BOEING STUDYING BUSINESS CASE FOR NEW MID-SIZED JET, SAYS OFFICIAL P16 BRAZIL GP SECURITY TIGHTENED AFTER ARMED ROBBERY P21 WHAT KEEPS SINAW MARKET BUSY P27

Bahrain pipelineblast condemned

OMAN

MUSCAT: The Sultanate condemned the terrorist attack which targeted one of the oil pipelines near Bori Village in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The statement issued by the Foreign Ministry affirmed the Sultanate’s full solidarity with the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain against all types of sabotage and terrorism that target innocent people, as well as government and private interests and headquarters. The statement added that such acts should be faced with all possible means to protect security, development and stability.

POLLUTION SPIKES IN DELHI AMID NO RELIEF WARNINGS P10

TRUMP OFFERS TO MEDIATE IN SOUTH CHINA SEA ROW P8

INSIDESTORIES

PRAYER TIMINGS

WEATHER TODAY

MUSCATMAX: 310CMIN: 220C

SALALAHMAX: 300CMIN: 220C

NIZWAMAX: 330CMIN: 190C

SUNRISE 6.19 AM

FAJR: 05:01DHUHR: 11:56ASR: 15:05MAGHRIB: 17:28ISHA: 18:41

VOL. 36 NO. 364 | PAGES 28 | BAISAS 200MONDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2017 | SAFAR 24, 1439 AH

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editor@omanobserver.om

MUSCAT: A sum of RO 100

million would be earmarked in the

annual State Budget to support the

entitled segments of

society on account

of the liberalisation

of fuel prices, with

the aim of alleviating

their impact on

these segments.

This gesture

coincides with

anniversary of

the National Day

and adds to the

a c h i e v e m e n t s

made by the wise

leadership of His

Majesty Sultan

Qaboos for the

prosperity of this

country.

The Council of

Ministers issued a statement in

this connection on Sunday, which

said: “Within the context of the

continuous attention accorded

by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos to

the living conditions of citizens

and His Majesty’s directives to

the government to take steps

for realising this approach, the

Council of Ministers

tasked a specialised

committee to finalise

mechanisms and

executive procedures

to lend support to

entitled segments of

society on account

of the liberalisation

of fuel prices, with

the aim of alleviating

their impact on these

segments.”

While the

committee has

r e c o m m e n d e d

allocation to the tune

of RO 100 million

for the purpose, it

is yet to announce

the procedures and mechanisms

to be undertaken for entitlement

to the prescribed support with

effect from January 2018. The

committee will follow up on its

implementation. — ONA

MUSCAT: As per the

Royal directives of His

Majesty Sultan Qaboos

and within the Royal

care accorded by His

Majesty to ensure life

of dignity for the sons

of this dear nation, His

Majesty the Sultan gave

his directive of a Royal

grant for social security

families on the occasion

of the 47th Glorious

National Day. These

families will also receive

the upcoming Eid Royal

grants — Eid al Fitr and

Eid al Adha — as it has

been the norm in the

previous years. — ONA

RO 100 MILLION TO SUPPORT CITIZENSet to support the

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THE DECISION COMES

WITHIN THE CONTEXT

OF THE CONTINUOUS ATTENTION ACCORDED

BY HIS MAJESTY TO THE LIVING

CONDITIONS OF CITIZENS

Royal grant for social security families

SUPPORT FOR SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY ON ACCOUNT OF LIBERALISATION OF FUEL PRICES

GESTURE COINCIDES WITH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BLESSED NATIONAL DAY

THE COMMITTEE WILL FINALISE MECHANISMS AND EXECUTIVE PROCEDURES

1,409 SQU STUDENTS GRADUATE

Assigned by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah al Hinai, State Adviser, presided over the graduation ceremony of the 28th batch of students from the colleges of humanities at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). During the ceremony, 1,409 graduates from the three humanities colleges of the university received their degrees. DETAILS ON P3

STAFF REPORTERMUSCAT, NOV 12

Phase 1 of the giant Khazzan gas field

development, which was formally

inaugurated at the weekend, will

make a significant contribution to

the socio-economic development

of the Sultanate over the long-term,

according to a key official of Oman

Oil Company, a partner in the

multibillion dollar mega venture.

Isam bin Saud al Zadjali, CEO

of Oman Oil Company, said the

Khazzan Project will also help

maximise the value of Oman’s

natural resources. “I am delighted

by the fact that the project has

contributed to the sustainable

development of the nation on many

fronts,” Al Zadjali stated.

His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin

Tareq al Said, Minister of Heritage

and Culture, and Bob Dudley, BP’s

Group Chief Executive, officially

inaugurated the landmark gas

development last Thursday.

Bob Dudley said: “It is an

honour to be here in Oman on this

momentous occasion. Although

this marks just the beginning of

operations for Khazzan, we have

already been working towards

this for ten years, building close

relationships with Oman and our

partners. I expect these will continue

to grow and deepen. SEE ALSO P4

Muscat Municipality has begun the process of installing 84 energy-

saving lighting poles as part of the decorations for the National Day

celebrations. The poles have been installed on the roads facing the Qurum

beach. The municipality had earlier said it would embark on a project to

replace the existing incandescent lamps on roads with LED lights in Muscat.

Khazzan gas field to deliver huge benefits to Sultanate

ENERGY-SAVING LIGHTS FOR MUSCAT

SAMUEL KUTTYMUSCAT, NOV 12

Targeting Omani youth, the Ministry

of Agriculture and Fisheries has

decided to allocate land for setting

up integrated farm projects.

“The decision stems from

the ministry’s efforts to provide

feasible projects that generate job

opportunities and involve Omani

youth in agricultural and fisheries

activities,” said an announcement by

the ministry.

While land comprising 10 acres

each for 40 projects have already

been earmarked at Al Aela in the

Wilayat of Al Kamil Wa al Wafi

in South Sharqiyah Governorate,

another 12 projects have been

announced at Wadi Heibbi in Suhar.

According to the announcement,

the projects aim at providing

investment opportunities for Omani

youth and owners of SMEs in the

agricultural sector.

“Project owners will be employees

as well in the system. Those who

intend to become part of the project

should be graduates specialised

in agriculture and fisheries,” the

announcement said.

The projects aim at improving

production and linking it to

processing and marketing.

These plans and programmes are

designed to be compatible with the

country’s sustainable agricultural

development strategy.

The agriculture and fisheries

sector registered a massive 16.3

per cent growth in 2016 against an

average 6.4 per cent in the previous

five years.

52 integrated farm projects for youth

MUSCAT: Minister of Housing

Saif bin Mohammed al Shabibi

has issued new regulations

regarding the possession of land

by companies for real estate

development.

As per the new regulations,

effective from Sunday, plots

of land coming under new

regulations should be not be less

than 5,000 square metres.

Besides, real estate developers

cannot promote/market their

projects unless they have obtained

required licences and permits

from the authorities.

Only companies fully owned

by Omanis, GCC citizens and

public shareholding companies in

which Omani nationals possess at

least 30 per cent of capital

New rules on land possession in wilayats

TURN TO P5

TURN TO P5

A 4-PAGE SUPPLEMENT ON AL JARWANI GROUP IS ISSUED

WITH TODAY’S EDITION

MUSCAT: On behalf of His

Majesty Sultan Qaboos, His

Highness Sayyid Fahd bin

Mahmood al Said, Deputy

Prime Minister for the Council

of Ministers, on Sunday

received Demetris Syllouris,

Speaker of the Cypriot House of

Representatives.

Demetris Ysllouris conveyed

the greetings of the leadership

in the Republic of Cyprus to

His Majesty the Sultan, the

government along with their

wishes of further progress and

prosperity for the Omani people.

HH Sayyid Fahd reviewed

the relations between the two

friendly countries and discussed

means of enhancing cooperation

in various fields. PHOTO ON P2

Oman, Cyprus to boost relations

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Oman and Cyprus strengthen bilateral cooperationMUSCAT: Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal al Busaidy,

Minister of the Diwan of the Royal Court,

received in his Office on Sunday Demetris

Syllouris, President of the Cyrpus House of

Representatives, and his delegation.

During the meeting bilateral relations

between the Sultanate and the Cyprus were

reviewed.

Separately, Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al

Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council,

received Demetris Syllouris and his delegation

at the Council premises.

During the meeting, Dr Al Mantheri

highlighted the importance of the visit. He

added it serves to strengthen cooperation

frameworks and open new avenues between

the Sultanate and Cyprus.

Further, on, he underlined the importance

of strengthening relations in various fields

between the two countries especially in the

economic and educational fields.

Speaking about the ongoing procedures

of the new Memorandum of Understanding

(MoU) between the two countries, the State

Council Chairman said that it would bolster

relations.

Demetris Syllouris, expressed happiness

regarding the visit the Sultanate, and added

that they looked forward to further progress,

prosperity and development in relationships

and praised the Omani parliamentary

experience, development and uniqueness.

He noted that Cyprus is concerned about

expanding its relations with the Sultanate

in bilateral and multilateral formats. In

his opinion, a great potential exists for the

activation of cooperation in investment and

education field and stressed on the need to

have a program of student exchange between

the two countries.

Majlis Ash’shura Chairman Shaikh Khalid

bin Hilal al Maawali also received Demetris

Syllouris and his delegation.

The meeting discussed ways to develop

relations between Majlis Ash’shura and the

House of Representatives of Cyprus in a way

that serves the common interests of the two

countries, in addition to the convergence of

views on the various issues on the work of

the international and regional parliamentary

unions to achieve the interests of the peoples

of the two friendly countries. Syllouris said

the increasing cooperation between the two

friendly countries through parliamentary

councils, intensifying visits and exchanging

experiences will help develop the parliamentary

process between the two sides. — ONA

IPA marks 40th anniversary

MILITARY COOPERATION REVIEWED

MUSCAT: The Institute of Public

Administration (IPA) on Sunday celebrated

at the Sheraton Muscat Hotel the 40th

anniversary of its establishment under

the auspices of Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al

Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council.

The Chairman of the State Council said:

“The Institute of Public Administration

has played an important and positive role

in the administrative renaissance in the

Sultanate during the past 40 years through

the programmes that have been carried out

since 1977 until now.”

He pointed out that the Royal Decree

issued in 2016 details the regulating powers

of IPA for the new development in vision

and mission.

Shaikh Khalid bin Omar al Marhoon,

Minister of Civil Service and Chairman

of the Board of Directors of IPA, said in a

statement that the Institute has important

contributions to the development of human

resources in the administrative apparatus of

the State during the 40 years of the blessed

Renaissance since its establishment in

1977, in developing and strengthening the

capacity of government employees in the

Sultanate.

The ceremony started with the speech of

Sayyid Zaki bin Hilal bin Saud al Busaidi,

Executive Chairman of IPA, where he

said that the establishment of the Institute

of Public Administration on the first of

November 1977 was a great achievement for

the Sultanate and a milestone in the history

of administrative development institutions.

He added that IPA is unique among its

Arab and international counterparts as it is

given comprehensive and verified terms of

reference for development.

The ceremony included the inauguration

of the new identity of the Institute and the

presentation of a film about the new building

of the Institute, which will be built according

to the latest international specifications,

through the partnership between the

Institute and Muscat National Company

for Development and Investment “Asas” to

be an ideal environment for training and

rehabilitation Institute. The new building

will raise capacity when completed in 2020

to twenty thousand trainee annually.

Dr Al Manthri honoured the former

Directors of the Institute and honoured the

parties and individuals who had a role in

promoting and implementing the Institute’s

activities. The sponsor of the event and

the audience toured at the sidelines of

the ceremony the mini-exhibition of the

Institute’s images and publications. — ONA

MUSCAT: Sayyid Badr bin Saud al Busaidy,

Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs,

received Col General Sobhi Sedki, Army

Commander and Defence Minister of

Egypt.

They reviewed existing military

cooperation and discussed issues of

common concern between the two sisterly

nations.

The meeting was attended by the

ambassador of Egypt to the Sultanate.

— ONA

Dr Al Mantheri meets with Demetris Syllouris. Shaikh Al Maawali receives Demetris Syllouris.Sayyid Khalid receives Demetris Syllouris.

His Highness Sayyid Fahd receives President of the Cyrpus House of Representatives. — Picture by Mohamed al Rashdi

The Institute of Public Administration has played an important and positive role in the administrative renaissance in the Sultanate

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Second phase of SQU graduation ceremony

1,409 graduates from humanities receive degreesMUSCAT: The second phase of the 28th

graduation ceremony of Sultan Qaboos

University was held Sunday evening at

the Amphitheatre of the University under

the auspices of Shaikh Mohammed bin

Abdullah al Hinai, State Advisor.

The ceremony marks the graduation of

the 9th batch of PhD graduates, the 22th

batch of master’s degree holders, and the

28th batch of bachelor’s degree holders.

In the second ceremony, 1,409 graduates

from the three humanities colleges of the

university received their degrees from the

chief guest. The number of graduates from

each college is as follows: The College

of Law 236, the College of Arts & Social

Sciences 668, and the College of Education

505.

Addressing the gathering on the

occasion, Dr Ali bin Saud al Bimani,

the Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos

University, that Sultan Qaboos University

has accomplished many achievements

at various levels, local and international.

In terms of academic and institutional

accreditation, the university has set

up an executive committee to prepare

the university report according to the

requirements of the Omani Academic

Accreditation Authority in the Sultanate

(OAAA). The university has been able to

collect the necessary data and complete the

report and submit to OAAA. The College

of Arts and Social Sciences achieved the

institutional accreditation of the Agency

for Quality Assurance (AQAS) for six years

from July 2016 to September 2022.

He added that the Deanship of

Graduate Studies at the University offers

98 degrees in the fields of medicine and

health sciences, engineering, agricultural

and maritime sciences, economics and

political science, literature, social sciences,

education, law, nursing and science. These

programs are based on sound research base

that emphasizes the quality of academic

programs and addresses issues of national

strategic importance. Dr Al Bimani added

that 3,444 students graduated from the

university with postgraduate degrees since

the establishment of the university to date.

— Pictures by Khalfan al Ruzaiqi

Flights to Muscat not hit by Delhi smogKABEER YOUSUFMUSCAT, NOV 12

Flights between New Delhi and

Oman have remained unaffected

even as the Indian capital city

is enveloped by a thick blanket

of smog, according to airlines

operating from both Muscat and

Salalah.

The clarification comes in the

wake of some airlines suspending

services to Delhi after the city

declared an environment pollution

emergency last week. Pollution had

crossed acceptable levels in Indian

capital.

“All our flights are operating

as per schedule. We will advise in

advance if any official update is

received from our headquarters,”

the Kuwait Airways said in response

to a query from the Observer.

Delhi is a lucrative sector for

flights operating from Muscat.

Almost all carriers fly to the Indian

capital.

“All our flights between Muscat

and Delhi have been operating

regularly and no service has been

suspended so far,” said Air India

office in a statement.

Sri Lankan Airlines, which has

11 flights a week to Delhi, said its

services remain uninterrupted. “All

our 11 services are as per schedule.

So far, no delay/ cancellation has

been reported,” the airlines office

said.

Gulf Air, another leading carrier

operating from Muscat via Bahrain,

said its daily service to Delhi was

continuing as usual. “For us, safety

of the passengers is of paramount

importance and we never

compromise on this credo. All our

services are operating as usual,” said

a senior airline official.

Cool breeze to bring down temperature

LAKSHMI KOTHANETHMUSCAT, NOV 12

Drizzle and cool breeze are likely

to bring down temperature by

three degrees, according to the

Directorate General of Meteorology

and Air Navigation at the Public

Authority of Civil Aviation (PACA).

However, temperature will

remain at around 29 to 30 degrees

Celsius.

Fresh winds at a speed of

20 nautical miles per hours are

expected in the coastal areas,

while rains are forecast for the

next two days.

Coastal areas of Muscat and Al

Batinah are expected to witness

cooler mornings in the coming days.

Various parts of the country

witnessed morning downpour on

Sunday, while the capital saw light

showers. “Showers are normal just

before the winter sets in. It marks

the transition from hot to cooler

days,” said the Met Office official.

In next two days, clear to

partly cloudy skies are likely over

Musandam Governorate and the

coastal areas of Oman Sea with

chances of isolated rain.

Low-level clouds or fog patches

will be visible over governorates

of South Sharqiyah, Al Wusta and

Dhofar.

Wind will be northeasterly

to easterly light to moderate,

becoming variable light at night

along the coastal areas of Oman Sea,

and southeasterly light along the

coastal areas of Arabian Sea. Over

the rest of the Sultanate, it will be

northwesterly light to moderate.

The Met Office cautioned

motorists of poor horizontal

visibility during fog and rain in the

next two days.

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Khazzan project to deliver long-term benefitsSTAFF REPORTERMUSCAT, NOV 12

Phase 1 of the giant Khazzan gas field

development, which was formally

inaugurated at the weekend, will make

a significant contribution to the socio-

economic development of the Sultanate

over the long-term, according to a key

official of Oman Oil Company, a partner

in the multi-billion dollar mega venture.

Isam bin Saud al Zadjali, CEO of

Oman Oil Company, said the Khazzan

project will also help maximise the value

of Oman’s natural resources.

“I am delighted by the fact that

the project has contributed to the

sustainable development of the nation

on many fronts, including human

capital development, new technology

applications and social responsibility, to

name only a few,” Al Zadjali stated.

His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin

Tareq al Said, Minister of Heritage and

Culture, and Bob Dudley, BP’s Group

Chief Executive, officially inaugurated

the landmark gas development on

November 9, 2017.

Speaking at event, Bob Dudley said:

“It is an honour to be here in Oman on

this momentous occasion. Although

this marks just the beginning of

operations for Khazzan, we have already

been working towards this for ten years,

building close relationships with Oman

and our partners. I expect these will

continue to grow and deepen.

“Visiting this huge project that we

have together built here in just a few

years, I can see why it has been described

as ‘the city in the sand’. And this city will

deliver benefits for Oman and BP for

decades to come. With an estimated

10.5 trillion cubic feet of recoverable

gas resources in place in Khazzan, this is

very much just the start of the journey,”

he stated.

The Phase One development started

gas production in September 2017, ten

years after the signing of BP’s production

sharing contract with Oman and almost

four years after the development was

approved.

Phase One will include a total of 200

wells feeding into a two-train central

processing facility. At peak, the Phase

One development involved a workforce

of around 13,500. Phase One production

is expected to plateau at 1 billion cubic

feet of gas per day (bcf/d). When the

second phase of development of the

Khazzan field — known as Ghazeer

— is fully on stream, total production

is expected rise to 1.5 bcf/d. In total,

approximately 300 wells are expected to

be drilled over the estimated lifetime of

these two phases of development of the

Khazzan field.

BP is the Operator of Block 61 and

holds a 60-per cent interest, while

Oman Oil Company for Exploration

and Production (OOCEP) — a

wholly owned subsidiary of Oman

Oil Company — holds a 40-per cent

interest. The production sharing

agreement for Block 61, which contains

the Khazzan field, was first signed

in 2007 and was amended in 2013

and extended in 2016. Appraisal over

2007-2013 confirmed the existence of

significant tight gas resources that could

be developed through the application

of BP’s extensive unconventional gas

experience and technology. The first

phase of development of the field was

sanctioned in December 2013.

The original Block 61 PSA covered

an area of 2,800 square kilometres in

central Oman, approximately 350km

southwest of Muscat. The Block 61

extension agreed in 2016 added a

further 1,150 square kilometres to the

south and west of the original block and

enabled a second phase, Ghazeer.

BP’s specialised experience in

accessing tight gas was the key to it

being awarded the contract a decade

ago to explore for and produce gas in

Block 61. To complete Phase 1 of the

project, horizontal and vertical wells

have been drilled across the field,

hundreds of kilometres of pipeline laid,

a two-train Central Processing Facility

(CPF) built, road, telecoms, water and

power infrastructure installed and

living accommodation completed. Over

the life of the project around 300 wells

will be drilled and a third train added

to the CPF.

Extracting gas tightly held in the old,

hard rocks of Khazzan has also been

a major challenge. BP brought in its

global experience in advanced seismic,

hydraulic fracturing and well design

expertise, which has been vital in the

work to date. The company conducted

the world’s largest onshore seismic

survey and precise 3D modelling of the

subsurface to understand where the gas

is and how it is distributed. It is now

undertaking highly accurate horizontal

drilling and injecting fluids at pressure

to coax the gas out. The expertise gained

by Omani engineers will enhance

the capability of Oman’s oil and gas

sector. Drilling efficiency has increased

significantly during the development of

the project. The average time to drill and

complete a vertical well was reduced by

27 per cent and a record time of 60 days

was achieved for completion of one well.

While BP provided advanced

seismic, hydraulic fracturing and well

design expertise, many local Omani

businesses contributed to the Khazzan

project. In fact, approximately 38 per

cent of the total contract spend to date

has been awarded to local oil and gas

services companies.

Energy-saving light poles for National Day

STAFF REPORTERMUSCAT, NOV 12

The Muscat Municipality has begun

to install 84 energy-saving lighting

poles (1,800 metres long) as part of

decorations for the National Day

celebrations.

Poles have been installed on roads

facing the Qurum beach.

The municipality had earlier said it

will embark on a project to replace the

existing incandescent lamps with LED

lights in the capital.

The project, which will begin in

the first quarter of 2018, is aimed at

rationalising electricity consumption,

conserving energy and realising goals

of sustainable development.

LED lights will help save 60 per

cent of energy through the use of

smart lighting technology, contribute

to reducing carbon emissions and

reduce operation/ maintenance costs.

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New rules on land possession

FROM PAGE 1upon foundation and closed joint stock companies in which Omanis possess at least 30 pc of capital, will be allowed to possess lands. The real estate development purposes provided for by the decision are confined to the construction of residential, commercial, tourist, industrial projects.

The decision bans commercial companies that are not fully owned by Omanis from possessing lands in the governorates of Musandam, Dhahirah, Buraimi, Dhofar, Liwa, Shinas, Duqm, Niyabat of Jabal Akhdar, Jabal Shams, lands and ancient neighbourhoods.

RENEWABLE ENERGY, SOLAR POWER DISCUSSED

The Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council on Sunday held its 6th meeting of the year under the chairmanship of Darwish bin Ismaeel bin Ali al Balushi, Minister Responsible for Financial Affairs, and Deputy Chairman of the Financial Affairs and Energy Resources Council. The Council reviewed reports on the financial status as on September 30, 2017. The Council reviewed financial indicators including oil price, state’s actual revenues, expenditure and deficit levels. It also reviewed the measures that the Council of Ministers has approved upon discussing the state’s budget for 2018. It viewed a presentation on the International Monetary Fund’s report on the economic and financial performance of the Sultanate. It also reviewed reports on renewable energy the most important of which is the national initiative for solar energy ‘Sahim’, which aims at creating a sustainable source for power in the Sultanate. — ONA

Results of student scientific innovations announcedMUSCAT: Dr Madeeha bint Ahmed

al Shaibaniyah, Minister of Education,

adopted the results of the student

scientific innovations in the knowledge

development programme and GLOBE

environmental programme.

The announcement of these results

comes in line with the approach

adopted by the ministry, represented

by the Department of Innovation

and the Scientific Olympiad on the

continuous development of the

mechanism for the application of

student scientific innovations and

the method of evaluation in quantity

and quality, which came during the

academic year 2016-2017 different

from previous years by being in

Oman Science Festival 2017 in the

first version.

This adds to it and to the innovative

students a great scientific and moral

addition in dazzling of the visitors of

the corners in the festival.

The 68 student scientific

innovations were classified in the four

fields: the field of natural sciences

and Mathematics, engineering

systems, energy, transportation and

environmental science.

They are evaluated by four jury

committees that contained specialised

academics, researchers and innovators

from the Sultanate and abroad

commensurate with the pursuit of

transparency and fairness for each

student business qualified for the final

stage evaluation.

The festival hosted a corner for the

evaluation of students’ projects in the

GLOBE environmental programme,

which included 13 scientific research

conducted by the students in all the

corners.

— ONA

Land for farm projectsFROM PAGE 1

“Those aspiring to take up the project should be innovative and submit a proposal about what they intend to do,” the announcement said. Each farm project will be divided into three parts for the production of the targeted crops with one part for greenhouse, another for open plants and the third for aquaculture units.

Irrigated water will be recycled and used in the units, it added. The government has been continuously pursuing policies that promote economic diversification and emphasis has been laid on increasing the contribution of

non-oil sectors to the GDP.The real GDP contribution from the sector

also showed improvement during the recent years. The relative share of the sector in the overall GDP improved to 2.0 per cent in 2016 against an average share of 1.3 per cent in the previous five years.

According to projections, the sector is expected to contribute 3.1 per cent to the GDP by 2020 with an annual growth of not less than 4.5 per cent, while fishing sector aims to expand its contribution to GDP to about 2 per cent by 2020 with a targeted annual growth of 5.6 per cent.

Al Jarwani Group, Tamani Intl sign contracts worth RO 22mMUSCAT: Al Jarwani Group and Tamani International for Development and Investment signed a number of contracts worth RO 22 million to finance the second phase of the Muscat Mall project with a number of banks, in addition to signing a number of contracts with a number of companies to provide communications infrastructure and trademarks in the complex.

Mohammed bin Salim al Toobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs sponsored the signing ceremony in the presence of a number of officials from the government and private bodies at the Sundus Rotana Hotel Muscat.

Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs said that such projects will contribute to the growth of the local economy and

provide many jobs for Omanis, either directly or indirectly. He pointed out that the project, when opened, will be an entertainment asset and will contribute to the promotion of tourism in the Sultanate.

Mahmoud bin Mohammed al Jarwani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Group, said that the contracts signed with a number of banks aimed at financing the second phase which is an extension due to the good demand for the project, stressing that the second phase will be completed in conjunction with the first phase as planned.

The project will provide more than 5,000 direct jobs and 2,000 indirect jobs, creating many unique attractions and recreational facilities.

— ONA

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insideoman

PASFR board discusses draft budget for 2018MUSCAT: The Board of Directors

of the Public Authority for Stores

and Food Reserve (PASFR) on

Sunday held its first meeting this

year under the chairmanship of Dr

Fuad bin Jaafar al Sajwani, Minister

of Agriculture and Fisheries and

Chairman of PASFR Board. The

board reviewed implementation of

the decisions made at its previous

meeting and the minutes of the fourth

meeting for 2016.

It also discussed several issues

listed on the agenda, such as

discussing the appointment of Deputy

Chairman for the PASFR and forming

the internal tender committee and the

auditing committee.

They also discussed the draft

budget for 2018 and approved the sale

and credit policies. The meeting also

reviewed the minutes of the Internal

Tender Committee and the Auditing

Committee’s meetings.

The board also took necessary

decisions towards the items listed on

the agenda. — ONA

ESO ends whale awareness campaign in Al WustaMUSCAT: As part of its longstanding

efforts to educate the general public

on the importance of protecting

endangered whales, the Environment

Society of Oman (ESO) concluded

its awareness campaign in the

Governorate of Al Wusta.

The initiative is being sponsored

by Renaissance Services and included

delivered school lectures, beach clean-

ups and a series of presentations

throughout the wilayats of Haima,

Mahout and Al Duqm.

True to its ethos of reaching

out to reach every corner of the

Sultanate, volunteers from the

society, in collaboration with multiple

stakeholders, supported each leg of

the campaign in addition to tagging

expeditions to help researchers

learn more about the Arabian Sea

Humpback Whales.

The campaign highlighted the

importance of preserving Oman’s

biodiverse environment, offering

attendees in schools and Omani

Women’s Association branches general

information on sustainability and its

impact on marine wildlife. Students

and other participants learned first-

hand about the unique and endangered

Arabian Sea Humpback Whale

population, their migration patterns in

the region and how reducing pollution

can substantially contribute to their

conservation.

