Times of Oman - December 20, 2015

44254

Before the third session of the Council of Oman 2003

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

SUNDAY, December 20, 2015 / 8 Rabi Al Awal 1437 AH timesofoman.com wtimesofoman.com facebook.com/timesofoman twitter.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

Human enterprise can only succeed if there is constant endeavour, accompanied by determination, a strong will and a sense of responsibility.

Saving turtles from fishing

nets since he was just 12

HASAN SHABAN Al [email protected]

MUSCAT: “Our beaches are safe, I promise to take care of your ba-bies. Come again!” Mohammed Al Hassani, the one and only turtle ranger in the Sultanate, said while addressing turtles.

Al Hassani, who has saved more than 3,000 baby turtles so far, said he had started saving tur-tles from fishing nets since he was 12 years old.

“When I used to go to the Qantab beach for snorkelling with my friends and family, I used to release the turtles, which were trapped in the fishing nets. That was when I made a promise to

protect these little creatures when I grow up.” When the Omani tur-tle ranger spotted a nesting area, he surrounded it with fences and warning signboards so that tour-ists and beach walkers did not ac-cidentally step on the eggs of the green and hawksbill turtles.

With the help of his lifeguard friends, Al Hassani started patrol-ling the Muscat coastline from Al Waha, Al Bandar to Al Husn’s pri-vate beach in the early morning, and sometimes late in the night, to ensure the turtles’ safety.

Although the nesting sea-

son starts in January and ends in August, Al Hassani works throughout the year so that “no one is left behind.”

Interestingly, one of Al Has-sani’s secret pleasures is to name the turtles he rescues.

He gives them Arabic names, such as Aisha, Khalfan, Saeed, Fa-tima, Alia and Shamsa.

Asked how he can tell if an egg will produce a male or female turtle, Al Hassani explained that warmer sand temperatures pro-duce female hatchlings, while cooler sand temperatures—less than 30 degree Celsius—produce more or all males.

Al Hassani has been working with the Shangri-La Barr Al Jis-sah Resort and Spa since 2005.

He has always striven to raise awareness among fishermen to not use illegal fishing nets and release turtles if any are caught mistakenly.

O M A N I T U R T L E R A N G E R

A E [email protected]

MUSCAT: Oman is not going to increase benchmark interest rates although four Gulf states did so, following the US Federal Re-serve’s interest rate hike last week.

“We have no plans at the moment to change the official benchmark rates,” Hamoud Sangour Al Zadjali, executive president of the Central Bank of Oman, told the Times of Oman.

Four GCC countries — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emir-ates (UAE), Bahrain and Kuwait

— last week raised their bench-mark interest rates (mainly repurchase rate and reverse repurchase rates) by 0.25 basis points, triggering a rate hike across the board.

Repurchase rate (or Repo rate) is the rate at which the central bank of a country lends money to commercial banks in the event of any (tempo-rary) shortfall of funds, while reverse repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country borrows money from commercial banks, after issu-ing securities. >A6

C B O C H I E F ’ S S T A T E M E N T

Underage drivers a big threat on roads

HASAN SHABAN Al [email protected]

MUSCAT: Parents in Oman are wrongfully allowing their children to drive cars without obtaining a licence.

One out of three secondary school students claimed they had driven a vehicle in Oman at least once without a licence, accord-ing to a recent study conducted by Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) researchers.

Among the 3,345 secondary school students surveyed, 34 per cent also reported that they liked to over-speed while driving, the study says.

When contacted, a senior Roy-al Oman Police (ROP) official said some children take to driving un-der the influence of video games.

“Video games, which encour-

age reckless and irresponsible driving, are the main reason youngsters are putting their and other people’s lives at risk,” he said, adding that parents should keep an eye on what children are exposed to through media’s dif-ferent channels.

“Besides, a lack of supervision by family members is also one of the causes,” he noted.

He added that people driv-ing without licences were being jailed for 24 hours in Oman.

“Besides, their vehicles are also impounded and they are slapped with a fine of OMR50,” he said.

Some parents admitted it’s very difficult to control children at times. “It is a passion for them to drive a vehicle from a very early age and I know someone,

who fled with the car when his father went to the washroom,” Nasir Al Busaidi, who lives in Mabella, said.

The Times of Oman even spoke to a teenager, who con-fessed to having started driving at the age of 16 after she passed out of Class X. “I used to even go the nearby shops to bring grocer-ies when my elder brothers were not available,” the teenager, who refused to be named, said.

Daryle Hardie, chief executive officer of Road Safety First, said school students take to driving due to negligence. He also pointed out that rural areas lack check-points and have lesser number of patrols and road blocks.

“But over the years, the ROP has made a dramatic improve-ment in regulating violators in Oman by intensifying check-points and pulling aside drivers to check the vehicle’s condition and validity of licence,” he said.

Maximum fatalitiesHamed Al Reesi, a PhD stu-dent at SQU, who is a part of the study, said males in the age group of 16 to 25 years account-ed for maximum fatalities dur-ing road crashes in Oman, con-stituting 38.7 to 59.7 deaths per 100,000 capita.

“This is mainly due to rash driving, overspeeding, the non-use of seat belts and the use of cell phones while driving,” he stated.

The study also reveals that 69.6 per cent were found at fault by the ROP at the time of the in-vestigation, of whom 89.6 per cent were males and 94.7 per cent were of Omani nationality. >A6

Inspired by video

games, young

children without

driving licences, are

getting behind the

wheels and posing a

great threat to lives

in Oman, says a

study of SQU

‘Oman will not raise key interest rates’

OMANRemittances rise

2Expats in Oman are cashing in on as Indian rupee skidded to the

highest 66.34 against dollar. >A4

MARKETLiwa plastics deal

3As many as 15 pacts , including four major EPC contracts were signed by the

Orpic. >B1

OMANWhy women are lagging behind in the Sultanate

1Last Thursday, I attended a Women’s Forum organised by an international auditing company and the first thing one noticed was the female turnout. >A3

T O P T H R E E I N S I D E S T O R I E S

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Saraya Bandar Jissah participatesin Cityscape Kuwait 2015

Mohammed Al Hassani

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ALAWI MEETS BAN KI-MOONThe Sultanate participated in an international meet-

ing on the Syrian crisis in New York. Yousuf bin Alawi

bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs,

chaired the Sultanate’s delegation at the meeting. The

leaders discussed ways to resolve the Syrian crisis.

Alawi also met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

During the meeting, they discussed the ways of boosting

cooperation between the Sultanate and the UN. -ONA

A3

OMANS U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

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Last Thursday, I at-tended a Women’s Forum organised by the international auditing company

PWC and the first thing I no-ticed was the female turnout. I was expecting it to be a full house, but found no more than 30 women seated there.

There was an ever smaller male turnout. I could count the men attending the Forum on the fingers of my right hand. Before the event, they were struggling to find a panel of speakers since a couple of them had politely declined. Out of the five, only one was a man and that was the beginning of the problem. The whole forum was dictated by him and the four female panellists were timid.

Although there was a gallant effort from one of them, who happened to be a seasoned defender of women’s rights, the rest were like lambs being led to a slaughter house.

The women delegates were no better. Either they looked like they really did not want to be there or did not see the point of being there and already knew what would be the outcome.

The topic under discussion was, “Women in Business”, but the role of businesswomen was never discussed. It was really about women at workplaces and their struggle in offices.

I was amused to hear them talk about employment oppor-tunities rather than concen-trate on their path to the top tier of management.

My amazement did not end there. The women in the panel were almost apologetic about their defence and completely resigned to the fact that “no change could come out of all this” and why bother?

To start with, their argu-ments lacked a cutting edge. There was no vigour or dyna-mism — even conviction for that matter. It was as if they had found themselves in unchar-tered territory.

Secondly, at least most of the time, both the panellists and the female audience ducked under the umbrella of femi-nism, instead of pushing their arguments to the centrepiece of equality at workplaces.

For example, they blamed the social impact, tradition and customs of Oman as factors

that had stood in their way to make it to responsible positions in offices. They also saw the biological differences between men and women as another factor. They then contradicted themselves by agreeing with the panellist who demanded a longer maternity leave. To me, a longer maternity has nothing to do with competitiveness in the workplace.

A woman can still get two months off from work after the delivery of a child, but it does not prove she will be good enough to win a promotion when she comes back to the office.

They also said men see women as “pretty faces with their make up on” and this is the reason why they are not taken seriously.

Instead of highlighting the ‘fire’ and ‘passion’ they have for their careers, the female speak-ers went into a self-destructive mode to draw attention to factors that have obvious solu-tions. They also clung to the “emotions” angle that men often accuse them of. Emotion

is a feeling of the heart when it battles with the thoughts in the mind. These women did not see it that way.

Men also go through intense moments of emotions. How could ‘emotions’ erect a wall that prevents women from making it to the boardroom?

It is true that women are under-represented in employ-ment and the national statistics prove that.

Women own businessesFemales make up only 26 per cent of the private sector and 29 per cent of the civil service. There are no statistics available in Oman about how many wom-en own businesses, but it would not be a big percentage either.

The bold truth is that since data shows that only a small percentage of them are in the workplace, it makes sense that only a small percent-age of them should be in top positions. Instead of ‘moaning’ about the lack of opportunities at the top rung of the ladder, Omani women must shed their inferiority, stop making excuses about their emotions and their biological differences from men and work harder.

They have to earn the top positions. These will not be given to them just because they have to represent the ‘female species.’

Why Omani women are lagging behindC O M M E N T A R Y

SALEH AL SHAIBANY

SUNDAYBEAT

H AV E YOU R SAY AT T W I T T E R.CO M /T I M ES O F O M A N O R S CA N T H E CO D E TO I N STA N T LY P O ST YOU R T H O U G H TS .

SQU holds key meetingTimes News Service

MUSCAT: An Advisory Council meeting was held recently by the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences (CAMS), Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).

The meeting was chaired by His Highness Sayyid Dr Fahd bin Julanda Al Said, assistant secretary general for Promotion of Innovation at The Research Council, in the presence of the Council’s members.

The meeting included a welcom-ing speech delivered by Dr Rashid bin Abdullah Al Yahyai, dean of CAMS, where he talked about the college’s vision and its goal to be recognised internationally for all its specialties.

Further, the college plans to contribute to meet the needs of the Sultanate in this area.

Al Yahyai added that the col-lege’s mission is to serve the Sul-tanate through three aspects: building abilities, protection of food and water sources, and eco-nomic and social development of the country.

He also spoke about the college’s departments’ duties, its academic structure and their programmes. Research at the college usually fo-cuses on the sustainability of food and water and the management of renewable sources.

Updates on the status of CAMS, degrees programmes, research pri-orities and training programmes were also discussed.

C O L L E G E O F A G R I C U L T U R A L A N D M A R I N E S C I E N C E S

Forum to focus on opportunities in tourismMUSCAT: A panel discussion on the opportunities available for entrepreneurs in the tour-ism sector, will be held by Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (ZSEC), at Bait Al Zubair Mu-seum on Monday, as part of “My Experience” series.

The session aims to identify in-vestment opportunities with the most important tourism sector

for entrepreneurs of small busi-ness owners before starting the application of the tourism strat-egy in the Sultanate and the most important challenges faced by the owners of those institutions when they start to implement their tourism projects.

Philip Giorgio, representative of the strategy of the Tourism Committee at the Ministry of

Tourism will lecture the session and will throw light on the most important strategic features and procedures that will be fol-lowed by the ministry in order to implement the strategy, in addition to available opportuni-ties and projects to the private sector and the opportunities of-fered to entrepreneurs.

Adel al-Abri, CEO of Uniboats

for Water Tourism and Amir al-Rawahi, CEO of Arabian Adven-tures for Eco-tourism in the Sul-tanate reviewed their experience in the implementation of projects related to the tourism sector in terms of the steps and procedures at the implementation of those projects and the most important challenges they faced when im-plementing their projects. — ONA

Z U B A I R S M A L L E N T E R P R I S E S C E N T R E

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OMAN

Saraya Bandar Jissah showcased at Cityscape KuwaitTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Showcasing Saraya Bandar Jissah, Oman’s newest premier lifestyle destination and global winner of ‘Best Interna-tional Mixed-Use Development 20142015,’ its developers partici-pated at Cityscape Kuwait 2015.

The luxury Integrated Tourism Complex premiered at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds at the December 9-11 event.

The event is considered a pre-mier platform for developers to display their projects to an audi-ence that included investors and real estate professionals and to network with industry experts in a dynamic business environment.

Currently one of the largest and most spectacular developments under construction in Oman, Saraya Bandar Jissah is featured at stall E50 at the exhibition.

Sharing his thoughts on pro-moting the development region-ally, Sheikh Hamood bin Sultan Al Hosni, CEO of Saraya Bandar Jissah, noted, “Following the success of the first phase of the Saraya Bandar Jissah project, we have consistently received great response from buyers and inves-tors, not only in the Sultanate, but from the GCC and beyond. Since the project is now steadily moving towards completion, we wanted to expand our horizons and take the project to Kuwait, which is a key

market. Kuwait has always been a major player in this region and we are delighted to have the opportu-nity to showcase Saraya Bandar Jissah to our Kuwaiti investors and customers.”

He also added, “The recent awards that Saraya Bandar Jissah has been recognised with, fur-ther cement our pledge to deliver a one-of-a-kind luxury develop-ment with two 5-star beachfront hotels, a boutique hotel and resort hotel to be operated by world-class operators — Jumeirah Group, five residential zones, and a state-of-the-art recreational facility, staff accommodation and technical zone. We believe that our presence in Kuwait underlined these unique

offerings to the regional and global real estate market.”

Cityscape Kuwait is the nation’s premier real estate investment and development event. It opened its doors on December 7 at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Meshref. The second edition of this three-day event was attended by exhibitors from the domestic, regional and international real estate markets and concluded on December 11.

Event provided a platform for the regional real estate industry to share knowledge, debate current issues, and form partnerships with policy makers, regional and inter-national investors, business lead-ers, and real estate professionals.

P R E M I E R L I F E S T Y L E D E S T I N A T I O N

Indian expats in Oman cash in on rupee’s slide

STAFF REPORTER

MUSCAT: As the Indian Rupee continues to weaken against pow-erful US dollar, the country’s ex-pats in Oman are cashing in and remittances are climbing. The Indian rupee skidded to the high-est 66.34 against $1 and 172.287 against OMR1 on Friday after consistent falls reported during the past few months spurring quick homebound dispatches.

Expected to gain“The rupee, which had rallied after breaching 67/dollar earlier this week, is expected to gain. Ac-cording to India Ratings, the In-dian Rupee will stabilise between 66.30 and 66.60 per dollar during the week,” Tonny George Alex-ander, director of the Oman UAE Exchange, said.

On Wednesday, the US Fed-eral Reserve hiked interest rates for the first time in nearly a dec-ade, signalling faith that the US

economy had largely overcome the wounds of the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

“I’m not sure how it fares for the country, but such mo-ments are rare and favourable for workers like us,” says Toheed Ahmed, a salesman at a Muscat hypermarket.

The Rupee’s decline, he said, reflected the bad state of af-fairs in India, which, he said, is good as long as his bank bal-ance is increasing.

“In the Gulf, people like us are always happy when the Rupee weakens,” he stated.

Others, such as S Kumar, su-pervisor at a local consumer products company, has been sending money home ever since the Indian Rupee’s plunge began.

Pick up pace“I remember it started in August (63.79 for $1) this year when the dollar started to pick up pace. Since then I have been frequent in remitting money,” he told the Times of Oman.

He said he has come across cases in his company where peo-ple remit money after having taken out salaries in advance or

by taking personal loans to gain from the trend.

Bulk money holdersThe sliding India Rupee has fared well for white-collar employees in Oman too.

“It’s a great opportunity for those with residual or extra mon-ey. You can say I’m one of those who would want to grab such opportunities all the time,” said Adeel Hamid, assistant manager at WJ Towell. “The idea is to save money in the months when Rupee is strong and remit when the In-dian Rupee falls drastically.”

Indian rupee skidded

to the highest 66.34

against $1 and

172.287 against

OMR1 on Friday

after consistent

falls reported

during the past few

months spurring

quick homebound

dispatches

Academician shares experience of conducting tourism studies at seaTimes News Service

MUSCAT: To promote intercul-tural communication and tour-ism studies in a live tourism lab-oratory, Prof. Dr Nevenka Čavlek has created the International Tourism and Hospitality Acad-emy at Sea (ITHAS) in Croatia in 2005.

As part of the series of Tues-day Tourism Talks (TTT) held at GUtech, Department of Logistics, Tourism and Service Manage-ment, Čavlek delivered a pub-lic talk entitled, “Experiential Learning for tourism education; the case of International Tourism and Hospitality Academy at Sea.”

Čavlek is the Head of Postgrad-uate Studies in Tourism Manage-ment at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Za-greb in Croatia. The Tourism De-partment is part of the UNWTO Education Council and Čavlek is also the Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Acta Turistica, published twice per year.

“In Croatia, tourism accounts for nearly 20 per cent of the Gross

Domestic Product (GDP) and today all business students at the Faculty of Economics and Business have to study a com-pulsory tourism course,” said Čavlek while talking about the importance of tourism in her home country.

“Prior to my work in academia, I worked in tourism,” she said, adding that the idea of starting a special programme for students to get a first-hand experience in tourism, conducted outside the lecture hall and outside the tradi-tional vocational training practic-es had grown. “The uniqueness is that the programme differs from common practices. Our main goal

was to create an exciting opportu-nity for travelling and studying at the same time,” she said.

In 2005, Čavlek initiated the first seven-day intensive study module at sea in Croatia, entitled, “Island Tourism Management.”

Since then, Čavlek has organ-ised various trips on various topics, for e.g. not only on cruise tourism on the river Danube, but also in Croatia and other topics along the Adriatic coast (Monte-negro, Albania). “During the sail, students attend lectures deliv-ered by well-known academics of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism. Last year, we had 26 different nationalities onboard. Between 80 and 130 students participated and were selected well in advance and ac-cording to their study achieve-ments. Lecturers circulated and the students stayed on board,” she said. The programme combines real life experiences, reflective observation, abstract conceptu-alisation and they learn about the most important aspects by tour-ism by active experimentation.

T U E S D A Y T O U R I S M T A L K S

OVERWHELMING RESPONSE: Saraya Bandar Jissah is located on the outskirts of Muscat on a secluded beach surrounded by the Hajar Mountains. - Supplied picture

The rupee, which had rallied after breaching 67 per dollar earlier this week, is expected to gain.Tonny George Alexander, director, Oman UAE Exchange

– Supplied picture

THE RUPEE WEAKENS AGAINST THE DOLLAR

Source: investing.com Graphics

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Rupeesper dollar

December 182014

62.990

December 182015

66.315September 72015

66.885

August 242015

66.814

December 112015

2015 RECORD

67.148On January 28,the Rupee began itssteady weakeningagainst the dollar

61.358

Months JanDec Feb Mar Apr Aug Sep Oct Nov DecMay Jun Jul

Major changes(More than 0.70%)

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How to avoid flu this winter

Times News Service

MUSCAT: If you want to avoid flu this winter, the ideal word is caution, city-based doctors said on Thursday.

“The best thing to do this sea-son is to practice good hygiene and wash your hands often as a good hand wash will kill the virus,” Dr Basheer, a specialist of Inter-nal Medicine and a Diabetologist based in Badr Al Samaa, Ruwi said.

Cold and flu bugs affect peo-ple, who are tired and rundown, because the body is too weak to defend itself.

“If you want to have a good im-mune system then you should not smoke, eat a diet that is high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and low in saturated fat, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight and control your blood pressure,” doctors said.

Highly contagious, influenza is a serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death. Every flu season is different, and influenza infec-tion can affect people differently. Even healthy people can get very sick from the flu and can spread it to others.

“Recurring during the change in season, flu is both unpleasant and inconvenient and patients feel ab-solutely miserable for days,” said a doctor in Muscat, adding that flu could last from seven to 10 days and leave one totally exhausted. “A dry, persistent, racking cough is of-ten one of the last symptoms to go.”

Often flu is confused with other influenza-like illnesses, especially the common cold, but it is a more severe disease, and is a major killer of vulnerable people.

“It’s not the same as the com-mon cold. Flu is caused by a dif-ferent group of viruses and the symptoms tend to start more sud-denly, can be more severe and will last longer. People aged 65 and over and people, with long-term health conditions, including diabetes and kidney disease, are particularly at risk,” noted Basheer said.

However, containing the infec-tion is quite easy. “Maintaining general hygiene, including regular washing of hands, also helps con-tain the spread of the infection, as the virus can be deactivated by soap. Flu jabs, or flu vaccines also give good protection against flu,” added Basheer.

For otherwise healthy and af-fected individuals, a proper rest and staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water will quickly end the infection. Children are another po-tential group for the swift spread-ing of flu, according to a doctor.

“Children are a vulnerable group. Being in the formative years, a change of season unrelentingly translates into repeated bouts of flu, cold and fever, amongst them,” she stated.

Stressing on the need to educate parents about not sending their sick wards to school, as it would lead to the swift spreading of dis-eases, doctors said, schools must encourage parents to keep their sick wards at home, and make sure no sick child attends the school until they have fully recuperated.

It is better to consult a doctor, than play one yourself, advised

Basheer. “Most viral flu’s includ-ing the potentially dangerous ones, such as the H1N1 or Corona Virus, initially present similar symp-toms, and it is better to consult a doctor if the symptoms do not be-gin to subside within three to four days. It must be noted that it is easy to control the dangerous flu in the initial stage. Once the flu progress-es to stage two or further, there is no effective treatment available as such,” he stated.

Also flu is different from cold, although the symptoms are quite similar for the two, and it could sometimes be difficult to tell if you

have flu or just a cold, he added.“The symptoms of flu usually

develop within one to three days of becoming infected, and usually include fever and aching muscles. Most people will feel better within a week. However, one may have a lingering cough and still feel very tired for a further couple of weeks.

Cold symptoms on the other hand come on gradually, are fairly mild, and mainly affect the nose and throat

According to doctors, a common misstep among patients looking to counter viral infections is resort-ing to antibiotics.

The best thing to

do this season is

to practice good

hygiene and wash

hands often, as a

good hand wash kills

the virus, say doctors

1. Drink up: The flu can leave you dehydrated, especially if are vomiting or diarrhoea. So be sure to get enough fluids.

Water is fine. So are fruit juices, soda, and electrolyte beverages. Herbal tea with honey can soothe a sore throat. If you feel nauseated, try tak-ing small sips of liquids—gulps might cause you to throw up.

You may want to stay away from caffeinated drinks, be-cause caffeine is a diuretic, and strictly no alcohol.2. Sip some soup: Hot chicken soup may help with symptoms of the upper respiratory tract infections like the flu. Chemis-try alone just does not explain the soup’s apparent benefits: when you lean over a bowl of hot chicken soup, the vapour travels up your nose, and you definitely feel better.3. Be a couch potato: Listen to

your body. If it’s telling you not to exercise, don’t. If it’s urging you to spend all day in bed, do.4. Swish it n spit it: Gargling can moisten a sore throat and bring temporary relief. Try a teaspoon of salt dissolved in warm water, four times daily. To reduce the tickle in your throat, try an astringent gargle, such as tea, which contains tan-nins, to tighten the membranes. Or use a thick, viscous gargle made with honey, sage and cay-enne pepper, all of which are slightly antiseptic.5. Humidify: Breathing moist air helps ease nasal congestion and sore throat pain. Indulge in a steam shower, or use a hu-midifier.6. Make a tent: Need a quick way to open clogged airways? Bring a pot of water to a boil and remove it from the heat. Drape a towel over your head, close

your eyes, and lean over the water under the tent, breathing deeply through your nose for 30 seconds.7. Try a warm compress: A warm cloth on the forehead and nose is a great way to relieve headache or sinus pain.8. Sucker punch: Cough drops, throat lozenges, and hard candy can be surprisingly effective at easing cough or a sore throat.9. Nasal irrigation: To ease stuffiness and a post-nasal drip, and perhaps cut the risk of get-ting a sinus infection, some doctors recommend nasal irri-gation. Opt for a saline squeeze bottle.10. Sleep well: Don’t skimp on night time sleep. Good sleeping cycles help the immune system work well, so it’s important to get your full eight hours of sleep each night.

Home remedies to get rid of flu

SQU team wins second prize at Gulf robot competition

MUSCAT: It was a sterling feat for the Electrical and Computer Engineering team from the Sul-tan Qaboos University (SQU), as they won the second prize at the recently held GCC Robot Challenge Competition.

The team represented the Sultanate in this competition, the final round of which was held in Kuwait at the Holiday Inn Hotel. The Kuwaiti team came first, the Saudi team stood third, and teams from Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates followed in that order.

Oman’s teamOman’s team included Tariq bin Ahmed Al Ma’amari, Asa’ad bin Hamad Al Qasimi, Ahmed bin Salim Al Balushi, Hamad bin Khalfan Al Busaidi, Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Kindi, Muath bin Ahmed Al Madhani, and took part in the competition under the supervision of Dr Ashraf Salim of the SQU College of En-gineering. The Engineering and Technology Institute, the Insti-tute of Electrical and Electron-ics Engineers, and the Sabah Al-Ahmad Centre for Giftedness and Creativity had organised the competition. All Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) coun-tries participated in the compe-tition. The winner is awarded a cash prize of $1,000 and second spot winner gets $500. — ONA

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Writers often wish they could draw or play music with their

words. It is said that painters are musicians, who provide us

with silent symphonies and we provide the words

Ahlam Mosteghanemi, Algerian novelist

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Deposit, lending

rates may rise

These are monetary policy in-struments which are used to control the liquidity and general interest rates in the country.

The US Federal Reserve hiked key interest rates by 0.25 basis points since 2006 as a mark of confidence in the world’s largest economy.

Although the benchmark rates are not going to change, bankers and market analysts expect the interest rates – both deposit and lending rates – to go up in view of dearth of liquidity in the financial system.

Liquidity is tightening, which is a trend across the Gulf region, as governments and government-related entities are taking away funds from the banking system.

The banks will gradually re-price their loans, especially dol-lar loans, said LoaiB Bataineh, general manager and head of in-vestment banking group of Oman Arab Bank. “Interest rates have been increasing for the last cou-ple of months. Banks have to pass on the cost of deposits to their borrowers to maintain interest margin,” added Bataineh.

However, he noted that banks would not be able to pass on the entire additional cost of funds to their customers due to competi-tion, which, in turn, will affect the net interest margin.

Echoing a similar view, Joice Mathew, head of research at United Securities, said the de-

posit rates have started going up, which will force commercial banks to raise lending rates of corporate customers.

Oman rates have been going up in the last couple of months due to lack of liquidity, rather than speculation on US Federal rate hike. “Deposit rates were going up for the last one month.” The term deposit rate is 2-3 per cent for deposits with more than three years’ maturity.

As far as lending rates are concerned, the banking regu-lator controls only interest rates on personal loan, which is capped at 6 per cent. However, commercial banks are offering at below the ceiling rate to at-tract retail customers.

A senior banker, who does not want to be named, said the tight liquidity situation in the Gulf re-gion is a temporary phenomenon. In the medium-to-long-term, this will be alleviated by governments raising money from international markets, divesting state-owned assets and using reserves.

The increase in cost of funds will put further pressure on bank’s margin and corporate sec-tor’s financing cost.

F I N A N C I A L H E A L T H

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Bait Al Zubair hosts Rashmi’s exhibition

Times News Service

MUSCAT: “Reflections”, an ex-hibition by artist Rashmi Dauria, was hosted by Bait Al Dalaleel at Bait Al Zubair on Wednesday.

This was the artist’s first solo exhibition in Oman.

The exhibition featured 35 of her artworks, which are a mix of modern art, Omani heritage and portraits.

Dauria also used in some of her works, Omani heritage products, to create paintings and in some others she has highlighted the Omani environment and its aes-thetic landscapes.

Her continuing odyssey into the fascinating and colourful world of art and painting started as a tod-dler. True to the saying that art-ists are just children, who refuse to put down their crayons, Dauria continued with her magnificent obsession to create more and more enthralling pieces that are on display here.

Her works truly open the eyes of the viewer to the many over-looked beauties that are some-times right in front of us, yet we do not see them.

The artist has also aimed to make people understand and ap-preciate beauty and harmony

around us. Beauty is not only vi-brant colours, but it also lies in a human’s heart and hands.

Dauria described her art as, “the bridge across forever, arch-ing above the sea, adventuring for our pleasure, living mysteries for the fun of it, choosing disasters, triumphs, challenges, and impos-sible odds.”

Readers are invited to this special journey of self discovery, a journey that they will enjoy just as much as Dauria has, in putting this event together espe-cially for them.

Bait Al Dalaleel at Bait Al Zubair is an art space created for

young Omanis to display their work for new audiences in a re-laxed and beautiful environment.

Artists and audiences alike can explore a wide variety of art books and magazines, as well as discover some new creativity and talent in Oman. Throughout the year, Bait Al Dalaleel offers workshops and meetings for young creative talent to explore their work and develop their talent.

The exhibition will continue at Bait Al Dalaleel until the end of December and can be visited dur-ing working hours from Saturday to Thursday, between 9:30am and 6pm.

In some of her works,

the artist has also

used Omani heritage

products, to create

paintings and in

some others she

has highlighted the

Omani environment

and its aesthetic

landscapesMAGNIFICENT CREATIONS: The exhibition featured 35 of Rashmi Dauria’s artworks, which are a mix

of modern art, Omani heritage and portraits. – Supplied picture

‘Strings of Love’ is the embodiment of Omani youth spirit Times News Service

MUSCAT: The common thread of the world of literature, arts and calligraphy was showcased at ‘The Strings of Love’ art exhibi-tion in Geneva.

The respective art disciplines expressed the imaginations of in-dividuals, their feelings and great love for creativity.

For the exhibition, acclaimed Omani artist Alia Al Farsi com-bined her art work with quotes of Algerian novelist Ahlam Mosteghanemi. The exhibition included 10 paintings and a sofa entitled “Woman Awaits,” and was complemented with the calligra-phy works of Algerian-Swiss artist Abderrazak Hamouda.

The extraordinary idea for the exhibition stemmed from Al Far-

si’s fascination with the writings of Mosteghanemi, which began in 2004. Inspired by the possibilities of combining her artistic talents with his prose, she contacted the famous writer and began a close and enduring collaboration.

Al Farsi travelled to Switzerland to put together the concept and direction of the exhibition, which has received critical acclaim in Geneva and abroad.

Ambassador Abdullah bin Nasser Al Rahbi, Oman’s ambassa-dor to the United Nations and oth-er Organisations in Geneva, pre-sided over the inauguration event, which also included the presence of the Governor of Versoix and the Deputy Governor.

Commenting on the art exhibi-tion, Al Rahbi noted, “This exhibi-tion is organised as part of the del-

egation’s celebrations of the 45th National Day. The Omani artist Alia Al Farsi is sharing her paint-ings in an exhibition titled ‘Strings and Love,’ and she is the true em-bodiment of the spirit of Omani youth and women in particular.”

Mosteghanemi said, “Writers often wish they could draw or play music with their words. It is said that painters are musicians, who provide us with silent symphonies and we provide the words. I am de-lighted to see this joint symphony by two exceptional talented artists, who are inspired by what I write.”

As to the reason for choosing this title for the exhibition, Al-Farsi noted, “There are a number of reasons behind that, including the fact that many of my paintings embody this title, demonstrating the strong relationship between

the connotations of literary texts and meanings carried by art. There is no art without cognitive conno-tations, expressing the deep expe-riences of human life. The main reason behind the success of the exhibition was the collaborative efforts to highlight this initiative, as we are all celebrating a joyous period of the 45th National Day.”

Al Farsi holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and has furthered her artistic train-ing at the Central Saint Martins in Graphic Design.

She entered the art world dur-ing the mid-90s, and soon became a well-known artist, and has par-ticipated in over 20 countries, including China, Japan, Korea, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden and Germany.

E X H I B I T I O N I N G E N E V A

Royal Hospital honours

outstanding employees

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Outstanding medical and administrative employees of the Royal Hospital were honoured under the patronage of Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saidi, Minister of Health.

The ceremony was held at the hospital in the presence of Dr. Qasim Al Salmi, director-general of the Royal Hospital, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Health and the Hospital.

On the occasion, Al Salmi de-livered a speech in which he said: “We are proud of our country’s achievements in health, educa-tion, communications, industry and other sectors, and we wish that the same pace of progress will continue in the years and decades

to come.” He also added: “In the health sector, we are fortunate to be led by Al Saidi.”

“He has very supportive of our needs. The Royal Hospital has progressed and achieved success because of the efforts of its medi-cal, nursing, technical and support staff. The increase would have been much more pronounced were we not limited by space, facilities and manpower. These improvements in productiv-ity and quality have been possible only because of the efforts of our staff. Today, we will be recognis-ing some of these individuals and teams, who have contributed to this success,” added Al Salmi.

At the end of the ceremony, the Health Minister also praised the outstanding employees.

Q U A L I T Y W O R K

TEAM EFFORTS: Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saidi, Minister of

Health, was present at the function at the Royal Hospital.

LOVE FOR CREATIVITY: Acclaimed Omani artist Alia Al Farsi

combined her art work with quotes of Algerian novelist Ahlam

Mosteghanemi, for the exhibition. – Supplied photo

Enforce the use of seatbelts

The SQU study suggested en-forcing the use of seatbelts for all passengers and the intro-duction of a licencing system, where people have to clear road tests at night. This will reduce the number of road accidents in Oman.

The study showed that road accidents are the second lead-ing cause of death among adults aged 15 to 44 years and the lead-ing cause of deaths among those aged 15 to 29 years.

Hardie said introducing hefty fines is the most effec-tive way to reduce the number of road violations in Oman as this strategy has been success-ful in reducing the rate of acci-dents around the world.

S A F E T Y T I P S

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Three-day Arab conference

MUSCAT: A three-day Arab conference on administrative development titled “The Role of Civil Service Laws in Adminis-trative Development: Arab and International Experiences,” will begin under the patron-age of Sheikh Khalid bin Omar Al Marhoon, Minister of Civil Service, at Grand Hyatt Muscat Hotel, on Monday. -ONA

C I V I L S E R V I C E M I N I S T E R

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REGIONS U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

IN THE BATTLEFIELD: Armed Yemeni tribesmen from the Popular Resistance Committees, supporting forces loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-

backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, fire rocket as they hold a position in the area of Sirwah, west of Marib city, on Friday. – AFP

Panel set to oversee ceasefire in Yemen

DOHA: Yemeni negotiators tak-ing part in UN-sponsored peace talks agreed on Saturday to form a committee to oversee a fragile ceasefire after fresh fighting im-perilled their efforts to end Yem-en’s civil war, sources close to the talks told Reuters.

They said the committee would be headed by a Lebanese army general and consist of representa-tives from the Saudi-backed gov-

ernment of Yemen’s President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi and from the rival Houthi movement.

Both sides arrived at a hotel in the Swiss city of Biel on Satur-day to attend a fifth day of talks aimed at halting the eight-month conflict in the Arab world’s poor-est nation, which has killed thou-sands of people and caused wide-spread destruction and a major humanitarian crisis.

A supposed one-week truce came under strain on Friday when troops loyal to Hadi seized an im-portant northwestern city and a military base from Houthis who still control the capital Sanaa, residents and tribal sources said.

Planes and gunboats from a Saudi-led military coalition also bombarded targets in northern Yemen, residents said. The United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen voiced deep concern at “numer-ous reports of violations of the cessation of hostilities”, a UN statement said on Friday. Yemen, which was swept by mass protests in 2011, was this year plunged into war after the Houthis overthrew the Sanaa government, prompt-ing Saudi Arabia and other Arab states in March to launch a wide-scale bombing campaign.

The UN talks started away from television cameras on Tuesday

and have been marked by distrust, with each side accusing the other of violating the truce. Face-to-face talks between Hadi’s govern-ment and the Houthi group have not occurred since Wednesday evening, after the Houthis re-jected demands for the release of detained senior officials, includ-ing Yemen’s defence minister and Hadi’s brother, said sources close to the talks. The UN special envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, is shuttling between the two sides to try and bridge differences.

The Houthis say they are ready to free the prisoners once a per-manent ceasefire is agreed, an-other source close to the talks told Reuters. Hospital sources said on Saturday that limited medical aid had reached a few Houthi-con-trolled districts in the central city of Taiz, one of the worst-affected cities. — Reuters

The committee will be headed by a

Lebanese army general and will consist of

representatives from President Abdrabbo

Mansour Hadi and the Houthi movement

Air pollution forces closure of schools across TehranDUBAI: Schools across Tehran will be closed on Sunday and res-idents have been warned to stay at home as a thick smog of pollu-tion hangs in the air, officials said on Saturday.

Suspended“All educational establishments in the city of Tehran, and some towns in the province, are sus-pended on Sunday due to air pol-lution,” the city’s top education official Esfandiar Chaharband was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

Outdated vehicles and incon-sistent enforcement of emissions regulations are the main driv-ers of pollution in Iranian cities,

which officials have blamed for thousands of deaths from respira-tory illnesses. The warning came as officials in China issued a “red alert” to prepare for smog and a week after almost 200 countries reached a landmark accord to combat climate change.

Air pollutants“The most important sources of air pollutants in Tehran are mo-torcycles and cars whose catalyt-ic converter has been removed,” health official Khosro Sadegh-Niat was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.

Tehran, a dense city of at least 12 million inhabitants, suffers the most as the snow-

capped Alborz mountains form a basin that shields its air from cleansing winds.

Pollution is more severe in win-ter as cold air prevents the smog from rising.

Three years ago, officials blamed smog for more than 4,000 deaths across the country. Since then, President Hassan Rouhani’s government has pledged to tackle pollution and introduced meas-ures such as converting vehicles to cleaner fuel.

Last month, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a set of environmental policy direc-tives and called for the govern-ment to support investments in clean energy. — Reuters

D A N G E R O U S L E V E L

At least 14 killed in clashes in eastern Libya’s AjdabiyaBENGHAZI: At least 14 people have been killed and 25 wounded during clashes in eastern Libya between armed groups loyal to of-ficial government and hardline groups, two medical sources said on Saturday.

