VOL. 36 NO. 311 | PAGES 28 | BAISAS 200

THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 | DHUL HIJJAH 30, 1438 AH

HM GREETS NEPAL PRESIDENT HIS MAJESTY SULTAN QABOOS HAS SENT A CABLE OF GREETINGS TO PRESIDENT BIDYA DEVI BHANDARI OF THE REPUBLIC OF NEPAL ON THE OCCASION OF HER COUNTRY’S NATIONAL DAY. IN HIS CABLE, HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN EXPRESSED HIS SINCERE GREETINGS ALONG WITH HIS BEST WISHES OF GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPINESS TO PRESIDENT BHANDARI AND HER COUNTRY’S FRIENDLY PEOPLE FURTHER PROGRESS AND PROSPERITY.

AIRBUS OPENS FIRST PLANE COMPLETION CENTRE IN CHINA P16

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HM greets Belize, Malta and Armenia MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has sent cables of greetings to Colville Young, Governor General of Belize, President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca of Malta, and President Serzh Sargsyan of the Republic of Armenia on the occasion of their countries’ Independence Anniversaries. In his cables, His Majesty the Sultan expressed his sincere greetings along with his best wishes to the leaders and the friendly people of their countries.

Muharram holiday on Sunday MUSCAT: The Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs announced that the moon was not sighted to mark the first day of Muharam or the Islamic New Year 1439 AH on Thursday. Accordingly, the first day of Muharam will be on Friday, September 22. As a result, Sunday will be an official holiday for employees in ministries and public bodies and for private sector employees. On this occasion, the ministry extended sincere greetings to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos appealing to the Almighty to ensure many happy returns for His Majesty the Sultan. — ONA

INSIDESTORIES

TURKEY THREATENS SANCTIONS OVER KURDISH VOTE

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BANGLADESH ARMY STEPS UP AS ROHINGYA SUFFER HEAVY RAIN

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TORRENTIAL RAINS WREAK HAVOC, DISRUPT LIFE IN MUMBAI

HM, leaders exchange New Hijri Year greetings

Compared to the loud booming noise of the Ayn Athum waterfall in Salalah during khareef, the secret of Al Hail waterfall in Wadi Al Arbeein is tamer. Its water is pleasantly cold even in the middle of summer and the turquoise pool where the water is collected is a temptation for adventurous outdoor lovers.

MUSCAT: On the occasion of the New Hijri Year and the anniversary of the Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) Hijra, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos has exchanged greetings with leaders of sisterly and friendly Arab and Muslim countries. In his cables, His Majesty the Sultan expressed his sincere greetings and best wishes of good health, happiness and long life for them, praying to the Almighty Allah for the return of this happy occasion on them and make the New Year, a year of welfare and peace for all peoples and

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RUSH-HOUR MISERY: MINOR ACCIDENTS, MAJOR HOLD-UPS VINOD NAIR MUSCAT, SEPT 20

MAX: 370C MIN: 280C

SALALAH MAX: 310C MIN: 260C

A FRANTIC SEARCH

NIZWA

MAX: 400C MIN: 250C

SUNRISE 05.55 AM

PRAYER TIMINGS FAJR: 04:40 DHUHR: 12:05 ASR: 15:31 MAGHRIB: 18:10 ISHA: 19:20

Observer spotlight CHARMING TOURIST ATTRACTIONS BECKON

Popular tourist hotspots and resorts across the Sultanate are bracing for a holiday rush this weekend as citizens and residents seek to make the most of a three-day break to enjoy some of Oman’s diverse and splendid tourist attractions. Eager holidaymakers now have a back-to-back three-day break that opens up opportunities for, among other things, camping trips, excursions and all types of holidays.

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road during the morning rush hour.” According to rules, those involved in minor road accidents should immediately move their vehicles to the side of the road and not wait for the police to arrive at the site. Ahmed, who works for a bank in the CBD area, aired the same grievance. “We should set aside 1520 minutes for emergency situations. Drivers are in such a hurry that they change lanes needlessly to reach their destination quickly,” he said. The Royal Oman Police (ROP) keeps urging motorists to ‘use indicator’ before changing lanes. “Don’t emerge suddenly into another lane. A wrong indication can result in a fatal accident,” it says. On the other hand, some motorists fail to maintain safe distance from the vehicle in the front, especially at the signals.

Motorists in Muscat are irked as they are held up by minor traffic accidents during morning hours. According to reports received by the Observer, even a small incident on Qurm Heights-Sarooj stretch can hold up vehicles for several minutes until the vehicle is brought to the side by the police or motorists involved in the skirmish. “I had a meeting to attend in the Airports Heights area around 9.30 am recently. I left my home near Oman Oil petrol pump in Qurum, but was held up by traffic near Sarooj for about 30 minutes. I left home early (8.20 am), but was still late for the meeting by 10 minutes,” said Ravishankar Pradhan, an executive in the hospitality industry. He, however, said: “Such incidents are common on the Qurm Heights

WEATHER TODAY MUSCAT

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SECRET WATERFALL OF WADI AL ARBEEIN

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Volunteers remove rubble during the search for survivors in a flattened building in Mexico City on Wednesday after a strong quake hit central Mexico on the eve killing at least 240 people. A powerful 7.1 earthquake shook Mexico City on Tuesday, causing panic among the megalopolis’ 20 million inhabitants on the 32nd anniversary of a devastating 1985 quake. — AFP DETAILS ON P11

Saudi Arabia to lift ban on Internet calls RIYADH: Saudi Arabia will lift a ban on Internet phone calls, a government spokesman said, part of efforts to attract more business to the country. All online voice and video call services such as Microsoft’s Skype and Facebook’s WhatsApp that satisfy regulatory requirements will become accessible at midnight (21:00 GMT), Adel Abu Hameed, spokesman for the telecoms regulator CITC said on Twitter on Wednesday.

The policy reversal represents part of the Saudi government’s broad reforms to diversify the economy partly in response to low oil prices, which have hit the country’s finances. “Digital transformation is one of the key kick-starters for the Saudi economy, as it will incentivise the growth of Internet-based businesses, especially in the media and entertainment industries,” a statement from the information ministry said. — Reuters

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850 militants killed in Syria in 24 hours MOSCOW: Russia’s air force has killed about 850 militants in Syria’s zone of de-escalation in Idlib in the last 24 hours, Interfax news agency quoted Russia’s Defence Ministry as saying on Wednesday. A monitor said that three Russian soldiers have been killed in Syria during fighting between IS group and the government forces. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the soldiers were killed on Monday near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor. On Monday Syrian government troops came close to encircling IS militants in a pocket of the city after crossing the adjacent Euphrates River to reach the eastern flank, Russia’s defence ministry said. Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said the soldiers were killed on the east bank of the river during clashes in which militants fired mortar rounds and a suicide bomber attacked Syrian forces. There was no immediate confirmation from the Russian army about their reported deaths which were claimed by IS on social media networks. The Russian defence ministry on Monday said the Syrian troops were able to advance “with the support of Russian aviation” strikes. SEE ALSO P7

achieve for the Islamic nations further progress and prosperity. In their cables to His Majesty, the leaders of the sisterly and friendly countries expressed their sincere greetings and best wishes of good health, well-being and long life to His Majesty the Sultan, praying to the Almighty for the return of this blessed occasion on His Majesty for many years to come to achieve all aspirations of further progress, welfare and prosperity for his faithful people and all Muslims wellbeing and progress. DETAILS ON P2

71pc khareef visitors are Omanis MUSCAT: Omanis accounted for 71.3 per cent of the total number of khareef visitors as against 70.5 per cent in the same period in 2016, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). NCSI, which began the survey of visitors on June 21, will conclude it on Thursday. The survey included all visitors to Salalah by land and air. Country-wise statistics as on September 19 shows citizens and residents of Gulf states, including Oman, accounted for 98.7 per cent of the total number of visitors compared with 0.5 per cent from Asian countries and 0.5 per cent from other Arab nations. The total number of visitors stood at 301,991 as on August 1. Implemented for the fourteenth successive year in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Royal Oman Police (ROP), TURN TO P3

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His Majesty, world leaders greet on Hijri Year MUSCAT: On the occasion of the New Hijri Year and the anniversary of the Prophet Mohammed’s (PBUH) Hijra, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin has exchanged greetings cables with leaders of the Arab and Muslim countries. His Majesty the Sultan wished the leaders good health, happiness and a long life, praying to Allah the Almighty to make the New Year, a year of welfare and peace for all peoples and, further progress and prosperity for all nations In response, the leaders wished of good health, well-being and a long life to His Majesty the Sultan, praying to Allah the Almighty to help His Majesty aspirations of further progress, welfare and prosperity for his faithful people and all Muslims wellbeing and progress. His Majesty the Sultan has exchanged cables of greetings with King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan, President of the UAE, King Hamad bin Issa al Khalifa of Bahrain, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, Emir of Qatar, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabir

HM condoles over Mexican quake deaths MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin has sent condolences to President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico over the deaths caused by earthquake that rocked the Mexican capital, Mexico City and its surrounding areas. His Majesty the Sultan wished speedy recovery to the victims. al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein of Jordan, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, President Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria, President Ismail Omar Guelleh of the Republic of Djibouti, Omar Hassan Ahmed al Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan, President Dr Bashar al Assad of Syria, President Mohammed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo of Somalia, President Dr Fuad Masum of

Iraq, President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and President of the Palestinian National Authority, President Othman Ghazali of the Comoros, Fayez al-Sarraj, Chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya and Prime Minister of the Government of National Accord of Libya, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, President Muhammad Ould Abdel Aziz of Mauritania, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Muhammad V King of Malaysia, President Ilham Heydar Aliyev of Azerbaijan, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Dr Hassan Rouhani of Iran, President Mamnoon Hussain of Pakistan, President Mohammad Abdul Hamid of Bangladesh, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov of Turkmenistan, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, President Idriss Deby of Chad, President Ali

Bongo Ondimba of Gabon, President Adama Barrow of Gambia, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, President Almazibak Atambayev of the Kyrgyz Republic, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, President Abdulla Yameen of Maldives, President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger, President Muhammadu Buhari, of Nigeria and President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of Mali. His Majesty also received cables of greetings from ministers, advisers, members of the State Council, members of the Majlis Ash’shura, undersecretaries, judges, the Omani ambassadors abroad, ambassadors of Arab and Islamic countries to the Sultanate, representatives of the international organizations and agencies, sheikhs, dignitaries and citizens. They wished of good health and wellbeing to His Majesty the Sultan, praying to the Almighty Allah to protect His Majesty and grant him a long life, and Oman and its loyal people further progress under His Majesty’s wise leadership. — ONA

Alawi holds talks with ministers at UN NEW YORK: Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs held meetings with ministers from various countries at the United Nations headquarters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Bin Alawi met Shaikh Sabah Khaled Al Hamad al Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait and Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim al Eshaiker al Jaafari. They discussed bilateral relations and the current regional issues. He met Dr Mohamed Shainee, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture of the Maldives. The two ministers discussed promoting cooperation and enhancing of investment between the two countries. Alawi also met Poland Minister of Foreign Affairs Witold Waszczykowski. — ONA

Ministry brings out health, safety booklet FAHAD AL GHADANI MUSCAT, SEPT 20 To spread the message of health and safety among the public, the Ministry of Manpower has brought out its new edition of Health and Safety Regulations booklet. The booklet, which comes in both Arabic and English, comprises five sections that educate employees about the basic and most important safety measures required at the workplace. Chapter 1 defines terms and general provisions. The second chapter suggests general measures that need to be taken at public places. Third chapter deals with health care, including medical examination, ambulances, workplaces that promote health, protecting women and protecting people with disabilities. Precautionary measures are included in Chapter 4. It focuses on fire hazards, mechanical/ electrical hazards, risks of lifting heavy equipment, workers’ transport, risks of manual labour equipment, risks of boilers, steam and air reservoirs, chemical hazards and risks of harmful radiation. Chapter 5 explains special measures on matters related to construction, drilling, demolition, civil engineering activities, agriculture and other issues.

MEDRC, Korea sign MoU on water research

Workshop on Insurance and Risk Management held in Salalah MUSCAT: The Public Establishment for Industrial Estates in collaboration with the Capital Market Authority, the Public Authority for Civil Defence and the Omani Insurance Association hosted workshop on the role of insurance in risk management for the enterprises at Raysut Industrial Estate and the Free Zone at Mazyounah. The workshop started with statement by Major Harib Zaher al Nabhani, Assistant Director for Preventive Protection at the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance and member of the committee for execution of the recommendations of the Seminar on Security and Safety of Industrial Enterprises. He said the Committee has coordinated the efforts and enhanced cooperation between the entities concerned with developing the security and safety systems. He added two workshops were organized in Muscat and Salalah and a workshop will be organized in Suhar. Al Nabahani said that consolidation of security and safety culture in industrial enterprises and meeting the requirements is indispensable to ensure continuation of production and ability to encounter any potential crises, furthermore, taking care of security and safety requirements is actually a risk

management measure. Two papers were presented in the workshop. The first paper was presented by Samarah Salah, training and business development Manager at Samarah Training Services, in which she said that emergencies are unexpected events and require prompt intervention. The second paper was presented by Adil Hassan al Lawati of Orient Insurance in which he said that insurance is protection from uncertain risk in consideration of financial obligation (the premium) which is transfer to the risk and fragmenting the risk into small bearable risks. He added insurance grants peace of mind and ensures continuation of the business, protects the capital and protect the interests of shareholders, owners, employees and other parties as well as the national economy. He pointed out that the risks surrounding the industrial enterprise are administrative risk such as the level of awareness and concern of the management, policies and systems applied at the enterprise and risk management plan. Physical risks concern the nature of the product, work environment, nature of the machinery and equipment used, nature of raw material and the nature of the manufacturing processes.

MUSCAT: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between MEDRC Water Research and KAIA (Korean Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement) at MEDRC’s Al Hail premises on Wednesday. The agreement recognises common areas of interest between both parties and the potential that exists for mutually beneficial future collaboration. KAIA is a quasigovernment organization that manages research programmes for the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport while MEDRC Water Research is an NGO headquartered in Muscat, which works to solve fresh water scarcity in the Middle East. The MoU was signed by MEDRC Water Research Centre Director, Ciarán Ó Cuinn and Dr Byung-Soo Kim, President of KAIA, in the presence of Ambassador Dr Mohammed al Hassan, Acting Under-Secretary for Diplomatic Affairs and Son Byeong-Seok, Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Republic of Korea.

Oman unique destination in Arabian Gulf NEW DELHI: Scoopwhoop Network of India described the Sultanate in a lengthy feature that it is an attractive destination that one should not miss as it combines modernity and authenticity. The network said in a pictorial feature ‘ we speak about a unique destination and people in the Gulf region; the Omanis and Oman, a country with very long attractive coast and vast desert. It said besides the many natural attraction and charming places, Oman is very well-known for its traditions, costumes and traditional arts. It also said that the Sultanate is a rare mix of deep rooted civilization and modernity. Oman is not only an attractive tourist place to visit but also an ideal destination for adventure and tranquility lovers. — ONA

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Residents seek hefty penalties to check litterbugs

OMAN, ITALY REVIEW TIES

FAHAD AL GHADANI MUSCAT SEPT 20

ROME: Sayyid Badr bin Saud al Busaidy, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, held talks with Roberta Pinotti, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Italy, in Rome on Wednesday. Sayyid Badr welcomed with a guard of honour at the ministry premises in Rome. During the meeting, they reviewed the good relations between the two friendly countries and discussed issues of common concern. The minister was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal Matar bin Ali bin Matar al Obaidani, Commander of the Royal Air Force of Oman, Dr Ahmed bin Salim bin Mohammed Baoma, Sultanate’s Ambassador to Italy.

Meet sheds light on Alzheimer’s Disease LAKSHMI KOTHANETH MUSCAT, SEPT 20 The Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, in collaboration with the Omani Association of Alzheimer’s Disease, organised the second national symposium to mark the World Alzheimer’s Day, which falls on Thursday (September 21). The hospital was represented by the Department of Behavioural Medicine. The symposium, held on Wednesday, was aimed at raising awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and the importance of a healthy lifestyle to prevent the disease. The meeting brought together a large group of specialists. Dr Hamed al Sinawi, Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital and chairman of Omani Alzheimer’s Society, dwelt on Alzheimer’s disease, its symptoms and the role of memory clinic in evaluating

NUMBER OF PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM DEMENTIA WORLDWIDE IN 2015 IS 46.8 MILLION. THE NUMBER IS EXPECTED TO REACH 74.7 MILLION BY 2030 patients and providing therapeutic services. Dr Munther al Muqbali, a psychiatrist at Sohar Hospital, spoke about the psychological effects of caring for Alzheimer’s patients. Mosa al Fari conducted a panel discussion with a group of caregivers for Alzheimer’s patients

Minor accidents, major hold-ups FROM PAGE 1 “This is extremely dangerous. When a vehicle applies sudden brakes, it gets hit from a vehicle that is behind. Such incidents happen at signals because motorists are in a hurry,” said Mohammed, a taxi operator in Ruwi. People are so preoccupied they do not show proper indications. “It is advisable to keep those extra minutes to avoid last-minute rush in case of sudden traffic jams,” said Preethi Das, a school teacher.

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and talked about their personal experiences in caring for patients in various stages of the disease and the challenges they face. Ingrid Andersson of the Al Harub Medical Center, in her presentation, highlighted the various models of care for Alzheimer’s patients in developed countries and the role of modern technology. Dr Ahmed al Farsi presented a poem reflecting the feelings of Alzheimer’s patient and the experiences he goes through. Omani Association of Friends of the Elderly, the South Batinah Group and the Oman Parental Care Team displayed education materials on Alzheimer’s and the models of equipment needed for providing daily care for the patients. Latest statistics indicate the total number of people suffering from dementia worldwide in 2015 is 46.8 million. The number is expected to reach 74.7 million by

2030. Therefore, most countries have developed a strategic plan to diagnose and care for patients. The Sultan Qaboos University Hospital seeks to enhance its role in the provision of health care for the elderly, specifically in the area of dementia and old age. This role is reflected in the services provided by the psychiatric team for the elderly in the clinic of memory diseases, diagnosis and treatment of cases, improving community awareness about these diseases and finding out the causes of dementia and the optimal methods of treatment and care. Since its inception, the association has played a significant role in raising community awareness about the disease and the needs of patients and caregivers by participating in various events and holding lectures and seminars for medical personnel to introduce Alzheimer’s disease and the latest scientific findings in this field.

Duqm, Sohar, Salalah airports shine in 2017 VINOD NAIR MUSCAT, SEPT 20 The domestic airports of Duqm and Sohar have reported considerable progress in terms of passenger growth and flight movements this year. According to figures released by Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC), around 19,000 passengers through the Suhar airport through 236 flights from late June till the end of August. Duqm airport saw the passenger traffic increase by 26.7 per cent from 16,330 travellers in 2016 to 20,528 passengers in 322 aircraft, an increase of 16.7 per cent from last year’s 276 flights. Apart from Salam Air, Sohar Airport is also served by regional players Air Arabia and Qatar Airways. Talks are underway for an Iranian’s airline to start operations from the city. Qatar Airways plans to increase flights to Suhar from October 1. Duqm airport is served by the national airline Oman Air and a few chartered services . Salalah Airport saw the passenger traffic increase by 25.3 per cent to over one

DUQM AIRPORT SAW THE PASSENGER TRAFFIC ROSE BY 26.7 PER CENT FROM 16,330 TRAVELLERS IN 2016 TO 20,528 PASSENGERS IN 322 AIRCRAFT million travellers in the first eight months of this year from 824,574 travellers for the same period last year. The cargo traffic increased by 20.5 per cent to over 1 million kg from 915,427kg of cargo and mail during the same period. It may be noted that the Muscat Airport has been growing that a steady ready compared to airports in Dubai and Doha.

Despite the numerous clean campaigns across the country, the public places, especially beaches, continue to be littered. Many, unable to tolerate this “irresponsible behaviour”, have called upon authorities concerned to impose hefty fines on litterbugs. “Pictures of public places being littered on social media platforms every day shows how some people continue to throw rules to the wind,” said Ammar al Salhi, a resident of Muscat. Despite the clean campaigns, many behave irresponsibly and litter our beaches, he said. The Observer had earlier carried an article in which some had called for wardens to be deployed at popular beachfronts for handing out fines on litterbugs. Others had mooted the idea of installing CCTV cameras to keep an eye on them. Many concerned citizens have taken to social media to vent their ire at those sullying the nation’s pristine beaches. The ministerial decision No 55/2017 issued by the Muscat Municipality determines penalties for violating orders. Throwing litter on streets, wadis or fenced walls can result in

Throwing litter on streets, wadis or fenced walls can result in penalties, including a fine, of up to RO 1,000. The law says penalties will be doubled for a repeat offence penalties, including a fine, of up to RO 1,000. The law says penalties will be doubled for a repeat offence. In a strong message to the commercial establishments, the authority had said the waste should be disposed of only at designated places. Last January, the Public Prosecution tweeted that throwing trash out of a moving vehicle is a crime punishable by law. Ali al Hatmi, who has participated in several cleaning campaigns, says: “Ugly scenes at beaches kill our motivation even as we are keen on inspiring others.” He said the authorities should impose stiff penalties, including jail terms, for littering.

71 per cent of khareef visitors are Omanis From page 1 the survey is aimed at identifying the size of domestic/foreign tourism during the khareef season. It will also identify the growth rates, the demographic and economic characteristics of visitors, besides specifications of the tourism journeys. Khareef Salalah Survey 2016 had indicated the total number of visitors stood at 652,986 compared with 514,777 in 2015, a 26.8 per cent jump. The total expenditure during 2016 season stood at RO 66 million. — ONA

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spotlight

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Charming tourist attractions beckon this weekend

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HAMMAM AL BADI

opular tourist hotspots and hotel resorts across the Sultanate are bracing for a holiday rush this weekend as citizens and residents seek to make the most of a three-day break to enjoy some of Oman’s diverse and splendid tourist attractions. Thanks to the Islamic New Year falling alongside the weekend, eager holidaymakers now have a back-to-back three-day break that opens up opportunities for, among other things, camping trips, excursions, overnighters and all types of holidays at key locations around the Sultanate. A list of charming places highly recommended by the Observer includes: Castles and Forts (Khasab Castle, Al Hazim Castle, Rustaq Fort, Nizwa Fort, Nakhal Fort, Bahla Fort), wadis

and aflaj (Wadi Shab, Wadi Al Arbyeen, Wadi Bani Khalid, Wadi Ghool, Aiyn Al Kasfa, Aiyn Al Thawarah); and varied tourist attractions such as Raz Al Jinz Turtle Reserve, Khasab, Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, Jabal Shams, Masirah Island and Wakan Village. Of course, a lot of these locations will likely be inundated with tourists – local and international – during the holiday. Indeed, domestic tourism is in for a strong boost. The tourism sector has been thriving on the back of a sustained inflow of foreign tourists, boosted by travellers from around Oman. As a key industry identified as one of pillars with the potential to fuel Oman’s economic diversification, the tourism sector has also benefited from strong international and local investment. This is evident from the proliferation of luxury hotels, resorts, aparthotels, leisure spots, and so on. Adding to Oman’s tourist appeal is the diversity of natural attractions distributed across the nation’s mountain landscapes,

delightful beachfronts, and offshore as well. For nationals and residents alike, the threeday holiday is also an opportunity to take a short break from work, having perhaps been denied that chance during the last Eid Al Adha holiday, which was relatively brief to squeeze in a holiday. Sultan al Zaidi, a native of Saham, said he was already making plans to step out with friends this weekend. “The three-day holiday couldn’t have come at a better time. With the weather generally improving, and recent rains having replenished pools near campsites, there are loads of places that appeal to us this weekend. But we have decided to go on a journey of adventure into the wadis and mountains around Saham.” Omar al Badi, also from Saham, said he has decided to take his family to Masirah Island. “Although Masirah Island is quite a drive from home, we are eagerly looking to enjoying the delightful weather that awaits us there,” he commented.

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Crisis management panel holds meeting

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The Central Committee for Crisis Management at Ministry of Education held its first meeting under the chairmanship of Saud bin Salim al Balushi, Under-Secretary for Educational Planning and HRD. Al Balushi stressed the significant role played by the committee as it supervises and guides other subcommittees, and sets up main plans and decisions required for crisis.

Vital projects reviewed with Korea MUSCAT: Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport and Communications, received in his office on Wednesday a delegation from the Republic of Korea headed by Son Byeong Suk, ViceMinister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in Korea and his accompanying delegation, currently visiting the Sultanate. The two sides discussed aspects of the joint cooperation between the two friendly countries and means of enhancing them in fields of infrastructure, transport, ports, civil aviation and matters of common concern. Dr Al Futaisi reviewed the strategic projects being implemented by the Ministry of Transport and Communications in transport, ports, communications and civil aviation sectors.

KABEER YOUSUF MUSCAT, SEPT 20

The meeting was attended by the Korean Ambassador to the Sultanate, Abdulrahman bin Salim

al Hatmi, CEO of Oman Global Logistics Group (ASYAD), and officials from the ministry. — ONA

Student Forum stresses varsity sports

MUSCAT: The 1st Student Forum for University Sport was opened on Wednesday at Al Zahra University College, which coincides with the International Day of University Sport that falls on September 20 each year under the auspices of Dr Mona bint Salim al Jardaniyah, Under-Secretary of the Ministry

PACP Board holds meeting MUSCAT: The Board of Directors of the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) on Wednesday held its 3rd meeting for 2017 under the chair of Dr Said bin Khamis al Kaabi, PACP Board Chairman. The meeting reviewed the latest developments of the authority and a number of topics related to its work. It also discussed the first-half year report and PACP achievements in 2017. The board reviewed the latest developments of the authority during this period and the efforts and preparations for the coming period. They also reviewed the role made to address the different challenges. The board stressed the importance of joining hands by all organisations and agencies to achieve the aims for which PACP was established namely protection of consumers against price fluctuation, monitor market prices of goods and services and curb their rise. The aims also include ensuring freedom of choice by consumers, equality, fair treatment, honesty and credibility. PACP also seeks to develop consumer general awareness and use proper scientific means to spread it on accurate and balanced bases in the society as a whole among other objectives. — ONA

Airline’s extra fee for carrying TVs to Lanka

of Manpower for Technological Education and Vocational Training. Dr Salim al Araimi, Chairman of the Oman Committee for University Sports, in his address referred to the importance of university sports at the university level as universities are active and responsible entities for promoting

and developing the quality of sports education in the service of local communities. The forum included the presentation of working papers in the field of sports, the mechanism of developing it and review of the main challenges and solutions proposed to overcome them. — ONA

Crackdown on smuggling of cigarettes MUSCAT: A crackdown was launched on Wednesday on the smuggling of alcoholic beverages and banned cigarettes in vehicles. Oman Customs, in cooperation with the Royal Oman Police (ROP), cracked down on the smugglers. In another incident, two persons were arrested in Wadi Al Jizzi, near the Wilayat of Suhar, on charges of smuggling wireless communication devices and alcoholic beverages on the same day.