Dr Hamed al Gheilani, Community

Outreach Manager at ESO, said, “Our

annual series of awareness campaigns

have helped provide thousands of

local communities with information

on the principles of environmental

consciousness and how they can

make a positive impact around them.

For years, the whales and dolphins of

the Sultanate have called our shores

and coasts home, but today they

are threatened by a combination

of factors. Thankfully, this can be

changed if we prioritise the needs of

the environment and remain diligent

stewards of Oman’s biodiversity.”

The landmark event was organised

in collaboration with the Ministry

of Environment and Climate Affairs,

the Ministry of Agriculture and

Fisheries, Ministry of Education, the

Special Economic Zone Authority

at Duqm (SEZAD), Wali’s Offices,

local municipalities, Omani Women’s

Association, the Oman Environmental

Services Holding Company,

Renaissance Services as well as local

communities. Volunteers from

participating organisations pitched

in to support ESO, including 400

SEZAD employees and schoolchildren

participating in two beach clean-ups

in Khaluf and Sarab.

The ESO was founded with the

objective of taking environmental

conservation in Oman to the next

level. Since its foundation in 2004,

the society has created numerous

campaigns and initiatives to spread

the importance of biodiversity and

educate residents to preserve the

Sultanate’s natural wonders.

School lectures, beach clean-ups and presentations educated the public on the importance of protecting endangered whales

Charter season begins as global tour operators line up Salalah service KAUSHALENDRA SINGHSALALAH, NOV 12

Major international tour operators

have lined up services in Salalah by

bringing tourists from European

countries and arranging charters to

and from Salalah in the charter season

that gained momentum from the first

week of November.

Among the big names are FTI,

Alpitour, Hydrotour, Fischer and

Itaka. The FTI is bringing tourists from

Germany, while Alpitour and Itaka

are bringing tourists from Italy and

Poland respectively. Hydrotour and

Fischer are bringing tourists mainly

from Slovakia and Czech Republic.

The tourism calendar suggests that

this year’s charter season started one

month late and the real volume of

them started pouring in Salalah from

November 1. Last year’s season had

started exactly one month before with

the arrival of the first charter flight

from Germany.

The calendar suggests that the FTI

is bringing German tourists from

November 1 to April 19, 2018; Alpitour

bringing Italians from October 27 to

May 3, 2018; Hydrotour and Fischer

bringing tourists from Slovakia and

Czech Republic from October 14

to May 11, 2018; and Itaka bringing

Polish tourists from November 1 to

March 29, 2018.

All in all, the volume of charter

tourists would reach more than 40,000

with at least 12 charter flights landing

and taking off weekly from Salalah

Airport. The hoteliers have cheered

the movement of tourists and smile

is back again on their faces which

was apparently missing during three

months of extraordinarily dull season

from August to October.

“Movement of tourists was there in

mid October but it was not enough to

cater to the needs of all the hotels in

Salalah, Taqah and Mirbat,” said a duty

manager of a five-star hotel.

Salalah Rotana Resort has renewed

its partnership deal with Itaka and

Hydrotour, major Polish and Slovakian

tour operators. As tourism in Oman

continues to enjoy steady growth,

the industry has also witnessed a

diversification of its source markets.

The renewed partnership with Itaka

will see 180 guests arrive weekly to

the resort, while Hydrotour will bring

guests from Bratislava to Salalah

weekly for the next six months.

Commenting on renewed

partnership with Itaka, Hossam

Kamal, General Manager of Salalah

Rotana Resort, said: “The partnership

signifies the success of our journey so

far with Itaka, which makes me very

proud of what we have achieved so

far and what is to come in the near

future. We pride ourselves in the level

of service provided by our colleagues

and achieving high guest satisfaction,

which is an important factor in our

daily operations. Tourism has taken

major strides in the number of source

markets developed over the years.”

Piotr Wrzesniewski, Charter

Produce Director, Itaka, called Salalah

connection very rewarding and

interesting. “Our journey to Salalah

began two years ago and has been a very

rewarding one. Hence, our decision to

continue is a win-win deal. The resort

has been a great holiday destination to

our guests, with exceptional service.

Oman has gained popularity in the

Polish market and it is our pleasure to

facilitate the movement of our Polish

guests to Oman’’.

The past two years, according to

Mikula Milko, General Manager of

Hydrotour, were extremely good for

the company.

MUSCAT: Mouaid al Busaidy recently

received the Excellence Award in

Civil Engineering and Roads from

the Technical College of Limerick,

Republic of Ireland.

He studied civil engineering at the

Limerick Institute of Technology in

the Republic of Ireland and graduated

with a bachelor’s degree this month.

He is currently continuing his

studies at the Technical Institute in

Galway City for an honorary degree.

The award came in as a surprise for

Al Busaidy as students with the same

specialisation had bigger experience

and efficiency in the field of work,

especially in road engineering.

“It was an indescribable feeling

being chosen as the best person in a

particular field and gives me further

inspiration,” he said.

Charter tourists having fun at a beach in Salalah

Information Ministry holds leadership training programme

MUSCAT: The training

programme ‘Leadership through

the Vision of Development and

Implementation of Corporate

Action Strategy, EFQM,’ began

on Sunday at the Ministry of

Information. It aims to refine and

develop the participants’ abilities

to apply the best practices and

methodologies related to strategic

planning according to the standards

of the European Foundation for

Quality Management (EFQM) and

continues for five days.

The programme deals with

several themes, including the

definition of excellence, conclusion

of the keys to excellence, the main

features and trends of excellence,

the standards of ‘EFQM’, in addition

to reviewing the model of European

excellence and a practical model

from within the Sultanate.

— ONA

SQU, Charles University Prague to boost ties

MUSCAT: In order to explore areas of potential academic and research collaboration between the two universities, Prof Radka Wildova, Deputy Rector, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, visited Sultan Qaboos University on Sunday.

At SQU, She was received by Prof Amer bin Ali al Rawas, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Community Service.

They discussed ways to enhance collaboration between the two institutions across several disciplines including education, medicine and sciences.

Before becoming the Deputy Rector, Prof Radka Wildova served as the dean of Faculty of Education at Charles University in Prague. She graduated as teacher for primary school from the Faculty of Education, Charles University, Prague, in 1987. Since then, she has constantly worked in the field of education. She got PhD for research on Content of

Primary School Education. Prof Amer Al Rawas mentioned

that SQU would like to benefit from the experience of Prof Wildova and other faculty members of the Education Faculty at the Charles University in primary education and special education and related areas.

Currently an agreement is in place between SQU and Charles University in Prague for exchange of medical students. Two medical students from the Czech University are currently studying at SQU’s College of Medicine as part of the student exchange programme in place between the universities. In today’s meeting, Prof Wildova and Prof Al Rawas agreed on extending the collaboration to other fields including education and sciences.

Charles University in Prague, established in 1348, now consists of 17 faculties and 4 university institutes. The number of enrolled students is 49,236.

Omani student receives Irish award in road engineering

Mouaid al Busaidy

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Turkey denies ‘ludicrous’ reportsof plan to seize Gulen from USISTANBUL: Turkey has dismissed

what it said were ludicrous reports that

Turkish officials may have discussed

a plan to seize a wanted US-based

cleric and hand him over to Ankara in

exchange for millions of dollars.

In a statement, the Turkish

embassy in Washington repeated

Ankara’s request for the extradition

of the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who it

says masterminded last year’s failed

military coup, but said Turkey would

not operate outside the law to achieve

that goal.

The statement followed a Wall Street Journal report that Special Counsel

Robert Mueller was investigating an

alleged proposal under which former

US national security adviser Michael

Flynn and his son would receive

up to $15 million for seizing Gulen

and delivering him to the Turkish

government.

NBC also reported an alleged

December 2016 meeting, saying

Mueller’s team was investigating

whether Flynn met senior Turkish

officials before President Donald

Trump’s inauguration about a possible

quid pro quo in which Flynn would

be paid to do the bidding of Turkey’s

government while in office.

“Turkey and the Turkish people

expect the immediate extradition

of Fethullah Gulen from the United

States to Turkey, so that he can stand

trial,” the embassy statement said, in

the first official Turkish reaction to the

newspaper report.

“As we stated previously... all

allegations that Turkey would resort

to means external to the rule of law

for his extradition are utterly false,

ludicrous and groundless”.

Flynn’s lawyer said on Friday that

allegations made against him “ranging

from kidnapping to bribery” were

outrageous and false.

Around 250 people were killed in

the attempted military coup against

President Tayyip Erdogan in July last

year. Turkey says Gulen orchestrated

the failed coup from the US, where he

has lived for nearly two decades.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali

Yildirim said he raised the Gulen issue

with US Vice President Mike Pence

during talks in Washington, but said

that the extradition request was being

handled by the two countries’ justice

ministries. — Reuters

region

Turkish embassy repeated Ankara’s request for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, who it says master-minded last year’s failed military coup

OMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 78

asia

Trump offers to mediate in South China Sea row

21-cannon salute for Xi in Vietnam amid maritime tensions

MANILA: US President Donald

Trump offered on Sunday to mediate

in a territorial dispute over the

resource-rich South China Sea, after

years of Chinese island-building in

the contested waters.

Trump’s surprise proposal to insert

himself into the decades-long row

risked a backlash from China, which

has repeatedly said the United States

has no role to play in what it insists is

a series of bilateral issues.

“If I can help mediate or arbitrate,

please let me know... I am a very good

mediator,” Trump told Vietnamese

President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi

during an official state visit.

Trump’s comments came shortly

before Chinese President Xi Jinping

began his own state visit to Vietnam,

in the capital Hanoi.

China claims nearly all of the

strategically vital sea, through which

$5 trillion in shipping trade passes

annually. It is also believed to sit atop

vast oil and gas deposits.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia,

Brunei and Taiwan also have claims in

the sea, and the dispute has long been

seen as a potential trigger for conflict

in Asia.

Vietnam has courted support from

Washington in the row, as it and other

claimants have been powerless to

stop China’s efforts in recent years to

cement its claims by building artificial

islands in disputed areas.

Trump’s offer came just before

he flew to the Philippine capital of

Manila for another regional summit.

Thanks, but...: However, his

proposal was not immediately

accepted by the Philippines, which

under President Rodrigo Duterte

has sought to defuse tensions with

China over the row in favour of closer

economic ties.

“We thank him for it. It’s a very

kind, generous offer because he is a

good mediator. He is the master of

the art of the deal,” Philippine Foreign

Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano

said when asked about Trump’s offer.

“But of course the claimant

countries have to answer as a group

or individually and not one country

can just give an instant reply because

mediation involves all of the claimants

and non-claimants.” — AFP

HANOI: Chinese President Xi Jinping

was welcomed with a 21-cannon salute

in Hanoi on Sunday during his first

overseas visit after being re-elected as

Communist Party chief last month.

Ties between China and Vietnam

have cooled recently over a territorial

dispute in the South China Sea, and

Xi’s visit is seen as an effort to improve

relations.

The powerful Chinese leader held

talks with his Vietnamese counterpart,

party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, late on

Sunday, but the meeting was closed

to most of foreign media and it was

unclear what was discussed.

He attended the inauguration

ceremony of Hanoi’s new Vietnam-

China Friendship Palace, a lavish

convention building sponsored by

China intended for use during bilateral

exchanges, prior to the welcoming

ceremony.

Anti-China memes have gone

viral on Vietnamese social media

since Xi’s arrival, including an image

of Xi’s face flooded with red dislike

emojis contrasted with one of Trump

receiving yellow smiley faces and blue

thumbs up.

Contempt for China, which

colonised Vietnam for nearly 1,000

years and is generally seen as a

historical enemy, is common in

Vietnam.

China and Vietnam need to “stay

committed to seeking a fundamental

and durable solution to their maritime

issues acceptable to both sides through

friendly consultation,” Xi said in an

article published by the state news

agency Xinhua on Thursday.

Xi’s arrival came not long after

US President Donald Trump and

his Vietnamese counterpart Tran

Dai Quang discussed the South

China Sea,and Trump offered to help

mediate.

Vietnam and the US have grown

increasingly close in recent years as

both countries fear Chinese ambitions

in the disputed waterway.

Upon visiting Vietnam last year,

former president Barack Obama lifted

weapons sanctions against Vietnam,

paving a path forward for arms deals

between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the relationship

between Vietnam and China has been

impeded by the South China Sea row.

Beijing claims almost the entire sea, a

key shipping lane that is believed to be

rich in resources.

This claim is rejected by Vietnam,

the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and

Taiwan, as well as by an international

tribunal ruling. — dpa

THANKS, BUT...: The proposal was not immediately accepted by Manila

HEAVY SMOG IN LAHORE

A man feeds pigeons on a street amid heavy smog in Lahore on Sunday. Large swathes of Pakistan and north India see a spike in pollution at the onset of winter due to crop burning and the fact that cooler air traps particulates close to the ground, preventing them from dispersing — a phenomenon known as inversion. — AFP

US President Donald Trump with his Philippines counterpart Rodrigo Duterte as he arrives for the gala dinner marking Asean’s 50th anniversary in Manila on Sunday. — Reuters

Asean signs free trade, investment pacts with HKMANILA: Hong Kong signed free

trade and investment agreements

with the 10-nation Association of

Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on

Sunday, in what one of the Chinese

territory’s officials called a “loud and

clear” vote against rising regional

trade protectionism.

The pacts, which conclude nearly

three years of talks, are expected to

take effect on January 1, 2019, at the

earliest. They aim to bring “deeper

and bolder” integration of market

access with the bloc, said Edward

Yau, Hong Kong’s commerce and

development secretary.

“In the face of protectionist

sentiments in other parts of the

world, these two agreements are in

fact a loud and clear vote from all

of us here for freer and more open

trade,” Yau said.

“Hong Kong, being a free trade

promoter and advocate of a strong,

rule-based, multilateral trading

system, will continue to take this

pathway, continue to do our utmost.”

Total merchandise trade between

Hong Kong and Asean was HK$833

billion ($107 billion) last year, official

figures show. Total services trade was

HK$121 billion in 2015.

The Asean Hong Kong China Free

Trade Agreement (AHKCFTA) was

signed on the sidelines of a summit

of the regional grouping in the

Philippine capital of Manila.

It came after leaders attending an

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

(Apec) summit in Vietnam agreed

to tackle “unfair trade practices”

and “market-distorting subsidies”

in a statement on Saturday that bore

the imprint of US President Donald

Trump’s efforts to reshape the global

trade landscape.

That summit offered a contrast

between the vision of Trump’s

“America First” policy and the usual

consensus favouring multinational

deals that China now seeks to

champion. — Reuters

HANOI: US President Donald

Trump took his verbal jousting

with Kim Jong-Un to a new level

on Sunday, taunting the North

Korean leader over his height and

weight before musing over the

idea of them eventually becoming

friends.

While they have never met,

Trump and Kim have form when

it comes to name-calling, with the

US president a more than willing

match for the highly rhetorical

flourishes deployed by his

adversary in Pyongyang.

Trump has referred to Kim as

a “madman” and “Rocket Man”

while the 33-year-old responded

by calling the 71-year-old former

reality TV star a “mentally

deranged dotard”.

On Sunday, Trump got down

to basics, with a sarcastic tweet

prompted by recent descriptions

of him in the North’s state media

as a “lunatic old man”.

“Why would Kim Jong-Un

insult me by calling me ‘old,’ when

I would NEVER call him ‘short

and fat’?” the president tweeted

from Hanoi — the latest leg of a

lengthy Asia tour that had, until

then, appeared to have moderated

his Twitter habit.

“Oh well, I try so hard to be his

friend - and maybe someday that

will happen!” he wrote. Sarcastic

or not, the dig about Kim’s weight,

which has increased significantly

since he came to power following

the death of his father Kim Jong-Il

in 2011, is unlikely to go down well

in Pyongyang.

The members of the ruling Kim

dynasty — past and present —

enjoy near god-like status in North

Korea, which has demonstrated

extreme sensitivity to any remark

that might be seen as mocking or

disrespectful of the leadership.

Foreign tourists to Pyongyang

are generally obliged to pay

homage — laying flowers and

bowing deeply — before giant

statues of Kim’s father and his

grandfather — founding leader

Kim Il-Sung — at some point

during their visit.

Questioned later about his

Tweet, Trump insisted he had not

been entirely joking about one day

befriending the man he described

just last week as a dictator with

“twisted fantasies”. — AFP

‘Old’ Trump takes dig at ‘short and fat’ Kim Jong-Un

MANILA: Donald Trump said on Sunday he backed US intelligence agencies who concluded that Russia meddled in the 2016 US presidential election, but slammed “fools” who oppose better ties with Moscow.

Key former Trump aides are under US investigation for possible collaboration with the Kremlin, and the issue of whether Moscow interfered with last year’s vote has overshadowed the tail end of the president’s Asia tour.

Trump returned to the subject in an early morning Twitter storm in Vietnam.

Addressing a press conference in Hanoi, Trump was asked to clarify comments he had made on Air Force One the day before about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s insistence that Moscow had never tried to affect the US vote. “I believe he feels he and Russia did not meddle in the election,” Trump said.

“As to whether or not I believe it or not, I’m with our agencies. I believe in our... intelligence agencies,” he added.

But in his barrage of tweets, Trump slammed “haters and fools” who questioned his efforts to improve ties with Russia.

“There (sic) always playing politics - bad for our country. I want to solve North Korea, Syria, Ukraine, terrorism, and Russia can greatly help!” he said.

In May, US intelligence chiefs told Congress they agreed with their analysts’ conclusion that Russia had interfered in the election.

CIA director Mike Pompeo, who was appointed by Trump, said Saturday he still held to that evaluation. — AFP

President backs US spies on Russia meddling, but slams Putin ‘haters’

Kim Jong-Un

China’s President Xi Jinping and Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong review an honour guard during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Hanoi on Sunday. — Reuters

Ties between China and Vietnam have cooled recently over a territorial dispute in the South China Sea, and Xi’s visit is seen as an effort to improve relations

Russian base jumper dies in Everest regionKATHMANDU: A Russian extreme sportsman famed for his record-breaking free-falling stunts has died in a base jumping accident in the Himalayas, expedition organisers in Nepal said on Sunday.

Valery Rozov, 52, an acclaimed daredevil, was pursuing a “seven summits” quest — base jumping from the highest mountains on all seven continents.

He was jumping from Ama Dablam, a 6,812-metre mountain in the Everest region when the incident occurred.

“He died while descending on Saturday,” Mingma Gelu Sherpa, from Seven Summits Club that organised his expedition, said.

“We have sent helicopters and are trying hard to bring his body back.”

It is still unclear how the accident happened.

Rozov set a new world record in 2013 for the highest-ever base jump when he leapt from Changstse, a peak in the Everest massif towering at 7,220 metres in a specially-designed wingsuit. — AFP

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analysis

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Observer.

JALEES ANDRABI

n the emergency ward of a Delhi hospital, men and women gasp for

breath as they wait to be treated for symptoms triggered by the choking

blanket of smog that descended on the Indian capital this week.

Doctors at the government-run Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute say

patient numbers have more than tripled since pollution levels spiked

amid a change in weather conditions and the annual post-harvest

burning of crop stubble in surrounding areas.

Shopkeeper Manoj Khati said he initially dismissed his heaving

cough but it grew gradually worse and he has now been diagnosed with

chronic bronchitis.

“For three days I haven’t stopped coughing, I felt as though I would

die,” the 46-year-old said.

Levels of PM2.5 — the fine pollution particles linked to higher rates

of chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and heart disease — regularly topped

500 this week, at one point going over 1,000.

Levels between 301 and 500 are classified as “hazardous”, while

anything over 500 is beyond the official index.

The World Health Organization’s guidelines say 25 is the maximum

level of PM2.5 anyone can safely be exposed to over a 24-hour period.

Emergency ward doctor Mansi Verma said the hospital had seen a

huge spike in patients suffering from respiratory problems.

“Beginning this week, we are seeing between 250-300 patients, more

than three times the usual,” Verma said.

“Most of them suffer from intense coughing and inflammation of

the respiratory tract.”

Despite the rise in emergency cases Arvind Kumar, a respiratory

diseases specialist at the private Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, said

many of the worst health effects would not be seen for years to come.

“Whatever toxins levels we are exposed to today, suppose it

continued for 10 days, this would have shortened the life of each one of

us by several days or several weeks.

“But that effect will be noticed many, many years later, so it’s not

an immediate killer. Its potential lethal value is not immediately

appreciated, but nonetheless, it’s a lethal killer.”

Delhi is now the world’s most polluted capital according to a World

Health Organization survey conducted in 2014, with levels regularly

exceeding those in Beijing.

With current levels of pollution, Kumar said, he would not

recommend living in the city at all.

“If you worry about your health, then I would say Delhi is not a

place to live.” — AFP

Delhi smog shortening lives, say docs as hospitals fill up

Privacy fears over AI as crimestopperROB LEVER

olice in the US state of Delaware are poised

to deploy “smart” cameras in cruisers to

help authorities detect a vehicle carrying

a fugitive, missing child or straying senior.

The video feeds will be analysed using

artificial intelligence to identify vehicles by

licence plate or other features and “give an

extra set of eyes” to officers on patrol, says

David Hinojosa of Coban Technologies,

the company providing the equipment.

The programme is part of a growing

trend to use vision-based AI to thwart

crime and improve public safety, a trend

which has stirred concerns among privacy

and civil liberties activists who fear the

technology could lead to secret “profiling”

and misuse of data.

US-based startup Deep Science is using

the same technology to help retail stores

detect in real time if an armed robbery is

in progress, by identifying guns or masked

assailants.

The technology can monitor for threats

more efficiently and at a lower cost than

human security guards, according to Deep

Science co-founder Sean Huver, a former

engineer for DARPA, the Pentagon’s long-

term research arm.

Until recently, analytics relied on

inputting numbers and other data to

interpret trends. But advances in visual

recognition are now being used to detect

firearms, specific vehicles or individuals to

help law enforcement and private security.

Saurabh Jain is product manager for the

computer graphics group Nvidia, which

makes computer chips for such systems

and which held a recent conference in

Washington with its technology partners.

He says the same computer vision

technologies are used for self-driving

vehicles, drones and other autonomous

systems, to recognise and interpret the

surrounding environment.

Nvidia has some 50 partners who use

its supercomputing module called Jetson

or its Metropolis software for security and

related applications, according to Jain.

One of those partners, California-based

Umbo Computer Vision, has developed an

AI-enhanced security monitoring system

which can be used at schools, hotels

or other locations, analysing video to

detect intrusions and threats in real-time,

and sending alerts to a security guard’s

computer or phone.

Israeli startup Briefcam meanwhile

uses similar technology to interpret video

surveillance footage.

“Video is unstructured, it’s not

searchable,” explained Amit Gavish,

Briefcam’s US general manager. Without

artificial intelligence, he says, “you had to

go through hundreds of hours of video

with fast forward and rewind.”

“We detect, track, extract and classify

each object in the video. So it becomes a

database.”

This can enable investigators to quickly

find targets from video surveillance, a

system already used by law enforcement

in hundreds of cities around the world,

including Paris, Boston and Chicago,

Gavish said.

Russia-based startup Vision Labs

employs the Nvidia technology for facial

recognition systems that can be used to

identify potential shoplifters or problem

customers in casinos or other locations.

Vadim Kilimnichenko, project manager

at Vision Labs, said the company works

with law enforcement in Russia as well as

commercial clients.

“We can deploy this anywhere through

the cloud,” he said.

Customers of Vision labs include banks

seeking to prevent fraud, which can use

face recognition to determine if someone

is using a false identity, Kilimnichenko

said. For Marc Rotenberg, president of the

Electronic Privacy Information Center,

the rapid growth in these technologies

raises privacy risks and calls for regulatory

scrutiny over how data is stored and

applied.

“Some of these techniques can be

helpful but there are huge privacy issues

when systems are designed to capture

identity and make a determination based

on personal data,” Rotenberg said.

“That’s where issues of secret profiling,

bias and accuracy enter the picture.”

— AFP

ESTABLISHED ON 15 NOVEMBER 1981

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Abdullah bin Salim al Shueili

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Wake up, feel the simple pleasures of life

N

P

I

o matter how strong it is, nothing

lasts. I was in one of those moods

as I enjoyed the sheer pleasure of

being well and alive. I watched the

wind touch everything around me. I

saw the grass dancing in the breeze

and the branches of the trees bowing

gently to its rhythm. I was in the

same place when it rained and when

the unbearable hot sun scorched

everything in sight. The trees, rocks

and even wildlife endure the hardship

of the changing fortunes to live

another day.

Simple gestures give one simple

pleasures. When the rain drums on a

tin roof, it gently reminds you to be

more attentive to minute details. The

uncompromising hot summer tells

us that life is just one heartbeat away

from decay. Yet, some of us treat every

passing day with a silent scorn and

believe that the minutes are nothing

but a march towards certain death.

Many are guilty of idling the time

away and holding off the good times

until retirement.

“I look forward to my retirement,

so I can relax,” I recalled somebody

saying.

Though only in his mid-30s, he

was determined to rush through the

next thirty years of his life so he could

start living.

“What about now,” I asked him.

“Are you in hibernation?”

His answer was casual, but

disturbing, “I am busy making a

living now, paying bills, educating

children,” he rambled on and on like

an old washing machine.

So there was a difference between

‘making a living’ and ‘living life’. The

man was putting off living a good

life until he reached the age of 65.

I don’t have a quarrel with people

who walk past a blossoming flower

without a second glance. I guess

they are too busy working their way

to retirement. However, I do have a

quarrel with those who cannot see

the potential in their lives and miss all

the good moments. Many use excuses

to cocoon themselves in a big ball of

self-pity. As a result, they fail to rise

above the obstacles.

You don’t have to be a towering

six-foot-five to stand tall, or a dwarf

to stoop low. You can see the horizon

no matter how short you stand, and

touch the ground even if your head

reaches for the stars.

It is not a physical disposition I

am talking about but the strength

or weakness of one’s character.

Fortunately, moments of inspiration

are in abundance since they are

associated with touch, vision and

sound. They all have enough rhythm

to lift one out of a dark mood.

As you read this column, look

around and give a thought to

everything you see. You will be

amazed to find out that at least

one object around you would stir

something inside you.

Come to think of it, there are no

real dull moments. Even a blank wall

has a story to tell you. As a child, I

used to associate damp patches and

cracks on the walls in my room with

the faces of the people I knew.

Personally speaking, I don’t have to

search for inspiration. I can find them

in every object I see around me. It is

the only way to keep away depression

from invading what I hold dear. It is

not what you see important but what

you feel as well.

Life passes so quickly and we have

no time to see what is around us. It is

time to wake up and feel the simple

pleasures of life.

SALEH AL SHAIBANYsaleh_shaibany@yahoo.com

Civil liberties activists fear the

use of vision-based AI technology

could lead to secret “profiling” and misuse of data

You will be amazed to

find out that at least one

object around you would stir

somethinginside you

OMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 710

INDO-PACIFIC VISION: It was agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves long-term interests of all countries in region and of the world

india

MUMBAI: The government has

been working to make the entire

Haj process online to bring in

transparency and convenience

for the pilgrims, Minority Affairs

Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said

on Sunday.

The minister, who announced

here the process for Haj 2018, said the

announcement had been made one

month in advance to give more time

for preparations. People can apply for

Haj from November 15 onwards.

Naqvi said Haj 2018 will be

performed according to the new Haj

Policy that will be finalised soon by

the ministry after examining the

recommendations of the high-level

committee constituted to frame the

new Haj policy. The committee has

submitted its report.

Naqvi also launched a new

Haj mobile app through which

application for Haj can be directly

made and the registration fee can

also be paid.

