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FATMA EYES DOUBLES CROWN IN NIGERIA O Oman’s tennis sensation Fatma Al Nabhani and her Romanian partner N Cristina Dinu stormed into the doubles C final of the ongoing $25,000 ITF Pro Circuit Tournament in the Nigerian C ccapital of Lagos yesterday. >A11

SATURDAY, October 19, 2013 / 14 DHUL HIJJA 1434 AH

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EID AL ADHA FESTIVITIES Times of Oman journalist Sarah MacDonald captured the local traditions through her lens in Tiwi, along the coast of Al Sharqiyah, as a great fervour marked the Eid Al Adha celebrations. See also>A3

ENVOYSPEAK Dr Pornchai Danvivathana, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Thailand I recall the role played

by Oman in making the official relations between the GCC and ASEAN possible in 1990 when the Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs of Oman, in his capacity as Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the GCC, conveyed the common desire of the GCC in that light to ASEAN. Read the column on Sunday

‘Angry’ with US, Saudi says no to UNSC seat Riyadh flayed what it called international

Saudi Arabia ... is refraining from taking membership of the UNSC until it has reformed so it can effectively and practically perform its duties and discharge its responsibilities in maintaining security and peace

double standards on the Middle East and demanded reforms in the Security Council,

Foreign Ministry statement

which has been at

Saudi Arabia

odds on ways to end the fighting in Syria

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, in a display of anger at the failure of the international community to end the war in Syria and act on other Middle East issues, said yesterday it would not take up its seat on the United Nations Security Council.

The kingdom condemned what GUNS AND AMMUNITION

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

Indian police arrest crew of US ship NEW DELHI: Indian police yesterday arrested and questioned 33 people aboard a ship operated by a US anti-piracy firm for carrying guns and ammunition in Indian waters without proper permits, reports said.

India’s coastguard stopped and detained the ship off the Indian coast on October 12 after discov-

it called international double standards on the Middle East and demanded reforms in the Security Council, which has been at odds on ways to end the fighting in Syria. Unlike in the past, when Riyadh’s frustration was mostly directed at Russia and China, it is now also aimed at Washington, which has pursued policies since the Arab Spring that Saudi Arabia has bitterly opposed.

ering the cache of weapons and ammunition, before escorting it to the southern port of Tuticorin.

Police then launched an investigation into the 10 crew and 25 security guards of the Seaman Guard Ohio which is registered in Sierra Leone and belongs to US-based maritime security firm AdvanFort. -AFP See also>A6

OMAN

42% Omanis opt for entrepreneurship

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Four in 10 respondents (42 per cent) claim that, if given the choice, they would explore the possibilities of entrepreneurship. >A2

REGION

Dozens killed in Aleppo fighting

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Dozens of people were killed in fighting in Syria’s Aleppo province as an international envoy prepared a Middle East tour. >A4

WORLD

EU, Canada ink trade deal; all eyes on US Malala meets Queen Elizabeth

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The EU and Canada agreed a multi-billiondollar trade pact that will integrate two of the world’s largest economies. >A9

Citing the Security Council’s failure to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, take steps to end Syria’s civil war and stop nuclear proliferation in the region, Riyadh said the body had instead perpetuated conflicts and grievances.

“Saudi Arabia ... is refraining from taking membership of the UN Security Council until it has reformed so it can effectively and practically perform its duties and

discharge its responsibilities in maintaining international security and peace,” said a Foreign Ministry statement.

France reaction France, a Security Council permanent member, said it understood Saudi concerns. “We share their frustration after the paralysis of the Security Council,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was surprised at Saudi Arabia’s move and puzzled by its accusations against the Security Council. “With its decision, Saudi Arabia has removed itself from the collective work of the UN Security Council to support international peace and security,” the ministry said.

Saudi anger boiled over after Assad escaped US-led military strikes in response to a poison gas attack in Damascus by agreeing to give up his chemical arsenal.

“There are people being killed every day, every hour. And the Muslim world is very angry because we don’t see any action or any strong stance from the Security Council towards this situation,” Abdullah Al Askar, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the kingdom’s Shura Council said.

In an earlier sign of mounting Saudi anger, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal cancelled his speech at the UN General Assembly in what a diplomatic source said was a response to international inaction on Middle East issues. -Reuters

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OMAN

42% Omanis opt for entrepreneurship Almost 40%

WHY SELF-EMPLOYMENT?

WHY PREFER A JOB?

For many, there is a sense of personal fulfilment in self-employment

Opportunities to learn new skills and techniques

They can have the freedom to choose their own work-life balance

The regular income offered by a salaried job

The convenience of being one’s own boss at the workplace

Many benefits, such as medical insurance, given by companies

respondents in Oman said the best time to start a business is mid-career, though 30% claimed that ‘any time’ is the right time

Times News Service MUSCAT: The Bayt.com Entrepreneurship in the Middle East survey, recently conducted by Bayt.com, the region’s job site, along with YouGov, a research and consulting organisation, has revealed that respondents in the Sultanate of Oman have a clear preference for being employees, rather than self-employed.

Four in 10 respondents (42 per cent) claim that, if given the choice, they would explore the possibilities of entrepreneurship — as opposed to the 51 per cent who would choose to be employees. From that 51 per cent, six in 10 (56 per cent) said they would prefer to work in the private sector.

The top reasons Oman respondents want to work for a company, rather than be self-employed, are the opportunities to learn new skills and techniques (46 per cent), the regular income offered by a salaried job (42 per cent) and the benefits working for a company offers, such as medical insurance (32 per cent).

For those in Oman who would prefer to pursue an entrepreneurial career path, the number one reason is personal fulfilment

(64 per cent), followed by the freedom to choose their own work-life balance (57 per cent) and the convenience of being one’s own boss (47 per cent).

More than half (58 per cent) of the respondents who are currently employed in the public or private sector in Oman said they were thinking of starting their own businesses, while 15 per cent have tried to start a business in the past.

Three in 10 (28 per cent) Oman respondents claim that it is “somewhat difficult” to set up a new business in Oman, with the unavailability of finance being the leading hindrance (75 per cent).

Strict government rules and regulations (48 per cent) are also seen as difficult to overcome.

Success rate The majority (48 per cent) of Oman respondents, however, claim to know between one to five entrepreneurs, while a further 52 per cent say that of those entrepreneurs they know, ‘a few’ are successful — 34 per cent say that the majority of entrepreneurs they know have achieved success.

Also, four in 10 (40 per cent) respondents in Oman state that the best time to start a business is mid-career, though 30 per cent claim that ‘any time’ is the right time, with ‘don’t be afraid of failure’ considered by the majority

(39 per cent) to be the best advice to give to an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship is perceived as most successful in Oman (with 12 per cent saying ‘almost all’ entrepreneurs they know are successful), followed by Morocco and Tunisia (both 11 per cent), and the UAE (10 per cent).

In Oman, the architecture and engineering industry is seen to be the most appealing for entrepreneurship by 19 per cent, followed by finance, insurance and real estate (16 per cent) and communications and information technology (14 per cent).

When asked what they believe to be the top three concerns they have if they set up their own business, the majority of Oman respondents chose ‘procuring finances to start’ (58 per cent), ‘hiring the wrong people’ (43 per cent) and ‘uncertainty of profit and income’ (33 per cent).

Omani respondents agree that their education has helped them develop an entrepreneurial attitude (82 per cent), acquire the necessary skills and know-how to become an entrepreneur and understand the role entrepreneurs play in society (73 per cent), as well as made them interested in becoming entrepreneurs (71 per cent).

Further, six out of 10 (62 per cent) Oman respondents believe that entrepreneurs think only of their own profits, while 65 per

cent believe that they create new products and services that benefit society. The majority (80 per cent) state that entrepreneurs help in creating new jobs, and that they are opportunity-driven (79 per cent).

“It would seem there are issues standing in the way of people becoming self-employed,” said Suhail Masri, VP of Sales, Bayt.com.

Finance is top concern “With finance being the number one problem across the Middle East, it suggests that the region needs more angel investors to step in and help local entrepreneurs; it might also be of benefit for authorities to reconsider their policies, as less stringent regulations could encourage the creation of more start-ups.

“It is in the interest of every Middle Eastern country to encourage more entrepreneurial ventures, as they are beneficial in myriad ways to the economy – they contribute to the GDP and create job opportunities,” said Sundip Chahal, CEO, YouGov. Data for the Bayt.com Entrepreneurship in the Middle East survey was collected online from September 1 to 15, 2013, with 8,776 respondents from the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia.

I N S P I R AT I O NA L W O R K

GUtech gets Business Award Times News Service MUSCAT: The German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) has received a Business Award of the World Confederation of Businesses (WORLDCOB) ‘THE BIZZ 2013’.

This award was given out on September 29 at a gala ceremony at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, UAE. The institution and the top-management was awarded for its outstanding and inspirational work.

On behalf of GUtech, Dr. Hussain Al Salmi, DeputyRector for Administration and Finances, and Lorna Nairn, Head of the Department of Admission, Registration and Student Affairs, received the award during the ceremony. WORLDCOB is a leading business organisation based in Houston dedicated to fostering the development and growth of over 3,000 firms.

BRIEFS

ISD students celebrate Eid Al Adha in grand way MUSCAT: It was a day packed with loads of fun and merry making when the students of the primary wing of Indian School Darsait came together to celebrate Eid Al Adha in a grand style. The significance of the festival and the message of caring and sharing were highlighted through a skit performed by students of the primary section as the youngsters of the kindergarten emphasised the message of sacrifice. Also, the cheerful and exuberant primary choir welcomed people to the Eid celebration. The dynamic and dazzling dance performances by the young students dressed in vibrant colours captivated the audience. The Principal, Dr Sridevi P. Thashnath, reminded the students that as Indians they need to enjoy and celebrate multiple cultures and festivals which symbolise unity in the diversity of Indian culture and emphasised that the teachings and principles of all religions are similar.

Muscat Gujarati Samaj sponsors ‘2 Idiots’ drama MUSCAT: Indian Social Club Muscat Gujarati Wing sponsored the popular Gujarati drama 2 Idiots recently at Hotel Al Falaj La Grand Hall. The chief guests were Dr Villy, founder of the Light of Life Trust, India, and Sheikh Kanaksi Khimji.

This play depicted the story of a four-month old married couple. Their arranged marriages and their discovering the various facets of each other’s personalities was filled with entertainment and excitement. A full house enthusiastically applauded the performance. The presenters of the drama were Lilla Arts and Kiran Bhatt, and the producers were Gautam Joshi, Jitendra Joshi and Rhutu Oza. The actors included Kamlesh Oza, Bhakti Rathod, Dimple Asher and Vinod Limaye. Chandrakant V. Chothani, organiser of the Muscat Gujarati Samaj, said this was one of the best dramas of the drama industry in the last five years.

Chothani also praised the sponsors, along with Madhubhai Jesrani and Meeta Jesrani, for their support on behalf of the Muscat Gujarati Samaj.

Exhibition-cum-shopping day organised by students MUSCAT: Indian School Al Maabela organised its kindergarten ‘Exhibition Cum Shopping Day’ recently. The event was inaugurated

by Krithika Srinivas, deputy chairman, Academic Sub Committee of ISAM. Different themes were displayed with educational messages for the children, such as the Jungle Safari, Floral World, Shapes and Colour. Also, each room was decorated with arts and craft works as well as models prepared by the students and the kindergarten teachers. Slide shows of Kindergarten Achievements from earlier years were also presented. Different stalls, offering fruit salad, vegetable salad, tattoos, balloons, face masks, and fresh juices were erected for shopping day, through which children were provided an opportunity to develop their shopping skills.

Kindergarten children of ISD celebrate Dusshera MUSCAT: To mark the victory of ‘good over evil’, the children of the kindergarten celebrated Dusshera or Vijayadashmi with much rejoicing. The children of KG I A re-enacted the abduction of Sita and also participated in role playing of the various rituals to mark this day. Dressed in their festive attires, the performers moved their feet briskly to the tune of Dhol Baje… as vibrant dandiya sticks brought rhythm and colour to the performance. The Vice-Principal, Leena Francis, reinforced the sequence of celebration and said she appreciated the efforts of the students and the teacher.

A S I A N E D U C AT I O N L E A D E R S H I P AWA R D S

Honour for OMC professors Times News Service MUSCAT: It was a proud occasion for Oman Medical College (OMC), Muscat, as two senior professors, Dr Alka Ahuja and Dr Nirmal Pathare, were honoured with The Asian Education Leadership Awards.

These awards were presented last week in Dubai by the Asian Confederation of Businesses, with CMO Asia as its Strategic Partner and Stars of the Industry Group as a research partner.

The awards were presented to individuals and institutions who provide professional excellence and exemplary leadership. In receiving their awards, Dr Alka Ahuja was recognised as “Best Professor in Pharmaceutics” and Dr Nirmal Pathare as “Best Professor in Microbiology”.

HONOUR: Dr Alka Ahuja was recognised as ‘Best Professor in

Pharmaceutics’ and Dr Nirmal Pathare the ‘Best Professor in Microbiology’.

S AT U R DAY, O CTO B E R 1 9, 2 01 3

OMAN

FESTIVE ATMOSPHERE Eid Al Adha is marked by great fervour in Oman. Times of Oman journalist Sarah MacDonald spent an afternoon in Tiwi, along the coast of Al Sharqiyah, to capture the local traditions through her lens. In the tiny town of Tiwi, men from Wadi Shab, Wadi Tiwi and the nearby mountain villages gathered on the second day of Eid to take part in celebrations dating back to generations. The men meet near the sea shore to shake hands and then march up to the village square, singing and drumming along the way. Each tribe takes turns for reciting poetry, dancing and demonstrating their sword-fighting skills as the women and girls, who are dressed in their finest traditional outfits, look on. The atmosphere is festive but boisterous, as many people fire their arms and young boys set off firecrackers. And as the sun sets, the men disperse, leaving behind empty bullet cases and fond memories.

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REGION BRIEFS

PROTESTS AGAINST EXPROPRIATION OF LAND Palestinian and foreign protestors run for cover as Israeli forces launch tear gas smoke during clashes following a demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel yesterday in the village of Kfar Qaddum, near Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. - AFP

Tunisia’s ruling group sees polls in six months TUNIS: Tunisia’s ruling Islamists, who have agreed to make way for a caretaker government, see elections within six months to put the country’s transition back on track after months of unrest, a senior party official said yesterday.

Nearly three years after an uprising toppled president Zine Al - Abidine Ben Ali, divisions between Islamists and the opposition delayed a democratic process. Moderate Islamist party Ennahda and an opposition coalition agreed earlier this month for the government to step down to end a political deadlock, form a temporary caretaker administration and set a date for parliamentary and presidential elections. Those negotiations are still delicate with little trust between the parties. Before Ennahda resigns, both sides must agree on finishing the new constitution and decide on the members of an electoral commission to oversee any vote.

Thousands march in support of Mursi CAIRO: Thousands of supporters of Egypt’s deposed president Mohammed Mursi protested in Cairo yesterday, shouting slogans against army chief General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, who removed him on July 3. One person was injured by gunfire when taking part in a pro-Mursi march of a few thousand in Fayoum, south of Cairo, state news agency MENA reported.

Four were injured in clashes between Mursi-supporters and residents in the Nile Delta city of Zagazig, state TV reported.

Hundreds of pro-Mursi supporters took to the streets in the coastal city of Alexandria and in Buhayra province, witnesses and security sources said. Yesterday’s protests remained mostly peaceful.

Dozens killed in Aleppo amid push for talks UN-Arab League representative

So we are trying to move the process forward.

I’ll have meetings next Tuesday in London with the support group of the opposition

Lakhdar Brahimi’s visit, which begins today, comes as the international community ramps up efforts to convene a peace conference in Geneva

DAMASCUS: Dozens of people were killed in fighting in Syria’s Aleppo province yesterday as an international envoy prepared a Middle East tour ahead of proposed peace talks next month.

UN-Arab League representative Lakhdar Brahimi’s visit, which begins Saturday, comes as the international community ramps up efforts to convene a peace conference in Geneva.

But the prospects for the talks, dubbed Geneva 2, remain unclear, with the Syrian opposition divided and due to vote next week on whether to take part.

On the ground, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported dozens of deaths in the northern province of Aleppo, including 12 Kurds killed by regime

RETALIATORY FIRE: A Free Syrian Army fighter launches a rocket

towards forces loyal to President Bashar Al Assad in Raqqa, yesterday. – Reuters

shelling in the town of Tal-Aran, where nine people were died the same way on Thursday.

Strategic route The town lies on a strategic route between Aleppo city and Sfeirah, a town under rebel control near a military base where the regime is believed to store some of its chemical arsenal. Elsewhere in the province, the Observatory said at least 20 regime troops and seven rebels were killed after opposition forces attacked an air defence base southwest of Aleppo city.

In eastern Syria, the Observatory reported ongoing fighting in the city of Deir Ezzor, with regime warplanes carrying out raids.

Rebels had earlier made advances in the Rashdiya neighbourhood

of the city, where a top intelligence officer, Major General Jamaa Jamaa, was killed on Thursday.

State television said Jamaa was “martyred while carrying out his national duties to defend Syria and its people and pursuing terrorists in Deir Ezzor.”

With the regime and the increasingly divided rebels locked in an apparent stalemate, the international community has made a renewed push to convene a peace conference in Geneva. Brahimi will travel to Egypt today on the first leg of a regional tour to prepare the ground for the conference.

In Geneva, spokeswoman Khawla Mattar said he would begin the trip in Cairo, where he would meet Egypt’s foreign minister as well as the head of the Arab

John Kerry US Secretary of State

League. The full itinerary for the trip has not been finalised, she added, but stops in Syria and Damascus ally Iran are expected.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who has also been pushing for the conference, will head to Europe next week for talks about the meeting.

“There is no military solution, absolutely not,” he said on US radio Thursday.

“So we are trying to move the process forward. I’ll have meetings next Tuesday in London with the support group of the opposition.”

Kerry and other envoys from the so-called London 11 — the core group of the “Friends of Syria” — will meet with the opposition in Britain on Tuesday to review progress towards convening the conference. - AFP

Six Yemeni soldiers killed, 17 injured in suicide attack SANAA: Six soldiers were killed and 17 wounded in a suicide car bombing yesterday of a military command centre in southern Yemen, the defence ministry said, lowering an earlier death toll. Military and security sources had originally given a toll of 12 dead and six wounded for the attack in Abyan province. The blast in the Ahwar district targeted the 111th Brigade’s command centre, the ministry said, adding that its chief, General Mohammed Hussein Al Bakhiti, was seriously wounded. A military source said the bomber had used an armoured vehicle to carry out the attack. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Libya military police chief shot dead in Benghazi TRIPOLI: Libya’s military police chief, Colonel Mustapha alBarghathi, was shot dead yesterday in the restive eastern city of Benghazi, the security services said. Unknown assailants gunned down Barghathi outside his home, Colonel Abdullah Al Zaidi, spokesman for the security services, said. He said Barghathi — a former rebel leader in the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi — died of head and chest wounds at the Mediterranean city’s Al Jala hospital.

Barghathi was the first officer in Gaddafi’s army to defect and form a rebel force in the revolt, Zaidi said. - Agencies

WRECKAGE: Two men look at the site of a car bomb at-

tack in Baghdad, yesterday. Militants killed four members of the same family in north Iraq yesterday, while eight more people died in other attacks, officials said. With the latest attacks, more than 410 people have been killed so far this month, and over 5,100 since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources. – Reuters

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INDIA Excavation of ‘hidden gold’ begins in Unnao While many do not rule out discovery of some gold, they say it is not possible for 1,000 tonnes of gold being under the fort as the king was a ruler who presided over a zamindari stretching not more than 25-30km

Officials say preliminary findings suggest presence of ‘some metal underneath the earth’, following which ASI teams decided to proceed ahead with the digging work

LUCKNOW: The first day of excavations to unearth a purported 1,000 tonnes of gold at the Daundia Kheda village in Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao district ended at sunset yesterday, an official said.

The village is 70 km from the state capital Lucknow. The gold is said to be hidden under the fort of Raja Rao Ram Bux Singh.

On the first day, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) restricted digging to the peripheral area.

The work started amidst chanting of hymns after which the district magistrate and the district police chief began the symbolic digging.

The boundaries of the area to be dug up have been marked and

ENTHUSIASTIC CROWD: People gather at Raja Rao Ram Bux fort

where ASI began excavation work yesterday in Unnao to trace hidden treasure of gold. – PTI

wooden nails and coloured poles have been erected. “Points” would be dug at every two metres of the marked area, informed ASI circle in-charge Pravin Kumar.

Gold dream ASI officials have been camping at the site for the past three days. As thousands turned up for a sight of the fort as news of seer Shobhan Sarkar’s gold dream spread, the district administration has now

banned entry of people into the fort’s court.

Sarkar wrote to the prime minister a few weeks back narrating the king had come in his dreams and asked him to get the treasure dug up and hand it over to the government of India to tide the economic crisis.

His devotee, Congress leader Bhakt Charan Das visited the saint and then urged the ASI to take up the issue.

Preliminary findings, officials say, suggest presence of “some metal underneath the earth”, following which ASI teams decided to proceed with the excavation.

Experts, however, are not too sure about the possibility of gold buried underneath.

While many do not rule out discovery of some gold, they say it is not possible for 1,000 tonnes of gold being under the fort as the king was a ruler who presided over a zamindari stretching not more than 25-30 km.

“He was not a big king and hence it looks unlikely that such huge gold reserves are there,” opines D.P. Tiwari, former head of the history and archaeology department at the Lucknow University.

For the villagers, however, Sarkar’s words are sacrosanct and final. Mahendra Pratap Singh, a descendant of the Unnao ruler says people firmly believe that if the seer has said it, the gold has to be there.

Demand People have also demanded that in case the gold is found, 20 per cent of it be spent on development of the area.

The king along with Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi fought the British during the 1857 Mutiny and was overthrown in the process. He went into hiding only to be captured in Varanasi after which he was sent to the gallows. - IANS

BRIEFS

Mumbai gets tallest Air Traffic Control tower MUMBAI: India’s tallest Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower — standing at 84 metres or nearly as high as a 30-storey building was inaugurated outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport here yesterday. By virtue of its location and height, the ATC tower, jointly inaugurated by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, will enable the controllers have an uninterrupted view of the entire operational area and help optimise air traffic separation and enhance traffic handling capacity. Spread over a 2,800 square metre area, it is equipped with the latest technology, including electronic flight strips which will lessen the workload of the controllers, increase safety and overall capacity at the airport.

Congress rejects EC’s proposals on poll funding NEW DELHI: Rejecting Election Commission’s (EC) suggestions on transparency and accountability in poll funding, the Congress party has expressed its inability to issue receipts to all persons or companies making donations to it for elections as it is “neither practical nor possible”. In a communication to the EC, the ruling party said it is also “difficult” to implement suggestions that all expenses or donations above Rs20,000 be made through crossed cheques or bank transfer. The ruling party has rejected all ten suggestions made by the poll body on issue of guidelines for transparency in party funding.

Spurious liquor claims 22 lives in Uttar Pradesh AZAMGARH: At least 22 people died and seven others were taken ill after consuming spurious liquor in several villages of Mubarakpur area here in Uttar Pradesh, leading to suspension of six policemen yesterday on charges of laxity. People in eight villages of Mubarakpur area consumed country-made liquor on Thursday night after which they were taken ill, said Superintendent of Police Arvind Sen. - Agencies

E X AG G E R AT E D C L A I M S

PM expresses concern over handling of Keran operation NEW DELHI: Amid questions over the Keran incident, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed concern over the handling of this operation in Indian-administered Kashmir where the Army claimed to have engaged a large group of terrorists but nobody was found there after 15 days.

Government sources said here that Singh expressed his concern over the handling of the operation to the Defence Ministry in a meeting this week.

Two incidents This development comes at a time when there have been two incidents of attacks on Indian troops inside Indian territory in the past 10 months and ceasefire violations by Pakistan have become very frequent.

On the reasons behind the prime minister being concerned over the issue, they said a lot of “exaggerated claims” were made by forma-

tions about their success there but the encounter went on for 15 days and after it got over, the results did not match the claims.

The Defence Ministry has held discussions with the Army Headquarters on the issue in which details of the conduct of the operations were discussed.

The representatives of the Directorate General of Military Operations, which looks after such large-scale operations, were present during the meeting, the sources said.

National Security Adviser (NSA) Shivshankar Menon had briefed the Prime Minister about the incident whereas Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh had briefed Defence Minister A K Antony.

Soon after the operations started on September 24, Army authorities had claimed that 35-40 terrorists had infiltrated and around a dozen had been killed in the

OPERATION: Army soldiers during an encounter with militants in

Lolab forest in Kupwara district, yesterday. – PTI

initial contact phase itself.

However, only eight could be killed in the operation that got over on October 8.

Questions have been raised over the operations by the local formation and the senior commanders

there as several loopholes have been being cited in their conduct.

The four-day Army Commanders’ Conference starting on October 21 is also expected to discuss various aspects of the entire operation.

Notwithstanding increased border ceasefire violations on LoC, India and Pakistan are yet to decide a date for a meeting between their Director-Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs), three weeks after the prime ministers of the two countries decided that they would meet to address the issue.

“At this juncture, we have no dates,” Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh told reporters here.

She was asked when the DGMOs would be meeting to address the issue of ceasefire violations as was agreed during the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in New York on September 29.

When referred to increased ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border which has led to some casualties, the Foreign Secretary said, “The

question of incidents on the LoC is taken up with Pakistan. We have an ongoing dialogue between DGMOs. They are in regular touch.

Any case of injuries to civilians is also taken up.”

Two Border Security Force (BSF) soliders were yesterday injured when Pakistani troops opened fire at seven border outposts (BoP) and civilian areas along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Samba districts.

