companies to invest in some of the projects that Golgohar is implementing.

with a daily production of 200,000 m3 is about to start its operation,” he said. Foreign investors can participate in the construction of the remaining sections of the water pipeline and another desalination plant that is required, Doagouei noted, adding that there is a plan to build a power plant as well.

statement. A government official earlier said that Egypt also plans to seek oil and non-oil products, development aid, as well as foreign-exchange deposits at the central bank to bolster its foreign reserves, down 50 per cent since the 2011 uprising. Egypt’s prime minister Sherif Ismail will lead the talks along with Crown Prince Mohammed. The dollar squeeze has fueled rumours that authorities would be forced to devalue the pound. -Bloomberg News

reaching a record 11.5 years this summer. Note also that 2009’s Cash for Clunkers programme — criticised by many as inefficient and ineffective — took 690,000 cars off the road. These vehicles were ostensibly older and less fuel-efficient than average. The third, and in my opinion most important, reason for the sales boom has been credit availability. Unlike home mortgages and even traditional credit cards, loans for autos have been readily available. This is true regardless of factors that would prevent the average shopper from qualifying for a mortgage. According to research by the New York Fed last year, buyers in the lowest credit-score category (less than 620) account for the second-highest amount of auto loan originations. That makes it very clear that credit to purchase or lease vehicles is readily available. Several people have warned that subprime auto loans are setting the US economy up for a 2005-2009-like subprime housing bust. Although subprime auto loans are defaulting at

about an eight per cent rate, this is not the same as the subprime mortgage collapse. The NY Fed also noted that “the volume of subprime mortgages outstanding in 2007 was nearly four times the volume of subprime auto loans outstanding today ($250 billion).” Consider this: It takes nearly 500 days from default to foreclosure to repossession of a home. On the other hand, the timeline for repo’ing a car is nearly instant. The bank or lease company is the owner of the vehicle, and the possessor of the car is merely its authorised user — not an owner. He or she does not become the owner until it is paid off. Miss a few payments, and your car is remotely disabled and the repo man shows up to collect either a payment or the car itself. These days, vehicles are easily tracked, by its own electronics as well as a vast network of surveillance components. Those missed payments will get your (and I use “your” loosely) car back on the used-car lot in as little as a week. One last caveat: The NY Fed believes that “in the short- run a 100-basis-point increase in interest rates will cause light vehicle production to fall at an annual rate of 12 per cent and sales to fall at an annual rate of 3.25 percent. Auto sales reveal to us the dependence of the American consumer on cheap, readily available credit. Make credit more difficult to obtain, and decreased spending follows. As credit availability goes, so goes retail sales (and homes and autos and durable goods). — Bloomberg View

Bangladesh urged to further develop its capital market DHAKA: Asian Development Bank (ADB) encouraged Bangladesh on Saturday to use the more than $553 million it has provided so far in loans to develop a capital market and attract private investors. Bangladesh aims to become a middle income country (MIC) by 2021. “A well-functioning capital market can catalyse private sector investment in infrastructure and other sectors creating employment and economic growth,” Kazuhiko Higuchi, the ADB’s country director in Bangladesh, told Reuters in an interview. The ADB has been supporting government efforts to develop the capital market in Bangladesh for more than two decades and has recently signed agreements with the government for the third such programme, he said, meaning funding is likely to continue. This will support policy actions to strengthen the capital market regulator, boost institutional investor demand, broaden the supply of ﬁnancial instruments, and promote a more liquid government bond market, Higuchi said, supporting the drive for middle-income status. Last month 28 representatives of Bangladesh’s development partners, meeting in Dhaka, said the government should raise spending on infrastructure to $12 billion annually, particularly for energy, transport and ports, and aim to attract private sector investors rather than depending on aid.

During this meeting the ADB promised $5 billion in loans to Bangladesh from 2016 to 2018, mainly to improve infrastructure. “A strong and well-functioning capital market can help to boost the funds dedicated for the infrastructure development sector,” Higuchi said. Improving transparency The government has outlined measures to improve the transparency and efficiency of the capital market and encourage private sector financing in a fiveyear plan to June 2020. Higuchi said Bangladesh has made some progress in developing its capital market but needs to do more to strengthen its regulation. “The market participants need to adopt information and communication technology for enhanced effectiveness, efficiency and transparency,” he said. He suggested ways to broaden and deepen the capital market, including bringing in international strategic investors as shareholders, which would help to improve governance and technology, and more institutional investors, such as insurance companies. It could also tap into demand for Islamic financial instruments. “The capital market lacks the desired depth and breadth because of an absence of alternative financial instruments, such as derivatives and sukuks, a Shariacompliant bond,” Higuchi further added. — Reuters

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

MARKET MSM index ends lower

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................5,447.09 ...............5,414.99 ................... 5,414.99 ....................5,451.21................-36.22 .................. -0.66 Financial Index .................................... 6,566.80 .............. 6,502.21 ................... 6,502.21 ................... 6,571.64................-69.43 .................. -1.06 Industrial Index ....................................6,798.33 ............... 6,763.81 ....................6,763.81 ................... 6,798.33................-34.52 .................. -0.51 Services Index .......................................3,106.38 .............. 3,089.50 ................... 3,089.50 ................... 3,106.38................ -16.88 .................. -0.54 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................862.56 ..................858.56 .......................858.56 ...................... 862.56..................-4.00 .................. -0.46 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 9,628,306 ....................1,673,754 .................... 430 ............... 14,505,478,321 ...................1 ......................19 .................... 11..........................31

As many as 430 trades were executed on Sunday, generating a turnover of OMR1.7

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13

million on a volume of 9.6 million shares ISIN ......................................SECURITY NAME ..................................................................VOLUME..... TURNOVER............TRADES ......OPEN PRICE......HIGH ............. LOW ........ CLOSE PR. ...PREV. CLOSE...DIFF (RO).........DIFF % .............LAST PR.....LAST BID .............LAST OFFER ........MARKET CAP.PAR VALUE

MUSCAT: Amid low turnover and retail investor selling, the MSM30 Index retreated 0.66 per cent to close at 5,414.99 points. The Sharia Index fell 0.46 per cent to close at 858.56 points. Bank Nizwa was the most active in terms of volume while Al Anwar Holding led in terms of turnover. There were no equity gainers on Sunday, while Al Hassan Engineering, down by 6.67 per cent, was the top loser. As many as 430 trades were executed on Sunday, generating turnover of OMR1.7 million with 9.6 million shares changing hands. Out of 31 traded securities, one advanced, 19 declined and 11 remained unchanged. GCC and Arab investors remained net buyers for OMR47,000, while foreign investors were net sellers for OMR28,000 followed by Omani investors for OMR19,000 worth of shares. Financial Index was the big loser today, down 1.06 per cent, to close at 6,502.21 points. Bank Nizwa, Al Anwar Holding, United Finance, Al Sharqia Investments and Ominvest declined by 4.05 per cent, 3.09 per cent, 2.68 per cent, 2.02 per cent and 1.86 per cent, respectively. Industrial Index closed negatively at 6,763.81 points, down by 0.51 per cent. Al Hassan Engineering, Al Jazeera Steel, Oman Fisheries, Oman Cables and Galfar Engineering declined by 6.67 per cent, 3.76 per cent, 3.70 per cent, 2.57 per cent and 1.35 per cent, respectively. Services Index declined 0.54

per cent to end the session at 3,089.50 points. Qatar bourse falls Qatari stocks led a retreat in Middle Eastern markets as oil’s decline to a seven-year low, scant evidence of a pick-up in Chinese growth and the prospect of a US interest-rate increase next week unsettled investors across the region. The QE Index sank 3.7 per cent to close below 10,000, a key support level, for the ﬁrst time since November 2013 and Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slumped to the lowest since 2012 as of 1:42 p.m. in Riyadh. The DFM General Index chalked up the longest losing streak in a year on investor concern that companies in Dubai, the Middle East’s commercial hub, may suffer if Gulf governments reduce spending next year. The ADX General Index in Abu Dhabi, home to about 6 per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves, lost 2.1 per cent. Emerging markets posted their worst week since September as investors brace for the Federal Reserve’s meeting. Markets across the six- member Gulf Cooperation Council are being additionally roiled by a rout in crude prices that is stoking concern countries will pare back budgets. Oil, their main source of revenue, has extended losses since the Opec Countries chose to keep ﬂooding the market at its December 4 meeting.

REGULAR MARKET ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING................1,150 .....................99........................1 ........... 0.086 ...........0.086 ...........0.086........... 0.090 .............0.090 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.086..............0.087...................0.090 ..................10,968,750 .........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ............................... 236,875 ............71,063........................9 ........... 0.300...........0.300 ...........0.300 .......... 0.300 .............0.300 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.300 .............0.295...................0.300 ..................88,864,105 .........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ...................................25,030 ............ 50,060........................7 ........... 2.000...........2.000 ...........2.000 .......... 2.000 .............2.000 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.000 .............1.980...................2.000 ................ 190,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..........................44,018 .............67,348..................... 10 ............1.530 ........... 1.530 ...........1.530 ............1.530 ............. 1.530............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.530 .............. 1.530...................1.560................ 1,147,500,000 ......0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ...........................................................745 .................. 307........................2 ............0.412 ........... 0.412 ...........0.412 ........... 0.414 ............. 0.414............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.412 ..............0.412...................0.416...................25,047,000.........0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER.................................................................5,160 ................1,816........................3 ........... 0.352 ...........0.352 ...........0.352........... 0.352 .............0.352 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.352..............0.352...................0.360 .................. 77,795,520 .........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO........................................................................ 50,000 ............ 35,800........................2 ............0.716 ........... 0.716............0.716 ............0.716 ............. 0.716............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.716 ..............0.704................... 0.716 ..................466,076,069 .......0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH............................................... 25,000 .............64,125........................2 ........... 2.565 ........... 2.565 ...........2.565........... 2.565 .............2.565 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.565............. 2.320...................2.560 .................244,847,705........1.000 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 125,000 ........... 33,950........................4 ........... 0.274 ........... 0.274 ...........0.270........... 0.272 .............0.274 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.730 ...............0.270..............0.266...................0.274..................364,673,188........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 1,083,995 .......207,791......................13 ............0.194 ........... 0.195 ...........0.190........... 0.192 .............0.194 ...........-0.002 ............-1.031................0.190..............0.190...................0.194.................. 137,166,017 ........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 350,574 ............57,543..................... 10 ............0.165 ........... 0.165 ...........0.162 ........... 0.164 ............. 0.166............-0.002 ........... -1.205 ...............0.162 ..............0.162...................0.163................... 47,666,767 .........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 395,622 ......... 186,602......................21 ............0.474 ........... 0.474 ...........0.470........... 0.472 .............0.478 ...........-0.006 ............-1.255................0.474..............0.472...................0.478................ 1,081,740,266 ......0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL...............................................10,000 .................. 780........................1 ........... 0.078 ........... 0.078 ...........0.078........... 0.078 .............0.079 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.266 ...............0.078..............0.078...................0.079...................13,650,000 .........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 115,388 ...............8,423........................5 ........... 0.073 ........... 0.073 ...........0.073........... 0.073 .............0.074 ...........-0.001 ............-1.351 ................0.073..............0.070...................0.072................... 21,168,587 .........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 386,773............ 20,742......................11 ............0.055 ........... 0.055 ...........0.052........... 0.054 .............0.055 ...........-0.001 ............-1.818................0.053..............0.053...................0.057....................11,186,175..........0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST ......................................................................20,789 ............... 8,778........................5 ........... 0.430 ...........0.430 ...........0.420........... 0.422 .............0.430 ...........-0.008 ........... -1.860 ...............0.420..............0.420...................0.430 .................233,307,613 ........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING .............55,000 ............... 5,315........................6 ........... 0.098 ...........0.098 ...........0.094........... 0.097 .............0.099 ...........-0.002 ........... -2.020 ...............0.095..............0.094...................0.095....................8,730,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 917,608 .......... 176,043........................8 ............0.195 ........... 0.195 ...........0.190........... 0.192 ............. 0.196............-0.004 ........... -2.041 ...............0.191 .............. 0.191...................0.195 ..................129,578,387 ........0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY......................................15,000 ............ 25,550........................4 ............1.710 ............1.710............1.700 ............1.705 ............. 1.750............-0.045 ............-2.571................1.700 .............. 1.650................... 1.705 ..................152,938,500........0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 152,891 .............16,632........................5 ............0.109 ........... 0.109 ...........0.107 ........... 0.109 ............. 0.112............-0.003 ........... -2.679 ...............0.107 ..............0.107...................0.108...................33,873,379 .........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 1,474,891.......232,090..................... 85 ............0.158 ........... 0.158 ...........0.155 ............0.157 .............0.162............-0.005 ........... -3.086 ...............0.157 .............. 0.157...................0.158................... 23,561,775 .........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 792,500 ......... 101,303..................... 55 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.126........... 0.128 ............. 0.133............-0.005 ............-3.759................0.127 ..............0.124...................0.127...................15,986,939 .........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 197,528 .............31,068......................21 ............0.158 ........... 0.160 ...........0.155 ............0.157 .............0.164............-0.007 ........... -4.268 ...............0.155 .............. 0.152...................0.155 ...................31,400,000.........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 6,481,537 ...1,403,228...................290 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......23........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING .....................................16,500 ...............5,940........................2 ........... 0.360 ...........0.360 ...........0.360........... 0.360 .............0.360 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.360..............0.324...................0.360 ...................2,160,000 ..........1.000 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 158,875...............5,243........................7 ........... 0.033 ...........0.033 ...........0.033........... 0.033 .............0.033 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.033..............0.032...................0.033....................2,805,000 ..........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 373,467 ............53,779..................... 32 ............0.144 ........... 0.144 ...........0.144........... 0.144 .............0.144 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.144..............0.143...................0.144..................210,614,610 ........0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 259,873 ........... 16,900......................13 ........... 0.066 ...........0.066 ...........0.065........... 0.065 .............0.066 ...........-0.001 ............-1.515 ................0.065..............0.065...................0.066...................65,000,000.........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .........................................................8,240 ..................429........................3 ........... 0.054 ...........0.054 ...........0.052........... 0.052 .............0.054 ...........-0.002 ........... -3.704 ...............0.052..............0.052...................0.054 ...................6,500,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 1,785,314 ....... 127,308..................... 79 ........... 0.073 ........... 0.073 ...........0.071 ............0.071 .............0.074 ...........-0.003 ........... -4.054 ...............0.072.............. 0.071...................0.072................. 106,500,000 .......0.100 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING....................................14,000 ..................980........................3 ........... 0.070 ...........0.070 ...........0.070........... 0.070 .............0.075 ...........-0.005 ........... -6.667 ...............0.070..............0.070...................0.075....................5,264,560 ..........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 2,616,269 ...... 210,579................... 139 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 7........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ...................... 530,500 ........... 59,947........................1 ............0.113 ........... 0.113............0.113 ............0.113 ............. 0.112.............0.001 ............. 0.893 ................0.113 .............. 0.112................... 0.113 ...................34,210,650 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 530,500 ........... 59,947........................1 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. .........1........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

- United Securities/Bloomberg News

2016 FORECAST

Australian miners raising exports to offset falling prices SYDNEY: Price of Australia’s top export has been almost slashed in half this year. That makes it all the more surprising economists increasingly see iron ore propping up growth as they assemble their 2016 forecasts. The reason: Australian producers are making up for the price destruction by doubling down on volume, in the process worsening a global supply glut. There is even a new entrant to the market — Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, last week oversaw her company’s ﬁrst shipment of iron ore to South Korea. The surging exports are also papering over a massive drag on the economy from collapsing mining investment and could account

for most of next year’s growth, according to Citigroup and Goldman Sachs Group. Still, the fall in commodity prices will hurt fiscal revenue, making it more difficult for the government to pare back a deficit and reach its goal for a surplus by the end of the decade. “We’re running faster to stand still when it comes to national income,” said James McIntyre, head of economic research at Macquarie Group in Sydney. Australia is forecasting an eight per cent rise in the volume of iron ore exports next year to 824 million metric tonnes, which would be almost double the amount the country shipped five years earlier. Goldman Sachs estimates that the country’s net exports will con-

tribute two percentage points to growth next year without which the economy would stall. Soft underbelly “Exports, mostly mining related, are expected to underpin economic growth in 2016, leaving a soft underbelly of subdued domestic demand,” said Tim Toohey, chief economist at Goldman Sachs in Australia. The anticipated growth in exports dovetails with an unexpected upswing in the labor market that is encouraging traders to pare bets on further interest-rate cuts from the already record-low two per cent. The economy recorded its biggest back-to-back monthly jobs gain since 1988 in the Octo-

ber- November period and unemployment fell to 5.8 per cent, the lowest since April 2014. Traders were pricing in late on Friday a 37 per cent chance of a rate cut by June, down from more than 50 percent at the start of the month. The latest addition to iron ore exports was the ﬁrst shipment from Rinehart’s $10 billion iron ore mine on December 10, which fulﬁlled her two-decade dream. The Roy Hill project — set to be Australia’s largest-single iron ore mine with annual production of 55 million — will contribute to declining prices, according to Citigroup, which described it in September as “an impending whale.” The producer insists its impact is

overstated, noting only about 10 per cent of output will enter spot markets. BHP Billiton to Rio Tinto Group to Brazil’s Vale are also boosting output to protect market share. The price of iron ore fell below $40 a metric tonne last week and Axiom Capital Management Inc. reckons the price collapse will extend into the $20 range by 2017, or even sooner, as the export surplus continues to grow. “None of us are thrilled with the ore price,” Rinehart said earlier this month in a speech in Sydney, insisting that Roy Hill’s production costs mean it’s better positioned than most competitors. “Australia needs to understand that there is nothing we can do about international prices and if we don’t keep

our costs down and export competitively, other nations will.” For the government, falling prices hurt revenue. In its annual budget in May, it assumed an iron ore price of $48 a tonne and an exchange rate of 77 US cents. But at the current ore price, the exchange rate would need to drop by about 10 cents from its current 72 centlevel to generate the same revenue, according to McIntyre, a former Treasury official. As a result, Treasurer Scott Morrison is likely on Monday to unveil a deterioration in the budget deﬁcit to A$38 billion for the 12 months through June, from the government’s May forecast of A$35 billion, a Bloomberg survey of economists showed on Friday. — Bloomberg News

LAST WEEK’S SELLING FRENZY

South Africa's bourse raises concerns about long-term financial stability JOHANNESBURG: Head of South Africa’s bourse said on Sunday he was concerned about long-term financial stability after last week’s selling frenzy, triggered by the unexpected sacking of the finance minister, wiped nearly $11 billion off share values. “We should not just be con-

cerned about the immediacy of market reaction but should be mindful of the longer term impact on the ﬁnancial stability of our economy,” the JSE Ltd Chief Executive Nicky Newton-King here said on Sunday. President Jacob Zuma sacked Nhlanhla Nene late on Wednes-

day in favour of a relatively unknown lawmaker, David van Rooyen, unnerving investors in an ailing economy whose investment grade status is already at risk. The JSE All-share index lost 169.6 billion rand between Thursday and Friday. - Reuters

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2015

SECTION

SLOW DOWN ENJOY THE RIDE

E-

IMES TECH STUFF

Start-up to focus on artificial intelligence Elon Musk and Peter Thiel are among the backers of OpenAI, a non-profit company introduced recently that will research novel artificial intelligence

its findings. In recent years, the field of artificial intelligence has shifted from being an obscure, dead-end backwater of computer science to one of the defining technologies of time

Non-profit organisation The non-profit has received financial backing from Musk, Thiel, cofounder of PayPal Holdings and Palantir Technologies, Reid Hoffman and others as well as companies including Amazon Web Services and Infosys. The group’s backers have committed “significant” amounts of money to funding the project, Musk said in an interview. “Think of it as at least a billion.” In recent years, the field of artificial intelligence has shifted from being an obscure, dead-end backwater of computer science to one of the defining technologies of the time. Faster computers, the availability of large data sets, and corporate sponsorship have developed the technology to a point where it powers Google’s web search sys-

Apple has suspended plans to offer a live Internet-based television service and is instead focusing on being a platform for media companies to sell directly to customers through its App Store, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. While Apple isn’t giving up entirely on releasing a live-TV service, its plan has run into resistance from media companies. — Bloomberg News

T E C H U P D AT E S

Facebook builds special servers for artificial intelligence service Facebook’s use of artificial intelligence (AI), which ranges from tools for image recognition to the filtering of the news feeds for its social network, demands special computing infrastructure. The company recently began building custom servers for its artificial intelligence workload and recently announced it would release the designs for that powerful hardware to the world — for free. It said the plan to open-source the blueprints of the servers — called “Big Sur” — would help other companies and researchers benefit from the incessant tweaking of Facebook’s developers. This follows Alphabet Inc.-subsidiary Google’s release last month of a software tool for building AI systems named TensorFlow. Microsoft, IBM, and Samsung also have released their own software tools. The servers are built around graphical processing units (GPUs) from Nvidia. GPUs are widely used in artificial intelligence because the chips have far more individual processing cores on them than traditional processors produced by Intel, making them adept at the dumb-but-numerous calculations required by AI software. — Bloomberg News

Cisco completes overhauling of its collaboration products

systems and share

lon Musk, Peter Thiel and other technology entrepreneurs are betting that talented researchers, provided enough freedom and money, can develop artificial intelligence (AI) systems as advanced as those being built by the sprawling teams at Google, Facebook and Microsoft. Along the way, they’d like to save humanity from oblivion. The pair are among the backers of OpenAI, a non-profit company introduced recently that will research novel artificial intelligence systems and share its findings. Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Motors and Space Exploration Technologies and Sam Altman, president of the Y Combinator, will serve as co-chairman.