“This app will make Haj

application process easier and

comfortable. Application for Haj,

enquiry and information, news and

updates and e-payment are some of

the main features of this mobile app,”

he said.

“For the first time, for Haj 2018,

details of total expenditure to be

incurred by the pilgrims is given in

the Haj application form. This is a

step towards transparency.”

The Haj application form for 2018

contains the embarkation points-

wise detailed air fare comparison

which will enable the pilgrims to

make an informed choice about the

embarkation point.

The pilgrims for the first time will

get to choose the embarkation point

as per their convenience.

“For example, Haj air fare per

pilgrim from Srinagar is Rs 1,09,692

while from Delhi it is Rs 73,697.

So, the pilgrims from Jammu

and Kashmir can opt for Delhi

embarkation point,” said Naqvi.

“Similarly, the Haj air fare from

Guwahati is Rs 1,15,646 per pilgrim

while it is Rs 83,027 from Kolkata. So,

the pilgrims from Assam, Meghalaya,

Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and

Sikkim can opt for Kolkata,” he

explained.

Pilgrims from Gaya, where the

airfare is Rs 1,13,680, can also opt for

Kolkata.

“This will ensure that the pilgrims

don’t face problems even after

abolition of Haj subsidy,” Naqvi said.

Abolition of Haj subsidy and

reducing embarkation points from

21 to nine are among the principal

recommendations of the committee.

However, this time around the

government is continuing with the

21 embarkation points as per request

of the Haj Committee of India (HCI).

The HCI has expressed

disagreement with some of the

recommendations, including that of

abolishing quota for applicants above

70 years of age.

Naqvi said the new Haj policy

would maintain the special quota for

applicants above 70 years and would

allow the women above 45 years in

a group of four or more to proceed

for Haj without a male relative or

“mehram”.

Last time, 1,24,940 persons

performed Haj through Haj

Committee of India while about

45,000 pilgrims went through private

tour operators.

HCI Chairman Mehboob Ali

Kaiser, its CEO Maqsood Ahmed

Khan and senior officials of the

Minority Affairs Ministry were

present on the occasion. — IANS

IN BRIEF

Aiming to make Haj process online, transparent: Naqvi

The newly launched mobile app will make Haj application process easier and comfortable. Application for Haj, enquiry and information, news and updates and e-payment are some of the main features of this app

MUKHTAR ABBAS NAQVI Minority Affairs Minister

Man killed in attack by ‘cow vigilantes’NEW DELHI: A man died and another was injured after a group of men shot at them and beat them up while they were transporting cattle in Rajasthan, Muslim community leaders said on Sunday.

“The victims were cow smugglers. We will carry out a thorough investigation,” Alwar district police officer Mool Singh Rana said after the incident late on Saturday.

The slaughter of cows and consumption of beef is restricted or banned in several states, including Rajasthan.

This is the latest in a series of incidents of so called “cow vigilantes” attacking people transporting cattle.

A Muslim Meo community leader said the men — both from the community — were taking the cow home and it was not meant for slaughter. — dpa

Steam engine runs minus driver, derailsGURUGRAM: A heritage steam engine named ‘Akbar’, which has featured in over two dozen Bollywood and other movies, was damaged in a derailment after it ran without a pilot in Haryana’s Rewari, a railway official said on Sunday.

The incident occurred at the Heritage Loco Shed in Rewari on Saturday. No one was injured in the episode, said railway officials.

As the 52-year-old Akbar started moving on its own, scared loco pilot Bharatbhushan jumped off as he believed there was a malfunction.

The engine broke the main gate wall of the shed and rolled on for about 2 kilometres towards the main track of the Rewari-Rohtak-Hisar route, before getting derailed just four metres away from it. — IANS

RSS activist hacked to death in KeralaTHRISSUR: An RSS activist was killed here on Sunday by CPM workers, the state Bharatiya Janata Party office has claimed.

The incident occurred at around 1.30 pm when Anand, who was on a two-wheeler, was knocked down by a car. He was then hacked to death.

Anand was pronounced dead in a hospital. The victim was an accused in the murder of a Communist Party of India-Marxist worker in 2014.

Anand was currently out on bail. — IANS

11 drown in Andhra boat accidentVIJAYAWADA: At least 11 people drowned when a boat carrying tourists capsized in a river on Sunday in Vijaywada.

The boat was carrying passengers back from an island in the Krishna River which is a popular tourist destination.

“We don’t know yet how many people were on the boat, but those who were rescued said there were 38 people,” Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chinnarajappa said.

Several of the victims belonged to a local walkers’ club,Chinnarajappa said. He said 11 bodies had been recovered and 20 people rescued.

Bhavani Island is a big draw for local tourists, especially on Sundays.

Teams of divers from the National Disaster Response Force were searching for missing passengers. — dpa

Govt rejects UN official’s criticism of sanitation driveMUMBAI: The Union Government

has rejected criticism of its ambitious

sanitation programme by a United Nations

official who said lower-caste communities

had their rights violated by being left to

clean toilets built in a nationwide drive.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, or

Clean India Mission, with much fanfare

after he took office in 2014. The main aim

is to eliminate open defecation by October

2019 by building individual and public

toilets.

But activists say the campaign has failed

to end the practice of manual scavenging,

or clearing faeces by hand, and has even

exacerbated the problem because the

toilets are not connected to water supplies

or the sewage system.

The UN special rapporteur on the

human rights to safe drinking water and

sanitation affirmed those observations.

The emphasis on building toilets should

not “contribute to violating fundamental

rights of others, such as those engaged in

manual scavenging, or ethnic minorities

and people living in remote rural areas,”

Léo Heller said in a statement on Friday.

— Thomson Reuters Foundation

Congress wins MP by-election, party hails victory

BHOPAL: Congress candidate Nilanshu

Chaturvedi was on Sunday declared elected

to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly from

Chitrakoot constituency, defeating his BJP

rival by 14,133 votes.

Chaturvedi led right from the start of

vote count at 8 am and kept increasing his

winning lead, officials said. After 19 rounds

of counting, he worsted the Bharatiya

Janata Party’s Shankar Dayal Tripathi.

According to a statement from the

office of the chief electoral officer here,

Chaturvedi received 66,810 votes and his

BJP rival 52,677 out of the 126,903 votes

declared valid.

It said that by the end of the fifth round,

Chaturvedi had established a lead of over

10,000 votes over Tripathi and at the end of

the tenth, was ahead by 17,959. However,

Tripathi then rallied and by the end, had

shrunk the lead to 14,133.

The election to the constituency in Satna

district was called after the death of sitting

Congress legislator Prem Singh. A total of

12 candidates were in the fray including

nine independents.

In New Delhi, Congress spokesperson

Randeep Singh Surjewala termed his

party’s victory in the bypoll an indication

of change, and thanked the people for their

faith in the party.

“The winds of change are in the air.

Many thanks to the people of Chitrakoot

for their faith and trust in the Congress

party,” Surjewala tweeted. — IANS

India, US, Japan, Australia hold first quad talks on cooperation

MANILA/NEW DELHI: India,

Australia, Japan and the US on

Sunday agreed that “a free, open,

prosperous and inclusive” Indo-

Pacific served long-term global

interests, giving impetus to an

emerging quad of democracies

amid China’s rising military and

economic power.

It was the first dialogue of

the quadrilateral formation of

the democracies in which anti-

terrorism cooperation was also

discussed.

An External Affairs Ministry

statement in New Delhi said

foreign officials from India,

Australia, Japan and the US met

in the Philippines capital and

held consultations “on issues of

common interest in the Indo-

Pacific region”.

“The discussions focused

on cooperation based on their

converging vision and values for

promotion of peace, stability and

prosperity in an increasingly inter-

connected region that they share

with each other and with other

partners,” the statement said.

“They agreed that a free, open,

prosperous and inclusive Indo-

Pacific region serves the long-term

interests of all countries in the

region and of the world at large.”

The officials also exchanged

views on addressing common

challenges of terrorism and

proliferation linkages impacting

the region as well as on enhancing

connectivity.

Indian officials highlighted

India’s Act East Policy as the

cornerstone of its engagement in

the region.

The four countries are working

to revive their quadrilateral

dialogue.

The meeting was held as Prime

Minister Narendra Modi arrived

in Manila on Sunday on a three-

day visit to the Philippines for

the 15th India-Association of

Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)

meet and the 12th East Asia

Summit on Tuesday.

The Association of Southeast

Asian Nations, comprising

Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,

Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the

Philippines, Singapore, Thailand

and Vietnam, has emerged as a key

cornerstone of New Delhi’s foreign

policy, with its Look East Policy,

launched by then Prime Minister

P V Narasimha Rao in 1992.

The Modi government has

turned it into the Act East Policy

to focus on increased engagements

with the regional bloc.

The annual East Asia Summit

is held by leaders of the Asean

countries and those of Australia,

China, India, Japan, New Zealand,

Russia, South Korea and the US.

Even as India, the US and

Japan have a trilateral dialogue

mechanism in place for issues

relating to the Indo-Pacific region,

Japanese Foreign Minister Tara

Kono said in October that Tokyo

was for a top-level quadrilateral

dialogue that would also include

Australia.

Kono said the idea was for the

leaders of the four countries to

promote free trade and defence

cooperation across a stretch of

ocean from the South China Sea,

the Indian Ocean and all the way

to Africa.

The emerging quadrilateral is

seen to counter China’s aggressive

maritime expansion under its

Belt and Road initiative. China’s

plans would cement a sphere of

influence for Beijing well beyond

Asia.

India responded to Kono’s

comments by saying that New

Delhi was open to work with like-

minded countries that advance

India’s interests. — IANS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen as Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrives for the Asean Summit gala dinner in Manila on Sunday. — Reuters

Pollution spikes in Delhi amid warnings no relief in sightNEW DELHI: Air pollution

in New Delhi worsened again

on Sunday and officials warned

of little relief in sight from the

smog, which has even caused

one airline to cancel flights to

the world’s most polluted capital.

The US Embassy website

on Sunday showed levels of

the smallest and most harmful

airborne pollutants reached 676,

about 27 times the World Health

Organization’s safe maximum,

after falling slightly late last

week.

Delhi authorities have halted

all construction, shut brick kilns

and banned lorries from entering

the city but pollution levels have

remained stubbornly high,

hovering around hazardous

levels for six days in the city and

other parts of north India.

An effort to restrict private

cars collapsed on Saturday after

India’s top environmental court

objected to exemptions for

women, VIPs and motorcycles.

The city government will

appeal the decision on Monday.

Doctors have declared a

public health emergency and

more than 30,000 schools across

northern India have closed,

though classes are scheduled to

resume on Monday. — AFP

Commuters lead a horse on a road as they make their way through heavy smog in Amritsar on Sunday. — AFP

OMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 7 11

world

BEIRUT: Dozens of civilians

have died in artillery fire and

Russian bombardment of

two displacement camps and

surrounding territory in eastern

Syria, a monitor said on Sunday

in a new toll.

The Syrian Observatory for

Human Rights said ongoing

heavy bombardment in the Deir

Ezzor province had killed 50

civilians, including 20 children,

since late on Friday night.

The new toll was nearly double

the Britain-based monitor’s

count on Saturday of 26 dead.

The bombardment has

targeted territory along the

Euphrates River, as well as

villages and displacement camps

full of people fleeing fighting in

the Syrian border town of Albu

Kamal.

Russian-backed Syrian

regime forces and allied militia

seized Albu Kamal from the

Islamic State group on Thursday

but the militants retook it late on

Saturday.

On Sunday, Russian air strikes

on two river crossings along the

Euphrates killed 11 civilians,

according to Observatory chief

Rami Abdel Rahman.

“Five civilians, including

two children, were killed in the

strikes on Al-Soussa crossing

about five kilometres east of Albu

Kamal,” Abdel Rahman said.

“Six civilians were killed in

raids on another river crossing

20 kilometres north of the town,”

he added.

The toll from earlier

artillery fire and air strikes on

two displacement camps and

surrounding villages rose to 39

after 13 civilians succumbed to

their wounds, the Observatory

said on Sunday. — AFP

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela

Merkel on Sunday urged party

leaders negotiating a tricky three-

way coalition government to show

more willingness to compromise,

as support for her conservative bloc

plunged to the lowest level in more

than six years.

Merkel’s conservatives, who bled

support to the far-right Alternative for

Germany in a September 24 election,

are trying to forge an alliance with the

pro-market Free Democrats (FDP)

and the left-leaning Greens which is

untested at the national level.

Despite three weeks of exploratory

talks, the unlikely partners still

have to overcome differences over

climate protection, energy, transport,

immigration and euro zone policy.

Speaking ahead of a meeting in

which party leaders were expected

to sum up progress made so far and

bridge some gaps, Merkel said all

parties had first exchanged their views

and then consolidated the approaches

by highlighting their differences.

“Now in this third phase, the task

is to find compromises,” Merkel said,

adding that there was still a lot of

work to do.

“But from my point of view,

a solution can be reached with

goodwill,” Merkel said. “If this will be

achieved, we’ll not know before the

end of the week, however.”

FDP leader Christian Lindner

put the onus on Merkel’s Christian

Democrats (CDU) and her Bavarian

CSU allies, saying his party and the

Greens had already given ground.

“The Greens and the FDP

have moved. Now it’s up to the

conservatives to show some flexibility.

I assume there is goodwill from all

sides,” Lindner said.

Katrin Goering-Eckardt from the

Greens said she wanted to see a leap

from the other negotiation partners.

But CSU leader Horst Seehofer

declined to comment when asked by

reporters what compromises he was

willing to offer.

— Reuters

LONDON: British ministers rallied

around Boris Johnson on Sunday,

saying the foreign secretary was doing

a “great job” and had no reason to

resign over remarks that critics say

may prompt Iran to extend the prison

sentence of a jailed aid worker.

The coordinated defence is part of

attempts to shore up the government

of Prime Minister Theresa May,

weakened by a series of scandals

and gaffes involving her top team of

ministers as she negotiates Britain’s

departure from the European Union.

The leader of Britain’s main

opposition Labour Party, Jeremy

Corbyn, called on May to sack

Johnson, writing in the Observer

newspaper on Sunday that “we’ve

put up with him embarrassing and

undermining our country through his

incompetence ... for long enough. It’s

time for Boris Johnson to go”.

Corbyn, and London Mayor Sadiq

Khan, also a Labour member, said

Johnson had offended states and

religions before “bungling” the case

of Iranian-British aid worker Nazanin

Zaghari-Ratcliffe, in prison after being

convicted of plotting to overthrow

Iran’s clerical establishment. She

denies the charges.

But two of his allies, Brexit minister

David Davis and environment

minister Michael Gove, defended

Johnson, who last week said he could

have been clearer in his remark that

Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been teaching

people journalism before her arrest in

April 2016.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s employer, the

Thomson Reuters Foundation, a

charity organisation, said Johnson’s

comment made on November 1 was

incorrect, while opposition British

lawmakers said the remarks could

land the aid worker a longer term in

jail. “Why would you want to sack

him? He’s a good foreign secretary,”

Davis told Sky News. — Reuters

BARCELONA: Spanish Prime

Minister Mariano Rajoy said on

Sunday he wanted to return to a

“democratic and free” Catalonia as he

aimed to rally support for a unified

Spain on his first visit to the turbulent

region since it declared independence.

A day after hundreds of thousands

of people marched in Barcelona to

demand the release of separatist

officials detained over their

independence drive, Rajoy also urged

businesses not to flee the wealthy

northern region.

“We have to recover the sensible,

practical, enterprising and dynamic

Catalonia... that has contributed so

much to the progress of Spain and

Europe,” Rajoy told members of his

Popular Party in Barcelona.

“We want to regain a Catalonia for

everyone, democratic and free,” he

added.

The Catalonia crisis has caused

concern in the European Union as the

bloc deals with Brexit and uncertainty

over the fate of the region’s 7.5 million

people. More than 2,400 businesses

have moved their legal headquarters

elsewhere.

Rajoy on Sunday urged those

businesses “not to go”.

Separatist lawmakers, who were

dismissed by Madrid after declaring

their region independence from Spain

last month, insist that they were given

a mandate for secession by a banned

October 1 referendum.

However, pro-unity camps say

that the vote was deeply flawed and

largely boycotted by opponents of

independence, though more than

90 per cent of those who turned out

backed a breakaway.

Several officials have been

detained over their role in pushing

for independence, which is outlawed

under Spain’s post civil-war

constitution.

The region — which accounts for

a fifth of Spanish GDP — remains

deeply divided on independence

and Barcelona´s mayor on Saturday

slammed separatist lawmakers for

dragging Catalonia into chaos.

A poll commissioned Sunday

by the Madrid-based El Pais daily

showed that less than a third of

Catalans now believed independence

was possible in the near future.

The 28 per cent of respondents

who said they thought swift secession

was viable was down sharply from a

similar poll in October.

Rajoy has used his powers as

head of Spain’s central government

to dismiss Catalan lawmakers,

suspend the region’s autonomy and

call for fresh regional elections on

December 21.

The prime minister, who attended

a presentation by a party candidate

at hotel in Barcelona, did not appear

in public.

Rajoy’s Party Popular won

only 8.5 per cent in Catalona’s last

election two years ago that saw

pro-independence parties sweep to

power.

His candidate Xavier Garcia

Albiol on Sunday said events since

the October 1 referendum showed

that “independence is toxic and is

destroying Catalonia.”

Eight ministers under Catalan ex-

leader Carles Puigdemont have been

detained on charges of sedition,

rebellion and misuse of public funds.

Two heads of pro-independence lobby

groups are also behind bars.

Six former parliamentarians were

granted bail last week by Spain’s

Supreme Court on similar charges.

— AFP

LONDON: Prince Charles led the

annual ceremony to honour Britain’s

war dead on Sunday, laying a wreath on

behalf of 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth

to mark Remembrance Sunday as she

watched the service from a balcony.

Breaking with her usual custom of

placing the wreath at the Cenotaph

on Whitehall in central London, the

queen asked her eldest son to take

on the role, in part because of the

demands of the ceremony for someone

in their 90s.

A two-minute silence was held at

1100 GMT and wreaths were laid at

the foot of Britain’s main war memorial

by senior royals and political leaders

including Prime Minister Theresa May

and the leader of the main opposition

Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn.

The queen and her 96-year-old

husband, Prince Philip, watched from

the balcony of the nearby Foreign

Office. Royal historian Hugo Vickers

said the queen had slightly stumbled

during last year’s service.

“One of the most important things

with the queen as she gets older is not

to put her in any situation where she

might be uncomfortable or things

might be difficult,” he said.

“It requires a certain amount of

standing around and then it involves

the queen carrying something quite

heavy and walking backwards.”

But he rejected the notion that

it symbolised something more

significant, saying it was “another step

that we realise that we have an ageing

monarch, and it’s very important that

we should not put too much pressure

on her”. The head of state has been

gradually reducing her workload and

younger royals, including the 68-year-

old Charles, have been taking up some

of her duties. — Reuters

Over 50 Syrians killed in Russian air strikes

Merkel urges leaders to make compromises

British ministers rally around Boris Johnson

Spanish PM calls for return of ‘democratic and free’ Catalonia

Prince Charles leads Remembrance day ceremony

RALLYING SUPPORT: We have to recover the sensible, practical, enterprising and dynamic Catalonia, says Rajoy

Orbital ATK launches cargo missionAn unmanned cargo ship packed with 3,350kg of food and supplies for the astronauts living at the International Space Station blasted off Sunday from Wallops Island, Virginia. Orbital ATK’s barrel-shaped Cygnus cargo ship launched atop an Antares rocket at 7:19 am (1219 GMT). — AFP

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for exploratory talks about forming a new coalition government in Berlin on Sunday. — Reuters

Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and London Mayor Sadiq Khan. — Reuters

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Catalan People’s Party (PP) president Xavier Garcia Albiol and member Alejandro Fernandez salute the crowd during a Catalan regional PP meeting in Barcelona on Sunday. — Reuters

Former British prime minister David Cameron, (L) former British prime minister Gordon Brown, (3L), former British prime minister Tony Blair, (4R), Britain’s opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn, (3R), former British prime minister John Major (2R) and British prime minister Theresa May (R) participate in the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central London, on Sunday. (Right) Prince Charles lays a wreath during the ceremony. - AFP

COALITION TALKS

OMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 712

panorama

NEW YORK: What is the only Da

Vinci painting on the open market

worth? A Russian billionaire believes

he was swindled when he bought it for

$127.5 million. This week he’ll find out

if he was right.

‘Salvator Mundi’, a painting of Jesus

Christ by the Renaissance polymath

Leonardo da Vinci circa 1500, is the

star lot in New York’s November art

auctions that will see Christie’s and

Sotheby’s chase combined art sales of

more than $1 billion.

It goes under the hammer at

Christie’s on Wednesday.

The auction house, which declines

to comment on the controversy and

identifies the seller only as a European

collector, has valued it at $100 million.

“Look at the painting, it is an

extraordinary work of art,” said

Francois de Poortere, head of the old

master’s department at Christie’s.

But the price will be closely

watched — not just as one of fewer

than 20 paintings by Da Vinci’s hand

accepted to exist, but by its owner

Dmitry Rybolovlev, the boss of soccer

club AS Monaco who is suing Swiss art

dealer Yves Bouvier in the city-state.

Rybolovlev accuses Bouvier of

conning him out of hundreds of

million dollars in parting with an

eye-watering $2.1 billion on 37

masterpieces. One of those works

was ‘Salvator Mundi’, which has been

exhibited at The National Gallery in

London. Bouvier bought the Da Vinci

at Sotheby’s for $80 million in 2013.

He resold it to the Russian tycoon for

$127.5 million.

The painting’s rarity is difficult to

overstate. For years it was presumed

to have been destroyed. In 1958, it

fetched 45 pounds and disappeared

again for decades, emerging only in

2005 when it was purchased from a

US estate. It was long believed to have

been a copy, before eventually being

certified as authentic.

Other highlights being offered by

the auction house are ‘Contraste de

formes’, a 1913 Fernand Leger valued

at $65 million and ‘Laboureur dans un

champ’ by Van Gogh, painted from the

window of a French asylum in 1889

valued at $50 million.

Sotheby’s, whose May sales

languished behind Christie’s, says it

has more than 60 works making their

auction debuts this week.

Chief among them is Francis

Bacon’s ‘Three Studies of George Dyer’,

valued at $35-45 million, and which it

says is appearing in public for the first

time in 50 years.

Sotheby’s other star lot is a 1972

Warhol ‘Mao’, exhibited in Berlin,

Turin and Paris, and now back in

public view for the first time since

1974. It has been given an estimate of

$30-40 million. — AFP

Controversial Da Vinci is NY auction season starBAT PUNCH: Participants wearing fantasy and superhero costumes attend the 4th Hero Festival in Marseille. — AFP

PLAYING WITH FIRE: A reveller lights flammable balls attached to a bull’s horns, during the ‘Toro de Jubilo’ (fire bull) festival in Medinaceli near Soria, Spain, on Saturday. The Jubilee Bull of Medinaceli is a traditional festive event dating back to the 16th century in which a bull, covered with mud from the legs to the head to avoid burns, wears on its horns a metal frame on which two large balls of fire burn, while the animal is tied to a pole with a rope. — AFP

SHEDDING LIGHT ON HISTORY: Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral is illuminated in Paris on Saturday during a light show as part of the Armistice Day commemorations marking the end of WWI. — AFP

GIANTS ON THE PROWL: Performers take part in

the ‘Land of Green Ginger Unleashed’

procession presented by the Hull UK City of

Culture 2017 in Kingston upon Hull,

northeast England, on Saturday. It saw a parade of beasts,

giants, shape shifters and mischief makers

through the streets of Hull. — AFP

VIRTUAL THRILLS: Men play video games during the festival of electronics and video games of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Sunday. — AFP

KNIGHT FLIGHTS: Russian Knights, aerobatic demonstration team of the Russian Air Force, perform during the Dubai Air Show in Dubai, UAE, on Sunday. — Reuters

MONDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2017 | SAFAR 24, 1439 AH

Bids invited for Duqm fisheries hub master-planCONRAD PRABHUMUSCAT, NOV 12

Local and international consultants are

vying for a contract to master-plan the

establishment of an ambitious Fisheries

Industrial Complex at the Special

Economic Zone (SEC) in Duqm — a

strategic initiative designed to underpin

the Sultanate’s appeal as a regional

fisheries hub. The selected bidder will

secure a contract to prepare the master-

plan as well as the detailed design of

the Fisheries Industrial Complex, in

addition to the provision of construction

supervision services when work

commences in earnest on the landmark

development, an official said.

“The project will capitalise on Duqm’s

abundant fish stocks,” said Anwar

Kahlan al Battashi, Manager — Urban

Planning, Special Economic Zone

Authority of Duqm (SEZAD). “We have

currently invited bidders to master-plan

the Fisheries Industrial Complex, to

explore what types of activities can be

conducted there, help local fishermen

develop new facilities, and also help

international players coming to Duqm.”

The Fisheries Industrial Complex

is proposed to come up alongside a

major fishery port currently under

construction at the SEZ. Well-known

Omani construction firm Galfar

Engineering & Contracting is executing

the harbour project valued at around

RO 60 million.

The adjacent fisheries hub will be

designed to attract investments in

processing plants, cold stores, training

centres, and quality testing laboratories.

As many as 60 processing plants can

be housed within the hub in the initial

phases of its development.

In formulating a master-plan for

the Fisheries Industrial Complex, the

selected bidder will also undertake an

analysis of sustainable fishery stocks off

Duqm.

business

SEOUL: Scotching rumours about a new processor before the launch of its Galaxy S9 next year, Samsung has quietly introduced its latest ‘Exynos 9810’ chipset.

“The Exynos 9 Series 9810 is Samsung’s latest flagship processor, with 3rd-generation custom CPU cores, upgraded GPU, and gigabit LTE modem with industry-first 6CA support, the company wrote in a blog post.

It is built on 2nd-generation 10 nanometer (nm) process technology.

“There was no launch event or even a press release,” said a report in Android Authority.

Instead, the company revealed its new chip through acknowledging one of the 36 CES 2018 Innovation Awards the company recently won.— IANS

BUENOS: German automaker Volkswagen announced a plan to invest $650 million in an Argentina plant where it will manufacture a new sport-utility vehicle, according to a statement released by the government.

Business-friendly President Mauricio Macri, who ushered Argentina out of recession in 2016, has encouraged foreign investment especially after his centre-right coalition’s wins in last month’s midterm elections.

Production of the SUV is anticipated to begin in 2020.

In a televised statement Macri noted that one year ago the government, companies and unions agreed to produce on million cars per year. — AFP

Samsung launches Exynos 9810 chipset

VW to invest $650m in Argentina plant

* INBRIEF

ALIBABA’S SINGLES’ DAY FEST SALE HITS $25 BN P16 US BUSINESS INTEREST IN CUBA WILTS UNDER TRUMP P17 IN CHINA’S E-COMMERCE BOOM, IT TAKES A VILLAGE P20

editor@omanobserver.om www.omanobserver.omfollow us @oman_biz

BUSINESS REPORTERMUSCAT, NOV 12

Oman Telecommunications

SAOG (Omantel) has announced

it has won the bid to acquire 12.1

per cent of the issued share capital

in Mobile Telecommunications

Company KSCP (Zain), making

Omantel the second largest

shareholder in Zain Group with a

21.9 per cent stake.

The acquisition creates a new

digital telecom powerhouse

capable of leading digital

transformation across the MENA

region. The new group will be the

third largest combined telecoms

group in the MENA region, with

52 million customers.

Talal Said Marhoon al Mamari,

Chief Executive Officer, Omantel,

commented: “This is an historical

moment for Omantel and Zain.

