Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. | Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media GroupFounded 1975 . Volume 41 No. | Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

April 7, 2016 29 Jumada Al Thani 1437 AH

THURSDAY

39 40

The march of knowledge is advancing year by year, on a road enlightened by your sincere determination to elevate Oman to the highest level of genuine knowledge.

On the occasion of the Graduation of the 2nd group of students from the Sultan Qaboos University, 1991

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTYTHE SULTAN

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

HM greets Saudi King

HM sendsgreetings

MUSCAT: Sheikh Sa’ad bin Mohammed Al Mardhouf Al Sa’adi, Minister of Sports Affairs conveyed greetings of His Maj-esty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Ab-dulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), along with His Majesty’s best wishes to him and the brotherly KSA people continuous progress and prosperity.

This came when the Custo-dian of the Two Holy Mosques received the GCC Sports Minis-ters, on the sidelines of the GCC Sports Ministers’ 30th meet-ings, which was concluded in Riyadh on Wednesday. — ONA

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Tran Dai Quang of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on the oc-casion of him being elected as a President of the Republic.

In his cable, His Majesty ex-pressed his sincere congratula-tions and best wishes of success to President Quang in leading the brotherly people of Vietnam to achieve further progress and prosperity, and the friendship relations between the two coun-tries further progress. — ONA

C A B L E S

V I E T N A M

REJIMON K & ERIK PRINSreji@timesofoman.comerik@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Red light jumpers should be heavily punished and it’s the only one way to make Oman roads safe, said road safety experts and motorists while welcoming Royal Oman Police (ROP) move impose severe punishment on the violators.

On Wednesday, the ROP upload-ed a statement on its official twit-ter handle saying that drivers who fail to stop at a red light risk a jail sentence of up to a year and a fine of up to OMR500, or one of these punishments.

“Jumping a red light is among the most severe of traffic viola-tions, where the offending driver risks a jail sentence of up to a year and a fine of up to OMR500, or one of these punishments,” Major Zaid bin Mohammed Al Hosni, Head of

the Violations Administration at the General Directorate of Traffic at the ROP, said in the statement.

“It is well known that accidents occurring at traffic light crossings are often very severe and result ei-ther in death or in severe injuries. Particularly since the one who is running a red light is driving at a high speed while trying to pass the lights just before they turn red. Such a wrong assessment leads to an accident,” he added.

Al Hosni said that these punish-ments also include drivers speed-ing, driving recklessly or under the influence of alcohol or any type of drugs, crossing in an unsafe place or where it is forbidden to cross, or posing a threat to the lives or pos-sessions of others.

“The punishment will be one to five years in prison when this leads to death or injury of another person, or when the victim is pre-vented from working for more than 10 days. That includes driv-ing the vehicle without the proper permit, using the vehicle for other purposes than it was allowed to, driving a vehicle which permit or number plate was withdrawn, or driving with an expired driving li-cense,” Al Hosni said.

Al Hosni also said that the fine for driving on the wrong lane at the traffic light is OMR35.

“Changing lanes without abid-ing by safe traffic behaviour, whether it is on interchanges or on roads, is obstructing other road us-ers and leads to confusion among traffic. Suddenly changing lanes causes traffic accidents, God for-bid,” Al Hosni added.

Mark Pudwell, training man-ager at Competence HR, said that monetary punitive action for driv-ing offences can be an effective de-terrent. >A6 See also Page 3

Safety experts and motorists welcome

the move to introduce stiffer penalties for

jumping a red light and other offences

ACE OMANI RACER AHMAD AL HARTHY WITH ASTON MARTIN VULCAN SUPERCARAhead of the highly anticipated April 8 Red Bull F1 Showrun that will see David Coulthard get behind the wheel and put the car through its paces on the roads around Muscat’s picturesque corniche, the event organisers on Wednesday provided a fantastic opportunity for car lovers in the city to see and take photos of the Aston Martin Vulcan, only 24 of which are available in the world, and the Red Bull F1 Car. — Shabin E/Times of Oman See also Page 4

OMANLibyan Constitution

1 Libyan Constitution Drafting Assembly reached consensus on new Constitution. >A7

WORLD50m Turks’ data stolen

2Data includes birth date, address and ID numbers of 50 million. >A16

SPORTSCricket team wishes

3Sultan Ahmed has wished Cricket team all success under Ajay Lalcheta. >C1

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

B1Contract worth OMR77m signed for Duqm port

MORNING MINUTE

Travelling to UAE becomes costlierTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will now be costlier as the Dubai and Sharjah airports have announced plans to levy an airport fee of AED35 (OMR3.6) on passengers leaving the country.

On Tuesday, the Sharjah Ex-ecutive Council (SEC) issued a resolution for the year 2016 on the collection of an AED35 (OMR 3.6) departure fee at the Sharjah International Airport for the use of airport facilities and services, according to according to the Emirates News Agency.

Earlier, a similar move was an-nounced by the Dubai Airport.

Referred to as the airport fa-cilities’ fee, it has to be paid by all passengers who leave the Dubai and Sharjah airports.

In Dubai, officials said airlines will collect the fee while issuing tickets for flights departing after June 30,

Collected feesThe collected fees will be trans-ferred to Dubai Airports, and subsequently to the Dubai Gov-ernment’s public treasury.

The resolution aims to im-prove Dubai’s airport infrastruc-ture and boost its capacity, which is set to reach 100 million passen-gers by 2023, as well as support expansion projects. >A6

N E W A I R P O R T F E E

Device to save doctors from X-ray exposureHASAN SHABAN AL LAWATIhassan@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: During a biopsy, a medical procedure, doctors get exposed to X-ray radiations, which can lead to different dis-eases. Now, thanks to the latest Omani invention, doctors can conduct a biopsy while keeping a safe distance from the harmful radiations.

Exposed to such radiationsA biopsy involves taking a sample of tissue from the body in order to examine it more closely us-ing X-rays, and being exposed to such radiations does carry the risk of causing cancer many years

or decades later, but this risk is thought to be very small, accord-ing to the United Kingdom’s Na-tional Health Service (NHS).

Sultan Qaboos University stu-dent Hamed Al Salmi, explained that his “Robotic biopsy” is used instead of the traditional (manu-al) operation to take a tissue bi-opsy from the patients. >A6

O M A N I I N V E N T I O N

‘Jailing red light jumpers to make roads more safe’

Omani rials is the fine for drivers who jump a red light signal or a jail

sentence of up to one year

500

A2 T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

OMAN

DEEBA HASANdeeba@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A special stamp, marking 60 years of ‘India-Oman’ diplomatic relations, which was issued by Oman Post, was jointly unveiled by Indramani Pandey, the ambassador of India to Oman and Abdul Malik Abdul Karim al Balushi, chief executive officer of Oman Post, in a special ceremony held at the Indian embassy audi-torium in Muscat yesterday.

This is the first time that Oman Post has issued a commemora-tive stamp to mark an important milestone in India’s historical relations with Oman. The de-sign of the postage stamp de-picts key monuments of the two countries—Oman’s iconic Grand Mosque and India’s Taj Mahal in Agra in subtly fused colours. The first-day cover of the stamp de-picts the historical Muscat Gate and Mumbai’s Gateway of India.

60th anniversaryThe unveiling ceremony of the postal stamp also marked the culmination of the year-long cel-ebrations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of establish-ment of India-Oman diplomatic ties, which began with the visit of Sushma Swaraj, external af-fairs minister of India to Oman in February last year. It was her first visit to Oman and provided a new momentum in bilateral relations.

During his speech on the mo-mentous occasion, Ambassador Pandey spoke about different events, which were held last year, to commemorate relations be-tween the two countries, which have been ongoing since 1955.

An Indian Film Festival was

held in April 2015, in association with City Cinema and Yash Raj Films. After this, a lecture on “In-dia-Oman Relations in a Histori-cal and Contemporary Perspec-tive” was also delivered by Talmiz Ahmed in May.

Besides these, in September last year, four Indian Naval Ships from the Western Fleet visited the Muscat port, which was fol-lowed by a joint voyage under-taken by INS Tarangini, an Indian Naval Sailing Ship, and ‘Shabab Oman,’ the sailing ship of the Roy-al Navy of Oman, both of which sailed from Muscat to Kochi from November 24 to December 3, 2015, tracing the ancient trading route between India and Oman.

Also present at the major event was Dr. Ali bin Ahmed Al-Isa’eei, undersecretary for Diplomatic Affairs at Ministry of Foreign Af-fairs of Oman, and also the guest of honour at the event. Senior officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Oman Post, ambassadors of other countries, members of the diplomatic corps, prominent members of the Indian community, Indian academicians from the Sultan Qaboos Univer-sity (SQU) and stamp collectors also attended.

This is the first

time that Oman

Post has issued a

commemorative

stamp to mark an

important milestone

in India’s historical

relations with Oman

CELEBRATING A BOND: The unveiling ceremony of the postal stamp also marked the culmination of

the year-long celebrations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of establishment of India-Oman

diplomatic ties. – Supplied photo

Stamp celebrates India-Oman ties

A3

OMANT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

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Rain expected for 3 days from todayStaff Reporter

MUSCAT: Rain is expected in Oman from Thursday evening for three days, according to Oman meteorology department’s latest advisory.

Caution advised“An upper air trough over the Sul-tanate will result in rain, thunder-showers, fresh wind and hail,” the meteorology department said in its statement.

Meanwhile, the public author-ity for civil aviation (PACA) has advised people to remain cautious

during rain and avoid crossing wadis and low-lying areas.

Fishermen and sea goers have also been advised to follow up-dates from meteorology depart-ment before venturing into sea.

W E A T H E R94% appreciate ROP’s steps to curb accidents

FAHAD AL GHADANIfahadnews@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Ninety-four per cent of the residents of the Sultanate are happy with the efforts made to ensure traffic safety a tweet by the Royal Oman Police ROP in the official account of the Directorate General of Traffic.

The tweet also revealed that nine people out of every 10 are hap-py with the services provided and

the strategies made by the ROP to reduce accidents and maintain traffic safety in the Sultanate.

According to the post, 89 per cent of citizens and 97 per cent of expatriates are satisfied with the Traffic Department’s efforts.

The post also categorised the number of surveyed according to their area. Eighty-seven per cent of those surveyed in Al Buraimi and Al Wusta said there are happy while 83 per cent of those sur-veyed in Muscat, Musandam and

Al Dhahira shared the view.In Al Sharqiyah North, 81 per

cent of the surveyed people were satisfied with the traffic safety effort made by ROP, while the fig-ure for Dhofar was 78 per cent, Al Batinah South, 76 per cent in Al Batinah North and 75 per cent in Al Sharqiyah South.

Royal Oman Police has run a number of separate campaigns to spread awareness among citizens and residents on traffic safety.

“This is all to educate the pub-lic on traffic safety. The ROP has made many efforts to reduce the risk of due to some practices and behaviour which might lead to ac-cidents that could even be fatal,”

said Said Al H’sani, a teacher based in Muscat. He added that the controls introduced by the ROP and the strategies adopted have helped in reaching a better traffic management in the Sul-

tanate recent years. “The num-ber of accident and death were reduced and this is a clear sign for the success of the efforts made by ROP and it also shows the in-crease of the public awareness on traffic safety,” said Said.

Eighty-nine per cent

of citizens and 97 per

cent of expatriates

are satisfied with the

Traffic Department’s

efforts to reduce

road accidents

LIFE SAVING LINK: Nine people out of every 10 are happy with the

services provided and the strategies made by the ROP to reduce ac-

cidents and maintain traffic safety in the Sultanate. – File photo

Omani firm participates in UK training programmeTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Majan Health Servic-es (MHS), a company incubated at the National Business Centre (NBC), recently participated in an accredited training for occu-pational medicine with RSPH, which was approved by the Fac-ulty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) in the United Kingdom.

The training and workshop was followed by a site visit to ma-jor London city industries and site work environment. Distin-guished speakers covered a range of topics on occupational medi-cine and health specialties.

Dr. Aisha Ali, managing direc-tor of MHS visited the Anglo-Omani Society in the United Kingdom and had a positive meeting with the Manager, Ben Wright. Formed in January 1976,

the Anglo-Omani Society is a charitable organisation working with the objective of preserving the longstanding friendship be-tween Britain and Oman.

Ali shared information about MHS as an SME (small and medi-um enterprise) and the important challenges in improving the qual-ity of the medical and health care project, developing occupational health and the opportunity of ex-changing and collaboration with recognised medical organisations in the United Kingdom.

She also attended the 11th An-nual Lecture at the Royal College of Surgeons in London where an presentation was given by Dr. Margaret Chan, director general of WHO (World Health Organisa-tion), as she delivered her lecture on “From healthcare products to trust and reliance: the expanded

role of regulatory authorities in an era of global health perils.”

NBC is an initiative launched by PEIE at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM) that offers prom-ising Omani entrepreneurs a plat-form for developing their busi-ness ideas and advancing them into growing ventures.

The centre offers a premier platform for Omani entrepre-neurs by providing business de-velopment support and guidance, training and mentoring, access to markets and industry experts, and state-of-the-art and fully equipped office space, meeting rooms and presentation facilities.

The objectives of NBC com-prise facilitating and supporting the growth of investable ideas into successful businesses; build-ing entrepreneurial skills through dedicated and focused training.

M A J A N H E A L T H S E R V I C E S

Oman takes part in Arab conference

CAIRO: Oman took part in the deliberations of the Ministerial Conference on Implementa-tion of Sustainable Develop-ment Agenda 2030 in the Arab countries, which was held at the headquarters of the Arab League today.

The Sultanate’s delegation was led by Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali Al Harthy, Sultanate’s Am-bassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt and its Permanent Representative to the Arab League. -ONA

A G E N D A 2 0 3 0

A4 T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

OMANAHMAD AL HARTHY WITH ASTON MARTIN VULCAN SUPERCAR Ministry of Tourism,

Red Bull jointly

organise Formula

One Showrun

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Under the patronage of Sayyid Taymoor bin Assad Al Said, the Ministry of Tourism has collaborated with the Red Bull Formula One Racing team to or-ganise the Formula 1 Showrun in different locations in the Sultan-ate.

In the recent years, the Min-istry of Tourism has taken a conscious decision to host and sponsor such events in the Sul-tanate and bring the attention of the international media to Oman. Through these events, the Minis-try of Tourism aims to promote the country as an ideal destina-tion for hosting sporting and en-tertainment events.

“It is part of our tourism strat-egy to promote and host such sporting events in the country. We are glad to have partnered with Red Bull in bringing the Austrian racing team to Oman. The public will certainly be thrilled to see their favourite team in action,” said Salim bin Adi Al Mamaari, directorate gen-eral of Tourism Promotion at the Ministry of Tourism.

He added, “This is not the first time we are working with Red Bull. In the past, we have collabo-rated during the Red Bull Cliff Diving event, which was held in Wadi Shab, Sur. The event elicit-ed a wonderful response from the public and the media alike and went a long way in promoting the destination.

We are confident that this

event will be no different.”The event will start at 2 pm on

Friday at Muttrah Corniche and is open to the general public.

A special racing route has been organised for racing cars in order ease traffic congestion.

TransportationAlso, transportation has been ar-ranged to take the audience to the venue from three locations—the public parking near the Sultan Qaboos port, the State Council of Oman external parking and Riyam Park parking—where the public can park their vehicles.

M E G A E V E N T

Red Bull Racing team set to host ‘Fire Ups’

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Racing fans in Oman will get their first chance to see, hear and feel the roar of a For-mula 1 car on home soil when the Red Bull Racing championship winning car takes to the streets of Muscat as part of a weekend of full-throttle action. The action gets underwaytoday at two spe-cial ‘Fire Up’ events where the car will be available for members of the public to see and hear close up.

The car will be unveiled at Om-antel Headquarters at 2pm and again later on Thursday at the Oman Automobile Association (OAA) from 5PM. Fans will have the chance to get up close with the car and hear the roar of its engine – the same car that claimed the 2012 Drivers’ Championship and the Constructors Championship.

Suleiman Al Rawahi, Oman Au-tomobile Association Managing Director, said: “We are thrilled to be organising this event and to be bringing such a truly unique expe-rience to Oman. This event came as results of working together with Red Bull Oman and part of OAA motorsport development in Oman. Motorsports in Oman has grown rapidly in the past three years and continues to do so.”

Talking about the popularity of motorsports, Al Rawahisaid: “It’s in their blood; Omanis adore all kind of motorsports disciplines. We are looking forward to the hosting a Fire Up at the Oman Au-tomobile Association as a teaser to get people ready for what we have in store for them tomorrow.”

Al Rawahi added: “After this

event we will start working on the next big event that is coming to Oman which is the Red Bull Car Park Drift Regional Final.”

Visitors will be able to feel the power up close of the Formula 1 car - a machine that competes in the most strategic and technologi-cally advanced motorsport in the world as it tears around the cor-ners of the world’s most famous racetracks. On Friday the highly anticipated Red Bull F1 Show-run will see David Coulthard gets behind the wheel and put the car

through its paces on the roads around Muscat’s picturesque Corniche.

The Showrun Team has been to every inhabited continent on the planet. Travelling the world, the car has raced on cobbled city streets in Europe and across bak-ing deserts in the Americas, it has conquered the highest road in the Himalayas, skated on frozen riv-ers in Canada and drifting across golden Caribbean beaches. And now it’s Oman’s turn to experi-ence the power of Red Bull Rac-

ing. The Showrun will be held un-der the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Taimur Bin Assad Al-Said and organised by the Oman Au-tomobile Association and Royal Oman Police with the support of the Ministry of Tourism. The event is being held in partnership with Omantel, KhimjiRamdas, HiFM, Hala FM, Times of Oman, Shabiba, Holiday Inn Muscat Al Seeb and City Vago. For more in-formation on exact event location, timings and shuttle service visit www.redbull.com/f1oman.

Two special

events will unveil

on Thursday at

2pm at Omantel

Headquarters and

later in the day at the

Oman Automobile

Association at 5pm

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED: On Friday the Red Bull F1 Showrun will see David Coulthard gets behind the

wheel and put the car through its paces on the roads around Muscat’s Corniche. — Supplied photos

Showrun driver David Coulthard reveals thoughtsHASAN SHABAN AL LAWATIhassan@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Racing legend David Coulthard will strut his stuff in Muttrah Corniche for the 90-minute event. In an exclusive interview with Times of Oman he revealed views.

Tell us about your feelings prior to making your debut in the Omani capital, Muscat“I’m really excited to go to Muscat. I have spoken to a number of peo-ple here in the Middle East and they all speak very highly of Oman. This will be my first time so I’m really looking forward to it.”

You have stunned thousands of fans in Asia, including Dubai and India, how excited are you about Oman?“I’m very excited to get to Oman, I’ve heard the people there are re-ally nice so it will be good to meet them.”

I assume you are familiar with the hot and humid weather of the Middle East, will our sun cause you any trouble? And how do you keep yourself hy-drated during the show?“Driving in warm temperatures really effects the drivers because the cockpit temperature goes up and that puts extra strain on your decision making capabilities. I have always thought that F1 not only stands for the fastest cars but in a sporting context pushing yourself physically and mentally to the limit, so from that point of view I enjoy the extra challenge.”

What do you have to say to F1 fans in Oman?“This is a great opportunity for all of you to see a Formula 1 car up close and personnel. Red Bull Show car program has gone all over the world and it always impresses. It connects with young children, males and females, and all age groups. It is a once in a lifetime experience.”

Apart from the show run, are you planning to go out and about in Oman? Any particular destination?“I always enjoy the opportunity to not only demonstrate Formula 1’s

capabilities but also soak up the local atmosphere. We are usually well looked after, given good rec-ommendations of restaurants and places to see. One of the greatest pleasures of being a Grand Prix driver is being able to travel the world and meet the locals.”

If you could pick just one track to race on, what would it be?“My favourite circuit is Spa in Belgium but thankfully I was also able to race, and win at the classic tracks like Monte Carlo, Monza and Silverstone. I’m a big fan of the history of our sport but I also think It’s important to continue to reach new territories, that’s what part of bringing an F1 car to Oman is all about and for me it’s a pleasure to be part of it.”

What is your favorite / worst memory of your time in F1?“My favorite memory from F1is meeting people from all around the world and finding that irre-spective of backgrounds, cultural differences, religion or any of those things at the end of the day cars are fascinating and bring people together, that’s been my greatest pleasure of being involved in F1.”

Who is the best driver on the grid in your opinion?“I think there are certain tiers. Guys like Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel are unquestion-ably in that top tier. Then a knock-ing on the door just behind them, and I’m talking half a tenth you’ve got Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button and various other drivers. Then the next group are trying to show their skills to be in that top tier. You judge people on results based on the opportunity they have had so far, they are all there on merit and are good drivers but F1 is about finding the exceptional.”

P L A I N S P E A K

David Coulthard

The main event will

take place in Muttrah

on April 8 at 2 pm.

The race will be led

by the former British

racing legend David

Coulthard, who will

hit the streets with

his team’s car and

perform in front

of Omani fans

Photos by Shabin E/TIMES OF OMAN

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS: Yusuf bin Alawi, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs and Mohammed bin Mahfoudh Al Ardhi, Execu-tive Chairman of Investcorp and Chairman of the National Bank of Oman (NBO) keynote speeches. Marc J. Sievers, the US Ambassa-dor to Oman also delivered a welcome note. – OK Mohammaed Ali

A5

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Waste dump bothers Al Amerat residents

ERIK PRINS erik@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Muscat Municipal Council has received complaints from residents in Al Amerat about air pollution caused by a waste dump near Al Mahaj, Ali Al Maashari, a member of the Mu-nicipal Council representing Al Amerat, said.

“We have received dozens of complaints from residents report-ing a suffocating smell in their area,” he said.

Al Maashari said the number of complaints, which have re-peatedly surfaced for years, have increased after the recent rains, since the pollution becomes worse in the area after rain, as the water washes away material from the dump site. But people are af-fected despite the rain.

“Humidity in combination with the sun causes gases to emerge from the dump site,” he said.

Shared concerns“We share the concerns of the residents of Al Mahaj about pol-lution caused by vapours arising from the site. It disturbs the daily lives of the residents. The smell has a negative effect on the health of society,” he said.

Al Maashari further said the Muscat Municipality had tried to extract gases from the site, but they were still emerging from the area. The Times of Oman visited the site, tucked away in the hills on the fringes of Al Amerat, and experienced the stench, even as trucks were seen dumping their waste, which included mainly construction waste.

“We call upon the Muscat Mu-nicipality and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs to find a solution for this worry-ing issue. We propose to have the

gases removed from the site and the site to be redeveloped into a park or industrial area to meet the needs of the area,” he said.

Qais Al Kashri, director of Health Affairs at the Muscat Mu-nicipality, acknowledged that waste dumped at the site for years had resulted in methane gas to arise from the site in the summer, occasionally causing small fires.

“Our staff members at the site are doing everything they can to counter it,” he said.

Construction wasteHe added that eight years ago, general waste had been trans-ferred to the Al Multaqa landfill in Al Amerat and that since then, the site had only been used to dump construction waste.

TOO, however, witnessed old tires being dumped at the site.

In response to the residents’ concerns, Al Kashri said the site would be rehabilitated by Oman Environmental Services Com-pany “Be’ah,” which is responsible for waste management in Oman.

“It was agreed that Be’ah would rehabilitate the site,” he said.

A senior official from Be’ah said the dump site in Al Amerat would be closed and rehabilitated once it took over the waste sector from the Muscat Municipality in 2017.

“Existing dumpsites, includ-ing the site in Al Amerat, will

be closed and rehabilitated. An environmental assessment pro-gramme will be conducted for each dumpsite, helping Be’ah de-cide on the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly method to remediate the dump-site,” the official said.

Engineered landfillsHe added that to control the dam-age done, Be’ah had embarked on an “aggressive” plan to close all ex-isting dumpsites and replace them with engineered landfills and trans-fer stations across the country.

“Uncontrolled dumpsites ex-isted for many years in Oman and all sorts of mixed waste streams, hazardous and nonhazardous, are dumped in unprotected trenches or dumping sites. It is estimated that there are more than 300 dumpsites scattered across the country that are polluting soil, wa-ter, and air causing fires, unpleas-ant odours and they contribute to gas emissions,” he said.

Steps being takenHe added that as the infrastruc-ture is being laid out, experienced companies are planning to provide municipal waste management services that include pre-collec-tion, collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal.

“One of our main objectives is to control environmental damage in-

curred during decades of tradition-al waste dumping processes,” he stated. Al Maashari said recycling is also needed to avoid pollution.

“We stress the need for quickly starting recycling waste and limit dumping of waste in the Governo-rate of Muscat and other governo-rates of the country, in order to pro-tect the environment and health and safety of society,” he said.

The official from Be’ah said they are working towards implement-ing modern waste management aimed at reducing the amount of waste going into the engineered landfills. “It would be expected for the waste to be segregated at the source into two bins, dry and wet and then transferred to the material recovery facilities. These facilities would segregate the recyclables and wet waste and transfer them to either recycling, compost or waste-to-energy-to-water facilities. The rejects from these facilities would then be di-verted to the engineered landfills,” he said.

He also said the waste-to-ener-gy-to-water facility is a national project, whereby waste is ther-mally treated to generate steam and energy, which is then fed into a desalination plant to produce sweet water. It is expected that this project will generate roughly 30 per cent of Oman’s desalinated water requirement.

We have received

dozens of complaints

from residents, said

Ali Al Maashari

Municipal Council

member representing

Al Amerat

CONCERN: An official from Be’ah said they are working towards implementing modern waste man-agement aimed at reducing the amount of waste going into the engineered landfills. – Erik Prins

350 Harvard almuni part in association’s conference in OmanDEEBA HASANdeeba@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Harvard Arab Alumni Association (HAAA) held its 11th annual Harvard Arab World Con-ference at the Shangri La Barr Al Jissah resort and spa in Muscat during the weekend, and brought together nearly 350 participants representing a diverse community of Harvard alumni, all sharing an interest for the renewal and devel-opment of the Arab world.

Titled “Innovation: Inspiring a New Arab World”, the conference explored a multitude of innova-tive initiatives emerging out of the Arab World and not only tack-led topics of technology and the economic sphere, but discussed opportunities in the areas of edu-cation, arts, religion and policy. It also featured the first ever HAAA-sponsored startup pitch competi-tion in the Arab World.

This year’s agenda featured a large number of distinguished speakers, including opening key-note addresses by Yusuf bin Alawi, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs in the Sultanate of Oman and Mohammed bin Mahfoudh Al Ardhi, Executive Chairman of In-vestcorp and Chairman of the Na-tional Bank of Oman (NBO). Marc J. Sievers, the Ambassador of the United States to Oman also deliv-ered a welcome note.

Focused panelsBesides the welcome remarks, the event included five focused pan-els on ‘innovative Politics: Find-ing Common Grounds in Regional Conflicts’, ‘Building the Innovation

Economy’, ‘Innovation in Arab Schools’, ‘Innovation in the Art and Culture’, ‘Intellectual Innovation: A New Islamic Narrative’, ‘Innova-tion & Entrepreneurship’.

These session were presented by expert panelists of related fields, over 25 speakers from across the Arab world and glob-ally, including- H.E. Mr. Haidar Al Attas, Former Prime Minister of Yemen, Haya Al Ghanim, Di-rector of Innovation, Qatar Sci-ence & Technology Park, Aimen bin Ahmed Al Hosni, CEO, Oman Airports Management Company, Maysa Jalbout, CEO of the Abdul-lah Al Ghurair Foundation for Ed-ucation, Sheikh Mohammed Said Al Mamari, Advisor to the Minis-ter of Endowments and Religious Affairs in Oman.

Next generation thinkersAhmed T. el-Gaili (’03), President of the HAAA and Conference Co-Chair also added that “the HAWC is an opportunity to convene the next generation of thinkers in the region alongside accomplished leaders from a variety of fields. Through such events we hope to foster a constructive conversation around critical issues facing the Arab world.”

A day prior to the conference, an Admissions Information Session for students interested in applying to Harvard was conducted. In ad-dition, the Khimji Ramdas Group signed a letter of intent with Har-vard University announcing plans to set up a $250,000 scholarship fund for students from Oman who have enrolled in various graduate programmes at Harvard.

E V E N T

‘South Africa attractive tourist, investment destination for Omanis’Times News Service

MUSCAT: South Africa is grow-ing as an investment and tourism destination for Omanis, the South African Ambassador in Muscat, Major-General Lungile Chris Pep-ani said.

“We continue, as a country, to enjoy cordial relations with Oman. A vibrant interface between the business communities of our two nations is increasing, and so are the tourist levels. We expect fruit-ful results from these interactions and visits in the form of even more business opportunities for a win-

win situation for both countries,” he said.

Pepani said South Africa contin-ues to make its mark in the global world of tourism. “South Africa’s beaches, hotels, restaurants, nature reserves, fashion lines and routes are putting our country constantly on the world stage,” he stated.

The South African Embassy said in a statement that South Af-rica’s unique tourism attractions and innovative operators continue to garner global recognition.

The Garden Route was recently named as one of the 10 best walk-ing routes in the world by The Tel-

egraph, an influential newspaper in the United Kingdom. The Tel-egraph said the trails of the Garden Route tour covered some of the best coastal trails, forests and gorges in South Africa. The 16-day trip starts from Table Mountain and includes the Alexandria Trail and the Addo Elephant National Park.

The inclusion of the Garden Route in the top 10 list puts it at par with well-known walking routes in Italy, France and Costa Rica.

The luxurious boutique hotel El-lerman House, overlooking Bantry Bay in Cape Town, has joined 49 illustrious other hotels around the

world in the latest “50 Greatest Hotels” named by The Telegraph.

Children in the Wilderness (CITW), a non-profit organisation that arranges bush and wildlife ex-periences for young people to in-spire Africa’s future environmen-tal leaders, was a runner-up in the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) awards for sustainable tourism in Madrid recently. The UNWTO awards are flagship awards for the global tour-ism sector. The award for sustain-able tourism honours people and organisations, who work for the benefit of host communities and

protect their country’s environ-mental and cultural heritage for future generations.

Pepani said South Africa is open to doing business with Oman. He added that the Oman-South Africa Friendship Association (OSAFA) is now a legal entity in Oman, hav-ing had its constitution approved by the government of Oman. OS-AFA events and meetings provide South African and Omani compa-nies a platform to explore oppor-tunities for business tie-ups and investments in both countries.

“As an Embassy, we support the association and, with two business-

networking functions under the belt already this year, and a promis-ing work programme for the year, OSAFA seems raring to go.

“South Africa remains an at-tractive investment destination. The recent introduction of code share operations between SAA and JetBlue Airways on the Washing-ton D.C. and Accra route, ensuring seamless travel for business and leisure, and the huge budget set aside for the building of new port facilities across the country, are testimony to enhanced efforts to at-tract investment into the country,” he said.

E N V O Y S P E A K

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OMANT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

Jumping red light is a serious life-saving rules violation

and it not only put the driver and his occupant life in

danger but also risking other road users’ life.

Neelesh Sogani, road safety expert

Travelling to UAE to get costlier

These include the state-of-the-art Concourse D at the Dubai Interna-tional Airport, Terminal 2 and the renovation of Terminal 1, accord-ing to the Emirates News Agency.

However, passengers under the age of two and aircraft crew on duty will be exempted from paying the fee. “The United Arab Emir-ates is looking to boost its diversi-fication strategy as low oil prices continue to weigh on revenues. So they are announcing several plans to spruce up their revenue,” said Satish M, who regularly travels to the UAE.

Indian expat, M Adhikari, how-ever, said he doesn’t mind paying this money. “I don’t mind paying the money as I think this will go to-wards enhancing airport services, which are world class.”

Businessman Mohammed Al Kindi, however, said blue collar workers will feel the heat. “It will not make much difference to exec-utives, but the blue collar workers will feel the pressure as every rial counts for them.”

N E W A I R P O R T F E E

< FROM

A1‘New device will allow for higher accuracy’“By using the robot, doctors will be able to take a biopsy outside a CT scan room, which is used to take pictures in very fine slices through the body via X-rays,” Al Salmi said, adding, “Therefore, this project will reduce time, ef-fort and radiation exposure while maintaining high accuracy in ob-taining tissue biopsy.”

According to the engineering student, the traditional operation for a biopsy is done by using an X-ray scanner specifically computed tomography (X-ray CT) to take photos of the targeted organs and tissues of patient.

“A doctor starts conducting a biopsy using a long needle de-pending on his memory recall from photos and past experience about the targeted position,” he added, while explaining that the

main problems facing any doctor are the absence of accuracy and radiation exposure.

Overcomes challenges“Moreover, the old methods of op-eration takes a long time and in-volves huge effort from both doc-tors and patients, and the brand new invention overcomes those challenges,” he added.

“In order to take a biopsy, the targeted tissue should be drugged by using a drug needle after that the biopsy needle is injected, which should have the same path of the drug needle.

However, this procedure is dif-ficult to do since the needles are blindly injected into the tissue. Therefore, doctors need a num-ber of trials to correctly inject the needle,” Al Salmi stated, adding

that the new device would allow for higher accuracy while inject-ing both needles in the same path.

“Our device costs around OMR400 and will reduce the time of the operation by decreasing the number of trials,” Al Salmi said.

Asked if he and his team have plans to introduce the technol-ogy at a local hospital, Al Salmi agreed, pointing out that this will only be done after experimenting with the device and testing its ap-plicability.

It is worth mentioning that the team participated in the 7th Engi-neering Students Gathering at the SQU, which started on Sunday, and was held under the patron-age of Salim bin Nassir Al Oufi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, and Dr. Ali Al Bemani, vice chancellor of SQU.

O M A N P R I D E

< FROM

A1

USE OF ROBOT: By using the robot, doctors will be able to take a

biopsy outside a CT scan room, which is used to take pictures in

very fine slices through the body via X-rays. — Supplied picture

‘New penalties will help to curb fatal incidents’

And in the case of causing injury or death, imprisonment may be added to the punishment, he said.

“Red-light offences are often discussed and mentioned on so-cial media and with good reason however the single biggest road safety issue in Oman is the use of mobile phones whilst driving. It has become and remains one of the biggest single causes of road traffic incidents and can no longer be ignored. Punitive ac-tion for this socially unaccepta-ble practice needs to be aligned to the laws for red-light offences,” Pudwell added.

Quoting a study, ROP official Al Hosni, said that 72 per cent of drivers admitted that they text and drive and 80 per cent had admitted that they lose focus while typing.

Neelesh Sogani, another road safety expert in Muscat, said that it is a good move towards curtail-ing serious fatal incidents

“Jumping red light is a serious life-saving rules violation and it not only put the driver and his occupant life in danger but also risking other road users’ life. I also insists that ROP shall start negative scoring for such viola-tions and multiple violator’s li-censes shall be seized,” the road safety expert said.

“It is always good to use sticks of penalties and other tough deci-sions if individuals are not car-ing for own life and putting oth-ers into danger. All life-saving rule violator’s shall be treated in

harsh way,” the road safety expert added. Mohammed Faisal, a taxi driver in Ruwi, also voiced the same opinion of experts. “Reck-less driving of a few on the road pose threat to everyone. Rules are set to follow. It not only helps them but others too. Violators should be punished hard,” the taxi driver added.

However, many expressed their surprise on social network-ing sites towards the new move by the ROP.

While a few welcomed the move, majority expressed their surprise even saying that such punishments will scare the driv-ers and lead to more chaos on the roads.

After the story was uploaded in Times of Oman website, in two hours, it received 4,000 hits and the same shared on Times of Oman’s official Facebook page reached to 113,524 people and it was shared 1,111 readers.

R O A D S A F E T Y M E A S U R E S

< FROM

A1

Quoting a study, ROP

official Al Hosni, said that

72 per cent of drivers

admitted that they text and

drive and 80 per cent had

admitted that they lose

focus while typing

Adopting Cisco solutions to help Oman’s IT firms

Staff Reporter

MUSCAT: Cisco, along with the International Information Tech-nology Co. (IITC), made a presen-tation on the adoption of Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastruc-ture (ACI) for IT officials at lead-ing companies of the Sultanate on Tuesday.

The benefits, as well as how ACI can influence cost effective-ness and help converge emerg-ing technologies to facilitate the growth of the firm or the business were also discussed. This was the first time Cisco’s ACI solution was presented in the Sultanate.

ACI reduces total cost of own-ership (TCO), automates IT

tasks, and accelerates data centre application deployments.

It achieves this by using a busi-ness-relevant software defined networking (SDN) policy model across networks, servers, storage, security, and services. Ahmed Chehime, strategic product sales specialist at Cisco led the pres-entation for the IT officials of the companies in the Sultanate.