Violating the ceasefire five times in the past 24 hours, the Pakistani rangers fired on border outposts and forward civilian areas along IB in R S Pura, Pargwal, Samba areas of Jammu and Samba districts, police said.

In the backdrop of the increased ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde will visit forward areas along the IB on October 22 to review the security situation. - PTI

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INDIA US ship crew held for carrying ammunition India’s coastguard stopped and detained the ship off the Indian coast on October 12 after discovering the cache of weapons and ammunition, before

We are still to find answers to many questions, the probe will bring out the truth. Till then, the ship will not be allowed to move out of Tuticorin port G. K. Vasan Shipping minister

escorting it to the port of Tuticorin

NEW DELHI: Police yesterday arrested and questioned 33 people aboard a ship operated by a US antipiracy firm for carrying guns and ammunition in Indian waters without proper permits, reports said.

India’s coastguard stopped and detained the ship off the Indian coast on October 12 after discovering the cache of weapons and ammunition, before escorting it to the southern port of Tuticorin.

Police then launched an inves-

tigation into the 10 crew and 25 security guards of the Seaman Guard Ohio which is registered in Sierra Leone and belongs to the US-based maritime security firm AdvanFort.

No proper permits The 35, who include British, Estonian, Ukrainian and Indian nationals, were detained yesterday over the stash of some 35 assault rifles and around 5,600 rounds of ammunition, according to the PTI. Thirty three of them were taken to a local police station for

questioning, while two remained on board, PTI said, citing police sources. The crew had not maintained a log of the arms and did not have the proper permits to carry them in Indian waters, according to NDTV, also using unnamed sources. The southern tip of India is close to major trading routes from Asia and Europe and some cargo ships now travel with armed guards to deter pirates.

AdvanFort said its staff provided “armed counter-piracy protection” to cargo ships and therefore their weapons and ammunition

were stowed on board the Seaman Guard Ohio.

“As these men routinely provide armed counter piracy protection, they also had aboard their uniforms, protective equipment, medical kits, rifles and ammunition — all of which is properly registered and licensed to AdvanFort,” the company said in a statement.

AdvanFort also played down the ship’s seizure, and instead thanked the Indian coastguard and police for allowing the ship to refuel and escape a cyclone that hit India’s eastern coast on the weekend.

“I want to personally thank the Indian government for offering a safe harbour during this typhoon to the crew of our good vessel OHIO,” the firm’s president William Watson said this week.

“We look forward to returning this vessel to its duties as quickly as formalities and resupply operations are concluded.”

However Indian Shipping Minister G K Vasan said yesterday that the ship would not be allowed to leave until the investigation was over.

“We are still to find answers to many questions, the probe will bring out the truth. Till then, the ship will not be allowed to move out of Tuticorin port,” Vasan told reporters. - AFP

B A N N E D R A L LY

PREVENTIVE MEASURE: BJP workers hold a rally after they were

not allowed to go to Ayodhya to participate in the Sankalp Diwas meeting, in Allahabad, yesterday. – PTI

VHP’s ‘Sankalp Diwas’ foiled, 1,600 arrested AYODHYA: A massive crackdown by the government of Uttar Pradesh — in which about 1,600 people were arrested including BJP MP Yogi Adityanath — foiled VHP’s planned rally in Ayodhya yesterday in support of constructing a temple at the disputed site.

The congregation for ‘Sankalp Diwas’ was already banned by the Akhilesh Yadav government but Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists hiding in various temples made a vain attempt at around 11am to march towards the banks of the Saryu river.

The activists were, however, arrested before they set out from the temples.

“Around 1,600 people, including BJP and VHP leaders and

workers, were arrested across the state as a preventive measure,” IG (law and order) R K Vishwakarma said in Lucknow. “The day was totally peaceful,” he said.

The borders of twin towns of Ayodhya and Faizabad were sealed since Thursday as a precautionary measure.

The rally has been banned for violating the prohibitory orders, Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Anjani Kumar Singh said in Gonda.

The Home Ministry has told the UP authorities to observe status quo in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya as per the Supreme Court directive and not to allow any gathering near the disputed area. - PTI

CHANCE REUNION

Tattoo reunites missing man with family after 22 years!

MUMBAI: For the first time in over two decades, the Dhangre family of Thane is planning a double whammy — celebrating Diwali, and the return of Ganesh, the child who was lost 22 years ago and found this week, thanks to the tattoo on his arm.

Bunking school one day, then six-year old Ganesh Dhangre, went missing while playing. He strayed too far from their home in Indira Nagar, Wagle Estate suburb of Thane in 1991.

Ganesh suddenly came back two days ago — and his mother instantly recognised the tattoo of her name, Manda, which she had inscribed on him when he was barely four years old.

When Ganesh, 28, arrived at the modest Dhangre dwelling, the little lost boy, given up for dead, had become a smart, uniformed policeman with the Quick Response Team of Maharashtra Police.

After the crying, weeping, joyous reunion with his mother, brother, step-father, two stepsisters and a step-brother — with people of the entire locality joining them, Ganesh recounted his ordeal of 22 years.

“We were feeling bored of going to school that day and I was playing with my friend, but somehow we strayed too far and could not return. Then, an older boy said he would take us for an outing, so we accompanied him,” Ganesh said.

The trio caught an outstation train from Thane station and they alighted at some station after nearly an hour. Later, they crossed the bridge and went to the opposite platform where his two friends asked him to wait for sometime.

Bollywood style “For a long time, they did not return. I was left alone, hungry, not knowing what to do, where to go.

I just caught the first train which came there and after many hours, landed at what I later learnt was Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus,” Ganesh said.

His Bollywood style life started from that point — surviving on

LOST AND FOUND: An innocuous tattoo was all that it took to

reunite a Maharashtra policeman, who went missing as a boy 22 years back, with his family. – AFP

bits and pieces thrown by commuters, left-overs outside roadside canteens and small eateries, using public toilets, sleeping on railway benches and growing up on the mean streets of Mumbai.

Over the next couple of years, he swept empty railway coaches to make some money to survive — eating ‘vada-pav’, ‘bhelpuri’, occasionally ‘puri-bhaji’ and other cheap street food, till a pavement dweller’s family “adopted” him.

He continued to work and live with them till some social workers noticed him and shifted him to Anand Kendra, an orphanage in Worli.

“There, I got decent clothes and a chance to salvage my life. They admitted me to the nearby Lovegrove Municipal School where I studied till Class VII and later I moved to Thane’s M.K.N. High School till Class X, and later Sanket College for my higher secondary. Now, I am doing my first year of graduation through distance education,” Ganesh said proudly.

Manda Dhangre spared no efforts to trace him out.

“We had even circulated his photographs to remote parts of the district, sought police help, but nothing worked. After years,

we gave him up as gone forever,” said Manda with tears of joy welling up in her eyes. Ganesh, who excelled in sports, appeared for the state police exams and was selected in 2010. He worked in various capacities till his current posting as a Quick Response Team (QRT) member. Ganesh and the entire family is indebted to QRT Inspector Shrikant Sondhe, who was moved by the young recruit’s plight last month.

“He used all the police investigation techniques, taking leads from the tattoo on my arm and finally succeeded in tracing out my family,” a grateful Ganesh said.

As a beaming Sondhe stood nearby, Ganesh comforted his family: “Now I am back, you have nothing to worry. I will do whatever best I can for my brothers and sisters.” To prove his words, Ganesh has left the youth hostel where he lived for the past one year and moved back in with his family — after 22 long years. - IANS

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PAKISTAN Taleban ban worsens polio outbreak There is evidence in tests conducted on sewage samples in some of Pakistan’s major cities that

We have entered a phase that we were all worried about and were afraid might happen Elias Durry

the polio virus is starting to spread beyond these isolated pockets and could soon spark fresh polio outbreaks

LONDON: A Taleban ban on vaccination is exacerbating a serious polio outbreak in Pakistan, threatening to derail dramatic progress made this year towards wiping out the disease worldwide, health officials say. Health teams in Pakistan have been attacked repeatedly since the Taleban denounced vaccines as a Western plot to sterilise Muslims and imposed bans on inoculation in June 2012.

In North Waziristan, a region near the Afghan border that has been cordoned off by the Taleban, dozens of children, many under the age of two, have been crippled by the

viral disease in the past six months.

And there is evidence in tests conducted on sewage samples in some of the country’s major cities that the polio virus is starting to spread beyond these isolated pockets and could soon spark fresh polio outbreaks in more densely populated areas. “We have entered a phase that we were all worried about and were afraid might happen,” Elias Durry, head of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in Pakistan, said in an interview.

“The risk is that as long as the virus is still circulating, and as long

Head of GPEI LOOMING THREAT: Polio is a highly infectious disease that invades

the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours. – File photo

as we have no means of reaching these children and immunising them to interrupt virus transmission, it could jeopardise everything that has been done so far — not only in Pakistan, but also in the region and around the globe.”

Polio is a highly infectious disease that invades the nervous sys-

G I R L S E D UC AT I O N AC T I V I S T

Malala meets Queen Elizabeth LONDON: Malala Yousafzai was reduced to fits of laughter yesterday by Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip as she met the royal couple at Buckingham Palace.

The 16-year-old, who was shot by the Taleban for championing girls’ rights to an education, met Queen Elizabeth at a reception for youth, education and the Commonwealth.

The activist survived being shot in the head on her school bus on October 9 last year and was sent for treatment to Britain where she now lives.

Malala, accompanied by her father, gave the queen a copy of her autobiography, I Am Malala, telling her: “It is a great honour for me to be here, and I wanted to present you with this book.”

Accepting the gift, the 87-yearold monarch replied: “That’s very kind of you.”

Passionate about education Malala told the queen, who is head of the Commonwealth, that she was passionate about every child around the world having a right to an education.

“Especially in this country as well,” she added.

“I have heard about many children that can’t go to school, and I want to continue our work.”

Prince Philip, 92, joked that in

HONOUR: Malala Yousafzai gives a copy of her book I am Malala,

to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth during a reception at Buckingham Palace in London, yesterday. – Reuters

Britain, people wanted their children to go to school to get them out of the house — a comment that left Malala covering her face in a fit of giggles.

The reception, in the palace’s White Drawing Room, was attended by 350 guests from academic institutions around the world.

After the attack, Malala was flown to Britain for specialist care at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, central England,

named after the present monarch’s late mother.

She has continued her education in the city while being feted in the West, addressing the United Nations and meeting US President Barack Obama although she was passed over for the Nobel Peace Prize last week.

At an event in Edinburgh today, Malala is set to be reunited with the two school friends who were injured alongside her. - AFP

LONDON-BOUND FLIGHT

5kg heroin seized from PIA flight KARACHI: Five kilogrammes of heroin was recovered from Pakistan International Airline’s (PIA) London-bound flight PK787 from Karachi, Express News reported yesterday.

The investigation was done by the Custom Drug Enforcement.

The heroin was hidden in the toilet of the plane.

In March, 2013 the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) had arrested at least three people and seized three kilogram heroin from their possession.

The trio including a woman was arrested at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport when they tried to smuggle contraband to Saudi Arabia via PIA flight (PK 741).

The suspects, identified as Muhammad Asghar from Faisalabad, Shaukat Ali and Fatima Bibi from Sargodha, were supposedly going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah.

A case under section CNS Act1997 had been registered against them.In June 2012, around 4.5 kilogrammes of heroin was seized

from a PIA aircraft in Karachi that was departing for London via Lahore and the airport staff has been identified as prime suspects.

“This has happened a hundred times,” Customs Spokesperson Qamar Thalho had stated, while referring to the incident on PIA flight PK-787.

Moreover, in June 2011 PIA airhostess and her husband were arrested at the Islamabad airport for possessing eight kilograms of heroin in their luggage. - In exclusive arrangement with The Express Tribune

tem and can cause irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours. A $5.5 billion global eradication plan was launched in April with the aim of vaccinating 250 million children multiple times each year to stop the virus finding new footholds, and stepping up surveillance in more than 70 countries.

The virus has been cornered to just a handful of areas in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the three countries where polio is endemic. Global cases have dropped by more than 99.9 per cent in less than three decades, from 350,000 in 1985 to just 223 last year, according to the GPEI. But so far in 2013, there have already been 296 cases worldwide.

Forty-three were in Pakistan, the vast majority in children in the semi-autonomous Pashtun lands known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), which include North Waziristan.

Accusations that immunisation campaigns are cover for spies were given credence when it emerged that the United States had used a Pakistani vaccination team to gather intelligence about Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, who was found and killed by US special forces in Pakistan in 2011.

The Taleban ban, and associated security threats, mean the polio virus could easily escape and spread back into previously cleared areas.

Tariq Bhutta of the Pakistan Paediatric Association said there

was little prospect that the rebel group would change its stance. He said attacks on health teams attempting to reach children to immunise them were becoming both more frequent and more violent.

“The vaccination teams are still going out, but at risk to their lives,” he said. “People can come up on motorbikes and shoot them, and they’ve also started attacking the police put there to protect the vaccination teams.”

Targeting health workers A Taleban bomb that exploded earlier this month near a polio vaccination team in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed two people and appeared to target police assigned to protect the health workers.

The GPEI says the FATA is the area with the largest number of children being paralysed by wild poliovirus in all of Asia.

Four polio cases in children in Pakistan were reported in the last week. Because the virus spreads from person to person, the World Health Organisation says as long as any child remains infected, children everywhere are at risk. - Reuters

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Rational negotiations

by GOP can still succeed

W

hen a few dozen Republican pragmatists in the Senate finally roused themselves and stood up to the Tea Party this week, the budget crisis quickly came to an end. Now it’s time for them to lead their party to accept the challenge President Barack Obama issued on Thursday and permanently change the way Congress does business. Confrontational tactics failed the Republicans when Obama stood up to their demands, but rational negotiations — on ways to promote the public interest, not the agenda of interest groups — can still succeed.

Just hours after he signed a bill reopening government and ending the threat of default, Obama told Republicans that he and other Democrats were willing to talk about anything. No one is under any illusion that the vast differences between the parties has suddenly been bridged, he said, but the defeat of blackmail clears the way for a return to the traditional processes of democracy.

“There’s no good reason why we can’t govern responsibly, despite our differences, without lurching from manufactured crisis to manufactured crisis,” he said. If lawmakers would only ignore the shrill voices of lobbyists and what he charitably described as “professional activists who profit from conflict,” they might hear the voices of Americans who are clamouring for job creation, better education and long-term prosperity.

The first place to start that conversation is in a Senate-House conference on the 2014 budget, long resisted by Republicans, which was included in Wednesday’s deal. It’s easy to be cynical and assume that nothing will come out of it, just as previous talks and the supercommittee created by the 2011 budget act failed. It’s hard, after all, to forget that all the Republican presidential candidates last year said that they could not accept a budget deal that cut spending by 10 times as much as it raised taxes because they could not accept any tax increase.

But the defeat of the hard-liners this week could change that calculation. Some Republicans, who may be eager to show a disgusted public that their party hasn’t become completely tone-deaf, could use the budget conference to practice a new flexibility. The most obvious area of agreement is replacing the devastating sequester cuts, put in place by the 2011 budget act, with a mix of smarter spending reductions and revenue increases. Many Republicans have objected to the spending cuts, particularly the deeper reductions to military spending that are scheduled to begin in January. The possibility for each side to get some of what they want remains strong. - The New York Times News Service

WASHINGTON WATCH

Lebanon in need of immediate attention

I DR JAMES J. ZOGBY

Finally, Alice Munro gets her due recognition

O

ver a long career, Alice Munro’s work has deepened and widened, so that coming new to one of her stories, you find all the others in your mind, mapping in some vestigial way a Canadian geography that feels continuous, no matter how much the stories shift in time and place.

Her world lies just outside the small town of Dalgleish, where some people still “drove a horse and buggy, a horse and cutter in the wintertime, long after everyone else had ceased to do so.” But it also lies within the small worlds that shape themselves around her characters, who find themselves living more often than not in rural Canada, but also in cities like Toronto or Vancouver.

This year, at 82, Alice Munro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for her masterly short stories. What matters in her work — 14 collections in all — isn’t just the world she depicts. It’s the ways of that world, the overlapping patterns of behaviour and emotion, fear and a boldness without regret that suddenly wells up among many of her characters. They live — so many of them women — amid the perplexity their neighbours cause, like the woman in “The Office,” a writer whose landlord thinks of writing as a hobby, a “blessing for the nerves.” Everyone, it seems, is trying to discover what to expect from life. And, in their native, northern caution, the characters do a lot of not expecting.

Life doesn’t bring them many blessings for the nerves, but neither does it seem to crowd them with tragedy.

Again and again we embark within the mind’s eye of Alive Munro’s narrators, often the character at the heart of the story. It feels, surprisingly, as if the reader has simply been absorbed into the story’s first person. We want to know what happens because it seems to be happening to us. Of all the things worth admiring in her work, it is perhaps the pace of Alice Munro’s storytelling that seems most admirable.

She can do anything with time that she wants, hasten it, elide it, slow it down. But when we put the story down, we feel that time has happened to us. – The New York Times News Service

Big question mark over the stability factor in Egypt In ways more than one, the revolution in Egypt has been unique — a perfect symphony of several divergent factors including the youth power, the power of people, the power of modern communication and the power of technology.

They all combined to create a fusion that changed the traditional concept of revolution. But as the jubilation barely settled down, the grim realities have started to sink in. What is the future of Egypt?

K. K. Nair Muttrah

US deliberately fomenting trouble in Middle East?

It seems the United States is not interested in ensuring peace in the Middle East and only wants

to see it in fragments — ravaged and bloodied by sectarianism and struggling for survival. The most damning proof testifying the American intentions was offered by Pulitzer-Prize winning American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. His report in 2007 said, “The US deliberately became party to the fomentation of sectarian conflict throughout the Middle East” and brought Israel into a new strategic alliance.

Subsequently, the US, in a bid to forge a new Western-backed alliance and to retain its hegemony, brokered a series of clandestine defence agreements between Israel and a few more countries.

This, it would seem, guaranteed softening of hostility and opposition to Israel.

Prakash P. K. Wadi Kabir

More than the violence or the fear of renewed civil war, what has put Lebanon on the brink is the flood of Syrian refugees who are overwhelming the country, threatening it with economic collapse and its capacity to survive as a state

mmediate attention must be paid to Lebanon, lest it becomes an additional casualty of the horrific war raging next door. As it is, the country is on the brink. We know that Lebanon’s fractious sect-based political system has been strained by the Syrian war.

Some Lebanese have crossed into Syria to support the warring sides and that, as an extension of this, there have been retaliatory attacks within Lebanon. But more than the violence or the fear of renewed civil war, what has put Lebanon on the brink is the flood of Syrian refugees who are overwhelming the country, threatening it with economic collapse and its capacity to survive as a state.

It is only right that the world has focused attention on the terrible plight of Syria’s refugees. But the enormity of this human tidal wave that has hit Lebanon must also be considered. According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHRC) there are currently 790,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon, with an estimated 75,000 coming each month.

This number does not include the more than 250,000 Syrians living in Lebanon as migrant workers. Given current projections, the UN agency estimates that if the Syrian war continues apace, by the end of this calendar year, Syrian refugees will constitute about one-quarter of Lebanon’s total population.

The refugee crisis has affected Lebanon on many levels. Because Lebanon has not built refugee camps, the Syrian exiles have moved into communities across the entire country. Many have crowded into low income apartments, resulting in a housing shortage and a spike in rental rates — as much as 44 per cent in some areas. This in turn has pushed poorer Lebanese out of the housing market — forcing them to become internally displaced in their own country.

Other Syrians have formed informal “tent cities” in towns and villages throughout Lebanon creating additional stress on host communities. The UNHRC estimates that there are 1,400 of these settlements.

Because the Syrian refugees have flooded the job market, often willing to work for less, official statistics now report that average wages have plummeted and 20 per cent of Lebanese are now unemployed.

There are additional strains on the economy. The World Bank projects that Lebanon’s GDP will decline by 2.9 per cent each year from 2012 to 2014. Government revenues will decrease by $1.5 billion annually, while government expenditures are expected to rise by over $1 billion each year, owing to the increased demand for services. As a result, it is projected that an additional 170,000 Lebanese will be forced into poverty this year.

The problems don’t end there. The 90,000 Syrian children registered in local schools have created a serious over-crowding problem in the educational system — with additional strains reported in the health care, public and social service sectors.

Water, gas, and electricity rates have all increased

READERS’ FORUM “Insure with New India and be secure”

by 7.4 per cent in the last year. Some medicines are now in short supply and with winter fast approaching the stress on the food supply, housing, health care, and other services will only grow. In this context, it is important to recall that last winter; there were only about 150,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon - while this winter the number will be at least eight times that number! It should be expected that this situation might lead to social tensions within Lebanon. Polling data establishes that many Lebanese have become resentful. Many Lebanese poor see their country being overrun, resulting in: their inability to find work; having to settle for lower wages; and forcing them to face increased costs for food and services.

They resent the fact that the Syrian refugees receive international assistance, while they must do without. All of this has created a new level of communal tensions. Since Lebanon has had a long and conflicted history with its neighbour, and since Lebanon’s internal relationships remain unresolved, the added dimension of over one million Syrian refugees has only compounded an already fragile situation.

The UNHRC’s representative in Lebanon has written that given all these strains, which no country should be expected to bear, Lebanon has so far held up quite well. She writes “Lebanon stands as an example of generosity in the face of crisis.

Despite misunderstandings and tensions, everyday acts of kindness are commonplace”. But she warns, “Without more international support, the patience and hospitality of host communities may wear thin. Continuing neglect will stoke rising tensions and raise the risk that the...Syrian civil war will become a regional war”.

This said, Lebanon demands immediate attention.

I cannot disagree with the push to rid Syria of chemical weapons, convene a Geneva II Summit to find a way to end that country’s long war, and provide more assistance to alleviate the humanitarian crisis created by the massive population displacement created by the war. But Lebanon can no longer be ignored.

The country needs urgent support. It needs support to strengthen its capacity to deal with this crisis: the army needs assistance to help control the border and provide internal security; and the government and relief agencies need assistance to provide support to Lebanon’s poor and those who have been displaced in their own country by the influx of refugees.

Our concern for what is happening to Syria and Syrians, cannot and must not drown out our concern for Lebanon and its people. If we continue to ignore Lebanon, in short order, that country might collapse under the weight of the pressures to which it has been subjected. Lebanon requires attention.

The author is the President of Arab American Institute.

All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman.

Taxi drivers should carry fare charts with them There is a general feeling among taxi users in Oman that the taxi fares should be regulated and the fare slabs ought to be fixed. In the absence of the fare meters, what was required was to make it mandatory on the part of the cabbies to carry a fare chart with them. This would have helped passengers and saved them from bargaining for fares.

Ashoke Panicker Seeb

Mystery deepens over mysterious Men in Black

It’s a shallow life that doesn’t give a person a few scars GARRISON KEILLOR

The world’s one of the largest and on-line encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, says: “Some believe that Men in Black are in fact either aliens or androids controlled by aliens.

According to this theory, they are sent out in order to cover up alien activity on Earth. All oddities in their appearance and behaviour are explained by the Men in Black’s extra-terrestrial origin and their unfamiliarity with norms of the human society.” More prosaically, a few researchers have cited Bill Moore, who asserts that “the Men in Black are really government agents in disguise ... members of a rather bizarre unit of Air Force Intelligence known currently as the Air Force Special Activities Centre (AFSAC) ... As of 1991, the AFSAC, headquartered in Fort Belvoir, Virginia,” and “under the operational authority of Air Force Intelligence Command cantered at Kelly Air Force Base in Texas.”

Sumit Chatterjee Qurum

Letters, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi), by fax (24813153) or by e-mail (times@omantel.net.om)

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WORLD EU, Canada ink trade deal as all eyes on US Canadian premier and European Commission president sealed the pact — the EU’s first with a member of the Group of Eight biggest

LANDMARK DEAL: European Commission President Jose Manuel

world economies

Barroso with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, left, after signing trade agreements in Brussels, yesterday. -Reuters

BRUSSELS/LUXEMBOURG: The European Union and Canada agreed a multi- billion-dollar trade pact yesterday that will integrate two of the world’s largest economies and paves the way for Europe to clinch an even bigger deal with the United States.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso sealed the pact — the EU’s first with a member of the Group of Eight biggest world economies — by resolving outstanding issues in Brussels.

Launched in May 2009, the talks had been stalled for months over quotas for Canadian beef and EU cheese. In a cheeky touch, chefs served gorgonzola and feta at the four-course lunch laid on for the two leaders. “This agreement is a landmark achievement for the

transatlantic market,” Barroso told a news conference, flanked by Harper. “With political will and a good dose of hard work, there is a way to reach a result that benefits people on both sides of the Atlantic,” he said.

The deal marks a breakthrough for Brussels’ free-trade agenda, which had previously achieved smaller agreements with South Korea and Singapore. It is expected to increase bilateral trade in goods and services by a fifth to $35 billion a year, the latest EU estimates say.

Barroso said he hoped the agreement could come into effect from 2015, after EU governments, the European Parliament and the Canadian provinces give their blessing. The deal will also make Canada the only G8 country — and one of the only developed nations anywhere — to have preferential access to the world’s two largest markets. -Reuters

SOMALI ORIGIN

Norwegian suspect in Kenya mall attack OSLO: A Norwegian citizen of Somali origin is suspected of being one of the attackers who stormed a Kenyan shopping mall last month massacring 67 people, the BBC said.

The 23-year-old was named as Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow, who the BBC said is suspected of helping to plan and carry out the attack on the upmarket Westgate mall.