Together, we have created a new

regional telecoms group that will

drive the digitisation of Oman and

the wider region. Our new scale

and diversification will allow us to

focus on digital transformation, to

generate further revenue growth

and accelerate the introduction of

innovative products and services

that will enable our region to

digitise. We expect that the new

group will enjoy a positive, long-

term economic outlook and a

robust base from which we can

grow even further together. This

is the right partnership to take our

businesses to the next level and we

are excited about our combined

prospects within the exciting

region in which we operate.”

On October 26, 2017, Omantel

entered into a share purchase

agreement (SPA) to acquire

521,975,416 million ordinary

TURN TO P15

Omantel completes acquisition of Zain stake for $2.19 billion

CONRAD PRABHUMUSCAT, NOV 12

Local Exploration & Production (E&P)

firms are set to acquire a dominant

share of the acreage due to be licensed

out under Exploration & Production

Sharing Agreements (EPSAs) slated

for signature at the Ministry of Oil &

Gas tomorrow.

In all, four blocks — comprising

onshore blocks 30, 31 and 49, as well

as offshore block 52 — will be awarded

at the signing ceremony. All but one

of them, offered as part of the 2016

Oman Licensing Round, are set to be

licensed to domestic players (two in

partnership with foreign firms) — a

development that underscores the

growing investment appetite of local

firms in the Sultanate’s upstream

energy sector. Set to grow its portfolio

of hydrocarbon assets is Oman Oil

Company Exploration & Production

(OOCEP), the upstream arm of the

wholly government energy investment

vehicle Oman Oil Company (OOC).

OOCEP will scoop two of the

four blocks on offer — effectively

positioning the company as the biggest

player in the upstream sector (next

to majority state-owned Petroleum

Development Oman, presently the

preeminent oil and gas producer in

the Sultanate).

The partnership of OOCEP and

Occidental Oman is set to secure the

license for Block 30, a 1,185 sq km area

located in the interior of Oman and

straddling the Hajar Mountains. Tight

gas is the predominant play in the

block, according to a backgrounder on

the blocks published by the Ministry

of Oil & Gas.

“To date gas has been discovered

in the Natih and Shuaiba formations.

These discoveries have not been fully

appraised and adjacent structures

remain undrilled. There are currently

two additional gas prospects mapped

within the block. Within the tight

gas play is an unconventional sub-

play for the Natih E. This unit is a

source interval and also a reservoir.

Development of unconventional gas

is only beginning in the Sultanate and

the Natih E has been recognised as a

prime target,” the Ministry said.

Six of the nine wells drilled within

the block have discovered gas in the

Natih or Shuaiba formations, Gas rates

TURN TO P15

Omani firms set to grow their E&P portfoliosENHANCED PRESENCE: Local players demonstrate growing appetite for investment in Sultanate’s upstream sector

STRATEGIC VEN-TURE: The Fisheries Industrial Complex is proposed to come up alongside a major fishery port currently under construction at the SEZ

businessOMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 714

insideoman

Philippine trade team in Oman to promote productsJOMAR MENDOZAMUSCAT, NOV 12

Seeking to boost trade relations

between Oman and the Philippines,

the Oman Chamber of Commerce

and Industry (OCCI) hosted business-

to-business (B2B) meetings with

members of a trade delegation from

the Philippines representing the

food processing, manufacturing and

logistics sectors.

The trade delegation was headed

by Anthony Rivera and Myrtle

Faye Solina from the Philippines

Department of Trade and Industry

— Export Marketing Bureau.

Representing the government was

Eric Elnar, Commercial Attache of

the Philippine Trade and Investment

Centre for Middle East and Africa.

The visiting team also comprise

representatives of leading Philippine

firms such as Chemrez Technologies,

IFern Corp, LBC, Mama Sita’s,

Mindanao Pearl Centre, Natural

Quality Corp, Philippine Grocers

Export Inc, Pixcel Transglobal Foods,

Rebisco and Souq Pinoy.

Filipino products showcased

during the event include coco oil

(food supplement), whitening soap

and toothpaste, fine jewellery (pearl),

cosmetic products and food spices

and condiments, fermented marine

products, nuts and seeds, wafers, and

others to name a few.

According to Eric Elnar,

Commercial Attache, Philippine Trade

and Investment Centre for Middle

East and Africa, “Oman offers hugely

promising market for Philippine

products owing to the sizable Filipino

population here, concentrated in

a relatively small area in Muscat.

There are also opportunities in the

mainstream market, both for local

Omanis and expatriates, like South

Asians.”

Of immediate priority for

promotion in Oman, Elnar said, are

food, health and wellness products

targeted primarily at Filipinos, as well

as the wider market. “The Philippines

offers a unique selection of products,

such as fresh mangoes, coconut

water, cosmetics and ‘cosmeceuticals’,

which are popular with all kinds of

customers,” he noted.

The Commercial Attache said

the delegation would look forward

to visiting the Sultanate to build on

its engagements with local business

community.

“We are also encouraged by the

interest shown by members of the

Oman Chamber of Commerce and

Industry to visit the Philippines,” Elnar

stated.

Commenting on the event, Maria

Josephine P A, founder of Oman

Philippine Friendship Association

said, “The bilateral trade meet is very

important as it provides an avenue for

business match-matching. It also offers

an opportunity for traders to link up

with leading exporters, manufacturers

and buyers in both countries. We

can expect more business deals and

investments emerging from this

maiden meeting.”

BUSINESS REPORTERMUSCAT, NOV 12

Concluding this year’s three-day

Arab International Aluminium

Conference & Exhibition

(ARABAL), 200 delegates toured

Sohar Aluminium’s facilities

to get a first-hand look at the

company’s ever growing production

capacity, cutting-edge technology,

environmental stewardship, and

rigorous safety standards.

Sohar Aluminium is Oman’s

first Greenfield smelter and the

fourth largest primary aluminium

manufacturer in the Middle East and

North Africa .

Sohar Aluminium has reinforced

its position as the leader of Oman’s

metals and expanding industrial

sector, attracting international

investment to the Sultanate and

successfully trading across the

globe. Delegates praised the high

level of transparency demonstrated

by a team of experts from Sohar

Aluminium who explained each

stage of the aluminium reduction,

anode manufacturing, extrusion

processes, as well as the casting and

power generation procedures applied

at the facilities in addition to the

company’s advanced occupational

and environmental, health and

stringent safety measures.

The plant operates under the

world-leading ‘AP39’ technology

capable of producing 375,000 metric

tonnes of primary aluminium

per annum. Sixty per cent of

its production is earmarked for

consumption by local downstream

industries while 40 per cent is

exported globally. In addition, Sohar

Aluminium has its own dedicated

power plant with a total design

capacity of 1,000 MW and also

operates a dedicated port facility at

the Port of Sohar supporting vessels

with a capacity of up to 75,000

metric tonnes for receiving raw

materials and for exporting primary

aluminium. The company is ISO

9001:2008 certified for its casthouse

and power plant. Sohar Aluminium

is also ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS

18001:2007 certified for its EHS

Management Systems.

“We are committed to

demonstrating excellence and

efficiency in our operations and

remain resolutely accountable to

our entire stakeholder community,”

said Said al Masoudi, CEO of Sohar

Aluminium. “Since inception,

we have celebrated a number of

resounding milestones and record-

breaking achievements. We have

been able to cement our position

as the leader of Oman’s expanding

metal and industrial sector. Our

achievements are derived from

the extraordinary efforts of our

team, as well as our unwavering

commitment to the six pillars on

which we were founded on which

include environment, health &

safety, people, productivity, financial

strength, corporate citizenship, and

customers.”

Sohar Aluminium showcases world-class facilities

BUSINESS ALERT

Maisarah conducts RO 25,000 prize draw

MUSCAT: Maisarah Islamic

Banking Services has recently

conducted its first grand prize

draw for the prize account

scheme. The draw saw one lucky

winner, Khalid Maan al Tae,

from Maisarah Birkat Al Mouz

branch taking home RO 25,000.

The grand prize draw event

was held in Safeer Mall —

Sohar in the presence of Khalid

Rashed al Hamdi, Manager of

Sultan Qaboos Mosque, Sohar and other mosques in Al Batinah, Al Buraimi

and Musandam. The prize draw was also attended by customers and senior

executives of Maisarah.

Commenting on the draw Mohammed Ahmed al Mashani, Executive

Manager, Business and Channel, Maisarah, said: “We are delighted to see the

response to the prize account scheme. It has grown to be very popular with

customers. By offering attractive incentives, our purpose is to inspire a saving

culture among our esteemed customers.”

On being the lucky winner of the Grand Prize, Khalid Maan al Tae, expressed

his happiness during a call from US where he is perusing his MA said: “I have

received the news of winning RO 25, 000 with pleasure. I am very grateful to

Maisarah who built bigger confidence after this winning. The prize will motivate

me to continue saving with Maisarah. I would like to take this opportunity to

thank Maisarah for their cooperation and excellent services which exceeds our

expectations.”

Al Mutawaa launches new Turkish products

THE General

Manager of Al

Mutawaa Trading

Company, Eng Ramez

Suhail al Sharbati,

announced a new

cooperation with

Newarc, one of the

leading companies in

the field of manufacturing sanitaryware in Turkey.

A wide range of these products has been launched in the market through

the company’s branches in Al Khuwair and Al Jafneen. These products are

characterised by modernity and wonderful design combined with quality and

competitive prices, making them affordable.

It is worth mentioning that Al Mutawaa Trading Company LLC has

completed 47 years of its establishment, making it one of the oldest companies

and brands in the Sultanate in the field of construction and engineering.

Bank Sohar stresses road safety campaign

BANK Sohar’s ‘RakizWaSouq’

road safety campaign continues

to gain mileage for the important

subject of road safety with yet

another useful tip. The campaign

was launched this year to uphold

the slogan ‘I Pledge For Our Children’ and forms a central component of the

bank’s CSR initiatives under ‘Sohar Al Atta’ programme that focuses on giving

back to society. The latest safety tip emphasises on how critical it is that parents

and drivers drop children off on the right side of the road and let them out from

the pavement side, to avoid risks of any unfortunate incidents.

Commenting on the bank’s commitment to road safety, Mazin Mahmood al

Raisi, Senior AGM and Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at Bank

Sohar, said: “The ‘RakizWaSouq’ campaign continues our focused approach

towards road safety, aiming to generate awareness on the subject by sharing

concise messages periodically during events and school visits. We are glad that

through this campaign and regular collaborations with Oman Road Safety

Association on traffic safety programmes we are making Oman’s roads safer for

all users.”

Chevrolet confirms best-ever lineup

POISED to wow visitors at the

2017 Dubai International Motor

Show, Chevrolet Middle East will be

introducing its best-ever line-up at the

region’s leading automotive event.

Highlighting the spirit of

innovation and passion for

performance which have been at

the heart of every Chevrolet vehicle

for more than 100 years, the brand’s

showcase will also define its strategic vision for future mobility.

Molly Peck, Chief Marketing Officer, Chevrolet Middle East, commented:

“We are very excited to showcase Chevrolet’s design, performance and

technology credentials at the region’s leading automotive event. Bringing

Chevrolet’s best-ever line-up to Dubai International Motor Show visitors this

year, the show provides us with the perfect platform to connect with some of

the world’s most passionate car enthusiasts here in the Middle East. With a few

surprises up our sleeve, we look forward to surpassing their expectations.”

Bringing the very best of its portfolio to life on stand, Chevrolet will be putting

models with varying combinations of capability, technology and performance

on display to cater to the wide variety of visitors attracted to the show. Going

in to 2018, the Chevrolet line-up is bigger and better than ever before. Bringing

together a range of cars, the brand’s best-ever line-up combines cutting-edge

automotive engineering, innovative technologies, advanced safety features, sleek

design and unrivalled practicality.

Ford’s exciting year end offer: Cash gift

YOU can’t be looking forward to

a better offer than this! One of

the most exciting new car offers

this season in Oman.

Powerful, technologically

advanced and safe, owning a

Ford is more than just owning a

vehicle.

In Oman, customers can

choose from the Ford Figo,

Focus, Fusion, Taurus and

Mustang in the passenger car range and the EcoSport, Escape, Edge, Explorer,

Expedition, Ranger and F-150 in the SUV range.

Buyers can look forward to amazing cash gifts ranging from RO 888 to RO

5555 (Conditions apply, for details visit Ford showroom).Owning a Ford is now

easier than ever.

Perfect way for customers to begin their new year with their favourite Ford.

Ford’s peppy compact sedan – Figo is a popular choice for customers who

desire the most out of a car for much less. Figo is offered in three trim levels:

entry-level Ambiente, mid-level Trend and top-of-the-line Titanium. Figo

is available in 4-door configuration and offers a 1.5L Ti-VCT petrol engine

churning an impressive 112 PS of net power and 136 N.m of net torque.

The 1.5L Focus powered by an EcoBoost engine is an ideal choice for the

younger generation. It is fun to drive both to work and for weekend fun.

MyHassad receives overwhelming response

AHLIBANK has been recognised

as one of the preferred banks in the

country. A modern bank that offers

innumerable benefits, regular prizes

and the best programmes to increase

savings, ahlibank ensures it rewards its

customers generously.

It’s MyHassad saving account

in particular has attracted the keen

interest of many. Offering instant cash

back for new deposits and a chance

to win big in the prize draw, the

MyHassad account has definitely stirred a lot of excitement amongst the people.

“We have received an outstanding response on our MyHassad instant cash

back campaign. We have had a lot of customers signing up for a new account

and the numbers are growing every day,” said Hana al Hinai — DGM Private

Banking and Retail Banking Products Development. “We believe our success

lies in our customer’s loyalty and we ensure we start rewarding them right from

the beginning. The instant cash back is our way of showing gratitude for joining

the ahlibank family.”

Ooredoo appoints new director of strategy and transformationBUSINESS REPORTERMUSCAT, NOV 12

Ooredoo announced the appointment

of Jaffar al Khaboori as the new

Director-Strategy and Transformation

following a rigorous internal and

external selection process. In his new

role, the highly qualified Ooredoo

veteran will work closely with the

company’s CEO and other members

of its senior management team to

shape its strategic direction and

implement company-wide business

transformation initiatives.

Al Khaboori began his career with

the company as a Controller and

Management Accountant before rising

to become Head of Planning, Pricing

and Budgeting. Within two short

years, he was promoted to Director of

Planning, Insights and Performance.

A graduate of the prestigious

Strathclyde Business School and Sultan

Qaboos University, his work ethic and

professionalism led to his selection to

participate in the landmark Ooredoo

Business Leaders programme, which

helped sharpen his managerial and

strategic qualities.

Ooredoo’s efforts to champion the

growth of its employees and support

home-grown talent have driven the

development of a variety of training

workshops and symposiums to

inspire them to excel. The company’s

talented Omani nationals are regularly

rising the ranks, thanks to Ooredoo’s

committed and dynamic approach to

people development.

businessOMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 7 15

insideoman

For resuscitating the economy

of Oman, we posit that the two

critical sectors of the Omani

economy — oil & gas and tourism —

hive off independent entities in the

form of Oman Oil & Gas Bank (OGB)

and Oman Tourism & Culture Bank

(TCB).

Conceding that oil and gas sector

has been sustaining the economy for

long and there is a growing need to

consolidate the sector for long-term

sustainability; a banking institution

may be carved out by the Ministry

of Oil and Gas (MOG). Likewise,

Oman’s tourism sector holds immense

possibilities for economic resuscitation

in the future and a banking institution

would be instrumental in channelising

the efforts of the Ministry of Heritage

and Culture (MoHC) at promoting

culture and heritage of the country.

On the one hand, the oil and gas

sector is flagging signs of caution

and on the other hand, the tourism

sector is showing signs of opening

up new vistas. Oil and gas sector

contributed to around 72 per cent

in the country’s GDP in 2016 and

there is an anticipation of a minor

fluctuation over the next five years.

That the tourism sector is witnessing

a stupendous growth in Oman is

attested by the increment in the tourist

arrivals from 123,000 in June 2016 to

278,000 in July 2017.

We posit that both the sectors

would benefit by tapping funds earned

through banking transactions into

productive sectors. While the two

governing ministries would conduct

their day-to-day operations in their

focus areas, the institutionalization of

banks would facilitate in cross-domain

interchange of ideas and views. There

is no gainsaying the fact that teething

troubles might be encountered in the

process of ideation and execution of

the banking institutions but the long-

term benefits are not far to conceive.

As such, there are instances

across the globe where the public

sector departments-mostly the

postal departments — have hived off

independent banking and financial

entity and such initiatives paid off in

the long run.

For instance, Russia Post — the

postal department of Russia —

offers banking services through

its collaboration with Leto Bank.

Likewise, there is Postal Savings

Bank of China which contributes to

China’s economic development by

offering financial services to different

communities-including farmers, small

and medium sized companies, large

projects and clients. In Switzerland,

there is Post Finance which runs as a

retail financial institution. In Uganda,

there is Post Bank catering to diverse

needs of its clients including students

and entrepreneurs.

Further, the Postal Department of

Italy set up a Poste Italiane Bank and

the same example was followed in

India where the India Post Payments

Bank was instituted. For Oman,

however, we cite the criticality of the

two economic sectors as the prime

desideratum for hiving off banking

and financial entities.

The Banking Law of Oman (2014)

underscores that one of the primary

objectives governing the banking

sector in Oman is “to promote the

development of banking institutions,

which will ensure the maintenance

of financial stability, contribute to the

economic, industrial and financial

growth and enhance the position of

the Sultanate in international financial

affairs.”

As per the stipulations of the

Central Bank of Oman (CBO),

banking licence may be procured by

any local bank as long as it maintains

a “paid up capital of RO 20 million”

and maintains “one tenth or one per

cent of its global banking resources as

capital deposit with the Central Bank,

with a minimum of RO 50,000 and a

maximum of RO 500,000”.

The Ministry of Oil and Gas

and the Ministry of Heritage and

Culture should move ahead with the

institutionalization of the bank by

providing the initial seed capital and

meeting the other requirements for

the setting up of the banks. OGB and

TCB may function as conventional

banks to cater to functions like

maintaining demand or time or

savings deposits; opening of current

accounts and credits; providing loans

of money on personal, collateral or

real property security; operating credit

card business; payment and collection

of checks, orders, payment vouchers

and other negotiable instruments,

conducting investment and merchant

banking activities, etc.

Both the banks may set up branches

across the country with expansion of

its services. Both the banks must be

technology-savvy and automation and

digital networks should constitute the

edifice of the banks. Much like the Post

Finance of Switzerland, the physical

and digital presence of the banks

should be well-grounded.

Further, we recommend that

both the OGB and the TCB set up

networks with the private oil and

gas companies and the tourism

companies for showcasing their

services. Besides making investments

in diverse sectors, the two banks

would serve to fulfil broader social

responsibility aims: Promoting

financial inclusion, providing

employment opportunities, improving

infrastructure, and increasing

financial literacy. For instance, with

a rural population growth marked at

21.91 per cent in 2016 with an yearly

increment of 3.2 per cent, OGB and

TCB might help in realizing the aims

of financial inclusion and financial

literacy.

As the population of the country is

witnessing an increase with an average

yearly increment of around 4.5 per

cent, the two public banks might

serve as viable avenues for investment

conceding the customers’ trust in

public banking system. As Oman gears

up to identify new sectors for realizing

its Vision 2040 wherein the role of

oil and gas sector in the economic

growth is premised to decrease and

the significance of the tourism sector

in propelling the economy is being

underlined, OGB might serve as a

formidable venture of the former and

TCB might serve as a lucrative venture

for the latter.

Finally, it should be the endeavour

of both the banking institutions to lead

in terms of “systemic importance” (as

stipulated under the BASEL norms on

Domestic Systematically Important

Banks (D-SIBs)). For quite a long

time, banking sector in Oman has

been viewed as monopolistic and

with the launch of OGB and TCB,

the competitive landscape of Oman’s

banking system might witness a

synchronized progression alongside

the international banking players. As

a major contribution to the economic

diversification of the economy of

Oman, OGB and TCB might be

perceived as feasible alternatives for

the two ministries.

[Authors of this article are Stuti Saxena (Member, American Political

Science Association and Researcher (Political Science), Central University of Haryana (CUH), India) and Aflah Said N al Hadhrami (Board Member

and Deputy Chairman, Oman Society for Petroleum Services (OPAL),

Oman).]

Making the case for Oil & Gas, Tourism & Culture banks

Omani firms set to grow their E&P portfolios

Omantel completes acquisition of Zain stake for $2.19 billion

FROM P13

for drill stem tests (DSTs) and during

long-term tests ranged from 7 million

standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d)

to 18 MMscf/d. Two additional gas

prospects have been mapped within

the block.

Separately, OOCEP has joined

forces with Italian integrated energy

giant Eni to secure the licence for

Block 52 offshore Oman’s southeastern

and southern seaboard. Covering

an area of around 90,700 sq km, the

block is perhaps the biggest piece of

acreage ever offered for exploration

and development in the Sultanate.

Although there have been no

discoveries made to date within

this concession, gas shows were

encountered in the Lower Tertiary and

Aruma sections in the Sawqarah Bay

South-1, according to the Ministry.

Also of significance is the major

discovery made two years ago by

Masirah Oil Ltd in Block 50 adjacent

to the northern boundary of Block 52.

The GA South-1 well indicated light oil

production at a rate of 3,000 barrels per

day, while the results of the Manarah-1

appraisal well indicated the presence of

a working petroleum system in Block

50 earlier this year. The only well in the

block, the Sawqrah Bay South-1, was

drilled by PDO in 1991.

OOCEP currently operates three

blocks in Oman (60, 42, and 48) and

is a participant in a number of joint

ventures, some of which are large-

scale projects in the upstream sector,

notably the Khazzan tight gas project

operated by BP, the Mukhaizna

field and Block 9, both of which are

operated by Occidental.

Seeking to expand its footprint in

the upstream sector is local energy

firm ARA Petroleum which is set

to acquire Block 31 onshore Oman.

Muscat-based ARA made its debut

last year when it acquired Block 44

(Shams) upon its relinquishment by

the previous owner PTTEP Oman,

a wholly owned subsidiary of Thai

integrated energy giant PTTEP. ARA’s

latest acquisition Block 31 adjoins

Block 44.

Tight gas is also the predominant

petroleum play in Block 31. The 8,526

sq km concession, located in the

interior of Oman, has produced no

discoveries to date, although gas shows

were encountered in Suneinah-2

within the Mayhah formation. Four

prospects have so far been mapped

within the block, according to the

Ministry. Rounding off the list of

blocks to be signed away tomorrow is

Block 49, which has been committed

to a local subsidiary of Swedish oil

firm Tethys Oil.

FROM P13

shares representing 12.1 per cent of the

total fully paid and issued share capital

from Al Khair National for Stocks &

Real Estate Company WLL, Kuwaiti

British Readymix Company WLL,

and Gulf National Holding Company

KSCC (collectively the ‘sellers’) for

a total cash consideration of $1.35

billion.

This announcement triggered a

formal public auction process under

Boursa Kuwait rules, which was

completed yesterday, marking the

successful closing of the transaction.

In addition, the Board of Directors of

Zain is expected to be reconstituted.

The total equity value of the 21.9

per cent shareholding is $2.19 billion

(RO 845 million). This includes the

previously announced acquisition

on August 24, 2017 of 425.7 million

treasury shares representing 9.84 per

cent of the total fully paid and issued

share capital.

Omantel has financed this

transaction with a combination of long-

term and bridge loan facilities. The

bridge loan facility will subsequently

be taken out through long-term capital

markets instruments.

Credit Suisse acted as exclusive

financial adviser and Freshfields

Bruckhaus Deringer LLP as legal

adviser to Omantel. Credit Suisse

and Citi are acting as Bookrunners,

Mandated Lead Arrangers and

Original Lenders; with Bank Muscat,

HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank

and Bank ABC as Bookrunners and

Mandated Lead Arrangers in the

acquisition financing.

STUTI SAXENA

AFLAH SAID N AL HADHRAMI

Both the sectors would benefit by tapping funds earned through banking transactions into productive

sectors. While the two governing ministries would conduct their day-to-day operations in their focus

areas, the institutionalisation of banks would facilitate in cross-domain interchange of ideas and views

BUSINESS REPORTERMUSCAT, NOV 12

Business and government are

joining forces to promote Oman to

international investors. Ithraa, Oman’s

investment promotion and export

development agency, and Petroleum

Development Oman (PDO) have

signed a three-year collaboration

agreement aimed at helping to raise

Oman’s global business profile,

assist local firms expand their

business portfolios regionally and

internationally as well as promote

PDO’s business opportunities.

Signing the agreement, Ithraa’s

Adviser for Planning & Follow-up,

Shaikh Ali al Balushi commented:

“Ithraa has been successful in attracting

investment into Oman and promoting

non-oil exports for over 20 years. Our

priority is jobs and wealth creation.

And to achieve this we are delighted

to be joining forces with colleagues

at PDO to promote Oman’s business

offer. Indeed, this combination sends

a strong and powerful message to

firms looking to secure and develop a

foothold in the growing Middle East

market.”

PDO Managing Director Raoul

Restucci said: “We are pleased to

sign this agreement with Ithraa as

it will help our efforts to promote

Omani companies, such as our Super

Local Community Contractors, on a

regional and global stage. At the same,

Ithraa will support our drive to market

a number of business opportunities

in our concession area to potential

investors and technical partners. Such

partnerships will help deliver more

value for Oman by highlighting the

fantastic opportunities for foreign

investment in the Sultanate and its

growing business community.”

Ithraa’s Adviser for Planning &

Follow-up pointed out: “It makes

perfect sense for PDO and Ithraa

to work together, showcasing the

Sultanate’s connectivity, industrial

estates, free zones, business parks

as well as investment opportunities

and workforce. Working together in

this way shows potential investors

that they would be coming to an

ambitious country that is united in its

commitment to economic growth.”

Ithraa, PDO join forces to promote investment

Ithraa-PDO partnership will help deliver more value for Oman by highlighting the fantastic opportunities for foreign investment in the Sultanate

BUSINESS REPORTERMUSCAT, NOV 12

The National Business Centre

(NBC), which is part of the Public

Establishment for Industrial

Estates (PEIE), has announced that

registration is now open for those

interesting in taking part in the

Incubation Conference 2017, which

is scheduled to be held on during

December 5-6, 2017 at Hormuz

Grand Hotel, Muscat — Oman. The

registration can be submitted through

the conference’s website: www.

incubation-conference.com.

Malak al Shaibani, Director

General of NBC, noted that

preparations for the conference are

proceeding as planned in cooperation

with the sponsors, which comprise

BP Oman, Occidental Oman, Fund

for Development of Youth Projects

(Sharakah), Al Raffd Fund, Shumookh

Investment and Services, Oman

LNG, Public Authority for Small and

Medium Enterprises Development

(Riyada), and SME Development

Fund, among others.

She added that participants at the

conference will have the opportunity

to share and learn from best practices

regionally and internationally; get a

better understanding of the role of

incubation in a growing ecosystem

and the future of the incubation

industry; explore the role of academic

institutions (colleges and universities)

in supplying and supporting

incubators with a steady pipeline of

entrepreneurs; explore the role of

chambers of commerce and other

entities in supplying and supporting

incubators and the growth of SMEs,

amongst other objectives.

The Incubation Conference 2017

will feature a line-up of speakers and

will shed light on several themes

through the various sessions and

specialised workshops including

entrepreneurship in the MENA region,

incubation models, entrepreneurship

enablers, innovation, entrepreneurship

and education, and entrepreneurship

future trends.

The conference — the first of its

kind in the Sultanate — which aims at

instilling a culture of entrepreneurship,

and disseminating awareness and

knowledge on the bodies that support

SMEs and innovation related entities.

