Times of Oman - December 21, 2016 by Muscat Media Group

WEDNESDAY December 21, 2016 21 Rabi Al Awal 1438 AH

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN MORNING MINUTE

On the occasion of the 25th National Day Silver Jubilee, 1995

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ We are conﬁdent that the coming generations will appreciate all you have done, and with God’s permission, will work to consolidate and strengthen it further. You are the pioneers who blazed the trail that ensured that, in days to come, our progress will be faster and unconﬁned, with our future gains assured.

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 248 | 36 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certiﬁed Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

OMAN’S FOREIGN MINISTRY

Russian ambassador killing condemned MUSCAT: The Sultanate strongly condemned the assassination of Russian ambassador in Turkey and considers this act against the international laws, norms and human ethics, according to the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry yesterday.

The Sultanate of Oman stressed the importance of full compliance of the international rules for the protection of diplomats and international representatives, as stated in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961. >A3

D E PA R T M E N T O F FA M I LY S E RV I C E S

Marital discord tops women helpline calls KHADIJA AL ZADJALI

khadija@timesofoman.com

TRUCK PLOUGHS INTO PREGNANT MUM, DAUGHTER The daughter died in the accident while her injured mother is admitted to Khoula hospital

REJIMON K CHIEF REPORTER

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A two-year-old girl died and her pregnant mother was seriously injured after they were hit by a truck and dragged along the street. Waheeda Aurangazeb, who is six months pregnant, was returning home with her young family when she and her baby daughter Shohaiba were hit by the truck at a busy junction in Ruwi. Waheeda was taken to Khoula

Hospital where medics reported her unborn baby was unharmed but Waheeda, a Pakistani national, had broken her pelvis. Both mum and daughter were dragged along the street under the wheels of the vehicle. The driver of the truck is being questioned by the police. The accident, on Monday evening, came after Waheeda took her three children on a family visit. Her husband Aurangazeb works as a tailor in the business district of the city. He was too upset to comment.

FATA L C A R C R A S H

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

Saturday deadliest for accidents in the Sultanate Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Motorists speeding along the North Al Batinah roads on a hot Saturday afternoon are statistically more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash, according to ﬁgures put out by the Royal Oman Police (ROP). Latest statistics show that North Al Batinah recorded the highest number of accident deaths in 2015 with 115 fatalities, followed by the capital city of Muscat with 92. Saturday proved to be the deadliest day of the week as 122 driving deaths were reported across Oman on that day over the year. Last year, around 138 people died in traffic accidents in July and August. Speeding emerged as the main cause of deaths since 2011. Speeding killed 383 people while overtaking resulted in 97 fatalities. Most accidents in Oman took place between 11am and noon, with 565 accidents at 12pm and 419 at 11am last year. Traffic accidents witnessed a dramatic decrease in the Sultanate last year, 7 per cent down compared to 2014. During the same time, fatalities declined by a whopping 17 per cent. In 2014, 816 people died on Oman roads, while in 2015, the

“Waheeda has suffered injuries to her left pelvis. She is pregnant too, so medics are assessing the situation. So far, medical tests show that she and the baby in the womb is ﬁne,” Azra Aleem, Pakistan Social Club’s women wing chief, who visited Waheeda at the hospital, told Times of Oman. “According to medics, a decision on pelvis surgery will be taken later. Now, she is under medication to suppress the pain,” Azra added. Waheeda, Shohaiba, threeyear-old daughter Marwah and ﬁve-year-old Abu had gone to Badr Al Samaa, in Ruwi, to meet her sister-in-law who had given birth. “After meeting her and the new baby, Waheeda, Shohaiba, Marwah and Abu were crossing the road towards KFC. Unfortunately, she was hit by a truck and dragged.

OMAN

SalamAir set to begin sale of tickets soon

SalamAir, will begin its tickets sale soon. “The aircraft is being inspected by the authorities as we speak and we’re working on making a change to have leather upholstered seats. Ticket sales will begin soon,” the airline announced on Tuesday. >A4

WORLD

Scotland wants to stay in EU single market number dropped to 675. Statistics showed Musandam was the safest place in Oman in terms of traffic accidents. Fresh ﬁgures from the Royal Oman Police (ROP) suggest that driving in the coastal governorate on a Tuesday at midnight in April was the safest. Musandam recorded only four deaths last year, according to ROP statistics. Tuesday was the safest day as only 75 deaths were reported on this day throughout the year. April was the safest month in 2015 recording 45 driving deaths while 12:00 am was the safest time to hit the road as only 101 accidents were reported at this hour. Oman witnessed a 7 per cent rise in total number of trafﬁc accidents last year compared to 2014.

Scotland wants to stay in the European Union’s single market after the United Kingdom leaves the bloc and will push for more powers to protect its interests, the head of its pro-independence government said . >A12

MARKET

Oman to build GCC’s biggest egg farm

Oman plans to build the biggest table egg project in the Gulf region in joint venture, which will have an annual capacity to produce 2,300 million eggs. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed for the table egg project. >B1

Waheeda fell down and Shohaiba fell under the truck,” Azra said. The accident happened at around 6:45pm. Adnan Raza Hameedi, a witness to the accident, said that it was awful. “I was in my car going to Badr Al Samaa. I saw the accident. The baby was injured badly,” Adnan added. The other two children were not injured as they had crossed the road ahead of their mother and young sister. According to Azra, Shohaiba will be buried in Oman. “We can’t hold the body until Waheeda is discharged from the hospital. The body will be buried in Muscat,” Azra said. Waheeda’s husband runs a tailoring shop in Wadi Kabir and the family has been resident of Oman for many years. Their home is in Ruwi High Street. >A3

MUSCAT: A helpline for women set up by the Department of Family Services recorded 1,144 calls in 2015, according to data from the ministry. Of the calls received, 335 cases were registered and marital issues were cited as the main reason for women calling the number. The Ministry of Social Development initiated the ﬁrst free of cost help line for family counselling and marital services in the Sultanate in 2009. At the time of its launch, the Family Consultancy and Coaching Department’s phone line was considered a pioneering strategy in dealing with sensitive issues in the realm of family and marital affairs. The helpline is open for calls between 10am and 1pm every day. Adnan Al Farsi, Assistant Director of Family Services, said

a lack of qualiﬁed specialists leaves them unable to extend the call centre hours. According to the Annual 2015 Report by the Department of Family Services, the helpline received 1,144 calls but only responded to 788 due to the threehour time frame, as not all of the calls were within the department’s jurisdiction. >A6

Antiques exhibition attracts visitors

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

THE BRIEFING BUSINESS

Qatar banks enter talks for three-way merger Qatari banks Masraf Al Rayan, Barwa Bank and International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) are in talks on a threeway merger as consolidation accelerates across the Middle East’s banking industry. The potential combination would create the largest sharia-compliant bank in Qatar and the third largest such lender in the Middle East, with assets worth more than 160 billion riyals ($44 billion), Masraf Al Rayan said late on Monday in a statement. >B3

LIFESTYLE

January at the ROHM

OMAN

Minister of Interior praises media panel role Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior today met with the Head and members of the Media Committee, in the presence of the Chairman of the Main Elections Committee at the Ministry of Interior. The Minister of Interior stressed the importance of the role played by the Media Committee in highlighting and covering the 2nd Term of the Municipal Elections. He said that media means play an important role in participation of voters to cast their votes in service of their dear homeland. He highlighted the success of media in the consolidation of the concept of elections and its importance in life of the Omani society within the framework of the state of institutions. >A6

OMAN

INDIA

As Omanis prepare to cast their votes to choose their favourite candidates in the municipal elections, 107 schools in Oman will close on Sunday, December 25 >A4

Justifying demonetisation as a step taken for the betterment of the country, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said it has helped in checking terrorism and Naxalism. >A8

REGION

WORLD

Four Jordanian policemen were killed in clashes with militants during a raid on a house in a village near the southern city of Karak on Tuesday, a security source said. >A7

An Indonesian court will decide next week whether to push forward with a controversial blasphemy trial of Jakarta’s governor, who is accused of insulting the holy book. >A10

107 schools to close for municipal polls

Four Jordanian policemen killed

‘Note ban has helped in checking terrorism’

Jakarta governor broke blasphemy law

The second half of ROHM Season 2016-17 gets off to an historic start in January, with the ROHM’s ﬁrst major in-house production. Later in the month, see performances by Placido Domingo and Mohammed Abdou, and enjoy classic compositions from Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. >A14

SPORTS

OOC ﬁnalises Women Sports Committee Oman Olympic Committee has issued a dedision setting up the Oman Women Sports Committee for 2016–2020 term. As per the decision, Sayyida Sanaa bint Hamad Al Busaidi will chair the committee which will have the following as members: Saada bint Salim Al Ismaili, Dr. Mahfoudha bint Sulaiman Al Kitani, Fatmah bint Rashid, Fatma bint Abdallah, Moza bint Said, Salma bint Khalfan, Laila bint Abdallah and Mariam bint Saif. >C3

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

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OMAN

Dr. Madiha gives Sultan Qaboos Award The minister also conferred the order of merit for culture, science, art and literature

Times News Service MUSCAT: Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Dr. Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shibaniyah, Minister of Education, Chairperson of the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture and Science gave away the 5th version of the Sultan Qaboos Award for Culture, Arts and Literature, at Al Wahat Club in Al Athaiba. She also conferred the order of

merit for culture, science, art and literature in the fields of translation, folklore art and novel. Hamad bin Sinan Al Ghaithi won the award in the field of translation, Bashair troupe won the award in the field of art of Al Razha and Al A’azi while Dr. Jokha bint Mohammed Al Harthy won the award in the field of novel writing. The ceremony was attended by a number of ministers, undersecretaries and others.

BLESSED RENAISSANCE

Mantheri meets delegates from education sector MUSCAT: Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council received at the State Council’s headquarters a delegation of the Labour Union for Education Sector chaired by Mohammed bin Shamis Al Rawahi, Chairman of the Union. The Chairman of the State Council pointed out that since the beginning of the Blessed Renaissance, the Sultanate has attached a special care to education and considered it one of the aims of the Omani Renaissance. Scientiﬁc research He also underscored the interest of the State Council in education and scientiﬁc research through many laws, studies and research it has undertaken. Mohammed bin Shamis Al Rawahi, Chairman of the Labour

Union for Education Sector gave an overview of the Union, which was established last August to take care of the interests of its members, enhance their professional skills and develop legislations for workers in the educational institutions. He affirmed the Union’s keen-

ness to establish real and effective partnerships among its members, the tripartite stakeholders and other relevant organisations. Dr. Abdullah bin Mubarak Al Shanfri, Dr. Zuhoor bint Abdullah Al Khanjariyah and State Council’s Secretary General were present at the meeting. -ONA

RUWI ACCIDENT

A1 Driver under police custody < FROM

“The driver, who is also from Pakistan, is under police custody,” Azra added. Last Friday, a four-month-old baby girl, Rushda Fathima, died in a tragic car accident in Sur when BONDS, LOANS, SUKUK

Nama Group wins Middle East award MUSCAT: Nama Group’s subsidiaries; Majan Electricity Company (MJEC), Mazoon Electricity Company (MZEC) and Dhofar Power Company (DPC) were announced as “Runner-ups” under the category “Syndicated Loan Deal of the Year by Debut Borrower” at the Middle East Awards for Bonds, Loans, and Sukuk for the year 2016. Capital delivery The multi-tranche $1.214 billion syndicated loan beneﬁted three Group companies with $330 million for MJEC, $260 million for DPC and $624 million for MZEC to implement the capital delivery programme required to further enhance service reliability, system efficiency and to develop the network across the Sultanate. In 2015, Nama Group’s Oman Electricity Transmission Company won the Middle East Award for Bonds, Loans, and Sukuk in two categories; “Sovereign / quasi-sovereign ﬁnancing deal of the Year” and “Investment grade bond / sukuk deal of the year”. RUSSIAN

A1 Envoy’s killing < FROM

At the same time, the Sultanate expressed condolences and sympathy over this terrible accident to the family of the Russian ambassador, the Russian Federation, its government and the Russian people.

the car her father was driving veered off the road suddenly and toppled. Government statistics reveal that in October this year, 349 accidents were registered, compared to 303 in September

and 326 in August. Injuries fell by 25.8 per cent as of the end of October 2016, with 2,337 cases registered, compared to 3,148 during the same period last year.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

OMAN REDISCOVERING OMAN

Antiques exhibition at SABCO Centre attracts visitors

Times News Service MUSCAT: Omani antiques, some even dating back to the 16th century, are currently on display at the SABCO Centre. Drawing a large numbers of curious visitors and buyers every day, the exhibition has been organised by Hussein Ghaddar, a veteran fashion designer and antiques collector in Oman, who owns the Tahani Antiques shop at Jawaharat Al Shatti Mall, and the Tahani Fashion Stores. 16th and 18th centuries Apart from exquisite jewellery made of precious metals, khanjars, carved wooden articles and leather ware, this exhibition includes valuable cameras, typewriters, telephones and gramophones, which belong to the period between 16th and 18th centuries. On display at the exhibition is also a handwritten copy of the Holy Quran, along with gold and

silver coins, watches, wall clocks and hangings, wallets, wooden doors with decorative carvings, coffeepots, incense burners, washbowls, copper and brass utensils, water pitchers and a lot more to delight the viewer. “Oman is a country renowned for its art and culture. Its antique pieces are highly valued for their artistic quality and historical and cultural signiﬁcance. As an art and antique collector, I’ve been collecting precious Omani antiques for over four decades.

“Now I want to showcase and share my collection for a wider audience and create more awareness about Oman’s ancient past and the creative excellence of its ancestors,” said Ghaddar, who opened the exhibition on November 18, in celebration of the Sultanate’s National Day. His collection has grown enormously over the years. Ghaddar is now thinking of setting up a museum where people can learn about Omani antiques, some of them dating back several centuries. Buyers can avail a 10 to15 per

cent discount during the exhibition period, which will run until January 5, 2017. According to Bouchra Danwra, one of the directors at the SABCO Group, “SABCO has been always committed to promoting the rich culture and heritage of Oman. We greatly appreciate Mr Hussein Ghaddar’s efforts to enhance public awareness about the Sultanate’s priceless antiques. I hope the exhibition will allow more people to know about Omani antiques and appreciate their heritage value.”

SalamAir set to begin sale of its tickets soon

P O L L I N G S TAT I O N S .

Fares for SalamAir, DECISION TIME: Voters and the staff of the 107 schools will get a day off on Sunday, December 25. - ONA

Oman’s ﬁrst budget

107 schools to close for municipal polls

below OMR15, but

airline, may start at will depend on when you book and what you book

Times News Service MUSCAT: As Omanis prepare to cast their votes to choose their favourite candidates in the municipal elections, 107 schools in Oman will close on Sunday, December 25 and turn into polling stations. Of the total polling stations, 18 will be dedicated for male voters, 18 for female voters and 71 for both. The number of registered voters this year stood at 623,224, recording a whopping increase of around 100,000 from last elec-

tions. The official announced that Omanis living in the GCC will be able to vote through their embassies on December 18, while the official election day is December 25 for the rest of the voters. Voters and the staff of the 107 schools will get a day off on Sunday, December 25. Around 731 candidates will contest for 202 seats all across Oman, of whom 708 are males and only 22 females. The ﬁnal results will be revealed and calculated live via the election website and the mobile app.

and the period

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman’s ﬁrst budget airline, SalamAir, will begin its tickets sale soon. “The aircraft is being inspected by the authorities as we speak and we’re working on making a change to have leather upholstered seats. Ticket sales will begin soon,” the airline announced

on twitter on Tuesday. It also said: “We’re on track to be ready to be flying with you and will need a few weeks to finalise the remaining requirements.” Fares for SalamAir, Oman’s first budget airline, may start at below OMR15, but will depend on when you book and what you book and

the period (off peak, etc.). SalamAir plans to connect Muscat with Salalah with four flights a day, besides flying to Dubai and Jeddah, initially. Awarded its air service operator licence by the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) in early 2016, SalamAir’s fleet of three Air-

bus A320s is scheduled to take to the skies soon. The brainchild of ASAAS, a national investment and development company, SalamAir was formed to meet Oman’s rapidly growing demand for air traffic, which is expected to grow by 40 per cent by 2019.

ALL FOR A CAUSE

Cancer charity bowling tournament raises more than OMR1,200

GAUTAM VISWANATHAN

Gautam@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: More than OMR1,200 was raised at a charity fundraising bowling tournament held in association with the Oman Cancer Association. Nineteen teams, each comprising eight people, raised a total of

OMR1,260, with the entire amount going towards cancer research in the Sultanate of Oman. Sabre Travel Network The event was organised by the Sabre Travel Network, which provides software and networking solutions to travel agents, airlines, hotels and other operators associ-

ated with the tourism business. “As part of ‘Give together,’ Sabre’s global giving programme, Sabre hosted a bowling tournament in order to raise funds and offered a matching amount for the Oman Cancer Association,” said Mr. John Mathew, Country Manager, Sabre Oman. “Sabre would like to extend their gratitude to our two

top sponsors, Al Hashar and Universal Travel, along with National Travel and Tourism, Oman Wings and all other travel agents who participated and contributed to this noble cause.” The tournament was won by Zahara Travel, with Khimji House of Travel coming in second, and Marmul Travel ﬁnishing third.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

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OMAN

Delay in organ donation spells trouble for recipient alysis, but now I am used to it, and the only thing I need to take care of is hygiene.” Now with hope of a new life, Nasima encourages people to donate, especially kidneys. “Of course donating organs is correct because you help someone get a new life, but here in Oman they are worried about undergoing an operation. They want to help, but they think maybe it will affect their negatively,” she explains.

Oman has over 1,600 patients who are waiting for a kidney and with very little culture of organ donation in the country, getting one in the short term seems to be a dream for most of these patients

DEEBA HASAN

deeba@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: “If a patient needs an organ and you are ﬁt and have the ability to donate, make sure you don’t delay the donation, as the longer it takes, the higher the chances of trouble,” advises Nasser, a 28-year-old Omani who has pledged to donate a kidney to a fellow Omani. Oman has over 1,600 patients who are waiting for a kidney and with very little culture of organ donation in the country, getting one in the short term seems to be a dream for most of these patients. However Nasser, a resident of Al Mussanah, decided to take the pledge and help Nasima, his wife’s friend. Kidney “Nasima is the wife of my family friend Adil, and when I heard of her plight, I decided to donate one of my kidneys. She has a threeyear old child, and I think I have done the right thing to help her live

DIRE STRAITS: An English teacher at one of the schools in Ibri, Nasima, is required to undergo her dialysis at home or on the go, four times daily. She also visits the Royal Hospital and the hospital in her hometown twice a month, or whenever she is asked to come.

more comfortably,” he added. “I have been wanting to donate a kidney for more than a year now. Earlier, it was for my cousin, but he passed away, and I had this idea of donation in mind from a long time. So when I heard of Nasima, I decided to donate a kidney to her. “Most people are scared of donating a kidney. They think they will die or fall seriously ill, but it is possible to live a healthy life with one kidney, and we have numerous examples of that,” he said. Nasser says that he is only sad about the delays he has been facing with the entire process, “Every time I go to the hospital they ask me for a lot of papers and the appointments are given with a long gap, so that is taking our time away.” While the donation has not yet taken place, almost 80 per cent of the tests of both the donor and receiver have matched, and doctors say, if all goes well, the transplant will take place next year. Nasima, also 28, has been suffering from renal problems for nearly

four years and has been on dialysis for the last nine months. She was diagnosed with a kidney ailment in the second month of her pregnancy. She is not the only one to have suffered kidney failure in her family. “Although I was shocked to be diagnosed, I was not very surprised because hypertension, diabetes and kidney diseases run in my family. My father suffered from it and was on dialysis for three years before he died. I have a sister who suffered from kidney failure and got a transplant done in Pakistan two years ago, and my mother also suffers from hypertension and diabetes.” An English teacher at one of the schools in Ibri, Nasima, is required to undergo her dialysis at home or on the go, four times daily. She also visits the Royal Hospital and the hospital in her hometown twice a month, or whenever she is asked to come. “The nurses at the hospital have taught me how to do the dialysis at home, and it is easy to do it by myself now. Earlier, it was difficult to keep track of time during the di-

FESTIVITIES

Plenty on offer as Oman gears up for Christmas GAUTAM VISWANATHAN

Gautam@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: With the 25th of December fast approaching, hotels and restaurants have gone the extra mile this year in their efforts to woo customers over the Christmas weekend. While themed buffets with a multitude of dining options seem to be a norm at high-end hotels, many have introduced various family-centric activities this time around to ensure there is something for everybody. From spa sessions and an elegant high tea at the Ritz Carlton’s Al Bustan Palace Hotel, to Oman’s largest gingerbread house featuring over 1,000 different pieces of candies, cakes and gingerbread and the nation’s largest tree, standing at over 45 feet, at Shangri La’s Barr Al Jissah, hotels in the Sultanate are bracing themselves to welcome a large number of customers in the middle of the country’s already busy tourist season. “This year, we are proud to offer residents and tourists an ideal home away from home to celebrate the holidays,” said Christoph Schleissing, the General Manager for the Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Mussanah. “We have a whole host of surprises lined up for all our guests, including opportunities to meet Santa Claus, festive food spread, and a vintage celebration to welcome 2017. “With so much prepared, we are looking forward to delivering an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind experience.” With Oman known for its natural beauty, the Anantara Resort in the Jabal Akhdar is offering people the opportunity to spend Christmas high up in the mountains, amidst the tranquillity of nature and scenic surroundings. The resort’s 33 villas offer private temperature controlled inﬁnity pools, while all rooms offer views of the dramatic canyon. Adventures nearby include mountain climbing, archery, mountain

With Oman known for its natural beauty, the Anantara Resort in the Jabal Akhdar is offering people the opportunity to spend Christmas high up in the mountains, amidst the tranquillity of nature and scenic surroundings. The resort’s 33 villas offer private temperature controlled infinity pools, while all rooms offer views of the dramatic canyon biking and abseiling, whilst those seeking a relaxing break can pamper themselves with locally-inspired treatments and authentic hammam baths at the Anantara Spa, or simply recline by a ﬁre with a hot chocolate and soak in the stunning vistas. “Throughout the winter months, the temperature on the mountain can drop to as low as 15 degrees during the day and below freezing point at night,” said Firas Rashid, Area Director of Sales & Marketing. “With bright blue skies and a dusting of snow, it really is a unique winter experience and ideal for those looking to explore the area with an array of activities we have on offer, including mountain climbing, trekking and much more. “We make sure our guests stay warm and toasty with full heating and lots of blankets, whilst open ﬁres create a cosy atmosphere.”

Closer to the capital, one of Oman’s best-loved hotels has also opened its doors to visitors this Christmas. Located in the heart of Muscat, the Al Falaj Hotel has pulled out all the stops to provide its patrons a Christmas Eve buffet few will forget. “We are looking forward to the festivities at this time of year,” said Praveen George, General Manager, Sales. “Everything is going to be special for Christmas. We have quite a good following for our events, so we anticipate this to be a success as well. “We have already begun getting reservations for our Christmas Eve gala and we also have many customers who are patronising the hotel,” he added. “We many people are coming in and it is a good price to pay as well, so we should be looking forward to about 400 people on that day.”

Educate people “In our village, they do not know that we have organ donation facilities in Oman, and when it comes to this issue, they look to India, Thailand, Pakistan, and other such countries. The Ministry of Health needs to educate people in our villages, and create awareness,” she added. She also highlighted that most patients who are awaiting organs are from the younger age groups, “Whenever I visit the hospital, I see 74 patients, and when I come back in three months, it crosses 100. So that needs to be curbed and lifestyle changes need to be made, especially since these are mostly younger people.” Said is someone who underwent a transplant eighteen years ago, while he was in his 30s, because he was lucky to have found a donor within the family, “My brother donated his kidney, and that is a good thing because when it comes to receiving organs, it is the best to get one from your closest relatives.” Now, 18 years later, Said is living a perfectly normal life and so is his brother. “People are scared to donate, but my brother is an example that people can lead normal lives with even one kidney. “Of course appropriate precautions need to be taken before a donation,” he said. “It is also better to undergo the transplant at a younger age because if one is older, it could result in complications,” he added. - Names have been changed for conﬁdentiality

S TAT I S T I C S

Mobile broadband subscribers rise 20% MUSCAT: In the first 11 months of the current year the Sultanate recorded a significant 20.2 per cent increase in the number of active mobile broadband subscribers. The number exceeded 3.9 million by the end of November 2016, according to a statistical update from the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). Meanwhile, the number of fixed broadband subscribers increased 18.6 per cent to 276,643 during the same period. However, the number of dialup internet subscribers fell by almost 8 per cent to 2,551 during the period. The total fixed telephone lines went up from 434,932 lines as of December 2015 to 466,354 lines as of November this year, marking an increase of 7.2 per cent. The number of VoIP lines stood at 124,057 in November, in contrast to just 540 lines in September, and no VoIP lines at all in 2015.

At the same time, ﬁxed postpaid connections fell 14 per cent to 279,219 along with a 69.7 per cent drop in the number of ﬁxed prepaid lines, which came down to 16,954 during the period. The public pay telephones remained at 6,801, with no growth over the period whereas ISDN channels decreased by 16.6% to 37,764 while WLL connections fell 12% to 1,559. Postpaid mobile connections increased 4.6 per cent to 612,226, while prepaid connections rose 2.7 per cent to over 6.22 million. Prepaid mobile operators marginally increased by 0.5 per cent to more than 5.06 million, while resellers grew by 13.6 per cent to over 1.16 million by the end of November, the NCSI report said. — ONA

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STUDY

SQU most trusted brand among Oman varsities MUSCAT: In a study by the Pan Arab Research Centre on behalf of the Omani Economic Review Magazine, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) was named the most trusted trade brand in colleges and universities category in the Sultanate in 2016. SQU was chosen for the second time in a row as a leading institution in senior and executive management sector, as well as in 2015. SQU has emerged as a leading institution in senior and executive management sector in the educational institutions category. The study is an attempt to track the strength of ties to vari-

ous trade brands with consumers. The study was conducted in September and October 2016 by the Pan Arab Research Centre on behalf of the Omani Economic Review Magazine. The feedback was collected on open-end questions for each category. The study was conducted on random samples of the workers in the Sultanate with a rating of the study into two categories of senior and executive management. The size of the sample was 750 participants, including 380 Omanis and 370 expatriates. — ONA

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

OMAN E N H A N C I N G C O O P E R AT I O N

Advisor to HM, information minister, attorney general meet journalists MUSCAT: Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Rowas, Advisor to His Majesty the Sultan for Cultural Affairs, Hussain bin Ali Al Hilali, Attorney-General and Dr. Abdul Mon’em bin Mansour Al Hassani, Minister of Information received the delegations of International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Federation of Arab Journalists (FAJ). One of the delegations was led by Mo’ayyad Al Lami while the other was led by Jem Abu Melha. During the meeting with Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Rowas, roles of GFAJ and IFJ were reviewed within the framework of balanced journalism and media work and its supreme goals in raising awareness and knowledge

sharing. Members of the two delegations praised the Sultanate’s progress in this regard, thanks to the wise vision and the attention accorded by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to the Omani journalism. The meeting also reviewed challenges facing the local journalists’ associations and the importance of communication between the journalists’ federations and associations to beneﬁt from the successful experiences and activating cooperation. The Attorney-General gave an overview of the Public Prosecution, the developments it has witnessed and its working method, in coordination with other litigation authorities.

MEETING: Dr. Abdul Mon’em bin Mansour Al Hassani, Minister of Information received the delegations of International Federation of Journalists and the Federation of Arab Journalists.– ONA

He then highlighted the role of media in the sustainable development process being witnessed by the Sultanate during the prosperous era of His Majesty Sultan SHURA

Export of green fodder discussed MUSCAT: Food and Water Security Committee at Majlis Al Shura yesterday held its 1st meeting of the second annual sitting of the 8th term under the chair of Hilal bin Said Al Yahya’ee, Head of Committee. The Committee hosted Dr. Ahmed bin Nasser Al Bakri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for Agriculture, officials at Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and representatives of the agricultural societies to discuss rationalising the export of green fodder and the development of Jebel Shams in the Wilayat of Al Hamra in the Governorate of A’Dakhiliyah. The meeting also covered the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries plans and strategies for the agricultural development in Jebel Shams, the role of the Ministry in providing technical support in planting winter fruits, marketing of the agricultural products and preparing suitable land plots for plantation at Jebel Shams. The Committee also discussed the importance of encouraging investors to invest in Jebel Shams and in marketing agricultural products.