In the networking field“Software Defined Networking (SDN) is coming out much faster than the other transition in the networking field,” he stated.

According to networking ex-perts, SDN is an approach to computer networking that al-

lows network administrators to manage network services through the concept of higher-level func-tionality.

Decoupling the systemThis is done by decoupling the system that makes decisions about where traffic is sent (the control plane) from the underly-ing systems that forward traffic to the selected destination, that is the data plane. According to many of the attendees the session was an informative one.

“It was a good event and helped us know more about the changing trends in the networking,” an at-tendee told the Times of Oman.

“We were planning to change our data centre and this evening helped us to know more on that and how to adopt latest technolo-gies,” another official of a leading company in Oman said. Cisco Systems is an American multina-tional technology company head-quartered in San Jose, California, that designs, manufactures and sells networking equipment. It is considered to be the biggest net-working company in the world.

This was the

first time Cisco’s

Application Centric

Infrastructure

solution was

presented in the

Sultanate of Oman Ahmed Chehime.

— Picture by Shabin E/Times of Oman

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

Ooredoo introduces unified roaming rates for all of GCCTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Enhancing commu-nication between the countries of the GCC, and complying with the Oman Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) requirement for a common re-gional roaming price structure, Ooredoo has unified its tariffs for customers travelling to GCC countries with the introduc-tion of their ‘GCC One Region One Tariff’.

A permanent adjustment ef-fective from 1 April, the new roaming programmes offers all Ooredoo Shahry and Mousbak customers the same standard rate for local roaming calls, data and SMS in any GCC country they travel to, and regardless of the operator they use. Always looking to deliver the best value possible, Ooredoo has not only simplified its roaming struc-ture, but reduced the cost of lo-cal calls, calls back to Oman, as well as data and SMS messages within the GCC.

“Developed in the spirit of mutual cooperation with our neighbours, ‘One Region One Tariff’ is a great option for trav-ellers to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

“It is now easier and cheaper than ever to keep in touch with the office via email, family on the phone, or friends on social me-

dia,” said Feras Al Shaikh, Direc-tor of Consumer Sales.

When using ‘GCC One Region One Tariff’, Ooredoo customers will now be able to make local calls during their travels at a cost of 100 Baizas a minute and SMS will be charged at just 31 Baizas. Travellers to the GCC will also be able to access data at the reduced rate of 500 Baizas per MB. Ad-ditionally, receiving calls from home will cost just 135 Baizas per minute. Ooredoo customers do not need to worry about opt-ing in to the ‘One Region One Tariff’, as charges will be applied automatically.

Of course, for travellers who prefer to purchase a bun-dle for travel, Ooredoo has the Musafir UAE and Musafir GCC plans, which provide data al-lowances and reinforces Oore-doo’s strategy of providing out-standing value wherever its customers are.

However, for those who pre-fer to roam without opting into a bundle, there will be significant benefits from the new ‘One Re-gion One Tariff’ rates.

For more information, visit any of Ooredoo’s 40 stores lo-cated across Oman or go to www.ooredoo.om.

‘ G C C O N E R E G I O N O N E T A R I F F ’

‘One Region One Tariff’ is a

great option for travellers

to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar,

Saudi Arabia and the

United Arab Emirates

Feras Al ShaikhDirector of Consumer Sales

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Recently, a group of 10 GUtech students from the Ger-man University of Technology in Oman (GUtech) passed the Lan-guage Exam A1 of the Goethe In-stitut, the German Language and Culture Centre.

Studying German is part of the curricula at the university. “The certificate helps the students study at a German university,” said Andrea Cornelissen, representa-tive of the German Academic Ex-change Service (DAAD) and Ger-man lecturer at GUtech.

The Head of the Goethe Institut in Muscat, Sabine Brachmann-Bosse, conducted the exams at GUtech. The exam was held for 90 minutes and is similar to IELTS English tests covering writing, reading, speaking and listening.

In order to motivate students to improve their German language and cultural skills, GUtech is plan-ning to conduct the German exam on a regular basis.

At the university, students stud-ied German for three semesters; however the language of tuition at GUtech is English.

GUtech fosters exchange be-tween Germany and Oman, espe-cially through its German part-ner-university RWTH Aachen University.

L A N G U A G E E X A M A 1

The group of GUtech students

along with Andrea Cornelissen,

DAAD Representative

and German lecturer at

GUtech. — Supplied picture

InterContinental Muscat to host ‘Wedding Fair’

MUSCAT: InterContinental Muscat will be hosting a fabu-lous two-day Wedding Fair on 8th and 9th April 2016 from 4:00pm to 11:00pm at the Concert Area, with guest of Honor Her Highness Sayyidah Hujeija bint Jeiffar ibn Seif Al Said.

A fashion show will also be held by reputable designers from all over GCC.

The InterContinental Muscat has always been a favourite venue for weddings and special events and it has spectacular settings both indoors as well as outdoors. The hotel has always maintained its reputation for being the num-ber one venue of choice for special events, meetings, concerts and weddings.

For more information, con-tact our wedding planners on 24680632. 99054006 and 97076464.

T W O - D A Y E V E N T

10 students of GUtech clear German exam

FRAMEWORK OF COOPERATION: The MoU comes within the framework of cooperation between the

ministries of defence of the two countries. The session of talks was attended by Lt.Gen Ahmed bin

Harith al-Nabhani, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF), the Qatari ambassador to the

Sultanate and the delegation accompanying the guest. -ONA

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OMANT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

Consensus on new Libyan statute

SALALAH: Consultative meeting of the Libyan Constitution Draft-ing Assembly (CDA) was conclud-ed on Wednesday evening in Sala-lah by reaching a consensus on the new Libyan Constitution, which is the culmination of extensive UN-sponsored consultations with the support of the Sultanate of Oman.

The Sultanate hosted the delib-erations of consultative meeting of the Libyan CDA, which lasted over three weeks under the aegis of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of approximating viewpoints to

reach a final consensus draft con-stitution that meets ambitions and aspirations of all Libyans.

Draft declarationDr. Qasem bin Mohammed Al Salhi, Sultanate’s ambassador to Libya delivered a speech express-ing the joy for declaring the draft Libyan constitution from Oman.

He added that the consensus reached during the dialogue ses-sions is a model for how to solve differences among brothers.

Dr. Al Jilani Abdul Salam al-

Jamal, Acting Chairman of the Libyan Constitution Drafting As-sembly (CDA) delivered a speech thanking the Sultanate for hosting the meetings and providing the conducive milieu for dialogue and consultations.

He added that the consensus

reached was done with free will without any pressures.

Thanked the SultanateDr. Mohammed Al Ghannam, Constitution Advisor at United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) delivered a speech on

behalf of the Special Representa-tive of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission, UNSMIL, Martin Kobler during which he thanked the Sultanate for the support it has provided and for its endeavors to integrate agree-ment and understanding, as well

as to provide every possible mean for success.

He hailed the efforts made by members of the Libyan Constitu-tion Drafting Assembly (CDA) to come out with a constitution that meets the higher interests of the Libyans. -ONA

The Sultanate hosted the deliberations of

consultative meeting of the Libyan CDA,

which lasted over three weeks under the

aegis of the United Nations (UN) with the

aim of approximating viewpoints to reach a

final consensus draft constitution that meets

ambitions and aspirations of all Libyans

MODEL PROCEDURE: The consensus reached during the dialogue sessions is a model for how to solve differences among brothers, Dr.

Qasem bin Mohammed Al Salhi, Sultanate’s ambassador to Libya. – ONA

Pact on Omani military personnel in Qatar signedMUSCAT: An official session of talks was held in Mu’askar Bait Al Falaj at the Ministry of Defence today between Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al Busaidi, Min-ister Responsible for Defence Af-fairs and Dr. Khalid bin Moham-med Al Attiyah, Minister of State for Defence Affairs in the sisterly State of Qatar, who is currently visiting the Sultanate.

The two sides reviewed fields of the existing military coopera-tion and exchanged viewpoints on issues of common concern to serve the joint interests of the two

brotherly countries. A memoran-dum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of the Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Defence and the Government of Qatar, represent-ed by the Ministry of Defence on service conditions for the Omani military officers and personnel dispatched to Qatar.

The MoU comes within the framework of cooperation be-tween the ministries of defence of the two countries. The session of talks was attended by Lt.Gen Ahmed bin Harith Al Nabhani,

Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF), the Qatari ambassador to the Sultanate and the delegation accompanying the guest.

The Qatari Minister of State for Defence Affairs arrived here today. He was received at A’Seeb Air Base by Sayyid Badr bin Saud bin Harib Al-Busaidi, Minister Responsible for Defence Affairs, Lt.Gen Ahmed bin Harith Al -Nabhani, Sultan’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, the Qatari ambas-sador to the Sultanate and SAF senior officers. -ONA

A G R E E M E N T

Ithraa receives accreditation from United Kingdom bodyMUSCAT: Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Ex-port Development ‘ Ithraa ‘ re-ceived the golden accreditation at the ‘ Investors in Human Re-source’ System as per the results of the assessment conducted by Investment In Human Resource Establishment in U.K, to become the first Omani public organiza-tion and the second Arab organi-zation to make this achievement.

The assessment found that ‘Ithraa’ meets international stand-ards which aim at improving the job performance by applying the best international practices.

Badriyah bint Saud al- Ab-daliyah, Director of Human Re-sources at ‘Ithraa’ said that the system aims at improving the

quality of service, improving customer satisfaction, enhance the performance of the Author-ity and improve it through better management and development of individuals. It also enhances employee’s involvement in the different initiatives which in turn develop their personality and en-hance their achievement. This will be a contributor to sustaina-ble management of change in any organisation.

Good for growthOn her part, Su Taipen, interna-tional advisor and specialists for Investors in Human Resources said that the implementation of ‘ Investors in Human Resource’ system in the Sultanate encour-

age the growth of the Omani economy. It should be also an in-centive for other organizations to benefit from the outcomes of its implementation. She added that ‘ we can not ignore the fact that success of any private or public organization depends on the effi-ciency of its staff.

“Supporting and developing Omani human resources will surely enhance the economic en-vironment in the Sultanate’’.

It should be noted that ‘ In-vestment in Human Resource ‘ System has three stages starting from developing a philosophy to support employees, identify-ing the operations for improving production and finally developing principles for good practices. -ONA

H U M A N R E S O U R C E S Y S T E M

Majlis media committee hosts

Information Ministry officialMUSCAT: Media and Culture Committee at Majlis A’Shura on Wednesday hosted Ali bin Khal-fan Al Jabri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information.

Al Jabri affirmed that the Sul-tanate is one of the most tolerant and open countries in the field of media and accepting others’ views.

He added that the Sultanate’ provides good space for freedom of expression through social net-works, the official and private me-dia means as well.

He highlighted the efforts made

by the Ministry of Information to provide accurate information from their reliable sources, as well as the right of the journalist to get true information from its source.

He affirmed that the Ministry is making continuous efforts to prepare advanced training pro-grammes for employees at the pub-lic organisations that deal with me-dia means. Al Jabri pointed out that the Ministry of Information has re-peatedly called upon organisations to ensure transparency, avail infor-mation quickly and facilitate access

of journalists to such information. He said that some ministries have strong media departments that are provided with specialised media men who can answer the queries of journalists.

Hamoudah bin Mohammed Al Harsosi, Head of Media and Cul-ture Committee at Majlis Al Shura stressed the importance of having official spokesperson for several sectors due to the change in percep-tions and the importance of raising public awareness on how to search for accurate information. -ONA

F R E E D O M O F E X P R E S S I O N

Five Omani students win medals at maths OlympiadMEDINA: Five students from the Sultanate won five medals; three silver medals and two bronze medals in the Gulf Mathematics Olympiad, which was concluded on Wednesday in Medina in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Said bin Nasser Al Mazahmi from the Directorate General of Education in the Governorate of Al Dhahirah won a silver medal, Bas-ant bint Said Al Hina’eyah from the Directorate General of Educa-tion in the Governorate of South Al Batinah won silver medal, Ibra-him bin Jalal Al Abri from the Di-rectorate General of Education in the Governorate of Al Dakhliyah won silver medal, Sheikha bint Abdullah Al Hashimiyah from the Directorate General of Education in the Governorate of South Al Sharqiyah won bronze medal and Jawahir bint Hamad Al Kalbani-yah from the Directorate General of Education in the Governorate of Al Dhahirah won bronze medal.

Mathematics Olympiad is a pe-riodic competition for students of member states of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States. It is organised and supervised by the office and hosted by one of the member states. The importance of the Olympiad represented in creating the right environment to raise the scientific competition among the students of the mem-ber states in different competition areas and contribute to the enrich-ment of the curriculum and the de-velopment of education.

Mathematics Olympiad aims to contribute to the upgrading of science level among students and teachers in mathematics. and ac-tivating the role of the institutions involved in the teaching it. -ONA

E D U C A T I O N

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A8

REGIONT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

ROBOCUP IRAN 2016 OPENSIranians from Iran’s Qazvin Islamic Azad University, check robots prior to a football match with Germay’s Nao-Team HTWK of Leipzig United University during

the RoboCup Iran Open 2016, in Tehran, on Wednesday. — AFP

Iraq puts Mosul offensive against IS group on hold

ARBIL/BAGHDAD: An Iraqi army offensive touted as the first phase of a campaign to recapture the northern city of Mosul from IS militant group has been paused until more forces arrive to hold ground, the commander in charge said on Wednesday.

Almost three weeks into the op-eration, Iraqi forces have retaken just three villages from IS in the Makhmour area, which is set to be a key staging ground for a future assault on Mosul, around 60 km (40 miles) further north.

Faltering startThe faltering start has cast re-newed doubt on the capabilities of the Iraqi army, which partially collapsed when IS militants took around a third of the country in 2014. Major General Najm Abdul-lah Al Jubbouri, who is in charge of the offensive, said that Iraqi forces were now waiting for the arrival of federal police units and additional local tribal fighters to

hold territory after it is retaken.That would free up his forces

to go on the offensive against the insurgents, Jubbouri said in a statement, dismissing what he described as efforts to disparage the army. “We do not want to use all our units to hold territory,” he said. The initial target of the latest

offensive was Qayara -- an IS hub on the western bank of the Tigris river -- but Iraqi forces have so far failed to recapture the hilltop vil-lage of Nasr on the eastern side.

In the statement, Jubbouri said the militants had dug a net-work of tunnels beneath Nasr and prepared suicide bombers and a

fleet of vehicles rigged with ex-plosives, some of which contain weaponised chlorine, a chemi-cal weapon IS has used before in northern Iraq.

US Army Major Jon-Paul Depreo, operations officer for the international coalition fighting IS in Iraq and neighbouring Syria,

said at the weekend the insur-gents were determined not to lose Nasr because of its strategic posi-tion on high ground.

Depreo also said difficult ter-rain meant it was not possible to deploy a large number of forces there against the militants, who are more familiar with the area.

“These (Iraqi army) forces aren’t from that area necessar-ily, so they’re learning the area,” Depreo told reporters in Baghdad.

The coalition, led by the United States, has trained thousands of Iraqi police and soldiers in prepa-ration for the operation to retake Mosul -- by far the largest city in IS’s self-proclaimed caliphate.

Depreo said the fighting was only one part of the challenge. “There’s going to be a lot of fight-ing but there’s also going to be a lot of logistical infrastruc-ture that needs to follow and be established.”

Militias and Kurdish peshmer-ga have played a major role in the fight against the ultra-hardline militants elsewhere in Iraq, but with Mosul the plan is for the army to take the lead to avoid in-flaming ethnic and sectarian sen-sitivities in the city.

The army won its first major victory over the insurgents last December in Ramadi and aims to retake Mosul this year, but Iraqi officials privately question wheth-er that is possible.

“It’s a tough fight,” Depreo said of the offensive in Makhmour, describing it as a “shaping opera-tion” for the bigger battle ahead, adding: “We have a lot of work to do before we take control of Mosul again.” — Reuters

Iraqi forces waiting

for the arrival of

federal police units

and additional local

tribal fighters to

hold territory

after it is retaken

Syrian army, allies attack insurgents south of AleppoBEIRUT: The Syrian army and its allies launched a major attack on insurgents south of Aleppo, de-scribed as the fiercest government assault in the area since an agree-ment to ease the fighting came into effect in February.

Fighting south of Aleppo in re-cent days has put further strain on the already widely violated cease-fire deal brokered by the United States and Russia with the aim of launching a diplomatic process towards ending the five-year-long war. The indirect talks organised by the United Nations are strug-gling with no sign of compromise over the main issue dividing the sides: the future of President Bashar Al Assad. A second round of talks is due to begin on Monday in Geneva.

Rebels described intense air

strikes in the southern Aleppo area where the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front shot down a Syr-ian warplane on Tuesday and cap-tured its pilot.

Nusra Front, which along with IS is not part of the ceasefire, last week attacked and captured a town in the area, killing dozens of Syrian soldiers and their allies.

Nusra Front confirmed on Wednesday that their spokesman and veteran fighter Abu Firas Al Suri was killed in a US air strike in Syria.

In an online statement, Nusra Front said Abu Firas died in an at-tack on Sunday. A statement from the Syrian army and its allies said they were targeting armed groups in areas south of Aleppo, support-ed by “heavy and concentrated air strikes”, the website of the Al Ma-

nar reported. The statement said the attack was a response to insur-gent violations of the cessation of hostilities agreement. “This fire will continue until all the militants surrender”, it said.

AccusationsEach side accuses the other of seeking to wreck the cessation of hostilities agreement that has slowed the war across many of the major frontlines of western Syria but not stopped it entirely. Though Nusra is not part of the deal, its fighters are deployed near rebel groups that are.

Syria’s crisis erupted five years ago with protests against Assad which were put down with force. It descended into a civil war which has killed more than 250,000, drawn in global military powers

and helped IS establish its self-declared caliphate. Nearly five million refugees have been driven abroad. Russia’s six-month-old intervention in Syria has helped to swing military momentum in Assad’s favour, reversing last summer’s gains by insurgents in-cluding Western-backed rebels and helping government forces to drive IS out of the ancient city of Palmyra. The recapture of Pal-myra and its military airport, in the central Syrian desert, opened up the road further east to the Is-lamic State bastions of Deir Al Zor province and Raqqa. Any offensive on Deir Al Zor or Raqqa, however, would probably need significantly more firepower than the Palmyra assault. A rebel said the govern-ment attack south of Aleppo was the heaviest in that area since the

truce agreement came into effect. Hany Al Khaled of the Sham Revo-lutionary Brigades group, an af-filiate of the Levant Front, said his group had taken part in repelling the attack, and militias fighting with the government had suffered heavy losses.

The Syrian Observatory for Hu-man Rights, a British-based organ-isation that tracks the war, said air strikes, artillery and rockets were being used in an attack aimed at recovering Telat Al Eis, the town seized in the Nusra Front-led as-sault. The statement reported by Al Manar accused insurgents of breaching the truce “in execution of foreign orders”.

Opposition official Asaad Al Zoubi, meanwhile, told Reuters the truce was “in danger of ending” due to government violations.

In addition to the 11 militia fighters killed, 43 Syrian soldiers died in last week’s Nusra attack, sources familiar with the details said. “Overall there is an escala-tion of military operations across Syria,” said Rami Abdulrahman, Observatory director.

In an apparent response to setbacks including the loss of Palmyra to government forces last month, IS launched attacks on government-held areas some 50km (30 miles) northeast of Da-mascus overnight.

The militant group said in a statement it had attacked the Tishrin power station 50km (30 miles) northeast of the capital and a Syrian military source acknowl-edged the group had staged as-saults, but said all those who took part had been killed. — Reuters

B I G G E S T G O V E R N M E N T O P E R A T I O N

Egypt bans domestic trading of imported wheat: Minister

CAIRO: Egypt has banned the trading of imported wheat in-side the country, Supply Minister Khaled Hanafi said on Wednesday, a move which could reduce smug-gling of the grain that cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars last year.

Egypt, the world’s largest wheat importer, annually fixes a local procurement price for Egyptian wheat that is above global prices in an attempt to encourage farmers to grow the crop.

As Reuters detailed in a special report in March, the higher local price led to record smuggling last year of cheap foreign wheat passed off as local crop. The wide scale fraud cost Egypt nearly 2 billion Egyptian pounds in public funds ($225 million).

Those caught trading imported wheat domestically will be subject to a jail sentence of six months to one year and a fine of 500 to 1,000 Egyptian pounds ($56-$113), the statement said. Egypt’s wheat harvest begins in April and runs through July. Last year the govern-ment said it procured a record 5.3 million tonnes of the grain.

Industry sources say that rough-ly 2 million tonnes of last year’s procurement actually came from abroad. — Reuters

T O R E D U C E S M U G G L I N G

Kobler urges handover of power to unity governmentTUNIS: The UN envoy to Libya has urged a rapid, complete hando-ver of power to a unity government that arrived in Tripoli a week ago, warning that a fragile peace in the city may not hold if the new gov-ernment is unable to deliver.

Martin Kobler also called on Libya’s internationally recognised eastern parliament on Wednes-day to hold a long-sought vote on whether to approve the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), telling Reuters in an interview that the cham-ber risked being sidelined if it failed to do so.

Shortly after he spoke a state-ment appeared on the website of Tripoli’s self-declared National Salvation government, carrying the name of its prime minister and calling on ministers to stay in place. That appeared to con-tradict a statement on a ministry website on Tuesday saying the Na-tional Salvation government was stepping down.

Kobler, who visited Tripoli on Tuesday, said a handover of power at the foreign ministry was yet to be replicated in other ministries.

“We know of ministers who are willing to hand over,” he said. “But the ministers have to change, they have to peacefully hand over their power and give the new adminis-tration to the Government of Na-tional Accord.”

The GNA needed to be able to quickly improve economic condi-tions and failing health services, Kobler said. “It can change tomor-row, but now it’s quiet. If the gov-ernment doesn’t deliver, it will not stay quiet.” — Reuters

U N L I B Y A E N V O Y

TAKING POSITION: Iraqi fighters from the Popular Mobilisation units gather in position during

clashes in the village of Al Bashir, still controlled by the IS militants group, on Tuesday. – AFP

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INDIAT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

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Mumbai multiple blasts case: Three get life; Nachan awarded 10 years in prisonMUMBAI: A special Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) court on Wednesday sentenced to life three of the ten convicted in the multiple blasts that rocked the metropolis between December 2002 and March 2003, killing 13 people while key accused Saquib Nachan was handed out a 10-year jail term.

Special POTA Judge P. R. Desh-mukh said that convict Muzam-mil Ansari (who had planted the bombs) will undergo imprison-ment till the end of his life.

“I am of the view that to award capital punishment to Ansari in present case just falls short of the rarest of the rare case. Therefore I am not inclined to endorse the punishment of death sentence to Ansari,” Deshmukh observed.

The judge if a person is hanged then within a fraction of a sec-ond, his life comes to an end, and he does not realise or feel the mental, emotional and physical agony which victims of the crime or dependents of deceased suf-fered or suffering for their whole life, undergo. Two other convicts who were granted life are Farhaan Khot and Wahid Ansari.

Six others were awarded vari-ous jail terms ranging from 2-10 years. The court ordered that 75 per cent of the fine amount (Rs 9.45 lakhs) recovered (from the convicts) will go to District Le-gal Services Authority while rest will go to the Indian Railways as compensation towards damages caused to Railway on account of Mulund (blast) incident.

Compensation“As far as compensation to be paid to victims or dependents in the case of death (is concerned), there is no sufficient material on record, though some injured witnesses

admitted about receipt of com-pensation from Railway depart-ment. Hence there is difficulty in awarding compensation to the victims of incidents and depend-ents,” the court said.

However, it directed DLSA, Mumbai to decide the quantum of compensation to be awarded to the victims and dependents and accordingly pay it.

On Tuesday, the court had re-served its verdict on the quantum of sentence to ten persons con-victed for their role in the multi-ple blasts, till today.

Earlier, on March 29, the court had convicted key accused Saquib Nachan, Ateef Mulla, Hasib Mul-la, Ghulam Kotal, Mohammed Kamil, Noor Malik, Anwar Ali

Khan, Farhaan Khot, Wahid An-sari and Muzammil Ansari in the case. Twelve people were killed in Mulund train blasts on March 13, 2003. Prior to that, on Decem-ber 6, 2002, several persons were injured in a blast at McDonald’s at Mumbai Central station, while a person had died in a blast in a market in Vile Parle (East) on January 27, 2003.

According to prosecution, Mu-zammil Ansari, who holds an en-gineering degree, planted all the bombs. He planted the bombs along with Tahir Janab Ansari who is a bomb expert and was active in placing crude bombs in trains in different parts of the country in 1993.

Wahid, according to prosecu-

tion, allowed his clinic to be used for assembling bombs.

The forensic reports confirmed that the traces from the clinic matched with the traces in explo-sion site.

As for Khot, police recovered live hand grenades, 250 bomb cas-ings and bomb chemicals from a well in Padga (in Thane) after he led the cops to that spot.

While Nachan was the key conspirator. During the course of arguments on the sentencing, Special Public Prosecutor Rohini Salian had demanded capital pun-ishment for Muzammil Ansari.

She had also sought life im-prisonment for Saquib Nachan, Gulam Khotal, Farhaan Khot and Wahid Ansari. - PTI

P O T A C O U R T

ACCUSED: Combo: Haseeb Mulla, Wahid Ansari, Ateef Mulla, Muzammil Ansari, Gulam Khotal,

Farhaan Khot and other accuse of Mumbai serial bomb blast case 2002-03 being produced in a ses-

sion court in Mumbai on Wednesday. - PTI

Modi government’s Pakistan policy in a shambles: Singh

GUWAHATI: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said the Narendra Modi government’s Pakistan poli-cy is “in shambles” and accused it of “failing miserably to honour its solemn promise to the people of the country.”

“The (Modi) government’s policy towards Pakistan is in shambles. Terrorists from Paki-stan continue to operate freely not only in Indian-administered- Kashmir but also in Punjab and other neighbouring states,” Singh, who represented Assam in Rajya Sabha for 10 years, told a Congress poll rally here.

“The recent attack on Pathankot airbase is the most recent evi-dence of our vulnerability. On the economic front, agriculture in the last two years has been stagnant bringing large scale distress to In-dian farmers”, he said. Continuing to hit out at Modi, Singh said his foreign trips have been projected as great achievements “though everybody knows that these have yielded nothing yet.”

Black moneyRaking up Modi’s promise before the Lok Sabha polls to bring back black money kept by Indians in

foreign banks, Singh said ironical-ly the government “failed miser-ably to honour its solemn promise to the people of India.”

“This is what the dream-mer-chant is selling all the time” and his (Modi’s) list of promises is “endless”, he said.

“All he (Modi) achieved in these two years is that he has forced crores of people to open bank ac-counts. But people are asking what will they do with bank ac-counts when they have nothing to keep in the bank.

“There is a saying in English that action speaks louder than words. However, it seems Modiji forgot this basic tenet of public life,”. There is now a deliberate attempt to befool the people by bringing “non-issues as issues of great importance,” he asserted.

Referring to the country’s eco-nomic scenario under the BJP government at the Centre, Singh said industrial production has been stagnant and as a result there is no sign of growth of employ-

ment, while exports have contin-ued to decline month after month in the last 15 months.

Urging people of Assam to give a “strong mandate” to Congress, he said this would take the develop-ment of the state to a new high.

“Whenever the reins of the state was given to a non-Congress party, the state suffered enor-mously,” he added.

Singh said the incidents in Hy-derabad Central University and Jawaharlal Nehru University are indicative of the central govern-ment’s “attempt to curb freedom of expression and to polarise Indi-an polity along communal lines.”

“The imposition of President’s rule in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand exposes the Modi government’s desire to hurt de-mocracy and promote centrali-zation of power in violation of constitutional norms,” the former prime minister said.

Alleging that BJP has been try-ing to divide the society of Assam, he said, “I firmly believe that such a

conspiracy would never be allowed to succeed by its people who nur-ture a long tradition of syncretism, unity, harmony and tolerance. This land of Assam has always stood united in times of crisis.”

Recounting the language move-ment in Assam in the 1960s and 1970s, the turbulent days of the 1980s and the period of insurgen-cy, he said many in Congress had to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the party’s ideals.

Singh claimed that the state machinery had become complete-ly dysfunctional before Tarun Gogoi government came to power in 2001 and said that he was con-fident that people would not want to return to those conditions.

The former prime minister said the Modi Government has very little interest in the development of Assam and other North East-ern states and has abolished the special category status given to the state by his erstwhile United Progressive Alliance government.

“The UPA government had

worked hand in hand with As-sam government to accelerate the pace of development in the state... The progress made by Assam in the last 15 years under the lead-ership of Tarun Gogoi is visible all round.”

InsurgencyInsurgency has almost been wiped out by a two-pronged Con-gress government strategy which invested heavily in massive infra-structure development and gave political stability in the state.

It also brought various insur-gent groups to the table for ne-gotiations and the peace process was initiated and an environment was created for the peaceful set-tlement of political issues besides bringing in the much needed sta-bility and development, he said.

“But we have a large unfinished agenda to make Assam one of the front-ranking states of India,” Singh said appealing for votes for Congress “to convert this dream into reality.” - PTI

Former prime

minister Manmohan

Singh said the recent

attack on Pathankot

airbase is the most

recent evidence of

our vulnerability. On

the economic front,

agriculture in the last

two years has been

stagnant bringing

large scale distress

to Indian farmers

WOOING VOTERS: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi during an election rally at Chand-

mari in Guwahati on Wednesday. - PTI

Kamla Advani

L. K. Advani’s wife Kamla passes awayNEW DELHI: Kamla Advani, wife of veteran BJP leader L. K. Advani, who remained out of poli-tics but was often seen with him in public during his long political journey, died here on Wednesday following cardiac arrest.

Kamla, 83, who leaves a son and a daughter besides Advani, com-plained of uneasiness and breath-lessness in the evening and was rushed to the AIIMS where doc-tors tried to revive her but in vain.

She was suffering from age-re-lated problems for some time and was on wheelchair for the last few months, family sources said, add-ing she was also suffering from memory loss. Advani, who was besides her when she breathed her last, often found support from her during the ups and down of his long political career.

An AIIMS statement said, “Kamla Advani, wife of L. K.Advani, was brought to the main casualty, AIIMS at 5.10pm in a very serious unconscious and un-responsive condition. Immediate evaluation revealed the patient to be in cardiopulmonary arrest.”

It said immediate resuscitation measures were provided by a team of doctors. “However, despite 60 minutes of intensive efforts she could not be revived and was de-clared dead at 6.10pm,” the state-ment said.

AIIMS Director M. C.Mishra said, “she was pulseless, her blood pressure was not recordable and she was unresponsive. Resuscita-tive measures were put in place and after about an hour she was declared dead.” The body was brought home late in the night and political leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made their visit to pay their last respects. The cremation is likely to take place on Thursday. - PTI

C A R D I A C A R R E S T

A10

INDIA T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

Bollywood studios eye profits at last as India goes smartphone mad

MUMBAI: India’s all-singing, all-dancing movie hits capture the attention of hundreds of millions of fans — but they generate pre-cious little in box office profits for the world’s largest cinema indus-try. Now, with smartphone sales booming and India preparing for nationwide 4G Internet access, India’s film and TV industry hopes the ease of tapping your phone for the latest release will gener-ate profits at last, overcoming the problems of woefully few cinemas and rampant piracy.

India has about 10,000 cinema screens across a country of 1.3 billion — eight for every million people, compared with 120 in the United States and 30 in China, ac-cording to digital film distribution network UFO Moviez.

Low densityThat low density means that for most Indians, pirated content is the only way to see movies, costing the industry some 30 per cent of potential annual gross collections.

“Even if we can manage to get a small fraction of the people to pay on their phones, you are looking at a market that can potentially be-come bigger than the box office,” said Girish Johar, head of revenue at Essel Vision Production, part of Zee Entertainment Enterprises, one of India’s largest media groups.

The profit boost for studios will in large part be driven by the rush for local-language content from platforms like Netflix Inc, which launched in India this year and is aggressively adding to its Hindi-language catalogue.

Homegrown rivals, though keen

to forge partnerships with online streaming companies, are intro-ducing their own platforms, a new revenue stream for production firms that earn little from either cinemas or DVD sales. And the numbers add up.

Seven out of 10 Indians watch at

least one online video a month, and in the next three years nearly 90 per cent of all Internet data in In-dia is expected to be used towards streaming movies and television.

Key to the boom is cheap, fast, mobile broadband nationwide, which this year promises to bring

millions online, even outside big cities. That means better view-ing — and easier payment. India’s cash-rich Reliance Industries is expected to roll out one of the world’s largest 4G networks this year when it launches its Jio mo-bile network.

To keep up, incumbent players Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular are cutting Internet charges and building out their own high-speed data networks. The results are good already for pro-viders like YouTube, which says Indian usage has soared, outpac-ing global peers, thanks to mobile traffic which more than doubled last year.

“Traditional film and TV con-tent still continues to drive mas-sive watch time while studio-made songs, movies and clips continue to be some of the most popular content nationwide,” said Gautam Anand, YouTube’s Asia Pacific di-rector of operations.

The hope is that cheap, conveni-ent content, perhaps Rs25 (37 US cents) for a movie streamed to your phone, will make piracy re-dundant. Of course, getting cash out of the consumer remains a challenge, and subscription is an untested model.

“In the US, everybody has been paying for content but in India people don’t pay as easily,” said

Gaurav Gandhi, chief operat-ing officer of Viacom18, a ven-ture between US group Viacom and Reliance.

Indians feel they pay for data, so the content should be free, he says. But the growing use of phones as credit cards, to pay for small pur-chases, will help. So too, say indus-try insiders, will unique content.

“We have to come up with our own model and a large part of that would rest in creating unique content for online,” said Radhika Kapoor, head of content Fox Star studios India that runs the Hotstar streaming platform.

Others argue the secret will be ad-driven content, that can be pro-vided free. Indeed, getting users to stay loyal to one platform to lever-age subscription revenue might be challenging, but getting advertisers interested is not. Global advertis-ing spends on digital media is likely to grow to 36 per cent by 2020 com-pared with 21 per cent in 2010, and consultancy Deloitte’s Hemant Joshi says India will lead the trend with digital ad spending likely to grow more than 400 per cent to Rs354 billion ($5.3 billion) in the next five years. “We have seen that advertisers get better reach through mobiles in India simply because there are more phones than TV screens,” Joshi says. “That will only multiply.” - Reuters

M A K E P I R A C Y R E D U N D A N T

ENGROSSED: Commuters watch videos on their mobile phones as they travel in a suburban train in

Mumbai, India, April 2, 2016. With smartphone sales booming and India preparing for nationwide

4G Internet access, India’s film and TV industry hopes the ease of tapping your phone for the latest

release will generate profits at last, overcoming the problems of woefully few cinemas and rampant

piracy. - Reuters/Shailesh Andrade

UK claims visa changes will not impact majority of IndiansLONDON: Allaying concerns of Indians over the new visa rules change, the UK government on Wednesday said a new £35,000 salary threshold requirement for Tier 2 work visas which has come into effect will not impact a “vast majority” of Indian professionals.

Thousands of Indians and other nationals from outside the Euro-pean Union (EU) living and work-ing in Britain on a Tier 2 visa may have to leave or be deported if they earn less than £35,000 a year once the terms of the visa expire.

“This rules change will not im-pact the vast majority of Indian professionals who work or are looking to work in the UK as last year 89 per cent of all work visas issued to Indian nationals were for routes which are not impacted by the £35k (35,000 pounds) income threshold,” UK immigration min-ister James Brokenshire said.

“The UK government’s reforms to Tier 2 work visas are intended to ensure that businesses are able

to attract the skilled people they need, but also see that they get far better at recruiting and training UK workers first,” he said.

Under the changes to the Tier 2 norms effective from Wednesday, non-EU workers will need to earn at least £35,000 to remain in the UK for longer than six years unless they are working in a PhD-level occupation or a job which is on the UK’s Shortage Occupation List, in-cluding nurses.

New rulesThe new rules mean professionals who wish to apply for “Indefinite Leave to Remain” (ILR)  or settle-ment in the UK at the end of a five-year period of living and working in the UK must now prove they earn over £35,000 per annum.

The threshold was raised from the salary requirement of around £21,000 per annum on advice from the Migration Advisory Com-mittee (MAC).According to the UK’s Office of National Statistics

(ONS), of the 55,589 Tier 2 spon-sored visa applications cleared in 2014-2015, nearly 78 per cent were for Indians (31,058).

