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We call upon our youth to work hard to acquire the skills and expertness which will enable them to join all professions. They must not disdain any professions. They must not relax their efforts. They must be truly devoted to proving their excellence and demonstrate their worthiness in whatever task is assigned to them, no matter what that work is.

On the occasion of the 18th National Day

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

His Majestys Wisdom

SUNDAY, October 11, 2015 / 27 Dhul Hijja 1436 AH timesofoman.com wtimesofoman.com facebook.com/timesofoman twitter.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com ISO 9001:2008 Certied Company

FAHAD AL GHADANIfahadnews@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Bosses should be more generous in giving No Objection Certicates (NOCs), according to a reliable source at the Royal Oman Police (ROP).

Assuring that companies would not lose out on their visa clear-ances if they issue an NOC, the source at the ROP said there is absolutely no problem if the em-ployee leaves the country.

Right now most of the compa-

nies are worried about their visa clearances and that is one of the reasons they are not giving out NOCs. But, if an expat leaves the country, then they will have their visa quota intact despite giving an NOC, he claried.

He, however, explained that when an employer goes for the internal transfer of his employee, then he should also provide him with an NOC letter. But at that time, he will lose his visa clear-ance, the official added.

The ROP had announced that

no employment visa will be is-sued after July 1, 2014, to any expat, who has worked previ-ously in Oman and has not com-pleted two years from the date of last departure, unless an NOC is given by the former employer.

Rashid Khalfan, a construction company owner, wondered why the government would not sim-plify the rules and make this pro-vision clearer.

Since the Ministry of Manpow-er feels that the expat employee should be free after successfully completing his contract period, then why doesnt it force compa-nies to provide NOC letters to ex-pats? asked Khalfan.

He added that the government should not allow the employers to determine the expat employees future. It is not fair. I have been trying to hire an engineer who cur-rently works in the Sultanate, but due to his employers reluctance, I couldnt hire him.

Khalfan explained that some employers had demanded cash in return of providing employees for an NOC letter. Thats absolutely ridiculous, he stated. >A6

A source at the ROP

has claried that a

company wont lose

its visa quota by

giving an NOC to an

employee

A4Ali Al Balushi wins car drift event

OMANHMs environment efforts praised

2Irina Bokova, director general of UNESCO, praised the efforts of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for his interest in great challenges facing humanity in a number of elds. >A4

OMANAcademic diversity important for Oman

3Omani students are heavily sheltered and this is why it is important to improve their social and communication skills by exposing them to different cultures and work ethics. >A5

OMANTwo Indian expats killed in accidents

1Two Indian expats have died in two different accidents in Nizwa and Salalah. In Nizwa, Muhammed Naufal, a 22-year-old worker from Kerala, died after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the road. >A2

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

REJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A depression formed over the Arabian Sea, which is ex-pected to intensify into a cyclone, might dissipate before reaching Oman next week, the Sultanates Meteorology (Met) Department and global weather watchers said on Saturday. >A6

F O R E C A S T

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MONDAY, October 5, 2015 / 21 Dhul Hijja 1436 AH timesofoman.com wtimesofoman.com facebook.com/timesofoman twitter.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com ISO 9001:2008 Certied Company

Any work not intent on the publics interest, and executed without a basic plan is prone to failure and waste of time and effort.

REJIMON K /FAHAD AL GHADANI reji@timesofoman.com fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: The government should clarify the two-year ban rule. Even among the government departments, many are confused. Public are lost as the two con-cerned authorities have different views about the rule.

This was the message on Sun-day from a top official of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and In-dustry (OCCI) after the news that talks are again going on between the Ministry of Manpower and the Royal Oman Police (ROP) over the controversial ban.The Oman Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (OCCI) will denitely open this issue as soon

as the Ministry of Manpower or ROP come forward for a meeting, Mohammed Hassan Al Ansi, vice-chairman of the committee for lo-gistics and transportation affairs at the OCCI, told Times of Oman. The Times of Oman reported on Sunday, how Said bin Naser Al Sadi, advisor to the Minister of Manpower, said his ministry would make it clear to the de-

partments concerned that ex-pat employees may be allowed to change their jobs if they have completed their contract without restrictions.If an expatriate employee com-pletes his contract, he will be free to decide whether he wants to continue with the same employer or move to another company, said the advisor, adding that there

would be an issue only when the employee quits without honour-ing the full contract.Last year, the ROP had an-nounced that no employment visa would be issued after July 1, 2014, to any expatriate who has worked previously in Oman and has not completed two years from the date of last departure, unless a No Objection Certicate had been given by the former employer.Ban affecting marketAn Omani businessmen said that the two-year visa ban is affecting the market badly and investors are wary over new ventures here.A proper study has to be done. Whether the ban has to be contin-ued or lifted. We should ponder seriously whether we are ready to take over alone, Anvwar Al Bal-ushi, chairman of Anvwar Asian Investment Group, told Times of Oman.

Meanwhile, a nancial expert said the country is still in a nas-cent stage where expertise is needed to move ahead. >A6

Everyone in Oman is eager to know about the current status of visa ban rule amid reports of ongoing talks between the ROP and the Ministry

HM receives thanks

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from Kim Jong-un, First Secretary of the Work-ers Party, First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic Peoples Re-public of Korea, Supreme Com-mander of the Korean Peoples Army in reply to His Majestys congratulatory cable on the 67th anniversary of establish-ing the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. In his cable, President Kim expressed his utmost thanks for His Majestys sincere congratulations and best wishes. He wished further progress to the existing cooper-ation between the two countries in the interest of people. -ONA

C A B L E

A4Fire in Buraimi school contained

OMANBuilding rms face recruiting challenge

1Omans construction sector faces recruiting problem because nationalisation targets are higher, says GulfTalent, a job site for professionals in the Middle East and Gulf region. The main stumbling block is that the nationals have inaccurate image of the construction sector. >A3OMANMuscat Festivalfrom January 14

2During its rst meeting of the year, the Muscat Festival Main Committee 2016 decided to organise the Muscat Festival from January 14 to February 13, 2016. The meeting was held under the aegis of Eng. Moshen bin Mohammed Al Sheikh, Chairman of Muscat Municipality. >A5SPORTSFahad swells Omans

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

Financial experts are of the view that the visa ban rule is a regressive step which is affecting the market sentiments and slowing down the Omani economy when the country needs expertise and foreign investors to kickstart its growth

REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A possible tropical cyclone is forming in the Arabian Sea, global meteorology depart-ments have predicted. It is too early to predict as the picture is not yet clear of forma-tion and its track, Dr. Saeed Al Sarmi, the Head of the ResearchCentre fro P

Right now, it appears to us that a monsoon low may de-velop off the southwestern coast of India in the next few days. Whether it becomes a tropical cyclone or just stays a monsoon low is not known, Anthony Sa-gliani, international meteorolo-gist at Accuweather.com, told the Times of Oman.W l

F O R E C A S T

CONDITIONS FAVOURABLE FOR CYCLONESSurface temperature of the Indian Ocean on Sunday

Graphics

Source: wunderground.com

18 C 35 C

IndiaArabia

Africa INDIANOCEAN

The formationof cyclones startswith the warmingof the sea surface

Australia

China

Time for clarity

Opening of Ministry Complex29 September 1973

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

His Majestys Wisdom

Arabian Sea low pressure likely to become cyclone

Bosses should be generous in issuing NOCs

86 KILLED IN TURKEYS TWIN BLASTSA man is carried away following an explosion at the main train station in Turkeys capital Ankara, on Saturday. Eighty-six people were killed and 186 were injured in the explosion which happened ahead of an anti-government peace rally organised by the leftist groups, including the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party. -AFP See also >A13

3 injured in house collapseStaff Reporter

MUSCAT: Three people were injured when an under-construc-tion building in Salalah collapsed, according to the police.

Three injured persons were rescued by citizens, Public Au-thority for Civil Defence and Am-bulances (PACDA) tweeted on its official Twitter handle.

The nationality of the injured workers was not revealed until the ling of this report. >A6

S A L A L A H

Arabian Sea storm may not affect Oman

The under-construction house.

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OMAN

Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

Dont litter a beautiful country like OMAN. Two Indian expats die in

separate road accidentsStaff Reporter

MUSCAT: Two Indian expats have died in two different acci-dents in Nizwa and Salalah, ac-cording to sources.

In Nizwa, Muhammed Naufal, a 22-year-old worker from the south Indian state of Kerala, died after being hit by a vehicle while crossing the road. He died on the spot itself, sources in Nizwa said.

Naufal, who had come to Oman just two weeks ago, was working as a salesman in a car spare parts shop in Nizwa.

His body is kept in police mor-

tuary. His brother, who is working in Muscat, and others are pro-cessing the papers to repatriate his body, the sources added.