Net electricity production grows 8 per cent till July end MUSCAT: The Sultanate’s net electricity production in the JanuaryJuly 2017 period registered a growth of 8 per cent year-on-year reaching 20,901.2 GW/H from 19,349.5 GW/H over the same period of 2016, according to the data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). Net electricity produced during July 2017 stood at 3,873.2 GW/H. Significantly, the highest growth in electricity generation was reported from the Governorate of Al Wusta, which increased its net power production by 72.5 per cent with output reaching 296.2 GW/H at the end of July from 171.7 GW/H during the same period of 2016. The Governorates of North and South Al Sharqiyah came second with an increased net power production of 44.9 per cent with output reaching 4,721.4 GW/H during the January-July period from 3,258 GW/H a year ago. Meanwhile, Muscat and Al Dakhiliyah remained the only governorates to record a fall in net electricity production during the period, according to the NCSI data. Muscat posted a 23-per cent drop in net electricity production during

the period, which slumped to 2,061.8 GW/H compared with an output of 2,676.8 during the same period last year. The Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah recorded a 20-per cent decline in net electricity production, which declined to 596.6 GW/H until the end of July this year from 745.4 GW/H until the end of July 2016. Electricity production in the Governorate of Musandam increased by 6.2 per cent to 206.2 GW/H at the end of July this year from 194.2 GW/H during the same period in 2016. Electricity production in the Governorates of North and South Al Batinah and Al Dhahirah together registered a 5.9-per cent growth to 10,979.6 GW/H at the end of July this year from 10,367 GW/H during the same period last year.

Electricity production in the Governorate Dhofar increased by 5.3 per cent to 2,039.5 GW/H until the end of July 2017 from 1,936.4 GW/H during the corresponding period of 2016. The net figures are inclusive of purchases by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) and the Rural Areas Electricity Company (RAEC) from local power generating entities, as well as output from autogenerators and diesel rental units. The Sultanate’s gross electricity production during the first seven months of this year witnessed an increase of 8.1 per cent to touch 21,205.1 GW/H compared with 19,623.3 GW/H achieved during the same period of 2016. Meanwhile, the Sultanate’s total water production at the end of June 2017 increased by 6.2 per cent to 194,611,500 cubic metres compared with 183,229,200 cubic metres during the same period of 2016. The Governorate of Dhofar raised its water production by 11.4 per cent to 26,000,900 cubic metres at the end of June this year from 23,344,400 cubic metres during the same period of 2016. — ONA

If you are carrying LED/ LCD TVs while travelling to Sri Lanka from Oman on a Sri Lankan Airlines flight, you need to pay additional charges depending on the size of the same. Any branded LCD/LED TV above 56 inches to the capital city of Colombo will be charged RO 10 as “handling charges”, while anything below 56 inches will be exempted, according to the airlines’ country office. “This is an extension of the carriage facilitation for all those who want to carry LCD/LED TVs,” said Sharuka Wickrama Adittiya, Country Manager of Sri Lankan Airlines. Carrying any LED/LCD TVs below the size of 43 inches beyond

Colombo is allowed without charges, while any TV above 43 inches to any city other than Colombo will attract handling charges of RO 10. However, the size should be limited to 55 inches. “Earlier, we did not have a clear policy for electronic goods, including TVs. Now, we are making the carriage terms and conditions clearer for passengers,” said Sharuka. He said passengers need to sign an indemnity form that says “the airline will not be held responsible for any claim made in reference to any damage caused to the LCD/ LED TVs they are carrying to Sri Lanka”. “The airlines will not take up any responsibility in the event of damage or malfunctioning of the TV they are carrying to Sri Lanka.”

OCO, Salalah Methanol Company sign agreement

SALALAH: A financing agreement for the 2017 Assistance Programme for Families of Social Security, Limited Income and Orphans was signed on Wednesday at the Office of the Minister of State and the Governor of Dhofar within the framework of the Community Partnership and Support of National Initiatives between the Oman Charitable Organisation (OCO) and the Salalah Methanol Company. Adviser Abdullah bin Aqeel al Ibrahim, Acting Deputy Governor of Dhofar, Chairman of the Local

Committee of Oman Charitable Organisation in the Governorate of Dhofar and Awadh bin Hassan al Shanfari, CEO of Salalah Methanol Company, signed the agreement. The agreement provides for the allocation of RO 200,000 from Salalah Methanol Company to finance 33 students who have difficulty completing their university studies or new grants to finance 12 students, as well as the payment of arrears of 21 bachelor students from social security and limited income families and orphans in the Governorate of Dhofar. — ONA

Blood donation drive eyes age groups outside NMIC LAKSHMI KOTHANETH MUSCAT, SEPT 20 The Ministry of Health (MoH) has called upon all age groups that were not part of the just-concluded National Measles Immunisation Campaign (NMIC) to donate blood. In an attempt to prevent shortage at the blood banks, the MoH has asked all the government and private organisations to hold blood donation campaigns to “meet the daily supplies of blood for the different health institutions”. An appeal was also made by Blood Banks Services (BBS), Department

of the Ministry of Health, after conclusion of the vaccination campaign for citizens and residents in the age group 20-35 years. “The targeted age group (2035 years) represents 56 per cent of the population. It accounted for most donors in 2016,” said an MoH statement. As per rules, those who have been vaccinated cannot donate blood for a month. The BBS had organised several blood donation campaigns prior to the NMIC to ensure there was no shortage of blood units and its components.

Oman heritage to go on show at global maritime event in France KABEER YOUSUF MUSCAT, SEPT 20: A vivid image of the Sultanate’s rich maritime heritage and culture will be on focus at the International Maritime Exhibition in La Rochelle, France, from September 27 to October 3, where the Ministry of Tourism will be representing the country in the capacity of a ‘Guest of Honour’. For seven days, the port city of La Rochelle will be the melting pot of diverse seafaring cultures and traditions as a cross-section of countries, represented by their respective maritime and tourism ministries and experts in tourism

as well as maritime heritage, will be sharing the podium with each other. “The Sultanate will be specially featured at the International Maritime Exhibition as Oman has been chosen to be the ‘Guest of Honour’,” a spokesperson from the Ministry of Tourism said. Five annual international

exhibitions specialising in marine boat show and marketing services along with water tourism activities will be on display. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) in the French city of La Rochelle has allocated an area of 700 square metres for the Omani Ministry of Tourism to build

the largest pavilion at the World Expo where a replica of Omani maritime heritage will be recreated. The exhibition, with a participation of more than 800 exhibitors from over 30 countries, is a major platform in the marine tourism sector for each promotion will detail what is new and distinguished in the world of leisure navigation to an audience of more than 90,000 visitors from different countries of the world. These 800 exhibitors, specialised in marine products, services and activities, will showcase their luxury yachts to the high networth individuals from across the world.

“Omani pavilion will be divided into eight sub sections,” said the spokesperson. “While the first booth will showcase our public and private partnership scenario, the second will provide information on tourist destinations. The third will make a visual presentation on the blessed Renaissance of the country and cultural elements of the environment and Omani society,” he said. The fourth section will host art and cultural performances while the fifth section is dedicated to providing Omani hospitality and giving visitors a chance to taste traditional ‘kahwa’,

dates and Omani sweets. The sixth and seventh sections are dedicated to a mini exhibition on traditional craft industries and Omani photo exhibition respectively. The photo exhibition pavilion will showcase some of the excellent creations of local photographers and some artists and calligraphers in action. “The eighth pavilion is dedicated to the traditional performing arts where authentic Omani music will be played live and dances showcased. Visitors will be in for a true slice of Omani lifestyle, seafaring dances and songs transcending them to a bygone era.”

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Turkey threatens sanctions over Kurdish independence vote

Boys play on a damaged military tank that belonged to forces loyal to Syrian government in the rebel-held southern town of Bosra al Sham, Deraa Governorate, Syria. — Reuters

US-backed force seizes 90 per cent of Raqa BEIRUT: US-backed fighters have seized 90 per cent of Raqa from the IS group, a monitor said on Wednesday, as they announced they were in the “final stages” of capturing the IS Syrian stronghold. Under siege in the northern city for three months, IS is struggling to defend its one-time bastion under a barrage of air strikes by the US-led coalition battling the militants in Syria and Iraq. “Because of the heavy coalition air strikes, IS withdrew from at least five key neighbourhoods over the past 48 hours,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “This allowed the Syrian Democratic Forces to control 90 per cent of the city.” The SDF is an alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces the coalition is backing in Syria with air strikes,

equipment and advisers. IS pulled out of the north of the city and abandoned its grain silos and mills, Abdel Rahman said. It was now confined to the city centre, in government administrative buildings, the stadium and tunnels. The SDF said its forces had mounted a “surprise attack” on IS in the north of the city. “We consider this the final stages of the Wrath of the Euphrates campaign, which is nearing its end,” a statement said. IS seized Raqa in early 2014, transforming the city into the de facto Syrian capital of the “caliphate” it declared after taking control of large parts of Syria and Iraq. It quickly became synonymous with the group’s most gruesome atrocities, including public beheadings, and IS is thought to have used the city to plan attacks abroad.

The SDF spent months encircling the city before entering it in June and sealing off all access routes. Abdel Rahman said the siege had worn down IS’s defensive capabilities. “After hundreds of their fighters were killed in recent weeks, the remaining IS fighters will not be able to resist much longer in Raqa as their military equipment and basic necessities are dwindling,” he said. Without food or medical equipment, IS was unable to treat its own wounded and had retreated to the city centre, which it considered “the most secure,” he said. But the battle for the 10 per cent of the city still held by IS is likely to be tough, as the militants have heavily mined the area, Abdel Rahman said. IS has used mines, snipers, car bombs, and weaponised drones against the SDF offensive. — AFP

ANKARA: Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan threatened to impose sanctions against Kurdish northern Iraq over a planned independence vote, piling economic pressure on Kurdish authorities after Turkish troops deployed near the main commercial border crossing. Turkey, home to the largest Kurdish population in the region, has warned that any breakup of neighbouring Iraq or Syria could lead to a global conflict, and is due to prepare a formal response on Friday, three days before the referendum. Erdogan said the Turkish cabinet and security council would discuss Ankara’s options. They will “put forward their own stance on what kind of sanctions we can impose, or if we will,” he told reporters in New York, according to Anadolu news agency. “But these will not be ordinary,” Erdogan said. Iraqi Kurdish authorities have defied growing international pressure to call off the vote, which Iraq’s neighbours fear will fuel unrest among their own Kurdish populations. Western allies say it could detract from the fight against IS. On Monday, the Turkish army launched a highly visible military drill near the Habur border crossing, which military sources said was due to last until September 26, a day after the planned referendum. Around 100 tanks and military vehicles, backed by rocket launchers and radar, deployed in open farmlands near the frontier, guns pointed south towards the Kurdish mountains. The military buildup hit the

Kurdish people walk in a market in Erbil, Iraq, on Wednesday.

Turkey, home to the largest Kurdish population in the region, has warned that any breakup of neighbouring Iraq or Syria could lead to a global conflict

Turkish lira, which weakened on Tuesday beyond 3.500 to the dollar, before recovering on Wednesday to around 3.465. But it has so far had little impact on lines of trucks queuing to cross into territory controlled by the Kurdish

— Reuters

Regional Government in north Iraq. Turkey, for years the KRG’s main link to the outside world, has built strong trade ties with the semiautonomous region which exports hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil per day through Turkey to international markets. Erdogan did not spell out what sanctions Turkey might be considering, but truck drivers waiting at Habur on Wednesday said they feared for their livelihoods if crossborder trade, crucial to the local economy, dries up. “I have four kids, I am 35-yearsold, and there is neither a job nor a factory in the region,” said tanker driver Abdurrahman Yakti, who carries crude oil from Iraq to Turkey’s Iskenderun Rafinery in the southeastern province of Hatay. — Reuters

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Surge in N Zealand PM’s popularity

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Fire kills six people in clothing factory DHAKA: Six people were killed on Wednesday when fire swept through a clothing factory outside Dhaka, police said, just the latest fatal industrial accident to hit Bangladesh’s $30 billion garment industry. Firefighters recovered the bodies of five men and a woman from the top floor of a factory in Muktarpur, about 50 kilometres south of Dhaka, where it appeared they were trapped by the blaze. “So far we have found six bodies. The search is ongoing,” Mustafizur Rahman, deputy district police chief, said. Police said welders could have sparked the fire, which started in a chemicals storage room inside the four-storey factory. Fires are common in Bangladeshi clothing factories, despite efforts by the government and international buyers to improve notoriously poor working conditions. In July a fire triggered by a boiler explosion killed 13 people and injured 50 more at a factory in Gazipur, an industrial district just north of the capital Dhaka. Last September, nearly 40 people were killed and 70 injured after a huge fire swept a packaging factory in the same district. In April 2013, the ninestorey Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people in one of the worst industrial disasters in recent times. — AFP

New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English has enjoyed a late surge in popularity ahead of Saturday’s election, opening up a nine point lead on the Jacinta Ardern-led opposition, an opinion poll found on Wednesday. Ardern’s rating as preferred prime minister also took a hit, down three points to 31 per cent while English rose five points to 37.

Bangladesh army to help build shelters for Rohingya refugees MORE AID: The soldiers would also ensure order and assist with distributing relief COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh: Bangladesh’s army was ordered on Wednesday to take a bigger role helping hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled violence in Myanmar, amid warnings it could take six months to register the new refugees. Troops would be deployed immediately in Cox’s Bazar near the border where more than 420,000 Rohingya Muslims have arrived since August 25, said Obaidul Quader, a senior minister and deputy head of the ruling Awami League party. Soldiers would help build shelters and toilets for the thousands of refugees still sleeping in the open under pounding monsoon rain, Quader said. “The army presence is especially needed on the spot to construct their shelters, which is a very tough task, and ensure sanitation,” he said. The latest order came from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Quader said. The soldiers would also ensure order and assist with distributing relief, a chaotic process that seen stampedes as donors have hurled food and other staples from moving trucks. Previously troops had been tasked with transporting foreign relief supplies from the country’s port city of Chittagong airport to Cox’s Bazar where the overcrowded camps are located. As the handful of ill-equipped camps rapidly reached capacity, Bangladesh announced it would make a new site capable of housing some 400,000 refugees within 10 days. Extra water pumps have been installed at some locations, and concrete rings for latrines stockpiled

Rohingya refugees receive aid in a camp in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday. — Reuters

along the roadside. But there were few signs of major construction work underway, with many refugees complaining they were being ordered to move on without any idea where to go. “We don’t know where would we go. We are poor. We managed to buy the bamboo and tarpaulin with people’s help, and now I have to relocate again,” said Mujibur Rahman, a 48-year-old Rohingya father of 10. “I don’t know when this moving game will stop.” The government has been trying to herd refugees into designated areas, fearful that nearby cities could be overwhelmed if they are left

Participants rehearse ahead of a celebratory event on Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang on Wednesday. — AFP

S Korea says Trump’s warning to North Korea ‘firm and specific’ SEOUL/TOKYO: US President Donald Trump’s speech to the United Nations, where he warned he would “totally destroy” North Korea if threatened, reinforced the need for Pyongyang to realise it must give up its nuclear weapons, South Korea said on Wednesday. In a hard-edged speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un as a “rocket man” for his repeated ballistic missile tests. “We view the speech as portraying a firm and specific stance on the key issues regarding keeping peace and safety that the international community and the United Nations are faced with,” the office of South Korean President Moon Jae-In said in a statement on Wednesday. “It clearly showed how seriously the United States government views North Korea’s nuclear programme as the president spent an unusual amount of time discussing the issue,” the presidential Blue House’s statement

said. Trump’s speech “reaffirmed that North Korea should be made to realise denuclearisation is the only way to the future through utmost sanctions and pressure”, it said. Moon came to power in May on a platform of more engagement with North Korea. Since Pyongyang’s sixth and largest nuclear test earlier on September 3, however, Moon has said the time is not right for dialogue. He and Trump were set to meet in New York on Wednesday, Moon’s office said. Trump’s most direct military threat to attack North Korea was his latest expression of concern about Pyongyang’s repeated weapons tests. “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea,” Trump told the 193-member world body. “Rocket man is on a suicide mission for himself and his regime.” US ally Japan, which Pyongyang

often threatens to destroy, has taken a consistently hard line on North Korea, pushing for increased sanctions and pressure. “We greatly appreciate President Trump’s approach to changing North Korea’s policy stance, denuclearising the country and calling on the international community, including China and Russia, for their cooperation toward strengthening pressure on North Korea,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters. Suga also welcomed Trump’s reference to a Japanese girl who was kidnapped by North Korean agents in 1977. The plight of abuctees is a key issue for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has pledged to rescue them while in office, and an emotive one for the Japanese public. North Korea admitted in 2002 it had kidnapped 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 1980s to train spies. Five of them returned to Japan but Tokyo suspects that hundreds more may have been taken. — Reuters

The army presence is especially needed on the spot to construct their shelters, which is a very tough task, and ensure sanitation OBAIDUL QUADER Senior minister

unchecked. “I tried to go to the place where the Bangladeshi government said they set aside land for us. But locals drove us out asking for money to settle us down,” a Rohingya community leader, Yusuf Majhi, said. Local authorities have set up a dozen relief centres and several emergency kitchens to streamline aid distribution. But efforts by the army to officially register the new arrivals amid the crowded camps has been moving at a glacial pace, said Brigadier General Saidur Rahman. “We are aiming to finish it within five or six months,” said Rahman, who heads the registration drive. — AFP

Pakistan, US vow to remain engaged NEW YORK: Pakistan and the United States have agreed to stay engaged with a constructive approach to achieve shared objectives of peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region. The consensus was reached during a meeting on Tuesday between Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and US Vice-President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York. Both sides discussed issues relating to bilateral relations as well as peace and stability in Afghanistan and the entire region. PM Abbasi shared Pakistan’s concerns and views with regard to the US strategy for South Asia. “It was a good meeting,” Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua told reporters after the 45-minute meeting between PM Abbasi and Pence that United States had requested, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Responding to questions, she termed the progress made at the meeting as an “ice-breaker”. She said it was agreed that the US would send a delegation to Pakistan in October to continue the talks. It was the first high-level contact between the two countries, after the announcement of the new US strategy by President Donald Trump on Afghanistan and South Asia. The Foreign Secretary said the prime minister expressed concern over the greater role that the new policy advocated for India. She said Abbasi elaborated the points raised by the National Security Committee in which Pakistan categorically rejected allegations contained in President Trump’s speech, saying “scapegoating Pakistan will not help bring stability to Afghanistan”. — IANS

Australia says first refugees to be resettled in US under swap deal SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said on Wednesday the first group of about 50 men and woman held in two controversial detention centres for asylum-seekers on remote Pacific islands will be resettled in the United States within weeks. The comments mark the first official timetable for when the United States will begin resettling up to 1,250 people held in Australian-run centres on Nauru and Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island as part of a refugee swap deal struck by former US president Barack Obama late last year. Australia will begin resettling several dozen Central American refugees within weeks under the deal that US President Donald Trump has described as “dumb” but has nevertheless said Washington will honour. “There will be about 25 from both Manus and Nauru will be going to the United States and I just want to thank again President Trump for continuing with that arrangement,” Turnbull said in a video statement. Three sources familiar with the process said about 25 men from countries such as Bangladesh, Sudan, and Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar held on Manus Island were the first to be told on Wednesday, with a similar number on Nauru to be told on Thursday. One Sudanese refugee approved for resettlement said he would leave Manus Island in a few days. “It feels like my dreams are coming true. All we want is to go to a safe country,” said the refugee, who declined to be identified for fear of jeopardising the resettlement. While Trump has said he would honour the swap agreement, concerns

A man walking between tents at Australia’s regional processing centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. — AFP file photo

Guinea’s Manus Island as part of a refugee swap deal struck by former US president Barack Obama late last year remain about how many asylumseekers will be resettled from the Australian-run centres. Nearly 2,000 men, women and children are held on Manus Island and Nauru, the majority of whom have been awarded refugee status by the two tiny Pacific countries. Refugees and advocates cautioned against assuming the US would take the full allotment, with its processing so far concentrated on individuals with applications that are both easier to verify through background checks and originate from citizens of nations with closer ties to the United States. “Iranians are about a third of the refugees on Manus but are only about

10 per cent of the ones interviewed so far,” said Ian Rintol, spokesman for the Refugee Action Coalition. “It seems there had been some discriminatory selection.” Representatives of Australia’s immigration minister, Peter Dutton, refused to comment. Despite their refugee status, many of those on Nauru and Manus Island have been held for four years in conditions widely criticised by the United Nations and human rights groups. Australia is under increased pressure to resettle asylum-seekers from Manus Island because that centre is due to close on October 31. Australia would need to make alternative arrangements should the bulk of the 800 men still be there by that deadline. Under Canberra’s hardline immigration policy, asylum-seekers intercepted at sea trying to reach Australia are sent for processing at the Manus Island and Nauru camps. They are told they will never be settled in Australia. — Reuters

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Trump’s UN speech redefines US role in the world ANDREW BEATTY

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resident Donald Trump’s debut speech at the United Nations featured sabre-rattling aplenty, but it also showed glimmers of a Trump doctrine that could transform America’s place in the world. It was described by one observer as a “42-minute tweetstorm” and by another as president George W. Bush’s “’axis of evil’ speech on steroids.” But in most respects, Trump’s first stint before the green marble rostrum was everything you might expect from the truculent, normshattering businessman-turned-politician. It was decidedly not what anyone would have expected from any of his 44 predecessors as president of the United States, and heralded a new style of American leadership in the global arena. Trump’s rhetoric — dubbing Kim Jong-un a “rocket man” on a “suicide mission” — was lapped up by supporters at home, but left allies around the world bewildered at the change that has gripped the world’s only superpower. Beyond the bellicose style, Trump demanded

a change in substance, making it clear he wants to turn the clock back on the last half-century’s growth of global rules and global institutions and return to the primacy of the nation state. Aides say Trump’s call for a strong nation state was not a rejection of multilateralism per se, but rather a rejection of a globalism that dilutes the will of the people. Allies were left with a renewed sense that “America First” will mean America alone. “In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch,” Trump said. The speech also showed the continued influence of advisors like Stephen Miller, who played a major role in drafting the address, and appears to be following in the footsteps of Barack Obama aide Ben Rhodes, who developed a huge amount of power by wielding the speechwriter’s pen. But Washington’s foreign policy establishment — not predisposed to praise Trump — pointed to numerous contradictions that put a question mark over the creation of any cohesive “Trump doctrine”.

Aides say Trump’s call for a strong nation state was not a rejection of multilateralism, but a rejection of globalism that dilutes will of the people While insisting that America no longer builds democracies, Trump called for democracy to prevail in Venezuela. US officials privately admit that any military option against North Korea would be potentially disastrous for allies in South Korea, within range of Pyongyang artillery loaded with chemical weapons. “He comes across as a man with no plan,” said Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution. “It will be seen as weak and directionless and full of bluster.” Above all, Trump’s critics question whether the clock can be rolled back to philosophies that dominated the less globalised world of the early

1900s. “Sovereignty in our era fundamentally requires close cooperation with other nations and with strong global institutions, which President Trump rejects,” said Barry Pavel, a veteran of policy-maker in Republican and Democratic administrations now with the Atlantic Council. That thinking still resonates with many of the diplomats, commanding officers and spooks — those dubbed the deep state by Trump supporters — who have largely continued with business as usual, despite the new White House occupants. Even Trump’s closest lieutenants, from Defence Secretary James Mattis to Vice President Mike Pence, have — without directly contradicting Trump — shaved off the rougher edges of his rhetoric. And, so far, Trump’s actions do not match his words. He has ripped up a trans-Pacific trade pact, but despite criticism has not yet left the Paris climate accord. That may change in the coming months as Trump’s team transposes speeches like that at the UN or in Warsaw into a formal National Security Strategy. — AFP

Wildlife pays the price of Kenya’s illegal grazing TRISTAN MCCONNELL t’s devastating. I’ve been following them every day of my life for the last year,” said Dedan Ngatia, a wild dog researcher in Kenya’s central Laikipia region. “They’re all dead.” Months of invasions by sometimes armed semi-nomadic herders, and tens of thousands of their livestock, have had a disastrous impact on the wildlife of a region heralded as a conservation success story. The large-scale walk-ons, driven by drought and politics, have begun to abate thanks to some rain and the completion of last month’s local elections. Now conservationists are beginning to count the cost. African wild dogs, elephants, buffalo, lions, giraffes, zebra and antelope have all been affected by shooting, starvation and disease, or by being forced out of their usual habitats. Canine distemper, a virus most likely caught from the pastoralists’ attendant mongrels, has wiped out scores of endangered wild dogs, including all seven packs studied by Ngatia, an ecologist at Laikipia’s Mpala Research Centre. Jamie Gaymer, conservation manager at Ol Jogi Ranch where packs of wild dogs roamed, watched as the last pack died, one by one, over the course of a week in July. Elephants have also died at a tremendous rate, with 84 deliberately killed in the first half of 2017, compared with 75 during the whole of 2016, according to date compiled by the Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme. Chronically endangered rhinos, such as the world’s three last remaining northern whites at Laikipia’s Ol Pejeta Conservancy, have personal armed bodyguards, but most wildlife does not enjoy close protection. Mugie Conservancy was one of the first to be invaded in late January. Elephants, giraffes and zebra were shot. Laikipia is a “stronghold” of the endangered reticulated giraffe, of which there are just 8,700 remaining with 80 per cent living in northern Kenya. Arthur Muneza, East Africa coordinator for the Giraffe Conservation Foundation said giraffes were killed for their meat or their tails, but the numbers are not yet known. Among the wildlife victims, lions appear to have fared better than most, said Alayne Cotterill, a biologist and founder of conservation and research organisation Lion Landscapes. But while the 250 or so lions in Laikipia do not appear to have been deliberately killed in large numbers, they have been forced out of their areas by the encroaching herders. — AFP

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Heat drives India’s farmers from fields to cities RINA CHANDRAN

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inod Kumar remembers a time when the fields in his village in the southern state of Tamil Nadu were green all year round. His family lived comfortably from its farmland of just over two acres, growing vegetables, coconuts and millet irrigated by the Cauvery river and the rain. But today, the 30-year-old drives a car for a living in the city of Chennai, 250 km away. On a recent journey back to the area where he grew up, he said he was far from the only migrant. “At this time of year, these fields should be green with paddy shoots - but no one seems to be farming,” said Kumar. Tamil Nadu endured its worst drought in more than a century after the monsoon rains failed last year - and the combination of lack of water and worsening heat is driving a gathering wave of migration. In Nagapattinam, in the Cauvery river delta region of southeast India, drought and irregular rainfall have blighted lives for about a decade now. As ponds and tanks dry up, causing crops to fail and cattle to languish, more people - like Kumar - are moving to cities. “Two-thirds of the country is in arid and semi-arid regions, so they are already susceptible to higher temperatures and less rainfall,” said Suruchi Bhadwal, an associate director at research organisation The Energy and Resources Institute, based in New Delhi. In the Cauvery basin, where

Tamil Nadu endures its worst drought in more than a century and the lack of water and worsening heat is driving a wave of migration

Nagapattinam is located, the maximum temperature is forecast to rise by 3.7 degrees Celsius by 2080, while the minimum temperature is seen rising 4.2 degrees Celsius, according to research by the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. That increase will cause grain yields to fall up to 40 per cent, scientists say. “We used to easily be able to harvest three crops a year. Now we can barely harvest a single crop,” said C. Subramaniam, a farmers’ leader in Vettaikaraniruppu village. “Forget water for farming. We don’t even have water for drinking,” he said. The amount of farmland available also is shrinking as salty sea water has surged inland, tainting the soil. Erosion is also a problem, with the Cauvery delta having shrunk by a fifth over the past four decades, according

to research by the Madras Institute of Development Studies. Tamil Nadu has been fighting a longrunning dispute with neighbouring Karnataka state over sharing the Cauvery river water, which is a lifeline for farmers. Only those who can afford to dig borehole wells are able to coax a living from the land. S. Murugan, who owns 20 acres of land in Karuvazhakarai village, installed a well five years ago, paying Rs 150,000 ($2,339) for it to be dug 100 feet deep. Now, as the water table falls from overuse, he is only able to pump enough water to cultivate half his land. Lush green rice paddies lie on one side of the road, barren fields on the other. “Today, you have to pay more, go 200250 feet to hit water. Plus there are barely any men left here to work on the fields,” he said. His own son is studying in Chennai and unlikely to return to the land. Nagapattinam’s young men - and increasingly its women - are migrating in growing numbers to the cities of Coimbatore and Tirupur to work in textile and apparel factories. Others go to Chennai and Bengaluru as security guards or drivers. Bala Murugan, 28, moved to the apparel hub of Tirupur to sew T-shirts years ago when his family could no longer earn enough from farming. Murugan doesn’t think he will ever return for good. — Reuters

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UPA failed to provide enough jobs: Rahul

OMANDAILYOBSERVER T H U R S DAY l S E P T E M B E R 2 1 l 2 0 1 7

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has admitted that the previous UPA government led by his party “could not deliver adequately” in creating jobs, and said the Modi government despite its promises has been unable to do so either.