APPLE SUSPENDS LIVE TV SERVICE

The goal of OpenAI is really somewhat straightforward, it’s what set of actions can we take that increase the probability of the future being better. We certainly do not want to have any negative surprises on this front

Elon Musk, chief executive ofﬁcer of Tesla Motors. — Bloomberg ﬁle picture

Elon Musk

Chief executive officer of Tesla Motors Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal Holdings. — Bloomberg ﬁle picture

tems, helps Facebook understand pictures, lets Tesla’s cars drive themselves autonomously on highways, and allowed IBM to beat expert humans at the game show “Jeopardy!” That development has caused as much trepidation as it has optimism. Musk, in autumn 2014, described the development of AI as being like “summoning the demon.” With OpenAI, Musk said the idea is: “if you’re going to summon anything, make sure it’s good.”

Bright future “The goal of OpenAI is really somewhat straightforward, it’s what set of actions can we take that increase the probability of the future being better,” Musk said. “We certainly don’t want to have any negative surprises on this front.” OpenAI’s chief technology officer is Greg Brockman, formerly the CTO of Stripe, a start-up valued in excess of $1 billion. Its research director is lauded AI researcher Ilya Sutskever, formerly with Google. At

Google, his work included research into the technology that became Smart Reply, the auto e-mail-writing feature, as well as systems that can learn to write their own algorithms. This year, MIT Technology Review named him one of their 35 innovators under 35. The organisation has attracted other talented researchers, whose past work ranges from developing robots that can learn to perform tasks based on human demonstrations, to software that can improve its own code to solve new problems. The idea, is that “real breakthroughs in research are serendipitous,” Brockman said, so the best way to develop powerful artificial intelligence systems is to take a group of accomplished people and give them the latitude to focus on solving novel problems. A potential criticism is that the lack of a defined commercial motivation can make it difficult to home in on a precise area for research. Strong staff “This collection of people is stunning,” said Pieter Abbeel, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley and an adviser to the company. The best measure of the organisation will be to see the reaction to its research and the ideas it fosters, Abbeel said. “I expect it’s going to be impressive and surprising,” he said. Other advisers to OpenAI include Yoshua Bengio, one of the founding figures of a powerful form of artificial intelligence called Deep Learning, and Alan Kay, a lauded American computer scientist. Wojciech Zaremba, one of OpenAI’s researchers, said the group’s openness can help serve as a balance to the narrower interests of researchers at commercial ventures. “Here Elon is saying, in a philanthropic way, ‘I have money, I want to solve AI for the good of humanity.”’ — JACK CLARK/Bloomberg News

Cisco Systems said it has completed a three-year overhaul of its collaboration products and is gearing up to offer conferencing, calling and other tools to businesses as a cloud-based service. The world’s biggest networking-equipment maker said it will sell the new products as per-user subscriptions over the Internet — freeing up customers from the need to purchase its hardware — and allowing users to choose whatever device they want to get on conference calls and share ﬁles. Its new system will also be open to outside software. Cisco, which has dominated the gear that runs the Internet with tightly connected combinations of its equipment and software, is betting that the market for conference calls and video meetings will explode if it can deliver services that are cheaper and easier to use. The company is prepared to shake up offerings that are already making it a lot of money. Revenue at the division surged 17 per cent in its most recent quarter. “This is the time you want to be disrupting yourself,” said Rowan Trollope, a Cisco vice president. “We’re removing even more barriers for it to take off.” The San Jose, California-based company has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on reworking a system that will be much easier to use than the expensive equipment that requires in-house tech support to install and maintain at most companies, Trollope said. Cisco’s new service will need only online registration and will handle everything in software, replacing collaboration tools that many think “suck,” he said. — Bloomberg News

Verizon explores acquisition of Yahoo if board decides Verizon Communications would explore a possible acquisition of Yahoo! Inc. if the tech company’s board decides to sell it, Verizon Chief Executive Officer Lowell McAdam said. McAdam, speaking in New York recently, said it still wasn’t clear what Yahoo’s board has planned for the Web portal. Yahoo directors met last week to discuss the viability of spinning off its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and whether to seek a buyer for Yahoo’s online businesses. “We’d look at it like anything else,” McAdam said at the Business Insider Ignition conference. Yahoo’s advertising technology, including the video-ad startup BrightRoll it bought last year, might be particularly attractive to Verizon, at the right price. The wireless carrier has been doubling down on online video — spending $4.4 billion earlier this year on AOL Inc. to get its ad-insertion technology — to try to fuel growth in the saturated mobile phone industry. Impediments to a sale of Yahoo, which also owns sports sites, are the fate of its stake in Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce giant, and the tax implications of a sale of that unit. McAdam’s comments on Yahoo echoed remarks by his chief financial officer, Fran Shammo, who said at another conference that the company would look at a possible deal with Yahoo “if we see there is a strategic fit and it makes sense for our shareholders.” Sarah Meron, a Yahoo spokeswoman, declined to comment. Separately, AOL said Tuesday it plans to eliminate 100 jobs under new parent Verizon, confirming a report by TechCrunch, a technology news website owned by AOL. Two-thirds of the cuts will come from the declining Internet subscription business, according to TechCrunch. AOL, an early Web pioneer, has in recent years refocused on advertising technology, which is what attracted Verizon. — Bloomberg News

MON DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

ROUND-UP Malabar Gold opens its new outlet Famous Omani footballer Imad Al Hosni inaugurated the showroom located at Gold Souq Seeb

MUSCAT: Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the leading jewellery retailer, unveiled its 142nd outlet globally and 9th outlet in Oman. Famous Omani footballer Imad Al Hosni inaugurated the showroom recently in the presence of Khamis Al Mandhri, acting chief of West Asian Department, Oman; Shamlal Ahamed M. P., managing director, International Operations; Abdul Salam K. P., group executive director, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, S. M. Basheer, Saleh Mahmoud Al Zajjali, directorgeneral of Metrology, Mansoor Al Rawahi, Najeeb K., regional head – Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Oman, media representatives and other well wishers, says a press release. This elegant showroom conveniently located at Gold Souq Seeb will be their 9th outlet in Oman. Like all other Malabar Gold & Diamonds outlets, this showroom will also display a significantly large collection of traditional as well as contemporary jewellery in gold, certified diamonds, platinum and precious stone jewellery from across the world that can hold you spell-bound with their awe-inspiring beauty. Jewellery lovers in Oman can find beautiful jewellery in 18K, 21K and 22K at the outlet in Seeb. Inaugural offer To celebrate this occasion, the group introduced fabulous inaugural offer for their customers, who will get an assured free gift on every purchase. This offer is valid at their outlet in Gold Souq Seeb until December 15. Malabar Gold & Diamonds partnered with Majan Events, Oman to ensure the event was well or-

ganised and comfortable and convenient for the spectators and the celebrity. One of the most important factors driving the group’s success are innovation in their strategies, designs, promotions and the trust Malabar Gold & Diamonds evokes. With a rich mix of traditional and trendy jewellery in gold, diamond and platinum, Malabar Gold& Diamonds is one of the most preferred destinations for quality jewellery. The combination of purest jewellery and cutting edge designs com-

bining unmatched grace and style makes their jewellery unique. The branded jewellery segment of Malabar Gold & Diamonds that includes Ethnix — handcrafted designer jewellery; Era — uncut diamond jewellery; Mine — diamonds unlimited; Divine — Indian heritage jewellery; Precia — precious gem jewellery and Starlet — kids jewellery are renowned globally for their ﬂawless craftsmanship and the impeccable style. The leap from a single store to 142 outlets globally did not happen

ANNUAL ‘SABLAH’

PROMOTION

Haya Water organises staff meeting MUSCAT: Oman Wastewater Services Company (Haya Water) works hard to reﬂect its values through the completion of its projects in a working environment of mutual respect, teamwork, professionalism and development of the employees. It also seeks to maintain the values of transparency, fairness and openness. Therefore, Haya Water recently organised an annual meeting for its staff or the so-called Haya Sablah, says a press release. It is worth mentioning that the word “Sablah” is one of the old vocabularies used in Oman which mean a place that is allocated for constructive meaningful discussions, consultations and sharing views and opinions. In other words, Sablah reﬂects great values such as harmony, agreement, cooperation and brotherhood. It is through this annual meeting between the leadership team of Haya Water and the staff, that Haya Water realises the importance of creating an environment of harmony and cooperation between its team members. In addition, Haya Water, through Sablah, aims to break down barriers between employees as well as to promote its vision and values to make Oman greener and healthier. Haya Water aims by conducting such events and activities to renew its commitment towards harnessing all powers and resources for the construction of the re-use of wastewater project. This will actively contribute to the preservation of the Omani environment from various pollutants. In addition, it will contribute to the creation of gardens, parks and water fountains as well as to expand the greenery. The treated wastewater which is used for irrigation of parks and public places, landscaping and agriculture will help the Sultanate to overcome the issue of fresh water scarcity that Oman may encounter in the future, thereby reducing the total dependence on desalinated water. Eng. Hussain Abdul Hussain, CEO of Haya Water commented on Sablah which represents transparency, openness and team spirit and said: “We are proud to meet in

overnight. It was achieved through consistent effort and an insistence on setting exceptionally high standards to meet the aspiration of customers over a period of 22 years. Their dedicated and highly skilled employees invest heart and soul in striving to achieve maximum perfection. Absolute customer satisfaction is the overriding promise in everything they do. In Oman, Malabar Gold operates showrooms at Darsait, Baushar, Ruwi, Salalah and Sohar.

Haya Sablah for the fourth consecutive year which fall within the celebrations of the 45th National Day of our beloved Oman.” He also pointed out to the company huge responsibility towards the society and the signiﬁcance of the role of Haya Water team members in the success of this vital project. He added: “We have inspired Sablah from our deep-rooted heritage that reﬂects solidity and unity between family and community members. We meet today at Sablah for the fourth year in a row to march towards a wider horizon of opportunities and build a working environment that reveals agreement and unity between Haya staff, as well as commitment to the values and principles that contribute in achieving best work practices.” Hussain stated: “Many challenges and difficulties have emerged during the execution of wastewater projects. However, the determination of everyone in Haya Water has overcome these difficulties. Haya Water seeks to achieve its objectives in a timely manner and in accordance with the approved Master Plan, despite the construction boom and population growth witnessed by the governorate of Muscat and other governorates. Haya Water will also cover the rest of the governorates of the Sultanate according to the company approved Master Plan which takes into consideration the expansion of the cities and the rapid growth of population. Haya Water is working hard to deliver the wastewater service to the wilayat of the Muscat Governorate by 80% by 2020. In addition, Haya Water has initiated the processes of design, development, management and maintenance of wastewater projects in the rest of the governorates of the Sultanate except Dhofar.”

He elaborated on Haya Water achievements and said: “It is with great pride that we address the great achievements of Haya Water which are added to the previous achievements. We are proud to illustrate some of the achievements of Haya Water and the numerous awards that the company has won locally, regionally and globally. Thankfully, these achievements themselves are an absolute indication to the signiﬁcant position that Haya Water has reached. “An example of these achievements is scoring a percentage of 82 per cent in the Omanisation process, where this ratio will positively contribute to the process of achieving the goals and plans of the company in the future. It is not surprising to shortly witness the beginning of the operation of most of the wastewater projects by which we seek to serve the community and preserve the health and environment. We, as a leadership team, are conﬁdent that everyone in Haya will do his best and utilise all available and potential resources in order to ensure a better future for the coming generations. Haya Water Sablah included interesting lectures and programmes presented by Omani trainers: Yousef Al Hassani and Nasser Al Sayegh. The lectures focused on communication tools and effective communication at the workplace and teamwork. This would, no doubt, sustain cooperation and unity among all employees and commit to the values of Haya Water. On this occasion, Eng. Suleiman bin Musallam Al Rawahi, general manager of Corporate Affairs, stated: “The importance of this occasion is to gather all the company employees with the leadership team and respond to all questions and inquiries raised by the staff. It is also a great opportunity to exchange different views which would positively contribute in increasing the company’s performance levels. It is also a chance to present the projects latest developments and achievements, which could not to be possibly realised without the collaborated efforts of the management and staff.”

Renault Captur now comes with unmatched benefits MUSCAT: Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, the exclusive importers and distributors of Renault vehicles in Oman, unveiled its first urban crossover recently – The Renault Captur which is agile, dynamic and elegant, both inside and out. Drawing on Renault’s expertise, it explores new territory in terms of design, comfort, equipment and pleasure. Offer highlights Customers will be entitled to receive assured cash gift of OMR750 on the Renault Captur 1.2L PE, SE and LE models and other benefits include free registration, six years unlimited mileage warranty and two years/ 30,000km free service (whichever is earlier). Customers will also receive free AAA/Road Assistance card for the first year

only and as supported by AAA Oman. The scheme is applicable for all customers purchasing Renault vehicles for personal use only, says a press release. Since its launch in Oman last year, the Captur has gained considerable popularity and is a rave amongst auto enthusiasts. It is a good option for those

wanting small hatchback dimensions and costs, but with a shadow of thrill. SBA is largely committed to supporting Renault Oman’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

G O G R E E N I N I T I AT I V E

Geely leads from the front to go hybrid MUSCAT: After undergoing a rebranding process recently, Geely is seeking to shift 90 percent of its sales to hybrid and electric vehicles by 2020, as part of its initiative to go green. The target represents a radical shift for a company that is an established manufacturer of petroldriven vehicles. However, Geely has taken up this commitment in order to provide consumers with excellent cars that are economical, environment friendly and energy efficient, says a press release. “Geely officially promises to let consumers realise the dream of owning a new-energy car at the cost of a traditional one,” said An Conghui, Geely’s CEO, a day after it launched its first electric vehicle in China. The company has already sold a total of 422,000 cars in the first 10 months of this year, up 10 percent year-on-year and ranked eighth among domestic brands, according to figures from the China Associa-

tion of Automobile Manufacturers. Geely said most of its new-energy vehicles would be hybrids, with 35 percent purely electric. A senior spokesperson of Towell Auto Centre (TAC), the sole distributors of Geely range of vehicles in Oman, explains: “Top international car manufacturers have been struggling to move to electric cars for quite some time now. By committing to a deadline that’s 2020, Geely has demon-

strated its conﬁdence and technological superiority. It has proven that it is on a par with the world’s biggest automakers. Going green requires niche technology that is very costly, and Geely hopes to make this expensive technology available to everyone.” By bringing the Geely range to the Sultanate, TAC has reinforced its commitment to provide highquality products and services to its customers in Oman.

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2015

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RECRUI JOB POSTINGS

QUOTES Development can help great people be even better — but if I had a dollar to spend, I’d spend 70 cents getting the right person in the door. — Paul Russell I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. — Michael Jordan Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover. — Mark Twain First, have a definite, clear, practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end. — Aristotle

Heed the still small voice that so seldom leads us wrong, and never into folly. — Marquise du Deffand

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

ROUND-UP

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Genesis set to launch G90 in ME partnered with Aktion Gesunder Rücken, an esteemed German association supported by doctors and therapists worldwide which promotes quality lumber support.

Arriving in April 2016, this large sedan is set to compete within the luxury car MUSCAT: Hyundai Motor has conﬁrmed the Middle East launch of the G90, the ﬁrst Genesis brand model to launch. Arriving in April 2016, this large sedan is set to compete within the luxury car sphere thanks to its world-class technological innovations and striking design combined with the ultimate convenience and dynamic performance, says a press release. The G90 will mark the introduction of the Korean manufacturer’s ‘Athletic Elegance’ design style which has been created by Hyundai Motors Prestige Design Division resulting in profound elegance, natural dignity and grandeur. These qualities are set

to identify the G90 which will be joined by ﬁve other Genesis models in the next ﬁve years. Commenting on the forthcoming arrival of the model, Jin (James) Kim, vice-president and head of Operations for Hyundai Motor Company Africa and Middle East, said: “The G90 marks the dawn of the Genesis brand which is set to position Hyundai Motor as a credible competitor within the global luxury car market. This inaugural model is aimed at the Middle East’s discerning customer base which demand a superior level of opulence from their vehicle –however knows that there is enough advanced technology to create the ultimate in car convenience.”

Sporty agility When driving the G90, passengers will experience premium performance with a range of high-powered V6 3.3-litre T-GDI, V6 3.8-litre GDI or V8 5.0-litre GDI engines which have been developed and tested at the prestigious Nürburgring circuit in Germany and the US Mojave test centre. With technological innovation at its core the G90 is set to feature a host of customer-oriented technologies and reduce driver fatigue elevating the model to the top of its

class. These will include Genesis Smart Sense, which brings together advanced systems including Advanced Smart Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assistance Systems. World-class comfort Once inside the cabin of the G90, customers are set to enjoy a whole host of premium interior features including VIP ergo passenger seats which will feature multiple ranges of electronically-controlled adjustments. To ensure the ultimate in comfort the Genesis team have

Best-in-class luxury Benefiting from an intensive fouryear development programme by an 800-strong Genesis team, the G90 has best-in-class refinement thanks to extensive work on the car’s NVH characteristics. Every detail of the interior has been crafted to continue the car’s human focus. Advanced ergonomics analysis dictates the positioning of driver controls and the passenger comfort and entertainment features, while materials are sourced from the finest artisans around the world. Ride comfort and road holding is optimised by combining an advanced H-TRAC all-wheeldrive system with the first application of Genesis Adaptive Control Suspension.

MYHASSAD

ahlibank announces daily winners MUSCAT: ahlibank announced the names of the MyHassad daily prize draw winners. Sulaiman Mohammed Hamed Al Yahai from Main branch, Ali Ibrahim Murad Al Balushi from Sohar branch, Salim Amur Rashid Al Hashmi Avenues Mall and Sheik Ali Nasser Hamed Al Mhrooqi from Ibra branch, were the lucky winners of OMR1,000 each for the week, says a press release. As one of the leading banks in the Sultanate, ahlibank pledges to provide innovative, efficient and secure products and services to give their valued customers a convenient banking experience. Opening an account with ahlibank is the ﬁrst step towards smarter and convenient banking services.

DESERT ADVENTURE

Convoy of 56 Mitsubishi Pajeros tackles Wahiba Sands MUSCAT: General Automotive Company (GAC), the official distributors for Mitsubishi in Oman, has successfully completed the first of six trips of its annual desert excursion, the ‘Team Pajero Desert Adventure’. The two-day trip saw just under 260 people in 56 Mitsubishi Pajeros drive into desert for a weekend of fun and adventure. Organised by GAC specifically for Pajero owners and enthusiasts, each of these trips gives Pajero owners a taste of a true desert adventure in the vehicle best suited to handle the challenge – the Mitsubishi Pajero, says a press release. Driven by popular demand, the Team Pajero Desert Adventure will be split into six separate groups this year, the first of which was recently completed. The next trip is scheduled to take place on December 25 and two trips each in January and February. All Mitsubishi Pajero owners in the Sultan-

ate are invited to register for the upcoming trips at the Mitsubishi showroom in Athaiba. As an additional bonus, GAC is holding a special contest for the duration of the Team Pajero Desert Adventure. Participants are encouraged to share photographs or videos taken during the event along with #MitsubishiOman on the Mitsubishi Oman Facebook page(www.facebook.com/mitsubishi-oman). The two best photographers or videographers will each receive a brand new iPad once the ﬁnal trip concludes in February. Commenting on the Desert Adventure, Manoj Ranade, GM of General Automotive Company, said: “Our annual ‘Team Pajero Desert Adventure’ events have welcomed a growing number of Pajero owners with each passing year. Last year, by popular demand, we doubled the number of trips from three to six and witnessed the participation of over

1,500 people. This year, we are offering six trips right from the getgo in order to offer our customers a higher chance of securing a space on one of the trips.” The event, which began at the Mitsubishi showroom on the morning of November 27, saw just under 260 Mitsubishi customers

E X C E L L E N C E AWA R D

and 25 GAC staff members set off towards the desert in 47 customer Pajeros and 9 Marshall vehicles. All participants followed a predeﬁned course as they headed to Wahiba Sands. Once at the Al Raha Camp, the convoy of Pajero vehicles were escorted by Marshalls and provided

with specialised desert driving training. The drivers were then taken on a dune bashing session, after which the group is taken atop a dune overlooking the camp to witness the stunning sunset. Once back at the camp a large number of activities and entertainment was prepared for the families to enjoy. The following morning, Camel riding sessions and dune bikes were provided for the customers to use at their discretion. The convoy left the camp and returned to the Azaiba showroom shortly after. Reiterating the success of the ‘Pajero Adventure’, Nelson Dsilva, a Mitsubishi customer who attended the event said, “The trip was great and gave us the kind of experience that left me and my family, wanting for more. The event was managed in a great way and the Crew was the best, especially in the way they handled things and guided us out of any trouble we had.

“The food and the stay was magnificent and way beyond our expectation, especially considering we were given such good service free of charge. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone at GAC for making us feel so comfortable right from the moment we registered for the event. I will definitely be back if I get the chance and will bring some more friends along to show them just what ‘Team Pajero’ actually represents – power, team work and family.” “Although with the first trip successfully behind us, we still have five more trips planned over the next three months. However, the Team Pajero Adventure has welcomed a growing number of Pajero owners with every passing year and with limited space available per trip, most are already booked. We suggest any Pajero owner still wishing to take part in any of the upcoming trips to register with us at the earliest,” added Manoj.