Meanwhile, in Salalah, in a head-on collision between a trailer and a garbage collection truck, a passenger travelling in the truck has died. The victim has been identied as Abbas, 35, from the western Indian state of Maha-rashtra. According to sources, the accident happened near Hajeef. The driver of the truck has been admitted to hospital with injuries.

The police had to try very hard to extract the victims from the

mangled remains of the truck, sources in Salalah said.

On Thursday, ve people were injured in an accident in Barka, where two vehicles were in-volved. In another accident, a car nearby was also damaged.

Meanwhile, at Falaj in Sohar, four people were injured when two trucks collided. The accident resulted in a traffic jam that lasted for hours on the road.

According to the data published by the National Centre for Statis-tics and Information, truck ac-cidents have decreased in 2014 compared with 2013.

T R A G E D Y

Education fair begins tomorrowMUSCAT: Higher Education, Training and Career exhibition (EduTrac Oman 2015) will kick off on Monday, at Oman Interna-tional Exhibition Centre under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid bin Omar Al Marhoon, Minister of Civil Service.

The three-day exhibition is organised by Al Nimr Interna-tional Exhibition organisers.

More than 180 companies and institutions will participate in the exhibition, which will pro-vide an ideal platform for local and foreign universities and leading training institutions to communicate and interact with the students, parents and execu-tives interested in various edu-cation and training courses.

The exhibition will provide good opportunities to learn about the providers of higher education and training to en-hance their presence in the active education sector in the Sultanate. -ONA

E D U T R A C O M A N 2 0 1 5

180 is the number of companies and institutions participating in EduTrac Oman 2015.

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Search for missing Omani sailor onStaff Reporter

MUSCAT: There is still no trace of Mohammed Al Alawi, 26, a crew member on-board the MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail, who went missing in the waters of Croatia last Wednesday, accord-ing to Oman Sail.

The Times of Omans attempts to get an update on Al Alawi from Oman Sail on Saturday did not produce any response.

In a statement on Thursday, Oman Sail said it had conducted a combined operation with the Italian and Croatian coastguard on Wednesday to search the area,

but by nightfall, they had still been unable to nd Al Alawi. The coast-guard and Oman Sail had resumed the search yesterday morning.

Oman Sail said it is giving top priority to nding Mohammed. Oman Sails team members re-main with Mohammeds fam-ily and will support them through this difficult time, it added.

Al Alawi went missing just south of Pula in Croatia while the MOD70 trimaran, Musandam-Oman Sail, was en route from Lorient via Marseille in France to Trieste in Italy, to take part in the Barcolana yacht race, as part of the European season.

U P D A T E

Orientation held for new studentsTimes News Service

MUSCAT: German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) has started its academic year by holding an orientation for new students who entered the Gener-al Foundation, Academic Foun-dation or the Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Engineering pro-grammes last week.

Prof Dr Ing Michael Modigell, rector of the University, and Dr Hussain Al Salmi, deputy rector for Administration and Financ-es, welcomed the new batch of students: I have the pleasure of welcoming you at our university and to our GUtech family. Study-ing at our university, you made a good choice for quality higher education. GUtech is affiliated with one of the leading universi-ties in Europe, RWTH Aachen University. In the coming years, GUtech will be a part of your life and will be very challenging for you. We expect you to work hard and study well for a bright future of yourselves and your country, said Modigell.

G U T E C H

PACP in car recall moveMUSCAT: Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) in cooperation with Oman Gulf Enterprises has launched a campaign for recalling Subaru, Impreza Cars.

The cars being recalled are the models of 2005-2007, es-timated to be 925 in all hav-ing chassis numbers from JF1GG45M26J026363 to JF-1GD45M07H080312.

The recall is ascribed to de-fects in some plates of the blow-ers providing air to the airbags, where it may get damaged when providing air to the airbags in the future. - ONA

A I R B A G I S S U E

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OMANHMs efforts for preservation of environment praised by UNESCO

PARIS: The efforts and leading role of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said through his ongoing in-terest in great challenges facing humanity in a number of elds and his envision of such challenges, have been praised by Irina Bokova, director general of UNESCO.

On the side-lines of announc-ing the UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Preserva-tion 2015, for the Research Group for Wetlands from Buenos Aires University in Argentina, Boko-va told the Oman News Agency (ONA) that amid an international context of desertication, air pol-lution and global warming, and the retreat of biodiversity, that are

the most important factors facing the international community and government, the UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environment Preservation gives hope and sheds light on the prominent achieve-ments and efforts at the inter-national level to preserve and manage environment, honouring them for their never-ending ef-forts, and encouraging the initia-tive of environmental researchers and workers in the eld.

Dr Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shibanya, Minister of Education, chairperson of the Omani Nation-al Commission for Education, Cul-ture and Science, announced on October 3, that the jury at the UN-ESCO the Man and the Biosphere

Programme had awarded the prize to the Research Group for the Wet-lands from Buenos Aires Universi-ty in Argentina.

Fluvial Schlegel, UNESCO as-sistant director general for Natu-ral Sciences, said that the Sultan-ate through the prize contributes to achieving the ideals UNESCO is trying to put in place.

She reminded everyone of the efforts and support that the Sul-tanate never hesitates in providing as long as it is about protecting the environment. She underlined the resounding success of the award in the past 25 years as it was given to the best people working in the eld of environment globally.

The award will help us to pre-

serve our heritage and the neces-sity to faithfully transfer to future generations, she added.

She added that the world is aware of the importance of this award, which serves as a call for the mobilisation of determination and good offices to safeguard our land and keeping its biodiversity for future generations.

Congratulations to Oman and its leader for the benet the award is giving to the world,she said.

Sheikh Humaid bin Ali Al Maani, the Sultanates ambassa-dor to the French Republic, said that the Sultanate is one of the rst countries to exert efforts to preserve the environment upon royal directives from His Majesty the Sultan, and Oman is among the rst countries to call for the pres-ervation of environment before the subject grabbed the attention of the international community.

He added that due to the wisdom of His Majesty in environmental preservation and in broad interna-tional recognition of his efforts at the local and international levels, the Sultanate was chosen among the most environment-caring ten countries in the world.

He said, The prize is in line with the new international orientation regarding reducing emission of gases of global warming and con-tributes locally to international efforts. It coincides with the 21st session of the United Nations Cli-mate Change Conference and the 11th session of the meeting of the parties to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which will be organised from No-vember 30 to December 11, 2015.

The Sultanates interest in envi-ronment preservation goes hand in hand with the international condi-tions and with the objectives of the conference that both the French

government and the international community focus on, he added.

Dr Samira bint Mohammed bin Moosa Al Moosa, the Sultanates permanent delegate to the UN-ESCO, declared that the biennial prize will be awarded for the 13th time during the World Science Fo-rum, in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, from No-vember 4 to 7, 2015.

She explained that the prize consists of a diploma together with a nancial reward, and has been made possible through a gen-erous donation to the UNESCO by His Majesty. It aims at giving due recognition to individuals or insti-tutions who work innovatively and with commitment to address envi-ronmental challenges.

She further stated that the Sultanate, which enjoys wide en-vironmental diversity, has been aware of the increasing impor-tance of environmental preser-vation. Under the wise guidance of His Majesty, the Sultanate has undertaken great initiatives to protect its environment and to ad-dress global environmental issues.

She pointed out that in 1984, a Ministry of Environment was established to prepare a national strategy for environmental protec-tion. Since then, many other initia-tives have been undertaken by the Omani government, including the creation in 1989 of the rst Arab prize awarded internationally in the eld of environmental protec-tion, the Sultan Qaboos Prize, and the creation of the national centre for eld research on conservation of the environment.

She affirmed that these efforts reect the strong commitment of the Sultanate to achieving sustain-able environmental protection and, as His Majesty pointed out

at the Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992, to work together, regardless of ideologies and selsh national interests to address the environ-mental and development related issues which face us in a spirit of reconciliation, amity and peace.

As for the collaboration with the UNESCO, Dr Al Moosa, said that the prize is in line with the UNESCOs ethical mission to achieve harmonious and peaceful development, and is of particular relevance today, given the strong role of the organisation in advocat-ing for Sciences and environmen-tal preservation in the post-2015 development agenda.

Dr. Mousa bin Jaafar bin Has-san, advisor in the Sultanates permanent delegation at the UN-ESCO, said that the idea of the UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize came from His Majestys con-viction in the importance of environment preservation and protection, and it is an ongoing, comprehensive and trans-border process, and the progress of hu-manity and the impact of that on the environment deserves broad international participation.

He added that when His Majesty announced the prize, on his visit to UNESCO headquarters in 1989, the world was not interested in en-vironmental preservation, but to-day it has become the rst and the biggest concern among officials, experts and researchers, who have realised that continuation of life will be exclusively through pres-ervation of the environment.

