T27 11 2013 by Sahir Vayappat

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SMARTPHONE SALES SET TO TOP 1 BILLION Global smartphone sales will top one billion for the ﬁrst time this year, and keep growing at a steady pace for the next four years, a market tracker said yesterday. >A14

WEDNESDAY, November 27, 2013 / 23 MUHARRAM 1435 AH

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WORLD LEADERS

PATRIOTIC FERVOUR Students celebrating the 43rd National Day on Monday. Since the National Day holidays coincided with the weekend vacation, people have opted to enjoy their four-day break by exploring various destinations in Oman. Many have planned trips abroad. —Shabin E/Times of Oman

His Majesty receives National Day greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received more cables of congratulations on the occasion of the 43rd Glorious National Day from a number of leaders of the friendly countries and senior officials of foreign countries. In their cables, the wellwishers expressed their sincere congratulations along with their best wishes of good health, happiness and a long life to His Majesty the Sultan and the Omani people further progress and prosperity under the wise leadership of His Majesty. His Majesty received congratulatory cables from King Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah of Malaysia, President Almazbek Atambayev of the Kyrgyz Republic, President Aníbal Cavaco Silva of Portugal, President Dr Jacob Zuma of South Africa, President Traian Băsescu of the Republic of Romania, President John Dramani Mahama of the Republic of Ghana and Victor Ponta, Prime Minister of Romania. -ONA

CAIRO MEETING

SNC to get full control of League seat BEIRUT: The opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) will take full possession of the country’s seat on the Arab League now that it has formed a provisional government, its chief said yesterday in Cairo. Ahmad Jarba, speaking at a news conference with Arab League chief Nabil Al Arabi, said the Coalition would hold a meeting next month to discuss strategy ahead of a peace meet in Geneva on January 22. Jarba said he would be making a formal speech in the coming days to coincide with the Coalition becoming fully active in the body. -AFP TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Three Omanis die in Ibri road accident

A tragic accident in Ibri reportedly claimed the lives of three nationals yesterday. The accident occurred on Yanqul road in Ibri at around 10am. “What we came to know is that a head-on collision took place between the two vehicles,” sources in Ibri said. >A3

Bangladesh protests claim seven lives em said. A protestor drowned in neighbouring Sirajganj after he jumped into a pond to escape police tear gas. Two ruling party officials were beaten to death in the southern district of Satkhira by supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest party and a key opposition ally.

The BNP and its allies are demanding suspension of the January 5 poll date

DHAKA: Bangladesh opposition supporters blocked roads and ripped up railway tracks yesterday in protest against elections announced for January, leaving seven people dead and plunging the nation into fresh turmoil. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies called a 48-hour nationwide transport blockade to press their demand for a suspension of the January 5 poll date announced on Monday evening. The BNP has urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and make way for a neutral caretaker government to oversee the elections, and has been staging violent protests and strikes around the country to back its demand. Hasina’s government rejected the demand and the Chief Elec-

STREET PROTESTS: Bangladeshi opposition party supporters

shout slogans during a blockade organised by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists and its allies in Aminbazer, on the outskirts of Dhaka, yesterday. -AFP

tions Commissioner pushed ahead with setting the date, urging parties to join the contest for the 300-seat parliament. Hundreds of opposition protestors took to the streets around the country after the announcement, and clashes resumed yesterday with police, who responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and in some cases live rounds. “We ﬁred riﬂes after about 500

protestors attacked us with homemade guns and small bombs,” Abul Khaer, a police official in the eastern district of Comilla, said. Three people were killed in separate clashes in Comilla including a border patrol trooper shot dead by protestors, police said. A BNP official was shot dead by officers in the northern town of Shahjahanpur, deputy police chief of the region Syed Abu Say-

Train services paralysed Train services have been “paralysed” with hundreds of demonstrators uprooting tracks and sleepers, setting ﬁre to coaches and blocking lines, Bangladesh Railway’s traffic director Syed Zahur Hossain said. “There are at least 60 incidents of train obstructions including torchings, uprooting of tracks, attacking trains with stones and blockades of rail lines,” he said, adding that major services between Dhaka and the cities of Chittagong and Sylhet were halted. A train was derailed at Gouripur, 100 kilometres north of the capital, after opposition supporters removed sleepers from the tracks but no one was injured. Security was tight in Dhaka with 8,000 police and paramilitary border guards on duty, police spokesman Masudur Rahman said. -AFP

SYMPOSIUM

Participants thank HM for Royal care MUSCAT: Participants at a symposium entitled ‘Working Woman and Means of Empowering Her: Future Visions’, have sent a cable of thanks and gratitude to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. A number of officials and experts of the public and private sectors, academic and civil community in the Sultanate and Arab countries took part in the symposium organised by the Ministry of Civil Service between November 24 and November 26. In their cable, they expressed their utmost thanks and gratitude for the Royal care accorded by His Majesty the Sultan for the empowerment of women and for harnessing their potentials so that they can take part in the comprehensive development march of the society. The participants expressed their utmost appreciation for the warm welcome and generous hospitality received in the Sultanate, which had a positive impact on the success of the symposium, praying to Allah the Almighty to grant His Majesty good health, happiness and a long life and shower the blessings of stability and progress on Oman. -ONA

INDIA

Talwars get life term for killing daughter

Dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment by a Special CBI court for killing their daughter Aarushi and domestic help in a keenly watched murder case. The distraught couple were in the court when the verdict was given. >A9

SPORTS

OFA, Kudos ink deal for workforce training

The Oman Football Association (OFA) yesterday announced a new partnership with “Solution Provider” Kudos to sharpen skills and provide training to both OFA’s partners and tomorrow’s workforce. Kudos will run workshops for OFA staff. >C6

Pakistani sibling set to scale more peaks

A10

Of self-control and speciﬁc time frames

C12

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

OMAN S T R A N D E D E X PAT R I AT E

Injured Bangladeshi worker seeks help to return home REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com

ties to make the repatriation as soon as possible.

MUSCAT: A Bangladeshi worker who has been admitted to hospital following an accident at workplace is hopefully waiting for well-wishers’ help for the last six months to go back to his home country, social workers claimed. Abdul Kuddus Mizi, the victim was admitted to hospital in May after he met an accident at his workplace in Amerat. “A piece of wood fell on his head and he was severely injured. He was in coma for a few months but his condition has improved a little bit since. But he seems to be extremely weak and has loss of memory. As per the medics, his treatment is over here and it’s better to repatriate him,” Mohammed Sanaullah, a Bangladeshi social worker, told Times of Oman. “Medics are advising that he be sent back as soon as possible with the assistance of a nurse during

Document details “We are trying our best to do it as soon as possible. Till now, we have got only a few details about his documents. He is in a disorientated state and we were not able to get more details. “We were not able to get his family details back in Bangladesh but we have already contacted the Bangladesh government to sort out the issue. We hope that soon he will be repatriated,” a senior official from the Bangladeshi Embassy in Muscat said. “From the Mission Office, we are providing all kinds of assistance, as is possible,” he added. According to the details available, the victim belongs to Chandpur district in Bangladesh. Those who wish to help can contact 99850377 (Sanaullah) or email readersclub@timesofoman.com.

Abdul Kuddus Mizi

the travel. But the hurdle in front of us is that we need OMR1,550 to meet his travel expenses, including the expenses of the nurse who is going to accompany the victim,” Sanaullah added. Meanwhile, an embassy official said that his office is coordinating with the local social workers and Bangladesh government authori-

ENVOY TO CAMBODIA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia received Sheikh Sultan bin Saif Al Mahrouqi, who presented his credentials as the Sultanate’s non-resident ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia. During the meeting, the ambassador conveyed the greetings of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said along with his best wishes of good health and wellbeing to the King of Cambodia, and the friendly people of Cambodia for their progress and prosperity.— ONA

EXHIBITION

Budding artists showcase Oman’s traditional colours

YASSER AL DHANKI

ART SKILLS: Over 80 artists participated in the show in which they

were asked to represent Omani traditions in a modern way. Above, Yasser Al Dhanki and below, Zahra Al Jamali. –Shabin E./TIMES OF OMAN

STAFF REPORTER MUSCAT: Artists who pushed their artistic boundaries and had ﬁne technical skills emerged as the big winners at the 17th Annual Youth Art Exhibition at the Omani Society for Fine Arts on Monday evening. Over 80 artists participated in the show in which they were asked to represent Omani traditions in a modern way. While some focussed more heavily on traditional images such as women in Omani burqas and camel racing, several took the theme to very interesting levels, including grand prize winner Abdulrahim Al Hooti, whose piece “Spinsterhood Installation” was heavily praised by the jury. “I like Abdulrahim Al Hooti’s work because it was new and different for Oman. It was innovative. You have to encourage the youth to try new styles,” said jury member and renowned Omani artist, Hassan Meer. Al Hooti’s installation was a representation of single Omani

women whose wish is to be married. Using four wooden boxes to show different parts of the woman, it had a veiled mannequin head in the top box, the nipples from numerous baby bottles glued to the second, empty space in the third and pretty red shoes at the bottom. “It’s more difficult to get married now. Men have to pay so much, so more women aren’t married. Her face is hidden because she’s sad,” Al Hooti explained. Zahra Al Jamali was also a winner for her two mixed media abstract pieces in which she used western calligraphy in place of Arabic calligraphy. She said she is attracted to the numerals used in English, which were originally developed in the Arab world. “I’m very happy to win again. It will motivate me to do even better next time,” Al Jamali noted. Other winners included Yasser Al Dhanki, Maryam Al Marhoobi, Essa Al Mufarji, Shakir Jalal, Salim Al Salami, Dawood Al Shibli, Khulood Al Shaibi, Ayman Humara, and Ahmed Al Shabibi.

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

OMAN TRAGIC INCIDENT

Three Omanis die in Ibri accident REJIMON K. reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A tragic accident in Ibri reportedly claimed the lives of three nationals yesterday. According to sources, the accident occurred on Yanqul road in Ibri at around 10am. “What we came to know is that a head on

collision took place between the two vehicles. We saw police vehicles and ambulances rushing to the spot,” sources in Ibri said. According to hospital sources, three people succumbed to their injuries and three more, including two children, were undergoing treatment. “The injuries suffered by the

New visa regulations evoke mixed reactions The Ministry of Manpower has stopped issuing visas to non-Omani marketing professionals. Earlier, the government had issued curbs on employment in the construction and cleaning sectors, and the bar was meant to stay in effect for six months. The ban came into effect from November 1

STAFF REPORTER

MUSCAT: The decision of the Ministry of Manpower (MoM) not to issue visas to non-Omani sales and marketing professionals as well as those engaged in camel keeping, with effect from December 1, may affect some ﬁrms, according to industry players. Others say it will not have much impact, at least not in the immediate future. “But the effect would show only if the ban is extended beyond six months,” said one of them. Earlier this month, the Ministry of Manpower stopped issuing

visas to a section of non-Omani workers in the construction and cleaning sectors, and the bar was meant to stay in effect for six months. The ban came into effect from November 1. “Expansion plans of most of the companies go for a toss whenever the ministry stops issuing new visas,” said a senior official from a reputed industrial house. He also said that given the current situation, there is deﬁnitely a growing demand for more and more people from outside the country. “But if this demand is not met, there will be a slump in the industry, which may have an

Expansion plans of most of the companies go for a toss whenever the ministry stops issuing new visas... if this demand (for more expat workers) is not met, there will be a slump in the industry Senior industry official adverse impact on some projects,” he added. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Bangladesh Embassy in Oman has been trying to convince the Omani authorities to review the decision.

Shamsun Nahar, director general of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), claimed that the decision would certainly affect Bangladesh’s overseas job market. “We would be very happy if the Oman government withdraws it quickly,” he said. 102,357 Bangladeshis According to statistics, a total of 102,357 Bangladeshi workers arrived in Oman between January and September this year. Bangladesh Bank data shows that the country received $610 million as remittance from Oman in 2012-13 ﬁscal year and $151 million from July to September this year. Another industry player said that this ban may increase the prices as the overall costs may go up. “Now we have to hire locals by spending more money,” he said. While the ban is only for new visas, it would not affect renewal of existing visas or recruiting workforce on visas already sanctioned. Even issuance of replacement visas will not be a problem. Family visa status, too, would not be affected though fresh family visa status would be allotted to only those expatriates who have a minimum salary of OMR600.

children are not very serious. The third youngster has a fracture in the leg. All three are in a stable condition,” hospital sources said. Personal details of the victims were not available till this report was ﬁled. Statistics Meanwhile, according to the Na-

tional Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), even though there has been an increase in the number of accidents in September and August, when compared to the number of accidents in 2013 from January till September to the same period in 2012, there has been a dip of 9.2 per cent in that number.

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

OMAN BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

GEW workshops focus on building company brands MAJOR BUSINESS ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED

The workshop took up various aspects of managing start-ups and capacity building Experts threw light on business consultation and dealing with risks and investment service

DEC 1

The Majlis Al Shura will host Mohammed bin Salim Al Toobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs.>B5

Polish, South African bodies get HM’s Prize The National Forest Holding, State Forests of Poland and Wildlife at Risk International in the

MUSCAT: The National Business Centre organised a specialised workshop during the Global Entrepreneur Week (GEW) at Knowledge Oasis Oman. The participants in the conference, comprising entrepreneurs and Omani youth, received valuable tips on setting up small enterprises and managing the company brand. The workshop took up various aspects of managing start-ups and capacity building and explained ways to handle business related obstacles without adversely affecting the day-to-day business. They were told to develop a temperament for business and deliver value to their clients. The event assumes signiﬁcance due to the Sultanate’s focus on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), development of private

sector and stress on non-oil sector. The workshops also focused on how to handle potential employees, customers and investors as well. The participants got an opportunity to discuss cost structures for commercial project startups and proper accounting under the supervision of professionals. Lectures and workshops presented by experts threw light on business consultation and the mechanics of dealing with the risks and investment services and products related to small businesses and entrepreneurs. The organisers were happy with the response of the participants as also the public and private stakeholders. They stressed that more such events will give proper exposure to young Omanis wishing to start their own businesses.

Republic of South Africa jointly won the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Preservation 2013

RIO DE JANEIRO: Dr Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shibaniyah, Minister of Education and Chairperson of the Omani National Commission of Education, Culture and Science presented the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Preservation 2013 to the winners at a ceremony held under the auspices of the deputy president of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The ceremony was organised by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the United Nations Educational, scientiﬁc and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in Rio de Janeiro. Dr Samirah Moussa, the Permanent Delegate of the Sultanate to the Unesco, Dr Musa bin Jaafar bin Hassan, the Adviser at the Sultanate’s Permanent Delegation to the Unesco, Dr Hilal bin Ali Al Hinai, Secretary-General of The Research Council, Dr Khalid bin Said Al Jarradi, the Sultanate’s Ambassador to the Federative Republic of Brazil and a number of Arab ambassadors, scientists and researchers interested in science from different countries attended

ECO CRUSADERS: Dr Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shibaniyah, Minister of Education and Chairperson of

the Omani National Commission of Education, Culture and Science with the winners of the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Preservation 2013 in Rio de Janeiro. — ONA

the awards ceremony. The National Forest Holding ‘State Forests of Poland’ which was founded in 1924, and is responsible for the management of most of Poland’s forests and Wildlife at Risk International in the Republic of South Africa that was founded in 1973 and is responsible for setting up and managing a range of innovative programmes for the protection of the environment in South Africa, jointly won the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Preservation 2013. On this occasion, the Minister of Education addressed the World Science Forum, where she conveyed the greetings of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and best wishes to all the participants in the forum for their scientiﬁc and humanitarian work and urged them to come up with signiﬁcant solutions that contribute towards the development and mainteACADEMICS

Career meet to be held at ISM on Dec. 5

nance of the environment that surrounds us. She added that there is a signiﬁcant link between the Unesco Prize bearing the name of His Majesty the Sultan and the Brazilian City of Rio de Janeiro, as it was in this city that His Majesty gave a call during the World Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992 to promote initiatives to preserve the integrity of the Earth through an international framework of action for the promotion of international cooperation to meet the challenges of the environment. The Minister of Education explained that it has been 22 years since the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation was awarded for the ﬁrst time in 1991 at the Unesco’s headquarters in Paris. It was initiated with the aim to invite scientists, educators, intellectuals, associa-

tions and specialised institutes to work to reduce risks to the environment, an objective that has become increasingly important due to the ever intensifying activities by man and which disturb the balance between the elements of the environment that surrounds us. On the other hand, to give the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Preservation more visibility, a documentary was launched and screened in part at the World Science Forum before a crowd of attendees. The documentary reviewed the achievements of the award at the national and international level, the honour bestowed through it upon institutions and individuals in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America that focused mostly on registered sites on the list of the Unesco’s World Heritage and natural reserves. — ONA

BRIEFS

ROP women officers clear equestrian basics course

Times News Service MUSCAT: The Indian School Muscat (ISM) is organising the 6th Annual Career Fair and Guidance Seminar on December 5 and 6. The career seminar would include presentations by various experts on careers in defence services, medical, paramedical, engineering, commerce and humanities. The details on recent changes in Indian entrance exams, DASA/NRI and other quotas for admissions in India, requirements for international undergraduate admissions also will be covered. Representatives of the participating institutes will be meeting the visitors at the stalls. Institutions taking part in the career fair are: College of Banking and Financial Studies, Oman, ACCA, Oman, IDP Education Oman, GUtech, Oman, National Hospitality Institute, Oman, Polyglot Institute, Oman, Waljat College of Applied Sciences, Oman, BITS Pilani, Dubai, BITS Ranchi RAK, Institute of Management Technology, Dubai, Ignite Globe, Pune, Global Edu. Oman, Kristu Jayanthi College Bangalore, S. P. Jain School of Global Management Studies, Dubai, Oman Medical College, Oman, RAK Medical and Health Science University, RAK, Al Ahlam, Education Services Oman, Rajalakshmi Engineering College, Chennai, Reading University, UK, Vishwa Karma, Pune, Kingston UK, Apeejay Stya University, Delhi, Intelligent Partners, Oman, Institute of Cost and Management Accountants, Oman, Middle East College, Oman, Grey Matter Academics, Chennai, Majan College Oman, Scientiﬁc College of Design, Oman, Monash University, Malaysia, Hindustan University Chennai, Archarya Institutes, Bangalore, Modern Gulf Institute, Oman, Oman Dental College, Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Bangalore, Parul Group of Institutes, Baroda, Total Quality Training Institute, Oman.

MUSCAT: The Royal Oman Police (ROP) yesterday held a ceremony to mark the graduation of the second batch of the equestrian basics course for women police. The function was conducted at the Parade Field of the Cavalry Police under the patronage of Brig. Abdul Razak bin Abdul Qader Al Shawarzi, Commander of the Royal Cavalry. Thirty-one horse riders participated in the course, which lasted for six months. The graduate horsewomen presented a show during which they demonstrated different skills and expertise gained from the course. At the end of the ceremony, Commander of the Royal Cavalry honoured the best graduates. — ONA

Busaidi holds talks with Italian envoy, US admiral MUSCAT: Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, received in his office at Mu’askar Bait Al Falaj yesterday Paula Amadi, Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to the Sultanate. The meeting reviewed the relationship between the two friendly countries and means to enhance it. The two also exchanged viewpoints on a number of matters of common concern. Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi also received in his office Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations at the US Navy, who is currently visiting the Sultanate. — ONA

SQU professor receives Global Award in Iran MUSCAT: Prof Masudul Alam Choudhury of the Department of Economics and Finance, College of Economics and Political Science, Sultan Qaboos University, was awarded the Global Award in Islamic Humanities by the Permanent Secretariat of the International Congress on Islamic Humanities, Center for Cultural and Social Researches (Sadra), Tehran and Qom. Sadra was established by 30 Iranian Prof Masudul Alam scientiﬁc and research centers. The Choudhury congress policy-making council of the International Congress on Islamic Humanities is the highest decision-making authority in charge of award donation, and comprises senior representatives of the founding scientiﬁc and research centers of the congress.

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3 Circulars and awareness publications have been circulated, asking concerned stakeholders not to hike prices Consumer department starts campaign

OMAN

COLOURFUL NATIONAL DAY FESTIVITIES CONTINUE As National Day celebrations continued in the Sultanate, the citizens of Jaalan Bani Bu Ali expressed their loyalty to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said with a colourful display of song and dance yesterday. Below right, Students of Oman Higher College of Technology present a drama to mark the celebrations in their college. — ONA

Shura set to host Toobi on Sunday The minister will provide details about the role of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs in issuing permits for projects and major centres and their impact on the environment

MUSCAT: Sheikh Ali bin Nasser Al Mahrouqi, Secretary-General of the Majlis Al Shura, said that the Shura will be holding its regular sessions of the 7th term (20112015) during which it will host Mohammed bin Salim Al Toobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs. The public session will be chaired by Khalid bin Hilal Al Ma’awali, Chairman of the Majlis Al Shura. Sheikh Al Mahrouqi said that on Sunday and Monday, the Majlis Al Shura will listen to a statement by the Minister of Envi‘ON THE SHORES OF ART’

Exhibition for plastic artists starts at ROHM MUSCAT: A joint plastic art exhibition titled On the Shores of Art for three Omani plastic artists was opened at the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) under the auspices of Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Azri, Secretary General of the Education Council. The exhibition is being organised by the Ministry of Heritage and Culture and features painting in oil, wood and decorative design and a number of sculptures. The exhibition also features works by some of the modern art trends such as Realism and Surrealism inspired by nature, heritage, Islamic traditional patterns and symbols. The exhibition is part of a series of continuing support for Omani artist who enjoys the ministry’s attention with the aim of introducing artists and their innovations to reach all segments of society, stemming from the ministry’s faith in the depth of the Omani plastic art identity and the importance of supporting the artist to further his innovation.—ONA

ronment and Climate Affairs and discussions among the members. He added that the minister will provide details on the contents of his statement before the Shura, which will include discussions about the delay and the procedures at the ministry in issuing permits. The discussions will also include the role of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs in issuing permits for the projects in major industrial centres such as Sohar Industrial Port, Duqm Industrial Zone and follow-up and evaluation of their impact on

the environment after becoming operational. He also said that the minister will address the role and efforts being made by the ministry in protecting the environment from pollutants emitted by the industrial projects set up by small and medium-sized enterprises, crushers and waste dumps. The discussions will also involve the adequacy of the systems and mechanisms established by the ministry in protecting the environment against pollution, the procedures followed by the ministry in case of people and projects violating the laws and regulations on environmental protection. Al Mahrouqi added that the minister’s statement would detail the ministry’s efforts in resolving a number of environmental problems, such as land degradation, combating desertiﬁcation, nature conservation and preservation of wildlife and pastoral areas, protection of shores from erosion, waste management and oil pollution, as well as the challenges and obstacles faced by the ministry in performing its tasks and competencies. — ONA

PUBLIC SERVICE

Consumer department starts campaign to monitor prices WILAYATS: The consumer protection departments in the governorates of the Sultanate have launched a major drive to ensure price stability. Issa bin Said Al Sa’eedi, head of Consumer Services and Market Surveillance at Consumer Protection Authority in the Al Buraimi Governorate said that several teams of specialists have fanned out, tracking various vocations, to ensure quality control in case of goods as well as services. While one team was entrusted the task of monitoring prices at wholesale stores, another is keeping track of prices at the commercial centres. A third team is following the rates at the beauty salons and women’s tailoring shops while yet another has been designated to receive complaints and calls. Besides, the price monitoring exercise continues in the evening shift as well. Several circulars and awareness publications have been circulated, asking concerned stakeholders not to hike the prices. The Consumer Protection Department in the wilayat of Al Rustaq in the South Al Batinah

Various teams have been set up to monitor the prices of wholesale stores, commercial centres and to monitor complaints and calls

governorate held a meeting under the chair of Hamad bin Nasser Al A’dawi, managing director, with owners of small shops and commercial centres in the governorate where he stressed against manipulating prices. During the meeting, it was also made clear to the attendees that prices must not be raised without prior approval of the authority and any violation on this score is liable for person being held legally accountable. The action would be taken in accordance with the Consumer

Protection Law promulgated by Royal Decree No. 81/2002 and its executing regulations promulgated by the ministerial decision No. 49/2007 and decision No. 12/2011 on disallowing hike in prices of goods and services and the commitment to ensure moderate proﬁt margins and keeping prices in check. Consumers Union meet Meanwhile, the four-day meetings of the Consumers Union concluded yesterday under the chairmanship of Jim Guest, president, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Consumers Union. During the four days, the meeting discussed the challenges and opportunities in the Middle East, strategic priorities in consumer protection and a number of other topics of concern to the union’s work. On the sidelines of the meetings, a publication, United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection was released. The honorary membership of the union was given to Dr Said bin Khamis Al Ka’abi, chairman of the Public Authority for Consumer Protection. — ONA

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

REGION

members of the panel drafting Egypt’s new constitution suspended work after authorities arrested several protestors, including a few prominent activists

CITY SHUTS DOWN

Benghazi’s city council calls for civil disobedience against violence BENGHAZI: Shops and schools closed across Benghazi yesterday as residents of Libya’s second city responded to calls for civil disobedience to protest deadly clashes between radicals and the army. The call by the city council came as a source said defence ministry officials were in talks with hardliner group Ansar Al Sharia on an offer of safe passage out of the city on condition its fighters leave their weapons behind. The army clashed with hardliners on Monday after one of its patrols was attacked near the headquarters of Ansar Al Sharia, a group blamed for the killing of the US ambassador in 2012. The health ministry said seven people were killed in the fighting and around 50 wounded. Yesterday, the army deployed across the eastern city, taking control of key roads, news correspondent of this agency reported. Troops were also in control of the Ansar Al Sharia headquarters in the city of Ajdabiya, south of Benghazi, which residents had attacked late Monday, forcing hardliners to flee, before handing it over to the army. Struggling The government has been struggling to integrate the former rebels into a regular army and police, or make them surrender their weapons. Fed up by the government’s inability to rein in the gunmen, the city council called on residents to show their frustration through three days of “civil disobedience”, including strikes. The move brought Benghazi to a near standstill with schools, universities, shops, banks and public offices all closed, as residents mourned the dead.

LAST RITES A truck carries the coffin of Yemeni parliament member Abdul Karim Jedban during his funeral in Sanaa yesterday. Jedban, who was also a delegate to a reconciliation conference aimed at restoring stability to the country, was killed in a drive-by shooting by two men on a motorbike as he left a mosque in Sanaa on Friday. Belarus also said that one of its nationals was killed and another seriously injured by two gunmen in Sanaa who escaped the scene on a motorbike. — Reuters

Yesterday, the army deployed across the eastern city, taking control of key roads

Earlier this month, residents of the capital Tripoli organised a similar campaign of protests against militias in response to deadly violence, prompting some of them to pull out of the city. Defence Minister Abdallah Al Teni said his ministry was in touch with Ansar Al Sharia to find a solution that would avoid further bloodshed. Ansar Al Sharia is requesting a “safe corridor” for its fighters to leave Benghazi but army chiefs are demanding they leave behind their heavy weapons, the minister said, according the spokesman of Libya’s top political body, the General National Congress. A GNC delegation also arrived in Benghazi at the request of the city council. Late on Monday Prime Minister Ali Zeidan, fresh from talks with US and British officials in London on the violence wracking his country, flew into Benghazi briefly for meetings with security officials. Last week, the US military said it hopes to train 5,000 to 8,000 troops for the fledgling new army, following a request from Zeidan. Zeidan met both US Secretary of State John Kerry and Britain’s William Hague in London on Sunday and after the talks the US top diplomat vowed to help stabilise Libya. — AFP

Hundreds protest to defy new Egypt law Egyptian police ﬁred

Referendum to be held in December: Spokesman

teargas shells and used water cannons to disperse hundreds of prtestors in Cairo and detained 20 persons

CAIRO: Egyptian police ﬁred teargas shells and used water cannons to disperse hundreds of protestors in Cairo yesterday after they deﬁed a new law that restricts demonstrations. Protestors gathered to commemorate the death of a liberal activist killed in clashes with police two years ago, challenging the new law passed on Sunday to ban protests without police approval. Hundreds assembled at the Press Syndicate and parliament, both in central Cairo. “Down, down with military rule”, they chanted. Around 20 people were detained, the state news agency reported. Human rights groups have condemned the law as a major blow to freedom in Egypt. Under the law, protests at places of worship are banned and the Interior Ministry has the right to forbid any public meeting of more than 10 people. “(The) new protest law gives security forces free rein,” Amnesty International said. The United States, which has

MUSCAT: A referendum on Egypt’s amended constitution will be held in December, the spokesman of the constituent assembly said yesterday, an important step towards holding elections. “The referendum will be held before the end of (December),” Mohamed Salmawy said. That contradicts comments made by Prime Minister Hazem El Beblawi who said on Sunday the referendum would be held in the second half of January. Meanwhile, 10 members of the panel drafting Egypt’s new constitution suspended work after authorities arrested several protestors, including

partially frozen aid to Egypt, on Monday expressed concern over the new law and said it agreed with groups that argued it does not meet international standards and hampers the country’s move toward democracy. Cairo responded by saying it was unacceptable for any country to interfere in its internal affairs. A security official said yesterday’s crowd had not obtained permission to protest and had ignored warnings to disperse. The army-backed government has said it is not against peace-

a few prominent activists, a committee member said. Hoda El Sadda, a senior member of the panel, said she and nine others have “suspended work after the arrest of protestors” Among those arrested were Mona Seif, founder of a campaign against military trials of civilians, and Ahmad Harara, a dentist who lost his eyes to birdshot during protests against Hosni Mubarak and against the military junta in 2011. Protestors were demonstrating in front of the Shura Council, where the constitution panel sits, when police used water canon to disperse them and later made arrests.. — AFP

ful protests but wants to restore order in the streets. It has also complained that protests often disrupt traffic. Implementing “We are implementing the new protest law that requires protesters to seek permission from the Interior Ministry three days before the protest,” a police official said. Egypt has stumbled in its path to democracy since the fall of former leader Hosni Mubarak, with the army ousting the coun-

ACTION: Riot police ﬁre a

water cannon to disperse people protesting against a new law restricting demonstrations, in downtown Cairo yesterday. – Reuters

try’s ﬁrst freely elected president, Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, on July 3, after mass protests demanding early elections. The law will further squeeze members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who have said they will continue protesting against what they say is a military coup. Mursi’s supporters held protests in different cities in Egypt. In Cairo, enraged female students at Al Azhar University stormed into a dean’s office and destroyed her desk. — Reuters

S Y R I A WA R

Opposition hails talks, rejects Assad’s role BEIRUT: Syria’s main opposition National Coalition insisted yesterday that President Bashar Al Assad should play no role in the country’s political future, while hailing the ﬁxing of a date for peace talks. General Selim Idriss, the head of the rebel Free Syrian Army, said meanwhile that he was ready to go to the talks in Geneva if conditions including the fall of Assad were met. The Coalition said it “affirms its absolute rejection of Assad or any of the criminals responsible for killing the Syrian people playing any role in a transitional body... or in Syria’s political future”. The statement came a day after UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon announced that peace talks, dubbed Geneva II, would be held on January 22, after several de-

We will not stop fighting, either before or after the conference General Selim Idriss Head of the rebel Free Syrian Army lays. The Coalition said it considers the fact a date has been set as “very positive”. But it also said that in preparing for Geneva II the international community must “ensure humanitarian supplies reach all areas of

Syria, while all prisoners must be set free”. It also called for “an immediate end” to massacres in Syria. The new talks must “implement all the provisions of Geneva I”, which in June 2012 envisaged the creation a transitional government for Syria, without stipulating that Assad should step down. The Geneva II conference is a US-Russian initiative, and if it goes ahead it will bring rebel and regime representatives to the negotiating table. Speaking to Al Jazeera television, General Idriss of the Free Syrian Army said: “If we receive proposals that lead to the realisation of the demands of revolutionaries on the ground, we will take part.” Idriss, who heads the FSA’s Supreme Military Council, also

said no one had consulted with his group, “neither on the date nor the delegations set to attend the conference.” The foreign-based rebel command “will not take part if there are no guarantees regarding our... demands” that neither Assad nor “the gang of killers that surrounds him” have a role in Syria’s future. “We will not stop ﬁghting, either before or after the conference,” Idriss added, whose command has lost control on the ground. He also said he believed “the conditions for (the conference) have not yet been met”. In Damascus, dissident Hassan Abdel Azim told reporters the Syria-based opposition tolerated by the Assad regime was willing to go to the talks in a single delegation alongside Coalition members. — AFP

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

REGION

is the number of Palestinian families who call the village of Zanuta in the far south of the occupied West Bank their home. Today is the climax of a 6-year legal battle for them

Between demolition & deliverance tional properties”, revived the case last year. Israel must now present a plan at today’s hearing for the relocation of the families who face eviction. Samamri says that without waiting for the court’s decision on the future of their homes, the Israeli army has already taken swift action against any effort that villagers have made to improve their lot, bulldozing two toilet blocks they had built and blocking off the dirt road they used for their tractors. The Civil Administration, which is responsible for coordinating the army’s activities in the occupied West Bank, says Zanuta’s structures were built without permits, although such permits are rarely issued in Area C—the 60 per cent of the occupied West Bank which is under full Israeli security and administrative control.

At a hearing that opens today the Israeli Supreme Court may order to destroy the village of Zanuta in the far south of the occupied West Bank

OCCUPIED WEST BANK: Faris Samamri and his family of 20 scrape a living grazing sheep from a tin hut on an occupied West Bank hillside but at a hearing that opens today the Israeli Supreme Court may order it destroyed. It is the climax of a six-year legal battle for Samamri and the other 26 Palestinian families who call the village of Zanuta in the far south of the occupied West Bank home. With the support of human rights groups, they have been battling demolition orders issued by the Israeli government for virtually the entire village in 2007, on the grounds that it was built without construction permits—almost impossible to obtain—and on an archaeological site. Before Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, the villagers lived in caves but several of the caves collapsed in the 1980s and they moved to makeshift dwellings out in the open, the dwellings that Israel wants to raze. Court hearing Samamri ensures that the few visitors who make the off-road drive to the village from a non-descript junction south of Hebron are plied with tea and coffee, served in small china cups by his children. He says he will attend today’s opening of the court hearing in Jerusalem which will decide the village’s fate, but is fatalistic about what it will spell for him, his

BLEAK FUTURE: The southern occupied West Bank village of Zanuta. The community of 27 families live a pastoral life tending to their

livestock, but are facing total eviction since the Israeli army ordered demolition of the whole village. – AFP

two wives and 18 children. “If they rule against us and then come and knock down our houses, we’ll just have to stay here, with or without shelter,” he said. “Where else can we go?” Zanuta has no electricity, mains water or sewerage. Residents burn most of their waste, get electricity from generators they use sparingly because of high fuel costs, and pay over the odds for trucked-in water which they store in cisterns that are also slated for demolition. “The winter here is difficult, and we struggle to stay warm. We have no municipality to look after us,” Samamri said. Human Rights Watch says that as an occupier, Israel is required by international humanitarian law “to ensure that the residents of Zanuta have enough food, water (and) shelter”.

If they rule against us and then come and knock down our houses, we’ll just have to stay here, with or without shelter. Where else can we go Faris Samamri A resident of Zanuta

And forced displacement of civilian populations in occupied territory amounts to a “prosecutable war crime”, the New York-based watchdog said. The Association of Civil Rights for Israel, which has petitioned the Supreme Court, says Zanuta’s case stands out among the hundreds of demolitions planned by Israel across the occupied West Bank. “What makes Zanuta different from most other occupied West Bank cases is that it’s the entire village that is being threatened,” ACRI’s Marc Grey said. ACRI’s action has seen the courts temporarily freeze the demolitions since 2007, partly because the authorities have no plan for Zanuta’s residents following any demolition. But rightwing lobby group Regavim, whose stated aim is to “protect Israel’s lands and na-

Catch-22 scenario And, in a Catch-22 scenario typical of Israel’s administration of the territory, it would be impossible to obtain building permits for Zanuta anyway, ACRI says. For building permits to be issued, the structures must comply with Israeli planning rules for any given area of the occupied West Bank. And for the area where Zanuta is located, no such planning rules exist. Israel also argues that Zanuta should be cleared because it stands on top of an archaeological site. But in a letter to the court, archaeologist Dr Avi Ofer said Israel had constructed Jewish settlements on much more important sites in Hebron and occupied Jerusalem, and Zanuta’s existing homes posed no threat to the 2,800-year-old remains. Samamri was incredulous as to why anyone would want to demolish his humble abode. “We’ll rely on God if they decide against us, and will stay here out in the open if they destroy our homes,” he said. “What difference would that even make? We’re already living under a cardboard ceiling.” — AFP

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

INDIA TERRORISM

Five years on, Mumbai terror attack victims remembered ing gunman Mohammed Ajmal Kasab as he tried to ﬂee in a stolen car — an encounter that left his colleague dead. Kasab was hanged last November after a lengthy trial for his role in the attacks.