Qaboos bin Said, Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council. Meanwhile, the Minister of Information highlighted the role played by the two federations in

serving the issues of media men and developing various aspects of media work. The meeting reviewed means of enhancing cooperation between the Sultanate and the two visiting delegations. The two sides stressed the importance of maintaining coordination between them to serve the media work. The FAJ Chairman hailed the development made by the Sultanate in all ﬁelds especially in media. He hoped that his visit would contribute to enhancing cooperation between the two sides in journalism ﬁelds. The meeting was attended by Awadh bin Said Ba Quwair, Chairman of the Omani Journalists Association (OJA) and members of

the OJA Board of Directors. The Sultanate will take part in the 11th session of the Islamic Conference of Information Ministers, to be convened by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday under the theme “Renewed Media in the Face of Terrorism and Islamophobia. The Sultanate’s delegation will be led by Dr. Abdul Mon’em bin Mansour Al Hassani, Minister of Information. The conference will address a range of topics, including the role of media in the OIC Member States to support the issue of Jerusalem and Al Aqsa Mosque and supporting joint Islamic action in the ﬁeld of media institutions. -ONA

Minister praises media panel role The Ministry of Interior affirmed that it has completed all preparations for the municipal polls

MUSCAT: Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior today met with the Head and members of the Media Committee, in the presence of the Chairman of the Main Elections Committee at the Ministry of Interior. The Minister of Interior stressed the importance of the role played by the Media Committee in highlighting and covering the 2nd Term of the Municipal Elections. He said that media means play an important role in participation of voters to cast their votes in service of their dear homeland. He highlighted the success of media in the consolidation of the concept of elections and its importance in life of the Omani so-

ciety within the framework of the state of institutions. The meeting touched on the preparations for the elections day on December 25 as citizens in all governorates of the Sultanate will cast their votes to choose their representatives in Municipal Councils. The Minister of Interior wished all the best to all the committees in the success of these elections and report in an image that beﬁts the status of the Sultanate regionally and globally as it succeeded with distinction in the organization and coverage of the 8th term elections of Majlis Al Shura. The Ministry of Interior afﬁrmed that it has completed all preparations and ensured readiness of all committees that regu-

larise the elections at all wilayats in the Sultanate. The elections centres, which will receive voters from 7.00 am to 7.00 pm, have been provided with all equipment and facilities that make the elections process go easily and smoothly. Salim bin Humaid Al Hajri, Head of the Committee on Preparations for Municipal Council 2nd Term Elections said that the 61 committees in all wilayats across the Sultanate are ready to receive voters on the election day. All those working at the election centres have been trained on voting and sorting out of votes. The number of registered voters at the election register for the 2nd term stands at 623,224 including 333,733 male voters and 289,491 female voters. -ONA

N O R T H S H A R Q I YA H

Expat held for theft Times News Service MUSCAT: Investigation teams from the Royal Oman Police of North Sharqiyah caught an Asian expat for theft, according to a ROP spokesperson. Many calls were received in Sinaw and Mudhaibi about the crimes committed at different locations of the region. The man confessed to 17 cases of theft from commercial stores and ﬁlling stations.

HELPLINE

< FROM

A1 Lack of communication Marital problems are the most popular reason for calls, at 25, compared to family issues at only four cases. Fatima Al Zadjali, a specialist at the Family Consultancy and Coaching Department, believes that the majority of the calls reﬂect a lack of communication and affection between the spouses. “Culturally, it comes down to picking spouses. Once they make it official within their society, there is no turning back. They don’t take the time to truly understand how the person functions. Once the honeymoon is over and life starts again, they don’t know how to cope with all the responsibility of being married,” she said. As an institution, they give call-

ers tools and techniques to help them work through issues. Understanding the fundamental difference between genders, coping skills for everyday life, learning to communicate and most importantly, listening, all form part of the advice given to callers. “We cater to citizens from all over the country. We started the phone line service because not everybody could make it all the way to Muscat. “We must keep on upgrading our services due to the everchanging behaviour of society. We have to monitor the changes in the public to provide services that reﬂect the current society,” Farsi said.

In 2015 alone, the call centre recorded 27 cases from Muscat, nine cases between North and South Batinah, another four cases from the Dakhlia region, three between North and South Sharqiyah and one case from Dhofar. “The difficult part is that every area and every tribe has different social dynamics. One must know the difference between cultures in order to handle the situation. In Salalah, when a woman divorces, her family slaughters a camel and distributes it including half to the divorcee husband. This is an expression that her father values her and isn’t ashamed of her.” Family Consultancy and Guidance 800-77788 hours 10am – 1pm TOMORROW

Air traffic control centre opening MUSCAT: The Public Authority for Civil Aviation will celebrate, tomorrow, the opening of the new Muscat Air Traffic Control Centre. The inaugural ceremony will be organised under the auspices of Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council in the presence of a number of ministers, undersecretaries. The centre is equipped with the state-of-theart equipment and communication and navigation systems, which makes it the most advanced centre in terms of the systems and programmes. The centre is expected to create a qualitative shift in the air navigation sector. -ONA

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

REGION Four Jordanian policemen killed Clashes took place in a house where suspects linked to the four militants involved in the castle bloodshed were believed

TIGHT SECURITY: Jordanian security forces patrol in Karak, a tourist destination, around 120 kilometres south of the capital Amman, on Sunday. – AFP

to be sheltering

AMMAN: Four Jordanian policemen were killed in clashes with militants during a raid on a village near the southern city of Karak on Tuesday, a security source said. The violence occurred two days after a shootout between police and gunmen holed up inside a Crusader castle near Karak. Ten people including a Canadian tourist were killed. IS militants claimed responsibility for the violence. A Jordanian police source said Tuesday’s clashes took place in a house where suspects linked to the four militants involved in the castle bloodshed were believed to be sheltering. At least 11 people, mostly security personnel, were wounded in the clashes that were continuing in the village of Al Waysa, a security source said. Police said late on Sunday they had killed four “terGUINEA PROBE

Israel arrests ex-business associate TEL AVIV: Israeli police arrested a former business associate of mining billionaire Beny Steinmetz on Tuesday in a widening inquiry into allegations of bribery and corruption in Africa. Asher Avidan, ex-president of a company linked to Steinmetz’s BSG Resources (BSGR) and a former employee of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been placed under house arrest until January 2, police said. Yuval Sasson, a lawyer for Steinmetz and BSGR in Israel, said on Tuesday that Steinmetz would ﬁght the allegations and prove his innocence. — Reuters

rorist outlaws” after flushing them out of the castle where they were holed up after an exchange of fire that lasted several hours. Security forces were able to release around 10 tourists unharmed. At least 30 people were taken to hospital. Security forces then launched a widescale manhunt to track down the militants’ support network. Jordanian officials have not publicly confirmed whether the four slain gunmen were militants. But they said that a large cache of weapons, ammunitions and several suicide belts were discovered in a hideout in a home in the desert town of Qatranah, 30km (20 miles) northeast of Karak. Jordanian nationals Security sources said the gunmen were all Jordanian nationals. Interior Minister Salamah Hamad said on Monday that the four had fled from the Qatranah area to Karak after an exchange of fire with the police. Based on

the quantities of explosives and weapons, “I don’t think the target was just Karak castle, it’s more,” he added. He would not elaborate, saying disclosing details at this stage could imperil national security. Jordan has been relatively unscathed by the uprisings, civil wars and militancy that have swept the Middle East since 2011, but maintains a high level of vigilance. However, it is among the few Arab states that have taken part in a US-led air campaign against IS militants holding territory in Syria and Iraq. Many Jordanians oppose their country’s involvement, saying it has raised security threats inside Jordan. Last November three US military trainers were shot dead when their car was ﬁred on by a Jordanian army member at the gate of a military base. Washington disputed the official Jordanian version that they were shot at for failing to stop, and said it did not rule out political motives. — Reuters

WA R W I T H I N NAT I O N

Syrian army poised to enter Aleppo’s last rebel enclave BEIRUT/MOSCOW: As President Bashar Al Assad’s army closed in on the last rebel enclave in Aleppo on Tuesday, Russia, Iran and Turkey said they were ready to help broker a Syrian peace deal. The Syrian army used loudspeakers to broadcast warnings to insurgents that it was poised to enter their rapidly diminishing area during the day and told them to speed up their evacuation of the city. Complete control of Aleppo would be a major victory for Assad against rebels who have deﬁed him in Syria’s most populous city for four years. Ministers from Russia, Iran and Turkey adopted a document they

called the “Moscow Declaration”, which set out the principles that any peace agreement should follow. At talks in the Russian capital, they also backed an expanded ceaseﬁre in Syria. “Iran, Russia and Turkey are ready to facilitate the drafting of an agreement, which is already being negotiated, between the Syrian government and the opposition, and to become its guarantors,” the declaration said. For his part, UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura intends to convene peace talks in Geneva on Febraury 8. In Syria, an operation to evacuate civilians and ﬁghters from rebel-held eastern Aleppo has

now brought out 37,500 people since late last week, Turkey said. Turkish and Russian ministers estimated the evacuation would be complete within two days. But it is hard to know if that goal is realistic, given the problems that have beset the evacuation so far, and the wide variation in estimates of how many have left and how many remain. The International Committee of the Red Cross put the number evacuated since the operation began on Thursday at only 25,000. A rebel official in Turkey told Reuters that even after thousands left on Monday, only about half of the civilians who wanted to leave had done so. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

INDIA

We could resolve the ‘August crisis’ (an internal party coup dating back to 1984) in 30 days but this (demonetisation) still persists Chandrababu Naidu, Andhra Pradesh chief minister

D E M O N E T I S AT I O N

Note ban has helped in checking terrorism, Naxalism: Rajnath HARDOI (Uttar Pradesh): Justifying demonetisation as a step taken for the betterment of the country, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said it has helped in checking terrorism and Naxalism. “The decision on note ban has not been taken either for ourselves or for a handful of people but for the entire country so that there is no scope left for corruption,” he said at BJP’s ‘Parivartan rally’ at ITI ground here. “Opposition parties did not allow debate on the issue in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha by creating pandemonium...so we will discuss this issue at public forum and meetings,” he said, adding, “those doing work can sometimes make a mistake but this does not mean we have made a mistake.” “Same system will be in place for the poor and rich in the country...terrorism and Naxalism have been checked after note ban,” Singh said.

After initial support, Naidu has problems with scrapping of notes

RALLY Home Minister Rajnath Singh addresses the BJP Parivartan Rally in Hardoi on Tuesday.

Good governance Promising good governance in UP if voted to power in the Assembly polls next year, Singh said his party was into politics not for forming government but for strengthening the country. “We do not do politics to form government but to make the country,” he said, adding BJP was in power in Uttar Pradesh for a very brief time but it never compromised on corruption.

“On the other hand, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party have been in power for a long time but neither unemployment nor corruption has been checked,” he said. “Goondaraj is continuing in the state...on coming to power no goonda or maﬁa will be able to roam about freely in the state,” he warned.

Recalling the six years of Atal Behari Vajpayee government, he said no one could raise a ﬁnger at its functioning whereas there had been dozens of scams during Congress governments. “After Vajpayee, Narendra Modi is working to uplift the country at the global level,” he said, noting that his party was not against

- PTI

any particular person but against any wrong. Singh also had a dig at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi for his claims of having evidence which will bring an earthquake, saying the young Congress leader has been speaking all this while but there has never been any movement anywhere. - PTI

VIJAYAWADA: BJP ally and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who had initially supported demonetisation, on Tuesday did a virtual volte face, saying the decision was not as per “our wish” and that a “lot of problems” still remain without any solution in sight. Chandrababu, who signiﬁcantly heads a 13-member committee appointed by the central government to look into demonetisation issues, warned that unless remedial measures are taken, people’s woes would continue in the long-term. “Demonetisation was not our wish but it happened. More than 40 days after demonetisation, there are still a lot of problems but yet there appears to be no solution,” he said addressing a workshop of MPs, MLCs, MLAs and other leaders of his Telugu Desam Party (TDP) here. “It still remains a sensitive and complicated problem,” said Chandrababu, “I am

India, Kyrgyzstan to step up defence, anti-terror ties In their talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev also decided to strengthen ties in areas of defence, security, mining, agriculture and energy

NEW DELHI: Injecting fresh momentum in ties, India and Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday ﬁrmed up broad contours of a bilateral investment agreement and inked six other pacts covering a range of areas even as they resolved to work closely to combat the challenge of terrorism, extremism and radicalism. In their comprehensive talks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev also decided to strengthen ties in areas of defence, security, mining, IT, agriculture and energy. “We discussed how we could work together to secure our youth and society against common challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalism. We agreed on the need to coordinate and work

PACT SIGNING CEREMONY: Prime Minister Narendra Modi with President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev witnessing signing of an agreement at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday. -PTI

closely in addressing and overcoming these challenges for our common beneﬁt,” Modi said in a media statement. During the deliberations, the two leaders reviewed the “cooperative engagement” in defence with Modi calling the KyrgyzIndia Mountain Bio-Medical Research Centre as an excellent example of successful collaboration. Modi said work on a Kyrgyz-India Joint Military Training Centre in Kyrgyztan has commenced. Besides joint military exercises, the two countries have been cooperating on high-mountain biomedical research to know impact on soldiers when they carry out op-

erations at high altitude. Aiming to broaden economic engagement, the two sides initialled a bilateral investment agreement. The six MoUs will provide for deeper cooperation in areas of agriculture, tourism, culture, broadcasting and youth affairs. A joint statement said the two leaders noted the challenges posed by terrorism and extremism globally as well as in the Asian continent, and emphasised the importance of ensuring a stable and secure environment for peaceful economic development. “In this context, they also called for the adoption by the United Nations of the draft Comprehensive

Convention on Combating International Terrorism,” it said. In his comments, Atambayev said he was not happy over the current volume of bilateral trade and that there was huge untapped potential for its expansion. Calling for further strengthening of ties, he said both countries were binded by historical links and common values like democracy and freedom of rights. Talking about cultural links, he mentioned about popularity of Bollywood legend Raj Kapoor. On economic engagement, Modi said both sides agreed to connect each other’s economies “more deeply”, adding industry and businesses

will be encouraged to play a leading role in exploiting the untapped opportunities. “We will encourage industry and business on both sides to play a leading role in exploiting opportunities in healthcare, tourism, information technology, agriculture, mining and energy. “We have decided to build on our development cooperation including in capacity building and training,” he said. After the talks, Modi presented Atambayev a book of Indian poems translated into Kyrgyz while the president gifted the Indian leader a Hindi translation of Kyrgyz epic Manas. Modi called Kyrgyzstan a valuable partner in India’s common pursuit of making Central Asia a region of sustainable peace, stability and prosperity, adding the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation will also give it a valuable framework to work together. Referring to joint military exercise on counter- terrorism, the prime minister said it is now an annual feature and that the next edition has been planned for ﬁrst quarter of next year in Kyrgyzstan. The two countries are jointly constructing the Kyrgyz-Indian Mountain Training Centre in the city of Balykchi in Kyrgyzstan. The joint statement said the Kyrgyz side reiterated support for the rightful claim of India for permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council. On economic engagement, the two sides felt the current level of trade and investment relations is below the potential and directed the ministries concerned to develop a comprehensive road-map for a ﬁve-year timeframe. - PTI

spending two hours daily to ease the problems caused by demonetisation. I am breaking my head daily but we are unable to ﬁnd a solution to this problem,” Naidu said. “We could resolve the ‘August crisis’ (an internal party coup dating back to 1984) in 30 days but this (demonetisation) still persists,” he said. He said banks were “not prepared” for a transition to digital economy. “They are unable to even register banking correspondents,” he added. Chandrababu had initially been a strong proponent of ban on high denomination currency notes of Rs500 and Rs1,000. In fact, he had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 12 reiterating his demand. On November 9, a day after the prime minister came out with the demonetisation announcement, the TDP had even claimed credit saying it was a “victory for Chandrababu” over his ﬁght on corruption. - PTI

D I G I TA L T R A N S F O R M AT I O N

Over 70% rural citizens have adopted e-wallets: IT Ministry NEW DELHI: More than 70 per cent of rural citizens have adopted the methods of e-wallets followed by Uniﬁed Payment Interface (UPI) payment option, the Electronics and IT Ministry said on Tuesday. “An overview of the current data available with the Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY) shows that more than 70 per cent rural citizens have adopted the methods of e-wallets, 16 per cent opted for Uniﬁed Payment Interface (UPI),” the ministry said in a release. Rest of the people looked at Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), Adhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) and Cards or Point of Sale(PoS). Similarly, more than 85 per cent of the merchants have adopted the eWallet system and 13 per cent have opted for UPI, the statement said. “The speed and scale at which digital transformation in taking place in India is paving the way for a digitally empowered, participative and inclusive society,” MeitY Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said. Under its Digital Payments awareness and training programme, the Ministry said that Common Service Centre (CSC) network, which provides government service in rural area, has enrolled over 25 lakh rural citizens for digital payments. “Achieving the 250,000 mark in such a short time is an indication of the pace at which digital adoption is gaining momentum among rural citizens,” Sundararajan said. - PTI

ECONOMIC BLOCKADE

United Naga Council demands President’s rule in Manipur NEW DELHI: The United Naga Council (UNC) on Tuesday urged the Centre for imposition of President’s rule in Manipur where an economic blockade by the organisation snapped two highways connecting the state. The demand was placed by the UNC before Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh when a delegation of the group met here. “We appeal for imposing President’s rule in Manipur as the state government has failed completely on all fronts and law order has deteriorated. Creation of seven new districts is a ploy by the Manipur Chief Minister for electoral gains,” senior UNC leader Adani Mao said at a press conference here. Mao, the former UNC president, who is at present looking after the affairs of the Council after the arrest of its senior leaders, alleged

that Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh was trying “cheap tricks ahead of polls to hide the government’s incompetency”.Claiming that violence has taken place in several areas of Manipur, Convener for Joint Naga Civil Societies, Lakpachui Siro, accused the Congress-led state government of disrupting peace by creating seven new districts for “electoral gains” ahead of the assembly elections next year. “The state government is going to upgrade Sadar Hills and Jiribam regions to full-ﬂedged districts without consulting the Nagas who inhabit the areas. Precious lands, which belong to them, are being snatched away and there are unrest in the state,” he said. The UNC, which has imposed an economic blockade on NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH 37 (Im-

phal-Jiribam) that serve as lifelines for the landlocked state, said Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh decided to create seven new districts “without consulting” the Nagas who, they said, are the most important stakeholders. The UNC has demanded immediate release of its President Gaidon Kamei and Publicity Secretary Stephen lamkang who they said have been arrested “arbitrarily”.The UNC has accused Meiteis of creating unrest in the state by killing innocent people, saying Meiteis are not only torching vehicles, burning down houses and looting Nagas, but also attacking places of worships in the state. Meanwhile, the Centre has rushed around 4,000 paramilitary personnel to Manipur in the wake of violence following economic blockade on National High-

ways connecting the state. While around 1,500 paramilitary personnel were rushed in to Manipur in last two days, around 2,500 paramilitary were dispatched to the state last week, a senior Home Ministry official said on Tuesday. The security personnel were sent to the Northeastern state keeping in view the security situation in the state in the wake of violence following the economic blockade imposed by the Union Naga Council on two National Highways since November 1. Curfew in Imphal East district was clamped indeﬁnitely on Sunday last after a mob torched and vandalised 22 passenger vehicles on the Imphal-Ukhrul road, while curfew in Imphal West district was imposed from evening to dawn. - PTI

BRIEFING: United Naga Council members holding a press conference on the present crisis in Manipur in New Delhi on Tuesday. - PTI

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PAKISTAN

Ex-army chief helped me out in leaving Pakistan: Pervez Participating in a talk show on Dunya News former president General Pervez Musharraf said ex-army chief General Raheel Sharif helped him leave the country by keeping the government from pressuring the courts

FACING TREASON CHARGES: Former president Pervez Musharraf addresses foreign media representatives at his farmhouse in Islamabad. Musharraf is facing treason charges in Pakistan for imposing emergency rule in November 2007, arresting judges and limiting their powers. - AFP ﬁle photo

KARACHI: Former president General Pervez Musharraf has said ex-army chief General Raheel Sharif’s intervention helped him in exiting Pakistan, indicating the powerful inﬂuence wielded by the military in the country’s affairs. Participating in a talk show on Dunya News on Monday night,

Musharraf said Sharif helped him leave the country by keeping the government from pressuring the courts. “Well he (Raheel Sharif ) did help me. I have been his boss and I have been the Army Chief before him. He helped out, because the cases are politicised, they put me on the Exit Control

List (ECL), they turned it into a political issue,” he said. When asked to explain, Musharraf, 73, said General Sharif played a role in “releasing the pressure” on courts to prevent him from leaving the country. The statement came weeks after General Sharif retired in

REDUCE ILLICIT MONEY FLOW

November after completing his three-year tenure. Musharraf said, “Behind the scenes, the army chief had a role to release that pressure by dealing with the government.” “Once he (Gen Sharif ) got the government to relieve the pressure that they were exerting, the

courts gave their judgement and allowed me to go abroad for treatment.” Musharraf alleged that Pakistani courts give decisions under pressure “behind the scenes” and this pressure was relieved by Gen Sharif with an “influencing” role. Musharraf was able to fly out of Pakistan in March this year after the interior ministry issued a notification to remove his name from the Exit Control List, following Supreme Court’s order to lift the ban on his foreign travel. But the order from the top court had also said that the federal government or the three-judge special court trying the retired general for treason was free to make decisions to regulate his custody or restrict his movement. Musharraf is facing treason charges in Pakistan for imposing emergency rule in November 2007, arresting judges and limiting their powers. Besides, he is also being tried in murder cases of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, Baloch leader Nawab Akbar Bugti and Ghazi Abdul Rasheed, who was killed during the operation on Lal Masjid in Islamabad which was carried out on the orders of Musharraf. - PTI

PROTECTED SPECIES

UAE deputy PM’s bustard hunting convoy attacked ISLAMABAD: A convoy of houbara bustard hunters from United Arab Emirates was attacked in Guchak area of Panjgur on Monday. The team of hunters led by Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister and minister of interior of UAE, remained unhurt during the incident. Two vehicles of the convoy were damaged. The armed men on five motorcycles surrounded the convoy. However, Frontier Corps personnel and other security men retaliated forcing the attackers to flee. The area was cordoned off and the convoy was taken to its camp. Panjgur Assistant Commissioner Abdullah Khosa confirmed the incident. “Prince Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s convoy was on its way to hunt in Guchak area when it came under attack,” Panjgur Deputy Commissioner Habibur Rehman said. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier this month, authorities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa imposed a province-wide ban on the hunting of the Houbara bustard, a prized migratory bird that is designated by conservationists as a protected species. -Express Tribune

Q U E T TA C A R NA G E R E P O R T

Senate recommends scrapping of Rs5,000 note, government opposes ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Senate has recommended scrapping of the 5,000 rupee banknote, despite government opposition and warnings that removal of the country’s highest denomination bill could destabilise the economy. A resolution, which is not binding, called for the government to remove the banknote to “reduce illicit money ﬂow, encourage the use of bank accounts and reduce the size of undocumented economy”. The resolution, passed on Monday, comes less than two months after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi surprisingly scrapped his country’s two biggest currency bills – the 1,000 rupee and 500 rupee notes. Senator Osman Saifullah Khan, who proposed the motion, wants the banknote to be scrapped over a three- to ﬁve-year period, domestic media said. Pakistan has a huge informal economy and transactions are often handled in cash, partly because much of the population is not part of formal

GOOD MOVE: A currency dealer counts Pakistani rupees and USdollars at his shop in Karachi October 8, 2008. A resolution, which is not binding, called for the government to remove the banknote to reduce illicit money ﬂow. - Reuters ﬁle photo

sectors. The government also offers frequent tax amnesties to encourage people with hidden wealth to declare their assets, hoping to expand Pakistan’s extremely narrow tax base. Successive governments have struggled to boost Pakistan’s persistently low tax-to-GDP ratio, which now stands at about 10 per cent. Zahid Hamid, law and justice

minister, told the Senate that the government opposes the motion as the 5,000 rupee note accounts for almost one-third of the 3.3 trillion rupees of notes in circulation. He said withdrawing the note would hamper business activities, hurt the government policy of ﬁnancial inclusion and cause “chaos in the market”, domestic media reported. - Express Tribune

Unfazed Nisar raps PPP for demanding resignation ISLAMABAD: In a scathing rejoinder to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) demands for his resignation, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar said on Tuesday that the party’s leaders had forgotten cases of corruption against them. “Has the PPP forgotten about Surrey Palace?” the minister said while speaking to journalists. Taking a jibe at the party leaders, the interior minister said PPP’s campaign against corruption was incomprehensible. He added that PPP was involved with Atlaf Khanani, the now infamous money changer. Following a judicial commission’s damn-

Chaudhry Nisar

ing report on the August 8 Quetta carnage, PPP lawmakers called for Nisar to be removed from his post. The PPP also submitted an adjournment motion against Nisar in

the National Assembly Secretariat, claiming that the interior minister was incapable of eradicating terrorism. Nisar said he was not under anyone’s pressure. “I am only under pressure of my conscience,” he claimed. On being asked to comment on the Sindh government’s decision to send Inspector General A.D. Khawaja on ‘forced leave’, Nisar said, “Khawaja is an honest officer, in fact, most reforms came during his time in office.” Nisar urged the nation to give credit to the federal government for bringing back Abdul Rehman, one of the key suspects of the Baldia factory ﬁre, to Karachi. - Express Tribune

A 10

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

WORLD Governor of Jakarta broke blasphemy law: Prosecutor Several hundred protesters stood outside the Jakarta court, calling for the jailing of Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama

JAKARTA: An Indonesian court will decide next week whether to push forward with a controversial blasphemy trial of Jakarta’s governor, who is accused of insulting the holy book, a judge told a hearing on Tuesday. Several hundred protesters stood outside the Jakarta court, calling for the jailing of Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, an ethnic Chinese politician, known by his nickname Ahok. A rival group of his supporters unveiled a banner with a map of Indonesia calling for unity and saying “Ahok is a blessing”. A prosecution lawyer said the charges against the governor were legal and the trial should continue, dismissing a claim by the defence that naming Purnama a suspect had violated his human rights and breached procedures. “The defendant under the prosecutors’ charges has violated articles 156 and 156a... but there was no violation of procedures,” said Ali Murkatono, referring to the codes of the blasphemy law, which can carry a jail term of up to ﬁve years. In an emotional court appearTHAILAND

Swiss man linked to 1MDB probe released BANGKOK: Thailand on Tuesday freed from prison a Swiss man jailed for blackmail and attempted extortion in a case linked to a scandal over Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Xavier Justo was among 150,000 Thai and foreign inmates who were granted a royal amnesty this month by Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn. He will be deported to Switzerland, his lawyer said. Justo was jailed for three years in August 2015 after Thai police said he admitted to blackmail and attempting extortion of his former employer, Petrosaudi International, a Saudi Arabia-based oil and gas company and former joint venture partner of 1MDB. The Malaysian state fund 1MDB, once a pet project of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who chaired its advisory board, is the subject of moneylaundering investigations in at least six countries, including Switzerland, Singapore and the United States. — Reuters

TRIAL: Jakarta’s Christian governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama alias Ahok, centre, is escorted by anti-terror policemen as he leaves the North Jakarta court in Jakarta on Tuesday. – Reuters

ance a week ago, a tearful Purnama denied he had intended to insult the holy book, when he was campaigning ahead of elections for Jakarta governor in February. At the time, he criticised rival politicians for citing the holy book to argue that Muslims should not vote for non-Muslims. The trial has raised concern over the treatment of minorities in the country.

