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WEDNESDAY, December 2, 2015 / 20 Safar 1437 AH timesofoman.com wtimesofoman.com facebook.com/timesofoman twitter.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

On the occasion of the 28th National Day

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

If things are to be judged by results, we can say that what has been achieved, with the help of God, is a great achievement. History will testify that you, Sons of Oman, patiently faced the challenges, and overcame all problems.

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

SAYYID FAHD RECEIVES GCC SECRETARY GENERALOn behalf of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud

Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers, received on Tuesday Dr. Abdul

Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary General of the GCC. — ONA

REJIMON K HASSAN SHABAN AL LAWATI reji@timesofoman.comhassan@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Plans to raise the level of income tax paid by com-panies in Oman, and scrap an ex-emption currently used by tens of thousands of firms, have sent shivers through the business community but economists say the move could help shore up the nation’s finances.

On Monday, a Majlis Al Shura panel reviewed the income tax law, the foreign capital invest-ment law and the insurance companies’ law provisions, for amendments.

According to a Shura mem-ber, the income tax may be in-

creased by three per cent and the OMR30,000 tax payment ceiling exemption for companies may be removed.

Tax payment ceiling “Discussions have proposed to increase the income tax from 12 per cent to 15 per cent and to remove the OMR30,000 tax pay-ment ceiling exemption for com-panies,” the Shura member said, adding that out of the 200,000 companies operating in Oman, only 4,000 pay tax.

“Rest come under the ceil-ing and they are exempted,” the Shura member said.

However, the Shura member pointed out that an increase of 3 per cent would not help the economy.

Increase pressure“It will only pressure the busi-ness community further,” the Shura member said.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia cur-rently levy corporate income taxes of 15 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, a top official at the Oman Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (OCCI) said that the move has to be recon-sidered as it may negatively af-fect foreign investments, which will force companies to exit the Oman market.

“This will eventually aggra-vate the economic crisis, not solve it,” Redha Juma Al Saleh, vice chairman of OCCI said. >A2

His Majesty issues Royal DecreeMUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on Tuesday is-sued a Royal Decree No.48/2015 endorsing the oil agreement be-tween the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and Oman Lasso Exploration and Produc-tion Karawan Company Ltd for bloc No. 54, signed on Septem-ber 22nd, 2015.

Article (1) ratifies the above-mentioned agreement.

Article (2) says that the de-cree shall be published in the Official Gazette and enforced on its date of issue. -ONA

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

A2Staycation offers up for grabs

OMANOman’s mining sector offers great potential

1Mining and minerals sector in Oman offers great potential, which can be

utilised effectively if certain challenges are addressed, said experts. >A3

REGIONHouthis killed in Saudi offensive

2Dozens of Yemeni Houthi fighters were killed during an assault on the

border with Saudi Arabia, Saudi state television said. >A4

MARKETIraqi oil production boosts Opec supplies

3Opec oil output has risen in November from the previous month, a

Reuters survey found. >B1

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

twitter.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

estyRoyal

ajesty Sultan n Tuesday is-e No.48/2015 greement be-

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mpany Ltd for d on Septem-

es the above-ent.that the de-

lished in the d enforced on A

T

ng sector potential

D E S T O R I E S

Some officials

and businessmen

have termed the

imposition of

additional income

tax to shore

up finances a

‘regressive’ step

Income tax plan worries business leaders

National plan to tackle HIV to be ready by June, 2016 ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI elham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A national strategic plan to tackle HIV in Oman is expected to be complete by next year, said a senior official.

It will hopefully be completed by June, 2016, Dr. Seif Al Abri, di-rector general of the Directorate General for Disease Surveillance and Control, told the Times of Oman on Tuesday.

He made the comments on the sidelines of an event held at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel on the oc-casion of World AIDS Day, being observed under the theme “HIV treatment for all”, this year.

A new guide for healthcare workers, aimed at enhancing HIV management, was also unveiled at the event, which was held un-der the auspices of Dr. Moham-med Al Hosni, undersecretary for Health Affairs at the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Around 200 participants, in-cluding senior officials and medi-cal professionals, attended the conference.

Al Abri also said there is a plan to establish an educational HIV club, which will bring together

those who look after HIV pa-tients, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and counsellors.

The members are supposed to meet every three months to dis-cuss various issues related to HIV, he noted.

In his speech at the conference, the official said other measures considered by Oman on the way forward include HIV viral resist-

ance testing, primary HIV viral resistance testing, undergoing validation of mother-to-child elimination of transmission of HIV and syphilis, applied re-search, consultancy services all over the country, standardised care pathways and national au-dit, and benchmarking of HIV care centres.

He expressed hope that with the new guidelines, those who are eligible, but are not receiving antiretroviral therapy, which is the main treatment for HIV, will be treated under the 2020 target.

Al Abri also discussed a new global target for 2020, known as 90–90–90, which hopes to see that by 2020, 90 per cent of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status, 90 per cent of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 90 per cent of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression.

In addition, he emphasised the importance of public aware-ness, which will help reduce discrimination against HIV pa-tients and the stigma surrounding this disease. >A2

H I V T R E A T M E N T F O R A L L

Commercial production of Oman’s electric car to begin in 2018

TARIQ AL HAREMI HASSAN SHABAN AL LAWATI tariqh@timesofoman.comhassan@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Commercial produc-tion of Oman’s first electric car, the Nur Majan, is expected to com-mence in 2018, Sultan Hamad Al Amri, chairman of the Board of Directors of Nur Majan Company, has revealed.

Nur Majan is the first Arab hand-manufactured car, specifi-cally Oman-made, and is inspired by the Sultanate’s Arabian leopard in its attack position. The first car was solely made by hand, whereas the mass production will be done by machines only.

Al Amri said the company plans to produce 1,008 cars per year, which will be the size of a Toyota Corolla made out of a treated car-bon fibre. This type of material comes in different colours, which means the car does not require colouring. It will be fire as well as scratch resistant and not suscep-tible to rupture. According to the Nur Majan Company, “It will be impossible to smash the car body, leave aside scratching it.” >A2

I N S P I R E D B Y A R A B I A N L E O P A R D

HOMEMADE: Oman’s first electric car, the Nur Majan. – Supplied photo

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH

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

His Majesty sends greetings >A2

His Majesty receives thanks >A2

Three teachers killed in Buraimi car crashHASSAN SHABAN AL LAWATI hassan@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Three people were killed in an accident in Buraimi on Tuesday, said the Royal Oman Police (ROP).

The car in which the victims were travelling collided with a truck leading to the death of the three, said the police.

“Those killed in the incident have been identified as one Omani national and two Egyp-tians teachers. They were from a school in Mahadha, near Burai-mi,” the police official said.

According to the data released

in October, road accident deaths in the Sultanate have dropped by 50 per cent since 2012.

The number of deaths from road accidents dropped to 502 this year, from 1,139 deaths regis-tered in 2012.

Accident deathsThe number of deaths related to road accidents in 2013 was 913, while it was 816 in 2014.

According to police statistics, the number of licences issued has also increased.

The number of vehicles reg-istered during the last few years has seen a sharp increase.

C O L L I S I O N O F V E H I C L E S

Dr. Mohammed Al Hosni, under-

secretary for health affairs, MoH

A2 W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

OMAN Mining and minerals sector in Oman offers great

potential, which can be utilised effectively if

certain challenges are addressed, said experts.

Mining sector in Oman offers great potential >A3

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qa-boos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from President Alexander Lu-kashenko of Belarus, in reply to His Majesty’s congratulatory cable on the occasion of being re-elected as a President for a new term.

In his cable, President Lukashenko expressed his utmost thanks and ap-preciation for His Majesty’s congrat-ulations and best wishes to him and his country’s people.

He wished His Majesty good health, happiness and success and the Omani people welfare and prosperity, expressing his hope to strengthen the relations and cooperation between the two countries. -ONA

B E L A R U S

ROAD OPENED FOR TRAFFICA portion of the first

stage of Bidbid Sur dual

carriageway project

(after Wadi Al Uqq to

Al Mudhabi turn) was

opened by the Ministry

of Transport and Com-

munications on Tuesday.

Eng. Salim bin Moham-

med Al Nuaimi, under-

secretary of the min-

istry of transport and

communications, said

that 52 km of the total

115-km long road has

been completed. -ONA

His Majesty sends greetings to UAEMUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to His High-ness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on the oc-casion of the 44th National Day.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sin-cere congratulations and best wishes of good health, happiness and a long life to Sheikh Khalifa, praying to Allah the Almighty to grant him success to achieve further aspirations of progress and prosperity for the United

Arab Emirates people under his wise leadership.

LaosHis Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congrat-ulations to President Choum-maly Sayasone of the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos on the occasion of his country’s National Day.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations and his best wishes to President Sayasone and his country’s people. -ONA

C A B L E S

HM receives thanks cable

‘Seek substitutes; imposing

more taxes not the solution’

“The SMEs (small and medium enterprises) funded and support-ed by OCCI will also be affected,” Al Saleh added.

Commenting on removing of the ceiling, the vice-chairman said it would result in limiting job opportunities for Omanis.

“Facing the decline in oil prices should be through finding alter-native revenues, instead of im-posing taxes, which will only lead to worsening the situation,” Al Saleh said.

Businessmen also echoed a similar opinion.

“Hiking the tax will affect the market badly,” Anvwar Al Balushi, chairman of the Anvwar Asian In-vestment Group, said.

Another businessman said tax increases would cause pain as no one likes to pay more than what they have been paying.

“But then that is being oblivious of the reality. I am sure most com-panies would be able to sustain, albeit there could be exceptions. But we need to look at the overall picture and not at the exception,” Yusuf Nalwala, managing direc-tor of the Al Ansari Group, said.

Meanwhile, an expert said im-posing taxes is one of the main revenue generating mechanisms for a government to discharge its obligations.

“Given the continuous slide in oil prices and the bleak projec-tions ahead, the rise in taxes is an option that can help reduce the fiscal deficit. But, I don’t have the data to support as to what extent it can help,” N. Gurumurthy, the

expert pointed out. On whether the tax hike would place compa-nies in trouble, Gurumurthy said he didn’t think so.

“Considering the high level of taxation followed in many coun-tries including the United States, a 3 per cent increase cannot im-pact companies significantly,” Gurumurthy said, while adding that companies won’t sack em-ployees, rather, they would look for ways to cut costs, increase price, increase productivity and so on.

Gurumurthy also said the re-moval of the ceiling is not a wel-come idea since it may hurt small-er companies.

“When the government is lay-ing greater thrust on the develop-ment of SMEs, the removal may come as a disincentive for them. On the contrary, with growing inflation, the ceiling may require enhancement, which cannot be attempted at this critical time,” Gurumurthy added.

An expert in business tax ad-visory services said the intended effect of tax rate increase is to reduce the budget deficit and hence provide more outlay for in-vestment in the development of Oman’s economy.

“The aim of tax rate hike is to reduce the budget deficit and provide more outlay for the de-velopment of Oman. Hence, if increased collections translate into more spending by govern-ments, as intended, it would spur growth,” Manjot Singh Chug, a Business Tax Advisory Services

expert, said. “Tax is a country’s economic resource. Currently, the corporate tax rate of 12 per cent in Oman is among the low-est in the world. Hence, there is a scope for increasing the corporate income tax rate without placing undue burden on the companies,” Chug added.

Oman is expected to unveil the 2016 fiscal budget next month and if the government still insists on increasing spending, it will risk running a bigger deficit to open up serious cracks in its financial structure.

It is obvious that the govern-ment cannot weather the crip-pling impact of lower oil prices as its finances are buckling under the weight of the committed pro-jects, as well as its inflated capital spending.

Oil prices in the international market are currently the lowest in six years — hovering at $42 per barrel.

Oman’s income has fallen by more than 60 per cent since June 2014 when it sold oil at a price of $115 per barrel. The International Monetary Fund has already cau-tioned Oman that it is risking a wider deficit at 17 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product in 2016 unless it starts tightening its belt to a sustainable level.

M A J L I S A L S H U R A P L A N

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New guide to help workersThe expert also spoke about the importance of psychological care for HIV patients and said the healthcare staff dealing with these patients spend a lot of time talking about the power of ‘hope.’

Ministry of Health’s Al Hosni also highlighted the significance of an exchange of knowledge and

experience between different na-tions of the world to combat HIV.

New guidelinesCommenting on the new guide-lines, Dr. Mohamed Redha Moosa Al Lawati, head of the National TB, AIDS and Leprosy Control Programmes at the MoH, said a

lot of efforts had been invested into developing the new guide.

Latest researchIt has been drawn up based on the latest research and international practices and will hopefully ben-efit healthcare workers, HIV pa-tients and their families.

H I V T R E A T M E N T

An innovation to be proud of

The material is 4.5 times strong-er than steel and 70 per cent lighter than it.

The car will be able to travel 400 to 600km after a single charge de-pending on the speed and weight. When the car runs out of power, users can charge the vehicle just as they charge their cell phones through a plug on the wall. A standard 240 volt current will take the car four hours to charge at home. Nur Majan will need the first maintenance after 20 years from the date of purchase.

“Petrol stations will have three-phase chargers installed for elec-tric vehicle. In Nur Majan’s case, the car can be charged in 20 min-utes at petrol stations,” said Mo-hamed Al Zagul, manager of Me-chanics and A/C.

The solar panel on the roof of the car takes advantage of the Middle East’s sunny environment to pow-er the compressor; it is only used for the air-conditioning system.

In addition to the many features that Nur Majan Company has in-corporated into the vehicle, such as massage seats, Windows 8 in

the display screen and also a trash compartment, the company also added a black box, which is prima-ry installed in aircraft.

The black box, however, is not typical of the aviation type, but works almost in the same way.

It can record and store car’s events with four cameras installed both inside and outside the vehicle and the information is updated every 30 minutes. The user of the vehicle will not be able to tamper with the black box where the Royal Oman Police are only authorised to handle the object. In case of an accident or suspicious behaviour, the police can check the black box for information about the incident. Nur Majan’s powerful 420 horse-power electric engine can reach a top speed of 260 km per hour. The car can also travel from 0 to 100 km per hour in 3.6 seconds, emitting 0 grams per km of carbon dioxide.

“There will come a day for each of us, as an Arab nation, when eve-ryone will be proud to drive an Ar-ab-made car. Even when you will see a non-Arab driving the car, you will feel proud,” said Al Zagul.

E L E C T R I C C A R

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< FROM

A1Staycation offers up for grabs this holiday

MOBIN MATHEW BLESSONmobinmathew@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: With the National Day holidays starting today, hotels and resorts in Oman are ready with their staycation packages.

Staycation has become popu-lar in Oman for short or extended weekend holidays.

According to the spokesmen of hotels and resorts, 80 per cent of the revenue comes from the stay-cation programmes.

Kay Paensanit, PR & Market-ing Executive, Millennium Resort

Mussanah, wondered why people should travel aborad when they can enjoy the best of Omani hos-pitality at home.

“Besides, two days will be lost in travelling. So, it would be wise to spend the holidays here itself,” she told the Times of Oman.

Millennium Resort Mussanah is also offering two staycation packages for this holiday. They are offering a one night stay in a deluxe garden view room with breakfast for OMR70 which can

be upgraded to a sea-view room for OMR10. They are offering a free stay and complementary breakfast for one child below six- year-old.

Second package of Millennium Resort is one night stay in the deluxe garden view room with breakfast and dinner for OMR90 which can be upgraded to a sea view room for OMR10. They are offering a free stay and comple-mentary breakfast for one child below six-year-old.

“Our deluxe and superior are not available for Wednesday and Thursday because of the huge bookings but we have deluxe and superior sea view rooms for Friday and Thursday,” Kay Paensanit said.

Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz Carl-ton Hotel is also in the market with the staycation packages for the Omani residents. They are offering an overnight in a garden view Deluxe room for OMR120 including breakfast for two at Al Khiran Terrace. Guests can add a

degree of luxury and get an execu-tive suite for OMR220, including breakfast for two.

“Response has been positive from the local market, and we are still receiving enquiries. Tradi-tionally, Omanis are keen to en-joy the holidays with family and relatives to celebrate the National Day. This year marks a unique milestone for the people of Oman who are celebrating the 45th years under the leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said. Locals are even more inclined to take this opportunity to treat themselves to a royal experience at Al Bustan Palace,” said Melanie Dorange, Director of Public Rela-tions, Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Intercontinental Muscat pack-ages from OMR45 plus 17 per cent tax on standard rooms (without breakfast) with complementary WIFI and access to the Health Club. It is valid only for Oman res-ident card holders and the offer is valid until December 5.

Hotels in Oman

have come up with

attractive packages

to attract customers

A3

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

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More than 78,000 Omanis visited Thailand in 2014MOBIN MATHEW BLESSONmobinmathew@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Omani tourists travel-ling to Thailand surpassed 78,000 in 2014, said Dr Pornchai Danvi-vathana, the Thai ambassador to the Sultanate, noting that Thai-land provides a multiple-entry visa-on-arrival to Omani tourists.

“Omanis are welcome to get a visa on arrival as usual. Thailand has already offered a multiple-entry visa with a validity of six months and with the entitlement of a period of stay of 60 days at a time,” the ambassador said while addressing guests, who had gath-ered to celebrate the 88th birth anniversary of the Thai monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the National Day of Thailand.

In 2015, the Sultanate and Thailand celebrated the 35th an-niversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

“As ambassador of Thailand to the Sultanate of Oman, it is my honour to witness a major milestone in friendly relations between our two countries. The year 2015 marks the 35th anni-versary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the Sultanate and Thailand,” Danvivathana said. According

to him, there were exchanges of high-level visits between the two countries. He also said such visits have solidified common values and the sincere cooperation be-tween Oman and Thailand.

Speaking about the economic arena, the ambassador said, “We are working to increase bilateral trade and investment. I am confi-dent that more exchanges of visit are expected next year. On the part of the Embassy, we have continu-ously been promoting a selection of Thai quality products under the ‘1 Mission 3 Products’ project tar-geting the Omani market.”

Agro-tourism for OmanisThailand’s embassy is also work-ing to expand the scope of agro-tourism for Omanis.

“This project will provide an opportunity for tourists to im-merse themselves deeply in Thainess or the Thai way of life,” the ambassador noted.

On behalf of the Thai commu-nity, he congratulated His Maj-esty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on the occasion of the National Day of the Sultanate.

“We are grateful for His Maj-esty’s kindness, which allows us to live prosperous lives in this beautiful country. We wish His

Majesty good health and happi-ness,” the ambassador said.

Speaking about King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ambassador said, “He is an expert on water man-agement and alternative energy, as well as a practitioner of a suf-ficiency economy. His ideas have been translated in more than 4,300 royal projects and have been widely acknowledged as best practices both domestically and internationally.”

“Even here in Oman, our rel-evant line agencies are currently exploring the possibility of en-hancing technical cooperation on weather modification through the Royal Rainmaking Technology,” he added.

The ambassador also expressed his appreciation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultan-ate, all Omani authorities, and the private sector for their assistance and generous support provided to the Royal Thai Embassy.

He also thanked Team Thai-land, in particular, PTTEP Oman., Thai Airways, the Tourism Au-thorities of Thailand, Dubai and the Middle East Office, Oman’s labour offices in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, the Thai community, and the embassy’s staff for their con-tributions and dedication.

S P E C I A L O C C A S I O N Mining sector in Oman offers great potential

Staff Reporter

MUSCAT: Mining and minerals sector in Oman offers great po-tential, which can be utilised ef-fectively if certain challenges are addressed, said experts.

The challenges and opportu-nities in the mining sector were discussed at the first Oman Min-erals and Mining Exhibition and Conference held at the Oman In-ternational Exhibition Centre on Tuesday.

Commenting on the regulatory environment in Oman, Rob Willis, geologist, Mawarid Mining, said government processes have not been streamlined for mining and multiple entities are involved in licensing applications.

A one-stop-shop is a simpler system, he said during a speech at the conference, in which he re-viewed the activities of Mawarid Mining, the first privately-owned copper mining company in Oman.

Antony Benham, chief operating officer at the International Geosci-

ence Services (IGS), briefed the participants on the multiplying ef-fect of geoscience investment in a country. There is a widely accept-ed association between geological knowledge and economic growth, he noted.

State organisationsBenham also discussed the role of state organisations in promoting mineral exploration, saying that a state-owned organisation is nor-mally the national custodian of geological data for the country.

Its ultimate role is to create wealth through the minerals sec-tor by making the country com-petitive and attractive for explora-tion investment and contribute to economic growth by creating jobs in the minerals sector and have a ‘trickle-down’ effect into society, he added. It also seeks to improve the quality of life through the in-teraction of geoscience and the en-vironment, he added.

Reliable geodataIn addition, Benham said availabil-ity of reliable geodata is as impor-tant as a stable fiscal and legisla-tive regime. “Geodata needs to be

modern, relevant, as detailed as possible and available in the right format,” he said, adding that an efficient mines cadastre system is important to show flexibility and transparency and balance the needs of state and companies.

Oman is well-positioned to at-tract significant new exploration in country by developing the role of the Public Authority for Mining, the expert stated.

Port of DuqmReggy Vermeulen, chief executive officer of the Port of Duqm Com-pany, spoke about the project in the Port of Duqm for the mineral indus-try, saying that Duqm’s advantages include proximity to the (new) minerals concessions and direct road access between Duqm and the mines. He also said the devel-opment of the mining industry in Oman will further highlight the role of the upcoming railway project.

Rob Willis, geologist,

Mawarid Mining,

said government

processes have not

been streamlined

for mining and

multiple entities are

involved in licensing

applications

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CELEBRATIONS: The 88th birth anniversary of the Thai monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the

National Day of Thailand, was celebrated in Oman. - O. K. MOHAMMED ALI/Times of Oman

GETTING ACQUAINTED: Eng. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, under-

secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, attended the

Mineral and Mining Exhibition and Conference. - ONA

A4 W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

REGION Brigadier General Ahmed Al Assiri, spokesman of the Saudi-

led coalition, put the number of those killed at 180 Houthis and

allied fighters loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Lebanese soldiers freed in exchange for hardliners

BEIRUT: Al Qaeda’s Syrian wing freed 16 Lebanese soldiers and po-licemen on Tuesday in exchange for the release of jailed hardliners including the ex-wife of IS leader Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi.

The Nusra Front seized the Lebanese 16 months ago during an attack on the Lebanese border town of Arsal mounted together with the IS militant group which is still believed to be holding nine soldiers captured in the incursion.

New lightThe exchange cast new light on the Nusra Front, a powerful play-er in the Syrian civil war that has been designated a terrorist group by the United Nations and United States. Live TV footage from an area between Lebanon and Syria showed the Lebanese captives in vehicles accompanied by masked men armed with assault rifles

and waving the Nusra Front flag before they were released to the Red Cross.

Thirteen hardliners in Leba-nese jails, including Saja Al Dulai-mi, the ex-wife of Baghdadi, were also released.

Dulaimi, fully veiled, was shown in live TV footage from the area with her three children who were with her in prison.

Nusra Front fighters were shown kissing and hugging the sons of Dulaimi, who was arrested

by the Lebanese authorities a year ago. Speaking to Al Jazeera, she said her wish was to return to Bei-rut and then to leave to Turkey.

“We accomplished the entire agreement with Nusra. We re-ceived our heroic soldiers and we are on our way back to Beirut,” top Lebanese security official Abbas Ibrahim, who oversaw the swap, told Reuters by telephone.

“This joy not complete until the return of those kidnapped by IS. We are ready to negotiate with IS

if we find someone to negotiate with,” he said.

