Times of Oman - December 18, 2016 by Muscat Media Group

SUNDAY December 18, 2016 18 Rabi Al Awal 1438 AH

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HM SENDS GREETINGS

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of greetings to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar on his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere greetings and wishes of good health, happiness and a long life to Sheikh Tamim, praying to the Almighty Allah to return this occasion on him and the brotherly Qatari people with further progress and prosperity. — ONA

On the occasion of the Conference on Oman’s Economy Vision 2020, 1995

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ Development is not a goal in itself. Rather, it exists for building man, who is its means and producer. Therefore, development must not stop at the achievement of a diversiﬁed economy. It must go beyond that and contribute to the formation of the citizen who is capable of taking part in the process of progress and comprehensive development.

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 245 | 36 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certiﬁed Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

Every time you go for a drive with your children — you risk their lives if they are not restrained in car

HM RECEIVES US ENVOY His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said received at Hisn Al Shumoukh in the Wilayat of Manah the credentials of Marc J. Sievers ambassador of President Barack Obama of the United States to Oman. — Salim Al Hashli >A5

WHEN WILL WE LEARN? A heartbroken father’s advice to harness children in cars after daughter dies in crash

REJIMON K CHIEF REPORTER

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: “I will never drive a vehicle without having child restraints when travelling with

children. I beseech everyone to take all safety measures while travelling with children. I have lost my child. I don’t want others to suffer the same way.” These were the words of Rafneesh Iyyad, who lost his

four-month-old baby girl, Rushda Fathima, in a tragic car accident in Sur on Friday. His car veered off the road suddenly and toppled. His newborn daughter was not in a car seat and was thrown from the vehicle. In the space of a few seconds, a family day out had ended one young life and wrecked others. Road safety campaigners are trying to raise awareness in Oman about the dangers of children not being restrained in cars. Sadly, it is still a common sight on our roads. >A6

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Omanis to vote today

Omanis residing in the GCC States can cast their votes today in polls. >A3

WORLD

13 Turkish troops die

A car bomb killed 13 soldiers and wounded 56 in a Turkish city. >A11

MARKET

Land for unit

Oman Food Company is in the process of acquiring land. >B1

Children show their creativity at Barr Al Jissah event

10-MONTH LOW

Rush expected for gold as prices dip SYED HAITHAM HASAN

haitham@timesofoman.com

MORNING MINUTE

MUSCAT: Consumers in Oman are expected to ﬂock to gold shops as prices fell to a 10-month low on account of interest rate hike by the United States Federal Reserve. Gold was sold on Friday at OMR436.77 per ounce while

24 Karat and 18 Karat gold was priced at OMR14.04 and OMR10.53, respectively, reﬂecting more than seven per cent drop in prices since last month. Sellers anticipate increased sales towards the end of the year. P.A. Riyas, General Manager of Sea Pearls Oman, said consumers are expected to invest in gold due to reduced prices. >A5

ARDHA

Oman wants UNESCO recognition for traditional horse, camel races Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman’s government wants the ancient sporting tradition of “Ardha” to be recognised by the United Nations Educational Scientiﬁc and Cultural Organisation. (UNESCO) Ardha, meaning “to perform” in Arabic, is a traditional pastime in Oman where jockeys can display their horsemanship and camel handling skills in the popular sport. Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Royal Court Affairs announced that it wants to form a committee to “include the authentic Omani traditional horse and camel sport, locally

known as “Ardha” in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.” “In this context, the Ministry of Heritage and Culture organised the horse and camel Ardha, in co-

operation with Cavalry Group at Sultan Qaboos University under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Fahr bin Fatik Al Said,” the government news agency announced.

AL SEEB

Muscat bank robbery suspects arrested Times News Service

Rafneesh Iyyad.

MUSCAT: Suspects in an armed robbery last week have been arrested, says Royal Oman Police. Seven days after an armed robbery took place at a bank in Mus-

cat, the police said they have arrested the suspects in the wilayat of Al Seeb. The ROP said the officials have identiﬁed the suspects and found them with the weapons and the stolen cash, after a manhunt.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

THE BRIEFING OMAN

Foreign investors are looking to the Sultanate Investors from the United Kingdom, the United States and the Middle East have shown interest in investing in the tourism sector in Oman. “Foreign investors are keen on investing in Oman’s hotel industry and tourism projects,” Anwar Said Al Balushi, acting director of tourism events department at the Directorate General of Tourism Promotion in Ministry of Tourism, said. >A5

INDIA

India, Tajikistan to step up anti-terror, defence cooperation

OMAN

Water woes in Amerat over, says PAEW

WORLD

Duterte ﬁres two immigration officials

SPORTS

Ready to help Oman cricket: Kohli’s coach

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday ﬁred two immigration ofﬁcials facing allegations of corruption as he reaffirmed his commitment to ensure a clean government. The two officials, however, had denied the allegation. >A12

BUSINESS

Workers toiled through the night on Thursday to ﬁx a burst water pipe in record time. A water pipeline suddenly burst in the late hours of the afternoon as people were heading back from work where the water ﬂooded the roads and caused extra congestion.. >A4

Inflation in Oman rises marginally to 1.85% Stating that they live in an extended neighbourhood that continues to face multiple security challenges, India and Tajikistan on Saturday decided to strengthen defence cooperation and inked a pact to share financial intelligence to counter money laundering and financing of terrorism. The pact was among three signed by the two countries after comprehensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on strategic issues including threats posed by radicalisation and extremism, trade and investments. >A8

OMAN Mwasalat to host meet on master plan for public transportation

World

Poland’s opposition to keep on protesting, blocking parliament Polish opposition leaders called on Saturday for days of anti-government protests and pledged to keep blocking parliament’s main hall after being accused of trying to seize power illegally by a government they say has violated the constitution. Several thousand people protested in Warsaw and other cities after police broke up a blockade of the parliament building in Warsaw in the early hours. >A12

A blue print for public transportation in the Sultanate will be discussed at a conference in February. Under the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), the Oman National Transport Company – Mwasalat will host the 7th United International Public Transport (UITP) Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Assembly at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre from February 12 to 16, 2017 to promote the public transport sector in the Sultanate. >A4

Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s illustrious coach Rajkumar Sharma has words of praise for Oman cricket and expressed his keenness to help out if required. >C1

SPORTS

It’s Seeb vs Bausher in HM’s Cup ﬁnal

Oman’s consumer-price inﬂation stood at 1.85 per cent in November, following a 10.2 per cent rise in prices in the transport basket, according to a bulletin released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information. Food and nonalcoholic beverages segment saw a price decline of 1.25 per cent, contributed by a price decline of 1.13 per cent in bread and cereals. >B1

Bausher Club sprung a surprise on Saturday by stunning former champions Al Nasr Club 4-3 on Saturday to set up a summit clash with Seeb Club in the 2016 His Majesty’s Cup Hockey Championship at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher. The ﬁnal on December 19 will be presided over by Minister of Higher Education Dr Rawiya bint Saud Al Busaidi. >C1

BUSINESS

ODB clears OMR40m worth of loans Oman Development Bank, the Sultanate’s leading bank in sustainable development project ﬁnancing, approved as many as 4,444 development loans across different sectors and governorates in the ﬁrst 10 months of the current year. >B3

OMAN

REGION

INDIA

LIFESTYLE

Of the 6,909 cylinders of liqueﬁed petroleum (LPG) gas sent for examination between January and October 2016 in the South Al Batinah governorate, 5,600 were cleared for use while 1,309 were rejected. This was stated by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, represented through its Commerce and Industry Department. The gas cylinders were sent for examination to check if these were in conformity with the Omani standard speciﬁcations(201/2014). >A6

France has postponed a proposed Middle East peace conference in Paris to January next year, its ambassador to the United Nations said, acknowledging that the conditions to bring Israelis and Palestinians face-to-face were currently not there. The last US-backed talks ended in failure in April 2014. >A7

Three soldiers were killed and two others injured in a terrorist attack on an army convoy at a crowded place at Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir. “Three soldiers have been martyred in a terrorist attack on a convoy at Pampore. Search operations are underway,” an army official said. >A8

Diabetes is caused when an individual develops a dysfunction in insulin production or action, which induces an inability to metabolise blood glucose. It is the leading chronic disease in Oman, with a prevalence of 7.2% amongst men and 8.3% amongst women. It is responsible for 10% of all deaths in the Sultanate (WHO, 2016). >A14

6,909 LPG cylinders checked; 1,309 rejected

Middle East peace meeting postponed

Three soldiers killed in terrorist attack on army convoy

Coping with diabetes with help from your mind

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

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OMAN

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Omanis in GCC states to vote in local polls

NIGER

HM sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has also sent a cable of greetings to President Mahamadou Issoufou of the Republic of Niger on his country’s

National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan expressed his sincere greetings and wishes to the president and his country’s people. —ONA

S E OU L A B I L I T Y F OU N D AT I O N

Poll centres will

Oman ranked second among Arab world in Sustainable Development Index

be available at Oman embassies in the capitals of the GCC States and the Sultanate’s commercial office in Dubai

MUSCAT: Omanis residing in the GCC states along with students studying in the GCC countries will cast their votes today to elect their representatives in the municipal councils polls for the second terms. The poll centres will be available at Oman embassies in the capitals of the GCC States and the Sultanate’s commercial office in Dubai. Voters in the Governorates of Dhofar and Musandam will also cast their votes at the Common Elections Centre in Bausher on the same day, at Al Aula Basic Education School and for female voters at Thuraya Al Busaidi Basic Education School, in addition to the members of the elections committees in the wilayats of Muscat Governorate who will cast their votes at the Common Elections Centre in Bausher . The common elections centre

TIME TO DECIDE: On Thursday, Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidy, Minister of Interior met with the head and members of the main committee.. — File photo

in Dhofar Governorate will be for voters from all governorates of the Sultanate and for the elections committees’ members in Dhofar governorate who will cast, today, their votes at Al Noor Basic Education School in the wilayat of Salalah, with an exception to voters in the wilayats of Dhofar Governorate. The election centres in the Sultanate’s embassies in the GCC States and the common election

centres will be open for voters from 8:00am to 6:00pm, today. Members of the elections committees and affiliated committees in the wilayats of the Sultanate will cast their votes on the same day at the offices of the respective walis in the wilayats from 8:00am to 12:00 as they would not be able to cast their votes on December 25 scheduled for the municipal elections. On Thursday, Sayyid Hamoud

H E A LT H C A R E

bin Faisal Al Busaidy, Minister of Interior met with the head and members of the main committee. The minister touched on missions of the committee in facilitating the electoral process, as well as the ongoing preparations for the voting day in the Sultanate’s embassies in the GCC states. The minister also touched on preparations for the voting day on December 25. — ONA W E AT H E R S Y S T E M

Apollo Hospital gets German infection control accreditation

Arabian Sea low pressure to intensify REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Low pressure forming in the Arabian Sea will intensify into a deep depression in the next 24 hours but will not have an impact on Oman’s coast, the Oman meteorology department stated. “A depression formed will intensify in the next 24 hours. However, it will not affect Oman coast,” the Oman meteorology department’s tweet read. According to Indian meteorology department, observations indicate that the well-marked low pressure area over south east Arabian Sea moved west. “It is lay centred at 950km East Southeast of Socotra (Yemen) and 1,250km East Southeast of Bereeda (Somalia). The system is likely to move nearly westwards and is likely to intensify into a deep depression during next 24 hrs,” the IMD says in its advisory. HONOUR: The ‘GCC Infection Prevention & Control Manual’ was formally adopted in 2010 by the Ministry of Health as the national reference guideline.

KHADIJA ALZADJALI

khadija@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Apollo Hospital Muscat has become the first hospital in the Sultanate to be certified for the Infection Control Accreditation Programme (ICAP) by German standards. This accreditation comes a few months after the Directorate General of Private Health Establishments (DGPHE) sent out a letter to all hospitals in the country, asking the institutions to train all clinical and non-clinical staff in basic infection control. The ‘GCC Infection Prevention & Control Manual’ was formally adopted in 2010 by the Ministry of Health as the national reference guideline. This protocol is the standard for the whole of the GCC region, but Apollo has taken the initiative to raise the standard, for both the comfort and safety of their patients. The standard also takes into consideration seven other international guidelines. According the DGHPE Senior Advisor, Gerard Strong, the letter sent out was in direct correlation to the increase in private hospital growth rate. The certification of the programme is authorized by Dr. Flo-

This accreditation comes a few months after the Directorate General of Private Health Establishments sent out a letter to all hospitals in the country, asking the institutions to train all clinical and nonclinical staff in basic infection control

rian H. Brill, the Managing Director of the Institute for Hygiene and Microbiology in Germany. This programme involves a once a year audit and will be updated with continuous training. “The way forward in healthcare

will have to be focused on patient safety, infection prevention and control as the key quality and safety measures touching the patient. If you don’t have an option to treat the patient, you can at least prevent infection. Patients can now feel safe in Apollo’s facilitates,” Dr Florian said. Last year alone, the Ministry of Health recorded over 6,700 communicable and infectious diseases. In 4.1 per cent of all cases of hospitalization in 2015, numbering 133,851, infectious and parasitic diseases were involved. In the same year, the second Principle Cause of Hospital Deaths was also some infectious and parasitic disease claiming the lives of almost 600 people. The leading cause of death at government hospitals are diseases of the circulatory system. The Managing Director of Apollo Hospital Muscat, V T Saileswaran, believes that the German quality factor goes beyond just wonderful cars. “I was looking at having a credible agency to audit us and suggest the best infection control and protocols. When it comes to our patients, we would always want to offer the best, ” Saileswaran added.

ALSAN (SOUTH KOREA): The Sultanate was ranked second in the Arab world in Sustainable Development Index for 2016 issued by the Seoul Ability Foundation based in the Korean city of Alsan, and published on its website. Globally, the Sultanate was in 70th place among 135 countries. Sweden topped the index, followed by Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland, while Yemen was at the bottom, next to Antigua and Barbuda Islands, and Haiti. The indicator is based on a number of sub-indices, such as natural

capital, intellectual capital, management resources, social capital, governance and innovation. It aims to monitor the efficient use of resources, taking into account the environmental dimension, in addition to a country’s stand on social cohesion in society, competitiveness and biodiversity. The Sultanate came in the 52nd place globally in the governance index, 61st in intellectual capital, 17th in the social capital, 61st in the innovation index and 141st in the natural capital index.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

OMAN Water woes of Amerat over: PAEW

HELPING HAND

CRISIS RESOLVED: The Public Authority for Water and Electricity (PAEW) sent a repair team immediately to ﬁx the fault and they had predicted that repairs would be complete in 24 hours.

In the late hours of the afternoon a water line burst in the locality ﬂooding roads and causing traffic congestion

Times News Service MUSCAT: Workers toiled through the night on Thursday to ﬁx a burst water pipe in record time. A water pipeline suddenly burst in the late hours of the afternoon

as people were heading back from work where the water flooded the roads and caused extra congestion. The Public Authority for Water and Electricity (PAEW) sent a repair team immediately on Friday to fix the fault and they had predicted that repairs would be complete in 24 hours. PAEW announced on Saturday that the pipeline is repaired and subscribers should expect a gradual flow of water in the next few hours. “Repairs on the main pipeline to Wilayat Amerat is complete which was damaged yesterday by one of the companies working on a project in the Wilayat,” announced the PAEW. “The repair team was able to complete their duty in 14 hours and we expect that water flow will resume gradually within the next few hours after the pressure in the network is stable.”

DISASTER

Firefighters tackle blaze in Muscat Times News Service MUSCAT: A fire at a warehouse in North Hail, Muscat, was put out by firefighters, the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) reported. “The warehouse belongs to a commercial centre. The fire has been doused without any injuries,” a PACDA spokesman wrote in a tweet. In June, PACDA reported that electrical faults accounted for

a third of all ﬁres in 2015. Muscat Governorate recorded the highest number of cases last year, officials reported. Fires caused by electrical malfunctions made up 1,225 of the total incidents PACDA officers had to respond to in 2015. Meanwhile, to avoid delay in responding to emergencies, PACDA has urged residents to report incidents by contacting 9999 or 24343666. — Photo by PACDA

Children in care get ‘edutained’ at new Artbox venue at Barr Al Jissah DEEBA HASAN

deeba@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: More than 20 children from a child care centre run by the Ministry of Social Development were hosted by Barr Al Jissah to celebrate the opening of the Artbox at the Al Mazaar Edutainment Centre. From tiny tots to those in their early teens, all these children were given different art materials to help them show their creative side and come up with personalised art pieces. Mentored by artists from the Omani Society for Fine Arts, the children also decorated a Christmas tree with their creations. One of the teachers accompanying the students said the children had a lot of fun and the occasion gave them an opportunity to put on their creative hats. “They are having fun. It is very nice to see them being so creative.” Artbox is a unique concept to promote arts, and encourages children to create their own masterpieces. Visitors can also become involved in art workshops – from t-shirt painting, origami and sand art, to Ramadan and back-toschool art activities, which will all be led by Barr Al Jissah’s resident and guest artists. Designated art walls such as the Hands of Oman wall, Omani Orchard wall, Rainbow Jigsaw wall, You Create wall and Chalk wall will encourage interactive art, while the gallery space will showcase the children’s artworks. Launched in November, Al Mazaar offers a dynamic programme for kids’ entertainment, sports activities, art, culture and much more for adults and children alike to enjoy. Besides the art and entertainment boxes, Al Mazaar is also

home to SpringBox - Oman’s ﬁrst ever trampoline hall and the biggest of its kind in the region with sports activities including basketball, climbing and a specially-designed gladiator course. Fun-packed events schedule will also feature regular Family Fun Days, sports and wellness activities and educational workshops curated by inﬂuential names from Oman and the region. Al Mazaar Edutainment Centre is open daily from 9am to 8pm, and bookings can be made at the Al Mazaar ticketing office on 24776856. — Photos by Jun Estrada FUTURE IN MIND

Mwasalat to host conference on boosting Oman’s public transport Times News Service MUSCAT: A blueprint for public transportation in the Sultanate will be discussed at a conference in February. Under the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), the Oman National Transport Company – Mwasalat will host the 7th United International Public Transport (UITP) Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Assembly at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre from February 12 to 16, 2017 to promote the public transport sector in the Sultanate. Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Salim Al Futaisi, the Minister of Transport and Communications, will open the seminar on February 13th and discuss the master plan for public transport in the Sultanate. The opening session will include Khalid Al Hogail, Chairman of UITP MENA Division and Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Arabia Public Transport

Company “Saptco,” and the keynote speaker Dario Hidaglo, a sustainable mobility researcher and practitioner, who will present the best ways to make public transport the preferred mobility choice in the Sultanate.

UITP. It will introduce solutions for enhancing public transport operations and efficiency by presenting good practice cases and discuss ways of controlling costs and enhancing the operations of public transport services.

Full mobility The ﬁrst session will be chaired by Alain Flausch, UITP Secretary General, and will bring together Ahmed Ali Al Bulushi, Chief Executive Officer of “Mwasalat” company, John Lesniewski, Group Chief Commercial Officer of Oman Global Logistics Group (OGLG), and Rakesh Belwal, Associate professor and coordinator MBA programme at Sohar University in Oman, to discuss Oman Public Transport Master Plan. They will dwell upon the plans and challenges for developing public transport infrastructure and facilities and a full mobility plan in the Sultanate. The second session will be chaired by Mohamed Mezghani, Deputy Secretary General in

Share experience Among the speakers will be Yo Kaminagai, Head of Design at Autonomous Operator of Parisian Transports (RATP), and Marta Labata, Chief Executive Officer of Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) who will share the experiences and achievements of some cities and will present ways for improving public transport image and perception to make it more attractive, accessible and available for the citizens of Oman. Following the seminar, two simultaneous training sessions will be conducted from February 14 to 16, 2017. Mwasalat is a permanent member of the UITP since 1983, and is the leading public transport company in the Sultanate of Oman.

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OMAN

Foreign investors are looking to the Sultanate The official was talking to the Times of Oman on the sidelines of a tour organised on board Celebrity Constellation, one of the modern luxury ships in the Celebrity Cruises ﬂeet, which had docked in Oman on Thursday during her ﬁrst Arabian Gulf season. Talking of the luxury ship’s visit, the official said the 2016-2017 Oman cruise season will witness growth.

Celebrity Constellation, one of the modern luxury ships in the Celebrity Cruises ﬂeet docked in Oman on Thursday during her ﬁrst Arabian Gulf season

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Investors from the United Kingdom, the United States and the Middle East have shown interest in investing in the tourism sector in Oman, a senior official of the Ministry of Tourism said. “Foreign investors have exRISING DEMAND

< FROM

‘Gold seen

A1 as safe

investment’

“Gold will always be seen as an ideal investment in comparison to other options and can be easily re-sold. In addition, it does not witness depreciation in an uncertain economy. Consequently, we expect an increase in customer flow due to this drop in gold prices,” said Nicholas Nitin Abraham, marketing executive at Malabar Gold and Jewellery. The yellow metal has seen rising demand in 2016 as investors perceive it as a safe haven for investment when weighed against risk assets like stocks and other commodities, both of which have been adversely affected by drop in oil prices. “Gold is considered one of the best ways to invest and hence, I would expect an increase in the number of customers with the fall in gold prices. The first quarter of 2017 will see certain specific occasions as well, and that will add to an increase in buying,” he said. Sale of gold items has faced a challenging scenario in Oman since 2014 and while experts are unable to predict future prices, they are confident that gold will be an ideal investment for people in 2017. “We had an excellent year in terms of sales in 2016 when compared to 2015 and,although we have no control over the prices, we are expecting rise in sales to continue even next year,” Abraham said. Price per ounce dropped nearly three per cent by $34 to $1,130.80 on Thursday, following US Fed’s announcement to hike interest rate before gaining $7 on Friday to close the week at $1,137.50, 15 per cent Gold prices globally have fallen by nearly 15 per cent in the last six months and increase in oil prices followed by hike in interest rates continue to portray a bleak outlook of the gold market in terms of prices, making it an ideal investment as prices bottom out.

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PREMIUM CRUISING: Celebrity Constellation is the ﬁrst premium cruise line to sail in the Gulf. -Shabin E

pressed an interest in investing in Oman. Talks are on. “They are rather keen on investing in Oman’s hotel industry and tourism projects,” Anwar Said Al Balushi, acting director of tourism events department at the Directorate General of Tourism Promotion in Ministry of Tourism, said. “Proposals from Tanfeedh to attract private investment in tourism sector are being considered seriously.

“Many proposals are being discussed,” the official added. Iconic tourism projects Last month, Tanfeedh labs had proposed that private management companies should be hired to take control of the heritage sites and protected areas, develop a year round calendar of events, create iconic tourism projects and facilitate delivery of ITCs, hotels and themed attractions.

Unforgettable experience “Last season (2015-16), we had 230 ships visiting Oman. This season, the number will be 250. Celebrity Constellation is visiting Oman for the ﬁrst time. We believe that this visit will add huge value to the cruise sector in Oman. We are quite sure that Oman, with its nature, culture, history and its people, will offer unforgettable experience to its guests,” the official added. Celebrity Constellation is the ﬁrst premium cruise line to sail in the Gulf. Lakshmi Durai, chief executive officer of Travel Matrix, the Middle East Representative of Celebrity Cruises, said they are really excited to be introducing Celeb-

rity Cruises’ modern luxury style of cruising to the Middle Eastern vacationer. “Celebrity Cruises offers the ultimate in premium cruising. With its world class attractions offering extensive shore-excursion options, together with a rich culture and heritage, Oman will seem very appealing to our guests sailing on Celebrity Constellation from all over the world and will provide them a complete luxury holiday experience,” Lakshmi added. In October, the Times of Oman had reported that Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat is expected to receive more than 150 cruise liners during the 2016-2017 cruise season. “We expect around 152 cruise ships to visit the Port Sultan Qaboos this season. Besides, a large number of ships will visit Khasab and Salalah during this season,” a leading shipping agent had said. Khimji Ramdas Shipping LLC, one of the largest shipping agents in Oman, had said they alone would be handling 148 cruise vessel calls in Oman, which started in September 2016 and will end in May 2017.

CREDENTIALS

HM receives US ambassador MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said received at Hisn Al Shumoukh in the Wilayat of Manah the credentials of Marc J. Sievers as extraordinary and plenipotentiary Ambassador of President Barack Obama of the US to the Sultanate. During the audience with His Majesty the Sultan, the ambassador conveyed greetings of the US President along with his best wishes of good health, happiness and a long life to His Majesty, and the Omani people permanent progress and prosperity under the wise leadership of His Majesty. He also expressed his great honour and utmost happiness to present his credentials before His Majesty the Sultan, affirming to exert his utmost efforts to develop relations of his country with the Sultanate in various domains in a manner that serves the joint interests of the Omani and US friendly people. His Majesty the Sultan welcomed the ambassador, thanking the US President for his greetings and best wishes. His Majesty affirmed to the ambassador that he will receive all support from His Majesty, the Government and the Omani people to enable him carrying out his assignments. -ONA

WA Q U D I

Want to locate a fuel pump? New app will help you Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman’s National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) Data Centre launched a new smartphone app, Waqudi, in order for residents in the Sultanate to locate nearby fuel stations. The application was launched on Thursday, and is available free for both iOS and Android users. It only works on iOS versions 9 and up, and Android versions 4.2 and up. It is 35 Mbs in size, and provides Arabic and English formats for users. Users providing their location to the app are able to view a map with fuel stations close to their locations. In addition to that, users may also zoom out of their current location to peruse other fuel stations in the country, as a means to plan accordingly for fuel stops

in their journey. Another feature of the app is its display of current petrol prices for the day, including the different fuel options Super, Regular, and Diesel. The display also shows the prices’ percentage increase or decrease from the last change in fuel price. For those in situations where Wiﬁ or data isn’t immediately

available, the app can store favourite locations, as well as offline maps for perusal without internet. The ‘log in’ option also provides a smooth means to log into different devices with the same account, and ﬁnd their favourite locations and maps. To download the app: Playstore: http://tiny.cc/waqudi

Meanwhile, another new smartphone app, Banki-NCSI, which helps Omani residents locate bank branches, ATMs and CDMs around the country has been launched by the National Centre for Statistics and Information. The application is available to iOS and Android users at no cost, but requires iOS versions 9+, or Android versions 4.2+ in order to operate. Banki is over 40mb in size, and provides English and Arabic formats for users. Banki helps users search and view banks close to their location, as well as zoom out to see other bank and cash machines around the country. The app provides a route to those locations from the current entered location as well. The app provides the option to search for special banking services

such as loans and investments in order to ﬁnd a bank branch that would provide it. In addition to that, the app shows insurance company offices by their different services, such as health insurance, life insurance, corporate or individual. Users are able to rate these locations, and give feedback on their experience. The rating and feedback would be available for all users to see when they view the location. As with a similar app launched today, Waqudi, which locates fuel stations, Banki can also store favourite locations, as well as offline maps for perusal without internet. The ‘log in’ option also provides a smooth means to log into different devices with the same account, and ﬁnd their favourite locations and maps.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

OMAN MEETINGS

Sayyid Fahd reviews relations with Arab leaders

– Mohamed Al Rashdi

MUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers received Khemaies Jhinaoui, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Tunisian Republic. The Tunisian guest conveyed greetings of President Beji Caid Essebsi of the Tunisian Republic and the government along with their best wishes of permanent success to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Sayyid Fahd commended the growing relations binding the two countries. He expressed the Sultanate’s wishes of further progress and

prosperity to Tunisia and its people. The meeting comprehensively reviewed the good relations between the two countries and means of promoting cooperation between them in several ﬁelds, in addition to reviewing several developments at the regional and international arenas. Khemaies Jhinaoui highlighted the importance of this visit. He also praised the 3rd session of the Political Consultations Committee between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries. The meeting was attended by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister

Responsible for Foreign Affairs and Farhad Khilif, Tunisian Ambassador to the Sultanate. Sayyid Fahd also met with Jawad Anani, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of State for Investment Affairs of Jordan, who is currently taking part in the 5th Arab-Indian Partnership Conference, being held in the Sultanate. During the meeting, the Jordanian Minister conveyed greetings of King Abdullah II of Jordan and the government to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, along with their best wishes of permanent success to His Majesty.

The conversation during the meeting dealt with means of supporting the joint cooperation and promoting its economic areas. The meeting was attended by Said bin Saleh Al Kiyoumi, Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and Zuhair Abdullah Al Nassor, Ambassador of Jordan to Oman. Sayyid Fahd received Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman & President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, heads of delegations taking part in the 19th meeting of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism and the

6,909 LPG cylinders checked; 1,309 rejected The cylinders were examined in collaboration with a number of specialised companies PRECAUTION: The cylinders should not be examined with the help of a ﬂame to check for any gas leakage.

