Crude at $45 may cut deficit

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Arafat’s UN speech in Geneva
On this day in 1988 PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat gives a speech at a UN General
Assembly meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, after the US refused to grant him a visa to
visit UN headquarters in New York.
international
OMANDAILYOBSERVER
25
TUESDAY l DECEMBER 13 l 2016
Nine fruits to eat in
winter for healthy skin
If Santa is recruiting helpers to
haul Christmas presents around
the world this year he had better
take a few extra, said researchers
on Monday who warned that
reindeer are shrinking. Over the
past 16 years, the weight of adult reindeer
in Svalbard in the Norwegian Arctic
has dropped by 12 per cent, likely due
to global warming, said study findings
presented to a meeting at the British
Ecological Society (BES) in Liverpool.
By the time they reached adulthood,
reindeer born in 2010 weighed just over
48 kilogrammes (106 pounds), compared
to 55 kg for those born in 1994.
“Twelve per cent may not sound very
much, but given how important body
weight is to reproduction and survival,
Reindeer are shrinking:
WARMING THREATENS XMAS ICON
There could be more, but
smaller reindeer in the
Arctic in the decades to
come, “possibly at risk
of catastrophic die-offs
because of increased ice
on the ground.”
it’s potentially huge,” study leader Steve
Albon of the James Hutton Institute in
Scotland, said. Previous research had
shown that when the
average adult weight in April is less than
50 kg, the population as a whole declines,
he added.
Albon and his fellow researchers
blame climate change for the shrinking
reindeer.
Scientists say land surface
temperatures in the Arctic were about 2.8
degrees Celsius (five degrees Fahrenheit)
higher last year than when records began
a century earlier.
Warmer winters mean more rain,
which falls on snow and freezes, the BES
explained in a statement.
‘Catastrophic die-offs’
The ice prevents reindeer from getting
to the lichen which comprises the bulk and weight.
of their winter diet and for which they
usually forage in the snow.
Lichen are complex organisms
comprised of a fungus living in symbiosis
with an alga or bacterium.
“The reindeer starve, aborting their
calves or giving birth to much lighter
young,” said the BES.
Reindeer numbers have increased
over the past two decades, said the
research team, so greater competition
for food likely also contributed to their
smaller size.
This meant there could be more,
but smaller reindeer in the Arctic in
the decades to come, “possibly at risk of
catastrophic die-offs because of increased
ice on the ground.”
The team has tracked Arctic reindeer
since 1994, catching, marking and
measuring 10-month-old calves every
winter and returning the following year
to recapture and note the animals’ size
A study earlier this year
pointed to 61,000 reindeer starving to
death on the Yamal Peninsula in Siberia
in the winter of 2013-2014 due to a “rainon-snow”
event as described in the new
research. — AFP
Winter calls for a hot cup of tea and fried snacks.
But don’t forget to dig into gooseberry, papaya
and pomegranate to combat dry skin which the
cold season brings along with it, says an expert.
Anju Majeed, Senior Scientist, Sami Labs, has shared a list of winter
fruits that you and your skin can enjoy during winter season:
* Gooseberry: It is popularly known for its nutritional value,
extensively used in natural cosmetic products.
It helps in detoxification and acts as a blood purifier which
makes skin look radiant and clear.
* Papaya: It is a fruit rich in Vitamin A and contains enzymes
that exfoliate your skin to provide you a glowing complexion.
It also helps as an anti-oxidant.
The enzyme papain breaks down inactive proteins and
eliminates dead skin cells.
Papaya also works as a great skin-firming and anti-ageing agent.
* Avocado: It is a fruit that is rich in proteins and Omega-9 fatty
acids which are building blocks of healthy complexion and help
the skin fight winter dryness from inside. It helps in retaining a soft
and glowing skin.
Vitamin E in avocado prevents wrinkling while the fruit oil can
be used as a natural moisturiser.
* Pomegranate: This fruit is a great rejuvenator with high power
to regenerate skin.
Pomegranates help clear pores, slow ageing and reduce the
appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. In winter, the skin expands
due to the cold weather.
This fruit will help in keeping the skin pores tight.
* Pineapple: It is a fruit that is considered as a storehouse of
Vitamin C.
Acne is another problem that is faced during winter, the pimples
last longer and deeper as the pores are cracked leaving it open for
dust particles to enter.
Pineapple is an anti-oxidant for acne, fights blemishes, black
marks, blackheads and purifies pores deeply which leaves skin
clean and clear.
* Banana: This fruit contains potassium which hydrates and
moisturises dehydrated skin with Vitamins E and C that promote
glowing skin. It reduces the skin dullness during winter.
It also helps in keeping the skin moisturised.
* Custard apple: This fruit has a combination of Vitimins A and
C, which help in combating free radicials in the body.
It works to keep skin moisturised and healthy. Custard apple
works great as a natural scrub as well.
Consuming custard apple juice on a regular basis stimulates the
development of new cells in the layers of the skin. It also assists in
healing of abrasion and cut.
* Kiwi: Kiwis contain large amounts of Vitamin C, which helps
your body produce collagen, a connective tissue protein that helps
firm the skin.
