Times of Oman - July 6, 2015

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RAMADAN PRAYER TIMINGS IFTAR 7.03PM FAJR 3.58AM

MONDAY, July 6, 2015 / 19 Ramadan 1436 AH

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HM sends condolences to Saudi King

You may have to wait a day for Eid this year

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of condolences to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on the death of Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Musa’ed bin Jalawi Al Saud, Governor of the Northern Borders Province.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere condolences and sympathy to King Salman, praying to Allah the Almighty to rest the deceased’s soul in peace and grant his family patience. -ONA

TARIQ AL HAREMI

K A Z A K H S TA N , C O M O R O S

HM sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Nursultan Nazarbayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the occasion of his 75th birthday.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes of good health and happiness to President Nazarbayev and the people of Kazakhstan further progress and prosperity.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said also has sent a cable of congratulations to President Dr Ikililou Dhoinine of the Union of the Comoros on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes of good health and happiness to President Dhoinine and the people of Comoros further progress and prosperity. -ONA

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FAITHFUL BREAK FAST AT SULTAN QABOOS MOSQUE

Hundreds of faithful gather at the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque to break their fast in the evening on Friday. Times of Oman photographer O K Mohammed Ali has captured a timelapse video of the men breaking their Ramadan fast.

Cause for hope amid gloom on FDI front

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Oman can improve its FDI attractiveness by taking the right steps amid a general drop in Gulf investment inflow revealed by a UN report. >A2

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Hospitals heaving over ‘fast and feast’ REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com

Dozens of people every day seek medical help due to over-eating when breaking their fast at Iftar

MUSCAT: Dozens of patients are being hospitalised every day in the Sultanate of Oman for overeating at Iftar during the Holy Month of Ramadan, medics in Muscat said.

“We see an influx of patients with gastrointestinal ailments even after repeated warnings of not to feast after fasting. Of course, we agree that, after long

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hours of fasting there will be an urge to eat more. But many fail to follow the rules. They overeat and rush to us for help,” said Basheer A., senior internist at Badr Al Samaa, Ruwi.

25 patients “At our centre, we receive around 25 patients daily with overeating ailments after fasting during the Holy Month. Last year also, it was the same.

“We advise people to control

the eating after fasting. But it seems that our advices fall on deaf ears,” Basheer said, adding that people should eat in stages while breaking fast and should not over stuff themselves.

The senior intern added that majority are admitted for indigestion, bloating and other stomach-related problems.

Another medic at Atlas hospital in Ruwi said that they also receive patients with gastric problems during Ramadan. >A6

MUSCAT: Omanis and others fasting for the Holy Month of Ramadan might have to wait one day longer for Eid Al Fitr, according to an official from the Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs.

“Seeing the moon on the 29th of Ramadan (July 16) will be difficult, but not impossible. The moon sighting monitoring team will look for the moon on the 29th of Ramadan (July 16), despite the difficulty in seeing it,” said the official.

“The reason being that the time difference between the moonset and sunset will be only eight minutes, which is not enough to view the moon, whereas on Friday the 30th Ramadan (17th July), the moon will take 52 minutes to set,” he explained. Moonset is the process in which the moon goes below the horizon.

Further, the official said, that although it will be difficult to see the moon, there is still a slight possibility that it will appear on July 16. On July 17 (30th Ramadan), the official noted that seeing the moon is not necessary, since Ramadan is only for 30 days and Shawwal comes after it.

The astronomical new moon is predicted to appear on July 16, while the first day of Eid Al Fitr could be on either on July 17 or 18.

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M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015 Comparing the new normal with the pre-crisis situation, we observe that the net investment flow is now balanced Fabio Scacciavillani, Chief Economist at OMAN Investment Fund

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Armed forces, SQU ink pact on academic ties MUSCAT: The Command and Staff College (CSC) of the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of academic support and quality assurance.

The MoU was signed on behalf of SQU by Dr Ali bin Saud Al Bimani, Vice Chancellor of SQU and Air Commodore Nasser bin Hamdoon Al Harthy, Commandant of the SAF-CSC. The MoU aims to promote academic cooperation between the two sides in the areas of policies, academic systems, curricula, qual-

ity assurance, promotion of research cooperation in the areas of evaluating research projects and curricula and methods of scientific research, as well as technical and technological cooperation to increase the prospects of scientific knowledge and professional quality.

The agreement also aims at training and qualifying human resources of both sides in various scientific and technological fields, organising and benefiting from conferences, seminars, training courses, workshops and other events, in addition to exchanging information.–ONA

Reasons for hope amid gloom on the FDI front Investment report 2015 According to the UN report Oman’s FDI inflow of nearly $1.2 billion in 2014

(in US dollars)

Oman’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inward

FDI inflows top five economies, 2014

Outward

FDI FLOWS

Above $10 bn

$1.6 billion

$0.1 to $0.9 bn

Below $0.1 bn

FDI STOCKS

874 m

15,861 m 2011

1,233 m

1- TURKEY ($12.1 bn) 4,029 m SYRIA

is down from the previous year’s

$1.0 to $9.9 bn

1,040 m

16,901 m

5- LEBANON ($3.1 bn)

4- IRAQ ($4.8 bn)

2012 877 m

JORDAN

4,905 m

KUWAIT BAHRAIN

1,626 m

REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: While the United Nation’s World Investment Report 2015 reveals a worrying drop in the Gulf’s inward investment inflows, experts in Oman said that, overall, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) figures indicate an encouraging picture, though much must be done to improve the situation.

“By cutting red tape wherever possible and by adopting best international practices in the legal system, as well as in the labour market, Oman can improve its attractiveness for FDI,” Fabio Scacciavillani, chief economist at Oman Investment Fund, told Times of Oman.

According to the report, Oman’s reported FDI inflow of nearly $1.2 billion in 2014 is down from the previous year’s $1.6 billion.

“The headline figures for FDI are notoriously volatile, especially for small economies like Oman, where one or two large investments could distort the figures for a particular year. “Nevertheless, comparing the new normal with the pre-crisis situation, we observe that the net investment flow is now balanced, while in the past the outwards investments were a mere fraction of the inflows,” Fabio said.

“Unfortunately, we do not have

18,527 m 2013

1,384 m

QATAR 3- SAUDI ARABIA ($8 bn)

6,289 m

2- UAE ($10.1 bn) OMAN

1,180 m

19,707 m 2014

1,164 m

YEMEN

7,453 m

Graphics

Source: UNCTAD

the breakdown between the oil and non-oil sector, which would be useful to refine the analysis, but it is encouraging that greenfield investments attract sizeable funds,” Fabio added.

The economist also said that, by and large, Oman is an economy that is financially well integrated into the global economy, with an FDI stock equivalent to a quarter of GDP and a growing willingness

by Omani firms to venture abroad.

The UN’s investment report reveals that the Gulf economies attracted some $20.7 billion in 2014, down from $22.5 billion in 2013.

As a consequence, their share of the inflow of FDI has fallen from 50.3 per cent in 2013 to 48.1 per cent in 2014.

An official from World Wide Business House, an international business advisory firm in Oman, said that the fall in foreign direct investment in Oman has to

be addressed. “The Sultanate tries to attract investors by offering tax incentives and customs duty exemptions. The country benefits from a great political and macroeconomic stability.

“However, the access to a limited number of sectors and the various policies and regulatory pressure applied by the government, are some of the hindrances to foreign investments,” Dr Anchan C K, managing director at World Wide Business House, told Times of Oman. “Oman certainly has a great potential to attract FDI, however, serious methodology and structured strategies have to be adopted, as FDI inflows represent a commitment on the part of investors to particular entities and industries and growth of the economy,” Anchan added.

Meanwhile, the UAE and Saudi Arabia made up an extraordinary 87 per cent of the total inward

FDI in the Gulf last year. As per reports, the UAE’s gross domestic product (GDP) is projected at $440 billion in 2015, up from $416 billion in 2014. This translates into a growth rate of 4.4 per cent, which is undoubtedly a great trend for investors.

Following recent lackluster growth in the global economy, this year’s report shows that FDI inflows in 2014 declined 16 per cent to $1.2 trillion. However, recovery is in sight in 2015 and beyond.

FDI flows today account for more than 40 per cent of external development financing to developing and transitional economies.

Yet FDI flows to West Asia maintained their downward trend in 2014 for the sixth consecutive year, decreasing by 4 per cent to $43 billion. Turkey remained the largest FDI recipient in the region, with flows registering a 2 per cent decrease to $12 billion.

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Sohar to get rehab centre for addicts NEW CENTRE FOR DRUG REHABILITATION

The rehabilitation

Main entrance

Outdoor recreation area Parking (49 vehicles)

There are minor challenges with detailed design production such as variations and approval...

It requires close follow-up

spread over 40,000 square metres, and cost OMR1.6 million.

It is being established by the Ministry of Health and Jusoor,

Ali bin Saleh Al Hashar

a social body

Chief executive officer of Jusoor

SOHAR Muscat

Reception Ambulance

3

2

“With preliminary design from the MoH, an engineering consultant for the detailed design was selected in mid-January 2015,” he said, adding that SEMAC Engineering Consultancy was awarded the tender for designing the project in March this year.

“The design is proceeding smoothly as per the plan with the consultant.

The construction tender as well as excavation work are expected to start in the last quarter of the current year,” the official said.

First phase According to Jusoor’s construction plan, in the first phase, the centre would include four units for the rehabilitation of patients with a capacity of 40 beds, a multipurpose hall with a playground for interior sports and training workshops, meeting halls, prayer rooms, computer halls, a medical clinic, a building for security, a building for administration, external green spaces to provide comfort and external sports courts.

NAT I O NA L C R I S I S

HEALTH ALARM: Diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin, resulting in elevated blood sugar levels.

Number of diabetics expected to reach 350,000 by 2050 Staff Reporter MUSCAT: By 2050 there are expected to be 350,000 individuals in Oman living with type 2 diabetes, a new research has predicted.

A study recently reported in the Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal examined two decades of diabetes research throughout the Sultanate. The analysis revealed that currently Oman has an estimated 80 to 90,000 type 2 diabetics, but at the current rate of growth this will increase by 174% within 35 years.

“The Government should expect to care for many people with diabetes; 350,000 by the year 2050. That means a huge financial burden for the Government in the years to come, which may not be economically sustainable,” said Dr Jawad Al Lawati, the study’s first author and a researcher at the Oman Ministry of Health.

Not aware The study also revealed that two out of three Omani diabetics were not aware that they had diabetes and are not receiving medical care. Dr Jawad noted that this was a particular concern, since a lack of treatment can lead to a faster progression of the disease.

He speculated that the reason type 2 diabetes often goes unrecognised is two-fold. “On the one hand, it is a silent disease and is without clear symptoms for the first five to seven years,” he said.

“On the other hand” he added, “there are no sufficient largescale educational programmes in Oman to increase awareness

about this silent, but serious condition. People do not usually have a periodic blood test, so the disease often remains undiagnosed until a diabetes-related complication strikes.”

Unexpected findings Dr Jawad and his research team were surprised to find a higher national rate of type 2 diabetes among men, than women.

As Omani males are often seen playing football in public parks and on beaches, and the prevalence of obesity is reportedly greater among Omani women, the researchers expected the opposite results.

“Our findings may have to do with males being busier with work and participating in fewer healthy activities, or there may be genetic reasons which we don’t yet know of,” said the author.

More studies are needed to investigate the relationship between gender and diabetes in Oman.

Dr Jawad suggested that these programmes include strategies, such as controlling children’s advertising for unhealthy foods, taxing high-calorie foods, implementing more physical activities in schools, and creating public spaces that are safe and conducive to exercise.

Type 2 diabetes is reported to account for 90–95 per cent of diabetes cases worldwide. While type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, type 2 generally develops in adulthood and is preventable through maintaining a healthy weight, eating a well-balanced diet and exercising regularly.

Al Hashar noted that the approvals of the detailed design and contractor tender awarding are expected in August 2015.

The excavation will start in September 2015 and the project is expected to be completed in March 2017, he added.

Jusoor says that the project aims at bridging the gap between the services provided by the MoH and the support given by the private sector for treating drug victims and integrating them into the society.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the MoH was signed in 2014.

Asked about the challenges facing the implementation of the project, Al Hashar said, “There are minor challenges with detailed design production such as variations and approvals of the centre’s different facilities plus the alignment between the project’s partners for the approval of the technical specifications.”

“These procedures could influ-

Ends March 2017

1

Shade

5 villas with

40

Mosque

beds

The centre will include

External green spaces to provide comfort

Counselling area

Meeting halls Prayer rooms Computer halls

5 Swimming pool

4 Workshop

Source: Jusoor

MUSCAT: Ground will be broken this year for a drug rehabilitation centre in Sohar, bringing hope to addicts and their families gripped by the growing problem of drug abuse. The rehabilitation centre is being established in a joint effort by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Jusoor, a non-profit social responsibility organisation formed

by Orpic, Sohar Aluminium and Vale, which aims to contribute to the development of the community through sustainable social projects.

The centre would be spread over 40,000 square metres, with the construction cost amounting to OMR1.6 million.

In an exclusive interview with the Times of Oman, Ali bin Saleh Al Hashar, chief executive officer of Jusoor, said the project commenced last January with the formation of a committee from both sides to arrange for planning and implementation.

Starts September 2015

Parking (36 vehicles)

centre would be

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI elham@timesofoman.com

Construction

ence the progress of the project. It requires close follow-up and cooperation which is being done thoroughly at the moment,” he said.

According to Jusoor, the centre is expected to offer training and rehabilitation services for the patients to reduce the risk of facing setbacks and to improve the functioning of those who recover from addiction.

Social problems One of the expected results of operating this centre is minimising the risk of diseases and medical and social problems associated with addiction to drugs and psychotropic substances and reducing the potential risk of death due to overdose.

The project has been hailed by a number of authorities, including the National Commission on Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Affairs.

“It is a good initiative, which will contribute to the community,” Dr Mahmoud Zaher Al Abri, the com-

mission’s secretary, told the Times of Oman.

According to Dr Al Abri, the total number of drug addicts registered by the end of 2013 was 4,079.

The figure reached around 5,000 in 2014. However, the actual figure could be higher.

The number of addicts has been increasing and the average age of those affected is coming down, he said.

Oman is preparing a national strategic plan to tackle the scourge of drug abuse. The plan is being drawn up jointly by a number of authorities and is expected to be finalised in the coming months.

Apart from the drug rehabilitation centre, Jusoor has been implementing a number of projects to contribute to the development of the local community.

“Jusoor is committed towards the local community throughout its several sustainable projects. As part of its corporate social responsibility, it develops several projects every year,” said the chief execu-

Multi-purpose hall with a playground for indoor games and training workshops

Each villa has an area of 723m2 Graphics

tive officer of Jusoor. The projects could involve all the three founding companies or two of them.

Even an individual company can be interested in a certain project, Al Hashar added.

Major projects “Currently, there are certain sustainable social projects undergoing at Jusoor, such as the construction of investment buildings for the Al Wafa Centre in Sohar, the development of Fizh Park together with maintenance of two falajs of Falaj Al Qabail in Sohar and Al Subakh in Liwa as well as the internationally award-winning project called Narjis for Industrial Tailoring,” Ali bin Saleh Al Hashar added.

Jusoor founders also have the freedom to select their own project of interest such as the construction of investment buildings for the three clubs of Sohar, the Al Salam and Majees Project – adopted by Sohar Aluminium and Orpic, Al Hashar explained.

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MON DAY, JULY 6, 2015

TODAY’S DUAA ‘O Allah, on this day, help me with its fasts and prayers, and keep me away from mistakes and sins of the day, grant me that I remember You continuously through the day, by Your assistance, O the Guide of those who stray.’

Part of the covenant with which Allah has bound the Muslim nation requires it to deal with other people on the basis of absolute justice which is never affected by feelings of love or hatred, or by a relationship, interest or feelings of any type, explains AFTAB H. KOLA

The concept of Justice in Islam

T

he Holy Quran stresses justice to be a supreme virtue. The cornerstone of the tenets of Islam is administration of justice. According to a saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him), Almighty Allah says, “O My slaves, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you. So avoid being unjust to one another.”

(Saheeh Muslim).

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) declared: “There are seven categories of people whom God will shelter under His shade on the Day when there will be no shade except His. (One is) the just leader.” (Saheeh Muslim).

Little wonder then that Islam stresses on delivery of justice. (Saheeh Muslim). The Holy Quran further states, “God commands justice and fair dealing ...” (Quran 16:90).

Thus justice is one of the underpinnings of the order that has been established by Allah.

This reality is also a foundation of a healthy social order. The Holy Quran considers justice to be a supreme virtue and it is a basic objective of Islam to the degree that it stands next in order of priority to belief in Allah’s exclusive right to worship (Tawheed) and the truth of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) prophethood.

Allah says in that regard, “O, You who believe! Be upright for Allah, witnesses to justice; and do not let your hatred of a people move you to a position where you are unjust.

Be just, that is closer to piety. Be mindful of Allah! Verily Allah is well informed concerning all that you do.” (Quran 4:135). And in another passage, the Holy Quran says, “O you who believe, be upright for God, and (be) bearers of witness with justice!...” (Quran 5:8).

Therefore, one may sum up that justice is an obligation of Islam and injustice is forbidden. The centrality of justice to the Quranic value system is displayed by the following verse: “Let not the hatred of a people swerve you away from justice. Be just, for this is closest to righteousness…” (Quran 5:8).

With regard to relations with non-Muslims, the Holy Quran further states: “God does not forbid you from doing good and being just to those who have neither fought you over your faith nor evicted you from your homes...” (Quran 60:8).

The scholars of the Holy Quran have concluded that these rulings apply to all nations, followers of all faiths, as a matter of fact to all humanity.

According to the Holy Quran, justice is an obligation. That is why the Prophet (PBUH) was told: “…If you judge, judge between them with justice…” (Quran 5:42) “We have revealed to you the scripture with the truth that you may judge between people by what God has taught you.” (Quran 4:105).

Furthermore, the Prophet (PBUH) was sent as a judge between peoples, and told: “…

Say: I believe in the Scripture, which God has sent down, and I am commanded to judge justly between you...” (Quran 42:15). Thus, justice represents moral rectitude and fairness, since it means things should be where they belong.

The very fact that two of the attributes of Allah are closely linked to justice, apparently, underscores the significance of imparting justice to all. The two attributes are the Just (Al-Adil) and the Dispenser of Justice (AlMuqsit).

The Holy Quran commands, “Allah commands justice, the doing of good, and liberality to kith and kin, and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, that ye may receive admonition.”

(Al-Nahl 16:90).

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) underscored the importance of rulers being just in one of his famous sayings.

The Holy Quran warns believers against subjective factors or personal emotions leading them to deviate from the path of justice, which is also the path of Islam, but it weighs heavily upon those who are required to adjudicate in disputes or to give judgement on other issues.

“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: That is nearer to piety, and fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do.” (Al-Maidah: 8).

The Prophet (PBUH) himself, when he was called upon to judge between litigants in civil matters, warned that one of them might be more eloquent in putting his case than the

Hadith of the day ZAID IBN KHALID JUHNI related that the Prophet (PBUH) said: He who provides for the breaking of the Siyam of another person earns the same merit as the one who was observing Siyam diminishing in any way the reward of the latter (Tirmidhi)

other and thereby achieve an unjust settlement. “In such a case,” the Prophet (PBUH) said, “I will have given him a portion of hellfire.” This is clearly a grave matter indicating that those who seek justice must themselves practise it without deviation even to their own hurt.

For a Muslim, his yardstick in his life is the Holy Quran together with the example of the Prophet (PBUH) and their reflection in the human heart. There is no higher aim for the Muslim than the cultivation of a God-fearing heart. From the sound heart comes sound judgement.

Once Fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib’s (RA) shield went missing after the battle of Siffin. He found it with a Christian man and it was instantly recognised by many because of its distinctive decorations and markings.

Ali, who was already Caliph at the time, took the man to the judge as per the Islamic ruling instead of simply confiscating the shield. The judge asked the Christian man to respond to the allegation of the Amir al Mukminin (the Governor of the Muslims).

The Christian claimed that the shield was his, but also that Amir Al Mukminin was not a liar. To this, Ali replied that the judge had no right to refer to him as the “Amir al Mukminin” when he was appearing before the judge as a normal citizen. He went on to say that the Christian man was in the right because Ali had no evidence with him.

The judge ruled in favour of the Christian, who took the shield and left. A few steps later, he came back, and he said “I bear witness what I saw now is the justice of Messengers and Prophets.

And the Amir Al Mukminin went to the judge to take his rights from me! I bear witness there is no one worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad SAW is the Messenger of Allah.”

After embracing Islam, the man admitted, “The shield is yours. I followed the army, and in a certain time I took it from you.”

According to a saying of the Prophet, (PBUH) Almighty Allah says, “O My slaves, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you. So avoid being unjust to one another.” (Saheeh Muslim).

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‘Even a small contribution matters’ The Islamic Information Centre, explains to nonMuslims the teachings of Islam and its practices, and provides support to new Muslims in Oman

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: ‘Many a little makes a mickle’ may well represent the source of inspiration for a longserving volunteer at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, who has kept her passion alive until now.

When Farida Saif Al Jabri attended one of the speeches of the late Sheikh Khalfan Al Esry many years ago, she thought to herself that though she might not be a public speaker, she could do something else, no matter how small, to make a difference.

Al Jabri was involved in activities related to promoting Islam, even before the opening of the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in 2001, so when she was offered the opportunity to pursue her passion at the mosque, she did not hesitate.

Since then, she has been working as a volunteer at the Islamic Information Centre, which explains to non-Muslims the teachings of Islam and its practices, and provides support to new Muslims in Oman.

“The late Sheikh Khalfan was one of the founders of the centre and was the one who inspired me.

If you are not a public speaker, at least you can do something else to support it,” Al Jabri told Times of Oman.

She said that when the centre

OMAN EXPERIENCE: The visitors are impressed by the hospitality and generosity of Omanis during their visit to the country.–Supplied photo

first opened, the number of visitors was not very high, but now hundreds of visitors are received every day. “The centre was set up before 9/11. After 9/11, our activities increased because there were a lot of misconceptions about Islam,” said Al Jabri. She says that visitors include foreign tourists, who have a different idea about Oman and some misconceptions about Islam, as well.

“They usually have so many questions about why women should cover themselves and whether it restricts their freedom. Some also ask if women in Oman have the right to education and whether or not they can drive.

They also ask whether women can choose their husband or not,” said Al Jabri. Volunteers at the centre do their best to provide correct information about Islam, and also the Sultanate, she noted, adding, “We try to separate certain cultural issues and traditions which are mixed with Islam.”

Visitors’ questions are answered in a friendly atmosphere and visitors are treated with Omani halwa

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and kahwa, said Al Jabri.

Many of the visitors are impressed by the hospitality and generosity of Omanis during their visit to the country, she added.

Al Jabri says she has experienced many unforgettable moments, though one of her most pleasant memories which always brings ‘tears of joy’ to her eyes is when a non-Muslim embraces Islam by reciting ‘shahada’, which is a Muslim profession of faith.

Volunteers at the centre provide essential support to new Muslims.

“The number of volunteers change throughout the year, but currently there are around 60 volunteers. Some 20 to 25 of them are men and the rest are women,” Al Jabri said.

These volunteers, who are described as a ‘treasure’ for the centre, are from different countries

and speak different languages to assist with communications, including English, Italian, French, German and Tagalog, she said.

Some 15 to 20 of the volunteers are foreigners, she added.

Al Jabri finds it ‘difficult’ to explain her feeling and the joy she receives from her job, but says it is a very ‘fulfilling’ experience and thinks it is the duty of every Muslim to invite others to Islam.

She also encourages more people to join the centre as volunteers, saying they can visit the centre and fill out a form to register.

Food, clothes distribution The centre is also involved in a number of other activities, especially during Ramadan, such as the distribution of food and clothing to people from less privileged backgrounds.

“We distribute food through Fareeq Al Istiqama Al Khairi, which has been authorised by the ministry of social affairs,” Al Jabri said.

Offering assistance is not only limited to Ramadan, having benefitted as many as 3,500 families,

she added. “We receive donations from families and organisations, and then volunteers, including children and young people, do the packing,” said Al Jabri, inviting more volunteers to join the team.

She noted that the point of collection is Al Tawbah Mosque in Ghubra, and also certain boxes with the logo of Fareeq Al Istiqama Al Khairi are available in some malls and local shops to collect money donations.

The centre also hosts Iftar gatherings during Ramadan and invites both Muslims and non-Muslims, Al Jabri said.

Further, she mentioned that the centre has a gift shop and coffee shop, where visitors can purchase gifts, with their money being used to print books and fund other activities at the centre.

The working hours of the Islamic Information Centre are 9 am to 11 am and 5 pm to 8 pm.

The centre’s working hours during Ramadan are the same in the morning, while the centre is opened as required during the evenings.

The centre was set up before 9/11. After 9/11, our activities increased because there were a lot of misconceptions about Islam. They usually have so many questions about why women should cover themselves and whether it restricts their freedom Farida Saif Al Jabri

Volunteer at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

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Assistive technology empowering people with disabilities at work

sources at the Information Technology Authority, left, and Sheikha Al Jassasi working in the ITA media department.- Photos: O K Mohammed Ali

tor General of Human Resources at the ITA, says Al Jassasi and another blind employee, Ali Al Amri, were not just hired in accordance with the law but because they were also top graduates at Sultan Qaboos University who would benefit the organisation.

“We believe everyone has something to give. If they can be creative, if they can be flexible at work, if they are willing to learn more in their fields, then ITA is welcoming and encouraging those talents.