Many conferences and meetings are being held globally to nd ways to protect the environment and the future of humanity, so Omanis have the right to feel proud of the vision of His Majesty the Sultan, he said. -ONA

The idea of the

UNESCO-Sultan

Qaboos Prize came

from His Majestys

conviction in

the importance

of environment

preservation and

protection, and

it is an ongoing,

comprehensive and

trans-border process

Ali Al Balushi wins car drift event for third time in a row

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Red Bull Car Park Drift Qualier Oman crowned a reigning champion last night, with Ali Al Balushi taking home the rst place for the third con-secutive year, as spectators watched a series of exceptional drift shows at the Oman Automo-bile Association.

The Omani King of Drift scored 381 points and will repre-sent the Sultanate during the Re-gional Final, which will be hosted in Dubai in November. The sec-ond place was awarded to Refaat Al Yahyaei, with 370 points and the third place to Abdullah Al Bal-ushi, with 316 points.

Only 16 of the countrys best elite drifters were selected to compete in the sixth season of the Red Bull Car Park Drift. With their specially modied cars, the drivers managed to take on the twists and turns of the track with exceptional precision, while drawing the admiration of cheering spectators.

Soon after being announced the winner, Al Balushi said: Im so glad I won the Red Bull Car

Park Drift for a third year in a row. Last year, at the Regional Final, my car was 500HP but this year I have modied my car to 712HP making it the most powerful car in Oman. Last year I was so close to winning but I lost one point in the engine sound so Ive increased it this year.

Panel of judgesA panel of three judges evaluated the drifters performance on how well participants continuously drifted, followed the track, how great their cars emission was and much more.

The judges also looked for an impressive exterior; and deduct-ed points if participants drifted the wrong way, spun their cars or hit any of the obstacles. The quali-fying commenced at the start of

the year in the United Arab Emir-ates, Tunisia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritius and Jordan.

There are several dates still scheduled to display some of the most phenomenal drift performances in the region in Egypt and Qatar in anticipation of the Red Bull Car Park Drift Final to be held in Dubai on November 20.

This event was held in part-nership with Omans Ministry of Tourism, Ford Middle East, the Oman Automobile Association, Hi FM, Hala FM, See Muscat and Aramexs Shop and Ship, an in-ternational shipping service that allows members to shop from online merchants spread across 15 countries in the MENA region, the United States, Europe, South East Asia and Africa.

R E D B U L L C A R P A R K D R I F T Q U A L I F I E R O M A N

CHAMPION OF DRIFT: Red Bull Cark Park Drift Qualier Oman winner Ali Al Balushi (centre), runner-up Refaat Al Yahyaei (left), and second runner up Abdullah Al Balushi (right). -Supplied photo

IN ACTION: Red Bull Cark Park Drift Qualier Oman winner Ali Al Balushi in action. Supplied photo

The world is aware of the importance of this award, which serves as a call for the mobilisation of determination and good offices to safeguard our land and keeping its bio-diversity for future generations, said Irina Bokova, director general of UNESCO

German exchange students join Bayan College MuscatTimes News Service

MUSCAT: After a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the department of Media Studies, Bayan College Muscat and the Department of Po-litical and Social Sciences, (Insti-tute for Communication Studies), Freie University, Berlin, stipulat-ing a one-on-one exchange, two students, Salome Bader and Anne Catrin Stiller, have joined Bayan College for the Fall Semester 2015.

The students were very excited

to join the college and expressed their interest in learning about public relations within the Mid-dle East and journalism in Oman. While Salome wanted to take jour-nalism as a major, Anne opted for public relations.

We love it here and really like the city. We love the culture and are proud to be here, said the stu-dents, adding Being a media col-lege we are happy to get into the system. The exchange programme was administered through the in-stitutional co-ordinators for For-

eign Academic Programmes at the Bayan College Muscat and the In-stitute for Communication Stud-ies at the Freie University, Berlin.

Each department/institute will send graduate or undergraduate students equivalent to a value of up to two semesters each year. This number may vary according to the demand. The exchange is based on reciprocity. In other words, an equal number of students from each department or institute par-ticipate during the term stipulated in the agreement.

E D U C A T I O N

SQU, Sudan institutions to boost tiesTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Sultan Qaboos University and Sudanese high-er educational institutions will strengthen co-operation through an exchange of students, staff, and faculty members.

This agreement came dur-ing a meeting after Dr Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, vice chancel-lor of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), received in his office to-day, Dr Al Saddig Al Hadi Al-Mahadi, Sudanese minister of human resources development, and his delegation currently visiting Oman.

The two sides also discussed the possibilities of boosting col-laboration between the SQU and Sudanese higher educa-tional and research institutions.

They agreed on strengthen-ing co-operation through an exchange of students, staff, and faculty members, apart from researchers and undertaking of collaborative research. The two sides discussed how Sudanese institutions and the SQU could co-operate in the eld of train-ing, and capacity building initia-tives between the two countries.

Dr Hamed bin Sulaiman Al Salmi, SQU deputy vice chan-cellor for administrative and nancial affairs, and other sen-ior officials from the university attended the discussion.

A G R E E M E N T

The idea of the UNESCO-Sultan Qaboos Prize came from His Majestys conviction in the importance of environment preservation and protectionDr. Mousa bin Jaafar bin Hassan, Advisor, Sultanates permanent delegation at UNESCO

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Omani students are heavily sheltered and thats why it is important to improve their so-cial and communication skills by exposing them to different cultures and work ethics.

Teachers from basic educa-tion and degree programmes should start realigning them-selves and their curriculum beyond the conventional meth-ods to prepare their students for the real world.

More than 80 per cent of Omani students are exposed to only their culture because they make up the majority of all classes in the country. No wonder the vast majority of employers give priority to Omani students who have studies for their degrees abroad because they have had interaction with people from different cultures.

Students who have studied and graduated in the Sultan-ate stand very little chance of making past the rst phase of the interview because their at-titude is not adequate enough to go beyond. What the teacher writes on the board or shows in the slides is a theory that needs to be put into practice.

However, the practical part of the skills needed by students is interacting with different people to prepare for their future. It is too late to wait until a student nds a job to get into a network of different cultures. Diversity must start on the campus. Omani stu-dents need to interact with people from different races, ethnicity, and religious and socio-economic status.

Improving social skillsIt will teach them to learn to deal with different problems and form a comprehensive net-work of people from different backgrounds. It will also make them sensitive to the needs of the underprivileged and widen their knowledge horizons be-yond classroom activities. By allowing diversity on campus-es, students would get a chance to trust people from outside their own comfort zones.

In Oman, we have different international schools but they never share campus activities, not because the government does not encourage it but because academic heads do not see it as important. It is neither mandatory in their academic calendar nor included in the job descriptions of their teach-ers. What is a better way to get students together from differ-ent diversities than in sports or working together to preserve the environment?

To raise money for charities is excellent not only to instil a lifetime habit of compassion in them but to bring all these students from different coun-tries closer for a common goal. Schools and universities also need to give awards for best projects and innovative ideas to give students an opportunity to work on a shared target. Em-ployers like to see in the CVs of graduates their engagement with community affairs and in-novative ideas while they were

still studying. Diversity not only expands

worldliness but social skills as well. Through enormous advancements in technology, the world is rapidly becoming a global village. Omani students want to be a part of it and not stay in isolation. Students learn very little if they only interact with other students from the same environment. Oman is blessed with a diver-sity of nationalities, thanks to about 1.8 million expatri-ates working and living here. Teachers should devise a way to bring expatriate students and bridge the gap with Omani students so they could learn from each other.

Global examplesIf we need any proof that di-versity helps both careers and economic development, take a closer look at the richest coun-tries in the world. The secret of their success is to fuse together multinational skills on the campuses so as to prepare students in their careers.

Diversity removes mistrust among different nationali-ties when they work together, and builds condence and sensitivity among co-workers to boost productivity.

Diversity will also prepare Omanis to understand the working culture to deal with customers from different ethnic backdrops, improve their problem solving skills, promote creative thinking and lay the groundwork for a com-fortable life for themselves.

Schools must know that ethnic diversity not only lib-eralises the minds of students but it is also the requirement of employers. If it is included in our education system, employ-ers would stop insisting on re-cruiting Omani graduates with foreign certicates knowing fully well that it is happening right here in the country.

Why academic diversity is so important for Omani students

COMMENTARY

SALEH AL SHAIBANY

SUNDAYBEAT

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

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Our main objective is to add another attraction to the country

Salim Ali Nasser Al Siyabi, Chairman of Allied Business Group

Panorama Mall to offer 1,300 jobs

MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON mobinmathew@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Panorama Mall, an artistically articulated shopping and leisure centre, is set for a soft opening on October 12.