BUSINESS CUSTOMERS

Indian school teachers win ‘Navin Asher-Kazi Awards’

Ooredoo launches new managed voice communication service

MUSCAT: The prestigious ‘Navin Asher-Kazi Awards for Excellence in Teaching’ were conferred on 11 teachers from Indian schools in Oman at a function organised recently under the aegis of the Board of Directors at the Indian School Muscat. Indra Mani Pandey, Ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman, was the chief guest and Her Highness Dr Shariffa Khalid Qais Al Said, educational expert at the Ministry of Education, delivered the keynote address. The function was attended by the luminaries of Indian Diaspora, officials from Ministry of Education, teacher nominees for the awards, principals and senior staff of Indian schools, says a press release. In his address Pandey said that education in the modern world has undergone a paradigm change and teachers must be competent with the latest trends to be effective transmitters of knowledge. In her thought provoking, intellectually stimulating and inspiring keynote address, Dr Shariffa Al Said shared her own ordeals in education and inspired the audience with the indomitable fortitude with which she surmounted all her challenges in this ﬁeld. She exhorted the teachers never to

MUSCAT: Ooredoo is offering business customers the opportunity to replace their legacy office telephone systems with a more ﬂexible solution with the introduction of their managed PBX service. This fully-integrated one-stop communications solution uses the latest IP voice technology with state-of-the-art PBXs to deliver a cost-efficient and company-wide solution, providing small and medium enterprises with the means to drive greater value into their business, says a press release. Businesses are continuously ﬁnding ways to build improved converged solutions and Managed PBX is one way in which they are able to do so. Ooredoo’s new managed service allows business customers to make cost efficient calls using

give up on any student and said that teachers should use different methods to deliver success. Her address left a deep impression on everyone’s mind. Wilson V. George, chairman, Board of Directors, welcomed the august gathering and appreciated the commitment of teachers in providing value based education. Hardworking and dedicated teachers are the greatest assets of the Indian school system in Oman, he added. A total of 67 teachers were nominated from different Indian schools for the Awards for Excellence in Teaching. Five awards each went to ﬁrst and second position holders respectively and one special award went to Apex Centre for Special education. First positions in each of the categories were Priya Dias (Kindergarten-IS Sohar), Shashikala Prabhat Kumar

(Primary – IS Wadi Kabir), P. Eskalin Gonsalves (Middle – IS Muscat), Rashmi Kumar (Secondary / Senior Secondary – IS Seeb) and P. V. Gopinathan (Co-scholastic – IS Darsait). Special Award for the Centre for Special Education went to Joseph Prabhu E. Second positions in each of the categories were Rajani Anilkumar (Kindergarten-IS Buraimi), Sripriya Sundar (Primary – IS Muscat), Arti Luthra (Middle – IS Seeb), Chidambaram Ramasamy (Secondary / Senior Secondary – IS Salalah) and Somasundaran M.M. (Co-scholastic – IS Sur). All nominees were presented with certiﬁcates of recognition on the occasion. Another highlight was a short story writing competition organised for the students of Indian schools as part of the prestigious award ceremony.

closed user groups. This provides better communication within and between offices while beneﬁting from IP based technologies such as SIP trunk which could not be usedover a traditional analogue based PBX. Said Al Shanfari, director of Business Marketing at Ooredoo, said: “According to industry re-

search, solution based voice communications is one of the fastest growing technologies which is dramatically changing the way companies do business today. Greater demand for customised solutions is required to better cater to these dynamic changes, which is what our new managed PBX offers. It is reliable and ﬂexible providing voice services which accord with individual speciﬁcations. The best thing is, the whole system is managed by Ooredoo, making it easy for businesses to reduce their costs while ensuring that their communications equipment remains modern and up-to-date.” Ooredoo’s latest product offers customers a reliable and highly secure service, coupled with dedicated, professional support mechanisms.

FREE TICKETS

Bank of Beirut partners with Oman Air MUSCAT: On the occasion of Oman’s glorious National Day and Lebanese Independence Day, Bank of Beirut in collaboration with Oman Air distributed free Muscat-Beirut-Muscat airline tickets to employees working in different sectors across Oman, says a press release. Commenting on this initiative, Ramy Zambarakji, CEO Bank of Beirut-Oman, said: “As a Lebanese bank in Oman, our objective is to further strengthen the ties between the people of our two great nations. This initiative offers hardworking employees in Oman the chance to meet the people and experience the charms of Lebanon.” He went on to say, “As a good corporate citizen, our social responsibility is to nurture a spirit of understanding between people. I believe similar initiatives encourage them to reach out and learn from each other.”

As one of Lebanon’s leading banks, Bank of Beirut’s collaboration with the national airline of Oman underlines its continuous efforts to create productive partnerships with leading companies in the Sultanate. Speaking of the alliance, Juliana Frem Younes, head of Private Banking & Marketing at Bank of Beirut, commented: “Our strategic partnership with Oman Air helps us to provide our customers, both Omanis and expatriates, reward-

ing opportunities like this trip to Beirut. Harnessing the advantages of the airline’s network and our expertise, we expect to offer our customers more co-branded products and services in future.” In the presence of Mustapha El Hamoui, commercial manager Oman at Oman Air, the free tickets were distributed to the hardworking employees by Ramy Zambarakji, CEO Bank of Beirut – Oman at the bank’s head office in Al Ghubra.

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM MONDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2015

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The Wave, Muscat crowned 2015 Extreme Sailing Series champions It was their ﬁfth consecutive win this season following successes in Cardiff, Hamburg, St Petersburg and Istanbul, and establishes a record that will stand forever due to the Extreme 40 catamarans being replaced by the foiling GC32s for the 2016 Extreme Sailing season CHAMPIONS: The Wave, Muscat crew celebrate their triumph in the Extreme Sailing Series after sweeping to a resounding victory in Sydney. – Supplied photo

MUSCAT: The Wave, Muscat Extreme Sailing team made history when they swept to a resounding victory in Sydney to win the 2015 championship title. Drawing the game-changing era of Extreme 40 racing to a close, Leigh McMillan and his crew of Nasser Al Mashari, Pete Greenhalgh, Sarah Ayton and Ed Smyth continued their dominance of the 2015 season by winning the final double points race to claim victory in the eighth and final Act of the season with Oman Sail stablemates Oman Air running in a close second. It was their fifth consecutive win this season following successes in Cardiff, Hamburg, St Petersburg and Istanbul and establishes a record that will stand forever due to the Extreme 40 catamarans being

replaced by the foiling GC32s for the 2016 Extreme Sailing season. McMillan’s record in claiming his third championship Extreme 40 crown, following title wins in 2012 and 2013, will also stand for all time and marks a ﬁtting end to his career in the class ahead of a move into America’s Cup racing with LandRover BAR of Britain in 2016. The Wave, Muscat’s 2015 crown brings the total number of titles to four after Paul Campbell-James started the ball rolling in 2010 “I’m absolutely ecstatic,” said McMillan, who has been The Wave, Muscat skipper for ﬁve years. “We won the last race, the last Extreme 40 event and the last Extreme 40 championship and it doesn’t get any better than that! “We wanted to win the event

and once again it was a standout performance from the guys so we are very, very happy. It has been an awesome week and a great way to end this chapter.” David Graham, Oman Sail CEO, praised The Wave, Muscat’s team effort and paid special tribute to McMillan. “Oman Sail is privileged to work with such driven athletes,” he said. “Our sailors joined this circuit with one objective and they knew that winning the season wasn’t going to be easy, especially with the impressive line-up of competitors. The focussed, disciplined team had a great leader in Leigh McMillan – we are indebted to him for his efforts over the years and we are sorry to see him leave. He is a huge asset to any team and we wish him all the best in his new role.

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Oman and all of those who have been supporting me along the season,” he said.

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M

Oman Air fourth Fighting for a coveted podium place, Stevie Morrison’s crew on Oman Air pulled out all the stops in the ﬁnale to close the event in fourth place, which also left them fourth in the overall 2015 rankings, up three places on 2014. The British Olympic skipper who joined the Extreme Sailing Series at the start of the year was one of the ﬁrst to congratulate his Oman Sail teammates on The Wave, Muscat. “Well done to Leigh and the crew,” said Morrison. “They came into the season with a lot of expectation and pressure and they de-

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“The Wave, Muscat team has an incredible depth of knowledge with impressive teamwork. This win hugely advances our objectives with the Ministry of Tourism and that is thanks to our fabulous sailors and the wider team.” Al Mashari, the Omani bowman who has been a key member of The Wave, Muscat’s crew, dedicated the win to Oman and his team’s supporters. “It has been an incredible feeling to win after a challenging ﬁnal day, and I would like to present this victory to my beloved country

livered. It is not that easy and you can only do it by working hard and building on experience. They executed to the top of their game all season and deserve their success. “On Oman Air, we had a lot to learn when we started out this season because most of us had never raced on multihulls before but we have grown as a team and developed strong friendships with a lot of respect for each other which has meant everyone has tried their best at all times. It has been a steep learning curve but great fun.” The success of the Omani teams was especially felt at the Oman Tourism Pavilion in the Royal Botanical Gardens where representatives from Oman Sail and the Omani Ministry of Tourism celebrated with visitors and team fans.

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

SPORTS

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Scolari’s Evergrande reach semis The Chinese side, led by former Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, could even afford to miss an open goal when they were trailing 1-0, on their way to

IN CONTROL: Brazilian head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari of China’s Guangzhou Evergrande directs his players during their Club World Cup quarterﬁnal. – Reuters

CELEBRATION: Zou Zheng (25) of China’s Guangzhou Evergrande holds Chinese national ﬂag as he celebrates with teammates after beating Mexico’s Club America. – Reuters

earning a dream tie against Barcelona

OSAKA: Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande came from behind and scored twice in the last 10 minutes to stun their CONCACAF counterparts America and reach the Club World Cup semi-finals on Sunday. The Chinese side, led by former Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, could even afford to miss an open goal when they were trailing 1-0, on their way to earning a dream tie against European champions Barcelona. The Mexicans appeared to be on course for a comfortable win when Oribe Peralta headed them ahead early in the second half. But Zheng Long equalised with 10 minutes and former Tottenhan and Brazil midfielder Paulinho headed a dramatic winner in stoppage time. Scolari, who was in charge of the Brazil team beaten 7-1 by Germany on home soil in last year’s World Cup semifinal, has not lost a match since taking

Mazembe’s dreams of another Club World Cup final extinguished OSAKA: TP Mazembe’s dreams of reaching another Club World Cup final were quickly extinguished when the African champions lost 2-0 to Japan’s Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their quarter-final on Sunday. Tsukasa Shiotani and Kazuhiko Chiba both scored following corners and Takuma Asano added the third as Hiroshima, who qualified as

over at Guangzhou in May. His Chinese side were boosted by four Brazilians, including former Real Madrid and Manchester City forward Robinho, in the line-up. ‘Big Phil’ was typically excitable on the touchline and got into an argument with America captain Rubens Sambueza over a tough

champions of the host nation Japan, earned a tie against South American champions River Plate on Wednesday. Five-times African champions Mazembe made history on their last appearance in the tournament ﬁve years ago when they eliminated Brazilian side Internacional to reach the ﬁnal where they lost to Rafael Benitez’s Inter Milan.

tackle on Robinho. “Our team did everything to get here, to win and to play Barcelona and now we are going to play them, it’s absolutely spectacular for us,” Scolari said. Goalkeeper Li Shuai kept America at bay as they poured forward in the ﬁrst half although Guangzhou mounted some dangerous attacks

The team from Democratic Republic of Congo, ﬁelding players from Ivory Coast, Mali, Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana and only one from their own country, made a bright start, weaving some neat passing patterns in midﬁeld, and they had an early chance to get ahead. Mbwana Samatta got clean away from the defence but dallied over his shot and gave

of their own. America went ahead after an intense spell of pressure when Mexico forward Peralta met Dario Benedetto’s low cross with a diving header at the near post but they then lowered the tempo. Guangzhou sounded a warning when a corner was headed across goal and Xiaoting Feng, unmarked

Chiba time to scramble back and tackle. Shiotani broke the deadlock from close range in the 44rd minute when Mazembe got into an awful mess at a corner, leaving him with an easy job to tap into the net. Mazembe were again lively after halftime and substitute Thomas Ulimwengu ﬁred a low shot just wide after breaking from inside his own half.

at the far post, miscued the ball with the goal at his mercy. But they equalised after Richard Goulart got away down the left and found Gao Lin with a low cross into the centre. He laid the ball back for Zheng who drilled the ball past Moises Munoz. Encouraged by that, Guangzhou went in search

The team known as “The Almighty” again got it wrong at a corner, however, allowing Chiba to easily outjump his marker and head in the second from another corner just before the hour There was no way back after that and Asano completed the scoring when he headed home to ﬁnish off a counter-attack in the 78th minute. - Reuters

of the equaliser and it came when America’s defence lost concentration and Paulinho headed in. “It’s a failure and we are not at all happy; we lost concentration completely for ﬁve or ten minutes, what I have seen is not at all good,” America coach Ignacio Ambriz told reporters. - Reuters

TEST SERIES

Punt on bowling action switch pays off for Aussie quick James Pattinson HOBART: James Pattinson says a between-innings change to his bowling action was behind the five-wicket haul that fired Australia to victory in the first Test against West Indies on Saturday and cemented his place in the side for the rest of the series. The 25-year-old Victorian had mustered up mediocre first innings figures of none for 68 in his first Test in 18 months after returning from back and hamstring problems to replace the injured Mitchell Starc in the side. After West Indies were forced to follow-on, however, he ditched the action designed to protect him from the back injuries that have blighted his 14-Test career and took five for 27 in eight overs. “I just ran in and wanted to bowl fast like I did when I first came on the scene,” Pattinson, who took five-wicket hauls in his first two Tests in 2011, told reporters in Hobart on Sunday. “It’s hard because when you run in and bowl you don’t want to be

SECRET OF SUCCESS: Australian paceman James Pattinson speaks to the media in Hobart on Sunday. – AFP

thinking about your action. “I’ve made the change to try and stop injuries but now that I’m back in the team and I’m a bit older, hopefully my body will hold up and I can go back a little

bit to where I was when I ﬁrst started playing. “Because that’s when I think I’m bowling my best.” Pattinson is one of a string of Australian bowlers whose work-

load and action have been carefully managed to try to protect them from the long-term back problems that can afflict young pacemen. The right-armer said, however, that the new action did not allow him to produce the sort of swing that made him such a threat to batsmen when he burst onto the scene four years ago. Fearing that he might therefore fail to grasp the opportunity to re-establish himself as a test bowler, Pattinson gambled by reverting to his old action after consultation with bowling coach Craig McDermott. “It was frustrating because I had changed my action and I didn’t feel completely comfortable with it,” he added. “So in the second innings here I just went ‘stuff it really, I’m just going to go out and try and bowl like I used to bowl’ and just run in and bowl fast. “I thought if I bowl like I did in the ﬁrst innings I probably won’t be getting too many more games, so better change something.” - Reuters CRICKET

Holder, Windies cop fines for slow over rate HOBART: West Indies captain Jason Holder’s week went from bad to worse on Sunday when he was fined 60 percent of his match fee for a slow over rate during the first Test loss to Australia and could face a ban if the tourists reoffend. Australia won the Hobart test by a thumping innings and 212 runs inside three days on Saturday, going 1-0 up in a three-match series that continues with matches in Melbourne and Sydney. “(Match referee) Chris Broad imposed the fine after Jason Holder’s side was ruled to be three overs short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration,” read an ICC statement on Sunday. Each player was fined 10 percent of their match fee for each over they were short, while Holder, as captain, forfeited double the amount. If the West Indies are found guilty again Holder would be forced to sit out. - Reuters

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS New Zealand sniff victory in Dunedin

CRICKET

SCOREBOARD

New Zealand 1st innings: 431 (M. Guptill 156, K. Williamson 88, B. McCullum 75; N. Pradeep 4-112) Sri Lanka 1st innings: 294 (D. Karunaratne 84, D. Chandimal 83) New Zealand 2nd innings: T. Latham not out 109 M. Guptill b Herath 46 K. Williamson b Chameera 71 R. Taylor b Herath 15 B. McCullum not out 17 Extras (b-3, lb-1, nb-5) 9 Total (for 3 wkts decl., 65.4 overs) 267 Fall of wickets: 1-79, 2-220, 3-247 Did not bat: M. Santner, B. Watling, D. Bracewell, N. Wagner, T. Southee, T. Boult Bowling: S. Lakmal 13-0-40-0; A. Mathews 4-1-4-0; D. Chameera 14-0-61-1 (nb-3); N. Pradeep 13-1-52-0 (nb-2); R. Herath 11.4-1-62-2; M. Siriwardana 8-032-0; U. Jayasundara 2-0-12-0 Sri Lanka 2nd innings (Target: 405 runs) D. Karunaratne c Watling b Southee 29 K. Mendis c Watling b Southee 46 U. Jayasundara c Watling b Wagner 3 D. Chandimal not out 31 Total (for 3 wickets, 50.1 overs) 109 Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-64, 3-109 To bat: A. Mathews, K. Vithanage, M. Siriwardana, R. Herath, D. Chameera, N. Pradeep, S. Lakmal Bowling: T. Boult 7-2-18-0; T. Southee 10.1-3-16-2; D. Bracewell 12-5-21-0; M. Santner 12-2-26-0; N. Wagner 9-2-28-1 Umpires: Richard Kettleborough & Nigel Llong TV umpire: Paul Reiffel Match Referee: David Boon

Wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal was on 31 at University Oval, which had weathered SOFT ADVICE: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram.

Akram advises PCB against boycotting T20 matches in India KARACHI: Notwithstanding India’s delay in giving a go-ahead for the proposed Indo-Pak bilateral series this month, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has advised the PCB against thinking about a boycott of the World T20 in India in March-April next year. “I realise that the Indians have taken too much time over deciding on the bilateral series with Pakistan, but even if it does not happen now it will happen soon,” Akram said at a function in Karachi. “But yes I think the Indian board should also give a clear answer whether they want to play or not and put the issue aside,” the Sultan of Swing added. Akram however said the PCB should not even think about boycotting the World T20 for any reason. “The World T20 is an ICC event and we should participate in it at all costs. If we don’t it will harm us in the long run,” Akram said. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Shaharyar Khan has said that the PCB will seek security clearance from the government before deciding to send its team to India for the World T20. “Not playing in the World T20 will only affect our players and our cricket. If India doesn’t want to play with us ﬁne we can also

survive without playing them. But the problem of terrorism will not be finished even if we play or don’t play,” Akram opined. The legendary left-armer said he had always got the same love and adulation in India that the people of Pakistan always have for Sachin Tendulkar. “If we play bilateral cricket it is good for both countries,” he said. Akram also urged senior batsman Younis Khan and the national team head coach Waqar Younis to sit down and settle their differences. “The way they are going at each other indirectly is not good for either of them or our cricket. If they have some issues they must sit down and discuss it and try to resolve it,” he said. He said that Waqar also needed to ease up as head coach and be more relaxed with the players. “If the solution to every problem was a fine than Waqar himself would have been fined lakhs of rupees by now,” he said. Younis Khan also at a function in Karachi stressed on the need for having a permanent calendar of bilateral series between India and Pakistan. “If we play now than it must be on permanent basis and efforts should be made to ensure regular matches are held,” said Younis. - PTI

heavy, but brief, rain and hail showers that forced the players from the ﬁeld three times

DUNEDIN: Wicketkeeper BJ Watling took a record-equalling ninth catch as New Zealand inched their way to a probable victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test as they reduced the visitors to 109 for three at the close of the fourth day’s play on Sunday. Wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal was on 31 at University Oval, which had weathered heavy, but brief, rain and hail showers that forced the players from the field three times. The last shower forced them off the ground with 20 overs remaining and umpires abandoned play at 1745 (0445 GMT) with captain Angelo Mathews scheduled as the next man in. He will join Chandimal on Monday, when they have almost 98 overs to score an additional 296 runs. “If we can get a good partnership in the morning session, the game is on,” left-arm spinner Rangana Herath told reporters. “We need to play our brand of cricket and I’m sure Angie and Chandimal will do that.” The visitors, who batted for 117 overs in their first innings, had been given 160 overs to score the 405 needed for an improbable victory after New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum had made a surprise declaration at 267-3 just before lunch. Sri Lanka, just like their first innings, did not seem too pressed to take any unnecessary risks as

FIRST TON AT HOME: Tom Latham of New Zealand celebrates his

century during day four of the ﬁrst International Test cricket match against Sri Lanka in Dunedin at University Oval. – AFP

they set about their run chase with openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis taking 23 overs to reach 50. Karunaratne (29) was the ﬁrst batsman to fall when he tried to lift a short ball from Tim Southee over the slips to be caught by Watling, before Neil Wagner had Udara Jayasundera caught down the leg side by the wicketkeeper for three to leave them 69-2 at tea.