However, UK officials indicate that a majority of Indian nationals coming to the UK to work do so via the Tier 2 Intra Company Transfer (ICT) route, which does not lead to ILR any way and therefore re-mains unaffected by the changes enforced from Wednesday.

The UK government has also highlighted that employers have been aware of these changes since 2011 when they were announced and affect those who entered on Tier 2 from April 2011. These non-EU professionals can extend their stay for a sixth year, until April 2017, which means it is unlikely there will be any deportations as a result of the changes this year.

Concerned over the move, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had raised the issue with British coun-terpart David Cameron during a meeting on the sidelines of the Nu-

clear Security Summit in the US last week, saying skilled IT profes-sionals from India should not find it difficult to come to work in the UK. The exact figure of non-EU nationals affected by the changes remains uncertain as some who do not meet the minimum salary threshold may be able to apply un-der an alternate visa category.

Professions such as teaching, IT and marketing professionals are likely to be the hardest hit.

More than 110,000 people had signed a petition against the changes, which have been brand-ed as “discriminatory” by the ‘Stop35K’ campaign group.

The group marked the visa changes with a “De Party for Skilled Workers” event Wednes-day opposite Downing Street as a protest-cum-celebration.

“This is a campaign aiming for a reconsideration of this rule, en-couraging research into industry-specific thresholds,” said a Stop 35K statement. - PTI

T I E R 2 V I S A

CONCERNED: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with

Prime Minister of United Kingdom (UK) David Cameron during a

bilateral meeting at the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington

last week. Modi had raised the visa issue with Cameron during the

meeting, saying skilled IT professionals from India should not find

it difficult to come to work in the UK.- PTI

Niira Radia now surfaces in ‘Panama Papers’ expose

NEW DELHI: Niira Radia, the founder of Vaishnavi Communi-cations whose taped telephone chats with some prominent peo-ple in India around eight years ago, including ministers, jour-nalists and business tycoons be-came the matter of a probe, has now surfaced in the “Panama Papers” expose.

Her name (appearing as Nira Radia, in the documents inves-tigated, minus the extra ‘i’) is al-legedly linked to a company in British Virgin Islands, which her office has denied, The Indian Ex-press reported on Wednesday.

In the article, as Part 3 of the expose on Indians having alleged offshore links, Radia is said to have figured prominently as a di-rector in the 232 documents per-taining to the company listed in the tax haven, Crownmart Inter-national Group.

The list published by the news-paper on Wednesday also has the names of a top business tycoon in Bellary, a prominent industrial-ist and a chartered accountant -- each of whom, which The Indian Express says were contacted for their responses, with many also sharing their versions.

Another article seeks to shows how the world’s largest currency note maker De La Rue had con-

tracted a New Delhi businessman to help bag tenders in India, in re-turn for a 15-per cent commission. The paper identifies the company as Aphra Consultants, linked to Somendra Khosla of New Delhi.

Amid these allegations, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Ra-ghuram Rajan has said that not every off-shore company opened by an Indian national need be il-legitimate, and that this would be the primary task of a probe team in which the central bank has been co-opted. On Radia, the pa-per said: “An investigation of these papers shows the existence of one offshore entity owned by Radia, an International Business Company registered in the British Virgin Is-

lands by Mossack Fonseka in 1994 named Crownmart International Group Limited.”

In response, her office said the said entity was set up by her late father Iqbal Narain Menon and that she was not a beneficiary.

Also that Radia had disclosed her assets to the authorities in UK and India and that such informa-tion was personal and confiden-tial for third parties.

In another article published on Wednesday, the newspaper said the Indian diamond merchants, who were probed earlier for hav-ing overseas accounts in Liech-tenstein, British Virgin Islands and HSCB, have also surfaced in “Panama Papers”. Prominent

among them are Rosy Blue, one of the largest diamond traders in the world, and Chetan Mehta of the Belgium-based Gembel family.

The paper also reported that Harshad Ramniklal Mehta of Rosy Blue did not respond to its calls or queries, while Chetan Mehta said he has been a non-resident Indian living in Belgium and that the companies were shut longtime ago. A part of the list, Hyderabad-based Moturi Srinivas Prasad said the off-shore entities were started as one dollar companies with the hope of doing business, but were closed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already ordered a multi-agen-cy probe team on the expose. -IANS

In the article, as

Part 3 of the expose

on Indians having

alleged offshore links,

Radia is said to have

figured prominently

as a director in the

232 documents

pertaining to the

company listed in the

tax haven, Crownmart

International Group

Punjab put on high alert after terror inputCHANDIGARH: Punjab which had witnessed two terror attacks in less than six months, was on Wednesday put on high alert fol-lowing an input from Delhi Police warning about entry of three heav-ily armed Pakistani terrorists who might be suicide bombers.

The terrorists are travelling from Indian-administered-Kash-mir in a grey Swift Dzire car along with a local resident and are ex-pected to cross the Banihal tunnel later tonight, the alert says, adding their target could be in Delhi, Goa and Mumbai.

“An alert has been issued in the state (Punjab) after we received an input from the special cell of Delhi police,” a senior official in Punjab police said on Wednesday.

The alert issued by Punjab’s Director General of Police (Law and Order) to all the Commis-sionerates and SSPs in the state, states the car “bearing registration number JK-01 AB-2654 is carry-ing three Pakistani militants and a local. The Pakistani militants have sufficient arms, ammunition and possibly suicide belt.”

Police officers have been asked to focus on strict checking of vehi-cles, security of vital installations including police buildings and defence establishments, religious places, markets, malls, railway sta-tions and tracks, and educational institutions.

In January this year, terrorists had attacked an air force base in Pathankot, killing seven military personnel. They had car-jacked two vehicles — one belonging to a Punjab Police SP and another to a taxi driver — to travel to the base near the Pakistan border. - PTI

D E L H I P O L I C E W A R N I N G

NOT A BENEFICIARY: In response to the report, Niira Radia’s of-

fice said the said entity was set up by her late father Iqbal Narain

Menon and that she was not a beneficiary. -PTI file photo

NEW DELHI: India is set to exchange tax evasion in-formation with all G20 coun-tries by 2017-18, as a step to address cases like those com-ing out of “Panama Papers” in which over 500 Indians are said to have invested in foreign accounts, sources in the finance ministry said.

“By 2017-18, India will have automatic exchange of information (AEIO) with all the G20 countries. As many

as 96 countries, including the UK, Germany and France, already have a consensus on AEIO and more countries will join this gradually,” a government official said.

The recently revealed cases like “Panama Papers” would not have occurred, had India had an accord on the common reporting standard (CRS) under automatic exchange of information with other coun-tries, the official said. - IANS

Tax information with all G20 nations will be exchanged

110,000 people had signed a petition against the changes,

which have been branded as “discriminatory”

by the ‘Stop35K’ campaign group

A11

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23 missing in Kohistan landslide

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani rescue workers searched on Wednesday for 23 people buried in a landslide in northern mountains as the number of people killed by unusu-ally heavy rain rose to 92.

Most of the death and destruc-tion from flash floods and land-slides took place in Khyber Pa-khtunkhwa province, where 65 people were killed, with 929 homes either damaged or completely de-stroyed, government official Abdul Latif told Reuters.

In the upper reaches of the Ko-histan Valley, about 200 km north of the capital, Islamabad, 23 peo-ple were missing after being bur-ied under 40 metes of mud, Latif

said. Two bodies and five injured people had been recovered from the landslide, he said.

The worst of the rain occurred on the weekend and the forecast for Wednesday was for mainly dry weather in the worst-hit areas, the Meteorological Department said.

Roads blockedRoads blocked by landslides would take longer to clear.

“When the road access is cleared, then our teams can go house to house and survey the damage,” Latif said. Twelve people were killed in Pakistan-adminis-tered Kashmir, and 15 were killed in Gilgit-Baltistan. — Reuters

Number of people killed by unusually heavy

rain in the northern mountains rose to 92.

Most of the deaths and destruction took place

in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province

TOUGH TASK: A man salvages his belongings from floodwaters in the Sarband area near Peshawar, Pakistan on Wednesday. — Reuters

Punjab taking concrete steps to overcome energy crisis through Chinese investmentsLAHORE: The provincial gov-ernment is encouraging mul-tinationals, primarily the Chi-nese companies, to cooperate in eliminating the energy crisis in Pakistan, creating jobs in the sec-tor besides enhancing coopera-tion in other industrial segments, said Punjab Minister for Finance Ayesha Ghaus Pasha.

While addressing a seminar on ‘Pakistan Power Crisis – In-dustry Specific Solutions – Plan-ning, Management, Financing’, organised by the Pakistan-China Energy Forum and NSR Energies on Tuesday, she said the country’s GDP would increase 2 per cent if the energy crisis is eliminated.

“Punjab government is taking concrete steps to overcome this menace by initiating mega pro-jects in the power sector with the help of Chinese investors,” she added.

“The Punjab government is fully facilitating and encouraging foreign investment in the sector which would also increase jobs in the province.”

Great potentialThe minister was of the view that Pakistan had great environmental potential for energy creation and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) would help the country realise this dream.

She appreciated the role and ef-forts of the Chinese government in overcoming the energy crisis and the huge investment compris-ing $36 billion in the power sector development programmes.

Meanwhile, Minister for Mines and Minerals Punjab Sher Ali Khan said his ministry had iden-tified 1,000MW wind power po-

tential in Rajanpur district out of which 250MW project will be commissioned by 2017 while the government is focusing to bring the energy mix at global standards.

“People are criticising us for coal-based power plants at a time when the global community is moving away from it, but that is not true. “The Punjab govern-

ment is simultaneously work-ing on bringing the energy mix at international standards by fin-ishing the 100MW solar power plant, working on the LNG-based power plant and coal-fired and wind farms.

“The power outages have been reduced to eight hours a day from the 12 to 14 hours and would fur-

ther reduce in 2017,” he further added. Also present on the occa-sion, Western Power China Vice President Li Hong, offered Paki-stan’s private sector the financing options like Build-Own-Operate (BOO) and Build-Own-Transfer (BOT) for their independent en-ergy requirements.

“We have opportunities for the

private sector of Pakistan to pre-sent their case and get up to 100% financing for their energy needs”, said Hong.

“If a company has 20 per cent capital for setting up an en-ergy generation plant, the re-maining 80 per cent might be lent by the Western Power, he added. — Express Tribune

S E M I N A R

DETERMINED: This photograph taken on December 6, 2013 shows a Chinese engineer, left, supervise workers building a bridge over a

river in Ghari Dopatta, some 22 kms from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-administered Kashmir. On Tuesday, Punjab’s Minis-

ter for Finance Ayesha Ghaus Pasha said the provincial government is is fully facilitating and encouraging foreign investment in the

energy sector which would also increase jobs in the province. — AFP file photo

New offensive launched by military after Lahore attackISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army launched on Wednesday the much-awaited targeted operation against militant outfits in South-ern Punjab, days after the deadli-est attack in the Lahore’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal park.

The military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has confirmed the launch of coordinated operation in South Punjab.

At least 72 people were killed and more than 233 injured when a suicide bomb ripped through the parking space of a crowded park in Lahore where Christians were cel-ebrating Easter on March 27, 2016.

The operation is being carried out by civil and military law en-forcement agencies, including Rangers, police and Counter-Ter-rorism Department (CTD) against ‘hardened criminal and ferraris’, it has been learnt.

“These terrorists flee from dif-ferent parts of the country as a re-sult of successful operations Zarb-e-Azb and took refuge in remote areas of Rohjan, Kache in district Rahim Yaar Khan,” an ISPR state-ment said.

Standoff overThe confirmation of coordinated operation by civil and military authorities suggested that stand-off between the government and army on how to pursue operation in Punjab is now over.

Earlier this week, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Inte-rior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan met Army Chief General Ra-heel Sharif to discuss the Punjab operation. — Express Tribune

S O U T H P U N J A B

MQM lawmaker Bilquis joins

dissident leader Kamal’s party

KARACHI: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) lawmak-er Bilquis Mukhtar joined on Wednesday Mustafa Kamal’s new-ly-formed Pak Sarzameen Party.

The announcement comes days after a former senator of the MQM, Muhammad Ali Brohi along with 11 members of the par-ty’s Sindh Tanzeemi Committee and zonal heads joined Kamal’s political crusade. Mukhtar was a member of the Standing Commit-tee on Minorities Affairs, Stand-ing Committee on Women Devel-opment and Standing Committee on Social Welfare.

Decision“Thousands of people have joined our party,” Kamal said while ad-dressing a press conference in Karachi. Mukhtar on the occasion said she took the decision after much deliberation.

“I have for a month been lis-tening to Kamal’s speeches. After thinking hard I have made my de-cision and today I have joined the Pak Sarzameen Party,” she said.

“We are not here to breed en-mity against any specific person,” she said, adding “I have resigned from the Sindh Assembly.”

Upon returning home from self-imposed exile on March 3, Kamal launched a blistering at-tack on MQM chief Altaf Hussain and challenged the ‘iron grip’ of the MQM on the city by forming

a new party. Kamal — who won wide support as mayor of Karachi from 2005 to 2010 for his efforts to ease traffic and improve public services — accused Altaf of work-ing for India’s Research and Anal-ysis Wing (RAW), destroying two generations of Mohajirs and issu-ing threats under the influence of alcohol. — Express Tribune

P O L I T I C S

ALLIES: Mustafa Kamal and Bilquis Mukhtar. — Express Tribune

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United Nations coup in Libya takes shapeRichard J. C. Galustian

Though this newspaper kindly just published a day ago my piece on Libya, Farcical drama is creating a fluid situation in Libya (April

4)the incredibly fast pace of events requires an im-mediate update. Am grateful for this newspaper’s acceptance of this update.

The UN backed General National Accord (GNA) arrived in Tripoli in a motor launch one week ago and the current events are looking more like a coup. Astonishing but true to this observer.

The GNA doesn’t in fact exist but the powers that be have stated that it does and that it consists of a 9-strong presidential council led by a techno-crat prime minister Fayez Serraj, and with Tripoli airspace closed, they were conveyed last week to their capital city by Italian frigate, transferring at sea to a small rusty Libyan coastal patrol vessel to preserve the illusion that they were not being helped by western powers. But the GNA had frac-tured even before they were helped aboard the Ital-ian vessel, with two of the 9 abruptly resigning, ac-cusing the leadership of being too cosy with Tripoli militias. Nevertheless, the so called GNA, now re-duced to seven, arrived in the capital, choosing to set up office in the naval base, the only part of the capital judged safe from roaming militias. A coup, in which a small number of people take control of a state, can be defined in many ways. On the one hand a coup can be a seizure of power through brute force. On the other, it can be the usurping of power without violence. This past week has seen what amounts to the latter unfold in Libya.

Without an election, or even the agreement of the elected parliament, marooned in the eastern city of Tobruk, Serraj has simply taken power, backed by Western States. Unfortunately, Serraj has no power, beyond the confines of Tripoli na-val base, and has instead deferred to the same ex-tremist and Misrata militias of Libya Dawn who captured the city from the elected government two years ago. Reinforcing this coup, seventy three members of the Tripoli parliament, the General National Council (GNC), agreed this week to re-form themselves as the State Council, designed by the UN as part of the legislature of the Seraj gov-ernment. However, most of the 73 were not elected to the GNC, as the UN rules stipulate, but are Libya Dawn acolytes added to the GNC after it captured Tripoli by force.

Compounding the confusion, the State Council then amended the UN rules, declaring they had the

right to self-delcare the new government valid.In one week, extremist-led Libya Dawn has tak-

en effective control of the UN process, ensuring its militias control the capital and leaving Serraj ma-rooned in the naval base.

The elected House of Representatives parlia-ment in Tobruk, which the UN had insisted must agree the plan, has been discarded. UN officials were angry that the HOR failed to vote yes to the plan in previous months, and indeed failed to even meet to discuss it in recent weeks, even when the European Union sanctioned its president, Agila Saleh, for failing to do what the UN wanted.

The result is that the Libyan Political Agree-ment (LPA) the UN backed in December 17, 2015 has been torn up. Gone also is the LPA’s stipulation that new chiefs must be appointed to the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) and the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) which hold tens of billions of dol-lars of foreign assets. Instead, the former chiefs, approved by Libya Dawn, have taken control.

The big winners are the Muslim Brotherhood and various factions from Misrata, the twin heads of Libya Dawn, who, despite losing in the 2014 elections, now have international recognition from Western powers, and through this control of Libya’s vast overseas assets.

It is a personal victory for Britain’s Libya en-voy Jonathan Powell, who brokered the deal and boasts of his close links to the Brotherhood. In an e-mail, newly released, between Sidney Blumen-thal and Hillary Clinton, Powell wrote about his abiity to use his success in negotiating between the IRA and the British government twenty years ago to end terrorist campaigns. Powell further boasted that this model, being used in a number of coun-tries through a “below radar” NGO, is workable given his close contacts, he claims, with British In-telligence. A very doubtful assertion. But the lack of transparency over the Libya process, is coming into sharp focus. Panamagate is erupting, high-lighting the lack of transparency over the world’s wealth, and it is just this lack of transparency that Powell is encouraging with Libya. The final irony is that Russia and UAE have sounded alarm bells, reminding the West that the original agreement for Libya’s government required that the elected parliament agree to it. Both powers are standing by the elected HoR parliament, even as the West throws its weight behind the Tripoli militias. The breakup of Libya is imminent, along an east-west faultline, and the irony is that Western powers will have been the orchestrator. - Exclusive to Times of OmanNeed to adopt proper lifestyle to prevent diabetes

This is with regard to the birthday of World Health Organisation, which is observed as the World Health Day on April 7. As lifestyle is one of the causes of many diseases, this day is a good occasion to

review our way of life and eating habits and to make necessary changes for a healthy life. This year WHO has given priority to diabetes as its theme to mark the World Health Day 2016. Despite its nature as a non-communicable disease, diabetes has become a global threat affecting millions of people all over the world. The number of diabetic patients increases every year as its reach has gone alarmingly high in both developed and underdeveloped countries. Even though hereditary is one of the causes for diabetes, sedentary life along with undisciplined eating habits are generally considered as main causes of the disease. Extreme dependence on fast food and lack of exercise have caused this chronic ailment to stay with millions of people in the world. Despite numerous forms of in-formation available, the number of diabetic

patients is still going high. Let us pledge to fight and beat diabetes by managing a moderate way of life of restricted eating habits and hav-ing adequate exercises — P. A. Jacob, Muscat

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Indian Ocean ministerial meet opens on SaturdayMUSCAT: A committee meeting of senior government officials of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IORARC) began at Al Bustan Palace Hotel here yesterday. The meeting comes ahead of the IORARC ministerial meeting, which will be hosted by the Sultanate on Saturday. At the outset of the meeting, the Sultanate received works of the association’s third session from Mozambique. Awadh bin Badr Al Shanfari, head of economic and technical coopera-tion department at the Foreign Ministry and head of the Omani side in the committee, welcomed the participants who then divided into committees which included senior officials’ committee, businessmen, trade and investment and academic committees.

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ASIAT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

$5.5m Wong has returned to the Philippines’ anti-

money laundering agency and has promised

to hand over another $9.7 million

Trail in cyber heist suggests hackers were Chinese: Recto

MANILA: A Philippine senator said on Wednesday that Chinese hackers were likely to have pulled off one of the world’s biggest cyber heists at the Bangladesh central bank, citing the network of Chi-nese people involved in the routing of the stolen funds through Manila.

Unidentified hackers infiltrat-ed the computers at Bangladesh Bank in early February and tried

to transfer a total of $951 million from its account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

All but one of the 35 attempted transfers were to the Rizal Com-mercial Banking Corp (RCBC), confirming the Philippines’ cen-trality to the heist.

Most transfers were blocked, but a total of $81 million went to four accounts at a single RCBC branch in Manila.

The stolen money was swiftly transferred to a foreign exchange broker and distributed to casinos

and gambling agents in Manila.“The hacking was done, chanc-

es are, by Chinese hackers,” Senator Ralph Recto said in a tel-ephone interview.

Vulnerable“Then they saw that, in the Phil-ippines, RCBC particularly was vulnerable and sent the money over here.” Beijing was quick to denounce the comments by Recto, vice chairman of the Senate Com-mittee on Finance and a former head of the Philippines’ economic

planning agency. The suggestion that Chinese hackers were possi-bly involved was “complete non-sense” and “really irresponsible,” Chinese foreign ministry spokes-man Lu Kang told reporters.

Recto said he couldn’t prove the hackers were Chinese, but was merely “connecting the dots” after a series of Senate hearings into the scandal. At one hearing, a Chinese casino boss and junket operator called Kim Wong named two high-rolling gamblers from Beijing and Macau who he said had brought the stolen money into the Philippines. He displayed pur-ported copies of their passports, showing they were mainland Chi-nese and Macau administrative region nationals respectively.

Wong, a native of Hong Kong who holds a Chinese passport, re-ceived almost $35 million of the stolen funds through his company and a foreign exchange broker. The two Chinese named by Wong “are the best lead to determine who are the hackers,” said Recto. “Chances are... they must be Chinese.”

The whereabouts of the two high-rollers were unknown, Recto added, saying the Senate inquiry “may” seek help from the Chinese government to find them.

Recto also questioned the role

of casino junket operators in the Philippines, saying many of them have links in Macau, the south-ern Chinese territory that is the world’s biggest casino hub.

“There are junket operators who are from Macau, so it (the money) may find its way back to Macau,” he said.

A senior executive at a top jun-ket operator in Macau said there was “no reason” to bring funds from the Philippines to Macau. “This seems more like a political story in the Philippines,” he said, speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to talk to the media. The US State Depart-ment said in a report last month that the gaming industry was “a weak link” in the Philippines’ an-ti-money laundering regime.

Philrem, the foreign exchange agent, said it distributed the sto-len $81 million to Bloomberry Resorts Corp, which owns and operates the upmarket Solaire ca-sino in Manila; to Eastern Hawaii Leisure Company, which is owned by Wong; and to an ethnic Chinese man believed to be a junket opera-tor in Manila. Wong has returned $5.5 million to the Philippines’ anti-money laundering agency and has promised to hand over an-other $9.7 million. - Reuters

Unidentified

hackers infiltrated

the computers at

Bangladesh Bank in

early February and

tried to transfer a

total of $951 million

from its account at

the Federal Reserve

Bank of New York

HEARING: Chinese casino junket operator Kim Wong gestures as

he answers questions during a money laundering hearing at Sen-

ate in Manila, in this file picture taken on Tuesday. - Reuters

Fighting erupts near power lines to Kabul, 13 killed

KABUL: Fighting has broken out between Afghan government forces and Taliban militants in an area in the north where battles de-stroyed power lines early this year, officials said on Wednesday.

The insurgents destroyed power lines in the area in Baghlan prov-ince in January, causing nearly a month of power cuts in the capital and adding to concern over Tali-ban gains in various places since most foreign troops withdrew in late 2014. Taliban forces had cap-tured two government outposts in clashes overnight in the area north of Kabul, not far from the provin-cial capital of Pul-e-Khumri, said police spokesman Zabiullah Shuja. Thirteen insurgents were killed, along with one civilian and one po-liceman, he said.

After the January attacks on the grid bringing electricity from central Asia, it took security forces weeks to secure the area and get technicians in to make repairs.

Taliban insurgents still freely operate in the area, schools are closed, and people are afraid to leave their homes, said one resi-dent, Mohammed Hussain.

Government troops had launched an offensive to blunt the Taliban advance in the area and the situation had stabilized, said Baghlan provincial governor Ab-dul Satar Barez. - Reuters

M I L I T A N C Y

A14

GLOBAL EYET H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

IVORY COAST: Commuters drive along a road in the Plateau district of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on Tuesday. — Reuters

CALIFORNIA: Inflatable white rabbits that are part of the art installation ‘Intrude’ are displayed at Civic Center Plaza in front of San

Francisco City Hall on Tuesday in San Francisco, California, US. Intrude, an installation by Australian artist Amanda Parer, features

five 23 foot tall inflatable white rabbits that represent the environmental damage caused by introducing non-native species to new

habitats. — Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP

INDIANA: A fan wears many mini basketballs on his head dur-

ing the game between the Connecticut Huskies and the Syracuse

Orange at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday in Indianapolis,

Indiana., US. — Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP

JAPAN: Visitors walk under illuminated cherry blossoms in full

bloom along the Chidorigafuchi Moat in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednes-

day. — Reuters

CALIFORNIA: A general view of “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” attraction during a special preview opening at Universal Studios

Hollywood in Universal City, California, US, on Tuesday. — Reuters

SUDAN: Sudanese gather to attend a speech by Sudanese President

during his visit to El Daein in Eastern Darfur on Tuesday. — AFP

CHINA: A man rides an escalator in front of high rise buildings in in

Shanghai, China, on Wednesday. — AFP

A15

WORLDT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

Iceland seeks new leader to avoid early vote

REYKJAVIK: Iceland’s govern-ment sought to avoid early elec-tions on Wednesday by picking a replacement for the prime minis-ter who stepped aside as the first global politician brought down the “Panama Papers” leaks.

Sigmundur David Gunnlaugs-son exited on Tuesday after leaked documents from a Pana-manian law firm showed his wife owned millions of dollars worth of previously undisclosed shares in a company that held debt from failed Icelandic banks.

Picking a new prime minister could allow the ruling coalition to remain in power, but the opposi-tion is trying to force a new elec-tion with a vote of no confidence in the government, which could lead to a radical political shift.

Icelanders, already fed up with the financial and political elite af-ter a 2008 banking crisis wrecked the economy, were expected re-turn to the streets.

Thousands pelted parliament with yoghurt and eggs at protests earlier this week.

“I feel like I am watching a live show of House of Cards,” said Erla Gisladottir, a 32-year-old mother on parental leave.

Polls show the anti-establish-ment Pirate Party in the lead if a new election is called in the coun-try of 330,000 people, a result with potentially wider impact across Europe where mainstream politi-cal parties are fending off popu-lists. The Panama documents re-vealed that Gunnlaugsson’s wife owned a previously undisclosed firm with what the government says is $4.1 million in claims on the island’s collapsed banks. His opponents say that represents a

conflict of interest, because the government is involved in negoti-ating the value of such claims.

Iceland has struggled to recover from the 2008 collapse of its high-ly indebted banks, which led to popular protests, the fall of a gov-ernment and the jailing of many bankers. The ruling Progressive Party’s deputy leader, Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, said on Tues-day his party had proposed to its junior coalition partner, the Inde-pendence Party, that he become the new prime minister. That requires a formal decision by the government, which was expected to meet later.

However, there were signs a transition would not be smooth. A statement emailed on Tuesday night by government spokesman Sigurdur Jonsson said Gunn-laugsson had suggested that Jo-hannsson take over as prime min-ister “for an unspecified amount of time”. “The prime minister has not resigned and will continue to serve as chairman of the Progres-sive Party,” it said.

Opposition politicians are standing their ground, calling for a vote of no-confidence. While the government has a parliamentary majority, it is not clear whether all its members would now support it. “It is clear our demand for new elections still stands,” Left Green Party leader Katrín Jakobsdottir told Reuters late on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, some experts predicted the government would hang on. “Unless something very unexpected happens, it seems likely to me that this government has survived and will continue and hope that this dies down,” said Stefania Oskarsdottir, as-

sociate professor in political sci-ence at Iceland University.

A poll by Icelandic media outlet Visir showed 43 per cent would vote for the Pirate Party if elec-tions were held now, a stunning victory for an anti-establishment group set up by opponents of cop-yright enforcement rules.

The Pirate Party, which cam-paigns in favour of transparency and direct democracy, has had a small following in several Euro-pean countries for a few years but has never before come close to political power. Elections are not scheduled to take place for a year, although many believe one could be called sooner.

Oskar Arni Oskarsson, a 64-year-old writer and librarian, called the turn in Icelandic poli-tics “totally absurd” and wanted a new vote. “I think we have just scratched the surface,” he said. “I think a lot of things will still emerge.”

The leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm that spe-cialises in setting up offshore companies were unveiled this week by news organisations around the world, shining a light on the finances of global politi-cians and public figures.

Gunnlaugsson and his wife bought a company called Win-tris Inc from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca in late 2007 through the Luxembourg branch of Landsbanki, one of the three Icelandic banks that col-lapsed in 2008.

Court records show Wintris had investments in bonds in all three of those banks, according to the International consortium of Investigative Journalists. — Reuters

Picking a new prime

minister could allow

the ruling coalition

to remain in power,

but the opposition is

trying to force a new

election with a vote

of no confidence in

the government

US girl going blind sees pope as part of parents’ ‘bucket list’VATICAN CITY: A five-year-old American girl who does not know she is gradually going blind met Pope Francis on Wednesday as part of her parents’ “visual bucket list” to show her people and things while she can still see.

Elizabeth “Lizzy” Myers and her parents, from Lexington, Ohio, were given special seats at Francis’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square, where the pope spoke to them briefly.

He bent down so his head could reach the level of Lizzy’s, softly touched the girl’s eyes with his right hand and blessed her.

“She was awestruck. She just teared up,” her mother Christine Myers, who is Catholic, told re-porters afterwards. “To her he’s the big guy in the white hat.”

“He asked us to pray for him and told us he would pray for us,” she said. “I feel an absolute sense of peace. For the first time, I’ve felt peace.”

Lizzy, whose case has received big media coverage in the United States, is not aware that she is suf-fering from Usher’s Syndrome, which will eventually leave her deaf and blind.

Her parents said they would tell Lizzy, who already wears a hearing aid, about her condition gradually as she asks questions.

She could be blind in about seven years so they have started what they call a “visual bucket list” of sites and people they think she should see

while she can. Seeing the pope was among the experiences at the top of the list. She also saw the Colosseum and other monuments in Rome. “I feel like I have very little time to show her so much,” her father, Ste-ve Myers, said.

After reading of her case, an airline offered them round-trip tickets to anywhere in the world and the family chose Rome.

Lizzy gave the pope a piece of a meteorite she was given when she was a special guest at the Warren Rupp Observatory in Mansfield, Ohio, one of the first places on her parents’ list.

Her mother said she and her husband wanted to make sure that she also saw simple things while she could, “like bonfires and fireflies”. — Reuters

U S H E R ’ S S Y N D R O M E

FURIOUS: People gather to demonstrate in Reykjavik. Icelanders, already fed up with the financial and political elite after a 2008 banking crisis wrecked the economy, were expected return to the streets. – AP/PTI

AWESTRUCK: Pope Francis talks with Elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Myers, a 5-year-old girl from Ohio, US, at the end of the weekly audience in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Wednesday. – Reuters

Elizabeth “Lizzy” Myers and her parents, from Lexington, Ohio, were given special seats at Francis’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square, where the pope spoke to them briefly.

A16

WORLDT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

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50m Turks’ data leaked by hackers

ISTANBUL: Turkey is investiga-tion how hackers have posted on-line the identity data of some 50 million Turks, including what they said were details about the presi-dent and prime minister, after what is believed to be the biggest data breach seen in the country.

While no group has taken credit for uploading the data to a website called the Turkish Citizenship Database, the comments posted suggest Turkey may be a target of political hackers.

The 1.5 gigabyte compressed file contains the national identity number, date of birth and full ad-dress for 49.6 million Turks, ac-cording to the website, or around two thirds of the population.

The website said it included the ID information of President Tayy-

ip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and former president Abdullah Gul and taunted the president.

Vulnerable infrastructure“Who would have imagined that backward ideologies, cronyism and rising religious extremism in Turkey would lead to a crumbling and vulnerable technical infra-structure?” the website says. “Do

something about Erdogan! He is destroying your country beyond recognition.”

An official at Ankara’s chief pros-ecutor’s office said on Wednesday it was investigating the breach, but declined to give further details. The number of Turkish citizens affected was roughly the same size as the entire electorate, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told report-ers. “How and from where this was

leaked needs to be looked into,” he said. “I believe the necessary inves-tigations - both administrative and judicial - have been launched and whatever is necessary will be done.”

Tuncay Besikci, a computer forensics expert at auditing and consultancy firm PwC, confirmed to Reuters the file contained ID numbers and personally identifi-able information of at least 46 mil-lion citizens.

Transport and Communication Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday the breach appeared to date back to at least 2010. It is not clear when the file was first up-loaded, although reports of it sur-faced in local media this week.

He said the data was from elec-toral records that the state shares with political parties before elec-tions. However, Besikci, the com-puter expert, said he believed the

data was taken from the govern-ment’s official Population Gov-ernance Central Database in or around 2009 and later illegally sold on to firms that dealt in asset foreclosures.

In December, Turkish Internet servers suffered one of the most intense cyberattacks seen in the country, raising fears Ankara may have been a target of political hackers. — Reuters

Turkey launches

probe as data

includes birth date,

address and ID

numbers and details

about the president

and prime minister

Stronger common asylum system to contain migrants flow proposedBRUSSELS: The European Union’s executive on Wednes-day proposed strengthening the bloc’s common asylum rules in response to the chaotic arrival of more than a million migrants and refugees last year that has strained EU cohesion.

The proposal drew swift criti-cism from the Czech Republic, highlighting deep divisions with-in the EU about how to amend what is known as the Dublin rules, under which people must claim asylum in the first EU state they enter.

That system has left frontline states Greece and Italy unable and unwilling to offer asylum to all arrivals and seen many mi-grants trek north, prompting border closures that threaten the EU’s Schengen system of pass-port-free travel.

A first option presented by the European Commission would add a “corrective fairness mecha-nism” that would relocate asylum seekers from frontline states to elsewhere in the bloc - a method now being employed on an ad hoc basis. A second is to create a new system that would ignore where people arrived in the EU and send them around the bloc according to a “permanent distri-bution key”.

“In both cases, asylum-seekers will be automatically redistrib-uted between member states,” the bloc’s Migration Commis-sioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told a news conference. “We need a fair share of responsibil-ity and more solidarity ingrained in our system.”

Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec responded on Twit-ter: “The proposal for reform of the European migration policy is based again on implementing compulsory quotas. We have re-peatedly said NO to that.”

Longer term, the Commission also proposed a more central-ised asylum process within EU institutions, rather than basing it on national laws, though this is unlikely to find much support among member states.

Legal proposalsThe European Commission said it wanted to come up with legal proposals by the summer after EU states and institutions have given their views on the options. Germany, which took in a million people last year who mostly ar-rived initially in Greece, wants to stick to the main principle of first point of entry but have a perma-nent relocation scheme in place for asylum-seekers. Italy has

pushed for the abolition of the first-country rule. Britain, which will vote in a referendum in June on whether to quit the bloc, does not take part in most EU asylum policies.

The Commission’s proposals appear to rule out maintaining the status quo, despite Prague and some other governments not wishing to see any change in a system under which they now take in very few refugees.

Different asylum rules in EU states have encouraged chaotic flows of refugees within the EU as they moved from frontline countries to Germany, Sweden and other states whose laws, or economic prosperity, offer them the most beneficial conditions.

The Commission floated an idea to introduce legal punish-ment for irregular movements by non-Europeans between coun-tries in the bloc and proposed a stronger mandate for the Euro-pean Asylum Support Office. In another plan likely to draw mixed response from EU states, the Commission said the bloc needed a long-term resettlement scheme to bring people into Europe di-rectly from crisis zones as an al-ternative to the dangerous routes.

EU states on Wednesday agreed a common position on creating a joint European Border and Coast Guard that would help police the bloc’s external borders and will start talks on the pro-posal with the European Parlia-ment. Brussels hopes to launch the border agency in the second half of the year. Separately, the Commission also rolled out other technical proposals to strengthen the EU’s external borders in an attempt to tackle both the mi-grant influx and security threats after deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels. — Reuters

E U E X E C U T I V E

ISTANBUL: Turkey will work on a new rule to strip citizenship from Turks found to be supporting terrorism, the justice minister said on Wednesday, a day after Presi-dent Tayyip Erdogan said he wanted such a measure.

Erdogan first floated the idea on Tuesday in a speech to lawyers. Since becoming president, he has transformed the largely ceremonial role into a more executive one, advocating for legislative moves and for the judiciary to take action. Prime Minister

Ahmet Davutoglu hours later said there were no such plans underway, but Justice Minis-ter Bekir Bozdag contradicted him. “Erdogan envisages a new rule (for stripping citi-zenship),” Bozdag said.