The fighting, which was con-tinuing on Saturday, erupted on Thursday in the town of Ajdabiya, the same day as Libya’s warring factions signed a United Nations-brokered agreement to form a unity government. Western pow-ers hope the deal will bring stabil-ity and help to combat a growing IS militant group presence.

AgreementHowever, the agreement faces questions from critics about how representative the proposed gov-ernment will be, and whether armed factions on the ground will obey the new government. Some brand it a UN-imposed deal.

Casualties in the Ajdabiya fight-ing included civilians or members of groups supporting the Libyan National Army, said the sources who asked not to be named. They added that casualties from the other side were not treated in the town’s hospitals.

It was unclear whether the

hardline fighters were affiliated to IS militants.

Guards woundedIn a separate incident, two guards were wounded when an unknown group attacked the military intelli-gence building in the western town of Sabratha, the mayor said.

IS has exploited a growing se-curity vacuum in Libya, where two administrations - each with its own government and parlia-ment - are fighting for control four years after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi.

Working from hotelsThe official prime minister and parliament have been based in the east since a rival group seized the capital Tripoli. Its government has been working from hotels in the city of Tobruk, about 270 km (167 miles) from Ajdabiya.

Both sides have several former anti-Gaddafi rebel groups fighting for them. After Gaddafi’s ouster, the various factions split along po-litical, regional and tribal lines.

Militants loyal to IS, the group which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq, have taken over the central city of Sirte, to the west of Ajdabiya. — Reuters

V I O L E N C E A F T E R D E A L

US aircraft mistakenly kills nine Iraqi soldiersON BOARD THE USS KEAR-SARGE: A US aircraft appears to have mistakenly carried out an air strike that killed Iraqi security forces near the city of Fallujah, US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Saturday.

The Iraqi Minister of Defence Khaled Al Obeidi said earlier that nine soldiers died in the strike on Friday.

Carter said he spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi by phone on Saturday to express his condolences over the deaths. He said it appeared a US aircraft had carried out the air strike. “That’s the information I have now,” he told reporters while on a trip to the Middle East. He (Ab-adi) and I agreed that this was an event that we both regretted and that there would be an investiga-tion of it, but that these kinds of things happen when you’re fight-ing side by side.” — Reuters

F R I E N D L Y F I R E

Three years ago, officials blamed smog for more than 4,000

deaths across the country. Since then, President Hassan

Rouhani’s government has pledged to tackle pollution and

introduced measures such as converting vehicles to cleaner fuel.

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INDIAS U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

The present government is deliberately targeting the opposition

and making full use of the state agencies to do so. Nobody is

going to be scared from it. We will continue our fight

Sonia Gandhi, Congress president

CBSE books, learning material to be made available online for freeNEW DELHI: All Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) books and learning material will be made available online for free as part of the Centre’s good govern-ance efforts, HRD Minister Smriti Irani said here on Saturday.

At a function organised at a Kendriya Vidyalaya in east Delhi, she also said that initiatives would be undertaken to ensure holistic nurturing and improve learning outcomes at these schools.

“We made NCERT books availa-ble online for free through e-books and mobile applications a month-and-a-half ago.

We are similarly going to make CBSE books available online along with additional learning material and videos as part of our good gov-ernance efforts,” Irani said at the inauguration of a new building of the school in Khichripur.

Responding to the call by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia at the function that en-deavours be made to ensure that children not only excel profession-ally but also become good human beings, Irani asked her ministry’s officials to organise ‘Baal Sabha’ (Child Conventions).

These conventions will feature

interactions between children and professionals from fields including defence to help the former grow into “good human beings”.

Irani also reiterated that the Centre will launch ‘Shaala Darpan’ and ‘Saransh’ services (for Class I to Class XII students) in Kendriya Vidyalayas in the next academic year. The ‘Shaala Darpan’ service is aimed at using SMSes to keep parents informed about their wards’ attendance, time table and marks in exams while ‘Saransh’ will help parents compare the subject-wise learning outcomes of their children, with others at the

district, state and national levels.Earlier, addressing the function,

Sisodia stressed on the role of edu-cation in the lives of children.

Focus“You need to check whether you are doing better than yesterday. Are we behaving better than yes-terday. The focus should be that if a child gets out of educational insti-tutes 20 years later, he/she should pass out as a sensible person,” he said. The Aam Aadmi Party leader urged schools to take the responsi-bility of turning children into good human beings.

“When we read in newspapers about communal violence, rapes somewhere, then we feel we fell short somewhere. Hence, we will have to take responsibility. A per-son is giving us 20 years of his/her life. So, we will have to ensure we impress on him/her that it is equally important to be a good hu-man being as to be a good engineer or other professional,” he said.

East Delhi MP Maheish Girri also addressed the event, which was attended by senior Human Resource Development ministry officials and local public repre-sentatives. - PTI

I M P R O V E L E A R N I N G

Will expose DDCA corruption, unmask impostor: Kirti AzadNEW DELHI: BJP MP Kirti Azad on Saturday said he will “expose biggest DDCA corrup-tion” and “unmask the impostor” On Sunday at a press conference, rebuffing party’s attempts to dis-suade him from going public with his allegations said to be targeting Arun Jaitley.

The MP from Bihar also ap-peared to be taking a dig at the Fi-nance Minister over his reported description of him as a “Trojan horse”. “Not a Trojan horse but Achilles heel; wait till I unmask the ‘behroopiya’ (impostor),” Azad said in a tweet.

“Will expose biggest DDCA corruption with audio-visual tomorrow at 4pm,” he said in an-other tweet and quoted a poem of Bharatiya Janata Party stalwart Atal Behari Vajpayee to suggest that he will carry on and not “con-cede” defeat.

BJP chief Amit Shah had called Azad on Friday to impress upon him that he should not go ahead with his charges at a time when opposition parties, especially AAP, have gone after Jaitley over

the alleged corruption in DDCA when he headed the cricket body.

Azad had, however, later reit-erated his decision of holding a press conference on Sunday.

The three-time MP has been a known detractor of Jaitley over his stewardship of DDCA.

Meanwhile, stepping up attack on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

over alleged corruption in DDCA during his tenure, the AAP on Saturday posed more questions to him, saying it would continue to raise its voice against graft in the state cricket body.

Aam Aadmi Party leader San-jay Singh alleged that the Finance Minister has sent a legal notice to him and his colleague Ashutosh “through” Lokesh Sharma, who is Managing Director of private firm 21st Century Media, and said that they are ready to face one thou-sand such legal notices and will not be deterred from exposing “corruption” in DDCA.

Jaitley has strongly rejected the allegations calling them a propaganda technique of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to deflect attention when he himself was in the “dock” following a CBI raid in Delhi Secretariat.

Addressing a press conference here, Singh accused Jaitley of trying to “suppress” alleged cor-ruption which had taken place in Delhi and District Cricket Associ-ation under his watch by sending legal notice. - PTI

A L L E G A T I O N S

SPELLING OUT: Union HRD Min-

ister Smriti Irani on Saturday

said all CBSE books and learn-

ing material would be made

available online for free as part

of the Centre’s good governance

efforts. - PTI

Sonia, Rahul appear in Delhi court in Herald case, get bail

NEW DELHI: Congress Presi-dent Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul on Saturday sought and got bail in the National Herald case after a local court rejected com-plainant Subramanian Swamy’s opposition to the relief for them on the ground they are influential and can flee the country.

Amidst media hype and hoopla and tight security, Sonia and Ra-hul and three other accused Mo-tilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes and Suman Dubey appeared before Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen in the Patiala House courts com-plex in the heart of the capital in pursuance of the summons issued to them on December 8.

The case is based on a private criminal complaint lodged by Swamy against them of cheating, conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

“The accused are reputed per-sons having deep political grass-roots and there is no apprehension that they will flee,” the magistrate noted while granting them bail on furnishing personal bond of Rs50,000 each and one surety.

He posted the case for further hearing at 2pm on February 20, next year.

Former prime minister Man-mohan Singh stood surety for Sonia, while Priyanka Vadra gave surety for her brother Rahul.

A.K.Antony stood surety for Fernandes and Ghulam Nabi Azad

and Ajay Maken for the other ac-cused. Sam Pitroda, yet another accused, was granted exemption from personal appearance on Sat-urday on medical grounds.

In his reaction, Swamy said all their claims that they would not

seek bail proved false.”They said they will not take

bail. What happened now,” he told reporters.

Earlier, Manmohan Singh and a host of Congress leaders including Mallikarjun Kharge, Ambika Soni,

Shiela Dikshit, Ashwini Kumar, Meira Kumar arrived at the court complex shortly before the hear-ing was to commence at 3pm.

A smiling Sonia followed close-ly by Rahul emerged out of the court after 15 minutes of proceed-

ings. As the proceedings began Swamy opposed the bail saying the accused including Sonia and Rahul are “highly influential” people and can flee the country and that their passports should be seized and travel restrictions be imposed on them.

A battery of Congress lawyers including Kapil Sibal and Ab-hishek Singhvi told the court that these are people who have deep roots in society and they hold high office and do not have any previ-ous charge against them.

SummonsThe summons were issued by the court on December 8 after the Delhi High Court the previous day had refused to quash the sum-mons issued to them earlier to ap-pear as accused.

Both Sibal and Singhvi told re-porters after the proceedings that the court rejected Swamy’s plea and gave bail to the leaders.

“It is most unfortunate that Swamy sought to impose con-ditions including restrictions on travel abroad but the court granted unconditional bail,” Singhvi said.

“I don’t see the slightest reason for dissatisfaction with the court order,” he added.

Rejecting Congress criticism that he was doing vendetta poli-tics at the behest of Congress, Swamy said look at the evidence in the case and not vendetta.

“I have so many friends (in the BJP).I am a Jan Sanghi. I know them (BJP leaders) personally.

I have not taken an appoint-ment with the prime minister and spoken to him at all about the case,” he told reporters. - PTI

The case is based on

a private criminal

complaint lodged by

Subramanian Swamy

charging them with

cheating, conspiracy

and criminal breach

of trust

COURT HEARING: Congress President Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi leave the

Patiala House Courts after a hearing in National Herald Case in New Delhi on Saturday. - PTI

NEW DELHI: Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi accus-ing him of levelling “false allegations”against them and making “full use” of govern-ment agencies to “deliberately target” the Opposition.

Sonia and Rahul, who came straight to the AICC office from the court where they were granted bail in the National Herald case, asserted that they will continue to fight and “not bow down”.

“Today we had appeared before the court with a clean

conscience. We did what any law-abiding citizen should do. The laws of the nation applies to everyone without any dis-crimination. I have no doubt that the truth will come out,” Sonia Gandhi told reporters.

Coming down heavily on Modi government, the Congress President said, “The present government is deliberately targeting the op-position and making full use of the state agencies to do so. Nobody is going to be scared from it. We will continue our fight.”

Making a direct attack on the Prime Minister, Rahul

Gandhi said, “Modiji levels false allegations and thinks that the Opposition will bow down, I and Congress party will not succumb.”

Referring to the case filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, Sonia Gandhi said that she was totally aware of the intention of the people behind the case.

“These people have been trying for long to target us. They will not succeed,” she asserted.

Asserting that Congress will continue to fight for the poor, Rahul said, “We will not budge an inch.” - PTI

‘Modi targeting Opposition, we won’t bow down’

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Before release, juvenile rape convict sent to undisclosed location

NEW DELHI: A day before his scheduled release, the juvenile convict in the December 16 gang rape case has been moved out of the correction home and sent to an undisclosed location.

The convict, who is now 20 years old, has been sent to an un-disclosed location amid concerns that there was threat to his life, and several agencies are keeping an eye on the matter, said a highly-placed source.

He was moved out a day after the High Court refused to stay his release. The convict is likely to walk free from the undisclosed location on Sunday, in adherence to the existing legal provision, the source added.

Delhi government has said it had submitted a rehabilitation plan for the juvenile convict in December 16 gang rape case.

The government said that as per the plan, a one-time financial grant of Rs10,000 will be given to the youth and a sewing machine will be arranged for him so that he can rent a tailor shop.

The convict along with five oth-ers had gangraped and murdered the 23-year-old paramedical stu-dent in a moving bus on December 16, 2012, an incident that shook the nation and led to protests in the country. - PTI

G A N G - R A P E C A S E

SET TO WALK FREE: A file photo

of the juvenile delinquent in the

December 16 gang-rape case

after being produced at Juvenile

Justice Board in New Delhi in

August 2013. - PTI

BRIEFING: Union Finance Min-

ister Arun Jaitley talks to the

media regarding Aam Aadmi

Party’s DDCA related corrup-

tion charges against him, at

his office at Parliament in New

Delhi on Thursday. - PTI

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President for constant defence tech upgrades

HYDERABAD: President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday called for constant defence technology up-grades for India to maintain an edge in military capability over its adversaries.

Pranab made the call to young

military technocrats while telling them to harness the latest defence technologies and ensure that the Indian Army benefits from these.

“The nation will look upon you to define and modify the way the defence forces operate, by using technological advances to pro-vide a comparative edge over our adversaries,” he said, adding that technology has a decisive role on the outcome of armed conflicts.

The President was delivering the address at the convocation ceremony of 96th Degree Engi-neering and 24th Technical Entry Scheme courses, at Military Col-lege of Electronics and Mechani-cal Engineering (MCEME) at Se-cunderabad here.

The history of warfare bears testimony to the decisive role of technology on the outcome of military conflicts, Pranab said,

adding that to maintain an edge in military capability over potential opponents, constant efforts are required to upgrade technology.

Armed forces and technology have been strategic partners, in developing and enhancing defence capability of the nation, he said.

The President said as young technocrats, it is the responsibil-ity of the graduating officers to adapt to the latest technological developments for use by the De-fence forces.

Observing that the Indian Army has been a torch-bearer of many non-military innovations, he said military technology has benefited civil society immensely.

Stressing that knowledge is the ultimate power, he said the knowledge and enthusiasm of the young officers would lead to crea-tive ideas and innovations.

“Your passion to accept and over-come challenges would empower you to achieve both national and or-ganisational goals,” he said. -PTI

Pranab said as young

technocrats, it is the

responsibility of the

graduating officers

to adapt to the

latest technological

developments for use

by defence forces

Jaitley accuses Congress of delaying GST bill for ‘collateral reasons’

NEW DELHI: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday indicat-ed that the government may not be able to pass the Goods and Ser-vices Tax (GST) Bill in the ongoing session of Parliament, but will in-troduce the bankruptcy Bill.

Accusing the Congress for de-laying GST for “collateral rea-sons”, he said: “Some people do get sadistic pleasure in seeing India slow down. But then, it’s a sadistic pleasure at a very severe national cost. We cannot allow that.”

The minister further said the government will push through changes in the arbitration Act and commercial court Bill in the Rajya Sabha in the remaining “crucial” three days of the winter session, which ends on Wednesday.

Addressing the Ficci AGM, Jait-ley said, “I have no doubt in my mind that attempt to delay (GST) is entirely for collateral reasons. And the only collateral reason I suspect is if I couldn’t do it, then why should somebody else do it?”

He maintained that “a delayed GST is better than a flawed GST”.

PersuadeThe minister added that he would “still urge and persuade” the Op-position to give up their rigidity on Constitution-prescribed tariffs.

“The Constitution-prescribed tariffs actually can be an alba-tross around the neck of the fu-ture generation. And we owe it to them not to create situations of this kind,” he said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Anand Sharma said: “It (GST) is not going to happen in this ses-sion. We will engage with them, but this is not the right time. April 1, 2016, is not sacrosanct and not achievable at all.”

The GST Bill is stuck in the Ra-jya Sabha where the ruling NDA government does not have a ma-jority as well as stiff opposition by

the Congress.The government had planned to

roll out GST from April 2016.Asked if the Congress would

support the bankruptcy Bill, Sharma said: “We are in favour of passing what is urgent, what is appropriate.” Jaitley further said the remaining three days of Parlia-ment are “extremely crucial” and the government will try and push

some of these reforms. The biggest challenge at the moment is to get the Indian politics to support the economic reforms in the midst of the global slowdown, he said, add-ing that the endeavour should be to overcome political obstacles com-ing in the way of growth.

“Is the Indian politics going to be a support in this adverse global situation, to add the extra per cent or two to our current level of GDP or is it going to be an obstacle?...

“These are important pieces of reforms which we are going to try and I hope nobody tries to hurt the country’s interest by again invok-ing the word ‘but’.”

Jaitley explained: “There is no point saying that ‘GST is good and we brought in the GST proposal,

but’, I think this ‘but’ is a terrible phrase as far as Indian politics is concerned.”

GST is being touted as the big-gest reform in indirect taxation since Independence. Sharma hoped GST will become a reality, but the government has to address the concerns of the Opposition “in the interest of the country”.

“Opposition cooperation is not rubber stamping of what the government wants. We are au-thors of GST and this country will have GST,” Sharma said. The Lok Sabha has already passed the Commercial Courts, Commercial Division and Commercial Appel-late Division of High Courts Bill and Arbitration and Conciliation (Amendment) Bill. - PTI

P L A N T O R O L L O U T I N A P R I L 2 0 1 6

ONE FOR THE ALBUM: President Pranab Mukherjee in a group photograph during the convocation ceremony of Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering, in Hyderabad on Saturday. - PTI

Cold wave, fog disrupt normal life NEW DELHI: Cold wave cou-pled with fog affected normal life in most parts of north India, as road and rail traffic were hit in the region, while mercury hovered around freezing point in some parts of Punjab, Haryana and Ra-jasthan on Saturday.

Delhiites woke up to a chilly Saturday with the minimum tem-perature settling at 6.8 degrees Celsius, one notch below the sea-

son’s average. Foggy conditions were witnessed in the city during the morning, significantly reduc-ing the visibility to 500 metres.

In Jammu and Kashmir, Srina-gar witnessed the season’s cold-est night so far with the minimum temperature settling at a low of minus 4.4 degrees as the cold wave tightened its grip in the Val-ley where mercury slipped fur-ther below the freezing point.

The mercury in Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir Valley, also went down to a low of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, the MeT of-ficial said. The tourist resort of Pahalgam which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra in south Kashmir registered a low of minus 7.9 degrees Celsius.

The famous ski-resort of Gul-marg recorded a low of minus 10.5 degrees Celsius. - PTI

N O R T H I N D I A

The GST Bill is stuck in the Rajya Sabha where the

ruling NDA government does not have a majority

as well as stiff opposition by the Congress

A10

PAKISTAN S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

Enrolment of children in government schools drops to 9%KARACHI: Enrolment of chil-dren at the primary level in Kara-chi’s government schools is less than nine per cent, a survey by the Human Rights Commission of Pa-kistan (HRCP) has revealed.

According to the organisation, which conducts frequent surveys, the enrolment rate of primary schoolchildren was 30 per cent in 1998. In 2002-2003, the figure dropped to 26 per cent and further to 24 per cent in 2005-2006. Today (in 2014-2015), it is less than nine per cent.

HRCP secretary-general I. A. Rehman shared the findings of the latest survey at a news conference at Karachi Press Club on Friday. “It is the responsibility of the state to provide education to children,” he said, stressing that standards need to be improved.

Rehman said there was no or-ganisation or mechanism to ex-plain where the remaining 91 per cent primary-school aged children were getting an education from: whether they were going to ma-drassas, private schools or were out-of-school.

The survey revealed that there

were 325,715 students enrolled in government schools in 1998, while in 2014-15 the number stood at 207,218.

The survey found out that in six

districts of the city, there were 248 one-roomed schools.

The highest number of enrol-ment is in Korangi District, fol-lowed by Central Karachi. While

East district has the lowest num-ber of schools — 300 — and lowest enrolment of 52,769 students.

Today, there are a total 3,097 government schools in Karachi, as

compared to 3,302 in 2001.There are many schools in

Karachi where the number of teachers is greater than the number of students. There are some schools where the number of students is high and teachers less than the requirement.

Teachers also give a monthly bribe of Rs5,000 to ensure their daily attendance, it was noted. Moreover, 45 per cent of schools

have no teachers for Maths, Sci-ence and English.

In 87 government schools, a sur-vey of 110 students revealed that 45 pupils complained of teachers’ behaviours, 86 informed that the school has a washroom with no water whereas 80 per cent stu-dents said there were no co-cur-ricular activities like sports and debates.

HRCP’s Qazi Khizer Hayat said in co-education schools, the number of girls is higher, with a 60:40 ratio.

Shortage of staffMoreover, surveyors found out that there was a shortage of non-teaching staff like peons, gate-keepers and sweepers, while there was interference of political groups as well. Multiple schools were also said to be located in the same buildings.

Sharing more data, it was re-vealed that around 20 per cent schools had no electricity, and 45 classrooms had no fans. Five per cent schools had washrooms but 90 per cent of them could not be used. — Express Tribune

E D U C A T I O N W O E S

DISMAL: Enrolment of children at the primary level in Karachi’s government schools is less than nine

per cent, a survey by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has revealed. — Reuters file photo

It is the responsibility of the state to provide education to children

I. A. RehmanSecretary-general of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan

Taliban reject Baghdadi’s ‘leader’ claim

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Paki-stan’s Taliban have rejected IS chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi’s claim to be the global leader of all Mus-lims, the movement said in a state-ment seen by Reuters on Saturday.

The Pakistani Taliban’s state-ment comes after a similar re-jection by the Afghan Taliban following pledges of allegiance from low-level commanders of both extremist movements to the IS group.

The latest statement from the Pakistani Taliban comes amid speculation that the movement’s leadership is actually wary of IS, which is driven by different am-bitions that have little to do with South Asia.

Late last year, a few breakaway factions of the Pakistani Taliban declared allegiance to IS.

Pakistani authorities say IS has no financial ties with any Pa-kistani group.

But there are concerns about further turmoil in the region as US-led foreign troops withdraw from Afghanistan, with groups like the Haqqani network and IS likely to exploit the security vacuum.

The entry of IS, while its numbers remain small, will also complicate Pakistan’s fight against indigenous extremist militants fighting to overthrow the government.

The Pakistani Taliban have been beset by bitter internal rivalries in the recent past, with the influen-tial Mehsud tribal faction of the group refusing to accept the au-thority of Mullah Fazlullah, who came to power in late 2013. — Reuters

E X T R E M I S M

Educate Afghan refugees: UN goodwill ambassadorISLAMABAD: UNHCR goodwill ambassador (GWA) in China Yao Chen has stressed the need for educating Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.

Chen, who is on a four-day trip to Pakistan, visited Afghan refu-gee camps in Mianwali district and also met Aqeela Asifi, an Af-ghan refugee teacher and recipi-ent of the 2015 UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award.

At a press briefing in Islamabad on Friday, the GWA lauded Paki-stan for providing education and health care facilities to refugees with several schools for girls, and for continued support to the UN Refugee Agency.

Progressive society“Women and girls constitute more than 50 per cent of the world’s population. Therefore, for the for-mation of a progressive society, it is imperative to eliminate gender disparity in education and ensure equal access to all levels of educa-tion and vocational trainings for women, persons with disabilities and children in vulnerable situa-tions”, she said.

“She has changed the fate of many refugees. I’d say she has be-come my idol; I have learnt a lot

from her”, she said of Asifi.Stressing the need to educate

refugees, she said, “Education is an investment that helps refugees rebuild their lives and even go back

to the country they belong to and work there.

Knowledge is more powerful than the weapon”, she added.

“During her days here, the

goodwill ambassador spent a lot of time with refugees and host communities. On anniversary of the tragic APS attack, she was in Mianwali with students and ex-

pressed immense solidarity with them commemorating the tragic loss”, said UNHCR Representa-tive Indrika Ratwatte.

He said it was extremely crucial to invest in Afghan refugee chil-dren to give them necessary skills because they were the future hu-man capital of Afghanistan.

Refugee crisisChief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees Dr Imran Zaib appreci-ated the GWA’s visit and hoped it would highlight the Afghan refu-gee crisis in Pakistan at a time when refugee crisis was spreading all over the world.

“Her focus has been on educa-tion and youth empowerment. More than 67 per cent of the Af-ghan refugees in Pakistan are un-der the age of 25. It is important to channelise their energies in a positive manner so they can re-build Afghanistan when they go back”, he said.

He also said that Yao’s stress on education and children’s edu-cation was extremely essential because education is the basis of nation building.

“If education is essential, female education is imperative”, he said.

— Express Tribune

C I V I L W A R V I C T I M S

PML-N’s councillor of Haripur killed in court

HARIPUR: A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz member of the district council in Haripur was killed on court premises in the early hours of Saturday.

According to reports, Javed Khan Jadoon died on the spot after he was shot at point blank range.

“Unidentified men opened fire at Jadoon as he was leaving the court following a hearing in a murder case,” police officials and eyewitnesses confirmed.

“No first investigation re-port (FIR) has been lodged thus far,” police officials told The Express Tribune.

ArrestA resident of Basti Buland Khan, Jadoon was earlier ar-rested for his alleged involve-ment in the murder of a Toru Dhok resident, Bilal.

He was, however, recently re-leased on bail by the Abbottabad bench of Peshawar High Court.

— Express Tribune

A S S A S S I N A T I O N

Stimulus package worth Rs9.4b approved for PIA

ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday approved another bailout package — Rs9.4 billion including Rs4.4 billion cash in-jection — for a struggling, but to be privatised, Pakistan Interna-tional Airlines, raising questions on the proposed sell-off of the national carrier that has moved to an advanced stage.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved the cash subsidy, which will be given by issuing a sup-plementary budget, as the cur-rent fiscal year 2015-16’s federal budget does not have any alloca-tion for PIA.

The ECC also approved $200 million equity share of Pakistan in the Turkmenistan, Afghani-

stan, Pakistan, India (TAPI) Gas Pipeline Project Company. The ECC also approved the proposal by the Privatization Division for payment of two-month salaries – Rs64 million – to employees of the Pakistan Machine Tool Factory (PMTF) Karachi.

The government continued its policy of raising revenues through indirect taxes, while dishing out money to loss-mak-ing entities. It has already ap-proved Rs6.5 billion subsidy for sugar barons after it imposed Rs40 billion mini-budget.

“On a proposal submitted by the Aviation Division, the ECC granted approval for cash sup-port of Rs4.4 billion for PIA ena-

bling the airline to improve its products and services,” accord-ing to an official handout of the Ministry of Finance.

It added that the ECC also en-dorsed an agreement between the Finance and Aviation Divisions, enhancing the present federal government sovereign guaran-tees limit from Rs141 billion to Rs146 billion. PIA will use the Rs5 billion to create additional space for borrowing from the commercial banks.

The Rs4.4 billion cash will be used to add premium services in long-haul flights, according to an official.

The government approved the Rs9.4 billion package amid prepa-

rations to privatise the airlines under a condition of $6.2 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. The govern-ment is bound to invite Expres-sion of Interests from prospective investors by December 31 and sell the airline by June next year.

Privatisation Commission Chairman Mohammad Zubair said on Thursday that the fi-nancial adviser has finalised the transaction structure of PIA, which will now be taken to the PC Board for approval.

Earlier this month, the federal government refused to service Rs248 billion debt of PIA from the budget. The PIA Board of Direc-tors had demanded Rs3.5 billion

per month to avoid default until the airline was privatised.

To remove a legal hindrance in the privatisation, the country’s president has already promul-gated an Ordinance to repeal the 1956 Act of PIA, triggering pro-tests by employees and inviting criticism from opposition parties for bypassing parliament.

After issuing the Ordinance, the government converted its Rs23.6 billion loan into equity, increasing its share to over 94 per cent from 88 per cent.

The ECC also accorded approv-al to invest $200 million as equity share of Pakistan in the TAPI Gas Pipeline Project Company. It also allowed release of $12 million out of this share for the Pre-FID activities in four equal tranches starting from January 2016 as per the disbursement plan.

It also gave approval of the draft shareholders agreement, invest-ment agreements and authorised the Inter State Gas Systems (Pri-vate) Limited ISGS to sign these agreements.

The total cost of TAPI project is $10 billion and Turkmenistan, be-ing the consortium leader for the project, has agreed to contribute 85 per cent. The remaining equity would be equally shared by Af-ghanistan, Pakistan and India.

The four state gas companies of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Paki-stan, and India have established the company that will build, own and operate the planned 1,800-kil-ometre TAPI natural gas pipeline. — Express Tribune

The Economic

Coordination

Committee of the

Cabinet approved

the cash subsidy,

which will be

given by issuing

a supplementary

budgetBIG BOOST: The government approved the Rs9.4 billion package amid preparations to privatise the

airlines under a condition of $6.2 billion International Monetary Fund programme. — File photo

RETURNING HOME: An Afghan family arrives at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR) repatriation centre on the outskirts of Peshawar on February 10, 2015, as they prepare to

return to their home country after fleeing civil war and Taliban rule. — AFP

A11

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China warns residents of a ‘choking weekend’

BEIJING: China’s capital Beijing was bracing for four days of chok-ing smog starting on Saturday, but residents said the haze was less severe than forecast, with some questioning why the gov-ernment had issued its highest air pollution alert.

China had warned residents across a large part of its north on Friday to prepare for severe smog arriving over the weekend, the worst of which would hit Beijing, prompting the capital to issue its second ever “red alert”.

A red alert is triggered when the government believes air quality will surpass a level of 200 on an index that measures various pol-lutants for at least three days.

Very unhealthyThe US government deems a lev-el of more than 200 to be “very unhealthy”.

On Saturday morning the Bei-jing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Centre was showing an air quality reading of 104.

“Today I have to work. And where is the smog?” posted one

Beijing resident on Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent. “The smog is not so bad. Why do they have driv-ing restrictions?” said another Weibo user in the capital.

The Beijing city government is-sued its first “red alert” last week following criticism that previous bouts of smog had failed to trigger the highest warning level.

In Beijing, a red alert means around half the vehicles are re-moved from the roads, with an odd-even licence plate system en-forced. Schools are recommended to close and outdoor construction is banned.

Wang Bin, head of the emergen-cy response division of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protec-tion Bureau, said that measures

were taken in advance to reduce the impact of the pollution and help people to prepare, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Air quality The red alert issued earlier this month prevented further dete-rioration of air quality, the report added, citing the authorities.

Beijing’s latest red alert is due to last until midnight on Tuesday.

The National Meteorologi-cal Centre said on Thursday that parts of north China will see the

worst smog so far this year, start-ing on Saturday. But it only issued a yellow alert for the city and many surrounding areas on Saturday.

Yellow is the second level on China’s four-tier colour-coded pollution alert system.

Wear face masksThe weather observatory said that areas including southern Beijing, central Hebei, north Henan and west Shandong would be affected by heavy smog, which would start to dissipate from Wednesday.

It advised the public to take pro-tective measures and those who suffer from respiratory diseases were urged to stay indoors or to wear face masks if they need to go out. - Reuters

China had warned

residents across a

large part of its north

to prepare for severe

smog arriving over

the weekend, which

would hit Beijing,

prompting the capital

to issue its second

ever ‘red alert’

RED ALERT: Cars are seen with headlights switched on for better vision at daytime as China’s capital Beijing braces for four days of choking smog starting Saturday, in Beijing. - Reuters


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

‘Situation in South China Sea stable’BERLIN/ BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday that the situation in the disputed South China Sea was “relatively stable” and urged countries beyond the region to help it to stay that way rather than fuelling conflict there.

China has overlapping claims with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei in the South China Sea.

This week China’s military carried out war games there, with warships, submarines and fighter jets simulating cruise missile strikes on ships, a Chinese news-paper said.

“Some countries outside of the region are concerned about this region and we totally un-derstand that, but I think these states need to support attempts to keep this region stable rather than just aggravating tensions or playing countries off against each other,” Wang said during a visit to Berlin.

The US Pacific Fleet Com-mander has warned of a possible arms race in the South China Sea which could engulf the region, as nations become increasingly tempted to use military force to settle territorial spats.

Meanwhile, in a significant move in the ongoing dispute over the South China Sea, China and Vietnam on Saturday launched

joint inspection of a section of the waters. A ceremony was held in south China’s Guangzhou for the launch of a China-Vietnam joint inspection of the waters outside the Beibu Gulf which is bordered by the two countries.

Chinese and Vietnamese ex-perts will inspect the terrain and geological conditions outside the mouth of the Beibu Gulf.

The inspection will be carried out by China’s Fendou No 5 ocean research vessel. The inspection area is potentially rich in re-sources, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

China and Vietnam agreed to launch the inspection when Pres-ident Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Vietnam last month.

The inspection is an important beginning for maritime coopera-tion between the two countries, according to the joint statement issued after the visit.

China and Vietnam have been negotiating how to demarcate and develop the waters outside the mouth of the Beibu Gulf since 2012.

The launch of the joint inspec-tion, which is the result of bilat-eral negotiation, shows that both countries are committed to solv-ing maritime differences via co-operation in an appropriate way, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said. - Agencies

O V E R L A P P I N G C L A I M S

MARITIME COOPERATION: A Chinese Coast Guard vessel, right, passes near the Chinese oil rig, Haiyang Shi You 981, left, in the South China Sea, about 210km from the coast of Vietnam. In a significant move in the ongoing dispute over the South China Sea, China and Vietnam on Saturday launched a joint inspection of a section of the waters. - Reuters file photo

ROZO CROWNED MISS WORLDMireia Lalaguna Rozo, centre, of Spain is crowned by former Miss World Jolene Strauss after winning the new title at the Miss World Grand Final in Sanya, next to Miss Russia, Sofia Nikitchuk, left, and Miss World Indonesia, Maria Harfanti, right, in southern China’s Hainan province on Saturday. Contestants from over 110 countries compete in the final of the 65th Miss World Competition. - AFP

Indonesia to beef up security for Christmas, New Year celebrationsJAKARTA: Indonesia will deploy more than 150,000 se-curity personnel and several religious organizations to safe-guard churches and public plac-es around the country during Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, the military chief said late on Friday.

Indonesia has already stepped up security and surveillance in some areas in the wake of attacks in Paris last month that killed nearly 130 people and for which IS claimed responsibility.

“We call on all communities, such as Islamic and Hindu youth organizations, to participate in safeguarding churches during Christmas,” armed forces chief Gatot Nurmantyo told reporters

at the national military head-quarters in Jakarta.

“Some of the youth organiza-tions have stated their readi-ness,” he added.

Over 80 per cent of Indone-sia’s population is Muslim, but the country recognises five other religions including Catholicism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Police in Indonesia will be on their highest alert level between December 24 and January 2, na-tional police chief Badrodin Haiti told reporters earlier this week.

Military and police troops will be on standby at airports, train stations, houses of worship, Haiti said, as millions of people travel across the archipelago for the holidays. - Reuters

1 5 0 , 0 0 0 S E C U R I T Y P E R S O N N E L T O B E D E P L O Y E D

Ship with 100 passengers in trouble off Indonesia

JAKARTA: A ship carrying more than 100 passengers was adrift in rough seas off the coast of Indonesia’s Sulawesi on Saturday, officials said, con-tradicting earlier reports that the vessel had sunk.

“The ship has not sunk,” South Sulawesi police spokes-man Frans Barung said by phone, adding that port authori-ties lost contact with the vessel.

Bambang Soelistyo, chief of Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Team Agency, said a team of rescuers was trying to reach the stricken ship.

“The ship had 122 people on board. The team from our head-quarters...all that we have, we are deploying there but we’re facing high waves,” he said. -Reuters

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The economics of terrorism in AfricaTerrorism on the scale witnessed in Paris last

month is nothing new in Africa. In Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, the extremist

group Boko Haram – famous for its kidnapping of 276 school girls in 2014 – has inflicted thousands of casualties with suicide bombings and assaults on civilians. In Kenya, the Somali group Al Shebab has carried out two major attacks, on Nairobi’s West-gate shopping mall in 2013 and on Garissa Univer-sity in 2015, as well as many smaller acts of terror.

Meanwhile in Tunisia, the IS group has targeted tourists – orchestrating attacks on a museum and a beach resort. And in Mali, shortly after the attacks in Paris, gunmen belonging to an Al Qaeda affiliate stormed the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, killing 22 people. Terror, it seems, has become part of the new normal in Africa.

These attacks, and others, have cast a dark shad-ow across the continent’s long-awaited economic rise. It is not difficult to see why. Terrorism risks de-railing Africa’s economic and political development in six important ways.

For starters, there is the sheer scale of the human-itarian catastrophe. Since 2009, Boko Haram alone has killed more than 10,000 people in Nigeria and has driven nearly a half-million from their homes. Traumatised populations have fled to refugee camps in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, where mal-nutrition and disease are becoming increasingly prevalent – especially among children.

Second, terrorism is undermining GDP growth and weighing down overall economic perfor-mance in affected countries; the economy of northern Nigeria, for example, has been devas-tated by the ongoing violence. The International Monetary Fund now includes terror threats among the major risks to the economic outlook in Nigeria, Tunisia, and Kenya.

Already, economic indicators in these coun-tries have been revised downward after terror-ist incidents. Following the attacks by the IS, for example, Tunisia’s projected annual GDP growth for 2015 was cut from 3 per cent to 1 per cent. The damage to the sector – and, more broadly, to in-vestor confidence – will trickle across Tunisia’s economy, pushing down output, fiscal revenue, and foreign reserves.

Third, the fight against terrorism is sucking up

scarce financial resources. Scaling up military mis-sions is costly, and the unpredictability of terror strikes often requires extra spending on security, which sometimes causes governments to miss their fiscal targets. After the Garissa University attack, for example, the Kenyan government increased security-related spending by 0.3 per cent of GDP and provided additional financial assistance to the tourism sector.

In Central and West Africa, the fiscal pressure has been especially intense. In addition to the outlays required to equip the armed forces engaged against Boko Haram, Nigerian officials estimate that bil-lions of dollars will be needed to rebuild ravaged in-frastructure in the north. Similarly, Chad’s soldiers fought alongside French troops against terrorists in Mali, and now they have coalesced with those of Nigeria and Cameroon in fighting Boko Haram. In April, the country was granted $170 million in debt relief – the payoff for years of economic reform. But now it is being forced to use part of its hard-won fis-cal space to finance the fight against terror.