No floor test, no elections in 18 seats: Madras HC CHENNAI: Declining a stay on the disqualification of 18 rebel AIADMK MLAs, the Madras High Court on Wednesday ordered that no floor test should be held in the assembly till further orders nor can by-elections be held in those assembly constituencies. Justice M Duraiswamy passed the order while hearing the petition from legislators owing allegiance to T T V Dinakaran challenging their disqualification by Speaker P Dhanapal on Monday and the DMK petition that sought an immediate floor test. The judge adjourned hearing in the case to October 4. The judge, while extending the stay on a floor test, also ordered that no by-elections will be held to the seats rendered vacant by the disqualification of MLAs. On a petition filed by the DMK, the court had last week directed that no floor test will be held till Wednesday. The DMK, which had petitioned the court to order Governor C Vidyasagar Rao to convene the assembly and ask Chief Minister K Palaniswami to prove his majority, claimed the court’s order was a “big victory” for the party and democracy. Party spokesman and lawyer Saravanan said it was an order arrived at with the “consent” of parties. Dushyant Dave, counsel for the 18 disqualified lawmakers, argued that the Speaker’s action was biased as no action was taken against the AIADMK MLAs who had voted against the confidence motion moved by the Chief Minister soon after assuming power earlier this year. He said the demand of the MLAs was only to change the Chief Minister and they still continue in the party. Dave wanted a stay on the Speaker’s order so that they can participate in a trial of strength in the assembly. On the other hand, Aryama Sundaram, counsel for the Speaker, maintained that the disqualification was as per law and sought time for filing his reply and documents in the case. Kapil Sibal, appearing for DMK, said there should be no floor test till the court decides on its petition seeking a trial of strength and the disqualification of MLAs. — IANS

IN BRIEF 78-day productivity linked bonus for railway staff

A girl walks on a road divider in a water-logged street in Mumbai on Wednesday. — Reuters

Heavy rains batter Mumbai yet again; air and rail traffic hit PARALYSED: Monsoon rains delayed services on the heavily-used suburban train network MUMBAI: Torrential rains battered Mumbai and parts of Maharashtra on Wednesday, disrupting normal life in the country’s financial capital. Flights were badly hit after a private airline skidded on Mumbai airport’s main runway, forcing its closure. Air India technicians were helping the airport authorities to remove the stuck SpiceJet aircraft to clear the main runway for regular operations. It is expected to open at 6 am on Thursday. Flights were landing on and taking off from a secondary and shorter runway, leading to huge delays, diversions, go-arounds and cancellations since Tuesday night, officials said. Since Tuesday night till Wednesday morning, over five dozen flights were diverted to Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Another more than 100 flights, including international ones, were cancelled. The IMD said Mumbai suburbs recorded a whopping 354 mm rainfall till Wednesday morning, making it the second highest downpour on a single day since the great Mumbai floods when the city experienced 945 mm rains. The previous high record was on August 29 when Mumbai recorded 316 mm rainfall. A 22-member Zimbabwe Under-19 team, which was supposed to reach Mumbai on Tuesday, was

A SpiceJet passenger aircraft Boeing 737-800 is seen after it overshoot the runway while landing on Tuesday night at the airport in Mumbai. — Reuters

stuck at the Nagpur airport and later accommodated in hotels. But Air India passengers stuck in Nagpur faced a harrowing time as the airline could not arrange for sufficient hotel rooms that were booked mostly by private airlines, said an official. A SpiceJet Boeing aircraft skidded due to the wet runway in Mumbai, triggering a chain of disruptions. All through Wednesday, heavy rains continued to clobber Mumbai, the entire coastal Konkan region and parts of western and northern Maharashtra, affecting normal life in various cities, towns and villages, for the second time in three weeks. As a precaution, Education Minister Vinod Tawde announced the closure

BRACING FOR NAVARATHRI FESTIVAL

A shopkeeper speaks on the phone while selling colourful traditional dolls of deities and characters from the Hindu mythology, used as a form of decoration during ‘Navarathri’ (nine nights) festival, in Bangalore on Wednesday. Navarathri, is a multi-day festival celebrated in the autumn every year beginning from September 21 this year. It is observed for different reasons and celebrated in the honour of the divine feminine incarnation of Durga. — AFP

FLIGHTS WERE LANDING ON AND TAKING OFF FROM A SECONDARY AND SHORTER RUNWAY, LEADING TO HUGE DELAYS, DIVERSIONS, GO-AROUNDS AND CANCELLATIONS SINCE TUESDAY NIGHT of all schools and colleges in Mumbai metropolitan region. Fortunately, the city’s critical lifeline, the suburban trains and the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply

and Transport (BEST) bus services, functioned all day, despite delays. The IMD, which had forecast heavy and widespread rains in the state till Saturday, revised its predictions for Mumbai and surrounding areas, which can now expect “intermittent rains for next two days in few places”. Till Wednesday morning, the IMD said Mumbai suburbs received 304 mm rains while the city experienced 210 mm rainfall. Mumbai’s famed Dabbawalas cancelled their normal delivery of 200,000 tiffin boxes to Mumbaikars on Wednesday. Several low-lying areas in central Mumbai like Parel and Dadar and some areas of the suburbs like Chembur, Kurla, Andheri, Malad, Borivali and Dahisar experienced water-logging, slowing down the morning officebound traffic. In the Konkan region, many towns and villages experienced water-logging in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Palghar districts, disrupting normal life. In Nashik, Kolhapur and Pune districts, torrential rains resulted in low-lying areas getting flooded in the major cities and hampering normal movement of people and traffic. There were reports of over a dozen people going missing, washed away in floodwaters and in the Arabian Sea but there was no official confirmation. — IANS

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved 78 days’ productivity-linked bonus (PLB) for about 12.30 lakh non-gazetted railway employees, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a press conference later, Jaitley said: “The Cabinet has approved 78 days’ productivity-linked bonus for non-gazetted rail employees for 2016-17.” He said that according to the existing formula, the PLB was for 72 days. “Six years ago there was a tradition of giving 78-day bonus.So, the Cabinet has approved the 78-day PLB,” the Finance Minister added. According to the government, about 12.30 lakh non-gazetted railway employees are likely to benefit from the decision. The payment will be made before Dussehra Puja holidays. The financial implication of payment of 78-day PLB to railway employees has been estimated at Rs 2,245.45 crore. The wage calculation ceiling prescribed for payment of PLB is Rs 7,000 per month. — IANS

IIM-C hunts for 50 ‘solutions’ that can transform country NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Management — Calcutta (IIM-C) on Wednesday launched an innovation hunt project to identify and fund 50 cutting-edge start-up projects that will target the socio-economic transformation of the country. Conceptualised in association with the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the ‘Smart Fifty — 50 Solutions to Transform India’ will accept entries nationally and internationally for the next six months. It will filter them at every step with a simultaneous increase in the funding corpus as it narrows entries. The IIM-C Innovation Project (IIMCIP) will help the selected few in real life know-how of sustaining their ventures and fundraising, while the DST will provide access to the start-up ecosystem and seed fund for prototyping. “We encourage sustainable, motivating, affordable, responsible, transformative or smart ideas and provide them necessary support so that they may create a positive impact in the country. We will provide mentorship, visibility and access to funds to the participants that will help them to take their venture to the next level,” IIMCIP Director Ashok Banerjee said at the launch here. The top 50 business ideas will get a seed grant of Rs 4 lakh each, and the top 10 will use a total grant of Rs 10 crore among themselves. — IANS

Country has averted a million child deaths since 2005: Study LONDON: India has avoided the deaths of about one million children under the age of five since 2005, largely due to a decrease in cases of preventable diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, tetanus and measles, a study published on Tuesday found. The study took a novel approach carrying out “verbal autopsies” as census staff knocked on more than 1.3 million doors to speak to households about infant mortality, in a country where many deaths occur at home and without medical attention. “It’s huge progress,” said Prabhat Jha, lead investigator of the survey. “The most important thing that India has done is actually count the deaths.” Jha said that the approach, which included using local languages and listening to parents tell unvarnished stories of their children’s deaths, was simple and cheap and could be replicated elsewhere. “(India) has got a simple way of counting the dead and describing causes that many countries could

The research published

in The Lancet is part of a wider Million Death Study taking place across India and is one of the largest studies of premature deaths in the world

adopt at low cost, this isn’t hard stuff, it just needs a bit of money and some political commitment,” he said. The research published in The Lancet, a medical journal, is part of a wider Million Death Study taking place across India and is one of the largest studies of premature deaths in the world. The study found that mortality rates from vaccine-preventable diseases such as tetanus and measles fell by about 90 per cent since 2005 while neonatal infection and birth trauma

fell by more than 66 per cent. For children aged one to 59 months, mortality rates from pneumonia and diarrhoea also fell by more than 60 per cent, according to the research. Improved female literacy rates, schemes paying women to deliver babies in hospitals and an increase in spending on public health by the Indian government have all contributed to the falling death rates. “It is clear that there is good progress in some states in India — but this is not shared across all communities,” said Vishal Chowla of Save the Children in India. “Access to healthcare remains unequal, and very low public spending means that the poor are often left to fend for themselves.” Worldwide, more than six million children die before their fifth birthday each year, according to the United Nations, with children born into poverty almost twice as likely to die before the age of five as those from wealthier families. — Thomson Reuters Foundation

world Two more arrests over London bombing Two men were arrested in Wales on Wednesday over last week’s London Underground terror attack in which 30 people were injured, bringing the total number of people in custody to five, police said. The men, aged 48 and 30, were arrested under anti-terrorism legislation in Newport in Wales, police said, after a 25-year-old man was arrested in the same city on Tuesday. Winds lash the coastal city of Fajardo as Hurricane Maria approaches Puerto Rico. — AFP

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Frantic search for survivors of deadly Mexico quake, 217 killed SHAKEN: Most agonizing search was at a school where 21 children were crushed to death

Hurricane Maria slams Puerto Rico with high rains SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico on Wednesday as the strongest storm to hit the US territory in nearly 90 years, ripping windows from their fixtures and sending debris hurtling through the streets as it approached the capital, San Juan. Maria, the second major hurricane to roar through the Caribbean this month, made landfall near Yabucoa, on the southwest coast of the island of 3.4 million people. Thousands of people were seeking safety in shelters. Carrying winds of 233 kph and driving high storm surges, Maria’s eye was located about 25 km southwest of San Juan at 9 am ET (1300 GMT), the US National Hurricane Centre said. Buildings trembled as the storm battered San Juan and sent torn off pieces of metal barricades clattering along streets. Broken windows, mangled awnings and gutters dangled haphazardly from buildings or were ripped off entirely. Toilets bubbled noisily and belched foul air as the hurricane rumbled through the city’s water and sewage lines.

On its passage through the Caribbean, Maria killed at least one person in the French territory of Guadeloupe and devastated the tiny island nation of Dominica. Hurricane Irma, which ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, also left a trail of destruction in several Caribbean islands and Florida this month, killing at least 84 people in the Caribbean and the US mainland. “We have not experienced an event of this magnitude in our modern history,” Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello said in a televised message on Tuesday. “Although it looks like a direct hit with major damage to Puerto Rico is inevitable, I ask for America’s prayers,” he said, adding the government had set up 500 shelters. Maria was expected to dump as much as 25 inches of rain on parts of Puerto Rico, the NHC said. Storm surges, when hurricanes push ocean water dangerously over normal levels, could be up to 9 feet. The heavy rainfall could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, it added. — Reuters

MEXICO CITY: Rescue teams kept up a desperate search Wednesday for survivors of a powerful earthquake that killed at least 217 people in Mexico on the anniversary of another massive quake that still haunts the country. Soldiers, police and civilian volunteers worked through the night after Tuesday’s 7.1-magnitude quake, hoping to find survivors beneath the mangled remains of collapsed buildings in Mexico City and across a swath of central states. “The armed forces and federal police will continue working non-stop until every possibility of finding more people alive is exhausted,” Interior Minister Miguel Osorio Chong said on Twitter. The most agonizing search was at a school in the capital where 21 children and five adults were crushed to death, and where at least 30 children were still missing. The nation’s attention was fixed on the school, the Enrique Rebsamen elementary and middle school on Mexico City’s south side. Hundreds of soldiers, police and volunteers wrestled with the wreckage through the night trying to extract a teacher and two students found alive beneath the rubble. President Enrique Pena Nieto, who rushed to the site, warned that the death toll could rise. Suspicion was already mounting of shoddy building standards at the school. The three-storey building “ought to have had in-built earthquake resilience,” said geoscience professor

More than 50 countries — none from Nato — sign treaty for nuclear ban NEW YORK/BRUSSELS: More than 50 nations signed a treaty calling for a global ban on nuclear weapons at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. None of them possess nuclear arms or belong to the powerful Nato military alliance. Brazilian President Michel Temer was the first world leader to sign the agreement, which 122 of the 193 UN member states committed to in July. Calling the agreement a “milestone” at a time when the world is plagued by increasing concerns about the “catastrophic” consequences of nuclear warfare, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres recalled the devastation caused by nuclear weapons in Japan during World War II. “The heroic survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — the

Hibakusha — continue to remind us of the devastating humanitarian consequences ofnuclear weapons. “Their testimony has provided moving and moral impetus for the negotiation of this Treaty,” Guterres said during the signing ceremony, adding that there are more than 15,000 “doomsday weapons” in existence today. The treaty is opposed by dozens of countries, including those belonging to Nato. The military alliance said on Wednesday that the treaty “will not be effective.” It could instead heighten security threats and create divisions on the path to global nuclear disarmament. The North Atlantic Council, Nato’s political decision-making body, said the allied countries would not join the treaty, saying

it “disregards the realities of the increasingly challenging international security environment.” “At a time when the world needs to remain united in the face of growing threats, in particular the grave threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear programme, the treaty fails to take into account these urgent security challenges,” Nato said. “As long as nuclear weapons exist, Nato will remain a nuclear alliance.” The alliance noted that the treaty would not change “legal obligations on our countries with respect to nuclear weapons.” The United States and Russia have the most war heads, while Britain, France, China, India and Pakistan are also nuclear powers. Israel has never admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, but has also not denied that they are a nuclear power. — dpa

IRANIAN PRESIDENT AT UN

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday. — Reuters

Rescuers, firefighters, policemen, soldiers and volunteers search for survivors in a flattened building in Mexico City on Wednesday. — AFP

David Rothery of the Open University in Britain. “Had it been properly constructed it should not have collapsed, and I expect questions will be asked about whether the appropriate building codes were adhered to.” Parks and plazas in the centre of Mexico City were meanwhile flooded with people unable or afraid to return home for the night after the quake caused their walls to sway and crack. At Parque Mexico, in the swank neighbourhood of Condesa, nervous evacuees set up an impromptu kitchen

to serve meals for rescue workers. The destruction revived haunting memories in Mexico on the anniversary of another massive quake in 1985 that killed more than 10,000 people, the disaster-prone country’s deadliest ever. Tuesday’s quake struck just two hours after Mexico held a national earthquake drill, as it does every September 19 to remember the 1985 event. Adding to the national sense of vulnerability, the earthquake struck just 12 days after another quake that

killed nearly 100 people in southern Mexico. Experts said the two quakes did not appear to be related, as their epicentres were far apart. Mexico sits atop five tectonic plates, making it particularly vulnerable to earthquakes. The death toll as of early Wednesday was 217, the head of the national disaster response agency, Luis Felipe Puente, wrote on Twitter. There were 86 dead in Mexico City, 71 in Morelos, 43 in Puebla, 12 in Mexico state, four in Guerrero and one in Oaxaca, he said. — AFP

Kenya court blames polls commission NAIROBI: Kenya’s Supreme Court on Wednesday blamed the election commission for last month’s annulled presidential vote, rebuking officials for bungling the transmission of results and basing the outcome on dubious documents. The full ruling detailing the court’s shock decision on September 1 to annul President Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory struck a searing blow to the credibility of the election commission, casting doubt on its ability to organise a new poll in less than a month. Deputy chief justice Philomena Mwilu described “disturbing, if not startling, revelations” about the conduct of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and singled it out for ignoring a Supreme Court order to open up its computer servers after opposition allegations of hacking. The four judges who decided in a majority decision to annul the vote also said the election commission had failed to verify the numbers

National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition supporters demonstrate outside the Supreme Court in Nairobi on Wednesday during the delivery of a detailed ruling laying out the court’s reasons for annulling last month’s presidential election. — AFP

before declaring Kenyatta winner. Two dissenting judges were delivering separate judgements. Lawyers for Raila Odinga’s National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition last month challenged Kenyatta’s reelection alleging rigging, hacking and tampering with results. On the hacking charge, the IEBC

was excoriated for failing to provide the evidence and access that could have cleared up some of Odinga’s claims. “Our order of scrutiny was a golden opportunity for the IEBC to place before the court evidence to debunk the petitioner’s claim,” Mwilu read from the court’s detailed — AFP judgement.

London’s Parliament Square to get its first statue of a woman LONDON: A century after she successfully campaigned to win women the right to vote, British suffragette Millicent Fawcett will become to first women honoured with a statue in London’s Parliament Square. Plans to erect the bronze monument next to those of Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and nine other historic male figures received the final go ahead on Tuesday, London City Hall said. Authorities hoped to unveil the “long overdue” statue in time for the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act, which gave some women the right to vote for the first time, said London’s Mayor, Sadiq

Khan. “We want this statue to depict the strength and determination of the women who dedicated their lives to the fight for women’s suffrage and to inspire many generations to come,” Khan said in a statement. Fawcett, who formed the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies in 1897, spent decades advocating for equal rights for women, including voting rights and access to higher education. The idea for the statue gained momentum following an online petition which garnered more than 80,000 signatures and was backed by Harry Potter author J K Rowling and actress Emma Watson.

The contemporary monument will depict Fawcett at the age of 50 holding a placard reading “courage calls to courage everywhere”— a quote from a speech she gave following the death of fellow suffragette, Emily Davison, who died after running out in front of the king’s horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby. Designed by Turner Prize-winning artist Gillian Wearing it will be the first created by a woman to adorn the iconic square in front of Britain’s houses of parliament. “I am really delighted that planning has been granted, now Millicent Fawcett’s statue can stand as an equal amongst male statues in Parliament Square,” said Wearing. — Thomson Reuters Foundation

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TEST OF SKILL: First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon plays a block stacking game as she meets young carers during a visit to the Edinburgh Young Carers Project in Edinburgh on Wednesday. — AFP

FIRE IN THE SKY: Military jets fly during the joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises Zapad-2017 (West2017) at a training ground near the town of Borisov on Wednesday. — AFP

A century on, royal family’s letters return to Russia SAINT PETERSBURG: From telegrams about hunting parties to anguished letters over the Bolshevik takeover, a trove of documents detailing the private lives of Russia’s Romanov family has returned home 100 years after the 1917 revolution. The archive, containing letters, photographs and drawings, was taken to Europe by members of the royal family who fled the chaos and persecutions of the revolution. In July, the state-owned Russian bank Sberbank bought the archive for 70,000 euros ($84,000) after its owner, who did not want to be identified, put them up for sale.

Now, as the country marks the centenary of the end of royal rule, the collection has gone on display at a museum in Tsarskoye Selo, the former summer residence of the tsars on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg. “These letters and telegrams reveal the everyday life of the imperial family, whose members truly loved each other,” Irina Raspopova, a conservationist at the museum, said. “These archives are of huge interest to researchers. We were lucky to find them,” she said. The collection, which counts over 200 pieces dating from 1860 to 1928, features letters written by Tsar Nicholas II, Russia’s last, as well

Part of the collection of documents displayed revealing the everyday life of the imperial Romanov family. — AFP

AGRI ART: A image of Chinese traditional beauty made using different varieties of rice is seen in a paddy during the harvest season in Shenyang in China’s northeast Liaoning province on Wednesday. The design aims to promote tourism in the area and boosts the income of local farmers. — AFP

as his wife Alexandra Fyodorovna, his father Alexander III and several other Romanov family members. The documents, written in Russian, French and English on paper yellowed by time, show the pampered daily lives and leisure of the Russian royalty. In a telegram to his daughter Ksenia from the year before he died in 1895, Alexander III grumbles about a relatively unsuccessful shooting expedition. “This is not going very well. But I have hunted and killed eleven pheasants,” he wrote. But the tone grows grimmer as the tumultuous events of 1917 unfold — from the fall of the monarchy to the

Communist seizure of power by the end of the year. “All relations with the revolutionaries are ruined,” Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, uncle of the last tsar Nicholas II, wrote the day Vladimir Lenin’s revolutionary forces stormed the Winter Palace. “It is likely that the Bolsheviks will win.” “Alas, all of our friends are awaiting a place where there is neither joy or regret,” he recorded in his final letter in February 1918. Several months later in July the Bolsheviks executed Nicholas II and his family in the central Russian city of Yekaterinburg. — AFP

INNOVATION: Members of the University of New South Wales Sunswift team pose with their new car ‘Violet’ during testing in Penrith western Sydney, Australia. — Reuters

Maiden mid-air refuel ensures supplies to Antarctic station

SMILE PLEASE: Drum dancers pose for photos in front of the first Airbus A330 plane to be delivered before the inauguration ceremony of the Airbus A330 Completion and Delivery Centre in Tianjin, China on Wednesday. — AFP

SYDNEY: Researchers at a remote Australian Antarctic station have received their first-ever food drop from a plane on Tuesday after a successful maiden mid-air refuelling over the icy region. The new delivery mode means cargo can be parachuted year-round to scientists. Previously they had to wait up to two weeks for supplies to be shipped in by sea, and ships only operate between October and April. A Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster III was topped up on Tuesday by a tanker aircraft 22,000 feet above the Southern Ocean, around halfway through its 10,000 kilometre round trip from an airbase near Melbourne to the isolated Davis station and back. “The airdrop included fresh food, medical supplies and mail for the 17

expeditioners who have spent the past six months wintering at the station,” Australian Antarctic Division official Matt Filipowski said. “It’s hoped, in the future, this capability will allow us to preposition equipment and supplies for station and science projects before the shipping season starts, so it’s all ready to go when the first summer expeditioners arrive,” he added. Some 15 pallets weighing 700 kilograms were dropped in the trial run, with plans to use the method to keep Australia’s three Antarctic stations well-stocked throughout the year. The country also has one subAntarctic station, with all four manned year-round for projects including research into wildlife and climate change. — AFP

ZOO INMATE: Visitors feed a giraffe at the Pairi Daiza wildlife park, a zoo and botanical garden in Brugelette, Belgium, on Wednesday. — Reuters

THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

business STOCKS STEADY, DOLLAR SHAKY AS INVESTORS WAIT ON FED P16

HOW $5 BILLION OF DEBT CAUGHT UP WITH TOYS ‘R’ US P17

Concept developed for new water and wastewater sector structure

MUSCAT STOCK MARKET

5,042.28

CRUDE OIL PRICE Oman Crude Brent Crude Light Crude

$ 54.33 $ 55.46 $ 50.32

follow us @oman_biz www.omanobserver.om [email protected]

CHINA RISES AT FRANKFURT CAR SHOW P20

Sohar Aluminium re-energises potline

STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS: Privatisation study of MEDC completed CONRAD PRABHU MUSCAT, SEPT 20 A multinational team of advisers has helped develop a concept for a new operational structure through which water and wastewater infrastructure and services will be delivered throughout Oman, according to a top official of Nama Holding (formerly The Electricity Holding Company). Hassan Mohammed al Lawati, Chairman, stated the conceptualisation study was led by Maxwell Stamp PLC, the well-known London-based independent firm specialising in the provision of worldclass economics and related consulting services to public and private sector organisations around the globe. The appointments were made in 2016 in response to a request from the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW), which has tasked Nama Holding with overseeing the landmark exercise for restructuring the water and wastewater sector in the Sultanate. “In 2016, (Nama Holding), at the request of PAEW, appointed the consulting economists Maxwell Stamp, supported by a French engineering

The appointments were made in 2016 in response to a request from the PAEW which has tasked Nama Holding with overseeing the landmark exercise for restructuring the water and wastewater sector in the Sultanate

consultancy and an Omani law firm, to advise on the ‘Design of a New Operational Structure for the Water and Wastewater Sector and Development of a Plan to implement the New Structure’,” said Al Lawati. “Under NH’s management, Maxwell Stamp worked with all key stakeholders in the water and wastewater sector to develop a concept for a new operational

structure through which water and wastewater infrastructure and services will be delivered throughout Oman,” he added in the Chairman’s Report prefacing Nama Holding’s Annual Report for 2016 published on its website on Wednesday. Significantly, Nama Holding has also completed the study into a proposal for the privatisation of Muscat Electricity Distribution

Company (MEDC), one of nine subsidiaries of Nama Group. “Based on a request from the Public Authority for Electricity & Water (PAEW), and as per the directives from the Ministry of Finance, (Nama Holding) have completed the study of MEDC’s Privatisation in 2016 which presented a review of the technical, financial and legal due diligence,” the Chairman said. TURN TO PAGE 15

BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT, SEPT 20 Sohar Aluminium has confirmed that it has re-energised the potline, which was the subject of an incident occurring at the plant on August 4. Consequently, the process of restarting the pots and the production of aluminium began on Friday, September 15, 2017, a top official said. “The company is still working closely with a team of industry experts to progressively return to full production levels as early as possible. The company wishes to thank all its employees for the positive progress and this major milestone

towards a quick return to full production while keeping safety as a primary focus,” said Said al Masoudi, the Chief Executive Officer of Sohar Aluminium. As hosts of the 21st edition of the Arab International Aluminium Conference (ARABAL), Sohar Aluminium will also be taking the conference delegates on an exclusive site visit to its plant and facilities, to showcase its production capabilities in the most transparent way. “Sohar Aluminium remains committed to demonstrating excellence and efficiency in its operations and is accountable to its entire stakeholder community,” Al Masoudi added.