The Nusra Front fighters chant-ed slogans as they arrived with the captives in preparation for the swap. One of the captives, in-terviewed by Al Jazeera, said the group had treated them well.

Nusra has killed four of the captives. “The joy cannot be de-scribed,” another of the captives told Al Jazeera.

The Arsal incursion was a dramatic and bloody example of

spillover from the 4-1/2 year old Syrian conflict. The army fought several days of lethal battles to drive the militants from the town not far from where Tuesday’s swap took place. The exchange began with the Nusra Front re-leasing the body of one of the Lebanese soldiers it had killed in captivity, Mohamed Hamieh.

The freed soldiers and police-men were carried aloft during cel-ebrations in the town of Labweh near the Lebanese border where they briefly stopped on their way to Beirut. Politicians from across the political spectrum congratu-lated the men on their release.

Relatives of the captives cel-ebrated at a tented sit-in they have held near the government head-quarters in Beirut since last year to press for negotiations. There was dancing and sweets were of-fered to visitors who went to con-gratulate them.

“I was born again today, this is a re-birth for me and my brother. It has been a year and five months of agony for the soldiers’ parents, my parents and me,” Marie Khoury, the sister of freed soldier George Khoury told Reuters at the sit-in.

Qatar has been involved in ef-forts to mediate the release of the captives for a year or more. A previous effort to secure their re-lease broke down a year ago after one of the captives was killed. The Qatar National News Agency said the successful mediation followed a request from the Lebanese gov-ernment. While the Nusra Front and IS attacked Arsal together, the groups are enemies in the Syrian war, now in its fifth year. — Reuters

Thirteen hardliners

lodged in Lebanese

jails, including Saja

Al Dulaimi, the ex-

wife of IS leader Abu

Bakr Al Baghdadi,

were released in

a prisoner swap

Dozens of Houthi rebels killed in offensive on Saudi borderDUBAI: Dozens of Yemeni Houthi fighters were killed during an as-sault on the border with Saudi Arabia, residents and Saudi state television said on Tuesday, in what they described as a major push to try to capture territory inside the kingdom.

The Houthis have been trying to push into Saudi territory since an alliance led by Saudi Arabia

intervened in Yemen’s civil war in March, trying to drive back the group and restore exiled Yem-eni President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi. “There was an attempt, as usual, to breach the border and sneak into Saudi territory but the... armed forces as a whole, were watching them and this attempt was thwarted,” Brigadier General Ahmed Al Assiri, spokesman of the

Saudi-led coalition, said in com-ments broadcast by Saudi state television on Tuesday.

“Those who tried to infiltrate were killed and the situation is sta-ble,” he added.

The channel said Assiri put the number of those killed at 180 Hou-this and allied fighters loyal to for-mer president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

That number could not be in-

dependently verified, but local residents said dozens of Houthi fighters had been killed in what they said was a major assault by hundreds of Houthi fighters on the border. Saudi forces used helicop-ters as well as rockets to repel the Houthis, they said.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency said that fighters had seized three Saudi military outposts near

the city of Najran, destroying sev-eral armoured vehicles, including two US-made Abrams tanks and three Bradley vehicles.

Meanwhile, Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah rejected a cabinet reshuffle ordered by Hadi as “illegitimate”, a senior govern-ment official said. Hadi said earlier on Tuesday he was replacing five ministers, including acting foreign

minister Reyad Yassin Abdulla, ac-cording to a decree carried by the Hadi-run state Saba news agency www.sabanew.net. “A personal announcement will be issued re-jecting the ministerial changes because they are illegitimate,” the source told Reuters, adding that Hadi had made the changes with-out consulting Bahah, who is also the vice president. — Reuters

Y E M E N

Knife-wielding Palestinians shot dead by Israeli forcesOCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Is-raeli security forces shot dead two knife-wielding Palestinians on Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, Israeli authorities said, as a wave of Palestinian stabbings, car rammings and shootings entered its third month.

Nineteen Israelis and a US citi-zen have been killed since Octo-ber 1. Israeli forces have killed 97 Palestinians, of whom 58 were identified by Israel as assailants or caught on camera carrying out attacks, while others were shot in clashes with police and troops.

Stabbing attackA police spokeswoman said a Pal-estinian man who tried to carry out a stabbing attack on Tuesday at a busy junction in the Etzion bloc of Jewish settlements in the oc-cupied West Bank was shot dead. Gunfire from an Israeli officer trying to secure the scene slightly wounded a bystander, she said.

Near the Jewish settlement of Einav, also in the occupied West Bank, a Palestinian woman was shot dead by an Israeli officer whom she had attempted to stab, the army said.

Palestinian allegations that Israel is trying to alter the reli-gious status quo at a occupied Jerusalem site.

Non-Muslim prayer is banned around Al Aqsa and Israel has said it will not change that, but an increase in visits by Jewish religious activists and ultra-na-tionalist Israeli politicians to the complex have contributed to Pal-estinian fears. — Reuters

V I O L E N C E

RELEASED: Lebanese soldiers help a fellow member of the security forces, who had been kidnapped

by militant groups from the eastern border town of Arsal last year, moments after his release on

Tuesday in the village of Labweh in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. – AFP

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

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Heavy rains hit train, bus services inTamil NaduCHENNAI: Heavy rains on Tues-day pounded several parts of Tamil Nadu with most areas of Chennai witnessing water logging severely disrupting train and bus services as Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaaa reviewed the situation and de-puted ministers to inspect the af-fected regions.

While Jayalalithaa said services of police, fire and rescue, NDRF and State Disaster Force and Coast Guard are ready to tackle the situ-ation, weather office has cautioned of more showers in the next four days across Tamil Nadu with some regions likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall.

“Police, fire and rescue, national and state disaster forces, Coast Guard have been kept ready for need-based evacuation of people from flood hit regions,” she said in an official release.

As a result of the rains, Poondi, Cholavaram, Puzhal and Chemba-rambakkam reservoirs that feed Chennai have touched 83.8 per cent of its capacity and out of the 14,098 lakes under the PWD in Ta-mil Nadau 6,791 lakes are full.

She also ordered a solatium of Rs4,00,000 to the kin of each of the four persons who were killed in rain related incidents. - PTI

W A T E R L O G G E D

Will step in if Modi government obstructs Janlokpal Bill: HazareRALEGAN SIDDHI (Maha-rashtra): Social activist Anna Hazare on Tuesday said he will step in if the NDA government led by Narendra Modi puts obstruc-tions in the way of Janlokpal Bill, introduced in Delhi assembly by the AAP government.

The anti-corruption crusader was talking to reporters after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Kumar Vishwas and Sanjay Singh met him at his native Ralegan Siddhi village in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district to brief him on the salient features of the Janlokpal Bill, tabled in Delhi as-sembly by the Arvind Kejriwal government on Monday.

Hazare said that during his dis-cussions with the AAP leaders, he expressed apprehension that the federal government may pose ob-structions as the legislation pro-vides for probing corruption in Delhi, where the federal govern-ment offices are located.

“If that is the case then I as-sured them of my full support. I

told them I am with them,” Haz-are said when asked if he would launch an agitation on the issue.

He said the federal government lacks the will to fight corruption and there should be no ‘parochial attitude’ on the issue of dealing with graft.

Hazare and some top activists of his team had in 2012 parted ways with the Kejriwal-led group, opposing their plans to form a po-litical party, after a roller-coaster

ride of 18 months in which they came together to run a high-steam anti-graft movement.

Original 2011 versionOne of its prominent poll prom-ises, the AAP emphasised that the Bill is similar to its original 2011 version. It will empower the pro-posed ombudsman to act against any public servant in the na-tional capital, including those of the Centre.

While the draft bill of 2015 states that no prosecution or le-gal proceedings can be initiated against the Janlokpal or any staff member of the Janlokpal office, AAP leaders said theprocess of impeachment will be applied for removal of any member of the Lokpal. The Bill has to be cleared by the lieutenant governor before it becomes a law.

Hazare and some top activists of his team had in 2012 parted ways with the Kejriwal-led group, opposing their plans to form a po-litical party. - PTI

D E L H I B I L L

Schoolgirl delivers baby in washroomHYDERABAD: In a shocking incident, a Class IX student de-livered a child in the washroom of her school in Madhapur area here, which is the city’s IT hub, police said on Tuesday.

The 14-year-old student of a government high school went to the washroom after com-plaining of stomach pain while sitting in the classroom on Sat-urday, Malkajgiri’s deputy edu-cational officer (DEO) A. Usha Rani said.

“After sometime the students and teachers heard cries of a newborn baby and were shocked to find the girl with the baby. Both the mother and the baby girl were handed over to police,” the DEO said, adding, even the girl’s friends said they did not notice her swelled abdomen.

Madhapur Police Inspector K. Narasimulu said that based on a complaint by the girl’s fa-ther, they have registered a case of rape against a person named Dhanu who is known to the vic-tim. The DEO has suspended the school headmaster, S. Ba-savalingam, and issued charge memos to class teachers as to why they failed to notice that the girl was pregnant.

The girl’s father is a labourer and lives in nearby Lambada Tanda, the police officer said, adding, the girl’s family was aware that she was pregnant. - PTI

S H O C K I N G I N C I D E N T

Real dirt lies not in streets, but in our minds: President

AHMEDABAD: President Pranab Mukherjee here on Tues-day exhorted people to go strongly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Mission but ensure that the society was first cleansed from within as evinced by Mahatma Gandhi through his life.

“The real dirt of India lies not in our streets, but in our minds and in our unwillingness to let go of views that divide society into them and us; and pure and impure,” said President Mukher-

jee, who inaugurated here a new Archives and Research Centre at the Sabarmati Ashram as well as addressed the 62nd convocation of Gujarat Vidyapeeth founded by Mahtama Gandhi in 1920.

“We must make a success of the laudable and welcome Swachh Bharat Mission. However, this also must be seen as just the be-ginning of a much larger and in-tense effort to cleanse minds and

fulfil Gandhiji’s vision in all its as-pects,” he said.

Convocation ceremonyAn many as 24 doctorates, 49 Masters in Philosophy, 405 post-graduates, 369 graduates degrees and 59 post-graduate diplomas were awarded at the convocation.

Speaking on the occasion, Mukherjee said, “Gandhiji pro-pounded the principle of Nai Talim

for social reconstruction which states that knowledge and work are not separate. The constitu-ents of Nai Talim are the three H: Heart, Hand and Head. To put this philosophy into practice, Gandhiji promoted an academic curriculum of ‘basic education for all’.”

Mukherjee explained Mahat-ma Gandhi made the beginning from Gujarat and the Vidyapeeth. “With ashram shalas and buniyadi schools operating in the remote areas, Gujarat is perhaps the only state where Nai Talim exists in an institutional form. Nai Talim infers charitra nirman or charac-ter building, whose relevance is increasing by the day. Learning with value-orientation must guide our approach in education,” the President said.

Pointing out that Swatch Mis-sion and Nai Talim worked complimentary to each other, Mukherje said, “Gujarat Vidyap-eeth provides education aimed at building character, competence, culture and conscientiousness in students. This is needed to re-generate the country according to Gandhian ideals”.

“Despite growing urbanisa-tion, 68 percent of the country’s population still resides in rural ar-eas. Intervention in food security,

education, skill development, em-ployment, technology dissemina-tion, health and nutrition, hous-ing, drinking water and sanitation would go a long way to uplift the quality of rural life and address poverty concerns,” he said.

Gandhi’s visionMukherjee said students of Gu-jarat Vidyapeeth are trained to support rural development in line with Gandhi’s vision. “They keep the campus clean through their own labour, and the Vidyapeetth educates students in charkha and computer with equal enthusiasm and students are imbibed with the spirit of ‘dignity of labour’.”

The President said such tradi-tions in community life are not built in a day. “It must be our en-deavour to proliferate this noble practice. Swachh Bharat, accord-ing to Bapu, implied a clean mind, clean body and clean environ-ment. Every citizen has a duty to create a clean external and inter-nal environment.” - IANS

Pranab Mukherjee

exhorted people to

go strongly with the

prime minister’s

Swachh Bharat

Mission but ensure

the society was first

cleansed from within

HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your comments at facebook.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com haveyoursay@timesofoman.com

MAKING HIS POINT: President Pranab Mukherjee. – File photo

Anna Hazare. – File photo

A6

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

India is the number four source market

for Germany and on an average Indian are

considered one of the top 5 spenders

Romit Theophilus, GNTO official

Germany eyes 2 million

Indian tourists by 2030MUMBAI: With India consid-ered one of the top five spenders, Germany has set a target to attract two million Indian travellers to the country by 2030.

“India is the number four source market for Germany and on an av-erage Indian are considered one of the top 5 spenders. We consider In-dia to be very important market and we have set 2 million overnights from India by 2030,” the German National Tourist Office, India (GNTO) Director Sales and Mar-keting Romit Theophilus said in the western Indian city if Mumbai.

He said Germany is promoting itself as a affordable and mass lei-sure destination. “Traditionally, Germany is considered a business and meetings, incentives, confer-ences, and events (MICE) desti-nation. We are now trying to focus promoting the country as an lei-sure destination as well,” he added.

Germany has recorded over 4,70,000 overnights from India for the period of January-August, 2015, he said adding “we are ex-pecting 7,00,000 overnights this year, which is a 10 per cent rise from last year.” In 2014, Germany

witnessed 6,50,103 overnights from India.

Since the inception of the Ger-man National Tourist Office in India in 2006, Germany has seen a 73 per cent growth in visitor over-nights from India, he said. For this year Germany is targeting big and metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata, to promote the coun-try, Theophilus added.

“We are looking at promoting Germany is cities like, Pune, Nagpur, Lucknow, Chandigarh among others from next year,” he added. - PTI

P R O M O T I N G T O U R I S M $2.5tr required for actions onclimate change

PARIS: Around $2.5 trillion will be required for meeting India’s climate change actions in the next 15 years to be met from domestic sources and leveraging of finan-cial commitments made by de-veloped countries, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar in-formed Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

“About $2.5 trillion dollars will be required for meeting India’s climate change actions between now and 2030, that is over a peri-od of 15 years which shall be met from domestic sources as well as leveraging of financial commit-ments made by developed coun-tries to mobilise $100 billion a year by 2020 for climate change,” the minister said.

He said that India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contri-butions submitted to United Na-tions Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in-cludes reducing emission inten-sity of Gross Domestic Product by 33.35 per cent by 2030 from 2005, increase the share of non-fossil fuel-based electricity to 40 per cent of electric power installed capacity by 2030, enhancing car-bon sink (forests), adaptation, mobilising finance, technology transfer and capacity building.

Highlighting the impacts of Cli-mate Change, he said that India’s Second National Communica-tion submitted to the UNFCCC in 2012 has provided observed

impacts, projections on future cli-mate scenarios and likely adverse impacts of climate change on wa-ter resources, agriculture, forests, natural eco-system, coastal zones, health, energy and infrastructure.

China and India World can pursue an ambitious agreement that can meet both cli-mate and development challenges of countries like India, the United States has said as it underlined the need for getting India and China on board to make the UN climate summit a success.

“We can pursue an ambitious climate agreement even while India pursues an ambitious de-velopment policy. And, in fact, we can pursue the types of solutions that can meet both climate and development challenges,” top US official said. - PTI

Fund needed for India’s actions in the next

15 years is to be met from domestic sources

and leveraging of financial commitments

HAVE YOUR SAY Send us your comments at facebook.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com haveyoursay@timesofoman.com

Non-subsidised LPG price hikedNEW DELHI: Price of non-subsidised cooking gas cylinder a consumer buys on exhausting the subsidy quota, was hiked by Rs61.50 per cylinder on Tuesday while aviation turbine fuel rates were reduced by 1.2 per cent.

Market price of non-subsi-dised LPG cylinder of 14.4 kg is now Rs.606.50 in Delhi, Rs.636.50 in Kolkata, Rs.618.50 in Mumbai and Rs.621 in Chennai. - PTI

F U E L

A7

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

Government okays Rs40b mini-budget

ISLAMABAD: The federal gov-ernment approved a Rs40 billion mini-budget on Monday, levying regulatory duties on hundreds of essential items and increasing customs duty on almost all im-ports by 1 per cent.

The move aims to secure the next tranche of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) three-year $6.2 billion programme ap-proved earlier this month.

The Economic Coordination Committee approved the addi-tional revenue measures, includ-ing an increase in customs duty on all used, imported vehicles by 10%, besides enhancing federal excise duty rates on cigarettes up to 7.5 per cent.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced these measures while addressing a news conference on

Monday. Out of the 350 items that saw up to 10 per cent increase in regulatory duties, as many as 183 are food items, which Dar termed ‘luxury goods’, saying the consum-ers must pay higher prices, “if they want to eat imported yogurt and cheese”.

The most regressive measure was the 1 per cent additional duty on five existing customs tar-iff slabs, which will raise an extra Rs21 billion in revenues.

As a result, 2 per cent, 5 per cent, 10 per cent, 15 per cent and 20 per cent tariff slabs rates have been increased by another 1 per cent, partially reversing tariff re-forms the government was imple-menting under an IMF condition.

Economists fear the mini-budget will fuel inflation, as du-ties have been levied on the total value of the goods which will also increase sales tax incidence.

The federal excise duty (FED) rate on cigarettes for high-tier cigarette has been increased

from Rs3,030 to Rs3,155 per one thousand sticks. The FED rate on low-tier cigarettes rates will go up from Rs1,320 to Rs1,420 per thou-sand. The government has also increased taxes on 1300cc im-ported second-hand cars by one-tenth to $13,200; on 1500cc cars to $18,509; on 1600cc to $22,550; and on 1800cc to $27,900.

The rates for cars over 1800cc have been increased by 10 per cent. After a Rs40 billion shortfall in tax collection during the July to September quarter, the IMF had given only one option to Pakistan – introduce additional taxes till November 30.

The IMF is now expected to approve the 10th loan tranche of $504 million on December 15.

The government used the ECC stamp to introduce the mini-budget and avoided parliament.

One of the reasons behind the shortfall in collection was setting an ‘unrealistic’ target.

The consumers will now pay

the price of the ill-conceived strategy through their nose.

Despite levying the additional taxes, the annual tax collection target of Rs3,104 billion remains uncertain.

Although the Federal Board of Revenue posted an impressive 27 per cent growth in revenue collec-tion in November, the collection will still be short of the monthly target of Rs233.6 billion by at least Rs8 billion.

Dar said the ECC decided to ex-tend the 0.3 per cent reduced rate of withholding tax on banking transactions by tax non-filers till December 31.

In the budget, the government had introduced 0.6 per cent with-holding tax to raise Rs38 billion, which it had to subsequently halve. The government has also extended the date of filing income tax returns by one month.

On a question of introducing mini-budgets in the future, Dar said the government would try not to revise its Rs3,104 billion annual target downwards.

As many as 61 items have been brought under the regulatory duty regime for the first time.

The government levied 5 per cent to 10 per cent regulatory du-ties on these items including 20 food items to generate Rs4.5 bil-lion additional revenue.

What Dar termed luxury items are – poultry, fish, dry fruits, clothes, baby garments, tracksuits, handkerchiefs, ties, bed linens, footwear, diapers, video games and sanitary towels. These items are already subject to 20 per cent customs duties. - Express Tribune

The move aims

to secure the

next tranche of

the International

Monetary Fund’s

three-year $6.2

billion programme

approved earlier

this month

Economists fear the mini-budget will fuel inflation, as duties have been levied on the total value of the goods which will also increase sales tax incidence

Two soldiers killed in rare targeted attack in KarachiKARACHI: Gunmen killed two Pakistani soldiers in the southern city of Karachi on Tuesday, the military said, a rare attack on the powerful army that could indi-cate the beginning of a push-back against a tightening crackdown on violence.

The two were shot on a busy road in the centre of Karachi, Pa-kistan’s largest city and financial hub. The killings follow an attack that killed four soldiers last month.

No soldier had been killed in Karachi before that since March, underlining their protected status in a city where murders of police-men, politicians and prominent businessmen are common.

“The two were sitting in their of-ficial vehicle, when two men shot them from behind and fled,” senior police officer Jamil Ahmed told media. Pakistan’s military said unidentified gunmen riding a mo-

torcycle fired on the soldiers.Karachi, a metropolis of about

20 million people, is home to the stock exchange and central bank and is plagued by political, ethnic and sectarian violence.

Security officials say many poli-ticians in the city have links to vio-lent gangs, operating like a mafia to maintain their hold on power.

Two years ago, the military launched a crackdown target-ing suspected militants and violent criminals.

Murders have sharply declined since the crackdown began, al-though violence is still common.

In recent months, the crack-down has expanded to include al-leged corruption.

Opposition politicians say the military is using it as an excuse to target them.

The military denies the accusa-tions. - Reuters

I N S U R G E N C Y

SCENE OF ATTACK: Security officials inspect a military police jeep

following an attack by gunmen in Karachi on Tuesday. - AFP

Ghani to visit Pakistan next weekISLAMABAD: In a crucial devel-opment against the backdrop of recent hiccup in ties between the two neighbours, Afghan Presi-dent Ashraf Ghani announced on Tuesday he will visit Pakistan next week.

A Foreign Office statement confirmed that the Afghan Presi-dent and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will jointly inaugurate the regional conference on Afghani-

stan on December 9 in Islamabad.“I look forward to the visit of

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to Islamabad, for jointly inaugu-rating the Heart of Asia meeting on December 9,” the Foreign Of-fice quoted the prime minister as saying.

Further, Nawaz is reported to have said he is looking forward to discussions on the sidelines of the meeting on “how the two

countries and the US and China can work together to pick up the thread of the reconciliation pro-cess from where it was left off in July 2015.”

On Monday, Nawaz met Ghani on the sidelines of the world cli-mate summit in Paris. The lead-ers of Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to work together to revive stalled peace talks with Taliban insurgents. - Express Tribune

C R U C I A L D E V E L O P M E N T

Registration deadline for INGOs extendedISLAMABAD: Interior Minis-ter Chaudhry Nisar on Tuesday announced extending the reg-istration date for international non-governmental organisa-tions (INGOs) till January 1, say-ing 129 INGOs could start work-ing after a security clearance.

“A meagre 19 INGOs working inside the country had a proper security clearance while 129 ap-plications were received till No-vember 30, the deadline earlier set for registration,” he said.

“All INGOs working beyond the set date without a security clearance will have to leave the country,” added the interior minister.

Regarding Dr Imran Fa-rooq’s murder case, Nisar said the government had decided to register an FIR of the murder, reiterating those perpetrating the attack will be brought to justice. - Express Tribune

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The United Arab Emirates commemorates its 44th National Day on December 2, one of the most important milestones in its his-

tory. This day embodies the Spirit of the Union and celebrates 44 years of great achievements since the federation was established in 1971.

The celebration was first announced by the founder President of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and his fellow found-ing fathers of the UAE Federation. The path they laid down is now followed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, who continues to lead the nation’s march to pro-gress and prosperity.

The incredible achievements of the UAE in re-cent years have been made possible due to the di-rectives of the wise leadership, of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minis-ter of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, as well as His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and their fellow members of the Supreme Council and Rul-ers of the Emirates, who have consistently con-tributed to promoting and developing the country through knowledge and innovation.

The UAE today ranks among the world’s leading destinations across several key indicators and has become a true role model for all countries around the world. The country enjoys a prestigious position in the Arab world and beyond due to its significant achievements in various fields and its strong pres-ence in all political, diplomatic, economic and hu-manitarian arenas on regional and international levels. The UAE has always been dynamic and pro-active in communicating with other countries and building bridges of close cooperation and strategic partnerships to lead the way in political, economic, commercial, industrial, technological, scientific, educational, health and other sectors.