Fourth, the countries at risk are among the most promising frontier markets. In Nigeria, which re-cently became Africa’s largest economy, a dynamic private sector has been diversifying an economy that has long been dominated by oil production. Similarly, Kenya, home to a thriving ICT sector, is leading the world in the rollout and leveraging of mobile money. If these economies are upset, they risk dragging down Africa’s overall performance.

Fifth, terrorism is undermining state building. In most African countries, the military is weak and insufficiently equipped to handle this new threat, whereas terrorist groups are often well-funded and deploy committed combatants equipped with state-of-the-art weapons. Such face-offs undermine the state’s monopoly on the means of violence and pose a challenge to its power and legitimacy.

Finally, the risk that fighting terrorism poses to civil liberties is especially acute in Africa, where in-stitution building is still an ongoing process. Some non-democratic regimes may take advantage of anti-terrorism policies to prey on their own people. There is also a threat to the fabric of society.

Most of the civil conflicts that held back Af-rica’s development for decades have finally come to an end. But terrorism risks undermining the continent’s hard-won stability and strong GDP growth. - Project Syndicate

Parking in slots meant for the physically challenged This refers to the news story ‘Call for stiffer fines for using parking meant for disabled in Oman’ (December 19). As everyone wants to find a parking place closer to the main entrance of shopping malls,

they don’t even mind occupying the park-ing slots dedicated to people with physical challenges. I have seen on numerous occasions customers taking parking slots marked for people with physical challeng-es and do not bother to pay attention to the signage. Even though there are markings on the floor as well as at the entry point, some individuals only look at their own convenience and overlook the inconven-ience it causes to others. Many a time long waiting people with physical challenges are seen looking for suitable parking spots and security personnel are unable to locate the owners of the wrongfully parked ve-hicles. Such people disrespect those who face physical challenges either by birth or due to accidents. I have seen some custom-ers arguing with mall security personnel when they were asked to shift their vehi-

cles from the dedicated parking for people with physical challenges. Such acts could be considered discourteous and should not be tolerated. The mall security should also be given some authority to notify relevant personnel to impose fines or other actions on people who disregard the guidelines..— Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

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Oman–Malaysia talksMUSCAT: A Malaysian delegation headed by Dr Moham-med Kamal Hussain, vice chancellor of the Islamic University in Malaysia held discussion with officials of the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs. The delegation met Sheikh Ali bin Funkhar Al Shanfari, director general of the development of Awqaf funds, and Sheikh Ziyad bin Talib Al Mawali, direc-tor general of the Sharia Science Institute. Shanfari said the discussions focused on cooperation between the ministry and the Malaysian-based Islamic University.

1802: The United States buys the Louisiana territory from France.

1938: First electronic television system is patented.

1989: US troops invade Panama to oust General Manuel Noriega and replace him with Guillermo Endara.

1995: NATO begins peacekeeping operation in Bosnia.

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The first anniversary of the Pakistan school attack only reinforced the sheer scale of

horror that now haunts families of the dead students and their

teachers even as stories of astonishing courage and sacrifice rendered by those dying students

bit.ly/closureforfamilies

KAMRAN REHMAT

Rent-seeking behaviour in the Russian society is perceived as a

norm. Public officials, bureaucrats, and civil servants attempt to

transform their access to material and non-material assets into

personal benefits. Educators act in a similar manner

bit.ly/russiacorruption

LEONID BERSHIDSKY

Discussions between the US and the Syrian leadership over the prisoners are said to have been

going on for several weeks. They mostly involve direct contacts between Anne Patterson, the

assistant secretary of state for Near Easter and Faisal Mekdad, Syria’s

deputy foreign ministerbit.ly/SyriaUStalks

JOSH ROGIN

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Astronauts Tim Kopra, Tim Peake and Yuri Malenchenko blast off to the International Space Station.

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WORLDS U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

69 Kurdish militants die in Turkey fighting

DIYARBAKIR: Sixty-nine Kurd-ish militants and two Turkish soldiers have been killed in four days of fighting across southeast Turkey as security forces ramp up operations against the Kurd-istan Workers Party (PKK), secu-rity sources and the military said on Saturday.

The military said Turkish war-planes taking off from their south-eastern base in Diyarbakir had also bombarded PKK camps in northern Iraq on Friday, destroy-ing shelters and weapon posts.

A two-year ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK fell apart in July, shattering peace talks and reviving a conflict that has afflict-ed the mainly Kurdish southeast for three decades, killing more than 40,000 people.

One Turkish soldier was killed and another was lightly wounded on Saturday in clashes in Sur district, which has remained un-der a police curfew for the past two weeks, in the predominantly Kurdish Diyarbakir province.

One of two soldiers wounded in the border town of Cizre on Friday also succumbed to his injuries, the army said.

It said the number of Kurdish militants killed in four days of

operations in Cizre and Silopi, near the Syrian and Iraqi bor-ders, had risen to 69.

The towns, both under curfew, are central targets in Turkey’s

latest anti-PKK offensive, in which media reports say 10,000 police and troops, backed by tanks, are taking part.

The head of the armed forces,

General Hulusi Akar, visited troops in the region on Saturday and was briefed on the operations, security sources said.

Although traditionally rooted in the countryside, the group has shifted its focus in recent years to towns and cities in the south-east, setting up barricades and digging trenches to keep security forces away.

AnnihilatedTurkish President Tayyip Er-dogan said this week that Kurdish militants would be “annihilated” in their trenches and houses and that the operations would contin-ue until the area was “cleansed” of the militants and their barri-cades destroyed.

Peace talks between jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and the state ground to a halt early this year. The PKK is designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. — Reuters

A two-year ceasefire

between Turkey and

the PKK fell apart

in July, shattering

peace talks and

reviving a conflict

that has afflicted

the mainly Kurdish

southeast for nearly

three decades

NO TO WAR: Members of Turkey’s leftist unions and politicians stage a protest outside the parlia-

ment in Ankara, calling for an end to military operations against Kurdish militants in southeastern

Turkey, on December 19, 2015. The banner reads: ‘No to war, we will defend the peace’. - AFP

DAMAGED: A woman walks past a building which was damaged

during security operations and clashes between Turkish security

forces and Kurdish militants, in the southeastern town of Silvan in

Diyarbakir province, Turkey, on December 7, 2015. — Reuters

Switzerland in bid to end dispute over KarabakhZURICH: The presidents of Ar-menia and Azerbaijan met in Switzerland on Saturday in hopes of making progress on a peaceful resolution to a deadly, two-dec-ade-old conflict that has left some 30,000 people dead.

President Serzh Sarksyan of Ar-menia and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan were in the Swiss capital of Berne for talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the invitation of Swiss Foreign Minis-ter Didier Burkhalter.

The two leaders concluded talks by about noon, according to Swiss Foreign Ministry officials.

Burkhalter said he used the meeting to urge Sarksyan and Ali-yev to pursue a “comprehensive negotiation process” that reinforc-es dialogue while refraining from acts of violence or provocation that have repeatedly brought the two sides to the brink of war.

“The South Caucasus is a pri-ority region of Switzerland’s peace-policy commitment,” Burkhalter’s office said after the meeting concluded.

The Organisation for Secu-rity and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the 57-country group that is helping coordinate the peace talks, said separately that

both presidents expressed con-cern about the violence, includ-ing civilian casualties caused by heavy artillery.

“The presidents confirmed their readiness to continue en-gagement on proposals regard-ing a settlement currently under negotiation,” the OSCE said in its statement.

According to Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, the last meeting of the two presidents to discuss the dis-pute was in Paris in October 2014.

Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies inside Azerbaijan but is con-trolled by ethnic Armenians, has run its own affairs with heavy military and financial backing from Armenia since a separatist war ended in 1994.

Its Armenian-backed forces hold seven Azeri districts sur-rounding Nagorno-Karabakh.

The conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh broke out in the dying years of the Soviet Union.

Efforts to reach a permanent settlement have failed despite me-diation led by France, Russia and the United States.

Aliyev and Sarksyan have had several meetings before, but with no tangible results.

— Reuters

A R M E N I A - A Z E R B A I J A N D I S P U T E

PEACE INITIATIVE: Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, right,

meets with Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan for talks about

their conflict over the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region, in

Switzerland’s capital Bern on Saturday. — AFP

Embattled Assad makes rare visit to church in Syrian capital

DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar Al Assad attended Christ-mas choir preparations in an ancient church close to a front-line area in the capital Damascus where his army is engaged in heavy fighting with rebels, state media said on Saturday.

State television showed footage of Assad and his wife Asma making the visit overnight to the Notre Dame de Damas Church, where he was shown chatting to the choir. He took a seat near the altar and listened to a recital of Christmas poems in the main cathedral hall.

The surroundings of the church in the old part of the ancient capi-tal were hit by mortar fire on Fri-day, officials said.

Rebel-held suburbThe church is only 2 km away from Jobar, a neighbourhood of the rebel-held eastern Ghouta suburb of Damascus that has been the focus for months of heavy aerial bombardments and more recently Russian bombing that have left dozens of mostly civilian casualties. — Reuters

F E S T I V E

SCAN THIS TO VISITVIDEO

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

DEFIANT: A handout image obtained from the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, centre-left, and his wife Asma Al

Assad, centre-right, posing for a picture with a Syrian man as they attend a Christmas choral presentation at the Lady of Damascus Catholic Church in the Syrian capital on

December 18, 2015. - AFP/HO/THE OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE OF THE SYRIAN PRESIDENCY

A14

GLOBAL EYES U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

FRANCE: A man rides a skateboard through French artist Rachid Khimoune’s installation which features a thousand turtle-shaped sculptures in front of the city hall in Paris, France, on Saturday. - Reuters

UNITED STATES: Police block off a street as demonstrators, calling for the resignation of Chicago

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, march near downtown in Chicago, Illinois, on Friday. A recently released video

showing the shooting of teenager Laquan McDonald by Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke has

sparked almost daily protests in the city. Demonstrators have accused Emanuel of trying to cover up

the circumstances surrounding the shooting. — Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP

SPAIN: Spanish chef Jordi Roca, centre, of 3 star Michelin kitchen voted world’s best restaurant by

British magazine ‘Restaurant’, El Celler de Can Roca, poses in front of a banner during a dive with

sharks at the Aquarium of Barcelona on Saturday during a publicity stunt to celebrate Christmas. — AFP

UAE: Birds fly near camels during the Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival in the desert near the city of Madinat Zayed, 150 km west of Abu

Dhabi, on Saturday. The festival, which attracts participants from around the Gulf region, includes a camel beauty contest, a display of

UAE handcrafts and other activities aimed at promoting the country’s folklore. — AFP

CHINA: A woman wearing a protective mask stretches at a park

as China’s capital Beijing on Saturday. — Reuters

ITALY: Matthias Mayer of Austria is lifted into an emergency

helicopter after he crashed during the men’s downhill race at

the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Val Gardena, northern Italy, on

Saturday. — Reuters

A15


Nearly half of the world’s migrants were born in Asia,

which has provided the most migrants — 1.7 million people

per year — over the last 15 years, followed by Europe.

UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs report

18 migrants drown as boat sinks off Turkey town coast

ISTANBUL/NEW YORK: Eighteen people died and 14 were rescued late on Friday after a boat carrying migrants trying to sail to Greece sank off the southern Turkish town of Bodrum, Dogan News Agency reported.

Fishermen hearing the mi-grants’ screams of migrants alert-

ed the Turkish coast guard, who picked up the bodies from the sea after the wooden boat carrying migrants from Iraq, Pakistan and Syria capsized about 3.5 km off the coast.

Those rescued were taken to the hospital in Bodrum, many in serious condition, the agency said. The coast guard was not immedi-ately available for comment.

ExodusA record 500,000 refugees from the four-year-old civil war in Syria have travelled through Turkey then risked their lives at sea to reach Greek islands this year, their first stop in the Euro-pean Union before continuing to wealthier countries. Despite the winter conditions and rougher seas, the exodus has continued, albeit at a slower pace.

Nearly 600 people have died this year on the so-called eastern Mediterranean sea route for mi-

grants, according to the Interna-tional Organization for Migration.

Turkey struck a deal with the EU on November 29 pledging to help stem the flow of migrants into Europe in return for 3 billion euros of cash for the 2.2 million Syrians Ankara has been hosting, visas and renewed talks on joining the 28-nation bloc

Meanwhile, the United Nations said that the number of interna-tional migrants soared to 244 mil-lion this year, an increase of more than 40 per cent from the year 2000, as economic need, global

markets and a desire for better lives put more people on the move.

Nearly half of the world’s mi-grants were born in Asia, which has provided the most migrants - 1.7 million people per year - over the last 15 years, followed by Eu-rope, according to a report by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Europe has seen nearly 900,000 refugees and migrants so far this year, about half of them Syrians fleeing war in their homeland, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said earlier this month. The number

of migrants around the world will no doubt rise, fueled by economic disparities, globalized markets and people seeking better lives, UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eli-asson said presenting the report.

He called for stronger efforts to protect people undertaking dangerous journeys as they flee their homes, and efforts to fight migrant smuggling and human trafficking. He also said migrants should not be victimized nor made into scapegoats.

“The many stories of their re-silience, strength and heroism are too often eclipsed by xenophobia and pervasive anti-migrant senti-ments,” Eliasson said.

Two thirds of all international migrants live in just 20 coun-tries, the report said. The larg-est number, 47 million, live in the United States, followed by 12 million in Germany, 12 million in Russia and 10 million in Saudi Arabia, it said. — Reuters

Hearing the screams

of the migrants, some

fishermen alerted the

Turkish coast guard,

who picked up the

bodies from the sea

Thousands rally in Poland as constitutional row drags onWARSAW: Thousands of Poles gathered on Saturday to protest against the government for the second time this month, putting pressure on the month-old con-servative cabinet which they ac-cuse of testing the boundaries of democracy.

Critics say the administration, formed by the eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS) party, is emu-lating Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban in undermining democratic checks and balances.

But the government says it needs to strengthen its hold over state institutions and to en-sure the country’s voice is heard abroad and the benefits of eco-nomic progress are shared more evenly. There was no indication so far that the government would change its course in response to the protests.

Saturday’s demonstrations were organised through social media in more than 20 Polish cit-ies. In Warsaw, protesters filled a square outside the parliament, waving Polish and European Un-ion flags and chanting “Stop de-stroying democracy!” A Warsaw city official put the number of protesters at 20,000.

Last Saturday, the same official estimated that 50,000 marched through the city to protest against the government. Police later put the number of protesters at around 20,000.

A pro-government demonstra-

tion last Sunday also gathered thousands.

ElectionThe row began when PiS, which scored a landmark election win in October, appointed five out of 15 judges to the constitutional court, Poland’s highest judicial body, in a move the opposition described as illegal. PiS denies the charge. It said judges in the constitutional

court need to be replaced to en-sure the balance of power in the body, and that it was the previ-ous government that broke the law when they made the original appointments.

But gaining control of the court is key for the party. It may deter-mine whether it is able to imple-ment its flagship policy plans, which include an overhaul of the retirement system. — Reuters

P R O T E S T A G A I N S T G O V E R N M E N T

Waiter returns $32,000 in cash left at restaurant LOS ANGELES: An Applebee’s waiter in central California turned over $32,000 in cash that a family forgot at a table, an amount that exceeds his annual salary after tax-es, because it was the right thing to do, the waiter told Reuters in an exclusive interview on Friday.

Brian Geery, 33, said he found a canvas pouch at a table in the res-taurant where he works in Fresno after a family finished eating, and noticed a rectangular shape inside.

PouchHe showed the pouch to his man-ager, who suggested it might con-tain medicine, and at his boss’s suggestion Geery opened the pouch to check.

The rectangular shape was a stack of bills. “I couldn’t believe it, I’d never seen so much cash in my life before,” Geery said.

Carrie Hellyer, Applebee’s re-gional director, said Geery de-clined a reward from the fam-ily, and initially withheld his name from media outlets wishing to cover the story.

“He just said that he did it be-cause it was the right thing to do and he didn’t want the right thing being overwhelmed by anything else,” Hellyer said.

Geery, a 10-year Applebee’s vet-eran who said the money exceeded his annual income after taxes, gave the pouch to his manager and went back to waiting tables. “I’m a big believer in karma,” he said. “I just feel like you treat others as you would want to be treated.”

The lossThe cash was picked up by police later in the day, said Fresno po-lice spokesman Lieutenant Joe Gomez. When the family called police on Thursday to report the loss, arrangements were made for them to pick it up at the sta-tion, Gomez said.

Underscoring the waiter’s hon-esty, Hellyer said there was no sur-veillance camera in the area where the family left their money.

Gomez said the money was re-turned to the family only after a detective determined it was ob-tained legally. The cash came from rental properties and a Mexican restaurant the family operates in San Jose, he said.

“You know how some people don’t use banks, I think they’re that type of person,” he said.

The family had attempted to rent a safe deposit box at a bank on Wednesday, but one was not immediately available, he added. As a result, he said, they had the cash with them at Applebee’s when they went there to eat and simply forgot it. — Reuters

C E N T R A L C A L I F O R N I A

FESTIVE SPIRITYoung Palestinian women listen to one of them playing the guitar outside of the Church of the Nativity, in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem,

on Saturday, ahead of Christmas. — AFP

DEMONSTRATION: Protesters shout slogans during an anti-gov-

ernment demonstration in Warsaw on Saturday. Critics say the

administration, formed by the eurosceptic Law and Justice (PiS)

party, is emulating Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban in

undermining democratic checks and balances. – AFP

A16


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RAISING THEIR LIGHTSABERSStar Wars fans raise their lightsabers during Lightsaber Battle LA in Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, California late

Friday. New images captured by the Hubble space telescope shows a cluster of stars — forming what looks like a double-bladed

‘lightsaber’ — an image that will likely excite Star Wars fans. — AFP

Car bomb kills three in MogadhishuMOGADHISHU: A car bomb exploded on Saturday on a busy street in the Somali capital Mog-adishu, killing at least three peo-ple and wounding at least eight, a police officer said.

The number of casualties is like-ly to increase, police Major Nur Farah said at the scene of the blast, which was claimed by Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab militants. “The place is busy with hotels and su-permarkets. Most of the casual-ties are pedestrians. The casualty number is sure to rise,” Farah told Reuters by phone.

Al Shabaab militants have launched frequent attacks in Mog-adishu in their bid to topple the Western-backed government, in-cluding a major assault on a hotel used by government officials and lawmakers in November, in which more than a dozen people were killed. A Reuters reporter said the explosion on Saturday was fol-lowed by gunfire, and smoke could be seen rising from the scene. Part of a supermarket and a number of cars were destroyed. “We were behind the blast operation. Some government officials and soldiers died and others were injured,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, an Al Shabaab spokesman, told Reuters on Saturday, without giving details of the number of dead. — Reuters

S O M A L I A

Two convicted war criminals handed over to CongoKINSHASA: The International Criminal Court (ICC) handed over two convicted war criminals to Congolese authorities on Satur-day, the justice minister said, the first time it has entrusted enforce-ment of its sentences to a country.

Thomas Lubanga Dyilo and Germain Katanga will complete their sentences in Democratic Re-public of Congo’s central prison of Makala in Kinshasa for crimes committed during the brutal war in the central African country’s northeastern region of Ituri.

Millions of people died in re-source-rich eastern Congo’s two regional wars between 1996 and 2003, mostly from hunger and disease, and the area is filled with dozens of armed groups.

“Thomas Lubanga Dyilo and Germain Katanga were handed over... in the morning to the quali-fied authorities,” said Justice Minister Alexis Tambwe Mwam-ba in a statement read on public radio and television.

Both men had indicated a pref-erence to serve the remainder of their sentences in Congo, the Court said in a statement.

Lubanga, who was found guilty of recruiting child soldiers, was sentenced in 2012 to a 14-year sentence including time already served. He is due for release in five years.

Katanga, who was convicted last year for murder, pillaging and attacking a civilian population in a 2003 attack on a village, was sentenced to 12 years’ imprison-ment. The duration was reduced on appeal and he will be released in January 2016. — Reuters

B R U T A L W A R Uganda to restart talks as Burundi violence escalates

KAMPALA: Uganda said on Sat-urday it would resume mediating peace talks for Burundi after vio-lence that has pushed the Central African country close to civil war and led the African Union to pre-pare for the imposition of a peace keeping force.

Both the government and Bu-rundi’s largest opposition coali-tion welcomed the move to restart talks. On Friday, the African Un-ion said it was preparing to send 5,000 peace keepers to Burundi to protect civilians, for the first time using powers to deploy troops to a member country against its will.

Tensions have been running particularly high since gunmen attacked military sites in the Burundi capital Bujumbura last week, unnerving a region where memories of the 1994 genocide in neighbouring Rwanda are still raw. Burundi slid into crisis in April when President Pierre Nku-runziza announced plans for a third term in office.

The United Nations says at least 400 people have been killed since April when Nkurunziza’s decision triggered protests and later a failed military coup.

Uganda’s defence minister, Chrispus Kiyonga, told a news conference in Kampala the se-curity situation in Burundi had been deteriorating.

“It is now considered appropri-ate and critical that the dialogue resumes,” Kiyonga said.

He said about 14 groups repre-senting various sections of Burun-

dian society, including the ruling party, opposition parties and civil society would attend the talks.

Open to talksBurundi government spokesman Philippe Nzobonariba said the government has always been open to talks and was waiting for an in-vitation. “It’s an inter-Burundian dialogue and only Burundians will determine what to discuss,” he told Reuters.

Nzobonariba however ruled out holding talks with anyone it ac-

cused of being behind the May at-tempted coup.

“It may be an occasion to put hands our on them as they are sought by Burundi justice,” he said.

Pancrace Cimpaye, spokesman for Burundi’s largest opposition coalition known as CNARED, welcomed the resumption of talks, though he said the group was yet to receive an invitation.

“For us talks are between two parties in conflict, and the two warring parties today is Nkurun-ziza and his government on one side, and CNARED on the other”, he told Reuters.

The talks will resume in Ugan-da on Dec. 28 and thereafter move to Arusha in northern Tanzania. Arusha is the headquarters of the regional bloc East African Com-munity (EAC), to which Burundi belongs. In July the EAC appoint-ed Uganda’s president Yoweri Mu-seveni to mediate in the conflict and initial meetings were held in Burundi’s capital Bujumbura in the same month.

In the worst clashes since the failed coup in May, insurgents attacked military camps in the capital Bujumbura last week and nearly 90 people were killed.

Rights groups have reported vi-olent clashes between protesters and authorities, gun attacks and detentions of government critics. The government dismisses re-ports of rights abuses.

Hundreds of thousands have also fled the worst violence to hit the country since it emerged from an ethnically charged civil war in 2005. — Reuters

The government and

Burundi’s largest

opposition coalition

welcomed the move

Rwandans approve extension of presidential term limitsKIGALI: Rwandans voted over-whelmingly to support changes to the constitution that would allow President Paul Kagame to extend his term in office, possibly until 2034, provisional results showed on Saturday.

Kagame, 58, would be able to run again in 2017 after his second term ends. He has been president since 2000 but effectively in control since his rebel force marched into Kigali in 1994 to end a genocide.

“The electoral commission de-clares in public that 98.3 per cent of voting Rwandans accepted the constitution as amended in 2015,” National Electoral Commission chairman Kalisa Mbanda told a news conference after Friday’s vote. Mbanda rejected a statement issued on Friday by the local Euro-pean Union delegation that there

was no independent monitoring in place during the vote. “I don’t see any basis on which one can say that there were no independent observ-ers. We registered 630 observers and all are independent,” he said.

The number of those who voted in favour of the changes was 6.16 million. The commission released some partial results late on Friday and final results are expected on Monday. The vote took place de-spite criticism of such an amend-ment by the United States and other Western donors.

Kagame has not said if he would run again, but he is widely expect-ed to. He said on Friday the vote to change the constitution was the people’s choice. The tiny Demo-cratic Green Party, the only real opposition party, tried to get the constitutional changes blocked

through the courts but this was rejected. The party also said it was not given a chance to campaign against the changes.

“The Democratic Green Party... will not give up on the struggle to make Rwanda a vibrant democ-racy. We will continue to work to-wards achieving a peaceful trans-fer of power in Rwanda,” Frank Habineza, the party’s president, said in a statement late on Friday.

Despite its success in delivering economic and social change, rights groups accuse Kagame’s govern-ment of stifling the media and political opposition, a charge it de-nies. The debate about extending presidential terms has swept other African nations. It has triggered violence and instability in Burundi and Congo Republic, but not in Rwanda. — Reuters

A M E N D M E N T T O C O N S T I T U T I O N


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

RISING TENSIONS: Burundian soldiers withdrawing from the restive Cibitoke neighbourhood in

Bujumbura after a police operation during the celebrations of the country’s 53rd Independence

anniversary in this file photo taken on July 1, 2015. – AFP

VOTE FOR CHANGE: Rwandan President Paul Kagame is accompanied by his family to cast his vote in

Rwanda’s capital Kigali on Friday, during a referendum, as Rwandans vote to amend its Constitution to

allow the President to seek a third term. – Reuters

MARKEWWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMS U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5B

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Deals signed to build $6.4b-Liwa plastics complex

Times News Service

MUSCAT: As many as 15 agree-ments, including four major en-gineering, procurement and con-struction (EPC) contracts, were signed by the Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Compa-ny (Orpic) with contracting firms and financial institutions to build and operate the prestigious $6.4 billion Liwa Plastics Industries Complex (LPIC) in Sohar.

Orpic signed the agreements to award four EPC packages worth $4.5 billion for the Liwa Plastics project to leading global contract-ing firms on Thursday at an event attended by ministers, undersec-retaries, members of council of Oman, Orpic’s board members and high-ranking officials from finan-cial institutions and leading global contracting firms.

The first EPC contract for build-ing a steam cracker and utilities was bagged by CB&I and the CTCI Corporation joint venture; the sec-ond one, for building a plastic unit, was won by Tecnimont; a third project for the NGL extraction unit was bagged by GS Engineer-ing and Construction and Mitsui joint venture and the fourth EPC contract for the NGL pipeline was won by Punj Lloyd.

The formal agreements were signed by Sultan bin Salim Al Hab-si, Orpic chairman of and Musab Al Mahruqi, Orpic chief executive officer (CEO), along with the CEOs and senior officials of the award-winning companies. Moreover, more than 20 local and interna-tional banks, financial institutions

and export credit agencies have committed to providing $3.8 bil-lion. Al Mahruqi said the success-ful proponents were selected due to the strength of their technical and financial bids. “Today marks an important milestone in the history for Orpic and LPIC with the signing of the EPC contracts

and finance agreements to cover a majority of the financing required for this project,” he added. “We are confident that once the plant com-missioning is completed in 2019, LPIC will change Orpic’s product mix by extracting more value from natural gas and crude oil,” said Al Mahruqi. >B4

Fifteen agreements,

including four

major engineering,

procurement

and construction

(EPC) contracts,

were signed. EPC

packages worth

$4.5b have been

awarded to global

contracting firms

Oman to privatise three firmsTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Oman will privatise three state-owned companies next year, according to a Reuters report, which quoted Finance Minister Darwish Al Balushi.

Gulf governments are expected to consider privatising state assets as they seek to raise cash at a time of lower oil prices, which have hit their revenues.

Oman posted a budget deficit of

OMR2.68 billion in the first eight months of this year, against a OMR205.7 million surplus a year earlier, because of lower oil ex-port prices.

Al Balushi early this year said the planned privatisation pro-gramme of a number of state-owned firms was under prepara-tion and would be carried out in the next three years, after getting necessary approvals.

Oman government has plans to

divest stakes in as many as eleven state-owned companies via ini-tial public offerings in an apparent move to spur stock market trading and pass on the benefits of cor-porate earnings to the nationals. Like in the previous divestment programmes, priorities will be at-tached to those companies that make profit. According to reports, Oman Oil Refineries and Petro-leum Industries is one of the com-panies identified for privatisation.

D I S I N V E S T M E N T

A. E. [email protected]

MUSCAT: Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic) has asked various contract-ing firms that won the mega Liwa Plastics Industries Complex to maintain a minimum in-country value (ICV) of 25 per cent, while awarding sub-contracts and procuring materials for building the mega project.

In-Country Value is the total expenditure retained within the country that can benefit business develop-ment, contribute to human capability and stimulate productivity in the Omani economy. “That is our target,” said HenkPauw, general man-ager of the Liwa Plastics Industries Complex. “There is a condition for in-country value, training and Omanisa-tion. We want 30 per cent Omanis. They (contracting firms) need to train at least 15 per cent to a good level.”

“This project will enhance the in-country value of products and will provide the necessary materials to grow the downstream sector in the Sultanate, with a focus on the plastics industry. LPIC will also enhance the contribution of the industri-al sector towards domestic production to 9 per cent by 2020 and will create more than 13,000 new employ-ment opportunities for Oma-nis,” said Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, chairman, Orpic.

“The feasibility study in-dicated that this project will

contribute approximately 2 to 3 per cent towards the Sultanate’s GDP, and will create nearly 1,000 direct employment opportuni-ties and more than 12,000 indirect job opportunities,” added Al Habsi.

Orpic currently employs around 2,000 people. An es-timated 1,235 additional jobs will be created by the growth projects between 2014 and 2018, of which 75 per cent will be Omanised.

The project, which will require up to 20,000 full-time equivalents during the construction phase, is expected to create more than 1,200 jobs in the local area, is on schedule for comple-tion in 2018 and commercial operation in 2019.

Pauw said the project will be partially funded by local banks, including Bank Muscat and BankDhofar. Re-ferring to the recent plunge in commodity prices and its impact on the project, Pauw said, “It is making it bit more difficult.”

However, he added that the price of petrochemi-cals and plastic products might increase when the Liwa Plastics project starts production in 2019. “We are expecting the prices to go up. The project still makes sense at the current oil price.”

Studies show that global demand for these materials will improve during the next five years by about 35 million tonnes. “There is a big mar-ket and there are not enough projects around at the mo-ment to meet the growing demand,” noted Pauw.

Contractors told to maintain 25 per cent in-country value

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Bank Muscat’s new mobile app to focus on innovation

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the leading financial services provid-er in the Sultanate, in line with its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and focus on innovation to provide a distinct banking experience, has launched an all-new, feature-rich mobile banking application, introducing unique new services and enhanc-ing existing services to do more banking from anywhere, anytime.

The new easy-to-use mBanking services include fund transfers across the world via the bank’s SWIFT network; speed transfer to the Philippines and Sri Lanka; mutual fund purchases; Zakat calculator and payments and charity payments.

The international fund transfer facility has a maximum daily limit of OMR2,500. For speed transfer to the Philippines and Sri Lan-ka, the maximum daily limit is OMR500.

The transaction limit for mu-tual fund purchases through Bank

Muscat Asset Management is OMR5,000 a day. Customers can make Zakat payment up to a maxi-mum of OMR2,500 a day and for charity payment, the maximum daily limit is OMR500. For each of these services, mBanking custom-ers are allowed up to five transac-tions a day.

With the introduction of the new mBanking app, the old app will cease to function and all mo-bile banking customers are re-quired to update the mobile app available on the IOS, Android and Blackberry stores.

The existing user names and passwords of mBanking custom-ers will remain valid and all data relating to beneficiaries regis-tered for payment transactions, including utility bill payment, will be available. Additionally, data relating to payment beneficiar-ies registered on internet bank-ing and branches will also be au-

tomatically reflected in the new mBanking app.

Winner of the coveted His Majesty Sultan Qaboos award for the Best Public eService, Bank Muscat’s mBanking is Oman’s preferred mobile banking service with more than 350,000 regis-tered customers.

Bill payments, top-upsInstant bill payments and top-ups for Omantel, Ooredoo and OIFC is another attraction of the new mBanking service. Customers will be able to check their outstanding bills and then make real time pay-ments for these billers.

Customers will also have the option to set up standing instruc-tions for future dated and recur-ring transactions on mobile bank-ing for most of the key services like bill payments, funds transfer and remittances.

The new non-financial mBank-

ing services include loan state-ments, loan calculator, request of statement through email, re-quest for changing email and mobile number, customer profile views and push notifications. For mBanking registration, custom-ers can provide a local as well as international mobile number.

Tariq Atiq, AGM - Cards & eBanking, said: “At Bank Muscat, we continuously strive to innovate to provide our customers with a rewarding banking experience with focus on convenience and security. mBanking has recorded massive success both in terms of usage and customer adoption since it was launched and we are delighted to add exciting elements to this service.”

“In keeping with the bank’s fo-cus to provide world class banking products and services, especially electronic services which spell convenience to customers, the new

mBanking service complements the government’s efforts in creat-ing a digital society. Bank Muscat enjoys an edge in hi-tech products and services and the new mBank-ing services further fulfill the banking requirements of a young, tech-savvy generation,” he added.

‘Anytime, anywhere’The ‘anytime, anywhere’ mBank-ing has made banking truly mo-bile for the largest banking fam-ily in Oman who can bank 24/7 ‘anytime, anywhere’. Notably, the mBanking application works on most of the mobile phones and is customised for iPhones, Black-berry, Android and Java based phones with simple icons and menus. The mBanking applica-tion is available in both English and Arabic.

The mBanking transaction limit for transfer of funds to other banks within Oman is OMR2,500 a day. The limit for transfer of funds within own accounts is OMR7,500 a day. The transac-tion limit for transfer of funds within Bank Muscat accounts is OMR5,000 a day while utility bill payments limit is OMR2,500 a day. The limit of speed transfer to India is OMR2,500 a day.

Robust security features have been built into the ‘trusted’ mBank-ing application. Data exchange from this application is encrypted based on best industry standards and dual factor authentication.

Driven by the latest technologi-cal features and offering a wide range of options, mBanking pre-sents a unique facility from Bank Muscat that lets customers bank at convenience from ‘anywhere, any-time’. For people constantly on the move, mBanking service is a boon.

Easy-to-use

mBanking services

include fund

transfers across the

world via the bank’s

SWIFT network,

speed transfer to

the Philippines and

Sri Lanka, mutual

fund purchases,

Zakat and charity

Panel discussion on investment in tourism sectorMUSCAT: Zubair Small En-terprises Centre will organ-ise a panel discussion on the opportunities available for entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, as part of ‘My Experi-ence’ series on Monday at Bait Al Zubair Museum. The session aims at identifying investment opportunities in the tourism sector for entre-preneurs of small businesses before implementation of the strategy. It will also inden-tify challenges faced by the owners of these institutions at the time of implementing their projects. Philip Giorgio, representative of the strategy of the Tourism Committee at the Ministry of Tourism will conduct the session and throw light on strategic features and procedures that will be followed by the minis-try in order to implement the strategy. It will also discuss projects to the private sector and the opportunities offered to entrepreneurs.

Export agency adopts credit limitsworth OMR2.25m MUSCAT: Export Credit Guarantee Agency of Oman (ECGA) conducted its seventh meeting, which was presided over by Said bin Saleh Al Kiyoumi, chairman of both Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) and ECGA. The ECGA board adopted sev-eral credit limits with a total value of OMR2,254,500. The share of the approved credit limits for domestic sales was OMR435,000 while the approved credit limits for Omani non-oil exports amounted to OMR1,819,500. The ECGA Board also ap-proved the renewal of credit policies for some insured exporters at Export Credit Guarantee Agency and the compensation of one policy holder at the agency against the loss of one of the buyers in Saudi Arabia. - ONA

B R I E F S

Exhibition on packaging to be held in FebruaryMUSCAT: Oman International Trade and Exhibitions will or-ganise the Oman Exhibition for Packaging and Material Handling on February 8 at the Oman Inter-national Exhibition Centre.

The three-day exhibition will give visitors an opportunity to meet top operators in the indus-trial field and identify the char-acteristics of the products of these companies, specialised in manufacturing and the provision

of corrugated paper, paperboard, boards and packaging.

150 trade delegatesA conference will bring together 150 trade delegates from various industrial sectors on the side-lines of the exhibition. It will highlight the current trends and major challenges faced by the packaging industry in the Sultan-ate, as well as the opportunities it presents, new innovations and

systems of modern automation in the field of material handling sector and logistics.

Tariq Ali, director-general of the Oman International Exhibi-tions and Trade said that the ex-hibition will witness the presence of well-known suppliers in pack-aging, in addition to companies working in the field of material handling, logistics solutions, stor-age and warehouses, stores and internal logistics companies.

He expects the packaging mar-ket in the Middle East and Africa (Mena) region to witness a sig-nificant growth between 2014 and 2019 at a compound rate of 5 per cent to $4.52 billion. He also said that the logistics sector is expect-ed to grow in Oman to more than $12 billion by the year 2017.

The Sultanate of Oman is seek-ing to turn into a main industrial and logistical hub at the level of the region and beyond. - ONA

T H R E E - D A Y E V E N T

US lifts four-decade-old ban on oil export limitsWASHINGTON: With the stroke of a pen, United States President Barack Obama has ended 40 years of US crude oil export limits by signing off on a repeal passed by Congress earlier in the day.

The restrictions lift under a provision in the spending and tax package that the President signed into law. Congressional leaders earlier in the week reached an agreement to end the trade re-strictions, established during US oil shortages in the 1970s, as part of a grand bargain that includes tax breaks for renewable-energy companies and refiners.

“I don’t doubt you’ll see some exports next year,” ConocoPhil-lips chief executive officer Ryan Lance said in a telephone inter-view after the Senate vote. “We’re pretty excited about it, but we’ve also got to get the infrastructure” in place.

Repeal of the crude-export re-strictions reverses four decades of a policy that has defined the na-tion’s relations with the rest of the world. Without the trade limits, the US — now the world’s largest oil and gas producer — is free to export its crude, as it already does with refined products including gasoline. The US Senate passed the bill with a vote of 65-33 after the House approved the measure 316-113 hours earlier.

Oil producers including Cono-

coPhillips and Continental Re-sources had lobbied in favour of repeal, which American Petro-leum Institute president Jack Gerard described in a statement as ‘a historic moment in our en-ergy renaissance’.

Foreign oil companiesWhile the law allows these and other producers to ship their crude abroad, it may also lure in-vestment to the US from foreign oil companies that want to be able to export oil for consumption in their home countries, according to Scot Anderson, global head of the energy natural resources group at law firm Hogan Lovells in Denver.