MUMBAI: India yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of militant attacks on Mumbai with memorial services and prayers as victims recounted the three days of carnage that left 166 people dead. Government ministers and relatives of victims laid wreaths at a memorial in south Mumbai dedicated to police and security forces killed trying to stop the gunmen during 60 hours of bloodshed in 2008. Ten militants arrived by sea on the evening of November 26 and carried out a massacre at luxury hotels, a railway station, cafe and Jewish centre as terrified civilians tried to escape the bloody assault. Live television footage was beamed around the world as commandos battled the gunmen, before authorities finally regained full control of the city three days later. About 300 people were injured. Memories of attack Devika Rotawan was 10 years old when she was shot in the leg as the militants raided Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminal firing indiscriminately at people. “My life was peaceful before the attacks... it is not the same now. Though my leg has recovered, it still pains when I run or walk for a long time,” Rotawan, who turns 15

IN REMEMBRANCE: People lighting candles for the victims of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks on its ﬁfth

anniversary, in Moradabad, yesterday. – PTI

next month, said. “The memories of the attacks as still fresh... each time I go to the CST station, I get the shivers,” said Rotawan, who wants to join the police force after ﬁnishing school. Maharashtra Chief Minister

BIHAR

Over 10,000 teachers fail competency test PATNA: More than 10,000 contractual school teachers in Bihar have failed a competency test, ofﬁcials said yesterday. The test was held last month to review the teachers’ ability to teach. “A total of 24 per cent teachers have failed the competency test. Out of 43,447 applicants who took the test, 32,833 teachers cleared the test,” Principal Secretary (Education) Amarjeet Sinha said. Quality of teaching The teachers were tested for knowledge of English, Mathematics, Hindi and General Knowledge for up to Class 5. Sinha said the test was to check the quality of teaching in schools following complaints of poor

teaching standards. “The test was to review their ability to teach. If they failed to clear it, the government has made it clear that they should either improve or leave teaching,” principal secretary (Education) said. Lose jobs He said for those who failed the test for the ﬁrst time, there will be another chance. But those who failed for the second time would lose their jobs as per government norms. Sinha said action will be initiated after counting how many of the failed teachers have exhausted both their chances. Bihar has been conducting such eligibility tests for school teachers since 2008. - IANS

Prithviraj Chavan and top police officers laid ﬂoral tributes at the memorial along Mumbai’s Marine Drive — just a short distance from the spot where the sole surviving gunman was captured. “At that time we did not know of

the gravity of the situation,” said assistant police inspector Bhaskar Kadam, who won a medal for his role in battling the militants. Kadam killed one of the militants and was part of the police team that captured the surviv-

Blame Both New Delhi and Washington blame the attacks on the militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba. India has pressed Pakistan to bring the alleged masterminds of the attacks to justice. Pakistan charged seven men in 2009 over the attacks and has started a trial there, but says it needs to gather more evidence before proceeding further. Lawyers for the seven Pakistanis said on Monday the case against them “lacks evidence” and claimed the Indians only had themselves to blame for the slow progress. Yesterday security was strengthened at the places which came under siege, including the landmark Taj Mahal Palace hotel which will hold its own private memorial service. On the eve of the anniversary, the author of an acclaimed new book on the tragedy warned that India failed to learn the lessons from the assault. Adrian Levy, whose book The Siege highlights striking failures

in India’s response to the attacks, said he feared security had barely improved since then. Hindustan Times newspaper also questioned the city’s security and pointed to still “fraught” ties with Pakistan despite efforts to improve relations between the two rival neighbours. State police chief Sanjeev Dayal however rejected the concerns, saying “we are better prepared to take on such attacks in the future”. “On this day, we are re-dedicating ourselves to serving the nation and society.” Suing hotel owners Meanwhile, a 33-year-old British man, paralysed during the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008, is suing the owners of the iconic Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, alleging they did little to provide security for guests despite several warnings that an assault on the hotel was imminent. Will Pike from North London is taking legal action against the Indian Hotels Company Ltd, a part of the Tata Group. Pike will approach the High Court in London on December 2 to argue against an attempt by the hotel owners to prevent his legal case against them being heard in a UK court, his lawyers said. - Agencies

Panel to investigate snooping allegation against Gujarat CM A commission has been formed to

The commission has been formed by the Gujarat government to shield Modi. This has become the standard practice of this government whenever the chief minister is in legal trouble

ﬁnd out the truth in connection to these allegations, Gujarat state cabinet minister Nitin Patel said

Arjun Modhwadia Gujarat Congress president Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: A state governed by opposition candidate for prime minister Narendra Modi has launched an investigation into allegations he ordered invasive surveillance of an architect, in a case his opponents say shows a tendency to abuse power. Modi has topped several recent opinion polls ahead of general elections in six months, but the allegations could tarnish his carefully crafted image as a pro-business and graft-free administrator. Two Indian investigative websites — Cobrapost and Gulail — said earlier this month that they had access to 267 audio recordings that had been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Dismissed charges They said the recordings contain telephone conversations from

2009 in which Modi’s former junior home minister Amit Shah orders a police officer to track the woman. It was unclear why the woman was being followed. “A commission has been formed to ﬁnd out the truth in connection to these allegations,” said Gujarat state cabinet minister Nitin Patel. Modi’s BJP has dismissed the charges as part of “dirty tricks” in the lead-up to the elections. His campaign has focused on beating corruption, following a series of graft scandals concerning the ruling Congress party, and reviving India’s economy, which has slumped to its lowest growth in a decade. But his critics see an authoritarian and a divisive ﬁgure who failed to stop riots in Gujarat in 2002, in which more than 1,000 people were killed. A Supreme

Court inquiry found no evidence to prosecute him. The Congress said an investigation by the Gujarat government in the latest case could not be fair and has instead been demanding an investigation by a Supreme Court judge into what the local media has called “snoopgate”. In the phone recordings, the person alleged to be home minister Shah asks the surveillance to be carried out for his “saheb” - the respectful Hindi word for boss - when giving orders to police officer G L Singhal, who secretly recorded the conversations. Modi is not named. The woman was tailed as she visited shopping malls, ice - cream parlours, hospitals and airports, according to the websites’ expose. Senior members of India’s ruling Congress party dismissed the panel as a whitewash that could

prevent a proper investigation taking place. “The commission has been formed by the Gujarat government to shield Modi. This has become the standard practice of this government whenever the chief minister is in legal trouble,” said Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia. The two-person panel consists of Sugnaben Bhatt, a retired high court judge, and K C Kapoor, a retired senior civil servant. Bhatt previously led a commission that looked into whether ﬂoods in Gujarat in 2006 were the result of poor dam maintenance and gave a clean chit to the state government. A letter by the woman’s father last week denied that there had been any unwanted surveillance. The panel is due to submit its report to the Gujarat government within three months. - AFP

CYCLONIC STORM

Andhra gearing up to face Lehar threat HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh is preparing to face any eventuality as cyclonic storm Lehar in the Bay of Bengal is heading to hit its coast tomorrow. The “very severe” cyclonic storm is centred 920km east-southeast of Machillipatnam, and 850km from Kakinada in the state. “The system would intensify further and move west-northwestwards and cross Andhra Pradesh coast between Machillipatnam and Kalingapatnam near Kakinada around November 28 noon,” said the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). The IMD has warned that a storm surge of two to three metres would inundate low-lying areas of west and east Godavari, Vishakhapatnam and Krishna districts of Andhra Pradesh and Yanam district of Puducherry

HEALING TOUCH: YSR Con-

gress President YS Jagan Reddy interacting with farmers who lost their standing crops to Cyclone Helen in Cheyyeru village, yesterday. -PTI

at the time of landfall. Yanam is under the administrative control of Puducherry but geographically a part of East Godavari district.

The met department has forecast moderate rainfall at many places from Wednesday afternoon over north coastal Andhra Pradesh and south coastal Odisha. Increase in intensity According to an IMD bulletin, squally winds speed reaching 45-55 kmph gusting to 65 kmph would commence along and off Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts from this evening. It would increase in intensity with gale wind speed reaching 170-180 kmph gusting to 200 kmph along and off coastal districts of Krishna, West and East Godavari and Vishakhapatnam districts and 120-130 kmph gusting to 140 kmph over Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Guntur districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh at the time of landfall. - IANS

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

INDIA BRIEFS

CBI opposes amicus curiae in coal scam

FIVE KILLED IN BUILDING COLLAPSE

NEW DELHI: The CBI yesterday opposed a Supreme Court move to appoint an amicus curiae to assist it in giving an objective view of the status report ﬁled by the agency in alleged irregularities in coal block allocations scam. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told a bench of Justice R.M. Lodha, Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph that such a move would blur the thin line between the monitoring and the supervision of the investigation, and would compromise the independence of its probe. Meanwhile, the court has issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a petition by NGO Common Cause seeking investigation into the proceeds of the crime that was generated in the coal scam. The court notice was issued after counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, said that after the CBI comes to the conclusion that prima facie an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act has taken place, then it is incumbent upon ED to investigate as to what has happened to the proceeds of the crime and attach them.

Rescue work is carried out after a building collapsed at Adugodi area in Bengaluru, yesterday. Five people were killed when a dilapidated house collapsed and brought down some other adjoining residential units. — PTI

SC notice to states on PIL against Aadhaar scheme

Talwars get life term for killing daughter tained that the couple —who had a thriving practice — killed Aarushi after seeing her and Hemraj in “a compromising position”. The court said that from the evidence produced by the CBI it was proved that the couple had the knowledge of the double murder.

The judge said he did not give the couple death penalty as sought by the prosecution ‘in view the entire facts and circumstances ... (as) the accused are not (a) menace to the orderly society’

DISTRAUGHT COUPLE: The Talwars were convicted for murder, de-

struction of evidence and acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention. – PTI ﬁle photo

GHAZIABAD: Dentist couple Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were yesterday sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment by a Special CBI court for killing their daughter Aarushi and domestic help in a keenly watched murder case that will now play on in the higher judiciary. A day after holding them guilty, Special CBI Judge Shyam Lal said he was convinced that the gory murders of May 2008 at the Talwars’ plush residence in Noida adjoining Delhi was committed “by the accused only”. Judgment The judge said he did not give the couple death penalty as sought by the prosecution “in view the entire facts and circumstances ... (as) the accused are not (a) menace to the

orderly society. “Therefore, it appears just and proper to sentence the accused to rigorous imprisonment for life under section 302 with section 34 of the IPC,” he said in his 210-page judgment. “The rarest of the rare case comes when a convict would be a menace and threat to the harmonious and peaceful existence of the society.” The distraught couple, who were until recently among the most sought after dentists in Delhi and Noida, were in the court when the verdict was given. They were quickly taken back to the Dasna Jail in Ghaziabad district. Talwars’ lawyer Tanvir Ahmed Mir described the couple as “brave” and said they would “ﬁght for the honour of their daughter till

the last drop of their blood”. They would approach the higher court. The Talwars were convicted on Monday of killing their 14-yearold daughter and 45-year-old domestic help Hemraj on the night of May 15-16, 2008. The Class 9 student was found with her throat slit and head battered at the Talwars Noida home. Police initially suspected the then missing Hemraj for Aarushi’s killing until they found his body from the terrace of the house the next day.It marked the start of a widely publicized whodunit with twists and turns before the Central Bureau of Investigation — brought in after the local police faced ﬂak for a shoddy probe — held the Talwars guilty. CBI counsel R. K. Saini main-

ALLEGED RAPE CASE

Victim records statement; no interim relief for Tejpal NEW DELHI/PANAJI: The Delhi High Court yesterday declined to give interim relief to Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal after the Goa Police opposed his plea for anticipatory bail in a case of alleged sexual assault on a junior woman colleague. Goa Police yesterday said they had recorded the statement of the woman journalist, who has accused Tejpal of sexually assaulting her twice at a ﬁve star resort in Panaji this month. The woman has resigned her job in Tehelka after accusing the management of sheltering Tejpal. In her statement to Goa Police, the victim reiterated the points she made to Tehelka’s managing editor Shoma Chaudhury, a police source said. “The statement is consistent with the complaint to Shoma and with the versions told to us by the three journalists (former employees of Tehelka) who the victim had conﬁded in,” the official said. Alerted Goa Police said they had alerted all immigration points as a precaution to prevent Tejpal from leaving India. Police have still not decided how and where to question Tejpal. Tejpal, who had moved the Delhi High Court, did not get interim relief on his plea for anticipatory bail. Justice Sunita Gupta asked the

RAGE: Durga Vahini Matri Shakti Delhi activists protest against

Tarun Tejpal at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, yesterday. – PTI

police to ﬁle a reply by today. Goa Police opposed the bail plea, saying the matter was a serious one. Tejpal’s counsel K.T.S Tulsi and Geeta Luthra asked the court to pass an order granting him protection from arrest till police ﬁled a reply. Tejpal alleged that the Goa government was giving him a bad time because the BJP had a “long standing grudge” against him for the investigative journalism he did when the party ruled the country. In 2001, Tejpal was behind a sting operation on leaders of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government that exposed corruption in defence deals. It resulted in the resignations of

then BJP president Bangaru Laxman and defence minister George Fernandes.Tejpal said the woman stayed out late into the night during the ThinkFest conference in Goa where the alleged assault took place. He said the encounter with her was “light hearted bantering”. “The colleague referred above continued to party and was completely normal and friendly all throughout in Goa,” Tejpal said in his bail plea. “She was at every party and social events through the conference and stayed out late into the night.” He asked police to study the CCTV footage of Hotel Hyatt in Goa. -IANS

False information But to screen themselves from law, Rajesh Talwar gave false information to police that Hemraj had murdered Aarushi. “An outsider killer after committing the crime will not waste his time in dressing-up the bedsheet, arranging toys and pillow in proper order (on) the bedsheet, covering the dead body of Aarushi with a flannel blanket and cleaning private parts of Aarushi as his top priority will be to escape immediately after commission of the murder... thus dressing-up of the bedsheet and placing toys and pillow is possible to be done by the accused persons (Talwars) only,” the judge said. The Talwars were convicted for murder, destruction of evidence and acts done by several persons in furtherance of a common intention. Rajesh Talwar was also accused of misleading the probe. The judge also sentenced the Talwars to five years in jail for destruction of evidence and Rajesh to an additional year in prison for giving false information to investigators. The Talwars were fined Rs10,000 each for murder and Rs5,000 each for destruction of evidence. Rajesh Talwar was fined Rs2,000 for misleading police.- IANS

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court yesterday issued notice to all the states on a PIL contending that the entire Aadhaar scheme was unconstitutional as the biometric data collected under it was an incursion and transgression of individual privacy. The notice was issued after the court was told that a large number of states have linked the entitlement of socially and economically beneﬁcial schemes with the Aadhaar scheme. Referring to the provisions in various states, senior counsel Shyam Divan told the court that possessing a Aadhaar card has become necessary for the registration of marriages under Hindu Marriage Act, Special Marriage Act, solemnization of marriages, admission to schools, drawing salaries, and for securing essential services, cooking gas, rural jobs scheme, food subsidy and other welfare schemes. Divan, who had appeared for the main petitioner Justice (Retd.) K.S. Puttaswamy, said that even if the Aadhaar scheme was voluntary even then the government could not keep such personal data of the citizens as it violated Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution and would remain a coercive instrument in the hands of the government.

Number of candidates with criminal cases up in Delhi NEW DELHI: here has been an increase in the number of candidates with criminal cases in the 2013 assembly polls in Delhi. The BJP has the maximum number of such candidates and the Congress tops the list of “crorepati” nominees, a study revealed yesterday. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and Delhi Election Watch (DEW) analysed affidavits of 796 of 810 candidates contesting the Delhi assembly polls. Polling for the 70-member Delhi assembly will be held on December 4. They found that the average assets of 66 MLAs, who are re-contesting the polls, has gone up substantially from Rs29 million in 2008 to Rs104.3 million in 2013, marking a whopping average asset growth of 259 pe cent. The study said the number of candidates with criminal cases in Delhi has gone up from 111 out of 790 (14 per cent) in 2008 to 129 out of 796 (16 per cent) in 2013.

Eight killed in road mishap JAMMU: Eight people were killed yesterday when a taxi in which they were travelling rolled down a hill and plunged into a river in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, police said. The incident occurred when the Tata Sumo taxi skidded off the road and plunged into the Chenab River at Kaligarh near Darub Shalla in Kishtwar, 210km from Jammu, a senior police officer said. “The vehicle was on way from Kishtwar town to Thathri village when the accident occurred,” he said adding that police reached the spot on getting the information and launched rescue operations. - Agencies

A10

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

PAKISTAN

This is one of the ﬁrst steps of our goal of racing towards a loadshedding-free Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister

H I G H S TA K E S

Sharif set to name new army chief ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, will this week name a new army chief who, if all goes well, could help the nuclear-armed nation shake off a legacy of coups and instability. The stakes could not be higher. The last time Sharif chose an army chief, he was toppled by the same general, Pervez Musharraf, a year later. Musharraf held power for nearly a decade from 1999 until the restoration of civilian rule. “What is best for the country may not be the best political option,” said Mahmud Durrani, a former general who served as Pakistan’s national security adviser until 2008. “Nawaz will try to appoint someone who will do his bidding, not someone who is good for the army. And similarly, the new chief will be driven by the institution and not necessarily by any civilian leader.”

POLIO VACCINATION Volunteers administer a polio vaccine during a ‘kid’s vaccination campaign’ on the streets of Islamabad, yesterday. Militants released seven polio workers who were kidnapped last week in a northwestern tribal district while carrying out a vaccination campaign, officials said. — AFP

The post of army chief is arguably the most powerful in Pakistan and anxiety rests on who will replace the taciturn, chainsmoking General Ashfaq Kayani, who steps down on Friday after six years at the helm. Three senior generals, Lieutenant-General Haroon Aslam, Lieutenant-General Tariq Khan and Lieutenant-General Rashad Mahmood, are seen as main contenders. Mahmood is the third most senior commander and, army insiders say, a Kayani favourite. Khan commands a Pakistani army corps and is considered an important interlocutor with the United States. Aslam is the most senior military officer after Kayani, and thus his natural heir. Kayani has won credit for reducing the military’s public role in politics although the army retains huge inﬂuence behind the scenes. — AFP

Brother-sister duo set to scale more peaks Samina Baig and Mirza Ali Baig will

I want to tell women in developing countries that they are as powerful as their male counterparts and they can play an equal role in their respective societies

set off on Saturday to tackle Mount Vinson, the highest in Antarctica, Argentina’s Aconcagua, the tallest peak in the Americas and others in Russia, Indonesia and Nepal

Samina Baig Mountaineer

ISLAMABAD: The ﬁrst Pakistani woman to climb Mount Everest is to embark on an expedition to summit seven major peaks around the world, to advocate female empowerment and action on climate change. Samina Baig in June became the ﬁrst Pakistani woman to reach the 8,848 metre (29,029 foot) summit of the world’s tallest mountain, after a gruelling expedition in rough weather. Now she and her brother Mirza Ali Baig will set off on Saturday to tackle Mount Vinson, the highest in Antarctica, Argentina’s Aconcagua, the tallest peak in the

Americas and others in Russia, Indonesia and Nepal. The Adventure Diplomacy Group (ADG) consisting of the embassies of Argentina, Indonesia, Nepal, the Russian Federation, and the United States of America is supporting the duo in their voyage. Hailing from Hunza valley in Gilgit-Baltistan region, Samina, 21, said mountaineering was not only a sport for her, but a means to inspire women. Many women in Pakistan suffer severe discrimination, domestic violence and they are often victims of so-called “honour” killings “I want to tell women in devel-

oping countries that they are as powerful as their male counterparts and they can play an equal role in their respective societies,” Samina said. Northern Pakistan is home to some of the world’s most impressive mountains and glaciers and is renowned for its particularly challenging climbs, including K2, the world’s second highest peak. But the climbing industry was badly affected by the massacre of 10 foreign mountaineers at the foot of Pakistan’s second highest mountain Nanga Parbat in June. Mirza, an experienced mountain guide, expedition leader and

trainer in the Karakoram, Himalaya and Hindu Kush ranges, said he wanted to push a more positive message. “Our aim is also to promote peace and love for nature and its inhabitants. We’ve had enough of bombs, we should give peace a chance now,” he said. Samina said she took inspiration from her own small community in the rugged terrain of the Karakorum mountain range in Pakistan’s extreme north. “A girl child has as equal rights as their male counterparts and our community does everything to educate female children,” Samina said. — AFP

BRIEFS

Court rejects Musharraf’s non-attendance request QUETTA: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Quetta rejected former president General Pervez Musharraf’s request to not appear in court in the Nawab Akbar Bugti murder case, Express News reported yesterday. Musharraf was accused of orchestrating the murder of Bugti, the chief of his tribe. He was killed in a military operation in Balochistan in 2006 when Musharaf was the army chief and president of the country at the same time. Former prime minister Shaukat Aziz and former Balochistan governor Owais Ahmed Ghani were declared as fugitives by the ATC. The court ordered that their properties be seized. The hearing of the case was adjourned to December 24.

Zardari graft cases hearing adjourned to December 9 ISLAMABAD: An accountability court adjourned the hearing of the ﬁve references opened against former president Asif Ali Zardari to December 9 yesterday, Express News reported. During the hearing today, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor told the court that Zardari is no longer exempted from trial. Zardari’s lawyer Farooq H Naek informed the court that Zardari could not come for the hearing because of security issues. It will be ensured that the former president is present at the court for the next hearing, he added. The court also ordered NAB to provide a copy of the polo ground reference to Zardari.

Largest nuclear power plant work starts ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif yesterday launched the construction of the country’s biggest atomic power plant and vowed to pursue further projects to make nuclear the largest energy source. The 2,200-megawatt plant is to be built with Chinese technical assistance on the Arabian Sea coast at Paradise Beach, 40 kilometres west of Karachi. “This is one of the ﬁrst steps of our goal of racing towards a loadshedding-free Pakistan,” Sharif told the audience at the site of the plant. Sharif pledged to increase nuclear power generation capacity to 40,000MW in the long term as part of his energy plan. A few kilometres further west of the new nuclear power project, an energy park is being built at Gaddani beach. — Agencies

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ASIA B I L AT E R A L S E C U R I T Y AG R E E M E N T

US warns Karzai it may leave no troops in Afghanistan

OPPOSING NEW STATE SECRECY ACT Protestors gather in front of the parliament building after the government proposed state secrecy act was passed in the Lower House in Tokyo. Japan yesterday moved closer towards a law that would expand the deﬁnition of state secrets and raise penalties for leaks, a provision critics say will block access to information on sensitive areas, including the nuclear industry. The sign (top left) reads, ‘Against the state secrecy act. Listen to the voices of the people!’.

KABUL: US national security advisor Susan Rice told Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday that a delay in signing a troubled security deal risked the US pulling troops out of the country completely next year. The US said that Karzai had called for “new conditions” for signing the bilateral security agreement (BSA) to allow US forces to remain in the country after 2014. The president held talks with Rice in Kabul after he hedged on when he would accept the deal despite a “loya jirga” assembly of Afghan tribal elders and politicians on Sunday urging him to sign it promptly. “Without a prompt signature, the US would have no choice but to initiate planning for a post-2014 future in which there would be no US or Nato troop presence in Afghanistan,” Rice told Karzai, according to a White

House statement on Monday. “Ambassador Rice stressed... that deferring the signature of the agreement until after next year’s elections is not viable” when she met with Karzai at the end of a three-day trip to Kabul, it added. Washington was ready to sign the deal in the coming days following the loya jirga’s decision, the statement said. But “in response, President Karzai outlined new conditions for signing the agreement and indicated he is not prepared to sign the BSA promptly”. Karzai stressed his demands for “no operations by foreign forces in residential areas, a sincere start of a peace process (with Taleban), and the holding of transparent elections,” his office said. The BSA will permit some US soldiers to remain after the end of 2014 when most of Nato’s 75,000 US-led troops pull out. - AFP

Thailand protestors intensify stir KEY EVENTS The seizing of

August, 2013 : Around 2,000 anti-government demonstrators protest near parliament against a controversial bill offering an amnesty for political violence

government buildings has plunged Thailand into its deepest

unrest in a generation. Suthep and former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva have been charged with murder and accused of allowing troops to open ﬁre with live rounds during those 2010 protests. A year later, their Democrat Party was routed in an election that swept Yingluck to power in a landslide.

October: Thousands of people join daily antiamnesty rallies in Bangkok

political uncertainty since it was convulsed

November 1: Lower house of parliament overwhelmingly passes the controversial political amnesty bill, triggering growing protests But the upper house later unanimously rejects it

three years ago by the bloodiest political unrest in a generation

BANGKOK: Nearly 3,000 flagwaving anti-government protestors massed in front of Thailand’s Interior Ministry yesterday, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra a day after they stormed compounds of two other ministries. The protestors defied a tough security law imposed across Bangkok late on Monday to control tens of thousands of protestors rallying against Yingluck and her billionaire brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Waving Thai flags and blowing whistles, demonstrators surrounded the interior, agriculture, tourism and transport ministries, ordering workers inside to leave and ratcheting up tension in the biggest street protests since 2010, when 91 people were killed in a military crackdown. Confidence debate Yingluck and her ruling Puea Thai Party began a two-day confidence debate in parliament where they hold a commanding majority. The opposition has accused them of

November 24: Pressure builds on the government with up to 180,000 people joining opposition protests in Bangkok

UP IN ARMS: Anti-government protestors gathered in front of Thailand’s Interior Ministry yes-

terday, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra a day after they stormed compounds of two other ministries. – Reuters

graft and trying to pass laws to white-wash Thaksin of corruption allegations, but Yingluck is expected to prevail in a vote tomorrow. “Getting rid of the Thaksin regime is not easy,” said protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister under the previous government, in an interview. Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon, was ousted in a 2006 military coup but has hovered ghostlike over Thai politics since ﬂeeing the country in 2008, accused of undermining the powerful monarchy, breaching conﬂict-of-interest laws and sentenced in absentia to two years in prison. He remains a populist hero

among the rural masses but is reviled by much of the traditional Bangkok elite of top generals, royal advisers, middle-class bureaucrats and business leaders — who largely back the opposition Democrat Party. After forcing their way inside the Finance Ministry on Monday and bursting through the gates of the Foreign Ministry compound, the Democrat-led protestors kept marching yesterday. “Our important mission today is to surround the four important ministries of the government,” Watchara Ritthakanee, a protest leader, told a cheering, whistleblowing crowd.

November 25: Opposition protesters occupy the ﬁnance and foreign ministries

The government shut and evacuated staff from ministries under siege by the protestors. Staff warned The Interior Ministry, a short walk from Thailand’s top tourist attraction, the Grand Palace, was surrounded by protestors. But they did not follow through on an earlier threat to enter the building. Its high metal fence is fortiﬁed by coils of razor wire and guarded by dozens of security men in military fatigues, apparently unarmed. Earlier, protest leaders warned staff to leave or they would storm the building, witnesses said. Thousands of protestors tried

to march to the heavily barricaded Government House, the prime minister’s offices. After a 15minute standoff with police, they withdrew to Bangkok’s historic quarter. Another group marched toward the Energy Ministry, which was also evacuated. At the Finance Ministry, more than 1,000 protestors ﬁlled a courtyard, chanting “Get out! Get out!” against the government. Many had stayed overnight, sleeping on plastic mats. The seizing of government buildings has plunged Thailand into its deepest political uncertainty since it was convulsed three years ago by the bloodiest political

Political uncertainty In an apparent sign of rising tension, a bomb squad removed a grenade from the grounds of a Democrat Party branch office in Bangkok, said police officer Sarun Pichitmanoh, adding that he believed it had been placed there to add to the friction. The uncertainty is driving foreign investors out of the Thai financial markets, making the baht the second-worst performing emerging Asian currency in November. The baht has lost 2.7 per cent this month, while Thai stocks have retreated about six per cent. The Finance Ministry is still functioning well despite its seizure by protestors, its minister said. “Key officials are still working as normal from our backup office,” Finance Minister Kittirat Na Ranong said. “So there will be no impact on the fiscal budget and important functions.” Salaries are handled by Krung Thai Bank and government bond auctions are normally managed by the Bank of Thailand, officials say. Kittirat said he was worried about investor confidence: “There will be some impact on the economy in the current quarter if the situation continues.” Kittirat said the ministry would file a lawsuit against Suthep and investigate ministry officials who had facilitated the invasion. A warrant has been issued for Suthep’s arrest. Yingluck, 46, has remained defiant, saying she would not step down. - Reuters

S PAC E M I S S I O N

Launch of first Chinese moon rover ‘Jade Rabbit’ next month BEIJING: China will launch its first ever moon rover early next month, state media said yesterday, with the vehicle named “Jade Rabbit” in a nod to Chinese folklore. The name derives from an ancient Chinese myth about a white rabbit which lives on the moon as the pet of Chang’e, a lunar deity who swallowed an immortality pill. The rocket carrying the probe will be launched in early December, China’s official Xinhua news agency said, citing the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence. It did not give a specific date. China has previously sent two probes to orbit the moon, with controllers sending the first of them crashing into the lunar surface at the end of its mission. Rising global stature “China has named its first moon rover ‘Yutu’, or jade rabbit, following an online poll,” Xinhua added. The rabbit’s outline is said to be visible on the moon’s surface, similar to the Western concept

of the “man in the moon”. Beijing sees its military-run space programme as a marker of its rising global stature and growing technological might, as well as the ruling Communist Party’s success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation. It has ambitious plans to create a permanent space station by 2020 and eventually send a human to the moon, but its technology currently lags behind the expertise of the United States and Russia. China showed off a model of the gold-coloured moon rover, with six wheels and wing-like solar panels earlier this month. The vehicle can climb inclines of up to 30 degrees and travel up to 200 metres (yards) per hour, its designers said. References to a moon rabbit in Chinese folklore date back to the Warring States period, which ended in 221 BC. Ouyang Ziyuan, head of the moon rover project, told Xinhua that the ancient beliefs had their origins in the marks left by im-

The name was chosen in an online poll, with 3.4 million people taking part. The probe is expected to travel as far as 300 million km from Earth, the longest voyage made by any Chinese spacecraft AMBITIOUS PROJECT: File photo taken on November 5 shows a model of China’s ﬁrst lunar rover at

the China International Industry Fair 2013 in Shanghai. Named ‘Jade Rabbit’ in a nod to Chinese folklore, the craft will explore the moon’s surface in an upcoming space mission. – AFP

pacts on the lunar landscape. “There are several black spots on the moon’s surface, our ancient people imagined they were a moon palace, osmanthus trees,

and a jade rabbit,” he said. China’s ﬁrst lunar probe, Chang’e-1, was launched in 2007. The next, Chang’e-2, began its journey three years later and after

orbiting the moon was sent on a mission into deep space to monitor an asteroid. That probe is “expected to travel as far as 300 million km from

Earth, the longest voyage of any Chinese spacecraft”, Xinhua quoted an official as saying. Longest voyage That remains a small fraction of the distance travelled by the US’ Voyager-1, launched in 1977, which left the solar system and has travelled nearly 19 billion kilometres away from its home planet. Chinese social media users welcomed the name yesterday. “I look forward to the jade rabbit visiting the moon palace, go Chinese aerospace!” wrote one poster on Sina Weibo, a service similar to Twitter. The name was chosen in an online poll, with 3.4 million people taking part, Xinhua reported. “Yutu is a symbol of kindness, purity and agility, and is identical to the moon rover in both outlook and connotation,” it quoted Li Benzheng, deputy commanderin-chief of China’s lunar programmme, as saying. “Yutu also reﬂects China’s peaceful use of space,” he added. -AFP

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Iran deal tempered by pragmatism

he interim agreement reached between Iran and six major world powers after several rounds of talks in Geneva could play a huge role in changing the contours of politics in the Middle East and indeed, the world. The pact reached involves an agreement that Iran will halt its uranium enrichment programme, as a part of curbs on its nuclear programme, in return for a stage by stage lifting of sanctions placed on it. In the ﬁrst phase, it would be allowed to sell its gold and some other products, though other sanctions would stay in place for now. The pact between Iran and the United States (US), France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia promises to make the region a safer place. Relations between the US and Iran have been strained since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and grew still more bitter under President George Bush, elected to power in 2000. President Obama has indicated since 2008 that he wished to change this, with the election in Iran of liberal President Hassan Rouhani helping matters along. The Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had backed Rouhani, has endorsed the deal though some opposition is expected from hardline elements within the country. Israel, which has an openly acrimonious relationship with Iran, has also made it clear it is not pleased at all, and will be taking up the matter with Washington. Such dissent is, of course, not unexpected. But in the larger context of things, the agreement reached has considerable signiﬁcance. It opens up the doors for an era of new relations between Iran and the West, pulling that country back into the mainstream. And it also has implications for Pakistan which this year reached an agreement with Iran to pipe in much needed gas from that country. The deal now reached over the development of Iran’s nuclear programme makes it more likely that sanctions may not be slapped on that project. This, of course, would be good news for all of us. The agreement can also serve as a lesson to Pakistan on the importance of being pragmatic rather than sentimental while formulating foreign policy and in relations with countries considered antagonists — a lesson much needed at this point in time. - The Express Tribune

FUTRUESCAPE

Sustainability test for new age mega cities

Mobiles on planes

HE FEDERAL Communications Commission may permit airlines to experiment with allowing passengers to use cellphones in ﬂight, officials said last week. The agency should do so, and airlines should get on with experimenting. Permission is not requirement; a change in federal rules would not necessarily mean the ruination of air travel for all time. We sympathize with anyone whose immediate reaction is to recoil at the prospect of having to listen for hours to a loudmouth with unlimited mobile minutes. Air travel is uncomfortable enough. But the FCC’s move wouldn’t guarantee such an outcome. Rather, it would leave matters to airlines and their passengers, which is as it should be. The proposal before the FCC would simply admit that there are no dangers or technical complications to transferring voice and data to and from mobile phones in the air, as long as the right technology is on board. Until now, the FCC worried that airborne mobile phone use would interfere with ground-based cell networks. Now that carriers in Europe and Asia have shown it can be done safely, the government’s telecommunications regulator has no sound reason to keep its restrictions. Its rules are outdated, and they should go. Once gone, airlines and travelers would decide what to do. Carriers would have all sorts of possibilities to suit a range of passenger preferences. They could allow a limited number of simultaneous phone conversations. They could let passengers retrieve data or send text messages but not talk. They could create quiet cabins or designate entire ﬂights as no-phone zones, if that’s what customers want. Airline staff would have all the leverage in enforcing the rules, because they would control the equipment that would connect passengers to cellphone networks. Beyond the rules, costs would also constrain cellphone users; they would be charged roaming rates for their conversations. There’s a distinct possibility that some carriers would not allow any mobile phone use. It is already legal for air passengers to make calls over onboard WiFi connections, but airlines don’t permit it. Some travelers are waging a campaign against anything that might lead to more noise in cramped airplanes. Major airlines did not rush to celebrate the FCC’s announcement. The immediate impact of the FCC ridding the country of its unnecessary rule, then, may well be small. Yet we hope that carriers explore their options to bring air travel into the 21st century, with all its pluses and minuses. While some passengers mourn the disappearance of their last disconnected refuge, others will embrace the convenience of connection. Either way, there’s no reason for the government to play referee. - Washington Post

Global community must strive to end Syria strife This refers to the report “Syria talks set for January 22” published in the Times of Oman. Hope, as they say, is contagious. So this news, coming after the Iran nuclear deal, generates hope of at least some movement towards a deal to end Syria’s civil war will deﬁnitely be made. It will be the ﬁrst face-to-face talks between the government of President Bashar Al Assad and rebels seeking to overthrow him. The announcement that came as Syria mediator Lakhdar Brahimi met senior US and Russian officials in Geneva in his latest effort to get negotiations on track to end the war that has killed more than 100,000 people, rekindles hope of a peaceful transition in Syria, building on an agreement

between world powers reached in June last year. The deal calls for the warring sides to set up a transitional governing body with full executive powers, including over military and security entities, but leaves open the fate of Assad. Whatever be the fate of Assad under the terms of the deal, it is worth trying to seal it as it will spare the people of Syria a lot of suffering. Khurshid Akhtar Muscat

JEFFREY D SACHS

Cities can provide greater access to services of all kinds – including energy, water, health, education, finance, media, transport, recycling, and research – than can most rural areas. The challenge is to provide this access inclusively and sustainably.

acloban in the Philippines has now joined the growing list of cities – including New Orleans, Bangkok, Moscow, New York, Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, and Port-au-Prince, to name just a few – pummeled in recent years by climate catastrophes. Many of the world’s largest cities, built on seacoasts and rivers, face the threat of rising sea levels and intensifying storms. So the new global development agenda now taking shape should empower cities to help lead the way to sustainable development in the twenty-first century. The importance of cities in today’s world economy is unprecedented. Until the Industrial Revolution, human history was overwhelmingly rural. Only around 10 per cent of people lived in cities. Today, the share of urbanites is around 53 per cent and is likely to rise to around 67 per cent by 2050. Because per capita incomes are higher in cities than in rural areas, the world’s cities today are estimated to account for more than 80 per cent of global income, with the largest 600 accounting for around half. Most new jobs over the next few decades will be created in cities, offering livelihoods to hundreds of millions of people and, as China and Brazil have demonstrated, helping to slash extreme poverty. Cities are also the innovation hubs for public policy. Every day, mayors are called on to get the job done for residents. They are the ones responsible for providing safe water, garbage collection, safe housing, infrastructure, upgraded slums, protection from disasters, and emergency services when catastrophes hit. So it is not surprising that while national governments often are paralysed by partisan politics, city governments foster action and innovation. Sustainable development offers a new concept for the world economy in the twenty-first century. Rather than focusing solely on income, it encourages cities, countries, and the world to focus simultaneously on three goals: economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. Economic prosperity speaks for itself. Social inclusion means that all members of society – rich and poor, men and women, majority and minority groups – should have equal rights and equal opportunities to benefit from rising prosperity. And environmental sustainability means that we must reorient our economies and technologies to provide basic services like safe water and sanitation, combat human-induced climate change, and protect biodiversity. Achieving these three goals will require good governance, public finance, and effective institutions. Cities will be at the front lines of sustainable development. Not only do they face direct threats; they also have the best opportunities to identify and deliver solutions. Cities can provide greater access

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

High voter turnout bodes well for Indian democracy Refer to the report “High voter turnout in MP, Mizoram elections” published in Times of Oman. With Madhya Pradesh recorded its highest-ever voter turnout of over 70 per cent and

Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

to services of all kinds – including energy, water, health, education, ﬁnance, media, transport, recycling, and research – than can most rural areas. The challenge is to provide this access inclusively and sustainably. A signiﬁcant part of the solution will come through advanced technologies, including information systems and materials science. The information and communications revolution has spawned the idea of the “smart city,” which places the relevant technologies at the heart of systems that collect and respond to information: smart power grids, smart transport networks (potentially including self-driving vehicles), and smart buildings and zoning. The advances in materials science open the possibility of much more energy-efficient buildings. Cities also give rise to the opportunity to combine public utilities, as when urban power plants use the steam released in electricity generation to provide hot water and heating to residents. Yet technology will be only part of the story. Cities need to upgrade their governance, to allow for a greater role for poorer and more marginalised communities, and to enable much more effective coordination across city lines when a metropolitan area is home to many individual cities. Metropolitan governance is therefore crucial, as smart cities require networks that operate at the metropolitan scale. When the metropolitan scale is recognised, the importance of leading urban areas is even more remarkable. New York City has around 8.4 million people, but the NYC metropolitan area has roughly 25 million people, with an economy of about $1.4 trillion. If this metropolitan area were a country, it would rank about 14th in the world in GDP terms. A wise political doctrine known as subsidiarity holds that public-policy challenges should be assigned to the lowest level of government able to address them, thereby ensuring maximum democratic participation in problem solving and the greatest opportunity to tailor solutions to genuine local needs. While some issues – for example, a national highway or rail system – require national-level problem solving, many key challenges of sustainable development are best confronted at the urban level. The world’s governments are now negotiating the Sustainable Development Goals, which will guide the world’s development agenda from 2015 to 2030. In an important meeting on September 25, the UN General Assembly agreed that the SDGs would be adopted at a global summit in September 2015, with the next two years used to select the priorities. An urban SDG, promoting inclusive, productive, and resilient cities, would greatly empower tens of thousands of cities worldwide to take up the cause of sustainable development for their own citizens, their countries, and the world. - Project-Syndicate

north east state of Mizoram of over 81 per cent in an assembly polls, the polling once again conﬁrms the fact that the people of India may be poor and unlettered but they maintain a high level of interest in the polity. This sustained voter interest augers well for the Indian democracy. Moreover, the fact that the Madhya Pradesh Minister of State for Women and Child De-velopment Ranjana Baghel was booked for allegedly bribing the voters in Dhar district is a pointer to the fact that the high and mighty can no more take things for granted. Mujib Kwaja Al Khuwair

Have drones been able to eliminate terrorism? Refer to the write-up “The global

imperative of putting education ﬁrst” published in Times of Oman. The writer has correctly pointed out that for far too long, the cause of universal education has taken a back seat to other great international movements for change. Looking beyond what is ordinarily visible he has perceived two new reasons for bringing education higher on the international agenda. One is that young people have themselves become the biggest advocates of universal education for girls and boys. Refusing to remain silent while denied opportunity. The second, and as compelling a reason, is that there is a vital link between education and national economic success. So sad the leaders took so long to realise this! Pradeep Mathur CBD, Muscat

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)

TIMES OF OMAN

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PERSPEC IVE Tale of two neighbours: Chile versus Argentina E

conomists often compare similar economies to isolate the impact of a particular difference. This approach provides a compelling picture of the role of specific factors in driving or undermining an economy’s success. For example, despite their common historical and cultural roots, North and South Korea are very different societies. The former has a considerably lower standard of living, owing to its communist government and centrally planned economy, which contrast sharply with South’s democratic government and mixed capitalist economy. Germany’s experience after World War II provides another example. When the Berlin Wall fell, barely two generations after the war ended, the standard of living in communist East Germany was just one-fifth the level in capitalist West Germany. The same approach can be used to understand why Chile is prospering, while neighboring Argentina is floundering. First, the similarities. Both countries are oriented along a north-south axis, and are characterised by varied terrain, long shorelines, and abundant agriculture, ranching, and vineyards. Both won independence from Spain two centuries ago. Both have populations composed largely of people of European descent. Both have histories of military rule. And both have recently experienced political turmoil, including large – sometimes violent – public protests. Moreover, Chile and Argentina are democracies that have been governed from the right and the left. While Chile’s governing coalition – especially Finance Minister Felipe Larraín – has done much to strengthen the country’s macroeconomic performance, it has also struggled to find a strong presidential candidate; a scandal followed an intense internal battle for succession, with the centre-right coalition forced to run its third-choice candidate. The leader of the center-left alliance, the Socialist Party’s Michelle Bachelet (who was Piñera’s predecessor), won the first round handily and is expected to be elected next month. Meanwhile, despite having expanded her office’s power, Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is constitutionally prohibited from running for a third consecutive term. Now, the differences. The two countries’ economic policies diverge in important ways. Chile has usually followed economically sensible policies – sometimes innovatively so. For example, copper revenue, which comprises 13 per cent of the budget, must be spent on the basis of a long-term, independently verified planning price, with excess revenue accumulated in a fund to be used when copper prices dip. Furthermore, Chile’s central bank has kept inflation low – it now stands at about 2 per cent – and the budget is almost balanced. The country’s pension system emphasises private saving and individual responsibility. A bilateral free-trade agreement has facilitated

MICHAEL J BOSKIN

Can an Argentine president promote disinflation and retain voter support during a period of slower growth, or even recession? One hopes that Argentina will learn from its western neighbour.

a surge in trade with the United States. And Chile has participated actively in the negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. To be sure, Bachelet’s proposals for higher corporate taxes, increased welfare spending, greater government control over pensions, and a re-examination of Chile’s participation in the TPP threaten to reverse much of this progress. But if, once in office, she reverts to the more centrist policies of her previous term, Chile may maintain its economic momentum. Argentina, by contrast, engages in serial, self-inflicted economic upheaval. With a population twice Chile’s, newly discovered energy deposits, and a vibrant capital city, Argentina has vast economic potential. The spread between the official exchange rate and the black-market rate now stands at 60 per cent. This can be explained partly by high inflation, which independent analysts put at roughly 25 per cent – more than double the official estimate of 10 per cent. Since Kirchner replaced the lead inflation statistician at the National Statistics Institute in 2007, Argentina’s official inflation figures have been conspicuously lower than other estimates. (Chile’s inflation figures have been criticised, too, though to a much smaller extent.) And Argentina’s major trade agreement, Mercosur, has fallen far short of its potential. Over the next five years, the International Monetary Fund expects Argentina to experience weaker growth, higher inflation, and more unemployment than Chile. Fortunately, voters are turning against Fernández’s government. In August, opposition candidates like Sergio Massa and Mauricio Macri attracted substantial electoral support with their businessfriendly, anti-inflation campaigns, making them likely presidential candidates in 2015. Fernández’s successor will have to restore Argentina’s credibility at home and abroad, to prevent capital flight. Can an Argentine president promote disinflation and retain voter support during a period of slower growth, or even recession? It happened in the US. Ronald Reagan supported US Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker’s disinflation, despite a deep recession, a temporary spike in unemployment, and midterm election losses. The economy soon rebounded, and Reagan was re-elected. Price stability enabled a quarter-century of strong growth and low unemployment, interrupted by two brief, mild recessions – the best macroeconomic performance in American history. One hopes that Argentina will learn from its western neighbour – and that a Bachelet administration in Chile will look across the Andes, recognise where its proposals risk taking the country, and change course before it is too late. - Project-Syndicate

CAR: Inaction is not an option

LAURENT FABIUS

n the course of its young history, the Central African Republic (CAR) has known many dark hours. Now the country is facing its worst crisis. In this failed state, entire swathes of land are given over to violence by armed gangs. Looting, the recruitment of child soldiers, burnt villages, rapes, summary executions – civilians are paying a

high price. One in 10 people have already had to ﬂee their homes. Infant mortality, already very high, is on the rise. The impact of instability on farming portends a possible food crisis. The healthcare system is dilapidated, with only seven surgeons for ﬁve million inhabitants. The climate of fear is coupled with the imminent threat of a humanitarian disaster. In this potentially rich and terribly poor land, where a certain harmony traditionally reigned between different groups and religious persuasions, inter-ethnic and sectarian tensions are on the rise. A spiral of hatred, pitting inhabitants against one another, is looming on the horizon; it must be avoided at all costs. This tragic situation threatens to destabilise the entire region. The CAR does not bear this name by chance: it lies at the crossroads of the Great Lakes Region, the two Sudans, Cameroon, Chad and the Congo.