Times News Service MUSCAT: Of the 6,909 cylinders of liqueﬁed petroleum gas (LPG) sent for examination between January and October 2016 in the South Al Batinah governorate, 5,600 were cleared for use while 1,309 were rejected. This was stated by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, represented through its Commerce and Industry Department. The gas cylinders were sent for examination to check if

these were in conformity with the Omani standard speciﬁcations(201/2014) regarding gas cylinders, requirements of mobilising, transporting, trading and storage. The cylinders, which included both, with capacities of 48 litres and 108 litres, were examined in collaboration with a number of specialised companies working in the governorate. Ahmed bin Salem Al Shikely, Director of Commerce and In-

dustry Department in Rustaq in South Al Batinah, said all cylinders must adhere to a number of general requirements, including Omani standard specifications mentioned in the article 1/2. Cylinder valves must meet these specifications. Besides, cylinders should be locked during transport and storage. In addition, these should have a uniform colour that reflects thermal radiation and is not affected by direct sunlight. As per recommendation,

these should be painted grey silver. Lubricants and sealants used in valves should also be resistant to liquefied petroleum gas. The cylinders should not be examined with the help of a flame to check for any gas leakage. Neither should these be exposed to any external fatigue during transportation or storage. Moreover, cylinders should be stored in covered airy places. Ahmed Al Shikely said the cylinders are examined externally to check for any rust, a problem with the base, any leak or dents. Also, these are put through hydraulic pressure tests since the aim is to apply the Omani standard specifications(201/2014) concerning gas cylinders(requirements of mobilizing, transporting, trading and storage of petroleum liquefied gases cylinders) to ensure customer’s safety. Al Shikely revealed that when a cylinder is received, it is sorted under certain categories, and is considered valid for mobilisation when the cylinder’s data is readable, the tare weight is determined and is readable. AW O

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

Oman made president CAIRO: In the ﬁnal declaration of the 6th Conference of Arab Women Organisation (AWO), Oman was declared as President of the 8th Round of the Arab Women Organisation (AWO) for the period from March 2017 to March 2019. The AWO reaffirmed that the current conditions in the region necessitated regional solidarity and pooling of efforts for comprehensive and sustainable development. Aisha bint Khalfan bin Jamil Al Siyabi, President of the Public Authority for Craft Industries and member of the Executive Council of the AWO, chaired Omani delegation at they Cairo conference. — ONA

Executive Office, representatives of the Arab League and World Tourism Organisation. Sayyid Fahd welcomed the guests and reviewed the importance of the tourism sector in the development of countries as it plays an important role in the economic diversiﬁcation and it has a positive effect on the social and cultural aspects. Sayyid Fahd expressed his appreciation to the role played by the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism in promoting the Arab intraregional tourism movement. The meeting reviewed areas of enhancing the joint Arab action, as well as promoting the Arab strat-

egy for tourism and preserving the architectural heritage in the Arab countries, in addition to activating cooperation with the Arab and international organisations for training of workers to support the competencies in this sector, besides taking part in the international events, such as exhibitions and seminar that are being organised for this purpose. The participants expressed thanks to Oman for good preparation of this meeting, commending the remarkable progress achieved in the Sultanate in various spheres under the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan. -ONA

ACCIDENT

A1 Child restraints < FROM

“We were on a pleasure trip to Al Kamil from Sur. I, my wife, our baby, our five-year-old son, a friend and his wife were in the four-wheel-drive. While we were driving along a straight road, somehow the car skidded off to the left side of the road. I tried but lost control and it toppled. I was told it had rolled over at least four times,” Rafneesh told the Times of Oman. Ali Al Barwani, the Oman Road Safety Association (ORSA) chief executive officer, said that having child restraints in vehicles is a must. “People spend a lot of money on children’s luxury. Unfortunately, they fail to see the importance of child restraints in the vehicles. They should see a child restraint as a must-have thing. “Child restraints don’t cost much and are available easily in the market. By ignoring child restraints, you are putting your child’s life in danger,” the CEO said. ORSA launched a nationwide programme, #saveyourchild in October to distribute car seats for young children and infants, and raise awareness on important road safety issues, including using seat belts properly and child restraints in all vehicles to safeguard passengers. “In different parts of Oman, we had carried out the campaign. It is picking up. We want to develop the culture of child safety in vehicles. Safety of children aged between zero and 12, should be given priority when they are in the vehicles,” the CEO said, adding that it is not worth risking your child’s safety for a few rials on a child restraint. In 2015, the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) reported that out of every five road accident deaths in Oman, one fatality was a child. Similarly, of every three injured in these accidents, one was a child. According to medics in Sur hospital, his daughter was brought in with severe injuries and was put on a life supporting ventilator. “She had suffered severe injuries. We tried our best,” a medic said. Rafneesh’s wife Arifa Rafneesh suffered injuries on her hands and requires surgery. “She needs to undergo surgery. We are processing papers to fly

her back home. She has suffered injuries on both her hands,” Rafneesh added. Baby Rushda was cremated in Sur on Friday. The World Health Organisation says the use of child restraints (child seats and booster seats) can reduce infant deaths in car crashes by 71 per cent and toddler deaths by 54 per cent. A road safety expert said if a child seat had been used, there’s every chance the baby would have survived. “I have investigated many incidents in the last nine years in Oman and it has been proven many times that simple compliance of seat belt use has saved lives even in very tragic incidents. “On the other side, not using seat belts costs lives even in simple and small incidents. In the case of the accident in Sur, if a child seat had been used, I feel sure we would not be reading about this tragic experience,” Neelesh Sogani, a road safety expert, said. He added that in Oman, people still do not understand the importance of seat belts for passengers in buses and back seat passengers. “Use of child seats is very rare despite many road shows, campaigns and initiatives by the Royal Oman Police and charities. We frequently see irresponsible drivers or parents behind the wheel, who often have a child sitting in the front seat, sometimes on their laps as they drive. When a child is in the back seat, parents do not insist on wearing seatbelts. Children in school buses move around and are playing when the bus is running. Also, drivers are often distracted by mobiles and other tech-savvy gadgets,” he added. Government statistics reveal that in October this year, 349 accidents were registered, compared to 303 in September and 326 in August. Injuries fell by 25.8 per cent as of the end of October 2016, with 2,337 cases registered, compared to 3,148 during the same period last year. Both Omani and expatriate victims of traffic accident injuries dropped by 27.2 per cent and 21.2 per cent, respectively, by the end of October this year. Omanis registered 158 injuries in October, while expatriates recorded 66.

PA K I S TA N C O M M U N I T Y

Function held to mark National Day Times News Service MUSCAT: In continuation of week long festivities initiated by Pakistani community to celebrate Oman’s 46th National Day, Pakistan School Muscat hosted the concluding events of the celebrations, including The “Quiz Oman” and “Draw the Sultan” competition on December 5. Suleiman bin Saif bin Suleiman Al Kindi, Director General (Information Technology) Ministry of

Education was the chief guest on the occasion whereas Madame Siddiqua Abdul Majeed Al Lawati, Director General, International Schools, Ministry of Education was the guest of honour. The portrait competition was among two categories. Drawing by Ms. Faiqa Perveen from Pakistan School Musannah was declared as best Portrait by Steve Grant, Artist/Lecturer Art at Muscat International School. The Quiz completion was won by

team comprising of students Turab Ali (grade XII) Sheeba Burney (grade X) and. Noor-ul-Huda Saqib (grade VII) of Nizwa School. Special prayers were organised for peace and prosperity of Oman and good health of His Majesty. Anthems of Oman and Pakistan were played to mark the conclusions of 3 weeks of festivities. The Pakistani community and students from all 7 Pakistan schools as well as parents attended the function.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

REGION Iran holding up Aleppo evacuation deal: Rebels The operation to evacuate ﬁghters and civilians from the last opposition-held area of Aleppo was suspended on Friday

AMMAN: Syrian rebels blamed Iran and militias on Saturday of holding up a deal to evacuate civilians trapped in the remaining rebel bastion in Aleppo. Munir Al Sayal, the head of the political wing of the Ahrar Al Sham rebel group involved in negotiations over the deal, said Iran was insisting people be allowed to leave two besieged villages before letting the Aleppo evacuation happen. He said Russia was failing to restrain its ally. “Iran and its sectarian proxies are using the humanitarian situation of our people in besieged Aleppo and preventing civilians from leaving until the evacuation of their groups in Al Foua and Kefyra,” Sayal told Reuters. The operation to evacuate ﬁghters and civilians from the last opposition-held area of Aleppo was suspended on Friday, its second day, after pro-government militias demanded that wounded people also be brought out of Al Foua and Kefraya, and protesters blocked the road out of Aleppo. Renege Sayal said Moscow’s assertion that most civilians had already been evacuated from Aleppo showed Russia was trying to renege on its responsibilities under the deal. Thousands of hungry and cold civilians needed to be evacuated as soon as possible, he said. “Russia has failed to restrain the sectarian militias in Aleppo to complete the deal and Moscow should abide by its commitments,” Sayal said. “There are still civilians in Aleppo who need to be evacuated in harsh weather conditions and

DEVASTATED: Syrians walks down a destroyed street in Aleppo’s Al Akroub neighbourhood on Sat-

urday. – AFP

Russian statements that besieged Aleppo is empty is absolving itself from following up on the agreement,” he added. Earlier on Saturday, a Syrian rebel official and a government official said the evacuation of Aleppo would resume and the two villages would be evacuated, as well as the wounded from two towns near the Lebanese border and east Aleppo. A point of contention in talks this week has been the number of people who will be allowed to leave. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said thousands of cold, scared and injured people were still in east Aleppo waiting to leave. It said it had received some indications that a deal would be reached soon. “It was agreed to resume evacuations from east Aleppo in parallel with the evacuation of (medical) cases from Kefraya and Al Foua and some cases from Zabadani and Madaya,” said the government ofﬁcial, part of the evacuations negotiating team. The towns of Madaya and Zabadani are blockaded by pro-government forces. There were recriminations on all sides and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said “Aleppo is now a synonym for hell”. The chaos surrounding the Aleppo evacuation reﬂects the

complexity of Syria’s civil war, with an array of groups and foreign interests involved on each side. Aleppo had been divided between government and rebel areas in the nearly six-year war, but a lightning advance by the Syrian army and its allies that began in mid-November after months of intense air strikes deprived the insurgents of most of their territory in a matter of weeks. Numerous activists, rebels and east Aleppo residents shared reports and videos of people ﬂeeing the sound of shooting, being detained and returning home badly beaten and robbed of their possessions near a checkpoint as they tried to leave the city on Friday. Syrian rebel official Al Farouk Abu Bakr, speaking from Aleppo to news channel Al Arabiya Al Hadath on Saturday, said the previous evacuation deal was breached by pro-government militias who detained “hundreds” of people trying to leave, leading to some deaths. A Syrian military source denied this, but said a convoy trying to leave Aleppo was returned back to the city. “Now we are working on international guarantees to guarantee the safety of those who leave Aleppo so that such violations are not repeated,” Abu Bakr said.

YOUR BIGGEST ROAD HAZARD IS IN YOUR HAND A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

An activist and teacher inside rebel-held Aleppo, Wissam Zarqa, told journalists via a messaging app that he spent on Friday in the cold with his family hoping to leave. He said he did not feel safe trying to flee Aleppo after hearing about the attack on the convoy. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the ICRC said guarantees were needed to protect people trying to leave. “We’re ready to resume facilitating the evacuation according to our humanitarian mandate. But we now expect all the parties on the ground to provide us with solid guarantees in order to keep the operation going,” said Marianne Gasser, head of the ICRC in Syria. “They’re the ones who have to protect the people and provide safe passage.” A resident in Aleppo told Reuters that by late afternoon nobody had left the rebel-held enclave and no buses had entered. He heard gunfire near where people were supposed to wait for buses. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war, said no buses or ambulances had entered Al Foua or Kefraya. It said around 20,000 people, of whom roughly 4,500 are pro-government fighters, were in the villages. — Reuters

N E G O T I AT I O N S

France postpones Middle East peace summit to January PARIS: France has postponed a proposed Middle East peace conference in Paris to January next year, its ambassador to the United Nations said, acknowledging that the conditions to bring Israelis and Palestinians face-to-face were currently not there. France has repeatedly tried to breathe new life into the peace process this year, holding a preliminary conference in June where the United Nations, European Union, United States and major Arab countries gathered to discuss proposals without the Israelis or Palestinians present. The plan was to hold a follow-up conference before the end of the year with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas involved to see whether the two sides could be brought back to negotiations and revive moribund peace talks.

Netanyahu had repeatedly rejected the conference proposal and with attendance from the United States in doubt holding such a meeting appeared complicated. Efforts “After nearly a year of efforts, France will hold during January an international conference bringing together all the states attached to (seeking) peace,” Ambassador Francois Delattre said in remarks carried by the foreign ministry on Saturday. “Everyone knows that only the Israelis and Palestinians will be able to conclude a peace directly, but we have to recognise today that the conditions are not in place today to restart the negotiations.” It was not clear from Delattre’s comments whether France still intended to try to bring Netanyahu and Abbas to the negotiating table in the French capital. — Reuters

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016 Congress wants to get rid of corruption from India and whatever step the BJP government takes whether it is big or small if it is against corruption we will give it full support Rahul Gandhi, Congress vice president

INDIA

India, Tajikistan to step up anti-terror, defence ties India and Tajikistan decided to strengthen defence cooperation and inked a pact to share ﬁnancial intelligence to counter money laundering JOINT STATEMENT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon during the joint statement at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Saturday. - PTI

NEW DELHI: Stating that they live in an extended neighbourhood that continues to face multiple security challenges, India and Tajikistan on Saturday decided to strengthen defence cooperation and inked a pact to share ﬁnancial intelligence to counter money laundering and ﬁnancing of terrorism. The pact was among three signed by the two countries after comprehensive talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on strategic issues including

threats posed by radicalisation and extremism, trade and investments. “We assessed the broad progress achieved under different pillars of our bilateral engagement, including our partnership in defence and security. India and Tajikistan live in an extended neighbourhood that continues to face multiple security challenges and threats. The threat from terrorism endangers not just our two countries. It casts a long shadow of violence and instability over the

entire region,” Modi said at a joint press meet with Rahmon. Combating terrorism has, therefore, been an important area of cooperative engagement between the two countries, the PM said. “We appreciate Tajikistan’s role in the Central Asian region as a mainstay against forces of extremism, radicalism, and terrorism. President Rahmon and I agreed today to strengthen action on this front based on mutually agreed priorities,” he said.

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

On his part, Rahmon said terrorism and extremism undermine all developmental efforts worldwide. A joint statement issued after the talks said the two leaders discussed situation in the region and stressed that terrorism and extremism seriously threaten peace, stability and progress of all countries. “The two leaders agreed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations must be eliminated without any distinction between good and bad terrorists and called

for an end to sponsorship, support and provision of safe havens and sanctuaries to terrorists,” the statement said. Modi and Rahmon reaffirmed their resolve to work for early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism by the UN General Assembly. Apart from MoU concerning Cooperation in the Exchange of Financial Intelligence related to money laundering, related crimes and ﬁnancing of terrorism, the two sides also inked pacts on broadcasting of audio visual programmes and protocol amending the Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion and announced initialling of document on Bilateral Investment Treaty. On further deepening of security cooperation, the prime minister said this will be done on multiple levels - through reinforcing overall bilateral security cooperation, through greater training, capacity building and information exchanges and through active coordination in regional and multilateral contexts. India’s membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation will also be a valuable platform to work closely on regional security and counter-terrorism efforts with Tajikistan, he said. - PTI

P O L I T I C A L PA R T I E S

Mamata questions I-T exemption on deposits in old notes KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday questioned the government’s decision to give income tax exemption on deposits by political parties in old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes, saying the timing of the announcement shows that there may be “an ulterior motive”. Her statement came a day after Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia stated that political parties depositing old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes in their accounts will be exempt from income tax provided the donations taken are below Rs 20,000 per individual and properly documented. “They need to clarify that #DeMonetisation means it is #DeMonetisation for all. Same rules for everyone. If 500/1000 are illegal tender, then how are they trying to show that there is a division btwn common people & political parties?” Mamata said in a series of tweets. “Even the timing of these statements show that there may be an ulterior motive. Is there a motive? Are they trying to give a hidden message to cadre of one political party? Why these confusing and misleading statements now? They must clarify,” she said. - PTI

C O N G R E S S R A L LY

Three soldiers killed in terrorist attack ‘Note ban a Modi-made disaster’ SRINAGAR: Three soldiers were killed and two others injured in a terrorist attack on an army convoy at a crowded place at Pampore in northern Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway on Saturday. “Three soldiers have been martyred in a terrorist attack on a convoy at Pampore. Search opera-

tions are underway,” an army ofﬁcial said. He said further details were awaited. A police official said two soldiers were also injured in the attack that took place at the place crowded with civilians at Kadlabal in Pampore town of Pulwama district on Saturday afternoon. He said the security forces exercised restraint and did not retali-

ated in order to avoid civilian casualties. Preliminary investigations suggest that the militants might have used motorcycles to carry out the deadly attack, the official said, adding search operations were going on in the surrounding areas to track down the assailants. The army convoy was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar when the attack took place. - PTI

BELAGAVI (Karnataka): Escalating his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday trashed demonetisation of high value currency notes as a “Modi-made disaster” and charged that he had attacked the economic system of the country to beneﬁt the one per cent “super rich.” “For the ﬁrst time in the history of India, prime minister has attacked the poor people of this country. Usually the prime minister works for the country. They work for the economy, but Narendra Modi has attacked our economic system,” Rahul alleged at a Congress rally in Karnataka. “As it is said a man-made disaster, in the same way demonetisation is Modi-made disaster,” the Congress Vice-President said

as he targeted the prime minister squarely blaming him for the hardships post-demonetisation. More than 100 people had died, he claimed, adding, “Fidel Castro (Cuban revolutionary) was remembered in the Parliament and we stood in silence for two minutes as a mark of respect to him, but BJP leaders did not have two minutes time for these hundred people.” “Who is responsible for their deaths? Narendra Modi is responsible....In the last two and half years Modi government has been attacking the poor,” he said. Accusing the Modi government of trying to divide India, he said on the one side, there were one per cent super rich who have private aircraft, ﬂashy vehicles and big businesses and on the other,

there were 99 per cent of people who are honest like farmers, labourers, small traders and middle class who toil every day for the sake of the country and their lives. “In the last two and half years, one per cent super rich in this country have amassed 70 per cent of India’s wealth and if you look deep into this one per cent, only 50 families have major portion of India’s wealth.” “You know their names; these are the people who travel with Narendra Modi to America, Japan, and Australia,” Rahul said. “Congress wants to get rid of corruption from India and whatever step the BJP government takes whether it is big or small if it is against corruption we will give it full support,” he said. - PTI

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PAKISTAN

‘I offered to resign over Quetta carnage report’ Following Supreme Court report on the August 8 Quetta carnage, opposition Pakistan People’s Party lawmakers

IN TROUBLE: Chaudhry Nisar. – AFP ﬁle photo

demanded that the Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar be removed from his post

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar on Saturday said that he had decided to resign over allegations of his political rivals following Supreme Court’s report on Quetta hospital carnage. “I went to the prime minister to tell him that I wanted to resign from my position but was told by

him that the decision was unacceptable,” Nisar said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. “The report was one sided and was released without including the interior ministry’s narrative,” Nisar said adding “personal attacks were also hurled at me for no reason.” “I had decided to respond to the allegations much earlier as media resorted to personality bashing for the last two days, interior minister said adding “this could lead to harm to the national institutions and war against terrorism as the country was facing a sensitive security situation.” Interior minister said if a judge had the privilege of integrity, eve-

ryone else reserved the same right and “I will only remain on my position with integrity.” I will challenge this report at every forum including the Supreme Court and Parliament and elaborate on the performance of the incumbent and previous regimes (relating to eradication of terrorism). Interior minister also said that there had been only 774 incidents of terrorism in the country during the current year as opposed to nearly 10,000 such incidents from 2007 until 2013. Nisar further said that he met with a delegation of Difa-e-Pakistan Council (DPC) and not Ahle-Sunnat-wal-Jamaat (ASWJ) and never allowed the latter hold a

POWER PLANTS

Hubco allowed to build two imported coal-based plants KARACHI: The government has allowed Hub Power Company (Hubco) to press ahead with its original plan of setting up two power plants of 660-megawatt each (total 1,320 megawatts) on imported coal. “The Private Power and Infrastructure Board has now called a meeting to discuss the extension in financial close and the signing of Implementation Agreement for 2x660MW imported coalbased power plants at Hub (Balochistan),” Shamsul Islam, Hubco Secretary, said in a notification to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday. A high official of the company said that Hubco was expected to arrange financing for the new

Total cost of the project is estimated at $1.8 billion, according to an earlier communiqué

power project by June 2017. Total cost of the project is estimated at $1.8 billion, according to an earlier communiqué. He said one of the power plants would start commercial production by

December 2018 while the second plant would come online by August 2019. Hubco’s share price rose 4.03 per cent in a bull run on the PSX on Friday. It gained Rs4.75 and closed at Rs122.63 with volume of 2.7 million shares. In October, the government had placed restrictions, allowing the company to set up only one plant. The move came in the wake of government’s policy to not approve more power plants based on imported coal after October 14, 2016. However, companies that had met ﬁnancial close before that date and/or were part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects were exempted from the restriction. - Express Tribune

TESTING PUBLIC SENTIMENTS

Pakistani cinema owners all set to lift self-imposed ban on Indian films KARACHI: Pakistani cinema owners are all set to to lift the selfimposed ban on Indian films. Speaking exclusively to The Express Tribune on Saturday, Chairman Film Exhibitors Association Zoraiz Lashari confirmed that cinema owners would begin screening Indian films across Pakistan from Monday. “Cinema business has been hit immensely and all stakeholders felt it was the right time to begin screening Indian films. It was always a self imposed suspension, not a ban. So I’ll be releasing Freaky Ali in our cinemas and

other cinema owners will follow suit,” said Lashari. Meanwhile, an owner of a ﬁlm distributing company, requesting anonymity, said the move was to pave way for a big release by a private media group in the country. “A big media group and ﬁlm exhibitors/distributors in India are trying to release Dungal in Pakistan. They are testing public sentiments and also the government’s reaction by releasing Freaky Ali at CineStar cinema,” he added. He went on to add how stakeholders in India were also being

hit by the move to by the self-imposed ban. “We will ﬁrst test waters with these unreleased ﬁlms and then begin negotiations with Indian distributors to continue the import of movies into Pakistan,” he added. CineStar has already updated its cinema schedule to include Pink and Freaky Ali but a screening has yet to be held. The self-imposed ban came after the attack on Quetta Police Training College attack which killed at least 61 security personnel. - Express Tribune

public meeting. “I received a letter at Punjab House addressed by the judge’s secretary seeking answers to ﬁve questions,” he said. None of the questions in the letter related with the carnage in Quetta, Nisar added. Responding to a question, interior minister said General (retd) Pervez Musharaf was cleared by a trial court and not the interior ministry. He also asked as to why didn’t anyone raise hue and cry when ASWJ’s Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi was elected to the assembly. On Friday, following a judicial commission’s damning report on the August 8 Quetta carnage, opposition Pakistan People’s Party lawmakers demanded that the interior minister be removed from his post. The one-man commission report released by the Supreme Court on Thursday pointed out the ‘monumental failure’ of the interior ministry to combat terrorism. Based on investigations into the Quetta incident in which 70 people, most of them lawyers, were killed, the report said Nisar ‘displayed little sense of ministerial responsibility’ and that there was a continued delay on part of his ministry to take steps against militant groups and proscribed organisations. - Exprees Tribune

ACCIDENT

Seven killed as vehicles collide in Chaghi district QUETTA: At least seven people were killed and eight others injured when a passenger coach collided with a trailer in Nukundi area of Chagi district on Saturday. The passenger coach was en route to Taftan from Quetta when it collided with the trailer ap-

proaching from the opposite side. The injured were shifted to Dalbandine hospital for treatment. Last month, one person was killed and 30 injured when an International Islamic University bus collided with a motorcycle near Islamabad’s G-11 area. - Express Tribune

A 10

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

WORLD SWIMMING CLASSES

CHRISTMAS FESTIVITY A South Korean diver wearing a Santa Claus outﬁt performs amongst ﬁsh in a tank during a Christmas event at the Coex Aquarium in Seoul on Saturday. Christmas is one of the biggest holidays celebrated in South Korea with Christians forming over half the population. — AFP

Mermaid fans live their dream in Guangzhou GUANGZHOU (CHINA): Chinese mermaid fans are getting a chance to live out their dream of swimming underwater like the mythical aquatic creature. Dada Li, a professional diver in the southern city of Guangzhou, teaches more than 100 adults and children how to wear a colourful monoﬁn tail, hold their breath and dive underwater like a mermaid. “I love being a mermaid, so I was sure that there were other little girls who had dreams of being one,” said Li, who began offering lessons a year ago after joining a mermaid troupe at one of China’s largest indoor aquariums. Growing interest Interest in mermaids has grown since Hong Kong director Stephen Chow’s comedy “The Mermaid” hit movie screens earlier this year, said Li. “The Mermaid has deﬁnitely made many people realise the concept of a mermaid and people can dress up as mermaids. After the movie’s success I heavily promoted my courses,” said Li. Li, a former logistics worker who turned to diving in 2012, said she offers wannabe mermaids and mermen a one-to-three day course costing between 1,400 yuan ($201) and 4,000 yuan ($575) in the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. — Reuters

COMMITMENT

US senator to reassure South Korea on troop funding SEOUL: A US senator visiting South Korea has sought to reassure his hosts of the US commitment to funding its military presence there, which President-elect Donald Trump had called into question during the US presidential campaign. South Korea is home to 28,500 US troops, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean war, and there has been concern in Seoul that a Trump administration will demand that Seoul sharply raise its share of the cost of maintaining their presence. Senator James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma, said South Korea should not worry. “That’s a long-standing relationship between the United States and Korea. That’s something that also works its way through Congress, and both the House and the Senate have a commitment to what’s happening here,” he told Reuters in an interview on Friday. “He (Trump) has not made a clear statement yet, as obviously he’s still trying to work through the transition into the presidency, but I have no question of his commitment to that relationship,” Lankford said. Under a ﬁve-year cost-sharing agreement reached two years ago, Seoul agreed to contribute $867 million towards US military costs in 2014, about 40 per cent of the total. The deal called for the amount to rise annually at the rate of inﬂation. He said his visit was intended to assure South Koreans that “the friendship is older than just any single election or any single leader”. — Reuters

Supporters, opponents of Park stage rallies in Seoul The Park supporters, began their demonstration ﬁrst and later, anti-Park protesters packed the streets of central Seoul

SEOUL: Supporters of South Korean President Pak Geun-hye rallied on Saturday for her reinstatement while opponents gathered to repeat their demands that the leader impeached over a corruption scandal step down immediately. The Park supporters, who last held a major rally in mid-November, began their demonstration first. Later, anti-Park protesters packed the streets of central Seoul for an eighth straight weekend. Many of the opponents were angry that Park’s lawyers argued on Friday that the impeachment had no legal basis. “This is my first time out here, but yesterday when I heard about her opinion against the impeachment submitted to the Constitutional Court, whatever pity I had felt for her disappeared,” Roh Yiyoung, 55, said. Park’s lawyers struck a defiant note in their first comments since the impeachment vote, saying the motion should be overturned by

SHOW OF STRENGTH: Supporters of South Korea’s President Park Geun-Hye lay red roses near the presidential house during a rally against the impeachment of the president in Seoul on Saturday. – AFP

the Constitutional Court, which has 180 days to review it. The lawyers’ submission to the court rejected all the points made in the impeachment motion approved by a wide margin by parliament on December 9 which accused her of violating her constitutional duty and breaking the law. Park’s presidential powers have been suspended since the vote for impeachment, which set the stage for her to become South Korea’s ﬁrst elected leader to be thrown out of office. The Constitutional Court must ﬁrst uphold the motion.

Park, 64, is accused of colluding with long-time friend Choi Soon-sil, who has been indicted and is in custody, to pressure big businesses to make contributions to non-proﬁt foundations backing presidential initiatives. Saturday’s pro-Park rally near the court a few blocks from the presidential Blue House drew largely older people who said those behind the movement to oust her were misguided. “The people who love this country have come out to save the country despite the hardship,” Kim Ku-ja, 69, said with the na-

tional ﬂag draped over her. She blamed the media for fuelling anti-Park sentiment, focusing their coverage too much on the views of younger and liberal voters and on criticism that Park received cosmetic procedures while in office. “What’s so wrong about a woman getting Botox shots? Why is that a problem?” Kim said. Park’s supporters have been in the minority in the weeks of protests demanding her removal. Organisers of Saturday’s antiPark rally estimated the crowd at about 300,000. It was largely

peaceful as were the previously rallies, with songs and speeches striking a festive tone mixed with angry calls for her to quit. Park has indicated she would not step down, fuelling concern that the political crisis could drag on for months. She has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with Choi. If the impeachment is upheld or Park steps down voluntarily, a new election has to be held in 60 days to pick a new leader who will serve a single ﬁve-year term. Park’s term was originally set to end in February 2018. — Reuters

SOUTH CHINA SEA

China, US ‘appropriately handling’ seizure of drone: Beijing

CONDUCTING SURVEY: The oceanographic survey ship, USNS Bowditch, is shown on September 20, 2002, which deployed an underwater drone seized by a Chinese Navy warship in international waters in South China Sea, on Friday. – US Navy/Handout via Reuters

BEIJING: China and the United States are using military channels to “appropriately handle” the seizure by the Chinese navy of a US underwater drone in the South China Sea, China said on Saturday, and a Chinese state-run newspaper said it expected a smooth resolution. The drone was taken on Thursday, the ﬁrst seizure of its kind in recent memory, about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay off the Philippines, just as the USNS Bowditch was about to retrieve the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), US officials said. “It is understood that China and the United States are using military channels to appropriately handle this issue,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement sent to Reuters, without elaborating. The Global Times, published by

the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, said a Chinese naval vessel had discovered “unidentiﬁed equipment” and checked it to prevent any navigational safety issues. It cited an unidentiﬁed Chinese source. “This person said China has already received a claim request for the equipment from the US side. Relevant parties from both sides have maintained smooth communication channels and believe this issue will be smoothly resolved,” the paper said. China’s Defence Ministry has yet to comment publicly on the issue. “The UUV was lawfully conducting a military survey in the waters of the South China Sea,” a US official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s a sovereign immune vessel, clearly marked in English not to be removed from

the water - that it was US property,” the official said. The Pentagon conﬁrmed the incident at a news brieﬁng on Friday, and said the drone used commercially available technology and sold for about $150,000. Still, the Pentagon viewed China’s seizure seriously since it had effectively taken US military property. “It is ours, and it is clearly marked as ours and we would like it back. And we would like this not to happen again,” Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said. The seizure will add to concerns about China’s increased military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarisation of maritime outposts. A US research group said this week that new satellite imagery indicated China has

installed weapons, including antiaircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven artiﬁcial islands it has built in the South China Sea. The drone seizure coincided with sabre-rattling from Chinese state media and some in its military establishment after US President-elect Donald Trump cast doubt on whether Washington would stick to its nearly fourdecades-old policy of recognising that Taiwan is part of “one China”. President Barack Obama said on Friday it was appropriate for Trump to take a fresh look at US policy toward Taiwan, but he cautioned that a shift could lead to signiﬁcant consequences in the US relationship with Beijing, as the notion that Taiwan is part of “one China” is central to China’s view of itself as a nation. — Reuters

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

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WORLD

Kurdish militants blamed as bomb kills 13 in Turkey The blast near a university campus comes a week after deadly twin bombings targeted police in Istanbul

ANKARA: A car bomb killed 13 soldiers and wounded 56 when it ripped through a bus carrying off-duty military personnel in the central Turkish city of Kayseri on Saturday, an attack President Tayyip Erdogan blamed on Kurdish militants. The blast near a university campus comes a week after deadly twin bombings targeted police in Istanbul and may further infuriate a public smarting from multiple attacks by hardliners and Kurdish militants this year, and a failed coup in July. It could also increase tension in the mainly Kurdish southeast, where militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have waged a three-decade violent insurgency that has seen some of the worst ﬁghting in the last year. “The style and goals of the attacks clearly show the aim of the separatist terrorist organisation is to trip up Turkey, cut its strength and have it focus its energy and forces elsewhere,” Erdogan said in a statement. “We know that these attacks we are being subjected to are not independent from the developments in our region, especially in Iraq and Syria.” Erdogan frequently refers to the PKK as “the separatist terrorist organisation”. The PKK, which wants autonomy for the Kurdish

DEADLY BLAST: People protesting in front of the offices of pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) following a suicide car bombing in Kayseri, on Saturday. – AFP/Dogan News Agency

minority, is considered a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union and Turkey. Turkey, a NATO member and part of the US coalition against IS militant group, has also been angered by Washington’s backing of Syrian Kurdish fighters against the hardline group. Ankara sees the Washingtonbacked Syrian Kurdish militia as an extension of the PKK and is worried the advance of Kurdish fighters across its borders in Syria and Iraq could inflame Kurdish militants at home. Erdogan confirmed that 13 people had been killed and 55 wounded in Saturday’s blast. Officials later raised the number of injured to 56, including four in critical condition. All of those killed and 48 of the wounded were off-duty military personnel, the military said. The bus was mainly carrying privates and corporals, it said.