“I would suspect that it would make foreign direct investment

into the United States energy market more attractive,” he said in an interview. The firm rep-resents producers, refiners and midstream companies.

Some independent refiners, such as PBF Energy, said they may be harmed by an end to the crude-export restrictions. The spending bill contains a tax de-duction for those refiners to help blunt any potential negative im-pact on them. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said that when Congress returns from its recess in January, she may seek to provide additional assistance to some mid-Atlantic refiners who could be excluded from the tax benefit. “That’s some unfinished business that we have to do,” she said at a press confer-ence after Friday’s vote.

Environmental groups includ-ing the Sierra Club opposed end-ing the crude-export limits, say-ing that any increase in oil output would exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions. The bill is a “massive giveaway to Big Oil” while phas-ing out tax breaks for wind and solar producers, Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Demo-crat, said in a statement.

Repeal may not provide an im-mediate boost to US crude exports. A global oil-supply glut has pushed prices to their lowest levels in al-most seven years. - Bloomberg News

E X P O R T R E S T R I C T I O N S


KEY SERVICES International fund

transfer facility has a

maximum daily limit

of OMR2,500

Maximum daily

limit for speed transfer

to the Philippines and

Sri Lanka is OMR500

Transaction

limit for mutual

fund purchases is

OMR5,000 a day

Customers can

make Zakat payment

up to a maximum of

OMR2,500 a day

For charity payment,

the maximum daily

limit is OMR500

Barack Obama. – Bloomberg News

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MARKET

Bank assets in Oman rise 16% MUSCAT: Total assets of com-mercial banks increased by 15.7 per cent to OMR28.3 billion in October 2015 from OMR24.5 bil-lion a year ago. Of the total assets, credit disbursement accounted for 65 per cent and increased by 10.4 per cent as at the end of Oc-tober 2015 to OMR18.4 billion.

Credit to the private sector in-creased by 10.8 per cent to reach OMR16.0 billion as at the end of October 2015. Of the total credit to the private sector as at the end of October 2015, the share of the non-financial corporate sec-tor stood at 46.8 per cent, closely followed by the household sector (mainly under personal loans) at 45.2 per cent, financial corpora-tions at 5.4 per cent and other sec-tors the remaining 2.6 per cent.

Commercial banks’ overall in-vestments in securities declined by 12.5 per cent to OMR2.6 bil-lion as at the end of October 2015 from OMR3 billion a year ago.

The drop resulted mainly in bank’s investments in Central Bank of Oman’s (CBO) certifi-cates of deposits, which fell from OMR1.4 billion in October 2014 to zero in October 2015. Invest-ment in government develop-ment bonds, however, increased by 32.5 per cent over the year to OMR751.7 million at the end of October 2015.

Treasury billsBanks also invested OMR294.5 million in Government Treas-ury Bills as at the end of October 2015. Commercial banks’ invest-ments in foreign securities stood at OMR717.1 million in October 2015. Aggregate deposits held with commercial banks regis-tered an increase of 5.9 per cent to OMR18.2 billion in October 2015 from OMR17.1 billion a year ago.

Government deposits with commercial banks increased by 0.3 per cent to OMR5.1 billion. Deposits of public enterprises in-creased by 13.4 per cent to OMR1

billion during the same period. Private sector deposits, which constituted 64.9 per cent of total deposits with commercial banks, increased by 8.1 per cent to OMR11.8 billion in October 2015 from OMR10.9 billion a year ago.

Sector-wise, the share of house-holds was 49.6 per cent of the total private sector deposit base, fol-lowed by non-financial corpora-tions at 28.6 per cent, financial corporations at 19.1 per cent and other sectors at 2.7 per cent.

Islamic bankingIslamic banking entities pro-vided financing to the extent of OMR1.6 billion as at the end of October 2015 when compared to OMR0.95 billion a year ago. Total deposits held with Islamic banks and windows also registered a significant increase to OMR1.4 billion in October 2015 from OMR0.5 billion outstanding as at the end of October 2014. The total assets of Islamic banks and windows amounted to OMR2 bil-lion as at the end of October 2015, which constituted about 6.6 per cent of the banking system assets.

As at the end of October 2015, narrow money stock (M1) when measured on year-on-year basis, grew by 12.8 per cent to OMR5.3 billion. This rise was a result of increase in currency with the public by 7.7 per cent coupled with increase in demand deposits by 14.5 per cent.

Broad money supply stood at OMR14.9 billion at the end of October 2015, up from OMR13.3 billion a year ago, registering an increase of 11.6 per cent during the period. - ONA

B A N K I N G Sur water plant expansion to be finished by mid-2016

Times News Service

MUSCAT: As much as 70 per cent of the Sharqiyah Desalination Company’s water desalination project expansion in Sur is com-plete. The additional water capac-ity produced by the extension pro-ject is expected to be completed by mid-2016, said Veolia, the global leader in optimised resources management.

In January 2015, Oman’s Shar-qiyah Desalination Company had announced an agreement to ex-

pand the 80,000 cubic metres Sur desalination plant, which is 160km south west of Muscat.

With 70 per cent of the con-struction now complete, under the amended Water Purchase Agree-ment (WPA) with state-owned Oman Power and Water Procure-ment Company (OPWP), the Ve-olia-led company is adding 51,000 cubic metres to what is already one of the largest Independent Water Projects (IWP) in Oman.

The additional water capac-ity will help meet the projected demand for potable water in the Sharqiyah region. The total pro-duction of the plant is expected to

reach approximately 131,000 cu-bic metres per day and will enable the supply of drinking water to al-most 600,000 residents.

“A growing population, limited resources and increased require-ments for water have triggered an increased focus on water conser-vation in the Sultanate of Oman. The Sur plant has put much effort into reducing the environmental impact of the desalination process through energy recovery devices. We are pleased to witness the pro-gress of the plant extension. This project once again demonstrates Veolia’s strong commitment to-wards Oman,” said Xavier Joseph,

chief executive officer of Veolia Middle East.

Veolia, the global leader in opti-mised resources management, has also showcased the construction progress at the extension site of the Sur desalination plant in Oman. The project has achieved one mil-lion man-hours worked without injury and international skills be-ing brought on the project, includ-ing 600 people of 15 nationalities.

Sur, the world’s largest beach well reverse osmosis plant, today provides 350,000 inhabitants of the Sharqiyah region with clean drinking water. The reverse osmo-sis process, which forces high pres-sured water through a semi-per-meable membrane, separates salt, bacteria and other particles allow-ing clean water to filter through.

The Sur Desalination Plant was built by a consortium composed of OTV, a Veolia subsidiary and Bahwan Engineering Company in 2007 and is currently operated by Bahwan Veolia, which is a joint ven-ture between Bahwan and Veolia.

Total production of

the plant is expected

to reach 131,000

cubic metres per day

and will enable the

supply of drinking

water to almost

600,000 residents

POTABLE WATER PROJECT: Nearly 70 per cent of the Sharqiyah

Desalination Company’s expansion project for water desalination

in Sur is complete. – Supplied picture


ADVERTORIAL

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New Brazil finance minister promises 'fiscal discipline'BRASILIA: Brazil’s incoming Fi-nance Minister Nelson Barbosa has pledged to maintain fiscal discipline and sustain economic policies after financial markets hit new lows on the departure of Joaquim Levy.

Barbosa will be sworn in on Monday as finance minister, in-heriting a deepening economic crisis marred by political turmoil, eroding fiscal accounts and inves-tor scepticism.

The real extended losses in late-afternoon trading on Fri-day and the benchmark Ibovespa stock index closed at more than a six-year low, as investors fear Barbosa will adopt looser fiscal policy. Brazil’s risk perception, as measured by five-year credit-default swaps, rose to the highest level since September.

“Levy leaving is a clear nega-tive,” said Phillip Blackwood, man-aging partner at EM Quest Capital.

Barbosa now faces the daunting challenge of convincing investors and rating companies that he has the political support and personal conviction needed to shore up fiscal accounts. While Rousseff says she backs measures to raise taxes and cut spending, her allies are reluctant to tighten the belt amid surging unemployment and shrinking wages.

Speaking to reporters soon af-ter his new appointment, Barbosa said he would continue to push for the kind of austerity programs that Levy championed. But in a sign that he may be more willing than his predecessor to open purse strings, Barbosa said some industries could receive government subsidies.

Austerity planLevy had trouble persuading Con-gress and Rousseff’s cabinet to adopt large parts of his auster-ity plan, which he said was key to reviving investor confidence and

stimulating growth. He had threat-ened before to resign, raising con-cern that would lead to a credit downgrading.

On December 16, those con-cerns were obviated when Fitch Ratings cut Brazil’s credit rating to junk status, following Stand-ard & Poor’s, which in September removed the investment grade it awarded the country in 2008.

Analysts said Barbosa is associ-ated with less fiscal discipline and enjoys Rousseff’s support for a lower budget surplus before inter-est payments.

“I’m not saying Barbosa will be fiscally irresponsible, but prob-ably he does not have the keen sense of urgency that the authori-ties need to turn around the fiscal very quickly,” Alberto Ramos, chief Latin America economist at Gold-

man Sachs Group Inc, said before the formal announcement of the cabinet change. Barbosa tried to dispel that view on Friday.

“Today our biggest challenge is fiscal, which is totally up to the Brazilian government to solve,” he told reporters. “We’re focused on resolving our current problems.”

Levy’s departureLevy’s departure crowns a dra-matic set of events in recent months for Latin America’s larg-est economy, including the start of impeachment proceedings against Rousseff and the arrest of high-level corporate executives in its largest corruption scandal ever. The country, once a darling of Wall Street with more than seven per-cent annual growth, has been un-able to get back on its feet.

Gross domestic product will shrink 3.5 per cent this year and 2.5 per cent next, marking Brazil’s longest recession since the Great Depression, according to analysts. Unemployment will continue to rise through at least 2017 and in-flation will persist above the gov-ernment’s target of 4.5 per cent, according to their forecasts.

Many investors are now asking themselves whether Barbosa can steer Brazil out of the recession when Levy, an experienced, Uni-versity of Chicago-trained econo-mist, could not. With Rousseff’s disapproval rating at a record high and Congress rattled by scandals and impeachment proceedings, the challenge is as political as it is economic. Levy succeeded in win-ning congressional approval for some tax increases. - Bloomberg News

E C O N O M Y

Orpic contributes 5 per cent

to the Sultanate's economy

Being located in Sohar as part of an integrated complex that also houses the Sohar refinery, aro-matics plant, polypropylene and steam cracker unit for LPIC, Orpic operations will be one of the most integrated refinery and petrochemical operations in the world and will enable the com-pany to extract the maximum value from Oman’s oil and gas,” Al Mahruqi added.

An independent socio-eco-nomic impact study was com-missioned by Orpic to ascertain Orpic’s current total impact across gross domestic product (GDP), employment creation, and trade surplus, to identify op-portunities for further improve-ment and forecast the impact on the commissioning of strategic growth projects.

Contribution to GDPIn terms of GDP, Orpic currently contributes on average $4.2 bil-lion per year to Oman’s GDP, which is equivalent to 5 per cent of the total annual GDP. Upon the commissioning of all growth projects, this number is forecast to increase to $6.5 billion per year for Oman’s economy.

“Studies show that global de-mand for these materials will in-crease during the next five years by about 35 million tonnes. The company currently produces 200,000 tonnes of polypropylene and it is expected that after the commissioning of this project, production of both materials will increase to 1.4 million tonnes an-nually,” said the Orpic chairman.

LPIC has played a strategically important role in the integration of Orpic’s refinery and petro-chemical operations.

LPIC will enable Orpic to uti-lise the existing products of the refineries and the aromatic plant, which are currently being ex-

ported as feedstock for LPIC, in addition to Natural Gas Liquids leading to producing high value products that will help Orpic dou-ble its profits.

This project will also enhance the downstream sector in Oman as it will produce, for the first time, 880,000 tonnes of polypro-pylene and polyethylene, which rates highest in terms of demand in the global market, and is used in 40 per cent of all applications of plastics.

Polypropylene productionThe project will produce ap-proximately 300,000 tonnes of polypropylene, which is consid-ered the fastest growing plastic in the world and among the first in terms of global usage and de-mand. The project is connected to the existing industries in Sohar Industrial Port, and will contrib-ute towards increasing fuels pro-duction in Orpic’s Sohar refinery and aromatics plant by about 232,000 tonnes annually.

With the highly integrated complex in Sohar, including the refineries, aromatics plant, steam cracker and the downstream poly-propylene and polyethylene plants, the operation will be one of the best integrated refinery and pet-rochemical facility combinations in the world, and will be able to achieve the maximum value-added for Oman’s hydrocarbon molecule.

Revenue growthUpon commissioning in 2019,

the Liwa Plastics Industries Complex will transform Orpic’s product mix and business model, double company profit, create new business opportunities, gen-erate significant employment opportunities and support the development of the downstream plastics industry in Oman.

Following commissioning, plastics production is forecast

to have increased by more than one million tonnes, giving Orpic a total of 1.4 million tonnes of polyethylene and polypropylene production.

With the global market for plas-tics growing, the Liwa Plastics Industries Complex will firmly reinforce Orpic as a recognised player in the international petro-chemicals marketplace — enabling Oman, for the first time, to produce polyethylene, the form of plastic that rates highest in terms of global demand and increase the current production of polypropylene.

The Liwa Plastics Industries Complex consists of a gas extrac-tion plant in Fahud, a 300-kilo-metre pipeline from Fahud to Sohar, a steam cracker plant and a polymers plant in the Sohar In-dustrial area. The steam cracker plant will process light ends pro-duced in Orpic’s plants in Sohar, as well as rich gas received from the Fahud plant.

Project finance The overall cost of the project is estimated to be $6.4 billion and international financial institu-tions will finance 60 per cent of the cost of the project. The com-pany has obtained loans from lo-cal banks to finance its contribu-tion towards the project, which is 20 per cent of the overall cost of the project. The remaining cost (approximately 20 per cent) will be financed by the government and the Oman Oil Company.

LPIC is one of three strategic growth projects being delivered by Orpic, namely the Sohar Re-finery Improvement Project, the Muscat-Sohar Pipeline and the Al Jifnain Terminal.

These projects will cement Orpic’s position as a market lead-er in the Sultanate of Oman, the Middle East and the international oil and gas sector.

L I W A P L A S T I C S P R O J E C T

SEALING THE DEAL: The agreements were signed by Darwish bin Islamil Al Balushi, Minister

Responsible for Financial Affairs, Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, chairman of Orpic, and Musab Al

Mahruqi, CEO of Orpic, along with top officials of the award-winning companies. - JUN ESTRADA/Times of Oman.

< FROM

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Real estate tax eased on foreign investors in US

SEATTLE: United States Presi-dent Barack Obama signed into law a measure easing a 35-year-old tax on foreign investment in US real estate, potentially opening the door to greater purchases by over-seas investors, a major source of capital since the financial crisis.

Contained in the $1.1 trillion spending measure that was passed to avoid a government shutdown is a provision that treats foreign pen-sion funds the same as their US counterparts for real estate invest-ments. The provision waives the tax imposed on such investors un-der the 1980 Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, known as FIRPTA.

“FIRPTA has historically made direct investment in US property a non-starter for trillions of dollars worth of foreign pensions,” said James Corl, a managing director at

private equity firm Siguler Guff & Company. “This tax-law modifica-tion is a game changer” that could result in hundreds of billions of new capital flows into US real estate.

Foreign investors have flocked to US real estate since the global economic meltdown, drawn by the relative yields and perceived safe-ty of assets from office towers and shopping centres to apartments and warehouses.

The demand has helped drive commercial real estate prices to record highs. Many foreign inves-tors structured their purchases to make themselves minority inves-tors and bypass FIRPTA.

REIT purchasesThe new law also allows foreign pensions to buy as much as 10 per cent of a US publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT) without triggering FIRPTA liabil-ity, up from 5 per cent previously.

“By breaking down outdated tax barriers to inbound investment, the FIRPTA relief will help mobi-lize private capital for real estate and infrastructure projects,” Jef-frey DeBoer, president and chief executive officer of the Real Estate Roundtable, an industry lobbying

group, said in a statement.Cross-border investment in US

real estate has totaled about $78.4 billion this year, or 16 per cent of the total $483 billion investment in US property, according to Real Capital Analytics. Pension funds accounted for about $7.5 billion, or almost 10 per cent, of the foreign total, according to the New York-based property research firm.

“Foreign pensions are such a low percentage of foreign invest-ment in US real estate because of FIRPTA,” Corl said.

Investment surgesForeign investment has surged from just $4.7 billion in 2009, ac-cording to Real Capital. Foreign buying this year as a percentage of total investment in US real estate is about double the 8.1 per cent av-erage in the 10 years through 2012.

Despite a perception that FIRP-TA was a response to the wave of Japanese buying of trophy US property in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Rockefeller Center and Pebble Beach, the act was actually passed in 1980 in re-sponse to international investors buying US farmland. Under old rules, foreign majority sellers had to pay 10 per cent of gross proceeds from the sale of US real estate as well as additional federal, state and local levies that could increase the total tax burden to as much as 60 per cent, according to the Na-tional Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. - Bloomberg News

The 35-year-old tax-

law modification on

foreign investment

potentially opens

the door to greater

purchases by

overseas investors,

a major source of

capital since the

financial crisis


Nelson Barbosa. – AFP


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Liali Jewellers to open new outlets in Oman

MUSCAT: Revealing a significant growth route to launch its first phase of expansion plans in the GCC, Liali, region’s favourite jew-ellery brand in designer gold and diamond, announced the opening of three new outlets in Oman.

Poised for a glittering future, Liali’s newest showrooms will be situated at Muscat City Centre, Oman Avenues Mall and Qurum City Centre; which are easily ac-

cessible to a large number of con-sumer bases in Muscat, says a press release.

The locations were chosen bearing in mind proximity and the growing demand for customised designer jewellery to burgeoning markets. All the showrooms will retail and have on display Liali’s signature fancies that include Love Bands, the ‘Midnight Rose Collection’, and ‘Memories’ along

with retailing of solitaires with IGI certification.

Built on the fundamentals of customer education, superior quality, exquisite craftsmanship and fair and transparent pricing, brand Liali intends to take forward it’s 16 years old legacy to serve trend-savvy consumers in the Sul-tanate of Oman.

Anuraag Sinha, MD of Liali jew-ellery said, “After complementing the different tastes of jewellery connoisseurs in the UAE, we feel encouraged and reckon ample growth opportunity in Oman. While the consumers devour aes-thetics and designer-brilliance in customised jewels and orna-ments, the region will also serve as an inspiration for new designs to bring about innovation in our future collections.”

Spread across 76 sq. m in Mus-cat City Centre, 68 sq. m in Oman

Avenues Mall and 56 sq. m in Qu-rum City Centre, all the show-rooms have been designed and furnished to attain continuity in branding just as Liali’s showrooms in the UAE.

The operations in Oman are headed by Rajesh Govindan, coun-try manager for Liali Oman who brings over 24 years of experience in the Oman jewellery fraternity.

Poised for a glittering future, Liali’s newest

showrooms will be located at Muscat City

Centre, Oman Avenues Mall and Qurum

City Centre

Sports Day held at ISWKMUSCAT: The 23rd annual ath-letic meet and PT display of Indian School Al Wadi Al Kabir (ISWK) showcased the school’s incompa-rability in the field of quality edu-cation pushed far beyond reading, writing and arithmetic.

The chief guest for the pro-gramme Redha Taqi Al Lawati, the secretary general of Oman Hockey Association, who is a vis-ual representation of Indo-Oman amity by means of popularising hockey, and the guest of honour Saiyed Ali Sibtain Naqvi, special consultant with Oman Hockey Association were welcomed by the president of the School Man-agement Committee, Harshendu Shah, other distinguished mem-bers of the SMC, Principal D. N. Rao and student Scouts and Guides of Classes VI to VIII, says a press release.

As soon as the daylight started dimming the ISWK Torch Run

led by Sudharshan Bala and other athletes brought back the bright-ness. Then appeared the testi-mony to ISWK’s vim and vigour – the March Past commanded by the Head Boy Ashwin Titus and Head Girl Mamata Gopinathan and followed by contingents rep-resenting all the four houses of students – Akbar, Ashoka, Tagore and Vivekananda.

The chief guest acknowledged the salutes heralded by the Guard of Honour. The head girl then addressed the august audience welcoming them at the heart of ISWK. The meet was declared open by the chief guest.

The best Marching House Tro-phy was won by Tagore House. The Tagore house bagged the Champion’s trophy. The runner-up position was won by the Asho-ka house. Vote of thanks was pro-posed by the Deputy Head Girl, Disha Suresh.

S P E C T A C U L A R D A Y

Mistal celebrates IWC Schaffhausen’s victory MUSCAT: For the second con-secutive time, the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team has taken the Formula One Construc-tors’ World Championship.

IWC Schaffhausen who has been official engineering partner of the Mercedes racing team since 2013 offered its warmest con-gratulations on this fantastic team achievement. As official dealers in Oman of this much esteemed and internationally revered name, Mistal is proud of IWC Schaff-hausen’s successful associations, says a press release.

Keeping par with their elegance, class and aristocracy, Mistal, a part of the Ajit Khimji Group, is the sole distributor of this much acclaimed name. Mistal has introduced to Oman the finest collection of luxu-ry watches and jewellery from the world over.

The showrooms radiate an aura of nobility and it’s tastefully deco-rated interiors speak of a distinct style of the elite.

“This exclusive watchmaker that has been writing history since generations, IWC Schaffhausen has strong partnerships that have always carried its name forward with great pride,” said Dharmesh Ajit Khimji, “As local partners, it is indeed an honor to have such close associations with this highly ven-erated brand.”

Brand ambassador, Lewis Ham-ilton, like last year, dominated the season to emerge undisputed Formula One world champion and Nico Rosberg’s outstanding performance throughout the year

brought him to the second place on the podium. To mark the partner-ship between IWC and Mercedes AMG, in 2005, IWC unveiled two Ingenieur models in titanium. They underline the values of pre-cision, performance and engineer-ing expertise, shared by both the technology specialists in Schaff-hausen and Affalterbach.

Further, bringing the two names closer, the completely redesigned Ingenieur watch collection for 2013 was created entirely with the cooperation of the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team. IWC Schaffhausen created some excep-

tional designs, drawing inspiration from the range of materials used in Formula One.

With a clear focus on technology and development, the Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen has been producing watches of lasting value since 1868.

The company has gained an in-ternational reputation based on a passion for innovative solutions and technical ingenuity. One of the world’s leading brands in the luxury watch segment, IWC crafts masterpieces of Haute Horlogerie at its finest, combining supreme precision with exclusive design.

F O R M U L A O N E C H A M P I O N S H I P

Zubair SEC participates at SAF Entrepreneurship ExhibitionMUSCAT: Zubair Small Enter-prises Centre (Zubair SEC) took part at the Entrepreneurship Exhibition organised by the Sul-tan Armed Forces (SAF) held in Al-Bandar Military Commercial Complex in cooperation with the SMEs Development Fund, under the patronage of Mohammed bin Nasser Al Rasbi, secretary-gen-eral at the Ministry of Defence, in the presence of Lieutenant-General Ahmed bin Harith Al Nabhani, chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.

Zubair SEC presented through its stand the various services and programmes offered by the centre to its members; entrepreneurs and owners of small enterprises, says a press release.

The Ministry of Defence organ-ised this exhibition mainly for the Sultan Armed Forces retirees and those about to retire, in addition to members of the general public interested in entrepreneurship. The exhibition received a high number of visitors interested in the services provided by the various institutions and major organisations supporting entre-preneurs and owners of small en-terprises in the Sultanate.

The exhibition is one of the endeavours of the Sultan Armed Forces to support entrepreneur-ship and promote awareness of the self-employment culture among retirees and members of the Armed Forces.

Zubair SEC participated in the exhibition along with 25 public and private sector organisations supporting entrepreneurship.

The centre presented to its visi-tors and entrepreneurs the op-portunities and services it offers for entrepreneurs to start and sustain their projects, as well as the competitive programmes it runs on annual bases, such as the Direct Support Programme.

The exhibition concentrated on encouraging the Sultan Armed Forces retirees and those about to retire to enter the field of en-trepreneurship and launch their own small projects.

The main aim is to offer entre-preneurs an opportunity to con-tinue investing their time and extensive experiences to enhance the sustainability of the national economy of the Sultanate, and se-cure a stable income for them and their families through establish-ing their own businesses.

Lina Hussein, head of Com-munication & Social Impact at Zubair SEC, said: “Zubair SEC participation in this exhibition falls within our efforts to promote the culture of entrepreneurship and raise further public aware-ness of the importance of small

and medium enterprises as piv-otal in achieving sustainable de-velopment and a sector that is perceived as one of the key pillars of national economy. Our partici-pation at this exhibition serves as a unique opportunity to exhibit Zubair SEC’s various services in-cluding specialised advisory and guidance, business development opportunities, empowerment and many other benefits.”

Zubair SEC is one of the ini-tiatives which emanated from The Zubair Corporation’s Social Responsibility strategic vision towards the Omani society. The vision reflects the corporation’s belief in the importance of small enterprises in enhancing the na-tional economy and contributing to sustainable socio-economic de-velopment. The centre comprises a team of socially engaged and business savvy advisors who put all effort to contribute to leverag-ing the Omani community through equipping and enabling entrepre-neurs and start-ups to grow with their businesses in a sustainable and responsible manner.

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

Indian School Sohar celebrates 31st annual day in styleMUSCAT: Indian School Sohar celebrated its 31st Annual Day re-cently. On the first day, Neelima Vyas, chief operating officer, Sohar Free Zone attended the occasion as chief guest and Asha Shakrani, founder principal, Indian School Sohar was the Guest of Honour.

The grand celebration contin-ued on to the second day with In-dra Mani Pandey, ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman attending the occasion as the chief guest and Sheikh Kanaksi Khimji, as the Guest of Honour. Kiran Asher, vice-chairman, BOD Indian schools in the Sultanate, the mem-bers of the School Managing Com-mittee and other distinguished guests were also present, says a press release.

More than 400 students dressed in colourful attire staged various performances under the insightful stewardship of the principal and

teachers. All the luminaries were accorded a floral welcome by the council members. Head Boy Pra-teek Prabhu delivered the welcome note. Sunil Sharma, member, SMC welcomed the august gathering.

Speaking on the occasion, Prin-cipal Sanchita Verma said, “The school turned on one more leaf in the calendar of events with the resonance of assiduousness and accomplishments in the colossal field of education, when another eventful academic year is reaching its culmination.”

The evening witnessed a rain-bow of cultural wonders of music and dance. The students instilled the spirit of patriotism with the presentation of a dance drama, portraying the saga of sacrifice and courage of Queen of Jhansi. The English skit The Dear Departed highlighted the message that we must show love and concern for the

elderly in our families. The grand sets prepared especially for these programme awed the audience.

Through the Arabic dance the students extended their heartfelt and earnest felicitations to the be-nevolent ruler His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the hospita-ble people of Oman on the occa-sion of the 45th National Day.

Garba, a leading folk dance of Gujarat, Gof-Raas - an exotic confluence of colourful cultural

strands left the audiences awe-struck with their talent and skill. TerahTaal - Rajasthani folk dance, where the students swirled to the rhythms of the Manjiras, the op-tical illusion dance, the Haryanvi dance, Nasa presentation, were the highlights among many others.

The Formation Dance: ‘A Page From A Student’s Diary’ staged by the boys was another inspiring and refreshing addition to the evening. A perfect blend of synchronised

movements, fabulous formations and a heart-touching theme con-veying a powerful message of an angel helping the kids for their ed-ucation. Another formation dance, Jhanda Unchaa Rahe Hamara, in-stilled values of love, sacrifice, hu-mility, along with patriotic feeling for our motherland.

The school choir enthralled the audience with their melodious notes on both the days presenting the Ragas, some famous Bolly-wood numbers reflecting different moods and styles based on Raag Yaman and Kalyan and some patri-otic numbers. The school band ac-companying the choir was highly appreciated by all.

The grand finale, a Kathak dance recital Jal Sanjhi portrayed grace and an expression, which contin-ues to stun its audience since the Mughal Era, was truly mesmeris-sing. The students performed all

the different forms of Kathak in water presenting the evolution of elements in the cosmos and the importance of Jal or water among the elements. The audience was astonished when it actually rained on the stage.

Sanchita presented the annual report highlighting the achieve-ments of the school throughout the year through a power point pres-entation. Meritorious students in academics from Classes VI to XII were felicitated. As many as 65 subject-toppers of Class XII and 13 students of Class X with a CGPA of perfect 10 were presented with gold coins.

Archana C. M. who made her Alma Mater proud by not only at-taining first position in the school but also among all the Indian schools in the Sultanate of Oman, with 98.2 per cent marks was awarded a tro-phy and merit certificate.

G R A N D C E L E B R A T I O N

B6 S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

ROUND-UPNew Kia Cerato now comes with cash gift

MUSCAT: Cruising past public places, there’s a great chance that speeches of silence will fill the air.

Welcoming with avid glances the stylish and well-designed Kia Cerato. And those yearning to get their hands on a Cerato couldn’t really wish for a better opportunity than this.

Customers looking to own a Kia Cerato 4 Door can choose any one option and enjoy either a cash gift of OMR1,000 or a service package for 30,000km / 18 months (which-ever is earlier) and insurance of 1 year (Oman only) and a cash gift of OMR650. There also is an at-

tractive offer on 14YM Cerato 4-door sedan that is a cash gift of OMR1,100 or 1 year insurance, five years/100,000km service (which-ever is earlier) and a cash gift of OMR400, says a press release.

Regarding this scheme, the Kia spokesperson said, “The cash gift offers flexibility to meet payment commitments towards vehicle financing, which is why we are offering it to our customers. But, the time to hurry is now, since the scheme will end by December 24.”

The 3rd generation Kia Cerato is designed by Kia’s Chief Design Officer, Peter Schreyer to provide the maximum cabin space, shoul-der and legroom space in its cat-egory. Premium additions on the new Cerato include LED daytime running lights, touchscreen audio with camera, steering controls - audio, cruise, bluetooth, paddle shifter, trip computer, front and rear parking sensors, power driver lumbar support and rear A/C vents (which is usually seen in higher

segment cars). Kia’s new Flex Steer system provides three dif-ferent settings for the steering to match customer preference with normal, sport and com-fort modes. The effort required to turn the wheel varies with mode, but the gearing remains the same. Comfort mode is ideal for city driving whereas normal and sports are suitable for high speeds and long drives.

The ergonomically designed driver space makes every drive truly comfortable and stress-free. A multi-function 4-spoke steering wheel offers precise fingertip con-trol, together with class-leading comfort. Taking centre-stage is a hi-tech supervision cluster that displays a comprehensive range of vehicle information such as ser-vice interval reminders, welcome light, etc. The Touchscreen Audio unit, with large central LCD dis-play provides easy through finger touch menu changes in audio and bluetooth modes. It offers stun-

ning visibility and features a rear view camera.

Other important features in-clude front fog lamps, cruise con-trol, central locking, electric rear windows and driver’s seat height adjustment, 60/40 split folding rear seat backrest, twin tweeter speakers; and adjustable rear seat air vents. In Oman, Cerato cus-tomers enjoy a choice of two gaso-line engines – Kia’s 160 HP 2.0-li-tre ‘Nu’ engine and the popular 129 HP 1.6-litre ‘Gamma’ engine. These high performance engines produce the highest horsepower in this class.

The new Cerato has earned the highest crash safety rankings from international safety bodies such as National Highway Traffic Safety Administration & IIHS.

Customers eager to experience the Kia Cerato are encouraged to visit any Kia showroom at their con-venience. Kia Cerato is equipped with some dealer installed non-Kia accessories to enhance its looks, feel and functionality. Customers are welcome to get the full details by visiting a Kia showroom.

Reliable International Automo-tive (RIA), the distributor for Kia in Oman provides a rewarding ownership experience for custom-ers. Excellent product attributes and unmatched facilities easily ensure their absolute satisfaction, every mile of the way. No wonder then that Reliable International Automotive has been ranked amongst the top Kia distributors worldwide and has been honoured with prestigious accolades includ-ing the ‘Good Partnership award, ‘Family Like Care’ Service award’, and ‘Kia ‘Distributor of Distinc-tion’ award.

Customers looking

to own a Kia Cerato

4 Door can choose

any one option and

enjoy either a cash

gift of OMR1,000 or a

service package for

30,000km/18 months

(whichever is earlier)

and insurance of one

year (Oman only)

plus a cash gift of

OMR650

Qatar Airways expands network in South AfricaDOHA: Qatar Airways launched new services between Doha and Durban on Thursday, offering passengers the opportunity to ex-perience another idyllic subtropi-cal destination.

The four-times-weekly service to Durban further complements the airline’s existing daily flights to Cape Town and double daily flights to Johannesburg, and is an expan-sion of the airline’s operations in South Africa. Travellers can now choose from a total of 21 flights a week to South Africa from Qatar Airways’ hub Hamad Internation-al Airport, says a press release.

Visitors to Durban — South Africa’s third largest city — will appreciate its subtropical cli-mate, culturally diverse popula-tion and the variety of outdoor activities. Known for its beauti-ful beaches and warm seas, the city enjoys 300-plus days of sun-shine during the year, ideal for surfing and shopping at its vari-ous outdoor markets.

Qatar and South Africa have a very strong trade relationship, fur-ther strengthened by Durban’s sig-nificant economic growth which has been bolstered by a number of multinational companies recently building their presence in the city. Qatar Airways’ new route will help to meet a growing demand from passengers seeking business and leisure trips to Durban and will better serve travellers from South Africa who are seeking greater connections to the Middle East, Europe, United States, Asia Pacific and South Asia.

“Qatar is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners in the

Middle East and we are proud to strengthen this business relation-ship with the launch of our new route connecting Durban directly to Doha.

“With its excellent aviation in-frastructure and the development of the Dube Trade Port, we expect the number of business and em-ployment opportunities in Durban to increase,” said Akbar Al Baker, group chief executive, Qatar Air-ways, who travelled on board the inaugural Qatar Airways Boeing 787-Dreamliner on Thursday.

“Durban’s prestige is recog-nised by the world-class events it has been chosen to host, further reinforcing the city’s strong and vibrant future as a global tourism destination,” added Al Baker.

Both Doha and Durban will each host major global events in 2022. Doha will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and during the

same year, Durban will host the XXII Common Wealth Games.

Passengers to and from Durban will have the opportunity to en-joy award-winning Business and Economy Class service while trav-elling on a Qatar Airways Boeing 787, including up to 2,000 films, music titles and TV shows on Oryx One, the airline’s world-class in-flight entertainment system. One of the newest aircraft in the Qatar Airways fleet, the Boeing 787, also known as the Dreamliner, accom-modates 254 seats configured in two classes.

The new passenger service will complement Qatar Airways’ exist-ing freighter services to Johan-nesburg. Qatar Airways Cargo, the world’s third largest cargo carrier, has been an active player in the de-velopment of the South African ex-port business by connecting it with worldwide markets, via Doha.

F O U R - T I M E S - W E E K L Y S E R V I C E

Qatar is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners in the Middle East and we are proud to strengthen this business relationship with the launch of our new route connecting Durban directly to Doha

Akbar Al BakerGroup chief executive, Qatar Airways

Oman Quarries welcomes University of Nizwa studentsMUSCAT: Oman Quarries, one of the largest limestone and do-lomite mountain crushers in the Sultanate of Oman, welcomed students of management ac-counting from University of Ni-zwa at its manufacturing plant in Al Beir/Al Jaylah (Wilayat of Sa-mail) recently.

A total of 28 students were ac-companied with Dr Kaneez Fathi-ma. The visit aimed at providing a broader understanding of the business operations in the min-ing industry and linking business theories with real world situa-tions, says a press release.

The programme consisted of lectures by managers and exec-utives of various departments followed by the question-an-swer session.

Quarry tour was also arranged aimed at highlighting the costing procedures that are implement-ed by the industry, importance of managerial decision making, marketing, logistics and crisis management.

The lectures were taken by

Mumtaz Alam, head of Opera-tions, Amro Al Sholi, finance man-ager, Irfan Ali Khan, head, Sales & Marketing and Mir Mohammed, executive, Market Intelligence.

On behalf of the Dean of Uni-versity of Nizwa, Dr. Ahmed Al Kindi, Fatima expressed their sincere gratitude and thanks for taking initiatives such as these.

Furthermore Fatima expressed her views at the end of the visit, “I express sincere thanks to Oman Quarries team for taking such initiatives, and to welcome such type of visits as it is not only ben-eficial to the students but is also seen as a collaboration between

the education and industrial sec-tors in motivating students who would like to work in the mining industry and establish businesses themselves in the future.”

Sheikh Moosa Ali Ahmed Al Hooqani, general manager of Oman Quarries, welcomed the students and said, “At Oman Quarries, we are always glad to welcome students at our facil-ity to learn about the industry. Knowledge is the key to success for the youth, and the youth are the future of our county. It was a wonderful experience to have these students to be a part of our company for a day.”

E D U C A T I O N A L T O U R

Senior specialist in OBG, reproductive medicine joins Al Hayat InternationalMUSCAT: Al Hayat Interna-tional Hospital, Al Ghubra wel-comed Dr Geetha C. Haripriya who offers excellent obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive medicine services.

Dr Geetha received the Blue Ring Award from the Interna-tional Diabetic Federation for her work in the field of Fertility and Diabetes. She was awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ Award by GOAL Committee in collabo-ration with Harvard University in 2010. She was also honoured with a prestigious award by the Government of Tamil Nadu for being the Best Performing Doctor in 2013 as well as 2014.

She has been the recipient of an award from the state government of Tamil Nadu for meritorious service in the field of Medicine in 2014. At a recently concluded function in Delhi, Dr Geetha Haripriya received an award for ‘IVF Centre for International Excellence’ from IIMTC, says a press release.

On an academic perspective, she has delivered several lectures in national forums and conduct-ed several workshops in repro-ductive medicine. She constantly updates herself with the latest trends in assisted reproduction by participating in national and international conferences.