Judge Dwiarso Budi Santiarso said on Tuesday another hearing would be held on December 27 to decide whether to proceed with Purnama’s trial. This is a normal procedure in Indonesia and is supposed to ensure that the prosecution has met the requirements for an indictment under the criminal code. Purnama was named a suspect after hundreds of thousands of

people, led by hardliners, attended rallies in the past six weeks calling for his arrest. President Joko Widodo, seen as a Purnama ally, has blamed “political actors” for fuelling the protests, but declined to elaborate. Widodo has faced widespread criticism for not doing enough to protect religious minorities. As governor, Purnama has won credit for shaking up the city’s bu-

reaucracy and taking steps to ease Jakarta’s notorious traffic. But his abrasive language and insistence on clearing city slums has alienated many voters. After suffering a dip in support in opinion polls, Purnama has rebounded to become the frontrunner again in the election race to lead Jakarta, according to a poll by Indonesian Survey Institute. — Reuters

P L A N N I N G AT TA C K S

Seven arrested for links to militant groups in Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police said on Tuesday they have arrested seven people, including four foreigners, for suspected links to the IS militant group and for planning attacks in Malaysia and abroad. Authorities in Malaysia have revoked the passports of scores of citizens identified as having left the country to join IS and police reported this year that 18 Malaysians had been killed fighting for the group in Syria, and another seven were killed carrying out suicide attacks. A grenade attack on a bar on the outskirts of the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, in June was the hardline group’s first successful assault in the country. Police said in a statement their latest arrests were made between November 3 and December 16. One foreigner was arrested for suspected links to IS and attempting to get details about security at international school in Kuala Lumpur, while another was detained for helping him. Both were enrolled as students at a university near the capital, police said. A third arrested foreigner had been detained in the Middle East in 2010 under suspicion of being involved with Al Qaeda, police said. Another foreign national suspected of having links to IS tried to smuggle firearms into Indonesia, and also attempted to sneak into Myanmar to launch an attack, Malaysian authorities said. The identity and nationality of the foreigners were not disclosed. Three Malaysians were detained for planning attacks in the country or for suspected IS links, police said in the statement. One of them was getting orders from Muhammad Wanndy Muhammad Jedi - a Malaysian known by police to be fighting with IS in Syria. — Reuters

D E M O C R AT I C R E P U B L I C O F C O N G O

Protesters call for President Kabila to step down KINSHASA: Security forces fired teargas and arrested youths gathered in the streets of Kinshasa on Tuesday to demand that Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila step down after his mandate expired overnight. At least two civilians were killed overnight when soldiers opened fire during clashes in the neighbourhood of Kingabwa, two witnesses said. The government spokesman could not be reached for comment and a police spokesman could not confirm the information. Limited protests started on Tuesday after opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi called on the Congolese people to peacefully resist Kabila, who has remained in power beyond his constitutional mandate and with no election to pick a successor. Sporadic gunfire crackled in several districts of the capital Kinshasa, a city of 12 million, as measures to thwart dissent fanned fears of more violence. But with a ban on demonstrations in force, and a heavy military presence, Kinshasa’s normally busy main boulevards were for the most part deserted as pockets of youths gathered in sidestreets only to be dispersed with the volleys of teargas. UN peacekeepers

VIOLENT PROTEST: Residents chant slogans against Congolese President Joseph Kabila as peacekeepers serving in the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) patrol during demonstrations in the streets in Kinshasa, on Tuesday. – Reuters

in armoured personnel carriers patrolled the streets, at one point cheered on by a crowd shouting: “Kabila, know that your mandate is ﬁnished!” “I think there will be trouble. The people are saying Kabila has

to leave,” said student Joe Doublier, 20, peering nervously out of his house in the opposition stronghold of Limete, where youths burned tyres and pieces of wood in the streets.“It’s been 16 years and nothing has changed,” he said,

referring to the time Kabila has been in power since his father was assassinated in 2001. In Lubumbashi, a city in the heart of Africa’s richest copper mines, police and Kabila’s elite military Republican Guard unit

fired live bullets to prevent demonstrations, Gregoire Mulamba, a local human rights activist, told Reuters. But the mayor of Lubumbashi, Jean Oscar Sanguza, told Reuters security forces had intervened to stop looters. “I launch a solemn appeal to the Congolese people to not recognise the... illegal and illegitimate authority of Joseph Kabila and to peacefully resist (his) coup d’etat,” Tshisekedi said in a video posted on YouTube. Authorities have blocked most social media. Such restrictive measures have raised fears of more violence in a nation that has never had a peaceful transfer of power and has suffered nearconstant war and instability in the two decades since the fall of kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko. Western powers are nervous of a repeat of the conflicts between 1996 to 2003 that killed millions, drew in half a dozen neighbouring armies and saw rebel fighters rape women en masse. The United States and European Union have called for Kabila to respect the constitution. Congo’s former colonial master Belgium said on Tuesday it would “re-examine” relations with Kabila after he failed to step down. — Reuters

UNMANNED VEHICLE

China returns underwater drone, US condemns ‘unlawful’ seizure BEIJING: China has returned a US underwater drone taken by one of its naval vessels in the disputed South China Sea last week after what it said were friendly talks with the United States, which reiterated its criticism of the “unlawful” seizure. The taking of the unmanned underwater vehicle in international waters near the Philippines triggered a diplomatic protest and speculation about whether it would strengthen US Presidentelect Donald Trump’s hand as he seeks a tougher line with China. A Chinese naval ship took the drone, which the Pentagon says uses unclassiﬁed, commercially available technology to collect oceanographic data, on Thursday about 50 nautical miles northwest of Subic Bay in the Philippines. China’s defence ministry said

in a brief statement the drone had been given back to the United States on Tuesday. “After friendly consultations between the Chinese and US sides, the handover work for the US underwater drone was smoothly completed in relevant waters in the South China Sea at midday,” the ministry said. The defence ministry declined to give more details about the handover when contacted by Reuters. The Pentagon said the vehicle had been handed over to the guided missile destroyer USS Mustin near where it had been “unlawfully seized”. It called on China to comply with international law and refrain from further efforts to impede lawful US activities. “The US remains committed to upholding the accepted principles and norms of international law and freedom of navigation and

HANDED OVER: Crew members aboard the VOS Raasay recover US and British Royal Navy ocean gliders taking part in the Unmanned Warrior exercise on October 8, 2016. – Santiago Carrizosa/US Navy/Handout/File

overﬂight and will continue to ﬂy, sail, and operate in the South China Sea wherever international law allows,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying referred questions about the handover and other details of the case to the defence ministry. “The han-

dling of this incident shows that the Chinese and US militaries have quite smooth communication channels. We think that this communication channel is beneﬁcial to timely communication and the handling of sudden incidents and prevention of miscalculations and misunderstandings,” she said. “As to what the US defence department said, I have to verify it with the military. But I think what they said is unreasonable as we have always said that for a long time the US military has regularly sent ships and aircraft to carry out close up surveillance and military surveys in waters facing China, which threatens China’s sovereignty and security,” Hua told reporters. “China is resolutely opposed to this and has always demanded the US end these kinds of activities.

I think this is the cause of this or similar incidents.” The seizure has added to US concern about China’s growing military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarisation of maritime outposts. China is deeply suspicious of any US military activity in the resource-rich South China Sea, with state media and experts saying the use of the drone was likely part of US surveillance efforts in the disputed waterway. The US Navy has about 130 such underwater drones, made by Teledyne Webb, each weighing about 60kg (130 lb) and able to stay underwater for up to ﬁve months. They are used around the world to collect unclassiﬁed data about oceans, including temperature and depth. It is not clear how many are used in the South China Sea. — Reuters

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

WORLD Scotland wants access to EU market, more powers Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland wants a deal that allows it access to the single market and free movement of the EU migrants that underpin its economy

EDINBURGH: Scotland wants to stay in the European Union’s single market after the United Kingdom leaves the bloc and will push for more powers to protect its interests, the head of its proindependence government said on Tuesday. Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland wants a deal that allows it access to the single market and free movement of the EU migrants that underpin its economy, its ageing population and its outlying rural communities. The Scottish devolved government set out three options in a paper entitled “Scotland’s Place in Europe”. Despite being a supporter of sePOLLUTION

Smog blankets cities in northern China SHANGHAI/BEIJING: A plane carrying the chief executive of the world’s biggest oil exporter was prevented from landing in the Chinese capital of Beijing on Tuesday because of thick smog blanketing large swathes of northern China. Amin Nasser, CEO of the Saudi Arabian oil producer Aramco, was due to attend an event on Saudi culture at Beijing’s National Museum. But company officials said his plane was diverted after a fourth day of heavy smog led to the cancellation of more than 300 flights. China declared a “war on pollution” in 2014 amid concern its heavy industrial past was tarnishing its global reputation and holding back its future development. But it has struggled to reverse the damage done by decades of breakneck economic growth, much of it based on the coal-burning power sector. Despite months of efforts to hone its rapid response systems, air quality deteriorated in parts of the region on Tuesday, with the environment ministry warning that firms were flouting emergency restrictions. Some power plants and chemical producers had not scaled back operations in line with regulations, according to China Environmental News, the official publication of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. — Reuters

POST BREXIT PLAN: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Sturgeon said the option of independence, which Scots rejected by a 10-point margin, had to be kept available and was still the best longterm future for Scotland. – AFP File

cession, Sturgeon said her preference in the Brexit aftermath was for the whole of the UK to stay in the single market, which trades goods and services tariff-free across 28 countries. A second option proposes a single market membership carve-out for Scotland from a UK outside the EU. The third option is independence from the rest of the UK. Britons voted to leave the EU by 52 to 48 per cent but Scotland, one of the UK’s four nations, voted by a

large margin to stay. “There has to be a way to effectively square the circle,” Sturgeon told a news conference, referring to the difficulty of matching Scotland’s vote with that of the UK as a whole amid the complexity of Britain’s Brexit negotiations. The wish list seems likely to be received as an impossibly tall order in London, which has set control of EU migration as one of its priorities. Sturgeon’s opponents accuse her of setting up an impos-

sible task so as to have a ruse to retry her luck with independence after losing a referendum in 2014. Senior EU officials also voiced serious doubts about the feasibility of having different EU trade arrangements with the northern and southern halves of the island of Great Britain. “How would you treat some product that is made in Glasgow, but uses parts made in Manchester? Is it made inside the single market or not? Are you going to

have customs posts between Scotland and England? I don’t see it,” one EU official said. Sturgeon said the option of independence, which Scots rejected by a 10-point margin, had to be kept available and was still “the best long-term future for Scotland”. “Brexit is a problem not of Scotland’s making,” she said. Scotland needed a fundamental review of its devolution settlement, she argued, and powers over immigration were vital to protect Scotland’s interests. The paper cited examples of immigration policy in Canada and Australia which had differentiated immigration systems for regions and states within the same land territory, addressing concerns on the prospect of a land border between England with Scotland to its north. Critics of Scottish nationalism point out that the rest of the UK is much more important to Scotland than the EU is because two-thirds of Scottish “exports” are to the rest of the UK, worth around £48 billion ($60 billion). By contrast, Scotland exports just £12 billion worth of goods and services to the EU. In London, May’s spokesman said the prime minister would consider the Scottish proposals carefully. — Reuters

POLITICAL CRISIS

Parliament lifts media ban in Poland WARSAW: Poland’s lower house of parliament lifted a temporary ban on media access on Tuesday in a gesture to defuse protests over the alleged undermining of democracy by the right-wing government, but opposition leaders said more needed to be done. The clampdown on media access was among a raft of measures by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party that critics say has eroded the independence of the media and the judiciary. Fears of an authoritarian drift in Poland have brought many thousands of protesters onto the streets over the past year and alarmed European Union partners. Despite the removal of the media ban, opposition lawmakers extended their occupation of parliament’s debating chamber into a ﬁfth day. They vowed to stay put until a debate and vote on the 2017 budget they say was held illegally in a side room on Friday to avoid protests and reporters is re-run with all MPs. Planned curbs on media access to the Sejm announced last week by PiS Speaker Marek Kuchcinski triggered demonstrations outside parliament and an occupation of the Sejm’s podium and the speaker’s chair by opposition MPs. In response, Kuchcinski temporarily barred all reporters and moved the vote to a side room. — Reuters

S Y R I A WA R S P I L L O U T

Turkey detains six after Russian envoy killing ANKARA: Turkish police detained six people over the killing of the Russian ambassador, state media said on Tuesday, widening a probe to relatives of the off-duty policeman who shouted “Don’t forget Aleppo!” as he gunned the envoy down. Both countries cast Monday’s attack, which occurred at an art gallery in the capital Ankara, as an attempt to undermine a recent thawing of ties that have been strained by Syria’s civil war, where they back opposing sides. The war, which has killed more than 300,000 people and created a power vacuum exploited by IS, reached a potential turning point last week when Syrian forces ended rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo. Russia, an ally of President Bashar Al Assad, supported that advance with air strikes.

TRIBUTE: Late Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov’s wife Marina attends ceremony at Esenboga airport in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday. – Reuters

Killer Turkey identiﬁed the killer as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altintas, who had worked for the Ankara riot police for 2-1/2 years. Altintas, who also shouted slogans associated with militancy after shooting ambassador Andrey Karlov, was killed minutes later by members of Turkey’s special forces. His mother, father, sister and two other relatives were held in the western province of Aydin, while his ﬂatmate in Ankara was

also detained, the state-run Anadolu agency said. One senior Turkish security official said investigators were focusing on whether Altintas had links to the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara blames for a failed July coup. Gulen has denied responsibility for the coup and Monday’s attack and has condemned both events. The slogans that Altintas shouted, which were captured on video

and circulated widely on social media, suggested he was aligned to a radical ideology, rather than that of Gulen, who preaches a message of interfaith dialogue. “Don’t forget Aleppo, don’t forget Syria. You will not be able to feel safe for as long as our districts are not safe. Only death can take me from here,” he shouted in Turkish. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he and Rus-

sia’s Vladimir Putin had agreed in a telephone call that their cooperation in ﬁghting terrorism should be even stronger after the killing. Putin said it was aimed at derailing Russia’s attempts to ﬁnd, with Iran and Turkey, a solution for the Syria crisis. The countries’ foreign ministers were meeting on Tuesday. Turkey faces multiple security threats, including from IS. Earlier this month a spokesman for the

hardline group urged global sympathisers to carry out new attacks, singling out Turkish diplomatic, military and financial interests as preferred targets. Media present at the event Karlov was attending, an exhibition of photographs from Russia, captured the killing in graphic details. Altintas, dressed smartly in a suit, necktie and white shirt, is caught in one photograph standing behind Karlov. In a video, Karlov is shown crumpling as he appears to be shot from behind. As special forces stormed the building, Altintas initially waited by the ambassador’s body and would not allow him to be treated, Hurriyet reported. CNN Turk said medical records on the treatment of the ambassador showed 11 shots were fired and nine were on target. In a video message to the nation on Monday evening, Erdogan said Altintas had graduated from a police school before joining the riot police. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the street where the Russian embassy is located would be named after the ambassador. The gallery where the shooting occurred is opposite the US embassy. A gun was fired in front of the embassy overnight and the United States said its three missions in Turkey would be closed on Tuesday. — Reuters

12 MOWED DOWN

‘Arrested man may not be Christmas market attacker’ BERLIN: A Pakistani asylumseeker arrested on suspicion of killing 12 people by mowing through a Berlin Christmas market in a truck may not be the attacker, and the real perpetrator could still be on the run, German police said on Tuesday. The truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages at the foot of the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial church, one of west Berlin’s most famous landmarks, at about 8pm on Monday. Forty-eight people were injured, 18 severely. News of the arrest of the 23-year-old Pakistani led politicians in Germany and beyond to demand a crackdown on immigration. Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters: “There is much we still do not know with sufficient certainty but we must, as things stand now, assume it was a terrorist attack.” She added: “I know it would be especially hard for us all to bear if it were conﬁrmed that the person who committed this act was someone who sought protection

PAIN AND GRIEF: A woman mourns in Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday.. – Reuters

and asylum.” In a dramatic twist, police later said the suspect had denied the offence and might not be the right man. “According to my information it’s uncertain whether he was really the driver,” Police President Klaus Kandt told a news conference. Berlin police tweeted that they were “particularly alert” because of the denial. “Please be alert,” they added. Die Welt newspaper quoted an unnamed police chief as saying: “We have the wrong man. And therefore a new situation. The true perpetrator is still armed, at large and can cause fresh damage.” The

truck belonged to a Polish freight company and its rightful driver was found dead in the vehicle. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said a pistol believed to have been used to kill him had not yet been found. German media said the arrested man had jumped out of the driver’s cab and run down the street towards the Tiergarten, a vast park in central Berlin. Witnesses called police, including one who chased the suspect while on the phone, constantly updating officials on his whereabouts. The attack fuelled immediate demands for a change to Merkel’s immigration policies, under which more than a million people ﬂeeing conﬂict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa have arrived in Germany this year and last. “We must say that we are in a state of war, although some people, who always only want to see good, do not want to see this,” said Klaus Bouillon, interior minister of the state of Saarland and a member of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU). — Reuters

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READERS’ FORUM Parents must buy baby car seats to avoid harm I refer to the story Car seats for children should be made law (December 19) and fully support the idea of a appropriate traffic law making it compulsory, if the parents are not ready to adopt the child safety guidelines on their own. Baby car seats are legally required in many countries to safely transport children up to the age of 2 or more years in cars and in other vehicles, however, the laws and guidelines for children safety vary from country to country and in the US even it varies from state to state. Ali Al Barwani , the chief executive Scan this QR code officer of the Oman Road Safety Association to send letters to the is quite right in telling that when a parent Readers’ Forum, can buy a car worth OMR7,000 then why he containing not more than 200 words with is hesitant to buy a baby car seat for OMR30 full name, address for the safety of his child. It is just simply the and telephone lack of awareness or we can call it carelessnumber, may be sent ness. Without any kind of ifs and buts, we by e-mail (akhtar@ timesofoman.com). must have baby seats in the car to ensure safe journey. We should not forget the fact that even sudden jamming of the break (which is quite often even under the normal well controlled driving conditions), could cause serious injury to our small children. So my humble suggestions is that… no ifs and buts. All having small children must buy baby car seats to avoid all kinds of adverse eventuality . — Mohammad Osama Rawat, Ruwi

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ARISTOTLE

The international barriers to Trump’s economic plan

JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ

Trump will take charge of an economy on a strongly upward trend, with third-quarter GDP growing at an impressive annual rate of 3.2 per cent and unemployment at 4.6 per cent in November. By contrast, when Obama took over in 2009, he inherited from Bush an economy sinking into a deep recession

S President-elect Donald Trump should have a relatively clear road ahead at home for the implementation of his economic programme: with Republicans holding majorities in both houses of Congress, he seems likely to beneﬁt from a break in the political gridlock that has paralysed the body for the last six years. But the United States economy does not exist in a vacuum.

If Trump is to succeed in delivering the high growth and genuine financial stability that he has promised, he will need some help from abroad. Trump has established infrastructure investment, tax reform, and deregulation as central components of his strategy to boost the US economy’s actual and potential growth. Confident that his plan can unfold as intended, he has set ambitious targets, including GDP growth approaching 4 per cent per year. For now, investors seem to be pretty much sold. Under the assumption that the incoming Trump administration will ultimately refrain from triggering a trade war, they moved fast to price in optimistic prospects for higher real growth, higher inflation, and more money entering the financial markets. This has enabled the US Federal Reserve to begin to normalise its monetary-policy stance; in addition to a 25-basis-point interest-rate hike on December 14, the Fed has indicated that the pace of such hikes will accelerate in 2017. As a result, markets seem convinced that the US will gradually exit its prolonged period of excessive reliance on unconventional monetary policy, replacing it with a mix of looser fiscal policy and progrowth structural reforms – an approach much like that pursued by former US president Ronald Reagan. President Barack Obama sought to pursue a similar approach, but was frustrated by a highly polarized Congress. The expectation that Trump will have better luck on this front has produced a textbook asset-price response. Stock prices have climbed, led by financials and industrials; interest rates on US government bonds have risen, both on a standalone basis and relative to those in other advanced economies; and the dollar has surged to levels not seen since 2003. Here is where the rest of the world comes in. Other major economies – namely, in Europe and Asia – may have a much harder time than the US rebalancing their policy mix (which continues to be characterised by excessively loose monetary policy, inadequate structural reforms, and, in some cases, excessively tight fiscal policy). But if they do not, the Fed’s continued interest-rate hikes would stimulate investors to

trade their German and Japanese bonds, in particular – which are now bringing low and even negative returns – for higher-yielding US varieties. The resultant wave of capital flows into the US would push up the value of the dollar even further. Though the US economy is doing much better than most of the other advanced economies, it is not yet on sound enough footing to withstand a prolonged period of a substantially stronger dollar, which would undermine its international competitiveness – and thus its broader economic prospects. Augmenting the risk is the prospect that such a development could spur the Trump administration to follow through on protectionist rhetoric, potentially undermining market and business confidence and, if things went far enough, even triggering a response from major trade partners. If Trumponomics is to deliver on its promise, key countries – in particular, Germany (the largest and most influential European economy) and China and Japan (the world’s second- and third-largest economies, respectively) – must promote their own pro-growth policy adjustments. They should implement quickly growth-enhancing structural reforms to support monetary stimulus. Germany, in particular, would also need to pursue a looser fiscal policy, while adopting a more conciliatory attitude toward outright debt reduction for beleaguered Greece. Unfortunately for Trump, the rest of the world does not seem prepared at this stage to pursue such a comprehensive policy shift. That is why, beyond advancing Trump’s pro-growth economic agenda at home, the newly appointed members of his economic team should be establishing direct contact with their German, Chinese, and Japanese counterparts, with a view to improving international policy coordination. Germany, China, and Japan have good reasons to embrace such an approach. They are not getting enough out of monetary expansion at this point; the risk of collateral damage and unintended consequences is rising; and pro-growth structural reforms are overdue. Furthermore, helping the US to achieve healthy and sustainable growth would bring about an indirect boost to their own economies. And it would help to avoid a scenario in which a Trump administration, under political pressure, would threaten protectionist measures, increasing the risk of a trade war that would hurt nearly everyone. Despite the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s impending presidency, one thing is certain, at least on paper: he is in a strong position to boost US economic growth. He and his team must, however, take the time to dismantle potential international barriers to success. - Project Syndicate

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES DECEMBER 2001 Romhi backs OPEC output reduction to 40,000bpd MUSCAT: The Sultanate announced yesterday it would cut production by 40,000 barrels per day(bpd) to back Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries’s bid to force up crude prices. “Oman will at the start of January and until June reduce production by 40,000bpd to support prices on the international oil market,”Dr Mohammad bin Hamad bin Saif Al Romhi, minister of oil and gas told ONA.

PICTOGRAPH

NUMBER OF DEATHS IN THE SULTANATE OMANIS

Total end of June 2015

2016

3,279

3,180

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

1928: President Calvin Coolidge signs the Boulder Dam bill. 1946: An earthquake and tidal wave kill hundreds in Japan. 1964: Great Britain’s House of Commons votes to ban the death penalty. 1986: 500,000 Chinese students gather in Shanghai’s People’s Square calling for democratic reforms, including freedom of the press.

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LIFESTYLE LEISURE

JANUARY AT THE ROHM STORY PATRICIA GROVES • PHOTOS SUPPLIED

he second half of ROHM Season 201617 gets off to an historic start in January, with the ROHM’s first major in-house production. Later in the month, see performances by Placido Domingo and Mohammed Abdou, and enjoy classic compositions from Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Celebrating Oman: The Great Journey January 5th, 6th, 7th at 7:00pm The Royal Opera House’s first major in-house production is a stunning spectacular with music, theatrics, aerial choreography, mass movement, lights, flying acrobats,

a soaring dhow, and amazing visual effects. Omani traditions and talent in poetry and music dominate the show. This complimentary outdoor event will be held on ROHM’s Maidan. Placido Domingo January 11th at 7pm Superstar Placido Domingo, arguably the most famous living tenor in the world, returns to the Royal Opera House Muscat after his stellar performances in ROHM’s 2011 Inaugural Season. Placido will sing classic arias from great operas accompanied by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Brescia and Bergamo Festival under the baton of the renowned American conductor, Eugene Kohn.

Beethoven and Tchaikovsky January 13th at 7:00pm Placido Domingo will conduct the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra in an evening of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. The programme features a piano concerto with the virtuosic twenty-three-year-old Italian pianist, Beatrice Rana. Eugene Onegin January 19th & 21st at 7:00pm In 1879, the famous Russian composer, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky premiered his fascinating opera, Eugene Onegin, a heart-rending drama story with unforgettable melodies, which speak of love and treason, uncontrolled passion and the purity of the soul in ways that are relevant today. This brilliant

opera is performed by the Moscow State Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre. Mohammed Abdou January 26th& 27th at 7:00pm Sung with spiritual grace in the ﬁnest traditions of classic Arab Music, Mohammed Abdou’s songs are anchored in a thousand years of heritage in the mawrouth (inherited) genre. This immensely popular, multiple award-winning Saudi Arabian singer may perform on an unscheduled third night to meet the tremendous demand and long waiting list. —lifestyle@timesofoman.com RESERVE YOUR TICKETS

boxoffice@rohmuscat.org.om +968 2440 3300

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

WEATHER ER

TTEMPERATURE

PLACES TO TRY WATERSPORTS LOCAL OPENINGS

PICTURE SUPPLIED

Barr Al Jissah launches Edutainment Centre

BARR AL JISSAH, the exceptional luxury destination in Muscat, is delighted to announce the much-anticipated opening of Al Mazaar Edutainment Centre. Launched in November, Al Mazaar offers a dynamic programme of kid’s entertainment, sports activities, art, culture, and much more for adults and children alike to enjoy. The one-of-a-kind edutainment centre marks the transformation of the Barr Al Jissah heritage village into Oman’s must visit destination. Al Mazaar is home to SpringBox - Oman’sfirst ever trampoline hall and the biggest of its kind in the region - with sports activities including basketball, climbing and a specially-designed gladiator course; while the multi-purpose air-conditioned sports field is available for basketball, football and badminton use. Art and culture is at the heart of Al Mazaar. ArtBox, a unique concept promoting arts for the entire family, encourages children to create their own masterpieces; while visitors can also get involved in art workshops – from t-shirt painting, origami and sand art, to Ramadan and back-to-school art activities led by Barr Al Jissah resident and other guest artists. Designated art walls, such as the Hands of Oman wall, Omani Orchard wall, Rainbow Jigsaw wall, You Create wall and Chalk wall further encourage interactive art; while the gallery will showcase children’s artwork. Al Mazaar also aims to promote learning in a fun environment, hosting educational workshops themed around animals, the environment, local culture, nutrition, and science activities for children in order to provide them with useful life skills. Al Mazaar features a dedicated children’s PartyBox and special lounge, where parents can relax and have access to Zafran Café while the young ones are entertained. An exciting retail concept store will soon be announced; while throughout the year, a special car collection is showcased at the venue, alongside an exciting array of live music shows and entertainment at the adjacent amphitheatre. The fun-packed events schedule will also feature regular Family Fun Days, sports & wellness activities and educational workshops from Oman’s and region’s influential names. Firas Matraji, CEO of Barr Al Jissah commented, ‘With Al Mazaar Edutainment Centre we wanted to create a place where families return to again and again, not only to exercise or play, but to learn and create. With the variety of activities available, our homeowners, hotel guests and visitors have everything they want on their doorstep, firmly establishing Al Mazaar as one of Oman’s must visit destinations’. The centre is open daily from 9.00am to 8.00pm. Call: +968 2477 6856. Twitter:@almazaar —lifestyle@timesofoman.com

HUMIDITY

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Al Marassi (Jebel Sifah) Al Marassi at Jebel Sifawy Boutique Hotel offers a range of water sports activities from dolphin watching/ﬁshing trips to opportunities to learn diving/snorkelling as well as enjoy special banana boat rides for kids and families, off the shores of Jebel Sifah. Contact: +968 9441 4438

PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Shangri La’s Resort (Qantab) Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, has on offer a wide a variety of sea sports (diving, sailing, snorkelling, ﬁshing, yachting) for guests to enjoy, besides dive excursions and scuba diving courses for residents, departing from the dive centre jetty close to the hotel. Contact: +968 2477 6666

12.10pm 3.10pm 5.30pm 6.46pm 5.24am

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LIFESTYLE

Al Mouj Marina (Al Seeb) Managed by Mourjan Marinas, this marina is designed to accommodate 10-40 metre yachts and has ﬁve-star state-of-the-art facilities. For thrill seekers, they offer jet-skiing, kayaking, wakeboarding, diving and parasailing. Novices can learn to sail at Oman Sail sailing school. Contact: +968 2453 4544

Al Nimer Tourism (Al Qurum) For jet-skiing, parasailing, kayaking and thrilling sea rides on ski tubes at Shatti Al Qurum, Al Nimer Tourism offers water sports enthusiasts as well as families a range of opportunities to frolic by the sea. You can grab a three-seater jet ski, enjoy parasailing/kayaking or try your hands at wakeboarding. Contact: +968 9955 0535

Kiteboarding Oman (Masirah Island) To learn kiteboarding, this is an excellent location. The 12 hours basic course in kiteboarding is ideal for those who have no experience and can learn it in just ﬁve days. A rescue boat helps kiters who drift away while an assistant on the beach is ready to help with starts and landings. Contact: +968 9632 3524 —lifestyle@timesofoman.com

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

LIFESTYLE

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM W EDN ES DAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

OMAN CRUDE DECLINES Oman Crude (February delivery) declined by 62 cents to $52.67 per barrel, said Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME). The average price of Oman Crude (January delivery) stabilised at $44.54 per barrel, $4.64 higher than December delivery. – ONA

MARKE

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DIGEST VIDEO Top stories in one minute with our new daily Digest

ACQUISITION

Ubhar Capital acquires investment management division of OAB Times News Service MUSCAT: Ubhar Capital (UCapital), which aims to become Oman’s leading independent investment banking platform, announced on Monday that it has agreed to acquire Investment Management Group of Oman Arab Bank (OAB).