Mendis, who was dropped by Martin Guptill at second slip on 13 and by Watling on 25, was within sight of his ﬁrst test half century on 46 when he nicked a Southee delivery to Watling, who took his ninth catch of the test. Rain and hail then forced the players off. The catch equalled the record for most dismissals in a test by a New Zealand wicketkeeper. Wa-

tling also made nine dismissals against India in 2014, while Brendon McCullum had nine against Pakistan in 2009. McCullum, no doubt aware of possible disruptions with expected poor weather in Dunedin throughout Sunday, had surprisingly declared before lunch when he was on 17, having hit a six to take their lead past 400. The six, the second of his short innings, also moved him into a tie with former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist with 100 career sixes, the most in test cricket. Opener Tom Latham was left on 109 not out having scored his ﬁrst Test century in New Zealand. His previous two Test centuries were scored in the United Arab Emirates last year against Pakistan. - Reuters

LOSING HOPE

Pakistan Cricket Board to give up on India-Pakistan series LAHORE: With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) yet to come up with a deﬁnite response on the fate of the proposed bilateral series, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has ﬁnally decided to stop pursuing the matter. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan wrote to the BCCI on Thursday, asking the Indian board to come up with a decision on the series within the next two days. The PCB chief warned that if the series

does not get the green light, Pakistan will boycott all their matches against India. The BCCI, however, is yet to respond and the PCB has decided it will announce on Monday its decision regarding giving up on the series. “Yes, we haven’t received a reply from the BCCI till Saturday evening, therefore, we are closing this chapter now. We will, however, make an announcement in this regard by Monday.”

“We made every possible effort to play India and even changed the venue from the UAE to Sri Lanka on BCCI’s request, but our efforts went in vain. We signed an MoU with the BCCI last year and were sincere in playing cricket with them,” Shaharyar Khan was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper on Sunday. “Our failure to materialise the series disappointed millions of cricket fans all over the world, es-

pecially in India and Pakistan.” Shaharyar Khan warned that the PCB would raise the issue with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and at the bilateral level. The PCB chief also said that it was difficult to make make arrangements for the series at a short notice and Pakistan should not be held responsible for its cancellation. The BCCI had consented to a limited overs series with Pakistan in Sri Lanka and had asked the In-

dian government for permission. But the Indian government is yet to give its consent. The BCCI and the PCB signed an MoU last year under which the two countries agreed to play a total of six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023. The ﬁrst of those series was originally scheduled to be hosted by the PCB in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this month. But BCCI President Shashank Manohar is against the idea of playing in the UAE. — IANS

DECISION SOON: PCB Chairman

Shaharyar Khan.

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

SPORTS

GLOBAL MONEY EXCHANGE STARS: From left, Anurag, Rahul, Sa-

jeev, Rajesh and Jerrin. – Supplied photo

E DIVISION: Ibrahim Kishri players pose for a group photo after their win over Atkins. – Supplied photo

G DIVISION: RAY International celebrate after their three-wicket victory over Prime Trading. – Supplied photo

Inspired Attic Outdoors register three-wicket win over Al Meer seven in 20 overs. Zaheer claimed three wickets each for NBO. Brief scores: NBO 150 for 8 in 20 overs (Siddharth Oza 86 n.o.; Meesam Ali 3/27) bt Starcare 125 for 7 in 20 overs (Zaheer 3/10). Points: NBO – 2, Starcare - 0.

Batting ﬁrst, Al Meer managed scored 177 for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs. In reply, Attic Outdoors reached their target in 18.1 overs, scoring

I DIVISION: Victorious members of Douglas OHI team who recorded

J DIVISION: QBG team members celebrate after humbling OCT Al

a 44-run victory over ONEIC. – Supplied photo

Nahdha by 85 runs. – Supplied photo

178 for seven Attic Outdoors – 2, Al Meer - 0. MUSCAT: Attic Outdoors recorded a three-wicket victory over Al Meer in an Enhance-sponsored D Division cricket match at the Municipality Ground I on Friday. Batting ﬁrst, Al Meer managed scored 177 for the loss of six wickets in 20 overs, largely thanks to Yogendra R. and Sanket S. who scored 65 and 37 runs respectively. Rajesh Rao claimed three wickets each for Attic. In reply, Attic scored 178 for seven in 18.1 overs. Qasim Ali was the top scorer with 82 runs. Kiran claimed three wickets for Al Meer. Brief scores: Al Meer 177 for 6 in 20 overs (Yogendra 65, Sanket 37; Rajesh Rao 3/31) lost to Attic Outdoors 178 for 7 in 18.1 overs (Qasim Ali 82; Kiran 4/28). Points:

GME defeat Al Fairuz In an E Division match, Global Money Exchange (GME) eased to an eight-wicket victory over Al Fairuz at the Municipality Ground III. Batting ﬁrst, Al Fairuz were bowled out for 121 in 17.5 overs. Sajeev and Jerrin claimed three wickets each for GME. In reply, Global Money Exchange scored 122 for two in 12.1 overs to enable the bonus point win. Sajeev and Rahul scored 66 and 44 runs respectively. Brief scores: Al Fairuz 121 in 17.5 overs (Sajeev 3/25; Jerrin 3/26) lost to Global Money Exchange 122 for 2 in 12.1 overs (Sajeev 66, Rahul 44). Points: Global Money Exchange – 3, Al Fairuz - 0. Easy for Ibrahim Kishri In another E Division match, Ibra-

him Kishri also recorded an eightwicket win over Atkins at the Municipality Ground III. Batting ﬁrst, Atkins scored of 154 for eight in 20 overs. Giridharan and Sajeev scored 53 and 45 runs respectively. Wasif Bakkar claimed three wickets for Ibrahim Kishri. In reply, Ibrahim Kishri scored 155 for two in 17.2 overs. Wasif Bakkar and Afzal Mirza scored 55 and 71 runs respectively. Brief scores: Atkins 154 for 8 in 20 overs (Giridharan 53, Sajeev 45; Wasif Bakkar 3/24) lost to Ibrahim Kishri 155 for 2 in 17.2 overs (Wasif Bakkar 55, Afzal Mirza 71). Points: Ibrahim Al Kishri – 2, Atkins - 0. OCT Muscat B win In an F Division match, OCT Muscat B defeated Oasis Water by six wickets at the OAC Ground III.

Batting ﬁrst, Oasis Water scored 116 for eight of 20 overs with Shibin top scoring with 37. Najib claimed three wickets for OCT Muscat B. In reply, Muscat B scored 120 for four in 15.1 overs to secure the bonus point. Essa Mohammed top scored with an unbeaten 52. Shyju and Rateesh claimed two wickets each for Oasis Water. Brief scores: Oasis Water 116 for 8 in 20 overs (Shibin 37; Najib 3/17) lost to OCT Muscat B 120 for 4 in 15.1 overs (Essa Mohammed 52 n.o.; Shyju 2/22). Points: Muscat B – 2, Oasis Water - 0. RAY down Prime Trading In a G Division match, RAY International defeated Prime Trading by three wickets at the OAC Ground III. Batting ﬁrst, Prime Trading were bowled out for 99 in 18.5 overs. Raghu claimed three wick-

ets for RAY. In reply, RAY scored 100 for seven in 13.5 overs to secure the bonus point. Mohammad Mifas and Tamil Kumaran scored 28 runs each. Jobi claimed four scapls in a losing cause for Prime Trading. Brief scores: Prime Trading 99 in 18.5 overs (Raghu 3/15) lost to RAY International 100 for 7 in 13.5 overs (Mohammed Mifas 28, Tamil Kumaran 28; Jobi 4/20). Points: RAY International – 3, Prime Trading - 0. NBO defeat Starcare In an H Division match, National Bank of Oman (NBO) defeated Starcare by 25 runs at the SQU Ground. Batting ﬁrst, NBO scored 150 for eight in 20 overs with Siddharth Oza top scoring with an unbeaten 86. Meesam Ali and Sujith Kumar claimed three wickets for Starcare. In reply, Starcare scored 125 for

Big win for Douglas OHI In an I Division match, Douglas OHI recorded a 44-run win over ONEIC at the SQU Ground. Batting ﬁrst, Douglas OHI scored 194 for four in 20 overs with Mohammed Bilal top scoring with 85 runs. In reply, ONEIC managed 150 for nine in 20 overs. Syed Azeem top scored with an unbeaten 41. Santosh, Sahad and Vinoth claimed two wickets apiece. Brief scores: Douglas OHI 194 for 4 in 20 overs (Mohammed Bilal 85) bt ONEIC 150 for 9 in 20 overs (Syed Azeem 41 n.o,; Vinoth 2/20). Points: DOUGLAS OHI – 2, ONEIC - 0. QBG down OCT Al Nahdha In a J Division match, QBG humbled OCT Al Nahdha in an 85-run win over the Municipality Ground IV. Batting ﬁrst, QBG scored 182 for nine in 20 overs with Aditya top scoring with 90. Shameer claimed three wickets for Al Nahdha. In reply, OCT Al Nahdha were bowled out for 97 in 16.1 overs. Samiran and Sham claimed four and three wickets each respectively. Brief scores: QBG 182 for 9 in 20 overs (Aditya 90; Shameer 3/20) bt OCT Al Nahdha 97 in 16.1 overs (Samiran 4/18). Points: QBG – 3; OCT Al Nahdha - 0.

IN MUDHAIBI

Bank Muscat presents green football field to Al Arabi Team MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, in step with its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and partnership to promote Oman as a sporting nation, marked a celebration to inaugurate a green football field, developed as part of the Green Sports initiative for Al Arabi Team in the wilayat of Mudhaibi. Issa bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Azri, Under-Secretary at the Ministry of Justice, was the guest of honour at the ceremony attended by dignitaries and senior bank officials. Marking the successful fourth year, the Green Sports corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative launched by Bank Muscat in 2012 has gained momentum with a total of 49 teams across the Sultanate benefiting from it till date. In 2015, the Bank Muscat widened the scope of Green Sports initiative beyond the greening of football fields. Football teams seeking Green Sports support can choose from four options — to either green their football fields with natural or synthetic turf, or avail support to affix floodlights or water desalination equipment to facilitate greening of fields in areas facing problems of

environment encouraging Omani sports talents. The unique initiative is a big support for the country’s youth and we are conﬁdent that many youngsters will beneﬁt from this programme and become sporting heroes for the country.”

water salinity. The move is aimed at providing wider representation to teams to build sustainable sports infrastructure in all parts of the Sultanate. Abdullah Al Roshdy, Regional Manager — North Sharqiyah, said: “The inauguration of the green football field in the wilayat of Mudhaibi reiterates the bank’s commitment to support youth who represent the future of Oman. “We congratulate Al Arabi Team for utilising the opportunity to green their field, thereby setting a fine example for other teams

in Oman to promote Oman as a sporting nation.” Sporting heroes The football ﬁelds developed as part of the Green Sports initiative are also serving as a meeting place for children and youth to be engaged in gainful activities. The ﬁelds are used to host various activities such as Ramadhan nights, group weddings and other celebrations. Such community activities are helping children and youth develop strong positive character traits. Aimed at raising sporting heroes

for the country, the bank remains committed to supporting all deserving teams to develop sports infrastructure across the Sultanate. Bank Muscat recognises that sustainable development has the potential for achieving long-term beneﬁts spanning economic, social, cultural and environmental dimensions. The funding criteria for the Green Sports programme include that sports teams should have been in existence for three years with a minimum membership of 300 youth from the local community. The bank recognises that

local teams wield immense inﬂuence on neighbourhood communities, especially youth, hence teams with modern infrastructure facilities can help raise sporting heroes for the country. Nasser Al Shabibi, President of Al Arabi Team, said: “The inauguration of the new green football ﬁeld marks a milestone for the development of sports, especially the game of football, in the wilayat of Al Mudhaibi. We thank Bank Muscat for this laudable gesture. The Green Sports initiative has made vital contributions to create an

Ideal environment The consistent progress of the Green Sports initiative conﬁrms the bank’s commitment to the programme aimed at providing ample opportunities for young Omanis to develop their sporting talents in an ideal environment. The programme is expected to go a long way in developing the sporting skills and talents of Omani youth, thereby promoting the game of football in Oman. Bank Muscat is committed to its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision for the economy, community and environment and is proud to have led the way in contributing to sustainable development in Oman with various initiatives. As the nation’s leading ﬁnancial institution, Bank Muscat aims to provide the impetus for youth to excel in all arenas and thereby contribute to the development and progress of Oman.

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‘ALL I NEED IS AN OPPORTUNITY’

In exclusive remarks to Amir Husain of PakPassion.net, disgraced former Pakistan captain Salman Butt said he is delight at being allowed to take concrete steps towards the restoration of his domestic and possibly his international career

hilst the eyes of the cricketing world are firmly focussed on the progress of Mohammed Aamir as he continues to make significant advances towards resurrecting his international career, his former captain Salman Butt has also begun his journey towards rehabilitation. Butt was 25-years-old when the news of his involvement in the now infamous spot-fixing scandal shook the cricket world in the summer of 2010. Along with Mohammed Aamir and Mohammed Asif, the left-handed batsman who had recently taken over as Pakistan’s Test captain after Shahid Afridi’s rather abrupt retirement from Test cricket was banned from all forms of cricket by the ICC for a period of five years. Despite the expiry of his ban in September this year, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) were adamant that the former captain must undergo rehabilitation before being allowed back to play domestic cricket in the country. Even though the WAPDA team had made special provisions for Salman Butt to train with them in October, the final hurdle to return to normalcy for the Lahore-born cricketer was removed on December 5 when the Chairman of the PCB announced that Salman Butt and Mohammed Asif would both be allowed to take part in the National OneDay Cup, starting in early 2016. The former Pakistan captain was clearly relieved by this announcement and in exclusive remarks to PakPassion. net, he expressed his delight at being allowed to take concrete steps towards the restoration of his domestic and possibly his international career remarking that “I am glad and relieved to have reached this stage and am thankful to the Almighty for this second chance. I cannot thank the PCB enough for allowing me this opportunity and I am now looking forward to the next year where I can once again start playing the game I love.” The road to a complete restoration of his cricket career will not be easy and Salman Butt is acutely aware of that fact that his skills and good intentions will amount to nothing if he is not fit enough to perform on the field or if he is not offered a chance to gain valuable match practice during this journey. In this regard, the offer to play for WAPDA could only be described as a God send and one which the former Pakistan captain is grateful for. “I’m fit and have been able to keep my fitness going through these five years. However, I do know that no amount of gym fitness can prepare you for the road ahead and I’m very thankful to WAPDA for backing me and giving me the opportunity to perform and I hope and pray that I can help them win domestic competitions.” A veteran of 33 Test matches with 1,889 runs to his name, Salman Butt appeared to have a successful career ahead of him until 2010. An absence of five years from competitive cricket can take the edge off any player and the coming months will severely test Butt’s resolve to move ahead, a fact he readily acknowledges as he stated “I can only thank the Almighty that the desire and hunger to play the game I love is very much alive in me and by the grace of God, the results will also be great. I strongly believe that I can still do well at any level of cricket. All I need is an opportunity and I will make sure I don’t disappoint anyone.” There will be many amongst the millions of followers of cricket who would be happy to see the back of the man who they hold responsible for the ignominy that the country suffered five years ago. The wounds of the summer of 2010 are yet to heal for many and it will take more than words to placate followers of Pakistan cricket who were truly shocked by the events of that time. Salman Butt, Mohammed Aamir and Mohammed Asif have a mountain climb before all Pakistan supporters will ever trust them in Pakistani colours again. For Salman Butt, the effort to restore trust in himself amongst the supporters will be a gargantuan task but could prove the prime motivator as he takes to the cricket field once again in early 2016. He knows that his work is cut out in this regard and he will be hoping for a sympathetic ear from Pakistani cricket fans as he faces them once again. “I will be offering my apologies to them when I see them. I will try and convince them that despite all that has happened in the past, I still have a good character and God willing, I will do my utmost to once again win the hearts of Pakistan fans. I believe that everyone who repents and intends to do good in future deserves a second chance. That is all I want,” he concluded.

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

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Arsenal ease past Villa, soar to Premier League summit

SPORTS MINISTRY

A 50th league goal from Giroud swiftly brought more gloom to Villa Park after eight minutes. Ozil then produced his 13th assist of the season to allow Ramsey to slot home a goal in the 38th

HM’s Cup for Youth winners to be declared on December 21

minute and enable Arsenal to move on to 33 points

LONDON: Arsenal eased to a comfortable 2-0 victory at Aston Villa on Sunday to soar to the summit of the Premier League and leave their hapless opponents rooted at rock bottom. A 50th Premier League goal from Olivier Giroud, a penalty converted four days after his Champions League hat-trick against Olympiakos Piraeus, swiftly brought more gloom to Villa Park after eight minutes. Mesut Ozil then produced his 13th assist of the season to allow Aaron Ramsey to slot home a goal in the 38th minute and enable Arsenal to move on to 33 points, one point clear of Manchester City and Leicester City. Leicester have the chance to regain the leadership when they entertain Chelsea on Monday. Villa improved in the second half as Arsenal took their foot off the gas but manager Remi Garde, who

DAZZLING COUNTER: Aaron Ramsey, left, scores Arsenal’s second goal during their English Premier League match against Aston Villa at

Villa Park on Sunday. – Reuters

as a player was once signed by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, could only hear the grumbles of discontent as his side went a club-record 15th league game without a win. “Overall for us, it was a great week,” Wenger said on Sky Sports, referring to his side’s midweek heroics when they managed, against the odds, to qualify for the knockout phase of the Champions League once again. Landmark achievement The defeat left Villa stranded at the foot of the table on six points from 16 games, six adrift of 19thplaced Sunderland. It was not just Giroud who

was able to celebrate a landmark achievement. Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech equalled David James’s all-time Premier League record with his 169th clean sheet, in 349 games, prompting Wenger to hail him as “an absolute all-time great”. Giroud’s splendid week quickly gained a new sheen when Arsenal were awarded a penalty, which referee Kevin Friend took a while to consider before adjudging that Theo Walcott had been bundled over unfairly in the area by Alan Hutton. From the spot, Giroud converted his 14th goal of the season and 50th Premier League goal in all for Arsenal in 113 appearances, a landmark reached quicker for the

Gunners only by Ian Wright and Thierry Henry. Arsenal, in effortless command, struck again thanks to the industry of Ramsey, who won the ball not far outside his own box from Idrissa Gueye to set up a dazzling counter, then sprinted up the ﬁeld to get on the end of Ozil’s unselﬁsh square pass and double the lead. Ozil was also singled out for praise from Wenger. “I must say that Mesut is an absolute complete collective player. Sometimes, he’s frustrated that he doesn’t get the same balls back but he’s a very important link in our game,” he said. “We believe we have an opportunity to win the title,” man of the

match Ramsey told Sky Sports. “We have shown what we are capable of and have to continue now, in what is a busy part of the season. We have to maintain our focus and belief.” After being booed off at halftime, Garde’s men huffed and puffed a little more convincingly after the break, Scott Sinclair heading over and Leandro Bacuna curling one close as Arsenal dozed, content to let the dismal home side continue to meander in possession. Adama Traore came closest to scoring for Villa in the dying seconds but their plight is worsening after a ninth straight league game at Villa Park without a win, their worst home league sequence. - Reuters

MUSCAT: The Ministry of Sports Affairs will present His Majesty’s Cup for Youth during a ceremony to be organised at the Ministry of Education on December 21. The ceremony will be presided over by Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhi, the Minister of Oil and Gas. During the ceremony, the Ministry of Sports Affairs will honour Oman’s top 10 clubs for their overall achievements in the ﬁeld of sports and youth activities in the year 2014. While the top club will be presented with the prestigious trophy and cash prize, the second and third placed clubs will receive silver and bronze trophies as well as cash prizes. The winners of fourth to tenth places will also get cash prizes.

FOOTBALL

Manchester United’s old boy King writes Cherries’ fairytale LONDON: Josh King never played for Manchester United’s first team in five years at Old Trafford but the Norwegian international claimed an unexpected place in the club’s lore by consigning them to a humbling defeat on Saturday. The Bournemouth striker admitted his winning goal in the little south-coast club’s fairytale 2-1 Premier League home victory over United meant a lot to him after spending so long battling to make his name with England’s most famous club. Oslo-born King, a 23-year-old who has a Norwegian mother and a Gambian father, found space in the area from a well-worked corner routine to rifle home the 54th minute winner which will be enshrined in Dean Court annals as one of the Cherries’ finest moments a week after an equally staggering triumph at Chelsea. “I’ve come from United, I spent a lot of time there,” King reflected on Sky Sports. “I’ve moved on now, doing my best every week for Bournemouth, but to get a goal against your old team means a lot. I’ve practised on that (corner) drill and missed the chance every time but I’m glad it went in today.” The Cherries’ rise — their win puts them up to 14th, a point and a place above Chelsea — may have surprised some people but not

I’ve come from United, I spent a lot of time there. I’ve moved on now, doing my best every week for Bournemouth Josh King Bournemouth striker

King, who after signing for United as a 16-year-old never made the grade there as he was waylaid by injuries. Asked if he could ever have imagined successive wins over Chelsea and Manchester United, he said: “I could, with the players we’ve got and the manager (Eddie Howe) we’ve got. We were a bit unlucky at the start of the season.” Bournemouth had got off to the

perfect start on Saturday when an inswinging corner from the excellent man of the match Junior Stanislas befuddled United keeper David de Gea and went straight in with less than two minutes on the clock. The in-form striker admitted that, although of course he had had no intention of going for goal, he had actually nearly scored from a very similar effort in training recently.