The bus was stopped at a red light near the campus of Erciyes University in Kayseri when a car approached it and then detonated, broadcaster NTV said. Militants have previously targeted buses carrying military or security forces. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but government officials likened the attack to last Saturday’s dual bombings outside the stadium of Istanbul soccer team Besiktas, later claimed by a PKK offshoot. Forty-four people died and more than 150 were wounded in that incident. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said similar materials were used in both attacks. In comments probably aimed at Washington, he called on Turkey’s allies to stop support for militants. “This is what we expect from our friends: Not just a few messages of condemnation, but for them to ﬁght on an equal ground against

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these terrorist organisations with us,” Kurtulmus said in a television interview. The United States condemned the attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin told Erdogan in a telegram that Russia was ready to increase cooperation against terrorism, Russian news agencies reported. Authorities had detained seven people so far and were seeking another ﬁve in relation to the attack, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said. Turkey faces multiple security threats including spillover from the ﬁght against IS in northern Syria. It has faced attacks from IS, Kurdish and leftist militants. Deputy Prime Minister Kurtulmus said the attack had deliberately targeted Kayseri because the city is known for its strong nationalist sentiment. Later on Saturday, a crowd stormed the local headquarters of

the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), parliament’s second-largest opposition party. The office was vandalised and some documents set on ﬁre, a party spokesman said. The HDP condemned the bus bombing and called for an end to politics and language that creates polarisation, hostility and violence. Thousands of Kurdish politicians, including the two leaders of the HDP, have been detained in recent months on suspicion having links to the PKK. The crackdown has coincided with widespread purges of state institutions after July’s failed coup, which the government blames on followers of a US-based cleric. Turkey says the measures are necessary to defend its security, while human rights groups and some Western allies accuse it of skirting the rule of law and trampling on freedoms. — Reuters

TREMOR

7.9 magnitude earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea SYDNEY: People living along Papua New Guinea’s coastline fled to higher ground on Saturday after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck east of the Pacific nation, triggering a tsunami warning for parts of its archipelago. A couple of hours after the quake, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said the threat had largely passed, although it said government agencies should continue to monitor coastal tides. “Based on all available data... the tsunami threat from this earthquake has now passed,” the PTWC said in an updated and final alert after the quake, which struck 157 km (98 miles) east of Rabaul. The major tremor initially triggered a more widespread tsunami warning for the Pacific region, including Indonesia and the Solomon Islands, but that was pulled back after the US Geological Survey (USGS) downgraded the magnitude slightly from 8. It also revised the depth of the tremor to 103.2 km from its original estimate of 73 kms. Many residents in the northern parts of the autonomous region of Bougainville sought higher ground amid warnings that tsunami waves were possible. “The town residents have vacated the whole place; those in the villages live higher up, so they’re ok, it’s just those near the coast,” local resident Christabel Biasu told Reuters by phone. Quakes are common in Papua New Guinea, which sits on the Pacific’s “Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties after Saturday’s major tremor. A nurse at Buka General Hospital in Bougainville said the quake was so strong it felt like the building she was sleeping in would topple. She said patients were being moved a few kilometres to higher ground. — Reuters

SMOG

Beijing issues alert, orders factories to shut or cut output BEIJING: Beijing’s city government ordered 1,200 factories near the Chinese capital, including a major oil reﬁnery run by state oil giant Sinopec, to shut or cut output on Saturday after authorities issued the highest possible air pollution alert. On Friday, China’s environmental watchdog issued a ﬁveday warning about choking smog spreading across the north and ordered factories to shut, recommended residents stay indoors and curbed traffic and construction work. Red alerts are issued when the air quality index (AQI), a measure of pollutants in the air, is forecast to break 200 for more than four days in succession, surpass 300 for more than two days or overshoot

500 for at least 24 hours. The Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Centre showed an air quality reading of 297 by Saturday afternoon as haze started to envelop the capital, after an earlier reading of around 120. Levels in the 301-500 band are considered hazardous to health. Traffic on the city’s roads was lower than usual as residents complied with limits on car use and many of the city’s 22 million residents sat out the haze at home. “I’ll just take a rest and not go outside,” said Wang Jianan, a 23-year-old Beijing resident and teaching assistant. With Christmas just a week away, others resorted to dark humour to help cope with the latest episode of toxic air.

One Beijing resident posted a cartoon on WeChat, China’s mobile messaging platform, showing Santa Claus on his slay almost completely obscured by smog, saying: “I can’t ﬁnd China.” The city’s municipal government said in a statement Sinopec’s 10 million tonne-per-year Yanshan reﬁnery, a Shougang Group steel product plant and a Cofco factory that makes instant noodles and crackers were among 500 companies it had ordered to limit output. The statement also listed 700 companies that had been ordered to suspend operations altogether. The national environmental watchdog was sending more than a dozen inspection teams to check that factories and heavy manufacturing plants were com-

GAMBIA

Jammeh must step down when term ends: ECOWAS ABUJA: West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS must ensure Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh steps down when his mandate ends in January because he lost an election, the bloc’s chairwoman, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, said on Saturday. Her comments came at the start of an ECOWAS summit in the Nigerian capital aimed at deciding on action against Jammeh in the face of what regional leaders say is a challenge to its principles of democratic accountability. Johnson Sirleaf did not spell out what measures the bloc would take but they could include sanctions, which could hurt Gambia because ECOWAS member Senegal is the country’s only neighbour. “It’s now important that the authority at this summit considers measures to bring the matter to a successful conclusion before January 19... when the mandate of the current President expires,” Johnson Sirleaf told the summit. Jammeh’s 22 years in power have been marked by allegations

UP IN ARMS: People wave Gambian ﬂags during a protest in support of Gambia by Senegalese NGOs and civil rights groups in Dakar on Saturday. – AFP

of human rights abuses and repression against perceived political opponents. He lost a December 1 election to little-known challenger Adama Barrow and is due to step down on January 18. Initially, he conceded defeat but a week ago he rejected the results and called for a fresh vote in a move that was widely con-

demned. His party is now challenging the result in Gambia’s Supreme Court. Johnson Sirleaf’s remarks follow a mission to Gambia this week accompanied by the leaders of several West African countries including Nigeria and Ghana, whose President John Mahama lost a December 7 election and said he would step down. — Reuters

plying with the crackdown, it said. The hazardous air underscores the challenge facing the world’s second-largest economy as the government battles pollution caused by the coal-burning power industry and other heavy industry after decades of breakneck economic growth. The government’s colour-graded warning system was adopted as part of its crackdown on smog. More than 40 cities have issued warnings, with 22 on red alert, including top steel-making city Tangshan in Hebei province around Beijing, and Jinan in coalrich Shandong province. In Shijiazhuang, Hebei’s capital, the air quality reading was as high as 500. Steel plants there have been forced to cut output. — Reuters

HAZE: The skyline is seen on a heavily polluted day in Beijing on Saturday. – AFP

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

WORLD KANDAHAR

FOR A CAUSE More than 20,000 people dressed as Santa Claus raced through the centre of Madrid on Saturday to raise money for sufferers of the disease multiple sclerosis. Each person paid 15 euros ($15.67) to join the race along the Spanish capital’s main Paseo de la Castellana avenue, running either 6 or 10 kilometres wearing the unusual running gear of a white billowy beard, Santa hat and red robe. Children dressed as green elves joined parents in the race and some people even brought along their dogs, dressed in their own Santa garb. — Agencies

Gunmen kill five female Afghan airport staff KANDAHAR (AFGHANISTAN): Five female Afghan guards working in the airport in southern Kandahar were killed by unknown gunmen as they were on their way to work, security officials said on Saturday, the latest in a string of attacks against women in Afghanistan. From bomb attacks to targeted or honour killings or domestic abuses, Afghan women have borne the brunt of the 15 years of conflicts during the Taliban-led insurgency as security has deteriorated and violence has increased in most parts of the country. Private security company Samim Khpulwak, spokesman for the governor of Kandahar, said the five women were in charge of searching female travellers at the Kandahar airport, and had been hired by a private security company. “Two gunmen on motorbike followed their van and opened fire on them, killing the five and their driver this morning, said Samim. No group has claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack but the Taliban insurgents waging an insurgency to topple the foreignbacked government of President Ashraf Ghani oppose women working outside their homes. — Reuters

I M M I G R AT I O N

Duterte fires two officials for corruption MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday fired two immigration officials facing allegations of corruption as he reaffirmed his commitment to ensure a clean government. “I said before that corruption will have no place in my government,” Duterte, who won the presidency in May on a promise to rid the country of drugs, crime and corruption, said on arriving home from visits to Cambodia and Singapore. “Consistent with this electoral campaign, I have directed the dismissal of the two (officials from) the Bureau of Immigration who are now tainted with corruption,” he said without mentioning their names nor giving details about the allegation. “They will be held accountable for their actions. They will face the full force of the law,” the firebrand leader said. Just shortly before Duterte arrived in his hometown Davao City from Singapore, local media reported that two immigration officials accused of extorting 50 million pesos ($1 million) from Jack Lam, a Chinese citizen and head of Hong Kong-listed Jimei International, had tendered their resignation. The two officials, however, had denied the allegation and said they were a target of a demolition job for investigating corruption in the immigration bureau, the reports said. Lam, from the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau, faces allegations of economic sabotage and bribery in the Philippines. Lam’s whereabouts are unknown. His lawyer in the Philippines has previously denied the accusations against Lam. — Reuters

Poland opposition to keep on blocking parliament Several thousand people protested in Warsaw and other cities after police broke up a blockade of the parliament building in Warsaw on Saturday morning

WARSAW/KRAKOW (POLAND): Polish opposition leaders called on Saturday for days of anti-government protests and pledged to keep blocking parliament’s main hall after being accused of trying to seize power illegally by a government they say has violated the constitution. Several thousand people protested in Warsaw and other cities after police broke up a blockade of the parliament building in Warsaw in the early hours. About two dozen members of the opposition Civic Platform (PO) had been taking turns to sit in the legislature’s plenary hall through the night and the party’s leader said they would remain there for the next few days. “We will be on the streets until they are done destroying the country,” Mateusz Kijowski, the leader of the Committee for the Defence of Democracy movement, told protesters. Poland’s

POLITICAL TURMOIL: People attend the anti-government demonstration of opposition parties supporters and Committee for the Defence of Democracy movement (KOD) the day after parliament crisis in front of Polish Parliament in Warsaw, on Saturday. – AFP

biggest political standoff in years began on Friday when opposition lawmakers objecting to plans by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party to curb media access to parliament blocked the plenary hall podium ahead of a budget vote. PiS lawmakers later moved voting to another area without media access, prompting accusations they had passed the 2017 budget illegally, breaching the constitution. The clash with the opposition has highlighted a growing divide in eastern Europe’s largest economy, with some Poles increasingly angry over the PiS gov-

ernment’s efforts to assert more control over state institutions. “If it becomes clear that it is impossible to talk to (PiS lawmakers), we should have early elections,” Ryszard Petru, head of the liberal Nowoczesna grouping, told protesters in front of parliament. A snap election is unlikely, however, as PiS holds an outright majority in parliament and would be able to overrule any vote of no conﬁdence. Poland’s Western allies have also expressed concerns over a push by the government to reform the constitutional court, saying it contravened democratic

standards. But despite criticism at home and abroad, the eurosceptic PiS enjoys steady support among many Poles eager to hear its message of higher welfare, more Catholic values in public life and less dependence on foreign capital. Government officials deny behaving undemocratically and have accused opposition leaders of fomenting dissent. Interior Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said in an interview with RMF FM private radio that the opposition blockade of parliament was an “illegal attempt to seize power”. Prime Minister Beata Szydlo,

speaking at an event with ﬁreﬁghters in the southern city of Krakow, said opposition politicians “have forgotten we need to respect each other and we need to be responsible”. “For many, the focus of their activity is brawls,” she said. A Reuters correspondent in Warsaw and other journalists were not allowed to enter parliament on Saturday, which Civic Platform leader Grzegorz Schetyna said was unacceptable. “Parliament cannot be governed by censorship,” he told a press conference. “It cannot be without journalists.” — Reuters

SOUTH CAROLINA

US church gunman’s dual death penalty trials a rarity SOUTH CAROLINA: White supremacist Dylann Roof’s conviction on federal hate crimes in the Charleston church massacre sets him up to be the ﬁrst person to face back-to-back federal and state death sentences since the United States reinstated the death penalty at the national level in 1988. Roof, found guilty on Thursday on all counts in the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina in 2015, begins the punishment phase in his federal trial on January 3. His state trial on murder charges is expected to start about two weeks after that, and local prosecutors also want him executed. The dual death sentence-eligible trials are unprecedented in the modern era of the US death pen-

alty, legal experts said on Friday, and raise questions about judicial fairness, the emotional toll on survivors and victims’ families and potential legal problems if the two juries reach different decisions. The shooting where Roof had waited for members of a Bible study group to close their eyes in prayer before opening ﬁre sent shockwaves across the United States. Both US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Charleston Solicitor Scarlett Wilson wanted justice and unlike in lower-proﬁle cases, no deal was reached to allow only one prosecutor to try the case. Christopher Adams, a Charleston lawyer who is the secretary of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, said the Roof case “is a terrible crime that gets everyone’s attention.

TRIAL: Department of Homeland Security officers stand outside the

Charleston Federal Courthouse, South Carolina, on Saturday. – Reuters

“However, there has to be an adult decision made and there should only be one trial and it should be as fair as it can be. That decision wasn’t made,” said Adams who has represented several

defendants in death penalty cases. Outside the historic South Carolina church where the killings took place, several people who came to pay their respects a day after the verdicts said they wanted to see

Roof stand trial again. “I believe the death penalty in this situation is appropriate, even if it’s imposed twice,” said the Reverend Paul Tanner Kennedy, 70, visiting from his home in New Jersey. “There are certain things that require retribution.” Roof is facing different charges in the two systems for the killings in Charleston. South Carolina is prosecuting him for murder. The US government prosecuted him on 33 charges that included hate crimes resulting in death. Since the reinstatement of the federal death penalty in 1988, 75 defendants have been sentenced to death and three others have received a jury recommendation of death but no death sentence from the judge, according to the Death Penalty Information Center,

which monitors US capital punishment. There have been three executions since then, including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in 2001. His accomplice Terry Nichols faced death penalty-eligible federal and state trials about seven years apart for the killings. The federal trial in 1997 was for the death of eight federal officers while the state trial was for the death of 160 others. He was convicted in both trials and sentenced to life in prison without parole in both cases. Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said pursuing a second death penalty after one has been handed out stokes criticism that politics plays a role in death penalty prosecutions. — Reuters

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

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READERS’ FORUM Rahul Gandhi is free to speak on Modi’s corruption I refer to the story, Rahul says he has information on Modi’s Personal Corruption, ( December-14 ) and do not understand what does he mean by personal corruption ? Who is stopping him to speak about it? If he is not allowed to speak in the Parliament then he is free to speak to press and in public about this issue provided he is able to prove it. He is even free to go to court. The war of words and the blame game has become the part and parcel of lifes of our politicians in recent times, which is very unfortunate. However in the interest Scan this QR code of the nation, Rahul Gandhi must make it puto send letters to the blic provided he has concrete proof or other Readers’ Forum, wise keep his mouth shut. The prime minicontaining not more than 200 words with ster must ﬁle a defamation case against him full name, address if he is not able prove it. and telephone — Mohammad Osama Rawat, Ruwi number, may be sent

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JOYCE BROTHERS

n economic development revolution lies literally in the palm of a single hand. As mobile phones and digital technologies rapidly spread around the world, their implications for economic development, and particularly finance, have yet to be fully realised. The sooner that changes, the better for people worldwide. In emerging economies today, two billion people – 45 per cent of all adults – do not have a formal account at a bank, financial institution, or with a mobile-money provider. The “unbanked” rate is even higher for women, the poor, and people living in rural areas. Moreover, at least 200 million small- and medium-size enterprises lack sufficient credit, or have no access to credit at all. Entrepreneurship, investment, and economic growth suffer when savings are stored outside the financial system, and credit is scarce and expensive. Fortunately, according to a recent report by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), digital technologies – starting with mobile phones – can rapidly fix this problem and foster faster, more inclusive growth. Mobile phones and the Internet can reduce the need for cash and bypass traditional brickand-mortar channels. This dramatically reduces financial-service providers’ costs, and makes their services more convenient and accessible for users – especially low-income users in remote locations. MGI estimates that if digital finance is widely adopted, it could add $3.7 trillion to emerging countries’ GDP by 2025. That amounts to a 6 per cent increase above business as usual. In lowincome countries with very low financial inclusion rates, such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, and India, GDP could increase by as much as 12 per cent. Digital finance can boost GDP in several ways. Nearly two-thirds of the expected growth would come from increased productivity, because businesses, financial-service providers, and government organisations would be able to operate much more efficiently if they did not have to rely on cash and paper recordkeeping. Another one-third would come from increased investment throughout the economy, as personal and business savings were moved into the formal financial system, and then mobilized to provide more credit. The remaining gains would come from people working more hours – the time they would have spent

traveling to bank branches and waiting in queues. As for financial inclusion, digital finance has two positive effects. First, it expands access. In emerging markets in 2014, only about 55 per cent of adults had a bank or financial-services account, but nearly 80 per cent had a mobile phone. That 25-percentage-point gap could be closed by making mobile banking and digital wallets a reality. But a gender gap will also have to be closed: worldwide, about 200 million fewer women than men have mobile phones or Internet access. Second, digital finance reduces costs: MGI estimates that it would cost financial-service providers 80-90 per cent less – about $10 per year, compared to the $100 per year it costs today – to offer customers digital accounts than accounts through traditional bank branches. Using purely digital channels thus makes it feasible to meet the needs of low-income customers. Financial inclusion becomes profitable for providers even when account balances and transactions are small. With digital finance, as many as 1.6 billion unbanked people – more than half of whom are women – could gain access to financial services, shifting about $4.2 trillion in cash and savings currently held in informal vehicles into the formal financial system. This would allow for an additional $2.1 trillion to be extended as credit to individuals and small businesses. Businesses could also save on labor costs, to the tune of 25 billion hours annually, by swapping cash transactions for digital payments. And governments could take in an additional $110 billion every year – to invest in growthenhancing public goods like education – because digital channels make tax collection cheaper and more reliable. New mobile-money services are already demonstrating digital finance’s potential. In Kenya, M-Pesa – which transforms one’s phone into a mobile wallet – has leveraged powerful network effects to bring about a vast expansion in the share of adults using digital financial services. That share grew from zero to 40 per cent in just three years, and had risen to 68 per cent by the end of last year. - Project Syndicate

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES DECEMBER 2001 Horse race to mark HM’s presence BARKA: In expression of happiness over the presence of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said in Barka and his participation in Eid Al Fitr celebrations here, a horse race was organised yesterday under the auspices of General Ali bin Majid Al Ma’amari, minister of the palace office and head of the office of the supreme commander of the armed forces. Horsemen for Barka wilayat as well as other wilayats of the region participated in the race. General Ma’amari distributed prize to the winners.

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NEW PRIVATE VEHICLES REGISTERED 2016 September

October

5,400 4,802

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

1952: Yugoslavia breaks relations with the Vatican. 1989: The Simpsons, television’s longest-running animated series, makes its US debut. 1990: Jean-Bertrand Aristide wins Haiti’s ﬁrst free election. 2010: Mohamed Bouazizi immolates himself, the catalyst for the Tunisian revolution and the subsequent Arab Spring.

0 Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

LIFESTYLE WELLNESS

Sto ry D r Fa bian Saa rlos

rior to the 20th century, most people died from acute infection and life expectancies were too short for people to develop chronic diseases. Though we now enjoy longer lives and much higher standards of living, which permit us to indulge in eating, spending, and other forms of leisure, this also increases the likelihood of developing chronic disease. In general, chronic diseases are deﬁned as those that persist indeﬁnitely, cannot be prevented by vaccines, and cannot be cured by medication, leading to ongoing pain, suffering, disability, and diminished quality of life. Globally, it has been estimated by the World Health Organisation that 60% of deaths in 2005 were due to chronic dis-

ease, with 80% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Besides the longer life expectancy, there are many contributing factors to the rise in chronic diseases, including smoking, pervasive obesity, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, larger food portion sizes, fast-paced lifestyle, and increased pollution. Diabetes, caused when an individual develops a dysfunction in insulin production or action, which induces an inability to metabolise blood glucose, is the leading chronic disease in Oman, with a prevalence of 7.2% amongst men and 8.3% amongst women. It is responsible for 10% of all deaths in the Sultanate (WHO, 2016). Two types of diabetes are distinguishable: Type I diabetes, also called Juvenile

Diabetes, can appear very early in life, and seems to be caused by an autoimmune reaction in which the body destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Type I diabetes is incurable, and leads to the patient becoming insulin-dependant. Type II diabetes, also called Adult Onset Diabetes, begins with the development of insulin resistance, and depending on lifestyle, may develop into a full-blown insulin-dependent condition. Type II diabetes is thus a chronic disease which, under certain conditions, is preventable. Although it is likely the result of a complex interaction of genetic, behavioural, and environmental inﬂuences, the rate at which Type II diabetes has risen clearly suggest that behavioural and environmental factors

have played a larger role than just biological changes. Unhealthy behaviours , such as eating too much of what we know is bad for us, lying on the couch instead of being active, and smoking, can unfortunately be quite enjoyable. It can be difficult to help someone who has yet to experience any negative health consequences, to give up such pleasurable indulgences. While a healthier lifestyle may sound like a good thing, it requires consistent hard work, dedication, and comfort with delay of gratiﬁcation. Delayed gratiﬁcation is a particularly challenging issue for many in our “get it now” society. Moreover, adopting a healthy lifestyle and engaging in preventive health care requires consideration of and value for one’s future health. Individual’s beliefs about themselves, their health problems, and

their behaviours can effect both the development of mental and physical health problems as well as their outcomes. The initial psychological adjustments following the diagnosis of diabetes generally involve issues related to loss. Loss of function, loss of control, or loss of perspective. Individuals at the stage of diagnosis confront the reality that their health has, most probably irreversibly, changed. In coming to terms with the diagnosis, the diabetic will have to go through several stages of grief. In the ﬁrst stage, denial, the diabetic still refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem. In the next stage, anger, one is looking for something to blame, which eventually will lead to the realisation that the only culprit is the very

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

WEATHER

TEMPERATURE

own body’s reaction to food or sugar. Bargaining may then ensue, which involves efforts to revert the situation. One sees patients desperately trying all kinds of therapies, without much effect, however, with the exception of shattered hopes. This leads to a stage of depression. It is not surprising that the likelihood of depression more than doubles among those suffering from common chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, hypertension, chronic heart or cardiovascular disease. Diabetic patients who are depressed have worse treatment adherence and glucose control, more symptoms, and an elevated rate of complications, compared to non-depressed diabetics. Anxiety disorders are also more common among these patients, and are associated with high levels of bodily symptoms, functional impairment, health care utilisation, and adverse effects such as smoking, substance abuse, and sedentary lifestyles. In addition, diabetes-speciﬁc anxiety problems may develop, such as a fear of needles, or avoidance of blood glucose control. With physicians focused on physical health, but not having enough time to also attend to the mental health as well as the broader aspects that may cause an impact on the patient, many diabetics would beneﬁt from more education as well as comprehensive THERAPY

Talk therapy can treat social phobia

RESEARCHERS have shown that structured talk therapy or cognitive alone has the potential to cure social phobia. In treating patients with social anxiety disorder, cognitive therapy on its own has a much better effect over the long term than just drugs or a combination of the two, said the study. “This is the most effective treatment ever for this patient group. Treatment of mental illness often isn’t as effective as treating a bone fracture, but here we’ve shown that treatment of psychiatric disorders can be equally effective,” said lead researcher Hans Nordahl, Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Social anxiety is not a diagnosis, but a symptom that a lot of people struggle with. -IANS

HUMIDITY

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and multidisciplinary approaches. Coping with a chronic disease may therefore have a tremendous impact on a person’s consideration of the future, and the fatigue, hopelessness, loss of motivation, and dysphoria that typically constitute psychological problems undermine a person’s ability to engage in healthy behaviours or undermine their capacity for self-management of health problems. The purpose of educational intervention is to increase a patient’s knowledge of his condition and the behaviours needed to manage the disease, while behavioural interventions aim towards helping patients put the knowledge to action, establishing goals and using behavioural strategies to make healthy behaviour changes and to improve diabetes control. Consulting a clinical psychologist could help address a number of relevant challenges in diabetes, including adjustment to diagnosis, stress management, problem solving and coping skills, assessment and treatment of comorbid psychological problems, and facilitating treatment engagement and adherence (e.g. diet, physical activity, medication, selfmanagement of blood glucose). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), and in particular Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), which involve relaxation training, changing maladaptive thought processes

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

12.08pm 3.09pm 5.29pm 6.45pm 5.22am

While a healthier lifestyle may sound like a good thing, it requires consistent hard work, dedication, and comfort with delay of gratification.

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LIFESTYLE

and behavioural goal setting, have across studies proven their efficacy in improving glycaemic control in patients with diabetes, as well as emotional distress. Similarly, family and group therapies focusing on diabetes-relevant topics, such as complex lifestyle changes, as well as emotional expression, stress management, conﬂict resolution and interpersonal skills have also shown their effectiveness in promoting diabetes management, treatment engagement, and adherence, as well as promoting recognition, acceptance, awareness, and social support. A holistic bio-psychosocial treatment, in which physicians, psychologists, nurses, and dieticians work together, has demonstrated to inﬂuence immediate (learning), intermediate (behaviour change), post-intermediate (clinical improvement) and long-term (health status improvement and quality of life) outcomes. Living with diabetes on a day-to-day basis, constantly checking blood glucose levels, getting used to new dietary rules and learning to live with certain restrictions and limitations, will eventually lead to greater self-awareness and knowledge. The patient learns what to expect from his body under certain conditions and in situations, and will thus come to adjust his/her lifestyle accordingly. Eventually, the patient will reach

the last stage of the grieving process, acceptance, which refers to recognising the irreversible condition and trying to move forward, in this sense it comes close to acquiescence, which in Latin means ‘finding rest in’. Realising that the chronic disease should not define nor determine one’s whole existence, that one is not diabetic but one has diabetes, will lead to establishing new relationships: With one’s body, food, and of course, the environment. Becoming reacquainted with their bodies, the person will learn to become more mindful and aware of the effect certain foods as well as surroundings and situations may have on him or her, recognise the emotions along with the physical symptoms, and try to find new ways and strategies of dealing with things. Redirecting one’s focus in life, discovering personal meaning in diagnosis, changing one’s perspective and goals, and finding a new purpose, such as a more conscious enjoyment of family moments, or spiritual fulfilment, will eventually increase one’s confidence, self-esteem and resilience, thus improving his or her quality of life. -lifestyle@timesofoman.com Dr Fabian Saarlos is a clinical health psychologist at Al Harub Medical Centre

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

LIFESTYLE

n recent years, research has disclosed the high nutritional value of black fruits. Not only are they rich in vitamins, iron, calcium and zinc, but some of them may prevent and fight cancer. These black fruits are not only beneficial for your health, but also for your skin. Most of them have also proved to be anti-ageing, which means they help reduce wrinkles and other skin problems. Grape seeds contain resveratrol, flavonoid and tannins, which are excellent anti-oxidants that are very good at toning and tightening skin. But, it isn’t recommended to eat grape seeds directly, as the tannin in grape seeds makes them bitter. The best way to absorb the nutrients from grape seeds is to drink its juice. The resveratrol then perfectly provides the best skincare and health benefits. Nutrients in black grapes are largely contained in their seeds, as well as their skin. Instead of eating grape seeds or drinking juice, you may choose to eat grapes with their skin. Nutrients such as calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, and vitamins are abundantly found in grapes, which also contain plenty of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. All the nutrients contained in grapes are beneficial to our skin. Blackcurrants are rich in vitamin C, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, anthocyanin, phenols, and many other nutrients, while

blackcurrant seed oil is proven to possess skin anti-inﬂammatory and anti-dryness properties. It is also able to stop acne outbreaks and is therefore an excellent ingredient for acne treatment. Blackcurrants are also good for health, and are often found in healthcare products for anaemia, oedema and oral and throat sicknesses. Different types of amino acids, vitamins, organic acids, and renieratene are contained in a subtropical fruit called mulberries. There is also a higher mineral content in mulberries, as compared to other fruits. Our skin is usually healthier when we were young as our body metabolic rate is high, but when the metabolic rates slow down as we grow older, skin problems start to appear. With the intake of mulberries, our metabolic rate is accelerated, skin cells are properly regenerated and skin problems therefore cease. The last black fruit that this article introduces is not very popular. Called the dark plum, it is often sold in the form of dried food. Dark plums contain plenty of different nutrients such as vitamin B2, potassium, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus, in addition to a host of anti-oxidants. Most importantly, nutrients in black plum are more easily digested and absorbed by human bodies. Therefore, you may soon experience a very positive change in skin quality if you eat black plums regularly. –Artipot

B SENSEX FALLS 258 POINTS India’s BSE benchmark Sensex fell to mark biggest weekly loss in a month, falling 257.62 points to ﬁnish at 26,489.56, while the broader Nifty fell below the crucial 8,150-level. The Indian rupee also suffered incredible reversal. – PTI

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM S U N DAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

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Oman Food to acquire land for OMR37m unit

N C S I N O V E M B E R D ATA

The new OMR37m red meat project in joint venture VEGETABLE PRICES: The food and non-alcoholic beverages seg-

ment, however, saw a price decline of 1.25 per cent. - Times ﬁle picture

Inﬂation in Oman rises marginally to 1.85% in November

is coming up at Thumrait. It will import livestock, fatten them, slaughter in a state-of-the-art abattoir to offer as

MUSCAT: Oman’s consumerprice inﬂation stood at 1.85 per cent in November, following a 10.2 per cent rise in prices in the transport basket, according to a recent bulletin released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). The food and non-alcoholic beverages segment, however, saw a price decline of 1.25 per cent, contributed by a price decline of 1.13 per cent in bread and cereals, 1.99 per cent in milk, cheese and eggs, and 0.37 per cent in oils and fat subsets, along with a drop of 2.96 per cent in fruits, and 10.41 per cent in vegetables. However, meat, as well as ﬁsh and seafood, reported a price rise of 0.52 per cent and 6.12 per cent, respectively. Also, sugar, jam, honey and confectionary groups showed a price increase of 0.35 per cent, while

non-alcoholic beverages sustained a price rise of 0.81 per cent in November, compared with the same month in 2015. Further, prices of tobacco products rose 22.21 per cent, while clothing and footwear prices eased by 0.96 per cent. Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels prices went up by 0.60 per cent, along with prices of furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance. The healthcare sub-segment also reported a price rise of 0.66 per cent, as did education, with a price increase of 2.85 per cent. Further, costs in restaurants and hotels went up nearly 0.50 per cent. In contrast, communications, as well as recreation and culture, witnessed an easing in inﬂation by 0.02 per cent and 0.52 per cent, respectively, in November, the NCSI data shows. – ONA

branded quality red meat to customers.