The entire continent stands to lose if it becomes a haven for armed criminal gangs or terrorist groups. The countries of central Africa and the African Union are mobilised. Neither indifference nor inaction are options. What should be done? First, obtain a commitment from the citizens of the country themselves. Local authorities are responsible for ensuring law and order and protecting civilians. They must fulﬁl their commitments, ensure political transition and hold polls by early 2015, as provided in agreements. A strong commitment from the international community is essential. This involves immediate humanitarian support. The EU and the UN are working to that end. France alone is devoting millions of euros to relief efforts in the areas of food and health. These efforts should support the work of the NGOs notably the NGOs of the CAR, which are courageously working to help the peo-

ple who are suffering the most. But improving the humanitarian situation is obviously inseparable from the urgent need to restore security. All players share this view. Africa is at the forefront and has started to intervene. First, the neighbouring countries and the entire region. The international community must support the build-up of this force, in all areas. France, together with the African Union, has made international mobilisation in support of the CAR a priority. It’s about preventing a tragic situation and supporting the people of the CAR and their African partners in their efforts to help the CAR, while avoiding the mistakes of the past. France will deliver. It will take action, in accordance with the law and together with its partners, notably its European partners, so that, a year after the start of the rebellion, the CAR can regain hope. - The Independent

Respect for women still a far cry

OOMMEN KURUVILLA

ODERN society, with its myriad gender equality laws, is supposed to hold women in high esteem. Women have been breaking down male bastions with a frequency that could lead a male chauvinist to the brink of hara-kiri. It would then seem that women have, once and for all, shucked off their ‘commodity’ tag and command respect of the men. Far from it. The recent sexual assault cases in India involving not just lowlifes but highly respected people have illuminated the fact that despite having run hard we are on the same ground. Some of the molestation incidents that have reverberated across the country exposed the hypocrisy of the rarefied worlds of media and law. Take for instance the case of Tehelka former editorin-chief Tarun Tejpal who is now fighting a rearguard action to get over the allegation of his junior colleague that he sexually harassed her twice, on November 7 and 8, inside the elevator of a hotel in Goa. Media of all varieties have been splashing every single but relevant movement of the Tehelka staff, not least that of Tejpal and the magazine’s Managing Editor Shoma Choudhury. The media are doing their duty. But it might do them a world of good if they wise up to the fact that the Tejpal incident is just the tip of the iceberg in their own field. What about the innumerable unreported incidents of sexual misconduct in media houses or those linked to media? It would be rank hypocrisy if media persons try to moralise over other people’s wrong-doings. Right from 2000 when it was a news portal and later a weekly magazine, Tehelka has stood for morality, justice, rights of women, not to mention, clean administration by public officials. It has bagged several national and international awards. It has been considered a touchstone of all that is right, just and fair. Now its founder editor is in the doghouse for what he said was a “shameful lapse of judgement”. Tejpal, considered a brainiac, has contradicted himself by saying first that it was not consensual and

later on asserting that it was indeed consensual. Choudhury is accused by many of not reporting to police when the assault survivour divulged what happened to her in a Goa hotel elevator. As per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, a threemember internal complaints panel should be constituted in every company or branch that has a staff strength of 10 or more. Tehelka is among many organisations which were yet to comply with the Act. Shoma is said to have rustled up a panel, post-episode. In any case, I think it should not be a substitute for the girl’s liberty to move court. The problem with the internal panel, despite the requirement of one independent member, is that the victim might be pressured to accept compromise settlements. Fortunately, social media has come to the rescue of such victims who are otherwise afraid of revealing their harrowing experiences. The Tejpal episode was said to be first posted in an anonymous document sharing website. A legal intern who had been sexually harassed by a retired Supreme Court judge also took the blog route to tell her story to the world. In many cases, the survivor may lack the financial wherewithal for a court battle. Therefore in sexual abuse cases, the government should provide the victim pro bono legal services, if it cannot take up their cases so that more victims would come out to expose abusers. Tejpal has applied for anticipatory bail. His lawyers say he has no trust in the Goa police who, he thinks, work under the orders of BJP Chief Minister Manohar Parikkar. Remember, it was Tehelka which exposed several misdeeds of the erstwhile BJPled NDA government through sting operations. One that stands out is related to the defence deals during the NDA rule which led to the resignation of the then defence minister. The sight of former BJP chief Bangharu Laxman taking money for using his influence with the then defence decision makers is still fresh in memory. Besides, Tejpal is perceived to be pro-Congress. This is the reason he fears the investigation by the Goa police would be biased. Whatever be the agency that conducts the probe and wherever the trial takes place, truth must come out and due punishment should be meted out to the guilty. The writer is a freelance contributor based in India. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman.

China declares “dangerous” air defence zone A war of words has erupted between Japan and China over the air space above disputed islands in the East China Sea. Beijing declares that all aircraft within the self-declared air defence zone must notify Chinese authorities and identify themselves or face “emergency military measures”.

East E ast C China hina Sea Air Air D efence Sea Defence Identiﬁcation Identiﬁcation Zone Zone

S. KOREA

JAPAN Tokyo

Socotra Rock (Korea)

TODAY IN HISTORY 1967

Honshu

Shikoku

Shanghai

Kyushu

1970

Syria joins the pact linking Libya, Egypt and Sudan.

1984

Britain and Spain sign the Brussels Agreement to enter discussions over the status of Gibraltar..

CHINA 4

Okinawa

Senkaku Islands (claimed by Japan)

1999

Natural gas ﬁelds

TAIWAN

1 Longjing (Asunaro)

320km

Charles DeGaulle vetoes Great Britain’s entry into the Common Market again..

Japanese-claimed EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)

2 Duanqiao (Kusunoki) 3 Tianwaitian (Kashi) 4 Chunxiao (Shirakaba)

Helen Clark becomes ﬁrst elected female Prime Minister of New Zealand

2001 Hubble Space Telescope discovers a hydrogen atmosphere on planet Osiris, the ﬁrst atmosphere detected on an extrasolar planet.

OPINION POLL FROM OUR ARCHIVES WORKSHOP ON HEALTH SERVICES

MUSCAT: – A workshop on the health services, organised by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) began yesterday at Majan Hotel. The two-day workshop is within the framework of the continuous education programme conducted by the ministry to improve the performance of people working in the health sector. The workshop aims at reinforcing health awareness among participants and providing them with up-to-date health information.

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Will putting a price on natural world help conservation?

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W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

WORLD

1.4m

people lived in homes without enough food between 2010 and 2012, including nearly half a million children up 10 per cent from 2006-2008

OLYMPIC TORCH IN THE TAIGA Russian alpinist Vladimir Gunko stands at the top of the rock named ‘The First Stolb’ (the First Pillar) at the Stolby national nature reserve during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic torch relay in the Siberian Taiga area outside Krasnoyarsk, yesterday. — Reuters

L I V I N G S TA N D A R D S

20% of New York children do not have enough to eat NEW YORK: More than 20 per cent of children in New York City live in homes with not enough to eat, up 10 percent over the last four years, a report said yesterday. The annual report by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger is the latest evidence pointing to soaring levels of inequality between the city’s super rich billionaires and everyone else. The coalition blamed the rise on last year’s devastating Hurricane Sandy, from which many people are still homeless and the still weak US economy. Overall one in six New Yorkers or 1.3 to 1.4 million people lived in homes without enough food be-

tween 2010 and 2012, and nearly half a million children — up 10 per cent from 2006-2008. Joel Berg, executive director of the Coalition, said that further budget cuts meant that worse was to come. ‘Struggling against hunger’ “While the wealthy have better gourmet food than ever, one in six of our neighbours is struggling against hunger,” he said. “The recent federal food stamps cuts will make all of this much worse. A city divided against itself cannot stand. We must rise together.” Food pantries and soup kitchens

saw a 10 per cent increase in demand in 2013 yet 57 per cent suffered from cuts in government and private spending, the report said. Nearly half said they lacked sufﬁcient resources to meet growing demand and that they were forced to turn people away, reduce handouts or limit hours of operation. The survey criticised the growing disparity in wealth between New York’s super rich and everyone else. “Middle-class income, adjusted for inﬂation, is lower than a decade ago. Poverty, hunger and homelessness have soared. Nearly half the population is poor or near poor,” the report said. — AFP

Smartphone sales set to top 1 billion The forecast by International Data Corporation showed smartphone growth of 39.3 per cent this year over 2012, a pace that will moderate in the next few years

NEW YORK: Global smartphones sales will top one billion for the ﬁrst time this year, and keep growing at a steady pace for the next four years, a market tracker said yesterday. The forecast by International Data Corporation showed smartphone growth of 39.3 per cent this year over 2012, a pace that will moderate in the next few years. One key factor in the marketplace is the decline in smartphone prices, according to IDC. The average sales price this year is estimated at $337, down 12 per cent from a year ago. And IDC predicts it will drop further to $265 by 2017.

Just a few years back the industry was talking about the next billion people to connect, and it was assumed the majority of these people would do so by way of the feature phone. Given the trajectory of prices, smartphones are now a very realistic option to connect those billion users Ryan Reith Analyst, International Data Corporation

‘Decrease in prices’ “The key driver behind smartphone volumes in the years ahead is the expected decrease in prices,” said IDC analyst R. Llamas. “Particularly within emerging markets, where price sensitivity and elasticity are so important, prices will come down for smartphones to move beyond the urban elite and into the hands of massmarket users. “Every vendor is closely eyeing how far down they can price their devices while still realizing a proﬁt and offering a robust smartphone experience.” IDC expects the smartphone shipments to hit 1.7 billion by

2017, with the growth rate easing to an average of 18.4 per cent in the coming year. Drastic change “The game has changed quite drastically due to the decline” in prices, said IDC analyst Ryan Reith. “Just a few years back the industry was talking about the next billion people to connect, and it was assumed the majority of these people would do so by way of the feature phone. “Given the trajectory of prices,

smartphones are now a very realistic option to connect those billion users.” The fastest growth in smartphones will be in the Asia-Paciﬁc and Latin American regions, each expected to see increases of around 23 per cent in the next four years. North America, which already has a large number of smartphones, will see growth slow to a 7.8 per cent pace and Europe’s pace of increase will ease to 11.1 per cent, IDC said. — AFP

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

WORLD

The dragonﬂy’s wings and black silicon were put through their paces in a lab, and both were ruthlessly bactericidal.

Berlusconi would be formidable as ex-MP Berlusconi’s trial and tribulation

Berlusconi is still

Silvio Berlusconi has faced 32 court cases and claims to have spent more than €200 million on lawyers. He has either defeated the charges on appeal or the cases have timed out under Italy’s statute of limitations. November 27 Senate due to vote on whether to expel Berlusconi from his seat.

extremely powerful, although that power is declining. He still has enormous resources, he still has his media, he still has lots of very diehard supporters inside and outside parliament, says an expert

ROME: Italy’s Silvio Berlusconi will continue to have clout even if he is expelled from parliament as expected today, but he is more at risk of being arrested, an expert on Italian politics said. “Berlusconi is still extremely powerful, although that power is declining,” James Walston, a professor at the American University in Rome, said this week. “He still has enormous resources, he still has his media, he still has lots of very diehard supporters inside and outside parliament.” But he added Berlusconi would be “liable for arrest”. Walston said Berlusconi was particularly worried about a case in Naples yet to go to trial in which he is accused of bribing a leftist senator to join his party and undermine a previous centreleft government. “There is a possibility, but it’s unlikely, that the Naples judges will actually put him inside,” he said.

Mediaset case

Ruby the Heartstealer case

In August Italy’s Supreme Court confirmed conviction and jail sentence against Berlusconi for massive tax fraud in which his media empire falsely inflated prices paid for US film rights. Four-year jail sentence commuted to one year under amnesty, plus five-year ban from public office

Berlusconi is appealing June conviction and seven-year jail sentence for abuse of office and paying 17-year-old Moroccan nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug during parties. El Mahroug has not been charged with any offence. Case now goes to second level of appeal

Mondadori case In September, Supreme Court ordered Berlusconi’s family holding company to pay €494 million in damages over disputed purchase of Italy’s leading publisher, Mondadori, in 1991 Source: News agencies

Wiretap case In March, Milan court sentenced Berlusconi to 1 year in jail over publication by his brother’s newspaper II Giornale of transcript of leaked wiretap connected to 2006 banking scandal. Higher court could overturn ruling Graphic News /

Graphics

The immunity Berlusconi has as a lawmaker is not complete but it offers safeguards against arrest. He will no longer have that from Wednesday evening James Walston Professor, American University in Rome

He added that the same remote chance existed for accusations that Berlusconi paid off young women who took part in parties at his villa in exchange for favourable testimony at one of his trials.

“The immunity he has as a lawmaker is not complete but it offers safeguards against arrest. He will no longer have that from Wednesday evening,” Walston said. “If he is arrested, there would

POWER WOES Demonstrators hold a placard as they march to the headquarters of energy company npower during a protest against energy prices, London yesterday. German utility RWE has scrapped plans to build one of the world’s largest offshore wind parks in Britain, as soaring gas and electricity prices fuel uncertainty over the UK government’s commitment to renewable energy subsidies. — Reuters

DISCOVERY

Dragonﬂy leads to nano-tech surface that kills bacteria NEW YORK: Imagine a hospital room, door handle or kitchen countertop that is free from bacteria — and not one drop of disinfectant or boiling water or dose of microwaves has been needed to zap the germs. That is the idea behind a startling discovery made by scientists in Australia. In a study published yesterday in the journal Nature Communications, they described how a dragonﬂy led them to a nano-tech surface that physically slays bacteria. The germ-killer is black silicon, a substance discovered accidentally in the 1990s and now viewed as a promising semiconductor material for solar panels. Under an electron microscope, its surface is a forest of spikes just 500 nanometres (500 billionths

of a metre) high that rip open the cell walls of any bacterium which comes into contact, the scientists found. It is the ﬁrst time that any water-repellent surface has been found to have this physical quality as bactericide. Potent killers Last year, the team, led by Elena Ivanova at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, were stunned to ﬁnd cicada wings were potent killers of Pseudomonas aeruginsoa — an opportunist germ that also infects humans and is becoming resistant to antibiotics. Looking closely, they found that the answer lay not in any biochemical on the wing, but in regularly-spaced “nanopillars” on which bacteria were sliced

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to shreds as they settled on the surface. They took the discovery further by examining nanostructures studding the translucent forewings of a red-bodied Australian dragonﬂy called the wandering percher (Latin name Diplacodes bipunctata). It has spikes that are somewhat smaller than those on the black silicon — they are 240 nanometres high. The dragonﬂy’s wings and black silicon were put through their paces in a lab, and both were ruthlessly bactericidal. Smooth to the human touch, the surfaces destroyed two categories of bacteria, called Gramnegative and Gram-positive, as well as spores, the protective shell that coats certain times of dormant germs. — AFP

be mayhem,” he said, adding that the move could have the effect of increasing his popularity and earning “sympathy votes”. “I think there are political considerations that the judges will make about the consequences.” Berlusconi is set to be expelled from parliament following his conviction for tax fraud earlier this year under a new law aimed at boosting public support for the legislature by getting rid of criminals. The three-time former premier would also be banned from being a candidate in the next general election and faces the prospect of a year’s community service as part of his punishment, but that is only due to be implemented from early 2014. Expulsion from the Senate would mean Berlusconi being forced out of parliament for the ﬁrst time since he was elected in 1994 when the media magnate entered politics. Berlusconi on Monday appealed to fellow senators not to vote against him, saying that democracy itself was at stake and claiming that new testimony gave sufficient grounds for a judicial review of his tax fraud case. But Walston said the vote today was “highly likely” to go ahead despite delaying tactics by Berlusconi’s “diehard” supporters in parliament. “If the vote goes ahead, then he will be expelled.” Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s left-right coalition is expected to survive the vote even after Berlusconi and his loyalists move into opposition to a government in which they are at least formally coalition partners. Deputy Prime Minister Angelino Alfano, a former Berlusconi protege, broke away from his mentor and has said he and his supporters will stay in the coalition even if today’s vote goes against Berlusconi. — AFP

BRIEFS

Nato begins largest-ever cyber security exercises BRUSSELS: Nato yesterday launched its largest-ever cyber exercises to practise warding off massive, simultaneous attacks on member states and their partners. Based at the alliance’s cyber defence centre in EU member Estonia, the exercises will last three days and include participants in over 30 European states. “Cyber attacks are a daily reality and they are growing in sophistication and complexity,” Jamie Shea, a Nati official specialising in emerging security challenges, said in a statement. “Nato has to keep pace with this evolving threat.” Around 400 legal and IT experts as well as government officials will take part in the operation code-named “Cyber Coalition 2013”.

FAO calls for use of camel milk to counter prices GENEVA: Milk from a variety of animals including camels, llamas and moose should be more widely used to counteract high cow milk prices due to growing demand for dairy in the developing world, the UN food agency said yesterday. “There is huge scope for developing other dairy species,” Anthony Bennett, livestock industry officer at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome, was quoted as saying in a statement. In a report co-authored by Bennett released yesterday, the FAO said that alpaca, donkeys, moose, reindeer and yak could also be milked, alongside other species that are already used for milk like buffalo, goat and sheep. It said reindeer and moose milk was high in fat and protein and also contained half the lactose found in cow milk, making it a possible alternative source of dairy for people with lactose intolerance.

China destroys 500 illegal barbecues over air pollution BEIJING: More than 500 illegal outdoor barbecues, which Chinese state media say cause “serious air pollution”, have been destroyed in Beijing as part of an emergency programme to alleviate the city’s often hazardous pollution. The raids were part of a three-month operation to supervise the barbecues, many of which are operated by ethnic Uighurs from the restive Xinjiang province in China’s west. “Over 500 illegal barbecue grills in Beijing were destroyed yesterday amid the city’s efforts to ﬁght air pollution and lingering foggy weather,” state media Xinhua reported yesterday.

Tiger attacks zoo handler SYDNEY: An animal handler was rushed to hospital yesterday after being attacked by a tiger at Australia Zoo, the Queensland institution made famous by the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. The senior tiger handler was in a serious but stable condition after being bitten on the neck and shoulder when the animal became overexcited during play, officials said. “He is stable and recovering in hospital. Our support is with him and his family,” Australia Zoo said on its twitter account. — Agencies

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W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

WORLD

President Francois Hollande promised during his 2012 campaign to look into legalising euthanasia

Pacquiao bank account frozen for unpaid taxes LEGALITY

Suicide by elderly couple in Paris stirs euthanasia debate

Pacquiao said the tax office took the action because it believed he had evaded paying $50.2 million in taxes on his ﬁghts in the United States in 2008 and 2009

MANILA: Philippine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao said yesterday authorities had frozen all his domestic bank accounts over allegations of unpaid taxes from lucrative fights in the United States, leaving him financially paralysed. “This is harassment,” the former eight-division world champion said in an interview on ABS-CBN television, as he disclosed for the first time a freeze order issued by the Philippines’ Bureau of Internal Revenue in recent months. The shock announcement came just two days after Pacquiao, 34, resurrected his boxing career with a unanimous points decision over American Brandon Rios in Macau. The victory, which Pacquiao dedicated to the victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan that claimed thousands of lives in the Philippines this month, added to his lustre among millions of ordinary Filipinos. Pacquiao is now eyeing more lucrative fights in the United States. He is also pursuing a political career in the Philippines, where he is a second-term congressman with ambitions of eventually becoming president. Pacquiao said the tax office took the action because it believed he had evaded paying 2.2 billion pesos ($50.2 million) in taxes on his

FINANCIALLY PARALYSED: Manny Pacquiao said he had already paid taxes on those earnings in the

United States, which has a treaty with the Philippines that allows citizens of both countries to avoid double taxation. -AFP

ﬁghts in the United States in 2008 and 2009 when he was at the peak of his career and earning tens of millions of dollars. He said he had already paid taxes on those earnings in the United States, which has a treaty with the Philippines that allows citizens of both countries to avoid double taxation. However, he said the tax bureau had rejected the documents he provided to prove he had already paid the US Internal Revenue Service. “I am not a criminal or a thief. I am not hiding anything. I will face my problems as they come,” Pacquiao said. “I have already paid my taxes in America. Had I not paid the correct taxes they (US authorities) would have come after me and I would not have been able to travel there.” The Philippine tax bureau conﬁrmed the local bank accounts of

Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee had been frozen. However tax commissioner Kim Henares denied any harassment, saying only two bank accounts containing a total of 1.1 million pesos were frozen. “Don’t tell me he only has 1.1 million pesos. Where is the rest of (his) money? I have no idea. It has not been garnished (seized),” she said. Only two domestic banks reported holding Pacquiao’s accounts, Henares said. She said Pacquiao had failed to submit the proper documents proving he paid taxes in the United States. Tax officials gave Pacquiao two years to respond to their assessment but all he submitted was a letter from his US promoter Top Rank saying he had paid his taxes in the United States, according to Henares. “This is a mere scrap of paper. Anyone can write that,”

she said. Henares said she could not understand why the wealthy sports hero was bringing up the tax dispute now. “Maybe he should hire better lawyers and accountants,” she added. The Pacquiaos have asked the Court of Tax Appeals to lift the bank freeze, but it has yet to rule on the couple’s petition, according to court papers released to the media. President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman Herminio Coloma brushed off suggestions Pacquiao was being singled out for political harassment. “We are a government of laws, not of men,” Coloma told reporters. The government has been running a campaign against high-profile tax evaders, targeting movie stars as well as businessmen who flaunt their wealth through flashy sports cars. -AFP

PARIS: Two couples in their 80s have committed suicide in Paris, reigniting a debate in France on euthanasia which is still illegal in the country. The suicides came just four days apart. The second couple, aged 84 and 81, were found dead on Monday at their apartment in a building in the fashionable seventh district, police said. “They committed suicide by swallowing medicines,” the police source said. “They left a letter explaining their action.” The caretaker of the building said their bodies were discovered by the maid. A neighbour described them as a “nice elderly couple”. Another neighbour said the woman suffered from cancer and walked with crutches. “But they went to the theatre and liked to go out,” she said. On Friday, another couple -both aged 86 — took their lives in the luxury Le Lutetia hotel. Their bodies were discovered by room service taking up their breakfast. They asphyxiated after putting plastic bags on their heads and were found lying hand in hand. The couple, who met as students after World War II and had been together since, left a typewritten note claiming “the right to die with dignity.” Bernard and Georgette Cazes also asked their sole surviving son to campaign for the right to euthanasia after their death. President Francois Hollande promised during his 2012 campaign to look into legalis-

A poll by IFOP showed that 92% of French people favoured euthanasia for patients suffering from terminal illnesses or facing great suffering

ing euthanasia. Assisted deaths are either legal or have been decriminalised in Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium and The Netherlands. A study on euthanasia last year said that active euthanasia — an act by a third person intended to cause death — should remain banned. But it said the government should take into account public opinion on the subject. A poll by IFOP early this month showed that 92 per cent of French people favoured euthanasia for patients suffering from terminal illnesses or facing great suffering. Jean-Luc Romero, the head of the Association for the Right to Die with Dignity, said only 10 per cent of successful suicides in France involved the use of medicines, with the rest forced to take violent action to kill themselves. -AFP

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM WEDNES DAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2013

IRAN DEAL STIRS WARY OPTIMISM IN DUBAI The sheer complexity of the interim

MARKE Muscat 6,726.29 - 25.76 - 0.38%

Dubai 2,884.53 + 15.97 + 0.56%

Abu Dhabi 3,816.91 + 1.75 + 0.05%

Iranian nuclear deal and the expected slow pace of implementation tempered optimism among traders in the UAE emirate of Dubai yesterday over the impact of up to $7 billion in sanctions relief. >B2

Kuwait 7,798.11 - 39.02 - 0.50%

Saudi Arabia

8,298.46 - 48.23 - 0.58%

Bahrain 1,197.48 + 3.05 + 0.26%

Qatar 10,268.69 - 72.38 - 0.70%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (RO1)*

GOLD PRICES*

Type ............................Delivery...........Price Oman Crude............. (Spot) ......$108.46 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ..... $106.56 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ....... $112.61 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) .......$110.97 Arabian Heavy ....... (Spot) ................N/A N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) .......$110.70 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$94.56

Forex rates vs RO1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro .............................................1.90 Pound ...........................................1.59 Indian Rs ..............................161.34 Pak Rs .....................................277.01 Bangla Taka........................198.81

Indian Rs ................................... 161.50 Pakistan Rs ............................. 277.00 Sri Lanka Rs .......................... 335.90 Bangla Taka........................... 200.45 Phil Peso .................................... 112.85

Muscat 24ct per gm (RO) ............15.63 Muscat 22ct per gm (RO) ............15.20 10 Tola Bar Muscat (RO) ................. N/A Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............ 151.00 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............143.25 10 Tola Bar Dubai (Dh) ..................... N/A

* Rates as of Nov. 26 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

* Rates as of Nov. 26 Source: Atlas Jewellery

* Rates are as of Nov. 26 Source: BankMuscat

India suffers below 5% growth for longest spell since 2005 BSE Sensex share index fell 0.9 per cent. The yield on the government bond maturing in November 2023 fell to 8.73 per cent from 8.75 per cent on Monday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 4.6% in July through September from a year earlier, compared with 4.4% in the prior quarter

NEW DELHI: India’s economic growth probably held below ﬁve per cent for a fourth straight quarter, the longest stretch in data going back to 2005, as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh struggles to boost investment and tame elevated inﬂation. Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 4.6 per cent in July through September from a year earlier, compared with 4.4 per cent in the prior quarter, according to the median of 35 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey before a report due on November 29. India uses

SLOWING ECONOMY: A reform-minded administration must emerge from general elections due by

May for expansion to exceed ﬁve per cent in the year ending March 2015. — Bloomberg ﬁle picture

the year ended March 2005 as the base to work out GDP growth. Continue to struggle Expansion may continue to struggle, with Goldman Sachs Group predicting last week the central bank would further raise interest rates and the government facing pressure to curb spending and pare the budget deﬁcit. Exports

have provided a bright spot following a drop in the rupee, cushioning industry from moderating demand among India’s 1.2 billion people. “Growth will remain in a low gear,” said Radhika Rao, an economist at DBS Bank in Singapore, referring to the second half of the ﬁscal year ending in March. “The odds of expenditure restraint are high as India has to prevent a cred-

LUXEMBOURG

Gulf investors plan first euro zone Islamic bank LUXEMBOURG: Private investors from Gulf countries, including a royal family from the United Arab Emirates, plan to establish the first full-fledged Islamic bank headquartered in the euro zone, an executive said yesterday. The investors aim to launch the venture, named Eurisbank, in Luxembourg during the last quarter of 2014, said Ammar Dabbour, managing partner at Excellencia Investment Management. $80m initial capital With initial capital of 60 million euros ($80 million), the bank would offer retail, corporate and private banking services, and would open branches in Paris, Brussels, the Netherlands and Frankfurt. In addition to the royal family from the UAE, Eurisbank will be owned by a bank from a country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other private investors, said Dabbour, who declined to name them. Excellencia, an Islamic fund manager based in Luxembourg, has been contracted with consultants Deloitte to handle all the procedures for establishing Eurisbank, he said. The founders of the bank plan

With initial capital of 60 million euros ($80 million), the bank would offer retail, corporate and private banking services, and will open branches in Paris, Brussels, the Netherlands and Frankfurt

to apply for a licence in January and expect to obtain regulatory approvals by April, Dabbour told reporters at the Global Islamic Economy Summit in Dubai. “A large untapped customer base with more than 20 million Muslims in the EU represent a signiﬁcant market growth potential for Islamic Finance,

and with the strong support of the European governments and regulatory authorities of the Islamic Finance Model, the unification of the regulatory framework within the European Union is a significant advantage to serve Muslim and non-Muslim communities across Europe,” he added further. Successfully marketed Islamic finance, which bans interest payments and pure monetary speculation, has been slow to develop in Europe, but Luxembourg has successfully marketed itself as a centre for issuing and trading Islamic bonds. Since the global financial crisis, some European governments have shown more interest in Islamic finance, partly because it could be a way to attract cash-rich funds from the Gulf and southeast Asia. The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Malaysia-based Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) worked this year on a joint study on policies affecting Islamic finance in Europe. Munichbased FWU Group, which offers Islamic insurance solutions, has issued Islamic bonds since last December.-Agencies

DUBAI MERCANTILE EXCHANGE

DME sets new open interest record for Oman Crude futures Times News Service MUSCAT: Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME), the premier international energy futures and commodities exchange in the Middle East, yesterday announced a new open interest record for its ﬂagship Oman Crude Oil Futures contract of 24,391 lots, which is equivalent to 24.4 million barrels of crude oil. The previous record was earlier set on March 26, 2013 when

open interest was 23,429 lots. DME has witnessed strong trading growth in recent months. A number of new participants have joined the DME Oman market, while existing customers have also stepped up their participation. In February, DME reached the 5 billion barrel mark, with a total of 5 million contracts (equivalent to 5 billion barrels) traded on the Exchange. That milestone came just 10 months after the DME

passed the 4 billion-mark. “The new record today marks another success for the Oman Crude Oil Futures contract and indicates the trust we have gained from traders around the globe. This achievement directly reﬂects the robustness of our offering and we believe Dubai Mercantile Exchange is well positioned to break yet more records in the near future,” said Christopher Fix, Chief Executive of the Dubai Mercantile Exchange.

it-rating downgrade that would disrupt foreign investment.” A reform-minded administration must emerge from general elections due by May for expansion to exceed ﬁve per cent in the year ending March 2015, Rao said. The rupee, down about 11 per cent in the past year, strengthened 0.1 per cent to 62.4475 per dollar at 4:40pm in Mumbai. The S&P

Interest hike Goldman Sachs expects Raghuram Rajan to raise the policy interest rate to 8.5 per cent next year from 7.75 per cent, adding to two increases of a combined 50 basis points since he became governor of the Reserve Bank of India in September. Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, who has repeatedly said he’ll stick to deficit targets, will reduce planned outlays on items such as roads, ports and welfare programmes by about Rs700 billion ($11 billion) this fiscal year, according to Yes Bank. Chidambaram has pledged to narrow the deficit to a six-year low of 4.8 per cent of GDP in the 12 months that began April 1. India’s credit rating may be cut to junk next year unless the general election leads to a government capable of reviving economic expansion, Standard & Poor’s said earlier this month. Singh’s coalition, beset by graft scandals, has struggled to spur in-

vestment and ease supply bottlenecks that contribute to consumer-price inﬂation of 10 per cent, the fastest in Asia. Forex measures Economic expansion is running at almost half the average annual pace of about eight per cent in the past decade. Some 825 million Indians live on under $2 per day, World Bank data show. Rajan has offered concessional dollar swaps to banks to spur inﬂows of the US currency and bolster the rupee, whose weakness makes imports costlier. The rupee has appreciated about 10 per cent since slumping to a record low in August. He said month that he expects an improvement in India’s economic performance, partly on exports and a revival in major investment projects. Overseas sales rose in the four months through October, snapping declines, while factory output has increased for three straight months.— Bloomberg News

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W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

MARKET KNOWLEDGE SHARING FORUM

Darwish to open major conference Times News Service MUSCAT: Darwish bin Ismail al Balushi, Minister responsible for ﬁnancial affairs, will be the chief guest at the Knowledge Sharing Conference on the inaugural day on Sunday. The Electricity Holding Group plans to organise the event every year as part of their key activities to encourage knowledge and sharing best practices to enhance business performance, promote innovation and develop technical and human resources’ capabilities to improve the quality of service delivery across the group.

In addition, over 20 VIP guests, including the EHC Group’s board members, will join the chief guest for the opening ceremony. They will be led by Eng. Omar Al Wahaibi, CEO, while among those present will be Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Mahrouqi, Chairman of the Electricity Company and Chairman of the Public Authority of Electricity and Water, at the event slated for December 1, 2013 at the Inter Continental Hotel Muscat. The EHC has appointed IQPC Middle East and Global Exhibitions and Conferences (GEC) to manage and coordinate the twoday conference this year.

Iran deal stirs wary optimism in Dubai The expected concessions, following the deal, have been enough to give a psychological boost to the Iranian business community in Dubai, the main gateway into the economically isolated country

BOOMING BUSINESS: The vast majority of trade between Iran and its Gulf Arab neighbours is routed

through Dubai. — Bloomberg ﬁle picture

DUBAI: The sheer complexity of the interim Iranian nuclear deal and the expected slow pace of implementation tempered optimism among traders in the Gulf emirate of Dubai yesterday over the impact of up to $7 billion in sanctions relief. But the expected concessions have been enough to give a psychological boost to the Iranian business community in Dubai, the main gateway into the economically isolated country. Despite a decade of sanctions, Iran has managed to get most of the commodities and goods it needs via Dubai’s ﬂourishing reexport market. But new embargoes imposed by the United States and its allies in late 2011 and early 2012 hit hard. The dozens of ships that line the docks here make the roughly 12hour journey across the Strait of Hormuz a few times each month. An Iranian trader named Reza, who has been exporting cosmetics products to Iran by boat for nearly ten years, told Reuters the deal constitutes “a positive step” but said he did not expect it to generate beneﬁts overnight. “We’re hoping that the tension between Iran and the West will be reduced, and that will result in a smoother business relationship because business has dropped

We’re hoping that the tension between Iran and the West will be reduced, and that will result in a smoother business relationship because business has dropped dramatically in the last two years Reza Iranian trader

dramatically in the last two years,” he further said. The vast majority of trade between Iran and its Gulf Arab neighbours is routed through Dubai, home to tens of thousands of ethnic Iranians and one of seven emirates making up the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Two-way trade, excluding oil, between Iran and Dubai fell to Dh10.8 billion ($2.9 billion) in January-June from Dh12.3 billion in the same period of 2012. That two-way drop slowed from a 31 per cent plunge to Dh25 billion in all of 2012.