It is a venture from the Allied business Group which has an in-terest in Real Estate and Property Development, Hospitality & Tour-ism Sector, Education and Health.

Our main objective is to add another attraction to the country, Salim Ali Nasser Al Siyabi, Chair-man of Allied Business Group told Times of Oman.

According to the Chairman, the Mall offers job opportunities to more than 1,300 people including expats and nationals.

Aesthetically and well designed, the mall with its coloured lighted ceiling is a treat for the eyes. One special feature of the Mall is that the oor and pillars are fully cov-ered with decorative marbles.

The ambience of the Mall will be truly pleasing for the visitors. The three oors of the mall are of the same length with lots of options for children and family entertain-ment. We have made special de-sign and amenities, the chairman asserted.

Well stockedWe have new brands which are coming for the rst time to the Sultanate, he added. Well stocked super market, which is operated by Spinneys, will be functioning from Monday onwards. It will be followed by a ve screen Cineplex operated by the City Cinema in-cluding a 4D cinema for the rst time in Oman.

It is a soft opening which al-lows the people to know and expe-rience what is available in the mall and what is expected to come, Al Siyabi said.

The main anchors shops of the Mall are the Spinneys supermar-ket, Twenty 4, City Cinema, Fam-ily Entertainment centre with activities for kids from four to 14 years of age.

The mall features a Dance stu-

dio, Kids Gym, an engineering Centre for kids, a music centre that would keep the kids gainfully occupied.

The mall is spread over three oor and is conveniently accessi-ble by lifts, escalators etc. The Mall is situated opposite Atlas Medical centre Bausher.

Around 150 outlets will be avail-able in the mall and nearly sixty eight percent of the outlets have been leased already.

We are looking for new fran-chises which are not available in other malls and we have been re-served some spaces for such out-lets, the chairman said.

Food courtsSome brands like Furla exclusively for ladies handbags, Liu Jo cloth-ing for men& women, Trussardi for men and Women etc are new to Oman. Panorama has one of the largest food courts with a variety of options.

London Fish & Chips, Chicking, Subway etc are some of the food outlets that are available in the food court. Panorama Mall is also bringing in regional themed cui-sine with brands like Somberero (Mexican), Palayok (Philippine), Mai Thai (Thailand), Kiwi Burger (New Zealand) etc. including local Omani cuisine.

There is an exclusively area for kids brands with Bambini Squisiti will provide products of different brands from the US under one roof. All children products up to the age of sixteen is available in the outlet. Bella Peachy with Aign-er, Coccodrillo from Poland adds value to the variety.

The hospitality/retail project of Allied Business Group will house Somerset Services Apart-ments, Copthorne Falcon Hotel and an office tower as part of the development.

Aesthetically and

well designed, the

mall with its coloured

lighted ceiling is a

treat for the eyes.

One special feature

of the mall is that the

oor and pillars are

fully covered with

decorative marbles

The ambience of Panorama Mall.

Cyclone moving to north-west

Tropical Cyclone has formed over the Arabian Sea. The system will remain weak and should dissipate before reaching Oman next week, Jason Nicholls, senior meteorolo-gist at Accuweather.com, said.

According to a tweet posted by Omans Met department, the de-pression may develop into a storm in the next 24 hours.

In an update on Saturday, the Indian Met department said the depression over the east-central Arabian Sea had moved in the north-west direction, at a speed of 7km per hour during the past six hours, and had intensied into a

deep depression and lay centred at 11:30 India Standard Time (IST).

It will move north-westwards and may intensify further into a marginal cyclonic storm during the next 24 hrs. Thereafter, it is expected to move west-north-westward and weaken gradually from Monday, the Indian met authorities added.

On Friday, the Oman Met de-partment said in an update that the tropical low depression has de-veloped in the Arabian Sea, which is situated 1,200 km away from Omans coast and its speed is be-tween 20 and 25 knots.

A R A B I A N S E A

There should be proper regulation for giving NOC

Hussein Ali, a human resource manager at a leading company, said the provision had not been made clear to expats earlier.

The company thought that it will lose visa clearance when-ever it issues an NOC letter, said Ali. He added that now the mat-ter might become more exible with employees wishing to leave their employers.

On the other hand, Vinod, who works at a private company, felt that it was still unfair to give the whole power to the employers. There must be regulation to or-ganise such matters instead of forcing us to beg or may be pay for NOC letters, said Vinod.

Meanwhile, an official source had explained to the Times of

Oman earlier that the two-year ban has reduced the hidden trade in the Sultanate. I can under-stand why the government insists on the NOC letter when an expat employee is opting for an internal transfer, but how about those who leave the country and follow the rules, said Khalfan.

He added that the internal transfer might lead to an increase in the hidden trade in the Sul-tanate, but when an employee is leaving then his future must not depend on his employers gener-osity for providing him with an NOC letter.

The Oman Chamber of Com-merce and Industry (OCCI) will denitely take up this issue as soon as the Ministry of Manpower

or ROP comes forward for a meet-ing, Mohammed Hassan Al Ansi, vice-chairman of the Committee for Logistics and Transportation Affairs at the OCCI, said.

In an earlier report, TOO had spoken to Said bin Naser Al Sadi, advisor to the Minister of Man-power, who conrmed that expat employees should be free to de-cide whether they want to remain with the same employer or trans-fer to another one, once they have completed his working contract period. The ministry has made it clear to the departments con-cerned that expat employees may be allowed to change their jobs if they have completed their con-tract without restrictions, said Al Sadi.

V I S A C L E A R A N C E

Call for safety steps

At the end of September, a Bangladeshi worker was crushed to death when a building collapsed in Gha-la. His body was retrieved by police eight hours after the rescue operations were launched.

Two persons were also in-jured in that incident.

Following the collapse of that building, safety experts in Oman had said the coun-try needed to strive harder to embrace health and safety measures for the benet of workers.

B U I L D I N G C O L L A P S E

< FROM

A1 < FROM

A1

Higher education students eligible for marital allowance

Staff Reporter

MUSCAT: Scholarships for students studying abroad will be compensated only once for

travel as well as for living and tuition, according to the latest announcement.

Moreover, higher education students with a scholarship

abroad will be eligible for mari-tal allowances on condition that the spouse has not received a scholarship or study leave with salary pay.

S C H O L A R S H I P A B R O A D

Graphics

FINANCIAL BUDGET FOR FIRST PHASE OF UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP (BACHELORS)In Omani rials

Source: Ministry of Legal Affairs

HOST COUNTRY

United States

United Kingdom

Australia

New Zealand

Canada

Ireland

West Europe

Turkey and Eastern Europe

GCC, Levant and East Asia

Malaysia

Japan

Singapore

Egypt, South Asia and rest of the world

200

188

242

241

235

212

212

212

200

163

1,486

188

200

499

470

609

603

588

523

609

523

499

408

375

470

499

954

962

863

696

629

1,508

644

652

673

504

574

602

847

444

288

372

368

476

320

320

320

275

224

228

288

275

576

596

551

544

470

648

648

432

336

267

650

479

298

During the nalyear of the scholarship

Duringscholarship

At the start of thescholarship (Travel)

Spend only once:COMPENSATIONS

Study(Yearly)

Living(Monthly)

< FROM

A1

ROAD OPENED FOR TRAFFICMuscat Municipality recently partially opened for traffic the main roads leading to Saih Al Dhabi Roundabout in Al Amerat. This includes the opening of road from Wadi Audai towards Quriyat. The project has been executed as part of the construction of Al Mahaj Roundabout Crossing Project. The pro-ject included removal of Al Mahaj Roundabout. -ONA

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REGIONS U N DAY, O C TO B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 5

Russia steps up air strikes in Syria

BEIRUT/MOSCOW: Russia said on Saturday it had stepped up its bombing campaign against IS mil-itants in Syria, while local observ-ers said several of the air strikes had hit areas in western Syria where the hardline group has little presence.

Russia started bombing in Syria on September 30 saying it was targeting IS and other opposition groups, a campaign that has drawn Moscow deeper into Syrias more than four-year-old conict.

Rebels on the ground and West-ern states have said Moscows air campaign, which has been com-bined with ground attacks by pro-government forces, have mainly targeted rebel groups not associ-ated with IS, including US-trained ghters. A Russian defence minis-try representative said on Satur-day Russia had intensied its cam-paign in the last 24 hours, with 64 sorties hitting 55 targets, Russian news agencies reported.

TargetsThe representative, Major-Gen-eral Igor Konashenkov, described the targets hit as controlled by IS, also referring to them as belonging to militants and terrorists.

He said they included command and control centres, weapons de-pots and training bases, located in the Syrian provinces of Raqqa, Hama, Damascus and Aleppo.