MAKING A POINT: Saleh M Al Shanfari, chief executive officer of the Oman Food Investment Holding. — Times picture

A E JAMES

Al Shanfari, chief executive officer of the Oman Food Investment Holding, told the Times of Oman.

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman Food Investment Holding Company, which is developing a major OMR37 million-red meat project jointly with Oman National Livestock Development Company, is in the process of acquiring land for the proposed project at Thumrait in Dhofar region. Planning stage “We are in the planning stage. Land is to be acquired soon in Thumrait and water drilling permit will also be acquired,” Saleh M

New joint venture The new joint venture, called Al Bashayer Meat Co, will import livestock, fatten them, slaughter in a state-of-the-art abattoir to offer as branded quality red meat to the retail and institutional customers in Oman and other potential export markets. “Animals will be imported from various countries.” While the major import of livestock is expected from Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan), the joint venture ﬁrm

will also ensure alternate sources for livestock purchase to tide over any exigencies. Of the Sultanate of Oman’s red meat requirement, 80 per cent is met through imports, and the project aims at reducing imports by enhancingdomestic availability. Improving food security The project also aims at improving food security, food safety andcapitalise on the niche business opportunity to provide reliable, high quality branded red meat in Oman. Al Bashayar will set up a stateof-the-art abattoir with the best

infrastructure for production and processing of wholesome meat. Al Shanfari said the red meat project is part of three major projects now under different stages of planning and implementation, which are aimed at achieving selfsufficiency in local production or for import substitution. The other two are a dairy and a poultry project, which are in the execution stage as tenders have been ﬂoated. Water drillings have already been completed for these two ventures. The dairy project is coming up at AlSunainain Buraimi governorate, while poultry project is taking shape in Ibri. Presently, Oman’s 70-80 per cent demand for dairy and poultry meat is met through imports. “By 2019, all the three projects will start operations,” added Al Shanfari. These projects will enable the Sultanate to substantially reduce its dependence on imported products in a phased manner. OMR240m investment The combined investment of these three strategic government projects is estimated at OMR240 million. Oman Food Investment will have a 20 per cent equity stake in these three projects, while the remaining 80 per cent investment will come from the private sector, including investment funds and investment holding ﬁrms.

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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

MARKET

Housing starts in US begin to fall from nine-year high on new housing projects dropped by 18.7 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million units, the Commerce Department said. Last month’s percentage decline was the largest in nearly two years, bulk of October’s 27.3 per cent surge.

WASHINGTON: US homebuilding fell more than expected in November, tumbling from a nine-year high as construction activity declined broadly, the latest sign of slower economic growth in the fourth quarter. But the housing market remains on solid ground, with Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showing permits for the future construction of singlefamily homes, the biggest segment of the market, rising to a nine-year high in November. “The economy won’t be ﬂying as high without new construction that leads to additional consumer purchases of furniture and appliances and cars. The economy has some risks to the downside,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at

HIGHLY VOLATILE: Housing starts data are choppy month-to-month, with much of the volatility coming from the multi-family segment of the market. — Bloomberg ﬁle picture

MUFG Union Bank in New York. Groundbreaking on new housing projects dropped 18.7 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million units, the Commerce Department said. Last month’s percentage decline was the largest in nearly two years, and unwound the bulk of October’s 27.3 per cent surge. Housing starts Housing starts data are choppy month-to-month, with much of the volatility coming from the multi-family segment of the market. October’s starts were revised up to a 1.34 million-unit rate, the highest since July 2007, from the previously reported 1.32 million rate. Economists had forecast housing starts slipping to a 1.23 million-unit rate last month. The report came on the heels of data this month showing a widening in the trade deﬁcit in October

and weak retail sales and industrial production in November. The Atlanta Federal Reserve is forecasting GDP rising at a 2.4 per cent annualised rate in the fourth quarter after increasing at a brisk 3.2 per cent rate in the third quarter. Residential construction has been a drag on economic growth since the second quarter, but economists expect it will contribute to GDP this quarter. Despite the weak report, the PHLX housing index rose 0.4 per cent, tracking a broadly ﬁrmer US stock market. Shares in the nation’s largest homebuilder, D.R. Horton, gained 0.6 per cent and Lennar Corp advanced 0.3 per cent. US Treasury debt prices rose marginally, while the dollar was little changed against a basket of currencies after scaling a 14-year high on Thursday.

Permits data upbeat Starts fell in all four regions last month. October’s surge in home building had widened the gap between permits and starts. With last month’s drop in groundbreaking activity, building permits are now leading starts, which augurs well for the housing market. Permits fell 4.7 per cent in November to a 1.20 million-unit rate. They have remained above the 1.20 million-unit level for three straight months, the longest stretch since 2007. Single-family permits rose 0.5 per cent last month to their highest level since November 2007. Building permits for multi-family units, however, dropped 13.0 per cent. “The trends in the single-family data still appear to be moving higher over time, which is a favorable signal regarding upcoming single-family construction

SOCIAL MEDIA

activity,” said Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan in New York. Economists expect housing to continue growing even with mortgage rates having jumped to their highest in more than two years following the election of Donald Trump as the next president. Trump has advocated for an expansionary fiscal policy, which could fan inflation pressures. Homebuilders’ confidence A survey on Thursday showed homebuilders’ confidence in December hitting its highest level since July 2005, with builders anticipating strong sales. Since the Nov. 8 presidential election, the fixed 30-year mortgage rate has increased about 60 basis points to average 4.16 per cent in the week ending on Dec. 15, the highest since October 2014, according to data from mortgage finance firm Freddie Mac. — Reuters

Challenges The agreement offers Etihad another bridgehead in Europe, where it has struggled to make partnerships with Air Berlin and Alitalia work. For Lufthansa, it’s the first linkup with any of the Gulf carriers, which Chief Executive Officer Carsten Spohr had criticised as competing unfairly. Those disputes appear to be in the past as overcapacity in the European aviation market depresses fares just as oil prices threaten to increase costs. “We have long seen Germany as a key strategic market, and this new relationship with Lufthansa marks the next step,” Etihad Group Chief Executive Officer James Hogan said in the statement. “It is very clear to us that Lufthansa is a like-minded, forward-thinking organisation with which we can do strong, meaningful and mutually beneficial business.” Spohr said Lufthansa and Etihad are considering cooperation in additional areas. The seat-sale accord expands on the deal to use planes operated by Air Berlin, which is all but controlled by Etihad. Lufthansa’s Eurowings low-cost arm will lease 33 Airbus Group A320-series aircraft from Air Berlin, while its Austrian Airlines division will take another five, the companies said Friday. Air Berlin is also providing crew for the aircraft as it further cuts its core fleet in half. — Bloomberg News

I N T E R E S T R AT E

Facebook’s measurement mistakes set to test advertisers’ enthusiasm SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook built a colossal business based on measuring something older advertising methods cannot - the granular details about people. Two months ago, the company copped to a ﬂaw in that measurement. Then Facebook did it again. And again. On Friday, Facebook revealed faulty metrics with Instant Articles, its mobile publishing system, the fourth disclosure of a measurement error since September. The admission sharpened calls for more independent organisations to monitor the performance of digital advertising. And some large ﬁrms that buy a lot of ads said they will more closely scrutinise their spending on the social networking giant and could shift marketing dollars elsewhere. “People will take a step back and certainly look again where Facebook sits in their marketing mix,” said Rob Norman, chief digital officer for ad buyer GroupM. “My sense is that a more pragmatic air will prevail,” comparing the relationship between advertisers and the company to a marriage moving beyond the honeymoon stage. In recent years, Facebook has taken an increasingly massive

Lufthansa, Etihad plan to explore deeper links FRANKFURT: Deutsche Lufthansa and Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi agreed to share seat sales in the ﬁrst step of what could be deeper cooperation between the former adversaries. The two airlines will initially code-share on Etihad’s twice-daily ﬂights linking Abu Dhabi with Frankfurt and Munich, and the German carrier’s services connecting Frankfurt with Rio de Janeiro and Bogota, according to a joint statement on Friday. The deal is a by-product of a cut-rate lease for 38 planes with the Gulf carrier’s ailing partner Air Berlin.

Groundbreaking

and unwound the

CODE-SHARE DEAL

– Bloomberg ﬁle picture

share of marketing budgets. Its revenue is growing by more than 50 per cent, and with Alphabet’s Google now accounts for 68 per cent of US digital ad spending, according to data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and Pivotal Research Group. Facebook’s torrid rate of expansion could slow if advertisers are more cautious and users don’t continue to increase the time they spend on Instagram and its other services, Norman said. “There will be much greater circumspection in the board room and the advertising department,” he added. Indeed, company executives suggested in November that it

probably won’t be able to maintain its explosive growth much longer. Facebook declined to comment on Friday. In September, Facebook shared its first measurement error: inflated viewership numbers for its video ads, a relatively new product. Two months later, the company disclosed additional metric errors along with new tools for third-party measurement companies, including ComScore and Nielsen, to track its system more closely. Problems persisted. Earlier this month, a report in Marketing Land, an industry publication, spotted a discrepancy between Facebook’s internal metrics on how articles where shared and public measurements. Facebook confirmed the error. “That shouldn’t happen,” said Brian Wieser, senior analyst, Pivotal Research Group. “If anyone was concerned that Facebook’s selfaudit was not sufficient enough, they just proved it.” Some in the ad world agree. Facebook’s partners and competitors see its disclosures as further proof that additional parties are needed for these audits and uniform rules for how ads are count-

ed, bought and sold across the web. Ad buyers said these types of measurement errors existed before, including with Google’s YouTube. But Facebook has opted -- or been pressured into -- disclosing them. “It’s a sign of maturity that Facebook is owning this issue and embracing third-party measurement,” said Joe Zawadzki, chief executive officer of marketing technology ﬁrm MediaMath. “That’s good for brands, good for consumers, good for Facebook.” It may not be all good for Facebook, though. Marketers, nervous about wasted spending, could shift budgets elsewhere. The wave of disclosures are likely to turn some advertisers away, Wieser said. Google ad sales staff were among the ﬁrst to call media buyers when Facebook’s initial disclosure came, hoping to wrestle dollars away, the analyst noted. A Google spokesperson declined to comment. Yet Wieser expects any Facebook ad sale losses to be small. “Facebook is still the foundation of your digital campaign,” he said. “It will hurt. But we’ll never be able to know with certainty.” — Bloomberg News

Fed official expects more hikes in 2017 ATLANTA: Jeffrey Lacker, one of the Federal Reserve’s most hawkish policy makers, warned that the US central bank may have to raise rates more than three times next year and said he does not know if policy makers are already behind the curve on inﬂation. “If we were to see a burst of demand growth, that would suggest a steeper path of rates to maintain price stability,” the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond told reporters on Friday after taking part in a panel discussion in Charlotte, North Carolina. “There is a range of paces of interest rate hikes that would qualify as gradual, including paces more rapid than one or two or three a year,” he said. “We can get where we need to be with a pace of increases that qualiﬁes as gradual.” His next scheduled turn as a Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voter is in 2018. Investors have sold bonds this week in anticipation the US central bank will accelerate policy tightening next year, pushing yields on the 10-year Treasury note to 2.60 per cent from 2.47 per cent on Monday. The Fed raised interest rates by a quarter-point on Wednesday and

repeated that it expects to tighten policy gradually, signaling that three increases may be warranted in 2017, according to the median quarterly projection submitted by the 17 officials of the policy-setting FOMC. The Fed forecasts included some from officials who made assumptions about how much additional stimulus the US economy will receive from tax cuts and infrastructure investment spending that’s been promised by Presidentelect Donald Trump. Fed Chair Janet Yellen said in her post-FOMC meeting press conference on Wednesday that there was “considerable uncertainty” about how economic policies may change and affect the economy. She speaks again on Monday when she addresses students on the state of the job market at a mid-year commencement at the University of Baltimore. Lacker, one of the Fed’s firmest anti-inflation hawks who has previously argued for a faster pace of tightening, said it was unclear what economic policy would look like under the Trump administration. He said a prudent forecaster would include at least some impact from fiscal stimulus in any estimate for US growth. — Bloomberg News

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

MARKET MSM DISCLOSURE

Government transfers Omantel share

Oman Development Bank provides OMR40m loan

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) said that it received a letter from the Ministry of Finance confirming transfer of government shares in the company to Oman Investment Fund, according to a disclosure statement posted on MSM website.

The total number of Oman Development Bank’s loan for the ﬁrst ten months of this year stood at

R E G I S T R AT I O N P R O C E S S

4,044, marking an

‘Invest Easy’ portal registers 73 professional licences in three months MUSCAT: The number of professional licences registered through “Invest Easy” portal in the ﬁelds of engineering consulting, auditing, legal translation, other consulting, from the beginning of September until December 13, 2016 stood at 73. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), represented by the Department of Professional and Petroleum Licences, explained that the objective of providing the service through “Invest Easy” is to facilitate the registration process for investors and to follow up their applications with easiness. The Ministry continues to simplify and facilitate procedures for investors and entrepreneurs through the conversion of all services to be e-services. It added that the completion of transactions electronically ensures the validity and accuracy of these transactions, free of errors and to reduce ﬁnancial costs when processing these transactions electronically, to ensure better and more efficient management, access to information easily and to provide the appropriate service to applicants in a timely manner. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry urges all investors, companies and owners of small and medium enterprises to take advantage of online services, start studying the market, identify the available opportunities through which they can expand in the activity of their institutions, so as to enhance their market share and contribute to the development and growth of their organisations. - ONA

increase of 18 per cent over the same period last year.

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Development Bank (ODB), the Sultanate’s leading bank in sustainable development project ﬁnancing, approved as many as 4,444 development loans across different sectors and governorates in the ﬁrst 10 months of the current year. The total value of approved loans exceeded OMR39.50 million, according to a bank release. The number of loans issued during the period from various branches of ODB stood at 4044,

whose aggregate value stood in excess of OMR18.94 million. Region wise, Muscat received 25 per cent of the total loan amount issued during the period at OMR9.93 million. Meanwhile, Musandam saw a 124 per cent growth in the number of loans issued, whose total value surged

ahead by 77 per cent compared with last year ﬁgures. Interest-free loans Interest-free loans accounted for 30 per cent of the total number of loans granted, with a value exceeding OMR11.69 million, while the total value of loans approved

Major Emirates Energy Award seeks a larger Omani participation in sustainable energy Times News Service MUSCAT: The Dubai Supreme Council of Energy encouraged Omani companies and individuals to take part in the Emirates Energy Award (EEA) 2017. A press conference was held in Oman on the subject. Under the theme ‘Innovative solutions for Clean Energy’, the third Emirates Energy Award is focussing to have more participation from Oman. “Oman has one of the best reserves of solar energy and I believe it is the future of energy production. We would like individuals and companies to participate in this competition, which

– Supplied picture

will allow them to proceed with innovative solutions,” said Ahmad B. Al Muhairbi, secretary general of the DSCE, vice chairman of the Executive Committee of Emirates Energy Award. For EEA 2015, three applications were received from Oman. F I V E - D AY W O R K S H O P

BP takes $2.2b stake in Abu Dhabi oil ﬁeld

Additional cash ﬂow The agreement promises additional cash ﬂow and revenue following a downturn that has forced the industry to slash billions of dollars of investments worldwide in the past two years. The payment in shares also helps BP preserve its own cash and

marking an increase of 18 per cent over ﬁgures for the same period last year, while the total loan amount increased by 22 per cent to reach OMR20.56 million. Also, there was a 4 per cent growth in the number of loans issued from the main branch of ODB, with 400 loans granted during the period

CLEAN ENERGY

OIL CONCESSION

ABU DHABI: BP cemented its 77-year relationship with Abu Dhabi by swapping about $2.2 billion of its own shares for a stake in one of the emirate’s largest onshore oil concessions. The UK’s second-biggest oil group will issue new ordinary shares to pay for 10 per cent of the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations, giving the emirate a 2 per cent holding in BP, the London-based company said in a statement.

MUSCAT TOPS: Region wise, Muscat received 25 per cent of the total loan amount issued during the ﬁrst ten months at OMR9.93 million. - Times ﬁle picture

for large projects and their expansions reached OMR7.42 million. Such loans represented 19 per cent of the total number of loans. Working capital loans amounted to OMR9.20 million, with a 23 per cent share of the total number of loans approved by Oman Development Bank during the JanuaryOctober period. Further, the manufacturing sector topped the list with OMR21.196 million, and accounted for 54 per cent of the total value of loans. The agriculture and livestock sector came in at second, receiving 15 per cent percent of the total loans, valued at OMR5.976 million. The education sector received 115 loans, marking an increase of 64 per cent compared with last year, while total loan value increased 18 per cent to touch OMR1.899 million, compared with ﬁgures for the same period last year. The number of loans allotted to the healthcare sector, on the other hand, declined to 12 loans worth OMR563,000, with a 58 per cent fall in value. Oman Development Bank’s loan schemes reflect the bank’s strategy to encourage investment, diversify sources of income and achieve self-sufficiency in commodities and goods, apart from creating job opportunities for local people.

maintain a balance sheet that has seen debt and leverage rise during the oil-price collapse. “The economics are good for us and for our shareholders, and for BP it brings a strategic partner,” Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley said in an interview in Abu Dhabi. “This agreement will provide BP with long-term access to signiﬁcant and competitive resources that we already understand very well.” Production The deal will provide an output of 160,000 barrels a day, in addition to the 95,000 barrels BP now produces in Abu Dhabi, Dudley said. The 40-year concession includes the Bab, Bu Hasa, Shah and Asab ﬁelds with total resources of as much as 30 billion barrels of oil equivalent, BP said. — Bloomberg News

Insurance forum MUSCAT: The Capital Market Authority (CMA), in cooperation with the Public Authority for SMEs Development (Riyada), will organise at Riyada premises on Sunday a training workshop on insurance agents. The ﬁve-day workshop targets national cadres operating in insurance offices with the aim of providing them with technical and administrative skills to market their licenced insurance products. The workshop is part of a series of training programmes that are accorded a remarkable attention by CMA particularly profession of insurance agents. The workshop also comes as a respond to requirements of the bylaw governing business of insurance agents that guides the insurance sector towards Omanising the profession of insurance agent in a manner that achieves an added value to the national economy. — ONA

“The Emirates Energy Award (EEA) is a leading platform dedicated to recognizing latest innovations and technologies in the ﬁelds of energy, in addition to highlighting the ﬁndings of researchers and scientists in areas such as energy generation, consumption, and use

of environmental resources. It serves as a catalyst for exchange of ideas, insights and solutions to achieve the best possible results in future innovations,” he said. The press conference held in Oman aimed to attract public and private institutions and research centres working in the energy sector. According to Oman’sVision 2020, it aims to meet 10 per cent of electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2020. Oman has the highest rating for purity of skies, making it one of the places that have highest solar energy concentrations and a promising market for solar projects. EEA has 10 categories: energy

efficiency–public and private sectors (gold, silver, and bronze), energy efficiency – private sector (gold, silver, and bronze), large energy project (gold, silver, and bronze), small energy project (gold, silver, and bronze), connecting solar power to buildings project for large projects (more than 500 KW) (gold, silver, and bronze), connecting solar power to buildings project for small projects (less than 500 KW) (gold, silver, and bronze), education and capacity building (gold, silver, and bronze), research and development (gold, silver, and bronze), young professional energy award (gold, silver, and bronze), and a special recognition award.

EXPO IN INDIA

Oman to attend ceramics expo MUSCAT: Oman , represented by Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), is taking part in the Vibrant Ceramics Expo and Summit being held at Ahmedabad, India from December 16 to Decemebr 18, 2016.

OCCI delegation, led by Eng. Ridha bin Juma Al Juma, OCCI deputy chairman for Financial and Administrative Affairs, includes businessmen and representatives of companies interested in the Indian market.

The head of the delegation said that this participation comes as per an invitation of those incharge of the event. The participation also affirms the constant cooperation between the Omani and Indian sides. — ONA

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

FEATURE

ond investors are weighing rising risks that smaller Chinese banks will fail against growing signs the government will do anything to avoid a ﬁnancial meltdown. A lender called Guiyang Rural Commercial Bank in the southwestern province of Guizhou sparked concern that risks among smaller lenders are spreading after its rating outlook was cut last month following a jump in overdue loans to 30 per cent of the total. That compares with just 3 per cent at the nation’s biggest lender. Short-term borrowing costs surged for the riskiest lenders including rural commercial banks, which hold 29 trillion yuan ($4.2 trillion) of assets, 13.4 per cent of the total amount in China’s banking system. Yet conﬁdence in the government’s readiness to step in and offer support to struggling borrowers is rising as authorities allow a credit-fueled recovery of manufacturing activity, helping an official factory gauge match a

post-2012 high last month. While 17 onshore public bonds defaulted in the first half of the year, there have since been only seven. The combination of government support and desperation for yield helps explain why Guiyang Rural was able to sell a junior bond at 4.7 per cent last month, 1.7 percentage points less than a similar offering last year. “Investors have yet to suffer losses from any bank capital securities, which adds to their confidence,” said He Xuanlai, a Singapore-based credit analyst at Commerzbank. “Smaller banks have a less diversified business profile and likely to get less support from the central government compared with bigger banks. Still, the base case is the government is still not ready to let any bank fail in a disorderly way.” That assumption has helped cut the extra yield investors demand to hold AA- rated five-year bank subordinated notes over AAA rated peers to a record low of 81 ba-

Rural China banks with $4 trillion assets facing debt test

sis points, from 113 at the start of the year. There are some positive fundamentals. Rural banks are tied with the big ﬁve state-owned banks for the best Tier 1 capital ratio at 12 per cent, according to an analysis by Natixis SA. Investors must balance that against more negative signals. Because of their limited size, rural bank lending tends to be more concentrated and prone to the vicissitudes of regional economies. The average non-performing loan ratio for rural banks was 2.5 per cent at the end of 2015, the worst among four types of lenders in China, according to Natixis. Guiyang Rural reported overdue loans jumped 3.4 billion yuan in the ﬁrst half to 9.18 billion yuan amid a slowing economy. China Chengxin International Credit Rating cut its outlook on the AArating to negative. Multiple calls to various departments at the lender went unanswered. In addition to Guiyang Rural, Bank of Liuzhou Co. has been added to a credit watch list by

Golden Credit Rating International Co. Two calls to the lender went unanswered. “It is unsustainable to have 30 percent overdue debts,” said Zhu Yu, a partner at the financial services unit of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. “Smaller banks are worse at controlling credit risk than bigger peers. We expect more downgrades.” Signs of financial stress and liquidity pressure are starting to show up. Short-term paper rates for China’s riskiest banks jumped by the most on record in November and longer-term bond yields are responding. The yield on AArated five-year bank subordinated notes surged 55 basis points over the past month to 4.63 per cent, in line with their AAA counterparts. “Some small banks are expanding aggressively,” said Wen Bin, chief research analyst at China Minsheng Banking Corp. “But their risk management and operational capacities are limited, so investors in small banks face higher risks.” — Bloomberg News

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ROUND-UP

Honda City and Civic adjudged best sedans

CASH GIFT

These cars were recognised at the recently held Oman Auto Excellence

Attractive offer on Lincoln MKX MUSCAT: Lincoln MKX, the stunner from Lincoln has been a favourite with customers owning to its new-age looks, advanced technology and Lincoln luxury that makes the MKX remarkable to own. Customers desiring the MKX can now look forward to impressive cash gift of OMR3,000 and 0% interest on EMI (Conditions apply. Visit showroom for details), says a press release. The entirely new Lincoln MKX has over 36 new features and technologies compared to its predecessor. Several of these are industry or segment exclusive. The Entirely New MKX introduces our 10-year exclusive partnership with Revel by Harman into our Portfolio. Revel Audio was founded in 1996 with one vision, making the world’s ﬁnest loud speaker. Leading the engine choices for the entirely MKX is the available advanced 2.7-litre twinturbocharged EcoBoost V6, and the standard 3.7-litre Ti-VCT V6. Both engines are mated to a six-speed SelectShift automatic transmission with push-button shift. Front-wheel drive is standard, Intelligent All-Wheel Drive optional.

Available semi-autonomous features include the ﬁrst Lincoln implementation of technology that may help avoid or lessen the severity of some frontal crashes: Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection. If no corrective action is taken and the system detects a collision is imminent, the brakes are automatically applied. The vehicle automatically slows down, and resumes cruising speed when the sensors detect traffic has cleared; Lane-Keeping system includes lane-keeping alert and lane-keeping aid. With Lane Keeping Alert, the steering wheel vibrates when drivers are straying from their lane. Lane-Keeping Aid provides a mild steering input to encourage drivers to steer toward the centre of the lane; Blind Spot Information System, or BLIS, signals the driver when a vehicle enters one of its blind spots by displaying an indicator in the sideview mirror; Cross-traffic alert detects traffic approaching from either side as the vehicle backs out of a parking space and warns the driver when another vehicle is present with a visual alert and audible tone. In Oman, Lincoln vehicles are brought to you by Arabian Car Marketing Co.

Awards 2016

MUSCAT: Honda City and Honda Civic were adjudged as the best cars in the 'Small Sadan Category' and 'Compact Sedan Category' respectively at the Oman Auto Excellence Awards 2016.

Awards were announced at a glittering gala dinner and the trophies were handed over to the winners recently. Ahmad Al Harthy, Oman Rally Driver handed over the trophies in the 'Small Sedan’ and

Cake Gallery rolls out unique social initiative MUSCAT: Cake Gallery, Muscat’s signature cake and pastry shop brand, is taking its corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations to a whole new level. Touched by appeals that its scrumptious delights are somewhat beyond the reach of a key demographic – college and university students – the popular cake-shop has now decided to offer a ﬂat 15 per cent discount to youngsters who can prove their bona ﬁdes by producing a valid student ID, says a press release. College and university students simply have to show up at any of Cake Gallery’s expanding chain of outlets to enjoy from a smorgasbord of the brand’s delectable offerings at discounted prices. Cake Gallery’s gracious deed, which will undoubtedly gladden hearts across the city, adds another delightful chapter to the fascinating saga behind the brand’s success as Muscat’s preeminent

pastry store. This chic outlet, patronised by discerning pastry lovers, is the brainchild of young Omani entrepreneur Etab Al Zadjali. Passionate about gourmet style cakes and pastries, Etab co-founded Cake Gallery under the umbrella of Al Balushi Food Group, a fast-growing Omani business chain with interests in upscale restaurants and leisure outlets. Launching its ﬁrst store in Al Khuwair in 2010, Cake Gallery has since ramped up its presence with

Revlon launches professional hair care range

harsh desert environment conditions of the Middle East. So, what are these 10 wonder beneﬁts, you cry? Simply spray on and Uniq One’s all-in-one hair treatment will: 1. Repair dry and damaged hair 2. Add shine while acting as frizz control 3. Give heat protection 4. Keep hair silkier and smoother than before

'Compact Sedan' categories to Hussain Al Lawati, managing director of Omasco, says a press release. Hussain Al Lawati was elated with results and said, "This achievement re-iterates Honda’s

commitment to produce products of the highest quality and yet at a reasonable price for the worldwide customer satisfaction. The 1st edition of Oman Auto Excellence Awards 2016 was instituted by Omanexpo/Al Sayyarat in association with Oman Automobile Association. The awards were judged by a panel of ﬁve distinguished automotive experts and journalists, whose opinions are the most sought after in the region thus making amongst the most unbiased, credible and the most prestigious award of its kind. The awards are aimed at providing an independent platform of information for new car buyers before they invest in their next new vehicle.