Asia firms’ sentiment slips on geopolitical tensions MUMBAI: Business confidence among Asian companies fell for the first time in three quarters in JulySeptember as escalating geopolitical tensions outweighed an improved performance by most economies in the region, a survey showed. The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index, representing the six-month outlook of 86 firms, slipped to 69 for the September quarter from 74 three months before. The decline was the first drop from a previous quarter since the final quarter of 2016. A reading above 50 indicates a positive outlook. While China, India and South Korea led the fall in sentiment in the third quarter, reflecting regional tensions and sluggish growth, most Southeast Asian economies and Australia put in a stable performance, limiting the downside in the overall index. “Companies expressed concerns this quarter about trade and diplomatic tensions not only in the region but also in the world,” said Antonio Fatas, a Singapore-based economics professor at global business school INSEAD. “This brought the index down, in a reflection of cautiousness because of the potential risks that could derail the

An employee works at an assembly line of Hyundai Motor’s plant in Asan, South Korea. — Reuters

current state of the economy,” he said. South Korea’s sub-index fell the steepest among its peers in the survey, dropping to 50 from 75 in the previous quarter. The country has been rattled by North Korea’s series of nuclear tests and missile launches, although a war on the Korean peninsula is seen as unlikely. Trade friction with China has also risen over Seoul’s deployment of a US anti-missile system to counter the North Korean threat, as Beijing fears

the system’s radar can penetrate its territory. China, upon which much of Asia depends for trade, saw its subindex fall to 63, its lowest since the last quarter of 2015. Its gross domestic product rose 6.9 per cent in the second quarter but growth is expected to slow on tighter debt regulations. India fell to 63 from 82 in AprilJune, a level last seen in the second quarter of 2013. Growth at Asia’s third-largest

economy slowed to its lowest in three years to 5.7 per cent in April-June and is expected to stay muted on a lack of private investment. Australia’s sub-index inched up to 69 from 67 in the June quarter, and Singapore’s rose to 64 from 62. Sentiment climbed the most in Indonesia in the September quarter, with a 17 point jump in its sub-index to 100, its highest since the second quarter of 2013, though the survey pool was small with only three firms participating. The sub-index for three other economies — Malaysia, Philippines and Taiwan — remained unchanged over the previous quarter. The pace at which global central banks tighten their accommodative

The pace at which global central banks tighten their accommodative monetary policies is set to be one of the biggest factors for Asia business sentiment in the quarters ahead monetary policies is set to be one of the biggest factors for Asia business sentiment in the quarters ahead. “More than geopolitical tensions, policy normalisation by global central

banks and firming up of oil prices are a bigger issue for Asian economies,” said Radhika Rao, chief economist at DBS in Singapore. While Canada has already hiked rates twice in recent months and the Bank of England warned of rate hike possibilities, all eyes are now on the US Federal Reserve’s decision on Wednesday where it is likely to take another step towards policy normalisation. But a major shift in business sentiment either way is unlikely. “The technology-oriented and commodity exporting countries will do well in Asia but overall I expect a status quo in sentiments going ahead, barring a reversal in oil prices,” DBS’s Rao said. — Reuters

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21.6 million barrels of oil auctioned on DME BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT, SEPT 20 Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME), the premier international energy futures and commodities exchange in the Middle East, concluded its latest auction on Wednesday on behalf of Iraq’s National Oil Company, SOMO. The 2-million barrel cargo of Basrah Light was awarded at a premium of $0.13 per barrel over the November Basrah Light Official Selling Price (OSP). 20 companies participated in the auction with 14 bids received during the two-minute auction. DME has now hosted 13 auctions on its platform since January 2016, with a total of 21.6 million barrels sold, generating premiums totalling $13.7 million. Four different crude grades have been sold via the the platform including Oman crude oil blend, Basrah Light, Basrah Heavy and Malaysian Kimanis. Ahmad Sharaf, Chairman, DME said: “DME auctions allows sellers to access a large pool of potential buyers and what would take many hours of phone conversations can now be accomplished during a two-minute auction period.” More than 60 companies from around the globe are registered to participate in DME auctions.

Khimji Ramdas’ Eshraqa international scholars leave for Canada MUSCAT: The Khimji Ramdas International Scholarship under the Takatuf programme has given two bright young Omani students a wonderful opportunity to jumpstart their academic ambitions overseas. Rashid al Abri and Narjis al Dhuhli from Buraimi and Rustaq recently bid adieu to family, friends and the Eshraqa team to board the 14-hour flight to their new educational campus at St Michaels University School, Canada. Nailesh Khimji, Director, KR, had awarded the six-year scholarship to the two students earlier this year, as part of Eshraqa’s education focus, which strives to provide Omani youth with the best opportunities for higher education by giving them access to reputed institutions and academic programmes in Oman and abroad. Wishing the students every success in their future endeavours, Nailesh Khimji, said, “We are very excited for the two candidates who represent the best talent from the group that was shortlisted for the programme. We wish them every success in their academic ambitions and hope they emerge in flying colours to pursue even greater opportunities. Education is one of the key pillars of Eshraqa; the other two are health and community well-being.”

Malabar Gold & Diamonds recognised as ‘Superbrand’ “The success of DME auctions underlines the need for price discovery mechanisms in the region and greater transparency. It has enabled national oil companies to assess their monthly official selling price and adjust it to find fair value for national resources,” added Sharaf. Additionally, DME is working on a reverse auction, where buyers can procure commodities to meet domestic demand. Launched in 2007, DME has rapidly grown into a globally relevant exchange. Its flagship Oman Crude Oil Futures Contract (DME Oman) contract is now firmly established as the most credible crude oil benchmark

relevant to the rapidly growing East of Suez market. Reflecting the economics of the Asian region like no other contract, and the largest physically delivered crude oil futures contract in the world, DME Oman is the world’s third crude oil benchmark and the sole benchmark for Oman and Dubai exported crude oil. DME is a joint venture between Dubai Holding, Oman Investment Fund and CME Group. Global financial institutions and energy trading firms including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Shell, Vitol and Concord Energy also hold equity stakes in the DME.

First smart offices and solar power for buildings exhibition all set in Suhar BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT, SEPT 20 Wadi Nile Exhibition and Festival Organiser Co has recently signed a sponsorship agreement with the MecaMac company, which is a leading company in installation of remote control systems in buildings, offices, and smart homes, in order to sponsor the first exhibition of smart offices and solar for buildings, houses, and cities. The exhibition will be held in Oman Exhibition Centre in Suhar from September 24-25 in 2017. “We are delighted to work with MecaMac Company, which is the strategic partner for the exhibition, and Sandan Development Co, Taj project, and Aram office and home furniture for the first specialised exhibition for smart offices and solar power for building and cities,” said Fadi Zuhair al Haj, General Manager of Wadi Nile Exhibition

BUSINESS ALERT

MALABAR Gold & Diamonds, one among the Big 5 jewellery retailers globally with a strong retail network of over 180 retail outlets spread across nine countries, has been recognised with prestigious ‘Superbrand’ award by the Superbrands council. Malabar Gold and Diamonds is being awarded Superbrand status for the fifth time in a row. Superbrands organisation, the independent authority and arbiter of branding, announced the achievement in the 13th annual Superbrands tribute event, which was held to honour the UAE’s strongest brands at InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City on September 17, 2017. Speaking on the occasion, Shamlal Ahamed,

Lincoln MKC with offer – manoeuvre through life conveniently THE Lincoln MKC is an SUV that offers stress-free experiences. Designed and engineered with the customer in mind, the MKC makes for a perfect vehicle to get through life’s demands in convenience and luxury. Take for instance, a warm sunny day, where one may have their hands full with essential grocery items or even may be the latest in fashion wear. Normally flipping through the handbag or pockets to locate the vehicle key to unlock the trunk lid would be the obvious practice. During this search one would obviously turn a juggler to avoid placing those shopping bags on the street. Surprisingly in the Lincoln MKC, with the Hands-free Liftgate all one would require to do is confidently motion their foot under the rear end of the MKC and watch the trunk open. More like a wish come true. Now if one is headed to the next destination immediately to cash in on a special offer or a latest limited period offering, there’s bound to be crowd and cars and challenging parking slots. But in an MKC with the Active Park Assist with Park Out Assist, parking in such challenging slots is more like a cakewalk.

Ooredoo delivers fast home broadband across Oman

and Festival Organiser Co. He added that this exhibition would help many company and projects owners to learn more about smart office and solar energy and take the advantage of them in their daily lives. Further, these smart offices exhibition aims to introduce companies that supply and install solar systems in factories, commercial projects, and in homes. The exhibition is expected to be attended by many local companies

as well as small and medium enterprises, which work in the field of solar energy and technology companies. “This exhibition is an opportunity to inform the public and business owners about smart office and help them to control their offices and their company even while they are travelling,” said Anas Jodi the Chief Executive Officer of MecaMac Company.

Insta8 and Omantel collaborate on ‘Amazing Happens Together’ BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT, SEPT 20 Solo performers can shine but ‘Amazing Happens Together’ believes Fahmi al Abdulsalam, Owner of Eventus who created Insta8 and is partnering with Omantel for the upcoming event session today, September 21, at The National Museum. The event will have participants from varied fields who believe that you don’t have to do it alone even though you may have the potential. To take things to the next level and make it big, the key word is collaboration. Eight motivators will speak on this topic for 8 minutes in 8 moments addressing topics within the instagram sphere. The informal gathering will provide an opportunity for people to network, share ideas and discuss, exchange stories of working with other people and insights into facts that have never been told before, encourage people to work together to get better results and most important, to follow and get followed. Hamdan Moosa al Harassi General Manager, Marketing Communication & Performance at Omantel said: “Omantel is delighted to sponsor Insta8 as part of our ‘Amazing Happens Together’ campaign that is designed to evoke positive emotions and create dialogue with our community by reminding them of the importance of everyday human connections. Insta8 will provide a platform for the online community in Oman to network and exchange creative

Managing Director – International Op erations, Malabar Gold & Diamonds said ‘We are honoured to receive ‘Superbrand’ award for the fifth consecutive year and this is a direct testimony of the quality services delivered by the team to our increasing customer segments. Such acceptance gives us the motivation to strengthen and further enhance our presence globally.”

THE expansion of Ooredoo’s Fast Home Broadband network now covers even more wilayats, to allow customers to enjoy the Internet even more. As the Sultanate’s data experience leaders, the growing reach of Ooreodo’s Fast Home Broadband services is delivering buffer-free, uninterrupted and secure high-speed Internet to communities across Oman. The long list of areas that are currently covered by Ooredoo’ home broadband network include major cities within the governorates of Dhofar, Al Dakhiliyah, Muscat, Al Batinah, Al Sharqiyah, Al Dhahirah, Al Buraimi and Musandam.

The landmark expansions put thousands more users well within the company’s range. Feras bin Abdallah al Sheikh (pictured), Director of Consumer Sales at Ooredoo, said, “We have continued to heavily invest in expanding the coverage of our Home Broadband services, offering even larger numbers of customers the integrated Internet bundles we feel they deserve. Our Fast Home Broadband delivers on our promise of uninterrupted and seamless connectivity, coming in with one to two-year plans and up to 500GB of monthly data.”

Genesis lounge in Muscat City Centre attracts luxury car buyers GENESIS G90 luxury car on display in the Genesis lounge in leisure court, Muscat City Centre is attracting luxury car buyers across age groups. Offering superior levels of comfort and technology, advanced safety & driver assistance features, and a choice of three V6 and V8 engines, the G90 has been engineered from the ground up to offer elite customers a distinctive choice. The newest luxury car brand, the Genesis currently offers 2 luxury car models, G90 and G80. The impressive full-size G90 sedan is the flagship of the Genesis brand. Genesis aims to create cars around customers’ unique lifestyles, with a strong emphasis on originality. The G90 is a powerful representation of the new brand’s ‘Athletic Elegance’ design language, which will be carried through to future Genesis products. The sedan creates a strong first impression on the road, with a prominent bonnet, long wheelbase and short front and rear overhangs creating an immediate sense of purpose. The passenger cabin is lovingly crafted from the finest materials and textures, and with meticulous attention to detail.

Nissan Kicks adjudged ‘Best Buy of 2017’ in Brazil ideas and foster a collaborative environment.” Among the eight speakers will be Her Highness Basma al Said, a mental health counsellor at Sultan Qaboos University and the force behind Wispers of Serenity Clinic, Oman’s first mental health clinic that takes a holistic approach to mental well-being. Other prominent speakers will include Muhannad al Adwani, an Omani actor who along with singer Mohammed al Minji, shot to fame with Omani version of Despacito, a satirical clip that highlights the expectation of high dowries from men in the Sultanate. The video went viral crossing four million views and has also been featured on BBC Trending.

NISSAN Kicks, the innovative, stylish and functional crossover, has been named the ‘Best Buy of 2017’ by the prestigious magazine ‘Quatro Rodas’ in Brazil. This comes after winning six other significant awards in Brazil and Latin America, including ‘Best SUV of 2017’ from FIPA (Inter-American Federation of Automotive Journalists), ‘Best Crossover of Latin America’ by Americar’s, ‘Best Compact SUV’ by L’Auto Preferita’s (Brazil), ‘Best Imported SUV’ from Top Car TV, ‘Best SUV of the Year’ and ‘The Best’ by Car and Driver magazine in Brazil. A spokesperson for Nissan Oman, from the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA) said, “We are

delighted with this global recognition but we are not surprised. In Oman too, Nissan Kicks is gaining more and more popularity. Nissan Kicks was developed with the aim of delivering the most innovative, stylish and functional crossover in its class. The crossover has class-leading fuel efficiency, thanks to its advanced 1.6-litre engine and lightweight platform.

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Oman, South Korea discuss cooperation in SEZAD BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT, SEPT 20 Yahya bin Said bin Abdullah al Jabri, Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (SEZAD), received Son Byeong-Suk, Vice Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), Republic of South Korea, in his office at Knowledge Oasis Muscat yesterday. The delegation accompanying Son Byeong-Suk included senior Korean officials and representatives of Korean companies in the petrochemical, IT, infrastructure, energy and railway sectors. During the meeting, both

sides discussed cooperation in the development of SEZAD. The Korean side was acquainted with the projects in the Special

PDO hosts professional Omani translator event

BUSINESS REPORTER MUSCAT, SEPT 20 Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has staged “Omani Translators Forum”, bringing together professional translators from various organisations to discuss best practice and debate themes relevant to their profession. The event was held at the Golden Tulip Hotel at Seeb under the auspices of Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi, Minister of Health. The theme of the forum, which follows an inaugural event last September, was book translation and there were six presentation papers on different topics related to the subject. The main speakers were prominent poet Hassan al Matrushi, who related his experience of translating two books and Sohar College of Applied Sciences’ Instructor Ahmed al Mueini, author of the awardwinning blog “More Than One Life” and founder of the recently opened Rawazin Bookshop in Al Khoudh. included Other speakers Mohammed al Hijri, Head of Translation at the Public Prosecution Office, Abdullah al Ajmi, Senior Translator at the Sultan Qaboos

Higher Centre for Culture and Science, and Sheikha al Jassasi, Translation Specialist at the Information Technology Authority. Attendees came from a variety of organisations and numbered translation professionals and enthusiasts, students from Sultan Qaboos, Suhar and Nizwa Universities, distinguished writers and chairmen of cultural institutions such as the Literary Forum, Omani Society for Writers and Literati and Ghasham House for Publishing and Translation. The PDO Translation team, which has established a leading reputation for its work on Arabic and English texts, staged the event as part of its continued endeavours to build a centre of excellence for translation services and skills in the Sultanate. PDO’s Head of Translation Services Saleh al Alawi said, “We staged a similar event last year and wanted to build on its success. One of the key aims of the forum was to empower young Omani translators and offer an opportunity to share knowledge, connect and network with other translators in the country.

Concept developed for new water and wastewater sector structure FROM PAGE 13 Among other highlights of the past year, Nama Group successfully delivered on a number of financing objectives set out in its Lamar Project launched in 2014, Al Lawati said. The project was aimed at raising longterm funding to support the Group’s capital expenditure and transmission network, as well as to refinance the existing short-term borrowings. Tranche 1 of the fund-raising for a total amount of RO 1.022 billion was successfully completed last year. It includes the successful raising of the equivalent of RO 795 million in the bonds and loan market as funding for Oman Electricity Transmission Company (OETC), Muscat Electricity Distribution Company (MEDC) and Mazoon Electricity Company (MZEC), an exercise that was completed in 2015. Completing Tranche 1 was the raising, in 2016, of the equivalent of RO 227 million

in funding for Majan Electricity Company (RO 127 million) and Dhofar Power Co (RO 100 million). Also in 2016, Nama Holding floated a tender to appoint arrangers and advisers for Tranche II fundraising to raise a combined estimated amount of RO 750m for the same companies that participated in Tranche I and in addition to Rural Areas Electricity Company, said Al Lawati. “The arrangers and advisers are required to advise and execute the strategy covering the funding quantum, sources, markets, tenors and associated requirements to support the capital expenditure programme of the borrowers for the years 2017 and 2018. Nama Holding successfully refinanced RO 100 million short term loan facility for RAECO for a period of 6+3 months, to be refinanced by the long-term fund-raising planned under Tranche II,” he said.

Economic Zone in Duqm (SEZD) in terms of infrastructure and private sector investments. Al Jabri welcomed the desire of

the Korean side to invest in SEZD and highlighted its advantages and the incentives offered by SEZAD to investors. For his part, Son Byeong-

Suk expressed his admiration for the development plans witnessed by the Sultanate and the progress achieved in various fields, referring to the economic cooperation between the two countries and the desire of the Korean side to develop it to broader horizons. During the meeting, the Korean side gave an overview of the Korean economy, the potential of Korean companies, particularly in the ICT and infrastructure sectors, and South Korea’s efforts in the field of smart cities. The Korean side expressed hope that the Sultanate would benefit from the progress made by Korea in this

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

field. SEZAD provided a presentation of SEZD and its strategic location on the Arabian Sea overlooking the Indian Ocean and its proximity to the international shipping lines, advantages and incentives offered by SEZAD to investors, and availability of large plots of land to invest in Industrial and commercial sectors, building hotels and resorts, real estate development and logistics services. At the end of the meeting, the two sides expressed their desire to strengthen the existing cooperation between them and participate in a number of economic projects for the benefit of the two friendly countries.

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TOKYO: Asian stocks were mostly steady on Wednesday after Wall Street again rose to record highs, although movements were limited as a waitand-see mood prevailed before the Federal Reserve reveals its monetary policy stance later in the day. Spreadbetters expected Britain’s FTSE to start unchanged and Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC to each open down about 0.1 per cent. The caution in financial markets ahead of the Fed has kept some investors from making sharper adjustments to their positions despite potentially higher tensions over the Korean peninsula following hawkish statements from US President Donald Trump overnight. The Fed is due to announce its decision at 1800 GMT on Wednesday and is widely expected to keep rates unchanged after a two-day meeting but could begin paring its bond holdings, with reductions likely to start in coming months. The financial markets will also sift through the “dot plot” representing Fed policymakers’ rate projections for any hints of a rate hike in December. MSCI’s broadest index of AsiaPacific shares outside Japan was up 0.05 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei was effectively flat. Shanghai added 0.3 per cent while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.2 per cent. The three major US stock indexes edged higher on Tuesday, logging record closes, with financial stocks providing the biggest boost. “A benign outcome for equities would be the Fed going somewhere in

Oil rises after possible Opec cut extension

A man looks at an electronic board displaying the Nikkei average outside a brokerage in Tokyo.

between being too passive on reducing its bond holdings and too aggressive in hiking interest rates,” said Soichiro Monji, Chief Strategist at Daiwa SB Investments in Tokyo. “There may be some speculation towards the Fed sounding slightly dovish, but over the last few weeks hawkish rhetoric has come into vogue globally as demonstrated by the Bank of Canada and Bank of England,” he said. The Canadian central bank hiked interest rates this month and left the door open for more tightening, while

a BoE policymaker hinted last week that it might need to raise rates in the coming months. Expectations for the Fed to raise interest rates in December have risen since. According to CME FedWatch, markets are pricing in a more than 50 per cent chance of a Fed hike in December, up from around 31 per cent as recently as September 8. The dollar hovered close to an eightweek high against the yen, buoyed with US Treasury yields having risen to one-month highs before the Fed’s

Airbus opens first plane completion centre in China TIANJIN: Airbus on Wednesday inaugurated its first completion centre for large aircraft in China, a new asset for the European manufacturer in heated competition with American rival Boeing. China is one of the Western manufacturers’ key battlegrounds, with its travellers taking to the skies in evergrowing numbers. In Tianjin, a port city 150 kilometres from Beijing, Airbus already has an assembly line for the single-aisle aircraft A319 and A320, the first of its kind outside Europe. Now the same site hosts a completion centre for longhaul A330 and its first aircraft was delivered to the local company Tianjin Airlines on Wednesday, accompanied by the playing of cymbals and banging of drums. “This is the perfect illustration of mutual trust” and “our willingness to embark on a new stage in the Franco-Chinese relationship,” said French Junior Finance Minister Benjamin Griveaux, the first member of President Emmanuel Macron’s government to visit China. The 200 million euro ($240 million) facility will receive A330s assembled in France and will prepare the cabins and apply exterior painting. Two aircraft will be delivered every month. The A330, operated by nine Chinese airlines, is the most popular wide-body aircraft in the country. “The inauguration of our (centre) in Tianjin, together

Drummers look at the first airbus A330 plane to be delivered before the inauguration ceremony of the airbus A330 Completion and Delivery Centre in Tianjin. — Reuters

with the first of many deliveries, marks a new milestone for Airbus’ international footprint,” Fabrice Bregier, Airbus chief operating office, said at one of the site’s giant halls alongside leaders of the aviation manufacturer Avic, the European firm’s Chinese partner. The majority of Airbus orders in China remain its A320 single-aisle jetliner. But with about 200 A330s in the country’s skies, the aircraft manufacturer also controls 61 per cent of the longhaul market. — AFP

— Reuters

policy announcement. The greenback was little changed at 111.460 yen after touching 111.880 overnight, its highest since late July. Currency markets had a muted reaction to Trump’s latest comments on North Korea. Trump said in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday that the United States will be forced to “totally destroy” North Korea unless Pyongyang backs down from its nuclear challenge. South Korea’s KOSPI was down 0.05 per cent and the won was up 0.2

Maersk to sell oil tankers to owner, opening door to Mitsui COPENHAGEN: AP MollerMaersk has agreed a $1.71 billion (£1.3 billion) deal to sell its oil tanker division to its controlling shareholder, who in turn will enter an ownership consortium with Japan’s Mitsui & Co. The Danish conglomerate embarked on a restructuring to focus on transport and logistics and last month sold its oil and gas business to Total in a $7.45 billion deal. Maersk said it will use the proceeds to reduce debt and that the sale, which it expects to close by next month, will have no impact on its financial guidance for 2017. AP Moller Holding will take ownership of Maersk Tankers through its subsidiary APMH Invest A/S. — Reuters

TOKYO: Oil prices rose on Wednesday after Iraq’s oil minister said Opec and other crude producers were considering extending or even deepening a supply cut to curb a global glut, while a report showed a smallerthan-expected increase in US inventories. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 34 cents at $49.82 a barrel at 0018 GMT. On Tuesday, the contract declined 43 cents to $49.48. Brent crude futures were 24 cents higher at $55.38. They settled down 34 cents at $55.14 a barrel the previous session, not far off a five-month

per cent at 1,128.6 to the dollar. “Trump’s comments were actually very strong and the won would have moved more if it were not for the overall cautious mood before the Fed’s decision,” said Kim Doo-Un, a foreign exchange analyst at Hana Financial Investment Seoul. For now, broader risk sentiment was yet to be swayed by Trump’s comments. “The market doesn’t seem to have any strong risk-off sentiment, even after Trump’s comments,” said Masashi

high of $55.99. While options being considered by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers include an extension of cuts in output by months, it is premature to decide on what to do beyond March, when the agreement expires, Iraqi Oil Minister Jabar al Luaibi told an energy conference in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday. Opec and producers including Russia have agreed to reduce output by about 1.8 million barrels per day until March 2018 in a bid to reduce global oil inventories and support prices.

Murata, currency strategist for Brown Brothers Harriman in Tokyo. The euro edged up to touch $1.2019, its highest since September 11. The dollar index against a basket of six major currencies was little changed at 91.747. The Mexican peso pulled back slightly after dropping in response to a strong earthquake that struck central Mexico. The currency stood at 17.8165 pesos per dollar after touching 17.8500 overnight. — Reuters

ThyssenKrupp, Tata to merge steel operations BERLIN: German heavy industry giant ThyssenKrupp and Indian group Tata agreed on Wednesday to merge their steel operations in Europe, taking second place in the market behind ArcelorMittal. The two groups, which will finalise the deal in 2018, expect annual synergies of between 400 and 600 million euros ($480-720 million) and are likely to shed 4,000 jobs in production and administration. The job losses, which had been feared for several months by trade unions at ThyssenKrupp and German officials, would be divided roughly equally between the two groups. The 50-50 joint venture, named “ThyssenKrupp Tata Steel”, will be a holding company in the Netherlands with joint management and will employ some 48,000 people across 34 sites. “The steel industry has faced massive challenges in Europe for many years,” ThyssenKrupp explained. “Steel demand is characterized by a lack of dynamic.