The conference will also highlight

successful Omani models in the field

of entrepreneurship, in addition to

the challenges faced in this field.

With the aim of learning more about

international experiences, practices

and trends in the fields of incubation,

SMEs and innovation, a number of

panel discussions will be held at the

conference with the participation of a

group of international experts in this

area.

NBC opens registration for Incubation Conference 2017

BUSINESS REPORTERSUHAR, NOV 12

Orpic officially announces the appointment of Ahmed Said al Azkawi as General Manager Procurement Contracts and Inventory (GM PCI) with immediate effect.

Ahmed recently held the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Oman Logistics Company SAOC.

Prior to that, he was engaged with Public Establishment for Industrial Estate and the Supreme Council for Planning as a Project Director. He had also worked for Petroleum Development of Oman (POD) for almost 17 years and his last role before departing PDO was Senior Value Assurance Consultant.

On the academic front, Ahmed has bachelor degree in physics from Imperial College London and a master degree in Petroleum Engineering from Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh.

Orpic appoints GM PCI

Malak Al Shaibani

businessbusinessOMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 716

international

HANOI: Vietnam and the

United States signed a series of

energy and aviation deals on

Sunday during a visit to Hanoi

by US President Donald Trump,

who railed against Washington’s

yawning trade deficit with the

fast-growing nation.

Trump was in the communist

capital at the tail-end of his

swing through Asia where he

has promoted his “America

First” mantra on global trade —

prioritising “fair” bilateral deals

over sprawling multilateral pacts.

Several agreements were

signed during his state visit

Sunday, including those covering

the natural gas sector, transport

and aviation.

National carrier Vietnam

Airlines signed a deal worth $1.5

billion for engines and support

services from US firm Pratt &

Whitney.

“(The agreement) will

further reinforce the important

economic, trade and investment

partnership between Vietnam

and the United States,” airline

CEO Duong Tri Thanh said in a

statement.

Low-budget Vietnamese

carrier VietJet, best known for

its bikini-clad flight attendants,

also signed a deal for engines and

maintenance services with Pratt

& Whitney worth $600 million.

Trump is seeking to boost

exports of American goods and

services as part of a campaign

pledge.

He won office with strong

support from blue-collar US

workers.

He has accused Vietnam

and China, two key Asian

manufacturing hubs, of stealing

American jobs and blamed

previous US administrations for

allowing trade deficits to grow

unchecked.

On Sunday Trump again

complained about the United

States’ gaping trade deficit with

Vietnam, worth $32 billion in

2016.

“We have to get rid of the

trading imbalance, we can’t

have a trade imbalance,” he said

at the beginning of a meeting

with Vietnamese Prime Minister

Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

“We have to take care of

American companies and we

have to take care of American

workers,” he added, in comments

likely to play well with his base

back home. — AFP

Trump rails at Vietnam trade imbalance as billions of deals signed in Hanoi

DUBAI: Airbus will have to buy back or find new homes for some of the older A380s currently operated by Dubai’s Emirates as it finalises a deal to sell new superjumbos to the Gulf carrier, industry sources said on Sunday.

The European planemaker is expected to announce an order for some 36-38 A380 superjumbos at the opening of the Dubai Airshow later on Sunday.

“A few trade-ins will be involved,” a person familiar with the matter said.

An Airbus spokesman said, “We do not comment on our contractual agreements”.

Asked at a news conference on the launch of a new first-class cabin whether Emirates would place an A380 order at the show, Emirates president Tim Clark said, “maybe, maybe not”.

The decision by Airbus to buy back aircraft to facilitate the anticipated deal comes as the aviation market struggles to absorb some of the first A380s, which entered service a decade ago.

A German asset manager is trying to place four aircraft being returned by Singapore Airlines, which was the first to offer superjumbo services in 2007, financiers say.

Industry sources say at least one of the ex-Singapore jets will be operated by Portugal-based HiFly.

The company, which rents out aircraft on a ‘wet lease’ basis complete with crew, was not immediately available for comment. Placing the rest of the aircraft is no easy task as demand for the double-decker aircraft remains thin, aircraft financiers say. — Reuters

Airbus to buy back some A380s in new Emirates deal

Rupert Murdoch twice discussed CNN with AT&T CEO, sources sayNEW YORK: Rupert Murdoch

telephoned AT&T Inc Chief Executive

Randall Stephenson twice in the last

six months and talked about cable

network CNN, sources briefed on the

matter said.

According to one of the sources,

the 86-year-old executive chairman of

Twenty-First Century Fox Inc offered

to buy CNN in both conversations.

Another source said Murdoch had

“zero interest” in owning CNN.

Representatives of Twenty-First

Century Fox, AT&T and Time Warner,

CNN’s parent, declined comment.

CNN has become the focal point

in antitrust approval of AT&T’s $85.4

billion deal to buy Time Warner Inc,

hatched in October 2016.

US Department of Justice staff have

recommended that AT&T sell either

its DirecTV unit or Time Warner’s

Turner Broadcasting unit — which

includes CNN — a government

official said, in order to gain antitrust

approval.

On Thursday Stephenson said he

had no interest in selling CNN and

that he was ready to defend the deal in

court if necessary.

According to one of the sources on

Friday, Murdoch called Stephenson

twice, unprompted, on May 16 and

August 8 and on both occasions asked

if CNN was for sale.

Stephenson replied both times that

it was not, according to the source.

The fate of CNN has broader

political significance.

US President Donald Trump has

repeatedly attacked the network for

its coverage of his campaign and his

administration, while he has publicly

praised Murdoch’s Fox News.

In the run-up to last year’s election

he vowed that as president his Justice

Department would block AT&T’s

purchase of Time Warner. He has not

commented on the transaction since

taking office in January.

Trump’s comments have provoked

concern that he may improperly

influence the US Department of

Justice to block the deal.

The White House has said Trump

has not spoken to the attorney general

about the matter.

Nevertheless, a group of eight

Democratic US senators wrote to

Makan Delrahim, head of the Justice

Department’s antitrust division,

urging the department “to oppose

any attempt by the White House

to interfere with antitrust law

enforcement decisions, particularly

for political reasons.”

Delrahim said he had not had

any contact with the White House or

the attorney general on the matter,

speaking at an event at the USC Gould

School of Law in Los Angeles later in

the day.

“I’ve got to keep my nose down and

be a law enforcer and do what’s good

and what I’ve committed to doing to

the American people,” said Delrahim.

But he appeared to voice doubts

about AT&T’s reasoning that the

purchase of Time Warner would

not result in a company with too

much power because the combined

company would have to compete

with powerful new online rivals such

as Amazon.com Inc, Netflix Inc and

Facebook Inc.

Delrahim referred to a comment

by former president Ronald Reagan

that “the nine most terrifying words in

the English language are: I’m from the

government and I‘m here to help.”

“I’d say you should be equally

terrified when someone in an

incumbent company, whatever

industry, comes to you and says I’m

here to help you against the evils

of Netflix, Amazon, Google and

Facebook,” said Delrahim. “Some of

these pro-competitive comments and

justifications remind me of that quote

strongly.”

It would not be the first time

Murdoch has attempted to take control

of CNN. His Twenty-First Century

Fox made an $80 billion offer for

Time Warner in 2014 but abandoned

the plan in the face of Time Warner’s

resistance. — Reuters

Alibaba’s Singles’ Day fest sale hits $25 bnSHANGHAI: The Chinese

e-commerce major Alibaba grossed

over $25 billion in its 24-hour long

11.11 Global Shopping Festival on

Saturday.

The company sold $25.38 billion

(168.2 billion Chinese Yuan) worth

of goods within 24 hours of its annual

sales event, registering about 39 per

cent growth over its previous year’s

sales of $18 billion during the one-day

event in 2016.

“This year is the first time that the

fest was held during the weekend, on

a Saturday.

We had consumers who shopped

throughout the day right up till the

last second of the festival,” said the

Chief Executive Officer of the Alibaba

Group Daniel Zhang told media as the

sales event came to a close.

It was not a fest just for consumers

but also for the merchants, with

157 merchants registering over 100

million Chinese Yuan (about $15

million) worth sales within 24 hours,

Zhang said. “Today was an Olympics

of commerce,” he added.

Out of the total $25.38 billion, the

company had notched $12 billion

worth of sales within just the first two

hours of the festival.

The ninth edition of the much

anticipated 24-hour annual shopping

festival was kicked off at midnight of

Friday in China.

The festival had promotions and

offers from over 140,000 brands and

15 million product listings this year.

About 325,000 orders were

processed per second during the

festival by Alibaba Cloud (the cloud

computing arm of Alibaba) and

256,000 payment transactions were

made for the placed orders through

Alipay (Alibaba’s online payment

platform), the company announced.

Nearly 90 per cent of the orders

that were placed from across the world

during the shopping fest were made

through mobile phones.

This year’s festival was

entertainment-and-media driven

with a “new retail” strategy employing

various ways to engage the Chinese

consumers both online and offline,

Zhang said.

The company had converted about

100,000 retail stores to “smart stores”,

which allow consumers to receive

customised shopping experience with

the use of facial recognition, “cloud

shelf ” and location-based store and

discount recommendations among

others.

Consumers could shop through

augmented reality trials of beauty

products, a fashion mirror based on

Artificial Intelligence (AI), unmanned

vending machines among others.

Held on China’s Singles’ Day, which

falls on November 11, the event is one

of the largest online shopping events

in the world.

On the same day this year, Alibaba’s

competitor and the second largest

e-commerce platform JD.com had

registered about $19.14 billion worth

sales during its 24-hour Singles’ Day

fest.

Started in 2009, Alibaba’s festival

grossed about $18 billion during the

24-hour period last year, making the

festival about 2.5 times bigger than

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (two

of the biggest shopping festivals in the

US) put together.

The fest is 18 times bigger than

Amazon Prime Day, the sales event of

online shopping platform Amazon.

— IANS

Boeing studying business case for new mid-sized jet, says official DUBAI: Boeing is deepening its study of a proposed new

mid-market aircraft as it prepares to decide whether to bring

the project to market, a senior executive said on Saturday.

Kevin McAllister, Chief Executive of Boeing Commercial

Airplanes, said a team at the US planemaker would be

exploring the business plan in detail, including how the

aircraft would be produced, over the next few months.

Referring to the cost of building the possible new jet,

which is expected to carry some 220-270 passengers, he

said, “We know the box we have got to get into and we are

working towards it.” There is no timeframe for making a

decision, he added.

“We like how it is shaping up. We are just down to a

spot where we want to put some structure around the

right business plan and that includes the right production

system,” he added.

Boeing has had a good year for wide-body aircraft orders

and “the year is not over,” McAllister said, adding Boeing

was seeing good interest for long-range models including

its newest 787-10. The current version of 777 is sold out in

2018 and Boeing is making “good progress” for 2019 as it

seeks to fill delivery slots until the new 777X model comes

out from 2020, he added. — Reuters

Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang speaks in front of a screen showing total sales at over 168 billion yuan shortly after the end of the 11.11, or Singles’ Day shopping festival, at a gala event in Shanghai. — AFP

Rupert Murdoch, Chairman of Fox News Channel seen at the US Open, Mens Final in New York. — Reuters

US President Donald Trump and Vietnam‘s Communist Party Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong hold a bilateral meeting at Communist Party Headquarters in Hanoi, Vietnam. — Reuters

A man looks at a scale model of Boeing’s 787 dreamliner at their booth at an air show in Singapore. — Reuters

STARTED IN 2009, ALIBABA’S FESTIVAL

GROSSED ABOUT $18 BILLION DURING THE

24-HOUR PERIOD LAST YEAR, MAKING THE

FESTIVAL ABOUT 2.5 TIMES BIGGER THAN

BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY (TWO OF THE BIGGEST SHOPPING

FESTIVALS IN THE US) PUT TOGETHER

The Airbus logo is pictured at the company's headquarters in Colomiers, France. — Reuters

ON SUNDAY TRUMP AGAIN COMPLAINED ABOUT THE UNITED

STATES’ GAPING TRADE DEFICIT WITH VIETNAM,

WORTH $32 BILLION IN 2016 I’ve got to keep my

nose down and be a law enforcer and do what’s good and what I’ve committed to doing to the American people

MAKAN DELRAHIM Head, US Justice Department

Antitrust division

businessOMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 7 17

perspective

LOST INTEREST

hinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd said it could help

Snapchat owner Snap Inc publish video games and improve ad

sales after acquiring a 12 per cent stake in the US social media

network.

Snap’s disclosure in a US regulatory filing that Tencent had

recently bought 145.8 million of its shares on the open market set

off a wave of speculation among investors about the relationship

between the firms.

Tencent’s shares do not have voting power and it will not have a

board seat, but the two companies broadly believe in cooperation

that goes beyond passive investing, according to Snap’s filing.

Tencent described a potentially close relationship.

“The investment enables Tencent to explore cooperation

opportunities with the company on mobile games publishing and

newsfeed as well as to share its financial returns from the growth of

its businesses and monetisation in the future,” it said in an emailed

statement. It also referred to the potential for “newsfeed ads”.

Games and a newsfeed have not been a part of Snapchat,

although the company said it was planning a redesign.

Analysts say Tencent, the world’s largest gaming company

by revenue, has benefited from its social media apps for the

phenomenal popularity of its smartphone games such as Honour

of Kings, and will need the help of local social networks in

promoting its games in overseas markets.

The Snapchat app, though, is banned in China, where non-

Chinese social media networks are generally restricted, although

some videos originating in China were visible on the network last

week presumably because of technological workarounds.

US investment analysts said they did not expect a change in

that regard.

It is unlikely that Snap, “Would ever be allowed to establish

a foothold in China even if their relationship with Tencent were

deeper,” Brian Wieser, senior analyst at Pivotal Research Group in

New York, said in a report to clients.

The companies operate on different scales. Tencent’s holdings

include messaging apps QQ and WeChat, both ubiquitous in

China, and its market capitalisation of $469 billion is among the

largest in the world. Snap’s is $15 billion.

While Snapchat focuses on sharing pictures and video between

friends, WeChat offers payment processing and more. Tencent

said that it expected Snapchat to continue to grow, particularly in

“affluent Western markets” such as the United States and Europe.

“The China market is in some ways more advanced in social

media and messaging than the US is,” said Rebecca Fannin,

founder of Silicon Dragon, a website that writes about China and

California’s Silicon Valley. — Reuters

GAVIN JONES

taly’s slow economic recovery since 2014

is finally gathering pace, but the upturn is

likely to prove short-lived as few, if any, of

its structural problems have yet been fixed.

Those Italian companies that

are internationally competitive are

performing strongly and hiring staff,

helping gross domestic product to jump

0.5 per cent in the first quarter. But long-

standing weaknesses — ranging from red

tape and corruption to underinvestment

in education and a huge public debt —

remain.

This suggests the upturn is merely part

of the business cycle and risks fading once

temporary factors, such as government

employment incentives and ultra-low

interest rates, start falling away.

Still, the Standard & Poor’s agency

raised Italy’s sovereign credit rating last

month for the first time in 35 years, citing

improved growth prospects supported by

rising investment and employment.

This surprised many observers,

and yet data in the euro zone’s third-

largest economy is beating expectations.

Business morale is at its highest for a

decade, industrial output rose in August

for the fourth month running, export

volumes climbed 2.8 per cent in the first

eight months and GDP is forecast to grow

this year at its fastest rate since 2010.

“Business is going very well,” said

Gaetano Bergami, the owner of BMC, a

medium-sized company based in Bologna

which makes air filters for cars and motor-

bikes which it exports to more than 90

countries.

“We are growing internationally

because BMC is part of that 30 per cent of

Italian firms with competitive products,”

he said.

The company recently hired around 10

workers to bring its total Italian workforce

to 96, and its turnover has risen steadily to

an estimated 12 million euros this year.

Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan

estimated this week that growth bounced

back to 0.5 per cent in the third quarter

after slipping to 0.3 per cent in the second.

“The recovery is consolidating and

GDP growth is getting more robust,”

he said. However, BMC and similarly

successful firms which managed to thrive

even during Italy’s double-dip recession

between 2008 and 2013 mask the country’s

overall lack of competitiveness.

Bologna is capital of Emilia-Romagna,

one of Europe’s strongest industrial

regions and home to world beaters such

as the Ferrari sports-car firm and Barilla

food processing giant. But neither BMC

nor Emilia-Romagna are typical.

Italian labour productivity —

measured as output per hour worked

— has been stagnant for the last decade

and is the weakest in the European Union

after Greece, according to Eurostat data.

So-called “multi-factor productivity”,

which measures the overall efficiency of

an economy, has been equally dismal and

actually fell 0.2 per cent in 2016, according

to the Organisation for Economic

Cooperation and Development.

Italy’s jobless rate of 11.1 per cent and

its youth unemployment at 35.7 per cent

remain among the highest in the EU.

Italy is being tugged along by strong

European and global growth but it remains

the euro zone’s most sluggish performer.

Not only did the economy contract far

more than its euro zone partners following

the global financial crisis, losing about

9 per cent of its GDP between 2008 and

2013, but its subsequent rebound has also

been less pronounced.

Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni

has taken care not to raise unrealistic

expectations. “Finally we are in a phase

of economic recovery but we mustn’t

overstate it or imagine that the wounds

opened by the crisis have healed,” he said

last month.

The International Monetary Fund

forecasts the economy will grow 1.5 per

cent this year, which is strong by Italian

standards and in line with Rome’s own

estimate.

But it is still the lowest projected

growth rate of any EU country, and the

IMF forecasts the gap between Italy and its

partners will widen next year. “It’s hard to

imagine Italy growing more than the other

European countries,” Roberto Perotti,

economics professor at Milan’s Bocconi

University, said. — Reuters

Italy’s economic renaissance is less than meets the eye

* ADS VENTURE

US business interest in Cuba wilts under TrumpSARAH MARSH

acked into a remote corner of a pavilion,

just 13 US companies took stands at Cuba’s

sprawling trade fair this year, in a sign of

how firms’ interest in doing business on

the island has dwindled in the first year of

Donald Trump’s presidency.

Last year, amid enthusiasm following

a detente in relations agreed between

former president Barack Obama and

Cuban leader Raul Castro in 2014, 33

US companies took stands at the fair, the

premier event on Cuba’s business calendar.

The mood was very different at this

year’s edition, which took place last week

in Havana. While China brought a record

company delegation, and more than

150 Spanish businesses packed into five

pavilions, the handful of US businessmen

were downbeat.

“I’ve never seen it this deserted,” said

Jay Brickman, Vice President of Florida-

based shipping company Crowley

Maritime Corp, who has been attending

the fair for 15 years. “People have really

gotten discouraged, and feel they maybe

should be investing their time someplace

else.”

US companies embraced Cuba in the

wake of the detente, jostling for a foothold

in an opening market of 11 million

consumers.

Thanks to travel-related exemptions to

the embargo, US airlines restored regular

flights. Starwood Hotels, a subsidiary

of Marriott International Inc, took over

management of a Cuban hotel and cruise

operators like Florida-based Carnival

Cruise Line included Cuba in their

itineraries.

But worsening US relations as well

as growing awareness of the difficulty of

doing business in Cuba put a dampener

on that.

Trump in June ordered tighter trade

and travel restrictions including a ban

on business with the military, which

controls vast swathes of the economy. The

regulations were unveiled on Wednesday.

“This is a huge step backwards,” said

former US Secretary of Commerce Carlos

Gutierrez, the Cuban-born head of the

US-Cuba Business Council. “We had

made so much progress.”

An unfolding diplomatic crisis over

allegations of attacks on US diplomats in

Havana is adding to the gloom.

Cuba Trade magazine, based in Miami,

last month cut its issuance from monthly

to bi-monthly, citing the deteriorating

business environment under Trump.

Several Cuba business conferences in the

United States have also been cancelled

since June, including an agriculture

conference in Chicago.

Following the Obama detente, US

farmers hoped for legislation allowing

them to access credit for exports to Cuba.

But Trump has made it clear he is not

about to ease, let alone lift, the embargo.

“We need to get the diplomatic issue off

the table first,” said Louisiana Agriculture

Commissioner Mike Strain, adding US

food exports to Cuba could total $1 billion

if relations were normalised.

Even before Trump took office, some of

the interest fizzled as companies realized

doing business in Cuba was hard with

its red tape, shortage of hard currency,

poor telecommunications and labour

restrictions.

Online payments company PayPal

Holdings Inc sent its chief executive in

Obama’s delegation on his historic visit

to Cuba in March 2016. It had been

interested in making its Xoom money

transfer service available in Cuba but said

operational challenges were too great.

“When we are able to deliver the speed,

convenience and security our customers

have come to expect from Xoom, we will

launch in Cuba,” a PayPal spokeswoman

said

Still, some companies made headway.

After receiving all the necessary licenses

under Obama, the Puerto Rican

dealer for US heavy equipment maker

Caterpillar Inclast week agreed to open

a distribution centre in Cuba’s Mariel

special development zone. Future deals

with Mariel, which boasts tax and customs

breaks, will not be possible, as it features

on a list published of 180 government

entities that Americans are now banned

from doing business with.

“The Mariel restriction particularly

sticks out because it is the most dynamic

and exciting opportunity in Cuba,” said

James Williams, President of lobby group

Engage Cuba.

The diplomatic crisis has also

complicated the logistics for US businesses.

The Trump administration in September

expelled 15 Cuban diplomats, including

all those dealing with US businesses.

— Reuters

Magnets are displayed in a souvenir shop in downtown Rome. — Reuters

Visitors use their smartphones underneath the logo of Tencent at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing. — Reuters

Tencent sees video games, more ads in Snapchat’s future

P

I

C

* BUSINESS UPTICK

NOT ONLY DID THE ECONOMY CONTRACT

FAR MORE THAN ITS EURO ZONE PARTNERS

FOLLOWING THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS, LOSING ABOUT 9 PER CENT OF ITS GDP BETWEEN 2008 AND

2013, BUT ITS SUBSEQUENT REBOUND HAS ALSO BEEN

LESS PRONOUNCED

EVEN BEFORE TRUMP TOOK OFFICE, SOME OF THE INTEREST FIZZLED AS COMPANIES REALIZED DOING BUSINESS IN

CUBA WAS HARD WITH ITS RED TAPE, SHORTAGE OF HARD CURRENCY, POOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS

AND LABOUR RESTRICTIONS

APPROVED residential for labour camp available. Near Sohar Port. Area 15,000m2. Water and electricity available. For contact 91577774, 96198460.

· · · · ·

A COFFEE shop with all equipment in South Al Hail near Hail Al Awamir School. 99469900.

· · · · ·

BUILDING near Ruwi Market, 6 Flats, 3 bedrooms, 3 toilets & kitchen, Split Unit (AC), family only. 99428284, 92425454.

· · · · ·

NEW building in Maabela Industrial Area available for rent. Corner location for showroom, hypermarket or bank.

99323030

· · · · ·

TWO new apartment for rent in Al Qurum near Mina al Fahal. Contact. 94664635, 95850345.

· · · · ·

A PREMISE consists of a 2-storey villa, 5 rooms, 2 majlis and 2 apartments.

majlis in South Al Maabela. Priority is for companies.

99420140.

· · · · ·

NEW villa in Al Khoudh 6 is offered for rent. The premise comprises 6 bedrooms, male majlis, female majlis, a split unit air-conditioned family living room and 8 toilets.

99668686.

· · · · ·

A HOUSE in Al Maabela

two bedrooms + sitting room + kitchen + toilet for each room. 99700908.

· · · · ·

1BHK & 2 BHK flats for rent at Ruwi and Al Khoudh. 93994402, 93994403, 24834644.

·· · · · ·

ONE Al Hail and 2km from Wave Muscat, contains 4 bedrooms, living room, a kitchen and 2 toilets, RO 300. 99077722.

· · · · ·

2 BEDROOM flat in Al Ghubra near Oman Oil 18 November Street, RO 330 monthly. 99333479 or 95215360.

· · · · ·

PREMIUM available for rent of 370sqm, DHL building. 8 Rial per sqm. Covered parking. 95852046.

· · · · ·

FLAT for rent in Al Mawaleh South. 3 bedroom + 3 toilets + 1 family hall + 1 kitchen. Monthly rent RO 270, for family only. Contact. 99882551.

· · · · ·

AL GHUBRA, near Mars Hyper Market: Building,

kitchen and guest toilet.

attached, hall, kitchen and guest toilet. Al Ghubra

GSM: 92902313.

· · · · ·

FLATS in Al Wadi Al Kabir near to the Al Kuwaiti Mosque. 99425958.

· · · · ·

SINGLEKhuwair and Al Ghubra, family only. 92967853.

· · · · ·

FLATS for rent in Salalah European design, farm view, good situation in the centre near the sea,

92181524 WhatsApp.

· · · ·

editor@omanobserver.om www.omanobserver.om

MONDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2017 | SAFAR 24, 1439 AH

CLASSIFIED SECTION: Saada al Rashdi: 95919344Ali al Maashari: 99639264 ali.almashari@omandaily.omMohammed al Rashdi: 99841230 m.alrahdi86@yahoo.com DIRECT: 24649595 — FAX : 24649590

94501166

CLASSIFIEDSECTION

RUWI 24785668, 99841230

ONE Darsait near Medical RO 170/-. Two BHK Al Khuwair RO 300/-. Athaiba behind Zubair RO 300/-. 24790449, Fax: 24790559.

· · · · ·

APARTMENT for rent in Maabela 8 in Muscat. It’s the highest one of the other two. 3 rooms with 3 toilets one family room, small store and air-condition. 71136222.

· · · · ·

LUXURIOUS Toyota bus 2016, air-conditioned, 30 passengers, offered for daily/monthly/annually, Muscat. Contact: 98080609, 96316269.

· · · · ·

2 BHK, Al Gubrah, near Indian School.

99332907.

· · · · ·

A HOUSE for rent in Muscat 3 BR, 3 baths 1 kitchen, parking for 2 cars and terrace. Location: Al Amerat, Al Mahaj.

71109792.

· · · · ·

SHOP in Seeb market. 95250300/ 99110600/

24182000.

· · · · ·

and

Maabela consists of 3 bedrooms, sitting room and toilets for each room + sitting room and kitchen close to water source.

99700908.

· · · · ·

NEW Flats For Rent at Darsait near to Ministry of Sports, Mumtaz area The

1 Living Room, 2 Bedroom, Kitchen, 3 Toilets, Every room with split A/C, High

Interested persons, please contact. 00968-92225523.

· · · · ·

NEW Darsait near the beach, 5 bedrooms, hall with AC, 4 bathrooms, balcony with sea view, RO 450 per month.

99315986.

· · · · ·

PEST CONTROLOMAN CO. LLC.

PROFESSIONALSin Pest Control Service,

Bedbug Treatment, Rodent Treatment, Snake Treatment

and Termite Treatment (Pre and Post Construction).

Tel: 24787606 / 24787503Fax: 24787607

E-mail: pcomctom@omantel.net.omP. O. Box: 565, Wadi Kabir,

Postal Code: 117,SULTANATE OF OMAN

Supply of Pes t i c ides , Gel (Cock-r o a c h e s ) , Public Health c h e m i c a l s , A g r i c u l t u r e c h e m i c a l s , Snake repel-lent, Rodent baits and other insect repellent from A g r o p h a r m Ltd UK.

For Rent

For Rent

For Rent

For Rent

Rent a Car

Buttercup Rent A Car

AMAZING OFFERS Rent a car for 10 days and get an extra free day.

Rent for one month and get 5 days free.

All the cars are 2016 brand new special prices for public departments, companies and long-term contracts. 972494490.

· · · · ·

AHAD 2000 Rent a Car. 93204595/ 93203481.