Despite the current situation in the region, the UAE has maintained steady growth. Exceptional strides have been made in infrastructure, energy, space, information technology, telecommunica-tions and other vital areas in addition to sustain-ability, these having significantly contributed to modernising the UAE and enabling the country to achieve top international rankings across major competitive reports. The UAE has maintained its ranking as the leading Arab country for the third year in a row in the World Bank report on the Ease

of Doing Business in 2016. The UAE ranked 31st globally in the same report, and is among top five countries in the world regarding non-payment of taxes, which does not affect business, process of construction permits and electricity connectivity. The nation is also first in MENA and fourth globally in electricity connectivity.

The UAE led the region, and was ranked among the top 10 countries in the world for the number of documented improvements by the World Bank dur-ing one year, in the delivery of electricity, construc-tion permits, protecting investors and enforcing contracts. The UAE also enhanced protection of small investors by preventing any subsidiary from obtaining shares in parent company. It also initiated a rule that, in the case of acquisition of 50% or more of the company, the acquired party should receive approval from shareholders, a step considered by the report to be an enabling one that safeguards the interests of investors. The UAE was ranked the top Arab country for well-being and life satisfaction and fifth globally, according to the Legatum Prosperity Index 2014. The UAE has also maintained its pres-ence on the ‘green list’, a classification of some 30 of the more prosperous countries across the world.

The country has been ranked high on many global competitiveness indicators. According to a 2015 re-port by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, the country was ranked first among Arab countries in 10 out of a total of 15 global competi-tiveness reports, as well as first globally in the confi-dence indicator. For the third consecutive year, the UAE was ranked first regionally in global competi-tiveness and 12th globally according to the 2015 an-nual World Competitiveness Yearbook. It was also ranked first regionally among the countries of the MENA region and 12th globally in World Economic Forum’s Global Enabling Trade Report 2014. In ad-dition, the country was ranked first globally in three global competitiveness indicators in the tourism sector alone. At the same time, the UAE was placed first among Arab countries and 23rd internationally in the Global Information Technology Report.

The UAE also came first regionally and 54th globally in the Human Capital Report, while it was ranked first among Arab countries and 20th globally in the World Happiness Report. As for ease of doing business, the UAE came first in the Arab world and 30th globally.

This is an abridged version. For the full-length article, please visit www.timesofoman.com or scan the QR code

Mwasalat bus service a great news for commuters The new Mwasalat buses have brought a great joy to the residents of Muscat. Travelling will become much more comfortable for people who don’t own vehicles. The taxi drivers used to charge hefty

amounts from the commuters. It is good to hear that the buses are disabled-friendly, air conditioned and equipped with cameras. The buses stop at designated bus points also, which is the right way forward. The new year gift of Mwasalat will be added to the opening of the Al Amerat-Ruwi and Muscat-Ruwi routes. I congratulate the Oman government on this great initiative. - Vivek Pai, Wadi Kabir

Nawaz Sharif must not take the challenge from opponents lightlyThis refers to the Trending page article on Nawaz Sharif. The writer is totally wrong in suggesting that the Pakistan prime minister has regained his mojo. Imran Khan is still out there and likely to remain a headache. It will be unwise for Sharif to be complacent. Also, with PPP stalwart

Amin Fahim’s death and his own acquittal in long running corrup-tion cases, party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari seems to be a man on a mission. The days of a friendly opposition are likely to be over. Former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhary is set to launch his own political party with his vision for a presidential system. So Sharif needs to remain one step ahead. - Saleem Ahmad, Mabella

T I M E S O F O M A NW E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5A8

UAE National Day marks 44 years of great achievements

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Sultanate, Egypt discuss information cooperationMUSCAT: A session of talks was held at the Ministry of Infor-mation yesterday between the Sultanate and Egypt. The Om-ani side was headed by Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al Rowas, minister of information, while the Egyptian side was headed by Safwat Al Shareef, Egyptian information minister. At the onset of the session, Rowas welcomed the Egyptian minister stressing the depth of the brotherly ties binding the two coun-tries and their peoples, on various fields including information cooperation between the two information ministries.

1914: Austrian troops occupy Belgrade, Serbia..

1918: Armenia proclaims independence from Turkey.

1993: NASA launches Space Shuttle Endeavor on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

1999: UK devolves political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive, the administrative branch of the North Ireland legislature.

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Climate pledges will be made on the basis of Intended Nationally

Determined Contributions (INDCs), or commitments to the

reduction of emissions worldwide. I believe that the price of emissions

should be at the centre of these pledges.

bit.ly/parisclimateconference

CHRISTINE LAGARDE

Recently, a number of pertinent questions have been asked about

the state of higher education in Pakistan. In particular, the academic

community has started to wonder about the grand Higher Education Commission (HEC) experiment.

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MUHAMMAD HAMID ZAMAN

This month’s monetary-policy statement from the

People’s Bank of China (PBOC) contained a striking statement:

“If endogenous momentum is inadequate and returns on investment low, growth must rely on debt to a great extent.”

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ADAIR TURNER

F R O M O U R A R C H I V E S

T O D A Y I N H I S T O R Y

The Indian Community Festival organised by Indian Social Club’s Kerala Wing breaks its own attendance record.

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‘Faulty rudder system led to AirAsia crash’

JAKARTA: Chronic problems with a faulty rudder system and the way pilots tried to respond were major factors in the crash of an Indonesian AirAsia jet last year that killed all 162 people on board, investigators said on Tuesday.

The Airbus A320 crashed into the Java Sea on December 28, less than halfway into a two-hour flight from Indonesia’s second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore.

In their first public report, In-donesian investigators did not pinpoint a single underlying reason why flight QZ8501 disap-peared from the radar, but set out a sequence spotlighting the faulty component, maintenance lapses and crew actions. “There was a chain of events, starting with a bro-ken (part), how it was handled and then after it was handled what the consequences were and how the pilot handled it. It’s difficult for me to say what the main cause was,” National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) investigator Nurcahyo Utomo said.

Bad weather did not play a role.The crash was part of a string

of aviation disasters in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, where rapid growth in air travel has led to overcrowded airports and stirred safety concerns. The NTSC said a system controlling rudder move-ment on the plane had cracked soldering that had malfunctioned repeatedly, including four times during the flight and 23 times over the previous year.

Black box data Officials told reporters there were indications from the black box data recorder that crew had tried to shut off power to the computer that controls the rudder system by resetting a circuit breaker, some-thing not usually done during flight. They cautioned there was no proof of this but said they had recommended to Indonesia AirA-sia and Airbus that they take steps to prevent pilots from “improvis-ing” when faced with problems.

“The thing we recommend is to please provide some procedure to prevent the pilots from improvis-

ing. Today maybe they improvise by pulling the circuit breaker, to-morrow they may do something else,” said Utomo.

Investigators confirmed that to reach the circuit breaker, the cap-tain would have had to leave his seat. In February, the NTSC said there was no evidence for a Reu-ters report that the captain had left his seat or that the power was reset. The temporary loss of power to the computer would have can-celled the autopilot and removed automated protections against an in-flight upset, handing manual control to the crew. “Subsequent flight crew action resulted in in-ability to control the aircraft,” the NTSC said in a statement.

Flown by the French co-pilot, the plane reared higher and en-tered a stall, a state in which the aircraft loses lift. The captain was heard shouting “Pull Down,” a command that investigators called “confusing” as a clearer instruction to point the nose lower and avoid a stall would be “Push Down”.

Instructors and automated

avoidance systems use “Pull Up” to mean pulling the stick back, which can cause or deepen a stall.

During this time, the rebooted computer was coming back to life and waiting for new instructions.

“The computer was back on but it wasn’t functioning to control (the aircraft). If they’d wanted it to control again there’s a button that must be pushed. If your Blackberry dies, you pull out the battery. When it comes back on you have to enter your PIN,” Utomo said.

The plane reached an altitude of 38,000 feet before falling at a maximum speed of 20,000 feet per minute. There were “about five minutes” from the time it stalled to the moment of impact.

Reuters first reported in Janu-ary that investigators were exam-ining maintenance records of the flight computer and how the crew responded to any technical fault.

The report is not intended to at-tribute blame and cannot be used in court but could influence a po-tential legal battle and sour rela-tions between Airbus and its top Asian customer. — Reuters

Investigators didn’t

pinpoint a single

underlying reason

why flight QZ8501

disappeared from

the radar, but set

out a sequence

spotlighting the

faulty component,

maintenance lapses

and crew actions

Japan whaling fleet set to resume hunt for mammalsSHIMONOSEKI: Japan’s whal-ing fleet set out for the Antarctic on Tuesday to resume a hunt for the mammals after a year-long hiatus, prompting criticism from Australia as well as key ally, the United States.

Japan aims to take more than 300 whales before the hunt ends next year and nearly 4,000 over the next 12 years as part of a sci-entific programme to research the whales.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled last year that Japan’s whaling in the Southern Ocean should stop and an Inter-national Whaling Commission (IWC) panel said in April that Ja-

pan had yet to demonstrate a need for killing whales.

Minke whalesBut Tokyo retooled its plan for the 2015/16 season to cut the number of minke whales it intends to take to 333, down by two-thirds from previous hunts. “Last year, regret-tably, the ICJ made its ruling and we were unable to take whales,” said Tomoaki Nakao, the mayor of

the western city of Shimonoseki that is home to the whaling fleet and part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s election district.

“There’s nothing as happy as this day,” he told the fleet’s crew at a ceremony prior to their depar-ture. Shortly before noon the ships sailed away under a clear blue sky, with family members and officials waving from the shore. The hunt is expected to last until March. Japan, which has long maintained that most whale species are not en-dangered and that eating whale is part of its food culture, began what it calls “scientific whaling” in 1987, a year after an international whal-ing moratorium took effect. — Reuters

I N V I T I N G C R I T I C I S M

Philippine senator barred

MANILA: A Philippine senator until now the favourite to succeed Benigno Aquino as president was barred on Tuesday from running.

Three members of the second division of the Commission on Election (Comelec) said Grace Poe could not run for president in elections in May because she fails to meet the 10-year residency requirement. Poe, a naturalised

American, returned to the Philip-pines when her adoptive father, who ran for president and lost, died in late 2004. Six years later, she renounced her US citizenship when Aquino appointed her to a government post.

“I am disappointed in the de-cision, but this is not the end of the process,” Poe said in a state-ment. — Reuters

P R E S I D E N T I A L P O L L S

PINPOINTING THE SEQUENCE: Soerjanto Tjahjono, the head of Indonesia’s National Transportation

and Safety Committee, holds a model plane during a news conference to announce the NTSC’s find-

ings in the investigation of the AirAsia QZ8501 crash, in Jakarta, Indonesia on Tuesday. – Reuters

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

British Prime Minister David Cameron wants to launch the

strikes as soon as possible against IS in Syria, convinced Britain

can no longer “sub-contract” its security to other countries after

the group said it was behind last month’s Paris attacks.

Russia set to freeze work on Turkish gas pipeline project

MOSCOW: Russia may freeze work on the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project for several years in retaliation against Ankara for the shooting down of a Russian air force jet, two sources at Russian gas giant Gazprom told Reuters.

The Kremlin has imposed trade sanctions on Turkey over the jet incident last week but so far the measures have not affected the Russian energy exports to Turkey that are the core of their economic relationship. Freezing work on the pipeline - intended to pump Rus-sian gas, via Turkey, into south-eastern Europe while bypassing Ukraine - would have a more sym-bolic than practical effect because the project is already beset by de-lays and doubts over its viability.

Gas exportsAny freeze would also not affect another Russian project to boost gas exports to the north of Europe. Gazprom is going ahead with plans to expand the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany despite re-sistance from several ex-commu-nist states in eastern Europe.

Gazprom sources said no de-cision had been taken inside the company about changes to the Turkish Stream schedule in re-

sponse to the row with Ankara, but said they were awaiting instruc-tions from President Vladimir Putin. “We’re expecting that the head of state, in all likelihood, could declare a freezing of Turk-ish Stream, or at least some kind of timeout should be announced,” said one Gazprom source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A second source in Gazprom, who also did not want to be identi-fied, said: “We are still hoping that Turkish Stream will be pushed back by a few years, rather than completely cancelled.”

Russian Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said last month Turkish Stream could be among the projects affected by sanctions against Turkey, but he did not specify how.

Gazprom is pursuing a strategy of diversifying the routes by which it supplies gas to Europe - its big-gest export market - so that less of the gas passes through Ukraine.

Disrupted transitIn the past, rows between Mos-cow and Kiev have disrupted transit flows through Ukraine to the European Union. Russia’s an-nexation of Crimea last year and a rebellion by pro-Moscow sepa-ratists in eastern Ukraine have made the relations more fraught, and added urgency to the search for an alternative.

The project is to involve, initial-ly, building a new gas pipeline un-der the Black Sea to Turkey, and in subsequent phases the construc-tion of a further line from Turkey

to Greece, and then overland into southeastern Europe. Even before the row with Ankara, the project had been delayed and reduced in scale, leading some industry insiders to doubt if it would ever happen. In October, the comple-tion date for the first phase was pushed back from 2016 to 2017.

Russia abandoned a previous attempt to build a new route to southern Europe after Bulgaria, where the pipeline was to have made landfall, pulled out under pressure from Brussels.

In September, a group of Euro-pean companies signed an agree-ment with Gazprom to expand its Nord Stream pipeline so that it can deliver increased volumes directly from Russia to Germa-ny, also without pumping them

through Ukraine. Gazprom, E.ON, BASF /Wintershall, OMV, ENGIE and Royal Dutch Shell form the new consortium for the project, which is called Nord Stream II and aims to double the route’s an-nual capacity to about 100 billion cubic metres of gas.

The new pipelines are due to start transporting gas by the end of 2019, according to the consor-tium. The plan has met opposi-tion from the US government and some eastern European countries, which say it allows the Kremlin to squeeze Ukraine out from its role as a transit country. The pro-Western government in Kiev, in power since street protests over-threw a Moscow-friendly presi-dent last year, earns significant revenues from transit fees. — Reuters

Freezing work on the

pipeline would have

a more symbolic

than practical effect

because the project

is already beset by

delays and doubts

over its viability

‘UK government united on Syria strikes’LONDON: British Prime Minis-ter David Cameron said on Tues-day his government had unani-mously agreed a motion on air strikes against militants in Syria, portraying the ruling party as united on an issue that has split the Labour opposition.

Cameron wants to launch the strikes as soon as possible against IS in Syria, convinced Britain can no longer “sub-contract” its securi-ty to other countries after the group said it was behind last month’s Paris attacks. But his push to win approval for the action in the House of Commons on Wednesday, avoid-ing a repeat of a damaging defeat in 2013 on a motion to strike Syria, has deepened divisions in the Labour Party. New Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Cameron of rush-ing to war, and appealed to those Labour lawmakers who favour the motion to “think again... and please cast your vote against supporting this government’s military endeav-ours in Syria”.

Cameron said his cabinet had agreed the motion on extend-ing air strikes to Syria from Iraq, where British warplanes have been bombing targets since Sep-tember 30 last year. “That motion talked about, yes, the necessity of taking military action against IS in Syria as well as in Iraq but it is part of a broader strategy,” he said in a televised statement, adding that the debate in parliament would be thorough and would last 10-1/2 hours. Asked about the prospects

for winning a majority, he said: “Let’s wait and see.”

Cameron is all but assured of winning parliamentary approval after Corbyn said he would allow his lawmakers to vote according to

their conscience on Wednesday -- breaking with a tradition for lead-ers to instruct lawmakers how to vote on big decisions.

Media reports say about 50 Labour members of parliament (MPs) will vote with the govern-ment, although their leader, a vet-eran anti-war campaigner, hoped he could still persuade them to change their minds.

Corbyn argued that Cameron’s case did not meet his party’s de-

mands. “I am saying to every MP, you’ve got to make up your own mind... on whether we should com-mit British troops into yet another war in the Middle East with no endgame in sight,” he told BBC Ra-dio Two. Many Britons are wary of entering into more military action in the Middle East after Western intervention in Iraq, Libya and Af-ghanistan failed to bring stability and, some believe, led to the rise of militant groups such as IS. — Reuters

M O T I O N I N P A R L I A M E N T

Obama urges Turkey to reduce tensions with Russia

PARIS: US President Barack Obama urged Turkey on Tuesday to reduce tensions with Russia that are hampering efforts to fight IS militants in Syria and stressed that US support for its NATO ally’s security remained steadfast.

Obama met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Paris, where they have been attending an in-ternational climate summit, a week after Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane along the Syrian border.

“The United States supports Turkey’s right to defend itself and its airspace and its territory,” Obama said. “We discussed how Turkey and Russia can work to-gether to de-escalate tensions and find a diplomatic path to resolve this issue.”

Obama told Erdogan that the IS militant group, also known as ISIL, was the entity that all sides needed to pursue, echoing a mes-sage he delivered to Russian Presi-dent Vladimir Putin in Paris on Monday. “We all have a common enemy, and that is IS, and I want to make sure that we focus on that threat,” Obama said.

TensionsTensions between Russia and Tur-key have complicated US efforts to prod Moscow into steering its mil-itary might towards IS rather than the moderate Syrian opposition.

The downed plane incident has been further exacerbated by the strong personalities of the Rus-sian and Turkish leaders. Obama’s relationship with Putin is tense but direct.

His relationship with Erdogan, whom he referred to by first name, is also not close, though the two men are in contact frequently.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu called for the opening of communication channels between Turkey and Russia to prevent fur-ther incidents like the downing of the warplane. — Reuters

J E T D O W N I N G

MOSCOW: Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved a raft of sanctions against Turkey in retaliation for the downing of a Russian warplane, but the measures stuck largely to what Moscow had previously threatened and had several notable omissions.

The order, published on the government’s official website on Tuesday, listed agricultural products that Russia would no longer import from Turkey from January 1, 2016 and for-malised a ban on charter flights to Turkey from December 1.

But it did not target impor-tant energy projects such as the Turkish Stream gas pipeline or food stuffs such as lemons or nuts, most of which Russia imports from Turkey.

Relations between Mos-cow and Ankara have sharply deteriorated since Turkey shot down the Russian fighter bomber near the Syrian-Turk-

ish border on November 24.Turkish officials say the

plane violated Turkish air space after being repeatedly warned to change its course.

Moscow says the aircraft was over Syria, where Russia is carrying out an air campaign backing Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in a four-year-old civil war.

The government order also included a halt on the activity of an inter-governmental trade commission and restrictions on Turkish transport compa-nies. The list of foods banned from next year included fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, grapes, apricots and apples, as well as chicken products and salt.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Satur-day the sanctions would be imposed. Russian officials have said they could be expanded if necessary. — Reuters

Medvedev approves sanctions against Ankara

TURKISH PRODUCT: Marrows, imported from Turkey according

to labels and product information on the boxes, are on sale at a

grocery of the food retailer Dixy in Moscow, Russia. –Reuters

BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet approved plans on Tuesday for Germany to join the military campaign against IS militants in Syria, a big step for the country, which had long resisted a direct role in the conflict.

In response to an appeal from France after the Novem-ber 13 attacks in Paris which killed 130 people, Merkel’s government agreed to send Tornado reconnaissance jets, refuelling aircraft, a frigate to protect a French aircraft car-rier, and up to 1,200 soldiers to the region.

Germany will not join

France, the United States and Russia in conducting air strikes in Syria, but the move is significant given the coun-try’s post-war history of avoid-ing foreign military entangle-ments and voter misgivings about getting involved in the conflict in the Middle East.

A letter from the foreign and defence ministries said the deployment was aimed at preventing “terrorist acts” by IS and supporting France and other partners in their fight against the extremist group, which has taken large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.

Defence Minister Ur-

sula von der Leyen sought to reassure voters, saying that Germany had not been drawn into war against its will but taken a conscious decision to get involved.

She also made clear that there would be no cooperation between German forces and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad or his troops.

“The top line is: there will be no cooperation with As-sad and no cooperation with troops under his command,” she said, though she did not rule out including supporters of Assad in a long-term solu-tion for the country. — Reuters

German cabinet approves campaign against IS

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South Africa hope Delhi Test will last more than three days

NEW DELHI: The 22-yard wicket at Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla Stadi-um filled the beleaguered South Af-rican team with optimism on Tues-day that the fourth and final Test against India will buck the trend and last more than three days.

South Africa kicked off their longest tour of India by winning the Twenty20 and one-day series before the hosts rolled out turning pitches and unleashed their formi-dable phalanx of skilful spinners to turn the tables in the Test matches.

The world’s top-ranked Test team were beaten inside three days in Mohali and Nagpur while India also dominated what little play was possible in the rain-ru-ined match in Bangalore.

The visitors were naturally ea-ger to have a look at the pitch to be used for the final Test starting on Thursday and assistant coach Adrian Birell was hopeful it would last longer.

“We are playing in India so we

expect the pitches to turn. This one looks like it will go more than three days,” Birell told reporters after the team’s practice session.

South Africa lost all 20 wickets in Nagpur to the Indian tweakers, with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claiming 12.

Birell said he and spin bowl-ing consultant Claude Henderson were helping the batsmen prepare better for the likes of Ashwin and leggie Amit Mishra.

“We are trying to do very specific training. We take the stumps and put it behind and use the rough there to try and simulate maybe what we’re going to get in the match,” he

said. “I’m an old leg-spinner and I bowl from a very shortened run-up and bowl from about 15 yards, try and simulate Mishra. I’m not even close, but we try.

“And we got others guys that throw off-spinners and try and simulate Ashwin. We’re doing what we can to try and prepare as specific as possible. Unfortunately, we’re not as good as Ashwin.”

South Africa have missed Dale Steyn, nursing a groin injury, after the first Test in Mohali and Birrell said the pace bowler will undergo a fitness Test on Wednesday before a call is made on his participation in the final match.- Reuters

South Africa were

naturally eager to

have a look at the

pitch to be used for

the final Test starting

on Thursday and

assistant coach

Adrian Birell was

hopeful it would

last longer

TACTICAL DISCUSSION: South Africa’s captain Hashim Amla, right,

talks with teammate Faf du Plessis while waiting for their turn to

bat in the nets. – AFP

NEW DELHI: Brushing aside the controversies over the nature of the pitches dur-ing the ongoing Test series against South Africa, India leg-spinner Amit Mishra said on Tuesday that poor batting technique is more responsi-ble for bowlers’ domination.

The pitches during the se-ries have been spinners’ para-dise with the first and third Tests at Mohali and Nagpur respectively being decided within three days. Even the second Test in Bengaluru saw 12 wickets fall on the opening day before heavy rain forced the match to be abandoned.

“There was a lot of turn in the wickets, but the low scores were more due to lack of technique from the South African batsmen. Many of the dismissals were due to poor judgement of edges resulting from a lack of proper applica-tion,” Mishra told reporters here on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old pointed out that since Indians have to deal with fast and bouncy tracks during foreign tours, visiting teams have to cope with the unique conditions in the subcontinent.

“Visiting teams have to adjust to the conditions of the country they are playing in. When we travel outside the sub-continent, we have to adjust to the pace and bounce.

So when other teams visit us, they should adjust to Indian conditions. It is all about adaptability,” Mishra said.

“It is a given that there will be more turn on offer when teams come to India. Batsmen need to do their homework and improve their technique on pitches that offer turn. I believe they are under a lot of pressure be-cause we have not given them boundary balls,” he added.

Mishra also lamented the fact that the focus on the pitches has undermined the performance of the Indian spinners.