In March 2016, Oman Investment Fund (OIF), Oman International Development and Investment Company (Ominvest) and Arab Bank (Switzerland) (ABS) entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to acquire Oman Arab Bank’s (OAB) Investment Management Group business.

Investment Management Group has over the past two decades established itself as one of the largest asset managers and a leading stock broker in Oman. The acquisition will encompass the entire existing Investment Management Group platform, including systems, human resources, licenses, assets and liabilities.

Oman to build GCC’s biggest table egg farm An MoU was signed for the table egg project, with an annual capacity to produce 2,300

MEGA PROJECT: The MoU entails the acquisition of the country’s largest egg producer, Modern Poultry Farms, and to build a stateof-the-art table egg facility in Ibri. — Supplied picture

million eggs, between Oman Flour Mills, Gulf Japan Food Fund, the UAEbased IFFCO group and Japan’s Ise Foods on Tuesday. A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman plans to build the biggest table egg project in the Gulf region in joint venture, which will have an annual capacity to produce 2,300 million eggs. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed for the table egg project between Oman Flour Mills (OFM) Company, Gulf Japan Food Fund (GJFP), the UAEbased IFFCO group and Japan’s Ise Foods here on Tuesday. The MoU entails acquisition of the country’s largest egg producer, Modern Poultry Farms, and to build a state-of-the-art table egg facility in Ibri, which will use Japanese technology. “The investment for building

the table egg project in Ibri will be $40 million (which is the ﬁrst phase),” Ali Habaj, Chief Executive Officer of Oman Flour Mills Company, told Times of Oman, on the side lines of the signing ceremony, which was held under the auspices of Dr Rashid bin Salim Al Masroori, chief executive ofﬁcer of the Public Authority for Stores and Food Reserves. Also, plans to acquire Modern Poultry Farms are under evaluation now. Habaj said it would take two years to complete the project in Ibri since the land (12 square kilometres) needed for the project has already been acquired. Presently, around 45 per cent of Oman’s requirement for eggs is met through imports. The new joint venture is in response to high demand for protein-rich eggs in the GCC and to satisfy the local market needs. As many as 80 per cent of the production is for local market, while 20 per cent will be exported to the UAE market. Atyab Investments will have a 33 per cent stake in the joint venture, with IFFCO, Gulf Japan Food Fund and Ise Foods holding 33 per cent, 28 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, in the table egg joint venture project.

“SGRF, through its partners, always aspires to bring the latest technologies and know-how to Oman, and this promising facility bears statement to our efforts in enriching our local economy with revenue generating projects that would ensure a sustainable future for industrial advancement in Oman,” said Abdulsalam bin Mohammed Al Murshidi, executive president of SGRF, which owns 37.5 per cent in Gulf Japan Food Fund. “IFFCO and OFM are market leaders in the food business in the UAE and Oman, with established egg production facilities and strong distribution reach in the GCC markets and a local customer base,” added Hitoshi Sugawara, an official at GJFF. The project will aim to reduce the GCC’s import dependence for eggs, while also enhancing the quality of locally produced eggs by using best-in-class processes and technology from Japan, noted Salah Hilal Mawali, chairman of OFM. Habaj said that the new joint venture egg project will operate from two places – Barka and Ibri. However, the Barka operations (Modern Poultry Farms) will be gradually shifted to Ibri and the Barka facility will be used for logistics services.

U-Capital has also been granted regulatory approvals to acquire Investment Management Group from OAB and will provide signiﬁcant strategic support to U-Capital to further develop and build its underlying lines of business. U-Capital will commence business operations in January 2017 and support servies will

include investment banking, asset management, brokerage and custody services. A leading player Rashad Al Zubair, Chairman of Oman Arab Bank said, “We are pleased that Investment Management Group has been a leading player in the investment banking

sector in Oman and has been instrumental in Oman’s economic development over the past two decades. We at Oman Arab Bank are excited that U-Capital has long term sustainable growth plans for the company and with this new shift, we can focus on its core strengths of building world class leading bank in Oman.”

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

MARKET MSM index ends lower

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index .........................................5,731.71 ............... 5,714.87 ....................5,714.87 ................... 5,729.38................ -14.51 .................. -0.25 Financial Index .....................................7,585.03 ...............7,552.20 ....................7,553.77 ....................7,579.10................-25.33 .................. -0.33 Industrial Index ....................................7,378.47 ...............7,350.32 ....................7,376.89 ....................7,351.96................. 24.93 ...................0.34 Services Index .......................................3,067.78 ...............3,063.17 ....................3,063.17 ...................3,066.88...................-3.71 .................. -0.12 MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................... 861.76 .................. 859.73 .......................859.73 .......................860.31.................. -0.58 .................. -0.07 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 14,139,174 .................. 3,621,227 .....................587 ................17,327,860,514 .................. 7 ......................13 .................... 23 .........................43

Al Maha Ceramics was the top gainer, up by 2.10 per cent, while Ahli Bank was top loser,

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20

down by 4.15 per cent. ISIN ......................................SECURITY NAME ..................................................................VOLUME..... TURNOVER............TRADES ......OPEN PRICE......HIGH ............. LOW ........ CLOSE PR. ...PREV. CLOSE...DIFF (RO).........DIFF % .............LAST PR.....LAST BID .............LAST OFFER ........MARKET CAP.PAR VALUE

MUSCAT: Although turnover improved, the MSM30 Index retreated 0.25 per cent to close at 5,714.87 points. The MSM Sharia Index ended at 859.73 points, down by 0.07 per cent. Al Anwar Holding was the most active in terms of volume, while Bank Muscat remained leader in turnover. Al Maha Ceramics was the top gainer, up by 2.10 per cent while Ahli Bank was top loser, down by 4.15 per cent. As many as 587 trades were executed on Tuesday, generating a turnover of OMR3.62 million with 14.14 million shares changing hands. Out of 43 traded securities, 7 advanced, 13 declined and 23 remained unchanged. Foreign investors were net buyers of OMR634,000 followed by GCC and Arab investors for OMR144,000 while Omani investors switched to net sellers of OMR778,000 worth of shares. Financial Index declined by 0.33 per cent to end at 7,553.77 points. Ominvest, Al Madina Investment and Al Anwar Holding gained 2.02 per cent, 1.85 per cent and 1.06 per cent, respectively. Ahli Bank, Bank Nizwa, Global Financial Investment, Gulf Investment Services and Oman & Emirates Holding fell by 4.15 per cent, 1.22 per cent, 1.16 per cent, 0.86 per cent and 0.75 per cent, respectively. Industrial Index advanced by 0.34 per cent to close at 7,376.89 points. Al Maha Ceramic, Oman Cement, Oman Flour Mills and Oman Refreshments gained 2.10 per cent, 1.32 per cent, 0.57 per cent and 0.23 per cent, respectively. Al Anwar Ceramics, Al Hassan Engineering and Gulf International Chemicals declined by 1.71 per cent, 1.67 per cent and 0.37 per cent, respectively. Services Index ended at 3,063.17 points, down by 0.12 per cent. Majan College, Ooredoo, Al Jazeera Services and Oman

Education & Training declined by 1.92 per cent, 1.20 per cent, 0.99 per cent and 0.66 per cent, respectively.

REGULAR MARKET ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ..................................................89,908 ............ 43,695......................14 ........... 0.486 ...........0.486 ...........0.486........... 0.486 .............0.476 ............0.010 ............. 2.101 ................0.486..............0.486...................0.490 ..................25,515,000 .........0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 708,045 .........356,490......................19 ........... 0.500 ...........0.506 ...........0.500........... 0.504 .............0.494 ............0.010 .............2.024 ................0.506..............0.504...................0.520 .................320,438,608 .......0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 129,722............... 7,105........................7 ........... 0.054 ........... 0.055 ...........0.054........... 0.055 .............0.054 ............0.001 ............. 1.852 ................0.055..............0.055...................0.056................... 11,393,326 .........0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT .......................................................... 212,000 ........... 97,944........................5 ........... 0.462 ...........0.462 ...........0.462........... 0.462 .............0.456 ........... 0.006..............1.316.................0.462..............0.456...................0.462 .................152,863,192 ........0.100

Sensex ends lower Market played into the hands of bears for the ﬁfth day on Tuesday as the Sensex ended at fresh twoweak low of 26,308 and the Nifty slipped below the key 8,100mark, still cautious about how demonetisation will pan out. The Bank of Japan (BoJ), on its part, kept monetary policy steady and offered a brighter view of the economy. There were geopolitical worries following deadly attacks in Europe. The rupee weakened to end at 68.03, which clouded sentiment. The index dropped another 66.72 points, or 0.25 per cent, to end at 26,307.98 — its lowest closing since December 7. It moved between 26,435.56 and 26,241.43 on Tuesday. The gauge had lost 323.12 points in the previous four sessions. The 50-share NSE Nifty below the 8,100 mark to close lower by 21.95 points, or 0.27 per cent, to end at 8,082.40, after shuttling between 8,124.10 and 8,062.75. “Though the finance minister announced relief measures for small traders, markets were seen eyeing the cascading effect of demonetisation,” said Anand James, Chief Market Strategist, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) preferred to keep their volume lower in view of approaching year-end holiday season as they pulled out funds from emerging markets, traders said. Banking, healthcare and metal sectors saw the maximum decline. However, buying interest in select sectors like IT and consumer durables checked the slide. – United Securities/ PTI

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 2,942,035 .....560,906...................134 ............0.190 ........... 0.192 ...........0.190............0.191 ............. 0.189............ 0.002............. 1.058 ................0.190..............0.190................... 0.191 ...................33,425,469 .........0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ...................................... 500 ...................165........................1 ........... 0.330 ...........0.330 ...........0.330........... 0.330 .............0.330 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.330..............0.326...................0.328 ..................33,000,000.........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 249,867 ........... 59,468......................14 ........... 0.238 ...........0.238 ...........0.238........... 0.238 .............0.238 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.238..............0.237...................0.238..................350,997,943........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 152,000 ............31,160........................7 ........... 0.205 ...........0.205 ...........0.205........... 0.205 .............0.205 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.205............. 0.204...................0.205 ..................41,000,000.........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 2,116,662 ......944,031..................... 32 ........... 0.446 ...........0.446 ...........0.446........... 0.446 .............0.446 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.446..............0.446...................0.448 ................1,113,327,615 .......0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..........................35,862 ............ 54,436......................17 ............1.520 ........... 1.520 ...........1.505 ........... 1.520 .............1.520............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.505 .............. 1.505...................1.520................1,140,000,000 ......0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES .......................................82,196 ............ 20,385......................17 ........... 0.248 ...........0.248 ...........0.248........... 0.248 .............0.248 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.248..............0.225...................0.250 ..................74,096,863 .........0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ................................................... 100,552 ........... 49,270........................5 ........... 0.490 ...........0.490 ...........0.490........... 0.490 .............0.490 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.490..............0.490...................0.500 ..................29,645,000.........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 104,100 ...............7,391..................... 10 ............0.071 ........... 0.071 ...........0.071 ............0.071 ............. 0.071............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.071 ..............0.070...................0.071...................12,425,000.........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 422,785 ............62,152..................... 25 ............0.147 ........... 0.148 ...........0.146 ............0.147 ............. 0.147............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.146 ..............0.146...................0.147..................215,002,415 ........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 496,820 ........... 80,894..................... 32 ............0.165 ........... 0.165 ...........0.161 ............0.163 .............0.164............-0.001 ........... -0.610 ...............0.162 ..............0.162...................0.163..................261,533,393........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 935,000 ......... 107,470......................14 ............0.115 ........... 0.116............0.114 ............0.115 ............. 0.116 ............-0.001 ........... -0.862 ...............0.114 .............. 0.114................... 0.115 .................... 6,766,970 ..........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ...............................................6,801 ...............1,360........................1 ........... 0.200...........0.200 ...........0.200 .......... 0.200 .............0.202 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.990 ...............0.200 ............. 0.196...................0.200 ..................12,240,855 .........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 447,564 ......... 295,142.....................40 ........... 0.660 ...........0.664 ...........0.652........... 0.660 .............0.668 ...........-0.008 ............-1.198................0.652..............0.652...................0.656..................429,623,192........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ............................... 287,055............ 49,457..................... 30 ............0.175 ........... 0.175............ 0.171 ............0.172 ............. 0.175............-0.003 ............-1.714 ................0.171 ...............0.171...................0.172...................50,948,753 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 9,519,474....2,828,921.................. 424 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......19........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS .................................................56,350 ............ 39,445........................2 ........... 0.700 ........... 0.700 ...........0.700........... 0.700 .............0.696 ........... 0.004............. 0.575 ................0.700..............0.700...................0.704..................110,250,000........0.100 OM0000001426............OMAN REFRESHMENT ............................................15,000 ............ 32,325........................1 ............2.155 ........... 2.155 ...........2.155 ............2.155 .............2.150............ 0.005............. 0.233 ................2.155 .............. 2.155...................0.000 .................107,750,000 ........0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 688,000 ........... 79,420......................18 ............0.116 ........... 0.116............ 0.115 ............0.115 ............. 0.115 ............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.115 ...............0.115................... 0.116 ..................230,035,971........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .........................................................4,258 ..................260........................1 ............0.061 ........... 0.061 ...........0.061 ........... 0.062 .............0.062 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.061 ..............0.061...................0.062 ................... 7,750,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001822............UNITED POWER ................................................................ 300 .................. 975........................1 ........... 3.250 ...........3.250 ...........3.250........... 3.250 .............3.250 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................3.250..............3.250...................3.550....................2,600,000..........1.000 OM0000002077 ...........AL OMANIYA FINANCIAL SER. .............................99,848 .............27,858........................1 ........... 0.279 ...........0.279 ...........0.279........... 0.279 .............0.279 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.279..............0.283...................0.000 ..................74,733,928 .........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ..................................... 7,300 ............ 14,308........................1 ............1.960 ........... 1.960 ...........1.960........... 1.960 .............1.960 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................1.960..............1.960...................1.980................. 186,200,000 .......0.100 OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ........................33,000 ............... 3,168........................6 ........... 0.096 ...........0.096 ...........0.096........... 0.096 .............0.096 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.096..............0.095...................0.096....................2,880,000..........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ............... 3,639 ..................502........................1 ............0.138 ........... 0.138 ...........0.138 ............0.141 ............. 0.141............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.138 .............. 0.139...................0.140...................12,690,000.........0.100 OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 219,321 ............ 50,882......................11 ........... 0.232 ...........0.232 ...........0.232........... 0.232 .............0.232 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.232.............. 0.215...................0.232 .................440,614,725........0.100 OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ......... 9,978 .............14,318........................2 ............1.435 ........... 1.435 ...........1.435 ............1.435 ............. 1.435............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.435 ............. 0.000...................1.435 ...................99,015,000 .........0.100 OM0000003281............TAAGEER FINANCE ................................................. 113,000.............13,560........................5 ............0.120 ........... 0.120 ...........0.120........... 0.120 .............0.120 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.120.............. 0.118...................0.120...................30,430,800.........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 149,800 ........... 14,980......................13 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100........... 0.100 .............0.100 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.100..............0.099...................0.100...................28,998,064.........0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 245,190 ............ 17,414........................7 ............0.071 ...........0.072 ...........0.071 ............0.071 ............. 0.071............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.072.............. 0.071...................0.072...................71,000,000.........0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 171,000............ 46,352..................... 10 ........... 0.272 ...........0.272 ...........0.270............0.271 .............0.272 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.368 ...............0.272..............0.272...................0.273.................... 5,691,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002580 ...........OMAN EDU. & TRIN. INV. .......................................... 17,800 ...............2,688........................4 ............0.151 ........... 0.151............ 0.151 ............0.151 ............. 0.152............-0.001 ........... -0.658 ...............0.151 ..............0.143................... 0.151 ...................10,570,000 .........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING........... 309,573 ...........40,907.....................24 ............0.134 ........... 0.134 ...........0.131 ........... 0.132 ............. 0.133............-0.001 ........... -0.752 ...............0.132 ...............0.131...................0.132...................16,087,500 .........0.100 OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 522,632 ........... 89,370........................2 ............0.171 ........... 0.171............ 0.171 ............0.171 ............. 0.173............-0.002 ............-1.156................0.171 ..............0.160...................0.173 .................. 34,200,000 ........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 1,082,186 .........87,657..................... 28 ............0.081 ........... 0.081 ...........0.081 ........... 0.081 .............0.082 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.220 ...............0.081 ..............0.081...................0.082 .................121,500,000........0.100 OM0000001897 ............MAJAN COLLEGE ...................................................... 160,000 ........... 81,600........................1 ............0.510 ........... 0.510 ...........0.510 ........... 0.510 .............0.520 ...........-0.010 ........... -1.923................0.510 ..............0.500...................0.520 ..................15,300,000.........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 350,000 ........... 64,750........................2 ............0.185 ........... 0.185 ...........0.185 ............0.185 ............. 0.193............-0.008 ........... -4.145 ...............0.185 .............. 0.187................... 0.191 ..................263,631,687 ........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 4,258,175 ......722,739................... 141 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......21........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

C O R P O R AT E S E C T O R

Mistry now shifts Tata battleground to all-or-nothing zone SINGAPORE: For a moment, it looked like India’s Tata Group could stop worrying about a split, and go back to making Jaguar cars, selling Tetley tea, running Taj hotels and writing software for global banks. On Monday night, Cyrus Mistry — unceremoniously dumped as group chairman two months ago — ended his high-decibel bid to hang

around at operating companies that had called shareholder meetings to oust him. But Mistry’s resignation from those boards is perhaps only a recognition that he was going to lose the proxy ﬁght. Ratan Tata, who engineered the coup against Mistry at holding company Tata Sons, won’t be resting easy. The founding family’s tenuous control of the

$103 billion conglomerate can’t be taken for granted. With Mistry promising to shift the battleground, a far messier skirmish lies ahead. The risk is no longer of a split in the empire; now, just by being patient and uncompromising, Mistry could in theory get all of it. The ousted chairman says he will take the ﬁght to a platform that can uphold the “rule of

law.” Courts, however, are unlikely to get involved in deciding whether Ratan Tata kept meddling in the operating companies after handing over the reins four years ago. Similarly, Mistry’s insinuations of insider trading might baffle the securities regulator. It would be one thing to show that trustees of Tata Trusts, philanthropic institutions that control two-thirds of

Tata Sons, asked and got unpublished, price-sensitive information about publicly listed units, but quite another to prove that any of them enriched themselves or others. Alleged ﬁnancial fraud and violation of foreign-exchange laws at Tata Group’s joint-venture airline with Malaysia’s AirAsia. might pose a more serious challenge, and

even ethical lapses that aren’t necessarily crimes would serve their purpose. If the fog is thick enough to keep the conglomerate on front pages of newspapers for all the wrong reasons, an irritated government might be forced to intervene in Tata Trusts on the grounds that they have gone astray from their charitable mission. — Bloomberg News

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

MARKET A I R T R AV E L

Indian airlines continue to slash fares to woo travellers NEW DELHI: Air travellers globally are bracing for higher fares after Opec decided last month to cut output. Not in India, the world’s fastest-growing major aviation market. Carriers cut fares in November, selling tickets about 12 per cent cheaper on average for MumbaiNew Delhi flights from a year ago, according to Yatra.com, India’s No. 2 online travel agency. The steepest discounts were as much as 30 per cent for the world’s seventhbusiest local route. The slashing of fares during the peak holiday travel season threatens to wipe out gains accrued from cheap oil and push some of the operators back to losses. Carriers in China and India are expanding capacity with orders for hundreds of planes and luring passengers with discounts. Excess capacity combined with tickets offering base fares as low as 2 cents to first-time fliers have constrained the ability of Indian carriers to translate an increase in passenger traffic to profits. “If capacity excess continues, airlines continue to lack pricing power, and they will be unable to efficiently and promptly recover supply-cost increases like fuel or labor,” said Robert Mann, head of aviation consultancy R.W. Mann & Co. in New York. “If fares remain below full economic costs, re-investment in the business is not warranted, and slow decline occurs over a period of years as equipment is retired.” IndiGo sold a ticket for New Delhi to Mumbai at an average of Rs3,784 ($56) mid-November, a 30 per cent drop from a year earlier, while Vistara, the local unit of Singapore Airlines that offers free food and on-board Wi-Fi streaming, slashed prices 24 per cent to Rs4,917. Jet Airways India and SpiceJet also cut prices by 6 per cent and 9 per cent, according to Yatra.com. For the same month, retail jet fuel prices jumped 17 per cent in New Delhi. Vistara’s Chief Commercial Officer Sanjiv Kapoor said in an e-mail that “lower fare buckets” were available after demand slowed down following a surprise government move in November to scrap high-value rupee bills from circulation. — Bloomberg News

Al Sedrah’s new residential project coming up in Qurm Lotus, which is a luxury residential project in at Ras al Hamra in Al Qurm, will have 110 apartments —

MAKING A POINT: The residential complex is a five-floor project, in which the ground floor will host many restaurants, shopping centres and a mini mall. - Picture by Jun Estrada/Times of Oman

40 one-bedroom apartments, 65 two-bedroom apartments, and ﬁve three-bedroom apartments.

Times News Service MUSCAT: Al Sedrah Real Estate has unveiled its latest residential project, Lotus Complex — the ﬁrst project of the company to be executed at Ras al Hamra in Qurm. Sheikh Salim bin Ahmad al Ghazali, chairman of Golden Group, said the real estate ven-

ture is one of the group’s ambitious projects to support the luxury residential projects segment that will offer all aspects of modern life and comfort. Lotus, which is a luxury residential project in Al Qurm, is the first contribution made by Al Sedrah Real Estate in the real estate development sector in Oman. The high-end customised project is situated in one of the most attractive and strategic locations. It has 110 apartments — 40 one-bedroom apartments, 65 two-bedroom apartments, and five three-bedroom apartments. The residential complex is a five-floor project, in which the ground floor will host many restaurants, shopping centres

Mortgage facility According to Ahmed al Hamedi, general manager of Al Sedrah Real Estate, the project is offered for sale based a separate-unit system, to optimise opportunities for those who wish to buy their dream residential units. There is a package for potential buyers, including

al Duqm. Al Sedrah Real Estate has a vision of offering solid contributions to the economic development in the Sultanate of Oman. Recently, the group announced a number of tourism projects that will add more than 2,500 hotel rooms to the local market and support the plans of the Ministry of Tourism. The promising tourism projects include the Shaza Muscat Hotel, which is a five-star hotel consisting of 250 rooms, 150 hotel apartments and many international restaurants. Sheikh Salim bin Ahmad al Ghazali,chairman of Golden Group, has highlighted that the expansion plans are according to some well thought out and per strategic plans. Today, the group operates in many fields, including as construction, real estate development, properties management, hospitality, furniture, oil and gas, investment, tourism and travel, logistics, and contributing to the establishment of a number of banks and financial establishments in Oman and GCC. The achievements due to the group’s philosophy of building the most attractive and cooperative work environment with attention paid to delivering projects characterised by innovation and creativity through services that match the changing needs of clients and local communities.

C O N S O L I D AT I O N

Qatar banks enter talks for three-way merger DOHA: Qatari banks Masraf Al Rayan, Barwa Bank and International Bank of Qatar (IBQ) are in talks on a three-way merger as consolidation accelerates across the Middle East’s banking industry. The potential combination would create the largest shariacompliant bank in Qatar and the third largest such lender in the Middle East, with assets worth more than 160 billion riyals ($44 billion), Masraf Al Rayan said late on Monday in a statement. Talks are at an early stage, according to the banks. Sustained low oil prices are forcing Gulf lenders to consoli-

date for more scale and to better compete in a crowded market. Abu Dhabi lenders National Bank of Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank agreed to merge earlier this year to create a regional powerhouse with $175 billion of assets. The merger of Masraf — with a market value of about $7.3 billion — with privately held Barwa and IBQ is subject to approvals from shareholders and Qatar’s Central Bank, according to the statement. Shares in Masraf rose more than 7 per cent to 38 riyals, the most since Jan. 24, and were up 4.1 per cent to 36.95 riyals at 9:44amin Doha.