The rst of those provinces is in eastern Syria and the main IS stronghold, while the other three

are in Western Syria where the group is typically weak.

However, IS militants have been advancing on Aleppo in recent days, seizing villages in the prov-ince from rival insurgents.

Konashenkov said one of the targets hit near Aleppo was a con-cealed base for military vehicles, which he said had received a direct hit from an Su-24M bomber.

More than ten vehicles had been destroyed, including two tanks and

ve infantry vehicles, he said in comments cited by Interfax.

Russian strikes hit northern ar-eas of Latakia province, the coastal heartland of Assads Alawite mi-nority sect, as well as northern ar-eas of Hama province further east, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

There was no immediate infor-mation on casualties.

The Observatory says IS has no real real presence in these areas.

However, there were other mili-tants in northern Syria, such as Chechens, that Russia might want to attack.

AttacksSyrian state television said in a newsash that attacks carried out by government forces in the area had killed and wounded a number of terrorists, a term it uses to de-scribe all insurgents in Syria.

The Observatory said a large

explosion hit a building on the outskirts of the town of Al Bab in northern Syria, which is held by IS.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast in the build-ing, which Islamic State had used to store explosives, according to the British-based Observatory, which tracks the conict using sources on the ground.

The Observatory also said Syr-ian government forces backed by militia had captured the village of

Atshan from insurgent ghters in Hama province after Russian air-strikes in surrounding areas.

Atshan sits to the east of the north-south highway running through major western cities in Syria. Towns and villages around the road have been a focus of Rus-sian air strikes.

Syrian state TV also said in a newsash that the army had cap-tured the village

Human Rights Watch said late on Friday that the rst Russian air strikes on northern Homs last month killed at least 17 civilians and should be investigated for pos-sible violations of the laws of war.

Russian President Vladmir Pu-tin said earlier this month that re-ports of civilian deaths in Russian air strikes on Syria were an infor-mation attack.

On Friday, the Pentagon said it expected to hold new talks with Russias military on pilot safety in Syrias war as soon as this week-end, as the former Cold War foes seek to avoid an accidental clash as they carry out rival bombing campaigns. US proposals, outlined during a secure video conference between the US and Russian mili-taries last week, included main-taining a safe distance between US and Russian aircraft and using common radio frequencies for dis-tress calls.

The US military warned it would not accept a Russian offer to hold more talks until it rst received a formal response to those propos-als, something the Pentagon said has now arrived.

The Department of Defense has received a formal response from the Russian Ministry of De-fense regarding DODs proposal to ensure safe air operations over Syria, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters. Department leaders are reviewing the Russian response and talks are likely to take place as soon as this week-end. Reuters

Rebels on the ground

and Western states

have said Moscows

air campaign have

mainly targeted rebel

groups not associated

with IS

Israel kills two Palestinians aged 12 and 15, three othersOCCUPIED JERUSALEM/GAZA: Israeli security forces on Saturday shot dead two Palestin-ians aged 12 and 15 in protests along Gazas border fence, Pales-tinian medics said, and Israeli po-lice said they killed three Palestin-ian ghters in separate violence in occupied Jerusalem.

Eleven days of bloodshed in which four Israelis and 19 Pal-estinians have been killed in oc-cupied Jerusalem, the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Gaza and in Israeli cities have raised concerns about a new Palestinian uprising.

On Saturday two Palestinians were shot dead by police after stab-bing at least four Israelis in sepa-rate knife attacks near occupied Jerusalem, Israeli police spokes-man Micky Rosenfeld said. He said paramilitary police also killed a Pal-estinian ghter after coming under re from him during late-night clashes at the Shuafat refugee camp in occupied East Jerusalem.

Hero martyrHamas, the Palestinian group which controls the Gaza Strip, said in a statement that the Shuafat shooter was one of its members. The hero martyr fought the Israe-li occupation with language they understand, Hamas said.

In Gaza, Israeli soldiers shot dead the Palestinian boy and teen-ager as they were taking part in protests near the Israeli border security fence, Palestinian medi-cal officials said. An army spokes-

woman said the protesters, in an Israeli-declared no-go security zone by the border, were hurling burning tyres and stones towards the soldiers, who red warning shots in the air before shooting at the main instigators.

Near the Damascus Gate a Pales-tinian stabbed two police officers, seriously wounding one of them, a few hours after a 16-year-old Palestinian stabbed and wounded two ultra-Orthodox Jewish men nearby, Rosenfeld said.

The violence has been fuelled by Palestinian fears that visits by Jewish groups and lawmakers to the occupied Jerusalem Old City plaza are eroding religious control of the Al Aqsa mosque compound.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly that he will not allow any change to the arrangements. His assurances over conditions at the site have done little to quell alarm among peo-ple across the region. The almost daily Palestinian knife attacks and clashes between Israeli soldiers and stone-throwing Palestinians are not at the levels of violence of past Palestinian uprisings, but the escalation has prompted talk of a third Intifada. Ali Al Qaradaghi, a prominent cleric, urged worship-

pers on Saturday to join what he described as an uprising.

Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops also broke out on Saturday near the occupied West Bank cities of Hebron and Ramal-

lah and again at the Shuafat camp. Scores of Palestinians were in-jured including 17 hit by live gun-re, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. Protests have also spread to several Arab towns in

Israel. Both Netanyahu and Pales-tinian President Mahmoud Abbas have called for calm and Palestin-ian police continue to coordinate with Israeli security forces to try to restore order, but there are few

signs of the violence dying down.Palestinians want occupied East

Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and Gaza for a future state. US-brokered peace talks broke down in April 2014. Reuters

V I O L E N C E

In Gaza, Israeli soldiers shot dead the Palestinian boy and teenager as they were taking part in protests near the Israeli border security fence

Palestinian medical officials

SMOKE RISES AFTER AIRSTRIKES: A frame grab taken from footage released by Russias Defence Ministry on Saturday, shows what Russia says is smoke rising after airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force on an IS command post in Raqqa province, Syria. Reuters/Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation/Handout via Reuters

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RISING TENSIONS: A Palestinian carrying rocks ashes the V-sign for victory during clashes with Israeli soldiers following the funeral of Mohammed Fares Al Jaabari on Saturday, in the center of the occupied West Bank town of Hebron. AFP

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INDIAS U N DAY, O CTO B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 5

When such wrong and misleading notions about Gujarat Model is being spread by our leaders, which is totally against the reality here, we have decided to expose the well-propagated mythHardik Patel, Convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti

Modi is in habit of making promises, not delivering

BENGALURU: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Sat-urday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of failing to keep his promises on bringing back black money, creating jobs and price control saying people were losing patience.

He also hinted at continued stalemate on GST saying the gov-ernment had not come forward to discuss opposition concerns on

the landmark tax reform.

StrugglingThe farmers of this country are struggling, the poor people of this country are struggling. In fact, the promises made by prime minister about reducing the prices, bring-ing back black money of Rs1.5 mil-lion per citizen... we are still wait-ing for all these promises to come true, he told reporters here.

Modi, he said, is in the habit of making promises, whatever comes to his mind and not deliv-ering on any one of them.

He gave a promise of Swachh Bhaarat, I dont see where Swachh Bhaarat has had any im-pact. He talked about Make in In-dia, I dont see any impact on jobs. I dont see any thing happening with Make in India, except the little lion they have (and) that they

keep showing it on TV and wast-ing public exchequers money, the Congress vice president said.

Rahul said it was about time the prime minister gets his act together and starts to do some-thing.People of India are losing their patience.

On the landmark Goods and Services Tax Bill, which his party had stalled in the last session of Parliament, Rahul said Congress wanted a pro-people GST.

The central government does not believe in discussion with an-ybody. The central government in fact cannot discuss with anybody because the central government is Narendra Modi. There is no other central government. So the only person who decides everything in the central government is Naren-dra Modi, he said.

Rahul was asked if there were feelers to end the stalemate over the GST Bill.

We have three clear issues on GST where we disagree with the government. The Congress party brought the GST, we are for the GST (and) we want the GST to be passed.

But, what we are not for is an anti-people GST. We are for a pro-people GST. So the discussion

is about the three points that we believe in. If the government com-promises with us, we are ready to do the GST, he said.

While he did not elaborate on the demands, the Congress has in the past demanded that the rate of Goods and Service Tax which will replace all indirect taxes should be xed at 18 per cent and the provision to allow states to levy 1 per cent additional tax over and above the GST rate be scrapped.

It also wanted petroleum and alcohol to be part of GST regime.

Rahul said Congress will de-fend the rights of the people of this country and the party is not going to allow the BJP to run rough shots over poor people of the country.

The Congress vice president said he was in Karnataka to meet farmers who are in distress.