Dhuhulow was born in Somalia, but he and his family moved to Norway as refugees in 1999, according to relatives who spoke to the BBC from the Norwegian town of Larvik, some 135 kilometres southwest of the capital Oslo.

Norway’s PST intelligence agency last week launched a probe after it obtained information about the possible involvement of a Norwegian of Somali origin in both planning and carrying out the attack.

However, it said yesterday it would not comment on the BBC report. “The name of a person

claimed to be the Norwegian citizen under investigation by the PST was publicised by the UK press,” it said in a statement. “At this point, we do not wish to confirm or deny this claim.”

Norwegian investigators have been sent to Nairobi to work with their Kenyan counterparts.

“It has not yet been determined whether a named Norwegian citizen actually took part in the attack or not,” the PST agency added. “Based on the information that we have uncovered this far in the investigation, however, the suspicion of his involvement has been strengthened.”

However, other relatives denied it was Dhuhulow who appeared in security camera footage of the attack. “None of the men in the video is the 23-yearold” a relative told Norwegian broadcaster NRK. The relative’s name or links to the suspect were not disclosed, but they reportedly live in Larvik. -AFP

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WORLD Early man was single species, say scientists With a tiny brain about a third the size of a modern human’s, protruding brows and jutting jaws like an ape, the skull was found in the remains of a medieval hilltop city in Dmanisi, Georgia, said a new study NEW EVIDENCE: A picture taken in Tbilisi yesterday, shows David Lordkipanidze, director of the

TBILISI: A stunningly well-preserved skull from 1.8 million years ago offers new evidence that early man was a single species with a vast array of different looks, researchers said on Thursday.

With a tiny brain about a third the size of a modern human’s, protruding brows and jutting jaws like an ape, the skull was found in the remains of a medieval hilltop city in Dmanisi, Georgia, said the study in the journal Science.

It is one of five early human skulls — four of which have jaws — found so far at the site, about 100 kilometres from the capital Tbilisi, along with stone tools that hint at butchery and the bones of big, saber-toothed cats.

Lead researcher David Lordkipanidze, director of the Georgian National Museum, described the group as “the richest and most complete collection of indisputable early Homo remains from any one site.”

The skulls vary so much in appearance that under other circumstances, they might have been considered different species, said co-author Christoph Zollikofer of the University of Zurich.

Same geological time “Yet we know that these individuals came from the same location and the same geological time, so they could, in principle, represent

Georgian National Museum, holding a well-preserved skull from 1.8 million years ago found in the remains of a medieval hilltop city in Dmanisi. The stunningly well-preserved skull from 1.8 million years ago offers new evidence that early man was a single species with a vast array of different looks, said researchers. -AFP

a single population of a single species,” he said.

The researchers compared the variation in characteristics of the skulls and found that while their jaw, brow and skull shapes were distinct, their traits were all within the range of what could be expected among members of the same species.

“The five Dmanisi individuals are conspicuously different from each other, but not more different than any five modern human individuals, or five chimpanzee individuals, from a given population,” said Zollikofer.

“We conclude that diversity within a species is the rule rather than the exception.”

Under that hypothesis, the different lineages some experts have described in Africa -- such as Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis -- were all just ancient people of the species Homo erectus who looked different from each other.

It also suggests that early members of the modern man’s genus Homo, first found in Africa, soon expanded into Asia despite their small brain size.

“We are thrilled about the conclusion they came to. It backs up

what we found as well,” said Milford Wolpoff, a paleoanthropologist at the University of Michigan.

Wolpoff and Adam Van Arsdale of Wellesley College published a study in the journal Evolution last year that also measured statistical variation in characteristics of early skull fossils in Georgia and East Africa, suggesting a single species and an active process of inter-breeding.

“Everyone knows today you could find your mate from a different continent and it is normal for people to marry outside their local group, outside their religion, outside their culture,” Wolpoff said.

The human pattern “What this really helps show is that this has been the human pattern for most of our history, at least outside of Africa,” he added.

“We don’t have races. We don’t have different subspecies. But it is normal for humans to vary, and they have varied in the past.”

But not all experts agree.

“I think that the conclusions that they draw are misguided,” said Bernard Wood, director of the hominid paleobiology doctoral program at George Washington University.

“What they have is a creature that we have not seen evidence of before,” he said, noting its small head but human-sized body.

“It could be something new and I don’t understand why they are reluctant to think it might be.”

In fact, the researchers did give it a new name, Homo erectus ergaster georgicus, in a nod to the skull as an early but novel form of Homo erectus found in Georgia.

The name also retracts the unique species status of Homo georgicus given to the jaw that was found in 2000 along with other small, primitive skulls.

The jaw lay a few yards (meters) from where Skull 5, belonging to the same owner, was later discovered in 2005.

Co-author Marcia Ponce de Leon of the University of Zurich said Skull 5 was “perfectly preserved” and “the most complete skull of an adult fossil Homo individual found to date.” Its discovery, in such close quarters with four other individuals, offered researchers a unique opportunity to measure variations in a single population of early Homo, and “to draw new inferences on the evolutionary biology” of our ancestors, she said. -AFP ARCHAEOLOGY

NEW RESEARCH

Sleep helps flush out cellular waste

Biggest Iron Age monument of Sweden found

NEW YORK: Like a janitor sweeping the halls after the lights go out, major changes occur in the brain during sleep to flush out waste and ward off disease, researchers said on Thursday.

The research in the journal Science offers new answers to explain why people spend a third of their lives asleep and may help in treating dementia and other neurological disorders.

In lab experiments on mice, researchers observed how cellular waste was flushed out via the brain’s blood vessels into the body’s circulatory system and eventually the liver.

These waste products included amyloid beta, a protein that when accumulated is a driver of Alzheimer’s disease.

In order to help remove the waste, cerebral spinal fluid is pumped through brain tissue.

The process is sped along during sleep because the brain’s cells shrink by about 60 per cent, allowing the fluid to move

STOCKHOLM: Swedish archaeologists said yesterday they have discovered the country’s largest Iron Age monument in Old Uppsala, a pre-Christian religious site in central Sweden.

The remains of two rows of wooden pillars appeared as researchers dug before the construction of a new railway line.

Lena Borenius-Joerpeland, archaeologist at the Swedish National Heritage Board, said the monument, found about 200 metres from an important Iron Age burial site, is likely to be from the 5th century.

The larger row stretches about one kilometre, with 144 pillars, and the shorter one is at least half as long.

“We believe the pillars were high, maybe even up to 8 or 10 metres,” said BoreniusJoerpeland.

“They were visible from a long distance and might have flanked the access to Old Uppsala.” -Reuters

The process is sped along during sleep because the brain’s cells shrink by about 60%, allowing the fluid to move faster

faster and more freely through the brain.

The whole operation takes place in what researchers call the glymphatic system, which appears to be nearly 10 times more active during sleep than while awake. “The brain only has limited energy at its disposal,” said lead author Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester Medical Center. -AFP

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013

S P O R

Fatma eyes doubles crown in Nigeria

CLOSER TO THE TITLE: Fatma Al Nabhani is on the verge of winning another accolade. –

Fatma, who recently won a gold medal at

S G U I LT Y

Peterson and Akmal fined DUBAI: Pakistan’s wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal and Robin Peterson of South Africa have been fined 50 percent of their match fees after a run-in, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said yesterday.

Akmal and Peterson were involved in an altercation in South Africa’s second innings on Thursday in the first Test which Pakistan won by seven wickets.

“The two players were fined after pleading guilty to a Level two breach of the ICC Code of Conduct during the fourth day’s play,” said the ICC in a release.

Both players pleaded guilty to the charge. The second Test starts in Duabi on October 23. - AFP

the Islamic Solidarity Games, is taking part in back-to-back $25,000 ITF Pro Circuit events in Lagos

MUSCAT: Sultanate’s tennis sensation Fatma Al Nabhani and her Romanian parnter Cristina Dinu stormed into the doubles final of the ongoing $25,000 ITF Pro Circuit Tournament in Nigerian capial of Lagos yesterday.

According to information received here, Fatma and Cristina overcame a late charge from second seeds Conny Perrin for Switzerland and South Africa’s Chanel Simmonds for a 6-4, 7-5 semifinal victory.

In the summit clash, the thirdseeded Omani and Romanian duo will lock horns with either Britons

Fille photo

Naomi Broady and Emily WebleySmith or Gioia Barbieri of Italy and Anna Morgina of Russia.

Earlier in the quarterfinals, Fatma and Cristina accounted for Israel’s Ester Masuri and Xi-Yao Wang of China 6-3, 6-3.

In their first-round encounter, they defeated Indo-British team of Nidhi Chilumula and Michaela Frlicka 6-2, 6-2.

In the singles event, unseeded Fatma’s challenge ended in the first round when she was beaten in straight sets by her doubles partner and fifth seed Cristina Dinu 6-2, 6-2.

Easy for ISAS Indian School Al Seeb (ISAS) defeated Indian School Wadi Kabir (ISWK) by 99 runs in Twenty20 Junior League Under-13 Tournament at the adjoining Ground II. ISWK were docked 3 overs for slow over rate.

Brief scores: ISAS 211 for 3 in 20 overs (Mohammed Uzair 65, Dhruv V. 47 n.o., Rajesh Kumar 41, Usman Nagori 20) bt ISWK 112 for 6 in 17 overs (Bharath

KARACHI: Banned Pakistan paceman Mohammed Aamir is praying the International Cricket Council (ICC) will grant him a reprieve to play domestic cricket as he seeks to resume a career that stalled under ignominious circumstances.

Aamir, a bright prospect who made his international debut at 17, served three months in an English jail for corruption and is three years into a five-year ban for his role in a spot-fixing scandal surrounding a Test against England at Lord’s in 2010. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), currently run by an interim committee headed by Najam Sethi, will take up Aamir’s case at an ICC board meeting this weekend and plead for a review of his ban on legal and compassionate grounds.

“What I did in 2010 was terrible and wrong and I have paid the price for it. I have lost my image and hurt my country and family,” Aamir said yesterday.

“But everyone gets a second chance in life... I pray the ICC will give me a second chance.”

Tafazzul Rizvi, the PCB’s legal advisor, said the board was trying to convince the ICC to allow Aamir, whose ban ends in 2015, to resume training at the board’s facilities in Lahore or even play some club or domestic cricket.

“We have sent a report to the ICC from a Queen’s Counsel we hired in London to look into the case and we are hoping it will help us plead our case strongly with ICC,” Rizvi said. - Reuters

Former greats hail Pakistan’s Lorenzo quickest, victory over South Africa Marquez tumbles KARACHI: Former greats yesterday hailed Pakistan’s upset victory over world No. 1 Test side South Africa in Abu Dhabi, hoping it will lift the morale of the team and the fans.

Misbah-ul Haq’s men bounced back from an embarrassing defeat to minnows Zimbabwe last month to beat the Proteas by seven wickets in the first of two-Test series.

Former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim said the victory, achieved inside four days, should cheer up Pakistan’s passionate but longsuffering fans.

“No doubt Pakistan needed this win,” Qasim said. “What happened

in Zimbabwe left a bad taste in the mouth and everyone wanted Pakistan to lift its performance.”

Pakistan restricted South Africa to 249 in the first innings with Mohammed Irfan and debutant spinner Zulfiqar Babar taking three wickets apiece before hundreds from Misbah and opener Khurram Manzoor took them to a 193run lead. Saeed Ajmal worked his magic on a dry pitch to snare four for 74 and leave the batsmen chasing just 40 for victory, which they managed after an early wobble saw three wickets go down.

Qasim said Misbah must be prepared for a tough response when

the second Test starts in Dubai on October 23.

“I am sure the players will keep their feet on the ground as South Africa is the best team in the world and they will hit back strongly in the next match,” said 50-Test veteran Qasim.

Former captain Rashid Latif said the win was down to the shrewdness of Misbah.

“Credit goes to Misbah, he took a bold decision of dropping (Abdur) Rehman and Rahat Ali who both got wickets in Zimbabwe purely because of conditions and brought in the new opener Shan Masood,” said Latif. - AFP

Sri Lankan School humble Al Hail

Brief scores: SLSM 259 for 3 in 25 overs (Kalana Amarasinghe 87 n.o., Gimash Dias 68, Fahad Khalid 29 and Haleem Al Fayd 21) bt Al Hail 60 all out in 14.2 overs (Yahya Abdul Ishaq Al Balushi 18; Indunil Udana 4/16, Yoshita Shokman 2/9 and Fahad Khalid 2/16).

Points: SLSM 5 pts (2 games, 5 pts), Al Hail - Nil (2 games, Nil points).

Aamir prays for second chance

AUSTRALIAN MOTOGP

BOUNCING BACK

JUNIOR LEAGUE

MUSCAT: Sri Lankan School Muscat (SLSM) recorded a comprehensive 199-run win against Al Hail Junior team in a Al Turki Enterprises-sponsored Junior League 25 overs-a-side Under-16 match played last weekend at the Municipality Ground I in Al Amerat.

In the Nigerian capital, the Omani star is taking part in two back-to-back $25,000 ITF Pro Circuit Tournaments, the second of which will be playd from October 21 to 27.

Fatma, who bagged a gold medal at the recent Islamic Solidarity Games in Indonesia, is concentrating on $25,000 ITF Pro Circuit Tournaments in an attemtp to improve her rankings.

Fatma had won a $10,000 Sham El Sheikh Pro Circuit title in Egypt earlier this year after which she turned her complete attention to $25,000 events.

HOPEFUL

Sanjeev 34, Ravi Vignesh 26 n.o.; Nithin J. 2/17 and Harsh G. 2/18).

Points: ISAS 5 pts (2 games, 10 pts), ISWK – Nil pts.

Five in a row for ISWK In another Al Turki Enterprises-sponsored Junior League Under-16 match at the same ground during the afternoon, Indian School Wadi Kabir (ISWK) recorded their fifth consecutive victory when they defeated Indian School Al Seeb (ISAS) by two wickets with a delivery to spare.

Brief scores: ISAS 175 for 6 in 25 overs (Balraj Singh 60, Rajneesh 59 and Mohammed Khalid 23 n.o.; Ivan Manjila 2/30) lost to ISWK 176 for 8 in 24.5 overs (Hardik Toprani 66 n.o.; Balraj Singh 2/20, Mohammed Faraz 2/30, Mohammed Irbas 2/35).

Points: ISWK 4 pts (5 games, 24 pts), ISAS - Nil (3 games, 5 pts).

ISG crush SLSM Indian School Al Ghubra (ISG) recorded a crushing nine-wicket win against Sri Lankan School Muscat (SLSM) in another Junior League T20 Under-13 match

played in the morning at the adjacent Ground III. Winning the toss and opting to bat SLSM were bundled out for a paltry 89 runs off 18.4 overs whilst ISG reached their target scoring 91 for the loss of one wicket in 8.1 overs.

Brief scores: SLSM 89 all out off 18.4 overs (Stefan Warnakulasuriya 17; Aryan Shinde 3/23, Vishak Vaithiyan 2/17, Shivam Ajay Saraf 2/23) lost to ISG 91 for 1 in 8.1 overs (Mohammed Salman 38 n.o., Aryan Shinde 27).

Points: ISG 5 pts, SLSM - Nil points.

Big win for BDSM In the afternoon at the same venue in an Al Turki Enterprises sponsored Junior League 25 overs-aside Under-16 match, Bangladesh School Muscat (BDSM) trounced Gulf Cricket Academy by eight wickets.

Brief scores: Gulf Cricket Academy 44 all out in 19.5 overs (Mohammed Faisal 14; Arfadul Alam Kayes 2/2, Mahbub Hassan 2/5 and Shajedul Alam 2/9) lost to BDSM 45 for 2 in 4.1 overs (Abu Bakker 26 n.o., Vipin Sebastian 2/16).

Points: BDSM 5 - pts, Gulf Cricket Academy - Nil (2 games, Nil pts).

ISM down PSM Indian School Muscat (ISM) registered a 47-run victotry against Pakistan School Muscat (PSM) in another Al Turki Enterprisessponsored U-16 Junior League match played in the morning session on the adjoining Ground IV. Brief scores: ISM 160 for 8 wickets in 25 overs (Shaurya 58, Akshay Jathar 30 and Tejas 28; Salman Nadeem 2/25) bt PSM 113 all out in 21.5 overs (Kamran Ali 34, Ahsan Sajjad 25, Ubaid Ullah 20; Hemil 6/23 and Wasim Ali 3/26).

Points: ISM 5 - pts, PSM - Nil points.

ISD beat MCCC Indian School Darsait (ISD) recorded a 22-run win against Muscat Cricket Coaching Centre (MCCC) in another Under-16 Junior League match at the same venue.

Brief scores: ISD 164 all out in 23.4 overs (Shaaz Siraj 36 Malik Mahmood 24 n.o.; Karthik R. 3/20, Sohail 3/29 and Anoop 2/18) bt MCCC 142 all out in 24 overs (Aveeral G. 42, Karthik R. 25 and Tusheet G. 23; Malik Mahmood 3/23 and Malik Rashid 2/18).

Points: ISD - 4 pts (3 games – 9 pts), MCCC - Nil (4 games, 5 pts).

PHILLIP ISLAND: Spain’s defending world champion Jorge Lorenzo topped both practice sessions yesterday as title challenger Marc Marquez struck trouble ahead of this weekend’s Australian MotoGP. Yamaha’s Lorenzo clocked one minute and 28.961 seconds for the fastest lap in second practice to hold a gap of 0.294secs over compatriot Marquez on a Honda.

But Marquez, who can claim the world title in his debut premier class season if he beats Lorenzo by sufficient points in tomorrow’s third-last race of the season, came heavily off his bike

during the afternoon run. The 20-year-old Spaniard high-sided his Repsol Honda and landed heavily on the newly-laid asphalt surface before getting to his feet.

Appearing to have escaped injury, Marquez was back out on the track less than 20 minutes later.

Spain’s Alvaro Bautista had the third-fastest lap yesterday, 0.477secs down on Lorenzo with Marquez’s Spanish teammate Dani Pedrosa fourth at 0.517secs.

Seven-time premier class world champion Valentino Rossi was fifth quickest and trailing Yamaha teammate Lorenzo’s best time by 0.576 secs. - AFP

A12

S AT U R DAY, O CTO B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

SPORTS Three Omanis for NBO Classic Rankings leader

Special treats await Sultanate’s juniors

Andrea Pavan will be joined by stars including Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson and three-time European Tour winner Nick Dougherty when the NBO Golf Classic starts at Almouj Golf on October 24

MUSCAT: With the final entries of the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic now closed, awaiting the remaining qualifiers from the Foshan Open, the field for Oman’s first European Challenge Tour event - taking place at Almouj Golf The Wave, Muscat from October 24 to 27 - has become one of the most outstanding and competitive of the season.

Due to the support and initiatives of the National Bank of Oman, the tournament has drawn

MUSCAT: For three enthusiastic young Omani golfers the NBO Golf Classic will have a special significance. The three members of the Oman junior team, who finished runners-up to Qatar in the nett division in the recent Pan-Arab Junior Golf Championship in Tunisia, will get the VIP treatment when they visit the tournament at Almouj Golf The Wave.

Al Harthi siblings Hamood and Rashad as well as Fahad Al Kitani put in an exceptional performance at Port El Kantouei Golf Club in Sousse, Tunisia, to take second place in the six-nation tournament that included strong junior teams from the UAE, Morocco, Qatar, Libya and Tunisia.

During the week as specta-

players from all around the Middle East to take on the ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ on the Challenge Tour.

According to a press release issued by the organisers, more than 25 different countries are represented in the field as the Challenge Tour celebrates its 25th anniver-

PRIVILEGED: The Oman junior team will be treated with some special sessions. – Supplied photo

tors of the NBO Golf Classic they will be treated to a special ‘insiders’ trick-shot ‘clinic’ by David Edwards, one of the most entertaining and accomplished golf trick-shot artists. They will

sary with players coming from Korea to Finland and from the USA to Portugal.

Meanwhile, three Omanis gained entry into the Classic in Category 3, which includes nationals and regional Orders of Merit.

And the trio who are given the

also get to meet the ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ among the European Challenge Tour professionals and also some of the experienced players who have won on the European Tour internation-

opportunity to compete with the stars of the future are Ali Hameed, Azzan Al Rumhy and Faisal Mohammed Al Salhab.

But the first professional tournament to be played in Oman, and the first Challenge Tour event to be held in the GCC, will headed by

ally. Scotland’s Bill Longmuir, an eight-time winner on the European Senior Tour, will also conduct a clinic and a tutorial and give the youngsters some useful tips.

Italy’s Andrea Pavan, a three-time winner on the Tour.

The Roman leads a four-strong contingent of Italians that includes Marco Crespi, winner of the Mugello Tuscany Open in July, Andrea Rota and Nicola Ravano.

“I’ve heard so much about the

Greg Norman course at The Wave and about Oman, I can’t wait to tee off,” says Pavan. “It’s one of the season’s big events and I know the pressure will be on me to perform well.”

Hot on the heels of Pavan on the Challenge Tour Rankings is Dutcchman Daan Huizing, a two-time winner on the Tour with two additional top five finishes this season.

He is joined by fellow countrymen, Tim Sluiter and Wil Besseling.

Just a few ‘Euros’ behind Huizing on the Rankings is Spain’s Adrian Otaegui, one of the most consistent players of the Challenge Tour season, but still without a win.

Francois Calmels is a two-time winner this season and currently sits ninth in the rankings, one place behind Victor Riu, among nine Frenchmen in the field.

The world-class line-up also includes: eight-time winner on the European Senior Tour Bill Longmuir, former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson; Michael Jonzon, a two-time European Tour winner and two-time Challenge Tour winner; Welshman Stephen Dodd and England’s Nick Dougherty, with three European Tour titles to their credit; Argentina’s Daniel Vancsik, a two-time European Tour winner; Welshman Rhys Davies, Austria’s Markus Brier and Denmark’s Jeppe Huldahl - all European Tour winners. England’s Garrick Porteous joins the stellar field as 2013 British Amateur Champion.

G L O B A L ATT E N T I O N

Classic to reach 250m homes MUSCAT: With the stage set for the inaugural National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, the spectacular setting of the Greg Normandesigned course at Almouj Golf overlooking the Gulf of Oman is now taking on a special significance as the structure of a worldclass golf venue takes shape.

The television coverage of the NBO Golf Classic will showcase Oman globally to a totally new audience of golfers and tourists, with more than 100 hours of coverage across 49 worldwide territories, reaching a potential 250 million homes.

The European Tour Weekly Show covers a total of 66 hours over 49 territories, reaching a potential 200 million homes.

The Golfing World programme has 20 hours across 48 territories, potentially reaching almost

250 million households. The Challenge Series show totals 14.5 hours, which goes to 34 territories, reaching a potential number of 166 million homes.

Wicked Tents and ICON Prolab are among the prestigious Premium Sponsors of the tournament. “This is a tremendous honour for Wicked Tents to be involved with this groundbreaking tournament, both as a sponsor and a contractor,” says Alistair McDonald, Managing Director of Wicked Tents and Flow.

Dave Weller, Director of ICON Prolab commented: “We are very pleased to be Premium Sponsors of the inaugural event and its sole branding supplier. “The event will be great for Muscat and the whole Oman, and will help to position Oman as a top golfing destination for tourists.”

LIST OF ENTRIES

Category 1: Andrea Pavan (ITA), Daan Huizing (NED), 3 Adrian Otaegui (ESP), 4 Johan Carlsson (SWE), 5 José-Filipe Lima (POR), 6 Sihwan Kim (KOR), 7 Victor Riu (FRA), 8 François Calmels (FRA), 9 Robert Dinwiddie (ENG), 10 Marco Crespi (ITA), 11 Jordi Garcia Pinto (ESP), 12 Jens Dantorp (SWE), 13 Duncan Stewart (SCO), 14 Tyrrell Hatton (ENG), 15 Roope Kakko (FIN), 16 Stuart Manley (WAL), 17 Tim Sluiter (NED), 18 Agustin Domingo (ESP), 19 Daniel IM (USA), 20 Jens Fahrbring (SWE), 21 Edouard Dubois (FRA), 22 Sam Walker (ENG), 23 Dylan Frittelli (RSA), 24 Byeong-Hun An (KOR), 25 Brinson Paolini (USA), 26 Andrew McArthur (SCO), 27 Daniel Gaunt (AUS), 28 Jamie McLeary (SCO).

Category 2 (Challenge Tour invitations): 29 Niklas Lemke (SWE), 30 Alvaro Velasco (ESP), 31 Andrea Rota (ITA), 32 Lucas Bjeerregaard (DEN).

Category 3 (Nationals/Regional Orders of Merit): 33 Nathan Kimsey (ENG), 34 Gareth Shaw (NIR), 35 Paul Maddy (ENG), 36 Julien Guerrier (FRA), 37 Jerome Lando Casanova (FRA), 38 Jamie Abbott (ENG), 39 Bill Longmuir (SCO), 40 Jake Shepherd (ENG), 41 Ahmed Al Musharek (UAE), 42 Knut Borsheim (NOR), 43 Jay Townsend (AUS), 44 David Taylor (ENG), 45 Alan Dunbar (NIR), 46 Brandon Stone (USA), 47 Pontus Widegren (SWE), 48 Jamie Moul (ENG), 49 Matt Ford (ENG), 50 Nacho Elvira (ESP), 51 Damian Ulrich (SUI), 52 Tapio Pulkkanen (FIN), 53 Luis Claverie (ESP), 54 Ali Hameed (OMA), 55 Azaan Al Rumhy (OMA), 56 Saleh Al Kaabi (QAT), 57 Ghanim Al Kuwari (QAT), 58

Hamad Mubarak (BRN), 59 Taymour Scarello (EGY), 60 Faisal Mohammed Al Salhab (OMA), 61 Garrick Porteous (ENG), 62 Peter Stojanovski (AUS).