Dr Geetha has performed more than 40,000 procedures in as-sisted reproduction and has de-livered more than 27,000 babies from assisted reproductive tech-niques. She has performed more

than 45,000 laparoscopic and hysteroscopic procedures suc-cessfully. She has delivered close to 3,000 babies for couples from Sri Lanka and has many patients coming from all over the world.

Al Hayat offers obstetric ser-vices ranging from pre-concep-tion counselling, prenatal care, family-based labour and delivery care to evaluation and diagnostic services for complex obstetri-cal patients. They also provide a wide array of gynaecological and women’s health services in-cluding contraceptive technolo-gies, diagnosis and treatment for STD’s and abnormal pap smears, annual gynaecological exams and hormone replacement ther-apy. Diagnostic procedures and treatments such as colposcopy, cryotherapy, LEEP, endometrial biopsy, hysterocopy, endometrial abalation and traditional surger-ies such as hysterectomy, ovarian surgeries, laparotomy and tubal ligation are also provided.

Al Hayat also had a laparo-scopic surgeon, who is an expert performing laparoscopic hyster-ectomies and ovarian surgeries.

Dr K. P. Raman, chairman, Al Hayat International Hospital said, “The demand for our gy-naecology services has resulted in the expansion of our gynae-cology department. It is our con-stant endeavour to make avail-able the most modern facilities to our patients.”

Dr Geetha will be available today for free consultation from 9am to 9pm.

H E A L T H C A R E


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GMC Terrain comes with exciting benefits

MUSCAT: Well appointed, pow-erful, refined, practical and can make heads turn – GMC Terrain has been referred by all these ad-jectives and more. The compre-hensive package that the Terrain offers is worth a lot more than the cost price to it.

To get it even more with the reach, Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan & Sons is offering limited models of the 2015 Terrain at an unbeatable offer of OMR9,995 along with additional benefits that include extended warranty for five years, OMR100 shopping vouch-ers and free registration for a year, says a press release.

Ranked highest in its segment in the 2015 J.D. Power Vehicle De-pendability Study that tracks vehi-cles in the third year of ownership,

Terrain has cemented its position based on an extensive roster of in-terior and exterior features.

2016 Terrain features power and efficiency highlighted by the standard Ecotec 2.4 litre, four-cyl-inder engine with direct injection and camshaft phasing to optimise performance and fuel efficiency. It is also available in 3.6 litre V-6 engine with direct injection and continuously variable valve timing and is SAE certified at 301 horse-power and 369 Nm of torque. Re-mote start with remote cooling is a feature available on 3.6 litre model that has been a high point with the customers, especially during the peak summer months.

Terrain is offered in SLE and SLT trim levels. All models in-

clude an array of passive and ac-tive safety features as standard including, but not limited to; four-wheel disc brakes with Stabili-Trak electronic stability control and traction control, six air bags and rear-view camera.

Smart featuresThe spacious interior of the GMC Terrain is complemented with the user friendly and feature rich IntelliLink infotainment system. IntelliLink uses Bluetooth or USB to connect the driver smart-phone to Terrain’s new seven-inch, high-resolution, full-colour touch screen display radio. Intel-liLink allows smartphone control via voice activation and steering wheel-mounted controls as well

as streaming stereo audio from the phone. Most importantly, Intel-liLink enables seamless integra-tion of stowed portable devices with Terrain’s infotainment sys-tem, allowing minimum driver distractions.

“Highly popular in the compact crossover segment, the current price of the GMC Terrain has made it even more favoured. A winning combination of styling, utility and efficiency, the vehicle offers many additional reasons to be behind the wheel,” stated Virendra Agarwal, CEO Moosa Abdul Rahman Has-san & Co, exclusive distributors of GMC vehicles in the Sultanate of Oman with branches and a service network that covers all major loca-tions across Oman.

Moosa Abdul

Rahman Hassan

& Sons is offering

limited models of the

2015 Terrain at an

unbeatable offer of

OMR9,995 along with

additional benefits

HSBC Bank named

‘Best Domestic Cash

Management Bank’

MUSCAT: HSBC Bank Oman has been voted as the ‘Best Do-mestic Cash Management Bank’ in the Sultanate for the fourth consecutive year by the glob-ally acclaimed Euromoney Cash Management Survey 2015.

It was praised for the effective coordination of its payments and cash management services in both corporate and financial in-stitutions categories, with survey responses highlighting the bank’s ability to establish strong client relationships through continued delivery of efficient and high qual-ity solutions, says a press release.

The local recognition of HSBC Bank Oman was complemented by other HSBC successes in Asia, Middle East and Australa-sia. In total, HSBC Group was named as ‘Best Domestic Cash Management Bank’ in 29 coun-tries worldwide. Euromoney’s 15th Annual Cash Management Survey provides cash managers, treasurers and financial officers with the opportunity to comment on the standard of the interna-tional cash management services they receive and rate the financial institutions they bank with.

Iain Morrison, general manager and head of Commercial Banking at HSBC Bank Oman, said, “Be-ing recognised for four years in a row by our clients demonstrates our clear ability to support their trading requirements locally and internationally. We have an award-winning cash management

proposition, used by over 225,000 clients globally, comprising 773,000 corporate users across five regions. By applying this in-ternational expertise locally, our clients in Oman benefit from glob-ally tried and tested platforms that can best meet their cash man-agement needs.”

HSBC Bank Oman provides access to a wide range of business products and services for Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through to large Corporates. Cor-porate financing solutions, in-cluding Trade, Treasury, Global Payments and Cash Manage-ment, Corporate Credit Cards, Custody, Clearing, and Time De-posits are available to more than 10,000 corporate clients across the county.

HSBC Bank Oman is part of a global network of 6,100 offices in over 72 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific re-gion, North and Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

E U R O M O N E Y C A S H M A N A G E M E N T S U R V E Y

The local recognition

of HSBC Bank Oman

was complemented by

other HSBC successes

in Asia, Middle East and

Australasia

Mercedes-Benz launches new generation A-ClassMUSCAT: Mercedes-Benz wel-comed the highly anticipated dy-namic new-generation A-Class to its spectacular all-star line-up at the lavish Crème de la Crème Lux-ury Awards at the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissa Resort and Spa.

The iconic automotive com-pany was lead sponsor of the inaugural luxury and fine living event and presenter of the ‘Best Fashion Label Award’, which em-braced the Mercedes-Benz phi-losophy of ‘the best or nothing’, says a press release.

Speaking after the exclusive event, David Swain, general man-ager of Mercedes-Benz Oman passenger cars enthused: “It is with particular pleasure and great excitement that we have pre-sented the latest evolution of the hot-hatch A-Class to Oman at this premium event. A car that is ready for a new generation and driven by ambition, the new and innova-tive A-Class is wider, sportier and feistier looking, allowing its driv-ers to accelerate and live life to the full. Standing out for all the right reasons, it is set to surpass even

the overwhelming success enjoyed by its forerunner.”

With striking lines, dynamically curved surfaces and coupé-style window lines, the new generation A-Class delivers a sporty pres-ence, sparkling like a jewel in the big city with a look that is modern, urban and young.

Meeting the wishes of cus-tomers, Mercedes-Benz has also increased the range of available engines with two superlative op-tions now available. Sure to be popular, the A 250 produces a peak output of 155 kW (211 hp) and maximum torque of 350 Nm while the world’s most powerful mid-sized sports model, the Mer-cedes AMGA 45 4MATIC, boasts a peak output of 280 kW (381 hp) and maximum torque of 475 Nm, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds. With its dramatic design in the style of the successful Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team, the special ‘Motorsport Edition’ model will particularly appeal to racing fans.

Ensuring enhanced comfort, the revised gear ratios, aerodynamic

fine-tuning and the new dynamic select driving modes, adjustable in seconds at the touch of a but-ton, raise overall performance to a higher level, underlining the A-Class leadership in this market segment. Benefitting from Mer-cedes-Benz state-of-the-art safety systems, the new generation A-Class gives its driver and passen-gers comprehensive support and protection with upgraded driving assistance systems as standard.

Following a design philosophy of sensual purity with an emphasis on sportiness, the new generation A-Class benefits from a wealth of distinctive new features, from its diamond grille and optional LED High Performance headlights to its newly designed tail lamps and dual tailpipe trim integrated flush into the bumper.

Available in a range of fresh ‘on-trend’ colours and finishes, the new generation A-Class offers two-tone Sahara Beige and Black leather interiors in the Exclusive Package and a new high-comfort seat design with red or green high-lights in the style line.

L U X U R Y A W A R D S E V E N T

Bank Sohar participates in SME exhibition, conferenceMUSCAT: Bank Sohar, as part of its firm belief in the shared re-sponsibility of the public and pri-vate sectors to support the Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) sector in the Sultanate, alongside its Islamic Window – Sohar Is-lamic, recently participated in the ‘Ministry of Defence SME Exhi-bition’ organised by Trifoil Expo.

The conference and exhibition, which took place at the Lulu Al Bandar in Mawaleh recently was opened under the patronage of Mohammed bin Nasser Al Rasbi, secretary general at the Ministry of Defence. Representing Bank Sohar and Sohar Islamic at the opening ceremony were Rashad Ali Al Musafir, acting CEO, Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi, senior AGM & head of Marketing and Customer Experience, Nanda Kumar, senior AGM Corporate SME and Talal Ali Al Zadjali – senior chief man-ager, Micro & Small Enterprises, says a press release.

Bank Sohar and Sohar Islamic SME team members represented the bank at its two exhibition booths and offered their guidance to visitors on the services and benefits offered to SMEs by both; Bank Sohar and Sohar Islamic.

Commenting on the bank’s support and sponsorship of the event, Rashad Al Musafir said, “In line with the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the highly valued recommendations by the SME Symposium, which was held in Seih Al-Shamekhat in early 2013; there has been a grow emphasis on diversify our incomes and re-duce our dependency on the oil and gas sector. This is necessary in order to grow and maintain a sustainable economy. SMEs play a critical role in helping us do so by reducing the need for import of products and services and by

providing vital support to the ex-isting business in Oman.

“In doing so, SMEs also help maintain and promote in-coun-try value, which in turn sets the groundwork for maintaining a healthy and thriving economy. Furthermore, SMEs themselves have the capability of making a significant contributions to the Sultanate’s gross domestic prod-uct (GDP) whilst also providing lucrative employment opportuni-ties within the private sector.”

“However, all SMEs require some measure of guidance and the adequate acquisition of fi-nances, resources and skills to establish itself and continue to evolve and grow. This is why we at Bank Sohar have always been committed to supporting the growth of SMEs in the Sultan-ate. This commitment is reflected not just through our products and services, but also our active par-ticipations in forums and events such as this one,” he added.

The main objective of this year’s SME Exhibition was to in-troduce and showcase business opportunities in the SME sectors and inform participants about various challenges faced when starting up, successfully runnin-gand scaling up new businesses. The well-received event included

a comprehensive conference in the morning hours of the first two days of the expo.

It included various videos and speeches by prominent business leaders and experts in the field covering all types of businesses, the challenges they face and im-portant business ethics and poli-cies to follow. The exhibition was open to the public for the dura-tion of the three days in both the morning and evening hours.

Internally, Bank Sohar has demonstrated its commitments to the sector by setting up a de-partment specifically responsible for providing SMEs with finan-cial services.

Bank Sohar’s exclusive unit has been set up conveniently located in Azaiba, near the industrial area in Ghala, for easy client accessi-bility as well as to better facilitate senior level interaction by the relationship managers at the cli-ents’ locations. The department plays an essential role in support-ing newly established businesses in varying fields. In order to fur-ther support such companies the bank has also implemented a policy that not only facilitates an easy approval system with a high delegation of authority, it also of-fers attractive interest rates and easy terms and conditions.

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New Fiat 500X 2016 is now available in Oman

MUSCAT: The all-new 2016 Fiat 500X, is the latest addition to the Fiat lineup and is now available at Dhofar Automotive, dealers of the Fiat range in Oman.

The Fiat 500X combines the authentic Italian design and en-gaging driving dynamics that are synonymous with the Fiat brand, together with an advanced all-wheel-drive system, unmatched functionality, and a full array of safety, comfort and convenience features, says a press release.

That’s not all; the Fiat 500X sig-nificantly expands the reach of the Fiat brand in the Middle East. It delivers the Italian design and per-sonality that the brand is known

for, along with an unprecedented level of equipment and technology. In addition, it is the first vehicle in the brand’s portfolio to offer an ad-vanced all-wheel-drive system that will provide customers with peace of mind in all driving conditions.

With comfortable seating for five, world-class craftsmanship, and superior ride and handling, the Fiat 500X delivers driving ex-citement, technology, safety and functionality to the rapidly grow-ing small crossover segment.

In Oman, the all-new Fiat 500X is available with a choice of the fuel-efficient 1.4-litre MultiAir Turbo engine paired with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, with an output of 140 hp or the 2.4-litre Tigershark MultiAir2 engine that produces 184 hp and is paired exclusively to a nine-speed automatic trans-

mission on all-wheel and front-wheel-drive models.

A disconnecting rear axle al-lows for reduced parasitic loss when all-wheel-drive capability is not needed, improving fuel ef-ficiency. The Dynamic Selector system allows the driver to choose from three modes (Auto, Sport and Traction +) for the most suit-able vehicle configuration for dif-ferent driving conditions.

The Fiat 500X offers up to 70 standard and available safety and security features, including For-ward Collision Warning-Plus, La-neSense Departure Warning-Plus, Blind-spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path detection. Electronic stability control (ESC) with Hill-start Assist and electronic roll mitigation is standard on all mod-els, as are seven air bags.

Loaded with technology and

convenience, the Fiat 500X is available with features like Ucon-nect6.5 radio with a 6.5-inch (165.1mm) high-resolution touch-screen and navigation, Bluetooth streaming audio, Uconnect Access Via Mobile, a 3.5-inch (88.9mm) full colour thin-film transistor (TFT) cluster display and Keyless Enter-N-Go.

“The all-new Fiat 500X was de-signed at the Centro Stile in Turin, Italy, where designers leveraged the character and iconic features of the Fiat 500 into a larger and more mature package,” said Abdul-lah Kharusi, Sales manager of Fiat, Dhofar Automotive. “On the exte-rior, design elements like double headlamps, a trapezoidal nose, the signature “whiskers and logo” face and the rounded clamshell hood pay homage to the original Cinque-cento. The purposeful and distinct Italian design carries through to the interior with clever storage, body-colour instrument panel, a circular cluster display and iconic door handles of the Fiat 500X. We are confident the car will be well-received in Oman.”

The Fiat 500X is available as the ‘Urban’, and for a more rugged look, ‘Cross’ versions.

The Cross model features unique front and rear fascia de-signs, and satin silver accents for a distinct, adventurous appearance.

The Fiat 500X

combines the

authentic Italian

design and engaging

driving dynamics

that are synonymous

with the Fiat brand

Sale at AftershockMUSCAT: Aftershock store at Oman Avenues Mall is offering 20-25 per cent discount on se-lected products.

This promotional campaign is to provide added benefit to the customers. This sale is certainly a great opportunity for the buy-ers to take home their favourite dresses for a never before pricing from the store that offers stun-ning collection of dresses for to-day’s fashion conscious women. With the launch of this promo-

tion, many items in the store can be purchased at extremely afford-able prices, says a press release.

Aftershock is one of the brands that Mustafa Sultan Enterprises has brought to Oman to its fash-ion savvy customers.

Aftershock London is a Brit-ish based designer womenswear brand. It offers an array of casual wear, occasion wear as well as stunning accessories to comple-ment the collection within its womenswear range.

P R O M O T I O N

B.young offers 20%

discount on clothing

MUSCAT: B.young, a popular brand of Denmark based DK Company, is offering a 20 per cent discount on over 1,200 prod-ucts available at the outlet in the Oman Avenues Mall.

This promotional campaign is to provide added benefit to the customers, says a press release.

This sale is certainly a great opportunity for the buyers to take home their favourite dresses for a never before pricing from the store that offers stunning collec-tion of dresses for today’s fashion conscious women.

With the launch of this promo-tion, many items in the store can

be purchased at extremely afford-able prices.

B.young is one of the brands that Mustafa Sultan Enterprises has brought to Oman to its fash-ion savvy customers.

The b.young label offers value for money and luxury for less. B.young is all about the creation of great fashion styles.

With b.young, you have the per-fect opportunity to express your own personality through new and fresh styles all year around.

B.young has 150 stores world-wide. Mustafa Sultan Enterpris-es is one of the leading groups in the Sultanate of Oman.

A F F O R D A B L E P R I C E S

ahlibank participates in SME exhibition, conferenceMUSCAT: As part of its firm belief in the shared responsibility of the public and private sectors to sup-port the Small & Medium Enter-prises (SME) sector in the Sultan-ate, ahlibank recently participated in the Entrepreneurship Exhibi-tion and Conference held recently at Lulu Al Bandar in Mawaleh, under the patronage of Moham-med bin Nasser Al Rasbi, secretary general of the Ministry of Defence.

The event was held in collabo-ration with the Sultan’s Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence and SME Development Fund and was conducted with the aim to introduce and showcase business opportunities in the SME sec-tor, inform participants and visi-tors about various challenges for startups, and provide them with solutions related to making start-ups commercially viable, says a press release.

ahlibank’s SME team represent-ed the bank at a specially designed booth at the exhibition, and offered their guidance to visitors and par-ticipants on the services and ben-efits offered to SMEs by the bank.

Lloyd Maddock CEO, ahlibank said on the sidelines of the event: “ahlibank pursues a distinct policy in regard to implementation of social projects that help augment the potential and growth of com-munities. Our participation at the conference and exhibition comes in line with the bank’s awareness of its social responsibility.

“The bank participates and sup-ports such events with the aim to help create business opportunities for Omanis, as well as help them become financially independent and self-sustainable.”

“SMEs play a critical role in the growth of a sustainable economy, especially in a country like Oman

where there is a need to diversify incomes and reduce dependency on the oil and gas sector. SMEs also provide critical support to the existing business in Oman and play an important role in reducing imports of products and services,” he added.

Azzan Al Saleh, deputy head, SME Business from ahlibank said, “SMEs have the capacity to pro-vide employment while making significant contributions to the

Sultanate’s gross domestic product (GDP). In recognition of their im-portance to the growth and sustain-ability of the Omani economy, ahli-bank has always been committed to supporting the growth of SMEs in the Sultanate. This commitment is reflected not just through our products and services, but also our active participations in forums and events such as this one.”

SMEs demand a wide range of products and services especially designed to fulfil their specific banking requirements.

ahlibank recognises the impor-tance of providing SMEs with in-novative and specialised banking solutions, and provides them with support and help to achieve their individual goals by determining their unique financial needs and providing them with uncompli-cated financial solutions at com-petitive prices.

S U P P O R T I N G S M E S E C T O R

SMEs have the capacity to provide employment while making significant contributions to the Sultanate’s gross domestic product. In recognition of their importance to the growth and sustainability of the Omani economy, ahlibank has always been committed to supporting the growth of SMEs in the Sultanate

Azzan Al SalehDeputy head, SME Business, ahlibank

Higer pick-ups now available at TAC showroom

MUSCAT: The pick-up range of Higer is now displayed in all the 11 showrooms of Towell Auto Centre (TAC). TAC is a leading automobile distributor in the re-gion and the exclusive distribu-tors of Higer pick-ups, buses and coaches in the Sultanate of Oman, says a press release.

The Higer pick-up is a high-grade light duty vehicle with a new generation look. Available at a starting price of OMR4,749, Higer pick-ups have gained popularity in Oman because of their durabil-ity and strength. The Higer pick-up has enhanced interiors and is available in single and double cab-ins. The powerful 2.2 litre 4 cylin-der engine, 5 speed manual trans-mission is ideal for long drives and for hauling heavy loads.

Its remote control key, power windows, 3 point seat belt, rear parking sensor and plush interiors ensure comfort and security. In addition to being sturdy, the Higer

pick-up is economical to maintain, making it the superlative choice for the small and medium business houses in the country.

A senior spokesperson of TAC comments: “Higer pick-ups have a well-deserved reputation for be-ing an ideal means of transporta-tion for personal and professional utility. It offers many benefits such as better fuel economy, higher ac-tual payloads, comfortable seating

for big families and more towing capacity. Higer is also a popular award-winning brand within Chi-na and is trusted for its commit-ment to research and innovation. We are delighted to announce that the entire range of Higer pick-ups is now available in all our show-rooms across the Sultanate. And we sincerely hope that the pick-up admirers and SMEs will benefit from this move.”

L I G H T D U T Y V E H I C L E

Nissan Altima offers unique benefits to its customers

MUSCAT: The Nissan Altima, which breaks new ground for the mid-size sedan segment is hands-down the most engaging vehicle in its class. And if you’ve never driven an Altima before, get ready to have your notion of a mid-size sedan redefined.

Nissan has a heritage of show-casing some of the most amaz-ing benefits for its customers by introducing unique offers on its prestigious line up of vehicles. In an effort to make Nissan vehicles affordable and accessible to all, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has taken up this unique initiative.

Benefits Auto enthusiasts can now avail exciting benefits on the Nissan Altima 2.5L and 3.5L that include cash gift up to OMR1,000, free service for two years or 20,000km (periodic maintenance only), free registration, six years unlimited

mileage warranty and easy and convenient financing options. Flexible EMI’s can also be tailor made for any individual require-ment from in-house Auto Finance team, says a press release.

Social media Customers can also get unlim-ited access to Nissan’s prestigious vehicle line up at the comfort of their homes or offices.

Simply visit Nissan Oman’s Facebook page i.e http://www.fa-cebook.com/Sbanissanoman or send an SMS to get updated in-formation on any of the vehicles from the house of Nissan.

A refined vehicle in its own right, the Nissan Altima aims to attract a wider audience with its contemporary good looks, eye-catching exterior colour range, spacious and fashionable interi-or, in addition to a powerful high performance engine and a range

of other options to make city driving easier

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles offers wide range of after sales service with modern technology and state-of-the-art facilities in strategic locations. Their practice of Total Ownership Experience and customer-centric approach will ensure that customers of the Nissan Altima are given par ex-cellence professional services for all car related needs.

SBA is largely committed to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major empha-sis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman. With a national network of more than 19 showrooms, 22 Service centres and 35 Spare Parts outlets, SBA has further built upon its legacy of trust, excellent customer service and providing value for money to each of its customers.

P R O M O T I O N

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Five-wicket Chameera sparks New Zealand batting collapse

HAMILTON: Paceman Dush-mantha Chameera took career-best figures with aggressive short-pitched bowling to give Sri Lanka a slight advantage at the close of play on the second day of the second Test against New Zealand at Sed-don Park in Hamilton on Saturday.

Doug Bracewell was unbeaten on 30 with Neil Wagner dismissed for 17 with two balls remaining in the day’s play as the hosts finished on 232 for nine, 60 runs behind Sri Lanka’s first innings of 292.

Chameera had sparked a top-order collapse shortly after lunch by taking three wickets in 13 balls before he returned to pick up two more after tea to end the day with figures of five for 47.

“We haven’t batted the way we would have liked and the way we should have,” New Zealand opener Martin Guptill told Radio Sport. “It was just one of those things that happens in cricket.

“Sri Lanka are allowed to bowl well and they did bowl very well for a period there.

“The guys couldn’t get through it as well as we would have liked. We are still in the game, a little bit be-

hind the eight ball, but not very far.”Chameera’s previous best had

been three for 53 against Pakistan in Colombo in June and his spell after lunch had reduced the hosts to 89 for four before New Zealand’s lower order buckled down.

Mitchell Santner (38) and BJ Watling (28) thwarted Sri Lanka

for 19 overs and just 40 runs for the sixth wicket before Santner got the thinnest of edges off Nuwan Pradeep through to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal after tea.

Watling then fell to a low catch by Kithuruwan Vithanage at gully off Suranga Lakmal just after he and Bracewell had reduced the def-

icit to under 100 runs. Chameera, however, returned for the final 40 minutes of play and got his fourth wicket when Tim Southee became the third batsman to fall into An-gelo Mathews’ leg-side trap.

New Zealand had been well placed at 61 for no loss at lunch and proceeded to take 20 runs from the

first two overs after the break be-fore their innings fell apart.

Chameera, the quickest bowler in the match, had conceded 13 runs in his first over after lunch, but then tightened up considerably as he bowled with pace and aggres-sion and to a plan by Mathews to stack the leg side with fielders.

He had Tom Latham caught at leg gully for 18 and Kane William-son snapped up by Suranga Lakmal at deep backward square for one.

The 23-year-old then angled a short delivery across Ross Taylor (0) that caught his glove and went through to Chandimal to leave the hosts on 89 for four. Left arm-spin-ner Rangana Herath also grabbed two wickets before tea, dismissing Guptill for 50 and captain Brendon McCullum for 18. - Reuters

Doug Bracewell was

unbeaten on 30

with Neil Wagner

dismissed for 17 with

two balls remaining

in the day’s play as

the hosts finished on

232 for nine, 60 runs

behind Sri Lanka’s

first innings of 292

CAREER-BEST FIGURES: A smiling Dushmantha Chameera, right, of Sri Lanka walks off the field after taking five wickets

during the second day of their second Test match against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Saturday. – AFP

Sri Lanka 1st innings D. Karunaratne c Watling b Southee 12 K. Mendis c Watling b Southee 31 U. Jayasundera run out 26 D. Chandimal c Watling b Bracewell 47 A. Mathews c Latham b Southee 77 M. Siriwardana c Taylor b Boult 62 K. Vithanage c B. McCullum b Boult 0 R. Herath run out 4 D. Chameera c B. McCullum b Bracewell 4 S. Lakmal c Williamson b Wagner 4 N. Pradeep (not out) 2 Extras (lb-11, w-12) 23 Total (all out, 80.1 overs) 292 Fall of wickets: 1-39, 2-44, 3-115, 4-121, 5-259, 6-259, 7-264, 8-284, 9-288. Bowling: T. Boult 20-2-51-2; T. Southee 21-5-63-3 (w-1); D. Bracewell 22.1-4-81-2 (w-1); N. Wagner 9-1-51-1 (w-2); M. Sant-ner 7-0-34-0; K. Williamson 1-0-1-0.New Zealand 1st innings M. Guptill c Mathews b Herath 50 T. Latham c Karunaratne b Chameera 28 K. Williamson c Lakmal b Chameera 1 R. Taylor c Chandimal b Chameera 0 B. McCullum c K. Mendis b Herath 18 M. Santner c Chandimal b Pradeep 38 B. Watling c Vithanage b Lakmal 28 D. Bracewell (not out) 30 T. Southee c Jayasundera b Chameera 4 N. Wagner c Vithanage b Chameera 17 Extras (lb-3, nb-7, w-8) 18Total (9 wkts, 78.4 overs) 232 Fall of wickets: 1-81, 2-83, 3-86, 4-89, 5-128, 6-168, 7-196, 8-201, 9-232.To bat: T. Boult Bowling: S. Lakmal 16-4-48-1 (nb-1, w-1); A. Mathews 11-7-25-0; N. Pradeep 17-4-34-1 (nb-5, w-1); R. Herath 22-1-75-2; D. Chameera 12.4-3-47-5 (nb-1, w-2).

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Khawaja’s bid to claim Boxing Day Test spot against Windies on track

MELBOURNE: Usman Kha-waja’s bid to reclaim his spot in Australia’s top order for the Box-ing Day Test against West Indies is back on track after the batsman was passed fit to play in the domes-tic Twenty20 competition.

Khawaja missed the West Indies series-opener in Hobart and the third and final Test against New

Zealand in Adelaide last month after suffering a hamstring injury against the Black Caps in Perth.

The left-hander was rested for Sydney Thunder’s ‘Big Bash’ opener on Thursday but passed a fitness test the following day and will pad up for the side in Melbourne on Sunday.

If he emerges from that un-scathed, Khawaja is expected

to be picked for the second Test against West Indies in Mel-bourne, leaving selectors with a tough call to drop either Joe Burns or Shaun Marsh.

“If there’s one thing that gets real sore after a T20 game, it’s my ham-string,” Khawaja, who turned 29 on Friday, told reporters on Saturday.

“It’s going to be a test and I’m not

going to go out there and nurse it in any way because I want to test it. I don’t want to go into the Boxing Day Test match not having that confi-dence. I want to go out pretty hard.”

Khawaja scored back-to-back centuries in the first two Tests of Australia’s 2-0 series win over New Zealand, a brilliant return after two years in the wilderness. - Reuters

If he emerges from

that unscathed,

Khawaja is expected

to be picked for the

second Test against

West Indies in

Melbourne, leaving

selectors with a tough

call to drop either

opener Joe Burns or

Shaun Marsh

It’s going to be a test.

I don’t want to go into

the Boxing Day Test

match not having that

confidence. I want to

go out pretty hard

Usman KhawajaAustralian batsman

SYDNEY: Australian bats-man Usman Khawaja on Sat-urday said he is prepared to come in as opener alongside David Warner for the Boxing Day Test against West Indies.

Khawaja missed the open-ing Test due to a hamstring injury and is now set to put it under stress again as he takes on the field for Sydney Thunder on Sunday.

“It doesn’t bother me batting anywhere in the top six, I wouldn’t want to bat seven. I’m easy, in first-class cricket I’ve batted every position from one to six. If they wanted me to bat one, three, five, I’ll still approach the game in the same sort of manner. That’s not a big deal to me,” Khawaja said.

“There’s been plenty of times where I’ve been there the second ball batting, there’s not a big difference batting three or opening at

times, at other times there is. Sometimes I can be in there in the 30th over batting at three, but it’s just a mindset sort of thing. I grew up all my life opening; I started playing for New South Wales (NSW) at five and six, so I’ve had a bit of both,” he said.

The 29-year-old also said he has almost recovered from the injury and is doing well now.

“I had to do some ham-string tests, they went really well, a big improvement from where I was a week ago. I’ve done fitness tests all the way through the last four weeks, yesterday was probably the final one ... it tests your ham-string strength. I had to make sure I was above a certain number and make sure my left and right were within a certain number so there wasn’t a big discrepancy.”

“I got through that really well, so happy with it.” - IANS

Prepared to open with Warner

Lyon hoping to show white ball

form ahead of World Twenty20

MELBOURNE: Australia spin-ner Nathan Lyon fought hard to ce-ment his place in the Test team and now hopes to convince selectors of his white ball prowess in time for the World Twenty20 in India.

Lyon celebrated his 50th Test against West Indies in Hobart last week but played the last of his eight One-day Internationals (ODIs) more than a year ago and has yet to represent Australia in a T20 international.

The 28-year-old will have a chance to impress on Sunday when he bowls for the Sydney Six-ers in the domestic ‘Big Bash’ T20 tournament, a match pitting him against the Hobart Hurricanes’

Cameron Boyce, the incumbent spinner in the national team.

Lyon collected eight wickets from his four Big Bash (BBL) matches last season and was one of the Sixers’ best in their opening loss to cross-town rivals Sydney Thunder on Thursday.

Although he made his test de-but in 2011, it took Lyon nearly three years to nail down a perma-nent place in the side after a num-ber of false starts and setbacks.

Proving himself a contender in the shorter formats has also been a slow process and he was omit-ted from the squad that secured a fifth 50-over World Cup victory for Australia in march.

“You’re going to have to ask Rod Marsh and the rest of the selec-tors about that one,” Lyon told reporters on Saturday of his fleet-ing appearances in limited-overs cricket. “I want to be the spinner in all three formats. I don’t know how many times I have to say it.

“That’s my goal and the T20 World Cup is definitely on my ra-dar. I just have to come out here and perform well for the Sydney Sixers and enjoying bowling in the BBL.”

Lyon will also have to battle for his spot in the squad for the March 8-April 3 World T20 against spin-bowling all-rounder Glenn Max-well and Ashton Agar. - Reuters

CR I CKET

Qatari owner of Malaga club faces legal actionMADRID: Former Malaga CEO Vicente Casado an-nounced that he has initiated le-gal action against “arbitrary and unfair decisions” being taken by the football club’s new group of advisers under the leadership of Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s royal family and the country’s prime minister.

Casado told EFE on Friday that he is directing the legal ac-tion at Al Thani, his two sons and the corporate network that owns Malaga, adding that he decided to take the matter to the courts to defend his rights and reputation against unacceptable allegations.

In a statement to the Malaga fans and club workers Casado said that he did his job with great affection towards the club and feels immensely proud of the results achieved, thanks to his work and that of his team. - IANS

FOOTBALL

C3


Final chance for England players to win Test placesCAPE TOWN: England’s play-ers get a last chance to book their places for the first Test on Boxing Day when they begin a final warm-up match against South Africa A in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.

Alex Hales, Gary Ballance, Nick Compton, Steven Finn and Mark Footitt will be under espe-cially close scrutiny if they are picked for the three-day game.

England face much tougher op-position than the Invitation XI who offered them their first look at local conditions in a drawn encounter at Potchefstroom this week.

Coach Trevor Bayliss has al-ready said Hales is likely to open the batting with captain Alastair Cook in the first Test in Durban.

However, Bayliss will be con-cerned Hales looked short of confidence and scored a total of 16 runs in two innings against the Invitation XI.

Hales is set to make his Test debut after impressing in limit-ed-overs internationals but an-other failure might see England reconsider their options.

Bayliss must also decide be-tween Ballance and Compton

for the number three slot against South Africa in Durban, and on an extra seamer.

Compton scored a half century in the first innings in Potchef-stroom but Ballance batted only in the second, making 25.

Footitt missed out on a chance to shine when the Invitation XI’s second innings was curtailed by bad weather.

The 30-year-old newcomer was erratic as he took two for 51 in 12 overs in the first innings and received some advice from bowl-ing coach Otis Gibson later.

“He’s impressed the selectors, that’s why he got picked, so the best thing he can do now is re-lax in this environment because that’s the way for him to produce his best,” Gibson told reporters.

England may prefer Finn, a late addition to the squad, to Footitt.

Finn was forced out of the Test series against Pakistan in Octo-ber after injuring his left foot.

“He hasn’t played a game but, given the facilities here, he has done a lot of good stuff in the nets and put himself right in the frame,” Gibson said of Finn. - Reuters

C R I C K E T

ADVICE: England bowling coach Otis Gibson advised to Mark

Footitt to ‘relax in this environment because that’s the way

for him to produce his best’.

‘Sri Lanka gave back as good as they got’HAMILTON: After being pep-pered by New Zealand’s pace bowling quartet by a barrage of short-pitched bowling, Sri Lanka gave it back to the hosts in spades on Saturday to gain a slight advan-tage on the second day of the sec-ond Test in Hamilton.

The visitors’ chief destroyer was rookie fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera, the quickest in both sides, as he took a career best return of five for 47 to reduce New Zealand to 232 for nine, still 60 runs behind his side’s first innings of 292.

Chameera, who took three top-order wickets in the space of 13 balls after lunch, was aided by captain Angelo Mathews’ tactics, where he packed the leg side with fielders and dared New Zealand’s batsmen to take them on.

Strangely, the hosts did, despite it being apparent what the Sri Lankans were planning.

At one stage, Mathews had a forward short leg, a square leg and deep forward square standing vir-tually in a straight line from the wicket to the boundary waiting for a lofted shot from Neil Wagner.

While Wagner did not succumb at the time — he hit Chameera for two fours and a six in one over with the fielders hovering — the tactic did work earlier, with Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee all falling to the leg side trap.

Chameera also had Ross Tay-lor caught behind for a duck as the batsman tried to fend off a

short-pitched ball that was an-gled across him. “We got as good as what we gave,” New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, who had raced to 81 without loss with Latham before Chameera struck, told Radio Sport. “There was a pe-riod after lunch where it just went away from us and they made it un-comfortable for us. It was a tough little period for a while.”

Chameera, who topped out at more than 146kph, was not the only bowler to adhere to the short-

pitched game plan with Nuwan Pradeep having Brendon McCul-lum caught at fine leg for 17 off a top-edged hook.

The New Zealand captain only survived because Pradeep had overstepped, though he fell just one run later when he was caught in close by Kusal Mendis off Rangana Herath.

Despite being nine down at the close, Guptill was confident his side were still in the game and that Doug Bracewell (30 not out)

and Trent Boult could eat into the lead early on the third day before they get the ball back.

“I think Dougy has shown us some very good fight there in the number eight position and ... hope-fully Boulty can stick around and Dougy can have some fun,” he said.

“We just have to come out to-morrow and get as many runs as possible, then bowl well (and)... we could get them four (wick-ets) for not many in the morning. Cricket is a funny game.” - Reuters

C R I C K E T

MAKING UNCOMFORTABLE: Suranga Lakmal of Sri Lanka looks at Tim Southee of New Zealand

during the second day of their Test match at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Saturday. – AFP

Indian official virtually rules out Pakistan cricket series

NEW DELHI: Virtually ruling out the chances of playing Paki-stan in the proposed bilateral se-ries, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Anurag Thakur on Saturday said that it will be “impossible for PCB” to ar-range a series in such a short time.

“It is not possible to arrange a se-

ries in such a short time,” Thakur told reporters.

“Even if we get a go ahead (from government) next week it will be virtually impossible to arrange a series in such a short time. At the same time it will have to be ar-ranged by PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board),” Thakur added. - PTI

C R I C K E T

Yuvraj, Nehra back in India Twenty20 team

NEW DELHI: Veterans Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra were handed fresh lifelines with a recall in India’s Twenty20 squad while Punjab left-arm seamer Brain-der Sran and Baroda all-rounder Hardik Pandya were the new faces in the squads for upcoming tour to Australia early next year.

Lanky paceman Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami were brought back into the One-day International (ODI) team which had no place for Suresh Raina, who was overlooked to test new players. Shami, who has now recovered from his injury, has been named in both the ODI and T20 squads, announced by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Anurag Thakur after a meeting of the selection committee here.

Rishi Dhawan and Manish Pan-dey were also included in the ODI squad. There were a number of

players like Stuart Binny, Bhu-vneshwar Kumar, Ambati Rayudu, Mohit Sharma, Amit Mishra and Harbhajan Singh, who were omit-ted from the ODI squad.

Off-spinner Harbhajan, however, kept his place in the T20 squad.