Our prime minister is trav-elling to different countries, he hasnt left any country... But he hasnt visited any farmers house.He hasnt visited the house of any labourer, unemployed. So its not a government of the weak and poor. I dont understand whose govern-ment it is... government of select capitalists, he said. - PTI

Congress leader

Rahul Gandhi said it

was about time Prime

Minister Narendra

Modi gets his act

together and starts

to do something as

people are losing

their patience HITTING OUT: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addresses a public meeting in Haveri, Karnataka on Saturday. - PTI

Will expose well-propagated myth behind Gujarat model, says HardikGANDHINAGAR: Patel quota agitation leader Hardik Patel on Saturday questioned the much talked about Gujarat Model of de-velopment and said he will expose the reality behind it.

While making announcements here about the next round of agita-tions, Hardik, who leads a faction of Patel groups campaigning to get reservation under Other Back-ward Castes quota, cited several examples to prove his point.

This government claims that farmers are very happy in Gujarat.Then why two farmers committed suicide in last one week? What is the reason that people involved in recruitment rackets are not pun-ished? Why innocent women are beaten up and sent to jail by police? Is this the Gujarat Model? Hardik said at a press conference.

He alleged that Patels are being subjected to violence by police and the state government delayed the

local body polls for its benet.Patels are being singled out by

police and mercilessly thrashed.BJP-led Gujarat government brought an ordinance to delay the local body polls, for their benet.Is this Gujarat Model? What will happen when such a model, for which our PM takes credit all the time, will be implemented across India? asked Hardik.

The 22-year-old convener of Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti

(PAAS) termed the Gujarat model as a myth and said he will ex-pose the reality behind it.

Misleading notionsWhen such wrong and mislead-ing notions about Gujarat Model is being spread by our leaders, which is totally against the reality here, we have decided to expose the well-propagated myth, he said.

Hardik, who is also president of Patidar Navnirman Sena (PNS),

claimed that the outt has pres-ence in 16 states and its members will hold various programmes across India, including Bihar, to educate their community through public gatherings.

As of now, more than 5.6 mil-lion members have registered with PNS. Not just Bihar, we will organ-ise programmes in various parts of country to tell people about the atrocities police have committed on us in Gujarat, he said.

Hardik rejected state govern-ments Rs1,000 crore package an-nounced recently for the students of economically backward class sections of non-reserved category.

We dont want such package. We want only reservation. If gov-ernment claims that reservation cant be given as per the present laws, then I want the government to explain to us, under which laws it cannot give us reservation, said Hardik. - PTI

Q U O T A A G I T A T I O N L E A D E R

Trinamool wins municipal pollsKOLKATA: In a major boost for ruling Trinamool Congress ahead of next years assembly polls, the party on Saturday scored land-slide victory in violence-marred elections to Bidhannagar and Asansol Municipal Corporations and wrested Bally civic body from the Left Front.

TMC succeeded in breaking into Bally municipality, a red bastion for the last 40 years, and

won in all its 16 wards. Out of the 41 wards in Bidhannagar, TMC won 37, CPI(M)-led Left Front and Congress two each. BJP drew a blank.

In Asansol out of the 106 wards, TMC won 74 wards, Left 17, BJP eight, Congress four and Independents three.

Elections to Asansol, Bidhan-nagar municipal corporations and Bally municipalty, held on

October 3 were marred by ram-pant violence and assault on journalists.

While TMC has hailed it as victory of the masses and people restoring their faith in the devel-opmental work ushered by party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, oppo-sition Left Front has claimed that the results reect the strength of TMCs goondaism. - PTI

W E S T B E N G A L

21 arrested for violence over cow slaughter rumoursMAINPURI (UP): After Dadri, tension now prevails in this district where rumours of cow slaughter triggered violence with protesters targeting police vehi-cles and setting are shops, leaving seven policemen injured.

Twenty-one people have been arrested for Fridays violence even as the circle officer has been sus-pended for alleged laxity.

The violence started after some persons spread rumours of cow slaughter in Karhal area with an intention to trigger communal tension in the town, an official spokesman said on Saturday.

Post-mortemHowever, the post-mortem report found that the cow had died due to an ailment, he said.

As soon as the rumour spread on Friday, people in Nagaria village set police jeeps on re and dam-aged several other vehicles and shops as they were agitated over rumours of cow slaughter in the vil-lage, police said. It was alleged that a cow, which was grazing in a eld near the village, was taken away for slaughter and its skin was being removed in a house when some vil-lagers barged in, the police said.- PTI

M A I N P U R I

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INDIAS U N DAY, O C TO B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 5

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Campaigning ends for first phase of Bihar polls

PATNA: Loudspeakers fell silent as a high-decibel vitriol-filled campaigning for 49 seats going to poll in the first phase of as-sembly elections in the eastern Indian state of Bihar ended on Saturday evening.

Though the electioneering got off to positive start with the two main contenders to power BJP-led NDA and JD(U)-RJD-Congress alliance initially singing the development tune, it soon turned into a slanging match, with rivals freely engaging in name-calling.

From Shaitan (devil) to Brah-ma Pisach (super devil) to Chara Chor (fodder thief ) to Narbhak-shi (man eater), they called each other all. As campaigning peaked, Lalu Prasads Hindus also eat beef remark was hotly debated, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking to turned the tables on the RJD boss, who had latched onto RSS chief Mohan Bhagwats call for a review of the reservation policy to claim that the BJP-led Centre was contemplating scrap-ping caste-based quotas.

Sensitive issueAs Lalu and the anti-BJP alliances chief ministerial candidate Nitish Kumar harped on the alleged move to scrap quotas, rally after rally, to consolidate the backward caste votes, the RJD supremos Hindus

also eat beef remark, made in the aftermath of the Dadri lynching episode, gave BJP and Modi an op-portunity to counter one sensitive issue with another.

Modi vigorously stirred Bi-hars melting electoral pot by accusing Lalu of insulting the yaduvanshis (Lalus own Yadav clansmen), who rear cattle, by his comment.

What all is he saying. What all Yadavs eat? Whatever posi-tion Lalu rose to, it was because of these Yaduvanshis and he in-sulted them. What kind of abuses you are hurling at them. Is it not an insult of Yadavs and Bihar? Do not humiliate the Yaduvanshis so much? Laluji, these Yaduvanshis helped you to come to power, said Modi, addressing elections ral-lies in Munger, Begusarai and Sa-mastipur on Thursday.

Modis remarks provoked accu-sations of trying to communalise the elections.

The real Modi on display bra-zen attempt to add communal tex-ture to Bihar polls, but deafening silence on deplorable incident of Dadri, said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Kumar said it was for all to see why Vajpayee ji was forced to

remind him (Modi) to follow Raj Dharma, but wonder who will do the Vajpayee today ?

Warnings of a return of jungle raj, a term used by Lalus critics to describe alleged lawlessness dur-ing RJDs 15-year rule, was an oft repeated refrain of the NDA lead-ers, including Modi and Shah.

Plummeting levelWith the electoral discourse get-ting reduced to petty name-call-ing, the Election Commission expressed deep anguish at the plummeting level of speeches, saying those were aimed at caus-ing mutual hatred and urged poli-ticians to show restraint.

With accusations and name-calling ying thick and fast, FIRs were lodged against Amit Shah, Lalu, JD(U) president Sharad Ya-dav and AIMIM MLA Akbarud-din Owaisi for violation of model poll code. Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah spear-headed the NDAs campaign, with the prime minister addressing six election rallies on October 8 and 9.

Several Union Ministers like Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Nitin Gadkari, J. P. Nadda, Ananth Kumar and Kalraj Mishra too chipped in, addressing a string of

rallies. Union Finance minister Arun Jaitley released BJPs vision document that promised laptop, scooty and colour TV to dalits.

BJP is contesting the polls in alliance with Ramvilas Paswans LJP, Hindustani Awam Morcha of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and Union Minister Up-endra Kushwahas Rashtriya Lok Samata Party.

These leaders were also present during Modis election meetings.

Lalu and Nitish led the three-party Grand Alliances charge.

Congress president Sonia Gan-dhi and vice president Rahul Gan-dhi visited the state only for a day each for canvassing support for JD(U)-RJD-Congress combines nominees.

Bollywood glamourThere was also a dash of Bolly-wood glamour to the campaign.

Though actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha was absent from the scene, BJP elded Hema Malini, Smriti Irani, Manoj Tiwari and actor Ajay Devgn to stump for its candidates.

Voting will take place in 49 con-stituencies of a total of 243 in the rst phase on October 12.

These constituencies are spread over 10 districts of Samastipur, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Banka, Khagaria, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Nawada and Jamui.

A total of 1,35,72,339 voters are eligible to exercise their fran-chise in the rst phase. Out of the 49 seats that would go to poll on October 12,

JD(U) of Nitish Kumar had won 29 in 2010.