The Indian spin trio con-sisting of Mishra, Ravichan-dran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have clinched 47 of the 50 South African wickets to fall so far in the series.

Ashwin is the most suc-cessful bowler in the series with 24 wickets. Jadeja has 16 scalps to his name while Mishra has seven.

“We have not been given due credit, with so much talk about the pitch. Our achieve-ments should have been highlighted more and talked about. Our home conditions have been like this for the last 15 years and it is not from today. When we went to Sri Lanka, we got turning tracks there and bowled well,” Mishra said. — IANS

Poor technique, not pitches ‘responsible’ for Proteas’ loss

Third umpire made wrong call in Adelaide Test: ICC

DUBAI: Third umpire Nigel Llong made an incorrect call af-ter using video technology to re-view an appeal during the day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide, the International Cricket Coun-cil (ICC) said on Tuesday.

Australia’s Nathan Lyon was given not out by the on-field um-pire when the ball was caught at slip after he attempted to sweep spinner Mitchell Santner. New Zealand reviewed the decision.

Although “Hot Spot” showed the ball did hit Lyon’s bat, “Snicko”, a different form of technology, did not detect any contact and Llong upheld the original decision.“ICC has re-viewed the decision and ac-knowledged that it was incor-rect,” the ICC said on Twitter.

“ICC confirms the umpire fol-lowed the correct protocol, but made an incorrect judgement.”

Lyon, on nought at the time, went on to score 34 and help Australia recover from 118 for eight to secure a first-innings lead of 22 which proved crucial in a game the hosts won. - Reuters

G R E A T M I S T A K E

McCullum gets backing after Cairns verdictWELLINGTON: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have promised to support Brendon McCullum af-ter former Test all-rounder Chris Cairns was acquitted of per-jury in London despite evidence given against him by the Black Caps captain.

Cairns had been accused of falsely claiming he had never cheated at cricket when he won £90,000 ($135,531) in damages from Lalit Modi, the former boss of the Indian Premier League, in a libel action three years ago.

McCullum was one of two former teammates, along with self-confessed matchfixer Lou Vincent, who gave key evidence against Cairns in the trial, accus-ing his predecessor as Test skipper of twice asking him to fix matches.

On Monday, however, Cairns was found not guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice, ending what the 45-year-old de-scribed as “five years of hell”.

“Brendon is an employee of ours, so we’ve got a duty of care around him that makes sure he’s in a safe working environment and free of harassment and all that humilia-tion stuff,” NZC chairman Stuart Heal told the New Zealand Herald.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that, but of course we will support Brendon. As I say, he’s our current

captain and an employee of New Zealand Cricket. “We need him on the park leading our side and doing what he does best.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) acknowledged the verdict in the perjury trial in a brief statement.

“The ICC notes the decision of the jury finding Mr Chris Cairns not guilty and confirms its utmost respect for the process that has been followed,” it read.

“The ICC and its (Anti-Corrup-

tion Unit) will continue to work closely with and provide all pos-sible support to players in order that the fight against corruption can be tackled effectively and collectively.”

Nothing sinister Cairns acknowledged both meet-ings with McCullum, one in Eng-land and one in India, had taken place but said there was nothing sinister about them.

“I think overall, Brendon’s in-

terpretation of what happened in 2008 has just changed. Why that is, I can’t answer for Brendon,” Cairns told Fox Sports TV in an in-terview in London on Monday.

“I suppose questions will be asked of Brendon as to why he did that.”

McCullum has come under fire for taking three years to report the alleged approaches by Cairns.

“I think it’s really important that we understand (he) came forward for the right reasons,” Heal added.

“I think with Brendon, he said — didn’t he — in the trial that he delayed his report on the basis that he was reluctant to incriminate a friend. And I think what was hap-pening in 2008 and now, today — it is a different environment.”

Indian Modi acknowledged Cairns’ acquittal on Twitter, the same platform he used to allege the New Zealander had been involved in match-fixing in 2010, prompting the libel trial.

“I am aware of the verdict at Southwark Crown Court,” Modi tweeted from London.

“As you know I am limited in what I can say as I am restricted by the injunction put in place fol-lowing the 2012 libel trial. I will consider how this affects my own civil claim against Mr Cairns in due course.” - Reuters

S U P P O R T F R O M B O A R D

WELLINGTON: Spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner has been retained in New Zealand’s 12-man squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka after an impressive debut in the third and final Test against Austral-ia. “The level of composure Mitchell showed on debut was very impressive and he certainly displayed how excit-ing a player he is with both

the bat and ball,” New Zea-land coach Mike Hesson said. “His ability to bat in the top six and bowl good overs gives us options. We’re looking for-ward to watching Mitchell’s continued development.”

New Zealand host Sri Lan-ka in the first Test in Dunedin from December 10, with the second in Hamilton on De-cember 18. All 12 of the squad toured Australia. - Reuters

Santner retains spot in squad

Coulter-Nile gets call after Starc injuryADELAIDE: Australia called up uncapped paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile for the first Test against West Indies on Tuesday as a replacement for left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc, who was ruled out of the series due to a broken foot.

The 28-year-old Western Australian comes into the 12-man squad for first of three Tests in the series against the Caribbean Islanders, which starts at Bellerive Oval Hobart a week on Thursday.

Coulter-Nile, who has played 13 One-day Internationals and 11 Twenty20s for Australia, is short on match practice after be-ing suspended from his most re-cent Sheffield Shield outing for showing dissent to an umpire.

Right-armer Coulter-Nile’s best chance of a start in Hobart is if Australia decide to rest Ha-zlewood, who played all three Tests against New Zealand.

The squad: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Joe Burns, Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Peter Nevill (wicketkeeper), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Na-than Coulter-Nile, Nathan Lyon. - Reuters

S Q U A D

CHENNAI: Riding on a splendid performance, hosts Chennaiyin FC moved a step closer to ce-ment their semifinals spot as they thrashed hapless Mumbai City FC 3-0 in the Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Jawaharlal

Nehru Stadium here on Tuesday.Goals each from Stiven Mendoza (9th minute), Jeje Lalpekhlua (17th), Bernard Mendy (45th) guided the hosts to comfortable victory in their last home match of the season. With their win, Chen-naiyin climb to fourth spot with 19 points from 13 games, having won six, lost six and drawn one.

On the other hand, after a poor run in this season, Mumbai’s dream of making it to the play-offs were shattered after they were beaten in all the departments of the game. The visitors find themselves

struggling in the seventh position with 13 points from 13 games, hav-ing lost six, won three and drawn four. For the crucial match, Marco Materazzi-managed side made two changes. Mailson Alves made way for Alessandro Potenza who returns after serving a one match suspension, while suspended Har-manjot Khabra was replacement by Zakeer Mundampara.

Nicolas Anelka-managed Mum-bai made four changes: Rowilson Rodrigues, Darren O’Dea, Frederic Piquionne and Ashutosh Mehta were included in the starting XI

in place of Aitor Fernindez Lopez, Pavel Cmovs, Saran Singh and Subash Singh.

It was a one-sided encounter right from the word go, as the hosts took on the initiative to play ag-gressively and move as close as possible in their opposition box.

Colombian footballer Mendoza who is now the season’s top scorer with 11 goals helped side get the first lead within 10 minutes of play.

Much to surprise of the visitors, Mendoza was put through on goal with a wonderfully pass by Mun-dampara. The Colombian made

no mistakes from the 6-yard box, slotting the ball past Mumbai goal-keeper Subrata Paul into the bot-tom left corner with ease to give his team the lead.

Just eight minutes after tak-ing the lead, the hosts doubled it to make it even more difficult for Mumbai to stage a comeback.

Thoi Singh knocked the ball forward from inside the box and it looked like the ball was heading straight to the keeper. Jeje reacted the earliest to tap it past Paul to make it 2-0 for the hosts.

From there on, Chennaiyin nev-

er looked back as they pressed even more into Mumbai box to create more chances. Mumbai however failed to sneak through the defence of the hosts as some easy chances went past the visitors at ease.

To make it impossible for Mum-bai to even think of staging a come-back, Chennaiyin scored their third of the night to ensure Mum-bai had no chance to qualify for semifinals. Skipper Mendy made a good run and was found by Thoi Singh. The French footballer was through one-on-one with the Paul and delightfully chipped the ball over the keeper to find the back of the net in a classy finish from the defender to make it 3-0.

Chennaiyin next travel to face FC Pune City in their last league match of the season on Decem-ber 5 while Mumbai will play for pride against defending champi-ons Atletico de Kolkata in an away match on December 4. - IANS

A12

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

Chennaiyin maul Mumbai City to keep semifinal hopes aliveGoals from Stiven

Mendoza, Jeje and

Mendy guided the

Chennai team to

comfortable victory

in their last home

match of the season

ICC to review ‘poor’ Nagpur Test pitchDUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has an-nounced that the pitch for the third Test between India and South Africa in Nagpur was “poor” and has in turn triggered a review of the performance of the pitch under the ICC’s pitch moni-toring process.

“In accordance with Clause 3 of the process, ICC match referee Jeff Crowe submitted his report to the ICC expressing the concerns of the match officials over the per-formance of the pitch. This report has been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which now has 14 days to provide its response,” the ICC said in a release on Tuesday.

After the BCCI comes up with a response, ICC general manager Geoff Allardice, and the chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle

will evaluate the evidence by watching video footage of the game and then come to a conclu-sion on the quality of the pitch.

If it is found to have been unfit to play on, the duo will also decide if a penalty should be imposed.

“The ICC will make no further comments until Mr Allardice and Mr Madugalle have reached their decision,” the release added.

The Nagpur Test was played from November 25 to 27 in which India scored 215 and 173, while South Africa could only manage 79 and 185. The pitch at the Vid-arba Cricket Association Stadi-um was a rank turner which saw prodigious turn and unpredicta-ble bounce from the very first day. Batsmen on both sides struggled to deal with the difficult condi-tions with the match coming to an end within three days. - IANS

C R I C K E T

Talking to LTA about

future a waste of

time, says Murray

LONDON: Andy Murray, who put Britain on top of the tennis world with victory in the Davis Cup at the weekend, says he has given up talking to the Lawn Ten-nis Association (LTA) about the future of the game back home as it is a waste of time.

The 28-year-old inspired Brit-ain to the Davis Cup title for the first time in 79 years with their victory over Belgium in Ghent, but Murray, who clinched the final point on Sunday, said not enough was being down to nur-ture fresh talent.

“Nothing ever gets done. So I don’t want to waste my time talk-ing about stuff. I don’t speak to any of the people who are in a high-up position about that,” Murray told reporters on Monday.

“I don’t know where the next generation are. It is a shame be-cause, regardless of whether or not we had a load of players at the top of the professional game, the jun-iors were never a problem before.

“We used to have junior No.1s,

and juniors competing for Grand Slams on the guys’ and the girls’ side. It was just that bringing them on to become the best seniors was something we weren’t so good at.

“It’s concerning not to have any juniors in the Grand Slams be-cause that is something we were always very good at. It’s not ideal.”

Murray also complained about a lack of practice partners when he returned home to train at the National Tennis Centre in Roe-hampton.

“There is nobody to train with when I am at home, nobody to practise with anymore, which makes things frustrating,” Murray said. “You want to have the best possible practice and training to prepare for the biggest events and we don’t have that anymore.

“There was not one person using any of the indoor courts and not one person in the gym. I took photos of it because the place cost like 40 million pounds ($60.38 million) and there are no people.” - Reuters

T E N N I S

HISTORY MAKERS: Britain’s Davis Cup winning team members,

from left, Andy Murray, James Ward, Dominic Inglot, captain

Leon Smith, Kyle Edmund and Jamie Murray pose on the door-

step of No. 10, Downing Street with British Prime Minister David

Cameron in central London on Tuesday. – AFP

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

Muscat

5,557.73 + 9.88

+ 0.18%

Dubai

3,204.28+ 11.15

+ 0.35%

Abu Dhabi

4,236.39+ 63.65

+ 1.53%

Saudi Arabia

7,293.37+ 53.44

+ 0.74%

Kuwait

5,803.34+ 0.98

+ 0.02%

Bahrain

1,224.67 - 7.90

- 0.64%

Qatar

10,377.38+ 286.57

+ 2.84%

CURRENCY RATES* DRAFT RATES (OMR1)* GOLD PRICES*Forex rates vs OMR1*

US Dollar .................................2.58

Euro ............................................ 2.42

Pound ............................................ 1.71

Indian Rs .............................. 172.18

Pakistan Rs .......................269.54

Bangla Taka......................200.08* Rates are as of Dec. 1

Source: Bank Muscat

Indian Rs ...................................172.50

Pakistan Rs .............................273.70

Sri Lanka Rs .......................... 368.50

Bangla Taka........................... 204.50

Phil Peso .................................... 122.10

* Rates as of Dec. 1 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......13.80

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......13.30

Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ........... 128.00

Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ..............121.25

* Rates as of Dec. 1

Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Type ............................Delivery...........Price

Oman Crude ............. (Spot) .........$41.57

Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) .........$41.32

Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$42.84

Arabian Light ......... (Spot) .........$40.15

N.Sea Brent ............... (Spot) ........$44.40

West Texas Int ....... (Spot) .........$41.64

CRUDE OIL PRICE

DIGEST VIDEO

S CA N T H I S Q R CO D E TO I N STA N T LY L AU N C H T H E V I D EO

Top stories in one minute with our new daily Digest

New mining law to boost investments

A E JAMESbusinesseditor@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Oman’s new mining law, which was recently drafted by the Public Authority for Mining and is awaiting approval from the relevant ministries, will help at-tract investment and develop the sector to enhance its contribution in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

“The Public Authority for Min-ing has already drafted the law

and sent it to the concerned gov-ernment ministries to review it,” Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, told journalists, on the sidelines of the Oman Mineral and Mining Exhi-bition and Conference on Tues-day. The draft law is currently with the Ministry of Justice for review and approval.

He said the new law would be more flexible, more easy and transparent. “There is (going to

be) more control in terms of pro-cessing.” Al Dheeb said the Public Authority for Mining is formulat-ing a mineral strategy to enhance the sector’s contribution to GDP.

Addressing the conference, Dr Ali Alrajhi, assistant general man-ager at the Public Authority for Mining, said the authority has four major focus areas—legislation, organisational structure, invest-ment and local community—while developing the sector. “We have almost finished the framework

of the strategy,” noted Alrajhi. He also said that Oman has the po-tential for viable metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits for de-velopment. The newly established authority is focusing on exporting processed minerals, rather than raw minerals to enhance value addition. MowafaTaib, mineral industry expert, US Geological Survey, said mineral production would increase substantially in the next five years as a result of several expansion projects.

Taib said the non-oil sector had contributed 18 per cent of the Sul-tanate’s GDP in 2014 and the min-ing sector alone contributed two per cent of the GDP in 2013.

Taib added that Oman had wit-nessed strong growth in indus-trial minerals, especially in the last decade. Gypsum production had surged ahead by six times between 2010 and 2014, while limestone output had soared from 4.6 million tonnes to 8.7 million tonnes per year during the period. Cement and marble production had also risen in the last five years.

Taib noted that Oman is a lead-ing producer of chromite and that the country is the second leading producer of gypsum, after Iran, in the region, according to 2014 data.

Public Authority for

Mining has already

drafted the law and

sent it to concerned

government

ministries to review

it, said a senior

ministry official

New law will be more flexible, more easy and transparent and there is (going to be) more control in terms of processingAhmed bin Hassan Al DheebUndersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Rebound in Iraqi crude production aids growth in Opec supplies VIENNA: Opec oil output has risen in November from the pre-vious month, a Reuters survey found on Monday, led by a re-bound in Iraqi exports after bad weather had temporarily halted supply growth from the group’s second-largest producer.

The increase indicates the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) is again pumping close to a record high as Saudi Arabia and other big producers focus on market share. Opec meets this week to review the policy, with no change expected. Opec supply has risen in November to 31.77 million barrels per day (bpd) from 31.64 million in October, according to the survey, based on ship-ping data and information from sources at oil companies, Opec and consultants.

Opec meeting on FridayThe Opec meeting on Friday comes almost a year after its his-toric decision, led by Saudi Ara-bia, to refuse to prop up prices. Oil has more than halved in 18 months due to persistent over-supply, but even those in Opec who want a change in approach do not expect one.

“I am seeing that Saudi Ara-bia will not change its position,” said an Opec delegate from a non-Gulf country which favours supply restraint. “No favourable outcome will be reached at the next meeting.”

Boosted productionOpec has boosted production by about 1.50 million bpd since its November 2014 policy shift. Out-put is not far below July’s 31.88 million bpd, the highest since Reuters records began in 1997.

The biggest monthly rise in output has come from Iraq, the world’s fastest growing source of supply growth this year. Ex-

ports from Iraq’s main outlet, its southern terminals, have risen in November to at least 3.06 mil-lion bpd and could top that and set a record if tankers currently waiting depart before Tuesday, according to loading data and in-dustry sources.

Exports from Iraq’s north by the Kurdistan Regional Govern-ment via Ceyhan in Turkey have edged lower, while those by Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organisation have remained zero for a second month, the survey found.

Data from Iraq’s oil ministry showed oil exports rose to a dec-ades-high average of 3.37 million bpd in November, with output at 3.66 million bpd.

More crude abroadAn increase has also come from Saudi Arabia, sources in the sur-vey said, as the kingdom sent more crude abroad and used more in refineries, outweighing a seasonal drop in usage in domes-tic power plants.

“November exports and re-finery runs are up compared to October by more than direct burn was down,” said one of the sources who tracks Saudi out-put. “So, supply to the market is up in November.”

Saudi output, at 10.25 million bpd in this survey, is not far from the record high of 10.56 million bpd it pumped in June.

Output declined in Opec’s two West African producers, Angola and Nigeria, the survey found. Libyan output, which was already at a fraction of the pre-conflict rate, edged lower in November.

Supply from Iran, Opec’s sec-ond-largest producer until sanc-tions forced a cut in exports in 2012, stayed flat in November, the survey found. A lifting of sanctions on Iran has the poten-tial to boost Opec output further in 2016. — Reuters

O I L S U P P L I E S

India’s central bank

keeps key interest

rate unchanged

MUMBAI: India’s central bank left interest rates unchanged af-ter four cuts this year to meet in-flation targets that are starting to look more vulnerable.

Central bank governor Ra-ghuram Rajan kept the bench-mark repurchase rate at 6.75 per cent, the Reserve Bank of In-dia (RBI) said in a statement in Mumbai on Tuesday. The move was predicted by all 47 econo-mists in a Bloomberg survey.

“The Reserve Bank will use the space for further accommoda-tion, when available, while keep-ing the economy anchored to the projected disinflation path that should take inflation down to five per cent by March 2017,” Rajan said. Rajan, who took advantage of a commodity slump to slash one of Asia’s highest borrowing costs, now has to contend with rising food prices that are fan-ning inflationary pressures. An anticipated increase in US inter-est rates this month also risks triggering capital outflows.

“There are three events which the RBI will wait for before mov-ing,” said Sujan Hajra, a Mumbai-based economist at Anand Rathi Financial Services. “The mon-

etary policy stance of the Fed, what’s happening to the budget and the impact of the pay com-mission on inflation. Pending this, we don’t expect RBI to do anything in the next two-three months,” he further added.

Consumer-price gains acceler-ated to five per cent in October led by a surge in food items such as lentils, matching Rajan’s target for March 2017. Such spikes have contributed to pushing up infla-tion expectations, a key obstacle in the fight to bring the gauge to-ward four per cent a year later.

India’s rupee and stocks pared gains. The currency weakened to 66.5275 a dollar as of 11:45am in Mumbai from 66.4350 before the decision and the S&P BSE Sensex Index was 0.2 per cent higher. The yield on the bench-mark 10-year note was at 7.75 per cent. RBI will pay close attention to food and oil prices while track-ing inflationary expectations and external developments. Inflation is expected to accelerate until December before plateauing, he said, adding that government measures are needed to maintain food supplies if crops suffer due to poor rainfall. — Bloomberg News

R E S E R V E B A N K O F I N D I A

Asia’s factory production still ‘struggling’

JAKARTA: Factory activ-ity deteriorated across much of Asia in November, with China sinking to a three-year low, as policymakers braced for an ex-pected rise in US interest rates later this month that could jolt the global economy.

Business surveys showed few signs of vigour across the trade-reliant region apart from Japan, with sluggish demand at home and abroad forcing manufacturers from China to Indonesia to throttle back pro-duction, cut selling prices and shed more jobs.

“Asia’s economy looks decid-edly wobbly going into year-end. Exports continue to strug-gle amid sluggish demand in the West and other emerging markets,” said HSBC econo-mist Frederic Neumann. “A Fed rate hike would represent a fur-ther pinch. With growth having been highly credit dependent in recent years, higher interest rates in the US will inevitable add to the region’s challenges.” Global policymakers and inves-tors are bracing themselves for the first hike in US rates since 2006, which most analysts see coming at the Federal Reserve’s December 15-16 meeting.

After many months of specu-lation, a rate increase might re-move some of the uncertainty that has caused large swings in emerging-market currencies and stock markets. But Asian exporters will be on edge, hop-ing rising US rates at a time of global weakness will not back-fire and stunt demand in one of their biggest markets.

“Industrialised Asia is still feeling the hurt from reduced external demand,” said Barclay’s economist Wai Ho Leong.

“The US is providing some year-end festive lift but these economies are saddled with high inventories which take time to clear.”