Heroics Although Bournemouth have lost key players to injury like captain Tommy Elphick and striker Callum Wilson, Junior Stanislas felt their heroics demonstrated why they were equipped for survival, despite their lack of resources compared to the Premier League’s elite teams. “It deﬁnitely gives us belief we can stay up,” he said. - Reuters

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UB ER SUAVE Story Faisal Mohammed Naim

Having arrived in a new avatar in 2014, wearing a sharp new suit and boasting an interior ďŹ lled with technology and creature comforts, the new Chevrolet Impala has become a standout option in the full-size sedan segment.

MON DAY, D EC EMB ER 14 , 2 0 1 5

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LIFESTYLE

his one is big on all quarters; power, plushness, and size. A leading contender in the ‘full size sedan’ segment, the new upgraded Chevrolet Impala redeﬁnes the rules of luxury and driving pleasure while on the move. The big four door has serious presence thanks to its long hood, sculpted front end and long, swept-back roof. In front are lowproﬁle projector-beam headlights, with HID headlights and LED daytime running lights. The Impala may be considered a mainstream sedan, but it feels more like a premium one. Cabin materials are really attractive and upscale. Upper-trim models boast leather seats, soft trim and an 8-inch touch-screen command system in the centre dash. The overwhelming sense in the new Impala is one of contemporary luxury. For a large family sedan, the Impala is effortless to drive. The robust 3.6 litre V6, 305 bhp engine is more than impressive (the highest horsepower number of any naturally aspirated V6 in the segment). Just a little push on the gas and it goes from zero to sixty in about 7 seconds. Strong acceleration gives the Impala the fortitude required to negotiate city traffic, merge onto

freeways with the ﬂow of traffic or climb mountain grades, and the car feels powerful in any and every situation. The handling is nimble and almost sporty. The new Impala’s electric steering offers pleasing heft regardless of vehicle speed and crisp response when bending the Impala into a curve or while turning into a parking space. Given that it’s the same system as found in the Camaro, but recalibrated for the full-size sedan, this comes as no surprise. Suspension tuning provides a deft blend of ride smoothness and handling prowess, and while the Impala is not a sport sedan, it can cover ground at a rapid pace on twisty roads. There is still room for improvement in the Impala’s transmission though. The 6-speed automatic stumbles on occasions, especially when driving on elevated steep terrains. A manual shift button is provided at the top of the gear selector, but it is not that satisfying to use, despite the fact that

TECH SPECS Chevrolet Impala LTZ ENGINE 3.6-litre V6 CVVT POWER 305 horsepower @ 6,800 rpm, 358Nm torque @ 5,300 rpm Transmission: 6 Speed Automatic PERFORMANCE EPA combined fuel efficiency: 12.4 / 8.1 (10.7) l/100km Fuel capacity: 70 ltrs

OTE Group, Wattayah Contact no: +968 2230 7253, 2230 7260 Toll Free No: 800 – 77007

The 2015 Chevrolet Impala is notable for its plush ride manners, eye-catching design and generous space for passengers and cargo, and so much more.

it matches engine revs perfectly when downshifting. The LTZ model comes equipped with the optional 20-in aluminium wheels, which sure look terriﬁc, and provide more traction and better control. But there is a penalty to be paid: the 20-inchers create more noise, which is directly felt inside the cabin. The car is not meant to be ridden rough – the car oozes sophistication and just does not look like one to be ripped and twitched hard. If you prefer tyre-smoking action over cushy road manners from your sedan, the Chevy SS, or any other muscle car could be more suitable to satisfy your appetite for adrenaline. The Impala delivers the best of both worlds. Enough power with enough luxury: true to its moniker, it is fast, sleek and smooth in its approach. Scoring equally high on comfort, the big front seats are roomy and plush. It can have seat ventilation/ AC and seat warmer, heated steering wheel, and heated side mirrors. The automatic dual-zone system performs well. The seats are supportive beneath and comfortable on long trips. The seats also have plenty of adjustments, including generous fore-aft range and adjustable lumbar/lower-back support. Rear-seat legroom is excellent. Two adults will be very comfortable in the rear seats. I was able to cross my leg comfortably in the rear seat. There’s plenty of knee, foot, and head room. Three adults

will ﬁt side by side too, but the pronounced centre tunnel consumes leg and foot room of the person in the middle. The rear trunk is extremely spacious. Though the trunk-lid is exceptionally short, trunk space is not compromised: a substantial 18.8 cubic feet of cargo space means you can pack all your essentials, and then some more. The human interface of the controls is highly logical. You can operate almost every control from the steering wheel and the voice recognition is a nice addition. Settings for climate, volume, fan speed, and the like are easily changed with buttons and dials. The large dash is notable for its ﬂowing, well-executed design, and the central touch screen centre screen is just awesome. In-car Wi-Fi is new for 2015, it essentially turns your car into a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot. Stay connected anywhere you drive; Impala also offers built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi connectivity. The powerful signal gives you and your passengers the ability to seamlessly connect up to seven devices to the Internet. Like all the 2015 premium Chevrolet vehicles, Impala too has got password protected storage, which is activated by a 4-digit code, locks out any private info entered into the Chevrolet MyLink system, including your address book. The 2015 Impala comes standard with all the usual features: side-curtain airbags, front-side airbags, anti-lock brakes and stability control. It also offers a few others, such as traction control, front-knee airbags. As for safety-related tech options, the biggie offers a long list here too: There’s a backup camera, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning, a blind spot monitoring system and forward-collision alert. The Impala received NHTSA 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score for safety. If you’re looking for a big, comfortable family sedan with style and sophistication, look no further – it has to be the Chevy Impala. faisal@timesofoman.com

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

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Controls

ay action and say photography, and nothing else comes close to GoPro. Ever since its inception, the iconic brand has dominated the extreme action video and photography scenario, with its high performance yet very compact action cameras. Be it a surfer’s board; a motocross rider’s helmet or of a sky-diver’s, the one thing that you are definitely going to find attached on is a GoPro camera – such is its popularity among the high action sports lovers. The latest to come up from the GoPro stable is the ‘HERO4 Session’. It’s tiny; almost-cube-like that packs in the capability to produce HD video, still photos, and time-lapse with the same kind of go-anywhere attach-to-anything mindset of the other GoPros. However apart from the advantages, does an even smaller size also translate it into losing on a few aspects? We compare it with another GoPro camera priced exactly the same as the ‘Hero4 Session’ – the ‘Hero4 Silver’. There are a lot of ways they overlap, but there are also some key ways they’re different. So if you’re wondering, which fits better for what you’re after, here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of both. Just for you.

Both cameras have Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and controlled with the GoPro mobile app or the GoPro Smart Remote. With the Silver, you can also change settings, modes, and other controls using the on-camera buttons as well as the LCD screen on the back. The Session does have two buttons (no screen of course), but they’re very limited in what they can do. The biggest issue is that you can’t change things like the shooting mode or video resolution or most of the other settings without using either the mobile app or the Smart Remote. Quite a hassle. Hero4 Session: Hero4 Silver:

Physical Dimensions

Audio

The headline feature of the Session is its size. The other GoPros aren’t exactly large, but the Session is much smaller again. That means it can ﬁt in places that the other GoPros can’t. It also means it makes less drag in high speed or high wind situations. There’s less leverage to risk movement. And it’s lighter for uses like drones where weight is critical. The Session wins hands down – two thirds the size of the Silver.

The Silver has a built-in microphone and you can add external microphones. The Session has two built-in microphones – one on the front and another on the back. The camera switches between them when it judges that the effects of wind noise are getting too severe on the front mic. A tie.

Hero4 Session:

Hero4 Silver:

Battery

Hero4 Session:

Hero4 Silver:

Ruggedness One of the key attractions of GoPros, of course, is that they can go in places other conventional cameras shouldn’t be able to go. With rugged, waterproof housings they’re not especially bothered by water, dirt, or even bumps. The two cameras tackle the durability issue quite differently. The Silver can be used without any housing, in which case it’s vulnerable to the elements. To make it waterproof, a waterproof housing is required, and is rated to remain waterproof down to a depth of 131 feet (40 metres). The Session doesn’t employ external waterproof case, and is itself built to be durable. The camera is rated to be waterproof down to 33 feet (10m), which is a lot less than the Silver (with housing), but still plenty for activities like surﬁng, swimming, or snorkelling. If you plan to go scuba diving however, you’re probably much better off going with the Silver. The Session’s trap door that protects the memory card slot and USB socket, also doesn’t seem to be that sturdy. The pretty ﬂimsy looking door is essential to maintain the waterproof seal. So if the door breaks off, the camera isn’t waterproof anymore.

GO WITH THE PRO S T O R Y

F A I S A L

M O H A M M E D

N A I M

GoPro Hero4 vs GoPro Hero4 Silver Session

With the Silver, you can remove the battery, which means you can have fullycharged spare batteries on hand and charge the battery in a separate charger. The battery in the Session is built-in and can’t be removed. That means that the only way to charge it is by plugging the camera into a power source. Big disappointment, given the GoPros, or any high action cams for that matter drain the batteries pretty fast. Hero4 Session: Hero4 Silver:

Accessories Both cameras use the standard GoPro mounting system, so pretty much any existing GoPro mount will work with either camera. There are differences when it comes to things concerning the housing, simply because the housings and frames are very different. That includes things like ﬂoaty housings, and much more. External microphones won’t work with the Session, but many do with the Silver. Both take microSD cards, (SDHC and SDXC) up to 64GB. Because the Silver is more demanding in its high-end video modes, it requires a faster card than the Session. Hero4 Session: Hero4 Silver:

Hero4 Session: Hero4 Silver:

Video and photo The Silver has better video quality than the Session. It also has many more video modes, can do signiﬁcantly higher-resolution video modes up to 4K, and gives you much more control over exposure settings. Both have Protune for video. In the photo department too, the Silver produces larger photos than the Session, with a maximum size of 12MP. The Session produces a maximum of 8MP as well as a smaller size of 5MP. Both cameras can produce time-lapse images. The Silver also has a time-lapse video mode, to create the videos within the camera itself. The Silver also has what it calls a NightLapse mode, which uses long-exposure settings that better suits low-light shooting such as the night sky or city lights. Hero4 Session: Hero4 Silver:

CONCLUSION The Silver is a better camera. It produces better-quality video and photos, has many more options for controlling the settings, comes with a built-in LCD screen, has a removable battery, a more rugged housing, and is for the most part, easier to use. But that’s not to say that the Session might not at all be a better choice. There are exclusive characteristics of the Session that will deﬁnitely make it a better choice for various uses and users. TOO Verdict: Hero4 Silver. Deﬁnitely the Session is smaller, the Silver is small and compact too, plus the better images and videos faisal@timesofoman.com

C10

M O N DAY, DECEMB ER 14, 2015

FIND-IT-ALL CINEMA SCHEDULE

PRAYER TIMINGS

@AZAIBA

@SHATTI

Screen 3 Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Family) – PG 3.45, 9.45 PM Salt Mango Tree (Drama) – Malyalam – PG Cast : Biju Menon, Lakshmi Priya 6.45 PM

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI In the Heart of the Sea (3D) (Action) (PG12) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 2:30, 9:15 PM Bridge of Spies (Biography | Drama) (PG) Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda 4:45 PM Bus 657 (Action | Crime | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Dave Bautista 2:45 PM The Good Dinosaur (3D) (Animation | ) (U) 2:30, 4:30, 7:00 PM Hyena Road (Drama | War) (15+) Cast: Rossif Sutherland, Paul Gross 4:45, 9:00, 11:30 PM Howl (Horror) (18+) Cast: Mark Huckerby, Nick Ostler 10:15, 11:45 PM Close Range (Action | Crime) (12+) Cast: Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund, Caitlin 8:30, 11:30 PM Victor Frankenstein (Horror | Drama) (12+) Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy 6:30 PM Zinzana (Arabic) (Crime | Drama) (PG12) Cast: Ali Suliman, Ahd, Saleh Bakri 7:30 PM MUSCAT GRAND MALL The Good Dinosaur-3D (Animation) U 11:00AM, 1:00, 2:30, 4:30 & 7:15PM Gold Class: 7:00PM Macbeth (Drama | War) 12+ Cast : Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard 9:15 & 11:30PM Gold Class :2:30 & 9:00PM Close Range (Action | Crime) 12+ Cast: Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund 3:00 & 11:30PM Gold Class : 2:30 & 9:00PM In the Heart of the Sea (Action) PG12

Macbeth (Drama | War) 12+ Cast : Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard 9:15 & 11:30PM Gold Class : 2:30 & 9:00PM

Salt Mango Tree – 2D (PG) (Comedy, Drama) Cast: Biju Menon, Lakshmi Priya 7:10, 9:30 PM

Cast : Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 12:15 & 9:00PM Gold Class: 4:45 & 11:15PM The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-2 : 3D Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 4:45PM; (Sci-Fi) PG12 A Second Chance (Romance / Drama) PG12 Cast : Bea Alonzo, John Lloyd Cruz

6:30PM PANORAMA MALL In The Heart of The Sea (Action)(3D (PG12) 7:00, 9:15 pm In The Heart of The Sea (Action, Adventure) (MX4D)(PG12) 2:45, 5:45, 8:30, 11.30 PM In The Heart of The Sea (Action, Adventure) (3D)(PG12)- VIP LOUNGE Cast : Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy Timings : 8:45 PM Creed (Drama, Sport)(2D)(15+) 4:30 pm Bridge of Spies (Biography, Drama)(2D)(PG) 9:00 pm Hyena Road (2D)(15+) Cast: Rossif Sutherland, Paul Gross 3:15, 9:15, 11:30 pm

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

15:00 15:00 15:00

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

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

20:50

Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Sur Sur

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

Fahud Yibal

Daily Daily

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

Daily Daily

Marmul

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

Daily Daily Daily Daily

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

06:00 14:30

Ruwi Ruwi

10:45 19:00

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

07:00

06:00

Marmul

16:30

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

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

SALALAH In the Heart of the Sea (3D) (PG12) (Action) 12:00, 6:45, 11:15PM Hyena Road (2D) (15+) (Drama | War) 10:00AM, 2:00, 9:00, 11:35PM Close Range (2D) (12+) (Action | Crime) 12:15, 8:15, 9:55, 11:55PM Howl (2D) (18+) (Horror) Cast: Mark Huckerby, Nick Ostler 4:30, 10:05PM Creed (2D) (15+) (Drama | Sport) Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone 2:05PM The Good Dinosaur (3D) (U) (Animation) Voice Overs: Jeffrey Wright, Frances 10:05AM, 12:10, 2:15, 6:15PM Tamasha (2D) (PG12) (Romance| Drama) 4:10PM Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attandant (2D) (18+) (Comedy) Cast: Rebecca Romijn, Jessica Lowndes, 10:30AM, 4:15PM Zinzana (2D) (PG12) (Arabic) (Crime/Drama) Cast: Ali Suliman, Ahd, Saleh Bakri 6:05PM Salt Mango Tree (2D) (PG) (Malayalam) Cast: Biju Menon, Lakshmi Priya 7:45PM

24 16

11.45 13.30 14.00

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

Pathemari (Mal) (Rom/Drama) Cast: Mammootty, Jewel Mary & Srinivasn 6-30 pm at Cinema Main; 9-45 pm at Cinema -3 Anarkali (Mal) (Rom/Drama) Cast: Prithviraj, Biju Menon & Priya Glor 3-30 pm Cinema -2; 6-45 pm Cinema-3 Amar Akbar Anthony (Mal) (Act/Drama) Cast : Prithviraj & Jaya Surya 3-45 Cinema -3; 9-30 pm at Cinema Main Salt Mango Tree (Mal) (Com) Cast Biju Menon, Sohasani & Mani Ratnam 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 pm at Cinema -4 Bengal Tiger (Telugu) (Act) Cast : Ravi Teja, & Tamannaah 6-30 & 9-30 pm Cinema-2 3-30 pm at Cinema Main Next change: Dilwale (Hindi); Tanga Magan (Tamil); Bajirao Mastani (Hindi) Programmes are subject to change

WITH LOVE

Minimum

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

35-70%

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

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

Daily Daily Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

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

Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

10:25

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

Ruwi

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

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

07:00

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

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

Close Range (Action / Crime) Cast: Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund, Caitlin Keats 4.00, 8.15, 10.00 & 11.55 pm CP No : 3041 (12+) Howl (Horror) Cast: Ed Speleers, Holly Weston, Shauna Macdonald 2.00, 6.00 & 10.00 pm CP No : 3042 (18+) Hyena Road (Drama / War) Cast: Rossif Sutherland, Paul Gross, Clark Johnson 1.30, 3.45, 7.45 & 11.55 pm CP No : 3043 (15+) In the Heart of the Sea (Action / Adventure / Biography) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson 6.00 pm CP No : 3031 (PG12)

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

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

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

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

BURAIMI In the Heart of the Sea– 3D (Action) (PG12) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 5:15, 9:15PM Close Range– 2D (Action, Crime) (12+) Cast: Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund 3:30, 9:45, 11:30PM The Good Dinosaur – 3D (Animation) (U) 3:00, 5:00, 7:30PM Harbinger Down – 2D (Horror, Sci-Fi) (15+) Cast: Lance Henriksen, Matt Winston 5:15, 11:45PM Macbeth– 2D (Drama, War) (12+) Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard 3:15, 7:30, 9:30, 11:30PM Salt Mango Tree – 2D (Comedy, Drama) (PG) Cast: Biju Menon, Lakshmi Priya 7:00PM

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

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

Daily Daily Daily

BAHJA CINEMA

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

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

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

RUWI Screen 1 Hate Story 3 (Thriller) – PG12 Cast : Zarine Khan, Daisy Shah, Karan Singh 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Screen 2 Tamasha (Romance/Drama) – PG12 Cast : Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor 3.45, 9.45 PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Drama) – PG Cast : Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil NitinMukesh 6.45 PM

Cast : Ali Suliman, Ahd, Saleh Bakri 2:30, 9:30 PM Salt Mango Tree - 2D (PG) Comedy | Drama Cast : Biju Menon, Lakshmi Priya 9:00 PM

WEATHER

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

SOHAR In the Heart of the Sea - 3D (PG12) Action 6:25, 11:45 PM In the Heart of the Sea - 2D (PG12) Action 3:00 PM Victor Frankenstein - 2D (12+) Drama Cast : Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy 11:30 PM Pathemari - 2D (M) (PG12) Drama Cast : Mammoty, Joy Methew, Srinivasan 7:00 PM Hate Story 3 - 2D (PG12) Thriller Cast : Zarine Khan, Sharman Joshi 6:15 PM Macbeth - 2D (12+)Drama | War Cast : Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard 3:00, 9:30, 11:45 PM The Good Dinosaur - 3D (U) Animation 2:30, 5:30, 7:30 PM The Good Dinosaur - 2D (U) Animation 4:15 PM Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attandant - 2D (18+) Comedy Cast : Rebecca Romijn, Jessica Lowndes 4:30 PM Bengal Tiger - 2D (Telgu) (TBC) Action 4:30 PM Harbinger Down- 2D (15+) Horror | Sci-Fi Cast : Lance Henriksen, Matt Winston 5:15, 11:30 PM Zinzana - 2D (PG12) Crime | Drama | Thriller

Hate Story – 2D (PG12)Thriller Cast – Zarine Khan, Sharman Joshi, Daisy 2:00, 4:20, 6:40, 9:05, 11:30 PM Pathemari – 2D (PG12) Drama 6:45 PM Tamasha – 2D (PG12) Romance, Drama 2:30, 4:35, 9:00, 11:00 PM Prem Ratan Dhan Payo – 2D (PG) Family 3:00 PM Bengal Tiger – 2D (TBC) Action Cast – Ravi Teja, Tamannaah, Rashi Khanna, Boman Irani 6:15 PM

AZAIBA Close Range – 2D (12+) Action, Crime Cast – Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund 5:15, 9:15, 11:45 PM In the Heart of the Sea – 2D (PG12) Action 2:15, 11:55 PM Salt Mango Tree – 2D (PG) Comedy, Drama Cast – Biju Menon, Lakshmi Priya 7:10, 9:30 PM

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

SUR Close Range (Action | Crime ) (12+) Cast: Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund, 3:15, 8:30, 11:45 PM Howl (Horror ) (18+) Cast: Mark Huckerby, Nick Ostler 4:45, 10:00, 11:30 PM The Good Dinosaur 3D ( Animation ( U ) 3:00, 5:00, 6:30 PM Salt Mango Tree ( Malayalam) ( PG) Cast : Biju Menon, Lakshmi Priya 6:45 PM In the Heart of the Sea 3D (Action) (PG12) 9:15 PM

Close Range (Action | Crime) (12+) Cast: Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund, Caitlin Keats 8:30, 11:30 PM

Lary Gaye (Comedy)(2D)(15+) Cast: Rebecca Romijn, Jessica Lowndes 5:30 pm Harbinger Down (Horror, Sci-Fi)(2D)(15+) Cast: Lance Henriksen, Matt Winston 7:30, 11:45 pm Macbeth (Drama, War)(2D)(12+) Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard 2:45, 11:30 pm The Godd Dinasaur (Animation)(3D)(U) 2:30, 5:00, 7:00 pm Hyena Road (2D)(15+)-VIP LOUNGE Cast: Rossif Sutherland, Paul Gross 3:45, 11:00 pm Macbeth (Drama, War)(2D)(12+)-VIP LOUNGE Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard 6:30 pm

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

Destination

12.06pm 3.07pm 5.27pm 6.43pm 5.20am

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

@MGM

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

MO N DAY, D E C E MB E R 14, 2 0 1 5

C11

LIFESTYLE

Out of That Corner Now STORY FAISAL MOHAMMED NAIM

Although motorcycles are more manoeuvrable than cars, one thing that appears to be tricky especially for the newbies is cornering. Most motorcycles are capable of cornering quite rapidly; given you just ride correctly. Here is how

ne thing that intimidates the new motorcycle riders, and even many having countless mirror miles, is cornering. A rider may be riding smooth all the way, but as soon as he approaches a curve, he seemingly begins to grow uneasy, sometimes trying to lean too much, or trying to stay too straight at others. All of a sudden that smooth line he was riding in seems to vanish. The prospect of entering into corners is subduing for many riders, and many seemingly falter at it. However motorcycles can corner incredibly quick and they are not to blame for the intimidation; it is the rider’s lack of expertise and many times self conﬁdence (or over conﬁdence for that matter) that makes cornering on a bike tricky. Overly hard and poorly coordinated braking can upset a motorcycle’s chassis more than a car’s causing all sorts of strange dynamics. These antics can be especially dangerous while leaning over in a corner. Cornering is an art, which involves play with proper braking and gear positioning. Many even say it is the essence of motorcycling. You may keep enhancing your cornering skills for the rest of your life, and you may still never do a Rossi or Pedrosa. Here are a few tips two cents’ worth on how to master the art of corT E C H U P D AT E

Twitter warns of state-sponsored cyber attacks After Facebook and Google, now Twitter has alerted its users to falling a victim of a state-sponsored cyberattacks. The social network recently alerted some users that they “may have been targeted” by government attackers trying to get e-mail addresses, network connections and phone numbers. Twitter doesn’t think the intruders got any account info, but it’s offering suggestions to anyone doubtful of their identity. It’s not certain, which country was responsible, and there isn’t much of a pattern in the attacks. — IANS

nering. Remember however, that just reading is not enough. You will have to practice, practice, and practice. Check Your Blind Spot Before turning or changing lanes, check your mirrors and make a sideways check into your blind spot, to make sure the lane you want to occupy is clear. Make the Turn Apply your turn signal well in advance to let other drivers know what you intend to do. Then, when the coast is clear, lean the motorcycle into the turn by applying slight pressure to the inside of the handlebar in the direction you want to turn. The faster you are moving, the more you’ll have to lean the motorcycle to negotiate the turn. At normal highway speeds, you should lean with the bike. When negotiating tight turns, that require you to ride more slowly, just lean the motorcycle, and remain in an upright position yourself. Brake in Advance Brake before you turn. Apply the brakes when the motorcycle is upright, before you lean over to turn. If you brake when you are leaning over, you’re much more likely to slide off, because when you are leaning over, you have less traction available.