Sheikha and Ali are both brilliant and they exceeded our expectations,” he explains.

ees and employers need to be assessed to ensure they have the right assistive technology so they don’t invest in the wrong kind, but when the proper technology is provided, it can make a big difference for people with disabilities on the job.

“We have to provide the right technology that can help [employees with disabilities] function better,” she explains.

Baabood encourages employers to follow the Omani labour law which states that 2 per cent of employees should be people with disabilities, and also recommends they hire people who will be able to live up to their potential and not just fill quotas. “You don’t want the person to feel frustrated or feel that they are just there because they are disabled. We want them to feel that they are valued and they are working because they are needed,” she says.

Ahmed Al Ramadhani, Direc-

Worth the investment The ITA had to invest in some Assistive Technology such as voice activated elevators and special computer applications but Al Ramadhani says it was well worth it. He says in the future the organisation would be happy to hire other people with disabilities, assuming they had the talents and skills required, and invest in technologies to help them.

“They’re our employees so definitely the ITA will invest in them.

The investment wasn’t really an issue for the ITA since the ITA encourages the use of technology in all levels. The ITA even subsidises some equipment for other organisations, the blind organisations and those who are in need of such technologies,” he says.

Al Ramadhani says it’s important for companies to empower employees with disabilities so they can perform to their utmost potential and he encourages other organisations to hire talented peo-

Assistive technology has come in a big way to help persons with disabilities and assisted them excel in their fields BIG HELP: Ahmed Al Ramadhani, Director General of Human Re-

SARAH MACDONALD

sarah@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Sheikha Al Jassasi types something on her laptop and a voice reads “w w w dot google dot com.” The voice helps her navigate to the search bar, and then reads out the results as she clicks through them.

For Al Jassasi, who has been blind since birth, this voice makes using a computer possible.

Al Jassasi, who started as a translator and now works in the media department at the Information Technology Authority (ITA), says Assistive Technology has made a world of difference in the workplace. Her iPhone and computer both have voice applications that help her read emails and other documents, identify phone numbers, and use programmes like the camera and YouTube.

“The technology is giving us a great opportunity to use our talents and work independently. I can use the computer as any normal

person can use it and I can do my job as any other person,” explains Al Jassasi, who has a degree in English translation from SQU. Aisha Baabood, Executive Director of the White Hands Centre of Assistive Technology and Rehabilitation, says there are many devices available to help people with disabilities.

Braille computers For people with visual impairments there are Braille computers, voice applications to read text, screen readers and magnifying devices, just to name a few. People with hearing impairments can use applications on their phones that translate sign language into text for others to read.

People with mobility impairments or paralysis have a variety of wheelchairs now, some which are equipped with technology to allow users to access computers.

Baabood says both the employ-

ple with disabilities and invest in them as the ITA has done.

“My advice to them is to not hesitate to recruit these people because they are at the end our brothers and our sisters so we have to find a place for them in the society and in the workplace and business environment. Each one of them has certain capabilities where they can really give more in that field... and there are technologies in the market to allow them to do their jobs,” he says.

Barka Shahbal Al Bakry, a founding member of Al Noor Association for the Blind, says the situation for people with disabilities in Oman has definitely improved over the years. There are more associations catering to different disabilities and more education and work opportunities.

She says more progress has been made in terms of education and employments. Until 2002 Oman used to send blind people to study in Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia but the education was minimal.

“The education they received was very basic and did not prepare them for employment. As a result until five years ago most of them were employed as telephone operators. With development of technology, this profession is no longer in demand as it used to be, so we had to look for alternative opportunities,” Al Bakry explains.

“The development in technology and specially programs for the blind, has made a huge difference and opened new horizons,” she adds.

Now blind people, and others with disabilities, are studying

F I R S T F O U R - L A N E H I G H WAY

Recognition “Slowly we are gaining recognition in the market too. The best employers today [are] the Information Technology Authority (ITA) and Ooredoo telecom company,” Al Bakry notes.

Back at the ITA Al Jassasi says she hopes one day to be in a managerial position where she can be a role model and leader for others in the company. She says disabilities should not prevent people from going out and following their dreams, especially since there are many Assistive Technologies to help them.

She says people with disabilities should work hard to improve themselves, learn how to use the Assistive Technologies, and go out and find the right job opportunities rather than waiting for others to find jobs for them. Thanks to new technology, people with disabilities don’t have to be restricted from the workplace.

“I wouldn’t have dreamed that I would have a job in translation, for example, if the screen reader did not exist. The Assistive Technology has really created many new job opportunities for us,” Al Jassasi says.

R A M A D A N FA S T

Al Batinah Expressway to be partially opened on July 14 Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Al Batinah Expressway, Oman’s first four-lane highway, will be opened partially on July 14.

The 18-km-long stretch of the road connecting Halban Bridge and Barka will reduce the distance for those travelling to the wilayats of Wadi al Maawil, Nakhl, Al Awabi, Al Rustaq, as well as to Ibri via Al Rustaq.

The road is part of a strategic highway connecting Oman to the United Arab Emirates. The route to the UAE will travel through Khatmat Mallaha in Shinas.

The highway has been designed in such away that there are no roundabouts or intersections.

Instead, it has flyovers that do not hamper the traffic flow. One of the strategic projects being implemented by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Expressway, scheduled for completion in 2017, will provide a solution to congestion problem.

more and earning degrees that make them strong candidates for the workforce. Al Bakry says a number of Omanis with visual impairments are currently doing postgraduate studies in a variety of subjects including IT and International Relations. Companies are also recruiting graduates with disabilities who have proven themselves as top students.

ROAD FROM BARKA TO HALBAN

Khatmat Mallaha (UAE border point)

Barka-Halban road will reduce travel time to Rustaq, Ibri and Awabi

Shinas

Enlarged area

Sohar

Muscat

Barka 20km

Nakhl Rustaq Ibri

Al Awabi

Halban

Acidity A1 problem < FROM

“Daily we receive three to five patients with gastric problems,” Dr VCP Mohamed, specialist Internal Medicine at Atlas Hospital Ruwi, said.

A medic in KIMS hospital Oman added, “We receive two or three patients with acidity problems daily during the Holy month of Ramadan,” Shashi Raj, medical superintendent at KIMS hospital, said.

Meanwhile, Nizar Saqafi, a religious scholar, said that contrary to the spirit of fasting, more attention is given to food preparation during this month.

“According to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), “Fast and you will gain health.” But contrary to the spirit of fasting, more attention is given to food preparation during this month.

“This defeats the very purpose of fasting. Ramadan fasting is not only an act of worship to purify the soul from malice and malevolence and feel the hunger of the deprived, but also an act that cleanses the body. This act of purification results in psychological and physiological equilibrium, restoring harmony to the body, mind, and soul,” the religious scholar said.

News reports in the region also show that digestive distress is a region-wide problem during Ramadan. On Sunday, the Abu Dhabi-based news daily The National reported a story on “Iftar gorging leaves hundreds in hospital” and Qatar-based The Peninsula reported “Avoid over-eating during Ramadan” last month.

Quoting medics from hospitals, The National reported that at least 50 patients a day have been treated for gastroenteritis, vomiting, acute stomach pain, inflammation of the stomach.

MO N DAY, JU LY 6, 2 0 1 5

REGION

We know he was a member of a dance club and was familiar with the tourism sector, having worked in it as an events organiser Habib Essid, Prime Minister

SUICIDE BOMBING

Kuwait mulls charging more than 40 in mosque attack KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait is considering charging more than 40 people in connection with a deadly suicide bombing in a mosque claimed by the IS militant group, a security official said on Sunday.

“More than 40 suspects, including a number of women, have been referred to the public prosecution,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

“Now, it is up to the prosecution whether to press charges against all of them or not,” the official said.

The Saudi bomber killed 26 people and wounded 227 in the June 26 attack in the capital Kuwait City. Among the defendants are the alleged driver of the bomber and the alleged owner of the house where the driver stayed.

Last month’s attack was the first in the country to be claimed by IS, which controls swathes of neighbouring Iraq and Syria. — AFP BOOSTING DEFENCE

Iran deploys home-built long-range radar system DUBAI: Iran says it has deployed a new domestically built longrange radar system, signalling a strengthening of its air defences.

Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) air defence force, unveiled the Ghadir phased-array radar in Ahwaz city in southwestern Khuzestan province near the Iraq border, state television said late on Saturday.

Iran says the Ghadir unit is designed and manufactured entirely inside the country and can detect a plane at 600km (373 miles) and a ballistic missile at 1,100km.

In comments suggesting the radar can also identify miniature unmanned drone aircraft, Esmaili was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying: “Discovering and tracking micro aerial vehicles (MAV)... is one of the special qualities of the Ghadir radar system.” — Reuters

Saudi-led air strikes kill 30 shoppers in Yemen market Houthi forces launched rockets against a number of Saudi army positions, including a military airport in the southern city of Najran

SANAA: Air strikes by Saudi-led forces killed 30 civilians in an attack on a market in northern Yemen on Sunday, the Houthi-run news agency Saba said, as UN mediators pushed for a humanitarian pause in fighting that has killed nearly 3,000 since March.

Saba also said Houthi forces launched rockets against a number of Saudi army positions, including a military airport in the southern city of Najran, in response to what it described as Saudi aggression against Yemen.

An Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been pounding the Iran-backed Houthi forces and allied army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh since March in a campaign to restore exiled President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi to power.

Saba said the air strike targeted the Aahem market in Hajjah province, where preliminary figures showed that 30 civilians were killed and an unspecified number of people were wounded.

Citizens targeted “The Saudi targeted citizens while they were doing their shopping at Aahem market,” the agency quoted a security source in Hajjah as saying.

Residents confirmed an air strike on the market but gave no figures on casualties, saying the Houthis closed off the area and were transporting casualties to hospitals. A spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition could not immediately be reached for a comment.

INJURED IN SHELLING: An injured Yemeni man is treated at a hospital on Sunday, following shelling by Houthi rebels and their allies in Aden’s loyalist-held Dar Saad suburb. – AFP

On the attacks on Saudi military positions, Saba said that the Yemeni army launched several strikes on Al Sharafa army camp and the military airport in Najran and on tanks stationed north of the Al Khoba region of the Saudi province of Jizan.

It said one Saudi soldier was killed at an observation tower in Dhahran Aseer, where an armoured vehicle was also destroyed, while a tank was destroyed and dozens of soldiers were wounded at Al Makhrooq post in Najran when it was attacked with artillery and rocket fire.

The fighting occurred as UN envoy arrived in the rebel-held capital Sanaa to press efforts to broker a ceasefire.

UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived in Sanaa for talks with the rebels and their allies on his ceasefire plans.

He told reporters at the airport that he was hoping “rapidly to se-

cure a humanitarian truce” which could pave the way for a “peaceful settlement of the crisis which has turned into a catastrophe.”

On Wednesday, the United Nations declared Yemen a level three emergency, the highest on its scale. On Friday, the United Nations alerted aid groups to be prepared for a possible humanitarian pause in fighting in Yemen that would allow them to deliver help to some of the 21 million people in need.

The United Nations organised a five-day humanitarian pause in May, but aid groups said the truce was not long enough to cover all the need of Yemen. More than 21.1 million people -- over 80 per cent of Yemen’s population -- are in need of aid, with 13 million facing food shortages. More than 2,800 people have been killed in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country since March, according to UN figures. — Agencies

REVEALED

‘Tunisia attacker had worked in tourism’ TUNIS: The Tunisian gunman behind the June 26 attack at a resort that killed 38 foreigners had worked in the tourism industry, Prime Minister Habib Essid said in an interview published on Sunday.

“We know he was a member of a dance club and was familiar with the tourism sector, having worked in it as an events organiser,” Essid told the French-language newspaper La Presse.

Shooting spree Tourists fled in horror as 23-yearold Seifeddine Rezgui pulled a Kalashnikov assault rifle from inside a furled beach umbrella and went on a shooting spree outside a five-star hotel. The attack at Port El Kantaoui, north of Sousse,

killed 30 Britons, three Irish nationals, two Germans, one Belgian, one Portuguese and a Russian. The assailant was himself later shot dead by police.

Both the authorities and relatives later described the gunman as having been an apparently normal young Tunisian who had been keen on breakdancing.

A resident near where his parents live in the town of Gaafour had previously told AFP that Rezgui worked “in tourism in the area of Kantaoui”, where the attack is thought to have been planned, although there had been no confirmation of this from another source.

The attack on the beach and around the swimming pools of the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel was

ZABADANI TOWN

Syrian forces enter rebel-held town DAMASCUS/BEIRUT: Syrian government forces backed by Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement on Sunday entered Zabadani, the last rebel-held town in the Qalamun region on the Lebanese border, state media said.

The advance was also confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, and reported by Hezbollah’s Al Manar television station.

“Heroic army forces in cooperation with the Lebanese resistance took control of the Al Jamaiyat neighbourhood in western Zabadani and the Al Sultana neighbourhood in the east of the city,” state television said in a breaking news alert.

“Operations are continuing

A7

with dozens of terrorists killed and wounded,” it added.

The Britain-based Observatory confirmed that regime forces and Hezbollah had entered the city, adding that army helicopters had dropped at least 12 barrel bombs on the town since Sunday morning. It said at least 14 regime forces and Hezbollah fighters had been killed in fighting for the town over the past 24 hours, along with at least 11 rebels.

Hezbollah’s Al Manar television aired what it said was footage of its fighters and Syrian soldiers entering the town. Zabadani is around 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the capital and was one of the first towns to fall into rebel hands in early 2012. — Agencies

claimed by the IS militant group.

On Saturday, eight days after the deadly rampage, President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a state of emergency, saying the attack had left Tunisia facing a “special type of war”.

Victim of ‘brainwashing’ Meanwhile, Rezgui’s mother claimed in an interview with Britain’s Sunday Times that her son was a victim of “brainwashing” who previously would not have hurt a mouse. “When they told me my son had killed all these people I said no, it’s impossible,” Radhia Manai, 49, told The Sunday Times on Saturday.

“I can’t believe it,” his mother added. “Once there was a mouse in the house and I asked Seifed-

dine to kill it and he refused saying, ‘I can’t kill anything.’

“Almighty bless the victims, all those people and their poor families, and I feel so sorry but I want to tell them it wasn’t my son who did this, it was another Seifeddine.”

Talking at her home in the farming town of Gaafour, she accused militants of “brainwashing” her son and claimed he too was “a victim like all the others”.

“I want to know who is the head of all this, who did this to him and I want them to go to prison or be killed,” she added.

The gunman’s father Hakim Rezgui told the paper his son liked breakdancing and “talking about football -- he liked Real Madrid, Liverpool and Man United”. — Agencies

AIMING FOR PEACE: United Nations special envoy to Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, checks his mobile phone upon his arrival at Sanaa’s international airport on Sunday. – AFP

A8

M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015 We are doing everything possible to make enterprise and innovation easier. We have covered substantial ground in the last 14 months and want to do a lot more in the future Narendra Modi, Prime Minister

INDIA

MINISTERSPEAK

EIGHT MISSING AS BOAT CAPSIZES IN MORADABAD

Locals search for bodies at river Dhela in Moradabad on Sunday. Eight people were aboard a boat when it overturned . - PTI

‘Bringing Dawood back is a matter of doing, not talking’ AHMEDABAD: Union Minister of State for Food Processing Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti on Sunday said the issue of bringing back underworld don Dawood Ibrahim to India was a “matter of doing and not talking.”

To a query by reporters here that the Centre wants to bring back Dawood to India, but his aide Chhota Shakeel has reportedly said the government cannot nab him, Jyoti said much more has been spoken on the issue.

“This is a matter of doing, not talking,” she further said.

Willing to surrender Notably, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani had recently stated that Dawood, a key accused in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, was willing to surrender to Indian authorities but Sharad Pawar, the then chief minister heading

D I G I TA L D I A L O G U E

PM promises to make India innovation hub NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday promised to do everything possible to make enterprise and innovation easier so that India emerges as an innovation hub and keeps pace with the fast changing world.

“The world is changing, quicker than ever before and we cannot remain oblivious to that. If we don’t innovate, if we don’t come up with cutting edge products there will be stagnation,” he said in a ‘Digital Dialogue’, and added, “On the part of the government, I assure absolute support.”

Responding to numerous suggestions with regard to digitalisation received through the day on a specially-created platform on social media, the prime minister said, “We are doing everything possible to make enterprise and innovation easier. We have covered substantial ground in the last 14 months and want to do a lot more in the future.”

He said his government wants India to emerge as the innovation hub where the next big ideas emerge, driven by the power of technology.

Encouraged Exhorting people to keep innovating as “innovation is what will help us grow faster”, the Prime Minister particularly encouraged the start-ups, saying they are “the engines of exponential growth, manifesting the power of innovation”. He said that several big companies of today

are start-ups of yesterday.”

They were born with a spirit of enterprise and adventure kept alive due to hard work and perseverance and today have become shining beacons of innovation,” he noted.

To a question on challenges to the road map of Digital India, Modi said, “When we have taken up such an ambitious initiative and that too at such a large scale, there will be several challenges.

“But, we should neither underestimate these challenges nor should we get overwhelmed by them. We must be laser-focused on our Mission and that is what we are doing.”

Talking about the challenges, he mentioned access and affordable access as also skills and knowledge.

“We have to empower our citizens with the skills and knowledge to use digital applications and services. We also have to volunteer time and effort to share digital skills so that our fellow citizens who have recently been digitally empowered get to know how to use this powerful medium and are able to get the maximum out of this medium,” he added.

Another challenge, he said, is reforming the citizen-government interface and the processes of governance.

“A Digital-First model of governance will not only bring in efficiency and transparency but also will also dramatically reduce corruption,” he said. - PTI

a Congress government in Maharashtra, had rejected the offer.

Conditionals However, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief had on Saturday said that Jethmalani had contacted him over Dawood’s willingness to surrender, but conditions put forward for it were not acceptable to the state government. The offer was made during Pawar’s tenure as chief minister in 1990s.

Proposal “It is true that Ram Jethmalani had given a proposal about Dawood’s willingness to return. But there was a condition that Dawood should not be kept in jail.

Rather he be allowed to remain in a house. This was not acceptable.

We said he had to face the law,” Pawar had told reporters. - PTI

Jaitley for GST, land bill passage in next session While the Goods and Services Tax Bill is

The latest data suggest that the investment cycle is slowly turning around and stalled projects are being unblocked at a faster pace. Passing the GST and reforming the land law will accelerate this investment turnaround Arun Jaitley

being scrutinised by a select committee of the Rajya Sabha, the Land Acquisition bill is being discussed by the joint committee

Finance Minister

of Parliament

NEW DELHI: Amid the likelihood of a stormy session of Indian Parliament, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday made a strong case for passage of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) and land acquisition bills saying they were necessary to create jobs and remove poverty.

“The latest data suggest that the investment cycle is slowly turning around and stalled projects are being unblocked at a faster pace.

Passing the GST and reforming the land law will accelerate this investment turnaround,” he said in his Facebook post.

Jaitley’s appeal for passage of

the GST and land acquisition bills comes against the backdrop of the Lalit Modi row that has snowballed into a major controversy involving two senior leaders of the BJP. The monsoon session of Parliament begins on July 21.

With the Congress party sticking to its demand for the resignations of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Vasundhara Raje, the nearly four-week long session of Parliament that is scheduled to last till August 13 is likely to be stormy.

While the Goods and Services Tax Bill is being scrutinised by a select committee of the Rajya

Sabha, the Land Acquisition bill is being discussed by the joint committee of Parliament.

Both the committees are expected to submit their reports at the beginning of the next session.

In his comments on the Socio Economic and Caste Census (SECC), which painted a very grim picture of the rural India, Jaitley said that NDA government was trying to create conditions for accelerating growth to 8-10 per cent through a set of measures. “...the government is creating the conditions for greater private investment: implementing the GST and creating a common mar-

ket, reforming the land law, easing the costs of doing business, and unblocking stalled projects are all measures that will improve the conditions for investment,” the minister said.

The data has revealed that one out of three families living in villages is landless and depends on manual labour for livelihood.

Meanwhile, holding that there was “no chance” of Parliament passing the Centre’s controversial Land Acquisition Bill in its coming monsoon session, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituent PMK on Sunday asked the Narendra Modi-led government to withdraw the bill. - PTI

BOOK

Top cops were discouraged from acting against 1984 anti-Sikh rioters NEW DELHI: Top police officers who undertook rare deterrent action against the killings on the streets of Delhi following the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984 ran into a wall of disapproval from the police leadership, according to a new book.

Some of the most dramatic police action came from additional deputy commissioner Maxwell Pereira, who ordered firing outside Sisganj gurdwara on the morning of November 1. One man was killed in the firing but that firing ended up saving the historic gurdwara.

But what followed left Pereira shaken, Pereira tells journalist and author Sanjay Suri in the book 1984 -The Anti-Sikh Violence and After being released on Tuesday.

“After the incident, I informed the control room immediately that I have opened fire and I have killed a person,” Pereira is quoted as saying.

“These are matters of record, these are matters of importance that have to be known. Especially if you have opened fire, you need to inform the control room. What troubled me was that there was pin-drop silence. There was no response coming from the control room.” Amod Kanth, then deputy commissioner for central district, is quoted as saying there was no direction from police headquarters on dealing with the imminent violence.

Censured Kanth, who ordered firm action in his district, says he was censured for it at a meeting at the police headquarters later. “The discussion was very clear,” he is quoted as saying in the book. “I was told that this was premature.”

In another incident, an inspector from the Delhi Armed Police fired in the air to scare away attackers at Nand Nagri in east Delhi, Shamsher Deol, then deputy commissioner attached to the Delhi Armed Police, is quoted as saying. The inspector was told he would get into trouble for taking action. He immediately went on leave, not before buying three bullets from an army unit in Delhi Cantonment.

“He managed to replace the three bullets fired from the .303 rifle,” Deol is quoted as saying.

“He wanted to show he had actually never fired, he wanted to collect proof that all his bullets were intact. He was saying he had acted against the nation.”

Assistant commissioner of police Keval Singh took early action against looters on the evening of October 31. Seeing the situation go out of hand, he asked for permission at 8.32 pm to open fire.

That permission never came.

Fifty minutes later, at 9.22pm., came a message that he was being taken off duty.

Suri argues that the signals were

REVELATION: Police use a water cannon to disperse Sikh protesters during a demonstration in front

of Congress party headquarters in New Delhi in this photo taken on April 21, 2014. Hundreds of Sikhs protesters demonstrated demanding an action against Congress party leader Captain Amarinder Singh for his remarks on the anti-Sikh riots of 1984. - Reuters file photo

clear from top levels that the police action against looters and killers would not be welcomed.

‘Passive aggression’ Such failure was ultimately ensured by “passive aggression” from Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded his slain mother as prime minister, the book claims.

Suri puts together interviews, records and his own experiences

as witness to make the case that the killing itself was actively organised by senior leaders from the Congress party — unchecked by the top leadership. Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as prime minister on the evening of October 31.

Suri says his firmest action against the killing came at 5.30 pm on the evening of November 2 when he summoned then Lt. Governor P.G. Gavai and said all kill-

ings must end within 15 minutes.

By then, almost all the killing was done, Suri says in his book.

Rajiv Gandhi did make speeches, but “the Sikhs of Delhi did not need to hear speeches on the right thing to do, they needed the right thing done”, says Suri in the book.

He says that Rajiv Gandhi “followed up with decisions that were guaranteed to deny justice later”.

The first such was the order to cut

short an inquiry into the killings by Ved Marwah, later the police commissioner.

That inquiry was on the point of nailing top officers in an official record of widespread police failures.

It was Rajiv Gandhi who ended that inquiry, the book says.

“It’s inconceivable that the prime minister might open the newspaper one morning to find that some junior official had taken such a decision unknown to him.”

The book argues that action against at least some of the guilty was still possible on the basis of two sets of records: one showing police awareness of the violence, and the other the failure to act on that awareness. Taken together these point to criminal negligence that is actionable under the Indian Penal Code, Suri argues.

Specifically, he says criminal prosecution against governmentcontrolled Doordarshan is still possible for “holding the megaphone” to calls for murder.

The book cites records to say that on its own admission Doordarshan broadcast that call 18 times, though Suri says people who watched television that morning say it was more than that.

Prosecution must be launched to bring some official acknowledgment of massive wrongdoing by the government that led to the murder of 3,000 Sikhs in the city, the book says. - IANS

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Medical college dean linked to Vyapam probe found dead The death of Dr Arun Sharma came to light a day after an investigative journalist died under mysterious circumstances soon after he had interviewed parents of a girl found dead after her name figured in the admission and

DEMANDING PROBE: Congress activists staging a day-long hunger strike demanding a CBI probe into the deaths of the MPPEB scam accused in Bhopal on Sunday. - PTI

Since various issues are being raised with respect to the circumstances of this death, it would be absolutely important that a very fair inquiry is held so that all doubts can be put to rest Arun Jaitley Finance Minister

recruitment scandal

NEW DELHI/BHOPAL: The Dean of a Jabalpur medical college, said to be probing fake examinees in the Vyapam scam, was found dead in a Delhi hotel on Sunday, adding yet another murky twist to the scandal.

The death of Dr Arun Sharma, Dean of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Medical College in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, came to light a day after an investigative journalist with a leading Delhi-based news channel died under mysterious circumstances soon after he had interviewed parents of a girl found dead after her name figured in the massive admission and recruitment scandal.

Second dean to have died Police said Sharma’s body was found at a hotel in south-west Delhi’s Dwarka by the staff who opened the room using a duplicate

key after he did not answer repeated knocks on the door.