Similar business surveys will be released later in the day for Europe and the US. — Reuters

M A N U F A C T U R I N G

B2

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

MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1

REGULAR MARKET .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ..........................17,770 ...............2,409........................6 ............0.135 ........... 0.136 ...........0.135 ............0.136 ............. 0.127............ 0.009 ............. 7.087 ................0.135 .............. 0.132...................0.135 ...................12,925,440 .........0.100

OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ...........................27,500 ...............2,585........................4 ........... 0.094 ........... 0.096 ...........0.093........... 0.094 .............0.088 ........... 0.006 ............. 6.818 ................0.094..............0.094...................0.095.................... 5,531,262 ..........0.100

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 2,525,407 ..... 422,380...................142 ............0.162 ........... 0.170 ........... 0.161 ............0.167 ............. 0.159............ 0.008 ............. 5.031 ................0.168 .............. 0.169...................0.170 ...................25,062,525 .........0.100

OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 267,750 .............28,114......................12 ............0.105 ........... 0.105 ...........0.105 ........... 0.105 .............0.100 ........... 0.005 ............. 5.000 ................0.105 ..............0.103...................0.105 ....................9,450,000 ..........0.100

OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 127,700 ...............9,697......................17 ........... 0.077 ........... 0.077 ...........0.075 ........... 0.076 .............0.074 ........... 0.002 ............. 2.703 ................0.076 ..............0.075...................0.076...................22,038,528 .........0.100

OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL ............................................. 121,140 ............... 9,691........................7 ........... 0.080 ...........0.080 ...........0.080........... 0.080 .............0.078 ........... 0.002 ............. 2.564 ................0.080..............0.082...................0.083...................14,000,000 .........0.100

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE .............. 216,156 ............ 35,990......................15 ............0.165 ........... 0.169 ...........0.165 ............0.166 ............. 0.162............ 0.004 ............. 2.469 ................0.168 .............. 0.168...................0.169 ...................33,200,000 ........0.100

OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS .................................................. 10,965 ...............4,578..................... 10 ............0.410 ...........0.420 ...........0.410 ............0.418 .............0.408 ............0.010 ............. 2.451 ................0.418 .............. 0.418...................0.428 ..................21,945,000 .........0.100

OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING .........................17,700 ............... 1,624........................5 ........... 0.094 ...........0.094 ...........0.091 ........... 0.092 .............0.090 ........... 0.002 .............2.222 ................0.093 .............. 0.091...................0.093....................2,760,000 ..........0.100

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 632,233 .........104,224..................... 48 ............0.165 ........... 0.166 ...........0.164 ............0.165 ............. 0.162............ 0.003 ............. 1.852 ................0.165 ..............0.164...................0.165 ................... 47,957,418 .........0.100

OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE .......................................................26,250 ...............2,953........................6 ............0.111 ........... 0.113 ............ 0.111 ............0.112 ............. 0.110 ............ 0.002 ..............1.818................. 0.113 .............. 0.112................... 0.114 ...................34,805,673 .........0.100

OM0000001962 ............AL MADINA INVESTMENT .................................... 80,000 ...............4,569........................5 ........... 0.058 ........... 0.058 ...........0.057 ........... 0.057 .............0.056 ............0.001 ............. 1.786.................0.057 ..............0.056...................0.059................... 11,807,629 .........0.100

OM0000001483 ............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 689,549 ..........196,521......................31 ........... 0.285 ........... 0.285 ...........0.285........... 0.285 ............. 0.281............ 0.004 ............. 1.423 ................0.285 ..............0.282...................0.285..................382,102,421 ........0.100

OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 721,489 .........252,559......................41 ........... 0.348 ........... 0.352 ...........0.348........... 0.350 .............0.346 ........... 0.004 ..............1.156.................0.348..............0.342...................0.348 .................. 21,421,496 .........0.100

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 199,286 ..........307,785..................... 55 ............1.540 ........... 1.550 ...........1.540 ............1.545 ............. 1.535 .............0.010 ............. 0.651 ................1.550 .............. 1.545...................1.550 ................ 1,158,750,000 ......0.100

OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 1,957,434 ......322,977..................... 79 ............0.165 ........... 0.165 ...........0.165 ............0.165 ............. 0.164.............0.001 ............. 0.610 ................0.165 ..............0.160...................0.165 ..................237,837,600 ........0.100

OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 112,742 ............ 82,076......................18 ............0.728 ........... 0.728 ...........0.728 ........... 0.728 .............0.724 ........... 0.004 ............. 0.552 ................0.728 ..............0.728...................0.732 ..................473,887,399 ........0.100

OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ........................................................45,261 ............ 46,533......................15 ............1.025 ........... 1.030 ...........1.025 ........... 1.030 ............. 1.025............ 0.005 ............. 0.488 ................1.030 ..............1.000...................1.030 ................. 206,000,000 .......0.100

OM0000001087 ............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 1,065,000 ......246,540..................... 45 ........... 0.230 ........... 0.232 ...........0.230............0.231 .............0.230 ............0.001 ............. 0.435 ................0.232..............0.232...................0.235...................23,100,000 .........0.100

OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 297,606 ........... 32,094..................... 52 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.106 ........... 0.108 ............. 0.108 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.106 ..............0.103...................0.107 .................. 216,033,781 ........0.100

OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT .......................................................... 110,723 ............ 49,825......................16 ........... 0.450 ........... 0.450 ...........0.450........... 0.450 .............0.450 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.450 ..............0.440...................0.450..................148,892,720 ........0.100

OM0000002168 ............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ................................ 50,000 ............ 16,200........................4 ........... 0.324 ...........0.324 ...........0.324........... 0.324 .............0.324 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.324..............0.310...................0.324 ..................95,973,233 .........0.100

OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ............................................................................281 .....................55........................ 1 ............0.194 ........... 0.194 ...........0.194 ............0.195 ............. 0.195............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.194 ..............0.180...................0.194 ..................277,882,048........0.100

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 1,976,406 ......984,250................... 138 ........... 0.498 ........... 0.498 ...........0.498 ........... 0.498 .............0.498 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.498 ..............0.498...................0.500 ................1,141,327,653.......0.100

OM0000003281 ............TAAGEER FINANCE .................................................. 20,000 .............. 2,600........................2 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.130 ........... 0.130 ............. 0.130............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.130 ..............0.130...................0.143 ...................32,966,700 .........0.100

OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ........................................................2,211 .................. 929........................3 ........... 0.420 ...........0.420 ...........0.420............0.416 ............. 0.416............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.420.............. 0.416...................0.420 ..................25,168,000 .........0.100

OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 2,061,517 ...... 212,137......................17 ............0.103 ........... 0.104 ...........0.100 ........... 0.103 .............0.104 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.962 ...............0.100 ..............0.099...................0.100...................20,600,000 ........0.100

OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER .................................................. 15,604 ............... 3,136........................2 ............0.201 ........... 0.201 ...........0.201 ........... 0.201 .............0.204 ...........-0.003 ............-1.471 ................0.201 ............. 0.200...................0.204 .................135,652,373 ........0.100

OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................... 16,273 ............... 3,271........................3 ........... 0.204 ...........0.204 ...........0.201 ........... 0.201 .............0.204 ...........-0.003 ............-1.471 ................0.201 ............. 0.200...................0.204 .................143,595,674 ........0.100

OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 1,770,938 ......226,722......................31 ............0.130 ........... 0.130 ...........0.128 ........... 0.128 ............. 0.130............-0.002 ............-1.538................0.128 .............. 0.121...................0.128 ................... 15,986,939 .........0.100

OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 439,690 ........... 95,892........................6 ........... 0.220 ...........0.220 ...........0.218 ........... 0.218 .............0.223 ...........-0.005 ........... -2.242 ...............0.218 ............. 0.224...................0.230 .................336,750,823 ........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 15,622,581 . 3,710,916...................836 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ...... 31........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 338,716 ............. 11,178......................19 ........... 0.033 ........... 0.033 ...........0.033 ........... 0.033 .............0.030 ........... 0.003 ............10.000 ...............0.033 ..............0.033...................0.000 ...................2,805,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ....................................................... 87,525 ............... 4,701......................15 ........... 0.053 ........... 0.055 ...........0.052........... 0.054 .............0.050 ........... 0.004 .............8.000 ................0.054..............0.054...................0.055.................... 6,750,000 ..........0.100

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 273,820 ............ 18,777......................17 ........... 0.070 ........... 0.070 ...........0.068........... 0.069 .............0.066 ........... 0.003 ............. 4.545 ................0.068 ..............0.067...................0.068...................69,000,000.........0.100

OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 3,043,619 ......227,003..................... 85 ........... 0.074 ........... 0.076 ...........0.074 ........... 0.075 .............0.072 ........... 0.003 ............. 4.167 ................0.075 ..............0.074...................0.075 ..................112,500,000 ........0.100

OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING ................................... 117,290 ............ 43,734..................... 34 ........... 0.366 ........... 0.376 ...........0.366........... 0.372 .............0.362 ............0.010 ............. 2.762 ................0.372 ..............0.368...................0.374 ....................2,232,000 ..........1.000

OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 1,130,872 ...... 162,399..................... 95 ............0.142 ........... 0.145 ...........0.142 ........... 0.144 ............. 0.141 ............ 0.003 ............. 2.128 ................0.145 ..............0.144...................0.145 .................. 210,614,610 ........0.100

OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ................................................ 20,000 ...............9,400........................4 ........... 0.470 ........... 0.470 ...........0.470 ........... 0.470 .............0.470 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.470 ..............0.470...................0.500 ..................74,025,000 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 5,011,842 .......477,191...................269 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 7........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ...................... 251,718 .............28,192........................7 ............0.112 ........... 0.112............ 0.112 ............0.112 ............. 0.112 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.112 .............. 0.112...................0.000 ..................33,907,900 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 251,718 .............28,192........................7 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. .........1........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

O M A N S T O C K S

INDICESIndex .................................................High .................Low ..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff %MSM30 Index ........................................5,569.31 ...............5,547.88 .................... 5,557.73 ................... 5,547.85 ....................9.88 ................... 0.18Financial Index .....................................6,712.62 ...............6,651.57 ....................6,695.31 ................... 6,645.79 ................. 49.52 ................... 0.75Industrial Index ....................................6,899.67 .............. 6,874.90 ................... 6,893.06 ................... 6,875.87 .................. 17.19 ................... 0.25Services Index .......................................3,142.67 ...............3,130.56 ................... 3,134.36 ................... 3,130.56 ....................3.80 ................... 0.12MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................876.49 .................. 872.81 .......................876.45 ...................... 872.79 ....................3.66 ................... 0.42

Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded20,886,141 ................. 4,216,299 .................. 1,112 ............... 14,685,836,188 ................25 ........................5 ..................... 9 ..........................39

MSM index recovers

MUSCAT: Supported by local buying, the local bourse wit-nessed the end to the longest los-ing streak of Omani stocks and the MSM30 index closed margin-ally up by 0.18 per cent at 5,557.73 points. The Sharia Index gained 0.42 per cent to close at 876.45 points. Bank Nizwa was the most active in terms of volume while Bank Muscat led in terms of turnover. Construction Materi-als, up by 10 per cent, was the top gainer on Tuesday, while BankD-hofar, down by 2.24 per cent, was the top loser.

As many as 1,112 trades were executed on Tuesday, generat-ing turnover of OMR4.2 million with 20.8 million shares chang-ing hands. Out of 39 traded secu-rities, 25 advanced, five declined and 9 remained unchanged. Omani investors remained net buyers for OMR1.19 million followed by GCC and Arab in-vestors for OMR170,000 while foreign investors were net sell-ers for OMR1.37 million worth of shares.

Financial Index recovered 0.75 per cent to close at 6,695.31 points. Gulf Investment Servic-es, Al Anwar Holding, Al Sharqia Investments, Al Izz Bank and Bank Nizwa gained by 6.82 per cent, 5.03 per cent, 5 per cent, 4.55 per cent and 4.17 per cent, respectively. BankDhofar and Global Financial Investment de-clined by 2.24 per cent and 0.96 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index advanced by 0.25 per cent to finish at 6,893.06 points. Construction Materials, Oman Fisheries, Oman Textiles, Galfar Engineering and Al Maha Ceramics increased by 10 per cent, 8 per cent, 2.76 per cent, 2.70 per cent and 2.45 per cent, respectively. Al Jazeera Steel de-clined by 1.54 per cent to close at OMR0.128.

Services Index ended the ses-sion at 3,134.36 points, up by 0.12

per cent. Port Services, OIFC, Phoenix Power, Renaissance Services and Al Jazeera Services gained by 7.09 per cent, 2.47 per cent, 2.13 per cent, 1.85 per cent and 1.16 per cent, respectively. Both Al Suwadi Power and Al Batinah Power declined by 1.47 per cent each.

Qatar stocks jumpQatar stocks rose the most in the world as investors speculated on Monday’s selloff was overdone.

The QE Index closed 4.4 per cent higher in Doha, the biggest increase in almost a year, as 687 million riyals ($189 million) worth of shares traded. That’s more than double the market’s daily average in the last three months. Qatar National Bank’s 5 per cent increase was the big-gest contributor to gains. The lender accounts for about 15 per cent of the nation’s benchmark stock gauge.

The rally reversed losses from Monday’s selloff, which was spurred by MSCI Inc.’s decision to cut Qatari companies’ weight-ing in its emerging-markets in-dex. The re-balancing came as trading volumes had slumped amid an equity selloff across the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council as the price of Brent crude sank. Governments in the region rely on income from en-ergy to fund public spending, one of the biggest drivers of economic growth. “What happened yester-day was that traders re-balanced their weightings in certain stocks due to MSCI’s changes,” Mon-tasser Khelifi, a Dubai-based director of advisory at Quantum Investment Bank Ltd., said by telephone. “This created a good entry point for investors into companies such as QNB, because the selloff was due to technical reasons and not because of the companies’ fundamentals.”

- United Securities/Bloomberg News

As many as 1,112 trades were executed on

Tuesday, generating a turnover of OMR4.2m

on a volume of 20.8m shares

India needs to boost growth to attract global interestJOHANNESBURG: India has to find ways to take its current GDP from seven per cent to 10 per cent within the next three years to take advantage of the renewed global interest in the country as a prime business destination, according to business leaders.

This was the consensus at a seminar here on Monday titled ‘Doing Business with India: An In-

dustry Perspective’, which kicked off an India Business Week series of events hosted by the Indian Consulate General and the Gordon Institute of Business Science.

President and managing di-rector of Emerson Network Power Sunil Khanna said India had emerged as the fourth larg-est economy globally with a high growth rate and has also improved

its global ranking. India achieved a growth of 6.2 per cent between 1980 and 2010 while the world as a whole registered a growth rate of 3.3 per cent in the same period, Khanna, who represented Confed-eration of Indian Industry (CII) said. “As a result, India’s share in global GDP, measured in terms of constant 2005 PPP international dollars, more than doubled from

2.5 per cent in 1980 to 5.5 per cent in 2010,” Khanna said.

“India needs to find ways to take its current GDP of seven per cent to 10 per cent within the next three years if it is to take advantage of the renewed global interest in the country, including projections of it having the biggest growth in 2016,” he said. Concerns cited by Khanna included the need to grow Indian

exports further amid the growing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and finding ways of reducing im-ports from China.

“We instituted India Business Week to highlight the Make in India programme, which offer in-vestors around the globe the best of business and political support as well as ease of doing business in India for foreign direct inves-

tors,” said Indian Consul-General Randhir Jaiswal as he introduced a delegation of Indian CEO’s from the CII to interact with business leaders from South Africa. Noting that the Indian government has revived the “feel-good factor” in the economy, Khanna said India’s share still remains minuscule and it rank 19th in the global order of exporting countries. — PTI

I N D I A B U S I N E S S W E E K

Saudi to focus on clean energy

PARIS: Saudi Arabian oil minis-ter Ali Al Naimi said investment in clean-energy innovation is es-sential to the fight against climate change as the country pledged to double spending on research and development.

Saudi Arabia’s efforts “include the development of a road map for technology and research in the field of carbon management from all stationary and mobile sources

and its utilisation in industrial areas and for enhanced oil re-covery,” Al Naimi said statement that was dated on Monday and e-mailed on Tuesday.

“The Kingdom also invests in the development and implemen-tation of energy efficiency tech-nologies and in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy.” The world’s biggest oil exporter was one of 20 nations

that made the pledge to double clean energy spending, as part of a joint initiative with a group of investors led by Microsoft Corp. billionaire Bill Gates, the world’s richest man. As part of the deal, the nations promise to step up expenditure, and the philanthro-pists then aim to invest in start-up companies in those countries to further advance early-stage technologies. - Bloomberg News

R E N E W A B L E E N E R G Y

B3W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

MARKETMining event explores investment avenues

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Amid recently dis-covered mineral deposits and the foreseen increase in bulk min-eral exports in Oman’s gateway ports—Sohar Port and Freezone, Port of Duqm and Port of Sala-lah—there is much opportunity for investment in mineral devel-opment, mining and quarrying exploration and operations.

Omanexpo’s first Oman Miner-als & Mining Exhibition & Con-ference, co-organised with Autad

Oman in cooperation with the Public Authority for Mining, pro-vides a platform to showcase cur-rent industrial projects that will attract local and international mining firms for investment.

Trade visitors saw an exhibi-tion of top local and international mining firms that included main sponsor Kunooz Oman Holding, Port of Duqm, Port of Salalah, So-har Port and Freezone and Wor-leyParsons, apart from key private and public companies from Iran, headed by silver sponsor Golgo-

har Mining and Industrial Co. Concurrent to the exhibition

was a two-day conference, which featured a qualified line-up of 40 local and international speakers representing various segments and companies from the mining sector, among them US Geological Survey, British Geological Survey, Public Authority for Mining, Ma-warid Mining and CRU Mining.

The event was opened on Tues-day by Eng. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and In-

dustry, with keynote speeches by Dr Ali Alrahji of the Public Au-thority for Mining, Nick Collier of the CRU Group, and MowafaTaib of the US Geological Survey.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Salim Al Busaidi of Autad Oman, said; “More than 300 active min-ing operations are currently in Oman. From 1996, the production of non-metallic minerals has in-creased about eightfold. In 2013, exports of mineral products ac-counted for 33 per cent of Oman’s total non-oil exports.”

The expo provides

a platform to

showcase current

industrial projects

that will attract local

and international

mining firms for

investments

Vale in Oman wins global recognitionTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Vale in Oman was awarded the prestigious Best Spe-cialist Dry Bulk Port or Terminal award, for its terminal located in Sohar Port at the 2015 Inter-national Bulk Journal Awards in Belgium in November.

Its terminal was recognised for its ability to receive the very large ore carriers (VLOC) which have the capacity of 400,000 dead weight tone (DWT) and require a draft of 25m. As well, it is high-lighted as the largest bulk termi-nal in the Arabian Peninsula in terms of handling capacity and it is the deepest in South Asia and the Gulf region.

In addition to that, the terminal

is equipped with high-tech and modern equipment that ensures safe mooring of ships and envi-ronmental monitoring systems.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been recognised for our industrial complex at the IBJ Awards tonight. A lot of hard work and energy has gone into this pro-ject and we are happy to see the fruit of our labour,” said Sergio Espeschit, Vale in Oman’s chief executive officer.

“Creating sustainable econom-ic value in Oman and contributing to the development of the region is key to our day-to-day operations. Vale in Oman has awarded con-tracts to supply its facilities with engineering, human resources and maintenance services locally

which ensures sustainability of our company but also creates new revenue streams that help local entrepreneurs and businesses to grow,” he added.

Vale’s investments in the coastal city of Sohar include a Pel-letizing Plant with a production capacity of nine million tonnes of pellets per year and a Distribution Centre with a throughput capac-ity of 40 million tonnes per year.

Integrated logistics systemThe company’s efficient and in-tegrated logistics system has es-tablished just-in-time operations that better serve key regional markets and is essential for its global logistics strategy to gener-ate customized solutions for its

clients in North Africa, Middle East and Asia while raising the competitiveness of its products.

Sohar Port Chief Executive Of-ficer, Andre Toet, added, “We are extremely proud to work with Vale. The Port of Sohar’s strate-gic location outside of the Strait of Hormuz with the advantage of deep-water seas has allowed VLOCs to be docked here which has helped increase Oman’s competitiveness in the global economy. Vale’s terminal which is only one of about ten ports around the world equipped to receive this vessel’s impressive capacity is working to contrib-ute to diversifying the economy and supporting Oman’s Economic Vision for 2020.”

I N T E R N A T I O N A L B U L K J O U R N A L A W A R D

Greece targets debt

relief deal next year

ATHENS: Greece wants a deal on debt relief with its euro zone creditors in February to remove financial uncertainty and spur economic recovery, its finance minister said, but euro zone offi-cials said that timetable was very ambitious and likely to slip.

Addressing a conference of investors, Finance Minister Eu-clid Tsakalotos said on Monday that making the ailing euro zone country’s debt sustainable was the key to liberating the economy and restoring confidence among depositors and companies.

“If we don’t make the criti-cal decision in let’s say February 2016, and we push the critical decision back to next summer or even 2017, then all the results will be delayed,” Tsakalotos told the American-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce. Euro zone creditors have said they are willing to con-sider a debt rescheduling but only once Athens successfully com-pletes a first review of its bailout programme, which requires the

adoption of a further set of con-tentious reforms.

Weeks of delays in completing the first batch, which was less challenging politically, suggested the second set would take even longer. A February deadline for a debt deal was therefore very am-bitious, euro zone officials said.

The second wave of measures which creditors want completed by mid-December include chang-es to the pension system to give workers incentives to work and contribute to the system longer.

They also feature overhauling the income tax systems, opening electricity markets and setting up an independent revenue office for tax revenue. The European Commission’s mission chief to Greece, Declan Costello, told the conference the EU wanted all these reforms to be wrapped up by early next year to pave the way for the start of debt relief talks. But the pace of progress depend-ed on the Greek government and lawmakers, he said. — Reuters

C R I T I C A L D E C I S I O N

Chinese yuan gets

reserve asset status

WASHINGTON: China’s yuan has been taken into the bench-mark currency basket of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday, in a victory for Beijing’s campaign for recogni-tion as a global economic power.

The decision to add the yuan, also known as the renminbi, to the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket alongside the dol-lar, euro, pound sterling and yen, is an important milestone in China’s integration into global fi-nances and a nod to the progress it has made with reforms.

IMF’s criteriaTo meet the IMF’s criteria, Bei-jing has undertaken a flurry of re-forms in recent months, includ-ing better access for foreigners to Chinese currency markets, more frequent debt issuance and ex-panded yuan trading hours.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde, who along with in-house experts had previously given her sup-port for the inclusion, made it clear she did not expect Beijing to stop there. “The renminbi’s inclusion in the SDR is a clear indication of the reforms that have been implemented and will continue to be implemented,” she told reporters.

The People’s Bank of China said the move, which was backed

by countries including the Unit-ed States, Britain and Japan, showed the international com-munity expected China to play a bigger role in the world economy.

“Going forward, China will continue to deepen and accel-erate economic reforms and financial opening up, and con-tribute to promoting world eco-nomic growth, safeguarding fi-nancial stability and improving global economic governance,” it said in a statement.

The PBOC’s vice governor Yi Gang said he expected the inclu-sion would make the yuan more stable and there was no basis for it to devalue further, as some traders had expected.

Landmark recognitionAn IMF official said it was not IMF policy to disclose board vot-ing records, but a person familiar with the IMF deliberations said approval had been unanimous.

The yuan will have a 10.92 per cent share, in line with ex-pectations, after a review of the weightings formula for the SDR that also cut the euro’s share by more than six percentage points.

An editorial in China’s official Xinhua news agency said the de-cision was a “landmark recogni-tion” of China’s increased role in the global economy. — Reuters

B E N C H M A R K C U R R E N C Y B A S K E T

SEEKING OPPORTUNITIES: A qualified line-up of 40 local and international speakers representing

various segments and companies from the mining sector are presenting papers at the meet. — ONA

Don’t litter a beautiful

country like OMAN.

Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

B4

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

A bigger threat than smartwatches is no watches at

all, according to Omega president Stephen Urqu-

hart. The maker of luxury watches — some tied

to the James Bond movie franchise — that sell on

average for more than $6,000 is trying to attract

younger consumers. More than half of 16-34 year-olds use a

mobile phone as their main way to tell the time, according to

a YouGov poll.“For me, that’s a bigger challenge than smartwatches: to make

sure that we are reaching out to them for a product that has this

image of being their parents’ sort of world,” Urquhart said in an

interview in Zurich.Swiss watchmakers already face a growing list of challeng-

es: a three-year crackdown in China on extravagant spending,

the surge in the Swiss franc, and competition from newcomer

Apple’s smartwatch. Attracting younger clients is a key part

of the strategy of the company, which is owned by Swatch

Group. Swiss watch exports fell 7.2 per cent in the third quar-

ter, their biggest decline since 2009, federal customs data

showed, sending Swatch shares down as much as 3.4 per cent.

The watchmaker selected Eddie Redmayne, a 33-year-

old Oscar-winning UK actor, as a brand ambassador in May

to join George Clooney, who is 54, and Nicole Kidman, 48.

Omega’s affiliation with the James Bond franchise, for which

it’s selling two limited editions this year, also helps as the 007

agent appeals to millennials even though the franchise is six

decades old, Urquhart said.Omega hasn’t shut the door to the idea of adding electronic

functions to its watches, possibly in models tied to the Bond or

the Olympics, for which it is the official timekeeper, Urquhart

said. In the spy movies, the brand’s watches feature gadgets

such as grappling hooks and detonator pins.