BJP, which was with JD(U) in last election, had won 13 seats, while RJD had clinched four.

This time, BJP has elded a maximum of 27 candidates, while JD(U) candidates are in the fray in 24 seats, RJD on 17, LJP 13, Rash-triya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) 6, Hindustani Awam Morcha 3 and Congress 8. - PTI

Voting will take place

in 49 constituencies

of a total of 243 in

the rst phase of

assembly elections in

Bihar on October 12

BRIEFING: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar addresses the media at JD(U) party office in Patna on Saturday. - PTI

India, Jordan agree to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation

AMMAN: India and Jordan on Saturday agreed to enhance their cooperation in counter-terror-ism and defence during talks be-tween visiting President Pranab Mukherjee and King Abdullah of Jordan, a frontline state in the battle against terror in the turbu-lent West Asian region.

Embarking on a six-day visit to Jordan, Palestine and Israel, Pranab conferred with the Jorda-nian monarch on a wide variety of subjects, including terrorism, UN Security Council reforms, en-hancement of bilateral trade.

The two leaders agreed that there should be greater coopera-tion on counter-terrorism and de-fence for which mechanisms will be worked out.

On the rst day of his two-day visit to Jordan, Pranab informed the King that India would provide a line of credit worth $100 million to Jordan, the details of which will be worked out shortly.

The two leaders also did a vir-tual inauguration of the worlds largest sulphuric acid plant set up at a cost of $860 million in Es-hidiya, 325km from here.

The Jordanian monarch, who hosted a lunch for the president shortly after his arrival, sup-ported Indias candidature in a re-formed UN Security Council.

He also endorsed Indias ap-proach on UN reforms, an Indian spokesman said later.

The issue of 39 Indians be-lieved to be in the captivity of IS did not specically come up, the spokesman said, adding that In-dia was in touch with all the coun-tries in the region in this regard.

Pranab endorsed the Kings re-cent call at the UN that it was the right time to sound a warning on terrorism and extremism which does not respect any religion.

The menace threatened the basic safety and security of the world. King Abdullah accepted the Presidents invitation to visit India along with queen Rania as soon as possible.

The President spoke about the growing Indian economy, but pointed out that a large section of the population needed to be lifted out of poverty. India, therefore, has to grow at a minimum of 8 per cent for the next ten years.

A large part of the discussions between the King and Pranab focused on enhancing bilateral trade and investments.

Some 20 textile mills in Jordan are owned by Indians who have invested about $300 million.

Jordan is seeking greater In-dian investment and representa-tives of the Tata group are arriv-ing here on Monday to scout for investment opportunities.

The Mahindra group is also said to be interested in investing here.On his part, the President told the King that there were opportuni-ties of investment in Indias de-fence sector in which upto 49 per cent could be invested through automatic route and even 100 per cent on a case by case basis.

Pranab, who is accompa-nied by Union Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot and six MPs be-longing to different parties, told the King about Indias multi-party system and how all parties were contributing in strengthen-ing the country.

A colourful reception was ac-corded to the Indian leader at the Al Husseinieh Palace, where he drove straight from the airport after a six-hour ight from India.

The President and the King, who wields all the power in Jor-dan, met for half-an-hour before delegation-level talks.

Pranab, who will travel to Pal-estine and Israel after a two-day stay here. - PTI

B I L A T E R A L T I E S

Asim Khan: I have been made sacricial goat of AAPs internal politicsNEW DELHI: A day after his sacking over graft charges from the Delhi cabinet, Asim Ahmed Khan trained his guns at the Aam Aadmi Party and said he was a victim of a big conspiracy of partys internal politics.

Addressing a news confer-ence, he said he was being made a sacricial goat and there was a threat to his life.

The Ballimaran MLA did not take any question and left more questions than answers over his sudden removal.

I was more surprised than an-yone else. I came to know about my removal two hours after it was done. I was in a place for around two-and-a-half hours whose de-tails I will give you later. I was cut off from the outside world as my mobile was switched off, the for-mer environment, food and sup-plies minister said.

I have asked the party to give me the audio tape but I am yet to get it, he said.

Who is the other voice? The mediator was no builder or a me-diator. He is Shakeel Malik, AAPs co-convenor of Uttar Pradesh, and Director of the Delhi Minor-ity Finance Corporation.

Why was his named not re-vealed? I havent even been given a CD of the conversation, Khan claimed.

The venue of the news confer-ence was his fathers opulent two-storey mansion in Darya Gang area in Old Delhi lled with his supporters and family members, in an apparent show of strength.

ConspiracyThe entire thing was scripted between 3.30pm and 6pm. I was asked to resign at 3.30pm. What happened during those two -and-a-half hours? Who was there with me during that time... can-not be revealed at this point of time. I have 70 per cent proof of those involved.

Daring the party, he said, I will spill the beans of the conspiracy in the next conference.

Revealing the names now will only hurt my attempts to uncover the conspiracy. I will name eve-ryone, even if its a councillor or a chief minister,

Khan said, as his supporters shouted anti-Arvind Kejriwal slogans.The party declined to re-spond to Khans charges.

He is free to defend himself. On our part, the Delhi govern-ment has referred the case to the CBI and he should give his defence before the investigat-ing agency, party spokesperson Deepak Bajpai said.

Khan also paraded a man named Javed, who he claimed to be the owner of the house, from whom he had allegedly demand-ed Rs600,000 as bribe.

I swear by Allah that Asim Khan has never done such a thing. I neither asked for any money nor did I accept any bribe, he as-serted. He also attacked Imran Husain, who replaced him in the Kejriwal ministry, saying there are certain charges against him, but did not elaborate further. - PTI

C O R R U P T I O N C H A R G E S

FURIOUS: Sacked Delhi minis-ter Asim Ahmed Khan showing a document to the media in New Delhi on Saturday regard-ing the corruption charges against him. - PTI

CEREMONIAL WELCOME: President Pranab Mukherjee with King Abdullah of Jordan during a ceremonial welcome in Amman on Saturday. - PTI

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PAKISTAN S U N DAY, O CTO B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 5

Lets live like good neighbours

LAHORE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday said ties with India should be improved through dialogue and that a solution for Kashmir should be found and im-plemented as soon as possible.

We are neighbours and should live like good neighbours, while taking into consideration the

feelings of Kashmiris, the pre-mier said while chairing a meet-ing in Lahore.

Presiding over the meeting at the Punjab Governor House, PM Nawaz spoke on the Kashmir is-

sue which he raised at the 70th UN General Assembly last month.

I told UNO that it was their security councils order to nd solutions which they should now make sure are implemented, he

said, adding that, I also gave pro-posals of how to improve relations with India.

The premier further said the government was giving equal im-portance to the development of all

sectors across the country as he was briefed about the Orange Line train service in Lahore.

ImprovingWe are improving and growing in every sector, the premier in-formed while chairing a meeting in Lahore ahead of polling in Nation Assemblys NA 122 seat of Lahore.

He informed officials that the government is currently working towards the generation of cheap electricity which will not only im-prove the economy of the country, but will also enable low income households to afford it.

The premier also briefed those in attendance of the meeting that along with transport, the govern-ment is giving equal importance to education, health and agriculture sectors and working towards their development.

All these developments will create employment opportunities and there will be economic pro-

gression in the country, Nawaz added.

He further said that the metro bus projects have successfully been completed in Islamabad and Lahore while work on the project in Multan has also started and is expected to be completed soon.

Discussing LNG power pro-jects, the premier said that the Ministry of Petroleum and Minis-try of Water and Power are work-ing in close coordination to com-plete the projects.

Along with LNG, a total of 3,600 megawatts would be added by the summer of 2017, he informed.

Further, PM Nawaz assured that the metro bus projects will also be launched in other cities in order to provide cheap and dignied trans-port to the people of the country.

Once the metro is operational, about 0.35 million people to travel by it every day rather than risking their lives in overcrowded buses, he added. Express Tribune

Prime Minister

Nawaz Sharif said he

had given proposals

to the UNO of how

to improve relations

with India

I told United Nations that it was their security councils order to find solutions which they should now make sure are implemented. I also gave proposals of how to improve relations with India

Nawaz SharifPrime Minister

LAHORE TURNS PINK WITH RICKSHAWS FOR WOMENA Pakistani woman drives a pink auto-rickshaw dur-ing a rally in Lahore on Saturday. The streets of Lahore were tickled pink when a group of women staged a rose-coloured rickshaw rally for female empowerment. Driven by female representa-tives from local social groups and charities, the bright pink, covered three-wheeled motorcy-cles zipped through the city in a bid to highlight the challenges faced by Pakistani women. AFP

Chinese company offers $778m aid for Pakistan Steel MillsISLAMABAD: Chinas largest steel company Sinosteel Corpora-tion has offered an investment of $778 million in revamping and en-hancing the production capacity of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) over the next three to four years.