An almost empty bottle of alcohol and vomit was found in the room. Forensic evidence has been collected and his body sent for post mortem. Asked about reported links of Sharma with Vyapam scam, Joint Commissioner of Police (South West) Dipender Pathak said police is “covering all the angles” in its investigation.

Incidentally, Sharma was the second Dean of the medical college to have died under mysterious circumstances in the last one year.

D. K. Sakalle, who was inquiring into admissions of candidates for whose proxies had allegedly appeared in the Pre-Medical Test, had been found burnt at his residence.

“Dr Sharma was found dead at his room in a hotel in Delhi. We are shocked at the death. He was a very close to Dr Sakalle,” Indian Medical Association (IMA) Jabalpur district president Sudhir Tiwari said.

Tiwari claimed Sharma had

wept at the funeral pyre of Sakalle, claiming the latter had not committed suicide, as concluded by police after investigation.

“I suspect that Sharma too might have been killed,” Tiwari said in Jabalpur, and said he had learnt two days back that the Dean had submitted a report relating to the Vyapam scam to the Special Task Force (STF) probing it.

An investigative journalist with a TV channel Akshay Singh had died in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district on Saturday soon after having interviewed the parents of the deceased girl Namrata Damor, whose body had been found under near railway tracks in Ujjain district on January 7, 2012.

Minutes after the interview, 38-year-old Akshay Singh started frothing at the mouth.

He was rushed to civil hospital and later to a private hospital, but doctors failed to revive him.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said

SUSPICIOUS FOREIGN DHOW INTERCEPTED

The occupants of the ship which the Coast Guard intercepted as a suspicious foreign fishing ‘dhow’, seen off the Alapuzha coast and brought to Vizhinam, on Sunday. A 12-member crew from Iran who were in the dhow have been taken into custody by Kerala police and are being interrogated. A Coast Guard official said that the interception was based on intelligence inputs from central and state agencies, including Kerala police. - PTI

F I N A N C E M I N I S T RY D AY S

Complaint against Lalit Modi over tweets defaming President, aide NEW DELHI: Rashtrapati Bhawan has filed a complaint with Delhi Police against former Indian Premier League (IPL) Commissioner Lalit Modi for posting “defamatory” tweets against President of India, Pranab Mukherjee and his Secretary Omita Paul.

The complaint sent to Delhi Police Commissioner from the President’s Secretariat has screen shots of June 23 and June 25 tweets annexed to it, besides an 80-page file that the former IPL chief, being probed by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged money laundering, had attached to his twitter posts.

The document shows a picture of the president, his secretary and businessman Vivek Nagpal, who Modi alleged, had taken favours

from Mukherjee during his days in the Finance Ministry.

Legal opinion sought Modi had alleged that Mukherjee, in his stint as Finance Minister, pushed Enforcement Directorate to act against him after he raised questions about the shareholding pattern in Kochi franchise of IPL cricket tournament leading to the resignation of Shashi Tharoor from the Union government.

Bassi has forwarded the complaint to the Economic Offences Wing (EoW) of Delhi Police for necessary action, official sources said, adding no case has been registered so far.

Legal opinion is being sought whether the case could be registered under section 499 and 500 of Indian Penal Code for criminal

defamation as the tweets intended to bring disrepute to the President and his office.

The other option available with the Delhi Police could be to approach a local court seeking a restraint order for social networking site ‘Twitter’ to block the page.

According to section 499 “Whoever, by words either spoken or intended to be read, or by signs or by visible representations, makes or publishes any imputation concerning any person intending to harm, or knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm, the reputation of such person, is said, except in the cases hereinafter expected, to defame that person.”

It carries a simple imprisonment for a period of two years or fine. - PTI

A9

the government will write to the High Court-appointed SIT probing the Vyapam scam to “thoroughly investigate” the death of Singh, a journalist with the TV today group.

Fair inquiry Meanwhile, the government on Sunday said that a “very fair inquiry” should be conducted to put to rest all doubts over the mysterious death of TV journalist Akshay Singh while covering the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh even as Congress wanted a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case.

“Since various issues are being raised with respect to the circumstances of this death, it would be absolutely important that a very fair inquiry is held so that all doubts can be put to rest,” Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said.

In a tweet, the minister also condoled the “sad and untimely” demise of the 38-year-old jour-

nalist and said that his “thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved family”. Terming the incident as “extremely shocking” and questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” on “scams”, Congress spokesperson RPN Singh said, “It is very simple for the state government or chief minister of Madhya Pradesh to write a letter for a CBI inquiry and the central government will act on it.”

He said, “If we see the scams — be it the Vyapam scam, the rice scam in Chhattisgarh or what is happening in Rajasthan, with ministers in the Modi government, the prime minister seems to be not breaking his silence.

“It seems that he has given tacit support to all these scams. It is extremely evident.” Congress further alleged that it “seems the Prime Minister is only interested in saving all these people and even when journalists are dying... it seems he tweets on everything in the world except this.” - PTI

MONEY LAUNDERING

Five new FIRs filed in coal scam probe NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) of India has registered five fresh money laundering cases against firms in various parts of the country as part of its criminal probe in the Coal scam case.

The latest FIRs have been lodged by the central probe agency against firms based in Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Delhi, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, official sources said.

They said the ED took cognisance of existing CBI FIRs against these firms before launching separate cases under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). With these new cases, the agency has till now registered over 40 criminal cases in this probe, investigated parallely by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). They agency will now begin the process of issuing summons to the executives and owners of these firms to record their statements even as it plans to attach some assets of these firms under anti-money laundering laws, they said.

Questioned The agency has also questioned former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao who has been named along with other private parties in one of the coal scam probe cases. It has also seized assets worth nearly Rs20 billion as part of these investigations till now.

“Some more attachments of assets, including immovable properties and fixed deposits of those individuals and companies named in the ED FIRs, will be done,” the sources said.

While the Supreme Court is monitoring the probe of both ED and CBI, the special investigation team ( SIT) on black money too is reviewing the overall investigations and coordination between the two central agencies in these cases. - PTI

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PAKISTAN

DNA barcodes to be used curb illegal wildlife trade The Directorate of Biodiversity at the Ministry of Climate Change said that illegal wildlife trade was on the rise as most countries did not employ scientific

A consignment labelled as fish meat was intercepted at a Pakistan port and was tested for its source, using the DNA barcoding with fish-specific primers. Sequence from this consignment matched 99 per cent with those from Lissemys punctata (Indian flap-shelled turtle) — species listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). DNA barcoding helps control illegal trade and smuggling of protected species under false labels, said Directorate of Biodiversity Director Naeem Ashraf Raja

tools for proper identification of protected species

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is likely to employ DNA barcodes — a way to identify species to curb illegal wildlife trade as smugglers come up with new techniques to transport endangered species by mislabelling them.

The Directorate of Biodiversity at the Ministry of Climate Change said that illegal wildlife trade

was on the rise as most countries did not employ scientific tools for proper identification of protected species.

Taking advantage of the loophole, officials on duty help individuals smuggle consignments of protected species, labelled as nonprotected species.

Advanced scientific tools such as DNA barcoding are considered most accurate and precise.

“The DNA barcoding is gaining wide acceptance because of its validity to identify species based on sequence matching,” Directorate

of Biodiversity Director Naeem Ashraf Raja told The Express Tribune on Saturday.

He said that molecular methods including DNA barcoding was being used to detect cross-border movement of endangered species internationally.

In Pakistan, Raja said the same technology was being used to detect endangered turtles, which were being smuggled from the country.

“A consignment labelled as fish meat was intercepted at a Pakistan port and was tested for its

A1 1

source, using the DNA barcoding with fish-specific primers.

Sequence from this consignment matched 99 per cent with those from Lissemys punctata (Indian flap-shelled turtle) — species listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES),” he said.

“The DNA barcoding helps control illegal trade and smuggling of protected species under false pretenses,” Raja said.

He said that since issuance of a notification empowering the Sindh Wildlife Department

to protect turtles and tortoise of Chelonia order, many consignments of turtles had been confiscated.

Recently, over 200 black-pond turtles destined for Bangkok black market were confiscated at the Karachi port and smuggling of turtles of the same species was foiled at the Chinese border, which were send back to Pakistan and were released in their natural habitat.

“Now the smugglers have devised new means to carry out their illicit trade and instead of smuggling live turtles, they smuggle turtle parts by labeling them as fish meat — a legal trade mark,” said Raja.

Intercepted He said that in March a consignment of turtles including shells, bones, skulls and dried meat under the label fish meat was intercepted at the Karachi port. The shipment weighing about 1,900kg roughly comprising 4,000 turtles was worth approximately $60million, Raja said.

These species of turtles are native to the Indus River and listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).— Express Tribune

L I V I N G I N S H E LT E R H O M E S

100 children fall sick after being served unhealthy food ISLAMABAD: Around 100 children on Sunday fell seriously ill after taking substandard food that caused excessive vomiting and partial unconsciousness.

The children sheltered by Pakistan Sweet Homes located in Islamabad were rushed to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for medical treatment, Express News reported.

“The condition of the children is now stable while some of them severely affected are being provided further medical treatment,” said patron-in-chief of the shelter service, Zamarud Khan while speaking to reporters. He further said that the children were served with bread and milk for breakfast and there had been no reports of any contamination in the food.

Food poisoning Meanwhile, spokesperson for PIMS confirmed that the children fell ill as a result of food poisoning.

“About 60 per cent suffered from food poisoning but there condition is now stable,” said Dr Aisha.

Sweet Homes is a project of Pakistan Baitul Mal and works to provide under privileged children a space to live as well as educate and engage them in extracurricular activities. — Express Tribune

S H AWA L VA L L E Y

C U LT U R A L R E S I S TA N C E

Taliban attacks kill 7 soldiers

PEACE OR WAR: In this picture taken on April 22, 2015, Pakistani popular Pashto singer Bakhtiar Khattak, right, records a song at a studio in Peshawar.— AFP

In insurgency-hit Pashtun belt, music embraces words of war PESHAWAR: A lover’s eyes compared to a drone strike, a smile to a suicide bomb and lips to fire.

The violence of Pakistan’s bloody insurgency has been injected into catchy pop lyrics after more than a decade of war against extremists opposed to all forms of song and dance.

Some of the hit songs are regarded as deeply poignant in the country’s Pashtun belt -- but others are criticised as sensationalist, and accused of capitalising on the brutality.

“Come, look straight into my eyes, attack my heart, come destroy everything, come destroy everything,” croons popular singer Rahim Shah in the video to “Shaba Tabahi Oka” (Come On Destroy Everything), as the famous Pashto-language film hero Arbaaz Khan dances.

An actress gyrates her hips in response, singing: “Look at me, bomb my heart, come destroy everything.”

Bombs in her eyes Then the hero, jumping, rolling and dancing, replies: “My Laila is carrying bombs in her eyes, you are killing me with your eyes, your lips are on fire -- your short top is killing me and your trousers are tight.”

The song, which accompanies the popular 2012 Pashto film “Ghaddar” (Traitor), is still a top hit on video websites such as YouTube and Dailymotion.

Pashto is the main language of northwest Pakistan, which has borne the brunt of the country’s bloody decade-long battle with homegrown extremist insurgents -- and the focus of the CIA’s drone

Some of the hit songs are regarded as deeply poignant in the country’s Pashtun belt -- but others are criticised as sensationalist, and accused of capitalising on the brutality missile campaign against militant commanders.

The frequency of the violence people have witnessed in that time has seeped into popular culture, artists say, leaving a sometimes incongruous mark on the region’s cultural output.

In another Pashto movie, “Da Khkulo Badshahi Da” (Beautiful Are Always Crowned), released in 2014, a wiggling actress sings at the centre of a group of armed men, some dancing.

“My lips are sugary, I sing sweet songs,” she says, before singing the song’s title lyric: “I attack with my eyes, as lethal as a drone strike.”

Cashing in on bloodshed Not everyone is impressed. Popular Pashto singer Bakhtiar Khattak said some artists were cashing in on the bloodshed that has become an everyday feature of life since the extremist insurgency rose up in 2004.

“It is true that poets write what they see in society but some film

makers are deliberately mixing violence and vulgarity in songs,” he said.

“Despite substandard poetry, a segment of the society like such songs, it’s now a market trend, they (producers) do it to get more business.”

Other songs set against the backdrop of war, however, are considered moving.

Singer Zafar Iqrar penned a song asking his lover not to return to their home village, abandoned because of an army operation.

“Oh my beloved do not come to the village -- here everyone is mourning, you will feel ashamed -- here, division and hate rule supreme.”

Pashto-language poet and writer Rokhan Yousafzai said the taste for such songs reflected the experiences many people had been through over the past decade.

“No doubt the language is offensive, the scenes are vulgar but despite that ordinary people like such songs and movies,” he said.

“It’s a fact that violence has affected our society, our culture, poetry and film songs.”

Aslam Taseer Afridi, a Pashto language poet and professor of history who also heads a government college in the Khyber tribal district, said the conflict in the region has not only affected music but ingrained itself even in the games children play.

“You see when the kids play, one group act like soldiers and the others act like militants and these are the psychological effects of this dilemma on our society,” he said.

Sometimes singers are inspired to create music for peace.— AFP

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Taliban ambushes and bombings killed at least seven Pakistani soldiers in the northwest as the military made a new push into the militants’ last major stronghold near the border with Afghanistan, intelligence officers said on Sunday.

Pakistan began a major offensive in North Waziristan last summer to drive out Pakistani Taliban and other extremist militants who launch attacks on government and civilian targets.

The army is meeting fierce resistance as it moves further into the lower-lying areas of the Shawal Valley, the Taliban’s last stronghold, military officials said.

Pakistan’s army chief, General Raheel Sharif, visited troops on Friday and said the initial phase around the surrounding peaks of the Shawal Valley was successful and it was now time to begin a final push into the lower areas.

“We will not stop unless we achieve our end objective of a terror-free Pakistan,” he said.

Militants ambushed a military convoy on Saturday in the valley’s

The army is meeting fierce resistance as it moves further into the lower-lying areas of the Shawal Valley, Taliban’s last stronghold, military officials said Pir Ghr area, killing two soldiers and wounding three others, intelligence officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.

The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Azam Tariq saying five soldiers were killed.

The intelligence officials added that troops moving from both the North and South Waziristan sides into the Shawal Valley were encountering tough resistance from militants.

The heavily forested ravines in the area are dotted with Tali-

ban hideouts and the area is a key smuggling route into neighbouring Afghanistan.

Two other attacks in the northwest killed five more soldiers outside the Shawal Valley.

The first, a remote-controlled bomb attack on army vehicles in North Waziristan, killed three and injured six.

A second bomb attack on a military vehicle in South Waziristan killed two others, the military officials said.

The Pakistani Taliban had controlled almost all of the northwestern region of North Waziristan before troops launched their offensive last year. Many militants have fled to other parts of Pakistan, and some into Afghanistan, complicating the US-backed Kabul government’s fight against its own Taliban insurgency. — Reuters

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Paying cash to control gun related violence

HOANG BINH QUAN

n 2007, this city of about 100,000 people, north of Berkeley, had the dubious distinction of being the ninth most dangerous in America. That year saw a total of 47 homicides. In some neighbourhoods, gunfire was almost a daily event.

At one point, the City Council considered asking the governor to declare a state of emergency and send in the National Guard. Instead, in 2007, the city created the Office of Neighborhood Safety. (I am the founding director.) Our mission was simple: To tackle this epidemic of gun violence that was killing so many young men, mostly in our minority communities.

We modelled our approach on “Cure Violence,” a community outreach programme in Chicago founded by the epidemiologist Gary Slutkin.

The Chicago project evolved from the Operation Ceasefire programme begun in Boston in the mid1990s, since replicated in scores of cities across America.

Many of these were successful at reducing gun violence, but we felt that they were too law-enforcement-driven and lacked the social services to help the most vulnerable in our neighbourhoods.

The young people on the streets saw Ceasefire as a police initiative and little more. These were the young men who became our clients, those whom we’d identified as especially at risk - either of being a shooter or of being shot.

This was easier than you might think.

A police liaison officer told us this startling fact: An estimated 70 per cent of shootings and homicides in Richmond in 2009 were caused by just 17 individuals, primarily African-American and Hispanic-American men between the ages of 16 and 25.

We employed street-savvy staff members, whom we called neighbourhood change agents. Think of their work as a kinder version of stop-and-frisk, more like stop-and-blend with the profile subjects, to build healthy, consistent relationships with those most likely to shoot or be a victim of gunfire.

Once we’d identified the city’s potentially most lethal young men, we invited them to a meeting (the first was in 2010). Then came the big innovation of the Operation Peacemaker fellowship programme. We offered those young men a partnership deal: We would pay them - yes, pay them - not to pull the trigger.

The deal we offered was this: If they kept their commitment to us for six months - attended meetings, stayed out of trouble, responded to our men-

toring - they became eligible to earn up to $1,000 a month for a maximum of nine months.

Predictably, this was controversial: Not everyone was a fan of this cash-for-peace strategy.

We had skeptics and critics aplenty, including on the City Council. It was a bold measure, but would it work?

Shyeed, age 19, was one of Richmond’s most wanted. He had been tutored by his father and uncles to regard south Richmond as his. Like all sides in the confused gang wars, he had lost comrades and felt obliged to avenge them.

For Shyeed to attend was a coup for us. He was respected. As another would-be fellow said, “Shyeed don’t fear pulling that trigger.” When I saw him walk into that first meeting, I had imagined him bigger, harder-looking, mean and cold. Instead, he was small and had a great smile.

He was wary at first. Either I was police (because of my haircut), he thought, or a “big pimp” because of my “fine threads.” Either way, he quipped, “Show me how to do you.”

The idea of a cash incentive to change behaviour is not hard to grasp. The social context for our prospective fellows was a laundry list of deprivation and dysfunction: High unemployment, fragmented families, inadequate education and a heavy dose of substance abuse.

The proportion of families living below the poverty level in the neighbourhoods where we focused our efforts was 25 per cent - nearly double the average rate in Richmond.

In most other cities, the law enforcement response to high rates of firearm assaults is stuck in a destructive cycle of police sweeps and mass incarceration. That strategy costs taxpayers a great deal, for little return. In US, it is estimated that in 2012 gun violence cost more than $229 billion. The average cost to taxpayers of every gun homicide in America is nearly $400,000.

In contrast, the costs of our programme were modest. In practice, we have rarely needed to pay the full amount offered under the terms of our deal: Just over half our fellowship participants receive payments, usually in the $300 to $700 range. So if our programme prevented gun deaths, there could be little argument about cost-effectiveness.

It did. In the first year of Operation Peacemaker, homicides in Richmond fell to 22 (from 45 in 2009). In five years of our programme, through 2014, we have seen the number of homicides in Richmond, which had averaged 40 a year, more than halved; firearm assaults in general fell by a similar proportion. - The New York Times

READERS’ FORUM Goods bought at duty-free shops added to total weight This refers to the news report Duty-free buys count in luggage weight, say airline officials and travel agents in Oman (July 4). In my observation, this has been the case with many other airlines for a long time. Many times I have experienced that while travelling if one takes along a carry on and one handbag or laptop bag their weight includes the duty-free goods bought.

— Daniel Nash, Muscat

Duty-free rule a loss for airports

Scan this QR code to send letters to the 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).

This refers to the news report Duty-free buys count in luggage weight, say airline officials and travel agents in Oman (July 4). My reaction to this report is that one should not anymore buy goods from duty free shops considering the fact that they are cheaper in the city’s market.

This will help save paying extra money for the luggage. This rule is a loss for the airports, not for the passengers.

— Shahul Hameed , Muscat

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PICTOGRAPH Oman unemployment

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

The unemployment rate can fall to 4-5 per cent during boom times.

When the economy goes into recession, then unemployment can be much higher sometimes even in the double digits

JULY 2000 Pact signed with Japan to tap mineral reserves The Sultanate and the Japanese government have signed an agreement within the context of a technical cooperation programme between the two governments. According to the agreement, the Japanese government, represented by the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation and Metal Mining Agency of Japan (MMAJ), will conduct a detailed study on the commercial potential of copper and other mineral reserves which have already been discovered in the wilayats of Yanqul and Al Khabourah.

2001

1991

8.7 %

7.5 % 8

6

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Traffic fine counter is before the e-gate at the airport

This refers to the news report Expats must clear traffic fines before leaving Oman, reiterates police (July 4). I believe there is a traffic fine counter before the e-gate. The time taken to clear the counter depends on the time one is travelling.

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WORLD

A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report published on Friday said that investigators had traced nearly $700 million to bank accounts they believed belonged to Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Egypt to take legal action on reporting ‘false’ tolls The military spokesman said 21 soldiers and more than 100 militants were killed in the attacks and ensuing clashes, after security officials said dozens more soldiers had been killed.

The government has accused foreign media who reported the higher death toll of exaggerating troop casualties. “The day of the attack in Sinai some sites published 17, then 25, then 40, then 100 dead,” Zind said.

The law stipulates a minimum twoyear sentence for ‘reporting false information on terrorist attacks that contradicts official statements’

CAIRO: Egypt may take legal action against journalists who report “false” military death tolls in militant attacks that contradict official statements, if a new antiterrorism law is approved, officials told AFP on Sunday.

President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, who called for tougher laws following the assassination of his top prosecutor last week, is expected to approve the law within days.

The cabinet has already approved the draft law. Article 33 of the draft law, published in several

WEAPONS SEIZED: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, centre, inspects weapons, found with mili-

tants, after visiting Sinai peninsula to inspect troops, on Saturday. – Reuters/The Egyptian Presidency/Handout

Egyptian newspapers, stipulates a minimum two-year sentence for “reporting false information on terrorist attacks that contradicts official statements”.

The law also opens up the possibility of deportation and house arrest. Two officials, including Justice Minister Ahmed Al Zind, confirmed the wording of

A1 3

the law. Zind said the law was prompted in part by coverage of IS militant group attacks on Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula on July 1.

‘Reports affected morale’ Zind said such reports affected the “morale” of the country. “There was no choice but to impose some standards,” he said. “The government has the duty to defend citizens from wrong information.”

“I hope no one interprets this as a restriction on media freedoms.

It’s just about numbers (in death tolls),” he said. “If the army says 10 died, don’t report 20.”

The country has been fighting a militant insurgency in Sinai since the army, then led by Sisi, overthrew former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The attacks have killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers, while more than 1,400 people, mostly Morsi supporters, have been killed in a crackdown on protests. — AFP

IN REMEMBRANCE

UK announces memorial for Tunisia beach attack victims LONDON: The 30 British victims of last week’s Tunisian beach attack are to receive a permanent memorial funded by fines on banks, Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Sunday.

There will be a separate site of remembrance for all Britons who have been victims of overseas terrorism, he added.

“Those who lost their lives in Tunisia last week were innocent victims of a brutal terrorist atrocity,” he said.

“It is right that we mark and commemorate them and others murdered by terrorists overseas, appropriately and support the loved ones they have left behind in every way we can.”

Location The location and design of the memorial will be decided over the coming months, said Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, whose brother Jonathan was killed in the Bali bombing of 2002.

The memorials will be funded by banking fines levied by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The final five British victims of the Tunisia beach shooting arrived home on Saturday, on board an RAF C-17 aircraft. — AFP

POLITICAL CRISIS

Malaysia’s opposition demands debate on graft allegations KUALA LUMPUR: Two of Malaysia’s main opposition parties on Sunday demanded an emergency sitting of parliament to discuss Prime Minister Najib Razak’s future as tensions mounted over a report that linked him to probes into alleged corruption involving state fund 1MDB. A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report published on Friday said that

investigators had traced nearly $700 million to bank accounts they believed belonged to the prime minister. Reuters could not independently verify the report.

Najib denied taking any money from the debt-laden state fund or any other entity for personal gain.

However, the pressure was back on him on Saturday after the country’s attorney-general said he had

received documents from a task force investigating 1MDB that were “connected to allegations” that money was transferred into Najib’s account. “With the attorney-general’s confirmation, the WSJ allegation against Najib has assumed an even more serious character and import, sparking a political and government crisis of the first magnitude never seen in Malaysia’s 58-

Don’t litter a beautiful country like OMAN. Ensure proper disposal of garbage.

year history,” Lim Kit Siang, the opposition Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) parliamentary leader, said in a statement. Members of Najib’s party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), have closed ranks behind the prime minister, who had already been on a back foot over the mismanagement of 1MDB and his handling of the economy.

However, the DAP and opposi-

tion People’s Justice Party (PKR) sought to stoke the furore, urging the speaker of parliament’s lower house to call an emergency sitting on Tuesday. DAP lawmaker Charles Santiago said he and 72 others, including representatives of political parties and non-governmental organisations, had also lodged a police report. “We have asked that the police investigate

the WSJ’s assertion that billions were deposited in Najib’s personal account and take necessary actions,” he said.

1MDB, whose advisory board is chaired by Najib, has debt of nearly $11.6 billion. Even before the WSJ report it was the subject of separate investigations by the central bank, auditor general, police and the Public Accounts Committee. — Agencies

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HUNGARY: A general view shows the Red Bull Air Race World Championship as British pilot Paul Bonhomme files with his Edge 540 V2 in Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday. — Reuters

SPAIN Harley Davidson motorcyclists ride through the streets of Barcelona, Spain, during the “Great Flag Parade” of the Barcelona Harley Days 2015 on Saturday. The three-day event gathers thousands of riders and fans from all over Europe. — AFP

FRANCE: People paddle their homemade rafts with bathtubs in the middle as they compete in a race on Sunday next to an artificial beach in the centre of Strasbourg, eastern France. -AFP

CANADA: Vehicles carrying evacuees from wildfires near La Ronge drive south on Highway 2 in Weyakwin, Canada, on Sunday in a picture provided by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways.

