Times of Oman - February 20, 2016

SATURDAY February 20, 2016 11 Jumada Al Ula 1437 AH

6 085010 120010 FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

Annual session of council of Oman,2012

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ Infrastructure gains extreme importance and is accorded top priority in some of these stages due to special circumstances and specific considerations that call for such action. Therefore, what some people often deem as more emphasis on infrastructure than human or social development in the past stages of development is not accurate, as such a view ignores the truth, the conditions that prevailed at that time and the priorities made necessary by the situation there and then. That view also ignores the tremendous attention, which was similarly accorded to the areas of education, health, commerce, industry, agriculture, finance and the economy at large.

Founded 1975 . Volume 40 No. 307 | 28 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

EGYPT

NIBALI REIGNS SUPREME AT GREEN MOUNTAIN

HM sends condolences

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The queen stage of the 2016 Tour of Oman was at the height of expectations and offered a tremendous battle between the favourites of the event all the way to the finish line on Jabal Al Akhdhar. Already a winner back in 2012 at Green Mountain, Vincenzo Nibali made the best of the decisive climb, beating Romain Bardet and Jakob Fuglsang. — Times of Oman / JUN ESTRADA>A12

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

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent two cables of condolences to President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt on the death of Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former UN secretary general and the journalist Mohammed Hassanein Heikal.

In his cables, His Majesty the Sultan expressed his sincere condolences and sympathy to President Al Sisi, the Egyptian brotherly people and the deceased’ families. -ONA ANOTHER INJURED

Indian worker killed in CBD accident REJIMON K MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

MUSCAT: One Indian worker has died and another is in critical condition following a work site accident in Central Business District (CBD) around 1:30 pm in Ruwi on Thursday.

According to colleagues, one worker from eastern Indian state of Bihar died on the spot and another Indian from Andhra Pradesh has been rushed to hospital with severe injuries.

Around 2pm, Public Authority of Civil Defence and Ambulance services (PACDA) tweeted about the accident stating that one person died and another was in critical condition.

There were four ambulances and many PACDA personnel at the accident site for rescue.

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

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Keep company of books, students told

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Spend time with books as it will widen your horizon, and make you good human beings, students were told. >A2

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Omanisation in private institutes

M I N I S T E R O F I N F O R M AT I O N

Mwasalat bus trips to ease Muscat book fair gridlock Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Mwasalat will operate special buses to the Muscat International Book Fair, to ease traffic congestion, Dr. Abdul Munim bin Mansour Al Hasani, Minister of Information, announced on Wednesday.

Dr. Al Hasani added that the 21st Muscat International Book Fair 2016 will kick off at the Oman International Exhibition Centre on February 24 and continue until March 5, under the auspices of Mohammed bin Al Zubair, Advisor to His Majesty the Sultan for Economic Planning Affairs.

He added that the fair is to include two sections, with ‘Al Farahidi’ being dedicated to official agencies, along with Arab and foreign publishers displaying Arabic books. The second section

If you have not lodged a claim during the insurance policy period, you are will be ‘Ahmed Bin Majid’, dedicated to those publishing houses displaying foreign, Arab and children’s books, as well as the fair’s associated events and activities.

“The fair, which stretches over 8,550 square metres, houses 950 pavilions. The total area of the last fair was 7,848 square metres, with 872 pavilions,” Dr. Al Hasani noted.

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A Shura Council panel discussed Omanisation policies in private universities and colleges. >A3

REGION

40 militants killed in US air strikes

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US warplanes carried out air strikes against IS -linked militants in western Libya on Friday. >A4

Motor insurance law changes to boost road safety

Oman clinch thriller against Hong Kong

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eligible for a cut in the premium at the time of its renewal

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: New amendments in the motor insurance law will lead to safe driving and reduction in the number of accidents, said road safety and automobile industry experts.

According to the new amendments, even if you have not lodged a claim during the insurance policy period, you are still eligible to get a No Claim Discount (NCD), which effectively is a certain reduction in the premium of the policy, during the time of its renewal.

“In the previous version of the law, the NCD was present. However, it was not defined properly or mentioned in the policy form.

Now, the definition is clear. Also, a clear definition of other terms, for example, ‘Natural Disaster,’ ‘Trailer,’ ‘Prime mover’ etc. avoid any ambiguity,” Philip K Philip, group chief executive officer of the Muscat Insurance Company and Muscat Life Assurance Company, said.

On Sunday, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) had issued the new unified motor insurance policy with amendments.

Welcoming the news, Mark Pudwell, training manager at Competence HR, said the move brings Oman on par with European countries, that have been offering NCD to drivers who don’t lodge any claim on their car insurance.

“This often means that those older and usually more experienced drivers are rewarded for

their careful driving practices.

However this should go hand-inhand with higher insurance premiums for young and new drivers. This provides an incentive to young drivers to be safe on the roads and accrue an NCD,” Pudwell said.

Jaison Mathai, senior marketing manager at Toyota in Muscat, also said this will definitely prompt safe driving on the roads.

“However, such kind rewards should be publicised well and reach each and every driver. I have heard about this practice in many other countries. Good that Oman is also going to make it happen. Good drivers should be rewarded with discounts in premiums and this can make others follow safe driving on roads in Oman,” Mathai added.

Speaking about the new version of the unified motor insurance policy, Sheikh Abdullah Salim Al Salmi, executive president at the CMA, said the new amendments have been announced seven years after the issuance of the policy in 2008 as a standard form of insurance contract with minimum limits in the contract.

Quoting last year’s insurance indicators, the CMA official said a unified motor insurance policy affects the greatest segment of policyholders as motor insurance represents about 44 per cent of policy holders in the Omani market. >A3

LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

Stand-up comedians in Oman working to beat economic blues TARIQ ZIAD AL HAREMI

tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Even as austerity has hit the Sultanate hard and many people may feel the pinch, the cliché “laughter is the best medicine” could provide a temporary, if not permanent, cure for people’s gloom.

Joseph Sims, the founder of Oman Comedy Central (OCC), strives to entertain and make people laugh through his stand-up comedy acts, along with the members of the group.

Currently operating as a business manager and comedy trainer, as well as an active comedian, he discovered his talent by accident and was encouraged to audition for the 1001 Laughs comedy show, which led to establishing the OCC. “It all started with the 1001

Laughs comedy show hosted by HI FM featuring several comedians that were part of the Axis of Evil comedy tour. When I saw how many people came out for the auditions, I realised that there was an interest in the community for stand-up comedy,” said Sims.

After winning the auditions, he opened two shows which was his “first real taste of doing stand-up” and proudly established Oman Comedy Workshop in August of 2009, which was later renamed as Oman Comedy Central to avoid confusion.

Currently, OCC has seven active comedians from Oman, the United States, Pakistan and India and Sims said that they are looking to recruit new people for the group.

However, not all subjects are deemed worth joking about as OCC has warned its comedians to

avoid talking about the Omani government, government leaders, religion and graphic depictions of sex.

Sims said the OCC is looking for new recruits and when asked about the process through which people can join, he explained that the group is open to all newcomers.

They have to go through a three minute stand-up audition where the group will “look at the structure of their material to see if they have a feel for what is funny.”

“New people will receive training, but they have to already have a feel for what is funny,” said Sims.

“We can teach them how to handle themselves on stage, but we can’t teach a person to be funny,” he added.

Way of life For some people comedy is a way of life but unfortunately some do not get the big break they are looking for. Sims said that although

Oman doesn’t have any type of entertainment industry, it is not impossible for someone to make it from the Sultanate.

Advising aspiring comedians Sims said, “I would honestly advise that they take up comedy as a ‘hobby’ while they maintain their day job. When and if they get that big break, they can commit full time. There are too many starving artists out there and you never know when or even if

you will get that big break.”

He further added, “Almost all of the comedians I have met in the Gulf Cooperation Council region are in it for the love of comedy. If you want to get rich, this is probably not the best way to do it. But if you just love to entertain, then you can find a place for that love with Oman Comedy Central.”

OCC’s next big show is planned for February 25 at the InterContinental Hotel. They have also recently launched an Improv (improvisation) comedy show, which takes place on the last Wednesday of each month at Buffalo Wings and Rings restaurant, which coincides with February 24.

OCC has promised a comedy boom in Oman as they have plans to expand and plant the seed of comedy in Omani soil for a future of laughter.

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

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Oman Modern March Exhibition ‘Glance on Oman Modern March Exhibition 2016’, where pictures of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, were displayed as seen through the lens of Mohamed Mostafa.

E D UC AT I O N

Keep company of books, Indian writer tells students Times News Service MUSCAT: Spend time with books as it will widen your horizon, and make you good human beings, students of Indian School Salalah were advised by a noted Malayalam writer.

Gently reminding the students of the crucial role that text books play in one’s life, famous Malayalam writer and social critic Zacahria said, “Still, I am weary of giving advices.”

It was a wonderful experience for the students to meet the author who they knew only through his works. It was visible on the faces of class 9 and 10 students when Zacharia came to spend time with them in a 90-minute interactive session organised by the school’s Malayalam Department on February 14.

While Rishika Aneesh of class 10 welcomed the guest, Hridith Sudhev, another class 10 student, introduced the author.

The session started with a welcome song penned by the Malayalam teacher Saji Chandrodayam and rendered by the students who paid rich tribute to the famous poet O.N.V Kuruppu, who passed away the previous day.

“Step into the world of books to open your eyes wide to the wonders of the world”, said the author at the outset. Taking examples from his own life, he said that it

SHARING THOUGHTS: Meeting noted Malayalam writer and social critic Zacahria was a wonderful experience for students of Indian School Salalah. – Supplied photo

was his passion for reading that brought him from Urulikkunnam, a remote village in Kerala born, to the world of words.

“I know you are up to your nose with advice from different quarters,” he said, drawing loud applause from the students.

During the session that followed, he fielded many question from the students. “The students who sit in front of me are, in my opinion, one of the best ones so you can surely sweat a lot to reap the fruits of success” he replied when asked to express his first impression for the students there.

Principal, T. R. Brown and the convener of School Management Committee, Suresh Babu jointly handed over a memento to the guest as a token of gratitude.

Vinay Kumar, member SMC, Sanathanan and C.P. Surendran, coordinators of the cultural fiesta ‘Aksharotsavam’, Omana Mathews, vice-principal, Srinivasan, assistant vice principal, department heads, teachers and non-teaching staff also attended.

Deva Narayanan and Deva Priya moderated the session while Akhila Suresh delivered the vote of thanks.

O M A N AV E N U E S M A L L

Creative workshop for children Times News Service MUSCAT: A creative workshop for children of all ages will be hosted by Oman Avenues Mall, at the Silk Route on Ground level from 3pm to 8pm until March 9.

The workshops at the Sultanate’s largest shopping destination are free. Children are invited to paint anything that makes them think of their beloved country

Oman, with some great prizes.

After the workshops are over, a giant will be display erected in the ground floor atrium to showcase the paintings.

Ben Watson, the mall’s general manager said, Oman Avenues mall has always strived to be a destination for the Omani community, and this was yet another step in that direction, as it gave a platform to children to showcas-

ing their skills, creativity and love for Oman.

The Oman Avenues Mall with its assortment of shopping options has indeed lived up to its tag line of being a place for all.

The mall’s varied choice of retail outlets - with the world’s leading brands operating their flagship stores here - underpins its premier position as the must-visit destination in Oman.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

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PAO L A A M A D E I

Sayyid Asa’ad bids adieu to Italy envoy

Responsible Tourism is in line with the new Oman Tourism Strategy: -Pictutre used for illustrative purpose only.

Chance for women in tourism sector to enhance skills Times News Service MUSCAT: Thirty tourism companies ranging from international chain hotels, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), tour operators and tourism developers, as well as other stakeholders are sending their prominent female leaders to attend the second “Lady Leaders of Tourism Event” organised by the Oman Tourism College (OTC) on February 21.

The initiative of OTC aims to provide women in the tourism and hospitality industry with a network, learning resources and support, as well as inspire other women to join the industry.

The event comprises an informative seminar about the links between “Responsible Tourism and the Communities” conducted by Professor Dipra Jha from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as well as about the “Corporate Social Responsibility Programmes as a Tool for Responsible Tourism” by Shaima Al Lawati, chief executive officer of Sustainable Square Oman.

Two examples for responsible tourism will be showcased during the seminar: the Ritz Carlton Community Footprints Programme, and at the Misfat Al Abreen and Misfat Old House.

Ten non-governmental organisations will be presenting their work as potential partners to the tourism businesses for the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives during the one hour refreshment break in the mini exhibition.

Responsible Tourism is in line with the new Oman Tourism Strategy and the event will be opened by the Undersecretary of Tourism, Maitha Bint Seif Al Mahrouqi.

The definition of responsible tourism is, “Tourism that creates better places for people to live in, and better places to visit.”

Tourism, for example, is beneficial as it leads to the economic diversification Generating greater economic benefits for local people and enhancing the well being of the host communities. Making positive contributions to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage Providing more enjoyable experiences for tourists through more meaningful connections with local people, and a greater understanding of local cultural, social and environmental issues.

Is culturally sensitive, encourages respect between tourists and hosts, and builds local pride and confidence.

MUSCAT: On behalf of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, His Highness Sayyid Asa’ad bin Tariq Al Said received in his office on Thursday Paola Amadei, Ambassador of the Italian Republic to the Sultanate to bid her farewell at the end of her tour of duty.

She expressed her thanks to His Majesty the Sultan for the support extended to her during her tour of duty from His Majesty, the government and the Omani people, which enabled her to carry out her duty.

She wished His Majesty good health, happiness and long life, and the Sultanate further progress and prosperity under the wise leadership of His Majesty.

Sayyid Asa’ad thanked the ambassador for the efforts she exerted in serving the good relations between Oman and Italy, wishing her permanent success, and the Italian people further progress. -ONA CAIRO

Oman takes part in funeral of ex-UN chief CAIRO: A military funeral was held for the former SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations Dr. Boutros Ghali, in Cairo Thursday. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, senior state officials, a group of Arab and foreign diplomats and international delegations participated in the funeral ceremony.

The Sultanate participated in the funeral ceremony, as it was represented by Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Isa Al Harthy, Sultanate’s Ambassador to Egypt and its Permanent Representative to the Arab League, who offered the condolences to his family and senior officials of the Egyptian State. -ONA

I N S U R A N C E L AW

A1 New amendments increase < FROM

personal accident benefits

If you have not lodged a claim during the insurance policy period, you are eligible to a certain reduction in the premium at the time of renewal While explaining the new amendments further, Muscat Insurance Company’s Philip said the new version has provisions offering an increase in personal accident benefits, a hike in the additional benefit limit for “transporting and safe guarding the damaged vehicle” and also slashing excess amount of payments significantly, which is the main salient feature of the new unified motor insurance law.

“At present the personal accident benefit claim is limited to OMR10,000. The amendment has the option to increase it to OMR15,000, OMR20,000 or OMR25,000,” Philip said.

According to Philip, the new amendment has substantially reduced the excess amount, especially for light commercial vehicles (LCV).

“The excess amount has been reduced substantially—especially for light commercial vehicles. The

LCVs are now split into two categories. Non-driving school and non-rent-a-cars fall in one category. In the second category, renta-cars and driving school vehicles are included.

The non-driving school/non rent-a-car segment excess has been reduced from OMR600 to OMR150 for undeclared drivers below 25 years. Similarly, other excess under this segment has gone down to the tune of 20 per cent to 50 per cent of what it was before,” he added.

The amended law also has a new provision for increasing the additional benefit limit for “transporting and safe guarding the damaged vehicle.”

According to the unaudited financial statements of the CMA, the insurance sector in Oman has posted growth in the gross premium underwritten in 2015.

The underwritten direct premium stood at OMR446 million; reflecting a growth of 11 per cent, compared with OMR400 million in 2014. The data quoted by the Oman News Agency pointed out that despite the growth of the

gross premiums written in 2015, growth rates have varied among insurance branches.

Most insurance branches posted growth during the year except for three branches, which experienced a decline in varying degrees.

Other insurance agencies saw high growth rates (48 per cent) and the biggest decline was recorded by engineering insurance (6 per cent).

The data pointed out that health insurance continued its growth and came on top of the other products in terms of growth rates, which stood at 30 per cent in 2015, compared with 2014.

Health insurance came second in terms of the gross premiums underwritten in 2015 with 24 per cent. Automobile insurance topped the list of other insurance with a 37 per cent growth rate.

The net direct premium underwritten in 2015 stood at about OMR249 million, compared with OMR222 million during the same period in 2014.

It should be noted that the growth of total premiums stood at 12 per cent, compared with 2014.

TRANSIT & TRANSFER NUMBERS

Rise in passenger traffic at Muscat, Salalah airports MUSCAT: Total passenger traffic (including transit & transfer passengers) through Muscat International Airport increased by 20 per cent to 1,021,929 passengers during January 2016 compared to 851,588 passengers for the same period of 2015.

Statistics show an increase in the arrival of passengers by 22 per cent to 517,473 during January this year compared to 425,045 passengers for the same period for 2015.

The number of departing passengers also rose by 19 per cent to 501,946 during January this year

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comparing to 420,629 passengers for the same period of 2015.

The increase in arrival and departure traffic into Muscat International Airport is attributed to the increase in the number of flights operated by existing airlines, such as Bangladesh Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and SpiceJet Ltd. In terms of Air cargo traffic at Muscat International airport, Aviation Statistics indicate an increase in the total unloaded and loaded freight by 19 per cent, with total shipment (10,663 tonnes) compared to (8,996 tonnes) in

the same period in 2015.

Salalah Airport also witnessed an increase by 16 per cent in the total number of arrival and departure of passengers to 95,152 in January 2016 compared to 81,877 passengers during the same period in 2015.

As for the movement of Air Cargo at Salalah Airport, Freight traffic recorded 17 per cent increase in total unloaded and loaded freight, bringing the shipment to ( 137 tonnes) during January 2016 compared to (117 tonnes) in the same period in 2015. -ONA

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Shura discusses Omanisation in private institutes The participants at the Shura Council meeting also discussed the challenges of meeting the requirements of labour market REVIEW MEETING: The Shura Council panel discussed the requirements for issuing a licence to private institutes. – Shura Council

Times News Service MUSCAT: Government’s involvement and investment in private universities and colleges in Oman was discussed on Thursday, during a meeting between the Education Committee of the Shura Council and officials of the Ministry of Higher Education.

According to a press statement of the Shura Council, requirements for issuing a licence to institutes was reviewed, as well as Omanisation policies in administrative and academic departments within the institutes, college fees and government investment in private institutes for higher education.

Labour market The participants at the meeting also discussed the challenges of meeting the requirements intoday’s labour market.

Officials of the Ministry said they face obstacles in the labour market, with too many authorities in charge of this sector, which makes it difficult to implement the Ministry’s policies of Omanisation.

They noted that some private colleges or universities do not have a good partnership with the labour market, keeping in mind the fast changes in the market.

Attiya bint Said Al Ma’amariya, the Deputy Head of Quality Assurance, spoke about the licences needed by private educational institutes and the procedures to follow when seeking approval of academic programmes, as well as standards for these institutes and how to ensure the quality of the students’ education.

Scholarships According to Al Ma’amariya, the number of scholarships granted by private educational institutes in the academic year 2015-2016 has reached 102.

Dr. Assad Allah bin Ahmed Al Ajmi, Advisor for Academic Affairs to the Minister of Higher Education, said the quality of education in private institutes is connected to outside participation. He noted that the current economic situation calls for involvement from different parties on the issue of scholarships, saying that the

private education sector has not adapted quickly enough to the current economic situation.

Also, the participants stressed the need for a clear strategy on higher education, the press release said.

Message Chairman of the Majlis Al Shura received Mitsugu Saito, Ambassador of Japan to the Sultanate.

The Japanese ambassador handed over a message to the Chairman of Majlis Al Shura. The message included an official invitation from Tadamori Oshima, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan to visit Japan to enhance the bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly in the parliamentary areas.

During the Meeting, Al Ma’awali gave the Japanese guest a briefing on the Majlis Al Shura and its legislative and regulative roles.

On his turn, the Japanese ambassador stressed the importance of enhancing the relations between the two friendly countries, particularly in the legislative and regulative sides. -With Inputs fromn ONA

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

REGION

South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013 when a row between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar ended with fighting that often occurred along ethnic fault lines.

US air strikes target IS in Libya, more than 40 killed Senior militant linked to Tunisia attacks among those targeted, says US

TRIPOLI: US warplanes carried out air strikes against IS-linked militants in western Libya on Friday, killing as many as 40 people in an operation targeting a suspect linked to two deadly attacks last year in neighbouring Tunisia.

It was the second US air strike in three months against IS in Libya, where the hardline militants have exploited years of chaos following Muammar Gaddafi’s 2011 overthrow to build up a presence on the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The mayor of the Libyan city of Sabratha, Hussein Al Thwadi, told Reuters the planes struck at 3:30am (0130 GMT), hitting a building in the city’s Qasr Talil district, home to many foreign workers.

He said 41 people had been killed and six wounded. The death toll could not immediately be confirmed with other officials.

Photos released by the municipal authorities showed a massive crater in grey earth. Several wounded men lay bandaged in hospital.

The air strikes targeted a house in a residential district about 8 km VIOLENCE

Fighting at UN compound in South Sudan kills 18: MSF JUBA: Fighting at a United Nations compound sheltering people fleeing conflict in South Sudan has killed 18 people, including two Medicins Sans Frontieres workers, the international medical aid group said.

South Sudan descended into civil war in December 2013 when a row between President Salva Kiir and his sacked deputy Riek Machar ended with fighting that often occurred along ethnic fault lines. People have been taking refuge in UN-administered “protection of civilian” sites, or POCs, since then. Thousands have been killed and more than 2 million people displaced from their homes since late 2013.

The UN peacekeeping mission, UNMISS, had said on Thursday fighting the night before between youths sheltering in the UN compound in Malakal had killed five and wounded 30 after violence erupted between two ethnic groups. The UN secretary-general’s spokesman said later at least seven people had been killed.

Armed conflict “At least 18 people were killed in armed conflict that erupted... in the Protection of Civilians site in Malakal... including two South Sudanese staff members of... Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) who were attacked in their homes,” the medical charity said in a statement.

MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, said it had also treated 36 people wounded in the fighting, including at least 25 with gunshot wounds. — Reuters

DESTROYED: A view shows damage at the scene after an airstrike by US warplanes against IS in Sabratha, Libya on Friday. – Reuters/Sabratha municipality media office/Handout via Reuters

(5miles) west of the centre, the municipal authorities said in a statement. The house had been rented to foreigners including Tunisians suspected of belonging to IS, and medium calibre weapons including machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades had been found in the rubble, the statement said.

Tunisian security sources have said they believe Tunisian IS militants have been trained in camps near Sabratha, which is close to the Tunisian border.

A US military officer said among those targeted in the air strikes was a senior Tunisian operative,

Noureddine Chouchane, believed to be connected to the attacks last year on a Tunis museum and the Sousse beach resort which killed dozens of tourists.