Category 4: 63 Moritz Lampert (GER), 64 Lasse Jensen (DEN), 65 Anthony Snobeck (FRA), 66 Daniel Brooks (ENG), 67 Michael Jonzon (SWE), 68 Scott Arnold (AUS), 69 Callum Macaulay (SCO), 70 Carlos Del Moral (ESP), 71 Peter Erofejeff (FIN), 72 Guillaume Cambis (FRA), 73 Gary Stal (FRA).

Category 5 (120-155 from the 2012 European Tour Order of Merit): 74 Rhys Davies (WAL), 75 Gary Boyd (ENG), 76 Jamie Elson (ENG), 77 Andrew Marshall (ENG), 78 Oliver Wilson (ENG), 79 Markus Brier (AUT), 80 George Murray (SCO).

Category 6 (22-46 from final 2012 Challenge Tour Rankings): 81 Raymond Russell (SCO), 82 HP Baher (AUT), 83 Phillip Archer (ENG), 84 Daniel Vansik (ARG), 85 Wil Besseling (NED), 86 Carlos Aguilar (ESP), 87 Nick Dougherty (ENG), 88 Jeppe Huldahl (DEN), 89 Steven Tiley (ENG).

Category 7 (Players below 28 and ties at the 2012 European Tour Qualifying School): 90 David Griffiths (ENG), 91 Jason Barnes (ENG), 92 Jason Ttimmis (ENG), 93 James Ruth (ENG), 94 Dodge Kemmer (USA), 95 Sam Hursby (ENG), 96 Christophe Brazillier (FRA), 97 Tom Murray (ENG), 98 Stephen Dodd (WAL), 99 Max Glauert (GER), 100 Terry Pilkadaris (AUS), 101 Nicolo Ravano (ITA), 102 Åke Nilsson (SWE).

(12 additional players to make up the full field to 114 players)

B

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM S ATU RDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2013

MARKE

INFLATION TO DRIVE ASIA’S GOLD DEMAND Gold demand across Asia will keep expanding as inflation spurs investment purchases, said HSBC Holdings, estimating that the region’s share of worldwide consumption jumped in the past decade. >B3

THIRD QUARTER

MICROSOFT’S REVAMPED VERSION OF WINDOWS 8.1 GOES ON SALE United States software giant Microsoft pre-installed Windows 8.1 personal computers and tablets are displayed at a Windows 8.1 launching event in Tokyo, yesterday. The company released Windows 8.1 worldwide yesterday, after tweaking the operating system designed for various devices that had confused some users. The revamped version brings back the ‘start’ button, which disappeared last year and prompted protests from some PC users unaccustomed to the tiled menu adapted for touchscreens. — AFP

China’s GDP grows by 7.8%, but outlook still uncertain BEIJING: China’s economy grew at its quickest pace this year between July and September, underpinned by investment, although analysts question if the vigour would continue in coming months.

The world’s second-largest economy grew 7.8 per cent in the third quarter from a year earlier, in line with expectations, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed yesterday.

So far this year, investment has accounted for more than half of the expansion, showing the challenges faced by Beijing in trying to restructure the economy towards consumption, which policymakers expect to provide more sustainable growth in the years ahead.

After slipping in eight of the last 10 quarters, analysts said growth may fall once again in the current October-to-December period. Exports are expected to soften and authorities may also rein-in credit expansion after inflation pushed to a seven-month high.

“The growth peak was behind us in the third quarter,” said Ting Lu, an economist at Bank of AmericaMerrill Lynch. “We believe the People’s Bank of China will slightly shift its monetary policy from a moderate expansion in the third quarter to a neutral stance.”

After three decades of doubledigit expansion fuelled by exports and investment, Beijing is trying to shift or ‘restructure’ the economic mix so that activity is geared much more to consumption.

For the first nine months, the economy grew 7.7 per cent, keeping it on track to achieve the government’s growth target. - Reuters

Crude may fall 10% if Iran is back in market Brent crude might

Opec to slash shipments by 2.9%

be $150 a barrel now if US shale boom hadn’t increased oil production as output from Libya dropped and Iranian oil was blocked by import ban

DALLAS (United States): Crude prices will probably drop, perhaps as much as 10 per cent, if Iranian oil is reintroduced to the world market, Francisco Blanch, head of global commodities and derivatives research for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said at the Bloomberg Oil & Gas Conference.

“West Texas Intermediate (WTI), also known as Texas light sweet, will fall below $100, maybe to the high $90s, and Brent will be at about $105,” he said at the meeting in Houston.

“We’ve seen that a lot of economies out there cannot take spikes in prices from where things are now. Oil prices will stay in this range, and maybe drop off 10 per cent if Iranian crude comes back,” Francisco Blanch added.

Blanch spoke at the session along with Jason Bordoff, director of the Centre on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, and Barry Smitherman, chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission.

Brent crude Brent crude might be as high as $150 a barrel now if the United States shale boom hadn’t increased oil production as output from Libya declined and Iranian oil was blocked by an import ban, Blanch said. Brent settled at $110.86 a barrel on Thursday.

WTI closed at $102.29.

LONDON: The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) will cut oil shipments in October by the most in six months as refinery maintenance pushes Asian demand to a three-year seasonal low, according to Oil Movements.

Opec, which supplies about 40 per cent of the world’s crude, will lower exports by 690,000 barrels a day, or 2.9 per cent, to 23.45 million barrels a day in the four weeks to November 2, the tanker tracker said yesterday in a report.

That compares to 24.14 million in the period to October 5.

Maintenance at oil terminals in Iraq also contributed to the decline, Oil Movements said.

The figures exclude two of Opec’s 12 members, Angola and Ecuador.

“We’re moving into the depths of the maintenance season” for refineries, Roy Mason, the company’s founder, said by phone from Halifax, England. “The Chinese have backed out a bit” from the market as “stockpiles probably staged a recovery in the third quarter, so they’re not as desperate as they were earlier in the summer.”

Refinery processing rates typically decline at the end of the third quarter as plants perform maintenance before pre-

“We lost Libya and Iran, and we gained Texas,” Smitherman joked.

The Eagle Ford formation in southern Texas has boosted production from next to nothing six years ago to more than 600,000 barrels a day, he said.

Production has also been increasing in the Permian Basin

paring to meet higher demand for heating fuel during the Northern Hemisphere winter.

Brent crude was at $109.55 a barrel on Thursday on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London, after gaining 6.1 per cent in the third quarter.

Mideast shipments Middle Eastern shipments will fall 4.2 per cent to 17.12 million barrels a day in the month to November 2, versus 17.87 million in the previous period, according to Oil Movements. Those figures include non-Opec nations Oman and Yemen. Shipments from the region to Asia will fall to 12.2

in western Texas, the largest onshore oil field in the US. “The Permian is like the Energizer Bunny,” Smitherman said.

“It just keeps going and going and going.”

United States natural gas prices probably won’t rise more than 10 per cent because of liquefied nat-

million barrels a day, the lowest for the time of year since 2010, Mason said by phone.

Crude on board tankers will decline by 3.2 per cent to 466.26 million barrels on November 2, data from Oil Movements show.

The researcher calculates volumes by tallying tanker bookings and excludes crude held on vessels for storage.

Opec members include Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. It will next meet in Vienna on December 4. - Bloomberg News

ural gas (LNG) exports, Bordoff said. November gas futures were $3.769 per million British thermal units on Thursday.

“There will be modest upward pressure on prices in the US, just like there is for agricultural goods or anything else we export,” Bordoff said. - Bloomberg News

N E W S T R AT E G Y

HSBC to shut retail broking, depository services in India HONG KONG: HSBC Holdings, Europe’s biggest lender, is closing the unit that offers retail broking and depository services in India as the bank focuses on expanding faster-growing operations.

The UK lender won’t open any new broking accounts and will notify existing clients of the closing date for its HSBC InvestDirect Securities India unit, HSBC said in an e- mailed statement. It will still offer retail banking and wealth management, commercial banking, investment banking and capital markets, institutional broking, asset management and insurance services in India.

“The closing down of the retail brokerage operations will help HSBC to free up capital which will be deployed in other growing businesses,” Gareth Hewett, a Hong Kong-based spokesman for the company, said by phone.

“The group’s strategy is to invest in faster-growing businesses including wealth management and trade financing.”

The lender is retreating from some markets as chief executive Stuart Gulliver seeks to increase profitability. HSBC completed the sale of its US credit card unit to Capital One Financial in May 2012 and sold its stake in China’s Ping An Insurance Group in February.

Shares of HSBC gained 0.5 per cent to HK$84.50 in Hong Kong as of the noon trading break.

The city’s benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 0.6 per cent.

Job cuts Hewett said 300 employees will be affected by the Indian closing, without specifying how many job cuts there will be. He declined to give a time frame for winding down the operations and to disclose Indian brokerage revenue.

HSBC has 50 outlets in India across 29 cities, according to Vinh Tran, a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman of HSBC. The London-based lender currently has about 30,000 employees in the South Asian country.

The UK bank paid $296 million

The closing down of the retail brokerage operations will help HSBC to free up capital, which will be deployed in other growing businesses Gareth Hewett Spokesperson, HSBC

in 2008 for control of brokerage IL&FS Investsmart, which it renamed HSBC InvestDirect India.

HSBC’s presence in India dates back to 1853. India and mainland China are among the lender’s priority markets where it expects future growth opportunities to be concentrated, according to the bank’s latest annual report. HSBC generated $809 million pretax profit from India last year, compared with $813 million a year earlier, the report shows. - Bloomberg News

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B2

S AT U R DAY, O CTO B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

FEATURE

W

ith swelling social security costs and slow growth in tax revenues pushing the nation’s total debts to a record high, the government must introduce painful measures such as tax hikes and social security system reform to free the nation from its longstanding fiscal dependence on debt. Whether the government can take concrete steps toward such reform is the key to rectifying the situation. According to a quarterly report announced by the Finance Ministry, the nation’s debts as of the end of June were about 1.01 quadrillion yen (about $10.46 trillion). It is the first time the combined total of three types of debt went beyond one quadrillion yen. The debt per capita was about 7.92 million yen.

The debts announced every three months by the ministry consist of outstanding government bonds, borrowing and financing bills, issued to finance the national treasury on a short-term basis. It indicates the entire picture of the government’s procurement of funds. This figure is calculated in a different manner from outstanding long-term debts of the central and local governments, which are expected to total about 977 trillion yen as of the end of fiscal 2013, used for international comparison. This figure excludes fiscal investment and loan programme bonds and financing bills. For about two decades in the postwar period, the government could maintain fiscal management with practically no debt, thanks to massive natural increases in tax revenues caused by rapid economic growth.

The first Cabinet of Prime Minister Eisaku Sato in fiscal 1965 issued deficit-financing government bonds for the first time after the war. The Tokyo Olympics were held in 1964 and afterward a tight money policy was adopted, resulting in a business slump. Deficit-covering bonds were issued to fill the gap between the budget and lower tax

The nation’s debts by end-June were about 1.01 quadrillion yen (about $10.46 trillion). It is the first time the combined total of three types of debt went beyond one quadrillion yen. revenues. Construction bonds were also issued in fiscal 1966. Government bonds came to be issued every year to improve the social security system, including health care and welfare programmes, as well as to finance public works projects. The fiscal situation rapidly deteriorated during the period dubbed the “two lost decades” — about 20 years from March 1991 — after the burst of the economic bubble.

Social Security costs The nation’s debts stood at 216.7 trillion yen at the end of fiscal 1990, when tax revenues were at a peak. However, the debts snowballed due to the aging of the nation and economic stimulus measures, including those for public works projects. Comparison of initial budgets in fiscal 1990 and fiscal 2013 shows that social security costs, including those for health care and welfare programmes, jumped from 11.6 trillion yen to 29.1 trillion yen, a figure 2.5 times higher.

Meanwhile, tax revenues dropped 25 per cent from 58.0 trillion yen to 43.1 trillion yen, due partly to tax cuts meant to serve as economic stimulus. As a result, new government bond issuance, or new debt, jumped from 5.6 trillion yen to 42.9 trillion yen during the same period.

The nation’s one quadrillion yen debts are equivalent to 200 per cent of its gross domestic product, the highest ratio among advanced nations. If one quadrillion yen’s worth of 10,000 yen bank notes were stacked on top of each other, the pile would be about 10,000 kilometres high, the distance from Tokyo to London. The US debts were $16.74 trillion, or about 1.6 quadrillion yen, as of July, far exceeding this nation in terms of amount.

European comparison In Europe, which has been shaken by a fiscal crisis, ratings on the government bonds of such nations as Greece and Italy have been sharply downgraded. As a result, overseas investors sold these bonds, causing sharp rises in long-term interest rates. But only a few experts predict Japan’s government bonds are on the way toward sharp declines. This is because Japan is considered to be able to write off debts, if necessary, because it is the world’s largest creditor nation.

Another factor that should be taken into account is that 90 per cent of Japan’s government bonds are held by domestic investors, such as private banks. As of the end of fiscal 2012, financial institutions such as banks, insurance companies and Japan Post Bank accounted for 65.3 per cent of overall government bond holders.

The Bank of Japan, which has introduced monetary easing, has purchased a massive amount of government bonds.

Financial institutions are buying them with their depositors’ money, so even individuals who do not own government bonds are indirectly purchasing them through financial institutions. The nation is able to have 1 quadrillion yen in debts due to the 1.5 quadrillion yen in household financial assets such as bank deposits. — Takanori Yamamoto and Miho Kibiki/ Washington Post-Bloomberg News

S AT U R DAY, O CTO B E R 1 9, 2 01 3

B3

MARKET High inflation will drive demand for yellow metal in Asia: HSBC Singapore, down 31 per cent from the record in 2011. Prices, which have lost 21 per cent this year, will drop in each of the next four quarters and reach a four-year low as reduced stimulus in response to faster growth curbs haven demand, the 10 most-accurate forecasters said.

Demand for jewellery, bars and coins in India, Greater China, Indonesia and Vietnam rose to 60% of the global total as against 35% in 2004

SINGAPORE: Gold demand across Asia will keep expanding as inflation spurs investment purchases, said HSBC Holdings, estimating that the region’s share of worldwide consumption jumped in the past decade.

Demand for jewellery, bars and coins in India, Greater China, Indonesia and Vietnam increased to about 60 per cent of the global total compared to 35 per cent in 2004, economists including Frederic Neumann wrote in a note yesterday, citing data from the World

Gold Council. Bullion is mostly used in the region as a store of value, Neumann wrote.

While gold is heading for its first annual loss since 2000 as the United States recovers and the Federal Reserve weighs tapering stimulus, the slump spurred increased demand among coin and jewellery buyers across Asia. Since 2008, demand for gold in India more than doubled, while consumption in China rose almost 350 per cent, Neumann said.

The two countries -- India and

IN DEMAND: While gold is heading for its first annual loss since

2000 as the United States recovers and the Federal Reserve weighs tapering stimulus, the slump spurred increased demand among coin and jewellery buyers across Asia. – Agency file picture

China are the largest buyers.

“With inflation still elevated in many markets and interest rates not offering adequate compensation, expect Asia’s voracious appe-

AV I AT I O N

Etihad, Singapore Airlines enter into cargo agreement Times News Service MUSCAT: Etihad Cargo and Singapore Airlines Cargo have agreed to exchange confirmed cargo capacity on services operated by both the airlines from Abu Dhabi to London Heathrow and Frankfurt.

The agreement enables Etihad Cargo to offer capacity to Singapore Airlines Cargo on one of its weekly freighter services from Abu Dhabi to Frankfurt, in addition to access to its cargo network to the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia, said a press release.

Singapore Airlines Cargo will in turn offer cargo capacity on its freighter services to London Heathrow that are operated via Abu Dhabi.

Weekly freighter service Singapore Airlines Cargo launched a weekly Boeing 747400 freighter service from Singapore to London Heathrow via Abu Dhabi in June this year. A second freighter service on the same routing is planned to commence on October 31.

David Kerr, Etihad Airways

This year we have strengthened our cargo operations by expanding the freighter fleet, launching new destinations, increasing frequencies, and by working with partner carriers such as Singapore Airlines David Kerr Vice-president (Cargo), Etihad Airways

vice president (Cargo), said: “This year we have strengthened our cargo operations by expanding the freighter fleet, launching new destinations, increasing frequencies, and by working with partner carriers such as Singapore Airlines Cargo. We look forward to working with Singapore Airlines Cargo to further enhance cargo access and network connectivity for our respective customers.”

SMARTEN UP DRIVE SAFE A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

Tan Tiow Kor, senior vice president, sales and marketing at Singapore Airlines Cargo, said: “We are very pleased with this capacity exchange with Etihad Cargo.

It will offer customers of both airlines more choice of flights to ship their cargo and improve access to the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and Germany. We look forward to further strengthening our relationship with Etihad Cargo.”

tite for gold to persist,” Neumann wrote. “Asia is going for gold. Over recent years, demand has soared.”

Gold for immediate delivery traded at $1,318.99 an ounce in

Rising prices “In markets like India, Vietnam and China, consumers have few tools with which to protect their savings against rising prices,” said Neumann. “In recent years, rising inflation stoked demand for gold in a number of markets.”

Consumer prices in China will rise 2.7 per cent next year and 3.1 per cent in 2015, from 2.6 percent this year, according to HSBC forecasts.

Inflation in India, seen at 8.7 per cent this year, will be 7.7 per cent in 2014 and 7.9 per cent in 2015.

India increased import taxes

on bullion three times this year to cool demand after buying helped widen the current-account deficit and hurt the rupee.

The government plans to keep imports to 800 tonnes in the year to March 31 from 845 tonnes a year earlier, Economic Affairs Secretary Arvind Mayaram said on October 1.

“Soaring gold demand in the region is associated with deteriorating current-account positions,” Neumann said. “Of course, gold is not the only, or even the main, reason for shrinking surpluses (rising oil demand is the main culprit).

Still, burgeoning gold imports clearly don’t help.” - Bloomberg News

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B4

S AT U R DAY, O CTO B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

MARKET Investors seek repeat of $40b oil patch windfall Shareholders from Carl Icahn to Relational Investors’ Ralph Whitworth see energy firms as prime targets for agitation as executives fail to realise the value of reserves amid stable natural gas prices and $100-a-barrel oil

HOUSTON: Emboldened by a $40 billion windfall and success this year in kicking out chief executives, activist investors are poised to shake up more boardrooms in 2014.

Shareholders from Carl Icahn to Relational Investors’ Ralph Whitworth still see energy companies as prime targets for agitation as executives fail to realise the value of reserves amid stable natural gas prices and $100-abarrel oil.

“We still see opportunity,” Whitworth said in an interview. “There’s been a perennial lack of discipline in the industry that has improved with the attention of activists.”

Relational helped seek and win boardroom concessions at Occidental Petroleum in 2010 as well as a slate of asset sales and restructuring at Hess Corporation this year. New York-based Hess is the top performer on the Dow Jones Oil & Gas Titans 30 index this year through yesterday, jumping 56 per cent compared to the benchmark’s 10 per cent increase.

“I don’t think this trend of in-

creased activism is going away,” Bruce H. Goldfarb, chief executive officer of Okapi Partners, a proxy solicitor that advised Elliott Management’s challenge at Hess, said on Thursday at the Bloomberg Link Oil & Gas Conference in Houston. “It’s something we’re certainly to see this proxy season and likely beyond.”

Devon Energy, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold and WPX Energy may become targets for activists who see a chance to speed up efforts to boost shares, buy reserves that are undervalued and win shareholder support for management and governance changes, according to Edward Jones, Frost Investment Advisors and Livermore Partners. Spokesmen for Devon and WPX declined to comment. A spokesman for Freeport didn’t return a call.

Activist season Icahn started off the new activist season earlier this month by taking a 6 per cent stake in Canadian oil and gas producer Talisman Energy. Icahn paid about $277

I don’t think this trend of increased activism is going away. It’s something we’re certainly to see this proxy season and likely beyond Bruce H. Goldfarb Chief executive, Okapi Partners

million for shares in the Calgarybased company and said on Twitter that he may seek conversations with management regarding “strategic alternatives, board seats, etc.”

Since 2011, 10 companies targeted by activist investors such as Icahn or Daniel Loeb have increased in total market value by a net $40 billion, rising at an average rate almost triple the returns of the Russell 3000 Energy Index, according to data.

More investor money is flowing to activist portfolios that might reproduce those windfalls in other energy companies.

Hedge funds that break up board

rooms or push for sales are among the fastest-growing and bestperforming investments on Wall Street, with $73 billion to deploy this year compared to $12 billion in 2003, and an average return of 13 per cent since 2009, according to Barclays.

Downside risk Activism isn’t without risk.

Transocean, which later raised its dividend after Icahn announced an initial 2 per cent stake in the company in January, has fallen 16 per cent since the day before the investor’s position was revealed.

“There’s less downside risk in energy” because natural gas prices have stabilised, William D. Anderson, global head of activism and raid defense at Goldman Sachs said at the Bloomberg panel. There’s opportunity once you get past that risk, he said.

Devon, Apache and Newfield Exploration, which have embraced asset sales and other shareholderfriendly steps to boost value, may still draw activists pushing for faster change, David Neuhauser, managing director at Livermore Partners, said in a telephone interview on October 15.

Reserve values “Even though some aren’t waiting for Icahn to come knocking, they may need to do more to show that they’re serious about extracting value,” said Neuhauser at Livermore, which owns shares in Occidental, Talisman and Devon.

Icahn announced his stake in Talisman on October 7 after the company spent a year working on

its own restructuring plan under a new chief executive officer. Icahn didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

Devon, Apache and Newfield hold oil and gas reserves that are among the lowest valued by energy company investors in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The ratio of Newfield’s stock price as a multiple of the company’s oil and gas reserves per share is about 7.1, Devon’s is 8.6 and Apache’s is 12. The average of 23 energy companies in the S&P 500 is about 16.

Returning cash Some investors may also seek to force Oklahoma City-based Devon to raise its payouts to shareholders, said Brian Youngberg, an analyst with Edward Jones in St Louis. The company holds $4.23 billion in cash on its balance sheet, an amount that exceeds the cash held by ConocoPhillips, which is about four times Devon’s size, according to data.

Devon chief executive John Richels began repatriating some of the $6.5 billion in cash it had amassed in overseas subsidiaries, returning $2 billion to the parent company this year. Shareholders may push for the firm to bring the rest back immediately rather than waiting for the company to announce its plans. - Bloomberg News

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BRIEFS

Swiss private bank to shut down over US tax dispute ZURICH: Swiss private bank Frey is to close due to ‘unsustainable costs’ stemming from the country’s dispute with the United States over alleged tax evasion, it said yesterday, making it the second Swiss bank to shut as a result of the row. Switzerland and the US have been at odds since 2010 over a US campaign to get Switzerland’s banking secrecy laws cracked open so it can identify possible US tax evaders.

AIA advances to record on new business growth HONG KONG: AIA Group, the second-largest Asiabased insurer by market value, rose to a record in Hong Kong trading after its value of new business climbed a stronger- thanexpected 26 per cent in the third quarter. The insurer surged 4.4 per cent, the most in more than 13 months, to close at HK$40.05.

Santander aims to double US bank profit by 2016 MADRID: Spain’s Santander is aiming to double profits from its United States banking business in the next three years from $1 billion now, Chairman Emilio Botin said on a visit to New York, in comments confirmed by the bank yesterday. Botin said that Santander’s U.S. bank, which operates in the northeast of the country, was also aiming to reach a 10 per cent market share from 3 per cent now. - Agencies

INDIAN MARKETS

Sensex rises to three-year high; currency depreciates MUMBAI: Indian equities climbed the most in Asia, driving the benchmark index to its highest close in three years, amid speculation capital inflows will accelerate as the United States Federal Reserve maintains stimulus.

Sesa Sterlite surged to a ninemonth high. ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank advanced more than 3 per cent each. Reliance Industries climbed to a three-month high.

The S&P BSE Sensex soared 2.3 per cent to 20,882.89 at the close, the highest level since November 2010.

The Federal Reserve shouldn’t begin paring bond purchases because the government halted data used to gauge the economy’s health during its 16-day shutdown, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said on Thursday.

Overseas investors have bought a net $1.2 billion of local shares this month, adding to inflows of $2 billion in September, data from the market regulator show.

“India will gain from an increased appetite for emerging markets as optimism grows the Fed will delay tapering after the U.S. government shutdown,” said Shishir Bajpai, a senior vice-president at IIFL Wealth Management, which has about $1.8 billion of shares under management and advisory.

ICICI Bank jumped 4.6 per cent, the most since October 11.

HDFC Bank, the biggest by market value, increased 3.4 per cent.

Indusind Bank surged 6.3 per cent, the most since September 5, helping the S&P BSE Bankex Index end two days of losses.

Sesa Sterlite rallied 5.8 per cent to Rs194, the highest price since January 14. Copper rose, set for the biggest weekly gain in four, after China’s economic growth quickened for the first time in three quarters, bolstering the demand prospect for metals in the largest user. Tata Steel surged 6.1 per cent, taking the month’s rally to 21 per cent.

Rupee eases Volatility in India’s rupee fell to a two-month low on speculation a United States budget impasse that weighed on the world’s largest economy will prompt the Federal Reserve to prolong stimulus that’s buoyed emerging markets.

The rupee reversed gains, sliding as much as 0.8 per cent to 61.71 a dollar before ending the day at 61.27 versus 61.22 on Thursday, according to prices from local banks. It fell 0.3 per cent this week.

One-month implied volatility, a measure of expected moves in the exchange rate used to price options, fell 178 basis points, or 1.78 percentage points, this week to 12.97 per cent, according to data.