— Reuters/Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways

THE NETHERLANDS: A man wearing a Tour de France best climber’s jersey practises flyboarding before the start of the 166-km second

stage of the 102nd Tour de France cycling race from Utrecht to Zeeland, The Netherlands, on Sunday. — Reuters

CHINA: A worker tries to clear blue-green algae from Chaohu Lake, Hefei, Anhui province, China, on Saturday. — Reuters/Stringer

MO N DAY, JU LY 6, 2 0 1 5

WORLD

Officials from the Greek government, which had argued that a ‘No’ vote would strengthen its hand to secure a better deal from international creditors after months of wrangling, immediately said they would try to restart talks with European partners

N UC L E A R N E G O T I AT I O N S

Now is the time to strike Iran deal, says Kerry VIENNA: US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday it was “now time” to seal a historic nuclear deal with Iran as ministers were flying back to Vienna ahead of a looming deadline.

Addressing reporters, Kerry stressed that after almost two years of negotiations and on the ninth day of these latest talks “genuine progress” had been made.

But upping the pressure after three meetings just alone on Sunday with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, he warned the fate of the negotiations still swung in the balance and “could go either way.”

The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Russia and Britain were expected back in the Austrian capital later on Sunday, with their Chinese counterpart possibly due on Monday.

“I want to be absolutely clear with everybody, we are not yet where we need to be on several of the most difficult issues,” Kerry said, standing at a podium in the searing sun, his crutches due to a broken leg by his side.

The global powers -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States -- are trying to pin down a deal putting a nuclear bomb out of Iran’s reach in return for lifting a web of sanctions against the Islamic republic.

EU and US ones -- there was “no agreement yet”.

The deal between Iran and the P5+1 would end a standoff dating back to 2002 when dissidents first revealed undeclared nuclear facilities in Iran. Officials have stressed all week that this is the endgame, and after missing several deadlines they are not planning to extend the quotes again.

Sanctions relief On one of the thorniest issues -- choreographing the nuclear steps to be taken by Iran in exchange for reciprocal sanctions relief -- a compromise may be emerging, at least among experts thrashing out the complex final accord.

“There are still differences,” an Iranian official insisted, however, while a Western diplomat said on UN sanctions -- as opposed to

Finish the job “Extending the talks is not an option for anyone... We are trying to finish the job,” Iran’s lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi told Iranian TV late Saturday, saying there was a “positive atmosphere”.

But he too had warned: “If we reach an agreement that respects our red lines then there will be a deal. Otherwise we prefer to return home to Tehran emptyhanded.” — AFP

If all sides were prepared to make hard choices, then ‘we could get an agreement this week. But if they are not made, we will not,’ Kerry warned, adding that if there was ‘absolute intransigence’ the US would walk away

Greeks on course to defy Europe warning With nearly a fifth of the votes counted, official figures showed 60.4% of Greeks on course to reject a bailout offer from creditors that was the official issue of the ballot. The figures showed the Yes vote drew 40.1%

ATHENS: Greeks voted overwhelmingly “No” on Sunday in a historic bailout referendum, partial results showed, defying warnings from across Europe that rejecting new austerity terms for fresh financial aid would set their country on a path out of the euro.

With nearly a fifth of the votes counted, official figures showed 60.4 per cent of Greeks on course to reject a bailout offer from creditors that was the official issue of the ballot. The figures showed the Yes vote drew 40.1 per cent. An official projection of the final result is expected at 1800 GMT. Argument Officials from the Greek government, which had argued that a ‘No’ vote would strengthen its hand to secure a better deal from international creditors after months of wrangling, immediately said they would try to restart talks with European partners.

“The negotiations which will start must be concluded very soon,

J U LY 4 H O L I D AY PA R T Y

Billy Joel in surprise wedding NEW YORK: US pop legend Billy Joel married longtime girlfriend Alexis Roderick in a surprise wedding Saturday, popping their nuptials on unsuspecting guests at a July 4 holiday party, the singer’s publicist said.

The wedding, which took place on Joel’s Long Island estate, was officiated by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Joel and Roderick “surprised

guests at their annual July 4th party by exchanging vows in front of their family and close friends,” said a statement sent to AFP by Joel’s publicist Claire Mercuri.

Christie Brinkley Among the guests were actor Kevin James and Joel’s daughter Alexa Ray Joel -- whom he had with his second wife, former supermodel Christie Brinkley. — AFP

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Billy Joel

FUTURE AT STAKE: Polling officials count the ballots at a polling station in Athens on Sunday. — AFP

“I believe such a result can be used as a strong negotiating tool so that Europeans can understand that we are not a colony,” said Nefeli Dimou, a 23-year-old student in Athens.

even within 48 hours,” government spokesman Gabriel Sakellaridis told Greek television.” We will undertake every effort to seal it soon.” Euclid Tsakalotos, the government’s chief negotiator said talks could restart as early as Sunday evening.

Many of Athens’ partners have warned over the past week that a ‘No’ vote would mean cutting bridges with Europe and driving Greece’s crippled financial sys-

tem into outright bankruptcy, dramatically worsening the country’s 5-year-long depression.

If confirmed, the result would also deliver a hammer blow to the European Union’s grand single currency project. Intended to be permanent and unbreakable when it was created 15 years ago, the euro zone could now be on the point of losing its first member with the risk of further unravelling to come.

Run out of money Greek banks, which have been closed all week and rationing withdrawals from cash machines, are expected to run out of money within days unless the European Central Bank provides an emergency lifeline.

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is due to meet top Greek bankers later on Sunday and State Minister Nikos Pappas, one of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s closest aides, said it was “absolutely necessary” to restore liquidity to the banking system now that the vote is over. — Reuters

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WORLD

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12 dead in China building collapse More than 50 people were in the fourstorey building in the city of Wenling in Zhejiang province

was reported before the building gave way, Xinhua said.

A total of 53 fire trucks, 302 rescuers and five rescue dogs responded to the shoe factory collapse, the report said.

when it came down on Saturday afternoon, Xinhua news agency reported RESCUE OPERATION: Rescuers looking for survivors in the debris of a collapsed building in Wenling,

east China’s Zhejiang province on Saturday. - AFP

BEIJING: Twelve people died after a shoe factory collapsed in eastern China, state media reported on Sunday, with more than 40 escaping on their own or being rescued.

More than 50 people were in the four-storey building in the city

of Wenling in Zhejiang province when it came down on Saturday afternoon, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Thirty-three suffered injuries, four of them serious, the report

said. Nine others escaped unharmed, it added. The cause of the collapse was being investigated.

“There was no premonition,” the report quoted worker Yang Zhongkun as saying.

“I heard a ‘bang’ and saw the building collapse.”

Yang added that water flowed down from a large fishing pool on the roof of the building, while other employees said leaking water

Lax safety procedures Photos circulating on Chinese social media showed a man being carried on a stretcher by what appeared to be police officers, while rescuers and other personnel stood on top of the rubble.

Building collapses and other industrial accidents are not uncommon in China, where many structures and facilities are old, safety procedures can be lax

and rebuilding has not kept up with the country’s remarkable economic growth.

China’s top safety watchdog in May blamed poor construction and weak safety standards for a fire at a nursing home that left 38 people dead.

In April, almost 30,000 people were evacuated after a fire broke out in a Chinese chemical plant which blazed for nearly 50 hours before the flames were finally extinguished.

And in November, a fire at a coal mine in northeastern China killed 26 workers, in one of the country’s most highly accident-prone industries. - AFP I N C L E M E N T W E AT H E R

Tropical Storm Linfa strikes northern Philippines MANILA: Floods inundated towns in the northern Philippines as Tropical Storm Linfa struck the northern edge of the archipelago, where relief agencies were braced for disaster on Sunday.

The region’s civil defence chief Chito Castro said that at least 11 coastal towns had been affected by floodwaters and swelling rivers as Linfa passed over the area.

“The rain is strong, the wind is strong. Major roads are impassable. Some houses are half-covered (with water), some are completely covered,” he told reporters.

He said there were still no reports of casualties from the storm, but this could be because the focus was on relief efforts.

Power has also been knocked out in large areas of the north, hampering communications.

The storm, packing maximum winds of 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour, is moving northwest at nine kilometres per hour and is expected to curve northwards, moving off Luzon by Sunday evening.

National civil defence chief Alexander Pama said “we have pre-positioned the items necessary” in case the storm prompts any massive evacuations.

The disaster-plagued Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and storms each year, many of them deadly.

Among the worst in recent memory was Super Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the central Philippines in November 2013, leaving more than 7,350 people dead or missing. - AFP INSURGENCY

Suicide bomber kills 5 in Nigeria church attack KANO (Nigeria): A suicide bomber blew himself up on Sunday inside a church in the restive northeastern Nigerian city of Potiskum, killing five worshippers, a police officer and witness said.

The bomber entered the uncompleted Redeemed Christian Church at 9:55am in the Jigawa area on the outskirts of the city in Yobe state and detonated his explosives, killing the worshippers, including a woman and her two children as well as the pastor, they said.

“Four worshippers died instantly while the fifth victim gave up shortly after she was taken to hospital,” a police officer involved in the evacuation told AFP. Disguised as worshipper Witness Garba Manu said the bomber arrived at the church on a motorised rickshaw disguised as a worshipper and detonated his explosives as soon as he entered the church. - AFP

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM MONDAY, JULY 6, 2015

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SECOND QUARTER

Major Omani firms expected to post fall in profits, revenues A. E. JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Major Omani companies that constitute the MSM 30 Index are likely to post a fall in revenues for the second quarter of this year, along with a dip in net earnings, as compared to the same period in 2014.

Revenues among Muscat Securities Market (MSM) Index

companies, including investment holding firms, are estimated at OMR879.29 million for the second quarter of this year, a decline of 2.7 per cent on a year-on-year basis and 3.4 per cent on a quarteron-quarter basis, the Gulf Baader Capital Markets said in a research note on Sunday.

This decline is mainly due to the sluggish trend on the MSM in the second quarter. The decline

in share prices on the MSM has affected the portfolio investment income of all companies.

Earnings of these companies in the second quarter are anticipated to reach OMR163.02 million, a decline of 8.4 per cent year-on-year.

An anticipated fall in earnings is due to dismal earnings estimate from banks, investment holding companies and certain industry and services sector majors.

The total income of MSM 30 Index companies, excluding holding firms, is projected to fall 2.7 per cent to OMR846.49 million for the three-month period,on a year-onyear basis. However, the fall in income is reported to be1.6 per cent, when revenues are compared to the previous quarter.

Further, the earnings of MSM 30 companies, excluding investment holding firms, are expected

to fall by 8.2 per cent to OMR152.2 million, according to Gulf Baader Capital Markets.

Meanwhile, banking sector revenues are estimated to fall by 1.1 per cent on a year-on-year basis, and 0.9 per cent on a quarteron-quarter basis. Also, earnings are set to decline by 4.1 per cent year-on-year and 1.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Banking sector credit addition was estimated

Islamic banks’ finances surge ahead 107 per cent Financing touched OMR1,265.8 million for the first four months of 2015, from merely OMR611.1 million in the same period last year

A. E. JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman’s Islamic banks and window operations have shown a robust growth of 107 per cent in financing at OMR1,265.8 million for the first four months of 2015, from merely OMR611.1 million in the same period last year.

Such robust growth in Islamic finance shows that Sharia-compliant banks are able to establish

themselves in the market and are able to overcome their teething problems. Further, two Islamic banks and window operations of conventional banks have launched innovative products to attract Omani customers, besides opening several branches in different parts of the country.

Total customer deposits held by Islamic institutions also shot up by 194.5 per cent to OMR847.3 million by the end of April 2015, from

OMR287.7 million for the same period last year, according to the latest monthly bulletin released by the Central Bank of Oman.

More branches There has been considerable increases in the number of branches and assets held by these entities.

Islamic banks are opening up new segments and players and,

thus, adding to the competitive environment, not only in terms of efficiencies and innovations, but by also providing consumers the benefit of choosing between both conventional and Islamic banking products.

In Oman, two Islamic banks – Bank Nizwa and Alizz Islamic Bank – along with the window operations of six conventional

banks, have scores of branches across the country.

The total assets of Islamic banks and windows stood at OMR1,371 million at the end of December 2014, an increase of 68.2 per cent over the previous year.

Islamic banking entities provided financing of OMR1,049.5 million as of the end of 2014, compared to OMR434.3 million one year earlier. Together, Islamic banks and windows brought down their combined net losses to OMROMR4.4 million last year, from a net loss of OMR13.86 million in the previous year.

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at OMR700 million in the second quarter, an increase of 4 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter basis.

For the second quarter, the investment holding firms are anticipated to report a significant decline in revenue, reaching 4.3 per cent year-on-year,owing to range bound equity market performances both in the local and regional markets.

Earnings of investment holding companies are estimated to fall.

STOCK MARKET

Phoenix Power to pay dividend; shares firm up Times News Service MUSCAT: Phoenix Power Company board on Sunday announced that it would distribute a cash dividend of 1.7 baisas per share, allocated from the company’s retained earnings from last year.

Those shareholders registered with the Muscat Clearing and Depository Company, as of July 15, 2015, are eligible for the dividend.

Share prices of Phoenix Power surged ahead 1.97 per cent to 155 baisas, amid 10.45 million shares changing hands on the Muscat Securities Market.

There was better demand for the stock, especially from institutional investors.

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M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015

MARKET SOVEREIGN DEBT

Philippines plans to sell $750 million global bonds next year MANILA: Global bonds worth $750 million may be offered by the Philippines in 2016 while seeking to keep domestic funding elevated.

The Asian nation plans to borrow P747 billion ($16.6 billion) next year, and will probably sell P33 billion of global bonds, Treasurer Roberto Tan said in a July 4 interview at the Clark economic zone in Pampanga, a province north of Manila. About P643 bil-

lion, or 86 per cent, will be raised locally as the market remains very liquid, Tan said.

The Philippines has increased reliance on the local market to fund its budget as money supply almost doubled in the five years under President Benigno Aquino.

A steady flow of remittance by overseas workers and revenue from the outsourcing industry boosted liquidity to P7.6 trillion in

May, compared to about P4 trillion at the end of 2009.

“The government has cut foreign debt component to 34 per cent of the total, reducing our vulnerability to fluctuations in the foreign currency,” Tan said in a speech at an event by the National Association of Securities Broker Salesmen Inc. “Ample domestic liquidity has allowed government to source majority of its financing requirement locally.”

Changing environment Of the P104 billion, the nation plans to raise internationally in 2016, P71 billion will probably come from official development loans, Tan said, citing preliminary data pending approval from the economic team.

In 2016, local debt sales may increase by 9 per cent to P643 billion, compared to P590 billion this year, while external borrowing

may drop by 6 per cent from P111 billion, according to Tan. “The environment is changing and there are potential risks, such as threats of an El Nino and rising US rates,” BDO Unibank market strategist Jonathan Ravelas said.

“It makes sense to borrow now to prefund next year’s requirement.”

The Philippines sold $2 billion worth of 25-year notes in January at a record-low coupon for the

country’s similar-dated overseas debt, using $1.5 billion to finance the purchase of shorter-dated securities to extend maturity.

The nation is looking out for the possibility of a similar debt exchange, as well as opportunities for selling overseas debt earlier than its typical schedule at the start of the year, Tan said. The government wants to hold debt exchange this quarter. - Bloomberg News

Report on China economy reviewed by World Bank World Bank has removed a sharply critical portion from a report on China’s economy that called for reform of its financial system

BEIJING: World Bank has removed a sharply critical portion from a recently released report on China’s economy that called for reform of its financial system, saying the section had not been adequately reviewed and that its wording was inappropriate.

On Wednesday, the Washington-based institution released its China Economic Update report in Beijing, which included a section urging the country to accelerate reform of its state-dominated financial sector.

In blunt language, the World Bank warned that failure to address the issue could end “three

decades of stellar performance” for the world’s second-largest economy. “Wasteful investment, overindebtedness, and a weakly regulated shadow-banking system,” had to be addressed for China’s broader reform agenda to succeed, it said.

The organisation, however, said in an update to the report posted on its website on Friday that the section had been removed as it had not undergone proper vetting procedures. Contacted in Beijing for further comment on Sunday, the World Bank provided a statement by Bert Hofman, its country director for China.

“The decision to withdraw this section of the report was taken because it did not fully follow our internal review and clearance processes and therefore its tone was not consistent with our standard of discourse with member governments,” Hofman said.

Full transparency “To ensure full transparency, we disclosed the change on our website and in the updated report. We will continue to provide analysis and advice on China’s financial sector going forward.” Hofman also said that the World Bank has previously identified financial re-

form as “critical” for the country’s development.

He added that China has acted on decisions taken at an important Communist Party meeting in 2013 by pursuing changes including liberalising lending rates, taking steps to curtail so-called shadow banking practices and providing more access to foreign investors to the country’s capital markets.

“Taken together, these are critical reforms that move China toward a more market based allocation of capital,” he said.

The expunged section of the report had noted that the Chinese state exerts strong control over a majority of commercial bank assets, “making it an outlier by international standards”.

In some cases, it added, authorities were simultaneously owners, regulators and customers of banks.

“Financial reform will only prove effective if it removes the distorted incentives and poor governance structures that have affected how financial resources are mobilised and allocated,” it said. - AFP

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ECONOMY

UK’s private sector growth falls LONDON: Growth in Britain’s private sector eased to its lowest level since the end of last year during the three months to June, although optimism among companies surged, according to the Confederation of British Industry.

The CBI said on Saturday its monthly growth indicator — based on separate surveys of manufacturers, retailers and services — fell to +14 in June, its lowest since December, from +33 in May.

While manufacturing growth ticked up, the pace of expansion in services companies comprising the bulk of Britain’s private sector rowed back from a more than nine-year high in the three months to May. Despite June’s slowdown, output expectations for the next three months rose to their highest level since last August.

“Activity over the quarter as a whole has been good,” said Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI’s direc-

tor of economics. “We expect the economy to sustain a solid pace of growth over the remainder of the year as lower oil prices and inflation continue to boost real incomes and consumer spending.”

Britain’s economy expanded 0.4 per cent from April through June, slightly more than previously thought, according to official data on Tuesday. The CBI identified the Greek crisis as the most immediate risk. - Reuters

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MARKET Wamda unveils $75m venture capital regional growth fund Wamda Capital is poised to become the Mena region’s premier venture capital firm with investment teams in Dubai, Amman, Beirut and with a presence planned in Cairo

Times News Service MUSCAT: Wamda Capital has launched a $75 million regional growth stage venture fund, Wamda Mena Ventures I, the largest of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

The fund has completed its first close with leading regional and international investors, including the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, the Abraaj Group, Crescent Enterprises and Zain Group.

“This new fund is indicative of investor confidence in the region,” commented Fadi Ghandour, executive chairman, Wamda Capital.

“It fills an emerging equity funding gap facing entrepreneurs, which inhibits otherwise scalable companies from unlocking market potential and becoming regional and global successes,” the official said.

With the launch of the fund, Wamda Capital is poised to become the Mena region’s premier venture capital firm with investment teams on the ground in the region’s innovation hubs of Dubai, Amman and Beirut with a presence planned in Cairo.

As entrepreneurs, the investment team understood that the lack of emerging equity financing inhibits growth in start-ups.

Wamda Mena Ventures I builds on the success of the team’s seed

stage investment vehicle Mena Venture Investments, the region’s largest seed stage investment fund. Wamda Capital’s core strategy is to target investments in high growth and capital efficient technology start-ups led by exceptional entrepreneurs – leaders in their markets.

GCC markets Wamda Capital’s key value proposition to its portfolio is the ability to provide on-going and in-depth strategic support, access to lucrative markets in the Gulf Cooperaton Council (GCC) through unique partnership programs and in-depth subject matter expertise in key segments such as e-commerce, digital content, fin-tech and enterprise e-offerings.

Wamda Capital’s investment team has an unrivalled breadth of experience, each having been deeply involved in building entrepreneurial companies.

Wamda Capital is led by Fadi Ghandour, the founder of Aramex, who has been instrumental in the development of the ecosystem by supporting entrepreneurial activity in the Arab world for over 20 years.

Ghandour was one of the founding investors in Maktoob, the target of the most prominent technology start-up exit in Mena. He has also worked to align participants in the region’s still nascent entrepreneurship ecosystem such

UPBEAT: Wamda Capital executive chairman Fadi Ghandour said that the launch of the fund fills an emerging equity funding gap facing entrepreneurs, which inhibits otherwise scalable companies from unlocking market potential and becoming regional and global successes. - Bloomberg News

Wamda Capital’s key value proposition to its portfolio is the ability to provide on-going and in-depth strategic support, access to lucrative markets in GCC through unique partnerships programmes and in-depth subject matter expertise in e-commerce, digital content and enterprise e-offerings.

as Endeavor, Injaz, Oasis 500 and others, while funding and scaling start-ups and establishing entrepreneurship platforms with impact beyond funding.

Wamda Platform The Wamda Platform, launched during the hallmark ‘Celebration of Entrepreneurship’ event in 2010, has been the base for the

team’s reach into the ecosystem.

Ghandour is supported by three partners, namely Khaled Talhouni, Walid Faza and Lana Alamat.

Habib Haddad, chief executive officer of the Wamda Platform, will be engaged with the new fund as a venture partner.

“The tech sector is being fuelled by rising demand and has the potential to drive development, em-

ployment and innovation across the region,” added Ghandour.

“We have been working with tech entrepreneurs from the very early stages of this industry and will be continuing our journey. Working through the fund to complete the cycle to maturity, starting from early stage investing, to growth, we will be looking to scale startups beyond Mena borders and create successful exits,” he noted.

“We are at the cusp of an incredible phase of growth in the Mena region’s tech sector,” he added.

Wamda Capital launches the fund with investments in three companies, namely News Group International, Jamalon and Little BitsElectronics.

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ECONOMY

Saudi’s non-oil sector declines to six-year low on slowing economy RIYADH: An indicator of growth in Saudi Arabia’s non-oil industries fell in June to the lowest level in six years as the biggest Arab economy loses momentum.

The Emirates NBD Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropped to 56.1 from 57 in May, driven by a weak increase in new orders and slower output growth, the Dubaibased bank said in a report released on Sunday.

The same measure for the United Arab Emirates fell to 54.7 in June, the lowest in 22 months.

Saudi Arabia’s PMI index has dropped in four of the first six months this year as the world’s biggest oil exporter grapples with the plunge in crude prices. The kingdom is also leading a coalition bombing rebels in Yemen.

While the drop shows “slower momentum” in non-oil sector growth, “it is important to note that these sectors are still growing at a robust rate,” Khatija Haque, head of Middle East and North Africa research at Emirates NBD, wrote in the report.

Oil production The increase in Saudi Arabia’s oil production should also “further support activity in the non-oil private sector,” even with lower oil prices, Haque wrote.

In the UAE, Emirates NBD attributed some of the slowdown in June to the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims working hours are reduced. “It is difficult to determine whether the softening will continue,” Haque wrote.

The PMI, which is seasonally adjusted, is based on data compiled from monthly replies to questionnaires sent to executives in 400 companies in manufacturing, services, construction and other non-oil sectors.

A level over 50 indicates an increase, while below 50 points to a decrease. - Bloomberg News

STOCK MARKET

China freezes initial share offerings in a bid to stabilise market SHANGHAI: China is suspending initial public offerings (IPOs), creating a market stabilisation fund and telling investors not to panic in an effort to shore up its stock market, which has had the largest three-week drop since 1992.

According to company filings to the exchanges on Saturday evening, 10 companies will suspend IPOs on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and 18 will do the same at the Shenzen Stock Exchange.

The move was ordered at a meeting of the State Council, China’s cabinet, and will be enforced by the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the financial magazine Caijing reported on its website on Saturday, without saying how it obtained the information or how long the planned freeze would last.

Calls to the press office of China’s State Council went unan-

more than 150 per cent in the 12 months prior to June 12 as investors assessed that monetary stimulus would revive China’s economy. Strategists at BlackRock Inc., Credit Suisse and Bank of America all said in June that Chinese equities were in a bubble.

swered outside regular business hours. Halting IPOs may stem the diversion of funds away from current listings. The move came hours after major Chinese brokerage firms pledged billions of dollars to form a stock market rescue fund.

Abrupt end The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, urged investors to stay calm. Moves to stabilise the market take time to transmit, the paper said on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like microblogging site.

“During this process, investors should have confidence and patience, instead of losing their minds and not knowing what to do amid anxiety and panic,” it said.

The Shanghai Composite Index fell 5.8 per cent on Friday to 3,686.92, bringing the decline

RESCUE FUND: The move came hours after major Chinese brokerage

firms pledged billions of dollars to form a stock market rescue fund.

– Bloomberg News

since its June 12 peak to 29 per cent. More than $2.8 trillion of value has been erased from the Chinese stock market during that time, an abrupt end to the longest bull market in the nation’s history.

Stocks entered a bear market on June 29 as leveraged investors headed for the exits; China’s securities regulator that day urged investors to be rational.

The Shanghai gauge had surged

Market manipulation Funds will be returned to investors on Monday for the new offerings that had already started the subscription process, the companies said in filings to the exchanges.

With the Shanghai gauge tumbling more than twice as fast as any other index worldwide, regulators also pledged to investigate potential market manipulation and have unveiled other measures to comfort the nation’s 90 million individual investors. The government on Friday said it planned to

make it more expensive to speculate on stock index futures.