Sanctions imposed by Western nations have damaged Iran’s economy in the past two years by freezing its access to credit markets and preventing it from exporting oil, which was its principal source of foreign reserves. Payment problems A tentative deal reached over the weekend offers the country potential access to $1.5 billion in trade in gold and precious metals and the suspension of some sanctions on its auto sector and petrochemical exports in exchange for curbing its nuclear programme. It

will also give Iran access to some $4.2 billion in sales from its reduced oil exports. Many Iranian traders in the UAE are uncertain as yet how far they will beneﬁt from any extra trade generated by the deal, but they hope it will have a ripple effect by easing access to credit markets, facilitating transportation and opening simpler ways to send and receive payments. A businessman who works for an Iranian food company based in Dubai told Reuters he is waiting to see how far the deal will go. “The main issue we face is about payment,” he said. “At the moment we have to use money traders and that is not ideal. So if that is sorted out, this deal will be very handy for us.” Dubai’s Iranian Business Council has shrunk to about 200 members from 600 as the sanctions caused businessmen to move to countries such as Turkey and Malaysia, Hossein Asrar Haghighi, a founder of Dubai’s Iranian Business Council, had earlier told Reuters in October. — Reuters

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H O RWAT H M A K G H A Z A L I

Workshop to focus on key issues related to taxation BUSINESS REPORTER

MUSCAT: With an aim to understand the tax system in the Sultanate, update on latest changes on tax laws and procedures and with a view to discuss practical issues related to various industry/business and to interact with tax regulators, a workshop on ‘Oman taxation’ is being held on December 10 at the Crowne Plaza. Organised by Horwath Mak Ghazali, the workshop will encompass a wide variety of topics like evolution of income tax in the Sultanate of Oman, tax system and taxable entities, tax administration, chargeability of tax, assessment and collection of tax, tax disputes, exemptions and disallowances, avoidance of double taxation, withholding tax, related party transaction and transfer pricing, issues related to permanent establishments (PE), penalties and punishment and case studies.

To make the workshop interesting, group discussions, cases, examples, group work and open discussions will be conducted The faculty who will be conducting the workshop include M. K. Sreedhar, a tax expert with over 40 years of experience in taxation in various roles, both in India and in Oman; Farooq M. Ladha, an international tax expert specialising in tax planning and cross border taxation; and Ramya Annadurai, who is heading the tax practice of Crowe Horwath in Oman since 2008. To make the workshop interesting, group discussions, cases, ex-

amples, group work and open discussions will be taken up. Oman Taxation system has undergone major changes. In June 2009, Oman issued a new Income Tax Law by Royal Decree No. 28/2009 (193 articles) applicable from 2010, replacing the Income Tax Law on Companies (Royal Decree No. 47/81) and the Proﬁt Tax Law for Establishments (Royal Decree No 77/89) which were in force earlier. The Minister responsible for Financial Affairs issued executive regulations to the Income Tax Law on January 16, 2012 which comprise eight parts and 154 articles. This was released as Ministerial Decision No. 30/2012 which was published in the Official Gazette on 28 January 2012. These regulations are applicable with effect from tax year 2012. Oman does not impose personal income tax. Income tax is levied on Omani establishments, companies and Permanent Establishments (PE).

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

MARKET LIC International introduces complete child career plan for NRIs It offers cash beneﬁt from age 17 to 23 of the child. The child gets lumpsum payment at age 17. Thereafter, a ﬁxed sum of money is given every year from age 18 to 22 and again at 23

Times News Service MUSCAT: LIC International has been trying to present the insurance and ﬁnancial solutions suiting to the aspirations and requirements of non-resident Indian (NRI) community. In line with this, LIC International is presenting a unique product mix — complete child career plan. One of the important objectives of parents is to ﬁnance for college

and higher education for their children. There is no plan in the market which will encompass the whole period from age 17 to 23 of the child. “Complete Child Career Plan offers constant cash ﬂow from age 17 to 23 of the child. The child gets lumpsum payment at age 17, which can be used for heavy expenses to be incurred at the start of college education. Thereafter, a ﬁxed sum of money is given every year from age

LAUNCH: LIC International launched a unique product mix — complete child career plan. Most of the cash ﬂow is of guaranteed nature thereby keeping the parents worry-free about ﬁnances. – Supplied photo

18 to 22 and again handsome sum of money is given at age 23 years as ‘start-in-life’ capital. This package will take care of the education and ‘start-in-life’ capital even in the absence of the proposer. Most of the cash ﬂow is of guaranteed nature thereby keeping the parents worry-free about ﬁnances at this crucial juncture. The rest is

INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

Tight rules persuade UAE companies to list in London DUBAI: The UAE emirates Dubai and Abu Dhabi are finding that outperforming stocks markets aren’t enough to lure initial public offerings (IPOs) as restrictive regulations and a lack of trading volume persuade local companies to list in London. Damac Real Estate Development plans to raise $500 million when it sells depositary receipts in London this week in the first IPO by a Dubai-based developer since the emirate’s property crash in 2008. That follows the London listing of Abu Dhabi-based healthcare provider Al Noor Hospitals in June and an IPO for the emirate’s NMC Health last year. Higher oil prices and government spending have led to a rally in Gulf stocks and encouraged firms to sell shares. They’re opting to go abroad as rules such as the Dubai Financial Market’s requirement that at least 55 per cent of a company must be offered have deterred IPOs in that emirate since 2009. Neighbouring Abu Dhabi hasn’t had a new public offering in two years. “The IPO rules in the UAE are restrictive so it makes sense that companies are going overseas to list,” Sanyalaksna Manibhandu, senior analyst at NBAD Securities, ranked third among 48 brokerages by value traded on the DFM in October, said. Pricing of IPOs All shares sales on the Dubai bourse must be priced at a par value of 1 dirham per share, limiting owners’ options in structuring the offers. The DFM General Index has surged 77 per cent this year, more than any benchmark

Damac set to narrow London IPO price to bottom of range DUBAI Damac Real Estate Development, a Dubai-based holding company for the property developer, is preparing to price its London initial public offering (IPO) near the bottom of its range, three people familiar with the matter said. The offering was oversubscribed at $12.25 to $13.25 per global depositary receipt (GDR), the people said, asking not to be identiﬁed because the pricing isn’t public. The company said it was targeting a range of $12.25 to $17.25 per GDR, creating a homebuilder valued at as much as $3.7 billion. Al Firdous and Sahira,

measure in the 50 largest equity markets globally on a dollar basis, pushing valuations to near a ﬁveyear high, according to data. While Nasdaq Dubai only requires companies to offer a minimum of 25 per cent, its trading volumes are much smaller. History weighing History is also weighing against Dubai after some high-proﬁle failures, said Talal Touqan, Abu Dhabi-based head of research at Al Ramz Securities. Depa, which

controlled by Damac Properties Development founder Hussain Sajwani, are planning to sell as much as 18.8 per cent of the new real estate company to raise at least $500 million. The PIO, the ﬁrst for a Dubai-based developer since the emirate’s real estate market crashed in 2008, is set to test the appetite of global investors for the city’s recovering property market. Damac was valued by analysts at $3.9 billion to $5.4 billion, three people briefed on the process said. The company said the valuation range would be between $2.7 billion and $3.7 billion. - Bloomberg News

ﬁts out building interiors, has slumped 63 per cent since selling stock on Nasdaq Dubai in 2008 at $1.55 a share. Port operator DP World consolidated its shares in 2011 after they tumbled. “The motive for listing abroad is two-fold,” said Touqan. Issues also get “higher valuations when listed abroad as multiples are higher and yields are lower, which makes cost of equity much lower,” he said. Abu Dhabi securities market has gained 45 per cent this year. - Bloomberg News

given in terms of bonuses declared. It is pertinent to point out here that the rates of bonuses declared by LIC International are not only one of the best in this region but are also increasing every year for past many years. Complete child career plan also offers excellent risk coverage beneﬁts to proposer (father or mother,

if she is working) and child. The proposer is covered immediately and the child is covered on completion of seven years of age or two years of waiting period for the policy, whichever is later. Complete Child Career Plan also comprises other attractive features, which include immediate payment of sum assured and pre-

mium waiver beneﬁt on death of the proposer, premium commitment limited for 5 years only, accident benefit and loan facility. Furthermore, this package can be customized suiting to the speciﬁc requirements. LIC International — a subsidiary of LIC of India, has been operating in the GCC region for the past 24 years. LIC International has a track record of stable and trustworthy performance. Since its inception in July, 1989, LIC (International) has launched attractive products to serve the Life Insurance requirements of the NRI community in Gulf.

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W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

MARKET MSM index drops again

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................6,754.89 ............... 6,725.91 ................... 6,726.29 ................... 6,752.05................ -25.76 .................. -0.38 Financial Index .....................................8,186.34 ...............8,125.59 .................... 8,127.79 ................... 8,182.75................-54.96 .................. -0.67 Industrial Index ..................................10,271.55 .............10,154.61 .................10,264.91 ................. 10,155.67............... 109.24 ................... 1.08 Services Index ...................................... 3,632.62 ...............3,623.31 ....................3,623.31 ...................3,625.38.................. -2.07 .................. -0.06 MSM SHARIAH INDEX................... 1,080.60 .............. 1,072.94 ................... 1,078.93 ................... 1,073.35....................5.58 ...................0.52 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 32,744,515................ 12,952,747 ..................1,827 ............... 13,834,977,997 ................ 15 .....................20 ....................20 .........................55

OIFC and Bank Muscat were the most active in terms of volume and turnover, respectively. Areej Vegetable Oil was the top gainer MUSCAT: The MSM 30 Index ended lower despite mixed sentiment in the regional market and closed at 6726.29 points, down by 0.38 per cent. MSM Shariah Index closed at 1078.93 points, up by 0.52 per cent. OIFC was the most active in terms of volume, while Bank Muscat was the most active in terms of turnover. Areej Vegetable Oil was the top gainer and closed up by 9.89 per cent. DIDIC, which was the top loser, declined by 3.19 per cent. Altogether 1,827 trades were executed in yesterday’s session generating a turnover of OMR12.95 million with over 32.74 million shares traded. Out of 55 traded stocks, 15 advanced, 20 declined and 20 were unchanged. Omani investors were net buyers for to the tune of OMR1.88 million. Foreign investors sold shares worth OMR960,000 followed by GCC & Arab investors at OMR927,000. Financial Sector Index was down by 0.67 per cent at 8127.79 points. United Finance, Taageer Finance, Al Anwar Holding and Bank Sohar increased by 0.66 per cent, 0.65 per cent, 0.55 per cent and 0.48 per cent respectively. DIDIC, Oman United Insurance, HSBC Bank Oman, Oman & Emirates and OMINVEST declined by 3.19 per cent, 2.01 per cent, 1.16 per cent, 1.04 per cent and 0.88 per cent respectively. The Industrial Sector Index rose 1.08 per cent at 10264.91 points. Areej Vegetable Oil, Oman Refreshment, Jazeera Steel Product, Al Hassan Engineering and Gulf International Chemicals increased by 9.89 per cent, 9.87 per cent, 2.47% per cent, 1.56 per cent and 1.50 per cent respectively. Oman Fisheries, Majan Glass, Construction Material Industries and Galfar Engineering declined by 1.91 per cent, 1.67 per cent, 1.39 per cent, and 0.69 per cent respectively. Services Sector Index mar-

ginally down by 0.06 per cent at 3623.31 points. Oman Holding, National Gas, Sohar Power and ACWA Power Barka increased by 2.87 per cent, 2.04 per cent, 1.46 per cent and 0.65 per cent respectively. Shell Oman Marketing, Oman Telecom, Nawras and OIFC declined by 0.84 per cent, 0.65 per cent, 0.35 per cent and 0.34 per cent % respectively. Emerging stocks fall Emerging-market stocks fell for the ﬁrst time in three days, led by energy companies. South Africa’s gauge dropped as economic growth slowed to a four-year low while Egypt’s shares slid amid political concerns. Power company Inter RAO extended declines before its exclusion from MSCI’s Russia index. The FTSE/JSE Africa All Shares Index retreated to a six-week low as data showed the economy expanded 0.7 per cent after labor strikes weighed on output. Egypt’s EGX 30 lost 1.5 per cent, while Poland’s WIG30 decreased 0.9 per cent. The rupiah weakened after Indonesia missed its fundraising target at a dollar-bond sale. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index fell 0.3 per cent to 1,007.97 in London, with 379 shares down and 264 stocks up. Concern the Federal Reserve will trim stimulus has damped demand for riskier assets, with the developingnation gauge set to underperform global stocks this year. “The tapering concerns are pushing markets lower,” Maarten-Jan Bakkum, emergingmarkets strategist at ING Investment Management in The Hague, said by e-mail. “There are some country-speciﬁc developments.” Nine out of 10 industry groups in the emerging index fell, with energy shares losing 1.4 per cent. Gazprom, Russia’s biggest company, led the decline on the broader developing-nation gauge. - United Securities/Bloomberg News

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 26 Security Name ....................................................Volume .....Turnover ... Trades ......... High.........Low ..........Close ......... Prev. .......... Diff. ............ Diff .............Last ..........Last ............Last ................Market Cap.........Par ........................................................................................................................................................................................ Pr. ............ Close ........... RO ............... % .................Pr ..............Bid ............ Offer ............................................value

REGULAR MARKET .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... OMAN HOLDING INTERNATIONAL ...................15,000 ................6,456.................5 ............0.432 ......... 0.430 ............0.430 .............0.418 ............ 0.012 ............. 2.871.............. 0.432 ............0.406 ............. 0.430.............. 47,300,000.000 ......0.100 AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................433,400 ........... 143,572.............. 59 ............0.334 ......... 0.330 ............0.332 ............ 0.324............ 0.008 .............2.469 ............. 0.334 ............ 0.332 ............. 0.334............... 41,466,122.720 ......0.100 AL HASSAN ENGINEERING .............................280,800 ..............73,183...............14 ............0.262 .........0.260 ............ 0.261 .............0.257 ............ 0.004 ............. 1.556.............. 0.262 ............ 0.257 ............. 0.262...............19,629,288.000 ......0.100 GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS .............. 271,540 .............. 55,011...............15 ............0.203 ......... 0.201 ............0.203 ............ 0.200............ 0.003 .............1.500 ............. 0.202 ............ 0.201 ............. 0.203.................4,263,000.000 ......0.100 SOHAR POWER ....................................................5,306 ..............14,790.................7 ............2.800 ......... 2.745 ............ 2.785 .............2.745 ............ 0.040 ............. 1.457.............. 2.750 ............ 2.750 ............. 2.800............... 61,551,285.000 ......1.000 UNITED FINANCE ............................................. 30,000 ................4,590.................3 ............ 0.153.......... 0.153 ............ 0.153..............0.152 ............ 0.001 .............0.658 ..............0.153 ............ 0.150 ..............0.153 ...............42,077,022.966 ......0.100 ACWA POWER BARKA ....................................... 50,000 .............30,800.................5 ............ 0.616.......... 0.616 ............ 0.616..............0.612 ............ 0.004 .............0.654 ..............0.616 ............ 0.612 ..............0.616 .............. 98,560,000.000 ......0.100 TAAGEER FINANCE .......................................... 25,000 ................3,856.................7 ............ 0.155.......... 0.154 ............ 0.154 .............0.153 ............ 0.001 .............0.654 ..............0.154 ............ 0.153 ..............0.155 .............. 36,498,000.000 ......0.100 AL ANWAR HOLDING ................................... 1,727,320 ........... 628,125.............115 ............0.366 ......... 0.360 ............0.364 .............0.362............ 0.002 .............0.552 ............. 0.364 ............0.364 ..............0.366 .............. 43,680,000.000 ......0.100 BANK SOHAR ...............................................1,538,646 ........... 321,653.............. 48 ............0.210 .........0.208 ............0.209 ............ 0.208............ 0.001 ............. 0.481.............. 0.209 ............0.207 ............. 0.209............229,900,000.000 ......0.100 AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING .............932,838 ...........210,426.............. 75 ............0.227 .........0.224 ............0.226 .............0.225............ 0.001 .............0.444 ............. 0.225 ............0.225 ............. 0.226.............. 18,984,000.000 ......0.100 AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ............................. 319,440 ........... 177,049...............19 ............0.556 ......... 0.552 ............0.554 .............0.552 ............ 0.002 .............0.362 ............. 0.554 ............ 0.554 ..............0.556 .............130,239,984.096 ......0.100 ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ................ 500 ............. 10,800................. 1 ...........21.600 .......21.600 ..........21.600 .......... 21.600........... 0.000 .............0.000 ............ 21.600 ..........21.600 ........... 22.000 ..........149,040,000.000 ......1.000 ASAFFA FOODS ..................................................32,200 ............. 35,420.................3 ............ 1.100.......... 1.100 ............ 1.100..............1.100 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............1.100 ............0.000 ..............1.100 ............. 127,338,750.000 ......0.100 MUSCAT GASES ...................................................1,400 ................ 1,221.................2 ............0.872 ......... 0.872 ............0.872 .............0.872 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.872 ............ 0.872 ............. 0.884...............26,160,000.000 ......0.100 NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ...............347,000 ........... 125,277.............. 37 ............0.366 ......... 0.360 ............0.362 .............0.362............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.366 ............ 0.366 ..............0.368 ...............12,152,864.900 ......0.100 NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ............................... 43,976 ..............13,363...............10 ............0.304 ......... 0.302 ............0.304 ............ 0.304............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.302 ............0.302 ............. 0.306............ 336,839,600.000 ......0.100 OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY ................................114,201 ........... 238,162...............14 ............2.095 .........2.080 ............2.085 .............2.085............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 2.080 ............2.070 ............. 2.080............ 187,024,500.000 ......0.100 OMAN CEMENT .............................................392,393 ........... 310,335.............. 25 ............0.792.......... 0.788 ............ 0.792 .............0.792 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.788 ............ 0.784 ..............0.788 .............262,051,186.320 ......0.100 PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ...........................1,064 ................... 553................. 1 ............0.520 ......... 0.520 ............0.520 ............ 0.520............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.520 ............ 0.522 ..............0.526 .............. 49,420,800.000 ......0.100 RAYSUT CEMENT ............................................150,119 .......... 294,984...............19 ............ 1.965.......... 1.965 ............ 1.965..............1.965 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............1.965 ............0.000 ..............1.965 ............393,000,000.000 ......0.100 RENAISSANCE SERVICES .............................1,246,334 ........... 910,383.............. 68 ............0.736...........0.716 ............ 0.732 .............0.732 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.720 ............ 0.716 ..............0.720 ............ 206,493,140.328 ......0.100 SMN POWER HOLDING ........................................5,000 ............. 27,000................. 1 ............5.400 ......... 5.400 ............5.400 .............5.400............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 5.400 ............5.400 ..............5.500............ 107,803,224.000 ......1.000 VOLTAMP ENERGY ........................................... 46,304 ..............21,769.................9 ............0.476 ......... 0.470 ............0.470 .............0.470............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.470 ............0.460 ..............0.468 .............. 28,435,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE ...........8,828,763 ....... 2,583,634............294 ............0.295 ......... 0.291 ............0.293 ............ 0.294............-0.001 ...........-0.340 ............ 0.294 ............0.294 ..............0.295 .............. 58,600,000.000 ......0.100 NAWRAS ..........................................................277,012 ............157,538...............21 ............0.570 ......... 0.566 ............0.568 .............0.570 ........... -0.002 ........... -0.351............. 0.566 ............ 0.566 ..............0.570 ............ 369,736,322.640 ......0.100 ONIC. HOLDING ...............................................354,892 ...........164,203.............. 45 ............0.466 ......... 0.460 ............0.462 ............ 0.464........... -0.002 ........... -0.431............. 0.460 ............0.460 ..............0.466 ............... 80,121,541.500 ......0.100 GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ....................1,407,660 ...........274,808.............. 62 ............0.196.......... 0.194 ............ 0.195..............0.196 ............-0.001 ........... -0.510..............0.195 ............ 0.194 ..............0.196 ................ 11,474,427.315 ......0.100 AHLI BANK .........................................................83,678 ..............16,150...............17 ............0.193.......... 0.193 ............ 0.193..............0.194 ............-0.001 ........... -0.515 ..............0.193 ............ 0.193 ..............0.195 ............ 243,930,798.950 ......0.100 GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................. 976,241 ............157,227.............. 33 ............0.162.......... 0.160 ............ 0.161..............0.162 ............-0.001 ........... -0.617 ............. 0.162 ............ 0.162 ..............0.163 ..............32,200,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..................... 438,413 ...........670,594...............61 ............ 1.535.......... 1.525 ............ 1.530..............1.540 ............-0.010 ...........-0.649 .............1.530 ............ 1.530 ..............1.540 ......... 1,147,500,000.000 ......0.100 AL MADINA INVESTMENT ..............................938,272 ...........142,308.............. 67 ............0.154.......... 0.150 ............ 0.152..............0.153 ............-0.001 ........... -0.654..............0.151 .............0.151...............0.153 .............. 28,624,554.880 ......0.100 BANK MUSCAT ............................................4,975,762 ....... 2,988,236............ 167 ............0.604 ......... 0.596 ............0.600 ............ 0.604........... -0.004 ...........-0.662 ............ 0.600 ............0.600 ............. 0.604..........1,291,356,410.400 ......0.100 GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. ...................752,630 ...........218,004.............. 95 ............0.290 ......... 0.286 ............0.290 ............ 0.292........... -0.002 ........... -0.685............. 0.290 ............0.289 ............. 0.294...............76,449,440.690 ......0.100 OMINVEST .....................................................273,007 ...........122,843.............. 34 ............0.454 ......... 0.448 ............0.450 .............0.454........... -0.004 ........... -0.881............. 0.450 ............0.448 ..............0.450............. 137,758,500.000 ......0.100 OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING ...........2,172,935 ............415,193.............. 80 ............0.193.......... 0.190 ............ 0.191..............0.193 ........... -0.002 ........... -1.036..............0.191 ............ 0.190 ..............0.192 ...............23,278,125.000 ......0.100 HSBC BANK OMAN ..........................................574,660 ............. 98,283.............. 32 ............ 0.173.......... 0.170 ............ 0.171..............0.173 ........... -0.002 ........... -1.156 ..............0.170 ............ 0.170 ..............0.173 ............ 342,053,487.090 ......0.100 OMAN FISHERIES ...........................................475,063 ............. 49,039.................8 ............0.105.......... 0.103 ............ 0.103 .............0.105 ........... -0.002 ........... -1.905............. 0.103 ............ 0.103 ..............0.105 ...............12,875,000.000 ......0.100 OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ........................ 1,151,242 ...........449,388...............71 ............0.398 ......... 0.390 ............0.390 .............0.398........... -0.008 ........... -2.010............. 0.390 ............ 0.388 ............. 0.390.............. 39,000,000.000 ......0.100 DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD. ...................... 200,851 ...........122,204.............. 28 ............0.620 ......... 0.604 ............0.608 .............0.628........... -0.020 ........... -3.185 ..............0.612 ............ 0.612 ............. 0.640............ 121,600,000.000 ......0.100 SUM: ............................................................................... 31,890,862 .....12,288,428.........1,677 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ...................................................................................TRADED SEC. ..................... 40.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... AREEJ VEGETABLE OILS AND DERIV .....................1,500 ................6,585.................2 ............4.390 .........4.390 ............4.390 .............3.995 ............ 0.395 .............9.887 ............. 4.390 ............4.390 ............. 0.000.............. 20,194,000.000 ......1.000 OMAN REFRESHMENT .....................................20,770 ............. 58,987...............12 ............2.840 .........2.840 ............2.840 .............2.585 ............ 0.255 .............9.865 ............. 2.840 ............ 2.810 ............. 2.840............142,000,000.000 ......0.100 NATIONAL GAS ............................................... 332,571 ...........200,172.............. 46 ............0.608 ......... 0.600 ............0.600 .............0.588 ............ 0.012 .............2.041 ............. 0.608 ............ 0.608 ..............0.612 .............. 18,000,000.000 ......0.100 BANK DHOFAR ........................................................ 100 ......................36................. 1 ............0.356 ......... 0.356 ............0.354 .............0.354............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.356 ............ 0.354 ..............0.356 ............428,385,354.834 ......0.100 BANK NIZWA .....................................................69,555 ................ 7,233.................8 ............0.104 ......... 0.103 ............0.104 .............0.104 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.104 ............ 0.104 ..............0.105 ............156,000,000.000 ......0.100 DHOFAR UNIVERSITY ........................................... 1,111 .................1,511................. 1 ............1.360.......... 1.360 ............ 1.360 .............1.360 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 1.360 ............ 1.360 ..............1.385 ...............19,040,000.000 ......1.000 OMAN OIL MARKETING .......................................4,050 ................8,728.................2 ............ 2.155.......... 2.155 ............ 2.155..............2.155 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............2.155 ............ 2.155 ............. 2.250.............132,047,625.000 ......0.100 SEMBCORP SALALAH ......................................165,199 ............316,871.............. 46 ............1.925...........1.915.............1.920 .............1.920 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 1.920 .............1.915...............1.920 ............. 183,277,814.400 ......1.000 SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ................................ 1,164 ................5,704.................3 ............4.900 .........4.900 ............4.900 .............4.915 ............-0.015 ...........-0.305 ............ 4.900 ............4.900 ............. 4.980............... 31,948,705.600 ......1.000 SHELL OMAN MARKETING ...............................16,220 .............. 38,117.................4 ............2.350 ......... 2.350 ............2.350 .............2.370........... -0.020 ...........-0.844 ............ 2.350 ............2.350 ..............2.375 ............223,250,000.000 ......0.100 CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ....................219,791 ..............15,606...............12 ............0.072 ......... 0.071 ............ 0.071..............0.072............-0.001 ........... -1.389............. 0.072 ............ 0.071 ..............0.072 .................6,035,000.000 ......0.100 MAJAN GLASS ....................................................12,455 ................ 3,671.................6 ............0.295 ......... 0.293 ............0.295 ............ 0.300........... -0.005 ........... -1.667 ............. 0.293 ............ 0.293 ............. 0.300...............12,396,873.500 ......0.100 SUM: .....................................................................................844,486 ........... 663,219............ 143 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ...................................................................................TRADED SEC. ......................12.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. BANK MUSCAT CONVERTABLE BONDS7 ..................112 ................... 130................. 1 ............ 1.160.......... 1.160 ............ 1.160..............1.160 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ..............1.160 ............ 1.160 ..............1.200 ................18,742,126.960 ......1.000 BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ........................................2,055 ................... 214................. 1 ............0.104 ......... 0.104 ............0.104 .............0.104 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.104 ............ 0.104 ..............0.105 ................. 7,436,000.000 ......0.100 RENAISSANCE SERVICES BONDS3.75.....................7,000 ................... 756.................5 ............0.108.......... 0.108 ............0.108 .............0.108 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ............. 0.108 ............0.000 ..............0.108 ...............45,699,301.224 ......0.100 SUM: .......................................................................................... 9,167 ................ 1,100.................7 ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ...................................................................................TRADED SEC. ........................ 3.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

INDIAN MARKET

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

Sensex declines amid slowing overseas inflows MUMBAI: Indian stocks fell for the fourth time in five days, led by consumer and software companies, amid a slowdown in purchases by foreign investors. ITC, which has the highest weighting in the benchmark index, retreated the most in a week. Tata Consultancy Services declined 1 per cent, sending a gauge of software exporters to a threeweek low. ICICI Bank, the country’s second-biggest lender, lost 2.9 per cent. The S&P BSE Sensex slid 0.9 per cent to 20,425.02 at the close. Overseas investors bought a net $36.7 million of local shares on average in the four days through November 25, data from the market regulator show. That compares with an average inflow of $128 million a day in a 30-day buying spree that began on October 3, the data show. India’s economic growth probably held below 5 per cent for a fourth consecutive quarter, according to a Bloomberg survey ahead of a report due on November 29. “Foreign inflows are beginning to slow,” Alex Mathews, head of research at Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, said in an interview from Kollam in southern India. “Investors are concerned about the slowdown. The markets have become news driven and there is no new trigger to justify fresh purchases.” ITC slid 1.7 per cent to Rs310. Tata Consultancy had the biggest fall since November 21, while Infosys slid to its lowest level in three weeks. ICICI Bank tumbled from its biggest rally since October 29. State Bank of India, the nation’s biggest lender, declined 1.2 per cent, extending the stock’s year-

Rupee holds steady at 62.50 MUMBAI: The Indian rupee wiped out initial gains and closed unchanged at 62.50 against the dollar yesterday amid alternate bouts of demand and supply and falling local shares. At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened higher at 62.45 a dollar from the overnight close of 62.50 and improved to 62.28 on sustained dollar sales by exporters. However, it fell to a low of 62.5350 before settling stable at 62.50. “The gains were mainly attributed to the slight weakness in the United States dollar and recovery in the euro. However, the currency could not sustain its gains for long as the bench-

to-date loss to 25 per cent. Piramal Enterprises, controlled by billionaire Ajay Piramal, tumbled 12 per cent, the most since May 2010 and the second-worst performer on the MSCI Emerging Market index. The Sensex has rallied 19 per cent from this year’s low reached in August to an all-time on November 3 boosted by the second biggest inﬂows by overseas investors. Foreigners have bought $17.4 billion of domestic stocks this year, the most in Asia after Japan. The gauge is valued at 13.4 times projected 12-month earnings, compared with the MSCI Emerging

mark indices posted losses today and dollar demand seemed to have returned to the market,” said Abhishek Goenka, chief executive of India Forex Advisors. The 30-share benchmark Sensex fell 180.06 points amid proﬁt booking as oil prices recovered. Overseas investors bought shares worth a net Rs8.38 billion, according to provisional data with the stock exchanges. The dollar index, which tracks the US currency against a basket of six other major currencies, was down 0.08 per cent, pulling away from gains notched up after a nuclear agreement has been with Iran. - PTI

Markets Index’s 10.5 times. “The Sensex is trading at expensive valuations and there is political risk over the next three to six months,” Kelvin Tay, chief investment officer for southern Asia-Paciﬁc at UBS’ wealth management unit in Singapore, said on Bloomberg TV. “India needs a lot more for it to grow where the economy is concerned.” India’s GDP grew 4.6 per cent in July through September from a year ago, compared to 4.4 per cent in the prior quarter. The CNX Nifty Index fell 0.9 per cent to 6,059.10. The India VIX gained 2.6 per cent. - Bloomberg News

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

ROUND-UP BRIEFS

National Day celebration at Indian School Rustaq RUSTAQ: Indian School Rustaq joined the nation in celebrating the 43rd National Day of Oman in a grand manner at the school premises. The School Principal Suja Jacob spoke on the importance of this day. Nawal, Arabic teacher, gave a speech on His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s vision and the development Oman has achieved during his reign. Children have shown their respect and love towards this nation through various programmes. They wore traditional Omani costumes and performed on the stage. The school captain, Saphal J. Tom delivered a short speech. The students sang a song praising His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for his great leadership which helped Oman to emerge as a modern and prosperous nation in this region. Children added colour to the stege by performing a skit. Felix C. Prakash of Class VII conducted a quiz on the history of Oman. The students and teachers of the school encouraged and appreciated them with loud applause. Asa Rajkumar compered the programme.

ISC Tamil Wing’s musical event postponed MUSCAT: “We would like to inform you that due to certain unforeseen circumstances the mega event Mayakkum Isai Maalai scheduled to be held at the Qurum Amphitheatre on November 29 has been postponed to a later date and we will revert to you with further details on the same shortly,” the spokesperson for the programme has said.

Antoun Kobercy promoted as director of Golden Tulip MUSCAT: Antoun Kobercy has been promoted to the post of Director of Rooms at Golden Tulip Seeb Hotel. Antoun joined the company eight years ago and held the position of revenue and front ofﬁce manager. The position he is currently holding the position of assistant franchise services director for Golden Tulip Mena region.

Filcosoc invites Filipinos for volunteers’ day tomorrow

Toyota showcases the future of mobility The vehicles on display embody Toyota’s efforts to contribute positively to society while creating ever-better cars that exceed expectations

MUSCAT: Toyota Motor Corporation is displaying ﬁve worldpremiere concept vehicles in its pavilion at the 43rd Tokyo Motor Show. The show is being held at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward, Tokyo and runs from November 20 to December 1. Under the slogan ‘Fun to Drive, Again’, the concept vehicles convey Toyota’s vision of a future mobility society that values the joy of driving. The vehicles on display embody Toyota’s efforts to contribute positively to society while creating ever-better cars that exceed expectations. The Toyota display will include a

concept version of the fuel cell vehicle scheduled for launch around 2015, as well as a next-generation taxi designed with usability and hospitality in mind and a concept car that connects with its driver in an easy-to-use, intuitive manner. Toyota FCV Concept (world premiere): The Toyota FCV Concept is a practical concept of the fuel cell vehicle Toyota plans to launch around 2015 as a pioneer in the development of hydrogenpowered vehicles. The vehicle has a driving range of at least 500km and refuelling times as low as three minutes, roughly the same time as for a gasoline vehicle. Toyota FV2 (world premiere): The Toyota FV2 is a concept car that can express Toyota’s ‘Fun to Drive’ philosophy even in a future world in which vehicle technology

has greatly progressed. The vehicle enhances the driving experience by connecting physically and emotionally with the driver, becoming more fun to drive the more it is used. JPN Taxi Concept (world premiere): A next-generation taxi concept car created with Japanese hospitality in mind, the JPN Taxi Concept aims to enliven city streets. The JPN Taxi Concept offers ease of ingress and egress and a comfortable interior space with a body size that allows for outstanding manoeuvrability. The large electrically operated doors and low, ﬂat ﬂoor enable passengers to board and exit in comfort, particularly children and seniors. The open, roomy interior has been designed to ensure ease-ofuse at all times.

PAT R I O T I C F E RVOU R

HSBC Bank Oman employees celebrate 43rd National Day MUSCAT: In celebration of the Sultanate’s 43rd National Day, HSBC Bank Oman’s employees embellished their offices and branches with ornaments and decorations that reﬂect the colours and spirit of Oman. The bank’s iconic head office in Al Khuwair was also dressed in red, white and green. Staff were asked to share photos of their decorated offices to enter into a bank-wide competition. Entries were judged by members of the bank’s senior executive team who rewarded the

MUSCAT: Filcosoc invites all Filipinos to join the ‘Bayanihan’ day (Volunteerism) tomorrow at the Philippine School Muscat from 8am to 4pm. The full day event will have a photography workshop (basic and advanced) and meals for a cause. During the course of the day, donations will be segregated and repacked to be sent to Philippines. ACCOUNTING & FINANCE

National Day celebrations by Salalah Pak community

SALALAH: Pakistani community in Salalah organised a rally to celebrate Oman’s 43rd National Day here last week. The rally, organised by Pakistan Social Club (PSC) Salalah, was participated by a large number of Pakistanis and their Omani brothers. Carrying Omani ﬂags and buntings, the participants chanted slogans in support of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. PSC Salalah Chairman Hashim Ali Khan, General Secretary Nadeem Ashraf Sandhu and other directors led the rally as well as prayers for the continued progress and prosperity of Oman and health and long life of His Majesty the Sultan.

Function held to felicitate essay contest winners

Voxy Concept and Noah Concept (world premiere): The Voxy and Noah concepts are nextgeneration spacious minivans that provide the roomy interior needed by families and integrate higher levels of fun, utility and fuel economy. A new, low-floor package creates a class-leading roomy interior with outstanding ease of ingress and egress. These sevenseater vehicles feature ultra-long sliding captain seats, in the second row, a first for its class, providing a diverse range of seating arrangements. A 2.0-litre gasoline engine variant and a 1.8-litre hybrid variant with a class-first full hybrid system have been created for both the Voxy Concept and the Noah Concept. The booth will also feature the ‘Aqua G Sports’ compact sports hybrid and the ‘Toyota i-Road’, and a personal mobility vehicle ‘FT-86 Open concept’. The ‘Aqua G Sports’ compact sports hybrid is a fun-to-drive, sports-conversion compact hybrid sports car with powerful, sleek and inspiring styling and excellent fuel efficiency. The vehicle has been fully tuned by GAZOO Racing drivers to offer a wider range of consumers a taste of racing and the joy of driving. The market version of the Aqua G Sports is scheduled for launch in the Japanese market in late November.

INDUSTRY EVENT

KPMG Business School completes its third ACCA IFRS diploma programme training MUSCAT: Continuing with its initiative of training Omanis and expatriates in the field of accounting and finance, KPMG Business School in Oman successfully completed its third training programme for the ACCA Diploma in International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) examination. Some participants attended the course purely for the purpose of improving their IFRS knowledge and bringing themselves right up to date with the standards. Sudip Gupta, director of the KPMG Business School in Oman mentioned that, “We are extremely proud of how successful the IFRS training course has been and the positive feedback received from participants, notably on the interactive nature of the course and the quality of the lectures, study manuals and question / answer manuals from the ACCA Gold approved publisher in the UK. We were even more delighted to see the course attended by a considerable number of participants including Omani nationals that took the opportunity to develop their business and finance skills.” International Financial Re-

winning teams for their innovation and creativity in capturing the true essence of Oman’s National Day. HSBC Bank Oman’s employees were encouraged to wear traditional Omani dress to work as part of the festivities. Customers were also part of the celebrations as they were welcomed into branches with traditional Omani coffee and halwa. HSBC Bank Oman is extremely proud of its long history in Oman and always supports its staff when celebrating important occasions and events throughout the year.

porting Standards (IFRS), issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, are rapidly becoming the benchmarks for the accounting world. With the growing number of countries opting for IFRS, the number of finance professionals with qualifications in IFRS is increasing globally. Notably, Omani companies are required to produce their financial statements under IFRS. Following the success of the IFRS diploma programme in Muscat, KPMG Business School is looking at launching similar training programmes in other locations in Oman. The training is conduct-

ed by experienced professionals from the ACCA Gold Approved KPMG Training Centre, with the study package provided to all participants from the UK ACCA Gold approved publisher. Sudip noted that KPMG’s ACCA IFRS diploma programme is extremely useful for accounting and ﬁnance professionals working, or intending to work, in an environment requiring accounting and reporting using IFRS and designed to develop a participant’s knowledge of IFRS and understanding of the IFRS concepts, the principles which underpin them and their application in ﬁnancial statements.

TMK GIPI participates in ADIPEC expo ABU DHABI: TMK Gulf International Pipe Industry (TMK GIPI), the part of global pipe manufacturer TMK, successfully participated in the ADIPEC 2013 Exhibition and Conference, which took place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre (ADNEC) from November 10-13. The exhibition was held with the support of the UAE Ministry of Energy, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates. The exhibition attracted the participation of more than 1,300 exhibitors from 50 countries worldwide, and over 50,000 participants and visitors. Well-known international and local companies visited TMK GIPI’s booth to learn about the plant’s business, products and services it offers.

NEW BRANCH

Malabar Gold & Diamonds to expand further in Oman MUSCAT: Winners of the essay contest on Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) were felicitated at a function held at the main lecture hall of Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque here recently. The essay on the topic, ‘Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) – his life as a husband and a father’ was organised by the Sultan Qaboos Higher Centre for Culture and Science, Diwan of Royal Court.