“Of course we will begin work on this.” Erdogan did not specify who he was target-ing with the comments. In the past he said that those Turkey accuses of support-ing terrorism - whether they are journalists or aid workers - are no different from terror-ists themselves. — Reuters

Turkey to work on rule to strip terror supporters of citizenship

BIGGEST DATA BREACH: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, on

Wednesday. The website called the Turkish Citizenship Database included the ID information of Presi-

dent Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and former president Abdullah Gul and taunted

the president. – AFP

ASYLUM-SEEKERS: Migrants

and refugees stage a protest at

a makeshift camp at the Greek-

Macedonian border near the

village of Idomeni, Greece, on

Wednesday. – Reuters

MARKEWWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6B

Muscat

5,574.52 + 4.55

+ 0.08%

Dubai

3,351.33- 18.41

- 0.55%

Abu Dhabi

4,299.35- 9.68

- 0.22%

Saudi Arabia

6,229.98+ 28.89

+ 0.47%

Kuwait

5,204.30+ 2.67

+ 0.05%

Bahrain

1,127.14 - 5.53

- 0.49%

Qatar

10,031.02+ 22.05

+ 0.22%

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

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

Euro ............................................2.26

Pound ...........................................1.82

Indian Rs ............................. 172.24

Pakistan Rs .........................267.31

Bangla Taka......................200.96* Rates are as of Apr. 6Source: Bank Muscat

Indian Rs ...................................172.90

Pakistan Rs ............................. 271.50

Sri Lanka Rs ..................................N/A

Bangla Taka........................... 203.40

Phil Peso .................................... 119.65

* Rates as of Apr. 6 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) ....... 15.75

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) ........15.10

Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ........... 149.00

Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ............. 139.75

* Rates as of Apr. 6

Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

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

Oman Crude ............. (Spot) ........$34.94

Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) .........$34.74

Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ..........$37.71

Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$34.09

N.Sea Brent ............... (Spot) ........$38.39

West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........ $36.76

CRUDE OIL PRICE

DIGEST VIDEO

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

Top stories in one minute with our new daily Digest

Oman Air plans to establish ground handling joint venture

SALEH AL SHAIBANYsaleh@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate, is plan-ning to establish a joint venture to create a new ground handling company that will help improve its competitive edge in the inter-national market, its executive vice president said.

Oman Air has an experience spanning three decades in han-dling ground services from an av-erage of 23,000 flights and over 3.5 million passengers per year but

the company is facing a growing challenge in the air transportation business. To offset the challenges, Oman Air is now forming a sepa-rate ground handling company to go into a joint venture with an international firm.

“Part of Oman Air’s strategy is to focus as an airline as its core busi-ness. It means separating some of its businesses to operate indepen-dently. This is the reason why we are separating ground handling from the airline to improve efficien-cy,” Andrew Walsh, executive vice president of ground handling and

cargo’s transition office, told Times of Oman in an exclusive interview.

“At the moment, ground han-dling is running as a business unit with its own profit-loss account. The ground handling unit does not treat Oman Air differently. It is just another customer and it gets the same attention as other airlines,” Andrew added.

Walsh said that after a series of negotiations with interested com-panies, the negotiating team has shortlisted two global companies from a list of five. “We are in the process of a series of evaluation

and documentation with two com-panies. They are global companies with presence in many countries. The final decision which of the two will be selected to partner us will be based on the shareholding split and how they want to get involved in the joint venture,” Walsh explained.

He said that Oman Air is willing to concede up to 49 per cent share-holding to the international partner to form the ground handling com-pany. However, he could not specu-late the total investments of the new company and the breakdown of the equity. >B2

The Sultanate’s

national airline is

forming a separate

ground handling

firm to improve its

competitive edge in

the global market

PAEW floats tender for water projectTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Oman’s Public Au-thority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) has floated a tender for pre-qualifying companies to par-ticipate in a tender to build a wa-ter transmission system between

Sohar and Dahirah governorate. The companies can submit

their request for qualification bids upto May 16, while the last date for distributing tender document is April 21, according to a tender notice posted by the authority.

S O H A R - D A H I R A H

Andrew Walsh. – Supplied picture

OMR77m contract for

roads, infrastructure

signed for Duqm port

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad) has signed a OMR77.1 million agreement with Kuwait-based Gulf United Construction to build roads, infrastructure facilities and buildings at Port of Duqm.

The package three includes construction of roads, infra-structure and buildings at the commercial pre-gate, gates and inspection zone, trucks registra-tion building, and other buildings specialised for the commercial zone at Duqm port.

The construction work will be completed within three years, said a release from the port.

Yahyabin Said bin Abdullah Al Jabri, chairman of Sezad, signed the agreement on carrying out the third package of Duqm port devel-opment package (P3) at his office in Knowledge Oasis Muscat. The agreement was signed by Khalid Salah Farahat, general manager of Gulf United Construction, which started operation more than four decades ago in Kuwait.

The works of Duqm Port’s third package include building 8km road with various cross sec-tions, the building of all internal access roads to the buildings and car parks, paving the car parking places, designing, supplying and fixing traffic signal, and building

two airstrips for helicopters. The third package of Duqm

port includes the infrastructure works related to construction of potable water network, firefight-ing network, wastewater net-work, water drainage channels, electrical and communication works, lighting the streets and yards, fencing works, and erect-ing sub-gates.

Third packageAs for as buildings are concerned, the third package of Duqm port includes construction of three buildings at the commercial pier area (before the gate, at the gate, and at the inspection and cus-toms area) including exit and access compartments from the gate, a one-stop-shop, pass per-mits office, and mosque. It will include also specialised buildings for the customs authority, the Ministry of Health, the Minis-try of Agriculture and Fisheries, electrical services facilities, and firefighting water tanks.

“The agreement on carrying out the third package of Duqm port asserts the government’s commitment to complete the Duqm port project, and the im-plementation of many infra-structure projects that have been previously approved in the Spe-cial Economic Zone Authority at Duqm,” said Al Jabri. >B2

E C O N O M I C Z O N E

SIGNING SESSION: Yahya bin Said bin Abdullah Al Jabri, chair-

man of Sezad, and Khalid Salah Farahat, general manager of Gulf

United Construction, have signed the agreement. - Supplied picture

END CALLSAVE LIVES

A TIMES OF OMANHANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

B2

MARKETT H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6

REGULAR MARKET .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ....................... 611,757 .......... 129,436.....................44 ........... 0.200 ........... 0.214 ...........0.200 .......... 0.212 ............. 0.195.............0.017 ............. 8.718.................0.214 ..............0.214...................0.000 ..................20,148,480 .........0.100

OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING ........... 1,095,858 ...... 120,969..................... 53 ............0.104 ........... 0.112............0.104 ............0.110 ............. 0.103............ 0.007 ............. 6.796 ................ 0.111 .............. 0.110................... 0.111 ...................13,406,250 .........0.100

OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 557,651 .......... 271,497......................31 ........... 0.462 ...........0.500 ...........0.462........... 0.486 .............0.456 ........... 0.030 ............. 6.579 ................0.500..............0.500...................0.000 ................ 308,994,372 .......0.100

OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ..................................................42,667 .............16,607......................15 ........... 0.380 ........... 0.392 ...........0.380........... 0.390 .............0.374 ............0.016 ............. 4.278 ................0.390..............0.386...................0.390 ..................20,475,000 .........0.100

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 6,407,456 ...1,372,036...................256 ............0.210 ........... 0.218 ...........0.210 ........... 0.214 .............0.210 ........... 0.004 ............. 1.905 ................0.217 .............. 0.217...................0.218 ................... 32,116,050 .........0.100

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 1,332,897 ...... 242,371..................... 60 ............0.179 ........... 0.190 ...........0.179 ........... 0.182 ............. 0.179 ............ 0.003 ............. 1.676 ................0.186 .............. 0.185...................0.189 ...................52,898,486 .........0.100

OM0000001087 ............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 192,850 ............ 47,411......................18 ........... 0.242 ...........0.248 ...........0.242 .......... 0.246 .............0.242 ........... 0.004 ............. 1.653 ................0.248..............0.246...................0.249 ..................24,600,000 ........0.100

OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ............................................................... 8,292 ...............2,363........................ 1 ........... 0.285 ........... 0.285 ...........0.285........... 0.285 ............. 0.281............ 0.004 ............. 1.423 ................0.285 ..............0.285...................0.290 .................. 15,675,000 .........0.100

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 3,699,582 ....1,451,512................... 361 ........... 0.388 ........... 0.396 ...........0.386........... 0.392 .............0.388 ........... 0.004 ..............1.031.................0.388 ..............0.386...................0.388..................978,530,101 ........0.100

OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ............. 73,675 ................7,736........................9 ............0.105 ........... 0.105 ...........0.105 ........... 0.105 .............0.104 ............0.001 ............. 0.962 ................0.105 .............. 0.105...................0.107 ....................9,450,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ............. 110,000............ 24,108........................8 ............0.218 ...........0.220 ...........0.218 ........... 0.219 ............. 0.218.............0.001 ............. 0.459 ................0.220 .............0.214...................0.220 ................... 7,352,148 ..........0.100

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE .............. 620,295 .........126,540..................... 34 ........... 0.204 ...........0.204 ...........0.204 .......... 0.204 .............0.204 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.204 ............ 0.202...................0.205 ................. 40,800,000 ........0.100

OM0000001962 ............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 321,198 ............ 20,566......................15 ........... 0.064 ........... 0.065 ...........0.064........... 0.064 .............0.064 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.065 ..............0.064...................0.065................... 13,257,689 .........0.100

OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ......................... 88,300 .............12,539..................... 10 ............0.142 ........... 0.142 ...........0.142 ........... 0.142 ............. 0.142 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.142 ..............0.142...................0.143 ....................17,735,510..........0.100

OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ..............................................2,830 .................. 747........................ 1 ........... 0.264 ...........0.264 ...........0.264 .......... 0.264 .............0.264 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.264............. 0.260...................0.264 .................. 16,157,928 .........0.100

OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ...........................................60 ................... 111........................ 1 ............1.850 ........... 1.850 ...........1.850 ........... 1.900 .............1.900 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.850 ............. 0.000...................1.865 ..................180,500,000 .......0.100

OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 100,000 ........... 25,300........................ 1 ........... 0.253 ........... 0.253 ...........0.253 ........... 0.253 .............0.253 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.253 ..............0.253...................0.260 .................429,897,954 ........0.100

OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 2,597,496 ..... 220,544...................120 ........... 0.085 ........... 0.087 ...........0.083........... 0.085 .............0.085 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.084..............0.083...................0.084 ..................24,648,354.........0.100

OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ........................................................ 1,112 .................. 456........................7 ............0.410 ........... 0.410 ...........0.410 ........... 0.438 .............0.438 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.410 ..............0.410...................0.438...................26,499,000 .........0.100

OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER .................................................................... 110 .....................37........................ 1 ........... 0.334 ........... 0.334 ...........0.334........... 0.352 .............0.352 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.334............. 0.000...................0.334 .................. 77,795,520 .........0.100

OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 370,000 ........ 264,840......................15 ............0.716 ........... 0.716............0.712 ............0.716 ............. 0.716 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.716 .............. 0.712................... 0.716 ..................466,076,069 .......0.100

OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ..................................... 600 ...............2,847........................ 1 ............4.745 ........... 4.745 ...........4.745 ........... 4.745 ............. 4.745............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................4.745 ............. 0.000...................0.000 .................. 46,407,125 .........1.000

OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL ...............................................15,000 ............... 1,095........................2 ........... 0.073 ........... 0.073 ...........0.073 ........... 0.073 .............0.073 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.073 ..............0.072...................0.073................... 12,775,000 .........0.100

OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER ..................................................12,464 ...............2,580........................2 ........... 0.207 ...........0.207 ...........0.207........... 0.207 .............0.207 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.207..............0.207...................0.210 .................. 139,701,698 ........0.100

OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................... 33,768 ................7,091..................... 10 ............0.210 ........... 0.210 ...........0.210 ........... 0.210 .............0.210 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.210 ..............0.210................... 0.211 ..................150,025,331 ........0.100

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..........................40,361 ............ 62,905......................16 ............1.565 ........... 1.565 ...........1.550 ........... 1.560 ............. 1.565 ............-0.005 ........... -0.319................1.555 .............. 1.550................... 1.555 ................1,170,000,000 ......0.100

OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ........................................................35,000 ............ 33,880........................5 ........... 0.968 ........... 0.968 ...........0.968........... 0.968 .............0.972 ...........-0.004 ........... -0.412 ...............0.968 ..............0.968...................0.976..................193,600,000 .......0.100

OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 290,000 ........... 32,029......................13 ............0.111 ........... 0.112............0.109 ............0.110 ............. 0.111 ............-0.001 ........... -0.901 ...............0.109 ..............0.106...................0.109 .................... 6,472,754 ..........0.100

OM0000002168 ............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES .................................60,789 ............. 17,021........................5 ........... 0.280 ...........0.280 ...........0.280 .......... 0.280 .............0.285 ...........-0.005 ............-1.754 ................0.280............. 0.280...................0.285...................82,939,831 .........0.100

OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 101,442.............26,691..................... 33 ........... 0.263 ........... 0.265 ...........0.263........... 0.263 .............0.268 ...........-0.005 ........... -1.866................0.263..............0.262...................0.263 ...................5,523,000 ..........0.100

OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 1,241,518 ....... 194,035..................... 27 ............0.159 ........... 0.159 ...........0.156 ............0.156 ............. 0.160 ...........-0.004 ........... -2.500 ...............0.156 .............. 0.156...................0.158 ..................247,351,104 ........0.100

OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH ............................................... 20,000 ...............5,280........................2 ........... 0.264 ...........0.264 ...........0.264 .......... 0.264 ............. 0.271............-0.007 ........... -2.583 ...............0.264..............0.261...................0.264 ................ 252,006,995 .......0.100

OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 215,071 ............ 36,565......................12 ............0.171 ........... 0.171 ............0.170 ........... 0.170 ............. 0.175 ............-0.005 ........... -2.857 ...............0.170 .............. 0.170................... 0.176 ..................242,256,144 .......0.100

OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 250,000 ...........34,500........................ 1 ............0.138 ........... 0.138 ...........0.138 ............0.138 ............. 0.153 ............-0.015 ........... -9.804 ...............0.138 ............. 0.000...................0.138 ...................27,600,000 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 20,550,099 ..... 4,814,244 ..........1,190 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......34........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .......................................................18,200 ................1,071........................5 ........... 0.058 ........... 0.059 ...........0.058 ........... 0.059 .............0.058 ............0.001 ............. 1.724 ................0.059 ..............0.058...................0.059.................... 7,375,000 ..........0.100

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK................................................ 57,782 ...............3,467..................... 10 ........... 0.060 ...........0.060 ...........0.060........... 0.060 .............0.059 ............0.001 ............. 1.695 ................0.060..............0.059...................0.060 ..................60,000,000 ........0.100

OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 1,317,828 ......... 98,827..................... 45 ........... 0.074 ........... 0.075 ...........0.074 ........... 0.075 .............0.074 ............0.001 ..............1.351 .................0.075 ..............0.075...................0.076..................112,500,000 ........0.100

OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 293,320 ........... 44,162..................... 34 ............0.151 ........... 0.151 ............0.150 ............0.151 ............. 0.150.............0.001 ............. 0.667 ................0.150 .............. 0.149...................0.150 ................. 220,852,820 .......0.100

OM0000001178 ............MUSCAT GASES ..............................................................2,000 ...............1,600........................ 1 ........... 0.800 ...........0.800 ...........0.800 .......... 0.828 .............0.828 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.800............. 0.000...................0.800 ................. 24,840,000 ........0.100

OM0000001301 ............DHOFAR CATTLE FEED .............................................. 1,500 ...................321........................6 ............0.215 ........... 0.215 ...........0.212 ........... 0.219 ............. 0.219............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.212 ..............0.212...................0.220 .................. 17,706,150 .........0.100

OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 675,395 ........... 22,963........................9 ........... 0.034 ...........0.034 ...........0.034........... 0.034 .............0.034 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.034..............0.033...................0.034 ...................2,890,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001590 ............MUSCAT FINANCE ......................................................55,000 ...............6,325........................5 ............0.115 ........... 0.115 ............ 0.115 ............0.115 ............. 0.115 ............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................ 0.115 ...............0.113................... 0.118 ...................30,672,292 .........0.100

OM0000002101 ............OMAN FIBER OPTIC ..................................................... 3,068 .............14,021..................... 10 ........... 4.570 ........... 4.570 ...........4.570........... 4.570 .............4.570 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................4.570............. 4.500...................5.000 ..................32,973,089 .........1.000

OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 594,528 ............48,651..................... 59 ........... 0.083 ........... 0.085 ...........0.077 ........... 0.082 .............0.084 ...........-0.002 ........... -2.381 ...............0.078 ..............0.078...................0.080 ................... 6,167,056 ..........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 3,018,621 ......241,408...................184 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......10........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ...................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ................................................370 .....................26........................ 1 ........... 0.070 ........... 0.070 ...........0.070........... 0.109 ............. 0.109 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.070..............0.070...................0.104.................... 7,793,500 ..........0.100

OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ..............................................1,813 ...................185........................3 ............0.102 ........... 0.102 ...........0.102 ........... 0.102 .............0.102 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.102 ..............0.102...................0.106 ...................32,603,553 .........0.100

OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ........................1,856 ...................171........................3 ........... 0.092 ........... 0.092 ...........0.092........... 0.092 .............0.092 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.092..............0.092...................0.099...................29,822,868 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: ...................................................................................... 4,039 .................. 382........................7 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 3........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

O M A N S T O C K S

INDICESIndex .................................................High .................Low ..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff %MSM30 Index ........................................5,587.69 ...............5,567.58 ................... 5,574.52 ................... 5,569.96 ....................4.56 ................... 0.08Financial Index .....................................7,083.99 ...............7,023.85 .................... 7,081.79 ................... 7,043.77 ................. 38.02 ................... 0.54Industrial Index ....................................6,732.75 ............... 6,711.20 ................... 6,729.60 ................... 6,728.45 .....................1.15 ...................0.02Services Index ....................................... 3,121.69 ................3,111.91 ....................3,116.28 ................... 3,118.20 .................. -1.92 .................. -0.06MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................846.92 ..................845.52 ...................... 846.05 ...................... 846.10 .................. -0.05 .................. -0.01

Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded23,572,759 ................. 5,056,034 ..................1,381 .............. 16,564,290,950 ................ 15 ..................... 10 ....................22 .........................47

MSM closesin green zone

MUSCAT: Muscat bourse re-mained active with ample vol-umes in large cap stock. The MSM 30 Index closed at 5,574.52 points, up 0.08 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index remained flat at 846.05 points.

Al Anwar Holding was the most active in terms of volume while Bank Muscat led in terms of turnover. The top gainer was Port Services, up 8.72 per cent, while Global Financial Invest-ment continued to be the top loser, down 9.80 per cent.

As many as 1,381 trades were executed on Wednesday, gener-ating turnover of OMR5 million with 23.5 million shares changing hands. Out of 47 traded securi-ties, 15 advanced, 10 declined and 22 remained unchanged. Omani Investors remained net buyers to the tune of OMR521,00 worth of shares, while foreign investors, who were net sellers, sold shares amounting to OMR392,000 fol-lowed by GCC and Arab investors at OMR129,000.

Financial Index advanced 0.54 per cent to finish at 7,081.79 points. Oman & Emirates Hold-

ing, Ominvest, Al Anwar Holding, Al Izz Bank and Oman United In-surance gained 6.80 per cent, 6.58 per cent, 1.90 per cent, 1.69 per cent and 1.65 per cent respective-ly. Global Financial Investment, Ahli Bank, Bank Sohar and Gulf Investment Services slid 9.80 per cent, 2.86 per cent, 2.50 per cent and 0.90 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index was little changed at 6,729.60 points, up 0.02 per cent. Al Maha Ceram-ics, Oman Fisheries and National Aluminium increased 4.28 per cent, 1.72 per cent and 0.46 per cent respectively. Al Hassan En-gineering, Gulf International Chemicals, Al Anwar Ceram-ics and Raysut Cement declined 2.38%, 1.87 per cent, 1.75 per cent and 0.41 per cent respectively.

Services Index retreated 0.06 per cent to close at 3,116.28 points. Port Services, Renaissance Ser-vices, National Gas and Phoenix Power gained 8.72 per cent, 1.68 per cent, 1.42 per cent and 0.67 per cent respectively. Sembcorp Salalah and Omantel declined 2.58 per cent and 0.32 per cent re-spectively. – United Securities

The top gainer was Port Services, up 8.72%,

while Global Financial Investment was the

top loser, down by 9.80%

Joint venture to bring new

technologies and expertise

But Walsh added the main objec-tive of separating ground handling from the airline is to ward off the expected competition.

“Competition is coming as we have seen in November last year when there was an invitation to companies to apply for the li-cence of the operation of ground handling in Muscat. We will be the second company in the coun-try to do ground handling. This is the reason why we need an inter-national partner to raise our level of competitiveness,” Walsh said.

International marketThe joint venture will not only make the new ground handling company much more competitive but bring in new technologies, ex-pertise and the training of the staff.

“It will improve the company’s economies of scale and give us ac-cess to the international market which at the moment we don’t have access. For example, the joint venture can take part to the acquisition of other companies elsewhere in the world to expand our operations. It will also give

our Omani staff an opportunity to work in airports outside the Sul-tanate of Oman,” he said.

The joint venture would also expand Oman’s efforts to exa-pand its scope to attract much needed foreign investments and the creation of employment.

New revenues“The new ground handling com-pany will bring in revenues and new business opportunities. We will be able to have access of investments from outside the country that at the moment is out of our reach. It will also create jobs. At the moment, 77 per cent of Oman Air’s staff are Omanis,” Walsh said.

Last week, Oman Air has gone into a joint venture to handle its cargo operations with a Singa-porean-based company, SATS. The new company will be known as Oman SATS Cargo and will start operation in the summer this year. When the new terminal building is completed, Muscat Airport will have the capacity to handle 200,000 tonnes of cargo.

O M A N A I R

< FROM

B1Galfar bags contracts worth OMR22m from PAEWTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Galfar Engineering and Contracting Company, one of the leading contracting firms in the Sultanate of Oman, has won four major contracts worth OMR21.92 million from the Pub-lic Authority for Electricity and

Water (PAEW) for operation and maintenance of its assets in Al Dakhiliyah, South Al Batinah, Al Seeb and Muscat regions.

These contracts are for main-taining and operating water net-works, water wells, pumping sta-tions and buildings, the company said in a disclosure statement

posted on Muscat Securities Market (MSM) website.

The first contract was for oper-ating and maintaining PAEW’s as-sets in Al Dakhiliyah for OMR7.97 million for a five year period, while the second project for OMR6.28 million was for South Al Batinah governorate.

The third contract worth OMR3.15 million was for opera-tion and maintenance of assets of PAEW for Al Seebwilayat and the fourth one was for operation and maintenance of PAEW as-sets in Muscat governorate for OMR4.15 million, the company statement added.

F O U R C O N T R A C T S

Duqm port to support economic diversification

“Duqm port is one of the most im-portant drivers for the Sezad. It is a multifunctional strategic port that aims to support the economic diversification efforts exerted by the Omani government. The port is distinguished by its stra-tegic geographic location close to the international shipping lines, as well as the African and Asian markets,” Al Jabri

“It can also attract various com-panies due to the quality infra-structure projects it entertains, and the advantages provided by

the Sezad investors at the zone. These advantages contribute into attracting many international lines to the port, as well as develop-ing many commercial and indus-trial projects. It also promotes the role played by the Sultanate in the logistics sector,” Al Jabri added.

He explained that the total length of Duqm Port breakwaters reach about 8.7 kilometres, while the depth of the harbour’s basin is 18 metres. He pointed out that the length of the access channel to the port is 19 metres, and this enables

that the port to receive huge con-tainer ships. The port has enough space for future expansions, and this enables it to host more than one oil refinery, apart from sev-eral heavy industry and petro-chemical projects.

Duqm authority has signed an agreement in February for car-rying out the fourth package of Duqm port related to the infra-structure of the governmental pier, the first integrated pier to be carried out at the Omani ports for serving the governmental entities.

It is expected that the authority will award the second package of Duqm port project related to the infrastructure of the commercial pier soon. This package is the big-gest package related to the port due to the diversity of works and its types on the commercial pier. The package includes paving the commercial pier for a length of 2.2km, and with a width reach-ing 350 metres. It also includes providing several other facilities that enable the port to handle the container vessels.

P O R T O F D U Q M

< FROM

B1

B3T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

MARKETRussia says crude price of $45-$50 ‘acceptable’

MOSCOW: Russia believes an oil price at $45-$50 per barrel is acceptable for the global oil market to balance, as it prepares to meet leading oil producers in Qatar, later this month, sources familiar with Russian plans said on Wednesday.

Leading oil producers plan to meet in Doha on April 17 to ce-ment a preliminary deal reached between Russia, Venezuela, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in February to freeze oil output at levels reached in January, to curb a surplus on the oil market.

“Now there is discussion of how long production will be frozen and ways to monitor the agreement,” one of the sources said.

“The level of $45-50 (per bar-rel) is acceptable from the point of view of market balance: if prices go higher shale oil production could start to recover.”

Russia and VenezuelaOil producers such as Russia and Venezuela are highly dependent on energy revenues, with their state budgets at risk after global oil prices fell to under $40 per bar-rel from over $115 in June 2014.

Sources said that the deal to freeze oil output is expected to speed up rebalancing of oil supply and demand by around half a year. Russia was pumping at a 30-year

high last month of 10.91 million barrels per day, even higher than its previous record in January.

The sources said Russia would not put new projects on hold as

part of the freeze deal, and may use other methods to regulate its production. They said the agree-ment in Doha is set to cover pro-duction, not exports. - Reuters

Leading oil

producers plan to

meet in Doha on

April 17 to cement

a deal reached

between Russia,

Venezuela, Qatar and

Saudi in February to

freeze crude output

Three UAE cities most attractive for investmentTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah — the three emirates of the UAE — have emerged as the region’s most popular investment destinations among Gulf Coop-eration Council (GCC) High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs), ac-cording to leading real estate con-sultancy, Cluttons.

Cluttons’ 2016 Middle East Pri-vate Capital Survey (in partner-ship with YouGov) shows that 63 per cent of GCC HNWI plan to invest in their preferred real estate locations during 2016. Of those surveyed, 27 per cent identified Dubai in their top three destina-tions within the GCC, while 21 per cent chose Abu Dhabi and 8 per cent selected Sharjah.

“For the Gulf states as a whole, the oil price decline has certainly put budgets under pressure and has triggered a number of macro policy amendments including the phasing out of energy subsidies and the introduction of value-add-ed tax (VAT),” said Steven Morgan, senior partner at Cluttons.

Household finance“We expect these measures to put a clear squeeze on household fi-nances but for now the investment sentiment of the region’s High Net Worth Individuals remains posi-tive, particularly towards the UAE which is seen as somewhat of a regional investment safe haven,” Steven added.

According to data from the Dubai Land Department, GCC nationals were the largest inves-tors in Dubai real estate in 2015, with a total of Dh44 billion being committed over the course of the year. The strength of GCC invest-ment into Dubai real estate over 2015 demonstrates the continued desirability of the emirate as an

investment location and the most sought after investment destina-tion in the region.

Dubai also emerged as the most preferred location for real estate investment in the Middle East during 2016, based on the findings of Cluttons’ latest research.

“The variety of investment op-tions available in Dubai range from low-end, high yielding residential units in peripheral schemes such as International City and Discov-ery Gardens, to more sophisticated investment options in the office market, where yields can range from 6.5 per cent to 9 per cent,” said Faisal Durrani, head of Re-search at Cluttons.

The Springs, Bur Dubai“We’re also witnessing the emer-gence of worker accommodation as an increasingly popular asset class, which can offer yields of be-tween 10 per cent and 20 per cent,” Faisal added.

The majority of respondents to Cluttons’ survey indicated that they were unsure of which specific area in Dubai they would target for an investment. However, for those who did name specific locations, for residential investment, The Springs and Bur Dubai were the most mentioned areas, followed by Deira, Jumeirah Islands and Jumeirah Village. For the office asset class, Deira and Downtown Dubai are most popular, with Bur Dubai and Business Bay coming in joint second.

C L U T T O N S S U R V E Y

STATE BUDGETS AT RISK: Oil producers such as Russia and Venezuela are highly dependent on energy revenues, with their state budgets at risk after global oil prices fell below $40 per barrel from over $115 in June 2014. - Reuters

ANKARA: Iranian Oil Min-ister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said the country’s crude out-put would reach four million barrels per day (bpd) by March 2017, state television reported on Wednesday.

“In the annual budget, the amount of oil export has been predicted around 2,250,000 bpd. This means our produc-tion this (Iranian) year will reach four mbpd,” Zanganeh was quoted as saying by state TV. The Iranian new year started on March 20.

Zanganeh said Iran’s oil out-put has increased after the lift-

ing of international sanctions in January under a nuclear deal with six major powers.

Sanctions imposed on Iran in early 2012 by the United States and European Union over its nuclear programme had cut crude exports from a peak of 2.5 million bpd before 2011 to just over 1 million bpd in recent years.

Iran has rejected freezing its output at January levels, which Organisation of Petro-leum Exporting Countries (Opec) secondary sources have estimated to be 2.93 mil-lion barrels per day, and wants

to return to much higher pre-sanctions production.

“Fortunately Iran’s oil ex-port has increased since the lifting of sanctions ... for 10 months since March 2016, Iran’s average monthly oil export was around 1,350,000 bpd,” Zanganeh said. He said Iran’s oil exports surpassed 2 million bpd in the Iranian months of Esfand and Farvar-din, which ends on April 19.

Oil prices rose on Tuesday after Kuwait said it expected major producers to agree later this month to freeze crude production. - Bloomberg News

Iran expects oil output to touch 4m barrels

B4

FEATURET H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

China has just an-nounced that last year, for the first time since it be-gan opening up its

economy to the world at the end of the 1970s, exports declined on an annual basis. And that is not all; in value terms, global trade declined in 2015. The obvious question is why. While global trade also fell in 2009, the expla-nation was obvious: The world was experiencing a sharp con-traction in gross domestic prod-uct at the time. Last year, how-ever, the world economy grew by a respectable 3 per cent. Moreo-ver, trade barriers have not risen significantly anywhere, and transport costs are falling, owing to the sharp decline in oil prices.

Tellingly, the so-called Baltic Dry Index, which measures the cost of chartering the large ships that carry most long-distance trade, has fallen to an all-time low. This indicates that markets do not expect a recovery, mean-ing that the data from 2015 could herald a new age of slowing trade. The obvious conclusion is that the once-irresistible forces of globalisation are losing steam.

The situation in China is tell-ing. In recent decades, as it be-came the world’s leading trading economy, China transformed the global trading system. Now the value of both imports and exports has fallen, though the former has declined more, ow-ing to the collapse of global com-modity prices.

In fact, commodity prices are the key to understanding trade trends over the last few decades. When they were high, they drove increased trade – to the point that the share of trade to GDP rose – fueling hype about the inevitable progress of globali-sation. But in 2012, commodity prices began to fall, soon bring-ing trade down with them.

Assume that one tonne of steel and ten barrels of oil are needed to produce one car. In 2002-2003, that bundle of raw materials was worth around $800, or about 5 per cent of the value of a $16,000 car. This implies that, during the early 2000s, industrial countries had to export five cars for every one hundred bundles of these raw

materials they imported.By 2012-2013, the value of

the raw materials needed for a car increased to about $2,000, about 10 per cent of the cost of the same car (prices of cars had increased by much less). Indus-trial countries thus had to ex-port double, namely ten cars for the same amount of imports of raw materials.

Clearly, there is a direct link between the trends in trade and commodity prices. This con-nection affects all manufac-tured goods that require raw material inputs, it should be no surprise that, as commod-ity prices have declined, so has global trade.

I S G L O B A L I S A T I O N W I LT I N G ?

- Daniel Gros/ Project Syndicate

B5T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

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Mazda3 now available at unbelievable price

MUSCAT: The award winning Mazda3 #GameChanger is now available at an unbelievable start-ing price of OMR5,333 after a guaranteed cash gift offer from Towell Auto Centre (TAC), the sole distributors of Mazda range of vehicles in Oman.

The ‘Best Hatchback Car of the Year 2015’, the ‘Red Dot Award winner for excellence in product design in 2015’ and the ‘Best small car in Oman in the year 2014’, the all-new Mazda3 has been an achiever throughout. It features the MZD Connect, the compa-ny’s new in-vehicle connectivity

concept, and its ground-breaking Skyactiv Technology offers an unbeatable combination of effi-ciency and driving performance, says a press release.

A senior spokesperson from TAC said: “The all-new Mazda3 offers a winning combination of fuel economy, style and driving enjoyment. Little wonder, it has over 130 international awards to its credit. The Mazda3 is a much-sought after vehicle in Oman and hence we thought of this exciting cash gift offer for our customers. We hope many more customers will benefit from it.”

The all-new Mazda3 embod-ies all three elements of Mazda’s DNA: distinctive design, excep-tional functionality, responsive handling and driving perfor-

mance. It is available in 1.6 and 2.0 litre four-door sedan and five-door hatchback models. In the all-new Mazda3, the sculpted seats and the extended wheelbase expand its in-teriors. Its cabin is split into sepa-rate driver and passenger zones for stress-free driving and a secure, relaxing passenger experience.

The cabin connects you to the world through the proprietary MZD connect which includes the Commander Control knob with 7-inch full colour touch screen display and the next generation human-machine interface system based on the heads-up cockpit concept ensures that you stay in touch with the road.

The Mazda3 combines active safety technology with its occupant and pedestrian-focused passive

safety concept. Its safety features are considered the best in its class. Features include: radar cruise con-trol, rear vehicle monitoring sys-tem, distance recognition support system, navigation, smart brake support, among others.

With its Skyactiv technology in 2.0 litre line-up of efficient, light-weight engines and transmissions on a proven body and chassis sys-tem, Mazda3 offers a level of per-formance and driving dynamics mirrored by its looks. Mazda’s en-gineers have managed to make ex-treme compression both effective and economical. The new Mazda3 delivers low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, yet lives up to its sporty label.

Offering the trendiest of Japa-nese cars, Mazda has brought in a lot of excitement in Oman’s auto-mobile industry with their ‘stylish, spirited and insightful’ branding. These three unique qualities lie at the core of each Mazda you spot on the streets and form the brand’s DNA and TAC makes owning a Mazda extra pleasant with its effi-cient after sales service and quick response time.

With a network of 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across Oman, TAC is the only Mazda distributor in the world to win the Mazda Customer Service award five years in a row.

Offering the trendiest

of Japanese cars,

Mazda has brought

in a lot of excitement

in Oman’s automobile

industry with their

‘stylish, spirited and

insightful’ branding

Stomo partners with NTI to train their workforce

MUSCAT: Suez-Tractebel Op-eration and Maintenance Oman (Stomo), the leading provider of operations and maintenance ser-vices for power and desalination plants in the Sultanate of Oman, has partnered with National Training Institute (NTI).

This is one of the many steps Stomo has undertaken to bolster Omanisation. Fresh graduates are recruited and trained, and the skills of the existing Omani employees are enhanced on spe-cific required modules of main-tenance and operations, says a press release.

NTI, a leading training provid-er within the Sultanate is a part of Babcock International Group, UK. NTI will provide techni-cal development and upskilling training for a period of 15 months that started in March.

NTI has been a market leader in creating workplace competen-cy for over 30 years by providing

vocational training and employ-ment solutions to various indus-tries in the Sultanate.

Mike Maudsley, GM of Stomo, said, “Stomo being the major producer of power and water in Oman has to be the best in what it is doing and therefore it has to collaborate and work with the best in the industry.

“When it comes to providing training solutions, NTI is by far one of the best.”

NTI also provides technical training to support the national objective initiated by PDO by providing training for employ-ment to Omani candidates.

Lawrence Alva, CEO of NTI, said: “Companies that are look-ing for quality in training delivery and are serious about the devel-opment of their Omani staff are the ones that we encourage and prefer to work with. This helps the process of the Sultanate’s de-velopment as a whole.”

P R O M O T I N G O M A N I S A T I O N

MOH launches patient safety initiative at Al Raffah HospitalMUSCAT: The Director-General of Quality Assurance Centre at the Ministry of Health (MOH), along with the WHO (World Health Organisation) and MOH Private Affairs division has together em-barked on a public-private part-nership for launching Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initia-tive (PSFHI) at Aster Al Raffah Hospital, Muscat.

A first of its kind activity in the GCC, the initiative has been trig-gered by the MOH, in collabora-tion with WHO to assess and as-sist hospitals within the country to launch a comprehensive patient safety programme and provide necessary tools for professional associations for benchmarking and self-improvement, says a press release.