“The population is aging, but that’s not the consumer we’re

looking for, we’ve covered it,” the 69-year-old Urquhart said in

the October 14 interview. “To change someone’s mindset when

they’re 70 or 80 is more difficult. If they like watches, they like

watches. If they don’t, I’m not sure we’re going to change that.”

In that sense, Asia is a strategic market as buyers there tend to

be younger, often between 25 and 45, and the watchmaker aims

to try to find loyal clients in that age group. Greater China is the

biggest import market for Swiss watches, receiving about one

quarter of the timepieces Switzerland produces.Omega is putting more than 140 million Swiss francs ($146 mil-

lion) of James Bond watches up for sale this year, based on the

number being sold and their recommended retail price. The

Biel, Switzerland-based company unveiled a 6,600 Swiss-franc

Seamaster Aqua Terra in March and began selling a 6,800 franc

Seamaster 300 last month, both limited editions tied to the 007

franchise. — Bloomberg View

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

LeisureSECTIONB L I F E S T Y L E W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

BOLOGNA An Italian

MasterpieceReplete with edifices and ancient

structures that are hued in a lovely shade of deep brown, the ancient Italian city of Bologna

reflects antiquity and artistry in every nook and corner.

Story Rahul Das

LIFESTYLEB6 W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

There is something about Italy, as it still retains the charm of a medi-eval world. Perhaps it is

the cheerful and colourful people — their inherent love for the arts and creativity that has helped the country preserve its pristine past so aptly.

Preserving this very spirit is the city of Bologna. The capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, and located halfway between Flor-ence and Milan, the ancient city is lined with arched colonnades, cafes, and medieval and Renais-sance structures. Home to the oldest university in the world, Bologna is a treasure-trove of art, breathtaking landscapes and gas-tronomical delights.

A relatively unknown entity for Omani tourists, Bologna throbs with an animated energy that is completely its own— a city where every stone has remained un-changed for centuries.

The reason I am lingering on Bologna in this travel tale is be-cause a majority of Omani tourists bound for Italy are expected to do just travel in the Rome-Florence-Venice triangle, while the business crowd goes to Milan.

As I walked through its narrow alleys, surrounded by buildings in the lovely shade of deep brown, it almost seemed as if I had been transported to a place frozen in the Middle Ages. The red and ochre shades of the roof tops on the houses create an attractive and snug atmosphere.

No other city in the world has as many arcades as Bologna. In fact they are more than 35 kilome-tres long, if one counts only those

located in the centre of the town. “You never need an umbrella in Bologna, because walking under them will ensure that you will nev-er get wet,” said Celso De Scrilli, chairman of Bologna Welcome — the official tourism information service in the city.

Scrilli said the city of Bologna preserves traces of past civilisa-tions and medieval splendour.

“It is the perfect mix of antique and modern, which immediately strikes those who visit Bologna. It is a city that can associate monu-ments with historical buildings that have a strong cultural value, which is always open to new stim-uli and new horizons thanks to its cosmopolitan nature created by the presence of the old University,” he added.

As the capital of the Emilia-Ro-magna region, which is known for its fully flavoured pastas and meat dishes, Bologna is also considered one of the gastronomical capitals of Italy and receives a fair amount of local tourism for its food alone.

Veal Bolognese and pasta Bo-lognese can be tasted at any num-ber of restaurants that line the plazas and downtown streets, and the famous sausage can be found in most shops.

The surrounding countryside is home to traditional cheese makers, wineries and traditional family farms. And while my view of Bolo-gna wasn’t sufficiently rose-tinted to describe it as an oil painting, a visit to Bologna the Fat; doesn’t have to be an ordeal to be endured between airport arrival and visit-ing museums. There is plenty to savour among its cultural and sur-prisingly, natural attractions.

HOW TO GET THERE?Bologna is connected by daily flights from Muscat via Dubai. The Emirates flight leaves at 5am from Muscat and reaches Dubai at 6am. From Dubai, you can take a direct flight to Bologna which leaves at 9am and reaches around 12:15pm.

WHERE TO STAY?Located within an 18th-century palace, the Grand Hotel Majestic gia’ Baglioni offers elegant sur-roundings and antique furnish-ings in the centre of Bologna. It is just 250 metres away from the Piazza Maggiore and the fa-mous Two Towers and located next to the Palazzo Fava. The Bologna central train station is a 15-minute walk away.

WHAT TO EAT?In Bologna, also known as Bolo-gna the Fat, don’t miss out on the fresh egg pasta and the Bolognesi and sausage, which is a delicacy. It deserves to be eaten on its own, ei-ther cut into cubes and served with toothpicks, or sliced thinly.

WHAT TO SEE?In the heart of the city, there are two main squares: the Piazza Mag-giore and the Piazza del Nettuno.

From here most of Bologna's main tourists attractions and his-torical monuments are within walking distance, including the two leaning towers — one of the main symbols of Bologna and an almost gravity defying structure, the Piazza Maggiore — located at the centre of the oldest part of Bologna, a huge pedestrian square that is surrounded by some of Bo-logna’s most impressive medieval and Renaissance buildings, and the Piazza del Nettuno, with its well-known fountain, the Fontana di Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune).

People capturing the beauty and breathtaking sights onto their canvas is a common sight in the square. Bologna’s Basilica di San Petronio is the city’s largest church and the fifth largest of its kind in the whole world. The origi-nal plans had to be scaled down after the Vatican declared that the church must not be larger than St Peter's in Rome, which is the home of the Pope.

WHAT TO BUY?A large variety of coloured pas-tas, different types of cheeses, Bolognese sweets, and of course shoes, as it seems that there are more shoe shops per square foot in the city than anywhere else on the planet. One of the best is Dan-iele Ancarani. His court shoes are nothing short of exquisite. You can also choose your style statement from big brands.

PEOPLEThe people of Bologna are friendly, helpful and courteous. They speak English, in addition to various na-tive dialects. The common lan-guage is Italian. Communication should not pose a problem.

CURRENCYOMR1 is equivalent of 2.44 euros.rahuldas@timesofoman.com

Phot

ogra

phy:

Sup

plie

d

It is the perfect mix of antique and modern, which immediately strikes those who visit Bologna. It is a city that can associate monuments with historical buildings that have a strong cultural value, which is always open to new stimuli and new horizons, thanks to its cosmopolitan nature created by the presence of the old University

Celso De ScrilliChairman of Bologna Welcome—the official tourism information service in the city

FIND-IT-ALL

CITY CINEMAContact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.netfacebook.com/citycinemaoman

SHATTIThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay-2 (3D) (Adventure | Sci-Fi) (PG12) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson7:30, 11:45 PMBridge of Spies (Drama | History) (PG) Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 PMHunting the Phantom (Action) (12+) Cast: Kristanna Loken, Armand Assante2:00, 3:45, 10:00 PMCreed (Drama | Sport) (15+) Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone4:00, 6:30 PMBound to Vengeance (2D) (Horror) (18+) Cast: Richard Tyson, Tina Ivlev, Amy Okuda11:45 PMBlinky Bill The Movie (2D) (PG) Animation2:00 PMTamasha (Hindi) (Drama) (PG12) Cast: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor9:00 PM4 G Algeil Al Rabea (Arabic) (TBC) Cast: hmed Malek, Sherif Ramzy5:30 PM

MUSCAT GRAND MALLBridge of Spies (Drama | History) PGCast : Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda3:30, 9:00 & 11:30PMGold Class: 2:45, 8:15 & 11:00PMTamasha (Romance| Drama) PG12Cast : Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor12:45 & 8:45PMGold Class : 5:30PMCreed (Drama | Sport) 15+Cast : Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone6:15 & 11:45PMBlinky Bill The Movie (Animation) U11:45AM & 4:15PM

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-2 : 3D (Adventure/Sci-Fi) PG12Cast : Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson6:15PMSpectre : 2D (Action/Adventure) PG12Cast : Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz1:30PM

PANORAMA MALLHunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 (3D)Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson6:30, 11:30 pm (Action, Adventure) (PG12)Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2 (Action, Adventure)(MX4D)(PG12)2:00, 5:15, 8:30, 11:45 pmCreed (Drama, Sport)(2D)(15+)Cast : Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone4:00, 9:00, 11:50 pmCreed (Drama, Sport)(2D)(15+)-VIP LOUNGECast : Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone6:00 pmBlinky Bill The Movie (Animation)(2D)(U)2:15 pmMiss You Already (Drama)(2D)(15+)Cast : Drew Barrymore, Toni Collette4:45 pm

Tamasha (Romance, Drama)(2D)(PG12)Cast : Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor2:00, 6:40, 9:15 pmBridge Of Spies (Drama)(2D)(PG)Cast : Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda3:00, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 pmBridge Of Spies (Biography, Drama)(2D)(PG)- VIP LOUNGE3:15, 8:30, 11:15 pm

AZAIBA Tamasha – 2D (PG12) Romance, DramaCast: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor2:30, 5:15, 8:00, 10:45, 11:30 PMPrem Ratan Dhan Payo – 2D (PG) FamilyCast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor3:15, 8:30 PMInji Iduppazhagi – 2D (PG12) Romance Cast: Arya, Anushka Shetty, Sonal Chouhan6:15 PMBridge of Spies - 2D (PG) Drama, History Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda2:45, 6:30, 11:45 PMBlinky Bill The Movie – 2D (U) Animation2:30, 4:30 PMAnarkali – 2D (PG) Romance, Thriller

Cast: Prithviraj, Biju Menon, Mia, Priyal Glor,5:25, 8:45 PMSpectra – 2D (PG12) Action, AdventureCast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz11:45 PMThe Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 – 3D (PG12) Adventure, Sci-Fi Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson9:15 PM

RUWIScreen 1Tamasha (Romance/Drama) – PG12Cast: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PMScreen 2Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (Family) – PGCast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PMScreen 3Spectre (Action) – PG12Cast: Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes

3.45 PMInji Iduppazhagi – Tamil (Comedy ) – PG12Cast: Arya, Anushka Shetty, Sonal Chauha

6.45, 9.45 PM

SURIn the Heart of the Sea 3D (Action) (PG12)Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy9:00 PMThe Hunger Game - Mockingjay 2 3D (Action | Adventure | Sci Fi ) (PG12) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson7:00 PMHunting the Phantom (Action) (12+) Cast: Kristanna Loken, Armand Assante4:45, 11:45 PMBound to Vengeance (Horror) (18+) Cast: Richard Tyson, Tina Ivlev, Amy Okuda9:45 PMTamasha (Hindi) (Drama) (PG12) Cast: Ranbir kapoor, Deepika Padukone4:30, 6:30 PMAnarkali (Malayalam) (Thriller) ( TBC) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaram, Biju Menon, Mia11:30 PM

SOHARSpectre - 2D (PG12) Action |Thriller6:25 PMPrem Ratan Dhan Payo - 2D (PG) Family5:30 PMThe Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 - 3D (PG12) Adventure, Sci-Fi5:10 PMThe Hunger Game : Mocking Jay Part 2 - 2D (PG12) Adventure, Sci-Fi2:15 PMBridge of Spies - 2D (PG) Drama | HistoryCast : Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda2:45, 8:45, 11:30 PMTamasha - 2D (PG12) Romance| Drama Cast : Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor2:30, 9:15, 11:15 PMAnarkali - 2D (M) (TBC) Romance / ThrillerCast : Prithviraj, Biju Menon, Mia, Priyal Glor,7:45 PMMiss You Already - 2D (15+) Comedy 4:45 PMCreed - 2D (15+) Drama | Sport6:45, 11:45 PMBlinky Bill The Movie - 2D (U) Animation2:30 PM4 G Algeil Al Rabea - 2D (Arb)(TBC) Comedy 4:20 PMBound to Vengeance - 2D (18+) Horror 11:55 PM

In the Heart of the Sea - 3D (PG12) Action Cast : Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 9:00 PM

BURAIMI

The Hunger Game: Mocking Jay– 3D (Adventure, Sci-Fi) (PG12)

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson

4:30, 9:00PM

Hunting the Phantom– 2D (Action) (12+)

4:30 7:15, 9:30, 11:30PM

Bound to Vengeance– 2D (Horrory ) (18+)

Cast: Richard Tyson, Tina Ivlev, Amy Okuda

11:45PM

Creed– 2D (Drama, Sport) (15+)

4:45, 7:00PM

Tamasha– 2D (Romance, Drama) (PG12)

6:15PM

In the Heart of the Sea– 3D (Action) (PG12)

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy

11:15PM

Anarkali– 2D (Romance, Thriller) (PG)

8:45PM

SALALAHIn the Heart of the Sea (3D) (PG12) (Action ) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy 9:15/11:15PMBridge of Spies (2D) (PG) (Biography ) 10:00AM/01:30/06:30/11:45PMThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay- Part 2 (2D) (PG12) (Adventure/Sc-Fi) 11:00AM, 4:00PM Creed (2D) (15+) (Drama | Sport)Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone 12:30, 4:15, 11:45PMPrem Ratan Dhan Payo (PG) (Family) Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin3:05PMBlinky Bill The Movie (2D) (U) (Animation ) 10:15AM, 12:05PMMiss You Already (2D) (15+) (Comedy) 2:00PM4 G Algeil Al Rabea (2D) (TBC) (Arabic) 6:15PM (Comedy) Tamasha (2D) (PG12) (Romance| Drama) 9:00PMInji Iduppazhagi (2D) (PG12) (Tamil) 6:45PMAnarkali (2D) (PG) (Malayalam)( Romance) 8:15PM

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

Brunei 24 603533

China 24 696782

Cyprus 24 699815

Egypt 24 600 982/411

France 24681 800

Germany 24835000

India 24684500

Indonesia 2469 1050

Iran 24 696 944/7

Iraq 24603642

Italy 24693727

Japan 24 601 028

Jordan 24692760/1/3

Kazakhstan 24 692418

Kenya 24 697664

South Korea 24 691490

Kuwait 24 699628

Lebanon 24 693208

Libya 24603466

Malaysia 24698329/643

Morocco 24696152/3

Nepal 24696177

Netherlands 24603706

Pakistan 24603439

Palestine 24601312

Philippines 24605335

Qatar 24 691 153/2/4

Russia 24602894

Saudi Arabia 24601705

Senegal 24694139

Somalia 24697977

South Africa 24647300

Spain 24691101

Sri Lanka 24697841/2

Sudan 24697875

Switzerland 24603267

Syria 24697904

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

Cathay Pacific 24789818

Egypt Air 24794113

Emirates Air 24404400

Ethiopian Airlines 24660313

Gulf Air 80072424

Indian 24791914

Iran Air 24787423

Japan Airlines 24704455

Jazeera Airways 23294848

Jet Airways 24787248

Kenya Airways 24660300

KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737

Kuwait Airways 24701262

LOT Polish Airlines 24796387

Lufthansa 24796692

Malaysian Airlines 24560796

Middle East Airlines 24796680

Oman Air 24531111

Pakistan International

Airlines 24792471

Qatar Airways 24771900

Qantas 24559941

Royal Jordanian 24796693

Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485

Singapore Airlines 24791233

Shaheen Air 24816565

SriLankan Airlines 24784545

Swiss International

Airlines 24796692

Thai Airways 24705934

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 Sohar 15:45 Daily

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 Nizwa 10:20 Daily

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

10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily

19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily

06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily

13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur

13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur

15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily

15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily

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)

07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily

07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily

13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri

13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily

13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily

17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily

06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily

15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily

14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily

12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily

10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily

10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily

19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Salalah 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily

07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri

13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri

15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily

15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily

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

@SHATTI @RUWI

Bridge of Spies (Drama | History) (PG) Cast: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan AldaTiming: 3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 11:30 PM

@PANORAMA MALL

Creed (Drama, Sport)(2D)(15+)Cast : Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa ThompsonTiming: 4:00, 9:00, 11:50 pmVIP Lounge: 6:00 pm

Tamasha – 2D (PG12) Romance, DramaCast: Deepika Padukone, Ranbir Kapoor, Javed SheikhTiming: 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

Dhuhr 12.01pmAsr 3.04pmMaghrib 5.25pmIsha 6.39pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 5.13am

PRAYER TIMINGS

BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

In the Heart of the Sea (Action / Adventure ) Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson11.55 p.m. CP No : 3031 (PG12)Hunting the Phantom (Action / Adventure)Cast: Kristanna Loken, Armand Assante2.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 pm CP No : 3027 (12+)Creed (Sports / Drama) Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone 4.30, 9.30 pm CP No : 3026 (15+)Blinky Bill the Movie (Animation / Adventure) Voice Overs: Toni Collette, Rufus Sewell, Ryan2.00 & 6.00 pm CP No : 3024 (U)The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 (Adventure / Sci-Fi) Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam7.00 pm CP No: 3015 (PG12)Tiger House (Action / Crime / Drama) Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Dougray Scott, Ed Skrein4.00 pmCP No: 3016 (12+)

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776Website: www.isurf.co.om

Anarkali (Mal) (Rom/Drama) Cast : Prithviraj, Biju Menon, Mia & Priyal Glor 3-30 & 6-30 Pm At Cinema-2 ; 9-30 Pm Cinema Main Amar Akbar Anthony (Mal) (Act/Drama) Cast : Prithviraj,Jaya surya,Indrajith & Namitha 3-30 & 6-30 Pm Cinema Main; 9-30 pm Cinema -2Inji Iduppazhagi (Tamil) (Rom/Com) Cast : Arya, Anushka Shetty & Bharath 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 Pm At Cinema-3 Size Zero (Telugu) (Rom/ Com)Cast: Arya, Anushka Shetty & Bharath3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 Pm At Cinema -4 NEXT CHANGE: Pathemari (Mal); Shankarab-haranam (Telugu); Rajini Murugan (Tamil) Programmes are subject to change

WEATHER

280

Maximum

220

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

55-85%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 lifestyle@timesofoman.com

SAANVI J. SUVARNA December 2, 2009

TARA CHARITH December 2, 2004

WITH LOVE

B7W E D N E S DAY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

B8

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

IT IS ALWAYS a fascinating factor for me, themes revolving around the relation between art and life.

The plot of The Picture of Dorian Gray, if seen apart from the wit and epigrams of Lord Henry is se-rious and, at times, even sombre. Dorian Gray is a young and hand-some man whose well-off friend Lord Henry takes him to an art-loving painter, Basil Hallward. The painter makes a picture of Do-rian Gray, a fascinating piece that makes Dorian wish to stop ageing. His wish is fulfilled and the picture starts ageing instead of young Do-rian. The consequence is disaster.

Oscar Wilde has created an amus-ing tale that does not end very hap-pily but ends beautifully with our easy-going Lord Henry still chirp-ing. The novel, the only one from Wilde, addresses more than one theme. The primary appeal of the subject of beauty, as it appears to eyes, is the main focus of the novel.

Wilde reveals the tenderness of self-love, or narcissism, which sometimes fails to find an object outside itself. Dorian’s beauty, un-like Basil’s art and Lord Henry’s social status, is more vulnerable to decay with time. It would be too presumptuous to conclude that The Picture of Dorian Gray is

a work of beauty with no moralis-tic purpose. We can easily see that beauty is ephemeral and any at-tempt to deny this fact is amoral. It brings ruin as shows the case of Dorian Gray. In the preface of his 1891 novel, Oscar Wilde writes “diversity of opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex and vital”.

He would no doubt be pleased to know that his book with its themes of beauty, art, pleasure, and hedon-ism has been generating a diver-sity of opinion for more than one hundred years. But Oscar Wilde’s book fared far better than he. A few years after its publication, he faced

charges of “gross indecencies”, and went from being a British celebrity to a broken, penniless man living in exile.

-Reviewed by Mohammed Shafeeqe

The Picture of Dorian GrayY O U R F A V O U R I T E B O O K

ARE YOU A PROLIFIC READER? Which is your favourite book? Pick one and send in your thoughts on it.

Contactshafeeq@timesofoman.com

Every time I watched my father buckling in and setting out to conquer the track, I wanted to be in the driver’s seat even more.

Why do you love rallying?I started rallying in 1999, just two years af-ter I got my licence in 1997. My father was a rally driver during mid seventies to eighties. I was very small that time and I wanted to be like my father, who is always my hero. Every time I watched him, buckling in and setting out to conquer the track, I all the more want-ed to be in the driver’s seat.

How did you get into it?I went along with my father to most of the rallies he participated when I was small. I followed his steps and he supported me to become a rally driver. When I entered into the rally scene, he brought me a 1985 model Toyota Celica GT4 Turbo. I participated in my first rally with that car and finished in 4th position, it was in Al Khoud. Those days I was the only rally-man driving a saloon car. All others were having Range Rovers and Land Rovers then.

How can I get into it?You must be born to lead.

What is your pro-tip?Rallying is not about always driving fast. It is a challenge and it has a strategy. You need to push other drivers to the limits, and you have to make them nervous and under the constant pressure they commit some mis-takes. And, you know, making mistakes is a good thing, but not to learn from them is bad.

Contact info/resources for Rallying in MuscatOman Automobile Association+968 2451 0239 +968 2451 0630omanauto.org

THE HOBBYIST

Saif Al HarthyRally DriverBORN

TO LEAD

By Oscar Wilde

Phot

ogra

phy:

Sup

plie

d

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

C

C4 VACANCY CARGO C8

W E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

RENT C2

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

EVERY FRIDAY 2.00PM

Call: 0096824790400 Email: info@omanorienttravels.com

*Tourist visa arranged

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

FOR RENT

Flat in Wadi Kabir, 3 BHK rent

280/- R.O. Contact: 99330810

An industrial land 1400SQM in

industrial Bausher (Muscat) in

front of Oman cement located on

the main road for further details.

Contact: 99719973 /95858928

2 Bed rooms flat with hall, 2

bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat

Municipality. Contact: 92584715/

24700120

1000 SQMTRS industrial land for

rent in Ghala suitable for

warehouse workshop etc.

Contact 24700120 /92584715

1 BHK available at Al Khoud in

Baskin Robbins building. RO 200/-

Contact: 97261418, 99478492,

98181649

One flats for rent 2 bedroom all

with bath al gubrah north near

indian school (hot pargur restau-

rant) Tel: 99766103

Flat for rent 3 bedrooms, kitchen &

bathroom in Wadi Kabir for 260/-

RO. Contact- 97771444

C2 W E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

1 Bed room in Al hail south R.O

130/- Monthly. Contact: 93993354

4 Bedroom Twin Villa for rent in

Al Hail South, easy access to

Sultan Qaboos Highway

Contact 98080822

Brand new 2 Bedroom apartment

with maid room for rent in Rimal

Bausher with private parking

Contact 98080822

One BHK with A/C and one large

room for rent in AL Khuwair near

Ibis hotel. Contact: 95724975

Rent one room, 1 toilet, big hall,

with air-condition Wadi Adai.

Contact: 99345137

One flats for rent 2 bedroom all

with bath al Ghobrah north near

Indian school (hot burger restau-

rant) tell 9976610

1BHK near medical Darsait

Muttrah house R.O 175/- & 2 BHK

R.O 220/-. Contact: 98748925

Excellent office 5 rooms Al Khu-

wair O.A. Bank building 850/-R.O.

Contact: 94232344

We have 3BHK villa fully furnished

in Ghobrah 18th November.

Contact: 93782735/99208033

We have open space offices in Ghala

new building.

Contact: 93329476/99208033

We have coffee shop for rent or sale

in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 93782735/99208033

We have 200sqm Basmat in

Al Khuwair. Contact: 93329476/

99208033

Villa for rent four spacious bath

attached bedroom private swim-

ming pool, Gymnasium (common)

with electrical equipment and free

maintenance secured compound

at Madinat Al Illam.