A delegation of the Chinese steel giant is currently on a visit to Pakistan and will meet Industries and Production Minister Ghulam Murtaza Khan Jatoi next week to present and discuss a plan for tak-ing over management control of PSM, an industries ministry offi-cial told The Express Tribune.

This is a follow-up to the July meeting between Sinosteel execu-tives and the industries minister where the Chinese company had

expressed interest in bringing the loss-making PSM back on feet and expanding its production capacity.

In response, the minister asked the Chinese to draft an operational plan for discussion and to enable the Privatisation Commission to take a decision.

Sources said, Sinosteel would invest $778 million in PSM over the next three to four years to give a boost to its output.

By taking over PSM, according to sources, Sinosteel is not only targeting the Pakistan market to satisfy its growing appetite, but is also eyeing exports to neighbour-ing countries with the help of Pa-kistans ports and land routes. Express Tribune

T A K E O V E R P L A N

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ASIAS U N DAY, O C TO B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 5

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Ready for war with US: North Korea

PYONGYANG: Isolated North Korea marked the 70th anniver-sary of its ruling Workers Party on Saturday with a massive military parade overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, who said his country was ready to ght any war waged by the United States.

Thousands of troops stood at attention under a blue autumn sky in Pyongyangs main Kim Il Sung Square, named after Kim Jong Uns grandfather and the founder of the nation, as Kim, appearing relaxed and condent, made his speech, leaning heavily on the lectern.

The young leader was accom-panied by senior Chinese Com-munist Party official Liu Yunshan, with whom he was seen speaking throughout the event and occa-sionally shared laughs, and anked by senior North Korean party and military officials.

Conciliatory gestureThe partys revolutionary arma-ment means we are ready to ght any kind of war waged by the US imperialists, Kim said in a speech strikingly more forceful than pre-vious public comments, praising the feats of past leaders and the ruling party.

He made no direct mention of the countrys nuclear programme, likely a conciliatory diplomatic gesture towards China, which hosted the now-defunct six-party talks, also involving the United States, on giving economic incen-tives to Pyongyang in return for scrapping its atomic ambitions.

On Wednesday, a high-level US military official said Washington believed North Korea had the capability to launch a nuclear weapon against the US mainland and stood ready to defend against any such attacks.Kims speech

was followed by troops marching in formation, rst by a corps of soldiers dressed in the style of the revolutionary force that fought Japan during World War Two, and then a procession of military might rolling past the square.

A battery of the Norths intercontinental ballistic missiles was the highlight of the weapons display, although they are not known to have been successfully tested.

Impoverished North Korea and rich, democratic South Korea re-main technically at war after their

1950-53 conict ended in a truce, not a treaty.

The North, slapped with UN and US sanctions for its nuclear weap-ons and rocket programmes, often threatens to destroy the South, and its major ally the United States, in a sea of ames.

In a letter delivered by Liu, the most senior Chinese official to visit Pyongyang since leader Kim came to power following his fathers death in 2011, Xi said China at-tached vital importance to its rela-tionship with North Korea, Chinas official Xinhua news agency said.

China is North Koreas chief ally and its main trading partner, al-though ties have been strained over the Norths nuclear programme.

Xi said in the letter that China had been striving to treat the bi-lateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective.Liu reiterated Chinas position that it wanted an early resumption of the six-party talks.

The Chinese side is willing to seek closer communication and deepen cooperation, pushing for a long-term, healthy and stable de-velopment of the Sino-DPRK ties,

Xi said in the letter cited by Xinhua, referring to North Korea by its offi-cial name, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.

Bolster tiesKim, who is in his early thirties, told the visiting Chinese delegation on Friday that North Korea was also keen to bolster ties, the Norths of-cial KCNA news agency said on Saturday.

Liu is the fth-ranked member on Chinas ruling Communist Partys elite Politburo Standing Committee. - Reuters

The partys

revolutionary

armament means we

are ready to ght any

kind of war waged by

the US imperialists,

said Korean leader

Kim Jong Un in a

speech strikingly

more forceful than

previous public

comments

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS: Participants wave owers towards North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (not pictured) as they pass through Kim Il-Sung Square during a mass military parade in Pyongyang on Saturday. North Korea was marking the 70th anniversary of its ruling Workers Party. - AFP

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China defends building of light houses on reefBEIJING: Dismissing concerns over its infrastructure building in the disputed islands chain, China on Saturday defended the construction of two light houses in the South China Sea saying they will help guide passing ves-sels and signicantly improve navigation safety.

The Huayang and Chigua Lighthouses are constructed on the Huayang Reef of Nansha Islands, also known as Spratly Islands, a chain of barren reefs and atolls that straddle one of the worlds busiest sea-lanes.

Navigational aidThe lighthouses on Huayang and Chigua reefs of Chinas Nan-sha Islands will provide efficient navigational aid and route guid-ance services and signicantly im-prove navigation safety for passing vessels in the South China Sea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokes-woman Hua Chunying said.

As an important international shipping and shing region, the South China Sea waters are busy and China will continue to con-

struct other civilian and public facilities to better serve coastal nations in the South China Sea, she said, defending the infra-structure building in the disput-ed island chain.

Believed to be sitting atop large deposits of oil and natural gas, the island chain is also claimed by Vi-etnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

They have expressed concerns that Chinas infrastructure build-ing and land reclamation pro-jects in the disputed island chain, which could be used as military bases as well, could threaten free-dom of navigation in the South China Sea.

On Friday Hua told a media brieng that China will not allow violation of its territorial waters in the South China Sea in name of freedom of navigation.

We will never allow any coun-try to violate Chinas territo-rial waters and airspace in the Spratly Islands, in the name of protecting freedom of navigation and overight, she was quoted as saying by the official media. - PTI

S O U T H C H I N A S E A

Nepalese Parliament to elect new PM todayKATHMANDU: Nepalese Par-liament is all set to elect the new Prime Minister on Sunday, choos-ing between outgoing Prime Min-ister Sushil Koirala and CPN-UML leader K. P. Sharma Oli, in a contest which became necessary as parties failed to forge a consensus.

The election is taking place amid continued protests and blockade of a key border trade point with India over the countrys new Constitution.

Koirala on Saturday submitted his resignation to President Ram Baran Yadav who accepted it, set-ting the stage for a vote to elect the new prime minister on Sunday.

Koirala has led his candidacy for the Prime Ministership from his Nepali Congress (NC) party.

ProposedHis name was proposed by former prime minister and senior NC leader Sher Bahadur Deuba Oli, who is taking on Koirala, is the CPN-UML Chairman.

His name was proposed by Unied CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda and seconded by Ras-triya Prajatantra Party chairman Kamal Thapa.

Oli is seen as the frontrunner to become prime minister as more

than a dozen parties including Prachandas UCPN-Maoist have extended support to him.

Both Koirala and Oli have led their nomination papers.

After ling his nomination pa-pers, Koirala said he had decided to contest the election on his partys directive. He said he would pur-sue the politics of cooperation and collaboration whether he wins or loses the election.

The election of the prime min-ister comes even as the new Con-stitution, which was unveiled on

September 20 after seven years of negotiations, is being opposed by Madhesi groups.

On Friday, Nepal formed a three-member team headed by the foreign minister to ease a diplo-matic standoff with India over the supply of essential goods, includ-ing petroleum products, which has been hit due to blockade of trade points with India by Mad-hesi people protesting against the new Constitution.

The agitating Madhesi Front claims that the Constitution does

not guarantee enough rights and representation to the Madhesi and Tharu communities residing in southern Nepal. Madhesis are Indian-origin inhabitants of the Terai region bordering India who are opposed to splitting Nepal into seven provinces.

They are against splitting Nepal into seven provinces.

The continued blockade of border trade points with India has halted the supply of essential goods from India.

At least 40 people have died in over a month of clashes between police and protesters from the Madhesi and Tharu communities and ethnic minorities.

Meanwhile, Nepals Maoist chief Prachanda on Saturday met Chinese ambassador Wu Xunthai and discussed the current political situation in the country including the hardships faced by the people due to blockade of a key border trade point with India.

During the meeting, the Unied CPN-Maoist chairman asked the Chinese ambassador to help the Nepali people who are facing hard-ships due to shortage of essential goods including fuel and cooking gas ahead of their main festival Vijaya Dashami. - PTI

P O L I T I C A L T U R M O I L

PROTEST: Madhesi Morcha activists hold a protest march over the new constitution of Nepal, in Birgunj in Nepal on Saturday. - PTI

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Francis Wilkinson

The House Republican conference is in a pickle. It doesnt want the leader it has. It just destroyed Kevin McCarthy, its leader in waiting. And the leader it purportedly pines for, Rep