Kiwi also contains Vitamin E, which keeps skin moisturised
and glowing.
* Plum: It is a seasonal fruit of the winters and has Vitamins
B and E, along with minerals like magnesium, iron, calcium and
zinc.
These help to purify body and to maintain skin’s elasticity. It
hydrates the body. — IANS
* crossword
CRYPTIC PUZZLE
ACROSS
4 Possibly edit letters as dull
routine (6)
7 Was a hair mat her undoing?
(4,4)
8 One wandering off course (6)
10 It helps to create keenness (5)
13 For British Rail to cut pay
would have been an asinine
thing to do (4)
14 Checked a number of points (4)
15 A ‘Mr’ to exile out East (4)
16 A form of wood simply without
imitation (3)
17 The flag lady (4)
19 Only partly construed to be
accurate! (4)
21 Indicates plainly the marks are
simply wrong (6,3)
23 Statesman and writer of a news
piece (4)
24 Service in bulk (4)
26 Some stage of a game? (3)
27 Not the heaviest part of the
programme (4)
29 Tease the Tory leader with
humour (4)
32 Mother’s was alcoholic (4)
33 How could a lofty-sounding
lady be such a beast? (5)
34 Soldiers can make sport out of
nothing! (6)
35 Aussie bounder giving a groan
in a knockout situation! (8)
36 It’s hard to squeeze a cathedral
in behind part of a monastery!
(6)
DOWN
1 It’s wrong to be in a state! (5)
2 Possibly set out with a warm
hearted look (5)
3 Food for old Bill, being out of
breath (4)
4 As to a headdress, it’s up to an
artist (5)
5 Maybe it calls for payment (4)
6 Not exactly unable to be
employed (6)
9 Where there’s an emergency
message about an insect (6)
11 Whence you can see a fair way,
of course (3)
12 Vegetable one gets in the noon
break (5)
13 Probable winner getting
batsmen out (4,3)
15 Combination container? (3)
16 Place to turn up at the West
End (3)
18 Call to rip out a gun, possibly
(4,2)
20 It’s rotten being out of practice
(5)
21 She keeps in shape, generally
(3)
22 The anti-aircraft missile man
(3)
23 Polly’s standard nonsense (6)
25 Relatively kind people (3)
28 What it is to ski rashly in the
outskirts of Rugby (5)
30 Tired and hesitant about an
early start (5)
31 A sharp thing used in hospital
only (5)
32 Developing more capital (4)
33 A greeting heard at top level (4)
EASY PUZZLE
ACROSS
4 Opposed (6)
7 Sloth (8)
8 Original (6)
10 Crowd (5)
13 Ale (4)
14 Layer (4)
15 Liquid measure (4)
16 Swamp (3)
17 Adjoin (4)
19 Thing (4)
21 Splashed (9)
23 Body parts (4)
24 Level (4)
26 Perplex (3)
27 Weary (4)
29 Team (4)
32 Sea bird (4)
33 M East country (5)
34 Comment (6)
35 Lens (8)
36 Declared (6)
DOWN
1 Vision (5)
2 Angry look (5)
3 Formerly (4)
4 Poplar (5)
5 Islamic chieftain (4)
6 Ski race (6)
9 Stop working (6)
11 Lubricant (3)
12 Hang (5)
13 Wading bird (7)
15 Place (3)
16 Cot (3)
18 Beat (6)
20 Anxious (5)
21 Gender (3)
22 Previous day (3)
23 Wooded area (6)
25 Poem (3)
28 Annoyed (5)
30 Force (5)
31 Finished (5)
32 Sharp (4)
33 Barks (4)
YESTERDAY’S CRYPTIC
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Con-do-r 7, Ordinary
8, Rill 10, S-h-ovel 11, Ignore 14,
Sea 16, Pa-ris 17, Star 19, Pop in
21, Sedan 22, Super 23, Lash 24,
Set up 26, Si-X 29, Trumps 30,
Detes-t 31 Acts 32, Contract 33,
Errand.
DOWN: 1, Ca-U-ses 2, Driver 3,
Roll 4, King-pin 5, Major 6, Tyres
8, Rosa 9, Lea 12, Nan 13, Rings
15, Y-ode-l 18, Tuber 19, Pep 20,
Par 21, Sup-port 22, Sum 23, Litter
24, A-X-es 25, Hatred 26, Stuck 27,
Turns 28, Sec 30, D-ate.
YESTERDAY’S EASY
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS: 1, Pollen 7, Elevator 8,
Iris 10, Sprint 11, Arcade 14, Oak
16, Rated 17, Mint 19, Bosun 21,
Talon 22, Titan 23, Free 26, Enter
28, Hoe 29, Behead 30, Mirage 31,
Opal 32, Nerve gas 33, Thence.
DOWN: 1, Possum 2, Lariat 3,
Nest 4, Overrun 5, Stoat 6, Greed
8, Iron 9, Ink 12, Can 13, Delve 15,
Solar 18, Inane 19, Bat 20, Son 21,
Tirades 22, Tee 23, Forage 24, Real
25, Emerge 26, Ebony 27, Thorn
28, Hip 30, Most.