Contact: 98027975

One & two bed room apartments

available for rent, opposite the new

Panorama Mall at south Ghobrah

close to Muscat Grand Mall,

next to Diwan office.

Contact: 99833747

2BHK near Oman house behind

Khimji H.O R.O 200/-.

Contact: 95865686

We have 2 BHK flats in Ghobrah,

Ghala, Azaiba.

Contact: 93782735/99208033

Showroom for rent at Wadi Kabir

perfectly suitable for travels,

money exchange, Auto parts up

holster advertising materials.

Contact: 94143636

Room for rent near Al Dasar Ruwi.

Contact 99797645/ 92099367

Villa for rent 4 BHK, plus 1 sitting

room and 1 extra servant room at

18 November road behind

Oman Oil. Contact: 99373290/

24815012

1BHK new bldg with A/C curtains

near Khimji mart MBD.

Contact: 99061408 /99024039

1BHK flat near Hamriya hotel.

Contact: 96500860

Flats for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454

Room, kitchen & bath in north

Ghobrah include E/W & AC split

200/- R.O. Contact: 92811110

4 BHK villa for rent Al Khuwair

650/- O.R Contact: 94232344

Flat for rent at Wadi Al Kabir next

Al Hassan.co, 2 bedroom, 3 WS,

1 sitting room. Contact: 99210008

2 BHK Honda road Ruwi.

Contact: 99224748 /99332297

House for rent in AL Amerat oppo-

site office Justice, 3rooms, Majlis

, 4 toilets, living room ,food hall &

kitchen. Contact: 99252494

5 BHK villa at Mabela 7 for Rent.

Contact: 99428221/ 99269912

1/2/3 BHK Flats & Showrooms at

We have fully furnished offices in

Ghala new building good price.

Contact: 93782735 / 99208033

We have office in Ghobrah main

road Prime location. Contact:

93782735/99208033

We have 2BHK flat in Ghala.

Contact: 93329476/99208033

2 BHK with spilt A/C in W.K behind

Sana fashion. Contact: 96708000

1 BHK with split A/C in Darsait

opposite Muscat Municipality.

Contact: 96708000

2 BHK with spilt /AC in MSQ oppo-

site AL Fair. Contact: 96708000

Beautiful villa directly on beach in

best location in Shatti Qurum 1800

OMR. Contact: 95887572

2 BHK in Al Meera MKT building in

Al Khuwair available. Rent RO420.

Contact 94047434

Sohar: 3BHK AND 4BHK FLATS, R.O 200 and R.O 215 respectively.

(New Building with CCTV camera

with Split A/C). Contact: 99881426 /

92123699

DAILY GUIDEW E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5 C3

FOR SALE

2 B/R Apartment Executive Fully

Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33

1 B/R Apartment Executive Fully

Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33

1 B/R Flat - Fully Furnished @

Salalah Near New Lulu.

2 B/R Flat - Fully Furnished

American standard @ Salalah.

5 B/R Villa - Fully Furnished @

Madinat Al Ilam, 5 B/R Villa -

Unfurnished @ Madinat Al Ilam

5 B/R Villa - Unfurnished @

Al Mawalah North Brand New

Please Contact: Atlas Real Estate

& Rent A Car LLC. 24834888,

99249069 / 92888376/92888374

Email: info@alshahiintl.com

For Rent Flats in Darsait -

94051789-97201688

Immediate sale of well running

pharmacy at prime location.

Contact- 99627621, 99516236

Building material and jotun paint

shop for sale at Ruwi and Ghala.

Contact: 99421228

Urgent shop sale in Wadi Kabir

Sanaya. Contact: 95949668

Porta cabin for sale. Contact:

99883502/95398929

We have complete office furniture

for sale very nice like new rare use.

Contact: 93782735 93329476

Fully equipped running café for sale

at Wadi Al Kabir. Contact: 99636550

Coffee shop Mabela industrial area

for sale. Contact: 92253080

Beauty Salon for urgent sale in

Azaiba prime location behind

Al Fardan building. With sponsor and

1 staff and 1 ready visa clearance.

Call: 95318629 / 95169411

Ladies saloon with 2 staff for sale in

Mawalah. Contact 94197589

Sale house & office furniture & elec-

tronic items. Contact : 99834373/

96642500/22010080

For Sale Luxury Apartments in

Bousher (35) -Contact 95056808-

97201688

For sale Fully Furnished apartments

in Bousher (35) -

Contact- 95056808-97201688

A running restaurant for sale near

Oman oil petrol Pump Al Uqdah

(Barka). Contact: 99059013

Beauty parlor for sale Muttrah.

Contact: 93142676

For sale villas in Al Khoud -

95056808-97201688

For Rent Flats in Ghala Heights -

94051789-97201688

For Rent Fully Furnished

apartments in Boucher (35) -

94051789-97201688

For Rent Flats in Wadi Kabir -

94051789-97201688

For Rent flats in Muttrah-

Contact – 94051789-97201688

Offices for Rent Gala-

Contact –94051789-97201688

For Rent Duplex villa in Qurum

29- 94051789-97201688

For Rent offices in Qurum op-

posite city center- 94051789-

97201688

GENERAL ELECTRONICS SERVICES LLC

CONTACT: 99627299 / 93327841

BRING HOME - LIVE MUSIC & CINEMA

HOME THEATER&

KARAOKE

ACC. AVAILABLE

Furnished sharing accommodation

in ruwi near O.K. Center for non-cook-

ing indian bachelor. Gsm 9880-5474

Full furnished 1BHK flat at OMR

260/- available for 4 months.

Contact: 92148699 location Ghala

Furnished room for non – cooking

bachelor near Softy ice cream Ruwi.

Contact: 93120054/91107383

1 Bedroom with attached Bath, fully

furnished, separate entrance at

Mabela for ladies only. #99634841

Furnished rooms attached bath for

Indian bachelor in Al Falaj

Ruwi & lady in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 96202458 /96761960

1BHK fully furnished spacious for

rent CBD, ideal for family or two

bachelors easy access to Main road

near Sheraton hotel with all

electronics & furniture.

Contact: 96444400 /5pm -10pm

Single bid room with attached bath,

separate entrance, Honda road near

NBO for ex bachelors.# 91410434

Big room available near Hamriya R/A

for Muslim couple / small family / Ex-

ecutive bachelor rent 150/- per month

including W+ E. Contact : 99495131

1 Bedroom with bathroom available

for rent. Only Indian female.

Contact - 92394614

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting

room, Kitchen & store including

utilities bills at Al hail. # 92817777

Large room with separate bathroom,

sharing available in Al Khuwair.

Contact - 95250161

Single room bathroom in Darsait R.O

140/-. Contact: 93289652

Single room for expat Indian bach-

elors near Al Aktham restaurant

Al khuwair for RO 120. Water and elec-

tricity included. Contact : 98803261

ACC. WANTED

FOR RENT

Sharing Accommodation Required

for Non cooking Executive Lady in

Darsait /Ruwi/Wadikabir.

Contact 99360615

SHARED OFFICE SPACE

FOR RENTAVAILABLE SHARED FULLY

FURNISHED OFFICE SPACE

FOR RENT WITH SEPARATE

ENTRANCE

PRIME LOCATION

IN AZAIBA.

TOTAL AREA 201sq.m.

FOR FUTHER DETAILS

PLEASE CONTACT ON

95621492/96554579

FOR LADIES

MV SALE

MAZDA 626, 2001, VGC, full

service history, expat single user

RO 1100, Contact: 99296768/

93033072

FOR SALE or rent Tata Dawoo

Truck 12 ton 2014 Model.

Contact: 92719681

Chaverlet Epica 2004 model

RO -700, for sale.

Contact 92194205

Cat – D8K, Model 1985, Scania wa-

ter tanker, model 1993, Mitsubishi

bus s28 seat, Model 2003, Hamm

roller, model 2003.

Contact: 99207592 & 99882570

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

NRI

Plot, propeties for sale in prime

location in pune

95272138,(+918390982975)

Available on rent 2 Bedroom fur-

nished flat in Koregaon Park, Pune

and Maharashtra, India.

Contact 99374187.

Luxurious villas in a Gated community with all the modern facili�es at

Vakathanam By-Pass (MC road-NH 220)Web: www.royalcastles.inemail: info@royalcastles.in

+968 92855909, +91 9961 11 9988

royal castles vakathanam, kottayam

AVAILABLE

FOR RENTParty & 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: info@tunesoman.com

Available office space in Prime

location on 18th November Street,

Azaiba Kindly. Contact: 99288664

A Bedroom along with separate

bathroom available for rent for an

Executive Bachelor in Al Khuwair

(near Zawawi Mosque).

Contact 92138451

1BHK flat near Star Cinema 220/-.

Contact 99358589 /95570288

New flats for rent Darsait Al Sahel.

Contact: 99311525 / 92533356

Studio in souk Al Khoud behind

of Al Ahali bank with 2 BR toilet+

kitchen in 2 floor 160RO.

Contact 99738881

Flats and shops for rent in Ruwi

Honda road Mumtaz area.

Contact: 97293708 /

92433127

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

600 SQT commercial flat for rent

opposite Oman flourmill Darsait

more details. Contact: 91214849/

99364735

For Rent Offices & Showrooms in

Al Khoud- 94051789-97201688

For Rent Mini Furnished Apart-

ment in Qurum- 94051789-

97201688

For Rent Flats in Mawalah

south-94051789-97201688

For Rent brand new villas in

Al Ansab- 94051789-97201688

For Rent Offices & Showrooms in

Muttrah -94051789-97201688

2 BHK flat available for rent in

Darsait. Contact: 99357586

Villa with 5 rooms, two sitting

rooms, 5 toilets and kitchen at

Al Hail North. Contact: 91130875

Single BHK flat available in

Honda road Ruwi.

Contact - 24833972/

24833974/99367448

ACC. AVAILABLE

Room with bath for executive

bachelor near A/C flat, hotel.

Contact: 99643845

Home service for ladies only facial, waxing, body massage, (if you

not waxing menicure pedicure) only

20 Riyal, Contact 9243 0239

DAILY GUIDEC4 W E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

SITUATION WANTEDSIT. WANTED

SITUATION WANT-SIT. WANTED

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

DOMESTIC HELP

DESIGNER

LAWYER

ENGINEER

ENGINEER

DRIVER

MEDICAL

MEDICAL

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ARCHITECT /AUTOCAD

TECHNICIAN /MECH.

SALES / MARKETING

ADMIN

WANTEDCivil Engineer (Building Construction) 2 Nos

Qualification: BE in Civil Engineering

Electro Mechanical Engineer (Building Services)1 No.

Qualification: BE in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering

Send detailed resume to

sskpvr@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS

Interior Designer Experienced

knows 3D max Photoshop:

Contact 93837973

Architect (B. Arch) 5 years experience seeking job.

Contact 96146645

Email: anjuovil@gmail.com

Senior HR , professional MBA ,

12 yr GCC experience at manage-

rial recruitment, administration

, policy formulator working with

a leading construction co (4000

plus employees) looking for a im-

mediate change over , NOC avail-

able. Contact: 94017306

Email: saneesh9181@gmail.com

10 years Gulf & 4 years Oman ex-

perience in HR / Admin & logistics

fluent in Arabic / English with D/L

looking for suitable position.

Contact 95824598

Male BBA graduate 5 years admin

HR document controller purchaser

account assistant (tally) experience

NOC. Contact: 97015178

Indian female graduate over 6

years experience admin operations

service looking for suitable job.

Contact: 94231020

Indian male - 25 years - MBA

(HR & marketing) with one year

experience on visit visa looking

preferably for suitable HR/ ADMIN

/ marketing jobs .contact : Mr.

Harish Ravindranathan / mail ID

: payyazhihari1990@gmail.com /

90189964

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 male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf

exp in Administration/ HR & Pub-

lic relationship. Fluent in Arabic/

English with D/L. Looking for suit-

able position. Contact - 99897280

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

26 yrs male, MBA, 3+ years experi-

ence in Administration in MNC,

seeks suitable placement.

Contact 95041201

Email: noyel55@gmail.com

Urgently required for a reputed

company in Oman (Tyre, Battery &

Lubricant division) Sr. Executives/Executive-5 nos (Sohar, Nizwa &

Muscat), Techno Commercial Pro-fessional-5nos, Driver (Omani)-1no.

Required minimum 3-5 yrs experi-

ence in the same field with market

exposure holding valid Omani driv-

ing license or GCC. Kindly fwd your

CV’s to ashwin@taasintl.org

Contact: (+968)93891700

BEAUTY

Branded salon in Muscat requires a beautician with skills of: Mani-

cure, Pedicure, Nails techniques,

Massage, Facial and waxing.

Contact- 98500222

Need excellent cook & housekeep-er. Contact Whatsapp: 95887572

Small Omani family in Muscat

requires an educated House maid. Contact – 98500222

Full time living House maid required for an Indian female in

Al Ghobrah. Contact: 97084023

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: admin-dept@daud.om

1. Service Administrator: A qualifi ed Electro/Automobile/Electric Diploma holder with

minimum 2 years’ experience on deskjobs such as preparing

quotation, supplier correspondence, warranty claims etc. Age between 25 – 30.

2. Accountant: A qualifi ed B.Com/M.Com/C.A. Inter accountant with minimum 4 years’

experience in accounting with banking knowledge.

Age between 25-30.

Attractive Salary and terms Off ered

VACANCY

Candidates with NOC or on visit visa can apply, please drop your CV at

careerhr1972@gmail.com

SECT. /OFFICE

Personal Assistant, 5yrs experi-

ence in Oman or GCC. MBA or

equivalent. Part-time preferred.

Call 95364625.

F

Urgently require two caretakers for a build-

ing in capital area. Contact:

93888666/99228454/24493666

A reputed construction company in Muscat urgently requires the

following candidates (Omani Nationals only) Civil Engineer & P.R.O & light duty driver. Send C.V to hr.azatllc@gmail.com

or call 99344896

Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years experi-

ence preferably in water sector

and having valid driving license

Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com or

call Ph:+968 99450811

Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in

commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in ac-

counts/ finance field. On visit visa.

Immediately available.

Contact – 92836216 /

muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

CA Final (Group I), Indian Female,

Accountant, 5+ year’s exp, in A/

Cs, Audit, Tally, ERPs. Available

in Muscat & looking job in A/Cs.

Ph:94704800 email id:

vinithsavith@gmail.com

Senior Accounts Admin Manager

B.com M.com 25 years experi-

ence accounts up to finalization

holding light duty license seeks

suitable placement.

Contact: 93064975

Accountant Bachelor of

commerce English, 2 years expe-

rience visit visa.

Contact: 98584398/ 95539923

Male Indian with 7 years experi-

ence in accounting & 6 years expe-

rience in sales and marketing very

good knowledge of tally currently

in Muscat on a visit visa.

Contact: 96148427

Email: jijokurianp@gamil.com

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: linda_navs@yahoo.com

Accountant with more than 30

years experience in construction

(experience in accounting/admin-

istration/HR/material manage-

ment) and with own car seeks

part time or full time assignment

preferably in construction either in

Oman or UAE. Contact 94674031

Accountant Indian female 23

years M.com graduate 2 and half

years of experience as accountant

in Indian, now on visit visa seeks

suitable placement.

Contact: 91358654

Email: rizwanagul92@gmail.com

Indian female accountant 5

years of experience in account-

ing tally,sales coordination, and

admin, currently on visit visa

seeking suitable placement

Contact :95684179

12 years of Oman experienced

chief accountant looking for suit-

able position. Contact: 99513082

Accountant job wanted 8 years

experience, 5 years in India, 3

years in Oman knowledge of tally

ERP 9 NOC available.

Contact: 91162503

Indian male 9 years experienced in

storekeeper cum accountant with

D/L Oman & UAE. # 97085435

Email: sudhimohd@gmail.com

Indian male MBA finance 12

years experience in Muscat seek-

ing suitable position can join

immediately. Contact: 96055815

Email: shaiks111@gmail.com

28/ male MBA – finance /B.com –

accountant with 4 years of Dubai

/ India experience looking for a

suitable placement.

Contact: 90187483 Email:

shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

WASTE MANAGEMENT AND

WATER TREATMENT

SPECIALIST Looking for dynamic and talented

individuals to join our team in Oman for the position of

“waste management and water treatment specialist”

with at least 5 years experience in the relevant fi eld.

And one in-house specialist

issa@nibrasholding.comKevin.dodd@oasismaritimeservices.com

Required locally available Indian

national light duty driver for

Omani House. Visa readily avail-

able. Contact: 99420752

Wanted heavy driver. Contact 91770195

Wanted driver. Contact 91025698

Civil Site Supervisor for telecom

tower projects across Oman. Send

CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or call

+968 9946 7227

Seeking a well experienced diploma Engineer (electrical) with

valid Oman driving license kindly.

Contact: 99288664

Engineering consultancy firm in

Sur looking for graduate Civil Engineers. Interested candidates

apply to babupj@ gmail.com

or call 99318205

Medical CARE Centre, Al Seeb,

requires General Practitioners and

Pharmacist, Please Mail CV-

sarita_h23@yahoo.com

or call 97884856.

Required General Physician, Gynecology, Lab Technician & Pharmacists. Contact: 95133572

Email: kunoozghala@gmai.com

ACCA affiliate, fresher, Indian

male, valid driving license, look-

ing for full time employment in

Accounting and Finance, also

open to other opportunities,

Contact +968 91291520,

Email: shahidazeez5@gmail.com

Sr. Accountant ( CA- inter) Indian

male 31 years having 9 years

experience in finance & accounts

looking for suitable placement.

NOC available and valid Oman

D/L. Contact: 94108678 Email:

vijeshvasu@gmail.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with

13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman

in manufacturing, trading &

contracting Cos, capable of

handling all accounting, finance,

banking, L/C, import, export &

finalization seeks placement. NOC

Available. Call+968-98932752,

mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com

Indain male Accountant, 8 years

experience 4 years In dubai,4 yrs

in Muscat. Additional knwoledge

in JDE and Tally.9, NOC available

ready to join immediately.

Contact: 95364896 /92912347

Email: bsdv1978@gmail.com

MEP Engineer with minimum five

years PDO / ministry experience.

Please send CV to

info@globaltechinternational.com

Contact: 99150203/91404425

Civil Engineer with minimum five

years, PDO Experience, earth work

and building construction (PDO

driving license preferred.

Please send CV to

info@globaltechinternational.com

Contact: 99150203/91404425

A group of well reputed Private Schools associated with Cambridge Programs in

Muscat – Sultanate of Oman Requires following teaching posts:

WELL QUALIFIED TEACHERS for IGCSE & CIP for (English, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, IT, lab assistant for Chemistry and

Physics) - MSc / BSc and M.Ed / B.Ed with (IELTs / TOFEL) and at least 3 years of teaching

experience with attested documents.Mail your CV at: wps1986@yahoo.com

Arab lawyer fluent in English with

five years experience for law firm.

Contact: 92424593

Lab Technician Wanted -

A Polytechnic in Sohar is looking

for a lab technician with or

without MOH license -

Contact 93828382 or

sajapharmacy@gmail.com

Wanted Staff Nurses (female) for

a polyclinic with or without MOH

license. Excellent salary & accom-

modation. Contact – 99006915 /

dxbclinic@yahoo.com

Wanted Canary clinic MBBS Doctor with 3 years experience

MOH license holder gets, Good

offer salary. Contact 94395199

Email: canarymoh@gmail.com

Required for urgent appointment

with MOH license and valid NOC

against the following vacancy

in a polyclinic in Muladdah

(Musanah) radiologist cum sinologist, Gynecologist & obstetrician & pediatrician & Lab Technician. Contact: 99110254

Wanted a female staff Nurse with

MOH license to work in a poly-

clinic good salary offered.

Contact: 97121359/96493058

(2 to 4 pm)

REQUIRED

for a Contracting Co.

- Civil Engineer / Buildings

(with not less than 5 years experience).

- Mechanical Engineer Email:

haldun.yildirim@icc-oman.com

REQUIRED for a Contracting Co.

Freelance

Civil Engineer / QS Required for preparation of

BAR BENDING

SCHEDULE for completed project of

approx. area 10,463 Sq. M,

GF only.

Contact – 97257060

A reputed Dairy Company in Oman is looking for following Vacancies.

Please forward your CV’s to

Van Salesman:

3 Year experience with NOC

Drivers – Omani National Only: 2 year experience with Valid

Omani D/L

Debt collector: Omani National with 4 years experience with Valid Omani D/L

A Leading Marble Manufacturing Company in Sultanate of Oman having a vacancy for the post of

Electrical Engineer Th e candidate must be an university qualifi ed engineer or a higher degree diploma holder with a minimum industry experience of 3 years. Fluent in written & spoken English, knowledge about power, CPU, inverters & electrical panels

isrequired.

Suitable candidates may submit their complete CV with certifi cates to:

em-o@nassarstone.com or seniorpro@nassarstone.com Or Fax –on: 24446049

Nationality – Indian or Philippines (better if available in Oman)

ACCOUNTANTA leading Company in

Oman looking for Accountant,

B.Com with min 3 -5 yrs of exp required.

Female preferred.

Please send your CV to : cvoman5@gmail.com

Wanted Business Development Exe/ Sr.Exe with customs clear-

ance & shipping exp. Contact:

91204131

Email: daralhamael@gmail.com

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

Media company need Graphic Designer Male - Female no need

experience, need to have experi-

ence on Graphic Design Programs.

magicfingerprint1@gmail.com

Wanted Lab Technician with

MOH license for Ibra clinic.

Contact – 99373493/

Email: jmjmedicare@gmail.com

Wanted GP Doctor with MOH

license, job location in muscat with

good salary and benifits. Drop ur cv

at careerhr1972@gmail.com.

Urgently required Philipina Nurse with MOH license at pro-

metric parsed. Contact: 99724013

Sales man / Interior Designer wanted for prestigious interior

design and office furniture Supply

Company. Experience and drivers

license needed excellent

remuneration package.

Email: tony@materials-plus.com

AutoCAD D/man Experienced.

Contact : 93837973

Urgently required cold room refrigeration Technician must

know up to commissioning gulf

experience preferred .Pls forward

CV to nasmatmasirah@gmail.com

Contact: 97982623/ 95183616

Instrumentation & controls Technician with 2-3 years

experience preferably in water

sector and having valid driving

license call Ph:+968 99450811

Send CV to shiju@spec-link.com

Accountant Indian 10 years experi-

ence in Oman, capable for handling

all accounting functions and fina-

lization good knowledge of tally

ERP9 NOC / release available with

immediately joining.

Contact: 94134085

Email: muscatoman95@yahoo.com

Indian female, MBA HR & Finance,

having 1 year experience, seeking

suitable placement. Currently in

Oman. Contact: 96052366.

DAILY GUIDEW E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5 C5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

CATERING

DRIVER

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN

Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2

years experience as HVAC design

engineer rev IT M.E.P AutoCAD.

Contact: 91050913 Email:

rahmanmechengg@yahoo.com

Chemical Engineer, valid Oman

driving license, Indian 2 years of

exp in industrial production,

seeking suitable placement

Contact: 91247222

Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman

with license. Contact: 98975518

Civil Engineer B.E , 06 years expe-

rience in Oman having D/L

seeking for a suitable position .

Contact 95961336

Email: eyousuf04@yahoo.com

Indian male, 29 years electrical

engineer, having 5+ years of ex-

perience in oil / gas and construc-

tion field (GCC) having valid GCC

license too, looking for a preferable

job. Contact: 00968-98052942

Email: azamjeelani@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian

male 24 years with 1+years Indian

experience,(Certified in Staad

Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).