INVESTMENT

BP piles up oil assets as CEO says worst over for company LONDON: BP is piling up assets with more than $3 billion of deals in three days as Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley sees the company emerging from the doldrums after a two-year price slump. Since Saturday, BP has announced a $2.2 billion expansion of output in Abu Dhabi and a $916 million investment in ﬁelds in Mauritania and Senegal. That brings its 2016 acquisitions to more than $3.8 billion, the highest in four years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The spending spree may herald a return to growth for Dudley, who has spent most of his six-year tenure divesting assets to pay for the catastrophic Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010, for which BP set aside more than $50 billion. Europe’s No. 3 oil company, a third smaller since then, plans to start seven or eight major projects next year as crude prices recover from their worst collapse in a generation. “It’s time for BP to start grow-

and a mini mall. There will be an underground two-ﬂoor parking for tenants and visitors. Based on that permanent doctrine, Lotus Project is expected to be an architectural masterpiece in Oman; as it is located at one of the most strategic places at Al Qurm Heights, surrounded by many shopping centres and the famous Qurm Park.

easy installments. The buyer will hand over 10 per cent of total value on booking and the remaining amount will be paid through quarterly installments of 15 per cent of the total value. To make more funding options available, Al Sedrah has signed a number of agreements with local banks to provide the loans for the buyers. The company will continue supervision on the project after delivering units to ensure the highest level of comfortability for all owners. The new project is an addition to the group’s list of achievements in 2016, which included the Al Yasmin residential and commercial complex at Al Khuwair, Oasis Mall Complex at Madinat Sultan Qaboos, a logistics complex at Barka and the InterCity Hotel at Salalah. The residential complex will be delivered within two years as the construction on the project has already started a couple of months ago, noted Al Humaidi. The work ﬂows will be according to plans executed by reputed companies. The new project is an initiative by Al Sedrah, which has a long history and record of great projects, such as Inter City Hotel at Salalah; and other big projects in Muscat and other regions all over Oman. The future projects including the Mercure Hotel in al Khuwair, Rotana Hotel in Salalah and Marina

Bob Dudley. — Bloomberg News

ing,” Dudley, 61, said on Dec. 17 in a Bloomberg Television interview in Abu Dhabi. “We’ve walked through so many difficulties in the US that I think the company now is well-positioned for growth.” BP shares have risen almost 40 per cent this year. Notwithstanding a slide in the next few weeks, that would mark the stock’s best year since 1993. Its larger European competitors have also performed well, with Royal Dutch Shell adding almost 50 per cent and Total about 16 per cent. The Abu Dhabi and West African deals secure new reserves

and production for BP well into the next decade, said Brendan Warn, a managing director at BMO Capital Markets in London. Shell’s purchase of BG Group this year gave it assets in Brazil and Australia, Eni has gas projects in Egypt and Mozambique and Exxon Mobil is seeking to buy InterOil, but investors weren’t sure where BP’s future volumes would come from, he said. “The market was questioning their ability to grow post-2020 and these are the resource-sustenance deals they were looking for,” he said. “The timing of these deals is also interesting, coming at a time oil prices are rising.” Benchmark Brent crude has gained more than 45 per cent this year, reversing last year’s 35 per cent decline. Amid the rally, BP has also snapped up a 10 per cent stake in Eni’s giant Zohr gas ﬁeld in Egypt for $375 million and a bigger chunk of Indonesia’s Tangguh liqueﬁed natural gas project for $313 million. — Bloomberg News

Wave of consolidation It’s not just banks that are merging as a result of the new reality in energy prices. Governments in the Middle East are also combining state-owned investment ﬁrms and energy companies. Qatar is merging two of its gas companies, QatarGas and RasGas, in a move that will save hundreds of millions of dollars, Qatar Petroleum CEO Saad al-Kaabi said earlier this month. Abu Dhabi announced plans to merge sovereign wealth funds Mubadala Development Co. and International Petroleum Investment Co. in June. “Similar to some of its neigh-

bors, Qatar’s banking sector would beneﬁt from consolidation given the number of players ﬁghting for a share of the pie,” Akber Khan, senior director of asset management at Al Rayan Investment in Qatar, said today by e-mail. “However, merger efforts have not been successful in the past, highlighting the complexity of such negotiations.” IBQ was previously involved in talks to merge with Al Khaliji that collapsed in mid-2011 without a deal being reached. Sovereign wealth fund Qatar Investment Authority holds a 15.7 per cent stake in Masraf, accord-

ing to data compiled by Bloomberg. Qatar’s General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority and Military Pension Fund own about 20 per cent each of Barwa Bank, while Qatar Holding, a unit of the sovereign wealth fund, has a stake of 12.13 per cent, according to the bank’s ﬁnancial statements for the ﬁrst half. IBQ’s shareholders include Broog Trading Co. and Al Sanad Commercial Co., according to its 2015 annual report. Qatar, a country of more than 2 million people, has about 20 local and international banks competing for a share of business. — Bloomberg News

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

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ANGST SALES S S A L E-C S WATCH L D D I M S SWIS SSE DEPRE

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H E A LT H C A R E

ahlibank conducts health screening for employees MUSCAT: To promote wellbeing and build health awareness among its employees, ahlibank recently organised a health screening camp in association with Apollo Hospital on the bank premises. Explaining that the camp has been organised to help employees identify risk factors and plan for a healthier lifestyle, Lloyd Maddock, CEO, ahlibank said, “We understand the importance of health screenings and how it can help prevent the onset of diseases and manage conditions at an early stage. We also strongly believe in and advocate the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. We hope the screenings performed by medical professionals helped our employees evaluate their health status. The health screening camp included height and weight monitoring, central blood pressure check, random blood sugar check, consultation and guidance by a doctor. A medical officer and two nurses (one male and one female) from Apollo Hospital conducted the health screening. Health screening which is an examination testing of the body

ROUND-UP

Cash gift on Kia Soul Kia Soul is available with a cash gift of OMR800

system to determine an individual's health status promotes health consciousness among patients. Studies indicate that workplace health promotion programmes that boost employee health can also lead to increase in productivity. As part of health screening camp, ahlibank employees took the Central Blood Pressure which is a more accurate indicator of the pressure the heart and other vital organs experience. Apollo Hospital Muscat is a wellknown healthcare provider in the Sultanate of Oman which provides the most modern state-ofthe-art healthcare services under one roof with highly motivated and dedicated professionals.

MUSCAT: In an age of nearly similar-looking cars, Kia Soul stands out with its breakthrough design and distinctive style, “It is unique in many ways,” remarked a proud owner, “Its looks are head-turning, but this uniqueness does not end here…step inside and you will see that it has a host of features nestling in a very comfortable ambience created by high quality materials. Its performance is truly smooth and easy. When you add it all up, owning a Soul becomes a singularly delightful experience!” Now, customers in Oman will be glad to know that the Kia Soul is available with a cash gift of OMR800. In lieu of this, customers may opt for 1-year insurance together with service for 2 years/30,000km, (whichever is earlier), in addition to a cash gift of OMR400, says a press release. “Owning a Soul with this offer is

VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT

something wonderful,” remarked an enthusiast, “The cash gift makes my experience even sweeter.” The Kia Soul is in a class of its own. With its upright, confident posture, broad shoulders, iconic window shape and SUV ground clearance, the second-generation Soul is inspired by the Kia Track’ster concept that was first shown at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show. Similar to the concept, the production model features a large trapezoidal lower air intake, low fog lights pushed to the edges of the front bumper, Kia’s signature ‘tiger-nose’ grille and the avantgarde design of the rear with the unique ‘floating’ body-coloured panel on the tailgate.

The high quality comfort of the interior significantly enhances the appeal of the second-generation model. In addition to its stylish design, the interior of the compact SUV is characterised by high quality materials, including greater use of soft-touch materials, and new premium comfort elements, including Colour TFT Touchscreen with Rear View Camera Imaging, Radio MP3 With USB + I Pod Connectivity, All In One Steering Controls:- auto cruise control, audio remote, bluetooth, trip computer and flex steering (normal/ comfort /sports modes). The stunningly designed Kia Soul offers a significant number of technology and power-train fea-

tures, making it the perfect package for consumers looking for something outside the box. With gas prices on the rise, this refresh adds even more style and fun-to-drive performance, while also improving fuel economy by 10 percent. The Soul envelopes passengers within a high-tech, futuristic cabin featuring a generous blend of technologies at tremendous overall value. Available in 7 exciting colours, the Soul has many exciting features that include a new engine offering higher power (123HP) and torque (15.5 kg-m @ 4850 rpm); a 6-speed automatic transmission for smoother gear shifting; Projection headlamps with black eye lining for better design & visibility; LED DRLs - Bold & stylish DRLs adding to Soul’s distinct identity; LED front Indicators for prominent visibility; Mirror Mounted LED Side repeaters; LED Rear Combination light for high visibility, long life & less drain on the battery; 18” Superﬁne Finished Alloy Wheels with Red/Gray/Black inserts; Active Eco Switch; Digital A/C Controls/Venting. Reliable International Automotive (RIA), the distributor for Kia in Oman provides a rewarding ownership experience for customers.

POPULAR MODEL

Oman LNG signs agreement with Ministry of Transport

Inﬁniti QX80: Combination of design and performance MUSCAT: As part of its unrelenting corporate social responsibility efforts, Oman LNG inked an agreement with the Ministry of Transport and Communications to support the development of villages around the Wilayat of Sur. The agreements were signed by Salim bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Transport and Communications for Transport, and Khalid bin Abdullah Al Massan, CEO of Oman LNG Development Foundation. The importance of this project eases the challenges faced by people living in these areas as they commute their daily lives. By this agreement, the company will fund

the development of over 6km of concrete pavements in Tiwi and over 3km in Wadi Bani Jaber, says a press release. This project builds on previous support by Oman LNG to these areas, where Oman LNG initially has supported 36 villages with concrete roads, protection walls and graveyard boundary walls with over OMR7,000. “Oman LNG understands the importance of partnering with the community and we are happy to continue playing our role as an establishment that offers result-oriented support as a way of improving the quality of life for everyone in the country,” said

Khalid Al Massan, after signing the agreement. With its contribution to the nation’s social development, Oman LNG’s leading social investment programme has supported many signiﬁcant initiatives and projects ranging from healthcare and education to preserving the environment and road safety. Oman LNG continues to reﬂect its sincere interest to embed the principles of social responsibility as part of its core existence and by strengthening the cooperation between the public and private sectors, supplement the national economy and ambitious development plans implemented in the Sultanate.

MUSCAT: Boasting several new technologies, Infiniti QX80 continues to garner success in Oman. Infiniti QX80 offers a unique combination of inspired design and performance that makes it stand out in the luxury performance SUV class. The QX80's roominess, matched with luxury style, makes it capable of transporting up to eight adults and their belongings with spacious elegance. Infiniti QX80 owes its popularity to design modifications to the exterior as well as the host of interesting features inside that deliver supreme comfort for passengers alongside the latest safety technologies, says a press release. A spokesperson for Infiniti Oman, from the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA) said, “We are pleased with the overwhelming response to In-

finiti QX80. On the promise of performance, the QX80 doesn’t disappoint. The luxury SUV offers a fresh exterior design, a more crafted interior, additional standard features and technology. These features have made it very popular with auto aficionados.” Infiniti QX80 includes a highstiffness frame structure that enhances ride comfort while reducing noise, vibration and harshness. The proven 5.6-liter V8 engine combines the responsive acceleration of Infiniti's VVEL (Variable Valve Event & Lift) technology with the efficiency of Direct Injection Gasoline (DIG) to produce 400 horsepower and 560 Nm of torque. A smooth 7-speed automatic transmission is standard on all models. The Infiniti QX80 is designed to attract and hold viewers' attention, conveying its underly-

ing sense of power and strength. The bold front chrome grille is ﬂanked by automatic on/off bifunctional xenon headlights with windshield wiper interlock and integrated front fog lights. Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) with auto-levelling headlights is also available. Other exterior features include LED taillights, power-folding side view mirrors with integrated turn signals, courtesy lights and reverse tilt-down feature, body colour running boards, body colour integrated front and rear splashguards built into the wheel arches, roof rails, power sliding tinted glass moon roof and a power rear liftgate. SBA is largely committed to supporting Inﬁniti Oman’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

ROUND-UP Relish Pakistani cuisine at Haveli The restaurant in Ghala is providing an attractive Christmas offer to the customers. Haveli has both buffet and a la carte meal options

GAYATHRI K gayathri@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Haveli restaurant, which opened in August this year next to the Royal Hospital in Ghala, with a capacity to cater to 150 people, is drawing a steady and growing ﬂow of people. Haveli is a family owned restaurant that serves the ﬁnest Pakistani cuisine in Oman. Beginning the story in a small café called Raffat Grills, Haveli has evolved into a restaurant that people have grown to love today. The restaurant, during the festive period of Christmas and New

Year provides its customers an attractive offer. The sumptuous buffet is available for just OMR2.5 on December 23, 24 and 25. Its New Year offer will be announced soon. Haveli has both buffet and a la carte meal options. In addition, it has a great ambience for get-togethers and birthday parties, offers special discounts for corporate meetings and also has a catering unit. Although the highlight of restaurant is Pakistani cuisine, it also has an array of Indian and Arabic food to choose from. With more than 13 dishes, the Haveli brunch is served on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am - 3pm. The evening buffet from 7.30pm to 12.30am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday is more elaborate with a selection of over 23 dishes.

Raffat Saad, the general manager of Haveli said, “We cater to genuine food lovers. We have a wonderful, handpicked team of chefs, cooks, along with barbecue and grill specialists all from Pakistan’s 5-star hotels. Barbecue, biriyani and kunnah mutton are the specialities one must surely try at the restaurant.” She added, “To provide our foodies with authentic taste we do not use readymade masalas, instead we ground and blend it in our kitchen here.” The meat and vegetables are fresh as Raffat makes it a point to

PROUD MOMENT

CULINARY SKILLS

Drifting champion Abdo Feghali visits Nissan Oman showroom Feghali, who was in Oman to take part in the Red Bull Car Park Drift Final 2016, interacted with Nissan customers, drifting fanatics, guests, and handed over autographed cards to them MUSCAT: Nissan Oman, from the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA), hosted rally driver and renowned drifting champion Abdo Feghali at its Qurum showroom recently. Feghali, who was in Oman to take part in the Red Bull Car Park Drift Final 2016, interacted with Nissan customers, drifting fanatics, guests, and handed over autographed cards to them, says a press release. Nissan 370Z, the iconic sports car which Feghali will drive in the drift ﬁnal, was on display inside the showroom during the event. A raffle draw was conducted on the occasion, and two lucky winners got a chance to drive the Nissan 370Z with Feghali at Oman Automobile Association. A spokesperson for Nissan

purchase them herself in order to make sure the customers are served the best when it comes to satisfying their palates. She is also accompanied by her daughter and son-in-law who take care of the other requirements needed to run a business. One of the customers who was there to have the weekend brunch, said that the ‘Paaya’ was absolutely yummy and a must try dish. The main ingredients of Paaya are the hoof of a goat, buffalo or sheep, cooked with various spices. The staff of Haveli is hospitable and takes care of all your requirements. The restaurant welcomes its customers to a soothing ambience that provides an opportunity to savour the mouth-watering and passionately crafted dishes.

Oman said, “Oman as a nation loves motorsports and it was a proud moment for us to welcome Abdo Feghali to our showroom. Our customers had a great time interacting and clicking selﬁes with the drifting champion.” Abdo Feghali is a Lebanese rally driver and triple national champion who began his career in 1998. His passion for drifting pushed him to develop his talent and become a drifting veteran. Now as Red Bull Car Park Drift grows greater, the persona of ‘Dado’ as a legendary drifter is also growing around the Middle East. In 2013, Feghali won the overall Lebanese Rally Championship. In 2012, he broke the Guinness World Record for the longest drift in Abu Dhabi. In 2000, 2004, 2006 and 2012, Feghali came in second

at the Rally of Lebanon whereas he was ranked third in 2002, 2003 and 2011. Feghali was also crowned the Middle East’s Hill Climb champion from 2007 to 2010 and the Lebanese Hill Climb Champion between 2006 and 2012. Since 2008, Dado has been an active player in the Red Bull Car Park Drift whereby he technically supervises the event. In addition to that, Dado has been working closely with all the participants in the region, sharing with them his experience, knowledge and unique skills in drifting. Feghali also continues to be featured in the popular TV show ‘Driven’.

The Bollywood declares cook-off finale winners MUSCAT: The Bollywood restaurant announced the top three winners of ‘The Big Bollywood Cook-off ’ at the finale held on the restaurant premises recently. Out of 10 hopeful and very competitive finalists, three winners emerged triumphant to take their places as new reigning champs of the culinary scene, says a press release. Aanchal Agarwal took first place with her original Nimona ke Batashe and Nazbu paneer, Shikha Gupta’s spin on Beetroot Cheese Bomb and Veg Nargisi Kofta clinched her the second place and Ashwini R. Balannavar’s delicious Chupa Rustam Paneer and Stuffed Gatte ki Sabzi with Palak Gravy placed her in third position. The finalists were selected from online entries following a strong social media campaign on the restaurant’s much loved Facebook page. Participants sent in their recipes for a vegetarian starter and main course and these were narrowed down to 10. The excitement was high as 10 hopefuls brought their preparations to The Bollywood’s Al Qurum outlet. A panel of judges then scored each dish on various parameters, such as visual appeal, taste and creativity, among others. After much discussion and debate, they finally selected the best three dishes. The winners were then announced and received their prizes

in the presence of a gathering comprising Khimji Ramdas and The Bollywood representatives, as well as the winners’ friends and family. The event was supported by SPAR Oman who provided all the ﬁnalists with an opportunity to shop for their ingredients at any of the chain’s supermarkets. Weighing in her opinion on the judging panel this year was guest judge Oneza Tabish who runs the highly successful ‘What’s Cooking Oman’ page on Facebook – an interactive platform for Oman residents and others to share their knowledge and passion for cooking and to inspire others. “Thank you team Bollywood for the honour of being a judge at your Cook Off. Each and every partici-

pant was innovative, creative and talented. I would like to extend my gratitude to my co judges for bestowing their faith in me. It was such a humbling experience and an exciting event,” said Oneza. Sachin Malhotra, COO, Khimji Ramdas Lifestyle Group who was also one of the judges, said, “Congratulations to all of our winners on their exemplary creations. It was a well deserved win and all the hopefuls can be assured that we will surely provide you with another opportunity to take a shot at the title. The Big Bollywood cookoff is a humbling experience as it provides us with an opportunity to interact with and acknowledge the skills and potentials of some amazingly talented people.”

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Alizz bank partners with Apollo Hospital

ROUND-UP

Bank Sohar organises monthly draw in Ibra The event took place at the main city park and witnessed the Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme’s monthly

MUSCAT: Alizz Islamic Bank partnered with Apollo Hospital to organise diabetes awareness for its staff members during which tests were conducted to measure the blood sugar and blood pressure levels of the employees. As one of the most modern and fully integrated banks in the Sultanate, Alizz has been supporting various initiatives to achieve the sustainable development of the society. The recent diabetes campaign reﬂects the bank’s emphasis on coordinated efforts to combat health and social risks in the country, says a press release. “We have been implementing a number of corporate social responsibility programmes regularly as a key priority of the bank with our participation in

social initiatives targeting our staff as well as the general public,” noted Asim Kidwai, head of Marketing and Communications, Alizz Islamic Bank. “We have carried out similar programmes in the past such as Ramadan Iftar meals and blood donation campaigns, and have been giving our full support to the Omani Diabetes Society.” He thanked Alizz staff members for taking part in the campaign and achieving the concept of social responsibility in the workplace and the society. Alizz has expressed its commitment to enhancing its CSR role by participating in various social initiatives as well as supporting efforts to increase public awareness in all ﬁelds.

M O D E L U N I T E D NAT I O N S

ISG students attend British School MUN conference MUSCAT: A team of eight talented, young students from the Indian School Al Ghubra (ISG) accompanied by the Round Square teacher-in-charge Noella Vaz attended the Round Square member school’s Model United Nations (MUN) conference organised by The British School, New Delhi recently. The delegates representing ISG were Abhyuday Bose, Amisha Prakash, Ankshita Dasgupta, Lakshana Raghuraman, Mehul Sancheti, Prince Johnson David Fernandes, Shivam Ajay Saraf and Shreya Dadhwal. Taking on the roles of UN ambassadors of India and South Sudan, the students of ISG assumed rights and responsibilities of world leaders. Their imagina-

tions propelled them to collaboratively create resolutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems like ‘Reducing the Rate of Deforestation in Developing Countries’, ‘Prevention and Protection Against Chemical Warfare’. The delegates were expected to bring out effective solutions to these and other challenging world issues.

OMR10,000 general draw, OMR1,000 children’s draw, OMR10,000 ladies draws (for two winners) and the OMR10,000 exclusive monthly draw

MUSCAT: In its commitment to further engage with the community, Bank Sohar recently organised a road show in Ibra where it conducted the Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme Monthly draw for the month of November. The event took place recently at the main city park and witnessed the monthly OMR10,000 general draw, OMR1,000 children’s draw, OMR10,000 ladies draws (for two winners) and the OMR10,000 exclusive monthly draw. The branch guaranteed draws, which saw one winner from each of the bank’s 28 branches win OMR1,000, were conducted earlier at the bank’s head office. In total, the monthly draws witnessed OMR59,000 in cash prizes won by 33 winners across all categories. Representing Bank Sohar at the event were Amour Al Habsi, District Manager – Al Sharqiya Region, Redha Al Lawatia, Sr. Chief Manager of Liabilities and Sales, and Saad Said Al Shidhani, Senior Branch Manager, Jalan Bani Bu Ali Branch, together with members of the bank’s retail and events teams. The road show was a great success with over 600 in audience attending the fun ﬁlled event from around the region.

MUSICAL EVENT

Uttaranchal Wing to conduct musical night on Friday

MUSCAT: The Uttaranchal Wing of the Indian Social Club Muscat in association with Lenovo is hosting a musical event featuring a renowned troupe of folk singers from Uttarakhand, India at Majan Continental Hotel Muscat on December 23, Friday. Popular Uttarakhandi folk singers Narendra Singh Negi, Kalpana Chouhan and Jitendra Tomkiyal along with their exemplary team of musicians and orchestra will

be ﬂying in to regale music lovers in Muscat. Dr Sathish Nambiar, chairman, Indian Social Club, Oman will be the chief guest on the occasion, says a press release. The Uttaranchal Wing of the Indian Social Club Oman, one of the most vibrant wings was set up in 2005 to provide an opportunity to Indian nationals residing in Oman originating from Uttranchal region to form a social network and maintain roots to their culture.

The wing members meet at least once a month in Muscat to discuss current and future activities and direction. The wing’s strength is trust between members, honesty in approach and a willingness to help each other in whichever way possible. The Uttaranchal Musical Night event is open to members of the Uttaranchal Wing of the Indian Social Club Oman and is by invitation only.

Commenting on the draw, Khamis Masoud Al Rahbi, Senior AGM & Acting Retails Banking at Bank Sohar said, “With the completion of the monthly draw for November, we are now nearing the end of Savings Scheme 2016; which will culminate in the yearend grand draws that will take place in January 2017. “While the anticipation is building leading up to the grand draw, we will be continuing with our daily hourly and daily children draws till the end of the year. In fact, we hosted this roadshow in order to showcase just what our customers can expect over the course of the ﬁnal month of the 2016 Savings Scheme and from the year-end grand draw event.” The event, which took place on December 16, commenced with a welcome speech by the emcee and a national song commemorating the Sultanate’s 46th National Day with children holding ﬂags and balloons. Several activities and games for children were then conducted followed by prize draws for the audience with bank management team handing over the prizes to the lucky winners. The event then saw the recitation of a poem about Bank Sohar by a child from the audience. The ‘Rakiz Wa Sooq’ road safety awareness video was also played, with the children who knew the jingle joining in. Shortly after the video, a presentation on the bank’s Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme was conducted by Redha Al Lawatia for the gathered audience. During the

presentation, he elaborated on the highly anticipated upcoming yearend grand draws. The presentation was followed by a second raffle draw for the audience with Amour Al Habsi, Redha Al Lawatia and Saad Said Al Shidhani, handing out the prizes to the winners. Following which, activities and competitions were held for all adults in the audience. Following the presentation, the ﬁve major draws were conducted starting with the children’s draw which saw L. A. Al Kabani, from the bank’s Barka branch, win OMR1,000. The two ladies draws saw Shuwaina Al Haraasi, from the bank’s Seeb branch, and Tharaya Al Mahrouqi, from the bank’s Sinaw branch, win OMR5,000 each; while the exclusive draw saw Saud Ahmed, from the bank’s Salalah branch, win OMR10,000. The ﬁnal draw of the day was the general draw for the month of November, which saw Sultan Al Ghaithi, from the bank’s Sohar branch, win OMR10,000. The monthly branch guaranteed draws, conducted earlier at the bank head office, witnessed a customer from each of the bank’s branches win OMR1,000. This included Mohammed Ibrahim as the winner from the Al Buraimi Branch, Talal Al Shekaili from the Al Azaiba Branch, Sulaiman Al Balushi from the Sohar Branch, Khalid Al Kharousi from the Barka Branch, Zahir Abdullah from the Ibri branch, Nawal Ali from the Al Khbaoura Branch, Mahmood Al Abri from the Al Qu-

rum Branch, Samah Al Aufi from the Al Khoudh Branch, Khalid Mohammed from the Sinaw Branch, A.S.H. from the Privilege Banking Branch, Fatma Al Amri from the Salalah Branch, Uma Sashi from the MBD Branch, Salim Ali from the A’Seeb Branch, Mohammed Al Maskari from the Sur Branch, S. Al Gharibi from the Al Khuwair Branch, Nasra Al Harthi from the Ibra Branch, Al Naser AL Jamoudi from the Nizwa Branch, Sadam Al Abri from the Ruwi Branch, Moosa Al Balushi from the Shinas Branch, Jasim & Khamis ( Joint Account) from the Suwaiq Branch, Mohammed Al Sinani from the Quriyat Branch, S.A.M. from the Jaalan Bani Bu Ali Branch, Hamyar Al Haumaidi from the Al Amerat Branch, Fahad Al Hinai from the Bahla Branch, Abdullah Hamdan from the Avenues Mall Branch, Waseem Al Harsasi from the A’Rustaq Branch, Mohammed Amein from the Saham Branch, and finally Hashim Al Farsi, from the Musannah Branch. Congratulating the winners, Khamis Al Rahbi said, “On behalf of the bank, I would like to congratulate each of the winners of our 10th and final Al Mumayaz Scheme monthly draws of 2016. With our year-end draw just around the corner I would also like to encourage our customers to continue saving to maximise their chances of winning; not just in the year-end draw but also the remainder of the daily hourly and daily children draws that will continue till the end of the year.”

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

ROUND-UP

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Bank Muscat hosts corporate clients In order to enhance ﬁnancial ﬂexibility with greater user experience, superior payment controls and easy to access to MIS reports, Bank Muscat introduced three new Visa corporate credit cards at the event

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the ﬂagship ﬁnancial services provider in the Sultanate, in line with its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and commitment to partnership in enhancing innovative banking services, hosted corporate clients at an event focusing on the future trends of transaction and digital banking requirements. The event hosted as part of ongoing efforts to enhance services and strengthen relations with key business partners was attended by AbdulRazak Ali Issa, chief executive, management team members, representatives of the Central Bank of Oman (CBO), Information Technology Authority (ITA), corporate and public sector leaders.

Leading government entities and corporates which have made a mark in digitalisation to drive their services and business environment were honoured at the event, says a press release. Commending the organisations, AbdulRazak Ali Issa, Chief Executive, said: “As the trusted banking partner in Oman, Bank Muscat is committed to partnering with government entities and corporates for their transaction and digital banking requirements. Bank Muscat remains committed to partnering with all institutions and corporate clients for success, as the bank processes and technology are designed to drive future corporate transactions and digital banking requirements.” Presentations were made by ofﬁcials of the Central Bank of Oman (CBO) and Information Technology Authority (ITA), highlighting the emerging and future trends in transactions and digital banking requirements. The bank, in its presentation, highlighted the leadership role in providing innovative transactions and digital banking products and services. Tariq Atiq, DGM – Transaction & Public Sector Banking - Wholesale Banking Group, said: “When companies understand the big picture for business and its vision for the future, they can more easily comprehend and support the need to adopt new technologies. In line with the technological changes in the banking world, Bank Muscat is focused on introducing innovative technology-based banking channels in the Sultanate. The

technology focus of Bank Muscat is reﬂected in the largest network of inter-connected branches, payment gateways, cards, merchant services, alternate channels of ATMs, CDMs, online and mobile banking as well as connectivity with utility service providers. Bank Muscat is focused on helping corporates to make a smooth transition towards efficient techfocused processes and ride the waves of technology to their advantage. The bank looks forward to stronger partnership with corporate clients and thereby contribute to the progress and development of the nation.” Bank Muscat understands that the future is centred on digital technology to chart the way forward for corporates to do successful business. Accordingly, the bank has introduced innovative solutions to support clients in doing business efficiently and easily connected with vendors and customers. The bank frequently updates products and services in line with the requirements of corporates which are attuned to automation and digitalisation. Taking this into account, Bank Muscat has aligned

its strategic plan for a complete digital transaction banking platform which will take care of all current and future requirements of corporates and allow organisations to efficiently perform its daily operations and take informative strategic decisions to grow the company. The platform will allow corporates to handle its receivables and payments requirements, connect with vendors and provide easier payment solutions to customers. The platform will also provide a range of solutions in trade and financing, liquidity and treasury, MIS and reporting requirement. The platform will fulfil the requirement for straight through processing and reconciliation. The first step towards this is the corporate online banking platform which allows corporates to control their finances 24x7. In addition to managing account, corporate online banking platform helps with real time information of account details, transactional capabilities in local or foreign currencies as well as bulk payments. The online banking platform acts as a digital dashboard to provide intelligent information for making critical

decision. Most importantly the online banking platform is built using the latest technologies with world class security features like encryption, dual authentication and virtual keyboards. In order to enhance ﬁnancial ﬂexibility with greater user experience, superior payment controls and easy to access to MIS reports, Bank Muscat introduced three new Visa corporate credit cards at the event. The new Visa corporate cards are equipped with self-service feature to obtain user friendly MIS reports to track corporate expenditure data and are enhanced with Visa’s state-of-the-art card expenditure control tool, Chip and PIN enabled for greater security, worldwide acceptance and ideal for government payments as well as internet and online payments. Bank Muscat Corporate Standard credit card is ideal for travel, entertainment, procurement and online purchases. This card can be used by organisations for their day to day operations. Additionally, this card provides access to airport lounges in Muscat and Salalah international airport. Bank Muscat Corporate Signa-

ture credit card is designed for top executives. Signature Corporate Card has access to over 550 lounges around the globe, exclusive concierge services, and preferential rates at renowned hotels, offers at various golf courses around the globe, multi-trip travel insurance and much more. Bank Muscat Corporate Purchase card is an ideal our solution for government payments. The card is accepted only in Oman and in the government sector and has no cash withdrawal facility. Further adding convenience, the bank also introduced for the ﬁrst time in Oman two web-based services to provide comprehensive information and details of transactions in order to control card usage. With Visa intellilink, all transaction details can be accessed with a simple click and with Bank Muscat payment control, customers can customise corporate card usage by controlling card usage locations, timing, merchant’s preference and much more. Amjad Al Lawati, AGM – Cards & eBanking, said: “The new suite of corporate cards by Bank Muscat is designed to meet the evolving needs of corporate payments. Things are happening faster than ever and the way corporates respond will determine their future, therefore it is important for the management of organisations to foresee the future and take courageous steps towards digitalization. In order to facilitate this, Bank Muscat has the right technology, process and expertise to take care of all digital transactional banking requirements.”