· · · · ·

VILLAS for sale/rents

), (Shops/

Khuwair) (Flats for rent/Wadi Kabir).

· · · · ·

For Sale/Rent

SPECIAL Rates on New Cars & 4 WDs

RENTING & LEASINGTours and Airport Transfer

Tel: 24582663 GSM: 95859497, Fax: 24582664,

abcrent@omantel.net.om· · · · ·

FLAT for rent in Maabela 3 master rooms. 96088926.

· · · · ·

AL Hikmani for and

services including the following: Hiring luxurious coaches, arranging weekly trips, preparing visas for expats at cost-effective price, including transport, housing, meals and visits to shrine locations. Land and air trips weekly.

99311310, 24566016, 99361982, 99707248, 90777858.

· · · · ·

Umrah/HajFREE

INFORMATION

ABOUT ISLAMIf you would like to know more

about Islam, please

call: Tel : 99425598,

99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, 99379133, For ladies: 99415818,

99321360, 99730723Or visit:

www.iicoman.omwww.islamfact.com

NEW family flats in Darsait near the beach, 5 bedrooms, hall with AC, 4 bathrooms, balcony with sea view, RO 450 per month. Contact

99315986.

· · · · ·

For Sale

A RESIDENTIAL land in Al Athaiba. Close to the sea, 850 sqm.

94380002.· · · · ·DIESEL Tanker, 1,600 gallon Volvo, 1987.

92836774.

Available on UNBEATABLE PRICES

HP2130 3 in 1 Printer

RO 10.900 only

All Cartridges also available

on UNBEATABLE prices

AII HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung Cartridges also available

COMPUTER SUPPLIESRuwi: 24792-792

comsuply@omantel.net.om

FLATS in Al Amerat, 3 bedrooms, RO 160.

91117335.

2 BEDROOM Road(Corniche) Muttrah.

99024949/ 99414644.

· · · · ·

A HOUSE in North Al Ghubra, 514 sqm and the area of building is 244 sqm, advertised by the owner . 99361964.

· · · · ·

FALT for rent Al Hail South. 93244099.

· · · · ·

A ROOM with a toilet. Electricity and water are covered in North Al Ghubra. (Athaiba at the sea). 98872003.· · · · ·

WE BUY CARS BY

CASH90202090

4 NEW detached town houses at Bausher Heights, adjacent to Expressway (between Golf Club and the Flyover #7). Each town house consist of 5 bedrooms, with 5 toilets, 2 halls, a kitchen with store, and laundry room. RO 600 per month. Contact:

71547607.

· · · · ·

MIDAWA Trading & Cont. Est. plumbing, painting and maintenance. Contact:

98078455.

· · · · ·

MAINTENANCE: 1. AC Maintenance & Servicing; 2. Fridge, Washing Machine & Dish washer repairing; 3. Painting & cleaning services; 4. Electrical & Plumbing Carpentry work. Contact:

99447257, 97014234, 24504281.

· · · · ·

WE offer you the Business Services: Maintenance of buildings and villas for paint and carpentry and decoration works and installation of material water proof and cleaning services building management and leasing of real estate (Out motto is to provide quality in all our business). Muscat Renaissance Development and Investment.

99070093.

· · · · ·

PROVIDES all kinds of legal works, LLC registration, agreements, contracts. Takes all kinds of cases of companies.

97351649.

· · · · ·

AC maintenance and servicing.

Fridge, washing machine and dish washer repairing.

Painting and cleaning services. Electrical, plumbing and carpentry work 97014234, 99447257, 24290686.· · · · ·

AL SUMRI AC maintenance. We are ready to repair and install all types of Air-Conditioner within Muscat Governorate. 94301888. · · · · ·

FLATS for rent, 2 bedroom, 1 sitting room, 1 kitchen and 3 toilets with A/Cs. Al Amerat behind wholesale supermarket. Family only RO 180/= monthly. 92877449.

· · · · ·

Services

ORIENT Trading LLC, Shampooing, sofa, carpet,

repairing. 99834373.· · · · ·

ELFAYED for sedative investment in Salalah introduces the best price and utilities, for rent:

daily, monthly and yearly. 98035135/ 96177304/

91788999.

· · · · ·

FLATS for rent in Al Khuwair, Al Hail, Wadi Kabir, Al Falaj, MBD and Muttrah.

99119699/ 95250300/ 24813002.

· · · · ·

NEW apartment in Ruwi near church consists of 2 rooms with its facilities. Contact. 94664635, 95850345.

· · · · ·

floor house behind German University of TECHNOLOGY in Halban is offered for rent. The house contains 4 bedrooms, living room, a kitchen and 3 toilets.

91239119.

· · · · ·

SHOP & STORE, Honda Road (Ruwi).

99269200.

· · · · ·

FURNISHED in Muscat Grand Mall

99445771, 93204595 93203481.

· · · · ·

FLAT for family for rent, alaom Al Akhtar shop, behind Irani Bank, Abu Abdullah 99627724, Abu Abdulrahman

99315490.

· · · · ·

SEMI furnished 2 & 3 BHK

Atlas Hospital. 99348493/ 93200424/

24502254.

· · · · ·

FLATS for rent near Diwan Zafraniya area end of Muttrah Corniche close to (Muscat Shiva Temple), family, bachelor. Contact

99083071, 99323015.

· · · · ·

for rent in Salalah, north Auqadain. Call

91711118.

· · · · ·

RESTAURANT or catering equipment for sale or rent in Al Khuwair

93204596, 95999891.

· · · · ·

HINDU Ezhava girl, 27 years, Karthika, B.Com, CA, hailing from Idukki District. Employed at an International Audit Firm Kochi, Planning for migration to Canada seeks suitable alliance from the parents of

boys. Contact:

00968-99896610, 0091-9946048790, 0091-8086299163

· · · · ·

Matrimony

VEHICLE FOR SALEVehicle can be inspected at Al Rawahy Complex yard from 12/11/2017 Sunday to Wednesday 15/11/2017 between 03:00 pm to 05:00 pm at OIG Head Office,

Al Rawahy Complex, Al Wattayah and submit your quotation to Transport Department (3rd floor).

Telephone 24576900

Interested parties may submit quotation in a sealed envelope with payment of RO 50 which will be

reimbursed.Reimbursed conditions apply.

HEAVY duty driver, Sri Lankan, having 13 years Oman and Kuwait experience in trailer and bus, looking for a placement. Contact.

94967300, 95840939.

· · · · ·

CIVIL Engineer, Oman/India experience, Omani D/L, excellent computer knowledge on visit visa. Contact. 97189959.

· · · · ·

FILIPINO female, B. Communication graduate with experience in reputed university with public relations, communication and writing skills, can execute sales, marketing and research. Contact.

92561686.

· · · · ·

INDIAN male, 24 years, MBA (HR and Marketing), experienced Marketing Executive looking for suitable placement. Contact: 93316575, 96962693, E-mail: nitishkbhadran94@gmail.com

· · · · ·

ELECTRICAL engineer, NEED driving job, 6 years experience in Oman, speaking language English, Hindi and Arabic.

996144041/ 99803431.

· · · · ·

GRAPHIC Designer with 16 years’ experience in media and advertising

the last 10 years, looking for suitable opportunity. E-mail: jaydhns@gmail.com or 96283931

· · · · ·

24 YEARS old male BE Civil Engineer having 2 years experience in

now in India, seeking suitable job in Oman. Can joint immediately, contact GSM 0091-9843393689, email: arunpandian6434@gmail.com s.erbbkannan@gmail.com

· · · · ·

SUDANESE, speaks English and Arabic well, I’m using

programme well. I have experience in electrical generators (33KV- 100KV)

95424284.

· · · · ·

INDIAN male, MBA (HRM) good knowledge in

skills, presently in Oman. 71507386.

· · · · ·

INDIAN male, Mechanical Engineer + MEP, 1 year experience in BPCL

charge. Strong academic history from reputed university on visit visa, seeking relevant job

94828318

· · · · ·

20 YEARS experienced Indian Chartered

Management Accountant looking for change of job. NOC Available. Contact

99884291, 99741875

· · · · ·

SAFETY NEBOSH, 10SH, Medic First. Born and brought Oman. Oman driving licence.

98929663.

· · · · ·

FASHION Technology Degree (Marketing) NEBOSH, 10SH, Medic First. Born and brought Oman. Oman driving licence.

90398996.

· · · · ·

YOUNG Indian, 4 years experienced Digital Analytics Executive, PGDM, BMS (Marketing) on visit looking for suitable job. Contact 97557413, E-mail: ashleyseq@gmail.com

· · · · ·

INDIAN male, 25 years, MBA (Logistics and Shipping) with one year experience, diploma in computerised accounting, Adobe Photoshop,

visa, seeks placement. Mob: 98817847 ashwinluiz001@gmail.com

· · · · ·

INDIAN male, civil engineer (passed in First class) seeks employment in construction industry in Oman, on visit visa 92648820

· · · · ·

31 YEARS old male BE Civil Engineer having 8 years Singapore experience

Quantity Surveyor and site

Singapore, seeking suitable job in Oman. Can join immediately, contact GSM 0065-82683272, email: raja_yuv@yahoo.com and If any

contact my friend in Muscat - GSM - 97676177

com

· · · · ·

39 YEARS old male Diploma Civil Engineer having 16 years experience

in India, seeking suitable job in Oman. Can join immediately, contact GSM 0091-9843113232, email: karunanithi@gmail.com

can contact my brother in Muscat - GSM - 97676177

com

· · · · ·

YOUNG Indian (Male, 25 yrs, B Sc Electronics Engr) also experienced

etc, on visit visa seeks opening. 99702383 prabhapisharody@gmail.com / Karthik S Pishardoy

98557019. karthime7@gmail.com

· · · · ·

classifiedsOMANDAILYOBSERVER 19M O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 7

classifieds

A NURSE Required with experience to work in a School, spoken English and Arabic.

92297695,92742116, 24797116.

· · · · ·

GRADUATE salesperson required for a high-end luxury store. Must

Previous experience is a privilege. Send CV to hena 82@hotmail.com

· · · · ·

REQUIRED Gulf experienced Aluminium Fabricators for

95060980.

· · · · ·

SENIOR Civil Engineer Graduate in Civil Engineering with 10 years experience

(must have Oman experience.)

Only preferable if having NOC/release letter.

Interested candidates send resume to: hr@aljood-oman.com Fax: 24437007.

· · · · ·

REQUIRED Marketing/PR Manager for a modern restaurant group in Oman.

and Photoshop. Charismatic, Proactive,

Excellent writing/editing skills. Degree in relevant area. Fluent in English. Send CV to marketingpr2016@gmail.com

· · · · ·

URGENTLY required electrician with electri-cal licence (DCRP). Omani or expatriate (3 years experience). Contact 99337587, 99043127, 99348493.

· · · · ·

HIGH Pressure Trading

for Accounts Clerk and PRO with one or two years experience in Sohar kindly send your CV with expected salary

· · · · ·

WANTED expat with at least a diploma in

with at least 3 years of experience in a construction company working in GCC. To apply email your CV to: abdullah.be-different-s@hotmail.com

· · · · ·

is looking for Interior & 3D Visualisation Designer. Experience:5 years. E-mail CV to: info@epcoman.com

· · · · ·

PHYSIOTHERAPISTS A new physiotherapy centre located in Bausher, Muscat requires physiotherapists. Male and female, newly graduates and experienced physiotherapist applications are accepted. Applicants must be licensed to work in Sultanate of Oman, or

licence. Please e-mail your CV with a recent coloured personal photo to: info@alanzoor.com. Applications are accepted until 9th March 2017.

· · · · ·.

URGENTLY required Expatriate Heavy Duty Drivers, JCB Operators with valid Omani licence. Send your CV to gdsoman@gdsoman.com. Contact:

99890076, 93894018, Fax: 24590866.

· · · · ·

Situation Vacant Situation Vacant Situation Vacant

URGENTLY required beautician. Visa will be provided. Contact

94939252.

INDIAN male, MTech CSE, 2 years of experience in Networking CCNA MSCE, looking for a good opportunity. Contact 99202881, 96758801.

· · · · ·

URGENTLY required Native English speaking lady teachers for a leading kindergarten at Al Khuwair. Only candidates from US/UK/ AUS/ Canada/ South Africa/ New Zealand/ Ireland etc, can apply for this position. Please contact urgently on 93331056 and CV at cv4muscat@gmail.com

· · · · ·

REQUIRED HSE with 3 years

experience for reputed electrical company

Management Safety, NEBOSH or OSHA —30 hours. Send the CV to: rashid.engineer@hotmail.com

· · · · ·

URGENTLY required packing staff male/female experienced in gift wrapping, box making, etc. Please call 99336196

· · · · ·

OMANI company seeks Natural Cosmetics Maker (experience in making natural soap, liquid soap, shampoo, body lotion and hand cream. tasweeq.business@gmail.com

Situation Wanted

Company based in Muscat urgently requires

AC TECHNICIANwith at least 3 years experience.Terms and Conditions:Driving licence3 years experienceAccommodation and Transportation provided by company.Age 25-35

Interested candidates can contact us

92919135Send your CV to:

albahrani999@yahoo.com

AC TECHNICIAN

Company based in Muscat urgently

requires

PHYSIOTHERAPIST (Female)

with at least 3 years experience.Interested candidates

can contact us 92919135,

95537973Send your CV to:

albahrani999@yahoo.com

PHYSIOTHERAPIST (Female)

Indian male with more than 11 years of work experience

(7 years in Oman) in Accounts/Finance, seeking

suitable placement. Holding valid Oman driving licence.

Release/NOC available. Kindly contact on

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT

97326761 or email at shajikpallam007@gmail.com

LOOKING for suitable placement, Indian female, Master in computer application with 11 years of experience in data warehousing, Teradata and date modelling looking for suitable placement in Muscat.

91192543. E-mail: priyakthomas@gmail.com· · · · ·

INDIAN female architect (B. Arch), fresher (23 years) on visit, looking for suitable placement. Portfolio can be sent via email on request. Please contact 95471174, email: tiageo.123@gmail.com.

· · · · ·

31 YEARS old male Diploma Civil Engineer having 8 years experience in

in India, seeking suitable job in Oman. Can join immediately, contact GSM 0091-9943126501, email: shiva.drprk@gmail.com and if any

contact my brother in Muscat. GSM - 97676177

· · · · ·

A LEGAL translation Marketeers.

Contact E-mail: oman4n@gmail.com

· · · · ·

AL Awsad Modern LLC, electronic and furniture used.

99834373.

· · · · ·

Buying

Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT of Capital ReductionIn accordance with the provisions of Article 150 of the Commercial Companies Law. The company Rawa’e Wadi Hitat Trading LLC, which is registered with the Commercial Registration No 1036566, hereby announces that it is going to reduce its capital from Omani Rials 150,000.000 to 20,000.000. Whoever has any objection to the foregoing shall present the reasons for such objection to the Secretariat of Commercial Registry at the Ministy of Commerce and Industry within 30 days from the date hereof.

· · · · ·

INDIAN male, BBA graduate, fresher, with valid Omani driving licence, seeks suitable placement to gain experience.

94729679

· · · · ·

RequiresBar Administrator

Qualification: Diploma Food & Beverage, Fluent spoken & written English

Experience: 5 years as Senior Barman.

Candidates to attend interviews and test. Please email CV to:

oceanint@omantel.net.om

Ras Al Hamra PDO Club

For Lease

AHD 2000 car on lease in Al Khuwair

93204595, 93203481.

· · · · ·

For information, please call:99841230-95919344 92721879 - 99639264

Tel: 24649597, Fax: 24649590BankMuscat account: 0397003776610011

Bank Dhofar account: 01040141195001E-mail: a.almashari@omandaily.om

HOUSE driver needed for Omani family (Indian preferred). Contact

99203954.

· · · · ·

URGENTLY required:

A/C G.I duct fabrication supervisor with good experience in all type of AC duct and Auto machine and knowledge of AutoCAD. No: 1

Duct fabricator experience in all type of duct and auto machine. No: 2. 95703680/ 97356554 or mail to uceoman@gmail.com

· · · · ·

THE White Pearl Enterprises urgently need experienced beautician ladyhenna artist for a beauty salon in Bausher. They should be honest and hardworking. Limas. Beauty Centre. If you are interested, 99350707 or 99250707.

· · · · ·

GENERAL Nurse 24540056, e-mail:

alexcenter@live.com

· · · · ·

A REPUTABLE real estate and construction company looking for an experienced Civil Project Engineer. Submit your CV to dapco@dapcooman.com

· · · · ·

CATERING Supervisor, Diploma in Catering or Five years experience in food related job. Fluent in English language is must. Contact

99428310. E-mail: alshehisons@yahoo.com

· · · · ·

REQUIRED marketing manager, engineering products and services. Preference engineering degree in mechanical engineering, with minimum 15-20 years experience in Oman. NOC required, driving licence essential. Contact email: kutetur1940@yahoo.co. in 99458194.

· · · · ·

AN employee for

in Al Khuwair. 93204595.

· · · · ·

For Sale For Sale

TOYOTA Avalon. 2003 model in good condition, registration valid up to June 2018, driven by a lady. Only serious buyers please contact.

98192770.

· · · · ·

FOR sale: Extravagant and furnished residences for female students in Al Khuwair, Al Mawaleh and Al Khoudh along with all assets. 99001332.

· · · · ·

WE supply quantities of excellent mountainous soil in Bausher (suitable for

99242445, 99327939.

· · · · ·

RESTAURANT in an excellent location in Salalah with equipment and workers. 93397812.

· · · · ·

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In China’sE-COMMERCEboom, it takesa village

ALBEE ZHANG

Workers wielding screeching

hand-held wood sanders toil

overtime in Cheng Huaibao’s

bunk bed factory, rushing

to prepare for the wave of

orders about to break on

manufacturing businesses like his across China.

In China’s November 11 orgy of e-shopping

hundreds of millions of consumers seized on

promotional discounts to place up to a billion pent-

up orders for everything from food to furniture and

electronics.

So-called “Double 11”, or “Singles Day”, is the

biggest day of the year for Cheng, accounting for

around one-sixth of his annual orders and illustrating

the impact that China’s years-long e-commerce boom

is having right down to some of the country’s poorest

villages.

Cheng’s town of Shaji in eastern Jiangsu province

once relied on farming and, later, processing waste

plastic.

Today, furniture production fattens wallets in

Shaji, one of more than 1,300 communities across

China dubbed “Taobao Villages”, areas that re-

invented themselves as manufacturing bases to supply

e-commerce giant Alibaba’s Taobao platform.

“It’s a new way for people here to make more

money and get rich. It has really changed people’s

fates,” said Cheng, 28.

The high-school graduate previously worked in an

electronics factory and later sold home appliances.

In 2010, he scraped together 2,000 yuan ($300) and

began making children’s bunk beds to sell on Taobao.

It was a propitious choice — in 2016 China relaxed

its “one-child policy” to allow families a second child.

Bunk beds are suddenly hot.

Cheng says his business is now worth 20 million

yuan. He has purchased several homes and parks

his Mercedes-Benz and Audi outside a factory that’s

grown to 25,000 square feet and 200 employees.

“I’m driving a one-million-yuan car. I never dared

to dream of such a day before,” he said.

SWEET SPOT

Alibaba seized on Double 11 beginning in 2009

as China’s online answer to the late-November US

“Black Friday” shopping spree, finding a sweet spot

combining China’s love of a good bargain and the

national addiction to smartphones and one-click

payments.

Alibaba says Double 11-related sales last year

reached $17.8 billion in gross merchandise value, up

32 per cent from 2015 and roughly equal to the annual

GDP of Mozambique.

This year’s shopping fest will put an exclamation

mark on Alibaba’s growing dominance of commerce

in China under boss Jack Ma, one of China’s richest

men.

The company’s stock has doubled this year as

revenues surged. It recently passed Amazon to reclaim

the crown as the world’s most valuable e-commerce

company.

It is investing heavily in creating an entire

user ecosystem encompassing

cloud computing, artificial

intelligence,

automated stores using face-recognition, financial

systems, logistics, data, entertainment and is pushing

into overseas markets.

Ma also is touting his latest pet vision, “new retail”

— linking up e-commerce with traditional brick-and-

mortar stores as a hedge against a future slowdown in

e-commerce growth.

Ma said recently the number of packages processed

by China’s logistics industry — fuelled by e-commerce

— will soon reach 100 million per day.

“Ten years from now, we may be faced with one

billion packages per day,” he added.

ENVIRONMENTAL ‘DISASTER’

But environmentalists complain of the ecological

harm and accuse Alibaba of fuelling over-production

and over-consumption.

Greenpeace estimates Double 11 deliveries last

year produced 130,000 tonnes of packaging waste —

less than 10 per cent of which is recycled — and said

e-commerce is actually more carbon-intensive than

brick-and-mortar shopping.

“Singles Day is a disaster for the environment.

Alibaba isn’t doing nearly enough,” said Greenpeace

East Asia toxics campaigner Nie Li.

Li Chengdong, a Beijing-based independent

e-commerce analyst, said that despite appearances,

Alibaba’s future is uncertain due to tough competition

from Chinese rivals like JD.com in e-commerce, and

from Tencent in content and online payments, and

that e-shopping’s growth will slow.

“Alibaba will definitely speed up its overseas

expansions. Domestic competition is too fierce,” Li

said.

“Taobao played a big role in alleviating poverty in

the countryside, that’s true. But some Taobao villages

are not doing as well as before due to competition.”

Alibaba estimates “Taobao Villages” nearly

doubled in 2016 from the previous

year to 1,311, home to more than

300,000 online shops.

Shaji, an otherwise nondescript

town of around 60,000 people,

is dominated by warehouses and

factories geared toward Taobao or

companies selling packaging.

The town runs on a unique

rhythm, with the streets deserted

through much of the day as

production is prioritised,

followed by a burst of road

traffic as shipments flood out.

Cheng admits his margins

are shrinking, and that

Double 11 does not even

actually make him much

money due to the cut-

throat pricing and growing

competition, but he remains

upbeat.

“Even though we are under

pressure from more merchants, we

think there also are more customers

now,” he said.

“The road ahead remains long and

I’m taking it step-by-step.” — AFP

Furniture production

fattens wallets in Shaji, one of

more than 1,300 communities across China

dubbed ‘Taobao Villages’, areas

that re-invented themselves as

manufacturing bases to supply

e-commerce giant Alibaba’s

Taobao platform

his Mercedes-Benz and Audi outside a factory that’s

grown to 25,000 square feet and 200 employees.

“I’m driving a one-million-yuan car. I never dared

to dream of such a day before,” he said.

SWEET SPOT

Alibaba seized on Double 11 beginning in 2009

as China’s online answer to the late-November US

“Black Friday” shopping spree, finding a sweet spot

combining China’s love of a good bargain and the

national addiction to smartphones and one-click

payments.

Alibaba says Double 11-related sales last year

reached $17.8 billion in gross merchandise value, up

32 per cent from 2015 and roughly equal to the annual

GDP of Mozambique.

This year’s shopping fest will put an exclamation

mark on Alibaba’s growing dominance of commerce

in China under boss Jack Ma, one of China’s richest

men.

The company’s stock has doubled this year as

revenues surged. It recently passed Amazon to reclaim

the crown as the world’s most valuable e-commerce

company.

It is investing heavily in creating an entire

user ecosystem encompassing

cloud computing, artificial

intelligence,

year to 1,311, home to more than

300,000 online shops.

Shaji, an otherwise nondescript

town of around 60,000 people,

is dominated by warehouses and

factories geared toward Taobao or

companies selling packaging.

The town runs on a unique

rhythm, with the streets deserted

through much of the day as

production is prioritised,

followed by a burst of road

traffic as shipments flood out.

Cheng admits his margins

are shrinking, and that

Double 11 does not even

actually make him much

money due to the cut-

throat pricing and growing

competition, but he remains

upbeat.

“Even though we are under

pressure from more merchants, we

think there also are more customers

now,” he said.

“The road ahead remains long and

I’m taking it step-by-step.” — AFP

b OMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 720

businessfeature

MONDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2017 | SAFAR 24, 1439 AH

sport

SAO PAULO: Brazilian Grand Prix organisers have tightened security around Sunday’s race after armed robbers held up members of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team as they left the circuit.

Formula One’s governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), said in a statement that Sao Paulo police had taken additional measures as a result of Friday night’s incident.

“Heavy police reinforcements will be on duty for the remainder of the event,” it added, reminding all involved to take appropriate precautions when travelling to and from the track.

That included removing car park passes when leaving the circuit and also changing into unbranded clothing without visible passes.

Four-time world champion Hamilton had earlier called on the sport and teams to ensure staff were safe.

He said shots had been fired, with one team member having a gun held to his head.

“I was horrified to hear what had happened. The frustrating thing is I have been in Formula One for 10 years and every year that has happened to someone in the paddock,” Hamilton told reporters.

“It’s for the people at the top to take action to keep everyone safe. It’s no good just the bosses or myself having security; everyone needs to be looked after.”

A team spokesman confirmed that valuables were stolen but nobody was injured in the incident. Some FIA staff were also threatened by hooded gunmen trying to smash their car windows in a related incident.

Hold-ups are a known risk for teams in Sao Paulo and around the Interlagos circuit, with drivers travelling to and from their hotels with police escorts and in cars with bulletproof protection.

Britain’s Jenson Button was the victim of an attempted robbery in 2010, the year after he won the title with Brawn GP, but the police driver smashed his way through traffic to escape when the gunmen were seen approaching. Mechanics and other staff travel to and from the track by minibus or rental cars, with the road passing alongside a slum favela with a number of traffic lights leaving vehicles vulnerable when they slow or stop.

A Mercedes team member was also robbed at gunpoint in Mexico last year while travelling by car from the airport to his hotel. — Reuters

SAO PAULO: Valtteri Bottas took

pole position for Mercedes at the

Brazilian Formula One Grand Prix on

Saturday while team-mate and newly-

crowned four-time world champion

Lewis Hamilton will start at the back

after crashing out.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel will join

the Finn, who is 15 points behind

him in the championship, on the front

row with his Finnish team-mate Kimi

Raikkonen third and Red Bull’s Max

Verstappen fourth.

The pole was the third of Bottas’s

career and he did it with a track record

time of one minute 08.322 seconds at a

damp Interlagos.

“It feels good. It was so close with

Seb all through qualifying,” said the

Finn, who was 0.038 quicker than

Vettel. “It’s a shame Lewis went out but

I’m happy I could do a good job for

the team.” Hamilton, who clinched his

fourth world championship in Mexico

two weeks ago, had been hoping for

a 12th pole of the season but spun

into the barrier at turn seven in the

opening session before he could set a

lap time.

Vettel had been on provisional pole

until Bottas produced his late burst of

speed and the German looked forward

to a good scrap on Sunday.

“For tomorrow I think it’s fine.

I think I chickened out a bit on the

brakes into Turn One on the final run,”

he said. “But our long run looked good

compared to Valtteri so I am feeling

good for tomorrow.”

Hamilton’s was a rare mistake by

Britain’s most successful racing driver,

and last year’s winner from pole at

Interlagos, and he will now have to

fight through from the back for the

second race in a row.

The Mercedes driver won the title

by finishing ninth in Mexico after a

first lap collision with Vettel sent both

to the back of the field.

His mechanics will have work to do,

with the impact causing damage to the

left side of the Mercedes and ripping

off the front wheel and suspension.

Hamilton, unhurt and smiling

somewhat unconvincingly as he

spoke to reporters later, said it had all

happened really quickly.

“It is what it is. Of course it’s

unfortunate. Challenges are what

makes life interesting and overcoming

them makes life meaningful, I guess,”

said the 32-year-old.

“I’m just going to try to take

whatever bubble of negativity comes

from that experience and move

forwards and try to grow from it. It’s

very unusual of me but just shows that

we’re all human and things happen.