The Securities Association of China said Saturday in a statement on its website that a group of 21 brokerage firms led by Citic Securities will invest the equivalent of 15 per cent of their net assets as of the end of June, or no less than 120 billion yuan ($19.3 billion) in total, to set up a stock-market fund.

The fund will invest in exchange-traded funds of highly capitalised stocks, it said. The funds should be available on Monday, ‘Caijing’ said in a separate report.

In another development, top executives from 25 Chinese mutual funds, including China Asset Management and E Fund Management, promised to “actively” buy stock funds and hold them for at least one year, according to a statement - Bloomberg News

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M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015

MARKET

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OMAN STOCKS

MSM index MUSCAT SECURITIES edges down MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 6,446.88 .............. 6,428.68 ...................6,434.42 ...................6,443.96.................. -9.54 .................. -0.15 Financial Index .....................................7,832.58 ...............7,805.55 ....................7,808.16 ................... 7,805.55.................... 2.61 ...................0.03 Industrial Index ................................... 8,338.82 ............... 8,327.76 ................... 8,338.36 ...................8,336.93.................... 1.43 ...................0.02 Services Index ...................................... 3,456.89 .............. 3,440.30 ................... 3,449.32 ...................3,456.89...................-7.57 .................. -0.22 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................993.57 .................. 991.36 .......................991.52 ...................... 993.49...................-1.97 .................. -0.20 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 19,824,529 ................. 4,259,193 ..................1,275 ................15,057,767,904 ................ 12 ........................9 .................... 17 .........................38

The top gainer was Al Anwar Holding, up by 3.98 per cent, while Al Maha Petroleum, down by 4.11 per cent, was the day’s top loser

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, JULY 5 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

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

MUSCAT: Oman’s general index MSM30 Index - declined 0.15 per cent to close at 6,434.42 points. The MSM Sharia Index closed at 991.52 points, down by 0.20 per cent.

Phoenix Power remained the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. The top gainer was Al Anwar Holding, up by 3.98 per cent, while Al Maha Petroleum, down by 4.11 per cent, was the day’s top loser.

As many as 1,275 trades were executed during the day’s trading session generating turnover of OMR4.25 million with over 19.8 million shares changing hands.

Out of 38 traded securities, 12 advanced, nine declined and 17 remained unchanged. GCC and Arab investors were net buyers for OMR77,000 followed by Omani Investors for OMR29,000 while foreign investors were net sellers for OMR106,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index ended the day at 7,808.16 points, up by 0.03 per cent. Al Anwar Holding, Al Madina Investments, Gulf Investment Services, Oman & Emirates Holding and Bank Muscat have increased by 3.98 per cent, 2.78 per cent, 2.16 per cent, 0.83 per cent and 0.36 per cent, respectively. Al Madina Takaful, HSBC Bank and Bank Nizwa declined by 2.25 per cent, 2.22 per cent and 1.33 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index remained largely flat at 8,338.36 points, up by 0.02 per cent. Galfar Engineering, Al Hassan Engineering and Gulf International Chemicals moved up by 1.59 per cent, 1.01 per cent and 0.43 per cent, respectively.

Raysut Cement, down by 1.32 per cent, was the only sector loser.

Services Sector Index had losses of 0.22 per cent to close at 3,449.32 points. Al Batinah Power, Al Suwadi Power, Phoenix Power and Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) gained by 2.02 per cent, 2.02 per cent, 1.97 per cent and 0.29 per cent, respectively. Al Maha Petroleum, Sembcorp Salalah, Ooredoo and OIFC declined by 4.11 per cent, 0.58 per cent, 0.52 per cent and 0.47 per cent, respectively.

OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 1,912,427 ......399,238................... 101 ........... 0.205 ........... 0.210 ...........0.205........... 0.209 .............0.201 ........... 0.008............. 3.980 ................0.208..............0.207...................0.208 .................. 31,365,675 .........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT .....................................22,725 ............... 1,672........................7 ........... 0.073 ........... 0.074 ...........0.073........... 0.074 .............0.072 ........... 0.002............. 2.778 ................0.074..............0.074...................0.075...................15,329,202 .........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 902,400......... 127,928..................... 36 ............0.141 ........... 0.142 ...........0.141 ........... 0.142 ............. 0.139............ 0.003............. 2.158 ................0.141 .............. 0.141...................0.143.................... 8,355,737 ..........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER..................................................29,974 ............... 6,061........................7 ........... 0.200...........0.204 ...........0.200 .......... 0.202 ............. 0.198............ 0.004.............2.020 ................0.204 ............ 0.204...................0.210..................136,327,261 ........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .....................................................59,761 .............12,065........................6 ............0.199 ...........0.202 ...........0.199 ........... 0.202 ............. 0.198............ 0.004.............2.020 ................0.202 ............ 0.202...................0.206 .................144,310,081 ........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 1,442,721 ...... 184,757..................... 70 ............0.128 ........... 0.129 ...........0.128........... 0.128 .............0.126............ 0.002............. 1.587 ................0.128 ..............0.126...................0.128....................37,117,522 .........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING........... 1,758,052 ......213,906..................... 52 ............0.122 ........... 0.122 ...........0.121 ........... 0.122 ............. 0.121.............0.001 ............. 0.826 ................0.121 ..............0.120................... 0.121 ...................14,868,750 .........0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............. 54,800 .............12,854......................11 ........... 0.232 ...........0.236 ...........0.232........... 0.235 .............0.234 ............0.001 ............. 0.427 ................0.234..............0.233...................0.234 ...................4,935,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 349,456 .........194,309......................15 ........... 0.554 ........... 0.558 ...........0.554........... 0.556 .............0.554 ........... 0.002............. 0.361 ................0.556..............0.556...................0.558................1,274,253,364 ......0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..........................45,023 .............78,665......................15 ............1.740 ............1.755............1.740 ............1.745 ............. 1.740............ 0.005............. 0.287 ................ 1.755 ...............1.755................... 1.765 ................1,308,750,000 ......0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ..................................... 1,500 ..................504........................1 ........... 0.336 ...........0.336 ...........0.336........... 0.336 .............0.336 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.336..............0.308...................0.338..................450,478,644 .......0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY...................................... 79,710 .......... 183,333........................6 ........... 2.300...........2.300 ...........2.300 .......... 2.300 .............2.300 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.300 .............2.250...................2.300 ................ 206,310,000 .......0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT .......................................................... 250,630 ......... 131,330........................2 ........... 0.524 ...........0.524 ...........0.524........... 0.524 .............0.524 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.524..............0.524...................0.550..................173,377,300 ........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ..................................................100 .....................36........................1 ........... 0.364 ...........0.364 ...........0.364........... 0.370 .............0.370 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.364..............0.368...................0.400 ..................22,645,581 .........0.100 OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING .......................... 9,223 ................1,157........................2 ............0.125 ........... 0.126 ...........0.125 ............0.125 ............. 0.125............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.126 .............. 0.125...................0.126.................... 3,750,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 170,507.............21,679......................17 ............0.127 ........... 0.128 ...........0.127 ............0.127 ............. 0.127............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.127 ..............0.127...................0.128...................11,430,000 .........0.100 OM0000002614............ONIC. HOLDING ............................................................ 33,916 ............ 16,280........................1 ........... 0.480 ...........0.480 ...........0.480........... 0.480 .............0.480 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.480..............0.480...................0.486...................83,243,160 .........0.100

Almarai net profit rises Saudi Arabia’s Almarai, the Gulf region’s largest dairy company, reported an 22.41 per cent increase in second-quarter net profit on Sunday. Almarai made a profit of 530.4 million riyals ($141.43 million)in the three months to June 30, up from 433.3 million riyals in the year-earlier period, according to a bourse statement.

Second-quarter sales growth of 11 per cent and a 442.9 million riyals gain from an insurance claim related to an earlier bakery fire helped lift results.

The dairy firm in May said its board approved a capital investment plan which will reach 21 bilion riyals ($5.6 billion) in the next five years.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) said on Sunday it had completed the formation of a joint venture with Korean petrochemical manufacturer SK Global Chemical Company to produce polyethylene products.

OM0000002804 ...........ASAFFA FOODS ........................................................... 362,163 ......... 311,460........................3 ........... 0.860 ...........0.860 ...........0.860........... 0.860 .............0.860 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.860............. 0.000...................0.860 ................ 103,200,000 .......0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES .......................................98,855 .............27,976......................13 ........... 0.283 ...........0.283 ...........0.283........... 0.283 .............0.283 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.283............. 0.280...................0.283 ..................79,832,730 .........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 793,727.......... 150,808..................... 26 ............0.190 ........... 0.190 ...........0.190........... 0.190 .............0.190 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.190..............0.190...................0.192..................273,873,600........0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ....................................................... 5,253 ...............2,259........................3 ........... 0.430 ...........0.430 ...........0.430........... 0.430 .............0.430 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.430..............0.430...................0.450...................26,015,000 .........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS .................................................... 2,647 ............... 1,468........................9 ........... 0.554 ........... 0.556 ...........0.554........... 0.558 .............0.558 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.554..............0.554...................0.558...................29,295,000.........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE................56,140 ............. 11,859......................11 ............0.212 ........... 0.212 ...........0.211 ............0.211 .............0.212 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.472 ...............0.211 ..............0.210...................0.212.................. 42,200,000 ........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 526,900 .........406,664..................... 27 ............0.772 ........... 0.772 ...........0.768 ........... 0.772 ............. 0.776............-0.004 ............-0.515................0.772 ..............0.768...................0.772................. 502,528,946 .......0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH.................................................. 3,852 ...............9,878........................3 ........... 2.550 ...........2.570 ...........2.550........... 2.565 .............2.580 ...........-0.015 ........... -0.581................2.570..............2.570...................2.580 .................244,847,705........1.000 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ...........................................................7,239 .............10,859........................4 ............1.500 ........... 1.500 ...........1.500........... 1.500 .............1.520............-0.020 ............-1.316................1.500..............1.500...................1.520................. 300,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN ..................................................... 20,000 .............. 2,640........................1 ............0.132 ........... 0.132 ...........0.132 ........... 0.132 ............. 0.135............-0.003 ........... -2.222 ...............0.132 .............. 0.133...................0.136................. 264,041,288 .......0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL.................................................8,422 .................. 733........................2 ........... 0.087 ...........0.087 ...........0.087........... 0.087 .............0.089 ...........-0.002 ........... -2.247 ...............0.087..............0.087...................0.091...................15,225,000 .........0.100 OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ...... 40,000 ............84,000........................2 ........... 2.100 ........... 2.100 ...........2.100........... 2.100 .............2.190 ...........-0.090 ............-4.110................2.100..............2.100...................2.200 ................ 144,900,000 .......0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 9,048,123 .. 2,606,377...................454 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......29........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 10,453,180......1,623,073 ..............783 ............0.153 ........... 0.157 ...........0.153 ............0.155 ............. 0.152............ 0.003............. 1.974 ................0.156 .............. 0.156...................0.157 ..................226,703,226 .......0.100 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 124,939 ............12,538......................11 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.101............0.100........... 0.100 .............0.099 ............0.001 ............. 1.010 ................0.100..............0.099...................0.101 ....................7,520,800 ..........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .......................................................29,588 ............... 1,625........................5 ............0.055 ........... 0.055 ...........0.054........... 0.055 .............0.055 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.054..............0.054...................0.055....................6,875,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE .............................. 19,780 ...............2,196........................5 ............0.111 ............0.111 ............ 0.111 ............0.111.............. 0.111 ............ 0.000.............0.000 ................ 0.111 ...............0.111................... 0.119 ................... 11,100,000 .........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA .................................................................. 72,651 ...............5,368......................12 ........... 0.074 ........... 0.075 ...........0.073........... 0.074 .............0.075 ...........-0.001 ............-1.333................0.073..............0.073...................0.074..................111,000,000 ........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 10,700,138.......1,644,799 ............. 816 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 5........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000004487 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES BONDS3.75 ................ 1,500 ...................216........................1 ............0.144 ........... 0.144 ...........0.144............0.145 ............. 0.145............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.144............. 0.000...................0.144...................61,355,543 .........0.100 OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ...........................................16,303 ............... 1,663........................2 ............0.102 ........... 0.102 ...........0.102........... 0.102 .............0.102 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.102..............0.102...................0.105...................32,603,553 .........0.100 OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ....................... 8,465 .................. 838........................1 ........... 0.099 ...........0.099 ...........0.099........... 0.099 .............0.099 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.099..............0.099...................0.100...................32,092,000 ........0.100 OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ....................... 50,000 ...............5,300........................1 ............0.106 ........... 0.106 ...........0.106........... 0.106 .............0.108 ...........-0.002 ........... -1.852................0.106..............0.106...................0.108...................32,091,406 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: ....................................................................................76,268 ............... 8,017........................5 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........4........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

- United Securities/Agencies

SANCTIONS

ECONOMY

Lifting of trade sanctions on Iran imminent after progress in dialogue

British minister finds £12b welfare cuts in state budget

VIENNA: A nuclear deal with Iran looks imminent after a logjam over monitoring was broken and with foreign ministers set to rejoin United States Secretary of State John Kerry in a record ninthstraight day of talks on Sunday.

Kerry began morning meetings at Vienna’s Palais Coburg with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, a US administration official said. The impending agreement could be announced as early as Monday, according to two Western officials who asked not to be named in line with rules.

“The extension of negotiations is not a desired alternative for any of the parties,” Zarif’s deputy, Abbas Araghchi, said Saturday on

LONDON: Britain’s finance minister George Osborne on Sunday said he had found all £12 billion of welfare cuts he needs as part of his plan to balance the budget by 2017/18, speaking ahead of his budget announcement on Wednesday.

The budget is Prime Minister David Cameron’s Conservatives’ clearest chance in almost two decades to remould Britain into a low-tax, small-state economy after an unexpectedly decisive election victory.

To meet his target, Osborne says he needs to cut the annual welfare bill by £12 billion ($18.69 billion), make £13 billion of departmental spending reductions, and to raise an extra £5 billion by clamping down on tax evasion and avoidance.

“We have found that £12 billion of savings in welfare that we said we’d be able to find,” Osborne said on BBC television, without specifying full details. “We’ve got to have a welfare system that is fair to those who need it, but also fair to those who pay for it.”

Signalling possible areas for cuts, he said tax credits, used to top up earnings for the low-paid, had become a “very, very expensive system” and that housing benefits were a “major component” of government spending.

But the opposition Labour Party

state television. “All parties involved are determined to come to a conclusive end.”

20th round of talks This is the 20th round of high-level talks since US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani opened negotiations nearly two years ago.

After Jonh Kerry negotiated for eight straight days at the previous round in Lausanne, Switzerland, diplomatic historians called it the longest continuous senior-level meeting since the 1978 Camp David accords.

Foreign ministers from the other five nations attending talks -- China, France, Germany, Russia

and the UK — will begin returning this afternoon in an attempt to finalize an agreement by Tuesday.

Much of the past week has involved discussions with International Atomic Energy Agency director general Yukiya Amano. While the IAEA isn’t formally a party to the negotiations, it will play a key role in implementing a final accord.

Amano said Saturday that his agency, now in the 12th year of an investigation into possible military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear past, can provide its assessment by December. “With the cooperation of Iran, I believe we can issue a report by the end of the year,” Amano told reporters. - Bloomberg News

BALANCING ACT: Britain’s finance minister George Osborne said

that households outside London would be subject to a lower cap than previously thought on the total amount of benefits they can receive. — Bloomberg file picture

warned against “self-defeating” spending cuts.

“On the deficit we need, of course, sensible savings but I want to see proper welfare reforms, proper public services that aren’t self-defeating, that aren’t going to cost much more for the country in the long term,” Labour spokesman Chris Leslie told the BBC. Political incentive Economist Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight said Osborne’s political incentive to deliver the cuts straight after the election was to give himself the fiscal room to cut taxes or increase spending before the next election, in 2020.

Osborne said that households outside London would be subject to a lower cap than previously thought on the total amount of benefits they can receive. The cap will be reduced to £23,000 for those in London, in line with pre-election promises, but he did not set out the lower ceiling that would apply elsewhere.

He said those on high incomes in subsidised local authority housing would have to start paying closer to the market rental rates.

The ‘Sunday Times’ reported that Osborne plans to launch a 650 million-pound raid on the BBC to help cover the country’s benefits bill. - Reuters

B

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M MONDAY, JULY 6, 2015

SECTION

SLOW DOWN ENJOY THE RIDE

E-

IMES TECH STUFF

A CHECKUP FOR MICROSOFT’S WINDOWS 10 Microsoft says Windows 10 is “designed to be compatible with the vast majority of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices,” but this is no guarantee that everything will work. However, you can use the same Get Windows 10 app you used to reserve your copy of the system to get a rough idea of potential compatibility issues.

Apple music is DIFFERENCE BETWEEN weak on social and LISTENING UP AND TUNING OUT networking strong on design SMARTPHONE APPS

It is possible to capture the opening and closing of a butterfly’s wings with recording technology, but you will miss out if your earphones are only slightly more sophisticated than cans on the end of a string

R

ide the subway, sit in a coffee shop or just walk down the street and you’ll see people wearing earphones. They are everywhere. In some settings, you’re the odd man out if you don’t have wires dangling from your ears.

Putting aside what this means for sociability, let’s instead consider why so many of the earphones people are wearing are so junky. Why would you pay hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for a phone, tablet or laptop only to plug in a pair of cheap earbuds?

Your earphones may be even more important than your device in delivering the nuances and resolution of streaming or stored audio, so it’s worth investing in a decent pair.

It’s possible to capture the opening and closing of a butterfly’s wings with recording technology, but you will miss out if your earphones are only slightly more sophisticated than cans on the end of a string.

Moreover, poor quality earphones can cause hearing loss. “People tend to turn up the volume too high when they are wearing low-grade earphones because the sound is less clear and distorted,” said Chris Connaker, founder of Computeraudiophile.com, a website dedicated to information about digital audio.

“A better quality earphone can save your hearing.”

There are three kinds of earphones: over- or around-ear, which are the earmuff type, often called headphones; on-ear, which rest on the ear but don’t cup it; and in-ear, which go in the ear’s concha (the hollow part) as earbuds do, or actually go into the ear canal, as do socalled in-ear monitors.

Which one you choose depends on what’s comfortable, where you plan to listen, what you plan to listen to and, of course, your budget.

Higher prices tend to indicate better quality sound and materials, or possibly customisation, such as earpieces by JH Audio and Noble Audio, which can cost $400 to more than $1,000 and are molded to precisely fit your ear — like those you see musicians wearing onstage.

But you don’t have to spend a for-

tune to step up your aural experience. Something like the Sennheiser CX 300-II universal fit in-ear monitor delivers respectable clarity and enjoyable sound. And unlike the devices you plug them into, which will most likely be obsolete or wear out in three years or so, good earphones endure.

Noisy environments If you’re going to be listening in noisy environments like a subway or crowded office, you most likely want in-ear monitors or over-ear earphones. Popular manufacturers include Sennheiser, Shure, Master & Dynamic and OPPO. Look for “closed-back” models, which don’t have any vents or openings in them so they keep out competing environmental noise while sparing others

from hearing the mosquito like version of whatever you’re listening to.

Closed-back earphones with active noise canceling by manufacturers like Bose and Phiaton product a nullifying frequency to block intrusive sounds. But be aware that what you gain in cancelling environmental racket, you lose in the crispness of the audio you’re playing.

Earphones such as the Parrot Zik 2.0 come with an app that allows you to adjust various aspects of what you’re hearing using a five-band equaliser, much like an audio engineer.

For listening in quiet, isolated environments like your home, “openback” earphones, usually over- or on-ear, are your best bet. They allow sound to pass through them rather than be contained within them, and thus don’t have the slight distorting reverb that can occur in closed-back models. As a result, they are audiophiles’ top choice because they sound truer to life. Sennheiser, AKG, Fostex, Grado and Audio-Technica make versions that reviewers consistently praise.

Exercisers are likely to want fitness earphones such as the Jaybird BlueBuds ($170) and Bose SoundSport. They are sturdier, sweat- and water-resistant and tend to stay put.

Some models, like the Sennheiser

PMX 686 SPORTS series, allow just enough outside noise so that you can hear a car or person around you. Some fitness earphones have wireless versions, although they never sound quite as good as their wired counterparts because of the degradation in the signal from source to earpiece.

Low quality MP3s It also makes a difference what you are listening to. If you’re listening to lower-quality MP3s or a low-resolution free music streaming service, it’s going to sound pretty lousy no matter how good your earphones are. Conversely, if you’re paying for premium MP3s or higher-resolution streams from services like Spotify, Pandora, Tidal or Rdio, you’re not going to hear the improvement wearing earbuds you picked up at a mall kiosk.

Another thing to consider is whether you want your earphones to come with a microphone so that you can use them to talk on the phone, record your voice or use video-calling services like Skype.

Many earphones on the market do, but be sure to check the specifications since some do not or may need an adapter or special cable to work with some devices. - KATE MURPHY/The New York Times News Service

WHEN I VISITED Microsoft many years ago, an employee cheekily compared designing Microsoft Office to “making a pizza that feeds a billion people.” At Apple, the company has a different saying: “There are a thousand ‘no’s’ for every ‘yes.’”

In other words, they vigorously debate a feature before it shows up in a product.

But Apple Music, the company’s reboot of iTunes released recently for Apple devices and personal computers (including Windows), sounds like a pizza straight out of Microsoft’s kitchen. Apple said “yes” to cramming every popular method of consuming music into one app: a streaming service similar to Spotify; radio features that compete with Internet and satellite services like Pandora and Sirius XM; and its old music player for listening to downloaded songs.

Add to that list the playlists curated by Apple employees and content partners like Rolling Stone, along with Connect, a social network for musicians to interact with fans, and you have a complex bundle of software and services.

After a day with Apple Music, I found it to be a multifaceted package that was confusing in some ways but intuitive where it mattered most. Its approach to design is generally friendlier to users than similar streaming services, and choosing a song to listen to is quick and easy. But Apple dropped the ball with social networking, an area it has long misunderstood.

When you open Apple Music, Apple tells you about the focus of the new service: playlists made for you. The first screen has a neighbourhood of magenta bubbles inviting you to touch your favourite genres and choose some of your favourite artistes. From there, the app ushers you to For You, a section of playlists it generated based on your selections.

So-called human curation is the heart and soul of Apple Music. When Apple introduced the app in June, executives like Jimmy Iovine boasted about the novelty of Apple playlists that were curated by people, ‘not just algorithms’.

Apple’s picks for me brought up playlists like “The Smiths: Ballads” and Wilco’s album “Being There.” Not bad for a first swab of my stuck-in-thepast music palette.

The playlists are easy to choose from, with big, immersive graphics of album art, labelled with clean captions describing the year when each album was released. You can add favourite playlists to the My Music section for easy access later, and you can also save songs or playlists to be playable

without an Internet connection. Just as important as the design of the app is the time it takes to pick and play a song.

In this way, Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, plays an important role.

Siri understands commands like “Play songs by Feist” or “Play instrumentals,” and is set to get smarter in iOS 9, the next version of Apple’s software system for iPhones and iPads coming this fall. Voice controlling is ideal for picking music while on the go, especially when driving.

Radio section The radio section, on the other hand, can be confusing. Featured prominently on top of the radio section is Beats 1, Apple’s new live radio station hosted by in-house producers, like Zane Lowe, Britain’s influential radio DJ. It lacks Apple branding to communicate that it is a station led by Apple staff; it also doesn’t adhere to a specific genre. The channel shows a list of “upcoming shows” with vague descriptions, so it will be tough to predict when Apple’s DJs will play music that suits your tastes.

Adding to the confusion, below the Beats 1 station are channels for other online radio stations that are not from Apple staff, like country music and NPR news.

The weakness of Apple Music is Connect, the social network for musicians, which allows artists to upload media, like postings about their concert dates or album releases. Fans can follow artists and “love” or comment on these posts.

But the artistes I followed, like Kings of Leon, Belle and Sebastian and Sonic Youth, used Connect as a portal to upload seemingly arbitrary photos and link to places where people could buy their iTunes albums. And they didn’t appear to be socialising with fans. That’s not a social network; it’s a broadcasting platform. Within hours of Apple Music’s release, users of the social news site Reddit posted instructions on removing Connect from the app.

Connect also does not allow consumers to connect with one another and listen to other playlists, the modern equivalent of sharing a mixtape with your friend, which was popularised by Spotify.

To use the pizza metaphor again, Apple’s streaming music simply looks more appetising than Spotify’s. Both companies’ services are complex in terms of features, and both have access to roughly 30 million songs — but Apple does a better job arranging the “toppings.” - BRIAN X. CHEN/ The New York Times News Service

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MON DAY, JULY 6, 2015

ROUND-UP Ramadan comes with special prices on Jeep unique combination of best-inclass off-road capability, openair freedom and convenience, 6 speed manual / 5 speed automatic transmission that contributes to outstanding on-road and off-road driving dynamics, fuel-efficient engine, world-class refinement and a host of innovative safety and advanced technology offerings.

The result is an efficient vehicle created to attract youthful and adventurous customers around the world to the Jeep brand.

Customers buying a Jeep during the holy month of Ramadan will be eligible to an amazing cash gift of up to OMR3,600 depending on the variant chosen by them

MUSCAT: During the month of generosity, Dhofar Automotive is offering customers the stylish and performance-oriented Jeep range of vehicles at unbeatable prices.

Customers buying a Jeep during the holy month of Ramadan will be eligible to an amazing cash gift of up to OMR3,600 depending on the variant chosen by them, says a press release.