“The hospital was selected as one of the private hospitals in the country to launch this project as

they have most of the safety sys-tems and processes already in place,” said Dr Ahmed bin Salim Al Mandhari, director general of Quality Assurance at MoH, after inaugurating the initiative.

He also gave a detailed picture about the aims, objectives and benefits of the same to the hospi-tal, patients and the society as a whole. It will also help to formu-late their own quality standards for implementation by the MOH .

MilestoneThe implementation of the pi-lot project — The ‘Patient Safety Friendly’ initiative is destined to be a milestone in the quest of the MOH — Quality Assurance Centre to achieve patient safety in health-care institutions in Oman.

The Ministry of Health of Oman considers patient safety an essen-tial component in delivering quality

healthcare to the community. Im-plementation of the Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiative has raised community awareness of pa-tient safety and increased expecta-tions of patients accessing services.

Aster Al Raffah Hospital formed a committee to plan, organise and monitor the activities of Qual-ity Assurance & Patient Safety Department as part of the mission.

“We are already having many quality parameters in place but what is new and unique in this in-itiative is the word ‘friendly’,” said Seeniya Biju, the COO and country head of Aster Oman.

“We are highly obliged and consider ourselves very fortu-nate to be involved in this ini-tiative with the MOH,” quoted Dr Sarfraz Ahmed.

This initiative has already com-menced in the government region-al hospitals like Nizwa and Rustaq.

U N I Q U E P R O G R A M M E

Volkswagen Oman provides free

AC check-up to its customers

MUSCAT: With the hot sum-mer months just around the cor-ner, Volkswagen Oman, repre-sented by Wattayah Motors, has launched a month-long free air-conditioning check-up campaign for Volkswagen vehicles in Oman from model year 2007 to 2013. The ongoing complimentary ser-vice campaign will continue till April 23, says a press release.

Commenting on the impor-tance of maintaining the vehicle AC in good working order, Andrew Squires, general manager of Volk-

swagen Oman, said: “At Volkswa-gen Oman, we place great empha-sis on enhancing the ownership experience for our customers. This free AC check-up is but one such complimentary service provided to our customers in order to offer greater value and enhance their overall ownership experience.”

In a country like Oman and with the hot summer months ap-proaching, it is vital to get the AC in your vehicle checked early. The complimentary check-up will include a diagnostics and com-

ponent check of the vehicle’s AC system and will suggest remedial measures, if required, to ensure optimum performance and com-fort during the upcoming hot summer months. The repairs can then be conducted immediately or at the owners discretion.

“We will be conducting these free checks at our service cen-tres in Azaiba and Mabelah. In order to get their vehicle checked, owners need to only call and book their vehicle in for the free check-up,” added Andrew Squires.

C O M P L I M E N T A R Y S E R V I C E

McDonald’s sponsors sports event

for children with special needs

MUSCAT: McDonald’s Oman re-cently supported the sports event organised by Al Wafa Centre for Handicapped Children in Bidbid, featuring various activities on motor integration, speech com-munication, arts and magic show.

The event saw over 150 kids along with specialists in physi-otherapy, autistic teachers in spe-cial education, sports teachers among others, says a press release.

Al Wafa Centre aims to reha-bilitate children on some skills that enable them to become self-reliant as much as possible, and help them discover and develop their own capabilities.

C O R P O R A T E S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

Samsung launches twin cooling plus refrigerator in OmanMUSCAT: Samsung Gulf Elec-tronics, in partnership with Sar-co, launched its new twin cool-ing plus refrigerator lineup for consumers in Oman at an event which took place at the InterCon-tinental Hotel recently.

Designed to enhance modern living and deliver a more comfort-able home, Samsung is the first manufacturer to bring its unique twin cooling plus technology to the TMF category, says a press release.

Many consumers have dreamt of owning a spacious refrigera-tor which keeps food fresher for longer, so that their weekly grocery shopping goes a lot further. It is all too common to find that fruit and vegetables have lost their natural moisture after a few days in the re-frigerator, even when stored in the vegetable drawer.

The R&D team at Samsung worked hard to overcome this problem. Now consumers can

keep food fresher for much longer, simply by storing them inside the new twin cooling plus refrigerator.

“The new twin cooling plus TMF refrigerators are a milestone for customisable premium home appliances. We listened carefully to our consumers when they said that they want to be able to keep their fruit and vegetables fresher for longer, and use the space in the fridge and freezer compartments more efficiently based on the spe-cific needs of their family. This premium product offers unique customisation options that we are glad to be able to offer to consum-ers in Oman,” said Vinod Nair, head of Consumer Electronics at Samsung Gulf Electronics.

Ajay Ganti, CEO of Sarco, com-mented: “The conversion options available thanks to the twin cool-ing plus technology introduces a whole new world of optimisation, and we look forward to hearing

from our consumers how they make the most of it. Samsung con-sistently stays ahead of the pack when it comes to product evolu-tion, and we are happy to be intro-ducing this new home appliance innovation in Oman with them.”

When fruit and vegetables lose their natural freshness in low moisture conditions, the surface becomes dry and wrinkled, and

obviously no longer fresh. Opti-mum levels of moisture within the refrigerator are needed to keep freshness and taste locked in. The best, healthiest meals start with the freshest ingredients and the Samsung twin cooling plus ensures freshness and taste are maintained. The independent cooling system ensures that the right temperature and humid-

ity level up to 70% is maintained throughout the fridge, so no matter where food is stored it stays fresh.

Turn freezer into a fridgeThe twin cooling plus refrigerator enables consumers to be flexible with cooling storage depending on their needs with five possible conversion modes. The true in-dependent cooling system allows turning the freezer into a fridge when required. Or just turn off the fridge compartment when leaving home for a long vacation. The five modes are: Freezer-fridge, energy saving, vacation, fridge max, and mini mode.

Great tasting frozen food All food odours can change the taste of frozen foods and affect the flavours of finished dishes. The twin cooling plus has a truly independent cooling system, with separate airflows in both the fridge

and freezer. This prevents strong smells from foods moving between the fridge and freezer, ensuring the original flavour of ingredients stored in the freezer is perfectly preserved and odourless.

No air movement between the compartments also means the freezer stays completely frost-free, prolonging the shelf life and the fla-vour of its contents. It also prevents the build-up of ice, removing the need to defrost the freezer.

The twin cooling plus lineup is introduced in up to 18 different models ranging from 850 litres to 390 litres. The RT85K which is one of the biggest TMF in the market at 850 litres delivers a spa-cious storage capacity enough to easily store a week’s worth of gro-cery shopping for the whole family. The fridge can keep all your fruit and vegetables in fresh condition for longer, not only in the bottom drawer but on every shelf.

U N I Q U E C U S T O M I S A T I O N O P T I O N S

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Patrol Nismo launched in Oman

MUSCAT: Suhail Bahwan Auto-mobiles (SBA), exclusive import-ers for Nissan range of vehicles in Oman, launched the famous mot-orsport and road car performance brand Nismo in Oman amidst me-dia guests, heralding the next step in ‘Innovation that Excites’ for driv-ing enthusiasts across the region.

In addition to launching the performance marque, Nissan also launched the Patrol Nismo. Recognising that off-roading and motorsports are the life-blood of local driving enthusiasts, SBA be-lieves the time is right to introduce the Patrol Nismo in Oman, says a press release.

“Nismo is the ultimate essence of Nissan’s promise to deliver ‘In-novation that Excites’,” said Samir Cherfan, managing director of Ni-ssan Middle East. “We could not have launched Nismo in the region without including our most iconic model, the Nissan Patrol, in the range of NISMO vehicles.

“Bringing the high performance brand to the Middle East and launching the Patrol Nismo as a world premiere model is proof of our commitment to making thrill-ing driving experiences accessible to all our customers.”

With the region’s strong herit-age in high performance vehicles and Nissan’s success in earning a reputation as a trusted motorsport brand, the Japanese auto-maker believes Nismo will resonate strongly in the Oman market.

“The dramatically styled Patrol Nismo, created by driving enthu-siasts for driving enthusiasts is sure to set a new benchmark in the luxury SUV segment,” commented a senior official from SBA.

“Since we came to the region, Nissan has been building a strong

and mature automotive brand, well known for exceptional qual-ity, performance, innovation and reliability. Combined with our long history of success in mot-orsports and off-roading, we be-lieve that the Nissan brand is in a unique position to offer the ul-timate, thrilling experience with our all-new Nismo line-up,” con-tinued the official.

While Nismo is already es-tablished and well-known in the world of motorsport, it is now be-ing expanded to other markets as Nissan’s exclusive performance road car brand.

Firmly rooted in the spirit of pioneering Japanese maverick engineers, where innovative solu-tions are applied in bold and smart ways to challenge the norm, Nismo cars provide exciting driving expe-riences with motorsports-inspired

aerodynamics and styling, en-hanced handling characteristics and unmatched agility.

Nismo is an important part of Nissan’s long term product plan. The addition of Nismo is a key ele-ment of Nissan’s business expan-sion strategy based on successful motorsports heritage in the region.

“The Nismo brand will be devel-oped to a highly valuable, credible and desirable addition to our range and we are honoured to bring the brand in Oman,” concluded the SBA spokesperson.

The Patrol Nismo model is de-signed with the Nismo DNA at its core, with motorsports-inspired aerodynamics and styling, en-hanced handling characteristics and unmatched agility. Some of Nismo’s signature design marks include body kit with red striping and red highlights on door mirrors,

making head-turning Nismo ver-sions immediately recognisable.

Nissan believes the thrill of driv-ing a Nismo model comes from the complete package – its premium design, enhanced steering and sus-pension resulting in an exception-al improvement in performance.

Nismo models feature advanced technologies developed and pres-sure-tested within the demanding motorsport arena. Compared to their respective standard versions, Nismo vehicles add aerodynamic design born in motorsport, superb handling, improved acceleration and sporty driving dynamics for an exciting drive.

Nismo was founded in Septem-ber 1984 as a specialty company to support all motorsports activities of Nissan Motor Company (Nis-san). Nismo is the performance brand for Nissan, and is one of the

company’s purveyors of innova-tion and excitement.

Patrol Nismo-

san’s legendary SUV-Patrol-

mance

per cent rev-range

wheels

‘Bilstein’ shock absorbers for im-proved handling and ride comfort

-ments for precision steering and quick response

-namic body kit

body kit

steering

Customer service Suhail Bahwan Automobiles over the years have institutionalised robust systems and people pro-cesses to continuously monitor

and measure customer satisfac-tion levels at point of sale and ve-hicle service. This is done through periodic surveys with customers, analysing key consideration fac-tors for improving customer sat-isfaction and implementing them. Good reliable customer service has helped SBA to build a loyal fol-lowing thus ensuring additional revenue streams and enhanced its reputation in Oman.

“When it comes to providing

to build strong relationships with their customers are more likely to maintain a solid core of enthusias-tic supporters. Quickly resolving issues and going beyond customers’ expectations encourages repeat business from patrons, and in many cases, we go further than that. High quality customer service helps to create customer loyalty. Custom-ers today are not only interested in the product they are being offered, but also all the additional ele-ments of service that they receive starting from the greeting when they enter a retail outlet,” said a key SBA spokesperson.

A decade of promise SBA is largely committed to sup-porting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman. With a national network of more than 19 show-rooms, 22 service centres and 35 spare parts outlets, SBA has fur-ther built upon its legacy of trust, excellent customer service and providing value for money to each of its customers.

Nissan unveils Patrol

Nismo showcasing

ultimate essence of

its ‘Innovation that

Excites’ promise

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Ripu wows customers at Lulu Food Fiesta

MUSCAT: Ripu Dhaman Han-da, winner of Master Chef India, wowed customers who thronged to hear and interact with him on three consecutive days at Lulu Food Fi-esta in Bausher and Darsait.

He was involved in a series of cooking demos as well as being the judge in the Al Mudhish Cookery

Contest that was held at Lulu Baush-er recently, says a press release.

The cookery contest has always been the highlight of the Food Fi-esta with ambitious chefs, enthu-siastic beginners, passionate food-ies and anyone with a skill that fits the cookery bill.

The most interesting recipes get a chance to prove their talent in front of a panel of judges headed by the chef himself. Competitions were held in three broad catego-

ries that included salads, vegetar-ian and non-vegetarian cuisines.

Raffle drawThe latest edition of the Lulu Food Fiesta has been immensely popu-lar over the years and in a short while into this edition has received an overwhelming response. Along with an array of fun com-petitions, for every OMR10 spent on food products, shoppers also became eligible for a raffle draw

to win a grand Jaguar XF 2.0 and fabulous Scratch & Win prizes that includes iPhones, Samsung LED TV’s, Philips Air Fryers, Lulu gift vouchers, Al Mudhish, Minara, Nido, Al Noor Basmati Rice and Suntop Juice products. There are also five Suzuki Swift hatchback cars to be won in a raffle and Scratch & Win prizes of Lulu gift vouchers worth OMR2,000 are also to be won on the purchase of OMR3 worth of Sadia products.

Master chef Ripu

Dhaman Handa was

involved in a series

of cooking demos

as well as being

the judge in the Al

Mudhish Cookery

Contest that was held

at Lulu Bausher

PDO supports efforts to improve school bus driving standardsMUSCAT: Petroleum Develop-ment Oman (PDO) has signed an agreement to give defensive driving training to 400 school bus drivers operating in its concession area.

Under the terms of the Memo-randum of Understanding (MoU) with the Technical & Adminis-trative Training Institute (TATI), drivers covering 45 schools will receive practical and theoretical coaching in the Arabic language, says a press release.

As well as defensive driving training, they will be instructed on the importance of good vehicle maintenance, passenger care and general road safety awareness.

The five-week scheme, which is being run in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, will be rolled out first in the wilayat of Thumrait in the South of PDO’s concession area, and will then extend to the North of Oman. Muscat-based TATI will offer the training free of charge for driv-ers during half-day sessions at schools with PDO arranging the planning and logistics.

Abdul Amir Al Ajmi, External Affairs and Value Creation Di-rector - PDO, said: “PDO is com-mitted to road safety across its concession area and beyond, and

that extends to ensuring the wel-fare of pupils as they travel to and from school.

“This training will coach school bus drivers how to err on the side of caution when they are driving, as well as the importance of ensuring their vehicles are roadworthy. It will also entrench a duty-of-care mindset for their young passengers, such as ensur-ing that seatbelts are made avail-able and worn during journeys and that children are embarked and disembarked safely.

“We thank the Ministry of Ed-ucation for their support and we are pleased to be able to partner with TATI, which is PDO’s offi-cial contractor for our road safety training needs.”

Khaled Asad, the managing di-rector of TATI, said: “On behalf of the chairman of our company, Sheikh Saad bin Suhail Bahwan Al Mukhaini, we are very pleased to be involved in delivering this vital training and feel privileged that PDO has extended its faith in our expertise with this outreach project. We look forward to work-ing with various stakeholders to enhance the safety of children and are proud to be contributing our time and expertise without charge as a gift to the country.”

I N K S P A C T W I T H T A T I

Malabar Gold set to open new outletMUSCAT: Driven by the in-creased demand for unique and di-verse gold and diamond jewellery, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, one of the leading jewellery retailers, an-nounced the opening of its 146th outlet in Oman at Ruwi, which will be inaugurated by prominent Indi-an film star Kareena Kapoor Khan on April 14 at 6.30pm.

This elegant showroom conveni-ently located at Ruwi High Street, opposite to Ruwi Police Station, will be their third showroom in Ruwi, 10th in Oman and 63rd in the Middle East, says a press release.

Like all other Malabar Gold & Diamonds outlets, this show-room will also display a signifi-cantly large collection of tradi-tional as well as contemporary jewellery. Malabar Gold & Dia-monds has a large collection in gold, certified diamonds, plati-num and precious stone jewel-lery from across the world that can hold you spell-bound with their awe-inspiring beauty.

The group is also planning to expand its presence in Oman by opening two more showrooms in Barka, Lulu and Seeb City Cen-

tre this year. To celebrate this occasion, the group introduced fabulous inaugural offers for its customers.

With every purchase of diamond jewellery worth OMR500, the cus-tomers will get a 1gm gold coin absolutely free and the customers can also avail a free gold coin with every purchase of gold jewellery worth OMR300.

These offers are valid at their outlet in Sohar until April 26. In Oman, Malabar Gold & Diamonds operates showrooms at Darsait, Baushar, Ruwi, Salalah and Sohar.

T H I R D S H O W R O O M I N R U W I

Zubair SEC organises motivational seminar for entrepreneursMUSCAT: Zubair Small Enter-prises Centre (Zubair SEC) organ-ised a motivational seminar titled ‘Stop Procrastinating and Be An Entrepreneur’ by Stefano Virgilli, a volunteering specialised adviser at Zubair SEC.

At the seminar, Virgilli high-lighted strategies that entre-preneurs can focus on to move forward with their businesses. Vir-gilli, who is a serial entrepreneur with experience in Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa, has been exploring business, communica-tion and innovation for the past 20 years, says a press release.

Advising entrepreneurs to avoid procrastination through willpow-er, Virgilli also said that it is impor-tant for young businessmen and

women to recognise the causes of procrastination and then work on effective plans to deal with it.

Urging attendees at the seminar to take charge of their business success, he offered tips to help new

entrepreneurs better manage their time, pursue clear objectives, and grow with ambition.

He advised start-up owners to define their priorities, cultivate a sense of urgency, and capitalise on

their areas of strength.The session introduced impor-

tant points for SME owners to consider to ensure success of their businesses. The seminar also pro-vided guidelines and insight; the

speaker shared international suc-cess stories. He also shed light on the important traits that make a successful entrepreneur, regard-less of the businesses entrepre-neurs undertakes.

Lina Hussein, head of Com-munications & Social Impact at Zubair SEC, said: “This session comes as part of Zubair SEC’s ef-forts to encourage engagement between its members and its vol-unteering specialised advisers, and to bring in knowledge and in-sight through experienced calibre. We thank Stefano Virgili for an enriching session and for his gen-erosity in sharing content and en-lightening stories in the business entrepreneurship domain.”

She added, “We are proud

to have on board a remarkable group of specialised advisers who have volunteered time and ef-fort to extend support and guid-ance to members of Zubair SEC. It is through such collaboration between external and internal stakeholders that we always seek to enrich and develop our support ecosystem towards fulfilling and exceeding the expectations of our most important stakeholders - our members.”

Audience who were very engaged and tuned during the interactive session felt that the seminar was highly practical and encouraging.

One of the new entrepreneurs who attended the session said: “The seminar took us on a journey from goals to actions to outcomes.”

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al Mazyona sustains momentum with high value prizes

MUSCAT: The Sultanate’s flag-ship al Mazyona savings scheme from Bank Muscat has gained mo-mentum with the series of 2016 prize draws guaranteeing bigger and better winning chances for customers across the Sultanate.

With attractive weekly, month-ly, quarterly, special and year-end prizes totalling OMR10 million, the popular scheme offers high-value prizes throughout the year to maximum number of custom-ers in all regions.

Reaching out with a powerful call for savings, al Mazyona of-fers high value prizes for differ-ent segments, including women, children, youth and high saving customers. As on date, al Ma-zyona savings scheme guar-anteeing more for everyone to share is the biggest prize money in Oman and the region with prizes ranging from OMR1,000 a week to OMR10,000 a month and OMR100,000 every quarter, in addition to special and year-end prizes. In the recent weekly draw held at Qurm branch, a customer picked the winners.

The upcoming quarterly prizes include OMR100,000 each for two customers across Oman, OMR250,000 each for two asalah Priority banking customers and OMR50,000 each for two al Jawhar Privilege banking customers.

Adding excitement to festi-vals and national celebrations,

the 2016 savings scheme also rewards customers with special prizes, besides aspirational priz-es of OMR1 million at the end of year. al Mazyona continues to be the only savings scheme to recog-nise and reward loyalty for cus-tomers based on their association with the bank.

A special prize draw offering OMR10,000 each for winners from 14 regions will be held in celebration of Eid Al Fitr in July. An exclusive draw for Zeinah women customers coincid-ing with Omani Women’s Day is another highlight in which 10 customers will be rewarded with OMR10,000 each. On the occasion of the National Day, a special draw will be held offering OMR10,000 each for 10 winners.

The eligibility for al Mazyo-na prize draws is to maintain a minimum balance of OMR100. This entitles customers to win OMR1,000 every week. By maintaining a minimum bal-ance of OMR1,000, custom-ers are eligible to participate in the OMR10,000 monthly prize, OMR100,000 quarterly prize and the grand prize of OMR500,000 at the end of the year. For every OMR100 balance, customers get 1 chance to win – so with OMR1,000, they get 10 chances to win. The more the saving, the better the chances to win.

Targeted at high savings cus-tomers, al Mazyona offers prizes to asalah Priority Banking cus-tomers who have chances to win OMR50,000 monthly prizes, OMR250,000 quarterly prizes, and a jackpot OMR500,000 year-end prize. Prizes reserved for al Jawhar Privilege Banking customers include OMR25,000 monthly prizes and OMR50,000 quarterly prizes.

The double-your-salary scheme is another attraction of 2016 al Mazyona savings scheme. The scheme entitles customers maintaining a salary account with the bank to win a free bonus salary every month.

The prize scheme is open to all customers with a minimum monthly salary of OMR500. For instance, a customer whose sal-ary is OMR500 can win an ad-ditional salary prize of OMR500 whereas another customer whose salary is OMR3,000 can win back an equivalent bonus salary of OMR3,000 and so on. In all there will be 30 winners every month who will gain a bonus salary with al Mazyona savings account.

With attractive

weekly, monthly,

quarterly, special

and year-end prizes

totalling OMR10

million, the popular

scheme from Bank

Muscat offers

high-value prizes

throughout the year

to maximum number

of customers in

all regions

‘Caribou Chats’ to feature eminent entrepreneursMUSCAT: Startup Oman (www.startupoman.om), the Sultanate’s only platform created by entre-preneurs for entrepreneurs and the gateway to the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Oman, is bringing an-other edition of the Caribou Chats, a monthly gathering for startups.

Caribou Chats scheduled for April 13 will feature Najwa Al Kin-

di, director of Intilaaqah, Shell’s social investment initiative and Baida Al Zadjali, founder and man-aging director of Riyam Muscat, an Omani startup, says a press release.

Every month Omani entrepre-neurs and SME ecosystem stake-holders share powerful speeches providing insights on the success-es, learning and challenges they

are facing on the journey of build-ing great companies or delivering programmes for entrepreneurs.

“Fashioned after the famous Kauffman Foundation’s 1 Mil-lion Cups Programme, Caribou Chats is based on the notion that entrepreneurs discover solutions to their daily challenges, support one another and the network over

coffee,” said Ali K. Daud, Startup Oman’s founder and CEO of the Daud Group of Companies.

The platform provides entrepre-neurs with a space to gain practical experience in improving their com-munications and networking skills.

“Our aim was to support Omani SME community with a space that allows peer to peer learning and so-

lutions sharing. That is what makes Caribou Chats unique - our guests pose questions to the audience and vice versa,” said Mahmood Zeyad, MD of Startup Oman.

The event is organised by Start-up Oman in partnership with Cari-bou Coffee. It is scheduled to take place at Caribou Coffee outlet in Bareeq Shatti.

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St. Lucia renames Beausejour Stadium after SammyCASTRIES: The West Indies T20 cricket captain Darren Sammy has expressed delight at the deci-sion of the St. Lucia government to re-name the Beausejour Cricket Ground after him following the exploits of the team in the just con-cluded World T20 in India.

Sammy, along with fellow St. Lucian Johnson Charles, returned a hero’s welcome at the Hewanorra International Airport on Tuesday where they were greeted by Prime Minister Kenny Anthony and oth-er St. Lucians, reports CMC.

“Big time reception, home com-ing,” Charles said in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday, while Sammy said Anthony had an-nounced that the island’s premier cricketing ground had will now be known as the Darren Sammy Na-tional Cricket stadium.

Sammy said: “I am truly hon-oured, I am humbled and bless. Thank you, we always know St. Lu-cians love their own and the love and respect and admiration I have just received at the airport, oh my Almighty, thank you very much”.

One of the stands at the sta-dium will be named in honour of Charles.

The West Indies Women team and a few players from the men’s champions side arrived to a he-

roes’ welcome in Barbados as the country celebrated their clean sweep of the World T20 titles.

Welcome partyThe players touched down at the Grantley Adams International Airport here on Tuesday and were met on arrival by Sports Minis-ter Stephen Lashley and Tour-ism Minister Richard Sealy along with the Barbados Cricket Asso-

ciation president and legendary former fast bowler Joel Garner, reports CMC. A large number of fans, family and well-wishers were also on hand at the airport to greet the players.

They were feted during a brief function before starting out on a motorcade which took them along the south coast, into the city before winding back to the Accra Beach located on the south coast.

Garner, a member of the World Cup winning squad in 1979, said both teams had brought immense joy to the Caribbean with their achievements.

“We are eternally grateful for the joy and happiness you’ve brought to us and like everything else there has been a lot of hard work and sacrifice put in to your success,” Garner said during the ceremony on Tuesday.

“I don’t think people really un-derstand the hard work you put in to get to where you are and the hard work you put in to get to the end.”

On Sunday, the West Indies Women chased down the high-est ever total in a T20 World Cup final to upset three-time defend-ing champions Australia by eight wickets and claim their first ever title.

In the second final, the West In-dies Men became the first team to win a World T20 twice when they defeated England by four wickets in a dramatic match.

Team spiritLashley hailed the achievement of both teams, noting it was apparent team spirit had played a key role in their success.

“This evening I had the pleas-ure of greeting all of the members of both the women’s teams and of course the men’s team who came back to Barbados and I was really touched by, not only the excite-ment, but the team spirit they still carried with them on their shoul-ders,” Lashley said.

“I believe that team spirit was instrumental in achieving success in the just concluded World series. I believe I speak on behalf of the

entire Caribbean family when I say we salute you. We were there at the crease, on the pitch, on the bound-ary, everywhere literally, as you so carefully crafted that victory.”

Women’s captain Stafanie Tay-lor said she was overwhelmed by the reception for the team.

“The welcome was good, it was quite surprising. When they told us we had to stay back in the plane, we were wondering what was go-ing on and then coming out to see everybody there it was an over-whelming feeling,” Taylor said.

“We hope that we continue doing great things so we can get these feelings again. I’ve never had a motorcade before, so it’s the first experience so I’m looking forward to it.”

The full women’s team returned while of the men’s side, only Barbadians Sulieman Benn and Ashley Nurse, along with Grena-dian Andre Fletcher and Trini-dadian Samuel Badree, touched down here.

Several other players flew to their respective home territories from London while the likes of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Car-los Brathwaite, Jason Holder and Lendl Simmons remained in India for Saturday’s start of the new In-dian Premier League season. - IANS

C R I C K E T H O N O U R

SWEET MOMENTS: West Indies’s captain Darren Sammy poses for a photograph with the World T20

cricket tournament trophy. – AFP

Sultan takes OC’s decision in his stride, wishes team all success

A. SESHAGIRI RAOraoas@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Oman Cricket’s deci-sion to discard long serving wick-etkeeper-batsman Sultan Ahmed ahead of the Sultanate squad’s par-ticipation in the ICC World Crick-et League Division 5 has come as a shock to many.

But the man himself, unable to openly express his disappoint-ment, has taken the cricket body’s decision in his stride with the ge-nial captain of Oman preferring to wish the team all the success under his successor Ajay Lalcheta.

It should be stressed though that Karachi-born Sultan, who served the Sultanate’s cricket for over a decade with sincerity and dedication, has been dealt with an unkindest cut.

Consider this: Only weeks ago he was good enough to lead the na-tional team at the ICC World T20 in India, where Oman along with Afghanistan struck a blow for the ICC Associate teams with their commendable performances. And Oman’s stellar show included a sensational victory over Ireland.

Rewind to July of 2015 when Oman’s historic journey to World T20 began. It was under Sultan’s captaincy, at the Ireland/Scot-land Qualifier, that Oman beat teams like Canada, the Nether-lands and Namibia.

And they even beat Afghanistan — in a match that is remembered as much for Sultan’s four catches as it is for Jatinder Singh’s batting (40 runs) and the bowling of Zee-shan Maqsood and Mehran Khan, both of whom claimed four wickets each — before clinching one of the six available berths in World T20.

And remember as captain Sultan also had to lead a team that had as many as six players making their T20 debut during that Qualifier.

Fast forward to November 2015 when Oman achieved another mile-stone — with Sultan at the helm, the team played their first ever T20

bilateral series against Hong Kong during their tour of neighbouring United Arab Emirates.

The result: A 2-1 series triumph beginning with a thrilling victory in which the skipper contributed a valuable unbeaten 37 and also took two catches. In the series-clinching second match too, Sultan stood out with his good work behind stumps taking two catches.

Then came the subcontinent sojourn — first to Bangladesh for the Asia Cup group stage matches and to north Indian hill station of Dharamsala for World T20 pre-liminary rounds.

Though they could not make it to Asia Cup proper, Oman did start their campaign with a deserving vic-tory over Hong Kong with skipper Sultan effecting two brilliant stump-ings and taking a crucial catch.

In the World T20 preliminary round too Sultan’s Oman made a good beginning with a win over Ireland. But then the rain ruined their chances against the Nether-lands before they came up against formidable Bangladesh.

To recall Oman’s historic jour-ney had actually began back in January 2015 when they emerged champions at the ACC T20 Cup in the UAE. There is no denying the fact that Sultan contributed im-mensely to that title triumph both as captain and as a player, from be-hind the stumps and with the bat, scoring valuable runs. That victory paved the way for Oman’s qualifi-cation for the World T20 Qualifier and culminating in their participa-tion in the World T20 in India.

So it definitely came as a rude shock when Oman Cricket re-leased a list of 18 probables for the training camp ahead of the team’s participation in the World Cricket League Division 5 competition to be organised in Jersey in May.

The selection committee found the 39-year-old captain not suit-able even to be included among the probables. Probably the selectors had taken that very factor — age —

into the account while taking such a drastic step.

Other than that it is difficult to understand what the real reasons were behind Sultan’s omission.

Even coach Duleep Mendis, who is also the Chief Development Of-ficer of Oman Cricket, was not forthcoming when Times Sport queried the Sri Lankan great on the issue.

“We had a talk with Sultan and we have conveyed our message to him,” he said before echoing the sentiment expressed in an earlier

press statement issued by Oman Cricket, ‘extremely grateful to Sultan Ahmed who captained the team over the last few years and oversaw the team to new heights’.

Sultan, on his part, stopped short of expressing his shock while also refusing to criticise or ques-tion the selectors’ decision.

All he preferred to say was: “I have served Oman cricket for long, with dedication and commit-ment. And I would like to thank both Oman Cricket and my team Raha CT for the opportunities

they gave over the years.”“I have been performing to the

best of my abilities, both as the captain and as a player, for the country as well as Raha,” he added.

Certainly very restrained com-ments from a player who represent-ed Oman in 13 T20 Internationals besides playing 27 T20 matches. At the same time, showing animosity towards none, Sultan also wished Ajay Lalcheta and team all success in the future events.

“Ajay Lalcheta is a very expe-rienced player and he also has a

good rapport with all the players. He will definitely make a good cap-tain. I wish him all success and to the team as well.”

No one like himMeanwhile, Oman Cricket’s Gen-eral Secretary Madhu Jesrani paid rich tributes to Sultan Ahmed say-ing it is difficult to replace a wick-etkeeper of his calibre and the eli-gibility criteria to play for Oman.

“First of all Oman Cricket would like to thank Sultan for his great contribution for the Sultanate’s cricket. He took us to the (ICC T20) World Cup which is by no means an easy task,” he said.

“But now we are entering a new stage and so we needed to make changes keeping in mind the chal-lenges that are ahead of the team. We also need to build and prepare the team for the future,” Madhu added.

Former captain Hemal Mehta also spoke highly of the player.

“With age unfortunately not on his side, Oman Cricket probably would have thought it’s time to move on,” he said.

“But for me Sultan has been a good role model — a good batsman and good wicketkeeper and he has always worked hard to maintain his fitness. To top it all he has been a very aggressive player and very aggressive captain, which is a plus for any team,” he added.

Heaping praiseBut its Pankaj Khimji’s words which will not only provide suc-cour to the disappointed Sultan but also encourage him to con-tinue with his contribution to the Sultanate’s game.

The Oman Cricket board mem-ber simply heaped praise on Sul-tan describing him as a ‘great cap-tain’, who has been the ‘leader of the team during the renaissance of Oman cricket.’

On a lighter vein, Pankaj said: “I wish we had the magic potion to keep him young and keep him going.” But quickly turned serious to say: “There comes a time when every player has to hang his shoes. And in his case, at 39, it is time for him to hang his gloves.”

“He made immense contribu-tion to Oman Cricket both as a player and a captain. He has been instrumental in Oman’s success, especially in the last one and a half years. He led the team at the (T20) World Cup. It’s time for him to sit back and enjoy the laurels he won for the country and himself.”

“But I wish he continues with his contributions to Oman Crick-et. There’s a lot in store for Oman Cricket now and I sincerely hope he will be part of us in future as well,” he added.

Oman Cricket’s decision to exclude Sultan

Ahmed from the probables list for a training

camp has come as a shock to many. But the

veteran wicketkeeper-batsman has taken

decision in his stride with the genial captain

preferring to wish the team all the success

under his successor Ajay Lalcheta

IMMENSE CONTRIBUTION: Sultan Ahmed

Sultan made immense contribution to Oman Cricket both as a player and a captain. He has been instrumental in Oman’s success, especially in the last one and a half years. I wish he continues with his contributions to Oman Cricket. There’s a lot in store for Oman Cricket and I sincerely hope he will be part of us in future as well

Pankaj KhmjiOman Cricket board member

C2

SPORTST H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

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It depends on my bandwidth, says Dravid on coaching job

NEW DELHI: Former captain Rahul Dravid on Wednesday made it clear that any decision on taking up coach’s role with the senior In-dian team will depend on whether he has the time and “bandwidth” for the high-profile job.

With Ravi Shastri’s contract as Team Director coming to an end after the completion of ICC World T20, Dravid’s name has been doing rounds for the job but he did not give any conclusive reply.

“Any decision that I make at this stage of my life would depend on whether I have the bandwidth to do all of these things,” Dravid said during an interaction when asked specifically whether he is ready to take up the chief coach’s role in the senior India team.

The 43-year-old is currently India A and U-19 coach apart from being a ‘Mentor’ with Delhi Daredevils. “It takes time. You can never really say that now you are ready and now you are not. That’s

an experience, a learning. You have to do it to only know. Everyday you do it and you want to learn.”

He did say that any decision he takes will be after a lot of consider-ation. “Anything that comes back to you needs to be weighed with lot of consideration, not only in terms of whether you feel you want to do it but also time that is involved in doing lot of these things --- what does it entail and what does it re-quire, can you devote time and energy, anything that you would want to do, you want to ensure you

are completely 100 percent fo-cussed on it.”

“It’s not important whether re-sults come or not but can you give that level of commitment and level of time for doing anything like that (coaching India). Just like in crick-et, I mean if I wanted to be really good batsman, I recognised that time, sacrifices and devotion what-ever required to get it done and what sacrifices I had to make for it.

Coaching to him is a process where one learns something new everyday.

“I am quite young in this kind of space. There were a lot of things I didn’t think as a player. As a captain, I had to think about strategy and things like that but not to the depth of what you need to do as a coach. Your mind and energy are diverted to other things, so you think a lot about things that I didn’t think as a player. You make mistakes and then I realise how I could have things dif-ferently,” said ‘The Wall’.

Dravid, in fact, pointed out about his learnings as a coach from U-19 team’s defeat against West

Indies in the junior World Cup.“Forget about the result but I

was thinking what we could have done differently. We got beaten by a team that bowled 46 overs of fast bowling. Since it was in the sub-continent, we prepared as we thought there could be lot of spin bowling.

“We prepared on how do you play spin and a team came from the left-field (blind side) and beat you with 46 overs of medium pace. It started at 9 am and ball seamed all around,” said Dravid. - PTI

With Ravi Shastri’s

contract as Team

Director coming

to an end after the

completion of ICC

World T20, Dravid’s

name has been doing

rounds for the job but

he did not give any

conclusive reply

I am quite young in this

kind of space. There

were a lot of things I

didn’t think as a player.