The Reserve Bank of India is looking at ending an emergency facility under which it has directly sold dollars to state refiners since late August, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. - Bloomberg News

B SECTION

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

LIFE & STYLE

S AT URDAY, OCTOB E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

CAN

BE A WORTHY ADVERSARY?

I

did not like my college composition instructor. But she was wise about what I needed to learn and she did me much good. Professors who have that exhausting assignment must be a special breed.

Leave it to another college comp teacher to write a short essay that clarifies, better than anything I have read, the disconnect between high school and college that not only troubled me as a student but is still poisoning American secondary schools.

The essay, Boredom’s Paradox, was buried on a back page of a recent Education Week.

The author was Mark Bauerlein, an English professor at Emory University in Atlanta who is so well known, I was surprised to learn that he taught freshman comp. I always thought that was scut work reserved for graduate students. Bauerlein analysed why teenagers drop out, with a twist that made much of what I have read about how to improve high schools seem inane and counterproductive.

He cited a 2006 study by the public policy firm Civic Enterprises that found 47 per cent of high school dropouts thought their classes were boring, and 69 per cent said school did not motivate or inspire them. Most believed they could handle the work, but didn’t want to. He said the 2010 High School Survey of Student Engagement found 66 per cent of students were bored “at least every day.” Their biggest complaint was the uninteresting and irrelevant material they had to learn.

Bauerlein summed up expert advice for curing these ills: “We need energetic instructors to present pertinent material in lively ways.

Teachers should draw more assignments from real-world situations and create projects that are collaborative by nature, or culturally relevant. . . . If students recognise direct connections between schoolwork and their personal lives, including their future employment, academic engagement will rise, and they’ll stay in

The biggest complaint students have is the uninteresting and irrelevant material they have to learn

school and proceed to college and the workplace ready to thrive.”

This seemed too pat to Bauerlein. He had a thought: assume the experts were right and all those potential dropouts graduated and headed to college because of their livelier and more relevant high schools. What next?

Disaster, he predicted. “Likely, they’ll end up in a situation that is the opposite of what they experienced in high school,” he said. In most cases they would have to take freshman comp, a course that Bauerlein said was “universally dreaded by 18-year-olds.”

“Few of them would enjoy grammar exercises or paragraph development or the revision process,” he said. “And chances are they don’t easily relate to the readings,” even at a selective college like his that gets some of the country’s most motivated students. “Many also have to take a math or another quantitative-skills course — subject matter irrelevant to students interested in the arts and humanities,” he said.

Required history and civics courses would also be “thoroughly alien to their job ambitions and leisure activities.”

I occasionally get e-mail from readers who grumble about today’s students forgetting the importance of applying the seat of one’s pants to the seat of one’s chair until they master the lesson. Bauerlein, a relatively youthful 54, makes the point better, although like most everyone else who feels this way, he is not sure of the solution.

“Boredom is not always something to be avoided,” he concluded. “It is to be accepted and worked through.”

I have seen high school teachers help students work through that boredom by creating a team spirit through which students help one another overcome ennui to attain some goal, like passing an Advanced Placement test. But how many of them are capable of being tough enough to actually teach kids how to make that happen? — Jay Mathews/The Washington Post

B6

S AT U R DAY, O CTO B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

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Film Information - 24540856 / Advance Booking - 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinema.net

STARS CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Ramaiya Vastavaya (Telugu) (Action/ Comedy) Cast: Jr. NTR, Shruthi Hassan and Samantha 3:30pm (Main Cinema), 6:45 & 9:45pm (Cinema 2) CP No: 1194 Naiyaandi (Tamil) (Action/Comedy) Cast: Dhanush, Nazriya Namzim 3:45pm (Cinema 2), 6:45 & 9:45pm (Cinema 3) CP No: 1190 Daivathinte Swantham Cleetus (Mal) (Drama) Cast: Mammootty, Honey Rose, Aju 3:45pm (Cinema 3), 6:45 (Cinema 4) & 9:30pm (Cinema Main) CP No: 1189 Memories (Mal) (Drama) CP No: 1194 Cast: Prithviraj, Meghna Raj 3:45, 9:45pm (Cinema 4), 6:30pm (Cinema Main)

For More Information 24789032, 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

ACES ON BRIDGE

A tough play for anyone to find

SUDOKU

2

1

8

3 5 7 2 6

5 4

HOW TO PLAY Fill the empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and area.

— Seven Galaxies

2 3 9

8 5 6 4 9 3 8 4 6

9 8 7 1 9 5 3 5 4

6 3 2 7

5 1 9 4 6 2

8 6 2 3 7 9

7 4 3 8 1 5

9 8 7 6 4 1

2 3 1 5 8 7

6 5 4 2 9 3

3 9 5 1 2 4

4 7 6 9 5 8

3 5 6 2 4 8 7 1 9 7 4 9 3 6 1 8 2 5 8 1 2 5 9 7 6 3 4 Previous puzzle Solution

MARMADUKE

CROSSWORD

B I G NAT E

ACROSS 1 — for yourself 5 Salmon variety 9 Not on 12 Jai — 13 Type of muffin 14 Ja, to Jacques 15 Book cover information 17 Plucks 19 Bryce Canyon state 21 Leather item 22 Electrical unit 25 — voce 28 Lawyer’s customer 30 Wild blue — 34 Estuary 35 Lambda follower 36 N.Y. neighbour 37 Country addr.

38 Fruit ice 40 Think up a storm 42 Lutz alternatives 44 Quaint cry of horror 45 Send packing 48 — do for now 50 Kind of ballot (hyph.)

53 Type of orchard

57 58 60 61 62

Always, to Keats Courtroom bargain Rake Tint “Betsy’s Wedding” star 63 Slant DOWN 1 Not lean 2 Yalie 3 — King Cole 4 Make thinner 5 Trucker’s radio 6 Lawn products brand 7 Gee’s opposite 8 I, to Claudius 9 Seep 10 Power source 11 It may be shaken 16 UFO pilot 18 Black, in verse 20 Shrewd 22 DVD predecessors 23 Mishmash 24 Polygraph flunker 26 Office worker of yore 27 Insect eater

29 Taos loc.

31 Kind of race 32 Blues singer — James 33 Cattail 39 Cotton sheet 41 Moray catchers 43 Like a tablet 45 Felt grateful 46 Heavy hydrogen

discoverer 47 English lord’s address 49 DJ’s platter 51 Envir. monitor 52 Not up to snuff 54 Copacetic (hyph.)

55 Billiard stick 56 Chop down 59 Battery size

Answer to previous puzzle

WILSON Mizner said, “Life’s a tough proposition, and the first hundred years are the hardest.”

At the bridge table, for most players the first trick is the hardest.

They do not give it nearly enough thought.

Today’s deal, for example, would defeat most players — although, to be honest, many would still make the contract courtesy of a misdefence by East. South is in three no-trump. West leads his fourth-highest spade and East puts up the nine. What should happen?

I agree with North’s not using Stayman with 4-3-3-3 distribution and honours in every suit.

South starts with eight top tricks: two spades (given the opening lead), four diamonds and two clubs. In addition, two more tricks can be established in hearts.

It looks so easy to win the first trick and play a heart. However, East can take that trick and return his second spade. This establishes his partner’s suit, while West still has the heart king as an entry. South loses three spades and two hearts.

A better line for declarer is to cross to dummy with a diamond at trick two, then to play a heart.

But if East is knowledgeable, he will take the trick and lead back his remaining spade. (Remember, if you have only one card left in partner’s suit and it is one lead from being established, do your utmost to win the next defensive trick, trying to save your partner’s entry for use once his suit is ready to run.)

So, what is the solution? South must duck the first trick. Yes, East will lead the spade six, but declarer still gets two spade tricks, and when East is in with his heart ace, he will not have a spade left. (If East had a third spade, South would lose only two spades and two hearts.)

— By Phillip Alder

1 2 8 7 3 6

BORN LOSER

WITH LOVE

SHIFA

SHAAZ

JANUSHIKA

October 19

October 19

October 19, 2007

BRONSON PINTO

SHANMUGA PRIYA

EDWIN ABRAHAM

October 18, 2004

October 17, 2009

October 16, 2003

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

KIDSPOT

H E A LT H C A P S U L E

S AT U R DAY, O CTO B E R 1 9, 2 01 3

PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Y O U R B I R T H D AY

BORN today, you are a positive, affable, easygoing individual for the most part, and you are able to navigate life’s trickier passages with aplomb — mostly because you try very hard not to let things bother you too much! Though there will certainly be times when you prefer your own company and the company of a few dear friends or loved ones, you are quite able to enjoy the social scene. Indeed, your presence at parties is often sought after. You know how to speak well, dress well and brighten a room simply by walking into it, but at the same time you never feel the need to monopolise the conversation or attract more attention than necessary.

You have a good deal of drive and stamina. When you are working, there is very little that can distract you from the task at hand. You are not always a good multi-tasker; you prefer to focus on one endeavour at a time to ensure that it is accomplished to the best of your ability.

Also born on this date are: John Lithgow, actor; Peter Max, artist; Jack Anderson, columnist; Robert Reed, actor; Evander Holyfield, boxer.

11.57pm 3.15pm 5.43pm 6.54pm 4.50am

Sunset Sunrise (Tomorrow)

5.38pm 6.06am

High tide Low tide

9.03am 3.24am

9.33pm 3.06pm

FIND-IT-ALL

W E AT H E R

AIRLINES

M

ainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate with chances of clouds developments over Al Hajar mountains towards afternoon. Chance of late night and early morning low clouds or fog patches over the areas of southeastern coast and Al Wusta Governorate.

EXPECTED WINDS: Along the coastal areas of Oman sea winds will be northeasterly light to moderate during day becoming variable light at night and easterly to

southeasterly light to moderate over the rest of the Sultanate.

SEA STATE: Slight over most of Oman’s coasts with maximum wave height of 1.25 metres.

HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY: Good over most of the Sultanate and poor during fog .

THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Mainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate. Chance of early morning low clouds or fog patches over the areas of southeastern coast and Al Wusta Governorate.

Max

OMAN

WORLD

Max 38 Min 31 Max 20 Min 9

Max 31 Min 22

Max 35 Min 28 Max 17 Min 12

Max 34 Min 29

Max 5 Min 0

Max 41 Min 26

Max 42 Min 29

Max 41 Min 26

LIBRA L

Max 36 Min 29

[[SEPT. [S S 23-OCT. 22] Someone who has been insignificant to you in the past is likely to play a prominent role in your affairs before the day is out.

Max 35 Min 25

Max 28 Min 25

Max 29 Min 16

Max 32 Min 24 Max 24 Min 12

Source: www.met.gov.om

SCORPIO S You’re yearning for something that may no longer be available, so you must chalk this up to the power of nostalgia.

SAGITTARIUS S [[NOV. 22-DEC. 21] You may have missed the window for contributing to a group effort. This is what comes of procrastinating! The lesson is learned.

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19] You’re receiving a great many warnings, but you aren’t quite sure how they concern you. Perhaps you were best to pass them on to others.

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI) QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (Route 36) Dept Destination Arrival Time Time 15:00 Quriyat 16:30 15:00 Sur 18:00 15:00 Jaalan 19:30

GULF Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Kuwait Manama Riyadh

36 35 35 36 36 39

24 25 27 23 21 21

WORLD Athens Baghdad Beijing Berlin Boston Cairo Colombo Frankfurt Hong Kong Istanbul Johannesburg Kuala Lumpur Lisbon Paris Perth Singapore Tokyo Toronto

22 30 18 12 19 27 31 16 27 15 23 31 21 19 18 31 20 13

16 17 8 11 10 17 26 13 22 10 10 24 19 16 9 24 16 5

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41) 06:30 Sohar 06:30 Buraimi 08:00 Buraimi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Buraimi 16.00 Sohar 16.00 Buraimi TO SINAW (Route 52) 17:30 Sinaw

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Operating Days Daily Daily Daily

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (Route 36) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily 05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily 05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

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

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

20:50

Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41) 07:00 Sohar 07:00 Ruwi 13:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 17:00 Ruwi TO SINAW (Route 52) 07:00 Ruwi

08:55 11:40 20:20 14:55 17:40 19:20 22:15

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

10:25

Daily

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54) 14:30 Nizwa 14:30 Yanqul

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54) 06:00 Nizwa 06:00 Ruwi

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54) 08:00 Nizwa 08:00 Al Araqi

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54) 15:40 Nizwa 15:40 Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

TO SUR (Route 55) 07:30 Sur 14:30 Sur

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

TO SUR (Route 55) 06:00 Ruwi 14:30 Ruwi

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (Route 62) 06:30 Fahud 06:30 Yibal

10:30 11:15

Daily Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (Route 62) 12:30 Fahud 12:30 Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (Route 100) 07:00 Salalah 20:00 10:00 Marmul 20:30 10:00 Salalah 23:30 19:00 Salalah 07:40

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (Route 100) 07:00 Ruwi 19:50 10:00 Marmul 13:15 10:00 Ruwi 22:30 19:00 Ruwi 07:30

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (Route 102) 15:00 Salalah 07:00

Daily

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18] That which is old and threadbare can be turned into something new, crisp and shiny today with a little love and care.

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20] You may be tempted to duck out of a meeting or other group forum in favour of private time and a little spontaneous fun.

16:50

SALALAH TO DUBAI (Route 102) 15:00 Dubai 07:00

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19] Your focus is keen and steady, yet you may not be entirely aware of what is going on at the very limits of your perception.

TAURUS [APRIL 20-MAY 20] You can afford to be just a little more daring. What you want to do is impress another with your ability to take a calculated risk.

GEMINI [MAY 21-JUNE 20] A strong start is essential, and it depends on confidence and your honest appraisal of where you stand in relation to others.

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22] Your own creativity is on the increase, and you can turn something old into something new and exciting as a result.

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22] Others around you may be losing the ability to keep things lined up correctly, but you have the power to oversee things effectively.

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22] Much that happens today will come as no surprise, but during evening hours you may be startled to learn you’ve overlooked a significant event.

TO DUBAI (Route 201) 06:00 Sohar 06:00 Dubai 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Dubai 15:00 Sohar 15:00 Dubai

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily 07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily 07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201) 07:30 Sohar 07:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 15:30 Sohar 15:30 Ruwi

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

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily 16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily 16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

LISTINGS

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24783334; Appolo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24782666; Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24702542, Salalah: 23291635; Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra: 24503585; Ruwi 24811715 Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya. Tel: 24787766 Muscat, A Seeb Market. Tel: 24421691 Muscat, Al Khuwair. Tel: 24485740 Muscat, Al Hail South. Tel: 4537080 Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah.

Tel: 23291635 HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre: 24485052 Atlas Hospital: Ruwi: 24811743/ Ghubra: 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic: 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi: 24563641, Azaiba: 24499269, Sohar: 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital: 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory: 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre: 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic: 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi: 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb: 24420740 Ceregem National Raak: 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic: 24563217 Elixir Health Centre: 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre: 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre: 24472274 Hamdan Hospital: 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC: 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital: 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128, MBD: 24799077, Al Khuwair: 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital: 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital: 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair: 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC: 22004000 ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence: 24569603 Directorate General of Customs: 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries: 24510228 Public Relations Admin: 24560099 ACCOMMODATION Al Bahjah Hotel: 24424400 Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171 Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400 Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949 Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385 Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311 Al Qurum Resort: 24605945 Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979 Beach Hotel: 24696601 Bowshar Hotel: 24491105 Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121 Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660 Crystal Suites: 24826100 Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300 Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234 Haffa House Hotel: 24707207 Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123 InterContinental Muscat: 24680000 Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900 Marina Hotel: 24711711 Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565 Mina Hotel: 24711828 Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

Nuzha Hotel Apartments: 24789199 Oman Dive Centre: 24824240 Park Inn: 24507888 Qurum Beach House Hotel: 24564070 Radisson Blu Hotel: 24487777 Ramee Dream Resort Seeb: 24453399 Ramee Guestline Hotel: 24564443 Ruwi Hotel: 24704244 Safeer Hotel Suites: 24691200 Sheraton Oman Hotel: 24772772 Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa: 24776666 The Chedi Muscat: 24524400 The Treasurebox Muscat Hotel: 24502570 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours): 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot: 24704455, Air Arabia: 24700828, Air France: 24562153, Air India: 24799801, Air New Zealand: 24700732, Biman Bangladesh Airlines: 24701128, British Airways: 24568777, Cathay Pacific: 24789818, Egypt Air: 24794113, Emirates Air: 24404400, Ethiopian Airlines: 24660313, Gulf Air: 80072424, Indian: 24791914, Iran Air: 24787423, Japan Airlines: 24704455, Jazeera Airways: 23294848, Jet Airways: 24787248, Kenya Airways: 24660300, KML Royal Dutch Airlines: 24566737, Kuwait Airways: 24701262, LOT Polish Airlines: 24796387, Lufthansa: 24796692, Malaysian Airlines: 24560796, Middle East Airlines: 24796680, Oman Air: 24531111, Pakistan International Airlines: 24792471, Qatar Airways: 24771900, Qantas: 24559941, Royal Jordanian: 24796693, Saudi Arabian Airlines: 24789485, Singapore Airlines: 24791233, Shaheen Air: 24816565, SriLankan Airlines:

SATURDAY

Min

L O N G D I S TA N C E B U S T I M I N G S ( O M A N NAT I O NA L T R A N S P O R T C O M PA N Y S A O C ) * S U B J E C T T O C H A N G E

[[OCT. 23-NOV. 21]

B7

24784545, Swiss International Airlines: 24796692, Thai Airways: 24705934, Turkish Airlines: 24703033 MUSEUMS Bait Al Baranda: Corniche (seafront opp fish market), Open from Saturday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 6pm Natural History Museum: Al Khuwair, Tel: 24604957, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm; Thursday: 9am to 1pm Museum of Omani Heritage: (former Omani Museum), Madinat Al Alam, Sat-Wed 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday 9am to 1pm, Tel: 24600946 Armed Forces Museum: Bait Al Falaj, Tel: 24312651, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm; Thurs 9-12pm and 3-6pm; Fri 9-11am and 3-6pm. Al Hoota Caves 24498258; Turtle Beach 96550606/96550707 Children’s Science Museum: Shatti Al Qurum, Tel: 24605368, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Oman-French Museum: near Muscat Police Station, Tel: 24736613, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm, Thurs: 9am to 1pm Bait Al Zubair, Muscat: Tel: 24736688, Al Saidiya St., Muscat museum@baitalzubairmuseum.com Open from Sat to Thurs: 9:30am to 6pm.

National Museum Ruwi: Tel: 24701289, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Sohar Fort Museum: Tel: 26844758, Open from Saturday to Wed: 8 to 1:30pm Thurs: 9am to 1pm Muscat Gate Museum: at Al Bahri Road, Muscat open from Sat to Wed 8am to 2pm

SUNDAY FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

RIYADH 0005 JEDDAH 0005 SALALAH 0040 DACCA 0130 DACCA-CHITTAGONG 0130 KARACHI-ABU DHABI 0140 ADDIS ABABA 0350 SALALAH 0350 DUBAI 0355 DOHA 0355 BAHRAIN 0425 CAIRO 0500 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN 0510 BAHRAIN 0600 AMMAN 0615 MUNICH 0620 SALALAH 0635 ABU DHABI 0640 JEDDAH 0640 RIYADH 0640 MALPENSA 0650 FRANKFURT 0650 ZURICH 0650 DAMMAM 0705 DOHA 0715 KUWAIT 0720 LONDON HEATHROW 0730 PARIS 0745 DUBAI 0800 TEHRAN 0800 DUBAI 0800 JAIPUR 0820 BOMBAY 0825 SALALAH 0900 BANGALORE 0910 SHARJAH 0915 HYDERABAD 0925 DELHI 0925 MADRAS 0930 DUBAI 0930 ABU DHABI 0950 DOHA 1010 TRIVANDRUM 1045 COCHIN 1050 DUBAI 1100 KHASAB 1125 SALALAH 1140 CHITTAGONG 1155 TURBAT 1215 MUKHAIZNA 1230 ABU DHABI 1245 CALICUT 1305 DUBAI 1330 KARACHI 1350 LAHORE 1415 DUBAI 1545 ISLAM ABBAD 1545 BOMBAY 1645 LAHORE 1645 DELHI 1700 AMSTERDAM 1710 CALICUT 1715 LUCKNOW 1725 MUKHAIZNA 1730 HYDERABAD 1740 COCHIN 1745 BAHRAIN 1745 BAHRAIN 1745 TRIVANDRUM 1800 BAHRAIN 1810 ABU DHABI 1815 KATHMANDU 1830 SALALAH 1835 DOHA 1840 SALALAH 1855 SHARJAH 1915 DUBAI 2020 DUBAI 2020 SALALAH 2030 LUXORE 2100 MADRAS 2110 COCHIN 2115 DELHI 2125 COLOMBO 2130 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2130 BOMBAY 2130 DOHA 2135 DUBAI 2145 MADRAS 2200 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI 2225 PESHAWAR 2230 BANGKOK 2230 ZURICH-DUBAI 2235 ABU DHABI 2235 BAHRAIN 2240 ABU DHABI 2240 SALALAH 2240 FRANKFURT 2305 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY 2310 BOMBAY 2315 DOHA 2325 BAHRAIN 2335 SALALAH 2335 BANGKOK 2340 DOHA 2340 DUBAI 2345 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2345 DAMMAM 2350 KUWAIT 2355

WY682 WY676 WY406 WY916 WY824 4H583 BG021 TK776 EY384 ET624 QR170 EK866 FZ041 GF560 NL669 WY904 WY638 WY674 WY686 WY658 WY668 WY102 FZ043 WY602 WY274 WY202 WY342 NL768 G9114 WY236 WY242 EK862 WY252 WY226 WY212 WY268 EY382 QR166 9W530 WY3302 WY604 WY3922 WY372 WY3902 WY902 IX549 WY324 IX337 WY606 WY632 IX817 WY918 WY812 WY906 WY3304 WY610 QR6162 WY656 FZ045 WY346 WY204 WY246 WY292 QR164 WY664 WY254 WY232 WY284 GF564 WY646 WY3306 WY908 TG507 G9116 WY910 WY614 FZ047 WY152 9W534 WY312 WY312 KL441 AI973 6.00E+81 WY144 BA073 QR168 WY624 UL205 AI907 LH618 EY388 LX242 GF566 WY912 WY636 WY124 WY414 WY116 AI985 9W540 WY134 QR172 WY654 WY662 WY612 WY717 WY696 WY3906 WY348 WY406

RIYADH 0005 JEDDAH 0005 CAIRO 0030 SALALAH 0040 KUALA LUMPUR 0105 DACCA 0130 DACCA-CHITTAGONG 0130 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN 0210 ABU DHABI 0310 ADDIS ABABA 0350 DOHA 0355 DUBAI 0355 DUBAI 0415 BAHRAIN 0425 SIALKOT 0600 SALALAH 0635 ABU DHABI 0640 JEDDAH 0640 RIYADH 0640 BAHRAIN 0640 DOHA 0715 LONDON HEATHROW 0730 DUBAI 0800 DUBAI 0800 JAIPUR 0820 BOMBAY 0825 LAHORE 0900 LAHORE 0900 SHARJAH 0915 HYDERABAD 0925 DELHI 0925 DUBAI 0930 MADRAS 0930 COCHIN 0935 TRIVANDRUM 0935 LUCKNOW 0935 ABU DHABI 0950 DOHA 1010 TRIVANDRUM 1045 MUKHAIZNA 1045 DUBAI 1100 JAALUNI 1110 COLOMBO 1115 SALALAH 1135 SALALAH 1140 TRIVANDRUM 1215 KARACHI 1250 CALICUT 1305 DUBAI 1330 ABU DHABI 1345 MANGALORE-ABU DHABI 1425 KHASAB 1435 BANGKOK 1440 SALALAH 1440 MUKHAIZNA 1445 DUBAI 1525 DOHA 1530 BAHRAIN 1545 DUBAI 1545 ISLAM ABBAD 1545 BOMBAY 1645 DELHI 1700 CALICUT 1715 DOHA 1725 DOHA 1740 MADRAS 1740 HYDERABAD 1740 BANGALORE 1750 BAHRAIN 1810 KUWAIT 1840 MUKHAIZNA 1845 SALALAH 1850 BANGKOK-KARACHI 1900 SHARJAH 1915 SALALAH 1940 DUBAI 2020 DUBAI 2020 ZURICH 2030 COCHIN 2115 CHITTAGONG 2115 CHITTAGONG 2115 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2115 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 MALPENSA 2130 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2130 DOHA 2135 DUBAI 2145 COLOMBO 2155 MADRAS 2200 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI 2225 ABU DHABI 2235 ZURICH-DUBAI 2235 BAHRAIN 2240 SALALAH 2240 ABU DHABI 2240 MUNICH 2255 AMMAN 2300 FRANKFURT 2305 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY 2310 BOMBAY 2315 PARIS 2315 DOHA 2325 BAHRAIN 2335 DOHA 2340 DUBAI 2345 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2345 DAMMAM 2350 SALALAH 2350 KUWAIT 2355 CAIRO 2355

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

BA072 AI986 QR173 SG062 9W539 WY685 WY251 WY201 WY281 WY313 WY601 WY273 WY235 WY657 WY431 WY115 WY643 WY637 WY903 WY241 WY667 WY691 PK226 4H582 BG022 ET625 EK867 WY3901 QR171 MS931 TK779 GF561 WY901 WY813 WY327 WY603 WY3301 WY917 FZ044 WY223 WY923 WY345 WY337 WY323 WY291 WY263 WY815 WY215 WY631 WY823 G9115 WY245 WY231 WY203 WY605 WY385 WY373 EK863 EY383 QR167 9W533 IX442 WY253 PK192 WY615 WY3303 WY655 WY101 IX350 WY905 WY3905 WY663 WY405 FZ046 WY675 WY613 PA451 WY623 MP95 WY911 WY681 WY647 GF565 EY387 WY695 WY653 WY909 WY635 WY661 G9117 WY915 WY611 FZ048 9W529 CV856 WY673 QR169 6.00E+82 AI908 AI974 GF567 NL668 EY381 LX243 LH619

ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 0001 BOMBAY 0005 DOHA 0025 AHMEDABAD 0030 BOMBAY 0030 RIYADH 0050 MADRAS 0110 BOMBAY 0115 BANGALORE 0120 CHITTAGONG 0125 DUBAI 0140 JAIPUR 0145 HYDERABAD 0155 BAHRAIN 0200 TEHRAN 0200 FRANKFURT 0205 KUWAIT 0210 ABU DHABI 0215 SALALAH 0220 DELHI 0225 DOHA 0235 DAMMAM 0235 KARACHI 0240 DUBAI-DACCA 0300 CHITTAGONG-DACCA 0300 ADDIS ABABA 0450 DUBAI 0500 SALALAH 0500 DOHA 0540 CAIRO 0600 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL 0600 BAHRAIN 0730 SALALAH 0740 BANGKOK 0750 LAHORE 0750 DUBAI 0800 MUKHAIZNA 0800 KHASAB 0830 DUBAI 0840 COCHIN 0900 SALALAH 0900 ISLAM ABBAD 0915 KATHMANDU 0930 KARACHI 0930 CALICUT 0935 LUCKNOW 0935 BANGKOK 0940 TRIVANDRUM 0940 ABU DHABI 0945 KUALA LUMPUR 0950 SHARJAH 0955 DELHI 1000 HYDERABAD 1010 SALALAH 1025 DUBAI 1035 MALE 1040 COLOMBO 1040 DUBAI 1045 ABU DHABI 1050 DOHA 1115 COCHIN 1145 COCHIN 1150 MADRAS 1255 TURBAT-GWADUR 1300 DUBAI 1325 MUKHAIZNA 1330 BAHRAIN 1345 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 CALICUT 1405 SALALAH 1430 SALALAH 1450 DOHA 1450 CAIRO 1515 DUBAI 1630 JEDDAH 1645 DUBAI 1715 LAHORE 1730 DUBAI 1805 SHARJAH-SINGAPORE 1830 SALALAH 1840 RIYADH 1850 KUWAIT 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 ABU DHABI 1915 DAMMAM 1930 BAHRAIN 1935 SALALAH 1935 ABU DHABI 1940 DOHA 1950 SHARJAH 1955 SALALAH 2040 DUBAI 2045 DUBAI 2105 TRIVANDRUM 2230 HONG KONG 2230 JEDDAH 2235 DOHA 2235 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 DELHI 2310 BAHRAIN 2325 SIALKOT 2330 ABU DHABI 2330 DUBAI-ZURICH 2335 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT 2345

BA072 AI986 QR173 9W539 WY685 WY811 WY251 WY201 WY211 WY225 WY601 WY273 WY371 WY267 WY235 WY115 WY123 WY133 WY151 WY637 WY903 WY241 WY657 WY667 WY143 WY341 BG022 4H584 TK777 ET625 EK867 FZ042 QR171 EY385 NL772 WY3301 WY3921 GF561 WY3901 WY901 WY603 WY323 FZ044 WY345 WY253 WY291 G9115 WY283 WY245 WY231 WY203 NL769 WY605 WY905 WY311 EK863 WY631 WY717 EY383 QR167 WY3303 WY917 9W533 WY655 WY331 WY609 IX554 WY645 WY413 WY663 WY101 IX350 WY405 WY907 IX818 WY3305 WY909 FZ046 WY433 WY675 QR6163 WY613 WY623 QR165 WY911 WY647 WY681 GF565 WY695 WY653 WY635 WY661 WY3905 G9117 TG508 WY611 WY915 FZ048 WY825 9W529 KL442 WY673 QR169 WY817 WY3903 6.00E+82 AI908 UL206 AI974 GF567 EY381 LX243 LH619

ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 0001 BOMBAY 0005 DOHA 0025 BOMBAY 0030 RIYADH 0050 BANGKOK 0100 MADRAS 0110 BOMBAY 0115 TRIVANDRUM 0120 COCHIN 0120 DUBAI 0140 JAIPUR 0145 COLOMBO 0145 LUCKNOW 0150 HYDERABAD 0155 FRANKFURT 0205 MUNICH 0205 PARIS 0210 ZURICH 0210 ABU DHABI 0215 SALALAH 0220 DELHI 0225 BAHRAIN 0230 DOHA 0235 MALPENSA 0235 LAHORE 0240 DACCA 0300 CHITTAGONG-DACCA 0300 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL 0300 ADDIS ABABA 0450 DUBAI 0500 DUBAI 0500 DOHA 0515 ABU DHABI 0525 PESHAWAR 0700 MUKHAIZNA 0715 JAALUNI 0725 BAHRAIN 0730 SALALAH 0735 SALALAH 0740 DUBAI 0800 KARACHI 0830 DUBAI 0840 ISLAM ABBAD 0915 MADRAS 0920 CALICUT 0935 SHARJAH 0955 BANGALORE 1000 DELHI 1000 HYDERABAD 1010 BOMBAY 1025 LAHORE 1030 DUBAI 1035 SALALAH 1040 CHITTAGONG 1040 DUBAI 1045 ABU DHABI 1045 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 1045 ABU DHABI 1050 DOHA 1115 MUKHAIZNA 1115 KHASAB 1140 COCHIN 1145 BAHRAIN 1145 KATHMANDU 1225 DUBAI 1235 TRIVANDRUM 1305 KUWAIT 1330 AMMAN 1345 DOHA 1350 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 CALICUT 1405 CAIRO 1440 SALALAH 1450 MANGALORE 1515 MUKHAIZNA 1515 SALALAH 1540 DUBAI 1630 TEHRAN 1645 JEDDAH 1645 DOHA 1700 DUBAI 1715 DUBAI 1805 DOHA 1825 SALALAH 1840 KUWAIT 1850 RIYADH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 DAMMAM 1930 BAHRAIN 1935 ABU DHABI 1940 DOHA 1950 SALALAH 1950 SHARJAH 1955 KARACHI-BANGKOK 2005 DUBAI 2045 SALALAH 2100 DUBAI 2105 KUALA LUMPUR 2115 TRIVANDRUM 2230 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2230 JEDDAH 2235 DOHA 2235 BANGKOK 2240 SALALAH 2245 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 COLOMBO 2305 DELHI 2310 BAHRAIN 2325 ABU DHABI 2330 DUBAI-ZURICH 2335 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT 2345

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S AT U R DAY, O CTO B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

EXTRA Alzheimer’s treatment breakthrough

UK researchers discover how to halt death of brain cells, opening new pathway for future drug and treatments

S

cientists have hailed an historic “turning point” in the search for a medicine that could beat Alzheimer’s disease, after a drug-like compound was used to halt brain cell death in mice for the first time.

Although the prospect of a pill for Alzheimer’s remains a long way off, the landmark British study provides a major new pathway for future drug treatments.

The compound works by blocking a faulty signal in brains affected by neurodegenerative diseases, which shuts down the production of essential proteins, leading to brain cells being unprotected and dying off.

It was tested in mice with prion disease — the best animal model of human neurodegenerative disorders — but scientists said they were confident the same principles would apply in a human brain with debilitating brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

The study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, was carried out at the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester.

“It’s a real step forward,” team leader Professor Giovanna Mallucci told The Independent. “It’s the first time a substance has been

given to mice that prevents brain disease. The fact that this is a compound that can be given orally, that gets into the brain and prevents brain disease, is a first in itself… We can go forward and develop better molecules and I can’t see why preventing this process should only be restricted to mice. I think this probably will translate into other mammalian brains.”

In debilitating brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, the production of new proteins in the brain is shut down by a build-up of “misfolded proteins” or amyloids. This buildup leads to an “over-activation” of a natural defence mechanism that stops essential proteins being produced. Without these proteins to protect them, brain cells die off - leading to the symptoms of diseases like Alzheimer’s.

The compound used in the study works by inhibiting an enzyme, known as PERK, which plays a key role in activating this defence mechanism. In mice with prion’s disease, it restored proteins to protect brain cells “stopping the disease in its tracks”, restoring some normal behaviours and preventing memory loss.

Although the compound also produced significant side effects in mice, including weight loss and mild diabetes, which was caused by damage to the pancreas, Mallucci

said it would “not be impossible” to develop a drug that protected the brain without the side effects and that work towards doing so had been “very promising”.

Professor Roger Morris, acting head King’s College London’s department of chemistry, said: “This is the first convincing report that a small drug, of the type most conveniently turned into medicines, stops the progressive death of neurons in the brain as found, for instance, in Alzheimer’s disease.

True, this study has been done in mice, not man; and it is prion disease, not Alzheimer’s, that has been cured. However, there is considerable evidence that the way neurons die in both diseases is similar; and lessons learned in mice from prion disease have proved accurate guides to attenuate the progress of Alzheimer’s disease in patients.

From finding the first effective drug in a mouse, to having an effective medicine in man, usually takes decades to bring to fruition. So, a cure for Alzheimer’s is not just around the corner.” The critical point made by Mallucci’s study is that a drug, given orally, can arrest neurodegeneration caused by amyloid in the brain. “This finding, I suspect, will be judged by history as a turning point in the search for medicines to control and prevent Alzheimer’s disease.” — Charlie Cooper/The Independent

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W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M S AT U R DAY, O C T O B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

SECTION

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

RENT

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ADVERTISE NOW! 24726666 EXT: 461 / 413 /430 / 431 / 456

VACANCY

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CARGO

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S AT U R D AY, O C T O B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

1 room, 1 hall, 1 kitchen, 1 toilet at Al Khoudh, RO 210/-. Contact 97661432 / 95209425

Office/ Residential space for rent 1 & 2 Bedrooms (near lulu Wadi Al Kabir) (with A/C, full maintenance) rent 300 / 400, 1 Bedroom flat rent 225/- Wadi Al Kabir, 2000 sqm /520 sqm Land for rent (Misfa Al Ansab).

Contact 99451168, Fax 24504456

We have 3 BHK flats & rooms with bath for Families/ Working ladies/ Executive bachelor.

Contact 93782735 New building in Al Hail North more than 16 rooms near the wave.

Contact 99385058 New 1 B/R at Bausher, behind bank Muscat from owner.

Contact 93119217 Good 1, 2 BHK flats in Ruwi, MBD. Contact 99369081 Independent single unit bedroom attached toilets, kitchen, sitting and laundry area. Contact 99207840 1 BHK RO 180, 2 BHK RO 230 behind Wadikabir Indian School.

Contact 99376454 2 Bedroom, 1 Hall, 2 toilets with split AC near to Oman house Muttrah. Contact 92629232 / 97007934 New Villa at Baushar 6 BHK. Contact 95202430 Villa for rent Al Ansab near Al Maha Pump, 4 bedrooms rent 450 RO. Contact 93035055 Independent Qurum/ Hail rooms.

Contact 95529970 1BHK, 2 BHK at Ruwi near family shop. Contact 95443207

Office space (120sq-mtr-3 rooms+1 hall) for rent in 1st floor, Bank Melli Iran building, MBD area, opposite Center point. Contact 99011352

2 BHK for rent in Khuwair (Residential and Commercial) use, near Zawawi Mosque RO 450/-.

Contact 93269932 For Rent 1500 Sqm Industrial land in Rusail Industrial area, behind Rusail Hotel. Contact 99729858 / 99717791

Full furnished room for rent weekly 70 OMR, Monthly 250 OMR. Contact 99251975

Residential Commercial building in Al Ghubra South (34) Flats and 2 showrooms. Contact 95202430

Shop at Mawalah, behind City Center. Contact 98087644

Store Ghala behind Kumatsu 100 mtrs. # 99414644 / 93666201

Residential Building in Al Khuwair 42 (16) flats look for one contract.

Contact 95202430

Apartment available for rent near ISM in Darsait. Contact 95158570 Shops, workshops, coffee shop and Office space for rent at Mabelah.

Contact 91126356 / 95773737 Villa in Amerat5/1, 1floor, 3bedroom+ Majlis & hall.

Contact 95522405 Brand new, 1BHK flat available for rent in Madinat Sultan Qaboos near British council. Contact 99352441 / 99358724 4 Bedroom Villa in Azaiba near Al Fair for rent RO 600/- Month.

Contact 92447365

3BHK flat close ISG N. Ghobra, Way 4041 building 4390.

Contact 99319880 Shop for rent Ghubra near Al Maha International Hotel.

Contact 99269751 For rent 5BHK villa M.Q. Contact 99269751 Room for rent in Al Khuwair Contact 99378155 Villa in Walja. Contact 93269932 Single bedroom apartments for rent in Darsait behind KI MS hospital.

Contact 96659544

2 bedroom flats with hall, 2 bathrooms in Ruwi near boys school.

Contact 24700120 / 92584715

1 , 2 , 3 Bedroom best Flats in Mumtaz/ Wadi kabir/ Al Falaij 4 Bedroom at Muscat for bachelor, 3 Bedrooms at Mawalah. Contact 24707340 / 99472457

Super Deluxe Large 2 BHK, With All The Amenities Beside Sri Lankan school In Wadi Kabir. Rent R.O. 475 Onward. Cont. 9901 5614

Flats & Villas in Al Khuwair, Azaiba.

Contact 97616158

Flat for rent in Wadikabir.

Contact 96440598

2 flats for rent in Siddab.

Contact 92622005

Are you looking for people to staff, we have a new Villa in Bausher 7 BHK. Contact 95202430 3 bedrooms flat, 2 big hall, 2 bathrooms near Badr Al Sama, Ruwi.

Contact 99345137

Villa @ Seeb rent 450 RO with remote gate & garden.

Contact 99869897 8 BR Villa Al Ansab.

Contact 99024730 Villa 4 BHK Azaiba for rent.

Contact 95117031 1 Bedroom RO100, 1 Bedroom attached toilet RO 140, 2 Bedrooms attached kitchen & toilet RO 200 in Al Khuwair. Contact 95154331

2 BHK Flat for rent & 2 toilets with split A/C at Wadikabir, behind Bahwan Complex.

Contact 99367627 Shops at Wadikabir.

Contact 99893363 Store at Wadikabir. Contact 92844996 Flat for rent at WK next Al Hassan, 2 Bedroom, 3 toilets. # 99210008

Residential Commercial Villa available at Qurum Way no 1836, Villa no 2722, Opposite Rose Garden with 5 Bedrooms + 2 sitting room.

Contact 99316171 Shops in Al Ghubrah near Indian School Ideal for office space/ Warehouse/ Showroom 4x8.3/ 4x9/ 6.4 x 10.2 / Total area 135 Sqm RO 1200/for 3 Shops / 2 BHK in Wadikabir / Walja / Ruwi near Honda road.

Contact 99737562 2 BHK flat Muttrah Corniche, Sea view. Contact 99364735 Showroom CBD G. Floor 360 SQM. Contact 99024730 Showroom CBD M.Z. Floor 370 SQM. Contact 99024730 1 & 2 BHK CBD. Contact 99024730

New flat in Azaiba. Contact 24485240 / 24485241

2 BHK CBD. Contact 99024730 2 bedrooms flat, 2 big hall, one toilet, big kitchen in Wadi Adai.

Contact 99345137

Fully furnished apartments for Rent in Al-Khuwair and Ghubra.

Contact 95113252 or 91138757

2 & 3 BHK flat near Srilanka School in Wadi kaber 230 & 270 RO. Contact 92222922 Villa for rent at Amerat 5/1, 5bed rooms + Majlis, hall, 7 bathrooms, kitchen (with spilt units A/CS) for families. Contact 99203458 Luxurious 2 bedroom flats available for rent in Mumtaz area.Way no 3358, building no -3940.

Contact 24564460 / 61.

Flat for rent at AL Khoud opposite pizza Muscat, 2 rooms, 2 toilets with kitchen all with split unit A/C. Contact 99356678

Store CBD Basement 285 SQM. Contact 99024730 Luxury shops spaces for rent at Al Khoudh Market area and Shop for rent at Wadi Adi area. Contact 93994401 / 93994402/ 93994403/ 24834644 Free Wi-Fi CBD area furnished room for non cooking bachelor, advance deposit. Contact - 99078540 Room for rent available in a flat for executive bachelor at Azaiba behind Safeer Hypermarket with separate bath with cot & ac, rent RO 175 per month inclusive of water and electricity.

Contact 96404166

S AT U R DAY, O C T O B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

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DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

ACC. AVAILABLE

FOR SALE For sale shoes & sand with high quality & new shapes for all high Gulf grade marks our prices is very low for quantity. Shinas (Modern Mandoos for shoes). Contact: 92055570 Ready to function, restaurant for lease/sale in Barka at main high way for more than 200 persons capacity. Contact: 92912353

Land for rent in fanja (16000 m2) opposite police station for information contact: 92823100 For rent Flat at Al Hail North 3 rooms, 1 kitchen, 2 bathrooms.

Contact 99353433 4 Villas in Azaiba sitting room, hall, kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 6 toilets with AC 750 RO. Contact 99548999 2 B/R Flat for rent at Al Khuwair Behind Sagar Polyclinic monthly rent OMR 300/-. Contact 97048700 Fully furnished apartment on rent at Al Khuwair OMR. 425/- per month, near Radisson Blu. Contact 99279300 / 92406715

Steel Scrap, Old tyres, empty oil drums & batteries for sale at our Shanfari Readymix & Crushers LLC yard, at Azaiba. Interested parties may visit our site ( Sunday to Thursday ) and forward quotations in a sealed envelope, together with a deposit of RO 50/- & marked “ Head Finance (RMC) ”, P.O.Box 1099, PC 111, within 7 days. For details contact person : Mr. Shamsuddin – 99274321. (Office hours only).

Auto parts shop Wadi Kabir for sale.

Contact 95345345 Shop for sale at Ruwi, furnished for cosmetics and Electronics.

Contact 99555021 / 96747880 Fully furnished residential flat and fully furnished office with brand new office equipments for sale in Sohar. Contact 96948208 Cranes, 30 tones for sale.

Contact 99209427 Excavator 35tons for sale.

Contact 99209427

3 BHK Rex Road. Contact92144045 New villa at Al Khuwair 33, 6 bed rooms RO950/-Monthly.

Contact 99443834 Flats, shops, basement location Ruwi area to MBD area, Honda road Hamriya.Contact 92433127 / 97293708

Well running Pakistani restaurant in Mabelah for sale.

Contact 97204581 Coffee shop for sale with 8 clearances in Bidaya roadside-94369535/92174429

Flat in Wadikabir, Opp. Kuwaiti Mosque. Contact 93355300

Generator for sale 890 kva Cummins Engine 350 kva Cummins Engine. Contact 95191258 Email: info@ibnzakwani.com

Available 5 bedroom flat with 5 toilets & kitchen for rent in Ruwi.

Contact 99316402

Successfully running Gents Barber shop for immediate sale at Al Ghubra Contact 99728289

Office space 136m in Ruwi.

Contact 99316402 Available 2 bedroom flat & 160 m warehouse & 1 showroom for rent at Honda Road. Contact 99316402

Shop with Bldg. materials at Al Amerat near Bank Dhofar.

Contact 99011383

4 Villa in Aziba with sitting room & hall & 4 bad room & 6 toilets with AC 800 RO. Contact 99548999 1 and 2 BR Brand New Flats in Azaiba. Contact: 96793675 Deluxe Villa Al Khuwair 25, 6 Bedroom. Contact 98914157 1 and 2 BR Brand New Flats in Azaiba. Contact: 96793675

FOR SALE An Electrical Tools Shop in Al M’abeela Industrial area is for investment or sale. It has different stuff like fans, Lights and sockets.

The shop has 2 new Labour clearances. # 98949690 / 92365667 Oil paintings For sale. #99737812 Running Spare-Parts Shop for Sale in Wadi Kabir prime location.

Contact: 93883482 Land for sale- 4000 Sq mtrs with 2500 Sqmtrs Builtup Area in two Story Building with Store and Staff quarters good for Hypermarket/ Marriage Hall etc at Wadi LawamiSeeb. Serious Buyers Only to Contact 99061408 Furnished Shop for sale in Ruwi.

Contact 91143284 / 92260186 / 92292490

Shop in Al Hail South All type of Electronic sale & services, dish installation with or without clearance. contact 94261767 / 93853738 Office furniture for sale.

Contact 93826090 2 running Shops, Al Hail South Electronics and Plumbing, A/C, Building maintenance buy one shop or both with or without clearance.

Contact 94261767 / 97207440 Company for sale with 10 construction working available in Muscat.

Contact 99555021 / 96747880 Beauty Parlour for sale Al Mawalh, with license. Contact 95020852 Barber Shop for sale Al Mawalh, with license. Contact 95020852 New A/C for sale.

Contact 98255854 Shop for sale in Al Khuwair.

Contact 97666421 Shop for sale in Wadi Kabir two shutters. Contact 96607448 Twin villa for sale luxury twin villa for sale located in Mawaleh behind Carrefour.

Contact 95729272 King size bed, good condition RO 40/-, sofa set (3+2+1), excellent condition, RO 150.

Contact 96963167

Shop for sale in Ghala.

Contact 96653000 Camp for sale Including Porta cabin, kitchen & Dining facilities with RO plant. For more information. Contact Nasser 99808067

Furnished single room for executive bachelor near Safeer hypermarket, Azaiba. Gsm 99761216 Wattaya main road side, semi furnished one big room for working lady with internet & other facility.

Contact 97700963 Non cooking bachelor or couple at Wadi Kabir. Contact 99014325

Electrical, building material shop, behind Bank Sohar Ruwi. Contact 99359698 / 92139418

Single room for rent non cooking bachelor Rex road near Fathima rent 95 + W/E. Contact 95747799

Industrial Land 5000 SQT. Contact 99323957 / 95490842

Room available for Exe bachelor at Darsait (near Khimji).

Contact 99096608

Well furnished building material shop for sale with out Materials at Honda Road Ruwi.

Contact 99282007 / 24791313 Porta cabin and Container for sale.

Contact 99373256 Industrial Land 5000 SQT with an Empty space in front of (opposite to Mountain). Contact 99323957/ 95490842

M.V. FOR SALE

Sharing accommodation room with attached bathroom for small family or executive bachelor near Indian School Ghubrah. Contact 94478424 Furnished Bed Space available at Ruwi Mumtaz area.

Contact 99189210 Room for Indian, Ruwi R/A. Contact 92581644

Toyota Camry 2009 model, Automatic. Contact 98523301 Mitsubishi Pajero 2009 model, Automatic. Contact 99467005 Daihatsu - Granmaz Van-Good condition. Contact: 99545895 / 95451313

BUYING/SELLING

Fully furnished 1 BHK in Wadikabir is available for 3 months from December to February for family only.

Contact 99748841

We Buy all types of Wooden Scraps. mail- ahastco123@yahoo.com , Ph: 24458759/ 98539316/ 99318152

Room for rent in Ruwi. #95372192

Brand new 2013 Model Nissan Altima 2.5 S unregistered Raffle Car for sale. Contact 99817925

Sharing accommodation with attached bathroom, WIFI for a family in W/K. Contact 97167857

Mitsubishi Outlander, 51,000kms, 2010, lady driven, 3.0L, R.O. 8500.

Contact: 96915042

Ghubra furnished room + attached bath available. Contact 98267157

2007 model Nissan pickup 5seater manual. Contact 24687132 / 94277208

Portable A.C microwave oven etc.

Contact 95213828 Good Quality Wooden Kicking blocks available 1.2 mtr & 2.6 mtr length. Contact ahastco123@yahoo. com , Ph: 99318152

MATRIMONIAL Nair Girl 32 years, Post Graduate, Anizham from Palakkad working at Muscat in a Private firm seeking suitable alliance.

Contact 95046576 Kerala Nair Boy 40/175cm Divorced working as Manager post in a Business group Caste/ Religion no Bar. Contact 93563143 NAIR GIRL 24 years, Sudhajathakam from Palakkad, BA, B-Ed, born and brought up in Delhi working as Teacher in Delhi, looking for suitable proposal from the well educated Nair Boys.

Call 99822803 38 years, unmarried male Keralite RCLC seeking alliance.

Contact brother 99851123

Attached bedroom for family at Wadi Kabir. Contact 95345345 2 bedrooms, toilet. sharing kitchen, near star cinema. Contact 94136102 / 99263883

Wanted an independent room with attached bathroom for Executive bachelor in MBD, Ruwi.

Contact 97739289 Wanted – 1 BHK ( one bedroom , hall , kitchen in Al Khuwair area).

Contact 99214058 / 99620307

Mazda 6 sports 2004-model /300000 km, well maintained.

Contact 96774668 Well maintained Suzuki Desire car for sale. Contact 96140131 Lexus ES -300 premium 2006, single Expat ownership, special number plate serious buyers please Contact 95213828

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 96050000, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133.

For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit: www.islamfact.com

1 bath attached room for executive bachelors or couple at Al Khuwair.

Filipino preferred. #99468015 Big room AC + bath sharing kitchen for working ladies Wadi Hatat-2.

Contact 95613189 Available sharing Accommodation for vegetarian small Indian family or Exe bachelor 2 rooms separate bathroom, sharing kitchen Honda road Junction RO 140/- Including E & W. Contact 99030692 Horizon gym building rent R.O 150/-with attached bath, Ruwi.

Contact 92311039

Oppo O.K. Centre. Single Room with separate Bathroom for Indian Noncooking Exe. Bachelor. RO.120/- incl.