Built on more than 70 years of legendary heritage, Jeep is the authentic SUV with class-leading capability, craftsmanship and versatility for people who seek extraordinary journeys.

The Jeep brand delivers an open

invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a full line of vehicles that continue to provide owners with a sense of security to handle any journey with confidence. The Jeep lineup in Oman consists of the Cherokee, Compass, Grand Cherokee, and Wrangler.

The Jeep Cherokee offers customers the unique combination of legendary Jeep 4x4 capability, superior on-road ride and handling, cutting-edge, revolutionary design, world-class craftsmanship, innovative technology, new levels of efficiency, entertainment and comfort plus five-star safety features. The industry-first rear axle disconnect improves fuel efficiency when 4x4 capability isn’t needed.

Offering the packaging and interior flexibility of an SUV with the performance, handling, fuel economy and price of a compact car, the Jeep Compass boasts more than 30 safety and security features, including standard

front-seat-mounted side air bags, side-curtain air bags for all rows, electronic stability programme (ESC), electronic roll mitigation, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, LATCH child seat anchors and available ParkView rear backup camera. The Jeep Compass also offers an array of clever features that consumers will appreciate, whether commuting to work, driving in challenging conditions, or exploring new trails or out-of-theway places.

The most awarded SUV ever and the vehicle that has long defined what a premium SUV should be, the Jeep Grand Cherokee delivers an unprecedented driving range, choice of leading powertrain options, legendary benchmark capability, worldclass craftsmanship, premium on-road driving dynamics, and a host of advanced user-friendly technology and safety features.

The Jeep Wrangler delivers a

Fantastic offers “Whether identified by their ownership of multiple Jeep vehicles, or their regular attendance at events such as the Jeep Jamboree, or by their abundance of Jeep gear, all Jeep owners have one common trait: a Jeep vehicle delivering benchmark, all-weather capability that allows them to go anywhere and do anything,” averred Chris Edwards, general manager of Dhofar Automotive. “We have some fantastic offers lined up on the Jeep range this Ramadan, and welcome customers to visit our showroom to learn more about them.”

Valid till August 17, Dhofar Automotive’s Ramadan promotion covers all brands of Dhofar Automotive including Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Fiat and Alfa Romeo. Dhofar Automotive showrooms will be open from Saturday to Thursday between 8am to 1pm and 8pm to 12am during the month of Ramadan.

A L M U M AYA Z R A M A D A N O F F E R

Bank Sohar auto loan special scheme progressing very well MUSCAT: Bank Sohar, in celebration of the holy month of Ramadan, is offering a limited time offer for their Al Mumayaz Auto Loan which will run from June 17 to July 31 for this Ramadan season.

As part of the offer, customers who purchase a new or used vehicle during the holy month and finance it through the bank’s Al Mumayaz Auto Loan facility will be eligible for interest rate starting from just 3.5% based on the tenor of the loan, says a press release.

Commenting on the special offer, R. Narasimhan, DGM and head of Retail Banking at Bank Sohar, said: “The holy month of Ramadan is the season when many people are looking to purchase a new vehicle, capitalising on the variety of special offers presented to them by automotive dealerships. The new offer coinciding with the festive season on our auto loan,with specialinterest rate, will no doubt

serve as another value added benefit to our customers; one that will greatly help when purchasing the car of their dreams.”

Insurance option Al Mumayaz auto loan offers both Omanis and expatriates auto financing solutions and one hour loan approvals for new and used cars for up to 80% of their value. Finance is available with no medical requirement for insurance of loans up to a certain limit. There is also

no requirement for a salary transfer as loans can be granted against post-dated cheques. Al Mumayaz auto finance also provides an insurance option for customers who prefer to avail it through the bank.

In order to serve customers effectively the bank has opened a special evening counter open from 8pm to 11pm at Qurum Commercial Area where the bank’s Privilege Banking Unit is located. The service, which was also in effect during last year’s Ramadan, was

well received by the bank’s customers. The reintroduction of this offer not only provides the bank with an opportunity to serve its existing customers, but also introduce its product to other potential customers. To further facilitate its customer, representatives from the bank also took time to visit various showrooms to better understand customer preferences,finance options and more.

“Our Al Mumayaz Auto Loan service provides customers with an extremely quick and hasslefree finance solution with a quick turnaround of 1 hour for sanction.

“Together with our offer, it showcases the bank’s commitment towards customising products and services based on an in-depth understanding of customers’ needs and meeting their expectations; thereby continually improving their overall banking experience,” added Narasimhan.

RAMADAN BENEFITS

Nissan Xterra comes with advanced features from a list of supported apps, and NissanConnectSM automatically installs them.

MUSCAT: The Nissan Xterra from the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles is designed with the intent of being a tough, essential SUV that inspires and facilitate outdoor enthusiasts’ active lifestyles.

All Xterra models feature an advanced 4.0-litre straight-six engine, rated at a muscular 270 horsepower, along with Nissan’s rugged “F-Alpha” ladder frame platform for adventure-ready performance, says a press release.

Benefit highlights Ċŗ , . "ŗ ( ŗ #(ŗġ.1)ŗ --/, ŗ gifts): Customers buying the Nissan Xterra will receive a ‘Scratch & Win’ card which will entitle them to two assured gifts comprising of free service up to lifetime of the car (minimum assured 1 year/ 10,000 km PMS) and free fuel up to OMR1,000/- (minimum assured of OMR50/Ċŗ -"ŗ!# .-Ćŗ /-.)' ,-ŗ1#&&ŗ &-)ŗ walk away with assured cash gifts up to OMR1000/- (minimum assured of OMR500/-) Ċŗ (&#'#. ŗ ( ð.-Ćŗ #-- (ŗ -sures customers free insurance, free registration, six years’ extended warranty, easy financing options, a loan term up to eight years and attractive interest rates. Ċŗ #.#)( &ŗ ' (ŗ"#!"&#!".ŗ of 2015: This year Nissan has introduced another exciting line up of Ramadan benefit for their valued customers. Customers who

already own a Nissan model and are making a second purchase will receive additional incentives from SBA where customers enjoy 10,000km additional service, they will receive special interest privilege card and also be eligible for any trade-in benefits. Ċŗ * # &ŗ ŗ , . Ćŗ /-.)' ,-ŗ can avail special EMI rate starting from OMR192/- on the Nissan XTERRA 2 Nissan Altima as grand raffle draw prize The grand raffle draw from Nissan is being held in association with Al Wisal and Merge FM where participants can enter the draw to win a sleek Nissan Altima (2 vehicles to be won); just SMS <Nissan Altima> to 90448. The lucky winner can walk away with a brand new Nissan Altima.

Easy financing options SBA designed the Ramadan scheme to add to the pleasure

and convenience of owning a Nissan model and ensure hassle and worry-free driving at all times. Nissan customers can also avail easy financing option of a loan term up to 8 years with attractive interest rates from Bank Muscat. Flexible EMI’s can also be tailor made for any individual requirement from in-house Auto Finance team.

Unique NissanConnect NissanConnect uses hands-free technology, smartphone, and the Nissan’s display screen to help customers stay in touch with the outside world from inside their vehicle. It’s loaded with features and compatibility with a growing list of apps that allows customers play music, keep tabs on social network, and navigate any city like a local.

Once logged in, customers have to connect to Nissan through Bluetooth or the USB port. The Quick Start Guide helps to select

Comfort and convenience Standard interior features include sporty reclining front bucket seats, footrest, dual front and rear 20-ounce cup holders, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, remote keyless entry and cruise control with steering wheelmounted controls. It also comes with driver seat height adjustment and lumbar support.

Xterra’s signature exterior styling features include large flared fenders, a versatile roof rack with latchable lid and a rear bumper design with side steps for easy access to the roof rack. It also offers a large, powerful looking hood and headlights and Nissan SUV-style angled strut grille.

The vehicle also features Chrome ORVM and Fr. fog lamps.

The Adventure Park is built at the Oman Automobile Association to address auto enthusiasts across interest levels and skill sets through multitude of engagement opportunities and promote the spirit of driving a Nissan SUV safely on the roads.

SBA is largely committed to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman.

T O TA L C O N F I D E N C E PA C K A G E

Stylish GMC Acadia inspires ‘confidence’ MUSCAT: GMC Middle East has launched its Total Confidence Package on the GMC Acadia premium mid-size crossover and with it offers customers an enhanced ownership experience.

The Total Confidence Package, coupled with the Ramadan promotion, further spoils the customers by offering free 60,000km service, complimentary registration for the first year along with five years extended warranty, free 500 litres petrol and a 40inch Samsung LED TV takeaway.

To top it, the starting price is OMR13, 995 and is available on all GMC Acadia trims including SLE, SLT and the range topping Acadia Denali through all GMC dealers across the region, says a press release.

“The Total Confidence Package is a very attractive deal, right from the price to the additional benefits, that brings the much coveted Acadia within reach of those who have always inspired to buy a GMC Acadia,” stated Virendra Agarwal, CEO Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan & Co, exclusive distributors of the GMC brand in the Sultanate.

The GMC Acadia midsize crossover stands out for its flexibility, spaciousness and functionality within a confident design package that illustrates the brand’s ‘Commands Respect’ philosophy. The Acadia Denali builds on those attributes with higher levels of luxury and style.

For 2015, the Acadia has added

a new trio of exterior colours — crimson red tintcoat, dark sapphire blue metallic and midnight amethyst metallic along with a new 20-inch wheel design.

Acadia’s line-up includes the SLE, SLT and the Denali models, with eight-passenger configurations. All Acadia models are equipped with a 288hp 3.6L V-6 engine and a six-speed transmission powertrain that includes performance and fuel economy optimising technology.

The Acadia’s interior functionality has become a family staple, including the Smart Slide seating system, which allows easy access to the third row for both seven- and eight-passenger seating configurations. Additionally, the second and third row still fold flat for class-leading maximum cargo space.

The spacious interior of the GMC Acadia is complemented with the user friendly and feature rich IntelliLink infotainment system. IntelliLink uses Bluetooth or USB to connect the driver smartphone to Acadia’s high-resolution, full-colour touch screen display. IntelliLink allows smartphone control via voice activation and steering wheel-mounted controls, and streaming stereo audio from the phone. Most importantly, IntelliLink enables seamless integration of stowed portable devices with Acadia’s infotainment system, allowing minimum driver distractions.

C H A R I T Y AT I T S B E S T

BankDhofar launches several CSR initiatives MUSCAT: Within the framework of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), and to further strengthen its position as an effective and responsible member of the community, BankDhofar has launched a number of charitable initiatives during the holy month of Ramadan.

In collaboration with Dar Al Atta’a Association, BankDhofar Mujtamaie volunteer team members distributed Ramadan ration packs to 300 families in Sohar, Quriyat, Sidab, Tanuf and Ibri. The charitable initiative aimed to further support low-income families with the additional expenses during the holy month, says a press release.

Sami Omar Al Zadjali, head of Marketing & Corporate Communications at BankDhofar, highlighted the bank’s efforts and role as an integrated member of the community and an influential player in the social wellbeing and development. “These initiatives by BankDhofar are part of our on-going scheme to extend our support to various segments of society. We believe in our social responsibility as a corporate and we recognise and support the individual efforts and commitment of our team members. Thus, as an organisation, we encourage our members of staff to participate and engage in charitable causes and play an effective role in the

development of the community, adding value to every social service activity we do and setting an example of a responsible and positively effective member of the community.”

In another initiative, BankDhofar joined hands with the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs to facilitate Zakat payment through the bank’s instant mobile banking services and instant Internet banking services that are available to all BankDhofar customers, or through BankDhofar cash deposit machines and branches across the Sultanate that are available to all users. Users can also contribute to the ‘Iftar Programme’ through the same channels or deposit directly to a designated bank account throughout the holy month of Ramadan.

Community development and social involvement is one of the key pillars in BankDhofar operational strategy. The combination of the thorough vision of the bank’s executive management, the comprehensive operational strategy that revolves around following best international banking practices and providing best customer experience, as well as commitment to community development and contribution to the growth of the national economy, placed BankDhofar on top of the list of best banks in the region.

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Bank Muscat receives great response for al Wathbah’s Ramadan SME Souq provided the required support to realise their full potential.

“The bank remains committed to pursuing a well-defined strategy in line with the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to support the SME sector in Oman.”

More than 100 exhibitors participated in the al

Encouraging women entrepreneurs Ilham Al Hamaid, AGM – SME Credit, Marketing and Regional Corporates, said: “Bank Muscat has launched a series of initiatives as part of a comprehensive strategy to support SMEs in Oman. The bank supports and encourages women entrepreneurs to earn a living through home-based business activities. From time to time, the bank organises and supports such events with the aim of encouraging women entrepreneurs, creating unique opportunities to market their products and become financially independent.”

Over the years, Bank Muscat has taken several strategic steps to strengthen the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector in Oman. al Wathbah, Bank Muscat’s SME department, has been very dynamic in financing businesses and strengthening the SME foundation in Oman. Serving as building blocks for existing and prospective entrepreneurs, these initiatives assume importance in the backdrop of the priority accorded by the government to develop the SME sector in Oman.

Aimed at strengthening the SME sector, Bank Muscat offers a comprehensive suite of tailormade finance solutions. The bank also regularly conducts workshops and seminars to equip SMEs to identify business opportunities and tackle challenges.

The support to SMEs and women empowerment initiatives stem from the bank’s commitment to create self-employment opportunities for youth who constitute more than 50 per cent of the country’s population.

Wathbah Ramadan Souq, organised by the Public Authority of SME showcasing home-made products, including clothes, accessories, food items, home decorations and much more, offering a unique shopping experience to visitors MUSCAT: al Wathbah Ramadan Souq, organised by the Public Authority of SME (Riyada) in collaboration with Bank Muscat, was concluded July 4.

Abdul Razak Ali Issa, chief executive, Bank Muscat, inaugurated the souq organised at Bank Muscat head office as part of cultural and social events lined up during the holy month of Ramadan.

The souq showcased products and services of Omani women entrepreneurs. More than 100 exhibitors participated in the Souq showcasing home-made products, including clothes, accessories, food items, home decorations and much more, offering a unique shopping experience to visitors.

The souq was a big success, as it offered a public platform for Omani entrepreneurs to exhibit their

work, says a press release.

Unique opportunity Abdul Razak Ali Issa said: “Bank Muscat is proud to be associated with al Wathbah Ramadan Souq to enhance support to the SME sector, especially women entrepreneurs in Oman. I take the opportunity to thank the Public Authority of SME (Riyada) for organising this function, which aims at creating a unique marketing and networking opportunity, empowering women entrepreneurs to chart successful business ventures.

Acknowledges “Bank Muscat acknowledges that the development of Oman significantly hinges on the role played by women and that they need to be A D VA N C E D T E C H N O L O G Y

BADR AL SAMAA HOSTS ANNUAL IFTAR

Annual Iftar gathering organised by Badr Al Samaa healthcare group was held in Majan Ballroom of Al Bustan Palace Hotel. It was attended by officials from various ministries, embassies and corporates. — Supplied photos

LU C K Y D R AW

Lulu announces winners of second Dream Drive draw MUSCAT: The wave of excitement and surprises continues at Lulu as the second set of lucky draw winners of its Dream Drive campaign were announced at their Lulu Al Bandar Mawaleh outlet last week.

The draw results were announced by officials amidst a group of eager customers who waited with bated breath to know who the lucky winners would be, says a press release.

The second draw saw Roja take home the second of the 6 brand new BMW X5 35is. Thirty other winners also took home amazing gifts products from Ikon. Hamood Ali Al Felaithi was lucky to win the Ikon 48” LED TV, Sultan Saif H Nebhani won the Ikon automatic washing machine, Muhammed Amar Muhammed won the Ikon air cooler, S. K. Muhammed took home the Ikon halogen air fryer and Adhil Abdul Manam won the Ikon tablet.

With four more lucky draws still remaining at various Lulu outlets, there is every reason for customers to still cling on to their hopes of

being a part of the winning lot during the two-month promotion.

Expressing his joy after the win, a customer said: “I am extremely overjoyed to have won the grand prize and be part of the most sought-after promotions in the country. Dreams do come true and I am thankful to Lulu for making it happen in my life. Every year my family waits for this promotion and we collect as many coupons as we can to win the exciting prizes. This year I am lucky enough to drive home the grand prize. I am thrilled beyond words. This victory has just

made my day, he added.

Commenting on the second draw, Ananth A. V., regional director, Lulu Hypermarkets Oman, said: “Firstly, I would like to congratulate all the winners of the second draw. I am delighted that the second draw too has attracted huge participation and the feedback the promotion has generated till date is indeed remarkable.

With four more lucky draws to go, I am sure the enthusiasm and excitement will continue to double up in the coming days of the promotional period.”

Land Rover safety research projects to reduce accidents MUSCAT: Jaguar Land Rover revealed a range of new road safety technology research projects that are being developed to reduce the number of accidents caused by drivers who are stressed, distracted and not concentrating on the road ahead.

The Jaguar Land Rover ‘Sixth Sense’ research projects utilises advanced technology, from sports, medicine and aerospace, to monitor the driver’s heart rate, respiration and levels of brain activity to identify driver stress, fatigue and lack of concentration.

The UK-based team is also looking at innovations that would reduce the amount of time the driver’s eyes are off the road whilst driving, and how to communicate with the driver via pulses and vibrations through the accelerator pedal, says a press release.

Dr Wolfgang Epple, director of Research and Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “We believe some of the technologies currently being used in aerospace and medicine could help improve road safety and enhance the driving experience. The car is becoming more intelligent and more able to utilise cutting-edge sensors. These research projects are investigating how we could exploit this for the benefit of our customers and other road users.

“One key piece of new research is to see how we could measure brainwaves to monitor if the driver is alert and concentrating on driving. Even if the eyes are on the road, a lack of concentration or a daydream will mean the driver isn’t paying attention to the driving task. They may miss a warning icon or sound, or be less aware of other road users so we are looking at how we could identify this and prevent it causing an accident.”

Mind Sense research The basis of Jaguar Land Rover’s Mind Sense research is to see if a car could effectively read the brainwaves that indicate a driver is beginning to daydream, or feeling sleepy, whilst driving.

The human brain continually generates four or more distinct brainwaves at different frequencies. By continually monitoring which type of brainwave is dominant, an on-board computer could potentially assess whether a driver is focused, daydreaming, sleepy, or distracted.

“If brain activity indicates a daydream or poor concentration, then the steering wheel or pedals could vibrate to raise the driver’s awareness and re-engage them with driving,” added Dr Epple.

“If Mind Sense does not detect a surge in brain activity following the car displaying a warning icon or sound, then it could display it again, or communicate with the driver in a different way, to ensure the driver is made aware of a potential hazard.”

Driver wellness monitoring Jaguar Land Rover is assessing how a vehicle could monitor the well-being of the driver using a medical-grade sensor embedded in the seat of a Jaguar XJ. The sensor, which was originally developed for use in hospitals, has been adapted for in-car use and detects vibrations from the driver’s heart beat and breathing.

“As we develop more autonomous driving technologies, there will be instances when the autonomous car needs to hand control back to the driver,” added Dr Epple. “To do this safely the car will need to know if the driver is alert and well enough to take over.

So our research team is look-

ing at the potential for a range of driver monitoring technologies to give the car enough information to support this decision. If the car detects severe health issues, or simply how alert the driver is, then the car could take steps to ensure the driver is focused enough on the driving task to take over.”

Dr Epple said, “The driver will instinctively look at the infotainment screen or dashboard when pressing buttons to select navigation, music or the telephone. It’s intuitive. So our research is looking at how we could take a current infotainment screen and increase the speed and efficiency of this interaction to minimise the time the driver’s eyes are away from the road and their hand is off the steering wheel.”

Predictive Infotainment Screen prototype uses cameras embedded in the car to track the driver’s hand movements and this enables the system to predict which button the driver intends to press. This allows successful button selection to take place in mid-air, which means users wouldn’t have to touch the screen itself. In user trials this increases the speed of successful button selection by 22 per cent and therefore reduces the amount of time the driver is looking at the screen with their eyes off the road.

Haptic Accelerator Pedal Haptics could also be used to communicate with the driver through the accelerator pedal to increase the speed of response and to ensure the correct action is taken.

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Bank Sohar supports Dar Al Atta’a MUSCAT: Stemming from its strong believe to support the community, Bank Sohar has made a significant contribution to Dar Al Atta’a organisation for the 5th consecutive year.

The donation was made towards assisting the organisation in providing Iftar during the holy month of Ramadan together with providing Eid necessities for approximately 300 children, says a press release.

The donation cheque was handed over at Dar Al Atta’a head office to Shatha Abbas, board member and head of events committee at Dar Al Atta’a by Munira Abdulnabi Macki, DGM of Human Resource and Corporate Support of Bank Soharin the presence of Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi, AGM and head of Marketing and Publicity at Bank Sohar.

Speaking on the rationale behind this donation, Munira Abdulnabi Macki commented, “Being a local bank, we share a strong desire to play a full and active role in the community and have always been committed towards

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Toyota launches AC check-up offer A computerised system generates one free eRaffle chance for customers who bring their vehicle and participate in the AC

helping improve the quality of life of those in need. With Ramadan being a time of solidarity and Eid a time of joy and celebration, we wanted to do our part to ensure that as many people as possible within our community get to experience both as they were meant to. We are confident that through our donation to Dar Al Atta’a, this objective will be achieved.”

Thanking Bank Sohar for its support, Maryam Al Zadjali, chairperson of Dar Al Atta’a said, “On behalf of everyone at Dar Al Atta’a, I would like to thank Bank Sohar for its generosity and support, not just for this donation but also for

the continuous support we have received from them in the past.

“It has always been our desire to be the charity of choice in the Sultanate that addresses poverty by empowering the underprivileged.

Bank Sohar support has been invaluable towards furthering our cause and bringing smiles to the faces of those that have been less fortunate; creating lasting, positive change in their lives.”

Bank Sohar strives to ensure that its contributions are carefully planned and evaluated in order to diversify and reach out to the maximum number of people, especially those in most need of it.

check-up campaign to win exciting prizes.

Additional eRaffle chances are generated against each OMR10 spent (one eRaffle chance for every OMR10)on service/repair invoices at Toyota service during the campaign period

MUSCAT: “It is that time of the year when the demand on your car’s cooling and AC systems are the greatest. Hence, it is best to have Toyota experts take a look at the air-conditioning system of your car and offer you free advice; ensuring that even when the summer heat is blazing, you are breathing cool and easy,” advised a Toyota spokesperson talking about ‘Al-Ardh Al-Mumaiz- 2015’, the popular annual campaign from Toyota Service and Parts available across all Oman until July 17.

“Our experts will ensure you not only have an efficiently running AC in your car but that you also get additional benefits,” the spokesperson added.

Indeed, it is for this reason that Toyota Service and Parts is providing many benefits to Toyota and Daihatsu vehicle owners that include free 7 point AC check up with a diagnostic report, free AC gas top-up (if no leakage is observed), special price for AC evaporator cleaning including AC blower motor cleaning using Toyota Genuine evaporator cleaner with a warranty of six

months/10,000km on all AC repair jobs carried out. (Conditions apply – For more details please contact Toyota service outlets), says a press release.

According to the spokesperson, “Genuine Toyota evaporator cleaner helps to clean AC evaporator from dust and micro-organisms deposited in the AC evaporator coil ensuring supply of healthy and clean air inside the passenger compartment of the car.”

‘Al Ardh Al Mumaiz 2015’ Apart from this, a lot of excitement is centred around the annual Toyota service and parts campaign — Al Ardh Al Mumaiz 2015. A computerised system generates one free eRaffle chance for those customers who bring their vehicle and participate in the AC check-up campaign, to win exciting prizes.

Additional eRaffle chances are generated against each OMR10 spent (one eRaffle chance for every OMR10)on service/ repair invoices at Toyota service during the campaign period.

The campaign also offers additional benefits to the customer’s

enrolled under Toyota Thiqah Loyalty Programme. Toyota and Daihatsu customers can enrol their vehicle for the Thiqah programme and get one free eRaffle chance to win exciting prizes.

There are several value added services available as a part of the promotion, at special rates. The customers not only get the Thiqah points equal to the amount spent on VAS products but also get eRaffle chances at the rate of one raffle chance for OMR10 spent.

Latest smartphones such as Apple iPhone 6 (16GB), HTC One (M8) and Samsung A700 are to be won in the eRaffle. In addition there are 10 consolation prizes of 1,000 Thiqah points each to 10 winners (Equivalent in value of OMR100 each), that can be redeemed for service/ repair bills at Toyota Service outlets.

This campaign is yet another offering from the customer-oriented Toyota Service and Parts.

Internationally recognised and award-winning Toyota Service continues to serve customers all across Oman, creating a rewarding ownership experience with the very best of equipment and experts.

The world-class Toyota Service facility at Wattayah has an integrated service facility extending over 30,000sq m, four level workshops with a hi-tech diagnostic centre, drive through airconditioned receiving area with eight express lanes and 24-hour service, round-the-year.

The various offerings of Toyota Service, such as the Advantage Toyota Service Package, have led to highest customer satisfaction levels. The nationwide sales, service and parts network of the Saud Bahwan Group enhances the confidence of Toyota owners.

With expert Toyota Service care; a Toyota continues to run at its best. The smiles on the customers’ faces say it all, “Toyota Service ... The One to Trust.”

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Williamses renew rivalry as little sister eyes Serena Slam

business end of the tournament after a first week which saw seventh seed Milos Raonic and 10th-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated on court

LONDON: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray remain on course for the Wimbledon semi-finals ahead of ‘manic Monday’ when the last-16 takes place. Six of the top 10 seeds are safely into the business end of the tournament after a first week which saw seventh seed Milos Raonic and 10th-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated on court. Fifth seed Kei Nishikori withdrew before the second round with a calf injury while eighth-seeded David Ferrer pulled out before the first round.