Looking for a Suitable position.

Available In Sultanate of Oman

(Muscat) on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail:

mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com

Structural Draughtsman having

10 years experience in engineer-

ing consultancies N.O.C available.

Contact: 00968 97612846

Indian male diploma civil engineer

13 years of professional experience

in projects and operations, seeking

suitable placement NOC available.

Contact: 96328643/96234670

Civil Site Supervisor for telecom

tower projects across Oman. Send

CV to fyjo@spec-link.com or

call +968 9946 7227

Indian male 27yrs, mechanical

engineer (energy engineering

M.Tech & HVAC diploma) with

4 yrs experience on visit visa,

seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98791735

Email: anilengandiyur@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

in Oman as a project engineer for

governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

7Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the

field of Building Const. Oil & Gas

Seeking Job.94625598

Electrical Engineer, B-Tech, with

4 Yrs experience in India, 3 YEARS

IN MRF and one year in KSEB.

Available in Visit Visa looking for

suitable Placement as an Engineer.

Contact: 94741401

Email:sobinthomask05@gmail.com.

B.E .Mechanical & Production, Indi-

an male with (QA / QC mechanical) 6

months exp as sales engineer, seek-

ing suitable placement on visit visa.

Contact: 94818333 / 99789512/

Email: fred61l@gmail.com

BSc Civil Engineer having 3 years

experience with Construction Com-

pany seeking suitable placement.

GSM-97409350.

GIS Certified Pipeline Engineer

with 3 years experience in diesel

power plants and heavy industry.

Contact: 93504812

Male, Electrical Engineer, ages 53

yrs, working since 8 years in Oman.

With a consultant, exp in draw-

ing / MAS work inspections, post

contract activities, with NOC & valid

Oman D/L, seeking suitable place-

ment. Contact: 968 96243401

Email: sathyugk@yahoo.com

B.E civil Engineer, 07 years expe-

rience in Oman having D/L, N.O.C

available looking for a

suitable position.

Contact 95961336/93523507

Email: eyousuf04@yahoo.com

B.E Electrical Engg with 5 yrs exp

in Oman with D/L.

Contact: 98425155 Email:

rajeevkalaivanan@yahoo.com

Hygiene Officer/QC, B.Tech Bio

tech. HACCP LVL. 2 &3.Experi-

enced in Food & water industry.

92940218

Experienced Light Duty Driver,

Fluent in English, Arabic Well

knowledge of Oman Areas Seeking

Suitable placement 97950869

2 years exp Light driver. Contact: 97132269

Light driver personal driving,

office boy, driver visa required 10

yrs exp N.O.C ready.

Contact: 96693290

Light duty driver looking for job.

Contact: 98356230

Looking for driving job.

Contact 98219182

Driver looking for job.

Contact 91354803

Light driver, looking for job.

Contact: 98372745/99090362

Light driver. Contact: 95084826

Looking for Job driving.

Contact: 97418036

Driving with car, looking for job.

Contact: 97095200

Driver with new car looking for

job.contact: 95873286

Heavy duty driver (Exp 3years)

seeking suitable job.

Contact: 91372623

Driver (light & heavy duty) valid

gulf /Indian) looking job.

Contact: 95175192

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

Professional architect 3ds max

(interior, exterior) looking for pri-

vate work. Contact: 96041201

Female 26, B.E in computer

science, having 4 years MNC

experience as software developer,

seeking suitable position in

Muscat. Contact: 96784320

Email: preethasathya@yahoo.com

Age 28 years experience 2years

& 8 month in IT accounting

technical skill, java, J.S.P tally

Peachtree M.S excel, SQL ,Working

java programmer India , account-

ant , Dubai ,Qualification MCA,

B.C.A mathematic visit visa.

Contact: 95673451

Indian male MC.A 2 years

experience in software knowledge

of Java ASP Net, network in techno

park Kerala. Contact: 99210940

Male 31 Years, IT 6 year’s online

marketing experience in India

seeks suitable placement.

Contact-91175265

Cooks (Arabic Indian)

gulf exp looking job.

Contact: 99531802

M.Tech Civil, certificate attested,

Indian, 18.8 year experience seeks

suitable position. Contact: 98327311

Email: sen.pangode@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 11 years experience

in construction, having driving

license & NOC. Contact: 94194399

Email: shiblyrock@gmail.com

B.E civil Engineer having 11 years

experience with NOC looking for

job. Contact: 95690780

Email: sadiq.asrar81@gmail.com

Indian male 24, B.E. Civil Eng’g

with 2 years experience as Struc-

tural Engineer looking for suitable

job in Muscat. 97355352

Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old)

– B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining /

Geotechnical Presently in Muscat,

1.5 years experience.91295802 /

acmfaslan123@gmail.com

IT

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

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

MEDICAL

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian male 25 yrs of exp in

construction field Oman. Good

knowledge in same field worked as

foreman + 15 yrs of driving exp

looking for job, with visa.

Contact: 93718164

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 projects

& investments& tenders & real

estate. Contact: - 92385033

MBA (marketing) with 17 years

experience in freight forwarding/

logistics industry in GCC & Oman.

Presently working as branch

manager in Muscat. Looking for a

suitable position. Release and NOC

available. Contact: 99856331

An experienced Sudanese female GP with MOH license looking for

job. Contact: 96436517 /97396088

Palestinian dentist looking for job

in Muscat privet hospitals , poly-

clinics or dental centers – 15 yrs

experience out Muscat at privet

hospitals or polyclinics.

Contact: 96951750

Male Nurse, Experienced, Pass

Prometric (Oman) 93837973

Indian female , M.com gradate ,

7 years of experience in Oman in

accounts administration , secre-

tarial and sales coordination with

valid Omani driving license,

looking for a suitable placement.

Gsm 95134495

Purchase Officer with 8 years exp

in Oman having D/L & NOC looking

for urgently placement.

Contact 96174564

email: azhar_5012@yahoo.co.in

Graduate, computer literate, expe-

rienced in sales, credit control,

accounts, omani d/l , seeks suit-

able placement. Gsm 9880-5474

24 years Indian female MSC -

Biotechnology 1 year exp.in clinical

microbiology, worked in icrisat

for project work as Trainee, looking

for suitable job. Contact: 92619048

Email: anusreeg1991@gmail.com

Indian female, 26, M.sc biotech-

nology now in family visa seeks

suitable placement. Contact:

95210498/ 99850321/93093466

Omani national with bachelor in

management looking for suitable

placement please call: 91908052 or

Email: saidoburndi257@yahoo.com

EDUCATION

American female Master’s TESOL

12 yrs teaching exp. EFL Curricu-

lum Developer & Teacher Trainer.

Professional Development Specialist

& Educational Activity Coordinator.

Available February 1st 2016.

Email: dellacorte.esl@gmail.com

Contact: 99630244

Indian female M.SC B.Ed, 3 years

experience looking for suitable

placement. Contact: 94420033

Email: binitathanki@gmail.com

HOSPITALITY

Dutch male qualified commer-

cial pilot (Faa-ME-IR certified) is

looking for job openings in middle

east. rutjestom@outlook.com

Sudanese female Electrical En-

gineer graduated with distinction

excellent knowledge and inter-

ested in protection.

Contact: 98133281

B.E Biomedical Engineer 5 years

experience in the subfield (hospital

/ company) looking for suitable

placement. Contact 92084807

Email: bonnygeorge1005@gmail.

com

Electrical Engineer Indian male

29 years, having 5 years of experi-

ence in industrial automation and

utility maintenance in India (MRF

Tyres) seeking suitable place-

ment. Contact: 92789995 Email:

akhilabrahmlktr@gamil.com

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

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 writ-

ing , (I can travel abroad easily with-

out visa, for finalizing business or any

other purpose). Contact: 94123939

Indian male, MBA 25 yrs. 1 year

experience in auditing and 10

month in sales. Currently on visit

visa seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 92054304

Indian male, 24, MB Marketing

and HR, I year experience. On

visit visa. Looking for suitable job.

Contact 94014073

10 yrs exp in Oman in logistics/

purchase-have Oman D/L-looking

for suitable placement-

contact 96410767

email: harishkts@yahoo.com

Indian male 25 age, MBA market-

ing (fresher) PGDM (HR) fluency in

English, Arabic, Hindi looking for

suitable job currently in Oman on

visit visa. Contact: 97127799

Email: vijnvijioo@gmail.com

The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15

Years Inside and outside Oman

following activities: tenders& real

estate& construction & marketing

projects& investments& trans-

portation & Marine services&

companies management& develop

business. Contact :- 92385033

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, concepts &

Franchise development with proven

records. Seeking for Challenging

positions in reputed groups as GM/

COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC

available) Contact: 96059470

Mechanic Tractor Diesel Engines

& Hydraulic, 25 years Experience

in Multinational Companies.

Contact - 91685048

SKILLED / UNSKILLED

26 yrs Indian Male - fluent in Eng/

Arabic, qualified network technician

seeks job: 98675047 / 98138750

Indian male, having 15 yrs of exp

in site supervising, telephone line,

supervising with valid D/L, looking

for job. Contact: 93931162

8 years exp body fitter and electric

welder. Contact: 93015630

Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter

gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

Electrician, plumber (exp gulf / In-

dian) looking job. Contact 95175192

Sales Engineer 5 years experience

looking for a placement.

Contact: 91411043

Sales Manager having 12 years

experience M.B.A in sales & mar-

keting having valid GCC driving li-

cense seeking suitable placement,

NOC available. Contact: 98125226

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: senthil.cbe83@gmail.com

Indian male MBA marketing 2

years Oman experience with valid

Oman driving license looking for

a suitable position NOC available.

Contact: 91202335

Email: mrishad90@yahoo.com

Marketing Executive/Merchan-

diser, Omani License, BA 8 years

Experience in Multinational

Groups. Contact 97601343

Indian male, 29 years, B. Tech

Electronics & Communication Eng.

with 7 year’s experience seeking for

a suitable placement, currently in

UAE visit visa.# 00971 552513735

Email: rahul.rn198@gmail.com

Sri Lankan male – 3.5 years

experience as a site supervisor &

Administration executive in Oman

/ 2 years experience as an HR ex-

ecutive with Oman driving license.

(English/Arabic/Urdu)/ NOC avail-

able 97281617

The Business Development

Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15

Years Inside and outside Oman

following activities: tenders& real

estate& construction & marketing

projects& investments& trans-

portation & Marine services&

companies management& develop

business. Contact 92385033

Sri Lankan male BSc (Physics) –

5 years experience as a site super-

visor & Administration executive

with Oman driving license. (Eng-

lish/Arabic/Urdu)/ NOC available

93214717

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT: Indian

male, Graduate & CA Article ship

completed. 18 Years of experience.

Currently on visiting visa. seeks

suitable placement.

Contact: 97498809, 98569025,

Email: hilariankj@gmail.com

Indian female dentist prometric

cleared seeking suitable openings

in Muscat.# 95585807, 92880267

Male 25 years, B.E. Mechanical

with CSWIP 3.1 and ASNT level

2, 3 yrs. of experience in QC in oil

and gas industry. Currently work-

ing in Oman, NOC available.

Contact 91262792.

vignesh1503@yahoo.com

Indian male, B.E. mechanical, 16

yrs experience, for Quotation, Ten-

der, Accounts, Business develop-

ment, Sohar Area, Part Time. Mb.

94215208

Indian male 23yr BA TTM(Travel

and Tourism Management) with

Advanced Diploma in Supply

Chain Logisitics and Shipping

Management, exp in Logisit-

ics (CHA) seeking in suitable

placement, currently on visit

visa(Oman) Contact;90291092

email:iyas.adhur@gmail.com

Indian Electrical Engineer B. Tech,

female 24 seeking job. presently

in oman having 2 year experience

in design and estimation of Ht &Lt

projects. Contact 96897436557,

Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.com

B.Tech (Electrical & Electronic)

with MBA in marketing having

9 years of experience seeking

a suitable position as Sales &

Marketing/Business Development

executive. Contact-(97043494)

DAILY GUIDEC6 W E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

SITUATION WANTED

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

TRANSPORTATION

Muttrah to Bausher. Contact:

99022790/24712088

Transportation. Contact: 96538078

Transportation. Contact 99508282

Sales & Marketing/ Business

Development Executive: - B.Tech.

(Electrical & Electronics) MBA in

marketing having 9 years of expe-

rience seeking a suitable position.

Contact (97043494)

Purchase & Stores In charge – Hav-

ing continues 13 years experience

in a single firm, looking for a place-

ment.# 99627427, 96154564

Indian male 23 years old graduate

with one year experience in Sales

& Marketing with valid Oman

driving license seeking suitable

opportunities.(NOC available)

Contact: +968 98240510 Gmail:

affanahamed0@gmail.com

Marketing Coordinator, Indian,

Advertising Agency experienced

person with D/L seeks good open-

ing. Contact 93031168

RENT A CAR

Best Rates for Saloon. Tel: 99826300 / 97869042,

rentacar@modernreem.com

Looking for a part time accounting

& admin job. Contact 99196621.

Indian (Kerala) Male, 32yrs,

looking for a job as Accounts

Assistant/ Cashier/ Salesman

(indoor), having 5 yrs experience

in Oman. Currently on Visit Visa.

Contact-94410485,

Email: visanthvijay@gmail.com

Indian Male 33 yrs, BCA ,10 years

experience(India & Oman) IT

Support, System administrator/

supervisor looking for suitable Job.

#95448561.

Indian female accountant 5 years

of experience in accounting tally,

office coordination,And admin,

currently on visit visa. seeking

suitable placement

Contact: 95684179

Indian male 23yr BA TTM (travel

and tourism management) with

advanced diploma in supply chain

logistics and shipping manage-

ment, exp in logistics (cha) seek-

ing in suitable placement.

currently on visit visa(oman)

Contact;90291092

email: iyas.adhur@gmail.com

Marketing or Business develop-

ment-BSC in marketing 5 years

of experience looking for suitable

position. Contact (99522233)

Indian male, 19 years oman exp.

in purchase, material coordina-

tor in building/pipe line 9yrs &

factory production field 10yrs.good

computer skills & D/L & with NOC.

looking for suitable placement.

mr.victor2015@hotmail.com

Contact: 99008101

Part- Time Accountant, well

experience senior accountant,

doing all type of accounting works,

Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact 98803439

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, MCSA,

MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT support,

valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement in IT/Network/Server

support. Contact 92607532

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, MCSA,

MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT support,

valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement in IT/Network/

Server support.

Contact 92607532

Indian Males 32 years, Dip. In

Hardware & Networking with 10

years of hands-on experience.

Currently on visit visa seeking im-

mediate placement in IT Support

or relevant jobs. Good knowledge

of Hardware & Networking.

Contact: 9416 9341 /

haripulikal@gmail.com

Indian male, 19 years experience

in purchase, material coordinator

in building construction & factory

production field, have good com-

puter skills & driving license and

NOC. Looking for a suitable place-

ment. Contact: 99008101

Indian male accountant, 12 years

experience, looking for a full time

or part time job. Experience in tally

also. Contact-98983122

Male Accountant Indian, B.com,

2 Year experience currently

working in Oman. NOC available,

doing accounts in Tally and Excel

searching for suitable Job. Email:

contactanand31@gmail.com /

91894487, 98789958

Electronics/Electrical/Instru-

mentation Design Engineer with

2+ years of experience, having a

Bachelors Degree in Instrumenta-

tion Technology. Seeking for a job,

currently on visit visa.

Contact- 90142166 /

Mail: aksafwan@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian male 23yr BA TTM(Travel

and Tourism Management)

with Advanced Diploma in

Supply Chain Logistics and

Shipping Management, exp in

Logistics(CHA) seeking in suit-

able placement. Currently on visit

visa (Oman) contact; 90291092

email:iyas.adhur@gmail.com

Indian male auto cad draughts-

man (civil) 8 years experience

.seeking for job in Dubai & Qatar.

Contact - 00968-99070584

(Mct):0091-9895061474 (India)

email: remluvp@gmail.com

Indian Female Accountant 5

Years of Experience in Account-

ing Tally, Office coordination, And

Admin, Currently on Visit Visa

Seeking Suitable Placement.

Contact: 95684179

Indian male B.Eng. in IT, MCSA,

MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT support,

valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement in IT/Network/Server

support. Contact 92607532

Indian male, 11 years exp. in

accounting, knowledge in tally

also. Looking for a part time job.

Contact. 98983122

Manager / Working Partner.

Indian M.Com with 20 years Dubai

experience in media advertising

industry, client service, marketing,

production, gifts trading, branding

with D/L. Contact -93031168

Indian male BE Electrical & elec-

tronics and pg in power systems

(transmission & distribution) on

visit, Seeking placement.

Contact – 94669679

Email prsabarish@gmail.Com

Sales & Marketing executive MBA

with 3 years of experience looking

for suitable placement.

Contact: 91345727

Indian male 42, 20 years experi-

ence building material sales man

sales manager seeks suitable

placement NOC available.

Contact: 97457331

Indian homeopathic doctor, 34

years, 8 years experience in medi-

cal industry, seeking job as insur-

ance medical officer / heath care.

Contact: 92428547

Email: ushus3@gmail.com

Indian 32 years completed M.A.

English, having three years expe-

rience in teaching filed searching

for the suitable job.

Contact: 99869535 Email:

sahadkeyi33@gmail.com

Accountant Indian male B.Com 15

years (8 years I Oman with valid

Oman driving license) experience

in accounts up to finalization NOC

available. Contact: 94117616/

91238272

Indian lady, B.com M.com (not

completed) with tally and ms of-

fice skills, with 8 years experience

in Oman in accounts up to fina-

lization seeks suitable position.

Contact: 93185841

Civil Engineer 2 years experience,

major experience in Road work,

Culverts and structure.

Contact: 97427701

BE electronics & instrumenta-

tion engineer, with one year of

experience. Looking for suitable

positions. On visit visa.

Contact-99339306, e-mail:

kannanr101@gmail.com

Indian male be electrical and pg

in power systems (transmission &

distribution) with one year experi-

ence on visit. Seeking placement

contact – 94669679/

email prsabarish@gmail.com

Indian Mechanical Engineer (16

Yrs Exp), Knowledgeable in Moni-

toring of workshop setup, Work-

shop run, Business Development,

ISO certification, Quotation, Tender,

Account verification, Sohar Area,

Mb. 94215208’

Indian male, 27 BSC nurse 4.5

years experience in India. Pro

metric passed with 61% Data flow

processing, ACLS, BLS passed.

Now on visit visa.

Mob: 98926621, 94361049

e-mail: shemeermk@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer, B-Tech, with

4 Yrs experience in India, 3 YEARS

IN MRF and one year in KSEB.

Available on Visit Visa.

Contact: 94741401 :Email:

sobinthomask05@gmail.com.

Sudanese male...telecom engineer

11 yrs. exp in IT support, Network-

ing, Security systems, Server

support, IT sales and marketing,

management .Seeking suitable

placement. Contact 91182027

31 years, 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).

Contact me on 93488914, email-

Kaarthickshankar@gmail.com

FEMALE SYRIAN ARCHITECT

,new graduate have good experi-

ence in architect programs, auto-

cad 3d max ,sketch up , Photoshop

,sketch up, searching for a job full

time or part time, for

Contact : 97482871

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

MATRIMONIAL

27 years Kerala boy, Hindu Ezhava

(Atham) diploma holder working

in Oman seeking suitable alliance.

Contact: 95606132

Ezhava divorcee, 37, 5.3”,

pharmacist in Muscat.

Contact - suryakv2010@gmail.

com,+919961176066

Indian male christian 40yrs.

working in muscat.looking for life

partner.divorced or single.

Contact :91429811

Keralite R.C. Boy, 30yrs, 161cm,

MBA (Finance) Working in

Oman seeking suitable alliance.

Contact: 92290247 / 97302978

35 Christian male, LLB, working as

project executive divorce.

Contact: 97413778

GOOD NEWS

GOOD NEWS

Transportation. Contact:

95190627

Transportation available Ruwi to

Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

Ayurvedic treatment for backache,

paralysis, arthritis etc & massage,

All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact 24475280 / 95371664 /

92504980 www.siddhayur.com

Classes for Spoken EnglishTOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT

Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

EAGLES INSTITUTE92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com

DAILY GUIDEW E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5 C7

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

SITUATION WANT-SERVICES

A/C maintenance, installation

spilt A.C and maintenance window

A/C and ducted and package the

reunites. Contact: Asad Abbas

98667326

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,

Contact 99314807/24792998

Cleaning Sofa shampoo

carpet shampoo house.

Contact: 92179395

Debt collection services your

money we collect value com-

mercial services. Fax: 00968-

24783669 Contact: 00968-

2479815 /00968- 24701422

/00968- 94665476 Email:

salim@valuedbtcollection.com

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

Window & split unit A.C servicing &

repairing. Contact: 99557080

Split & window unit A.C servicing &

maintenance. Contact: 96236476

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of

your marble. Contact 24793614/

99314807

Window & split unit A.C ser-

vicing & maintenance. Contact

93769089 / 95323517

Split & window A/c servicing &

maintenance. Contact: 93769089 /

95323517

Cleaning & carpet shampooing, Ocean Center LLC.

Contact: 99884591

Pest control treatments. Ocean Center LLC.

Contact: 99344723

SITUATION WANT-ED

BUSINESS

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont

Maintenance services electric,

plumbing and A/C.

Contact: 96524904 / 94285064

House shifting. Contact:

99657644/98518013

DRIVING

Learn driving with professional.

Contact: 94022250

FOR HIRE WITH OPERATORS1. Back Hoe Loaders (Shovels): 5 Nos2. 10 Tons Vibratory Roller Compactor: 1 No.3. 42 Mtrs. Concrete Pump Putzmeister: 1 No.4. 45 Cbm Tippers: 2 Nos5. 50 M height, 50 Boom tower cranes: 5 Nos.

Please contact – Mr. Ravi on 96529679Email – ravi@alliedoman.com / narayan@alliedoman.com

CLASSES

IELTS & TOEFL

Academic / General

Target Band 8

TQT Institute.

Ph # 24480800 / 99347202

Classes for bakery, cup cakes, icing

decorations. Contact: 96202458

/96761960

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

COMPUTER

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

A/C Maintenance & servicing,

fridge, washing machine & dish

washer repairing, painting &

cleaning services, electrical &

plumbing. Contact: 99447257

/97014234 / 24504281

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. contact ABU QABAS-

99320217 /24788722

Water proofing ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

CHANGE OF NAME

I Stube Pearl Nirajini Jayakumar (holder of Indian passport No.

G 8908659) Daughter of Stube

Jeremiah Williams having perma-

nent residence in No. 66, 3rd main

road Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Vellore

632002 ( complete postal address

in India ) and presently residing

in Rustaq (complete postal in

Oman) intend to change my name

from Stube Pearl Niranjini

Jayakumar (old name) to

Pearl Niranjini ( new name) for all

practical purpose. Any objection

towards my name change may

please be communicated to

Embassy of India, Muscat,

diplomatic Quarters,

AL Khuwair, P. Box No, 1727

postal code 112, Ruwi,

Sultanate of Oman.

MANPOWER

LOST

Santhosh Kumar has lost Indian

Passport No. J 2317576. Finder

please handover to ROP

C8 W E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 , 2 0 1 5

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

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with

Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain

Marine Tours contact 98029602,

92808636

TOURS

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: abdulhakimalbimani@hotmail.com

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