MUSCAT: Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the leading jewellery retailer in GCC, India and Singapore is all set to open its ﬁfth outlet in Sultanate of Oman. The brand new outlet in the Sultanate is scheduled to open at Al Hamber Street, Sohar tomorrow at 5.30pm. This will be the 104th showroom of the brand worldwide. The showroom displays an extensive

collection of ornaments crafted in gold, platinum, pearl and diamonds in exquisite designs and styles to suit the tastes of today’s customers. To add more glitter to this occasion, the jewellery retailer has announced special inaugural offer by which the customer stand to beneﬁt special gifts on their purchases. Malabar Gold & Diamonds has always been a leading supporter of

CSR initiatives and their entry into Sohar marks yet another CSR initiative offered to the community. A free blood donation and medical camp will be organised by Malabar Gold & Diamonds on the inauguration day from 10am to 4pm in association with Sohar KMCC and Badr Al Sama Group of Hospitals. Free medicines will be provided to the needy as a part of the medical camp.

To mark this occasion, Malabar Gold & Diamonds has unveiled more designs in their branded jewellery segment; Era — Uncut Diamond collection, Mine — Diamonds Unlimited, Ethnix — hand crafted designer jewellery, Divineheritage Indian jewellery, Precia — precious gem jewellery and Starlet — kids jewellery to suit any budget and occasion.

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

ROUND-UP CHARITY EVENT

Dar Al Atta’a partners with Salam Stores for quarterly humanity initiative MUSCAT: Dar Al Atta’a in collaboration with Salam Stores announced their ﬁrst quarterly initiative ‘Talent for Humanity’ competition aimed to support young talents in Oman, an initiative to give back to the community. Dar Al Atta’a aims to support the student care programme to provide needy students with school uniforms. Salam Stores, wishes to help the youth learn the importance of giving back through offering 100 young talents the opportunity to make their dream come true. One winner will get the chance to start a T-shirt collection provided by the T-shirt Factory, exhibiting their support to the positive impact this initiative has

on our youth. The winning collection will be showcased in Salam Stores for a month. Young talents between the ages of 16-25 will be able to participate in this competition through registering their name and purchasing the ‘Talent for Humanity’ pack from Salam Stores, Qurum. The top 10 concept designs will be showcased at Salam showroom. The winner will be declared on December 21 through collaboration between the well renowned judges and the attending public in Salam Stores. All earnings generated during the competition, through registering process and sales will be donated to Dar al Atta’a in the name of the winner.

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

‘Click and Win’ at ITHS 2013 MUSCAT: In the spirit of celebrating the scenic beauty of Oman and supporting local tourism, the International Travel and Hospitality Show (ITHS) 2013 will be organising a photography competition — ‘Click and Win’. ITHS 2013 invites all budding photographers to participate in the same. Organised by OITE Trade Fairs, ITHS 2013, taking place from December 15 -17, at the Oman International Exhibition Centre, will promote various local and international tourism options for travel enthusiasts. “They say a picture is worth a thousand words. ITHS 2013 invites everyone to take up this challenge and describe the endless breathtaking scenic facets of this country through a single shot. ‘Click and Win’ helps the residents of Oman to come together and display Oman’s beautiful tourist options and experience the endless joys of undertaking a travel experience be

it within the country or abroad,” says Mitsu Ruparel, Project manager, ITHS 2013. Interested participants will have to click a 100 per cent natural photograph (no touch-ups) best representing the landscape beauty of Oman and upload it to the ITHS Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ ithsoman) from November 20, onwards. Do not forget to ‘Like’ the ITHS Facebook page. The terms and conditions for ‘Click and Win’ will be made available on the ITHS website and must be reviewed before participating (www.iths-oman.com/2013/). Winners will be announced at ITHS 2013 and awarded prizes at the venue. One prize will be awarded to the photograph getting the maximum ‘Likes’ which will involve hardcore marketing on behalf of the photographer. The other prize will be awarded to the most aesthetic photograph taken, which will be left up to an appointed judge’s discretion.

RECRUIT

NRI investment show to be held at Safeer resources to deliver a project from conceptualisation to completion. Backward integration includes an interiors division, a metal works and glazing factory, and a concrete products factory.

Over 20 reputed property developers from India will showcase their best housing projects to offer the best value for money to the customers

MUSCAT: The biggest NRI investment show ever held in the Sultanate of Oman, ‘Indus NRI Investment Show, will begin in Muscat on November 29. The two-day show, will held in the Safeer Ball Room, Al Khuwair on November 29 and 30 and it is organised by Indus India. More than 200 realty projects from India are to be presented to discerning customers in the Sultanate during the show. Reputed property developers from India will showcase their best housing projects to bring the best value for money to the customers. Among the countries participating in the show, India has the biggest pavilion with more than 20 builders making a pan-Indian choice to select their property. Sponsored by leading realtors such as Shoba developers and MCB Realtors, the investment show offers some of the best deals with opportunity to find the right financier to suit the budget of every customer. Leading banking institutions will also be part of the expo to support the customers finance their dream home in their home country. According to Indus, the organisers, this is one of the best opportunity for many of the Indians in Oman and hailing from different parts of India to select the home where they would like to retire to, as this show brings many of the

leading and highly reputed builders together on a common platform along with lead banks. The projects being showcased at the show range from affordable to luxury. Sobha Developers With three decades of experience in creating resplendent interiors of palaces and masterpieces in the Middle-East, P.N.C. Menon founded Sobha Developers in 1995 with a clear vision to transform the way people perceive quality. Today, Sobha, a Rs20 billion company, is one of the largest and only backward integrated real estate players in the country. Since inception, the company has always strived for benchmark quality, customer centric approach, robust engineering, in-house research, uncompromising business ethics, timeless values and transparency in all spheres of business conduct, which have contributed in making it a preferred real estate brand in India. In 2006, Sobha went public through its initial public offering, an event that created history when the issue got oversubscribed a record 126 times. Headquartered in Bangalore, Sobha is primarily focused on residential and contractual projects. The company’s residential projects include presidential apartments, villas, row houses, luxury and super luxury apartments, and plotted development along with amenities such as clubhouse,

swimming pool and shopping complex. In all its residential projects, the company lays a strong emphasis on environmental management, water harvesting and high safety standards. On the contracts side, the company has constructed a wide variety of structures for corporates including corporate offices, convention centres, software development blocks, multiplex theatres, hostel facilities, guest houses, food courts, restaurants, research centres and club houses. Some of Sobha’s prestigious corporate clients include Infosys, Taj Group, Dell, HP, Timken, Biocon, Institute of Public Enterprises (IPE), Bosch, Hotel Leela Ventures and others. Sobha’s superior execution capability is one of its core strengths. As of June 30, 2013, Sobha has completed 85 real estate projects and 230 contractual projects covering about 56.38 million square feet of area. The company currently has 45 ongoing residential projects aggregating to 26.79 million square feet of developable area and 18.90 million square feet of saleable area, and 40 ongoing contractual projects aggregating to 11.41 million square feet of area. Sobha has made a footprint in 23 cities and 13 states across India. The backward integration model is one of the key competitive strengths of Sobha. This literally means that the company has all the competencies and in-house

MCB Aassetz MCB Aassetz is providing service in the field of properties for over six years. They make the real estate investments easy, effective and efficient for the clients. They have completed 15 projects in Chennai, Bangalore and Ooty and have over 1,000 satisfied clients. MCB Aassetz provide impeccable service to real estate clients and investors, maintaining and enhancing the asset value for investors while providing world class facilities. Honouring time-bound obligations has been their strength right from the beginning and this legacy will continue. Their approach towards management of the real estate portfolio from an owner’s perspective has made them deliver unparalleled services. MCB AAssetz has the skill and knowledge to evaluate a property and create the optimum strategy to achieve highest customer satisfaction. They strongly believe that their success lies in their customers’ short and long term success; MCB AAssetz reflect this in every transaction that they do — small or big. The commitment to the clients has helped them build strong bonds. This impressive growth will no doubt power us to greater achievements in the coming future. They leave no stone unturned in our effort to offer time bound projects. With offices in Chennai, Bangalore, GCC and Singapore aptly managed by a hand picked team of dynamic professionals, its mission is to become the leading Real estate firm in India. Every endeavour of MCB is characterised by its choice of location, affordability and customer satisfaction, value for money, easy appreciation and total safety. The entry to the show is free and it is open from 10.30am to 9pm.

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ROUND-UP Mitsubishi special offers drawing to a close The Mitsubishi Pajero epitomises a unique blend of on and off-road capability, generous standard equipment levels, comfort, space and luxury at a highly competitive pricing

MUSCAT: Earlier last month General Automotive Company simultaneously launched offers on three separate Mitsubishi vehicles — the Pajero, the ASX and Lancer EX. As November draws to a close, these impressive offers from Mitsubishi are about to end. Prospective customers now have just a few more days to avail of the great beneﬁts they provide. Commenting on the popularity of the three campaigns, Mark Tom-

linson, general manager of General Automotive Company noted, “Mitsubishi has always had a strong and loyal following in Oman with people sharing a particularly keen interest and enthusiasm in the brand. As a recognition of this fact, each of our offers has proven to be extremely successful and the response has been great throughout the promotion period. “Customers have particularly praising the two years of free service offered and the ‘cash-back’ facility of the Pajero offer. Although we are now in the last few days of the promotion, we do not expect the customer response to dip until

A L L - T I M E FAV O U R I T E

the very last day.” “Each of these three vehicles is a class-leader offering an unmatched blend of quality, reliability and performance,” he added. The Mitsubishi Pajero epitomises a unique blend of on and offroad capability, generous standard equipment levels, comfort, space and luxury at a highly competitive pricing. With each new generation, the Pajero continues to add greater power and torque and better economy while at the same time continue to offer the same blend of rugged on and off-road capability combined with signiﬁcantly improved comfort.

Mitsubishi ASX is a unique vehicle that features the capabilities of an SUV and the comfort and fuel economy of a sedan. ASX has a smart and energetic design, earth-conscious engineering, and amenities to satisfy even the most active lifestyle. The Lancer EX is Mitsubishi’s answer to all that is tired and clichéd about sports sedans. Featuring a bold body design surrounding a heart as agile as it is powerful, Lancer EX is sure to set pulses racing. The offers, which end on November 30, provides customers with free vehicle insurance for the ﬁrst year, free registration, two years or 30,000km free service, six years of unlimited mileage warranty and six years of roadside assistance on all three vehicle in addition up to an OMR1,000 cash back guarantee on the Pajero. The offer also gives customers the ﬂexibility of a ‘Lease to Own’ purchase arrangement from Mitsubishi, where they pay only three monthly rental instalments in advance to get behind the wheel of a new Mitsubishi ASX. All three vehicles are available at General Automotive Company showrooms across the Sultanate.

AUDITION

Overwhelming response to Muscat Youth Icon 2014 MUSCAT: Preparation for the ﬁrst audition for talent hunters Oman’s most popular singing award ‘Muscat Youth Icon – 2014’ is nearly complete. Around 20 Arabic singers, 25 English singers and 80 Hindi/ Urdu singers have registered so far for the auditions. These include Omanis, Egyptians, Syrian, Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Filipinos and Westerners. More are expected to register before the auditions. Registration is free. As declared before competition will be held in three categories — Arabic, English and Hindi/Urdu. There will be separate judges for each category. A separate winner will be declared in each category. Audition for each category will be held separately. If the need arises there will be a second and even third audition. The grand ﬁnale is scheduled to be held in January 2014, at City Amphitheatre, Qurum. “We are very happy with the overwhelming response. We are expecting a high quality and intense competition. Our goal is to prepare participants for international singing competitions like Gulf Idol, Indian Idol, etc. As you know, up to date, we have already sent seven singers to different international competitions. We are expecting a full house audience of around 5,000 of mixed nation-

alities in the grand finale. Road shows and flash mob shows are being scheduled to promote and brand the event. We are also planning to conduct a Fashion Youth Walk during the grand finale to add glamour to the event,” Dr Sanjay Dalal, event director said. “We are going to use latest technology to make the event match high international standards. We are always utilising the best light and sound available in Muscat which is the essence of the event. We want to add lots of glitter. It should be a nonstop entertaining event,” Haider Naqvi, Technical director quoted. “After the selections of the finalists, the singers will go through rigorous training/ rehearsals. They will also be groomed for acting and expressing on stage. Experts/professionals will decide their costumes and hairstyle. Specially trained dancers will accompany the singers to make it more entertaining. Top class experienced hosts will be conducting the competition to be judged by respected personalities in the field of music,” Dr Sateja Dalal, Event coordinator, said. Dar Al Ataa’a, a reputable Omani charitable organisation will be the recipient of the donation from the proceeds. Auditions will be held on November 29, at Al Falaj Hotel from 9.30am onwards.

SPECIAL OFFERS

Wattayah Motors announces ‘Volksfest’

Renault Safrane redefines driving luxury MUSCAT: Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, the sole distributors of Renault vehicles in Oman have in their fleet of cars, the Renault Safrane which is an all-time favourite amongst car lovers in the Sultanate’s regions. Now, the Renault Safrane is available across Oman with the new 2.0 CVT X-Tronic automatic gearbox and the 2.5 V6 (180 hp) with automatic six speed transmission and 3.5 V6 (240 hp) also fitted with an automatic sixspeed transmission. The Renault Safrane 3.5 V6 fitted with an automatic six-speed transmission comes equipped with the Carminat TomTom navigation system, a solution as efficient as it is easy to update and use, with the intuitive joystick. The hands-free card allows you to open and close the doors as well as start the engine, without even leaving your pocket. Bluetooth technology allows you to make calls in perfect safety. For easy manoeuvring, the reverse parking camera displays obstacles on the colour screen, while the parking brake is activated automatically when the engine is turned off. On board the Safrane, technology is also harnessed to provide onboard pleasure in the form of the Bose audio system giving you larger-thanlife sound. Upbeat styling The Safrane name has become synonymous with quality, durability and performance. With the next generation Safrane, there is a growing buzz and excitement around the Renault range as the Safrane is a generously-dimensioned saloon car. Its nicely balanced proportions, fluid and elegant lines sweeping over the broad shoulders denote a powerful presence. A carefully engineered blend of comfort and performance, and a choice of modern engines, the Safrane has an efficient new chassis including the Nissan multi-link rear suspension arrangement for enhanced ride comfort and driving pleasure. Additionally, it also comes with an athermic windshield, electric

mirrors with memory function, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, tri-zone climate control, deadlocking with an anti-intruder device, electric rear windows with anti-pinch, Bose CD/MP3 stereo with 10 speakers, bluetooth, Renault keyless smart card, panoramic sunroof, cream leather seats, power front seats with massage, integrated rear sunblind, as well as front and rear parking sensors. Items such as HID headlights, 18-inch alloy wheels and an electronic parking brake. Some engines will settle for ﬂattering performance, the V6 engine adds nobility, ﬂexibility and power; the engine has generous torque available from low engine revs and across a very broad range of uses. This technology is accompanied by reduced consumption, compared to conventional automatic gearboxes. Renault Safrane has imposing presence and style both inside and out — be it the head or tail lamps or the rear legroom, or the sheer parking lot presence. The boot can carry the weight of the entire family’s needs. In styling, the Safrane’s grille is solid and European in character and everything about the Safrane suggests sobriety and high quality. The rear LED lamps provide a sneak preview of the advanced technology awaiting the driver and passengers in the vast space, reserved exclusively for them. This is not just a passenger compartment, it is a veritable “business lounge” of possibilities where innovation has been taken to another level altogether. The air-conditioning inside a Safrane is quite effective, taking into consideration the challenges of the GCC region. The fabric seats boasts of elegance and functionality that make a perfect match. The 3.5 V6 Safrane has a silent cabin with negligible wind noise. The cabin is well equipped for a luxury drive, from leather seats to the Bose system. What really does impress in the economy car’s cabin is the massaging driver’s seat with the option of electric heating and cooling as well.

MUSCAT: Wattayah Motors, the exclusive dealers for Volkswagen in Oman announced an exciting new campaign, the Volksfest 2013-2014. Bringing the best of German innovation to the Sultanate, Volkswagen is offering unbeatable deals on a number of models in addition to plentiful opportunities to win. With every test drive, customers will be entered into a draw where they can win an iPad each week. Furthermore, not only does every purchase of a Volkswagen vehicle come with a seven year service guarantee, ﬁve year warranty, free registration and a ﬁve year roadside assistance agreement, it also HUGE RESPONSE

Success in Gitex 2013 for Modecom MUSCAT: Modecom FZE, one of the companies under the umbrella of MG-Group achieved another big success story during the recently concluded Gitex 2013 exhibition in Dubai. Visitors’ eyes were glued to Modecom’s stand and customers were keen to see the unique products that were on offer. It was also during this event that the company launched its latest state-of-the-art range of quad core series tablets and phablets along with various other innovative products. The response was overwhelming as business enquiries and contracts were signed and sealed from partners and retailers from various countries like Africa, Libya, Jordan, Tunisia, Iraq, Iran, India, and the Gulf countries.

gives customers a chance to win a trip to the home of Volkswagen — to Wolfsburg, Germany. General Manager of Volkswagen Oman – Hemant Bhat commented on the new initiative, “At Wattayah Motors, it is our constant endeavour to bringing German engineer-

ing closer to people and through the Volksfest, we can ensure that our customers are rewarded for choosing Volkswagen. In addition to the weekly test drive surprises and the exclusive chance to visit Germany, it gives us great pleasure to be able to celebrating the ﬁrst

year of the Volksfest in Oman with fantastic deals on all our models. On behalf of Wattayah Motors, I wish all our customers the continued joy of motoring and look forward to welcoming many more into the Volkswagen family during Volksfest 2013.”

RECOGNITION

NLGIC CEO receives BIZZ Award 2013 for being a successful and innovative leader MUSCAT: The World Confederation of Businesses (WORLDCOB), a leading international organization that encourages worldwide business development, has recently honoured S. Venkatachalam, CEO of National Life and General Insurance Company, by granting him a Certificate of Appreciation for being a successful leader in the insurance field who works in an innovative, knowledgeable and systematic manner. Anwar Hilal Hamdoon Al Jabri, chairman of the National Life & General Insurance Co., Board of Directors, congratulated S. Venkatachalam on this occasion. The BIZZ award which is considered to be one of the most important awards in the business field worldwide monitors the pioneering companies and leading figures all over the world in terms of their achievements in the field

of business activities and social responsibility. Anwar further added, “National Life is delighted to receive such prestigious international award that emphasises NLGIC’s com-

mitment and its focus on following the best international practices in all its activities. This certiﬁcate is an endorsement of our continuous customer centric service quality and strength and success derived from such service. NLGIC’s businesses, footprint and talent are unmatched, and we will be relentless in our drive toward being most preferred insurer for our customers. We started with Dubai operation in the year 2008 with ambitions and curiosity about what the future may bring to us. “In short span of time, we have been accepted as key player among the leading insurance player in GCC. At NLGIC, we emphasise on providing customised insurance products accompanied with quality service. Assurance of being a one stop insurance solution provider is the primary objective of the company.”

D E D I C AT E D T O H M

Knowledge Publishing launches ‘THE DAY’ MUSCAT: Knowledge Publishing has launched the first edition of its annual book, THE DAY, to commemorate the 43rd National Day of Oman. Speaking on the occasion, Rashid bin Abdullah Al Alawi, chairman, Knowledge Publishing said, ‘‘National Day is an auspicious day to remember and thank our wise leader His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. “It’s also a day we salute His Majesty, and feel pride and joy, as we continue to watch our national flag flying high in the blue sky, and we live a life of honour, dignity and harmony — in an environment of peace and international goodwill. ‘‘Today, Omanis can justifiably be proud of being Omanis. Today,

we can move ahead with dignity. Today, the Sultanate is among the front-ranking nations that have made strides in infrastructure, information technology, educa-

tion, healthcare, and various other sectors. It’s our responsibility to see that the younger generation is discharging great responsibilities, and winning the future. “It’s the responsibility of all citizens and residents to strive hard to respect the law of the land and achieve His Majesty’s vision of building a new Oman in which every citizen would have a stake,’’ Al Alawi added. ‘‘We are fully committed to enhance our role in Oman’s sustainable development, knowing that more challenges are ahead. Today, Oman is a powerful modern state. We strongly believe that THE DAY will help all policymakers — public and private sectors — build institutions that ensure stable and inclusive growth.

“The nation will achieve new heights of progress and development in the years to come,’’ said Palazhi Ashok Kumar, managing director, Knowledge Publishing. Modern Oman, as we all know, is a great success. The past four decades have been an era of extraordinary growth for the Sultanate of Oman. Policies and reforms have helped the nation make the economy more resilient today than it was before 1970. Modern Oman offers one of the best infrastructure facilities in the world with well maintained roads and a telecommunications network. It won’t be an exaggeration if we call the Sultanate, one of the strongest nations in the world, in terms of long-term development strategies.

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM N.COM WEDNES DAY, NOVEMBER MBER 27, 2013

SECTION

SPOR YOUR GAME

C O M M E N TA RY

Both the teams will aim for victory to sign off in style

HE West Indies win in Vizag was just what the doctor ordered. What was turning out to be a pretty one sided tour now has an edge to it, and the last game in Kanpur will be one which both teams will want to win not just because it is the decider, but also because both go on to another tour and would want to embark on those with a series win under their belts. India’s bowling has been under the hammer for quite a while in limited overs cricket, and it was so once again as the West Indians, despite losing wickets at regular intervals, managed to have at least one well set batsman at the crease who could take them over the line. It has been a pretty ordinary tour for the likeable Darren Sammy so far. Under his charge, the West Indies lost both the Tests inside three days where he himself failed with both bat and ball, and in the ﬁrst One-dayer at Kochi, he did nothing to better that record. At Vizag, though, he took a splendid low catch in the slips to get rid of the dangerous Rohit Sharma, and then, when the Windies wanted someone to take them home, he hit some big ones to ensure that the series went to the wire.

SUNNY STROKES

ANCELOTTI CONFIRMS RMS CE RONALDO ABSENCE Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has conﬁrmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will miss his side’s Champions League encounter at home to Galatasaray today due to a hamstring injury. >C3

India look to clinch series at Green Park

SUNIL GAVASKAR

The two captains, however, would be The West Indian batsmen looked much better on a pitch where there was not much turn for the bowlers. The Indian bowlers were also handicapped by the dew which made it hard for them to grip the ball. The dew also meant that the ball skidded off the surface of the pitch, and that made batting easier for the Windies. Yet, the manner in which some of their well set batsmen got out would be worrying, for they should have stayed on till the end. India too will have to look at their batting, which, apart from Rohit Sharma, Kohli and Dhoni, is short of runs. Kohli played superbly, and only his impetuosity prevented him from getting his 18th One-day century. Dhoni came in when the team was in some trouble, and then, as is his wont, blasted his way to take India to a ﬁghting total which in the end was not enough. Kanpur will be a lot milder as far as temperatures are concerned, so the bowlers may enjoy it more than at the other venues. — PMG

WARMING UP: Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and

R. Ashwin play football during a practice session in Kanpur yesterday. – PTI

cautious as they don’t know what to expect from the pitch at the stadium, which is hosting an international match after nearly four years

KANPUR: Unfavourable bowling conditions had pegged them back in the last match but India will look to assert their supremacy and clinch the series against the West Indies when the two teams clash in the decisive third One-day International today. India have been a dominant force in this contest since West Indies’ arrival to the country but the hosts suffered a surprise twowicket defeat in Visakhapatnam, failing to defend a competitive total under difficult conditions. That victory must have boosted confidence of the West Indies who would now aim to leave the country by pocketing at least the ODI series, following their debacle in the Tests. They, for the first time on this tour, will approach a match with self-belief and confidence. For India, it is last international match at home before they embark on a challenging tour against South Africa and they would like to finish this series on a high. The Indian batting line-up sports a solid look. Barring a few individuals, the batting department is in great form in the recent past. The top three — Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni — have been the real force behind India’s batting. With scores of 86 and 99 in the two matches played so far, Kohli, in particular, has been in scintillating form. But it is the form of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina in the middle order which will be a cause of concern for Dhoni ahead

STRATEGY TALK: Indian coach Duncan Fletcher and captain MS

Dhoni discuss during a practice session ahead of their ﬁnal ODI match against West Indies at Green Park stadium in Kanpur. – PTI

of the series decider. Both Dhawan and Yuvraj have some work to do as they have been throwing their wickets away after getting starts. But Dhoni, who struck a quick-ﬁre 51 in the last to propel India to 288, backed Yuvraj to strike form in the upcoming matches, terming the left-hander as vital cog in India’s middle-order. “We want Yuvi to do well. He is someone who can bat well at No 4. Someone who can really dominate the oppositions. Last few games, he has struggled a bit. At times it happens when you’re under pressure the 15-20 ﬁrst deliveries become crucial,” Dhoni had said after the second ODI. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who has been doing a decent job with his slow left-armers, too would be desperate to return among runs. Barring the last match where dew played a major factor, the In-

dian bowlers have been pretty consistent in the series so far. Pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Mohit Sharma leaked runs in Visakhapatnam. Dew did not help their cause as they struggled to grip the ball and handed out loose deliveries to the West Indies batsmen. And come today, the trio would be hoping to make up in better conditions. The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja, as usual, has been miser with the ball and the two bowlers would like to carry on their good show to help India clinch the series. Dhoni would also be hoping for an improved showing from ﬁelders as they dropped as many as four catches in the last match. West Indies, on the other hand, did just enough to secure the win in the second match. Kieran Powell, who has replaced

injured Chris Gayle in the playing eleven, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy scored crucial half-centuries to help the Caribbean side in securing their maiden win on the tour. However, one thing which would be worrying skipper Dwayne Bravo is his batsmen’s inability to convert the starts into big scores and come Wednesday he would be hoping for a substantial contribution from one of his top-order batsmen. Even though bowling still remains a concern for West Indies, the visiting bowling attack played a key role in keeping the series alive with an improved showing towards the end of the last match to restrict India to 288, who at one stage were on 194 for 3 in the 36th over, with Kohli on course for an 18th ODI century. Ravi Rampaul, Jason Holder and Sunil Narine pulled the visitors back. Narine bowled his last ﬁve overs in the last match for just eight runs, bowling two maidens while Rampaul took the wickets. Despite Dhoni’s assault towards the end, a total of 95 in the last 15 overs meant a manageable chase, which became easier as the dew got heavier. With the series-decider being a day match, toss would play a crucial role and the team winning the toss would deﬁnitely like to exploit the early morning conditions of the Green Park stadium. The two captains, however, would be cautious as they don’t know what to expect from the pitch at the stadium, which is hosting an international match after nearly four years. The last time Green Park hosted an international affair was a Test match between India and Sri Lanka in November 2009 which the hosts comfortably won. Teams (from): India: MS Dhoni (Capt.), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Shami, Jaydev Unadkat, R Vinay Kumar, Ambati Rayudu, Mohit Sharma and Amit Mishra. West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (Capt.), Johnson Charles, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Narsingh Deonarine, Darren Sammy, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Tino Best, Veerasammy Permaul, Kieran Powell and Denesh Ramdin. — PTI

SAILING

Enduring appeal of Lasers on show at Musannah Sports City MUSCAT: The enduring appeal of Laser racing will be plain to see over the next week when 186 sailors aged from 35 to 76 gather at the Musannah Sports City to compete in the 2013 Laser Masters Championships starting next Sunday. Over eight days of competition, the seven Laser fleets, from the Apprentice class for the 35 to 45 year-olds to the Great Grand Masters for sailors over 65, will battle it out for honours, with 30 nations around the world represented. More than 10 veterans aged more than 75 will attend including Dennis O Sullivan from Ireland and American Peter Siedenberg, both aged 76, who have had entries in the regatta for a remarkable 36 years. The entry list also features Wolfgang Gertz who came fifth in the Finn class at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. More than 5 women from USA, Australia and Britain will compete with the men with 13 prizes in total up for grabs as the fleet divides into Laser and Laser Radial fleets as well as the age group categories. “The Laser Masters are a great example of how sailing is a sport for life,” said Jeff Martin, Executive Secretary of the International Laser Class Association. “We have racing for juniors and youths through to the top of people over 70. They are still competitive and sail hard so they take it seriously but also have a lot of fun. “Our Laser Standard Men’s World Championship here in Mussanah last week were an enormous success with great weather,

The Laser Masters are a great example of how sailing is a sport for life Jeff Martin Executive Secretary, ILCA great sporting action which produced a great champion. So we are hoping the breeze holds so Oman can add another major success to their growing list.” The Laser Masters World Championships 2013 will be held at Al Musannah Sports City in Oman with two races scheduled each day from December 1 to December 7.

SNAPPED IN ACTION: Action from Laser Standard Competition last week. The Masters event will be held from December 1 to 7. – Supplied photo

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B ER 27, 2 0 1 3

SPORTS United face stern Leverkusen test

PSG cconﬁdent to extend the long exten unbeaten run unbea

CONFIDENT: Par Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc,

Brazilian defender left, and Paris Saint-Germain S Maxwell during a press conference at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. – AFP

Victory for United in the Group A clash lash would seal a spot in the knockout rounds with a match to spare and leave Leverkusen scrapping with Shakhtar tar Donetsk for second place

LEVERKUSEN: The latest instalment of the Bundesliga/ Premier League rivalry takes place on the banks of the Rhine on Wednesday when Bayer Leverkusen attempt to block Manchester United’s path through to the last 16 of the Champions League. Victory for United in the Group A clash would seal a spot in the knockout rounds with a match to spare and leave Leverkusen scrapping with Shakhtar Donetsk for second place. While the clash of the national teams at Wembley last week showed Germany were a cut above England internationally, Premier League clubs have done better in this season’s duels in Europe. United beat Leverkusen 4-2 at Old Trafford, Chelsea crushed Schalke home and away, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund shared a win apiece while Bayern Munich beat Manchester City. Leverkusen have turned the Bayer Arena into a fortress, winning their last eight Champions League group games there, and will seek to redress the balance for the Bundesliga against a United side not ﬁring on all cylinders despite a marked improvement in results since a poor start to the season. They are one point behind United in Group A and victory would put them in the driving seat although a draw would actually send both clubs through to the last 16 should Shakhtar suffer a surprise loss at home to Real Sociedad. That is unlikely to be the game plan of either Leverkusen coach Sami Hyypia or United’s David Moyes. Leverkusen are unbeaten in 13 home matches while United are enjoying a 10-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, even though their mood was soured by conceding a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Cardiff City on Sunday. ‘Decisive game’ “The team is at a very good

level at the moment ment and the trend is upward,” ward,” Leverkusen’s Stefan tefan Kiessling, who has scored eight Bundesndesliga goals this season, eason, told the club’s website (www.bayer04. r04. de). “It would be great if it could continue like that. Manches-ter is a decisivee game for us, it is a home game and it will be fun to be playing ng on the day. “With that kind ind of support from our fans we will try to win it and to o decide it in our favour.” United ed defender Rio Ferdinand was equally upbeat. “We want to finish the job, get it done early so we can get back to the Premier League and have nothing else distracting istracting us,” he told United’s website (www. manutd.com). “They’re a well-equipped team and it’s not going to be easy but we’re more than capable.” Both managers agers have selection headaches.. Leverkusen are without winger Sidneyy Sam after he limped off with th a thigh injury four minutes into nto their 1-0 victory at Herthaa BSC Berlin at the weekend which put them second in the Bundesliga, four points behind Bayern Munich. United, sixth h in the Premier league, will bee hoping Robin van Persie and Phil Jones (both groin injuries)) and Nemanja Vidic (concussion) sion) recover in time after missing ssing the trip to Cardiff. Midfielder Marouane Fellaini is suspended. ended. “Robin’s groin oin is the problem at the moment; ment; his toes are much better. We are hoping to get both Nemanja anja and Robin back as soon ass we can,” Moyes said on Monday. y. “I hope they’ll ll be in contention for the match but I couldn’t give you ou a definitive answer.” — Reuters

We’ll have to function well as a team, both offensively and defensively David Moyes Manchester United

PARIS: Like all al good things, Paris St Germain’s long unbeaten streak will eventually eventua come to an end but tthe French champions do not exchampion pect that to happen Olympiakos when Ol visit in today’s Champions Cham League Leagu match. PSG PS top Group Grou C on 10 points from four games, games three ahead of their Greek Gree opponents whom they be beat 4-1 in the opening open game, and need a draw to reach the knockout stage. A vvictory would secure secu a top spot ﬁnish for PSG, who extended extend their unbeaten rrun in all competitions competitio to 34 games with their 3-0 win at Stade Reims in Ligue 1 over the th weekend. “It was the best p possible way to prepare ou our Champions League match,” coach ma Laurent Blanc to told reporters after his side’s latest lat demonstration of the their collective force. “Yes, some day, PSG will be beaten. Th The later the better,” he added added. “We can’t say that nothing w will happen to us. But our players play are at their best both individually in and collectively. This team have shown its strength.” st Forward Jeremy Menez, who scored the second goal at sec Reims, said PSG w were strong enough to control tthe outcome of their games. “Are “Ar we beatable? If we loosen our grip, maybe. But if we keep putting k all the ingredients, ingredients we’re really tough to play aagainst,” he said. At Reims, the last team in Europe to have beaten PSG in March, for former France coach Blanc rested reste some of the players coming comin back from international duti duties. Defender Maxwell, Maxw midﬁelder Blaise Ma Matuidi and forwards Ezequie Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cav Cavani were all benched while full back Gregory Van der Wiel sat in the stands. They are all expected to ex start today in a fu full-strength

PSG team that will count on leading-scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The in-form Swede, who have netted seven in four Champions League games, set up the opener and closed the scoring on Saturday, proving he had moved forward after failing to help his country qualify for the World Cup. No easy prey Olympiakos, however, are not expected to be an easy prey as Michel’s team bubble with confidence after their superb run of recent form. Since losing to PSG, the Reds have been unbeaten in Group C and took a firm grip on second place with a 1-0 win over Benfica last time out. In the Super League, they have been virtually unstoppable, winning 11 out of 12 matches while recording one draw. A 4-1 away win over Panthrakikos on Saturday has added to the confidence of the Piraeus club, and left-back Jose Holebas insisted beating PSG was not impossible. “In the Champions League you have to respect all the teams as anything can happen as has been proven time and again,” said the Greece defender. “If we go out and play with our heart and stay focused, although it’s a tough match, we can get a good result. Of course in Paris they have many great players who can cook even just with water as their only ingredient. Let’s see what we can do, I believe we can even beat them.” Holebas singled out in-form team mate Kostas Mitroglou for praise as the 25-year-old striker continues to find the net for club and country. “With Mitroglou up front I think we can score in Paris,” Holebas said. “He can’t stop scoring at the moment but he also keeps the ball well and this allows us to push other players forward and create chances.” Mitroglou, Giannis Maniatis and Holebas were all rested at the weekend in preparation for the match in Paris. — Reuters

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

SPORTS

Ancelotti confirms Ronaldo absence The Portuguese was forced off with the injury in Real’s 5-0 win over Almeria on Saturday and will now miss the chance to break the Champions League record for number of goals scored by one player in group stage

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has conﬁrmed that Cristiano Ronaldo will miss his side’s Champions League encounter at home to Galatasaray today due to a hamstring injury. The Portuguese was forced off with the injury in Real’s 5-0 win over Almeria on Saturday and will now miss the chance to break the Champions League record for the number of goals scored by one player in the group stage. Ronaldo has found the net eight times in just four European appearances this season, tying the record held by Ruud Van Nistelrooy,

Filippo Inzaghi and Hernan Crespo. However, Ancelotti is hopeful his star man will be fit to face Valladolid in La Liga on Saturday. “Cristiano cannot play tomorrow (today) because of a small injury. “Tomorrow (today) I think he will start training on the pitch again individually and we will see if he will be available for Saturday. “It is just a strain, but he is very confident about being able to play on Saturday. “We won’t take any risks with him because afterwards we have a Copa del Rey match in which he is suspended, but if he is fine then he will play.”