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM W EDN ES DAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016 2 016 6

SECTION

COMPREHENSIVE SERIES VICTORY REFLECTS CHARACTER OF TEAM, SAYS KOHLI

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YEAR OF MURRAY AND KERBER udacious coups by Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber have transformed the tennis landscape and they will begin 2017 eyeing the kind of domination that few would have thought possible at the start of a seismic year. >C4

NEW RESPONSIBILITY

Poonacha to take over as Oman hockey coach again T.K. MOHANDOSS

sportseditor@timesofoman.com

AT HELM: K.K. Poonacha to coach Oman for third time.

MUSCAT: After lengthy deliberations on Tuesday, one day after the His Majesty’s Cup final, Oman Hockey Association (OHA) confirmed that India’s K.K. Poonacha will take over the national team as coach. This is for the third time Poonacha has been named as coach of Oman after his stints in 2010-11 and 2012 for Asian Champions Trophy. In the first stint, Poonacha had helped Oman to qualify for the

Oman Hockey Association will sign a new contract with K.K. Poonacha in the first week of January 2017 and the team will start preparing for the Hockey World League Round 2 Guangzhou Asian Games and later when he was coaching Ahli-Sidab, a club which he groomed to touch the summit many-a-time, was suddenly called up to coach Oman in preparations for the Asian Champions Trophy. Meanwhile, speaking to Times

Sport OHA chairman Talib Khamis Al Wahaibi said that after lengthy discussions between OHA vice-chairman Dr Mohammed Al Amri and Poonacha it has been decided to name him as coach for Oman national team’s future programmes.

“Poonacha will be on one-year renewable contract and his assistant will be Omani but of his choice,” the chairman said. Meanwhile, Poonacha reacting to his appointment said he felt happy by the decision of the OHA officials. “I am happy to take over Oman national team once again. I thank the OHA chairman and ofﬁcials for considering my services to preparing Oman team for the future challenges,” Poonacha, who guided Ahli-Sidab to third place in 2016 His Majesty’s Cup Championship, said.

The new coach will officially take over the national team in January 2017 after putting ink to paper. Poonacha now ﬁlls the void left by German trainer Oliver Kurtz and the focus for the former India player will be on grooming the national team for Hockey World League Round 2 and 2017 Asia Cup. The HWL Round 2 competitions will take place in different venues between January and April next year with Oman taking part in the ﬁrst event of the Round 2 in Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka from March 4 to 12.

Jadeja spins India to crushing win SCOREBOARD

England 1st innings: 477 (M. Ali 146, J. Root 88, L. Dawson 66no, A. Rashid 60) India 1st innings: 759 for 7 decl (K. Nair 303no, L. Rahul 199, P. Patel 71, R. Ashwin 67, R. Jadeja 51) England 2nd innings: A. Cook c Rahul b Jadeja 49 K. Jennings c & b Jadeja 54 J. Root lbw b Jadeja 6 M. Ali c R. Ashwin b Jadeja 44 J. Bairstow c Jadeja b I. Sharma 1 B. Stokes c Nair b Jadeja 23 J. Buttler not out 6 L. Dawson b Mishra 0 A. Rashid c Jadeja b U. Yadav 2 S. Broad c Pujara b Jadeja 1 J. Ball c Nair b Jadeja 0 Extras (b-12, lb-8, w-1) 21 Total (all out, 88 overs) 207 Fall of wickets: 1-103, 2-110, 3-126, 4-129, 5-192, 6-193, 7-196, 8-200, 9-207, 10-207 Bowling: I. Sharma 10-2-17-1, R. Ashwin 25-6-56-0, R. Jadeja 25-5-48-7, U. Yadav 14-1-36-1 (w-1), A. Mishra 14-4-30-1 Man of the match: Karun Nair Man of the series: Virat Kohli Umpires: M. Erasmus & S. Fry TV umpire: Bruce Oxenford Match referee: Jeff Crowe Result: India won by innings and 75 runs

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja claimed seven of the 10 English wickets that tumbled in ﬁnal two sessions as India completed an emphatic series win

CHENNAI: Ravindra Jadeja ripped the heart out of England’s batting order to bowl India to a thumping innings and 75-run victory in the fifth and final Test on Tuesday. The left-arm spinner claimed seven of the 10 English wickets that tumbled in the final two sessions as India completed an emphatic 4-0 series win. The touring side needed to bat out the final day to secure a consolation draw and Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings defended resolutely through the morning to boost their chances. Cook did look ill at ease against spin and got a life on four when he lunged forward to edge Ravichandran Ashwin but the ball popped out of wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel’s gloves. Jennings played more confidently although was nearly caught by Lokesh Rahul at short leg off

NO. 1 TEST TEAM: India’s players pose with the trophy after winning the Test series. – Reuters

Amit Mishra when on 31. Jadeja returned after lunch to turn the match on its head. The all-rounder has haunted Cook since the tourists landed in India and he dismissed the England captain for the sixth time in the series by getting him caught

CRICKET

Cook yet to decide on England future CHENNAI: England captain Alastair Cook has not made any decision on whether to continue in the job, the 31-year-old said after his team’s 4-0 series loss against India on Tuesday. Cook landed in India with speculation about the position he has held since 2012 and the crushing defeat in India will only strengthen calls for him to hand over the Test captaincy to Joe Root. “This is not the place to be asking me these questions,” Cook told Sky Sports after his team lost the fifth and final Test by an innings and 75 runs in Chennai. “I have got to go away and do some thinking, get back home and do it without the emotive side of what’s happened over the last nine weeks,” he said after the defeat which pushed England down from second to fifth in the world rankings. England’s loss was all the more frustrating for Cook as the tourists won the toss in four of the five tests and were not made to play on the spin-friendly pitches which India rolled out to South Africa last year. “It’s been a series of missed opportunities, in terms of catches that cost us,” Cook said. “Not being able to score enough runs and take enough wickets, it’s a tough dressing-room to be in. We tried as hard as we can but it wasn’t good enough.”

Alastair Cook.

England’s sloppy ﬁelding allowed Karun Nair to hit a marathon 303 not out which set the tone for India’s comprehensive victory in the ﬁnal test. “It was a game of missed opportunities. We kept dropping vital chances and India kept punishing us. Credit to (India captain) Virat (Kohli), they’ve outplayed us. It’s a hard thing to say as a professional because you always think you are better than the opposition but we haven’t been so here.” - Reuters

at leg slip. It was a poor shot from Cook who edged a leg-side delivery to Rahul to depart for 49. Jennings followed up his debut century in the previous test in Mumbai with a ﬁfty but offered a tame return catch to Jadeja after making 54.

For once, England’s batting mainstay Joe Root let down his team. Root was hit on the pad by a fuller delivery from Jadeja and was probably relieved after India’s lbw appeal was turned down. Home captain Virat Kohli took his time before deciding to review

the decision, which was overturned after replays suggested the ball would have hit the leg stump. Jadeja then sprinted backwards to take a brilliant running catch to dismiss Jonny Bairstow off the bowling of paceman Ishant Sharma.Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes

looked determined to bat through but Jadeja removed both batsmen after tea to spark an English collapse. Moeen was guilty of throwing his wicket away with a loose shot after making 44 and Stokes chipped a catch to mid-wicket to depart for 23. Jadeja claimed the last two wickets to ﬁnish with a career-best 7-48 as England, 103 for no loss at lunch, folded barely half an hour before the scheduled close. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

SPORTS

‘Comprehensive triumph reflects character of team’ Skipper Virat Kohli lost four tosses out of ﬁve but India still registered four comprehensive victories

CHENNAI: Indian captain Virat Kohli attributed the innings thrashing of England in the fifth Test to the hard work and team spirit, saying the comprehensive 4-0 series victory reflected the character of the side. “After already clinching the series 3-0, to come out and perform like this, it is the evidence of the character in the side. It was evident the way we batted, bowled. We wanted the youngsters to step up, someone like Lokesh Rahul, then Karun Nair, they came in after two Test matches. They got us to a position where there was only one winner,” Kohli said at the post match presentation ceremony. “It’s always a tricky position. England scored 477 then conceded a lead of 281. We understood that if we got a couple of wickets, it could slide pretty quickly. (Ravindra) Jadeja did his job, picking up seven wickets, it was great to watch,” Kohli added. Kohli lost four tosses out of five but India still registered four comprehensive victories. “Yeah, we are proud of our performance. The toss and the pitch condition was out of equation. We conceded over 400 runs in England first innings but still ended up winning by an innings. That does not happen very often,” Kohli said. “We worked hard day in, day out and we don’t care what happens outside. There is lot of respect among players in the changing

PROUD CAPTAIN: Virat Kohli with the Test Series trophy and Man of the Series trophy in Chennai. – AFP

India finish 2016 at the top of ICC Test Team Rankings DUBAI: India have ended the year as the No.1 ranked Test side after posting a 4-0 win over England in the fivematch series, which culminated with an innings and 75 runs victory for the home side in Chennai on Tuesday. The series win has helped India gain five points and they have moved to 120 points in the last Test team rankings update of 2016, 15 points ahead of second placed Australia. In contrast, England, which had started the series tied with Australia on 105 points but was ahead on

room. That’s how we end up being in a winning position more often than not. “The lower order has also made outstanding contributions. Every

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decimal points, have slipped from second to ﬁfth position. England are now on 101 points, one point behind Pakistan and South Africa, who are both on 102 points each with Pakistan ranked third on decimals points. This means that four teams are now within four points of each other with the annual cut-off date of April 1, 2017 for the ICC cash awards not far away. The side at the top will receive $1 million. The second-placed side will get $500,000 while the third and fourth get $200,000 and $100,000 each. — PTI

time when we were under the pump, we’ve fronted up,” said the skipper, who scored 655 runs with a hundred and a double century and was adjudged man of the series.

It’s an amazing feeling when you contribute to winning a match, so hats off the to team. I think it will take a couple of days to sink in. I was going through all the texts as everyone congratulated me but we were more focused on winning the match Karun Nair Man of the match Talking about his fast bowlers, Kohli said, “We are proud of our fast bowlers. Pace was up there, was there consistency, better than theirs (England’s) and that makes me very proud.” Karun, who bagged the man-ofthe-match award for his 303 not out, said, “It’s an amazing feeling when you contribute to winning a match, so hats off the to team. I think it will take a couple of days to sink in.” Asked if there was a celebration in the Indian dressing room after his triple ton, he said, “I was going through all the texts and wishes that I got. Everyone congratulated me but we were more focused on winning the match.” Nair, who is now the only second Indian triple centurion after Virender Sehwag, added: “There’s a lot to learn. I’ve been learning each day, working hard on my game. - PTI

TENNIS

Oman junior teams record wins at GCC championships

MUSCAT: Oman under-18 and under-14 teams recorded victories in the GCC Junior Tennis Championships for Under-18 and Under-14 being organised in Fujairah. The Sultanate’s under-18 defeated Kuwait 2-1. In the ﬁrst singles match, Abdullah Al Barwani gave Oman lead with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Isa Qabader. But Younis Al Rawahi lost the second singles match 3-6, 0-6 to Abdulaziz Ma’aouf. However, in the deciding doubles match Abdullah Al Barwani and Zakariya Al Sulaimani ensured Oman won full points

when they defeated Kuwaiti duo of Isa and Abdulaziz 6-3, 6-0. The under-18 team will now take on their Saudi Arabian counterparts in their next match. Meanwhile, Oman under-14 team defeated UAE by a 2-1 margin. Oman took a 2-0 unassailable lead with Muneer Al Rawahi defeating Mansour Al Zarouni 6-2, 6-0 and Abdullah Al Raisi posting a 6-0, 6-4 win over Yousuf Abbas. In the inconsequential doubles match, Azan Al Hajri and Yahya Al Rajhi lost 7-5, 6-4 to Ahmed Yousuf annd Abdullah Al Marzouqi. They will next play Qatar.

C O M M E N TA RY

How to hit a triple ton, lock your emotions up, take a catch to end it all and then explode

arun Nair, by his own admission, had a lot of things going on in his mind as he got closer to his triple ton, but when the moment actually unfolded, he went blank and the historic occasion passed without any spontaneous, sentimental garnish about it coming from the youngster. It seemed as if he wasn’t ready to express himself. As if he was keeping his emotions on a leash for still mightier moments to happen. The show of modesty on the part of the youngster looked deceptively simple on Monday, but on Tuesday, as he took a one-handed catch to dismiss Jake Ball, dashed to the wicket to grab a stump and unleashed a power sprint to celebrate the victory with a big smile spread across his face hint at the hidden plan he had about the right time to let loose his emotion. An Indian push for a 4-0 series win getting aborted for want of time lost in granting the extra overs for Karun to reach his personal milestone may have forever cast a shadow on his triple hundred, but now that the disturbing ‘if’ has been taken out of the equation, the 303 runs looks as awesome as it should. The third man ever to convert a maiden Test hundred into a triple ton and book his space of immortality on cricket’s wall of fame where he would now be in the company of Gary Sobers and Bob Simpson had to deal with a mortal world at the end of play on day four: “Did you know how to swim?” In a post-match chat with the man of the day, Ravi Shastri was referring to a tragedy on July 17 that killed two persons and spared 90-odd others, including Karun, on the snakeboat that sunk in the middle of the Pampa river in the south Indian state of Kerala. Karun was rescued by the locals. He clung to the boat and asked the rescuers to help others first, according to an official in charge of the famous snakeboat feast at Aranmula Temple where Karun was to make an offering that day. Here was an opportunity for the young man to unveil a rare story of courage and unselfishness even in the face of death, and put a fabulous coat of non-cricketing gloss on his moment of glory. If we needed further proof that every inch of Karun’s 168cm frame is modesty personified, this was it. The three centuries he scored in a single day stand out for the will to survive and the skill to innovate in equal measure displayed by a young man playing his first Test series. The centuries grab our attention for a complete absence of even the necessary frills. Seldom have we seen a cricketer scoring a maiden Test century and almost not celebrating it, especially a batsman who would have been on the chopping block had he failed again after the first two uninspiring

outings had fetched him little chance to extend his Test life. On Monday when Karun sliced Ben Stokes behind point for a four, it was his first Test century that came in the third Test. Twentyone overs later he took his personal score to 150 to make an impressive hint that he could deal with the excitement associated with a hundred without throwing away his wicket. That was a perfect time for anybody to be loud a bit, but not Karun. Then came the 200, with a cover-drive for four, and the 250, with a gentle flick for a single to square leg, but the man in focus remained modest about his landmarks. He did raise his hands, point his bat to the dressing room and acknowledge the cheering crowds. That was it. No drama, no fuss. Not even the mandatory garnish. The cut through point brought him immortality in the 191st over, becoming the second Indian to reach the triple ton milestone, after Virender Sehwag. That’s a spot of eternity even the ‘god’ cricket Sachin Tendulkar couldn’t buy for himself in almost a quarter of a century of his avatar. That was a moment Karun could have allowed himself to lose his sanity for a split second. Instead, he now owns the moment in a way that’s simple yet brilliant, with such an understatement of emotion that will be difficult to repeat for anyone else who may get to the hallowed spot in the future. Apart from the raising of the bat, the pointing of the bat towards the dressing room and the crowds and allowing a hint of a smile to momentarily light up his face, there was one small step that was extra on the historic occasion. A little long gaze towards the Pattabhiraman Gate End from where his parents, Kaladharan and Prema Nair, were soaking in the moment, perhaps in a clear message to his mother, who had always preferred to stay away from his games, that she need not be superstitious anymore. What a beautiful way to inspire and empower a mother. Karun Nair, as we know about him now, is a new-gen batsman who plays the modern shots — the sweeps, the slogs and the upper cuts — blended with drives and cuts of classical purity. The arrogance with which he plays his sweeps is a stunning contrast to his other side: a picture of unfailing modesty even at the summit of achievement. This is when and how boring gets inspiring. The writer is a freelance contributor based in India. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

SPORTS N E W PA N E L

OOC board approves formation of Women Sports Committee

ENERGISED: Australia head to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan with some festive cheer.

Aussies head to Melbourne winners but not grinners After losing ﬁve Tests in succession, Australia have hit back to win their last two. Skipper Smith, however, is under no illusions about his team’s growing pains

MELBOURNE: Australia head to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan with some festive cheer after winning the series opener in Brisbane but Steve Smith’s side will not find many Christmas presents under the tree from local media. Pundits described Australia’s 39-run win in the first day-night Test held at the Gabba as one of the most gripping matches of the year. However, they could conjure only faint praise for the home side after they set Pakistan a mammoth 490-run chase and very nearly let them get there on day five. “Australia will take a one-nil series lead to Melbourne, but it was Pakistan who skipped off the Gabba like winners,” cricket writer Malcolm Knox penned for Fairfax media.

“For Australia to skim home with a 39-run margin, after leading by nearly 300 on the first innings, suggests a litany of blunders.” After losing five Tests in succession in Sri Lanka and at home to South Africa, Australia have hit back to win their last two with a new-look side energised by two of their three rookie batsmen. No illusions Smith, however, is under no illusions about his team’s growing pains. “It showed we’re still not the finished product,” he told reporters. “We’ve got to continue to work hard, and keep the foot on the throat when we’ve got (opponents) in that position, and be ruthless.” The comments seemed ironic when weighed against Smith’s waiving of the right to enforce

the follow-on after Pakistan were skittled for 142 in their first innings, 287 runs short of Australia’s total. Caution criticised His cautious field settings on day five, with Pakistan still needing 108 runs for victory with only two wickets in hand, were queried by former captains Michael Clarke and Mark Taylor and slammed as “ridiculous” by former England skipper Michael Vaughan. Smith’s faith in his front-line seamers was ultimately rewarded when Mitchell Starc broke through to remove centurion Asad Shafiq with a perfectly pitched bouncer. But it exacted a heavy physical toll that could have repercussions for the next match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Workhorse Josh Hazlewood bowled 42 overs in the second innings alone, with Starc, still yet to reach peak form after an injury lay-off in the leadup to the home summer, bowling 38. Along with fellow paceman Jackson Bird and spinner Nathan Lyon, the pair were spared only three overs’ work during a hot and humid five days at the Gabba, with part-time slow bowler Nic Mad-

ISC HOLDS GRADING FOR KARATE TRAINEES The Indian Social Club (ISC) Karate Do recently held the periodic grading for its trainees. At the awarding ceremony, Sharin Rose Augustine, Sai Shreya Kishore and Nikhilesh Matta received the brown belt, Aarthi KM and Lithesh Anup were awarded the purple belt, Aarush D. Rao, Karishma Rajashekhar and Jenson Joby received the blue belt while Pranjal Rayal and Nisarga Bheem Hangarge received the orange belt. Yellow belts were awarded to Prithvi Bheem Hangarge, Amber Rastogi, Toshit Yadav and Arjun Firosmohan. — Supplied photo

dinson the only non-specialist thrown the ball. Australia’s selectors said they would stick with the same 12 for the Melbourne Test but on Tuesday decided to draft in uncapped all-rounder Hilton Cartwright. The Zimbabwe-born 24 yearold, who plays for Western Australia state, bowls medium pace and could also bat in the top six if required, selectors said. “The bowlers got through a high workload in Brisbane and although everyone has pulled up okay, on reﬂection we wanted to give ourselves the option of including an all-rounder in Melbourne to ease that workload somewhat,” said selector Trevor Hohns. Bowling coach David Saker lamented during the Gabba Test that Australia lacked an allrounder to support the bowlers after Mitchell Marsh was jettisoned during the South Africa series for his failure to perform with the bat. “We have to work with what we’ve got,” Saker told state radio. Cartwright’s inclusion is likely to be grimly received by middle order batsman Maddinson, who has managed a total of ﬁve runs from his three Test innings since his debut against South Africa in Adelaide. - Reuters

MUSCAT: Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) has issued a dedision setting up the Oman Women Sports Committee for 2016–2020 term in accordance the decisions passed by the OOC Board meeting held on December 7. As per the decision, Sayyida Sanaa bint Hamad bin Saud Al Busaidi will chair the committee which will have the following as members: Saada bint Salim bin Mohammed Al Ismaili, Dr. Mahfoudha bint Sulaiman Al Kitani, Fatmah bint Rashid Al Fazari, Fatma bint Abdallah Al Rashdi, Moza bint Said Al Hinai, Salma bint Khalfan Al Yahyaei, Laila bint Abdallah Al Harithi and Mariam bint Saif Al Hosani. According to a press statement issued by the OOC on Tuesday, the committee undertakes a number of terms of reference and duties including putting in place programmes and projects relating to women’s sport activities, promoting women’s sport events within private organisations operating in the ﬁeld of sport and interacting with public life through the various media. “The committee will also be concerned with proposing seminars and training courses for pre-

CHAIRPERSON: Sayyida Sanaa bint Hamad bin Saud Al Busaidi.

paring women’s sports cadres and honing them administratively and technically in coordination with the various authorities,” the statement said. “The committee will also coordinate with government authorities for further promotion of women sports activities and events, and cooperates with women sports committees within International Olympic Committee, Olympic Council of Asia and regional, continental and international women sport organisations. It also coordinates with local sports associations in Oman,” the statement added.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

SPORTS

SEIZING POWER: Andy Murray toppled Novak Djokovic from his pedestal with a relentless charge.

STUNNING SURGE: Angelique Kerber loosened Serena Williams’ grip on the women’s game.

The year of Murray and Kerber Both Murray and Kerber ended 2016 as world No. 1s. Yet back in January Djokovic and Williams looked immovable

udacious coups by Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber have transformed the tennis landscape and they will begin 2017 eyeing the kind of domination that few would have thought possible at the start of a seismic year. With the so-called big four in men’s tennis crumbling, the 29-year-old Murray emerged to seize power, winning the Wimbledon title and the Olympic gold medal before a relentless late-season charge toppled Novak Djokovic from his pedestal. Kerber loosened Serena Williams’ grip on the women’s game, reaching three Grand Slam ﬁnals

and winning two of them, beginning against Williams at the Australian Open when she became Germany’s ﬁrst major winner since Steffi Graf in 1999. Both Murray and Kerber ended 2016 as world No. 1s. Yet back in January Djokovic and Williams looked immovable. Djokovic trounced Murray in three sets to win the Australian Open — emulating Roy Emerson’s six titles in the process. “I feel like I’ve been here before,” Murray quipped after a fourth defeat in a Melbourne ﬁnal to Djokovic. Djokovic downed Murray again to win a rain-lashed French Open in June, taking his haul of

majors to 12 and meaning he held all the sport’s crown jewels simultaneously. What is more, with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal nursing injuries and Murray seemingly under his spell Djokovic’s path to the ﬁrst calendar-year Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969 looked inviting. But the wheels fell off at Wimbledon. Big-serving American Sam Querrey ambushed Djokovic in the third round — snapping his run of 30 consecutive wins in Slams. It opened the door for Murray and when Milos Raonic outlasted Federer in the semiﬁnal it meant the Briton would start his ninth

Grand Slam final as favourite. Raonic, the first Canadian man to reach a major final, brought his huge power game to Centre Court but Murray shrugged him off with a classy straight sets victory. Afterwards Murray spoke of his aim to dethrone Djokovic in the rankings — something that had seemed nigh on impossible when he trailed by 8,000 points in the Spring. After becoming the first player to win consecutive Olympic titles, edging out a revitalised and fit-again Juan Martin del Potro in the Rio final, Murray’s tank looked empty. A weary defeat by Japan’s Kei Nishikori followed in the U.S.

Open quarterfinals and Djokovic, who wept after losing to Del Potro in the first round of the Olympics, seemed to have recovered his mojo. But Djokovic ran into an inspired Stan Wawrinka in a raucous final that saw the Swiss repeat the savagery he inflicted on him to win the 2015 French Open. Murray, back in harness with coach Ivan Lendl, steamed through the rest of the year, reeling in Djokovic with titles in Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna and Paris before crowning his No. 1 status by thrashing the Serb to win the ATP Tour Finals. With Djokovic becalmed, Federer now in his mid 30s and out of the top 10 and Nadal’s chances of a 15th Grand Slam title receding, Murray’s challenges may come from new directions in 2017 with the likes of Raonic and Nishikori joined by young guns Alex Zverev and Nick Kyrgios as major contenders. Kerber burst from the pack chasing Williams to stun the American in a thrilling Australian

Open final, depriving the American of the 22nd major that would have tied her with Graf. Williams fell short again when she lost to Spain’s Garbine Muguruza in the French Open final but finally matched Graf when she beat Kerber to win a seventh Wimbledon crown. Her hopes of a 23rd were dashed at the U.S. Open where she sufferered a semifinal defeat by Karolina Pliskova and she was to end her year early. That defeat sealed Kerber’s rise to No. 1 in the rankings and the 28-year-old German rubberstamped her status with victory over Czech Pliskova in the final. As thoughts turn to a new season, the sport’s organisers can only hope to be spared the controversies that blighted 2016 in the form of match-rigging allegations and former world number one Maria Sharapova’s doping suspension. Sharapova’s two-year ban for testing positive for Meldonium was reduced on appeal in October and she will return in April to add another fascinating plotline. - Reuters

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

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

Empty shop / laundry near Camelia café. Contact: 92868123 / 92841089

2 BHK near Oman house behind Khimiji, H.O. Contact: 95865686 New apartment flat for rent, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms & kitchen, behind Indian School, short way to Lulu Darsait & Muttrah traditional Soqu. Contact or Whatsapp: 91013331 Flat for rent, 1 BHK in Bowshar. Contact: 91153933 New flats for rent at Darsait near to ministry of sports, Mumtaz area the flats includes 1 living room , 2 bedrooms, kitchen, 3 toilets, every room with split A/C & high quality finishing. Rent per flat is RO 320/-. Interested candidates please Contact: 00968 – 92225523 New flats for rent at Al Ghubra near to Atlas Hospital, opposite to Panorama mall. Interested candidates Contact: 00968 – 97093283 Fully furnished room for executive bachelor in CBD area, WiFi internet free, advance deposit. Contact: 90631572 Villa for Rent behind mazoon mousqe 7 bedroom, living room, dining room . Contact 95150809 for 750 R.O nogotiable Room for rent behind Oman house Contact: 99025809

Shop for sale heart of Ruwi good, for mobile shop, fast food, near Happy Center. Contact: 99335013 / 96728595 Well running reputed travel agency for sale. Contact: 97992388 Coffee shop in Sohar daily income 350 O.R .Contact: 97044105 Primary school furniture for sale in good condition. Contact 93211417 Twin Villa for sale in Azaiba near Sultan Centre. Each side has three ﬂoors, ﬁve bedroom plus maid room. Each room has it’s own bathroom and one extra toilet between dining and sitting room. The villas are now about 5 years old and very clean and well maintained. It has split A/C’s. OMR 215,000 each villa. Telephone: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955. No Brokers Please. Nursery school furniture available for immediate sale in good condition.Contact 92887809 / 93211417

Villa for sale in Al Amerat 8/1 upscale ﬁnishes. Contact: 91153933 BUILDING MATERIAL SHOP FOR SALEWell-furnished running building material-electrical shop (4 shutter / 200sqm) in Al- Khoudh- 6, for immediate sale- shop with stock or stock only. Serious buyers may please Contact: 94320909

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

ACC. AVAILABLE Spacious room with WiFi available for Family/Bachelor near Al Falaj - NBO bank branch. Contact 92194086 A/C attached with Wi-Fi single room with separate bathroom available for Executive bachelor near Divine Restaurant Ruwi. Contact: 95149047 / 96567139 Family sharing Ruwi Raymond Building, high Street. Contact: 97380459

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

Room for Rent for Filipinos, New Building near City Seasons Hotel, KM and Teejan Furnishing Spacious and safe. Accessible to public transport. Call 97728418

New building in Bowshar for sale. Contact: 91155779

Rooms available in Azaiba for family or Bachelor. Contact: 92887809 / 93211417

Villa in MQ for sale. #91155779

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Single room with separate bathroom for cooking bachelor in Rex Road. Contact: 98209132 Spacious bedroom, toilet & kitchen, near ISWK (KG). #96098443 Sharing accommodation in W/K. Contact: 94986587

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

AVAILABLE Bobcat available for rent. Contact 97623299 Party & Wedding equipment rentals. Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chaﬁng Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

WANTED Warehouse minimum 600 SQ. MTR for dry foodstuff storage between Muscat and Ghala. Contact: 99108171 Urgently required looking to immediately buy used Grit blasting & airless spray equipment 1 No each. Contact 968 24810930 / 93203772 / 93203773 / 93203778

BUSINESS Attention to Traders : we have our office in China we can import any thing you require directly from Chinese manufactures we insure prompt delivery with very low prices. Contact99742983 / 95226989.