Adjust Your Speed Once you have settled into a turn, roll on the throttle to maintain a steady speed or accelerate slightly. This helps keep the bike stable through the turn. Rapid acceleration or deceleration in a corner can cause you to lose control of the bike. Don’t accelerate or shift during a corner, because this will upset your chassis. Wait until you’ve ﬁnished the turn and your bike is once again upright to accelerate.

enter the corner in the ﬁrst place. If you’re in doubt, slow down even more. If you ﬁnd yourself going into a curve too fast on dry pavement, don’t panic. Just counter-steer more to lean harder into the curve. The more you lean, the sharper you turn. Leaning harder also scrubs off excess speed with your tyres, slowing you down. You need to trust the capability of your tyres; motorcycles have more traction than you might imagine.

Dangerous Debris Always scan the road surface for debris such as leaves, sand, ﬂuids, and gravel buildup. Debris on a curve will most often lead to a crash. These materials tend to accumulate on the outside edge of a curve, so pay close attention to that part of the road when scanning a corner. If there is debris on a curve, slow down to give yourself time to manoeuvre around the debris. If you are unable to avoid it, don’t panic and hit the brakes; that will make you more likely to lose traction and crash than if you maintain a steady speed through the corner. If you’ve slowed down to a safe speed before entering the corner, you should be all right.

Taking Corners The path you take through a corner plays an important role in both safety and speed (the gentlest arc through a curve is also the fastest). By selecting the right route, you improve your view and make yourself more obvious to oncoming traffic. The most important thing is to stay in your lane. When going around a corner, treat your lane like it’s the only part of the road that exists. Also, when approaching a corner, move to the outside of the lane before entering the turn. This lets you see farther around the corner, and it also makes you visible to oncoming traffic earlier.

Don’t Panic Your safest bet is to make certain you’re not going too fast when you

The Vanishing Point Using the vanishing point will encourage you to position your bike safely, use appropriate speed, and force you to keep looking where you

want to go. The vanishing point is the farthest point where your eyes see the two sides (or edges) of the road meet. On a tight corner that point will appear close, while on a long sweeping curve that point will appear farther away. Good road position will allow you to see further around a curve, giving you earlier warning of any potential danger. Oddball Corners A change in the shape of a road can take you by surprise, forcing you to change direction in midcorner. Like everything else in motorcycling, the key to dealing with these situations is awareness. If you are riding on an unfamiliar road, slow down and expect anything. Increasing-Radius Curves An increasing-radius curve is a curve that gets less sharp as it progresses. In a way, these corners are less dangerous than a normal corner, but they may require you to alter your course in midcurve. If you are prepared, you can use the extra room you will have in an increasingradius curve as bonus safe space. Decreasing-Radius Curves The most challenging type of corner you will encounter is the decreasing-radius curve — a curve that gets sharper as you progress

through it, forcing you to turn more sharply as you go. Your best bet is to always expect a decreasing-radius curve: first, be prepared to lean a bit more to successfully negotiate a turn, and second, always be in the right gear. If you feel that it’s absolutely essential, then it’s a whole lot safer to throttle off very gently (letting the engine slow you down) than braking halfway round a corner. Multiple Curves Riding through multiple curves will test your ability to counter-steer your bike. You’ll need to be able to go from leaning hard in one direction to leaning hard in another direction instantly. When you get to a snaky section of road, first slow down more than you would for a single curve. Then position yourself in the first curve so that you’ll be best able to negotiate the following curves. Always position yourself so that you have the maximum visibility of whatever’s ahead. Like everything else, you will need a good amount of practice to master the art. Try to apply all that you have learned, next time and onwards, while entering into a corner and you’ll find your techniques and speeds improving significantly each passing day, and you will be cornering more like a pro. More next time. Ride Safe. faisal@timesofoman.com

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W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M O N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

SECTION

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

RENT

VACANCY

FOR RENT NEAR AL FALAJ HOTEL : Furnished Flat WEEKLY/ MONTHLY. Contact :

990 49 722

CARGO

M O N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

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

Contact : 99229263; 93221054; 95215289

WAREHOUSE IN MABELA

Industrial Area Brand new with raised floor, dock leveler, office space.Total covered area 1300 Sqm. With 10 meters height. Contact - 92525766 Emailproperties@alsirajholdings.com

^W &KZ Z Ed ů EĂŚĚĂ dŽǁĞƌ Ϯ͕ Į ƌƐƚ Ň ŽŽƌ͕ ϭϬϮ Ň Ăƚ ŶŽ͘ KƉƉŽƐŝƚĞ Ͳ WŝŽŶĞĞƌ ϯ ŝŐ ďĞĚƌŽŽŵƐ ĨŽƌ ĂĐĐŽŵŵŽĚĂƟ ŽŶ ďĞƐŝĚĞ 'ƵůĨ DŝŶŝŶŐ ŽŵƉĂŶǇ 'ŚĂůĂ Ͳ DƵƐĐĂƚ

Contact : 99591912 / 92718733

FOR RENT 2BHK, 3 washroom Flat with Split Air Conditioners Near Lulu Darsait CONTACT :

93202733 2 Bedrooms Flat for rent in front of Indian School Ghubra. Contact: 92197959 / 92502497 2 Bedroom Townhouse with Swimming pool, free Wi-Fi for Rent near British Council in Madinat Sultan Qaboos. Contact: 92197959 / 92502497. Showroom / Office for rent located in Prime location of Azaiba Main Highway. Contact: 92197959 / 92502497. 2 Bedrooms Flat for rent located in Prime location of Al Khuwair. Contact: 92197959 / 24527852. Profs / jack. Contact 93219378

Villa for rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 95562646 Rent for ﬂat in Wadi Adai, big room big hall one toilet, one Kitchen. Contact : 99345137 Flat villa type for rent - in al khuwair 33/, 4 Bed Rooms .4 bath Rooms, 1 Family Hall, 1 Dining Room, 1 Living Room, 1 Kitchen, Store. Contact 99315515 1& 2 BHK CBD Ruwi Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99024730

V. Nice flat in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 95755953 /95555162 2 BHK flat for rent opp. Sheraton, CBD. Contact 99046569 At Al Athaiba ground floor with split AC, 2beds, 2bathrooms, kitchen & sitting room Behind AL Zubair rent 350/-PDC. Contact: 99879939 At Wadi Kabir Industrial two floor showrooms, 80 sm each, rent 450/R.O (PDC). Contact: 99879939

3 Room flat in North Ghubra, 18 November Street with three toilets. For residential or commercial use. RO. 315/- Contact 94477222. At Al Athaiba (2nd floor) 2 bed, sitting room , 1 bathroom , kitchen , split AC rent 310/- PDC. Contact: 99879939 2bed rooms flat with hall, 2 bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat Municipality. Contact: 92584715 / 24700120 House for rent in Al Amerat . Contact: 92532371 / 92294259

Urgent apartment for rent: First Floor, Purpose built one bedroom, bath, Kitchen with balcony and a drawing & dinning. 2 Minutes walk from Indian School Muscat. Contact 99346265 1000sqmtrs industrial land for rent in Ghala suitable for warehouse workshop etc. Contact 24700120 /92584715 6 B/R villa for office use in Al Khoudh, 2 & 3 B/R ﬂat in AL Khuwair for office. Contact: 99776071 /99057348

One / two B/R RES / comm. ﬂat near Oman Medical College directly from owner. Contact: 92158031

1BHK R.O 170/-, & 2BHK R.O 215 near medical Darsait Muttrah house. Contact : 95076261

New deluxe 1BHK for rent in Darsait behind ISD School. Contact 99142314

Ghubra-Beautiful Room, attached bath, separate entrance, huge terrace, near Shell & Bank Muscat, for Male/Female - Indian/Asian/Western. OMR 180. Strictly for Vegetarian, non-drinker. Contact 99283938 (No Kitchen).

NEW WAREHOUSE FOR RENT at Ghala Ind. Area. 800 & 2500 approx sqms Near Hotel Al-Madinah Holiday, Ghala. Container can enter. Immediate access to roads & highways. Contact : 94583320 Shops for rent good for offices + stores behind bldg, behind whole sale center Al Amerat space 11 x4 meters R.O 250/- per month. Contact: 92877449

4 B/R, 3 ﬂats building in Azaiba behind Al Meera. Contact: 99776071 /99057348 Single ﬂat sharing for Keralite bachelor in Ruwi near Qaboos Mosque R.O 95 (W/E). Contact: 98478286

M O N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Business in Oman for Sale Profitable business in Oman running since 20 years having more than 3 outlets in various locations. Serious parties may send email to :

sprtnftns@gmail.com

FOR RENT 3 BHK behind Oman House, Muttrah. Contact: 99319149

^ Z W Yh/WD Ed

Shops, studio ﬂat and spacious outlet and offices (good for clinic) are offered for rent in Al Amarat opp. ROP police station. Contact: 91231380

&KZ ^ > tĞ ŚĂǀĞ ƐĐƌĂƉ ĞƋƵŝƉŵĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ ƐĂůĞ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ ϮϬ ǇĞĂƌƐ ŽůĚ͘ /ŶƚĞƌĞƐƚĞĚ WĂƌƟ ĞƐ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ Dƌ͘ ͘ZŽŶŝƐŚ͕

2 bedroom luxury fully furnished ﬂat for rent at Ghala short or long term basis. Contact: 99886386 / 99881653

'^D ϵϭϮϵϲϰϯϵ ů :ĂƵĨ >> ͘ W͘K͘ Žǆ ϭϴϴϬ͕ WŽƐƚĂů ŽĚĞ ϭϭϮ͕ ZƵǁŝ͕ ^ƵůƚĂŶĂƚĞ ŽĨ KŵĂŶ

New apartment for rent at Al Amerat second ﬂoor consists of two rooms with two toilets, reception with toilet, kitchen. Contact: 95588568

Indian Granite 600x300x20 - 15000 sq mts Indian Granite Slabs 20000 Sq mts Our factory yard at Ghala Industrial area.

2 B/R flat in Wattaya and Azaiba. Contact: 99776071 /99057348 Big room attach bath kitchen in Muscat near Palace R.O 90/-. Contact: 95094028 1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Hamriya Mabela and Al Khoud shop at Al Khoud. Contact: 24834644 / GSM : 93994401 /02/03/3lines Showroom space available at MBD area near old manpower building ground floor 220 Sq.MTR Mezzanine floor 320 SQ. mtrs, rent R.O 2650/per month. Contact: 99449885 02 BHK commercial / residential (with split AC) flats at Honda Road. Contact: 99342733 / 99795241 02 BHK residential flat opposite to Al Nadha hospital. Contact: 99342733 / 99795241 1000 sqm industrial land with compound wall & two rooms at Misfah. Contact: 99342733 / 99795241 1&2 BHK M.B.D R.O 280/- & 300/-. Contact: 92144045 1,2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, 325/- & 350/-. Contact: 97799175

Flats for rent at Al Mablah block eight. Contact: 99445177 Restaurant for lease running restaurant at excellent location in Wadi Kabir is available on lease. Contact: 93334685 / 91760712 1 Bed room in Al hail south R.O 130/- Monthly. Contact: 93993354 Flats shops & store for rent in Ruwi Honda road Mumtaz. Contact: 97293708 / 92433127 Flat in Wadi Kabir, 3 BHK rent 280/- R.O. Contact: 99330810 2BHK Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti mosque. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232 1BHK Nr Oman house & Kmj H.O Muttrah. Contact 99233116

1 BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-. Contact: 92144045

600 SQT commercial ﬂat for rent opposite Oman ﬂourmill Darsait more details. Contact: 91214849/ 99364735

2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-. Contact: 92144045

Shop / office Nr Oman house & Kmj H.O Muttrah. Contact: 99233116

Luxurious 2 BHK ﬂat with 3 toilets, store, equipped kitchen, splits, free gym & party hall, 24 hrs security at Mumtaz area Ruwi rent 375/-. Contact: 92622506

House for rent at Seeb Souq two bedroom, majlis, sitting room, kitchen & 2 bathroom. Contact: 99700908

1BR, 3BR Mars hypermarket Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99338133 / 92103604 2BHK ﬂats available for near PDO gate no 2 Qurum. Contact: 94057023

2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near Oman house. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232 Single BHK ﬂat available in Honda road Ruwi. Contact 24833972/ 24833974/99367448

Contact 99337723 / 95118906

FOR SALE Dozer Kom 355A -3 Dozer Kom 155A- 3 Grader Champion 780 Excavator PC 400 with breaker Man green water tanker 5000 IG All are in good condition

99310448/99612010/95208455

FOR RENT 1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/-. Contact 99358589 /95570288 One room and one BHK for rent in AL Khuwair near Ibis hotel. Contact: 95724975 Flats for rent in Wadi Kabeer. Contact: 99388994 Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99376454 7 Bedrooms villa in Ghobrah North. Contact - 96420432 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 One flats for rent 2 bedroom all with bath al Ghobrah north near Indian school (hot burger restaurant) tell 9976610

ACC. AVAILABLE

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

Furnished sharing accommodation in ruwi near O.K. Center for non-cooking indian bachelor. #98805474

Running restaurant with seven clearance for sale Awabi Muscat. Contact: 95497007 Al Qurum, 2 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, sitting, kitchen, split ACs price 65,000 R.O. Contact : 99879939

STOCK CLEARANCE SALE

Villa, 2 ﬂats at Al Khuwair (17/2) Contact: 99444786

FOR SALE

MV SALE Jeep Wrangler 2012 20,000km, Expat from new, dealer serviced, RO6500 Contact 99440320 Sohar Yaris 2011, full automatic Toyota warranty, 90,000 km, expat use R.O 3100/-. Contact: 92227165 Mazda 626 in VGC, 2001 model, single expat Owner, full service history with dealer, 180000 kms. Offer price OMR 1000. Contact 99296768 Single owner Ford Escape 2012 white, 2.5L, 10100 kms. All tyres recently replaced, Comprehensive insurance including UAE Mulkiya valid Oct 2016. OMR 5250 92320155 divadmuscat@gmail.com Honda Accord 2012, 60,000 km, good condition, RO 5600, expat leaving Oman. Contact 99577462. FOR SALE or rent Tata Dawoo Truck 12 ton 2014 Model. Contact: 92719681 Chaverlet Epica 2004 model RO -700, for sale. Contact 92194205 BMW 318/ 2003 for sale. Contact 96364990 Ford focus, automatic, 2010 model, silver colour, expat driven, 58000 kms, dealer serviced, registration till sep 2016, price ro 2750. Contact- 93207590

Single room bathroom in Darsait R.O 140/-. Contact: 93289652 Independent rooms in Qurum / Al Hail. Contact 95529970

Sports shop for sale at Ruwi. Contact: 98453599 /93050776

Furnished single room bathroom separate for bachelors, near Kuwait Mosque, Wadi Kabir, facilities Cooking & Wiﬁ, rent RO 110/- including Electricity & Water. Contact 96228168

Top Quality sparingly used Outdoor Catering & Bakery Equipments including chairs etc for sale in Muscat .Please call for viewing 99471085. Serious buyers only.

Big room available near Hamriya R/A for Muslim couple / small family / Executive bachelor rent 150/- per month including W+ E. Contact : 99495131

Scrap available for sale, power cables & accessories. Contact – 24446399 / Email – ravi.ztc@omzest.com Zawawi Trading Road no.8 Rusayl

Furnished room in new building for working Muslim lady/ Muslim couple only. Location AINT, Darsait. Contact - 99008069

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

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting room, Kitchen & store including utilities bills at Al hail. #92817777

We have laundry for sale in Ghala prime location 3 visa clearances available. Contact: 93782735 / 99208033 Shop for sale at Ghala Sanaya main junction (prime location) shop for sale. Contact: Kamil 92696479 Running barber shop for sale in Ruwi with all equipments. Contact: 99343735 60,000 Sq Mtrs Agriculture Land in Misfah, can be changed to Industrial Land. OMR 29 Per Square Meter. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 400 sq mtrs Commercial/Residential land in Maabela Phase 5 Block 2. OMR 155 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Single room for expat Indian bachelors near Al Aktham restaurant Al khuwair for RO 120. Water and electricity included. # 98803261 1 Bedroom with attached Bath, fully furnished, separate entrance at Mabela for ladies only. Contact: 99634841

ACC. WANTED Sharing Accommodation Required for Non cooking Executive Lady in Darsait /Ruwi/Wadikabir. #99360615

FOR SALE Window AC 30 Nos (general make all good conditions), refrigerator, freezer & mess equipments for sale. Contact: 98064113/ 99315878 Quotation fax on: 24448101 /24448103

5 plots of fertile agriculture lands in Misfah East totaling 4,532 sq mtrs having date trees and using falaj water for irrigation. OMR 158 Thousand for all 5 plots. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Mangalorean restaurant at Wadi Kabir & shop at Ruwi for sale. Contact: 98428507 / 93655003

2,688 sq mtrs commercial land in MBD North. OMR 1.39 Million. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

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

Barber shop for sale in Ghubra. Contact 92955874

M O N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT A reputed Dairy Company in Oman is looking for following Vacancies. Van Salesman: 3 Year experience with NOC

Drivers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Omani National Only: 2 year experience with Valid Omani D/L

Debt collector: Omani National with 4 years experience with Valid Omani D/L Please forward your CVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to

Ç&#x20AC;Ä&#x201A;Ä?Ä&#x201A;ĹśÄ?Ç&#x2021;ĎŹĎľĎłÎ&#x203A;Ĺ?ĹľÄ&#x201A;Ĺ?ĹŻÍ&#x2DC;Ä?Ĺ˝Ĺľ

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

URGENTLY REQUIRED

An Indian female HOUSEMAID (Muslim) to take care of an Omani lady. Salary best in the industry. Contact - 99250595 or mail to tc.subi@yahoo.com

WANTED PROJECT MANAGER

Wanted an Accountant. Contact: lawďŹ rmfm@gmail.com 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

Required for a reputed Construction Company, having degree or diploma in civil with 10 to 15 years experience with valid Oman driving license.