DISCOUNT FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

UNIQ ONE

MUSCAT: Your hair is your crown and glory. You want it to shine, you want it to be smooth, you want it to be full of body, but without frizz. Sometimes, what you want for your locks seems like a far off wish. You wish you could condense all of those hair care products on your bathroom shelf into one, don’t you? If only wishes came true. Well, they do! Thanks to the award winning European professional hair care range, Uniq One, which is now available in the Oman. Launched in Spain in 2011 by The Colomer Group, the manufacturer behind Revlon Professional range, Uniq One’s all-inone hair treatment is a wonder product that works by giving not one, not two, not three but 10 essential hair care treatments in one to benefit your tresses, says a press release. Revlon Professional being sold in more than 100 countries is distributed by Nazih Group in Oman. Luc, the Revlon Professional International Educator addressed the official launch event held recently which was attended by prestigious salons and hairdressers across the country. The Uniq One all-in-one treatment is the first ever leave-on hair mask that provides a total of 10 benefits for your hair. This comprehensive and versatile treatment is suitable for all hair types and can be used on wet or dry hair. It is especially perfect for the

5. Protect hair colour with UVA and UVB ﬁlters 6. Make brushing and ironing hair super easy 7. Incredibly de-tangle 8. Give a long lasting hairstyle 9. Prevent split ends appearing 10. Add body Famous amazing Uniq One all in one magic is brought to you by world renowned brand Revlon Professional is synonymous with

the creativity, vision and expertise it draws on to reveal the personality and inherent beauty of each woman through her hair. Revlon Professional stands out from other brands for several reasons like, products designed from the professional’s point of view aiming to satisfy consumer’s needs and most of all, respond to the demands of hairdressers, the most discerning hair professionals. It stands out for its use of the latest components and cutting-edge technology such as nanotechnology, the hydra capture system and the Kera Reverse formula. Revlon Professional is launching with a complete range of hair colour, hair care and hair styling products such like Colorsmetique, Equave, Interactives, Style Masters, and the prestigious Oroﬂuido. The brand with its vocation as a leader in the professional beauty market is continually engaged in search and development of innovative products and services.

the addition of four new outlets in Muscat and one in Sohar. Its rapid growth over six relatively short years pays testimony to the success of an Omani-owned small and medium enterprise (SME) and the ambitions of its young female cofounder Etab. At a press briefing hosted by Cake Gallery, Etab and Hussain Habib, Group CEO of Al Balushi Group and the team at Al Balushi Food Group toasted the SME’s phenomenal success, and

also shared details of the brand’s large-hearted gesture targeted at students. “Unlike other countries where consumer discounts are routinely extended to students, this practice is unfortunately non-existent here in Oman. So we decided to take the lead in reaching out to this segment of the population by offering a 15 per cent price cut on our bakery products, pastries and beverages. This offer can be availed against the production of a valid student ID if the customer attends college or university in Oman,” Etab explained. “This one-of-its kind discount offering from Cake Gallery, which we believe is unique in the private consumer sector in Oman, is a reﬂection of our commitment as a wholly Omani SME to sharing our commercial success. We are delighted to embrace this commitment as part of our corporate social responsibility,” added Hussain.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

ROUND-UP INTERACTION

Qatar Airways launches daily flights to Seychelles Flight QR678 touched down at Seychelles

Bank Sohar conducts Al Mumayaz scheme roadshow in Sohar

International Airport recently to a welcome ceremony attended by airport and government officials, together with local

MUSCAT: Bank Sohar, in a lead up to its highly anticipated Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme yearend grand draws, recently hosted a special roadshow open for public in Wilayat of Sohar. The event took place recently at the Sohar Public Park and provided an avenue to interact with the masses. Representing Bank Sohar at the event were Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi, senior AGM and head of Marketing and Customer Experience, Rashid Saif Al Maskry, head of Batinah region, Naeema Mohammed Al Farsi, chief branch manager Sohar Branch, and Redha Al Lawatia, senior chief manager of Liabilities and Sales, together with members of the bank’s retail and events teams. The two hour event witnessed hundreds of audience in attendance from around the region, says a press release. Commenting on the event, Khamis Masoud Al Rahbi, senior AGM and acting head of Retail Banking at Bank Sohar said, “With just one more monthly draw left before we head into the final home stretch of the Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme, the hype is already building up for the year-end grand draws. There are however, hundreds of prizes yet to be won before the scheme’s climactic ending. We hosted this roadshow in order to showcase what our customers can expect over the course of the final month of the draw and from the yearend grand draw event.” The event commenced with a welcome speech by the emcee and a national song commemorating the Sultanate’s 46th National Day with children holding flags and balloons. Several activities and games for children were then conducted followed by a prize draw for the audience with Mazin Al Raisi and Rashid Al Maskry handing over the prizes to the lucky winners. The event then saw the recitation of a poem on His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said by a girl from the audience. The ‘RakizWa Sooq’ road safety awareness video was also played, with the children who knew the jingle joining in. Shortly after the video, a presentation on the bank’s Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme was conducted by Redha Al Lawatia, for the gathered audience. During the presentation he also elaborated on the highly

anticipated upcoming year-end grand draw. The presentation was followed by a second raffle draw for the audience with Naeema Mohammed Al Farsi, the chief branch manager of Sohar branch, together with the other branch managers attending the event, handing out the prizes to the winners. Following which, activities and competitions were held for all adults in the audience. The 2016 Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme was revamped to include a larger number of winners with more frequent draws, expanded prize segmentation and guaranteed winners from each branch across the country. Although it is now in its final stages, the scheme still has 33 winners yet to be named with cash prizes totalling well over OMR59,000 in the last month of the scheme alone across all categories. Throughout the month of December, the scheme continues with its hourly prize draws of OMR1,000 each from Sunday to Wednesday; totalling over 900 winners by the end of the year; together with a daily Children’s Draw, which sees one minor account win OMR100 every day from Sunday to Thursday. With the monthly draws for October already completed, there is just one more monthly draw yet to be conducted for the quarter specifically for children where one minor account wins OMR1,000. In total there will be more than 240 winners of children’s draws by the end of the year. The general draws will also continue with the final Monthly draw of 10,000 to be conducted later this month, culminating with the highly anticipated year-end draw of OMR200,000 split amongst four winners. As part of the monthly draws the bank also continues to conduct branch guaranteed draws where one account from each of the bank’s branches wins OMR1,000. This equates to over 250 winners by the end of the year. Also as part of the monthly draws, and for the first time ever, a dedicated ladies draw is also being conducted, with two winners of OMR5,000 each; totalling 20 winners. Lastly, the bank will also be conducting its final exclusive draw of OMR10,000 as part of the next monthly draw this quarter together with a final draw for OMR50,000 as part of the yearend draw.

dignitaries

DOHA: Qatar Airways has rounded off its 2016 global route expansion on a high note with the launch of daily flights to the idyllic islands of the Seychelles – the 14th new destination on the airline’s route map this year and the third in Africa. Flight QR678 touched down at Seychelles International Airport recently to a welcome ceremony attended by airport and government officials, together with local dignitaries. Dr Hugh Dunleavy, Chief Commercial Officer, Qatar Airways led a high-profile delegation on the inaugural direct flight from the airline’s operational hub in Doha, says a press release. Akbar Al Baker, group chief executive, Qatar Airways said: “Our aim is to provide our passengers with greater choice and variety when selecting their holiday destinations. We are sure that the Seychelles is going to be a popular option with many travellers from Europe and the Middle East looking for an exotic island getaway. With this new service, holidaymakers can seamlessly connect to the Seychelles via our state-ofthe-art home and hub in Doha,

Hamad International Airport.” The destination comprises 115 tropical islands in the western Indian Ocean, located off the east coast of Africa. Its airport is located on the island of Mahé near the city of Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles. Visitors can experience the Vallée de Mai Nature Preserve on the island of Praslin, a UNESCO World Heritage Site,

the Seychelles National Botanical Gardens on Mahé, or, of course, enjoy the white sand beaches the islands are known for. Alain St Ange, the minister for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine said: “We are happy to have Qatar Airways, the world’s ﬁve-star airline, ﬂy to Seychelles. The array of scattered islands with their lush green natural land-

scapes, white sandy beaches, and turquoise blue sea promise visitors the adventure of a lifetime. “The new services will add important value to the thriving tourism industry with huge potential to boost traffic from Europe and further expand the emerging Middle East and East Asia’s travelling markets amongst others.” St Ange added: “Qatar Airways, which is an award-winning airline, will give more choices to passengers travelling to and from our beautiful islands in terms of service, airfares, transfer airport experience as well as routes.” The Seychelles is key to Qatar Airways’ global network expansion strategy and its continuing growth in Africa. The airline currently operates to 23 African gateways, including the recently launched service to the Namibian capital of Windhoek, which joined the airline’s route map in September 2016.

UNIQUE MACAROON FESTIVE TREE AT INTERCONTINENTAL MUSCAT An edible, giant macaroon Christmas tree adorns the lower lobby of InterContinental Muscat. The towering 5-metre tree has required 10 hours assembly marathon by the hotel’s pastry team led by Lahiru da Silva, the Executive Pastry Chef. The creative pastry team: (from left to right) Sasindu Devapura (Chef de Partie), David Clos Versailles (Pastry Chef), Lahiru Abishek De Silva (Executive Pastry Chef), Nathalie Wintenberger (Pastry Chef), Alla Mahesh (DemiChef de Partie) and Anura Ranasinghe (Kitchen Artist). — Supplied picture

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ROUND-UP

IDdesign, BMW extend support to Luxury 100 The second edition of Signature Luxury 100 awards, to be held on December 19 at Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel, promises

Telal Al Qurm participates in ORA’s roadshow MUSCAT: Telal Al Qurm Real Estate Company, a subsidiary of the Kuwait-based Alargan International Real Estate Company, participated in the second real estate roadshow organised by the Oman Real Estate Association at the Muscat Grand Mall. The real estate roadshow showcased residential, commercial and mixed-use real estate products to potential buyers, providing customers and investors with an opportunity to have a look at leading properties in Oman, says a press release. Tony Safarian, general manager, Telal Al Qurm Real Estate Company said: “The event gave us a unique platform to network and connect with direct buyers. We received positive responses from the guests who attended the opening and as well as from walkins. It provided us with a chance to talk face-to-face with customers, update them on our plans and build new contacts.” Alizz Islamic Bank representative was also present at the Telal Al Qurm stall at the roadshow. Telal Al Qurm had recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Alizz Islamic Bank to provide Shariacompliant ﬁnancing facilities to prospective buyers of homes in Oman’s newest project. Alizz Islamic Bank representative helped with information with regards to the loan options and helped in ﬁlling up required paper work to proceed further. Representatives of Telal Al

Qurm updated visitors about the various properties including townhouses, apartments and plots. Telal Al Qurm community, is a residential and commercial district consisting of 164,900 square meters of land located on the edge of the highly-in-demand Qurm area of Muscat. The overall Telal Al Qurm project is being developed into a modern mixed-use urban community, while preserving local culture and heritage. The project is characterised by its key location, development quality, advanced infrastructure, modern facilities and picturesque hills surrounding the site. A total area of 49,920 square metres has been allocated to the roads network, gardens and walkways on the development area. It was recently announced that 46 townhouses will be added to Telal Al Qurm community and of which a model townhouse is open to public. The project is divided into several phases. The ﬁrst phase was completed and all residential units were sold and delivered; phase 1 also provides retail leasing opportunities. Phase 2, a residential development, has sold all 120 units; it is planned to be delivered by February 2017. Construction reached 90% completion. Construction of Phase 3 of the project has also commenced and sale of the 100 residential units has reached 80% and phase 4 is the 46 townhouses.

a spectacular evening

MUSCAT: The much-awaited second edition of The Luxury 100, Signature magazine’s annual luxury list and awards, is all set to take place on December 19 at Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Just in its second year, The Luxury 100 property has made an indelible impression on the connoisseurs of luxury and with partners such as IDdesign and BMW coming on board, the event promises to be even more spectacular than last year, says a press release. IDdesign, the Sultanate’s top luxury décor brand, will be reprising its role as the luxury partner for the event. Commenting on the partnership, Marios Stylianides, general manager – IDdesign Oman, said, “Oasis Lifestyle and IDdesign have always been at the forefront to provide best-of-the-best luxury services in home and interiors. Hence

it was only natural that we decided to partner with Signature, Oman’s leading luxury lifestyle magazine, for The Luxury 100 event in 2015. Last year’s event was a resounding success and it has reaffirmed our conﬁdence in Signature’s premium event as luxury partners for the event in 2016, we are very excited and are looking forward to the award winners being revealed in a spectacular event.” Joining them this year is BMW also as a luxury partner. Divyendu Kumar, managing director of Al Jenaibi International Automobiles, the exclusive importer for BMW, MINI, and authorised dealers for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Oman: “Since its launch, Signature magazine has become one of the top luxury publications in Oman. With this in mind we had no hesitation to partner with them for this prestigious event, The Luxury 100

brings together top brands from across the country making it an ideal platform to showcase some of our popular BMW models, including our ﬂagship model the BMW 7 Series, a true standard of luxury in the automotive industry. “In addition to this, we will present the BMW M6 that brings together both premium and sportiness in one vehicle. We are looking forward to a continued and prospers partnership for many years to come.” Launch of second edition The gala, which promises an evening ﬁlled with entertainment, style and glamour, will be attended by a host of dignitaries. The event will also see the unveiling of the second edition of The Luxury 100 book. Alpana Roy, executive vice president, United Media Services said, “The Luxury 100 book launch and awards concept, which debuted last year, ushered in a new era for the luxury market in Oman that has only grown leaps and bounds since then. In a year, The Luxury 100 has already become the Sultanate’s most prominent luxury awards night, while The Luxury 100 limited edition coffee-table book is already being called a must-have by the most renowned purveyors and consumers of luxury.

“The Luxury 100 brand highlights our commitment to create a unique platform for Oman’s luxury market to be recognised and honoured. We are thrilled with all the attention the property has received so far and we are sure that our second edition will raise the bar even higher.” The other partners include Times of Oman and Al Shabiba as media partners, Oman Printers & Stationers as print partner, and OUA. Al Bustan Palace, A Ritz-Carlton Hotel, is the hospitality partner. Iconic luxury products The Luxury 100, a unique initiative that marks the country’s and the region’s only list of iconic luxury products of the year, is a superlative compilation or a consolidated ‘List of Lists’ that embodies the spirit of luxury. Created after months of study and research, the editors of UMS, renowned luxury specialists, lifestyle journalists and a select mix of readers and industry experts weighed in to create this list and each featured product has proven its luxury credentials with its popularity. The categories, which include personal luxury goods, luxury cars and luxury hospitality, have been expanded this year to include bespoke banking and top-tier real estate.

N D T V G U L F I N D I A N E X C E L L E N C E AWA R D S 2 0 1 6

Joy Alukkas recognised as ‘Business Innovator’ DUABI: Joy Alukkas, group chairman and MD - Joyalukkas, was recognised as ‘Business Innovator’ at the NDTV Gulf Indian Excellence Awards 2016, held recently at the Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights. The star-studded event was India news broadcasting pioneer NDTV’s ﬁrst major event in the UAE and will simultaneously be broadcasted over NDTV 24x7 and NDTV Proﬁt. The NDTV Gulf Indian Excellence Awards honours outstanding Indian leaders in the Gulf for their contributions across various areas of excellence. This honour was received by John Paul Alukkas, executive director, Joyalukkas Group, says a press release.

“It is very heartwarming to receive recognition for doing something that I love,” said Joy Alukkas. I began my journey 29 years ago with the simple aim of offering the best and giving my best in service to customers. The response to all my ventures has been overwhelming, and I cannot be more grateful for the people around me who continue to offer me their support, and the loyal customers who have put their trust in Joyalukkas in the 11 countries we have a presence in. I thank NDTV from the bottom of my heart for this honour, which I share with the over 8,000 employees of the Joyalukkas Group who inspire me to lead them with conviction and determination day after day.”

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Bank Muscat celebrates al Mazyona monthly prize draw in Ibri Fort The monthly draw was a day of high rewards for Premier banking clients

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the ﬂagship ﬁnancial services provider in the Sultanate, celebrated the monthly prize draw of al Mazyona Savings Scheme in the historical setting of Ibri Fort in which customers won high value prizes ranging from OMR10,000 to OMR50,000. Sheikh Khalaf bin Salim Al Ishaqi, Walli of Ibri, picked the lucky winners at the event attended by the bank’s Premier banking customers and management team members, says a press release. The monthly draw was a day of high rewards for Premier banking clients. The exclusive monthly prizes for asalah Priority banking

customers included two prizes of OMR50,000 each and two prizes of OMR25,000 each for al Jawhar Privilege banking customers. The monthly draw also rewarded 28 customers covering all the regions who won OMR10,000 each. Abdulnasir Al Raisi, DGM – Premier Banking, said: “The 2016 al Mazyona Savings Scheme offering a total prize money of OMR10 million has been rewarding and fulﬁlling the dreams of customers with high value prizes throughout the year. Springing the biggest surprise, the focus of al Mazyona now shifts to the grand year-end prize of OMR1 million to be shared by two customers, including one asalah Priority Banking customer, who will receive OMR500,000 each. With the series of big prizes, al Mazyona has been offering fair and transparent winning chances for all segments of customers across the Sultanate, fulﬁlling the aspirations and ambitions of the largest banking family in Oman. Committed to enhancing banking services to the high saving premier segment, the bank’s strategy focuses on differentiated and

specialised banking experience distinguishing Premier banking clients from competitors.” All through the 24-year journey of al Mazyona, the core focus has been to encourage customers to sustain a strong savings culture and be rewarded with the biggest aspirational prizes. The 2016 al Mazyona scheme now offers customers a golden opportunity to save more and earn more chances to win the

thumping OMR1 million prizes on offer. By maintaining a minimum balance of OMR1,000, customers are eligible to win the OMR1 million grand prizes to be shared by two customers at the end of the year. For every OMR100 balance, customers get 1 chance to win – so with OMR1,000, they get 10 chances to win. The more the saving, the better the chances to win. At a time when savings are most

SPECIAL OCCASION

critical to ensure a secure future for individuals and families, al Mazyona plays an anchor role to encourage ﬁnancial discipline. The objective of al Mazyona is to create a savings habit that makes a lasting difference in the wellbeing of families. al Mazyona offers the biggest prize money in the savings scheme history in Oman. Bank Muscat understands customer expectations

and during the past 24 years, the flagship savings scheme has rewarded numerous customers and enriched their lives. The scheme is targeted to accommodate all segments, including ladies, youth, children and high saving customers, thereby strengthening prudent savings habit among citizens who will be responsible for the future development of Oman. al Mazyona continues to reflect innovative customer segmentation based on two principles - region and demographics – ensuring higher winning chances to all customers across the Sultanate. al Mazyona is the only savings scheme to recognise and reward loyalty for customers based on their association with the bank. For example, if a customer has been saving for 5 years, his chances of winning get multiplied by five times and similarly if he has been maintaining al Mazyona savings account for 20 years, his chances get multiplied 20 times and so on. This benefit is unique only to al Mazyona savings scheme holders and no other bank offers this loyalty reward.

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Aston Martin Oman hosts guests at Abu Dhabi Formula 1 2016 race MUSCAT: Aston Martin is an iconic brand synonymous with handcrafted luxury, peerless beauty, incredible performance and international motorsport glory. With more than a century of success, the British car maker partnered with Red Bull for the 8th edition of the spectacular 2016 Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Held over three days at the iconic Yas Marina Circuit from November 25 – 27, the world’s only twilight race was also the last of the 2016 season. Aston Martin hosted over one hundred privileged guests to the unique private suite of the Viceroy Hotel over the race weekend. Al Muhannad Al Hashar, the exclusive distributor of Aston Martin Oman invited 10 of its esteemed guests from the Sultanate of Oman for this event. The list included two winners from the social media contest, who won an all expenses paid trip for the event, says a press release. The event saw Aston Martin showcase its Vanquish S Pearl edition and the AM 37 Speedboat. Later F1 hero Max Verstappen joined Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing in unveiling the groundbreaking AM-RB001 hypercar to

the Middle East region. The AMRB001 is the product of a unique innovation partnership between the luxury marquee and Red Bull F1 team. This ambitious, uncompromising and wholly extraordinary collaboration combines the

vision and skills of two worldleading brands to create a road car the like of which has never been seen before. Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin president and CEO said the timing of the event was ideal. “I am thrilled to be in Abu

Dhabi to present the AM-RB 001 for the ﬁrst time in the region, and what better opportunity to do so than just hours before the Formula 1 race begins. All of those involved in AM-RB 001 are extremely proud of the car, and I have no doubt it will make automotive history.” Aston Martin guests were the ﬁrst to see the car and meet the Red Bull drivers along with Dr Andy Palmer. A Q&A session was also organized for the guests, media, Red Bull driver’s team and directors from Aston Martin. Final day of the race saw Nico Rosberg being crowned as world champion. The evening kicked off celebrations that continued till the next day morning. The very essence of Aston Martin is something you feel each time you look at one of the cars. It sweeps over you on every unforgettable drive. Powerful, exhilarating and precise yet timelessly elegant and sophisticated; the cars blend iconic design, exceptional engineering and unrivalled craftsmanship to create an unforgettable, emotional experience. Each car is the essence of Power, Beauty and Soul.

VOX launches first Oman 4DX experience at MCC MUSCAT: Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, the dedicated cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa has just opened the doors of its immersive VOX 4DX cinema concept to Oman audiences. Holding the exclusive rights to the 4DX technology in the Middle East, the new VOX 4DX experience located at Muscat City Centre (MCC) is the very first theatre of its kind in Oman. Designed to go beyond the confined walls of a theatre to truly captivate audiences, VOX 4DX features dynamic motion seats as well as special effects such as rain, fog, wind, lightning and even scent to

engage movie fans on an entirely new level, says a press release. Cameron Mitchell, chief executive officer at Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, said: “Oman is a fast developing market and in the same way, customers here are continuously demanding more from their experiences. Boasting some of the entertainment industry’s most interactive technology, VOX 4DX promises a completely new sensory-filled way for customers in Oman to experience cinema. Placing movie fans at the centre of their favourite blockbusters, VOX 4DX is a perfect fit for this market and we are confident it will help us continue to create great moments for everyone every day.”

C E L E B R AT I O N S

ANNUAL MEET

GAC hosts Fuso customer meet Bangladesh Social Club conducts MUSCAT: General Automotive Company (GAC), the official distributor for Mitsubishi Fuso commercial vehicles in Oman, recently held its annual Fuso customer meet at Crowne Plaza Muscat. The event saw the attendance of over 240 Fuso customers from both the private and government sectors from across the capital. The event was held under the auspices of Daoud Chaaya, head of Customer Services, and was presided over by Hani M. Al Zubair, chairman of The Zubair Automotive Group. Mark Tomlinson, group general manager of the Zubair Automotive Group, Manoj Ranade, general manager of GAC; together with other members of the Fuso management and sales teams from GAC also attended, says a press release. The event commenced with a welcome speech by a member of the Fuso staff, following which Chaaya addressed the customers. He then presented Hani M. Al Zubair, Tomlinson, and Ranade with the certiﬁcate commemorating the recent Global ‘Best Customer Service’ Award GAC received from Daimler Trucks Asia. Following the presentation of the award, Ranade addressed the audience. He said, “Our leading brand position in the country has also only been made possible thanks to three key factors – Fuso’s commitment towards providing a range of vehicles to meet its ever increasing customer’s needs,

Cultural Night 2016 at Al Falaj

our commitment towards serving our customers the best of our ability, and, most important of them all, our customer’s continued dedication and loyalty to the Fuso brand. It is this loyalty, together with the great emphasis we place on maintaining our longstanding relationships that has earned us the customer service recognition from Daimler.” GAC was ﬁrst announced as the winner of the coveted award last month at the ‘Daimler Trucks Asia International Sales & Customer Services Conference’ in Chennai, India. It was presented with the award in recognition of its sales and aftersales services, in particular for its customer training services and customer CSI through service.

Shortly after the speech, special tokens of appreciation were presented to the Fuso government sector customers to thank them of their long-term patronage of the brand. The event concluded with a buffet dinner. “Annual customer meets such as these are an integral part of our operations here in Oman. They not only provide us with an opportunity to personally thank both our new and longstanding customers, but also provide us with a vital opportunity to receive feedback on their experiences with the brand and with the services we offer. It provides us with key information required to continue raising the bar for customer service in the region with each passing year,” concluded Ranade.

MUSCAT: Hundreds of Bangladeshi nationals ﬂocked to Al Falaj Hotel in Ruwi, recently to celebrate the 46th National Day celebrations of Sultanate of Oman and Bangladesh Cultural Night 2016. Organised by Bangladesh Social Club, Oman the chief guest of the function was Mohammad Salim Al Busaidi, a member of Shura Council while the guest of honour was Rashad bin Ahmed Al Hinai, undersecretary at Ministry of Sports and Tawfeeq Abdul Hussain Juma Al Lawati, member of Shura Council, says a press release. The special guest of the event was Ammar Ahmed Saif Al Ghafri, managing director of Hamdan Exchange Group. The party hall in Al Falaj hotel turned into a colourful venue as the programme began at Grand Hall in Al Falaj Hotel. The cultural night, the annual socio-cultural event organised by a prominent Bangladesh organisation in the capital, was presided by Bangladesh Social Club Muscat president Mohammed Shaﬁqul Islam Bhuiyan, secretary, M. N. Amin and cultural secretary, Reaja ul Karim. The programme was coordinated by Fahamida Hoque and Humaira Mustafa. Speaking on the occasion,

Bhuiyan said, “On behalf of the Bangladeshi people, I would like to extend my greetings to His Majesty on the occasion of the 46th National Day and pray that His Majesty may always be

blessed with good health and a long life,” he said. More than 2,000 people attended the programme which included dance and music of Bangladesh and some Arabic songs as well.

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INDIA OFF TO GOOD START AFTER DAWSON IMPRESSES ON DEBUT >C2

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HOCKEY

It’s Seeb vs Bausher in HM’s Cup final MUSCAT: Bausher Club sprung a surprise on Saturday by stunning former champions Al Nasr Club 4-3 on Saturday to set up a summit clash with Seeb Club in the 2016 His Majesty’s Cup Hockey Championship at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher. The final of the championship will be played on December 19 at 7pm, while the third-place playoff between Ahli-Sidab and Al Nasr will be worked off on Sunday evening. The final will be presided over by Minister of Higher Education Dr Rawiya bint Saud Al Busaidi, while also to be present are top dignitaries from the Ministry of Sports Affairs and other sports bodies. Bausher Club, boosted by some talented Pakistani players, played their hearts out to win the spot in the final. Earlier, Mohammed Tauseeq Arshad (36th minute and 51st minute) scored a brace to help Bausher edge out Al Nasr 4-3. The other goal scorers for Bausher were Ali Ahmed Al Hosni (41st) and Ammad Aiyad Al Hosni (58th). In fact, it was Al Nasr who took the lead through Mohammed Aleem Bilal (15th minute) and added one more through Rashid Jameel Al Hosni (23 minute). Mohammed Aleem scored another goal in the 44th minute, but Al Nasr could not add on thereafter. Meanwhile, the second final between Ahli-Sidab and Seeb was keenly contested with the match finally being decided by shootout. Seeb matched AhliSidab’s brilliance as at full-time

ELEVEN IN A ROW CHELSEAA ARE KINGS OF THE PALACE English Premier League leaders Chelsea ier tightened their stranglehold on the Premier League after a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace earned them an 11th consecutive victory and sent them nine points clear on Saturday. >C3

Kohli’s coach ready to assist Oman Cricket Rajkumar Sharma said he is happy to follow the progress of

CHIEF GUEST: Minister of

cricket in Oman and

Higher Education Dr Rawiya bint Saud Al Busaidi.

is surprised by the recent achievements,

the score read 2-2 with Rupinder Pal Singh scoring both the goals for the defending champions. Seeb, though equalised at crucial periods through Mohammed Hassan Al Lawati and Qassim Moosa. respectively. However, in the resultant shootout, Seeb got the better off Ahli-Sidab 3-2, forcing the defending champions to ﬁght for the third spot on Sunday. Tayyab arrives Meanwhile, International Hockey Federation (FIH) member and CEO of Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Tayyab Ikram arrived on Saturday evening to attend the ﬁnale of HM’s Cup Championship. He was received by the Oman Hockey Association chairman Talib Khamis Al Wahaibi and the two discussed various issues related to Oman hockey. Though Tayyab Ikram has visited Oman many-atime this visit has come after the new board under Talib Al Wahaibi took over.

IN DISCUSSION: OHA Chairman Talib Al Wahaibi in discussion with FIH member and AHF CEO Tayyab Ikram.

including the World

GREAT COMBO: Coach Rajkumar Sharma, right, with his star student and Indian team captain Virat Kohli. Below, the popular Guru and his Oman-based friend Deepak Kumar. Sharma will be visiting Bosher Olympic Centre for Cricket. - Supplied photos

T20 qualiﬁcation

Eagerly looking forward to Oman visit

T.K. MOHANDOSS sportseditor@timesofoman.com

Rajkumar Sharma Cricket Guru

MUSCAT: Indian skipper Virat Kohli’s illustrious coach Rajkumar Sharma has words of praise for Oman cricket and expressed his keenness to help out if required. Dronacharya Award winner Rajkumar Sharma, speaking from New Delhi, said he was happy to follow the progress of cricket in Oman and was surprised by the achievements lately, including the World T20 qualiﬁcation. “I am game for anything and I am ready to help, if the governing body of cricket in Oman needs my services,” said a candid Sharma in his telephonic chat with Times Sport. Sharma, who has been in the news lately especially after Kohli scored his career-best double ton in Mumbai, is due in Oman on an invite from Bosher Olympic Centre (BOC) for Cricket. A former Delhi Ranji Trophy player, Sharma is excited to visit Oman and meet the budding cricketers of BOC and special thanks to Deepak Kumar, Chairman of Balabel Group, based in Sohar. In fact, it was Deepak, a close friend of Shrama, helped in this successful invitation from BOC. “I love to share my knowledge

with the kids and highlight the points necessary to become a top class cricketer,” he said. His visit is part of the BOC’s programme to bring reputed coaches to Oman to impart advanced training and Sharma, who will conduct training in two sessions — morning and evening — will arrive in Muscat on Wednesday night. His sessions will be from December 22 to 26 according to BOC official. ‘Kohli can wait’ Meanwhile, the chat also touched upon Kohli’s future. Will the Indian skipper take over as captain of the ODI and T20 teams as well? Sharma quipped, what’s wrong with Dhoni? “Dhoni has been India’s best captain in all formats and he has been the driving force in making India No.1 in all three formats. Dhoni might have retired from Tests, but he still has a lot in him in the shorter formats,” said Sharma.