W&E. # 99502581 Oppo O.K. Centre. Single Bed space with attached Bathroom for Indian Non-cooking Exe. Bachelor. RO.75/incl. W&E. Contact 92605811

Party special decorative banners of any size (on foam sheet) for birthday – marriage& festivals (available only by advance booking) Haridas Nensey Supermarket –Ruwi.

Contact 24750784 Festival special we accept orders for roses – marigold – lotus - jasmine mix colour flowers & Garlands made from Marigold flowers (available only by advance booking) Haridas Nensey Supermarket - Ruwi. Contact 24750784 Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis etc.

Ideal Care Ayurvedic clinic, Azaiba.

Contact 99639695

Festival special fresh flowers- decorative deepaks - mitti pots (Garbas) – wooden & metal dandiya sticks - All pooja items-Idols- decoration Items& many more, available.

Haridas Nensey SupermarketRuwi. Contact 24750784 Ayurvedic treatment for backache paralysis arthritis etc. & massage All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 Genuine Ayurvedic treatments &massage, ayuredic clinic AL Khuwair. Contact 24478618/ 97263637/ 97109295

NRI ONLY

2 Bedroom for sharing fully furnished CBD area Ruwi, OMR 140.

Contact 91081906

DBHK flat for rent Ayanawaram, Chennai NRI. Contact 99354340 / 9840582788

Fully furnished sharing accommodation for Executive bachelors at Wadikabir near Kuriya Muriya supermarket. Contact 96908303

Plot for sale Prime land of 15 cents for sale near Techno Park and the upcoming International Cricket Stadium, Trivandrum, Kerala.

Contact 00968-92912353

Furnished room for non cooking Bachelor at Al Hail. #92610769

2 rooms, 2 toilets, 1 kitchen at Muttrah.# 92267370 / 92764487

Accent 1.6, 2007, Reg 4/2014, km 162000, central lock Airbag new tyres RO 1650/-.

Contact 99630574

GOOD NEWS

ACC. AVAILABLE

Shared Bachelor accommodation available in villa at Rex road area, Ruwi Contact- 99013227

Subaru legacy, 2006 Contact 99328414

Furnished single room, attached bath in Mumtaz area. Call 99334770

Room with separate kitchen / Toilet Wadi adai. Contact 95166939

ACC.WANTED

Toyota Camry 2003 model1 year Mulkiya. Contact 93806625

2010 model White 1.8 L Corolla driven by Expat lady done 100000 km for immediate sale. Contact 99268075 / 96779185

Villa for sale brand new luxury villa for sale constructed by renowed builders 1600 SQ FT, 3 bedrooms with attached bathrooms near to Techno park, Trivandrum, Kerala.

Contact 00968-92912353

Premium Luxury new Villas for sale at Ernakulam near by Choice Tower. Email northhailoman@gmail.com / northhailinternational@gmail.com / 99268075 / 96779185

3 BHK Flat 2400 Sq Ft, Ready to occupy,at K.R.Puram Bangalore.

Contact 96568583

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

C4

S AT U R D AY, O C T O B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

SITUATION WANTED Indian Male, B.Tech, 8 years Experience in Teaching & Admin, web developing ,c,c++,java,HTML,DHTML, programming,looking for suitable position. # 98290053,97068258 Email: vasanth.blessy@gmail.com Filipina, 29 years old nursing aide graduate with 2 years experience as hotel receptionist in oman and 7 yrs exp in Hospital administration.. contact number 97205586 Indian female, 24 yrs, having 3 yrs experience in Hospitality & HR. Presently working as Customer Care Executive in a reputed firm. Seeks suitable post.

Contact no: 94288397, Email: rajeevrajan307@gmail.com Accountant 25 yrs male having bachelor degree, last 4 years experience in Pakistan of UAE base trading company, seeks suitable position of accountant. Contact 00923453285697 Indian male 24 yrs Diploma in air conditioning 3 yrs exp.# 91045627

DRIVER Urgently required experienced Driver. Contact 95396944

ADMIN Projects Administrator. A Telecom Support Services company is looking for a projects admin clerk.

Candidates having office/projects coordination skills, good MS office knowledge and valid Oman Driving License, please send CV and Photograph to vacancies1@yahoo.com .

Experience in HR/Accounts will be an added advantage. Job involves travelling within Muscat area.

Gallery Administrator cum Marketing Assistant -1 female with experience for office management and good communication skills for newly open art gallery. Kindly forward your updated CV to ckabbott@stalgallery.com Wanted 1) Omani PRO- with English knowledge and experience, 2) DEBT Collector 3) Marketing Executive for TBR Tyre. Email CV to mohdautocentre@ gmail.com or Call 24816774 Urgently required Filipino female with experience in Administrative function inducing accounts, clerical work & secretarial work.

Email: hrdnff@mail.com

Wanted Driver. Call - 24170076 / 98936716. Send resume: tthrteam@gmail.com.

EDUCATION Urgently required Female English Teacher for Omani girl, Location: Al Amerat. Interested candidates, contact: Email: aayip.bmd@gmail. com / 93211688.

A Bilingual School in Muscat is looking for English Teachers Native speakers for primary section.

Email jobsnelite@gmail.com Call 98462019

ENGINEERS/TECH Urgently required Oman experienced Civil Foreman. Rush CV : to 24799791 or call 99860239 Fire Safety Technician- Attested Diploma in Fire & Safety. Call 94051722 Email : prestigeprojectsoman@gmail.com Sales Executive- Diploma Electrical Engineering with driving license. Call 94051722 Email : prestigeprojectsoman@gmail.com

Required urgently Beauticians, prefer Gulf experience spoken English required. Contact 99321847

Mason, shuttering / furniture carpenters, steel fixers, electricians, plumbers. Contact: 99412085, 95204550, E-mail: muscathr@hotmail.com or upload to www.midastouchllc.com

Beautician cum Hair Dresser.

Contact: 99412085, 95204550, E-mail: muscathr@hotmail.com or upload to www.midastouchllc.com

Urgently required 11 KV Cable jointer with license with GCC experience. Send your CV : dsekar@gmail.com

BEAUTY

Beautician wanted Urgently for Beauty Parlour located at MBD area.

Attractive Package offered.

Contact 95194055

CATERING Urgently required the following position: - A person who have experienced in Restaurant Management, 1 experience Cook. #99364735 / 91214849, Fax 24712686 Email : silverworld2006@gmail.com

MEDICAL Urgently required GP and Lab Technician for a reputed poly clinic.

Please call 96721709 or send the CV to manageribnalhaitham@ yahoo.com Required for a reputed medical center in Al Khuwair, Pharmacist, Assistant Pharmacist, X-ray Technician. Send CV to fax: 24488660 Email: bashayermedical@gmail.com MOH licensed Indian/ B.D GP on RO1500/- (1000 + 400 + 100) and lab technician on RO400/- net for a clinic at Muttrah for immediate placement. Candidates who can join from 1st Nov contact immediately 92724345 A licensed dentist is needed to rent a running dental clinic in Sohar (next to Sohar university). Contact 95603395

MISC Required floor tile fixers in Sohar.

Contact: 99853642 Required an Arabic spoken office boy from Kerala.

Contact: 92345861

SALES / MARKETING Required urgently an experienced Sales Manager with Omani D/L, for our Fabrication and Carpentry Division to work on Salary plus incentive basis. Interested candidates may mail their CV to elmechoman@ gmail.com or Fax to : 24487819

Urgently required Electrician cum Driver for Electrical company. Preferred Indians. Contact 94102728 mail: atlasllc11@gmail.com

Urgently required experience Key Account Salesman for food stuff, Household & Toys section. Contact Al Liusie Trading Est. Jafnain, near CCC. Contact 97138599 Email : info@alliusie.com

Urgently required Fire Alarm & Fire Fighting Technicians with 3-4 years experience, Contact: 98902333 Email fnstechjobs@gmail.com

Requires experienced Sr. Sales/ Marketing Executive experience in Construction/ Industrial & related materials preferred.

Email digjaa@gmail.com

Urgently required Maintenance Engineer with minimum 5 years experience. Interested may Contact 99208506 / 92800809 Email: kevin@airmechoman.com

Sales Executive with D/L for a reputed company in Oman (Fresh candidates, with D/L can also apply). Please send CV with photo to; emam@paramountmuscat.com

Urgently required: Body-shop supervisor, Workshop Controller, Diploma in Automobiles experience 4 years. # 97441929 / 97441935

Looking for Qualified Sales & Marketing Manager for handling Local and Export Market with Min. 8yrs experience in the field of Electrical & Building Material Products and should have valid GCC / Omani Driving License. Send CVs to vacancyinoman123@gmail.com

DOMESTIC HELP House maid(full time) Wanted Well settled Indian family looking for house maid. Visa & attractive salary provided for the right candidate. Call 99470969 for walk in interview Full time Housemaid wanted for Kerala family. Contact 99855203 Reqd urgently full time Indian maid for North Indian family in Al khuwair. Contact 92847702 Housemaid wanted for Dubai salary 1200 DHMS with food and Accommodation. Contact Iqbal 92372787 Wanted housemaid to work in Indian family, from 9 AM – 9 PM. Contact 96226787

DRIVER Required heavy driver, JCB & Excavator Operators with valid GCC license. Electrician’s ITI, Electrical Engineer & Diesel mechanic.

Contact 99454425or Email: qamest@omantel.net.om

MEDICAL Doctor with MOH license urgently needed, temporary or permanent, salary no bar. Contact 91197842 jmjmedicare@gmail.com Urgently need MOH License Doctor for a well reputed medical centre, Azaiba.

Email sudheerrajan@gmail.com Wanted Staff Nurses (female) with or without MOH license for a polyclinic near Sohar, excellent Sohar Package. Contact 99006915, dxbclinic@yahoo.com Urgently required female G.P. Doctor, female Dentist, female Pharmacist, Gynecologist, male & female Ayurvedic Therapist, preferably with M.OH. License and local experience for a newly opened poly clinic in Mawaleh South. Send your C.V to ilhambc.llc@gmail.com or contact 97118121 / 99337991

Position vacant for Operations Manager and Sales Manager in a reputed landscaping company.

Candidates with minimum 5 years experience in the related field and holding valid Omani D/L can apply with their CV + Photo to jobs.mgc13@gmail.com

SITUATION SIT.WANTED Videographer for filming any occasion or event, website videos, corporate profiles, promotional films, ad films. Also calendar, brochure, logo, poster designing.

Contact 99631986 Indian, male, 26, Mechanical Engineer (HVAC) having 3 years experience as project engineer in Oman seeks suitable placement holding valid Omani D/L. # 98050877

Indian male 28 years with more than 6 years experience in sales requires a suitable placement as sales man in any field. #94015209.

Email- babupezheril@yahoo.co.in Pakistani male, Graduation, experience in warehousing / storekeeping / logistics worked with international organization and skill with MS Office, currently here in Muscat with visit visa and seeking suitable post in Muscat / Oman, full time.

Contact # 99547791 email malikrizwan2008@gmail.com India male 36 yrs, MBA with 12 yrs of experience in life and non life insurance field 3yrs in oman with motor and non motor field valid Oman D/L, seeks suitable position for same field or any sales and marketing. Contact +968 98159932.

Male Graduate 12 years experience in Oman, seeks immediate placement as office coordinator or any suitable job. contact 93393769 Male, 27, MBA specialized in Marketing, looking for suitable position.

Having valid oman driving license.

Contact. 99590408 Indian Male, MBA Marketing, 41 yrs. Experience in trading, export and domestic sales and supply chain management. Industries handled : Marble & tyres, Seeks a suitable career. Release available.

99823003 Indian male, B. Com with TallyERP 9.0 and Maharastra state CIT looking for suitable job, call 95534746 Business Analyst and Business Development, 6+ years of experience across all areas of pricing, marketing, product development and sales in telecom industry seeking for job opportunities. MBA. Contact: 99359870, 99031408. Email: saikat_3@yahoo.com Indian, young, male, Pre-university educated looking for sales/stores or related job call 96914222 BE (Hons) in Electronic & Telecommunication, Paki male fresh candidate, seeking suitable placement in Oil & Gas or any electronic industry, able to design electronic circuits, well experienced in computers electronic, Currently living in Muscat. Contact# 98068695, Email mzeeshanshaikh89@gmail.com 26 Years old Indian female Bachelor of Business Administration with 1.5 years experience, Looking for an Accountant Job, Contact # 99068641 Indian male 36yrs, M.B.A with 12 yrs of Experience in Life and Non life insurance field 3 yrs in Oman with Motor and non motor field Valid oman D/L, seeks suitable position for same field or any sales and Marketing. Contact +96898159932 Seek Job - Office Boy & Cleaner (Need Visa). Contact : 96136615.

Indian male M.Com, B.Com having 3 years experience, seeking suitable accounts job in Oman. Contact : 94109304, 94236115 CIVIL FOREMAN, Indian male, 2 years experience in Oman, 4 years experience in India seeking suitable jobs. GSM:95306762 Project Engineer, Indian male 26 yrs, having 5.5 years experience in oil & gas field, With 2 years Gulf experience and valid oman driving license. Contact Ashok kumar: +968 95262241 Indian female with GCC experience in Office Admin, Accounts and HR seeks suitable placement.

Contact : 95584732.

Indian Male 24, B.Tech Mechanical Engg.. completed seeking suitable placement.Contact 99052921 / 99434987 Wanted Sales/Marketing B.E Mech or D.M Engg with relevant exp. Of client visit, estimation, preparing proposal in relation ro Electro mechanical job from various industries including Oil & Gas Stee, Drilling, Petrochemical , mining etc, Preferred with oman driving licence. Post your CV at muscatjobs6@gmail. com 20 years Oman experienced Finance Manager, who can handle Finance, accounts upto finalisation, control the credit and collection, preparation of all bank correspondence and managing the credit facility, preparation of various kinds of MIS- including job costing and all kinds of Audit Schedules, having valid D/L , looking for Senior position. Contact 97 03 65 84 Indian Female, 26 years ,MBA , currently on visit visa , 4 years experience in Banking and Administration skilled with M S Office and fluent in language seeking suitable position.

Contact : 95517914 Email : remyarajan05@gmail.com Pakistani Female 30 years, M. A Political Science with Computer diploma, and good communication skill Eight years of experience in Pakistan as Head Teacher and administrator seek suitable placement cont: 99015218 Indian female, BE Chemical engineer with 3.5 yrs exp in chemical industry in R@D,QA @QC, production, seeking suitable placement, available to join immediately.

Contact 98490086, e-mail - k.shyni@gmail.com Administration & Purchase Officer with over 25 years of working experience in office management & procurement in Oman is looking for a suitable vacancy. Has valid Omani driving license. Contact 92048765

24 yrs female with driving license, BBA plus I.A.T.A, 3 years experience seeking suitable position in secretarial, Admin, HR, Procurement ,travel. Contact 95337828 or e-mail at hibhak@gmail.com.

Male, 27, MBA specialized in marketing , looking for suitable position.

Having valid oman driving license.

Contact. 99590408, E mail. aneesteepee@gmail.com Driver with car seeking a job in Oman as a company’s or family driver, having experiences 12 years in Abu Dhabi and 2 years in oman.

Contact: 93043871.

28 years, Male MBA in Marketing looking for suitable job on urgent bases, having valid Omani driving license and 2 years marketing experience in oman and 4 years marketing experience in Pakistan.

Contact: 97136426 31 years Indian male with 5 years experience in Bahrain and saudi, B.Com with computer application(tally, oracle, al ameen) seeks suitable position as accountant, store manager or senior business development executive. .

Contact 95032157.

Indian Female, B.Tech-IT, Fresher, Currently in Resident Visa, having C and JAVA Knowledge, seeking Suitable Position in IT. CONTACT : 97232497,99108857, psharan24@gmail.com, parthipan61@gmail.com 26 Years old Indian female Bachelor of Business Administration with 1.5 years experience, Looking for a Marketing Job .

Contact 968-99068641 Indian male, 33 yrs Graduate with three years gulf experience (UAE+Oman), holding Oman driving license seeking suitable jobs at Sohar. Contact 93507921, thellisanthabts@gmail.com

Indian female, M.Com graduate with three years experience in teaching seeks suitable positions.

Contact 99817516

Indian male, experience in Store/Operation//Logistic/Coordinator having good communication skills, seeking suitable change.

Contact 94355675

Indian, female, 38 yrs, administration& accountant, exp. in India & GCC seeks suitable post #93048539 Email.shamalamagesh@gmail.com

Indian female with GCC experience in office admin, accounts and HR seeks suitable placement Contact 95584732.

Indian male, 27 Yrs, B.Com, having 7 Yrs experience in Finance & Accounts seeking suitable position.

Contact : 98205735

Indian Male experience 26 yrs in sales co-ordination, marketing & logistics, import export, purchase seeks suitable posting having D/L Contact : 97129061

24 yrs female with driving license, BBA plus I.A.T.A, 3 years experience seeking suitable position in secretarial, admin, HR, Procurement, travel. Contact 95337828 or e-mail at hibhak@gmail.com.

Indian male 25- holding valid driving license having 2 years of experience in sales, looking for suitable position. #98562921 23 yrs female, MBA, 2 yrs exp in marketing, holds valid Omani license, seeking suitable placement.

Contact 96349423 Bangladeshi male ( Graduate) looking a job in Banking, Money exchange sector.Having 15 years experiences in related field.

Contact 92260580.

Accounts Assistant Post : B. Com having 4 years Accounting experience having knowledge of day today entries and assist to main Accountant . Also knows MS office and excellent with Tally package. Contact no : 93214484/98485871 Male Graduate, 13+ years Oman experience in HR – recruitment, C&B, Competency Mapping, Performance Appraisals, etc. Contact: 92798389 31 years Indian male with 5 years experience in Bahrain and saudi,b.com with computer application(tally, oracle, al ameen) seeks suitable position as accountant, store manager or senior business development executive.

Contact 95032157.

Driver looking for job #96136615.

Indian Male, MBA, 16 yrs in Oman.

Experience in supply chain mgmt, logistics, import export mgmt, purchase, domestic and export sales seeks suitable placement in Bank or money exchange sector. Having 15 years experiences in related field.

Contact: 922 60 508.

Indian male, BBAM, 27 years, specialized in marketing & finance, 6 years of experience as transport coordinator in an earthmoving co. having valid Omani driving license seeking for suitable placement.

Contact : 93213160 email: nikiniji86@gmail.com

Female B. Tech IT Graduate with 2.5 years of experience in HR and IT Administration seeks immediate placements. Contact : 93907707 email: nelofershah@gmail.com Indian Male,6 yrs experience in CNC router machine, Vinyl sticker cutting and Laser machine operating in Oman. ratheesh52@gmail.com, +919526612662.

Indian male, 23 years, BE in electronics and communication, advanced PG diploma in embedded system design, with 1+ year of experience in SAN (storage area network) administration with EMC VNX & clariion storage arrays and PCI EXPRESS driver development [C/C++ coding], seeking suitable placement. Contact: +96899317099, +96899187389, 24794888, Email id: shoibahmed@rocketmail.com.

5 years experience in Accounts, 1 year experience in Oman, age 25, gsm -91130227.

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Part time accounts / audit services. Gsm 99761216 Part time Accountant / Internal Auditor computerized and Manual Accounts, Driving own car. Accounts up to finalization.

Contact Kumar 96414305 Indian male, 39 Senior Accounts professional, having 16+ years exp in accounts, finance, audit can join immediate. Contact 94207919 Accountant , Indian male B.com +7 years experience in Accounts, seeking suitable placement.

Mob:93903458 , 93417249.

Email:akkandyrijesh@gmail.com.

Accountant, Indian, M. Com with software knowledge, 7 years experience, looking for an opening.

Contact: 95061310 Indian male 28 yrs CA, Intermediate 8 yrs experience in Accounts & Audit, seeking suitable placement.

Contact 93455387

S AT U R DAY, O C T O B E R 1 9, 2 0 1 3

C5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Capital Market Professional, 13+ yrs experience Finance trading, Operations, portfolio Management, Achieved target on revenue generation, Investment Goals. Contact 91136521 Chartered Accountant from India, Post Qualification experience 21 years, working in Muscat since July 2011, at a Senior position in a group of SME’s, seeks suitable change.

Contact 94201290 Email chakjain37@yahoo.com Part time Accountant available.

Contact 99013963 Chief Accountant well experienced with reputed Group, seeks placement. Contact 95598477 / 98803439 Indian male B Com looking for suitable placement in Accounts.

Contact 92576275 Seeking job with 2 years accounting experience in India, now in Oman on visit visa.

Contact 97294281 Indian male 30 years Accountant, 5 years experience in Oman (Total 10) Tally ERP9, seeking suitable placement. Contact 99021031 Indian male 21, B.Com Graduate, knowledge in Accounts ( packages: Tally, Peachtree) seeking for a suitable post. Tel : +968-94123495, E-mail : zameelpv@gmail.com

DRIVERS

Accountant Indian male 28, B.Com, having 7 yrs experience in Finance, Accounting Audit & admin with good knowledge in Tally ERP 9 & Ms office, Currently in Muscat, Ready to join immediately.

Contact 99101380 Email ravikris84@gmail.com Indian female 26 yrs MBA Finance/ HR, seeking suitable position on family joining visa.

Contact 98511612 Email kichuthenu@yahoo.co.in Indian male 25 yrs MBA, Finance having one year experience in India, currently working in Oman as an Accountant seeking suitable position. Contact 91217825 Indian female B.Com, 6 yrs experience (3 yrs Gulf) experience as Office Assistant, Arabic speaking.

Contact 94376201

Indian male Accountant 29 yrs, 8 yrs experience, SAP Software 5 yrs Gulf experience (Oman) seeking suitable position. Contact 95619243

Indian female- Post Graduate 12 yrs experience in Finance, Accounts with the knowledge of Tally, ERP 9 DCA, KGTE, MS Office, (working in Oman), seeking for suitable placement. Can join immediately.

Contact 96694201 Email aswathiveni@gmail.com

Indian male BBM Graduate, good in Tally & MS Office, seeking suitable opportunity in accounting, admin, store keeping. Contact 93018684 Email: jaideep1218mfc@gmail.com

Indian male Accountant,B.Com with 6 yrs experience in Oman, seeks suitable placement.

Contact 91057862. e_mail umct777@ gmail.com

Indian male 15 years experience in Accounts and Admin, Looking for suitable placement. Contact 93867751 / 94213010

Indian male 31, B.Com, CMA-INTER, 11 years experience, very good exposure in ERP /financial reporting and analysis, seeking suitable placement.

Contact 93438100

Indian male 22 yrs B.Com, 1 year exp with Diploma in logistic & supply chain management, 1 month visit visa, seeking suitable placement. Contact 95864519 Email binoypa@yahoo.com Part time Financing, Feasibility, business development/ restructure ERP, Costing ERP Finalization.

Contact 98571309 Accountant Indian male 24 years B.Com, Tally, Peachtree 2 years experience in India. #93050561 Accounts part time / full time work, finalization works.

Contact 96247295 Manager Accounts & HR MBA finance PGDHRM 10 yrs experience in India 14 yrs experience in Muscat Presently working in Construction/ Earth works co. in Muscat available to join immediately.

Contact 91103856 Email newjobs13@yahoo.com Indian male Accountant 10 yrs exp in Oman with Driving license, seeks placement. Contact 91169487 Finance Accounts Indian male B.Com MBA 31 years, Exp 6 years.

Contact 93257426 / 92365310, Email : sibigeorgep@gmail.com Indian male 13 years working in Oman as Senior Accountant with MBA in Finance seeking for suitable placement. Contact 95319707 Accounts Manager, MBA Finance & PG Diploma in HR, total 24 yrs experience, working in Oman since 14 yrs now working in Oman forconstruction co. in Muscat, can join immediately. Contact 91387354, accounts242013@yahoo.com Male Accountant single MBA ICMPA (finalist) 6.5 years experience in finance accounting payroll audit, administration FRP,SAP,TALLY, seeking for good opportunity Email: faisalsaeedbana@hotmail.com Faisal Saeed : 97268088 Senior Accountant with 18 years experience in Oman having knowledge up to finalization with driving license. # 93769860 / 99609864

ADMIN/HR Office ADMN /HR, MBA, BBA, CHRP, female, on visa, seeks placement . PH : 98818258 Operations Manager Indian female M.Phil M.Sc university topper having 6+years experience in Healthcare sector (Apollo Hospitals), seeking job in operations/ Administration/ Public relation jobs. Contact 91387047 Female with 12 yrs experience looking for an opening in Administrative job.

Contact 96393628

DOMESTIC HELP 25 yrs, male looking for office boy or House keeping job.

Contact 97858190

Driver having 9 years experience in UAE, Oman seeks job.

Contact 95687572 Bangladeshi Light duty Driver, looking for job 10 years experience.

Contact 93170473 Light Driver seek job 1 year, experience in Oman. Contact 93141681 / 95808769 Office driver with car.

Contact 95615642 Light Driver. Contact 98077981 / 98946925 4 yrs Experienced Indian Driver looking for job as driver.

93079087

EDUCATION

AutoCAD Draughtsman 7 years experience in G.C.C, 5 years experience in India, seeking suitable placement. Contact 97332301 Email anilcharuvil@gmail.com AutoCAD Draftsman 4 yrs experience in darting & designing urgently seeking suitable placement NOC available. Contact 95208203 Email: anvarkhan848@gmail.com

DESIGNER Graphic Designer diploma holder – Coral draw, Illustrator, Photo shop, 3D Max, Flash with Oman D/L. Contact 98543702 / 99431708

Civil Quantity Surveryor, Diploma in Civil Engineering, 2 years QS and site experience in building projects, looking for suitable post in Oman.

Contact: 91378212/92959092.