“I will try to have as much fun as

possible tomorrow,” added Hamilton.

“Years ago I came from quite far

behind and had a great race.”

Australian Daniel Ricciardo

qualified fifth fastest for Red Bull but

has a 10 place grid penalty as a result

of power unit changes.

That will lift Mexican Sergio Perez,

for Force India, to fifth with McLaren’s

double world champion Fernando

Alonso set to start sixth.

Brazilian Felipe Massa, preparing

for a home farewell in the penultimate

race of his last season in Formula One,

will start ninth. — Reuters

Brazil GP security tightened after armed robbery

Bottas grabs pole, Hamilton crashes out

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton (inset) sits in his car right after crashing during the Brazilian Grand Prix qualifying session. — AFP

Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas powers his car, during the Brazilian Grand Prix first practice session, at the Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo, Brazil. — AFP

editor@omanobserver.om www.omanobserver.om

follow us @observersportz

CHESTE, Spain: Spain’s Marc

Marquez sealed his sixth world

championship and fourth in the

premier MotoGP category with

third place at the season-ending

Valencia Grand Prix on Sunday.

Holding a commanding

21-point lead in the

championship from Andrea

Dovizioso, Marquez was

guaranteed the title with a top-

11 finish or if Dovizioso failed

to win the race. And Dovizioso’s

fate was sealed when he crashed

out five laps from the end.

Marquez’s Honda team-mate

Dani Pedrosa won the race from

France’s Johann Zarco in second.

Starting from pole, Marquez

waved Zarco through on the

fourth lap to rule out any chance

of an untimely early crash.

However, he couldn’t resist

an attack on the Frenchman to

try and win the championship

in style with eight laps to go and

ran wide, dropping him down

to fifth. Yet, Ducati’s hopes of

usurping Marquez were quickly

undone as Jorge Lorenzo and

then Dovizioso both crashed out

as they paid the price for pushing

at the limit for the whole race.

Up front Pedrosa and Zarco

were left to battle it out for the race

win in a pulsating final few laps.

Ultimately, though, the Spaniard

came out on top on home soil to

deny Zarco his first MotoGP win

and round off a perfect day for the

Honda pair. — AFP

VALENCIA MOTOGP RESULTS1. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 46min 08.125sec, 2. Johann Zarco (FRA/Yamaha Tech3) at 0.337, 3. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda) 10.861, 4. Alex Rins (ESP/Suzuki) 13.567, 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 13.817, 6. Andrea Iannone (ITA/Suzuki) 14.516, 7. Jack Miller (AUS/Honda) 17.087, 8. Cal Crutchlow (GBR/Honda) 17.230, 9. Michele Pirro (ITA/Ducati) 25.942, 10. Tito Rabat (ESP/Honda) 27.020Overall standings1. Marc Marquez (ESP/Honda) 298 points, 2. Andrea Dovizioso (ITA/Ducati) 261, 3. Maverick Vinales (ESP/Yamaha) 230, 4. Dani Pedrosa (ESP/Honda) 210, 5. Valentino Rossi (ITA/Yamaha) 208, 6. Johann Zarco (FRA/Yamaha Tech3) 174, 7. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP/Ducati) 137, 8. Danilo Petrucci (ITA/Ducati) 124, 9. Cal Crutchlow (GBR/Honda) 112, 10. Jonas Folger (GER/Yamaha Tech3) 84MOTO2: 1. Miguel Oliveira (POR/KTM) 43min 15.843sec, 2. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Kalex) at 2.154, 3. Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) 4.181, 4. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Kalex) 11.181, 5. Alex Marquez (ESP/Kalex) 12.146, 6. Hafizh Syahrin (MAL/Kalex) 14.595, 7. Takaaki Nakagami (JPN/Kalex) 18.446, 8. Fabio Quartararo (ITA/Kalex) 22.188, 9. Simone Corsi (ITA/Speed Up) 23.592, 10. Dominique Aegerter (SWI/Suter) 23.751Overall standings: 1. Franco Morbidelli (ITA/Kalex) 308 points, 2. Thomas Luthi (SUI/Kalex) 243, 3. Miguel Oliveira (POR/KTM) 241, 4. Alex Marquez (ESP/Kalex) 201, 5. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA/Kalex) 174, 6. Mattia Pasini (ITA/Kalex) 148, 7. Takaaki Nakagami (JPN/Kalex) 137, 8. Brad Binder (RSA/KTM) 125, 9. Simone Corsi (ITA/Speed Up) 117, 10. Hafizh Syahrin (MAL/Kalex) 106

MARQUEZ WINS FOURTH MOTOGP WORLD TITLE

Repsol Honda Team’s Spanish rider Marc Marquez celebrates after the Valencia MotoGP at Ricardo Tormo racetrack in Cheste, near Valencia, Spain. Spain’s Marc Marquez sealed his sixth world championship and fourth in the premier MotoGP category with third place at the Valencia Grand Prix. Marquez’s Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa won the race from France’s Johann Zarco in second. — AFP

DUCATI’S HOPES OF USURPING

MARQUEZ WERE QUICKLY

UNDONE AS JORGE LORENZO AND THEN DOVIZIOSO

BOTH CRASHED OUT

MUSCAT: Teenager Shounak

Kelkar proved the pundits wrong

when he captured the men’s

singles title at the Villerroy & Boch

+ Hansgrohe Open table tennis

tournament organised by the

Indian Social Club Oman.

Talented schoolboy Shounak

Kelkar played with poise and

showed sound temperament

when he faced seasoned Spaniard

George Lopez in the men’s singles

final.

The final experience and raw

talent livened up the atmosphere

at the venue. Lopez thumped his

authority and won the first game.

Shounak recovered from the slow

start and showed doggedness as

he rallied from 7-9 in the second

game to gain game point which

Lopez saved. Lopez saved yet

another game point but Shounak

showed brilliant reflexes and

converted the next to make it one-

game-all.

Shounak played with positive

intent and breezed through the

third game. The fourth game was

a cliff-hanger as scores went neck-

and-neck before Shounak edged

past the Spanish veteran.

A tense battle followed

thereafter with Shounak playing

more freely to win the fifth game

to lift the men’s singles title with

final scores of 6-11, 14-12, 11-3,

12-10, 11-9.

The men’s doubles final

contested between the all-Egyptian

teams was won by the duo of

Mahmood Sami and Ahmed

Abdul Azeem beating Samer

Ahmed and Hossam Yaseen 12-10,

11-9, 7-11, 6-11, 11-4, 12-10.

Chief guest Franz-Josef Dicken,

Deputy Head of Mission of the

German Embassy, handed over

the prizes to the winners together

with Rakesh Adlakha, Deputy

Head of Mission of the Embassy

of India. Also present was CM

Saardar, Vice Chairman of the

Indian Social Club, R. Murali

of sponsors Al-Amana Building

Materials Company and Rizwana

Aziz, Representative of Villeroy &

Boch.

sportOMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 722

MUSCAT: MDC Enhance Eagles

continued its winning run in A

Division with third straight victory,

beating Glory Bower Strikers by 5

wickets in a game played at Ministry

of Sports ground 2 in Al Amerat on

Saturday.

Strikers won the toss and opted to

bat first but failed to put a competitive

total on the board, leaving Eagles an

easy task of chasing 116 for victory,

which it did in the 27th over, losing

five wickets in the process. Pranav

Mehta and Parth Trivedi once again

saved Enhance eagles with a 66-run

partnership for the third wicket. While

Parth left after scoring 46 off 65 balls,

Pranav stayed on to score a fighting 54

not out off 71 balls to ensure another

win for his side.

Earlier, Enhance bowlers kept a

tight control over Strikers’ batting,

which folded up for just 115 in 33

overs. Vijayanand Dhayanandan (37)

and Nidhin Mohan (23) were the only

notable scorers. Mohammed Faisal

and Omkar Pramod claimed three

wickets each while Ananyo Sen and

Pradeep Kumar bagged two wickets

each.BRIEF SCORES: Glory Bower Strikers

115 all out in 33 overs (Vijayanand Dhayanandan 37 – 4x4, 1x6, Nidhin Mohan 23 – 1x4. Omakar Pramod 3-21, Mohammed Faisal 3-25, Ananyo Sen 2-24, Pradeep Kumar 2-31) lost to MDC Enhance Eagles 118 for 5 in 26.2 overs (Pranav Mehta 54 not out – 9x4, Parth Trivedi 46 – 7x4. Vineet Rana 2-22) by five wickets.

Samir helps Mott MacDonaldto victory

A vital unbeaten 43 by Samir More

helped Mott MacDonald to a big 103-

run victory against Zubair CT in a D

Division clash at Muscat Municipality

ground 3.

Struggling at 56 for 6, Mott

MacDonald recovered through a 66-

run sixth wicket partnership between

Samir and Javed Tanash, who scored

29 off 20 balls. Samir remained not

out at 43 as his side reached 160 for 8

in 20 overs. Retheesh Gopinathan and

Balachandran Ramachandran took

two wickets each.

Zubair CT had a batting nightmare

in broad daylight, getting bowled out

for a paltry 57 in the 12th over. Gawas

Ganpat, Savinraj Rajappan, Sagar

Ingle and Jijo Jackson all bagged two

wickets each.BRIEF SCORES: Mott MacDonald

160 for 8 in 20 overs (Samir More 43 not out – 3x4, Javed Tanash 29 – 5x4, Tawsif Tambe 26 – 4x4. Retheesh Gopinath 2-11, Balachandran Ramachandran 2-31) beat Zubair CT 57 all out in 11.4 overs (Gawas Ganpat 2-07, Savinraj Rajappan 2-07, Sagar Ingle 2-10, Jijo Jackson 2-13) by 103 runs.

Zeeshan bowls Bank Muscat to easy win

A superb five-wicket spell by

Zeeshan Jufail steered Bank Muscat

to an emphatic 71-run victory against

Douglas OHI in an E Division match

at Muscat Municipality ground 4 on

Friday.

Batting first, Bank Muscat scored

159 for 8 in 20 overs and then

dismissed OHI for a meagre 88 in

13.5 overs. Zeeshan Jufail bagged five

wickets for 23 in a great spell of four

overs. BRIEF SCORES: Bank Muscat 159

for 8 in 20 overs (Varun Sirohi 32 – 5x4, Zeeshan Jufail 30 – 4x4, Abbas Al Balushi 25 – 2x4. Santosh Vishwakarma 3-26, Taqeer Shahzad 2-25, Vinod Vijaykumar 2-25) defeated OHI Douglas 88 all out in 13.5 overs (Santosh Vishwakarma 24 –

5x4. Zeeshan Jufail 5-23) by 71 runs.

ISM, ISWK locked in thrilling tieIn a thrilling 50-over Under-19

League game, Indian School Muscat

(ISM) and Indian School Wadi Kabir

(ISWK) were locked in an exciting tie

as the two teams shared points at the

Ministry of Sports grassy ground 2.

Batting first, ISM were dismissed

for 122 in 37th over. Vikram Nabira

(25) and Vivekshreeraman Iyer (23)

were the main scorers. Malik Rashid

Ali Khan claimed five wickets for 44

runs while Neev Poojari bagged two.

ISWK couldn’t do better and were

bowled out for a laborious 122 in 48.1

overs as the game ended in an exciting

tie. Neev Poojari (31) and Kevin Stagy

(26) were the only notable scorers.

Mohsin Ali claimed four wickets while

Vikram Nabira bagged two.BRIEF SCORES: ISM 122 all out in

36.3 overs (Vikram Nabira 25 – 1x4, Vivekshreeraman Iyer 23 – 3x4. Malik rashid Ali Khan 5-43, Neev Poojari 2-12) tied the game with ISWK 122 all out in 48.1 overs (Neev Poojari 31 – 5x4, Kevin Stagy 26 – 4x4. Mohsin Ali 4-28, Vikram Nabira 2-16).

Enhance Eagles down Strikers

Warner tells opener Renshaw to avoid newspapersMELBOURNE: Australia vice captain David

Warner has urged his under-pressure opening

partner Matt Renshaw to avoid reading

newspapers this week and score some runs in

the Sheffield Shield ahead of the opening Test

of the Ashes.

The 21-year-old Renshaw has averaged

36.64 from his 10 tests in a positive start to his

international career but has had a tough Shield

campaign for Queensland, failing to surpass 20

runs in his four innings.

Neither coach Darren Lehmann nor any

of Australia’s other selectors have queried the

youngster’s spot in the test side but his poor

run of form has attracted plenty of scrutiny

from local media in the leadup to the Gabba

test starting November 23.

Warner will be on the opposite side when

Renshaw pads up against New South Wales at

Brisbane’s Adelaide Border field from Tuesday

but wished the opener well.

“I want him to score runs this week. He’s

been under a bit of pressure this week, there’s

been a bit of talk in the media,” Warner told

local media on Sunday. “You have to keep

putting the numbers on the board.

“As a youngster I would be steering clear of

newspapers this week.”

Renshaw’s task has been made easier, with

New South Wales resting their trio of test

bowlers, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and

Pat Cummins, who were superb in defeating

Western Australia in the previous round.

Renshaw enjoyed a fine home summer

against South Africa and Pakistan, but since

stroking 60 against India in Bengaluru in

March, he has not scored a half-century in nine

test innings.

“I want him to do well. I am a mate of his

and wish him success,” Warner said.

“He’s got to keep playing well.

“When I see that at the other end it brings a

spark to my eye because you know your partner

is on as well.”

Halfway across the country, England’s

crushing 192-run win over a weak Cricket

Australia XI in the tour match in Adelaide

came with a warning from former test paceman

Ryan Harris.

“I think it is (vulnerable), especially with

no Ben Stokes,” Harris, who coached the home

side, said about the tourists’ batting.

England’s bowlers performed well in the

four-day game but former captain Alastair

Cook’s lean tour continued with scores of 15

and 32.

“I think (Cook) looked a bit rusty, I guess,”

added Harris.

“I’m sure he’ll look forward to another hit

next week. But we all know what he can do. You

don’t score over 10,000 runs and not be any

good.”

England play their final warmup match

against a Cricket Australia XI in Townsville,

in far northern Queensland state, from

Wednesday.

— Reuters

cricket/local

Enhance bowlers kept a tight control over Strikers’ batting, which folded up for just 115 in 33 overs. V Dhayanandan (37) and Nidhin Mohan (23) were the notable scorers

Oman Oil allocates RO 44,000 to empower sports champions MUSCAT: Oman Oil Marketing Company

in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports

Affairs, unveiled the second edition of its

athletic development initiative ‘Waqoodona’.

The programme is aimed and designed to

support 44 professional sports clubs across the

Sultanate by providing OMR 44,000 in fuel

cards.

Faisal Al Shanfari, General Manager of

Shared Services at Oman Oil Marketing

Company, said, “The second edition of

Waqoodona was inspired by our belief in sports

as a driver of communal growth and youth

development. With the full support of the

Ministry of Sports Affairs, we are proud to play

a role in helping these professional clubs reach

their full potential. Through this initiative, we

are aiming to create a platform that elevates

national sports programmes and eases the

burden of transportation costs experienced by

clubs as well as players.”

He added, “Our core values of giving back

to the communities we serve continues to

inspire our dedication to Corporate Social

Responsibility. As in the past, we remain

committed to working with public sector

entities and enhancing the social role of

professional sports clubs in Oman.”

Fahad Abdullah Al Raisi, General Manager

of Sports Development at the Ministry of Sports

Affairs, said, “The success of Waqoodona

highlights the impressive growth of corporate

citizenship in the Sultanate, which now extends

to every aspect of social and economic support.

Waqoodona is a strong example of how close

collaboration between public and private sector

entities can be a highly effective, sustainable

method of achieving human development.

Our partnership will take those ties further and

serve as inspiration to other companies looking

for an opportunity to give back to Oman.”

The second annual Waqodoona

initiative is part and parcel of Oman Oil

Marketing Company’s dedication to driving

social development through athletic and

humanitarian focused initiatives. Its longlist of

initiatives includes events such as the omanoil

Football Tournament as well as the annual Ata’a

campaign held every Ramadan.

Matt Renshaw

I want him to score runs this week. He’s been under a bit of pressure this week, there’s been a bit of talk in the media DAVID WARNER Australia vice-captain

Shounak lifts men’s title at ISC Open table

tennis tournament

THE PROGRAMME IS AIMED AND DESIGNED

TO SUPPORT 44 PROFESSIONAL SPORTS

CLUBS ACROSS THE SULTANATE

Men’s champion Shounak Kelkar receiving his trophy.

sportspporrtOMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 7 23

football

in Luzhniki re-opening, Spain stroll past Costa RicaBERLIN: Sergio Aguero headed

a late winner as visiting Argentina

beat World Cup hosts Russia 1-0 on

Saturday in a friendly international

for the re-opening of Moscow’s

Luzhniki Stadium.

The Manchester City star Aguero

was successful on his second attempt

off a cross from the right by substitute

Cristian Pavon in the 86th.

Spain, world champions in 2010,

had no such wait as they strolled past

fellow 2018 qualifiers Costa Rica 5-0

in Malaga having led by two at half-

time.

In Russia, Aguero was denied

by goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev on

the stroke of half-time, and Russia’s

Konstantin Rausch cleared Lionel

Messi’s lob on the goal-line shortly

after the restart.

“We stressed that we were coming

to play in a place where we should

have a lot of patience to open the

game,” Argentina coach Jorge

Sampaoli said.

“The opponent came out with a

defensive attitude to neutralise our

game.”

Russia were mainly harmless

in the game which saw the official

debut of next year’s World Cup ball,

the Telstar 18.

“We knew that it would be a

difficult match, that we will not

possess the ball and the initiative,”

Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov

said.”In the tactical plan, we managed

to play properly in defence.

“I think the opponent was

stronger than us — although such

matches can be played 0-0 or won

1-0. Ahead of us difficult matches are

waiting, so we must learn to win in

such situations.”

Originally built in the mid-1950s,

and the main venue at the 1980

Olympics in Moscow, the Luzhniki

got a full facelift over more than four

years for some 400 million dollars

and was expanded to an 81,000

capacity.

The historic facade was preserved

but the running track no longer

exists as fans are now closer to the

action at football games.

The stadium will host several

games at the 2018 World Cup,

including the June 14 tournament

opener and the July 15 final.

Spain will certainly consider

themselves contenders to be

contesting that showpiece though

they will have to pass tougher tests

than that provided by Costa Rica.

Jordi Alba broke the deadlock in

just six minutes and Alvaro Morata

doubled the lead in 23 to make the

outcome inevitable.

David Silva notched a quick-fire

double in 51 and 55 before veteran

midfielder Andres Iniesta netted his

first international goal in more than

two years to complete the rout.

“Lately it seems we are making

our rivals look weaker than they

really are,” Morata said. “It happened

with Italy (in qualifying) and it

happened tonight.

“I was happy to get my goal. It was

a straightforward chance but you

have to put them in.”

Elsewhere, the 2022 World Cup

hosts Qatar welcomed the Czech

Republic in a Doha friendly but went

down 1-0 to Antonin Barak’s goal

and Macedonia beat Norway 2-0.

— dpa

Russia’s Alexander Erokhin heads the ball next to Argentina’s Sergio Aguero during an international friendly at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on Saturday. — AFP

Source: Adidas, FIFA. soccerballworld

Embedded chip

Six thermal bondedpanel edges forbetter performancein the rain

Telstar 18Design is a nod to the iconic1970 and 1974 World Cup balls

New panel shapeSix panelswith longer edgesfor better flight stability

Tested by600 playersin 12 countries

World Cup 2018: the return of the Telstar

1930 - Uruguay

Brown leatherManufactured with a removable inner tube

Fevernova

Teamgeist BrazucaJubulani

Some previous designs

1970 - Mexico Telstar

2014 - Brazil2006 - Germany

Black and whiteleather to show upon television.32 panels

Thermally-bondedpanels for betteraerodynamics.Criticised by players

2010 - South Africa

2002 - Japan/Korea

Innovation to improveaccuracy in flight.Design inspiredby Asian culture

The first ball without stitching.Smooth,perfectly round

Pixels to reflectthe digital world

To allow fans tointeract with iton smartphones

Johannesburg: North African

nations Morocco and Tunisia took

contrasting routes on Saturday as

they qualified for the 2018 World Cup

in Russia.

Morocco scored twice within five

minutes through Nabil Dirar and

Medhi Benatia during the opening

half to triumph 2-0 in the Ivory Coast

and win Group C.

The “Atlas Lions” are going back to

the tournament for the first time since

1998 after finishing with 12 points,

having not conceded a goal during

the six-match group campaign.

Ivory Coast, who never looked

like recovering from the first-half

blows, came second with eight points

followed by Gabon with six and Mali

with four.

Morocco coach Herve Renard

revealed after the match that

Moroccan King Mohammed VI had

called to congratulate the team.

“I thank His Majesty for calling

me. It’s a huge honour,” said the

Frenchman.

“He wanted to talk to us to pay

tribute to everyone. Tonight we are

proud of the Moroccan shirt, proud

that the Moroccan flag returns to

the World Cup. This is the fifth

qualification so Morocco is not a

small (football) country.”

Tunisia could not break down

neighbours Libya in Rades on the

outskirts of Tunis and had to settle

for a 0-0 draw that was just enough to

see them first over the finishing line.

With second-place Democratic

Republic of Congo netting twice in

stoppage time to defeat Guinea 3-1

in Kinshasa, only one point separated

the top two.

Unbeaten Tunisia collected 14

points to book a first World Cup

appearance since 2006, DR Congo

had 13, Libya four and Guinea three.

Senegal sealed a place in Russia on

Friday by winning 2-0 in South Africa

and the other two African qualifiers,

Nigeria and Egypt, secured slots last

month.

Ivory Coast had the first chance

at a packed 35,000-seat Stade Felix

Houphouet-Boigny but veteran

Gervinho blazed over with only the

goalkeeper to beat from inside the

box. It was to prove a costly miss

for the home side, who had to win

after beginning the match one point

behind a Moroccan team coached by

former Ivorian handler, Frenchman

Herve Renard.

The first blow came when an

intended cross from Dirar went over

an Ivorian defender and a Moroccan

attacker and slipped past goalkeeper

Sylvain Gbohouo into the far corner.

Rattled Ivory Coast fell further

behind as they failed to cut off a

corner and Juventus defender Benatia

struck a first-time shot into the net.

Belgian coach Marc Wilmots tried

to revive the lacklustre Ivorians by

introducing Ghislain Konan at half-

time and Maxwel Cornet and veteran

Salomon Kalou during the second

half. But Morocco comfortably

contained the hosts in a match that

threatened to boil over at times

with Dirar and Crystal Palace flyer

Wilfried Zaha wrestling each other to

the ground.

Tunisia dominated possession

at the Stade Olympique, but

unpredictable Libya defended

resolutely, creating an increasingly

tense atmosphere.

Had Tunisia lost, they would have

ceded top place to DR Congo, who

finished strongly to overcome Guinea

3-1 at the Stade des Martyrs.

— AFP

O N D A Y

COPENHAGEN: The Republic of

Ireland and Denmark played out a

drab 0-0 draw in the first leg of their

World Cup play-off in Copenhagen on

Saturday.

The closest either side came to a

goal was when Pione Sisto fired wide

in the first half for the hosts, while

Yussuf Poulsen saw a 90th-minute

header saved by Darren Randolph.

Both sides will be satisfied with

the result, as Martin O’Neill’s Irish

now know victory in Dublin on

Tuesday would secure a first World

Cup appearance since 2002, but an

away goal for the Danes could prove

decisive after this clean sheet.

“A draw has always got to be seen

as a positive result. Although we could

have done with scoring an away goal,”

Ireland midfielder Harry Arter told

Sky Sports.

“It (the World Cup) feels a bit closer

than it did before the game. If before

the campaign, we’d have been offered

a one-off game against Denmark to

qualify for the World Cup, we’d have

bitten off your hands for it.”

Denmark coach Age Hareide

left striker Nicklas Bendtner on the

bench in favour of Feyenoord’s Nicolai

Jorgensen.

Irish manager O’Neill made just

one change from the team that beat

Wales 1-0 to snatch second place

in qualifying Group D last month,

bringing in Bristol City midfielder

Callum O’Dowda to replace the

suspended David Meyler.

The hosts started strongly and

could have taken the lead in the 11th

minute when Randolph saved Danish

left-back Jens Larsen’s volley, before

quickly getting back to his feet to hold

onto Andreas Cornelius’ follow-up

effort.

— AFP

Ireland hold Denmark to first-leg stalemate

Morocco, Tunisia take different paths to World Cup

Argentina win

Yussuf Yurary Poulsen of Denmark against Stephen Ward of Ireland. — Reuters

Tunisia’s Youssef Msakni in action with Libya’s Ahmed Ben Ali. — Reuters

sportOMANDAILYOBSERVERM O N D A Y l N O V E M B E R 1 3 l 2 0 1 724

LOCAL FLAVOUR

nba/local

Omanis win titles at World BodybuildingMUSCAT: Oman’s Haitham al Zadjali and Ahmed al Harthi won gold medals in the

recently-concluded IFFB World Bodybuilding Championships 2017 held at Benidorm, Alcante in Spain.

Haitham won the gold in the 85kg class, while Ahmed took the honours in the 90kg event in the 71st edition of the championships, organised by the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFFB). Another Omani contingent Abdullah al Jabri claimed a silver in

the 75kg category with three of the eight-member Oman team winning medals. South Korea’s Nam Kyoungyun took the gold.

Iran won the overall title in the championship in 85 countries took part.

Other members of the Oman squad were Abdullah al Rahbi, Fahad al Hosni, Abdullah al Hinai, Yahya al Kiyumi and Malik al Harthy.

Mohammed al Siyabi (coach) and Nasser al Maskari (head of the delegation) and Asad al Hosni (manager) accompanied the team.

Bank Muscat’s Green Sports applications till Nov 23

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat has evoked good response from sports teams across the Sultanate to 2018 Green Sports programme. Coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the bank and marking the seventh year of the unique CSR initiative, Bank Muscat will support the development of 15 football fields across the Sultanate in 2018 in line with the ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and partnership to promote Oman as a sporting nation.

Green Sports application forms can be downloaded from the Bank Muscat website www.bankmuscat.com and are also available at the CSR Department in the bank’s head office and branches across the Sultanate. The bank will consider only new applications and the last date for submission of completed forms with supporting documents at the head office is November 23, 2017.

The Green Sports initiative launched by Bank Muscat in 2012 has gained momentum with a total of 78 sports teams across

the Sultanate benefiting from the support till date. The scope of Green Sports support for sports teams include greening of football fields with natural or synthetic turf, floodlights or water desalination equipment in areas facing problems of water salinity. Ensuring wider representation, the Green Sports support is extended to develop sustainable sports infrastructure in all parts of the Sultanate.

The criteria for availing the Green Sports support include that sports teams should have been in existence for three years with a minimum of 300 members from the local community. The bank recognises that local teams wield immense influence on neighbourhood communities, especially youth, hence teams with modern infrastructure facilities can help raise sporting heroes for the country.

For any enquiries on Green Sports registration, Bank Muscat officials can be contacted on 24768987 or 24768505.

ISG student wins bronzeIndian School Al Ghubra Grade 8 student Sidharth AK won bronze medals in mixed doubles events in U-14 boys category at the CBSE National Badminton Championship held at Sagar School, Alwar District, Rajasthan, India from 22nd to 28th October. ISG U-14 girls team also have qualified to the quarterfinals.

Warriors hit stride, Wizards stop Hawks

LOS ANGELES: The Golden State

Warriors delivered a message on

Saturday that the defending league

champs are back on form with a

dominating 135-114 victory over the

Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

Philadelphia had won five of its

last six, but found itself hopelessly

outgunned in the second half against the

Warriors, who extended their winning

streak to six games.

