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TUESDAY, September 15, 2015 / 1 Dhul Hijja 1436 AH timesofoman.com wtimesofoman.com facebook.com/timesofoman twitter.com/timesofoman blog.timesofoman.com ISO 9001:2008 Certifi ed Company

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

REJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Four Bangladeshi workers died, three of them on the spot, and four others were injured in Yiti when the JCB machine in whose bucket they were travel-ling, toppled over as it was being driven by an inexperienced driver on Sunday afternoon.

Of the seven workers travelling in the JCB bucket to their work site, who accidentally fell down, three were crushed to dead on the spot, while one succumbed to his injuries on Monday at a hospital in Muscat.

“Four others in that JCB buck-et who suff ered injuries, were

rushed to the hospital by the po-lice,” sources in Yiti said.

All the victims, including the injured and the dead, were iden-tifi ed as Bangladeshi migrant workers who were employed at a landscape project in Jebel Sifah.

“A fi rst-hand information from an unoffi cial source suggested that the Bangladeshis died when the JCB machine toppled. Three persons died on the spot and the other died this morning. They were all rushed to the Khoula hos-pital trauma centre. The remains of the dead have been shifted to the police hospital’s morgue,” a senior offi cial from the Bangla-desh embassy in Muscat told the Times of Oman.

“Eff orts are on by the mission offi ce to confi rm their identi-ties, including their addresses in Bangladesh, repatriate the re-mains and seek compensation.

Undocumented workersIt is alleged that three out of four were undocumented workers. As such, it is anticipated that the recovery of their compensation could be diffi cult,” the offi cial added.

However, at the time of the fi l-ing of this report, the embassy of-fi cials had not received the details of the injured.

Responding to the tragedy, a trade union leader expressed his surprise and shock at companies employing undocumented work-ers. “We can’t understand this. The government should intensify raids and make sure that compa-nies are not employing undocu-mented workers just because they come cheap,” Mohammed Al Khaldi, a board member at the General Federation of Trade Union in Oman, told the Times of Oman. >A6

In a violation of health and safety rules,

eight workers were travelling in the bucket

of the digger when it overturned, killing four

UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT: All the victims, including the injured and the dead, were identifi ed as

Bangladeshi migrant workers. –Supplied photo

Four workers die in bizarre JCB tragedy

His Majesty sends greetings

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sul-tan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Daniel Ortega of the Republic of Nicaragua on the occasion of his country’s Inde-pendence Anniversary.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes of good health to President Ortega and the people of Nicaragua.

Guatemala His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has also sent a cable of congratulations to President Alejandro Maldonado of the Republic of Guatemala on the occasion of his country’s Inde-pendence Anniversary.

In his cable, His Majesty ex-pressed his sincere congratula-tions along with his best wish-es of good health to President Maldonado and the people of his country.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Luis Solis of the Republic of Costa Rica on the occasion of his country’s Independence Anniversary.

In his cable, His Majesty Sul-tan Qaboos bin Said expressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes to President Solis and the people of his country.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has also sent a cable of congratulations to President Juan Orlando Hernandez of the Republic of Honduras on the occasion of his country’s Inde-pendence Anniversary.>A6

C A B L E S

Muttrah traders boost stocks as Eid announced

REJIMON Kreji@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Eid Al Adha’s fi rst day will be on Thursday, September 24, 2015, according to the Minis-try of Awqaf and Religious Aff airs.

The Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Aff airs announced that Arafa Day, 9th Dhul Hijja 1436 AH, shall fall on Wednesday, Sep-tember 23, 2015 and 10th Dhul Hijja 1436 AH, the fi rst day of Eid Al Adha, shall be on Thursday, September 24, 2015.

Meanwhile, shoppers at the Muttrah Souq, the traditional shopping hub in Oman, are all geared up for the Eid Al Adha sales. “So far, the momentum of sale has not picked up. In the coming days, when peo-ple receive their salaries, we may do good business,” Navas Mohammed, who runs a shop

in the Muttrah Souq, said.“The fastest moving items are

perfumes and dresses. Sixty per cent of these are brought from Dubai while the rest are pur-chased locally. Recent rains and fl ood had aff ected us badly. So we hope we can make up for our loss in the coming Eid sales,” Navas added.

Meanwhile, tailors and de-signers in almost all the tailoring shops in Muttrah, the hub for tra-ditional Omani women dresses, are working against time to deliv-er the pre-orders before the dead-line as Eid Al Adha is just around the corner. >A6

E I D T I M E

OMANOman plans farming for food security

1Oman is ‘seriously’ considering proposals to carry out farming

abroad in order to ensure food security, said Fuad bin Jaafar Al Sajwani, minister of agriculture and fi sheries wealth. “There is some good news. We are receiving off ers of land, and are considering these seriously.” >A3

OMANNepal for zero cost policy for workers

2Nepal has stopped issuing labour permits to migrant workers whose air tickets

and visa fees are not being paid by their prospective employers in Oman. The embassy of Nepal in Muscat referred the decision of the government of Nepal to send Nepalese workers abroad for employment at zero cost. >A5

MARKETOman’s inflation declines by 0.12%

3Oman’s infl ation declined by 0.12 per cent in the second quarter of 2015

compared to the same quarter last year, mainly driven by a fall in prices of the food and non-alcoholic beverages set at 0.92 per cent, as also a 1.53 per cent drop in the clothing and footwear segment. >B1

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

A15EU countries impose curbs on infl ux of migrants

‘Lower oil prices haven’t hit realty’ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI elham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Lower oil prices have not had a signifi cant impact on the real estate sector in Oman so far, say experts at property consul-tancy Cluttons, who see stable de-mand for quality residential and commercial properties.

“We still have not seen any sig-nifi cant impact fi ltered through the real estate market. I think it is just the question of waiting and seeing how much longer this lasts and what impact, if any, it will have,” said Faisal Durrani, head of research at Cluttons.

Speaking to Times of Oman, Durrani said it is important to ap-preciate that Oman is not alone in this situation, all oil producers around the world are aff ected in the same way.

“However, there are com-mitments with infrastructure

projects that are proceeding as planned, which is sustaining job creation and sustaining the offi ce market. As you create new jobs, you create new households, and, create demand for residential market,” he said. In addition, he noted that it remains to be seen whether or not the decline in oil prices will aff ect employment and salaries in the real estate industry.

When oil prices started to de-cline last year, the fi rst jobs to be cut were those of workers em-ployed by oil companies on a tem-porary basis, Durrani said.

“Now that crude oil prices have lowered further, what we have seen is consolidation in offi ce space,” he said, adding that it has not happened only in Oman and there has been a similar situation in other cities including Dubai, Aberdeen, Lagos, London and Abu Dhabi. >A6

See also >A4

E X P E R T S A T C L U T T O N S

GEARING UP FOR EID SALES: Shoppers at Muttrah Souq, the tra-

ditional shopping hub, are all geared up for Eid Al Adha sales.

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

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> C7

A2 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

OMAN

‘Fire and safety must be taught early in schools’

TARIQ AL HAREMItariqh@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Fire safety awareness must be taught early in schools and people must learn to cooper-ate with the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) in order to reduce in-stances of avoidable fi re out-breaks, according to fi re and safe-ty experts.

The Oman Fire, Safety and Security and Cyber Security Ex-hibition (OFSEC), which was in-augurated by His Highness Harib bin Thuwaini bin Shihab Al Said, Assistant Secretary General for Conferences, at the Oman Exhi-bition Centre, hosted over 85 in-ternational and local exhibitors who showcased cutting-edge in-novation, latest technologies and avant-garde solutions.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, Anthony Cole, Technical Director of Aman Fire Protection Consult-ants, said public awareness must begin early on at the school itself.

“You have such a wide, diverse population here with Omanis

and foreigners from diff erent backgrounds. All of them have diff erent levels of awareness,” said Cole.

“We can start spreading public awareness from schools and con-duct public campaigns in shop-ping malls and at hotels. Besides, the continued presence of PAC-DA will also help, and they are do-ing well in terms of implementing fi re codes.

I really think it should be a combination of both,” he added, saying that the combined eff orts of PACDA and civilians would help raise awareness and reduce the risk of fi re outbreaks.

Residential buildingsSome residential buildings in Oman are only fi tted with bare es-sentials needed to battle fi re, such as fi re extinguishers and hoses. Most buildings lack smoke detec-tors and sprinkler systems.

Most of the victims in case of residential fi res lose life because they end up inhaling smoke when they are trapped and do not know about the escape route or nearest

exit. Certain essential equipment to increase the survival rate, as recommended by experts, include installation of a smoke detector, having fi re extinguishers at home and owning a fi re blanket.

Conducting drills“At times, loss of life (in case of residential fi res) happens be-cause people cannot get out. I think it’s really important, not only for people in residences but also in hotels and shopping malls, to understand that it’s not only the fi re extinguishers, fi re blan-kets and smoke detectors that are crucial but also the need to carry out drills about exiting and get-ting out of the house,” said Cole.

He said people must focus on these aspects to reduce the chances of ending up as fi re casualties.

The exhibition also highlights commercial security, crisis and risk management, critical infra-structure, hazard and disaster management, information secu-rity as well as smart home, offi ce and city security systems.

In addition, the OFSEC is de-signed to meet the needs of lo-cal, regional and international markets by linking practitioners, suppliers, distributors and manu-facturers from the fi re, safety and security industry with key deci-sion makers from the government and private sectors.

The event also aims to create synergy and strengthen the col-laboration between the authori-ties and the industries.

The Oman Fire, Safety and Security and

Cyber Security Exhibition is designed

to meet the needs of local, regional

and international markets

SAFETY FIRST: The fi re and safety exhibition also highlights commercial security, crisis and risk

management, critical infrastructure, and hazard and disaster management.–Ismael Al Farsi/TIMES OF OMAN

Al Jarwani, Dusit Group ink pactMUSCAT: Tamani International Group for Development and In-vestment and Al Jarwani Group signed an agreement with Dusit International Hospitality Group, by which ‘Dusit D2’ will manage and operate the hotel and suites ‘Dusit Tamani’ Palm Mall Muscat. This is part of Palm Mall Muscat project in Muscat.

The agreement was signed for

Tamani International Group for Development and Investment and Al Jarwani Group by Sheikh Mahmood bin Mohammed Al Jarwani, Chairman of Al Jarwani Group, and by Chanin Donavanik, CEO of Dusit International Group, in the presence of Maitha bint Saif Al Mahrooqiyah, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism.

Sheikh Al Jarwani told report-

ers that this agreement shows the commitment of Al Jarwani Group and Tamani International Group to complete Palm Mall Muscat Project.

Eight months since founda-tion of Palm Mall Muscat project started, and more than 36% of the project has been completed. Palm Mall Muscat is scheduled to be completed by end of 2016. -ONA

T O U R I S M S E C T O R

This agreement shows the commitment of Al Jarwani Group and Tamani International Group to complete Palm Mall Muscat Project

Sheikh Al Jarwani, Chairman of Al Jarwani Group

A3

OMANT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

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Sultanate considering farming offers abroad

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADIelham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Oman is ‘seriously’ considering proposals to carry out farming abroad in order to ensure food security, said Fuad bin Jaafar Al Sajwani, minister of agricul-ture and fi sheries wealth.

“There is some good news. We are receiving off ers of land, and are considering these seriously. We are prioritising these areas, and the fi nal decision will be (tak-en) by the government. We hope it will not take too long,” Al Sajwani told reporters at the Oman Cham-ber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) on Monday.

He was speaking on the side-lines of the In-Country Value (ICV) Conference 2015, organised by Business Process Outsourcing Services (BPOS) in association with the OCCI.

Asked which countries were being considered, the minister said, “I cannot tell (the names of ) the countries but I can assure you that we have received land (plots), (in fact) huge pieces of land in two countries.”

Proposals have been received

so far from two countries, he clar-ifi ed. “We would like to see that these things are fi nalised, signed and then we can announce the investment opportunities. But these are not really restrictive. We are still looking at other areas,” Al Sajwani said, adding, “We require a safe investment place where we know that, whenever we need, the food would come to Oman.”

Commenting on the planned fi sheries zone in Duqm, the min-ister said the tender will be fl oated very soon, certainly before the end of the year, and the total invest-ment will be around OMR100 to OMR110 million.

“This is the largest fi shing har-bour in the Sultanate. It is not only a harbour; it is a complete hub for fi shing activities in the Sultanate. It would include harbour as well as a fi shing industrial estate and also all the facilities to promote

the fi shing industry in Oman,” he said. Al Sajwani noted that the fi sh production in Oman is almost 235 per cent of the local require-ment, which means that a lot of fi sh is exported and there is still great potential to be utilised.

In addition, he said Oman’s an-nual fi sh production is expected to rise from 160,000 tonnes in 2011 to 460,000 tonnes in the next couple of years, which, consider-ing the multiplier eff ect, will be a ‘sizeable’ contribution to the economy.

New projectsAccording to Al Sajwani, 19 pro-jects with a total value of OMR130 million are in the pipeline in the aquaculture sector.

“Some of them have been al-ready initiated,” he said, express-ing the hope that they would start production as soon as possible.

Asked about plans for new fi sh-ing harbours, the minister said it is hoped that the number of fi shing harbours in Oman would reach 31 by the end of the ninth Five-Year Development Plan (2016-2020).

Some of them were completed late last year while the rest are either under construction or in the tendering or design phase, he explained.

Fisheries growthCommenting on the projects an-nounced earlier for fi shermen to help them during adverse weather conditions, Al Sajwani said, “We approved (a proposal) to support 500 modern vessels to replace the small boats and the traditional boats as well as granting of licence to 500 advanced boats.”

“Since last year, we have al-ready started giving licence and approval to companies and pri-vate individuals to purchase the vessels,” he noted.

He also said that there are many investment opportunities in the ICV projects in areas related to food processing, food production, agriculture, livestock and fi sher-ies, which will benefi t the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in these activities.

“We call upon Omanis, espe-cially young people, to come and benefi t from these opportunities,” the minister said, adding, “We would like to see more and more Omanis engaging themselves in these activities.”

In his speech at the conference, the minister said the agriculture and fi sheries sector production in 2014 was worth around $1.4 bil-lion, with an annual rate of growth of 5.8 per cent in 2014.

He also expressed the hope that the event would provide a plat-form for the private sector com-panies to participate in the ICV initiatives, which are crucial for economic development, diversifi -cation and productivity.

Oman has received

off ers of land for

farming abroad from

two countries, and

is considering these

off ers seriously.

The fi nal decision

will be taken by the

government soon

We require a safe

investment place

where we know that,

whenever we need, the

food would come to

Oman. We would like to

see that these things

are finalised...

Fuad bin Jaafar Al SajwaniMinister of agriculture and fisheries

PDO donation to help free debtor prisonersTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Petroleum Develop-ment Oman (PDO) has donated an additional OMR10,000 to a cam-paign to help free debtor prison-ers so they might spend Eid with their families.

The donation to the Fak Kur-bah (Redeeming Anguish) cam-paign raises PDO’s contribution to OMR30,000 in the past year.

The Omani Lawyers Associa-tion (OLA) launched the project on behalf of imprisoned debtors who have run into fi nancial problems due to diffi cult personal circum-stances. The OLA aims to spend a maximum of OMR5,000 per prisoner, clearing debts after con-sidering humanitarian concerns in each instance. Offi cials hope to close the fi les on as many as 625 cases, but estimates it will need some OMR500,000 to achieve the target. So far, 304 prisoners have been released.

PDO External Aff airs and Com-munication Manager Suleiman Al Mantheri said, “The Fak Kurbah campaign is a benevolent idea and we hope that by making a further contribution we can help to secure the release of a number of prison-ers who have been remanded in custody over debts to share Eid Al Adh’ha with their families.

PDO made its fi rst OMR10,000 contribution to the campaign be-fore Eid Al Fitr last year and a sec-

ond contribution towards the end of 2014. It is estimated that a total of 45 debtors will be released from jail as a result of PDO’s combined OMR30,000 donation.

Dr. Mohammed Al Zadjali, Chairman of the OLA, noted, “We are grateful to PDO for its support for the third time, which indi-cates the company’s concern for, and interest in, social and charity matters. More than 50 lawyers are working on the project. The OLA has approached companies, banks, business owners, charities and pri-vate individuals to fund the eff ort.

Social investmentAbdul Amir bin Abdul Hussain Al Ajmi, External Aff airs Director of the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), affi rmed that the PDO will continue implementing its social investment projects and remains committed to helping those in its concession area and beyond despite the fall in oil prices.

In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), Al Ajmi said the PDO is keen on sustainable de-velopment and ethical business, a stance that was underlined by the fact that it became the fi rst com-pany, specialising in the area of oil and gas exploration and produc-tion in the Middle East, to have acceded to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), the larg-est voluntary corporate social re-sponsibility initiative in the world.

S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

SOCIAL WELFARE: PDO has pledged to continue implementing its

social investment projects despite the fall in oil prices.– ONA

A4 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

OMAN

Joint ventures to boost infl ow of foreign funds

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADIelham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A public-private part-nership can help attract additional foreign investment into Oman’s real estate market, says an offi cial at Cluttons property consultancy.

“A private-public partnership might be a good way to do the things. It does not always have to be funded by the government, par-ticularly when we are in an envi-ronment when credit availability is low,” said Faisal Durrani, head of research at Cluttons.

Speaking to Times of Oman, Durrani said there has been ‘very limited’ global interest in real estate development in Oman, other than from a handful of Gulf developers, who are pre-dominantly from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

However, on an individual basis, Oman’s residential market in par-ticular, remains quite popular with expatriates, especially from the Emirates, he noted.

Expatriates are keen to buy a property in Oman for their retire-ment because they then receive a residency visa which is renew-able, Durrani said, adding that this opportunity is not available else-where in the region.

Shares and schemesDurrani believes that off ering shares and schemes can help en-tice foreign investment, which brings with it best international practices and ‘place-making’ ex-pertise to create a community that people aspire to live in.

Philip Paul, head of Cluttons Oman, attributes the limited for-eign investment in the Sultanate’s real estate sector to the size of the market, which is still fairly small compared to the market in some neighbouring countries.

For instance, it may be diffi -cult to purchase good plots at the right price, he said, adding that it is a challenge for global develop-

ers to come to Oman and make a diff erence.

Asked if the recently launched Muscat Real Estate Index will help regulate the market, Durrani said, “For markets here, an index is a re-ally important tool. However, there is a very fi ne line between heavy-handed regulations and a market that has no regulations.”

“In the emerging markets where the concept of property ownership is quite new and you have a lot of international investors, or inves-

tors who are not based in the coun-try, an index plays an important role in improving market trans-parency and serves as a parameter both for buyers and sellers or ven-dors,” he noted.

However, he explained that the eff ectiveness of an index depends on how well enforced it is by the government. “There has to be a collective eff ort by the government or the private sector to use it as a tool,” Durrani said, adding that it should also be taken into account

that no index can be perfect, as each property is unique.

The head of Cluttons Oman says that market forces can fi nd their way through, and the market is big enough to respond to diff erent situations.

Some six or seven years ago, there was a rapid infl ation in pric-es, but supply and demand caught up with that, Paul said, adding, “I do not know whether the index is going to be a subtle enough tool for people to use effi ciently.”

Oman’s residential

market remains quite

popular with expats,

who are keen to buy

property in Oman for

their retirement as

they then receive a

residency visa which

is renewable

REAL ESTATE BOOM: Off ering shares and schemes can help attract foreign investment, which brings

with it best international practices and ‘place-making’ expertise for community living.–Supplied photo

MUSCAT: Omanisation is not expected to lead to lower demand for apartment spaces and decline in rent prices, says an offi cial at Cluttons real estate consultancy.

The Omanisation policy has been in place for many years but the expatriate population is growing, as does the Omani population, Philip Paul, head of Cluttons Oman, told Times of Oman.

“That is maybe rebalanc-ing towards Omanis,” he said, adding, “We are seeing more nationals coming into the apartment market. Apartment living is quite attractive to the younger population.”

The consultancy activities of Cluttons Oman is set to get a boost with the recent appoint-ment of Faisal Durrani in Lon-don as head of research at the leading international property consultancy.

“For emerging markets like the ones in the Middle East, re-search plays quite an important part in helping to boost market transparency. It is one of our goals to use research as a tool

to improve market conditions,” Durrani said.

Cluttons has been advising developers and land owners on what is being demanded in the market and what people can aff ord.

“On the other side of the

equation, you have got end us-ers who might sometimes have quite unrealistic expectations in terms of what they can fi nd and what they can aff ord. So it is important to keep people aware of what markets are doing,” Durrani noted.

‘Omanisation won’t lower demand’

We are seeing more

nationals coming into

the apartment market.

Apartment living is

quite attractive to the

younger population

Philip PaulHead of Cluttons Oman

‘Aff ordable fl ats can help diversify real estate market’

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADIelham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Developing studio fl ats across the city, along with a number of more aff ordable units that include Integrated Tour-ism Complexes (ITCs), can bring more diversity to the real estate market in Oman, say experts at Cluttons.

“Developers need to be wary about aff ordability, as a general issue, and should start catering to diff erent price points, which we have not really seen yet,” Faisal Durrani, head of research at the property consultancy, told Times of Oman.

Oman can learn from other places throughout the world where aff ordability has been addressed in diff erent ways, he added.

“For instance, in the UK, you have aff ordability quotas, where the government requires every development to build a certain percentage of what they classify as aff ordable housing,” he noted.

A mixed community is created this way and it is what Dubai is looking at now, Durrani said, add-ing, “They are setting aside plots of land in the centre of the city that have been zoned as aff ord-able, and the municipality will ensure that those apartments are rented or sold at lower prices.”

That is something that could be considered here, he said.

Durrani also believes that there is potential for developing studio fl ats in Oman, and there are diff erent ways to prevent an oversupply from being built.

From a social and cultural perspective in the region, it is preferred not to have bachelors living in a family community, but there are always ways to manage it, he said.

For example, a limited number of studio fl ats could be built in an

apartment complex, he added.Further, the property manager

can decide what percentage of their fl ats can be shared and what percentage can be allocated only for families.

“So every scheme will be dif-ferent. That might be a way to ensure that you do not oversup-ply the market with studios and smaller places. Spreading them out is a good way to create a mix for community living,” said the head of research at Cluttons.

Philip Paul, head of Cluttons Oman, also sees a positive poten-tial for developing studio apart-ments and new generation prop-erties in Oman.

In addition, Durrani said that there is high demand for ITC properties in Oman, as they are fully-fl edged, stand-alone areas where people, especially expats, hope to live and can access all the necessary facilities.

“ITCs are what expatriates are familiar with and, gener-ally speaking, they are available across the region, but the concept is still relatively new to Muscat and to Oman. So creating more of those communities to cater to that demand is defi nitely a good thing,” he noted.

“It sets a new benchmark for community living and will give more local developers ideas of the things that they can do to improve the schemes, property management or the facilities,” Durrani said.

He additionally argues that it would be too ‘heavy-handed’ if the government decides to bring down the prices of ITC properties to cater to more local investors.

In his opinion, the better op-tion would be to have a num-ber of units at lower prices within the same community, as diff erent price points would create diversity.

R E A L E S T A T E

In the UK, you have

affordability quotas,

where the government

requires every

development to build a

certain percentage of

affordable housing

Faisal DurraniHead of research, Cluttons

‘Iran’s real estate is not a challenge to GCC market’ELHAM POURMOHAMMADIelham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Investment oppor-tunities opening up in Iran’s real estate market do not constitute a challenge to the property market in the Arab Gulf countries, says an offi cial at Cluttons.

“I do not necessarily see any challenge at this stage to invest-ments that are already planned or fl owing into the GCC (Gulf Coop-eration Council) region. I think Iran will be a totally separate mar-ket,” said Faisal Durrani, head of research at the international real estate consultancy.

The trade and economic sanc-tions against Iran have not been offi cially lifted yet but when they end, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) stands to benefi t the most from this new variable in the real estate equation, Durrani told the Times of Oman.

Pent-up demandThe UAE has remained an impor-tant trade partner for Iran despite the sanctions, and the lifting of the trade restrictions will release the Iranians’ huge pent-up demand for real estate investments in the emirates.

In 2010, Iranian nationals ac-

counted for 12 per cent of Dubai’s real estate transactions, position-ing them at the fourth place behind Indian, British and Pakistani na-tionals, Cluttons wrote in its 2015 UAE property report.

This fi gure had dropped to three per cent during the fi rst quarter of this year, according to data from the Dubai Land Department cited in Cluttons’ report. “The other side eff ect is the general liquidity issue. You have got the Iranian govern-ment coming up with estimates of hundreds of billions of dollars worth of investment needed in various infrastructure projects

across the country,” Durrani said. “My expectation is that a lot of

that money will fl ow through the banks in the UAE, which will help improve liquidity levels there,” he added.

The expert noted that after the benefi ts to be accrued to the UAE, there will be a ripple-eff ect benefi t to other GCC states because of the diff erent price points and diff erent taxes as well as diff erent rules and regulations related to ports and customs and other issues.

“The pie is big enough for the countries in the GCC to share,” Durrani concluded.

P R O P E R T Y T R E N D S

I do not necessarily see any challenge at this stage to

investments that are already planned or flowing into

the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region. The pie

is big enough for the countries in the GCC to share

Faisal DurraniHead of research, Cluttons

‘Shura Forum’

held in Nizwa

NIZWA: Ministry of Interi-or on Monday organised the 5th ‘Shura Forum’ seminar in the Wilayat of Nizwa.

Walis, sheikhs, dignitaries and representatives of the public organisations, cul-tural centers, civil society or-ganizations, Omani Woman Associations, teaching staff , businessmen and university students participated in the seminar.–ONA

L E G I S L A T U R E

Indian naval ships to visit Oman Times News Service

MUSCAT: Four Indian naval ships —Deepak, Delhi, Tabar and Trishul— will visit Muscat from September 19 to 22.

These ships are part of the In-dian Navy’s Western Fleet, based at Mumbai, and have been on a tour of the Gulf region to enhance bilateral ties.

During their visit to Muscat, the ships will have professional interactions with the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO) for enhancing co-operation and sharing their experience in naval operations,

including disaster management and combating the threats of maritime terrorism and piracy.

Besides, sports, cultural and so-cial interactions are also planned, which are aimed at enhancing an understanding about the Indian Navy among the people of Oman and the Indian community.

Both India and Oman have an ancient maritime tradition be-tween them which is traced back to several millennia.

The Indian Navy today has multidimensional capabilities, comprising aircraft carriers, modern ships, submarines, air-

craft and marine commandos. A notable feature is the fact that the overwhelming majority of Indian Navy’s ships are designed and constructed in India.

The Indian Navy has close and friendly ties with all the navies in the Gulf and has been regularly interacting and exercising with many of them. The Indian Navy also provides training and hydro-graphic support to several navies in the region. The involvement of Indian naval ships in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia, since October 2008, has further strengthened bilateral ties.

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Nepal enforces zero cost policy for Gulf workers

MUSCAT: Nepal has stopped is-suing labour permits to migrant workers whose air tickets and visa fees are not being paid for by their prospective employers in Oman, a senior offi cial of the Ne-pal Embassy in Muscat said.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, the offi cial said the embassy of Nepal in Muscat takes this oppor-tunity to refer to the decision of the government of Nepal to send Nepalese workers abroad for em-ployment at zero cost.

“The decision provides that recruiting countries willing to re-cruit Nepalese workers will have to provide two way tickets to all the workers and obtain their visa free of cost,” said Rojina Tamra-kar, chargé d’aff aires of the Nepal Embassy in Muscat.

She also said this rule applies to all the Gulf countries, including Oman. “The Government of Ne-pal, Department of Foreign Em-ployment (DoFE) issues labour permits to the Nepalese work-ers going to the GCC countries (Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar) and Malaysia for foreign employment only after ensuring the terms of free visa and free ticket (two way) and also that

no other cost shall be deducted from the salary of any worker.

Hence, this free ticket and free visa is for seven countries in all —six GCC countries and Malaysia. “The embassy will now attest the demand letters which ensure free tickets and free visa and meet oth-er criteria set by the Government of Nepal,” she said.

The Embassy of Nepal in Mus-cat, in this context, has requested the concerned companies to clearly put this provision in the demand letter to be submitted to the embassy for attestation.

“They are also requested to mention in their agreement with the concerned manpower agency in Nepal if any commission or ser-vice charge is being paid to man-power agencies in Nepal for re-cruitment purpose,” according to a circular issued by the Embassy of Nepal in Muscat.

Welcoming this decision,

the President of the Non-Res-ident Nepali Association, D B Chettri, said the zero-cost pol-icy will end the exploitation of migrant workers.

“Well-established employer companies are always ready to pay for migrant workers’ air tick-ets and visa fees. Only those com-panies that do not pay good sala-ries are not ready to provide these facilities, and we do not want them to hire our migrant work-ers,” he said.

He also said the key objective of these proposals is to ensure that the workers enjoy their rights, and their safety is guaranteed.

However, some people have vehemently criticised the policy, saying it is not practical, warning that migrant workers from India and Bangladesh might grab all job opportunities in the region if Nepal does not abandon its new policy.

According to the

decision, recruiters

must bear the cost

of two-way tickets

as well as visa for

Nepalese workers

CLEAR PROVISION: The Embassy of Nepal in Muscat, in this con-

text, has requested the concerned companies to clearly put this

provision in the demand letter to be submitted to the embassy for

attestation.

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OMANT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

Oman Air is delighted to be operating more services between Muscat and Paris than ever before in response to the growing demand from Oman and international markets

Abdulrahaman Al Busaidy, Chief Operating Offi cer at Oman Air

Passengers welcome daily Muscat-Addis Ababa flights

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADIelham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Ethiopian Airlines’ di-rect daily fl ights between Muscat and Addis Ababa, that come with special off ers to various locations in Africa with excellent connec-tion in Addis, have been warmly welcomed by passengers.

“We started operating daily fl ights from July 21 this year to of-fer more options to our esteemed customers,” Sami Muctar, Ethio-pian Airlines’ country manager in Oman, said, adding that the spe-cial off ers are for fl ight to Addis, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, Khar-toum, Nairobi and Mombasa.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, Muctar said the national carrier of Ethiopia, the continent’s larg-est and most profi table airline, had long planned to launch daily fl ights between the two capitals but the move was delayed due to various factors.

“Currently, we are receiving very positive feedback, both from our customers and sales partners in Oman and Africa,” he added.

Muctar said the daily fl ights will help enhance tourism and trade between the two countries and also benefi t around 27,000 Ethio-pians currently living in Oman.

“The Ethiopian Airlines fl ies to over 50 destinations in Africa and our passengers will have a wide range of options,” he noted, adding that the carrier has been promot-ing its holiday tour packages to Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Sey-chelles and South Africa.

Special off ers“We are also promoting our fam-ily fare whereby a family of four gets one free ticket for every three tickets purchased,” he said, adding that the off er will remain valid un-til the end of December 2015.

Also, if passengers purchase a

package, they can enjoy a very at-tractive off er, said the offi cial at the Ethiopian Airlines.

“Our current price for a return ticket between Muscat and Addis Ababa is around OMR176 but if you purchase a package, you can get a two-way ticket for OMR200 that also comes with a three-night stay in Addis Ababa,” Muctar said.

Visa processHe also explained that in the ab-sence of embassies in the two capitals, Muscat and Addis, the Ethiopian Airlines receives visa applications, and visas are issued within a maximum of 10 days. The actual visa is stamped on the pass-port of the applicant upon arrival at Addis Ababa airport.

According to him, the Ethio-pian Airlines is in talks with the authorities concerned to facilitate the visa process so that visas can be issued within a maximum of

three days. He also expressed the hope that it would become easier for tourists from Ethiopia to visit the Sultanate.

Passenger numberCommenting on the average num-ber of passengers travelling be-tween Muscat and Addis Ababa, the offi cial said, “We are operating Boeing 737-700, which seats a to-tal of 118 passengers, and Boeing 737-800, which has a capacity of 154 passengers.”

“On an average, during the peak season till the end of July and even up to mid-August, the fl ights were full, and the ‘load factor’ was close to 80 per cent. Now it has slightly dropped to 70 per cent,” Muctar explained.

He said the airline is making serious eff orts to hit the target of 10,000 passengers from Oman, which it had set for 2015.

Tourist attractionsMuctar said Ethiopia is one of the most ancient countries in the world and is becoming an in-creasingly popular destination in Africa.

He encouraged Omanis to ex-plore the many tourist attractions in Ethiopia, saying that the tour-ism infrastructure in the African country has improved a lot and the available accommodation caters to a wide range of tourists.

Muctar said in addition to the pleasant weather, tourists can enjoy a number of historic sites including the walled city of Ha-rar, considered one of the holiest places in the Muslim world, and Aksum city, which is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Africa.

Other places worth visiting in-clude Gondar, which is a city full

of ancient castles built by famous kings in the medieval era of Ethio-pia, and also Lalibela, home to one of the oldest rock hewn churches, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Also, Dallol, a place in the north-eastern part of Ethiopia, is one of the lowest and hottest plac-es on Earth where one can see live volcano throughout the year. An increasing number of adventure tourists are visiting Dallol.

Tourism cooperation will ben-efi t both countries, said Ethio-pian Airlines’ country manager in Oman.

More Omani businessmen should also explore investment opportunities in Ethiopia, Muc-tar said, adding that the enhanced trade ties would pave the way for cargo cooperation between the two countries.

“Omanis have actually started investing in Ethiopia, and we re-ceive frequent business travel-lers,” he said.

Vision 2025Commenting on the future plans of Ethiopian Airlines, Muctar said the airline posted a profi t of $175 million for the 2014/15 fi scal year and is seeking to boost its rev-enues by providing superior and enhanced service to its customers.

“In our Vision 2025, our aim is to transport 22 million passen-gers per annum. Currently, we are transporting six million plus pas-sengers annually,” he said, add-ing, “In terms of cargo, we plan to reach 820 tons of cargo annually, up from the current 220 tons.”

Also, the airline currently fl ies to 91 international destinations and is seeking to reach the target of 120 international destinations in 2025, Muctar stated.

The daily fl ights will

help enhance tourism

and trade between

the two countries and

also benefi t around

27,000 Ethiopians

currently living

in Oman, said

Sami Muctar

Omanis have actually

started investing

in Ethiopia, and we

receive frequent

business travellers

Sami Muctar Ethiopian Airlines’ country manager

‘No slowdown in Oman real estate projects’

“Again, depending on how much longer lower oil prices persist, we might start to see more job cuts,” said the offi cial.

Philip Paul, head of Cluttons Oman, says that there has not been a slowdown in real estate projects in Oman so far.

“I think it is actually the oppo-site. Maybe earlier in the year we saw a slight hesitation especially in the commercial market but it has come back fairly strongly on the back of the infrastructure ini-tiatives in the country,” said Paul.

There is stable demand for Grade A offi ce space as well as good quality residential prop-erties, he said, adding that the retail market has also trans-formed with the development of shopping malls.

“In the residential sector, there is shortage of good stock across the market so we are not seeing a slowdown. The expatriate mar-ket as well as the Omani popu-lation is growing so I see con-tinuing demand for apartments,” Paul noted.

There is also good demand for Grade A offi ce space but this re-quires the economy to keep devel-oping to absorb additional space

that comes to the market, he said. Grade A space remains limited

and the few Grade A buildings in Muscat are currently operating at over 80 per cent occupancy on average, he explained.

“With the projects that are coming, I do not anticipate an oversupply,” the expert added.

Land plots Asked about the demand for land plots, the head of Cluttons Oman said that there is continued de-mand and investment by devel-

opers. Good plots are becoming in short supply in right locations so they would retain their value, he added.

In addition, Paul said that there is great potential in the real es-tate market in the port city of Sohar because of the railway project and the transfer of com-mercial shipping activities from Port Sultan Qaboos to Sohar Port and Freezone.

There is also interest in real estate projects in Duqm and Sala-lah, he added.

R E A L T Y P R O J E C T S

‘A common sight in Yiti’

According to sources in Yiti, workers travelling in JCB buck-ets and risking their lives is a common sight.

“I have seen this happening umpteen number of times. Even though people have often warned about the risks, they continue to commute like this since it is a cheap mode of transport,” sources in Yiti said.

Meanwhile, Mark Pudwell, training manager at Competence HR, said everyone has a right to work in a safe environment where potential hazards are mitigated through a risk assessment of their job and appropriate level of on-the-job training and safety norms.

“This is no less important in the construction industry where the diverse nature of potential hazards is especially dangerous to employ-ees,” Mark added.

He also added that the construc-tion companies have a moral if not a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of their employees by hiring qualifi ed people.

“The total human cost for the loss of one life or serious injury on-site always outweighs the cost of equipment and training,” Mark added.

Meanwhile, a statement from the company, said that seven Bangladeshi construction work-ers for a third party subcontrac-tor at Jebel Sifah, Muriya Tour-ism Development’s project, took it upon themselves to use one of the heavy equipment on-site to transport them back to the camp for lunch.

The seven workers fell from the moving equipment, leading to the unfortunate death of three and in-jury to the other four.

Prompt actionThe Construction Safety Offi cer present on site acted immediately contacting the Royal Oman Police, who took all necessary procedures to transport injured workers to the local hospitals in the area.

Muriya Tourism Development and its contractors implement the most stringent health and safety regulations across all operations and will take every corrective ac-tion to safeguard the best interests of all employees.

Muriya Tourism Development would like to extend its deepest condolences and wish a speedy recovery to those aff ected by this incident.

T R A G E D Y

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MARKET SCENE: Philip Paul, head of Cluttons Oman, left, and

Faisal Durrani, head of research at Cluttons. Photo-O K Mohammad Ali

HM sends greetings

In his cable, His Majesty ex-pressed his sincere congratula-tions along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to President Hernandez and the people of his country further pro-gress and prosperity.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has also sent a cable of con-gratulations to President Salva-dor Sanchez Ceren of the Repub-lic of Salvador on the occasion of his country’s Independence Anniversary.

In his cable, His Majesty ex-pressed his sincere congratula-tions along with his best wishes of good health and happiness to President Ceren and his country’s people further progress and pros-perity. -ONA

S A LV A D O R

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Oman Air to raise Paris fl ight frequency Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman Air is introduc-ing the fi fth weekly fl ight between Muscat and Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris from October 25.

Oman Air fi rst launched its fl ights from Muscat to Paris in 2009. Since then, its four fl ights per week have been much in de-mand, catering to travellers from the Middle East going to Paris, and from Paris to Muscat and on-ward destinations.

The forthcoming increase in the frequency from four to fi ve fl ights per week will once again confi rm Oman Air as having a sig-nifi cant presence in the European air travel market.

Abdulrahaman Al Busaidy, Chief Operating Offi cer at Oman Air, announced the additional fl ight to Paris, saying, “Oman Air

is delighted to be operating more services between Muscat and Paris than ever before in response to the growing demand from Oman and international markets. Clearly, this an endorsement by our valuable customers of our su-perior services and exceptional

product. This means that many more air travellers will have the opportunity to experience Oman Air’s unique, award-winning on-board service, in-fl ight dining and aircraft interiors. Whether you wish to discover Oman’s awe-in-spiring natural beauty and warm

hospitality, or explore the cultural and retail delights of Paris, fl ying with Oman Air is the perfect in-troduction.”

The move comes as Oman Air continues its current programme of major fl eet and network ex-pansion. The programme was launched in late 2014 and will see the airline’s fl eet size increase from 30 aircraft to 57 aircraft by 2018, and eventually to 70 air-craft by 2020.

The expanded fl eet is enabling Oman Air to launch more new destinations, increase frequen-cies on established routes and off er more convenient connec-tions at the Muscat International Airport. From October 25, Oman Air’s fl ights between Muscat and Paris will operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

C A T E R I N G T O T R A V E L L E R S

“We had stopped taking any more orders about three months back, or we would not have been able to keep our word,” AR Nasir, a Pa-kistani running a tailoring shop in Muttrah since 1979, told the Times of Oman.

“Some designs need more than two days to be completed, while others can be fi nished in a day. As we focus on customers’ satisfac-tion, we factor in some extra time and care,” Mohammed, a tailor working at the same shop, said.

Nasir and his tailors make Omani, Sur, Balushi, Lawatiyah, Omani motarwa and Omani sa-fari dresses.

While some cost around OMR60, depending on the work involved, others can even cost around OMR150.

According to tailors, about three decades ago, there were only fi ve shops in Muttrah but now the number is around 500.

Even though the Muttrah tailoring shops are known for churning out traditional Omani women dresses, majority of these shops are run by expatriates.

“I came here in 1989. I focus on regional dresses. Two months ago, I had stopped taking any fur-ther bookings. Now, we are too

busy and are racing against time to fi nish the work,” Surendaran, a tailor from the south Indian state of Kerala, said.

Surendaran makes Omani Salwar and Khamis, Farasha, Galabhiyah and Bahraini style dresses also.

N O N E W O R D E R S

Tailors have their hands full

< FROM

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Shopkeepers in Muttrah Souq

have brought new stocks to

cater to Eid rush.

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

SIGNIFICANT PRESENCE: Oman Air continues its current pro-

gramme of major fl eet and network expansion. – ONA

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REGIONT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

Russia sends tanks to Syria: US

WASHINGTON/AMMAN: Rus-sia has sent artillery and seven tanks to a Syrian air base as part of Moscow’s continued military buildup in the war-ravaged nation, a US offi cial said Monday.

The increase of Russian hard-ware in Syria has caused concerns

in the West about the implications of Moscow militarily helping its old ally, President Bashar al-Assad.

Speaking on condition of ano-nymity, the US offi cial told AFP the seven T-90 tanks arrived in recent days but had not been sent outside the airbase near Latakia,

on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.And the artillery, which arrived

last week, appears to have been sent there to protect the facility. There was no indication Russia had sent fi ghter jets or helicopter gunships to Syria.

“It appears, and all the indica-

tions are pointing, that (the artil-lery is) for airfi eld defense,” the offi cial said.

Russian help for Assad could seriously complicate the US-led coalition’s air strikes against IS extremists in Syria and defence offi cials are worried about the pos-sibility of accidents if coalition and Russian planes operate in the same airspace.

Russian aid planesTwo Russian transport planes, purportedly carrying humanitar-ian aid, landed in Syria on Satur-day, Russian state media said, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last week said Moscow was sending military equipment along with aid “in accordance with cur-rent contracts.”

At a news briefi ng, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said Russia apparently was estab-lishing a forward air operations base in Latakia.

“It’s been a continued steady fl ow (of equipment) for the last week and a half or so,” he said.

AFP reported last week that

dozens of Russian naval infantry had arrived in Syria, along with two tank-landing ships and about a dozen Russian armoured person-nel carriers.

American offi cials also say Rus-sia has installed modular housing units — enough for “hundreds” of people.

Russia is a staunch ally of the re-gime in Damascus and maintains a naval facility in Tartus province.

“We would welcome Russian contributions to the overall global eff ort against (the IS group) but things that continue to support the Assad regime, particularly mili-tary things, are unhelpful and risk adding greater instability to an already unstable situation,” Davis said.

Cameron visits campsMeanwhile, British Prime Min-ister David Cameron visited Syr-ian refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan on Monday, pledging increased aim which he said would help stem the migration crisis in Europe.

The surprise visits, which in-

cluded talks with Lebanon’s prime minister and the king of Jordan, came as Cameron appointed a minister to oversee the resettle-ment of 20,000 Syrian refugees in Britain over the next fi ve years.

As Cameron fl ew in to Lebanon, his offi ce detailed how an extra 100 million pounds ($153 million, 137 million euros) in British aid for Syrian refugees would be spent.

British aidThe premier said in Beirut that Britain was doubling its support for Lebanon’s schools to 20 mil-lion pounds a year for the next three years to help Syrian refugee children as well as Lebanese.

Boosting aid to regional states hosting refugees was key to tack-ling the crisis that has seen tens of thousands of asylum-seekers fl ooding into Europe, Cameron said, reiterating his argument against charges that London was not doing enough.

“Around three percent of the 11 million Syrians forced from their homes have sought asylum in Eu-rope,” he said. — AFP

Speaking on

condition of

anonymity, the US

offi cial told AFP the

seven T-90 tanks

arrived in recent days

but had not been sent

outside the airbase

near Latakia

SUPPORT TO REFUGEES: Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron,

left, meets Syrian refugee families at a tented settlement camp in

the Bekaa Valley on the Lebanese-Syrian border on Monday. — AFP/

POOL/STEFAN ROUSSEAU

Yemen loyalist troops press campaign towards SanaaSAFER (YEMEN): Saudi-backed loyalist forces in Yemen pressed an off ensive against Houthi rebels on Monday, the second day of a major campaign aimed at retaking the capital a year after its fall.

Fighters loyal to exiled Presi-dent Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi launched their much anticipated attack against the rebels and their allies in the key province of Marib.

The escalation comes as the exiled government backed out of a proposed new round of UN-brokered peace talks, insisting that rebels should withdraw from captured territory.

Heavy clashesOil-rich Marib lies east of Sanaa and has been the scene of heavy clashes between the northern-based rebels and powerful tribes allied with Hadi. “The aim is to cut the supply routes of the Hou-this,” a military offi cial told AFP.

Out of their Al Aber base in nearby Hadramawt province,

government troops have moved towards four rebel footholds in northwest Marib, on the route to Sanaa.

At a landing zone in Safer camp, in Marib, an AFP corre-spondent reported fully-armed coalition Apache helicopters tak-ing off and returning, as a convoy of armoured vehicles and person-nel carriers headed to the front.

Coalition forces have also de-ployed Patriot missile defence systems, Yemeni military sources said, following a September 4 missile attack on Safer that killed 67 coalition troops.

Gulf Arab troops from the Saudi-led coalition have joined the battle on the ground to evict rebels from Marib, while coali-tion warplanes have since March pounded insurgent positions across Yemen.

The United Arab Emirates said its troops were taking part in the latest operations and announced the death of one of its soldiers.

“Our forces have launched

military operations in Marib, achieving progress on the ground and pushing back the Houthi mi-litiamen, as part of operations conducted by the Arab coalition,” a UAE military offi cial said on late Sunday.

“During these operations, one of our soldiers has fallen martyr,” said the offi cial, whose coun-try lost 52 soldiers in the Safer missile strike and has vowed to avenge their deaths.

Air warThe coalition launched its air war in support of Hadi after the rebels advanced on the southern port city of Aden, where he had taken refuge after escaping house arrest in the capital, where the Houthis took control unopposed in Sep-tember 2014.

Pro-Hadi fi ghters, backed by troops freshly trained and armed by Saudi Arabia, pushed the rebels out of Aden in July and have since recaptured four other southern provinces. — AFP

C O N F L I C T

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INDIA T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

Mumbai train bombings convicts appeal for leniencyMUMBAI: All the 12 convicts in the 2006 Mumbai train bombings case on Monday requested the trial court not to award them death sen-tence on humanitarian grounds as arguments started on the quantum of punishment for one of the dead-liest terror attacks on Indian soil.

As many as 188 people were killed and many others injured when a series of powerful bombs went off in suburban trains in Mumbai on July 11, 2006.

Twelve of the 13 arrested ac-cused were pronounced guilty by a Special Court last week.

“There were mitigating cir-cumstances to suggest they were reformed and hence leniency should be showed to them,” said a written statement by all the 12 convicts found guilty of the crime on September 11 by a designated court under stringent Maharash-tra Control of Organised Crime (MCOCA).Judge Yatin D Shinde called each convict before him and recorded their oral statements on the quantum of sentence to be given to them.

Tomorrow, the defence and prosecution lawyers would sub-mit arguments on the quantum of sentence citing High Court and Supreme Court judgements.

“I have small kids to look after,” said Kamal Ansari, the fi rst con-

vict to appear before the Judge for recording his statement on quan-tum of punishment.

He pleaded for minimum sen-tence. Another convict, Tanvir Ahmed, a doctor, said he had cho-sen the profession to help the poor

and he wished to serve the needy.He said he had worked in a char-

itable hospital.“I have no past criminal record

and I have behaved well in the jail (as an undertrial).I did a post grad-uation in disaster management

and have improved my academic records”, Tanvir told the court.

He also said that he did pose a danger to the society and prayed for minimum punishment.

Another convict, Mohammed Faisal Shaikh, also prayed for a

lesser sentence saying he was suf-fering from brain tumor for the past three years. “I also have spine-related ailments.”

He said he was not convicted by any court earlier and does not have any intention to commit any crime in future.

Shaikh said his parents were old and there was nobody to take care of them.

“My brother has also been con-victed in the same case”, he said seeking minimum punishment.

Yet another convict, Ehtesham Siddiqui, told the court that he hails from a poor family and was operating a small business (before arrest). “I could not get education as we were poor and with great diffi culty I was able to learn. My brother runs the family and he is not fi nancially sound.”

He said after going to jail he was able to get education and currently he is doing graduation in law.

He also pleaded for minimum punishment saying that there is nobody to take care of his family after he goes to jail. - PTI

M U M B A I T R A I N B L A S T S

ACCUSED: The accused in 2006 serial train blasts case being taken to the sessions court from the

Arthur Road jail in Mumbai on Monday to hear the verdict in the case. - PTI

There were mitigating

circumstances to suggest

they were reformed and

hence leniency should

be showed to them

Written statement Convicts found guilty

‘Gujarat easiest place to do business in India’

NEW DELHI: BJP-ruled Gujarat is the best place in the country to do business, says the World Bank’s ranking on ease of doing business in states, a list that has the party-ruled states occupying four of the top fi ve slots.

Andhra Pradesh, ruled by BJP-ally TDP, is the second best state, followed by Jharkhand, Chhattis-garh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajas-than - all having BJP governments.

These rankings were provided in the report titled ‘Assessment of State Implementation of Business Reforms’ which was prepared by World Bank in association with the Department of Industrial Poli-cy and Promotion (DIPP), KPMG, CII and Ficci.

The exercise is aimed at pro-moting competition among states with a view to improve business climate to attract domestic as well as foreign investments.

The move would also help in im-proving India’s overall ranking in the global Doing Business Study.

India has been placed at 142nd position among 182 nations.

Overall, World Bank said India is a diffi cult place to do business and concerted action and reforms are needed on several fronts to im-prove its ranking in the global ‘Do-ing Business Index’.

“The assessment recognises the

fact that most states have already embarked on ambitious reform programmes or expanded their on-going reform eff orts,” Additional Secretary in DIPP, Shatrughna Singh said.

The ranking of 32 states and union territories was based on eight specifi ed parameters which include setting up of business, al-lotment of land, labour reforms and procedure for environmental clearance. The parameters also include infrastructure, procedure for registration for tax purposes and inspections for compliance of various norms.

At the bottom of the ladder in the index were Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Meghalaya, Naga-land and Arunachal Pradesh.

“What this report does very well is to provide a roadmap for states serious about improving their business environment and creat-ing jobs,” World Bank country di-rector Onno Ruhl said.

Among major states, West Ben-gal occupied the 11th slot, Tamil Nadu (12th), Haryana (14th), Delhi

(15th), Punjab (16th), Himachal Pradesh (17th), Kerala (18th), Goa (19th), Bihar (21st) and Assam (22nd).Pitching for further ease of doing business, Ruhl said a dis-proportionately high regulatory burden is borne by businesses in India today.

Besides, DIPP Additional Sec-retary Shatrughna Singh said the preparation of this report is just a tiny part of the gigantic eff ort that “we need to make in unwinding a maze of procedures, rules, regula-tions and laws that we have put in place in India.”

“...we need to vigorously pursue reforms in the future,” he added.

The assessment, the fi rst-of-its-kind, has been conducted to take stock of reforms implemented by states in the period January 1 to June 30 based on the 98-point action plan for business reforms agreed between DIPP and the state and union territory governments on December 29, 2014.

According to the report, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,

Odisha and Rajasthan have imple-mented over 50 per cent of the 98 point action plan business reforms studied in the assessment.

No state has implemented 75 per cent or more of the proposed reforms, an offi cial statement said.

The assessment has identifi ed good practices on diff erent param-eters. For example, Punjab leads in the area of ‘Setting up a Business’, as it features an online single win-dow system for registrations and licences that cover most of the regulatory services in the country.

Maharashtra, followed by Gu-jarat and Madhya Pradesh, was ranked highest in ‘Obtaining In-frastructure Related Utilities’, with clearly defi ned timelines for electricity, water and sewage con-nections. Across the country, the report said, states have made good progress in general tax reforms like mandating e-registration for VAT and CST, allowing online pay-ment and fi ling of returns for vari-ous state taxes, providing e-fi ling support through service centres and helplines. - PTI

Andhra Pradesh,

ruled by BJP-ally

TDP, is the second

best state, followed

by Jharkhand,

Chhattisgarh,

Madhya Pradesh

and Rajasthan

TOP RANKING: Craftsmen work at the polishing department of a diamond processing unit at Surat in

Gujarat, India. Gujarat, the state Prime Minister Narendra Modi ran for more than a decade, is India’s

best place for conducting business, the World Bank said on Monday. - Reuters fi le photo

Sri Lankan PM arrives

on 3-day visit; to take

up fi shermen issue

NEW DELHI: In his fi rst over-seas trip after assuming the top offi ce for the fourth term, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived here on Monday on a three- day visit dur-ing which he will hold extensive talks with the Indian leadership including on the sensitive fi sher-men issue.

He was received at the airport by Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

He will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tues-day during which both leaders are expected to explore ways to fur-ther boost bilateral ties besides discussing the fi shermen issue.

The proposed comprehensive economic partnership agreement between the two countries and the Tamil ethnic issue are likely to fi gure in the talks.

Wickremesinghe, who was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s prime minister for the fourth time last month following his party’s vic-tory in the parliamentary polls, will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee.

External Aff airs Minister Su-shma Swaraj, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Road Transport and Highways Minis-

ter Nitin Gadkari and Oil Min-ister Dharmendra Pradhan will also meet the Sri Lankan Prime Minister.

The visit assumes signifi cance as President Maithripala Sirise-na also chose India to be his fi rst overseas destination after being elected to offi ce in January.

Sixty-six-year-old Wickrem-esinghe was picked by President Sirisena, who handed a shock defeat to Mahinda Rajapaksa in the polls, to lead a minority gov-ernment in January till the par-liamentary elections last month.

Stoked controversyWikremesinghe has vowed to strengthen ties with India but has taken a tough stand on the fi sher-men issue as in March he stoked a controversy suggesting that Indi-an fi shermen may be shot if they intruded into Lankan waters.

The Comprehensive Eco-nomic Partnership Agreement is expected to be part of the talks agenda.Prime Minister Modi,during his visit to Sri Lanka in March, had said both countries should move boldly to conclude the pact and attract investments.

The new unity government in Sri Lanka is reaching out to India and the West to mend ties that soured during Rajapaksa’s rule. - PTI

F I R S T O V E R S E A S V I S I T

Consumer infl ation touches new lows bolstering rate cut hopesNEW DELHI: The consumer as well as wholesale price infl ation dived to new lows in August on falling global commodity prices, bolstering chances of an interest rate cut by RBI.

Consumer price infl ation, RBI’s benchmark, eased to 3.66 per cent in August from 3.69 per cent, while wholesale prices tumbled for a tenth straight month to minus 4.95 per cent compared with a provi-sional (-) 4.05 per cent in July.

The dip in infl ation adds to pres-sure on RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan to cut interest rates for a fourth time this year.

Rajan, who has so far resisted pressure from the government as well as the industry on easing monetary policy, is to announce next bi-monthly policy on Septem-ber 29. The decline in infl ation has

been mainly on account of moder-ating prices of food items with the exception of onion and pulses.

This has sparked fears of defl a-tion in the economy, which some economist argue would create fur-ther problems in the coming days.

Also of concern is drought-like situation with about half of the country witnessing defi cient rainfall. Commenting on the data, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said: “During the monsoon period because of seasonal variations, (prices) of some products go up. But overall infl ation continues to moderate and seems to be under control.”

The wholesale infl ation was (-)4.05 per cent in July. It has been in the negative zone since Novem-ber 2014. In August last year, it was 3.85 per cent.

Price rise in onions and pulses was at 65.29 per cent and 36.40 per cent respectively during August, as per the data. Overall, WPI food infl ation basket remained in nega-

tive territory for second month in a row at (-)1.13 per cent.

According to Economic Aff airs Secretary Shaktikanta Das said: “RBI will take a considered call on

the issue. There is no divergence in perception. The government and RBI are working together. Taking into account the overall factors, RBI will take a considered call.”

Das who reviewed the fi scal sit-uation along with other secretar-ies in the Finance Ministry, said in a tweet: “Declining infl ation num-bers (are) in line with governemnt expectations. Should augur well for the economy.”

As regards CPI infl ation, a slow-er rate of price rise in fruit and veg-etables and protein items, except for pulses, pulled the infl ation to a new low of 3.66 per cent in August, as against 3.69 per cent in July.

CPI food infl ation during the month, however, rose slightly at 2.20 per cent as against 2.15 per cent in July.

Vegetable prices declined at

(-)6.36 per cent during the month while fruits were cheaper at an in-fl ation rate of 0.99 per cent.

Industry body CII said CPI infl ation has also been declin-ing, RBI needs to reduce interest rates sharply to drive a recovery in demand.

“We expect RBI to reduce inter-est rates by 0.50 per cent in the forthcoming policy with state-ments supporting further easing in the near future,” CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee said.

Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian had recently fl agged defl ationary fears in the economy, while NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Arvind Panagariya had pitched for cut in policy rate by 0.50 per cent to 1 per cent saying that “this lever” can be used to boost growth. - PTI

E C O N O M Y

HARVEST TIME: Farmers harvest paddy crops on the outskirts of

Srinagar on Monday. India’s wholesale prices tumbled for a tenth

straight month in August. - Reuters

WELCOME: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is

received by Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sithara-

man on his arrival at IGI Airport in New Delhi on Monday. - PTI

A11

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After hard bargain, BJP clinches seat-sharing deal for Bihar polls

NEW DELHI: Following days of hard bargain, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday sealed a seat sharing pact for the Bihar as-sembly polls with its allies under which it will contest 160 of the 243 seats, while sparing 20 for Maha-dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi’s HAM(S), besides 40 for Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP.

Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha’s RLSP got 23 seats to fi ght in the high-stakes elections starting on October 12.

Flanked by key alliance lead-ers like Paswan and Kushwaha besides Manjhi, BJP chief Amit Shah said an “united” NDA was on its way to securing two-thirds majority in the state against the “crumbling” alliance of Chief Min-ister Nitish Kumar, RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Congress.

Presenting a united face, Shah claimed acrimony among alliance partners, especially LJP and Man-jhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha

(secular), was behind them and all diff erences sorted out.

“There is no tug of war. There is no tension. You can see their smil-ing faces,” Shah said, pointing to Paswan and Manjhi and sounding as much relieved as happy after fi nally thrashing out a seat-shar-ing arrangement acceptable to all the allies.

Shah said some of Manjhi’s party leaders will also contest on BJP’s symbols. Playing hardball, Manjhi had for days refused to set-tle for BJP’s off er of 13-15 seats.

Manjhi persistently targeted Paswan, claiming he enjoyed bet-ter clout with Dalit voters.

Asked about the reports of his being unhappy with the BJP of-fer had resulted in delay in fi nal announcement on seat sharing, Manjhi claimed there was never a fi ght over the number of seats and his only intention was that NDA should put up as many “winnable” candidates as possible.

With allies by his side, the BJP chief attacked rivals, saying the Bihar chief minister was promis-ing to provide a crime-free rule in

alliance with Prasad whose tenure in 1990s was dubbed by Kumar as ‘jungle raaj’.

“On the one side is a coalition of compulsion and forced arithmetic with little common purpose, while on the other side is an alliance with a common chemistry and similar ideologies of development.

Time has come for people of Bihar to vote for development,” Shah said. Shah said the NDA will spell out its agenda in detail in its manifesto to be brought out in the coming days.

BJP’s Central Election Commit-tee is also meeting on Tuesday and could announce names of many party candidates for at least the fi rst few phases of assembly elec-tions scheduled on October 12, 16, 28, November 1 and 5.

Asked about RJD chief Prasad’s assertion that the election will be for ‘Mandal Raaj-2’, a refer-ence to the 1990s when backward castes rose to dominate the state’s politics, Shah said NDA had more “mandal-wale” (backward and weaker groups) leaders.

Taking on Nitish Kumar, he said

the chief minister was citing de-velopmental fi gures which he had achieved when BJP was a partner in his government and asserted that development had now come to a stop, while crime was rising.

Attacking him for allying with “corrupt” Congress, besides Pras-ad, the BJP president said the idea of non-Congress polity took roots in Bihar under the likes of Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia, and the state would take it forward this time by supporting Prime Minister Nar-endra Modi’s call for a ‘Congress-mukt’ (Congress-free) India.

Asked about JD(U)’s dig that it made Manjhi chief minister, while BJP turned him into a “beggar” for seats, Shah shot back, saying his party’s values were diff erent and alleged that Manjhi was forced out of Bihar Niwas late in the night due to Kumar’s vendetta. He rejected the argument that the Bihar gov-ernment asked him to leave as his stay there was in violation of the Model Code of Conduct, saying he could have stayed there by paying the required tariff . - PTI

Flanked by key

alliance leaders

like Paswan and

Kushwaha besides

Manjhi, BJP chief

Amit Shah said a

‘united’ NDA was on

its way to securing

majority against the

‘crumbling’ alliance

of Nitish, Lalu

and Congress

UNITED FACE: BJP president Amit Shah with HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, LJP president Ramvi-

las Paswan and RLSP leader Upendra Kushwaha during a press conference on Bihar elections, in new

Delhi on Monday. - PTI

PATNA: Hectic parleys were on Monday held among the grand secular alliance part-ners to hammer out compet-ing claims and identify the seats the parties would fi ght in the October-November Bihar assembly polls and an announcement is expected by Tuesday.

Senior leaders of JD(U), RJD and Congress are hold-ing meetings over seat shar-ing at the residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Emerging from the meeting, RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui told waiting reporters that talks are on in a “friendly and harmonious environment”.

Refused to give detail“We are expected to reach a decision on seats each alli-ance partner would fi ght by tomorrow evening,” he said but refused to divulge any de-tails when asked to comment on reports that RJD has been claiming many of JD(U) sit-ting seats and the competing claims of parties was delaying the process.

“There is no hiatus of any kind among us... Eff ort is on to arrive at a decision on all 243 seats. But if this does not happen we hope to announce seats of parties for the fi rst two phases of elections by tomorrow evening.” he added.

Reports in a section of the media said RJD has identifi ed Mahua and Raghopur seats in Vaishali district for Lalu

Prasad’s two sons Tej Pratap and Tejaswi Yadav.

Both have sitting JD(U) MLA.

AdjustmentsBihar JD(U) President Basistha Narayan Singh told reporters that not only JD(U) but other partner parties too “should be prepared to make sacrifi ces.”

“We have to make adjust-ments even on our sitting seats,” he said adding it was natural that problem would arise as each parties have got less number of seats than it had contested in the past.

JD(U) which had won 116 seats in 2010 has got only 100 seats in the alliance this time.

Lalu Prasad’s RJD has also secured 100 seats while Congress has got 40.

Three seats have now been off ered to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) after NCP and Samajwadi Party spurned the off er.

Congress leader Subodh Kant Sahay and Bihar PCC president Ashok Choudhary exuded confi dence that the alliance partners would ar-rive at a decision on seats.

While Sahay met Lalu Prasad during the day, the RJD chief and Kumar are meeting on a daily basis.

JD(U) president Sharad Yadav and Congress leaders are also in regular touch with the alliance partners to arrive at a decision of seat sharing, sources in the parties said - PTI

Hectic parleys among ‘secular’ alliance partners over seats

SIT to probe Jhabua blasts as police intensify hunt for accused

JHABUA: The Madhya Pradesh government on Monday set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the twin blasts in Petla-wad town of Jhabua district.

The SIT has been set up to in-vestigate Saturday’s blasts and photos of absconding main ac-cused Rajendra Kaswa would be released in the public domain to nab him, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told the media in state capital Bhopal.

On Saturday, Chouhan ordered a judicial probe into the explo-sions after Home Minister Babu-lal Gaur, who visited the spot, briefed him about the situation.

The seven-member SIT would be headed by Jhabua’s additional superintendent of police, said Makrand Deuskar, superinten-dent of police (law and order).

Meanwhile, Chouhan on Mon-day again met the families of peo-ple killed in the blasts near the new bus stand in Petlawad town.

Two days after an explosion claimed 89 lives in Petlawad town in tribal Jhabua district of Mad-hya Pradesh, police on Monday recovered 69 detonators and large

number of gelatin sticks from the residence of the brother of the main accused in the incident.

Rajendra Kasawa, the main accused in connection with the incident, is absconding since the explosion occurred on Saturday, a police offi cial said.

69 detonators seizedPolice recovered 69 detonators and two batteries from the Ma-havir Colony residence of Nar-endra Kasawa, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Virendra Singh Bais said.

Gelatin sticks too were recov-ered from the place, but their ex-act number is not yet known, he said. Narendra is also absconding along with his family from Petla-wad, he said.

An intensive search operation was launched following reports of large number of persons storing gelatin sticks in an illegal manner for carrying out mining and blast-ing rocks for construction work, he said.

A reward of Rs100,000 was earlier announced by Chief Min-ister for information leading to

the arrest of Rajendra Kasawa, as his administration came under scanner over allowing storage of explosives in a crowded residen-tial area.

The state government had on Sunday announced an ex-gratia of Rs500,000 to the kin of those killed in the explosion.

At least 89 people were killed and nearly 100 injured after a massive blast caused by mining explosives stored in a building ripped through a crowded area in Petlawad town.

The blast completely destroyed at least two buildings — one in which explosive material for dig-ging wells was stored and an ad-jacent restaurant, and damaging several houses.

The explosion took place in the building of Kasawa who had a li-cence to use explosive material for digging wells.

He stored the explosive materi-al, including gelatin sticks in huge quantity, in the residential build-ing having two shops in it and situated close to the busy Sethia Restaurant in new bus stand area, a police offi cial said. - PTI

T R A G E D Y

SITE OF EXPLOSION: Locals looking at a damaged car near a collapsed restaurant where a cooking

gas cylinder exploded in Petlawad town in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. - PTI

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Richard J. C. Galustian

President Obama says the deal to lift Iran sanctions means Tehran cannot build a nuclear weapon; his congressional critics

charge that safeguards are not watertight. Both sides miss the main point of a deal which, once implemented, will provide a commercial bonanza not just for Iran but its neighbours on the opposite shores of the Gulf, bringing peace and security in its wake. The opening up of Iran promises to be nothing less than a commercial revolution, with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in pole position to boost their own economies as the world’s gateway to Iran. Commerce, not politics, is the driver here, a reality barely understood by the mainstream media, focussed as they are on the politics of a deal that brings Iran out of the international deep freeze in reward for monitoring of its nuclear programme.

Let’s start with the fact of Iran: It is a nation of 80 million consumers, well educated, aware of the world if, until now, unable to fully join it. They are hungry, quite simply, for everything, from soft drinks to computer design technology. But getting the goods in, and the payments out, means major improvements to both the transport and fi nancial infrastructure — skills that states on the far shore of the Gulf just happen to be expert in.

The United Arab Emirates knows everything there is to know about port management systems, skills that can be easily sold to Iran, along with airport and air traffi c management systems. Iran’s aging civil airline fl eet needs upgrades, not just with new planes, but maintenance facilities, which for the short and medium term can be hired at GCC airports.

Meanwhile, Iran can make use of sophisticated banking, fi nancial and insurance services across the Gulf to kick-start the business of re-integrating into the global fi nancial system. Then there is the small question of the rush by international fi rms and suppliers to grab a piece of Iran’s huge market; Already Tehran’s hotels are full to bursting with executives from multi-national companies, and many of those companies will for the medium term be looking for bases and transhipment depots in GCC states until Iran’s own infrastructure can be improved.

Dubai and the northern emirates are already

developing plans for penetrating the Iranian marketplace through infrastructure, commercial and residential investment. There is expectation also of Iranian money fl owing into Dubai’s megaprojects once SWIFT money transfer restrictions are lifted.

Standing in the way of these mouth-watering business opportunities are the politics. Iran and most GCC states have glared at each other across the narrow Gulf waters for decades, and trust will be built slowly. Oman has enjoyed good relations with Iran and played a very important role in the American negotiations with the Iranians. However other GCC states will need to develop that trust step-by-step. Saudi Arabia will be most hesitant, but the reality is that Iran is now back on the scene, and accommodation rather than confrontation will suit everybody. There are also territorial disputes to solve, but they should not be allowed to stand in the way of the huge benefi ts to all parties of getting trade started. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, welcoming Britain’s foreign secretary Philip Hammond to the re-opening of the UK embassy, spoke for millions of Iranians when he predicted: ”The negotiating parties will realise in the future that interaction rather than confrontation with Iran was the right approach.”

Rouhani was elected by Iranians with exactly that mind-set, and he is not alone in believing that new commercial links across the Gulf will bring with them both peace and prosperity: “By moving forward on diff erent political, economic and regional issues, we can guarantee long-term trust.” If his words sound too optimistic, take a glance at the European Union. For all its countless faults, one thing the integration of that union achieved was it made war within Europe unthinkable. A similar integration across the waters of the Gulf can do the same. Indeed, it is time for the Gulf countries to do the same, and take its place not just as a centre for oil production, but for commerce and culture too.

Also the positive involvement of the Russians who are engaged with most Arab states and Iran is a very important factor. With wise heads on all sides to oversee a steady build-up in both commercial links and trust, a new Gulf ‘Economic Union’ can emerge, quite literally a win-win situation for both Iran, all GCC countries and the world. - Special to Times of Oman

IMPORT OF BASE METALPRODUCTS IN OMAN

From February to April 2015(in million rials)

Source: National Centre for Statistics & Information

March

0

119.7April

97.5

February

102.4

Involve all parties to end the mess in AfghanistanThis refers to the online story, ‘Afghan Taliban storm jail, release hundreds of prisoners’ (September 14). The present state of aff airs in Afghanistan makes me wonder why the US and NATO occupied it. The Taliban insurgency is no closer to ending. Wouldn’t an ap-proach where its neighbours along with stakeholders like India and

the UNSC’s permanent members work together to bring peace in the country. Such an approach would take inputs from countries directly aff ected by the mess. I think the US diktat is the main reason behind the mess in the country. — Jacob Sonny, Muscat

Teachers need to devise unique programmes for each studentThis refers to the online story, ‘Learning diffi culty is not a disease’ (September 13). I totally agree with Dr Kawthar Hameed Abdullah’s statement on this issue. This is the reason why schools should not have a general curriculum for all students but rather a one-to-one ap-proach whereby teachers devise a unique programme for each individual student. — Aoun Naqvi, Mawaleh

There seems to be no end to the woes of the migrantsThis refers to the online story, ‘Babies and children among 34 dead in new mi-

grant tragedy off Greece’ (September 13). There seems to be no end to the woes of migrants. But giving them asylum would do no good. The root cause is confl icts, which need to end. —Morris Jo, Sur

T I M E S O F O M A NT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5A12

The changing face of the Gulf region

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Seminar on management of Al Wafa social centresMUSCAT: Improving the management of Al Wafa Social Vol-untary Centres will be the subject of a seminar the Ministry of Social Aff airs, Labour and Vocational Training will organ-ize in collaboration with the Unicef from Sptember 16 to 21. The seminar will discuss the concept of voluntary centres management and preparation of programmes based on the known principles of community rehabilitation.

1321: Dante Alighieri dies of malaria just hours after fi nishing writing Paradiso. 1847: US forces under Gen. Winfi eld Scott capture Mexico City, vir-tually bringing the two-year Mexican War to a close.

1911: Russian Premier Piotr Stolypin is mortally wounded in an assassination attempt at the Kiev opera house.

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Vladimir Putin may be calculating that the Obama

administration will respond to his belligerence in Syria the same

way it did to that in Ukraine: By broadly conceding his demands and trying to get its Syrian and

Arab allies to accept thembit.ly/putinsyriaukrainemoves

JACKSON DIEHL

The Scottish Nationalist Party is acutely aware that the election of an ostentatiously left-wing

Leader of the Opposition in Britain creates narrative

problems, and control of the narrative has been central to the

party’s success in recent yearsbit.ly/snpnarrativehithard

DAVID TORRANCE

With a right to be forgotten, Google, Yahoo and other corporations — not the

government — would decide what material should not be provided in response to search requests, while the material would still remain on any websites that

posted itbit.ly/onlineprivacyconcerns

LIZA TUCKER

F R O M O U R A R C H I V E S

T O D A Y I N H I S T O R Y

These were the scenes of chaos in Japan’s Joso City on Thursday. Forecasters say the rain should subside on Friday but not before another 20 centimetres at least falls on the devastated region

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PAKISTANT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

POLIO VACCINATION DRIVE IN QUETTA A Pakistani health worker administers polio drops to a child at a school during a polio vaccination campaign in Quetta on

Monday. Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where polio remains endemic but years of eff orts to stamp it out

have been badly hit by reluctance from parents, opposition from militants and attacks on immunisation teams. — AFP

Taliban rebel ‘no-go zones’ in Karachi destroyed by police

KARACHI: With a machine-gun in the back seat, his foot on the accelerator and wearing “Top Gun” style sunglasses, Azfar Mahesar pushes deeper into the heart of one of Karachi’s “Tali-banised” areas.

“This used to be a war zone, but we have liberated it,” says the slightly chubby policeman with pride as his vehicle races through the Pakistani city of 20 million, where Afghan intelligence says former Taliban leader Mullah Omar made his home in 2013.

Over the past few years, one word has been on everyone’s lips here: “Talibanisation”.

Economic hubIf the remote mountains that straddle the Pakistan and Afghan-istan border have been the mili-tant group’s playground, Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub on the Arabian Sea, has been the insur-gents’ hideout and cash-cow.

The Taliban dug deep into ar-eas populated by ethnic Pashtuns, creating virtual “no-go zones” and terrorising the local population with extortion and kidnappings

for ransom to provide funding for their recruits.

But, say Pakistani offi cials, that has all changed now.

“Talibanisation in Karachi has died down,” says Mahesar, a for-mer soldier turned senior police offi cer in the most dangerous, western part of the city.

“I can say very confi dently 70 to 80 per cent (are purged). There are a few remnants in Karachi but they are not as capable of coming back with the effi ciency that they had a year or so ago,” he adds.

Today, policemen wearing fl ak jackets are advancing deep into the bowels of one of the remain-ing “no-go zones”, through dug-up streets and up rocky hills that mark the city’s western edge.

“This was a local Taliban HQ,” one says as he stands before a pul-verised hovel.

The Pakistani Taliban has been this country’s public enemy number one since its formation in 2007.

Last December, the group car-ried out its deadliest attack ever, on a school in northwestern Pe-shawar, killing more than 150 peo-ple, mainly children.

The Taliban called it revenge for a military operation being carried out in North Waziristan, the epi-centre of their jihadist movement and a sanctuary for Al-Qaeda fi ghters along the Afghan border.

In response, the government gave the police and paramilitaries permission to lay siege to Taliban-

ised areas, killing hundreds of sus-pected insurgents, without worry-ing much about due process.

“Peshawar opened the world’s eyes. We had to act, even if it meant killing a thousand civil-ians,” says one policeman on the mission.

All this occurred as the military made gains in North Waziristan, from where the Taliban of Karachi received orders.

“The disconnection between Karachi and Miranshah (capital of North Waziristan) has helped law enforcers to keep the Pash-tun parts of the city safe and clear of the militancy,” said Ziaur Rehman, an expert on security in Karachi.

Taliban fi ghters instead sought

refuge in neighbouring Afghani-stan, and Pakistan is now facing its lowest levels of terrorist vio-lence in almost a decade.

A thing of the pastIn the Manghophir district of Karachi, residents now say busi-ness is picking up. Extortion and racketeering by the Taliban — or criminals posing as them — is now almost a thing of the past.

“God be thanked that the Taliban have gone. People were scared, they wouldn’t go out to the markets,” says elderly Fatima, dressed in a large and multicol-oured shawl, in front of the shrine of the Sufi Saint Pir Haji Mangho — which serves as a barometer of extremist presence. — AFP

The extremists had

dug deep into areas

populated by ethnic

Pashtuns, creating

virtual ‘no-go zones’

and terrorising the

local population

with extortion and

kidnappings for

ransom to provide

funding for

their recruits

SUCCESS: Pakistani offi cials walk past a destroyed hideout of Taliban militants in the Manghopir area of Karachi on Monday. — AFP

Sharif inaugurates tunnels over Gilgit Baltistan Attabad LakeGILGIT: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif inaugurated on Monday tunnels over Attabad Lake in Gilgit Baltistan constructed to restore the Karakoram Highway which was damaged in 2010 due to land sliding.

The fi ve tunnels are part of a 24-kilometer long portion of the reconstructed Karakorum Highway. Two big bridges and 78 small bridges have also been constructed.

The premier was briefed about the Attabad Tunnel project by of-fi cials of the National Highway Authority.

The project was completed in a span of three years and two months.

Nawaz announced the federal government has allocated Rs27 billion for Karakorum develop-ment project.

“This sum is at least three times larger than the annual develop-

ment budget of Rs8 billion for G-B and refl ects our love for the people of this area.”

Speaking to the members of G-B Assembly during his visit, the premier said, “Mega development projects are necessary in G-B.”

Welcoming the increase in tourism in the area this year, PM Nawaz said, “Around 700,000 to 800,000 tourists visited G-B this year.”

“This is the fi rst time such a

huge number of tourists from all over the country visited this area in a year,” he added.

International tourismFurther, the prime minister said the increase in tourism will help restore the confi dence of interna-tional tourists which will subse-quently improve G-B’s economy.

Nawaz also ordered offi cials to ensure transparency in devel-opment projects. “We will suc-

cessfully carry out the projects of hospitals, universities and other developmental projects.”

The premier also appreciated the assistance of the Chinese gov-ernment in projects related to the development of the area as well as in the projects being carried out in Gwadar.

Earlier, GB chief minister re-ceived the prime minister upon his arrival and briefed him about other on-going projects in the area.

The restoration of Karakoram Highway is linked with the histor-ic China-Pakistan Economic Cor-ridor (CPEC) project which will usher a new era of development in the country’s economy.

In July, Nawaz announced a re-lief package of Rs150 million for uplift eff orts and Rs500 million for the reconstruction of roads in Ghanche district during his visit to fl ood-aff ected areas of the region. — Express Tribune

R E S T O R I N G K A R A K O R A M H I G H W A Y

Air strikes kill 15 militants in tribal region: MilitaryISLAMABAD: Fifteen militants have been killed and seven of their hideouts destroyed in fresh air at-tacks in Pakistan’s lawless tribal region bordering Afghanistan, the military said.

The air strikes were carried out Sunday in the Shawal district of North Waziristan tribal district, where the army began a major of-fensive in June last year against Taliban and Al Qaeda bases.

“Fifteen terrorists were killed and 7 of their hideouts destroyed in Shawal today (Sunday) through aerial strikes,” said a brief state-ment issued Sunday night.

The death toll could not be inde-pendently verifi ed as the area is re-mote and off -limits to journalists.

Army offi cer killedIn a second incident in North Wa-ziristan, an army offi cer was killed when a checkpost came under militant attack on late Sunday, se-curity offi cials said.

Five militants were also killed during the exchange of fi re, which took place in the Dandy Kach vil-lage in North Waziristan.

“One major embraced martyr-dom during the clash. At least fi ve militants were also killed and the attack was repulsed successfully,” a security offi cial in Peshawar told AFP.

Militants also fi red rockets on the checkpost, the offi cial said and added that militants came from across the border in Afghanistan.

A second security offi cial in Pe-shawar, confi rmed the attack and casualties.

Pakistan has been battling a homegrown extremist insurgency since 2004, following the US-led invasion of neighbouring Af-ghanistan in 2001 and the subse-quent spillover of militants across the border.

Offi cials say more than 3,500 militants have been killed since the launch of the latest off ensive last year.

Pakistan has intensifi ed air strikes and ground attacks, as well as raids on militant hideouts, since December 2014, when a Taliban attack on a school killed more than 150 people — mostly schoolchildren. — AFP

S H A W A L D I S T R I C T

Raheel’s popularity at all-time high: Imran Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said on Monday that Army chief General Raheel Sharif ’s pop-ularity is reaching new heights in the country as the public at large becomes more and more wary of corrupt politicians.

“When Pakistan People’s Party and Muttahida Qaumi Move-ment were targeted, both parties began clamouring for help. I urge the Rangers and agencies to also go to Punjab to investigate the mega scams taking place there,” said the PTI chief, while speak-ing at a press conference in Bani Gala, Islamabad.

Imran also publicly terminated the party membership of former Minister for Mines and Minerals Ziaullah Afridi. He said three oth-er members of the party were cur-rently being investigated, namely Senator Azam Swati, Provincial Assembly member Yasin Khalil, and Arif Yousaf.

“If charges against them are proven true, they will be termi-nated form the party,” Imran said.

Imran also demanded a third-party audit of the Nandipur power plant, LNG and Metro Bus Project in Punjab.

“We want third-party audit on the international level, unlike the investigation of Model Town mas-sacre,” Imran said.

Lauding the local bodies elections held under the PTI government in Khyber-Pakh-tunkhwa, Imran said the elec-tions were organised and free of rigging.— Express Tribune

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Nepalese lawmakers reject calls to make it a Hindu nationKATHMANDU: Nepal’s Con-stituent Assembly on Monday re-jected calls to remove the key term secularism from the new Consti-tution and revert the Himalayan nation to a Hindu state, triggering protests by Hindu activists.

As the Constituent Assembly resumed voting on individual ar-ticles of the Constitution draft, more than two-thirds of the law-makers rejected the amendment proposal to make Nepal a Hindu state and reaffi rmed that it will re-main a secular nation.

The proposal was made by Ra-stirya Prajatantra Party Nepal or National Democratic Party Ne-pal, a pro-Hindu group, which demanded that secularism be re-moved from the Constitution in the Article 4 and Hindu state be mentioned instead.

After Assembly Chairman Sub-as Chandra Nembang announced that the proposal has been reject-

ed, Rastirya Prajatantra Party’s Kamal Thapa demanded split voting, the Himalayan Times re-ported. Thapa’s proposal for a vote received the support of only 21 lawmakers in the 601-seat Con-stituent Assembly.

As the Constituent Assembly Rules requires 61 persons to begin the split voting, the voting was not done. The erstwhile Hindu state, Nepal was declared a secular state in 2007 after the success of the People’s Movement of 2006.

Public opinionDuring a public opinion collection held in July, majority of the people preferred the word ‘Hindu’ or ‘reli-gious freedom’ instead of using the term ‘secularism’.

Protesting the rejection of the proposal, a group of Hindu activ-ists carrying yellow and saff ron fl ags clashed with security per-sonnel at New Baneshwar area

in the capital. The clash erupted after police used force to disperse the agitating activists who tried to enter the prohibitory area near the Constituent Assembly building.

They wanted to march towards the Assembly, demanding that Nepal be acknowledged as Hindu state in the new constitution. The protesters attacked passing vehi-cles, including one of the United Nations. Nepal on Sunday entered the fi nal phase of promulgating its new Constitution with the three major parties going ahead with clause-wise voting on the fi -nal draft of the statute despite a boycott by Madhesi parties and violent protests that have claimed nearly 40 lives.

The Madhesi parties are pro-testing against the seven province model of the federal structure as proposed by the major political par-ties. Southern Nepal has witnessed turmoil since lawmakers from ma-

jor political parties struck a break-through deal on August 15 to divide the country into seven provinces.

Attack condemnedMeanwhile, a Reuters reports said that Red Cross organisations condemned on Monday an attack in Nepal by anti-government pro-testers who stopped an ambulanc-es and killed an injured policeman during unrest over a proposed new constitution. Protests have erupt-ed in the southern plains of the Himalayan country since a draft of a constitution to set up a federal system was presented last month, with members of a minority group rejecting the plan to divide their region. The ambulance was carry-ing a policeman injured in clashes and was ambushed on Friday.

The attackers dragged the of-fi cer out of the vehicle and killed him, police said. The protesters then torched the vehicle. -PTI/Reuters

I N F E R M E N T

Australia gets new premier as Abbott loses out to TurnbullCANBERRA: Australia will get its fi fth prime minister in eight years after the ruling Liberal Party on Monday voted out Tony Abbott in favour of longtime ri-val Malcolm Turnbull, following months of infi ghting and crum-bling voter support.

Turnbull, a multi-millionaire former tech entrepreneur, won a secret party vote by 54 to 44, Lib-eral Party chief whip Scott Buch-holz told reporters after the meet-ing in Canberra. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was elected deputy leader of the party which, with junior coalition partner the Na-tional Party, won a landslide elec-tion in 2013.

“Ultimately, the prime minister has not been capable of providing the economic leadership our na-tion needs,” Turnbull told report-ers at parliament house ahead of the vote. “We need a diff erent style of leadership.”

Abbott pledged to fi ght the chal-lenge but was ultimately unsuc-cessful in overcoming the “desta-bilisation” that he said had been taking place within the party over months. He walked stony faced out of the party room following the vote and did not speak to reporters. Ab-bott ousted Turnbull as leader of the Liberal Party in 2009 although Turnbull has consistently been seen as a preferred prime minister.

However, Turnbull’s support for a carbon trading scheme and an Australian republic have made him unpopular with his party’s right wing. The challenge came as Aus-tralia’s $1.5 trillion economy strug-gles to cope with the end of a once-in-a-century mining boom and just days before a by-election in West-ern Australia state widely seen as a test of Abbott’s leadership.

Abbott emerged badly weakened from a leadership challenge in February, which came about after

weeks of infi ghting, and pledged a new spirit of conciliation. He and his government have since con-sistently lagged the centre-left opposition Labor Party in opinion polls, helping to fuel speculation over how long his party would give him to turn things around.

‘Gossip games’Abbott had earlier dismissed re-ports about a challenge as “gossip”, saying he refused to play “Can-berra games”. Peter Chen, a politi-cal scientist from the University of Sydney, said Turnbull faced the same problem as Kevin Rudd, a former Labor prime minister top-pled by his own party.

“He is popular with the public, but not necessarily within his own party, Chen said. Abbott has con-tinued to defy popular opinion in-side and outside his party, despite pledging to be more consultative and announcing an emissions re-

duction target criticised as inad-equate by environmental groups.

A Fairfax-Ipsos poll published on Monday showed that voters in the seat of Canning in Western Australia could deliver a swing of up to 10 percent against the gov-ernment in Saturday’s by-election.

That would not be enough for Labor to win the seat but it would be seen as a disastrous outcome for Abbott’s leadership just a year out from a scheduled general election.

‘Needs change’The change of leaders is the lat-est sign of political instability in Australia, which has in recent years been convulsed by backroom machinations and party coups that have shaken public and business confi dence in government. Rudd, elected with a strong mandate in 2007, was deposed by his deputy, Julia Gillard, in 2010 amid the same sort of poll numbers. -Reuters

P O L I T I C S

UN’s Sri Lanka war crimes probe fi ndings to be released tomorrowGENEVA: The fi ndings of a probe into Sri Lanka’s alleged war crimes towards the end of the country’s civil war with the LTTE are of the “most serious nature”, the UN rights chief said here on Monday even as Colombo declared it would set up a war reparations offi ce and a truth commission.

UN High Commissioner for Hu-man Rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein said the report on the UNHRC’s investigation would be released on September 16 along with his rec-ommendations, while speaking at the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) which got underway here.

“Six years ago we were confront-ed with serious violations and loss of civilian life in the last month of Sri Lanka’s long civil war,” he said. Zeid said the UNHRC was deeply engaged in the need for account-ability as a necessary step towards reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

‘Most serious nature’“On Wednesday, I will release the report of the comprehen-sive investigation as mandated by UNHRC resolution of March 2014. Its fi ndings are of the most serious nature,” the UNHRC chief said. Zeid said he welcomed the vi-sion and the commitment shown by Sri Lankan President Maithri-pala Sirisena to address rights concerns.

“But this council owes it to Sri Lankans and for its own credibili-ty to ensure an accountability pro-cess that produces results and de-cisively moves beyond the failures of the past to bring in institutional needs to guarantee no recurrence,” Zeid said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera addressing the UNHRC said his country would set up a war repa-rations offi ce and a truth com-mission. “The government of Sri

Lanka recognises fully that the process of reconciliation involves addressing the broad areas of truth seeking, justice, reparations and non-recurrence,” Samaraweera said here.

Truth justice panelHe said the country aimed to cre-ate a “Commission for Truth, Justice, Reconciliation and Non-recurrence” with help from au-thorities in South Africa and other countries that have set up their own truth commissions.

The government also wanted to set up an offi ce to “facilitate the implementation of recommen-dations relating to reparations” made by the proposed truth com-mission and other entities, he said.

“The best guarantee for non-recurrence is of course a politi-cal settlement that addresses the grievances of the Tamil people,” Samaraweera told the council.

The report had initially been scheduled to be published in March, but UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein had recommend-ed it be delayed for six months to give the country’s new govern-ment a chance to cooperate with investigators.

Sri Lankan President Maithri-pala Sirisena came to power in January promising reconciliation and accountability for alleged war crimes committed by troops under the command of then-president Mahinda Rajapakse.

Rajapakse eraDuring his decade in power, Raja-pakse resisted Western pressure to investigate allegations that up to 40,000 ethnic Tamil civilians were killed by his troops in the fi -nal months of the war in 2009.

Rajapakse did fl ag setting up a South African-style truth com-mission in the months before his defeat in January. -PTI/AFP

H U M A N R I G H T S Taliban storm Afghan jail, release prisoners

GHAZNI, AFGHANISTAN: Taliban insurgents stormed a prison in Afghanistan on Monday, killing police and releasing more than 350 inmates, including near-ly 150 deemed a threat to national security, and then attacked troops rushing to help, offi cials said.

The latest Taliban prison raid, on the outskirts of the central city of Ghazni, comes after setbacks for the government in diff erent parts of the country and deadly at-tacks in Kabul which have dashed hopes for peace talks.

A Reuters reporter outside the mud fort prison in Ghazni, 120 km (75 miles) southwest of the capi-tal, Kabul, saw the bodies of two men who appeared to be suicide bombers and a blown-up car that had apparently been used to de-stroy the main entrance. Clusters of bullet casings were scattered across the road.

Four policemen killedThe interior ministry said that 355 of the 436 prisoners had es-caped. Of those who got away, 148 were a “threat to national security and 207 were criminals”, the min-istry said in a statement.

Four Taliban and four members of the security forces were killed in the attack, the ministry said.

Seven police were injured.Mohammed Ali Ahmadi, depu-

ty city governor, said the prison’s security was well below recom-mended standards because it was so close to Ghazni - only seven km (4.3 miles) from the city centre - and it was believed that reinforce-ments would get there quickly in the event of trouble.

On Sunday, offi cials concerned about a breakout had transferred 18 “dangerous” Taliban to a jail operated by the Afghan intelli-gence agency, he said. Seventeen were left behind.

Ahmadi said he believed they helped coordinate the attack.

“Roads to the prison were cov-ered with land mines in advance to avoid reinforcement,” Ahmadi told reporters.

Blown up“An army vehicle coming for re-inforcements was blown up by a roadside bomb while trying to reach the prison.”

One security offi cial said the attackers, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automat-ic rifl es, were wearing security force uniforms.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said gunmen and three suicide bombers attacked the

prison at 2 a.m. (2200 GMT Sun-day). Three bombers were killed, he said. “Important military Mujahideen offi cials have been freed,” he said.

The Taliban are fi ghting to overthrow the foreign-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani, expel foreign forces.

The insurgents have attacked jails to free hundreds of prisoners including their comrades on sev-eral occasions, in both Afghani-stan and neighbouring Pakistan.

Security at Afghan prisons is often poor, with untrained, poorly equipped police guarding crum-bling facilities. -Reuters

The interior ministry

said that 355 of the

436 prisoners had

escaped. Of those

who got away, 148

were a ‘threat to

national security and

207 were criminals’,

it said in a statement

STONY FACED: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, centre,walks

though Parliament House in Canberra after he was dramatically

ousted in a snap party vote forced by challenger Malcolm Turnbull

on Monday. -AFP

TALIBAN PRISON RAID: An Afghan policeman, right, walks outside a prison building after an attack

in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on Monday. Taliban insurgents stormed a mud fort being used as

a prison in Afghanistan on Monday, killing police and releasing hundreds of inmates, and then at-

tacked troops rushing to help, offi cials said. -Reuters

PROTEST MARCH: Hindu activists march forward while trying to

break through a restricted area near the parliament during a pro-

test rally demanding Nepal to be declared as a Hindu state in the

new constitution, in Kathmandu, Nepal on Monday. -Reuters

A15

MIGRANT CRISIST U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

DEAD END: Migrants pass under highway security fence as they try to fi nd a new way to enter Hungary after Hungarian police sealed the border with Serbia near the village of Horgos, Serbia, on Monday, near

the Hungarian migrant collection point in Roszke. — Reuters

Hungary begins migrant crackdown

SERBIAN-HUNGARIAN BOR-DER: Hungary has closed off a railway track used by tens of thou-sands of migrants to enter the European Union on foot, launch-ing a crackdown promised by the right-wing government to tackle Europe’s worst refugee crisis in two decades.

Dozens of helmeted police offi c-ers, some on horses, took up posi-tion across the track that traverses the border and has been used for months by migrants, many of them Syrian refugees, to enter the EU from Serbia. A helicopter circled overhead.

Migrants were directed to an of-fi cial pedestrian border crossing around a kilometre away, where hundreds began queuing; police let small groups through a metal gate in a fence that Hungary has almost fi nished building along the length of its southern frontier, the EU’s external border. They boarded buses the other side.

A major fl ashpoint in Europe’s worst refugee crisis since the Yu-goslav wars of the 1990s, Hungary has vowed to stamp control on the fl ow through the Balkan peninsula to the richer countries of northern and western Europe.

Police have recorded over 190,000 entering Hungary this year, many of them fl eeing con-fl ict in the Middle East and Af-rica, including a record for one day of 7,437 by 4 pm (1400 GMT) on Monday.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of Europe’s fi ercest critics of mass immigration, said many would face deportation under the new rules, after Hungary in July declared its impoverished neigh-

bour Serbia a ‘safe country’ for refugees.

“In such a case, if someone is a refugee, we will ask them whether they have submitted an asylum re-quest in Serbia,” Orban was quoted as telling private broadcaster TV2. “If they had not done so, given that Serbia is a safe country, they will be rejected.”

The infl ux into Europe, by boat from North Africa across the Med-iterranean or across Turkey and up the Balkan peninsula, has trig-gered discord and recrimination in the 28-nation EU, feeding anti-immigration sentiment.

On Monday, two decades of frontier-free travel across Europe unravelled as Austria and Slovakia

followed Germany in re-establish-ing border controls to cope with the infl ux. Austria said it would dispatch armed forces to guard its eastern frontier with Hungary.

On Tuesday, new laws enter into force giving Hungarian authorities the power to arrest and jail any-one caught trying to cross Hun-gary’s southern border from Ser-bia illegally, and to hold or expel asylum seekers.

Authorities will receive and pro-cess asylum requests at the border with Serbia, which is outside the EU, and send many of those who apply to camps elsewhere in the country. Those who refuse to co-operate will be held at the border and could be deported.

Those who try to smuggle them-selves over the border, avoiding police, face arrest and possibly jail. Many migrants try to avoid be-ing registered or seeking asylum in Hungary, fearing being stuck

in the country or sent back there if caught elsewhere in Europe. Drafting hundreds more police to the border, Orban told them to be humane but “uncompromising” in implementing the new law. — Reuters

Dozens of helmeted

police offi cers, some

on horses, took up

position across the

track that traverses

the border and has

been used for months

by migrants, many of

them Syrian refugees,

to enter the EU

ESCALATION: Hungarian policemen speak to migrants as they seal the border with Serbia near the

migrant collection point in Roszke, Hungary, on Monday. — Reuters

GENEVA: The United Na-tions rights chief on Mon-day called for Europe and countries across the globe to establish “eff ective and principled migration govern-ance” to address a multitude of migrant and refugee crises rocking the world.

“I implore decision-makers in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacifi c, as well as Europe, to take swift action to establish eff ective and principled migration govern-ance,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said, opening the 30th session of the UN Human Rights Council.

His comments came as Europe scrambles to respond to the biggest movement of people since World War II.

Zeid hailed the demon-strations of support for the migrants by regular people in many European countries, especially since international public opinion was jolted by the publication of a photo-graph of a a Syrian toddler, Aylan, lying face down on a Turkish beach after he, his brother and mother drowned

trying to get to Greece. He said he too had “been

moved to profound sorrow by the plight of the little boy on the beach, who represents in his life and death the injus-tices suff ered by so many others.”

Utterly shameful He meanwhile slammed as “utterly shameful” the international community’s lack of action to halt Syria’s brutal civil war, which has killed some 240,000 people since the violence erupted in March 2011. — AFP

UN rights chief calls for principled migration rules

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein

A16

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Mexicans among 12 killed in Egypt blunder shelling

CAIRO: Egyptian security forces killed 12 people and wounded 10 “by accident” when they mistook a convoy of mostly Mexican tour-ists for a group of militants they were hunting in the desert, the interior ministry said on Monday.

At least two Mexicans were killed, Mexico’s foreign ministry said, though Egyptian security and judicial sources later said that eight Mexicans and four Egyp-tians were killed, and eight Mexi-cans and two Egyptians were wounded.

The group of 22 had parked their four 4x4 vehicles off -road on Sunday for a barbecue near the Bahariya oasis, a tourist site in the western desert, when army aircraft suddenly began shell-ing them from above, security sources said.

As members of the tourist con-voy tried to fl ee, additional secu-rity forces on the ground fi red on them. “Mexico condemns these deeds against our citizens and has demanded an exhaustive in-vestigation of what has occurred,”

President Enrique Pena Nieto said on his Twitter account.

Mexican Foreign Minister Claudia Ruiz Massieu told report-ers her government had sent a diplomatic note to Egypt, express-ing indignation and demanding a full inquiry. Six Mexicans who survived the incident told Mexi-co’s ambassador to Egypt they had been bombed by helicopters and an aircraft while they stopped for a break in the desert.

“They each said separately they had been bombarded from the air by a plane and helicopters,” said Massieu.

No details were provided about the identities of the tourists, oth-er than that they had arrived in Egypt on September 11.

Extremist insurgencyEgypt is battling an insurgency that gained pace after the mili-tary ousted extremist President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013 after mass protests against his rule.

The insurgency, mounted by IS’s Egyptian affi liate, has killed hundreds of soldiers and police and has started to attack West-ern targets. A joint force from the Egyptian police and military had been chasing militants in the country’s vast western desert when it came across the tour-ist convoy, which it mistook for the militants it was pursuing, the

Interior Ministry said in a state-ment. Egypt’s army spokesperson declined to comment and said only to refer to the interior minis-try statement. IS released a state-ment carried by its supporters on Twitter saying it had repelled an attack by the Egyptian military in the western desert.

Security offi cials say militants operating from Libya to the west of Egypt have been trying to forge ties with extremists in the Sinai on the east side of the country. The vehicles used by the tour-ist convoy closely resembled those of the militants the joint force had been pursuing, security sources said.

‘Restricted area’Egyptian tourism federation chairman Elhamy Elzayat told Reuters: “The area is a restricted area, and the company made a mistake by taking the tourists to that area without a permit.

“They must obtain a permit be-fore going there.” Offi cials at the company that organised the tour were not immediately available for comment.

Despite the apparent danger of the area, there are no warning signs along the desert path, and the attack occurred despite an offi cial police representative ac-companying the tourist convoy, said tour guide syndicate leader Hassan Al Nahla. -Reuters

The group of 22

had parked their

four 4x4 vehicles

off -road on Sunday

for a barbecue near

the Bahariya oasis,

a tourist site in the

western desert

MARKEWWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COMT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5B

Muscat

5,794.69- 1.02

- 0.02%

Dubai

3,534.16- 32.64

- 0.92%

Abu Dhabi

4,477.29- 74.93

- 1.65%

Saudi Arabia

7,549.86- 118.36

- 1.54%

Kuwait

5,769.79+ 11.46

+ 0.20%

Bahrain

1,290.23 - 0.26

- 0.02%

Qatar

11,657.27- 195.74

- 1.65%

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

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

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

Pound ........................................... 1.67

Indian Rs ............................. 172.32

Pak Rs ...................................266.88

Bangla Taka.......................199.52* Rates are as of Sept. 14

Source: Bank Muscat

Indian Rs ....................................172.10

Pakistan Rs .............................270.20

Sri Lanka Rs ...........................359.70

Bangla Taka.............................201.70

Phil Peso .................................... 121.25

* Rates as of Sept. 14 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......14.25

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) ....... 13.75

Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............134.25

Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ..............127.75

* Rates as of Sept. 14

Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

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

Oman Crude ............. (Spot) ........$45.98

Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........$45.98

Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........ $47.00

Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$46.38

N.Sea Brent ............... (Spot) ......... $47.77

West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$44.62

CRUDE OIL PRICE

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Services & Trade Co. targets OMR135m turnover this year

A E JAMESbusinesseditor@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Services & Trade Co., the Sultanate’s multinational contracting fi rm specialised in turnkey interior fi t-out and civil construction works, is aiming at

OMR135 million turnover this year, besides forming a joint ven-ture in Italy.

The group’s order book position has touched $600 million across the globe, which includes $350 million in Oman, the company’s vice chairman Waqas Al Adawi,

told Times of Oman in an exclusive interview. The company, which was established in 1976, expects the order book position to grow by 20-25 per cent next year.

“We have been very fortunate because of our expansion, which started about three years ago. We

have been seeing a healthy rev-enue growth from last year (on-wards),” he added.

Apart from its home market, the Services & Trade group’s major markets include the United King-dom, India, Dubai and Qatar. It also has presence in Brunei, Bah-

rain, France, Italy and Sri Lanka. “We are planning to announce a

joint venture partnership with an Italian company in an exhibition in Dubai on 28th of this month. This is for interior fi t-outs (busi-ness) for European market,” Al Ad-awi said, adding; “We have a joint venture partnership in Sri Lanka.”

Impact of oil pricesTalking about the impact of recent slump in oil prices on local con-tracting fi rms, he said since Oman is highly depending on oil revenue, it is natural that there will be an ef-fect on the contracting fi rms.

“It will be in terms of delayed project awards, reduction in scope of original award, which all will only increase competition,” he further added.

However, Al Adawi noted that the government would proceed with its large infrastructure pro-jects. There are opportunities in every segment regardless of the period. “We may see a slowdown in certain segments. But the large infrastructure works will off er a massive opportunity. It depends on how we reorganise ourselves to capitalise on those opportunities.”

The recent fall in oil prices is forcing contracting fi rms to be-

come more effi cient in internal cost controls.

The Services & Trade group’s total employee strength is 4,000 across the globe, which include 3,000 workers in Oman.

Services & Trade is eyeing major hospitality and real estate projects in the Sultanate, which include Oman Convention and Exhibi-tion Centre, Omagine project and Saraya Bandar Jissah.

The W Hotel is another major hotel project that is under devel-opment. Services and Trade is im-plementing eight civil construc-tion projects in Oman. Building Materials Trading. The company’s state-of-the-art fully integrated joinery production factory, spread over 25,000 square metres, is lo-cated in Wadi Kabir. It has the ca-pacity and capability to undertake huge volumes of specialist joinery works, fi t-outs, furniture manufac-turing and case goods. The facility has a capacity to plan, execute and manage large turnkey projects.

Group is also

planning to form a

joint venture with

an Italian fi rm. The

company’s order

book position has

touched $600

million across

the globe, which

includes $350

million in Oman Waqas Al Adawi, vice-chairman, Services & Trade Co.

— Picture by O.K. Mohammed Ali/Times of Oman

We are planning to

announce a joint

venture partnership

with an Italian company

on 28th of this month at

an exhibition, which is

being held in Dubai

Waqas Al AdawiVice-Chairman, Services & Trade

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Ten fi rms in race for Duqm seawater intake projectA E JAMESbusinesseditor@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: As many as ten major contracting fi rms are pre-qual-ifi ed for submitting bids for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for building facilities for supplying seawater for cooling industrial plants in Duqm area.

The multi-million rial project is being developed by Duqm Spe-cial Economic Zone Authority (Sezad).

The pre-qualifi ed companies for submitting bids are Hani Ar-chirondon, Larsen and Toubro-Samsung-L&T Oman consorti-um, China Harbour Engineering Company, Hyundai-Galfar con-sortium, CCC Oman, STFA In-saat As, TechnicasReunidas-Six Construct consortium, CMR Ma-rine Trading AS Murray, Posco Engineering and Vinci Construc-tion-Sarooj joint venture.

The facility will provide seawa-ter to all industrial projects with-in the industrial zone, including

the proposed Duqm Refi nery, which is coming up adjacent to the Duqm port. The contractors will have to carry out detailed design, which will be based on a front-end engineering design (FEED) provided by the owner.

The construction of the seawa-ter intake system will start in the fourth quarter of 2015, with the handing over scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2017, according to a tender fl oated by Sezad. The project will include marine in-take structure, seawater pumping station, seawater supply, return channels and beach well system.

Like Sohar, a seawater system for cooling industrial plants is of utmost importance in Duqm area since several multi-million rial industries are in diff erent stages of planning and implementation.

As far as the seawater pump-ing station is concerned, while the civil construction will be for 120,000 cubic metres per hour with a provision to expand in fu-ture to 360,000 cubic metres per hour, the mechanical and electri-

cal work will be for 22,000 cubic metres per hour. Also, the intake channel has a capacity of 360,000 cubic metres per hour.

Port of Duqm last year launched a new subsidiary to help support the development of industrial clusters for investment within the adjoining special economic zone. Port of Duqm Company has allocated 2,000 hectares of land for petrochemical and medium and heavy industries to develop and manage as part of its conces-sion agreement with the Oman government. PDC’s strategy is to develop two zones each of 500 hectares within the special eco-nomic zone reserved exclusively for medium industries, the other is earmarked for heavy indus-tries, while the remaining 1,000 hectares will serve the down-stream petrochemical industries.

Duqm is a maritime transit hub and a logistics gateway to Oman and the region, an export plat-form, a tourism destination and an incubator of renewable energy and clean technology industries.

E P C C O N T R A C T

Oman’s infl ation declines by 0.12% in second quarter

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Oman’s infl ation de-clined by 0.12 per cent in the sec-ond quarter of 2015 compared to the same quarter last year, mainly driven by a fall in prices of the food and non-alcoholic bever-ages set at 0.92 per cent, as also a 1.53 per cent drop in the clothing and footwear segment, according to latest data released by the Na-tional Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

The year-on-year cooling off in the price of the food and non-alcoholic beverage set, which car-ries a weightage of almost 24 per

cent in the Omani consumer price index (CPI), is mainly attributed to the food subset which posted a fall of 1.01 per cent in the second quarter of this year against year-ago fi gures. However, the non-alcoholic beverages subset in fact registered a price rise of 0.14 per cent in the quarter triggered by a 0.31 per cent upshot in price of mineral water, soft drinks and fruit juices subset.

TelecommunicationThe communication segment saw a 0.17 per cent drop, while the price of transport set came down by 0.03 per cent. Miscellaneous

goods and services recorded a fall of 0.11 per cent in the second quarter. Among the sets that post-ed an increase in prices in the sec-ond quarter, education took the top slot at 4.49 per cent, closely followed by alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics at 4.13 per cent. Health also logged a price rise of 2.24 per cent.

Signifi cantly, restaurants and hotels saw a rise of 0.35 per cent, with a similar rate in the housing, electricity, gas and water set (0.33 per cent). Furnishings, household equipment and maintenance set rose by a marginal 0.11 per cent in the second quarter.

E C O N O M Y

B2

MARKETT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

Regulator warns three insurance brokers

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Abdullah bin Salim Al Salmi, executive president of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), has issued warnings to three in-surance brokers.

The CMA chief has issued three disciplinary decisions against CE Heath & Partners, Ewan Majan and Oman New Insurance and Re-insurance Services for violating the provisions of Article 17 of the Insurance Brokers’ Regulation.

The regulation requires the bro-ker to fi le the audited annual ac-counts and balance sheet within three months from the end of the fi nancial year. The regulation was issued to upgrade and regulate the performance of insurance brokers.

The Capital Market Author-ity emphasised the importance of compliance with the laws and regulations governing the sector to ensure fairness and protection for all participants.

A N N U A L A C C O U N T

Qatar meet debates regional, global marketsTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Oman, represented by the Capital Market Authority (CMA), participated in the 13th meeting of the presidents of GCC securities commissions which took place in Qatar on Monday.

The Sultanate’s delegation was chaired by Sheikh Abdullah Salim Al Salmi, executive president of CMA and comprised Ahmed Ali Al Makhaini, economic expert at the offi ce of the executive presi-dent and Ahmed Rashid Al Sooti, specialist at the Department of International Cooperation.

The meeting discussed key is-sues and development in the re-gional and global markets and minutes of the working teams and recommendations.

Minutes of the working team on supervision and regulation of GCC stock markets were re-viewed, which included the draft standard rules to collect informa-tion on suspicious transactions in the markets of the member states and the follow-up of the standard rules to supervise and regulate trading in the Gulf Cooperation

Council (GCC) stock markets. On the electronic surveillance

systems in the GCC markets, the recommendation of ‘smart soft-ware’ was discussed as the best available system for unifi ed sur-veillance software among the members. Results of initial public

off erings work team and results of the supervision and regulation work team, beside key develop-ments on the multilateral memo-randum of understanding between the regulators of the GCC stock markets came up for discussion.

The GCC offi cials also deliber-

ated on the memo of the Secre-tariat General on the proposed topics for discussion at the joint meeting of the committee of cen-tral banks and the ministerial committee of the chairmen of the securities commissions.

The meeting also reviewed the

arrangement for the annual con-ference of GCC stock markets.

The strategy for GCC market in-tegration which would enable GCC nationals to trade and invest with-out any discrimination in treat-ment and opening the markets for new products were discussed.

G C C M E E T I N G

UNITED WE STAND: The recommendation of ‘smart software’ was discussed as the best available system for unifi ed surveillance soft-

ware among the members. – Supplied picture

Ministry employees

to undergo logistics

training in Netherlands

Times News Service

MUSCAT: Representatives from various ministries in Oman will undergo training in logistics scheduled to be held in the Neth-erlands this month. They include candidates from Ministry from Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Min-istry of the Environment, Ithraa and Oman rail, among others.

Dr Ahmed Al Futaisi, chairman of the Oman Logistics Centre, said that some 65 individuals — both from government and the private sectors have worked to develop a strategy. The course will start on September 28.

In this context, Dr Futaisi wel-comed Barbara Joziasse, the Neth-erlands ambassador to Oman and representatives from the Univer-sity of Breda Maarten Van Rijs and Marijke Bogers, who are visiting the Sultanate to meet the candi-dates who will travel to the Neth-erlands to do the logistics course.

Dr Futaisi thanked the ambas-sador for the support the Neth-erlands government has given to provide training in international

logistics at Breda. The off er of training had been made during the visit of Lilianne Ploumen, the Dutch minister of International Trade and Development Coop-eration to help support Oman Lo-gistics Centre in its drive to make Oman a global logistics hub.

Dr Futaisi pointed out that the Oman logistics strategy has set challenging ambitions to propel the Sultanate to the forefront of the global logistics industry, creat-ing employment and the adoption of new technologies and processes.

Oman Logistics Centre, in close cooperation with all government ministries, has now been estab-lished with the aim of delivering those logistics ambitions. These will be achieved by substantially improving Oman’s competitive position in handling cargo and an investments in ports, aviation, road and rail.

Dr Futaisi said that success could only come from a close co-ordinated approach to developing Oman’s skills and services and that this required close inter-ministry and customs coopera-tion at every level.

L O G I S T I C S P R O G R A M M E Malaysia’s $4.6b boost to revive stock market

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian government will inject 20 billion ringgit ($4.6 billion) into a state equity investment fi rm to shore up the stock market, Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Monday, in a bid to boost confi dence in a coun-try reeling from a political scandal.

Najib told a news conference on Monday that the equity invest-ment fi rm, ValueCap, will invest in undervalued Malaysian compa-nies. “As such, the government will reactivate ValueCap with funds of 20 billion ringgit,” he told report-ers at the Prime Minister’s Offi ce.

“ValueCap was established in 2002 as an entity to support un-dervalued stocks and the result was eff ective as it managed to sta-bilise the stock market,” he added.

He also announced that the fac-tory sector would be exempted from import duties until the econ-omy recovers from a slowdown, but did not specify which specifi c sectors would be aff ected.

The ringgit’s fall refl ects a dete-rioration in Malaysia’s trade posi-tion because of falling prices for its liquefi ed natural gas and com-modity exports. But capital out-fl ows accelerated in July as Najib became enmeshed in a political scandal raging around indebted state fund 1Malaysia Develop-ment Bhd (1MDB).

The prospect of government support for the share market helped lift Malaysia’s benchmark stock index slightly as it went into the midday break 0.56 per cent higher at 1,612.52 points. The ringgit was largely unmoved.

Currency depreciationThe severity of the ringgit’s depre-ciation prompted Najib to form an economic task force, including some of the country’s top fi nanci-ers, to fi nd ways to restore confi -dence. “The ringgit’s decline is not expected to have adverse impact on government debt as 97 per cent of the debt is denominated in ring-git and mostly funded by domestic sources,” Najib said.

The Prime Minister’s failure to explain how 1MDB racked up $11 billion debt, or who depos-ited over $600 million in a bank account held in his name, or why

has led to mounting public unease over his leadership. The prime minister has denied wrongdoing.

He said that the rationalisa-tion plan for 1MDB is on track. He also reiterated that there were no plans to introduce capital con-trols, adding that the government was on track to achieve fi scal con-solidation target for 2015. – Reuters

Malaysian Prime

Minister Najib Razak

said that the equity

investment fi rm,

ValueCap, will invest

in undervalued

companies

SUPPORT: The prospect of government support for the share market helped lift Malaysia’s stock

index slightly as it went into the midday break 0.56 per cent higher at 1,612.52 points. – Bloomberg News

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B3T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

MARKET

China likely to integrate some state fi rms asgrowth sputters

BEIJING: China unveiled details on Sunday of how it would restruc-ture its state-owned enterprises, including partial privatisation, as data pointed to a cooling in the world’s second-largest economy.

The guidelines, jointly issued by the Communist Party’s Central Committee and the State Council, China’s cabinet, included plans to clean up and integrate some state fi rms, the offi cial Xinhua news agency said. It did not elaborate.

Reform of underperforming state-owned enterprises is one of China’s most pressing needs. But if not handled well, the restruc-turing could lead to hundreds of thousands of people being laid off and social instability.

Mixed ownershipXinhua said the plans included introducing “mixed ownership” by bringing in private investment, and “decisive results” were ex-pected by 2020. The government will not force “mixed ownership”, nor will it set a timetable, giving each fi rm the go-ahead only when conditions are mature, it said.

“This reform will be positive for improving the impetus of the economy and making growth more sustainable,” said Xu Hongcai, di-rector of the economic research department at the China Centre for International Economic Ex-changes (CCIEE), a Beijing-based think-think.

Partial privatisation, he added, would help establish “check-and-balance and incentive systems” at state fi rms. China’s government manages 111 companies centrally under SASAC. - Reuters

R E S T R U C T U R I N G Lulu Group to spread wings in Indonesia by year-end

Times News Services

ABU DHABI: Lulu Group will invest $500 million over next fi ve years to mark its retail push in Indonesia by opening its fi rst hy-permarket in the capital city of Jakarta by the year-end.

With an initial investment of $300 million in the fi rst phase, plans are afoot to open 15 hypermarkets by the end of 2017 and a central lo-gistics and warehousing facility in Jakarta, said Yusuff ali M. A., man-aging director of Lulu Group.

“These projects are likely to generate more than 5,000 job op-portunities for Indonesians and train them all levels. The fact that we are going to Indonesia with our halal hypermarket concept, is giving us the encouragement to look for a wider market segment there,” added Yusuff ali.

The announcement came dur-

ing the visit of President of Indo-nesia, Joko Widodo, (popularly known as Jokowi) to Abu Dhabi. He visited Lulu Hypermarket along with a high-level delegation at Khalidiyah Mall in Abu Dhabi.

President’s visitThe Indonesian President is on a fi ve-day state visits to three Mid-dle East countries — Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar — to cement Indonesia’s ties with these countries, particularly on investment, trade and protection of Indonesian migrant workers.

Darmin Nasution, coordinat-ing minister of economy; Thomas Lembong, trade minister; Sofyan Djalil, minister of national de-velopment plans; Pratikno, state

secretariat minister; Franky Siba-rani, head of the Investment Coor-dinating Board; and PramonoA-nung, cabinet secretary are part of Indonesian President’s entourage.

Apart from the capital city of Jakarta, Lulu intends to open hy-permarkets in Bandung, Solo, Se-

marang, Surabaya and Yogyakar-ta. “We also plan to set up contract farming to ensure continuous supply of high quality products and to support the Indonesian ag-riculture sector,” opined Yusuff ali.

Agricultural productsThe Indonesian President was given a rousing welcome at the Hypermarket by Yusuff Ali M. A., SaifeeRupawala, chief executive offi cer, Salim M. A., director, Ra-jmohan Nair, director – Lulu Far East Operations and large number of Indonesian expatriates.

President Jokowi and the ac-companying delegation were tak-en to a guided tour of hypermar-ket by Yusuff Ali who briefed him about specialties of the retail store.

The President later said his visit to Lulu Hypermarket was to see Indonesian products mainly agricultural products and asked Yusuff Ali to export more prod-ucts from villages and towns in Indonesia. Jokowi even asked about the prices of the various Indonesian products imported to Abu Dhabi. The Lulu chain cur-rently operates 117 stores across the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, and India.

Group will invest

$500 million over

the next fi ve years

to mark its retail

push in Indonesia

by opening its fi rst

hypermarket in

Jakarta by December

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EXPANSION MODE: Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia and the accompanying delegation being taken a tour of Lulu Hypermarket in

Khalidiyah Mall, Abu Dhabi by Yusuff Ali MA, managing director of Lulu Group. – Supplied picture

15 HYPERMARKETS With an initial investment

of $300m in the fi rst phase, plans are on to open 15 hypermarkets by 2017-end and a central logistics and warehousing facility in Jakarta

Takaful Oman launches new product for domestic helpersTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Takaful Oman Insur-ance, one of the fullfl edged Islam-ic insurance providers in the Sul-tanate, has launched the domestic helpers’ Takaful Plan.

It is a unique product that en-sures the wellbeing of household workers like housemaids, drivers and gardeners to name a few. The company has launched this inno-vative product to off er appropri-ate insurance cover to employees who work for the welfare of fami-lies in Oman.

The products off ers insurance coverage in case of death, total

and permanent disability, perma-nent partial disability (accident or sickness), medical expenses (accident), repatriation on death, additional accidental death ben-efi t, and critical illness (11 diseas-es) as per policy documents.

Low-income groupsSpeaking on the occasion, V. C. G. Subbiah, assistant general manager said, “Domestic Help-ers Takaful Plan for us is a move in the right direction in terms of off ering coverage to low-income employee groups across Oman. The product gives aff ordable cov-erage to household workers who

are engaged in the daily upkeep of families and homes in Oman.

“Some of these workers have spent decades in the same house-hold and it is therefore imperative to off er them the right insurance with ample coverage. It should also be aff ordable for the individ-ual who employs the worker. Our product meets both these criteria and is also a nice gesture in terms of saying thanks for their loyal service,” he added.

Takaful Oman Insurance is an MSM-listed takaful insurance company, providing Sharia-com-pliant family takaful and general takaful in Oman.

I N S U R A N C E

Reclassifi cation of Renaissance mandatory convertible bondsTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Renaissance has successfully completed the re-purchase of second tranche of Mandatory Convertible Bonds (MCBs). Over 97 per cent of the MCB holders (net of treasury holding) have opted to participate in the second repurchase.

The company has already trans-ferred coupon to Muscat Clearing and Depository (MCD) for those MCB holders who have partici-pated in the second repurchase. The MCB holders who did not par-ticipate in this repurchase scheme will be paid annual coupon on Au-gust 6, 2016, as set out in Section VII - terms and conditions of the

issue of the MCB prospectus.Following the repurchase of

second tranche, remaining Re-naissance MCBs will be reclassi-fi ed and listed on Muscat Securi-ties Market for trading as follows:

ConversionRenaissance Services bonds (A) are due for conversion in 2016 and 2017, as set out in Section VII Terms and Conditions of the MCB Prospectus. This category represent the holders of MCBs who did not opt to participate in the second repurchase and hence the MCBs under this category will be converted to shares in 2016 and 2017.

Renaissance Services Bonds

(B) are due for conversion in 2017 only. This category repre-sents the holders of MCBs who have participated in the second repurchase and hence these MCBs (representing only the third tranche) will be converted to shares in 2017.

The reclassifi cation of MCBs are for identifi cation purpose and, should not be construed as newly issued MCBs. All other terms and conditions of the reclassifi ed MCBs will be same as per the erst-while MCBs, the company said.

MCB holders who have opted for second repurchase may contact MCD for their updated MCB hold-ings and Gulf Baader Capital Mar-kets for the repurchase proceeds.

B O N D M A R K E T

B4

MARKETT U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

MUSCATSECURITIES MARKET

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

REGULAR MARKET .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO.........................................................................31,300 ............22,906........................6 ............0.732 ........... 0.732 ...........0.728 ........... 0.732 ............. 0.724 ........... 0.008 ............. 1.105.................0.728 ..............0.728...................0.732 .................. 476,491,176 ........0.100

OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ................ 9,700 ............... 2,431........................3 ............0.251 ........... 0.251 ...........0.250............0.251 .............0.250 ............0.001 .............0.400 ................0.250..............0.248...................0.250 ................... 5,271,000 ..........0.100

OM0000002168 ............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES .................................35,000 .............12,530........................2 ........... 0.358 ........... 0.358 ...........0.358 ........... 0.358 .............0.358 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.358 ..............0.350...................0.358..................106,044,498 .......0.100

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 687,922 .........349,239..................... 22 ........... 0.508 ........... 0.508 ...........0.506........... 0.508 .............0.508 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.506..............0.506...................0.508 ............... 1,164,245,879 ......0.100

OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..........................38,100 ............ 62,835......................12 ............1.650 ........... 1.650 ...........1.640 ............1.650 ............. 1.650............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................1.640 .............. 1.635...................1.640 ................1,237,500,000 ......0.100

OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 450,000 ........... 75,800........................5 ............0.168 ........... 0.170 ...........0.168 ............0.168 ............. 0.168............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.168 .............. 0.166...................0.172 ..................242,161,920........0.100

OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER ....................................................................603 .................. 205........................2 ........... 0.340 ...........0.340 ...........0.340 .......... 0.340 .............0.340 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.340............. 0.340...................0.350...................75,143,400 .........0.100

OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH ................................................10,000 ............ 25,500........................ 1 ........... 2.550 ........... 2.550 ...........2.550........... 2.550 .............2.550 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................2.550 ............. 2.500...................2.600 .................243,415,847 ........1.000

OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL ............................................. 141,300.............12,378......................17 ........... 0.087 ........... 0.088 ...........0.086........... 0.088 .............0.088 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.088 ..............0.086...................0.088...................15,400,000 .........0.100

OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER ................................................ 862,109 ......... 184,491......................13 ............0.214 ........... 0.214 ...........0.214 ........... 0.214 ............. 0.214 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.214 ..............0.205...................0.214 ..................144,425,910 ........0.100

OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 1,237,600 ......263,592......................11 ............0.213 ........... 0.213 ...........0.210 ........... 0.213 ............. 0.213............ 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.213 ..............0.194...................0.213 ..................152,168,550 ........0.100

OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS .....................................................7,605 ...............3,838......................19 ........... 0.506 ........... 0.506 ...........0.504........... 0.504 .............0.506 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.395 ...............0.504..............0.504...................0.506 ..................26,460,000.........0.100

OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 211,073 .............84,136..................... 22 ........... 0.392 ...........0.400 ...........0.392........... 0.398 .............0.402 ...........-0.004 ........... -0.995 ...............0.398 ..............0.392...................0.398...................24,359,301 .........0.100

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE ............... 92,000 .............15,433..................... 10 ............0.168 ........... 0.170 ...........0.166 ............0.168 ............. 0.170............-0.002 ............-1.176 ................0.167 .............. 0.166...................0.170 ...................33,600,000.........0.100

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 1,132,608 ...... 198,542..................... 76 ............0.178 ........... 0.178 ...........0.172 ............0.175 ............. 0.178 ............-0.003 ............-1.685 ................0.173 .............. 0.172...................0.173 ...................26,263,125 .........0.100

OM0000001962 ............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 162,200 ..............9,405..................... 20 ........... 0.058 ........... 0.058 ...........0.057 ........... 0.058 .............0.059 ...........-0.001 ............-1.695 ................0.057 ..............0.057...................0.058................... 12,014,780 .........0.100

OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING ........... 226,668 ........... 23,800......................16 ............0.105 ........... 0.105 ...........0.105 ........... 0.105 ............. 0.107............-0.002 ........... -1.869................0.105 ..............0.104...................0.105 ................... 12,796,875 .........0.100

OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ........................41,000 ...............3,987........................5 ........... 0.099 ........... 0.099 ...........0.096........... 0.097 .............0.099 ...........-0.002 ........... -2.020 ...............0.097 ..............0.095...................0.097....................2,910,000 ..........0.100

OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 765,910............ 72,042..................... 79 ........... 0.095 ........... 0.096 ...........0.093........... 0.094 .............0.096 ...........-0.002 ........... -2.083 ...............0.093 ..............0.092...................0.093................... 27,258,180 .........0.100

OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 337,520 ........... 35,087..................... 36 ............0.106 ........... 0.106 ...........0.102 ........... 0.104 ............. 0.107............-0.003 ........... -2.804 ...............0.103 ..............0.102...................0.103 .....................6,119,695 ..........0.100

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 1,341,335 ......218,208..................... 72 ............0.170 ........... 0.170 ...........0.160 ............0.163 ............. 0.170............-0.007 ............-4.118 ................0.169 .............. 0.162...................0.168 ................... 47,376,116 .........0.100

OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 143,600 ............16,281......................21 ............0.115 ........... 0.115 ............ 0.112 ............0.113 ............. 0.118 ............-0.005 ........... -4.237 ............... 0.112 .............. 0.112................... 0.113 ................... 10,170,000 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 7,965,153 ....1,692,666...................470 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......22........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 1,071,644 ......160,242..................... 69 ............0.149 ........... 0.150 ...........0.149 ........... 0.150 ............. 0.149.............0.001 ............. 0.671 ................0.149 .............. 0.149...................0.150 ..................219,390,219 ........0.100

OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING .......................................... 500 ...................165........................ 1 ........... 0.330 ........... 0.330 ...........0.330........... 0.340 .............0.340 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.330..............0.310...................0.330 ...................2,040,000 ..........1.000

OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ...................... 5,000 ...................175........................ 1 ........... 0.035 ........... 0.035 ...........0.035 ........... 0.036 .............0.036 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.035 ..............0.034...................0.035....................3,060,000 ..........0.100

OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ..........................................................9,574 ...................517........................3 ........... 0.054 ........... 0.055 ...........0.054........... 0.054 .............0.054 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.055 ..............0.053...................0.055.................... 6,750,000 ..........0.100

OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 1,112,021 ......... 68,945......................19 ........... 0.062 ........... 0.062 ...........0.062........... 0.062 .............0.062 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.062.............. 0.061...................0.062 ..................93,000,000 ........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 2,198,739 ......230,045..................... 93 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 5........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ......................................... 957,463.............95,746........................3 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100 ........... 0.100 .............0.099 ............0.001 ............. 1.010 ................0.100 ..............0.100...................0.106 ...................31,964,268 .........0.100

OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 .....................60,536 ...............5,690........................2 ........... 0.094 ...........0.094 ...........0.094........... 0.094 .............0.094 ........... 0.000 .............0.000 ................0.094..............0.094...................0.096................... 30,471,192 .........0.100

.............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 1,017,999 ........101,437........................5 .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 2........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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 ........................................5,798.97 ...............5,794.07 ................... 5,794.69 ....................5,795.71 .................. -1.02 .................. -0.02Financial Index ....................................6,964.90 ...............6,951.70 ....................6,951.70 .................. 6,964.90 ................-13.20 .................. -0.19Industrial Index ................................... 7,484.90 ............... 7,477.46 ....................7,477.46 ................... 7,488.42 ................ -10.96 .................. -0.15Services Index ...................................... 3,246.59 ...............3,236.16 ................... 3,236.26 ...................3,243.35 ...................-7.09 .................. -0.22MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................... 914.05 ...................913.18 .......................913.69 .......................913.38 .................... 0.31 ................... 0.03

Trading SummaryVolume ................ Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up ............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded11,181,891 ................... 2,024,148 .....................568 ............... 14,606,788,941 .................. 4 ......................11 .................... 14 .........................29

Index falls marginally

MUSCAT: Oman’s share prices on Monday remained fl at amid listless trading. MSM30 Index edged down to close at 5,794.69 points, down marginally by 0.02 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index closed at 913.69 points, up by 0.03 per cent.

Renaissance Services was the most active in terms of volume while Bank Muscat was the most active in terms of turnover. Mon-day’s top gainer was Ooredoo, up by 1.10 per cent while top loser was Al Sharqia Investments, down by 4.24 per cent.

As many as 568 trades were executed on Monday’s trading session generating turnover of OMR2 million with over 11.1 million shares changing hands. Out of 29 traded securities, four advanced, 11 declined and 29 remained unchanged. Omani investors were net buyers for OMR306,000 followed by For-eign investors for OMR95,000 while GCC and Arab investors were net sellers for OMR401,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index ended the ses-sion at 6,951.70 points, down by 0.19 per cent. Al Sharqia Invest-

ments, Gulf Investment Services, Al Batinah Development, Oman & Emirates Holding and Al Ma-dina Investments declined 4.24 per cent, 2.80 per cent, 2.02 per cent, 1.87 per cent and 1.69 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index declined 0.15 per cent to close at 7,477.46 points. Gulf International Chem-icals gained 0.40 per cent while Galfar Engineering and Al Maha Ceramics decreased 2.08 per cent and 0.40 per cent respectively.

Services Index closed at 3,236.26 points, down by 0.22 per cent Shares of Ooredoo and Phoenix Power advanced 1.10 per cent and 0.67 per cent, respec-tively. — United Securities

The top gainer was Ooredoo, up by 1.10

per cent, while top loser was Al Sharqia

Investments, down by 4.24 per cent

Muscat Securities Market. — TImes fi le picture

Out of 29 traded

securities, four rose,

11 declined and 29

remained unchanged

Oman, Bahrain most hit by oil plungeTimes News Service

MUSCAT: Oman and Bahrain are the most aff ected, while Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, in the GCC are less impacted by the lower oil prices, an industry expert said.

The more resilient econo-mies benefi t from strong mac-roeconomic fundamentals, such as more diversifi cation, solid fi -nancial buff ers and greater inte-

gration with world trade, Seltem Iyigun, Mena region economist at Coface, a worldwide leader in credit insurance, said.

The developed manufacturing and service industries in these markets allow less dependence on oil revenues, she explained.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states currently hold 30 per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves with Saudi Arabia in the lead (15.7 per cent), Kuwait (six

per cent) and the UAE (5.8 per cent). Together the GCC states produced 28.6 million barrels per day in 2014, equivalent to 32.3 per cent of total global production.

GCC states are seen to grow by 3.4 per cent in 2015 and 3.7 per cent in 2016. While these rates are considered high compared to other emerging markets, they remain below the region’s aver-age growth rate of 5.8 per cent be-tween 2000 and 2011.

C O F A C E S T U D Y

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1947 restaurant opens with a unique concept

MUSCAT: Encouraged by the suc-cess of Ananthapuri, Al Shorouq Group which owns and operates the restaurant in Ruwi, opened a brand new concept restaurant called 1947 in Ghubra. The open-ing ceremony took place recently under the patronage of Indra Mani Pandey, Ambassador of India. Ananthapuri Restaurant is the go-to destination for delicious South Indian speciality foods in Muscat, particularly known for the traditional Kerala dishes served in a cosy ambience that echoes the rich culinary tradition of the southern Indian state, says a press release.

The new eatery pays homage to the year in which India won its independence after centuries of colonisation.

1947 off ers traditional Indian cuisine with a special focus on South Indian delicacies in a unique and engaging ambience that is heaped with the history of India’s

freedom movement. The interior of the restaurant are adorned with fi gures and images of historic per-sonalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru Dr Rajendra Prasad, along with those who are relatively unknown to today’s gen-eration. There are people from the colonist side who have also had important roles in the transition of power in India and at 1947 the owners try to create an informa-tive ambience for its patrons.

Indian delicaciesBiby Jacob, managing director of Al Shorouq Group says, “At 1947, patrons can enjoy sumptuous In-

dian delicacies with a generous dose of history on the side. Most people are aware of historic per-sonalities such as Mahatma Gan-dhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, and Sardar Vallabhai Patel. But there are many other prominent fi g-ures who had a signifi cant role in India’s freedom like Khan Abdul Ghaff ar Khan, known as ‘Frontier Gandhi’ and Lord Mountbatten who oversaw the transfer of power to Indians. Our aim is to re-intro-duce the proud history of India’s struggle while they enjoy the vari-ety of authentic South Indian and North Indian dishes.”

In conjunction with the open-

ing, 1947 has also launched an initiative to promote awareness about the value of food since a huge amount is wasted as leftovers.

Jacob says, “Our customers enjoy the food that we serve, but we also see huge amounts of left-over food being futile every day, which is sad-dening and a matter of concern. In order to do our bit, we have launched this initiative under which, we will place messages on tables about food consumption to promote a respon-sible eating culture.”

The restaurant has the capac-ity to host 96 guests at a time and off ers South Indian and North In-dian, Chinese cuisines.

The new eatery pays

homage to the year

in which India won

its independence

after centuries of

colonisation

‘Ibri LNG’ completes trouble free 100th cargo laden voyageMUSCAT: Sailing cumulatively over a total distance of 1.2 mil-lion nautical miles i.e. about 2.2 million kilometres in sea trans-portation till date on the high seas across many oceans since July 2006, the Oman Shipping Company (OSC) owned LNG vessel ‘Ibri LNG’ recently com-pleted its seamless, trouble free and smooth 100th cargo laden voyage.

This vessel having a cargo ca-pacity of 145,000 cubic metres was built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and has been

dedicatedly serving Mitsubishi Corporation as charterers, year over year, since its delivery from the shipyard and will continue doing so, says a press release.

This is one of the 43 vessels operated by OSC and one among the 27 vessels being technically managed in-house by Oman Ship Management Company (OSMC), which is a wholly owned ship management subsidiary of OSC. OSMC is an ISM accredited and ISO 9001 & 14001 certifi ed com-pany by American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

U N B E A T E N C A R G O D E L I V E R Y

OIFC provides medical apparatus to Omani Association for Elderly MUSCAT: Oman Investment & Finance Company (OIFC) sup-ported the Omani Association for Elderly Friends, who are dedicated to serve the elder segment of the local society across many governo-rates in Oman.

The support consisted of provid-ing a number of medical apparatus and essential requirements for el-ders, such as medical mattresses and breathing support equipment. These items have addressed the needs of citizens from six diff erent wilyats of Governorate of Sharqi-yah, says a press release.

OIFC strongly believes in im-portance of its role towards its so-cial responsibility.

Said Safrar, CEO of OIFC, said: “At OIFC, in addition to our day-to-day work; serving our customers in the best possible way, we look into the opportunities to serve the local community as well.

"Today we have delightfully contributed to helping the el-derly citizens through the Omani Association for Elderly Friends,

and we are happy to serve the community.”

Badria Al Saifi , team leader of the association at Sharqiyah Governorate (North), elaborated: “The role of the Omani Associa-tion for Elderly Friends involves fund raising activities for provid-ing the essential requirements for the targeted segment (senior citi-zens), and to help and facilitate

them in their personal matters. This is in addition to enhancing public awareness of their needs. I am grateful to OIFC for its role and continuous support along with other companies and indi-viduals.”

OIFC was represented by Ma-soud Al Abrawi, assistant manag-er – Sharqiyah and Wusta, at this CSR imitative.

C O R P O R A T E S U P P O R T

IS Muladha celebrates literacy day

MULADHA: Literacy is essential to reach the sustainable develop-ment goal to promote “inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all.” To spread this message of the Unesco, on the occasion of the World Literacy Day, a programme was organised in the Kids’ World, under the auspices of various lan-guage departments.

S. I. Shareef, principal, V. S. Suresh, vice principal, Dr Lekha O.C. coordinator (co-curricular & extra-curricular), staff and the students attended the function, says a press release.

The event commenced with a prayer song by the school choir. Speaking on the occasion, Sha-reef highlighted the relevance of literacy which is a human right and a force for dignity. He also un-derlined the message from Irina Bokova, director-general of Un-esco, on the occasion of Interna-tional Literacy Day.

Students marked the day with a wide variety of programmes. Ana-mika Rajeev of Class VI made an English speech. Hindi elocution by Reham Zubair of Class VIII

and a melodious group song by the students added to the charm of the programme. Besides, the school choir enthralled the audi-ence with a song penned by Dr Lekha O. C., head of the Malay-alam Department. To underline the signifi cance of education and the role of children in society, an

informative skit was presented on the stage by students of Classes V and VI.

The celebration really helped the children understand the an-guish of the illiterate millions. The programme came to an end with the vote of thanks proposed by Fidha Abdul Jaleel.

F O C U S O N E D U C A T I O N

ISC Telugu Wing presents ‘Muscat Madhurimalu’

MUSCAT: Telugu Kala Samithi (TKS), Telugu Wing of Indian So-cial Club, Muscat will be present-ing a grand song and dance show on September 25 at Le Grand Hall, Al Falaj Hotel.

The mega programme titled ‘Muscat Madhurimalu’ will be an entertaining event with a splen-did show by popular Telugu fi lm and TV stars. Popular fi lm lyricist Ananth Sreeram, the fame of Ba-hubali and Seethamma Vaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu fi lms, will be the chief guest, says a press release.

Speaking about the mega event, Anil Kumar, convener, stated that ‘Muscat Madhurimalu’ is expected to captivate the audience with popular movie singers Kausalya, Parnika, Krishna Chaitanya and Saketh and highly admired per-formers on TV – Mythili, Chaitra, Anil and Nirupam with latest and popular songs and dances. Shy-amala, an enchanting TV anchor of various famous reality TV shows, will anchor the programme.

The committee placed on record their heartfelt gratitude to the be-nevolence and magnifi cence of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for his visionary leadership and his unstinted support to the Indian Diaspora in providing peaceful and harmonious living conditions

in the Sultanate of Oman. They also thanked the Indian

Ambassador to Oman Indra Mani Pandey for accepting to attend the mega event as the guest of honour.

Telugu Kala Samithi (TKS) is serving the Telugu community by providing a platform for the sec-ond largest expatriate community in Oman with various cultural, so-cial and sports activities.

The new executive commit-tee for the years 2015-2016 com-prises K. Anil Kumar, convener, K. Chinna Rao, co-convener, U. Surya Parvateesam, treasurer, Venu Gopal Hari, cultural secre-tary, K. Suresh, joint treasurer, M. Ramesh Babu, sports secretary, K. Sunil, Entertainment secretary, N. T. Swamy, Children’s Wing sec-

retary and G. Sridevi Prasanna, lady coordinator.

For additional support, com-mittee added three more members Somasekhar, Kiran and Sitaram. The committee will work under the supervision and guidance of Saji Abraham of ISC. Anil Kumar stated that the main aim of pre-sent committee is to bring unity with a positive energy amongst the members of Telugu commu-nity and increase the membership. ISC Telugu Wing has also created a youth wing to enhance interac-tion and active participation of younger members in their social and cultural endeavours. The new committee is charged with enthu-siasm and has drawn a road map of its annual calendar of events.

Thanking all their members for their continuous support and soulful participation in the events like Ugadi Vindu; yoga classes in association with Art of Living, Independence Day celebrations; chess and caroms tournament; youth leadership programme by Toast Masters, the convener re-quested continued support for a fulfi lling year 2015-16.

For more information about the wing’s activities and membership one can visit www.tksmuscat.org.

This mega programme is sup-ported by major sponsors, in-cluding Nagarjuna Construction Company, Bank Muscat, Muscat Finance, ROCA-Khimji, Al Wasit Machinery, Teejan Group, Avani Infra among others.

D A N C E S H O W

Box Appeal charity plan begins todayMUSCAT: Park Inn and Radisson Blu Hotels in Oman announced its participation in the Box Appeal, an annual charity initiative organ-ised by the Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson hotels. Now in its eighth edition, the month-long campaign kicks off today across seven countries in the Middle East and South Africa.

The Radisson Blu and Park Inn hotels in Oman join forces to fi ll boxes with a predetermined list of daily essential items with the support of participating schools and companies. People interest-ed in being a part of the charity can pick up a box from either of the two participating hotels, says a press release.

Boxes can be fi lled with per-sonal hygiene essentials such as T-shirt, cap, disposable razor, shaving cream, deodorant, items such toothbrush, toothpaste, tal-cum powder, small hand towel, comb, soap antibacterial and shampoo. All fi lled boxes can then be dropped off at either of the two participating hotels and volunteers will then distribute these boxes to the underprivi-leged in Muscat.

“We have been involved with the Box Appeal since 2011. We are proud to be driving this ini-tiative for the third year in a row in Oman. Joining forces with our sister hotel will only improve on the amount of boxes we deliver. As always we count on the sup-port of the local schools and com-munity to join us in this project. We can’t do this alone.

"A special thanks to our spon-sors and supporters, many of whom have been with us from the fi rst year and have seen the value in this campaign. Together we can achieve our target of 4,000 boxes. We can make a big diff er-ence to the lives of 4,000 migrant workers,” said Marius Wolma-rans, general manager for Radis-son Blu Muscat.

8 T H E D I T I O N

B6 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

ROUND-UP

Hyundai introduces attractive Eid off er

MUSCAT: As the fervour of Eid celebration sweeps over the na-tion, Hyundai has introduced its highly attractive Eid scheme titled ‘Hyundai Celebration Off er’.

The promotional scheme off ers an extremely attractive interest of 3.69% fl at per annum, coupled with an extended six-year pay-ment period while a 0% interest has been announced for loans up to one year. The promotion also of-fers cash as gift of up to OMR1,000 which can be used as part of the down payment, along with benefi ts including preventive maintenance service of up to fi ve years/100,000 kilometres (whichever is earlier, as per the signed contract), in-surance, free AAA roadside as-sistance, as well as 300 litres of petrol. Promotion elements may vary for diff erent models and exact details are available at all Hyundai showrooms, says a press release.

Bangkok tourFor those who long to experience the magic of Bangkok, buying a Hyundai during this promotion might just make the dream come true. Sixty lucky winners will get a chance to win a free three-night and four-day vacation to Bangkok

along with fl ight tickets, as part of this promotion. The winners will be chosen by four raffl e draws and customers buying earlier will have more probability of winning. As a result, Hyundai showrooms across the Sultanate have been witness-ing increased walk-ins, ever since the promotion was announced.

Wide choiceHyundai’s range of products of-fers a wide choice to customers, starting from compact cars and sedans to robust SUVs and luxury sedans. With a diverse range of models to suit diff erent lifestyles and needs of customers, Hyundai’s reputation for cutting-edge design, robust build-quality, and feature-packed off erings have made it a clear favourite among the discern-ing automobile enthusiasts. By the end of 2014, the award-winning Elantra sold more than 10 million units globally and the numbers are steadily increasing. Elantra is one of the only 10 cars in the history of the auto industry, to reach 10 mil-lion sales. In the luxury segment, the all-new Genesis has recently crossed the global sales fi gure of 100,000 units within 18 months of its launch.

Hyundai’s well recognised Flu-idic Sculpture design philosophy has given a new dimension to the aesthetics and sophistication of quality and appearance. This has not only increased the customer preference towards Hyundai, but has also resulted in popular mod-els such as Sonata winning pres-tigious Red Dot Design Award 2015, the Good Design award, etc.These are a testimony to Hyun-dai’s continued commitment to delivering quality cars with lead-ing design and performance at a great value.

Hyundai’s SUV range is equally illustrious. The Santa Fe with its bold design and class-leading safety features continues to win numerous awards across the globe — awards that measurably demonstrate the strong appre-ciation and acceptance of Hyun-dai’s SUV range. Hyundai’s brand direction of ‘Modern Premium’ propels the brand to surpass cus-tomers’ expectations by com-bining exceptional performance with great value and emotional elegance. Hyundai is globally recognised for its sophisticated product design, uncompromising quality, safety technology and ex-ceptional value. Hyundai, today, ranks among the top automotive brands in the world.

Stellar performanceHyundai’s dedication to enhance the customer buying experience has resulted in its consistent rank improvement over the years. The stellar performance of Hyundai in the recent J.D. Power US Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study is an acknowledgement of the cus-tomer focus of brand Hyundai. Being one of the top-shopped

vehicles, Hyundai vehicles com-mand a very strong resale value- in Oman and across other global markets as well.

Hyundai’s ability to understand people’s desires and respond quickly to the changing needs of its customers by off ering prod-ucts with futuristic global design and cutting-edge technology has touched the hearts of millions of customers worldwide.

Uncompromising qualityOne has to test drive and discover what millions of satisfi ed Hyundai owners already experience and en-joy — Hyundai stands for uncom-promising quality.

Hyundai has a strong presence in the passenger vehicles category in Oman with its wide range of Se-dans and SUVs off ered with vari-ous engine options and trim op-tions. Hyundai off ers a full array of sedans in Oman including: Accent, Elantra, Sonata and Azera while trend-setters for the modern youth continue to be the Veloster and Veloster Turbo. Its ‘i’ series de-notes the compact range designed to meet smart mobility needs and features the Grand i10, i20, i30 and i40. The Hyundai SUV range com-prising of the Tucson, Santa Fe and Grand Santa Fe has garnered fi erce loyalty among car lovers. The premium cars, Centennial and Genesis in the luxury car segment have made a niche for themselves and won the hearts of analysts and customers alike.

OTE Group is the exclusive dealer of Hyundai in Oman. With a nationwide network of show-rooms and service centres, OTE Group ensures that Hyundai cus-tomers are never far from getting high quality service.

The promotional scheme off ers an extremely

attractive interest of 3.69% fl at per annum,

coupled with an extended six-year payment

period while a 0% interest has been

announced for loans up to one year

Oman Offi ce Show gets under wayMUSCAT: The Oman Offi ce Show 2015, the Sultanate’s de-fi nitive trade fair for offi ce sys-tems, commercial interiors and workspace solutions, began at the Oman International Exhibition Centre yesterday.

The three-day event, being or-ganised by Global Exhibitions & Conferences, was formally in-augurated by Eng. Ridha bin Ju-maa Al Saleh, vice chairman for Administration and Financial Aff airs, Oman Chamber of Com-merce and Industry. Also in at-tendance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony were a number of gov-ernment and private sector digni-taries, says a press release.

The chief guest toured the ex-hibitor stands and acquainted himself with the signifi cance of the diverse array of offi ce automa-tion and solutions, commercial interior design, and a complete range of offi ce-related products from hi-tech furniture systems for dynamic offi ce environments, and ergonomically designed workplace solutions, to innova-tions fashioned from sustainable and highly durable materials.

He also briefl y chatted with representatives of various exhib-iting companies on the nature of their off erings to the commercial segments of the offi ce develop-ment market.

In his address, Ridha stated: “Oman Offi ce Show is an annual event that recognises the impor-tance of boosting productivity and effi ciency in the workplace

through the use of innovation and technology, enhanced ergonom-ics, energy-friendly equipment, and sustainable solutions for the offi ce. The upshot is an across-the-board improvement in cor-porate productivity that, in turn, has a benefi cial knock-on eff ect on economic growth. Thus, in es-sence, the underlying objective of this event is in perfect alignment with the strategic socioeconomic goals of the Omani government.”

Complementing the show’s mainstay exhibition event is, for the fi rst time in the series, an information-packed seminar featuring keynote presentations by leading industry and busi-ness experts. During the two-day seminars, a distinguished roster of speakers are delivering pres-entations on the best practices

and technologies that will defi ne the future of Oman’s commercial design sector.

As can be expected of the coun-try’s signature trade event on the offi ce workspace, this year’s Oman Offi ce Show has attracted the widest array of brands, prod-ucts and services catering to the diverse and rapidly evolving requirements of the offi ce envi-ronment. Market heavyweights Fahmy Furniture and Teejan Fur-nishing are backing the show as gold sponsors.

As representatives of re-nowned furniture, furnishing and equipment brands from around world, both players in-tend to make the most of this pre-mier platform to connect with their respective customer base.

Participating as associate spon-

sors are Kottoor International (UAE) and Al Jassar Furnishing, both specialists in workspace planning, custom-designed offi ce furniture and interior refurbish-ment. Other well-known fi rms that have confi rmed their pres-ence as exhibitors include Saeed bin Nasser Al Hashar, Al Hilal Furniture, BT Gallery, Bastani Trading, Al Hajiry Furnishing, Uday Khimji International, OTIF Services (UAE), Al Abrawi Na-tional Projects Trading & Con-struction, Asad Furnishing, Oman Lights, BizMax infotech, ZAK Furnishings, Sama Italia Marble & Granite, Reliable Resources & Services, The Big Art Company (UAE), Aufait Technologies (In-dia), Gulf Infotech and Cube De-sign & Advertising.

“Although a mere three years since it was fi rst unveiled in September 2012, the Oman Of-fi ce Show series has grown into a benchmark expo of goods and service that make up the offi ce equipment, offi ce automation and furniture space in Oman. Customers and visitors alike can look forward to new products across all categories, including furniture and fabrics, interior fi n-ishes, technology, and energy effi -ciency, among other areas,” com-mented C. J. Paul, CEO, Global Exhibitions & Conferences.

Oman Offi ce Show is open till tomorrow. Opening hours for trade visitors and the general public are from 10am to 1:30pm and from 4pm to 8:30pm.

T R A D E F A I R

3M & Ansell showcase latest safety innovations at OFSEC

MUSCAT: Arabian Engineering Services are showcasing the lat-est innovations from 3M & Ansell for health and safety protection at Oman Fire, Safety & Security Exhibition, being held till tomor-row at the Oman International Exhibition Centre.

3M & Ansell are world re-nowned brands for health, safety and environment products, like respirators, eyewear, ear fi ts, hel-mets and safety hand gloves, says a press release.

“3M and Ansell’s exclusive stall is set to present customers with an opportunity to know more about the products in real life,” said a representative from Arabi-an Engineering Services. “Health and safety has always remained an important area in all areas of work that requires the highest level of awareness and prepared-ness. By visiting this stall one can observe and understand the vari-ous ways in which they can make their working environment safe and secure,” he concluded.

3M is a global innovation com-pany with an experience of over one hundred years. 3M innova-tions have played a vital role in enhancing the daily life for hun-dreds of millions of people all over the world. 3M believes that in any business, a secure, safe working environment is benefi cial to both the workforce and business. The

key areas of health and safety that 3M caters to are respiratory, ear, eye, head and skin.

3M is committed to providing the industrial community with innovative solutions, based on diversifi ed technologies which help improve the quality, per-formance and effi ciency, while meeting the international stand-ards in the industry.

Ansell, with more than a hun-dred year experience, has led the way in technical expertise and in-novation of hand gloves in areas like mechanical, chemical and heat protection. Ansell developed a set of specifi c solutions aimed at promoting premium protec-tion against various mechanical hazards through highly success-ful brands Hyfl ex and Powerfl ex. Recently Ansell even introduced a new range of gloves primarily focused on the Oil & Gas Indus-try. Ansell products comply with the highest European and na-tional standards in terms of hand safety of the users and all gloves are CE certifi ed and protects the worker from the hazards inher-ent in specifi c applications: cut, cold and heat.

For more information on 3M and Ansell, customers can visit stall no. H7 at the Oman Inter-national Exhibition Centre, be-tween 10am – 1pm and 4.30pm – 8.30pm.

H E A L T H A N D S A F E T Y P R O D U C T S

Local Urdu poets pay tribute to martyrsMUSCAT: A selection of local poets and speakers paid their re-spects to the martyrs in ‘A tribute to Shuhadaa’ event held at Al Falaj Hotel.

Mian Mohammad Munir, chair-man, Pakistan Social Club, was the chief guest while Chaudhry Shau-kat Ali, Counsellor at Embassy of Pakistan, and Dr Arshad Wasti were the guests of honour. The event was organised by Atlantic Eye Trading in association with Al Qassabi Travel and Tourism, says a press release.

The programme started with recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by Naat and National An-thems of Oman and Pakistan.

Local poets Faheem Zia, Mo-hammed Hussain, Nasir Maroof, Moosa Kashmiri, and Zakir Hus-sain Zakir paid tributes to the mar-tyrs who gave life for Pakistan.

Noted compere and poetess

Azra Aleem then paid her poetic tribute to the children of Army Public School Peshawar.

Dr Arshad Wasti and A H Raja, PSC vice-chairman, shared their memories of the war, highlighting

the sacrifi ces made by the forefa-thers and the soldiers.

The event ended with a prayer for the martyrs as well as for the health and long life of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

L I T E R A R Y E V E N T

AIE takes part in fi re and safety exhibitionMUSCAT: Advanced Innova-tive Engineering (AIE), current-ly participating in Oman Fire, Safety and Security Exhibition, specialises in the development of innovative rotary engines for unmanned vehicles. From its headquarters in Lichfi eld, United Kingdom, it manages entire pro-ject lifecycles through concept, prototype and production.

Manappat Group which has more than three decades of busi-ness operations in Middle East and India had launched AIE in UK in 2011, says a press release.

With a combined experience of over 80 years in engineering re-search, design, development and manufacturing across a number of industries, AIE engineers use cutting-edge software and sys-tems to make engines that have fewer moving parts, increased fuel effi ciency, greater longevity, and reduced weight and life-cycle costs. Its engines deliver market-leading performance, including high power-to-weight ratio, low vibration, and an unparalleled patented liquid-cooled self-pres-surised-air rotor cooling system.

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Bank Nizwa targets public sector in ‘Islamic Finance Knowledge Series’

MUSCAT: Bank Nizwa, Oman’s ambassador for Islamic Finance, has launched the second phase of its ‘Islamic Finance Knowledge Se-ries’ focusing on the public sector.

This stage has been dedicated

to raising awareness on Islamic Finance among government em-ployees, starting with the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Aff airs’ Di-rectorate in Nizwa.

Over the next few months, Bank

Nizwa’s team of experts will de-liver a series of in-depth sessions to government entities including the Ministry of Education and the Sultan Qaboos Islamic Studies In-stitute, says a press release.

“Our goal at Bank Nizwa is to spread the knowledge on Islamic Finance and its associated bene-fi ts to the widest possible audience in our communities and lead the way for the growth of the industry,” said Dr Ashraf Al Nabhani, general manager, Corporate Support.

“According to the Statistical Year Book 2014, issued by the National Centre for Statistics & Information,

the public sector in Oman employs close to 170,000. It is therefore im-perative that we raise awareness on Shari’a-compliant banking among this key demographic of the Omani workforce. To begin with, we have joined forces with two ministries, the Ministry of Awqaf and Reli-gious Aff airs and the Ministry of Education employing over 40,000 in various directorates across the Sultanate,” he added.

Focus of fi rst phaseThe fi rst phase of the campaign focused on various colleges and universities across the Sultanate

including Sultan Qaboos Univer-sity, Sohar University, Shinas Col-lege of Technology and University of Nizwa among others. Since its inception in 2013, Bank Nizwa has become the go-to-reference for Is-lamic Finance in the country par-ticipating and organising several initiatives to raise awareness on the industry across Oman.

In addition to the ‘Islamic Fi-nance Knowledge Series’, the bank has been off ering novel products and services tailored to the needs of personal and corpo-rate banking and helping people lead fi nancially secure lifestyles.

This stage has been dedicated to raise

awareness on Islamic Finance among

government employees

Startup Oman, one-stop-shop for entrepreneurs, launchedMUSCAT: Startup Oman, the Sultanate’s only online platform created by entrepreneurs for entre-preneurs, was offi cially launched, at Oman SME Summit 2015 taking place at Al Bustan Palace, yesterday.

The launch revealed key fea-tures of the one-stop-shop (www.startupoman.om) such as a reg-istry of programmes and services available to SMEs in Oman, a re-source knowledge centre and a 24/7 online forum called My Mu-jtama, says a press release.

My Mujtama is an online com-munity for entrepreneurship in Oman. It is a forum designed to encourage entrepreneurial con-versations, connect SMEs to their peers, mentors and stakeholders and be the go-to online resource for entrepreneurial event listings and meetups. To join the com-munity, SMEs and stakeholders are invited to visit http://www.mymujtama.startupoman.om and sign up at no cost. My Mujtama provides the opportunity for en-trepreneurs as well as stakehold-ers to discuss key topics and issues related to the SME sector, as well as share knowledge and provide peer-to-peer learning and support.

“We are immensely proud to be taking the cover off of Startup Oman,” said Ali Daud, Startup Oman’s founder and CEO of Daud Group of Companies.

“A lot of work has gone into en-suring that our platform responds to the needs of both SMEs and stakeholders and we have delib-erately sought out partnering pro-grammes that increase Oman’s ability to compete on the global circuit,” Daud added.

Startup Oman’s impact reaches beyond being merely an online platform. The team has partnered with local and international enti-ties to bring a variety of face-to-face events and learning opportunities to the Sultanate. Oman SMEs and stakeholders can expect to attend monthly ‘Coff ee with Caribou’ meet ups as well as be inspired by prominent Omani entrepreneurs at Oman’s own local version of Silicon Valley’s Startup Grind. As Startup Grind’s offi cial chapter in Oman, Startup Oman aspires to instil a global perspective amongst SMEs

global, for purposes of developing expertise that is consistent with world standards and, local, for pur-poses of helping Oman SMEs capi-talise on regional opportunities that create economic impact.

Sherry Colbourne, managing partner, said, “One of the key chal-lenges facing Oman SMEs today is simply connecting to and under-standing the programs available to them. In fact, in a recent study con-ducted by National Poll Centre, we discovered that the oldest and most recognised program in Oman, Inti-laaqah, could only be identifi ed by 43% of the SME respondents. Ri-yada was recognised by even fewer with only 37% of respondents able to identify them. Helping SMEs connect with the many fabulous programmes that exist in Oman as well as with each other is a major focus of our initiative.”

O N L I N E P L A T F O R M

Sohar Islamic extends support to Omani Bahjah Orphan SocietyMUSCAT: As an active socially responsible organisation, Sohar Islamic — Bank Sohar’s Islamic Banking Window has extended its support to the Omani Bahjah Orphan Society for the second year running.

This year, the bank’s contribu-tion was dedicated towards the society’s ‘Orphan income busi-ness plan’; put in place to off er so-ciety members with sustainable income through the purchase of sewing machines in order to pro-duce items they could rent or sell, says a press release.

The donation was handed over to Abdulrub bin Salim Al Yafai, chairman of Omani Bahjah Or-phan Society, at Sohar Islamic’s Saada Branch by Munira Ab-dulnabi Macki, DGM Human Resources and Corporate Sup-port, Bank Sohar, in the presence of Salim Khamis Al Maskery, Head of Sohar Islamic, Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi, AGM and Head of Marketing and Public-ity, Bank Sohar, and Ahmed Salim Jaboob, Senior Branch Manager, Sohar Islamic Saada Branch.

Commenting on the bank’s sup-port, Munira Abdulnabi Macki, said, “We have always focused on having a positive impact on our society and have given great importance to organisation and individuals that make signifi cant

contributions towards this cause; especially so when it contributes towards the wellbeing of children in the community. Every child de-serves to enjoy the love, care and security provided by a family. In the absence of their parents, it is the selfl ess work of organisation such as the Omani Bahjah Orphan Society that gives these children hope and the promise of a brighter future. Therefore, and as a leading corporate member of the society, we consider it our moral obliga-tion to support such initiatives and therefore the organisation as a whole.”

Established in February 2014 and based in the Dhofar Region, Omani Bahjah Orphan Society is made up of individuals from the lo-cal community who are dedicated to the care of orphans within the region. The dedicated individuals are committed towards providing these children with psychologi-

cal and emotional support as well as coordinating with government entities to fulfi l necessary social, educational and health care needs. Although, currently operational in Salalah, Omani Bahjah Orphan Society intends on expanding its branch network to cater to a larger number of orphan children.

Thanking Sohar Islamic for its support, Abdulrub bin Salim Al Yafai, chairman of Omani Bahjah Orphan Society said, “I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the support we have received from Sohar Is-lamic. This donation will greatly contribute towards the overall success of our ‘Orphan income business plan’ – an initiative that was introduced to off er our members a sustainable income by purchasing sewing machines enabling them to produce items to sell, allowing them to earn a sta-ble income in the long run.”

S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

Bunts community to celebrate 28 years of journey in OmanMUSCAT: To commemorate their 28 years of togetherness in Oman, the organising team of the Bunts of Oman is planning a dazzling sports day and an ex-citing family get-together event, titled as ‘Buntara Vaibhava 2015’ showcasing the grandeur of Bunts and their extraordinary cultural heritage. The Bunts community hailing from the south western region of India, has its presence in Oman for over four decades.

The formation of the Bunts community gathering started during the year 1987 and ever since its inception, the com-munity gathering in Oman has strived to bring all the communi-ty members of Coastal Karnataka together, encouraging potential talents, promoting socio-cultural events with a goal of preserving its cultural heritage. Today, they can say that they are one of the progressive NRI Indian commu-nities in Oman with more than 1,200 families.

Dazzling showSpeaking to Times of Oman, Shiva Prasad Ariga, Media coordina-tor of ‘Buntara Vaibhava 2015’ organising committee, said: “We, the organising team members of the ‘Buntara Vaibhava 2015’, have put a lot of eff orts and planning of many days to present this annual event. Our Bunts culture and her-itage will be highlighted during the event.”

Annual event“This annual event will be an op-portunity for all Bunts in Oman to meet their fellow community members under one roof and share their experiences and joy with each other. “On behalf of the organising committee, I request all Bunts in Oman to come together and be part of the event.”

The sports meet will be held on two consecutive Fridays.

The fi rst sports day will be men’s cricket only event which will be held on October 9 at the

Ghubra Power and Desalination Company grounds, Al Khuwair from 7am to 6pm.

The family sports day will be held on October 16 at the Wadi Kabir sports complex grounds from 7am to 8pm. Apart from volley ball and ladies throw ball, there will be exciting fun games for all age groups.

The annual Bunts cultural event will be held on November 15 at the Le Grand Hall, Al Falaj Hotel, Ruwi from 8.30am to 8pm.

“All the participating Bunts sports teams (cricket, volleyball, tug of war and ladies throw ball) are requested to register their teams by October 3 with the sports coordinators mentioned below. Bunt members who wish to participate in the annual get together can contact the cultural programme coordinators by Oc-tober 25,” he added.

Further information can be had from the organising commit-tee member Shiva Prasad Ariga on 99782579.

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Bank Muscat SME workshop on fi nance, cost control tomorrow

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the fl ag-ship fi nancial services provider in the Sultanate, as part of its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and partnership in sustainable development is hosting a workshop on the fundamentals of fi nance and cost control for small and medium enterprise (SMEs) at Hilton Salalah Hotel tomorrow.

The workshop is organised by al Wathbah, Bank Muscat’s SME department, as part of activities aimed at expanding and strength-

ening avenues for SME develop-ment in Oman, says a press release.

Unique learning opportunitiesExpert trainers will lead the work-shop for existing and prospective entrepreneurs to familiarise them with various aspects of fi nance and cost control management integral for charting successful business ventures. Bank Muscat regularly organises workshops and semi-

nars to facilitate unique learning opportunities to address the chal-lenges faced by entrepreneurs and thereby create an environment fa-vourable for SME success.

Over the years, Bank Muscat has launched several initiatives as part of its commitment to SME development in Oman. Serving as building blocks for entrepreneurs, these initiatives assume impor-tance in the backdrop of the prior-ity accorded by the government to

develop the SME sector in Oman. Aimed at strengthening the SME sector and creating a successful generation of entrepreneurs, al Wathbah is committed to facilitat-ing such unique initiatives.

In step with the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to support the SME sector and strengthen its role in the economic development of Oman, Bank Mus-cat has taken the lead to develop the SME sector in Oman.

The workshop is organised by al Wathbah,

Bank Muscat’s SME department, as part

of activities aimed at expanding and

strengthening avenues for SME development

in Oman

Geely Emgrand X7 with 6AT delivers world-class qualityMUSCAT: Geely Emgrand X7 — the fi rst SUV to receive 5 star rating in the China – New Car As-sessment Programme (C-NCAP) test and the fi rst SUV to have ‘6+1’ air bags confi guration — is indeed a world class model. Loaded with modern and innovative features, the Geely Emgrand X7 SUV is equipped with DSI 6AT and 2.4L CVVT engine that gives highly reliable and quality performance, says a press release.

A senior spokesperson of Towell Auto Centre (TAC), the sole dis-tributors of Geely range of cars in Oman, explains: “The 6AT in the Geely Emgrand is produced by DSI (Drivetrain Systems Interna-tional), the world’s second largest automatic transmission company with leading-edge manufactur-ing technology. It gives better shift performance, starting acceleration performance, steering and ride comfort, engine combination and fuel economy. It can lower the rid-er’s sense of setback when getting a gearshift and only takes 0.3 second for gearshift response. The 6AT has a high torque of 220Nm resulting in better engine performance.”

Apart from excellent engine performance, the Geely Emgrand X7 also off ers utmost safety. Based on the safety system of Geely To-tal Safety Management (GTSM), the Emgrand X7 is designed in accordance with the 5-star stand-ards of E-NCAP and 5+ standards of C-NCAP. The model has ‘6+1’ air bags confi guration. ‘6’ are con-ventional six air bags in frontal and side parts and ‘1’ is the KABs (knee airbags) which are rarely seen in models of the same class. It is also equipped with anti-fl ogging device for seats to protect riders, while the energy-absorbing engine bon-net and crumpling-type head lamp mounting frame provide pedestri-an protection. “With great safety performance, engine combination

and smart settings as well as eco-nomic and comfortable features, the Geely Emgrand X7 indeed is a very popular model. Its price is also very reasonable and free 24 hours AAA roadside assistance is given on its purchase for a three-year period,” he added.

This Chinese brand is also doing exceptionally well globally, partic-ularly in US, Europe and in Middle East. By bringing the Geely range to the Sultanate, TAC has rein-forced its commitment to provide high-quality products and services to its customers in Oman. With a network of 11 showrooms, 13 ser-vice outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across Oman, TAC is one of the leading automobile distribu-tors in the region.

S U V M O D E L

10 Bank Sohar customers win Al Mumayaz monthly prizes MUSCAT: Under the patronage of Sheikh Dr Said bin Khamis Al Kaabi, head of the General Au-thority for Consumer Protection, Bank Sohar recently organised a VIP client gathering in Barka.

The well attended event wit-nessed conducting Al Mumayaz Saving Scheme monthly draw for the month of August with a prize pool valued at OMR55,000 dis-tributed among 10 lucky winners. The draw saw fi ve Bank Sohar customers win OMR10,000 each and fi ve minor account holders win OMR1,000 each.

Representing Bank Sohar at the event, which was held at the Al Nahda Resort, Barka recently, were Rashad Ali Al Musafi r, Act-ing CEO, R. Narasimhan, DGM of and head of Retail Banking, Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi, AGM and head of Marketing and Pub-licity and Rashid Saif Al Mask-ery, district manager of the Bati-nah region. Also in attendance were other senior members of the bank including Redha Al La-watia, senior chief manager of Liabilities and Sales at Bank So-har, and Saud Saif Al Hadhrami, senior manager Barka branch, who welcomed the chief guest and the bank’s VIP customers from the area.

The event commenced with a welcome address by Saud Saif Al Hadhrami, the branch manager of the Bank Sohar Barka branch, followed by an introductory speech by Rashad Ali Al Musa-fi r in which he touched upon the importance of maintaining posi-tive customer relations.

“We have always placed great emphasis on building strong re-lationship with our customers, and as a result have grown to become one of the most promi-nent banks within the country in just eight short years. Such

gatherings further facilitate our customer focused approach by providing us with an opportu-nity to directly interact with our customers and obtain their valu-able feedback. We place great importance on such feedback as it helps strengthen our cli-ent relationships in all regions of the country as well as helps us in evolving our products and services to meet customer needs and aspirations,” said Al Musafi r.

The guests were then treated to an enchanting poetry recitation by renowned poet Matar Al Buri-ki. A comprehensive overview of the features of the 2015 Al Mu-mayaz Savings Scheme was then presented to the audience by Red-ha Al Lawatia, highlighting the main enhancements of the new scheme and other value added benefi ts. During his informative presentation, he also showcased the range of superior hi-tech re-tail banking products and servic-es provided by the bank.

The draws were then initiated with the children monthly draws, which saw fi ve children – Zahir AL Salmi, from Ibra branch; Dhahi Wadhah Al Sibani, from Al Seeb branch; Abdullah Al Majaly, from Al Seeb branch; Al Ayham Jamil Al Siyabi, from Al Seeb branch; and Ahmed Al Mamari, from Al Azaiba

branch; win OMR1,000 each.The guest of honour then con-

ducted the draws to reveal the winners of the Al Mumayaz Sav-ings Scheme monthly draws which saw H. Z. Al Farsi, from Al Qurum branch; Said Al Balushi, from Ibri branch; Maryam Al Balushi, from Al Khoudh branch; Tayi Ramanululu, from MBD branch; and Y.A.S., from Al Qu-rum branch, win the monthly grand prize of OMR10,000 each.

“With this monthly draw be-hind us we are now entering the fi -nal months of our most successful Al Mumayaz Savings scheme yet. I would like to take this opportu-nity to congratulate not only our August monthly winners but also the over 700 winners we have had this year as part of the scheme. However, with coming prizes yet to be won, the celebrations for our customers are far from over and I would like to encourage all of our customers to continue saving to further improve their chances of winning,” said Narasimhan, com-menting on the occasion.

“We were happy to host such a prestigious VIP client gathering and the overwhelming response we received from our guests clearly underlines the strong re-lationship we share with them in the region,” he added.

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England’s former captain ‘courageous’ Close passes awayLONDON: Former Yorkshire and England captain Brian Close, one of the most physically courageous players in cricket history, has died at the age of 84, it was announced on Monday.

Close became the youngest player ever to win a Test cap for England when he made his debut against New Zealand in 1949 as an 18-year-old.

He went on to lead his country seven times in 22 Tests, between 1949 and 1976 and also captained his native county to win four coun-ty championship titles.

Close scored almost 35,000 runs as a batsman, including 52 centu-ries with a highest innings score of 198. He also took 1,171 fi rst-class wickets as an off -spin bowler and over 800 catches as a fi elder.

A member of the outstanding Yorkshire team of the 1960s which also featured England greats such as Geoff Boycott, Ray Illingworth and Fred Trueman, Close returned

home to Baildon near Bradford more than 20 years later to lead Yorkshire’s Academy team — and also serve as chairman of the cricket committee.

His death, after a short illness, came just four days after Yorkshire sealed their second successive county championship title — and 32nd outright in all.

A statement on Yorkshire’s website on Monday morning con-fi rmed Close’s death the previous day. It read: “It is with the deep-est regret that Yorkshire County Cricket Club announce the death of Brian Close, CBE, one of York-shire and England’s greatest ever captains and one of the game’s most courageous players.”

Close was renowned for his fear-lessness, both in the ‘suicide’ catch-ing positions where, in an age before helmets and extensive protective equipment, he would be much near-er than modern-day fi elders, and in standing up to fast bowling.

His capacity for taking bruises, be it against the likes of Wes Hall and Charlie Griffi th in 1963 or 13 years later when, at the advanced age of 45, he was recalled by Eng-land to face the searing pace of

another pair of West Indies fast bowlers in Andy Roberts and Mi-chael Holding, won him both awe and admiration.

Close, who also briefl y played professional football for Leeds and

Bradford, had a stop-start England career, with injury on the 1950/51 tour of Australia being held against him before, a decade later, he was accused of sparking an Ashes Test defeat by Australia at Old Traff ord in 1961 when he got out trying to counter-attack Australia leg-spin-ner Richie Benaud.

He was recalled by England as captain in 1966 but, after a suc-cessful spell in charge, lost the job a year later after being accused of time-wasting in a county match.

After he was controversially sacked by Yorkshire in 1970, Close moved to Somerset where, as cap-tain, he had a major role in super-vising the early professional ca-reers of two future world stars in England all-rounder Ian Botham and West Indies batsman Vivian Richards. His professional career lasted 37 years — unthinkable by modern standards — and, when it was over, he also had a spell as an England selector.

Former umpire Dickie Bird, who played alongside Close at York-shire, said: “He will go down as one of the bravest cricketers of all time. He would stand at short-leg, about a yard away from the bat, and would never fl inch if the ball hit him.

“As a captain, his record speaks for itself. He is Yorkshire’s most successful post-war captain —winning the County Champion-ship on four occasions — and will always be regarded as one of the best skippers in the game.”

Meanwhile, Michael Vaughan, who also played for Yorkshire and captained England to Ashes glory in 2005, remembered how Close had advised him early in his career.

Writing on Twitter, Vaughan said: “Such a sad day.. He was a true inspiration to all of us ...I once had a LBW problem.Closey aged 60 came into the nets and bat-ted without pads ‘only way young man you will sort your problem’ #RIPClosey”. - AFP

C R I C K E T

FEARLESS: A fi le photo dated June 21, 1976 shows England’s Brian

Close in action. – AP/PTI

Australia call up Fekete

SYDNEY: Australia sprang a sur-prise on Monday when they called up uncapped paceman Andrew Fekete, 30, for next month’s Test tour of Bangladesh as part of a ma-jor shake-up following a number of retirements.

Debutant top-order batsman Cameron Bancroft, 22, also gets the nod in a 15-man squad cap-tained by Steve Smith as Australia grapple with wholesale changes.

Former skipper Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson have all retired as Australia lost the Ashes Test tour but won the one-day se-ries against England 3-2.

Quicks Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood are both rested after a heavy recent workload,

while opening batsman David Warner and leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed are injured.

Joe Burns, Patrick Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell and Stephen O’Keefe are all re-

called for the two Tests in Chit-tagong and Dhaka.

“The retirements ... as well as is-sues of injury, form and conditions have brought about a major change in the profi le of the touring party

from the one that toured the Brit-ish Isles,” said national selector Rodney Marsh.

“But with that change comes a fantastic opportunity for all the players going to Bangladesh.

“They are going as a young group with seven of the players aged 26 or less, and all 15 have the oppor-tunity to kick on and, in the case of Cameron Bancroft and Andrew Fekete, kick off their Test careers and establish themselves as the core of the side for years to come.”

West Australian Bancroft scored 896 fi rst-class runs last season while Fekete took 37 wick-ets — more than any other fast bowler in domestic cricket.

“Cameron is a player who im-pressed everyone on the recent A tour of India,” Marsh said. “He’s young, hungry and he could be-come a very good player for us over a long period of time.

Australia are due to depart September 28 to arrive for a tour match in Fatullah from October 3 to 5. The two Tests will take place in Chittagong (October 9-13) and the capital (October 17-21).

The team: Steve Smith (c), Adam Voges, Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat-rick Cummins, Andrew Fekete, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Peter Nev-ill, Stephen O’Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitch-ell Starc. - AFP

Debutant batsman

Cameron Bancroft,

22, also gets the nod

in a 15-man squad

with wholesale

changes

MELBOURNE: Australia plan to bowl paceman Mitch-ell Starc until he breaks down with a chronic ankle injury that will require surgery and a four-month spell from cricket, selector Rod Marsh said on Monday.

Starc is suff ering bone spurs in an ankle but has been retained in Australia’s 15-man squad for their tour of Bang-ladesh. “My understanding of Starc is that he can keep going until it actually gets a hell of a lot worse, and then he will have to have an operation,” selectors chairman Marsh told reporters in Adelaide. “Rest won’t help him.

“He has got spurs in his an-kle and there is a bit of bone that has broken off and fl oat-ing and every now and then it gets into a position where it is just chronically painful.

“Eventually it is going to have to be removed but it will take another three or four months after the operation for him to be able to play again.

“We have got some pretty important cricket coming including the T20 World Cup and we would like to see Starc lead the attack for that... but if he can’t, he can’t.

“But at the moment the plan is for him to keep going.” - Reuters

Australia to fl og injured Starc until he breaks down

Rooney misses Eindhoven trip, Aguero out of City tie with JuveEINDHOVEN: Manchester United skipper Wayne Roon-ey will miss the English club’s Champions League group match opener at PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday with new summer sign-ing Memphis Depay looking to spark at his former club.

Rooney picked up a hamstring injury training ahead of Satur-day’s 3-1 win over Liverpool and will not be rushed back by man-ager Louis van Gaal for the Euro-pean group stage opener.

United make their return to the Champions League away to PSV in a clash which will see Dutch winger Depay return to the club he left in the summer for £25 million ($38.6m). Depay has struggled since his arrival in United with French teenager An-thony Martial’s goalscoring debut against Liverpool on Saturday distracting from the 21-year-old’s struggles.

Depay should get a warm recep-tion in the Philips Stadion having helped PSV to a fi rst title win in seven years last season.

The forward was the Dutch league’s top scorer with 22 goals, but United fans are yet to see the same form of a player that shone for PSV and the Netherlands at the World Cup.

Depay’s place however could be under threat following the im-pressive performance of Ashley Young off the bench on Saturday and Morgan Schneiderlin could

come in for either Michael Car-rick or Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Martial could make his his fi rst start for Manchester United with Rooney ruled out.

Meanwhile, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini re-vealed Sergio Aguero will miss City’s opener at home to Juventus on Tuesday due to a knee injury.

The Argentina striker, 27, sat out training on Monday after sustain-ing a kick to the knee from Scott Dann during City’s 1-0 win at Crys-tal Palace on Saturday that forced him to come off in the 24th minute.

David Silva and Raheem Ster-ling missed the Palace game with ankle and hamstring problems

respectively, but Pellegrini said that both players were fi t to face Juventus.

In Paris, all eyes will be on Zlatan Ibrahimovic as Paris Saint-German get their Group A campaign underway against his boyhood club Malmo on Tuesday.

Since leaving Sweden for Ajax in 2001 he has become one of the most feared strikers in world foot-ball, but time is running out for the 33-year-old to add a Champi-ons League winners’ medal to his collection despite domestic titles with Juventus, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Barcelona.

For now, though, PSG coach Laurent Blanc knows his side’s best hopes of a long run rest with Ibrahimovic being fi t and fi r-ing, the reason he sat out PSG’s last game against Bordeaux after picking up an abdominal strain on international duty.

Real Madrid coach Rafa Ben-itez, meanwhile, said midfi elder Isco needs to score more goals if he is to keep James Rodriguez out of the side when the Colombia in-ternational returns from injury.

James damaged a thigh muscle on duty with Colombia last week and will probably be sidelined for around a month and Isco played in his place in Saturday’s 6-0 La Liga success at Espanyol and is likely to do the same in Tues-day’s Champions League Group A opener at home to Shakhtar Donetsk. - Agencies

C H A M P I O N S L E A G U E

FIRST START: Manchester

United’s Anthony Martial

warms up during a training

session at Philips Stadion in

Eindhoven. – Reuters

AL AROUBA BEGIN TITLE DEFENCE IN STYLE, DHOFAR AND SOHAR WINAl Arouba began their title defence with a 3-1 victory

over Salalah on the second day of fi rst week action

at Al Saada Sports Complex in Salalah on Monday. In

other matches, Dhofar blanked Al Shabab 2-0 at Seeb

Sports Stadium while Sohar edged Sur 2-1 at Sohar

Sports Complex. — ISMAIL AL FARSI/Times of Oman

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Al Musannah Sports City to host world windsurfing meet

MUSCAT: The world’s top-ranked windsurfers will descend on Al Musannah Sports City in October for the 2015 RS:X World Windsurfi ng Championships, the fi nal major meeting before the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Ja-neiro in August 2016.

Two years after Oman received worldwide acclaim for hosting the Laser World Championships, the Millennium Resort Al Musannah will once again be buzzing with in-ternational sailing talent and im-portant dignitaries.

The event is organised by Oman Sail under the umbrella of Oman Sailing Committee chaired by Rashid bin Ibrahim Al Kindi. With the RS:X class celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the event is expected to attract top offi cials such as RS:X Class President Carlo

Dalla Vedova, and representatives from the 32 nations competing.

The top 50 ranked athletes, in-cluding 24 women, will be sizing up the conditions in Oman to pre-pare for the competition in Rio where the winds and tides are like-ly to be similar, making this event the perfect warm up event.

Amongst the contestants is Do-rian van Rijsselberge from The Netherlands who won the RS:X (Mens) gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics and Bryony Shaw from Britain, the world number one’s woman windsurfer who won bronze at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.

“With the Olympic Games just a few months off , the RS:X World Championships will off er a chance

for the world to see who could be winning medals in Rio as well as what Oman can off er as a world-class racing venue which is of Olympic standard,” said David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail, which has recently also established a Youth Windsurfi ng Club.

“We have worked hard to build the infrastructure and capability to host globally-renowned sport-ing events and, as the Laser World Championships proved in 2013, we can now compete with any venue in the world to successfully stage these international events. We look forward to welcoming all of the athletes before their big test next year” said Rashid Al Kindi, Chair-man of Oman Sailing Committee.

Oman’s top windsurfer, Waleed

Al Kindi, who is campaigning to be part of Oman Sail’s fi rst ever Olym-pic squad in 2020, will be watch-ing closely though a recent back injury means his focus is on recov-ery, shifting his attentions to the ASAF Asian Championships 2016, an Olympic qualifi er which will be held in Abu Dhabi next March.

Many of Oman’s windsurfi ng youth will also be watching closely, seeing the world’s best in action in local waters where their own ca-reers are being nurtured. Up to 40 international coaches will also be on site, as well as back up staff and race teams from the leading nation-al sailing authorities in the world.

Race management is set to com-prise Omani umpires who were trained at Oman Sail’s sailing

schools across Oman and now of-fi ciate at events across the world, while the jury will be made up of Andrus Poksi (EST), Eva Jod-lowska (POL), Pilar Lopez (ESP), Bas Edmonds (GBR), John Doerr (GBR), Llker Bayindir (TUR) and Gonzalo Heredia (ARG).

“Oman is fast-becoming one of the top venues for international watersports competitions and it is not diffi cult to see why, since the conditions are superb and the organisation is top rate, so we are looking forward to our visit and spending our 10th birthday at Al Musannah,” said Carlo Dalla Ve-dova, President of the Internation-al RS:X Class Association.

The inaugural RS:X World Championships were held at Lake Garda, Italy, in 2006 while subsequent World Champion-ship Regattas have been held in Cascais, Portugal; Auckland, New Zealand; Kerteminde, Denmark; Weymouth, UK; Perth, Australia; Cadiz, Spain; Buzios, Brazil; and Santander, Spain.

The 2015 World Championships will start on October 19 at Al Musan-nah Sports City, which was complet-ed in 2010 in preparation for the 2nd Asian Beach Games. It is part of the Millennium Resort Al Musannah which was specially-designed to ac-commodate world-class events and expand Oman’s tourism industry.

The week will kick off with an opening ceremony on October 18 and is expected to be attended by key Omani dignitaries, Oman Sail management and board members. Racing will continue through to the medal race on Saturday Octo-ber 24 with regular news updates provided by Oman Sail to local, re-gional and international followers.

Two years after Oman

received worldwide

acclaim for hosting

the Laser World

Championships, the

Millennium Resort Al

Musannah will once

again be buzzing

with international

sailing talent

PICTURESQUE VENUE: A view of Al Musannah Sports City, the venue of the 2015 RS:X World Windsurf-

ing Championships to be organised in October. – Supplied photo

US expects more charges in FIFA probe

ZURICH: The US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said on Monday that she expects more charges against “individuals and entities” as part of her offi ce’s probe into corruption at world football governing body FIFA.

Fourteen FIFA offi cials and sports marketing executives were charged in the United States in May on racketeering charges involving more than $150 million.

“We do anticipate additional charges against individuals,” Lynch said at a joint press con-ference with her Swiss counter-part in Zurich.

“The scope of our investiga-tion is not limited, and we are following the evidence where it leads,” she continued.

“I am grateful for the signifi -cant cooperation and substan-tial evidence that we have re-ceived from all quarters. Based upon that cooperation and new evidence, we anticipate pursu-ing additional charges against individuals and entities.”

She also expressed hope that the six FIFA executives still de-tained in Zurich would be extra-dited to the US to face trial.

Switzerland’s Attorney Gen-eral Michael Lauber said that fi nancial assets had been seized as part of his offi ce’s probe into corruption at FIFA, which had not yet reached “half time”.

“We are not even at the half-time break,” Lauber said, adding that fi nancial assets, including apartments in the Swiss Alps, had been seized during his investiga-tion, which is focusing on the bid-ding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, won by Russia and Qatar respectively. - AFP

F O O T B A L L

OFA focussed on Vision 2022 and beyond

MUSCAT: The Oman Football Association (OFA), celebrating the fruits of their ‘collective’ labour which led to the national teams emerging the GCC under-17 and under-19 champions, are encour-aged by the tremendous success of the age group teams and are hoping to continue with their plans chalked out for development of Sultanate’s football till 2022 and beyond.

A day after the national un-der-19 team returned home with the GCC crown from Qatar, the OFA chief Sayyid Khalid Al Bu-saidi issued a statement lauding the eff orts of the team under coach Rasheed Jaber.

“It is a new achievement for Omani youth as our young talents

have won two GCC titles in two weeks. These achievements could not have been made possible with-out well appreciated and unlimit-ed support the national teams have received from His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said,” he said.

“The departments concerned at the OFA have completed a road-map for continuation of the devel-opment for all national teams in light of a technical programme up to 2022 and beyond,” he said.

“The achievements bagged were also a result of collective eff orts. On behalf of the OFA board mem-bers, I extend our appreciation to (under-19) coach Rasheed Jaber and the administrative and techni-cal body. We also extend our greet-

ings to (under-17) coach Yacoub Al Sabahi and to the administrative and technical body of the juniors team for the achievements bagged and for their sincere eff orts and dedication,” he added.

While praising the players for their excellent performances, he said: “We also extend our sincere appreciation and pay tribute to all the young players of both teams who with their dedication and hard work have proved they are the real role models. They proved they are committed to give their best for the country.”

Stressing that the Omani Foot-ball Association is determined to keep these young talents on the path to excellence and greater success,

he said: “We are looking forward to even greater things from these young players, especially in the up-coming Asian championships.”

“The recent good results and achievements proves the success of the system in place as well as proper planning and implementation. The commitment, dedication of every-

one involved and their diligence led to these good results,” he said.

“Here we would like to announce that the competent committees of the Omani Football Association fi nalised a methodology for the continuation of development in diff erent age groups, including a clearly defi ned roadmap of techni-

cal programme until the year 2022 and beyond. The association will coordinate with the Ministry of Sports Aff airs to implement the programme based utilising the available fi nancial resources. We are looking forward to an active partnership with the private sec-tor,” he added.

F O O T B A L L

Winning two GCC football titles in two weeks is

a new achievement by Omani youth. These

achievements could not have been made possible

without the well appreciated and unlimited support

the national teams have been receiving from His

Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said

Sayyid Khalid Al BusaidiOFA Chairman

MUSCAT: Close on the heels of honouring the U-17 Oman junior national team for winning the GCC football championship, Bank Muscat, the fl agship fi nancial services provider in the Sultanate, has announced a hero’s welcome to the Under-19 Oman national team who won the GCC cham-pionship, defeating Bahrain in the fi nal in Qatar.

Reiterating the ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and commitment to partnership in promoting Oman as a sporting nation, the bank will honour the under-19 Oman national team at a ceremony at the head offi ce in the presence of senior bank of-fi cials and key representatives of the sports fraternity.

Sheikh Khalid bin Mustahail Al Mashani, Chairman, said: “Bank Muscat is delighted to witness the stellar perfor-mance by the U-19 Oman team and we join the nation in con-gratulating all members of the team for achieving a milestone

for Oman football.”Sheikh Khalid added: “As the

fl agship bank in Oman, Bank Muscat leads by example and the honouring of the Oman youth team refl ects our com-mitment to partnership in promoting Oman as a sporting nation. Bank Muscat remains at the forefront in off ering the required encouragement and support for the national teams to put up their best eff orts. The gesture towards the U-19 national team is a reiteration

of the support for youth, who represent the future of Oman.”

Bank Muscat is a major sup-porter of the national game of football. In all major tourna-ments, including Gulf Cup, Bank Muscat has led by exam-ple, being the fi rst private sector institution to announce support for the national team. As the nation’s fl agship fi nancial in-stitution, Bank Muscat aims to strongly convey the message of support to the national teams so as to motivate others to follow suit and provide the required impetus for them to excel in sports and games.

Bank Muscat launched the Green Sports CSR programme in 2012 to develop sustainable sports infrastructure at the grass-root level in general and to support the game of football in particular. In a record time, the bank has achieved notable suc-cess in developing green fi elds in all parts of the Sultanate, thus contributing to realising the sporting dreams of youth.

Bank Muscat to honour Oman U-19 team

Bank Muscat Chairman

Sheikh Khalid Al Mashani

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Ahmad lifts British GT Silver Cup

LEICESTERSHIRE: Muscat racing driver Ahmad Al Harthy is celebrating after securing the Avon Tyres British GT Championship ‘Silver Cup’ title at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday dur-ing a dramatic and highly-charged fi nal race of the 2015 season.

Leading the Silver Cup stand-ings going into round nine, the 34-year-old Oman Racing Team driver took the opening stint of the race in the No. 2 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 and remained close behind his chief challengers for the title — the Von Ryan Racing McLaren — during the fi rst hour.

Teammate Alex MacDowall took the concluding stint and al-though behind the McLaren ini-tially, the complexion of the race changed on lap 57 when the rival car, piloted by Andrew Watson, slipped to the tail of the overall top 10 with MacDowall assuming eighth position.

Within a handful of laps the McLaren was close behind the Oman Racing Team Aston Mar-tin but MacDowall soaked up the

pressure impressively. Then, with little more than 10 minutes re-maining on the clock and the Sil-ver Cup title in sight, MacDowall was tipped into a spin at the Esses and, although recovering, he ended the race in 10th overall — two plac-es behind his aggressor Watson.

Later on Sunday evening, though, race offi cials reviewed the incident and subsequently penalised the Von Ryan entry — meaning Ahmad and MacDowall were elevated into ninth in the fi nal results, with Wat-son and his teammate Ross Wylie relegated to 10th position.

“What a way for the season to end,” said Ahmad. “It was a chal-lenging race but in the end we’ve won the Silver Cup which is fan-tastic for everyone at the Oman

Racing Team, all of my incredible sponsors and everyone back in Oman who has been supporting our project since day one.

“Generally, we’ve had a competi-tive car this year and some very competitive races — unfortunate-ly, things just didn’t work in our fa-vour on a few occasions and that’s been the diff erence for us this year in the overall championship.

“It’s great to win the Silver Cup, though, and I must say a huge thank you to the whole team for their incredibly hard work during the year.”

Beginning the fi nal race of the British GT season from 12th on the grid, Ahmad made an excel-lent start to quickly challenge for the top 10 and although ending lap

one in 11th place he soon began to make more progress.

Into 10th position by lap four, the Oman Air, Oman Ministry of Sports Aff airs, Ooredoo, National Bank of Oman and Al Hashar Group-backed driver then climbed into ninth place on lap 11 when the sister Oman Racing Team car retired after a tangle at the Mel-bourne Hairpin.

Taking eighth on lap 14 prior to a Safety Car period, when racing re-sumed Ahmad continued to push and as the race reached the 50 minute mark he was into seventh place after passing the BMW of Jon Minshaw. When the pit win-dow opened a few moments later, Ahmad remained on track and eventually pitted to hand the car

over to MacDowall from fi fth posi-tion with around an hour to run.

When all of the pit stops had been completed, MacDowall held eighth with the target McLaren in sixth be-fore the positions changed around with about half an hour to go follow-ing Watson’s drop down the order.

After the contact and enforced spin, though, the Oman Racing Team car took the chequered fl ag after two hours of racing in 10th place, two spots behind the Von Ryan car. With the time penalty for Watson, though, ninth was enough to secure Ahmad’s fi rst driver title in GT racing.

“I was happy with the pace in my stint, as the car got lighter it became more competitive and things were looking good,” added

the Aston Martin Middle East and North Africa ambassador. “At fi rst we were all incredibly disappoint-ed after the race, but the offi cials made the right decision and now our focus turns to the fi nal round of Blancpain next weekend – we’re all really looking forward to that.”

Ahmad will be back in action with the Oman Racing Team just a few days from now, at the Nurbur-gring in Germany, when the fi nal race of the Blancpain Endurance Series takes place on September 20.

Final 2015 Avon Tyres British GT Championship GT3 Driver Standings: 8. Ahmad Al Harthy 57 pts. Final 2015 Avon Tyres Brit-ish GT Championship GT3 Silver Cup: Champion: Ahmad Al Harthy 140.5 pts.

Leading the Silver

Cup standings

going into round

nine, Ahmad took

the opening stint

of the race in the

No. 2 Aston Martin

V12 Vantage GT3

and remained close

behind his chief

challengers for the

title — the Von Ryan

Racing McLaren —

during the fi rst hour

DRAMATIC RACE: Ahmad Al Harthy leads the pack during the ninth round of the Avon Tyres British GT

Championship ‘Silver Cup’ title at Donington Park Grand Prix Circuit on Sunday. – Supplied photo

What a way for the season to end. It was a challenging

race but in the end we’ve won the Silver Cup which is

fantastic for everyone at the Oman Racing Team, all of

my incredible sponsors and everyone back in Oman

who has been supporting our project since day one

Ahmad Al HarthyOman Racing Team

Sania and Paes are huge inspiration: DravidBENGALURU: Congratulating tennis stars Sania Mirza and Le-ander Paes, former India captain Rahul Dravid on Monday said that both are “huge inspiration” for as-piring sportspersons in the country.

“Both Sania and Leander are huge inspiration for not only ten-nis aspirants, but also for sport-spersons,” Dravid said. “I think it is

phenomenal achievement by San-ia and Leander to be able to win the US mixed doubles and women’s doubles titles,” he added.

Sania and her Swiss partner Mar-tina Hingis bagged the women’s doubles title while Paes scripted history by notching up the US Open mixed doubles title with Hingis to become the format’s most success-

ful male player in the Open era.Dravid said it is incredible that

at age of 42, Paes has been able to achieve the glorious feat three Ma-jors in a calender year.

“It is incredible what Leander has been able to achieve in this age. It is timeless — he keeps go-ing on and on. It is terrifi c to watch him,” he said. “Sania also have

been good with her performances in the women’s category and by the time she hangs her boots she would have left a legacy behind for youngsters to follow,” Dravid said.

Dravid said it was lovely to watch Sania and Paes, playing the fi nals on television, as an Indian. “I watched both the games. It was lovely to watch as an Indian.” - PTI

T E N N I S

Mourinho clashes with Martinez after defeat to EvertonLONDON: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho swore at Ever-ton boss Roberto Martinez after being made to wait for his post-match news conference follow-ing the champions’ 3-1 loss at Goodison Park on Saturday, ac-cording to British media reports.

A furious Mourinho decided to interrupt Martinez while he was speaking with a group of journal-ists near the pitch. As manager of the away team, Mourinho had expected to be allowed to address the media fi rst so that his team could set off on their journey back to West London, reports said.

“Roberto, next time tell me go before you because we have to travel,” Mourinho was quoted as saying in the reports. “We don’t control that, Jose. I don’t control that,” Martinez said in reply.

To which Mourinho responded with an expletive.

“When he beat us 6-3 (last season), he was such a nice man. I prefer him like that,” Mar-tinez said after the Chelsea boss stormed away.

The loss to Everton, courtesy of a Steven Naismith hat-trick, was

Chelsea’s third defeat in fi ve Pre-mier League games and they now sit fourth from bottom in the table.

The relationship between the clubs was already strained after Chelsea’s public pursuit of de-fender John Stones, who had his transfer request rejected by the Merseyside club. - Reuters

F O O T B A L L

WAR OF WORDS: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, right, and

Everton manager Roberto Matinez. – Reuters

The relationship

between the clubs

was already strained

after Chelsea’s public

pursuit of defender

John Stones, who had

his transfer request

rejected by the

Merseyside club

C4

SPORTST U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

Novak Djokovic probably felt like he was battling against 20,001 people in the US

Open fi nal on Sunday, with Grand Slam king Roger Federer on the other side of the net backed by an Arthur Ashe Stadium full of his op-ponent’s closest friends.

As the match reached its gripping climax, they cheered every point Federer won and celebrated Djoko-vic’s errors as the Serb dug deep to eke out a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 triumph.

There may have been a time when Djokovic would have been unsettled by his treatment but the world No. 1 swallowed any resentment and maintained his composure until he found himself kissing the silver tro-phy for his 10th Grand Slam.

“I can’t sit here and criticise the crowd,” said Djokovic, who crowned a brilliant season in which he won three Grand Slams events and was runner-up in the fourth at Roland Garros.

“On the contrary, I think it’s logi-cal to expect that a great player and a champion like Roger has the major-ity of the support anywhere I play him. “He absolutely deserves to have the support he does because of all the years and success that he had and the way he carries himself on and off the court. No question about it.”

While Federer reached exalted status with his collection of an all-time record 17 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic is now the player dominat-ing the men’s game.

He has won nine Slams in the last fi ve years, collecting the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open ti-tles in 2011 just as he has this year, and has held down the No. 1 ranking in four of the past fi ve seasons.

The mellowed Djokovic said he appreciated this Grand Slam treble even more than his 2011 breakthrough.

“I’m a diff erent player, a diff er-ent person today than I was 2011,” he said. “As a father and a husband, experiencing a diff erent variety of things in my life, it’s a completely diff erent approach to tennis today.

“I feel more fulfi lled. I feel more complete as a player today than I was in 2011. Physically stronger, mentally more experienced and tougher as well.”

Djokovic showed plenty of that toughness after he scraped his right arm, the back of his right hand and right leg when he tumbled to the ground in the fi rst set, after a three-hour delay due to rain, but carried on regardless.

Tremendous respectFederer had not dropped a set in the entire tournament but Djoko-vic wiped out that distinction in 42 minutes.

The Swiss great had lost only two break points in the tournament but matched that number within his fi rst four service games against one of the game’s greatest returners. Djokovic, meanwhile, saved 19-of-23 break points held by Federer and rose up to cash in on six of his 13 op-portunities in the fi nal.

He was up by two breaks in the fi nal set, only to see Federer roar back to break him once and threaten again in the fi nal game before the Serb fi nally secured victory in a little less than three and a half hours.

“Today I was serving at 5-2 in the fourth set and Roger showed why he is a champion and... making me play to the last point,” Djokovic said. “I have a tremendous respect for Roger and what his game is representing to me and any other player.”

The win puts Djokovic level with Bill Tilden on 10 Slams. Next up are Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg on 11. Then Roy Emerson at 12, and Rafa Nadal and Pete Sampras with 14, just below Federer. “I’m obviously fl attered and honoured to be a part of an elite group of players, legends of our sports,” the Serb added.

“I’m 28. I have always valued the care for my body, and my mind and had this holistic approach to life.

“I will continue on with the same kind of lifestyle, same kind of ap-proach. I think that kind of approach brought me to where I am today. Hopefully, this kind of approach will give me longevity and that I can have many more years to come, and as I said, many more opportunities to fi ght for these trophies.”

As for winning Federer-like adu-lation with the crowds, he said: “I’m there to earn the support and hope-fully in the future I can be in that po-sition.” - Reuters

As the match reached

its gripping climax,

the spectators cheered

every point Federer

won and celebrated

Djokovic’s errors. But the

world No. 1 maintained

his composure until he

found himself kissing

the silver trophy for

his 10th Grand Slam

NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic admitted he took inspiration from cult movie “300” and its Scottish star Gerard Butler, who was on hand to roar him to victory in the US Open fi nal.

As he celebrated with his family and team, he also sought out Butler, who was watching from the player’s box. “We are good friends. So he happened to be in the city last couple of days, so I invited him to come,” said Djokovic. “I actually sent him a photo and a message last night. I was watching the ‘300’ movie. When I went to my box, I looked at him. I said, ‘This is Sparta. It felt great.’ “That’s one of the most inspiring movies I watched. So actually, yeah, he’s a very cool guy.”

The movie, which recounts the classic Greek story of the Battle of Ther-mopylae, made a star out of the muscular Butler, who also happens to be a fan of fellow Scot Andy Murray, who beat Djokovic in the 2012 fi nal in New York. “I was not playing Murray. He thought it was appropri-ate to come to this match,” joked the Serb star. - AFP

daringDjokovic’s

Slamdeca

Inspired by Greek classic

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Federer Express ready to roll on

NEW YORK: Unlike the women’s US Open fi nal there was no centre court retirement announcement on Sunday with Roger Federer putting aside the disappointment of losing to Novak Djokovic in the men’s fi nal to tell fans he will be back.

After winning the US Open on Saturday, 33-year-old Flavia Pen-netta said she would not be back in Flushing Meadows and the crowd might have been concerned that 34-year-old Federer was harbour-ing similar thoughts.

While the Swiss is constantly asked how much longer he plans to play and the media on high alert for any hints of his imminent re-tirement, Federer made it clear he will return to New York next year still chasing Grand Slam glory.

“I’ll see you guys next year,” Federer told an adoring crowd fol-lowing his 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 loss. “I’m very pleased with where my game’s at. I feel like it’s moving in the right direction.”

And that direction is full speed ahead for the Swiss maestro who continues to defy age and predic-tions of his demise by remaining near the top of the world rankings, piling up wins and titles.

While it has been three years since Federer celebrated the last of his record 17 Grand Slam titles, he has threatened to add to his total this season reaching the fi nals of both Wimbledon and the US Open

while losing both time to his nem-esis Djokovic.

Federer may have lost the US Open but the Swiss has not lost his smile, grace or hope that some-where down the road there are more major wins.

“I am playing a good year. I’m playing good tennis,” said Federer. “I am happy with where my level is at. I’m able to be consistent, very consistent.

“Cincinnati obviously was a great feeling beating world num-ber one (Djokovic) and world number two (Andy Murray) in the same week. I don’t think I have done that before.

“Then of course it’s also disap-pointment. Lost too many times in fi nals. But at the same time, I did win my tournaments, the ones I was supposed to.

“Year’s not over yet. I usually do

have strong fi nishes to the season, and I hope I can do that again.”

Having beaten Djokovic in Cin-cinnati, the second seeded Swiss had his chances again against the 28-year-old Serb but could only con-vert four of 23 break chances. Even so Federer left the National Tennis Center more encouraged than dis-couraged by his performance.

“There were a lot of opportuni-ties lost, I know why I lost,” assured Federer. “Yeah, surely I am very disappointed. I had my chances on my racquet. I should never been down in the score the way I was.

“But Novak did a great job of fending them off , and, you know, all of that.

“It was a tough night, but still, I don’t know, thrilling at the same time. So something I will work on, and keep moving forward, you know. It’s no problem for me.” — Reuters

While the Swiss is

constantly asked how

much longer he plans

to play and the media

on high alert for any

hints of his imminent

retirement, Federer

made it clear he will

return to New York

next year still chasing

Grand Slam glory

It was a tough night, but still, I don’t know, thrilling at

the same time. So something I will work on, and keep

moving forward, you know. It’s no problem for me

Roger FedererUS Open runner-up

The Swiss maestro

continues to defy age

and predictions of his

demise by remaining

near the top of the

world rankings, piling

up wins and titles

Pennetta moves into top 10PARIS: US Open champion Fla-via Pennetta is up to eighth in the world rankings which are still headed by Serena Williams.

The 33-year-old defeated fel-low Italian Roberta Vinci in Sat-urday’s surprise fi nal in New York for the fi rst Grand Slam title of her career. She promptly then an-nounced that she had already de-cided to retire from competition at the end of the year.

Vinci, who upset favourite and calendar-year Grand Slam seeker Williams in the semifi nals, moves up 24 places to 19th.

The top four remain the same with Williams well clear of sec-ond-best Simona Halep, who lost to Pennetta in the semifi nals in New York.

The WTA world rankings at the conclusion of the US Open in New York: 1. Serena Williams (USA) 11,501 pts; 2. Simona Halep (ROM) 6,780; 3. Maria Sharapova (RUS) 5,795; 4. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 5,295; 5. Lucie Safarova (CZE) 3,570 (+1); 6. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3,510 (-1); 7. Ana Ivanovic (SER)

3,440; 8. Flavia Pennetta (ITA) 3,317 (+18); 9. Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 3,305; 10. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 3,215 (-2); 11. Angelique Kerber (GER) 3,150; 12. Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 3,070 (-2); 13. Timea Bacsinszky (SUI) 2,836 (+1); 14. Agnieszka Radwanska

(POL) 2,820 (+1); 15. Belinda Ben-cic (SUI) 2,735 (-3); 16. Elina Svi-tolina (UKR) 2,650 (+1); 17. An-drea Petkovic (GER) 2,450 (+1); 18. Madison Keys (USA) 2,445 (+1); 19. Roberta Vinci (ITA) 2,430 (+24) and 20. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 2,380 (-7). - AFP

W T A R A N K I N G S

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SPORTST U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

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William Webb Ellis — inventor of rugby?

PARIS: The Duke of Wellington may have said that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the fi elds of Eton College but more surely the game of rugby was founded on the fi elds of another British board-ing school after which it takes its name, Rugby.

And who was responsible for that?

An Englishman called William Webb Ellis, who horrors of hor-rors for the English is buried in the French town of Menton (‘jaw’

in English) in the south of France.Rugby is renowned for its gen-

erally good show of manners de-spite its ultra contact nature.

Game of ‘caid’But young Webb Ellis showed no respect for those when at the age of 16 he decided it was best to pick up the ball while he and his schoolmates were playing football in 1823 and run with it, touching it down under the posts.

The Irish — who were at the

time under English rule — believed Webb Ellis had been inspired by his time in Ireland, when his father was stationed as a British Army of-fi cer, and the game of ‘caid’, a pre-cursor of Gaelic Football.

‘Justifi able homicide’Others, however, dispute that Webb Ellis had anything to do with the invention of the game, claiming that he had simply been given the status of founder for want of a better name.

“There is little evidence to sup-port the popular belief that Wil-liam Webb Ellis created a new form of football,” Malcolm Lee, master in charge of Rugby football in 1978, told former Wales and British Li-ons coach Carwyn James.

“The point is that the rules of the game as it was played at the school at that time were made by the boys themselves and those rules were constantly revised.

“If you look at the notes of the Bigside Levees — notes made by the boys themselves — you will see that the rules were discussed almost every time the boys went

out to play and that adjustments were frequently made.”

Another authoritative source to join his ranks is none other than the author of Tom Brown’s School Days, Thomas Hughes, who aside from creating the inspiration for George MacDonald Fraser’s clas-sic series of Flashman, clearly gives Webb Ellis short shrift as he was at the school from 1834.

“In my fi rst year, 1834, run-ning with the ball to get a try by touching down within goal was not absolutely forbidden, but a jury of Rugby boys of that day would almost certainly have found a verdict of ‘justifi able homicide’ if a boy had been killed in running in.”

Justifi able homicide? Whoever touches down, kicks the winning penalty or drop goal in this year’s World Cup which kicks off on September 18, one can’t quite im-agine that will be their fate.

And whether Mr Webb Ellis did create the game or not, his name will still be on the trophy the win-ners pick up at the end of the fi nal of rugby union’s showpiece event. - AFP

Young Webb Ellis showed no respect for

those (manners)when at the age of 16 he

decided it was best to pick up the ball

while he and his schoolmates were playing

football in 1823 and run with it,

touching it down under the posts

NAME ON THE TROPHY: People pass by street graffi ti showing the Webb Ellis Cup, the trophy presented to the winners of the Rugby

Union World Cup, and teams’ national fl ags next to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff , south Wales. Cardiff ’s Millennium Stadium is

one of the venues that will host matches for the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup which starts on September 18. – AFP

Six-point try experiment is exciting, says WhitehouseLONDON: Away from the glitz and glamour of the Rugby World Cup, an experiment that could have a major infl uence on the way the game is approached at all lev-els is being played out against the backdrop of the Welsh valleys.

The semi-professional Welsh Principality League is an experi-mental event for new trials in the laws this season, including award-ing six points for a try and two points for a penalty and a drop goal, that may, according to the man overseeing them, make the sport more attractive.

“We are all positive about it,” Nigel Whitehouse, Wales Rugby Union (WRU) national match of-fi cials manager who sits on World Rugby’s laws panel, said.

The aim of the new system is to test whether off ering more points for tries and fewer for kicks at goal leads to a more open and attack-focused game with increased ball-in-play time.

“We continually have to look at the game to see how we can make it better for all involved. So from my perspective these are serious trials,” Whitehouse told Reuters.

“All the coaches and players I have spoken to over the summer opened their arms (to the idea).

“It’s great to see World Rugby, through these trials, trying to be positive and make rugby attractive as possible, not only to play in but for spectators as well,” he added.

Winger Alex Webber, from cham-pions Pontypridd, scored the fi rst six-point try on the opening week-end of the season earlier this month.

Ponty ran in nine tries in thump-ing Llanelli 68-32, a game where no penalties were kicked, and they followed up this weekend with a 50-0 demolition of Bridgend.

Whitehouse said that while it was too early to see any pattern emerging, it was noticeable teams were not kicking at goal as much, preferring instead to be positive and kick for territory.

Other changesOther law changes are also being introduced in the trials, with un-contested scrums involving eight players from each team and a pen-alty try that will automatically be an eight-point score with no con-version to be taken.

World Rugby said the governing body was “delighted” the WRU had volunteered for the trials “which will give us a high-level of compe-tition to evaluate the outcomes”.

Whitehouse said frequent data would be sent back to World Rugby.

“It’s important for us as law-makers to try and make the game attractive for everyone involved,” he said. “Rugby is one of the great-est team sports in the world but at the end of the day it’s also a busi-ness and we need people through the turnstiles to come and watch our game at all levels.

“Whether fans pay 80 pounds ($123.62) for a test match or fi ve pounds to watch their local club they want to see a good game of rugby. They don’t want to see dour games.”

The early days of the sport were more about kicking contests. In 1871 the fi rst Rugby Football Un-ion (RFU) law stated that a game would be decided by the number of ‘goals’ scored only.

A try was worth one point from 1886 to 1891 and then in 1893 the RFU and WRU increased the value for a try from two to three points. This became globally sanctioned the following year.

The three-point try stood until 1973 when it moved to four and then in 1992 it was increased to fi ve. - Reuters

The semi-professional

Welsh Principality

League is an

experimental event for

new trials in the laws

this season, including

awarding six points for

a try and two points

for a penalty and a

drop goal, that may

make the sport more

attractive. The aim of

the new system is to

test whether offering

more points for tries

and fewer for kicks

at goal leads to

a more open game

R U G B Y

Boks to control pace against Japan

EASTBOURNE: Controlling the pace of the game is a priority for South Africa as they plan for their opening Rugby World Cup fi xture against Japan in Brighton on Sat-urday, assistant coach John Mc-Farland said on Monday.

“Japan defi nitely pose a threat with the speed of their game and it is up to us to control the pace of the game. They’ve got some play-ers with Super Rugby experience and they are a well-coached team, coached by a guy who has been involved in winning a World Cup

(Australian Eddie Jones),” Mc-Farland said.

“We are expecting a quick game and for them to try and take us off the pace of our game. So we must be ready for anything. We’ve watched nearly 20 games of theirs over the last two years and think we now know them inside out. They keep the ball well, they’ve got some good players.”

But he insisted the Springboks were more concerned with suc-cessfully executing their own game plan.

“It’s about how we play but obvi-ously there will be small tweaks we will make game by game. Samoa will certainly have some big blokes trucking it up the channels. So you make small adjustments in each game but it is about how we play and what we do.”

South Africa’s other Pool B op-ponents are Scotland and the U.S.

English-born McFarland, who is the defensive coach of the Springboks, also said fi tness lev-els among the South African play-ers had increased dramatically af-

ter weeks of intensive pre-Rugby World Cup preparation.

“We’ve worked very hard and certainly all the testing has shown that the conditioning levels have increased dramatically and you can see it in our game stats over the last eight weeks.

“Guys were getting up off the fl oor quicker. But the test is al-ways on game day and that never changes.

“If you are in good shape you get up quicker, you feel better, you are confi dent,” he added. - Reuters

R U G B Y

READY TO CONTROL: South Africa’s assistant coach John McFarland, cenre, fl y half Handre Pollard, right, and winger Lwazi Mvovo at-

tend a press conference at the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne on Monday. – AFP

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

DiningSECTIONC L I F E S T Y L E T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

FOR THAT EXTRA CRUNCHWhile breadcrumbs is the most common way to add crunch to cutlets, fi sh fry,

and chicken fry steak, crushed nuts make an ideal substitute. Known for its tastier crust, one should be cautious while frying as nuts get burned faster on a hot skillet. Whether you are using almonds, peanuts or pecans, make sure they are crushed lightly for a uniform coating. Time to look beyond breadcrumbs.

Pallavi Nigam completed her culinary education at ICIF in Italy and worked as a chef for Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. She is now based in Muscat where she writes recipes and takes cooking classes.

Contact her: pallavi_nigam@hotmail.com | twitter @pallavizza | pallavizza.com

PEANUT CRUSTED KING FISHIngredientsFor the fi sh• • 1kg King fi sh steak• • 500g peanuts• • 1tbsp red chilli fl akes • • 1/2 bunch of coriander • • 2 eggs• • Salt and pepper• • Oil

Preparation• • Clean the fi llet and dry it in the kitchen

towel.• • Crush the peanuts lightly in a pestle mor-

tar. Do not powder it otherwise it will get burnt while cooking.

• • Chop coriander and add to the crushed peanuts along with dried red chilli fl akes and spread it on a plate.

• • Whisk two eggs and add a pinch of salt. • • Heat the pan with oil, it’s very important

that your oil is hot enough, if it’s not hot, the moment you lay down your fi sh in the oil all the coating will slice off .

• • Now fi rst dip the fi sh fi llet in egg batter and then wrap it in the peanut mixture on both the sides and gently lay it down in the pan with hot oil. You can also spread some peanut mixture on top of the fi sh with your hands.

• • Let it get seared for 2-3 minutes, keep checking with the help of spatula, then fl ip it. Let it get seared on the other side for 2- 3 minutes.• • Serve with sweet chilli sauce.

Phot

o: S

habi

n E

LIFESTYLEC8 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

What do you do if you forget to strain the water while cooking rice and fi nd

that it has become all sticky and mushy? Here are some quick solutions

By Swati Dasgupta

Overcooked Rice

1 If it’s only a little bit sticky and it can be saved by rinsing in cold water drain out the water and run under a cool tap water. Gently separate the grains.

2 Make rice pancakes. Sauté vegetables in little oil and add to the rice. Toss in a few handfuls of shredded cheese and mix well. Shape into round pattice and

shallow fry till crispy.

3 Add overcooked rice in soups. You can include chicken, minestrone and vegetables too.

4 Mix overcooked rice into mince meat to make meatballs. The rice acts as a great binder and doesn’t spoil the fl avours too.

5 Make rice puddings with over-cooked rice for a perfect dessert. Add milk, cinnamon, sugar, raisins, and vanilla extract. Mix well and serve warm.

Struggling with a kitchen

calamity of your own? Want

advice? Share your horror stories

and your cooking tips with

swati@timesofoman.com

KITCHENCALAMITIES

C H E F T A L K

HE’S FROM BRITAIN, but loves the Indian dal! Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, who is ven-turing into the Indian space with his globally renowned Jamie’s Pizzeria and Jamie’s Italian chains, says he “loves Indian cooking”.

“I love Indian cooking. I’ve been experimenting for a few years now and whilst I’m no expert, I think I’m doing okay. I think a good dal is one of the best things you’ll ever eat,” Oli-ver said

Jamie’s Italian will open in Ambience Mall in the capi-tal’s Vasant Kunj area and Jamie’s Pizzeria is set to open in Ambience Mall in capital suburb Gurgaon within the next few months.

Asked about his expectations with his maiden foray into the In-dian market, Oliver said “it’s an incredibly exciting move for us”.

“We’ve wanted to open a res-taurant in India for a few years now but we’ve been careful to wait until we found the right partner, location and sites.

“With regard to expecta-tions, I just hope people love what we’re doing,” Oliver said and added that he is “not try-ing to reinvent the wheel of Italian cooking”.

“But I do want to off er guests fantastic food, using only the best ingredients and at an aff ord-able price. We don’t cut any cor-ners — everything we do comes back to quality,” he added.

Is he trying to tinker with new, experimental menus to cater to the Indian taste buds?

Oliver said: “We’re going to be keeping the menus to tradi-tional Italian. We’ll be tweak-ing the off ering very slightly by putting on lots more beautiful veggie dishes — something I’m really excited about.

“...We’ll be using an authen-tic dough cooked in traditional ovens and all topped with the highest quality tomatoes, mo-zarella, Italian cured meats,and other beautiful produce.”

Even as fusion menus that juxtapose seemingly diverse —and sometimes even dis-parate — flavours into a new combination are the talk of the town among foodies, Oliver comments that most of such dishes are “fusion without us even realising it”.

“I think fusion is really inter-esting because actually, when you look at diff erent countries’ ‘traditional’ dishes, many of them are fusion without us even realising it, from histories of immigration, colonisation and exploration. British ‘tra-ditional’ dishes are peppered with infl uences from right across the globe,” he said.

Besides being a celebrity chef, Oliver has also carved his niche as a food activist and will be addressing obesity-related issues in a new documentary titled Jamie’s Sugar Rush.

“At the beginning of this year I started looking at sugar consumption and the eff ect of sugar on our bodies.

“What I found completely shocked me and so myself and my team made a documentary about what too much sugar can do to us and the impact it’s hav-ing on Britain’s public health,” Oliver said about the theme of the documentary.

His team has even launched a petition asking the British government to introduce a sugary drinks tax.

“So far we have over 130,000 signatures,” he added.

Talking about his plans on addressing the global obesity epidemic, Oliver said he has embarked on a path that can “implement positive change and attempt to slow down this crisis”. “The path that I have taken has led me to focus a lot of my work on the obesity epi-demic and what we can do in order to implement positive change and attempt to slow down this crisis.

“This doesn’t lessen many other situations that abso-lutely need addressing of course, and there are so many issues that I’d like to fight and that really deserve much more public attention. But there is only one of me,” he added.- IANS

I Love Indian Cooking: Jamie Oliver

MUSCAT’S

FAVOURITE

Semsom’s

Lebanese m

enu

feature

s loca

l

sensib

ility

paired w

ith lo

ads

of imagin

ation

S T O R Y : F E L I C I A C A MP B E L L

MEZZEI love Indian cooking.

I’ve been experimenting

for a few years now and

while I’m no expert,

I think I’m doing okay.

I think a good dal

is one of the best

things you’ll ever eat

Jamie Oliver

LIFESTYLEC9T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

part of a franchise launched by Lebanese entrepreneur, Christine Sfeir (named one of the 100 most powerful Arab women in 2014) and her sister Carine Assouad, opened here in Oman less than a year ago. A brilliant local (global meets local) concept, Semsom restaurants take on diff erent for-mats depending on their location, with the Beirut branch off ering a more upmarket, full-service menu, the New York branch of-fering “build-your-own-meals” from a small takeaway shop, and the Muscat branch offering a simple, straightforward menu of mezze and mixed grill with subtle twists, from a conveni-ently located, stylish eatery in the MGM mall. These location-specifi c choices show Christine’s keen understanding of local mar-kets, and are likely a key element of her brand’s wild success.

Here in Oman, diners crave great service and ambiance, and while good quality food is important, most diners aren’t terribly adventurous,

despite an overall cultural fascina-tion with anything new.

For Muscat diners, Semsom fi ts the bill perfectly, with outstanding service, a relaxed ambiance, and easily recognisable menu options, like a generous mixed grill, tradi-tional hummus, tabouleh, baba ghanoush, and other mezze clas-sics, along with a few creative new items on the menu.

While most diners here like to go for familiar options when dining out, there is a growing foodie con-tingent, most of whom are looking for either a unique culinary expe-rience or an authentic one. While you shouldn’t go to Semsom look-ing for rustic, home-style Leba-nese, you absolutely should go for a taste of their inventive adaptations of traditional fare.

Savoury, nutty sesame and ol-ive hummus scooped up with fresh-baked fl atbread, is worth a visit on it’s own as is the unusual fi sh kibbeh, which has a distinct sweetness courtesy of caramel-ised onions that is punctuated

by the earthiness of tumeric re-sulting in a brighter, vibrant ver-sion of the typical ground meat-stuff ed snack. At the other end of the creative spectrum, the hum-ble coriander fried potatoes at Semsom are shockingly fl avour-ful. I pressed as to why, but the chef coyly informed me the inten-sity was due to a secret ingredient (perhaps citric salt?). The dessert menu is full of playful surprises, including a rose water cotton candy topped ice cream.

To be honest, I found the al-most indiscernible twists, like the tangy fried potatoes, whose subtle upgrades might only be apparent to those who know Lebanese food well, as exciting as the neon-pink, sumac hummus. The relatively small menu at the restaurant en-sures that no matter what you or-der, the quality will be spot on, so order fearlessly. Go for something new and diff erent, or order an old favourite, either way, chances are you will be pleasantly surprised. felicia@timesofoman.com

Semsom Restaurant,

Semsom RestaurantMuscat Grand Mall, fi rst fl oor

+968 2439 8718, semsom.com

Hours: 12pm-12am daily

Phot

ogra

phy:

Sha

bin

E

FIND-IT-ALLC10 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

ROYAL OMAN POLICE

Emergencies and inquiries: 9999

General Directorate of

Passport and Residence 24569603

Directorate General

of Customs 24521109

Traffic violations inquiries 24510228

Public Relations Admin 24560099

EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Afghanistan 24698 791/4

Algeria 24605 593

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

Hamdan Hospital 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 Polyclinc LLC 22004000

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

PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr 12.07pm

Asr 3.34pm

Maghrib 6.17pm

Isha 7.27pm Fajr (Tomorrow) 4.37am

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

CITY CINEMAContact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68. www.citycinemaoman.netfacebook.com/citycinemaoman

SHATTIAbsolutely Anything (Comedy, Sci Fi) (PG12)Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Simon Pegg2:00, 3:30, 5:15 pmThe Runner (Drama) (12+)Cast: Nicolas Cage, Connie Nielsen7:15 pmThe Perfect Guy (Thriller) (15+)Cast : Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy5:00 pmDragon Ball Z: Resurrection F (Animation) (PG)Cast : Masako Nozawa, Ryô Horikawa1:15, 3:00 pmHero (Action, Drama) (PG12)(HINDI)Cast : Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty9:00 pmAmerican Ultra (Action, Drama)(12+)Cast : Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart1:30, 7:45, 9:45, 11:45 pmThe Transporter Refueled (Action)(PG12)Cast : Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol10:00, 11:55 pmHitman – Agent 47 (Action, Crime)(PG12)Cast : Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware3:45, 11:30 pm

MUSCAT GRAND MALLThe Perfect Guy 2D (Thriller ) (15+)Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy1:20, 7:45 pmGold Class : 5:15PMAmerican Ultra 2D (Action,Comady) (12+)Cast: Jesse Eisenberg,, Kristen Stewart12:15, 5:00, 9:45, 11:45pmGold Class : 3:15, 7:15, 9:15 pmThe Runner 2D (Drama) (12+)Cast : Nicolas Cage, Connie Nielsen6:00 pmHitman: Agent 47 2D (Action) (PG12)Cast : Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware2:15 pmWelcome Back 2D (Comedy, Crime) (TBC)Cast : Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar7:00 pm

Absolutely Anything 2D (Comedy) (PG12)Cast: Kate Beckinsale , Simon Pegg11:45 am, 4:15 pmGold Class: 1:30 pmThe Transporter Refueled 2D (Action, Drama, Thriller ) (PG12)Cast: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol10:15 am, 10:00, 11:55 pmGold Class: 11:15 pmDragon Ball Z 2D (Action, Drama) (PG)Cast: Masako Nozawa, Ryô Horikawa10:00AM, 3:15 pm

AZAIBAThe Transporter Refueled - 2D (PG12) Action, Crime, Thriller Cast - Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol12:00, 6:00, 11:15 pmHitman: Agent 47 – 2D (PG12) ActionCast – Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware12:30, 7:00 pmWelcome Back – 2D (12+) ComedyCast - Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar5:15, 10:30 pmZero Tolerance - 2D (12+) Action Cast - Dustin Nguyen, Scott Adkins,12:45, 11:30 pmDouble Barrel – 2D (12+) Action, ThrillerCast - Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aarya

2:30, 8:45 pmPaayum Puli – 2D (12+) Action, DramaCast – Vishal Krishna Reddy, Kajal Aggarwal3:30, 8:00 pmDragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’– 2D (PG) Cast - Masako Nozawa, Ryô Horikawa2:30 pmYatchan – 2D (PG12) Action Cast - Aarya, Krishna Sekhar, Deepa Sannidhi4:15 pmAmerican Ultra – 2D (12+) Action, Comedy1:45, 7:45, 9:30 PMHero – 2D (PG12) Action, Drama, RomanceCast - Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30 pm

RUWI

Screen 1Hero (Action/Romance) – PG12Cast: Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty3.30, 6.30, 9.30 pm

Screen 2Welcome Back (Comedy) – 12+Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Hassan3.45, 6.45, 9.45 pm

Screen 3

Phantom (Action) – PGCast: Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif3.45, 6.45, 9.45 pm

SOHARThe Transporter Refueled - 2D (PG12) Cast : Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol3:45, 10:00, 11:45 pmWelcome Back - 2D (12+) Comedy, CrimeCast: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar6:00 pmHitman : Agent 47 - 2D (PG12) Action, Crime, Cast: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware4:15, 11:55 pmThe Perfect Guy - 2D (15+) ThrillerCast: Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy6:15, 11:30 pmAmerican Ultra - 2D (12+) Action, ComedyCast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart2:30, 5:30, 7:30, 9:30 pmThe Runner - 2D (12+) DramaCast: Nicolas Cage, Connie NielsenTimings : 2:45, 4:30 pmAbsolutely Anything - 2D (PG12) ComedyCast: Kate Beckinsale, Simon Pegg2:00, 8:15 pmDragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ - 2D (PG) Cast: Masako Nozawa, Ryô Horikawa

3:00, 4:45 pmHero - 2D (PG12) Action, Drama, RomanceCast : Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty8:45, 11:15 pmDouble Barrel - 2D (M) (12+) Action, Thriller Cast : Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aarya, Indrajith 6:30 pmYatchan - 2D (T) (PG12) Action Cast : Aarya, Krishna Sekhar, Deepa Sannidhi9:10 pm

BURAIMI

American Ultra – 2D (Action, Comedy) (12+)Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart3:00, 8:15, 10:00, 11:45 pmThe Transporter Refueled– 2D (Action, Crime, Thriller ) (PG12)Cast: Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson4:45, 6:30, 9:30, 11:30 pm Zero Tolerance – 2D (Action) (12+)Cast: Dustin Nguyen, Scott Adkins3:15, 5:00, 11:30 pmYatchan – 2D (Action / Comedy) (PG12)Cast: Arya, Kreshna, Deepa Sanndhi6:00 pmDouble Barrel – 2D (Action/Comedy (12+)Cast: Prithviraj Sukumran, Arya8:45 pmWelcome Back – 2D (Action / Thriller) (12+)

Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Hassan; 3:15 pm

SURThe Transporter Refueled (Action) (PG12) Cast: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol4:15, 8:15 pmZero Tolerance (Action) (12+) Cast: Scott Adkins, Dustin Nguyen6:00, 11:45 pmDouble Barrel (Malayalam) (Action) (12+) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aarya, Indrajit10:30 pmWelcome Back (Hindi) (Comedy) (TBC) Cast: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar7:45 PMAmerican Ultra (Action | Comedy) (12+) 4:45, 6:30, 10:00 pm

SALALAH

American Ultra (2D) (12+) (Action/Comedy) Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart1:00, 6:15, 8:00, 9:45 pmThe Perfect Guy (2D) (15+) (Thriller) Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy2:00, 10:00 pmZero Tolerance (2D) (12+) (Action) Cast: Dustin Nguyen, Scott Adkins2:45, 11:55 pmHero (2D) (PG12) (Action/Drama/Romance) Cast: Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty8:45, 11:15 pmHitman: Agent 47 (2D) (PG12) (Action) Cast: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware10:30 amThe Transporter Refueled (2D) (PG12) 11:15 am, 4:30, 11:30 pmWelcome Back (2D) (12+) (Comedy/Crime) 12:15 pmDragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ (2D) (PG) Cast: Masako Nozawa, Ryô Horikawa10:30AM, 12:15 pmEl Khalbos (2D) (TBC) (Arabic) (Comedy) Cast: Mohamed Ragab, Iman Al Assie6:45, 8:00 pmDouble Barrel (2D) (12+) (Action/Thriller) Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Aarya, Indrajith4:00 pmYatchan (2D) (PG12) (Action) 5:25 pmPaayum Puli (12+) (Action, Drama) Cast: Vishal Krishna Reddy, Kajal Aggarwal3:00 pm

BAHJA CINEMAFilm information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

Transporter Refueled (Action/Thriller/Crime) Cast: Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson, Gabriella Wright3.00, 6.30, 10.00 & 11.55 pmCP No: 2280 (PG 12)

Zero Tolerance (Action) Cast: Dustin Nguyen, Scott Adkins, Sahajak Boonthanakit1.15, 4.45, 8.15 & 11.55 pmCP No: 2371 (12+) The Runner (Drama) Cast: Nicolas Cage, Connie Neilsen, Sara Paulson3.00, 6.30 & 10.00 pmCP No: 2369 (PG 12)

Absolutely Anything (Comedy/Sci: Fic) Cast: Kate Beckine Sale, Simmon Pegg, Robbin Williams1.15, 4.45 & 8.15 pmCP No: 2370 (12+)

STAR CINEMAFilm information 24791641 / 24786776Website: www.isurf.co.om

Thani Oruvan (Tamil) (Rom/Drama)Cast: Jayam Ravi, Nayanthara & Arvind Swamy 3-30 pm at Cinema Main, 9-30pm at Cinema 2Yatchan (Tamil) ( Act\Com )Cast: Arya, Krishna6-30 pm Cinema Main3-45 & 9-45 pm Cinema-3Double Barrel (Mal) ( ACT )Cast: Prithviraj, Arya & Indrajit3-30 & 6-30 pm at Cinema-29-30 pm at Cinema Main Paayam Pulli (Tamil) ( Act ) Cast: Vishal & Kajal Agarwal 6-45 pm Cinema- 3Loham (Mal) ( ACT ) Cast: Mohanlal, Andrea & Renji panikkar3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 pm at Cinema – 4Next Change: Utopiayile Raajavu (Mal) Maya (Tamil)Programmes are subject to change

1:30, 7:45, 9:45, 11:45 pm 9:10 pm 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 pm

@MGM @SHATTI @SOHAR @RUWI

American Ultra (Action) (12+)Cast : Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Connie Britton

1:20, 7:45 pm

The Perfect Guy (Thriller) (15+)Cast : Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy

Yatchan - 2D (Action) (PG12)Cast : Aarya, Krishna Sekhar, Deepa Sannidhi

Hero (Action/Romance) – PG12 Cast: Sooraj Pancholi, Athiya Shetty

WEATHER

380

Maximum

290

Minimum

TEMPERATURE

30-70%RELATIVE HUMIDITY

Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 16 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 extra@timesofoman.com

WITH LOVE

LIFESTYLEC11T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

WHAT’S IT?Cumin seeds are brown colour seeds and is similar to caraway seeds. They are oblong in shape. This spice tastes bitter when eaten raw and has an aromatic fl avour. It is one of the main in-gredients in curry powder.

HISTORYCumin has played a vital role in food since centuries for its taste and also its medicinal value. It is native to Egypt and has been cultivated in the Middle East, India, China and Mediterrane-an countries. While in Egypt it was used for mummifi cation, it was an important ingredient for seasoning soups, as mentioned in old scriptures and religious books. It was also used as a sub-stitute for pepper which was not commonly used. Apart from its culinary use it has interest-ing tales attached to it. It is said that in the middle ages it was considered a sign of love and people carried it in their pock-ets to show their true love.

STORINGFreshly ground cumin seeds are always better to use than the powdered one. Store it in sealed container, preferably in glass bottles. It should stay fresh for almost a year if stored with care.

KNOW

YOUR SPICE

COOKING WITH ITTo get the best fl avours dry roast the seeds before using. Tea boiled with cumin seeds and later strained is known for its soothing eff ect. It is an impor-tant seasoning ingredient for lentils, potatoes, sautéed veg-etables, and rice in India where cumin is the king of spices. In other parts of the world cumin is used in pickling, sauces, grilled meat, stew, and more.

Ice Cream Mama Introduces Injections for Sweet CravingsCraving to get your taste buds high on sweet temptations? Then head to Ice Cream Mama outlets to satisfy your desire. Ice Cream Mama has recently in-troduced Mawo syringes aimed at enhancing every moment you spend relishing the tasty treats.

According to Rami Al Lawati, Director, Ice Cream Mama, “We wanted to present to the people in Oman a twist that they will love to hold. The Mawo shots packed in syringes are a new introduction.

Ice Cream Mama, famed for its

traditional Omani Ice Creams, recently introduced its latest range of lip-smacking products – Milkshakes, Ice Cream Cakes, Brownies and traditional Om-ani sweets. Here the treats are made from a mix of internation-ally sourced ingredients that are heartily added to enhance the indulgence of customers’ eating experience. Founded in 2012 with one outlet, Ice Cream Mama today boasts its presence in 4 locations in Oman – Shatti City Cinema, Ruwi City Cin-ema, Muscat Grand Mall and

Mawaleh. Ice Cream Mama har-bours a profound interest in pre-senting the people of the world with traditional Omani treats. Working towards this vision, Ice Cream Mama has even partici-pated in a number of food exhi-bitions around the region and has even received acclaim from several food professionals and critics alike.

Food enthusiasts eagerly looking forward to feasting on Ice Cream Mama’s latest treats are encouraged to visit any Ice Cream Mama outlet.

F O O D N O T E

We wantedto present to the people in Oman a twist that they will love to hold

swati@timesofoman.com

LIFESTYLEC12 T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5, 2 0 1 5

SPRINKLE ITPomegranate on oatmeal,

müseli, or any otherbreakfast cereal is ideal

to start a day.

ADD IT Add them on cooked brown

rice with sautéed onions and garlic. They can also be added on lamb chops, chocolate mousse, and

roasted chicken.

SPREAD IT Make pomegranate syrup by reducing the juice over medium or medium-low

heat. Sugar is optional.A sweet-sour-spicy

spread is ready.

DRIZZLE IT Pomegranate syrup can

be drizzled over poached pears, roasted vegetables,

puddings, and custard.

WHISK ITWhisk pomegranate

syrup on salad dressings substituting olive oil

or vinaigrettes.

ONE

INGREDIENT

FIVE WAYS

NGREDIENT

FIVFIVFIVF E WE WWAYS

1

2

3

4

5

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O MSECTION

CONNECT H E D A I LY G U I D E

D

D4 VACANCY CARGO D8

T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

RENT D2

*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon

for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

New 1/2 B/R RES/ Comm.

fl ats near Medical College Bausher

directly from owner.

Contact :92158031

02 BHK commercial / residential

(with split AC) fl at at Honda read /

02 BHK residential fl at opposite to

Al Nahda Hospital.

Contact: 99342733 / 99795241

1BHK near Oman house behind

Khimji H.O . Contact : 95865686

Twin villa for rent in Bowshar, near

Muscat Private Hospital.

Contact 92760281

Brand new 2 bedroom fl at for rent

in Mabela. Contact 92760281

Fully Furnished 2BHK Apartments

available at Bareeq Al Shatti.

Contact 92888063

Building includes 16 fl ats in four

fl oors in good condition, opposite

to Mars Hypermarket at Al Ghu-

bra north. Contact: 99435882 /

91266667 or 92590509

For rent house in old Muscat town

on the bab Muthaib Street con-

sists of 5 bedrooms, living room

and kitchen. Contact: 99319829 /

99234155

New fl at for rent, 2 bedroom with

study in Al Amerat (Al Atkyah).

Contact: 99230461 / 93355301

2 rooms and Majlis in Al Ghubra.

Contact : 99242119

Flat for rent Ruwi, 2 bedrooms,

2 Bathrooms, 1 hall opposite

Khimji Mart. Contact: 97645671 /

99362206

1 & 2 BHK , M.B.D. area R.O 250/-,

RO 280/- & RO 300/-.

Contact: 97799175

Villa for rent in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 95562646 / 99059333

Rooms for rent in Al Khuwair near

Ibis Hotel with AC.

Contact: 95124975

AL Khuwair 17/1 room, hall, kitchen

and toilet with ACs ground fl oor

Owner private parking.

Contact: 99385553

2BHK with split AC near PDO Gate

No.2 Qurum available for immediate

renting. Contact : 94057023

2 BHK with split AC Al Khuwair -33

for residential & commercial use.

Contact : 94057023

Deluxe 1,2,3 bedroom fl ats in Wadi

Kabir , Ruwi, Mumtaz & Al Khu-

wair areas. Contact : 24707340 /

99472457 / 95282986

Deluxe villas at Al Hail.

Contact 95282986

Two fl ats for rent 3 bedroom & 1

setting room all with split a/c at &

fl at 1badroom al Ghubrah North near

Indian school (hot Pargur Restau-

rant). Contact 99766103

2 BHK fl at in Al Khuwair. Contact

99792181

1000 sq mtrs industrial land in Gha-

la suitable for warehouse workshop

etc. Contact 24700120 / 92584715

D2 T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

2BHK villa Mumtaz R.O 300/-.

Contact: 97799175

2BHK Azaiba R.O 325/-.

Contact: 97799175

Flats in Al Khuwair 33 with gym

free for tenants 2 BHK RO.425/-.

Contact 93161111

Two bedroom apartments available

for rent at South Ghubra close to

Atlas Hospital close to Grand mall &

Avenues mall next to Diwan’s Offi ce.

Contact: 99833747 / 24562526

3BHK fl at Darsait Near I.D card

Medical 450/- R.O. Contact:

99358589 / 95570288

Room with A.C at AL Khuwair

R.O 120/-. Contact: 97799175

2BHK pent house R.O 325/- , 1BHK

R.O 225 /- close to Indian

Nursery, Darsait. Contact:

99476728/ 98484415

2BHK close to Indian school

kindergarten Wadi Kabir R.O 320/-,

1BHK R.O 250/-. Contact: 99476728

/ 98484415

1& 2 BHK fl ats for rent at Wadi

Kabir, Wadi Adai, Hamriya, Al Khoud

and Mabela and shop at Al Khoud

land line. Contact : 24834644

GSM 93994401/ 02/ 03, 3 lines

Twin villa 6BR hall, kitchen at

Al Ansab-2. Contact: 99747560 /

99444786

3BHK near Darsait I.S.M.

Contact: 99024730

Flat and show room for rent Al

Khuwair 33, Al Ghubrah, Darsait

and Jibroo. Contact: 24485240 /

24485241 / 93651633 / 92109563

3BHK well maintained fl at (villa

type) G. fl oor split A/C separate en-

trance, parking, and compound

available in Al Khuwair behind Sagar

Polyclinic Way no. 3922, Block 239,

Villa No. 1839. Contact: 99253125

1BHK fl at with A/C AL Khuwair

250/- R.O. Contact: 99358589 /

95570288

Flats in Al Khuwair 2 BHK RO.350/-

Contact – 93161111.

Darsait next to ISM 2BHK pent

house 2nd fl oor brand new building

R.O 300/- . Contact : 93393967

Furnished fl at in Bareeq Al Shatti

2 BHK RO.750/-. Contact 93161111

New fl ats for rent in Darsait

Al Sahal. Contact: 99777351

Commercial villa near Bareeq

Al Shatti 8 BHK + swimming pool

RO.2500/-. Contact 93161111

Villa in Madinate Sultan Qaboos

3BHK + maid room RO.1400/-.

Contact 93161111

Villa in Al Khuwair 4 BHK RO.600/-,

Flat in Madinate Sultan Qaboos

3BHK RO.600/-. Contact 93161111

Flat in Qurum near PDO 2 BHK

+ 1 BHK RO.550/ – 375/-

Contact 93161111

Flats in Azaiba opp to Al Sahwa

Tower 2 BHK RO.450/- 1BHK

RO.350/-. Contact 93161111

New fl ats 1 room and living room

with accessories & 2 rooms and

living room with accessories in

Wadi Kabir. Contact: 92130703 /

96045478

New fl ats for rent in Darsait,

Al Sahal. Contact : 99311525

Two shops in Muttrah Souq, for rent

more details pleas.

Contact: 91214849 / 95729711

2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near

Oman house. Contact: 97007934 /

92629232

1BHK near Al Nahdha Ruwi.

Contact: 99617786

Flat for rent in Hamriya.

Contact: 99341112

Commercial 20 BHK twin open

villa in Al Mawalah Mazoon street

RO.2000/- Contact – 93191111

Luxury fully furnished 2 bedrooms

fl at at Al Khuwair & luxury fully fur-

nished 5 bedroom villas at Madinat

Al Ilam. For short or long term lease

contract. Contact Atlas Real Estate &

Rent a Car LLC. Contact : 93201688

/ 92888376 Tel: 24833848 /

24834888

Luxury 4 BHK fl at in Al Wattaya

with split A/C and private parking.

RO.475/- Contact – 93191111

1BHK fl ats available for rent in CBD

area. Contact: 98116480

3 Bedroom fl at at Al Khuwair.

Contact: 99447257/97014234

Spacious 2BHK in MBD.

Contact : 99713489

Basement in MBD. Contact: 99713489

4 bedroom villa with 3 maid room,

big compound & parking area. Ideal

for kindergarten or expat tenants

residency. Contact:24566217 /

24564686

Offi ce & retail space available -

Alasfoor Plaza, Qurum.

Contact: 24566217 / 24564686

1 & 2 bedroom fl ats available for

rent in wadi-kabir (opp: pencil bldg),

ideal for company staff / families -

bulk corporate deal possible.

Contact: 97677170

Shops for ren in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 99888390

1BHK fl at with split A/C in Wadi

Adai RO.200/- Contact – 93191111

3 BHK fl at with split A/C in Wadi

Adai RO.200/- Contact – 93191111

Brand new 6 BHK villa in Al Aziba

with split A/C and lift RO.1200/-

Contact – 93191111

Furnished room for rent at

Al Khuwair R.O 225/- for family only.

Contact: 99251975

New 1 & 2 BHK fl at in Ruwi (near

Star Cinema). Contact 99792181

3 & 4 BHK villa in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181

Flat Al Ghubrah near 18 Nov ST liv-

ing room, 3 bedrooms,3 bathrooms,

kitchen fi rst fl oor without AC family

only 380/-R.O. Contact : 92479515

Two shops in Muttrah Souq, for

rent more details please contact:

91214849 / 99364735

600 SQT commercial fl at for rent

opposite Oman fl ourmill Darsait

more details. Contact: 91214849/

99364735

Bachelor accommodation available

near ISD Darsait. Contact: 99346813

2 BHK near Medical Darsait

R.O 230/-. Contact : 98748925

VILLA IN AZAIBA – Four Bed Room

Villa, near Well Roundabout & Umm

Al Qura Mosque. Available for shar-

ing also. Call 92887809 / 98048207.

Furnished offi ce available at

Al Ghubrah. Contact 94110822

Flats, shops for rent in Ruwi, MBD &

Mumtaz area. Contact 97293708

1BHK Al Falaj R.O 200/-.

Contact: 97799175

2 BHK Ghubra R.O 300/-, RO 325/-.

Contact: 97799175

2BHK Darsait R.O 325/-.

Contact: 97799175

2BHK Mumtaz R.O 300/-.

Contact: 97799175

Available furnished meeting hall for

seminars on a hourly, daily,

monthly, yearly basis.

please contact 93203773 :

Email: mbdeast@gmail.com

Villa for rent: 6 bed rooms, 1 sitting

room, 2 halls, 1 kitchen and 1 pantry.

Al Mawaleh South phase 3 close to

Al Sahwah roundabout, fi rst line

behind Amwag perfume factory.

Contact - 99360366

Showroom and offi ce space avail-

able on prime location. Main road

facing excellent location.

Contact: 92944717

Gorgeous villa 3BR + Maid room

directly on the beach in Shatti

Qurum. Huge garden best location in

Muscat OMR 2000/- Month call or

Whatspp 95887572

Brand new 2 B/R deluxe fully

furnished & unfurnished fl ats with

split ACs & free internet available at

Bausher 35 near Al Maha fuel pump.

Contact : 99460330

Offi ce space equipped with ACs ,

cabins with partition, furniture’s,

free in internet ready for use, at Al

Khuwair near Philips show room

2 B/R fl ats with slit AC’s a free in-

ternet available at Al Khuwair near

Philips Show room.

Contact: 99460330

DAILY GUIDET U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 D3

Sofa (5 seater), Gas cooker

(4 burner) in excellent condition

for immediate sale.

Contact 96027403

Beauty Parlor for sale or rent.

Contact 99131775 / 96700192

Automotive batteries for sale.

Contact : 24794657

For sale land in Amerat 3000 Sq.mt

with petrol pump permission.

Contact 99323957 / 92702891

Expatriate LLC Company license

(building materials 70 Ex : 30

Omani) for sale. Contact 94663824 /

94305499

Direct from the owner: for sale -

A 2 bedroom apartment with a full

and direct Marina view at Marsa 2 at

the Wave, area 138 sq. Mtrs, will be

ready next month for R.O. 255,000.

Contact : 95330200

Beauty Salon for sale in Good loca-

tion (Azaiba and Al Hail).

Contact : 95318629

Restaurant for sale in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99425461

Beauty salon in Ghubrah for sale

Contact: 94689448

Aluminium workshop at Wadi Kabir

with all machineries and 3 skilled

workers. Contact: 99536206 /

99605915

Used Fabrication machinery

for sale : Fabrication machinery

and tools in excellent condition for

immediate sale. Contact -94652485/

99273774/ 99202278

FOR SALE

Furnished room available in Ruwi.

Contact: 92435784

Single room with ac and sharing

bathroom available for an executive

bachelor or a small family in Muttrah

Souq. Contact 99519664

Room for rent with sharing

bathroom & kitchen at Al Khuwair,

behind Golden Spoon Restaurant.

Contact 92994415

Semi furnished separate room for

non-cooking Asian bachelor, behind

Shell fi lling station, Ghubra round

about. Contact: 94263390

Separate room with A/c, Small

Fridge and Bed, for non-cooking

Asian bachelor, behind Shell fi lling

station, Ghoubra round about.

Contact: 94263390

Three 2 bedroom bachelor accom-

modation available in a building

near Kuwaiti Mosque at Wadi Kabir

till 14th February 2016.

Contact: 95332701

Fully furnished room with attached

bath for Executive bachelor behind Al

Meera Hypermarket, Azaiba R.O 150/-.

Contact: 99455735

A big room in available near Ham-

riya R/A for Muslim couple / small

family / Executive bachelor rent

150/- per month including W+ E.

Contact: 99495131

Sharing accommodation in CBD

area for non cooking Executive

bachelors, wifi free, advance deposit.

Contact 91852710

An Excellent 3bedrooms Flat at

Al Hail, 3 bathrooms, sitting room,

living room, kitchen with store

92817777

Fully furnished accommodation

available for an Executive bachelor

with attached bath room and Wifi fa-

cility in Ghubra near Al Maha Hotel.

Contact 94295706

ACC. AVAILABLE

ACC. AVAILABLE

UNIVERSAL SCRAP BUYERS AT

AMAZING PRICESConvert ANY type of Scrap into Money by selling us the scrapGreat prices are guaranteed

for our clients!Call this number now for

urgent response - 96059470

*Kindly note that the scrap should be 50 tons onwards

AFFORDABLE QUALIFIED STAFF AVAILABLE:

Hurry and call this number now! 95967902

Our professionals give YOU:

CLASSY, CREATIVE AND AFFORDABLE INTERIOR DESIGN

Hurry now and call this number 91494149

LOST

LOST

NOTICE

CHANGE OF NAME

Brand new showroom of 595 SQM

in BowsherRO.5 each sqm.

Contact – 93191111

2BHK fl at available near medical /

Darsait. Contact 24705742

Villa for rent in Al Khuwair 33,

8 bedrooms & 5 bathrooms with

parking area near Taimur Mosque.

Contact: 99366624

SITUATION WANT-

ED

M.V. FOR SALE

Tata bus model 2008 for sale.

Contact 93953237

Mitsubishi FUSO Double cabin

pickup model 2008 for sale.

Contact: 93953237

Lexus GX 460, 2013. Contact :

99336093

Toyota Yaris 2009 Dec model,

manual, 150000km, 2500 OMR.

Contact 93895508

Kia Cerato 2014 Model

for sale 1300 kms Under agency

warrenty and service.

Contact: 99634841

AVAILABLE

Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirt-

ing, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery,

Crockery, Glassware, Chafi ng Dishes,

Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Sys-

tems and spectacular lighting. Call

Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and

Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light.

ww.tunesoman.com,

E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

Single bedroom fl at near to

Indian School Al Ghubra.

Contact: 99203954

Furnished room (for Ladies)with

attached bath separate entrance in

Mabela. Contact :99634841

Large room with separate bathroom

& sharing available in Al Khuwair.

Contact 95250161

FOR HIRE

Bobcat Grader and roller for rent.

Contact: 94584688

Volvo 12 Ton Truck for monthly

rent. Contact: 98713900

FOR RENT

Mamon has lost Bangladeshi Pass-

port No. AA 5696150. Finder please

handover to ROP

Karuppiah Alagarsamy has lost In-

dian Passport No. F 8260792. Finder

please handover to ROP

Telecommunications Consultants Indian Ltd invites sealed tenders

from Contractors for doing civil works

of Omantel. Please Contact : 99215276

or 99317298 for obtaining copy of

the tender document NIT document

available : upto 28.09.2015, 17.00 hrs

last date of submission : 29.09.2015

upto 17.00 Hrs. Opening date :

30.09.2015 at 12.00 hrs. Company

registration and Chamber of Com-

merce registration details required for

obtaining tender document.

We, Ameer Ghayas Khan, holder

of Indian Passport No. J5557422

and Asharaf Ghayas Khan, holder

of Indian Passport No. L9737338;

presently residing at Muscat, PB

No. 1657, PC 112 Sultanate of Oman;

hereby solemnly affi rm and declare

to change the name of our child Mas-

ter Ghous Khan Ghayas Khan, holder

of Indian Passport No. M4817394

dated of issue 02/02/2015 issued

at Muscat. The name of our child

will be henceforth known as Arshad

Ghous (Given Name) Ghayas Khan

(Surname) for all purposes.

MD Shajahan has lost Bangladeshi

Passport No. C 1931370. Finder

please handover to ROP

MATRIMONIAL

RC, Keralite (Kottayam) male,

27 yrs, Civil Engineer, working in

Muscat from decent family looking

for suitable alliance.

Contact 95035953

Ezhava boy, B.Tech, MBA, 26/178,

Rohini working in Bangalore looking

alliance from parents of

professionals.Contact 24798043 /

94193031

Seeking alliance for our son from

Muslim families. Interested families

Contact: 99889590

GOOD NEWS

Ayuredic Treatment for joint pain,

backache, paralysis, massage, steam

bath, obesity, spondylitis , Ideal

CARE Ayuruedic Clinic, 18 November

Street, Azaiba. Contact: 99639695 /

98342990

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

Ayuredic massage backache,

joint pain, neck pain etc.

Contact 98254909

Ayurvedic treatment for backache,

paralysis, arthritis etc & massage,

All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact

24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980

www.siddhayur.com

NRI

Commercial plot measuring 30 cents

for immediate sale having an old

house and a shop at the heart of

Kodakara Town – 17 kms from Trichur

City and 7 kms from Chalakkudy.

Direct access to NH 47 from one side

and old town road from other side of

the plot, near to Shanti Hospital .

Contact : Muscat: 00968- 91318999

India: 0091- 9446371706.*Classifi ed Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00

noon for next day’s publication.

* Subject to space availability

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

CATERING

DAILY GUIDED4 T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION VACANT

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifi eds@timesofoman.comTel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DOMESTIC HELPER

DRAFTSMAN

EDUCATION

ENGINEER

ACCOUNTANT

Required housemaid for part time at

Ghubra.Contact:93267065

Required a housemaid in Ruwi.

Contact 96511169

Urgently required for leading Com-pany : Accountant between 5 to 10

yrs experience, Accountant

(Petrol Station) between 3 to 5 yrs

experiences. Fax: 24478522,

Email : gh1.careers@gmail.com

DRIVER

MEDICAL

SKILLED LABOR

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

ADMIN

Post Graduate researcher required. Contact 99229700

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

IT

SALES / MARKETING

ARCHITECT

Required Salesman for shop &

hardware Technician for IT Company

with minimum 2 yrs experience.

Contact 98825805 / 98825806.

Email : strns1@gmail.com

Urgently required Female Nurses with MOH license for a Polyclinic. At-

tractive Salary with accommodation.

Contact: 97091664 or 97327175.

Email: mmcmuscat@gmail.com

Wanted Pharmacist (B.Pharm), Staff Nurses (female) with or with-

out MOH license for a polyclinic near

Sohar. Excellent salary package.

Contact 99006915,

Email : alhinaee.clinic@yahoo.com

Dental center in Muscat requires Staff Nurse holding MOH license.

Omani Secretary with Arabic &

English speaking and writing.

To apply please send CV to the

following address:

rmsalsulaimani@yahoo.com

Contact: 99445533 /99449413

Require qualifi ed full time Caregiver (Sri Lankan or Philipino)

for an orderly Mother.

Contact : 99425200

Looking for Indian Candidates : Prometric passed or MOH license

with NOC for polyclinic:- Radiolo-gist, Gynecologist, Radiographer, Lab Technicians and Pharmacists. Email: polyclinicomanhr@gmail.com

Required for private clinic: Gynecologist Arabic Nationality, GP Arabic Nationality, Nurse. Contact 97304519

from 9 AM to 1 PM

Required Pharmacist with license.

Contact: 92245470

Required Dentist, Endodontist, Orthodontist with MOH license.

Contact 99010755 for dental Centre

in Muscat Khuwair

Email: akdmuscat@hotmail.com

Wanted GP doctor with MOH license

- Al Suweiq clinic - salary RO 1600/-.

Contact 97742491

Required Nurse with MOH license

for Dental Centre in Khuwair Muscat.

Contact: 99010755

Email: akdmuscat@hotmail.com

DRIVER

DRIVER

EDUCATION

A reputed Lebanese chain of Restau-rants requires Delivery Man in Mus-

cat. The person should have a two

wheeler driving license and must be

familiar with the Muscat city. Are you

interested to be a part of a reputed

group please call 92443104.

Driver with Oman driving licence

needed. Visa available.

Contact 94288863

Looking for an experienced house driver for an Omani family. Interested

candidates may Contact: 96203333

HSE Advisor 9 yrs oil & gas exp with

NOC. Mobile :99493592

Pakistani diploma civil (Eng) 24 year

1.5 years experience in Pak)

2 years in (Oman). Contact: 97138320

Since March 2010 in Oman as a

building Construction Site supervi-

sor with Oman D/L looking for

suitable placement or small Omani

Construction Co. Contact 93061107

Civil Engineer (Diploma) seeking for

placement. Contact: 95200650

Diploma Associate Engineer Civil

Building construction on a visit visa

expiring 18.09.2015 looking for job.

Contact : 94006602 / 99446918.

Indian male 27 years BE Mechani-

cal, 2 years experience in Training

AutoCAD Revit MEP PDMS

Softwares. Contact: 94183625

Civil Engineer Pakistan 12 +2 years

experience Oman, D/L required

placement. Contact: 94392616

B.E Civil job, Project Eng exp 11 yrs.

Contact: 95690780 / 95694048

Email: sadiq.asrar81@gmail.com

MECH. ENGG Indian male having

1 year exp & AutoCAD knowledge

looking for suitable job.

Contact: 92835957

Electrician 3 years experience in

Building lines in Oman and other

related experience also. NOC avail-

able. Stay till 29.09.2015. Contact:

94057129 / 95964419 Email:

raheemdadbaloch@hotmail.com

Civil Engineer (Diploma) 3.5 years

experience seeking for placement.

Contact: 96535084

Structural more than 5 yrs experi-

enced in oman in multy story build-

ing designing and supervision with

driving license. Contact : 99894029

Electronic & Communication Engi-

neer auto cad, 2 yrs Indian experi-

ence in Instrumentation, currently

on visit visa looking for a suitable

position. Contact : 94493227,

Email: rijokokkadan@gmail.com

Indian male 24, Diploma in Civil

Engineering 2 years experience as a

Site Engineer on visit visa.

Contact: 98023153

Mechanical Engineer 23 having

knowledge in HVAC looking for suit-

able vacancy. Contact: 95434381

Email: shuhaibuman313@gmail.com

Civil QS / Project Engineer 8 yrs

exp having Oman D/L looking for

suitable position NOC and release

available. Contact: 92633261

Email: manikce@gmail.com

Civil Engineer 7 years experience in

Oman. Contact: 92480604

Bangladeshi male BSc Engg in civil

total 3 yrs experience 2 yrs in Oman

looking for job.Contact : 94038642,

Email: shaikhhasib.ce@gmail.com

A Mechanical Engineer with sales-

manship experience of 5 years &

above preferable with Oman drivers

license and NOC. Please forward

your CV to almaadhi.trd@gmail.com

Required Marine Mechanic with

3 to 5 years experience in maintain-

ing / repairing outboard Engines and

Generators of Boat. Ph: 24696130;

Email: hrmedia123@gmail.com

Drafting (interior design),experienced, knows autocad,

3D, PH : 99506977

MISCELLANEOUS

Experienced Denter, Spray painter, Mechanic, Outdoor sales person required. Contact 98045373

AVON requires female Omani Nationals (bi-lingual) and Expatri-

ates to join their expanding local

Sales Team. Candidate must have

good communication skills, highly

organized with a commitment and

enthusiasm to be successful. Train-

ing will be provided. Valid Omani

D/L necessary. Send CV on

samiha-avon@mhd.co.om

Highly experienced & qualifi ed

Finance Controller / Manager seeks

suitable position. NOC available. Can

join immediately. Contact: 92817797

Indian female 26 yrs B.Com

CA Inter with 4 yrs experience

seek placement in accounts.

Contact : 94045427

Indian male 27 yrs, B. Com, MBA,

CA Inter ( pursuing fi nal) with 7+

yrs experience, seeks suitable

placement in accounts, holds valid

Saudi D/L. Contact : 95358659

Finance Manager (15+yrs experi-

ence) Ability to manage Group of

companies. Contact: 92701962

Senior Accountant 10 years experi-

ence, looking for accounts parttime

works and fi nalization works. Con-

tact: 96247295

Keralite Indian B.Com Graduate

lady, 2 years Oman experience in

Tally ERP 9 seeking suitable place-

ment. Contact : 95186652

Indian female (BSc MBA) having

6 yrs exp in Garment industries

seeking suitable offi ce oriented job.

Contact : 91317975

B.Com, CA Inter (Indian) with 5 years

experience (2 years GCC) in

Accounts & Audit fi eld. Contact:

95584531/razikthumbe@gmail.com

Accountant 35 years with 5 years

experience in Oman urgently seek-

ing suitable jobs accountant & Ass.

Admin& HR valid D/L N.O.C. Contact:

968 99176112 /968 91818124

Email: aamirjaved24@hotmail.com

Indian male 10 years experience, 6

years in Oman, with Oman driving

license, having NOC seeking suitable

job. Contact: 96012973

A Sri Lankan lady chartered

accountant with fi ve years experi-

ence (including article ship), on

family visa in Oman looking for a

suitable job. Contact: 91259845

Email: amashermila@gmail.com

20 years experience.

Contact : 94795033

Light duty driver looking for job

more than 4 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 92602182

Driver. Contact: 95084826

Wanted driving job.

Contact : 97690766

LMV Driver, 7 yrs exp. (Keralite).

Contact 97761606

Driver Pakistani available.

NOC available. Contact: 94356465

Pakistani male light vehicle driver

looking for job. Contact: 96474528

Driver with car. Contact : 91452930

Wanted driver. Contact 95112461

Car with driver or without cat

specially Companies.

Contact 97943750 / 97408900

PHD Architect from Italy with

10 years experience speaks Arabic,

English & Italian looking for

Architectural job in Muscat.

Contact: 95543753

Email: basim_radhi@yahoo.com /

eng.radhibasim@gmail.com

Accountant Part time up to fi nali-

zation on monthly basis by Indian

CA. All reports, backlog account-

ing, bank loan help, tax & internal

Audit,aff ordable fee.92758370

Male B.Com Graduate having one

year exp in Accounts & Admin.

Contact: 94736742

25 yrs female Indian with B.Com

MBA looking out for a job in fi nance

/ marketing / HR fi eld with a work

experience of 1 year, 3 months at

Bank Muscat & 7 months at India.

Contact: 94657403 / 95537261

Indian male B.Com / PGDM 16 yrs

exp, 3 yrs prior Oman exp seeking

suitable placement in accounts/

fi nance/ admin/ logistics.

email : vikaso803@yahoo.com

Contact 95587905 on visit visa

Accountant, 36 yrs, Indian male, 10

yrs UAE experience in Accountant,

Insurance currently on visit visa

seeks suitable placement.

Contact 96334958 / 95217432

Indian male B.Com Graduate 24

years looking for suitable place-

ment. Contact: 97219505

Male Indian Accountant B.Com

7 years experience in Oman (account-

ing, fi nance, costing auditing) with

NOC and valid driving license looking

for suitable position. #96722257

Email: mudassir.pal@gmail.com

Wanted urgently need two Tailors who can make curtains.

Contact: 98962888

Filipino,29,Male, 5years experience:

Admin/Payroll/Finance/Document

Control. Excellent Communication/

MS Offi ce skills. Contact: 95057206

email: patrick110486@yahoo.com

Indian lady, B.Tech graduate cur-

rently pursuing MBA via off campus

and having 2 years work experience

willing to work in management sector.

Contact: divyasara16@gmail.com

Purchase Admin Indian male

15 years Gulf experience.

Contact: 95435370

Indian male 12+ years experience

in Admin and hospitality services,

seeks suitable placement.

Contact : 99318958 Email:

josephonline2007@gmail.com

Indian, 16 yrs experience in Admin

/ Offi ce management and have

knowledge in accounting seeks

job. Release available and have D/L.

Contact : 99573353

Filipina, 10 yrs experience in

Fashion Retail, Shipment, Logistics,

Inventory, Warehouse Control and

Store Management is seeking

employment. Call +971565833126

or 97728418.

Indian Female MBA, 3 Year Experi-

ence in Admin MIS ,

Family Visa. Contact 98234427,

jkjsmith01@gmail.com

14 years of gulf experience in HR /

Admin & logistics fl uent in Arabic /

English with D/L looking for suitable

position. Contact: 95824598

Urgently required for a private

bilingual school at Al Ansab for

immediate placement - Physics, Maths, Librarian, Nurse, Special Educators. Please email your CV :

employment22012@gmail.com

immediately.

Agyal Al Huda School requires Maths & Science Teachers in

Al Azaiba. Contact 91409998 /

24492548 / 99637238

Required Filipina female Waitress-es & male Housekeepers in Dolphin

Hotel – Muscat. Only residents /

contact number: 24488192

please send C.V :

dolphinhoteloman@hotmail.com

Urgently looking for an Expatriate House Boy with Cooking knowledge

and experience.

Contact Immediately: 99460564

SALES / MARKETING

Required Sales Executive for IT Sales, with valid Oman Driving

License. Kindly email CV to

careers@sactech.co.om

Required Salesman in Salalah very good commission.

Contact 92760281

Required experienced Sales / Marketing Executives having light

license. Send your CV

ocean@omantel.net.om

12 yrs Oman experienced Chief

Accountant looking for immediate

placement. Contact 99513082

Indian male, 27years, MCom, having

2years experience in Accounts look-

ing for suitable position. Presently on

visit visa. Contact 93455055|

gibingeorge88@gmail.com

Jordanian Accountant (ACPA) with

more than 15 yrs experience in Oman

(Accounts, Purchase & fi nance.

Contact: 92881223

Email: kamal_sarhan@yahoo.com

Accountant 7Years Experience with

D/L and NOC. Contact 97712084

Part time Accountant available.

Contact : 93438100

Accounts fi nance Indian male 22 yrs

B.Com Tally ERP-9, 2 years work-

ing experience in India on visit visa

seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 95636987 / 94280567

Email: nihadniha777@gmail.com

Accounts fi nance Indian male 24

B.Com Tally ERP-9, 4 years work-

ing experience in India on visit visa

seeks suitable placement.

Contact : 95583953 /96392009

Email: shafadmusthafa@gmail.com

Male 29 yrs, 5+ experience, 4 yrs in

HME (Offi ce Assistant) 1 yr experi-

ence in accounts & marketing seek-

ing for suitable position.# 96505486

Sales man / interior designer

wanted for prestigious interior

design and offi ce furniture Supply

Company. Experience and drivers

license needed.

Excellent remuneration package.

Email: tony@materials-plus.com

Required Sales & marketing person for IT Company with minimum 2

yrs experience in Oman & with valid

Oman driving license.

Contact 98825805 / 98825806.

Email : strns1@gmail.com

Indian female, MSC physics B.ED

having 5 years experience in

teaching looking for suitable jobs.

Contact: 97367389

Driver job wanted. Contact: 99343782

Light duty driver 5 years exp in

Oman. Contact: 92602182

Driver available 24, HRS, car with-

out car. Contact: 98522914

Looking job LTV D with car.

Contact: 94436276 / 97433432

HOSPITALITY

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

DAILY GUIDET U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 D5

SITUATION WANTEDSITUATION WANTED

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

IT

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

MEDICAL

SALES / MARKETING

SALES / MARKETING

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS

PROJECTS

Indian male, having 14 yrs of exp. in

Business Development/ Market-

ing with Omani D/L seeks business

development / Marketing Manager

post. Contact 968 93400177

Indian male, MBA having 7 yrs of

exp. sales/marketing with Omani

D/L seeks suitable placement.

Contact. 96425549

Omani College girl looking for a job

in a management.

Contact: 98298722

MBA Graduate having 23 yrs of

experience as Sales Manager in

building materials trading looking

for a suitable opportunity, release

available. Contact 92106768,

Email : suvimasri@gmail.com

Sales man and author job –

Dubai experience need job visa.

Contact: 91139936 / 96136615

NOC available with valid driving li-

cense looking for suitable placement

diploma in Automobile Engg experi-

ence in dealer service 10 years and

spare parts procurement 5 years

through with local Market.

Contact : 00968 95487946

Filipino (male) 37 yrs, having 8 yrs.

experience in Operations (Shipping

& Logistics) currently on visit visa

looking for a suitable job.

GSM: 97121525

SKILLED/ UNSKILLED

Welder / fabricator, Gulf exp, 3G, 6G

ARC, GAS PH : 95068064

HSE Engineer Diploma in mechani-

cal eng, 6 yrs Gulf exp, NEBOSH,

OSHA with oman D/L & NOC avail-

able for urgent placement.

Contact 91258586.

Indian male, with 8 yrs exp. in

Oman (BA- Graduate) working as

a project Sales Coordinator, with

Oman D/L, looking for suitable job,

ready to join immediately with NOC,

open for Sales & Marketing also.

Contact 95245057

Individuals having good relation

with Ministry or desiring to start

new business (or running) like Elec-

tronic security system or supply of

medical equipments.

Contact 94742666

A qualifi ed Iraqi Electrical Engineer

has more than 6 years experience in

HV, LV, GAS power plant and electri-

cal activities, resident in Oman look-

ing for job. Contact: 94750771

Indian male Electrical and Electron-

ics Engineer, 6 months experience

GCC driving license, transferable

visa. Contact: 93682181

Female Civil Engineer with 3.5 years

experience looking for job in Muscat,

profi cient in site execution, tendering

procedures billing, Quantity take off ,

budgetary control have knowledge

in AutoCAD, SAP, Word, excel, power

point. Contact: 97207212

Email: ranjur20@gmail.com

DAE (civil) having 4.5 years

experience with driving license of

Oman, Seeking for suitable place in

construction fi eld NOC and release

available contact 96968554,

email- mehranahmad26@yahoo.com

Civil Engg, B.Tech fresher Indian

male currently on visit visa seeks

suitable placement. #91702450

Email: tijoct2015@hotmail.com

Indian male, 23 yrs, B.E in Mechanical post Graduation Diploma

in piping Engineering, seeking job in

relevant fi eld.Contact : 94786570

Email: asim.hajwani6@gmail.com

Indian diploma Civil Eng, 2 yrs

exp. Infrastructures project (4G –

Towers, substation) landscaping &

Auto CAD. Contact: 94756183

Email: indianexpat1@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (diploma) 3.5 yrs

exp, seeking for placement.

Contact: 95200650

Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need

suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com

C-SWIP 3.1 ASNT level 2 QC Mech.

Engr 5+ yrs exp Indian male 26

seeks placement. Contact : 91823331

Email: kannasekhar46@gmail.com

Electrical and Electronics Engineer with one year experience and GCC

licence holder seeking a job

mail – shyjalpk@gmail.com

SUPERVISOR: Indian male site

supervisor (AIR CONDITIONING)

25 years of experience with valid Oman

Driving license, seeking suitable place-

ment. Contact: 97498809, 93391910

Email: hilariankj@gmail.com

Mechanical and manufacturing Engi-

neer , age 26 yrs masters ( Singapore)

having 2 years Oman work experi-

ence with valid Oman driving license

on visit visa available immediately.

Contact: 95498953

Indian 22 years male, Mechanical

Engineer, B.Tech has done intern-

ships, born and brought up in Oman

with Omani driving license, seeking

suitable jobs. #92791637 Email:

ashwinsureshkotturethu@gmail.com

Indian Mechanical Engineer 31 yrs, 8+ experience in sales & Bus.

Dev, having Oman driving license

& NOC. Contact: 97116858 Email:

menonamit1984@gmail.com

Indian BE (MECH) aviation BE

degree diploma in material quality

management 17 years Navy aviation

13 years construction purchase stores

professional on visit.

Contact: 90205082 /98796982

Engineer with 3 yrs experience in

Indian in MEP, HVAC& mechanical

maintained fi eld on visit visa looking

for suitable job. Contact 99191535

Email: fareed029@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer, Indian male,

29 yrs having 5 yrs of experience in

industrial automation & utility

maintenance in India (MRF yres)

seeks suitable placement.

Contact 92789995, Email :

akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

Indian male Civil Engineer with

Engineer with 2 years experience in

Building project is available currently

on visit visa. Contact: 92841583

Btech computer science graduate

2015 passout.. Android application

marketing.. Having good communi-

cation skills and mindset to work in

a team. Contact 91024385

Indian male BE Mechanical currently on 2 yrs free visa with NOC

& local release. Looking for suitable

job in Muscat. Contact – 90296975 /

ali.syedausaf@gmail.com

SAP BW Analyst : Indian male, 26

yrs, B.Tech (CS & E) from ASET, New

Delhi, worked as a Business

Analyst in Software Industry.

Contact 98008127 / 92878708,

vaisakh.bhaskar@gmail.com

Male looking for DTP operator /

Graphic Designer role in Oman

experience of 4 years in Excel, Corel

draw seeking suitable placement

presently in Oman in visit visa.

Contact : 94767757 / 98442179

Email: ronnynorona@gmail.com

Indian female MCA, 24 years seek-

ing suitable job. Contact 93439467

Indian female 25 years, 1 year

experience MSc – Computer Science

currently on family visa looking for

a suitable job in any fi eld.

Contact: 97265504

Email: ancitasons@gmail.com

B.Tech Information Technology looking job in System work. MS

Offi ce, Data Entry, Networking expe-

rience, 2 years experience in Linux

Admin. Contact: 92472137

Email: vairavel.inbaa@gmail.com

CCNA MCITP Network support/

Network technician with 2 yrs expe-

rience Indian male having bachelors

degree on visit visa. #93080871,

email :sean.f.peters@outlook.com

Indian male 34 yrs M.Tech Indus-

trial biotechnology having teaching

experience seeking for job.

M. Ramkumar. Contact : 96674521,

0091-9940586051

Email: rmkumar28@gmail.com

Network System Engineer switch-

es, Routers, Servers, load balancers,

CCTV 5 years of exp holds B.E (ECE)

CCNA looking for good opportunity

Indian visit visa. Contact 91911792

Email: arafakdnl@gamil.com

Indian male, 35 years, BBA with

IT diploma Holder with 13 years

experience in IT Tech, Support &

Administration seeking suitable

position. Contact : 94770019

BE, ECE Mumbai university skills

in C, C++, windows, linux, controller

and processor RTOS, Electronics,

Networking, 6 months experience in

embedded software seeks place-

ment. Contact : 917774864736

Email: sadatbtisekar@gmail.com

Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants - Dynamic result oriented hospital-

ity professional with 20 years of

international exp. MBA in Hotel

Management, specializing in Hotel/

Restaurant start ups, concepts &

Franchise development with proven

records. Seeking for Challenging

positions in reputed groups as GM/

COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC

available) Contact : 96059470

Indian male Dental Surgeon, prometric passed with more than

3 years experience on visit visa.

Contact : 95154648

Indian female BSc Nurse with 4 years

experience with Oman prometric

64% looking for suitable placement in

capital area. Contact: 95847286

Indian male, MSc, MPhil, BEd Chem-

istry,2 Yrs Teaching experience and

having experience in lab analyst,

currently on visit visa, seeks suitable

post. Contact 90208673

ENT surgeon board degree & pro-

metric exam looking for a job in pri-

vate hospitals & medical complexes.

Contact: 91347226

OB/ Gynecologist board degree &

prometric exam looking for a job in

private hospitals & medical com-

plexes. Contact: 91347226

25 yrs experienced building ma-

terials manager knowledge of Pur-

chase Marketing sales seeks suit-

able placement. Contact 94663824

/ 94305499

Indian male, with 5 yrs experience

of call centre in customer service &

sales looking for suitable position.

Contact 90198176

Indian female having more than 8

years of experience in oil and gas

sectors sales and marketing and 2

years as commercial manager look-

ing for a suitable post in Sohar area.

Now on visit visa. Contact 96311709,

Indian no 0091 9745541355,

Email Id:mvrajagd_d@yahoo.com

Sales man (food stuff ), Gulf experi-

enced, knows Hindi, Arabic .

Contact 99506977

Indian male looking for job in spare

parts BMW / Mercedes benz.

Contact: 95712035

Business intelligence / Global Mar-

keting management specialist with

9 years of experience developing

brand value & managing overall pro-

jects to achieve business objectives

seeking suitable position on family

visit. Contact: 91902154

A professional commercial & Busi-

ness Developer (Sudanese) MBA &

PGD extensive experience (14 yrs in

marketing, sales and procurement)

for International companies with

residential permit & driving license.

Contact 94738839

Email: alhassanolive@gmail.com

MBA 15 years experience in Sales &

Marketing in telecom, FMCG, pres-

ently in India C/O Saif Kazi.

Contact : 99625957

Email Id: a_kazi123@yahoo.co.in

Male BA, with D/L, having 6 years

exp in Oman wanted suitable job in

Sales Inventory & procure.

Contact: 92191026

Indian male 25 yrs BBM Graduate

3 yrs of experience Sales / Market-

ing in Oman looking in suitable

placement. Contact : 93185316

Email: karsh794@gmail.com

Sales and marketing - male 27 yrs,

2 years experience seeking suitable

placement with Oman D/L.

Contact: 95642740

Email: shaijichakkara@gmail.com

SECRETARIAL / OFFICE

Indian male more than 10 years

gulf experience in Offi ce / Sales

Coordinator, Admin, Secretarial and

purchase with good computer skills.

Having Driving license and NOC

available. Looking for suitable place-

ment. Contact 90135063

TOURS & TRAVELS

Five years experience in Travel

fi eld ,BCom., IATA & pursuing MBA,

Presently working in the Travel

Desk of (ITC managed) Five Star

Hotel in India, looking for a suitable

position in the Middleeast.

pls contact 9470 5767

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian Male Nurse with Moh licence

& Noc seeking a job with Family

Status gsm:95817579.

E.mail:vasudevanv2005@gmail.com

Part- Time Accountant, well experi-

ence senior accountant ,doing all

type of accounting works,

Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact 98803439

Sudanese/Bsc IT/26/2 years experi-

ence/excellent Eng-Arb speaking/

Omani driving license/96387227/

henrykarrar@gmail.com

MBA - (F), M.Com, B.COM. Indian fe-

male having knowledge of accounts

with Tally looking for part time or

full time job. Presently on family

visa. Contact :- 91892264.

Email:- yv.dixit@yahoo.com

Indian male Accountant, 12 years

experience, looking for a full time

or part time job, experience in tally

also. Contact 98983122

Indian Male (Diploma in electronics

Engineering and CCNA.) having 9

years of experience in Networking, 5

years’ experience in Oman. Looking

for a suitable Placement. NOC avail-

able. GSM- 93787098,

Email –anishktr@gmail.com

Site Supervisor/ L Driver, Pakistani

Male 33 with valid D/L, 4 years

experience in Muscat, fl uent in

English, Arabic looking for suitable

place. Contact: 97950869

Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years

in IT Trainer / Computer Teacher,

looking for a better position in Oman,

already working in Prestigious

Construction Company. #95983711.

Join.mtmali@gmail.com

INDIAN MALE 24 YEARS,B. Tech

(Electrical & Electronic).Having 2

years experience as Electrical Site

Engineer in Constructions. Done

IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifi cations.

Seeking for suitable placement

in constructions or in any related

industries. Contact no: 98045482,

Email: shannu.hse@gmail.com

Admin Executive, Indian Female

having 10 years Gulf experience

in seeking suitable placement cur-

rently working in Muscat.

Email: meenafajar@yahoo.com,

Mobile 0096893211402

MOH Indian Dentist 10 years experi-

ence in Oman. Can speak Arabic, has

driving license. Contact 98995321 or

ventureoman007@gmail.com

Having 9+ years exp. in Adminis-

tration & HR in reputed companies.

Presently working in Muscat and

seeking for suitable placement.

Contact No.: 97693456. Email :

muralimahdav77@gmail.com

Omani , female, have diploma in

quantity survey, bachelor in Constitu-

tion management, seeking situated

placement at Sohar. Tel 94454180,

Mail nhlmct@yahoo.com

Indian male,27, IT/Telecom Engi-

neer, 2 yrs exp in Oman, with valid

Oman D/L, NOC Available.

Ph: 9393 8727

ACCOUNTANT, Indian male, 29

years.8 years experience .Presently

working in Oman as a Senior Ac-

countant with oman Driving license.

NOC available. Seek suitable oppor-

tunity. GSM: 98184170

Indian male having 4 years of experi-

ence in IT Support & networking. Cur-

rently on visit visa. seeking suitable

opportunities. Contact 92013641.

Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a

Suitable Job in Telecom / Network-

ing. 1 year sales experience. MSc.

Communications Engineering &

Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com

Finance Manager / Chief Account-

ant / Audit Manager, C.A , MBA

,ACCA , CPA..15years in GULF , Expert

in Banking ,Financing, Profi t Maxi-

mizations , Admin & Management,

Business Developments , ERPs Soft-

ware’s, Audit Exp. with Big 5 , NOC

& Driving License Call 94403270 or

94504505

29 years Indian female (MBA-

Finance) with 4+yrs experience

(Oman) in Accounts is seeking suit-

able placement in Accounts/Admin.

Contact:96141283.

MEP Quantity Surveyor-Estima-

tion-Project, 10 Years Experience (3

years in Oman). Having NOC & Oman

D/L. Looking for suitable job,

Contact – 98291626

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian

male,29 years.8 years experience

.Presently working in Oman as a Sen-

ior Accountant with oman Driving

license. NOC available. Seek suitable

opportunity. GSM: 97705854

Indian male Auto cad Draughtsman

(civil) 8 years experience seeking

for part time job. Contact : 99070584,

Email: remluvp@gmail.com

Indian Mechanical Engineer, 30, having 8yrs of UAE Sales/Busi-

ness Development. experience in

Electromechanical and Irrigation

sectors. Contact no- +971558763220

email id-sangowri@outlook.com

Senior Manager Indian, 30 years in

FMCG Business in Oman looking for

better opportunity at management

level. Contact 99231513

22 years B.Com Graduate having

experience in trading of car accesso-

ries and also with valid GCC driving

license looking for a suitable job.

Contact 98504698

Facility / Project Management 5 yrs of exp holds BE (ECE) MBA,

Indian on visit visa looking for

suitable openings.

Contact : 98580569

Email: arafacareer@gmail.com

Admin, having 10+ years experi-

ence in Admin/HR/Logistics/Time

Keeper, in reputed companies. Pres-

ently working in Muscat.

Contact- 968 94369965

mail - satya1528@gmail.com

Indian male B.Eng. in

IT,CCNA,MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp.

in IT support, Networking and Server

support with valid Omani D/L seeking

suitable placement in IT/Network/

Server support. Contact 92607532

Indian male auto cad draughtsman

(civil) 8 years experience seeking

for part time job

mobile no: 0096899070584,

email: remluvp@gmail.com

Indian Male, 25, Chartered Ac-

countant, working with ICICI Bank

India. On a Visit Visa in Oman.

Staying with parents at Azaibah.

Ph:24492638.

Email: shyamal008@gmail.com

Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA, cur-

rently on family joining visa, 2 years

working experience in oman as

customer care / sales co-ordinator.

immediate joining seeks suitable

placements. contact no. (968)

95573205 /95949230/ 95800792

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

D6 T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

SIT.WANTED

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION WANTED

Indian male Nurse 5 years ICU

experience prometric 63% and BLS,

ACLS puss, looking for suitable job

currently on visit visa.

Contact: 93894049 Email:

basilbabybasilbaby@gmail.com

Indian male 29 years B.Tech & MBA

with 1.2 years experience in Oman

as Electronic Engineer seeking for a

suitable job.

Contact: 92085082 Email: suhai-

lece.61@gmail.com

BE Civil Engineer with 11 years of

experience in building construc-

tion with valid Oman DL, looking for

suitable placement, NOC available.

Please contact 91329910

Diploma in civil engineering having

an experience 24years (20years

in Oman) experience in Estimator

/ quantity surveyor looking for a

suitable placement, willing to join

immediately Contact : 96328687

Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA,

MCSA, MCSE, 2yrs + exp. in IT sup-

port, networking and server support

valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement in IT/Network/Server

support. Contact 92607532

Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in

Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel

fi eld ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical &

Plumber ) N O C available

mob : 95 25 36 40 .

email = hareeshma24@yahoo.com

ME Civil- structural Engineer, 8 Years Structural engineer ex-

perience, Looking for Structural

Designer, supervisor or site engineer

Position. Iranian male.

Contact: 93696929,

Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com

Indian Male 26 years MCA, MCSE

2012 certifi ed, Microsoft Exchange

Server Administration, having 1 year

experience in IT/System Administra-

tion looking for suitable placement.

Contact Mob : 00968 92745708

Email: nabeelmmkty@gmail.com,

Light duty driver, Young and honest.

Can speak Arabic, Hindi and under-

stand English. Release available.

Ph.92854775 / 93487450

Indian female with MBA on visit

visa seeking immediate placement.

Contact - 968-93316493

27,male,ACCA fi nalist, have profes-

sional experience upto fi nalization

of accounts, statutory and internal

audit, expertise in using tally and

focus & oracle software, have 3.5

years experience in accounts till

fi nalization and statutory audit,

seeking for permanent replacement

,GSM-97654769,email id-

abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

Sudanese male, 31 years, have 3

year Diploma in electrical engineer

, 6 year experience in construction

and electrical production plant .

Mobile No ; +96894549609

Indian male, B.com, MBA, having

5 years experience (3 years in U.A.E)

is currently seeking suitable op-

portunities within fi nance/accounts/

admin dept.Contact:93953613,

allen.mathew83@gmail.com

B.Com graduate, 11 years experi-

ence in Accounts, 9 years Oman

experience , Oman valid driving

license, looking for suitable post.

Mob:92758404 NOC Available.

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian

male,29 years.8 years experience

.Presently working in Oman as a

Senior Accountant with oman Driv-

ing license. NOC available. Seek suit-

able opportunity. GSM: 97705854

Two year experience in Oman,

experience in sales, purchase and

system admin, Having GCC license.

Contact number 97475860,

Yadhukrishnan08@gmail.com

Indian Male, 32 yrs, MBA-HR, Train-

er & Faculty worked on Omanisation

& nationals development activities

with 10 yrs of experience seeking

suitable job. Contact : 93891401

saiprasad_18@yahoo.com

Sudanese 29 male (Bsc computer

science,diploma computer engineer-

ing), 6 yrs. experience dba oracle pl-

sql , ms sql-server ,ms visual studio

vba,network Omani Driver licence

language English, Arabic

Tel: 91415886

Driver looking for job exp 2 yrs.

Contact: 98522914

MISCELLANEOUS

Piping Design Engineer, Indian

male 27, looking for suitable place-

ment in Piping Design & Engineer-

ing. Having 7 years of experience in

AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS

(11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact :

97351786 / 96143708/97357143

Indian female, 24yrs, M.COM (Ac-

counts) having 3 yrs experience

in Accounts, HR, Administration,

Customer Service. Good Computer

Profi ciency seeking Suitable Posi-

tion. Visa Transfer/NOC Available.

Contact: 99654913

Indian male 27 years B.E & MS Me-

chanical Engineer working in Delhi for

last 4 years inJcb India pvt. ltd., seeks

placement in Oman. #93393768

Female MBA gold medalist, with

computer profi ciency, Oman driving

license looking for job opportunity

in event management companies in

Muscat. Ph : 99012949

Indian female B. Com MBA fi nance

,5 years experience in oman as an

account seeking suitable placement.

Contact 99044292

Indian male 23 years Graduate,

working as a sales coordinator cum

purchase & offi ce coordination 2 yrs

in oman Having oman license & NOC

looking for suitable job in Muscat

Email:yadhukrishnan08@gmail.

com, GSM:97475860

Indian Male 22 Years , Graduation

In Electronics Seeking Jobs In Su-

pervisory , Sales & Sales Co-ordina-

tion Fields , Good Communication

Skill Contact 96141317,

E-mail: akhilek5@gmail.com

DIPLOMA+B.E.(CIVIL ENGINEER),

Indian, 4 years of experience, cur-

rently on visit visa; Seeking Right

Position. GSM:91570703.

ME. Civil Engineer, Structural

Designer, 3 Years Structural Design,

6 Years Str. Engineer Experience,

Looking For Structural Designer

Position. Iranian Male. #93696929,

Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com

B-tech Electrical Engineer with

more than 2 years of experience in

erection and designing of HT and LT

electrical systems. Seeking for

suitable job in Muscat. #98269366.

Email: sijincleetus@gmail.com

Male Graphic designer cum anima-

tion, non linear editing VFX, seeking

suitable position.

Contact: 97792661 / 96229406

Indian lady 30 years Graduate hav-

ing work experience in India and

Oman looking for Admin or any other

suitable job. Contact : 95676957

Indian Female Accountant, CA Fi-

nal (Group I cleared), 5+ year’s expe-

rience in the fi eld of Accounts, Audit

and Financial ERPs. Currently avail-

able in Muscat and seeking suitable

job opportunities.Ph:94704800

email id: vinithsavith@gmail.com

B.E (IT) 1 year exp complete school-

ing in Muscat needs job in software

/ net working / java/ WEB design or

marketing. #97136248 / 99313821

Data Entry operator cum Buyer,

Indian male,26years.BA, Computer

profi ciency :Operating system (Win-

dows 2000xp & Windows7) E plus

and Tally ERP9, 4 yrs Experience in

Oman seeks suitable placements.

Mob: 95360255

Indian Female BSC nurse with 8+

years of experience including 3

years of GCC exp. Oman Promet-

ric passed with 57 %. Currently in

Oman. Contact : 98034384

Senior Accounts Professional, Indi-

an Male, 36 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin)

9 years in Oman, with valid Oman

DL and NOC available. Capable to

handle accounts up to fi nalization.

Contact 9602 3965.

Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a

Suitable Job in Telecom / Network-

ing, 1 year sales experience. M. Sc.

Communications Engineering &

Valid Driving license.

Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com

Indian, presently on visit visa in

Salalah looking for job B.com failed

UAE experience in accounts, com-

mercial Admin & warehouse. Con-

tact: 92754071 /93346931 Email:

sathyanathanuk@gmail.com

Indian male, 39 yrs, MSC Computer

Science 10 years experience IT sup-

port, FMS Engineer, bank experience

looking for suitable job.

Contact: 94276449

MBA (Marketing /HR) with 45

years exp in business development

and marketing, having valid Oman

driving license seeks suitable place-

ment currently available on family

visa. Contact 97618033

Email: vjgeorge12@gmail.com

Civil site coordinator, Diploma,

Male 25, now present in Oman,

Seeking job in Oman.

Contact 92887561,

jubincivileng@gmail.com

Indian male 63 years have 30 years

Muscat experience all offi ce work

sales business development insur-

ance administration accounts with

Oman driving license.

Contact 99249412

Indian female LLB (Advocate) 2

years experience looking for suitable

post legal advisor company secretary

etc. # 93343190 / 94476387

Email: shafu1019@gmail.com

Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA, cur-

rently on family joining visa, 2 years

working experience in oman as

customer care / sales co-ordinator,

immediate joining seeks suitable

placements. Contact no. (968)

95573205 / 95949230 / 95800792

Indian male 22 years ACCA affi liate ,

BSc, Graduate in applied accounting 2

months working experience seeking

suitable placement in Finance / Ac-

counts / audit immediately. Contact:

97378607 / 92558734

B-tech Electrical Engineer with more

than 2 years of experience in erection

and designing of HT and LT electrical

systems. Seeking for suitable job in

Muscat. Contact: 98269366.

Email: sijincleetus@gmail.com

Project Manager / Senior Engi-

neer, Indian Male BE Civil, 21yrs

experienced including Oman looking

for the Job Contact +918939295181

Email I’D 58031_bala@yahoo.co.in

Indian male 26 , graduate in me-

chanical engineering having 2 years

experience in fabrication production

fi led in India, looking for a suitable

job. mobile: +968-91384621

EMAIL : rmekhil@hotmail.com

Sr. Sales Executive, Indian Male,

Holding Valid Oman DL. Total ex-

perience in Oman of 15 years with

4 years Rent a Car Co. experience.

Looking for Opportunities in any

Industry for similar sales role.

GSM - 95703233

email id “khetani_r@yahoo.com

INDIAN MALE 23 YEARS,B. Tech

(Electrical & Electronic). Done IOSH

& NEBOSH- IGC certifi cations. Look-

ing for HSE engineer job in Oil Gas

Sector, constructions or in any re-

lated industries. Contact 98045482

Indian male. M.com holder with two

year working experience as an ac-

countant in India. Now at Muscat on

visiting visa. Seeks suitable place-

ment. Gsm:96947500,99463120,

:mohamedshafi kk5@gmail.com

Driver 5 years exp know English,

Arabic,& Hindi Education B.A.

Contact : 91615715 / 99512270

ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29

years.8 years experience .Presently

working in Oman as a Senior Ac-

countant with oman Driving license.

NOC available seek suitable opportu-

nity. GSM: 97705854

Female, Indian, 35 Yrs- house maid

available for Full/Part time work in

Muscat. contact- 96754303.

29 years Indian female (MBA-

Finance) with 4+yrs experience

(Oman) in Accounts, seeking suit-

able placement in Accounts/Admin.

Contact:96141283

Indian, male, 41 years, CA Inter,

Persuing CA fi nal. Now on express

visa. 7 years of Experience in OMAN

as Finance and Accounts Manager in

Trading , Construction and Firefi ght-

ing industry. 21 Years of exp. seeking

suitable Managerial positions. No

visa issues. Immediate joining.

Contact 98469311

Email:sebin30@yahoo.co.in

B-tech Electrical engineer with more

than 2 years of experience in erection

and designing of HT and LT electri-

cal systems. Seeking for suitable

job in Muscat. Contact:98269366.

Email:sijincleetus@gmail.com

Indian Female B.Sc., B.Ed.(Maths),

M.C.A residing in Al-Ghubra seek-

ing a teaching position as a Math

Teacher GSM.- 94231633

INDIAN MALE 23 YEARS, B. Tech

(Electrical & Electronic) having

4 years working experience as an

Electrical site Engineer. Looking for

suitable job in Oil Gas Sector or in re-

lated industries. Contact 98045482

Indian male, ERP Functional Con-

sultant (SCM, MM, HRMS), Seeks

employment.Contact: 98478928,

Email: anand.desai2408@gmail.com

Indian male , 14 yrs Experience in

maintenance & Supervisor in hotel

fi eld ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical &

Plumber ) N O C available

mob : 95 25 36 40 . email =

hareeshma24@yahoo.com

Piping Design Engineer, Indian

male 27, looking for suitable place-

ment in Piping Design & Engineer-

ing. Having 7 years of experience in

AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS

(11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact :

97351786 / 96143708, Email :

mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

Indian male 28YRS, 7Years exp. in

Architectural & structural Draughts-

man & 3d visualization, looking for a

suitable Post GSM: +971551965944.

Email:aboosufi yan@gmail.com

Indian Female, M.Com & MBA with

1.5 years of experience in Reinsur-

ance Treaty seeking a good job

opportunity in Insurance & Reinsur-

ance Accounts or General Accounts.

Contact: +968 91920189, Email:

neethumano.manohar@gmail.com

CCNA MCITP network support / net-

work technician with 2 years experi-

ence Indian male having bachelors

degree on visit visa.

Contact 93080871

sean.f.peters@outlook.com

8 yrs exp 2d, 3d draughtsman (HOLD-

ING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE) seek-

ing job. Contact : 93790601

ME. Civil Engineer, Structural

Designer, 3 Years Structural Design,

6 Years Str Supervising Experience,

Looking For Structural Designer

Position. Iranian Male.

Contact : 93696929

Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com

BSC Female Nurse having 8 years of

experience ( 3 years in gulf). Promet-

ric passed - 57%. Currently in Oman.

Contact : 98034384

ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years experi-

ence .Presently working in Oman

as a Senior Accountant with Oman

Driving license. NOC available seeks

suitable opportunity.

GSM: 98184170

ACCOUNTANT, M.Com holder with

2 year working experience as an ac-

countant in Kerela-India, seeks suit-

able placement. GSM NO:96947500,

9 9463120, mail:

mohamedshafi kk5@gmail.com

Indian Male 22 Years, Graduation In

Electronics Seeking Jobs In Super-

visory , Sales & Sales Co-ordination

Fields , Good Communication Skill

Contact 96141317,

E-mail: akhilek5@gmail.com

Sudanese.male 32 years.B.SC

mechanical engineer.7years

experience.5 years experiance in

Gulf.working now in water pipeline

projects.fl uent Arabic and English.

have Omani driving license.

looking for good opportunity

TEl:91117089

ACCOUNTANT, Indian Male, 25 years

old, 5 years Experience (2 years in

Oman & 3 years in India) Presently

working in Oman. Going exit on this

week with NOC.

Seeking suitable opportunities.

GSM : 97018783

DAILY GUIDET U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 D7

SITUATION WANTEDSERVICES

Window & split unit A.C ser-

vicing & maintenance. Contact

93769089 / 95323517

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet

& sofa shampooing, Contact

99314807/24792998

Pest Control Treatments, Cockroaches, Ants, Rodents &

Termites, Ocean Center LLC.

Contact: 99344723/ 99357908

General cleaning &

Shampooing. Ocean Center LLC.

Contact: 99344723/99357908

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your

marble. #24793614/ 99314807

Used house & offi ce furniture

& electronic items. Contact:

99834373 / 96642500

Supply fi xing Wallpapers,

all carpets. Contact: 99834373 /

96642500

One stop shop business services : Public Relation (PRO) formation new

companies, LLC companies, Investor

visa, business setup, prepare busi-

nesses & companies accounts, legal

services, representing you and your

company. Contact: Saleh : 96723485

House shifting & packing. Contact: 99657644 /98518013

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile pol-

ishing, pest control & anti-termite

treatment, general cleaning paint-

ing, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting.

Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading.

L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles

polishing, carpet shampooing,

maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS-

99320217 /24788722

WEBSITE

WEB, ERP and Business Intel-

ligence (BI) creation and man-

agement at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

COMPUTER CLASSES

A/C Technician, all refrigerator

items, installation.

Contact 92279370

Water proofi ng ABUQABAS-

Contact 99320217/24788722

Spoken English IELTS & Computer classes.

Contact: 92088325 / 24799938

SIT.WANTED

SIT.WANTED

MANPOWER

Required investors for diff erent

projects. Contact: 99674870

SITUATION WANT-

ED

BUSINESS

DRIVING

TRANSPORTATION

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation for saloon car&

delivery van. Contact : 95530908

Transportation available. Contact -955 70 429

Transportation. Contact 99508282

Transportation. Contact

99664703

Filipino (male), 37 yrs. old, having

8yrs. experience in Operation (Ship-

ping & Logistics) currently on visit

visa looking for suitable job.

GSM: 97121525

Chartered Accountant with 7 years

of post qualifi cation experience,

seeking challenging job opportunity.

Experience in auditing/accounts &

fi nance/taxation/IFRS, etc.

GSM +968 95763680

Indian Female Interior Designer, 4.5

yrs experience, seeking immediate

mid-senior level position with fi rm

having lady clearance. NOC Avail-

able. Contact 93033072

Indian Male 22 years, ACCA Af-

fi liate with B..Sc. Degree in Applied

Accounting having three months

working experience seeking suitable

placement in Finance / Accounts /

Audit. Holding valid Oman D/L.

Contact 97378607 / 92558734

Indian female Nurse, Prometric

passed 64%, 5 years of experience,

MOH licensed, presently working in

Oman seeking a suitable placement

in reputed Hospitals, NOC available.

Contact: 98329941,

Email: ancyanish2011@gmail.com.

Female from India -MA. B.Ed. with

One year three months Teaching

experience. English seeking for a

urgent better placement, Now work-

ing in Oman. #93961142, 92184408

Email:-anoopkesavan78@gmail.com.

Driver with car seeking suitable

post. Contact : 916602662

Video Editor 29 years Indian male

with 8 years experience on visit visa

looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 91275969 /

leomoorkoth@gmail.com

Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support,

Networking, Security systems, Serv-

er support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement. Contact 91033395

8 yrs exp 2d, 3d Draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LI-

CENSE) seeking job. # 97449630

Tunisian shoes designer wuth

40years expereince in designing and

manifacturing loocking for a job in a

related fi eld contact : 97816917

Indian male MBA + TALLY , 29 years

& 7years experience in Administra-

tion and Manager level in Reputed

companies, Seeking suitable place-

ment.# 96297709 / +91 9066130371,

Email: jomonjohnm9@gmail.com

Indian female MBA Finance cur-

rently on visit visa seeks immediate

placement. Phone: 968-98430089

Indian Male, 28, B.Com, 6+ yrs exp in

Accounts, 2 yrs in Oman with Valid

Oman D/L, NOC available.

Contact: 9719 4864

Indian male post graduate.2 years

experience in sales. currently in

oman on visit visa.seeks suitable

placement.Gsm 92388346

Civil site coordinator, Diploma,

Male 25, now present in Oman, Seek-

ing job in Oman. Contact: 92875345,

jubincivileng@gmail.com

Male Indian 27, working as fi nance

analyst having two years Oman expe-

rience with Driving license looking for

suitable position. Mob: 98097009,

rameesnm@gmail.com

FRESH - B.Com Graduate on Family

Visa, looking for any suitable Job.

Contact : 92567020 / 95322175,

Email: shwayanad@gmail.com

Transportation available. Contact: 99867456

Indian Male, 25, C.A., 2 years experi-

ence as Credit Manager with ICICI

Bank India on Visit Visa. Staying

with parents at Azaibah.

Ph: 24492638.

Email: shyamal008@gmail.com

27,male, ACCA fi nalist, have profes-

sional experience upto fi nalisation

of accounts, statutory and internal

audit, expertise in using tally and

focus & oracle softaware, have 3.5

years experience in accounts till

fi nalisation and statutory audit,

seeking for permanent replacement

GSM-97654769, email id-

abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

Indian male 27, looking for suit-

able placement in Piping Design

& Engineering, having 7 years of

experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar

with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR

ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708,

E-mail :

mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

Indian male having 14years of

experience in HR, Purchase Dept,

having Oman driving license

looking for a suitable position at

Salalah. Noc available.

Contact : 91182907

Mail: Madhuvtk@ gmail.com

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Indian male

55 years. 30 Years experience, pres-

ently working in Oman as a Senior

Accountant last 10 years.

NOC available, seek suitable oppor-

tunity. GSM 99685800.

Email:- sanatoman@gmail.com

Indian Male, 29, 9 years exp in

Sales in Oman (Buraimi) with valid

D/L looking for suitable placements,

NOC available .Ph: 9360 1947

Female, BE(hons) Systems Admin-

istration, 2 years teaching experi-

ence. Seeking suitable placement in

Higher Education/Training industry.

Email: sadia_fatima@hotmail.com

Contact:96447091

Indian male, 27 years, BCom CA In-

ter, Pursuing CA fi nal and MBA with

5 years work experience (2 years

GCC), currently working as a cost ac-

countant seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 94390660

Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA,

MCSA,MCSE, 2yrs + exp. in IT sup-

port, networking and server support

valid Omani D/L seeking suitable

placement in IT/Network/Server

support. Contact 92607532

Store Supervisor or Site Supervisor,

Indian male 30 years, looking for

suitable placement in any reputed

company. Having 5 years of gulf ex-

perience with good communication

skills. Willing to work in any GCC

country. Contact: 00968 97756269,

Email: razzakbmt@gmail.com

DAILY GUIDE Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461Fax: 24812624

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

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