Defending Djokovic will face South African 14th seed Kevin Anderson in the fourth round, defending a 4-1 career lead.

Anderson won their first meeting in 2008 but since then it’s been the world number one who has been on top winning the next four without dropping a set, including a straight sets win at Wimbledon in the second round four years ago.

“I think he is probably playing the tennis of his life,” said Djokovic who hasn’t dropped a set so far at the tournament so far and also captured the 2011 title. “He’s reached the highest ranking now in his career. He keeps on going forward.

“It will be a match of very small margins that will be decided by a few points. So I need to be able to get as many returns back in play.”

Federer, 33, chasing a record eighth Wimbledon and 18th major, has dropped just one set so

far, in his third round win over Sam Groth. The Swiss, playing his 17th successive Wimbledon, faces Spanish 20th seed Roberto Bautista Agut who was voted the most improved player of 2014. He is in the fourth round for the first time.

However, he has lost both of his matches against Federer without winning a set including a fourth round loss to the Swiss at the 2014 US Open. Murray, the 2013 champion tackles 36-year-old Ivo Karlovic, the oldest man to make the fourth round at the All England Club since compatriot Niki Pilic in 1976.

The 23rd seed is also the oldest to reach the last-16 of any of the four Grand Slams since 39-yearold Jimmy Connors at the 1991 US Open. “It’s a great feeling. I really like what I do. I’m just having fun.

So if I’m able to do this at my age, it is unbelievable still,” said Karlovic who has rained down 136 aces in three matches. Murray needed treatment on his right shoulder in his four-set win over Andreas Seppi on Saturday but then reeled off the last six games of the match.

He will takes a 5-0 career lead into Monday’s clash with Karlovic. “It will be a very different match from Seppi. Ivo is going to be coming to the net a lot,” said Murray.

Fourth seed and French Open champion Wawrinka faces Belgian 16th seed David Goffin who has made the fourth round at Wimbledon for the first time. - AFP

SIBLING RIVALRY: Venus Williams, left, and Serena Williams is all set for a showdown at All England Club. – Reuters,, AFP

LONDON: With her heart racing as she stood two points from defeat in her third round match at Wimbledon, Serena Williams looked in serious danger of missing out on a 26th on-court date with older sister Venus.

For a fleeting second, the American even contemplated finding “a dance class” while she “hung around to watch Venus play” as brave Brit Heather Watson looked like she would deny the sisters a chance to renew their Wimbledon rivalry by toppling the world number one.

Those dance classes were soon a distant memory as U.S., Australian and French Open champion Serena kept alive her dreams of completing the “Serena Slam” by setting up a fifth All England Club showdown with her sister.

A contest that will feature two women who between them

have hoisted the Rosewater Dish 10 times since 2000 has the potential to be a classic but could very well turn out to be the ultimate anti-climax as has been the case in many of their previous meetings.

“I’m one of the few people that has experienced what it’s like to play, in my case, my brother (Patrick) on the tour,” said American great John McEnroe. “I know this is wrong but I thought to myself if I lose to my brother I’m going to go and jump off the top of the Empire State Building.

“I love my brother and it should be that if you’re going to lose to anyone, you want it to be your brother. But there is some weird dynamics.

“I’ve always been amazed that Serena and Venus have been able to handle it so well because the older person is sup-

posed to win. Serena is feeling a lot of pressure as she’s going for history, go for the grand slam, so Venus has got an opportunity.”

Serena leads their overall head-to-head 14-11, and is 3-2 at the grasscourt major having won their last grand slam meeting in straight sets in the 2009 Wimbledon final.

Not everyone was sure if Serena was engaging in some mind games when she declared Venus was “in better form than I am and I think she has a little bit of an advantage going into that match. “I’m playing the toughest player I’ve played in women’s tennis. That’s never fun.” Five-times champion Venus, however, took that observation with a pinch of salt.

“There’s no easy points against Serena. No matter how Serena’s playing, she knows how to win,” said 16th seed

Venus, who a year ago snapped a run of five successive losses to her sister in their last meeting in Montreal. What is true is that Venus’s progress has been drama free and her run includes a 6-0, 6-0 walloping of the unfortunate Madison Brengle in the opening round.

The one thing they both agreed was that it was “unfortunate the match was so soon” as Monday’s clash will be the first time they have met at the All England Club before the semifinals. “We’ll leave everything out on the court. When it’s done, we’ll go back to regular life,” Serena, seeking a 21st major, said about a rivalry that is now in its 17th year.

“I mean, she’s my sister today.

She’s my sister next week. She’s my sister next year. I think that’s a little more important than a match. - Reuters

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M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015

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‘New’ England face acid test With their new Australian coach, Trevor Bayliss, telling them the only way they can defeat the Aussies is to “fight fire with fire”, England have certainly talked a good game as they look to turn the tables on an Australia side who beat their archrivals 5-0 during the last Ashes series ‘Down Under’ in 2013/14

LONDON: England will face the ultimate test of their stated desire to play bold and aggressive cricket as they bid to regain the Ashes from Australia in a fivematch series that starts in Cardiff on Wednesday.

With their new Australian coach, Trevor Bayliss, telling them the only way they can defeat the Aussies is to “fight fire with fire”, England have certainly talked a good game as they look to turn the tables on an Australia side who beat their arch-rivals 5-0 during the last Ashes series ‘Down Under’ in 2013/14.

But can England match the aggression of Australia and will they have to if they are to win the series?

On paper, at least, Australia — even after Ryan Harris’s injuryinduced retirement on Saturday — have quicker bowlers in the likes of left-armers Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc than England’s new-ball duo of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

And with their top order boasting the likes of dynamic opener David Warner, Steven Smith, now the number one ranked batsman

Joker Smith eager to have last Ashes laugh county side Surrey with the aim of becoming England qualified, is much more straightforward: it is to score runs and plenty of them as Australia bid to win their first Ashes series in England in 14 years. “I remember Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell getting into me quite a bit,” Smith, now Australia’s vicecaptain, told reporters as he recalled his first experience of playing against England.

“I don’t think they really

rated the way I played... Maybe I’ve changed their views now.”

Certainly the type of criticism Smith has faced in the lead-up to this Ashes has altered. England paceman Stuart Broad, while acknowledging the Australian’s recent run of form, questioned whether Smith could continue to make big scores in a relatively new position of No 3 in English conditions, which tend to assist swing, and against a Dukes ball which is reputed to move more than other brands. “It’s the preAshes when guys come out and say a lot of things,” said Smith of Broad’s comments.

“I’m just going to try to go out there and do the things I’ve been doing for the last 12 or 13 months and score runs. I’d just like my bat to do the talking.

“I’ve enjoyed batting at three and had a bit of success there against West Indies but over here will be a bigger challenge,” added Smith, who scored 199 and 54 in his most recent Test — Australia’s 277-run win in Jamaica last month. “(England) is

probably one of the harder places in the world to bat against the new ball and I’m going to have to make sure my game is ready to go,” added Smith ahead of the first Test against England in Cardiff starting on Wednesday. Smith’s batting style at the crease, complete with a large trigger movement across the stumps and a wafting blade, which seems to have little hope of coming down straight, will never appeal to cricket purists.

But he insisted he had refined his method over the years.

“When I played the Ashes in 2010-11, my technique probably wasn’t up to it, I was probably playing at balls I didn’t need to be,” the 26-year-old said.

“I looked at a bit of footage, what I needed to improve.

Since then my technique has tightened up a lot and my general mindset around batting and batting long periods has certainly changed. “I got rid of a tap that I used to have, just before the bowler bowled to me. I was getting myself too high, my balance was out, my stroke-play was out, everything was out of sync, so I am a lot more still at the crease now. — AFP

arena. “The way the game has been played over the last five or 10 years you could argue that maybe we haven’t kept up to date as some of the other teams,” he said.

“Whether you like it or not the T20 format and the one-day format do have a bearing on the way the game is played at Test level. It’s that philosophy of being positive and aggressive.”

Bayliss, however, said this was not the same thing as being reckless, a point echoed by England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who said Thursday: “It’s not all about hitting fours and sixes, it’s about having intent in everything you do.”

During England’s 124-run win over New Zealand in the first Test at Lord’s in May, contrasting second innings hundreds from Cook and Stokes laid the platform for victory with the captain batting in classic opening fashion to make

162 off 345 balls while Stokes blasted 101 off 92.

Cook is often portrayed as an inherently cautious captain, certainly when compared to Clarke, and even faced flak when England won the 2013 Ashes 3-0.

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson questioned the England skipper’s capacity to be proactive in the field, saying: “I’m not sure if that’s exactly in Alastair Cook’s DNA to be really able to put a game on the line.”

But Broad made the valid point that captaincy style was often heavily influenced by the make-up of a side.

“You may see a decent shift,” Broad said. “You have to captain the players you have in your side and we have these newer guys who like to play attacking, free-flowing, exciting cricket.

“Cooky can roll with that and is

excited about rolling with that.”

Australia have not won an Ashes series in Britain since 2001 and much will depend on how their fast bowlers adapt to generally less responsive pitches and their batsmen cope with the swinging ball, if conditions are conducive to aerial movement.

Clarke, one of the outstanding batsmen of his generation, has made three previous tours of England and ended up losing the Ashes on each occasion.

“I’ve played for long enough and I’m realistic enough to know that playing here is a really tough challenge,” said Clarke.

“Look at our record over the last 10-15 years (in England) — it’s certainly not what we’d like as an Australian team.

“But there’s good reasons for that... England are very tough to beat at home.” - AFP

LONDON: When Steven Smith made his Ashes debut in Perth during England’s victorious 2010/11 tour of Australia he was, following prompting from then captain Ricky Ponting, clear on his role in the team.

“I’ve been told that I’ve got to come into the side and be fun,” Smith said. “For me, it’s about having energy in the field and making sure I’m having fun and making sure everyone else around is having fun, whether it be telling a joke or something like that.”

It seemed an extraordinary thing for him to say in public.

His words didn’t seem to offer much hope of a lengthy career for a leg-spinning all-rounder, particularly one with an unorthodox batting technique, and were duly mocked by England.

But roll on a few years and the situation is very different.

Smith is now the world’s number one ranked Test batsman, with five hundreds in his last six Tests at an average of 131.5.

Now the task of for Smith, who as the son of an English mother was courted by

in Test cricket, and captain Michael Clarke, Australia also appear to have a faster scoring top order than England’s leading quartet of Adam Lyth, skipper Alastair Cook, Gary Ballance and Ian Bell, who have been accused of being ‘onepaced’ batsmen.

Nevertheless number five Joe Root has often shown he’s comfortable upping the tempo -- something for which England should be grateful given Kevin Pietersen’s ongoing exile.

‘Haven’t kept up’ England were much praised for the attacking manner they displayed during a recent 3-2 one-day series victory over New Zealand, a series Cook missed.

Former Sri Lanka and New South Wales coach Bayliss insisted England had to take their white-ball approach into the Test

HOCKEY

India go down to Britain, settle for fourth spot ANTWERP: India were thumped 5-1 by Great Britain in the third place playoff at the Hockey World League (HWL) Semi Finals at the Brasschaat Municipal Park here on Sunday.

For Britain, Alastair Brogdon, Chris Griffiths, Ashley Jackson, Adam Dixon and skipper Barry Middleton got on the scoresheet, while only Rupinder Pal Singh scored for the losers.

In the first few minutes, both sides tested each other’s defences by some pacy movements in and around the ‘D’ but it was Britain who drew first blood in the 11th minute of the game through a penalty corner.

Brogdon did not falter with a rebound attempt that beat P.R. Sreejesh all ends up.

India managed to get some possession back but the passes lacked accuracy and did not help much in finding the equaliser, But, at the other end, Griffiths led his team ahead with an instinctive flick after latching onto a pass from Nick Catlin.

Britain went into half-time leading 2-0. After the breather, there was no respite for the Indians as the opposition stepped on the gas again.

What followed were three goals in a space of seven minutes, as Jackson, Dixon and Barry, all found the back of the net.

While Jackson’s was a brilliant field goal set up from a counter attack, Dixon’s was from a penalty corner as he easily deflected the ball past India’s custodian Srejeesh.

The skipper then rammed home the fifth. In the dying seconds of the game, Rupinder got a consolation goal for India.

“I think we started very poorly and gave GB too much of an advantage,” said India captain Sardar Singh after the defeat.

“We are playing with a new strategy and it took some time to adjust, but we have some young players who have done very well playing against higher ranked teams and learned a lot,” he said.

Savita stars Meanwhile on the distaff side, custodian Savita emerged a saviour by blocking half-a-dozen goal-bearing chances as India enhanced their Olympic qualification, following a 1-0 victory over Japan in the fifth-place playoff in the women hockey on Saturday. The match-winner for India came in the 13th minute from Rani Rampal, who capitalised on a rebound from the Japanese goalkeeper after the initial shot from Vandana Katariya in open play was blocked.

But the star of the day for India was Savita, who firmly stood between repeated Japanese raids and the Indian goal, often diving to either side to block firm shots. In the last quarter itself, Japan forced five penalty corners and laid a seize on the Indian circle, but could not get a shot past Savita.- Agencies CRICKET

Harris one of best: Clarke LONDON: Test captain Michael Clarke labelled Ryan Harris “as good as anyone who has played for Australia” after the fast bowler announced his retirement. “I’ve said through my career that he is my number one pick bowler in any team I’ve played with,” Clarke said. - Reuters

MO N DAY, JU LY 6, 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS Hosts on top, thanks to skipper Mathews

TWENTY20

SCOREBOARD

Sri Lanka will begin the fourth day with a commanding overall lead of 291 runs with five wickets in hand, having a clear advantage on the wearing pitch to break the 1-1 deadlock in the series BALL ON GROUND BAT IN AIR: South African captain Faf du Plessis loses his bat as he plays a shot during the first T20 match against Bangladesh. – AFP

Du Plessis sets up win for S. Africa DHAKA: Skipper Faf du Plessis scored an unbeaten half century to set up a crushing 52-run win for South Africa over Bangladesh in the first Twenty20 international in Dhaka on Sunday. Du Plessis helped the visitors recover from a shaky start with an unbeaten 79 off 61 balls, his sixth half-century in Twenty20 internationals, which included eight fours.

Off-spinner JP Duminy (2-11), medium pacer David Wiese (212) and fast bowler Kagiso Rabada (2-28) then put in a combined effort to dismiss Bangladesh for 96 runs on a slow wicket at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Shakib Al Hasan was the only batsman to offer some kind of resistance with 26 off 30 balls while debutante Litton Das made 22 off 33 balls. Bangladesh lost both their openers for 13 runs but

seemed to have recovered when Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim (17) put 37 runs for the second wicket.

The game decisively swung the Proteas’ way when Duminy dismissed Rahim and Sabbir Rahman (4) in his successive overs and spinner Phangiso removed Nasir Hossain for one as Bangladesh collapsed from 2-50 to 5-57.

Earlier, opting to bat first, South Africa struggled to keep the scoreboard rolling.

Bangladesh started with spinners from both ends and struck almost immediately with leftarm spinner Arafat Sunny dismissing AB de Villiers in the very first over for two.

Du Plessis said he was happy to play the match-winning knock on a difficult wicket. “It’s a knock that you’d like to play as a batter,” he said after the game.” - AFP

SCOREBOARD

SOUTH AFRICA A. de Villiers c Mortaza b Sunny 2 Q. de Kock c Das b Nasir 12 F. du Plessis not out 79 J. Duminy c Nasir b Sunny 18 D. Miller lbw b Shakib 1 R. Rossouw not out 31 Extras (lb-2, w-2, nb-1) 5 Total (20 overs; four wickets) 148 Did not bat: D. Wiese, W. Parnell, K. Abbott, A. Phangiso, K. Rabada Fall of wickets: 1-2 (de Villiers), 2-31 (de Kock), 3-77 (Duminy), 4-90 (Miller) Bowling: Sunny 3-0-19-2, Nasir 4-0-371(w2), Shakib 4-0-24-1, Mustafizur 4-0-300 (nb1), Gazi 2-0-16-0, Mortaza 3-0-20-0 BANGLADESH Tamim Iqbal c de Kock b Abbott 5 Soumya Sarkar c Duminy b Rabada 7 Shakib Al Hasan c Parnell b Wiese 26 Mushfiqur Rahim c Miller b Duminy 17 Sabbir Rahman c de Kock b Duminy 4

Nasir Hossain c Rossouw b Phangiso 1 Litton Das c de Villiers b Weise 22 Mashrafe Mortaza c de Villiers b Rabada 5 Sohag Gazi run out 3 Arafat Sunny not out 1 Mustafizur Rahman b Parnell 1 Extras (lb-2, w-2) 4 Total (all out 18.5 overs) 96 Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Tamim), 2-13 (Soumya), 3-50 (Rahim), 4-56 (Sabbir), 5-57 (Nasir), 6-71 (Shakib), 7-86 (Mortaza), 8-93 (Gazi), 9-94 (Das), 10-96( Mustafizur) Bowling: Abbott 2-0-10-1(w1), Rabada 3-0-28-2, Parnell 2.5-0-12-1, Wiese 3-0-122(w1), Phangiso 4-0-21-1, Duminy 4-0-11-2 Result: South Africa won by 52 runs Series: South Africa lead 2-match series 1-0 Toss: South Africa Umpires: Enamul Haque (BAN) and Sharfoudoulla Saikat (BAN) TV Umpire: Anisur Rahman (BAN) Match Referee: David Boon (AUS)

PALLEKELE: Skipper Angelo Mathews battled his way to an unbeaten 77 as Sri Lanka seized the advantage in the series-deciding third and final Test against Pakistan in Pallekele on Sunday.

The hosts gained a first innings lead of 63 runs and then recovered from 35-3 in their second knock to post 228-5 by stumps on a raininterrupted, but absorbing, third day’s play. Mathews led from the front against a tiring Pakistani attack, adding 45 for the fourth wicket with Upul Tharanga (48) and 81 for the fifth with Jehan Mubarak (35).

Mubarak marked his recall to the Test side after almost eight years with a gutsy 35 before he was caught at short-leg off Yasir Shah in the final session. Dinesh Chandimal returned to form with 39 not out, helping his captain put on 67 for the sixth wicket before bad light ended the day’s play early.

Sri Lanka will begin the fourth day with a commanding overall lead of 291 runs with five wickets in hand, having a clear advantage on the wearing pitch to break the 1-1 deadlock in the series.

STUBBORN KNOCK: Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews plays a shot during the third day of the third and final Test match against Pakistan at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium. – AFP

Left-arm seamer Rahat Ali grabbed two quick wickets and new ball partner Ehsan Adil took one to leave Sri Lanka tottering in the morning session.

Rahat bowled first innings century-maker Dimuth Karunaratne for 10 and yorked Lahiru Thirimanne for no score in an inspired eight-over opening spell.

In between, Ehsan had Kaushal Silva caught in the slips by a diving Misbah-ul Haq for three.

Tharanga and Mathews repaired the early damage on either side of lunch before Yasir broke the partnership.

Having had a leg-before review turned down by the TV umpire off the previous ball, the leg-spinner forced Tharanga to edge the next delivery to Azhar Ali at short-leg.

V I V R I C H A R D S S AY S

Virat has a ‘lot of qualities to match his aggression’ NEW DELHI: He has always admired Virat Kohli’s batting qualities and Sir Vivian Richards feels that one should not be too critical of the Indian Test captain’s on-field aggression as he possesses the “quality” to match his attitude.

“I see nothing wrong in Virat’s attitude. He is very different from (MS) Dhoni. I believe if you are showing passion and aggression on the field, you should have the game quality to match that. Virat has the quality. He can give back as good as he gets. I like people who have stomach for a good fight and Virat is one of them,” Richards, one of the greatest to have ever played the game, told

PTI during an interview. “Virat brings in a lot of vibrancy and the future of Indian cricket looks bright,” he added.

Asked about Kohli’s failure in England against the moving delivery and the recent slump in ODIs, the legend dismissed the notion of any kind of technical glitch in his batting. “He is still a very young man. He is only 26. There is so much more to come from him.

Whatever I have seen of Virat, he looks like a young man, who wants to improve his game. When you play international cricket, there will be a few problems here and there. But there are two things you need — positive attitude and tenacity,” the 63-year-old said. - PTI

Play was held up twice by passing showers in the morning session and once again before tea, keeping the hard-working ground staff on their toes as they rushed in the covers to guard both the wicket and the outfield. Earlier, the tourists added six runs to their overnight score of 209-9 before they were all out for 215 in the day’s second over in reply to Sri Lanka’s first innings total of 278.

Pakistan’s six runs in the morning all came off the bat of Sarfraz Ahmed, who remained unbeaten on 78. Last man Imran Khan, who had not faced a ball in four previous Tests, survived for seven deliveries before he was bowled by off-spinner Tharindu Kaushal for zero. Kaushal, Dhammika Prasad and Nuwan Pradeep fin-

Sri Lanka 1st innings: 278 (D. Karunaratne 130, U. Tharanga 46; Yasir Shah 5-78, Rahat Ali 3-74) Pakistan 1st innings (overnight 209-9): Shan Masood lbw b Prasad 13 Ahmed Shehzad c Chandimal b Pradeep 21 Azhar Ali c Karunaratne b Pradeep 52 Younis Khan run out 3 Asad Shafiq lbw b Prasad 15 Sarfraz Ahmed not out 78 Misbah-ul Haq lbw b Pradeep 6 Ehsan Adil lbw b Kaushal 0 Yasir Shah c Chandimal b Prasad 18 Rahat Ali lbw b Kaushal 2 Imran Khan b Kaushal 0 Extras (lb-4, w-1, nb-2) 7 Total (all out, 66 overs) 215 Fall of wickets: 1-32 (Masood), 2-40 (Shehzad), 3-45 (Younis), 4-91 (Shafiq), 5-135 (Azhar), 6-151 (Misbah), 7-152 (Ehsan), 8-197 (Yasir), 9-202 (Rahat), 10-215 (Imran).

Bowling: Prasad 19-1-78-3 (w1), Lakmal 14-1-64-0 (nb2), Pradeep 15-5-29-3, Mathews 4-1-3-0, Kaushal 14-1-37-3.

Sri Lanka 2nd innings: D. Karunaratne b Rahat 10 K. Silva c Misbah b Ehsan 3 U. Tharanga c Azhar b Yasir 48 L. Thirimanne b Rahat 0 A. Mathews not out 77 J. Mubarak c Azhar b Yasir 35 D. Chandimal not out 39 Extras (b-4, lb-9, w-3) 16 Total (for five wickets, 69.4 overs) 228 Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Karunaratne), 2-22 (Silva), 3-35 (Thirimanne), 4-80 (Tharanga), 5-161 (Mubarak).

Bowling: Rahat 15-3-58-2 (w1), Ehsan 144-46-1 (w1), Imran 10.4-2-27-0 (w1), Yasir 25-4-70-2, Azhar 5-1-14-0 Position: Sri Lanka lead by 291 runs with five wickets in hand Toss: Pakistan Umpires: Ian Gould and Paul Reiffel TV umpire: Sundaram Ravi (IND) Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

ished with three wickets each.

Pakistan won the first Test in Galle by 10 wickets and Sri Lanka took the second in Colombo by seven wickets. - AFP

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M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015

SPORTS Lewis Hamilton’s lead grows with home win Recovering after losing his pole position advantage at the start, Hamilton stormed back into contention and regained the lead with a superblyexecuted pitstop to win by 10.956 seconds PROUD WINNER: British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton cele-

SILVERSTONE: Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton won his second successive British Grand Prix on Sunday to extend his lead in the championship standings over Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.

Hamilton — the first British driver since David Coulthard in 1999/2000 to post successive wins in the race — came home 10 seconds clear of Rosberg in yet another Mercedes 1-2, with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in third.

Hamilton — whose victory was watched by 140,000 people the largest attendance since 1992 — took his points tally to 194 and a lead of 17 over Rosberg, who had narrowed the gap to 10 prior to this weekend.

Recovering after losing his pole position advantage at the start,

brates with the trophy after winning the British Formula One Grand Prix at Silverstone circuit. – AP/PTI

Hamilton stormed back into contention and regained the lead with a superbly-executed pit-stop to win by 10.956 seconds.

It was his third win in his home race, his fifth win this year and the 38th win of his career.

Four-time champion Vettel took full advantage of the changing conditions with an equally well-timed stop to switch to intermediate tyres during the showers to finish third. “Thank you everyone for coming out today and making my weekend,” said Hamilton, praising the fans.

“I really wanted to do it for you guys. I am so thankful for all the support. I could see all the fans on

every lap in the corner of my eye and they spurred me on.

“My clutch was good this time!

But we had quite poor grip at the start -- the same for Nico, but it made the race more exciting. I just kept pushing and, for the first time in my career, I made the perfect choice tyre-wise!

“How do I feel? I am so elated you cannot imagine. I felt tears on the last lap, I was just hoping I could do it for all the guys. Thanks for all the support. Now let’s party...”

Rosberg accepted his defeat gracefully. “I was pushing hard to try and catch Lewis under difficult conditions,” he said. “But he made the better call and that is where I

lost it. Fair play to him.”

Vettel admitted the typically English weather conditions had played in his favour.

“Without the rain, we would not be on the podium. We kept our head down and were patient enough until the rain poured down,” said Vettel.

“That is England for you! We made the right choices and the team did a great job.”