Ancelotti also indicated that Ronaldo’s absence won’t affect the positioning of Gareth Bale on the right of the Madrid attack, where he has began to find form with four goals in his last five games. “I don’t think he will change. I prefer him on the right so that he can shoot. I prefer the wingers to be able to come inside.” Madrid need just a point to mathematically secure their place in the last 16 and ensure they finish top of the group. But having scored 22 goals in their last five games, Ancelotti wants to finish the group with a flourish. “We have two games and we want to win them both. We are not going to make calculations of what we need to do. Tomorrow (today) will be a very intense game because Galatasaray are playing to qualify, but we want to win the game.” As well as Ronaldo, Madrid will be without Fabio Coentrao, Sami Khedira, Raphael Varane and the suspended Luka Modric. Meanwhile, Ancelotti hinted that Xabi Alonso could be rested with Brazilian midfielder Casemiro being handed his first start of the season. — AFP

We won’t take any risks with him because afterwards we have a Copa del Rey match in which he is suspended, but if he is fine then he will play

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

SPORTS Zheng bags AFC top award L I S T O F AWA R D E E S

Inter Milan’s Japanese defender Yuto Nagatomo was named international player of the year and Zheng’s Brazilian team-mate Muriqui scooped foreign player of the year award

KUALA LUMPUR: China’s Zheng Zhi beat Iranian star Javad Nekounam to the Asian player of the year award yesterday after leading Guangzhou Evergrande to a breakthrough regional title. The 33-year-old, captain for his club and country, said it was a “special feeling” to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) prize after a distinguished career at home and in Europe. Earlier this month the former Charlton Athletic and Celtic midﬁelder skippered Marcello Lippicoached Guangzhou to the AFC Champions League title, China’s ﬁrst Asian trophy in 23 years. “There is a special feeling of winning this award at the age of 33. It’s a big occasion for me to win this award,” he said, after being showered with tickertape at a gala awards show. “This season has been fantastic not only for me but the whole team... we are looking for the unique treble after winning the

AWARDS GALA: AFC Player of the Year Zheng Zhi, right, from Guangzhou Evergrande and Foreign

player of the Year Luiz Guilherme Da Conceicao Silva, left, pose with their family members after the AFC awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. – AFP

ACL (Champions League) and the (domestic) league, so it’s been a memorable one.” Zheng has been a driving force behind Guangzhou’s transformation into the team dubbed the “Manchester United of Asia” after winning three straight Chinese Super League titles. This week, they will play the second leg of their Chinese FA Cup semiﬁnal with Beijing Guoan as they bid for an unprecedented domestic and Asian trophy treble. Zheng’s shortlist rivals were FC Seoul’s Ha Dae-Sung and Nekounam, the former Osasuna midﬁelder now with Esteghlal who captained Iran to a place in next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

Zheng played in China’s last successful major international tournament, the 2004 Asian Cup, where a controversial 3-1 loss to Japan in the Beijing final prompted angry protests by fans. And he has been key to the country’s revival on the regional stage courtesy of Guangzhou’s AFC Champions League win, the first Asian title for a Chinese team since Liaoning in 1990. The dynamic midfielder picked up domestic titles early in his career with Shenzhen Jianlibao and Shandong Luneng before succesfully making the difficult switch to Europe. Zheng was a hit with fans during nearly three seasons at Charl-

ton Athletic and he spent a year with Scottish giants Celtic before returning to China to join Guangzhou Evergrande in 2010. It proved to be a wise choice as Zheng helped steer Guangzhou, relegated over a match-ﬁxing scandal, back to China’s top tier and then to three national titles in a row. But the breakthrough came when, under World Cupwinning coach Lippi, Guangzhou beat FC Seoul to win the Champions League and announce China’s re-emergence on the international stage. According to AFC rules, only contenders who attended the awards ceremony in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur could

Diamond of Asia: Dr. Chung Mong-Joon. Dream Asia award: Myanmar Football Association. Fair play association of the year: China Football Association. Futsal team of the year: Chonburi Bluewave (Thailand). Futsal player of the year: Suphawut Thueanklang (Chonburi Bluewave: Thailand). Foreign player of the year: Luiz Guilherme Da Conceicao Silva (Guangzhou Evergrande; Brazil). Asian international player of the year: Yuto Nagatomo (Japan; Inter Milan). Assistant referees of the year: Flynn Allyson Clare (women, Australia), Nagi Toshiyuki (men, Japan). Referee of the year: Yamagishi Sachiko (women, Japan), Benjamin Williams (men, Australia). Club of th year: Guangzhou Evergrande (China). Inspiring member association of the year: China Football Association. Developing member association of the year: Jordan Football Association. Aspiring member association of the year: Pakistan Football Federation. MA of the year for grassroots footballJapan Football Association. National team of the year: Korea Republic women’s U-19 national team, Iraq men’s U-n0 National team. Coach of the year: Asako Takemoto (women, Japan), Choi Yong-Soo (men, FC Seoul; Korea Republic). Youth player of the year: Jang Sel-Gi (women, Korea Republic), Ali Adnan Kadhim (men, Iraq). Player of the year: Zheng Zhi (Guangzhou Evergrande: China).

be considered for the player of the year award. Inter Milan’s Japanese defender Yuto Nagatomo was named international player of the year, the category for Asians based outside the region. Zheng’s Brazilian team-mate Muriqui, top-scorer in the Champions League with 13 goals, scooped foreign player of the year and Guangzhou were named best club. - AFP

TENNIS

Federer can play until he is 60, says Nastase BUCHAREST: Roger Federer should play until he is 60 if he wants to, according to Romanian former world No. 1 Ilie Nastase. The Swiss 17-time Grand Slam champion has slipped down to sixth in the world rankings and won only one title this year, prompting many to suggest he is a spent force at 32. Nastase the former bad boy of tennis, believes Federer should not listen to the naysayers, however. “I wish people wouldn’t say that Roger Federer has to retire,” the 67-year-old former French Open and U.S. Open champion was quoted as saying in Romanian media. “I think he should play for as long as he wants. “I don’t agree with those people who say that you should retire when you’re past your absolute best or prime. No, Federer doesn’t have to prove anything, he can play to 60 if he wants to.” Federer, who has spent a record 302 weeks as world No. 1 during his illustrious career, is still one of the biggest draws in tennis, according to Nastase, even if he has fallen behind players such as Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic. “If Federer wants to carry on playing, no-one is going to say: ‘No, we don’t want Federer to play’.” Nastase himself retired from the Tour at 39 but continued playing invitational seniors events into his 60s. - Reuters

E M PAT H Y

Happiness more important than cricket, Harmison tells Trott BRISBANE: Having gone through a similar ordeal, former England paceman Steve Harmison would prefer to see troubled batsman Jonathan Trott quit cricket and be happy rather than play and suffer. A day after England were thrashed in the ﬁrst Ashes Test against Australia by 381 runs, Trott walked out on the squad with a stress-related issue, taking a break from cricket for the “foreseeable future”. In a column for England’s Daily Telegraph, Harmison, who retired from cricket last month, said Trott should take professional help for permanent solution to his problems. “There are a few of us in the game he can speak to, but if he never plays international cricket again and is happy, that is a better outcome than playing and suffering,” said Harmison. “Hopefully he will be back, but the only person who can sort it out is Jonathan.”

Harmison, who made his England debut in 2002, took 226 wickets in 63 tests, including a memorable seven for 12 against the West Indies in Jamaica in 2004 which brieﬂy earned him the top spot in the Test bowler rankings. Trott’s struggle reminded Harmison of his own battle against depression that twice put him on the verge of withdrawing from the squad. “Nobody knows more than me what it is like to be depressed while you are on a cricket tour because I spent 10 years hiding it as homesickness,” said Harmison. “I said I was homesick and that was actually used as a stick to beat me with. It was not just homesickness, although that did not help. “It is a chemical imbalance in the brain and it is something I battled with for years. It tended to be inﬂamed when I was away from home because I did miss people, I was lonely and I did not have my

support network around me.” England opener Marcus Trescothick pulled out of England’s 2006-07 Ashes Tour with depression and never played international cricket again while spinner Michael Yardy also departed from England’s 2011 World Cup team with depression. Harmison, 35, wished he had opened up more about the problem during his playing days but said he was scared of the reaction that would follow. “It is so, so tough. I can remember sleepless nights in hotel rooms where I would be in tears and then going out to play the next day,” he said, adding he was more vulnerable to depression when alone. “I used to surround myself with people. I took a dart board with me so that people would come to my room after training or a day’s play. “I was comfortable with people around, it was when I was alone that the world caved in.” — Reuters

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

SPORTS SICKENED

Blatter condemns ‘racist’ supporters of Real Betis

GAINING IN POPULARITY: Action from the ﬁrst round which attracted 31 drivers. – Supplied photo

Oman karting second round act on Friday vide motivation for the Omani youth to aspire to achieve similar results at the regional and international events. “The experience they gain in Oman championship will serve as a psychological boost for our young drivers when they compete in the events abroad,” he said.

The Oman Automobile Association had successfully hosted the ﬁrst round of the championship on November 1 with the participation of 31 drivers

MUSCAT: The second round of Oman Rotax Max Karting Championship will take place at the Oman Automobile Association (OAA) on Friday. The OAA had successfully conducted the ﬁrst round of the championship on November 1 with the participation of 31 drivers. OAA board of directors chairman Brig. (retd) Salim bin Ali Al Maskari: “Oman Karting Championship organised as Oman Rotax Max is a vital championship in the OAA calendar. It serves as a qualifying event for the international

Oman championships provide motivation for the Omani youth to aspire to achieve similar results at the regional and international events Salim Al Maskari OAA board chairman

Roax Max ﬁnals.” “The ﬁrst round has been a huge success and has attracted 31 riders. We are using this inaugural season to prepare for a joint championship we are hoping to organise along with the United Arab Emirates next February,” he added.

Al Maskari also added that OAA is striving to provide a suitable environment, including the ultramodern facilities and equipment, for the Omani youth to indulge in and enjoy the sport they love a lot. Al Maskari also said that the local Omani championships pro-

FOOTBALL

Brown wins appeal LONDON: Sunderland defender Wes Brown’s red card in Saturday’s Premier League defeat by Stoke City has been rescinded by the Football Association, the club said yesterday. Brown was shown a straight red card by referee Kevin Friend despite winning the ball cleanly from Charlie Adam, leading to a furious reaction by Sunderland manager Gus Poyet. “I would like to express my thanks to the panel for giving the

matter their consideration. Naturally we are delighted with their decision, which is fair and just,” Poyet said after their claim of wrongful dismissal was upheld. “Of course it was hugely frustrating to have Wes sent off, but we accept that officials are only human and like everyone, they can make mistakes.” Brown’s three-match ban has been dropped so he will be available for the bottom club against Aston Villa on Saturday. - Reuters

COSMOS CUP CRICKET Cricket Cosmos, Thalaswill host Cosmos Cup tournament at Ghubrah Power Plant tomorrow. The eve is sponsored by Luluat Al Hajir Trd, Muscat Village, Hala Supermarket, FAP, Mobile Point, Golden Flowers City, X Touch, The Man, Clikon, Arad Al Amani and UTSC.

Endurance races Meanwhile, the OAA is also gearing up to organise the Karting Endurance Challenge which runs for six hours for December 6. The second round will take place on March 17. The OAA will also organise a 24hour race on February 7 and 8. The OAA will also be organising the first round of the inaugural GCC Schools Karting Championship in January next year. The GCC schools karting is a team event where competitors, aged between 13 to 18 years, will use their special karts for each circuit of the competition and it is aimed at spotting new talents with an aim nurturing the next generation of Formula 1 drivers. The first round of the championship will take place on January 12. The nine-round event will be spread across the first three months of the New Year with three rounds marked for each month.

MADRID: Fifa Pesident Sepp Blatter has condemned the Real Betis fans who apparently directed racist chants at their own player Paulao after he was sent off in Sunday’s 4-0 derby defeat at Sevilla. A group of Betis fans were brieﬂy shown on Spanish television making what appeared to be monkey chants at Paulao after he was dismissed shortly before halftime at the Sanchez Pizjuan. The incident was not mentioned in the referee’s report. “Sickened to learn of ‘fans’ racially abusing a Real Betis player,” Blatter wrote on his Twitter feed yesterday. “I condemn their actions, which were seen on TV/ online by millions.” “Fifa’s members approved a resolution at congress in May to tackle discrimination. It’s time for tougher sanctions.” Betis published a brief statement on their Twitter feed after the match in which they said the club condemned any “violent or racist act”, whether directed at an opponent or one of their own players. Reacting to Blatter’s comments yesterday, they added, again on Twitter: “The behaviour of a few who do not represent the club’s fans is also disgusting to Real Betis. To stamp out this kind of behaviour the role of organisations like Fifa is also important.” The abuse of Paulao is the latest racist incident in Spain, where monkey chants are regularly directed at black players at stadiums across the country. Alicante-based Elche denounced their own fans after Granada’s French defender Allan Nyom was subjected to such abuse from one section of the home crowd last month. Nyom reacted by angrily kicking the ball towards them and was booked. The referee, who mentioned the abuse in his report, then ordered an announcement to be made telling the Elche fans to desist. Zero tolerance Brazil-born Paulao said Sunday’s chanting was “a disgraceful act” and “very ugly”.

“My family, in Brazil as well as here in Spain, are sad and worried,” he was quoted as saying in Spanish media. “When I left the pitch I was only upset about the sending off and I did not notice, although my friends told me about it later. “It’s good that this gets a lot of publicity so that action can be taken. We are all the same. Skin colour changes nothing.” Fifa agreed at May’s congress that evidence of racism should be punished with a warning, a fine and/or the playing of a match behind closed doors for “a first or a minor offence”. “For re-offenders or for serious incidents, sanctions such as point deductions, expulsion from a competition or relegation should be applied,” the world governing body said. As part of a so-called “zerotolerance” strategy, any person found guilty of a racist offence would be suspended for at least five matches and given a stadium ban. Blasts media Meanwhile, Blatter also condemned European media for “attacking” 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar yesterday, days after slamming European countries and companies over the controversial tournament. The veteran Swiss said media had been unfair to Qatar as he made an impassioned defence of the event to delegates at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) awards in Kuala Lumpur. “It is not fair when the international media and especially European media are taking up the focus of an Arab country here in Asia, and attacking, criticising this country,” Blatter said. “We are defending it. We have taken the decision to play a World Cup in the Arab world and we have taken the decision to play in Qatar and we will go and play this... in 2022 in Qatar,” he added, to loud applause at the gala dinner. The comments come just days after Blatter accused France and Germany of pushing Qatar’s bid to host the World Cup to suit their “economic interests”. — Agencies

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

SPORTS BAD LUCK

Razzaq’s house burgled LAHORE: Pakistani all-rounder Abdul Razzaq lost his passport, gold and cash when burglars broke into his house in the eastern city of Lahore early yesterday, the player said. The incident is the latest piece of bad luck for the 33-year-old, who was sent home from Pakistan’s ongoing tour of South Africa after he injured his hamstring just

two days before the ﬁrst Twenty20 last week. “Robbers broke into my house at around 5.30 a.m. through the washroom window and took away the locker from the room, which had my passport, around 38 ounces of gold and 8,000 dollars and 2,500 pounds,” Razzaq said. Lahore police suspect the thieves had prior information.

HM’S CUP ROUND OF 16 ON DECEMBER 5 The draw for the last 16 stage of His Majesty’s Cup Football Championship was conducted at the Oman Football Association headquarters at Seeb Stadium yesterday. The round of 16 matches will be played on December 5. The matchups with venues are Dhofar vs Al Shabab in Salalah, Al Nahda vs Al Musannah at Ibri Sports Complex, Al Ittihad vs Sohar in Salalah, Al Wuhda vs Fanja at Sur Sports Complex, Al Rustaq vs Muscat at Ibri Youth Complex, Salalah vs Al Nasr in Salalah, Nizwa vs Oman at Nizwa Sports Complex and Bausher vs Al Mudhaibi at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex.

OFA, Kudos ink deal Kudos, a leading consultancy and training specialists, will deliver training and skills development and run workshops for OFA staff and OPL clubs

MUSCAT: The Oman Football Association (OFA) yesterday announced an exciting new partnership with “Solution Provider” Kudos with plans to deliver skills and training to both OFA’s partners and tomorrow’s workforce. In a press release issued yesterday the association said: “The

OFA is proud to announce a threeyear commercial partnership with Kudos, Oman’s leading consultancy and training specialists. “The partnership will see Kudos used as the OFA official development consultants to deliver training and skills development to many different groups within Oman, and Kudos will be one of the presenting partners for His Majesty’s Cup. As part of the OFA’s commitment to develop the sport and all those who have an interest in football, the OFA and Kudos will be working to launch a

series of initiatives over the three years designed to provide skills development and learning.” Kudos will run workshops for OFA staff to continue the growth that OFA has been investing in, for OPL clubs and their staff as part of the ongoing schedule to professionalise the league and its staff. Hazzaa Al Saadi, the OFA General Secretary, was effusive in his praise for what the OFA and Kudos were planning on doing. “Football is a great way of improving our nation. Football is a tool that we will be using to de-

liver positive messages. With Kudos support, we will now also be educating more and more people as we grow and as our hard work pays off. Football is of course important, but it is not the only thing. OFA and Kudos together will offer more people the chance to develop in a range of skills – be they football or otherwise. ” Some of the development initiatives that Kudos will be offering in tandem with the OFA include leadership, management, IT skills and language skills and Kudos Chief Executive, Marie Taylor is looking forward to working with Oman’s leading sport. “The OFA’s vision is very impressive. They are determined to be a force for good in the country and we are very pleased to be a part of that vision.” As a great gesture for their support of the HM’s Cup, Kudos will be providing a tablet for every man of the match and 40 tablets to each of the teams taking part in the ﬁnal, as well as further tablets for fans attending the game.

ISC TENNIS

Nevil downs Suhail for triple crown MUSCAT: Talented 16-year-old Nevil Philips continued to dominate the tennis scene at the Indian Social Club Muscat when he claimed victory to clinch the men’s singles title at the Falcon Insurance Company-sponsored Annual Tennis Tournament organised by the Indian Social Club Muscat, in the process claiming a triple crown for the second year running. Winner of the boys’ under-17 singles and the junior doubles titles, the ISM student added the men’s singles crown with an emphatic 6-1, 6-1 victory over Suhail Khan in the ﬁnal. Defending the men’s crown was

never in doubt as Nevil played with confidence but had to work harder than expected against the tenacious approach of seasoned campaigner Suhail Khan. Suhail did well to keep the ball in play and kept Nevil guessing. However, there was no doubting who the better player was as the top seed proved his credentials with a straight sets victory to claim his third title of the tournament. Nevil could win a fourth title should he win the men’s doubles title on the final day. The grand finals had to be re-scheduled to December 1 due to the unstable weather conditions.

FINALISTS: Nevil Philips, left, and Suhail Khan. – Supplied photo

SECTION

LIFE & STYLE

S U I T

U P

With the official start of the job-hunting season approaching in Japan, many young graduates of 2014 are buying suits, shoes and eyeglasses that will allow them to look their best at job interviews

uch students are advised to purchase their outﬁts well in advance so as not to scramble at the last minute before company explanation meetings. The Men’s Building of Isetan department store in Tokyo, offers suits for people looking for jobs, many with price tags ranging from 50,000 yen (about $493) to 80,000 yen (about $789.). “I recommend a plain navy blue or black suit,” said Chiharu Otsubo, a staff member of the department store. “About 90 per cent of them graduating students go with navy blue. Many come to our store with their parents. “It’s better to avoid casual shirts with button-down collars. A white shirt with a regular collar is preferable. It’s important to dress in a way that expresses who you really are.” The price of a shirt for job seekers starts at 7,245 yen. Aoki Inc., a men’s clothing wholesaler, said one of its best sellers is a water-repellent stretch suit with two pairs of pants. Designed to guard against stains and repel raindrops, the suit is made from fabric that stretches to allow freer movement. Each sells for 59,900 yen. Aoki offers suits appropriate for an array of functions starting at 18,900 yen. Yuki Kobayashi of Aoki’s Yokohama Kohoku store, who joined the company this year, said that based on his own job-hunting experience, he advises customers to purchase two suits in black or dark blue. “If they wear the same suit every day during the peak of the job-hunting period, it won’t be easy to maintain its proper condition,” he said. According to Isetan’s Shinjuku store, 80 per cent of female students opt for black suits. A coordinated set consisting of a jacket and skirt for a job interview and pants for a company meeting costs about 90,000 yen in total, it said. Cropped jackets and skipper blouses, which have an open collar, have been the trend recently, it also said. “Not only do we offer advice on choosing a suit, but we also provide a makeup course for female students hitting the job trail,” an official of the department store said. For those who wear glasses, switching from casual frames to a slightly different look may help make interviews successful. Glasses can work to your advantage if they give an interviewer the impression that you are a serious worker. Shiho Ikegawa, an official of JIN Co., which operates the Jins chain of eyewear stores, said metal-frame glasses convey a sense of stability and seriousness. Plastic frames also come in a great variety and in various shapes such as round frames. We recommend different types of frames to our customers based on the industry they wish to work in,” she said. As another strategy to make a good impression on prospective employers, Hoyu Co. sells a hair dye in ‘Lexy Kamiiro Modoshi Shukatsu Black’ aimed at those who need to turn light-colored locks to black before a job interview. — By Yasuhiro Takizawa/The Washington Post

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM WE D NE S DAY, NOVE M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B ER 27, 2 0 1 3

EXTRA

T HE D E S I G N E R ’ S DESI G N MRS PRADA — AS SHE IS INVARIABLY DUBBED — IS THE MOST IMPORTANT DESIGNER WORKING IN FASHION TODAY

ay attention to these garments. You’re likely to be seeing them again very, very soon. I’m not championing the undoubted appeal of Bicester Village, or announcing my own willingness to sport a lip-print skirt (although, now you mention it). It’s more about the exceptional, undeniable and continual power of Prada. That power is season-in, season-out. One of the exceptional things about Prada is that, since Miuccia Prada expanded her family’s eponymous luggage and accessories label and began showing fashion collections in 1988, she has stayed not only relevant, but at the top of the game. Prada shows in Milan, its second line, Miu Miu, in Paris. They are both must-see shows, each offering a statement that not only serves to define the current season, but give a hint at what we’ll be seeing in six months’ time, when her influence trickles down not only to the high street, but to the designers that follow her every step with bated breath. Prada is the most influential fashion name in the world. That is because Mrs Prada — as she is invariably dubbed — is the most important designer working in fashion today. Bold, sweeping claims. But true. It’s doubly true this autumn/winter season. Mrs Prada’s influence can be clocked everywhere.

It was kind of inevitable. Just as the Nineties saw Prada and Tom Ford at Gucci reference the Seventies, the decade they grew up in, today many of the younger designers have begun to reference the Nineties. That was a fashion decade Miuccia Prada helped to invent. Hers was the first catwalk to articulate the Seventies revival that so marked that decade — not the glamourpuss Seventies, the Halston-hipped jersey and velvets of Tom Ford’s then newly souped-up Gucci, but something less glamorous, more grimy. That version of the Seventies had begun to bubble up through the aesthetic of Britpop, but Prada’s landmark collections of 1995 and 1996, with their simple shift shapes, palette of lilac bruise, mustard and olive and patterns filched from dodgy wallpaper and Formica, were revelatory. Prada’s new Nineties look was dubbed ‘Ugly Chic’. At the time, it got us all to wear chocolate brown and gave vintage sales a boost. In retrospect, it caused a seismic sartorial shift in a similar manner to Christian Dior’s “New Look” of 1947. Miuccia’s fugly frocks, the knowing naffness of her Bri-Nylon, crocheted tights and toilet-bowl heels, have influenced the way entire generations of designers create clothing. Miuccia Prada is the reason someone such as JW Anderson can state: “You need to make sure 35 per cent of the

MIUCCIA PRADA • Born in May 10, 1949 Milan, Italy • Nationality: Italian • Education: Ph.D. in political science • Occupation: Fashion designer • Religion: Roman Catholic • Spouse(s) Patrizio Bertelli • Children 2 sons (born 1988, 1990) • Awards: Council of Fashion Designers of America International Award (1993) • Labels: Prada, Miu Miu

collection is something you’re not comfortable with. If you’re comfortable, it’s stale.” Incidentally, Anderson is a former employee of Prada, and an unabashed fan. Well, fan is the wrong word: “You can’t be a fashion fan as a designer,” he says. “You can respect, but you can’t be a fan.” Prada, however, has come to occupy one of fashion’s grey areas, an area where you’re revered and ripped off in equal measure. For most designers this season, Mrs Prada’s work was an insidious, unacknowledged influence. It was more rip-off than reverence — there was a severe sense of déjà vu, with ghosts of Prada collections past haunting the catwalks of New York, Paris and Milan, regardless of the purported inspirations. That’s nothing new — piracy has always been rife in fashion. But the flatness and audacity of some of these rehashes was galling. Some designers, however, are transparent in their homage — none more so than Marc Jacobs. In 2011, Marc Jacobs was shot for cult publication Industrie clad in some of his personal Prada collection. It’s by no means restricted to menswear, but voraciously roams through the sexes, and through Prada’s various collections (the Miu Miu label, launched in 1993, also featured heavily). The subtitle of the piece? “Marc Jacobs comes out as a Miuccia maniac.” You could undoubtedly see the influence of Miuccia Prada’s back-catalogue

across Jacobs’ winter collections for his own label and Louis Vuitton. From the vintage-look mink coats to distressed sequin dresses, from the tip of the bluntcut wigs to the soles of the platform crocodile sandals, it was an ode to Mrs Prada’s greatest hits. Jacobs is one of the few designers with enough talent to pull that off. The reference was reverence. He remixed it in his own way. In a sense, he contradicts Anderson’s assertion. Jacobs is a fan, but a fan with his own plan. The same is true of Edward Meadham, one half of British design duo Meadham Kirchhoff. Their collections are utterly unique — indeed, their shows are among the few that seem free of Mrs Prada’s pull. Prada is powerful creatively, of course. However, that power has also translated into cold, hard cash. Surely, for some designers, the pinching of Prada’s ideas is founded in commercial nous. The Prada Group’s 2012 revenues totalled a cool £2.75 billion — an increase of 29 per cent on 2011, with profits increasing by 44.9 per cent. Financial figures usually bore fashion folk, but those are mind-boggling. And of course other fashion houses want to get in on the action, as much as fashion folk want to buy those clothes, and fuel those profits further. The real Power of Prada? That perfect marriage of creativity and commerce. —Alexander Fury/The Independent

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

ENTERTAINMENT CINEMA SCHEDULE

BAHJA CINEMA Elysium (Action /Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster 2:15, 7:45, 9:45pm; CP No: 1055 Thor 2D (Action /Sci-Fi) (PG) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman 4:30, 6:45pm; CP No: 992 Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Romance/Drama) (12+) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth 3:15, 5:00, 9:00, 11:45pm; CP No: 1075 Free Birds 3D (Animation/Comedy) (PG) Voice Overs: Owen Wilson, Dan Fogler 1:30pm; CP No: 1043 Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (Hindi) (Romance) (PG) Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan 2:15, 8:30pm; CP No: 1088 The Pact (Horror/Thriller) (12+) Cast: Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien, Mark Steger 11:45pm; CP No: 1081 Thor 3D (Action/Sci-Fi) (PG) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman 11:30pm; CP No: 992 Captain Phillips (Action) (PG) Cast: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi 6:00pm; CP No: 1005 Carrie (Drama /Horror) (15+) Cast: Chloe Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore,Gabriella Wilde 11:45pm; CP No:1115

Thor 3D (Action /Sci-Fi) (PG) 3:15pm; CP No: 1037 Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Action/ Sci–Fi) (12+) 5:15, 11:00pm; CP No: 1076 Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (Hindi) (PG) Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan 8:00pm; CP No: 1089

Ram Leela (Hindi) (Romance) (12+) 3:30pm; CP No:1069 Krrish 3 (Action/Sci-Fi) (PG) Cast: Hritish Roshan, Priyanka Chopra 6:15, 9:00pm; CP No: 1026 Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (Hindi) (PG) Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan 11:45pm; CP No: 1092

Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Action/ Sci–Fi) (12+) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson 11:30am, 8:30 & 11:30pm; CP No: 1076 Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (Hindi) (Romance)(PG) Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan 9:00pm; CP No: 1089 Elysium (Action/Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley 2:00 & 4:15pm; CP No: 1056 Free Birds 3D (Animation/Comedy) (PG) Voice Overs: Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Dan Fogler 11:30am & 1:30pm; CP No: 1044 Thor 3D (Action/Sci-Fi) (PG) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins 3:15, 6:15 & 11:45pm; CP No: 1037 Killer Joe (Crime/Thriller) (12+) Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch and Juno Temple 7:15pm; CP No: 1086

Irindam Ulagam (Tamil) (Romance/ Fantasy) (PG) Cast: Arya, Anushka Shetty 7:30pm; CP No: 1102

Elysium (Action/Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster 5:30, 9:30pm; CP No: 1057 Thor 3D (Action/Sci-Fi) (PG) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins 3:15, 7:30, 11:30pm; CP No: 1038 Ram Leela (Hindi) (Romance) (12+) Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone 3:30pm; CP No: 1065 Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Action/ Sci–Fi) (12+) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth 4:30, 9:00, 11:45pm; CP No: 1077 Killer Joe (Crime/Thriller) (12+) Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple 3:00, 7:15pm; CP No: 1087 Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (Hindi) (Romance) (PG) Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan 4:45, 10:30pm; CP No: 1090 The Pact (Horror/Thriller) (12+) Cast: Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien 11:45pm; CP No: 1082 Singh Saab The Great (Hindi) (PG) Cast: Sunny Deol, Urvashi Rautela, Amrita Rao 9:00pm; CP No: 1093 Nadodimannan (Malyalam) (Drama) (PG) Cast: Dileep, Ananya, Mythili 6:00pm; CP No: 1098

PLAZA 1 Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (Hindi) (PG) Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan 3:15, 9:00pm; CP No: 1092 Singh Saab The Great (Hindi) (PG) Cast: Sunny Deol, Urvashi Rautela 6:30, 11:45pm; CP No: 1097 PLAZA 2 Ram Leela (Hindi) (Drama) (12+) Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone 6:15, 9:00, 11:45pm; CP No:1069 Singh Saab The Great (Hindi-Action (PG) Cast: Sunny Deol, Urvashi Rautela, Amrita Rao 3:30pm; CP No: 1097 PLAZA 3

Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Action /Sci–Fi) (12+) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth 3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30pm; CP No: 1078 The Pact (Horror/Thriller) (12+) Cast: Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien, Mark Steger 5:15, 11:45pm; CP No: 1083 Ram Leela (Hindi) (Romance/Drama) (12+) Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone 9:00pm Elysium (Action/Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley 3:00, 7:00, 11:45pm; CP No: 1058 Thor 3D (Action/Sci-Fi) (PG) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins 3:15, 5:00, 7:00pm; CP No: 1039 Nadodimannan (Malyalam) (Comedy) (PG) Cast: Dileep, Ananya, Mythili 9:00pm; CP No: 1099

Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Action /Sci–Fi) (12+) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence 5:30, 9:00, 11:45pm; CP No: 1079 Elysium (Action/Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, 7:00pm; CP No: 1059

Thor 3D (Action /Sci-Fi) (PG) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman 5:00pm; CP No: 1040 Ram Leela (Hindi) (Romance) (12+) Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone 7:45pm; CP No: 1067 Nadodimannan (Malyalam) (Drama) (PG) Cast: Dileep, Ananya, Mythili 10:30pm; CP No: 1100

Elysium (Action/Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster 1:30 & 5:00pm; CP No: 1060 Thor 3D (Action/Sci-Fi) (PG) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman 12:00, 7:00, 11:30; CP No: 1041 Captain Phillips (Action) (PG) Cast: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi 2:30pm; CP No: 1010 Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Action/ Sci–Fi) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth 1:30, 4:15, 9:00, 11:45pm; CP No: 1080 Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (Hindi) (Romance) (PG) Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Imran Khan 7:00 & 9:00pm; CP No: 1091 The Pact (Horror/Thriller) (12+) Cast: Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien, Mark Steger 9:45 & 11:45pm; CP No: 1084 Singh Saab The Great (Hindi) (PG) Cast: Sunny Deol, Urvashi Rautela, Amrita Rao 6:15pm; CP No: 1096 Nadodimannan (Malyalam) (Drama) (PG) Cast: Dileep, Ananya, Mythili 3:30pm; CP No: 1101

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Action / Adventure) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30 & 11:55pm; CP No: 1336 (12+) The Pact (Horror / Mystery / Thriller) Cast: Caity Lotz, Casper Van Dien 8:00, 10:00pm; CP No: 1368 (12+) Killer Joe (Crime / Thriller) Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple 6:00pm; CP No: 1367 (12+) Free Birds (Animation / Comedy) Voice Overs: Woody Harrelson, Owen Wilson and Dan Fogler 2:00pm; CP No: 1340 (PG) Bad Grandpa (Comedy) Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Jackson Nicoll 4:00pm; CP No: 1338 (15+) Carrie (Drama /Horror) (15+) Cast: Chloe Grace, Julianne Moore 11:55pm; CP No:1115

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

STARS CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Nadodi Mannan (Mal) (Comedy) Cast: Dileep, Ananya, Mythilli and Archana Ravi 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30pm (Cinema Main) Irandam Ulagam (Tamil) (Romance/ Thriller) Cast: Arya, Anushka Shetty and Selva 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45pm (Cinema – 2) Masala (Telugu) (Action/Comedy) Cast: Venkatesh, Anjali and Sahzan Padamsee 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45pm (Cinema - 3); CP No: 1347 Idukki Gold (Mal) Cast: Vijaya Ragavan, Prahap Poten & Babu Anthony 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45pm(Cinema - 4); CP No: 1345

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

More bridge words from the antipodes

SUDOKU

6 2 3 9

9 4 3

2 1 9

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

6 7 8 3 9 5 1 7 5 1

5 9 3 2 8 6 1 7 4

8 4 7 1 5 9 2 6 3

1 6 2 7 4 3 5 8 9

3 5 4 9 6 2 8 1 7

B I G NAT E

Adams 55 Teahouse attire 56 “The — of the Ancient Mariner” 57 Rx buys 58 Early morning hours 59 Morose DOWN 1 Scribble (down) 2 Bobby of hockey 3 Grassy ﬁeld 4 Start walking 5 Getting high marles 6 Winery cask 7 Evening service 8 Roused 9 Holly shrub 10 In — of 11 Hacks off 16 Shoe size 20 Pilsner, for example 21 Treats a sprain 22 Go off the — end 23 Earthenware jar 25 Lounges around 27 Musical key (2

wds.) Order for dinner Blissful spot Longings Fliers’ performance (2 wds.) 39 Not break the budget 40 Oh, for — sake! 29 30 31 34

41 Like a wolf’s howl 43 Giant-ant horror ﬁlm 44 Far-ﬂung 45 Writer — Bagnold 47 Butter qty. 50 Mr. Vigoda 51 Carioca’s home 52 Tall bird 53 Van — Waals force

7 8 9 5 3 1 4 2 6

2 1 6 8 7 4 3 9 5

9 2 5 3 1 7 6 4 8

6 3 1 4 9 8 7 5 2

4 7 8 6 2 5 9 3 1

l Previous i f puzzle S d kSolution N b

MARMADUKE

CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 Nasty shock 5 Off-road vehicle 8 Determination 12 Chocolate cookie 13 Actor’s prompt 14 Hodgepodge 15 Old cars, maybe (hyph.) 17 Retain 18 Bear’s digs 19 Solar — 21 Goddess’s statue 24 Collect bit by bit 26 Star 28 Website suffix 29 “You, there!” 32 Electric swimmer 33 Two-faced 35 Sugary drink 36 Health resort 37 Diamond — 38 Poe’s visitor 40 Analyse grammar 42 Bogs 43 Chirps 46 Sprite 48 Faint trace 49 Gave refuge 54 Pop singer —

WITH LOVE

8 1 6 4

NEW Zealand Bridge is published six times a year in a small-page format. It contains the usual mix of tournament reports, quizzes, hands to bid with your partner and compare your ﬁnal contracts with top players, and a bidding panel with experts from around the globe who answer six problems. Most magazines like to concentrate on accurate bidding and play, but do include some errors — as in this example from New Zealand Bridge. How would you analyze the bidding? West’s opening bid showed 9-12 points. East’s twoclub response was Stayman. And South’s two-no-trump intervention indicated at least 5-5 in the minors. Against three no-trump, West led a low heart. How many tricks do you think declarer took? Down Under they like weak no-trumps. East sensibly used Stayman to play in two of a major. South’s overcall was crazy — his hand was far too weak. When an opponent opens with a weak notrump, you must bid constructively, not destructively, because your side could have the high-card values for game. North’s raise to three no-trump was iffy with no spade stopper, but since he thought his partner had at least opening values, it was reasonable. West led the heart two. East won with her queen and shifted to a low spade. West won and returned the heart jack. This allowed the defenders to take nine major-suit tricks. South discarded badly, keeping only two clubs in each hand. So when East now led a club, West took the last four tricks in the suit for down nine! Details are at nzbridge.org.nz. — By Phillip Alder

3 9

4 5 8 2 9

Answer to previous puzzle

ACES ON BRIDGE

BORN LOSER

THRIPTHY VINAY

AARON RAJ

AMMAR SHAIKH

November 27, 2009

November 27, 2007

November 28, 2009

RYAN THOMAS BENNY

JANINA JEES

ABDUL FATHAH

November 28, 2006

November 29, 2008

November 29, 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

C10

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 0 1 3

FIND-IT-ALL Y O U R B I R T H D AY

BORN today, you are quite able to serve others with grace and skill, but at the same time you do have a selfish streak that keeps you from being as generous and philanthropic as you might be. Throughout your life, in fact, you will find yourself struggling to find a healthy balance between the giving side of yourself and the taking side. Only through true soul-searching and a willingness to evolve carefully and continually through the years will it every really be achieved. You are careful at all times to treat others well, but this is a far cry from doing for them what you are truly capable of doing when you let yourself! You have a keen and rather sarcastic sense of humor, and not everyone is willing to laugh at your sometimes-cruel jokes. Still, you believe in the power of laughter, especially when faced with a tough situation or impossible circumstances — and you will never let this part of your personality become repressed in any way. Also born on this date are: Robin Givens, actress; Caroline Kennedy, attorney; Bruce Lee, actor and martial artist; Jimi Hendrix, singer-songwriter and musician; James Agee, author; Kathryn Bigelow, filmmaker.

PRAYER TIMINGS

W E AT H E R

WORLD

Max 31 Min 27 Max 14 Min -3

Max 26 Min 12

Max 33 Min 26 Max 2 Min -8

Max 32 Min 25

Max 2 Min -7

Max 34 Min 20

Max 32 Min 22

Max 34 Min 22

SAGITTARIUS S [[NOV. 22-DEC. 21] Max 31 Min 15 The weather could not be updated due to technical difficulties

Max 23 Min 12

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

[DEC. 22-JAN 19]

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18] You should be able to maintain a positive attitude all day long. Give another the chance to shine when you’ve had your ﬁll.

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20] Looks can be deceiving, so take care that you give someone the time to reveal more than what is only skin-deep.

Max 32 Min 24 Max 20 Min 2

GULF Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Kuwait Manama Riyadh

27 27 28 25 26 26

17 20 20 12 21 13

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

1 23 1 15 11 10 31 2 21 14 17 31 -5 3 -7 32 16 -1

-8 14 -8 -2 -3 3 22 0 15 7 5 23 -12 -8 -14 23 13 -6

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

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

Daily Daily

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

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

16:50 19:30

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 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

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

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

Daily

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19] You may experience a rather rough start, but no matter how difficult things get, you must continue this solo effort.

TAURUS [APRIL 20-MAY 20] You can plan an important role in the affairs of a Capricorn native, but he or she may have to be kept in the dark for a time.

GEMINI [MAY 21-JUNE 20] Nothing is as simple as black or white. You’ll surely ﬁnd things most intriguing when they are presented in shades of grey.

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22] You may be facing a challenge that is chipping away at your conﬁdence bit by bit, but what you do today can reverse that trend.

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22] You’ll have to dig deep into your bag of tricks in order to come up with the perfect response to an unusual request.

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22] Honor and integrity are more important to you now than they have been in the past — and you can do much to improve another’s reputation.

LIBRA L [[SEPT. [S S 23-OCT. 22] You may have to wait until you receive more information before you can ﬁnally put a primary plan into action.

SCORPIO S [[OCT. 23-NOV. 21] You’ll be required to step in and do what another cannot. While it may be something new for you, you can acquit yourself well.

High tide Low tide

16:50

SALALAH TO DUBAI (Route 102) 15:00 Dubai 07:00 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: 24537080 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:

WEDNESDAY

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

Actions speak louder than words. Focus on those things that money cannot buy. Even a rival is worthy of praise by day’s end.

Sunset Sunrise (Tomorrow) 5:53pm 11:28pm

5.23pm 6.20am 5:40am 12:36pm

SEA STATE: Moderate along the Southeastern Coast with maximum wave height of 1.5 metres, and slight over rest of Oman’s coasts with maximum wave height of 1.25 metres. HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY: Good over most of the Sultanate. THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Chance of clouds development over governorate of Musandam and the northern parts of Al-Hajar mountains may give isolated rain and extend to the coastal areas of Oman Sea. Chance of early morning low level cloud or fog over governorate of Al-Wusta.

Max

OMAN

CAPRICORN

11.59pm 3.04pm 5.25pm 6.39pm 5.10am

AIRLINES

ainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate with chance of clouds development over governorate of Musandam and the northern parts of Al-Hajar mountains may give isolated rain. Chance of early morning low level cloud over governorate of Al-Wusta. EXPECTED WIND: Along the coastal areas of Oman Sea wind will be northeasterly light to moderate during day becoming variable light at night and over rest of the sultanate it will be southeasterly light to moderate.

Max 32 Min 17

You have a way of talking yourself into and out of things that may or may not suit you, but today you feel trapped for some reason.