Officials have said those two attacks, both claimed by IS, were carried out by gunmen who trained in Libya.

“We are assessing the results of the operation,” said Colonel Mark Cheadle, spokesman for the Pentagon’s Africa Command.

The air strikes came just days after a warning by President Barack Obama that Washington intended to “take actions where

we’ve got a clear operation and a clear target in mind.

“And we are working with our coalition partners to make sure that as we see opportunities to prevent IS from digging in, in Libya, we take them,” Obama said on Tuesday.

Britain said it had authorised the use of its airbases to launch the attack.

“I welcome this strike that has taken out an IS training camp being used to train terrorists to carry out attacks,” Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in a statement.

“I was satisfied that its destruction makes us all safer, and I personally authorised the US use of our bases.”

Thwadi, the Sabratha mayor, said some Tunisians, a Jordanian and two women were among the dead, and several Tunisians who had recently arrived in Sabratha were among survivors. He gave no further details.

Since Gaddafi was overthrown five years ago by rebel forces backed by a campaign of NATO air strikes, Libya has slipped deeper into chaos with two rival governments each backed by competing factions of former rebel brigades.

A UN-backed government of national accord is trying to win support, but is still awaiting parliamentary approval. It is opposed by factional hardliners and has yet to establish itself in the capital Tripoli.

Meanwhile, IS has expanded, attacks on oil ports taking over Gaddafi’s home city of Sirte, now the militant group’s most important stronghold outside of its main redoubts in Syria and Iraq. Calls have increased for a swift Western response to stop the group establishing itself.

Western officials and diplomats have said air strikes and special forces operations are possible as well as an Italian-led “security stabilisation” plan of training and advising.

US and European officials have in the past insisted Libyans must first form a united government and ask for help, but they also say they may still carry out unilateral action if needed.. — Reuters

BUDGET DEFICIT

Tunisia to issue bonds worth $1.12b TUNIS: Tunisia is preparing to issue euro-denominated bonds worth as much as $1.12 billion (1 billion euros) within a few weeks, a government official said on Friday, as it looks to cover part of its budget deficit.

The North African state is struggling with dwindling tourism revenue after three militant attacks last year, protests over unemployment and slow progress on the economic reforms and cuts in public spending demanded by international lenders.

“We will go to the international market in few weeks... it should be between mid-March and May 2016, for between 750 million euros and 1 billion euros,” the official told Reuters, asking not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

He said the financing would help cover part of the budget deficit and the Finance Ministry had asked the central bank to start with the technical procedures for the bond operation.

Tunisia last went to the international market a year ago, with a $1 billion bond.

Tunisia’s economy has lagged since the 2011 uprising against former leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali that sparked the protests across North Africa and the Middle East.

Two attacks last year by militants targeted its tourism industry.

Protests over a lack of jobs that erupted in several towns last month also underscored demands for more economic opportunities in under-developed areas and among disenfranchised youths who see the revolution brought them little benefit. — Reuters

DOLLAR CRISIS HITS HARD

Egypt struggles to get subsidised food to poor CAIRO: “Any rice?” says the woman, leaning into a shop in Cairo and brandishing a green smartcard that carries her family’s food credits.

The shopkeeper shakes his head: “Only sugar.”

Behind him, more than half the shelves are empty. Rice and cooking oil are nowhere to be seen.

Tens of millions of Egyptians rely on state subsidies provided as credits on smartcards they redeem against household staples each month. But in recent weeks, imported commodities like cooking oil have been in short supply as a dollar shortage makes it harder for state importers to secure regular supplies.

Shortages persist across the capital and in cities from Alexandria in the north to Minya in the south. “When we ask the grocer he says there’s nothing but sugar. Every day he says, tomorrow, tomorrow, but we are half way through the month now and it’s not resolved,” said Samia Mohamed, a housewife, at a grocery in southern Cairo.

“Prices elsewhere are expensive. We don’t know what to do.”

Affordable food is an explosive issue in Egypt, where millions live a paycheck from hunger and economic discontent has helped unseat two presidents in five years.

The dangers are not lost on President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, whose government has sought to protect poor Egyptians from the worst effects of double-digit inflation. The smartcards are accepted at a network of government-run supermarkets as well as 26,000 privately owned grocers and grant each family member $2 (15 Egyptian pounds) of credits a week plus five loaves of bread a day from participating bakeries.

The Supply Ministry also over-

DEPLETING STOCKS: A worker sells subsidised food commodities at a government-run supermarket in Cairo, Egypt. – Reuters

sees a network of stores and kiosks offering subsidised food outside the smartcard system.

Goods of all kinds are available at ordinary supermarkets not participating in the smartcard scheme but poor consumers would have to fork out market prices that many can ill-afford.

But even at the discount shops, stocks are low.

At a kiosk, emblazoned with the Egyptian flag and the words “together against high prices” in a historic part of Cairo, a shelf labelled “local rice, 3.25 per kilo” is bare. “Oil is in short supply. The supplies of oil aren’t stable,” said the manager of the kiosk, which opened in December as part of a government effort to ease food inflation. “Sometimes we are short of rice, sometimes sugar... Sometimes people don’t like the variety.

We don’t get enough.”

Supply Minister Khaled Hanafi

said on Thursday that stocks at state food companies were being replenished with dozens of products which would be available to smartcard-holders in March.

Though essential foods are high on the priority list, a foreign exchange shortage has made it more difficult for Egypt’s state food importers to pay promptly over the past year. Worst affected by the shortages has been cooking oil, with payment problems putting suppliers off bidding in state tenders. Egypt’s state importers have cancelled three cooking oil tenders in the last three months alone after not receiving enough offers or because prices were too high.

Traders say they now have to factor in the cost of expected delays, particularly after the government brought in measures which mean they are not paid for up to six months. “You are talking millions of dollars here. These delays

are costly,” said one trader. “They make you feel like a beggar when you chase your money, not answering calls, not responding.”

Egypt has struggled to revive its economy since the 2011 protests drove away tourists and foreign investors. Foreign exchange reserves have more than halved since then, leaving Egypt with scarcely enough to cover threemonths worth of imports.

Pressure has mounted on the central bank to devalue the pound but it has resisted a major adjustment for fear of stoking inflation.

Instead, it has imposed strict limits on dollar deposits and transfers, making it harder to clear shipments. A lack of clarity on rice policy has also caused confusion in the market. Egypt banned rice exports in 2008 but lifted the ban in October after a bumper harvest.

It issued a rice import tender last month only to cancel it again and

grocers say there is not enough rice in state stores.

Occasional shortages have been the norm for the past year, but supply issues were compounded in recent weeks by a change in the rules surrounding unclaimed bread rations. Participating grocers source most of their goods from the state-run Food Industries Holding Company (FIHC) but until this month would receive cash from the Supply Ministry equivalent to any unclaimed bread credits. They would then use the cash to buy other goods on the open market to meet the demand. Since February 1, they have been refused cash and been offered goods supplied by the FIHC instead.

But grocers say the FIHC is unable to meet demand. “The issue is not one of oil and sugar. We used to buy 100 products and now we can’t find 10... More than 50 per cent of the supply stores are empty and there are no goods,” said Majed Nadi, spokesman for the General Grocers’ Syndicate.

“They expected to be able to meet all the needs but they couldn’t.”

Hanafi, the Supply Minister, said 2,000 tonnes of rice and 2,500 tonnes of oil were being supplied daily to replenish stocks in addition to goods including pasta, tea, and canned tuna, which have not been in short supply.

FIHC bought 42,000 tonnes of sunflower and soy oils on Wednesday. A previous shipment was due to arrive on February 10-20. Supply Ministry spokesman Mahmoud Diab said the change was intended to reduce prices because FIHC could secure economical bulk deals that individual grocers could not. “The idea is to bring citizens higher quality goods at lower prices,” he told Reuters. “It is for the good of the people.” — Reuters

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T E R R O R AT TA C K

FIR by Pakistan in Pathankot attack case a ‘step forward’ NEW DELHI: Lodging of an FIR

by Pakistani authorities in the Pathankot terror attack case is seen by India as a “step forward” in bringing the perpetrators of the strike to justice.

The FIR was filed against “unknown persons” though India had named JeM chief Masood Azhar as mastermind of the strike.

The Pathankot attack had led to the postponement of IndiaPakistan Foreign Secretary-level talks. It is a “step forward” in investigation and to bring the perpetrators of the attack to book, official sources said.

The FIR was registered at Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) centre in Gujranwala, Punjab province, on Thursday, after weeks of investigation into the case.

According to a CTD official, the FIR was needed to start po-

lice and judicial proceedings on the basis of evidence collected in connection with the attack for which India has blamed on Jaishe-Mohammed militant group.

India has identified Azhar as the mastermind of the attack.

It has also blamed his brother Rauf and five others for carrying out the attack.

The FIR has been lodged on the basis of information provided by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval that four attackers probably crossed from Pakistan into India and attacked the airbase on January 2.

The FIR number 06/2016 was lodged under sections 302, 324 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code, and sections 7 and 21-I of the Anti-Terrorism Act. The FIR also mentions the telephone numbers contacted by the militants during the attack. - PTI

MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENT’S APPEAL

Top court seeks Salman’s reply in hit-and-run case NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Friday sought the response from Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on Maharashtra government’s appeal against his acquittal in the 2002 hit-and-run case, observing that exoneration from the top court would “vindicate him once and for all”.

“Acquittal from this Court is important. If you (Salman Khan) are acquitted from here, you will be vindicated once and for all,” a bench comprising justices J. S. Khehar and C. Nagappan said while issuing notice to the noted actor on the plea of the government of Maharshtra.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the state, said the Bombay High Court had

erred on two points while acquitting the filmstar.

“Firstly, the High Court had erred in its finding by holding that there was ‘erroneous application’ of Section 33 of Evidence Act (relevancy of certain evidence for proving, in subsequent proceeding, the truth of facts therein stated) by the trial court,” he said.

Rohtagi said that on second count, the High Court had erred by holding that the prosecution witness Ravindra Patil, a constable who was guarding the actor and had first called the police, was not a “wholly reliable witness” and his version needed corroboration with accounts of other witnesses. - PTI

A5

INDIA

Army called in as Jat quota stir turns ugly Seeing the situation going out of control, security personnel opened fire in which one person was killed and around 21 others were injured, police officials said

ROHTAK (Haryana) One person was killed and 21 others were injured when a protest by Jats for quota turned violent here, prompting the security personnel to open fire on the rampaging mobs who attacked the house of state’s finance minister besides indulging in arson.

Haryana DGP said army has been called in to control the situation. The protesters who had gathered at the Rohtak bye-pass road of Delhi Hissar National Highway turned violent and allegedly attacked police vehicles which were parked there in which window panes were damaged, officials said.

The security personnel deployed there had to use force, including firing, to control the violent mob which also attacked the nearby private residence of Haryana Finance Minister Abhimanyu.

A car parked outside the house was also set on fire by the mob which pelted stones on the house besides attempting to set it on fire, police said. Seeing the situation going out of control, security personnel opened fire in which one person was killed and around 21 others were injured, police said.

“There is one death of an unidentified person because of (suspected) bullet injuries,” said

UP IN ARMS: Members of the Jat community set fire to a truck during their agitation for education and job reservation in Rohtak on Friday. - PTI

authorities of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Science and Hospital.

Twenty one injured people, including one critical, have been admitted to the hospital, its authorities added. Police and paramilitary personnel used force against protesters after they allegedly turned violent and went on rampage.

The Circuit House and the office of Inspector General of Police (IGP), Rohtak were also attacked by the protesters who pelted stones on the buildings. A car parked at the IGP office was also damaged, officials said.

A police vehicle and some private vehicles, including a two wheeler, were also set on fire. The scooter of a person who was taking a sick to a local hospital was also set on fire by the protesters.

Elsewhere in various places in the northern-Indian state of Haryana, protesters deflated tyres of cars of a number of people trying to travel on various National and State Highways in the state.

The main impact of the Jats’ agi-

tation is in various districts of the state including Rohtak, Jhajjar, Bhiwani, Hissar, Fatehabad, Karnal, Jind, Yamuna Nagar, Sirsa and Gurgaon where road transport has come to a halt.

Haryana Roadways has suspended its local and inter-state bus services in the affected districts.

Mobile Internet services have also been suspended in various districts including Rohtak and Jhajjar.

Besides Haryana Police, personnel of Central Para Military Forces (CPMF) personnel have been deployed in various districts, including the worst affected Rohtak.

Senior civil and police officers held a meeting at the state headquarters in Chandigarh to review the situation arising out of the violence being reported from various parts of the state.

Reports of violence at various places started coming in shortly after the all party meeting convened by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The participants at the meeting

besides raising the demand of reservation for Jats also appealed to people to maintain peace and law and order in the state.

Disruptions caused by the ongoing Jat quota stir have caused a loss of Rs2 billion to the Indian railways as the schedules of more than 600 passenger and freight trains were hit, a railway ministry official said.

According to railways, the running of 124 passenger trains and about 500 freight trains has been affected since the launch of the Jat agitation on February 15.

The financial loss so far due to cancellation of passenger trains and disruption of freight service is about Rs2 billion, a senior railway ministry official said.

The agitation has affected train services in the Northern and North-West zones, the official said.

“We had to cancel many important trains, including the Jammu Rajdhani and Vaishnodevi Katra train and Shatabdi trains to Chandigrah, Kalka and Amristsar,” said the official. - PTI

A6

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016 We were also demanding action against BJP MLA Kailash Choudhary who made derogatory remarks against (Congress vice president) Rahul Gandhi when the ABVP activists clashed with us Rakesh Meena, NSUI leader

INDIA

JNU row: More protests break out as lawyers march in Delhi Clashes between rival student groups in Jaipur and police action in Hyderabad where several people were detained marked the protests in other cities

RAGE: Students stop a train during a protest over the Jawaharlal Nehru University issue in Patna on Friday. - PTI

NEW DELHI: Scores of lawyers, including Vikram Singh Chauhan and others who beat up journalists and JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar in a Delhi court complex, on Friday took out a protest march here against those indulging in “anti-national” acts.

Clashes between rival student groups in Jaipur and police action in Hyderabad where several people were detained marked the protests in other cities.

In the national capital, the lawyers, mostly from Patiala House

and several other district courts, marched around the India Gate circle, shouting slogans and waving the tricolour, amid heavy police security.

Demanding action They were demanding action against those “indulging” in “antiIndia” activities.

Some of the lawyers, including Chauhan, who were caught on camera leading brazen assaults on journalists and Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students in Pa-

tiala House courts, on Monday and Wednesday were part of the protest and appeared to be unfazed by the outrage over their actions.

Chauhan’s colleagues told the media that the lawyers did not indulge in violence against anyone, including journalists.

Three lawyers, including Chauhan, have been summoned by Delhi Police in connection with Monday’s attack but they are yet to appear before it.

Members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sanghstudent wing, and Congress’ student wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) clashed during their protests over the JNU row outside Rajasthan University campus in Jaipur.

The groups of students clashed at the main gate of the University.

They were holding their respective protests and demonstration on the JNU issue when the incident occurred, Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) K Rastradeep said.

Police later dispersed the protesters, the DCP said, adding no one was injured in the incident and the situation was normal now.

“We were protesting to demand that the main accused in the JNU incident should be arrested because there is no evidence against the JNU students union president Kanhaiya Kumar,” NSUI leader Rakesh Meena said.

“We were also demanding action against BJP legislator Kailash Choudhary who made derogatory remarks against (Congress vice president) Rahul Gandhi when the party student wing activists clashed with us,” Meena, who led the NSUI protest, said.

At least 52 activists of CPI and other Left organisations were taken into preventive custody when

they tried to march towards Raj Bhavan in Hyderabad demanding Kumar’s immediate and unconditional release, police said.

Police took 10 advocates (from two different groups) into preventive custody when they tried to gather in front of the Bar Council Office over the JNU row on the premises of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad for the states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Charminar Division) K. Ashok Chakravarthy said.

“Out of the ten advocates, who were taken into custody, three of them are pro-Kanhaiya and remaining are anti- Kanhaiya,” the ACP said, adding there is no permission either for holding procession or organising meeting on the High Court premises.

Several CPI and Left-wing activists led by Telangana state CPI secretary Chada Venkat Reddy raising slogans attempted to take out a rally towards Raj Bhavan but were prevented by police on Khairtabad cross itself and 52 of them were placed under preventive arrests, Saifabad Police Station Inspector K Poorna Chander said. All those who were taken into preventive custody were later released. - PTI

ISRO

Cryogenic engine test successful T H I R U VA N A N T H A P U RAM: India’s space agency ISRO on Friday successfully hot tested ‘Cryo CE 20’ engine for 640 seconds, with Chairman A. S. Kirankumar describing the feat as a “phenomenal achievement in the shortest time.”

The test was completed successfully at ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri on Friday at 17.15 hours, an ISRO press release said here.

This engine is identified for cryogenic stage hot tests for GSLV MkIII, according to the release. The engine has already undergone two short duration tests and demonstrated repeatability of engine ignition characteristics and steady state performance, it said.

The test was conducted with Mixture Ratio Controller in closed loop mode for the flight duration of 640 seconds, according to ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).

Kirankumar, in his address to the gathering present at Mahendragiri, described it as “a phenomenal achievement in the shortest time”. The fully indigenous engine development is a major step towards the launch of GSLV MkIII in December, the release said. - PTI

B I L AT E R A L T I E S

Nepalese PM’s India visit to focus on mending ties hit by new constitution NEW DELHI: In his first overseas trip after assuming charge of the top office, Nepal Prime Minister K. P. Oli arrived here on a sixday visit during which he will hold extensive talks with the Indian leadership with a major focus on mending ties hit by issues relating to the Himalayan nation’s new Constitution.

External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj received Oli, accompanied by a 77-member delegation, at the airport, reflecting importance India attaches to the visit.

Oli and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold extensive talks on a range of issues on Saturday following which both sides are expected to sign a number of pacts to step up cooperation in several key sectors.

It is expected that India will ask Nepal to complete the “unfinished task” of making the Constitution more inclusive to address the concerns of the Madhesi community which share close family and cultural ties with Indians.

Ties between the two countries had soured in the wake of agitation by the Madhesi community opposing Nepal’s Constitution, saying it failed to address their concerns over representation and homeland. The agitators had

WARM WELCOME: Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, left, received by External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, as he arrives at IGI airport T3, in New Delhi on Friday. - PTI

blocked the trading points for almost four months crippling supply of petroleum products, medicines and other commodities by India to that country.

The blockade was lifted this month. It is the first bilateral visit by a Nepalese Prime Minister here after the trip by the then premier Baburam Bhattarai in October 2011. Oli’s predecessor Sushil Koirala had attended Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in May 2014.

“Welcoming our Northern guest. EAM @SushmaSwaraj receives Nepal’s PM KP Sharma Oli on his State visit to India,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a photographs of Swaraj receiving him.

Oli is accompanied by wife Radhika Shakya, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Kamal Thapa, Finance Minister Bishnu Poudyal, Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamaji and Home Min-

ister Shakti Basnet among others.

The Nepalese Prime Minister will stay at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Modi had paid a bilateral visit to Nepal in August 2014 which was the first such trip by an Indian Prime Minister to the neighbouring country in 17 years. Modi had gone to Nepal again in November 2014 for the SAARC Summit.

Swaraj, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be among those who will call on the Nepalese Prime Minister.

Oli will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice President Hamid Ansari. He will visit Dehradun on Sunday to inspect the Tehri hydel power project and will return here in the evening.

On Monday, he will address the Indian Council for World Affairs and attend a business meeting.

He will leave for Bhuj in Gujarat on Tuesday to have a first hand experience of the earthquake reconstruction work there.

Nepal was struck by a devastating quake in April last year and is currently in the process of carring out reconstruction work.

The same day he will leave for Mumbai from Gujarat and will meet Maharashtra Governor.

He will leave for Nepal from Mumbai on February 24. - PTI

STUDY

Excess mobile use leaves teens prone to spinal problems NEW DELHI: Fifty per cent of Indian children and teenagers are prone to spinal problems due to the too much use of mobile phones, said a study done by a hospital.

The problem may lead to permanent damage to their cervical spines that could lead to lifelong pain, it said. The neck pain and physical damage sustained from the overuse of one’s mobile phone, tablet or other wireless devices has also been described as ‘Text neck’.

Conducted by Lilavati Hospital, the study said 79 per cent of the population between the age group of 18 and 44 have their cell phones with them almost all the time, with only two hours of their waking day spent without their cell phone on hand. India has the world’s second highest mobile phone users with the figure standing above one billion.

“People working on computers most of the day, like software

professionals and bank employees, are also prone to feel pain and slight numbness in their neck and shoulders,” said Nirad S. Vengsarkar, orthopaedic surgeon at the hospital. Due to the overuse of phone, instead of a normal forward curve, patients can be seen to have a backwards curve which can be degenerative, often causing head, neck, shoulder and back pain, said the study.

“The condition can also result

in emotional and behavioural changes as the stress can affect the release of happy hormones,” said the study.

“Resting the chin on the chest to look at the phone stretches the spinal cord and brain stem. This can affect respiration, heart rate and blood pressure. It can also mean that happy hormones, such as Endorphins and Serotonin are not released, meaning people can wake up anxious,” said the report. - IANS

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

A7

PAKISTAN Raheel pledges to protect Chinese project at any cost

Details of loan to former top judge sought ISLAMABAD: Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Thursday directed the House Building Finance Company Limited (HBFC) to provide details of the money lent to former chief justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary.

The parliamentary body had issued the directions after ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) member Sardar Ashiq Hussain Gopang asked the sums lent and whether any of it had been returned.

“Tell us how much money Justice Chaudhary has borrowed?”

Gopang asked as he cited statements of the ex-chief justice wherein he had admitted to taking loans from the body which provides affordable housing solutions to low and middle income groups.

We are totally aware of all campaigns against the corridor (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) and I vow that the security forces are ready to pay any price to turn this long cherished dream into reality

ISLAMABAD: Army Chief General Raheel Sharif vowed on Friday that security forces are ready to pay any price to turn the long cherished dream of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into reality.

“We are totally aware of all campaigns against the corridor and I vow that the security forces are ready to pay any price to turn this long cherished dream into reality,” the army chief said, according to a statement released by the military’s media wing, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The army chief was visiting the headquarters of the newly raised Special Security Division (SSD) for the security of CPEC in Diamer, Gilgit-Baltistan.

General Raheel urged coordination of law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to ensure security for the project.

The army chief also reiterated the commitment of Pakistan Army to provide security for the project and the workforce involved, terming it a game changer having the potential to transform

CONTROVERSY

TREASURE CHEST: The army chief was visiting the headquarters of the newly raised Special Security Division (SSD) for the security of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in Diamer, Gilgit-Baltistan. — Files

lives of people of the country.

He also emphasised the need to ensure peaceful environment to be able to push all planned development projects.

Earlier, the army chief was given a detailed briefing on the progress of raising of the force and wide ranging security aspects of the project.