As a captain, I had to

think about strategy

and things like that

but not to the depth of

what you need to do

as a coach. Your mind

and energy are diverted

to other things

Rahul DravidIndia U-19 coach

Australia’s women cricketers get bumper pay riseSYDNEY: Australia’s elite women cricketers will be able to earn in ex-cess of A$100,000 ($75,590) a year for the first time in the 2016-17 season after Cricket Australia an-nounced significant pay increases

for top players on Wednesday.The increases for the players

who make up the world number one ranked Southern Stars team are part of a strategy to make cricket “the sport of choice for women in Aus-

tralia”, CA Chief Executive James Sutherland said in a statement.

“Cricket is a sport for all Aus-tralians and Cricket Australia will continue to invest heavily in the women’s game in the coming

years,” he added. Top women play-ers will now be able to earn a re-tainer of $65,000 a year for repre-senting their country and $15,000 from Women’s Big Bash League teams which, when combined

with match and tour fees, would take their earnings into six figures. Cricket Australia said its spend-ing on elite women’s cricket would increase from A$2.36 million to A$4.23 million. - Reuters

B O N A N Z A

Uninspiring India beat Japan 2-1 in Azlan Shahopener

IPOH: Asian Games cham-pions India came from a goal down to clinch an unimpressive 2-1 victory over hard-working Japan on the opening day of the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament, here on Wednesday.

Squandering a series of scor-ing chances created by defence-splitting crosses that sailed across the goalmouth, India managed to earn full points against the lowly-ranked rivals through goals from young drag-flciker Harmanpreet Singh (24th minute) and captain Sardar Sin-gh (32nd) after Kenji Kitazato (17th) gave Japan the lead.

Earlier, Pakistan banked on two goals from Muhammad Arslan Qadir to open their cam-paign with a 3-1 victory over Canada in extremely humid conditions at the Sultan Azlan Shah Stadium here.

In their opening match later in the day, India struggled to find a leeway through the hard-working Japanese outfit, nine of whose 18-member squad at this tournament are making their international debut.

After an early foray into the Japanese circle, the Indian strik-ers were not allowed break into the scoring zone by the rivals, who also managed to assert some pressure on the Indian defend-ers. SV Sunil’s deflection on a diagonal cross from Ramandeep Singh went over the cross-bar before Japan stunned the Indian defence in the 17th minute.

Kitazato converted Japan’s first penalty corner by placing a fine flick to the left of Indian goalkeeper Harjot Singh.

Taken aback by the reversal, the Indians began exerting some pressure and were rewarded with their first penalty corner that Harmanpreet converted through a drag-flick into the right corner in the 24th minute.

Skipper Sardar then capital-ised on a short diagonal pass from Jasjit Singh Kular on the right wing to beat Japanese goal-keeper Takashi Yoshikawa with a reverse shot that went into the far corner of the goal two minute into the second half. — PTI

H O C K E Y

‘WICB most unprofessional’ BRIDGETOWN: Star all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has joined his captain Darren Sammy in the attack on West Indies Cricket Board calling it the “most un-professional” in the world and expressed doubts about a resolu-tion being reached between the players and WICB on their pay dispute in the near future.

Bravo, who has had several run-ins with the WICB in the past, made the comments following the West Indies triumph in the World T20 in India.

“Too many times people come down on the players. They ques-tioned our commitment, they questioned whether we were re-ally committed to West Indies cricket or is it just the money. A lot of people don’t understand the things we go through as players dealing with our board. It is the most unprofessional board in the world to me,” Bravo was quoted as saying during a Skype interview with CNC3, a television network based out of Trinidad & Tobago.

As Darren Sammy gave vent to his frustration in the aftermath of

their triumph, WICB president Cameron slammed the skipper’s comments as “inappropriate”.Bravo said: “I’m not surprised by the president’s tweet, to be hon-est, because it is expected of him. He is someone very immature. Two years ago when we had the problems on the India tour, (Ki-eron) Pollard and myself had been blatantly victimised for whatever reason. That is their way of deal-ing with situations. They are very small-minded people, especially

the president as I said before. There is nothing much he can do again.”

Regarding the West Indies’ T20 captain, Bravo said, “Sammy spoke from his heart. There is nothing wrong with Sammy’s speech and I support Darren Sammy 100 per cent.”

Bravo was pessimistic about a resolution being reached between the players and the WICB in the near future. “It is tough times and I could only see (things) getting worse.” - PTI

B R A V O S P E A K S O U T

POPULAR MAN: Dwayne Bravo dance with fans after launching

the Ultimate Sports Coaching Camp at a function in Chennai. – PTI

C3

SPORTST H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

FIFA chief Infantino ‘dismayed’ after name mentioned in Panama Papers

BERNE: Recently-elected FIFA president Gianni Infantino was “dismayed that his integrity was being doubted” in media reports about a contract he signed several years ago, the global soccer body said in a statement on Tuesday.

The reports from multiple news organisations, citing leaked docu-ments, said Infantino had signed off on a contract with two Argen-tine businessman, Hugo and Mari-ano Jinkis, who were later indicted in the United States.

Reuters could not determine if the contract Infantino signed was related to the conduct underlying the indictments.

The reports said Infantino, at the time an official with European

soccer body UEFA, signed a con-tract with the pair for the broad-cast rights to Europe’s elite Cham-pions League club competition in South America.

The pair, who owned an Argen-tine company called Cross Trad-ing, then allegedly sold the rights for a price almost three times high-er to Teleamazonas, a broadcaster in Ecuador, the reports said.

Reuters, which has not seen the documents, was unable to confirm this. Both are among several doz-en soccer officials indicted in the United States as part of a huge graft scandal which has swept the game and thrown FIFA into turmoil.

“I am dismayed and will not accept that my integrity is being

doubted by certain areas of the me-dia, especially given that UEFA has already disclosed in detail all facts regarding these contracts,” Infan-tino said in a FIFA statement.

“I would like to state for the re-cord that neither UEFA nor I have ever been contacted by any author-ities in relation to these particular

contracts,” he added. “Moreover, as media themselves report, there is no indication whatsoever for any wrongdoings from neither UEFA nor myself in this matter.”

Public outrageInfantino was elected as head of FIFA in February, vowing to lead

the soccer body out of years of cor-ruption and scandal which saw his predecessor Sepp Blatter banned for six years.

The documents were part of the 11 million that were leaked from the Panamanian law firm Mos-sack Fonseca in what have become known as the Panama Papers.

While offshore accounts are not in themselves illegal, the docu-ments have caused public outrage over how the world’s rich and powerful are able to move money around and avoid taxes.

Slur on InfantinoMossack Fonseca, which specialis-es in setting up offshore companies, denies any wrongdoing. Reuters has not seen the documents and cannot verify the media reports.

UEFA was also dismayed at the media reports, which it said were a slur on Infantino.

“There was never any sugges-tion that anything improper took place,” it said, adding that the me-dia had “misrepresented” the facts without elaborating.

“This attempted slur on (Infantino)’s character and on the reputation of UEFA, based on ab-solutely no evidence whatsoever, is not only a sad day for football but also a sad day for journalism.”

It added that the broadcast rights in question “were awarded after an open tender conducted by TEAM Marketing (UEFA’s broad-casting and marketing partner), acting on behalf of UEFA.”

“The rights were awarded to Teleamazonas/Cross Trading be-cause they made the highest offer on the market.” - Reuters

The reports from multiple news

organisations, citing leaked documents,

said Gianni Infantino had signed off on a

contract with two Argentine businessman,

Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, who were later

indicted in the United States

I am dismayed and will not accept that my integrity is being doubted, especially given that UEFA has already disclosed in detail all facts

Gianni InfantinoFIFA president

Al Turki beatSinha by 69 runs

MUSCAT: Al Turki defeated Sinha by 69 runs in a Muscat Pharmacy and Stores-sponsored Premier Division match at the Ministry of Sports Affairs ground.

Batting first, Al Turki put on 151 for five in 20 overs. Twinkle Bhandari top scored with 67. Ni-luka Dilshan was the most effec-tive bowler for Sinha claiming two wickets.

In reply, Sinha were restrict-ed to 82 for nine wickets in 20 overs. K. Devsi claimed two wickets for Al Turki.

Brief scores: Al Turki 151/5 in 20 overs (Twinkle Bhandari 67; Niluka Dilshan 2/18) bt Sin-ha 82/9 in 20 overs (K. Devsi 5/20). Points: Al Turki – 3, Sinha – 0.

O M A N C R I C K E T

AL TURKI STARS: Twinkle

Bhandari and Karsan Devsi.

Swiss police raid UEFA officeto examine Infantino contractNYON: Swiss police raided the headquarters of the European soccer body UEFA in Nyon on Wednesday to gather information about a contract signed by Gianni Infantino, now head of the global soccer body FIFA, that was re-ported in the Panama Papers.

The Swiss attorney-general’s (OAG) office said the search was part of “ongoing criminal pro-ceedings” and had been launched because of “suspicion of criminal mismanagement and ... misap-propriation.”

“The OAG’s criminal proceed-ings are in connection with the acquisition of television rights and are at present directed against persons unknown, mean-ing that for the time being, no spe-cific individual is being targeted by these proceedings,” it added.

Denies any wrongdoingMedia reports on Tuesday said UEFA sold broadcast rights for 2006-09 Champions League matches to Argentine business-men Hugo and Mariano Jinkis, owners of Cross Trading. These reports alleged that the pair re-sold the rights to Ecuadorean broadcaster Teleamazonas for three times as much, though UEFA said it had no knowledge of such a deal.

UEFA has confirmed that In-fantino, who was working for UEFA at the time, was one of

two of its officials who signed the contract. UEFA has denied any wrongdoing by itself or Infantino.

Relevant documents“UEFA can confirm that today we received a visit from the of-fice of the Swiss Federal Police acting under a warrant and re-questing sight of the contracts between UEFA and Cross Trad-ing/Teleamazonas,” UEFA said in a statement.

“Naturally, UEFA is providing the Federal Police with all rele-vant documents in our possession and will cooperate fully.”

Hugo and Mariano Jinkis are among several dozen football of-ficials who were last year indicted in the United States as part of a huge corruption scandal which has swept the game and thrown FIFA into turmoil.

Infantino was elected as FIFA president in February to try and lead the federation into a new, scandal-free era.

The document was part of the 11 million that were leaked from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca in what have become known as the Panama Papers.

In a separate statement, UEFA said the rights were sold to Telea-mazonas after an “open, competi-tive, tender process” conducted by TEAM, its exclusive agent.”

“We can also add that the offer made by Teleamazonas was very

much the “going rate” for this category of rights in compara-ble markets in Latin and Central America,” the European soccer body said in a statement.

UEFA said there had been a tender, competing offers and it would have been “unusual” if it had not accepted the Teleama-zonas offer which it said was the best one.

UEFA added that Cross Trad-ing had the exclusive mandate to buy sports TV rights in Europe on behalf of Teleamazonas and said that, at the time, there was no rea-son to believe there was anything suspicious about it.

No knowledgeReferring to the alleged resale by Cross Trading, UEFA said it has “no knowledge of any bilateral or private financial arrangements between Cross Trading and Tel-eamazonas. Neither UEFA nor TEAM have ever seen any con-tract or agreement between Cross Trading and Teleamazonas.

It added that anything suspi-cious about any agreement be-tween the two companies should be investigated by the appropriate authorities.

“There is, we repeat, abso-lutely nothing in this story which could in any possible way serve to undermine the integrity of ei-ther UEFA or Gianni Infantino,” UEFA said. - Reuters

F O O T B A L L

A DAY OF DRAWS IN HM’S CUP SEMIFINALSThe first matches of the two-leg semifinals of His Majesty’s Cup Football Championship

played on Wednesday ended in goalless draws. In the first match played at the Sohar

Sports Complex, four-time champions Al Nasr failed to score a goal and shared the spoils

with Saham. In the second match too, both Salalah and Al Khabourah failed to find the

net at the Salalah Sports Complex. The second leg matches are scheduled to be played on

April 17. — Times of Oman file photo

C4

SPORTST H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

The team that outfoxed the big guns to rule English football

LONDON: They are known as the Foxes, and true to their name they’ve out-foxed the biggest names in English football.

The Premiership is one of the world’s greatest leagues with teams such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool household names on every continent, reports Xinhua.

The big question being asked today among global fans is, Leices-ter? Where’s Leicester?

Leicester City, the team from the Midlands region of England, is on target to scoop the greatest prize in football as champions of the league.

A year ago the Foxes were at the bottom of the table, stirring relega-tion in the face.

They survived to start the cur-rent season under Italian Claudio Ranieri, sacked months earlier after just four months in charge of the Greek national team.

Under the 64-year-old Roman, the team is like an unstoppable runaway train, heading the table seven points ahead of its near-est rival Tottenham Hotspur, and leaving big-shot clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs trailing way behind.

Leicester are eyeing a place in the European Champions League, in what is being described as the biggest shock in footballing history.

The fame and riches success at the 32,200-Seater King Power Stadium will bring to the city of Leicester could even exceed Leicester’s latest claim to fame as the burial place of England’s fa-

mous monarch, King Richard III.City government officials re-

cently announced that an extra $28 million was earned for Leices-ter’s tourism economy last year, thanks to the ill-fated king, slain in a battle written about by William Shakespeare.

Leicester’s Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, told Xinhua on Monday: “It’s fair to say the global media coverage given to the Foxes this

season has raised the city’s profile around the world.

“Leicester is already enjoying the boost triggered by the discovery of the remains of King Richard III.

Since his reinterment in Leicester Cathedral last year, there has been a steady growth in visitor numbers to the city, with more than 250,000 people visit-ing the tomb in the cathedral, at least 10 percent of these visitors

coming from overseas.“While King Richard III was a

massive story for Leicester, the success of Leicester City Football Club is proving to be an equally huge story, and it’s a story that’s uniting the whole city behind our football team.” The mayor is a big fan of the Foxes.

Leicester, with a population of 330,000, is one of the oldest cit-ies in England, with a history

going back 2,000 years.It still retains links to the days

when Roman conquerors had a military outpost in the city with ancient Roman pavements and a Roman baths.

Leicester City’s success has also brought riches to a number of punters who placed bets at the start of the season at outside odds, with little expectation the gamble would pay off.

This week one man picked up $57,000 for a stake of just $28, at odds of 2,000-1.

Another waged $57 at odds of 5000-1 which will earn a bonanza of over $280,000.

Betting organisations say they stand to lose over $14 million the minute Leicester City are declared the new kings of English football.

The miracle of Leicester has put the city on the world map. - IANS

Leicester City, the

team from the

Midlands region of

England, is on target

to scoop the greatest

prize in football

as champions

of the league

DREAM RUN: Under the 64-year-old Roman Claudio Ranieri, the team is like an unstoppable runaway train, heading the table seven points ahead of its nearest rival Totten-

ham Hotspur. – File photo

LONDON: Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri’s pri-mary objective this season was to avoid relegation after their narrow escape last year, he has said in an interview as his team stand seven points clear atop the Premier League.

The 64-year-old Italian, who has taken Leicester to within four wins of their first top-flight league title in his first season at the club, told U.S. website The Players Tribune (www.theplay-erstribune.com) he could not have imagined what they have achieved. He has also praised

his players, calling top scorer Jamie Vardy “a fantastic horse” while saying French midfielder N’Golo Kante was a player who appeared to have his own bat-tery pack hidden in his shorts.

Ranieiri said when he met the Midlands club’s chairman for the first time last year they agreed 40 points and survival was the aim for the season.

“Forty points. That was the goal. That was the total we needed to give our fans another season of Premier League football.

“Back then, I did not dream

that I would open the paper on April 4 and see Leicester City at the top of the table with 69 points. Last year on this same day, the club was at the bottom of the table. Unbelievable.”

Leicester were stranded seven points from the safety zone a year ago but, having beaten Southampton 1-0 on Sunday after second-placed Tottenham Hotspur drew at Liverpool on Saturday, Leices-ter moved seven points clear with six matches to play.

They will win the title for the first time with four wins

from their remaining games and Ranieiri is amazed at what they have achieved already, but realised when he arrived at the club that he had a much better squad than many thought.

“Perhaps you have heard their names now. Players who were considered too small or too slow for other big clubs. N’Golo Kante. Jamie Vardy. Wes Mor-gan. Danny Drinkwater. Riyad Mahrez.

“When I arrived my first day of training and I saw the quality of these players, I knew how good they could be.

“I knew we had a chance to survive in the Premier League.

“This player Kante, he was running so hard that I thought he must have a pack full of bat-teries hidden in his shorts. He never stopped running in training.”

Ranieiri also had special praise for Vardy, their top scorer with 19 Premier League goals this season who scored in a record 11 successive league matches between August and November. “This is not a foot-baller. This is a fantastic horse,” he said. — Reuters

Leicester City boss Claudio Ranieri says aim was to avoid relegation

Benfica treat Bayern defeat as moral victoryLISBON: From the rapturous re-ception they received on their re-turn home to the comments from their players and coach, it was clear that Benfica regarded their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich as a moral victory.

Bayern had scored 18 goals in their four previous home Euro-pean games and when Arturo Vidal gave them a second-minute lead in Tuesday’s quarter-final first leg at the Allianz Arena, the Portuguese champions appeared destined for a long night.

Instead, the defensive pair-ing of Victor Lindelof and Jardel succeeded in doing what few others have this season by keep-ing Robert Lewandowski off the scoresheet, while full backs An-dre Almeida and Eliseu nullified Franck Ribery and Douglas Costa.

Regarded as the rank outsiders among the eight quarterfinalists, Benfica now believe they have at least a chance of pulling off a memorable win when they host the German champions in next week’s second leg.

“Bayern certainly wanted to win 5-0 but we played superbly,”

midfielder Nicolas Gaitan told reporters. “We’ll be much strong-er in our own stadium, with the backing of our supporters.”

Several dozen fans waited at Lisbon airport to welcome the team home in the small hours of

Wednesday morning and more were camped at the Stadium of Light. “The team played to a really high standard, they played with conviction and determination,” coach Rui Vitoria said. “I’m a proud coach after seeing the team

play with such personality.“Anyone who has seen the hap-

piness of the Benfica supporters and the way the team has played has to believe it is possible, but we are also keeping our feet on the ground.” - Reuters

C H A M P I O N S L E A G U E

BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Luis Suarez was at his ruth-less best and also again caught up in controversy as he scored twice to secure a 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in their Champions League quarterfi-nal, first leg on Tuesday.

The Uruguayan kicked out at defender Juanfran in the first half in an off-the-ball incident and, after equalising just past the hour mark, got a yellow card for striking Filipe Luis in the face moments

before heading the winner in the 74th minute. An unhappy Filipe Luis said he thought Uruguay international Suarez was lucky to stay on the pitch. “It was an aggression, a red card,” he told Spanish radio station Cadena Cope.

Fernando Torres had given Atletico the lead after 25 minutes but was sent off in the 35th for two fouls in quick succession and Filipe Luis also criticised German referee Felix Brych’s decision.

“The sending off is totally unjust and changed the game. Barcelona are protected. When you play against them you real-ise that they are a very power-ful club,” he said. “You realise the fear when Barcelona could get knocked out. It would hurt UEFA a lot. I don’t know what they have to do for someone to send one of them off.”

Suarez now has eight goals in the Champions League this season and 45 in all competi-tions. — Reuters

Barcelona match-winner Suarez riles Atletico

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

CultureSECTIONC L I F E STY L E T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

Alma De Ville loves to trudge the beaches dur-ing weekends. At the end of the long walk, she heads home with

bags full of lifeless shells, fish teeth, used baits and wooden piec-es with beautiful patterns that are washed ashore.

She will be busy for the next cou-ple of days, as she cleans, dries, segregates and packs the exotic collection in huge boxes.

When creative surge pushes her, Alma quietly moves to her studio and spends hours, creating unique pieces of art that adorn the living room of her apartment in Azaiba.

“My love affair with sea shells began quite accidentally,” recounts Alma. It was in August 2010 that she first visited a beach in Muscat. When she found two nearly circle-shaped disks, it sparked her imagination. “I thought something could be made out of it. So I continued collecting more discs for the next six months.”

Slowly she learnt about the crea-tures in the sea bed, and where to find maximum number of sea shells through research and observation. “I collect shells that are washed ashore, or remnants that I can assemble into something,” she says.

Alma makes beautiful floral pat-terns from sea urchins, its teeth, bro-ken parts and other shells collected from the beaches. One may think that she decides on the patterns well in advance, but she doesn’t work ac-cording to a plan. “I work without any plans. I just put the shells on a white canvas. A pattern evolves in due course and I just follow it. It is a spiritual process.”

“Look at those circles,” Alma points to a canvas on the wall. “They are made of tusk shells. When I began to work, two shells got stuck into each other and it naturally formed a circle. Then I decided to follow the pattern.”

Sometimes, she spends days and weeks working on a single piece. “I always play my favourite music dur-ing the creative process. It gives me the inspiration. Once I finish, I stand up and try to realise the pattern I just created,” she reveals.

Born in Bosnia and lived in London for many years, Alma had worked as an interior designer before moving to Muscat five years ago, along with her husband. “I never tried shell art before. I found it interesting after coming here, and I am enjoying it.”

Alma’s quest to collect shells has driven her to beaches in Muscat, Bar-ka, Masirah Island, Bar Al Hikman, Dibab, Al Ashkara, Sifah, and Quriyat. She even brought about 400 big sea urchins while returning from a holi-day in Zanzibar. “I took great pains to bring them to Muscat without mini-mal damage,” she says.

Keeping the fragile shells intact is a tedious task. “I spend hours collecting, cleaning and drying the shells. So I don’t want to waste even a single piece. If a shell breaks, I use it to create beautiful petals.”

She believes that cleaning too is a tedious process. “Different shells have to be treated differently. I use water, and peroxide to remove the organic materials from the shell.” Now, she wishes to exhibit her works at an art gallery in Muscat. “Like any artist, I love to showcase my works,” she says and adds: “these are ideal dé-cor pieces for seafood restaurants”.— ameerudheen@timesofoman.com

Contact Alma De Ville +968 9538 0225

SH

ELL A

RT

ALMA DE VILLE CREATES EXQUISITE

PIECES OF ART USING LIFELESS SHELLS

Story T.A. Ameerudheen

Photography Shabin E

FIND-IT-ALLC6 T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

Dhuhr 12.14pmAsr 3.42pmMaghrib 6.30pmIsha 7.41pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 4.37am

PRAYER TIMINGS

ROYAL OMAN POLICE

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Bahrain 24 605 074/133

Bangladesh 24 698 660

Brazil 24640100

Brunei 24 603533

China 24 696782

Cyprus 24 699815

Egypt 24 600 982/411

France 24681 800

Germany 24835000

India 24684500

Indonesia 2469 1050

Iran 24 696 944/7

Iraq 24603642

Italy 24693727

Japan 24 601 028

Jordan 24692760/1/3

Kazakhstan 24 692418

Kenya 24 697664

South Korea 24 691490

Kuwait 24 699628

Lebanon 24 693208

Libya 24603466

Malaysia 24698329/643

Morocco 24696152/3

Nepal 24696177

Netherlands 24603706

Pakistan 24603439

Palestine 24601312

Philippines 24605335

Qatar 24 691 153/2/4

Russia 24602894

Saudi Arabia 24601705

Senegal 24694139

Somalia 24697977

South Africa 24647300

Spain 24691101

Sri Lanka 24697841/2

Sudan 24697875

Switzerland 24603267

Syria 24697904

Tanzania 24601 174

Thailand 24 602684/5

Tunisia 24603486

Turkey 24697050/1/2

UAE 24400000

United Kingdom 24609000

United States 24643400

Yemen 24600815

PHARMACIES (ROUND THE CLOCK)

Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24782666

Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi 24702542

Salalah 23291635;

Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra 24503585

Muscat Region

Apollo, Al Hamriya 24787766

Muscat, A Seeb Market 24421691

Muscat, Al Khuwair 24485740

Muscat, Al Hail South 24537080

Dhofar Region

Muscat, Al Nahdha Road,

Salalah 23291635

HOSPITALS

Al Amal Medical & Health Care

Centre 24485052

Atlas Hospital

Ruwi 24811743/

Ghubra 24504000

Al Musafir Specialised

Medical Clinic 24706453

Hatat Polyclinic LLC,

Ruwi 24563641

Azaiba 24499269

Sohar 2683006

Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2

Al Massaraat Clinic &

Laboratory 24566435

Al Makook Medical

Coordinance Centre 24499434

Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780

Capital Polyclinic 24707549

Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic,

Ruwi 24799760/1/2

Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740

Ceregem National Raak 24485633

Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217

Elixir Health Centre 24565802

Emirates Medical Centre 24604540

1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274

Lifeline Hospital Salalah 23212340

International Medical

Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5

Kims Oman Hospital 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency 24760123

Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128

MBD 24799077

Al Khuwair 24478818

Magrabi Eye and

Ear Hospital 24568870

Muscat Private Hospital 24583600

Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment

Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666

Al Hayat International Hospital, Al Ghubra

22004000, 94267068/97049520

Al Hayat Clinic, Al Hail 22009455

AIRLINE OFFICES

Muscat Airport Flight information

(24 hours) 24519456/24519223

Aeroflot 24704455

Air Arabia 24700828

Air France 24562153

Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732

Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128

British Airways 24568777

Cathay Pacific 24789818

Egypt Air 24794113

Emirates Air 24404400

Ethiopian Airlines 24660313

Gulf Air 80072424

Indian 24791914

Iran Air 24787423

Japan Airlines 24704455

Jazeera Airways 23294848

Jet Airways 24787248

Kenya Airways 24660300

KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737

Kuwait Airways 24701262

LOT Polish Airlines 24796387

Lufthansa 24796692

Malaysian Airlines 24560796

Middle East Airlines 24796680

Oman Air 24531111

Pakistan International

Airlines 24792471

Qatar Airways 24771900

Qantas 24559941

Royal Jordanian 24796693

Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485

Singapore Airlines 24791233

Shaheen Air 24816565

SriLankan Airlines 24784545

Swiss International

Airlines 24796692

Thai Airways 24705934

LISTINGS

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36)

15:00 Quriyat 16:30 Daily

15:00 Sur 18:00 Daily

15:00 Jaalan 19:30 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 Sohar 08:50 Daily

06:30 Buraimi 11:00 Daily

08:00 Buraimi 14:30 Daily via Ibri

13:00 Sohar 15:45 Daily

13:00 Buraimi 17:40 Daily

16.00 Sohar 18.35 Daily

16.00 Buraimi 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

17:30 Sinaw 20:50 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

14:30 Nizwa 16:50 Daily

14:30 Yanqul 19:30 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

08:00 Nizwa 10:20 Daily

08:00 Al Araqi 12:30 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

07:30 Sur 12:00 Daily

14:30 Sur 18:45 Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62)

06:30 Fahud 10:30 Daily

06:30 Yibal 11:15 Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Salalah 20:00 Daily

10:00 Marmul 20:30 Daily

10:00 Salalah 23:30 Daily

19:00 Salalah 07:40 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:50 Daily

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Dubai 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

06:00 Sohar 08:30 Daily

06:00 Dubai 11:30 Daily

13:00 Sohar 15:30 Wed,Thur

13:00 Dubai 18:30 Wed,Thur

15:00 Sohar 17:35 Daily

15:00 Dubai 20:55 Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily

07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily

07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept Destination Arrival Operatingtime time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily

05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily

05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

07:00 Sohar 08:55 Daily

07:00 Ruwi 11:40 Daily

13:30 Ruwi 20:20 Daily via Ibri

13:00 Sohar 14:55 Daily

13:00 Ruwi 17:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 19:20 Daily

17:00 Ruwi 22:15 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

07:00 Ruwi 10:25 Daily

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

06:00 Nizwa 08:40 Daily

06:00 Ruwi 11:00 Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

15:40 Nizwa 17:55 Daily

15:40 Ruwi 20:20 Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55)

06:00 Ruwi 10:45 Daily

14:30 Ruwi 19:00 Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

12:30 Fahud 13:15 Daily

12:30 Ruwi 17:30 Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

07:00 Ruwi 19:50 Daily

10:00 Marmul 13:15 Daily

10:00 Ruwi 22:30 Daily

19:00 Ruwi 07:30 Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

06:00 Marmul 16:30 Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

15:00 Salalah 07:00 Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201)

07:30 Sohar 10:50 Daily

07:30 Ruwi 13:40 Daily

13:00 Sohar 16:15 Thur-Fri

13:00 Ruwi 19:10 Thur-Fri

15:30 Sohar 18:45 Daily

15:30 Ruwi 21:35 Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily

16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily

16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

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

SHATTIMr. Right (Action Comedy| Romance) 15+Cast: Anna Kendrick, Tim Rothl3:00, 7:15, 9:45 & 11:45PMBefore I Wake (Horror| Thriller) 15+Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Jane11:30PMThe Boss (Comedy) 18+Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell3:30 & 9:30PMBeeba Boys (Crime |Drama | Thriller) 15+Cast: Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen, Sarah Allen3:45 & 9:30PMShaket Daboos (Arabic| Mystery) PG12Cast: Khaled Selim, Mai Selim, Nesreen Amin5:00 & 7:45PMEddie the Eagle (Biography| Drama) PGCast: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman5:45PMBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice – 3D (Action) PG126:45 & 11:15PMKung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (Animation) PG5:30PM

MUSCAT GRAND MALLMr. Right – 2D (15+) Action|ComedyCast: Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, Sam Rockwell2:00, 11:45 PMGold Class – 6:15, 11:15 PMBeeba Boys – 2D (15+) Crime | ThrillerCast: Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen, Sarah Allen9:30, 11:30 PM, Gold Class– 3:45 PM Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice – 3D (PG12) (Action, Adventure, Fantasy)3:55, 6:30, 8:45 PMGold Class – 8:15 PMKung Fu Panda 3 – 3D (PG) Animation 12:00, 2:15, 6:45 PMThe Boy and the Beast – 2D (PG) Animation Voice Overs: Bryn Apprill, Kumiko Asô

4:15 PM

PANORAMA MALLBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice-3D (Action, Adventure) (PG12)3:30, 6:15, 9:00, 11:45 PMBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice-3D (Action, Adventure) (PG12)-VIP LOUNGE 6:45 PMBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (Action, Adventure) (MX4D) (PG12)5:45, 8:30, 11:15 PMKung Fu Panda 3-3D (Animation) (PG)3:15, 5:45 PMEddie the Eagle-2D (Biography) (PG)Cast: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman5:00 PMKi & Ka-2D (Romance, Comedy) (15+)Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan8:45 PMMR. Right-2D (Action, Comedy)(15+)Cast: Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, Sam Rockwell3:45, 9:30 PMMR. Right-2D (Action) (15+)-VIP LOUNGECast: Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, Sam Rockwell3:45, 9:30,11:30 PMThe Boss-2D (Comedy) (18+)

Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell7:30 PMThe Squad-2D (Action, Drama) (15+)Cast: Jean Reno, Alban Lenoir3:45, 7:00, 11:15 PMThe Dead Room-2D (Horror, Thriller) (TBC)Cast: Jed Brophy, Jeffrey Thomas11:30 PM

AZAIBA Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (3D) (Action |Adventure | Fantasy) (PG12) 3:15, 8:45, 11:30 PMKung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (Animation) (PG) 3:00, 5:00 PMBeeba Boys (2D) (Crime) (15+) Cast: Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen, Sarah Allen6:45, 11:45 PMRocky Handsome (2D) (Action | Thriller) (12+) 3:30, 11:30 PMKi & Ka (2D) (Romance | Comedy) (TBC) Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Amitabha Bacchan2:45, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15 PMDarvinte Parinamam (2D) (Action|Comedy) (PG12) , 6:00, 8:45 PM

Sardar Gabbar Singh (2D) (Comedy|Action) (PG12) Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Kajal Agarwal6:00, 8:55 PM

RUWIScreen 1Ki & Ka (Drama/ Comedy/ Romance) –PG12Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan2.30, 8.30, 11.30 PMKapoor & Sons (Drama / Family) –PG125.30 PMScreen 2Kapoor & Sons (Drama / Family) –PG12Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt3.30, 9.00 PMRocky Handsome (Action/ Thriller) –12+Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Haasan6.15, 11.45 PMScreen 3Rocky Handsome (Action/ Thriller) –12+3.30, 11.45 PMSardaar Gabbar Singh – Telgu (Action) PG12Cast: Pawan Kalyan, KajalAgarwal6.15, 9.00 PM

SURMr. Right (Action | Comedy | Romance) (15+) 3:15, 5:30, 11:30 PMThe Dead Room (Horror | Thriller) (TBC) Cast: Jed Brophy, Jeffrey Thomas,5:00, 10:00 PMThe Squad (Anti Gang) (Action) (TBC) Cast: Jean Reno, Alban Lenoir3:45, 6:30 PMDarvinte Parinamam (Action) (PG12) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran7:15 PMSardaar Gabbar Singh (Telugu) (TBC) 11:00 PMBatman Vs Superman 3D (Action) (PG12) 8:15 PM

SOHARBatman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice– 3D (Action, Adventure, Fantasy) (PG12)3:30, 8:30, 11:30PMMr. Right- 2D (Action, Comedy) (15+)Cast: Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, Sam Rockwell3:00, 6:50, 11:45 PMThe Dead Room - 2D (Horror, Thriller) (15+)5:45, 11:45 PMKung Fu Panda 3 - 3D (Animation)(PG)5:00PMThe Boss- 2D (Comedy) (18+)Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell,3:15, 7:00PMBeeba Boys-2D (Crime, Drama, Thriller) (15+)Cast: Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen, Sarah Allen3:45, 6:30, 11:55PMDarvinte Parinamam - 2D (Action, Comedy) (PG12)8:45PMThe Squad - 2D (Fantasy,Thriller) (15+)Cast: Jean Reno, Alban Lenoir, 5:15, 10:00PMKi & Ka- 2D (Romance, Comedy) (PG12)Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan7:30PM

BURAIMIKung Fu Panda 3 (Animation |Action|) (PG) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston5:15PMMr. Right -2D (Action, Comedy) (15+) Cast: Anna Kendric, Tim Roth, Sam Rockwell3:45, 7:00, 11:30PM

The Squad Aka (ANTI GANG) -2D (Action) TBCCast: JeanReno, AlbanLenoir, Caterina Murino.3:30, 7:15, 11:45PMThe Dead Room-2D (Horror, Thriller) TBCCast: Jed Brophy, Jeffref Thomas5:30, 10:15PMBeeba Boys -2D (Crime, Drama) (15+) Cast: Randeep Hooda,Ali Momen,Sarh Allen.9.00, 3.30, 5.30PMDarvinte Parinamam-2D (Mal) (PG12)Cast: : Prithviraj Sukumaran7:30PMKi &Ka -2D (Romance, Drama) (PG12)Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor11:00PMSardaar Gabbar Singh-2D (Telgu)TBCCast: Pawan Kalyan, Kajal Agarwal)8:45PM

SALALAHBatman Vs Superman (3D) (PG12) (Action) Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams6:25, 11:45PMKung Fu Panda 3 (3D) (PG) (Animation) Voice Overs: Jack Black, Bryan Cranston1:00, 4:35PMAnti-Squad (2D) (15+) (Action | Drama)Cast: Jean Reno, Alban Lenoir12:30, 4:35, 10:00PMMr. Right (2D) (15+) (Action| Comed)Cast: Anna Kendrick, Tim Roth, Sam Rockwell11:15AM, 3:00, 6:30, 11:55PMBefore I Wake (2D) (15+) (Horror| Thriller) Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Jane2:45PMBeeba Boys (2D) (15+) (Crime |Drama)Cast: Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen, Sarah Allen2:35, 11:15PMThe Boss (2D) (18+) (Comedy)Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Bell12:30, 4:50PMKi & Ka (2D) (PG12) (Romance | Comedy)Cast: Arjun Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor9:15PMSardaar Gabbar Singh (2D) (PG12) (Telugu) Cast: Pawan Kalyan, Kajal Agarwal7:00PMDarvinte Parinamam (2D) (PG12) (Mal) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran8:25PM

CINEMA SCHEDULE CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

@ SHATTI @ SUR

Shaket Daboos (Arabic| Mystery) PG12Cast: Khaled Selim, Mai Selim, Nesreen Amin5:00 & 7:45PM

The Squad (Anti Gang) (Action) (TBC) Cast: Jean Reno, Alban Lenoir3:45, 6:30 PM

BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking

24540855

Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.comMr. Right (Action / Comedy / Romance)Cast: Anna Kendrick, Sam Rockwell, Tim Roth2.00, 3.45 & 8.00 PM.CP No : 1094 (15+)Before I Wake (Horror / Thriller)Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Jane, 5.30, 10.00 & 11.55 PM. CP No: 1096 (15+)Beeba Boys (Crime / Drama / Thriller)Cast: Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen, Sarah Allen10.00 & 11.55 PM CP No: 1093 (15+)The Boss: (Comedy)2.00 & 6.00 PM CP No: 1095 (15+)The Boy and the Beast (Animation / Action)Cast: Bryn Apprill, Kumiko Aso, Morgan Berry4.00 PMCP No : 1097 (PG)Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Action / Adventure / Fantasy)7.15 PM. CP No: 375 (PG12)

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776

Website: www.isurf.co.omSardaar Gabbar Singh (Telugu) (Action) Cast: Pawan Kalyan & Kajal Aggarwal 10:00 PM Cinema Main From Friday: 3:00, 6:30 & 10:00 PM Cinema Main Darvinte Parinamam (Mal) (Comedy) Cast: Prithviraj & Chandini Sreedharan 3:00 & 6:30 PM Cinema Main\ 9:30 PM Cinema 2 From Friday: 3:30, 6:30& 9-30 PM Cinema -2Thozha (Tamil) (Comedy \ Drama) Cast: Karthi, Nagarjuna & Tamanna 3:30 6:30 PM Cinema-2 From Friday: 6:45 PM Cinem -4 Action Hero Biju (Mal) (Act\ Comedy) 3:45, 6:45& 9:45 PM Cinema - 3Maheshinte Prathikaram (Mal) (Comedy) 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema-4 From Friday: 3:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -4 Next Change: Thire (Tamil) Fan (Hindi)

Programmes are subject to change

@ MGM

Beeba Boys – 2D (15+) Crime | ThrillerCast: Randeep Hooda, Ali Momen, Sarah Allen9:30, 11:30 PM, Gold Class– 3:45 PM

WEATHER

330

Maximum

240

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

60-25%RELATIVE HUMIDITY

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 17 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to lifestyle@timesofoman.com

WITH LOVE

JOSEPH PAULApril 8, 2005

W e all agree that Oman has come a long way in terms of development.

Thousands of accolades have been showered on the country, but it is time we stopped in our tracks to look deeper.

Thin cracks begin to show on the gold bowl we live in. Moral issues are no longer important. Almost everybody is looking for an easy way, perhaps to make a quick buck or even break all the ethical codes to get things done. From individu-als to big businesses, when the op-portunity prevails, only few saintly souls can walk away from the temptations of filling their pock-ets from unmerited cash. But the rest walk on crooked paths strewn with greed, and they sink deeper on every step they take. There is

hard evidence everywhere.Just the other day, a butcher at

a leading regional supermarket was busy shoving meat through the grinder. It looked good as the minced meat dropped on the plat-ter, until I took a closer look. What he was stuffing down the chopper was shocking. All the parts of the cow you would normally throw away if you cut up the beef in your own kitchen. He put a protective hand over the top to prevent me from seeing the rest. It was im-possible for me to keep my mouth shut. I complained about it, but he shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. The beef was nicely packed in a presentable fashion and labelled ‘lean mince’. The unsus-pecting customer would have no idea that he was buying junk meat.

In a food stall, a supermarket

would return everything in the freezer, defrost them the second day and sell them as ‘fresh.’ The same story with the thawed out fish or chicken. All this calls for independ-ent regulatory bodies to monitor the retail trade. There are none here in Oman. You can buy microwave ovens or bathroom heaters that would explode on your face be-cause nobody bothers to check the authenticity of the parts used to build them. Believe it or not, some of these electric appliances are as-sembled right here in the country. These incidents happen all the time, and the people responsible get away with it because they are not reported. Or perhaps, we feel that if we report them, little action would be taken against the offenders.

You can overlook occasional tinned food that stays on the

shelves beyond their expiry dates. These are genuine mistakes, and they are easily detected by obser-vant eyes. What you cannot spot with a casual look is when they take you for an expensive ride that you cannot afford.

What amazes me is that it never worries their conscience. The lure of easy money overcomes their sense of right and wrong. It will con-tinue to be so for a long time unless the authorities set up watchdogs to monitor business ethics. It should not be an eyewash when it hap-pens. Regulatory bodies must have enough power to force changes.

If development has got rid of little corner shops or butchers that guaranteed fresh food, then it should make sure bigger chains operating in Oman abide by inter-national norms.

In Europe or in the US, they can-not afford to be careless with their products. But here, they know the media is largely toothless when it comes to scrutiny of trade stand-ards. Such incidents only travel by word of mouth. Large franchise chains receive a hundred thou-sand shoppers a week, according to their own released records. Word-of-mouth warnings are not fast enough to cover graft of this mag-nitude. That’s why we will continue to have occasional diarrhoea after some meals or buy an electric item that won’t work properly.

LIFESTYLEC7T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

The 28-year-old Work singer received the Rock Star Award at the BET’s Black Girls Rock! ceremony in

New Jersey recently and she used her acceptance speech to encourage her fans to love themselves.

“Thank you so much for celebrat-ing us in a world that doesn’t cel-ebrate us enough. The minute you learn to love yourself, you will not want to be anybody else,” she said.

“Role model is not the title they like to give me...But I think I can inspire a lot of young women to be themselves and that is half the bat-tle. Hopefully one day I’ll be raising my own little black girl who rocks,” the singer added.

Founder and chief executive of-ficer of Beverly Bond created Black Girls Rock! to highlight the achieve-ments of black female pioneers in art, music, philanthropy, and com-munity service.

“I believe God put us all here for a

reason and we all have our purpose and we are here to fulfil our pur-pose individually,” Rihanna said. “I think the thing that’s kept me sane, the thing that’s kept me humble, the thing that’s kept me successful is being myself. I only know how to do that. This world is so big and it can be so confusing at times that you tend to forget and you tend to be so indented or tainted by society and the only thing that’s kept me going is being myself. And the minute you learn to love yourself you would not want to be anybody else.”

Earlier, Rihanna paid tribute to late Princess Diana in a rather unu-sual fashion choice. She was spotted over the weekend in a baggy black T-shirt with Diana emblazoned on the front and the title “Princess of Wales”, reported mirror.co.uk.

She matched the top, which in-cluded the royal’s birth and death years, 1961-1997, with a large leath-er jacket draped over her shoulders and thigh-high jean boots. — IANS

I CAN INSPIREYOUNG WOMEN

— RIHANNA

Role model is not the title they like to give me...But I think I can inspire a lot of young women to be themselves and that is half the battle. Hopefully one day I’ll be raising my own little black girl who rocks

Out to Make a Quick Buck

SO TO SPEAK

SALEHAL SHAIBANY

LIFESTYLEC8 T H U R S DAY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

For Radhika Khimji, the notion of place brings to mind the image of a com-pass. A place acts as the stationary centre, around which the needle of the compass moves, circulat-ing several places as they

turn. One can belong to a place and many places simultaneously, roots can multiply and we as individuals are composed of many parts. To be of both place and places is to be a kaleidoscope, a jigsaw, a mosaic, a broken mirror.

One of the aspects of Radhika Khimji’s artistic practice is the search for landscape as a site for her sculptures to belong within. Yet, there is a jarring impossibil-ity of the two ever meeting here, as the collages remain on the gal-lery walls while her sculptures live in space: both are different and

therefore negotiate space differ-ently. Sculptures perform differ-ent gestures and are tied together by wool incorporating wooden backgrounds as supports.

This particular body of sculp-tural work brings to attention ges-ture and how the body performs in space. The photo collages form the beginning of a new series en-titled Across the Tropic of Cancer, based on research into the Kutchi communities of Oman, the place in India where the artist’s ances-tors come from, their heritage and how they first arrived to Oman. In ‘Of Place and Places’ Radhika has used images of abandoned houses in Kutch as well as street scenes in Muscat in order to explore reso-nances and similarities between the two places. There is a sense of lacking, of absence, in both sites, and an emptiness that is in direct

contrast to the sculptures present in such close proximity within the same space.

Radhika graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in 2005. Previous solo exhibitions include B-Sides at Nature Morte Gallery in India (2009), Safe Landings at Barka Castle in Oman (2010), Found Gesture at the Katara Art Centre in Qatar (2012). Her work was also part of the Jogja Bien-nale (2013), Fragments 2 at Gal-lery Sarah (2014), the 4th Ghetto Biennale, Port –Au- Prince, Haiti (2015) and more recently 6th Mar-rakesh Biennale, Marrakesh, Mo-rocco (2016) and Art Dubai (2016).

Of Place and Places will be on display till April 20 from 9.30am till 6pm, Saturday till Thursday at Gallery Sarah at Bait Al Zubair.

Visit: gallerysarah.comCall: +968 2208 4747

OF PLACE AND PLACES

Omani-Indian artist Radhika Khimji’s solo show at Gallery Sarah brings together her photographic collages and sculptural works.

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Tel: 24571962/63 Mob: 94289050/ 95495281Email: samain009@yahoo.com

1. Qurum Top Finish New- Res-5 apartments- 2 bhk/maid room 550/450, 3 bhk- 550, 1 BHK-350

2. Al Kuwair New 3 bhk, posh. Kit.fur,s.pool-700, 3 bhk +maid,ind.villa-650/-3. Wadi Kabir 1/2 bhk-250/300/3504. Al Kodh Villa 5 Bhk- Compounded 550/-5. Qurum(Comm) Sama Center-Brand New 114/122/129 sq.mt6. Azaiba (Comm)

*Tourist visa arranged

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

FOR RENT

D2 T H U R S D AY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

FOR RENT

For viewing please call 99466729, 99316410, 92841690, 91313271, 24694088 or email us on :hartc@omantel.net.om

Mtr. Facing main RoadHAR Complex MSQ : 2,3-BHK Flats and 2 & 3 BHK villas with

Qurum : 6 BHK villa with garden, split Acs, shaded car parks, servant rooms

Darsait : 1 & 2-BHK Flats with AC & Shop Ruwi : 2-BHK & 3-BHK Flats and shopsAl Amerat : 2 & 3-BHK Flat , 3 & 4-BHK Villa with A/C

DAILY GUIDE

3 Rooms, 2 Toilets Flat for Rent. 18

November Street. Near Mars Hyper-

market and The Chedi. Ghobrah -Good

for Commercial or Residential use.

OMR 295/- month. Call 94477222

Office & 2B/R with 3 toilets directly

from owner, near Dolphin Complex

Bausher. Contact 92158031

Flat in Wadi Al Kabir 2 bedrooms, 1

living room, 1 family hall, kitchen & 3

bathrooms. Contact: 99277787

Flat for rent in Wadi Kabeer near

India Primary School 2B & 1K.

Contact: 92222922

150 Sq mtr available GF + MEZ

Office + showroom + store loca-

tion Honda road Ruwi. Contact:

99345044 / 91480682

Villa at Azaiba 7 rooms attach

bath at 18th November road. Con-

tact: 9224748 / 99332297

1BHK at Hamriya near Muscat

Pharmacy & 2 BHK at Mawaleh

near Mosque Sadiq Al Amin. Con-

tact: 99224748 / 99332297

Full furnished four apartment for

rent in Sohar Falaj area, for Execu-

tives three room two bathroom, &

kitchen contact 94150267

Warehouse for rent at Ghala Ind.

Area. 800 & 2500 approx sqms

Near Hotel Al-Madinah Holiday,

Ghala. Container can enter. Imme-

diate access to roads & highways.

Contact : 94583320

2 Bhk Flat in Alkhuwair. #99792181

3 Room with kitchen & Bathroom in

Alkhuwair, short terms. #99792181

Flats in Qurum. Contact 94051789

/ 97201688

Semi furnished 2 & 3 BHK flats

at Bausher near Atlas hospital.

#99348493 / 93200424 / 24502254

Studio flat for rent in Al Khoud R.O

150/- PM inc , W/E. #92815139

Flats in Darsait. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Flats in Wadi Kabir. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Fully Furnished apartments in

Boucher (35). #94051789 / 97201688

Flats in Muttrah. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Offices in Ghala. Contact

94051789 / 97201688

Brand new villas in Al Ansab. Con-

tact 94051789 / 97201688

Offices & Showrooms in Mutrah.

Contact 94051789 / 97201688

Duplex villa in QURUM 29. Con-

tact 94051789 / 97201688

Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.

Contact 94051789 / 97201688

Flat for Rent 2 bed room Near ISM

muscat Indian Scoole Dar sate Tel :

00 968 95158570

2Bedroom centrally air condi-

tioned flat in CBD prime location.

Contact: 24714625 / 91173997

New flat for rent in Al Amerat,

2 bedroom, 1 dining room & 1

kitchen. Contact: 91141097

Room in Al Khuwair R.O 110/-.

Contact: 97799175

Flat in Al Khuwair, bedroom, hall.

Contact : 91979580 / 98003444

Flat in Mumtaz 1 bedroom, hall,

kitchen, toilet Way No. 3352

building no 3447 / 3668. Contact :

98003444 / 91979580

2 bed rooms for family with split

units with car parking shaded at Al

Hail North. Contact: 92676707

Luxury flat of 3 BHK in Al

Watayah. RO 500/-#91776665

2BHK Wadi Kabir R.O 300/-. Con-

tact: 92144045

Flat in Al Khuwair opp grand mall

4 room 3 toilet + hall kitchen in 3

floor 400. Contact 99420346

Sharing room available for single

bachelor in Ghala. #91109790

Room for rent,1 bed room with

separate toilet (in flat) for small

family Qurum Mars hypermarket

building. #95711449 or 96570147

1BHK near Medical Darsait R.O

175/-. Contact: 95076261

1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100,

2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O

200/- in Al Khuwair. #95154331

2 BR, 2 bath, a kitchen, a yard

, with AC, separate enterance,

AlKhuwair near Ibis hotel. PDC.

RO 250 .. Call 97056443

Readymade office space for rent

(240sm) in Bank Melli Iran Build-

ing, MBD area, Ruwi, opposite

Center point. Contact: 99011352

Amazing flat of 2 BHK in Remal

Building. RO 550/- #91776665

Flat of 3 BHK in Al Ghobra South

opposite Royal Hospital. RO 380/-.

Contact – 91776665

Clean flat of 2 BHK in Al Khuwair

33. RO 330/- Contact – 91776665

1 BHK flat with 1split and 1 win-

dow AC, next to Indian School Ghu-

bra for rent at RO 270/-. Contact:

98867658 / between 4pm - 10pm

Shops / flats available in Honda

Road, Ruwi & Mabellah Indus-

trial area. Contact 24833972/

24833974/ 99367448

Furnished office (61M2) for sale

/ rent Al Khuwair near Zawawi

Mosque. Contact: 95611569

Flat for rent in South AlGhubrah

3 rooms, hall and 3 toilets, kitchen

rent 450/-. Contact: 99335580

2,200 sq mtr factory area & 800

sq mtr store with 8 accommoda-

tion rooms and 10 office cabins

available for rent in Barka indus-

trial area. Contact 91398381 / 80 /

78, email - agsan2005@gmail.com

Flats, shops and basement in

MBD area and Honda road.

Contact: 92433127/96291778/

92589235/97293708

2 BHK & 1 BHK Flats for rent

Muttrah near Oman house S/ AC.

Contact: 97007934 / 92629232

02 BHK residential flat opposite

to Al Nahdha hospital.

Contact: 99342733 /99795241

2 BR flats with 2Baths Kitchen

Al Amerat Aster Hospital #99366142

Two bedrooms flat in Al Ghobrah

near Oman Oil of 18 November Street.

OMR 330 Monthly.#99333479 or

95215360 or 97509955.

1 Bed room, sharing K& T, R.O 100,

2 bedrooms , sharing K& T R.O

200/- in AL Khuwair. #95154331

Luxury villa of 5 BHK in Al Khu-

wair 33 RO.650/- contact 91776665

Flat for rent 2 BHK 2 split A/C, 2

toilets, Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti

Masjid. #97007934 / 92629232

Warehouse at Wadikabir - total

area 3500 sqm - covered ware-

house (500sqm), office, ac-

commodation (1000sqm), open

area (2000sqm) please contact:

99273774 - 99202278

3BHK in Qurum P.D.O high 350/-

Monthly. Contact: 99342661

Dental chair and mobile dental X

Ray for sale. Contact: 92737149

New building Wattayah main road,

showroom & office space. #94300909

OFFICES FOR RENT AT AZAIBAPrime location on service road (previously

occupied by A'Saffa Foods) near Al Turky

and Mazda showroom.

- 2 BHK flat available directly from the

owner, at Azaiba.

Contact: 99229263, 93221054, 95215289

FOR RENTStore space in Al

Wattayah.

Contact 99382489 / 99263443

Commercial flats of 3 & 2 BHK

in Al Ghobra North 18 Nov street

RO.650/- & 450/- #91776665

New flats for rent at Darsait near to

Ministry of Sports, Mumtaz area the

flats includes, 1 living room, 2 bed-

room, kitchen, 3 toilets, every rooms

with split A/C high quality finishing

rent per flat is R.O 340/- . Interested

candidates please#00968 92225523

For rent and investment Land

industrial shops in Rusayl.

Contact: 99323957 / 95490842

Four bedroom two floors luxurious

and spacious residential villa in Al

Hail North, near to the sea and Oman

oil. Each room has its own bath-

room. It has splits A/C’s and shaded

car park. OMR 750 monthly. Tel:

99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955

Flat for rent, 3 bedrooms, kitchen &

bathroom in wadi kabir for 260 RO.

Contact : 97771444

New commercial Exhibition possible

divided to shops in Sohar market close

Bank Muscat.# 93305643 / 94734801

DAILY GUIDET H U R S D AY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6 D3

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

AVAILABLE

Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirt-

ing, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery,

Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice

Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and

spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606

2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623

5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.

com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. AVAILABLE

Room available semi furnished

room with air conditioner cup-

board and bed available for bach-

elor in good flat in Al Khuwair

near Radisson Blue. #96930219

Fully furnished bachelor sharing

at Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99325387

Available sharing accommoda-

tion, opposite Al Maya Wadi Kabir

in 2 bedroom flat. #95470129

Furnished room with separate

bathroom for Indian family or Ex-

ecutive bachelor, near Honda Road

(Walja). Contact 99016546

OMR-130.for family/ladies in

Darsait room w/AC, toilet & S/

kichen.95323562

Sharing Accommodation avail-

able for working ladies opposite Al

Nadhah Hospital. Preferably Indi-

ans. Room with seperate toilet and

sharing kitchen.RO.90. #96524717

2 room for rent bachelor Al Khu-

wair with A/C water & electricity,

RO 115/95. Contact: 94843712

Furnished bedroom with attached

bathroom available for working ladies

or small family at Mabela near Nesto.

Contact: 92214060

Small old house for rent in Al

Ghoubra. Contact : 97165972

2BHK split A/C 200/- Monthly & 1BHK

spilt A/C 150/- monthly new building

good location Barka Market. Contact:

99342661

600 M2 showroom or office in Bousher

in front of Dolphin complex. RO.3.5 per

m2. Contact 91776665

Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai com-

pound Al Khoud. RO.475/-#– 91776665

Villa of 3 BHK and sitting area in Al

Ghobra North. RO.525/- #91776665

Luxury and brand new semi

furnished 2 BHK flat in Remalbowsher.

RO.550/- #91776665

Spacious 1 BHK flat in Al Wattaya with

all split A/C’s and parking. RO.300/-

Contact – 91776665

2BHK Big Size Flat Behind Bank Mus-

cat, Wadi Kabir. Near ISWK. 97826454,

24815012.

Flat for rent 3 bedrooms + hall with

split units air conditioning at Al Amerat

near Aledl Mosque Ibn Sina road Al

Mahaj house No. 105. #99312628 /

95098277

1BHK new bldg with A/C, Curtains

near Khimji Mart MBD. Contact:

99061409 / 99024039

Coffee shop for sale in Al Khuwair 33.

Contact: 92994415

Villas in Al Khoud. Contact 95056808

/ 97201688

Luxury Apartments in Boucher (35).

Contact 95056808 / 97201688

For Sale sophisticated office furniture

used for 1 year. Contact: 90946764

Excavators 3nos (Hitachi 240/350,

2008/2013 model), Tipper 1 no. (Astra

2013 model). All are good condition,

sell on the maximum offer.#98999503

/ 99782930 / 98981112

Single colorful Bed and Sofa for

Sale at Al Khuwair.#92881849 /

What`s up No 97290565

A well-established computer sales

and service outlet is available for

immediate release with or without

stock and fittings, usable for same

or different business. Locations:

Ghubrah- busy street. Contact:

24499404/ 99368761/ 99491761

Furniture and other treatment

items for Ayurvedic clinic. Contact:

97986525

Steel Scrap materials for immedi-

ate sale # 99273774/ 99202278

Almost new beach/ garden lounge

chairs /bar stools/ counter. Photos

can be sent 95865457

Room for rent available in a flat

for Executive bachelor at Azaiba

behind Al Meera Hypermarket with

attached bath with cot & A/C , rent

inclusive of water & electricity.

Contact 96404166 / 97433992

Sharing for Executive females at

Mumtaz area. Contact: 97094797

2 bedrooms flat near Kuwait Masjid

Wadi Kabir. #97608564 / 98498823

Room available for Executive

bachelor at Al Hail. #96234708

Furnished apartment for rent, two

rooms, majlis, hall, kitchen. Near

Carrefour al-mawalah. #99336776

Room with attached bathroom for

a family in Wadi Kabir. #97167857

Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan village.#93687466

Furnished room attached bath

for Indian bachelor, Al-Falaj

Ruwi & lady Wadi Kabir near

Mars hypermarket. CONTACT

96202458/96761960

Furnish bedroom with attach

bathroom for executive bachelor.

Contact: 97704794

Room with attached bathroom and

sharing kitchen available for

Executive bachelor or small family

at wadikabir Contact 93049849

Room available in Mumtaz area

1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1

room, common bathroom. Interested

pleasecontact 92680041 Mr. Altaf

400 sq mtrs Commercial/Resi-

dential land in Mabela Phase 5

Block 2. OMR 165 Thousand.

CONTACT 99333479 or 95215360

or 97509955

A well running pharmacy for

sale at prime location. Contact-

99627621, 93240949

Space for printing press available

at wadikabir with or without

machinery. Contact 99328430

Shop for sale near Oman House,

Muttrah. Contact 99024362.

Urgent sale of steel scrap only

serious buyers kindly #+968

96725423 for viewing the items.

HD Scaffoldings, Shuttering

Jacks, Wooden Planks, Shuttering

wood assorted, Tower hoist (lift),

Concrete Mixer, Bending Machine,

Steel Fabrication Machinery

(Searing/Cutting, lathe & Welding)

including tools for immediate sale:

Contact 99273774/ 99202278

DRIVING

LABOR CAMP FOR RENT

With a capacity of 30-35

labors/staffs at Ansab near MOD.

6 Rooms, 1 Kitchen, Bus Parking,

Storage Area, Toilets

A/C's are fixed. RO. 550/Monthly

Contact:99887057/24125600

WANTED

IELTS Coaching (academic)

required nearby wadi Kabir

area. Please call on mobile or

msg on Whats up. Mobile no:

92927880/99012165

FOR HIRE

Hiab truck, payload 10 ton, unload-

ing boom 2 ton, available on monthly

rent. Contact Mb.

94052819, Email: mmanjani8@

gmail.com

Grader, roller, bobcat, JCB 3CX, JCB 4CX with breaker & water tanker

for rent.#93218705 / 24478450

GOOD NEWS

GOOD NEWS

Ayurvedic treatment for joint

pain, backache, paralysis, mas-

sage, steambath, obesity, spondy-

litis. Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic,

18 November Street, Azaiba.

Contact: 99639695 / 97397320

Ayurvedic treatment for backache,

paralysis, arthritis etc & mas-

sage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact:24475280 / 95371664 /

92504980 www.siddhayur.com

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know

more about Islam, please call:

99425598, 99250777, 99353988,

99253818, 99341395, and

99379133. For ladies: 99415818,

99321360, 99730723

Orvisit:www.islamfact.com

MATRIMONIAL

MATRIMONIAL

Kerala Christian Marthoma boy from Adoor, working in Oman

MBA graduate seeks suitable

alliance. Contact: 99852167

Mumbai settled Hindu Ezhava

parents invite proposals for

their son MBA 29 years 5.9

Star Bharani working with a

reputed company in Muscat

Contact

91235911.

Nair boy 31 /175 cms working in

Muscat Pooram star wants suit-

able bride. Contact : 95501263

Malankara Catholic Male Nurse (28) from Thiruvalla working in

Nizwa Private Co. Alliance invites

parents/nurses working in Oman.

#968 98267338, 0091

9287215726

Indian male Roman Catholic 40yrs divorcee working in Muscat.

Seeks suitable alliance from

widow/ divorcee/ single. contact

96059801.

DAILY GUIDED4 T H U R S D AY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

SITUATION WANT-SIT.WANTED SITUATION WANTEDSIT.WANTED

SITUATION WANT-SIT.WANTED

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

DRIVER

MEDICAL

MEDICAL

DRIVER

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

DOMESTIC HELP

BEAUTICIAN

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCELooking for a young dynamic Ac-

countant with knowledge of AX

Package for a multinational shipping

company. Email your CV to:

shippingseas@yahoo.com

HOUSEMAID for Indian family of

4 only. Visa and all other benefits

will be provided as per the law.

Contact 92725141.

Wanted house boy for an Indian

doctor family. Interested may con-

tact 94765020.

Very urgently required a Gulf

experienced professional Hair

dresser cum beautician (lady) for

a reputed beauty salon. Immedi-

ate appointment visa available.

Contact: 99816262 /98557585

Fax: 24796211 Email: skin.hair.

makeup@gmail.com

Required Pedicurist, Manicurist

lady urgently, experience should

not be less than two years. Salary:

RO 170 + commission, location

Muscat Grand Mall, Nationality :

Filipina, Tickets : every 2 years,

medical Transport & accommoda-

tion company provided. Applicant

must be in Oman & can join imme-

diately. Contact: 00968 99475599

/ 00968 96447037

Wanted driver. Contact :91025698

Urgently required MOH licensed

Lab technician, Dietitian and

Nurse for a reputed center at

Azaiba. Please contact: 92724345

/ 91960401

Urgently required Pharmacist &

MOH licensed female Dentist for a

reputed polyclinic. Send CV : man-

ageribnalhaitham@yahoo.com or

contact 96721709.

Wanted a dentist in Seeb. Contact:

99722457/ 92306398

Required Gynecologist, Lab techni-

cian, X Ray technician. #99030773

Email: kunoozghala@gmail.com

Nurse required for a dental clinic

in Al Khuwair. Contact 95114616

SALES / MARKETING

ENGINEER/MECHANIC.

Site Supervisor with knowledge

(Civil/Elect Diploma) in reading

Site Drawing for excavation. Call

91396893 Email CV excavation330@

gmail.com

Required urgently for Mechanical

Engineer, B.E / Diploma having good

experience in Automobile & Engineer-

ing workshop. #98919238 Email:

nnoel1977@gmail.com

A well reputed building material &

contracting Company in Oman is look-

ing for staff: Project Manager (more

than 10 yrs experience), Engineer

(more than 5 years of experience),

Purchase Manager (more than 10 yrs

of experience). Contact:

99808868 Email: amtcbarka@gmail.

com

Decoration Company looking for

Interior Design Engineer with expe-

rience in 3D and Supervision. Send

your CV with the design which you

have done and after the implemen-

tation. Email: alrih16@hotmail.com

Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in com-

merce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/

finance field. On visit visa. Immedi-

ately available. CONTACT 92836216 /

muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com

A Leading company selling

printing consumables looking

for Sales Executive. Preferred

candidate with experience in sell-

ing digital wide format printing

consumables & offset printing

consumables and with Omani

driving license. Send CV to hrg-

muscat@gmail.com

Urgently required Sales Execu-

tives, Operations Executive im-

port & export, for a reputed freight

forwarding company in Muscat

candidates with Oman D/L and

minimum 2 yrs experience in

similar field preferred. Interested

candidates may send C.V to re-

cruitment.oman@yahoo.com

Wanted Restaurant Supervisor

with a flair for marketing with

driving license. #95485151

A reputed organization requires

an experienced expatriate lady

Marketing Manager with valid Oman

D/L for marketing luxury products.

Contact: 24212307 or send CV with a

current passport size photo to Email:

awadiest@omantel.net.om Note: Only

candidates who have NOC can apply.

Required Sales Executive : 2-3

years of outdoor sales experience

in spare part., Indian, Male 25 to

35 year age. Diploma holder in any

discipline “ mechanical engineer

preferred”. Email:

mohammad.jwabreh@bearingcitysc

.com Tel: 24509477 Fax: 24509312

Urgently Required a Self motivated

sales person for a leading Print-

ing & advertisement Co. Minimum

5 Yrs exp with valid Omani/GCC

Driving License. contact 99412020,

95728453, Email:

Baharalsuwaihara@gmail.com

Required Sales and Marketing

Manager must possess excellent

communication skills. Fluent

English speaking, Arabic speak-

ing is preferred. Minimum of 2

years of professional experience.

Candidates are requested to send

their CVS to polyplas@omantel.

net.om

28/male/MBA - finance/B.Com -

Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/

India experience looking for a

suitable placement. #90187483

shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com

Indian male, 24 yrs, Graduated with

specialization in Accounting 2 years

experienced C.A.CPT completed.

#94628086 / 97315091

Accountant 8Years Experience with

D/L and NOC. Contact 97712084

Indian female 25 looking for Ac-

countant / Admin job having 5 years

experience in Audit, Accounts and

Admin departments presently on fam-

ily visit visa. Contact : 95656455

Indian male well experience in ac-

counts, Admin & ERP Tally 9 looking

for a suitable vacancy NOC available.

Contact: 92650835`

Qualified and experienced MBA post

graduate with proven work exposure

in Middle East & India, having more

than 5.5 years of rich experience in

accounts, project coordination and

administration in (3.5 years UAE ex-

perience) oil and gas projects is cur-

rently looking for suitable job. contact

93953613 , Email allen.mathew83@

gmail.com

Indian male 34 years MBA finance

& marketing 7 years experience in

Indian accounts / Administration cur-

rently in Muscat on family visa. Con-

tact: 98104991 Email: sureshkr01@

gmail.com

Omani college girl looking for Ac-

countant work in Muscat, no experi-

ence. Contact: 98298722

Part time Accountant up to finaliza-

tion. Contact: 91126314

Accountant available with NOC, 7

years experience ready to join imme-

diately. Contact: 98263394

Male CA finalist B.Com having 5

years experience with big four

audit firms looking for suitable job

on visit. Contact: 92230543 Email:

m.naveednaseer@gmail.com

BBA finance 2 years experience Ac-

countant looking for jobs accountant

2 years stay visa. Contact: 90291297

BBA finance experience 2 years As-

sistant accountant 24 years, 2 years

stay visa. Contact: 93150918

Indian male: B.Com. with 4 years ex-

perience in Tally ERP Accounts, Ready

to join immediately for Accounts,

Store & Sales. Contact: 94813962,

Email:rajeshkumawat166@gmail.com

M. Com Accountant 3 years experi-

ence, 3 Star hotel Tamil Nadu Indian

immediately available. Contact :

92831400 / 96051737

Chief Accountant well experienced

with reputed group available for im-

mediate joining. Contact : 98803439

/ 97413784.

M.B.A male looking for immediate

Placement in Accounts,Valid GCC

Driving License Mob.94625495

Indian male B.Com having 14 years

experience seeking for suitable

position in accounts handling, stores,

sales logistics, banking sectors.

Contact: 96417641 Email:

nileshsuares@gmail.com

ADMIN

ADMIN

Indian male with 26 yrs exp 1.5 yrs

in Oman in HR / Office / Adminis-

tration/ Sales/ seeking for suitable

placement. #93112346, Email:

sibyambadan70@gmail.com

Indian male 3 years experience

in IT as Linux Administrator at

Wipro Technologies with hand-

son experience in Amazon EC2 &

Oracle Virtualization looking for a

suitable placement. #92889678

Email: amalpathikal@gmail.com

Indian, 20 years experience

in Oman as personal assistant /

office manager / administrator

seeks change of job with release -

99168054, mbkishore@hotmail.com

Omani National looking for a suit-

able placement in Sales or Adminis-

tration. Contact: 94700691

Available camp boss visa transfer

rable with Oman driving licen 15

years exp. Contact: 98335796

/99328223

Bangladeshi male light driver

exp 16 years need job. Contact:

99165961

Driver 3/6 years experience, I

have 2 years experience out door

sales man in led light, Pakistani,

Oman experience 6 years. Contact:

94565993 / 92627855

Available L.M.V driver with 2

years exp. Contact: 94603496 /

96573622

Light Duty Driver with 2 yrs exp. in

Muscat seeks placement. Contact:

91659265

Driver Indian 15 yrs Oman ex-

perience light vehicle. contact

98023050

Driver having experience in Em-

bassy seeks suitable placement

in Sales or driving, NOC available.

Contact: 92191698

Light Duty Driver, exp 1.5 years,

Language knowing English, Arabic

& Urdu seeks placement Contact:

96011572 / 94484181

Family driver available. contact

92943094

Pakistani male light vehicle driver

with 5 years experience looking

for job. Contact: 92171166

Looking for light driver. contact

99753474

Indian male M.Com with 3 yrs Oman

exp with valid D/L and NOC on visit

visa looking for suitable jobs in Ac-

counts and sales. Contact:

94744575

Jordanian Senior Accountant 15

yrs experience in Oman finance &

accounts. Contact : 92881223

CA finalist Indian with 7 years

experience having D/L & NOC look-

ing for Senior Accountant / Chief

Accountant position. #98097009

Email: rameesnm@gmail.com

Indian male 24 yrs B.Com, Tally-

ERP9 with one year exp seeking for

suitable placement. Now on visit

visa.Contact:94469269

SAP, Tally and Peach tree experi-

enced male/25 with 5 years experi-

ence in Audit and accounts. Avail-

able in Oman for suitable placement.

Contact 97190575

Indian female, MBA Finance, HR hav-

ing 2 years experience as an Admin-

istrative Officer with Computer skills,

now on visit visa, looking for suitable

job. #93235507 / 90649533

Indian male, 22 years of experi-

ence in finance dept is looking for a

suitable placement, valid Oman D/L

& release available , ready to join in

short period. Contact : 99641119

Indian, Executive with 5+ years

experience in HSBC etc, done with

MBA, M.Com, DMM, M. Phil seeks a

suitable position. Contact: 90369540

Email: abilashraji@gmail.com

Indian female 32, MBA Finance, 7

yrs of experience in one of the lead-

ing bank in India in Treasury(in FX,

derivatives and money market), Risk

and Asset Liability Management ,

with valid Oman D/L seeking suit-

able placement contact 92206513

Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA

Finance and marketing with IT

skills, 7+ yrs of experience,

Looking for suitable placement.

contact 94879615,Email-

sajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com

Indian Female recently pass out

BBA+MBA (Dual degree) International

Business and Finance, looking for suit-

able opportunities, presently in Muscat

on family Visa. #+968-95907828.

Email : stuti28sinha@gmail.com

Accountant available with NOC,

7 years experience in Oman.

Ready to join immediately. contact

98263394

10 yrs of Oman experience capable

of handling large accounts, looking

for suitable placement in senior

sales / business development posi-

tion. Contact : 98987654

Fresher 24, ACCA Affiliate, Ad-

vanced diploma in Accounting and

Business seeking suitable place-

ment in Accounts, Finance or Audit

with Oman driving license. contact

- 92430152

Email - raju.rd619@gmail.com

ACCA member with 6 yrs of expe-

rience in Oman looking for a suit-

able job in finance. #99284193

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN

DOMESTIC HELP

Indian female 34 yrs single, 12 yrs

exp in Oman presently working

in Nursery baby sitter (Nany) in

Muscat, looking a job visa + ACC,

NOC available. Contact: 96516743

/ 98802081

3D & Multimedia Designer

looking for job, currently using

family visa. Contact : 95844940

Email: chrisrimas@yahoo.com

Seeking job 17 years Oman expe-

rienced MEP draftsman. Contact:

91110270

Electrical Draughtsman (Diplo-

ma), Indian Male having more

than 8 years’ experience (4

years in Oman). NOC available.

Contact 93957480, 96903942.

Email :

dennydavid007@gmail.com

CAD Technician Looking for

Job Diploma holder. experi-

ence: 5.5,Oman,Total12 years.