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

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

THURSDAY ETA

FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

WY676 WY816 WY682 WY924 9W540 WY824 BG021 PK225 TK776 EY384 GF560 EK866 QR1132 FZ041 WY674 WY686 WY638 WY902 WY668 WY658 WY644 WY672 CV856 WY692 WY324 FZ043 WY602 WY202 WY102 NL768 WY274 WY236 G9114 WY342 WY226 WY212 EK862 WY252 EY382 QR1128 9W530 WY822 WY604 WY242 WY904 WY3302 IX337 WY606 WY632 WY906 WY656 WY918 FZ045 WY346 PA450 WY3304 WY204 WY292 WY264 WY664 WY232 WY284 WY246 WY610 QR1126 WY434 GF564 G9116 WY614 FZ047 AI977 WY152 KL441 WY312 WY624 AI973 6.00E+81 QR1130 9W534 WY254 AI907 WY414 WY914 WY914 UL205 GF566 BA073 WY916 WY134 WY406 EY388 AI985 WY124 WY662 LX242 QR1134 WY654 WY717 WY116 LH618 WY612 WY928 WY648 WY696 WY636

JEDDAH 0005 BANGKOK 0010 RIYADH 0010 SALALAH 0035 BOMBAY 0040 KUALA LUMPUR 0045 DACCA-CHITTAGONG 0130 KARACHI 0215 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN 0300 ABU DHABI 0330 BAHRAIN 0335 DUBAI 0355 DOHA 0405 DUBAI 0415 JEDDAH 0635 RIYADH 0645 ABU DHABI 0650 SALALAH 0655 DOHA 0700 BAHRAIN 0700 KUWAIT 0705 MEDINA 0705 LUXORE 0715 DAMMAM 0715 KARACHI 0720 DUBAI 0800 DUBAI 0800 BOMBAY 0805 LONDON HEATHROW 0820 LAHORE 0830 JAIPUR 0850 HYDERABAD 0910 SHARJAH 0915 LAHORE 0920 COCHIN 0925 TRIVANDRUM 0930 DUBAI 0940 MADRAS 0940 ABU DHABI 0955 DOHA 1010 TRIVANDRUM 1035 KUALA LUMPUR 1105 DUBAI 1105 DELHI 1220 SALALAH 1225 MUKHAIZNA 1230 CALICUT 1305 DUBAI 1330 ABU DHABI 1345 SALALAH 1425 BAHRAIN 1435 KHASAB 1440 DUBAI 1545 ISLAM ABBAD 1600 LAHORE 1630 MUKHAIZNA 1630 BOMBAY 1700 CALICUT 1705 LUCKNOW 1715 DOHA 1725 HYDERABAD 1740 BANGALORE 1740 DELHI 1740 DUBAI 1740 DOHA 1745 TEHRAN 1805 BAHRAIN 1810 SHARJAH 1915 DUBAI 2025 DUBAI 2055 BANGALORE-HYDERABAD 2105 ZURICH 2110 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2115 CHITTAGONG 2115 DUBAI 2120 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 DOHA 2135 COCHIN 2140 MADRAS 2145 MADRAS 2200 AMMAN 2200 SALALAH 2205 SALALAH 2205 COLOMBO 2225 BAHRAIN 2240 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2240 SALALAH 2245 PARIS 2250 CAIRO 2250 ABU DHABI 2300 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY 2310 MALPENSA-MUNICH 2310 DOHA 2315 ZURICH-DUBAI 2320 DOHA 2320 BAHRAIN 2325 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2325 FRANKFURT 2325 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI 2330 DUBAI 2330 SALALAH 2350 KUWAIT 2355 DAMMAM 2355 ABU DHABI 2355

WY676 WY816 WY682 9W540 BG021 4H583 WY924 PK225 EY384 GF560 ET624 EK866 QR1132 FZ041 MS930 TK778 WY674 WY686 WY638 WY668 WY658 WY432 WY602 FZ043 WY202 WY102 NL768 WY274 NL771 WY236 G9114 WY346 WY342 WY282 WY226 WY212 WY252 EK862 EY382 QR1128 9W530 IX443 WY604 WY372 WY826 WY384 WY332 WY242 WY904 WY818 WY3302 IX337 WY606 WY918 WY324 WY632 WY812 WY906 PK291 IX817 FZ045 SV530 WY204 WY292 WY822 WY264 WY3304 WY926 WY610 WY232 WY246 WY3922 QR1126 GF564 WY664 4H561 G9116 WY914 TG507 WY646 WY614 FZ047 WY312 KL441 WY624 AI973 6.00E+81 QR1130 9W534 WY254 AI907 WY414 UL205 WY3926 BA073

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

FLT NO

AI986 QR1135 LX243 BA072 LH619 WY251 WY685 WY211 WY225 WY201 9W539 WY235 WY151 WY691 WY643 WY273 WY601 WY901 WY133 WY115 WY341 WY323 WY657 WY637 WY667 WY123 BG022 PK226 TK777 EK867 FZ042 WY241 QR1133 EY385 GF561 WY3301 WY603 WY903 FZ044 CV856 WY263 WY345 WY291 NL769 G9115 WY283 WY815 WY231 WY905 WY605 WY245 WY631 WY655 WY203 WY311 WY717 EK863 EY383 QR1129 9W533 WY917 WY331 WY433 WY3303 WY253 WY405 WY413 WY663 WY101 IX350 WY927 WY609 FZ046 WY675 WY613 PA451 WY913 WY623 WY647 WY915 WY681 QR1127 GF565 WY661 WY653 WY695 G9117 WY611 WY825 WY635 WY923 FZ048 AI978 WY673 KL442 WY817 9W529 QR1131 6.00E+82 AI908 AI974 GF567 UL206 EY381

BOMBAY 0005 DOHA 0020 DUBAI-ZURICH 0020 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 0025 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT 0050 MADRAS 0115 RIYADH 0120 TRIVANDRUM 0120 COCHIN 0125 BOMBAY 0130 BOMBAY 0140 HYDERABAD 0145 ZURICH 0145 DAMMAM 0150 KUWAIT 0150 JAIPUR 0155 DUBAI 0155 SALALAH 0200 PARIS 0210 FRANKFURT 0210 LAHORE 0220 KARACHI 0220 BAHRAIN 0220 ABU DHABI 0230 DOHA 0230 MUNICH-MALPENSA 0230 CHITTAGONG-DACCA 0300 KARACHI 0315 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL 0350 DUBAI 0455 DUBAI 0500 DELHI 0510 DOHA 0520 ABU DHABI 0525 BAHRAIN 0745 MUKHAIZNA 0800 DUBAI 0805 SALALAH 0820 DUBAI 0840 HONG KONG 0845 LUCKNOW 0920 ISLAM ABBAD 0920 CALICUT 0925 LAHORE 0930 SHARJAH 0955 BANGALORE 1000 BANGKOK 1010 HYDERABAD 1015 SALALAH 1020 DUBAI 1030 DELHI 1035 ABU DHABI 1035 BAHRAIN 1040 BOMBAY 1040 CHITTAGONG 1040 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 1040 DUBAI 1055 ABU DHABI 1055 DOHA 1115 COCHIN 1135 KHASAB 1140 KATHMANDU 1205 TEHRAN 1205 MUKHAIZNA 1300 MADRAS 1320 CAIRO 1325 AMMAN 1325 DOHA 1330 LONDON HEATHROW 1340 CALICUT 1405 SALALAH 1430 DUBAI 1440 DUBAI 1630 JEDDAH 1635 DUBAI 1705 LAHORE 1730 SALALAH 1800 DUBAI 1820 KUWAIT 1840 SALALAH 1840 RIYADH 1845 DOHA 1845 BAHRAIN 1855 DOHA 1920 BAHRAIN 1920 DAMMAM 1930 SHARJAH 1955 DUBAI 2030 KUALA LUMPUR 2030 ABU DHABI 2050 SALALAH 2125 DUBAI 2140 HYDERABAD 2200 JEDDAH 2220 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2225 BANGKOK 2235 TRIVANDRUM 2240 DOHA 2245 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 DELHI 2310 BAHRAIN 2325 COLOMBO 2335 ABU DHABI 2350

ETD

GF566 WY916 SG061 EY388 AI985 WY662 LX242 QR1134 WY654 WY717 LH618 WY612 WY928 WY636 WY696 WY406 WY648 WY424

AI986 QR1135 LX243 WY811 BA072 LH619 WY251 WY211 WY685 WY211 WY225 WY201 WY431 WY821 9W539 WY281 WY601 WY235 WY371 WY273 WY345 WY657 WY341 WY383 WY637 WY667 4H584 BG022 PK226 ET625 EK867 FZ042 WY241 QR1133 EY385 MS931 TK779 GF561 WY603 WY903 WY3301 FZ044 WY263 WY323 WY291 NL769 G9115 NL772 WY815 WY231 WY905 WY605 WY917 WY631 WY245 WY203 WY717 WY311 EK863 EY383 QR1129 9W533 IX442 WY331 WY663 WY253 WY925 WY413 WY3303 WY423 WY113 WY101 IX350 WY927 WY645 WY3921 WY405 WY609 WY913 PK292 IX818 FZ046 WY675 SV531 WY613 WY623 WY3925 WY647 WY915 WY681 QR1127 GF565 WY661 WY653 WY695 G9117 4H561 WY611 WY923 TG508 WY635 FZ048 WY825 WY673 KL442 WY817 9W529 6.00E+82 QR1131 AI908 AI974 GF567 UL206 EY381

ARRIVALS FROM JEDDAH BANGKOK RIYADH BOMBAY DACCA-CHITTAGONG DACCA SALALAH KARACHI ABU DHABI BAHRAIN ADDIS ABABA DUBAI DOHA DUBAI CAIRO ISLAM ABBAD-BAHRAIN JEDDAH RIYADH ABU DHABI DOHA BAHRAIN TEHRAN DUBAI DUBAI BOMBAY LONDON HEATHROW LAHORE JAIPUR PESHAWAR HYDERABAD SHARJAH ISLAM ABBAD LAHORE BANGALORE COCHIN TRIVANDRUM MADRAS DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA TRIVANDRUM COCHIN DUBAI COLOMBO KUALA LUMPUR MALE KATHMANDU DELHI SALALAH BANGKOK MUKHAIZNA CALICUT DUBAI KHASAB KARACHI ABU DHABI BANGKOK SALALAH LAHORE-ISLAM ABBAD MANGALORE-ABU DHABI DUBAI JEDDAH BOMBAY CALICUT KUALA LUMPUR LUCKNOW MUKHAIZNA SALALAH DUBAI HYDERABAD DELHI JAALUNI DOHA BAHRAIN DOHA-BAHRAIN DACCA SHARJAH SALALAH BANGKOK-KARACHI KUWAIT DUBAI DUBAI CHITTAGONG AMSTERDAM-DOHA DUBAI DELHI BOMBAY DOHA COCHIN MADRAS MADRAS AMMAN COLOMBO SALALAH LONDON HEATHROWABU DHABI BAHRAIN SALALAH AHMEDABAD ABU DHABI AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY DOHA ZURICH-DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI DUBAI SALALAH ABU DHABI DAMMAM CAIRO KUWAIT BEIRUT DEPARTURES TO BOMBAY DOHA DUBAI-ZURICH BANGKOK ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT MADRAS TRIVANDRUM RIYADH TRIVANDRUM COCHIN BOMBAY TEHRAN KUALA LUMPUR BOMBAY BANGALORE DUBAI HYDERABAD COLOMBO JAIPUR ISLAM ABBAD BAHRAIN LAHORE MALE ABU DHABI DOHA DACCA CHITTAGONG-DACCA BAHRAIN-KARACHI ADDIS ABABA DUBAI DUBAI DELHI DOHA ABU DHABI CAIRO BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL BAHRAIN DUBAI SALALAH MUKHAIZNA DUBAI LUCKNOW KARACHI CALICUT LAHORE SHARJAH PESHAWAR BANGKOK HYDERABAD SALALAH DUBAI KHASAB ABU DHABI DELHI BOMBAY ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM CHITTAGONG DUBAI ABU DHABI DOHA COCHIN COCHIN KATHMANDU DOHA-BAHRAIN MADRAS SALALAH AMMAN MUKHAIZNA BEIRUT FRANKFURT LONDON HEATHROW CALICUT SALALAH KUWAIT JAALUNI CAIRO DUBAI SALALAH ISLAM ABBAD-LAHORE MANGALORE DUBAI JEDDAH MEDINA DUBAI DUBAI SALALAH KUWAIT SALALAH RIYADH DOHA BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN DAMMAM SHARJAH JEDDAH DUBAI SALALAH KARACHI-BANGKOK ABU DHABI DUBAI KUALA LUMPUR JEDDAH DOHA-AMSTERDAM BANGKOK TRIVANDRUM BOMBAY DOHA MADRAS DELHI BAHRAIN COLOMBO ABU DHABI

ETA 0005 0010 0010 0040 0130 0130 0130 0215 0330 0335 0350 0355 0405 0415 0450 0605 0615 0645 0650 0700 0700 0730 0800 0800 0805 0820 0830 0850 0900 0910 0915 0920 0920 0925 0925 0930 0940 0940 0955 1010 1035 1050 1105 1135 1145 1205 1210 1220 1225 1230 1230 1305 1330 1330 1340 1345 1400 1425 1430 1440 1545 1550 1700 1705 1710 1715 1730 1730 1740 1740 1740 1745 1745 1810 1830 1900 1915 1930 1935 1955 2025 2055 2115 2115 2120 2125 2130 2135 2140 2145 2200 2200 2225 2235 2240 2240 2245 2300 2300 2310 2315 2320 2320 2325 2325 2330 2330 2350 2355 2355 2355 2355 2355 ETD 0005 0020 0020 0025 0025 0050 0115 0120 0120 0120 0125 0130 0130 0135 0140 0140 0140 0145 0150 0155 0210 0220 0220 0225 0230 0230 0245 0300 0315 0450 0455 0500 0510 0520 0525 0545 0655 0745 0805 0820 0830 0840 0920 0920 0925 0930 0955 1000 1010 1015 1020 1030 1030 1035 1035 1040 1040 1040 1055 1055 1115 1135 1150 1205 1300 1320 1325 1325 1330 1340 1340 1340 1405 1430 1440 1440 1440 1440 1525 1530 1530 1630 1635 1650 1705 1820 1830 1840 1840 1845 1845 1855 1920 1920 1930 1955 2015 2030 2030 2040 2050 2140 2150 2220 2225 2235 2240 2245 2245 2300 2310 2325 2335 2350

W E DN E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 27, 2 01 3

C1 1

EXTRA H E A LT H N O T E

Skin cancer more dangerous for men MEN ARE less likely to develop skin cancer than women but they are more likely to die from the disease due to lack of awareness, says Iain Mack of The MOLE Clinic. The facts about skin cancer has been revealed following Hugh Jackman’s scare. Recently, the Hollywood star revealed his skin cancer problem and how early detection made his life easier. Mack is the founder of The MOLE Clinic, an independent skin cancer screening and diagnostic centre, and a skin cancer survivor. “Men are less likely to develop skin cancer than women; however they are more likely to die from it due to lack of awareness. The number of British men who die each year of skin cancer melanoma has exceeded 1,000,” femaleﬁrst.co.uk quoted Mack as saying. “Around 2,000 people die of melanoma a year and over 1,000 are men. The latest melanoma survival rates show that 78 percent of men and 91 percent of women are alive ﬁve years after diagnosis,” Mack added. Mack says that skin cancer usually appears as a new or changing mole or freckle. “Skin cancer has no cure, so it is important for the public to become more aware of their moles and spot any that might be suspect. If a mole is new or changing it needs to be examined by an expert right away,” he said. —IANS

If you’re going to start standing up at your desk at work, don’t kid yourself: You’re going to attract attention W

hen we started this little experiment six months ago, we found ourselves fielding lots of questions.”Why are you standing?” some passing writer or editor would stop and ask us, as we stood like sentries along one of the main newsroom thoroughfares. “Because we don’t want to die!: said Monica, my co-worker would answer dramatically. What did I need to add after that? The truth is, I wasn’t worried about dying when I began conniving to get a stand-up desk. Instead, I might label it fear of the blahs. Over the years, I had concluded that sitting all day made me sluggish, less focused. On top of that, my neck and shoulders were routinely tight, and sometimes the pain interfered with my sleep. A company nurse adjusted my workstation more than once, but inevitably I’d begin unconsciously shifting myself out of correct posture the deeper I sank into my editing zone. I was vaguely aware of the trend toward standing in the workplace, but at the time The Post didn’t offer the option. Yet the more I read about the benefits of standing at work — a lower risk of obesity, cancer and death and as well as a boost in mood and alertness — the more I wanted a stand-up desk. I learned that even regular exercise might not protect me from the damaging effects of sitting too much. To top it off, someone my weight could burn about 310 more calories a day just by standing at work. I sacrificed my love of highheeled boots, but even in my sensible heels and with short periods of sitting at meetings or

strolling to lunch or to chat at a reporters’ desk, my feet began to ache before the day was half over. The newsroom floor of thin carpet over concrete was just too hard. I considered keeping morecushioned shoes in my file cabinet to get me through the afternoon, but vanity got in the way. I was determined not to surrender, and after a few weeks I noticed I did feel more energised. Standing up, it seemed, was priming my brain for action even if it was killing my feet. I went on Amazon, ordered a mat filled with soft gel — of the sort you use for standing to wash dishes — and pretty soon I could go till about 5 pm without sitting. Monica had maintained her stand-up practice, too, and on the occasions we’d be standing together, we’d joke to passersby that we were protecting the men sitting around us. Every now and then, some unschooled

As it turns out, you must check your posture constantly and move around, whether you sit or stand at work, because standing all day can be as bad as prolonged sitting

colleague would ask why we were standing, and I’d defer. “Because we don’t want to d-ii-e-e!” Monica would proclaim, and everyone would laugh. Unlike me, though, Monica allowed herself to sit more, especially on days when she was flaunting her stylish high-heeled boots. And then about six weeks ago, I began to feel a fleeting numbness in the toes of my right foot. My lower calf felt alternatingly pricked and uncomfortably warm. As I did a Web search for possible causes, my imagination took flight. Did I have deep vein thrombosis? Multiple sclerosis? A tumour pressing on my spine? I made an appointment with my doctor. He checked the blood pressure in my ankle and my upper arm. It was roughly equal, meaning peripheral arterial disease was unlikely. He asked a bunch of questions about my personal and family health history. Then, still hunched on his stool, he looked me in the eye. Do you feel fatigued? Not at all. Any shortness of breath? Nope. The questions continued. The doctor’s conclusion: I was standing too much at work. Those uncomfortable sensations were probably a result of hyperextending my knee, which could put too much pressure on the fibular nerve, a branch of the sciatic nerve, which starts behind the knee and runs alongside the fibula, or calf bone. Ironically, this can also occur when you cross your legs a lot while sitting. As it turns out, you must check your posture constantly and

move around, whether you sit or stand at work, because standing all day can be as bad as prolonged sitting. A 2005 longitudinal study in Denmark found that the incidence of hospitalisations due to varicose veins was higher among those who stand or walk at least 75 percent of their time at work. The risk of hardening of the arteries was dramatically greater as well, according to a 2000 study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley. Of course, nurses and factory workers have known this for some time, but it seems to be largely forgotten in the stand-updesk trend. So this is a messy ending. I can’t urge you simply to “Stand and stave off premature death!” I can’t tell you you’ll most deﬁnitely feel great if you do. If you sit all day, you might even feel vindicated. As for me, my doctor’s diagnosis of my leg pains did not prompt me to dismantle my stand-up desk. Now I follow my body’s cues. When I begin to feel lethargic or my neck or shoulders bother me, I shift to standing, and almost immediately my muscles relax and I feel more energized. If my legs or feet later begin to ache, I’ll take the experts’ advice and elevate one foot or plop into my chair. And I try to move a lot more in general — doing shoulder rolls, shaking out my limbs, walking to chat instead of e-mailing, or visiting the water fountain down the hall. And like my fellow sentry Monica, when I want to wear high-heeled boots, I’ll sit most of the day if I feel like it — guilt-free. —Sydney Trent/The Washington Post

C12

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B ER 27, 2 0 1 3

EXTRA

WHEN WE SET A SELF-CONTROL GOAL FOR OURSELVES, WE OFTEN HAVE SPECIFIC TIME FRAMES IN MIND

hat do you do if, when you get to a subway platform, you see that it is already packed with people? Do you join the throngs to wait for the train, or do you shake your head and seek an alternative way to get where you’re going? If you go the first route, you probably think the crowd means there must not have been a train for some time and that one is imminent. If you choose the second, you’ve come to the opposite conclusion: It’s crowded, a train hasn’t come in a while, so it’s likely there’s some sort of problem — and who knows how long you’ll end up waiting. Better cut your losses and split. When we think of self-control, we don’t normally see it in these terms — a reasoned decision to wait or not. In fact, the ability to delay gratification has traditionally been seen in large part as an issue of willpower: Do you have what it takes to wait it out, to choose a later — and, presumably, better — reward over an immediate, though not quite as good one? In psychological terms, the difference is typically seen as a dual-system trade-off — On one hand, you have the deliberative, reflective, cool system; on the other, the intuitive, reflexive, hot system. The less self-control you have, the further off and cooler the future becomes and the hotter the immediate present grows. Brownie? Yum. But what if the reality is a little different? What if the ability to delay gratification is actually more like the commuter faced with a crowded train platform than like a dieter faced with a freshly baked treat? A failure of self-control, suggest the University of Pennsylvania neuroscientists Joseph W. Kable and Joseph T. McGuire, may not be a failure so much as a reasoned response to the uncertainty of time — If we’re not quite sure when the train will get there, why invest precious time in continuing to wait? Kable, who has been working on the psychology and neuroscience of decision making for more than a decade, argues that the truth is that in real life, as opposed to the lab, we aren’t nearly as sure we’ll get our promised reward, or if we do, of when it will come. “The timing of real-world events is not always so predictable,” he and McGuire write. “Decision makers routinely wait for buses, job offers, weight loss and other outcomes characterised by significant temporal uncertainty.” Sometimes everything comes just when we expect it to, but sometimes even a usually punctual bus breaks down or an all-but-certain job offer falls through. Fear of uncertainty When we set a self-control goal for ourselves, we often have specific time frames in mind — I’ll lose a pound a week; a month from now, I’ll no longer get cravings for that cigarette; the bus or train will come in 10 minutes (and I’ve committed to taking public transportation as part of lessening my carbon footprint, thank you very much). But what happens if our initial estimate is off ? The more time passes without the expected reward — it’s been 20 minutes and still nothing; I’ve been dieting for a week and a half now and still weigh the same — the more uncertain the end becomes. Will I ever get my reward? Ever lose weight? Ever get on that stupid train? In this situation, giving up can be a natural - indeed, a rational — response to a time frame that wasn’t properly framed to begin with, according to a series of new studies conducted by Kable’s decision neuroscience lab at the University of Pennsylvania and published in Cognition and Psychological Review. “There are lots of situations, probably the majority of situations, in the real world,” Kable told me, “where waiting longer is actually a valid cue that the reward is getting further and further away.” Kable and McGuire tested this logic on a group of shoppers in a mall in New Jersey. As people went about their usual routine, some of them were asked to take part in a 10-minute study during which they could make between $5 and $10. Study participants would see a yellow light appear on a computer screen and could choose to do one of two things: Keep their mouse cursor over a box marked “wait for 15 cents” or move the cursor to a second box marked “take 1 cent.” What they didn’t know was how long they would have to wait if they opted for the promise of more money. In some cases, the larger rewards were given at relatively regular intervals. In others, however, the timing was more uncertain — the longer you waited, the larger the chance you’d have to keep right on waiting. The researchers found that while the shoppers seeing the regular intervals looked like the very model of persistence and selfcontrol, those seeing the erratic intervals grew increasingly less persistent over time — even if they had initially been quite patient. The uncertainty of the reward timing was itself enough to push them toward behaviour that looked increasingly impulsive. They also resorted more frequently to skipping trials altogether. They immediately chose to get the cent, instead of waiting a bit to see if a larger payoff was imminent. They weren’t simply impatient, McGuire and Kable concluded. They were reacting appropriately to the unpredictability of the future. Our environment trains us about the value of persistence. Sometimes, it makes sense to wait. At other times, the adage about the bird in hand begins to make sense. “When you add future uncertainty to the mix,” Kable pointed out, “it completely changes the problem. Now it’s not just about your ability to wait. With uncertainty, you realize that everybody’s deep intuition, that when you’re waiting, you’re getting closer, is off.” The future may change on you, so what are you waiting for?

Decision makers routinely wait for buses, job offers, weight loss and other outcomes characterised by significant temporal uncertainty

—Maria Konikova/The New York Times News Service

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 3

SECTION

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

RENT

VACANCY

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W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

Room for rent Al Khuwair.Contact 99743569

FOR SALE

2 BHK at North Azaiba, 2 Bedrooms, 1 hall & dining, kitchen, 3 bathrooms. Contact 99224748 / 99425665 2 Storey Villa, 11 rooms good for company accommodation. Contact 99664703 Rooms or Apartments attach bathroom in Qurum family or bachelors. Contact 99664703

3 independent Ware houses of 400,900 and 1200 SQM in Ghala area for rent. Contact 93731363 Single room flat for rent, Behind Kims Hospital Ruwi. #96659544 One BHK at Honda Road. #98087644 For rent : shops, basement location Honda Road.#96942749 / 92433127 2 BHK Flat opposite Lima house in Muttrah for Rent from December 1st week. Contact:99279359 3 rooms at Muttrah, 3 rooms attach bath, kitchen behind Baith Oman RO 270. Contact 99319149 3 BHK at Al Khodh Souq 3 bedrooms, 1 hall & dining, kitchen, 3 bathrooms. Contact 99224748 / 99332297 New Building: 2nd & 3rd floor 2nd Floor 4 big room 4 toilet, One living room and kitchen with A/C, 3rd Floor 3 big room, 3 toilet and kitchen & store with A/C in Al Amerat (Al Mahaj) near Al Rafa Hospital. # 99339735 1,2,3 BHK Flats & Villas. #92144045 Villa of one floor in Al Qurum 20 near to PDO with 3 rooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 sitting rooms with partition wall in between and kitchen. Contact 97897951

1 BHK with AC, MBD area commercial. Contact 92144045

2BHK apartment at the wave Muscat. Contact 99725900/99237971

1,2 BHK with AC, ISD School & ISM. Contact 92144045

1 & 2 BHK Al Qurum. # 99024730 4 BR Villa Al Ghubra. #99024730

2 BHK with AC, Ghubrah 325/RO. Contact 92144045 1 BHK with AC Wadikabir 210/-RO. Contact 92144045

Flat shop & Office for rent 1 Bedroom, 2 bedrooms at Ruwi Rex road & Hamriya. Contact 97236696

GF semi furnished ﬂat with A/C & parking 3BKH, 3 bath, 1 store Mumtaz, Ruwi, 500PM#99241044

New 3 Building in Darsait near to Muscat IS. Contact 99102255

2 BHK ﬂat for rent in Honda road, Ruwi and Mabela, split a/cs, lift, dish & security systems are available. Contact: 99367448 / 24833972/ 24833974.

Flat for rent 5 Bedrooms +1 office + Majlis at Al Hail behind Ramiz centre. Contact 99412719 Mubarak Family room in Al Khuwair. Contact 95933961 2 BHK flats in Al Khuwair. #97616158 Furnished 1BHK Darsait Indian bachelor R.O 180/-. #93289652 3BHK flat for rent in Ghubra. Contact 99792181 2BHK flat for rent in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181 1BHK flat in Honda road. #99792181 For rent flats 1 BHK , 2BHK location Ruwi area, Honda Road. Contact 97293708 / 97331431 2BHK flats in Al Khuwair. Contact 99057348 / 99776071 Studio Flat RO 130 & 2 BHK Flat RO 200, behind Wadikabir Indian School. Contact 99376454

Office & residence at Al Hail North, after Al Bahjah, new building. Contact 99768094 2 BHK beautiful ﬂat with split A/Cs, near PDO Gate No. 2 at Qurum. Contact 94057023 Flat near Muscat IS Darsait. Contact 95158570

1 BHK ﬂat for rent in Mumtaz area, Way no. 3360, for Immediate occupancy rent RO 275/-.#96715569

1,2,3 BHK flats & Villas. #92144045 2 BHK & 1 BHK flats & shop space for rent in MBD area 1 BHK Flat & shop for rent in Wadi Adai area 1BHK flat & 350sq meter shop space available in Al Khoudh area. Contact 93994403/ 93994402 Home for rent Amerat with airconditioners 2 Council of +2 hall+3 Bedrooms SR 400 is required to continue 99357441 Villa for rent in Mawalih: villa with 2 rooms, 2 bathrooms, Majlis, kitchen with all the air condition. Contact 99174909

5 BHK Twin Villa for rent in Mabela with A/C. Contact 97890260 1 BHK with AC for Commercial MBD area. Contact 92144045 Shops, Basement Store, Wadi Al Kabeer. Contact 99441193 / 93004802 Independent Qurum/ Hail rooms. Contact 95529970 Spacious 2BHK, Opp. Oman House. R.O 250/-. Contact 95076261

Stores 14000 Sqm in Bousher (Al Masfa). Contact 95202430 Household items for sale Fridge, split AC, Single Bed, Dinning set etc. Contact 93194825 Used Barber shop furniture & equipments. Contact 99203954 Restaurant license with clearance. Contact 99865100 9 No’s of Split Unit A/C 1.5 ton for sale in Ruwi CBD Area. #98048952, 99235462, FAX 24799943 Running Parlour for sale in Muscat. Contact 98567238 / 95316155

Store 1250 Sqm2 in Bousher (Al Masfa). Contact 95202430

Well running elegantly furnished perfume shop with office at Qurum business district for sale 92163006

Residential/ Commercial Villa available at Qurum opposite rose garden Way no 1836, Villa no 2722 with 5 Bedroom + 2 sitting + Dining room. Contact 99363147

Ladies Parlour with new equipments for sale prime location- Al Ghubrah North & Al Amerat. Attractive price offer. Interested parties call 96761960.

1 BHK in Al Ghubrah South with E/W & AC Split & parking 360 RO. Contact 95811110

Spare parts shop for sale at Shell petrol pump in Barka, with wooden counter, racks, asking amount RO 5000/-. Contact 93535394

1 BHK with AC, MBD area. #92144045 A ﬂat in Al Amerat 1/5 ﬂoor consists of 3 rooms, Majlis, hall and 3 water closets for 300/- O.R. #95522405 3 BHK in Al Hail North. #99330385

1BHK ﬂat available at near Oman house at reasonable rent. Contact 93231403 1BHK RO 250/- adjacent to Indian Nursery Darsait Bldg #1619, way #1322. Contact 99476728 Spacious 2 BR Flat in Wadikabir. Contact 99713489 For rent Covered Storage area Al Khuwair area (1100 m2). Contact 94408361 Shop 110 SM near Honda rd signal. Contact 92123344

1 BHK with AC MBD area. #91162431 3 BHK Rex road 350/-RO last. Contact 91162431

We Have Villas, Flats, Shops, Offices for in Ghala, Bousher, Qurum, Ghubra good location. #93782735

Running Building material business for sale with showroom 105 sqmt & inventory of tiles sanitary etc. at mabella saneya lane 2. Contact 96402091.

1 BHK with AC & Curtains new bldg, near Khimji Mart MBD. Contact 99024039 / 99061408

New show room ﬂats store in Azaiba, Wadi Kabir. Contact 24485240/24485241/93651633

Villa in Wattaya 4 BHK. #95202430 Office spaces for rent in Al Hail on the main road, on the same building of Al Khamis Shoes at Al Hail 99870010 / 96177505

Villa for staff at Bousher 6 BHK. Contact 95202430

2 Houses ﬁrst line from the Beach at Kibwent Zanzibar RO 122000. Contact Owner 99348943

Shop and store in Mabaila. #99355330

Flat in Khoud, near Mazoon Mosque with 3 rooms + Majlis & kitchen, 3 toilets 350 RO. Contact 99738881

For sale king size bed with mattress & sofa3, +1,+1, TV stand with curios kindly. Contact 94106408

Labour Camp accommodation Ghala, Behind Komatsu.#99414644 / 93666201

Brake and axle repair shop for sale in Wadi Kabir Sanaya. Contact 93741151 / 99773190

Villa for at Amerat5/1, 5 bedrooms + Majlis + hall + 7 bathrooms + kitchen (with split A/Cs) for families. Contact 99203458

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

Villa of twin villa for rent with AC in Bowshar 4BR Majlis family hall maid room. Contact 99715495 1, 2 BHK and Studio Flat in Azaiba. Contact 97630529/ 99428143 2 BHK for rent in North Darsait. Contact 94101134

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

MANPOWER

ACC. AVAILABLE

GOOD NEWS

Art of living happiness program to relax your body and mind and to overcome stress through various breathing techniques from 2nd Dec’13 to 7th Dec’13 from 7:30 pm to 10:15 pm at Al Khuwair. Contact 94039695 / 95429685 Health, happiness and energy workshop free 2 hours workshop to learn practical breathing techniques to learn practical breathing techniques to handle mind and negative emotions. On 30th Nov 13 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at Al Khuwair. Contact 94039695 / 95429685 Genuine Ayurvedic treatments & massage, ayurvedic clinic, Al Khuwair. Contact 24478618/ 97263637/ 94008839 Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steam bath, obesity, spandylitis etc, ideal care Ayurvedic, clinic Azaiba. Contact 99639695

Spacious room, independent bathroom, sharing kitchen in NEW building at Wadi Kabeer Opp. Al Maya Super Market, OR160 from 15th December. Contact 99038384 One room for rent in Al Khuwair, with A/C, bed & bathroom. Contact 99382008

Required Garage for rent Ghubrah, Ghala, Seeb 200 -300 Sq mts. Contact 94194038

Sharing accommodation available near Darsait Indian School (ISD) spacious room with passage and Bath attach.#98979124 / 93382451

Al Mayar National Ent. Civil & Electro Mechanical Ent We are looking for building related Civil / Electrical Main contract/ Subcontract works, with/ without materials. Kindly contact Mr. Arun 99887451 Our Address: www.almayarllc.com Email mayarprojects@almayarllc.com

Sharing one room for family in Hamriyah, rent RO 90/-. Contact Khalid 99639211 Accommodation for family in Ruwi. Contact 99865100 / 98653774 One bedroom with Hall, Balcony, Bathroom, toilet, sharing kitchen for Executive lady small family, near Life line Medical Centre. Contact 98076058/95807084 Accommodation available for Executive bachelor from December 2013, area Al Wadi Kabir near Walja Signal behind Honda road. Contact 99877104 Sharing room with separate bathroom for Indian bachelor near Muscat City Center. Contact 99855829 Furnished room for non cooking bachelor near Softy Ice cream, Ruwi. Contact 91066224 / 93786490

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

Furnished bachelor accommodation Wadikabir. Contact 93681617

Ayurvedic treatment for backache paralysis arthritis etc. & massage All Season (Vaidyaratnam). #24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980

Sharing accommodation available for an Executive Bachelor in a decent apartment in Al Khuwair. Contact 93209511

FOR LADIES Beauty parlour for rent/ sale, serious please contact 97163496

FOR SALE Running prime Café for sale or management. #95709427 / 95208505 Beauty Parlour for rent / sale in Al Hail. Contact 93740129

Spacious furnished room attached balcony near Al falaj hotel-Ruwi for Indian bachelor & room for lady (Al Maya Wadi kabir) - 96761960

Opp O.K. Centre. Single Bed space with attached Bathroom for Indian Non-cooking Exe. Bachelor. RO.75/incl. W&E. Contact 92605811. Opp O.K. Centre. Single Room with separate Bathroom for Indian Noncooking Exe. Bachelor. RO.120/- incl. W&E. Contact 99502581. Non cooking, Indian bachelor, opp. OK Center. Contact 99595733 Room for rent in Ruwi. #95372192

First Grade LLC Company. With full ﬂedged steel fabrication & painting unit. In addition highly specialized line of business & with construction activity for sale. #99858578 Shop for sale in Al Hamriyah. Contact 97333005

WANTED

Furnished Room, CBD, Non cooking executive bachelors, free Wi Fi, Advance deposit. Contact 95934642

Aluminium fabrication work required in Sohar- # -96577890

BUYING/SELLING Office & House hold Furniture & Electronics items. Contact 99834373 / 96642500

MATRIMONIAL Pakistani Expatriate from a good family looking for match for our Daughter age 26/5.3’’ Legal separated after 5 months marriage fair, Graduate B.Sc currently staying in Oman. Contact 96407945 24 years young male, well-employed, looking for a girl with modern outlook and preferably working status. nationality/ caste/ creed/ religion/ language no bar. Kindly apply in conﬁdence with a latest photograph on fax no. 24595913. Nair boy, 28/168 cms Kritiga chowa dosham from Pathanamthitta. Working in Oman. Seeking suitable alliance, contact 9515 6435 Nair Boy, Age 34, Sudhajathakam, Star Pooyam, from Palakkad, well Settled in Muscat, looking for suitable alliance. #95461965 & 98221147 Nair Girl 28 164 cm Bharni, MSc. Alleppey dist, seeks suitable alliance. Contact +91 4792339509 Alliance for educated Sunni Muslim girl 26 years from Bangalore preference for professionals contact :syedkhalid123@hotmail.com Keralite RC Girl 26 years 160 cm working MOH. Contact 92365310

Housemaid, male / female cleaners, house boy, light / heavy driver, sales girl, accountant, all skilled & unskilled workers from India, Sri Lanka. Contact Mr. Jerry 95175192, mail:, oman.manpower@yahoo.com We supply manpower locally for contracting companies, masons & helpers. Contact Nasser: 99786772

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact 93405941 Transportation available. contact 95570429 Transportation. Contact 99077348 Car with driver available. Contact 99526610 For transportation. Contact 98782075 Transportation. Contact 99508282

CHANGE OF NAME We Bijoy Sarojini Raveendra Paniker (Name of father as per the passport, holder of India Passport No. H 6681958) & Anila Bijoy (name of Mother as per passport, holder of Indian Passport No. G 7902208) having permanent address in Beena Bhavan, Kalluvathukkal P.O, Kollam, Kerala, India 691578 (complete postal address in India) & presently residing at the following address in Al Khoud, P.B. No. 2354, PC 111 C.P.O, Sultanate of Oman, hereby solemnly affirm & declare to change the name of our child Master Nihal Bijoy (name as per present passport), holder of Indian passport No. H 8851610 date of issue 19.07.2010 issued at Trivandrum. The name of our child will be henceforth known as Navaneeth Anila Bijoy (new name) for all purposes. Any Objection towards change of name of our minor child may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair, P. Box no 1727, Postal Code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s

Furnished Room for one non-cooking bachelor in Ruwi, RO. 90 incl E& W. Contact 99754857

M.V. FOR SALE

publication.* Subject to space availability

Brand new 2014 model 12 Ton UD trucks are available for daily wages or contract basis. Contact 98833786 Hyundai Sonata 2005 Expat Doctor driven, done 1.23 lakh km, good condition, Registration till Oct 2014 expecting 1320 RO Negotiable. Contact 92312854 Nissan X Trail 2008 model, automatic transmission, done 228000kms.Price negotiable. Contact 99881516. Toyota Previa model 2007, 7 Seater RO 3500. Contact 96306885