SITUATION WANTED Urgent requirement of t 4UPSF LFFQFS t .BJOUFOBODe Technician (Air-condition)

t %JTQBUDI DMFSL With experience of 5 years for a reputed organization in the glass industry. Interested candidates may send their resumes at:

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Interested candidates can send their CV onprojectshr2015@gmail.com

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MEDICAL

SECT. /OFFICE

&Ä&#x201A;Ç&#x2020; EKÍ&#x2DC; ĎŽĎ°ĎąĎľĎ˛Ď°Ď°ĎŹ

CATERING Shawarma / griller / helper wanted. Contact 95529970

DRIVER Driver cum maintenance person. Wanted cheerful, caring, clean and honest young man for an Indian family. Must have excellent driving skills and a valid GCC license. Can do and helpful attitude. Age 28 to 35, good references and English. Attractive salary, please apply to jobscharismat@gmail.com or call 99471085 for interview. Light duty driver. Contact: 98505294

ENGINEER DESIGN & ESTIMATION ENGINEER (HVAC+ FIRE FIGHTING) Degree/ Diploma in Mechanical Engineering with 3 to 4 years of experience in estimation, designing and tendering. Working knowledge of AutoCAD is must. Should have good communication skills. Contactvacancyforoman@gmail.com A Grade Construction company in Muscat urgently requires â&#x20AC;&#x153;Safety Officerâ&#x20AC;?. Send C.V hr.azatllc@gmail. com or fax C.V to 24422458 Electrical Technician: candidates with ITI / diploma in Electrical Engg & minimum 7 years experience in a process plant , preferably with some exposure to instrumentation also, may places mail CV: msindco@gmail.com PLANNING ENGINEER (HVAC) Degree/Diploma in Mechanical Engineering with minimum 7 years of experience in the planning and coordination of multiple projects, cost evaluation/ control and handing over. Good communication skills. Contactvacancyforoman@gmail.com Urgently Required: Civil Engineer with an experience minimum in 5 years in building construction, MUST have NOC and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968â&#x20AC;&#x201C;24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com. Required Diploma Civil Engr, 2-5 years experience in Oman D/ License. Contact: 99814741 Required Electrical industrial Technician and SW/ Gear panel technician with minimum 2-5 years Gulf experience. Contact: 99262678 Civil Site Supervisor for telecom tower projects across Oman. Send CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or call +968 9946 7227

EDUCATION A well known private school is in need of English, Mathematics, Science and Computer Teachers. Contact: 96910649 Email: staffing.oman@gmail.com

IT (SALES) An IT Company dealing with wireless connectivity /networking requires a Salesman urgently. Forward your CV to vctsjobsoman@gmail.com

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

Wanted Lab Technician for Ibra clinic. Very attractive salary for MOH license holders. Send biodata to jmjmedicare@gmail.com 99373493 Wanted a Staff Nurse with MOH license for a well running clinic in Seeb. Contact: 99442701 Required a male Pharmacist with MOH license for a medical center in Azaiba Muscat, excellent English and valid Omani driving license. Interested candidates please send your CV to mdcjobs2015@gmail.com Required a Philippino or Indian female cleaner for a medical center in Azaiba , Muscat. Interested candidates please send your CV to: mdcjobs2015@gmail.com GP, Pediatrics, Gynecologist doctors, Nurses urgently need to work in Polyclinic in Sur, with MOH/ Prometric pass also can apply. Dr. Raji: GSM : 99567864 Wanted GP Doctor with MOH license, job location in Muscat with good salary and beneďŹ ts. Drop your cv at careerhr1972@gmail.com.

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR Wanted Project Manager. Contact: almoosaengineering@gmail.com Leading medical services company looking for GP Doctors, Nurses male & female. Preference given to candidates in oman with MOH/ prometric. Send resume to athirababylon@gmail.com, tamara@babylon-om.com. ph: 24613069 Urgently required Project Managers, Civil Engineers, Foreman, Electrical Engineer, Electrical quantity surveyors for a reputed construction company. Send your CVs to mohamed@oasisgrace.com Contact: 99881459 / 24826566 can send fax: 24812226 Traveling agency Manager Director. Contact: 92223669

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 ďŹ eld with market exposure holding valid Omani driving license or GCC. Kindly fwd your CVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to ashwin@taasintl.org Contact: (+968)93891700 Looking for a FOREIGN STAFF has experience in Oman in real estate ďŹ eld. Interested contact: Mobile: 99109094 Email: aburashid94dd@gmail.com Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com or call Ph:+968 99450811

Urgently required Female Secretary : Oman based leading manufacturing company has immediate requirement Graduate with min. 5 yrs of experience & capable to handle Management ofďŹ ce work independently & Secretarial work, knowledge of computers & accounts will be an advantage. Age limit upto 30 yrs. Send CVs to vacancyinoman123@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Urgently required Salesman having experience in marble and granite D/L and NOC must. Contact: 93484330 Email: preciousmrbl@gmail.com Insurance agency company require Sales Executive with experience Oman driving license. Clearance available. Send CV to: ahiginsurance@gmail.com Looking for experienced sales candidates in (outdoor & industrial signage, exhibition stands & media locations). Fluent English. Email : creativityeast@gmail.com Urgently required experienced Sales man for a leading FMCG co. located at Seeb. Please forward your CV at our email: recruityarek@gmail.com Urgently required Salesman with 2 years experience in electrical outdoor sales in Oman D/L and NOC must. Contact: 91373200 Email: oman@sentorsupplies.com Kitchen cabinet manufacturing company is looking sales person, most have Oman D/L and must know any kitchen designed software and two years experience. Contact: 93326636

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE CA (Inter), MBA, 25 yrs exp. in Accounts, Sales, Marketing & Administration in poultry industry seeks suitable placement immediately. Contact 91 9704075855, +968 96500893, Email : sanaullah.sheikh@rediffmail.com 28/male/MBA - Finance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ india experience looking for a suitable placement. shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com 90187483 Indian male MBA 2 years experience on visit visa. Contact: 90196322 Email: nithinvarghese19@gmail.com Indian male, MBA ďŹ nance, B.Com have 1 and half years experienced as Accountant and office assistant of India, on visit visa. Contact: 97445488 Accountant looking part time job. Contact: 99867456 Email: ashkar7673@gmail.com Indian male 37 yrs,(M. Com ďŹ nance) with 12 yrs experience (9 yrs in Oman) in accounts up to ďŹ nalization can join immediately having NOC & Oman driving license looking for suitable placement. Contact: 90194907 Email: ke.jinson@gmail.com Filipino, 29, Male, BS Commerce, 5years experience Payables/Receivables/Payroll/Document Control. Excellent Communication/MS Office skills. Contact: 95057206 patrick110486@yahoo.com Indian Female, CA Final, 5+ yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in A/cs. Currently in Oman.Ph:94704800 email id: vinithsavith@gmail.com Indian male accountant cum admin with good experience in India & Oman knowledge of tally ERP.9 currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement. Contact: 94834687 Indian male MBA, 8 years experience in hospitality industry, accounting looking for a job, now in visit visa. Contact: 92115860 Indian male 9 years experienced Accountant cum store keeper with D/L Oman & UAE transfer available. Contact: 97085435 Email: sudhimohd@gmail.com Part time Accountant services, yearly ďŹ nalization works, monthly report, proďŹ t& loss report, consulting and audit works. Contact: 96247295 Pakistani male age 28 years MBA ďŹ nance work experience 3 years as Accountant currently in Muscat Oman on visit visa. Contact: 99685330 Email: hussain_ca87@yahoo.com Indian male 28 yrs, 3 years experience Oman driving license available accounts/ assistant accounts/ sales representatives, Tally, focus experienced Graduated, diploma in Accounting +2 SSLC. Contact: 96565010

TECHNICIAN /MECH. Urgently required cold room refrigeration Technician must know up to commissioning gulf experience preferred .Pls forward CV to nasmatmasirah@gmail.com Contact: 97982623/ 95183616 Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license call Ph:+968 99450811 Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Game operators & gardener, with at least relevant ďŹ eld experience. Please send your CV to fuad@hadidmajan.com Required expatriate manpower goods loading & unloading labors. For inquiry Contact: 98111363

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian male , B.Com, 21 yrs, accountant with 1 and half years experience looking for suitable job for more discussion. Contact: 96512733 Email: azazahemad1994@gmail.com Male Indian with 7 years experience in accounting & 6 years experience in sales and marketing very good knowledge of tally currently in Muscat on a visit visa. # 96148427 Email: jijokurianp@gmail.com

Indian Male 28. B.Com with 11yrs experience in in secretarial and document controller ďŹ eld in Saudi Arabia with Saudi license looking for a vacancy contact 00966501913557 and yarajunun@gmail.com Indian CA, 8 yrs + Exp (6 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 CPA AUS with 5 years PWC exp in ďŹ eld of accountant ďŹ nance audit seeking urgent placement now available on visit visa. Contact 94150073

Accountant, Indian Male, 15 Years experience (8 Years in Oman with Driving License & NOC) Seeks suitable placement, Contact 94117616, 91238272 Email: praveen78oman@gmail.com Hard working and 2 years experienced Indian male MBA (ďŹ n & mktg) on visit visa looking suitable jobs. Contact: 93279943 / 97876709 Chartered Accountant with ICWA Inter having 5 years experience in Finance, Accounts, Costing, Budgeting, Insurance, Treasury & Banking operations - NOC Available + Oman Driving License Contact : 97881548 Email-ďŹ nancecost2@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 Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ ďŹ nance ďŹ eld. On visit visa. Immediately available. Contact â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com 25 years (20 years in Oman & 5 years in Indian) well experienced ďŹ nance controller seeking for suitable position, with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 99756765 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, ďŹ nance, banking, L/C, import, export & ďŹ nalization seeks placement. NOC Available. Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com 12 years of Oman experienced chief accountant looking for suitable position. Contact: 99513082 28/ male MBA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ďŹ nance /B.com â&#x20AC;&#x201C; accountant with 4 years of Dubai / India experience looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 90187483 Email: shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com Senior Accounts Admin Manager B.com M.com 25 years experience accounts up to ďŹ nalization holding light duty license seeks suitable placement. Contact: 93064975 Accountant Bachelor of commerce English, 2 years experience visit visa. Contact: 98584398/ 95539923

ARCHITECT Senior Architect with 16+ years experience in Multi turnkey prestigious in KSA, UAE, Qatar, Libya, Oman, India. Contact: +974 433657155 Email: aftab1706@gamil.com

ADMIN 15 yrs experience in administration (rent a car) in UAE, holder of UAE driving license on visit in Oman seeking suitable post. Contact: 98606800 / 99431708

Driver with big Pajero only pick, drop. Contact: 91800277 Light driver looking for job. Contact: 98549627 10 yrs exp in GCC driver. Contact: 93722881 Pakistani with light duty driver license seeks job. Contact: 92789805 3 years experience driver available. Contact: 95859247 Looking for driver job. Contact: 98219182 3 years driving experience in Muscat languages known English, Arabic, Hindi and Bengali. Contact 97462781 Light driver, looking for job. Contact: 98372745/99090362 Looking for Job driving. Contact: 97418036 Driver with new car looking for job.contact: 95873286 Driver (light & heavy duty) valid gulf /Indian) looking job. Contact: 95175192

DOMESTIC HELP House maid looking for job. Contact: 98257659

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN Autocad , Oman exp in ARCh, structural, interior, knows 3D ph : 96946306 Civil Draughtsman with 12 yrs experience 9 yrs Gulf exp. Contact: 93528255 Email: bijumudackamannil@gmail.com 25 years male BA. English , QualiďŹ ed as mast in digital animation having 5 yrs ex in character animation specialized Auto Desk mago and motion building software knowledge, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 97917357 Professional architect 3ds max (interior, exterior) looking for private work. Contact: 96041201

EDUCATION Computer Teacher M.SC Indian male 10 years teaching exp in Maldives as O level computer teacher presently located at Berha on family visa. Contact: 94867456 / 95262691 Indian female MSC, B, ED M.PHIL currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement, 2 years experience Contact: 96916534 / 91969756 Email: aryanair23@gmail.com Indian, Female 27 Years; B.Sc, B.Ed - Chemistry, 3 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in teaching ďŹ eld, seeking for Suitable placements. Contact: 93216103; Email:laksshmi1988@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Male, B.E in industrial & production engineering, 8 years experience (5 years in oil & gas) and 3 years in available currently on visit visa, seeking immediate placement. Contact: 97863823

10 years experience in secretarial / Admin job. Contact: 94868626

Indian female 22 years old electrical engineer fresher currently in Oman visit visa B.Tech knowledge in AutoCAD /ECAD seeking placement in electrical related ďŹ eld. #90372125 Email: limisha93@gmail.com

Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Education, Admin, Corporate communications. Contact 98252030

Chief Accountant IndianMale, B.Com Graduate+ PGDCA, Total 18 Years Experience, 13 Year in GCC, 7 Years in Oman. Exposure in Tally ERP9, Peach Tree, MS Office. Having NOC Available for Immediate Joining. Contact - 97060826 Email-tomnedum71@yahoo.co.in

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

Indian male 26 years B.Com jiC.A Inter tally ERPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3 years experience in accounts, audit on visit visa. Contact: 90185373 Email: shaheervahid@gmail.com

Experienced Light Duty Driver, Fluent in English, Arabic Well knowledge of Oman Areas Seeking Suitable placement 97950869

HR/ Admin with total 7 years GCC experience looking for immediate change over with suitable position NOC available. Contact 95521535 Email: kbino110@gmail.com

Indian male 20 years in Oman experience with language institute (registrar, admin, account clerk) seeking a suitable position. NOC available. Contact: 96553961 Email: u.m.sulďŹ @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

DRIVER

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

CATERING Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

Indian female on visit visa master of engineering (M.E) in computer science with 2 years experience software trainee, worked as mathematics and IT Teacher seeking for suitable job. Contact: 94528019 Email: indhu101291@gmail.com 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the ďŹ eld of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598 Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) Indian m with good knowledge in MEP, currently in Oman on visit visa looking for suitable placement. Contact: 90154793 Email: sangu.vazhoor@gmail.com 29 yrs Indian male B.E (ECE) with more than 5 yrs experience in Oman with valid D/L. Contact 96652145

M O N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED

ACCOUNTANT with 8 years of experience (working in Oman since Jan 2013) is looking for a change. Experienced in all aspect of accounting up to finalization of accounts. NOC will be available

Contact: 95503646 ENGG. / TECH./MECH. IndianFemale25 BE.CS Engg with 2yrs Exp in Tech Support at Hewlett Packard & S/W Development at ISRO India,looking for a job in IT/TechnicalSupport/HR/Administrative/ Teaching field. Contact : 92891427,24128682 reshmatj@gmail.com 10 year experience fit – out project Engineer, holding Omani driving license searching for a suitable placement. Contact: 95896061 Email: supreethshetty88@gmail.com Female Engineer material / controller 3 years experience in road companies, with D/L. Contact: 98001764 Civil Engineer (Diploma) looking for urgent placement (final exit). Contact: 95200650 Electrical Engineer ( B.Tech) Indian female 4 years experience in India presently located at Al Ghubra on family visa. Contact: 97228117 BCA & GNIIT Higher diploma in NIIT. Looking for job, .presently in Muscat oman. Looking for a suitable position, Able to get NOC from the present company. Network management in computer, software developing, Accounting. Contact 98631210 Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975528 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 STP Operator having 25 yrs experience in Oman. Contact: 93089468 Project Manager / Site manager two years experience with BE Civil Engineer + DAE civil technology skills Primavera 6, Ms Office, age 26 years seeking suitable job. Contact: 94842408 Email: engrali300@gmail.com Electrical Project Engineer 5 years experience in primacy substation cables and OHL valid driving license. NOC available. Contact: 91204243 QA Engineer 5+ years experience executing ISO internal audit implement QA document. NOC available. Contact: 95361454 Email: mohamedshalifawaz@gmail.com QA/QC Engineer 10 yrs experience 7 yrs in GCC oil& gas industry looking for opportunity in Oman. QMS Auditor CSWIP3.1, API 570 BE MECH, MBA-PM NOC available. Contact 94663812 Email: srsaamy@hotmail.com Civil Supervisor, 5 yrs experience in high rise buildings worked in BP Khazzan projects. NOC available. Contact: 96259407 Email: rp2251990@gmail.com Buyer cum expeditor having more than 7 years of experience in oil& gas sector major client Oman gas company & British petroleum, knowledge in logistics and shipping clearance. NOC available. Contact: 98708758 Email: sakthivigneshraj@gmail.com Need for job Generator Mechanic 2 years auto diesel cores, exp. 7 years Pakistan 1 and half years in Oman oil filed. Contact: 92849823 Indian male Mechanical Engg with 6 yrs experience in MEP field, seeking suitable placement with GCC license now in visit visa. Contact: 98086267 Email: khaleel1586@gmail.com Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman. Contact: 97646908

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1Year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 97416564, Email: jovinmathias@gmail.com Indian male 24 yrs bachelor mechanical 2 yr experience looking for job. Contact: 95179021 / 96974981 Email: atharhussain54@gmail.com Bldg . Const site Supervisor since MAR 2010 working in Oman, with Omani D/L, looking for suitable placement. Contact 93061107 B.Tech Computer Science and Engineering female 2 years experience in teaching field and management skills seeks suitable placement on visit. Contact 93371834 / 97378922 Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement Contact:- 95042656 Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com Project Engineer 6 years experience in Oman, construction (site manager) fluent Arabic, English and good Hindi. Tele 97858589 Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270 Indian male, 24 years, M.tech in Electronics and Communication CCNA Certified , currently on visit visa seeking a relevant job. (Certificates attested). Contact: 93814376 Email: robinplakezhil@gmail.com 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 Indian male 23 yrs old PG Diploma in Petroleum Engineering and B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering having UAE driving license on visit visa seeks suitable placement immediately. Contact: 95880127 / 95084905 Email: vijith2573459@gmail.com Sr. Civil Engineer, Indian male with 22 yrs of experience in building construction, pipeline work specialist in tendering, billing, quantity surveying with Gulf experience. Email : rafiksimna@gmail.com Sr. Electrical Engineer (MEP) having 18 years of experience (10 years in Gulf) seeks suitable placement in the field of Building Construction and HV/LV/Cable Installations. NOC available for contact GSM :92203584, email: sajisivan@gmail.com Mechanic Tractor Diesel Engines & Hydraulic, 25 years Experience in Multinational Companies. Contact - 91685048 Civil maintenance painting, tile works decor works, plumbing, electric, shop furnishing carpentary works and all other maintenance. Contact 97897831, 92112094 (Indian, Keralite) Indian male, B.Tech Engineer, 6.5 years exp, PHP Developer working in UAE seeking a relevant post. Email: jibycj@gmail.com Contact: + 971563801785 Mechanical Engineer (BE) 25 years, Indian male with NDT level2, 2 years above experience (as QC Engineer and Site Engineer) seeking suitable placement. Contact: 90249803 / 00919446048596 Email: naveenbasheer@gmail.com Civil Engineer with 5 years in Oman with 5 years in Oman with driving license (Sudanese with bachelor degree). Contact: 91448244 B. Tech Safety Engineer, 10 years exp, NOC available, seeking suitable placement. Mob: 97061817, Email: jayanammu1977@gmail.com

Civil Engineer with 6 years exp in Oman. Contact: 93242103 Email: mohamedf91987@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer (B.E) with 8 years experience valid Omani driving license looking for job. Contact: 93909951

Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com

Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com

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

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ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects. Contact – 90164912

Indian male IT, CCNA, RHCE, MCITP, 3 years experience have GCC driving license seeking suitable position on visit visa (until 27th Dec). Contact: 93311963 Email: sajal035@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 Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience as HVAC design engineer rev IT M.E.P AutoCAD. Contact: 91050913 Email: rahmanmechengg@yahoo.com Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience. Contact 91295802 / acmfaslan123@gmail.com

^/dh d/KE t Ed /ŶĚŝĂŶ ŵĂůĞ ǇŽƵŶŐ ͘ Žŵͬ D &ŝŶĂŶĐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ĂĐĂĚĞŵŝĐ ŚŝƐƚŽƌǇ͕ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞĚ ŝŶ ƵĚŝƟ ŶŐ Θ ĐĐŽƵŶƟ ŶŐ ŝŶ DƵƐĐĂƚ ƐĞĞŬƐ ƐƵŝƚĂďůĞ ƉůĂĐĞŵĞŶƚ ŝŶ Į ŶĂŶĐĞ Į ĞůĚ͘ EK Θ ŝŵŵĞĚŝĂƚĞ ĂǀĂŝůĂďŝůŝƚǇ͘

WŚŽŶĞ ͗ нϵϭ ϵϳϳϯϴϮϴϲϲϯ͕ EŵĂŝů ͗ ũǀƉϮϵϭϯϲϳΛǇĂŚŽŽ͘ĐŽŵ

An Indian male 27yrs, B. Tech in (Computer Science) 6 years of exp in technical support, troubleshooting and managing seeks suitable placement. Contact:- 97483775, email:- mir.jak89@gmail.com IT / Net work Engineer with MIT , CCNA certiﬁed CCNP and MCSE training , 2 years working experience currently on visit visa in Muscat. Contact: 94153542 Email: shahzadmahmood51@yahoo.com Indian female MCA IT 3years experience in the ﬁeld of computer hardware and windows, Network Administration on visit visa. Contact: 96730971 Email: anjuretankar@gmail.com

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

MEDICAL

Palestinian dentist looking for job in Muscat privet hospitals , polyclinics or dental centers – 15 SALES / MARKETING yrs experience out Muscat at privet hospitals or polyclinics. Contact: 96951750 Candidate with good communication. Contact 90187827

MISCELLANEOUS Candidate with communication & analytical skills. Contact 90187827 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 Indian Male, 34 years with 14 years oil & gas tankers sailing experience in reputed ﬁrm with Class 1 UK COC Master’s license seeking suitable placement in port/ drydock/terminal facilities/shipping and marine services. Contact98842135/99090098 email:-menon.dhanesh@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer (UK) , 28 years old male, having 4 years experience in Oman looking for suitable placement with valid Oman D/L immediate available, NOC available. Contact: 968 97612297 Email: ymirza11@caledonian.ac.uk

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

Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 9880-5474

HOSPITALITY

MBA In Operations Management Indian male : MBA in Lean Operations And Systems with 3 years of experience seeks suitable placement in Oman. Contact : 0096894369897