The Gilgit-Baltistan government announced on Wednesday to “allocate a substantial piece of

land to Pakistan Army in Diamer district so it could set up headquarters and ensure security for CPEC.” Brigade stationed According to the officials, the site is situated in Thak Das, a barren piece of land near Chilas, where a brigade will be stationed.

Earlier on February 3, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, accompanied by General Raheel, inau-

gurated Rs13 billion Gwadar-Turbat-Hoshab Road (M-8), a part of the CPEC. The premier on the occasion said his government accorded top priority to development in Balochistan, and regarded the road construction as a dream come true.

He termed Pakistan’s prosperity as the prosperity of Balochistan.

Nawaz said Central Asian re-

publics were keen to use the elaborate network of roads in Pakistan to reach to the open seas, adding that the road linkage would benefit as many as three billion people of the entire region.

He lauded the Federal Work Organisation team for completing the road despite numerous challenges, and appreciated the army chief for his interest in the project, as well as overall peace in Balochistan. — Express Tribune

Position “You (HBFC) recover money from other defaulters forcefully, what was your position in this case where a former CJP happens to be a client?” Gopang went on to ask.

The questions were asked as HBFC Managing Director Pervez Said briefed the committee on audit paras of Ministry of Finance for fiscal year 2010-11.

He said that the additional sums it had collected from customers under the head of late payments and others were being kept as ‘charity’ in light with a Shariah decision in 1998.

When asked by PAC Chairman Khursheed Shah, Said explained they had collected between Rs900 million to a billion but it has never been disbursed. “You could not find a poor man in Pakistan in the last 17 years,” asked Shah.

The committee also discussed several irregularities pointed out by auditors, such as Rs6.49 million disbursed among HBFC employees as ‘recovery incentive’. Finance Secretary Dr Waqar Masood Khan defended the move, explaining that it had been given to motivate employees. “Recovery is their job and they are paid for this,” Gopang argued. — Express Tribune

H I AT U S O F E I G H T M O N T H S

Never occurred to me to stay away from Chitral: UK academic CHITRAL: Change is the unsettling buzzword on British educationist and Langland School and College principal Carey Schofield’s mind after she returned to Chitral after a hiatus of eight months.

“Since I left Chitral in May, the district has been affected by severe floods and what was probably the worst earthquake in its history,” Schofield told The Express Tribune over email.

“Almost everybody has been affected in one way or another. [Although] a great deal of help has been provided, people are suffering nonetheless.”

She added both natural disasters have negatively impacted the school. “Our building has been affected,” she said. “We had to move five classes from one section by renting another house.”

During these turbulent times, the educationist maintained contact with the school through email and telephone, and ran the affairs of the school from her kitchen table in Chelsea.

Schofield, who became the principal of the institute in 2013 after Major Geoffrey Douglas Langlands retired from the post, was unseated from her position on June 26, 2015.

At the time, she was on a visit to London. Langlands returned to seize the reins of the school, saying it was not being run in an effective manner.

“My job is here, my house is here [and even] my animals are here.

How could I not return? It never occurred to me to stay away from Chitral.”

We have a large number of pupils with dyslexia and dyspraxia who have specific needs not recognised by locals. We now have a dedicated learning support coordinator Carey Schofield British educationist

NOT GOING AWAY: Langland School and College principal Carey Schofield who became the principal of the institute in 2013 after Major Geoffrey Douglas Langlands retired from the post, was unseated from her position on June 26, 2015. — Express Tribune

Earlier on June 13, 2015 Langlands had visited Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to discuss management issues at the school and received a favourable response

from him. Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan blocked Schofield’s application for a new work visa for Pakistan on the retired educationist’s advice.

Now, Schofield has been able to return to the country—which she did earlier on February 5—after a large number of teachers repeatedly urged Langlands to put an

end to the dispute. “We are lucky to have very committed teachers who, through their loyalty and sheer hard work were able to avert crisis in my absence,” she said.

According to Schofield, her return to Chitral was almost inevitable and she was looking forward to coming back to a life she had left behind “Chitral is my home,” she said.

Visa process Recalling the difficulties she faced in returning to Chitral, she said the governing body of her school helped her through the ordeal.

“No one outside the governing body had any authority to interfere with my visa process,” she said. “We are lucky that our school has great supporters who helped and encouraged us during last year’s difficulties.

“We are also grateful to the interior ministry who realised that wrong had been done and immediately granted the visa.”

Schofield is eager to pick up from where she left off. “We [at the school] are hampered by a lack of money, electricity, water, communication facilities,” she said.

Exploit experience According to Schofield, the institute is working to strengthen contacts with leading schools and educationists from across the world.

“We want to exploit experience and expertise from other parts of the world and bring the best of it to Chitral,” she said.

Schofield said these facilities will require money, time and dedication. — Express Tribune

A8

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READERS’ FORUM Only rich can protect children from mental illnesses This refers to the report Kate uses Huffington Post guest editor role to tackle mental illness stigma (February 17). It is nice too see the Duchess of Cambridge take action to make the world a better place.

Of course, as everything starts at home, she has to make sure her children develop mentally without having any type of negativity.

Such an effort is possible only with families having millions at disposal. In case of government, even Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron is not doing much to make things better. When it comes to reaction towards different states of the mind humans Scan this QR code generally like to consider only those like to send letters to the themselves to be sane.

Readers’ Forum, — Trevor Haynes, Ruwi containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by e-mail (akhtar@ timesofoman.com).

BRAHMA CHELLANEY

Bottling glacier water is not the right way to quench China’s thirst.

A better alternative, would be to boost investment in treatment facilities to make tap water safe in cities. Unfortunately, China seems determined to remain on its current course, which could do irreparable damage to Asia’s environment, economy, and political stability

Need to put sporting bodies under governments for accountability This refers to the report FIFA faces day of reckoning as threats mount (February 19).

Since an year or so the world of football has been embroiled in all sorts of scandals. It is not possible this is the only sport where officials are corrupt. It is likely that many officials of all other sports are engaged in similar activities. It is high time, sporting bodies come under governments and direct public scrutinies, such that they are periodically elected and appropriately made accountable.

—Munira Bhatt, Ruwi

NEW INDIA ASSURANCE

“Insure with New India and be secure”

Tel: 24838800 | Fax: 24838899 | Email: niamct@omantel.net.om | Website: www.newindiaoman.com Choose rather to be strong of soul than strong of body.

PYTHAGORAS

T

he late US Justice Antonin Scalia argued last year that there was something wrong with having a Supreme Court composed entirely of people who had studied at Harvard and Yale law schools. You may disagree with the larger point he was making but you’ve got to admit that it’s pretty weird that the members of the nation’s highest judicial body are drawn from only two schools. (Ruth Bader Ginsburg got her law degree from Columbia, but spent two of her three lawschool years at Harvard.)

The justices’ post-law-school careers have been similar too. From Adam Liptak in the New York Times: Three of the current justices are former Supreme Court law clerks. Only one has served as a trial judge, and none has served on a state court.

Not one has run for public office.

All of the justices but one are former federal appeals court judges. With one exception, those eight served on what might be called the court of appeals for the Acela Circuit, in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington. This isn’t the way things used to be. In the past, former governors, US senators and even a former president (William Howard Taft) served on the high court; appellate experience and fancy law degrees were not prerequisites. That’s partly because in the early days there were no appeals courts (Congress created them in 1891) or law schools (Harvard’s, effectively the oldest, was founded in 1817). But presidents kept appointing justices without law degrees well into the twentieth century -- the last such appointment was Robert H. Jackson in 1941.

The Supreme Court is an extreme case, but there are other examples of American institutions becoming narrowly credentialist in their hiring approach. Northwestern University professor Lauren Rivera caused a stir a few years ago with her research finding that elite investment banks, law firms and consulting firms seriously considered candidates from only a handful of top schools. And multiple studies have documented that to get an academic job at a prestigious university you have to have an academic degree from a similarly prestigious university.

You’d think the results-oriented business world would be more open to people from less prestigious schools, and to some extent it is. But look-

ing at chief executive officers of Fortune 500 and Standard & Poor’s 500 Index companies in 2015, the top three undergraduate alma maters were still Harvard, Princeton and Stanford, according to the executive search firm Crist Kolder Associates. (Cornell came in fourth and the University of Michigan fifth.) Chief financial officers presented a more interesting mix, with the universities of Notre Dame, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Stanford and Illinois making up the top five, in that order.

On the Bloomberg billionaires list, prestigious university affiliations are standard. Among the top Americans on the list, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg attended Harvard (although of course they didn’t graduate), Warren Buffett went to the University of Pennsylvania as an undergrad before transferring to the University of Nebraska and got a master’s degree from Columbia, Jeff Bezos graduated from Princeton, Bill and Charles Koch each got multiple degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Larry Ellison dropped out of both the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago, and Sergey Brin and Larry Page were both Ph.D. candidates at Stanford when they founded Google. It’s not until you get to the three Walton siblings that you encounter people untainted by high-prestige- university affiliation (though one of the three, Rob, has a Columbia law degree).

The tendency toward fancy degrees is also apparent in national politics. Of the five people who seem to have a real shot at winning a major party’s presidential nomination, only Marco Rubio (University of Florida undergrad, University of Miami law) doesn’t have a high-prestige credential. The last presidential election in which neither candidate had a degree from a current top-10 school was in 1984, when Ronald Reagan (Eureka College) beat Walter Mondale (Macalester College undergrad, University of Minnesota law).

Is this a problem? Scalia argued that if the Supreme Court restricted itself to purely legal rulings it wouldn’t be, but since it also makes political decisions it ought to be more representative of the population. — Bloomberg View

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PICTOGRAPH

FROM OUR ARCHIVES FEBRUARY 2001 Sayyid Saud opens meet on syllabus improvement MUSCAT: Sayyid Saud bin Ibrahim Al Busaidi, minister of education, opened at Crowne Plaza Hotel yesterday a working session on reform, improvement and management of educational syllabi in the Gulf region. The five-day seminar is being organized by the Ministry of Education in association with the Omani Education, Culture and Science Commission (OECSCE) and the Unesco’s international office of education. Dr Hamad Al Humamai, director general of syllabuses and training, said the seminar would discuss strategies of change in the school syllabuses, besides other relevant topics.

(2015)

ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION IN OMAN

MUSCAT

in Gigawatt per hour

Sep

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

530.5

Oct

487.5

1906: Russian troops seize large portions of Mongolia.

Nov

417.8

1941: The United States sends war planes to the Pacific.

1962: Mercury astronaut John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth.

1971: Young people protest having to cut their long hair in Athens, Greece.

0 Source National Centre for Statistics and Information

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WORLD

Vietnam protests China’s missile deployment on disputed island Australia and New Zealand urged restraint, resolve disputes through international law

HANOI/SYDNEY: Vietnam protested to China on Friday at a “serious violation” of its sovereignty over Beijing’s apparent deployment of an advanced missile system on a disputed South China Sea island, while Australia and New Zealand urged Chinese restraint.

Tensions between China and its neighbours over maritime territory have risen since Taiwan and US officials said Beijing had placed surface-to-air missiles on Woody Island, part of the Paracel archipelago it controls.

“Vietnam is deeply concerned about the actions by China. These are serious infringements of Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Paracels, threatening peace and

RISING TENSIONS: A protestor holds an effigy symbolising a missile and placards during a rally outside the Chinese Consulate in Manila’s Makati financial district in the Philippines, on Friday. – Reuters

stability in the region as well as security, safety and freedom of navigation and flight,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said in a statement.

“Vietnam demands China immediately stop such erroneous actions.”

The statement said diplomatic notes had been issued to China’s embassy in Hanoi and to United

Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to protest at Beijing’s activities, including the building of a military helicopter base on Duncan island.

Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull had urged claimants to refrain from islandbuilding and militarisation in the South China Sea. “It is absolutely critical that we

CASH-STRAPPED

Zika-hit Puerto Rico readies to import blood supplies WASHINGTON: New guidelines barring the collection of blood in areas with outbreaks of the mosquito-borne Zika virus will be put to the test first in cash-strapped Puerto Rico, where health officials have two weeks to start importing the island’s supply.

The US Food and Drug Administration said earlier this week that areas with active domestic transmission of Zika virus should stop collecting blood locally.

Puerto Rico has reported a small number of cases of local transmission, and US health officials expect many thousands of residents to be infected once the mosquito season reaches its peak this summer.

Local health officials fear switching to imports could undermine the island’s voluntary donation network, which provides the bulk of its needs. The new guidelines will require Puerto Rico to obtain its entire supply from the continental United States at a cost of up to $100,000 a week, said Jose O. Alsina, vice president and chief operating officer of Puerto Rico’s Banco de Sangre de Servicios Mutuos, the island’s largest blood bank.

The US territory is struggling with about $70 billion in debt and a 45 per cent poverty rate. The island has already defaulted on some debt payments and its Governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla has warned that the government is close to running out of money.

Alsina said its eight blood banks can’t afford to buy blood and make payroll, which includes about 400 drivers, phlebotomists, nurses and others. Blood bank officials are asking the government to help pay for the imports so they can maintain their infrastructure until local collection can resume. They also have asked for extra time to collect blood locally before having to import it all. “Laying off people, even for a short time, would be devastating,” Alsina said.

The FDA said that it recognised the new rules would create hard-

NEW GUIDELINES: The US Food and Drug Administration said earlier this week that areas with active domestic transmission of Zika virus should stop collecting blood locally. – Reuters

ships but stressed they were necessary to ensure safety. The Zika virus has been found in blood, and experts are concerned about the possibility that it could be transmitted through transfusion.

FDA “is actively engaged in conversations with local health authorities and blood collection establishments in Puerto Rico in order to minimise the impact to the greatest extent possible,” said spokeswoman Tara Goodin.

The Zika outbreak began in Brazil last year and has spread rapidly through the Americas.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global health emergency earlier this month because the virus is suspected of causing microcephaly, a birth defect marked by unusually small heads that can cause developmental disabilities.

President Barack Obama has asked Congress to approve $1.8 billion in supplemental emergency funding to help combat the virus, with $250 million designated for Puerto Rico.Dr Thomas Frieden, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has told lawmakers some of the funds should finance the development of a blood screening test that he hoped could be

available in six to 12 months. In the meantime, researchers at the Blood Systems Research Institute (BSRI), a unit of the blood and transfusion services company Blood Systems Inc, are evaluating the possibility of refining an existing Zika test to temporarily screen blood from Puerto Rico.

The test was developed nearly a decade ago by the CDC and has been used mainly for research purposes. Dr Michael Busch, director of the BSRI said he believes his institute could refine the test and screen the Puerto Rican blood supply until a commercial test becomes available later this year.

Busch said the institute is in discussions with the FDA and believes it could scale up capacity to test Puerto Rican blood donations and submit an application for approval by the end of March. The CDC test could screen the average amount of blood Puerto Rico uses per week but not much more, Busch said. The US Virgin Islands and American Samoa also have been identified by CDC as areas with active Zika transmission, but both already import their blood supply from the continental United States and Hawaii, respectively, the FDA said. — Reuters

ensure that there is a lowering of tensions,” said Turnbull, speaking after a meeting in Sydney with New Zealand counterpart John Key. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes every year and which is believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas. Vietnam, Malaysia, Bru-

nei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.

The Philippines said it was “gravely concerned” about the reports of missiles being deployed on Woody Island.

“These developments further erode trust and confidence and aggravate the already tense situation,” its Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Australia’s Turnbull said if Chinese President Xi Jinping was serious about avoiding the socalled Thucydides Trap, a foreign policy metaphor inspired by ancient Athens and Sparta in which a rising power causes fear in an established power that escalates towards war, he must resolve disputes through international law.

“President Xi is right in identifying avoiding that trap as a key goal,” said Turnbull.

Beijing has been angered by air and sea patrols the United States has conducted near islands China claims. Those have included one by two B-52 strategic bombers in November and by a US Navy destroyer that sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island in the Paracels last month.

Key said New Zealand, the first developed country to recognise China as a market economy and to

sign a bilateral free trade deal, was leveraging its relationship with China to urge measures to lower tensions.

“Does that give us more opportunities to make that case, both privately and publicly?... my view is yes,” said Key, noting that both Australia and New Zealand are now also part of the Beijing-led Asian Investment Bank.

The comments come after Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop visited Beijing, where she raised the issues of the missiles and the South China Sea in meetings with Chinese officials, including top diplomat Yang Jiechi.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Australia and New Zealand “are not countries involved in the South China Sea”.

“We hope the two countries can objectively view the historical developments of the South China Sea, not neglect the facts, and not put forward proposals that are unconstructive,” Hong told reporters.

The Chinese government has offered few details in response to the missile claim, while accusing Western media of “hyping up” the story and saying China has a legitimate right to military facilities on territory it views as its own. — Reuters

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016 The suspension will be in force until the government is satisfied with the manpower needs of the industries Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister

WORLD

I ATA WA R N I N G

VIOLENT PROTEST Kosovo police officers weraing gas masks inspect Parliament, after tear gas was released by opposition lawmakers, disrupting the first parliamentary session of the year on Friday in Pristina. Angry over a government deal with Serbia, the united opposition has effectively blocked parliamentary proceedings since October with their tear gas protests. They are demanding snap elections. — AFP

‘Bangkok airport a safety risk’ BANGKOK: International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that Bangkok’s main Suvarnabhumi Airport is a safety risk, with “serious” overcrowding soon to become a critical issue, and urgent expansion needed, the Nation daily reported on Friday.

Thailand is under pressure to improve its aviation standards after the US Federal Aviation Administration downgraded the country’s safety ratings in December last year. “There are also safety concerns on the airport’s tarmac, taxiways and apron area because of soft spots,” IATA director-general and chief executive officer Tony Tyler said.

“Aircraft get stuck in the soft surface due to substandard materials,” he told the newspaper in an interview in Bangkok, after returning from the Singapore Airshow. Thailand’s aviation industry is under scrutiny after the UN’s International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) downgraded the country in June 2015, giving it a red flag for missing a deadline to tackle safety concerns.

This week, the Thai civil aviation authority said a review by ICAO was likely to be delayed until early 2017 because it needed more time to improve the qualification of Thai auditors. Tyler said the airport, which handles 52 million passengers each year, had a significant regional and global role but needed urgent expansion of its terminal capacity, the Nation said. — Reuters

EMPLOYMENT POLICY

Malaysia halts intake of foreign workers KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Friday said it would freeze recruitment of all foreign workers and review employment policies, following protests over its plans to bring in millions of workers to satisfy industry demand.

“The suspension will be in force until the government is satisfied with the manpower needs of the industries,” state news agency Bernama said, citing Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The protests by Malaysian labour groups and firms followed reports that the Southeast Asian country planned to hire about 1.5 million Bangladeshi workers over three years to meet the demand from industry for labour.

Later the government clarified that its pact with Bangladesh would only allow 1.5 million workers to seek jobs in Malaysia, and did not mean that all of them would be recruited.

Enforcement measures will also be stepped up against illegal foreign workers throughout Malaysia, Ahmad Zahid added.

“Foreign workers without valid documents or those who have overstayed will be arrested and sent back to their country of origin,” the agency quoted him as saying. Malaysia has about 2.1 million documented foreign workers, a figure that falls below its selfimposed cap of 15 per cent of foreigners among a total workforce of about 15.3 million. — Reuters

Russia fomenting new Cold War, says Polish president President Andrzej Duda said Poland wants to join anti-IS NATO efforts, offers F-16s for patrol missions

WARSAW: Polish President Andrzej Duda accused Russia of fomenting a new Cold War through its actions in Ukraine and Syria, and said Poland was ready to help any future NATO efforts in combating the IS. In an interview with Reuters, Duda hit back at comments by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who last week described East-West relations as descending “into a new Cold War” and said NATO was “hostile and closed” toward Russia.

“If Mr Medvedev talks about a Cold War, then looking at Russian actions, it is clear who is seeking a new Cold War,” Duda, allied to Poland’s ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) said in an interview in his presidential palace in Warsaw.

“If someone is undertaking aggressive military activities in Ukraine and Syria, if someone is

HITTING BACK AT MOSCOW: Poland’s President Andrzej Duda gestures as he speaks during interview with Reuters at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland on Wednesday. – Reuters

bolstering his military presence near his neighbours... then we have an unequivocal answer regarding who wants to start a new Cold War. Certainly, it is not Poland or the NATO alliance.”

The West says it has satellite images, videos and other evidence that show Russia is providing weapons to anti-government rebels in Ukraine, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Russia denies such accusations. Poland has long been one of the fiercest critics of Russian actions and PiS is espe-

cially mistrustful. It wants a summit in Warsaw this year to bolster NATO’s presence in central and east Europe by positioning troops and equipment on Polish soil.

Duda reiterated Polish ambitions for an “intensive” NATO presence on its territory to be agreed at the July summit, which would be “tantamount to a permanent presence” -- an arrangement that would be assured by troop rotations. Some NATO allies are reluctant, out of concern over the cost and the further deterioration with Moscow that would be

likely to result. Duda’s unexpected election victory last May was the first ballot win for PiS in almost a decade. It helped the party win a parliamentary vote in October on a campaign of conservative values and more economic equality.

A relatively unknown politician before the election, Duda, 43, sees himself as a spiritual and political heir to Poland’s late president, Lech Kaczynski. Kaczynski, the twin brother of PiS leader Jaroslaw, died in a plane crash in 2010.

Local critics say Duda and Prime Minister Beata Szydlo

merely follow the lead of Jaroslaw Kaczynski rather than make their own policy -- an accusation he rejected in the interview, saying he was there to implement PiS’s agreed programme.

Duda said Poland was ready to participate in any NATO efforts in Syria, but without sending troops, an offer the Polish government has made before. In return, it wants NATO to bolster its presence in eastern Europe. “We are not shirking our responsibility here,” Duda said. “There are no decisions yet, but we are a member of the alliance.”

Duda said Poland would be willing to use some of its fleet of F-16 fighter jets for reconnaissance missions and to participate in training missions. A coalition led by the United States is bombing IS targets in Syria and Iraq, where the militant group occupies swathes of territory. The United States is pressing NATO to play a bigger role in the campaign, putting Washington at odds with Germany and France. They fear the strategy would risk confrontation with Russia, which is conducting its own air strikes in the region in support of its ally, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.

All 28 NATO allies are already part of a 66-nation anti-IS coalition, so the United States is looking to NATO to provide equipment, training and the expertise it gained in Afghanistan, where Poland also had troops. — Reuters

T O U G H S TA N D

Undeterred Austria says will further cut migrant quotas

INTRODUCING STRICTER LIMITS: Migrants are accompanied by Czech police officers at the Macedonian Greek border near Gevgelija, Macedonia, on Friday. Austria infuriated European Union peers on Thursday by insisting on capping the number of migrants it takes in, undermining Germany’s push to seek a joint EU solution to the bloc’s refugee crisis in tandem with Turkey. – Reuters

VIENNA: Austria, which angered other European Union states by announcing a daily cap on immigration and asylum claims, said on Friday it would have to introduce even stricter limits in future.