MV SALE Toyota Corolla 2016, white colour 8000 km, 4300 R.O. Contact: 92811110 2015 Model Mitsubishi Pajero 3.8 (12,500 Kms) & Kia Rio (15,000 Kms) for Sale. Contact: 91257475 Honda Accord 2008 model, 4 cylinder, number 1 full options with navigation/ camera, full insurance. No accident history, 1640000 km, well maintained. OMR 3300/-. Contact –95919059 Dihatsu Terrios Trend 4WD, 2012 Registration, dealer service registration up to August 2017. Contact No: 92812144

BUYING Buying cars for cash. Contact: 90202090

NRI Malayalam movie partner invited for a Malayalam comedy ﬁlm ready to shoot talented artists also welcome. Contact: dffa.dffa@gmail. com or 0091- 95679 - 60329 or (92817797)

SITUATION WANTGOOD NEWS ENJOY YOUR VACATION!!! worrying about your car? Here is a solution for safe parking and cleaning your car when you are away on vacation. For people travelling from distant location, you can just drop oﬀ your keys to the car care team and peacefully check into the airport. Your vehicle will be waiting at the airport on your return.

Contact: 96964767 Ayurvedic treatments & massage – Ayurvedic Clinic Al Khuwair. Contact 97263637 / 93309131 Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis, Ideal Care Ayurvedic clinic, 18th November Street Al Ghubra (North). Contact 99639695 / 97397320 Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

LOST Riaz Uddin Abu Taher has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AE 3053009. Finder please handover to ROP Mohammed Sha Hajahan Jane Alam has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. BC 0266284. Finder please handover to ROP Nikhath Kausar has lost Indian Passport No. M 4477826 . Finder please handover to ROP

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

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT Required an experienced Sales Engineer

ACCOUNTANTS – 2 Nos. 3-4 years experience, with a reputed trading and manufacturing company based at Nizwa.

for an Oil & Gas Company, should be self- starter with minimum 6 years experience in sales & marketing. You will have knowledge of oilﬁeld products and posses of valid Oman driving license and must be a degree holder of Mechanical Engineer.

Mail resume :

Interested candidates please forward CV on: job.muscat@gmail.com

nizwaindustrial@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTED Engineering consultancy Firm is looking to hire a

HSE/QC (Only Omani Nationality) Qualification |: 5 years experience in infrastructure Construction Project Applicants shall send their CV’s to:

adila@ikamc.com sl.rizwan@ikamc.com

Engineering consultancy Firm is looking to hire a

RESIDENT ENGINEER Has a B.Sc. degree or post graduate in Civil Engineering with 20 years overall Experience, out of which is 10 years in Water Supply Projects. Applicants shall send their CV’s to: kjamalieh@engicon.com/ edoughan@engicon.com

ACCOUNTS MBA ( Finance) Australia, 14 years experience (world bank, U.S Based company) specialized in cost cutting , revenue maximization, financial model, budget & forecasting, internal control, risk management, Omani driving license. Contact: 93978614 Email: sjamil72@yahoo.com Accounts Manager looking for job in accounts or finance, 4 years Oman exp with accountancy degree & Omani D/L with NOC available. Contact: 95661169 Email: moshin_zaman4u@hotmail.com Indian (M), Qualified CPA, CMA, CIA (USA), MBA (Finance) & M.Com, 15 years’ experience in Finance, Accounting & Audit, (3 years in Oman) looking for suitable Senior/Middle level position in Finance/Accounting/Audit. NOC available. E-mail soji_ansu@yahoo.com, mob – 91595436 Senior Accountant 16 years experience handle accounts up to finalization MIS cash flow, NOC &, D/L available. Contact: 94117616 Email: praveen78oman@gmail.com

ACCOUNTS

MEDICAL

Urgently required for group co. Chartered Accountant with minimum 4 years experience as Senior Accountant with tally knowledge, driving license and NOC. Email: hr@cityvago.com

Care Medical Centre (Al Seeb) requires General Practitioners & Pharmacists. Email : muscat.medicalcarecentre@gmail.com

Graduate in Commerce with 10 years experience, must have Oman working experience with valid Oman driving license. Interested candidates send resume to hr@aljood-oman.com Accountant 2-3 years experience. Candidate should be Indian, English speakers. NOC is a must. Email: mohammad.jwabreh@ bearingcitysc.com. Fax: 24509312

BEAUTICIAN Urgent required Mehandi / Henna, artist & designer salon 1 or 2 years experience, visa & accommodation free, location: Sohar, female candidates only apply. Contact: 95089844

CATERING A well reputed restaurant, urgently required seafood & Arabic biryani chef & a waiter, should be ﬂuent in English only, experienced candidates can contact for more Details 99364735/ 93141672 Forward your Resume to cafechefa2013@gmail.com

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

DRIVER Driver required, drivers with valid Oman light duty driving license. Contact: 95894258

DRAUGHTSMAN Draughtsman, PT/ FT. Send resume, work samples to zrarchitecture1@gmail.com. Contact 96098443

ENGINEER SURVEYOR /DRAFTSMAN ITI Surveyor with 2 years experience in Oman in OHL transmission lines with valid D/L and knowledge in drafting preferred Contact 93339586 Email: hromancv@gmail.com Electrical Engineer with 3 years experience & knowledge in AutoCAD. Contact: 93881787. Email: babualsahil@yahoo.com Required Civil Engineer & Commercial Secretary (UK, USA, Germany), Mechanical Engineer, MEP Engineer, HVAC Technician, Plumbers. Email : joboman2017@gmail.com Required urgently B.E. / Diploma having good experience in Automobile & Engineering workshop. Contact: 99439701 Email: nnoe11977@gmail.com Required Urgently Engineer with Driving License & Foreman for construction company in Suwaiq, Al Batinah Contact: 96322202 / 93677795, mail your cv’s to: unionnationalhouse@gmail.com

Al Farooq Polyclinic Barka requires experienced Male & Female GPs & Gynecologist. Contact 99754628 Urgently required licensed Pharmacist temporary or permanent for a reputed polyclinic. Contact 96721709 or send CV to : manageribnalhaitham@yahoo.com Wanted female & Male Nurse with or without license (good salary, food & accommodation with other beneﬁts. Contact 92989109, Email: medicoport@gmail.com Required Optometrist for a leading Optical group in Oman. Email : albasilopticals@gmail.com Contact 93822557 Muscat wants GP, staff Nurse holding MOH license & Receptionist (Omani) Contact 97698004 email: medicare@fusionlogicoman. com

Indian female 22 years, B.Com, 1 year experience in India as Accountant / Clerk, looking for suitable opening. Now on visiting visa. Contact: 97754830 10+ Years Experience in Accounts & Finance upto Finalisation, NOC & License available. Contact – 96239126

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER An Omani Road Construction Company seeks Business Development Manager with Oman experience in the similar ﬁeld.

Contact: info@anwaarfahud.com Reputed mineral water company required the following HEAVY/LIGHT DUTY DRIVERS VAN SALESMAN with Omani driving license

SALES SUPERVISOR/SALES CO ORDINATOR with Omani driving license HELPERS Experience 3 to5 years

Contact - 90372638

SITUATION VACANT Experienced Boatman wanted, in charge of Boat & Jet skies. Technical background in engine and boat systems.

Contact 99466062 SECRETARIAL / OFFICE Required female Graduate having knowledge in Tally & MS Office with good skills in English. Candidate may send CV to knsibi@electrotechoman.com Contact: 97984134

MISCELLANEOUS SALES / MARKETING We are looking for Admin & Sales officer for our company. Send your CV to Email: alsarooj@omantel.net. om Candidates with the following should apply: Previous experience in a similar, working for a security company Proven experience of designing and estimating large integrated CCTV, Access Control, and Perimeter detection systems. Detailed technical knowledge of database and operating security systems associated with CCTV, access Control, with Oman license. Send CV by mail info@sahabit.com Urgent required : Store labors. Candidate should be Indian, English speakers. NOC is a must. Email: mohammad.jwabreh @bearingcitysc.com, Fax: 24509312

SALES / MARKETING Wanted Sales Executive with GCC D/L & NOC for a company deals with automatic doors in Salalah. Email CV to: accounts@alatonoman.com or Fax: 24700408 Wanted experienced Sales & Marketing Manager (with Oman driving license) for fine dine restaurant in capital area. Fax 24565544 GSM / 99103777 & 97100892 Looking for a male candidate for sales and marketing. Fresher can also apply, please forward your CV at visaconsultancy82@gmail.com Looking for Salesman with GCC D/L printing press experiences. Email: info@alsahib.net Required Marketing / Sales person with oil & gas field experience of 2 years minimum. Send CV : watad.llc@gmail.com Require sales man for hydraulics and oilfield sector. Contact 99221683 / 92830110 Looking for an Expat staff, with experience in Oman in real estate field. Email: aburashid94dd@gmail.com

Sales man & designer for Offset printing press. Contact: whatsapp 94756618 Required well experienced dynamic candidate in Real Estate Evaluation Field beside Building Management Techniques. Contact 91246444, Email: rescooman@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED Indian male 45 looking for a job in Car driving. Oman License from last 20-22 years. #9961 3513, Email : Miqbal.kaa@gmail.com Indian male, 26 years, B-Tech Graduate with 3 years experience in Oman& 2 Years experience in india as Civil Engineer in a reputed construction company. Looking for suitable jobs.NOC available. Seeking immediate placements. Contact: 96179737/ 97076972, email:robinsj.sj@gmail.com B. Tech in electrical and electronics engineering, 23yrs Indian male, 2yrs exp (MEP ELECTRICAL ), NOC available, expert in electrical engineering design, autocad, ETAP, MS Office. Contact ph:92201939 email:nabilism4@gmail.com Indian male, 23 yrs, looking for suitable job my qualification is Diploma in Electronics an i am having 3 years of experience in the hardware an networking field an i am having Gulf driving license you can contact me on : +96897017866. Indian male Staff Nurse completed BSc nursing, having three years of experience in medical ICU having Oman license and NOC, seeking suitable situation. Contact 94932245 Mechanical Engineer/ HVAC/ Indian: 1year experienced mechanical engineer with piping engineering & quality control certification, on visit visa. email:nishadphoenix@gmail.com Contact: 90957740, email: nishadphoenix@gmail.com

SKILLED LABOUR Required Experienced Auto Electrician and Automobile Mechanic for a reputed service station. Contact : 91232638 hashim@ramainvestment.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED 27 years, Indian male looking for a senior mobile application developer job in Oman. 5+ years of experience as a software engineer, am available in Muscat till Dec 19th. Arunkumar6207@gmail.com, +968 9600 3057, +91 8019897589 PROCUREMENT OFFICER, Indian-Male 34yrs,M.Com with 14 yrs work Exp.( 8 yrs in Oman) working in Construction Co LLC( for ROAD,CIVIL,ELECTROMECHANICAL & Others projects) & having valid LT D/L, NOC/Local release available to join immediately M:+968 94064650 Email: nagauae@gmail.com Electronics & Communication Engineer, 23-year-old Indian on family visa, BE-ECE graduate looking for suitable placement in networking, hardware and electronics ﬁeld. #95148894, 99726963. Email: sadathali0003@gmail.com Indian male 22 B.com looking for job in ACCOUNTING OR DATA OPERATION special interest in Account’s will be happy to hear from you. C#+968 90758030, Email : uttiawesome@gmail.com Indian male Mechanical Engineer, 1 year Omani Experience + 2 Years of local experience, NOC available, looking for suitable position. Contact +96896089598 Email: fasinizami@gmail.com Sri Lankan Male Mechanical Engineer, 1+ year of Omani experience, NOC available, Omani driving license, looking for suitable position. Contact No: +96893903463 Email: zaf1096@gmail.com A Filipino female searching for a job, with 3month visit visa.exp January 2017.hospitality and sales job will be a Good offer to me. Contact : 98271658

Accounts part time services available to handle all accounts up to finalization on monthly basis and finalization works. Contact: 96247295 Accounts job required, I have done MBA(Finance) and having 5 years banking experience and 1 year accounts experience(Part-Time) of Oman. My Contact# 94478099, Email:sumbalmehreen@yahoo. com Indian male 22 B.Com looking for job in accounting or data Operation special interest in accounts will be happy to hear from you. Contact: 90758030 Email: uttiawesome@gmil.com Chartered Accountant Indian B.Com, CA , CIA 10+ years experience Tally, Focus, Sap, Oracle. Contact: 94641805 Finance Manager B.Com, CA, CIA, 10+ years experience Indian. Contact: 94641805 Indian male, 27 yrs, Asst. Audit Manager 3 years experience in accounts & audit in India B.Com + CA (Inter) 1st Group qualified looking for a suitable job. Contact: 0091 8281358224 / 00968 90687772 Email: pradeepsasidharan4@ rediffmail.com Indian male 34 yrs looking for Accounts Asst job, Oman with valid driving license Cont. 92092486, email: sagarjohn28@gmail.com Indian male 22 years B.com with 1 year experience as an Accountant, looking for suitable opening. Contact: 91247507 Accounts & Admin 3 years experience in GCC, BBA Graduate, Indian male 29 yrs. Contact: 79103778 Finance manager, MBA finance 21 yrs of MNC contracting experience, looking for a job thorough knowledge in MIS Ext/ Int Audit, tax budget, trade finance, system implementation etc. Contact: 94652975 Email: ramu2587@hotmail.com Indian MSC finance accounts & management (UK) seeking opening in accounts & finance available immediately with driving license. Contact: 97116798 Email: abin.mathew52@gmail.com Looking for a job Assistant Accountant. Contact: 90119212 Oman Experienced Finance & Audit Manager CPA, MBA-USA ACCA ,Expert in Profit Maximizations , Business Developments, All Banking Facilities , ERP- Accounting Software & Solutions of All Business Problems ,With NOC & Driving License Call 94886226 Senior Accountant Jordanian Nationality looking for suitable position – accounts up to finalising. NOC available. Contact : 91702073 General Accountant, MBA (Financial Management) Having 8+ Year Experience in Accounts of UAE. Qualified Accounting Software TALLY, QUICK BOOK ETC. On Visit. Contact 9526 8360, Email. Sheikhs786.qh@gmail.com

Experienced business development and investment consultant with 10 years experience in the financial management field. Holds a masters degree in finance and management from the UK. Contact : 90157073 Indian male MBA (finance) Accounts, Customer service, 2 yearsExperience.(Dubai Airport) Iran Airlines. GCC driving licensevalid till 2025. On Visit Visa (Till 20 Dec 2016).Looking for suitable job. Contact – 71093532. Emailmirzahassanbaig89@gmail.com Experienced Indian female 23 B.Com with computer application on visit looking for suitable position. Contact: 94964860 / 92436404 MBA Finance Indian 25 Male 2 years experience seeking opportunities in Finance sector. Immediately available.contact:92498840 sachu_0318@yahoo.com Indian male, B.Com, MBA in Finance, 4 yrs in Larsen & Tourbo, 26 yrs in Oman, English/ Arabic speaking with driving license. NOC available. Contact 95588565 Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ finance field. On visit visa. Immediately available. Contact 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com Indian male 26 years Graduated having over all 5 years experience in Accounts ware house fields sales & marketing, NOC available. Contact 95307619 / 92237173 Part time qualified experienced Accountant available. Contact: 91126314 Part time Accountant, 7 yrs Gulf experience available 8.00 AM to 1.00 PM FRI &SAT. Contact: 97895741 ACCA member with 6 yrs of experience in Oman looking for a suitable job in finance. Contact 99284193 Accountant & Admin 18 years exp (7 yrs in UAE) good knowledge of accounting software’s & English. Contact: 91729724 Accountant 8 Years Experience with D/L and NOC. #97712084 Indian, Kerala Male B.COM & B.PE, Currently on Visit Visa. Looking for a suitable job in Accounts, Store Keeper, Sales etc. Ready to join as early as possible. #96988923 email:- sajith3969@gmail.com Accountant B.Com/ M.Com, Indian male 10 years exp seeks suitable job NOC available valid ROP driving license. Contact: 97375608 Email: vincentdsouza1979@gmail.com 8 yrs exp. in Admin & Accounts (3 yrs in Oman), MBA, exp. in Tally ERP 9, Indian (F) seeks placement. Contact 97243806 Indian (m) MBA ( f) more than 6 years of experience in accounts, proficiently in various A/C software SAP ( F1/CO) seeking for suitable placement. Contact: 95920740 Email Id : abdulhameed1527@gmail.com Indian, Kerala, CMA-USA, ICWA, Mcom 10+Years Experience Budgeting Planning MIS Accounts&finance.Cont.94064931shijupnarayanan@gmail.com Sudanese Accountant, Alexandria University Graduate bachelor of commerce Diploma of Marketing professional photographer worked in PR and social media for 2 years looking for a job in public relations media, social media or marketing. #96976240 Accountant available with NOC, 7 years experience in Oman. Ready to join immediately. Contact 98263394 Indian female 28 yrs B.Com 4 yrs experience in MNC’s currently in Muscat seeking suitable placement in Finance / Admin. Contact :94743790 Certified Public Accountant (Filipino, Male, 27-yrs-old) with four years experience, seeking suitable placement in accounting/audit, currently on visit. Contact 94959606, email: czesar.42@gmail.com 7 Years experience as Financial Analyst, MBA in finance. Responsibilities- research contributor, financial statement analysis, generating MIS & efficiency report, managing TAT, business & clients. On visit visa in Muscat. Contact 90191628 / 96175780

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

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

Contact - 98185350

Qualified and experienced MBA post graduate with proven work exposure in Middle East & India, having more than 5.5 years of rich experience in accounts , project coordination and administration in (3.5 years UAE experience) oil and gas projects is currently looking for suitable job. Contact 93953613, Email-allen.mathew83@gmail.com Indian male age 26, Accountant one year experience in accounts looking for suitable job. Contact Email: anishkhan991867@gmail. com Mobile: +968 9565 9415 Indian female, 26 years,brought up in oman,M.COM(FINANCE) CA Foundation(CPT),CA , INTER (DOING) presently on family visa seeking for immediate and suitable placement. Contact -97174201/99663957 Email-anishasasi@gmail.com Part time Accountant up to finalization auditing. Contact 93598736 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 28/male/MBA - finance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement. #90187483 shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com Accountant B.com Indian male 12 yrs exp seeks suitable job.NOC available . Contact : 91212471 Email: rennyj6@gmail.com Omani female Accountant, 32 years, having 10 years exp in admin/accounts seeks suitable placement. Contact: 93295953 Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA Finance and marketing with IT skills, 7+ yrs of experience, Looking for suitable placement. Contact 94879615, Emailsajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com

Omani experience on reception, admin PRO seeks job. Contact: 96495545 / 96184616

Finance Manager, 17 + years Gulf exp. in Accounts, MIS, budgets, strategic planning, cost control, cash ﬂow management, seeks job. Contact 99489784, E mail :- vijay.564@hotmail.com

ADMIN Young B.Com Graduate with computer literate holding Oman D/L seeks placement in Administration or Accounts Assistant. Contact 95041489 Indian male 24 years BBA currently on visit visa looking for suitable job in accounts Administration customer logistic operations etc ready to join as early as possible. Contact: 96987802 | Indian female, MBA HR & ﬁnance, 4 years experience in MNCs looking for good job. Contact: 95299271 / 95124289 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 8 Years Experienced Graduate Omani Female presently working as Administration Manager in a reputed group Company, supervising HR and other administration activities, liaisoning with Ministries and other Government departments looking for suitable opening in a progressive professional organization. Contact: 91727742 Administrator B.Com with D/L on release, 30 years India & Gulf experience in office. project documentation & logistics. Contact: 92324789 / 97281023

Light duty Driver with car Honda Civic, 2005, 6 years experience. Contact: 91898658 / 90744740 Pakistani light driver job, 7 yrs exp. Contact: 92754283

Egyptian woman resident, considerable experience in the Administration and Secretarial Executive for company. Contact : 97221126

Searching job for light driver, with 1 yr experience. #94496620

Omani, male, 26 yrs experience looking for job in reputed Companies as PR, having experience at airport / Emigration, Ministries/ Manpower with Oman D/L. Contact 95445779

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

ARCH./ INTERIOR DEC. Iranian Architect, 3 Ds max, Photoshop interior design expert 3 years experience Omani D/L. Contact: 97309545 Architect 11 years experience & 9 years in Oman seeks urgent job having driving license & limited time till 12th Jan 2017 Architectural consultancy & construction engineering. Contact: 969 95913761 Architect Engineer seeking for suitable job, 8 years experience. GSM : 96075000, Email : haytham_201046@yahoo.com

DOMESTIC HELPER Indian (M), 31 yrs, M Com 9 yrs experience in Oman, looking for Manager or Executive position in Fin & Accounts, NOC Available. Contact 968 96166178/ +919768537435: mohammednajeem@yahoo.com

DRIVER

8 years experience in administration and guest relations department in Oman With valid omani driving licence. Seeking suitable jobs. Ph: 98145825 email: getcb@rediffmail.com

Young Omani male have experience 12 years as P.R.O, CLERK Helper Supervisor Admin Supervisor, H.R Manager have vocational M.B.A diploma in H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license, looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time. Contact: 95933288

Driver with car, 6 years experience. Contact: 93961503 / 96448004

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

Searching job for heavy duty driver, having 4 yrs experience. Contact 94752728 1 years exp D/L male 28 yrs, looking driver job. Contact: 94338977 Driver job wanted. #96393082 Driver seeks job, with driving license & salesman. #94235254 Looking for driving job 10 yrs exp, D/L UAE & Oman. Contact: 95918834 / 97098081 Light driver looking for job 3 years experience. Contact: 97468646 Indian male 42 yrs UAE , QTR 24 years road work experience looking for good post, with driving license, on visit visa. Contact: 91177203 Light driver looking for job. Contact: 94397006 Looking for driving job. Contact: 99775728 Driver with car have good experience in Oman. Contact: 94039796

Houseboy available for house

Driver with 2 years experience in job looking for job. Contact: 93374969 / 93721242

work cleaning / housekeeping, body / physiotherapy. Contact: 96725168

Driver with license & car. Contact: 99158913

DESIGNER/ DRAUGHTSMAN Free lance Autocad works experienced (arch, struct, MEP, shop drw) rate a0/a1 sheet ( 10-17 OMR) ph : 97103168 Free lance / part time autocad works / make boq 2d /3d arch , structural, shop drawings interior drawings. Contact 97103168 mkgroupoman@gmail.com Revit, Autocad D/man, expected salary 200 OMR. PH : 92279784 Looking for Part time/full time Civil Autocad & Quantity Surveying jobs. Prepare all types of Civil drawings, 3D Modelling and taking up quantities. Please cont. 93480346.email : esdeeoman@gmail.com AutoCAD Draughtsman 9 years Gulf experienced. Contact: 93528255 AutoCAD Draughts man Indian male with 10 years working experience (9 years experience in GCC) & well experience in Architectural & civil ﬁeld looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 91598043 Email: mu5495608@gmail.com 9 years experienced Interior designer seeking for suitable placement, Oman driving license holder. Contact: 98678225 Interior designer seeking job in Muscat with 6 years of related experience as an interior designer with a strong background in work place interiors. Contact: 91291502 Email: ahmad.jassem025@gmail.com Filipino Senior Revit/AutoCAD Draftsman with 20 years professional experience is looking for suitable job in Oman.Please Contact: 96489798, (+974) 66653780.

Please contact: 931 42923

12 Years experience, Indian CIVIL/ STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, Roads and Building, ETABS, SAFE, STAAD, Driving license with NOC. 90232011, rashtomi@yahoo.co.in

Indian male M.SW (HR) 2 years exp in India, 27 years age. Contact: 93353912 Filipino HRD especialist /material controller supervisor with 18 yrs experience looking for suitable job in Oman. Contact: (+968) 98037142 / (+968) 92659817

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

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ADMIN

ACCOUNTS

Sr. Accountant with SAP/ERP.