Prado 2012, km 49, 000 4 cyl TXL Classic. Contact 99443695 Ford Focus 2003 model Manual. Ford Taurus 2002 model Automatic. Contact 99104947 Ford Edge , 2012, KMs 14,000+ (Fully Automatic) Expat Lady driven, full warranty and service records available, RO 10,500/- negotiable. Contact 98192903 Mazda 6, silver Gray 2003, 125000 km Dealer Maintained RO 2100, Nissan Sunny white 2004, 185000, excellent condition RO 1600. # 92697489

MV. WANTED Required Automatic Hatchback or small car, low mileage in good condition. Contact 94103591

W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE ACCOUNTING & AUDIT SERVICES. GSM : 9880 5474 / email: acctsserv2013@gmail.com Looking for a JOB in INTERNAL AUDIT. Have two years employment visa and can join on immediate basis. Nawaz Meraj, MBA, CIA, CFE, 94289294, Available Till 27-11-2013. Indian Male B.Com ﬁnance with 8 years experience in Accounts with valid Oman D/L. Contact 91064275

ACCOUNTANCY

SALES / MARKETING

Required Accountant with 4 yrs experience in Hotel. Send your CV : birdymaan@hotmail.com Required Accountant with Min.5 to 8 years experience for manufacturing Company and knowledge of up to Finalization and experience in ERP, Tally & MIS Report and MS Office. Send CVs to vacancyinoman123@gmail.com

Experience individual required for Marketing Department in Electromechanical Contracting Company in Oman. Send CV to jobs.oman@outlook.com

ENGINEERS/TECH Required Civil Engineer (5-7 yrs) experience. Should be in Gulf country. Email omanaec@gmail.com

Urgently required Business Development Executive – lady -with good communication skills and account background to deal with branded malls for a Muscat office of UAE Company. Send CV to admin@ wacllcoman.com

BEAUTY Urgently required Indian beautician with or without Gulf experience, good salary + accommodation + food. Contact: 92284899, 92139922

CATERING Wanted kitchen helper. #95529970 Looking for General Cook experienced in Arabic, eastern, and Indian causing and waiter with visa. Contact 99190190

DRAUGHTSMAN Required a Civil Draughtsman cum Site Co-ordinator with driving license for a reputed ﬁrm in Oman. Email : mfbarka1@omantel.net.om / Fax : 26881211

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Required Graphic Designer, with minimum 2 years experience in Oman driving license with car preferred. Contact 91111675 Email: enquiry@brightstarmuscat.com

DRIVER Required Indian Heavy Driver, JCB & Excavator Operator (GCC license). Diesel mechanic with D/L. Contact 99454425

Urgently required in following position: Civil Engineer 1 no. with 5 yrs experience, Mechanical Engineer 1 no. with 5 yrs experience, Diploma in Civil 1 no. with 10 yrs experience, Driver 1 no. Light. Contact 92222245 / 99466540 Email: oartradingandcont@gmail.com

MEDICAL Male/ Female Nurses required for a rehabilitation clinic. MOH licensed preferred. Attractive Salary. Good English command. Kindly send CV to celestinabartolome@yahoo.com Wanted a Lady and dentist for a Clinic. Contact 95675488 Urgently required Dentist for a reputed polyclinic. Contact 96721709 or send CV to bijoos2012@gmail.com Urgently required female Ortho Dentist for dental clinic in Al Ghubrah. Contact 91381820 Email: care@alameendental.com Required Pharmacist, Asst Pharmacist with valid MOH license. Email : trade@omanmed.com Assistant Pharmacist with MOH license to work in capital. Email : saif695@yahoo.com Doctors are invited to run a new Clinic in Salalah as partner or rent. Contact 97413418/ 93955020

Experienced Omanis needed for (1) Outdoor administration and PRO work.(2) Driver for deliveries to customers. Contact 99592317

Wanted a Lady GP & Dental for a clinic. Contact 95645488

Driver cum Mechanic Urgently Required. Must be Reliable and Responsible and ideally have a diploma or similar in mechanics. Good salary including accommodation and health cover. To apply, please send an email to gainternationalllc@gmail.com

Required Manager, Assistant Manager, Cashier cum receptionist, head waiter, Indian cook, Chinese cook, Accountant for a very reputed restaurant in Oman. Candidates should have a minimum experience of 5 years in the catering industry. Email CV to recruit.oman2014@gmail.com

DOMESTIC HELP

MISC

Cook wanted with experience in all types of dishes. Must be (Indian/Muslim). Contact 99202531 Email: info@ albatnapp.com

English speaking experienced Philipino Lady Tailor for cutting and stitching of ladies Gowns/ Abayas etc. Contact 92545269 / 92227165 Email : ahdmct@gmail.com

Housemaid (full time) required for a Malayalee family. contact 95405033 Urgently required Keralite house maid at Al Khuwair. contact 93267065

ENGINEERS/TECH Required rock blasting ROP Licensed Engineers, Drilling Operators, Electricians & Shuttering Carpenters. Email npgoman@gmail. com Contact 24455392 Urgently required experienced Project Managers and Site Engineers for a reputed construction company. Interested candidates can send their CVs to mohamed@oasisgrace. com, #24826566 / 99881459 Fax: 24812226 Require AC Technician for immediate appointment, must know all type of AC works including split, Ducted & Chiller and experience in ducting works. # 24811425 fax 24810592 Required Mechanical Engineer with 5years+ experience in Piping and ﬁttings in oil and Gas ﬁeld sector with the ability to source new International manufacturers and evaluate the quality of the product. Interested candidate can send their CV : gopal@anpressoman.com

MANAGER

Omani Security Staff required for an International School in Al Khuwair. Contact 92347333 Required experienced HSE Officer with PDO and logistics experience. Contact: telljobs@gmail.com

OFFICE & SECRETARIAL Urgently required Female Secretary having Bachelors Degree, excellent computer & correspondence skills, proﬁcient with MS Office. Email : trade@omanmed.com Require male Secretary for Managing Partner of a construction company. Email : omaniantrad@gmail.com Required Document controller, female, Omani with least 3 years experience. Contact 97716506

SALES / MARKETING Sales Executives required for a fast growing multinational building material company with valid Oman driving license. Preference will be given to candidates having 1-2 yrs experience in selling hard / exotic woods. Send CV by Email stating salary expectation & recent photograph to : sales@musandum.com

Business Development Executives (Advertising/Media Sales) with pleasing personality, engaging communication skills and Oman driving licence. Email: deemaild@gmail.com Urgently required a Salesman for Electronics & A/C spare parts should have 2 years experience and Omani license. Contact 99371544 Email alihamdanaaft@gmail.com Urgently required Marketing Executive for furniture ﬁeld with valid D/L & experience of Oman market. contact 97164554 or email : aliasgar@ultimate-furniture.com Urgently required well experience Sales Executive for Int’l Courier Company in Muscat. Walk in interview from 20/11/2013 to 26/11/2013 for office location please call 99747466 Required: Executives – International marketing & Store-Keeper - Experience in Marble, Granite or ceramic industry with minimum 5 years’ experience preferred. Send detailed CV with expected salary sudakv@gmail.com or faxed to +968 26750186. Degree or Diploma holder in Mechanical Engineering with experience in Structural Steel Sales and Marketing . Apply thru email : recruitoman10@gmail.com Reputable company looking for showroom Sales and Marketing staff for enquiry please contact 96207440 or send your CV to business137@ymail.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED 26 years Indian Chartered Accountant male with 2 yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat. Kindly contact him on 98201476 or email at venkat230684@gmail.com Indian Male, 25.Y. BCA- Looking for Job as Data Entry Operator, Documents Controller, Admin Executive have 3 years of experience, on Visit Visa Looking for suitable Position soon. Contact on: 95945712 An Indian Graduate with 13 years experience of Accounting up to Finalisation, Audit & MIS. Worked on ERP Oracle based & TALLY in Oman Muscat. Well versed with MS Excel. Contact no. 00968-96728733 Indian male Executive Secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics. Well versed with computer seeks suitable placement. Contact : 99514286 Indian male 25, having CA inter cleared with B.com having ﬁve years of experience in accounts and auditing, presently working in oman looking for a better placement. Mob 98097009, Email: rameesnm@ gmail.com MBA in Marketing, Banking, logistic, Procurement, Inventory control, total 4 years experience. Visa expires Dec 30, 2013, seeks suitable placement, Contact 97468157 Indian Male, Having Gulf Experience More than 3 Years in Account Assistant looking for suitable jobs In Accounts . Contact : 95581902 Male B.Com graduate 3 years experience seeks immediate placement as accounts asst or admin asst. Please contact 96754380 or 93393769.

Indian male 30, MBA (IRDA certified) with 9 years experience in Banking (YES Bank) & insurance industry, seeking for a suitable opportunity in Oman. Contact 9220264(Muscat), +919894699711 (India) Email: senthil.cbe83@gmail. com Chartered Accountant, Female, B. Sc. Accountancy (Special) Graduate with 8 years of experience seeking suitable opportunities. #93957919 Indian male, 27 yrs, 5 yrs Oman experience in the field of Accounts, confident of handling accounts upto finalization, seeks suitable placement. Contact 97013048, ravoof1407@gmail.com Indian female 23 yrs, MBA (Finance & HR), PGPFM, currently on visit, looking for suitable placement. Contact 95931988 Accountant Indian male, 28 yrs , MBA, B. Com having 5+ years exp & D/L seeks immediate placement . Contact 93397327 Email: rijurenuka@gmail.com ACCA Graduation (U.K) , 25 yrs male, 3 yrs experience in relevant field, looking for suitable placement currently on visit visa. #97268263

Manager / DY. Manager Accounts, Indian male aged 43 yrs, well experienced in accounts & finance, inclusive 3 yrs in Dubai, independently handling accounts upto finalisation, seeking placement in oman, no location constraints. contact : 98100734 email : charoos@rediffmail.com Real estate accounts & finance / administration experienced indian male seeking a suitable role in real estate companies, with 23 yrs experience in handling accounts, reporting, real estate administration etc. in middle east, ready to relocate anywhere in Oman. mob : 97256935 email: ganrajagopalan@yahoo.co.in Chief Accountant well experienced with reputed Group, seeks placement. #95598477 / 98803439 Senior Accountant, M.Com 12 years Oman experienced Finalization, Administration, management, Material & cost control, business development with Oman D/L. Call 91162345 Senior Accountant 7 years experience Indian female. # 96228351 Email : kokils81@yahoo.co.in Indian male 30 yrs , 6+yrs experience in Oman well experienced in oil & Gas construction companies in accounting (fin) & payroll (HR) fields seeking suitable placement. Contact 96979350 An Experienced MBA with skills in Accounts, Sales and Marketing is available in Oman for appropriate Job. Contact 92393258 Indian male 37 years, B.Com Graduate having 10 years experience in Oman independent handling upto finalization, having driving license. Contact 92258853

DRAUGHTSMAN Indian male 24years, (M.Tech) structures fresher seeking design job in a reputed company currently available on visit visa. Contact 91345502 AutoCAD Draughtsman working in Oman with reputed company seeking a suitable job. Contact 96102459 Email: ateeqas01@yahoo.com MEP Draughtsman, 4 years experience in Oman, Seeking suitable placement. Contact 96250818

DESIGNER Indian male 26 yrs, 4 years experience in designing Animation, Photoshop illustrator, CorelDraw ﬂash Maya (3D) after affects, looking for suitable placement. # 93537409 Email : omerp7@gmail.com

DRIVER UAE Experienced Driver. Contact 99725003 Light Driver, 10 years experience in Oman. Contact 94136610 Six years driving experience Dubai Eden company, 2 years experience Gourmet Cola Pakistan Pvt Ltd, 4 years contact at this number for light vehicle driver : 00968 95634500 Light Driver with car need job, Pakistani. Contact 98104631 Light Duty Driver, Looking for suitable job. Contact 94364781 Wanted Driving job. contact 96741993

DOMESTIC HELP

Chartered Accountant from India, post qualiﬁcation experience 21years, 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

Indian male, 33 having 6 years experience in Accounts up to ﬁnalization, purchase with valid Oman D/L. Contact 99517013 Senior Accountant, 39 yrs Oil & Gas experienced. #93858725

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

Indian Female 25 yrs cost and management Accountant and M.Com with 1 yrs experience, seeking suitable placement presently on visit visa. CONTACT 92376754/ 96040125 Email anjumathews88@gmail.com

Indian male 37 years, B.Com Graduate having 10 years experience in Oman Indian handling up to ﬁnalization, having driving license. Contact 92258853

Indian male BE (Electrical), 5 years experience (2 yrs. Oman) with Oman D/L, seeks suitable job in Construction ﬁeld. Contact 98294561 Email : pradeapeappen@gmail.com

Indian Male 23 years Qualification in NCVT Mechanical Course and Professional Diploma in finance Accounting requires a suitable placement any field. Contact 91031950 Email sinojmukundan@gmail.com Indian Female 23 yrs, MBA (Finance & HR), PGPFM, currently on visit, looking for suitable placement. Contact 95931988 Indian male Accountant, M.Com total 5 years experience 4 years Oman experience, seeking suitable placement. Contact 96156896 Email : aramathnibu@gmail.com Indian male 23 years, on visit visa having M.Com in management with first class looking for suitable placement. Contact 94265170 Indian, male, M.Com, PGDCA, with Tally ERP 9.0, MS Office, having 12+ years experience (4 months in Oman) seeks placement as Accountant in Oman. # 93522685, EMAIL: ramkumar9791417318@gmail.com

ARCH/ INTERIOR Iraqi Architect 23 years experience 7 years in Oman, seeking replacement. Contact 97608513 Cad Drawings Architectural detail drawings, interior exterior drawings 3D views. Contact 99610110

ADMIN/HR Indian female 29, MSc Analytical Chemistry & B Ed, having experience in Teaching (Chemistry & Physics), Office Administration and in Chemical Analysis, seeking suitable placement. Contact 00968 96374066 / 93522354 Email : priyankavipin84@gmail.com Indian female, seeking suitable placement in HR / Office Administration / Indoor sales / Accounts assistant. Contact: 91323935.

Part time Accountant available. Contact 99013963

Indian Male 31, MBA (HR), B.Com having 9 yrs experience in HR/ Administration, 7 yrs experience in Gulf, Seeking suitable placement in Oman. Contact 92073145 Email sudheesh reghunath@gmail.com

Indian female 22 yrs, B.Com Graduate CPT passed CA Inter doing M.Com ﬁnal year doing (Tally, MS Office). # 96124193 / 99663957 Email : anishasasi@gmail.com

Indian male, 10 years experience in Purchase & Administration. BSc & PGDCA. Pursuing MBA. 6 Years in Oman, seeking suitable placement. Contact – 96461336

Indian male Accountant M.Com, MBA 7 years experience seeking a suitable position. Contact 93029334 Email: heams.merlin@gmail.com

University topper M.PHIL, M.SC operations manager female with 6+ years experience seeking job in admin operations /HR. Contact 91387047

Indian female, Accountant, B.Com 3 years experience (1.6 years) Oman Tally, Busy. Contact 96498424

Indian male, 29 yrs, LLB/ PGDHRM having 4 yrs exp in HR & Admin in Oman looking for a suitable vacancy. Contact 97866249

ACCA qualiﬁed + advanced dip in business & accounting 5+ yrs experience in accounts & ﬁnance (1.3 yrs Oman exp) looking for suitable change. Contact 95174220 Email: accafarrukh@yahoo.com Accountant, Indian male having valid Oman driving license AGE 31, B.com graduate with, 10years of computerized accounting experience in India, U.A.E &Oman presently working as accountant in Oman seeking suitable jobs. Contact +96894058639/ +96895704584

Electronics & Communication Engineer, MBA (HR & Marketing), Indian Female with experience. Contact 96963961 Canadian female, CHRP certiﬁed 5years experience in Canada in customer service recruitment and HR policies and procedures. Contact 97385772 Email: mathewsdliza@gmail.com Administrator, Admin Assistant, Office Secretary, Admin clerk Indian 7 years experience in Muscat. Contact 96337160

Housemaid available part time & full time. Contact 93889545

Indian male 24 years, Mechanical Engineer, looking for a suitable placement. Contact 97455702 Indian Male 24, 1 year experienced Engineer with D/L. Looking for better challenged job. Gsm: 92436708 Email: leenas.jerry@gmail.com Civil Engineer Iraqi more than 25 years experience. #97464904 BE - Electrical Engr Indian male 2+ yrs experience seeking suitable placement, presently on visit visa. Contact 95483624 / 99102153 Electrical Engineer with 4.6 yrs experience in contracting field in India, technical skills in Auto Cad, MS Office, PLC & SCADA looking for suitable placement. Contact 98034809 Email varunrameshan@gmail.com Civil Engineer (Diploma), looking for a suitable placement. Contact 95200650 Diploma Civil Engineering Indian male with 5+years Oman experience in executing Civil projects, seeking suitable placements. Contact 97697470 Diploma Civil Engineer 24 yrs experience 5 yrs in Oman, seeking suitable job. Contact 92801578 Email kajialamgir@hotmail.com Indian male, 31 yrs, Diploma in Electrical Engg, 8 yrs experience in Oman as material approval coordinator / controller seeks suitable placement. Contact 95839964, suitable for sales engineer/ purchase officer. HSE Adviser, Qualification : Diploma Safety (Minimum 1 Year) NEBOSH, OSHA, minimum 3 years Gulf experience (Oil and Gas). Candidate must Speak & Write English. Contact : 92503125 & 92048058 Land line : 23279474 , Email : hralezco@ hotmail.com BE Electronics & Communication Engineer Indian male, 25 years, seeking suitable placement holds valid Oman driving license. Contact 97434543 Email : dz4216@gmail.com Pak male, 25 years, having 3 years Diploma of Associate Civil Engineer with 2 years experience looking for suitable placement, # 92273197; Email: yasir_usman1989@yahoo.com

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED

MISCELLANEOUS

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Indian male, B.Tech (Mech.), MBA, MLM (Master of Labour Management), more than 15 yrs. experience and 2 yrs. in Oman as Plant Manager with valid Oman D/L. Exposure in Production, Quality Control and Admin seeks suitable placement. Contact: 91301625

Indian Male (M. Tech)- 2 years experience as a Business Develop Manager looking for suitable post Contact#91362515 Indian Male (M. Tech) -2 Years experience as DBA looking for suitable post. Contact#97826674

MISCELLANEOUS Electrical Engineer, 22 years experience, out of 13 years in Gulf experience in construction sector with valid Oman D/L and CEP seeks suitable placement.# 94220631 Purchase Officer 28 yrs Indian, Diploma in Mech Engg 5+2 yrs experience in Purchasing, Vendor development sourcing, ERP Software with valid Oman driving license, seeks suitable placement. Contact 92208296 Email : oikala.1985@gmail.com Civil Engineer Diploma, total 5 yrs, experience (3 yrs. in Oman). Contact 93399126

INFORMATION TECH B.Tech (ECE) + 2 years in IT Support and 1 year ASP.NET developer looking for suitable opening in IT Sales, development & Marketing. Contact 95278688. IT Technical System support/ Hardware Engineer on visit visa. Contact 98221577 / 93320458

25 Years Indian male DME holder 4 years experience in Structural & Piping ﬁeld. Procurement & Project coordination. Contac 99861593

Indian male 27 years old, Masters in Computer Applications with 4+ years experience, Key skills: Oracle Pl/sql and .net Seeking Suitable placement.Contact +919538345624 sujithchennat@gmail.com

Electronics Engineer in Oman on visit visa, seeking job.# 92009640

MISCELLANEOUS

Masters in Civil Engineering (Indian) 22 years experience having building, Roads, Pipeline works, looking suitable position. Contact 93054949 / 98070040 Email: duggirala_km@yahoo.com

Fisheries Graduate Indian male 28 years with certiﬁcate in HACCP and 4years experience in food processing Industry seeks suitable openings. Contact 92123983 Email: vikasvelayudhan@yahoo.co

Srilankan BTEC Quantity Surveyor with 6 years experience (Including Gulf), Looking for a suitable placement. Contact 98357512 Email: lebbeah@yahoo.com

Pakistani Young Male with Omani driving license wanted job. Contact 97058416

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 Diploma Mechanical Engineering 25 yrs Indian male 6 years experience in Quality control India. Contact 97312111 Email sultan9817@gmail.com / coolrazak151@rediffmail.com Indian male 27 yrs B.Tech Automobile, 5.5 yrs experience both in Toyota & Suzuki, Looking for Service Engineer jobs. # 92449426 Email: praveennair_s@yahoo.com 47 Years Male Diploma holder in Mechanical engineering, looking for a job 20 years experience in fabrication & site work. Contact 00968 92646603 (Oman) / 0091 9423448329 (India) BE Mechanical Engineer, Indian male Looking for suitable opening in Sales, Structural design, Production, MEP and Oil and Gas sector. # 91323520. Email shuaibmohammed62@gmail.com Indian male 25 years, B.Tech in Electronics & Communication Engineering (Automation or Instrumentation Engineer) with 1+ year India experience in Automation PLC, SCADA, DCS, HMI AC & DC Drives, Seeking suitable placement. Contact 92151143/ 92151143 B/E Electronics Engineer having 3.5 years of Indian experience in Planning, Construction, Telecommunication, Hardware Networking, Marketing. Contact 92629307 Indian male B-Tech Mechanical Engg, seeks suitable placement, now on visit. Contact 91214585

Store Keeper Keralite having Gulf experience and Computer knowledge, Seeks suitable post. #92770250 Indian female 25 years, MSC MICRO Biology, Looking for placement in food or medicine industry or laboratory experience one year in dairy farm. Contact 92255983

MEDICAL Nursing caregiver, qualiﬁed & experienced Nurse & Assist Nurse seeks good placement at home / clinic. Contact 92989109 email: medicoport@gmail.com B.Sc Nursing ACLS & BLS MOH licensed 2 yrs experience. Contact 95849901

MANAGER/ SUPER

Female 24 Years, BE in Comp Science, seeking suitable placement. Contact 93031466 Email:ninnumenon@gmail.com Experienced Operations Manager with 12 yrs experience in CCTV, ACCESS control system, Control & Automation systems and IT business, seeking senior position.# 98823248 IT Administrator, 5Yrs exp D/L, seeks placement. Contact 91383289 30 years, Indian male, IT professional with 6 years experience including GCC in hardware, networking & office administration seeks suitable placement. Contact 95096961.

Ten years sales experience need job. Contact 95266485 29 years male, MBA, 4years experience in sales, marketing and admin + Oman driving license needs a job. Contact 92236980 / 92223661 Email: shah_anwarss@hotmail.com MBA, Marketing executive, gulf experienced, oman driving license seeks placement, phone : 98011696 MBA Marketing, 26 yrs, 3.5 years experience in marketing and sales of Auto parts (Corporate & Market) Packaging products and exports. Good command in MS office and English. Seeking a suitable placement in reputed organization. Currently on employment visa. Contact: 97448162 Email: Flies26@yahoo.com Seeks a job: Native American - male - in Muscat seeks employment, seeking all customer services opportunities. Contact 94475783 5 Years experienced, Male Insurance Customer care Executive, ﬂuent in English with total experience of 12 years in other ﬁelds, 31 yrs, looking for suitable job vacancy. Contact 90993099 Indian male 31yrs, 6 years experience in Sales & marketing in Oman, have Omani D/L looking for a suitable placement. Contact 92148170 Indian male 25 yrs, with 2 years experience in Oman as Sales man looking for a suitable placement. Contact 95285270 Indian Male, Age 27, B.Tech in Computer Science, Valid GCC Driving License, Presently in Oman, 2 year experience in Marketing, Looking for Sales & Marketing. GSM: 93468441

Working as a Site Supervisor (Civil) since 2010 with D/L of Oman looking for good placement in good Company. Contact 93061107 Indian male, M.Com 15 yrs experience (5 yrs in Oman) in banking corporate & retail loans admin manager, seeks suitable placement. Contact 94248518 Email : rayan2801@gmail.com

Female Indian MBA having 2 years experience in Sales & Marketing Oman, seeks better placement having valid GCC Oman driving license. Contact 94213211 Email : april9tea@gmail.com

12+ yrs experienced Purchase Manager seeks immediate placement. Contact 98942117

Smart Indian male, 15 years of Oman exposure with MBA. Experienced in Oilﬁeld Products (Upstream) with Omani D/L working as Sales & Marketing Manager, seeks suitable placement in a senior position. Contact 99639375

Young Ind Male MBA 6 yrs exp as Supervisor. Contact 93893868 20+ yrs exp Senior Manager experienced in purchase, sales, admin & accounts seeks immediate placement. Contact 97073942 7 years experience gulf electric plumping foreman, Indian Kerala. Contact 96375336 Email: shadam@gmail.com

SECRETARIAL/OFFICE

Computer Network Administrator, looking any job similar to above. Email : bathu.27@gmail.com Contact 99347141

29 Indian Female MBA in supply chain and logistics, 5 yrs experience seeking placement. 94402043, 96500790

Sri Lankan 22 yrs Diploma in UK, having exp. in customer services Teller Sales Marketing in UK UAE, seeking suitable placement. Contact 97409533

INFORMATION TECH PMP, SAP Certiﬁed in Basis having skills in SolMan, BW, BPC looking for a job Call:96067579

SALES / MARKETING

Indian male, 34 yrs, PGDBA in Operations Management with 14 yrs experience as Manager Administration & Sales Coordination seeks immediate placement. Contact 92769725 Indian Female, 6 years experience in Secretarial, Administration, Coordination holding Oman Driving License seeking suitable placement. Contact 95196052, 95269592. Document controller / data entry operator, experienced, female, seeks suitable placement phone : 96148941 Indian female diploma 2years experience as system administrator seeking suitable position in IT/ clerical section on visit visa. Contact 95434765 Email: anuajay191@gmail.com

Six (06) years Oman experience in Building material sales and purchase holding Omani Driving License Available to join immediately along with change of visa Kindly contact 00 968 91252646 , E mail mfk9125@gmail.com MBA in Sales and Marketing having 7yeras experience having Omani driving license, Looking for any suitable job. Contact 94370614 B.Com, MBA, Indian Senior Business Executive, 35 yrs experience seeks employment in Administration, Sales, Marketing, Logistics, Supply Chain. Call Menon : 98774861, email : prakashmenon10@hotmail.com Highly qualiﬁed senior level Executive with 15+ yrs exp. in Business development, sales & marketing & operations in GCC (6 yrs in Oman) looking for challenging position. Contact 95499501

TOURS & TRAVELS Female 24yrs Indian Graduate in BBA and IATA,1 yr experience Ticketing Clerck in Air India Express Office looking Suitable position in Tours and Travels. Contact97077215

Indian female M.com/ICWAI(inter) seeking suitable placement nshkumari30@gmail.com Contact:24831091/98506722 Having experience in sales with Omani driving license, looking for a suitable position Contact 99834931 Pakistani Male 24, MBA Finance with 2 years experience looking for any suitable Placement. (Finance/ Accounts/Marketing/Admin). Contact 97464465 26 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 2yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat. Kindly contact him on 98201476 or email at venkat230684@gmail.com Indian male Executive Secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics, well versed with computer seeks suitable placement. #99514286 Diploma Holder, 7 Years experience in Purchase/Logistic/Supply Chain/ Coordinator. Technical background with Oman D/L. Good English/Computer knowledge, looking Suitable position. 94440370 26 years Indian Chartered Accountant male with 2 yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat. Contact him on 98201476 or email at venkat230684@gmail.com Indian male, 30 yrs, looking for Job of an Accountant having 9.5 years of experience, having knowledge of Tally, Oracle based ORION, Quickbooks looking for suitable position very soon. Contact : 92629133 ERP Engineer Indian male with more than 7 years of experience, currently working SOAG company in Oman. Contact 95851254. Email:shajith_oadc@omzest.com Mechanical Engineer, one year experience in oman, seeking suitable placement : Contact : 92016055. Rameer@gmail.com M.Tech computer Science, Indian male with 3.5 years experience in Web Design seeking suitable placement. GSM 96303055, aditya.khandkar@gmail.com.

Indian Female MBA - 3 Years experience as an Accountant looking for suitable post Contact: 91362516

Accounts Manager, Commerce Graduate, 12 yrs experience in industries, audit & tax, 6 yrs in Oman, looking for suitable placement. #96621642, a.b.vasoya@gmail.com

Young, dynamic, hard working, 25, male, acca ﬁnalist with driving license, seeking for immediate replacement,1 year accounting experience and currently working in Audit Firm. Contact.97654769, email id: abdullahnoor.alam@.yahoo.com

Highly Competent HR Professional with MBA(HR), 8+ yrs of exp (Oman, India & Africa) in Construction, Energy & Mechanical Industry is looking for Job. Immediately Available. Contact: 95930705 / 93206650 Email: get.rashid92@gmail.com

26 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 2yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat. Kindly contact him on 98201476 or email at venkat230684@gmail.com

B.E Mechanical, Indian male, 26 yrs, on visiting visa, having 3 years experience in Piping Projects as QA/QC Engineer/ Site Engineer. Contact 968 98766298 Email- nagesh.saps@gmail.com

Indian male (28), 6 months experience in van sales in diary ﬁeld in Muscat, seeks a suitable placement. Contact 92987415

Indian male ITI, holder 13 years experience in Electrical Eng & network in India present staying in visit visa. Contact 98061783

ERP Engineer Indian male with more than 7 years of experience, currenly working SOAG company in Oman. Contact 95851254. Email:shajith_oadc@omzest.com

Indian Male, B.Tech, 4 years experience in Teaching & Admin, C+C++, JAVA, SQL, Expert in Ms Office urgently, seeking for suitable jobs. Contact 97411930 Email iliyashaji@gmail.com

Indian male 25, having CA inter cleared with B.com having ﬁve years of experience in accounts and auditing, presently working in oman looking for a better placement. Mob 98097009, Email: rameesnm@gmail.com Indian male,M.Com, with 2 year experiences (one year in oman) in accounting up to ﬁnalization. experience in tally ERP 9,Peachtree & Ms office. Contact no 92046986 mail: shaneel.moni@gmail.com Indian Male, having 17 years experience in sales, currently working with Omani MNC since last 7 years, handling export & local sales, with valid Omani D/L is looking for senior position. Contact 96246981 Senior Accountant , Indian Female, B.com , CA Articles ,10+ exp. in Oman , Accounts & Finalization Etc. Immediate joining , release available , having Omani driving license. Contact – 95054843 24 yrs female with driving license, b.b.a plus I.A.T.A,3 years experience seeking suitable position in secretarial , business development, admin, hr ,procurement, travel. Contact 95337828 or e -mail at hibhak@gmail.com.

Indian Male 24 years, B.Tech in Information Science & Engineering with one year experience. Contact 96946929

CIVIL ENGINEER(FRESH),Indian female seeks suitable placement in reputed ﬁrm. contact-92956291,91233057

Keralite, 21 years Exp. (11 years in OMAN/UAE) in Accounts, Admin., Purchase, Sales, Projects, Imports and Tally ERP with Driving License, looking for a suitable position. Contact: 93 00 79 66.

Indian Male, 27, Bachelor of Engineering Computer Science, 5years experience in technical software support, with excellent English and Computer knowledge seeking job on urgent basis.Contact : 95041196

Filipino Tower Crane Operator with 6 yrs experience in GCC is looking for a suitable job in Muscat, Contact: 96750918

Indian Male, BE Electrical Engg, fresh candidate looking for jobs in Oman. Having valid Omani driving license. Contact: 97845958

BBA Hons, 7years of working experience as a ﬁeld supervisor and ﬁeld support coordinator looking for suitable position, holding Omani driving license. Call: 97127321.

M.C.A., Male 25, Java devoloper,2 years Exp in Web Application Development. Knowledge in JAVA ( JSE, JEE MODULES ) and Oracle Database seeking suitable job. Contact Number : 94246345 Email Id:mulagala.seven@gmail.com

Indian male, B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, 15 yrs. experience as Plant Engineer, Quality Control Manager and Factory Manager with valid Oman D/L, seeks suitable placement. Contact: 91013578 Indian male B.com 4 years experience in motor vehicle sales man. Seek suitable placement #99421537 An Expatriate Indian Male, BA graduate, with an experience of working 2 years in Gulf, in construction ﬁeld worked as admin and supervisor, with a knowledge of Fire and Safety, seeking for a good opportunity. E-Mail : sanil4484@gmail.com, #93380746 / 00919920179117

Canadian Educated Citizen, Male 45, With 17 years of experience in Finance & Accounts including 3 years of GCC Experience, is looking for a suitable Job in Finance. Contact 98711999 Email- bijou.thomas@yahoo.com

Purchase/Logistics/Supply Chain/ Coordinator. Diploma Holder. 7 Years experience. Technical background also. Oman D/L. Good English/Computer knowledge. Looking Suitable position. 94440370

Indian male, 26, MSc Computer Science, technical experience in VB, .Net, PHP, HTML and MySQL, 2 years experience in trouble shooting, seeks suitable positions. #92712912, ishakphassan@rocketmail.com

Indian male, B.Tech (Mech.), MBA, MLM (Master of Labour Management), more than 15 yrs. experience and 2 yrs. in Oman as Plant Manager with valid Oman D/L. Exposure in Production, Quality Control and Admin seeks suitable placement. #91301625

Indian male Accountant,B.Com with 6 yrs experience in Oman, seeks suitable placement. Contact 91057862. e_mail umct777@ gmail.com

Indian male, M.Com with 2 years experiences (one year in Oman) in accounting up to finalization, experience in tally ERP 9, Peachtree & Ms office. Contact no 92046986. Email: shaneel.moni@gmail.com Project Engineer Indian male 26 having 5.5 years experience in oil & gas field with 2 years gulf experience and valid Oman driving license. 15 Years experienced light duty indian driver knowing electrical work . Contact 97413721 Indian male with 10 years experience in Oman in the field of Advertising and Marketing Communication handling good accounts with a valid Omani Driving License is looking out for a job change in an Ad agency or on the client’s side as a Marketing Communications Manager. Contact: 95210667/ 95587255

B.Sc Civil Engineer 7 years exp Oman D/L. Contact 98502082 Email hajo2000@hotmail.com 3 years experience Indian post Graduate Automation and Control Engineer seeks suitable job. Contact 99016434 Diploma in Civil Engineer 4 years experience in Oman now available in Oman, Looking a job. Contact 97415597 Indian Male, 24 years MBA INANCE 3 years experience in accounting and financial sector, currently working in Muscat. Contact : 98486125 26 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 2yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat.Kindly#him on 98201476 or email at venkat230684@gmail.com Indian Male, Mcom, 30 yrs having 8 years GCC experience in Accounts of Construction and Trading Field with valid Qatar and Oman license, adequate knowledge in ERP and Tally softwares, presently working in Muscat-Oman seeks suitable opportunities in Accounts and Finance Dept #98483181 or mails to noushiforme@yahoo.com Poly Tech (mechanical) Male, 23 years Working in Bangalore in the field of quality control, boiler and power plant, good computer knowledge and specialized in Vehicle mechanic seeking job in any technical field.Contact: 99743709 / 97350857 Indian Male, 30.Y. Looking for Job of an Accountant having 9.5 years of experience, having knowledge of Tally, Oracle based ORION, Quickbooks Looking for suitable Position very soon. Contact on: 92629133 Indian female MSC Nursing with 3 years experience presently in Oman seeks suitable placement. Contact 95190177, email:anilmath@gmail.com Indian male executive secretary having vast experience in admin. Logistics. Well versed with computer seek suitable placement. Contact 99514286 26 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 2yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat.# 98201476 or email at venkat230684@gmail.com Accountant, Indian Male, 24 Years, B. Com Graduate, 10TH Rank Holder for B. Com in Kerala, Tally ERP 9, MCP, Working in Accounts for last 3 Years, 1.7 years of Gulf experience, Seeks suitable placement as Accountant. Contact : 98470441, Email: soorajv2efa@gmail.com Indian male 25, having CA inter cleared with B.com having five years of experience in accounts and auditing, presently working in Oman looking for a better placement. Mob 98097009, Email: rameesnm@gmail.com

W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

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

WEBSITE

COMPUTER

SERVICES

CLASSES

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

Learn To use all APPS of your phone by an APPS EXPERT Course duration 2 weeks Course fees 30 RO #92174669 WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price. Contact: http//webviewoman

Learn Drawing & painting for children. (MBD area Ruwi) #95308320

Split & Window A.C Servicing & repairing. Contact 99380307

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. # 24793614/ 99314807 Marble restoration Crystallization, Cleaning carpets sofas, Villas, Flats. Contact 24701281 / 97463079 GULF INTERNATIONAL LLC all kind of pest control.#92326955 House shifting, packing and Transportation.#99657644 / 98518013 Electrical Plumbing Painting Contract and Maintenance. Contact #98456535 Carpet, sofa- cleaning, glue removing, shampooing, house cleaning, polishing & painting etc. Contact – 99542979 / 98855815 House Items shifting. Contact 99557080 / 99380307 Painting Interlock plumbing maintenance. Contact 92142319

Door to Door Computers repair specialist laptop software Website cartridges. Contact 99199376 Pest control water proof. Contact 99067923 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722 A/ C maintenance, servicing & installation. Split A/C Servicing RO 10.000 Only. # 94217681 / 99210141 A/C service RO7/- , repairing & installation, painting, building all maintenance. Contact 95563858 / 99326786

Split & Window AC Servicing & repairing. Contact 99557080 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 Carpet, sofa- cleaning, glue removing, shampooing, house cleaning, polishing & painting etc. Contact – 99542979 / 98855815

Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Supply of filling material/ zip zap stone/ excavation and building demolishing. Contact 99057348 Marble polishing & crystallization building cleaning floor, floor polishing, carpet, sofa shampooing, pest control, anti termite, shifting, maintenance. Contact 99504275

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

W E D N E S DAY, N OV E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

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

RENT A CAR

BUSINESS

A Muscat based well established electrical contracting company having running projects in Muscat and Salalah airports looking for a managing partner from the similar ﬁeld.” Contact 93284290 Looking for Omani partner for business development services. Contact 93194825 Email: edumass4@gmail.com We want to buy car war work shop Muscat or nearby Muscat. Contact with detail mobile 93535394 CANADIAN company. for immigration & manpower is looking for a partner in Oman with license !For contact evro21@gmail.com 0097333054453

A well running Civil contracting company LLC doing ministry work, looking for new sponsor and investor or partner.#96726115 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 Running prime café for sale or management. Contact 95729427/95208505

FOR HIRE

Seeking an investing partner to run an existing Hospitality business. (Cafe & restaurant). #95517471

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 25/ 50 seater Buses for rent/ leasing with drivers in PDO Speciﬁcation. Contact 99839898

Crane Trailor Hiab. CONTACT 99354909 For Rent Truck Tipper 18 m. Contact 95120774

Silver Car - Car Rental with good rate, Latest saloon cars & 4WDs are available. Contact 96166155 / 24488737

NRI

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

W E D N E S D AY, N O V E M B E R 2 7, 2 0 1 3

DAILY GUIDE

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

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION -CONTACT: 24726666 Email: classifieds@timesofoman.com

Think Food, Think Arsalan!!