The daily limits of 3,200 migrants crossing the border and 80 asylum claims — announced on the eve of an EU summit — were widely seen as undermining Germany’s quest for a joint EU solution to the bloc’s refugee crisis in tandem with Turkey.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker expressed exasperation on Thursday, and the EU’s migration chief said the cap on asylum claims would break EU and international law.

But Austria, the last stop on the way to Germany for hundreds of thousands of migrants who have

flocked to Europe, appeared undeterred, and its interior minister said the daily caps had been introduced on Friday.

“I am very happy with our decision and we will stick to it,” Johanna Mikl-Leitner told reporters at a conference on migration.

She said Austria had received around 11,000 asylum claims so far in 2016, putting it on course under the new daily limit to exceed its ceiling for the year of 37,500, less than half last year’s total. “(So) we will have to reduce these upper limits further.” she said, adding that the daily cap on claims only applied to people arriving at the southern border on the main migrant route into Europe. Austria also did not want to place too great a burden too soon on Balkan states between it and

Greece, with which Vienna is coordinating a “domino effect” of restrictions, she said.

Austria has largely served as a conduit into Germany for the migrants who have streamed through the Balkans and onto its territory since the two countries threw open their borders to them in September. But, relative to its smaller population, Austria has taken a similar number of asylum seekers to Germany, and concerns about the influx have fuelled a rise in support for the far right in both countries.

Austria’s coalition government has progressively tightened border restrictions, at first largely in step with Berlin and now apparently not. Germany suggested on Friday the Austrian measures may violate European law. Mikl-Leitner — who

says that Germany has for months had daily quotas of its own, which Germany has never confirmed — brushed the criticism aside. “I do not understand Germany’s astonishment, since Germany invented these daily quotas,” she said.

Meanwhile, two migrants drowned off the coast of Sicily, Italy’s coastguard said on Friday, adding to the thousands who have died in the Mediterranean in the last year. A coastguard helicopter saw the two corpses floating in the sea off the coast of Siculiana in Western Sicily, a spokesman said, adding that only one of the two bodies has so far been picked up. The helicopter was sent out after around 40 migrants who said they were from Libya and Tunisia were stopped by police after reaching shore in a wooden boat, he said. — Reuters

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

S P O R S

Oman clinch a thriller Babar Hayat’s valiant effort (122)went in

Gavignet galvanises SATT lead with offshore leg victory

vain as Hong Kong folded up five runs short of target in a thrilling Asia Cup qualifier against Oman, while United Arab Emirates caused a flutter by

GREAT START: Team Oman opens account in Asia Cup qualifiers with a thrilling win over Hong Kong in Dhaka on Friday.

stunning favourites Afghanistan

MUSCAT: Oman’s Ajay Lalcheta held his nerve in the final over to get rid of threatening Babar Hayat of Hong Kong and clinch the thrilling Asia Cup qualifying opener match by five runs at Fatullah Stadium (Bangladesh) on Friday.

The match, which followed the upset win for United Arab Emirates (UAE) over Afghanistan, turned out to be a nail-biter.

The win has put Oman on top of the table with 2 points and UAE are second with same number of points.

However, full credit must be given to Hong Kong’s Babar Hayat, who almost took the match away from Oman single handedly and when he was caught by Jatinder Singh off Ajay Lalcheta in the final his contribution read a masterly 122 (9 fours and 7 sixes).

Hong Kong, chasing 181 to win, needed just 15 runs off Lalcheta’s final over, but could manage only 10 at the cost of Hayat’s wicket and there by losing by five runs.

Hong Kong looked desperate with three overs to go and Hayat smashed four sixes in the 18th over bowled by the Zeeshan Maqsood to close in on the target.

SCOREBOARD

OMAN Z. Maqsood c N. Khan b H. Amjad 17 J. Singh c T. Afzal b N. Ahmed 42 V. Wategaonkar c B. Hayat b N. Ahmed 14 A. Ilyas lbw b N. Ahmed 23 A. Kaleem b Chapman 19 M. Khan not out 28 A. Ali not out 32 Extras (lb-4, w-1) 5 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 180 Did not bat: Sultan Ahmed, Munis Ansari, Bilal Khan, A. Lalcheta Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-75, 3-76, 4-114, 5-130 Bowling: Nadeem Ahmed 4-0-27-3; Tanwir Afzal 4-0-33-0; Haseeb Amjad 4-0-38-1; Aizaz Khan 4-0-35-0; Anshuman Rath 3-033-0; MS Chapman 1-0-10-1 HONG KONG A. Rath st S. Ahmed b A. Ali 11 KD. Shah c S. Ahmed b B. Khan 0

However, Bilal Khan’s penultimate over cost only three runs and Lalcheta did the rest.

Earlier, Oman batsmen came into terms with cool-headed Jatin-

TEST SERIES

Paceman Henry replaces Bracewell for second Test CHRISTCHURCH: New Zealand pace bowler Matt Henry will come in for the injured Doug Bracewell in the second Test against Australia, captain Brendon McCullum said on Friday.

Bracewell has sustained a rotator cuff injury in his right shoulder and will miss the final match of the two-Test series, starting on Saturday at Hagley Oval. Australia won the opener by an innings and 52 runs in Wellington earlier this week. McCullum, who will play his 101st and final Test, said the only remaining decision to be made was whether they play four seamers or go with three frontline pace bowlers and off-spinner Mark Craig.

“Matt Henry will come in for Doug Bracewell and it’s just trying to work out whether we play Mark Craig or Neil Wagner and that’s the decision we’ve got to make,” McCullum told reporters on Friday. “The pitch looks good.

It looks like it’s got a nice healthy

SAILING

covering of grass I’m sure that both team’s bowling lineups will relish it.”

The pitch has been the subject of much debate since Australia exploited the best of the bowling conditions at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, reducing the hosts to 51-5 inside 12 overs after winning the toss.

“It’s probably not quite as hard as the Basin,” McCullum added.

“I thought the Basin was a really good cricket wicket. It did a lot in that first session and then dried out a little bit quicker than what a team who’s been bowled out for 180 wanted. It’s not going to be necessarily a pleasant time out there with bat in hand (but) I think it will go around for a while.

“I’m sure this one will be a good conTest which will hopefully end up in a result. Hopefully for us.”

Pattinson in Meanwhile, James Pattinson has been recalled to Australia’ start

ing side. Patto obviously wasn’t right that first Test match, and he’s been working hard since,” captain Steve Smith told reporters at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Friday.

“He’s bowled a lot in the nets and we’re all confident he’ll get through this next test match and hopefully he can have a big impact for us. I think he had three or four sessions and bowled with good pace. Hopefully he can do some of the same this week and it looks like the conditions are going to suit him nicely.”

New Zealand (likely): Brendon McCullum (captain), Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Corey Anderson, BJ Watling, Mark Craig, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird. - Reuters

B. Hayat c J. Singh b Lalcheta 122 MS Chapman run out (Aamir Kaleem) 8 N. Khan st S. Ahmed b Z. Maqsood 0 T. Afzal c A. Kaleem b Ansari 10 A. Khan run out (Ansari) 15 W. Khan not out 4 H. Amjad not out 4 Extras (lb-1) 1 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 175 Did not bat: C. Carter, Nadeem Ahmed Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-63, 3-77, 4-77, 5-104, 6-133, 7-170 Bowling: Bilal Khan 4-0-28-1; A. Lalcheta 4-0-29-1; M. Ansari 4-0-30-1; Zeeshan Maqsood 4-0-54-1; Aamir Kaleem 3-0-27-0; Amir Ali 1-0-6-1 Toss: Oman, who chose to bat Points: Oman 2, Hong Kong 0 T20I debut: V. Wategaonkar (Oman) Umpires: Enamul Haque and BB Pradhan

der Singh opening with Zeeshan Maqsood. There were no early hiccups as both batted with élan laying a good foundation for the rest to take on.

Jatinder (42 off 35 balls) added 34 with Zeeshan and 41 with Vaibhav Wategaonkar to take Oman to 75 for 1 at the 10-over mark.

Later, Adnan Ilyas (23) and Aamir Kaleem (19) added useful runs, before Mehran Khan (28 not out off 16 balls) and Amir Ali (32 not out off 13 balls) provided a late flourish.

In a message from the stadium, Oman Cricket Chairman Kanak Khimji lauded Oman’s win. “It was a great effort by the boys. The last over was crucial,” he said.

Meanwhile, assistant coach Mazhar Saleem thanked Oman fans and praised the determination shown by the team.

“We will do better in the next two games,” he said.

UAE win Earlier, Rohan Mustafa’s all-round performance helped the UAE beat Afghanistan by 16 runs. Mustafa scored 77 runs with bat and bowled 2.5 overs for three wickets.

Chasing a target of 177 runs, Afghanistan finished at 160 for all in 19.5 overs.

Karim Sadiq gave hopes with 72 off 48 balls, including eight boundaries and one six, but was out to Mohammed Naveed.

The other contributors for Afghanistan were Mohammed Nabi (23 off 18b; 2x6) and Najibullah Zadran (21 off 14b; 1x6).

MUSCAT: Reigning EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour champion Sidney Gavignet on Friday led his EFG Bank Monaco crew to their first offshore win with victory in the sprint from Abu Dhabi to Doha. Gavignet’s team capitalised on a strong performance in the Abu Dhabi In-Port Race series to take the top spot in the testing 160nm leg after 26 hours at sea.

The stage was the second of five that make up the 730-mile adventure around the Arabian Gulf (15-29 February).And although it’s still early days the French offshore sailing sensation is making strides towards a third consecutive title.

EFG Bank Monaco edged Team Averda, Marcel Herrera’s talented Plymouth University crew, off the top of the tour leaderboard following the Abu Dhabi In-Port Race series.

German-born Herrera, twice a runner-up to Gavignet in previous editions of EFG SATT, won the opening Dubai In-Port Race series last Monday and the leg from Dubai to Abu Dhabi to take an early overall lead.

But a flawless race from incumbent champions EFG Bank Monaco saw them lead out of Abu Dhabi and maintain their advantage over Team Averda the entire length of the leg.

Renaissance Services, skippered by Gavignet’s Omani protégé Fahad Al Hasni, completed the leg 2 podium, their best result of the tour so far. Dee Caffari’s Oman Airports-Al Thuraya Women’s Team finished eighth.

Stunning conditions of flat seas and winds of around 10 knots saw the nine international crews cross the Gulf faster than expected. However, when the wind vanished, race director Gilles Chiorri decided to end the stage early.

A 12

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

SPORTS Nibali supreme at Green Mountain, claims overall lead of Tour of Oman SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

PHOTO GALLERY

Already a winner

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

back in 2012 at Green Mountain, Vincenzo Nibali made the best of the decisive climb, beating Romain Bardet and Jakob Fuglsang, while Hagen lost his Red Jersey

MUSCAT: The queen stage of the 2016 Tour of Oman was at the height of expectations and offered a tremendous battle between the favourites of the event all the way to the finish line on Jabal Al Akhdhar.

Already a winner back in 2012 at Green Mountain, Vincenzo Nibali made the best of the decisive climb, beating Romain Bardet and Jakob Fuglsang.

While former leader Edvald Boasson Hagen lost over a minute on the day, the Italian winner of all three Grand Tours captured the overall leader’s red jersey.

With two stages to go Nibali has an interesting 15’’ lead over Bardet and is on pole position to win his first ever Tour of Oman.

At the start of Stage 4 of the Tour of Oman, there were some concerned faces. Indeed the day would promise to be a hard one with the CRICKET

Shami ruled out of Asia Cup, looks doubtful for World T20 NEW DELHI: Indian Pacer Mohammad Shami was on Friday ruled out of India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup, raising doubts about his participation in the marqee ICC World Twenty20 that follows the continental tournament.

Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been named as replacement for Shami by the selection committe.

After a long injury layoff, post last year’s World Cup, Shami was recalled to the national squad for the tour Down Under, only to be ruled out again by a hamstring injury.

“The BCCI medical team confirms that Mohammed Shami has been ruled out of Asia Cup, 2016.

The decision has been taken to give him more time to recover from the Grade II injury to his left hamstring,” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said in a statement. — PTI

final climb up Jabal Al Akhdhar, also known as Green Mountain, especially because this year, the famous climb would be longer with an extra 1.8kms.

Thankfully for the 139 riders, and unlike yesterday, there would be no thunder storms as they took off under a bright sun from Knowledge Oasis Muscat. The pack started its 180-km effort at 11:00, heading south.

After just a kilometre two men took off: most agressive rider, Kenny Dehaes and his team mate Björn Thurau (WGG).

After having an 8’’ lead, they were caught six kilometres later. It was then the turn of Davide Cimolai (LAM) and Daniel Oss (BMC) to try their luck. The two Italians were rapidly caught by 8 other riders : Pfingsten (BOA), Keisse (EQS), Antonini, Stenuit (WGG), De Vries (ROP), Steels (TSV), White (UHC) and Reihs (SSG).

The ten men saw the gap rapidly grow up to 3’20’’ at km 40.

At the first intermediate sprint (km 82) claimed by Steels ahead of Keisse and Cimolai the gap grew to 4’15’’ and reached a maximum 4’25’’ at km 95.

Chased down by teams Astana, Dimension Data and AG2R La Mondiale, the breakaway riders could still count on a 2’55’’ with 20 kms to go.

At the second bonus sprint (km 163), won by Antonini ahead of Stenuit and Steels, the gap had dropped to 2’10’’. While Sten-

uit and Steels were the first to be dropped, the leading group reached the bottom of the final climb with a 40’’ advantage.

Eventually Oss was the last to survive. All his former companions were indeed caught one after the other.

The Italian was finally gobbled up by the pack at km 176. With four kilometres to go two men, Brambilla (EQS) and Weening (ROP) powered away from a group of around twenty men including all the GC favorites.

Their lead grew to 10’’ over a bunch led by four Astana riders, but they were soon to be caught. It was then Jakob Fuglsang’s (AST) turn to give it a go taking with him Romain Bardet (ALM). Meanwhile red jersey Edvald Boasson Hagen (DDD) started struggling.

Just under ten riders including Rui Costa (LAM), Nibali, Fuglsang (AST), Bardet, Pozzovivo (ALM), Sepulveda (FVC), Dumoulin (TGA), Kudus (DDD) and Canty (DPC) gathered together, while the overall leader was 23’’ adrift with 2 kilometres to go.

Again Bardet attacked alongside former Tour, Giro and Vuelta winner Vincenzo Nibali. Both men remained together with a slim advantage over their rivals. The stage ended up with a sprint between both men.

While Bardet was the first to take off with just over 100m to go, the Italian hung on to his wheel and eventually overtook him to capture victory. He crossed the line with a 9’’ lead over the Frenchman and 12’’ over Fuglsang, capturing his second win at Green Mountain after a first success back in 2012 when he finished second of

PROUD WINNER: Vincenzo Nibali made the best of the decisive climb to win Stage 4 at Jabal Al Akhdhar and clinch the Red Jersey. – Times of Oman / JUN ESTRADA

the GC. Tenth of the day, Boasson Hagen crossed the line with a 1’10’’ deficit, losing his leadership.

With two stages to go, Nibali takes command of the general

ISC TENNIS

the stage, captures the white jersey for the best young rider.

The Most Aggressive rider’s jersey remains on the shoulders of Kenny Dehaes (WGG)

FOOTBALL

Aisha wins junior girls title MUSCAT: Talented Omani player, Aisha bint Ali Al Suleimani won the junior girls title at the on-going ISC/Muscat Pharmacy Open Junior Tennis Tournament organized by the Indian Social Club Oman.

Aisha captured the junior girls title after recording an emphatic 6-1, 6-0 victory over her challenger Charvi Attri.

Oman’s top junior player, Abdullah bin Hamdi Al Baarwani advanced to the final of the boys unde-18 singles event. In the semi final, the top seed coasted to a convincing 6-1, 6-1 victory over Zakariya Al Suleimani. The scoreline does not do justice to the fine effort put up by Zakariya. In a match of two hard hitters, Zakariya broke Abdullah in the very first game but Abdullah’s superior frame of mind and variety of strokes made all the difference. Zakariya put in a good number of first serves but was found lacking when it came to facing up to the superior groundstrokes from the top seed.

Second seed in the boys un-

classification and has a 15’’ lead over Bardet and 24’’ over Fuglsang.

The Astana rider also leads the points classification while promising Brebdan Canty (DPC), 8th of

FINALISTS: Junior Girls’ winner Aisha Al Suleimani, right, and runner-up Charvi Attri.

der-18 singles, Younis bin Tufail Al Rawahi will take on third seed Subash Pillai in the second semifinal. Younis advanced to the last four after overcoming Yash Tanna 8-4 in the quarter final. At one stage Yash rallied from 0-3 down to level at 4-all but the left-handed Omani went into top gear to win

the next four games for a place in the last four. Third seed Subash Pillai advance to the semi-final after notching up a convincing 8-3 victory over Muneer Al Rawahi in the quarter final.

The top doubles team of Abdullah Al Barwani and Younis Al Rawahi progressed to the final of the junior doubles event. In a thrilling semi-final, the top seeds scored a brilliant 6-2, 6-4 victory the fourth seeded team of Tim Rutherford and Zakariya Al Suleimani. In a highintensity doubles encounter, Tim and Zakariya made a brilliant attempt and posed anxious moments for the top seeds. Abdullah and Younis though settled down to gain control of the second set and won it for a place in the final against the second seeded duo of Subash Pillai and Yash Tanna who demolished the duo of Hassan Haider and Avigyan Bhattacharya in the semi final.

The boys under-14 singl and the junior doubles final is scheduled to be played this evening (Saturday) starting at 7pm.

Threat looms as FIFA faces day of reckoning ZURICH: The spotlight at next week’s FIFA Congress will fall on the presidential election - but the real key to the future of soccer’s beleaguered governing body is embedded in a document with the unglamorous title “Draft statutes - Congress 2016”.

Drawn up over the last eight months, it suggests changes to stop the scandals that have left the organisation supposed to lead the world’s most popular sport facing its greatest threat for decades.

The most obvious challenge is criminal investigations in the United States and Switzerland that have already resulted in the indictment of several dozen soccer officials for corruption, many of them serving or former presidents of national or continental associations.

U.S. prosecutors have continued to call FIFA a victim of corrupt individuals. But if FIFA as an organisation were crimi-

nally charged, sponsors and other partners might be reluctant to do business with it.

But that is not the only concern. In the last month, talk has resurfaced among Europe’s most powerful clubs of a breakaway European Super League, as well as complaints about the amount of time players spend with national teams.

National team competitions depend on a calendar agreed between FIFA and the clubs, which commit to release players to their national teams on certain dates.

If the clubs, which are always eager for more opportunities to play lucrative friendlies abroad, were to pull out, it would throw international football into chaos.

There was similar discontent in the 1990s, when European soccer’s governing body UEFA became deeply critical of Joao Havelange, the Brazilian president of FIFA at the time. — Reuters

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM S ATU RDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016 20 6

MARKE

‘US BIG BANKS NEED TOO ZE’ SPLIT UP OR DOWNSIZE’ When the US Federal Reserve’s newest policymaker Neel Kashkari dropped a bombshell with a call to break up big banks on Tuesday, it was met with a predictably indignant response from their lobbyists. >B2

I H S C E R AW E E K F O RU M

Focus on oil’s new world order at Houston forum next week HOUSTON: Saudis may go public, Opec’s in disarray, the United States is suddenly a global exporter, and shale drillers are seeking lifelines from investors as banks abandon them.

Welcome to oil’s new world order, full of stresses, strains and fractures. For leaders gathering in Houston next week at the IHS CERAWeek conference — often dubbed the Davos of the energy industry — a key question is: what will break first? Will it be the balance sheets of big US shale companies? The treasuries of Venezuela and Nigeria? The resolve of Saudi Arabia, whose recent deal with Russia to freeze output levels offered the first hint of a rethink?

Watching prices crash After watching prices crash through floor after floor in the worst slump for a generation, the industry is eager for answers.

Insiders say it’s not too hard to visualise what markets might look like after the storm — say five years down the line, when today’s costcutting creates a supply vacuum that will push up prices.

OIL SUPPLIES

Oil prices decline to about $30 LONDON: Oil dropped near $30 a barrel in New York after US crude stockpiles rose to the highest in more than eight decades as Saudi Arabia and Russia propose to freeze output amid a worldwide surplus.

Futures lost as much as 2.3 per cent in New York, trimming the first weekly advance this month.

US supplies expanded to 504 million barrels, the highest level in data going back to 1930, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). Iraq said on Thursday it backs any decision to support prices and balance the market without indicating whether it would cap its own output.

“The market was caught by surprise by the rise in the US inventories,” Jens Pedersen, a Danske Bank A/S analyst in Copenhagen, said by phone. “We need both adjustments on the supply side, for example producers scaling back on new investments which will lead to less supplies going forward,” and an improvement in demand, he said. Crude is still down about 19 per cent this year after the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) abandoned output targets in early December amid swelling US stockpiles and as Iran seeks to boost exports to regain market share after sanctions were lifted. Companies are confronting rating downgrades and oil-producing nations face biggerthan-expected withdrawals from wealth funds to cover budget deficits as energy revenues fall.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for March delivery, which expires on Monday, fell as much as 70 cents to $30.07 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $30.13 at 11:51am London time. Prices are up 2.5 per cent this week. Total volume traded was about two per cent below the 100-day average. The more-active April future was 57 cents lower at $32.36 a barrel.

Brent for April settlement declined as much as 70 cents, or two per cent, to $33.58 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Prices are 0.9 per cent higher this week. The European benchmark crude traded at a premium of $1.36 to WTI for April.

Supplies at Cushing, Oklahoma, the biggest US oil-storage hub, rose to a record 64.7 million barrels, the EIA said in a report on Thursday.

The site, which is the delivery point for WTI, has a working capacity of 73 million barrels. Nationwide oil stockpiles rose 2.15 million barrels through February 12, the Energy Information Administration said. Inventories are at a record high in weekly data that started in August 1982. Supplies haven’t been at this level since 1930, based on monthly records dating back to 1920. — Bloomberg News

INDUSTRY EXPERTS: Houston will see next week some of the industry’s biggest players, from Saudi Petroleum Minister Ali Al Naimi to Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden. — Bloomberg file picture

But it’s what happens in the meantime that’s got them scratching their heads.

“This is a weird thing for a market analyst to say because it’s usually the opposite case, but I have more conviction in my five-year outlook than my one-year outlook,” said Mike Wittner, head of

oil market research for Societe Generale. “Maybe I’m letting my head get turned upside down by the last couple months.”

Seeking clarity at closed-door sessions, happy hours and watercoolers in Houston will be some of the industry’s biggest players, from Saudi Petroleum Minis-

ter Ali Al Naimi to Royal Dutch Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben Van Beurden.

In a less volatile year, the longterm viability of fossil fuels might have been high on their agenda after December’s breakthrough climate deal in Paris.

But within the industry, that de-

bate has “fallen into the abyss of $27 oil,” said Deborah Gordon, director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s energy and climate programme.

Chesapeake Energy, the secondlargest natural gas producer in the US, could be the first big fish out of the water: its shares have plunged 90 per cent in the past year.