Dhoni to leadThe 23-year-old Sran and 22-year-old Pandya were rewarded with a berth in the ODI and T20 squads respectively for their consistent performance in domestic circuit. The squad, to be captained by Ma-hendra Singh Dhoni, has expect-edly been packed with seamers, keeping in mind the conditions in Australia where India will play five ODIs and three Twenty20 Interna-tionals from January 12 to 31.

The selectors preferred to give another opportunity to Yuvraj and Nehra, both of who had represent-ed with distinction in the past.

“Keeping in mind World T20 lot of players this was chance to pick for World T20 and use it as a plat-form. Those not selected were all discussed. We have extended the pool,” chairman of the selection committee Sandip Patil told re-

porters after the meeting.Speaking about Yuvraj and

Nehra’s comeback, Patil said,”Yuvi is special and captain is happy to have him back. We can’t guarantee him place but chance to perform will be given. Nehra is a consistent performer in T20 format. He will be useful in the team. We will need experienced players in the T20 WC. Australia tour perfect chance to give them a shot.”

“Australia tour will give selec-tors a chance to take a look at other players. Suresh Raina not in the ODIs is a chance to see other play-ers. He is still there in T20 team. In the last three years we have given chance to many youngsters but for World T20 we need experience,” Patil said, explaining the decision to include veterans.

Patil said the decision to select the final XI will remain with the captain and team management.

The team’s batting has remained more or less the same with Dha-wan, Rohit, Kohli, Rahane com-prising the top-order in both the squads. Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel are the two special-ist spinners while all-rounders

Ravindra Jadeja and GurkeeratSingh will provide more variety

in the attack in ODI squad.The pace department will be

spearheaded by Ishant and will have Shami, Umesh Yadav, Rishi Dhawan and Sran for support.

India will open their tour with an ODI at Perth on January 12, followed by matches in Brisbane (January 15), Melbourne (Janu-ary 17), Canberra (January 20) and Sydney (January 23). The T20s will be played at Adelaide (Janu-ary 26), Melbourne (January 29) and Sydney (January 31).

ODI squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Ro-hit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, R Ash-win, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh, Rishi Dhawan and Brainder Sran.

T20 squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Ra-hane, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mo-hammed Shami, Harbhajan Singh, Umesh Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Bhu-vneshwar Kumar and A. Nehra. - PTI

While Brainder Sran

and Hardik Pandya

were the new faces

in the squads for

upcoming tour to

Australia early next

year, Ishant Sharma,

Ravindra Jadeja and

Mohammed Shami

were brought back

into the ODI team

which had no place

for Suresh Raina

‘EXTENDED THE POOL’: Indian cricket board secretary Anurag Thakur, second left, chief selector

Sandeep Patil, left, captain MS Dhoni and selector Vikram Rathore pictured during a selection

committee meeting in New Delhi on Saturday. – PTI

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ISC ease to nine-wicket victory over GalfarMUSCAT: Indian Social Club (ISC) eased to a nine-wicket victory over Galfar in a Khimji Ramdas-sponsored A Division cricket match at the Municipality Ground II dur-ing the morning session on Friday.

Batting first, Galfar were bowled out for 95 in 20.5 overs. Khalil Ahmed top scored with 46 runs. Puneet Singh and Ansar Ansari claimed four and three wickets respectively for ISC. In reply, ISC scored 96 for the loss of just one wicket in 12.4 overs. Ashwin Lobo top scored with an unbeaten 58.

Brief scores: Galfar 95 in 20.5 overs (Khalil Ahmed 46; Puneet Singh 4/11) bt ISC 96 for 1 in 12.4 overs (Ashwin Lobo 58 n.o). Points: ISC – 3; Galfar– 0.

New Media winIn another A Division match, New Media recorded a seven-wicket win over Al Amerat at the Munici-pality Ground I during the morn-ing session on Friday.

Batting first, Al Amerat were bowled out for 161 in 24.4 overs with Faris Said top scoring with 26. Imran, Chadith, Chandana

claimed two wickets apiece for New Media. In reply, New Media scored 162 for three in 12.4 overs with Roziro Kamaldeen top scor-ing with an unbeaten 55.

Brief scores: Al Amerat 161 in 24.4 overs (Faris Said 26; Chan-dana Jaganath 2/6) lost to New Media 162 for 3 in 12.4 overs (Ro-ziro Kamaldeen 55 n.o). Points: New Media – 3, Al Amerat - 0.

Easy for BisyaIn an Al Ansari Group of Compa-nies-sponsored B Division match, Bisya defeated PDO by 69 runs at the Municipality Ground II during the morning session on Friday.

Batting first, Bisya put on 169 for five wickets 20 overs. Adnan top scored with 72 runs. Naeem

claimed two wickets for PDO. In reply, PDO were restricted to 100 for nine in 17.2 overs. Adnan claimed four wickets for Bisya.

Brief scores: Bisya 169 for 5 in 20 overs (Adnan 72; Naeem 2/24) bt PDO 100 for 9 in 17.2 overs (Adnan 4/18). Points: Bisya – 3, PDO - 0.

Mardhuf down Newrest In a Raha Poly Products-spon-sored C Division match, Mardhuf Shopping defeated Newrest Wa-casco by 34 runs at the Municipal-ity Ground IV.

Batting first, Mardhuf put on 181 for nine in 20 overs. Vishal top scored with 59. Rajith claimed three wickets for Newrest. Mardhuf com-pleted their victory by restricting Newrest to 147 for eight in 20 overs. Jagannathan top scored with 39 for Newrest. Monty and Tejas claimed two wickets each for Mardhuf.

Brief scores: Mardhuf Shop-ping 181 for 9 in 20 overs (Vishal 59; Rajith 3/32) bt Newrest Wa-casco 147 for 8 in 20 overs (Jag-annathan 39; Tejas 2/21). Points: Mardhuf Shopping – 2, Newrest Wacasco – 0.

O M A N C R I C K E T

A DIVISION: Indian Social Club players pose for a group photo after their win over Galfar. – Supplied photo

MARDHUF SHOPPING STARS: Vishal and Tejas. – Supplied photos

Amiable Club World Cup a far cry from its ugly predecessorYOKOHAMA: European cham-pions Barcelona have been thronged by admiring fans and autograph hunters in Japan whenever they have appeared in public since their arrival this week for the Club World Cup.

Japanese fans formed long queues to buy official Barcelona merchandise on the way to the stadium for Thursday’s semi-final against Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande where most of the crowd were rooting for the Catalans.

On the pitch, team captains took part in the so-called Hand-shake for Peace, described by FIFA as “a gesture of friendship and respect intended to inspire the world to unite in peace, soli-darity and fair play.”

It has all been very amiable — and a complete contrast to its forerunner. From 1960 to 1979, the Intercontinental Cup, an an-nual meeting of the champions of Europe and South America played over two legs, was a sorry history of intimidation, brawls, violence and skullduggery.

Barcelona forward Lionel Mes-si has already said it will feel odd to face River Plate, a team from his native Argentina in the final, but at least he will not be subjected to the same treatment that Nestin Combin went through in 1969.

An Argentine playing for Ital-ian side AC Milan, Combin had a less than friendly reception when they went to Buenos Aires to face Estudiantes.

His nose and cheekbone were broken when he was elbowed in the face, and photographs showed him on the ground cov-ered in blood. At that point, he was arrested by Argentine police and accused of dodging his mili-tary service before he emigrated. He was eventually released after spending a night in jail.

Reports of the match allege that Milan players had hot coffee poured over them as they entered the field and that Estudiantes players kicked balls at them while they trained. Television footage certainly show an extraordinary sequence of late tackles, punches, wild kicks and fights.

Estudiantes goalkeeer Alberto Poletti later spent 30 days in pris-on for his involvement and was banned from football for seven years. In an interview in 2005, he

told the Spanish newspaper As that the team were under pressure from the military government.

“They wanted us to win be-cause there were rebellions by the workers, strikes and they wanted to put a lid on this... We were young, I was 23 years old...”, he said, denying rumours that his teammates also stuck needles into their opponents.

Two years earlier, Argentina’s Racing Club and Scotland’s Celtic had been involved in what became known as the battle of Montevideo after their two-leg tie went to a playoff in the Uru-guayan capital.

Amid yet more wild scenes, six players were sent off, one of whom refused to go and man-aged to play until the end amid the confusion.

Celtic defender Tommy Gem-mell said in a documentary that he deliberately kneed a Racing player in the genitals behind the referee’s back after the player concerned had “spat in the faces of all the Celtic forwards”.

In 1972, Johan Cruyff scored a brilliant individual goal for Ajax away to Independiente, only to be put out of the game by a vicious tackle before the half hour.

The Dutch were so angry about the tackling that they threatened to abandon the match at halftime and, although they went to on to win 4-1 on aggregate, declined to take part the following year after retaining the European Cup.

A series of further withdraw-als by Liverpool and Nottingham Forest in subsequent years led to a change of format, with a sin-gle one-off match in Tokyo from 1980 which turned out to be con-siderably calmer.

FIFA become involved in 2000 by organising a Club World Cup with the champions of other continents. Financial problems meant the competition was not held again until 2005 and since then it has taken place annually.

Yet, it had all begun so promis-ingly, with Pele leading Santos to an 8-4 aggregate win over Ben-fica in 1962. His performance in the second leg in Lisbon, when he scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win, is regarded as one of the best of his extraordinary career. San-tos’ display has never since been matched in either the Interconti-nental Cup, or its successor. - Reuters

F O O T B A L LRiver Plate hope to face full-strength Barcelona

YOKOHAMA: River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo was happy to ac-cept the role of underdogs in Sun-day’s Club World Cup final against Barcelona, saying that while Euro-pean champions had the best play-ers, his team had a big heart.

He added that he hoped Lionel Messi and Neymar, doubtful due to illness and injury respectively, would play in what Gallardo de-scribed as an “emblematic game” for the Argentine club.

“I would like all the best players to play,” Gallardo told reporters on Saturday. “For me, it’s a pleasure to face the best three or four players in the world.”

Although South America produc-es a stream of world class players, a difficult financial reality means they are all based with European clubs. As a result, South American teams, who once competed on equal terms with their European counterparts, now look upon the competition as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to face a top team.

River’s team is made up a mainly journeymen professionals with only a smattering of international caps between them.

“It would have to be a perfect game for us to have any chance,” said Gallardo, who himself played for Argentina at the 1998 and 2002 World Cups. “They are a very com-plete team, it’s a big challenge for us and we are going to have to play very intelligently and be very in-tense to have a chance.”

River won the old Interconti-nental Cup, played only between the European and South Ameri-can champions, in 1986 and were beaten by Juventus 10 years later, when Gallardo was in the team.

“I don’t know if it’s the biggest match of our lives, but it is the most emblematic,” said Gallardo, who has transformed the team

during his 18 months in charge.“They have the best players and

we have a big heart, we have a big desire to compete,” he said.

Gallardo remembered that Riv-er were promoted from the second tier of Argentine football less than four years ago, having suffered rel-egation for the only time in their history in 2011.

“For the history of Argentine football and for our institution, this is one of the most important games, because of who we are play-ing against,” he said.

“Also, it hasn’t been easy to get here,” he added.

“The last few years have been difficult and now we are in a privi-leged situation.” - Reuters

River Plate coach

Marcelo Gallardo said

he hoped Messi and

Neymar, doubtful

due to illness and

injury respectively,

would play in what

he described as an

“emblematic game”

for the Argentine club

DOUBTFUL: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, left, attends a training session ahead of their Club World Cup

final match against Argentine club River Plate in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on Saturday. – Reuters

YOKOHAMA: Barcelona forwards Lionel Messi and Neymar are still doubtful for the Club World Cup final against River Plate, coach Luis Enrique told reporters on Saturday. Messi missed Thursday’s semifinal against Guangzhou Evergrande because of pain caused by a

kidney stone and Neymar was recovering from a small strain in his abductor muscle.

“The two are improving,” said Luis Enrique without giv-ing further details.

Team captain Andres Iniesta added: “They haven’t been able to train and it will depend on how their sensations, I

hope they can play.”European champions

Barcelona meet River, their South American counterparts, on Sunday. Messi never played professionally in Argentina and has faced an Argentine side only once before, when Barcelona met Estudiantes in the 2009 final. - Reuters

Messi, Neymar still doubtful for final

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Zico and Materazzi eye title triumph in Indian Super LeagueMARGAO: Seeking to culminate a journey so far characterised by ups and downs, highs and lows, on a triumphant note, FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC lock horns in what promises to be a cracker of a title clash in the Indian Super League (ISL) here in the western Indian state of Goa on Sunday.

Playing in front of their home crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, FC Goa are expected to have a slight edge going into the big match against a team that has had a roller coaster ride over the past two and half months.

Both teams have faced each other on four occasions with FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC winning two apiece.

Interestingly, both the finalists failed to capitalise on the home advantage, only managing to win their away fixtures.

If Chennaiyin’s story was a typical roller-coaster ride with heart-wrenching lows and ex-hilarating highs, FC Goa too had a bumpy ride.

A peek into the table may give one the impression that the jour-ney to the final destination was a smooth one but the Goans know that the reality is something else.

While they kept three clean

sheets on home soil, Goa never won more than two games in suc-cession this year and their long-est unbeaten streak has been a stretch of four matches which featured two wins and two draws, culminating in their 7-0 blitz of Mumbai City FC — the biggest win in the history of the fran-chise-based league.

The Goans’ forte is scoring goals and they topped the league standings with 29 strikes prior to the final. The attacking style of play, however, also caused their legendary coach Zico problems as they suffered heavy 4-0 and 4-1 defeats against Chennaiyin FC and Atletico de Kolkata.

Zico’s side will be boosted with Rafael Coelho being declared fit after the Brazilian striker was stretchered off in the second leg of the semifinal against Delhi Dyna-mos. FC Goa have a host of strik-ers to play alongside Coelho with Dudu Omagebmi making a strong case after a powerful performance against Delhi Dynamos earlier this week.

They also have Thongkhosiem Haokip, who combines well with his fellow attackers. Victorino Fernandes and Chinadorai Sa-beeth are the other options. - PTI

F O O T B A L L

EYEING THE TITLE: Chennaiyin FC’s Italian coach Marco Materazzi, left, and FC Goa’s Brazilian coach Zico. – AFP

Platini accuses FIFA ethics panel of finding him guilty in advanceLONDON: Suspended European soccer chief Michel Platini has ac-cused a FIFA ethics committee of denying him a fair hearing on the corruption allegations against him and finding him guilty in advance.

Platini declined to attend a meeting of the ethics committee on Friday, instead sending a state-ment which was read out by his lawyer and released to the media on Saturday.

“I decided not to come before you to present my explanations in person. For one reason, and one

only: I’ve already been judged, I’ve already been found guilty,” the for-mer French midfielder and head of European soccer body UEFA said.

Anonymous briefingsPlatini was the favourite to re-place Sepp Blatter as head of world governing body FIFA but has himself become mired in the corruption scandal engulf-ing the sport, in which dozens of former top officials and market-ing executives have been indicted by U.S. authorities.

He himself has not been charged, but FIFA is investigating him and Blatter, who is also suspended, over a two million Swiss francs ($1.97 million) transfer from FIFA to Platini in 2011. Both men say it was a legitimate payment for work the Frenchman had done.

In the statement read by his lawyer, Platini said a series of com-ments by FIFA officials, including anonymous briefings to the press, had made clear that the ethics committee had already deter-mined his guilt.

“I no longer have confidence in the disciplinary bodies of FIFA. They have shown their bias, their prejudices, their inability to re-spect confidentiality, the pre-sumption of innocence and the rights of the defence,” he said.

Blatter appeared before the eth-ics committee on Thursday and a final decision is expected by the end of this month.

Earlier this week, Blatter wrote to FIFA’s 209 member state as-sociations, on his own stationery, proclaiming his innocence. - Reuters

F O O T B A L L

NO CONFIDENCE: Michel Platini

Chelsea restore order, Leicester march on

LONDON: Chelsea began the post-Jose Mourinho era with a 3-1 victory over Sunderland at Stam-ford Bridge to ease away from the Premier League’s bottom three on Saturday while Leicester City moved five points clear at the top.

Mourinho, sacked on Thurs-day after Chelsea’s worst start to a season since 1978, had his name chanted throughout by fans while Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas, who some fans have blamed for the club’s slide, were booed.

Some sense of normality was restored in west London with Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro and Os-car all on target as Guus Hiddink, confirmed on Saturday as interim coach for the second time having also performed that role in 2009, watched on from the stands.

Leicester’s remarkable title challenge continued with a 3-2 victory at Everton that ensures they will spend Christmas top of the table, a year after occupying bottom place heading into the hec-tic holiday schedule.

Two Riyad Mahrez penalties and a goal from Shinji Okazaki

put Leicester on 38 points from 17 games, with chasing Arsenal and Manchester City, who clash on Monday, on 33 and 32 respectively.

Chelsea, who began the day a point above the relegation zone, moved up one place to 15th.

With Mourinho sacked, the managerial spotlight intensified on Manchester United’s Louis van Gaal as his side suffered a third consecutive defeat, lowly Norwich City winning 2-1 for their first vic-tory at Old Trafford since 1989.

Tottenham Hotspur took ad-vantage of United’s woes to move above them into fourth place on goal difference thanks to a 2-0 win at Southampton — Harry Kane and Dele Alli scoring.

Mourinho spent the day watch-ing Brighton and Hove Albion play Middlesbrough in the Champi-onship while his former charges finally produced a display worthy

of champions, having lost nine of their opening 16 matches. That did not stop the home fans displaying their loyalty to the Portuguese who delivered three league titles in his two stints in charge.

“Delighted to get the three points today,” captain John Terry told Sky Sports. “There was pres-sure on us before the game but we brought that on ourselves.

“We are not used to being (in this position) but the fans will sup-port us through this, and more per-formances like this will put smiles on their faces.”

Those waiting for Leicester to falter were disappointed again as Claudio Ranieri’s team showed the attacking verve that has earned 11 league victories.

Mahrez slotted home from the spot in the 26th minute after Oka-zaki was bundled over by Ramiro Funes Mori but Romalu Lukaku

equalised soon after with his 13th of the season. Algerian Mahrez con-verted his second penalty just past the hour before Okazaki struck and Kevin Mirallas’s late replay proved in vain for the home side.

Mahrez now has 13 league goals this season, two behind team mate Jamie Vardy.

Manchester United were booed off at halftime and fulltime at Old Trafford where they trailed to goals from Norwich’s Cameron Jerome and Alex Tettey before Anthony Martial replied for the misfiring Reds.

Sixth-placed Crystal Palace won 2-1 win at Stoke City while Bournemouth claimed a third con-secutive league victory with a late Charlie Daniels penalty sealing a 2-1 success at West Bromwich Al-bion who had James McClean sent off in the first half and Salomon Rondon in stoppage time. - Reuters

Chelsea, who began

the day a point

above the relegation

zone, moved up

one place to 15th

after a 3-1 win over

Sunderland. With

Mourinho sacked, the

managerial spotlight

intensified on

Manchester United’s

Van Gaal as his side

were beaten 2-1 by

Norwich City

RELIEF: Chelsea players celebrate after scoring their third goal during their Premier League match against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. – Reuters

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Jimmy Hill, credited with transforming English soccer, diesLONDON: Jimmy Hill, a player, manager and pundit who helped transform English soccer by lead-ing a campaign to remove caps on footballers’ salaries, has died at the age of 87, his family said.

Hill was chairman of the Pro-fessional Footballers’ Association (PFA) when it succeeded in 1961 in scrapping players’ maximum salaries, which at the time were capped at 20 pounds a week, to stave off a threatened strike. The move paved the way for the huge sums top professionals earn today.

He also championed the idea of awarding teams three points for a win instead of two to encour-age more attacking play, which the English Football Association embraced in 1981. His family said Hill had died after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

“In many ways, Jimmy Hill was football,” FA chairman Greg Dyke said in a statement.

During his 11-year playing ca-reer Hill represented London clubs Brentford and Fulham. He went on to become manager of Coventry City, taking them from the third tier of English football to the top flight, and was chair-man of Coventry and Fulham.

A distinctive figure with a sharp chin and dark beard, he

later moved into broadcasting and became a household name in Britain as the host of BBC TV’s soccer highlights show “Match of the Day”. He was credited with revolutionising TV match analy-sis and bringing in expert pundits to scrutinise matches in depth.

Tributes poured in from ex-players, clubs and fans.

“He was a successful player, a great manager at Coventry City and changed the game as chairman of the Professional Footballers’ Association,” FA chairman Dyke said. “He was a popular presenter, a hugely influential figure and, such was his style, he was loved by millions - even among those who didn’t follow football. He was a true great of the game.” - Reuters

F O O T B A L L

Jimmy Hill

Player power not behind Mourinho’s exit: TerryLONDON: Chelsea captain John Terry said Jose Mour-inho’s sacking was not caused by a mutiny in the dressing room and denied that any players had deliberately per-formed badly in order to has-ten the departure of Chelsea’s most successful coach.

“We are aware there have been rumours about player power at the club but I want to make clear that is not the case,” Terry wrote in his column in a matchday programme for Chel-sea’s home game against Sun-derland on Saturday.

“Believe me when I saw that all of us go out to win every game and we players have to look at our performances and take re-sponsibility for where Chelsea sit in the table right now.”

British media have picked out Diego Costa and Eden Hazard as the worst performers in Chel-sea’s woeful season so far, which has left the champions just above the relegation zone, and both of them had strains in their relationships with Mourinho.

When Hazard limped off in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat by Leicester on Monday, Mourinho’s last game in charge, some commentators wondered if he was really injured. Terry has been one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants and was captain throughout the coach’s two spells with the London side dating back to 2004.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said on Saturday the deci-sion to fire Mourinho had been difficult and club owner Roman Abramovich and the board “an-guished over it for some time.”

“But the start we made to the season came as a major disap-pointment to the owner, the Board and Chelsea fans every-where,” Buck said. “We firmly believe we have the ability and the opportunity to turn this sea-son around.” - Reuters

F O O T B A L LChelsea turn to Hiddink again to revive fortunes

LONDON: Chelsea turned again to experienced Dutchman Guus Hiddink to guide them out of a cri-sis when they named him interim manager on Saturday for the rest of the season following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

Hiddink, 69, had a caretaker spell in charge at Stamford Bridge in 2009 when Brazilian Luiz Fe-lipe Scolari was fired and Chelsea

went on to reach the Champions League semifinals and win the FA Cup under his care.

“I am excited to return to Stam-ford Bridge. Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world but is not where it should be at the mo-ment. However, I am sure we can all turn this season around,” Hid-dink said in a club statement.

Hiddink’s first priority will be

to breathe some life into Chelsea’s Premier League campaign after the champions lost nine of their first 16 matches this season — a calamitous run that ended with three-times title winner Mour-inho’s dismissal on Thursday.

Chelsea, embroiled in their worst start to a league season since 1978, are one point above the rel-egation zone ahead of Saturday’s

home clash with fellow strugglers Sunderland. Hiddink will attend the match although assistant coaches Steve Holland and Eddie Newton will take charge.

Mourinho was sacked for the second time as Chelsea manager on Thursday, seven months after leading them to the title.

The Portuguese was also fired in 2007, having won back-to-back

league titles, after falling out with the club’s billionaire Russian own-er Roman Abramovich.

Since signing off from Chel-sea with an FA Cup win over Everton, Hiddink has been man-ager of Turkey, Russian club side Anzi Makhachkala and most recently a dismal second spell as Netherlands coach which ended in his sacking after they failed to qualify for next year’s Euro 2016 finals.

However, he made a great im-pression in his brief stay in Lon-don in 2009 and proved popular with the Chelsea players.

Further ahead he will have the chance to steer Chelsea in the Champions League in which they face Paris St Germain in the last 16 when the tournament resumes in February. Hiddink has enjoyed an itinerant career that has in-cluded a spell at Real Madrid and national team roles with South Korea, Russia and Australia.

He took his first head coach’s job at PSV Eindhoven in 1987 and won the Dutch title in three consecu-tive seasons as well as winning the European Cup in 1988.

After leaving PSV and join-ing Fenerbahce in 1990, he re-turned to the club in 2002 and won three more league titles in a four-year spell. - Reuters

Hiddink, 69, had a

caretaker spell in

charge at Stamford

Bridge in 2009 when

Brazilian Luiz Felipe

Scolari was fired and

Chelsea went on to

reach the Champions

League semifinals

and win the FA Cup

under his care

INTERIM MANAGER: New Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink, Didier Drogba and owner Roman Abramovich celebrate after Pedro scored their second goal during their Premier League match against Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. – Reuters

Glum Chelsea fans lament Mourinho’s exit, players booedLONDON: Despondent Chelsea fans expressed dismay and anger at the departure of the club’s most successful manager Jose Mour-inho as they arrived at Stamford Bridge on Saturday for the first match since he was fired.

Many of them pinned the blame for Premier League champions Chelsea’s spectacular collapse in form squarely on the players

rather than the self-proclaimed “Special One” who was unable to halt a rapid slide to the edge of the relegation zone.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Chelsea fans stand in silence for the whole game. It’s a very, very depressing day,” Roger Edgell, 69, said as he bought his match-day programme. “I can’t see any benefit from this process at all. It’s some of

the players who should have left and we should offload them in January. It’s not a dip in form. It’s deliberate.”

Despite the slump, fans had con-tinued to chant Mourinho’s name in recent games. One banner, next to a cardboard cut-out of Mour-inho on Saturday read: “Our Jose sacrificed, Why?”

When striker Diego Costa’s name was read out prior to kick-

off, fans booed. “I am 100 percent behind Jose and I will be shouting his name today. He is indispen-sable for me, the best manager in the world whatever they say about (Bayern Munich coach) Pep Guar-diola,” Daniel Siverns, a 20-year-old student, said.

He said he was still shocked by the news of Mourinho’s departure. “I was so gutted. I texted my mum

to tell her how gutted I was. She knows how much I loved Mour-inho. It was devastating to lose someone you idolised.”

Siverns said he feared another period of upheaval at Chelsea, similar to the appointment and dismissal of a string of coaches af-ter the club fired Mourinho for the first time in 2007 only to reappoint him in 2013. - Reuters

F O O T B A L L

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

HealthSECTIONC L I F E S T Y L E S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

LISTEN TO YOUR HEARTArrhythmia, a heart

disorder characterised

by irregular heartbeats

By Hubert Vaz

LIFESTYLEC8 S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

If you do find your heart pounding in your side when you’re about to whisper the three magi-cal words to your lover, or

feel your world blanking out when seated in an examination hall, you really need not worry. But, if you do find your heart rate accel-erating or slowing down without any obvious reason, it could be a pointer to disturbed electrical im-pulses within your heart.

According to the World Heart

Federation, an estimated 17.3 million people die of cardiovascu-lar diseases every year. However, there are millions living with vari-ous heart conditions that seriously alter their way of life, and many are even unaware of their affliction.

Several factors contribute to the development of cardiovascu-lar disease. While some people are born with conditions that pre-dispose them to heart disease and stroke, doctors say most people develop cardiovascular disease

because of adopting a faulty life-style loaded with risk factors like consumption of unhealthy food, lack of physical activity, addic-tions like smoking, and stress.

Many of the risk factors cause atherosclerosis (narrowing and thickening of arteries) or ischae-mic heart disease (development of fatty deposits or blocks in ar-teries), both of which can sud-denly cause stroke or heart at-tack. However, one heart disorder that the common man is unaware

about, is arrhythmia, which refers to abnormal heart beats (slow or fast) that has various causes in-cluding coronary artery disease.

Irregular heart rhythms can be caused even in normal, healthy individuals who take up sporting or stressful activities. It can also be caused due to certain medica-tions, or excess consumption of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, drugs, inhaled aerosols, diet pills, even common cough, and cold rem-edies. Also, extreme emotional

states of fear, shock or stress can also cause irregular heart rhythms. However, when one con-sistently experiences irregular heartbeats without taking up any activity that causes it, one needs to seek immediate medical help.

Treatment of the underlying cause of arrhythmia usually cor-rects the condition. However, if it persists, there are certain medi-cations and procedures that help eliminate or control the abnormal heart rhythm.

If you often find your heartbeats racing (and you’re not in love or in a rage), you might be suffering from arrhythmia, a heart disorder characterised by irregular heartbeats.

Dr Satish Manoharan, Cardio-logist, Al Hayat International Hospital, provides insights on arrhythmia, a heart disorder not commonly understood by people.

What is arrhythmia?Arrhythmia simply means that a patient’s heart beats are not nor-mal. It does not refer to slow or fast heart beats, it only means the heart beat is out of the normal rhythm. Every heart beat has to be spaced equally in a normal person, but those having arrhythmia have irregular heartbeats.

How does arrhythmia affect a person?Arrhythmia can cause a lot of trou-ble to the heart and affect the stabil-ity of the patient. A person who has 50-60 heartbeats per second can be said to have an ‘athlete’s beat’ with a well trained heart. However, if the heart rate accelerates, it can cause strain to the heart muscles, but it is considered normal during sporting activities when heart beats exceed 100 per minute. However, if the heart beats exceeds the normal rate without taking up any activity, then it is considered abnormal. Patients with such accelerated heart beat

can suffer from giddiness or palpita-tions or other symptoms.

What is the normal heart rate?The normal heart rate should be be-tween 60-100 heartbeats per minute, depending on each individual. When it falls below 50 per minute or exceeds 120 per minute for a long time, with-out any additional activity to raise or lower the heart beat, then it is consid-ered as arrhythmia.

What causes the heart rate to go slow or to accelerate?There are genetic factors as well as conduction defects, which cause

arrhythmia. When there is a block in the electrical conduction be-tween nodes in the heart, the heart rate becomes slow and if there is an extra path connecting the dif-ferent chambers in the heart (which is abnormal), this can make the heart beat faster than normal. Simply put, there is a track through, which the electrical currents have to pass in the heart; when there is an extra track or if the normal track is affected by a scar in the heart muscle, there can be a dis-turbance in the conduction causing irregular heartbeats.

What typical symptoms do

patients with arrhythmia experience?Patients having arrhythmia experi-ence giddiness because the supply of blood from the heart to the brain gets disturbed. Also, most experience palpitations as they can hear their own heart beat becoming faster than normal. Some can even experience breathing problems due to this.

What are the treatment options?Arrhythmia can be diagnosed and confirmed by doing an ECG. Patients are given medication and injections to control the heart rates, depending on

the cause. Arrhythmia is also one of the complications, which heart disease patients experience.

What precautions must arrhythmia patients take?Taking a healthy diet, regular physi-cal activity and less mental stress, is what all patients need to follow. However, taking regular check-ups, especially those above 35 years who also have other risk factors (like diabetes, hypertension, high cho-lesterol levels), is very important for ensuring that all abnormalities are taken care of in good [email protected]

LIFESTYLEC9S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

Eat Cloves to Boost ImmunityIn Ayurveda, clove is used for developing and protecting the immune system. The dried flower bud of clove contains compounds that help in improving the immune system by increasing the white blood cell count. It can be chewed plain or used for seasoning food.

Treat Dry Skin with Milk CreamMilk cream is an excellent moisturiser. Add a few drops of lemon juice to one teaspoon of milk and two teaspoons of milk cream, and rub it on your hands and legs. Leave it on for 15 minutes before you take a shower. Alternatively, apply a paste of milk cream and a little gram flour before you take a shower.

Here are a few simple, time-tested foods, techniques,

and remedies to try, and a bit about why. Have you tried any of these

tricks? How did you like them? Do you have a favourite remedy of

your own? Tell us about it at [email protected]

Try

Why

Use Tomatoes for Healthy Hair and SkinTomatoes contain lycopene, which is an ingredient used in many fa-cial cleansers. Peel tomatoes and place them on your face like a mask for about 10 minutes for a clear complexion. Eating tomatoes also helps in building healthy hair while tomato paste can also be used as a conditioner to add shine.

What are the most common paediatric disorders in Oman?High fever, underweight, anae-mia, and viral infections are the most common afflictions of chil-dren who visit paediatricians in Oman. The main cause for this is the spread of viruses at nurser-ies, schools, and the community itself, since people gather often at home for various occasions. Also, children do not have proper eating habits and consume a lot of sweets and snacks between meals.

Are there any typical causes for these disorders?I have worked in Kuwait for many years, so I am familiar with the traditions in the Middle East.

Faultyeatinghabits is one common cause of many ailments while poor hygiene is also responsible for many disorders. Also, as per tradi-tion, people come in large numbers to visit when a child is born in the family, thereby exposing new-borns to many viruses.

What are the key precautions parents need to take to ensure good health of their kids?The most important precaution is breastfeeding to prevent many diseases like asthma, allergies, ec-zema, and many other disorders. I have noticed that women in this part of the world are not keen on continuing breastfeeding as many of them are working women and

usually stop breastfeeding when they resume work after 40 days. Many women also feel compelled to follow traditions laid down by senior members of the fam-ily, which may not be good for the child. Breastfeeding is a great bond that benefits mother and child in many ways.

With regard to food habits, what changes are needed?Bad food habits are very common among children in Oman and it is the duty of parents to take neces-sary precautions. There are two types of people in Oman, either overweight people with obese kids or underweight with malnour-ished kids who are also anaemic.

What needs to be done to change these faulty lifestyles?On our part, we are constantly ad-vising and guiding parents who bring their kids for treatment to change or correct their eating pat-terns. We have also been distribut-ing leaflets to people in the city, giv-ing them tips regarding what to eat and what to avoid in order to ensure the good health of their children. We also discuss the main problems with parents and advise them to continue breastfeeding of infants, instilling good food habits for grow-ing children, introducing them to sports activities, and avoiding watching television for more than two hours or using other devices.

– Hubert Vaz

DECODINGDOCTOR

Common Paediatric Disorders

Diabetic women at greater heart disease risk

Women with Type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to have coronary heart disease compared to men, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement. “Cardiovascular disease may be more deadly for women with Type 2 diabetes than it is for men,” said Judith G. Regensteiner, chair of the statement writing group and director of the Centre for Women’s Health Research at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver. While scientists do not fully understand how the inherent hormonal differences between men and women affect risk, they do know that “some risk factors for heart disease and stroke affect women differently than men and there are disparities in how these risk factors are treated”. The statement said that the women with Type 2 diabetes have heart attacks at earlier ages than men; are more likely to die after a first heart attack than men; and are less likely to undergo procedures to open clogged arteries, such as angioplasty or coronary artery bypass grafting than men.

Daily exercise boosts brain powerLearning, memory, and brain repair depend on the ability of our neurons to change with experience says a new study. Researchers in Italy concluded following a study that exercise may enhance the essential plasticity of the adult brain. “We provide the first demonstration that moderate levels of physical activity enhance neuroplasticity in the visual cortex of adult humans,” said Claudia Lunghi from the University of Pisa in Italy. “By showing that moderate levels of physical activity can boost the plastic potential of the adult visual cortex, our results pave the way to the development of non-invasive therapeutic strategies exploiting the intrinsic brain plasticity in adult subjects,” Lunghi said. Brain plasticity is generally thought to decline with age. This decline in the brain’s flexibility is especially pronounced in the sensory brain, which displays far less plasticity in adults.- IANS

BR I E FS

Dr Elena Martinova, Specialist-Paediatrics, Al Hayat International

Hospital, shares some key information on paediatric disorders in Oman.