Email: mohamednishil@gmail.com Civil Engineer, has 7 years experience (5.5 years in Iraq and 1.5 years in Oman), a resident of Oman, has an Omani driving License. Email ahm_k_m@yahoo.com / Contact 96545891 Indian female MCA (SQL Server 2008 Oracle 8i Database having experience in ASP.Net technologies, Accounts and knowledge in Quality control on visit, seeks suitable placement. Contact 98132215 Email raofpakkuvetty@gmail.com Elec Eng, 14 yrs gulf exp seeking a good position in a reputed firm. contact Ph 92624481

Pakistani female M.SC (Master) Biology having 15 years of experience of teaching biology & chemistry to grades IX to XII seeking for part time job .Contact 91280346

Pakistani male 25 years B.E in Civil Engineering having 2 years experience (1.5 year in Pakistan), seeking suitable placement. #99009024 Email mhn_bhatti100@yahoo.com

Special Education Teacher (Mental Retardation & Autisum) Indian female 24 yrs good experience, looking for suitable job.

Contact 95128634 Email thomassabu35@gmail.com

Indian male 39 yrs, B.Tech (Mech) 16 yrs of experience in automobile industries in several positions past 6 yrs worked with a reputed automobile firm in Muscat with valid D/L, seeking a suitable placement available immediate. # 95574381

English teacher Lecturer, Indian female M.A.B.ED 2 years seeking suitable placement, well knowledge in computer application and fluency in English. Contact 93431588

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

25 years Indian male, B.E Aeronautical, 2 Years experience on Maintenance repair and overhaul.

Hands on experience on Gas turbine engine and Autocad 2007.

Contact 00919739656833 Email: midhu4u@gmail.com Indian Female 23 years old, Aeronautical Engineering graduate with 1 year 6 months experience, expert in MS Office tools, Technical documentation, reports and excellent communication skill. mail: sandhyamenon057@gmail.com B.Tech Mechanical, 26yr Indian male having 4 yr experience in plant construction,structural fabrication & erection in India. # 0091 9546418417 E-mailmail2umesh89@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer with 5+ years experience in project management and estimation of oil and gas projects.

Looking for suitable change.

Contact: 95974435

DRAUGHTSMAN Autocad D/man, 5 yrs gulf experienced in Civil, Arch, MEP Survey PH : 92678819

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

Indian Male, B.Tech, 8 years Experience in Teaching & Admin, web developing ,c,c++,java,HTML,DHTM L,programming,looking for suitable position 98290053, 97068258 Email: vasanth.blessy@gmail.com Indian Civil Quantity Surveyor –Total Exp(15yrs) GCC(4yrs)Diploma, D/L, Looking placement: contact :khan.civilqs@gmail.com, 96608610 Planning Engineer- Civil-5 yrs exp, PRIMAVERA,MSP,SAP, holds D//L GSM:93011346 email dewani835@yahoo.co.in Indian male Mechanical Engineer exp 3 yrs driving license Oman. Contact 92372406 Email meet.harshadharoon@gmail.com BE Electrical Engineer, 11 Year Exp in Project Management with D/L, seeking Placement Ph: 93905445 jrajplace@gmail.com

MBA (Finance) 3 years exp, Looking for accounts job.

Contact 00968 94452163

Indian male 29 yrs, looking for a 3D job in MAYA/Max and Graphic designing having a experience of 8 years, currently working in Oman, Available to join immediately. Contact 98567624/ +91 9886712424 Email : sandeepsharmasolid@ gmail.com

Indian male 31 yrs Diploma Civil experience 3 yrs Oman 2 yrs UAE currently working as Purchase Executive for a reputed organization, seeking better opportunity in purchase.

Contact 93415550

Jordanian Senior Accountant 11 Years Experience, Worked In Constructions, Tourism Company and Poly Clinic, Experience in Tally Erp9.

Contact 96470036

Web / Graphic/ UX Designer with 3+ years of experience from a leading IT Company in India, looking for a job at Muscat. Contact +968 95962963 Email mohanasok@ live.com

B. Sc in Civil Engineer with Oman experience urgently seeking suitable placement. Contact +968 93523630 /+88 01728 199656, Email engg_shahalamce@yahoo.com

B .E Civil Engineer 10 years experience, with valid Oman D/L. Contact 99612163 BE (Electrical Engineer) Indian male, 29 yrs having 5 years experience in Oman & India having valid HEDC & driving license, seeks suitable placement. Contact 94054852 Electrical Engineer 7+ years experience in Construction MEP Side, seeking suitable placement with driving license. Contact 92138875 Indian Civil Diploma 4 years experience. Contact 94246322 Email : akollam0@gmail.com Indian female B.Tech Civil Engg, 3 years experience (6 months in Oman) in QS, estimation, cost control and planning, seeks suitable job.

Contact 92047375 Email: vinujosephcm@gmail.com Indian male having BE, Chemical Engg with 1 year experience as Process Engineer in India looking for suitable position.

Contact 98466650 Mechanical Eng, young, Graduate, exp in steel fab, good comp, knowledge, Contact : 98905956 Diploma in Automobile Engg 5 years experience Indian male 27 years seeking suitable job in automobile industry, visit visa. Contact 98453315 Email suniany1987@gmail.com B.Tech Civil Project Engineer 5 years experience with valid Oman driving license, seeks suitable placement. Contact 92536298 Electrical Engineer (BE Electrical & Electronics) 1+yr exp, looking for suitable placement. #95060377 33 years male Indian ITI holder 13 years experience in electrical & networking in India electrical work like LT, HT, Interior panel work, networking like CCTV, DATA, TEL public addressing system etc seeking for suitable job. #98061783 Pakistani male PDO permit holder/ applicant also have DAE Civil, 4 years Oman experience civil construction, Oil and Gas looking for suitable placement. #98949712 B.Tech Mechanical Indian male with 2.6 years experience as a Project Engineer and valid Omani driving license, seeking suitable placement.

Contact 98211235 / 93324803 Email : safeery@yahoo.com Degree Civil Engineer, 7 years experience in UAE, having valid UAE driving licence,currently available in visit visa. Phone: 93321785 Planning Engineer having M Tech in Construction Management with 2 years experience. Currently employed for a reputed company construction company in Oman.

Proficient in Primavera P3 and P6.

Mob; 98278801 / 99461643 e-mail id; asifkutiady@gmail.com Indian male: 25, Electrical Engineer having 3years experience in Oman seeks a suitable position.

Presently in Oman on Visit Visa.

Contact 93087043.

Sri Lankan Quantity surveyor (male) with 7 years experience (including Gulf), looking for a suitable placement in Oman, available in Oman for personal interviews and discussions.Contact 91308391/ 96953676 Email msa.ifham@yahoo.com

INFORMATION TECH Information Technology Systems Engineer with 6+yrs of exp, seeking suitable opportunities Indian male 27 yrs on visit visa. Contact 91378150 / 92933523 Email manumonm@hotmail.com / manojp14@gmail.com IT Support IT Engineer Indian male 27 yrs 5 yrs Indian experience in Support Engineer IT service desk role in Senior technical support , on visit visa in Oman . Contact: 92933523, Email: manojp14@gmail.com Indian male MBA with IT Enterprise level and System Networking exp 2 years Maldives exp in System Engineer, looking for immediate placement. Contact 94480837 Email pems4499@ gmail.com Software Testing Engineer Indian male with more than 3 years of experience, currently on visit visa, seeking suitable position in IT. Contact 93460715 / 99037343 Email: asif314@gmail.com B.E Electronics Engineer with 6 years Retail ERP , POS and IT support experience from Bahrain and Oman looking for suitable IT position.

Omani driving License available.

Email : Riyad82@gmail.com 95694209 Indian Male holding PMP & ITIL V3 expert certifications and having extensive IT industry experience is seeking senior level assignments in Delivery Management/Project Management/ Service Delivery Management in IT Infrastructure Management domain , with an organization of high repute preferably in IT industry.

Contact –96672109 / email id srikvrnm@gmail.com Female 23 Indian Graduate in Computer application and Diploma in Java technology, seeking for a suitable placement in IT sector currently on visit visa. Contact 99809810 / 92105790 ERP/DBA IT Professional Indian Female having 6+ Years experience looking for immediate position GSM: 97384660.

Indian male, MCA, MBA-HR, B.Com with 9.5 yrs. Exp. looking for a suitable opportunity as IT Project Head & SAP HR Consultant (Multi tasking) presently come on visit visa in Oman, Contact GSM : +968 92801761 E-mail : rishhi@msn. com IT professional Indian Male ME in CSE, 12 years IT experience (6 months in Oman, 3 years in Dubai, Emirates Airlines/Project management, Software development in Dot Net, Training , Technical & Customer Support, Marketing) looking for suitable post, for immediate placement. Contact 96437794, email: ephin0204@gmail.com

MEDICAL Nursing caregiver, qualified & experienced Nurse & Assist Nurse seeks good placement at home / clinic. Contact 92989109 email: medicoport@gmail.com Indian female Dentist age 29 yrs, exp 4 years, looking for suitable opening. Contact 93386632

MEDICAL Pharmacist (female) holding MOH license with 3 years experience seeking for a job. Contact: 92609515 / 96079170 Indian female Nursing professional MOH License 4.5 years experience. Contact 93781265 Email neethuammucherian@gmail.com Female Dentist having MOH license having 4 years experience in India and D/L looking for suitable job in Muscat area. Contact 99411268 / 99128211 Indian female Pharmacist having MOH license 10 years experience in India and 7 months in Oman looking for suitable job in Muscat area.

Contact 91271972 Male Nurse with MOH license valid GCC driving license.

Contact 93217438 / 91226236

MANAGER/ SUPER Excellent English, Communication, Masters in Journalism, Finance, Oman experience, seeks Corporate Communication/ Administration/ Credit roles. Contact 98179887 27 years of Experience in Oman as Resource Manager for Oilfield Logistics & Transport Industry.

Holder of Valid Omani Driving License seeking suitable placement urgently. Mob.96178659 Indian female with over 17 years of Gulf experience as Executive Secretary / Office Manager looking for suitable position.

Contact 98587275

SALES / MARKETING Indian male BBM, 5 Years exp in Sales & Marketing on visit visa immediate joining. Contac 93080380 Email vijay.05reva@gmail.com Indian male 25 years MBA (Finance & Marketing) 2.5 years experience in Marketing, looking for suitable placement. Contact 93473886 Email: shyjunavab@ gmail.com Indian, male, B.Sc having 16 years experience in marketing with valid Oman driving license seeks suitable placement.

Contact 92722408 Indian male 30 yrs looking for a suitable job in Sales, having valid Omani D/L and 2 yrs experience in Oman and 6 yrs in India.

Contact 93005916 Young dynamic MBA Marketing Graduate, seeking suitable post.

Contact 98744427 / 96909495 Indian male 6 years experience in Marketing and Sales, Waiting for Opportunities, having D/L. Contact 93387195 Indian male BBM 5 years in Sales & Marketing on visit visa immediate joining. Contact 93080380 Email vijay.05reva@gmail.com Indian male 28 yrs qualification MCA, 5 yrs experience have Oman Driving license, looking for Technical or Marketing jobs.

Contact 91098618 B.Com with 5 yrs experience in Sales Oman, valid Omani driving license. Contact 95330174 Male, 32 yrs, 10 years experience sales, events, administration, graphic designing seeking suitable job. Contact 93850612 Marketing Executive 10 years experience, 3 years in Oman, Oman D/L. Contact 99669137 India female, 26, MBA, experience in media marketing and market research, looking for suitable opportunities in Communication/PR/ Branding, Valid D/L. Contact details: greycentral86@gmail.com MBA (Marketing and HR) & B.Tech (Electronics and Biomedical Engineering) with 1.5 years experience in marketing and media field.

Contact 96175799 Email: aadil.azis@gmail.com

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DAILY GUIDE

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

SIT. WANTED Auto Cad designer with 3D, 25 years male seeking suitable placement for Auto Cad designer with 3D job.4 year experienced in Auto cad and having job as 3D designer. Contact96924931, 96534203 Pakistani male (28 yrs) Diploma Engineer (Civil) 7 yrs exp in different type of mega projects included 1 yr Gulf exp in Oman, seeking a suitable placement.

Contact : 98921022 / 94111957 email: akhtr030139@yahoo.com Indian male Autocad Draughtsman Diploma Civil having 4 yrs exp in construction field, 1 yr in Oman exp as Civil Draughtsman seeks suitable placement. Contact : 96353175 Travel & tours 5 years exp male, looking for suitable placement.

Contact :95604142 / 91142345 15 yrs Oman exp in projects / construction and contracts management, seeking location around Muscat with business group, client or consultants in the construction industry. Contact 99810211 Omani lady 27 MBA, Senior Accountant having 6 yrs exp in Educational Institution, seek Accounts manager suitable placement.

Contact: 99542432 Indian male, 4 yrs exp. Electrician, seeks suitable placement.

Contact 92318542 Indian female M.Com 10 yrs exp in admin, Secretarial in India & Oman looking for a suitable placement.

Contact : 96593762 / 99124049 Indian male 47 yrs, 9 yrs exp in health and safety, presently working as Senior HSE officer in Muscat and 15 yrs exp in Indian Navy as.

Junior Commission Officer, with GCC license, seeks suitable job.

Contact : 96390374/ email: babukannalil@yahoo.com Indian lady B. Com, free visa available for accounting, data entry & finalization of accounts and audit.

Contact: 92824142 Indian female 27 yrs , BBA, Diploma in travel & tourism & 5yrs exp, valid Oman driving license currently on family visa. Contact : 92917139

SIT. WANTED SALES / MARKETING Young Male Graduate BA Hons (Marketing)- United Kingdom with 2 years experience & driving licence seeks suitable placement in Business development/Brand management/Logistics. Call – 96402727 Male Pharmacist 8 years experience in retail and marketing, release available. Contact 98645609

TOURS & TRAVEL B.Com, female, travel & tours, 4 yrs experience in tour operation & front office, Hotel in Industry from India, UAE seeks suitable placement & tour operations. Contact 95054319, rohinimathew@ymail.com B.Sc Indian male 5.5 yrs exp Airline / Travels, Diploma in Travels.

Contact 97099386

PROJECT Omani with experience in Health and Safety, Arabic and English speaking. Contact 91141097

ADVERTISE NOW! 24726666 EXT: 461 / 413 /430 / 431 / 456

Indian female on family visa, MA (HR), one year experience in HR, seeking suitable position in admin/ hr sector. Contact No : 91258981

Indian Male Graduate, 26, 3 yrs exp in handling purchase in a reputed company in Oman looking for suitable placements. Contact 95776353

Administration & Purchase Officer with over 25 years of working experience in office management & procurement is looking for a suitable vacancy. Has worked with reputed organisations in Oman and has valid Omani driving licence -92048765

Indian Male, fresh B.Com Graduate, 23, currently on family visit looking for suitable placements.

Contact 97266023

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Professional, Indian Female,B.TechIT,Fresher,Currently in Resident Visa,having C and JAVA Knowledge, seeking Suitable Position in IT. CONTACT : 97232497,99108857, EMAIL : psharan24@gmail. com,parthipan61@gmail.com Indian Female 24YRS, 4Years Experianced in GCC Secretary Work& Admin Work Looking for asuitable Post GSM:95972831 / 99230946, Email: pbroseangel@gmail.com

Seeking a job as a Driver in company or family. Having valid D/L. Contact: 98982410.

A Veterinary Doctor having exp of 3 yrs IN veterinary field seeks placement. Contact ; 92150513 Indian , 25,MBA in Marketing & finance work exp of 11 months with Western India Plywood PVt ltd as sales & marketing executive , now on visit visa in Oman seeks suitable job in Sales Supervision & management. Contact : 91043874

Ayurveda Doctor BAMS, MD female Indian with MOH license seeks suitable opening in Muscat Region.

Contact : 95724583

Indian female , 15 yrs of teaching exp in India in college as a Lecturer in business management & 3 yrs in Oman in School as a business studies teacher (Ed Excel GCE & IGCSE UK) seeks placement in Schools, College, Institute. #96040624

Indian Male,M tech-Infrastructure (Civil Engineering),Fresher,looking for post of Junior Level Planning Engineer, Contact +968 97312086, email:dhinu.90@gmail.com

Indian male 2yrs exp in Accounting field looking for a job. Know M.S Office and Tally ERP9 presently on visit visa in Oman.

Contact 94167064

Homeopathic Doctor BHMS Indian female with MOH license looking suitable position at Muscat, NOC available. Contact : 92111631/ email ; doctorneeda@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer with experience in maintenance and repair of construction equipments & vehicles with PDO & Oman licence.

Call : 97079471 Plumbing Supervisor (Indian male) 38yrs having 10 yrs exp (3 yrs in Oman) seeking suitable placement. Contact : 95368530 Indian female pharmacist, BSc (Pharmaceutical chemistry ), 2 years experience in Kerala seeking suitable placement.

Contact : 99864262 Indian male 24 yrs Diploma in air conditioning, 3 yrs exp. #91045627, sumanthshetty12@gmail.com B-Tech Electronics & Communication, AutoCAD, ONCAD, primavera, Diploma in Electronics, experience in India, Indian, Female, seeking electronics/drafting jobs.

Contact -98036247,94053779 14 yrs experience in Finance & Accounts, Indian, Accounts can do upto finalization, knowledge of Admin/HR activities. good knowledge of computer, holding valid Oman driving license.

Possible for NOC seeking suitable position.

Contact : 95808315 Indian female, 26 yrs, BSE nurse having more than 2 yrs experience as staff nurse, seeks suitable placement. Contact : 93694641/97317435 Indian female 25 years, MS Communication (Journalism)+1 years experience in administration looking for placement in and around Sohar.#: 91179193 / 92367401.

Seeking a job as a Driver in company or family, having valid D/L. Contact: 98982410 Indian Male, 23yrs, M.Com, having 3rs experience, seeking a suitable job. Contact : 93998672 Indian male, M tech-Infrastructure (Civil Engineering),Fresher, knowledge in Primavira, looking for post of site Planning Engineer.

Contact +968 97312086, email:dhinu.90@gmail.com

SIT. WANTED Indian male, B.Com, MBA, 3 yrs exp in accounts, admin & sales coordination, now on visa.

Contact : 98670016 Diploma of Civil engineering, site engineer, having 2 years oman experiences seeking suitable placement.Contact:96627016 24 yrs female with driving license, b.b.a plus I.A.T.A,3 years experience seeking suitable position in marketing, business development , secretarial, admin, HR, procurement, travel. Contact 95337828 or e-mail at hibhak@ gmail.com.

Indian male BE mechanical pursuing MBA in production having 3+ years experience in India and Oman, looking for openings in procurement or Engineering department. Having valid Omani driving license. Contact 97845958 email:tittoroyal@gmail.com.

24 yrs female with driving license, b.b.a plus I.A.T.A,3 years experience seeking suitable position in marketing, business development , secretarial, admin, hr, procurement, travel. Contact 95337828 or e-mail at hibhak@gmail.com 31 years Indian male with 5 years experience in Bahrain, B.Com with computer application (tally, oracle, al ameen) seeks suitable position as Marketing Executive, Accountant, Store Manager or senior business development executive.

Contact 9503215 Indian Male,6 yrs experience in CNC router machine, Vinyl sticker cutting and Laser machine operating in Oman. ratheesh52@gmail.com, +919526612662.

Network Engineer, BE, Male, Indian, 3 Yrs experience in telecommunication field, having CISCO certification seeks suitable position. Currently on visit visa.

Contact 9869 1245.

Email: sreejithrm@gmail.com

Indian female 24 years, having 4 years GCC experience .Looking for suitable post for Secretarial & admin work. Contact no:95972831, Email: pbroseangel@gmail.com Indian female 24YRS, 4 Years Experienced in GCC Secretary Work& Admin Work looking for a suitable Post GSM:95972831/99230946, pbroseangel@gmail.com 24 yrs female with driving license, b.b.a plus I.A.T.A,3 years experience seeking suitable position in secretarial, admin, hr, procurement, travel. Contact 95337828 or e-mail at hibhak@gmail.com Videographer for filming any occasion or event, website videos, corporate profiles, promotional films, ad films. Also calendar, brochure, logo, poster designing.

Contact 99631986 Indian Female MCA,M. Phil., Computer science 5 years experience as a Software Engineer/ Programmer in .Net, SQL, MS-Access with good Communication skills seeking for immediate placement. Contact : 97765173 dtkthillai@gmail.com Logistics & Operations/Accounts MCom (Finance), 32 Years Indian Male, 11 years experience (5.3 years experience in Oman) with valid Oman Driving License seeks suitable placement. # 96442295” Indian Female, 26 years ,MBA , currently on visit visa , 4 years experience in Administration skilled with M S Office and fluent in language seeking suitable position.

Contact 95517914 Email : remyarajan05@gmail.com Network Engineer, BE, Male, Indian, 3 Yrs experience in telecommunication field, having CISCO certification seeks suitable position. Currently on visit visa. Contact 9869 1245.

Email: sreejithrm@gmail.com.

Planning Engineer BE Mech Female Indian 9years experience in oil & gas (7years in UAE) seeking suitable job, #97408929

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

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

We arrange Tours to Jabel Alakhdar / Shames wahiba Sands.

Contact 99839898

BUSINESS

Restaurant + coffee shop with seating capacity of 50 people and potential to make 90 (with mezzanine in running condition doing excellent business in a prime business location at Wattayah is available for purchase / investment.

Interested parties may please call on 97414513 or 96344753 Looking for Omani partner for business development services.

Contact 93194825 Email: edumass4@gmail.com CANADIAN company. for immigration & manpower is looking for a partner in Oman with license !For contact evro21@gmail.com 0097333054453

FOR HIRE A well running Civil contracting company LLC doing ministry work, looking for new sponsor and investor or partner. Contact 96726115 Well established Investor Company in Oman, registered with tender board as Grade 1 company and achieved electrical contractors license DCRP Grade “C” (11KV) wish to offer legal partnership to those who can invest for business development. Preference will be given to real estate investors in Oman, GCC countries & India. # 00968 99760596 (Arabic & English) or Email: npgpartner@gmail.com

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. www.tunesoman. com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com Cranes and excavators available on hire. Contact 99209427 Crane Trailor Hiab. # 99354909

25/ 50 seater Buses for rent/ leasing with drivers in PDO Specification. Contact 99839898

FOR HIRE For Rent Truck Tipper 18 m.

Contact 95120774

ADVERTISE NOW! 24726666 EXT: 461 / 413 /430 / 431 / 456

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DAILY GUIDE

SERVICES

SERVICES

WEBSITE

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

TRANSPORTATION

COMPUTER

CLASSES

Active Corner Computer specialist in repairing: Laptops, Printers, Tablets & Smart Phones, Al Ghubra North. Contact 92866876

CLASSES

Transportation. Contact 99077348 Transportation. Contact 98178135 Graduate driver with car. #98267157 Transportation. Contact 95199733 Transportation. Contact 96538078

Learn Arabic in two months, spoken Arabic class for non Arabic speakers by Gulf experience post Graduate Teacher in Ruwi. Free introductory class. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Contact 95244310 Learn Drawing & painting for children. (MBD area Ruwi)# 99737812

GULF INTERNATIONAL LLC all kind of pest control. Contact 92326955

Transportation. Contact 99508282 Transportation. Contact 99664703 Transportation available.#95068976 Transportation. Contact 93405941 Transportation. Contact98546606

FOR LADIES Latest collection of Indian and Pakistani Casual & Party wear Shalwar Kamees, exhibition for ladies only on display from 10th OCT. Between 10 am to 9 pm.

Contact 24491709

For transport. Contact 92548219 Transportation Contact 95570429

AVAILABLE

Special package for RO. 15/(Threading, facial, waxing, pedicure, manicure, hot oil treatment) .

Contact 99722031

MANPOWER We Supply Mason, Carpenter, Steel fixer, Electrician, Plumber, Driver, Labours, Enggs, operators etc, All Categories.

Contact 94034550/ 95059766 Email rubinaokp@gmail.com

Fully equipped commercial kitchen with camp & storage facilities available at Ghala Industrial area.

Interested Parties may Contact 99024519

SERVICES A/C service RO7/- , repairing & installation, painting, building all maintenance. # 95563858 / 99326786

SPLIT / WINDOW A/C servicing 5/10 RO. Contact 95084850

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. # 24793614/ 99314807 Split & Window AC Servicing & repairing. Contact 99557080 Split & Window A.C Servicing & repairing. Contact 99380307 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 Subcontractor solutions.

Contact 97163496 A/ C maintenance, servicing & installation. Split A/C Servicing RO 10.000 Only. # 94217681 / 99210141 Marble polishing & crystallization building cleaning floor, floor polishing, carpet, sofa shampooing, pest control, anti termite, shifting, maintenance. Contact 99504275

Split & Window A.C Servicing & repairing. Contact 93769089 House shifting, packing and Transportation. Contact 99657644 / 98518013 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722 Electrical Plumbing Painting Contract and Maintenance.

Contact #98456535 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

Pest control water proof.

Contact 99067923 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 Electrical Works, Maintenance, Building Gas Pipelines, Fire Alarm & Security systems. Contact Amjad Majees Trading & Contracting: 99467936 Catering and Other support Services anywhere in Oman for Companies. Staff / Labour Accomodation. available in Sohar, Barka and Nizwa. Telephone No.94104987, 97884967, 95740387, E-Mail : catering@gstoman.com

Door to Door Computers repair specialist laptop software Website cartridges.Contact 99199376

For all your maintenance needs including, Painting, Plumbing, Electricity, Laying of interlock tiles, marbles etc. Tel: 99383574 Mr Chandran

Carpet, sofa- cleaning, glue removing, shampooing, house cleaning, polishing & painting etc.

Contact – 99542979 / 98855815

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722