Waste metal is seen at Tata Steel’s Automotive Service Centre in Wednesfield, Britain. — Reuters

There is structural overcapacity in supply and constantly high import pressure,” it continued. This meant that various stages in the value chain were operating well below capacity. “Consequently, all producers are under pressure to fill capacity and forced to pass on restructuring gains to the market time and again. The result is a downward spiral and a need for restructuring about every three to four years, with major steel assets coming under threat of closure in the medium term,” ThyssenKrupp said. — AFP

MENA NEWS Lebanon passes new petroleum tax law

Quercus plans $600m Iran solar project

BEIRUT: Lebanon made progress in its efforts to develop a hydrocarbons industry when lawmakers passed a petroleum tax law, as companies prepare to bid on a first round of offshore exploration licenses next month. Earlier this month, Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil extended by four weeks the deadline for companies to submit bids for exploration and production. Bidding will be held for offshore blocks 1, 4, 8, 9 and 10. The government has pre-qualified more than 50 companies to bid for the licences. The energy ministry said it extended the deadline to allow time for ratifying the law, and based on requests from some companies. The new legislation includes taxing the profits of companies that take part in exploration and production. The bids, due by October 12, will “abide by (the) new tax law approved today,” and the government will publish the details of the law, Abi Khalil said on Twitter. Lebanon re-opened its first licensing round in January after a three-year delay, hoping to revive development of a hydrocarbon industry that political paralysis had stalled. Lebanon sits on the Levant Basin in the eastern Mediterranean, along with Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and Syria. A number of gasfields have been discovered there since 2009, such as the Leviathan and Tamar fields. Bidding might also have been extended because not enough bidders had applied so far, said Diana Kaissy, who heads the Lebanese Oil and Gas Initiative, a non-profit promoting transparency and policy development in the sector. Regional turmoil and slower rates of gas sales have probably shaken investor confidence, she added. “Geopolitically, the situation does not really encourage a lot of companies to come and invest millions of dollars,” she said. — Reuters

LONDON: Specialist renewable energy investor Quercus will invest over half a billion euros in a solar power project in Iran, with construction to start in the first half of 2018, the company’s chief executive said. The planned 600-megawatt (MW) plant, located in central Iran, will be the sixth largest globally, behind projects of up to 1.5 gigawatts (GW) in China and India. Diego Biasi, Chief Executive of Quercus, which has a track record of investing in renewable energy in Europe, said the firm had decided to go for such a big project to get an endorsement from Iran’s Ministry of Energy. “This is a project of national interest, so we got special support. We had enough investors interested so instead of splitting that across smaller projects which wouldn’t have given us the same relationship with the Ministry, we decided to go for one,” he said in a phone interview on Tuesday. The hope was this would lead to more solar projects. Established in 2010, independently-owned Quercus has a portfolio of around 40 renewable energy plants across Europe. The Iran project is its first investment outside Europe, and came in response to client demand, Biasi said. Under the terms of the agreement signed by Quercus and Iran’s Ministry of Energy, the firm will be responsible for the construction, development and operation of the plant. Construction is expected to take three years, with each 100 MW standalone lot becoming operational and connecting to the grid every six months, to mitigate the risk for investors. Rather than investing via a fund structure, Quercus will set up a project company and investors will hold shares via a private placement. It has already attracted interest from private and institutional investors, including sovereign funds. — Reuters

A labourer looks on as he works at the construction site of a building in Riyadh. King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) has signed an agreement with Nesma Water & Energy to develop the third phase-C of the Industrial Valley (IV). The contract is worth more than SR80 million. The third phase-C of the IV comprises 1.2 million square metres. — Reuters

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*Fed conflicted by tepid inflation, economic rebound RAISING RATES

C

*

aught between a lull in US inflation and a stronger global economy, the Federal Reserve is expected to signal whether it will raise interest rates for a third time this year or back off until prices rise more briskly. The US central bank’s description of inflation in its policy statement as well as fresh economic forecasts from individual policymakers will be the main focus for financial markets amid a recent spate of lukewarm domestic data. The Fed also is likely to announce a scheduled reduction of its approximately $4.2 trillion in holdings of bonds and mortgage-backed securities, most of it accumulated in response to the 20072009 financial crisis and recession. That plan, anticipated by markets and not expected to have much immediate impact, will limit the amount of maturing bonds used each month to purchase new ones. The initial cut in reinvestment will be $10 billion per month, probably beginning in October. Analysts and investors, however,

The Fed is likely to announce a scheduled reduction of its approximately $4.2 trillion in holdings of bonds and mortgage-backed securities, most of it accumulated in response to the 2007-2009 financial crisis and recession

say they will look more intently at policymakers’ forecasts for the end-ofyear federal funds rate as an indication of whether a quarter-point increase widely expected in December is likely to occur. Minutes from recent Fed meetings have shown a growing split, with some policymakers saying there is no urgency to raise rates after a drop in inflation, and others arguing the US economy is strong enough to continue “normalizing” monetary policy. The Fed’s preferred measure of inflation was down to 1.4 per cent on an annualised basis as of July, well short of its medium-term 2 per cent target. “Relative to the June forecasts there

may be more participants anticipating no more hikes this year, but we don’t think so many will switch to this view as to bring down the median,” said Michael Feroli, Chief US Economist at JP Morgan. That would require five of the 16 Fed officials participating in this week’s twoday meeting to shift their rate projections lower to change a median that was 1.375 per cent as of June, a quarter point above the current target of around 1.125 per cent. Economists and investors are divided over the likely outcome as well, with different analyses of the market price for federal funds futures contracts putting the likelihood of a rate hike in December

as low as 43 per cent and as high as 56 per cent. Although the Fed has been troubled by the drop in US inflation, Yellen and other officials have attributed it to shortterm factors, such as changes in cellphone plan pricing, that should diminish in the coming months. Financial conditions also remain loose across the United States, and long-term interest rates have fallen recently, factors that strengthen the argument that another rate hike would not slow the economy. A higher target rate, meanwhile, would push the Fed further from the zero per cent lower bound it has been trying to escape after a decade nurturing the US economy into a post-crisis recovery. Anyone ruling out a December rate increase “is mispricing the real desire on the part of the Fed to continue” normalizing monetary policy despite the dip in inflation, said Jason Celente, Senior Portfolio Manager at Insight Investment. “As long as employment remains robust and conditions don’t deteriorate there is scope and willingness to go

ahead,” he said. But with its balance sheet reduction plan operating in the background, the Fed will be putting upward pressure on borrowing costs each month regardless of what it does with its benchmark interest rate. Meanwhile, other central banks, including in the economically resurgent euro zone, may begin tightening policy, leading to more restrictive financial conditions globally. A looming battle at the end of the year over the US government’s debt limit and spending also could further disrupt markets. Scott Anderson, an economist at Bank of the West in San Francisco, believes the Fed will ultimately align with markets that generally expect a slower pace of rate increases. “Rate hikes with quantitative tightening will be a lot of tightening for the markets to digest,” Anderson said. “They might have to scale back on how aggressively they raise rates over the next — Reuters couple of years,” he added.

*Britain pushes ahead

CAPITAL CRISIS

ENERGY PROFILE

with nuclear projects

U A man wearing a Santa costume shops at a Toys ‘R’ Us store in Midland, Michigan.

— Reuters

How $5 billion of debt caught up with Toys ‘R’ Us

T

oys ‘R’ Us Inc has been making $400 million in interest payments on its debt every year, largely due to its $6.6 billion leveraged buyout in 2005. This week, it succumbed to its debt burden, leading to the biggest bankruptcy of a US retailer since that of Kmart in 2004. The largest US toy retailer’s decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday took investors by surprise, given that the company faced no imminent debt maturities and had managed to overcome financial stress in the past by securing concessions from its creditors. But company’s ability to kick the can down the road had been exhausted. The bankruptcy filing was the culmination of an unsuccessful sevenmonth effort by Toys ‘R’ Us to find relief from its $5.2 billion debt pile, according to bankruptcy court filings and people familiar with the deliberations. The advisers that Toys ‘R’ Us hired to fix its capital structure explored at least two deals with some of its creditors to raise money that would have helped the company stave off bankruptcy before the key holiday shopping season, avoiding a supply chain disruption stemming from vendor fears about repayment, a bankruptcy filing shows. The Wayne, New Jersey-based company’s creditors’ unwillingness to show any more leniency underscores the lack of confidence by investors in the troubled brick-and-mortar retail sector, which has been pummelled by the rise of e-commerce companies such as Amazon. com Inc. Toys ‘R’ Us was looking to raise at least $200 million to make it to January, at which point it could work on fixing its entire capital structure, according to

court filings. Over the years, Toys ‘R’ Us had been able to win other short-term fixes from creditors, even as its financial performance deteriorated.

The largest toy retailer’s decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection took investors by surprise, given that the company faced no imminent debt maturities and had managed to overcome financial stress in the past Once the company realised that it could not secure financing to get through the holiday season, the objective became “let’s get it done as quick as possible so it does not interrupt the holidays,” Toys ‘R’ Us CEO David Brandonsaid. Filing for bankruptcy allowed the company to secure financing to continue to operate its stores. Given that “we successfully obtained our debtor-in-possession financing today, we can assure our lenders that we are in a good position to accept shipments on a normal basis and they have great assurance they will be paid,” Brandon said. Like other retailers that own their stores, Toys ‘R’ Us tried last month to tap its vast real estate portfolio to raise money in a sale-leaseback transaction, according to court filings. Sale-leaseback deals allow retailers to raise cash by selling real estate they own

and then renting it back from the new owner. For example, Bon-Ton Stores Inc, another retailer in financial distress, completed a similar deal generating $18.9 million to pay down its debt. In an attempt to clinch the saleleaseback deal, Toys ‘R’ Us negotiated with a key group of creditors holding a portion of the company’s $1 billion term loan, but accounting issues and a tight time frame prevented them from reaching an agreement, according to sources. Toys ‘R’ Us also went to the bondholders of its international affiliates last month for financing it planned to use to fund its US operations, but the terms offered were too expensive, the people said. At that point, Toys ‘R’ Us decided to change tack and initiate preparations for a Chapter 11 filing in September, ahead of the quarterly earnings release on September 26. News reports about the possible bankruptcy on September 6 accelerated bankruptcy preparations, because suppliers to Toys ‘R’ Us curbed their shipments, afraid they might not be repaid, according to the filings. In a sign of the company’s haste, it filed for bankruptcy without a plan of reorganisation or a deal with creditors, as is preferred in these circumstances. Toys ‘R’ Us said it plans to keep its stores open through the bankruptcy process, though it remains unclear whether it can emerge from bankruptcy with most of its approximately 1,600 stores still open. On Tuesday, Toys ‘R’ Us Inc received bankruptcy court permission to borrow more than $2 billion to start paying suppliers, so it can stock up on items like Lego building blocks and Barbie dolls for the holiday season. — Reuters

nder pressure from Brexit and the declining costs of renewable energy, Britain’s nuclear industry is increasingly relying on supportive government policy to plough on with high-profile — and controversial — projects. With four big projects due for completion by 2025, the country is at the forefront of a global industry left shaken by the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima nuclear site in Japan. “The UK is the best place in the world to build nuclear” as the sector does not face the political opposition found elsewhere, David Powell, Hitachi’s Europe Vice-President for nuclear power plant sales, said on the sidelines of a conference in London this month. Britain’s Conservative government has made the decommissioning of the country’s coal-fired power stations and ageing nuclear reactors — many of which were built in the 1950s — a pillar of its energy security policy and low-carbon commitments. Only one of Britain’s 15 existing reactors is expected to be in use by 2030. But British anti-nuclear campaigners have denounced the government’s steadfast commitment to nuclear power, urging it to focus instead on renewable sources like wind and solar. “The contrast between the nuclear industry and the renewables industry could not be starker,” said Doug Parr, Policy Director at Greenpeace UK. “Offshore wind, in particular, is dramatically falling in cost and rapidly improving in technology,” he said. “It is clear that new nuclear will only be built with substantial government support not required by renewable energy technologies like wind and solar.” Two new wind power projects announced last week appeared to confirm that it has become cheaper to harness energy from wind than nuclear. But Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, says he is not convinced, and that harnessing atomic energy still has its advantages. “For nuclear energy, as with offshore wind, the more you build the more the price falls,” he said at the conference, which was also attended by senior delegates from the French giant Areva, China’s CGN and the US group Westinghouse. “Nuclear delivers what offshore wind can’t deliver, which is constant, always available power. It does not matter what the weather is like,” he said. But the industry also faces an entirely different obstacle in the form of Brexit, with Britain having to decide on whether to remain in Euratom, the European nuclear regulator. In recent written evidence submitted to the UK parliament, French energy group EDF warned continued access to skilled labour from the EU, and the development of an alternative regulatory framework for Britain, would both be necessary for major projects like Hinkley Point to go ahead. — AFP

Hinkley Point C nuclear power station site is seen near Bridgwater in Britain. — Reuters

THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

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Situation Vacant  ”‡“—‹”‡† ’ƒ…‹‰•–ƒˆˆƒŽ‡Ȁ ˆ‡ƒŽ‡‡š’‡”‹‡…‡†‹‰‹ˆ– ™”ƒ’’‹‰ǡ„‘šƒ‹‰ǡ‡–…Ǥ Ž‡ƒ•‡…ƒŽŽͻͻ͵͵͸ͳͻ͸ ·····  –”ƒ•Žƒ–‹‘ ‘ˆϐ‹…‡‡‡†•ƒ”‡–‡‡”•Ǥ ‘–ƒ…–Ǧƒ‹Žǣ ‘ƒͶ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ·····  ”‡“—‹”‡† ƒ–‹˜‡‰Ž‹•Š•’‡ƒ‹‰ Žƒ†›–‡ƒ…Š‡”•ˆ‘”ƒ Ž‡ƒ†‹‰‹†‡”‰ƒ”–‡ ƒ–ŽŠ—™ƒ‹”ǤŽ› …ƒ†‹†ƒ–‡•ˆ”‘ȀȀ Ȁƒƒ†ƒȀ‘—–Š ˆ”‹…ƒȀ‡™‡ƒŽƒ†Ȁ ”‡Žƒ†‡–…ǡ…ƒƒ’’Ž› ˆ‘”–Š‹•’‘•‹–‹‘ǤŽ‡ƒ•‡ …‘–ƒ…–—”‰‡–Ž›‘ ͻ͵͵͵ͳͲͷ͸ƒ†ƒ– …˜Ͷ—•…ƒ–̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ····· ‹•Ž‘‘‹‰ ˆ‘”ƒIndian designer Ž‹˜‹‰‹ƒǤ—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹‡†‹ Š‘–‘•Š‘’ǡ ŽŽ—•–”ƒ–‘”ǡ‘”ƒŽ ”ƒ™Ǥ‰Ž‹•Šƒ†”ƒ„‹… ȋ•’‘‡Ƭ™”‹––‡ȌǤ”‡ƒ–‹˜‡ǡ Šƒ”†™‘”‹‰ǡ•‘…‹ƒŽǡŠ‘‡•–Ǥ ƒ•ƒ”—“̷›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ…‘ ·····  —”‰‡–Ž›ˆ‘”ƒ• Žƒ”ƒ‡…”‡ƒ–‹‘‡–”‡ ȋŽ—„ȌǤSwimming Pool Lifeguard (female)Ǥ —ƒŽ‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘ǣ……‘’Ž‹•Š‡† •™‹‡”™‹–Š”‡…‘‰‹•‡† Ž‹ˆ‡•ƒ˜‹‰ƒ†ϐ‹”•–ƒ‹† “—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘•Ǥš’‡”‹‡…‡ǣ 2 ›‡ƒ”•‹ƒ––‡†‹‰•™‹‹‰ ’‘‘Ž•ƒ†‡•—”‹‰ƒŽŽ …Š‹Ž†”‡ƒ†‘–Š‡”™‡ƒ •™‹‡”•ƒ”‡ƒ†‡“—ƒ–‡Ž› •—’‡”˜‹•‡†ǤŽ‡ƒ•‡‡Ǧƒ‹Ž –‘ǣ‘…‡ƒ‹–̷‘ƒ–‡ŽǤ‡–Ǥ‘ ····· SENIOR Civil Engineer  ”ƒ†—ƒ–‡‹‹˜‹Ž ‰‹‡‡”‹‰™‹–ŠͳͲ›‡ƒ”• ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹–Š‡”‡Ž‡˜ƒ– ϐ‹‡Ž†ȋ—•–Šƒ˜‡ƒ ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǤȌ Ž›’”‡ˆ‡”ƒ„Ž‡‹ˆŠƒ˜‹‰ Ȁ”‡Ž‡ƒ•‡Ž‡––‡”Ǥ –‡”‡•–‡†…ƒ†‹†ƒ–‡• •‡†”‡•—‡–‘ǣ Š”̷ƒŽŒ‘‘†Ǧ‘ƒǤ…‘ ƒšǣʹͶͶ͵͹ͲͲ͹Ǥ ·····

Situation Vacant  …‘’ƒ›•‡‡• ƒ–—”ƒŽ‘•‡–‹…• Makerȋ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ ƒ‹‰ƒ–—”ƒŽ•‘ƒ’ǡ Ž‹“—‹†•‘ƒ’ǡ•Šƒ’‘‘ǡ „‘†›Ž‘–‹‘ƒ†Šƒ† …”‡ƒǤ–ƒ•™‡‡“Ǥ „—•‹‡••̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘  ”‡“—‹”‡† „‡ƒ—–‹…‹ƒǤ‹•ƒ™‹ŽŽ „‡’”‘˜‹†‡†Ǥ‘–ƒ…– ͻͶͻ͵ͻʹͷʹǤ

HIGH ”‡••—”‡”ƒ†‹‰ ǡ›†”‘ϐŽ‘™ǡŽ‘‘‹‰ ˆ‘”……‘—–•Ž‡”ƒ† PRO™‹–Š‘‡‘”–™‘›‡ƒ”• ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹‘Šƒ”‹†Ž› •‡†›‘—”™‹–Š‡š’‡…–‡† •ƒŽƒ”›ƒ–ǣƒŽœ—Žϐ‹̷‡‹Ǥƒ‡ ·····  †‡•‹‰‘ˆϐ‹…‡‹• Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘” –‡”‹‘”Ƭ͵ ‹•—ƒŽ‹•ƒ–‹‘‡•‹‰‡”Ǥ š’‡”‹‡…‡ǣͷ›‡ƒ”•ǤǦƒ‹Ž –‘ǣ‹ˆ‘̷‡’…‘ƒǤ…‘ ·····   —Žˆ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡† Ž—‹‹— ƒ„”‹…ƒ–‘”• ˆ‘”‡™Ž›•–ƒ”–‡†ϐ‹”Ǥ ͻͷͲ͸ͲͻͺͲǤ ·····  Ȁ Ǥ †—…–ˆƒ„”‹…ƒ–‹‘ supervisor™‹–Š‰‘‘† ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ƒŽŽ–›’‡ ‘ˆ†—…–ƒ†—–‘ ƒ…Š‹‡ƒ†‘™Ž‡†‰‡‘ˆ —–‘Ǥ‘ǣͳ  —…–ˆƒ„”‹…ƒ–‘” ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ƒŽŽ–›’‡‘ˆ †—…–ƒ†ƒ—–‘ƒ…Š‹‡Ǥ ‘ǣʹǤͻͷ͹Ͳ͵͸ͺͲȀ ͻ͹͵ͷ͸ͷͷͶ‘”ƒ‹Ž–‘ —…‡‘ƒ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ····· CATERING Supervisor, ‹’Ž‘ƒ‹ƒ–‡”‹‰‘” ‹˜‡›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ ˆ‘‘†”‡Žƒ–‡†Œ‘„Ǥ Ž—‡–‹ ‰Ž‹•ŠŽƒ‰—ƒ‰‡‹•—•–Ǥ ‘–ƒ…–ͻͻͶʹͺ͵ͳͲǤǦƒ‹Žǣ ƒŽ•Š‡Š‹•‘•̷›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ…‘ ····· Š‹–‡‡ƒ”Ž–‡”’”‹•‡• —”‰‡–Ž›‡‡†‡š’‡”‹‡…‡† „‡ƒ—–‹…‹ƒŽƒ†›ƬŠ‡ƒ ƒ”–‹•–ˆ‘”ƒ„‡ƒ—–›•ƒŽ‘ ‹ƒ—•Š‡”ǤŠ‡›•Š‘—Ž†„‡ Š‘‡•–ƒ†Šƒ”†™‘”‹‰Ǥ ‹ƒ•Ǥ‡ƒ—–›‡–”‡Ǥ ˆ›‘— ƒ”‡‹–‡”‡•–‡†ǡͻͻ͵ͷͲ͹Ͳ͹ ‘”ͻͻʹͷͲ͹Ͳ͹Ǥ ·····

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‡š’ƒ–™‹–Šƒ–Ž‡ƒ•– ƒ†‹’Ž‘ƒ‹ƒ……‘—–‹‰ ‘”ϐ‹ƒ…‡™‹–Šƒ–Ž‡ƒ•– ͵›‡ƒ”•‘ˆ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ ƒ…‘•–”—…–‹‘…‘’ƒ› ™‘”‹‰‹ Ǥ‘ ƒ’’Ž›‡ƒ‹Ž›‘—”–‘ǣ ƒ„†—ŽŽƒŠǤ„‡Ǧ†‹ˆˆ‡”‡–Ǧ•̷ Š‘–ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘

·····  ”‡“—‹”‡† ‡Ž‡…–”‹…‹ƒ™‹–Š‡Ž‡…–”‹…ƒŽ Ž‹…‡…‡ȋȌǤƒ‹ ‘”‡š’ƒ–”‹ƒ–‡ȋ͵›‡ƒ”• ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ȌǤ‘–ƒ…– ͻͻ͵͵͹ͷͺ͹ǡͻͻͲͶ͵ͳʹ͹ǡ ͻͻ͵ͶͺͶͻ͵Ǥ ····· A NURSE ‡“—‹”‡†™‹–Š ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡–‘™‘” ‹ƒ…Š‘‘Žǡ•’‘‡ ‰Ž‹•Šƒ†”ƒ„‹…Ǥ ͻʹʹͻ͹͸ͻͷǡͻʹ͹Ͷʹͳͳ͸ǡ ʹͶ͹ͻ͹ͳͳ͸Ǥ ·····

‡“—‹”‡†ƒŽ‡•Ƭƒ”‡–‹‰ š‡…—–‹˜‡•ˆ‘”‹ƒ‹‰• Ƭ†˜‡”–‹•‹‰ †—•–”›ǡƒ ”‡’—–‡†•‹‰ƒ‰‡Ƭƒ†˜‡”–‹•‹‰ …‘’ƒ›‹ƒǤƒ˜‹‰ ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹•‹‰ƒ‰‡ǡ ‡š…‡ŽŽ‡––”ƒ…”‡…‘”†™‹–Š ƒ‹”‹˜‹‰‹…‡…‡ ‹•’”‡ˆ‡””‡†Ǥ –‡”‡•–‡† …ƒ†‹†ƒ–‡••‡†™‹–Š …‘’Ž‡–‡†‡–ƒ‹Ž•–‘Ǧƒ‹Žǣ ”‹ƒ•‹‰̷‘ƒ–‡ŽǤ‡–Ǥ‘ ·····   ƒ”‡–‹‰ manager,‡‰‹‡‡”‹‰ ’”‘†—…–•ƒ†•‡”˜‹…‡•Ǥ ”‡ˆ‡”‡…‡‡‰‹‡‡”‹‰ †‡‰”‡‡‹‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ ‡‰‹‡‡”‹‰ǡ™‹–Š‹‹— ͳͷǦʹͲ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ ƒǤ”‡“—‹”‡†ǡ†”‹˜‹‰ Ž‹…‡…‡‡••‡–‹ƒŽǤ‘–ƒ…– ‡ƒ‹Žǣ—–‡–—”ͳͻͶͲ̷›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ …‘Ǥ‹ͻͻͶͷͺͳͻͶǤ ·····  ‡†‹…ƒŽ…‡–”‡ ‹—†Šƒ‹„‹”‡“—‹”‡• ˆ‡ƒŽ‡•’Š›•‹…‹ƒ•‹–Š‡ ˆ‘ŽŽ‘™‹‰•’‡…‹ƒŽ‹–‹‡•ǣ „•–‡–”‹…•ƒ†‰›ƒ‡…‘Ž‘‰› ͳǡ‡”ƒ–‘Ž‘‰‹•–•Ƭ ‘•‡–‘Ž‘‰‹•–ͳǡ‡–‹•– ͳǡŠƒ”ƒ…‹•–ͳǡ—”•‡•͵ ͻ͵ͷͷ͵ʹͶͷǤ ·····

URGENTLY ”‡“—‹”‡†ǣ

  ƒ”‡–‹‰Ȁ PR Manager ˆ‘”ƒ‘†‡” ”‡•–ƒ—”ƒ–‰”‘—’‹ƒǤ ”‘ϐ‹…‹‡–‹ ŽŽ—•–”ƒ–‘”ƒ† Š‘–‘•Š‘’ǤŠƒ”‹•ƒ–‹…ǡ ”‘ƒ…–‹˜‡ǡ…”‡ƒ–‹˜‡ƒ† ϐŽ‡š‹„Ž‡Ǥš…‡ŽŽ‡–™”‹–‹‰Ȁ ‡†‹–‹‰•‹ŽŽ•Ǥ‡‰”‡‡ ‹”‡Ž‡˜ƒ–ƒ”‡ƒǤ Ž—‡– ‹‰Ž‹•ŠǤ ‡†–‘ ƒ”‡–‹‰’”ʹͲͳ͸̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ GENERAL Nurse ʹͶͷͶͲͲͷ͸ǡ‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ ƒŽ‡š…‡–‡”̷Ž‹˜‡Ǥ…‘

Situation Vacant

 ”‡“—‹”‡† š’ƒ–”‹ƒ–‡ ‡ƒ˜›—–› ”‹˜‡”•ǡ ’‡”ƒ–‘”• ™‹–Š˜ƒŽ‹†ƒ‹Ž‹…‡…‡Ǥ ‡†›‘—”–‘‰†•‘ƒ̷ ‰†•‘ƒǤ…‘Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ ͻͻͺͻͲͲ͹͸ǡͻ͵ͺͻͶͲͳͺǡ ƒšǣ ʹͶͷͻͲͺ͸͸Ǥ ·····

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 salesperson ”‡“—‹”‡†ˆ‘”ƒŠ‹‰ŠǦ‡† Ž—š—”›•–‘”‡Ǥ—•–„‡ϐŽ—‡–‹ ‰Ž‹•ŠǤ”‡˜‹‘—•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ ‹•ƒ’”‹˜‹Ž‡‰‡Ǥ‡†–‘Š‡ƒ ͺʹ̷Š‘–ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘

Services ͳǤƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡ƒ† •‡”˜‹…‹‰Ǥ ʹǤ ”‹†‰‡ǡ™ƒ•Š‹‰ ƒ…Š‹‡ƒ††‹•Š™ƒ•Š‡” ”‡’ƒ‹”‹‰Ǥ ͵Ǥƒ‹–‹‰ƒ†…Ž‡ƒ‹‰ •‡”˜‹…‡•ǤͶǤŽ‡…–”‹…ƒŽǡ ’Ž—„‹‰ƒ†…ƒ”’‡–”› ™‘”ͻ͹ͲͳͶʹ͵Ͷǡ ͻͻͶͶ͹ʹͷ͹ǡʹͶͷͲͶʹͺͳǤ ····· ƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡ ™‘”•ǡ‡Ž‡…–”‹…ƒŽǡ ’Ž—„‹‰ǡ’ƒ‹–‹‰ǡ ™ƒ–‡”’”‘‘ϐ‹‰Ǥ ƒŽ‡‡ǡ—™‹Ǥ ͻͺʹͲͳ͸ͷͷǡͻͶͲͷʹʹͻͶǤ ·····   ƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡Ǥ‡ƒ”‡ ”‡ƒ†›–‘”‡’ƒ‹”ƒ† ‹•–ƒŽŽƒŽŽ–›’‡•‘ˆ ‹”Ǧ‘†‹–‹‘‡”™‹–Š‹ —•…ƒ– ‘˜‡”‘”ƒ–‡Ǥ ͻͶ͵ͲͳͺͺͺǤ ·····

 ”ƒ†‹‰ǡ Šƒ’‘‘‹‰ǡ•‘ˆƒǡ …ƒ”’‡–ǡϐŽ‘‘”’‘Ž‹•Š‹‰Ǥ Ž†Š‘—•‡”‡’ƒ‹”‹‰Ǥ ͻͻͺ͵Ͷ͵͹͵Ǥ ·····

…Ž‡ƒ‹‰ǡ ’‘Ž‹•Š‹‰ǡ–‡”‹–‡…‘–”‘ŽǤ ͻͻͷͲͶʹ͹ͷǤ ·····  ǣͳǤ ƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡Ƭ‡”˜‹…‹‰Ǣ ʹǤ ”‹†‰‡ǡƒ•Š‹‰ƒ…Š‹‡ Ƭ‹•Š™ƒ•Š‡””‡’ƒ‹”‹‰Ǣ͵Ǥ ƒ‹–‹‰Ƭ…Ž‡ƒ‹‰•‡”˜‹…‡•Ǣ ͶǤŽ‡…–”‹…ƒŽƬŽ—„‹‰ ƒ”’‡–”›™‘”Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ ͻͻͶͶ͹ʹͷ͹ǡͻ͹ͲͳͶʹ͵Ͷǡ ʹͶͷͲͶʹͺͳǤ ·····

‘ˆˆ‡”›‘—–Š‡—•‹‡•• ‡”˜‹…‡•ǣƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡‘ˆ HOUSE driver‡‡†‡† „—‹Ž†‹‰•ƒ†˜‹ŽŽƒ•ˆ‘” ˆ‘”ƒ‹ˆƒ‹Ž›ȋ †‹ƒ ’ƒ‹–ƒ†…ƒ”’‡–”›ƒ† ’”‡ˆ‡””‡†ȌǤ‘–ƒ…– †‡…‘”ƒ–‹‘™‘”•ƒ† ͻͻʹͲ͵ͻͷͶǤ ‹•–ƒŽŽƒ–‹‘‘ˆƒ–‡”‹ƒŽ™ƒ–‡” ····· ’”‘‘ˆƒ†…Ž‡ƒ‹‰•‡”˜‹…‡• „—‹Ž†‹‰ƒƒ‰‡‡–ƒ†  ƒ–Š•ƒ†…‹‡…‡ –‡ƒ…Š‡””‡“—‹”‡†ˆ‘”’”‹ƒ”› Ž‡ƒ•‹‰‘ˆ”‡ƒŽ‡•–ƒ–‡ȋ—– Ž‡˜‡Ž‹ƒ’”‹˜ƒ–‡•…Š‘‘Žǡ™‹–Š ‘––‘‹•–‘’”‘˜‹†‡“—ƒŽ‹–› ‹ƒŽŽ‘—”„—•‹‡••ȌǤ—•…ƒ– ‹‹—͵›‡ƒ”• ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ƒ†‹Ž‡–•Ǥ‘–ƒ…– ‡ƒ‹••ƒ…‡‡˜‡Ž‘’‡– ƒ† ˜‡•–‡–Ǥ ͻͻ͵ͷ͵ͻ͸ͳǤ ͻͻͲ͹ͲͲͻ͵Ǥ ·····