FIND-IT-ALLC10 S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

CITY CINEMAContact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.netfacebook.com/citycinemaoman

SHATTIStar Wars: The Force Awakens (3D) (Action | Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher4:30, 6:00, 9:30, 11:45, 11:55 PMStar Wars: The Force Awakens (2D) (Action | Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher2:00, 7:00 PMDilwale (Action | Crime) (PG12) Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon, Varun Dhawan 3:00, 5:30, 8:45, 11:30 PMBajirao Mastani (Drama | History) (TBC)Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh8:30 PMThe Good Dinosaur (3D) (Animation) (U)Voice Overs: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla3:30 PM

MUSCAT GRAND MALLStar Wars: The Force Awakens -3D (Action | Adventure | Fantasy ) PG12Cast : Oscar Isaac, Harrison Ford11:00AM, 12:45, 4:30, 6:15, 9:00 & 11:45PMGold Class: 3:00, 8:45 & 11:15PMDilwale (Action | Romantic | Comedy) PG12Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon, Varun Dhawan, 1:30, 3:15, 8:45 & 11:30PMGold Class: 5:45PMThe Good Dinosaur-3D (Animation) UCast: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand10:45AM & 7:00PM

PANORAMA MALLStar Wars: The Force Awakens - (Action,

Adventure)(3D)(PG12)Cast : Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac4:45, 9:15 pmStar Wars: The Force Awakens - (Action)(VIP LOUNGE)(PG12)Cast : Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac2:45, 5:15, 11:00 pmStar Wars (Action, Adventure)(MX4D)(PG12)Cast : Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac2:30, 5:45, 9:00, 11:30 pmDilwale (Action, Romance)(2D)(PG12)Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon2:15, 5:15, 8:15, 11:15, 11:45 pmDilwale (Action)(2D)(PG12)-VIP LOUNGECast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon7:45 pmBAJIRAO MASTANI (Drama)(2D)(PG12)Cast : Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone2:45, 5:45, 8:45, 11:45 pmThe Good Dinosaur (Animation)(3D)(U)Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla2:30, 7:15 pm

AZAIBA Dilwale – 2D (PG12) (Action, Romantic)

Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhavan, Kriti Sanon11:45 AM, 2:00, 2:30, 5:00, 5:30, 8:00, 8:30, 11:00, 11:30PMStar Wars: The Force Awakens - 3D (PG12) (Action | Adventure | Fantasy)Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan2:00, 4:25, 6:50, 9:15, 11:45PMBajirao Mastani – 2D (PG12) (Drama, History, Romance)Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra11:15 AM, 2:15, 5:15, 8:15, 11:15PM

RUWIScreen 1Bajirao Mastani (Romance/Drama) – PG12Cast : Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh12.30 PMDilwale (Action/Romance) – PG12Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PMScreen 2

Dilwale (Action/Romance) – PG121.00 PMBajirao Mastani (Romance/Drama) – PG123.45, 6.45, 9.45 PMScreen 3Dilwale (Action/Romance) – PG121.00 PMBajirao Mastani (Romance/Drama) – PG123.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

SURStar Wars : The Force Awakens (Action | Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12)Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy5:45, 8:10 PMDiwale (Action | Romance ) (PG12) Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon3:00, 8:45, 11:35 PMBajirao Mastani (Action | Romance | History) ( PG12) Cast : Ranbir Singh, Dipika Padkone, Priyanka5:50, 10:35 PMThe Good Dinosaur 3D ( Animation) ( U ) 3:50 PM

SOHARMacbeth - 2D (12+)Drama | War Cast: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jack Madigan5:30, 11: 55 PMThe Good Dinosaur - 3D (U) Animation | Adventure | ComedyVoice Overs : Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla6:30 PMThe Good Dinosaur - 2D (U) Animation | Adventure | ComedyVoice Overs : Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla2:45 PMStar Wars: The Force Awakens - 2D (PG12) Action | Adventure | Fantasy Cast : Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher5:45, 9:20 PMStar Wars: The Force Awakens - 3D (PG12) Action | Adventure | Fantasy Cast : Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher3:00, 8:40, 11:30 PMDilwale - 2D (PG12) Action | Comedy | Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon3:30, 8:30, 6:45, 11:15 PMBajirao Mastani - 2D (TBC) Drama | History | Romance Cast : Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh2:30, 7:45, 10:45 PMWhen Marnie Was There - 2D (PG) Anima-tion | Drama | FamilyVoice Overs : Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Nanako Matsushima4:45 PM

BURAIMIStar Wars: The Force Awakens– 2D (Action, Adventure, Fantasy) (PG12)Cast: Daisy Ridley, Oscar Issac, Harrison Ford3:15, 6:00, 9:15, 11:30PMClose Range– 2D (Action, Crime) (12+)Cast: Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund, Caitlin Keats7:45, 11:30PMThe Good Dinosaur – 3D (Animation, Adventure, Comedy) (U)

Voice Overs: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla5:45PMDilwale – 2D (Action, Romantic, Comedy) (PG12)Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon3:00, 6:00, 8:50, 11:45PMBajirao Mastani– 2D (Drama, History) (PG12)Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh3:15, 8:30PM

SALALAH

In the Heart of the Sea (3D) (PG12) (Action

| Adventure | Biography)

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy,

Brendan

4:00PM

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (3D) (PG12)

(Action|Adventure|Fantasy)

Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac

10:15 AM, 12:45, 6:15, 9:20, 11:55 PM

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2D) (PG)

(Action|Adventure|Fantasy)

Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac

3:00PM

Dilwale (2D) (PG12) (Action | Romantic |

Comedy)

Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Kriti Sanon,

Varun Dhawan

12:00, 3:25, 6:25, 8:45, 11:45PM

Bajirao Mastani (2D) (PG12) (Drama/

History)

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone,

Ranveer Singh

5:30, 8:30, 11:30PM

The Good Dinosaur (3D) (U) (Animation|

Adventure |Comedy)

Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand,

Maleah Nipay-Padilla

10:00AM, 2:00PM

When Marnie was There (2D) (PG) (Anima-

tion | Drama | Family)

Voice Overs: Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura,

Nanako Matsushima

12:00PM

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

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

EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Afghanistan 24698 791/4

Algeria 24605 593

Bahrain 24 605 074/133

Bangladesh 24 698 660

Brazil 24640100

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China 24 696782

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Egypt 24 600 982/411

France 24681 800

Germany 24835000

India 24684500

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Iran 24 696 944/7

Iraq 24603642

Italy 24693727

Japan 24 601 028

Jordan 24692760/1/3

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South Korea 24 691490

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Libya 24603466

Malaysia 24698329/643

Morocco 24696152/3

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Pakistan 24603439

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Spain 24691101

Sri Lanka 24697841/2

Sudan 24697875

Switzerland 24603267

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Tanzania 24601 174

Thailand 24 602684/5

Tunisia 24603486

Turkey 24697050/1/2

UAE 24400000

United Kingdom 24609000

United States 24643400

Yemen 24600815

PHARMACIES

Round the clock

Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24782666

Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi 24702542

Salalah 23291635;

Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra 24503585

Muscat Region

Apollo, Al Hamriya 24787766

Muscat, A Seeb Market 24421691

Muscat, Al Khuwair 24485740

Muscat, Al Hail South 24537080

Dhofar Region

Muscat, Al Nahdha Road,

Salalah 23291635

HOSPITALS

Al Amal Medical & Health Care

Centre 24485052

Atlas Hospital

Ruwi 24811743/

Ghubra 24504000

Al Musafir Specialised

Medical Clinic 24706453

Hatat Polyclinic LLC,

Ruwi 24563641

Azaiba 24499269

Sohar 2683006

Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2

Al Massaraat Clinic &

Laboratory 24566435

Al Makook Medical

Coordinance Centre 24499434

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780

Capital Polyclinic 24707549

Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic,

Ruwi 24799760/1/2

Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740

Ceregem National Raak 24485633

Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217

Elixir Health Centre 24565802

Emirates Medical Centre 24604540

1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274

Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340

International Medical

Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5

Kims Oman Hospital 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency 24760123

Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128

MBD 24799077

Al Khuwair 24478818

Magrabi Eye and

Ear Hospital 24568870

Muscat Private Hospital 24583600

Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment

Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666

Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000

AIRLINE OFFICES

Muscat Airport Flight information

(24 hours) 24519456/24519223

Aeroflot 24704455

Air Arabia 24700828

Air France 24562153

Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732

Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128

British Airways 24568777

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Gulf Air 80072424

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Japan Airlines 24704455

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Jet Airways 24787248

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KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737

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LOT Polish Airlines 24796387

Lufthansa 24796692

Malaysian Airlines 24560796

Middle East Airlines 24796680

Oman Air 24531111

Pakistan International

Airlines 24792471

Qatar Airways 24771900

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Singapore Airlines 24791233

Shaheen Air 24816565

SriLankan Airlines 24784545

Swiss International

Airlines 24796692

Thai Airways 24705934

LISTINGS

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

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

15:00 Quriyat 16:30 Daily

15:00 Sur 18:00 Daily

15:00 Jaalan 19:30 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 Sohar 08:50 Daily

06:30 Buraimi 11:00 Daily

08:00 Buraimi 14:30 Daily via Ibri


13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily

16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily

16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily

14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)


08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily

14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62)

06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily

06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily

10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily



TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)


SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)



13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur

13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur



TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily

07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily

07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily

05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily

05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)



13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri





TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)


TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)



TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)



TO SUR (ROUTE 55)



TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily


TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)





TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)


DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)


TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)



13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri

13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri



FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily

16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily

16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

@AZAIBA @RUWI

Bajirao Mastani – 2D (PG12) Drama, History, RomanceCast – Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra11:15AM, 2:15, 5:15, 8:15, 11:15PM

@PANORAMA MALL

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (MX4D) (Action | Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12) Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Issac4:45, 9:15 pm

Dilwale (Action/Romance) – PG12Cast : Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

Dilwale (Action / Comedy) Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon1.00, 4.00, 7.00 & 10.00 PM CP No: 3047 (PG12)Close Range (Action / Crime) Cast: Scott Adkins, Nick Chinlund, Caitlin Keats6.15 & 10.15 PM CP No: 3041 (12+)Hyena Road (Drama / War)Cast: Rossif Sutherland, Paul Gross, Clark Johnson4.00 & 8.00 PM CP No: 3043 (15+)Howl (Horror)Cast: Ed Speleers, Holly Weston, Shauna Macdonald2.00 PMCP No: 3042 (18+)

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776Website: www.isurf.co.om

Dilwale (Hindi) (Act\Com) Cast: Shahrukh Khan, Kajol & Varun Dhawan 3-30 & 9-30 pm at Cinema Main; 6-30 pm at Cinema-2 Bajirao Mastani (Hindi Rom\Act/Drama) Cast: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone & Priyanka Chopra6-30 pm Cinema Main; 3-30 & 9-30 pm at Cinema-2Amar Akbar Anthony (Mal) (Act/Drama) Cast : Prithviraj & Jaya Surya6-45 pm Cinema -3 Salt Mango Tree (Mal \ Com) Cast Biju Menon, Sohasani & Mani Ratnam 6-45 & 9-45 pm at Cinema -4 Bengal Tiger (Teligu // Act Cast: Ravi Teja, & Tamannaah 3-45 Cinema -4 Pathemari (Mal/ Drama) Cast : Mammootty & Jewel Mary 3-45 & 9-45 pm at Cinema- 3 Programmes are subject to change

Dhuhr 12.09pmAsr 3.09pmMaghrib 5.29pmIsha 6.45pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 5.23am

PRAYER TIMINGS

WEATHER

250

Maximum

180

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

50-57%RELATIVE HUMIDITY

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 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 [email protected]

WITH LOVE

SAHITH NULUDecember 20, 2004

MOHD ABU ZARDecember 20, 2003

LIFESTYLEC11S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

Y ou don’t need to visit a physician to take up water therapy to rid yourself of many ail-ments. Water therapy

helps in flushing toxins from your system and hydrating the body in many ways that promote good health and keeping diseases away.

The Japanese drink water im-mediately after waking up every morning, which is considered to have a string of health benefits. Water therapy, the Japanese say, is a 100% cure for many diseases including aches, arthritis, heart disorders, fat reduction, bronchi-tis, asthma, TB, urinary disorders, digestive disorders, piles, consti-pation, diabetes, eye problems, menstrual disorders, and respira-tory disorders.

The methodImmediately after waking up each morning, before brushing teeth, drink about 600ml (2-3 glasses) of water. Some have trained them-

selves to drink 4-5 glasses of wa-ter. After brushing, do not eat or drink anything for about an hour. Then have your breakfast, but af-ter breakfast, lunch, and dinner, do not drink or eat anything for two hours.

Those who are unable to drink much water in the beginning, can start with smaller quantities, and then slowly increase it to 4 glasses in the morning. During the day, one must drink at least 6-8 glasses of water to keep the system hydrated and all organs functioning prop-erly. It helps in improving respi-ration, digestion, cardiovascular function as well as brain power, besides mobilising joints and re-lieving pains of all type.

The following diseases can be controlled or cured by water therapy: Pains and aches – 1 weekDigestive disorders – 1 weekRespiratory disorders – 2-3 weeksDiabetes, high blood pressure – 4 weeks

ASK DR. GERRYINSERT HEADLINE HERE

Dr Gerry D’Costa has an MD in psychiatry and a special interest in the areas of anxiety, depression, addiction, and children’s psychiatry. He has practiced as a specialised psychiatristat Badr Al Samaa hospital in Ruwi for the last 9 years.Starting next week, Dr D’Costa will begin offering his advice and professional insights to the readers of Times of Oman.Send your mental health questions to [email protected]

ALTERNATIVEMEDICINE

By Hubert Vaz

Dear Dr. Gerry,I am a 14-year-old boy and I am fond of sports like football, cricket, but I do not have much interest in studies. My performance in school is average but I do well in sports. However, my parents always complain, they want me to give up sports and concentrate on studies. What should I do? I do not want to give up my sports.— Anand

Dear Anand,I know you don’t want to give up your sports but you need to understand why your parents are complaining. You are probably in the ninth and your parents are worried about your studies. They realise the next few years are going to be critical for your studies and want you to concentrate on doing better on your education. The solution to this problem lies in you. My friend we are all called upon to do our duty and it’s important you understand that. Look at the scenar-ios, you study well and get into a college that has a good academic and sports programme. Your parents are happy and you get to follow your love of sports. The other scenario is you do poorly, finally drop out or join an inferior college, where do you go from there? So be smart, don’t stop your sports completely but work hard on your academics, allay your parent’s fears and build a brighter future for yourself.

All the best,Dr G

Water Therapy

Drinking 6-8 glasses of water daily helps in improving respiration,

digestion, cardiovascular function as well as brain

power, besides mobilising joints and relieving pains of

all type.

Water therapy helps in flushing toxins from your system and hydrating the body in many ways

The hip raise is an excellent exercise that doesn’t need any equipment but which helps in building a firm abdomen. It helps in strengthening the group of muscles called rectus abdominus on the front of the abdomen, commonly referred to as a ‘six-pack’.

Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your arms at your sides at a 45-degree angle, palms facing up. Now, tighten your abdomen, squeeze your glutes and raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees. Hold this position for five seconds, then lower your body to the starting position.

HIP RAISE Do 2 sets of

resting for a minute in between10 REPETITIONS,

A firmer abdomenwill appear in just

4 WEEKS TIME

THERE ARE 4 GROUPSOF MUSCLES IN THE ABDOMEN

M O V E O F T H E W E E K

LIFESTYLEC12 S U N DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 0, 2 0 1 5

The festive season is approaching, and with it comes buffets, sweets and food-laden tables. You can think of that as temptation or realise

that you have the power to make good-for-you choices, whether you‘re managing diabetes or aiming for healthy eating in general. The American Diabetes Association

has simple recommendations for enjoying delicious foods and good nutrition during the festive season and beyond.

Here are some tips:

6 STEPS TO A HAPPY HOLIDAY OF HEALTHY EATING

Enjoy the Party, Don’t Overdo itEat slowly and really enjoy a few

of the foods that are special to you this time of year. If you’re counting carbohydrates and

calories as part of your diabetes management plan, think about

devoting your carbs to what you like best-and skipping the rest.

For example, if you want dessert, cut back on foods such as dinner

rolls or stuffing and “spend” your calories and carbs on a

small serving of pie. Remember, moderation is key — so stick to

small portions and skip seconds.

Bring Your FavouritesBring your favourite healthy dish to share. If you’re counting carbs,

check your recipe’s nutrition facts so you know how many grams

are in one serving as well as the proper serving size. At some

gatherings, it’s best not to men-tion a dish is “healthy” and let the flavour speak for itself; or perhaps

the folks at your gathering may appreciate a card that notes the

nutrition facts.

Enjoy Beverages in ModerationSome beverages can add sig-

nificant calories to your holiday intake, so keep blood glucose levels in the safe range. Avoid

high-calorie mixed drinks that include sugary soda or juice. Opt

for sugar-free mixers instead.

Stay Active Think of physical activities dur-

ing the holidays as a chance to spend quality time with friends and loved ones. Use your extra time away from work or school

to exercise — or to participate in a local holiday walk or run. Start a game of pick-up football with family in the yard or take a walk

after eating.

Get Back on Track If you eat more than you planned

for, don’t think you’ve failed. Focus on enjoying the company of those around you. Then, the next day, get back on track by gifting

yourself with healthy eating, regular exercise and monitoring blood glucose levels as directed,

if that’s part of your diabetes care routine.

Focus on What MattersThe holidays are a time to slow

down and catch up with your loved ones, so remember to focus

on your friends and family, not the food. Play games together,

volunteer or spend time outdoors. Great memories don’t have to be

made only at the dinner table. - brandpointcontent.com

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

CONNECT H E D A I LY G U I D E

D

D4 VACANCY CARGO D8

S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 5

RENT D2

Business in Oman for Sale

Profi table business in Oman running since 20 years

having more than 3 outlets in various locations.

Serious parties may send email to :sprtnft [email protected]

Contact : 990 49 722

FOR RENTAL KHUWAIR

INDEPENDENT VILLA - 5 BED ROOM

*Tourist visa arranged

Email: [email protected] [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

D2 S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Profs / jack. Contact 93219378 V. Nice flat in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 95755953 /95555162 2 BHK flat for rent opp. Sheraton, CBD. Contact 99046569 1 BHK flat near Star cinema RO.210/- Contact – 99358589 / 97079146 / 95570288 3 BHK flat near Darsait ID medical. RO 420/- Contact – 99358589 / 97079146 / 95570288 2 BHK near Oman house behind Khimji H.O. Contact – 95865686

Studios flats starting from 140 in Qurum near Mars supermarket call 96755181 or 91219688 2 BHK flat for rent near (ISM) Indian School Muscat. #99489594 Store for rent in Mabela, road no. 10, total area 700 sq.mt, built up area 200 sq.mt with covered shed, open area 500 sq.mt. With boundary wall. Contact -98273761 /96677134. New villa at south Mawalah 5 bedroom, family hall, Majlis, 5 twl for RO.650/- Contact - 99332367 Flat for rent, 2 room, 2 bathroom with AC 250/-. Contact: 94447825

Flat villa type for rent - in al khuwair 33/, 4 Bed Rooms .4 bath Rooms, 1 Family Hall, 1 Dining Room, 1 Living Room, 1 Kitchen, Store. Contact 99315515

3 Room flat in North Ghubra, 18 November Street with three toilets. For residential or commercial use. RO. 315/- Contact 94477222.

One & Two bedroom apartments available for rent near grand mall, opposite panorama mall, next to Diwans office, at south Ghobrah. Contact: 99833747 Villas available for rent at Al Hail close to the wave (Al Mouj) compound swimming pool & gym. Contact: 99833747 3 Bed with split A/C near Hojar roundabout R.O 275/-. Contact: 99326048/ 95250986 Flat for rent 3BRM hall, 2 toilets, kitchen, store payment R.O 350/- payment 12 cheques monthly in Darsait (ENT) . Contact: Morean 98292846

2bedroom centrally Ari conditioned flat in CBD, central bank Area. Contact: 24714625 /99053493 At Wadi Kabir Industrial two floor showrooms, 80 sm each, rent 450/- R.O (PDC). Contact: 99879939 At Al Athaiba (2nd floor) 2 bed, sitting room , 1 bathroom , kitchen , split AC rent 310/- PDC. Contact: 99879939 2bed rooms flat with hall, 2 bath-rooms in Darsait near Muscat Munici-pality. Contact: 92584715 / 24700120 House for rent in Al Amerat . Contact: 92532371 / 92294259 Flats shops & store for rent in Ruwi Honda road Mumtaz. Contact: 97293708 / 92433127

1/2/3 BHK Flats & Showrooms at

Contact : 99229263; 93221054; 95215289

FOR RENT2BHK,

3 washroom Flat with

Split Air Conditioners -

Near Lulu Darsait

CONTACT :

93202733

1 Flat for rent 4 BRM hall 4 toilets, kitchen, store rent R.O 400/- (per month) in Darsait 12 cheques month-ly . Contact: Morean 98292846 New deluxe 1BHK for rent in Darsait behind ISD School. Contact 99142314 1BHK R.O 225 close to Indian Nurs-ery, Darsait, 2BHK close to ISWKG Wadi Kabir bldg 1690 R.O 300/-. Contact : 99476728 1000sqmtrs industrial land for rent in Ghala suitable for warehouse workshop etc. Contact 24700120 /92584715 Ghubra-Beautiful Room, attached bath, separate entrance, huge ter-race, near Shell & Bank Muscat, for Male/Female - Indian/Asian/West-ern. OMR 180. Strictly for Vegetarian, non-drinker. Contact 99283938 (No Kitchen). Shops for rent good for offices + stores behind bldg, behind whole sale center Al Amerat space 11 x4 meters R.O 250/- per month. Contact: 92877449

2 Bedrooms Flat for rent in front of Indian School Ghubra. Contact: 92197959 / 92502497 2 Bedroom Townhouse with Swim-ming pool, free Wi-Fi for Rent near British Council in Madinat Sultan Qa-boos. Contact: 92197959 / 92502497. Showroom / Office for rent located in Prime location of Azaiba Main Highway. Contact: 92197959 / 92502497.

2 Bedrooms Flat for rent located in Prime location of Al Khuwair. Contact: 92197959 / 24527852. Villa for rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 95562646 Rent for flat in Wadi Adai, big room big hall one toilet, one Kitchen. Contact : 99345137 1& 2 BHK CBD Ruwi Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99024730 At Al Athaiba ground floor with split AC, 2beds, 2bathrooms, kitchen & sitting room Behind AL Zubair rent 350/-PDC. Contact: 99879939

6 B/R villa for office use in Al Khoudh, 2 & 3 B/R flat in AL Khuwair for office. Contact: 99776071 /99057348 4 B/R, 3 flats building in Azaiba behind Al Meera. Contact: 99776071 /99057348 Big room attach bath kitchen in Muscat near Palace R.O 90/-. Contact: 95094028 1& 2 BHK flats for rent at Hamriya Mabela and Al Khoud shop at Al Khoud. Contact: 24834644 / GSM : 93994401 /02/03/3lines NEW WAREHOUSE FOR RENT at Ghala Ind. Area. 800 & 2500 approx sqms Near Hotel Al-Madinah Holi-day, Ghala. Container can enter. Immediate access to roads & highways. Contact : 94583320 02 BHK commercial / residential (with split AC) flats at Honda Road. Contact: 99342733 / 99795241 2 bedroom luxury fully furnished flat for rent at Ghala short or long term basis. Contact: 99886386 / 99881653

Contact :

WAREHOUSE IN MABELA

Industrial AreaBrand new with raised

fl oor, dock leveler, offi ce space.Total covered area

1300 Sqm.

With 10 meters height.

Contact - 92525766Email-

[email protected]

One / two B/R RES / comm. flat near Oman Medical College direct-ly from owner. Contact: 92158031 1BHK R.O 170/-, & 2BHK R.O 215 near medical Darsait Muttrah house. Contact : 95076261

In a Luxury Building

in Al Seeb Market

Near Police station

FLATS

FOR RENT

Call:

99888007 - 99473500

DAILY GUIDES U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 5 D3

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

FOR RENT

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. AVAILABLE

Sharing accommodation available opp. to Oman house at Muttrah, for executive bachelors. Contact 92350595 Furnished room, attached bath in Mumtaz area. Contact - 99743709 For rent independent room with attach B/room & kitchen near BP Petrol pump & Seeb Indian School, Mabela for RO.100 /- without Elect & Water. Contact 91516775 Family sharing accommodation available for rent at Honda road Indians only O.R 130/-. Contact: 99519161 Room for rent with furniture. Al Bustan villeage. # 93687466 Single room, toilet, and sharing-kitchen near Azaibah Bank Muscat family only. Contact 96755127 A Bedroom along with separate bathroom available for rent for an Executive Bachelor in Al Khuwair (near Zawawi Mosque). Contact 92138451 Room for rent available in a flat for Executive bachelor at Azaiba, behind Al Meera Hypermarket with attached bath with cot & A/c, rent inclusive of water & electric-ity. Contact 96404166 / 97433992 Single room bathroom in Darsait R.O 140/-. Contact: 93289652 Independent rooms in Qurum / Al Hail. Contact 95529970 Single room for expat Indian bach-elors near Al Aktham restaurant Al khuwair for RO 120. Water and elec-tricity included. Contact 98803261

MV SALE

Toyota Corolla Oct 2012 Regd MY. Excellent condition, km done. 33,000/- Contact - 97717152 Hummer H2 model 2006, 178000 km, Full options Number 1 Army edi-tion.OMR 7200. Contact -99466773 Jeep Wrangler 2012 20,000km, Expat from new, dealer serviced, RO6500 Contact 99440320 Sohar 4WD Mitsubishi Pajero 2008 model 3.8 CC white 137000km maintained by Mitsubishi work shop. Contact: 99513510 New car Pathfinder Classic 4X4,4L V6.Only 11500 OMR. Zero KM.Call 99416162 Yaris 2011, full automatic Toyota warranty, 90,000 km, expat use R.O 3100/-. Contact: 92227165 Mazda 626 in VGC, 2001 model, single expat Owner, full service history with dealer, 180000 kms. Offer price OMR 1000. Contact 99296768 Single owner Ford Escape 2012 white, 2.5L, 10100 kms. All tyres recently replaced, Comprehensive insurance including UAE Mulkiya valid Oct 2016. OMR 5250 Contact 92320155 Email: [email protected] Chaverlet Epica 2004 model RO -700, for sale. Contact 92194205 BMW 318/ 2003 for sale. Contact 96364990 Ford focus, automatic, 2010 model, silver colour, expat driven, 58000 kms, dealer serviced, regis-tration till sep 2016, price ro 2750. Contact- 93207590

Indian Granite 600x300x20 - 15000 sq mts

Indian Granite Slabs - 20000 Sq mts

Our factory yard at Ghala Industrial area.

STOCK CLEARANCE SALE

Contact 99337723 / 95118906

FOR SALEDozer Kom 355A -3Dozer Kom 155A- 3

Grader Champion 780Excavator PC 400 with breaker

Man green water tanker 5000 IGAll are in good condition

99310448/99612010/95208455

02 BHK residential flat opposite to Al Nadha hospital. Contact: 99342733 / 99795241 1,2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, 325/- & 350/-. Contact: 97799175 2BHK flats available for near PDO gate no 2 Qurum. Contact: 94057023 Flats for rent at Al Mablah block eight. Contact: 99445177 Single BHK flat available in Honda road Ruwi. Contact - 24833972/ 24833974/99367448 2BHK Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti mosque. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232 Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud. Contact - 94051789-97201688 3 BHK behind Oman House, Muttrah. Contact: 99319149 600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact: 91214849/ 99364735 Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99376454 7 Bedrooms villa in Ghobrah North. Contact - 96420432 2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near Oman house. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232 1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/-. Contact 99358589 /95570288

Flats for rent in Wadi Kabeer. Contact: 99388994 Flat for Rent 1/2 BHK Flat at Mut-trah, near Oman flour mills, 10 min. from Corniche.Equipped with split unit ACs, internet points, free-to-air dish connection, CCTV monitored, basement parking. Rent RO.250/350 per month. Contact: 99229263; 93221054; 95215289 One flats for rent 2 bedroom all with bath al Ghobrah north near In-dian school (hot burger restaurant) Tel. 9976610

WANTEDOpen showroom AL Ghobrah 18 November 175SQM & office space Al Qurum next to Al Araimi Complex. Contact: 94300909 2 BHK with split / AC in MSQ op-posite Al Fair. Contact: 96708000 1.2.3 BHK & villa. Contact: 97799175 1BHK Darsait R.O 225/-. Contact: 92144045 /97799175 1BHK Mumtaz R.O 250/-. Contact: 92144045 /97799175 1BHK M.B.D R.O 280/- & 250/-. Contact: 92144045/97799175 2BHK available near Hamriya round about main road rent R.O 170/- PM. Contact: 99513510 Flats in Darsait. Contact - 94051789-97201688 Flats in Wadi Kabir. Contact - 94051789-97201688 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact - 94051789-97201688 Flats in Muttrah. Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices in Ghala. Contact - 94051789-97201688 2 B/R flat in Wattaya and Azaiba. Contact: 99776071 /99057348 Offices in Qurum opposite City Cent-er. Contact - 94051789-97201688 Brand new villas in Al Ansab. Contact - 94051789-97201688 Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah. Contact - 94051789-97201688 Mini Furnished Apartment in Qu-rum. Contact - 94051789-97201688 Duplex villa in QURUM 29. Contact - 94051789-97201688 1000 sqm industrial land with com-pound wall & two rooms at Misfah. Contact: 99342733 / 99795241

Wanted carpentry shop with clearance. Contact: 99055571 /97982406 /95306030

Exercise cycle for sale. Contact – 92847957 Marble factory for sale, location Misfah. Contact – 98586828 Cradle lift for external build-ing painting hundred mtr height almost new. Contact: 99235701 /97747705

Beauty Salon for urgent sale in Azaiba prime location behind Al Fardan building. With sponsor and 1 staff and 1 ready visa clear-ance. Call: 95318629 / 95169411 Shop for sale in CBD area prime location call 97449011 Studio for sale in Athaibah. Contact: 92478970 Villas in Al Khoud. Contact - 95056808-97201688 Luxury Apartments in Boucher (35). Contact - 95056808-97201688 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) Contact -95056808-97201688 Running restaurant with seven clearance for sale Awabi Muscat. Contact: 95497007 Al Qurum, 2 bedrooms, 3 bath-rooms, sitting, kitchen, split ACs price 65,000 R.O. # 9879939 Sports shop for sale at Ruwi. Contact: 98453599 /93050776 Top Quality sparingly used Outdoor Catering & Bakery Equip-ments including chairs etc for sale in Muscat .Please call for viewing 99471085.Serious buyers only. Scrap available for sale, power cables & accessories. # 24446399 / Email – [email protected] Zawawi Trading Road no.8 Rusayl 3Ton Forklift, Special made for Oman market, Japanese Isuze C240 Engine, Cascade side shifter, High amount exhaust, 3m lifting height, Solid tyres, One year war-ranty. Contact: 98883445 Shop for sale at Ghala Sanaya main junction (prime location) shop for sale #: Kamil 92696479 60,000 Sq Mtrs Agriculture Land in Misfah, can be changed to In-dustrial Land. OMR 29 Per Square Meter. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Furnished room in new building for working Muslim lady/ Muslim couple only. Location AINT, Darsait. Contact - 99008069 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting room, Kitchen & store including utilities bills at Al hail. Contact 92817777 Big room available near Hamriya R/A for Muslim couple / small family / Executive bachelor rent 150/- per month including W+ E. Contact : 99495131 1 Bedroom with attached Bath, fully furnished, separate entrance at Mabela for ladies only. Contact: 99634841

USED EXCAVATORS

FOR SALE

99855374 / 98517544

Shops, studio flat and spacious outlet and offices (good for clinic) are offered for rent in Al Amarat opp. ROP police station. Contact: 91231380 New apartment for rent at Al Amerat second floor consists of two rooms with two toilets, reception with toilet, kitchen. Contact: 95588568 Villa, 2 flats at Al Khuwair (17/2) Contact: 99444786

Mangalorean restaurant at Wadi Kabir & shop at Ruwi for sale. Contact: 98428507 / 93655003 400 sq mtrs Commercial/Resi-dential land in Maabela Phase 5 Block 2. OMR 155 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 Barber shop for sale in Ghubra. Contact 92955874 5 plots of fertile agriculture lands in Misfah East totaling 4,532 sq mtrs having date trees and using falaj water for irrigation. OMR 158 Thousand for all 5 plots. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 2,688 sq mtrs commercial land in MBD North. OMR 1.39 Million. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 Window AC 30 Nos (general make all good conditions), refrig-erator, freezer & mess equipments for sale. Contact: 98064113/ 99315878 Quotation fax on: 24448101 /24448103 Grade one, non residential civil construction company, seven months old, with all approvals, in Sohar, for immediate sale. Contact: 98236616

DAILY GUIDED4 S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

Email: [email protected] [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SKILLED

ENGINEER

ENGINEER

DESIGNER

DRIVER

BEAUTY

MEDICAL

SECT. /OFFICE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

DOMESTIC HELPER

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

CATERING

SALES / MARKETING

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

Looking for a FOREIGN STAFF has experience in Oman in real estate field. Interested contact: #99109094 Email: [email protected] Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experi-ence preferably in water sector and having valid driving license Send CV to [email protected] or call Ph:+968 99450811 Urgently required for a reputed company in Oman (Tyre, Battery & Lubricant division) Sr. Execu-tives/Executive-5 nos (Sohar, Ni-zwa & Muscat), Techno Commer-cial Professional-5nos, Driver (Omani)-1no. Required minimum 3-5 yrs experience in the same field with market exposure hold-ing valid Omani driving license or GCC. Kindly fwd your CV’s to [email protected] Contact: (+968)93891700

Wanted Indian Accountant with experience in Oman- Contact 91339401 We are looking for Chief Finan-cial Officer, Male 40- 45 years old, Bachelor of Science in Account-ancy with 5 - 15 yrs. of experience. Contact: +968 24702133 Email: [email protected]

Urgently required Female Secretary : Oman based leading manufacturing com-pany has immediate requirement Graduate with min. 5 yrs of experi-ence & capable to handle Manage-ment office work independently & Secretarial work, knowledge of computers & accounts will be an advantage. Age limit upto 30 yrs. Send CVs to [email protected]

Sales Ladies wanted for Ladies Boutique. Age: 20-35 yrs. Al Khoudh. Send CV to [email protected] or call 91159905 Required building material sales man, CCTV Technician, Mainte-nance supervisor & Mason. Contact - 99383044 Travel agent in Muscat require experience Counter Staff (male/ female) Sales & Marketing (male/ female) interested send CV on [email protected] Urgent Staff requirement for Omar Al Khayyam Group of restau-rant (restaurant manager, restaurant cashier, waiters, Indian / Chinese / Tandoor cooks. Contact: +96893798969 or email: [email protected]

Driver cum maintenance person. Wanted cheerful, caring, clean and honest young man for an Indian family. Must have excellent driving skills and a valid GCC license. Can do and helpful attitude. Age 28 to 35, good references and English. Attractive salary, please apply to [email protected] or call 99471085 for interview. Required Indian driver to work in a house. Salary RO 150/- Contact – 96255558 Light duty driver. Contact 98505294

Experienced Petrol Mechanic, denter required. Contact: 98045373 Planning Engineer (HVAC) Degree/Diploma in Mechanical Engineering with minimum 7 years of experi-ence in the planning and coordina-tion of multiple projects, cost evalu-ation/ control and handing over. Good communication skills. Email [email protected]

Looking for Salesman (outdoor) experience in building material, consulting, Contraction Company. Should have Driving license, must have good spoken English, should have working knowledge of computers. Please send your CV to [email protected] Urgently required Graphic Designer & marketing executive please forward your CV [email protected] Reputed building materials com-pany looking for outdoor Sales executive having valid Omani driving license with more than 2 years local sales experience in tiles / sanitary ware. Please fax CV to 24798709 Email: [email protected] Urgently required Salesman having experience in marble and granite D/L and NOC must. Contact: 93484330 Email: [email protected] Insurance agency company require Sales Executive with experience Oman driving license. Clearance available. Send CV to: [email protected] Looking for experienced sales candidates in (outdoor & indus-trial signage, exhibition stands & media locations). Fluent English. Email : [email protected] Kitchen cabinet manufacturing company is looking sales person, most have Oman D/L and must know any kitchen designed soft-ware and two years experience. Contact: 93326636

IT (SALES)

An IT Company dealing with wireless connectivity /networking requires a Salesman urgently. Forward your CV to [email protected]

15 years GCC experienced in finance treasury management CPA, CMA, ACCA, MBA qualified char-tered accountant available for im-mediate joining. Contact: 94872345 Email: [email protected] Chartered Accountant 15 yrs- UAE exp, seeking suitable job in Oman. Contact – 0091 9446230586 / [email protected] Chief / Senior Accountant having 12 years of Oman experience in reputed firms. Looking for suitable placement. Contact – 99513082 Indian male 25 yrs MBA finance/ marketing. Over all 2 yrs of exp in accounts/ finance field. Currently on visit visa in Oman, immediately available. Contact – 92989197 / 94786544 Email:[email protected] Finance Controller 15 yrs exp in Oman. Contracting, consultancy, trading oil & gas, tourism, IT etc. Project financing feasibility ERP cost control. Contact – 98571309 AACA/ B.Com 3.7 yrs exp looking for accounts/ audit job. Contact – 97769145 / [email protected] Experienced male accountant available 3 yrs & 9 months exp in Oman as accountant NOC available ready to join. Contact - 95368181 ACCOUNTS AND ADMIN MAN-AGER Degree in Accounts with minimum 8 years of experience in accounts/finance and adminis-trative work. Good analytical and managerial skill to control and operate the department independently. Contact- [email protected] ACCA /B.com (3.7 years experi-ence) looking for accounts / audit job. Contact: 97769145 Email: [email protected] ACCA, 8 years comprehensive experience of audit, Engineering/Manufacturing & Trading-FMCG is looking for a change.NOC available Contact: 91147885 Young 24, ACCA affiliate, ad-vanced diploma in Accounting and business, seeking suitable place-ment in accounts, finance or audit with valid driving license. Contact: 92430152 Email: [email protected]

Indian Male 32, MBA (Marketing & Finance) with 10 years experience in Marketing of Banking Products & Insurance Industry. Seeking for a job in Oman. Contact: 93576980, 97750460 Email: [email protected] Indian male 11 yrs exp in account-ant (4 yrs in Oman with D/L & NOC) seeking suitable placement in Sohar area .Contact: 91212471 / 94049967 Email: [email protected] Indian male 29 yrs, M.Com, MBA, ICWA (pursuing) 5 years experi-ence in finance & accounts, Tally, SAP , Sage &MS Office on visit visa till December . Contact: 92840519 / 98450609 Chartered Accountant with ICWA Inter having 5 years experience in Finance, Accounts, Costing, Budgeting, Insurance, Treasury & Banking operations - NOC Avail-able + Oman Driving License Contact : 97881548 [email protected] Filipino, 29, Male, BS Commerce, 5years experience Payables/Re-ceivables/Payroll/Document Con-trol.Excellent Communication/MS Office skills. Contact: [email protected] Indian Female, CA Final, 5+ years’ experience in A/cs. Currently in Oman.Ph:94704800 email id: [email protected] Chief Accountant IndianMale, B.Com Graduate+ PGDCA, Total 18 Years Experience, 13 Year in GCC, 7 Years in Oman. Exposure in Tally ERP9, Peach Tree, MS Office. Having NOC Available for Immedi-ate Joining. Contact - 97060826 [email protected] Indian male accountant cum admin with good experience in India & Oman knowledge of tally ERP.9 cur-rently on visit visa seeking suitable placement. Contact: 94834687

Accountant, Indian Male, 15 Years experience (8 Years in Oman with Driving License & NOC) Seeks suit-able placement, Contact 94117616, 91238272 Email: [email protected]

Shawarma / griller / helper wanted. Contact 95529970

Indian male , B.Com, 21 yrs, ac-countant with 1 and half years experience looking for suitable job for more discussion. Contact: 96512733 Email: [email protected] CA (Inter), MBA, 25 yrs exp. in Ac-counts, Sales, Marketing & Admin-istration in poultry industry seeks suitable placement immediately. Contact 91 9704075855, +968 96500893, Email : [email protected]

28/male/MBA - Finance/B.Com - Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/india experience looking for a suitable placement. [email protected] 90187483 Male Indian with 7 years experi-ence in accounting & 6 years experi-ence in sales and marketing very good knowledge of tally currently in Muscat on a visit visa. # 96148427 Email: [email protected] Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in ac-counts/ finance field. On visit visa. Immediately available. Contact – 92836216 / [email protected] 25 years (20 years in Oman & 5 years in Indian) well experienced finance controller seeking for suitable position, with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 99756765 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & con-tracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, finance, bank-ing, L/C, import, export & fina-lization seeks placement. NOC Available. Call+968-98932752, mail:[email protected] Indian male, MBA finance, B.Com have 1 and half years experienced as Accountant and office assistant of India, on visit visa. Contact: 97445488 Accountant looking part time job. Contact: 99867456 Email: [email protected] Indian male 37 yrs,(M. Com finance) with 12 yrs experience (9 yrs in Oman) in accounts up to finalization can join immedi-ately having NOC & Oman driving license looking for suitable place-ment. Contact: 90194907 Email: [email protected] 28/ male MBA – finance /B.com – accountant with 4 years of Dubai / India experience looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 90187483 Email: [email protected] Indian male MBA, 8 years experi-ence in hospitality industry, ac-counting looking for a job, now in visit visa. Contact: 92115860

Required Graphic designer and sales person for Advertising agency. Contact: 97982406 Email: [email protected]

Urgently required for full time a Gujarati House maid for small family (2 members), aged around 40-50, Visa Available. Contact - 99370306, after 08:00 pm only or Whats app. Looking for full-time housemaid - please call 99385119

Wanted Chemical Engineer with 5-10 years experience in STP Operations and Maintenance. Kindly send your resumes to [email protected] or Fax us at +968-24792175. Wanted Market Research Expert with experience in Feasibility Studies. Kindly send your resumes to [email protected] or Fax us at +968-24792175. DESIGN & ESTIMATION ENGINEER (HVAC+ FIRE FIGHTING) Degree/Diploma in Mechanical Engineering with 3 to 4 years of experience in estimation, designing and tendering. Working knowledge of AutoCAD is must. Should have good communi-cation skills. Contact- [email protected] A Grade Construction company in Muscat urgently requires “Safety Officer”. Send C.V [email protected] or fax C.V to 24422458 Engineer consultancy company urgently require (2) Architectural Draftsman (Filipino) with experi-ence 2 years. Contact: 99201222 Email: [email protected] Civil Site Supervisor for telecom tower projects across Oman. Send CV to [email protected] or call +968 9946 7227 Urgently Required: Civil Engineer with an experience minimum in 5 years in building construction, MUST have NOC and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails [email protected], [email protected].