12 years of experience in Oman; marketing strategies & operations, logistics, government tenders, public relations & dealing with international companies -4 years of experience in UK, engineering CNC & industrial areas, have dual nationality, ﬂuent in English & Arabic speaking and writing , (I can travel abroad easily without visa, for ﬁnalizing business or any other purpose). Contact: 94123939

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

IT Indian female BSC IT Computer Science 4 years experience on tourist visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 92960438 Hardware & net working, 2 years exp. Contact: 96244031 Female, 24yrs, B-tech Computer Science, currently on visit,1yr experience and certified special training .skills in software testing,managem ent,administration,java,oracleDB,A ndroid,C++,C.seeking suitable placement.Contact:98741930, amruthamohandas515@gmail.com Structural Steel Supervisor / foreman 12 and half experience in overseas, I.T.I fitter, NOC available. Contact: 96195185 India: 917356668511 Omani 6 years excellent exp looking for opening in IT. Contact: 95356166 Well experienced instructor available & teach stadpro primavera P6 for 2 months. Contact: 94412557 Indian female M.Com qualified CME (INTER) good communication & computer skills fresher presently in Muscat seeking placement. Contact: 90387811 Email: ghazalasuhan@yahoo.com B.Tech (IT) Indian male 29 years having 4 years experience in software support, hardware & networking in Oman looking for IT / Admin job in Oman. NOC available with valid Oman D/L. Contact: 91906494 Email: rajanit1988@gmail.com CCNA MCITP network support /network technician with 2 years experience Indian male having bachelors degree on visit visa. Contact : 93080871 sean.f.peters@outlook.com Age 28 years experience 2years & 8 month in IT accounting technical skill, java, J.S.P tally Peachtree M.S excel, SQL ,Working java programmer India , accountant , Dubai ,Qualification MCA, B.C.A mathematic visit visa. Contact: 95673451

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 4 years experience M.S.C Marine biotechnology, looking for Production Manager. Contact: +919629032023 Email: evergreenram88@gmail.com The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments& transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business. Contact :- 92385033 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 Sudanese male Manager & Accountant master degree in Economics, 15 years experience in accounts and Banking looking for job. Contact: 97396088 / 96436517

MEDICAL Prometric passed Indian male Nurse (ACLS & BLS) is looking for immediate placement. Contact: 93831951 An experienced Staff Nurse with MOH license and data ﬂow cleared looking for job, NOC available. Contact: 97045785 / 98899146 Indian female , Masters in Nursing Specialized in Medical & Surgical with 1.3 years of nursing tutor experience after MSC & 1.5 years of clinical experience after BSC seeks suitable vacancy near Sohar. Currently in Oman on family joining visa. Contact 93217746 ; Email: thomasalexander1983@gmail.com

Contact - 94600107 ŵĂŝů ͗ ƐƵĚĞĞƉŬŬǀΛŐŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ ŬƵƌŝĂŬŽƐĞǀĂŝĚǇĂŶΛǇĂŚŽŽ͘ĐŽŵ

SALES / MARKETING

Indian male, with experience in sales, marketing, and client relation, with UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job. Contact: 95269818 Email: naushers@yahoo.com Indian male, MBA Finance & Marketing 28 yrs,6+ Exp, with Driving license, Hospital Phrma Herbal Marketing, construction A/c & sales , F&B industry, 93379044 Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com Indian male 29 yrs, BHM , 6 years overall 3 yrs in Oman in sales with D/L. NOC available to join immediately. Contact: 92594055 Indian male 46 years, Sales Manager experience in modular kitchens & furnitures. Contact: 94522616 Sales & marketing building materials (G. hardware, tiver, steel etc) Indian male ﬂuent English, Arabic, Malayalam etc GCC D/L 8 years exp available release letter or NOC. Contact: 92882101 Email: sameermoul@gmail.com Indian male having 5 years Oman experience in coordination level seeking any suitable post. NOC available and can join immediately as the visa issued. Contact 92889617 Indian male sales marketing with G.C.C license 7 years exp. Contact: 98097459 Email: shl_kami@yahoo.com Manager Post of Family Visa, MBA 14 years Experience (2 Years in Oman) in Multinational Groups in Sales & Marketing. M.Z. 96220975 Purchase officer with 8 years exp in Oman having D/L & NOC looking for urgently placement. Contact: 96174564 email: azhar_5012@yahoo.co.in

Indian male 22 years B.Com Graduate residing in Oman on family visa with a valid Oman driving license, looking for a job in sales / marketing. Contact: 98504698 Indian male with more than 14 yrs of experience in business development / marketing valid Omani D/L , looking for Managerial position in business development / marketing. Contact : 93400177 Indian 18 years experience in Oman Driver cum Sales man ﬁelds NOC available. Contact: 92459603 Indian male with Oman driving license and 27 years’ Oman experience in FMCG sales /newspaper distribution across the Sultanate seeks job. No objection certiﬁcate/ release letter is available from the present employer. Contact 98962949 Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 9880-5474 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 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

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Indian lady with release paper. searching for admin or accounts asst or showroom sales job. Contact 94417080 MCA, Indian female looking for a job in admin office works. 96370225 Secretary MBA Indian male 5 years exp in India, 1 yr exp as Secretary / document controller in tendering dept in Oman seeking urgent placement. Contact 91566118 / 93089367

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Looking for job as Mason, steel fixer, electrician. Contact: 93015630 Masonry / finishing foreman 20 years experience NOC available. Contact: 98435309/ India + 91 9446958838 Indian male, having 15 yrs of exp in site supervising, telephone line, supervising with valid D/L, looking for job. Contact: 93931162 Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job. Contact: 95175192 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 Indian female 24 yrs, Bachelor in Travel & Tourism and 2 year exp in Oman as ticketing executive. GDS-Sabre, Amdeus, Galilio. seeking suitable job. Contact- 95883404

MISCELLANEOUS Experienced prometric cleared Indian female dentist seeks suitable placement in Muscat. Contact: 94673720 /92880267

Indian male, 24, MBA Marketing and HR, I year experience. On visit visa. Looking for suitable job. Contact 94014073

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

Marketing Executive/Merchandiser, Omani License, BA 8 years Experience in Multinational Groups. Contact 97601343

HR & Admin Executive ( MBA) Indian male 26 year old, with more than 4 years of experiences in HR& Admin (16 month in Oman) looking for suitable placement, NOC available. Contact: +968-98757304 Email: nuroollah789@gmail.com

M O N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

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

SITUATION WANTED MANPOWER

MISCELLANEOUS Indian Male, 28, MBA Finance & Mcom. more than 5yrs exp. in A/c & Finance (Including 2 yrs in Oman), NOC available, Seek Suitable Placement, Contact: 93939421, email: baleeq.ams@gmail.com Indian Accounts professioanl with 2 years of experience currently on visit visa looking for suitable job openings Contact: jaleelcabdul@gmail.com Gsm: 92395449 Indian Male, 26 years, With 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in “Dubai” , looking for suitable placement. Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. Contact: 90182494, Manojmallya999@gmail.com Indian male, totally 8+ years experience in IT Assistant, 5 Years in Oman, Looking for a suitable position in Oman, Holding Oman Driving license & also NOC is available. Contact: 98248024, email- bala.abins@gmail.com Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3 yrs exp. in IT / networking/ server support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 ACCA (Associate Certiﬁed Chartered Accountant) with 2 years experience. Looking for opportunities in Finance, Accounts. Presently Available in Oman for Personal interviews - Contact at 96124257, 93692578. Email at naeemnoe5@gmail.com Indian male, QA/QC Instrument Inspector, 8 years exp in GCC, on visit visa. # 92430370 Email: rajeshgcc.kumar@gmail.com, Indian female, MBA HR & Finance, having 1 year experience, seeking suitable placement. Currently in Oman. Contact: 96052366. Indian male 23yr BA TTM(Travel and Tourism Management) with Advanced Diploma in Supply Chain Logisitics and Shipping Management, Experienced in Logisitics (Customs Clearance) seeking in suitable placement, currently on visit visa(Oman) Contact; 90291092 email:iyas.adhur@gmail.com

Driver Cum Salesman Professional, Indian male having 7 Years of Experience in Oman Having Valid Driving License working as a Office Driver, Looking for a suitable Position, NOC available. Contact: 99680429 Email:anzarkutty1975@gmail.com 31 year Indian male PG in HR ,with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement(NOC Available).Kindly contact me on 93488914, emailKaarthickshankar@gmail.com MBA(HR & Marketing) & B.Com, Indian male 28 yrs,2 yrs exp. in Qatar, having oman driving license, currently on family visa (NOC available).looking for hr, admin, assistant accountant, marketing & sales job in salalah. Contact:98138376, email: subinabraham87@gmail.com Software Engineer , Oracle EBS R-12 Technical Consultant 9 Years Experience. HRMS/ Payroll, Education, Hotel, Textile, Shipping Container Terminal. Email: sziahussain@hotmail.com. Contact 97912264 Indian male 25 yrs, MBA (Finance, Marketing), Overall 2 yrs exp in Accounts/Finance ﬁeld, On Visit Visa. Immediately available. Contact - 92989197/94786544. abdulqhizer2004@gmail.com Indian male 24yrs, B. tech in (Computer Science) 4 years of exp in technical support, sales and networking, seeks suitable placement. Contact:- 95955696, email:- mir.jak89@gmail.com Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3 yrs exp. in IT/ networking/ server support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 Indian male, 28 yrs, E & I Engineering diploma (3 years), 7 years exp.(India, Oman, KSA) in electrical and instrumentation with driving license, looking suitable job #91051803

Btech graduate, 26yr male, 4 years experience as system and network engineer. Looking for suitable placement. Mob : 93125669, Email : amritrajsasidharan@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, MBA, ﬁnance, having MNC 2 year experience in accounts and audit, skilled in sap, seeking suitable position. Contact : 96930855 Indian male, 26 years, With 7 years of experience in Sales ﬁeld in shipping company in “Dubai” , looking for suitable placement. Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. Contact: 90182494, manojmallya999@gmail.com Indian male having 14years of experience in HR, Purchase Dept and Sales having Oman driving license looking for a suitable position at Salalah. Noc available. Mail. Madhuvtk@ gmail.com 32 years Indian Male MSC,MBAHR having 8yrs Exp(HR /Payroll/ Admin) with Oman valid DL. Seeking suitable opening in Human Resource, Payroll & Admin/ backend jobs. Contact :00968-99322978 Indian male 23yr BA TTM(Travel and Tourism Management) with Advanced Diploma in Supply Chain Logistics and Shipping Management, exp in Logistics(CHA) seeking in suitable placement. Currently on visit visa (Oman) Contact; 90291092 email:iyas.adhur@gmail.com Indian male auto cad draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience .seeking for job in Dubai & Qatar. Contact - 00968-99070584 (Mct):0091-9895061474 (India) email: remluvp@gmail.com

Iraqi pharmacist with 15 years experience as Senior med rep. regulatory affairs and Marketing & sales Manager seeking job in pharmaceutical co. Contact 96720441

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

Male 27, BCA, Diploma in Networking, CCNA certiﬁed engineer, 4 years experience in IT support & networking seeks job. Contact-90193811

Post graduate master of social work having 5 years experience at present visit visa seeking suitable opportunity. Contact 99876307

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

Indian female, 27, food technologist (MSc Food Technology), 2years experience in research and development - instant foods, seasonings. Contact -93987174 email :mayacnair@outlook.com

Indian female, Science Graduate, 3 year’s experience in Teaching English & Science seeking suitable placement. Also interested in Teaching Spoken English for student at any level. Contact : 96431456 / 95704814l

Indian male, 11 years exp. in accounting, knowledge in tally also. Looking for a part time job. Contact. 98983122

8 yrs exp 2d, 3d draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE) seeking job. Contact 93790601 Project Manager in Mechanical Engg. (M.sc.) with 8 years experience in Building Construction, oil & gas seeking job-94625598 (nima.azimzadeh@gmail.com)

Sudanese Manager and Accountant, master degree in Economics Diploma(Development and Planning).Egypt. More than 15 years Experience in Government Accounts..and Banking. Speaking arabic and English, skill full in M.S office, seeks suitable placement. Contact 97396088

Indian male 23yr BA TTM(Travel and Tourism Management) with Advanced Diploma in Supply Chain Logistics and Shipping Management, Experienced in Logistics(Customs Clearance) seeking in suitable placement. Currently on visit visa (Oman) Contact; 90291092 email: iyas.adhur@gmail.com

Indian male 23 yr BA TTM (Travel and Tourism Management) with Advanced Diploma in Supply Chain Logisitics and Shipping Management, exp in Logisitics (Customs Clearance) seeking in suitable placement, currently on visit visa(Oman) contact;90291092 email:iyas.adhur@gmail.com

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 Manager / Working Partner. Indian M.Com with 20 years Dubai experience in media advertising industry, client service, marketing, production, gifts trading, branding with D/L. Contact -93031168 Indian male BE Electrical & electronics and pg in power systems (transmission & distribution) on visit, Seeking placement. Contact – 94669679 Email prsabarish@gmail.Com Civil Engineer 2 years experience, major experience in Road work, Culverts and structure. #97427701

BE electronics & instrumentation engineer, with one year of experience. Looking for suitable positions. On visit visa. Contact-99339306, e-mail: kannanr101@gmail.com Indian male be electrical and pg in power systems (transmission & distribution) with 1 year experience on visit, seeking placement. Contact – 94669679/ email prsabarish@gmail.com Looking for a part time accounting & admin job. Contact 99196621.

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NRI royal castles

vakathanam, kottayam

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

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

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

3 sfrcy Building for sale Thiruvalla , near Nelladu building with 4 ﬂats and 3 shops for sale. Contact : 97835464/ 0091 8606029166

Indian Male 33 yrs, BCA ,10 years experience(India & Oman) IT Support, System administrator/ supervisor looking for suitable Job. #95448561. Indian female accountant 5 years of experience in accounting tally, office coordination,And admin, currently on visit visa. seeking suitable placement Contact: 95684179 Indian male 23yr BA TTM (travel and tourism management) with advanced diploma in supply chain logistics and shipping management, exp in logistics (cha) seeking in suitable placement. currently on visit visa(oman) Contact;90291092 email: iyas.adhur@gmail.com Marketing or Business development-BSC in marketing 5 years of experience looking for suitable position. Contact (99522233) Indian male, 19 years oman exp. in purchase, material coordinator in building/pipe line 9yrs & factory production ﬁeld 10yrs.good computer skills & D/L & with NOC. looking for suitable placement. mr.victor2015@hotmail.com Contact: 99008101 Indian Males 32 years, Dip. In Hardware & Networking with 10 years of hands-on experience. Currently on visit visa seeking immediate placement in IT Support or relevant jobs. Good knowledge of Hardware & Networking. #94169341 / haripulikal@gmail.com Male Accountant Indian, B.com, 2 Year experience currently working in Oman. NOC available, doing accounts in Tally and Excel searching for suitable Job. Email: contactanand31@gmail.com / 91894487, 98789958 Electronics/Electrical/Instrumentation Design Engineer with 2+ years of experience, having a Bachelors Degree in Instrumentation Technology. Seeking for a job, currently on visit visa. # 90142166 / Mail: aksafwan@gmail.com Indian male, 19 years experience in purchase, material coordinator in building construction & factory production ﬁeld, have good computer skills & driving license and NOC. Looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 99008101 Indian male accountant, 12 years experience, looking for a full time or part time job. Experience in tally also. Contact-98983122

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

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 Keralite, Thiruvananthapuram based “Young and Handsome Boy”, Hindu – Viswakarma (Carpenters), Birth Star – Pooyam, MCA, 29 years(05/11/1985, 01.30 AM), 176 cm height, Wheatish colour, Moderate family, Working as ‘Commercial Assistant’ in Suhail Bahwan Automobiles LLC seeking alliance of girls from the suitable family. Contact: Rejeesh - 92801583, 94238934, Shanmughan +919895891202, +914712619230 Indian male 32 years (Muslim) looking for alliance invites proposals from other nationals also. Contact: 92148351 RCSC MOH Nurse working in Ministry hospital Sur seeking suitable alliance from Keralite Malayalees Christian boys (preference in Muscat, well educated). Contact: Gince Sebastian 98055621 / 97929487 Kerala Ezhava boy 28 years MBA working in Oman seeking suitable alliance. Contact: 98185755 23 Years Malayalee Christian girl born & educated in Bangalore, seeking suitable alliances from well settled Keralite Malayalee Christian boys. Contact - 99494371 Muslim Girl, M.B.B.S 23 years 5’ 4” fair, looking for suitable alliance from Doctors from Kerala / Tamil Nadu. Contact: 00968 98553628 RCSC MOH Nurse 27 yrs hailing from Kanjirappally Dioces looking for suitable alliance. Contact: 92801093 / 94005802

SIT.WANTED Electrical Engineer, B-Tech, with 4 Yrs experience in India, 3 YEARS IN MRF and one year in KSEB. Available on Visit Visa. #94741401 Email:sobinthomask05@gmail.com Part- Time Accountant, well experience senior accountant, doing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available. Contact 98803439

Required expatriate partner or investor, to invest various commercial ﬁelds. For inquiry. Contact : 98209820 We will register LLC. trade license for foreign investors and do all actions. Contact: 92833566

GOOD NEWS > Z / zhZs / >/E/ EĞĂƌ <Śŝŵũŝ DĂƌƚ͕ D ƌĞĂ͕ ZƵǁŝ KƵƌ ǇƵƌǀĞĚŝĐ dƌĞĂƚŵĞŶƚ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞƐ ďŚǇĂŶŐĂŵ͕ <ŝǌŚŝ DĂƐƐĂŐĞ͕ ^ŚŝƌŽĚŚĂƌĂ͕ sĂƐƟ ͕ hĚǁĂƌƚŚŶĂŵ ϱϬй ŝƐĐŽƵŶƚ ŽŶ ĨƵůů ďŽĚǇ ŵĂƐƐĂŐĞ͘

ŽŶƚĂĐƚ ϮϰϴϭϰϮϮϮ Žƌ ϵϳϭϭϮϱϭϬ ĨŽƌ ĂƉƉŽŝŶƚŵĞŶƚ Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage steambath, obesity, Spondylitis, Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street Azaiba. Contact: 99639695 / 98342990 FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

LOST Mohammad Owasim has lost Pakistan Passport No. E 1467417. Finder please handover to ROP

CHANGE OF NAME I Saiju John (name exactly as in present passport) son of Kaleekal Mathew John presently residing at the following address in Al Khuwair P.B No. 1305 P.C No.112 Sultanate of Oman and having permanent address in India 315 Air Force Academy, Dundigal, Rangareddy, AP (as per present passport), holder of passport No. K 0758222 date of issue 11/02/2012 place of issue Muscat solemnly affirm and declare that my Mother’s name is Rachel Koshy for all purpose. Any objection towards this 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.

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

M O N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

RENT A CAR

CLASSES

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

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

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

in Azaiba and Ruwi earn in two months tion guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

Ph # 24480800 / 99347202

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

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

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

WEBSITE

Rental car. Contact: 92516090

SITUATION WANTSERVICES

^ Zs/ ^ tĞ WƌŽǀŝĚĞ ůĞĂŶĞƌƐ͕ Kĸ ĐĞ ďŽǇƐ͕ ůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ͕ 'ĞŶĞƌĂů ĐůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ĞƚĐ͘ ů DƵĚĂŬŚŝƌ EĂƟ ŽŶĂů Ɛƚ͘ >> Contact : 94277020

DRIVING

Learn driving with professional. Contact: 94022250

AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals. Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chaﬁng Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman. com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com Available office space in Prime location on 18th November Street, Azaiba Kindly. Contact: 99288664

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

SITUATION WANTSERVICES MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807 We are doing electrical, plumber, painting, & carpentering work any type of job small or big. Contact: 99208033 / 93782735 Water prooﬁng ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

Marble grinding resurfacing & ceiling crystallization / polishing general cleaning of villas & ﬂats. Terrazzo ﬂoor scrubbing, ceiling, polishing & buffing. Contact: 98598280 /94134784 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/ 24792998 Cleaning Sofa shampoo carpet shampoo house. Contact: 92179395 Debt collection services your money we collect value commercial services. Fax: 0096824783669 Contact: 009682479815 /00968- 24701422 /00968- 94665476 Email: salim@valuedbtcollection.com

House shifting & transporting. Contact 92490422 Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Pest Control Treatments. Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 House shifting. Contact: 99657644/98518013

Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact : 93769089 / 95323517 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 QABAS99320217 /24788722

A/C maintenance, installation spilt A.C and maintenance window A/C and ducted and package the reunites. Contact: Asad Abbas 98667326 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

M O N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

TOURS

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

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

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

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

Contact: 97440625/95416662 &NBJM BCEVMIBLJNBMCJNBOJ!IPUNBJM DPN

TRANSPORTATION

FOR HIRE Bobcat available for rent. # 97623299 Car with driver available for rent. Contact: 93015630 Toyota Coaster 32 seater bus with driver available on monthly lease rent. Contact â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 99705821 / brightsilverllc@gmail.com

Transportation available Ruwi Seeb. Contact 99867456 Transportation. Contact: 98505294 Transportation. Contact: 95190627

TRANSPORTATION 7 Ton/ 10 Ton- Trailer Local transport- MCT- UAE

Contact 96609857 Amir Ali

Transportation & tours. Contact: 99324045 Pick & drop anytime in Al Khuwair. Contact 99764307 Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba. Contact: 91103909