Mob:96534071 tayyab341@

gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS

Required candidates for following

posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers. Can-

didates with Omani driving license

preferred. #99273774/99202278

EDUCATION/TRAINING

Experienced teacher looking for

job M.Com B.Ed. Contact 97948330

nubinafaizal@gmail.com

Teaching or companies or training

centers. chemical laboratory analysis

acquired knowledge of laboratory and

chemical safety Sudan university of

science and technology. #90644755.

rehammrwan04@gmail.com

Female B. Ed English teacher, 7 yrs

exp seeking suitable placement. Con-

tact : 99739415 / 92091528

Math Teacher 30 years experience

IGCSE, A& AS IB Bilingual. Contact:

98016336

Indian male 38 years B.Ed (English)

MBA (HR), 8 years experience as

English, Business Studies Teacher,

currently in Oman on visit visa,

#96982726, shiljujohn@gmail.com

JOB VACANCYAn ISO 9001 certified & ASME accredited Oil & Gas Equipment

Manufacturing Company in Muscat requires the following

personnel

Manager- Business Development / Sales & Marketing: Result orientated preferably engineering graduate with minimum

10 years of work experience in the Oil & Gas (Upstream &

Downstream) sector in Oman or the Middle East region. Candidate

should have desirable experience in the sales of process equipment

and skid mounted packages for the oil & gas industries.

Interested candidate may forward the CV within 7 days toE-mail: hromienfab@gmail.com / FAX No: 00968-24446179

A young dynamic post gradu-

ate with 2 years work experience

in business operations looking

for suitable placement. Contact

98564880 or maccmuscat@gmail.

com

Indian male 32, looking for Admin

Assistant, Sales job having 9 years

of Sales / Admin experience in

Muscat. NOC available. #95116586

MBA HR & logistics Indian male

currently on 2 months visit having

experience on Admin / HR activi-

ties looking for Admin / Manage-

ment / Non – Management / HR

related jobs. Contact: 90653264

Indian male, 25, 4+ years of expe-

rience as an Office Administrator

looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 92600859

Indian male, 31 yrs, 8 yrs experi-

ence in Oman as Admin Officer in a

contracting firm with valid D/L seeks

suitable placement. #97841805

MBA Graduate with 2 years experi-

ence in HR and general Admin seeking

suitable placement. Contact: 98820248

Email: sm24blue@gmail.com

Indian male 30 yrs, 6 yrs experi-

ence in Office Oman work at MBA

(H.R & organizational behavior), BSc

Food technology (food science &

Quality control). Contact: 97632020

Teacher female 27 yrs, MCA 5 yrs

experience in teaching in India cur-

rently on visit visa seeking for a suit-

able placement. Contact: 96709509

Email: viyannifd@gmail.com

Filipino HRD especialist / material

controller supervisor with 18 yrs

experience looking for suitable job

in Oman. Contact: (+968) 98037142

/ (+968) 92659817

Indian male 26 yrs MCA, 2 yrs ex-

perienced in System Admin & data

base controller. Contact: 92835125

Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+

experience in Administration/HR,

Customer Support, Office Coordina-

tor with good Computer skill, Now

on Visit Visa,looking for suitable

position. Contact: 90196235

Young Omani male have experi-

ence 12 years as P.R.O, CLERK

Helper Supervisor Admin Supervi-

sor, H.R Manager have diploma in

H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license, looking

for H.R position or P.R.O part time

or full time. Contact: 95933288

B.Com 3 years business process

outsourcing. Contact: 94657273

Indian male, MBA with 3 years GCC

experience seeks job in Muscat. Pos-

ses Valid Oman D/L. Currently under

visit visa and can join immediately.

E mail : tssavad@gmail.com contact:

00968 98896847

CANADIAN CO.- FREE CONSULTANCYFOR LEGAL JOB

- For Hotel Staff, Construction Staff, Medical, Gas

& Oil Staff.

- Free recruitment - free tickets, accommodation,

work visa, contract for 2 (two) years.

Contact : 93392630 Send CV on

muslimatservices@gmail.com

Autocad, revit (arch) 3d, dip civil

engg (cert attested) exp salary

:250 OMR. Contact : 9227 9784

Revit autocad d/man , diploma cert

attsd. exp salary 200-acco.

ph: 9227 9784

Filipino Senior Revit/AutoCAD

Draftsman with 20 years profes-

sional experience is looking for

suitable job in Oman. Please contact

96489798, (+974) 66653780.

2D autocad Drafting (free lancer /

part time) arch, MEP, Shopdrawing.

Contact : 97103168

Revit, Autocad D/man, expected

salary 200 OMR PH :92279784

ARCHITECT

Architect exp.7 years, 4 years in

GCC Architectural design interior

sites 3D Max AutoCAD, Photoshop.

Contact: 93238813 Email: moham-

medbardab@gmail.com

INDIAN male Architectural tech-

nician diploma in construction

technology with 6 years experi-

ence in drafting and detailing as

per British standard in Oman with

valid Omani license looking for

suitable opportunity Noc avail-

able. Call 94375897.

URGENTLY REQUIREDFor a reputed Food Stuff whole

seller and Catering Supplier.

1. SALES EXECUTIVE- 01 NO2. ACCOUNTANT- 01 NO

Minimum 3 years experience in

same field. Salary negotiable, good

communication skills, driving

license is must for Sales Executive.

Interested candidates may please forward their CV’s to:

nft49@yahoo.com

Lab Technician, Omani Female PRO

cum Receptionist, Male Reception-

ist cum Insurance Coordinator,

Specialist Doctor Radiologist, Gen-

eral Practitioners, Cont.95220350,

bmdcsg@yahoo.com

Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately

for a clinic in Suwaiq.#95081010

Email: umchealthcare@gmail.com

Wanted Staff Nurse for

a dermatology clinic in Muscat .

Must have MOH license and NOC.

Attractive salary offered. Email:

clinicvacancy2015@gmail.com

GP doctor needed for reputed

clinic. Preferably with MOH license

or with Dataflow & Paramatics

pass Contact: 95388934

SKILLED LABOUR

SKILLED LABOUR

UPVC windows & doors factory

operator with Gulf exp. Contact:

99010141 Email: mazin@alsahib.net

URGENTLY REQUIRED FOR OMAN For a reputed construction company

- CIVIL ENGINEER:-1 (8 YEAR EXP) - ACCOUNTANT:- 1

- ELECTRICIAN:- 4 - PLUMBER:- 3

- TOWER CRANE OPERATOR:-1 - MASSON:- 3

- SHUTTERING CARPENTER:-5 - STEEL FITTER:- 5

- HELPER:-20

Interested candidates please apply online by sending your cv to E-mail:-inam.con.co@gmail.com

Contact no:-24566986 ..fax :-24566754

DRIVER WANTEDUrgently requiredIndian Muslim

driver for an

Omani family.

Contact – 9828363324707088

Reputed contracting company

requires following: Q.S swimming

pool (auto cad exp), pool technician

and pool cleaners. Minimum 5 years

Gulf experience preferred. Contact:

asdekamuscat@gmail.com

Required A/C Technicians, Carpen-

ters, Electricians, Plumbers, Painters,

General Helpers. Contact 94147874 /

24504281. Email :

globalaccessunited@gmail.com

DAILY GUIDET H U R S D AY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6 D5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERIndian male 30 years, having 5 years

of experience in industrial automation and utility

maintenance in India (MRF Tyres), holding valid Oman D/L.

Contact - 92789995Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

IT

Indian History graduate with diploma in Safety with

valid Oman Driving licence seeks suitable placement.

Contact-93361624, Email-dheerachpadikkala@gmail.com

Indian male, MCA

(Post Graduate) fresher seeking

suitable placement

anywhere in Oman, now on

visit visa.

Contact 92319677, Email :

ismabsc@gmail.com

Civil Engineer, 6 yrs experience with

Omani driving license, local release

available. Contact: 91693008

An Iraqi civil with more than 30

years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C)

looking for a job, (N.O.C) available.

Contact: 96561306

Email: iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 11 yrs exp in con-

struction field having Oman driving

license & NOC. Contact – 94194399 /

shiblyrock@gmail.com

Indian male, Mechanical Engi-

neer having 1year experience,

on visit visa looking for suit-

able job. Contact:97416564,

Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com

Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp

seeks suitable position ina reputed

company. NOC available. #96789711

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

in Oman as a project engineer for

governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912

Civil Engineer 8 years experience

Structural buildings marine. Avail-

able NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com

Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian

male 24 years with 1+years Indian

experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/

Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).Look-

ing for a Suitable position. Avail-

able In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat)

on Visit Visa. # 92835952. E-mail:

mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com

Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in

designing, assembling, commis-

sioning execution etc having valid

GCC license too looking for a suit-

able. Contact: 00968-98052942

Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com

HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+Diploma

Safety+NEBOSH+OSHA) over

10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release Letter

(NOC) available), seeking suit-

able placement, Mob:97061817,

Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com

Indian female Quantity Surveyor

Civil 11 years experience, local

release available NOC.#95719108

Email: jishashibunair@gmail.com

Graduate civil Engineer having 19

years Gulf experience seeks immedi-

ate employment in reputed firms

in Muscat, NOC available. Contact:

99446786 / 93251306

NDT / QA / QC Supervisor / Radiogra-

pher DAE Mechanical piping- vessel

LPG Bozer Storage tank inspection

experience 10 years. #96954202

Email: nasirarain86@yahoo.com

BE Mechanical Engineer, 6 years ex-

perience in piping & structural work

release available. Contact: 96115463

Email: jijoraju085@yahoo.com

Civil Engineer 6 years experience.

Contact: 90183630

B.Tech Mechanical Engineer, on

visit visa looking for job, who has

done certification courses in quality

control, basic pipeline engineering,

ASNT NDT Level II, also good knowl-

edge in HVAC. Contact:94743373

Email:akasharavind1@gmail.com

Electronic Security System Tech

C.C.T.V telephone presently work-

ing in Oman with NOC. Contact:

99803912 Email: bijumonjk1@gmail.

com

B. Tech mechanical Engineer

having 8+ years exp having Omani

driving license seeking suitable

placement. Contact: 97841963

In Oman since 2010 March, building

site supervisor with Oman D/L look-

ing for suitable placement. Contact:

91507828

B. Sc Civil Engineer 27 yrs, Oman

experience as Project Manager,

Structural Engineer looking for suit-

able placement. NOC / local transfer

available. Contact : 99349578 Email:

farooqatm@hotmail.com

INDIAN FEMALE, 23 years, BSC-

CS Diploma in IAD graphics, well

knowledge in computer applica-

tions 6 months experience pres-

ently in Sohar seeking suitable

placement. Contact: 96670907.

Email: ammuch.4@gmail.com

IT Support Engineer, Exp 3 years in

Oman 2 years in India. #94672759

Female 24 yrs, 3 years in IT pro-

grammer now in Oman looking for

suitable job. Contact: 96350234

24 years Indian male B.SC (com-

putes science) with 2 years of

networking and IT help desk support

experience with Cisco certification

seeking a suitable placement. Con-

tact 96910605 Email: shaikzube@

gmail.com

Indian male B.Com Graduate seeks

suitable position in Computer net-

working & IT support with 4 years

of experience. Contact: 91282879

Email: ryazrh@gmail.com

Indian male 25 yrs B.Sc Computers

Science, 3 yrs work experience in

Computer hardware & networking &

CCTV, telephone system looking for

job (NOC) available. #93243372

Sudanese Network Engineer holding

IT Bachelor with 1 year experience

CCNA, CCNP, MCSA certified have

valid driving license. #92394485

INDIAN FEMALE COMPLETED

M.C.A seeking for suitable jobs. Con-

tact: 91409481 / 97308719

EDUCATION/TRAINING

An experienced Chartered Accountant

with over 25 years in varied

industries, presently working

with a reputed group in Muscat,

looking out for a suitable change.

96491030

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

ENGG. / TECH./MECH.

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

Indian male, 5 yrs exp in

marketing & trading (Oman), dealt

with International companies &

product also having good

knowledge in logistic and Admin

with D/L & car, NOC available.

Contact 93639385 Email:

faizenqidwai@gmail.com

Indian male, completed bachelor

of business management with

2 years of work experience, cur-

rently on visiting visa in Oman

and seeking suitable placement

for immediate joining. #94647421

35 years male, Lebanese holding

British passport, 10 years of experi-

ence in procurement, Omani Govern-

ment tenders, setup marketing plans

& strategies, importing, Organizing

events, management, have car, NOC

available. Contact: 94123939 Email:

002015r@gmail.com

Sales Executive seeking suitable

placement Oman driving license.

Contact 93533786

Sudanese looking for a suitable

job holds the safety and health of

OSHA certificate and computer

exp. in Sales & safety and health

(HSE). Contact: 91318822

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE

SKILLED/ UNSKILLED LABOUR

PROJECTS

Indian Male more than 10 years gulf

experience in Office / Sales Coordina-

tor, Admin, Secretarial and purchase

with good computer skills. Holding

Oman Driving license. Looking for

suitable placement. #99709336

Lady Secretary / Sales Co-coordi-

nator 12 years experience in Oman

in reputed companies, seek imme-

diate Employment. Call: 95244761

HSE OFFICER having

more than 10 yrs experi-

ence with D/L. NOC avail-

able. GSM:97881216/97131913.

Email:dipubenny@gmail.com

MEDICAL

Indian female dentist specialized

Endodontist looking for a suitable

placement, prometric completed.

Contact: 96410448

Indian female (MSC – Micro-

biologist) seeking suitable job.

#96791162 / 90618567

Indian lady Dentist with MOH Li-

cense and Gulf experience looking

for a job. Contact: 96698073.

Male job Nurse MOH license PDO

familiarization8 yrs experience in

Oman, release letter. #99385197

Email: waqar1010@gmail.com

Indian Bsc Female Nurse with 6.5

years exp, 4 years in KSA. Passed

Oman Pro Metric with 69%, complet-

ed data flow. Presently in Muscat

in visit visa looking for a suitable

placement. #94744900, 94742834,

jincyalphonese@gmail.com

Indian male with 5 yrs experi-

ence in CCTV (AV Technician) & 4

years experience as Supervisor /

Billing section on visit visa now.

#93570126

Indian male B-tech 8 years

experience as senior electrical

project engineer / QC engineer on

visit visa seeks suitable place-

ment.#94094543

Email: anwar425@gmail.com

DAE Civil engineering profession

surveyor experience 3 years, 2 years

in Pakistan, 1 year in Oman road

experience. Contact: 94791214

DAE Civil engineering profession

surveyor experience 5 years, 2

years in Oman 3 years in Pakistan

road and building experience.

#90334894

B.Tech Mechanical Engineer, on

visit visa looking for job, who has

done certification courses in quality

control, basic pipeline engineering,

ASNT NDT level II, also good knowl-

edge in HVAC. Contact:94743373

email:akasharavind1@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer having 5 years

experience in the field of managing

, supervising , testing & commis-

sioning of Electrical distribution

& substation projects. Contact:

92322906/90377916 Email:

mshameerbm@gmail.com

Senior Civil Engineer with NOC 20

years experience in infrastructure ,

utilites, Roads and buildings seek-

ing job preferably in consultants or

senior level in contracting available

on immediate basis. Contact

92141592

Diploma in civil M/ 32 Indian

keralite 2 years experience as site

Engineer at Muscat with D/L Seek-

ing civil job. Contact: 97914623

B.E Mechanical with Automotive &

Industrial Maintenance specializa-

tion -11 yrs exp in Oman with Driving

license. Seeks suitable job on release

in Oman. Contact 92880593

Civil Engineer (B. Sc) Iraqi looking

for job with 2 years experience in the

practical field & design, professional

use engineering programs fluent

in English valid driving license.

Contact : 90187915 Email: alhasan.

kh@live.com

Diploma in Civil Engineering 13 yrs

exp with valid Oman D/L, NOC avail-

able. Contact : 99612163

Indian female, 25 yrs M.Tech

Structural Engineer 3 yrs experi-

enced in Analysis design & RCC

structures seeking for suitable

placement.contact 97163040 /

96357196

Indian female Project Engineer 15

yrs experience in Project Manage-

ment Quality database management

data analytics marketing business

development haying Omani driving

license seeks suitable placement

presently on family visa having Om-

ani experience. Contact : 95783792

Site Supervisor, Diploma in Civil

Engg (cert attested) knows autocad

revit, salary exp: 250 ph : 9227 9784

Indian female 23 years Mechanical

Engineer with 1.5 year’s experience

looking for suitable jobs. Also inter-

ested in Sales & Marketing. Contact:

94743992 Email: selveena054@

gmail.com

Electrical Engineer 6 years experi-

ence in Oman experience in MEDC /

MZEC Projects. Contact: 91249329

Male QC inspector Mechani-

cal, NDT 20 years experience

valid Oman D/L , release available. #

91001104

Indian male 23 Mechanical Engi-

neer (B.E) residing in Oman looking

for suitable job. Contact: 98530806 /

99362006

Indian female 24 yrs B.Tech (CSE)

having 1 year experience in PHP

Programming seeking suitable jobs.

Also interested in teaching, available

on family visa. contact 98676713

Indian female (M. Tech, Power

system) having Gulf experience

seeking suitable placement in Oman

currently in family visa. Contact:

94306164 / 91001194

Sales & Marketing specialist

with 16 yrs experience in Oman in

MNC retails telecom lubes

construction related industry

handled various projects, holding

valid Oman driving license,

release available.

Contact 96960991

TOURS & TRAVEL

HOSPITALITY

Filipina lady having exp in

ticketing and preservation, call

center, secretarial and real estate

is now looking for job please

call.94054080

Indian male B.H.M graduate 12

years exp in hospitality industry

G.C.C license release available look-

ing for suitable post in hospitality

or F.M.C.G. Contact: 94525463

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian Female on a visit visa hav-

ing master degree seeking suitable

placement in any field, 1 ,5 year

experience in HR .Contact :

+968 91467576.

NOC available, Indian Male - MBA

(HR) and B.E (E.I.E) with total 9

years of experience in HR & Admin

and Business Development (3 yrs

of Gulf exp.) can join immediately

- 91240251 / kvaradhan@hotmail.

com

M. Sc Computer Science – 2 year

Experience – in India, looking suit-

able Placement. Email:-elvisgt6@

gmail.com, Mob:-+91 9497482305

(INDIA), Oman:-98291626.

Indian, 30 years, B. Com with 2

years Oman experience in Tally

ERP-9 available in Muscat seeking

suitable positions. # on 95186652

Indian male B.Tceh (ECE) MBA

(HR) 2 years experience CCNA,

CCNP, MCSE looking for suitable

job , presently on employment

visa release available. #95584814

Email: syedllizarat7@gmail.com

Indian civil Engineer BE, with 16

years of Industry experience in design

, Quantity surveying , billing looking

for suitable job. #90302823 Email:

prince.n@engineer.com

ELECTRONICS TECHNICIAN Indian/male/24Yrs,Bsc.Electron-

ics & Comm, 1.7 Years experience

as Service Engineer in India, On

visit Visa, looking for a suitable

placement. Contact : 92794176, E-

mail:prathyushkp9@gmail.com

B-tech Civil with honours, Civil En-

gineer (structures) Experience more

than six years. #91431483. Email

mohsinyousuf86@rediffmail.com

HSE Engineer,Indian male, 4

Plus years experience in Oil &

Gas .Working in Shclumberger

NEBOSH, IOSH, & NDT Certified, M

Tech in HSE. CONTACT-krish.569@

gmail.com #+91 9867016808

Indian male Network cabling tech-

nician ( 19-years gulf experience)

seeking for suitable placement.

Contact : 0091-8089909265 (In-

dia), Email: mohithavp@gmail.com

Indian Pediatric consultant, md

with 20 years experience and wife

gynecologist md with 15 years plus

experience seeking opportunities

with reputed hospitals in Muscat.

deemaild@gmail.com

14 years experienced light driver

with valid Oman license looking for

suitable job. Contact 99442481

S.T.P Operator 20 years experience in

Oman. Contact: 93089468

Syrian Civil Engineer Graduate

2012 with Oman experience with

license. Contact : 92967785

An Electrical engineer with 4+

yrs of experience in Electrical

network (MT, LT) with professional

computer skills seeking for work.

Contact: 99841736 / 93955381/

+149922698343 Email:

e.kmmh@hotmail.com

Sudanese Mechanical Engineer 2

years experience, fire fighting HVAC

on visiting visa. Contact : 95630047

Indian male (23), completed B.E

Electrical and Electronics Engineer-

ing have no experience and studied

MEP, E-CAD AutoCAD P6 now on

family visa looking for a desirable

job. Contact: 98209070 Email:

panivinlal@gmail.com

Sudanese Civil Engineer holding

bachelor with 2 years of experience

in Oman have valid driving license

and residency with NOC looking for

job. Contact: 94393880

Male QC Inspector Mechanical,

NDT 20 years experience valid

Oman D/L, NOC available. contact

91001104

Pakistani male Diploma Civil En-

gineer 4yrs exp in Oman bulling &

mega projects, valid license Oman.

contact:98921022

Procurement Engineer (27 years

single male with Oman Driving Li-

cense) having 7 years experience

(UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in

MEP, Water, Electromechanical,

Instrumentation seeking suitable

placements. Contact 95852033,

mail: hemal1988@gmail.com

Electrical & electronics Engr,

knows autocad & revit. PH:93837973

Sr. Electrical Engineer with17+

yrs of exceptional exp in spear

heading strategic planning and

project management initiatives &

executing various high rise resi-

dential & commercial building as

well as roads and highway project

with proficiency in installation,

seeking a challenging position in a

dynamic organization. #96570891

Network Engineer CCNA-MCSA

exp computer science with NOC.

Contact : 92346191

Indian male 40 yrs degree &

diploma in logistics 16 yrs experi-

ence (6 yrs GCC ) in storekeeping

and inventory control with com-

puter knowledge, seeking suitable

placement NOC available. Contact

98966849 / 96186573

MANAGER

Male Manager Resource plan-

ning Oman experience 11 years in

Purchase Accounts, HR local release

available. Contact: 98895039 Email:

binulukechacko@gmail.com

Egyptian male 36 years Warehouse

Manager, 7 years in Sultanate of

Oman, 1 year in UAE, and 3 years in

Egypt. Contact: +968 97200468 Email:

ayman_mano1979@yahoo.com

General/Divisional Manager MEP

& Civil, MBA Operation, BE Electri-

cal, 10 years experience in Oman &

10 years in India. Valid DL, release

available. GSM. 92447102

Purchase/Planning & Logistics Manager MBA (Finance), 14yrs. Oman

Exp. with D/L, NOC available, looking

for suitable position.#93826090,

jskanchan01@gmail.com

Indian female 29 yrs MSc, MED

science on family visa 2 yrs experi-

ence in teaching field looking for a

suitable placement. Contact :

93717403 Email: sharipanidcer08@

gmail.com

Young Indian male 24 yrs having

4 yrs marketing & sales experi-

ence in Oman looking for suitable

placement holding valid driving

license. Contac: 96913806 Email:

shuhaibrajesh@gmail.com

M.B.A (MARKETING) with 1 year

of FMCG Sales Experience in

Oman looking for immediate join-

ing in the same industry, Salary

Negotiable Mob.94625495

Indian male 37 years MBA

graduate in marketing with 9yrs of

experience in UAE in field of brand

promotions & marketing with UAE

D/L on a visit seeking suitable

position. Contact No 95792820

Indian male 40 yrs SSLC, PDC knows

MS Office & Tally 1 year Oman experi-

ence in Accounts & 2 yrs marketing

experience valid Oman D.L. NOC

available seeks suitable placements in

marketing. contact 92409891 Email:

danomon@yahoo.co.in

PROCUREMENT OFFICER, Indian-Male

34yrs,M.Com with 14 yrs work Exp.

(8 yrs in Oman) working in Construc-

tion Co LLC( for ROAD,CIVIL,ELECTRO-

MECHANICAL & Others Projects )

and having valid LT D/L, NOC avail-

able & ready to join within a month-

M:94064650,Email: nagauae@gmail.

com

Indian male: 24 years, diploma in

computer science and B.E(CSE)

having experience in hardware

and networking seeking for the

suitable job. Contact: 91170912,

Email id: sales2@witoman.com

Filipino Male, 24 Years Old..

looking for job, have experience

in Cargo & Logistics/ Rent a Car/

Real Estate/ Finance & Accounts/

customer service and as Travel

Agent. Hard working and with

good computer and communica-

tion skills having Omani driving

license. GSM: 95370052

Indian male auto cad draughts-

man (civil) 8 years experience,

seeking for part time job. mobile

no: 0096899070584. email:

remluvp@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (roads and struc-

tures) Education B. Tech Civil

Engineering with honours

experience more than six years.

Contact no 91431483 ,Email

mohsinyousuf86@rediffmail.com

Indian male 6 years exp in differ-

ent field, with valid Oman driving

license. Languages known Hindi,

English, looking for any job(Driver

for executives). Contact 98696795

HSE Engineer,Indian male, 4

Plus years Experience in Oil &

Gas .Working in Shclumberger.

NEBOSH,IOSH, & NDT Certified, M

Tech in HSE, #krish.569@gmail.

com Mobile- +91 9867016808

Indian male B.A degree & diploma

in hotel management with 16

years experience as restaurant &

catering manager in Oman & Saudi

with V/L Oman D/L seeks suitable

placement. Contact : 92100141

MBA Graduate (Indian male 26

years) having 2 years experience

in Qatar as admin assistant look-

ing for suitable placement. Contact

93041141 Email: mahinmehboob@

gmail.com

Indian female, MBA with 9 yrs of

experience in finance & procure-

ment currently on family visa

looking for suitable position in

finance & supply chain. Contact

95622568

Draughtsman, 15 years’ experi-

ence, Indian male currently in

Oman looking for suitable position.

Gsm – 95358115, 96977289, Email

: pillairp41@gmail.com

Chief Accountant 25 years

experienced looking for part/

full time accountant job. Contact:

95598477 / 98803439

Indian Female living in Ghubra -

Muscat near Emirates Shopping

Center. 20 years of experience in

Teaching. Able to handle all sub-

jects till grade 6. Need suitable job.

Contact- 94406552

PART TIME ACCOUNTANT avail-

able, well experienced in account-

ing up to finalization. knowledge

in tally also. contact. 92643875

MBA Marketing, 10 years in mar-

keting, consulting strategy, cor-

porate communications, content

management, UX , Product launch,

digital marketing. Indian female

on visit. Contact : 95431357

Indian 32 years passed M.A. Eng-

lish , M.Sc Psychology and B.Ed in

English having 4 years experience

in teaching searching suitable job.

Contact: 99869535 Email:

sahadkeyi33@gmail.com Indian male,16 years Oil & Gas

experience ( Down Hole Tools ),

3 years in Oman, Dip. Mechanical

Engineer, Having D/L and NOC.

Email – jajisuni@yahoo.com, Mob :

965 956 18.

Bangladeshi Male, Univer-

sity MA, Working as Store

In-charge cum Logistic Manager

in Muscat; searching better job.

Phone:91997605. email:

mohamednazrulislam2@gmail.

com

8 plus years of experience in

Events /Marketing Communica-

tion /conferences / Trainings /

Media representation. Having UAE

D/L. seeking Suitable Placement:

Contact: 95792820. suheal.ma@

outlook.com

DAILY GUIDED6 T H U R S D AY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTEDEDUCATION/CLASSES/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

Spoken Arabic class for Non

Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

in Azaiba and Ruwi earn in two months

tion guaranteed

Tel: 95244310

Karate and self defense classes

at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per

month twice a week Monday and

Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM.

CONTACT 98294551

NRI

NRI

Land sale in Kerala 1.65 acre land for

sale at Ramapuram price 82 lakhs

negotiable.# 91 9446822251 2.45

acre of land near 1 Km from MES

College Erattupetta good for housing.

Price 2.45CR negotiable. Contact: 91

9446212255 / 91 9995000609

1 B/R - 890 S.FT fully furnished flat

at Best Western Quepem. #97094797

Flats villas land for sale in Pune

Contact: 95272138/918139098275

Classes for Spoken EnglishTOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT

Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed

IELTS PREPARATION Target Band 8.0

EAGLES INSTITUTE92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com

WEB, ERP and Business Intel-

ligence (BI) creation and man-

agement at rock bottom price.

Contact:

http//webviewoman

CHANGE OF NAME

Line Liwa for Trad & Cont joint company which is recorded under

the commercial register number

1040612 is going to change its

legally shape from joint com-pany ASSO to company And in accordance with Article 13 of the

Commercial Companies Law No.

4/74 . This is to inform any body

who concerns about that to 2

months from the date publishing

this advertising.

Makarem Sohar Modren for Trad ASTD company which is

recorded under the commercial

register number 1040612 is going

to change its legally shape from

ASTD company L.L.C to company And in accordance with Article

13 of the Commercial Companies

Law No. 4/74 . This is to inform any

body who concerns about that to 2

months from the date publishing

this advertising

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

SERVICESWe Provide Cleaners,

Window & split unit A.C servicing &

repairing. Contact: 99557080

Split & window unit A.C servicing &

maintenance. Contact: 96236476

Split & widow unit A.C servicing &

maintenance.contact 93769089 /

95323517

Split & window A/c servicing &

maintenance. contact 93769089 /

95323517

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing,

Contact 99314807/24792998

A/C maintenance & servicing,

fridge, washing machine & dish

washer repairing, painting & clean-

ing services, electrical & plumbing.

contact 99447257 / 97014234 /

24504281

A/C Technician, cold store, freez-

er, chiller all kinds of A/C & re-

frigeration installation & service.

Contact: 92279370 / 92459357

Water proofing ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

B

MY

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Pest control treatments, Ocean center LLC contact

99344723

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of

your marble. contact 24793614/

99314807

House shifting packing.

Contact: 99657644 / 98518013

House shifting. contact

99708138

Marble crystallization & grinding, cleaning & carpet shampoo-

ing. Ocean center LLC.contact

99344723

Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont

Maintenance services electric,

plumbing and A/C. Contact:

96524904 /94285064

Split A/C servicing R.O 10 only.

Contact: 94217681 / 99210141

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QA-

BAS- 99320217 /24788722

All MEP & Civil shop draw-

ings. Contact : 93070771 Email :

designjob2014@gmail.com

CAD drawings Archi/ MEP CAD –

comply BIM. Contact: 91233975

We do industrial catering ser-

vice canteen / mess , 3 times

packed meals and all types

of catering events. Contact:

92188777/99249899

Cleaning Services, Sofa, carpet

shampoo old house or new house.

Contact: 92179395

Split & window A/c installation &

maintenance specialist package &

ducted units. Contact

98667326

Engineering Drawing prepara-

tion Service for Civil Building,

Interiors, Steel Structure, Steel

Equipment etc at Genuine Rate.

Contact Mb. 94052819, Email:

mmanjani8@gmail.com

Workshop in Muscat, Expertise

in Aluminum Automatic Gates,

Manual/Swing Gates, Security

Grills, Louvers, Handrails, Contact

Mb. 94052819, Email:

mmanjani8@gmail.com

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile

polishing, pest control & anti-ter-

mite treatment, general cleaning

painting,Plumbing, Electrical,

shifting. Contact Mundhir

Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C.

Contact: 24810137, 99450130

Marble crystallization & grind-ing, Ocean center LLC contact

99344723

PLOT IN ‘CHENNAI’ FOR SALE

6000 Square feet plot for sale (Injambakkam,

Chennai) adj to world famous ISKCON Temple

Asking price INR.2.5 Crores (negotiable)

Serious NRI buyers only will be entertained.

For details contact: Ameen 99620375

MISCELLANEOUS

SITUATION WANTEDSIT.WANTED

Indian Male,Kerala,B.COM & B.PE

having 13Years of Physical Educa-

tion Teacher experience. Currently

on visit visa Looking for a suitable

job. Contact:- 968 94106834.

email:-akhilrajkj@gmail.com.

Sudanese male, 5 years experi-

ence in warehouse management

and logistics services#90644186

14 years experience in 5 star hotel

as sales manager in UAE & INDIA

on tourist visa looking for suitable

opportunity please contact mobile

# 91305978

Admin Assistant. Having 5 years

experience in admin department

in reputed companies, presently

working in Muscat (NOC Avail-

able). GSM. 00968-98404122,

Email - panduru.jeevankumar@

gmail.com

BS in Electrical Engineering, Experience: 5 years(Power Plants).

Contact: 92475206 Email:

zahaibzafar007@gmail.com

Indian Female on a visit visa hav-

ing master degree seeking suitable

placement in any field, 1 and half

year experience in HR .Contact :

+968 91467576

.

Experienced B.Com graduate +

IATA Diploma holder looking for

Accounts/Admin/Travels related

job. Mob. 91142997. NOC available.

Indian Female, 24 MA Eng. Litr

with 2 yrs experience in teach-

ing & 14 months in Administra-

tion cum Secretary, Currently

on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact: 92613704/99260702,

Email:rohinis2010@gmail.com

2 years experienced male seeking

job related to safety. M. Tech in HSE,

MSc in Environmental Science and

IOSH certified. #94653264

Sri Lankan Male 34 BSc. (Phys-

ics) 5 years experience as a

site manager and administra-

tion supervisor in Oman with

valid D/L looking for a suit-

able position. #99153061 or

v.chandramohan@yahoo.co.uk

Female Junior Architect Gradu-

ated from School of Planning &

Architecture, Vijayawada. Ex-

cellence in Autocad, Sketching

& Modelling. Internship - KHAM

Designs, Bangalore. Presently

with Atulya Architects & Associ-

ates. Email saatvika.frozenmu-

sic@gmail.com #

00968-94057427.

Indian male 37 YEARS, BSC

COMPUTER SCIENCE having

More than 8yrs of experience

with well exposure in PDO,

DALEEL & OXY as IT SUPPORT /

DESKTOP SUPPORT ENGINEER.

Seeking suitable placement.

Contact rangaraj_vck@yahoo.

co.in / 968-99758320

Indian Female Electronics Sys-

tem Eng. UK Graduate. Program-

mer Micro Controller Robot, Eng.

Analysis, Instrumentation &

Control, Eng. Projects, Integrated

Circuit Eng., Electrical and Fluid

Drives, Analogue Electronics,

Wireless Systems. Seeking suit-

able post. Contact: 97848075,

s.dinesh1508@gmail.com

6 YEARS EXPERIENCE HR/

Finance Indian female[29Years]

MBA. On family visa, Seeking

suitable placement-93908191,

email:aswathi.wnd@gmail.com

Indian/male (25)/ MBA/2

years experience in channel

sales and distribution manage-

ment. on visit visa. available

for immediate joining. Contact:

96914068, E mail:

mailanasap@gmail.com

DAILY GUIDET H U R S D AY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6 D7

TOURS

TOURS

RENT A CAR

RENT A CAR25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP

specification for monthly rent &

small car with driver. #99839898

SITUATION WANTEDCARGO

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636

We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

SITUATION WANTEDBUSINESS

RENT A CARBest Rates for Saloon

Contact: 97869042 / 95730550

sales@modernreem.com

Looking for a villa in Amerat area.

Contact : 95405033

ACC WANTED

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text,

should be done till 12.00 noon

for next day’s publication. * Subject to space

availability

Investment RequiredMinimum OMR 500,000 to transfer

5 Excavators big + 5 Tippers 2015

Astra, working on good profitable

Excavation projects. Assured

income 36 %.

98867530 / 99120532engrfaheem@hotmail.com

MANPOWER

MV SALE

Honda CRV SUV 2008 model au-

tomatic, first registered in April

2009. Single owner, expat lady

driven. 72.000 kms. agency main-

tained. Free service contract valid

till October 2016. RO.4000/- nego-

tiable. Serious buyers #92737854.

Rav4 Indian lady Doctor owned

Pearl white May 2011 No. 2, 34,000

km under Toyota Service Contract

till 2017, 4 nos. brand new tyres R.O

8000/- negotiable. #91001129

Peugeot 206, 2006 model for sale

Reserve Price RO 400. #94052819,

Email: mmanjani8@gmail.com

Volkswagen Tiguan 2012 White

70,000Kms Expat Driven Insur-

ance: Oct 2016 Price: Rial 7500

Contact: 95121146

TRANSPORTATIONTRANSPORTATIONPick and Drop Al Khuwair to

Rusayl# 96733572 / 91287470

Picking and dropping any time.

Contact: 97403088

Transportation.#99508282

BUYING

Buying cars for cash.#90202090

Bobcat available for rent. #97623299

Transportation. contact 92015894

Transportation available Ruwi to

Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

D8 T H U R S D AY, A P R I L 7, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTEDDINING DELIGHTS

SITUATION WANTEDDINING DELIGHTS

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text,

should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s

publication. * Subject to space availability