PHYSIOTHERAPISTS ‡™’Š›•‹‘–Š‡”ƒ’›…‡–”‡ Ž‘…ƒ–‡†‹ƒ—•Š‡”ǡ—•…ƒ– ”‡“—‹”‡•’Š›•‹‘–Š‡”ƒ’‹•–•Ǥ ƒŽ‡ƒ†ˆ‡ƒŽ‡ǡ‡™Ž› ‰”ƒ†—ƒ–‡•ƒ†‡š’‡”‹‡…‡† ’Š›•‹‘–Š‡”ƒ’‹•–ƒ’’Ž‹…ƒ–‹‘• ƒ”‡ƒ……‡’–‡†Ǥ’’Ž‹…ƒ–• —•–„‡Ž‹…‡•‡†–‘™‘” ‹—Ž–ƒƒ–‡‘ˆƒǡ‘” “—ƒŽ‹ϐ‹‡†–‘ƒ’’Ž›ˆ‘”–Š‡ Ž‹…‡…‡ǤŽ‡ƒ•‡‡Ǧƒ‹Ž›‘—” ™‹–Šƒ”‡…‡–…‘Ž‘—”‡† ’‡”•‘ƒŽ’Š‘–‘–‘ǣinfo@ ƒŽƒœ‘‘”Ǥ…‘Ǥ’’Ž‹…ƒ–‹‘• ƒ”‡ƒ……‡’–‡†—–‹Ž ͻ–Šƒ”…ŠʹͲͳ͹Ǥ

”‡ƒŽ‡•–ƒ–‡ ƒ†…‘•–”—…–‹‘…‘’ƒ› Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡† ‹˜‹Ž”‘Œ‡…–‰‹‡‡”Ǥ —„‹–›‘—”–‘†ƒ’…‘̷ †ƒ’…‘‘ƒǤ…‘

 ƒŽŽ‹†•‘ˆŽ‡‰ƒŽ ™‘”•ǡ”‡‰‹•–”ƒ–‹‘ǡ ƒ‰”‡‡‡–•ǡ…‘–”ƒ…–•Ǥ ƒ‡•ƒŽŽ‹†•‘ˆ…ƒ•‡•‘ˆ …‘’ƒ‹‡•Ǥͻ͹͵ͷͳ͸ͶͻǤ

ȉȉȉȉȉǤ

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PHYSIOTHERAPIST (Female)

Company based in Muscat urgently requires PHYSIOTHERAPIST (Female)

with at least 3 years experience. Interested candidates can contact us 92919135, 95537973 Send your CV to: [email protected]

Buying ™•ƒ†‘†‡” ǡ‡Ž‡…–”‘‹…ƒ† ˆ—”‹–—”‡—•‡†Ǥ ͻͻͺ͵Ͷ͵͹͵Ǥ

Sit Wanted SAFETY ‘ˆϐ‹…‡”ǡ‡‰”‡‡ ǡͳͲǡ‡†‹… ‹”•–Ǥ‘”ƒ†„”‘—‰Š– ƒǤƒ†”‹˜‹‰ Ž‹…‡…‡Ǥͻͺͻʹͻ͸͸͵Ǥ ····· FASHION ‡…Š‘Ž‘‰› ‡‰”‡‡ȋƒ”‡–‹‰Ȍ ǡͳͲǡ‡†‹… ‹”•–Ǥ‘”ƒ†„”‘—‰Š– ƒǤƒ†”‹˜‹‰ Ž‹…‡…‡ǤͻͲ͵ͻͺͻͻ͸Ǥ ·····  ‰‹‡‡”ǡ ˆ”‡•Š‰”ƒ†—ƒ–‡ˆ”‘ †‹ƒǤ ‘™‹ƒ‘˜‹•‹–‹‰ ˜‹•ƒǤƒ˜‹‰†‹’Ž‘ƒ‹ ‘‹ŽƬ‰ƒ•ǡȀǡ’‹’‹‰ǡ ǡǡϐ‹”‡ϐ‹‰Š–‹‰ǡ ƒ† Ǥ‘–ƒ…–ǣ ͻ͵ʹͷͺ͵Ͳ͹Ǥƒ‹Žǣ ƒƒƒ•’ƒ”̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ·····  ‹”…Š‹–‡…–—”‡ ‡•‹‰Ƭ‡‹‘” ”ƒ—‰Š–•ƒ‹˜‹Žǡ͸ ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ƒ ͻʹͻͲ͵ͷͶͲǤƒ‹Žǣ ƒŽ‡‡ŠƒʹͲ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘ ·····  ǡ™‡ŽŽ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡† ϐ‹ƒ…‡ƒ†‘’‡”ƒ–‹‘• ƒƒ‰‡”Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ •—‹–ƒ„Ž‡‘’’‘”–—‹–›Ǥ ‘–ƒ…–ͻͷ͵͸ʹͲͶ͸Ǥ ‡Ǧƒ‹Žǣ•”Œ‘„•‹‘ƒ̷ ›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ…‘ ·····  ƒŽ‡ʹͶ‡…Š‹ ‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ‰‹‡‡”‹‰ǡ ʹ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ƒ• ƒ‹–‡ƒ…‡‡‰‹‡‡” ‹ƒ…Š‡‹…ƒŽ’Žƒ–ǡ …‡”–‹ϐ‹‡†‹Ȁ‘ ˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒͻͳͳ͵Ͷ͸ʹʹǡ ‹”ˆƒƒ‹Ǥͳʹ͵̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘ ·····  ƒŽ‡ʹͺǡǤ‘ ϐ‹ƒ…‡Ǧ”ƒŠ‘Ž†‡” ™‹–Šʹ›‡ƒ”•…‘”’‘”ƒ–‡ ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǡ‘™‘ ˜‹•‹–ǡŽ‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ ‘’‡‹‰Ǥ‘–ƒ…– ͻͳ͹͸Ͷͷ͹͸Ǥƒ‹Žǣ•ƒŠ‹ŽǤ •ͺͻ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ·····

 ‡•‹‰‡”™‹–Š ͳ͸›‡ƒ”•ǯ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ ‡†‹ƒƒ†ƒ†˜‡”–‹•‹‰ ϐ‹‡Ž†Ǥ–ƒ›‹‰‹ƒˆ‘” –Š‡Žƒ•–ͳͲ›‡ƒ”•Ǥ‘‘‹‰ ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡‘’’‘”–—‹–›Ǥ Ǧƒ‹ŽǣŒƒ›†Š•̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘‘” ͻ͸ʹͺ͵ͻ͵ͳ ·····  ƒŽ‡ǡ ȋȌ‰‘‘†‘™Ž‡†‰‡‹ ”ƒ„‹…ǡ–›’‹‰Ƭ…‘’—–‡” •‹ŽŽ•ǡ’”‡•‡–Ž›‹ƒǤ ͹ͳͷͲ͹͵ͺ͸Ǥ ·····

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Situation Wanted  ˆ‡ƒŽ‡ƒ”…Š‹–‡…– ȋǤ”…ŠȌǡˆ”‡•Š‡”ȋʹ͵ ›‡ƒ”•Ȍ‘˜‹•‹–ǡŽ‘‘‹‰ ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡’Žƒ…‡‡–Ǥ ‘”–ˆ‘Ž‹‘…ƒ„‡•‡–˜‹ƒ ‡ƒ‹Ž‘”‡“—‡•–ǤŽ‡ƒ•‡ …‘–ƒ…–ͻͷͶ͹ͳͳ͹Ͷǡ ‡ƒ‹Žǣ–‹ƒ‰‡‘Ǥͳʹ͵̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘Ǥ ····· ͵ͳ ‘Ž† ƒŽ‡‹’Ž‘ƒ‹˜‹Ž ‰‹‡‡”Šƒ˜‹‰ͺ ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ …‘•–”—…–‹‘ϐ‹‡Ž† ‘™‹ †‹ƒǡ•‡‡‹‰ •—‹–ƒ„Ž‡Œ‘„‹ƒǤ ƒŒ‘‹‹‡†‹ƒ–‡Ž›ǡ …‘–ƒ…– ͲͲͻͳǦ ͻͻͶ͵ͳʹ͸ͷͲͳǡ‡ƒ‹Žǣ •Š‹˜ƒǤ†”’”̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ƒ†‹ˆƒ›…Žƒ”‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘ ›‘—…ƒ…‘–ƒ…–› „”‘–Š‡”‹—•…ƒ–Ǥ

Ǧͻ͹͸͹͸ͳ͹͹Ƭ •Ǥ‡”„„ƒƒ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ·····

  ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ ’Žƒ…‡‡–ǡ †‹ƒ ˆ‡ƒŽ‡ǡƒ•–‡”‹ …‘’—–‡”ƒ’’Ž‹…ƒ–‹‘ ™‹–Šͳͳ›‡ƒ”•‘ˆ ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹†ƒ–ƒ ™ƒ”‡Š‘—•‹‰ǡ‡”ƒ†ƒ–ƒ ƒ††ƒ–‡‘†‡ŽŽ‹‰ Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ ’Žƒ…‡‡–‹—•…ƒ–Ǥ ͻͳͳͻʹͷͶ͵ǤǦƒ‹Žǣ ’”‹›ƒ–Š‘ƒ•̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ·····

 ˆ‡ƒŽ‡ǡʹ͵ •…„—•‹‡••ƒ† ƒƒ‰‡‡–ǡǡ Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”ƒ•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ ’‘•‹–‹‘‹ƒ”‡–‹‰ƒ† ƒ†‹‹•–”ƒ–‹‘Ǥƒ˜‹‰ ƒ˜ƒŽ‹††”‹˜‹‰Ž‹…‡…‡ǡ ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡ˆ‘”‹‡†‹ƒ–‡ Œ‘‹‹‰ǡ‘…Ž‡ƒ”ƒ…‡‹••—‡Ǥ Ǧƒ‹Žǣ†ƒ‹•›Ǥ•–‡’Š‡˜̷ ‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ͻͷͳͻ͹͵Ͷ͹Ǥ ·····  ƒŽ‡ǡǤ‡…Š‹  ™‹–Šʹ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ǡ …‡”–‹ϐ‹‡†ǡ…—””‡–Ž› ‘˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒǡ•‡‡‹‰ ˆ‘”•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡’Žƒ…‡‡–Ǥ ‘–ƒ…–ͻ͸ͲʹͲ͵ʹ͸Ǥ ƒ‹Žǣ‹Š†ƒ”̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘ ····· ʹͲ‘Ž†ƒŽ‡ ‹’Ž‘ƒ‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ ‰‹‡‡”Šƒ˜‹‰ƒ”‘—† ʹ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ —–‘‘„‹Ž‡‹†—•–”›Ǥ‘™ ‹ †‹ƒǡ•‡‡‹‰•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ Œ‘„‹ƒ—–‘‘„‹Ž‡ƒ† ƒ—ˆƒ…–—”‹‰‹†—•–”‹‡• ‹ƒǤƒŒ‘‹ ‹‡†‹ƒ–‡Ž›ǡ…‘–ƒ…–  ͲͲͻͳǦͺͲͻͺ͵ʹʹ͵͹ʹǡ‡ƒ‹Žǣ —”—‰ƒƒ–ŠƒͲͺͺͳͺʹ̷ ‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ƒ†‹ˆƒ› …Žƒ”‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘›‘—…ƒ …‘–ƒ…–›„”‘–Š‡”‹ —•…ƒ–Ǧ Ǧͻ͹͸͹͸ͳ͹͹Ƭ •Ǥ‡”„„ƒƒ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ·····  ‡‰‹‡‡”ǡ —†ƒ‡•‡ǡ•’‡ƒ•‰Ž‹•Š ƒ†”ƒ„‹…™‡ŽŽǡ ǯ—•‹‰ ”‹ƒ˜‡”ƒƬ—–‘ƒ† ’”‘‰”ƒ‡™‡ŽŽǤ Šƒ˜‡ ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹‡Ž‡…–”‹…ƒŽ ‰‡‡”ƒ–‘”•ȋ͵͵ǦͳͲͲȌ Ƭ—–‘ƒ–‹‘ȋǡ…ƒ†ƒȌ Ƭ‡•‘”•ͻͷͶʹͶʹͺͶǤ ····· ͵ͳ ‘Ž†ƒŽ‡ ‹’Ž‘ƒ‹˜‹Ž‰‹‡‡” Šƒ˜‹‰ͺ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ ‹…‘•–”—…–‹‘ϐ‹‡Ž†‘™ ‹ †‹ƒǡ•‡‡‹‰•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ Œ‘„‹ƒǤƒŒ‘‹ ‹‡†‹ƒ–‡Ž›ǡ…‘–ƒ…–  ͲͲͻͳǦͻͻͶ͵ͳʹ͸ͷͲͳǡ‡ƒ‹Žǣ •Š‹˜ƒǤ†”’”̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ƒ†‹ˆƒ›…Žƒ”‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘›‘— …ƒ…‘–ƒ…–›„”‘–Š‡”‹ —•…ƒ–Ǥ Ǧͻ͹͸͹͸ͳ͹͹ Ƭ•Ǥ‡”„„ƒƒ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘

Situation Wanted  ”‹˜‡”™‹–Š ȋ”‡“—‹”‡†˜‹•ƒȌǡƒ‹•–ƒ‹ ƒŽ‡ʹ͹ǡŠƒ˜‡ʹ›‡ƒ”•‡š’ ‹ƒƒ†ͺ›‡ƒ”•‹ ƒ‹•–ƒǤ …ƒ•’‡ƒ‘Ž› ‹†‹Ȁ”†—ǡ•‡‡•Œ‘„Ǥ Ž‡ƒ•‡…‘–ƒ…–›„”‘–Š‡” ͻͷʹͲͶͶ͸ͻǤ ····· 35 ‘Ž†ƒŽ‡•‡‹‘” –‡…Š‹…‹ƒȋ‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ Ƭ •–”—‡–ƒ–‹‘Ȍ Šƒ˜‹‰͸›‡ƒ”•‹‰ƒ’‘”‡ ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ƒŽŽ–›’‡ ‘ˆǤŽƒ–•Ǥ‘™‹ †‹ƒǡ•‡‡‹‰•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ Œ‘„‹ƒǤƒŒ‘‹ ‹‡†‹ƒ–‡Ž›ǡ…‘–ƒ…–  ͲͲͻͳǦͺͳͺͻͻͳʹͺͶͺǡ‡ƒ‹Žǣ •̴‹•̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ƒ† ‹ˆƒ›…Žƒ”‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘›‘— …ƒ…‘–ƒ…–›ˆ”‹‡†‹ —•…ƒ–Ǧ Ǧͻ͹͸͹͸ͳ͹͹ Ƭ•Ǥ‡”„„ƒƒ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘ ····· ͵ͳ‘Ž†ƒŽ‡ ‹˜‹Ž‰‹‡‡”Šƒ˜‹‰ ͺ›‡ƒ”•‹‰ƒ’‘”‡ ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹…‘•–”—…–‹‘ ϐ‹‡Ž†ƒ•—ƒ–‹–›—”˜‡›‘” ƒ†•‹–‡’”‘Œ‡…–‡‰‹‡‡” Ƭ‘™‹‹‰ƒ’‘”‡ǡ •‡‡‹‰•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡Œ‘„ ‹ƒǤƒŒ‘‹ ‹‡†‹ƒ–‡Ž›ǡ…‘–ƒ…–  ͲͲ͸ͷǦͺʹ͸ͺ͵ʹ͹ʹǡ‡ƒ‹Žǣ ”ƒŒƒ̴›—˜̷›ƒŠ‘‘Ǥ…‘ƒ† ˆƒ›…Žƒ”‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘›‘— …ƒ…‘–ƒ…–›ˆ”‹‡†‹ —•…ƒ–Ǧ Ǧͻ͹͸͹͸ͳ͹͹ Ƭ•Ǥ‡”„„ƒƒ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘ ····· ʹͶ‘Ž†ƒŽ‡ ‹˜‹Ž‰‹‡‡”Šƒ˜‹‰ ʹ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ …‘•–”—…–‹‘ϐ‹‡Ž†Ƭ‘™ ‹ †‹ƒǡ•‡‡‹‰•—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ Œ‘„‹ƒǤƒŒ‘‹– ‹‡†‹ƒ–‡Ž›ǡ…‘–ƒ…–

ͲͲͻͳǦͻͺͶ͵͵ͻ͵͸ͺͻǡ ‡ƒ‹Žǣƒ”—’ƒ†‹ƒ͸Ͷ͵Ͷ̷ ‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ƒ†‹ˆƒ› …Žƒ”‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘›‘—…ƒ …‘–ƒ…–›„”‘–Š‡”‹ —•…ƒ–Ǧ Ǧͻ͹͸͹͸ͳ͹͹Ƭ •Ǥ‡”„„ƒƒ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ····· 39 ‘Ž†ƒŽ‡ ‹’Ž‘ƒ‹˜‹Ž‰‹‡‡” Šƒ˜‹‰ͳ͸›‡ƒ”• ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹…‘•–”—…–‹‘ ϐ‹‡Ž†Ǥ‘™‹ †‹ƒǡ•‡‡‹‰ •—‹–ƒ„Ž‡Œ‘„‹ƒǤƒ Œ‘‹‹‡†‹ƒ–‡Ž›ǡ…‘–ƒ…–

ͲͲͻͳǦͻͺͶ͵ͳͳ͵ʹ͵ʹǡ ‡ƒ‹Žǣƒ”—ƒ‹–Š‹̷ ‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ƒ†‹ˆƒ› …Žƒ”‹ϐ‹…ƒ–‹‘›‘—…ƒ …‘–ƒ…–›„”‘–Š‡”‹ —•…ƒ–Ǧ Ǧͻ͹͸͹͸ͳ͹͹ Ƭ•Ǥ‡”„„ƒƒ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘

 ƒŽ‡ǡ…‹˜‹Ž ‡‰‹‡‡”ȋ’ƒ••‡† ‹ ‹”•–…Žƒ••Ȍ•‡‡• •—‹–ƒ„Ž‡‡’Ž‘›‡–‹ …‘•–”—…–‹‘‹†—•–”›‹ ƒǤ‡‹•‘˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒǡ ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡‘ͻʹ͸ͶͺͺʹͲ ·····

AC TECHNICIAN with at least 3 years experience. Terms and Conditions:

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Send your CV to: [email protected]

 ƒŽ‡ǡ‹ Ƭǡ…‡”–‹ϐ‹‡† ’”‘ˆ‡••‹‘ƒŽ•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ Œ‘„ǡ’”‡ˆ‡”ƒ„Ž›ƒ•‡–™‘” ‡‰‹‡‡”Ȁ•›•–‡ƒ†‹Ȁ Š‡Ž’†‡•ǡŠƒ˜‹‰ Ͷ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡ƒ• “—ƒŽ‹–›ƒƒŽ›•–ǡ–”ƒ‹‡” Ƭ Š‡Ž’†‡•ǡ‘˜‹•‹– ˜‹•ƒͻͺ͸ͳͳͺͶ͸Ǥ ƒ„†—ŽͶʹͺͺ̷Ž‹˜‡Ǥ…‘ ·····  Ž‹‰Š– †”‹˜‡”Ȁ•—’‡”˜‹•‘”Ǥ Ž—‡– ‹‰Ž‹•ŠȀ”ƒ„‹…™‹–Š ‰‘‘†‘™Ž‡†‰‡‘ˆƒ ”‘ƒ†•Ȁƒ”‡ƒ•ǡ•‡‡•Œ‘„Ǥ ‘–ƒ…–Ǥͻ͹ͻͷͲͺ͸ͻǤ ·····  ƒŽ‡ǡ‡…Šƒ‹…ƒŽ ‰‹‡‡”Ϊǡͳ›‡ƒ” ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ ‡ϐ‹‡”›ƒ•”‘Œ‡…– Ǧ …Šƒ”‰‡Ǥ–”‘‰ƒ…ƒ†‡‹… Š‹•–‘”›ˆ”‘”‡’—–‡† —‹˜‡”•‹–›‘˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒǡ •‡‡‹‰”‡Ž‡˜ƒ–Œ‘„ ͻͶͺʹͺ͵ͳͺ ····· ʹͲ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡† †‹ƒŠƒ”–‡”‡† ……‘—–ƒ–ƒ†‘•–Ƭ ƒƒ‰‡‡–……‘—–ƒ– Ž‘‘‹‰ˆ‘”…Šƒ‰‡‘ˆŒ‘„Ǥ ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡Ǥ‘–ƒ…– ͻͻͺͺͶʹͻͳǡͻͻ͹Ͷͳͺ͹ͷ ·····   †‹ƒȋƒŽ‡ǡʹͷ ›”•ǡ…Ž‡…–”‘‹…•‰”Ȍ ƒŽ•‘‡š’‡”‹‡…‡†‹ǡ Ƭ‘ˆ ‡–•‡–…ǡ‘ ˜‹•‹–˜‹•ƒ•‡‡•‹‡†‹ƒ–‡ ‘’‡‹‰Ǥͻͻ͹Ͳʹ͵ͺ͵ ’”ƒ„Šƒ’‹•Šƒ”‘†›̷ ‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘Ȁƒ”–Š‹ ‹•Šƒ”†‘›ͻͺͷͷ͹ͲͳͻǤ ƒ”–Š‹‡͹̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ…‘ ·····

†”‹˜‹‰Œ‘„ǡ͸ ›‡ƒ”•‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ ƒǡ•’‡ƒ‹‰Žƒ‰—ƒ‰‡ ‰Ž‹•Šǡ‹†‹ƒ†”ƒ„‹…Ǥ ͻͻ͸ͳͶͶͲͶͳȀͻͻͺͲ͵Ͷ͵ͳǤ

32 ‘Ž†ˆ‡ƒŽ‡

”ƒ†—ƒ–‡Ǥ•…Ƭ ȋ ƒ•Š‹‘‡…ŠȌŠƒ˜‹‰͸ ”•‡š’‹ †‹ƒƬƒ •‡‡‹‰ˆ‘”…‘Ǧ‘”†‹ƒ–‘”‘” •—‹–ƒ„Ž‡Œ‘„‹‡†‹ƒ–‡Ž›Ǥ ‘–ƒ…–ͻͳ͵ͳ͹ͻ͹ͷǤ

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Company based in Muscat urgently requires

 ‰‹‡‡”™‹–Š ǡ‘”‡–ŠƒʹͲ ›‡ƒ”•‘ˆ‡š’‡”‹‡…‡‹ •ƒŽ‡•ǡ‘’‡”ƒ–‹‘•ǡ‰‡‡”ƒŽ ƒƒ‰‡‡–‹–‡Ž‡…‘ ƒ†•‡…—”‹–›•›•–‡• ‹Ƭ ƒ†‹†—•–”‹ƒŽ •‡…–‘”•ǡ’”‡•‡–Ž›™‘”‹‰ ‹ƒ•‡‡••—‹–ƒ„Ž‡ Œ‘„‘’’‘”–—‹–›Ǥ ƒ˜ƒ‹Žƒ„Ž‡Ǥ͹ͳͷͲͶ͹ͻ͵ǡ ‡ƒ‹Žǣƒ’‹ŽŽƒ‹͸ͺ̷‰ƒ‹ŽǤ …‘

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international

business 20

OMANDAILYOBSERVER

T H U R S DAY l S E P T E M B E R 2 1 l 2 0 1 7

A BMW i vision dynamics is presented at a BMW event during the first media day of the International Frankfurt Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany. — Reuters

ESTELLE PEARD

T

raditional heavyweights Fiat, Peugeot and Volvo may have shunned this year’s Frankfurt auto show (IAA), but for Chinese and Taiwanese carmakers looking to make inroads in Europe the chance to step into the limelight was not to be missed. Two years after becoming a surprise hit at the last IAA with an electric sedan concept car to rival Tesla’s Model S, Taiwanese upstart Thunder Power was back at Europe’s top industry showcase, which runs until September 24. But this time there was no mistaking its ambitions. Positioning itself a stone’s throw away from luxury brands Maserati and Ferrari, Thunder Power unveiled a second prototype, a highend electric SUV with which it hopes to capture a slice of the booming 4x4 market. “I’m not interested in gasoline cars. I want to build an electric car that is the best in the world,” said Chief Executive Wellen Sham. The sedan is set for mass production in 2019, followed by the SUV a year later, he said, adding that the firm already had a factory in China and planned to set up one in Spain. Starting with Germany and Britain, Thunder Power eventually aims to sell 40,000 units a year in Europe, he said. EUROPEAN LITMUS TEST On the other side of the mammoth Frankfurt convention centre, fairgoers marvelled at the renaissance of storied German brand Borgward, which went under 50 years ago but was brought back to life in 2015 with the help of Chinese truck maker Beiqi Foton. “We are coming to Europe this year,” said Chief Executive Ulrich Walker, adding that its limitededition BX7 SUV, priced at around 45,000 euros ($53,000), will go on sale in Germany first before other models are launched across the continent. Tapping into nostalgia for the brand’s heyday, Borgward also unveiled a sporty Isabella concept car inspired by a legendary 1950s coupe of the same name. The reborn German-Chinese

CHINA RISES

at Frankfurt car show The Thunder Power electric car from Taiwan is presented during the media day at the International Frankfurt Motor Show . — Reuters

LIKE THE JAPANESE AND SOUTH KOREANS IN THE PAST, CHINESE MANUFACTURERS WANT TO SHOW THEY CAN BE SUCCESSFUL IN EUROPE, IT’S A MARK OF QUALITY, A TEST BEFORE EXPANDING TO OTHER MARKETS OUTSIDE EUROPE

manufacturer, which is already producing cars in China, plans to increase its European footprint by building an assembly plant in

Borgward’s original hometown of Bremen in northern Germany next year. The plant will manufacture elec-

tric vehicles for European consumers, with production slated for 2019. “Like the Japanese and South Koreans in the past, Chinese manu-

facturers want to show they can be successful in Europe, it’s a mark of quality, a test before expanding to other markets outside Europe,” said

Walker. Two other Chinese manufacturers, high-end WEY and the mass-market Chery, made their IAA debuts this year. WEY, the newly created luxury label of Chinese carmaker Great Wall, showcased a range of compact 4x4s offering both petrol and hybrid drivetrains. It also wowed with its XEV concept, a sleek crossover with futuristic-looking gullwing doors, but did not make any announcements about when it might land in Europe. Chery showed off the Exeed Tx, an urban crossover designed for European tastes that it says will be made available with hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric drivetrains. “We have the firm intention to come to Europe, but it’s too early to disclose the details,” Chery CEO Anning Chen said, hinting only that “this product isn’t going to be the cheapest car on the market.” ‘NO INVASION’ Chinese carmakers’ more visible presence at this year’s IAA is not just for European consumption, said industry expert Laurent Petizon at consultancy AlixPartners. Showing that they appeal to an international audience is also a way for the brands to increase their cachet back home in the world’s largest car market, he said, pointing out that those jostling for attention at the IAA were not China’s biggest players. “The goal is not to invade the European market, at least not for now,” he said. But analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer of Germany’s CAR research centre noted that Chinese manufacturers had worked hard in recent years to improve their chances of gaining a foothold in Europe’s competitive and mature car market. “The design and quality are now at the level of those seen in general European manufacturers like Renault, Opel, Volkswagen,” he said, calling the Chinese focus on offering electrified SUVs “a good strategy”. Chery boss Chen for his part said he was “confident” of a European breakthrough. “We are not just a Chinese automaker, we are a global automaker,” he said, brushing off concerns about the crowded European market. “In China, we are not afraid of competition,” he said. — AFP

THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 | DHUL HIJJAH 30, 1438 AH

MESSI HITS 4 AS BARCA ROMP

sport

Lionel Messi added four more goals to his soaring early season tally as a much-changed Barcelona maintained their 100 per cent start to La Liga by routing Eibar 6-1 on Tuesday. Paulinho and Denis Suarez also netted for the second consecutive game as Barca stretched their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points over Real Madrid, who host Real Betis on Wednesday. “That Messi scored four goals now isn’t news,” said Barca boss Ernesto Valverde. PAGE 22

follow us @observersportz www.omanobserver.om [email protected]

Oman and Maldives players fight for the ball during the AFC U-16 Qualifier in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

OMAN SINK MALDIVES 8-0 Sultanate team kicks off AFC U-16 qualifying campaign with a bang

DUSHANBE: Oman kicked off their AFC U-16 Championship 2018 Malaysia qualifying campaign with a bang beating Maldives 8-0 in Tajikistan on Wednesday. Oman took charge of the match early as they went ahead in 8th minute when an unmarked Issa al Naabi rose above the Maldives defenders to score off a corner. Mulham al Sinaidi scored Oman’s second in 25th minute when he pounced on a loose ball off a freekick past the Maldives keeper. Oman made it three after Fahad al Rasbi found ample space in the penalty box as he beat three defenders to score in the 44th minute. Oman managed to squeeze in one more at the stroke of halftime through Omar al Salti’s

effort. The forward making light work of the Maldives defence in their penalty box as he blasted Oman’s fourth to the back of the net. There was no reprieve for Maldives after the break, as Oman put them under pressure from the start of the whistle with their high pressing game. Al Sinaidi picked up his second in the 61st minute after Al Naabi beat the offside trap to cross from the left into the path of an unmarked Al Sinaidi — who was the man-of-thematch. Oman showed no signs of slowing down as they pushed for more goals. Nasser al Naabi hitting a brace in the 64th and 72nd before Tariq al Mashari completed the rout in the 82nd minute. — AFC

Al Shabab set for Al Nasr challenge, Al Suwaiq eye win JABER AL AJMI MUSCAT, SEPT 20 Leaders Al Shabab and Al Nasr face off in the key clash of Omantel League (OL) week 3. Al Suwaiq will have a chance to continue their perfect start when they host newcomers Al Mudhaibi, while a thrilling derby is expected to be at Sohar Stadium between high-flying Al Salam and Sohar. All fixtures will be played on Thursday, September 21. Mirbat will host Fanja, Saham travel to face Muscat, Al Nahdha take on Oman club, while Dhofar meet Al Oruba. Who will emphasise their priority to be title candidate this season? The crucial game of Al Shabab and Al Nasr will give us the answer when they kick off the round at Seeb Stadium at 17:40. Al Nasr, Al Shabab and Al Suwaiq are the only three OL teams with a 100-per cent perfect start as they won their previous two games. Last week, Al Shabab came back with important three points from Salalah giants Dhofar, which will give them a strong surge to overcome Al Nasr. Al Nasr, on the other hand, showed a good play of style, scoring four goals and conceding null. It is also a challenge between Al Shabab manager Ali al Khanbashi and Al Nasr’s Hamza al Jamal. Ali al

ON THURSDAY (SEPTEMBER 21) Al Suwaiq vs Al Mudhaibi (Sohar Sports Complex) 16:40 Al Shabab vs Al Nasr (Seeb Sport Stadium) 16:40 Mirbat vs Fanja (Salalah Youth Complex) 16:40 Muscat vs Saham (Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex) 17:35 Al Nahda vs Oman club (Al Buraimi Complex) 17:45 Dhofar vs Al Oruba (Salalah Youth Complex) 19:45 Al Salam vs Sohar (Sohar Sports Complex) 19:45 Khanbashi will miss his flying winger Jamil al Yahmidi who was sent off against Dhofar. Al Suwaiq manager Belaci will eye three points against struggling Al Mudhaibi. The three points will give

Al Suwaiq vs Oman club. — Khalfan al Ruzaiqi

him a chance to lead the table alone if Al Shabab vs Al Nasr game ends in a draw. All indicators clear that, Al Suwaiq are in an open way towards winning the game. Al Mudhaibi still did not find themselves in their first

season ever in OL, losing twice against Al Shabab and Al Nasr. Al Mudhaibi’s young local manager Anwar al Habsi is having a tough time, facing three best teams in the first three weeks. However, he has to improve his team

if they do not want to go back again to the First Division League. While Al Mudhaibi did not find themselves yet, the other promoted team Al Salam will hope to continue their unbelievable start when they host

Sohar in Al Batinah derby at Sohar Stadium. It kicks off at 20:45. Al Salam shocked all football pundits, drew with Al Oruba in the first week and defeated Fanja 2-1 away in week two. Sohar, who failed to produce a good performance yet, will look to grab first victory in the campaign. At Salalah Stadium, Dhofar will hope to return to winning ways against Al Oruba. It is a big clash between two of the important title candidates going by their history in the competition. The thriller will be a good test for Al Oruba who did not face a strong team yet. They drew 0-0 with Al Salam and then defeated Mirbat 2-0. On the other side, the position of the Dhofar’s Romanian manager Florin might be in a threat if he does not win the game. Muscat host resurgent Saham in a bid to record their first win after two draws. It might not be easy for Muscat as Saham thrashed Al Nahdha 4-2 last week, thanks to veteran Mohammed al Gasani’s hat-trick. The game kicks off at 18:35 at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. In the last fixture, Al Nahdha will host Oman club at Al Buraimi Stadium, hoping to come back to winning ways. In this stadium, Al Nahdha came back from behind to defeat Sohar 3-2.

football/cricket

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OMANDAILYOBSERVER

T H U R S DAY l S E P T E M B E R 2 1 l 2 0 1 7

MESSI HITS FOUR AS BARCA ROMP

FIRST

ODI

SPANISH LA LIGA TABLE AFTER TUESDAY’S MATCHES (PLAYED, WON, DRAWN, LOST, GOALS FOR, GOALS AGAINST, POINTS): Barcelona Sevilla Valencia Sociedad Real Atletico Bilbao Villarreal Levante Leganes Las Palmas Real Betis Eibar Getafe Girona Espanyol Celta Vigo Deportivo Alaves Malaga

5 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 5

5 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0

0 1 3 0 2 2 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0

0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 3 3 4 5

17 6 9 11 9 8 3 6 5 3 5 5 3 3 3 3 5 5 0 1

2 1 3 7 4 3 1 5 4 3 7 7 10 4 5 8 7 11 7 11

15 10 9 9 8 8 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 4 4 3 1 0 0

SPANISH LA LIGA RESULTS On Tuesday

Barcelona’s forward from Argentina Lionel Messi (L) runs with the ball besides Eibar’s defender from Spain David Junca (C) during the Spanish league match at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona. — AFP

MADRID: Lionel Messi added four more goals to his soaring early season tally as a muchchanged Barcelona maintained their 100 per cent start to La Liga by routing Eibar 6-1 on Tuesday. Paulinho and Denis Suarez also netted for the second consecutive game as Barca stretched their lead at the top of La Liga to seven points over Real Madrid, who host Real Betis on Wednesday. “That Messi scored four goals now isn’t news,” said Barca boss Ernesto Valverde after the Argentine’s 43rd career hat-trick. “He has done it so many nights, in so many games. To keep repeating it is the most difficult thing.” “He is an extraordinary player. I have run out of words for him.” Messi played in a more central role as Valverde heavily rotated his side for the first time since taking charge with Luis Suarez dropping

to the bench among six changes from Saturday’s hard-fought 2-1 win at Getafe. And contrary to their fortunes last season, Barca’s back-ups proved Valverde can take the luxury of resting some of his star names with Paulinho particularly impressive on his first start. Messi opened the scoring in nonchalant fashion from the penalty spot on 21 minutes after Nelson Semedo had been felled by an ungainly challenge from Alejandro Galvez. Paulinho’s 40-million-euro ($48 million) signing from Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande was one of a series of moves that drew stinging criticism for Barca’s board following Neymar’s world-record departure for Paris Saint-Germain. However, after coming off the bench to score the winner at Getafe, Paulinho powered home

his second Barca goal from Denis Suarez’s corner seven minutes before half-time. Paulinho also played his part in Barca’s third with a cute dummy that freed Messi and, when his shot was parried by Marko Dmitrovic, Denis Suarez fired home the rebound. Sergi Enrich reduced the arrears when he capitalised on some sloppy Barca defending to slot home David Junca’s cross.

MESSI COMPLETED HIS 43-rd HAT-TRICK BY PRODDING THROUGH DMITROVIC’S LEGS FROM PAULINHO’S PASS

Valencia 5 (Mina 17, Zaza 55, 60, 62, Rodrigo 87) Malaga 0 Barcelona 6 (Messi 21-pen, 59, 62, 87, Paulinho 38, Denis Suarez 53) Eibar 1 (Enrich 57)

However, Messi quickly restored Barca’s three-goal lead with a lovely measured finish from the edge of the box. The five-time world player of the year completed his hattrick just after the hour mark by prodding through Dmitrovic’s legs from Paulinho’s pass. And he added his 12th goal in just eight games this season three minutes from time after a neat one-two with Aleix Vidal. ANGER FUELS ZAZA Barca lead second-placed Sevilla, who host Las Palmas on Wednesday, by five points with Valencia now just a point further adrift as they moved up to third thanks to Simone Zaza’s sevenminute hat-trick in a 5-0 thrashing of Malaga. By contrast, a fifth straight defeat to start the season sees Malaga slip to bottom of the table and plunges coach Michel into

further danger of becoming the second La Liga boss to be sacked this term. “I am tremendously proud of the performance of the players. It is a joy to be able to enjoy it with our fans,” said Valencia coach Marcelino. Santi Mina got the rout started after just 17 minutes with a neat header from Carles Soler’s cross. Zaza then completed his first ever hat-trick with three clinical close-range finishes between the 55th and 62nd minute before substitute Rodrigo rounded off the scoring. And the former Juventus striker shrugged off a bust-up with Marcelino after being dropped for Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Levante. “I didn’t have anything to prove,” Zaza told BeIN Sports Spain. “What happened on Saturday is already forgotten, I think it is normal that a player is angry when he doesn’t play.” — AFP

Pakistan bans Latif for 5 years over spot-fixing LAHORE: Pakistan cricket’s anti-corruption tribunal on Wednesday banned opener Khalid Latif for five years and fined him one million rupees ($9,489) over a spot-fixing case, the second casualty after teammate Sharjeel Khan was banned late last month. “Latif is banned for five years and fined one million rupees after the proceedings of the case,” the three-member tribunal announced. The 31-year-old has played five one-day internationals and 13 T20Is, the last of which was against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi in September 2016. In August, Sharjeel was banned for five

years, with two-and-a-half years suspended, for his role in the spot-fixing scandal. Latif had been charged with breaching six clauses, including the serious offense of luring other players to take part in fixing. The Pakistan C r i c k e t Board (PCB) provisionally suspended Latif and Sharjeel after they found evidence of spot-fixing during a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match

Six-a-side tourney to mark Dhyan Chand Day

The board said Sharjeel and Latif met an alleged bookie and struck a deal. Based on the plan, Sharjeel — an aggressive batsman who scores quickly — agreed to play two dot balls after the first over in the match between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi in Dubai in February. The board said Sharjeel and Latif met an alleged bookie and struck a deal. Based on the plan, Sharjeel — an aggressive batsman who scores quickly — agreed to play two dot balls after the first over in the match. Although Latif did not play in that game, he was later charged with luring Sharjeel into the deal and not reporting the matter to the PCB anti-corruption unit. Spot-fixing involves bets on the outcome of a particular passage of play, unlike match-

fixing in which there is an attempt to prearrange the result of the match. Both players were suspended provisionally at the time and withdrawn from the PSL. The minimum punishment for the charges which Latif faced was a six-month suspension with a maximum of a life ban. Four other players — Mohammad Irfan, Shahzaib Hasan, Nasir Jamshed and Mohammad Nawaz — were also included in the investigation on multiple charges. Irfan and Nawaz admitted not reporting the bookie’s offer. Irfan

MUSCAT: Team Coorg Muscat and Friends of Naqvi Group will mark the annual Dhyan Chand Day celebrations with a six-a-side hockey tournament at OFA Ground in Al Qurm on September 22. The organisers, with the support from the Indian Embassy, have been celebrating Dhyan Chand Day commemorating Indian hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand for the past 12 years. Team Coorg Muscat and Friends of Naqvi Group have also been promoting hockey through other annual events including Republic Day of India Hockey Festival and Independence Day of India

was banned for one year with six months suspended and fined one million rupees. Nawaz was banned for two months, with one suspended, and fined 200,0000 rupees. Both are now free to play, while the cases against Hasan and Jamshed are continuing. Latif ’s lawyer Badre Alam repeatedly raised objections during the proceedings, and also filed a petition in the Lahore high court against the tribunal. But the pleas were rejected by the court. Alam, who like Latif did not attend the announcement, rejected the verdict. “The short decision proves that the tribunal is not impartial,” Alam said. Latif had shown tremendous promise at an early age but has failed to make an impact at international level. Having made his first class debut at 15, he led Pakistan to victory at the Junior World Cup in Bangladesh in 2004. — AFP

Hockey Festival. This year’s Dhyan Chand Day celebrations will be presided over by hockey personality SAS Naqvi, former Oman hockey coach and Technical Adviser of Oman Olympic Committee. DR Bijlani, a local businessman, will be the guest of honour. The six-a-side tournament will see four Team Coorg squads, all named after former India captains and Olymic Games gold medallists, competing for top honours. The teams are Team Coorg - Dhyan Chand XI, Team Coorg - Kishen Lal XI, Team Coorg KD Singh Babu XI and Team Coorg - Balbir Singh Senior XI.

England’s Jonny Bairstow celebrates his century. — Reuters

Bairstow propels England to win LONDON: An unbeaten century from Jonny Bairstow helped England stroll to a seven-wicket victory over West Indies in the opening match of their one-day series at Old Trafford on Tuesday. With England set a modest target of 205 in a match reduced to 42 overs per side because of a weatherdelayed start, the outcome was never in doubt, and the main question was if Bairstow had time to reach three figures for the first time in ODIs having made three test centuries. The 27-year-old Bairstow got there in the 31st over when he made three runs and a few balls later Ben Stokes sealed victory by launching Ashley Nurse over the boundary rope for six. “It’s been a long time coming, I made by debut so long ago. It’s been a rollercoaster in ODIs, but hopefully it’s a stepping block for things to come,” Bairstow, who has struggled to nail down a place in England’s oneday side, said. “I opened for Yorkshire at the start of the year and it’s gone from there. I like to hope my game lends itself to the middle order and to opening. Wherever the captain wants me to bat, I like to think that I’m adaptable.” West Indies’ defeat means they will have to go through the qualifying progress for the 2019 World Cup. They made a fast start to their innings with Chris Gayle, dropped by Joe Root in the first over, thumping three huge sixes as the visitors reached 45 without loss after five overs. Gayle reached 34 after four overs but Root made amends when he sprinted full steam to catch him on the boundary for 37. Shai Hope (35), Marlon Samuels (17) and Jason Mohammed (18) all made confident starts, but wickets fell at regular intervals with Stokes the main dangerman. Hope was superbly caught one-handed by man-ofthe-match Bairstow on the mid-wicket boundary off the bowling of Stokes, who finished with figures of three for 43. After West Indies’ innings became bogged down Jason Holder’s 41 not out helped them past the 200mark but it never looked like being enough to stop the hosts claiming victory. England’s Alex Hales was caught off the bowling of Jerome Taylor for 19 but Root joined Bairstow for a second-wicket stand of 125 before Root was bowled by Kesrick Williams for 54. — Reuters

SRI LANKA GRAB AUTOMATIC 2019 WORLD CUP BERTH COLOMBO: Sri Lanka have secured an automatic berth at the 2019 Cricket World Cup at the expense of West Indies after the two-time champions lost to England in the opener of their one-day series on Tuesday. West Indies, who have 78 points in the ODI team rankings, cannot now overtake Sri Lanka (86 points) ahead of the September 30 cut-off for automatic qualification regardless of how they do in the remaining four games. Failure to grab an automatic spot is a significant comedown for Jason Holder’s team, who won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979. They will now have to finish in the top two at a qualifier next year if they are to progress to the 2019 tournament in England and Wales. The 10-team qualifying event will see West Indies join Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Ireland taking on the top four sides from the World Cricket League Championship and the top two sides from the World Cricket League Division 2. Sri Lanka, who lost a home ODI series to India 5-0 recently, join England, Australia, Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa as direct qualifiers for the May 30-July 15 World Cup. Sri Lanka’s ODI captain Upul Tharanga was grateful for the support the team had received when results were not going their way. — Reuters

football

Benzema extends Madrid contract to 2021 Karim Benzema became the latest Real Madrid star to sign a new bumper four-year contract with the European champions to 2021, the club announced on Wednesday. “Real Madrid and Benzema have agreed to extend the contract of the player, who will remain tied to the club until June 30, 2021,” Madrid said in a statement.

sport OMANDAILYOBSERVER

T H U R S DAY l S E P T E M B E R 2 1 l 2 0 1 7

23

VERDY WONDER STRIKE

Close shave as Icardi rescues Inter Milan

Bologna’s Simone Verdi scores against Inter Milan in the Serie A match in Bologna, Italy.— Reuters

Tottenham’s Dele Alli shoots at goal during the English League Cup third round match against Barnsley at the Wembley Stadium in London, Britain. — Reuters

Liverpool rocked, Alli lifts Spurs LONDON: Leicester’s Shinji Okazaki sent Liverpool crashing out of the League Cup, while Tottenham edged past Barnsley to reach the fourth round on Tuesday. Okazaki came off the bench to fire Leicester ahead in the second half of their 2-0 win at the King Power Stadium. The Japan forward, on as a secondhalf replacement for Leonardo Ulloa, broke the deadlock in the 65th minute of the third-round tie. Vincent Iborra headed into Okazaki’s path in the penalty area and he controlled well before scoring with a deflected strike. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp had made eight changes to his starting line-up, giving a first start to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while Philippe Coutinho played the first 45 minutes before coming off at half-time. But Liverpool’s disappointing recent form showed no signs of improving and Islam Slimani finished them off 12 minutes from full-time. Slimani took Okazaki’s pass and drove a fine strike into the roof of the net from the edge of the penalty area. Klopp’s side have now gone four games without a win after frustrating home draws with Burnley and Sevilla followed a 5-0 thrashing at Manchester City. “We played really good football in the first half. We had big chances, strange situations but football is a 90-minute game,” Klopp said.

Leicester City’s Shinji Okazaki (L) celebrates after scoring their first goal against Liverpool at the King Power Stadium, Leicester, Britain. — Reuters ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP RESULTS (AET DENOTES AFTER EXTRA-TIME): THIRD ROUND Aston Villa 0 Middlesbrough 2 (Bamford 58-pen, 67) Bournemouth 1 (King 99) Brighton 0 aet Brentford 1 (Clarke 90) Norwich 3 (Vrancic 10-pen, 51, Murphy 68) Bristol City 2 (Diedhiou 50, Taylor 60) Stoke 0 Burnley 2 (Wood 89-pen, Brady 90+6) Leeds 2 (Sacko 80, Hernandez 90-pen) aet, Leeds won 5-3 on penalties Crystal Palace 1 (Sako 13) Huddersfield 0 Leicester 2 (Okazaki 65, Slimani 78) Liverpool 0 Reading 0 Swansea 2 (Mawson 52, Ayew 83) West Ham 3 (Ogbonna 4, Sakho 31, Masuaku 90) Bolton 0 Tottenham 1 (Alli 65) Barnsley 0 Wolves 1 (Enobakhare 98) Bristol Rovers 0 aet

“I am sick of goals like this. Leicester somehow survive in the game because

we are not clinical enough. They scored two easy goals.” At Wembley, Tottenham won for just the second time at the national stadium since moving into their temporary home at the start of the season. With White Hart Lane being redeveloped, Tottenham had been suffering from home sickness after failing to win any of their three Premier League games there. Mauricio Pochettino admitted this week that his priorities are the Premier League and Champions League, with success in the English domestic cups largely irrelevant for the Tottenham boss. But Pochettino still sent out a strong side featuring Dele Alli, Son

Heung-Min, Mousa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen, while Argentine defender Juan Foyth made his debut and Fernando Llorente got a first start. STOKE SHOCKED Tottenham once again looked uncomfortable in their new abode as second-tier Barnsley held out for 65 minutes before succumbing to a 1-0 defeat in a front of a sparse 23,926 crowd. England midfielder Alli finally broke the deadlock with a smart finish from Kieran Trippier’s cross to give Tottenham win number two at Wembley following last week’s Champions League success against Borussia Dortmund. Elsewhere in the third round, Premier League side Stoke slumped to a surprise 2-0 defeat at second-tier Bristol City. Famara Diedhiou headed City in front in the 50th minute and Matt Taylor added the second on the hour. Burnley also bowed out after losing 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw with second-tier Leeds at Turf Moor. Roy Hodgson got his first win as Crystal Palace manager as Bakary Sako sealed a 1-0 win against Huddersfield. The former England coach’s first game had ended in a 1-0 home defeat against Southampton in the Premier League at the weekend. But Sako nabbed the first goal of the Hodgson era with a close-range header from a 13th-minute corner at Selhurst Park. — AFP

MILAN: Shaven-headed skipper Mauro Icardi rescued a 1-1 draw for Inter Milan at Bologna on Tuesday that ended his side’s perfect start to the Serie A season. Luciano Spalletti had been looking to make it five wins from five but had to settle for just one point in Bologna. Simone Verdi’s superb long range first-half goal was just the second conceded by Inter before Icardi — with a new distinctive shaved-head look — stepped up to convert a contentious spot kick with 13 minutes to go at the Stadio Dall’Ara. “We had to take advantage of the last quarter of an hour,” said Icardi after his sixth goal this season. “We could have done something more, but we were not able to finish.” “Now against Genoa (on Sunday) we have to go back and win at home. ITALIAN SERIE A STANDINGS AFTER With our fans we have an TUESDAY’S MATCH (PLAYED, WON, DRAWN, LOST, GOALS FOR, GOALS AGAINST, extra player. We have to POINTS): go back to continue the positive streak.” Inter Milan 5 4 1 0 11 2 13 Inter have emerged Napoli 4 4 0 0 15 2 12 as one of the title Juventus 4 4 0 0 13 3 12 challengers to rival Lazio 4 3 1 0 9 4 10 Juventus and Napoli AC Milan 4 3 0 1 8 6 9 who also had maximum 4 2 2 0 7 3 8 Torino points after four matches. Sampdoria 3 2 1 0 6 4 7 Now with 13 points, Inter Fiorentina 4 2 0 2 8 6 6 move provisionally top Roma 3 2 0 1 5 3 6 but Juventus and Napoli Cagliari 4 2 0 2 4 5 6 can pull ahead when Bologna 5 1 2 2 4 7 5 they play Fiorentina and Atalanta 4 1 1 2 4 6 4 Lazio respectively on Chievo 4 1 1 2 4 7 4 Wednesday. SPAL 4 1 1 2 3 6 4 A win by Lazio — Udinese 4 1 0 3 5 7 3 sitting fourth — would Genoa 4 0 1 3 4 8 1 however put the Romans 4 0 1 3 2 8 1 Sassuolo equal on points with Crotone 4 0 1 3 0 6 1 Inter. “There are two Verona 4 0 1 3 1 11 1 lost points, we will see Benevento 4 0 0 4 1 10 0 what went wrong this week,” said Inter striker Eder. “We have to look at ourselves not Napoli and Juventus, our goal is the Champions League and we have to fight at all costs.” Spalletti had made just one change to the side that beat Crotone on Saturday with Japanese defender Yuto Nagatomo in for Brazilian Dalbert. But Inter suffered in the first half with Icardi just failing to get on the end of an Ivan Perisic cross before Verdi got on the scoresheet after 32 minutes after half a dozen early shots at goal. Inter gained momentum after the break but failed to find a way through until the controversial foul by Ibrahima Mbaye on Eder which was confirmed by the video assistant referee. Eder won the spot-kick, as he was running away from goal when Mbaye tripped and accidentally landed with his arm on the forward’s heel. “He scored tonight, so we’ll shave his head every day now,” joked Spalletti of Icardi who had failed to find the net against Crotone. “It’s not a scandal for a team to draw,” added the Inter boss. — AFP

James hits first Bundesliga goal as Bayern go top BERLIN: James Rodriguez scored his first Bundesliga goal on Tuesday to help Bayern Munich top the table for the first time this season following a 3-0 win at Schalke 04. The Colombian was involved in all three goals after winning the penalty which Robert Lewandowski converted for the opening goal before his deft chip saw Arturo Vidal fire home. After five games, the victory in Gelsenkirchen put defending champions Bayern top for the first time, but Borussia Dortmund can regain the lead if they win at Hamburg on Wednesday. The away win was a boost for Bayern who confirmed on Tuesday that goalkeeper and captain Manuel Neuer had undergone another operation on his left foot and is out until January. “That wasn’t so easy, but at the end we managed to dominate,” said Neuer’s replacement Sven Ulreich, who now finds himself as Bayern’s first-choice goalkeeper after wanting to quit in the summer. “Of course it’s a tough situation for the team and Manuel, but we hope he’ll be back soon.” Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti rotated the squad with James on the right wing as one of six changes from the side which beat Mainz 4-0 on Saturday.

Bayern Munich’s James Rodriguez celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates during the match against Schalke 04 at Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany. — Reuters

James won a penalty on 23 minutes when the video assistant referee confirmed his cross had been knocked away by the hand of Schalke defender Naldo. Lewandowski dispatched the penalty for his sixth goal in five games. James, who signed a two-year loan deal from Real Madrid in July, then fired home on 29 minutes when Corentin Tolisso’s pass

found him with acres of space in the area. It was a sublime chip over the Schalke defence from James which was then drilled home by Vidal on 75 minutes. LEIPZIG STUMBLE The win left Bayern two points clear at the summit while Augsburg are up to third, with 10 points, after their shock 1-0 home win against RB Leipzig.