Shale boom US shale drillers had a key role in bringing prices that low, by adding four million barrels a day in less than four years — almost like a new Opec member materialising overnight. Natural gas has mirrored the pattern, with surging output and plunging prices.

Now the companies are victims of their own success. As many as 74 face significant difficulties in sustaining debt, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

The effective yield of the Bank of America Merrill Lynch High-Yield Energy Index rose to more than 21 per cent on February 11, the most since it was created in 1997.

Opec Output Meanwhile, on the international scene, the Saudi-Russian accord announced on Tuesday, to which Venezuela and Qatar have also signed up, would cap production at January’s levels — a record high in Russia’s case, and not far off for the Saudis.

Iran isn’t a party to the plan, and its imminent return to world markets could add to the glut. Historically the No. 2 Opec producer, the Islamic Republic is preparing to ramp up exports after sanctions were lifted last month.

Brent crude failed to sustain a rally after the plan was announced, suggesting that traders don’t see any change in the underlying picture: Suddenly, there’s oil everywhere. Without a rebound in prices, the consequences for governments — from Russia to Nigeria to Venezuela — range from grim to catastrophic. — Bloomberg News

Shale bankruptcies So far, shale bankruptcies have been limited to smaller outfits like Magnum Hunter Resources and Swift Energy.

Some investors are worried that

US consumer prices rise ‘marginally’ in January ranged from a 0.2 per cent decline to a 0.1 per cent increase.

In the 12 months ended January, the overall consumer price measure increased 1.4 per cent after a 0.7 per cent increase in the prior period.

The so-called core consumer-price measure climbed 0.3 per cent, more than forecast and the most since August 2011, after a 0.2 per cent gain the month before, a Labour Department report showed on Friday

BROAD-BASED GAINS: Total consumer prices were expected to drop 0.1 per cent in January from the month before based on the median of 82 economists in a Bloomberg survey. — Bloomberg News

WASHINGTON: Cost of living in the United States excluding food and fuel increased in January by the most in more than four years, reflecting broad-based gains that signal companies may be getting some pricing power.

The so-called core consumerprice measure climbed 0.3 per cent, more than forecast and the

most since August 2011, after a 0.2 per cent gain the month before, a Labour Department report showed on Friday in Washington.

Total prices were little changed, depressed by the continued plunge in energy costs.

A tightening labour market and nascent signs of wage growth bode well for domestic demand, a

rebound in which could help stoke inflation if energy costs stabilise.

The increase in inflation will likely hearten Federal Reserve policy makers, who are monitoring the US economy’s durability against headwinds such as stock-market turmoil and weaker foreign markets. “Prices are firming up, and it’s across a fairly nice breadth,”

said Tom Porcelli, chief US economist at RBC Capital Markets LLC in New York. “If that doesn’t convince people that inflation is not dead, I don’t know what will.”

Total consumer prices were expected to drop 0.1 per cent in January from the month before based on the median of 82 economists in a Bloomberg survey. Estimates

Year-over-year The core index advanced 2.2 per cent from a year earlier, the most since June 2012.

The core gauge was projected by the Bloomberg survey to rise 0.2 per cent in January from the previous month.

Prices for rent, clothing, medical care and new and used cars all advanced.

The CPI is the broadest of three price gauges from the Labor Department because it includes all goods and services. About 60 per cent of the index covers prices consumers pay for services from medical visits to airline fares, movie tickets and rents.

The Labor Department’s gauge of wholesale prices, which includes 75 per cent of all US goods and services, unexpectedly climbed 0.1 per cent in January from the month before on the back of higher food costs. A separate report last week indicated the cost of imported goods fell 1.1 per cent for a second month. — Bloomberg News

R AT I N G C U T BY S & P

Saudi Arabian markets shrug off debt downgrade DUBAI: Saudi Arabia’s financial markets barely blinked on Thursday after its debt was downgraded — a sign that a charm offensive

by Saudi economic officials, and determined action against speculators, have bought it time in the eyes of many investors.

In the last few weeks, officials of the central bank and ministries of finance, economy and oil have met privately with groups of foreign bankers and analysts to discuss the kingdom’s plans to cope with low oil prices.

The officials have reiterated their commitment to the Saudi riyal’s peg of 3.75 to the US dollar and described efforts to diversify the economy beyond oil, participants at the meetings told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. In contrast to past practice, the Saudis have been willing to provide lengthy answers to questions on the vulnerability of their economy. They have also stressed that they are prepared to deploy the central bank’s huge foreign assets, which totalled $609 billion at the end of 2015, to withstand economic shocks.

MARKET RISES: Saudi stock market headed for its fourth straight day of gains, in sharp contrast to S&P’s last downgrade of the kingdom in October, when investors sold stocks. - Bloomberg file picture

“The core message was that the Saudis are much better prepared to handle low oil prices — reserves are high and debt is low,” said one participant. “At the same time they are keen to show it’s not business as usual and they are making serious reforms to reenergise growth.”

The meetings did not eliminate

doubts about Riyadh’s ability to push through complex and difficult reforms that would boost non-oil revenues, foster new industries and make the government more efficient. Saudi Arabia has been drawing down its foreign assets at an annual rate of over $100 billion, suggesting it has a window of only a few years to get

the reforms right. Nevertheless, the meetings have helped to persuade some investors that a devaluation of the riyal is not on the cards, and that the world’s top oil exporter faces no imminent economic crisis, participants said.

Late on Wednesday, Standard & Poor’s cited the damage to state finances from cheap oil when it cut Saudi Arabia’s long-term sovereign credit rating by two notches to A-minus, with a stable outlook, from A-plus.

“The decline in oil prices will have a marked and lasting impact on Saudi Arabia’s fiscal and economic indicators given its high dependence on oil,” S&P said.

But the Saudi riyal firmed against the dollar in the forwards market on Thursday, while prices of Saudi firms’ international bonds barely moved and the cost of insuring Saudi sovereign debt against default ticked up only marginally.

The Saudi stock market headed for its fourth straight day of gains, in sharp contrast to S&P’s last downgrade of the kingdom in October, when investors sold stocks.

Speculators Financial markets are firm partly because the Saudi central bank has acted aggressively to deter speculation against the riyal in the forwards market.

The riyal dropped to record lows in that market in January as banks hedged against the risk that authorities might devalue the currency to inflate the value of their dollar oil revenues and reduce capital outflows. As it fell, investors in other markets became nervous, creating a cycle of worsening sentiment towards Saudi Arabia. The central bank responded by warning banks not to speculate and urging them not to conduct derivatives trades that would pressure the riyal. The threat of getting on the wrong side of the central bank and its huge reserves has worked for now; the riyal is stable at higher levels and forwards trade has slowed.

The officials’ charm offensive has also helped because a main message in their meetings with bankers and analysts was that they saw no need to change the currency peg. — Reuters

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

MARKET Big banks need to split up or downsize: US Fed official But while no one in the executive

I challenge anybody who thinks, in a stressed time, we would put these banks through resolution. I really don’t think it will happen

suites of major global banks would want authorities to force them to split up or downsize, many top bankers acknowledge that their institutions

Neel Kashkari

might be better off

US Federal Reserve’s newest policymaker

smaller and simpler

MAKING A POINT: US Federal Reserve’s newest policymaker Neel Kashkari. - Bloomberg file picture

NEW YORK/LONDON: When the US Federal Reserve’s newest policymaker Neel Kashkari dropped a bombshell with a call to break up big banks on Tuesday, it was met with a predictably indignant response from their lobbyists. One described his comments as “blind.”

But while no one in the executive suites of major global banks would want authorities to force them to split up or downsize, many top bankers acknowledge that their institutions might be better off smaller and simpler.

They just worry that any major restructuring could go all wrong because of the way post-financial crisis regulations are applied.

In interviews with Reuters, six senior bankers said they are struggling with the costs and restrictions they face as a result of new regulations, as well as a weak global economy and troubled financial markets. The bankers, who are or

recently were in positions ranging from business division head to CEO, spoke on the condition of anonymity so they could be candid without upsetting regulators or investors.

“Fundamentally, the business has to change,” said one veteran banker who was on the executive committee of a major European bank until recently. Big banks’ shareholder returns have sunk “too low,” he said.

These problems are not new, but they have fresh relevance as Deutsche Bank confronts questions about its capital adequacy, Barclays faces pressure to break up and CEOs of big US banks struggle with a loss of investor confidence in their stocks.

Management teams in the US and Europe are now taking a hard look at dramatic business model changes, but none of the options are particularly attractive, the bankers said.

Merging to cut costs and improve margins is out of the question, given the hurdles banks would likely face from regulators who do not want “too-big-to-fail” institutions getting any bigger.

Splitting apart is complicated by capital requirements that would make standalone trading businesses economically unfeasible — and by the fact that there are few, if any, buyers for the assets banks want least. Some top bankers say they are left with little choice but to muddle through what they fear will be a long, dark period of weak earnings, angry shareholders and gradual shrinkage.

The problem has gotten so bad that Deutsche Bank CEO John Cryan recently said on a public conference call that he’d much rather be CEO of a simpler, retailfocused bank like Wells Fargo & Co, which has only a modest investment banking operation.

“Unfortunately,” he said, “there

are lots of things I wish for that are not going to come true.”

Ratcheting up capital Kashkari’s comments, in his first speech as head of the Minneapolis Fed, were surprising because he is a former Goldman Sachs banker, a Republican, and was a senior Treasury official in President George W. Bush’s administration during the financial crisis.

They partly echoed the stance of Bernie Sanders, who has also called for big bank breakups and criticised Hillary Clinton, his rival in the struggle to be the Democratic presidential candidate, for being too close to Wall Street. Some of those vying for the Republican nomination have also criticised regulations brought in after the crisis, saying they would repeal the Dodd-Frank reform law.

In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Kashkari criticised Dodd-Frank’s so-called “living

will” rule, which requires banks to show how they can be dismantled in an orderly way if they fail, without creating risk to the broader financial system. Kashkari said he believes the rule would not work in a crisis scenario — that banks would simply be bailed out again.

“I challenge anybody who thinks, in a stressed time, we would put these banks through resolution,” he said. “I really don’t think it will happen.”

One way to force large financial firms to break up is to “aggressively ratchet up” their capital or leverage requirements, Kashkari said. He warned, though, that banks would likely fight hard against any such proposal.

Out of arrows Securities analysts and consultants say that banks are in an unenviable position because moves they might have made in the past to improve profitability have been hindered by regulation. As a result, they have struggled unsuccessfully for years to get their returns on equity above single digits. “In some ways, banks have become bad utilities,” said Fred Cannon, a bank stock analyst with KBW. “With utilities, you have strict regulation in what you can do and charge, but in the end investors get a reasonable return.

With banks, that last piece hasn’t happened.” Bank executives have long argued that weak returns are a “cyclical” issue that should go away when markets begin to flourish again.

But as the industry approaches the eighth anniversary of the financial crisis’s nadir, questions about whether they face a secular rather than a cyclical profit problem have only grown louder.

And top bankers are now wondering how they can possibly grow revenue under a sprawling set of global financial regulations that limit what they do, and sometimes conflict with one another. — Reuters

C A P I TA L G R O U P S T U D Y

Wild markets are here to stay: Report TOKYO: Strap in for more volatility in markets as the global economy slows and central banks dabble in the dangerous world of negative interest rates, says $1.4 trillion money manager Capital Group Cos. Turbulence will probably persist as rates below zero and deflation pose a “real threat” in Japan and Europe, Capital Group wrote in a note to clients this week.

The risk of a US recession has increased, they say, which means the Federal Reserve probably won’t increase borrowing costs in 2016.

Investors have found few places to profit this year as a rout in stocks that started with concerns about China’s economy and the tumbling price of oil spread to global bank shares, emerging-market currencies and high-yield bonds. Despite three days of gains of more than one per cent in four sessions, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is still down 6.2 per cent for the year, and earnings by its companies are set to drop for a third quarter.

“The big question is whether the US economy gets overwhelmed by problems overseas; we’ll have to see,” the report cited Capital Group fund manager Jim Lovelace as saying.

“At the very least, I expect the environment for US corporate profits to be challenging in 2016.”

After volatility on a measure of global equities rose last month to the highest since September, Capital Group is advising clients to ride it out by diversifying across all asset classes, including bonds. The MSCI All-Country World Index dropped 0.2 per cent as of 4:13pm in Tokyo on Friday.

Capital Group was the world’s seventh-largest asset manager at the end of 2014, according to a P&I/Towers Watson survey. The firm, with $1.4 trillion under management at the end of December, is a long-term investor whose products include American Funds, one of the largest mutual-fund families in the US by assets. — Bloomberg News

EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK

Too much inflation could be good, feels EU policy maker FRANKFURT: Too much inflation, at least for a short time, could be a good thing for the European Central Bank (ECB).

An official account of the central bank’s latest policy meeting on January 21 showed that at least one policy maker said that it would be “logical” to overshoot the ECB’s goal of keeping inflation at just under two per cent “for a limited period,” after almost three years of falling short of it.

The account didn’t say whether this view was shared by any other Governing Council member, and it seems like a moot point with price pressures so muted. Even so, the mention of exceeding the ECB’s inflation goal may signal the start of a debate among policy mak-

ers looking for ways to reinforce stimulus at a moment when expanding the current set of instruments — negative rates and asset purchases — risks yielding only diminishing returns. The idea behind overshooting is that it would allow prices to recover, at least in part, the ground lost after years of sub-par inflation. It would also create room for policy makers to keep monetary policy easy even if inflation were to start picking up.

“Words matter as well as deeds,’’ said Richard Barwell, senior economist at BNP Paribas Investment Partners in London. “If accompanied by decisive action, this is the answer to the ECB’s problems.

They have to commit to overdeliver.’’ The idea of overshooting to

make up for past periods of slow price growth evokes what economists term “price-level targeting,” where central banks aim for a specific level of prices rather than a yearly inflation rate. ECB Vice President Vitor Constancio explicitly rejected the idea in a recent interview.

“I would never agree to pricelevel targeting. That is also not a consideration for us,’’ he told Germany’s Boersen Zeitung on December 30.

Even so, other central banks have discussed the option. Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said in September there wouldn’t be “any serious costs of modestly overshooting our inflation target — particularly considering how

long inflation has been below our target.” A research paper from the San Francisco Fed earlier this week concluded that it might be “desirable to trade some future above-target inflation for a faster recovery in economic activity.’’

Bank of England officials use the prediction of an overshoot to signal that policy might need to be tighter than the yield curve implies. Inflation is currently at 0.3 per cent, and in the central bank’s February Inflation Report policy makers predicted that price gains will exceed their two per cent target after two years and then continue to rise.

In reality, officials have looked through inflation as high as five per cent in the past. — Bloomberg News

AN OPEN QUESTION: Whether European Central Bank policy makers would show tolerance for any overshoot at all remains, for now, an open question. — Bloomberg News

INDIAN BOURSE

Sensex rises on late-buying MUMBAI: Late-buying saved the day for markets on Friday as the benchmark Sensex overcame its early losses and advanced by a modest 60 points, helped by banking and blue-chips to log the best weekly gain since October.

Recovery in European markets in early trade too lifted mood.

The broader NSE Nifty topped the 7,200-level.

Investors were seen building

their positions in anticipation of reforms announcement in the forthcoming Budget.

Both indices registered their best weekly gains since October last year, with the Sensex soaring 723.03 points, or 3.14 per cent, and Nifty 229.80 points, or 3.29 per cent.

Higher levels, however, could not be maintained as participants locked in gains. The gauge had

gained 457.25 points in the previous two sessions. The Sensex resumed the session lower at 23,640.32 and slipped further as renewed weakness in crude oil on oversupply worries hit sentiment.

But it staged a strong comeback on emergence of buying and covering-up of short positions by speculators before closing at 23,709.15, up 59.93 points, or 0.25 per cent. — PTI

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

B3

MARKET Citigroup plans to exit from Brazil, Argentina retail-banking business that discouraged investment. The country has been unable to tap international bond markets because of a feud with creditors left over from the nation’s 2001 default.

Argentina sued Citigroup’s local unit last year after it reached an accord with a hedge fund allowing the bank to make two bond payments that the government said were illegal.

In March, the firm said it would quit the custody business in the country after the government threatened to revoke its operating licence.

Chief Executive Officer Michael Corbat has been scaling back Citigroup’s retail footprint to simplify the company, cut costs and boost returns. He announced plans in October 2014 to drop consumer banking in 11 markets, including Peru, Costa Rica and four others in Central

SCALING BACK PRESENCE: The decision to leave Argentina and Brazil retail banking is one of the most sweeping since consumer-banking chief Stephen Bird took over in June. — Bloomberg file picture

and South America.

NEW YORK: Citigroup plans to exit retail banking in Argentina and Brazil, where the company has maintained operations for more than 100 years, a person familiar with the matter said.

The departures will probably be announced in coming weeks, according to the person, who asked not to be identified discussing

decisions that haven’t been made public. Liz Fogarty, a spokeswoman for the New York-based bank, declined to comment on the plans.

Chief Executive Officer Michael Corbat has been scaling back Citigroup’s retail footprint to simplify the company, cut costs and boost returns. He announced plans in October 2014 to drop consumer banking in 11 markets, including Peru, Costa Rica and four others in Central and South America.

PERFORMANCE

The bank won’t be exiting any lines of business in the institutional division as part of the new moves, according to a second person. When Citigroup agreed to sell its consumer- banking unit in Japan to Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. in 2014, it still provided corporate and investment-banking services to clients.

Citigroup, which gets more revenue from outside its home market than any of its US competi-

tors, operated branch networks in 24 countries as recently as September.

The decision to leave Argentina and Brazil retail banking is one of the most sweeping since consumer-banking chief Stephen Bird took over in June from Manuel Medina-Mora, who retired.

Jane Fraser, who had also been in the running for Medina-Mora’s job, runs the Latin America region from Miami.

Century-old unit The Argentina unit opened in 1914 and was the bank’s first non-US branch, according to Citigroup’s website. It has more than 2,700 employees in the country, 71 branches and 44.6 billion pesos ($3 billion) in assets, for the No. 12 ranking in the country, data from the nation’s banking association show. Argentina’s economy has been struggling after years of currency controls and policies

Creditor deals Since President Mauricio Macri took over the presidency in December, he’s lifted currency controls and scrapped export taxes in a bid to attract more investment.

While the country remains isolated from international capital markets, the government has reached deals with some holdout creditors left over from the 2001 default and is negotiating with others in a bid to resolve the decade-long dispute.

Citigroup had about 6,000 employees in Brazil as of 2014, a company executive said at the time.

It operates 71 branches in Brazil, where it began banking in 1915, according to the website. Citigroup is the 10th largest commercial bank in the country, with 80.6 billion reais ($20 billion) in assets, according to central bank data.

Foreign lenders including London-based Barclays and Frankfurt’s Deutsche Bank have been pulling back from the South American nation as it faces what’s predicted to be the worst recession in more than a century. — Bloomberg News

O W N E R - O P E R AT O R S S U RV E Y

‘Domestic franchisees of McDonald’s are pessimistic on turnaround efforts’

DIVIDEND RAISE: Allianz plans to increase its dividend by 6.6 per cent to 7.30 euros a share for 2015. That’s less than the Bloomberg Dividend Forecast of 7.40 euros. — Bloomberg News

Allianz fourth-quarter profit misses estimates MUNICH: Allianz missed analyst estimates for fourth-quarter profit on claims from natural catastrophes.

Net income at Europe’s biggest insurer increased to 1.42 billion euros ($1.6 billion) in the quarter from 1.22 billion euros a year earlier, the Munich-based company said in a statement on Friday.

That compares with the 1.56 billion-euro average of six estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

“Allianz steadily delivers strong results in increasingly challenging operating conditions,” Chief Executive Officer Oliver Baete, 50, said in the statement. “Our business is healthy and well-diversified. This makes us confident that we will continue to deliver strong earnings.”

Insurers in Europe are grappling with stricter regulatory capital requirements, low interest rates that hurt their investment income and subdued prices in some of their markets. Still, Allianz wants to achieve annual earnings per share growth of five per cent on average from 2016 to 2018. It is also targeting a return on equity of 13 per cent, adjusted to exclude unrealised capital gains on bonds and other items, by 2018.

Allianz plans to increase its dividend by 6.6 per cent to 7.30 euros a share for 2015. That’s less than the Bloomberg Dividend Forecast of 7.40 euros.

Some analysts had expected Allianz to announce a share buyback on top of the dividend to help it reach its return on equity and earnings per share targets.

The company hasn’t discussed

either of those strategies, Chief Financial Officer Dieter Wemmer said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “We want to deliver 15 per cent EPS growth over three years,” he said. “There might be opportunities in the market, there might be excess capital to be given back to shareholders.”

The insurer’s asset management unit, which comprises Pacific Investment Management Co. and Allianz Global Investors, has also seen upheaval after the departure of Bill Gross from Pimco in September 2014. Group third-party net outflows fell to eight billion euros in the fourth quarter compared with outflows of 141 billion euros a year earlier. Outflows at Pimco dropped by almost half last year while the Global Investors unit saw record inflows.

Allianz’s full-year operating profit rose 3.2 per cent to 10.7 billion euros. That compares to a target of 10 billion euros to 10.8 billion euros. For 2016, the company aims for 10 billion euros to 11 billion euros. Fourth-quarter operating profit was impacted by claims from European storms and floods, the company said on Friday.

The property and casualty insurance unit’s spending on claims and other costs as a percentage of premiums, known as the combined ratio, improved to 96.2 per cent from 96.5 per cent, missing the average analyst estimate of 94.4 per cent. A ratio below 100 per cent means an insurer is making a profit from underwriting. — Bloomberg News

CHICAGO: McDonald’s franchisees remained pessimistic about the company’s turnaround efforts during the much-hyped rollout of all-day breakfast, according to an internal survey.

Only about 14 per cent of McDonald’s domestic franchisees think the chain’s comeback plan is working, according to results from a survey of owner-operators obtained by Bloomberg News. And just 35 per cent of franchisees are confident in McDonald’s longterm future success, a drop from 46 per cent in the prior year. The survey, which the company conducts annually, was completed in October and November.

McDonald’s posted US samestore sales growth of 5.7 per cent for the fourth quarter, the best performance in almost four years.

The company cited its shift to all-day breakfast, as well as mild winter weather, for helping fuel the gain. In October, the company

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

READY TO SERVE: McDonald’s posted US same-store sales growth

also reported positive sales in the US, lifted by a popular $2.50 meal deal. The stock jumped 8.1 per cent that day, the biggest increase in seven years. Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook, who took over in March of last year, has said the company is committed to its turnaround plan, which includes

“running great restaurants, driving operating growth, creating brand excitement and enhancing financial value.”

“While we are pleased with the recent positive momentum in the US, it will take at least six more months of positive comparable sales and guest count

growth to progress through the sustained and prolonged growth phases of our turnaround,” he said in January.

Lisa McComb, a spokeswoman for the Oak Brook, Illinois- based company, said the survey doesn’t reflect the more recent progress the company has made.