“Kohli can wait until Dhoni decides to hang his boots,” he said. “Kohli himself has been an admirer of Dhoni and admits that he has been inspired by former Test skipper all these years.” On the change he has noticed in Kohli’s temperament, Sharma said that the Indian skipper has been aggressive even as a child. “Yes he did not have a good temperament then, but he was not matured then. But he has not crossed the red line ever,” noted Sharma. “The early success, especially the U-19 World Cup win under him had pumped his aggression more, but later as he matured he understood what qualities make him the best,” he added. On Kohli’s career-best knock in Mumbai early this month, Sharma said he was lucky to be there at the stadium. “It came under difﬁcult batting conditions. It was a big responsibility and the knock was simply superb,” said the proud coach, who runs the West Delhi

Cricket Academy which has many branches all over the Indian capital city. “When he went out to bat he had expressed his desire to play a long innings and the way he played was just great.” Meanwhile, Sharma said he is sure that India will hold on to their Test No.1 position for long. “India has passed the transition period since the top names had retired. Now we have the best talent who have settled into a rhythm. This team will continue to do well and also excel away from home. This well-balanced strong outﬁt can win anywhere,” he pointed out. Coming back to his ﬁrst Oman visit late this week, Sharma said he can’t wait to meet the budding cricketers before signing off. “I thank BOC and Deepak for providing me the opportunity to visit Oman.” According to BOC official Sandesh Dhuri apart from the BOC wards, the training sessions with Rajkumar Sharma are also open for other interested participants. For details call on 99334173 or mail to boc.cricket@yahoo.com

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

SPORTS

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India off to good start after Dawson impresses on debut SCOREBOARD

India’s Murali Vijay hurt his shoulder while ﬁelding and could not come out to bat but the makeshift opening pair of Lokesh Rahul and Parthiv Patel did a decent job, adding 60 runs without being separated

CHENNAI: India made a strong reply to England’s first-innings total of 477 after half-centuries by debutant Liam Dawson and number nine Adil Rashid underlined the tourists’ batting depth in the fifth and final Test on Saturday. India claimed three wickets on the second morning but the 108run partnership between Dawson and Rashid in a productive second session for the touring side frustrated the hosts. India’s Murali Vijay hurt his shoulder while fielding and could not come out to bat but the makeshift opening pair of Lokesh Rahul and Parthiv Patel did a decent job, adding 60 runs without being separated. Rahul was unbeaten on 30 at

MOMENT OF SUCCESS: India’s Ravindra Jadeja, left, along with captain Virat Kohli and other team-

mates celebrate after the run out of England’s Stuart Broad during the second day.

stumps and the right-hander will be eager to make amends with the bat having dropped centurion Moeen Ali before he had scored on Friday. Patel was on 29 at the other end with India, who have an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series, 417 runs behind on a pitch which has grown easier to bat on. Earlier, resuming on 284-4, England got an early jolt when Ravichandran Ashwin

struck with the day’s ﬁfth delivery at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The leading wicket-taker in the series had endured a rare wicketless day on Friday but he lured Ben Stokes on to the front foot to edge a fuller delivery which Parthiv Patel caught behind the stumps. Paceman Ishant Sharma trapped Jos Buttler lbw for ﬁve while Moeen, who resumed on 120, looked ill at ease against the

– Reuters

short-pitched deliveries. The lefthander virtually walked into a trap when Umesh Yadav forced him into playing a pull shot, which the batsman mistimed to ﬁnd Ravindra Jadeja at deep mid-wicket. Moeen faced 262 balls for his 146, hitting 13 fours and a six. Dawson endured a tough Test initiation, the second ball he faced from Sharma smacking him on his helmet but the 26-year-old grew

England 1st innings A. Cook c Kohli b Jadeja 10 K. Jennings c P. Patel b I. Sharma 1 J. Root c P. Patel b Jadeja 88 M. Ali c Jadeja b U. Yadav 146 J. Bairstow c Rahul b Jadeja 49 B. Stokes c P. Patel b R. Ashwin 6 J. Buttler lbw b I. Sharma 5 L. Dawson not out 66 A. Rashid c P. Patel b U. Yadav 60 S. Broad run out (Rahul, P. Patel) 19 J. Ball b Mishra 12 Extras (b-4, lb-5, w-1, pen-5) 15 Total (all out, 157.2 overs) 477 Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-21, 3-167, 4-253, 5-287, 6-300, 7-321, 8-429, 9-455, 10-477 Bowling: U. Yadav 21-3-73-2 (w-1), I. Sharma 21-6-42-2, R. Jadeja 45-9-106-3, R. Ashwin 44-3-151-1, A. Mishra 25.2-587-1, K. Nair 1-0-4-0 India 1st innings L. Rahul not out 30 P. Patel not out 28 Extras (lb-2) 2 Total (for no loss, 20 overs) 60 To bat: M. Vijay, C. Pujara, V. Kohli, K. Nair, R. Ashwin, R. Jadeja, A. Mishra, I. Sharma, U. Yadav Bowling: S. Broad 5-2-6-0, J. Ball 3-0-9-0, M. Ali 7-1-18-0, B. Stokes 2-0-12-0, A. Rashid 2-0-13-0, L. Dawson 1-0-0-0 Umpires: M. Erasmus & S.Fry TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford Match referee: Jeff Crowe

in conﬁdence as he and Rashid shared the second century-plus stand of the English innings. Rashid hit eight fours before edging Yadav to Patel for 60. Dawson was stranded on 66 not out, including ﬁve fours and a six, when Amit Mishra bowled Jake Ball with a googly. - ReuterS

CRICKET

Dhoni should continue as skipper: Kapil CHENNAI: India’s 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev feels limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has a lot of experience and should continue to lead the side as long as he is good enough for the job. With Kohli doing extremely well as Test captain, there have been whispers from time to time that he should be handed over the captaincy of the limited overs as well. “I think the answer people should look for is are we ready to ask Dhoni to take a back seat. It is more important. I think if he is good enough he should carry on. When the time will come Dhoni may quit all three formats,” Kapil said. “But I think at the moment it is very important Dhoni is doing a good job. I think he has enough experience and he should continue.” Asked to compare Dhoni and Kohli as captains, Kapil said: “It is too early to answer that and again the two individuals are different and every individual is different. Kohli is very expressive, while Dhoni is calm and quite. I think it is very difficult to compare because both have different teams and different attitude. “Things have changed. Tomorrow you may ask can you compare these two with Saurav Ganguly as captain. So, every captain brings in his own input and aggression and motivation but it all depends on how you use these things with your team for best results. That is captaincy. It is not that you have to be aggressive and if you are not aggressive still you win the match, it is good enough,” Kapil said. — PTI

HOCKEY

History awaits Indian hockey team in Junior World Cup ﬁnal LUCKNOW: A win away from rewriting history after a long gap of 15 years, Indian colts would look to showcase their best and leave nothing to chance when they take on Belgium in the summit showdown of the men’s Junior Hockey World Cup here on Sunday. The wintry Sunday could turn out to be the biggest day for these Under-21 Indian hockey players as

they chase a dream of winning the mega event for the second time. India had earlier won the trophy way back in 2001 in Hobart, Australia. This is India’s third entry into the ﬁnal of the Junior World Cup after having ﬁnished runnersup in 1997. Assured of the silver medal, the Indians would now eye nothing less than the yellow metal. India’s head coach Harendra Sin-

gh had told his players that it is now in their hands to decide the colour of the medal in what is seen as the “biggest game” of their career. “December 18 match is the biggest game for these boys. I would fold my hands and request them to show their character on that day. They need to decide which colour medal they want to see hanging in their necks,” Harendra said.

Indian men’s senior team chief coach Roelant Oltmans, who is the manager of the junior side here and is also an integral part of the coaching set-up, called on the Harjeet Singh-led side to show their “perfect” hockey. “Now it’s time for the perfect game and that we are going to show on Sunday. Our players will bring their best hockey in the most important match of the

competition,” Oltmans said. Besides the momentum, the Indians would also rely on the crowd support. The city knows its hockey and 15,000 odd fans never gave up hope and kept on cheering when India trailed in the last two games against Spain and Australia. After a lacklustre performance against Spain in the quarterﬁnals, Indian colts dished out their best hock-

ey of the tournament so far against Australia but come Sunday the hosts would aim to raise the bar further. With tips from senior team captain and one of the ﬁnest goalkeepers of the world, PR Sreejesh, Dahiya showed he is a big match player and in the semiﬁnal, madeg a number of saves and then denying Matthew Bird and Lachlan Sharp in the shootout. - PTI

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

SPORTS CRICKET

Australia edge closer to victory as Pakistan battle BRISBANE: Australia moved inexorably toward an emphatic victory in the ﬁrst day-night Test against Pakistan on Saturday as the tourists battled to the close on day three in Brisbane with two wickets down and 420 runs short of victory. Pakistan were 70 for two, with Azhar Ali unbeaten on 41 and a desperately out-of-form Younis Khan yet to score from 19 balls at stumps on another steamy day at the Gabba. After declaring Australia’s second innings closed at dinner, captain Steve Smith was disappointed his team were unable to make further inroads but they have plenty of time to grab the remaining eight wickets. “It would have been nice to have one or two more (wickets) but I thought we worked hard today and got ourselves out in front of the game,” he said. “(Pakistan) applied themselves pretty well. Hopefully, we can exploit (the wicket) tomorrow ... and hopefully get some rewards.”

CELEBRATION: Australia’s Mitchell Starc, center, celebrates with

his teammates after dismissing Pakistan’s Sami Aslam on the third day of their ﬁrst Test match in Brisbane on Saturday. – AP/PTI

The highest successful fourthinnings run chase is 418, set by West Indies at home against Australia in 2003 and only three other teams have won pursuing more than 400. Ominously for Pakistan, the pitch began to show acute turn and bounce for spinner Nathan Lyon, who got Babar Azam out for 14

when he nicked to Smith at slip. Mitchell Starc made the first breakthrough, removing Sami Aslam for 15 when he edged behind to first slip Peter Handscomb. Smith declared at 202 for five, setting 490 for victory, having earlier declined to make Pakistan follow on though they were 88 runs short of the required target.

Australia lost two early wickets but Smith and Usman Khawaja wrested back the momentum with a swashbuckling partnership of 111. Khawaja scored 74 and Smith, who top-scored with 130 in the first innings, smashed 63 off 70 balls as the home side all but batted Pakistan out of the game. Smith was eventually dismissed by leg-spinner Yasir Shah after slogging to Rahat Ali at long-on. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq took a fine running catch to remove Khawaja off the bowling of Rahat. Handscomb was unbeaten on 35 at the declaration. Routed by Australia’s seamers late on day two, Pakistan were dismissed for 142 before tea, 287 runs short of Australia’s first-innings 429. Josh Hazlewood was the pick of Australia’s bowlers with three for 22 off a miserly 14 overs while fellow seamers Mitchell Starc and Jackson Bird also grabbed three wickets each. - Reuters

Eleven in a row Chelsea are kings of the Palace Antonio Conte’s unstoppable side remained ﬁrmly on course for the title with a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace

LONDON: Leaders Chelsea tightened their stranglehold on the Premier League after a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace earned them an 11th consecutive victory and sent them nine points clear on Saturday. Yet another Diego Costa goal meant Antonio Conte’s unstoppable side remained ﬁrmly on course for the title despite the fog enveloping Selhurst Park in the day’s early kick-off. Champions Leicester City had striker Jamie Vardy sent off as they trailed 2-0 at Stoke City before battling back to draw 2-2, Daniel Amartey scoring a late equaliser. Sunderland ﬁnally began to see some daylight at the bottom as a 1-0 home win over Watford edged them off the foot of the table, ahead

UNSTOPPABLE: Chelsea’s Diego Costa, centre, vies with Crystal Palace’s defender Scott Dann during their English Premier League match. – AFP

of Swansea City and Hull City who both lost. Chelsea have triumphed in 14 of their opening 17 league matches under Conte, a feat never achieved before by a manager new to England’s top flight. They have also won 11 in a row in a single season for the first time as the Italian continues to try and eclipse the kind of domination Jose Mourinho enjoyed in his first stint at Stamford Bridge from 2004-07. “If I don’t say I am pleased for this record I am dishonest. I am not a person who loves stats but it’s

BASKETBALL REFEREES COURSE CONCLUDES The international basketball referees course, organised by the Oman Basketball Association (OBA) in co-operation with FIBA and FIBA Asia, concluded last week. Sheikh Khalid Al Zubair, chairman of Oman Olympic Committee, handed over the certiﬁcates to the participants in the presence of OBA and FIBA officials.

my ﬁrst season in England and to win 14 games out of 17 is fantastic,” former Juventus and Italy coach Conte told a news conference. “I like to see the present but I look more to see the future and I want the future to be special for us. The only way for this is to work. “We have room to improve. We are working on our principles. This season I’ve tried to play with different formations. Now we’ve found a good balance offensively and defensively.” Palace could ﬁnd no chink in

Chelsea’s armour even though the visitors were not particularly threatening in the first half when they rarely threatened Wayne Hennessey’s goal. Conte’s men have become ruthlessly efficient though. Costa only needed one chance to score, climbing to head Cesar Azpilicueta’s inviting cross into the corner of the net two minutes before the interval. It proved sufficient as Palace made little impact after the break despite plenty of huff and puff. “I have to say that was as good a defensive display as you’ll see,” Palace manager Alan Pardew said. “We couldn’t find a way through, even on set plays which we’re strong at.” Leicester salvaged only their second away point of the season in strange circumstances. Vardy saw red for a 28thminute lunge on Mame Biram Diouf before a Bojan penalty and Joe Allen tap-in put Stoke 2-0 up. Leonardo Ulloa’s header halved the deficit after the break before Amartey’s late leveller. Patrick van Aanholt’s goal proved decisive for Sunderland as they climbed above Swansea, beaten 3-0 at Middlesbrough, and Hull who struck the woodwork three times before losing 1-0 to a Mark Noble penalty at West Ham United. - Reuters

SCOREBOARD

Australia 1st innings: 429 Pakistan 1st innings S. Aslam c Wade b Bird 22 A. Ali c Khawaja b Starc 5 B. Azam c Smith b Hazlewood 19 Y. Khan c Wade b Hazlewood 0 Misbah c Renshaw b Bird 4 A. Shaﬁq c Khawaja b Starc 2 S. Ahmed (not out) 59 W. Riaz c&b Hazlewood 1 Y. Shah c Khawaja b Starc 1 M. Amir c Wade b Bird 21 R. Ali run out 4 Extras (lb-3, w-1) 4 Total (all out, 55 overs) 142 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-43, 3-43, 4-48, 5-54, 6-56, 7-66, 8-67, 9-121. Bowling: M. Starc 18-2-63-3 (w-1); J. Hazlewood 14-1-22-3; J. Bird 12-6-23-3; N. Lyon 11-2-31-0. Australia 2nd innings D. Warner c Riaz b Amir M. Renshaw c Y. Khan b R. Ali U. Khawaja c Misbah b R. Ali S. Smith c R. Ali b Shah P. Handscomb (not out)

12 6 74 63 35

N. Maddinson c B. Azam b Riaz 4 M. Wade (not out) 1 Extras (b-2, lb-4, nb-1) 7 Total (5 wkts decl, 39 overs) 202 Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-24, 3-135, 4-188, 5-199. Did not bat: M. Starc, J. Hazlewood, N. Lyon, J. Bird Bowling: M. Amir 8-0-37-1; R. Ali 10-1-40-2; Y. Shah 10-1-45-1; W. Riaz 7-1-47-1 (nb-1); A. Ali 4-0-27-0. Pakistan 2nd innings S. Aslam c Renshaw b Starc 15 A. Ali (not out) 41 B. Azam c Smith b Lyon 14 Y. Khan (not out) 0 Total (2 wkts, 33 overs) 70 Fall of wickets: 1-31, 2-54. To bat: Misbah-ul Haq, A. Shaﬁq, S. Ahmed, Y. Shah, W. Riaz, M. Amir, R. Ali Bowling: M. Starc 8-3-28-1; J. Hazlewood 11-8-5-0; J. Bird 8-3-24-0; N. Lyon 6-2-13-1. Umpires: Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth TV umpire: Sundaram Ravi Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2016

SPORTS

B DIVISION: PDO team pose for a group photo after their win over OCT Seeb. – Supplied photo

FAIRTRADE STARS: Nidhin Mohan, Adil Mohammed and Anil Lalaji. – Supplied photo

Al Turki and Raha record victories out for 99 in 26.2 overs. Mohammed Waqas top scored with 52. Chetan Mallya claimed ﬁve wickets for ISC. In reply, ISC scored 103 for two in 13.2 overs. Robin Barmeda and Bishen Singh scored 39 and 32 respectively.

In Premier Division T20, Al Turki defeated Enhance Oman by 41 runs and Raha eased to a 94-run win over Sinha

MUSCAT: Al Turki recorded a 41run victory over Enhance Oman in the Oman Cricket’s Premier Division T20 match on Friday. Batting ﬁrst, Al Turki put on 126 for seven in 20 overs. Twinkal Bhandari top scored with 29. Vishnu Mohandas claimed three wickets for Enhance Oman. In reply, Enhance Oman were bowled out for 85 in 15.4 overs. Ajay Lalcheta claimed four wickets for Al Turki. Brief scores: Al Turki 126 for 7 in

Brief scores: Ooredoo 99 in 26.2 overs (Mohammed Waqas 52; Chetan Mallya 5/24) lost to ISC 103 for 2 in 13.2 overs (Robin Barmeda 32). Points: ISC – 5, Ooredoo – 0.

20 overs (Twinkal Bhandari 29; Vishnu Mohandas 3/16) bt Enhance Oman 85 in 15.4 overs (Ajay Lalcheta 4/14). Points: Enhance Oman – 0, Al Turki – 5.

Sinha lose In another Premier Division T20 match, Raha eased to a 94-run victory over Sinha. Batting ﬁrst, Raha put on 173 for three in 20 overs. Khurram Khan top scored with an unbeaten 58. In reply, Sinha scored 79 for nine in 20 overs. Abdur Rahaman and Khalid Rasheed claimed

FIVE FOR: Chetan Mallya of ISC.

three wickets each for Raha. Brief scores: Raha 173 for 3 in 20 overs (Khurram Khan 58 n.o.) bt Sinha 79 for 9 in 20 overs (Abdur Rahaman 3/10). Points: Raha – 5, Sinha – 0.

ISC beat Ooredoo In an A Division match, Indian Social Club (ISC) posted an eightwicket victory over Ooredoo. Batting ﬁrst, Ooredoo were bundled

ISC TENNIS

Fairtrade win In a B Division match, Fairtrade defeated OCT Al Amerat by whopping 187 runs. Batting ﬁrst, Fairtrade put on 285 for eight in 30 overs with Nidhin Mohan and Aadil Mohammed contributing 83 and 61 respectively. Rafeeq Mohammed claimed two wickets for OCT Amerat. In reply, OCT Amerat were

bowled out for 98 in 18.3 overs. Anil Lalji claimed ﬁve wickets for Fairtrade. Brief scores: Fairtrade 285 for 8 in 30 overs (Nidhin Mohan 83; Rafeeq Mohammed 2/29) bt OCT Amerat 98 in 18.3 overs (Anil Lalji 5/23). Points: OCT Amerat – 0, Fairtrade – 3.

Easy for PDO In another B Division match, PDO defeated OCT Seeb by 46 runs. Batting ﬁrst, PDO put on 195 for nine in 30 overs. Azhar Habib top scored with 69. In reply, OCT Seeb were all out for 149 in 22.1 overs. Sameer Al Balushi top scored with 40. Zakir Khan claimed ﬁve wickets for PDO, including a hat-trick. Brief scores: PDO 195 for 9 in 30 overs (Azhar Habib 69; Samir Al Balushi 2/30) bt OCT Seeb 149 in 22.1 overs (Zakir Hussain 5/41). Points: OCT Seeb – 0, PDO – 3.

TENNIS

Subash and Yash steal the show Abdullah clinches RAHRC tennis title

MUSCAT: Teenagers Subash Pillai and Yash Tanna stole the limelight on the concluding day of Indian Social Club’s Falcon Insurance Company-sponsored Annual Tennis Tournament. A.R. Srinivasan, CEO of Falcon Insurance Company, the main sponsor of the tournament presided over the grand finals and distributed prizes to the winners. Also present at the finals was Dr. Sathish Nambiar, Chairman of the Indian Social Club (ISC), other office bearers of the ISC and a large gathering of tennis enthusiasts. Teenagers Subash Pillai and Yash Tanna captured a double crown each. Subash won the men’s singles title, Yash the boys’ under-16 singles and together the duo clinched the men’s doubles title. Top seed Amaan Kazi and second seed Yash Tanna were at the centre stage in the boys under-16

final, the arch-rivals wanting to prove a point. The final lived up to its potential and the spectators were treated to top quality tennis from the talented youngsters with brilliant serves, power-packed groundstrokes, fantastic rallies and retrievals and fluctuating fortunes. Amaan drew first blood as he broke Yash in the very first game and they traded breaks and the tense battle continued until 4-games-all when Amaan recorded the crucial break in the ninth

game and served out the first set. The second set went to serve until 3-all but the turning point was when Yash made a dramatic recovery from 0-40 and saved four break points in the fifth game to hold his serve. Yash was in full flow after that and broke Amaan in the eighth game. The fighter that he is, Amaan broke Yash at love to stay in the set. With a game to his advantage, Yash took calculated risks and broke Amaan to win the second set. There was very little to chose

between the two in the third set super tie-breaker. Amaan overcame the early deficit and levelled at 7-all as Yash continued to thump his groundstrokes to reach match point which he converted it at the next opportunity to win the boys under-16 singles title with final scores of 4-6, 6-4, 10-7. Yash joined men’s singles champ Subash Pillai in the men’s doubles final which they clinched with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over the team of Mohan Kannan and KK Girish. The teenagers did not have it easy against the seasoned opponents who put up strong resistance before the more energetic team of Subash and Yash could claim victory. Eight-year-old Aayra Malhotra was adjudged the most promising player among girls while R. Rohit was declared the most promising player in the boys category.

MUSCAT: Abdullah Al Barwani defeated Scot Graham to emerge the champion of the Ras Al Hamra Recreation Club (RAHRC) Tennis Championship here recently. In the summit clash, which was a repeat of last year’s ﬁnal, Oman’s Davis Cup player and defending champion Abdullah defeated the experienced Scot Graham in straight sets 6-2, 6-3 to lift the title. RAHRC chief Khalid Al Khaburi presided over the ﬁnal

and distributed the prizes in the presence of Oman Tennis Association (OTA) vice-chairman Khalid Al Nabhani, secretary Munthir Al Barwani, Executive Manager Salman Al Balushi, board member Khalid Al Busaﬁ and coach Nabil Dob. The tournament was organised by the RAHRC Tennis Committee, chaired by Majid Mundhari and under the supervision of Hisham Al Barwani, Leonardo Marconi, Vincent and Irene Sennhauser.

TENNIS

Oman teams for GCC meet

MUSCAT: Oman junior tennis teams left for Fujairah on Friday to take part in the GCC Junior Tennis Championships for Under-14 and Under-18 players. The under-14 team comprises Munir Al Rawahi, Azan Al Hajri, Abdullah Al Raisi and Yahya Al Ra-

jhi. The under-18 squad includes Younis Al Rawahi, Abdullah Al Barwani and Zakariya Al Sulaimani. The Sultanate’s delegation will be headed by Mundhir Al Barwani and it includes manager Mohammed Al Dairi, coach Nabil Doub and referee Abdullah Al Yahyaie.

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

SECTION

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

VACANCY

HP 2130 3in1 Printer RO 10.900 only All Cartridges also available on UNBEATABLE prices All HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung Cartridges also available.

Ruwi: 24 792 792 Sohar: 2684 2420

GOOD PRICE!!!

Available on UNBEATABLE prices

GOOD PRICE!!!

RENT

GOOD PRICE!!!

CARGO

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DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

AN EXISTING FARM FOR RENT in the Wilayat of Barka, with an area of 45 acres, out of which large area is planted with fodder and 7 acres are planted with vegetables. It has also 14 greenhouses as well as 3 artesian wells and a plowing tractor as well as cutting and bundling tools and plowing equipments with their accessories. The farm has a good financial income.

Contact: 99340378

FOR RENT - OPEN PLOT AVAILABLE 3500 SQM INDUSTRIAL/ COMMERCIAL PLOT WITH COMPOUND WALL SUITABLE FOR OPEN WAREHOUSING, HEAVY MACHINERY/ VEHICLE LOADING/ UNLOADING. PARKING FACILITY ALSO AVAILABLE ON BOTH SIDES

CONTACT : 99273774 - 99202278

OFFICE PROPERTY FOR SALE/RENT DAYS AWAY FROM DELIVERY - PREMIUM OFFICE SPACE AT PRIME LOCATION AT BAUSHER ON 2ND FLOOR BUILD UP AREA – 163 SQ. MTRS. SALE PRICE RO.1,050/- PER SQ. MTR -RENT PER MONTH RO.10/- PER SQ. MTR. OPTIONS WITH OR WITHOUT FURNITURE.

PREMIUM VILLA FOR SALE SANTINI A3 TYPE 2 STOREY VILLA WITH 4 BEDROOMS PLUS MAID ROOM AT AL MOUJ PHASE 4. GREAT LOCATION WITH CUL DE SAC FOR PARKING. PURCHASE OPEN TO NON-OMANIS AS WELL.

CONTACT NO. 91257475 One / Two, B/R ﬂats in new building near Dolphin near dolphin complex, Bausher directly from owner. Contact: 92158031 Flat for rent in Al Ghobra, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 family sitting room, 1 kitchen. RO 400/Contact - 95919059 1BHK ﬂats at Al Khodh near NBO. Contact: 99224748 / 99332297 Flat for rent 2BHK split A/c near Kuwaiti Mosque in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232 6 Bedroom villas available for rent at North Al Hail, near Wave, complex with swimming pool and Gym. Contact: 99833747

Reefer room/ cold room for rent – suitable for 4 - 40 feet container, can be used as chiller and freezer in wadi kabir with plug in spots and office room for store keeper. # 93620021 Flat for rent 2BHK split A/c near Oman house in Muttrah . Contact: 97007934 / 92629232

Family ﬂats in Wadi Kabir MBD Hamriya Ruwi Al Khuwair, Ghubrah, Bowshar, Azaiba, Al Hail & Amerat. Contact: 95250300 / 92125648 Flats family new to the Amerat behind Oman oil. Contact: 95250300 / 92125648/ 99119699

Well maintained spacious 2 BHK at Rex Road from 1st Jan 2017. Contact: 92227165 / 92545269

Flats for rent near Indian School in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122

2 BHK Spacious Flat, Behind Bank Muscat Wadi Kabir. Tel: 99373290, 24815012.

Office space for rent in Muthana square, next to Atlas Hospital. Contact : 93620021

2 B/R & 3B/R furnished, unfurnished with split ACs a free internet available at Al Khuwair near KM hypermarket. Contact: 99460330 One / Two, B/R ﬂats in new building near Dolphin near dolphin complex, Bausher directly from owner. Contact: 92158031 A well recognized steel workshop in Sohar is looking for long lease contract for its existing welders. Interested party can select welder skills as per their needs. If interested call GSM : 95852097 / 94805758

2 BHK with split / AC in Muttrah, Dar Al Maha. Contact: 96708000

Store for rent in W.K. Contact: 96708000

Flat in Mumtaz, 2 bedrooms, 2 toilets, big hall, kitchen & store. Contact: 92502241 / 95588678

Flats & shops for rent at Ruwi Honda road Mumtaz area. Contact: 97293708 / 92433127

For Rent. Studio TYPE Flats for rent R.O 160/- monthly near Oman house. Contact: 98075028 / 95501858

Room for rent in Qurum attached bathroom. Contact: 97128083

2BHK ﬂat in Wadi Kabir near the Indian Primary School with split A/Cs. Contact: 99367627 New 3 story 4 bedroom villa in Al Hail near to radio station. The spacious master bedroom has a sea view. It has a maids room. All bedrooms have bathrooms and one extra bathroom between dining and sitting room. It has split A/c’s. 6 months advance payment required. Price is OMR 750 monthly. Telephone: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955. No Brokers Please.

1 BHK near Medical Darsait Muttrah house R.O 180/-. Contact: 95070201 Office for rent in Shatti Al Qurum in Al Masa mall. Contact: 91153933 Two apartments for rent in the ﬁrst Ansab consisting of 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, 2 Balcony and the second consisting of 5 rooms and 5 bathrooms, a living room, kitchen and balcony with Split Air Conditioners. Contact 99319620 / 97771121

S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

JEWELLERY SHOP

- New Brand Building in Bowsher for sale

FOR SALE

For Sale: Running jewellery shop with furniture & settings in Ruwi High Street. Contact on 9945 9440 (Raza)

Villa complex for lease renovated deluxe villa complex with separate three ﬂats, location Al Ghobra North (near tourist hotels) is available for lease. Contact: Ali: 99411607, Luoy : 92466266 2 BR apartments available for rent, close to Muscat Grand Mall, next to Diwan’s Office, South Ghubra. Contact: 2456256 / 99833747 1 BHK New bldg with A/C curtains near Khimji mart MBD. Contact: 99061408 / 99024039 Villa for rent four spacious bath attached bed room, private swimming pool, gymnasium (common) with electrical equipment and free maintenance secured compound at Madinat Al Illam. #98027975

New ﬂats for rent at Al Ghubra near to Atlas Hospital, opposite to Panorama mall. Interested candidates Contact: 00968 – 97093283

Fully furnished room for executive bachelor in CBD area, WiFi internet free, advance deposit. Contact: 90631572

Dental clinic for sale in Seeb. Contact: 92882209 / 96373097

1Bedroom sharing K& T, family / ladies in Al Khuwair R.O 90. Contact 95154331

400 square meters residential land in Al Ghubra south near Millenium Hypermarket. OMR 134 thousand. Telephone: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955. No Brokers Please.

Villa for Rent behind mazoon mousqe 7 bedroom, living room, dining room . Contact 95150809 for 750 R.O nogotiable

New building in Bowshar for sale. Contact: 91155779

One BSK two bath room with split unit AC at Honda road. Contact: 91118706 / 99342733

3 bedroom ground ﬂoor house for rent in South Al Hail behind Al Hail Hypermarket.Contact: 95047657

Villa complex for lease renovated deluxe villa complex with separate three ﬂats , location AL Ghobra north ( near tourist hotels) is available for lease. Contact: Ali : 99411607 , Luoy : 92466266

Room in Azaiba. Contact: 99555843

Flat in Wadi Al Kabir, 3 rooms with AC. Contact: 99333639

Two bed room ﬂat available near Honda Show room. Contact: 99022675

Flat for rent, 1 BHK in Bowshar. Contact: 91153933 Villa for rent in South Mabellah, 3 bedrooms, sitting room, family Lounge, kitchen, three Toilets Contact 92212212 between 10 AM to 5 PM New flats for rent at Darsait near to ministry of sports, Mumtaz area the flats includes 1 living room , 2 bedrooms, kitchen, 3 toilets, every room with split A/C & high quality finishing. Rent per flat is RO 320/-. Interested candidates please Contact: 00968 – 92225523

FOR SALE Nursery school furniture available for immediate sale in good condition. Contact: 92887809 / 93211417

New villa for rent in Azaiba 18 November Street. 6 Bedrooms, 2 kitchens & 7 toilets. To view the villa contact - 95919059

New apartment ﬂat for rent, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms & kitchen, behind Indian School, short way to Lulu Darsait & Muttrah traditional Soqu. Contact or Whatsapp: 91013331

92886778/99455690

Room for rent in Bowshar. Contact: 91153933

Room for rent behind Oman house Contact: 99025809

Spacious shop available for perfumes cosmetics, near Oman house. Contact: 92150455

FOR SALE 7D Cenema for sale 6 seat hydraulic, 7D cenema full system for sale. Contact: 99737327 Primary school furniture for sale in good condition. Contact: 93211417 Shop for sale at Al Khoudh. Contact: 92820541 Twin Villa for sale in Azaiba near Sultan Centre. Each side has three ﬂoors, ﬁve bedroom plus maid room. Each room has it’s own bathroom and one extra toilet between dining and sitting room. The villas are now about 5 years old and very clean and well maintained. It has split A/C’s. OMR 215,000 each villa. Telephone: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955. No Brokers Please.