Austria midfielder Michael Gregoritsch scored Augsburg’s winner after only four minutes in Bavaria, but Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl paid the price for making nine changes as his team played poorly. Belgium striker Divock Origi, on loan from Liverpool, scored his first goal for Wolfsburg in their 1-1 draw at home to Werder Bremen before Fin Bartels equalised. Origi showed his pace to win a foot race for the ball and stabbed home on 28 minutes as Wolfsburg’s new coach Martin Schmidt, who replaced the fired Andries Jonker on Monday, picked up a point. Earlier, Brazil striker Raffael scored two second-half goals as Borussia Moechengladbach climbed to seventh after their 2-0 home win at home to Stuttgart. It was Stuttgart’s first game since captain Christian Gentner suffered multiple facial fractures and concussion in a collision during Saturday’s win over Wolfsburg. Gladbach’s Raffael opened the scoring by finishing the move he started with a superb 57th-minute goal after releasing Nico Elvedi on the wing and firing home the Swiss rightback’s cross. Stuttgart defender Dennis Aogo gave away a penalty when he held Belgian forward Thorgan Hazard back in the area and Raffael slotted away the spot-kick on 74 minutes. — AFP

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA TABLE AFTER TUESDAY’S MATCHES (PLAYED, WON, DRAWN, LOST, GOALS FOR, GOALS AGAINST, POINTS) Bayern Borussia Augsburg Hanover Schalke Hoffenheim Gladbach Leipzig Hamburg Stuttgart Hertha Wolfsburg Leverkusen Eintracht Mainz Werder Freiburg Cologne

5 4 5 96 04 4 5 5 4 5 4 5 4 4 05 5 4 4

4 3 3 4 5 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 4 0 0 0

0 1 1 3 3 2 2 1 0 0 2 2 1 1 10 2 2 0

1 0 1 10 02 0 1 2 2 3 1 2 2 2 3 3 2 4

12 10 8 5 7 6 7 8 4 3 4 3 8 2 3 3 1 1

3 0 4 1 6 3 5 6 5 7 4 6 8 3 7 7 8 12

12 10 10 10 9 8 8 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3 2 2 0

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA RESULTS ON TUESDAY: Borussia Moenchengladbach 2 (Raffael 57, 74-pen) Stuttgart 0 Schalke 0 Bayern Munich 3 (Lewandowski 25-pen, Rodriguez 29, Vidal 75) Augsburg 1 (Gregoritsch 4) RB Leipzig 0 Wolfsburg 1 (Origi 28) Werder Bremen 1 (Bartels 56)

tennis/cricket

sport 24

OMANDAILYOBSERVER

T H U R S DAY l S E P T E M B E R 2 1 l 2 0 1 7

Garbine Muguruza of Spain hits a return against Monica Puig of Puerto Rico at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. — AFP

MUGURUZA

Hogenkamp sails to Korea quarterfinals

stuffs Puig to reach quarters TOKYO: Newly crowned world number one Garbine Muguruza pulverised Olympic champion Monica Puig 6-4, 6-0 on Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Pan Pacific Open. Earlier, second seed Karolina Pliskova, who held the top ranking briefly over the summer, crushed Poland’s Magda Linette 6-2, 6-1 as the Czech set up a clash with another former world number one, Angelique Kerber. Wimbledon champion Muguruza recovered from an indifferent start to reach the last eight in Tokyo, the top seed catching fire after a trade of early breaks to rattle off the last seven games. A booming serve down the middle sealed the first set for the Spaniard, who seemed intent on hitting the fur off the ball in her first match since reaching the top of women’s WTA rankings last week. Muguruza, chasing a third title of the year, roared through the second, a murderous backhand pass giving her a 3-0 lead to effectively kill off any hopes Puig had of mounting a comeback. The Puerto Rican, who upset Muguruza on her way to winning a shock gold medal at last year’s Rio Olympics, fell apart thereafter as her Spanish tormentor turned the screw, bringing the match to a close with an ace after an hour and 14 minutes.

Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic returns a shot to Magda Linette of Poland in Tokyo. — AFP

“The last time I played her it didn’t go my way at all,” Muguruza told reporters. “I’m also happy to win my first match as number one. To be honest nothing has really changed but I know every match is going to be even tougher now.” CARBON COPY Pliskova likewise tore through her second-

round match, the world number four taking exactly an hour to see off Linette. A ferocious forehand gave the Czech an early break in the first set, which she pocketed thanks to a clinical cross-court backhand. The second set was almost a carbon copy as Pliskova again raced to a 3-0 lead before a

thunderous backhand pass brought a double break. The end came mercifully swiftly for a dejected Linette, who wafted a Pliskova serve wide on match point to sum up her contribution to a lop-sided contest. “The number one ranking is not really my goal,” insisted Pliskova, chasing a fourth title of the year and 10th of her career. “It would be great to end the year there,” added the 25-year-old, who beat Linette in the first round of the US Open by the same score before losing in the quarterfinals earlier this month. “But my aim right now is just to try to win more titles.” German Kerber booked her place in the quarterfinals with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Russia’s Daria Kasatkina in the day’s late match. Elsewhere, China’s Wang Qiang failed to capitalise on her stunning 6-0, 6-0 ambush of eighth seed Kristina Mladenovic as she was bundled out 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 by Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. — AFP

PAN PACIFIC OPEN RESULTS Second round Garbine Muguruza (ESP x1) bt Monica Puig (PUR) 6-4, 6-0; Karolina Pliskova (CZE x2) bt Magda Linette (POL) 6-2, 6-1; Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) bt Wang Qiang (CHN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-2; Angelique Kerber (GER x7) bt Darya Kasatkina (RUS) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3

SEOUL: Richel Hogenkamp beat big-hitting Czech Denisa Allertova 6-4, 6-4 on Wednesday to reach the Korea Open quarterfinals, as she fights to return to the top 100. It is the first time the Dutch 25-year-old has reached a quarterfinal on hardcourts and afterwards said she had been focused on keeping her opponent guessing. “She likes a strike zone at about hip level, so by mixing it up, I was able to get her to make some more mistakes. I think it was a good tactic,” said Hogenkamp, who is ranked 119. She will now face either fellow Dutch player Arantxa Rus or Australia’s Priscilla Hon for a spot in the final four. Elsewhere Thai Luksika Kumkhum won a 6-3, 6-3 win over Ekaterina Alexandrova and will next play No 4 seed Sorana Cirstea or surging American Nicole Gibbs. —AFP WTA KOREA OPEN RESULTS Second round Luksika Kumkhum (THA) bt Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 6-3, 6-3; Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA) bt Irina Begu (ROM x5) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2; Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) bt Na-Lae Han (KOR) 6-1, 6-2; Richel Hogenkamp (NED) bt Denisa Allertova (CZE) 6-4, 6-4 First round Kristie Ahn (USA) bt Tatjana Maria (GER x6) 7-5, 7-5

Leaner and meaner Premier League promises edge of seat drama BY SHAHZAD RAZA MUSCAT: Cricket in Oman is progressing at a rapid pace and every new season adds to the excitement as Oman Cricket (OC) makes more facilities available to players and teams. As a result, competition at the top is getting increasingly intense and exciting. With the cricket season already underway, focus will now shift to the Oman Premier League, which promises to be even more competitive than the previous edition. Though this year’s league has only five teams in the fray, new additions and renewed ambitions mean all five teams will be targeting the coveted trophy. New talent, newly laid pitches and focus on fitness and strategy are sure to raise the bar. Old horse Raha has opted out of this season while Sinha has been relegated to A Division, leaving defending champions Assarain, Muscat CT, Passage to India, Enhance and Al Turki to fight it out in a triple-round league format. Seasoned Muscat CT is probably the oldest team in Oman along with Raha and has won the premier championship on numerous occasions. However, the last few seasons have not been very rewarding for Muscat. Boasting one of the strongest bowling attacks in the country, Muscat feels its batsmen need to perform more consistently. “This season is going to be very competitive and we realise that. We have added two new players to our line-up and both are very good batsmen who can bowl as well. Ayaan Khan, a middle order batsman who bowls left-arm spin, has joined us already while a top order batsman who bowls medium pace will be with us soon,” said Wilson Xavier Burboz, Muscat CT manager. With a few reinforcements, Muscat aims to play hard but fair and won’t settle for anything less than the championship. “Our batting is now a good mix of seniors and young new players, though our bowling is still comparatively stronger. If we are consistent in our performances and play to our true potential we are pretty confident of doing better this season,” added Wilson, who has played for

Muscat CT for many seasons. Muscat captain Vaibhav Wategaonkar is determined to have a more fruitful campaign this season. “As a team we want to be more consistent than the previous season when we lost a few pretty close games, which cost us the championship. This year our focus is going to be on playing hard and competitive cricket consistently,” he added. Led by the mercurial Zeeshan Maqsood, defending champions Assarain, which won both Premier Division titles (50 overs and T20) last season, knows it will be much tougher repeating the feat but it remains focused, motivated and confident of another great show. “We became the first team in the history of Premier League to have won both the titles last season so the confidence is high. We believe we have a pretty strong and balanced team and have not felt the need to make new additions this

season,” said team manager Vinu Mathews. The country’s premier tournament looks set to see a more aggressive Assarain. “We know this year’s competition is going to be much tougher so we are going to go for the kill from the very outset,” he added. Passage to India (PTI) is surely the team to watch out for this season as they not only have Raha veterans Sultan Ahmed and Zeeshan Ahmed Siddiqui playing for them but their captain Amir Kaleem is also back in the team after being out for nine months due to injury. This makes Passage much richer in experience and class. PTI, managed and mentored by KK Mohandas, will also have fresh blood flowing through its ranks as two new players from Pakistan have joined the team. “We have a much balanced team this season. Mohammed Salman Ali from Faisalabad is an exciting opening batsman who bowls off spin

too. He has played First Class cricket and will be a very good addition to our team,” stated Amir Kaleem, who will be leading the team. The second new addition to PTI squad is Ihsanullah Khan, the young all-rounder from Peshawar, who bats left-handed and bowls leftarm spin. When asked which was the team to beat this season, Amir said all the teams were strong and capable of winning the championship. “We are not going to take any team lightly. PTI is ready to play positive cricket. This won’t be an easy season for any team,” he added. Known for its team work and discipline, Enhance has strengthened its squad and is once again going to be a surprise package. Boasting a number of players that have played for Oman, Enhance will be an exciting mix of youth and experience. Four new additions to the squad include

Oman under-19 captain Wasim Ali, left-arm paceman Mazhar Alam, batsman Khurram Khan and all-rounder Aqil Khan who bowls quality left-arm spin. “My team is beaming with confidence. We always had the ability and talent to do well and this season we have focused on fitness. Everyone has been working hard on their fitness for the last two months and it’s showing in their performances in the practice matches,” claimed Guru Prasanna, Enhance team manager. “We have made some changes in our team, strengthening our middle order by bringing in Khurram Khan and promoting young Wasim Ali from A Division to our Premier League team along with Omani talent Sufiyan Mahmood. Our batting and bowling will now have more depth,” he added. Guru believes his team has every reason to believe that it is a serious title contender this season. They have worked hard, clearly, to nurture this belief. Al Turki remains a dark horse, capable of causing an upset on its day. However, the team is likely to be the same as last season. Led by wicketkeeper batsman Twinkle Bhandari, the side is mentored by team owner Chaitanya Gulabsi himself. The team fortunes will largely depend on the form and fitness of its leading all-rounder Ajay Lalcheta, an established matchwinner on his day.

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T H U R S DAY l S E P T E M B E R 2 1 l 2 0 1 7

25

NATURE WATCH

IN FOCUS

Humble bicycle back in vogue in Cuba

T

ALEXABDRE GROSBOIS he humble bicycle is gradually shedding its grim association with Cuba’s economic crisis that followed the fall of the Soviet Union, and making a comeback buoyed by demand from tourists and Cubans frustrated by poor public

transportation. Bicycles rattle by everywhere on the flat cobblestone streets of Cardenas, an industrial city on the north coast where a giant iron bicycle monument greets visitors. Bikes have long been the favoured mode of transport here, but in Havana and other cities, the bike is coming back into vogue. Modern bike shops with their smell of rubber and gear-oil are springing up to meet demand from tourists as well as Cubans simply looking for a reliable way to get around. Osvaldo, a computer technician, sweats over an old Soviet-made MB3 with back-pedal brakes, handlebars shorn of handgrips — the bike itself a collection of spare parts. “Everybody gets around by bicycle in Cardenas, and I use it also to carry all sorts of things, anything I can manage,” he says. The odd slick mountain bike with swishing derailleurs is a rarity among the traditional rusty boneshakers used by ordinary Cubans heading to work, or to the bakery. Hairdresser Kenia Lis Pulido said she uses her bike from morning to night, from the moment she takes her children to school. “At night, if we are going anywhere, we’ll pick up our bike and we’ll have spent the whole day on the bike.” In some ways Cardenas is a constantly moving, living

museum of mostly-communist bike transport over the last 50 years, with examples galore of the Chinese-built “Forever” model and the “Flying Pigeon” that flooded the island during the shortages in the 1990s. One can still find a few folding MB3s from the 1980s, and rarer still, the American “Schwinn” of the 1950s. THE MADE-IN-CUBA ‘MINERVA’ In the early 1990s bikes were the preferred way to get around in Cuba. The Soviet Union had just collapsed, removing the island’s source of cheap oil imports, and cutbacks in public transportation led nearly everyone to seek a reliable alternative during the so-called “Special Period.” To cope with demand, Cuba began producing its own model, the Minerva. They were “poor quality,” remembers Lazaro Pereira, a bike-repair specialist in Cardenas. “The forks split and when this happened, passersby would mock people falling off their bikes.” Customization is common in Cuba’s make-do culture, and bikes are often equipped with baskets, as well as wooden seats for extra passengers. Some even have lawnmower engines fitted. Ordinary mattress foam or plastic is used to renovate tired saddles. Often a piece of sponge wrapped in vinyl does the trick. “During the Special Period in the 90s, many bicycles were made. Many were of good quality, because they didn’t put a lot of weight on them, because a bicycle is made for only one person, but we want to put four people on it,” the 43-year-old mechanic said. SPECTER OF THE SPECIAL PERIOD Fidel Castro encouraged Cubans to get on their bikes when the Soviet cash-cow ran dry, but greater prosperity as the 21st century loomed brought a new reliance on motorized transport.

Still today, a bicycle may have “a negative connotation because... it can remain associated with poverty that characterized this period,” said Maria Paula Otero Herrera, a 21-year-old music student and bike-lover. “It was the ideal means of transport because it was the only thing that was allowed and so it has dragged with it those feeling of poverty from that time,” said geography student Denis Alvarez. Naybis Diaz Labaut is owner of VeloCuba, one of the numerous repair and bike-hire shops which have flourished around Havana in the last few years. “For the last five years, there has been significant movement in the world of bicycles in Cuba. We see it in the streets,” she said, adding that they are proving a viable alternative to the geriatric public transport system. In general, “people aged 50+ reject bikes... but the new generation appreciates its attractions,” she says. VeloCuba has been around since 2014, and employs almost exclusively women. The agency has just opened a second Havana outlet and also offers guided tours to tourists on its 40 recent models. All were bought from foreign tourists because “the bikes sold in Cuba are Chinese models made of iron,” and of poor-quality, says Diaz-Labaut. Two-wheeled transport has a big future in Havana even though it has not yet reached anywhere near the popularity of bicycles in the provinces, she says. Cycling in Cuba has its dangers however, “from antique vehicles unable to properly slow down, to the absence of proper bike paths, and the lack of motorist education.” “It’s hard and challenging to ride in Havana,” laughs Jake Lester, a cyclist from Massachusetts in the US, on a three-month study trip. “You have to be very careful about what happens round you.” — AFP

Slovenia plans to lower hunting quota for bears to 88 next year

S

lovenian hunters will be allowed to kill a total of 88 bears and up to 10 wolves next year, to keep the population of the animals from expanding, the Environment Ministry said on Monday. This year, hunters were allowed to kill 93 bears and up to 10 wolves, depending on how many wolves died of other causes. About 450 to 500 bears and 50 wolves live in Slovenia, and the government wants to keep the population at that level, to protect people and livestock. “The aim... is to ensure that the population is retained in favourable condition and that sufficient level of cohabilitation is enabled,” the ministry said in a statement. Two local environmental organisations took the government to court earlier this year, asserting the hunting quota for wolves was too high and endangered the wolf population. The court has not ruled yet. About 60 per cent of Slovenia is covered by forest, which is home to bears, wolves and lynxes. The lynx population is dwindling, so Slovenia plans to import at least 10 lynxes from Romania and Slovakia. — Reuters

CROSSWORD

1 7 8 10 11 14 16 17 19 21 22 23 26 28 29 30 31

CRYPTIC PUZZLE ACROSS They arrest bigheaded libertines (6) A furrow of the brow making news? (8) Bird’s call for a Chinese gooseberry (4) Obliged to be chauffeured? (6) One in the field of temporary accommodation (6) It’s highly computerized, yet full of holes? (3) Proverbially brave, but they can use a bit of consoling (5) They’ll meet if you can pay (4) A former fungoid effect (5) Of a stable nature? (5) Started some fires with a quantity of petrol? (5) The type who’s always so right? (4) Storehouse or department containing nothing! (5) The infamy of those who have it in for me? (3) Gives a chap plenty as a share (6) Sort of sheriff whose duty was to keep a record? (6) Is she apt to open up when the

lights go out? (4) 32 Shorten letters to the papers? (8) 33 Belief in a direct style (6) DOWN 1 Make a package of a lot of money? (6) 2 Of kitchen ones, do some live in the sink, possibly? (6) 3 In person, error about a hotel (4) 4 Best way to lie, lady? (7) 5 In friendship, potentially, it would make a great pet (5) 6 Looks closely at the lords (5) 8 Nice people at the back of beyond (4) 9 The weather we get at the end of August? (3) 12 Pyramids contain Roman numerals! (3) 13 Get in the back of the queue for rent revision (5) 15 Laurie’s sound vehicle (5) 18 He could never quite belong in an anagram! (5) 19 A test Tom’s up for (3) 20 The unnecessary end of the house (3) 21 Cricket’s equivalent of strikers? 22 Left a pair of spectacles on the (7) table, possibly (3)

23 Lying with a bend in the backbone (6)

24 Responsibility for giving us no 33 Dig up (6) rise! (4) 25 See what it’s like to be shot away DOWN (3,3) 1 Seem (6) 26 Point a swimmer out at the hop 2 Conclusion (6) (5) 3 Titled woman (4) 27 The fat soft piece (5) 4 Plague (7) 28 Each part of Perpignan’s opera 5 Took an exam again (5) centre (3) 6 Alloy (5) 30 For the record, is in Washington 8 Public school (4) (4) 9 Plural of is (3) 12 Section (3) EASY PUZZLE 13 List (5) ACROSS 15 Municipal (5) 18 Fossil resin (5) 1 Add (6) 19 Speck (3) 7 Fan (8) 20 Information (3) 8 Dutch cheese (4) 21 Fish (7) 10 Whole (6) 22 Illuminated (3) 11 Discount (6) 23 Fodder (6) 14 Number (3) 24 Hades (4) 16 Essential (5) 25 Tarry (6) 17 Called (4) 26 Pennies (5) 19 Integer (5) 27 Bellows (5) 21 Slum (5) 28 Pitch (3) 22 Dead language (5) 30 Informed (4) 23 Discard (4) 26 Danger (5) YESTERDAY’S CRYPTIC 28 Bind (3) SOLUTIONS 29 Sensual (6) ACROSS: 1, Be-a-ts 6, Cited 9, 30 Animal fat (6) Win-ters 10, T-ox-in 11, All-oy 31 Spoken (4) 12, Ni-e-ce 13, W-I’d-geon 15, Hut 32 Merry-go-round (8)

17, Acre 18, Punish 19, S-le-ep. 20, Chirpy 22, A-den 24, Hen 25, Pulling 26, SNO-op. 27, Stein 28, Li-Vi-d 29, Referee 30, Inner 31, Ad-D-ed. DOWN: 2, E-xotic 3, T-wing-e 4, S-I-N 5, Stain 6, Crack up 7, Isle 8, Ex-odus 12, No-b-ly 13, Watch 14, Drain 15, Hindi 16, Thing 18, Pe-p up 19, Spinner 21, Heston 22, Al-lied 23, Entice 25, Poles (apart) 26, Sire 28, Lea. YESTERDAY’S EASY SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 1, Least 6, Lunch 9, Pumpkin 10, Sprig 11, Bison 12, Cadet 13, Freezer 15, Men 17, Rent 18, Marine 19, Panel 20, Tremor 22, Diva 24, Her 25, Comical 26, Stern 27, Bugle 28, Divan 29, Intoned 30, Leapt 31, Never. DOWN: 2, Empire 3, Spinet 4, Tug 5, Spear 6, Liberal 7, Unit 8, Chosen 12, Cedar 13, Froth 14, Enter 15, Mimic 16, Nepal 18, Melon 19, Portent 21, Resume 22, Divide 23, Vacate 25, Croon 26, Slip 28, Den.

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LOCAL SCENE

BANGLADESH

Rohingya refugees carry their belongings as they walk through a flooded pathway at a camp in Cox’s Bazar. — Reuters

5 NETHERLANDS

Life as it happens around the world

Members of the cavalry rehearse at the beach of Scheveningen on the eve of a parade in The Hague, before the king delivers his speech from the throne to outline the main features of the government’s policy for the coming parliamentary session. — Reuters

Tracking down the secret CAMBODIA A decorated buffalo is seen during the last day of Pchum Ben festival, or the festival of the dead, at Virhear Sour village in Kandal province. — Reuters

Wadi Al A

C YERU EBUEN

UNITED STATES A woman takes photographs of a light show on the ceiling of Grand Central Terminal which organisers said was honouring the work of female scientists and engineers in Manhattan, New York. — Reuters

A girl plays with a bird while the sun sets over the marina in the Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris. — Reuters

TURKEY

ompared to the loud booming noise of the Ayn Athum waterfall in Salalah during Khareef, the secret Al Hail waterfall in Wadi Al Arbeein is tamer. Its water is pleasantly cold even in the middle of summer and the turquoise pool where the water is collected is a temptation for adventurous outdoor lovers. It’s a destination Ahmed al Jaabri visited last week with a couple of his friends. A definite pride of the Al Sharqiyah Governorate, Al Hail waterfalls seldom sees footfall. It’s not a destination for everybody and among the many requirements one has to prepare for, the one on top of the list is being healthy and fit. “It requires quite a challenging if not long period of walking and swimming,” Al Jaabri said. “Wadi Al Arbeein is one of the most amazing Oman wadis. Located about an hour and a half drive from Muscat, it boasts green valleys, lush palm plantations and uncharted, seldom visited paths,” he shared. “But it is a great place to escape especially for those who thrive exploring nature. With barely any human settlements close to the waterfalls, it offers you the ultimate soundtrack of nature — the clear,

crisp sound of running water, the mesmerising chorus of birds and even the comforting, sometimes haunting flow of breeze on Wadi Al Arbeein’s narrow channels,” he said. Many dared exploring Wadi Al Arbeein in the past and many also reported getting lost as before, without the proper markers, it was a difficult place to pin down. But just recently, roads have seen quite a development and although the paved road ends abruptly in the area, finding it is no longer a Herculean task. There are different ways to get to Wadi Al Arbeein but the easiest is taking Muscat’s Route 17 via Amerat going to Sur. A few metres from the village of Dibab, a sign that points to the right announces that the wadi is located 17 kms away. “What people need to know is that the road might be fine from Muscat until Dibab, but while taking the route leading to Wadi al Arbeein, the paved road ends abruptly and it is for this reason that outdoor lovers must opt for 4x4 cars,” Al Jaabri cautioned. “For our trip, we left on Thursday evening. Since my group is accustomed to camping, we opted to camp at a place near the wadi. We wanted to fully experience the area and being there in the evening means we have more time exploring it the next day,” Al Jaabri narrated. “We rose early as we’ve come to understand that finding the waterfalls is on its own, an adventure. There are

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Autism centre lauds Park Inn hotels’ outreach programme

T

he Special Centre for Autism was opened after the Ministry of Social Development issued a decree for the creation of centres for the rehabilitation of persons that have special needs. Along with the interest of Shaikh Mohammed bin Suleiman al Taie, who believed that “The establishing of the Specialty Centre for Autism and its attached Clinic has come out as a result of our belief in the importance of bearing the social responsibility towards our beloved Country.”

waterfall of

rbeein no clear markers around. From where we camped, we have to walk for almost an hour passing through different valleys. The trail got harder and difficult until we came across large rocks and large pools. To cross to the other side, we have to swim,” he added. “Locating the waterfalls took us quite a long time. From our campsite, the trail was about 6 km long before you’d find the large waterfall,” he said. Wadi Al Arbeein is home to different turquoise pools in different sizes. Although a favourite picnic destination among the locals in the area, compared to other wadis, it has a more untouched feel to it since it is a challenging place to get to. Heather Louise Duncan, a travel blogger, shared on her blog (http://www.theduncanadventures.com) that she came to know of the waterfall from whispers. “I’ve often heard of people going there to swim, BBQ, hang out and picnic but I heard whispers of a waterfall deep inside the wadi. Not many people were aware of this,” she wrote. Plunging into her own adventure, Duncan would see for herself the fresh pools which are “an amazing place to cool down after a strenuous hike and have some fun. She noted that the visibility in the pools

was amazingly clear allowing beautiful views of the fish swimming by. “With very little garbage and pollution, this is by far the best Wadi I have visited in Oman,” she claimed. Duncan, who was notably impressed with what she found in Wadi Al Arbeein, added “Reaching the waterfall took 2.5 exhausting hours but it was worth it to experience such an amazingly pure, untouched beauty. Swimming in the pool below the waterfall was an experience I’ll never forget.” In agreement with Al Jaabri, Duncan said, “To reach the waterfall itself the trek was hard going and dangerous at points, this is not a day out for the faint hearted — clambering over huge boulders, leaping across rocks with sheer drops and pulling yourself up into a narrow crack in the rock with only a rope for support as your feet slip and slide on the smooth surface. One wrong step in here and you would be in trouble. Believe me, clumsy as ever I took a tumble down a sharp rock outcrop.” Despite the challenges, both also agreed that for those who are in Oman, Wadi Al Arbeein is definitely an amazing location that one needs to add to their ‘must visit’ list.

The Specialist Centre for autism was created, providing various services targeted towards encouraging a better understanding of autism and providing specialist services for people with autism and those who care for them. September is the month that the Park Inn hotels in Oman made it their point to add colour to people’s lives. To commemorate the annual responsible business activity month, the two Park Inn by Radisson Hotels in Oman have collaborated and visited the Special Centre for Autism in Muscat, Oman. A day filled with fun activities with the Park Inn hotels staff and the centre. The team was welcomed by the head of the centre, Dr Ali, the faculty and staff including the students. The hotel employees and the members of the centre organised various activities like painting and tree planting for the children. Nuno Neves, cluster general manager for Park Inn Muscat and Park Inn Duqm said that, “We ‘Think Community’ by working with organisations to reach out with the community. We support this kind of activity and value that a small act can make a difference. Awareness is the key in spreading the information.” “We have students from 4 to 18 years old. We are glad that organisations like Park Inn hotels in Oman supports us for creating awareness about autism here in the country,” Dr Ali said. The centre provides a safe place and therapeutic environment for the rehabilitation of autistic children. They provide many facilities including proper staffed accommodation, with all day camera watch in all centre and accommodation sectors, delivering the autistic maximum level of independence. It also provides all therapeutic means to the autistic child, including occupational therapy, speech treatment, behavioural therapy, psychotherapy and academic qualification. They also provide services that give guardians and those involved with children with special needs a detailed explanation about autism and ensure that the information about autism are easily available for those who require it . To know more about the event, follow #AddingColorToLives and for more information about The Special Centre for Autism and their services and vision or to learn more about autism you can visit the website www. autismcenteroman.

THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 |

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PHOTO BY AHMED AL JAABRI

Tracking down the secret waterfall of

Wadi Al Arbeein For years, Wadi Al Arbeein’s Al Hail waterfalls has evaded the public thanks to limited information, challenging and circuitous hiking paths and its secluded location. But more and more people are starting to discover its unique natural beauty and despite the information made handy, it remains only acccessible to those who are fit and adventurous enough that can last the more than two hours hike going deep into the heart of the Al Sharqiyah Governorate... P26

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