“These results are hardly surprising given the survey was conducted before McDonald’s ended the year with momentum,” she said. “By refreshing old favorites, like our Egg McMuffin, introducing all-day breakfast and making other changes, we are beginning 2016 in a better place than where we were 12 months ago.”

McDonald’s ties with its franchisees are critical, especially in the US Of the company’s 14,000 domestic restaurants, about 90 per cent are independently owned.

More than 3,000 domestic franchisees pay royalties and rent to the company. — Bloomberg News

B4

SATURDAY, SATUR DAY, FEBRUARY F EBRUA RY 20, 2 0, 2016

FEATURE IRANIONS T SANRCELIEF

US FIRMS NOT TO BENEFIT

T

he lifting of sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear deal with world powers may be a bonanza for companies in Europe and Asia, but not so much for those in the US. The actions taken recently in Vienna leave in place a number of US restrictions on commercial dealings with Iran over its ballistic missile programme and support for terrorist groups that will block any swift flood of US business with the Islamic Republic and its roughly 77 million people.

One exception is Boeing Co. and other makers of commercial aircraft and parts.

They will have authority to quickly do business as Iran revitalises its aging airliner fleet. For other companies, those in financial services in particular, the deal only lifts sanctions imposed to punish Iran on its nuclear programme. And it does not touch a sweeping ban on US trade and investment put in place by the Clinton administration in 1995. “There is not going to be a comprehensive law allowing all US companies to operate in Iran anytime soon,” Majid Rafizadeh, president of the International American Council on Middle East and North Africa and a member of the Harvard International Relations Council, said in an e-mail. “This will make American firms the biggest losers of the nuclear deal.”

The agreement struck with the US and five other world powers in July provided that sanctions tied to Iran’s nuclear programme would be lifted simultaneously with a finding by the International Atomic Energy Agency that the government in Tehran had met commitments to curb its ability to develop a nuclear weapon. That will open up the $406 billion Iranian economy for investment after more than a decade of penalties.

Complicated and risky But the nuclear accord does not repair a US-Iran relationship ruptured by the seizure of the American embassy in Tehran in 1979, in which dozens of American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for over a year, and has been further frayed by Iran’s missile tests and support for terrorist groups.

“A sanctions regime very much remains in place with respect to Iran, making it very complicated and risky to do business” there, said Juan Zarate, chairman of the Financial Integrity Network, an advisory firm, and a senior White House and Treasury Department official during the George W Bush administration. “Any company going into Iran has to deal with a whole range of business and compliance risks, not to mention reputation risks,” Zarate said.

Airbus deal The US and European airplane makers, such as Boeing and Airbus Group SE, stand to benefit, according to a Bloomberg Intelligence report published on January 14. Aircraft leasing companies such as AerCap Holdings NV and Air Lease Corp. may also gain business because the carve out includes leases as well as sales to Iran, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Caitlin Webber.

Airbus got a jump on Boeing even before the proceedings were finalised: Tehran agreed to buy 114 Airbus planes, the Tasnim news agency reported, citing Abbas Akhoundi, Iran’s transport minister. The deal includes a mix of new and used jets.

The country’s fleet is ripe for replacement, especially its narrow-body jets. Like automobiles in Cuba, planes in Iran have been frozen in time due to trade being halted with the regime. The average age of Iran Air’s 45 planes is 27

years -- practically antiques by industry standards -- with its Boeing 747s the oldest of the bunch, according to Planespotters.net. Iran is interested in Airbus wide-body planes including A350s and the A380 double-decker, too, along with Boeing Co. 737 narrow-bodies and twin-aisle 777s for long-haul flying, according to an Iranian official who asked not to be identified because the details are private. US and European engine makers such as General Electric Co., Safran SA and United Technologies Corp. may also benefit from airplane purchases.

Frozen assets For most US companies, however, little will change after the deal’s implementation gives Iran access to more than $50 billion in cash frozen in overseas accounts and eases restrictions on Western business deals.

Foreign subsidiaries of US companies will get “some relief of as yet unknown quantity” under the general licenses issued by the Treasury Department when the agreement is implemented, said Adam M Smith, an attorney who designed and enforced US sanctions when he worked at the Treasury Department and is now an attorney with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in Washington. Those licenses will clarify how much access private businesses with US ties will have to the Iranian market. Even if a US-based company is granted a license for a foreign subsidiary, it will have to take great pains to ensure its American business is walled off from any Iranian entities still sanctioned under US law, said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington and a supporter of tougher sanctions. “The large finan-

cial institutions, the large energy companies and industrial companies are going to have to be very, very cautious,” Dubowitz said in a telephone interview.

“They’ll have to ask themselves ‘Is it really worth the risk?”’

Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser, said the U.S. won’t be left behind by a sudden flood of investment and commercial deals from Europe and Asia after the lifting of international sanctions. “Some companies are going to wait and see: Is this going to hold? Are these guys going to stick to the agreement?” Rhodes said at a lunch with Bloomberg editors and reporters on Friday. “So I think it will be a more incremental process.”

New penalties Companies will have to consider political calculations as well. Some US lawmakers are pressing for fresh sanctions that would punish Iran for recent missile tests. The House is set to vote on legislation that Democrats say is aimed at scuttling the nuclear deal - although some Democrats also favour new penalties. The leading Republican contenders to succeed Obama next year, including billionaire Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, have vowed to rip up the accord if they win office.

“President Obama now has less than 13 months left in office, so you do not want to be on the wrong side of an enforcement action in 2017,” Dubowitz said.

The lifting of sanctions, while not fully opening the Iranian economy to US companies, could help set the Washington and Tehran on a path toward normalisation, said Rafizadeh of the International American Council. “Business will facilitate political ties, and political rapprochement will expand bilateral trade,” he said. – Bloomberg News

B

SECTION

LIFESTYLE

SATURDAY, FEBRUA RY 20, 2016

Family WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

Office isation n a g st r o O o B o T s p i ty T i v i t c Produ Empty boxes, piles of paper, pens strewn about - everyone is guilty of office disorganisation.

What most people don't realise is a messy, dishevelled office space can actually dramatically reduce worker efficiency and productivity. A staggering 98 per cent of office workers say they'd be more productive at their jobs if their offices were more organised, according to a 2015 Post-it Brand Office Organisation study in the US surveying 1,000 full-time office workers. That means it's time to get organised and these nine simple ideas will help you tidy up your work area and stay on-task for good.

1. Reduce and recycle Go through drawers and get rid of paperwork and supplies you never use. Recycle paperwork and give unused supplies to co-workers or donate them to your community's schools.

If you're never going to use these things, they're just taking up valuable space.

4. Keep supplies stocked Ninety-four percent of office workers are less productive when they don’t have all the supplies they need to work. Order necessary supplies like Post-it Notes, flags, tabs, daily planners, professional notebooks and pens.

Then, put coloured flags on the calendar to mark when you need to re-order supplies so you're never without the necessities.

7. Rethink your desktop A clean desktop is essential to productivity, however many people are guilty of having their desk covered with unnecessary items. If you don’t use it weekly, find another place for it. That means unused folders, staplers, tape dispensers, and the like can go in a drawer.

2. An office supply staple

5. Place a jar Pens and other office extras like scissors, letter openers and highlighters look tidy when placed in a jar on your desk. A big jar can hold everything or use smaller jars to sort each item into its own container. Clear glass jars makes it easy to see what’s inside.

8. Think vertically If you’re short on desktop space, think vertically. Walls provide ample opportunity for unique storage. One stylish and affordable option is to cut a peg board and place it in an open frame. This eye-catching wall hanging allows for easy access to office essentials.

6. Don’t sweat the small stuff At a loss for how to organise paper clips, tacks and other small office items? Small tins are a great way to sort and store these office odds and ends. Place them in drawers so they are out of sight.

9. Systemise folders & Cut cord chaos Tackle that pile of folders in the corner and create a simple organizational system using Post-it Tabs. Colour code the folders based on your work responsibilities so each tab color is tied to a specific task or status of a project.

Are you always digging under your desk for the right cord? Black binder clips typically used to hold paperwork together are also great for organising USB, cell phone chargers and other cables. Clip to the side of your desk and thread the chord through the metal to eliminate tangles.-BPT

Despite the rise of the digital office, Post-it Notes are still an office staple. On average, office workers use 30 Post-it Notes per week.

Keep these handy note pads close by so you can easily use them to mark paperwork or write your co-worker a note of encourage-

3. Write it down Sixty-two percent of office workers prefer to manage their to-do list on a piece of paper rather than a computer or digital device.

Write your task list on a Post-it Super Sticky Note and place it somewhere you’ll see it, such as the edge of your computer monitor or the front of your notebook. This visual reminder will keep you on-task throughout the day.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

B6

PRAYER TIMINGS

FIND-IT-ALL @RUWI

@SHATTI

SUR Dead Pool (Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 3:15, 7:15, 11:30 PM. Criminal Activities (Crime | Drama) (TBC) Cast: John Travolta, Michael Pitt, Dan Steven 5:30, 10:00, 11:45 PM. Neerja (Biographical) (PG12) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Sabana Azmi 1:15, 3:30, 9:15 PM Mansoon Mangoes (Mal) (Comedy) (PG) Cast: Fahadh Fasil, Vijay Raaz, Vinay Forrt.

7:30 PM. El Americano - 3D (Animation) (TBC) Cast: Isla Fisher, Anson Mount, Gillian Jacobs.

1:30, 5:45 PM.

@PANORAMA

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Dead Pool (Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi) 12+ Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 3:00, 7:15, 9:30 & 11:45PM Hail, Caesar! (Comedy | Mystery) 12+ Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney 7:15PM Criminal Activities (Crime| Drama) 12+ Cast: Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens 3:00, 7:30, 9:30 & 11:45PM El Americano - 3D (Animation| Action) PG 3:30 & 5:30PM Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (Action) 18+ Cast: Lily James, Sam Riley, Jack Huston 5:00 & 11:30PM The Finest Hour - 3D (Action) PG12 Cast: Christopher Whitelaw 5:00 & 9:30PM MUSCAT GRAND MALL Dead Pool – 2D (12+) Action | Adventure Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 2:45, 9:00, 11:30 PM Gold Class – 3:30, 8:45, 11:00 PM Criminal Activities – 2D (TBC) (Crime) Cast: Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens, Christopher 12:30, 9:45, 11:45 PM Gold Class – 6:30 PM Padre De Familia – 2D (12+) (Tagalog) Cast: Nora Aunor,Coco Martin, Julia Montes 5:15 PM Hail, Caesar! – 2D (12+) Comedy | Mystery | Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney.

7:45 PM El Americano – 3D (TBC) Animation Voice over: Edward James Olmos, Rico 2:00, 7:00 PM Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Road Chip 2D (Animation) (PG)

Screen 1 Neerja (Action / Biography) –PG12 Cast : Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

Hail, Caesar! (Comedy | Mystery) 12+ Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney 7:15PM

12:00, 4:00 PM Theeb + Ave Maria – 2D (TBC) Documentary Cast: Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen 5:45 PM PANORAMA MALL Dead Pool (action, Adventure)(MX4D)(12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 3.30, 6.30, 8.30, 10.45 PM The Finest Hours-3D (action, Drama) (PG12)-VIP LOUNGE 7:00, 9:15 PM Dead Pool-2D (action, Adventure)(12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 4:30, 9:45, 11:45 PM Dead Pool-2D (Action)(12+)-VIP LOUNGE 3:30, 6:30, 8:45, 11:00 PM Criminal Activities-2D (Crime, Drama) (12+) Cast: Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens 3:00, 7:45, 11:15 PM Black Track-2D (Drama, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens 5:15, 11:30 PM Neerja-2D (Biographical)(PG12)

Black Track-2D (Drama, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens 5:15, 11:30 PM

Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Sabana Azmi 3:30, 6:30, 9:00 PM El Americano-3D (Animation, Action) (PG) 2:30, 5:45 PM

1:00, 9:00 PM El Americano (3D) (Animation) (TBC) Voice over: Edward James Olmos 2:30, 5:25 PM

AZAIBA Dead Pool (2D) (Action|Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 12:45, 4:30, 7:15, 11:45 PM Fitoor (2D) (Romance| Drama) (12+) Cast: Aditya Roy Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Tabu 3:00, 9:15 PM Ghayal Once Again (2D) (Action) (PG12) Cast: Sunny Deol, Tisca Chopra, Om Puri 3:30, 6:30 PM Neerja (2D) (Biographical) (PG12) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azami 12:30, 2:45, 5:15, 7:30, 10:00, 11:30 PM Ishq Forever (2D) (Romance) (TBC) Cast: Denzil Smith, Ruhi Singh 6:30, 11:15 PM Miruthan (2D) (Action | Romance) (TBC) Cast: Jayam Ravi, Lakshmi Menon, Kali Venkat 12:30, 9:05 PM Mansoon Mangoes (2D) (Action) (PG) Cast: Fahadah Fasil, Vijay Raaz, Vinay Forrt

RUWI Screen 1 Neerja (Action / Biography) –PG12 Cast : Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Screen 2 Love shuddha (Romance / Drama) –12 + Cast : Girish Kumar, Tisca Chopra 3.45, 9.45 PM Sanam Re (Romance / Drama) –12 + Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Yami Gautam 6.45 PM Screen 3 Ghayal Once Again (Action) –PG12 Cast: Sunny Deol, Tisca Chopra, Om Puri 3.45, 6.45 PM Fitoor (Romance / Drama) –12 + Cast: Aditya Roy Kapur, Katrina Kaif, Tabu.

9.45 PM

SOHAR Dead Pool– 2D (Action/Sc-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 2:30, 7:00, 9:30, 11:45PM Criminal Activities - 2D (Crime) (12+) Cast: Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens 2:45, 9:45PM Hail, Caesar– 2D (Comedy/Mystery) (12+) Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney 5:00PM Back track – 2D (Drama/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Adrien Brody, Sam Neill, Robin McLeay 4:30, 11:30PM El Americano – 3D (Animation/Action) (PG) 4:30, 11:30PM The Finest Hour – 3D (Action/Drama) (PG12) Cast: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster 11:30PM The Finest Hour – 2D (Action/Drama) (PG12) Cast: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster 6:30PM Pride & Prejudice & Zombies – 2D (18+) Cast: Lily James, Sam Riley, Jack Huston 5:00, 11:45PM Fitoor – 2D (Romantic/Drama) (12+) Cast: Aditya Roy Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Tabu 7:15PM Neerja– 2D (Biographical) (PG12) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Sabana Azmi 2:45, 9:15PM Miruthan– 2D (Action/Romance) (15+) Cast: Jayam Ravi, Lakshmi Menon, Kali Venkat 7:15PM Mansoon Mangoes – 2D (Comedy) (PG)

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

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) Destination

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

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FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

05:30 05:30 05:30

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16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

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TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

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

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Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

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

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

20:50

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07:00

Ruwi

10:25

16:50 19:30

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06:00 06:00

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25 19

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12:00 18:45

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

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15:40 15:40

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Dubai

16:50

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10:45 19:00

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Ruwi Marmul Ruwi Ruwi

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RELATIVE HUMIDITY

06:00

Marmul

16:30

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Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

15:00

Salalah

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

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

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

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

NIVEDYA VIJAY February 20, 2008

45-85%

11.45 13.30 14.00

B SHRI HARINI February 20

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 16 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to extra@timesofoman.com

LISTINGS

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

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

Daily Daily Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

07:00

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SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

06:00 14:30

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

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Programmes are subject to change

0

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Pavaada (Mal) (Drama\Comedy) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran & Miya George 3:00, 6:30 & 10:00 PM Cinema Main Miruthan (Tamil) (Act\Romance) (From Friday) Cast: Jayam ravi & Lakshmi Menon 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 & 9:30 PM Cinema -2 Monsoon Mangoes (Mal) (Com) Cast: Fahadh Faasil, Vinay Forrt & Iswaya Menon 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema - 3 Neerja (Hindi) (Act\ Drama) Cast: Sonam Kapoor , Uhday Chopra & Shabana Azmi 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -4 Visarani (Tamil) ( Act\ Drama) Cast : Dinehs & Anandhi 3:30, 6:30 , & 9:30 PM Cinema -2 Krishnashtami (Telugu) (Com) Cast: Sunil, Nikki Galrani & Dimple Chopade 3:45 PM Cinema -4\ 6:45PM Cinema 3 NEXT CHANCE: ACTION HERO BIJU

Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

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

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

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) Sur Sur

STAR CINEMA

Minimum

ROYAL OMAN POLICE 07:30 14:30

Film information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com Criminal Activities: (Crime / Drama / Thriller) Cast: Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens 4.00, 8.00, 10.00. & 11.55 PM CP No: 331 (12+) Hail, Caeser! : (Comedy / Mystery) Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney.

4.30, 6.00 & 11.55 PM. CPT No: 332 (12+) Neerja: (Hindi / Biography / Drama) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi 2.00, 7.00. & 9.30 PM. CP No: 333 (PG12) Navy Seals: The Battle of New Orleans (Action / Horror): 2.00 PM CP No : 322 (15+)

ALEN ABRAHAM February 20, 2009

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

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

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

SALALAH El Americano (3D) (PG) (Animation| Action) 5:00PM El Americano (2D) (PG) (Animation| Action ) 11:15AM Dead Pool (2D) (12+) (Action | Adventure) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 11:30AM, 2:00, 6:45, 9:00, 11:45PM Hail, Caesar (2D) (12+) (Comedy | Mystery) Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney 5:15PM Criminal Activities (2D) (12+) (Crime) Cast: Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens 11:45AM, 1:15, 9:50, 11:15PM Pride & Prejudice & Zombies (2D) (18+) Cast: Lily James, Sam Riley, Jack Huston 3:15, 11:45PM Neerja (2D) (PG12) (Hindi | Biographical) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Sabana Azmi 2:30,9:15PM Mansoon Mangoes (2D) (PG) (Mal) Cast: Fahadah Fasil, Vijay Raaz, Vinay Forrt 7:15PM Fitoor (2D) (12+) (Hindi | Romantic| Drama) Cast: Aditya Roy Kapoor / Katrina Kaif / Tabu 4:15PM Miruthan (2D) (TBC) (Tamil) (Action) Cast Jayam Ravi, Lakshmi Menon, 7:00PM

0

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

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

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

BURAIMI Dead Pool (Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Moreno Baccarin 3:30, 9:15, 11:30PM. Criminal Activities (Crime | Drama) (TBC) Cast: John Travolta, Michael Pitt, Dan Steven 5:15,7:30,9:30PM. Neerja ( Biographical ) ( PG12 ) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Sabana Azmi 3:15, 7:15, 11:15PM. Mansoon Mangoes (Comedy) (PG) Cast: Fahadh Fasil, Vijay Raaz, Vinay Forrt.

9:00PM. El Americano - 3D (Animation) (TBC) 3:30, 5.30PM. Back track (Drama, Thriller) 15+ Cast: Adrien Brody, Sam Neill, Robin McLeavy 5:35, 7:00, 11:45PM.

BAHJA CINEMA

WEATHER

15:00 15:00 15:00

Quriyat Sur Jaalan

Cast: Fahadah Fasil, Vijay Raaz, Vinay Forrt 8:45PM

WITH LOVE

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

17:30

12.26pm 3.43pm 6.10pm 7.20pm 5.21am

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

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

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

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

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

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

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

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

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

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

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

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

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

B7

LIFESTYLE

FACT FILE

Soaps

(Exploring History, Science, and Nature)

S

oap is made from natural a ingredient which includes both plant and animal products and is used for cleaning. It is made up of animal fat, such as tallow or vegetable oil, such as castor, olive, or coconut oil.

It got its name from the latin word Sapo. The first soap was made by Babylonians around 2800 B.C. It was used more to clean wool and textiles than for personal hygiene. Some people preferred smelling good to actually being clean and thought perfume did the trick nicely.

There are many types of soaps, both hard and soft. They are often used as cleansers or detergents.

Personal soaps are made to wash skin or hair. Soaps made for bathing are called toilet soaps.

Detergents are designed to clean dishes or laundry. Household cleansers often have mild abrasives that can clean a variety of surfaces. Soaps that are used for personal hygiene are perfumed soaps by adding a few additional ingredients and perfume.

Soap manufacturers add fragrances, colours, germicides,

builders and active agents, depending on the purpose of the soap. The industry is always working to improve and create new formulas.

Other Uses And if you thought soaps are meant only for cleaning then think again. Soaps can be useful in many other ways.

1. It helps to prevent the black cooking marks on your iron cookware. All you need to do is to rub the bottom of the vessel with a soap.

2. You can deodorise your care by placing a little piece of a soap in a mesh bag and hang it from the rear-view mirror.

3. Tailors often use leftover pieces of soap to mark the hem line.

4. Pack youe store clothes or luggage with a piece of soap and your clothes will smell fresh..

5. And last but not the least if a zipper gets stuck rub it with a bar of soap and it will get it moving.

Soap Making This soap-making process is very easy, but adult supervision is recommended.

What you need: • Clear glycerine soap blocks (found at craft stores) • Liquid food colouring • Stir sticks • Essential oil (optional) • Petroleum jelly or cooking spray • Microwave oven and microwavable container • Ice cube tray or candy mould or soap mould Step one: Coat an ice cube tray or mould with petroleum jelly or cooking spray.

Step two: Place glycerine in a microwavable container. Heat in microwave oven. Time varies depending on microwave wattage.

Stir every 10 to 15 seconds until completely melted.

Step three: Carefully remove the melted glycerine from oven and stir in a small amount of food colouring. If you wish, stir in a drop or two of scented oil.

Step four: Pour the melted glycerine into the tray or mould, fill almost to the top.

Step five: Cool for an hour or so before removing from the mould. Placing them in the freezer can speed up this process. They should just pop out.

— lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Questions & Answers When I’m in doubt...

I Google it

One thing that puts me off...

If I have history exams the next day

If I win a lottery...

Help the needy

One movie/book I can watch/ read over and over again...

Madagascar: Europe’s Most Wanted

CDUR

Crossword Puzzle

If I met an alien I would...

Ask him to give me mutant powers

The scariest thing that I have done...

Walk to my room alone at night when all my family members are in the hall

One skill I would like to learn...

Painting

I go crazy when...

My brother doesn’t let me play on his laptop

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

It’s better not to argue with...

My Brother

ACROSS

1 5 8 12 13

If I could go back in history, I would like to meet Chanakya

14 15 16 18 20 21 22 26 29 30 31 32

VAISHNAV K. If I had treasures I would hide them...

With my laundry clothes

If I have to describe myself as a flavour it would be...

Creamy Vanilla

One person I would trade places with (real or fictional) Barack Obama

The best way to my heart is...

Trust

Send your contributions to lifestyle@timesofoman.com. A good quality photo is compulsory. Lifestyle reserves the right to publish the contributions.

DOWN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 17

Recipe amts.

Very soon after Cotton unit Blow up a picture Plantation drink Between Silence — voce How — things?

Marshy tract Dawn deity Estate recipient

19 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 32 33 35

Purview Rushed off Ballet wear Coup d’— Applies makeup Frizzy coif “The Bridge of San — Rey” Holy terrors “Aqua Velva —” Potato snack Trounce Alien tour buses?

36 38 39 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48

— Paulo, Brazil Greek epic Like a damp rock Prefix meaning “trillion” Jungle knife Outback mineral Lucy Lawless role Robust energy Lemon drink PBS funder In the know

33 34 35 36 37 39 40 41 45 49 50 51 52 53 54 55

Toothpaste buy Military legal drama Ump’s shout Distance Thurman of “The Golden Bowl” Hydrox rival Survey Brightens up, as a face Skulked about And, to Caesar Gym iteration Burned and looted Adjust the wheels Damage Ms. Hagen of films Seethe Geisha’s accessory Wild guess Rend Tall vase Draws the latch Turn into bone Fannie — — -cal Mechanic’s need Leaves no trace Go at an easy gait Plan of action 1040 agcy.

Mr. Greenspan Beowulf’s drink Foot the bill Popular soft drink

B8

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

LIFESTYLE

Children up to the age of 16 who would like to have their art considered for inclusion in “Art for the Ages” can e-mail their drawings or paintings (in jpeg or tiff format) to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Art for the Ages

Children’s Poetry

If Only I Could Fly

Amith Sunil, Grade 6, ISWK

Kavya Muralidharan, Grade 10, Indian School Sohar

Trudie Bernie Cross Grade XII Indian School Wadi Kabir Coiled into my comfort zone Wondering if only I could fly, After all my hopes and dreams are out there somewhere.

As sweet as raspberry cream, The taste of freedom and joy The feel of chasing my dreams I’ll spread my wings and learn how to fly, It may not seem easy But I’m always ready to try If only I could fly away from here I would do the impossible Defy all the laws of critics Comments and nasty compliments Into my head shall not sow, But shall pave way for my accomplishments.

Sarath Krishna, Grade 8, ISD

Sudoku How to play Fill empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and area.

SOLUTION Answer to previous puzzle

Mihika Saraf, Grade 3, ISG CBSE-I

Merin Tom, Grade 7, ISWK

Send your poems to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Teleword All the words below appear in the puzzle - horizontally, vertically, diagonally, even backward. Find them and circle their letters.

The leftover word spells the Teleword.

J F E I W L E M L S S H S P T T S E A T O N T N T O I M P R

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

CLUE: CELEBRITIES

S T N E G A R E R I Y H S T S

T Y L P R R G O T T O T T A S

C A R T O G S N M T I N S T E

S H N U I O E U O O E E C O I

U C O L A K B R X T T U D R G L O A MM T A L I S O R S R A

C L N A I A L R E U A L O D L

E Y A E P S E S S S E F E N A

S S WO WS H U RM P I M S E A R F I A C S H H E I S O S N

U O F E L A D U L A T I O N A

F D T E S E S U O H T N E P F

SOLUTION: 8 LETTERS

Adulation, Agents, Attention, Autographs, Biggest, Charisma, Clauses, Contracts, Famous, Fans, Fashion, Films, Furs, Fuss, Hollywood, Imitators, Jewels, Luxury, Parties, Penthouses, Photographs, Poodles, Press, Promotions, Riches, Role, Salaries, Smile, Style, Success, Swank, Temperament, Toasts, Tops, Trips.

Answer: Talented

C

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

SECTION

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

RENT

C2

VACANCY

C4

CARGO

C7

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

C2

S AT U R D AY, F E B R UA RY 2 0, 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

Luxury flat for rent in Bareeq Al Shatti building Spacious 2 BHK with sea view, split A/Cs, fixed wardrobes, kitchen appliance.

Near Opera Gallery.

Rent RO.900/- negotiable.

Contact - 94084335 / 96920789

WAREHOUSE AVAILABLE

FOR RENT IN BALADIA SANAYAH AMIRAT (Floor area 600sqmtrs and mezzanine of 500sqmtrs) 1100sqmts fully cover warehouse & staff accommodations

Shops for rent in Al Amerat on the main road (express) opposite to Mosque and a supermarket Al Ehsan. Contact: 96434269

We have 2BHK office, flats for rent in Ghobrah, Azaiba, Ghala Al Khuwair prime location. Contact: 93782735/99208033

2 BHK flat for rent Darsait near Muscat Pharmacy, ISM. Contact: 95158570

We have 1BHK, 2 BHK Flats in Mabela 7 new building. Contact: 93782735 /99208033

One / two B/R , RES / Comm flat near Bank Muscat Bausher directly from owner. Contact: 92158031

Flat in Wadi Al Kabir 2 bedrooms, 1 living room, 1 family hall, kitchen & 3 bathrooms. Contact: 99277787

Wadi Kabir new building 2 bedrooms rent. Contact: 99313274

1.2 BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/- , 300/-.

Contact: 92144045 /97799175

Single rooms with kitchen available at Ruwi. Contact: 91214897/98049288

2BHK AL Khuwair R.O 350/-.

Contact 92144045/97799175

For rent in Misfah near Oman cement 600sqm shed.

Contact: 96177220 2 BHK flat behind Nesto hypermarket with split A/C R.O 220/.

Contact 91642157/97653524 2BHK Darsait R.O 300/-.

Contact: 92144045/7799175 1BHK Wadi Kabeer R.O 210/-.

Contact: 92144045/97799175 2 Bedroom centrally air conditioned flat in CBD Prime location.

Contact: 24714625/91173997

INDUSTRIAL LAND FOR RENT (BARKA) 1100 SQ MTR free industrial land for all purpose is available with compound and furnished office in Barka Contact:

24707088, 98283896 Modern and spacious 4 bedroom twin villa for rent in Azaiba north behind Nov 18st with detached maids room. Contact 99317349

2BHK Ghobrah R.O 325/-.

Contact: 92144045/97799175 2BHK Commercial AL Khuwair R.O 350/-. Contact: 92144045/97799175 5 BHK villa Qurum R.O 700/-.

Contact 92144045/97799175 1& 2 BHK M.B.D commercial.

Contact: 92144045/97799175 Studio Darsait R.O 130/-.

Contact: 92144045/97799175 1BHK Darsait I.S.D R.O 225/-.

Contact: 92144045/97799175

We have staff accommodation for rent in Bousher 30 to 40 people can stay commercial building. Contact: 93782735 /99208033 Al Ansab on main road, 8 rooms, 8 toilets, kitchen & store room.

Contact Owner: 96354553 Ghobrah. Big bedroom, bathroom, huge terrace. Non-cooking Indian female/male - Manager/Sr. Exec.

Vegetarian non-drinkers only. #99283938 Shop Ruwi Rex Road. #95443207

One large BHK in Al Khuwair near Ibis hotel with A/C. Contact: 95124975 2BHK /3 BHK OPP Star Cinema.

Contact: 92926199 1BHK Flat with spilt A/C near star cinema 210/-. Contact: 99358589/95570288 /97079146 Sharing room rent near City Centre Seeb. Contact: 99037669 Flat for rent south Al Mabela.

Contact: 95331177/95230355

Please contact: G.S.M

FLATS FOR RENT 1 BHK and 2BHK Flats with Split ACs Opp. to MOD Near Lulu Darsait CONTACT :

99417229/92621039

93202733

Flats, 3 Rooms & AC, kitchen, hall, in Al Mabela South, rent RO. 250/Contact - 99377290

1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100, 2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O 200/- in AL Khuwair. # 95154331

Shop (rent 250/ 400) commercial / Residential building 1& 2 bed flat (flat rent 350+ 250) available in Wadi Kabir (Near Lulu) one bed flat 200/- Wadi Al Kabir (near Toyota.

Contact: 92325212 /99451168

House in Amerat near to Makah hypermarket with 3 room+ 5 toilet+ hall+ living room+ kitchen. Contact 98885055/ 92744168

2 BHK flat near Indian School Wadi Kabir behind Sana for rent.

Contact: 92120539 Flat for rent, 3 bedroom, 2 bath room, living room, 1 kitchen & store 240/- R.O at Darsait.

Contact: 92328142 Ware house for rent in Ghala 300sqmt. Contact: 99010741 /96007885 2 Bedrooms, kitchen, toilet, car park R.O 200/- & 1 bedroom, kitchen, toilet R.O 140 in Al Khuwair. Contact: 95154331 Villa for rent 4 room, hall, 3 toilet (upstairs) R.O 350/- at Al Khuwair.

Contact: 99382008

2 bed rooms flat with hall, 2 bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat Municipality.

Contact: 92584715/ 24700120 1000sqmtrs industrial land for rent in Ghala suitable for warehouse workshop etc.

Contact 24700120 /92584715 Warehouse at Wadikabir - total area 3500 sqm - covered warehouse (500sqm), office, accommodation (1000sqm), open area (2000sqm) please contact: 99273774 - 99202278 Flats for rent at Mawaleh near Omantel main office opposite Lulu bandar comprises 3 rooms, 2 toilets and one kitchen OMR 250/Per month. Contact: 93131497 or 99203435

S AT U R DAY, F E B R UA RY 2 0, 2 0 1 6

C3

DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

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

BUILDING MATERIAL SHOP FOR SALE Running shop with paint machine for sale in kadra

FOR RENT Villa is composed of 5 bedrooms and sitting toilets and 5 living room, kitchen and Seeb (North Al Hail). Contact: 91130875 Villa 2bedroom, 1 sitting room, small hall, Kitchen & 2 bathroom behind Sultan center south Mawalah 300/- O.R. Contact: 92757673 /99388138

Commercial flats of 3 & 2 BHK in Al Ghobra North 18 Nov street RO.650/- & 450/- # 91776665 600 M2 showroom or office in Bousher in front of Dolphin complex. RO.3.5 per m2. #91776665 Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

For Rent near ONTC Bus stop Ruwi.

Contact: 99475052/99502708

Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Shop for rent near Al Nahdha Hospital. #97380548 / 99680499

Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai compound Al Khoud. RO.475/Contact – 91776665

1/2/3 bedrooms flats at Al Hail including utilities bills 92817777 2 Bed room flat for rent in AL Azaiba, well maintained, split A/Cs 300/- PM. Contact : 92447365 1B/R apartment executive fully furnished at AL Khuwair 33 & 5 B/R villa unfurnished at Madinat Al Ilam & 5 B/R villa furnished at Madinat Al Ilam. Contact: Atlas Real Estate & rent a car LLC 24834 888/99249069/92888376/94617 563 Email: info@alshahiintl.com Flats for rent in Ruwi Mumtaz area 2 bedroom. Contact: 91409667/24291500 Flat for rent in Al Hail south 2 bedroom. Contact: 91409667/24291500 Luxury villa of 5 BHK in Al Khuwair 33 RO.650/- Contact – 91776665 Commercial office at prime location in Azaiba for rent. 171sq. mtr. Contact: - 91398925 For rent 1 B/R Apartment Executive Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33, 5 B/R Villa – Unfurnished @ Madinat Al Ilam 5 B/R Villa – } Furnished @ Madinat Al Ilam Please Contact: Atlas Real Estate & Rent A Car LLC24834888/ 99249069 / 92888376/94617563 / Email: info@alshahiintl.com 2 BHK Flats for rent, Muttrah near Oman house S/ AC. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232 New flats for rent at Darsait near to ministry of sports, Mumtaz area the flats include 1 living room, 2 Bedroom, kitchen, 3 toilets every room with split A/C & high Quality finishing, rent per flat is R.O 340/-.

Interested candidates please Contact: 00968- 92225523 1 & 2 BHK Ruwi C.B.D. Contact: 99024730 1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Hamriya Wadi Adai, Al Khoud, Mabela & shop at Al Khoud & land line Contact: 24834644 GSM 93994401/02/03 3 lines

Villa of 3 BHK and sitting area in Al Ghobra North. RO.525/Contact – 91776665 Luxury and brand new semi furnished 2 BHK flat in Remalbowsher. RO.550/- Contact – 91776665 Spacious 1 BHK flat in Al Wattaya with all split A/C’s and parking.

RO.300/-Contact – 91776665 Flats in Darsait.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Flats in WadiKabir.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact: - 9405178997201688 Offices in Qurum opposite City Center.# 94051789-97201688 Duplex villa in Qurum 29.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

-

Prime location with good daily sales 260 Square meters Warehouse facility Staff accommodation Interested parties may call 9322 3382 or mail to cs@mpesllc.com

FOR SALE CAT Excavator with Bucket Model: 330D, Year: 2007 (Finance Available) Contact:

99654205, 99338410 FOR SALE

SCRAP COMPANY

FOR SALE OR RENT

Beauty Saloon for sale in Al Amerat interested party contact: 97028867/95878812 Building material shop behind Honda Road Abu Zaki show room.

Contact: 97006687 /94079401 Single colorful Bed and Sofa for Sale at Al Khuwair.

Contact 92881849 / What`s up No 97290565 Heidelberg Offset 52x 74cm – 20 1/2 x 29 1/8 single Color – SORM printing machine in good condition. Contact: 99369880

(BARKA) An excellent Grade 1 Scrap Company, fully certified is available with compound and furnished office, in Barka Industrial Area.

Contact:

24707088, 98283896 ACC. AVAILABLE In Al Khuwair 2 rooms, toilet, available for Indian family or working woman. Rent R.O 150/- per month only. Please Contact: 97884967

Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum. Contact: 9405178997201688

Restaurant for Sale - A running Pakistani restaurant ideally located at Saham for sale - for details call 99417418

Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud. Contact 9405178997201688

Space for printing press available at wadikabir with or without machinery. Contact 99328430

3 BHK flat near Darsait ID medical. RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 / 97079146 / 95570288

HD Scaffoldings, Shuttering Jacks, Wooden Planks, Shuttering wood assorted, Tower hoist (lift), Concrete Mixer, Bending Machine, Steel Fabrication Machinery (Searing/Cutting, lathe & Welding) including tools for immediate sale: Contact 99273774/ 99202278

Flats 3 bedroom available at Ghobrah near Indian School.

Contact: 99236718

Steel Scrap materials for immediate sale: Contact 99273774/ 99202278

Room available in Mumtaz area 1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1 room, common bathroom.

Interested please Contact: 92680041 Mr. Altaf

Villa for rent in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 96571151 1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/Contact 99358589 /95570288 Flats two bed room for rent in Al Khuwair. Contact: 96571151 2 clean & spacious flats with A/C, first flat is behind City center Al Seeb consist of 2 bedroom and living room second flat is in Al Khoud 3 consist of 1 bedroom and living room. Contact: 93366421

FOR SALE Fire rated portacabins and steel caravans. ContacT: 94058574

Special Dental Center for sale.

2 Dentist room, dental lab, full brand instruments with external public pharmacy in Muscat.

Contact no. 99019144 A well Established Indian restaurant with all necessary equipments well qualified staff furnished party hall (capacity 150) is up for immediate sale at MBD area.

Contact: 92978956

Single room at Walja, opposite MBD area SPAR available for executive bachelors inclusive of electricity and water for OMR 110/-.

Contact: 98958586

Room with attached bathroom and sharing kitchen available for Executive bachelor or small family at wadikabir 9304 9849

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

in Azaiba and Ruwi

• Learn in two months • Satisfaction guaranteed

Tel: 95244310 WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

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

CHANGE OF NAME

I Manoj Kumar (holder of Indian passport No. J 94998229) Son of Shishpal having permanent residence in E 101 , Bhagwati Garden Extn , Uttam Nagar , New Delhi- 110059 ( complete postal address in India ) and LOST presently residing in P.O Box 175, P.C 117 Wadi Kabir , Sultanate of Oman (complete postal in Oman) intend to change my name from Manoj Kumar (old name) to Manoj Ranghar ( new name) for all practical purpose. Any Masuk Miah Late forman Ullha has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. F objection towards my name change may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, diplomatic Quarters, AL Khuwair, P.Box No, 1727 0023655. Finder please handover postal code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman. to ROP

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

C4

S AT U R D AY, F E B R UA RY 2 0, 2 0 1 6 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

DAILY GUIDE URGENTLY REQUIRED

LOOKING FOR

Mobile Technician (keralites only)

SALES EXECUTIVES & SALES ENGINEERS

Contact: 91577519/99737812 Wanted female GP, female Gynecologist, female Staff Nurse, female X- Ray Technician With MOH license for Al Saadi Specialized Medical Centre in Musanna.

WITH AT LEAST TWO YEARS EXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD OF EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENTS, CRUCHERS, QUARRY & MINING INDUSTRY.

Email: applyinggchr@gmail.com

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

REQUIRED PROJECT MANAGER

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE MBA Finance Indian lady 23 yrs currently on visit visa family resident Oman seeking opportunity for career enhancement in suitable firms ready to join immediately.

Contact: 99872664 /92651331

For an Infra/ Bldg project in Duqm/Oman Graduate Engineer with 20+ years experience preferably in Oman/ GCC with valid D/L and transferable visa, computer literate.

Send CV to Email :

Part Time Accounting, Accounts Finalization as per IFRS, Audit Preparation, Project Report, Training for Accountants, Internal Audit, Accounting System for New Companies, Contact: 96975454, email:ibfc.gcc@gmail.com

omanproject2011@gmail.com

Contact -91262604

Indian male good experienced in Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in India & Oman, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687

Email: chillapalli76@gmail.com

REQUIRE Primavera Project Planner

for outside Muscat Project. Civil Engineer with min 10yrs planning experience in Infra/ Building projects Please send CV to capsspac@gmail.com FMCG is looking for a

SALES SUPERVISOR - Bachelor ‘s degree on the same field - 5 Years experience in the (FMCG) field.

- Minimum Age 30 to 40 years - Speaks English and Arabic - Driving license Ready to directly of work Send your CV to Email : receptionist@mescooman.com

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

MISCELLANEOUS

Experienced CEO required Omani Based Group of companies Running a midsized successful holding organization With multi discipline of fields is looking for an active CEO with minimum of ten years Experience who has a global Business outlook, he should have strong leadership, and be able to give clear direction and guidance to the management team.

Kindly send your emails :issa@nibras.om, kevin@nibras.om

A Well reputed Media Company looking for professional marketing ladies with experience, visa available. Send CV to job08080@gmail.com or Contact: 98563312

for immediate joining.

Candidates with MOH license and NOC only need to apply. Attractive salary package offered to candidates who can join us immediately.

Experienced Graduates/MBAs with pleasing personality, excellent communication skills and own car for sales & marketing with leading media enterprise. jobs@interacoman.com

Send in your resume to

athirababylon@gmail.com. athira@babylon-om.com, info@babylon-om.com.

A Leading trading group is looking for Sales executives / Outdoor sales Co-coordinator having experience in construction equipment / Building materials with driving license & Release / NOC. Email CV to alhajoil@omantel.net.om or fax: 24701683

ADMIN Required urgently a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer for reputed law firm in Sohar, Muscat. Candidates should have 5-7 years experience as a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer with good knowledge of Computer & should be fluent in English both written & spoken.

Email C V to shejaanil66@gmail. com or Contact 99153620 between 8am to 1pm & 2pm to 5.30 pm on Sunday to Thursday

QHSSE ADVISOR - International Oilfield Services Company requires a NEBOSH qualified QHSSE Advisor (Omani National) to ensure continual improvement in our Muscat base. Main duties to include Journey Management, supporting implementation of policies and procedures, mentoring staff, training coordination, reporting, audit & inspection and risk assessment. Submit CV to me-job@interwell.com

CATERING Looking for Indian or Bangladeshi cook and Porata, Chapatti, maker for restaurant at Misfah.

Contact: 95212017 Wanted experienced continental cook for reputed family in Qurum.

Contact: 99466062

DRIVER Wanted experienced English speaking Indian driver for reputed family in Qurum.

Contact: 99466062 Urgently required heavy duty driver for trailer. Contact: Krishnan 99310859 or 24449345

Need master cutter, tailor for tailor shop. Contact: 99825211

Needs Sales Executives for oil trading co. With Oman driving license. Office contact 24467177 E mail: fakhar@bestlubes.com

General Practitioners, Nurses, X-Ray Technician & Lab Technician

Audit Assistants.

Email: aoabmuscat@gmail.com

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

SALES / MARKETING

Leading Medical Services company in Oman is looking for

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Required candidates for following posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers.

Candidates with Omani driving license preferred.

Contact 99273774/99202278

Urgently Required Steel Fabricated Products Salesman with an experience in steel fabrication, MUST have Oman driving license, and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com

DOMESTIC HELP Required Cleaners & office boys.

Contact 24707833

EDUCATION A well – known private school is in need of Laboratory Assistant, Biology, Chemistry and Computer Teachers. Contact: 96910649 Email: staffing.oman@gmail.com

ENGINEER Décor Company looking for an Engineer or Technician decorated with experience. Contact: 95342240 & send CV to Email: venice.decoration@gmail.com Senior Factory Control Room Operator Required for a Manufacturing Company in Oman. Candidate should possess a Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering with minimum 5 years of experience.

Candidates who have experience in Oman are preferred. Kindly forward relevant resumes to info.companyoman@yahoo.com

MEDICAL

DRAUGHTSMAN

Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately for a clinic in Suwaiq.

Contact 95081010 Email: umchealthcare@gmail.com

MEP DRAFTMEN Required with 4 to 5 Years Oman Experience. Mail your CV @ trustllc@yahoo.com

Wanted lady Doctor with MOH license – A clinic at Ghala for morning shift. Contact : 99374541

MEDICAL Required General Practitioner doctor to open branches in Oman.

Contact 98116480 Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately for a clinic in Suwaiq. #95081010 Email: umchealthcare@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Urgently required Sales executives (2 Nos) & Graphic designer for signage/ print media with minimum 1 to 2 years experience.

Please email your CV to – info.kkllc@gmail.com Contact - 91275555 Reputed company in Muscat invites application for the following vacancies Admin Omani, good communication skill in English & Sales graduate, valid Oman driving license. Kindly send CV at Email: infooman@orchidinternational.ae Building Material Salesman & Electrician cum plumber & C.CT.V Technician & maintenance work super us or with D.L. #99383044 Local man power required for one year for construction. #99340205 Email: omaniantrad@gmail.com One of the leading Business Groups in Oman is looking for Secretary- male / Secretary – Female / Accountant / Driver with valid Omani license & Laborer (loading & unloading). Interested candidates may apply to muscat.supply@gmail.com

Building material company looking for a Marketer with experience. Contact: 95342240 & send CV to Email: venice.decoration@gmail.com Urgently required Marketing Executive with driving license for sales of furniture. Contact: 97164554 / 99452755 Email: aliasgar.tarwadi@yahoo. com Required male / female Marketing person for man power Supply Company with minimum 3 years experience with valid GCC / Oman driving license.

Contact: 97158893 / 94148972.

Kindly send CV at Email: rastllcmuscat@gmail.com

OFFICE/SECRE. We are looking for Experienced Omani Receptionists for our organization Ayaan Healthcare centre. Contact - 93676708 Email: jooprakash.mba@gmail.com

SITUATION SIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian Male Accountant 10yrs Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furniture Co. (Release Available) GSM.92564955 Young 24, ACCA affiliate, Advanced diploma in Accounting and Business, seeking suitable placement in Accounts, Finance or audit With valid driving license.