Light duty driver looking for job with 5 years experience. Contact: 97380787 Looking for job light driving. Contact: 93779819 Driver available for job. Contact: 96381406 Pakistani, 10 years experience in Saudi, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, license 3 years in Oman. Contact: 94350734 / 97665807 Looking for job exp having driving license. Contact: 97363138 Driver looking for job. Contact: 95892363 Looking for job light driver 17 years exp Oman. #95541940 Light duty driver 5 yrs Dubai, 1 yr Oman experience seeks placement knowing English, Arabic & Hindi. Contact: 90271794 Bangladeshi male light driver exp 16 years looking for job. Contact: 99165961 Looking for driving job. Contact: 95396905 Experienced driver available with 4WD willing to work fulltime / part-time, familiar with all tourist destinations in Oman. Contact: 24814231 / 91941545

Indian male BE mechanical engineer CSWIP, 4 years gulf experience in visit visa having Qatar driving license. Contact: +968 96550807 Email: vishnusohanlal@gmail.com Electronics Engineer in project & sales with 4 years GCC experience having Oman driving license looking for a job. Contact: 92103711 Master in Civil Engineering with 5 years Gulf exp. Contact: 96658456 Mechanical Engineer (B.E) with 5+ years experience in Gulf and India (oil & gas projects). Contact: 91987143 Email: jebilk212@gmail.com Indian male 26 years Mechanical Engineer with 2 yrs exp in Oman. Looking for suitable placement. Contact - 91328079 Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. #92451323. Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com HSC officer male 29 years, 6 years experience seeking good opportunity. Contact: + 968 90595885 / + 968 71140487 Email: bipin.tkurian@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer with 6 years Gulf experience, NOC & D/L available. Contact :92730137 10 years of experience in all kind of electronics service & repair and electrical & plumbing work. Contact 93980952 Looking for Civil Engineer job, with 5 years experience in ministry project, good command in AutoCAD MS Excel and establishing BOQs. Contact: 97478804 HSE / Safety professional having more than 15 years of experience in oil & gas airport & building construction safety seeking suitable position in HSE. Contact: 99206389 Graduate female, 36 yrs, with driving license, looking for a suitable position. Contact: 96234434 Civil Engineer, B.Tech, Indian with 1 year experience in Oman seeking suitable placement, NOC available from sponsor. Contact: 91702450 Email: tijoct2015@hotmail.com Electronics Systems Engineer (UK Graduate) with skills in Robotics programming languages IC, PCB designing seeking suitable position Indian female on visiting visa. Contact: 95806296 Email: s.dinesh1508@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer, B.Tech, male, Keralite, having 1 year experience, certiﬁed in Primavera and catia, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact+ 968 94959233 / +968 97474225 Email: anandsunil94@gmail.com Indian male 24 B.E Mechanical Engineer, 1 year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 98530806 / 99362006 Civil engineer D.A.E Civil, B.Tech Civil, having four years experience on visit visa. Contact: 97248565 / Whatsapp 94996896 Indian male 23 years Mechanical Graduate, looking for job in mechanical ﬁeld also completed diploma in Mechanical Engineering. Contact: +968 98812608, Email : mesahad@gmail.com Civil Engineer experience 10 yrs, 8 years in Oman. Contact: 97201504 / 98047527

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

Mechanical Engineer 22 years experience in manufacturing industries in Oman Efficient in all plant operations seeking managerial position. Contact: 98871548 / 98758606

Indian male 24 ,B.E ( E.C.E ) graduate with 3 years of experience in the ﬁelds of BMS and Low current systems and has good knowledge about Electronic Security Systems, currently working in Oman, NOC Available. Contact: 94737033/ mohdmuhafez45@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer with 3 years experience in RO plant maintenance of boilers, breakdown maintenance, pumps, control valves and air compressor etc currently in Oman looking for suitable placement. Contact: 95632276 Email: jassinsudhakaran797@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian male Civil Engineer 1.6 yrs exp, having Omani D/L, looking for suitable position. NOC available. Contact – 92157694 / mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com

Diploma in Mechanical Engg, 10 years exp in steel fabrication site work with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 94696192

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

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrs exp seeks suitable position in a reputed company. NOC available. Contact 96789711

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

B.E Mechanical Engineer, age 24 with almost 1 year experience as Production Shift Engineer, has achieved training on HVAC Engineering design and has good hands on software like AutoCAD and HAP.Currently in Oman on a visit visa, looking for a suitable placement.Contact: 95065955 email: mjs.jazeb@gmail.com Structure Engineer/civil BSC, worked in mega projects with 2 years experience, soft ware skills (Cad, staad, Revit, Robot, Sap, Hilti), Fluent Arabic, English. #:99814536 B. Tech Mechanical HVAC site Engineer 4 years experience, currently on visit. Contact 92837696 / mdabdulather@gmail.com An Iraqi civil with more than 30 years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C) looking for a job, (N.O.C) available. Contact: 96561306 Email: iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com Civil Engineer 10 years experience working in International company, Infrastructure & building construction having Omani driving license. Contact: 96616396. Purchasing professional having 7 years experience in power, water construction projects seeking job. NOC available. Contact: 96518316 Email: vineethsubashpillai@gmail. com Professional land surveyor available with total station vehicle NOC 9 years experience in building construction bridges topography survey roads available to join or higher. Contact: 96287425 Email: ihtisham.tkm@gmail.com Mechanical/ Piping Engineer (B.Tech.) on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact 94703350 Email: nadeembcoolboy@gmail.com Looking for suitable placement. Indian Male 36 yrs Machineshop sales and service, repair and maintenance mechanical equipments & jobs. Noc available, Oman D/L Available Working in Oman for 5+ years. 98481039, anand27kumar@gmail.com Diploma in Civil Engineer having 8 years experience Quantity Surveyor Civil in Oman looking for a job around 21 years experience in civil works. Contact: 97829710 Civil Engineer holder a master degree with +3.5 years experience in gray & Jordan. Contact: +968 94592122 Email: m_f_h88@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer Pakistani form N.E.D University 15 years experience of operation maintenance installation of CNH comp, gas engineer generative ﬁber optic FTTH & LTE projects in Oman. Contact: 00968 95196597 Email: s_atif76@hotmail.com Sudanese civil Engineer master holder with 6 years experience. Contact: 99636424 Fresher cloud Engineer. Contact: 98207829 Civil Engineer diploma 6 yrs of exp 3 years Oman seeks suitable position in a reputed company NOC available can join immediately. Contact: 97912853 Indian female, 22 yrs, BE (Electronics & Communication) searching for suitable placement. Contact 96008324 Looking for job in construction industries, office coordinator, document controller, Administration B.A with good computer skills 10 years experience. Contact: 95399753 / 93892877 Email: dhananjayam0@gmail.com Indian male, B.E Mechanical with 2 years experience as Maintenance Engineer in Cochin Reﬁnery and 1 year experience in Chevrolet seeking job. Contact : 97964862, Email:jossyabraham20@gmail. com

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian male 24 years with 1+years Indian experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).Looking for a Suitable position. Available In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) on Visit Visa. Contact: 92157694. E-mail: mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer with 6 years GCC experience in Petro chemical & Steel plant construction currently on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 93926488, Email: sanjuns89@gmail.com Need for job industrial Electrical technician with Oman driving license, earlier experience in the oil field. Contact: 91285302 / 96348016 BOQ available, site visiting inspection. Contact: 93850875 / 95031239 Electrical Engineer Indian male 30 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India, holding valid Oman D/L. Contact: 92789995 Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Experienced auto mobile Engineer seeking job. Contact: 91487747 Mechanical Engineer, 3 years experience, 1 year in Oman, with driving license & NOC. Contact: 94887665 Email: mechatron_mt@yahoo.com Construction Machinery repairs Engineer, 5 years, driving license, Contact - 94001961 Sr. Electrical Engineer with17+ yrs of exceptional exp in spear heading strategic planning and project management initiatives & executing various high rise residential & commercial building as well as roads and highway project with proficiency in installation, seeking a challenging position in a dynamic organization. Contact 96570891 Civil Engineer (Indian male) 5 years experience in Oman with valid Omani driving license & NOC looking for suitable opportunity. Contact: 93101283 Electrical Engineer, 24 yrs, Indian Male, Fresher, Training Undertaken in Electrical Draughtsman, Fire Alarm, Fire Fighting and Industrial Automation. Contact: 94989767, Email: Junaiz987@gmail.com Electrical & Electronics Engr, knows autocad & revit. Contact: 93837973 Indian male, B.E Mechanical with 2 years experience as Maintenance Engineer in Cochin Refinery and 1 year experience in Chevrolet seeking job. Ph number: 97964862, Email: jossyabraham20@gmail.com Indian male, Structural Engineer looking for job in structural design field. Having 6 years of experience in design field. Residing in Muscat. Contact - 91176187 Email: syam036@gmail.com Pakistani male Diploma Civil Engineer 4yrs exp in Oman bulling & mega projects, valid license Oman. Contact: 98921022 Civil Engineer, young Indian having almost 2 years experience looking for a challenging position seeks suitable position in Oman/ GCC. Please contact 92718490, Email ID: uvais.pk82@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer, Indian, Male, 30yrs. Experienced in Steam turbines and Thermal Power house seek employment. Contact - +91 8130553668 or mohamedshah7@gmail.com Site Supervisor, Diploma in Civil Engg (cert attested) knows autocad revit, salary exp: 250 Ph : 92279784

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

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/TRAINING

MEDICAL

Indian female 24. Masters in Computer science engineering, seeking job in colleges, schools and institutes. Having in good skill in teaching and advanced technologies. Contact : 93356858 Email id : annielino11@gmail.com

CFA level 1 cleared (pursuing level 2) MBA operations research, female, 5 yrs experience as Analyst, have a valid Oman driving license, looking for related openings.Contact 95818892

Female Indian (Kerala) Dentist, BDS with 5 years experience & MOH License looking for a suitable job in Muscat. Data Flow completed. Contact: 93830963, Email: shereenasheﬁn@gmail.com

Indian male 4 years experience in IT as Programmer / Web Support/ CCNA/ Network on visit visa seeking placement. Contact 93069694 Email: mrabrar14@gmail.com

Indian female Assistant Pharmacist 4 years experience in Oman seeking suitable placement in Muscat area. Contact 93391910, 97498809

Indian male 4 years experience in IT as Programmer / Web Support/ CCNA/ Network on visit visa seeking placement. Contact 93069694 Email: mrabrar14@gmail.com

Homeopathy Doctor Indian female with MOH license looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 94541830 Email: homeo64319@gmail.com

Female, master in mass communication, B.Ed, experience in media channel and teaching PH : 99362024

Indian female MOH Dietitian working in Muscat NOC available well experienced. Contact: 90996037 Email: nabanitasaha12@gmail.com

Masters (M.Sc) in applied Psychology, specialization in counseling, Indian female, 24 years, good caliber in teaching and counseling, with reasonable practical experience in some reputable schools and colleges looking for an appropriate opportunity in related ﬁeld. Contact 99133896, afsh.shariff@gmail.com Indian Female, Phd in Chemistry having 3.5 yrs of Experience in India. Staying here on Family Visa & seeking for a suitable placement. Contact – 99675828, Email anupam.tiwari67@gmail.com Female B. Ed English teacher, 7 yrs exp seeking suitable placement. Contact 99739415 / 92091528

HOSPITALITY Indian male having Diploma in Hotel Management with 16 years of experience in F x B Service at India, K.S.A & Oman, having valid Oman D/L, seeking for available placement. Contact 92100141 / 92221956 Indian male 31yrs old with hotel management degree,03 yrs experience in F&B services at 5 star hotel Dubai, 05 yrs in American 06 star cruiseliner has butler. Has oman driving license. Contact 99859150 Indian male, 24 yrs , Diploma in Hotel management, 2 years experience front office management in 4 star hotel Dubai, currently on visit visa. Contact: 97937504 Email: febinpalathingal01@gmail. com

IT Senior Network Engineer (USA Citizen) network design & implementation, network config and maintenance, CCNA, CCNP, CCIE (WR). Contact – 90350262/ Email- ammar.eng@gmail.com Indian / Female (29) married. MCA, 2+years of experience in software development Accenture, Bangalore. IT skills include Dot Net, SQL server 2008, ASP.Net, excellent communication skills with Omani DL looking for a suitable job. Mb: 94057790; Email: geetika. pesit08@gmail.com IT Support Engineer, 6 yrs experience with NOC available seeking placement in IT system & server Administration. Contact: 93200454 Email: pandiyanraj85@gmail.com IT Engineer male, 28 yrs, over 7 yrs experience with NOC, D/L available seeking placement in IT / Network / Telecom field. Contact 93563297 Email: monuzv24@gmail.com Looking for IT &Administration job, more than 5 years experience. Contact: 97619211 A telecommunication and Network Engineer with 3 years experience in the field. Contact : + 968 98832649 Email: mohammed.abutamam@gmail.com Indian male on visit visa, Network Administrator with 5 years experience in IT field seeking suitable placement immediately. Contact: 93926541 / 92703007 Email: 16.prasanth@gmail.com Indian male Keralite Post Graduate Diploma and Graduate CCNA & MCSA certified have 5 years experience in software & hardware technical support. Contact : 93988511 Email: vimalkanthkv@gmail.com Indian Male, MCA Graduate, 15 yrs exp in ERP, CSM Certified, seeking suitable role.NOC Available. Contact : GSM : 90189284 Email: meetlibran@gmail.com Indian female M.Sc Computer Science seeking suitable placement in Muscat area. Contact 98660672 27, Indian male: Software Developer having 5years+ experience in oracle forms & reports 10 g, BI publisher. Contact:91156571 IT Support Engineer, Exp 3 years in Oman 2 years in India. Contact 94672759

LOGISTICS 7 years experience as Logistics Co-coordinator, MBA having UAE driving license looking for a suitable job. Contact: 00968 79057265 Email: fariz.nazim@gmail.com Procurement, Warehouse & Logistics, Pakistani Male, Graduate, Over 10 years experience, Looking for Suitable Placement, Currently on Visit Visa. Contact: 91257663

Female dentist Pakistani prometric pass (66%) dataﬂow in process 10 years of experience in Malaysia & Pakistan, looking for in Muscat. Contact: 96173783 Email: humerasafdar@hotmail.com Male Staff Nurse (Indian 26 years old) having MOH license NOC & 3 year’s experience, seeking suitable placement. #94932245 / 95068075

MANAGER / SUPERVISOR MISCELLANEOUS Omani male, 21 years graduate, (bachelor in management studies) seeks suitable placement. Contact: 97904200 21, Indian female B.com graduate on family visa looking for immediate and suitable placement. Holds valid Omani Driver’s license. Contact: 97208869 Indian male, 28, post graduate, 6+ yrs exp in Oman in sales (back office) & credit control with valid Oman D/L looking for suitable placements. NOC available. Contact: 92066 523 B.Com,IICL Certiﬁed Container Inspector(No.150850),Visit Visa, Six months experience, need placement. Contact: 90880935, 99023279, Email solexyesudas@gmail.com Sudanese male bachelor geology and mining with 3 years experience in MUD logging and training in soil investigation. Contact 92956848 9 year experienced industrial painter and sand blaster with Oman driving licence. NOC available. Seeks suitable placement. Contact Zakeer Hussain 96681934. BS in Electrical Engineering, Experience: 5 years(Power Plants). Contact: 92475206 Email: zahaibzafar007@gmail.com

MEDICAL Indian Male Dentist BDS with MOH license seeks for a job. #94397499 Iraqi Dentist looking for job in Muscat with MOH license & NOC 6 years experience and half. Contact: 96907572 Female Dentist Indian with MOH license & NOC looking for a job in Muscat. Contact-96035981 Indian male Nurse with 7 years seeking for a suitable job in Muscat. Data ﬂow, prometric completed. Contact: 93519957 / 98275068 Email: mammenv24@gmail.com Female Staff Nurse, with 6 yrs experience MOH license and NOC available date ﬂow completed looking for a suitable job in Muscat. Contact: 97440718 Filipino male Medical / Sales representative with 3 yrs experience is looking for suitable job in Oman. Contact: 92610394 Indian male Nurse, with well experience in profession and working in Oman. Seeking for a suitable placement. (Preferring opportunity in as Rig Medic). Has BLS and ACLS. Contact : 97236545 Veterinary Doctor: Indian Female looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 96906534 /99014885, Email: monishmajeed@gmail.com Dr.Ayman Abduljalil Ali, E.N.T Specialist (Otolaryngologist), Yemeni-male, looking for job. Mobile: 00201096542706, Email: aymanjalilorl@gmail.com

Experienced business development and investment consultant with 10 years experience in the financial management field. Holds a masters degree in finance and management from the UK. Tel: 90157073 Joinery / Woodworking Production Supervisor, Indian, with knowledge in estimation, 18 years experience (5 years in Oman). Contact: 92975314, praveen777prabhakar@gmail.com. Indian male (40 yrs), looking for warehousing /logistics supervisor position, having 12 yrs Oman Exp with D/L, currently with a leading distribution company in Oman, NOC available - PH: 94337320 ; Email: truefails@rediffmail.com Indian male MBA with 8 years of exp as Assistant Manager in investment banking sector. Looking for suitable position, currently on visit visa. Contact – 98685704, WhatsApp 919000676512 Email – suhelpashaa@gmail.com General Manager Indian National With 20 yr Experience In managing Civil Construction Business Seek Opening in reputed Civil Company. Contact-97464650. Joinery / Woodworking Purchase Manager, Indian, with 12+ years experience in UAE, Qatar & Oman. Experience in Trading & Manufacturing divisions, having valid Omani D/L. Knowledge in Materials Management, Finance, Office Administration and Operations. Contact: 98040421, vinodthattayil@gmail.com.

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

SKILLED LABOUR 7 years experience in aquaculture shrimp farming construction light license NOC. Contact: 92635313 Male 42 electricians & plumber, looking for job NOC available. Contact: 98081227 Watch repair and service looking for job, 24 yrs experience. Contact: 99530405

SALES / MARKETING Indian male with 15 years of rich experience in business development & marketing 7 + years in Oman , looking for a suitable opportunity. Contact: 98652962 Indian male (28) B.Com last position 6+ yrs experience in sales & business development immediate joining, on visit visa. Contact: 92686168 W.H.APP +918087894270 Email: fernandesjackson_john@yahoo.com Looking for suitable placement. Mechanical engineer sales, oil and gas 5yrs exp in Oman. Total 15yrs exp. N.O.C & D/L available. GSM 98481039, Email- anand27kumar@gmail.com Indian male MBA (Marketing) with Oman D/L more than 10 years of experience in sales & marketing, seeks job, NOC available. Contact: 91939227 Indian male, 6 yrs experience in oman as Business Analyst / Business Support, Seeking suitable position. NOC Available. Contact-95882930 5 years Oman sales experienced Indian with valid Omani & UAE driving license. Contact: 92507253 / 99414642 Sales professional (Graduate) with additional qualification MCSE & CCNA having more than 10+ yrs of experience in handling IT hardware, Networking & Security Products (project based) and experience in education and training industry in Oman, seeking employment in relevant IT companies. Contact: 99354209 BBA Bachelor of business administration exp in custom clearance procedure, also done international logistics management & Nimb National Institute business management (US) certification all documentation work related logistics. contact – 91949050 / akram.chaush001@gmail.com Indian male, looking for sales & marketing job, Oman license holder. Contact: 95642740 Email: shaijichakkara@gmail.com 3 years experience in sales in Oman, looking for suitable vacancy, NOC available-96983324 26 yrs, Indian male, M.S.C IT having 2 years of experience in sales & Marketing seeking job in sales. Contact: 93703185 Indian male 35 years, BBM, 5 years experience as Sales Executive & key Accountant in Oman with NOC, D/L seeking immediate placement in Muscat area. Contact: 92683606 Email: abhi.abraham09@gmail.com Indian male 23, MBA (marketing) with 1year experience in India as Sales Executive searching for suitable job in marketing, sales, management, currently on visit visa. Contact: 95957278, Email: zeeshanhamdule.75@gmail.com Indian male, 27 years 2+ completed, 2 years Muscat experience looking for suitable placement (supermarket shop etc). Contact: 95128634 Email: sabuthoams@gmail.com 20 years exp, driver / sales man with own van. Contact: 99062400 B.com graduate from India with 6 months of experience in billing and sales in one of the largest retail chain company in India is looking for a suitable position. Currently in visit visa 99610602 or hashim.hashi@yahoo.in Indian male 37 years MBA graduate in marketing with 9yrs of experience in UAE in field of brand promotions & marketing with UAE D/L on a visit seeking suitable position. Conatct 95792820 9 years experience in Lube sales with Oman D/L looking for suitable placement in sales / driver. NOC available. Contact: 99263912 Indian Male, 26 M.Com with 4 yrs of Experience in Accounting & Administration in a Financial Company in India, seeks suitable job, Currently in India. +918907212253 Akhil:-93626288, Email: Sumeshpsmkr1989@gmail.com Indian male masters in Petroleum Engineering with 1 yr Oman exp in sales & marketing holding D/L, currently on visit visa looking for oil / gas industry field related or sales related job. Contact : 93789123

Indian male around 7.5yrs technical product sales, new agency development experience in Oman B.E mechanical PGP.MKT , IB , Oman D/L urgent placement (m). Contact 91536968

Indian male 26 years of experience of sales & marketing in surgical and laboratory equipments. Looking for good replacement. Contact – 92015894 /95774854

Resident in Oman 18 years, 10 years experience in setup marketing plans and strategies, sales, import & logistics, procurement, Omani government tenders, organizing projects & events, import ﬁreworks for festivals, NOC available, have car. Contact 94123939. Email: 002015r@gmail.com

TRAVELS/TOUR

Indian male, Keralite Post Graduate Diploma and Graduate have 6 years experience in Sales and Marketing have experience in Ecommerce, IT, Security and FMCG Sales & Marketing. Contact: 93988511 Marketing Executive with 10 years experience in Gulf on visit visa. Contact: 90116693 INDIAN male, BBA with 4 years experience in SALES & MARKETING, holding omani driving license. seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95607037 Email: raaz0jannat@gmail.com. Freight forwarding Graduate with 8 years experience in freight forwarding (Govt. of India) seek suitable placement. Contact: Shaji 99102497 / 98637889 Oil & gas experienced Indian lady with 6 years in sales & marketing to PDO and having valid Omani driving license. contact 96143430 / 99875919 Graduate Indian male 26 yrs, 3 yrs experience logistics & management seeking suitable opportunity in reputed organization. Contact 98847095 Indian female 29 years Post Graduate with computer Knowledge 2 years of Oman experience in coordinator & 5 years of experience in customer service, client relation officer with excellent communication skill seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95337665 Key Accounts Manager of sales.. with an experience of 13 yrs, across the country. Bsc, MBA seeks suitable placement. Contact- 92100116 MBA (UK), raised in Oman & with 2 yrs work experience holding valid Oman driving license, seeks job in sales / business development. Contact: 99513132 India PG diploma in Business Administration, 24 year experiences (22 years in Oman) in diverse ﬁeld handling office independently administration, Sales and Marketing, highly motivated, hard working skillful and willing to work in challenging environments seeks suitable placement. Having valid Omani driving license. Contact 99120500 Indian male age 24, B.Com. having 2 year experience and currently in visit visa. Looking for suitable placement in Sales, Marketing & ﬁnance. Contact: 90766307 Email: shhaazz.007@gmail.com Indian male MBA and Diploma in management from Australia. On visit visa, looking for a suitable job in sales & marketing. contact 71189884 Indian male with 6 years experience in sales in oman. NOC available, looking for suitable placement. Contact 95364128 Egyptian male experienced sales executive with 12 years sales experience in Egypt, KSA and Oman with leading FMCG companies. Holds Omani driving license. Tel: 96202040, Email: ahmedghoniem618@gmail.com Indian male Graduate with 18 years of Marketing experience presently in Oman on family visit visa, looking for best opportunity. Contact: 96168687 Email: dhibupaul@gmail.com Indian Male, MBA marketing 5 yrs exp. in sales & 4 yrs in FMCG sector, looking for best opportunity. NOC available. Conatct 96001877 Client Relations and Sales Professional with 8 years in the Business Process Outsourcing industry, looking for suitable opportunity in Muscat. Contact +96879050752 Indian male 1 yr exp in sales automotive (TBL) looking for best opportunity , NOC available. Contact# 97793879 Email: shyampkn@gmail.com

Indian male 27 yrs master of tourism management 3 years exp in India (tour operation) front office, ticketing sales & marketing) with computer skills looking suitable placement now on visit visa. Contact: 98837395 / 95213711 Email: bijuthomas427@gmail.com Reservation & ticketing female one & half experience in travel & tour ism industry visit visa exp, looking for a job. Contact: 97183575 /99015735 Email: aneesayoosufss@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Indian Male 15 years gulf experience in HR / Admin Assistant, Purchase, Office Coordinator with good computer skills seeking employment for suitable position. Holding valid Oman Driving license. Contact 99709336 Indian Male 29 years MBA, B.Com having 8 years experience in Gulf and India as a HR and Admin looking for suitable placement. Contact :97914340. Email: kvraj30@gmail.com Indian/male(26)/MBA/2 years experience in procurement, coordination and distribution management, with valid oman license available for immediate joining. Contact: 92536194, email:suhailbs@gmail.com Good knowledge in Planning and arranging works and sites. Estimation, drawing, Billing and project management. AUTO CADD, STAAD, MS Office and various software packages #99334770/ 997 43 709 Electrical and electronics engineering graduate, 23yrs Indian male, NOC available, 2 yrs site experience in industrial and commercial building sites(MEP ELECTRICAL), expert in autocad, etap, ms office, electrical engineering design, fluent in English and Hindi, exp in handling a team of 20 workers, ph:92201939. Indian, male, BBA graduate and diploma in IATA Cargo Supply Chain and Transport Modes with DGR Initial Category 6.Holds Omani driving license. Presently in family visa. Seeks suitable placement in Cargo section. Contact :-96370022 Indian female, 27 years, MBA in Finance, currently pursuing ACCA, having 10 months voluntary job experience as accountant looking for suitable placement. Contact 94388910, E- mail Id: sowmya.vs1989@gmail.com Indian female, holds masters in business administration (MBA) & LLB, 2 yrs oman experience as hr & admin, seeks suitable placement in jobs @ Sohar, Falaj. contact 96541959 Accountant. Having 9 years experience in accounts in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat (NOC Available). GSM. 00968-93528057, Email waheed.murtaza@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer/ HVAC/ Indian: 1year experienced mechanical engineer with piping engineering & quality control certification, on visit visa. email:nishadphoenix@gmail.com Contact: 90957740, email: nishadphoenix@gmail.com Indian/male(26)/ca finalist and b.com/3 years experience in audit & assurance services, financial reporting & analysis on visit visa, available for immediate joining. Contact: 98078321 email: shahir. usman.su@gmail.com Indian male 23 Fresh Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC & MEP. Contact : 9586 1251, Email : mdajaib@yahoo.com Pakistani male 25 y, fluent in English, valid oman driving license experience of pak. & oman. Needs suitable replacement like teaching, administration, documents controller, sales and marketing, rent a car field and personal Assistant etc. aamirkhan_7860@yahoo. com. Contact 94908725

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

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

SITUATION WANTED TOURS

RENT A CAR

We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

RENT A CAR

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

MANPOWER

SITUATION WANTED COMPUTER/WEB./ EDU./CLASSES

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

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

Indian male B-com Graduate1.5 Year exp. in various office works, valid Oman driving license. Looking for any suitable post .Please contact: 95322175 / 91987965 INDIAN MALE (26)/CA-inter and b.Com/3 years expereince in audit & assurance services, ﬁnancial reporting & analysis on visit visa. Available for immediate joining. Contact: 98078321 EMAIL: shahir.usman.su@gmail. com Indian male 34 yrs, MBA-HR with 10.9 yrs.exp. In Recruitment, Training, PMS, OD, Sites-HR and Omani nationals development, seeking a job, NOC avl.contact 94179499 saiprasad_18@yahoo.com

in Azaiba and Ruwi

• Learn in two months • Satisfaction guaranteed

TRANSPORTATION Specialist for road test drum and slope. Contact 94022250

Transportation. Contact: 97128083

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

Picking & drop Ruwi to Rusail. Contact: 98957524 / 91287470

A Filipino female searching for a job, with 3month visit visa.exp January 2017.hospitality and sales job will be a Good offer to me. Contact no:98271658

Transportation. Contact: 99099714

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

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation. Contact: 94297820 Transportation.Contact 92015894

Transportation. Contact 94087276

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

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED DINING DELIGHTS

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

WE SERVE OMAN

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

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Oﬃce boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc. Al Mudakhir National Est. LLC Contact : 94277020 Pest Control Treatments. Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact 99344723 Water prooﬁng ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Caret & Sofa Shampooing General Cleaning & Polishing. Ocean Center L.L.C. # 24707833 Marble Crystallization & Grinding, Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact: 92705130

House shifting packing. Contact: 99657644 / 98518013 Maintenance Electrical, plumbing, painting A/C services installations gypsum. Contact: 96319522 A/C maintenance & Servicing, Fridge / Washing Machine / dish washer repairing, 2) Painting and cleaning service, Electrical & Plumbing. Contact 94147874 / 24504281, mail : globalaccessunited@gmail.com

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130 Installation & maintenance for Modular Kitchen, UPVC Doors & Windows, Furniture, Electrical & Air-conditions Contact @ 92383882/91443786

House shifting with carpenter and transport. Contact: 96737158

MATRIMONIAL

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

Keralite Nair boy, 31 yrs, working in Muscat, looking suitable alliance from Nair family. Contact: 93764602

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

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

SITUATION WANTFOR LADIES Special packages, Facial, Pedicure, Eyebrow, only 10 RO. Al doom Beauty Parlour contact 99619409 *Classiﬁed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability