Times of Oman - October 5, 2015

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FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

Opening of Ministry Complex 29 September 1973

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ Any work not intent on the public’s interest, and executed without a basic plan is prone to failure and waste of time and effort.

MONDAY, October 5, 2015 / 21 Dhul Hijja 1436 AH

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

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

REJIMON K /FAHAD AL GHADANI

reji@timesofoman.com fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: “The government should clarify the two-year ban rule. Even among the government departments, many are confused.

Public are lost as the two concerned authorities have different views about the rule.”

This was the message on Sunday from a top official of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) after the news that talks are again going on between the Ministry of Manpower and the Royal Oman Police (ROP) over the ‘controversial’ ban.

“The Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) will definitely open this issue as soon

FORECAST

as the Ministry of Manpower or ROP come forward for a meeting,” Mohammed Hassan Al Ansi, vicechairman of the committee for logistics and transportation affairs at the OCCI, told Times of Oman.

The Times of Oman reported on Sunday, how Said bin Naser Al Sadi, advisor to the Minister of Manpower, said his ministry would make it clear to the de-

partments concerned that expat employees may be allowed to change their jobs if they have completed their contract without restrictions.

“If an expatriate employee completes his contract, he will be free to decide whether he wants to continue with the same employer or move to another company,” said the advisor, adding that there

would be an issue only when the employee quits without honouring the full contract.

Last year, the ROP had announced that no employment visa would be issued after July 1, 2014, to any expatriate who has worked previously in Oman and has not completed two years from the date of last departure, unless a No Objection Certificate had been given by the former employer.

Ban affecting market An Omani businessmen said that the two-year visa ban is affecting the market badly and investors are wary over new ventures here.

“A proper study has to be done.

Whether the ban has to be continued or lifted. We should ponder seriously whether we are ready to take over alone,” Anvwar Al Balushi, chairman of Anvwar Asian Investment Group, told Times of Oman.

Meanwhile, a financial expert said the country is still in a nascent stage where expertise is needed to move ahead. >A6

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

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Arabian Sea low Building firms face pressure likely to recruiting challenge become cyclone 1 CONDITIONS FAVOURABLE FOR CYCLONES Surface temperature of the Indian Ocean on Sunday

18 ºC

35 ºC

China India

Arabia

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The formation of cyclones starts with the warming of the sea surface

Africa

Oman’s construction sector faces recruiting problem because nationalisation targets are higher, says GulfTalent, a job site for professionals in the Middle East and Gulf region. The main stumbling block is that the nationals have ‘inaccurate’ image of the construction sector. >A3

Muscat Festival from January 14

INDIAN OCEAN

Australia Source: wunderground.com

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A possible tropical cyclone is forming in the Arabian Sea, global meteorology departments have predicted.

“It is too early to predict as the picture is not yet clear of formation and its track,” Dr. Saeed Al Sarmi, the Head of the Research Centre from Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) told the Times of Oman.

Keeping an eye According to BBC Weather, European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) and Accuweather, the low pressure is being monitored, which may intensify into a tropical cyclone in the coming days.

Graphics

“Right now, it appears to us that a monsoon low may develop off the southwestern coast of India in the next few days.

Whether it becomes a tropical cyclone or just stays a monsoon low is not known,” Anthony Sagliani, international meteorologist at Accuweather.com, told the Times of Oman.

“We also do not know if it will move towards Oman or whether it will move in some other direction. There is also a chance that it will not affect anyone. If it did move towards Oman, it would not impact the weather there until at least a week from now,” the meteorologist added. Due to the ‘El Niño’ phenomenon, meteorologists have predicted that it will rain more than the normal level from October till February.

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During its first meeting of the year, the Muscat Festival Main Committee 2016 decided to organise the Muscat Festival from January 14 to February 13, 2016. The meeting was held under the aegis of Eng. Moshen bin Mohammed Al Sheikh, Chairman of Muscat Municipality. >A5

SPORTS

Fahad swells Oman’s golden kitty

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Fahd Al Nadabi won Oman’s fourth gold while Salim Aulad Thani increased the hosts medal tally with a bronze medal at the Asian Bench Press Championships. Fahd won Oman’s fourth gold while Salim Aulad Thani increased the hosts medal tally with a bronze medal. >C1

STRENGTHENING BALANCE SHEET

Oman Air set to boost capital base to support growth plans Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Air is substantially raising its capital base to fund growth plans and to strengthen its balance sheet.

Oman Air is convening an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders on October 25 to raise its paid-up capital by OMR138.11 million to OMR684.16 million, mainly to fund its growth programmes.

“Additional capital will allow the airline to fund its growth programmes. Government is supporting the expansion and strengthening its balance sheet,” said a senior analyst of a Muscatbased brokerage firm on condition of anonymity.

The airline can also leverage

on its borrowing programmes for funding expansion, with the additional capital.

The Sultanate’s government is going to inject additional capital.

Oman Air officials were not available for comment.

The state-owned airline’s capital enhancement programme is an ongoing plan. In December 2014, Oman Air raised its capital base to OMR546.05 million from OMR471.05 million by injecting an additional OMR75 million by the government.

The additional capital will enable the airline to invest in fleet and route expansion programmes, the airline said in December.

The airline’s fleet size will be raised to 57 aircraft by 2018, and top 70 aircraft by 2020.

The expanded fleet will enable Oman Air to introduce more flights to more new destinations, increase frequencies on established routes and offer more convenient connections at Muscat International Airport.

Fire in Buraimi school contained

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ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

CABLE

HM receives thanks MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from Kim Jongun, First Secretary of the Workers’ Party, First Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Supreme Commander of the Korean People’s Army in reply to His Majesty’s congratulatory cable on the 67th anniversary of establishing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In his cable, President Kim expressed his utmost thanks for His Majesty’s sincere congratulations and best wishes. He wished further progress to the existing cooperation between the two countries in the interest of people. -ONA

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It is not going to shorten their lives. Everybody’s life is in Allah’s hands. If you make a sacrifice, Allah will be with you because you have done something good for another person Omani, Kidney donor

Brothers relive 17-years with shared kidneys The spirit of helping each other in the hour of need was so strong among the family members that all the brothers had volunteered to donate a kidney

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: A pair of kidneys shared between two Omani brothers for 17 years has made the already strong bond shared between them even more special.

“I was suffering from a kidney disease for 10 years and my brother knew about the situation.

It reached a point where the doctor called my family and informed them that I had to undergo a transplant,” the recipient, who wished not to be named, told the Times of Oman.

Concept of sacrifice Sitting next to his brother, he said that he was on peritoneal dialysis for around six months before the transplant, which was performed in 1998.

Having grown up in a family which cherishes Islamic teachings and values, they were no stranger to the concept of ‘sacrifice’.

“In the Holy Quran, in Surah

Al Ma’idah, Allah says if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind. This is the main thing. This is the way we were raised. We had learned to sacrifice for each other,” said the brother who donated his kidney, also asking to remain anonymous.

The spirit of helping each other in the hour of need was so strong among the family members that all the brothers had volunteered to donate a kidney to make sure that their brother would be in good health.

“However, this brother of mine was the one who was an 80 per cent match. We have been very close since childhood and he was insisting that the transplant should be done,” said the recipient, describing the kidney he received as a ‘gift from Allah.’

Duty fulfilled His brother modestly replies that he did not ‘donate’ anything in the sense that many people would think, but rather, he only ‘fulfilled his duty’.

“I am very happy that Allah gave me this opportunity to save somebody’s life,” he said, adding that their family was so ‘united’ that nobody stopped the other from making a sacrifice.

Their already close relationship had become even stronger after this experience.

Both brothers believe that those who see a family member suffering from a kidney problem and are medically fit and eligible to donate an organ, should do so and understand that it would not have negative consequences.

“It is not going to shorten their lives. Everybody’s life is in Allah’s hands. If you make a sacrifice, Allah will be with you because you have done something good for an-

other person,” said the donor.

He added that a person who donates an organ should forget about it after it is done and should not be thinking that something has been removed from his body.

“This way Allah would give him even more strength than before.

I myself feel even healthier than before,” he said.

No need to worry The recipient also said that those who are able to donate a kidney should not have any worries about the operation and their health after the surgery.

“We are having a normal life for the past 17 years without any problem and, God willing, it will continue.

“Transplants have been performed in Oman for many years and now the surgical techniques, medical facilities and even the medication have improved a lot compared to the past. So there is no reason for worry. It is a safe operation,” he said.

However, they should be ‘committed’ and follow the doctor’s instructions and take the medication properly if they do not wish to face any problem, he added.

He also said that if the donor and the recipient are related, the transplant would be more successful and there will be a lower risk of complications.

There have been some cases where people have taken the ‘commercial’ path and have undergonethe operation outside the country and have died or faced serious problems, he added.

“Those who can help save the life of another person should just put their trust in Allah, and everything will be fine. If you give life to somebody else, Allah will help you,” he said.

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CHALLENGING: Construction firms across the Gulf region face the same problem, according to a

panel of company directors from the construction sector. – Times of Oman

Building firms grapple with Omanisation Getting Omani workers in this sector is harder, say industry experts

MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman’s construction sector faces recruiting problem because nationalisation targets are higher, says GulfTalent, a job site for professionals in the Middle East and Gulf region.

The main stumbling block is that the nationals have ‘inaccurate’ image of the construction sector. As per Omanisation targets, 30 per cent of workers should be nationals.

“To get nationals in this field is difficult because of the unavailability of nationals in the sec-

tor,” said a contractor who is not ready to reveal his identity.

According to him, it’s hard to get a visa clearance for an expatriate for private construction jobs. The government provides clearance only if it is a government project.

Some of the nationals available in the construction sector are interested to work in certain categories only such as drivers etc.

“If we get a national to work, he works at most for six months and then leaves the job. They are not ready to work for long period,” said the contractor.

New rule “Our new rule is not allowing recruiting more workers from a country. For example, in earlier times we could recruit as many workers from Bangladesh as we liked. But now only 10 per cent is allowed,” said Mohammad Kabir Ahmed, Managing Director of United Dreams LLC. “To get Omani workers in this sector is harder,” he added.

The Omanisation process in

most firms in the sector is not complete. The 30 per cent quota of Omani workers remains unfilled.

“Getting clearance for expatriate workers in this sector is very difficult,” said another contractor. Construction firms across the Gulf region face the same problem, according to a panel of company directors from the construction sector who spoke at a leading industry event in Dubai recently.

One of the panelists said, “For many young people, their image of a career in construction is someone pouring concrete on a hot day, whereas in reality our roles are much more diverse. The private sector, the industry associations and the governments all need to work together to change such perceptions”.

The panel also pointed out that the region’s construction sector was not investing sufficiently in the development of young talent.

According to the panel, UAE is the easiest market for hiring expatriate talent while Saudi Arabia is the most challenging.

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It puts a personal tour guide into your phone, containing thousands of audio clips narrated by local, expert guides Gautam Shewakramani, AudioCompass founder and CEO

AU D I O C O M PA S S

BURAIMI SCHOOL FIRE DOUSED

Fire and rescue teams successfully doused a fire in an Omani school in Buraimi, the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulances (PACDA) tweeted in its official Twitter handle. ‘There are no causalities. However, five minor injuries have been reported,’ the PACDA tweet said.

The reason behind the fire is not yet ascertained.

I N I T I AT I V E

WikiOman contest to enrich e-content MUSCAT: A new initiative targeting Omani youth, social media users, bloggers, academics, writers and journalists aims at promoting digital voluntaryism among Omani youth to encourage them to become content producers rather than remain just consumers.

The Information Technology Authority (ITA), represented by the Digital Society Development Division, has taken an initiative to enrich the Omani e-content in the free online encyclopaedia, “Wikipedia,” by launching a “WikiOman” contest that will offer cash prizes to those contributing the best 20 articles.

To join the contest, participants

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A mobile audio application travel guide covering more than 85 points of interest in Oman across all major governorates and featuring high quality audio content, will be launched this month, app makers have said.

“Named AudioCompass, the app will go live with English language content for Oman this month. This initiative has been financially supported by the Oman Ministry of Tourism and is recognised as the official audio guide app for Oman,” Gautam Shewakramani, the founder and CEO at AudioCompass, said in an email interview with the Times of Oman.

Users of AudioCompass will be able to have one-of-a-kind experience, with story based, informative and accurate content. AudioCompass will be available as a free app download, and subscriptions will be included in holiday

- Photo courtesy PACDA

Times News Service

Audio app travel guide on the way

need to write at least one article in Arabic focused on Oman in the free encyclopaedia, “Wikipedia,” and send the article’s link to ecc@ ita.gov.om along with their name and contact details.

Participants should write at least one article on any, but not limited to, these subjects: Tourism, Technology, Health, Education, Agriculture, Arts, History, etc.

Copyright issues Each article should not be less than 300 words long. Information stated in the article should be from trusted and reliable sources. The content of articles must not violate the copyrights of any other author and should not be related to political, ideological or tribal issues.

packages sold by the largest travel agencies in India.

“The reason they have supported us on this is that visitors to most countries (including Oman) are able to find information about where to go, what to do, etc, but are unable to receive good quality information while on the ground.

Few travellers can afford guides and escorts, and those guides and escorts, while excellent in quality, are not with customers 24x7. A product like AudioCompass provides high quality information to travellers 24x7, and augments the existing in-destination experience,” Gautam added.

Already, in India, AudioCompass is recognised as the official audio tour app by Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism), and is the official audio guide provider at UNESCO sites such as the Taj Mahal.

Internationally, AudioCompass is working with Singapore Tourism Board and Oman Tourism to

AudioCompass is working with Singapore Tourism Board and Oman Tourism to provide high quality, in-destination content.

provide high quality, in-destination content.

According to the app makers, AudioCompass’ vision is to act as a local friend to travellers across the world. “It puts a personal tour guide into your phone, containing thousands of audio clips narrated by local, expert guides,” Gautam added.

The app was recently recog-

nised by Conde Nast Traveller India as one of the 15 game changing ideas that are “shaking up India’s travel scene.”

The tourism movement in the Sultanate has witnessed a remarkable growth with statistical indicators pointing out that more than two million tourists visited the country last year. The annual growth during the past 10 years (2005-2014) stood at 7.4 per cent.

Ahmed bin Nassir Al Mahrazi, Minister of Tourism, has said the tourism industry has witnessed a rapid growth and played a prominent role in the development and progress of societies. He explained that the Omani tourism sector is one of the main pillars for the country’s economic and social development.

He had also pointed out that the Ministry of Tourism has formulated a series of plans and promotional campaigns to promote the Sultanate as one of the world’s unique tourism destinations.

PDO scheme ramps up support to community A total 250 employees have signed up for the Baader project under which they will be granted seven days off their work every calendar year to engage in helping those in need TOGETHER AHEAD: The Baader project is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to support creation

of a better world and the staff have stepped up efforts to show the true spirit of compassion at the PDO. -Jun Estrada/Times of Oman

Times news service MUSCAT: In a move to further enhance its support to the community, Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has launched a new volunteering initiative which allows its staff to lend their services free of charge to non-governmental organisations and charities.

A total of 250 employees have signed up for the Baader project under which they will be granted seven days off their work every calendar year to engage in helping those in need.

Eighty PDO staff members have already begun working with eight NGOs, including the Oman Cancer Association, Dar Al Atta, the Oman Association for the Disabled, the Oman Down Syndrome Association, the Early Intervention Association and the Al Noor Association for the Blind.

Specific areas So far, they have been devoting their time and expertise in areas such as information technology, human resources and administration, public relations and marketing, communications, archiving, finance, accounting, translation

and event management.

The External Affairs Director of the PDO, Abdul-Amir Al Ajmi, said, “The PDO has a vast pool of skill and capability in many disciplines and we believe we should put some of this at the country’s disposal in line with our obligations as a good corporate citizen.

The Baader project is part of the company’s ongoing efforts to support creation of a better world and I am delighted that so many of our staff have stepped up to show the true spirit of compassion at the PDO.” Funds for 18 NGOs The company also signed on Sunday a series of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), committing itself to fund the activities of 18 NGOs over the next 15 months once they have submitted their cost proposals in support of particular activities.

A special signing ceremony was held under the auspices of Sheikh Mohammed bin Said bin Saif al Kalbani, Minister of Social Development, and involved PDO directors and NGO

representatives. It was held at the company’s headquarters at Mina Al Fahal.

During the event, some of the Baader volunteers gave presentations showcasing the work they have done so far.

This includes setting up a new centre and building a new website for the Oman Down Syndrome Association, donating and connecting 12 decommissioned computers to the Association for Early Intervention for Children with Disabilities, developing a membership database for the Oman Association for the Disabled, education, outreach, training and support programmes for the Oman Cancer Association, and backing a beach clean-up initiative at Al Ghubrah for the Environment Society of Oman.

PDO Managing Director Raoul Restucci said, “The PDO’s social investment initiatives are directed at areas where we can make a tangible, positive and lasting difference in the lives of Omanis by targeting our funds, skills and expertise at those who most need them.

“Through these latest initiatives, and with the sterling backing of our staff, we are proud to be able to support so many worthy groups which contribute so much towards helping the disadvantaged, the wider community and environment.”

The 18 NGOs which PDO has committed to support through the MoUs are: the Oman Cancer Association, Dar Al Atta, the Early Intervention Association, Al Noor Association for the Blind, the Oman Association for the Disabled, the Environment Society of Oman, the Hereditary Blood Disorder Association, the Oman Down Syndrome Association, the Children First Association, the Association for the Welfare of Handicapped Children, the Oman Diabetes Association, the Oman Alzheimer’s Society, the Oman Road Safety Association, the Omani Association for Elderly Friends, the Oman Society of Engineers, the Omani Astronomical Association, the Geological Society of Oman, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (Oman).

G R E AT R E S P O N S E

Petrofac celebrates record intake of Omani graduates Times News Service MUSCAT: Thirty young women and men will be kick-starting their careers with Petrofac this month, nearly 40 per cent more than the previous year’s intake.

Petrofac is celebrating the recruitment of a record number of Omani graduates as part of its 2015 intake.

In the presence of His Highness Sayyid Kamil bin Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Assistant Secretary General of the Deputy Prime Minister Office for Cabinet Affairs, Petrofac welcomed the new intake.

Country Manager Ray Richardson said, “Last year, we had a great response from the universities

Almost 30 young women and men will be kickstarting their careers with the firm this month

and colleges with whom we work here in the Sultanate.

Twenty-two students are now completing the first year of a tailored graduate training programme which we run through our Petrofac Academy. They are also excellent ambassadors which, without doubt, complements the recruitment process.

“Joining Petrofac straight from a university or a college can be

a hugely rewarding experience.

Our programmes provide the experience, training and development that these newly-qualified graduates need to accelerate their careers and develop their full potential in a forward-looking organisation. They want to succeed and their performance reflects that motivation. They represent our future and I am very proud of every one of them.”

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GOOD PROGRESS: The Sur Gate Project is expected to be completed in four to five years. – Flie photo

The first phase of work on the entertainment facility, which will be called City Walk, will be completed by December this year

Times News Service MUSCAT: Sur Gate Project is now about seventy per cent complete, according to the real estate developer firm which is constructing the project.

The OMR120 million projects at the new Muscat-Sur highway will all have modern amenities, including a residential plot for villas, apartment towers, luxury hotel, a leisure centre, a commercial zone, a shopping mall and a hypermarket, all spread

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Sur Gate Project on track, City Walk this year

over 217,000 square metres of land, one Oman’s leading developer said.

“The first phase of work on the entertainment facility, which will be called City Walk, will be completed by December this year,” said Yasser Al Alawi, Managing Director, Al Sharqiya Real Estate & Investment, a leading real estate developer in Oman which is developing the project.

The entire project is expected to be completed in four to five years’ time. He also said, “The objective of the project is to offer a modern lifestyle while maintaining aesthetic design values inherent to the Omani culture.

These services and facilities will provide benefits to visitors from many Wilayats and tourists from all over the Sultanate and abroad.”

A totally integrated real estate development project will boast of a luxurious hotel with approximately 18 suites and 144 deluxe rooms, which will be a perfect destination for business travellers and weekend visitors, while the residential and commercial space will respectively occupy around 16 acres and 20 acres of land where there will be villas and

two and three bedroom apartments for smaller families. “A separate labour residential block will also be included in this project,” he added.

The project will create at least 500 jobs for citizens. Besides, it will serve the Sharqiya region’s population and the tourist activity. “It is also expected to attract investments in Sur industrial estate,” Alawi added.

It will also have a shopping mall, a traditional bazaar, a banquet hall, a health spa-club and a luxury hotel. “A grand and exclusive luxury hotel, having all requisite facilities and built as per the latest architectural concept, is an integral part of this project,” he disclosed.

The shopping mall will be built over 8.5 acres of land which will gratify all the shopping needs, ranging from fashion to lifestyle products. “A hypermarket, a food court, shops, offices and other family entertainment options will be added. Also, the presence of a private school will ensure that residents, living within the project complex and in the surrounding area, have an easy access to high quality education,” he added.

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M U S C AT M U N I C I PA L I T Y M E E T

Muscat Festival from January 14 MUSCAT: Muscat Festival will kick off on January 14.

During its first meeting of the year under the chair of Eng. Moshen bin Mohammed Al Sheikh, Chairman of Muscat Municipality, the Muscat Festival Main Committee 2016 approved the proposal to organise Muscat Festival from January 14 to February 13, 2016.

The concept submitted by Muscat Festival Preparatory Committee, including the main events and programmes were also reviewed.

The venues will include Al Naseem Park, Al Amerat Park, Al Hail Beach, Oman Automobiles Association. Muscat Festival 2016 budget and the tenders which have been either floated or awarded or are under process, were also approved. -ONA

PEOPLE’S CHOICE: A scene of the closing day event during the pre-

vious Muscat Festival.

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On the foreshore of Saraya Bandar Jissah are the resort and boutique hotels. The resort hotel will have 206 keys while the boutique hotel will offer 112 keys Ashraf Mahmoud, Senior Design Manager for Saraya Bandar Jissah

BOOSTING TOURISM

Jumeirah Hotels at Saraya Bandar Jissah to redefine hospitality

OMANI ARCHITECTURAL THEMES: The upcoming hotels will deliver an authentic Omani experience for guests, coupled with Jumeirah’s luxurious reputation for hospitality. – Artist’s impression

Times News Service MUSCAT: A fanatical attention to detail will ensure beauty and serenity for guests at the 5-Star Jumeirah Hotels within the new Saraya Bandar Jissah development, currently under construction on the outskirts of Muscat.

The Senior Design Manager for Saraya Bandar Jissah, Ashraf Mahmoud, talks about how the two upcoming hotels will deliver an authentic Omani experience for guests, coupled with Jumeirah’s luxurious reputation for hospitality. Great effort has been made in blending together a sleek and individual contemporary design with the surroundings of Bandar Jissah’s mountainous topography, incorporating traditional Omani architectural themes and design elements.

Commenting on the two landmark Jumeirah Hotels rapidly taking shape in Bandar Jissah bay, Ashraf Mahmoud notes, “On the foreshore of Saraya Bandar Jissah are the resort and boutique hotels.

The resort hotel will have 206 keys while the boutique hotel will offer 112 keys.

“The Jumeirah Group making its debut in the Sultanate at Saraya Bandar Jissah significantly raises the bar in terms of what Oman’s tourism industry will have to offer. The Jumeirah Group is known for their high-end, luxurious and distinctive properties, and the two hotels are a perfect fit for their brand ethos.”

Ashraf Mahmoud, a chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is overseeing the design and technical aspects of the unique development, with the two beachfront hotels offering a distinct choice of Boutique or Resort style guest experiences, operated by the pioneers in the hospitality business, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts.

Omani themes The Jumeirah Group has been involved in the development of the hotels from day one, so that Saraya Bandar Jissah and Jumei-

rah achieve the highest possible design and construction standards, working in a partnership manner to achieve high end destination status.

Luxury properties The team of international consultants have hands-on experience in developing high-end luxury properties, with the emphasis for Saraya Bandar Jissah to be designed in a way that preserves the topography of the site and the environment, and to maintain its stunning natural beauty.

The design teams from Saraya Bandar Jissah and Jumeirah Hotels first travelled across the Sultanate, drawing inspiration from historical buildings like forts and castles, ancient cities like Misfat Al Abriyeen, and adopting the Omani and Islamic architectural traditions and design approach.

Understanding the historical significance of the site and existing archaeological ruins and integrating them as part of the story line with the new development’s

urban design was one of the design challenges.

The Sultanate is known for its well-integrated villages, with the country’s pristine blend of mountain, coastal and agricultural marvels. Saraya Bandar Jissah and Jumeirah Group wish to take guests at the hotel on a sensory journey with a balance of all Omani inspirations.

Luxury suites Tourists will feel cocooned from the bustle of the city in their luxury suites, while having easy access to Muscat city’s most prominent tourist sites like the Muttrah Souq and Corniche.

Ashraf also adds that from an environmental and sustainability standpoint, the hotels will have green roofs along with solar panelling for water heating.

“We have carefully selected the construction material in line with the international sustainability requirements. We are working to ensure that the indigenous flora and fauna, as well as the geologi-

Six Senses Spa offers unique care to guests Reflective of the traditional Omani architecture, the spa complements Al Bustan Palace Hotel

TARIQ AL HAREMI

GREAT SERVICE: The spa features domed ceilings, elegant arched

walkways and falaj. – Supplied photo

tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A new level of spa treatment awaits visitors at the Six Senses Spa, launched under the auspices of Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary of Ministry of Tourism, at Al Bustan Palace Hotel.

Reflective of the traditional Omani architecture, the spa complements the hotel. Housed on three levels, simulating an effect of Ancient Arabian forts, the spa features domed ceilings, elegant arched walkways and falaj.

What makes Six Senses different is its service. Maitha said the spa stands out from others as

it is unique in terms of the services offered.

Furthermore, unlike any other spa, Six Senses will take care of customers more deeply by recruiting specialists better fit for the job.

“Six Senses would not just align itself with a spa in just any brand of hotels; it has to be an absolutely unique place,” said Bernhard Bohnenberger, Six Senses Spa President.

“We have true experts. It is not just treatments and therapists who have been trained to do repetitive treatments, but to go much deeper, understand and respond to

your needs. It is a different level of spa experience,” he added.

Therapists will be able to determine the perfect treatment based on information gathered from an assessment of the visitors’ physical and medical state. Spa goers will need to place their hands and feet on a metal plate as well as have some electrodes strapped to their bodies to measure their heart rate, blood pressure, etc.

Six Senses deals with over 280 specialists worldwide where they have them visit the spa and offer their services anywhere from 3 days to 6 months. Specialists in-

clude celebrity fitness experts and sports teams’ physiotherapists.

The spa comes equipped with 17 treatment rooms and a number of wet facilities such as infrared saunas, steam rooms, ice shower and hammams, the traditional Arab baths, as well as couples and singles massages and baths.

A private ladies only club includes a gym, activity studio, relaxation area, hammam, sauna, steam bath as well as an ice shower. It also features a ladies only indoor swimming pool and a private beach.

After treatment, visitors can enjoy a relaxing Six Senses Spa signature ginger tea as well as an assortment of fresh fruit juices at the juice bar available within the spa.

Locals and residents will also be able to apply for membership, starting from a month’s package to a year’s package, which will include use of all facilities in accordance with the membership type.

Maitha Al Mahrouqi said, “The spa is known globally and we are confident that its presence in Muscat is a one-of-a-kind addition to tourism services in the capital, which will reflect positively on internal and external tourism.”

The only other Six Senses Spa in Oman is in Zighy Bay, Musandam.

MAJLIS AL SHURA ELECTIONS

Minister reviews poll preparations MUSCAT: Sayyid Hamoud bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior, met with Sheikh Khalid bin Rashid Al Manwari, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court, Chairman of the Higher Committee for the Majlis Al Shura eighth Term Elections and members of committee.

The meeting comes within the framework of current prepa-

rations carried out by the Interior Ministry, Higher Committee for Elections and other public committees for the voting day scheduled on October 25.

Sayyid Al Busaidi lauded the role of Higher Committee for elections in carrying out its supervisory tasks. The Ministry of Interior approved (107) ballot centres in wilayats. -ONA

cal treasures of the landscape are protected during construction, and even after commissioning. Additionally, over half of the development materials such as cabling and wiring, window materials and marble are locally-sourced, positioning Saraya Bandar Jissah as a proudly Omani development,”added Ashraf.

It should be noted that Habtoor Leighton Group (HLG), the highly reputed construction company, is the main contractor undertaking the structural and civil works, fitout and interior works, final finishes and fixtures and equipment (FF&E), along with MEP, and External Finishes, roads, car parking and landscaping.

Bright future Tourism has been a key economic driver, creating job opportunities and encouraging further investment into the country.

The traditional industries in Oman continue to play a vital role in the country’s economy, and developers have been keen to boost

the non-oil sectors of real estate and tourism.

The Oman of today is a country with a fine-tuned vision for its tourism industry and is forging ahead with plans to build a premium destination which targets discerning travellers and investors. With this in mind, the Sultanate is investing in a wide-range of top-quality hotels and resorts, supported by world-class infrastructure development companies like Saraya Bandar Jissah.

Employment Once the development is operational, hundreds of employees will be working at the two hotels as well as the management company, Saraya Bandar Jissah.

The project will provide direct employment to roughly 800 people and both, Saraya Bandar Jissah and the hotel operator Jumeirah, have placed a special emphasis on job training and creating meaningful employment opportunities for members of the local community, wherever possible.

JOB TRAINING

Ministry signs deals to hire, train citizens MUSCAT: Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, Minister of Manpower and Mohammed bin Nasser Al Rasbi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence and Chairman of Board of Directors of Oman Ammunition Production Company, signed two contracts on Sunday to recruit and train 35 citizens in munitions production outside the Sultanate.

This contract comes within the framework of the ministry’s plans to train and employ national manpower in various professional and technical disciplines.

This is the second stage in OAPC’s plans. It will train and recruit 90 diploma–holders citizens in the mechanical and electrical disciplines, and General Education Diploma in munitions production and use of equip-

ment over the next four years.

Those trainees will be divided into groups according to the time schedule for each training stage.

The first contract includes the recruitment and training of 20 citizens with General Education Diploma as “ammunition equipment operator” for external training in Pakistan.

The external training programme is expected to start on October 11 and continue for five months.

The second contract includes the recruitment and training of 15 diploma holder citizens in mechanics and electricity for the job of “ ammunition technician “ as a second batch for technicians in France in one of the specialised factories, punctuated by field training period in the Czech Republic. -ONA

M A LT R E AT M E N T

Curbs will slow A1 growth: Experts < FROM

“In majority of the sectors, experts are needed. So, Oman should not be imposing or continuing such bans which will slow its growth further. So, they should lift such bans and become more progressive,” N Gurumurthy, a Muscat-based financial expert, said.

A human resource person also said that the current rule allows those unscrupulous employers to treat their expat employees badly as the expat probably has no option but to remain, which does not look good for the country.

“It would indeed be great news both for expats and companies in Oman if expats who complete their contracts are allowed to change their jobs,” Tonia Gray, general manager at Competence HR, said.

“As long as an expat completes

their contract I personally feel they should be able to move to another company so I hope the Ministry of Manpower should go ahead with this change,” she added.

Another human resource specialist sounded the same opinion.

“If the rule is lifted, the employee intake ratio will go up. By lifting the ban, both employees and employers can benefit,” the human resource person from a leading company in Muscat, said.

A representative from Indian expatriate community said that the two-year ban is forcing many workers to stay with employers, even if they want to move on having completed their contract.

“Many firms are misusing the ban. This will end if the ban is lifted,” Shaji Sebastin, a Muscat based Indian social worker, said.

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

REGION

Many see the chance of the leadership eventually rejecting the deal as small, since Tehran needs the removal of sanctions to revive its economy.

‘Russian intervention in Syria a big mistake’ British Prime Minister David Cameron and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan termed Russia’s air strikes in Syria a ‘terrible mistake’ and ‘grave mistake’

MANCHESTER /ANKARA: British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Sunday that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s decision to take military action in Syria to support Syrian President Bashar Al Assad was a “terrible mistake”.

Also on Sunday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan criticised Russia’s air strikes in Syria as a “grave mistake” that is unacceptable to Ankara, Hurriyet newspaper reported on Sunday.

Russia has begun striking targets in Syria — a dramatic escalation of foreign involvement in the civil war which has been criticised by some as an attempt to prop up Assad, rather than its purported aim of attacking IS militants.

“They are backing the butcher Assad, which is a terrible mistake for them and for the world,” Cameron told the BBC on the first day of his Conservative Party’s annual conference in the northern English city of Manchester. “It’s going to make the region more unstable, it will lead to further radicalisation and increased terrorism. I would say to them ‘change direction, join us in attacking ISIL’.”

Russia says it is targeting hardline IS militants, but Cameron questioned that position. “Most of the Russian air strikes, as far as we’ve been able to see so far, have been in parts of Syria not controlled by ISIL (IS), but controlled by other opponents of the regime,” he said.

Cameron is keen for Britain to

STRIKING TARGETS: A civil defence member walks on the rubble of a damaged building next to a site hit by what activists said were airstrikes carried out by the Russian air force at Ehsim town in the southern countryside of Idlib, Syria on Saturday. -Reuters

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begin its own air strikes in Syria, joining allies in a US-led coalition against IS, a self-declared caliphate spanning large areas of Syria and neighbouring Iraq. British bombing as part of the coalition so far has only targeted IS in Iraq.

He signalled that he would push ahead with plans for a vote in parliament to approve military action against IS in Syria, the Daily Telegraph newspaper said in its Sunday edition.

British military attacks Cameron was quoted as saying that British military attacks in Syria “may well become possible”. Previously, Cameron has said he sees a strong case for extending British air strikes to Syria from Iraq.

After losing a parliamentary vote on the use of force against Assad in Syria in 2013, Cameron has said he would want the support of opposing lawmakers before putting the matter to a vote. The opposition Labour Party, which last month elected anti-war cam-

paigner Jeremy Corbyn as leader, is split on the issue.

Foreign minister Philip Hammond also warned of the dangers of the Russian intervention, saying in his address to party activists that Russia could not fight IS militants in Syria and support Assad at the same time.

“Russian support for him will drive the opposition in Syria into the arms of ISIL, strengthening the evil that Putin says he wants to defeat,” he said. However, speaking in the earlier Telegraph newspaper interview, Cameron said he did not believe Russian military involvement in Syria should prevent Britain’s attempt to strike at IS. “What I am clear about is one of the biggest threats we have to respond to is that terrorist threat,” he was quoted as saying.

In a move that is likely to please many in his party, he said he would “beef up” Britain’s elite Special Air Service regiment (SAS) and buy 20 new drones - known as Protectors - as part of the battle with the militants.

After telling parliament last month that Britain had killed two of its own nationals who had been fighting for IS in Syria, Cameron said British militants in Syria would be targeted by drones as a “last resort”.

NUCLEAR DEAL

Iran panel gives conditional nod DUBAI: A committee of Iran’s conservative-dominated parliament gave its support on Sunday to Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers on condition there would be no foreign inspections of military sites and no curbs on developing its missile programme.

These proposals, contained in a report by a special parliamentary committee evaluating the agreement, could become law if passed

by the assembly and approved by a top clerical body that vets proposed legislation.

Many see the chance of the leadership eventually rejecting the deal as small, since Tehran needs the removal of sanctions to revive its economy. However, while the agreement is meant to last many years, there is a risk it could fall apart one day if Iran or its counterparties determine the

terms have been breached.

As a result powerful factions in Iran continue to voice scepticism about the accord to try to shield themselves from a politicallydamaging backlash in the event that it falls apart.

The deal reached with six world powers on July 14 imposes strict limits on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for relief from sanctions. — Reuters

A7

Hurriyet Daily News reported Erdogan saying at a news conference at the airport, “Russia is at the moment making a grave mistake. This may be a sign of a step that will take it to loneliness in the region.” Erdogan is en route to Belgium to meet EU officials and discuss the refugee crisis which has divided European neighbours and thrown the region into chaos as people flee Syria and other strife-torn countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Meanwhile, President Bashar Al Assad said a military campaign

by Russia, Syria and its allies will decide the fate of the Middle East, and a year of US-led air strikes against IS militants had only helped the spread of terrorism.

In an interview with Iranian television broadcast on Sunday, Assad said if Syria, Russia, Iran and Iraq unite in battling terrorism their efforts would yield practical results. “The chances of this alliance’s success are big, not small,” Assad said, adding that failure would mean “we face the destruction of the whole region”.

He said a campaign of Western and Arab air strikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria had been counterproductive and terrorism had spread both in terms of territory and new recruits. — Reuters

VIOLENCE

Palestinians stab Israelis in attacks OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: A Palestinian man stabbed and wounded an Israeli teenager in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday, just hours after another knife-wielding attacker killed an off-duty Israeli soldier and a rabbi nearby in the walled Old City, police said.

Officers shot dead both attackers, a police spokesman said, and Israel’s government announced it was barring Palestinians from entering the district for two days, apart from people who lived there.

A Palestinian man stabbed and wounded a 15-year-old Israeli in occupied Jerusalem early on Sunday, police said. A policeman shot

him dead, in a confrontation captured on amateur video shown on Israeli news sites.

On Saturday, another Palestinian stabbed to death an off-duty Israeli soldier walking with his wife and children and a rabbi who rushed to their aid, on a street, police said. Israeli police fatally shot the assailant, later claimed

by Palestinian group Islamic Jihad as a member. In violence in the ocupied West Bank city of Jenin on Sunday, Israeli forces on a raid to arrest “wanted men” were confronted by a crowd of Palestinians that threw explosives at them, the army said. — Reuters

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M O N DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

INDIA

Those doing politics can level any allegation... but I want to assure that Samajwadis never do politics on such things. Since SP government came to power there are some forces trying to create one or the other atmosphere Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh chief minister

Bulk of black money is still within India, says Jaitley Finance Minister Arun Jaitley says

Those who chose to declare between this period would not be prosecuted under the new black money law...

These declarants can now sleep well

the government will soon make furnishing of PAN card details mandatory for cash transactions beyond a certain threshold to check flow of domestic

Arun Jaitley

black money

NEW DELHI: Hinting at stringent action against those who failed to disclose foreign black money under compliance window, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said they “now stand the risk” of information on them reaching the tax authorities while those who disclosed can “sleep well”.

He also described as “ill conceived” the comparison between the assessed income of Rs6,500 crore in HSBC and Rs3,770 crore declared during the compliance window, saying these should not be treated as income under amnesty schemes.

Jaitley also said the government will soon make furnishing of PAN card details mandatory for cash transactions beyond a certain threshold to check flow of domestic black money.

Stressing that bulk of black money is still within India, he said there is a need to change the attitude to make plastic currency the norm and cash an exception and

Finance Minister

the government is working with various authorities to incentivise this change.

MUDRA Yojana Jaitley also said that loans given by banks under MUDRA Yojana to entrepreneurs can only be withdrawn from ATMs. The finance minister blamed the “high taxation regime in the past” for encouraging tax evasion and said the present “government’s policy is rationalisation of tax structures, taxing at reasonable rates, placing more money in the hands of small earners, encouraging and promoting the use of plastic money by all sections of society and creating deterrence against those who continue to use unaccounted money”.I In a Facebook post, the finance minister also clarified that the previously assessed Rs6,500 crore pertained to account holders in LGT Bank of Liechtenstein and HSBC Bank, Geneva, while declarations under the one-time com-

pliance window by 638 persons totalled Rs3,770 crore.

The disclosure of this amount, a day after this window closed on September 30, had drawn derisive reaction from Congress, which raised question about the announcement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address that the government’s efforts to unearth foreign black money led to people declaring Rs6,500 crore worth overseas assets.

Declarations Referring to the declarations made under the compliance window, Jaitley said, “Those who chose to declare between this period would not be prosecuted under the new black money law... These declarants can now sleep well.”

Under the new law, those who failed to make the disclosure within the compliance window would have to pay tax of 30 per cent and penalty of 90 per cent, and would be liable to be jailed for

up to 10 years, he added.

“This law will create a deterrent in future against the flight of capital from India,” the minister said.

Stating that Switzerland has agreed to share information in various cases, Jaitley said the automatic exchange of information with various countries would also ensure that “those with illegal assets abroad, who have failed to make declaration, would now stand the risk of information relating to them eventually reaching the Indian taxation authorities”.

Jaitley further said that the amounts involving HSBC lists and the recently concluded compliance window should not be compared with the past amnesty schemes relating to domestic black money.

“The campaign against domestic black money has to be separately dealt with for which Government is independently taking steps,” he said.

“In order to encourage international cooperation in the matters

of tax evasion, the government has taken a series of steps,” Jaitley said while listing out the initiatives taken by the Prime Minister at G-20 and the FATCA agreement with US. “The G-20 initiative is intended to lift the veil of secrecy in banking transactions and in real time inform domestic taxation authorities about transactions of their citizens internationally.

“The government has signed an understanding with the US under FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) wherein United States and India would disclose to each other any real time transaction in accounts with financial institutions, by its citizens in foreign territories.

Global standards “This cooperation would also extend to all those countries which would become signatories to global standards on Automatic Exchange of Information being developed under the mandate of G20,” he said.

Jaitley further said Switzerland has agreed to provide India with proof relating to several HSBC accounts where India can give some evidence over and above the stolen data, which was delivered to India through France.

“It is expected that over the next two years this international cooperation will be worked out and information with regard to illegal assets held abroad, subject to certain conditions, would be available to each of the demanding nations,” he said.

Jaitley said “the bulk of black money is still within India” and pitched for greater use of plastic currency to check this menace.

“The opening of a large number of payment gateways, Internet banking, payment banks and the emerging reality of e-commerce will prompt the use of banking transactions and plastic money rise significantly,” he added. - PTI

MURDER ACCUSED

Indrani regains consciousness, is out of danger

Indrani Mukherjea

MUMBAI: Indrani Mukherjea, prime accused in the sensational murder case of her daughter Sheena Bora, on Sunday regained consciousness and is out of danger, hospital authorities said on Sunday, two days after she was rushed from jail in a serious condition.

“Indrani is conscious. She is responding to our commands. Her condition is good. But she will remain under observation for next 24 to 48 hours before we consult a psychiatrist and seek opinion on discharging her,” Dr T P Lahane, Dean of state-run J J Hospital told reporters here.

“She is still drowsy but we have been giving her some fluids including water. Indrani is completely out of danger now,” Lahane said, adding, “within 48 hours we will discharge her.”

Indrani was rushed to JJ hospital from Byculla jail on Friday afternoon in an unconscious condition after she allegedly overdosed on anti-depressant pills. To a query on the conflicting forensic findings on her suspected drug overdose, Lahane said, “The forensic test is authentic and reliable and we have accepted the findings of the report. We have been giving her treatment on the basis of clinical findings and she is responding to our treatment,” he said.

Dr Lahane had on Saturday said a report on Indrani’s urine samples from Hinduja Hospital laboratory confirmed that level of benzodiazepine — an anti depressant — was found raised. - PTI

B E AT E N T O D E AT H BY M O B

Political sparring intensifies over Dadri lynching incident

BRIEFING: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, along with family members of Ikhlaq, who

was lynched in Dadri, addresses media in Lucknow on Sunday. - PTI

DADRI/LUCKNOW: Political sparring over the Dadri lynching got shriller on Sunday with controversial Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Sangeet Som, accused of making inflammatory speeches during 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, alleging that the SP government was appeasing Muslims and innocent people were being framed.

On a day Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav met in Lucknow the family of 50-year-old Ikhlaq, who was lynched over beef eating rumours, assuring them of justice, Som visited Dadri where he attacked SP government alleging that it was shielding those who had “slaughtered cow”.

Accusing Akhilesh of shedding “crocodile tears” over the incident, BJP alleged that he was giving “communal” colour to it.

After meeting victim Ikhlaq’s family, Akhilesh announced raising the financial assistance to the family to Rs3 million from Rs2 million along with Rs500,000 each to his three brothers.

Stirring the political cauldron, Som said, “Like they(SP) had taken the accused in Muzaffarnagar riots in a plane, they have taken those who have slaughtered cow in a plane.”

The UP lawmaker’s remarks

came even as BJP leader and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the incident should not be given communal colour or politicised.

Unfortunate incident “It was an unfortunate incident.

But it is not proper to give communal colour to it,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Delhi.

Ikhlaq was dragged out of his home by a 200-strong mob and beaten to death after a public announcement from the local temple that the family had slaughtered a calf and eaten its meat on Monday night in Bishada village.

Meanwhile, police, which has arrested eight persons, detained a Home Guard for questioning after the local temple priest alleged that he forced him to make the announcement.

Police had on Saturday arrested two persons — Vishal and Shivam. One of them was reported to be the son of a local BJP leader.

However, BJP leader Harish Thakur denied that the father of the accused was a office bearer of the party and said he may be a BJP supporter.

Som questioned why the state government had allowed AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi to

visit the village and spread “communal frenzy”.

“A person like Owaisi was allowed to come here from Hyderabad. Is the Samajwadi Party government colluding with him?...

This government is trying to appease a particular community.

They want to do politics of appeasement which we will not allow,” the MLA said.

Questioning the arrests in the lynching case, he said, “We don’t want that those guilty of murder should not be tried but the government should stop framing the innocent. Are terrorists living here? Police should make arrests only after completing the investigation,” the Uttar Pradesh lawmaker said.

However, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav dismissed criticism of the government saying that Samajwadi Party would “never do politics” on such incidents.

“Those doing politics can level any allegation... but I want to assure that Samajwadis never do politics on such things. Since SP government came to power there are some forces trying to create one or the other atmosphere,” he alleged after meeting Ikhlaq’s mother Asgari, brother Mohammed Afzal and daughter Shaista. - PTI

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A9

INDIA

Modi-Merkel meet to strengthen ties The two leaders are also expected to take up the IndiaEuropean Union free trade agreement (FTA), which has been under negotiations for years FIRST PHASE

130 candidates with criminal cases in Bihar polls fray NEW DELHI: A total of 130 candidates with serious criminal cases against them including those related to murder will contest in the first phase of Assembly polls in the eastern Indian state of Bihar on October 12.

Polling will be held in 49 out of 243 seats in this phase with 583 candidates in the fray.

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which has prepared a report through the candidates’ affidavits obtained from Election Commission (ECI) website, said 170 candidates have criminal cases against them while 130 of them contesting from 37 seats have been booked for serious nonbailable offences.

There are 16 candidates with cases related to murder, including Pradeep Kumar of JD(U) from Warsaliganj constituency who has declared four cases related to murder.

Seven independent candidates too have cases of murder against them, the report said.

A total of 37 candidates face cases of attempt to murder.

Ramswarup Yadav, an Independent from Hisua constituency, faces five charges related to attempt to murder, while one each from BSP, BJP and Jan Adhikar Party (Loktantrik) and three candidates from JD(U) have declared attempt to murder cases.

The 37 constituencies with three or more candidates with criminal cases contesting the elections have been declared ‘Red Alert Constituencies’ by the ADR. The number of crorepatis contesting the first phase poll is 146 which is 25 per cent of the total number of 583 candidates.

Party wise, the largest number of crorepati candidates, 19, belong to the JD(U) closely followed by BJP with 18 candidates, and RJD which has 11 candidates, it said. The average assets of candidates contesting the polls in first phase is Rs 1.44 crore, added the report. - PTI SMUGGLING

31.75kg gold seized at Madurai airport CHENNAI: In a major crackdown on gold smuggling, 31.75kg of gold worth Rs80.43 million was seized from 10 passengers who arrived at the Madurai airport in Tamil Nadu by two international flights, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence said.

DRI Chennai zone officials along with the Tuticorin and Madurai units seized the gold that were smuggled in the two flights which landed on Saturday, DRI said in a release on Sunday. The passenger manifesto of Mihin Lanka Flight, carrying passengers from Sri Lanka, Singapore and Bangkok, and the SpiceJet flight from Dubai, which arrived at the Madurai airport, was “thoroughly scrutinized”, it said.

DRI officials seized one kg of gold bars, 100 gram of gold biscuits besides gold bars covered in chocolate wrappers.

“The total quantity of such gold smuggled by this modus operandi amounted to 31.75kg and (its) value is about Rs8.43 crore,” it said. - PTI

NEW DELHI: India and Germany would seek to give a fillip to their close ties when German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet here on Monday, their second bilateral meeting after six months, during which trade, security and the India-EU trade agreement are expected to figure.

Merkel, who arrives here on Sunday night, is on the India visit from October 4 to 6.

She will be accompanied by a large delegation comprising six cabinet ministers and businesspersons, and will also be visiting Bangaluru.

The German leader, who met

Modi at Hannover Messe, is coming here for the 3rd Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) between both countries.

Earlier, German Ambassador Martin Ney said the Inter-Governmental Consultations are expected to lead to the inking of “substantial agreements”.

Ney said the German side would seek resolution of certain issues like “questions of corruption, questions of framework for investments, safety of taxation, Intellectual Property Rights” and legal redressal for “ease of doing business”. “...Industries say we need greater progress in order to implement these planned investments. The

two leaders will address these issues definitely in a friendly manner,” the German envoy said two days ago.

The two leaders are also expected to take up the India-European Union free trade agreement (FTA), which has been under negotiations for years.

The IGC is a unique summitlevel dialogue with cabinet participation of both governments to help advance the bilateral partnership across priority areas of mutual interest.

The third IGC will seek to build on Modi’s visit to Germany in April 2015 to participate in the Hannover Messe where India

was the partner country, said an official statement.

On Monday, she will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhawan, followed by a visit to Rajghat and official meetings between the two leaders and Inter-Governmental Consultations between the two delegations.

Merkel will also call on President Pranab Mukherjee.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will meet her German counterpart Frank Walter Steinmeir and also call on the chancellor. Modi and Merkel will hold talks on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including deepening bilateral engagement

in defence, security, education, renewable energy, high technology manufacturing, skill development, science and technology, railways, water and waste management, urban development and agriculture.

They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of common concern.

The two leaders will visit Bengaluru on October 6, where both will participate in a business event hosted by NASSCOM. India and Germany are strategic partners since 2001.

Germany is India’s largest trading partner in the European Union and the seventh largest foreign investor in India. - IANS

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M O N DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

PAKISTAN V I O L AT I O N

RELATIVES OF MISSING SEEK ANSWERS

70 Indian fishermen arrested off Sindh coast

Pakistani relatives of missing residents hold photographs of those missing during a protest outside the High Court in Peshawar on October 1, 2015. Rights groups accuse the government of gross violations including holding people in secret and failing to charge them or put them on trial. — AFP

KARACHI: As many as 70 Indian fishermen have been arrested for allegedly violating Pakistani territorial waters off the coast of Sindh, Press Trust of India reported on Sunday.

“All fishermen were arrested when they were in Pakistani waters,” Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) spokesperson Lt Commander Wajid Nawaz said.

“We arrested 70 fishermen yesterday,” Nawaz said, rejecting earlier reports that around 100 Indian fishermen had been arrested.

Register cases The official went on to say the fishermen will be handed over to police in Karachi to register cases against them. Both countries regularly arrest fishermen who stray in each other’s waters due to the poorly marked sea boundary.

In August, Pakistan released 138 Indian fishermen from Landhi jail in Karachi as a goodwill gesture. — Express Tribune

R E F U S E D T R E AT M E N T

Woman dies of dengue fever in Rawalpindi ISLAMABAD: Another death from dengue fever was reported on Saturday at the Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) Rawalpindi taking the number of people killed by the disease to two this year.

Medical superintendent at BBH Dr Asif Qadir Mir, said a woman named Faiza Abid, 27, was four months pregnant and was brought to BBH Friday evening.

He claimed that she was earlier admitted at some private hospital from where she was referred to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) but considering her health condition she was refused treatment.

“She was diagnosed with urosepsis along with dengue fever, and has struggled for the last seven days to get treatment for both diseases,” said Mir. — Express Tribune

Will not allow rigging in Lahore by-election: Imran The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman alleged the ruling Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz government was trying to rig the by-election in Lahore through women polling stations

LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-eInsaf (PTI) chairman has said his party is well-prepared to win the upcoming by-poll in National Assembly seat NA-122 of Lahore by “defeating rigging”.

“I have seen the passion of people who have now been awakened.

We will defeat election rigging and celebrate the starting of a new Pakistan on the night of October 11,” Imran said while addressing the election rally in Samanabad, Lahore on Sunday evening.

The PTI chairman alleged the ruling Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) government was trying to rig the by-election in Lahore through women polling stations for which the PTI had also braced to take necessary actions.

He called upon the PTI’s women wing to fight rigging this time.

DETERMINED: Pakistani politician Imran Khan gestures as he

leads a protest march to Islamabad against the country’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led government in Wazirabad in eastern Punjab province on August 15, 2014. - AFP file photo

“They have planned to rig the election in women polling stations. My tigresses, be prepared as you all have to stop this. Be present in the stations,” Imran ad-

vised his female members.

Imran said it was also exposed that PML-N will try to rig the election while the ballots are being moved to the Returning Officers.

“We want an army official to sit in the car when the votes are being transferred to the ROs,” he said.

Polling for NA-122, Lahore, is due on October 11 and the PTI has fielded former provincial minister Abdul Aleem Khan against PMLN’s Ayaz Sadiq.

Imran also criticised the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), saying the by-election was being carried out once again under supervision of the flawed system that held the rigged elections in 2013.

“I waited for two and a half years to get justice and what was revealed after that? Out of 184,000 votes 53,000 were bogus but not a single person has been indicted in this crime,” Imran said while lamenting that the same member of ECP Punjab was arranging for the NA-122 by-election. — Express Tribune

MAKEOVER

Jamaat-e-Islami body no longer an all-male preserve LAHORE: In a drastic break from tradition, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has opened up the ranks of its Shura or central consultative body to women members of the party. “[The] Jamaat-e-Islami has decided to give women effective representation in its Shura,” JI amir Sirajul Haq announced on Saturday. He was talking to reporters at a news conference in Mansoora, Lahore on the second day of the meeting of the JI body.

Non-Muslims invited According to the JI leader, the women members of the body will be elected by the female members of the party. It was earlier reported that the party is also considering a strategy to recruit members from the country’s minority religious groups; the JI shura has already formed a committee to devise a programme of action for this purpose.

Non-Muslims were also invited to attend the JI ijtema held last

Jamaat-e-Islami leadership’s decision to include women in its body appears to be part of a shift in the party towards a more liberal outlook November for the first time in the party’s 74-year history. The minority participants were allowed to display their own literature at the gathering, it was reported.

Speaking at the news conference, JI leader Sirajul Haq called for countering any attempt to sabotage efforts to restore peace in Karachi. He said it was the gov-

ernment’s duty to see the operation against criminals in the city to its logical end.

Siraj said Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain’s outburst against Pakistan and its institutions had damaged the country’s image greatly.

He called on the MQM to adopt a positive attitude if it wanted to participate in national politics.

Least interested The JI chief also lashed at the ruling elite of the country, saying they were least interested in solving the country’s problems, particularly those of its farmers. He announced the launch of a ‘Save the Kissan’ (farmer) campaign from today (Sunday) onwards in Rahimyar Khan.

Siraj also criticised the privatisation of state institutions, saying they had hurt the country’s economy. Selling major state institutions for throwaway prices rendered hundreds of thousands jobless, he said. — Express Tribune

SELF-EMPLOYMENT

Rs2 billion released for loans LAHORE: The provincial government has quadrupled the amount that can be secured in the form of an interest-free loan under the chief minister’s programme to promote self employment in the province, Punjab Small Industries Corporation Managing Director Bilal Ahmed Butt said on Saturday.

He was briefing Industries and Trade Minister Chaudhry Muhammad Shafiq on the status of

the programme. Butt said Rs13 billion had been distributed as interest-free loans among eligible youth since the start of the programme in 2011. For the year 2015-16, he said the government had released Rs2 billion for the programme.

Statistics Butt said according to the statistics compiled by the government, 692,000 households had ben-

efited from the programme since its inception.

He said an extensive network of centres had been established in the province to receive applications for loans under the programme. He said this was done to ensure that people from all regions benefited from the programme. Butt said a rigorous vetting process had been put in place to ensure transparency in distribution of loans. — Express Tribune

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Medical aid group denies Taliban were firing from Afghan hospital KABUL: Medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres denied that Taliban fighters were firing from its hospital at Afghan and NATO forces before a suspected US air strike killed at least 19 people in a battle to oust the insurgents from an Afghan city.

Fighting raged around the northern provincial capital of Kunduz for a seventh day as government forces backed by American air power seek to drive out Taliban militants who seized the city almost a week ago.

Decomposing bodies littered the streets and residents said that food was scarce.

MSF has said an air strike, probably carried out by US-led coalition forces, killed 19 staff and

patients on Saturday in a hospital it runs in Kunduz, leaving 37 wounded.

The US military said it conducted an air strike “in the vicinity” of the hospital, as it targeted Taliban insurgents who were directly firing on US military personnel.

The US-led coalition force in Afghanistan said it expected to complete a preliminary multinational investigation in days into whether an air strike it conducted hit the hospital.

The bombing deals a blow to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s policy of forging closer ties with the United States after his predecessor Hamid Karzai fell out with his backers in Washington in part over the number of civilians killed

by bombs. But the Afghan leader will be torn between distancing himself from Washington and the need for American firepower to help his forces drive insurgents out of Kunduz after the Taliban’s biggest victory in the nearly 14-year-old war.

President Barack Obama said the defence department had ordered a full investigation and he offered condolences to the victims of what he called “the tragic incident”.

The UN human rights chief said the hospital assault was “inexcusable” and could amount to a war crime. In Kabul, the Afghan Ministry of Defence said Taliban fighters had attacked the hospital and were using the building “as a

Security beefed up for foreigners in Bangladesh Extra forces have been deployed at foreign diplomats and citizens’ homes and workplaces across the country after the killing of

ON GUARD: Bangladeshi police officials stand guard in Rangpur

on Sunday at the site where Japanese citizen Kunio Hoshi was shot to death. - AFP

two foreigners

DHAKA: Bangladesh stepped up security for foreign diplomats and citizens on Sunday after the killing of two foreigners within a week in attacks claimed by IS, which has vowed similar further assaults in the country.

Japanese citizen Kunio Hoshi, 65, was gunned down on Saturday by three masked men on a motorcycle while on his way to visit a grass farm project in the northern district of Rangpur, an attack similar to Tuesday’s shooting of Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella.

Attacks on foreigners are rare in Bangladesh.

But the country has been convulsed by a rising tide of extremist violence over the past year in which four online critics of reli-

gious militancy were hacked to death, a UScitizen among them.

“Extra forces have been deployed at foreign diplomats and citizens’ homes and workplaces across the country,” Muntasirul Islam, a deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said.

Police have not confirmed IS, which has ambitions to spread into South Asia, is behind the two attacks. Dhaka police arrested two suspected recruiters for the hardline group over the past year.

On Saturday, IS warned of more attacks. After Tavella’s killing in the Gulshan neighbourhood, home to several embassies, concerns that foreigners might be targeted prompted Western embassies to curtail the movements of diplomats in Bangladesh.

Australia postponed their tour

R E D A L E R T WA R N I N G I S S U E D

Typhoon Mujigae lashes southern China, four killed SHANGHAI: A typhoon with winds up to 112 miles an hour lashed China’s south coast on Sunday, killing at least four people and leaving a trail of destruction and flooding as authorities issued the highest “red alert” emergency response.

Howling winds and snarling seas whipped up by Typhoon Mujigae caught several fishing vessels stranded out at sea, with 16 fishermen missing and one dead, the official Xinhua news agency reported late on Sunday.

Three more people were killed and 80 injured by a tornado in the city of Foshan.

Typhoon Mujigae hit land near the coastal city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong province at around 1410 (0610 GMT) on Sunday afternoon, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said.

Television reports and images circulating on China’s popular social media site Sina Weibo showed flooded streets, trees uprooted and vehicles overturned by the fierce winds.

The typhoon had prompted coastal provinces in southern China to order fishing fleets to stay ashore and to cancel scores of flights and rail services.

The main affected areas are the southern island province of Hainan as well as Guangdong and

Guangxi provinces.

The winds - estimated to be between 162 and 180 km (100112 miles) per hour at their peak — knocked out power grids along the coast, with large areas left without electricity, water or telecommunications networks, Xinhua said.

In Hainan and coastal Guangdong province, around 60,000 fishing boats were recalled to harbour to shelter from the storm, the news agency said.

The typhoon is likely to disrupt plans for thousands trying to travel during the current weeklong public holiday in China.

Meanwhile, the Philippine coast guard searched for 23 fishing boats with more than 120 fishermen lost when Mujigae hit the main island of Luzon.

Nearly 30 fishing boats with more than 150 fishermen were returning from the South China Sea when Mujigae caught them at sea, the regional disaster and risk reduction agency said in a report on Sunday.

Commander Armand Balilo, coast guard spokesman, said search-and-rescue ships were scouring the sea west of Pangasinan, Ilocos and Zambales after two cargo ships bound for Japan had picked up nine fishermen from a capsized boat. - Reuters

of Bangladesh, saying on Thursday they were advised against going ahead with a two-Test series that could expose their cricketers to potential militant attacks in the country. Police are interrogating four people for clues to Hoshi’s killing, but no arrests have been made over Tavella’s murder.

The violence could pose a fresh threat to Bangladesh’s $25-billion garment export industry, the economic lifeblood of the country of 160 million people.

Western buyers had begun to cancel visits after Tavella’s shooting, said Shahidullah Azim, a garment exporter.

“One of my American buyers also cancelled his Dhaka visit during peak time, when buyers are supposed to place more orders,” he said. - Reuters

human shield”. But the medical aid group denied this.

“The gates of the hospital compound were closed all night so no one that is not staff, a patient or a caretaker was inside the hospital when the bombing happened,” Medecins Sans Frontieres said in a statement on Sunday.

“In any case, bombing a fully functioning hospital can never be justified.”

Witnesses said patients were burned alive in the crowded hospital after the air strike. Among the dead were three children being treated. MSF said on Sunday it had pulled most of its staff out of the area because the hospital that was a lifeline for thousands in the city was no longer functioning.

EXPLOSION: An Afghan policeman helps a wounded man after an

explosion in Ghazni city, Afghanistan on Sunday. At least eight people were wounded as a result of the explosion, deputy police chief Asadullah Insafi said.- Reuters

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Need for debate in UK over possible EU exit F

or years the likes of Nigel Farage have been able to peddle their simplistic narrative unchallenged: That it is somehow the patriotic thing to do to cut Britain off from our trading partners and that we would easily be able to negotiate a new deal with the EU. But now the debate over Brexit is getting serious.

In less than a year we could face the prospect of leaving the world’s largest trading bloc and going it alone. The British people deserve a full and honest discussion on the impact that such a dramatic and unprecedented move would have.

Vague assurances and unsubstantiated claims are not enough. Those clamouring for an EU exit need to come up with a credible alternative and they need to do it now.

The first important issue the Outers must address is how they would renegotiate favourable terms from outside the tent. Under the rules laid down in the Lisbon Treaty, the UK government would have up to two years to renegotiate a deal with remaining EU countries. Any deal would have to be approved by a majority of EU leaders in the European Council and have the consent of the European Parliament. Critically, Britain would not take part in any of the council’s discussions throughout the negotiations, and there would be no guarantee that a satisfactory deal would be reached in time.

We would be faced with two years of uncertainty in which Britain would be left out of the room when crucial decisions over our country’s future are taken. That is not patriotic, it is reckless. We would be leaving our economic destiny in the hands of others and putting a huge question mark over future investment in the UK. The next question the eurosceptics must answer is what arrangement they would choose in order to allow the UK to trade freely with the rest of the EU. Remaining part of the European Economic Area, like Norway, would mean accepting all single market rules but losing any influence over them. Switzerland has agreed a bespoke set of bilateral trade deals, but they took more than 10 years to negotiate and still do not include free trade in services, a sector that is key to the suc-

cess of British economy and London’s status as Europe’s financial capital. Both models would mean paying into the EU budget, and accepting the bulk of EU laws and the free movement of EU citizens. Hardly the stuff of Ukip dreams. The Out brigade point to free trade agreements the EU has concluded with countries such as Mexico or South Korea. But these involve only lowering barriers to trade in some agreed areas. That might be tolerable for an economy like Mexico’s, which is on the other side of the world and does only a small proportion of its trade with the EU. But it comes nowhere close to offering the comprehensive, unhindered access to the EU market that the UK currently enjoys and which has helped make our country the biggest recipient of foreign investment in Europe.

We cannot deny our geography: Half of our trade is with the EU and this is not going to change any time soon. Many businesses, both large and small, rely on the free access to the single market that our EU membership brings.

Eurosceptics are entitled to propose a model that would not achieve that, but they should acknowledge the undeniable impact this would have on the British economy.

Some claim that, post-Brexit, the UK would be free to forge trade links with the rest of the world. But they fail to mention that leaving the EU would mean losing access to trade deals with 50 countries that the EU has already negotiated.

We’d have to rebuild Britain’s trade policy from scratch – and from a position of weakness, a long and tortuous process that would take many years and create long-term uncertainty. The Brexiteers say we could trade with the Commonwealth instead, playing to nostalgic notions of empire. But the EU already has free trade deals with more than 20 Commonwealth countries and is negotiating many more, including new trade talks with Australia and New Zealand. We should be seizing the opportunities to boost trade for British businesses, not throwing all this progress away.

Over the coming months those campaigning for EU exit will talk a lot about what they are against. But they also need to be clear about they are for. They need to admit that leaving would mean losing control. — The Independent

READERS’ FORUM Killing over beef planned to disrupt India’s harmony I refer to the news story, Political slugfest continues over Dadri killing (October 3) and I am sorry to say that the brutal killing of Mohammad Ikhlaque over the rumour of alleged eating of beef, is extremely unfortunate. The individuals who planned and triggered this killing only wanted to disturb the communal harmony of India on the eve of the Eid Al Adha and they are the real enemies of our nation. However, instead of politicising this issue, all the political parties must ensure that the investigation is fair and speedy. The culprits who mobilised this mob and spread this rumour should not be spared at any cost — no matter who they are. May God give strength to the family of the victim to bear this loss and guide my countrymen towards the path of communal harmony, brotherhood, peace and nonScan this QR code violence. to send letters to the — Mohammad Osama Rawat, Ruwi Readers’ Forum, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi).

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PICTOGRAPH

SOCIAL WELFARE IN OMAN, 2014

FROM OUR ARCHIVES SEPTEMBER 2000 Water conservation campaign from today MUSCAT: ‘Make Every Drop Count’. That is the simple, subtle but forceful message that the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) is literally ‘driving’ home in its latest campaign to spread the water conservation message. In fact, this time, the MWR will embark from today, on a first-ever water conservation campaign of its kind, aided by a mobile caravan draped with the ‘Make Every Drop Count’ messages on the outside.

TODAY IN HISTORY

Fight against drug abuse

I refer to the news story, Private clinics get role in fight against drugs (October 3).

It is quite obvious that this move would help improve awareness in the society, particularly among the youths. As most people visit private hospitals, this step will help everyone to understand the severity of this alarming trend. The operational regulations to be followed by private health establishments should be used to counsel addicts and their close family members on how it influences the lives of those affected. — Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

CLIPPINGS

Number of sponsored individuals in social welfare cases by age group Age

Beneficiaries

0-4

3,323

5-9

8,027

10-14

13,776

15-19

19,666

20-24

10,833

25-29

4,831

30-34

2,970

35-39

2,358

40-44

1,798

1795: General Napoleon Bonaparte leads the rout of counterrevolutionaries in the streets of Paris, beginning his rise to power.

45-49

2,184

50-54

3,018

55-59

3,479

1914: The first German Zeppelin raids London.

60-64

2,720

65+

4,464

Total

83,447

1968: Cambodia admits that the Viet Cong use their country for sanctuary.

1992: Mozambique’s 16-year civil war ends.

Source: National Centre for Statistics & Information

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

800,000

A record 800,000 migrants expected this year. More than 200,000 arrived in September alone

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Record refugees a logistical nightmare for Germany

What was once a relatively smooth process for new arrivals has turned into a confusing nightmare for many as cities and towns across Germany struggle to cope with a surge of refugees from the Middle East

ENDLESS WAIT: A refugee from Eritrea waits outside Berlin’s central registration center, on Sunday. – Reuters

REGISTRATION WOES: A migrant boy holds snacks during a giveaway by Turkish volunteers living in Berlin. – Reuters

BERLIN: When Hesham fled Syria in early August with his pregnant wife and baby, he was sure all would be well once he got to Germany. Instead the hope has turned to despair after weeks of waiting to be registered at an overcrowded reception centre in Berlin.

The 26-year-old former chef is one of the hundreds of migrants who crowd around a small screen at the registration office every day, desperately waiting for their number to come up so they can go inside and get a certificate that is the first step in the asylum process.

Some climb on top of barricades to get a better view while others lie out on the grass surrounded by suitcases and plastic bags which hold their few possessions. When volunteers hand out apples and bananas, scuffles break out.

“I wish I’d stayed in Syria and not come here,” Hesham said through an interpreter. “I dreamed Germany would be better but it’s so bad. We’ve been sleeping in the cold. Now my baby is sick.” What was once a relatively smooth process for new arrivals has turned into a confusing nightmare for many as cities and towns across the country struggle to cope with a surge of refugees from the Middle East.

A record 800,000 migrants are expected this year. More than 200,000 arrived in September alone. As the numbers have risen, registering the newcomers in a timely fashion has become virtually impossible.

At the centre in Berlin, asylum seekers, some of whom are sleeping outside, say they have been waiting as long as 25 days to register. With winter looming, the same frustrating delays are occurring in other cities across Germany. “The biggest problem at the moment is the initial registration of people and providing them with the basics — that’s not working well in an awful lot of places,” said Rebecca Kilian-Mason, who runs a project in Munich that informs migrants about the asylum process in Germany.

The long waits to register are at the top of a list of problems that German authorities are wrestling with. They must find winter-proof accommodation, provide asylum seekers with funds to survive, treat health problems, identify migrants with no documents and weed out those who falsely claim to be Syrian because the German government has made clear that those fleeing the civil war there will be allowed to stay. Then there is the challenge of sending back the tens of thousands of migrants who are not granted asylum and tracking down those who have not applied in the first place.

Frank-Juergen Weise, head of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), estimates there are around 290,000 people in Germany who have not been registered.

In a country known for its order and

efficiency, the influx is turning into a logistical nightmare — for police and politicians as well as the refugees.

Slump in ratings Chancellor Angela Merkel has seen her popularity ratings slump to a four-year low. Her normally reserved Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere lashed out last week amid warnings from police that violent clashes at asylum centres risked spiralling out of control.

“They go on strike because they don’t like the accommodation and they cause trouble because they don’t like the food. They beat each other,” de Maiziere told public broadcaster ZDF. In Berlin, asylum seekers whose numbers appear on the screen are sometimes applauded by their peers as they make their way through the crowds to a meeting where they give authorities their name, date of birth and country of origin. They have their photo taken and give fingerprints in return for a temporary identification document.

Around 5 per cent of new arrivals in Germany are allocated to Berlin and some of those waiting at the capital’s registration centre will be distributed to one of the other 15 states via a computer system called EASY, which spreads asylum seekers across the country based on each state’s population and tax revenues.

This whole process, along with the organisation of train tickets, now often takes two days or longer compared with a matter of hours last year, said Silvia Kostner, a spokeswoman for Berlin’s office for health and social affairs.

Struggling Georg Classen from the Berlin Refugee Council said authorities were struggling to deliver on a long list of promises, from accommodation and monetary stipends to health certificates. “It’s not a problem of a lack of money but rather an organisational problem — they’ve got plenty of people working for them,” Classen said.

Merkel told broadcaster Deutschlandfunk in an interview aired on Sunday that Germany needed to streamline its asylum process, make it clearer and come to decisions on whether people can stay or not more quickly.

Asylum seekers are supposed to stay in the reception centres for up to three months. But Gauhar Besmil, who runs one such centre in western Berlin, says some end up staying as long as eight months due to a lack of other accommodation in Berlin.

Some, especially the younger ones, get depressed because they spend all day sleeping, eating and waiting, Classen said.

“The authorities tell me to sleep and eat. I say ‘give me a job’!” said Afghan-born Mohammad, 24, who grew up in Iran and later moved to Greece. “Everyday I sleep and eat

and I don’t like it. I didn’t come here for the food — I have better food in my own country.”

Once asylum seekers are registered, another waiting game begins.

The BAMF says it is taking an average of 5.3 months process asylum applications this year — down from 7.1 months in 2014. At their initial appointment at a BAMF office, asylum seekers have their photo taken and give fingerprints, which are then compared with records in a European system to check the applicant has not applied for asylum elsewhere in the EU. At a later interview appointment, which can last anywhere from an hour to two days in exceptional cases, applicants are asked via an interpreter how they got here, where they came from, where they lived and if their family is still there. They have to tell their story of persecution and explain why they want asylum.

BAMF head Weise has said around a third of new arrivals came without a passport and some could not explain where they were from while others did not want to.

For those who claim to be Syrian, there may be extra tests such as accent checks and questions about local customs or the geography of the part of Syria they claim to be from.

The interior ministry reckons almost a third of migrants who say they are Syrian are not actually from the country.

Applicants are eventually sent a letter notifying them of the BAMF’s decision. Almost 39 percent of all applicants were granted some form of protection in the first eight months of 2015 but the prospects for applicants from the Balkan states are bleak, with less than 1 percent being offered help.

But for those crowding outside the registration centre in Berlin, receiving any kind of answer seems a long way off. “If you come back tomorrow, you’ll see us. And the next day, And the day after that,” said Yumna, 50, from Syria. — Reuters

SEEKING A BETTER LIFE: A refugee

from Syria waits outside Berlin’s central registration center. – Reuters

LONG QUEUE: Migrants queue at the

compound outside the Berlin Office of Health and Social Affairs (LaGeSo) as they wait for their registration in Berlin, Germany on September 21. – Reuters

HELPING HAND: Volunteer Igez Ahmed, right, a Pakistani cook from Manchester gives out food to a migrant at a refugee camp close to border between Austria and Germany in the Austrian city of Salzburg on Saturday. Ahmed says he will stay for the next two weeks to cook fresh food for the migrants at the camp every day. – AFP

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Torrential rain struck

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N .C O M

the Alpes-Maritimes afternoon after as many as 70,000 suffered blackouts the previous evening, power network operator ERDF said.

administrative department on Saturday evening, flooding local towns including Cannes and disrupting transport routes

CANNES: Flash floods on the French Riviera killed 16 people and five others were reported missing on Sunday, prompting the government to declare a natural disaster in the southeastern tourist region.

Torrential rain struck the Alpes-Maritimes administrative department on Saturday evening, flooding local towns including Cannes and disrupting transport routes.

The victims included three people killed at a retirement home that was flooded in the village of Biot, and seven inhabitants of the town of Mandelieu-la-Napoule who had attempted to reach their

CALAMITY: People stand in front of a damaged car in downtown Cannes, southeastern France, yes-

terday after violent storms and floods struck the French Riviera overnight, killing at least 16 people with four others missing, French authorities said. — AFP

cars in a garage, local government officials said.

Five people were still reported missing on Sunday afternoon, which could push the death toll higher, officials said.

In the resort town of Cannes, home to the prestigious annual

NAT I O NA L E L E C T I O N

Tax hikes But if Passos Coelho, whose government introduced deep spending cuts and the biggest tax hikes in living memory, fails to secure more than the around 38 per cent that he has polled in recent days, he will fall short of an absolute majority in the 230-seat parliament.

“I’m confident in the job I’ve done... It’s a day of hope because the next four years will be very

ian pilgrims on their way back from Lourdes.

Train services, however, were expected to remain limited for the rest of Sunday, while some roads also continued to be blocked.

Thousands of homes were still without electricity on Sunday

‘US massacre gunman committed suicide’ ROSEBURG (OREGON): The gunman who killed his English professor and eight others at an Oregon community college committed suicide after a shootout with police who arrived within five minutes and exchanged fire with him almost immediately, authorities said.

Investigators had previously said the 26-year-old shooter was killed by the officers who raced to the rampage at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, which ranks as the deadliest among dozens of US mass shootings in the past two years.

Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin told a news conference on Saturday the state medical examiner had determined that the gunman, Christopher Harper-Mercer, took his own life.

Neutralised gunman Releasing a timeline of the massacre’s first hour, Hanlin said two Roseburg police officers were on the scene within five minutes, and reported to dispatch that they engaged the gunman just two minutes later. Hanlin said they “neutralised” him.

“Officers responded immediately... there was an exchange of gunfire, (and) the shooter was neutralized,” the sheriff said.

“As far as the very specific information regarding whether it was an officer’s bullet or his own bullet, we aren’t prepared at this time to discuss.” — Reuters

S T O R M Y W E AT H E R

Polls predict win for austerity-minded Portuguese regime LISBON: The Portuguese voted in a national election on Sunday with polls predicting another win for their austerity-minded, centre-right government that guided them through an economic crisis, though it could fall short of an outright majority.

Minority government has a dismal history in Portugal and many worry such an outcome could endanger Portugal’s fledgling economic recovery.

The general election is the first since Portugal exited an international bailout last year. The latest polls, released on Friday, gave Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho’s ruling coalition a lead of between five and 12 points over centre-left Socialist opponent Antonio Costa.

film festival, two people were killed, the train station was flooded, and cars were swept along streets by torrents of rain.

Local rail services resumed on Sunday after being suspended overnight, holding up passengers including around 2,000 Ital-

Relief payments Visiting the affected zone on Sunday, President Francois Hollande said the government would approve natural disaster status for the area at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting and pledged relief payments to help cover damage within three months.

Residents were taken by surprise by the exceptionally violent downpour over Alpes-Maritimes, which lies at the eastern end of France’s Mediterranean coast and borders Italy.

Cannes registered close to 180 millimetres (7.1 inches) of rain in three hours at the height of the storm, the interior ministry said.

Flights were diverted away from Nice airport on Saturday evening, leaving some passengers stranded overnight, officials said.

A soccer match between Nice and Nantes in the French first division was abandoned midway due to the rain, while hundreds of people were stranded overnight at a concert venue in Nice after attending a show by French rock legend Johnny Hallyday. — Reuters

COLLEGE SHOOTING

different from the past four,” a composed Passos Coelho told reporters after voting on the outskirts of Lisbon, urging people to leave their homes to vote despite poor weather.

Portugal’s economy returned to timid growth last year after a three-year recession and growth is now accelerating.

Bailout Paulo Portas, deputy prime minister and head of the junior coalition partner CDS, said that the Portuguese were voting “with reconquered freedom” after leaving behind the demanding bailout programme that imposed painful austerity.

Waiting outside a polling station in a school in central Lisbon, Nuno Bras, a 45-year-old office worker, said he was not happy with the government, but that it was “a better option than to risk undoing the recovery that has only just begun.”

“Another crisis would be fatal for us. The economy is finally growing a bit now, “I don’t know if it’s really the government’s merit, but I think they are now more experienced and qualified to run the country than the opposition.” — Reuters

Guatemala families hold vigils after hundreds killed in massive landslide GUATEMALA CITY: Weeping families lit candles for relatives buried in a massive landslide in Guatemala that killed at least 87 people and left another 300 missing feared dead as final, desperate rescue efforts to recover bodies began on Sunday.

A few miles from the hillside that came crashing down onto the town of Santa Caterina Pinula on Thursday night, Reginaldo Gomez stood by the body of his young grandson Andres, who lay garlanded with flowers in a small coffin lined with satin.

The four-year-old boy’s mother and sister are among those still missing among the mounds of earth, shattered buildings and personal belongings scattered on the valley floor.

About 300 people are believed to be missing, officials said on Sunday, and the rescue teams that have pulled 87 corpses from the earth and rubble have found no survivors this weekend.

“Andres was a happy, sweet, mischievous child but he isn’t here any more. He isn’t here and we have to stay here without them,” said his grandmother Angela in the modest home where family members gathered to mourn him.

The tragedy on the southeastern flank of Guatemala City was not the first blow to strike the fam-

can country with a history of catastrophic landslides, the neighborhood kept on growing.

In 2005, hundreds of people were killed when torrential rains triggered a landslide that buried the village of Panabaj. Many of the bodies were never recovered.

The question of how to avoid these disasters has reared up just as Guatemala is preparing to elect a new president in a second round run-off on October 25.

AGONY: Sara Miranda, centre, cries during the burial of her husband and three sons who were victims of Thursday’s landslide, at the municipal cemetery in Santa Catarina Pinula municipality, some 15 km east of Guatemala City, on Sunday. — AFP

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ily. Reginaldo said he became a pastor following the death of two other children in an accident some years ago.

“When I lost my two sons, I wanted to die. I even tried to kill myself and thought I’d never be

able to move on. That’s why I can face my sorrow now,” he said.

“I weep and I suffer like Jesus Christ, but I know it’s part of God’s grand plan.”

The El Cambray II neighbourhood battered by the landslide on Thursday night lies at the bottom of a deep ravine ringed by trees.

Authorities had warned about risks of building homes in El Cambray II, which was founded in 1999. However, like many others in the impoverished Central Ameri-

Forced to resign The government has been in disarray for months. President Otto Perez was forced to resign and was arrested on corruption charges last month, with his former vice president Alejandro Maldonado stepping in until the election winner takes office.

The relatives of some of those killed in the latest tragedy said they were grateful they were at least been able to bury their loved ones.

“I feel lucky because other families can’t even cry over their dead,” said Alejandro Lopez, a 45-yearold taxi driver, who recovered the bodies of two daughters and a grandson.

“But I would like to find the mother of my daughters,” he said inside a small Evangelical church near Santa Catarina. — Reuters

ACCIDENT

Objects located in area of missing cargo ship in Bahamas MIAMI: Life jackets, containers and an oil sheen were spotted by US Coast Guard aircrews on Sunday, the third day of their search for the cargo ship El Faro and its 33 mostly American crew members after it went missing in the eye of Hurricane Joaquin.

The Coast Guard could not confirm that the objects belonged to the El Faro, which sent a distress call on Thursday in the Bahamas but has not been heard from since.

“The debris is scattered about over several miles,” said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Ryan Doss with the Miami station. “It’s going to take some time to verify.

The items would appear to be consistent with the missing ship.”

On Saturday, pilots working in high winds and seas found three life rings in waters to the northeast of Crooked Island in the Bahamas, about 75 miles from the ship’s last known position. One was confirmed to belong to the El Faro.

The Coast Guard and U.S. Air

Force sent out four C-130 search and rescue planes at dawn on Sunday, and at least one Coast Guard ship was headed to the area.

Conditions in the area on Saturday hampered search efforts, with 20 to 40-feet seas and winds in excess to 115 miles (185 km) per hour, the Coast Guard said.

Low visibility In video released by the Coast Guard one pilot said visibility was less than a quarter of a mile (0.4 km) while flying low at 1,000 (300 m) feet.

“This was the most challenging weather conditions anyone on our crew had ever flown,” said Coast Guard pilot Lt Dustin Burton after returning Saturday from his mission.

El Faro, a 735-foot (224-m) container ship with 28 U.S. citizens and five Polish nationals aboard, was headed to San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Jacksonville, Florida when it reported losing propulsion

and that it was listing and taking on water, the Coast Guard said.

As contact with the ship was lost, it is not known whether the ship was able to recover propulsion at some point.

There were no further communications after a distress call received at about 7:30 a.m. (1130 GMT) on Thursday, the Coast Guard said. The search and rescue efforts have covered more than 30,000 square miles since then.

“We are very surprised that we lost all communication with the ship,” Mike Hanson, a spokesman for El Faro’s owner, Tote Maritime Puerto Rico, told Reuters.

The ship was equipped with an onboard transponder as well as a satellite phone and GPS devices on the containers, he said.

The storm battered the central Bahamas archipelago for more than two days with 130 miles (210 km) per hour winds, a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane on a scale of 1 to 5. — Reuters

ONGOING SEARCH: This still image from a video taken October 3, 2015 by the US Coast Guard shows a view out of the cockpit of a Coast Guard plane as they search for the missing El Faro container ship, near the eye of hurricane Joaquin. — AFP/US COAST GUARD

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WORLD ESSENTIAL CARGO

Nepal gets respite as trucks enter from India KATHMANDU: Over 100 trucks carrying essential goods and petroleum products on Sunday entered Nepal from India bringing some respite to the country grappling with shortage of fuel and other commodities due to the blockade of key trade points with India by protesters opposing new Constitution.

Several freight trucks, including some fuel tankers, which were stranded on the Indian side for over 11 days, entered the Nepali side through different border check-points.

Hundreds of trucks with shipments including medicine, gasoline and cooking fuel had been stranded at the border citing security concerns due to the ongoing Madhesi agitation against the new Constitution.

Over 50 trucks on Sunday entered Nepal from Bhairahawa-Sunauli check point while dozens of trucks, including fuel tankers, entered the country from Biratnagar-Jogbani trading point. The blockade at the Nepal-India border had made life harder for the people in Kathmandu and other major cities as five major check-points were closed for the last 11 days due to the protests.

Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae on Sunday paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and discussed the issues relating to resumption of supply of fuel to Nepal, according to Nepalese officials.

In the meeeting, Ambassador Rae had assured him about easing the supply situation from Sunday.

Nepal’s Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay has said that as the transportation has been disrupted for the past few days, it will take some time before flow of supplies to Nepal return to normal. - PTI M YA N M A R

Radical monk endorses ruling party in election YANGON: Myanmar’s firebrand Buddhist monk Wirathu has openly endorsed President Thein Sein’s ruling party in the November 8 general election, saying Suu Kyi’s opposition party was “full of themselves” and unlikely to win the vote.

Hardline monks will push for laws banning Muslim dress and other customs, Wirathu said on Sunday before a rally held by thousands of members of the Buddhist group Ma Ba Tha. Remarks The remarks could stoke religious tension, already high in Myanmar after Ma Ba Tha played a big role in securing passage of four so-called Protection of Race and Religion Laws seen as targeting women and the country’s minority.

The group has emerged as a force ahead of the poll, criticizing Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), which opposed the four laws.

“NLD people are so full of themselves,” Wirathu, 47, who is a leading ultra-nationalist member of Ma Ba Tha, but does not run the organisation, said in an interview. “They don’t have a high chance of winning in elections.” - Reuters

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW.

DON’T WASTE A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY LIKE OMAN.

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2015

MARKE

Oman’s sukuk issue to open on Thursday Profit rate on the debut sovereign sukuk will be set through a uniform price auction with the issuance size to be finalised upon completion of bookbuilding exercise

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman’s debut sovereign sukuk will open for subscription on October 8 and will close on October 22, said the Ministry of Finance. “The debut sovereign sukuk will have a tenor of five years and mature in 2020,” said a ministry statement.

Although the ministry did not mention the size of the sovereign sukuk issue, earlier reports indicated that it could be between OMR200 million and OMR300

million. However, the ministry said the profit rate on the sukuk will be set through a uniform price auction with the issuance size to be finalised upon completion of the book-building exercise.

The issuance is open to subscription by sophisticated investors with a minimum investment of OMR500,000.

Moody’s Investors Service is expected to assign a provisional rating of A1 to the issuance which is in line with the Sultanate’s rating and represents the Government’s full backing and support to the issuance.

The debut sovereign Sukuk will be structured as a Sukuk-al-Ijaraor a lease based structure which is widely known and recognised in the global Islamic finance industry and investor community.

Bank Muscat is the sole issue manager. The joint lead managers are bank muscat together with its Islamic window Meethaq, and Standard Chartered Bank.

“The Government has studied the Islamic finance industry in the country and identified a need for investment avenues for Islamic financial institutions, Islamic funds and Takaful operators in Oman to deploy their excess funds in a shari’a compliant manner in the country. The debut sovereign Sukuk is an important step in

Mohammed Jawad bin Hassan.

— Supplied picture

achieving this objective and also supports the Government’s objective of developing the capital market in Oman,” said Mohammed Jawad bin Hassan, advisor to the Ministry of Finance and chairman of the Sukuk Committee.

The Capital Market Authority (CMA) has welcomed the issuance of the debut sovereign sukuk and its listing on the Muscat Securities Market.

“The development of the bond and sukuk market in Oman is a key development target for the CMA and we are pleased to work together with the Government on this important initiative to bring

the first sovereign Sukuk to the market,” said Abdullah Al Salmi, the Executive President of the Capital Market Authority.

“We are confident that this issuance will be well received by investors and will have a positive impact on Oman’s capital market particularly the fixed-income market. This sukuk issuance will serve as a benchmark for future issuances, spurring further development of the Islamic financial market in Oman and providing an efficient channeling of capital from a wider range of investors for economic development,” Al Salmi further added.

For the purpose of this debut sovereign Sukuk, an issuer Special Purpose Vehicle or SPV company has been created and registered with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry named Oman Sovereign Sukuk SAOC, which is wholly-owned by the Ministry of Finance. Its board members are comprised of representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the CMA who are also members of the Sukuk Committee and Coordination Team formed by the Ministry of Finance for this issuance.

Once issued, the certificates of the debut sovereign Sukuk will be listed on the Muscat Securities Market and can be traded by investors on the secondary market.

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BLOCK 7 IN CENTRAL OMAN

Oman plans to award oil block before year-end A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman government plans to award an oil and gas block to an international oil company on production sharing basis before the end of 2015, a senior official of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, told Times of Oman. This is close on the heels of awarding Block 54 to Oman Lasso Exploration and Production Karwan last month.

“We have signed an agreement recently and I expect may be one more before the end of the year,” said Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil and Gas. He added that the block identified for awarding is Block 7, which is currently in operation in central Oman.

Al Aufi further said that with oil prices dipping to recent lows, multinational energy firms are either slowing down their investment in new concession areas in the Sultanate or asking for much more favourable terms.

Oman government has been encouraging multinational oil giants to find new reservoirs in a move to sustain production levels. As huge investment is required for bringing crude oil and natural gas above the ground in view of the peculiar

Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi.

— Picture by Jun Estrada/Times of Oman

nature of reservoirs in the Sultanate, the government has been encouraging multinational firms to undertake exploration on production sharing basis.

However, with oil prices dipping by more than 45 per cent in less than a year, few companies have discarded their concession areas.

Al Aufi expects the Sultanate’s average daily crude oil production to touch 980,000 barrels this year, which is in line with the projection early this year.

In July, Oman’s daily average production crossed one million barrels for the first time. > B2

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MARKET TENDER

Tender to develop water desalination plants soon A. E. JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A prequalification tender to build several new water desalination plants located across Oman, including one each in Salalah and Sharqiyah regions, will be floated by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) soon, according to a statement.

The request for qualification (RFQ) tender, which will be announced soon, will be for building several projects, including the proposed Salalah and Sahrqiya desalination projects, with a capacity of 22 million imperial gallons per day (MIGD) and 17.6 MIDG, respectively. This is aimed at meeting the growing demand for water in different regions.

POTABLE WATER: To meet the increase in demand for potable water a commercial operation date for the desalination plants is being targeted in early 2019 for Salalah IWP and the second quarter of 2020 for Sharqiyah IWP. – Times file picture

“In addition, depending on the progress of government approvals, additional projects may be included within the RFQ including Duqm IWP with water capacity up-to 13.2 MIGD,” said the OPWP statement.

To meet the increase in demand for potable water a commercial operation date for the plants is being targeted in early 2019 for Salalah IWP and the second quarter of 2020 for Sharqiyah IWP. Sharqiyah IWP may require early water in the second quarter of 2019.

Recently, the OPWP had sought bids from consultancy firms for conducting topographic survey, geotechnical investigation and bathymetric and environmental survey for identifying suitable locations for Salalah and Sharqiya

United States economy still short of 2.7m jobs employment rate to 4.9 per cent — Federal Reserve officials’ median estimate of full employment, the point beyond which inflation tends to accelerate. The number is down from 4.6 million a year ago, but still too high:

Labour Department’s employment report for September suggests that turmoil in global financial markets may have taken a toll on recovery

WASHINGTON: If the United States Federal Reserve is looking for reasons to increase interest rates sooner rather than later, it won’t find many in the latest employment numbers. The economy is still millions of jobs short of where it should be.

The Labour Department’s employment report for September suggests that turmoil in global financial markets may have taken a toll on the US recovery. Non-farm employers added an estimated 142,000 jobs, bringing the threemonth average to 167,000 — the slowest pace of growth since 2012.

The separate household survey, which polls more than 100,000 individuals, actually shows a drop in

HARD TIMES: The Labour Department’s employment report for

September suggests that turmoil in global financial markets may have taken a toll on the US recovery. – Bloomberg News

employment: The unemployment rate held steady at 5.1 per cent only because the number of people counted in the labour force fell.

Turmoil in markets The Labour Department’s employment report for September suggests that turmoil in global financial markets may have taken a toll on the US recovery One indicator: The number of people stuck in part-time jobs, or not ac-

tively looking for work (and hence not counted as unemployed), remained unusually large by historical standards. If the unemployment rate included those people, it would be more than a percentage point higher: A percentage point or two represents a lot of jobs. Accounting for all the people who want fulltime work or are likely to rejoin the labor force, it would take about 2.7 million jobs to reduce the un-

US auto workers There’s also little evidence that demand for labour is giving workers much bargaining power. The US auto workers, for example, are struggling to curb the share of lower-paid, entry- level jobs in their industry even as they negotiate raises. Overall, average hourly earnings for private-sector workers stood at $25.09 in September, up just 2.2 per cent from a year earlier. In the decade before the 2008 recession, wage growth typically exceeded 3 per cent.

Although the Fed chose last month to hold its interest-rate target near zero awhile longer, Yellen has said she expects to start removing stimulus before the end of this year. Whether or not the Fed takes the first step soon, the millions of Americans who still need jobs — and the dearth of inflationary pressures — offer reason to proceed with caution. - Bloomberg News

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E X P L O R AT I O N

< FROM

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Foreign firms contribute 30 per cent

Last month, the Ministry of Oil and Gas signed a new exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) with Oman Lasso Exploration and Production Karwan.

The US firm will explore oil and natural gas in Block 54, which has

an area of 5,632 square kilometres and located in Al Wusta Governorate. The agreement allows the company to drill several wells.

The government does not bear any financial commitments during exploration period.

According to latest available figures, twenty-nine oil blocks have already been awarded to international firms for exploration and in recent years. Some of these blocks started producing oil, while others are in various stages

of studies and development.

Presently, multinational oil companies contribute 30 per cent of total crude production, while majority state-owned PDO constitutes the remaining 70 per cent oil output.

independent water projects.

Demand for potable water The demand for potable water in Oman’s northern region is projected to grow by six per cent per annum in the next five-year horizon, from 238 million cubic metres in 2013 to 349 million cubic metres in 2020. This compares to the previous seven-year forecasts in which average annual growth was in the range of three to five per cent, according to a seven-year outlook for power and water demand released

by OPWP last year. A combination of population growth and industrial development, including tourism projects, is cited as a major reason for the growth in demand for potable water.

In Salalah, the water demand

is projected to grow at eight per cent, and peak water demand to increase from 75,000 cubic metres per day in 2013 to 132,000 cubic metres per day in 2020.

In fact, three major water projects — expansion of desalination projects of ACWA Power and Sur project and a new IWP in Qurayyat — are in different stages of development.

The proposed Qurayyat independent water project, developed by a consortium of Singapore’s Hyflux and National Power and Water Co, is going to have a designed capacity of 200,000 cubic metres per day (44 MIGD) of potable water.

The Qurayyat project is scheduled to commence commercial operations by May 2017, under a 20year water purchase agreement with OPWP.

DUBAI CONFERENCE

Moderate growth projected for Islamic institutions next year Times News Service MUSCAT: Next year will be a crossroads for Islamic finance, according to Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P). A few major factors are shaping the industry’s growth and trends.

Headwinds include the possible negative impact of much lower oil prices and the prevailing low interest rates in most major developed countries.

Offsetting these negatives are factors such as advancements in standardisation for Islamic finance products that could attract new players, the potential lessons for the industry from bank resolution regimes in conventional finance, and the benefits from implementation of Solvency II for many insurance companies in the year 2016.

The Islamic finance industry’s current and expected trends, and the increasing role of regulation and the way it shapes and supports market development will be a particular focus of the 4th Annual Islamic Finance Conference to be hosted by S&P in Dubai on October 6.

Increasing headwinds Stuart Anderson, managing director and regional head, Middle East, Standard & Poor’s said: “In our view, after 20 years of solid growth, the industry has achieved a critical mass that enables it to face increasing headwinds. Still, the reality of declining oil revenues could start to take a toll on governments’ budgets and economic growth in core markets for Islamic finance.

Our 2015 conference will discuss the perspectives on recent market development and regulatory frameworks.”

The industry’s move toward product standardisation has accelerated over the past couple of

years, with increasingly similar products and sukuk structures being used across different countries.

Higher standardisation could help in attracting new players, while leaving space for innovation.

The moves in conventional finance toward the implementation of bank resolution regimes and the bail-in of certain categories of liabilities could spill over into Islamic banking. For example, Islamic banks have so far not strictly applied profit and loss sharing, which is embedded in the principles of Islamic finance.

Bank resolution “We think that, with the rollout of bank resolution regimes in conventional finance, applying this principle more strictly in Islamic finance could be smoother,” the S&P said. Global sukuk issuance volumes have dropped by about 40 per cent since the beginning of 2015.

“The fall stems mainly from the Central Bank of Malaysia’s decision to switch out of sukuk to other liquidity management instruments for Malaysian Islamic banks. In other countries, however, Islamic finance has continued to attract significant interest, and its ethical nature is seducing some clients beyond its natural reach,” said Mohamed Damak, global head of Islamic Finance for Standard & Poor’s.

Still, the advance of Islamic finance into non-Muslim countries has stalled over the past year, mainly due to regulatory hurdles and the generally low interest rate environment that makes other funding sources more attractive.

“We anticipate that assets held

by Islamic financial institutions worldwide — currently totaling about $2 trillion by our estimates — will expand to $3 trillion in the next few years. We expect the pace of Islamic,” the agency said.

ECONOMY

Currency instability a threat: Norway PM OSLO: As the currency of one of the world’s richest nations becomes increasingly difficult to trade, the government is starting to worry about the economic fallout.

Prime Minister Erna Solberg says the rapid weakening of Norway’s krone will only provide short-term relief to western Europe’s biggest oil producer. In the longer term, the loss of liquidity and increased volatility pose a threat to businesses struggling to plan investments.

“It helps some of those industries that have been suffering a bit on competitiveness,” Solberg has said while attending a Nordic Council meeting outside Copenhagen. “But it’s not good for a country in the long run to have an unstable currency because you also need to be able to long-term plan when you are doing investments.”

Norway’s krone has plunged more than 20 per cent against the dollar over the past year.

It’s the worst of the 10 major currencies tracked in the Bloomberg Correlation Weight-

ed Index in the period. Over the past three months, it’s displayed the biggest increase in volatility against the euro of the major currencies monitored.

Helping exporters But Solberg’s warning that the trend may pose a threat to the economy is at odds with the message coming from the central bank. Governor Oeystein Olsen says he welcomes the decline in his nation’s currency because it helps exporters. He delivered a surprise rate cut on September 24, driving the krone down more than 3 per cent against the euro at one point during the day.

Olsen merely notes that the krone has weakened together with the price of oil.

But a number of economists have echoed Solberg’s concerns.

Solberg underscored her government’s commitment to weaning Norway off its oil addiction. Almost a quarter of output is dependent on the petroleum industry in Norway. - Bloomberg News

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MARKET ABU DHABI FIRM

Renaissance to sell marine engineering subsidiary

Oman LNG launches entity to support social investment

Times News Service MUSCAT: Renaissance Services on Sunday said that it has entered into an agreement to divest Topaz Engineering Limited (TEL) and its subsidiaries, which provide marine engineering and ship building services in the Middle East. Chalmers Holdings has acquired the business for $ 18.5 million.

“This divestment marks a milestone in our ‘One Group: Two Companies’ strategy, which has seen the Renaissance Group focus on its two core areas of expertise: offshore support vessels and contract services. We have handed over TEL responsibly to a well-renowned operator who will be able to take the business forward with the requisite focus and enterprise, and positively impact our people and customers,” said a spokesman for Renaissance Services.

Topaz Engineering was previously held for divestment in the Renaissance Services accounts.

The divestment will result in a loss of $ 5.5 million.

The divestment further streamlines Renaissance’s portfolio allowing absolute focus on growing its core businesses of offshore support vessels, through Dubaibased Topaz Energy and Marine, and developing its contract services business, based in Oman.

AUTOMOTIVE

Maruti board okays pact for Suzuki’s new Indian plant MUMBAI: Maruti Suzuki India, India’s biggest automaker, said its board approved a contract manufacturing agreement with a local unit of Suzuki Motor to build a new factory in Gujarat.

Suzuki Motor Gujarat will make vehicles and parts exclusively for Maruti for as long as 30 years, once the deal is passed by minority shareholders and receives necessary regulatory approvals, the New Delhi-based carmaker said in a filing on Saturday to the Bombay stock exchange.

Suzuki said in January 2014 it would spend ¥50 billion ($417 million) on the factory.

Due to start production in 2017, the plant will have an initial annual capacity of 100,000 cars, and all its output will go to Maruti, Suzuki said at the time.

Maruti is planning to seek minority shareholders’ approval to allow Suzuki to own and invest in the Gujarat plant, Maruti chairman R. C. Bhargava said last month. Shareholders protested the plan when it was proposed last year.

Shares of Maruti fell 2.3 per cent to close at Rs4,580 on Thursday, their biggest decline since September 1. - Bloomberg News

The foundation was officially launched to further bolster Oman LNG’s pioneering social investment programmes

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman LNG Development Foundation (ODF) was officially launched recently by Dr Mohammed bin Hamed Al Rumhy, minister of oil and gas; and chairman of Oman LNG board of directors, to further bolster Oman LNG’s pioneering social investment programmes.

This foundation sets a new horizon in addressing, developing and sustaining Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the Sultanate and beyond.

“We are very proud of this moment as it marks the start of a completely new and novel way of managing and sustaining Corporate Social Responsibility throughout Oman,” said Dr Mohammed bin Hamad Al Rumhy, minister of oil and gas. “It offers many more opportunities for social investment and development in the country and we hope others will soon follow suit.”

The journey started when the board of directors decided to further improve Oman LNG’s extensive social development programmes across the Sultan-

LAUNCH: The journey started when the board of directors decided to further improve Oman LNG’s

extensive social development programmes across the Sultanate. - Supplied picture

ate. It was critical to the board of directors, that the foundation’s establishment would be an enabler for a better CSR — that it would provide a robust, sustainable and innovative platform from which to build and develop CSR programmes to deliver more value to the communities of Oman.

First licence in Oman In 2011, a significant milestone was reached when the Ministry of Social Development approved the company’s request to establish a social development foundation.

A ministerial decision was issued approving the establishment of Oman LNG Development Foundation while outlining and detailing the mandate and proposed business activities of the organisation.

The licence to operate for this initiative is the first of its kind is-

sued to an Omani company. The ministerial decision received the support and blessing from the cabinet ministers.

“It will create added value for the volunteering institutions and contribute actively towards educational activities and events related to social development work,” said Sheikh Mohammed bin Said Al Kalbani, minister of social development.

“The foundation will work as a catalyst for non government organisations (NGOs) to perform their duties and responsibilities effectively. By initiating social investment and development programmes, sustainable and viable solutions will be entrenched in our society that will maintain Oman’s rich culture and heritage while improving the standard of living for many decades to come,”

Formed in 2014 In November 2014, the foundation was formed and members for the board of directors were nominated; awaiting the approval from the authority. Khalid Al Massan was simultaneously appointed by the board as the chief executive officer of the foundation.

“These are very exciting times for us and for Oman. The estab-

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BRIEF

GITEX 2015

Indian firms to showcase products at Dubai expo DUBAI: Nearly 50 Indian ICT companies will display innovative products and services at one of the most popular technology expo in the Middle East to take advantage of the booming Gulf market and leverage their ties to bag businesses from global companies executing projects in the region.

The Indian Information and communications technology (ICT) firms will set up shops at the India Pavilion during Gitex Dubai, 2015 scheduled to run from October 18 to 22, Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC) said.

Kamal Vachani, ESC’s regional director, Middle East, said the pavilion will be inaugurated by the Consul-General of India on October 18.

India’s total export of electronics hardware during 2014-15

Al Kalbani said.

In 2013, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) completed a study into the construction of the foundation taking into consideration the terms of reference and mandate of the organisation as defined in the ministerial decision .Further professional input was provided

by Deloitte in 2014, who were assigned to advise on the process of establishing the foundation.

lishment of Oman LNG Development Foundation will leverage both social investment and in-country value opportunities.

Oman LNG will support the Foundation in its quest to serve communities across the nation and will provide the necessary focus to tackle larger projects and invest its funds to ensure perpetuity of the foundation to cater to future generations,” Harib Al Kitani, chief executive officer of Oman LNG said.

Today, Oman LNG’s CSR programmes reach the entire nation of the Sultanate and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country. The newly established Foundation will continue to invest 1.5 per cent of Oman LNG’s net income after tax (NIAT) to social development on sustainable programmes throughout the country.

As a charitable organisation, the foundation will be in better position to conduct the necessary related studies to serve and develop communities, while maintaining the existing levels of support established through the framework of Oman LNG’s CSR. Oman LNG operates as a joint venture with a shareholding structure comprising the Government of Oman (51 per cent), Shell Gas B.V (30 per cent), Total (5.54 per cent), Korea LNG (5 per cent), Mitsubishi Corporation (2.77 per cent), Mitsui & Co. (2.77 per cent), Partex (Oman) Corporation (2 per cent), and Itochu (0.92 per cent).

is estimated to be $6.01 billion and that of computer software and services is $97 billion. “ESC has been facilitating Indian participation on a regular basis at Gitex to take advantage of the booming IT market in the Gulf and leveraging that association for getting businesses for Indian IT companies from multitude of large global corporations, which are executing projects in the region,” Vachani said.

Impressive event He said that Gitex continues to emerge the largest and the most impressive ICT event of its kind in the Middle East. “Naturally, India has a great stake in the booming Middle East, Africa, Asia (WANA Region) and European markets for which Dubai is the Gateway. Thus the event pro-

vides the participating Indian ICT companies opportunities for scouting the expanding Middle East market,” said Vachani.

D. K. Sareen, ESC’s executive director, said that the ESC has been participating at the Gitex consistently for several years and the participating Indian companies under ESC’s banner have reported high degree of satisfaction.

The India Pavilion will highlight innovative ICT products and services including cyber-security solutions, mobile tablets, portable PCs, and IT accessories besides software products on e-commerce and e-learning systems by 48 Indian firms.

Export of software and related services to the Middle East have also registered a growth of 3.24 per cent. - PTI

Galfar Engineering wins maintenance contract MUSCAT: Galfar Engineering and Contracting Company has bagged a contract from Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority for operation and maintenance of a 2,000 cubic metres per day sewage treatment plant in Duqm. The value of the contract is OMR365,170 and the duration is two years with an option to extened on the same rate for six months. - Times News Service

B4

M O N DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

MARKET MSM index ends higher

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 5,802.98 ...............5,790.39 ................... 5,802.51 ................... 5,791.06.................. 11.45 ...................0.20 Financial Index .................................... 6,924.19 .............. 6,908.10 ................... 6,923.35 ................... 6,913.89....................9.46 ................... 0.14 Industrial Index ....................................7,308.39 ...............7,305.82 ....................7,307.29 ................... 7,306.89....................0.40 ................... 0.01 Services Index ...................................... 3,236.47 ...............3,226.79 ................... 3,236.47 ................... 3,227.18....................9.29 ...................0.29 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................903.50 ..................902.45 ...................... 903.50 ......................902.66....................0.84 ...................0.09 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 7,336,537 .................... 2,025,623 .................... 500 ...............14,606,585,459 ................ 12 ........................4 ....................20 .........................36

Top gainer was Al Anwar Holding, up by 2.33 per cent, whereas Al Sharqia Investments,

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4

down by 1.85 per cent, was the top loser 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

MUSCAT: Shares on the Muscat Securities Market (MSM) gained amid support from retail investors. The MSM30 Index closed higher at 5,802.51 points, up by 0.20 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index gained 0.09 per cent to close at 903.50 points. Al Anwar Holding was the most active in terms of volume while Ominvest led in terms of turnover. Sunday’s top gainer was Al Anwar Holding, up by 2.33 per cent whereas Al Sharqia Investments, down by 1.85 per cent was the top loser.

A total number of 500 trades were executed during Sunday’s trading session generating turnover of OMR2 million with over 7.3 million shares changing hands.

Out of 36 traded securities, 12 advanced, four declined and 20 remained unchanged. At session close, Omani investors were net buyers for OMR264,000 while

GCC & Arab Investors were net sellers for OMR246,000 followed by Foreign Investors for OMR18,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index advanced 0.14 per cent to close at 6,923.35 points. Al Anwar Holding, Al Izz Bank, Oman & Emirates Holding, Bank Sohar and NBO increased 2.33 per cent, 1.49 per cent, 1.02 per cent, 0.61 per cent and 0.34 per cent respectively.

Al Sharqia Investments and Gulf Investment Services declined 1.85 per cent and 1.02 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index remained unchanged at 7,307.29 points, up by 0.01 per cent. Galfar Engineering advanced 1.09 per cent whereas Al Anwar Ceramics declined 0.61 per cent respectively.

Services Index closed at 3,236.47 points, up by 0.29 per cent. — United Securities

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

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 2,058,838...... 362,191................... 114 ............0.172 ........... 0.177 ...........0.172 ............0.176 ............. 0.172............ 0.004............. 2.326 ................0.177 .............. 0.177...................0.178 ...................26,413,200 .........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 257,480 ........... 43,234......................18 ............0.167 ........... 0.168 ...........0.167 ............0.168 ............. 0.165............ 0.003..............1.818.................0.168 ..............0.168...................0.169...................33,600,000.........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. ....................83,600 ............... 7,772........................8 ........... 0.093 ...........0.093 ...........0.092........... 0.093 .............0.092 ............0.001 ............. 1.087 ................0.093..............0.092...................0.093...................26,968,199 .........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING.............58,290 ................5,771........................9 ........... 0.099 ...........0.099 ...........0.099........... 0.099 .............0.098 ............0.001 ............. 1.020 ................0.099..............0.099...................0.102...................12,065,625 .........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER..................................................75,800 .............16,292........................4 ............0.213 ........... 0.215 ...........0.213 ............0.215 .............0.213............ 0.002............. 0.939 ................0.215 ..............0.213...................0.215..................145,100,797 ........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION .........................157,015 ..........255,880.....................40 ............1.615 ........... 1.635............ 1.615 ............1.630 ............. 1.615 .............0.015 .............0.929 ................1.635 .............. 1.635...................1.640................1,222,500,000......0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 157,700 .............25,971......................12 ............0.165 ........... 0.165 ...........0.164............0.165 .............0.164.............0.001 ............. 0.610 ................0.165 ..............0.164...................0.165 ..................237,837,600 ........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ............................................22,010 ...............8,804........................4 ........... 0.400...........0.400 ...........0.400 .......... 0.400 .............0.398 ........... 0.002............. 0.503 ................0.400............. 0.400...................0.410...................24,481,709 .........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 750,000 .........160,500......................17 ............0.214 ........... 0.214 ...........0.214........... 0.214 .............0.213.............0.001 ............. 0.469 ................0.214..............0.214...................0.216..................152,882,957........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN .................................. 60,000 ............. 17,700........................7 ........... 0.295 ...........0.295 ...........0.295........... 0.295 .............0.294 ............0.001 .............0.340 ................0.295..............0.294...................0.295..................395,509,524........0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN ............................................................ 811 .....................89........................1 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.110 ............0.110 ............. 0.110............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.110 .............. 0.110................... 0.112 ................. 220,034,407 .......0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 1,508,000......754,000........................9 ........... 0.500 ...........0.500 ...........0.500........... 0.500 .............0.500 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.500..............0.490...................0.500 .................276,430,821........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT .......................................5,000 .................. 295........................1 ........... 0.059 ...........0.059 ...........0.059........... 0.060 .............0.060 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.059..............0.059...................0.060 ..................12,429,083 .........0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ..............55,000 ............ 14,300......................13 ........... 0.260...........0.260 ...........0.260 .......... 0.260 .............0.260 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.260............. 0.260...................0.262 ...................5,460,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ........................................................................... 500 .................. 100........................4 ........... 0.200...........0.200 ...........0.200 .......... 0.200 .............0.200 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.200 .............0.190...................0.200 .................285,007,229........0.100 OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ..........................8,000 .................. 724........................3 ........... 0.090 ........... 0.091 ...........0.090........... 0.090 .............0.090 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.091 ..............0.091...................0.094 ...................2,700,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ................................................................ 5,883 ............... 1,383........................1 ........... 0.235 ........... 0.235 ...........0.235........... 0.235 .............0.235 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.235..............0.235...................0.000 .................363,011,208 ........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 111,458 .............60,197..................... 10 ........... 0.540 ...........0.550 ...........0.540........... 0.540 .............0.540 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.540..............0.540...................0.546................1,237,584,202 ......0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ......................................... 5,407 ...................871........................3 ............0.161 ........... 0.161............0.161 ............0.161 ............. 0.161 ............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.161 .............. 0.158................... 0.161 ...................46,794,814 .........0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ........................................................... 110 .....................45........................1 ............0.412 ........... 0.412 ...........0.412 ........... 0.410 .............0.410............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.412 ..............0.412...................0.430 ..................24,805,000 ........0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER......................................................................50 ..................... 17........................1 ........... 0.340...........0.340 ...........0.340 .......... 0.340 .............0.340 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.340..............0.312...................0.000 ..................75,143,400 .........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO........................................................................ 52,200 .............39,672........................8 ............0.760 ........... 0.760 ...........0.760........... 0.760 .............0.760 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.760..............0.760...................0.764.................. 494,717,615 ........0.100 OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ..................................... 200 ...................911........................1 ............4.555 ........... 4.555 ...........4.555........... 4.555 .............4.555 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................4.555..............4.555...................4.600 ..................44,548,884.........1.000 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH..................................................... 540 ................1,415........................1 ........... 2.620 ...........2.620 ...........2.620........... 2.620 .............2.620 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.620..............2.620...................2.700..................250,097,851 ........1.000 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 221,500 ............ 18,831......................12 ........... 0.085 ...........0.086 ...........0.085........... 0.085 .............0.085 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.085..............0.084...................0.085...................14,875,000 .........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ............................... 120,607 ............39,677........................9 ........... 0.330 ...........0.330 ...........0.324........... 0.328 .............0.330 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.606 ...............0.324..............0.326...................0.330 .................. 97,158,088 .........0.100 OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ........................................................... 108,856 ............32,705..................... 27 ........... 0.300...........0.304 ...........0.300 .......... 0.300 .............0.302 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.662 ...............0.300 .............0.296...................0.304 ..................15,000,000.........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ...........................58,000 ............... 5,651........................7 ........... 0.097 ...........0.098 ...........0.097........... 0.097 .............0.098 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.020 ...............0.098..............0.096...................0.098.....................5,707,792 ..........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 809,112 .............86,149..................... 57 ............0.107 ........... 0.108 ...........0.106........... 0.106 .............0.108 ...........-0.002 ........... -1.852................0.106..............0.106...................0.107....................9,540,000 ..........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 6,751,967 ... 1,961,145.................. 402 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......29........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET .................................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK...................................................6,750 .................. 459........................5 ........... 0.068 ...........0.068 ...........0.068........... 0.068 .............0.067 ............0.001 ............. 1.493 ................0.068..............0.067...................0.068...................68,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 317,492 ............ 48,129..................... 70 ............0.151 ........... 0.153 ........... 0.151 ............0.152 ............. 0.151 .............0.001 ............. 0.662 ................0.153 .............. 0.153...................0.154..................222,315,422........0.100 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ....................10,000 ..................360........................3 ........... 0.036 ...........0.036 ...........0.036........... 0.036 .............0.036 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.036..............0.034...................0.036....................3,060,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 250,000 ............15,500......................17 ........... 0.062 ...........0.062 ...........0.062........... 0.062 .............0.062 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.062..............0.062...................0.063...................93,000,000 ........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 584,242 ...........64,448..................... 95 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........4........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS MARKET .................................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ................................64 ....................... 7........................1 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.110 ........... 0.108 .............0.108 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.110 .............. 0.110................... 0.115 ...................32,696,904.........0.100 OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ............................................... 200 .....................18........................1 ........... 0.090 ...........0.090 ...........0.090........... 0.100 .............0.100 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.090..............0.090...................0.109.................... 7,150,000 ..........0.100 OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 .............................64 ....................... 6........................1 ........... 0.090 ...........0.090 ...........0.090........... 0.095 .............0.095 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.090..............0.090...................0.101 ...................30,795,353 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: ..........................................................................................328 .....................31........................3 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 3........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

REGIONAL MARKETS

Qatar stocks rise; Dubai falls Don’t litter a beautiful country like OMAN.

Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

DUBAI: Qatari equities rose to the highest in almost three weeks on light trading, tracking gains in global markets on Friday that were fuelled by the fading prospect of an increase in US interest rates this year. Dubai’s stocks declined.

The QE Index climbed 0.5 per cent to 11,514.12 at the close in Doha, the highest since September 16. Real estate company Ezdan Holding Group led gainers with a 3.2 per cent jump on more than twice its three-month average daily volume. The Bloomberg GCC 200 Index, made up of the region’s biggest and most liquid shares, added 0.2 per cent. The measure’s 10-day volatility reading dropped to 9.3 points from this year’s high of 51 on August 30.

The US added fewer jobs than expected in September, raising speculation the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates near zero for the rest of the year and buoying demand for higher-risk emerging market assets. While most of the currencies of the six nations that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council are pegged

Dubai Financial Market. – Bloomberg file picture

to the US dollar, Qatar’s central bank said on Friday it wouldn’t follow a Fed rate increase because of high liquidity in local banks.

“The performance of Arab markets today reflects mixed sentiment regarding the timing of the Fed’s impending rates increase and the absence of local catalysts, which is keeping trading activity at depressed levels,” said Cairobased Hesham Wafa, institutional sales trader at Mubasher Trade.

Traders exchanged about 193 million Qatari riyals ($53 million)

worth of shares traded, while Dubai’s market saw about 289 million dirhams ($79 million) of stocks change hands, less than half both the market’s one-year daily averages, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The main stock gauges of Dubai and Abu Dhabi retreated 0.7 per cent and 0.1 per cent, respectively. In Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, the Tadawul All Share Index advanced 0.4 per cent, led by Al Rajhi Bank’s 0.7 per cent increase. — Bloomberg News

B

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M MONDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2015

SECTION

SLOW DOWN ENJOY THE RIDE

E-

IMES TECH STUFF

TWITTER MIGHT MAKE TWEETS LONGER

Twitter, the short-form messaging service beloved by many for its brevity, may not be so brief anymore: According to a report in Re/code, the company is building a new product that will allow tweets longer than 140 characters.

We don’t know when this new product is coming, or even if it will arrive for sure; social networks often prototype and beta-test features that don’t ever make it to consumers. — Washington Post-Bloomberg News.

New chip credit cards are more safe, secure New technology uses cards with chips embedded in them, and is supposed to cut down dramatically on incidents of thieves stealing card information and making fake copies

T E C H U P D AT E S

Google’s Nest Labs unveils web store, new developer tools Google’s Nest Labs is opening up a key technology to other manufacturers of home-automation gadgets, seeking to keep its digital thermostats and other products at the center of the connected home. Nest is expanding Weave, its software for devices to communicate with one another, to developers — instead of limiting the technology to its own products. By doing so, more products can work together to control lights, heating, cooling, security and other things in homes. General Electric and Procter & Gamble will be partners in the effort, Nest said in a blog post on Thursday. Nest Weave and its related services will be available in 2016. The business, which Google bought last year, is pouring resources into its product lineup to convince consumers that they need to modernize their homes with connected, intelligent devices as it competes with rivals such as Samsung Electronics and Apple. “It’s going to take time for the connected home to really come together,” said Greg Hu, senior manager, Nest platform. “But these are the really important, kind of foundational elements.” Nest is also setting up an online store with a list of products that work with Nest devices, including smoke alarms and security cameras. The company also announced new features for its security cameras, so that developers can design new tools and services — such as having the camera send photos of pets when they’re eating or whenever there’s a security alert at the front door. — Washington Post-Bloomberg News

Micron’s sales, profit increase

Y

ou might have already noticed the minor change at the register.

Instead of swiping credit cards and debit cards, more retailers are asking consumers to dip them into new card readers that are supposed to be more secure. The technology uses cards with chips embedded in them, and is supposed to cut down dramatically on incidents of thieves stealing card information and making fake copies. Businesses have been installing the new readers slowly, but more might have them up and running by Thursday, the deadline set by major credit card issuers for merchants to have the updated card terminals. Those that don’t have the readers by then could be on the hook for any losses caused by credit card fraud. (As opposed to banks being liable, as is the case now.) The transition should be pretty straightforward for consumers, but it can still take a little getting used to.

Here’s a rundown of what credit card holders need to know.

How do these chip cards work, and what makes them more secure?

Basically, chip cards are credit cards or debit cards with a computer chip embedded in them. Instead of sending retailers and card companies the same information each time they’re used, the way the magnetic stripe on cards works now, the chip sends out a unique code for each transaction. (The official name for the technology is EMV, which is short for Europay, MasterCard and Visa.) The idea is that any thief who is able to intercept the code won’t be able to use it again to make a fraudulent purchase with a fake version of the card later on.

(Essentially making it more difficult for someone to go on a shopping spree at a mall in Texas while you are physically in New York.) Anyone who would try to use a fake magnetic stripe version of the card at a chip terminal would be prompted to insert the card into the chip slot, said Stephanie Ericksen, vice president of risk products at Visa. The transaction would then fail, she said.

purchases. That’s what happened in Europe when retailers installed the technology there years ago, with online fraud doubling in some countries, said Rurik Bradbury, chief marketing officer for Trustev, a company that helps retailers catch online fraud.

Retailers are moving to catch fraud online by scanning for details, such as a person’s IP address, e-mail address and other data points, but their information is often limited, Bradbury said. Some businesses may rely more on apps or programs such as Apple Pay, which work similarly to chip cards by also creating a unique code for each purchase.

So what should I do at the register?

Unless you are told otherwise by the cashier, you should swipe your card as usual. Some terminals will recognize the chip and ask you to dip the card into the slot underneath the key pad, said Deborah Baxley, a principal in Capgemini Financial’s Cards & Payments unit. Swiping is typically a flick of the wrist movement, but when you are using a chip reader, you don’t want to remove the card quickly. You’ll need to leave the card in place for a few seconds until the transaction is complete, Baxley said.

Will these cards stop fraud completely?

Unfortunately, thieves are fast learners. As more and more in-store purchases are completed with chip technology, it will get harder for thieves to make fraudulent purchases inside stores. But security experts say they widely expect credit card fraud to move online, where thieves can still use the card number and expiration date to make fraudulent

I don’t have a chip card yet.

Should I be worried?

No. Your older magnetic stripe card should still work at most retailers.

And banks are still in the process of sending the new cards out to consumers. Some 57 percent of consumers had at least one chip card as of July, according to a survey by Visa. Some banks are aiming to send them out by the end of the year, but for some cardholders the new cards may not arrive until 2016. Consumers who want to get a new card can call their credit card companies and request one, said Matt Schulz, a senior industry analyst for CreditCards.com.

Why haven’t I seen chip readers at more retailers?

After Oct. 1, the date set by issuers, such as Visa and MasterCard, merchants who don’t have the new readers may become liable for fraud that results from stolen data. But don’t expect all stores to have the new readers by tomorrow.

About 44 percent of merchants surveyed by Visa said they had installed a chip reader as of July.

That percentage will grow over

the next several years, but adoption may be slow, especially among smaller stores, whose owners might feel like they can’t afford the new technology.

Based on how the transition played out in Europe, Ericksen estimates it may be two to three years before roughly 70 percent of instore transactions are done using EMV technology.

Will these cards work the same as the ones in Europe?

Almost. In Europe, cardholders are using a system known as “chip and PIN,” where the chip produces a new code for each purchase and cardholders are asked to enter a PIN. However, many of the chip cards banks are sending out in the United States are chip-and-signature cards, where people will use their cards and sign for credit card purchases as they always have. Debit purchases made with chip cards will still require a PIN. Some security experts say the PIN system is safer, because it takes another step to verify the cardholder’s identity. The signature is supposed to do that also, but as my colleague Sarah Halzack reported, those are not always verified. Retailers are trying to make the switch as easy as possible for consumers, who aren’t used to entering a PIN when they use their credit cards. Still, the move to chip cards should provide a step up when it comes to cutting down on credit card theft.

Will people see these special card readers at ATMs and gas pumps?

Eventually. Replacing the readers attached to gas pumps and ATMs is more complicated, so they have more time - until October 2017 - to make the change. — JONNELLE MARTE/ Washington Post-Bloomberg News

Micron Technology, the US’s biggest maker of computer memory, reported sales and profit for the fiscal fourth-quarter that exceeded some analysts’ estimates. Net income in the period ended Sept.

3. fell to $471 million, or 42 cents a share, from $1.15 billion, or 96 cents, a year earlier. Revenue declined 15 percent to $3.6 billion, the Boise, Idaho-based company said on Thursday in a statement.

Analysts’ had projected sales of $3.56 billion. Earnings excluding certain items were 37 cents a share, topping the 33- cent average analysts’ estimate compiled by Bloomberg. Micron makes chips that provide the short-term memory in computers and servers and other semiconductors that store data in mobile devices. The company and its competitors — Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix — are producing more than enough chips to meet lacklustre demand, causing prices to fall. Investors may use the company’s outlook as a bellwether for reports by larger US and global technology companies later this month. Micron shares rose as much as 7.7 per cent in extended trading. They had earlier fallen 1.4 percent to $14.77 at the close in New York. Micron is the largest remaining US-based maker of computer memory, also known as dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, chips.

The company is expanding its offerings to include memory for smartphones and servers and another type of chips used as storage in mobile devices and computers. — Washington Post-Bloomberg News

Printer case to test patent rights for revamped car parts A lawsuit over used printer cartridges has morphed into a proxy fight pitting Silicon Valley against Big Pharma that could ultimately determine whether consumers can buy refurbished and resold goods — from car parts to computers. The case will be argued before a Washington appeals court.

The dispute involves inkjet cartridges initially sold by Lexmark International and then refilled and sold by Impression Products Inc. Lexmark claimed Impression was infringing its patents for the cartridges. Impression claimed Lexmark already got paid once for use of its patented inventions, when the cartridges were first sold, and had exhausted its patent rights. “It’s part of a multifront effort to scale back manufacturer’s rights to control who repairs and refurbishes products after sale,” said Jacob Kramer, an antitrust lawyer with Bryan Cave in Washington, who is not involved in the case. Drug, biotech and medical device industries representing such companies as Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have weighed in on the case, filing briefs saying they put restrictions on the resale of their products for safety reasons. Smartphone and computer makers including Google and Samsung Electronics also jumped in, arguing that limits would cause confusion over who gets paid in supply chain for complex electronics. Refurbished goods appeal to consumers because they can find lower prices and more choices, but “the long-term cost is innovation,” said Kramer said of the case. — Washington Post-Bloomberg News

B6

MON DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

ROUND-UP M E D I C A L E D UC AT I O N

Hatat Polyclinic set to hold CME on October 7

Lulu brings a slice of Philippines to Oman Authentic flavours from the Philippines will be showcased by Lulu chefs, who will be providing a wide variety of different authentic Filipino dishes throughout the promotion

MUSCAT: The Pinoy Fiesta is back at Lulu. Scheduled to run till October 10 at select Lulu outlets of Baushar, Darsait, Wadi Kabir, Al Burj, Sohar and Salalah, these outlets will put forward a huge range of Filipino products and foodstuffs imported from the Philippines and also a large variety of confectionery items locally made in the bakeries of Lulu Hypermarkets.

Authentic flavours from the Philippines will be showcased by Lulu’s chefs, who will be provid-

ing a wide variety of different authentic Filipino dishes throughout the promotion.

This edition of the Pinoy Fiesta also has an exciting Scratch & Win promo for which customers will be issued a coupon for every OMR3 purchase of Filipino products. Ten lucky winners will get a fully paid to and fro air ticket to Manila, says a press release.

Narciso T. Castaneda, Philippine Ambassador to Oman officially inaugurated the 10-day ‘Pinoy

Fiesta’ organised by Lulu Hypermarket Oman at Lulu Bausher.

The promotion of Philippine made products, traditional cuisine and fresh fruits will introduce and showcase the wealth and range of products coming from the Philippines to the local market and to other nationalities.

Speaking on the occasion, Ananth A. V., Regional Director, Lulu Oman said, “Bringing the tastes and products of various countries is a very satisfying exercise for us and this year’s Pinoy Fiesta is yet another attempt to delight our Filipino patrons. The Pinoy Fiesta will provide a great platform for our customers to familiarise with the wide range of Filipino offerings,” he added.

Decked up with the colours and icons of Philippines, the participating outlets will take guests on a journey to savour the delicious tastes of the Philippines.

Lulu has been a major importer

C A M PA I G N

LUXURY TIMEPIECE

fullest. A healthy lunch keeps kids active, alert and focused and gives them the nutrition they need every day. A balanced lifestyle involves eating a healthy diet and being physically active on a regular basis. A balanced diet is important for child’s health, growth and development. The objective of this competition is to promote nutrition education with the objective of improving a child’s health.”

There are some exciting prizes to be won from the competition.

First prize includes a 50-piece Superware dinner set; second prize is a Brabantia cooking set and third prize is a Geepas juice mixer. The winning recipe will also be featured in SPAR Kitsu Menu at Madinat Qaboos.

Participating outlets are SPAR Bausher, SPAR Madinat Sultan Qaboos and SPAR Al Khuwair.

Win Mazda2 #SuperStriker at World Cup Qualifier match MUSCAT: As the official automotive partner of the Oman Football Association and the owner of the prestigious Mazda Professional Cup, Mazda Oman is going all out to further increase the support for the national football team in the upcoming Oman-Iran World Cup Qualifier match.

This very crucial match will be played at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on October 8.

With the purchase of the ticket, the match spectators will stand a chance to win the all-new Mazda2 #SuperStriker in a raffle draw, says a press release.

“Our raffle draw is an eagerly awaited promotion by our patrons each year and we try our best not to disappoint them. This time we are even more excited as we link it with the upcoming World Cup Qualifier match. This is a very important match for us and we want to make it memorable for everyone. We hope our promotion will ensure an increase in the audi-

S T R O N G A S S O C I AT I O N

MUSCAT: Engineered and crafted by L’Epée 1839, Switzerland’s only specialised high-end clock manufacture and conceived and developed by MB&F, Arachnophobia makes its way as an extreme creation.

Depicting a spider, the ‘Manam’ sculpture is among the world’s largest, measuring over 30 ft high and over 33 ft wide.

Mistal – Ajit Khimji Group, showcases the finest collection of luxury watches and jewellery from the world over.

“It is with great honour that we can say that the Arachnophobia will be making its way to an exclusive display in our showroom,” said Dharmesh Ajith Khimji. “Conjured in the hands of true artistic and mechanical geniuses, this awe-inspiring timepiece is a rare visual in itself.”

MUSCAT: Love, as they say, has no limits. Moreover, the love between you and the vehicle that makes your life easier and happier only grows with each passing day! Small wonder then that Qais Hassan Ibrahim Al Bahrani who works at the PDO, owns three Kia vehicles. That is not all. The love for Kia runs deep within their family — his family now owns nine Kia vehicles, says a press release.

“Kia to us means very nice and reliable vehicles, which makes my family and me very confident when travelling long distances. I have no issues with the cars purchased and since the vehicles are so reliable, we keep purchasing Kia vehicles only,” says Bahrani.

He tells us of the Kia models that he owns namely Carnival EX 2007, Cerato EX 2009, Carnival EX 2016 and the recently purchased allnew Carnival EX 2016.

About the Kia vehicles in his family, he seems to have the most of the models, Carnival 2005, Cerato 2009 and Cerato 2013, Carens 2007 and Carens 2012, Picanto 2013, Cadenza 2012, Sorento 2016 and Optima 2015.

People like Bahrani have a lot to choose from because in Oman, Kia has a wide and thrilling lineup. The range includes the Picanto — a fresh and vibrant car to turn up the colour in your life; the Rio

We hope our promotion will ensure an increase in the audience attendance at the match, resulting in greater support for the team Senior spokesperson Towell Auto Centre

ence attendance at the match, resulting in greater support for the team. We wish good luck to all the players,” said a senior spokesperson of Towell Auto Centre (TAC), the sole distributors of Mazda range of cars in Oman.

Mazda Oman has been the official sponsor of the OFA since 2014 and has extended huge support to the national teams, the league and the community football activity undertaken by the association.

Mazda Oman strengthened their link to football by becoming the title sponsor of the Mazda Professional Cup competition played by the top 14 OPL clubs in Oman.

Offering the trendiest of Japanese cars, Mazda has brought in a lot of excitement in Oman’s automobile industry with their ‘stylish, spirited and insightful’ branding. These three unique qualities lie at the core of each Mazda you spot on the streets and form the brand’s DNA and TAC makes owning a Mazda extra pleasant.

PETROLEUM EXPO

Proud owner of Kia owns 3 vehicles

Mistal brings Arachnophobia watch to Oman

sultant and chairman, Medanta Institute of Neurosciences will present newer techniques in the treatment of brain tumours. He will also discuss technique of minimally invasive spine surgeries.

Dr Vijay Kher, chairman and Senior Consultant, Medanta Kidney and Urology Institute will focus on early detection of CKD (chronic kidney diseases) and techniques to slow down the disease progression.

Dr Darwish bin Saif Al Maharbi, undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs at the Ministry of Health will be the chief guest and Dr Mazen bin Jawad Al Khabouri, director general, Private Health Establishments, Directorate of Private Health Establishment Affairs will be the guest of honour.

The activity has been duly approved by Oman Medical Speciality Board and has been awarded 3.5 credit points under category-1. Though registration is free, with limited seats, the organisers have urged medical professionals to register online at hatatmedanta@gmail.com

AU T O M O T I V E PA R T N E R

SPAR launches healthy kids’ lunch competition MUSCAT: SPAR Oman has launched a promotional campaign called “Healthy Kids Lunch Competition” as part of its continued focus to emphasise the importance of healthy eating in children’s nutrition. The contest will be held on October 9 at SPAR Madinat Qaboos from 5pm onwards.

Interested participants can sign up for the competition either by registering on the SPAR Oman Facebook page or by filling out an entry form at any of SPAR outlet in the city. They will then need to bring the prepared dish - to the designated time and place - along with the recipe and a brief description of the health/nutritional value. Entries will be judged based on the nutritional value, presentation and taste. Last date for entry is October 8, says a press release.

Commenting on the event, Devendra Kumar, head SPAR Oman, said, “At SPAR, we believe in living your healthiest, happiest life to

of Filipino products and made arrangements to add more products at its outlets. The festival, which showcases some of the finest goods and food items from the Philippines, including groceries and frozen foods, also offers freshly prepared traditional cuisines at the hot food counters.

Moreover, the festival will be showcasing the best consumer products and food products, including groceries, fresh and frozen foods as well as offering freshly prepared traditional Filipino dishes. Practically all Filipino products will be available on attractive prices at Lulu shelves.

Lulu has always tried to be a one stop shop for the diverse population of the region with an international mix of products as well as staff of different nationalities.

The 800,000 plus shoppers who patronise Lulu daily are the true testament to the popularity of the Lulu brand.

MUSCAT: Hatat Polyclinic, affiliated to Medanta-The Medicity, Gurgaon, Delhi, is organising a CME (Continue Medical Education) programme on October 7 from 5pm onwards.

Five eminent doctors from Medanta-The Medicity will give presentations on recent advances and newer techniques being developed and used in their respective fields, says a press release.

Newer techniques like transcatheter aortic valve implant, intravascular ultrasound, intracoronary optical coherence tomography which have revolutionised cardiology will be discussed by Dr Praveen Chandra.

Dr Arvinder Singh Soin, an expert in the field of liver transplant will discuss latest trends in the management of hepatic diseases including cancers.

Dr Sumit Singh an eminent neurologist will discuss latest investigations which have become available to the neurologists. He will discuss recent advance in the management of epilepsy/headache, Parkinsonism and stroke.

Dr Ajaya Nand Jha, senior con-

— a smartly styled car that makes absolutely no compromises; the Cerato, to help you step into the good life.; the Cerato Koup — a car in tune with your emotions; refreshed Optima the car with sporty stance and style that conveys confident individuality; Cadenza, a car that attracts and reassures with its innovative attention to detail; Kia Soul — gives you the freedom to express your personality and to connect with an urban lifestyle; Sportage — for appeal that’s ahead by many miles; Carens — a car that lets you live life to the full; Sorento — an SUV built for urban

living; Mohave — that puts you at the peak of performance; Carnival — an elegant all-in-one tool that makes your life a whole lot easier; K- 4000G — A highly polished work horse and of course, Kia’s new game changer, the Quoris, that pushes the horizons of its segment by inviting drivers to experience what we call ‘New Luxury’, a breakaway and brand new take of what it means in modern terms — feature rich technology.

Reliable International Automotive (RIA), the distributor for Kia in Oman provides a rewarding ownership experience for customers.

Al Hassan to exhibit at mega Abu Dhabi event MUSCAT: Al Hassan Engineering Company (AHEC), one of Oman’s leading Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) companies, announced that it will be exhibiting at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC); a key event in the global Oil & Gas calendar.

ADIPEC will be held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) from November 9 to 12 and is expected to host nearly 50,000 leading industry executives who will come together for four days of interaction to determine the future of the international energy industry, says a press release.

“This year is our third year of participation at ADIPEC. The event gives us an opportunity to meet key industry players from around the world and to exchange knowledge and forge new partnerships, which will support us in our objective to strengthen our EPC offerings in the region. We will be located at stall No 11032 and company reps will be present throughout for one to one interactions,” said Steve Scott, CEO, Al Hassan Engineering Company.

Over the last three decades, AHEC has established an excellent track record as a prime EPC Contractor as well as a construction partner to many leading international contractors, in executing complex jobs in the oil and gas, petrochemicals, power plants, electricity transmission & distribution, industrial infrastructure projects, water and wastewater treatment plants and maintenance of oil & gas and power installations sectors, both in Oman and the UAE. ADIPEC has become an influential platform where regional and international leaders meet.

Held under the patronage of the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ADIPEC is the largest exhibition for the Middle East oil and gas industry.

Supported by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and the UAE’s Ministry of Energy, it hosts over 1,600 exhibitors and attracts more than 45,000 attendees and is considered the event where oil and gas industry professionals get together to experience, discover, network, discuss and debate core industry issues.

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RECRUI JOB POSTINGS

CAREER COACH

How to leave your dead-end job

THIS is for everyone who is sticking with a job that no longer fits. Maybe it was right for a while, for a certain time and place in your life. But not anymore. You know that job is sucking your soul and it’s time to leave. The only thing left to decide is how. Above all, you want it to be your decision.

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of

which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. So act fast, and act now.

Make it known Learn about it. Do research. Talk to people. Do informational interviews. Volunteer. Be a trainee.

Find ways to educate yourself.

Go to school. Hire a trainer. Shine some light on the scary ignorance,

and it’s no big deal. If you’re drawn to it, you probably have a knack.

Make it up There are a lot of successful people in the world who just decide that they know what they’re doing.

Try it on a small scale Part-time or pilot projects work well particularly if you’re thinking of venturing out on your own. The hours are long when you don’t give

SEND US YOUR VIEWS AND COMMENTS www.facebook.com/timesofoman

QUOTES When I hire somebody really senior, competence is the ante. They have to be really smart. But the real issue for me is, Are they going to fall in love with Apple? Because if they fall in love with Apple, everything else will take care of itself. They’ll want to do what’s best for Apple, not what’s best for them, what’s best for Steve, or anybody else.

— Steve Jobs In determining the right people, the goodto-great companies placed greater weight on character attributes than on specific educational background, practical skills, specialised knowledge, or work experience.

— Jim Collins

up your day job but if you’re pursuing your passion you generally can find the energy.

Sometimes it takes a geographic change to get yourself out of a rut. Try something out there and see if you can fly. Remember, if you only do what you already know how to do, your world would get pretty stale. Growth is an essential part of life. There comes a time to move on. — Liz Sumner/www. quintcareers.com

The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people. — Bill Gates

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M O N DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

ROUND-UP

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Bank Sohar to reward customers for savings Sporting the largest number of winners of any of Bank Sohar’s savings schemes to date, the 2015 Al Mumayaz Savings Schemes will see well over 1,100 winners before it comes to a close at the end of the year

MUSCAT: Providing a platform for customers to get rewarded the more they save, the Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme 2015 has witnessed tremendous success from beginning of the year. Building on this success, Bank Sohar has announced the launch of the fourth and final leg of the scheme.

With over 300 winners during the last quarter, and under the blockbuster movie theme, the bank’s customers will take a prominent role in their life — as a winner, and take centre stage as stars in their very own blockbuster success story as they take their share of a prize pool of over a million rials, says a press release.

“Bank Sohar developed the 2015 Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme with the objective of encouraging the habit of saving by providing a wide range of attractive cash prizes with better chances of winning for those who save more. Through our hourly, weekly, monthly and half yearly draws, we have seen close to a thousand of our customers realize their dreams and aspirations; and by hosting dedicated Branch and Children’s draws, we have ensured that this joy is spread across our entire branch network and across all age demographics,” said R. Narasimhan, GM Retail Banking at Bank Sohar, commenting on the success of the Al Mumayaz Savings Scheme campaign.

“With a prize pool of over a million rials, and with over 300 winners to be announced in the fourth quarter alone, we will be turning hundreds of our customer’s lives into rolling blockbusters with each

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of them taking the starring role as ‘the winner’,” he added.

Sporting the largest number of winners of any of Bank Sohar’s savings schemes to date, the 2015 Al Mumayaz Savings Schemes will see well over 1,100 winners before it comes to a close at the end of the year. Offering significantly more chances, more winners, and more prizes than past years, the final quarter of the savings scheme alone will see over 300 winners taking their share of a prize pool of over a million rials. This includes over 250 winners of OMR1,000 every hour, more than 10 winners of dedicated children’s draws offering largest cash prizes in the market, and dedicated branch draws totalling over OMR150,000 shared by over 30 winners in the final quarter. In addition to these, there will also be more than ten winners of weekly draws valued at

OMR5,000 each and ten winners OMR10,000 as part of the monthly draws. By conducting such a varied range of draws Bank Sohar ensures winners of all ages across its entire branch network.

A majority of the dedicated branch draws will be conducted for the first time as part of the highly anticipated Year-End Prize Draw, which boasts a total prize pool of over half a million rials for more than 30 winners. To be held in January 2016, the Year-End Prize Draw will see one lucky saver winning OMR450,000 to mark the 45th National Day celebrations of the Sultanate, one exclusive winner receiving OMR50,000, one lucky winner from each of the bank’s branches winning OMR5,000and one lucky minor receiving OMR5,000; the highest value of any dedicated Children’s draw prize in the country.

EXCLUSIVE SHOW

Malabar Gold starts diamond show, sale

MUSCAT: Malabar Gold and Diamonds has launched an exclusive diamond show and sale at Oman Avenues mall, Baushar from October 1 to 10.

Ben Watson, general manager, Oman Avenues Mall, inaugurated the ‘Diamond Show’ in the presence of Najeeb. K, regional head, Oman, Muhsin. P, branch head and other well wishers, says a press release.

‘Diamond Show’ provides a great opportunity to witness the rarest and finest collection of handpicked diamond jewellery designs from the Malabar Gold & Diamonds, offering the jewellery lovers a different kind of experience, a visual treat for the connoisseurs of fine art. The jewellery chain showcases over 2,000

jewellery designs worth OMR2 million from different countries.

To mark the celebrations, Malabar Gold and Diamonds is showcasing a vast variety of diamonds jewellery and solitaires at challenging prices seen never before in the market. The jeweller offers IGI certified diamonds at best prices along with free lifetime maintenance. The jeweller also ensures the cash buy back guarantee for the diamonds sold.

“This is truly an exclusive opportunity for diamond lovers, offering exquisite brands and immense collection of diamond jewellery at the most competitive prices. Customers can utilise this rare opportunity to own a diamond jewellery at never before prices,” said Najeeb.

B A N K M U S C AT F I NA N C E S C H E M E

Sayyarati offer till December 31 MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, in step with its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and commitment to partnership in enhancing banking services, is continuing to offer a feature-packed automobile finance till December 31.

The Sayyarati finance is available at low interest rates starting from 3.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent on a reducing balance basis which is equivalent to 1.91 per cent to 2.41

per cent on a flat basis. The Sayyarati package includes financing up to eight years for new and used vehicles, the lowest monthly payment option, on-the-spot approvals and motor insurance with low premiums, says a press release.

Notably, customers are also not required to furnish post-dated cheques, making Sayyarati the easy, convenient and completely hassle-free way to own a new car.

Payment instalments are auto-

matically debited from customer account on a monthly basis. The Sayyarati finance can be obtained from any of the 140 Bank Muscat branches spread across Oman. The offer comes as a boon for newly recruited employees in government and quasi-government sector who can avail the auto finance if they have been employed for 1 month and 3 months in the case of employees of approved private sector companies.

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New BCCI president announces slew of reforms

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Fahad Al Nadabi swells Sultanate’s golden kitty

AFC U-19 CHAMPIONSHIP

Fahd Al Nadabi won

Oman trounce Kyrgyzstan

Oman’s fourth gold

MUSCAT: Oman notched full points against lowly Kyrgyzstan with a whopping 4-1 win in the AFC Under-19 Football Championship at the Grand Hamad Stadium in Doha on Sunday.

Having shared the spoils in their opening Group D match with Lebanon, who were facing Qatar later in the evening, Rasheed Jaber-coached Omanis need a victory against Kyrgyzstan, who were swamped by the hosts 7-1.

Though Oman took off in a lackadaisical fashion at break both the teams were locked 1-1, but after the break the Sultanate boys struck thrice to complete the tally.

For Oman, the scorers were Zahir Sulaiman Abdullah Al Aghbari, Asad Khamis Rashid Al Awadi,

with a bronze medal

Mohsin Saleh and Talal Khamis.

Asad Khamis opened the account by converting a penalty in the 13th minute, but Ernist Batyrkanov equalised for Kyrgyzstan in the 19th minute.

In the second half, Talal Khamis (54th), Zahir Sulaiman (63rd) and Mohsin Saleh (75th) completed Oman’s tally.

On Tuesday, Oman will face hosts Qatar in the final and crucial match of Group D. Ten group winners and five best second-placed teams will qualify for the finals while hosts Bahrain received an automatic qualification.

If Bahrain finish top of their qualifying group or one of the five second best-placed teams, the next (6th) second-placed team will qualify for the final competition.

UAE EDGE OMAN IN THRILLER AT U-23 WAFF CHAMPIONSHIP The UAE outlasted Oman 4-3 in a thrilling Group C encounter at the inaugural U-23 WAFF Championship in Doha on Sunday. Hamad Al Azzani-coached Omanis opened their account just two minutes into the match through Ahmed Jameel. However, the UAE rallied to score two goals before half-time. With less than seven minutes for the final whistle, the match witnessed a flurry of goals, though it was the UAE who managed to earn full points. In the last match of the three-team group, Oman take on Syria, 2-1 winners over UAE, on Wednesday. The semifinals will be played on October 10. The final and the third-place playoff will take place on October 14.

while Salim Aulad Thani increased the hosts medal tally

at the Asian Bench Press Championships

Sports Reporter MUSCAT: Fahd Nasser Al Nadabi bagged Oman’s fourth gold medal at the ongoing Asian Bench Press Championships at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex (SQSC) on Sunday.

The penultimate day of the championships also saw the Sultanate winning a bronze medal through Salim Aulad Thani.

Fahd Al Nadabi taking part in the -105kg sub-junior category achieved his personal best on his way to clinching the gold medal.

After lifting 130kgs and 140kgs in his first two attempts, he went for 150kg in his attempt and lifted the weight comfortably to the delight of local fans.

In the -93kg junior category, Salim Aulad Thani faced stiff competition but managed to bag the bronze medal with a 190kg lift in his third attempt. Salim had earlier successfully lifted 175kgs and 185kgs in his first two attempts.

The gold went to Kazakhstan’s Kozibaev Konarbek who lifted 220 kgs while India’s Bhaskar Shah took silver with a 217.5kg lift.

The hosts can expect more medals on Monday when the curtains come down on the Asian event with Sheikh Saad bin Mohammed Al Mardouf Al Saadi, Minister of Sports Affairs, presiding over the closing ceremony.

Earlier in the championships, Omar Al Zakwani, in the -74kg for youth category, and Alkhatab Aulad Thani, in the junior -74kg category, won gold medals for Oman.

Nabras Aulad Thani won silver in the junior and youth 83kg category and Mohammed Aulad Thani won a bronze medal in the same event.

GOLDEN MOMENT: Oman’s Fahad Al Nadabi celebrates on the podium after winning -105kg gold at the

Asian Bench Press Championships at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on Sundayt. – Supplied photo

Mazin Al Khusaibi won silver in the -83kg category. Oman’s first gold was won by Yahya Al Kiyumi in the -66kg competition on Friday when Khalifa Al Jamahi took the bronze in the same category.

Earlier, in the men’s -93kg competition Iran’s Majid Hajiaghabozorg won the gold after lifting 285 kgs. The second place went to Kazakhstan’s Ruslan Sadykov (232.5 kgs) while Iran’s Saghaei Farhad (225 kgs) took the bronze.

In men’s Masters 1 -93kg cate-

gory, Iran’s Mohammadreza Khosravi clinched gold with a 197.5kg lift while India’s Uday Kumar took bronze with a 165kg lift.

In the men’s Masters 3 -93kg event, Iran’s Esmaeil Fotovvat won gold with a 115kg lift. Iraq’s Faleh Al Jumaili (110 kgs) and Pakistan’s Sohail Butt (60 kgs) won silver and bronze medals respectively.

In the men’s -105kg open competition, Kazakhstan’s Arslan Suyunshaliev won gold with a 290kg lift. Iran’s Hossien Karimi took sil-

ver after lifting 250kgs while Mongolian Barkhasbaatar Lkhagvajav settled for bronze with a 230kg lift.

In the men’s Masters 1 -105kg competition, Iran’s Reza Saghaei won the gold with a 229.5kg lift. The silver and bronze went to Pakistan’s Mahmood Hira (120 kgs) and Syed Nadeem Hashmi (100 kgs).

In the men’s Masters 2 -105kg competition, Pakistan’s Mohammed Rashed was the lone participant and he was rewarded with a gold medal for his 80kg lift.

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M O N DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

SPORTS

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The Wave poised for momentous final day With one day’s racing remaining, The Wave, Muscat have a 35-point lead over Oman Air and look

PLACED SECOND: Oman Air is second behind leaders The Wave.

set to beat the biggest win margin in recent years which was in Singapore in 2013 when Alinghi put 35 points between them and the rest of the fleet

MUSCAT: Leigh McMillan and his Extreme 40 crew on The Wave, Muscat are set to establish a new record for the biggest win of an Extreme Sailing Series event after another high octane day on the Bosphorus Straits in Istanbul

which also saw Oman Air climb to second place.

With one day’s racing remaining, The Wave, Muscat have a 35-point lead over Oman Sail challengers Oman Air and look set to beat the biggest win margin in recent years which was in Singapore in 2013 when Alinghi put 35 points between them and the rest of the fleet.

The two-time Extreme champion McMillan admitted to being ‘super happy’ with their performance in Istanbul but warned against easing back on the final day when an historic fourth victory in a row after wins in Cardiff, Hamburg and St Petersburg, was so tantalisingly close.

“We have sailed really well here but we need to keep it up tomorrow on the final day because we need

this win if we are to stand a chance of winning the series overall which is what we set out to do at the start of the year,” said McMillan.

“But so far, we have had some good results so I am super happy.

The whole crew are happy and relaxed though a bit exhausted because we have had 15-20 knots every day so it’s been a challenge to keep energy levels high.”

Of the 23 races completed so far in Istanbul, The Wave, Muscat have achieved a remarkable 11 wins with a total of 19 podium places while Stevie Morrison’s Oman Air have to date posted 13 podium spots including one outright win.

“We are loving Istanbul and feel we deserve these results because we always knew we had good sailors on board and have worked very

hard all season but have never made it onto the podium which we are keen to do,” said Morrison.

Oman Air are heading for their best result of the series. Their previous best was fourth in Muscat earlier this year and Ali Al Balushi, who joined the Extreme circuit for the last event in Sydney in 2014, describes the prospect of finishing on the podium in Istanbul as ‘something huge’. “We are fighting hard and pushing hard all the time and have been improving with each event which you can see in our results. We are sailing well here and loving it so are really excited about the results. Finishing in second overall will be something huge.”

Both Oman Sail crews took inspiration from Sultanate of Oman’s success in winning the inaugural Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour title after coming third at the final event in Marseille.

McMillan, the GC32’s regular skipper paid tribute to skipper Nathan Outteridge who stepped into his shoes. “We have really enjoyed the GC32 racing this year and as a crew were sorry we weren’t able to finish it off but Nathan and his team did a fantastic job so we are thrilled for them and hope we can follow in their footsteps with a win here tomorrow,” said McMillan.

EYEING RECORD: The Wave, Muscat, is set to win by a record margin in Istanbul. – Supplied photo

TEAM ORANGE LAUNCHES WEBSITE

Team Orange will enter Oman Cricket’s 2015-16 league season as Kairali Restaurant Team. This was announced during ceremony organised to launch the Team Orange website (www.teamorangemuscat.com) at Kairali Restaurant in Ruwi recently. The website was officially inaugurated by chief guests Moula Baksh Al Balushi, Chairman of Al Hail CT, OC umpire Neil Paily and Sabri Harid, chairman of Team Orange. During the ceremony, Team Orange honoured Jibin Joy for designing and developing the website. — Supplied photo

TENNIS

Ferrer wins Malaysian Open KUALA LUMPUR: David Ferrer beat his fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez 7-5 7-5 in the final of the Malaysian Open on Sunday to capture the 25th title of his career and his fourth this year.

Appearing in his 50th ATP career final, the 33-year-old Ferrer won the hard-fought match against his good friend and Davis Cup team mate to add the Malaysian title to his previous tournament wins this year in Doha, Rio and Acapulco.

“I feel very happy, because I have never played so well at this tournament,” said Ferrer, who was the top seed. “I played my best match of the week in this final, and my sensations after my elbow injury are now very good.”

Ferrer had not lost to Lopez since 2009 but his streak looked to be in danger of ending when he made a slow start and went down an early break. — Reuters

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

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SPORTS ‘Sultanate of Oman’ first ever champions of Bullitt GC32 Tour After a fierce tussle in Marseille, Alinghi emerged as event winners but Sultanate of Oman’s third place gave them the overall championship by a single point with Spindrift taking the final podium place

MUSCAT: Oman Sail’s Sultanate of Oman GC32, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and EFG Bank Monaco, created a slice of sporting history when they became first ever champions of the Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour after competition on the final day of Marseille One Design had to be cancelled due to risky conditions.

The last day of Marseille was also the final day of the 2015 season for the GC32 fleet and although they ventured out to the race track, winds exceeding 30 knots, gusting even higher and set to strengthen, prevented any action, leaving Sultanate of Oman in third place behind Alinghi and Spindrift but with enough points overall to be crowned series champions.

A clash of fixtures in the racing calendar meant Sultanate of Oman’s regular team skippered by Leigh McMillan was in Istanbul notching up more points towards the 2015 Extreme Sailing Series title but stand in skipper Nathan Outteridge, the Australian Olympian and America’s Cup sailor, was thrilled to have stepped in to com-

CHAMPIONS: Oman Sail’s ‘Sultanate of Oman’ crew rejoice after creating a slice of sporting history

when they became the first ever champions of the Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour. – Supplied photo

SURGING AHEAD: Sultanate of Oman, right, edging past Alinghi on the final day of the Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour. – Supplied photo

plete McMillan’s triumphant tour.

“It has been great to fill in for Leigh — we were keen to do well here in Marseille for Oman and to finish the season on a high, so it has been nice to have been able to do that and to win the season title for the Sultanate,” he said.

“The conditions were pretty full on but that is what these boats are designed for. They are designed to go fast and sail on the edge and we absolutely loved it out there.”

Outteridge was racing with Iain Percy, Iain Jensen, Kalle Torlen and Luke Parkinson, and had never competed in a GC32 before Marseille One Design.

Their achievement in taking Sultanate of Oman across the ultimate finish line was all the more remarkable for that, according to an upbeat McMillan, who was immediately on the phone with a message of congratulations.

“We are absolutely thrilled that

David Graham, CEO of Oman Sail, praised the team’s efforts, saying “Oman Sail is privileged to work with such driven athletes.

Our sailors joined this circuit with one objective — to win — and they knew that achieving their goal wasn’t going to be easy, especially with an impressive line-up of experienced competitors.

“The focused, disciplined team had a great leader, a depth of knowledge, a determined Omani, and impressive teamwork.

“This win advances our overarching objectives with the Ministry of Tourism and EFG Bank Monaco, and for that I thank our sailors and the wider team.”

Sultanate of Oman started their 2015 Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour with a four-day introduction to foiling in the Solent before the first event on Lake Traunsee in Austria got underway. “It has been an awesome season,” said bowman Nasser Al

I am so proud for my country, this is another great win for the Sultanate of Oman. We are working hard to add the Extreme Sailing Series title to our successful year Nasser Al Mashari, Oman Sail Nathan and the boys managed to get into the boat and to master it so quickly — they really managed to jump in and perform right out of the bag,” he said.

“The crew and I were sorry not to be there ourselves to finish up what has been a great season of racing but what better team to stand in for us.

“It has been fantastic to have been able to race the Extreme Sailing Series and the Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour in parallel and to have been able to reap the rewards on both circuits for Oman. The GC32 is an excellent platform and we have had some superb racing. Congrats to Nathan and the team — we are delighted with the result.”

BADMINTON

Vineesh-Rajesh combo stun second seeds MUSCAT: The duo of Vineesh Mathew and Rajesh Pillai caused the first major upset at the National Bank of Oman (NBO)sponsored Annual Badminton Tournament organized by the Indian Social Club Muscat when they scored a shock victory to send the second seeded doubles team crashing out.

In round three of the open men’s doubles, the unseeded team of Vineesh Mathew and Rajesh Pillai complemented each other to record a brilliant 21-19, 21-19 victory to upset the second seeded team of Ghafoor and Sudhin.

In a thrilling pre-quarterfinal encounter, highly fancied Ghafoor and Sudhin started well and maintained a marginal lead before Vineesh and Rajesh rallied to level

GIANT KILLERS: Vineesh Mathew and Rajesh Pillai.

at the closing stages and pulled the rug from under the second seeds.

At the break in the second game, Ghafoor and Sudhin led 11-7 after which Vineesh and Rajesh put in a

brilliant act of teamwork and built up a two point lead which they hung on to win the second game.

No. 4 seeds Percy Pereira and PT Francis proved too strong in their second round 21-4, 21-8 victory over Senthil and Balasubramanian. In other second round matches, Vinod Abraham and Sony had to work hard to down the Indo-Omani pair of Vijay and Mohamed Fajwani.

Vinod and Sony rallied from a game down to score a 19-21, 21-16, 21-16 victory and Vineesh Mathew & Rajesh Pillai overcame Indran and Das 21-15, 21-17 and the duo of Cyril William and Sudheer registered a fine 21-18, 21-17 win over Ratheesh and Shivaram.

The Pakistani duo of Mohamad Amir and Amjad displayed good

understanding and held their nerves to notch up a fighting 2116, 26-24 victory over Sunil Kumar and Shaiju.

The top seeded team of Albert VR and Mohamad Harouz scored two back to back victories.

The top seeds first scored a convincing 21-11, 21-6 victory over the Bangladeshi duo of Rahim and Mannan and followed it up with a confident 21-15, 21-18 win over Sur-based Indo-Pak duo of Anoop PR and Mohammedd Salim.

Anoop and Salim had earlier defeated Yogesh Narula and Babu Said 22-20, 21-14.

Prabhu AR and Niyas N moved into the quarter finals of the open doubles after downing Shivadas P and Sajeev Surendran 21-11, 21-19.

Mashari who had his hands full in Istanbul where they won the Bosphorus race on The Wave, Muscat.

“I am so proud for my country, this is another great win for the Sultanate of Oman. We are working hard to add the Extreme Sailing Series title to our successful year.”

Consistency proved key and a third place in Kiel then a second victory in Rome kept Sultanate of Oman at the top of the overall leaderboard going into the final event, with Swiss rivals Alinghi breathing down their necks.

After a fierce tussle in Marseille, Alinghi emerged as event winners but Oman’s third place gave them the overall championship by a single point with Spindrift taking the final podium place.

Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour overall standings: 1. Sultanate of Oman 10, 2. Alinghi 11, 3. Spindrift Racing 14, 4. Armin Strom Sailing Team 20, 5. Team ENGIE 21.

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M O N DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

SPORTS

Wounded India aim to win second T20I It’s an unfamiliar situation for India to start a home series on a losing note, and the manner of the defeat in Dharamsala would put the hosts

EYEING VICTORY: Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni arrives at

a hotel in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. – PTI

under tremendous pressure, especially the bowlers

CUTTACK: Handed a defeat in the first Twenty20 International, a determined India will look to plug loopholes in their bowling and bounce back in the second T20 against South Africa in Cuttack on Monday.

It’s an unfamiliar situation for India to start a home series on a losing note, and the manner of the defeat in Dharamsala would put the hosts under tremendous pressure, especially the bowlers.

Back after a break of three months, the onus would be on skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to bring the team out of the rut and ensure India get back to winning ways.

Unlike Dharamsala, the conditions are expected to be ideal for Dhoni’s men here and the third T20 in Kolkata as the surface is likely to be low and slow in nature.

However, rain and thundershowers are predicted for the next couple of days. The stadium was under

a pool of water after rain and thundershowers in the afternoon when the team landed in Bhubaneswar.

Going into Monday’s match, there are concerns over the ground conditions. The Met department has forecasted a few spells of rain in the next 48 hours and possibility of a curtailed match cannot be ruled out.

In the series opener, Rohit Sharma’s maiden T20I century in an entertaining stroke-play along with Virat Kohli’s 43 meant India could not have asked for more from their batsmen who posted 199.

But even their best was not sufficient as the bowling came a cropper, barring the four overs of Ravichandran Ashwin.

Chasing a target of 200, Hashim Amla (36) and AB de Villiers (51) laid the solid foundation before JP Duminy (68) and Farhaan Behardien (32) shared an unbroken partnership of 105 that saw the South Africans through with two balls to spare. Duminy virtually won the battle in the 16th over when he smashed three successive sixes off Axar Patel’s bowling, snatching 22 runs in that over.

It’s no secret that Dhoni prefers

Axar Patel over Amit Mishra for the left-arm spinner’s hard-hitting capabilities lower down the order.

But, Amit Mishra is on a high after his 15 wickets from three matches in Sri Lanka and Dhoni may have a cutting edge in the slow conditions here. Mishra and Ashwin bowling in tandem may sound a good option.

Ashwin was deceptively brilliant and got vicious turn as he looked dangerous. The offspinner also showed great control with de Villiers in full swing after completing his fifty.

Quick to notice that de Villiers was charging down the track, Ashwin cleverly bowled a slower one and de Villiers missed the line completely.

Post-de Villiers, the strategy shown by the match winning pair of Duminy and Behardien was to see Ashwin through and unleash against Axar, something that worked for the visitors.

In de Villiers, South Africa have one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world and somebody who pushes any bowler into a panic-stricken mode with his 360-degree hitting range. His penchant

for moving around the crease can unsettle any bowler and the key would be to bowl smart and with accuracy, like finding yorkers.

But the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sreenath Aravind, who made his debut at Dharamsala, struggled to find the toe-crushing yorkers, a big weapon in T20 scheme of things.

After Axar Patel’s poor 16th over, Bhuvneshwar conceded a six and a four in the first two balls of the penultimate over, giving Sreenath Aravind only 10 runs to defend in the last over.

Cut to India’s batting, and one would rue the poor finishing especially after Sharma and Kohli’s launchpad.

India were racing towards a total of around 220 with Sharma and Kohli’s 138 partnership in 72 balls for the third wicket when the duo fell in space of two runs to Kyle Abott and South Africa managed to keep the hosts under 200.

Thereafter, India scored 41 runs in last five overs and Dhoni’s slide in strike rate over a period of time will be a cause of concern.

While in bowling, Mishra looks a better bet than Axar, in batting, Ajinkya Rahane, who has been impressive at any batting position, may be a better proposition than Dhoni’s preferred choice of Ambati Rayudu, who was run out for zero in the last match.

But it remains to be seen whether Dhoni sticks to his preferred combination or experiments with the playing XI. In the bigger picture ahead of the World Twenty20 in India next year, the match in Dharamsala can be a reality check for the hosts who have not played much T20Is in recent past, four compared to South Africa’s 11 post World T20 in Bangladesh last year. — PTI

C O M M E N TA RY

Bowlers must perform better for Team India to bounce back

S

outh Africa’s magnificent chase of India’s big total of showed exactly why this is going to be a tough series for India. Not for one over did the South Africans look as if they were stressed or in trouble as they paced their innings to a finish that seemed so easy. David Miller, the man who demolishes the attacks wasn’t even required to bat, as first Amla and de Villiers and then Duminy and Behardien coolly went about getting the runs. Chasing at a required rate of 10 runs an over is never easy as not only can the chasing team not afford to have quiet overs but also cannot afford to lose wickets.

South Africa got off to a silken start as Amla and de Villiers played orthodox shots finding the gaps with ease with the occasional violent stroke and before the field restriction overs were bowled they had scored at more than the required rate. This took away the pressure and though the South Africans lost three wickets in quick succession they were never under serious pressure. When you have such an inventive player like de Villiers in the team then others can be overshadowed and may not get the credit that is due to them but that has not deterred batsmen like Hashim Amla, JP Duminy for going about their business and scoring runs with their own methods.

The left handed Duminy tore into the Indian bowling especially the left handed Axar Patel and took the South Africans home in

the last over. India missed a trick in not pressurising Behardien who is not yet settled in the South African team and has lost his wicket to rash shots in the past. He should have been confronted with Ashwin straight away. The experienced Harbhajan also could have been used for he does have variety not only as far as his deliveries are concerned but the speed at which he bowls them. If you are not going to play him in the eleven there is little point in having him in the squad for a senior player like him deserves better than being made to sit in the reserves.

Aravind’s was a tough debut but he at least varies his pace and is prepared to try the yorker. He has to practice that delivery a lot for if you get it wrong then it can be deposited in the stands as Duminy did in the final over.

The pitch at Cuttack will spin a lot more than at Dharamshala and India’s bowlers will feel lot more at home there and the size of the boundaries also will be slightly bigger which should help the bowlers of both the teams. What the first game showed is that it doesn’t matter how well your batting unit performs if the bowlers don’t come to the party then it’s the other team that is going to be singing and dancing. — PMG

NEW REFORMS

New BCCI chief Manohar announces slew of reforms MUMBAI: Newly-elected BCCI President Shashank Manohar on Sunday announced a slew of reforms, including the appointment of an ombudsman to deal with contentious issues like conflict of interest, as part of a clean-up operation to restore the Cricket Board’s battered image.

Announcing his roadmap for the Board, Manohar also announced several other important decisions which included central contracts of women cricketers, common auditor to monitor expenses of all the state units and putting BCCI’s balance sheet on the Board website to promote transparency.

Manohar, who was elected unopposed at the Board’s Special General Meeting here, said he also wants to have discussions with central government authorities to find out whether an investigating agency can be attached to the BCCI. The move has been planned as

the BCCI does not have investigating powers on matters of corruption. “BCCI has become a huge brand due to the love of the fans and the cricket loving population of this country.

“Confidence of the fans has been shaken due to certain unpleasant things that have happened. It is the duty of all the representatives of the Board to bring the Board back to its original reputation,” Manohar told mediapersons during his first media interaction.

“I am asking you to give me two months’ time, I have two years in office,” he added.

Among the reforms that Manohar plans to implement for the smooth-functioning of the Board, the appointment of Ethics Officer is top-most on his agenda.

“BCCI had formed regulation for players, coaches and staff. We are planning to have an Ombudsman or an Ethics Officer independent

The BCCI will have central contracts for women cricketers Shashank Manohar

BCCI President

of the Board who can look into the complaints regarding Conflict of Interest.

“Secondly, we need to lay down the norms and measures to pre-

vent corruption in the games. We will have more programmes to educate players,” he said.

“I will discuss this with our Secretary (Anurag Thakur) as to

whether we can have discussions with the Central Government in order to find out whether we can have a tie-up with investigative agencies as BCCI does not have investigative powers. This will help restore the faith of the fans in the game,” said Manohar, stressing on the perception that has been created about BCCI. The 58-year-old Vidarbha lawyer also spoke about bringing more transparency. On monitoring state units’ expenses, Manohar said: “The associations are paid huge money by the BCCI to spend on cricketing or other activities.

Their accounts are audited by auditors appointed by state associations. But I would like to have a system where Board appoints an auditor independent of state associations. Once their accounts are audited, they would get full money.

“BCCI is empowered to check whether the money is being prop-

erly utilised or not.”

According to Manohar, the BCCI would also do its bit to encourage transparency by uploading the Board’s constitution and expenditures on its official website, www.bcci.tv.

Manohar also advocated that the National Cricket Academy should once again start being the Centre of Excellence rather than being a rehabilitation centre.

While the BCCI finance committee had already passed a resolution of having women cricketers under central contracts system, Manohar reiterated the BCCI’s position on the issue. “The BCCI will have central contracts for women cricketers. This will encourage more and more women to take up the sport in future.”

Manohar also said that BCCI’s focus will be on having a smoothlyconducted ICC World Twenty20 Championships. — PTI

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‘OGC needs to be upgraded for benefit of golf in Oman’ Ghala Golf Club’s Ziyad Al Zubair wants OGC to be made a national association for Oman golf to reap the benefits that come with that status AN AVID GOLFER: Ziyad Al Zubair

MUSCAT: Golf in Oman has been witnessing a steady growth in recent times, thanks mainly to the attention accorded to the sport by the Oman Golf Committee (OGC) under umbrella of the Ministry of Sports Affairs.

The decision of local clubs to turn their brown stretches into lush green courses — and not to forget the success with which the Sultanate has been hosting international championships, has not only caught the imagination of sports-loving Omanis but in a way contributed to a number of young local talents taking to the sport, leading to their international participation with reasonable success.

But, if one has to believe a top golf administrator, more is needed to be done to provide new momentum to the Sultanate’s golf and lead it to all new heights.

Ziyad Al Zubair, a member of Ghala Golf Club and a prominent supporter of golf, stressed the need to upgrade the OGC to national golf association in order to

reap the benefits that come with that status and lead to the further growth of the sport.

Al Zubair, himself an avid golfer, opines that forming of a golf association will give the players ‘a wider platform to participate and develop our national team’.

Justifying his comments, Al Zubair said the change is the need of the hour considering the development of golf witnessed in the Sultanate in recent times, especially with regard to the participation and the growing interest in the sport at the local level.

“There has been tremendous growth in the field of golf in Oman, both in terms of clubs and the number of those who practise the sport. More and more young people have been showing interest in golf. And it is the right time to take necessary steps to keep pace with these positive changes,” he said.

Speaking about the main challenges facing golf in Oman, he said:

“It is important to establish a good infrastructure as is the case with all sports. However, this should also be complimented by a high level of attention to the preparation of the administrative structure.”

“The development and upgrading of this aspect will give those in charge of the sport an opportunity to participate and excel. That will in turn lead to development of golf and better support for the Omani golfers, who will be capable of representing the Sultanate at the international level,” he added.

Growing fan base Al Zubair also said that the fan base, involving both Omani citizens and expatriates, has been constantly growing in the Sultanate.

“This gives us further motivation to seek to achieve this ambition and to form the Oman golf association.”

“Based on my experience at Ghala Golf Club, I can say with as-

surance that the golf is gradually growing at various levels in the Sultanate. It is very important to match this development by restructuring the game management and giving it a new edge by the formation of a national team of young golfers.”

“This will allow Oman golf to take its place on the international level,” he added.

Al Zubair also expressed his desireto make Ghala Golf Club a gateway for Omani golfers and the OGC for further development and promotion of the game.

He also pointed out the outstanding efforts made by the late His Highness Sayyid Qais bin Tariq Al Said and his key role in the development of golf, as well as the role of His Highness Sayyid Taimur bin As’ad Al Said, President of the Ghala Golf Club, who did not spare any efforts in promoting the sport and encouraging its players to participate in the various internal and external events.

He also praised the role of the key supporters of the game, such as Dr Mohammed Al Rumhy, the Minister of Oil and Gas and some of the leading institutions from the private sector.

In terms of the development of Ghala Golf Club and the improvement of its facilities, Al Zubair said: “We are in the process of transforming our club into one with all ultra modern facilities.

We are focussing on developing some new facilities, renovation and modernisation of the course and achieving self-sufficiency as a club. And then join efforts with the OGC to integrate the efforts to turn the club into a hub of golf in the Sultanate.

“We are delighted to be work-

ing together for the development of golf among young players and to take part along with the OGC to decide the best direction in the development of golf as the OGC is affiliated with the R&A, the governing body of golf.”

New plans Al Zubair also spoke about a new plan to promote golf among young Omanis through cooperation with the OGC. “We want to launch an awareness programme for school students. For example we can establish a mobile centre for golf, or rather a vehicle equipped with the proper educational tools and a coach to present golf to as many youths as possible — just like mobile blood banks and mobile libraries that reach public places through mobile centres.

“We can also establish promotional activities in shopping centers and public parks. The idea is to reach a large number of Omanis and introduce them to this wonderful sport.”

Speaking about hosting of international tournaments, Al Zubair praised the success of the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic which has grown over the past few years to become the grand finale of the European Challenge Tour.

“The green golf courses in Ghala, Almouj, Muscat Hills and Ras Al Hamra will enhance the Sultanate’s chances to host first class competitions. The OGC has hosted MENA tour (Middle East and North Africa) and the GCC Championships at Ghala Club Golf. We encourage them to continue to host and promote such events in the future,” he said.

There has been tremendous growth in the field of golf in Oman, both in terms of clubs and the number of those who have started practising the sport. More and more young people have been showing interest in golf.

And it is the right time to take necessary steps to keep pace with these positive changes Ziyad Al Zubair

Ghala Golf Club official STEADY GROWTH: The recent developments led to a number of young Omanis taking to the sport and representing the country at the international tournaments. – Supplied photo FOOTBALL

‘Blatter will quit FIFA in February’ GENEVA: Sepp Blatter, facing a criminal investigation as part of soccer’s corruption scandal, will “definitely not” stay on as president of the FIFA governing body after the election of a new leader in February, his daughter said.

His former public relations adviser Klaus Stoehlker said last week that Blatter had not ruled out trying to stay on as head of world soccer beyond the Feb. 26 vote.

But Corinne Blatter-Andenmatten said in an interview published by Swiss newspaper Blick am Sonntag on Sunday there was “no way” he would continue, and at some point he would publish his memoirs.

“I know he wants to quit, and he will do it,” she said.

Major soccer sponsors on Friday issued coordinated calls for the immediate resignation of Blatter, who is being investigated by the Swiss on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of funds.

Blatter, who denies wrongdoing, said through his U.S. lawyer he would not resign as it was not in

HE WANTS TO QUIT: Blatter’s daugher Corinne said ‘no way’ he would continue. – Reuters

FIFA’s best interest. The scandals surrounding global soccer exploded in May, when 14 officials and sports marketing executives were indicted on U.S. charges of racketeering, money laundering and

wire fraud in relation to bribery schemes that dated back decades.

February’s election was set after Blatter announced in June that he was standing down, just days after winning a fifth term.

Since then, the question of whether Blatter, 79, really will quit has hung over FIFA. Blatter-Andenmatten, who has frequently spoken out to defend her father’s reputation, said he had stayed on because the majority of football associations wanted him to, and because “he never runs away when the going gets tough”.

She declined to discuss the possibility of her father ending up in jail: “I don’t even want to think about it. It’s inconceivable to me that he would have to go to prison.”

Blatter was questioned by Swiss federal prosecutors for eight hours on Sept 25, and looked “shocked and disappointed” to be taken by surprise by their arrival, his daughter said.

“He just said to me: ‘I think it’s a dream’,” Blatter-Andenmatten said.

She blamed the media for ruining her father’s reputation and

said Swiss prosecutors appeared to have prejudged him.

The prosecutors said Blatter was suspected of a “disloyal payment” of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.05 million) in 2011 to Michel Platini, president of the UEFA soccer confederation, at the expense of FIFA. Platini has not been accused of any wrongdoing, although he has acknowledged the development has damaged his chances of replacing Blatter as FIFA president.

Blatter-Andenmatten suggested the job of FIFA president could be shared by more than one person after Blatter leaves.

Swiss watch firm and FIFA sponsor Hublot did not join the calls for Blatter to step down.

“We do not believe that it is our role to interfere in the politics of FIFA,” Switzerland’s Schweiz am Sonntag newspaper quoted chairman Jean-Claude Biver as saying.

The same paper quoted Peter Gilliéron, president of the Swiss Football Association, as saying he saw no alternative to Blatter until the election. - Reuters

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E M P H AT I C V I C T O RY

Crunch to crunch for Wallabies after win over England LONDON: Australia’s emphatic victory over England on Saturday sent the Wallabies through to the quarterfinals but another win over Wales on Saturday could be almost as vital to their hopes of a third Rugby World Cup triumph.

Michael Cheika has gone big on the traditional coaching mantra of “taking one match at a time” at this tournament and reduced it to a minute-by-minute concern but he will be well aware of the potential implications of defeat at Twicken-

ham. The runners-up in Pool A are almost certain to face the might of South Africa in the quarter-finals with the winners most likely moving on to meet world champions New Zealand for a place in the final the following week.

It was a double hurdle Australia were unable to overcome at the 2011 World Cup when they stole a victory from a powerful Springbok side but were dismantled by the All Blacks a few days later.

They had been blown off a softer

course to the final by Celtic opponents in the pool stage when Ireland’s back row mugged the Wallabies on a thrilling night in Auckland.

On Saturday’s evidence, Australia are a better side than that led by Robbie Deans four years ago but Cheika is rightly wary of what Wales coach Warren Gatland might bring to the contest.

“We are coming up against the master coach next week,” he said after the 33-13 victory over England.

Australia might have won their last 10 matches against Wales but Cheika will not have forgotten that New Zealander Gatland masterminded the British and Irish Lions triumph Down Under two years ago.

Foremost among a strong contingent of Welshmen in that side were loose forwards Sam Warburton, Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau who Australia will face again next week.

Australia’s back row of David Pocock, Michael Hooper and blindside flanker Scott Fardy showed

against England that they are a pretty useful outfit themselves and a battle royal at the breakdown can be expected.

Pocock, who missed the Lions series through injury, was outstanding against the English and Cheika will be praying there is no repeat of the back problem that ruled him out of the Ireland clash on the morning of the game four years ago.

The 27-year-old might be playing with the number eight on his

Pumas tame tenacious Tonga The bonus-point win lifts the Pumas above Tonga to second place in Pool C, with the Pacific Islanders yet to play group leaders and defending champions New Zealand while Argentina face lowly Namibia as they look to seal passage into the last eight

LEICESTER: Flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez guided Argentina to a 4516 five-try victory over Tonga on Sunday, setting the Pumas firmly on course for a place in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinals.

The bonus-point win in Leices-

ON COURSE: Argentina’s Nicolas Sanchez scores a try during their Pool C match against Tonga at Leicester City Stadium on Sunday. – Reuters

ter lifts the Pumas above Tonga to second place in Pool C, with the Pacific Islanders yet to play group leaders and defending champions New Zealand while Argentina face

lowly Namibia as they look to seal passage into the last eight.

Tongan centre Siale Piutau had said the Pacific Islanders’ “wolf pack mentality” would hound the

Pumas into submission, and they certainly gave as good as they got in a free-flowing first half to trail 20-13 at the break, with two tries apiece.

Ultimately, however, playmaker

Sanchez proved the difference, tormenting Tonga with the boot and with ball in hand, weighing in with 25 points from a try, four conversions and four penalties.

Tonga contributed to an exciting first test meeting between the two teams and drew first blood with a try from flyhalf Kurt Morath, but Argentina hit back with a pair of tries to take a lead they would never relinquish.

The first arrived when prop Ramiro Herrera broke free to feed fullback Joaquin Tuculet for a try under the posts. Nippy Santiago Cordero then fielded the deep restart to launch a sidestepping counter-attack to set up a try for wing Juan Imhoff.

Tongan tenacity was rewarded with a stunning try on the stroke of halftime; a fine attacking move across the pitch ending with wing Telusa Veainu offloading for marauding prop Soane Tonga’uiha to dive over.

Their challenge faded in the second period and Morath’s two successful penalties were a poor return from his six shots at goal.

Sanchez continued to nail his kicks and added his try before replacement forward Julian Montoya went over in the corner to secure the bonus point and right wing Cordero closed out the match with the fifth try. - AFP

back but has been the best exponent of the art of the openside at this tournament and was contemplating next week’s challenge soon after Saturday’s final whistle.

“They are pretty hard on the ball,” he said of the Welsh loose forwards.

“They are a pretty well-rounded back row with Faletau and the way he carries. They focus on getting the turnovers so it’s going to be more of the same, very physical and a big area of the game.” - Reuters ISL

FC Goa blank Dynamos 2-0 MARGAO: FC Goa started their Indian Super League (ISL) football campaign on a convincing note after dispatching Delhi Dynamos 2-0 at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, here on Sunday.

An own goal from Souvik Chakraborty (3rd minute) opened the scoring for the hosts before Reinaldo Da Cruz Oliveira added a second at the stroke of half-time. The visitors, who had better ball possession and scoring opportunities, failed to find the net with rival goalkeeper making a couple of good saves.

After being gifted with an early lead, the Zico coached side continued to make the right moves even though the ground was a bit slippery post some drizzle before the match.

The home team had another chance to increase the lead in the 12th minute, but Leonardo Moura low shot hit the post.

The Goan team scored again in the injury time of the first half. Joffre Mateu Gonzalez, who was brought down just outside the box by Vinicius, took the free-kick and sent a goal mouth shot, which Reinaldo Oliveira deflected it into the net to have the home team leading 2-0 at half time. - PTI

EPL

DRIVE SLOWER LIVE LONGER

Arsenal crush United LONDON: Arsenal scored twice in the opening seven minutes and ended the match as a contest with a third in the 19th as they crushed Manchester United 3-0 to move above them into second place in the Premier League at the Emirates on Sunday.

The Gunners demolished United with some brilliant passing football, taking the lead when Alexis Sanchez scored with a clever near-post flick after six minutes.

They doubled their lead a minute later when Mesut Ozil rifled in from 12 metres and completed the rout when Sanchez blasted in an unstoppable shot for his sixth goal in his last three games after 19 minutes.

United, who were top of the table at the start of the weekend, rarely got going against the home side who were always in control and never looked like slipping up with Petr Cech only seriously troubled once.

The victory was Arsenal’s biggest against United for 17 years and lifted them to 16 points, two behind new leaders Manchester City, and just ahead of United on goal difference.

Arsenal came into the match under something of a cloud following their 3-2 home defeat to Olympiakos Piraeus in the Champions League on Tuesday, but they put that disappointment behind them almost from the kickoff.

United, with Ashley Young

handed an unfamiliar start at left back and Italian defender Matteo Darmian on the right, were totally bamboozled.

Aaron Ramsey and Ozil combined to set up Sanchez for the first, with the Chilean flicking in at the near post to score, and a minute later Ozil carved up the United defence after a one-two with Theo Walcott.

With United’s midfield lacking any invention, pace or authority, Arsenal poured forwards and Sanchez powered into a shooting position to launch an unstoppable rocket past David De Gea in the United goal and effectively seal all three points.

United’s only real chance in the game came just before the break when Anthony Martial turned and shot but saw his effort cleared by the boot of Cech who was virtually a spectator for most of the match.

Darmian was hauled off at halftime after being tormented by Sanchez and the second half was more evenly balanced.

But Arsenal were never seriously troubled, ending United’s four match winning domestic run and at the same time beating them in the league for only the second time in their last 14 meetings. Arsenal substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was unlucky not to make the score 4-0 when he hit the bar with a looping shot with the last kick of the game. - Reuters

V C

SECTION

LIFESTYLE

Gear

MON DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2 0 1 5

MAD TO THE WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

MAX

Brawn meets brains. The iconic Yamaha Star VMax is a thrill ride of epic proportions. It redefines the word ‘torque’, and remoulds all perceptions about cruisers.

By Faisal Mohammed Naim

C8

M O N DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

LIFESTYLE

ASPHALT BUCKLING POWER

TECH SPECS Engine 1,679cc, V-type 4 cylinder, Liquid-cooled Power 197.3bhp @ 9,000rpm, 166.8nm @ 6,500rpm Performance 0 – 100 in 2.5 seconds, Top speed – 222kmph (electronically restricted) Transmission 5-speed with wet slipper clutch Dry Weight 310kg

AUTHORISED DEALER

Y

ou fall in love with it the moment you set your eyes on it: With its bulbous lines, and yet a sleek stance, the bike looks something from the future, more in the league of robo-mobiles of Transformers. Sitting on it makes you feel cozily in control of a fiercely powerful machine; the seat is very plush, the weight is manageable, and the handlebars are well within reach, as is the ground.

But that all is only this far – until you have not wakened the beast to life. Push the ignition and the deep grunt starts signalling your brain about the brute you are about to face. Try playing on with it and you will need to hang on to all those components dearly, gasping for life.

Since long I longed to lay my hands on the beauty. Though quite frankly speaking I have tried many and most of the bikes around, but riding the VMax had still been a

dream don’t much drea dr eam (you ((yyo ou ud on o n’t ’t ssee eeee tthem hem m he mu ucch h here). off the heere h re). ). The The he vvery eerry first firrsstt o fi tth he bike biik b bik kee

dream. The very first touch of the bike gave me goosebumps, now that I got the chance to try one, courtesy a friend of a friend, who recently bought a brand new one in the affable 2015 Black Cherry paint scheme.

We headed for the straights of the Muscat – Sur Expressway, for there is no better route to test the bike’s wits (or ours). Treat the bike with respect, and it shares the sentiment; try otherwise and it pays you back in the same coin – this much we learnt while treading our way through the city to reach the expressway.

The bike glides on with sheer ease and no frills, as you go easy on the throttle. However twitch it a little bit, and it pounces ahead with sheer force, so much so that your hands might let go of the bars, and you get a feeling that the bike will run out from below you.

It’s difficult to explain just how quickly the VMax builds speed.

Cruise along at 50kmph in secsec ond gear, pick up the throttle and hold on tight... you’ll be doing 150kmph before you say, “Darn thisthingisfast!”. It’s a thrill ride of epic proportions - the VMax

The VMax has been the icon of brute force on two wheels. Merely mentioning the VMax is sure to conjure images of a rear tyreroasting, muscle-bound, two-wheeled monster in the mind of just about any bike enthusiast old enough to recall the 1985 release of Mad Max

‘‘

Available at General Automotive Company LLC (part of Zubair Automotive Group), Azaiba Contact no: +968 2450 0000 (Ext. 2096), +968 9514 1221

redefines the word torque. It produces the kind of acceleration that you feel in your chest. The kind you yo don’t soon forget.

From its earliest days, the VMax has been bee the icon of brute force on two wh wheels. Merely mentioning the VMax VM is sure to conjure images of a rear tyre-roasting, muscle-bound, two-wheeled monster cle-bou in the mind of just about any bike m enthusiast enthusi old enough to recall the 1985 release of Mad Max. re And to t this day the VMax retains its legend; a thorough and bold relege design of the VMax in 2009 – that included include a massive boost in per-

formance from its legendary V-4 engine – has not only stirred the souls of veteran riders, it’s also exposed a whole new generation of riders to the august Mr Max. The VMax is what happens when you mix revvy 1679cc and nearly 200 horsepower, combined with 166nm of torque in a motorcycle that’s one part cruiser, one part sportbike - and all parts thrilling. It has got the DNA of a cruiser, but the soul of a sports bike. It is an excellent thoroughbred of comfort and sportiness. It also makes the VMax one of the most powerful machines overall (yupp you heard it right – including the litre class and hyper sport bikes). And why not; the new VMax borrows heavily from latest sportbike technology, like the YCC-I adjustable intake funnels (which are a bit like a 21st century V-Boost); R6-style ‘fly-by-wire’ electronic throttle, a high 11.3:1 compression ratio and forged aluminium pistons.

And believe it or not, this beast actually handles well too. It cuts around corners with such ease, even at the tight ones, despite its enormous 240 rear tyre. The ride quality is excellent too. We absolutely felt no bumps travelling up our backs on the entire route.

Having the best suspension, the rear monoshock of the VMax has a remote preload adjuster to go with its shock-mounted rebound and compression adjusters. Front end is multi-adjustable as well.

In raw acceleration, the VMax wins hands-down to any bike out there, officially doing 0-100kmph in just 2.5 seconds and torching the quarter-mile in 10.11 seconds at 220kmph. Our figures even were not much behind, clocking in a 0-100 in just 2.9 seconds.

However, Mr Max’s top speed is electronically limited to 222kmph.

The most sensible answer to this e-nanny is likely the issue of simple aerodynamics. Riding the naked VMax (or just about any unfaired bike for that matter) at higher speeds seems like a frightening, even hazardous prospect.

Trust me, there’s nothing else like it on the road. It is not a cruiser, a tourer, sport-tourer or sportbike. It is a big, bad, renegade hotrod, boasting its own way of doing the job: pulling your arms out of their sockets while pushing your eyeballs farther into theirs.

You can expect the kind of bulletproof quality and reliability that has become standard on the Japanese motorcycles. The bike has got superb finish and fitments that put even the American competition to shame. A bunch of premium components come as standard on the bike, including Brembo brakes with wavy discs and a hi-tech info-centre on the tank. The signature aluminium intake covers are hand finished.

The day ended with a happy sheepish grin on my face. Life in the fast lane… quite fast! faisal@timesofoman.com

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

C9

LIFESTYLE

TECH SUPPORT

B Y

F A I S A L

M O H A M M E D

N A I M

BATTLE ROYALE

O

ne of the greatest rivalries in horology is

Case

between Rolex and Omega. Both are well respected Swiss manufacturers of impecca-

Omega Seamaster

ble timepieces, steeped in long histories and tradition. Each also has its respective legion of ardent followers. That makes for the obvi-

ous question, “which makes for the better one?” Some would say it’s a fool’s errand to compare two different watches — each has its own merits and should be judged accordingly. However, Omega’s Seamaster and Rolex’s Submariner lend themselves well for direct comparison

Absolutely flawless, the Omega Seamaster is a perfect blending of form and function – 300 metres water resistant and absolutely gorgeous.

A helium release valve is built into the case, making this watch particularly useful in extended time deep dives. And then there’s the gorgeous Sea Monster logo on the case back. The case has numerous angles and curves which vary the way light strikes and is reflected from the case. The Submariner has a simple, yet classic design. This watch is also rated for 300 metres of water resistance, but lacks a helium release mechanism. Some users also complain of uncomfortable sharp edges on the case.

Seamaster Submariner

in both form and function. We put the two of the most popular men’s diving watches for comparison in this installment. You be the judge…

Movement Both the Omega and Rolex have rock solid, dependable, and certified movements. The Omega is a 23 jewel COSC certified movement. Based on the ETA 2892-A2, Omega heavily modifies the 21 jewel base ebauche to produce the beautifully decorated, chronometer grade movement cal. 1120.

The Rolex movement is a 31 jewel COSC certified, in-house movement that’s been a workhorse for Rolex for many years. The 3135 may not be the prettiest movement you’ll ever see, but it does the job it was designed to do exceedingly well. The Rolex however does have some advantages over the Omega.

For instance, it has a longer power reserve of 50 hours compared to the 44 hours for the Omega.

Price

vs

Although both the watches are almost the same in form and function, still the Seamaster costs almost three times lesser than the Submariner. In addition, the street price of Omega watches can typically see a 30-35 per cent discount off the retail price worldwide. When compared to watches in the similar category, the price, at both retail and especially street level, is a relative bargain. The Rolex however, is a different story altogether.

Three factors contribute to the current retail pricing and future value of Rolex watches. The Rolex has a policy of continuously, and regularly increasing the retail price.

Rolex is tyrannical when it comes to discounting, so it’s rare to see a Rolex discounted any more than 10%, if at all. Additionally, Rolex controls production to ensure supply does not exceed demand.

There is no empirical reason for the high price of the Submariner, yet Rolex sells every watch they make so they have no reason to alter their pricing policy.

Rolex Submariner

Seamaster Submariner

Seamaster Submariner

Dial, Markers and Hands The Seamaster has to be one of the most legible watches ever. The oversized markers and the large sword hands make for excellent visibility. The luminescent coating on the hands and markers makes the watch the undisputed king of night time glow. The wave pattern on the dial is quite captivating and distinctive. The date, while unmagnified is also easily readable. The Submariner’s dial also is a work of art, and perhaps one of the most copied styles in watch history. The three pointed star style hands are a classic. The magnified date seems equally praised and panned – some like it, some don’t. Here too seems to be no observable advantage of one over the other. Both are equally affable. Again a tie.

Seamaster Submariner

Bezel A tie when it comes to it – as both represent the pinnacle of bezel form and function, and are nearly identical. The unidirectional bezel is about the most easily turned. It is easily grippable, and makes nice “click” sound as you make your way around the dial. The markings on the bezel align perfectly with both the dial markers and hands, and are very legible.

Seamaster Submariner

Prestige Omega is an extremely well known, well respected brand, both within and outside watch enthusiast circles. Omega estimates their own brand recognition to be 70% worldwide.

However, the Rolex may well be touted as the prestige standard by which all other watch brands are measured. Rolex is unequalled in their marketing efforts. Even people who know virtually nothing about watches recognise the Rolex name and associate with it being “the best.” No other watch is a greater, more recognisable symbol of status and achievement. Rolex is the hands down winner of this category.

Conclusion Both the watches are identical in form and function, and no matter which one you decide to part with you retain the classiness and pride of owning one of the most prestigious timepieces ever made on the planet. That said, the price factor and a bit more practical usability lend the Seamaster a slight edge over the Submariner. But a Rolex is still a Rolex.

Lifestyle Verdict: Bond with the best.

Take it this way or that, it still has to be the Omega Seamaster.

(A point to note is that not all Submariners are the same and neither are all the Seamasters. There are different grades of both watches depending on the model and when they were produced.

Here we have compared the Omega 2254.50.00 and the Rolex 16610 Y Series models) faisal@timesofoman.com

Seamaster Submariner

C10

M O N DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

FIND-IT-ALL

PRAYER TIMINGS

@SHATTI

@MGM

@SOHAR

@RUWI

SHATTI Black Mass (Crime, Drama)(12+)(2D) Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch 12:00, 2:00, 4:15, 9:15 & 11:45 pm Pinocchio (Animation) (PG) 12:00 pm /02:00 pm /05:30 pm Singh Is Bling (Action, Comedy) (2D) (TBC) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson 8:45 pm The Walk (Adventure, Biography) (3D)PG Cast : Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley 6:45 pm /09:30 pm Pawn Sacrifice (Biography, Drama) (PG12) Cast : Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber 6:30 pm Sicario (Action, Crime)(12+)(2D) Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro 7:15 pm /11:30 pm Hotel Transylvania 2 (Animation)(3D)PG 12:15 pm /02:15 pm /03:45 pm Pay The Ghost (Horror,Thriller) (15+) Cast : Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies 11:55 pm The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (Action) Cast : Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario 4:00 pm (PG12)(3D) MUSCAT GRAND MALL Wicked Flying Monkeys : 3D (Animation)(U) 10:30AM, 2:30PM Gold Class : 12:00PM Black Mass : 2D (Biography, Crime) 12+ Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, 12:15PM, 7:00PM & 11:55PM Gold Class : 1:45PM, 9:00PM & 11:15PM The Walk : 3D (Adventure | Biography ) (PG) Cast : Joseph Gordon-Levitt 4:30PM & 9:30PM Gold Class : 4:00PM Singh is Bling : 2D (| Action |Comedy ) ( ) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kay Kay Menon, Amy

BLACK MASS (Crime, Drama) (12+) Cast : Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton Timings : 12:00, 2:00, 4:15, 9:15 & 11:45 pm

THE WALK (Adventure | Biography ) (PG) Cast :Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon, Ben Kingsley Timings : 4:30 & 9:30PM Gold Class : 4:00PM

Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon – 2D (PG) 6:45 PM (Romantic) The Walk – 3D (PG) Adventure Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon 5:00, 7:25 PM Talvar 2D (PG12) Murder, Mystry, Thriller Cast: - Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma 2:30, 9:15 PM Puli 2D (12+) Action Adventure Cast : Vijay, Sridevi, Shruti Haasan, 5:00, 7:55, 10:45 PM Singh Is Bling - 2D (TBC) Action Cast – Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson 3:45, 8:55, 11:30 PM

9:15PM Gold Class : 6:15PM Etiquette for Mistresses : 2D (Tagalog) Cast : Kris Aquino, Claudine Barretto, Iza 4:15PM (TBC) Straight Outta Compton : 2D (Biography) Cast : Felix Gary Gray, Jason Mitchell 6:45PM Sicario (Action, Crime, Drama) (12+) Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin 2:30PM & 11:45PM Hotel Transylvania - 2 : 3D (Animation) (PG) 10:30AM The Intern: 2D (Comedy ) (PG12) Cast : Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro 12:15PM

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

15:00 15:00 15:00

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 06:30 08:00 13:00 13:00 16.00 16.00

07:00 07:00 13:30 13:00 13:00 13:00 17:00

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

08:50 Daily 11:00 Daily 14:30 Daily via Ibri 15:45 Daily 17:40 Daily 18.35 Daily 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 17:30

Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

20:50

Daily

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

39 29 Minimum

07:00

Ruwi

10:25

Daily

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

Daily Daily

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62) 06:30 06:30

Fahud Yibal

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

10:30 11:15

20:00 20:30 23:30 07:40

Daily Daily

Marmul

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

Daily Daily

12:30 12:30

Fahud Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Ruwi Marmul Ruwi Ruwi

19:50 13:15 22:30 07:30

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

07:00

Daily

08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

15:00

Salalah

07:00

Daily

10:50 13:40 16:15 19:10 18:45 21:35

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 07:30 07:30 13:00 13:00 15:30 15:30

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

11.45 13.30 14.00

Programmes are subject to change

NAMIA NAJEEB October 5, 2010

0

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

40-80%

YASH VEER PRATAP BANGA October 5, 2008 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 lifestyle@timesofoman.com

LISTINGS

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16:30 18.15 23.00

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

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DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 06:00 06:00 13:00 13:00 15:00 15:00

10:45 19:00

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

Ruwi Ruwi

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100) Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

06:00 14:30

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100) 07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Pulli (Tamil) (Act) Cast: Vijay & Shruthi Hassan 3-30, 6-30 & 9-300 Pm At Cinema Main Singh Is Bling (Hindi) (Act/Com) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson & Lara Dutta 3-45, 6-45 & 9-45 Pm At Cinema-3 Kunji Ramayanam (Mal) (Dram/Com ) Cast: Vineet Srinivasan, Aju Vargees & Srinda 3-45 , 6-45 & 9-45 Pm Cinema-4 Shivam (Telugu) (Rom/Act) Cast: Ram, Rashi Khanna & Brahmanandam 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 Pm At Cinema -2 NEXT CHANGE: Rudramadevi (Telugu) Jamna Pyari (Mal)

0

ROYAL OMAN POLICE Sur Sur

Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 07:30 14:30

STAR CINEMA

WITH LOVE

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54) 08:00 08:00

08:55 Daily 11:40 Daily 20:20 Daily via Ibri 14:55 Daily 17:40 Daily 19:20 Daily 22:15 Daily

BURAIMI Black Mass – 2D (Crime) (12+) Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch 7:00, 9:15, 11:30PM

Black Mass ( Biography,/ Crime/ Drama) Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson 5.00, 9.30 & 11.55 pm CP No: 2645 (12+) Straight Outta Compton (Biography/ Drama/ Music) Cast: O Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchel 5.00, 9.30 & 11.55 p.m.

CP No: 2643 (18+) Pawn Sacrifice (Biography/Drama) Cast: Liev Schreiber, Lily Rabe, Toby Maguire 1.00, 3.00 & 7.30 pm CP No: 2644 (PG 12) 99 Homes (Drama) Cast: Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon, Laura Dem 1.00, 3.00 & 7.30 pm CP No: 2646 (PG)

SALALAH Pay the Ghost (2D) (15+) (Horror/Thriller) 12:30PM Black Mass (2D) (12+) (Biography) Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch 12:05, 9:15, 11:30PM The Walk (3D) (PG) (Adventure) 10:15AM/07:00PM Hotel Transylvania 2 (3D)(PG) (Animation) 10:30AM, 2:20PM Hotel Transylvania 2 (2D)(PG) (Animation) 5:45PM Sicario (2D) (12+) (Action/Crime/Drama) 2:10, 9:35 PM Straight Outta Compton (2D) (18+) (Drama) Cast: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, 1:30, 4:25PM Operator (2D) (12+) (Action/Drama/Thriller) Cast: Mischa Barton, Ving Rhames, Luke Goss 10:15/11:50 AM/04:00/11:50PM Singh Is Bling (2D) (TBC) (Action) 4:00, 9:15, 11:45PM Puli (2D) (12+) (Tamil) (Action) 6:30PM

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

SOHAR Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials - 3D 11:45 PM (PG12) Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller 99 Homes - 2D (PG) Drama Cast : Andrew Garfield, Michael Shannon 6:45 PM Wicked Flying Monkeys - 3D (U) Animation 2:00, 5:20 PM Black Mass - 2D (12+)Crime |Drama 2:00, 7:00, 9:15, 11:30 PM The Walk - 3D (PG) Adventure|Biography

Cast : Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Charlotte Le Bon 2:30, 9:30 PM Pinocchio - 2D (PG) Animation Voice Overs : Vica Kerekes, Marie Ludvíková 3:35 PM Singh is Bling - 2D (TBC) Action |Comedy 2:15, 7:00, 10:45 PM Sicario - 2D (12+) Action|Crime| Drama Cast : Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio 4:45, 11:30 PM Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon - 2D (PG) Romantic Cast : Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur 4:45 PM Talvar - 2D (PG12) Murder |Mystry Cast : Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma 4:15 PM Man Up - 2D (18+) Comedy Cast : Lake Bell, Simon Pegg, Olivia Williams 7:15. 9:00 PM Puli - 2D (T) (12+)Action |Adventure Cast : Vijay, Sridevi, Shruti Haasan 8:45 PM

Film information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

SUR Black Mass (Biography | Crime) (12+) Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota 12:00, 2:30, 4:45, 9:30, 11:45 PM Singh is Bling (Hindi) (Action) (TBC) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Kay Kay Menon 12:00, 7:00, 9:25 PM Puli (Tamil) (Action | Adventure) (12+) Cast: Vijay, Sridevi, Shruti Haasan 6:40 PM Sicario (Action | Crime | Drama) (12+) Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin 4:30, 11:55 PM

WEATHER

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36) Quriyat Sur Jaalan

Jawani Phir Nahi Aani (Comedy) – 12+ Cast: Humayun Saeed, Javed Sheikh 6..45 PM Screen 3 Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoo (Comedy ) – PG Cast: Kapil Sharma, Elli Avram, Simran Kaur 3.45 PM Talvar (Mystery/Thriller) – PG12 Cast: Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tabu 6.45 PM Puli – Tamil (Action/Adventure) – 12+ 9.45 PM Cast: Vijay, Sridevi, Shruti Haasan, Hansika Motwani

RUWI Screen 1 Singh is Bling (Action / Comedy ) – TBC Cast: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Lara Dutta, Kay Kay Menon 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Screen 2 Talvar (Mystery/Thriller) – PG12 Cast: Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Tabu, Neeraj Kabi and Sohum Shah 3.45, 9.45 PM

AZAIBA Sicario – 2D (12+) Action, Crime, Drama 02:45, 11:45 PM Black Mass – 2D (15+) Crime, Drama Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict, Dakota Johnson 02:45, 09:40, 11:55 PM Hotel Transsylvania 2 – 3D (PG) Animation 2:00, 05:00 PM

PINOCCHIO - 2D (PG) Animation Voice Overs: Vica Kerekes, Marie Ludvíková, Pavel Reznícek Timings : 3:35 PM

SINGH IS BLING (Action / Comedy) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Lara Dutta, Kay Kay Menon Timings: 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

BAHJA CINEMA

Operator - 2D (Action/Drama/Thriller) (12+) Cast: Mischa Barton, Ving Rhames, Luke Goss 5:00, 7:00PM Sicario – 2D (Action, Drama, Crime) (12+) Cast: Emily Blunt, John Bernthal, Josh Brolin 4:45, 11:30PM Singh is Bling– 2D (Action/Comedy) (PG) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson 4:30, 6:40, 9:15, 11:45PM Puli – 2D (Action/Adventure) (12+) 8:45 PM

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68. www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman

Destination

12.01pm 3.24pm 5.56pm 7.06pm 4.45am

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

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Bangladesh Brazil Brunei China Cyprus Egypt France Germany India Indonesia Iran Iraq Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya South Korea Kuwait

24698 791/4 24605 593 24 605 074/133 24 698 660 24640100 24 603533 24 696782 24 699815 24 600 982/411 24681 800 24835000 24684500 2469 1050 24 696 944/7 24603642 24693727 24 601 028 24692760/1/3 24 692418 24 697664 24 691490 24 699628

Lebanon Libya Malaysia Morocco Nepal Netherlands Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Switzerland Syria Tanzania Thailand Tunisia Turkey UAE United Kingdom United States Yemen

24 693208 24603466 24698329/643 24696152/3 24696177 24603706 24603439 24601312 24605335 24 691 153/2/4 24602894 24601705 24694139 24697977 24647300 24691101 24697841/2 24697875 24603267 24697904 24601 174 24 602684/5 24603486 24697050/1/2 24400000 24609000 24643400 24600815

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi Salalah Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya Muscat, A Seeb Market Muscat, Al Khuwair Muscat, Al Hail South Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

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

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

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LIFESTYLE

USE IT PLEASE Agreed, the front brakes have a more vital role to play in motorbike riding, that does not however render the rear ones useless. They are there for a purpose other than just enhancing the visual aesthetics.

T

here is something weird about motorcycle riders. As one becomes more and more experienced a rider, more and more one minimises using the rear brakes. Although I haven’t heard of any such incident here in Muscat, but in other many countries there are these racing freaks who even put the entire rear braking mechanism off their bikes to gain weight advantage on track days.

The rear brake is one of the most misused controls on a motorcycle, which is why it’s important to better understand its benefits in different situations.

Proper application will undoubtedly make you a safer rider both on the street and on the track.

Agreed, the front brakes have a more vital role to play in motorbike riding, but that does not mean the rear ones do not serve any purpose at all. I mean they are there to do something, than just to enhance the visual aesthetics. As novice riders, we are taught to use the rear brake in conjunction with the front, and in any emergent situation our hand and feet jump together on the lever in sync.

But as we progress, we tend to let go of the rear pedal, often entirely — relying solely on the front brake for our stopping needs. Now there are instances when the rear brake may be deemed unnecessary, but there are moments also when it could be of immense help.

True, the rear brake is used less frequently at the racetrack, although still the stability that you garner from tapping the lever is beneficial in certain con-

YOUTUBE

YouTube’s 2-in-1 subscription service launching this month YOUTUBE might be launching its long-awaited subscription service as soon as the end of October, according to Recode. Starting from the United States, Google’s video website already sent out e-mails to content owners, asking them to agree to the terms for a “new adsfree version of YouTube” by October 22nd. Just like earlier reports revealed, if providers refuse to get on board, their catalogues will “no longer be available for public display or monetisation in the United States.” The service won’t just flush out ads from videos, though: Recode says the company’s $10-amonth offering also comes bundled with Music Key, the website’s music streaming product that features offline access, background playback and more.

If you recall, YouTube an-

nounced Music Key’s pricing when its beta version launched, and it was supposed to cost $10 per month on its own. So it’s unclear how the company will make money from the twofer, especially since it reportedly had trouble locking down deals for its ads-

free model earlier this year. Note that YT only gave providers until October 22nd to agree to its new terms and didn’t actually confirm if the service is going live the same day — you might have to wait a bit longer before you can throw money at the website. -Agencies

ditions. Professional riders use the rear brake to keep the front end down under acceleration. If you’re riding anything smaller than a superbike-spec litre-bike, then you’ll rarely feel the need to touch the pedal at the exit of a corner, but it’s a skill worth being comfortable with in case you find the front end rising excessively at the exit of any particular corner.

On the street however, the rear brake can be used more effectively simply because you’re using less braking force and consequently there is more weight on the rear tyre to use for braking traction. Using the rear brake will therefore have a greater influence on the bike’s handling characteristics. Not to forget the consequences of high-speedfront-only braking.

If you are into a corner, your bike will skid from behind and wobble, and if you suddenly put only the front brakes while speeding straight, then God help you manoeuvre that unintentional and in most cases, uncontrolled stoppie: obviously the rear tyre will get lifted, and in fact will keep on lifting until the bike goes into a Ferriswheel like circular frenzy (too late to control things by then).

Talk to any professional motorcycle racer about the rear brake, and you will begin to realise there is a huge role that the rear brake plays in bike stability, which at times makes no sense to a layman — something exemplified by Casey Stoner’s frequent use of the rear brake while also hard on the throttle.

More next time – Ride Safe… faisal@timesofoman.com

M O N DAY, OCTOB ER 5, 2015

LIFESTYLE THE SOCIAL MEDIA SHOWDOWN GOOGLE+ vs. FACEBOOK vs. TWITTER vs. LINKEDIN

Twitter 27.51%

Google+ 15.42%

Linkedin 9.81%

Source: WordStream

Facebook 47.26%

T E C H TA L K

Colour an elephant and see it come alive

Photo: Wires

C12

NOW children can see their favourite characters that they draw and colour on a colouring book come alive in 3D augmented reality thanks to a new app by Disney Research.

A child colours a character, such as an elephant, on the book page normally, while a tablet or smartphone running the app monitors the drawing. Based on the child’s colouring, the app fills in colours in real-time on an animated 3D version of the elephant that is visible

on the device’s screen and integrated into the video.

“Augmented reality holds unique and promising potential to bridge between real-world activities and digital experiences, allowing users to engage their imagination and boost their creativity,” said Robert W. Sumner, a principal research scientist who leads the group on animation and interactive graphics at Disney Research.

The app, operating on a device with a camera viewing the user and

the colouring book, automatically detects the character the user is colouring and displays the 3D version.

As the child applies colour to the 2D drawing, the app applies the same colour to the 3D character — both to the areas visible in the 2D drawing and to the remainder of the 3D form not visible in the book.

Because the colouring occurs in real-time, the illusion is created that the user is also colouring the occluded areas, with similar texturing of the colour.

In user testing — performed with adults rather than children in this early study — the researchers found that most users said the app increased their motivation to draw in colouring books and 80 per cent said the app increased their feeling of connection to a character.

Researchers from Disney, ETH Zurich and the Swiss university EPFL presented the augmented reality app at the IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2015) in Fukuoka, Japan. — IANS

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W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 5 , 2 0 1 5

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

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VACANCY

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CARGO

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*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

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M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 5, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

02 BHK Commercial / residential (with Split A/C) flat at Honda road.

Contact : 99342733 / 99795241 2 BHK residential flat opposite to AL Nadha Hospital. Contact : 99342733 / 99795241

2BHK, 2 Baths, Split A/C, Wadi kabeer towards Al bustan, Near Indian Elementary School.

Contact 99441193, 93004802

New flats for rent in Darsait Al Sahal. Contact: 99777351

1BHK flat available in MBD near Khimji Supermarket with split AC & curtain R.O 230/-. Contact: 97748721 / 92393067 1 room, 2 rooms, 3 rooms with all supplements including water electricity and sewage. Also we provide the following services free 1plumber, electrician for any failed center for garbage on price call on Farahat 98020768 , Hilal 96541263 New flats for rent At Darsait near to Ministry of Sports, Mumtaz area the flats includes1 living room, 2 bedrooms, Kitchen, 3 toilets, every rooms with split A/C, high quality finishing, rent RO 340 /-.

Contact: 00968 92225523 Workers’ campus, shops, workshops, stores in a building in Al Misfah, Wilayat Bausher.

Contact 98918090 1 B.H.K Wadi Kabeer, RO 175/-.

Contact : 95094028

Flats, shops for rent in Ruwi, MBD & Mumtaz area. Contact 97293708

Fully furnished 2 BHK apartments available at Bareeq Al Shatti.

Contact 92888063 2BHK flats & shops available for rent at Honda road in a brand new building (dish & split A/C provided in flats). Contact: 91165807 / 92976611 Flats for rent near Indian School in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122 Single room available for Executive bachelor near Zakhar mall behind Kamat Restaurant. Contact 94271085

Recently refurbished ground floor apartment near Indian school Wadi Kabir, 2 Bedrooms and sitting, 2 baths, kitchen. Contact: 98011224

Flat for rent in Wadi Kabir near Indian Primary School 2B and 1k.

Contact : 92222922

Villa at al Khuwair having six bedrooms, six bathrooms, sitting, dinning, hall, kitchen Etc. Contact24833972/24833974/99367448

For rent : showroom / storage space available (area 290 SQM, 6M height) facing Al Mina street, Jibroo.

Contact: 99360631 / 96760819

Single BHK flat available in Honda Road Ruwi. Contact 24833972/24833974/99367448

2 bedroom villa in Sidab.

Contact: 95755953 / 95555162

Flat for rent, 2 bedrooms, 1 sitting room, 3 toilets next to Al Hassan Company in W/K. Contact: 99210008 Shops for rent in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 99888390

2BHK Ghubra near Indian School, 1 BHK at Ruwi Rex road.

Contact : 92833408 New flats for rent in Darsait, Al Sahal. Contact: 99311525

Furnished room for rent at Al Khuwair R.O 225/- for family only.

Contact: 99251975

FOR SALE 5 Seater sofa with cushions Center table and 2 side tables in excellent condition for immediate sale.

Contact: 96027403

1000 sq mtrs Industrial land in Ghala suitable for ware house workshop etc. Contact: 24700120 / 92584715

Volvo prime – mover, model: 1998 & fork lift model: 1997 to inspection Contact Mr. Mohammed Al Harthy 99427071

1& 2 BHK flats 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

1BHK flats available for rent in CBD area. Contact: 98116480

Restaurant for sale excellent location six visa opposite Mars Wadi Kabir. Contact: 93334685

1bedroom attached, toilet & kitchen in AL Khuwair R.O 140/-.

Contact: 95154331

2 bed room flat at Al Khoudh Commercial Street Souq.

Contact: 99224748 / 99332297

3BHK , 3bathrooms , 2balconys NRAL Hassan W/ Kabir R.O 320/-.

Contact: 99384640

3500 sqr mtrs open Industrial land for rent in Rusail. Contact 99792181

1, 2 BHK in Azaiba. Contact: 99385835 / 99428143

2BHK close to Indian School Kindergarten Wadi Kabir R.O 300/-.

Contact: 99476728 / 98484415 1BHK R.O 225/- close to Indian Nursery, Darsait. Contact: 99476728 / 98484415 Flat for rent in Wadi Kabeer (2 bedrooms, 1 Majlis, 3 toilets, 1 Kitchen & hall. Contact: 95562646 Villa for rent in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact: 95562646 / 94059333

1BHK Ruwi & 3BHK Bosher.

Contact: 99024730

Fully furnished luxury 2 bedroom flat for rent at Ghala for short or long term basis. Contact: 99886386/ 99881653

600 SQT commercial flat for rent opposite Oman flourmill Darsait more details. Contact: 91214849/ 99364735

One Bed room flat with full furniture available at ruwi high street, Rent RO 200. Furniture cost RO 350.

Contact 99445675.

Flat for rent in Hamriya.

Contact: 99341112

1000 sqr mtrs store in Mabela industrial area. Contact 99792181 New 1 & @2 Bhk Flat in CBD opposit Al maya supermarket.

Contact: 99792181 1 BHK flat in Ruwi ( Honda Road).

Contact 99792181 Commercial cum residential new building looking for one company, location Muttrah near Police Station.

For more details contact: 99364735 / 95729711 Twin villa 6BR hall, kitchen at Al Ansab-2. Contact: 99747560 / 99444786 1 & 2 bedroom flats available for rent in wadi-kabir (opp: pencil bldg), ideal for company staff / families bulk corporate deal possible.

Contact: 97677170

FOR SALE

1BHK flat with A/C AL Khuwair 250/- R.O. Contact: 99358589 / 95570288

Big room bathroom attached with kitchen near Riyam Park Muscat RO 100. Contact: 95094028

3BHK flat Darsait Near I.D card Medical 450/- R.O. Contact: 99358589 / 95570288 Villa for rent in south Mabela 3 bedrooms, sitting room, family lounge, kitchen & 3 toilets.

Contact- 92212212 between 10 am to 5 pm

500/1000 sqm industrial land with compound wall at Misfah behind Oman Oil filling Station.

Contact : 99342733 / 99795241

Workshop for sale / lease fabrication / carpentry, (1800 sq m.), close to main road, at Barka Industrial area with or without labour & camp facilities for about 20 staff.

Contact: 95120404 Email: elmechoman@gmail.com Fish and shrimps sale retail and whole sale. Contact: 96725079 Forklift with clamp for sale Omani Packaging Co. SAOG make – Toyota 3.5 ton model 2001.

Contact: 99352790 / 99444341 Email: info@omanipackaging.com Metal scrap for sale Omani packaging Co. SAOG miscellaneous & metal scrap for sale.

Contact: 99352790 / 99444341 Email: info@omanipackaging.com A well established medical clinic with new equipment for sale. Contact 91262334 / 99206610. E-mail.

Mohamedsfarah@hotmail.com Villa in Barka Al Waha project 4 BHK plus Maids room with car park and compound. Contact: 99347089 Shop for sale or rent at Ruwi City.

Contact: 99103077

Shop for sale in Sohar- Office purpose in the main centre of Sohar Contact – 99437086 Beauty Salon for sale in Azaiba prime location behind Al fardan building. With sponsor and 1 staff and 1 ready visa clearance.

Contact: 95318629 Used Fabrication machinery for sale : Fabrication machinery and tools in excellent condition for immediate sale. Contact 94652485/ 99273774/ 99202278 Shop for sale in CBD area prime location G. Floor + mezzanine low rent.

Contact: 90112434 Used air condition.

Contact : 97093793 Building material shop for sale at Misfah near Oman Cement factory.

Contact : 99617464 / 95961577 For sale land in Amerat 3000 Sq.mt with petrol pump permission.

Contact 99323957 / 92702891

M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 5 , 2 0 1 5

D3

DAILY GUIDE

CLASSY, CREATIVE AND AFFORDABLE INTERIOR DESIGN 'Ğƚ ĐƵƐƚŽŵŝnjĞĚ͕ &ŝƫŶŐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ŝŶƚĞƌŝŽƌ ĚĞƐŝŐŶƐ ŵĂĚĞ ĨƌŽŵ ƐĐƌĂƚĐŚ͘ Our professionals give YOU: ͻ ƵƚŽ ĂĚ >ĂLJŽƵƚ ͻ D W ƌĂǁŝŶŐƐ ͻ Ϯ ĂŶĚ ϯ ĚƌĂǁŝŶŐ ͻ /ŶŶŽǀĂƟǀĞ ŽŶĐĞƉƚ ĞƐŝŐŶ Hurry now and call this number

91494149 ĨŽƌ ĂŶ ĞdžĐůƵƐŝǀĞ ůŝŵŝƚĞĚͲƟŵĞ ŽīĞƌ ĚŝƐĐŽƵŶƚ͊​͊​͊

UNIVERSAL SCRAP BUYERS AT AMAZING PRICES

AFFORDABLE QUALIFIED STAFF AVAILABLE: EŽ ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ƐĐƌƵƟŶŝnjĞ ƐƚĂī ĂŵŽŶŐ ƚŚŽƵƐĂŶĚƐ͍ EĞĞĚ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů ƐƚĂī Ăƚ ĂŶ ĂƌƌĂŶŐĞŵĞŶƚ͍ tĞ ĂƌĞ Ă ŵĂŶƉŽǁĞƌ ĂŐĞŶĐLJ ǁŚŽ ŚĞĂĚͲŚƵŶƚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂī ĨƌŽŵ ĂŶLJ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͊ tĞ ƐĐƌĞĞŶ ƚŚĞ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐ ƐĞǀĞƌĂůůLJ ƚŽ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ LJŽƵ ŐĞƚ ŽŶůLJ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ŝƐĐŽǀĞƌ ǁŚLJ ƚŽƉ ĞŵƉůŽLJĞƌƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌ ƵƐ ĨŽƌ ƐƚĂĸŶŐ͊

Convert ANY type of Scrap into Money by selling us the scrap Great prices are guaranteed for our clients!

Call this number now for urgent response -

96059470

Hurry and call this number now!

*Kindly note that the scrap should be 50 tons onwards

95967902

FOR HIRE Trailor with driver for hire.

Contact: 92303774 Bobcat Grader and roller for rent.

Contact: 94584688

SITUATION WANTM.V. FOR SALE

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished room available in Ruwi.

Contact 92435784 Furnished Executive bachelor accommodation in Ghubra North villa.

Contact 92595830 / 24495667 Private room with toilet near Qurum park incl. W& E, monthly RO 220/-.

Contact Hassan 99349990 Room for rent available in a flat for Executive bachelor at Azaiba behind AL Meera Market with attached bath with cot & A/c, rent RO 175/- per month including water & Electricity.

Contact 96404166 / 97433992 Two bed rooms with 2 toilets and sharing, Kitchen available near Al Falaj hotel. Contact: 90269652 Furnished room available in Ruwi for bachelor. Contact: 93086584 2BHK available for office Ghubra.

Contact: 99269751 Single exclusive room available for Executive bachelor furnished separate toilet, kitchen sharing Wadi Kabir behind Golden Oasis hotel.

Contact: 99335145 Single room, bath Darsait R.O 140/-.

Contact: 93289652 Sharing accommodation for Indian family Ruwi high street.

Contact : 99895616 A big room in available near Hamriya R/A for Muslim couple / small family / Executive bachelor rent 150/- per month including W+ E. Contact: 99495131 Accommodation available for indian executive bachelor’s (no kitchen).RO:125 including water and electricity Contact no. .. 98145825, 98949724

For sale BMW 730 Li, 2008 model, 3000cc, maroon colour with beige interiors, 14500KMS, serviced at dealer, single Owner driven, R.O 5500. Contact: 95731861 /92265958 Nissan Altima 2005 automatic.

Contact: 99454425 40 Feet Atlas Trailor 2010.

Contact: 99454425 Toyota YARIS. Model 2008. KM 69000. Expat driven, All services at Toyota. Very clean. Rate: 2900.

Contact 99445675.

GOOD NEWS

NRI 10 cents of house plot at kallattumukku Trivandrum next to Oxford school 3km from railway station Contact +919495255111 Land for sale with ample water, Adjacent to National Highway, 15 Km from Mangalore Port (Selected for Smart City) 6 Km from NITK, Suitable for warehouses, automobile service center, Highway Dhaba/Restaurant, hospital, Building Material showroom etc. Call 99468991-Oman 9902543956-India.

Brand new 2 BHK furnished apartment (1225 sq feet) at Indiranagar (Kodihalli),Bangalore for sale. Please contact: 00968 95210474 38 cents land with 2BHK house by the river side in Thrissur Dist Irinjalakuda, Kerala.

Contact: 99347089

TRANSPORTATION Pick & drop any time.

Contact: 93598436 / 96743215 Pick & drop any time. Contact: 92218001/ 96502406 Transportation. Contact98505294

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments & massage, Ayurvedic clinic at Al Khuwair. Contact: 24478618 / 97263637 / 93309131 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 Ayurvedic Treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis , IDEAL CARE Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba Contact: 99639695 / 98342990 Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation in Muscat.

Contact: 95530908

Transportation. Contact 99508282

Transportation for saloon car& delivery van. Contact : 95530908

Transportation available.

Contact -955 70 429

MATRIMONIAL NAIR GIRL, B.Tech (Civil) 23/163, Pooram from Alappuzha (district) working as a Civil Engineer with Kerala Govt: on adhoc basis looking suitable alliance from professionals.

Contact :95230285 RC Girl (Trissur) 28, 152 cm slim (middle class) MBA, working in Muscat seeking suitable alliance.

Contact: 93867447

WANTED Required land for purchase in location Muscat (1200 SQM).

Contact: 96725682

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

A respectable Hindu kapu( Naidu) family from Vijayawada A- P- India invites alliances for their daughter 25 years old B.teh computer science father working in Oman.

Contact: 95097913, 99744870 Email: sarathbabureddi@gmail.com 31 years RC boy, M. Com MBA working in Sohar - Seeks alliance from Christian families Contact 94219830 Seeking alliance for our son from Muslim families. Interested families Contact: 99889590

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

We want regular finance on short term or long term basis from individuals of Omani nationals or expatriates for trading business.

Contact: 99462591 or 93525028

Looking for investor and Partner, well running company monthly profit. 14,000 RO. Contact: 96725079 We will register LLC trade license for foreign investors and do all actions. Contact: 92833566

Want regular financing for profitable small projects.

Contact : 92162623

LOST Saleh Imran Mohammed has lost Pakistan Passport No. AJ 5741182.

Finder please handover to ROP

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M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 5, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Part Time Accounting, Accounts Finalization, Audit Preparation, Internal Audit, Accounting System for New Companies, #96975454, email :ibfc.gcc@gmail.com Filipino, 29 yrs, male, BS Commerce, 5years experience Payables/ Receivables/Payroll/Document Control. Excellent Communication/ MS Office skills. Contact: 95057206 Email: patrick110486@yahoo.com ACCOUNTANT, Indian male 28 years, 6 plus years of GCC experience, presently working in Oman as an Accountant, seeking for a suitable job position, NOC available, Contact: 95089869 E-Mail: anuchunda@gmail.com

REQUIRED URGENTLY FOR MEDICAL COMPLEX AT SALALAH

GENERAL PRACTITIONER RECEPTIONIST

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT, Indian male having 7 years experience as functional finance head, presently working in Muscat as Asst. Finance Manager seeking for a suitable position. NOC available, Contact: 9178 9950 / Email: igneshmlazar@gmail.com

PATIENT RELATION EXCUTIVE CONTACT:

93613422, 95062514 EMAILvacancynshifamc@gmail.com

Part time accounting works up to finalization on monthly basis.

Contact: 96247295

DRIVER Wanted Heavy Duty Truck Driver (3 nos.) having 2 yrs experience at PDO. Contact 92891888

Indian male 23 yrs BBM Graduate with computer knowledge having 2 yrs experience in accounts looking for accounts, admin, sales or stores currently on visit visa.

Contact: 95356512

Urgently required heavy driver for trailer. Contact: 92131483 Driver required for personal, salary 250/- O.R .Contact: 96725079 Required heavy duty truck driver holding Omani driving license w/ 5 years experience please Contact 92001111 Driver with Oman driving licence needed. Visa available.

Contact 94288863

ENGINEER/TECH/MECH Urgently Required: MEP EngineerDegree holder and with 7 years experience in building construction, MUST have NOC and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com Reputed metal fabrication company seeks fabrication supervisor, structural steel fabricator, Machine maintenance Technician and Electrician. Contact: 99102383 Email: hr@khancogroup.com Urgently required a Indian Diploma Civil Engineer with 1-2 years of experience and should valid G.C.C driving license.

Email: smtcoman@gmail.com

MANAGER/SUP An Omani Co. located at Muscat start a new workshop with three divisions: Steel, Carpentry and Aluminum and looking for experts Supervisor and Foremen. The candidate must have minimum 10 yrs. experience and GCC driving license.

Send C.V to kwk585@gmail.com A 10 yrs successful steel workshop with 25 staff members, looking for an experienced Manager who has to lead successfully, control overall expenditures & deliver more opportunities to the Workshop. Successful candidate will be paid as percentage of monthly workshop revenue.

Contact: 97080700 General Foreman. Required Foreman (MEP) with 4 to 5 years experience for maintenance of building.

Having valid Omani driving license.

Contact: 94652485 E-mail: realconsco@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS EDUCATION A leading institution in Muscat requires a Teacher for Indian Classical Dance. The candidate should be well qualified and experienced. Send your resume to dance.oman@gmail.com A private School looking for an English teacher, preferable (Philipino - Jordanian) Nationality for more information.

Contact: 98982088 Post Graduate researcher required.

Contact 99229700

MEDICAL Looking for Pharmacist with a valid MOH license to work in Bidbid. Send CV to abumustafaclinic@gmail.com Wanted a female Nurse for a dental clinic in capital area.

Contact:-99855050 Urgent placement B Pharm Pharmacist with OR without MOH Oman, 2 nos. Contact : 92548672, 99516236 Urgently required for Medical Centre in Muscat and Salalah GP doctor (Male/ Female) Gynecology , Nurses ( male / female) with or Without MOH license, salary negotiable. Please send your CV moc.hrd2015@gmail.com or Contact: 92681842 Required urgently General Physician Gynecology, Pharmacist, LAB Technicians staff nurse.

Contact: 95133572 Email: kunoozghala@gmail.com

Required Salesman, Store keeper, Private driver, preferably with good experience and communication skills. Contact: 91408759 Email: hanaa.alritaj@gmail.com A leading Construction Company in Muscat urgently requires the following candidates: - 1) Electromechanical Supervisors 2) Electrical Foreman 3) Plumbing foreman 4) Electricians 5) Plumbers.

Send CV : hr.azatllc@gmail.com or call 99344279

SKILLED LABOUR Required 2 Tailors who can make readymade curtains.

Contact 92891888

SEC/OFFICE Sir Lankan Secretary with experience in recruitment field.

Contact: 92809528

SALES / MARKETING Accomplished Advertising Sales & Business Development Executives for leading Media Enterprise.

Enthusiastic Fresher also welcome. jobs@interacoman.com Wanted Sales man with valid Oman driving license for an electrical trading company.

Email: amuloman@omantel.net.om Required Graduate with Omani driving license preferably Indian willing to travel outside Muscat.

Contact: 99454425 Required Salesman, Tailor & Barber. Contact: 96964767 Required experienced Sales & Marketing Executive for sports club. Preference will be given who has experience in Oman and valid driving license. Please send your CV to dasanthas1@gmail.com or saud7kh7@gmail.com Sales Incharge 5 years experience (Oman) language English, Arabic.

Contact: 24566813 Email: hammadhassan5786@gmail.com Sales man (Dairy) 2 years exp as a Sales man with FMCG in GCC , Location Muscat, Barka, Khaboura , Ibri, Izki & Al Kamil, key skills Salesman (Dairy) & Sales (Dairy) / business development. Contact: Ahmed Al Salami 96929227 Telephone: 26940215 Fax: 24811565 Email: ahmed.alsalmiy@unikai.com Required experienced Sales / Marketing Executives having light license. Send your CV ocean@omantel.net.om Looking for a Staff has experience in Oman in real estate and real estate valuation. Interested Contact: mobile: 99109094 Email: aburashid94dd@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

SALES / MARKETING Required Indian driver with Omani driving license and experience to work in house. Contact : 96255558 SALES MANAGER : To build and manage a team of sales executives in GCC countries. Must have minimum 12 years’ experience in sales and minimum. 5 years in interiors and joinery Sales in GCC. Attractive remuneration package available for the right person.

All CVs will be sent to this E-mail : career@gobdoman.com

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

Finance Manager 26 years experience including 22 years Oman with NOC. Contact 91302906 / 91335205 ACCA finalist, Recent B.Com Graduate, Indian female, looking for full time employment in Accounting and Audit. +968 96964379, sangeethaumesh5@gmail.com Indian male 23 yrs B.com having 3 yrs accounts exp in India looking for suitable placement presently on visit visa. Contact :94131842 / 93516968, Email: jithujithin05@gmail.com Accounting B.Com male Diploma in computerized professional Accounting, professional & manual accounting, 25 yrs, Indian, 25 yrs, Keralite, India. Contact: 0091 9746838659 Email: jijesh567@gmail.com

Indian male, Graduate with 7 yrs experience in financial, logistics & Data reporting and analysis, experience working with international clients, site testing. Currently on visit visa seeking suitable placement in Oman. Contact: 92689823, Id: jiby.john28@gmail.com Indian male 13 years Accounts & finance experience in Oman having Omani D/L looking for suitable position release available. #95885092 Email: nitin_dhotre2@rediffmail.com Pakistani male 28 years old recently worked as Administration Manager MBA finance from Maju Karachi. Contact: 99685330 Email: hussain_ca87@yahoo.com Omani female exp in Accounts & Shipping & Secretary & PRO job knowledge in computer with Oman D/L. Content: 91161736 Accountant with 8 years experience in Oman with D/L & NOC , seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 92994825. Email: sanuchithranjali@gmail.com 10+ yrs UAE experience Fin. Controller looking for job change. Contact: 98006226 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, WITH 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, finance, banking, L/C, import, export & finalization seeks placement. NOC Available. Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com

SITUATION WANTED ADMIN 10 years Gulf & 4 years Oman experience in HR / Admin & logistics fluent in Arabic / English with D/L looking for suitable position.

Contact: 95824598

Indian driver with experience in Oman. Contact: 96255558

Sudanese, Bombay university graduate. 22 years of experience in different fields i.e. procurement and logistics management, construction management, training and general administration of which 13 years in Oman. GSM (99601004).

Bangladesh 24 years, 2 years experience. Contact: 97806144

Experienced Manager in HR, Administration and Finance. More than 10 years gulf experience including four years in Oman. Having Oman Driving License and NOC Contact 93264005

Pakistani male light vehicle driver looking for job. Contact: 96474528

Indian Female MBA, 3 years experience in Admin MIS, family Visa.

Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com Indian male 25 years MBA (HR) Now in Oman visiting visa searching job for Administration, HR Customer relation. Contact: 90196322 / 91049868 Email: nithinvarghese19@gmail.com

ARCHITECT Sr. Architect male 5 yrs exp having NOC looking for suitable position.

Contact: 91546108 Email: morshed_arch@yahoo.com Senior Architect, Indian male 15yrs exp. having DL& NOC, Looking for suitable position.

Contact: 97239313 Email: abdul_muq2000@yahoo.co.uk

DRAUGHTSMAN B.Com (Indian Male) with 5 years experience (2 years GCC) in Accounts & Audit field. # 95584531 razikthumbe@gmail.com Indian male, 34 years MBA finance, having 9 years experience, looking for suitable placement presently on visit visa. Contact: 92914869 Email: noblev1982@gmail.com Indian female 28 years M.Com, Accountant having 6 years experience in Accounts, finalization, Tally currently on visit visa.

Contact : 95595083 Email: merlinfernandes16@yahoo.in Part time accountant, senior accountant, doing all type of accounting works, up to finalization. contact.95254864 Chief Accountant, 12 years Oman experience looking for suitable position. Contact: 99513082 Part time Accountant, up to finalization, looking for job after 5 pm (location prefer – MSQ to AL Hail).

Contact: 95694737

ADMIN Indian 17 yrs experience in Admin and have knowledge in Accounting seeks job. Have driving license and release. Contact : 99573353 Filipina, 10 yrs experience in Fashion Retail, Shipment, Logistics, Inventory, Warehouse Control and Store Management is seeking employment. Call +971565833126 or 97728418.

DRIVER

Looking for driver job.Contact 93650209

Light driver with car Hyundai Accent 2016. Contact : 94039796 Driver. Contact: 95084826

Driver with car. Contact :91452930

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian Male 25 yrs, B.E(Civil Engg)1 yr exp in India(Residential project(G +4),Autocad 2015.

Looking for suitable job.

E mail-gugan4u@gmail.com, GSM-96767323 Pakistani male 28 Masters Telecom Engineering from Sweden 5 years experience 2 years technical sales / business development experience in Oman market. NOC available looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 96559823 Email: khawaarnaeem@gmail.com Pakistani male 28 yrs Electronics Engineer having 3 yrs experience, D/L (Oman) looking for a suitable position in Muscat. NOC available can join immediately.

Contact: 92055789 Email: zeeshnrahim89@gmail.com Welder, 6G,3G, ARC, Gas , Fabrication well gulf experinced Ph : 95068064

Draftsman , Autocad , exp in Architecture, Interior drawings, Ph 93837973

Civil diploma Engr, exp in supervision, designing, QA/QC Ph : 92741929

Indian Civil Auto cad Draftsman looking suitable placement 5 years experience. Contact: 97465102

Indian male 24 years B.Tech completed in electrical and electronics one year experience in India seeking job in supervisory, sales, sales co-ordination fields of electrical/ electronic agency/shops.

Contact.95254864.

DOMESTIC HELP House maid looking full time or port time job, 5 yrs experience care taker, cleaning, cooking.

Contact: 97882204 / 98562066

DRIVER Wanted driving job.

Contact: 97690766 12 years experience light duty driver with car. Contact: 96467373 Pakistani light vehicle driver having 2 yrs exp. Contact: 96105925 Land Cruiser with Driver.

Contact: 99725003 Light driver looking for full time job.

Contact: 95154610 Light driver looking for job.

Contact: 93985153 4 years exp driver need a job.

Contact: 94208089 Pakistani driver with car.

Contact: 91248202 Driver looking for job.