Land in Al

Contact Hood: 91155779

FOR SALE

One room furnished Al Khuwair near Technology College. Contact: 99389989 Call after 5 o’clock pm.

2 BHK near Oman house behind Khimiji, H.O. Contact: 95865686

- Commercial/ Residential khuwair for sale.

2014 MODEL VOLVO PENTA 650 KVA GENSETS (02NOS) 2000 KVA (01 NO) VOLTAMP TRANSFORMER CONCEALED PANEL SYSTEM FOR ABOVE. ALL ITEMS HARDLY USED IN A COMPLETED PROJECT OF 2YRS AND CAN BE REUSED. ONLY SERIOUS BUYERS CONTACT GSM :

FOR RENT 1 BHK Flat for rent in Darsait. Contact: 99357586 / 97500021

- Twin villa in Azaiba & Ghubra for sale

Villa in MQ for sale. Contact: 91155779 603 sq mtrs residential land in Al Hail North Block 45 NE near Radio station. OMR 96 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 - or 97509955. No Brokers Please Farm in Barka for sale. Contact: 91155779

FOR SALE 1. Porta Cabin 2. Book Loader (New Holland) 3. Water Tanker (Hino 2000 Gallon) 4. Roller (JCB 3 Ton) 5. Roller (JCB & Wacker, 1 Ton) 6. Scaﬀoldings 7. HDPE Duct Pipes (300 mm to 1800mm) 8. Tower Hoist

Contact 93990154 MV SALE Used vehicles – 3 Ton Double cabin Trucks- 12 Nos. Contact: 99417302. 2009 last, BMW X5, Expat owned grey colour Jenaibi Service history 97,000 K.M immaculate condition with brand new tyres R.O 8,650/-. Contact: 93597597 Honda Accord 2008 model, 4 cylinder, number 1 full options with navigation/ camera, full insurance. No accident history, 1640000 km, well maintained. OMR 3300/-. Contact –95919059 Prado 2014. Contact 99336093 FJ Cruiser 2009 GCC, yellow, 210000 KM, RO 6300/Contact: 92857111

Ice cream Shop, Prime location, Ruwi for sale. Contact: 92150455

Mercedes C155, 2008, white, 130000 KM, 10100/- R.O. Contact: 92857111

Used & refurbished porta cabins, toilets unit available for sales. Contact: 99215560 Email: omegaunitedoman@gmail.com

Dihatsu Terrios Trend 4WD, 2012 Registration, dealer service registration up to August 2017. Contact No: 92812144

Villa for sale in Al Amerat 8/1 upscale ﬁnishes. Contact: 91153933

ACC.WANTED

ACC. AVAILABLE Sharing accommodation for Executive bachelor, working lady (South Indians) spacious room / separate entrance, attached bathroom, near Al Nahdha Hospital, Ruwi. Contact: 93462307 Spacious semi furnished room with separate bathroom for Executive bachelor Opp. O.C. Centre Ruwi. Call : 90611670 Sharing accommodation in W/K. Contact: 94986587 Furnished single room with toilet at Al Khuwair, Kabab factory Ronald. Contact: 99568122

Containers for sale Total 40 feet & quantity 70 Nos for more details, please Contact: +968 95068854

Wanted a single room for Senior Executive Bachelor in Ruwi area. Contact: 93708595

Furnished room sep / entrance Wadi Kabir Executives. Contact: 99336206

BUILDING MATERIAL SHOP FOR SALEWell-furnished running building material-electrical shop (4 shutter / 200sqm) in Al- Khoudh- 6, for immediate sale- shop with stock or stock only. Serious buyers may please Contact: 94320909

Wanted a family shared accommodation for Senior Executive Bachelor in Ruwi-Wuttayah area. Please contact: 93708595

Room for rent available at Al Khuwair. Contact: 91512037

Industrial land in Rusail.4000 sqm. Contact 99323957 / 95490842.

Warehouse minimum 600 SQ. MTR for dry foodstuff storage between Muscat and Ghala. Contact: 99108171

Land for sale in the village of Bimmah on the coastal road Qurayat/ Sur with a space of 604 square meters for an attractive price. Contact 92905222 Beauty parlour for sale in Ruwi. Contact: 92430239 RESTAURANT for sale in Ruwi. Contact: 99378964

Furnished room in ruwi and azaiba for rent for executive bachelors. Gsm 99058344

WANTED

Urgently required looking to immediately buy used Grit blasting & airless spray equipment 1 No each. Contact 968 24810930 / 93203772 / 93203773 /93203778

BUYING Buying cars for cash. Contact: 90202090

Sharing accommodation available with W/E at Al Khuwair 33. For a small family or non-cooking bachelors. Contact - 92834145 Furnished room for non cooking bachelor near Softy Ice cream, Ruwi. Contact 91107383 / 93120054 Sharing accommodation available at honda road Ruwi. #99040590

BUSINESS New Year gifts dairy pens t -shirt with print. Contact: 98604960

AVAILABLE Bobcat available for rent. Contact 97623299 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

NRI 2000 SQFT 3 bedroom, villa in gated colony for sale at thalore Trissur Kerala. Contact: 99725985 Malayalam movie partner invited for a Malayalam comedy ﬁlm ready to shoot talented artists also welcome. Contact: dffa.dffa@gmail. com or 0091- 95679 - 60329 or (92817797) Studio ﬂat for sale in IMA house Cochin behind the International Stadium, Kallor, now used as rental apartment by IMA. Interested parties Contact : 99322776 / 99325880

LOST Mahmood Ul Hassan has lost Pakistani passport No KQ 0151612. Finder please handover to ROP.

S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT PROJECT MANAGER Project Manager required to develop a high end resort with good knowledge of local hospitality market and proven experience in developing similar projects from early stages, including pre opening

Email your CVs: ndevoman@gmail.com

HR MANAGER A Prominent Trading & Contracting Company requires

HR Manager. Only for Omani Nationals. Min. 5 Years’ Experience Required. Candidates with Graduation preferred. Interested candidates may contact:

Mail: cv4gcc@gmail.com Fax: 24614202 Reputed mineral water company required the following HEAVY/LIGHT DUTY DRIVERS VAN SALESMAN with Omani driving license

SALES SUPERVISOR/SALES COͳORDINATOR with Omani driving license HELPERS ͳ Experience 3 to5 years

Contact - 90372638 ACCOUNTS

MISCELLANEOUS

Accountant 2-3 years experience. Candidate should be Indian, English speakers. NOC is a must. Email: mohammad.jwabreh@ bearingcitysc.com. Fax: 24509312

We are looking for Admin & Sales officer for our company. Send your CV to Email: alsarooj@omantel.net. om

CATERING Excellent male cook w/ experience 200 Riyals salary + accommodation & food. Must be in Oman have own visa. Contact: Whatsapp: 95887572

DOMESTIC HELPER Full time Filipino lady Nurse or a lady helper to take care of a male patient visa, labour clearance available. Contact: 96103792

DESIGNER Urgently required a Graphic Designer with 3 years experience in graphic designing, Photoshop, Illustrator. Send CV to email: hr@cityvago.com

ENGINEER SURVEYOR /DRAFTSMAN ITI Surveyor with 2 years experience in Oman in OHL transmission lines with valid D/L and knowledge in drafting preferred Contact:93339586 Email: hromancv@gmail.com Required urgently B.E. / Diploma having good experience in Automobile & Engineering workshop. Contact: 99439701 Email: nnoe11977@gmail.com Required Urgently Engineer with Driving License & Foreman for construction company in Suwaiq, Al Batinah Contact: 96322202 / 93677795, mail your cv’s to: unionnationalhouse@gmail.com

MEDICAL

Candidates with the following should apply: Previous experience in a similar, working for a security company Proven experience of designing and estimating large integrated CCTV, Access Control, and Perimeter detection systems. Detailed technical knowledge of database and operating security systems associated with CCTV, access Control, with Oman license. Send CV by mail info@sahabit.com Urgent required : Store labors. Candidate should be Indian, English speakers. NOC is a must. Email: mohammad.jwabreh @bearingcitysc.com, Fax: 24509312

MANAGER Urgently required Cold store experienced Manager & Staff. Email : almahadint@gmail.com, almahadint@yahoo.com

SALES / MARKETING Wanted Sales Executive with GCC D/L & NOC for a company deals with automatic doors in Salalah. Email CV to: accounts@alatonoman.com or Fax: 24700408 Wanted experienced Sales & Marketing Manager (with Oman driving license) for ﬁne dine restaurant in capital area. Fax 24565544 GSM / 99103777 & 97100892 A leading trading Group is looking for outdoor Sales Executive with driving license & release / NOC. Fax: 24701683 or Email CV to alhajoil@omantel.net.om Required Sales Executive – 3nos. for rental car, with Omani license. Contact: 90955777

Urgently required licensed Pharmacist temporary or permanent for a reputed polyclinic. Contact 96721709 or send CV to : manageribnalhaitham@yahoo.com

Sales man & designer for Offset printing press. Contact: whatsapp 94756618

Wanted female & Male Nurse with or without license (good salary, food & accommodation with other beneﬁts. Contact 92989109, Email: medicoport@gmail.com

Required sales and marketing executive for a 4-star hotel in muscat. candidate with excellent communication skills and having 3+ years experience need apply. driving license will be an advantage. email: hoteljobsmuscat@gmail.com

Urgently required GP doctor with NOC for well known running clinic ready to work in Bidbid. Contact 96746460 A MOH license Staff Nurse needed to work in a clinic in Medha 400 Rial salary with accommodation. Contact: 94220240 Arabic speaking doctor preferably with MOH License, internal medicine specialty would be a plus. E-mail gccmedicalrecruitment@gmail.com Required Optometrist for a leading Optical group in Oman. Email : albasilopticals@gmail.com Contact 93822557 Muscat wants GP, staff Nurse holding MOH license & Receptionist (Omani) Contact 97698004 email: medicare@fusionlogicoman.com

English/Arabic speaking Marketing Major with experience in sales. Please e-mail gccmedicalrecruitment@gmail.com Required well experienced dynamic candidate in Real Estate Evaluation Field beside Building Management Techniques. Contact 91246444, Email: rescooman@gmail.com

SKILLED LABOUR Construction company looking for foreman with Gulf experience. Contact : 95758004 Required Experienced Auto Electrician and Automobile Mechanic for a reputed service station. Contact : 91232638 hashim@ramainvestment.com

SECRETARIAL / OFFICE Required female Graduate having knowledge in Tally & MS Office with good skills in English. Candidate may send CV to knsibi@electrotechoman.com Contact: 97984134

TOURS Required female for travel agency preferable with license, Omani. Contact 90955777

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED Indian male 23 Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC & MEP. Contact : +968 9586 1251, Email : zufarajaib@yahoo.com Indian male with Shorthand & Computer Skills also having 23 Years Gulf Experience is looking for suitable placement. NOC available. GSM No. 97227062 An expatriate Indian female, graduate with 4 years experience in e-learning and ITes and 3 years experience in financial consulting and analysis seeks suitable placement. Email : write2nishanair@gmail.com, Contact - 00968-93994505 Finance & Audit Manager Available CPA, MBA-USA ACCA ,Oman Experienced , Expert in Profit Maximizations , Business Developments, All Banking Facilities , ERP- Accounting Software , Internal / External Audits & Controls , with Best Solutions of Business Problems ,NOC available & Driving License Call 94886226 Mechanical engineer/hvac/ indian: 1year experienced mechanical engineer with piping engineering & quality control certification, on visitvisa. Contact: 90957740, email:nishadphoenix@gmail.com Indian Male (25), BSc Electronics, M.B.A seeking suitable openings, Having 3 years’ experience in, sales and Marketing of financial products with Oman Driving License. Contact 94774550 HSE Engineer, 4 years of experience in construction certifications, bachelor of engineering(EEE), Nebosh, Iosh, Dhse, First Aid. Contact :+97474018995, email:midhunmich@gmail.com MECHANICAL/PRODUCTION ENGINEER, 3 years’ experience in production industry, B tech in Mech engg, Proficiency in AutoCAD, Primavera certified. Contact arn9895@gmail.com Mob 00919895233155 Indian male, M.Com, 6 years experience in the field of accountancy and Stores. Good knowledge in SAP, Tally, MS office and Excel seeks suitable placement. Contact 92859733 MECHANICAL ENGINEER, Indian Male, 26 years, 3 Years’ experience in Projects of Tanks, Boilers and Steel structures. Aware of int. Standards, B tech in Mech engg. Contact-rahulkunnath23@gmail. com, Mob-00917350860889

ADMIN Young B.Com Graduate with computer literate holding Oman D/L seeks placement in Administration or Accounts Assistant. Contact: 95041489 Indian female, MBA HR & ﬁnance, 4 years experience in MNCs looking for good job. Contact: 95299271 / 95124289 Omani experience on reception, admin PRO seeks job. Contact: 96495545 / 96184616 8 Years Experienced Graduate Omani Female presently working as Administration Manager in a reputed group Company, supervising HR and other administration activities, liaisoning with Ministries and other Government departments looking for suitable opening in a progressive professional organization. Contact: 91727742 Indian male, B.C.A Graduate, having 4+ years experience in system administration & technical support available on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Contact: 92813630 Administrator B.Com with D/L on release, 30 years India & Gulf experience in office. project documentation & logistics. Contact: 92324789 / 97281023 Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa, looking for suitable position.Contact 90196235 Indian male M.SW (HR) 2 years exp in India, 27 years age. Contact: 93353912 Filipino HRD especialist /material controller supervisor with 18 yrs experience looking for suitable job in Oman. Contact: (+968) 98037142 / (+968) 92659817 8 years experience in administration and guest relations department in Oman With valid omani driving licence. Seeking suitable jobs. Ph: 98145825 email: getcb@rediffmail.com Egyptian woman resident, considerable experience in the Administration and Secretarial Executive for company. Contact : 97221126 Omani, male, 26 yrs experience looking for job in reputed Companies as PR, having experience at airport / Emigration, Ministries/ Manpower with Oman D/L. Contact 95445779 Young Omani male have experience 12 years as P.R.O, CLERK Helper Supervisor Admin Supervisor, H.R Manager have vocational M.B.A diploma in H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license, looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time. Contact: 95933288

ARCH./ INTERIOR DEC. Indian female Architect NIT Calicut pass out seeking for suitable job, 1 yr experience in design & coordination of residential & commercial buildings. Contact: 95293638 / Email: arayilakathsafa@gmail.com Architect Engineer seeking for suitable job, 8 years experience. GSM : 96075000, Email : haytham_201046@yahoo.com

ACCOUNTS Accountant B.com Indian male 12 yrs exp seeks suitable job.NOC available . Contact : 91212471 Email: rennyj6@gmail.com Omani female Accountant, 32 years, having 10 years exp in admin/accounts seeks suitable placement. Contact: 93295953 Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA Finance and marketing with IT skills, 7+ yrs of experience, Looking for suitable placement. Contact 94879615, Emailsajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com Indian (M), 31 yrs, M Com 9 yrs experience in Oman, looking for Manager or Executive position in Fin & Accounts, NOC Available. Contact 968 96166178/ +919768537435: mohammednajeem@yahoo.com Finance Manager, 17 + years Gulf exp. in Accounts, MIS, budgets, strategic planning, cost control, cash ﬂow management, seeks job. Contact 99489784, E mail :- vijay.564@hotmail.com

SITUATION WANTED ACCOUNTS Accounts Manager looking for job in accounts or ﬁnance, 4 years Oman exp with accountancy degree & Omani D/L with NOC available. Contact: 95661169 Email: moshin_zaman4u@hotmail.com

Male Accountant, MBA (ﬁnance) 5 yrs experience including UAE & India up to ﬁnalization available immediately (on visit) Contact: 91704866 Email: anees0989@gmail.com

Indian (M), Qualiﬁed CPA, CMA, CIA (USA), MBA (Finance) & M.Com, 15 years’ experience in Finance, Accounting & Audit, (3 years in Oman) looking for suitable Senior/Middle level position in Finance/Accounting/Audit. NOC available. E-mail soji_ansu@yahoo.com, mob – 91595436

10+ Years Experience in Accounts & Finance upto Finalisation, NOC & License available. Contact – 96239126

Indian, MBA Finance & Marketing with 4 years of experience in Finance & Accounts. With valid Oman D/L. Contact: +968 96321890 Senior Accountant 16 years experience handle accounts up to finalization MIS cash flow, NOC &, D/L available. Contact: 94117616 Email: praveen78oman@gmail.com Indian female 22 years, B.Com, 1 year experience in India as Accountant / Clerk, looking for suitable opening. Now on visiting visa. Contact: 97754830 Finance manager, MBA finance 21 yrs of MNC contracting experience, looking for a job thorough knowledge in MIS Ext/ Int Audit, tax budget, trade finance, system implementation etc. Contact: 94652975 Email: ramu2587@hotmail.com Indian MSC finance accounts & management (UK) seeking opening in accounts & finance available immediately with driving license. Contact: 97116798 Email: abin.mathew52@gmail.com Oman Experienced Finance & Audit Manager CPA, MBA-USA ACCA ,Expert in Profit Maximizations , Business Developments, All Banking Facilities , ERP- Accounting Software & Solutions of All Business Problems ,With NOC & Driving License Call 94886226 Part time Accountant up to finalization auditing. Contact: 93598736 MBA with 3 years experience. Contact: 98381784 Email: nustruggle@gmail.com Looking for a job Assistant Accountant. Contact: 90119212 Senior Accountant Jordanian Nationality looking for suitable position – accounts up to finalising. NOC available. Contact : 91702073 General Accountant, MBA (Financial Management) Having 8+ Year Experience in Accounts of UAE. Qualified Accounting Software TALLY, QUICK BOOK ETC. On Visit. Contact 9526 8360, Email. Sheikhs786.qh@gmail.com Indian female, 12 years experience in Oman work an Asst. Finance Manager, looking for suitable position, NOC available. Contact: 92824146 Accountant male qualified /quick books package CA part qualified AAT, 6 years experience in Sri Lanka & 2 years experience in Maldives. #: 98187164 / 99107591 email: uwmprabhath@gmail.com

Experienced business development and investment consultant with 10 years experience in the financial management field. Holds a masters degree in finance and management from the UK. Contact : 90157073 Indian male MBA (finance) Accounts, Customer service, 2 yearsExperience.(Dubai Airport) Iran Airlines. GCC driving licensevalid till 2025. On Visit Visa (Till 20 Dec 2016).Looking for suitable job. Contact – 71093532. Emailmirzahassanbaig89@gmail.com Experienced Indian female 23 B.Com with computer application on visit looking for suitable position. Contact: 94964860 / 92436404 MBA Finance Indian 25 Male 2 years experience seeking opportunities in Finance sector. Immediately available.contact:92498840 sachu_0318@yahoo.com Indian male 26 years Graduated having over all 5 years experience in Accounts ware house fields sales & marketing, NOC available. Contact 95307619 / 92237173 Part time qualified experienced Accountant available. Contact: 91126314 Part time Accountant, 7 yrs Gulf experience available 8.00 AM to 1.00 PM FRI &SAT. Contact: 97895741 ACCA member with 6 yrs of experience in Oman looking for a suitable job in finance. Contact 99284193 Accountant male holder of diploma Chartered Accountancy and student of CA institute inter CA, with 3 years experience in finance, available at Muscat ready to join immediately. Contact: 79049355 / 99220572 Email: ahamedfiham777@gmail.com Chief accountant Senior 16 yrs exp can handle accounts up to finalization, MIS, C. flow budgeting, ERP costing & leasing with auditing, NOC available, seeking job. Contact: 94885686 Email: zahid123368@gmail.com Accountant & Admin 18 years exp (7 yrs in UAE) good knowledge of accounting software’s & English. Contact: 91729724 Indian, Kerala Male B.COM & B.PE, Currently on Visit Visa. Looking for a suitable job in Accounts, Store Keeper, Sales etc. Ready to join as early as possible. Contact 96988923 email:- sajith3969@gmail.com Accountant B.Com/ M.Com, Indian male 10 years exp seeks suitable job NOC available valid ROP driving license. Contact: 97375608 Email: vincentdsouza1979@gmail.com Accountant 8 Years Experience with D/L and NOC. Contact 97712084

S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED B.COM GRADUATE With 30 years Oman experience in various fields like Accounts, Administration, Operation, Credit control etc. worked in reputed companies as Manager with Oman driving license and knowledge of basic Arabic language.

Contact - 98185350

Sr. Accountant with SAP/ERP. 11yrs experience in Accounts & Finance in Gulf. 5years in reputed Oil & Gas company; Finalization & Consolidation FS, MIS, Audit, Budget, AP & AR, Tax, etc., Indian Male, Post-graduation, Oman D/L and NOC available.

Please contact: 931 42923 Experienced IT Professional with over 20 years in Oman. Can manage ERP systems, Hardware, Network, Wi-Fi and Biometric Devices. NOC available.

ACCOUNTS Indian male MBA finance 31 years working as Admin Manager in Muscat since 2012, total 8 years experience in administration and accounts valid Omani driving license. NOC is available. Contact : 94030054 Indian male, B.Com, MBA in Finance, 4 yrs in Larsen & Tourbo, 26 yrs in Oman, English/ Arabic speaking with driving license. NOC available. Contact 95588565 Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ finance field. On visit visa. Immediately available. Contact 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com Qualified and experienced MBA post graduate with proven work exposure in Middle East & India, having more than 5.5 years of rich experience in accounts , project coordination and administration in (3.5 years UAE experience) oil and gas projects is currently looking for suitable job. Contact 93953613, Email-allen.mathew83@gmail.com Indian male age 26, Accountant one year experience in accounts looking for suitable job. Contact Email: anishkhan991867@gmail. com Mobile: +968 9565 9415 8 yrs exp. in Admin & Accounts (3 yrs in Oman), MBA, exp. in Tally ERP 9, Indian (F) seeks placement. Contact 97243806 Indian (m) MBA ( f) more than 6 years of experience in accounts, proficiently in various A/C software SAP ( F1/CO) seeking for suitable placement. Contact: 95920740 Email Id : abdulhameed1527@gmail.com MBA Finance having 6 years experience (4 years) in Oman as an Accountant, local release. NOC available can join immediately. Contact: 96742474 Indian, Kerala, CMA-USA, ICWA, Mcom10+Years Experience Budgeting Planning MIS Accounts&finance.Cont.94064931shijupnarayanan@gmail.com Sudanese Accountant, Alexandria University Graduate bachelor of commerce Diploma of Marketing professional photographer worked in PR and social media for 2 years looking for a job in public relations media, social media or marketing. #96976240

Contact # 96654216 CATERING Restaurant / Banquet Manager Indian male having 3 yrs Diploma in Hotel management & Catering technology, above 16 yrs work experience sin F& B service, Managerial position in reputed Star hotels at Gulf countries & India. Contact: 91164043 Email: mohanpriya1975@yahoo.com

DESIGNER/ DRAUGHTSMAN Free lance Autocad works experienced (arch, struct, MEP, shop drw) rate a0/a1 sheet ( 10-17 OMR) ph : 97103168 Free lance / part time autocad works / make boq 2d /3d arch , structural, shop drawings interior drawings. Contact 97103168 mkgroupoman@gmail.com Piping designer Indian male 8 years experience in oil & gas currently in Muscat. Contact: 97212921 9 years experienced Interior designer seeking for suitable placement, Oman driving license holder. Contact: 98678225 Interior designer seeking job in Muscat with 6 years of related experience as an interior designer with a strong background in work place interiors. Contact: 91291502 Email: ahmad.jassem025@gmail.com

Light duty driver with valid Oman license available. Contact: 92686876 L-driver with valid Oman D/L, looking for suitable job. Contact: 95489480 Looking for job light driving. Contact: 93779819 Driver available for job. Contact: 96381406

Looking for job exp having driving license. Contact: 97363138

Certiﬁed Public Accountant (Filipino, Male, 27-yrs-old) with four years experience, seeking suitable placement in accounting/audit, currently on visit. Contact 94959606, email: czesar.42@gmail.com

Looking for light driver job. Contact: 93782166 / 94356465

7 Years experience as Financial Analyst, MBA in ﬁnance. Responsibilities- research contributor, ﬁnancial statement analysis, generating MIS & efficiency report, managing TAT, business & clients. On visit visa in Muscat. Contact 90191628 / 96175780

Light Driver with 7 years experience looking for job. Contact: 92617293

Driver looking for job. Contact: 95892363

Looking for job light driver 17 years exp Oman. Contact: 95541940

Looking for driving job. Contact: 94802988 / 94435912 Looking for driver job. Contact: 99578649 Want light driver job, 4 years experience. Contact: 91740910 Light duty driver 5 yrs Dubai, 1 yr Oman experience seeks placement knowing English, Arabic & Hindi. Contact: 90271794 Bangladeshi male light driver exp 16 years looking for job. Contact: 99165961 Looking for driving job. Contact: 95396905 Experienced driver available with 4WD willing to work fulltime / part-time, familiar with all tourist destinations in Oman. Contact: 24814231 / 91941545

Indian male BE mechanical engineer CSWIP, 4 years gulf experience in visit visa having Qatar driving license. Contact: +968 96550807 Email: vishnusohanlal@gmail.com Electronics Engineer in project & sales with 4 years GCC experience having Oman driving license looking for a job. Contact: 92103711

20 years exp, driver with own delivery van. Contact: 99062400

Master in Civil Engineering with 5 years Gulf exp. Contact: 96658456

1 years exp D/L male 28 yrs, looking driver job. Contact: 94338977

B.Sc Civil Engineer 5+ years experience in Building construction & Steel structural building with having valid D/L. Contact: 93850440/ shahadat033@gmail.com

Driver job wanted. Contact: 96393082 Driver seeks job, with driving license & salesman. Contact: 94235254 Looking for driving job 10 yrs exp, D/L UAE & Oman. Contact: 95918834 / 97098081 Light driver looking for job 3 years experience. Contact: 97468646 Indian male 42 yrs UAE , QTR 24 years road work experience looking for good post, with driving license, on visit visa. Contact: 91177203 Light driver looking for job. Contact: 94397006

Driver with car have good experience in Oman. Contact: 94039796

DRIVER

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Searching job for heavy duty driver, having 4 yrs experience. Contact 94752728

Filipino Senior Revit/AutoCAD Draftsman with 20 years professional experience is looking for suitable job in Oman.Please Contact: 96489798, (+974) 66653780.