All six wins have been by 17 or

more points, the longest such streak in

franchise history.

Forward Kevin Durant returned

from a one game absence to lead all

scorers with 29 points. Klay Thompson

had 23 and Stephen Curry 22 for the

Warriors, who shot 58.5 per cent from

the field. Durant sat out on Wednesday’s

game against Minnesota with a sore left

thigh.

JJ Redick finished with 17 points,

French guard Timothe Luwawu-

Cabarrot came off the bench to score 15

and forward Dario Saric added 14 for

the 76ers.

The 76ers have now lost nine straight

against Golden State.

They had a chance to take a lead

at the end of the second quarter, but

Kevon Looney blocked Ben Simmons

underneath the rim. Looney got the

ball which led to a three-pointer from

Thompson to put Golden State up 65-64

at the half.

The Warriors had a scare in the first

24 minutes when they lost Curry for

a few minutes after Simmons’ knee

banged into Curry’s right thigh.

Curry headed to the locker room

after a few seconds but was only gone a

brief time. Once back, he wasted no time

getting on the scoresheet again.

Elsewhere, Bradley Beal and Markieff

Morris combined for 37 points as the

Washington Wizards defeated the

Atlanta Hawks 113-94.

Beal tallied 19 points and Morris 18

as the Wizards improved to 7-5 on the

NBA season.

Kelly Oubre also had 18 points for

the Wizards, who won back-to-back

games for the first time since opening

the season 3-0.

Morris said he is now looking forward

to the next couple of weeks when they

face teams like Toronto and Miami that

are higher in the standings.

“Not to take credit away from the

(Los Angeles) Lakers and the Hawks,

but they’re not the best offensive teams.

Once we get to those good teams, then

we’ll be able to measure what we have,”

Morris said.

Washington shot 53.8 per cent from

the floor and led by as many as 25 points

in the first meeting with Atlanta since

winning last season’s first-round play-off

series.

STRONG DEFENCE

Washington’s defence kept the Hawks’

at bay. Atlanta shot 41 per cent from the

field and had 24 turnovers, resulting in

39 points for the Wizards.

Taurean Prince scored 19 points and

Marco Belinelli 15 for the Hawks, who

dropped their third game in a row and

second in as many days.

Dennis Schroder, who was superb

against Washington in the play-offs,

missed all eight of his field goal attempts

in the first half on Saturday and finished

with seven points on two-of-16 shooting.

“It wasn’t my night,” said Schroder.

John Wall skipped the team’s morning

practice due to illness, but dressed for

the game and scored 10 points in the

first half as Washington led 49-42.

In Houston, James Harden scored 38

points as the Houston Rockets beat the

Memphis Grizzlies 111-96.

Harden made 11 of 25 shots, including

six three-pointers. Eric Gordon also hit

six three-pointers and added 26 points

for the Rockets.

Reserve Tyreke Evans led the

Grizzlies with 22 points. Marc Gasol

added 15 while Mike Conley was held to

12 points. — AFP

Denver bt Orlando 125-107Phoenix bt Minnesota 118-110Utah bt Brooklyn 114-106Cleveland bt Dallas 111-104Milwaukee bt LA Lakers 98-90San Antonio bt Chicago 133-94Golden State bt Philadelphia 135-114NY Knicks bt Sacramento 118-91Houston bt Memphis 111-96Washington bt Atlanta 113-94New Orleans bt LA Clippers 111-103

NBA RESULTS

Washington Wizards’ John Wall (2) is fouled while shooting by Atlanta Hawks’ John Collins at Capital One Arena. — USA Today Sports

Ball makes history with triple-doubleMILWAUKEE: Rookie

Lonzo Ball became the

youngest player in NBA

history to record a triple-

double but it was in vain

as the Los Angeles Lakers

lost 98-90 to the Milwaukee

Bucks on Saturday.

Ball, who is 20 years, 15

days old, finished with 19

points, 13 assists and 12

rebounds as the struggling

Lakers lost their third

straight game.

Ball completed the

triple-double by getting his

10th rebound early in the

fourth quarter. He had 13

points and 11 assists at the

time.

He surpassed the mark

set by LeBron James, who

was 20 years, 20 days old

when he recorded a triple-

double on January 2005 for

the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I really don’t care,” Ball

said. “We took a loss. It

don’t really mean nothing. I

just wanted to win tonight.

I thought we were in good

position to get it but it

didn’t happen.”

G i a n n i s

Antetokounmpo scored 33

points to lead the Bucks,

who also got 16 off the

bench from Malcolm

Brogdon at the Bradley

Center arena. — AFP

MANILA: American

rookie Micah Shin holed a

nerve-racking birdie putt

on the first play-off hole

to claim his debut Asian

Tour victory at the Manila

Masters on Sunday.

Shin drained his putt

from four feet to edge

Arnond Vongvanij, after

the Thai missed his own

birdie attempt from seven

feet as they replayed the par-

five 18th. It meant a career-

high payday of $180,000 for

Shin, the world number 784

whose highest earnings so

far had been $6,791 for tied

36th at this year’s Shinhan

Donghae Open.

Shin birdied his last two

holes in regulation to force

the play-off with Arnond,

as they both shot 67 in the

final round to be tied on

19-under-par 269 at the

par-72 Manila Southwoods

Golf and Country Club.

Shin’s second shot in the

play-off found the rough.

But he recovered to fire four

feet from the hole, setting

up his birdie putt and his

breakout win in what was

also his first Asian Tour

top-10 finish. Shin, who

had scores of 64, 72, 66 and

67, started the day one shot

adrift of overnight leaders

Miguel Tabuena of the

Philippines and India’s Jyoti

Randhawa, an eight-time

winner on the Asian Tour.

—AFP

Knee-knocking putt gives Shin debut win

Micah Shin

PLAYA DEL CARMEN,

MEXICO: Rickie Fowler,

who is playing for the

first time since helping

the Americans retain the

Presidents Cup trophy,

has a share of the lead at

PGA Tour’s rain-hit OHL

Classic at 10-under 132.

World number 10

Fowler is tied with Patrick

Rodgers and Patton

Kizzire, who hasn’t hit a

ball since Friday because

of thunderstorms which

have caused delays over

the past two days.

Fowler finished three

holes early on Saturday

morning and was then

forced to wait out a five-

hour rain delay, only to

see play at the Playa del

Carmen course halted by

darkness.

After waiting out the

weather, Fowler said all he

could do was hope for the

best on Sunday — which

will be a 36-hole finish.

“We deal with weather

every once in a while on

the PGA Tour, around the

world, really,” Fowler said.

“You kind of just learn to

play when you get to play,

relax when you get to

relax. Rest when you can,

tee it up when you can.”

— AFP

Fowler shares lead at OHL Classic

CRYPTIC PUZZLE

ACROSS

1 Shakespeare’s world? (5) 6 What prisoners picked (5) 9 It’s all the same to soldiers (7)10 It’s difficult with nothing in

store (5)11 He makes money out of

money! (5)12 Many Romans got soaked in

them (5)13 Melodic bit of fun in a flute

composition (7)15 It constricts, naturally (3)17 To be honest, there’s nothing

to write (4)18 If you find one, will that make

you a finder? (6)19 Dashing young fellow always

in circulation? (5)20 Fliers who’ve consumed a

brew of beer? (6)22 Part of Somerset (4)24 Teacher is wrong, yet right!

(3)25 Bung very quietly into store,

perhaps (7)26 As sold at Twickenham? (5)27 Traditionally gay place (5)

28 Waltz with a chap at half pace? (5)

29 In mythology, one had six members (7)

30 Having shown indolence, I’d been guided (5)

31 An attempt at composition (5)

DOWN 2 Get in touch when you seem

better (4,2) 3 It means stress, so refrain (6) 4 The point of a tip? (3) 5 Loaf around the welfare

centre and you may get something to eat (5)

6 Source of fruit or a vegetable (7)

7 Prophet who wandered in Samoa endlessly (4)

8 “Togetherness” is only one among various nouns (6)

12 They have eyes for accuracy (5)

13 Societies that serve a gripping purpose? (5)

14 Not without a time limit (5)15 Old-style jazz that didn’t need

to be (5)16 Could it augment a zoo’s

stock? (5)

18 Enough winks for the thieves

(5)

19 Be thought bewildered (7)

21 Nasty way to tease a disturbed

lad (6)

22 Weapons recycled as spares (6)

23 Part of old England that could hearten the American (6)

25 Hammering, maybe he hits about ten centuries! (5)

26 A shaky game? (4)28 Expected return from the

study of Freud (3)EASY PUZZLE

ACROSS

1 Rubbish (5) 6 Indian dish (5) 9 Aquatic bird (7)10 Oak fruit (5)11 Stiff (5)12 Unit of gem weight (5)13 Current (7)15 Moist (3)17 Shortly (4)18 Next to (6)19 Wild (5)20 Reviser (6)22 Champion (4)24 Furrow (3)25 Skin pigment (7)26 Ague (5)27 Rugby huddle (5)28 Lights (5)29 Director (7)

30 Pale (5)31 Viper (5)

DOWN 2 Estimate (6) 3 Overexert (6) 4 Domestic fowl (3) 5 Essential (5) 6 Burnt sugar (7) 7 Item (4) 8 Lifted (6)12 Adventure (5)13 Narrow (5)14 Suggest (5)15 Broaden (5)16 Type of saw (5)18 Bread-maker (5)19 Supervisor (7)21 Fools (6)22 Danger (6)23 Small wave (6)25 Honour (5)26 Smoke (4)28 Meadow (3)

YESTERDAY’S CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS

ACROSS: 3, Chess 8, Minus 10, Lucan 11, Ta-b 12, Craig 13, Try it on 15, Va-p-id 18, Cow 19, Heres-Y 21, Clobber 22, Role 23, Ache 24, Mystery 26, Debris

29, Ham 31, O-asis 32, Pete-red 34, Set on 35, Nan 36, Steer 37, Witch 38, Reuse.

DOWN: 1, Mitre 2, Cubic-le 4, Horn 5, Sliver 6, Su-G-ar 7, Taxis 9, Nay (neigh) 12, Cowboys 14, Too (two) 16, Pe-rcy 17, Dykes 19, Heat-hen 20, Credo 21, C-L-ubs 23, Armeni-a 24, MisŹre 25, Eat 27, Earth 28, Riser 30, Ten-Ch. 32, Pop’s 33, Rat.

YESTERDAY’S EASY SOLUTIONS

ACROSS: 3, Acrid 8, Japan 10, Sever 11, Ban 12, Broom 13, Berated 15, Bonus 18, Cod 19, Canine 21, Shorter 22, Lope 23, Eros 24, Routine 26, Random 29, Rat 31, Andes 32, Vanessa 34, Banal 35, Rip 36, Flair 37, Denim 38, Tyres.

DOWN: 1, Caber 2, Panache 4, Cord 5, Isobar 6, Demon 7, Begun 9, Par 12, Bedroom 14, Too 16, Nitre 17, Sense 19, Central 20, Flora 21, Spend 23, Entered 24, Rosary 25, Ian 27, Angle 28, Debit 30, Aspic 32, Vase 33, Sin.

Fancy hitting the town

in the latest Dior dress

with an outrageously

expensive Louis

Vuitton bag on your

arm — but haven’t the

cash to afford even

the clasp.

The fantasy is no longer a

pipedream for thousands of women

in Paris, the world’s fashion capital,

where hiring luxury clothes and

handbags is beginning to catch on.

A new service has started which

allows fashionistas to rent Dior, Gucci,

Saint Laurent and other luxury brand

handbags for as little as 10 euros ($11)

a day.

A 4,500-euro classic Chanel black

shoulder bag can be hired for 25 euros

a day, although customers have also to

cough up 20 euros in insurance and

pay for a courier to deliver the bag to

their door.

Yann Le Floc’h, founder of the

Instant Luxe website, which already

sells secondhand designer clothes

and bags to its one million members,

said the site was responding to a

new “pattern of consumption” where

women see no shame in renting their

wardrobe.

In his view, many women would

rather use than own a luxury bag,

which is why his company has begun

renting out about “20 classic handbags

styles for a minimum of four nights,”

he said.

“Uber has changed transport,

Airbnb accommodation and habits are

changing in the luxury goods market

too,” Le Floc’h said.

“We are changing our consumption

habits from ownership to use. And

people are not renting just for special

occasions but to treat themselves,” he

added.

While France has long had a thriving

market in secondhand designer

clothes and bags, fans of luxury labels

have been much more reluctant about

renting until quite recently, even as

“the market has exploded in the US”,

she said.

‘CINDERELLA SYNDROME’ Fashion expert Julie El Ghouzzi,

who heads France’s Luxury Goods and

Creation Centre, calls the new rental

trend the “Cinderella syndrome”.

“There is a real change in society.

We have less need to possess things

and greater need for appearances.

This Cinderella effect means that even

if we become a pumpkin at midnight we

can still be the most beautiful princess

at the ball, and have all the pleasure of

luxury without having to own it.”

El Ghouzzi described this as the

“quintessence of consumption —

we consume the object which then

disappears.”

Emmanuelle Brizay, co-founder of

the Panoply City fashion rental site,

said a whole new market was opening

up.

“More than 90 per cent of our clients

have never rented clothes before. We

are in a period of education, not to say

evangelisation.”

Since January the site has rented

out 4,000 items from the latest

women’s collections from Marc

Jacobs, Kenzo, Courreges and Sonia

Rykiel.

For 60 euros a month customers

can hire a different piece every

week, while a 350-euros-a-month

subscription gives them access to 10

outfits.

CLOTHES ‘CLOUDS’ “Renting changes the relationship

with clothes,” said Brizay. “One

continues to buy them but you also can

have more fun. Instead of buying an

umpteenth black coat for the winter,

with the same money you can change

the colour every week.”

Even though the rental market for

top-end luxury brands is still in its

infancy, Brizay said the signs were

very encouraging.

The attitude of the brands

themselves has changed, she said. “At

the beginning we had to convince them

and now some of them are coming to

us to make sure they feature in the

selection.”

The big question is how long can

rental pieces, even high quality ones,

be hired as “new”.

“The idea is certainly not to wear

them out,” Brizay said, while at Instant

Luxe used bags can be sold on the site

as secondhand.

The millennials of “Generation

Y (those born during the 1980s and

1990s) are completely ready for the

fashion rental market,” according to El

Ghouzzi.

“They already have all their lives

stored in clouds, so not ‘possessing’

something by having it in their hands

all the time is not a problem for them.”

— AFP

international

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IN FOCUS

CROSSWORD

Fashion rental offers top labelsfor price of pizza

KATIA DOLMADJIAN

featuresOMANDAILYOBSERVER26international

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Mirai Nagasu of the United States performs on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. — Reuters

JAPAN

Life as it happens

around the world5

A turtle surfaces next to a fisherman off the coast of Beirut. — AFP

LEBANON

A woman plays with her three dogs at the beach after sun set in Del Mar, California. — Reuters

UNITED STATES

Performers take part in the Land of Green Ginger Unleashed procession presented by the Hull UK City of Culture 2017 in Kingston upon Hull, northeast England. — AFP

UNITEDKINGDOM

Love it or loathe it, America’s avocado craze shows no sign of fizzling out, but fans of the Mexican staple may not real-ise they can thank the NAFTA trade deal for ensuring its bountiful supply.

In a little over two decades, American store shelves have been transformed as mounds of avocados, mangos, papayas and peppers stamped “Mexico” flooded over the border.

The year-round profusion of fresh fruits and vegetables is directly attributable to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which the United States, Canada and Mexico are renegotiating at the demand of President Donald Trump who dubbed it the “worst deal ever.”

“I’m 49 years old and remember when I was little asking my mother in winter ‘Where are the strawberries-’ and my mother would say ‘It is out of season,’” says Jaime Chamberlain, who runs JC Distributing, a family business that imports fruit and vege-tables from Mexico.

Thanks to the 1994 trade deal, there is now a whole new generation of Americans who will never know such seasonal hard-ship.

While NAFTA was never intended as a vehicle to change the American diet, Steven Zahniser, economist and researcher at the US Agriculture Department (USDA), sees a correlation between the agreement and Americans eating more fresh fruits and veg-etables.

CHEAPER PRODUCE

Chamberlain notes that before the trade

deal took effect in 1994, import duties on fresh produce were “astronomical.” Melons were taxed at 30 per cent, tomatoes at around 20 per cent.

Pre-NAFTA conditions made it difficult to export to the US market, and for consumers to find fresh produce that was both varied and affordable. Only three or four Mexican states were exporting to the United States before the deal.

Today, all the states send their fresh pro-duce to their neighbour, said Chamberlain, who took over the reins of the company in 1987.

“It has been a fantastic wave of agricul-ture growth that has been extremely benefi-cial to the final consumers both Canadian and American,” he said.

The most dramatic example is the avo-cado.

Virtually banned from the United States until 1993 for phytosanitary reasons — the technical term for rules on agriculture to protect health and prevent pests — NAFTA opened the floodgates to imports of the green fruit that today is massively con-sumed across America.

Avocado consumption has tripled since 1994, according to the USDA, and the United States is now the largest importer of the fatty fruit in the world, totalling $1 billion a year.

SUPER BOWL GUACAMOLE

The presence of a large Mexican commu-nity in the United States helped popularise the use of the buttery, green topping in sand-wiches and on salads — with its biggest use in the form of guacamole.

The mashed avocado cream mixed with lime, onion and tomato, and consumed by the gallon with nachos, has become the most popular snack of the Super Bowl, the

American football championship game that is biggest event of the year for US television.

But the past few years saw avocado’s popularity escalate among health-conscious Americans into a national craze which has since gone global, to the point of a backlash.

There have been warnings the avocado boom is fuelling illegal deforestation in Mexico, while avocado toast became a stand-ing joke after it was suggested the high-priced brunch staple was the reason millen-nials could not afford to buy homes.

USDA agricultural economist Agnes Perez, in a recent study on NAFTA, said the boom was partly attributable to “increasing awareness of the benefits of ‘healthy fats,’ like the mono-unsaturated fats found in avo-cados.”

Campaigns to encourage Americans to eat a more healthy and balanced diet also have boosted appetite for other fruits.

Demand for Mexican strawberries, rasp-berries, blueberries and blackberries has been “overwhelming,” Chamberlain said, noting that berries have been touted “as a super brain food” for the past 10 to 15 years.

“It is one of the greatest stories in the (Mexican) agricultural sector alongside the avocado industry.”

In a country where nearly one in three adults is obese, the challenge, he says, is to provide Americans with beautiful fruits and vegetables that are appealing and tasty, to encourage them to try new flavours.

“As a chef, with the NAFTA agreement you have the confidence that you will find all the ingredients you need 365 days a year to make the meals you put on your menu,” he said.

Still, he said, the choice of diet is up to the individual.

NAFTA “has made things more affordable but it is up to you to buy and eat them.” — AFP

Rohingya Muslim refugees who entered Bangladesh by boat walk towards refugee camps after landing at the Saplapur beach in the Teknaf district. — AFP

BANGLADESH

FOOD TALK

DELPHINE TOUITOU

How NAFTA

drove America’s

avocado boom

HUMAN INTEREST

For nearly 30 years, London-based reptile enthusiast and musician Steve Ludwin has been injecting snake venom — a practice that has almost killed him.

It may now help save thousands of lives, as researchers search for a new antidote based on his body’s response to the toxic fluids.

“It sounds very crazy what I am doing but it turns out that it potentially has lots of health benefits,” Ludwin, the tattooed 51-year-old said in the living room of his home in the British capital.

Ludwin demonstrated his decades-old habit by firmly holding the head of a green

Pope’s tree viper — Trimeresurus popeio-rum — and extracting a few drops of its venom.

Minutes later, he has injected the fluid into his arm using a syringe.

Over the years Ludwin has injected the venom of some of the world’s most danger-ous snakes, including the black mamba and cobras.

He claimed it has strengthened his immune system so much he has not suffered from a cold in 15 years.

But it has not been all positive.“I have had quite a few accidents”, Ludwin

said, recalling he once ended up in a London hospital’s intensive care unit for three days following an overdose.

“It’s a very very dangerous thing to do, I don’t encourage people to do it”.

“The sensation of injecting snake venom is not pleasant at all...it’s not like a Jim Morrison trip. You don’t trip — it’s extreme pain”, said Ludwin, who wears a snake pen-dant.

Ludwin’s unique behaviour is the subject of a short film at a new exhibition on venom opening at London’s Natural History Museum on Friday. His habit has taken on new mean-ing in recent years after a team of research-ers at the University of Copenhagen embarked on producing an anti-venom using his antibodies.

“When he injects venom, his immune sys-tem responds,” Brian Lohse, a professor at the faculty of health and medical sciences at the University of Copenhagen, said in a phone interview.

“What we expect is to find copies of his antibodies, isolate them, test them, and even-tually set up a production of them.”

Four full-time researchers, who began work in 2013, expect to complete the project within a year. — AFP

Snake man’s venom habit holds hope for new antidote

The Royal Opera House Muscat held the

formal opening ceremony yesterday

evening for QABOOS, an exhibition of 18

portraits of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin

Said, honouring His Majesty during the

season of the 47th National Day celebrations.

The ceremony was held under the patronage of HH

Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd bin Mahmood al Said, Assistant

Secretary-General for the Cabinet of the Deputy Prime

Minister for the Council of Ministers, Member of the

Board of Directors, Royal Opera House Muscat. This

exhibition is in line with Royal Opera House Muscat’s

mission to support emerging young Omani artists.

This is the first solo exhibition of home grown artist

Shaker Jalal, winner of the National Portrait of His

Majesty Competition in 2015. Omani Shaker has been

painting and studying His Majesty since 2004 and this

exhibition is a culmination of over a decade of dedication

to the subject. His portraiture is a study in hyper realism

and his canvases display an unerring eye for detail and

colour, capturing His Majesty’s likeness with stunning

accuracy. Shaker Jalal has been representing Oman on

an international scale for a number of years. In 2014 he

was part of an exhibit in Brazil and in 2015 in the UAE.

The main lobby of the Royal Opera House will act

as a gallery for the exhibition, with the 18 large scale

portraits displayed on easels. Information about the

artist will be available as part of the exhibition and the

artist himself will curate the show.

The exhibition entitled ‘Qaboos’ opens to the public

today at the Royal Opera House Muscat, will run from

the November 13 to 25, 2017 and is open on Saturday to

Thursday from 8:30am till 5:30pm as a complimentary

event.

Award winning Omani artist exhibits 18 oil paintings of His Majesty at ROHM

THE OPERA

insideoman

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LOCAL SCENE

A little away from the

famous Rimal Al

Sharqiyah and in

the midst of the Al

Sharqiyah sands

is one of Oman’s

busiest and famous

markets — Sinaw Souq. This souq gives

its visitors an opportunity to buy a variety

of things ranging from fresh fruits,

organic vegetables to toys, clothes and

traditional Bedouin jewellery. Located

in the Mudhaibi Wilayat, Sinaw is said to

be one of the most important markets in

the Governorate of Al Sharqiyah in the

Sultanate.

Many of the sellers at the souq are

known throughout the region and

across the gulf. Today, the souq has

become a major tourist attraction

of Sinaw along with the many other

archaeological and historical sites in

the area. Every morning, the market

explodes into a vibrant colourful display

of sellers, buyers, visitors and products.

The goods sold at the market are mostly

locally sourced but also sold are goods

imported from around the globe.

The souq, like many others in the

country dates back many decades. The

location and structure of the current

is much newer although the existent of

this souq goes back generations. The

current Sinaw Souq that we see now was

built in 1976 and is located in the centre

of the city area. The local government

developed souq and the building around

it to better equip it for the sellers and

make it more accessible for its visitors.

An extension in the following years

was also added for the sale of fruits,

vegetables and fish. The buildings

provide shade, have electricity and

access to water throughout the souq

with doors painted in bright green. The

organised and thoughtful renovation of

the souq makes it easier for shoppers

to move through the market without

inconveniences.

When entering the souq, it is

systematically divided into two parts.

One section of the souq caters to

sellers selling non-edibles like trinkets,

kitchenware’s and silver. Here is

perfect for those that want to witness

the making of traditional Omani silver

jewellery with many silversmiths

hammering, twisting and moulding

silver to make jewellery, cutlery. This

is the perfect place for those looking to

buy silver jewellery or souvenirs along

with other handicrafts such as daggers

and swords. This is the perfect place

to buy a novelty yet traditional Omani

dagger at reasonable rates.

The second and newer part of the

souq is further segregated for the sale

of fresh fish and meat and another

section for fruits, vegetables and other

fresh produce. The products sold at

the market are brought in daily by the

fishermen, butchers and farmers from

around the area. A part of the souq is

used for the auction of livestock like

chickens, cows, goats and camels.

The market is beautiful and packed

with people especially on Thursdays

which is their main market day. Bedouin

women come from different regions

of the country to buy clothes, shoes,

household accessories and sewing

tools at cheaper prices. The Bedouins

travel from faraway places like Duqm,

Masirah, Mahoot and Al Ashkharah to

buy goods such as meat, fish, fresh and

dried vegetables, dates and feeds for

their livestock.

Like the rest of the Sultanate, the

souq also offers its visitors a warm

welcome with traders offering their

products with smiling faces even during

the heat of the summer months. As an

outsider, the interaction of the traders

and sellers with their customers and

visitors resonates the importance of

these spaces. The souq is not just a place

to trade, but a place to bring families,

spend the day, meeting and engaging

with people along with buying quality

products right from the source.

Souqs and Oman’s identity is

intertwined with roots deeply seeded in

Oman’s rich history and Sinaw’s souq

is one such place for those to visit to

experience the lives of the people of

Oman.

SIHAM AL SAIDI &TITASH CHAKRABORTY

The market is beautiful and packed with people especially on Thursdays which is their main market day. Bedouin women come from different governorates of the country to buy clothes, shoes, household accessories and sewing tools at cheaper prices.

What keeps Sinaw market

BUSY

LOCAL SCENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

PHOTOS BY BADR AL HARTHY

MONDAY | NOVEMBER 13, 2017 | SAFAR 24, 1439 AH

email us at observerfeatures@gmail.com

editor@omanobserver.om www.omanobserver.om

National Day is celebrated throughout the country in honour of the nations victories and progress. This celebration fills the people of Oman with pride and love for their country and His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said. Instagrammer @almashrih501 captured this shot of a local proudly holding up the Omani national flag. This image was selected by @igersmuscat as their photo feature of the day!

For a chance to be featured, follow and tag us on Instagram. Don’t forget to use #BeAnObserver and #OmanObserver so we can find your submissions.

RED, WHITE AND GREEN

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICEGenre: DramaRunning Time: 110 min

Starring: Haley Bennett, Miles Teller and Keisha Castle-Hughes

Language: EnglishSubtitle(s): Arabic

A group of US soldiers returning from Iraq struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life, while living with the memory of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield.

Fancy hitting the town in the latest Dior dress with an outrageously expensive Louis Vuitton bag on your arm — but haven’t the cash to afford even the clasp? The fantasy is no longer a pipe-dream for thousands of women in Paris, the world’s fashion capital, where hiring luxury clothes and handbags is beginning to catch on p25

FASHION RENTAL OFFERS TOP LABELS FOR PRICE OF PIZZA

instagram.com/omanobserverPHOTO OF THE DAY MORENOW SHOWING

Sinaw is famous for different things primary of which is its traditional

market where even Bedouin coming from as far as Duqm and Masirah all

come to buy goods they need for their journeys. Check out what attracts

tourist and travellers to this gem of the Governorate of A’Sharqiyah... 27

What keeps Sinaw market

BUSY