Contact 92303744

Automobile Engineer from India6 yrs exp-looking for opportunities purchase / procurement/ supply chain / project management-added experience in automobile service & customer care-presently in Oman on visit visa. # 00968 91306841 email: shanyphilip23@gmail.com; Degree Civil Engg total 9 yrs experience, 7 yrs in Oman Construction Company with valid Oman driving license. Contact: 99721926 Email: tanvincivil@gmail.com Civil Engineer degree, diploma, Staad pro, Auto CAD 18 months Indian exp seeks suitable opportunity.

Contact: 93682529 Engineer with 4 years Telecom experience in Oman, having Oman driving license looking for a suitable opportunity. Interested in marketing, NOC available. Contact : 98513495 Mechanical Engineer, 24 having knowledge in HVAC looking for suitable placement. Contact: 95434381 mail: shuhaibusman313@gmail.com Agriculture Engineer Egyptian in Oman available till 10th Oct experience 5 years. Contact: 90155723

M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 5 , 2 0 1 5

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED Indian female, 30 yrs, Interior Designer

MISCELLANEOUS

Bachelor degree with 5 yrs working experience seeking suitable placement in Oman.

Indian looking for a part time accounting or Internal Auditing job, contact 99196621.

Contact 98499975, Email : swasdesigner@gmail.com

26, Male, Indian, BBA (Finance), MBA(HR), Looking for suitable Job. Contact immediately #98176105, nruknaddin@outlook.com

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian Mechanical Engineer, 30, having 8yrs of UAE Sales/Business Development. experience in Electromechanical and Irrigation sectors. Contact no- +971558763220 email id-sangowri@outlook.com 29 yrs, Indian male B.E with more than 5 yrs experience in facilities management / Real Estate in Oman having valid D/L. Contact: 96652145 68 91306841 Indian diploma Civil Eng, 2 yrs Infrastructure Projects (4G, Towers, substation) landscaping & Auto CAD. Contact: 94756183 Email: indianexpat1@gmail.com Electrical Engineer (B.E) with 5 years experience (3 yrs in Gulf) NOC available. Contact: 92119851 Email: mayurdevadiga@gmail.com Resident Engineer B.E civil 25 years exp 12 yrs in Architecture consultancy having Oman Dubai D/L NOC available. Contact: 95732453 Email: milindj951@gmail.com Indian male, 25 yrs. B. Tech Civil Engineer with 2 years experience in India looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 96081437 Email: vibijvenugopal90@gmail.com Civil Engineer, Female, 3 yrs experience in structural design & estimation; Contact: 99195433 Indian BE (Mech) Engineer having P.G diploma in oil & gas piping and level two NDT seeks immediate placement in any industry at present on visit vis. Contact : 92013757 / 99774956 B.Tech Mechanical, 5 years experience NOC available seeking placement. Contact: 98557463 / 99470124 Indian male 28 yrs, Engg Nebosh & IOSH certified 5+ years experience in Saudi Arabia at Aramco & Sabic projects as a HSE head HSE Supervisor. Contact 94059935 Dynamic young Engineer (Electrical & Electronics) on visit, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 94742764 Diploma in civil Engineer, total 4 years experience, 1.5 years experience in Oman seeking suitable placement. Contact : 96535084 Civil Engineer B.Sc -6 years experience with constructions companies - 1 years in Oman - qualified as Site Engineer & Planning Engineer.

Contact+968-94682217 Automobile Engnr Indian with 7 yrs experience 2 yrs Toyota and 5 yrs Jaguar corporate experience looking for suitable job in Oman. Contact immediately: 93709706 currently on visit visa for 10 days only Mechanical Engineer (UK ) 28 years, male looking for suitable placement with valid Oman driving license having 3.5 years experience in Oman NOC available.

Contact 968 97612297 immediate availability.

Email: ymirza11@caledonian.ac.uk Mechatronics (Electrical, Mechanical) Engineer, 3 years of experience. Contact: 91234024 Email: ammar.r.elerris@gmail.com Civil Engineer Pakistani 12+2 years Oman experience D/L required placement. Contact: 94392616 Building site supervisor, since March 2010 in Oman with Omani D/L looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 93061107 Indian male 29, having 7 years exp in construction field& Auto Cad in Oman. Having valid driving license.

Fluent in English & Arabic. Looking for suitable job in reputed firm.

Contact - 99650569 Sudanese Telecom Engineer 5 years experience in Oman.

Contact: 93391008 BE (Civil) Indian male with 20 years experience with reputed consultancy companies & working for one of the prestigious project of Muscat since 2008 seeks suitable position.

Contact: 92511428, Email: manoj_t2000@yahoo.com

Civil Engineer, Indian M 29 5yrs exp. having DL & NOC Looking for suitable position.

Contact: 94576233 Email: suhailmullah@gmail.com Professional Civil Engineer 25 yrs experience with N.O.C Management and Supervision with D/L. Contact: 97290338 Electrical and Electronics Engineer with one year experience and GCC licence holder seeking a job mail – shyjalpk@gmail.com M.Tech BE civil 9 yrs experience Project Management Indian male (34 yrs) with NOC seeks suitable placement in construction industry.

Contact : 99156291 / 95281545/ 00919579666999 (Whatsapp) Email: kashidss@gmail.com HSE Engineer (Indian, 26 yrs), B.Tech Mechanical, Nebosh, 5 yrs experience in oil & gas construction.

Contact 94616721 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 Electrical Engineer Indian male 29 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres), seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 92789995 Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer having 1 year exp in Mechanical Supervising looking for suitable job.

Contact 92835957 Young Electrical Engineer looking for suitable placement. Having specialization in electronics.

Contact 99227861 Indian male diploma in Civil Engineering with 20 years experience in interior fitout with valid driving license NOC and local release available. Contact: 98048410 Btech computer science graduate 2015 passout.. Android application marketing.. Having good communication skills and mindset to work in a team. Contact 91024385 Indian chemical Engineer with 1year experience in Business Development; & valid Oman D/L, seeks suitable opportunity.

Contact: 96141612 or E-mail: anjana.nanda@outlook.com BE Electrical Engineer 8 years experience 4 years in Oman with Oman driving license.

Contact 96942032 Civil Engineer (Diploma) seeking for placement.

Contact: 95200650 Electrician 3 years experience in Building lines in Oman and other related experience also. NOC available. Stay till 29.09.2015. Contact: 94057129 / 95964419 Email: raheemdadbaloch@hotmail.com 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 SUPERVISOR: Indian male site supervisor (AIR CONDITIONING) 25 years of experience with valid Oman Driving lic Contact: 97498809, 93391910 Email: hilariankj@gmail.com Engineer with 3 yrs experience in Indian in MEP, HVAC& mechanical maintained field on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact 99191535 Email: fareed029@gmail.com 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

EDUCATION Indian female B. Sc Chemistry B.Ed having 6 years experience in teaching looking for suitable jobs.

Contact: 94196493 Indian female MA English literature B.Ed having 6 years experience in teaching looking for suitable jobs.

Contact: 96701049

HOSPITALITY Dynamic result oriented hospitality 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

IT ME Electronics Engineer , 4 yr exp in hardware and software currently in Oman for visiting visa, Contact: 95508754, 97049791 Computer Engineer, Iraqi fresh graduate excellent grade - Caledonian college , experience in programming, networking, database and web designing. valid Omani driving license, residence in Oman – Contact 98763390 Network Engineer looking for job have CCNA and CCNP (suitable) driving license NOC and 4 years experience. Contact: +968 91703807 Email: ekrema.zia@gmail.com Computer Teacher with IELTS, experience in Oman IGCSE, CBSE, higher Grades looking for suitable vacancy. Contact: 98048946 Oracle ADF Developer, Msc (IT), 2 yrs of Experience in Software Development (Oracle ADF, sql, pl/sql), Oracle OCA & SQL Expert, Currently on visit visa. # +968 93755858 / 92141644 Email : shiralkarmuzammil@yahoo.com IT Engineer, MBA, PMP trained, having Omani driving license, 18+ years of experience in software industry, looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91244967 Indian male, 29 yrs, B.E .Eng in CS, CCNP, JNCIA , MCSA, MCITP, ISO/ IEC27002, 8 yrs exp in IT , Networking and server support.

Contact: 98285401 Email: maneshm3@gamil.com Indian male IT professional with 8 yrs experience including GCC in windows server, computer hardware, networking & office administration seeks a suitable placement.

Contact: 95994227 B.Tech IT, 2 years experience, seeking job as IT Support / Customer and Technical Support, any suitable jobs in Oman currently on visit visa.

Contact : 98960932 Email: jittojacob@hotmail.com Net working Technical with driving license NOC having 2 years experience in data and telephone structured cabling epabx and CCTV installing looking for suitable.

Contact: 96027516 Indian male 25 years MCA, CCNA Certified MCSE2012 having 16 months experience in network and system administration looking for suitable placement. Contact 97703253 / 92365310 Email: albinmperakkattu@gmail.com Software Engineer, 6 yrs exp in software projects & development (Java,PL/SQL Unix) on visit visa.

Contact: 99487493 Indian male, 29 yrs, B. Eng in CS, CCNP, JNCIA, MCSA, MCITP, ISO/ IEC27002, 8 yrs exp in IT, Networking and Server support.

Contact 98285401 Email: maneshm3@gmail.com CCNA MCITP Network support/ Network technician with 2 yrs experience Indian male having bachelors degree on visit visa. Contact 93080871, email :sean.f.peters@outlook.com

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

SALES / MARKETING

MISCELLANEOUS Operations/Marketing/Business Development/Support-Services-experienced-Indian-25M-with-B.techgraduation-looking-for-challengingrole. Contact 94743460 Indian male 22 BBA Graduate with Iosh Nebosh Certification having valid Omani driving license seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 96357787 1 years experience Managing Supervising qualification bachelors degree, Master diploma.

Contact : 93736515 Email: namshad404@gmail.com Indian female Diploma in Indian & foreign Accounting having 1 year experience in Oman seeking suitable placement. Contact: 95714285 Egyptian legal adviser experience and experience in arbitration and contracts and labor law, looking for work a company.

Contact: 99664890 BBA Graduate looking for a suitable job valid Oman D/L. Contact : 99172212 Omani female Arabic and English speaking searching for job.

Contact 92387170

MEDICAL MSc Nurse specialized in OBG, 3 years experience-certified ACLS,BLS, on visit visa, seeking suitable opportunities Contact:90125347 An Indian female GNM Nurse having 10 yrs experience in Indian with Oman MOH license seeking suitable placement currently in Oman.

Contact: 97895004 Email: sandhyamol26@gmail.com Indian male Nurse, prometric passed seeks suitable placement.

Contact 97284508I 33 years, Indian male Dentist having 7 years of experience with MOH license is seeking suitable placement. Contact: 91559265 Email: praveengp_82@yahoo.com

Indian male 34 yrs MBA, Marketing & finance with 11 years of experience in Manager and roles in Sales Marketing in different industry looking for suitable placement presently on visit visa. Contact : 97325393 Email: achas82@gmail.com Indian male more than, 8 years experience in UAE in office / sales / marketing with good computer skills having driver license looking for suitable placement.

Contact : 99369081 Email: shazueashraf60@gmail.com Filipino lady looking for Receptionist Sales girl having good experience in Muscat. NOC will be available ready to join immediately. Contact: 92664896 / 91107941. After October 1st week. Contact: + 639759460269 Indian male more than 8 years experience in UAE in Office , Sales Marketing with good computer skills having driving license looking for suitable placement.

Contact : 99369081 Email: shazulashraf60@gmail.com Indian male having 10 yrs experience 4 yrs in Oman in purchase, stores & logistics areas, having valid Omani driving license and N.O.C in Hand, looking for suitable position any where in Oman Contact no:94087866 SENIOR SALES ENGINEER (B.E. Mechanical, MBA-Mktg) - 6yrs experience in Industrial Products and Services with NOC and GCC Driving License looking for the challenging opportunities. Join immediately.

GSM: 94596639 E-mail:dhvlnayak@yahoo.co.in Indian male Sr. Sales Executive, 15 years exp in retail sector looking for vacancies. Contact: 96768382 Sales and marketing - male 27 yrs, 2 years experience seeking suitable placement with Oman D/L. Contact: 95642740 Email: shaijichakkara@gmail.com 3+ years of experience (Oman) in marketing, business development, sales & customer services, BBA Marketing with valid GCC driving license. Contact: 94374115

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

Indian male, U.K Post Graduate M.A, MBA, 3 years Experience, looking position within Marketing, Branding, Business Development & PR. Contact: greetings111@hotmail.com

Project Manager (B.E. Arch) in Interior décor fit outs & MEP having 8 years experience looking for a suitable post in a reputed firm.

NOC is available. Contact: 91528851

BBA Graduate with 3 years experience in Sales & Marketing valid Omani D/L looking for job.

Contact: 97378073 Email: samaanmohammed@gmail.com

Indian male, BSc Physics Manager Communication & marketing, professional in Graphic Design software’s presently in visit visa.

Contact: 93508947

Indian male MBA having 4 yrs Gulf experience in logistics and Counter Sales currently on visit visa and looking for suitable job.

Contact 96695541

Sudanese procurement Manager three years experience in Oman.

Contact: 93391008

Looking for Driver & Salesman vacancy 10 years Oman experience Oman license holding.

Contact 98234893

Senior Manager Indian, 30 years in FMCG Business in Oman looking for better opportunity at management level. Contact 99231513

PROJECTS Civil Engineer, Indian male, 25 years, B.Tech, have 3 years experience in building construction seeks suitable positions. 92609893, alenalexander123@gmail.com

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Indian male more than 10 years gulf experience in Office / Sales Coordinator, Admin, Secretarial and purchase with good computer skills.

Having Driving license and NOC available, looking for suitable placement. Contact 95149624

SALES / MARKETING Indian male 25 yrs BBM Graduate 3 yrs of experience Sales / Marketing in Oman looking in suitable placement. Contact : 93185316 Email: karsh794@gmail.com Egyptian very good marketing and sales skills experience 10 years in tourism. Contact : 90155723

MBA 15 years experience in Sales & Marketing in telecom, FMCG, presently in India C/O Saif Kazi.

Contact : 99625957 Email Id: a_kazi123@yahoo.co.in

MISCELLANEOUS The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 14 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments& transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business. #:- 93240027 33 year male Indian Keralite looking for Senior Accountant or Assistant Accounts manager having 10 years of working experience in Oman and Qatar with valid GCC license willing to work any GCC country, please contact : 97433387 27,male,ACCA finalist, have professional experience up to finalization of accounts, statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally and focus & oracle software, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalization ,seeking for permanent replacement ,GSM-97654769,email id-abdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

Senior Management Professional, MBA, 12 years+ exp. in Business Development/Sales Management , Sales Training, Content Development & Six sigma GSM:97428090 Part Time Accounting Job Complete Data Entry, Upto Finalization. Any Time Available. Location Al Hail, AL Khoud. Please Contact- +968-92049215 Email:- aiafe.oman@gmail.com ACCA finalist, Recent B.Com Graduate, Indian Female, looking for full time employment in Accounting and Audit.+96896964379, sangeethaumesh5@gmail.com Indian Chartered Accountant, Male 25 years, 5 years of relevant experience, On Visit visa, Staying with Parents. Also holds BCOM (Computer Applications). Contact 98164467, 24492638 shyamal008@gmail.com Arab Lady seeking for Housemanager/Personal Assistant job.

Highly experienced. Arabic, English &French. Contacttel : +961 71339568 email : famurr@hotmail.com 26, Male, Indian, BBA (Finance), MBA(HR), Looking for suitable Job. Contact immediately Contact 98176105, Email: nruknaddin@outlook.com FABRICATION & ERECTION-DUCT MAN Candidate seeking suitable opportunities & presently in Oman with NOC Mob:97239854, Mail:asherlalitha@yahoo.com 25yrs Indian Female with Bsc Nursing, MHA (master of hospital administration) Graduate looking for suitable placement.

Contact:- 99513267 Email:-alinaelshaddai@gmail.com Indian male Accountant with 10 years experience in Oman available for immediate joining with Oman driving license NOC available. Contact : 99881355 / 99720602 HSE Advisor (Indian) 30 years Nebosh, 10SH & Diploma in fire & Safety 9 years Gulf experience in construction, oil & gas. Contact: 95568731 Email: sathishdream@gmail.com SR. Land Surveyor Indian 7 years GCC exp, 2 years IND. Exp, experienced in building construction (Oman driving license).

Contact: 97437307 HSE Officer (Indian) 26 years Nebosh, diploma in fire & safety council, 3 years experience (including 1 years GCC) in construction. # 97058358 Email: arun.insane@gamil.com Indian male, 29 years B.Tech (E.C.E) and M.B.A with 1.2 years of experience in Oman as Electronic Engineer seeking for a suitable job currently on visit visa.

Contact : 92085082 Email: suhailece.61@gmail.com 50 years Indian male 15yrs experience as Manager in Steel and paper Plant seeking suitable placement.

Kindly contact me on +91 9840943638 Chartered Accountant, Indian male, 25, two years experience, on visit visa. Staying with parents. Also has B.com+computer Application.

Contact: 24492638/98164467. shyamal008@gmail.com Diploma in Civil Engineer. I have 6 year experience in Oman seeking for suitable position Oman. #97415597, email: Nasir.muscat@gmail.com 8+ years experienced senior accountant looking for a better placement. Contact No. +968 92935684.

Email - shabeerkkm@gmail.com.

NOC available.

Indian Male, 38 years, BE and MBA in Marketing from UK seeks suitable placement in the IT industry.

Call 91200413.

CCNP Network Professional with 6 years experience having Bachelors degree on visit visa looking for suitable job. GSM: 96760618 Email: varghese.manthara@gmail.com Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, now on Visit Visa ,looking for suitable position. Contact: 90196235

D6

M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 5, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED 26, Male, Indian, BBA (Finance), MBA(HR), Looking for suitable placement in Finance/HR/Marketing. Contact immediately. Contact 98176105, nruknaddin@outlook.com 29 years Indian female (MBAFinance) with 4 yrs experience in Accounts, seeking suitable placement in Accounts/Admin/HR. NOC available. Contact:96141283 ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25 having 4years experience in accounting & having well knowledge in tally.

Contact:968 094535881, 0091 9037622048.

Email: vishnuraj889@gmail.com 31 year Indian male PG in HR , with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement.

Contact me on 93488914, emailKaarthickshankar@gmail.com INDIAN MALE , MBA. Having 10+ years experience as Automotives Sales Manager .Worked with M/s TALWAR AUTO GARAGES PVT LTD India’s Largest Selling Dealer for VOLVO EICHER commercial vehicles .Seeking for suitable Job in Oman.

Contact no: 98045482 Email: dmstalwar@gmail.com Indian male with 18 years of Indian and Overseas experience in hospitality industry, with excellent cooking, operational, managerial and communication skills seeking a suitable job from reputed groups and organizations. On a visit visa.

Contact: 95363751 ACCA finalist, Recent B.Com Graduate, Indian Female, looking for full time employment in Accounting and Audit. Contact +96896964379, sangeethaumesh5@gmail.com Admin, having 10+ years experience in Admin/HR/Logistics/Time Keeper, in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat. Contact- 94369965 , mail - satya1528@gmail.com Indian male . 14 yrs experience in maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) N O C available mob : 95 25 36 40 . email = hareeshma24@yahoo.com Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA,MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/ Server support. Contact 92607532 ACCA Affiliate, Indian Male, Fresher, looking for full time employment in Tax and Audit.+968 91291520, shahidazeez5@gmail.com Indian Male, 24 years old recently completed M.Tech in Offshore Structures from NIT Calicut, looking for suitable position.#: +919833248568, Email: shihabpatel91@gmail.com Indian, male, 41 years, CA Inter, Persuing CA final. Now on express visa. 7 years of Experience in OMAN as Finance and Accounts Manager in Trading , Construction and Firefighting industry. 21 Years of exp. seeking suitable Managerial positions. No visa issues. Immediate joining.

Contact 98469311 Email:sebin30@yahoo.co.in Indian male 26 , graduate in mechanical engineering having 2 years experience in fabrication production filed in India, looking for a suitable job. mobile: +968-91384621 EMAIL : rmekhil@hotmail.com Sr. Sales Executive, Indian Male, Holding Valid Oman DL. Total experience in Oman of 15 years with 4 years Rent a Car Co. experience.

Looking for Opportunities in any Industry for similar sales role.

Contact 95703233 email id “khetani_r@yahoo.com

Well experienced management finance specialist having 18 years experience available for placement.

Contact.95602518 23, Male, ACCA Affiliate, OBU Bsc, 2.5 years of experience in audit and finance in Big 6 Firms, Looking for permanent placement in similar field. Release NOC available. Contact: #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com 22, Male, Indian, BBA (Marketing),1 year experience in India, Looking for suitable placement in Sales and Marketing. #91897046, azzamsiddique1@gmail.com Indian Male,27,ACCA Part Qualified,B.COM with 7+ yrs exp in receivables and credit control in Oman looking for suitable placements. NOC available.

Contact 9657 4343.

Indian Female, Science Graduate, 3 years Experience in Teaching back home. Looking for a suitable job opportunity as a teacher, in Schools in Muscat Region. Contact : 96431456 / 95704814 Indian Male, 25, Chartered Accountant, working with ICICI Bank India.

On a Visit Visa in Oman. Staying with parents at Azaiba.

Ph: 24492638.

Email: shyamal008@gmail.com Looking for a suitable job as Jr. Accountant/ Jr. Administration in a reputed company. NOC Available.

GSM # 93004738.

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, 8 years experience ,Oman driving licence,Noc available. Seek Suitable opportunity.

GSM- 98184170 ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years experience, presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license. NOC available, seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854

Indian female with MBA in finance seeking immediate placement.

Contact: 968-93316493 Civil Engineer B.Sc -6 years experience with constructions companies - 1 years in Oman - qualified as Site Engineer & Planning Engineer .

Contact+968-94682217 ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25 having 4 years experience in accounting & having well knowledge in tally.

Contact:968094535881, 0091 9037622048, Email: vishnuraj889@gmail.com 31 year Indian male PG in HR ,with 5 yrs Professional experience in HR in Construction Oil & Gas Oman seeking for a suitable placement.

Kindly contact me on 93488914, email-Kaarthickshankar@gmail.com Sudanese/26/Bsc Computer Science /3 years exp/skills Excellent knowledge in operating systems and maintaining computers Java Programmer Web Developer Linux SMS solutions Android developer/ email khalid.omx@gmail.com/contact no 944958080 and 99758186.

Civil Autocad Draughtsman part time work for job mob :96023726 Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA, MCSA,MCSE, 2.5 yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 Indian B.E Computer Science graduate 2012 passout. 1 .5 yrs exp. in Accounting. Having good communication skills and mindset to work in a team. Having NIIT certificate in Diploma in Java Technology. # 97767894 Email: jinsonjacobjohn@gmail.com

Chemical Engineer Indian 2 years of experience in production field Contact: 91247222 Email:sahadpoonchola@gmail.com

Indian male 24 YEARS, B.Tech (Electrical & Electronics), having 2 yrs. exp as Electrical Site Engineer. Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications, seeking for suitable placement in any related industries. Contact 98045482, Email: mastanshaik1008@gmail. com

Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact 91033395

Indian male, 24 years, HSE Engineer having 2 years of Indian experience.

Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications, seeking for suitable placement in any related industries.# 98045482

Indian female, MBA, 25yrs Having 4yrears of experience in MNC, hands of experiences in recruitment and administration, flexible for any suitable job placements currently in visting visa.

Contact Tel : 98864639 Email : neethuvijayan06@gmail.com

27, male, ACCA finalist, have professional experience up to finalization of Accounts, Statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally and focus & Oracle Software, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalization, seeking for permanent replacement , GSM-97654769,email idabdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com

Indian Male, 26 Yrs, Business Management, 6 years in Oman.

Knowledge of MS Office and Arabic Language. Seeks suitable position.

Contact 93931935 Indian Mechanical Engineer, 30, having 8yrs of UAE Sales/Business Development. experience in Electromechanical and Irrigation sectors. Contact no- +971558763220 email id-sangowri@outlook.com Indian male, with finance and Law degree, having more than 25 years of experience in Finance/ Accounts / Audit (5 years of Oman experience) seeks suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 98421619.

E-mail: talemadhamu@yahoo.com.

Indian male Executive Secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics & procurement well versed with computer seeks suitable placement. Contact : 99514286 Pakistan Male: 24 years,M.Com Finance having 2.5 year experience as a accountant & marketing executive looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 97670816, E.mail: naeem.ahsan68@gmail.com

SIT.WANTED B.E Mechanical Engineer with 2 years’ experience in HVAC field on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 93442296 Email Id: sal201091@gmail.com.

Indian male 22yr BBA with LOGISTIC Diploma, exp in tally and data entry seeking in suitable placement.

Contact; 90151739 email shakeeb.mp280gmail.com

MBA (F) B.COM Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for full or part time job. Presently on family visit visa.

Contact: - 96259171. Email: bhumicapandya@gmail.com

Mechanical Draftsman, Indian male 27, Diploma in Mechanical Engineering having 7 years of experience in Auto CAD looking for a suitable placement. Contact 97351786 / 96143708 mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

Indian Male, MBA, Talented management expert having 6 year experience at U.A.E, India and Oman in luxury goods and Retail. Seeking suitable openings in related or same field. Contact:92700670 Email: jobcareer44@gmail.com

ACCA Affiliate, OBU Degree, 2.5 years experience in audit and finance in Big6 firm, Looking for permanent placement. NOC release available. Contact: #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com

B.Tech EEE with 4+ years experience in the field of it, networking, ex-tonics etc. presently working in Amazon India development centre as a content quality associate seeking for suitable jobs in Oman. Contact : +91 9940514005, 93116402 email: mail2nbn@gmail.com

MBA Finance with more than five years of experience in Finance & Accounts including GCC, looking for a suitable opening. Having UAE driving license. Contact no..91391802.

Senior Accountant. 8 Years experience. NOC available. Oman driving license. Seek suitable opportunity.

GSM- 98184170

MBA Finance with more than five years of experience in Finance & Accounts including GCC, looking for a suitable opening. Having UAE driving license. Contact no..91391802 Indian 26M, B. Tech Computer Science graduate, 3 years exp in India, looking for suitable job in Muscat.

Contact : 93125669, Email : amritrajGT18@gmail.com Indian Male Nurse with Moh licence & Noc seeking a job with Family Status gsm:95817579.

E.mail:vasudevanv2005@gmail.com Part- Time Accountant, well experience senior accountant ,doing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact 98803439 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 M. Tech VLSI design, B. tech Electronics and instrumentation, Indian female,3 years teaching experience for graduation level students, seeking suitable placements .

Ph:00968 92904155. email-achusooraj@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTED 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 available. GSM- 93787098, Email –anishktr@gmail.com Sudanese/Bsc IT/26/2 years experience/excellent Eng-Arb speaking/ Omani driving license/96387227/ henrykarrar@gmail.com INDIAN MALE 24 YEARS,B. Tech (Electrical & Electronic).Having 2 years experience as Electrical Site Engineer in Constructions. Done IOSH & NEBOSH- IGC certifications.

Seeking for suitable placement in constructions or in any related industries. Contact no: 98045482, Email: shannu.hse@gmail.com

Two year experience in Oman, experience in sales, purchase and system admin, Having GCC license.

Contact number 97475860, Yadhukrishnan08@gmail.com Indian male Accountant, 12 years experience, looking for a full time or part time job, experience in tally also. Contact 98983122 Site Supervisor/ L Driver, Pakistani Male 33 with valid D/L, 4 years experience in Muscat, fluent in English, Arabic looking for suitable place. Contact: 97950869 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

MBA - (F), M.Com, B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for part time or full time job. Presently on family visa.

Contact- 91892264. mail: yv.dixit@yahoo.com

Indian male auto cad draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience seeking for part time job mobile no: 0096899070584, email: remluvp@gmail.com

Admin, having 10+ years experience in Admin/HR/Logistics/Time Keeper, in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat.

Contact- 968 94369965 mail - satya1528@gmail.com

Indian Male, 25, Chartered Accountant, working with ICICI Bank India. On a Visit Visa in Oman.

Staying with parents at Azaibah.

Ph:24492638.

Email: shyamal008@gmail.com

M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 5 , 2 0 1 5

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

SIT.WANTED 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 support, 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 field ( Electrical. Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) N O C available #95253640 . email = hareeshma24@yahoo.com ME Civil- structural Engineer, 8 Years Structural engineer experience, Looking for Structural Designer, supervisor or site engineer Position. Iranian male. #93696929, Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com Indian Male 26 years MCA, MCSE 2012 certified, Microsoft Exchange Server Administration, having 1 year experience in IT/System Administration looking for suitable placement.

Contact Mob : 00968 92745708 Email: nabeelmmkty@gmail.com,

CLASSES

Light duty driver, Young and honest.

Can speak Arabic, Hindi and understand English. Release available.

Ph.92854775 / 93487450 B.Com graduate, 11 years experience in Accounts, 9 years Oman experience , Oman valid driving license, looking for suitable post.

Mob:92758404 NOC Available.

DRIVING

Indian female with MBA on visit visa seeking immediate placement.

Contact - 968-93316493 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 opportunities within finance/accounts/ admin dept.Contact:93953613, allen.mathew83@gmail.com Indian male 27 years B.E & MS Mechanical Engineer working in Delhi for last 4 years inJcb India pvt. ltd., seeks placement in Oman.

Contact: 93393768 Driver looking for job exp 2 yrs.

Contact: 98522914 Female MBA gold medalist, with computer proficiency, Oman driving license looking for job opportunity in event management companies in Muscat. Ph : 99012949 27,male, ACCA finalist, have professional experience upto finalization of accounts, statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally and focus & oracle software, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalization and statutory audit, seeking for permanent replacement ,GSM-97654769,email idabdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years.8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license. NOC available. Seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854

SITUATION WANTED DIPLOMA+B.E.(CIVIL ENGINEER), Indian, 4 years of experience, currently on visit visa; Seeking Right Position. GSM:91570703.

Indian male 23 years Graduate, working as a sales coordinator cum purchase & office coordination 2 yrs in oman Having oman license & NOC looking for suitable job in Muscat Email:yadhukrishnan08@gmail. com, GSM:97475860 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 Male Graphic designer cum animation, non linear editing VFX, seeking suitable position.

Contact: 97792661 / 96229406 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 Indian female LLB (Advocate) 2 years experience looking for suitable post legal advisor company secretary etc. # 93343190 / 94476387 Email: shafu1019@gmail.com

Indian Male, 32 yrs, MBA-HR, Trainer & Faculty worked on Omanisation & nationals development activities with 10 yrs of experience seeking suitable job. Contact : 93891401 saiprasad_18@yahoo.com

Indian Female BSC nurse with 8+ years of experience including 3 years of GCC exp. Oman Prometric passed with 57 %. Currently in Oman. Contact : 98034384

Sudanese 29 male (Bsc computer science,diploma computer engineering), 6 yrs. experience dba oracle pl-sql , ms sql-server ,ms visual studio vba,network Omani Driver licence language English, Arabic# 91415886

Senior Accounts Professional, Indian Male, 36 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin) 9 years in Oman, with valid Oman DL and NOC available. Capable to handle accounts up to finalization.

Contact 9602 3965.

Indian female, 24yrs, M.COM (Accounts) having 3 yrs experience in Accounts, HR, Administration, Customer Service. Good Computer Proficiency seeking Suitable Position. Visa Transfer/NOC Available.

Contact: 99654913

Driver 5 years exp know English, Arabic,& Hindi Education B.A. Contact : 91615715 / 99512270

Indian Male 22 Years , Graduation In Electronics Seeking Jobs In Supervisory , Sales & Sales Co-ordination Fields , Good Communication Skill Contact 96141317, E-mail: akhilek5@gmail.com Piping Design Engineer, Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708/97357143 Indian female B. Com MBA finance ,5 years experience in oman as an account seeking suitable placement.

Contact 99044292

Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking, 1 year sales experience. M. Sc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com Indian lady 30 years Graduate having work experience in India and Oman looking for Admin or any other suitable job. Contact : 95676957

MBA (Marketing /HR) with 45 years exp in business development and marketing, having valid Oman driving license seeks suitable placement currently available on family visa. Contact 97618033 Email: vjgeorge12@gmail.com Indian male 63 years have 30 years Muscat experience all office work sales business development insurance administration accounts with Oman driving license. Contact 99249412 Indian Female Accountant, CA Final (Group I cleared), 5+ year’s experience in the field of Accounts, Audit and Financial ERPs. Currently available in Muscat and seeking suitable job opportunities.Ph:94704800 email id: vinithsavith@gmail.com Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA, currently 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

WEBSITE

Indian male 22 years ACCA affiliate , BSc, Graduate in applied accounting 2 months working experience seeking suitable placement in Finance / Accounts / 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

AVAILABLE

House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Split & widow unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact: 99557080

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. #24793614/ 99314807

Split & window unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact: 96236476

Air condition maintenance installation window AC, split a/c, ducted AC and package type units.

Contact: 98667326

Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

MANPOWER

Leading manpower agency to hire Recruiter from India housemaids.

Contact: 99226093, Email: fesalwardi48@gmail.com

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 A/C Technician installation services. Contact : 92279370

Pest Control Gulfa Intl .LLC. Contact: 92326955

House shifting & packing.

Contact: 99657644 /98518013

Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

General cleaning & Shampooing. Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723/99357908

Supply fixing Wallpapers, all carpets. #99834373 / 6642500 WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance.# 93769089 / 95323517

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517

Pest Control Treatments, Cockroaches, Ants, Rodents & Termites, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723/ 99357908

Indian male, 39 yrs, MSC Computer Science 10 years experience IT support, FMS Engineer, bank experience looking for suitable job. #94276449 Indian, presently on visit visa in Salalah looking for job B.com failed UAE experience in accounts, commercial Admin & warehouse.

Contact: 92754071 /93346931 Email: sathyanathanuk@gmail.com

COMPUTER

One stop shop business services : Public Relation (PRO) formation new companies, LLC companies, Investor visa, business setup, prepare businesses & companies accounts, legal services, representing you and your company. Contact Saleh: 96723485

Used house & office furniture & electronic items.# 99834373 / 96642500 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & antitermite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

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M O N DAY, O C T O B E R 5, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

TOURS

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

SITUATION WANTCARGO

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours Contact- 98029602, 92808636

RENT A CAR

RENT A CAR