Indian lady, bachelor degree in Preparatory Programme (BPP) and Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), completed training course in MS Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook from KTI looking for full time / part time job opportunity in Oman. Contact 92437568, 96795853, Email: [email protected] Indian male 9 years experienced Accountant cum store keeper with D/L Oman & UAE transfer avail-able. Contact: 97085435 Email: [email protected] Pakistani male age 28 years MBA finance work experience 3 years as Accountant currently in Muscat Oman on visit visa. Contact: 99685330 Email: [email protected] Indian male 28 yrs, 3 years expe-rience Oman driving license avail-able accounts/ assistant accounts/ sales representatives, Tally, focus experienced Graduated, diploma in Accounting +2 SSLC. # 96565010 Indian Male 28. B.Com with 11yrs experience in in secretarial and document controller field in Saudi Arabia with Saudi license looking for a vacancy contact 00966501913557 and [email protected] Indian CA, 8 yrs + Exp (6 yr in Oman & UAE ) in Finance , Accounts & Auditing , seeking suitable posi-tion in Muscat/Dubai, Can Join Immediately, NOC Available , Contact: 98707434 / Email: [email protected] Part time Accountant services, yearly finalization works, monthly report, profit& loss report, consulting and audit works. Contact: 96247295

URGENTLY REQUIRED

Looking for experienced con-struction laborers as a subcon-tractor for a villa construction in Mawaleh.Contact: 96203333

Urgently require a Female Beauti-cian for a saloon in Sur, must have exceptionally good skills in thread-ing ,waxing ,haircuts & facial treat-ments .Hair styling & bridal make ups would be added advantage .(Visa available)For more details please contact on 95214535

Leading medical services company looking for GP Doctors, Nurses - male & female. Preference given to candi-dates in oman with MOH/prometric. Send resume to [email protected], [email protected]. ph: 24613069 Reams Clinic - Muscat-Al Khoudh urgently required Medical Laboratory Technician salary + Accommodation, Minimum 3 years Experience in Sultanate of Oman GP Nurse salary +Accommodation minimum 5 years Experience in Sultanate of Oman. Contact - [email protected] Wanted Lab Technician for Ibra clinic. Very attractive salary for MOH license holders. Send bio-data to [email protected] 99373493 Urgently required Philipina Nurse with MOH license at pro-metric parsed. Contact: 99724013 Wanted a Staff Nurse with MOH license for a well running clinic in Seeb. Contact: 99442701 Wanted GP Doctor with MOH license, job location in Muscat with good salary and benefits. Drop your cv at [email protected]. Looking for new private clinic GP Doctor who finish license in Oman, Muscat. Contact: 97882811

Urgently Required for Frozen Division

Van Salesman - (2)

Sales Supervisor - (1)

Driver - (2)

Candidates with relevant

GCC experience can

mail their resume at

[email protected]

SITUATION VACANT

Send your CV to [email protected]

Leading MEP contracting company looking for following gulf experienced hands

1. Asst. Operations’ Manager – preferably B Tech (Elect) with min 5 years in building service with good communication& administrative skills.

2. A.C Engineer – B Tech (Elect / Mechanical) with min 2 years in building service.

Kindly include the details of projects handled by you, in your CV.

REQUIRE

MARKETING

Contact - 91544446

REQUIRE

MARKETING

Contact - 91544446

ALUMINUM

Having ability to manage

workshop -

ACCOUNTANT- 5 year experience,

up to fi nalization of accounting

Contact email-

[email protected] &

[email protected]

VACANCY

Accountant Indian female, 26 yrs, B.Com 2 yrs experience in ac-counting, purchase vouchers, bank reconciliation. Contact: 95690207 Email: [email protected]

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

SIT. WANTED


SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

CATERING

ARCHITECT

DRIVER

ADMIN

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN

Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

Well experienced team available to provide feasibility reports & business solutions, product

development, risk management methods for startups, progressive,

defunct operations. Creating of ERP modules.

Contact - 93343251 E

HOSPITALITY

IT

MISCELLANEOUSEDUCATION

Indian female M.SC B.ED qualified TEFL two years experience in gulf seeking suitable job in teaching. Contact: 91706466 Computer Teacher M.SC Indian male 10 years teaching exp in Maldives as O level computer teacher presently located at Berha on family visa. Contact: 94867456 / 95262691 Indian female MSC, B, ED M.PHIL currently on visit visa seeking suit-able placement, 2 years experience Contact: 96916534 / 91969756 Email: [email protected]

Indian male, 27 years BHM 7 years experience in cruise and hotel, currently on visit, seeking suitable placement. Contact 92731145/93968437. Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospital-ity professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, con-cepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC available) Contact: 96059470 Dutch male qualified commer-cial pilot (Faa-ME-IR certified) is looking for job openings in middle east. [email protected]

Mechanical Engineer with 2 yrs exp in the field of manufacturing, on visit visa, looking for suitable job. Contact – 91417949 / [email protected]

B.Sc Civil Engineer. Work Experience 11 years 11 Months. Last 7 years have been work-ing in Oman in the field of Civil Construction. Present Position: Resident Engineer of a Consult-ing Company. Looking for the post of Project Manager/Coordi-nator/Resident Engineer. Have driving license. Visa could be transferable.Contract:93592334, e-mail:[email protected]

B.Tech Civil Indian female(2 years of teaching exp;on family visa) looking for engineering job. 96289945; E-mail: [email protected] Civil Engineer having total 5 years experience in building construction, looking for suitable placement. D/L available. Contact – 94450270 Indian 27 years, Procurement Engineer with 7 years of experi-ence including 3 years in Oman looking for a suitable. NOC & driving license available. Contact: 95852033.

Building construction site super-visor with Omani D/L since Mar .2010 in Oman looking placement in good company. Contact: 93061107

Civil Draughtsman having 10 years experience in engineering consultancies N.O.C available. Contact: 00968- 96712846

Indian male, Mechanical En-gineer on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact:97416564, Email:[email protected] Indian Male, 35 years old, ITI – Mechanical Maintenance Techni-cian (Total 14 years) 7years Oman experience. Ready for NOC , VISA transfer, ready to join immedi-ately, Mob .96254637 [email protected]

Indian Male, 36 years old, ITI – STEEL FABRICATION Supervisor (13 years) 11 Oman experience.(6 years in Plant maintenance) Ready for NOC , VISA transfer, ready to join immediately, Mob + 92257422 Email: [email protected] Indian male, 26 yrs, 4yrs expe-rienced as Telecom engineer in ooredoo FTTX project in Qatar with valid GCC driving license, currently in Oman, seeks suitable placement. Contact 90194856 Email: [email protected] Diploma in Electrical Engineer-ing with 6 years’ experience in Electrical Automation , Program-ming, Project, Power, Energy and Supervision in Civil Work. Currently in Oman and looking for suitable position, Please contact 94873560/92406652

Experienced Light Duty Driver, Fluent in English, Arabic Well knowledge of Oman Areas Seeking Suitable placement 97950869 Bangladeshi male 48 yrs, light driver 14 yrs of exp, need job & visa. Contact - 98236656 Driver looking for a job with visa NOC available. Contact: 91039598 Indian light driver. Contact: 92279370 Driver with experience of 10 years in Oman seeks suitable place-ment. Contact: 92191698 Light driver. Contact: 96313100 Driver with car available. Contact: 93015630 Driver with big Pajero only pick, drop. Contact: 91800277 Light driver looking for job. Contact: 98549627 10 yrs exp in GCC driver. Contact: 93722881 Light driver, looking for job. Contact: 98372745/99090362 Looking for Job driving. Contact: 97418036 Driver with new car looking for job.contact: 95873286 Driver (light & heavy duty) valid gulf /Indian) looking job. Contact: 95175192

Candidate with communication & analytical skills. Contact 90187827 Indian Female, 24 Years - MSc Biotechnology. Worked in Interna-tional Crops Research Institute For The Semi Arid Tropics for project work as trainee. Looking for suit-able job. Mobile: 92619048, Email: [email protected]

B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Network-ing, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement. Ready to join immediately. NOC available. Contact: 92462578 10 year experience fit – out pro-ject Engineer, holding Omani driv-ing license searching for a suitable placement. Contact: 95896061 Email: [email protected] Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs expe-rienced as AutoCAD civil drafts-man (2 yrs experience in Oman) currently in Oman seeks suitable. Contact 96789441 Email: [email protected] Indian male 23 years BE degree in electronics & telecommunica-tion, diploma in industrial control & automation, holding valid Oman D/L. Contact: 95726383 Email: [email protected] Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: [email protected] B.E Civil Engineer having 10 years experience (04 years in Oman) looking for a suitable placement NOC available. Contact: 98065360 Email: [email protected] Indian, looking for work building maintenance electrical & plumb-ing. Contact: 99365092 Looking for a suitable job (4 yrs experience) electrical engineer. Contact: 96649586 Email: [email protected] Electrical engineer Indian male 30 years , having 5 years of experi-ence in industrial automation and utility maintenance in Indian ( MRF Tyres) seeking suitable placement. Contact: 92789995 Email: [email protected] An Indian male HSE professional 9yrs experience out of 6yrs in Oman 3 yrs in India. Graduate, safety diploma, IOSH & NEBOSH . Working as Sr. HSE officer in a reputed MNC in MCT. NOC avail-able, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 90187224 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598 29 yrs Indian male B.E (ECE) with more than 5 yrs experience in Oman with valid D/L. # 96652145 Electronics & Communication Engineer : Master degree in VLSI & Embedded systems , looking for electronics/telecom/embedded jobs or teaching in colleges or schools or institutions . Currently on family visa. #97092459 or 91342287 [email protected] Robotics/Embedded Systems Engineer, Masters in Electron-ics Engineering, experience in software field & robotics, seeks suitable opportunities. Email: [email protected] Mob: 91306841 Electrical Project Engineer 5 years experience in primacy substation cables and OHL valid driving license. NOC available. Contact: 91204243 QA Engineer 5+ years experience executing ISO internal audit imple-ment QA document. NOC available. Contact: 95361454 Email: [email protected] Sudanese Civil Engineer with 5 years experienced AutoCAD primavera & GIS Arabic & English language looking for a suitable job. Contact: 91340584

DOMESTIC HELP

House maid looking for job. Contact: 98257659

Seeking suitable job for QA/QC Inspector multi discipline, having 8 yrs exp with CSWIP 3.1 AWS- CWI BGAS Grade II B.E Mech. NOC available. Contact – 97312558 / [email protected]

Indian male having more than 10 yrs exp in sea fright & air freight, having GCC D/L looking for suitable placement. Contact – 91714980/ [email protected] Indian male 42 years 13 years ex-perience with Oman driving license in MEP contracting looking job store keeper / purchaser. #95197065 Indian 28 yrs, 5 years experience in purchase looking for a suitable NOC available, driving license available. Contact: 96772166 Indian Male, 34 years with 14 years oil & gas tankers sailing experience in reputed firm with Class 1 UK COC Master’s license seeking suitable placement in port/drydock/terminal facilities/shipping and marine services. Contact- 98842135/99090098 email:[email protected]

Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects. Contact – 90164912 Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian male 24 years with 1+years Indian experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).Looking for a Suitable position. Available In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) on Visit Visa. Contact: 92835952. E-mail: [email protected]

Senior Architect with 16+ years ex-perience in Multi turnkey projects in KSA, UAE, Qatar, Libya, Oman, India. Contact: +974 433657155 Email: [email protected]

7 years Gulf experienced Auto-matic door system technician. All type of automatic door, gate bar-rier, Access control, CCTV, working in Oman (NOC available). Contact 96707646 Email: [email protected] Indian Female 25 BE.CS Engg with 2yrs Exp in Tech Support at Hewlett Packard & S/W Develop-ment at ISRO India,looking for a job in IT/TechnicalSupport/HR/Administrative/Teaching field. Contact : 92891427, 24128682 [email protected] Female 26 years B.Tech computer science with 4 yrs exp in India Tableu Qlik view hive and software testing. Looking for suitable placement. Contact – 97139075 [email protected] B.Tech (IT) Indian Male 2 years Oman experience in I.T & Network-ing, holding Oman Driving License, presently on employment visa, seeks for a suitable placement. Ready to join immediately. NOC available. Contact: 92462578 IT / Net work Engineer with MIT , CCNA certified CCNP and MCSE training , 2 years working experi-ence currently on visit visa in Muscat. Contact: 94153542 Email: [email protected] Indian female MCA IT 3years ex-perience in the field of computer hardware and windows, Network Administration on visit visa. Contact: 96730971 Email: [email protected] Hardware & net working, 2 years exp. Contact: 96244031 Female, 24yrs, B-tech Computer Science, currently on visit,1yr expe-rience and certified special training .skills in software testing,management,administration,java,oracleDB,Android,C++,C.seeking suitable place-ment.Contact:98741930, [email protected] Indian male IT, CCNA, RHCE, MCITP, 3 years experience have GCC driving license seeking suit-able position on visit visa (until 27th Dec). Contact: 93311963 Email: [email protected] An Indian male 27yrs, B. Tech in (Computer Science) 6 years of exp in technical support, troubleshoot-ing and managing seeks suitable placement. Contact:- 97483775, email:- [email protected] CCNA MCITP network sup-port /network technician with 2 years experience Indian male having bachelors degree on visit visa. Contact : 93080871 [email protected] Age 28 years experience 2years & 8 month in IT accounting technical skill, java, J.S.P tally Peachtree M.S excel, SQL ,Working java program-mer India , accountant , Dubai ,Qualification MCA, B.C.A mathe-matic visit visa. Contact: 95673451

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available. Contact – 96789711 Electrical Engineer Indian male having 5 yrs of exp in designing, ex-ecution & planning in electrical field. Having valid GGC driving license. Looking for a suitable job. Contact – 98052942 / [email protected]

Multimedia and graphic designer Filipino male 25 , looking for job in Muscat 3 years experience in 6 graphic and 3D design on visit visa immediately available. Contact: 95844940 Email: [email protected] Interior designer 4+ exp, turnkey projects & freelancing for flats, office & corporate. Contact – 93140552/ [email protected] 25 years male BA. English , Qualified as mast in digital animation having 5 yrs ex in character animation special-ized Auto Desk mago and motion building software knowledge, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 97917357 Autocad , Oman exp in ARCh, structural, interior, knows 3D ph : 96946306 Professional architect 3ds max (interior, exterior) looking for pri-vate work. Contact: 96041201

Egyptian woman resident has con-siderable experience in the adminis-tration and secretarial executive for companies. Contact: 97221126 Indian male 12 yrs exp in Oman as administrator/ HR/ operation manager with D/L & NOC. Contact – 96055815 / [email protected] Young dynamic professional with 4yrs of Oman Experience in HR & Admin looking for suitable place-ment.(NOC Available)-91507099 Now in visiting visa looking for job, fluency in Arabic writing, typing, reading & speaking, looking in Ad-min, document controller secretary translator & HR Assistance. do need-ful. Contact: 968- 97240204 Email: [email protected] 15 yrs experience in administration (rent a car) in UAE, holder of UAE driving license on visit in Oman seeking suitable post. Contact: 98606800 / 99431708 Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf exp in Administration/ HR & Pub-lic relationship. Fluent in Arabic/ English with D/L. Looking for suitable position. Contact - 99897280 10 years experience in secretarial / Admin job. Contact: 94868626 HR/ Admin with total 7 years GCC experience looking for immediate change over with suitable position NOC available. Contact 95521535 Email: [email protected] HR & Admin Executive (MBA) In-dian male 26 years, with more than 4 years experiences in HR / Admin (16 months in Oman) looking for suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 968-98757304 / 968 -98314238 Email: [email protected] Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Educa-tion, Admin, Corporate communi-cations. Contact 98252030 Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/HR, Customer Support, Office Coor-dinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa, looking for suit-able position. Contact: 90196235

Male, B.E in industrial & production engineering, 8 years experience (5 years in oil & gas) and 3 years in available currently on visit visa, seeking immediate placement. Contact: 97863823

Electrical Engineer ( B.Tech) Indian female 4 years experience in India presently located at Al Ghubra on family visa. Contact: 97228117

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1Year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 97416564, Email: [email protected]

Indian male 24 yrs bachelor me-chanical 2 yr experience looking for job. Contact: 95179021 /96974981 Email: [email protected] Indian male diploma Civil Engineer having total 6 years experience in building continuation looking for suitable job. Contact- 94257287 Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site manage-ment looking for suitable place-ment. Contact:- 95042656 Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: [email protected]

Female Engineer material / controller 3 years experience in road companies, with D/L. Contact: 98001764 Civil Engineer (Diploma) looking for urgent placement (final exit). Contact: 95200650 Need for job Generator Mechanic 2 years auto diesel cores, exp. 7 years Pakistan 1 and half years in Oman oil filed. Contact: 92849823 BCA & GNIIT Higher diploma in NIIT. Looking for job, .presently in Muscat oman. Looking for a suitable position, Able to get NOC from the present company. Net-work management in computer, software developing, Accounting. Contact 98631210 Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975528 STP Operator having 25 yrs experi-ence in Oman. Contact: 93089468 Project Manager / Site manager two years experience with BE Civil Engineer + DAE civil technology skills Primavera 6, Ms Office, age 26 years seeking suitable job. Contact: 94842408 Email: [email protected] Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience as HVAC design engineer rev IT M.E.P AutoCAD. Contact: 91050913 Email: [email protected] QA/QC Engineer 10 yrs experi-ence 7 yrs in GCC oil& gas industry looking for opportunity in Oman. QMS Auditor CSWIP3.1, API 570 BE MECH, MBA-PM NOC available. Contact 94663812 Email: [email protected] Buyer cum expeditor having more than 7 years of experience in oil& gas sector major client Oman gas company & British petroleum, knowledge in logistics and ship-ping clearance. NOC available. Contact: 98708758 Email: [email protected] Indian male Mechanical Engg with 6 yrs experience in MEP field, seeking suitable placement with GCC license now in visit visa. Contact: 98086267 Email: [email protected] Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman. Contact: 97646908 Civil Supervisor, 5 yrs experience in high rise buildings worked in BP Khazzan projects. NOC available. Contact: 96259407 Email: [email protected]

Civil Engineer with 6 years exp in Oman. Contact: 93242103 Email: [email protected] Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) Indian m with good knowledge in MEP, currently in Oman on visit visa looking for suitable place-ment. Contact: 90154793 Email: [email protected] Indian female on visit visa master of engineering (M.E) in computer science with 2 years ex-perience software trainee, worked as mathematics and IT Teacher seeking for suitable job. Contact: 94528019 Email: [email protected] Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: [email protected] Project Engineer 6 years experi-ence in Oman, construction (site manager) fluent Arabic, English and good Hindi. Tele 97858589 Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270 Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable place-ment. Contact: 95345591 Sr. Civil Engineer, Indian male with 22 yrs of experience in building construction, pipeline work special-ist in tendering, billing, quantity surveying with Gulf experience. contact 95225759 Email : [email protected] Civil maintenance painting, tile works decor works, plumb-ing, electric, shop furnishing carpentary works and all other maintenance. Contact 97897831, 92112094 (Indian, Keralite) Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – [email protected] Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience. Contact 91295802 / [email protected]

DAILY GUIDED6 S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 5

Email: [email protected] [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED

SIT. WANTED

HR & Admin Executive ( MBA) Indian male 26 year old, with more than 4 years of experiences in HR& Admin (16 month in Oman) looking for suitable placement, NOC avail-able. Contact: +968-98757304 Email: [email protected] Indian Male, 28, MBA Finance & Mcom. more than 5yrs exp. in A/c & Finance (Including 2 yrs in Oman), NOC available, Seek Suitable Placement, Contact: 93939421, email: [email protected] Indian Accounts professioanl with 2 years of experience cur-rently on visit visa looking for suitable job openings Contact: Gsm: 92395449 [email protected] Part- Time Accountant, well experience senior accountant ,do-ing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available. Contact 98803439 Post graduate master of social work having 5 years experience at present visit visa seeking suitable opportunity.Contact 99876307 Planning Engineer: B.E(Electrical and Electronics Engineer-ing): Indian Male 33 yrs with 10 years of experience in UAE & Muscat. Skilled in the areas of project coordination, planning & procurements. Contact: 00971503529608 Email Id: [email protected] 29 year Indian male B-Tech Engi-neering, with 6 yrs of Professional experience in Manufacturing Oil & Gas Industries seeking for a suitable placement (NOC Avail-able).Kindly contact me on 94628362, email- [email protected] MBA (F), B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for job. pres-ently on family visit visa. Contact :- 94704661. Email:- [email protected] Indian-male 34yrs,m.Com with 14 yrs exp.( 8 Yrs in oman) work-ing as procurement officer in contg & trdg co llc.( Worked for road,civil,electro-mechanical,corrosion,scaffolding,insulation & Oth-ers Projects in Oman ) and having Oman LT D/L, Looking for suitable placement- M:94064650, Email: [email protected] Indian youth BA warehouse man-ager/sales in Oman 1 year provide NOC, OMAN Driving license holder seeks jobs.94 525213 [email protected]. Indian Expat female, BSc Physics and Tally ERP 9, educated with valid Oman Driving license seeks suitable position. Please contact: 0096894864575 Civil Engineer 5 Years EXP 2 years in Oman as a QS Seeking for part time job as QS. Contact - 91507508 B Sc. Computer Application + M B A from UK With 3 years of Experi-ence, Mumbai, India Available on Visit Visa (27Years)looking for a suitable Placement. Contact: 94030166/ 96739581 Email ID: [email protected] Part time accountant available, well experienced in accounting up to finalization. Knowledge in tally also. contact. 92643875

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

7 Ton/ 10 Ton- Trailer

Local transport- MCT- UAE

Contact96609857

Amir Ali

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation & tours. Contact: 99324045 Pick & drop anytime in Al Khuwair. Contact 99764307 Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba. Contact: 91103909 Transportation. Contact: 99099714 Transportation available Ruwi Seeb. Contact 99867456 Transportation. Contact: 98505294

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

Indian lady with release paper.searching for admin or accounts asst or showroom sales job. Contact 94417080 MCA, Indian female looking for a job in admin office works. Contact: 96370225 Secretary MBA Indian male 5 years exp in India, 1 yr exp as Secretary / document controller in tendering dept in Oman seeking urgent place-ment. Contact 91566118 / 93089367

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

Looking for job as Mason, steel fixer, electrician. Contact: 93015630 Masonry / finishing foreman 20 years experience NOC available. Contact: 98435309/ India + 91 9446958838 Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job. Contact: 95175192

TOURS & TRAVELS

Indian female BSC IATA, 14 years exp in travel & tourism in Oman looking for suitable placement. Contact: 96433490 Email: [email protected] Indian female 24 yrs, Bachelor in Travel & Tourism and 2 year exp in Oman as ticketing executive.GDS-Sabre, Amdeus, Galilio. seeking suitable job. Contact- 95883404

TECHNICIAN /MECH.

Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experience preferably in water sector and having valid driving license call Ph:+968 99450811 Send CV to [email protected]

Electrician, plumber (exp gulf / In-dian) looking job. Contact 95175192 Game operators & gardener, with at least relevant field experience. Please send your CV to [email protected] Required expatriate manpower goods loading & unloading labors. For inquiry Contact: 98111363

MBA - (F), M.Com,B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of ac-counts with Tally looking for part time or full time job. Presently on family visa. Contact :- 91892264. Email: [email protected] 31 year Indian male PG in HR with 5 yrs Professional experi-ence in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement(NOC Available).Kindly contact me on 93488914, [email protected] Indian Male, 26 years, With 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in “Dubai” , looking for suitable placement. Experienced working in safety Ma-rine equipment and well versed with MS Office. #90182494, [email protected] Indian male, totally 8+ years experience in IT Assistant, 5 Years in Oman, Looking for a suitable position in Oman, Holding Oman Driving license & also NOC is available. Contact: 98248024, email- [email protected] Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3 yrs exp. in IT / networking/ server support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 ACCA (Associate Certified Char-tered Accountant) with 2 years experience. Looking for opportuni-ties in Finance, Accounts. Presently Available in Oman for Personal interviews -# 96124257, 93692578. Email at [email protected] Indian male, QA/QC Instrument Inspector, 8 years exp in GCC, on visit visa. # 92430370 Email: [email protected], Indian female, MBA HR & Finance, having 1 year experience, seeking suitable placement. Currently in Oman. Contact: 96052366. Indian male 23yr BA TTM(Travel and Tourism Management) with Advanced Diploma in Supply Chain Logisitics and Shipping Management, Experienced in Logisitics (Customs Clearance) seeking in suitable placement, currently on visit visa(Oman) Contact; 90291092 email:[email protected] Male 27, BCA, Diploma in Net-working, CCNA certified engineer, 4 years experience in IT support & networking seeks job. Contact-90193811 Indian female, 27, food tech-nologist (MSc Food Technology), 2years experience in research and development - instant foods, sea-sonings. Contact -93987174 email :[email protected] 8 yrs exp 2d, 3d draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE) seeking job. Contact 93790601 Project Manager in Mechanical Engg. (M.sc.) with 8 years experi-ence in Building Construction, oil & gas seeking job- Contact - 94625598 ([email protected]) Indian male 23yr BA TTM(Travel and Tourism Management) with Advanced Diploma in Supply Chain Logistics and Shipping Management, Experienced in Logistics(Customs Clearance) seeking in suitable placement. Currently on visit visa (Oman) Contact; 90291092 email: [email protected] Driver Cum Salesman Profes-sional, Indian male having 7 Years of Experience in Oman Having Valid Driving License working as a Office Driver, Looking for a suitable Position, NOC available. Contact: 99680429 Email:[email protected]

o

GENERAL ELECTRONICS SERVICES LLC

CONTACT: 99627299 / 93327841

BRING HOME - LIVE MUSIC & CINEMA

HOME THEATER&

KARAOKE

SITUATION WANT-ED

BUSINESS

Required expatriate partner or investor, to invest various com-mercial fields. For inquiry. Contact : 98209820 We will register LLC. trade license for foreign investors and do all actions. Contact: 92833566

Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Market-ing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/BW with 1 year experience seek-ing for job Contact: 90228586 Email:[email protected]

Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suit-able placement. Gsm 9880-5474

MISCELLANEOUS

MEDICAL

Experienced Indian female Dentist with MOH licence looking for job. Contact 98437191 Indian BDS doctor looking for a suitable position prometric passed. Contact: 90377433

MSc Bioinformatics BSc Biotech-nology, 3 to 4 years experience in outsourcing related to U.S based Pharma Company regarding chemin-formatics and drug designing work related to human kinases. Contact – 93871822 / [email protected] Experienced prometric cleared Indian female dentist seeks suit-able placement in Muscat. Contact: 94673720 /92880267 An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license looking for job. # 96436517 /97396088

Capable confident hard working Indian male B.Com MBA looking suitable jobs. Contact – 93279943

Candidate with good communica-tion. Contact 90187827 Indian, 38 years with 15 years in sales & marketing filed with GCC valid license. Contact: 94744746 Indian male with Oman driving license and 27 years Oman experi-ence in FMCG sales/newspaper dis-tribution across the Sultanate seeks job. No objection certificate/release letter is available from the present employer. Contact 98962942 Indian male 11 yrs exp in Oman looking for job in sales /mrkt, office work having Oman D/L. Contact: 99501046 Indian male 23 years with 4 years experience in Purchase and Sales, graduate in EC, currently on visit-ing visa, seeking suitable job in Oman. Contact: 96761020. Email: [email protected] Male B.com 8 month experience in sales seeking suitable place-ment. Contact: 98371144

Indian male graduate with 7 yrs exp in sale & marking immediate join NOC available. Contact : 96746107 Indian Male 32, MBA (Marketing & Finance) with 10 years experi-ence in Marketing of Banking Products & Insurance Industry. Seeking for a Job in Oman. Contact: 93576980, 97750460 Email: [email protected] Sales & Marketing Executive MBA with 3 years experience in sales looking for suitable placement. Contact: 91345727. Age 26 Indian male B.Com completed 3 years outdoor sales experience, one year Gulf experi-ence good marketing knowledge, having Oman driving license. NOC available seeking suitable place-ment. Contact: 98792682 Indian male sales marketing with G.C.C license 7 years exp. Contact: 98097459 Email: [email protected] Indian male with Oman driving license and 27 years’ Oman experi-ence in FMCG sales /newspaper dis-tribution across the Sultanate seeks job. No objection certificate/release letter is available from the present employer. Contact: 98962949 Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suit-able placement. Gsm 9880-5474 12 years of experience in Oman; marketing strategies & operations, logistics, government tenders, public relations & dealing with international companies -4 years of experience in UK, engineering CNC & industrial areas, have dual nationality, fluent in English & Arabic speaking and writing , (I can travel abroad easily without visa, for finalizing business or any other purpose). Contact: 94123939 Indian male, MBA Finance & Marketing 28 yrs,6+ Exp, with Driving license, Hospital Phrma Herbal Marketing, construction A/c & sales , F&B industry, Contact : 93379044 Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: [email protected] Indian male 46 years, Sales Manager experience in modular kitchens & furnitures. Contact 94522616 Indian male, 24, MBA Marketing and HR, I year experience. On visit visa. Looking for suitable job. Contact 94014073 Marketing Executive/Merchan-diser, Omani License, BA 8 years Experience in Multinational Groups. Contact 97601343

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

MBA (marketing) with 17 years experience in freight forwarding/ logistics industry in GCC & Oman. Presently working as branch manager in Muscat. Looking for a suitable position. Release and NOC available. Contact: 99856331 MBA In Operations Management Indian male : MBA in Lean Opera-tions And Systems with 3 years of experience seeks suitable placement in Oman. Contact : 0096894369897 The Business Development Man-ager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman follow-ing activities: construction(Very strong and qualified to bringing business for civil work Or any type of the construction work for many million per year with a good experience in pricing and collect payment and cash management of the company & marketing pro-jects & investments& tenders & real estate. Contact: - 92385033 Indian male 8 yrs exp in Oman working as housekeeping supervi-sor in star hotel, seeking for a job NOC available. Contact – 91753210 Indian male, with experience in op-erations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job. #91904541 Email: [email protected] Indian male 4 years experience M.S.C Marine biotechnology, look-ing for Production Manager. Contact: +919629032023 Email: [email protected] The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments& transportation & Ma-rine services& companies manage-ment& develop business. Contact :- 92385033

Indian 18 years experience in Oman Driver cum Sales man fields NOC available. Contact: 92459603

SIT. WANTED

31 year Indian male PG in HR ,with 5 yrs Professional experi-ence in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement(NOC Available).Kindly contact me on 93488914, [email protected] MBA(HR & Marketing) & B.Com, Indian male 28 yrs,2 yrs exp. in Qatar, having oman driving license, currently on family visa (NOC available).looking for hr, admin, assistant accountant, marketing & sales job in salalah.Contact:98138376, email: [email protected] Software Engineer , Oracle EBS R-12 Technical Consultant 9 Years Experience. HRMS/ Payroll, Education, Hotel, Textile, Shipping Container Terminal. Email: [email protected]. Contact 97912264

Indian male 25 yrs, MBA (Fi-nance, Marketing), Overall 2 yrs exp in Accounts/Finance field, On Visit Visa. Immediately available. Contact - 92989197/94786544. [email protected] Indian male, 11 years exp. in ac-counting, knowledge in tally also. Looking for a part time job. Contact. 98983122 Indian male 24yrs, B. tech in (Computer Science) 4 years of exp in technical support, sales and networking, seeks suitable place-ment. Contact:- 95955696, email:- [email protected] Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3 yrs exp. in IT/networking/ server support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532

Classes for Spoken EnglishTOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT

Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed

Target Band 8.0

EAGLES INSTITUTE92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: [email protected]


SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

Contact : 94277020

CLASSES

IELTS & TOEFLAcademic / General

Target Band 8 TQT Institute.

Ph # 24480800 / 99347202

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

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English

class for Malayalam Speakers in Azaiba and Ruwi

earn in two monthstion guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

WEBSITE

WEB, ERP and Business Intel-ligence (BI) creation and manage-ment at rock bottom price. Contact: http//webviewoman

COMPUTER

DRIVING

Learn driving with professional. Contact: 94022250

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807 House shifting & transporting. Contact 92490422 Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact : 93769089 / 95323517 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-ter-mite treatment, general cleaning painting,Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. Contact: 24810137, 99450130 Water proofing ABUQABAS- Contact 99320217/24788722

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636

TOURS

FOR HIRE

Bobcat available for rent. Contact 97623299 Car with driver available for rent. Contact: 93015630

MANPOWER

MANPOWER

Marble grinding resurfacing & ceiling crystallization / polishing general cleaning of villas & flats. Terrazzo floor scrubbing, ceiling, polishing & buffing. Contact: 98598280 /94134784 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/ 24792998 Debt collection services your money we collect value com-mercial services. Fax: 00968-24783669 Contact: 00968- 2479815 /00968- 24701422 /00968- 94665476 Email: [email protected] House shifting. Contact: 99657644/98518013

Cleaning & Carpet Shampooing, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723 Pest Control Treatments. Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722

MATRIMONIAL

Rose Mary age 25 yrs Born Oman, B.com 2 years ACCA, MBA. Con-tact: 92841175 T.C.R. EKM .DT. Only Kerala RC boy 31 yrs paramedical working in Oman hailing from Tel-lichery Dioces. Contact: 92866673 Keralite, Thiruvananthapuram based “Young and Handsome Boy”, Hindu – Viswakarma (Carpenters), Birth Star – Pooyam, MCA, 29 years(05/11/1985, 01.30 AM), 176 cm height, Wheatish colour, Moder-ate family, Working as ‘Commercial Assistant’ in a reputed automotive company. seeking alliance of girls from the suitable family. Contact: Rejeesh - 92801583, 94238934, Shanmughan - +919895891202, +914712619230 RCSC MOH Nurse working in Min-istry hospital Sur seeking suitable alliance from Keralite Malayalees Christian boys (preference in Muscat, well educated). Contact: Gince Sebastian 98055621 / 97929487 Kerala Ezhava boy 28 years MBA working in Oman seeking suitable alliance. Contact: 98185755 23 Years Malayalee Christian girl born & educated in Bangalore, seeking suitable alliances from well settled Keralite Malayalee Christian boys. Contact - 99494371 AL RAZI AYURVEDIC CLINIC

Balloons beautiful design & Archie’s works for party, birthday & New Year functions all events. Contact 95194801/96594592 Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

GOOD NEWS

GOOD NEWS

Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage steambath, obesity, Spondylitis, Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street Azaiba. Contact: 99639695 / 98342990 FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com

D8 S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE Email: [email protected] [email protected].: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTEDCARGO

ABDULHAKIM AL BIMANI

TRADING & CONTRACTOR

Expert in Shipping cargo by sea & air

to Zanzibar, Pemba, Dar es Salam in

Tanzania, Burundi, Th e Philippines,

Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

Reasonable price.

Contact: 97440625/95416662Email: [email protected]

RENT A CAR

Rental car. Contact: 92516090

MD Rubel has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. C 1650811. Finder please hand over to ROP. Raheel Arshad has lost Pakistani Passport No. BU 1911021. Finder please hand over to ROP

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

LOSTParty & Wedding equipment rentals. Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirt-ing, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: [email protected]

Available office space in Prime location on 18th November Street, Azaiba Kindly. Contact: 99288664

NRI

Plot for sale Shadnagar Municipal-ity, Mahboob Nagar District, walk able distance to existing colonies, national highway and basic ameni-ties at reasonable price. Contact – 0091 8686631669 Plot, propeties for sale in prime location in pune 95272138,(+918390982975)

Luxurious villas in a Gated community with all the modern facili�es at

Vakathanam By-Pass (MC road-NH 220)Web: www.royalcastles.inemail: [email protected]

+968 92855909, +91 9961 11 9988

royal castles vakathanam, kottayam

FOR LADIESHome service for ladies only facial, waxing, body massage, (if you not waxing menicure pedicure) only 20 Riyal, Contact 9243 0239

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

space availability

Documents

Times of Oman - December 20, 2015