Indian female 28 yrs B.Com 4 yrs experience in MNC’s currently in Muscat seeking suitable placement in Finance / Admin. Contact :94743790

28/male/MBA - ﬁnance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement. #90187483 shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

Male 40 yrs, 15 yrs exp, D/L seeking job (Sales & driving) English, Hindi, Arabic. Contact: 97003340

Looking for driving job. Contact: 99775728

Pakistani, 10 years experience in Saudi, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, license 3 years in Oman. Contact: 94350734 / 97665807

Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA Finance and marketing with IT skills, 7+ yrs of experience, Looking for suitable placement. Contact 94879615, Emailsajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com

Indian male, age 29 looking driver job. Contact: 97614837

Revit, Autocad D/man, expected salary 200 OMR. PH : 92279784

Accountant available with NOC, 7 years experience in Oman. Ready to join immediately. Contact 98263394

Indian female, 26 years,brought up in oman,M.COM(FINANCE) CA Foundation(CPT),CA , INTER (DOING) presently on family visa seeking for immediate and suitable placement. Contact -97174201/99663957 Email-anishasasi@gmail.com

DRIVER

Looking for light driver job experience 8 years Eng, Urdu & Arabic. Contact: 95658675 Looking for driving job. Contact: 98219182 Looking for driving job. Contact: 98994832 / 94537614 Light driver with 5 yrs exp need job. Contact: 92024487

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. HSC officer male 29 years, 6 years experience seeking good opportunity. Contact: + 968 90595885 / + 968 71140487 Email: bipin.tkurian@yahoo.com Civil Engineer experience 10 yrs, 8 years in Oman. Contact: 97201504 / 98047527 Mechanical Engineer 22 years experience in manufacturing industries in Oman Efficient in all plant operations seeking managerial position. Contact: 98871548 / 98758606 Mechanical Engineer with 3 years experience in RO plant maintenance of boilers, breakdown maintenance, pumps, control valves and air compressor etc currently in Oman looking for suitable placement. Contact: 95632276 Email: jassinsudhakaran797@gmail.com Civil Engineer 10 years experience working in International company, Infrastructure & building construction having Omani driving license. Contact: 96616396. Purchasing professional having 7 years experience in power, water construction projects seeking job. NOC available. Contact: 96518316 Email: vineethsubashpillai@gmail. com Professional land surveyor available with total station vehicle NOC 9 years experience in building construction bridges topography survey roads available to join or higher. Contact: 96287425 Email: ihtisham.tkm@gmail.com Mechanical/ Piping Engineer (B.Tech.) on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact 94703350 Email: nadeembcoolboy@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer/ Indian Male with 1 Year experience looking for an opportunity in Electro Mechanical ﬁeld of IMS/BMS/HVAC systems. on Visit visa. Contact: 99288700 E Mail: karthias1995@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer (B.E) with 5+ years experience in Gulf and India (oil & gas projects). Contact: 91987143 Email: jebilk212@gmail.com Looking for suitable placement. Indian Male 36 yrs Machineshop sales and service, repair and maintenance mechanical equipments & jobs. Noc available, Oman D/L Available Working in Oman for 5+ years. 98481039, anand27kumar@gmail.com Diploma in Civil Engineer having 8 years experience Quantity Surveyor Civil in Oman looking for a job around 21 years experience in civil works. Contact: 97829710 Civil Engineer holder a master degree with +3.5 years experience in gray & Jordan. Contact: +968 94592122 Email: m_f_h88@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer Pakistani form N.E.D University 15 years experience of operation maintenance installation of CNH comp, gas engineer generative ﬁber optic FTTH & LTE projects in Oman. Contact: 00968 95196597 Email: s_atif76@hotmail.com Sudanese civil Engineer master holder with 6 years experience. Contact: 99636424 Fresher cloud Engineer. Contact: 98207829 Civil Engineer diploma 6 yrs of exp 3 years Oman seeks suitable position in a reputed company NOC available can join immediately. Contact: 97912853 Looking for job in construction industries, office coordinator, document controller, Administration B.A with good computer skills 10 years experience. Contact: 95399753 / 93892877 Email: dhananjayam0@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian male 26 years Mechanical Engineer with 2 yrs exp in Oman. Looking for suitable placement. Contact - 91328079

B. Tech Mechanical HVAC site Engineer 4 years experience, currently on visit. Contact 92837696 / mdabdulather@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. #92451323. Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com

An Iraqi civil with more than 30 years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C) looking for a job, (N.O.C) available. Contact: 96561306 Email: iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com

Indian male Civil Engineer 1.6 yrs exp, having Omani D/L, looking for suitable position. NOC available. Contact – 92157694 / mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com Diploma in Mechanical Engg, 10 years exp in steel fabrication site work with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 94696192 Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrs exp seeks suitable position in a reputed company. NOC available. Contact 96789711 B.E Mechanical Engineer, age 24 with almost 1 year experience as Production Shift Engineer, has achieved training on HVAC Engineering design and has good hands on software like AutoCAD and HAP.Currently in Oman on a visit visa, looking for a suitable placement.Contact: 95065955 email: mjs.jazeb@gmail.com Structure Engineer/civil BSC, worked in mega projects with 2 years experience, soft ware skills (Cad, staad, Revit, Robot, Sap, Hilti), Fluent Arabic, English. Contact :99814536 HSE Engineer having 10+ years experience in both Construction and Oil & Gas (PDO). Looking for suitable position, NOC & valid driving license available. Contact: 97717468 BOQ available, site visiting inspection. Contact: 93850875 / 95031239 Electrical Engineer with DCRP Electrician license & Oman driving license, 10 years experience in Oman, seeks suitable placement. NOC / Release available. Contact: 97316979, Email: rajaneeshktr@gmail.com Indian female, 22 yrs, BE (Electronics & Communication) searching for suitable placement. Contact 96008324 Electrical Engineer Indian male 30 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India, holding valid Oman D/L. Contact: 92789995 Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Experienced auto mobile Engineer seeking job. Contact: 91487747 Mechanical Engineer, 3 years experience, 1 year in Oman, with driving license & NOC. Contact: 94887665 Email: mechatron_mt@yahoo.com Diploma Electrical Engineer 15 yrs experience in electrical, commercial & industrial ﬁeld 3.5 yrs Gulf experience presently on visit visa. Contact: 97937868 Construction Machinery repairs Engineer, 5 years, driving license, Contact - 94001961 Electrical Engineer (B.Tech) male 12 years experience in MEP looking for job NOC available. Contact: 94743659

Mechanical Engineer with 6 years GCC experience in Petro chemical & Steel plant construction currently on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 93926488, Email: sanjuns89@gmail.com

Sr. Electrical Engineer with17+ yrs of exceptional exp in spear heading strategic planning and project management initiatives & executing various high rise residential & commercial building as well as roads and highway project with proﬁciency in installation, seeking a challenging position in a dynamic organization. Contact 96570891

Need for job industrial Electrical technician with Oman driving license, earlier experience in the oil ﬁeld. Contact: 91285302 / 96348016

Civil Engineer (Indian male) 5 years experience in Oman with valid Omani driving license & NOC looking for suitable opportunity. Contact: 93101283

MSc. Oil and Gas Engineer, 5 years experience in OMAN as Mechanical/Piping Engineer holding certiﬁcate in Piping and Primavera. In Oman on Visit, Contact: 92156892, arakkalskaran@gmail. com

Electrical Engineer, 24 yrs, Indian Male, Fresher, Training Undertaken in Electrical Draughtsman, Fire Alarm, Fire Fighting and Industrial Automation. Contact: 94989767, Email: Junaiz987@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (Indian male) 12 years of experience in construction ﬁeld having Omani D/L and NOC looking for suitable job. Contact: 94194399 Email: saashibly@gmail.com

Electrical & Electronics Engr, knows autocad & revit. Contact: 93837973

Graduate female with 7 years experience in retail, looking for a suitable position. Contact : 96234434

Indian male, B.E Mechanical with 2 years experience as Maintenance Engineer in Cochin Reﬁnery and 1 year experience in Chevrolet seeking job. Ph number: 97964862, Email: jossyabraham20@gmail.com

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects. Contact – 90164912 Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com 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: 92157694. E-mail: mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com Indian male, Structural Engineer looking for job in structural design field. Having 6 years of experience in design field. Residing in Muscat. Contact - 91176187 Email: syam036@gmail.com Pakistani male Diploma Civil Engineer 4yrs exp in Oman bulling & mega projects, valid license Oman. Contact: 98921022 Civil Engineer, young Indian having almost 2 years experience looking for a challenging position seeks suitable position in Oman/ GCC. Please contact 92718490, Email ID: uvais.pk82@gmail.com Indian male, B.E Mechanical with 2 years experience as Maintenance Engineer in Cochin Refinery and 1 year experience in Chevrolet seeking job. Contact : 97964862, Email:jossyabraham20@gmail. com Mechanical Engineer, Indian, Male, 30yrs. Experienced in Steam turbines and Thermal Power house seek employment. Contact - +91 8130553668 or mohamedshah7@gmail.com Site Supervisor, Diploma in Civil Engg (cert attested) knows autocad revit, salary exp: 250 Ph : 92279784 Indian male 24 ,B.E ( E.C.E ) graduate with 3 years of experience in the fields of BMS and Low current systems and has good knowledge about Electronic Security Systems, currently working in Oman, NOC Available. Contact: 94737033/ mohdmuhafez45@gmail.com

EDUCATION/TRAINING Indian female 24. Masters in Computer science engineering, seeking job in colleges, schools and institutes. Having in good skill in teaching and advanced technologies. Contact : 93356858 Email id : annielino11@gmail.com Female Arabic Teacher well experienced looking for a suitable job for non native speakers. Contact: 96094116 Indian Female, Phd in Chemistry having 3.5 yrs of Experience in India. Staying here on Family Visa & seeking for a suitable placement. Contact – 99675828, Email anupam.tiwari67@gmail.com Female B. Ed English teacher, 7 yrs exp seeking suitable placement. Contact 99739415 / 92091528

HOSPITALITY Indian male having Diploma in Hotel Management with 16 years of experience in F x B Service at India, K.S.A & Oman, having valid Oman D/L, seeking for available placement. Contact 92100141 / 92221956 Indian male 31yrs old with hotel management degree,03 yrs experience in F&B services at 5 star hotel Dubai, 05 yrs in American 06 star cruiseliner has butler. Has oman driving license. Contact 99859150.

S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED HOSPITALITY

MISCELLANEOUS

MANAGER / SUPERVISOR

Indian male, 24 yrs , Diploma in Hotel management, 2 years experience front office management in 4 star hotel Dubai, currently on visit visa. Contact: 97937504 Email: febinpalathingal01@gmail.com

Omani male, 21 years graduate, (bachelor in management studies) seeks suitable placement. Contact: 97904200

Indian male (40 yrs), looking for warehousing /logistics supervisor position, having 12 yrs Oman Exp with D/L, currently with a leading distribution company in Oman, NOC available - PH: 94337320 ; Email: truefails@rediffmail.com

IT Senior Network Engineer (USA Citizen) network design & implementation, network config and maintenance, CCNA, CCNP, CCIE (WR). Contact – 90350262/ Email- ammar.eng@gmail.com IT Support Engineer, 6 yrs experience with NOC available seeking placement in IT system & server Administration. Contact: 93200454 Email: pandiyanraj85@gmail.com IT Engineer male 28 yrs over 6 yrs experience with NOC available seeking placement in IT net work Administration, software development. Contact: 94744858 Email: athulmundayad@gmail.com Senior Network Engineer ( IT) 8 years experience , (USA citizen) network design & implementation enterprise network management, CCNA , RS , CCNP , RS , CCIERS (WR) BS degree MS degree. Contact: 90350262 IT Engineer male, 28 yrs, over 7 yrs experience with NOC, D/L available seeking placement in IT / Network / Telecom field. Contact 93563297 Email: monuzv24@gmail.com Indian male on visit visa, Network Administrator with 5 years experience in IT field seeking suitable placement immediately. Contact: 93926541 / 92703007 Email: 16.prasanth@gmail.com Indian male Keralite Post Graduate Diploma and Graduate CCNA & MCSA certified have 5 years experience in software & hardware technical support. Contact : 93988511 Email: vimalkanthkv@gmail.com Technician Network Electrical CCTV, Indian male 27 yrs, 6 yrs of experience in Oman D/L seeking suitable placement. #93098436 B. Tech IT Graduate 5 years experience in web dev, networking have valid Oman license looking for suitable placement. contact 98825722 Email: ajaybin.joy@gmail.com Indian Male, MCA Graduate, 15 yrs exp in ERP, CSM Certified, seeking suitable role.NOC Available. Contact : GSM : 90189284 Email: meetlibran@gmail.com

21, Indian female B.com graduate on family visa looking for immediate and suitable placement. Holds valid Omani Driver’s license. Contact: 97208869 Indian male, 28, post graduate, 6+ yrs exp in Oman in sales (back office) & credit control with valid Oman D/L looking for suitable placements. NOC available. Contact: 92066 523 B.Com,IICL Certiﬁed Container Inspector(No.150850),Visit Visa, Six months experience, need placement. Contact: 90880935, 99023279, Email solexyesudas@gmail.com Sudanese male bachelor geology and mining with 3 years experience in MUD logging and training in soil investigation. Contact 92956848 9 year experienced industrial painter and sand blaster with Oman driving licence. NOC available. Seeks suitable placement. Contact ZakeerHussain 96681934. BS in Electrical Engineering, Experience: 5 years(Power Plants). Contact: 92475206 Email: zahaibzafar007@gmail.com

MEDICAL Homeopathy Doctor Indian female with MOH license looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 94541830 Email: homeo64319@gmail.com Iraqi Dentist looking for job in Muscat with MOH license & NOC 6 years experience and half. Contact: 96907572 Indian female staff nurse, more than 20 years experience in maternity wards, delivery suit and medical wards M.O.H license and N.O.C available. Seeking for a suitable job in Muscat. Contact: 99058707 Email: rosemathew2015@gmail.com Female Dentist Indian with MOH license & NOC looking for a job in Muscat. Contact-96035981 Staff Nurse female Indian 26 yrs, 5 yrs experience in haemodialysis, has BLS and ACLS, MOH viva and prometric cleared staying here on visit visa, looking for suitable job. Contact: 92518629

Indian female M.Sc Computer Science seeking suitable placement in Muscat area. Contact 98660672

Indian male Nurse with 7 years seeking for a suitable job in Muscat. Data ﬂow, prometric completed. Contact: 93519957 / 98275068 Email: mammenv24@gmail.com

Indian male, 26 yrs, 4 yrs work experience in M.N.C , IBM , ITIL foundation certiﬁed looking for suitable jobs in Training / learning / Development / HR/ MIS. Contact: 92306613 Email: michael.rinku@gmail.com

Female Staff Nurse, with 6 yrs experience MOH license and NOC available date ﬂow completed looking for a suitable job in Muscat. Contact: 97440718

27, Indian male: Software Developer having 5years+ experience in oracle forms & reports 10 g, BI publisher. Contact:91156571 IT Support Engineer, Exp 3 years in Oman 2 years in India. Contact 94672759 CFA level 1 cleared (pursuing level 2) MBA operations research, female, 5 yrs experience as Analyst, have a valid Oman driving license, looking for related openings.Contact 95818892 Indian male 4 years experience in IT as Programmer / Web Support/ CCNA/ Network on visit visa seeking placement. Contact 93069694 Email: mrabrar14@gmail.com Indian male 4 years experience in IT as Programmer / Web Support/ CCNA/ Network on visit visa seeking placement. Contact 93069694 Email: mrabrar14@gmail.com Female, master in mass communication, B.Ed, experience in media channel and teaching PH : 99362024

LOGISTICS Procurement, Warehouse & Logistics, Pakistani Male, Graduate, Over 10 years experience, Looking for Suitable Placement, Currently on Visit Visa. Contact: 91257663

Filipino male Medical / Sales representative with 3 yrs experience is looking for suitable job in Oman. Contact: 92610394 Indian male Nurse, with well experience in profession and working in Oman. Seeking for a suitable placement. (Preferring opportunity in as Rig Medic). Has BLS and ACLS. Contact : 97236545 Indian male, Nurse with more 7 years experience MOH license, P.D.O license, dataﬂow, NOC available looking for job in Oman. Contact: 93604827 Email: subinraj37@gmail.com Veterinary Doctor: Indian Female looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 96906534 /99014885, Email: monishmajeed@gmail.com Dr.Ayman Abduljalil Ali, E.N.T Specialist (Otolaryngologist), Yemeni-male, looking for job. Mobile: 00201096542706, Email: aymanjalilorl@gmail.com

MANAGER / SUPERVISOR Experienced business development and investment consultant with 10 years experience in the financial management field. Holds a masters degree in finance and management from the UK. Tel: 90157073 Joinery / Woodworking Production Supervisor, Indian, with knowledge in estimation, 18 years experience (5 years in Oman). Contact: 92975314, praveen777prabhakar@gmail.com.

Indian male MBA with 8 years of exp as Assistant Manager in investment banking sector. Looking for suitable position, currently on visit visa. Contact – 98685704, WhatsApp – 919000676512 Email – suhelpashaa@gmail.com CEO, CEO Assistant, Managing Director, Senior Level Manager, A senior level business developments executive with 18 Yrs of experiences in USA, Africa, GCC, with MBA from Texas A&M ,USA). Contact 92010247 General Manager Indian National With 20 yr Experience In managing Civil Construction Business Seek Opening in reputed Civil Company. Contact-97464650. Joinery / Woodworking Purchase Manager, Indian, with 12+ years experience in UAE, Qatar & Oman. Experience in Trading & Manufacturing divisions, having valid Omani D/L. Knowledge in Materials Management, Finance, Office Administration and Operations. Contact: 98040421, vinodthattayil@gmail.com.

SKILLED LABOUR Male 42 electricians & plumber, looking for job NOC available. Contact: 98081227 Watch repair and service looking for job, 24 yrs experience. Contact: 99530405

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Secretarial & Office: Indian(F), MBA in Finance, 2 years experience as Associate in Branch Operations (Record Keeping, Desk job)on family visa. Ph: 93186865 ; email: ddthoppil@gmail.com India PG diploma in Business Administration, 24 year experiences (22 years in Oman) in diverse ﬁeld handling office administration independently, Sales and Marketing, highly motivated, hard working skillful and willing to work in hallenging environments seeks suitable placement. Having valid Omani driving license. Contact 99120500 Lady Secretary / Sales Co-coordinator 12 years experience in Oman in reputed companies, seek immediate Employment. Contact: 95244761 Looking for part time job Secretarial / Data Entry / Documentation available every day after 5:00 pm Friday / Saturday full day area preferred Ruwi/ CBD/ MBD / Al Khuwair. Contact: 90414827

SALES / MARKETING Indian male with 15 years of rich experience in burners development & marketing 7 + years in Oman , looking for a suitable opportunity. Contact: 98652962 Indian male MBA (Marketing) with Oman D/L more than 10 years of experience in sales & marketing, seeks job, NOC available. Contact: 91939227 Indian male 35 years, BBM, 5 years experience as Sales Executive & key Accountant in Oman with NOC, D/L seeking immediate placement in Muscat area. Contact: 92683606 Email: abhi.abraham09@gmail.com Indian male 23, MBA (marketing) with 1year experience in India as Sales Executive searching for suitable job in marketing, sales, management, currently on visit visa. Contact: 95957278, Email: zeeshanhamdule.75@gmail.com Indian male, 27 years 2+ completed, 2 years Muscat experience looking for suitable placement (supermarket shop etc). Contact: 95128634 Email: sabuthoams@gmail.com 20 years exp, driver / sales man with own van. Contact: 99062400 Indian male Bachelor of Science food technology 1.5 year experience. Now in Oman seeking for a suitable placement. Contact: 95727594 Email: subahanas@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Engineering Graduate having 5+ years of exp as Marketing Coordinator in advertisement company and as security system service engineer. Contact :79059197

MBA (UK), raised in Oman & with 2 yrs work experience holding valid Oman driving license, seeks job in sales / business development. Contact: 99513132

B.com graduate from India with 6 months of experience in billing and sales in one of the largest retail chain company in India is looking for a suitable position. Currently in visit visa 99610602 or hashim.hashi@yahoo.in

India PG diploma in Business Administration, 24 year experiences (22 years in Oman) in diverse ﬁeld handling office independently administration, Sales and Marketing, highly motivated, hard working skillful and willing to work in challenging environments seeks suitable placement. Having valid Omani driving license. Contact 99120500

Purchase Manager / Officer Indian male having 16 years GCC experience in construction (Civil& MEP) looking for suitable placement, having Oman driving license (NOC available). contact 99109533 Indian male 37 years MBA graduate in marketing with 9yrs of experience in UAE in field of brand promotions & marketing with UAE D/L on a visit seeking suitable position. Conatct 95792820 9 years experience in Lube sales with Oman D/L looking for suitable placement in sales / driver. NOC available. Contact: 99263912 Indian male masters in Petroleum Engineering with 1 yr Oman exp in sales & marketing holding D/L, currently on visit visa looking for oil / gas industry field related or sales related job. Contact : 93789123 Indian male, Keralite Post Graduate Diploma and Graduate have 6 years experience in Sales and Marketing have experience in Ecommerce, IT, Security and FMCG Sales & Marketing. Contact: 93988511 Omani national, fluent in English looking for suitable placement. Contact: 97173753 BBA Bachelor of business administration exp in custom clearance procedure, also done international logistics management & Nimb National Institute business management (US) certification all documentation work related logistics. contact – 91949050 / akram.chaush001@gmail.com Marketing Executive with 10 years experience in Gulf on visit visa. Contact: 90116693 INDIAN male, BBA with 4 years experience in SALES & MARKETING, holding omani driving license. seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95607037 Email: raaz0jannat@gmail.com. Sales man looking for a suitable placement with 2 years experience, NOC available. Contact: 71293044 B.Com, Sales building material, accounts, marketing, 10 years experience in India. #92870992 Email: aboosheikh@yahoo.com Freight forwarding Graduate with 8 years experience in freight forwarding (Govt. of India) seek suitable placement. Contact: Shaji 99102497 / 98637889 Indian male around 7.5yrs technical product sales, new agency development experience in Oman B.E mechanical PGP.MKT , IB , Oman D/L urgent placement (m). # 91536968 Resident in Oman 18 years, 10 years experience in setup marketing plans and strategies, sales, import & logistics, procurement, Omani government tenders, organizing projects & events, import fireworks for festivals, NOC available, have car. Contact 94123939. Email: 002015r@gmail.com Oil & gas experienced Indian lady with 6 years in sales & marketing to PDO and having valid Omani driving license. contact 96143430 / 99875919 Graduate Indian male 26 yrs, 3 yrs experience logistics & management seeking suitable opportunity in reputed organization. Contact 98847095 Indian male 26 years of experience of sales & marketing in surgical and laboratory equipments. Looking for good replacement. Contact – 92015894 /95774854 Indian female 29 years Post Graduate with computer Knowledge 2 years of Oman experience in coordinator & 5 years of experience in customer service, client relation officer with excellent communication skill seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95337665 Key Accounts Manager of sales.. with an experience of 13 yrs, across the country. Bsc, MBA seeks suitable placement. Contact- 92100116

Omani female 6 years experience in management, fluent in English & French searching for new opportunity. Contact: 90998255 Indian male age 24, B.Com. having 2 year experience and currently in visit visa. Looking for suitable placement in Sales, Marketing & finance. Contact: 90766307 Email: shhaazz.007@gmail.com Indian male MBA and Diploma in management from Australia. On visit visa, looking for a suitable job in sales & marketing. #71189884 Indian male with 6 years experience in sales in oman. NOC available, looking for suitable placement. Contact 95364128 Egyptian male experienced sales executive with 12 years sales experience in Egypt, KSA and Oman with leading FMCG companies. Holds Omani driving license. Tel: 96202040, Email: ahmedghoniem618@gmail.com Indian male Graduate with 18 years of Marketing experience presently in Oman on family visit visa, looking for best opportunity. Contact: 96168687 Email: dhibupaul@gmail.com Indian male 25, MBA (marketing, finance) seeking for a suitable job having 1 year experience, currently on visit visa. Contact: 95469149 Email: surajar.inbox@gmail.com Indian Male, 26 M.Com with 4 yrs of Experience in Accounting & Administration in a Financial Company in India, seeks suitable job, Currently in India. +918907212253 Akhil:-93626288, Email: Sumeshpsmkr1989@gmail.com Indian Male, MBA marketing 5 yrs exp. in sales & 4 yrs in FMCG sector, looking for best opportunity. NOC available. Conatct 96001877 Client Relations and Sales Professional with 8 years in the Business Process Outsourcing industry, looking for suitable opportunity in Muscat. Contact +96879050752 Indian male 1 yr exp in sales automotive (TBL) looking for best opportunity , NOC available. Contact# 97793879 Email: shyampkn@gmail.com

TRAVELS/TOUR Reservation & ticketing female one & half experience in travel & tour ism industry visit visa exp, looking for a job. Contact: 97183575 /99015735 Email: aneesayoosufss@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Indian male B-com Graduate1.5 Year exp. in various office works, valid Oman driving license. Looking for any suitable post .Please contact: 95322175 / 91987965 INDIAN MALE (26)/CA-inter and b.Com/3 years expereince in audit & assurance services, financial reporting & analysis on visit visa. Available for immediate joining. Contact: 98078321 EMAIL: shahir.usman.su@gmail.com Indian male 34 yrs, MBA-HR with 10.9 yrs.exp. In Recruitment, Training, PMS, OD, Sites-HR and Omani nationals development, seeking a job, NOC avl.contact 94179499 saiprasad_18@yahoo.com Indian male 45 looking for a job in Car driving. Oman License from last 20-22 years. Contact : 9961 3513, Email : Miqbal.kaa@gmail.com Pakistani male 25 y, fluent in English, valid oman driving license experience of pak. & oman. Needs suitable replacement like teaching, administration, documents controller, sales and marketing, rent a car field and personal Assistant etc. aamirkhan_7860@yahoo.com. Contact 94908725

MISCELLANEOUS Indian male, 23 yrs, looking for suitable job my qualification is Diploma in Electronics an i am having 3 years of experience in the hardware an networking field an i am having Gulf driving license you can contact me on : - +96897017866. Indian male Staff Nurse completed BSc nursing, having three years of experience in medical ICU having Oman license and NOC, seeking suitable situation. Contact 94932245 27 years, Indian male looking for a senior mobile application developer job in Oman. 5+ years of experience as a software engineer, am available in Muscat till Dec 19th. Arunkumar6207@gmail.com, +968 9600 3057, +91 8019897589 PROCUREMENT OFFICER, Indian-Male 34yrs,M.Com with 14 yrs work Exp.( 8 yrs in Oman) working in Construction Co LLC( for ROAD,CIVIL,ELECTRO-MECHANICAL & Others projects) & having valid LT D/L, NOC/Local release available to join immediately M:+968 94064650 Email: nagauae@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer/ HVAC/ Indian: 1year experienced mechanical engineer with piping engineering & quality control certification, on visit visa. email:nishadphoenix@ gmail.com Contact: 90957740, email: nishadphoenix@gmail.com A Filipino female searching for a job, with 3month visit visa.exp January 2017.hospitality and sales job will be a Good offer to me. Contact no:98271658 Electronics & Communication Engineer, 23-year-old Indian on family visa, BE-ECE graduate looking for suitable placement in networking, hardware and electronics field. Contact no: 95148894, 99726963. Email: sadathali0003@gmail.com Indian male 22 B.com looking for job in ACCOUNTING OR DATA OPERATION special interest in Account’s will be happy to hear from you. Contact : +968 90758030, Email : uttiawesome@gmail.com Indian male Mechanical Engineer, 1 year Omani Experience + 2 Years of local experience, NOC available, looking for suitable position. Contact No: +96896089598 Email: fasinizami@gmail.com Sri Lankan Male Mechanical Engineer, 1+ year of Omani experience, NOC available, Omani driving license, looking for suitable position. Contact No: +96893903463 Email: zaf1096@gmail.com A Filipino female searching for a job, with 3month visit visa.exp January 2017.hospitality and sales job will be a Good offer to me. Contact : 98271658 Indian female B.E (I.T) : Good experience in documentation and CRM. Having good communication skills, seeking for job from reputed organization. Previous experience in Oman and India. Contact - 97301058, 97136975. MECHANICAL/PRODUCTION ENGINEER 3 years experience in production industry, B. Tech in Mech Engg, Proficiency in AutoCAD, Primavera certified. Contact arn9895@gmail.com, Mob 00919895233155 HSE Engineer, 4 yrs of experience in construction, Bachelor of Engineering (EEE), Nebosh, IOSH, DHSE, First Aid. Contact +97474018995, Email:midhunmich@gmail.mom Indian male, 24 years, B.com, MBA(Finance) with overall 3 years experience in accounts/finance field. Interested in sales field also. On Visit Visa. Contact:90115058/ safwanmeadows@gmail.com Indian male, B.com graduate well versed in English, Hindi, Malayalam holding a valid Oman driving license looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 96799287 Indian/ male (26)/ MBA/2 years experience in procurement, coordination and distribution management, with valid oman license available for immediate joining. Contact: 92536194 email: suhailbs@gmail.com Senior Sales Executive, experience in trading industries with thorough knowledge of Oman market and wide customer contacts. Driving license and NOC available. Seeks senior position. Contact: 98487311

S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

RENT A CAR

SITUATION WANTED Mechanical Engineer/HVAC / Indian: 1year experienced mechanical engineer with piping engineering & quality control certification, on visit visa. Contact: 90957740, email: nishadphoenix@gmail.com Indian male, 23 yrs, looking for suitable job my qualification is diploma in electronics an i am having 3 years of experience in the hardware and networking field an i am having gulf driving license. Contact me on : - +96897017866. Indian male Accountant 3 years good working experience doing accounts with tally and excel searching for suitable job. E-Mail : contactanand31@gmail.com, GSM : 95694990

Electronics And Communication Engineer: 23 Indian BE-ECE graduate 2016, looking suitable placement networking, hardware and electronics field, on family visa Contact:95148894,99726963,Email: sadathali0003@gmail.com Indian/male(26)/CA finalist and b.com/3 years experience in audit & assurance services, financial reporting & analysis on visit visa, available for immediate joining. Contact: 98078321, EMAIL: shahir.usman.su@gmail.com Indian Male with 23 Yrs. experience in Secretarial Job and Administration is looking for opening in Oman. NoC available. Contact 97227062

4 WD Pagero with driver. Contact: 98031620 25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP speciﬁcation for monthly rent & small car with driver. Contact 99839898

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED Indian Male , M.Com , 6 years experience in the ﬁeld of accountance Good knowledge in SAP, Tally, MS office and Excel seeks suitable placement. Contact 92859733 Indian/male (26)/CA - inter and b.com/3 years experience in audit & assurance services, ﬁnancial reporting & analysis on visit visa, available for immediate joining. Contact: 98078321 email: shahir.usman.su@gmail.com

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

S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTED COMPUTER/WEB./ EDU./CLASSES

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

SITUATION WANTED TOURS

We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898 Enjoy Camping in Wahiba desert & all over Oman & tour. Contact: 92226866

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

SITUATION WANTSERVICES

in Azaiba and Ruwi

• Learn in two months • Satisfaction guaranteed

Tel: 95244310 Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM. Contact: 98294551

MANPOWER

Pest control & Building cleaning all kinds of pest control building. Cleaning tiles / Marble polishing monthly/ Yearly contracts available. Contact: 98814733 /98814740 Al Husn Cleaning L.L.C

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

DRIVING

Specialist for road test drum and slope. Contact 94022250

TRANSPORTATION

SITUATION WANTGOOD NEWS

Transportation. Contact: 97128083

ENJOY YOUR VACATION!!! Transportation. Contact: 99099714 From Ruwi to Ghala. Contact: 99562527 Transportation. Contact 94510847

Enjoy your vacation peacefully without worrying about your car. Here is a solution for safe parking and cleaning your car when you are away on vacation. For people travelling from distant location, you can just drop oﬀ your keys to the car care team and peacefully check into the airport. Your vehicle will be waiting at the airport on your return.

Contact: 96964767 Transportation. Contact 94297820 Transportation. Contact 92015894 Transportation. Contact: 94087276

MATRIMONIAL Nair boy, 26 yrs Revathy, Alleppy dist, B.Tech working as planning / project Engineer in Oman, 4 yrs seeks suitable alliance. Contact: 94232342 / 99065898

SITUATION WANTFOR LADIES Special packages, Facial, Pedicure, Eyebrow, only 10 RO. Al doom Beauty Parlour #99619409

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

Ayurvedic treatments & massage – Ayurvedic Clinic Al Khuwair. Contact 97263637 / 93309131 Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis, Ideal Care Ayurvedic clinic, 18th November Street Al Ghubra (North). Contact 99639695 / 97397320

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Oﬃce boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc. Al Mudakhir National Est. LLC Contact : 94277020

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

Maintenance Electrical, plumbing, painting A/C services installations gypsum. Contact: 96319522

SITUATION WANTSERVICES

We undertake new construction & maintenance & gypsum works. Contact 92711506, ammarayyub@gmail.com

House shifting with carpenter and transport. Contact: 96737158 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130

WE SERVE OMAN

Water prooﬁng ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 House shifting packing. Contact: 99657644 / 98518013

A/C maintenance & Servicing, Fridge / Washing Machine / dish washer repairing, 2) Painting and cleaning service, Electrical & Plumbing. Contact 94147874 / 24504281, mail :globalaccessunited@gmail.com

Installation & maintenance for Modular Kitchen, UPVC Doors & Windows, Furniture, Electrical & Air-conditions Contact @ 92383882/91443786

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998