Contact - 92430152, Email - rau_dey@yahoo.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Indian male M.com with 7 years of experience in running own business , seeking for job currently on visit visa. Contact : 91089088 CA with 16 years experience in finance / audit, seeking suitable senior position and available for immediate joining. Contact: 96320588 Egyptian sr. Accountant / chief accountant / accounts manager with more than 10 years experience in construction have Oman valid driver license on transfer visa. Contact: 96131088 Indian female accountant 8 years exp in Oman. Contact: 93726921 Indian male 5 yrs experience in data entry & accounting assistance seeks suitable placement NOC available. Content: 94452346 Email: subishkuruvilla5@gmail.com Indian male accountant B.com, M.com with 7 years experience including gulf on tourist visa.

Contact: 91651695 Email: danishpa2005@gmail.com Indian female (25) M.com Finance, 3 yrs, exp in accounts / finance seeks suitable position in corporate finance / Banking / consulting purchase coordination / Admin now in family visa. Contact: 96953705 Email: prapullasuvarna@gamil.com Accounts finance Indian male 35 years B.com MBA (F) 7 years experience tally ERP9 valid Oman D/L family visa.

Contact: 93257426/95230114 Email: sibigeorgep@gmail.com

Accounting Assistant, BBA M.Com, tally, peach tree, can work on current visa ph: 98269281 Indian male, B.Com with 6 years experience as an Accountant, looking for suitable placement.

Mob: 93903458 , Email : Akkandyrijesh@gmail.com 22 years experience in Oman for accountants seeks suitable placement. Contact: 99615920 Indian male bachelor degree finance 3.5 years experience in Oman handling cargo operation and accounts Oman driving license holder seeking job in logistics account. Contac: 95137665 Email: shajeer002@gmail.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, finance, banking, L/C, import, export & finalization seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com Finance-Indian with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to finalization. Currently employed in Oman. Having D/L & NOC. Mob: 94122464, Email: cammk13@gmail.com Accounting Services for small/ medium Businesses. Accounting from Data Entry to preparation of P&L, Balance Sheet, Cash flow and complete reports for auditing Contact: 99679247 Indian female 25 yrs, MBA HR & Marketing, with one and half years experience as accountant and 6 months experience in teaching, now on a visit visa, seeking suitable position. Contact: 99624044, mail: np.neethu1@gmail.com.

Indian female accountant having more than 8 years of experience in Oman. Can handle accounts independently up to finalization. Good knowledge of tally ERP9 and MS Office seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 91229415

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

Indian male MBA (F) with 6 years of experience as accountant proficiency in A/C software like tally, focus, Sap (FICO) seeking suitable placement. Contact: 98665219 Email: abdulhameed1527@gmail.com

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

Jordanian, Senior accountant, 15 yrs experience in Oman finance & accountant. Contact: 92881223 Indian male M.Com with 10 years of experience in Finance/accounting, analysis, can do finalization independently seeks suitable positions.

Contact 92839679 (can join immediately- local release available) Indian male 30 B.com, 6 yrs accounts exp in East Africa & 1year exp in Oman NOC available. Looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 94613626 Email: sharis.shaheer@gmail.com Accounts part time services available to handle all accounts up to finalization, on Monthly basis finalization and consulting works.

Contact: 96247295 Part time up to finalization.

Contact: 91126314 Indian male accountant with 7 years experience in Oman seeking for suitable placement NOC available. Contact: 95578150 Whatsapp BBM graduate with 3 years experience looking for job in finance / Admin / retail currently on visit visa. Contact: 98993590 Email: mohammedasitucm@gmail.com

ADMIN Indian male 32 yrs with 9 yrs experience in MIS & Administration good knowledge of MS .Office currently on visit visa looking for suitable position.

Contact 99815835 Email: rinumohan.842@gmail.com A Female Postgraduate with over 5 years of working experience in HR/Business Development/ Banking/Admin/Coordinative/ Secretarial duties seeks a suitable placement.

Contact 99357522/92800281 26/Pakistani Male/MBA-HR having 2 years of experience in HR with MN Insurance Company and banking industry is currently in OMAN on VISIT VISA & looking for a suitable job in HR, ADMIN or FINANCE. Email ahmadraja010@gmail.com GSM 91716268/93228785 Young Omani male have experience 12 years as P.R.O , Clerk helper supervisor Admin supervisor , H.R Manager have diploma in H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license looking for H.R position or P.R.O license . Looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time. Contact: 95933288

S AT U R DAY, F E B R UA RY 2 0, 2 0 1 6

C5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED ADMIN 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 MBA 33yrs having 10 yrs of exp seeking full time suitable placement in Administration/ HR/ Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics.

Holding valid D/L. Contact 99054786 Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf exp in Administration/ HR & Public relationship. Fluent in Arabic/ English with D/L. Looking for suitable position. Contact - 99897280 Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Education, Admin, Corporate communications. Contact 98252030 BBA Mare administration officer with admin, Accounts purchase experience valid Noc. Contact: 91329571

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

DOMESTIC HELP

Finance / Project/ Program Manager Professional Qualifications : MBA, PMP, Six Sigma Country Exposure Canada & Middle East, Industry Any Nationality Canadian, In Person Interview on Sundays

Contact No: 97203531, +923352855176

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian male Electrical Engineer, 7 years experience, valid GCC driving license, NOC available looking for suitable job. Contact: 96137008 Email: joshuaruarkfernandez@gmail. com B.SC civil Engineer, road construction field with 13 years experience in Oman. Contact: 92200485 Indian Electronics Engineer female 24 M.Tech 9Communication) Engineer and signal processing) with C,C ++ & matlab programming skills 7 1 year exp in teaching. Seeking suitable jobs, now on visit visa.

Contact – 91310557/ Email: aswanimidhun12@gmail.com Electrical diploma Engineer with 1.5 years experience in AutoCAD designing for LV constructions and diesel generator maintenance looking actively for job in Oman.

Contact: 92171858/90595609 Email: nelsondas213@gmail.com

Indian House maid looking for part time full time job perfect in baby care, mother care, cooking, cleaning etc. Contact 93675855

Indian male – B.Tech -8 yrs exp in Mfg (operations /material) seek suitable placement urgently NOC & Oman D/L available Contact 99462068 / Email: vale_jazib@yahoo.com

Housemaid (overseas) Indian family looking for job.

Contact 99531802

Indian male, 22 Chemical Engineer residing in Oman looking for suitable placement. Contact: 92379181

DRIVER Bangladeshi male light vehicle driver looking for job.

Contact: 95601163 Pakistani male 38 years with 10 year experience in driving Omani license (littlie).Contact: 93084806 Can with driving 3 years experience per time job.

Contact: 92041902 Needed light driver job urgently.

Contact: 94085449 Light driver with car.

Contact: 96379697 Wanted driver. Contact: 91025698 Looking for job driver K.S.A 7 years & Oman 5 years education H.S.C. Contact: 93940319 Looking for truck visa.

Contact: 94087276 Looking for driving job.

Contact: 98255214 3 years driver experience in Muscat Oman, language known: English, Hindi Arabic & Bengali.

Contact: 97462781 Driver with car 2015 model, speak British English.

Contact: 94039796 Pakistani light driver looking for job with 5 years experience.

Contact: 92617293 Looking job for driving with car.

Contact: 90436094 Looking for job car driver.

Contact: 98388947 Light driver need job knows Arabic & Hindi.

Contact: 95145988 Job for driving. Contact: 98982410

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN Interior Designer 3 years experience, AutoCAD 2D & 3D Max & Photoshop.

Contact number: 99025312 Interior Designer 4 years experience design and supervision skills (3D Max, AutoCAD Photoshop.

Contact: 95246737 Email: yassalnajjar@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience.

Contact 91295802 / acmfaslan123@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with QA / QC piping Engineering (ASNT) level 2 (UT, RT, MPT, LRT) with experience QC Inspector in a expansion project of a refinery. Currently on visiting working for suitable job.

Contact: 00968 97697944 Email: arskpo7@gmail.com Project Engineer (Civil) Indian Male 11 years in Building Construction.

Visa release & D/L available.

Contact: 93836362/94605415, mathan.civil04@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with 2 and half years experience Indian male 24 years in visit visa. Contact: 96620482 / + 919605423272 Email: bijumonps@gmail.com Civil Engineer having 7 years experience in construction field, looking job in suite international company with Oman driving license. Contact: 91800277 Young Electrical and Electronics Engineer Indian B.Tech male 24 seeking job presently in Oman having one year experience in design and estimation of Ht and Lt Projects. Contact: 968 94851525 Email: rabeehbinrahman@gmail. com Electrical Engineer 4.5 years experience oil & gas water projects & subseries. Contact: 99525856 Mechanical Engineer 7 years experience 4 years in pipe line projects NOC is available.

Contact: 91117089 Indian male 23 years B.E in mechanical fresher and have CSWIP certification on visit visa seeking employment foe mechanical jobs as entry level. Contact 98422072 Email Id: j-joel92@yahoo.com

Civil Engineer 6 years experience, 4 years in Oman, driving license available. Contact number 92553263 Telecom Engineer, Indian, M.Tech (Communication System) 2 years exp O& M of Ericsson BSC, RNC equipments seeking suitable job, presently on visit visa.

Contact: 968 93615443 Email: shabnaspk@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian male 24 years with 1+years Indian experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).

Looking for a Suitable position.

Available In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail: mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com

Process Engineer Chemical Engineer, MBA certified in supply chain (MGT) 6 years experiences in operation. Contact: +968 94690325 Email: phahad.hashim@gmail.com

Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com

Indian male Electrical Engineer with MBA (Mktg) having 4 and half years experience in technical commercial and marketing fields with valid GCC D/L, NOC available seeking placement. Contact: + 968 96547828 Email: deva0234@gmail.com

Electrical Testing Engineer (B.Tech) having 7 yrs Gulf experience expertise in testing precommissioning commissioning of electrical systems, currently on visit visa seeks suitable job in Muscat.

Contact: 90188231

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711

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

Contact – 90164912

HSE Engineer B.Tech (safety & fire) M. Sc 8 years experience Indian 31 years presently occupied on notice period available with clean NOC, holds Oman driving license & owns car. Contact: 94616721 Email: aibelg19@gmail.com

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact:97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com

B.Sc Civil Engineer, 27 yrs Oman experience as Project Manager, Structure Engineer looking for suitable placement. NOC / LOCAL transfer available. Contact: 99349578 Email: farooqatm@hotmail.com Procurement Engineer (27 years single male with Oman Driving License) having 7 years experience (UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in MEP, Water, Electromechanical, Instrumentation seeking suitable placements. Contact 95852033, mail: hemal1988@gmail.com Civil Engineer B.E (Indian) having total experience 14 years in building construction NOC available.

Contact 92971284 Email: mkamran1508@gmail.com Civil Engineer (B-Tech) 2 year Indian experience contact 90493674 emailinayathhussainshaik@gmail.com Electrical Engineer Indian male 30 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres) holding valid Oman D/L. Contact: 92789995 Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer (4 years exp) (3 years HVAC 10 months Piping Engineer) job visa Indian Muslim (27). Contact: 90486758 Email: afsalhyder@gmail.com Chemical Engineer Sudanese male 29 yrs. Master degree in chemical engineering , Experience 1 yrs and 2 months OSHA Course ,HACCP Course , look for suitable job in Oman. Contact 96533430

Mechanical Engineer male 26 yrs, with 4 yrs of experience in manufacturing oil & gas retail, brand promoting, marketing, logistics having valid Omani D/L seeking for a suitable placement. Contact: 97098676 Email: ja237le@gmail.com Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95345591 Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com Indian Electrical Engineer Btech, female 24 seeking job, presently in oman having 2 year experience in design and estimation of Ht &Lt projects. Contact 968 97436557, Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.com Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:- 95042656 Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270

Indian male 26 yrs have 6 yrs exp in technical assistant in tyre production, visit visa at Ruwi.

Contact: 92600859

Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113

Iraqi Architect with 10 years of experience in Engineering designs and Construction Supervising professional in 3Ds Max, AutoCAD Photoshop. Contact: 96011716

Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598

Sudanese Civil engineer - 4 years experience – 98093544

Indian female (22) BE Computer Science & pursuing MBA in symbiosis, looking for a job in HR & IT with 2 years experience in IT field.

Contact: 92649477 / 96043223

27 years male diploma in Civil Eng having 6 years Oman experience valid driving license seeking suitable placement. Contact: 98809638 /98666735

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

Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: shassalih66@gmail.com

Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs experienced as AutoCAD civil draftsman (2 yrs experience in Oman) currently in Oman seeks suitable.

Contact 96789441 Email: simi5304@gmail.com

Mechtronics Engineer, Indian male 2 yrs exp in industrial automation & maintenance, seeking suitable job. Presently on visiting visa. Contact – 97315735 / jithinm717@gmail.com Omani HSE supervisor. Email: jeebal3000@gmail.com

Civil Engineer with Oman experience and having driving license.

Contact - 91102892 Civil Engineer B.E 12 years experience with valid Oman driving license NOC available.

Contact: 93843448

Civil diploma Engineer cum quantity survey male 6 years experience in Oman valid Oman D/L. Contact: 93747759 Email: jaleelvanimalkp@gmail.com

Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in Oman PMP certificate.

Contact: 93391008 Email: momen.awadallam@gmail.com Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 Mechanical Eng. Diploma 31 years experience (22 Oman) Steel fabrication, steel furniture, Powder coating, Production and Planning.

Machine shop, looking for Managerial position in Sohar.

Contact 99314899 MEP Engineer 5 years exp in Gulf driving license NOC. Contact 97838220

HOSPITALITY

MEDICAL

Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business Head.

(NOC available) Contact: 96059470

Male GP Doctor with NOC 6 yrs experience in Oman for perm/locum job. Contact : 97746074

Indian male hotel management graduate above 12 yrs experience in hospitality looking placement GCC driving license and release available. Contact: 94525463

IT Male 24 from, India B.SC Computer science with 2 years of networking and IT help desk support experience and a Cisco certified, came to Oman on visit seeking a suitable placement. Contact: 96910605 Diploma holder in computer hardware and networking with more than 9 years experience and with driving license seeking suitable placement. Contact: 95249087 BCA Indian male one years experience system Admin IT support MCITP CCNA looking for suitable job currently on visit visa.

Contact: 94821943 Email: basithmck0@gmail.com Indian male 27 yrs master in computer applications currently in Muscat with Oman driving license seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 93191800 Email: vijilraj60@gmail.com Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration.CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867 Indian female 28 years, MCA, B.com, 3 years experience in the field of computer hardware, ERP software and windows networking where planning, implementing and troubleshooting with multiple platform of OS Microsoft XP /7/8 on visit visa. Contact: 95089170 Email: anjuretnakar@gmail.com Indian male 25 years BSC (C.S) with basic hardware and software knowledge seeks suitable placement now on visit visa. Contact: 92319677 Email: ismabsc@gmail.com Indian female, B.Tech graduate, with one and half years experience as ‘web developer’ interested in web development and has experience working in HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript and Photoshop.

Contact : 9592 7075, e-mail id: mariarosejacob90@gmail.com AutoCAD draftsman experience 2 years.

Contact: 93738335 /95809393 Email: mammoosing@gmail.com

LOGISTICS Indian Male, 36 years, over 16 years’ Stores, Logistics and Import Export experience with US based MNC, seeks suitable placement.

Mob: 9822 6568

MISCELLANEOUS Bangladeshi male, University M.Com, Working as an Accountant & Administrator in Oman; searching better job.

Phone: 94864966 Email: sunrisetoiqbal@gmail.com A Filipina lady having experience in call center, airline booking and reservations, secretarial and real estate is now looking for a job in any fields. Contact: 93839304 Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Marketing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/ BW with 1 year experience seeking for job Contact: 90228586 Email:fathimasha16@gmail.com Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement.

Gsm 98805474

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

Indian Bsc Female Nurse with 6.5 years exp, 4 years in KSA. Passed Oman Pro Metric with 69%, completed data flow. Presently in Muscat in visit visa looking for a suitable placement.

Contact 94744900, 94742834, jincyalphonese@gmail.com

MANAGER MBA with 18 years of experience in Procurement, 2 years in Sohar, Oman driving license with vehicle, looking for suitable position.M:94047501, ahmed16071974@gmail.com Egyptian male finance manager 7 years experience release available. Contact: 95539923 The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: construction(Very strong and qualified to bringing business for civil work Or any type of the construction work for many million per year with a good experience in pricing and collect payment and cash management of the company & marketing projects & investments& tenders & real estate. Contact 92385033 MBA (marketing) with 17 years experience in freight forwarding/ logistics industry in GCC & Oman.

Presently working as branch manager in Muscat. Looking for a suitable position. Release and NOC available. Contact: 99856331 Indian male, with experience in operations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact 91904541 Email: naushers@yahoo.com The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments & transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business. Contact: :- 92385033

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Lady Secretary / Sales Co-coordinator 12 years experience in Oman in reputed companies, seek immediate Employment.

Call: 95244761

SALES / MARKETING Indian male 31 years with over 10 years sales & marketing experience seeking suitable placement NOC & Oman D/L available in addition have proficiency in Arabic language.

Contact: 95760969 Sudanese B.S.C Business administration experience 8 years sales management purchases H.R marketing. Contact: 96112453 Indian male with Oman driving license & NOC looking for Sales & marketing / purchase job fluent English. Contact: 94742666 15 years of working experience in Business development in Oman & UAE & UK , marketing plans and strategies & importing fire woks for festivals & preparing government tenders , Operations and logistics , importing and international business trading , CNC engineering & industrial areas , I have dual nationality ( I can travel abroad easily without needing visa, for finalizing business trading NOC available.

Contact: 94123939 Indian male UK- MBA (International Business) having 2 years UK exp with full UK D/L, now on visiting visa. Seeking suitable jobs.

Contact – 96446013 / mmmidhun777@gmail.com MBA Indian male 4 years experience sales & marketing seeking suitable opportunities.

Contact: 96931719 Sales Engineer (M.Eng) Canada five + years Oman market experience with leading brands with D/L. Contact: 93985140 Email: jbom628@gmail.com

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DAILY GUIDE MV SALE

SITUATION WANTED SALES / MARKETING Male 26 BBA studied in Oman 3 yrs exp in MNC and now on visit.

Contact: 98180071 Email: nikhildasin@gmail.com Indian male with 27 years of rich experience in sales/ marketing in Oman with driving license and proficiency in Arabic language, seeks suitable placement. NOC available.

Contact: 96725458 Email: ranisadhu@yahoo.com MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement. Contact : 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com Indian male pluming sanitary ware & building materials experience in outdoor sales (9 years) experience with D/L UAE valid visit visa. Contact: 98723456 Sri Lankan lady experienced in key accounts, Market Demand planning & Communications, Brand/Sales in multinationals seeks placement in Muscat.

Contact 98250829

Indian sales marketing professional highly experienced in business development in ME India and Africa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 97897611 Indian male, Graduate, experienced Sales person (FMCG) with valid UAE driving license, on visit seeks suitable position.

Contact 92419491 / 94881950, Email : pranilpp76@gmail.com Male 38 yrs Graduate 07 years experience indoor / outdoor electronic field with D/License & NOC available (as per new rule).

Contact: 92453375 Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position.

Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com B.Com male 2 yrs experience in sales Computer knowledge, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98371144 email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com

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

TECHNICIAN /MECH. Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license call Ph:+968 99450811 Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com Mechanical Engineer (Indian Male, 24 Years) with three years experience, looking for suitable job. Currently on visit visa, ready to join immediately. # 92175441,

AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting.

Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

WANTED Required Sub –Contractors, we have projects. Contact - 92926630

Volvo FHIZ 1997 with 1 year’s insurance flatbed tailors up to.

Contact: 99454425 Hyundai Tucson model 2011 No.2 and CC 2.4 light green colour prices 3800/- R.O . Contact: 99376544 2008 2ltr VW Passat, good condition, 115k km, 99659946, RO 2800 Chevrolet Ebica 2006 manual good condition register 4.8.2016 550/R.O. Contact: 92802299

NRI Land for sale 40 cents NH 47 roadside opposite Pankaj theatre alleppy town. Contact: 968- 99075495 Email: mathewneena@gmail.com Land for sale 13 cents peroorkada Trivandrum 12L per cent and 22 cents eroor Kochi.

Contact: 96892973928 Email: pmnayar1810@yahoo.com Flat for sale Kerala Thiruvananthapuram 3 bed room Flat in cyber Palm (SFS)Area 1860sqf, Flat in cyber gate way Area 1159,Cont no +91 99-95-674657

BUYING Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299 Buying cars for cash.

Contact: 90202090

WANTED IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area.

Please call on mobile or msg on Whats up.

Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

Marble tiles grinding & polishing, Mosaic tiles grinding & polishing, carpet shampooing, sofa shampooing, pest control treatment & general cleaning of villa & building.

Express Building Cleaning Services.

Contact 98480070 / 94134784

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Office boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc.

Al Mudakhir National Est. LLC Contact : 94277020 LEGAL SERVICE

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

FURNITURE SHIFTING

An Indian lawyer Provides all legal services in company matters.

Labour issues, contracts, agreements, LLC formation, legal help for starting new business in Oman, Civil, criminal cases,.service issues.

Ibrahim Al Massalhi.legal consultancy Sarafudheen, LLB, MBA, Legal Advisor Muscat. GSM: 97351649

Contact: 99041337

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

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

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

Marble, Grinding, Crystallization.

Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact: 99344723

Building maintenance.

Contact: 96173326

Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

Maintenance, Dismantling, Packing, Shifting & Fixing furniture with expert technicians.

Pest Control Treatments Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact: 99344723 Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact: 99344723 A/C maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing.

Contact 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281 Split A/C servicing R.O 10 only. Contact: 94217681 / 99210141

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance.

Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722

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

House shifting. Contact: 99708138

Cad drafting architecture MEP design MEP BIM – REVIT. Contact: 91233975

55 years widower looking life partner Mangalore widows only.

Contact: 99014325

House shifting packing.

Contact: 99657644 / 98518013

MATRIMONIAL

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

TOURS

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636 We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

MANPOWER

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

RENT A CAR

MATRIMONIAL Sunni Muslim girl, Mumbai origin, 24yrs BCA graduate from Oman, homely with good religious value, seeking alliance of age max 29 from Muslim Sunni Mumbai origin family, well settled in Oman or Middle East.

Contact: 94150040

GOOD NEWS FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact:24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com Genuine Ayurvedic treatments & massage, Ayurvedic clinic at AL Khuwair. Contact: 24478618 / 97263637 / 93309131

DRIVING

GOOD NEWS Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steambath, obesity, spondylitis. Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba.

Contact: 99639695 / 97397320

TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact 92015894

From Mabela to Mawaleh for school student. Contact: 92757673 Transportation. Contact: 96248040

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP speciďŹ cation for monthly rent & small car with driver. Contact 99839898

Transportation. Contact :98505294 Transportation in Muscat.

Contact: 96004045

Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

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DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTED DINING DELIGHTS

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