Brazilian Felipe Massa, who had led from the start until lap 20, ended up finishing fourth ahead of his Williams team-mate Finn Valtteri Bottas.

The race was punctuated by a Safety Car on the opening lap after a multiple collision that removed both Lotus cars and Fernando Alonso’s luckless team-mate Briton Jenson Button.

The grid was busy with British royalty and celebrities, including three of former pop sensations The Spice Girls — one of whom Geri Halliwell is married to Red Bull boss Christian Horner — before the start.

When the lights went out, Massa made an astonishing start from third, his Williams streaking between the two Mercedes men to take the lead. Bottas followed, but Hamilton resisted and, after a scrap through the opening corners, the champion regained second.

Behind them, on a tumultuous opening lap, a multiple crash at the Village loop corner saw the two Lotuses collide and the two McLaren Hondas do the same.

Of the four, only Alonso survived and, following a lengthy pit stop, he re-joined the fray and eventually finished 10th.

“There was nothing Fernando could do, he didn’t drive into me,” said Button.” — AFP

TOUR DE FRANCE

HURRAH: Germany’s Andre Greipel celebrates as he crosses the finish line at the end of the 166 km second stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France. – AFP

Greipel wins stage as Nibali and Quintana lose time ZEELAND: Andre Greipel won the second stage of the Tour de France on Sunday as reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali and fellow favourite Nairo Quintana lost time. Greipel edged out Peter Sagan by a fraction of a wheel length at the end of the 166km stage from Utrecht to Zeeland in the Netherlands.

Fabian Cancellara took third and four bonus seconds to snare the yellow jersey off Australia’s Rohan Dennis. Tony Martin, who started the day in second, one place and one second ahead of Cancellara, could only finish ninth and now trails the Swiss Trek rider by three seconds, with Tom Dumoulin third overall at 6sec.

But it was crashes and crosswinds in driving rain that made the real difference as Chris Froome, the 2013 champion, and twice winner Alberto Contador put significant time into Nibali

and Quintana. After a four-man breakaway of Czech Jan Barta, Stef Clement of the Netherlands and Frenchmen Perrig Quemeneur and Armindo Fonseca was reeled in within the first 100km, the next 10km saw the main drama take place.

Already 60km into the race the crosswinds created the first split in the peloton, with former world champion Rui Costa of Portugal and former Vuelta a Espana winner Alejandro Valverde caught out.

They got back up to the front group but crashes, a searing pace and the inclement weather from 60km to 50km to go saw first Quintana and then Nibali also left behind.

Quintana’s group quickly lost a minute while Nibali was caught in no-man’s land in a small group that, while just 20sec off the front peloton, didn’t have enough manpower to close the gap. — AFP

FOOTBALL

Team Coorg beat Qurum to clinch Al Rehwan TPL Cup MUSCAT: The excitement and thrill of the first edition of Tellicherry Premier League (TPL) for football organised by the Stadium brothers at Al Ahli-Sidab Club, came to an end on Friday, when Team Coorg defeated Qurum FC 4-3 in a most exciting final.

After conceding a goal to QFC in the initial stage of the game, Team Coorg came back strongly to win the match, thanks to the brilliant form of their star forward Auroith Patnayak, who scored eight times in the tournament.

Twelve teams took part in the tournament and as per the tournament rules and regulations all the players should be from the Kannur district, a football crazy district in the northern part of Kerala with only two players allowed from outside Kannur district.

Team Coorg had entered the tournament as a guest team and they had won the heart of the huge spectators who had attended the

CHAMPIONS: Team Coorg celebrates after winning the TPL Cup.

event which was held for five days in the week ends. The tournament was conducted in association with United Thalessery Sports Club (UTSC), Oman wing.

Earlier in the semifinals, Team Coorg beat Al Nahla LLC by 2-1 and Qurum FC beat Teleboys, one of the favorites in the tournament through penalties, which was decided at sudden death. Unfortu-

nately Sandeep of Teleboys hit the goal post much to the delight of the QFC team, who qualified for the summit clash.

Saif Mubarak Al Mamari, administration director of Al Rehwan Contractors was the chief guest and P.M.Jabir, a noted personality among the Tellicherry community residing in Oman and well known social worker was the

RUNNERS-UP: Qurum FC have their moment of joy. – Supplied photos

guest of honour. Another noted Tellicherrian Shamsudeen Maliayakkal and Sureya Sameer, director of Foodlands Restaurant were also present for the function and gave away the prizes.

During the break an exhibition match was played with a funny title called Dates XI vs Kava XI which the latter won 2-0.

Rizin Hashim of Stadium

Brothers gave a memento to Saif Mubarak Al Maamari and thanked Al Rehwan for their great support extended to them.

He also thanked Asian Money Exchange, Al Fahwan Printers and Pocari (Muscat Pharmacy) for their support. He specially thanked Foodlands for hosting the winning team and both teams who took part in the exhibition match

for a dinner party. UTSC members were presented a memento by the officials of Stadium brothers for the technical support and notes sports enthusiast, Jawis Ahmad of UTSC was presented a memento for his contribution to sports in Oman and back home in Tellicherry. Salih Thacher’s commentary kept the entire stadium lively.

Auroith Patnayak of Team Coorg won the top scorer and the man of the tournament award.

While Jawad of Teleboys grabbed the best goal keeper award, the man of the final award was given to Achaya of Team Coorg. Sahil Iqbal of Athlento Mahe FC won the most promising young player.

Faiz APM, of Stadium brothers said “We the members of Stadium Brothers played together at the Tellicherry Muncipality Stadium during our childhood. This tournament takes us down memory lane yet again. We thank Al Ahli-Sidab Club for their wonderful support.”

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FOOTBALL

Blatter says to limit travel until ‘everything cleared up’ BERLIN: Sepp Blatter, the head of Fifa which is mired in corruption allegations, told a German newspaper Sunday that he won’t take travel risks until the situation is “cleared up”.

“As long as not everything is cleared up, I will not take any travel risk,” Blatter, 79, said, without giving details, in comments reported by Welt am Sonntag newspaper. He announced on June 2, just days after being re-elected, that he would step down from the Fifa presidency at an extraordinary congress to be held between December this year and March 2016.

The decision followed a crisis that engulfed Fifa with 18 people indicted in the United States on football-related corruption charges involving millions of dollars in bribes. Blatter has repeatedly pleaded his innocence.

Blatter will not attend the final of the Women’s World Cup in Canada later Sunday, his US lawyer said last week.

It is the first time since Blatter’s election as Fifa president in 1998 that he has missed the climax of the showpiece event.

However Blatter indicated to Welt am Sonntag that he did plan to travel to Russia at the end of the month for the draw for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. He also told the German newspaper there had been “political interventions” over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar. — AFP

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SPORTS

Zubair Corporation supports Oman Golf camp in Sweden This support comes from the Zubair Corporation based on its strategy to support and develop Omani sports, and its vision in the importance of the private sector partnership with the sports sector

SUPPORT FOR GOLF: Young Oman golfers with Oman Golf officials and Zubair Corporation officials after the latter promised support for a

summer camp in Sweden next month. – Supplied photo

to contribute in the establishment and development of various sports in the Sultanate

MUSCAT: The Zubair Corporation supported the summer camp organised by Oman Golf for a group of young golfers as a training camp to be held abroad for two weeks next August in Sweden at the Volkswagen Golf course.

This support comes from the Zubair Corporation based on its strategy to support and develop Omani sports, and its vision in the importance of the private sector

partnership with the sports sector to contribute in the establishment and development of various sports in the Sultanate.

The Zubair Corporation diversify its support to the various local sports and it takes great interest in the young generation for its conviction that high achievements can be made by young sportsmen if provided by sufficient care and space to hone their talents and eventually form the coming generation of young sportsmen for a better future of sports in Oman and higher achievements on the local and international level.

Ziyad Mohammad Al Zubair, board member of the Zubair Corporation, said: “Supporting Omani sports is a strategic objective for the Zubair Corporation as its strategy aims to support various kinds

of sports in order to diversify and include a wider variety of sports and bring out and shed light on particular sports that require more care and support”.

He added: “This support along with the Oman Golf Committee, in essence, exceeds the simple concept of support and participation for the firm belief of the Zubair Corporation that effective partnership with the Omani sports sector should target the promising young Omanis to represent and raise the name of Oman in the local, international and regional competitions and uphold the Omani sports among its counterparts in various countries around the world.

“This partnership shall remain continuance and ambitious to achieve a true addition to the game of golf in Oman”.

Oman Golf Chairman Mundhir Al Barwani had a meeting with officials of Zubair Corporation to finalise the details of the arrangement.

Al Barwani said, “I am glad that Zubair Corporation has come forward to sponsor the summer camp.

This is the most important preparatory event for the Omani boys before the regional and international events coming up in October and onwards. At this time of the year, golf generally takes a backseat in the Sultanate because of the summer’s heat.

“Therefore, this summer camp in the comparatively cooler conditions of Sweden is a big opportunity for the boys to hone their skills as some big tournaments are coming up starting this September.

“We are proud to have The Zubair Corporation on board as our

partner in this venture.”

The meeting was also attended by Oman Golf vice chairman Ahmed Al Jhdhamy, who hoped this partnership would blossom further and benefit golf in Oman in the long run. Al Jhdhamy said, “The Zubair Corporation’s initiative is a clear indication of how keen they are to shape the future of golf as a fast-growing sport in Oman. I am confident they will continue to lead the charge in the OGC’s bid to produce future golfing champions.”

The Zubair Corporation has supported a range of sports activities during this year in various sports activities and events that took place in the recent sports season such as supporting the final Asian Beach Handball Championship held in Muscat this year.

RAMADAN CRICKET

TWO GOOD WINS FOR AL NAFEESA IN AL TURKI/NMC CUP TOURNEY Al Nafeesa Jewellers won the League match as well as the knock-out match of the 6th Al Turki/NMC Cup 2015. In the League encounter Al Nafeesa Jewelers beat Shanfari XI by 44 runs. Al Nafeesa scored 72 for 4 in 8 overs with man of the match Naveed (in picture) top scoring. Shanfair in reply were restricted to 28 for 8 in 8 overs with Lucky and Amir Hussain scalping two wickets each. In the knock-out, Al Nafeesa trounced Cheers XI by 9 wickets. Chasing Cheers’ 54 for 4, Al Nafeesa reached 57 for 1 in 5 overs. Man of the match Farhan Khan (in picture) made 25. — Supplied photo

Agha XI, Bisya CC notch victories MUSCAT: Agha XI and Bisya CC win in the Pakistan Social Club organised Omantel Ramadan Cricket Tournament 2015 being played at the Pakistan School ground. In the first match, Bisya CC hammered Star XI by a big margin of 72 runs. Batting first Bisya CC scored 89 for 3 in 8 overs with Waseen (46) and Tiklo (24) contributing with the bat.

Adil and Najam chipped in with one wicket each for Star XI, who in reply were bowled out for 36.

Snakat claimed four wickets for 2 runs and was adjudged the man of the match. His four wickets also included a hat-trick, second of the tournament. In other match Agha XI beat Gitacs by 19 runs. Batting first Agha XI set a decent total of 83 for 5 in 8 overs with Ijaz (41) top scoring. Jjahanzaib contibuted 19 runs, while Aawais claimed two wickets for 10 runs.

In reply, Giatcs managed to score 64 for 5 in 8 overs, 19 less than the target. Contributions came from Usamn (20) and Jabran (11). Ijaz was declared the man of the match.

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M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015

SPORTS Argentina’s title quest continues Messi’s failure raises again the debate of how best to have him play for his country

SANTIAGO: Former Argentina and Chile coach Marcelo Bielsa says you learn more from defeat than victory. So Chile will be eternally grateful to the Argentine for having sowed the seeds of their first Copa America triumph, carried through by his disciple and compatriot Jorge Sampaoli.

Bielsa changed perennial losers Chile’s mentality and built a team that reached the World Cup finals in South Africa in 2010 —their first appearance in 12 years.

They reached the last 16 in both competitions, but more than half of Sampaoli’s team that won the Copa America beating Argentina on penalties after their goalless stalemate had played in Bielsa’s team in South Africa five years ago.

Argentina, meanwhile, cannot quite seem to learn from a string of lost finals, including the 2004 Copa America under Bielsa, despite boasting the world’s best player in Lionel Messi.

Messi’s failure with Argentina raises again the debate of how best to have him play for his country when he carries all before him with Barcelona. It would appear to justify unfavourable comparisons with Diego Maradona, who led Argentina to their second World Cup title

in 1986. Messi is a brilliant player who has enjoyed so much success with Barcelona also because he has been accompanied by some great players — first Ronaldinho, then several Spanish World Cup winners notably Xavi and Andres Iniesta, now Brazilian Neymar and Uruguan Luis Suarez.

Would Messi have done as well, breaking scoring records galore and winning tons of silverware at another club? Would he have been able to do what Maradona did at Napoli and lift the southern Italian club out of mid-table mediocrity and make the sum of its parts better than the individuals, inspiring them to two Serie A titles?

Former Argentina coach Sergio Batista fell on his sword when he said he wanted Argentina to play like Barcelona before their ignominious quarterfinal loss on penalties to Uruguay in the 2011.

But he must have had a point, that Messi needed the right context to bring out the best in him for Argentina and his successors on the bench have continued with the quest without quite finding the key.

Coach Gerardo Martino sees his own team as a work in progress towards the ultimate goal, the World Cup in 2018. — Reuters

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Messi-Maradona debate rumbles on SANTIAGO: Another tournament, another shattering defeat, and another round of unfavourable comparisons to Diego Maradona. Lionel Messi was left reflecting on another bitterly familiar failure here Saturday after Argentina suffered an agonizing penalty shoot-out defeat to Chile in the Copa America final.

It was the second time in 12 months Messi had finished on the losing side in a major final following Argentina’s extratime loss to Germany at the World Cup last year. “This generation is desperate to win a title with the national team,” Messi had said before this year’s Copa America. “As a team, we deserve to win something and it would mean so much after the World Cup where we came so close.” Saturday’s defeat will reignite the debate about where Messi deserves to be ranked in the pantheon of the very greatest players to have graced the sport.

For many, his extraordinary achievements at club level with Barcelona over the past decade have

already guaranteed him a place alongside Pele and Diego Maradona. Others insist that his failure to lead his country to international glory puts him just behind Pele and Maradona, who won four World Cups between them. Statistically at least, Messi outscores Maradona in almost every department, with 46 goals in 103 international appearances compared to Maradona’s 34 goals in 91 games. At club level Messi has amassed 412 goals in 482 games, compared to Maradona’s 312 in 588 matches. Messi has won three European Cups with Barcelona; the famous trophy is conspicuously absent from Maradona’s CV. Messi has been named world footballer of the year four times; Maradona earned the accolade only once. Yet the arguments invariably circle back to trophies at international level.

Although Messi played a key role in Argentina reaching the final of last year’s World Cup in Brazil, his achievements at international level have

not seared themselves in the memory in the way that Maradona’s did during his displays in the 1986 World Cup. Maradona is largely credited with single-handedly guiding Argentina to that World Cup title in Mexico, scoring a series of memorable individual goals against England and Belgium along the way. Even in the 1986 final, when he was wellshackled by Germany’s Lothar Matthaus, Maradona was able to prove a decisive influence, supplying the sublime first time pass to set up the game’s winning goal.

Messi can justifiably reflect, however, that the margins are impossibly fine. In both last year’s World Cup final and this year’s Copa America final, Messi had helped create gilt-edged chances for Gonzalo Higuain that the striker squandered on each occasion. Had either of those gone in -and helped Argentina to victory instead of defeat -- Messi’s right to be bracketed with Maradona and Pele would not be in doubt. - AFP

C O PA A M E R I C A

The downfall of Lionel Messi plotted by Argentine Sampaoli SANTIAGO: It took an Argentine, Jorge Sampaoli, to plot Chile’s triumph in the Copa America final against his own country.

Lionel Messi and Argentina’s other “Fantasticos” lost their nerve in Santiago’s Estadio Nacional as they sought their first major international title for 22 years.

Chile’s coach Sampaoli stayed true to his live wire reputation, jumping up and down on the touchline urging stars Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal to attack so they could win their first South American championship.

“We had to play a great game against one of the world’s best teams for the quality of players.

We should have won in 90 minutes, but ended up getting justice in a shootout,” Sampaoli told a press conference after Saturday’s win in Sangtiago.

Since taking over, Jorge Sampaoli, 55, has transformed Chile’s national side into true global competitors. As well as Saturday’s South American title, Chile also reached the last 16 at last year’s World Cup and were unlucky not to go further.

But when he arrived in December 2012, Chile had lost three World Cup qualifiers in a row and despite the presence of stars such

LIVEWIRE: Chile’s coach Jorge Sampaoli stayed true to his live

wire reputation to spur Chile to a fantastic win. – Reuters

as Sanchez seemed like a disorganized rabble.

“From the first game, Chile were playing to win the Copa America,” Sampaoili said.

“The team confronted and

overcame rivals to win the Copa America through leadership, hard work and discipline. That is the merit of the players that I have fortune to train,” added the coach after the 4-1 penalty shootout vic-

tory. Sampaoli said that Chile are capable of even better.

“People are now starting to dream. We have done something great today and qualifying for the (2018) World Cup will be Chile’s next target,” he said.

Though born near Argentina’s second city of Rosida, Sampaoli made his name mainly as a coach of teams in Peru and Ecuador.

But after his own footballing career was cut short at 19 by a double leg fracture, Sampaoli cemented his reputation imposing an attacking style that he learned from his hero Marcelo Bielsa, another Argentine who once coached Chile.

Sampaoli has an all-Argentine staff helping him with the Chilean players. But despite reports indicating he would like to take over his own country’s team, Sampaoli insists he will stay with Chile at least for the 2018 World Cup in Russia — as long as they qualify.

“My duty is linked to the fate of this country and these players,” Sampaoli said before the Copa America final.

“I don’t have Chilean nationality, but I am excited by the chance to make Chile champions,” he went on.

“The coaching staff are all Argentine, but we all want Chile to be champions.” - AFP

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UNLEASHING

It sits quietly, patiently, like a beast stalking its prey. Then, the touch of a red key awakens its ferocious roar. Meet the new Challenger, outfitted with an unprecedented 707-horsepower engine, powerful muscle car on the planet.

HELL

By Faisal Mohammed Naim

M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015

LIFESTYLE There’s very little ornamentation to suggest nutso power. The idea perhaps seems to be: Once it starts moving, you’ll know

A

s is customary cus u to t ma mary ry w with ith name for Dodge, tthe he nam ame fo or their latest laate test st aand nd greatggreeatmodel est Challenger Chal Ch allengger mod odel e military-derived; is mil i ittarryy de d rive ved; d from the fighter hee WWII Hellcat h Hellca catt fig fight hter er aircraft crraf aft and and tank destroyers. des e tr troy oyerrs. Dodge’s Dod odge g ’ss history militarised hiist h story of mil lit itar arised d eengine n inee mo ng monikers — Tigershark, Tigerrsharrk, k Apache, Apa p ch he, e Viper Vip per — is strong, and and n particularly par arti ticulaarl rlyy well l suited for thi this mega-muscled car. h s mega ga-m -mus u cl cled e car r.

Challenger The 2015 Dodge Dodg Do dge Ch Chal a leng nger er S SRT RT Hellcat is oout proverbial bag. utt off th tthee pr p over ov e bi b all b agg.

Under U deer the Un th he hood h od ho o it it packs pack pa ckss the t e most th m st mo powerful poowe werfful production pro rodu duct ctio ion n V8 engine eng ngin ne ever. ever ev e.

The Hemi T e 6.2 Th 6 2 litre 6. litr tree supercharger s percha su h rg rger H e i V8 em churns ch hur urns ns out out a behemoth beh e em emot oth h 707 7 bhp, bhp, and and an n earth ear a th h pounding pou ound din ng 880Nm 880N 0Nm m of o torque. torrqu que.

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The speed Th top sp spee e d for foor the th he Hellcat Hellca He cat is i a whopping wh hop oppi p ngg 320km 320 0km an hour hoour u (track (tr trac ack speed). fast s eed) sp d . Terrifyingly Terr Te rrifyiing n lyy fas st an aand d in iin-credibly crred edib blyy powerful, pow owerrfu ul, the t e Hellcat th Heellcaat iss a true beast in every sense.

Unlike the other two American Muscle cars (the Mustang and the Camero), the Challenger Hellcat doesn’t have a ton of styling to differentiate it from the base Challenger V6 variant. Paying tribute to the original 70s Challenger, the line features a unique front fascia, front splitter, rear spoiler, and chrome exhaust tips. The massive air-scoops up front not only add to the macho style, but also feed the engine, the intercooler and the front brakes of the SRT Hellcat.

The SRT has an aluminium hood with heat extractors flanking a scoop, a lowered grille brow, a deeper splitter, and a taller spoiler, but here’s very little ornamentation to suggest nutso power aside from the “SUPERCHARGED” badges and small cat emblem.

Once it starts moving though, you’ll feel the difference. Delivering its insane power to the wheels is the robust TorqueFlite HP90 eight-speed automatic transmission - first time mated to any Challenger, and steering wheelmounted paddle shifters activate new rev-matching technology during downshifts. For the more confident or old school power lovers, there is the bang shift option with Tremec 6-speed manual transmission with a larger, higher-capacity clutch.

There’s a little Viper in the Challenger SRT Hellcat. To tame all that power, the Hellcat engages

15.4-inch brakes 15.4 15 .4-iinch six-pot siix-po pott Brembo Brem Br mbo b rake ra kes on the wheels; the front fro ront nt whe heels; the he largest large g st Chrysler putt on Chry Ch rysl sler has has ever eve v r pu n a producproodu ducction t on car. ti car a.

The stepped T e Hellcat Th Helllcaat hass also He so ste t pp p ed e up p its Material qualits interior in nterior o ggame. am me. M ater eriaal qual aity is u up across board, thee p ac s thee b oard, and th oa dashboard dash da shbo board d has ha gone gone from froom rentalrent re ntallcar-flat sports-car-intimate, caarr flatt to spo ports-ca carr inti tima m tee, with wit a wraparound wraapa p roun und feell created creat ated e by the centre that’s angled th he new ce cent ntre r sstack taack tha hat’ t s an ngl g ed toward towa ward the he driver. dri r ver. r Another the Per PerAnot othe h r cool coool o touch c is th rformance form fo man nce Pages Pag ages es feature fea e tu ure on on the thee exexxcellent 8.4-inch Uconnect cellen ce entt 8.

8 4-inch hU conn co nect toucht uc to uchh screen system.

Standard s re sc r en sys yste t m. m S tandar a d on the Hellcat, Performance H lllcaat, He t Per e foorm man ance ce Pages Pagges e inin ncludes c ud cl des a built-in bui uilt lt-i -in n acceleration accce c lera rati t on o ttimimim er, and and you y u can yo ca even en see ee rreal-time eal-ti ea time m readouts read re adou outs ts for both bot oth h hp and torque tor orqu quee while you’re wh y u’ yo u’re re driving. dri r ving. The The 7-inch h Driver Display calls Dr e Information Informa mati tion n D ispllayy ccal a ls out and be o t vital ou viita t l information i fo in form rmat atio ion n an nd can nb personalised driver preference. p rsson pe onallised ttoo driv iver e p refe ferenc nce. e Your Y ur cockpit Yo cockp kpit it is highlighted high ghli l gh g ted d with w th wi h heritage-inspired her erittage--insp spir ired ed touches, tou o ch hes e , including classic gauge faces and a sweeping centre console, and the luxurious Laguna leather and Alcantara appointments are available for the first time. To ensure maximum comfort, heated and ventilated seats and a 360-degree heated steering wheel round out the standard package.

Dialing in the driving pleasure are the three drive modes: Street, Sport, or Track. Between the drive modes and other driver-selectable settings, the Hellcat offers more than 125 potential configurations.

There is also the Eco-mode, which focuses on maximising the fuel economy. And to reign yourself in, there are two keys to the Challenger’s heart: A red one to unleash its full fury, and a black fob key that imposes a 500-hp ceiling.

A 2.75-inch exhaust system uses resonators front and rear, with electronically controlled valves.

The amount of flow is dictated by the drive modes — in track mode, it’s gloriously loud, but in the default setup at a highway cruise it avoids the annoying drone.

All that power and blinding speed make the Hellcat incredibly fun to drive. But it’s a kind of fun that’s always tinged with a bit of fear. You’ll laugh out loud during hard acceleration on a big empty road, but it will be a nervous laugh, and when you’re done, your eyes will dart around, as you wipe your sweaty palms, to make sure no one with a badge saw what you just did.

Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Engine 6.2-litre supercharged Hemi V8 Power: 707 bhp at 6000 RPM/ 880Nm torque at 4000 RPM Performance Top speed: 320 km/h Acceleration 0-100 km: 3.5 seconds Fuel consumption Fuel consumption: 18.08 l/100km City 10.7 l/100km Highway Power transmission Drive type: Rear-Wheel Drive Transmission type: TorqueFlite Eight-Speed Automatic, Tremec six-speed manual Volume Curb Weight: 4,449 Pounds Seating capacity: 5 Available this fall at Dhofar Automotive

PHOTOGRAPHY: Dodge Middle East

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LIFESTYLE Faisal Mohammed Naim

faisal@timesofoman.com

TECH SUPPORT

R

iding jackets are quintessential and inseparable elements of your riding gear, in both the safety and style quotient. The two most popular variants are leather and mesh. Yeah we agree leather is the boss; it makes you look absolutely hot. But given the Muscat weather, we are pretty sure it will make you feel even hotter, with leather holding in the heat like nothing else. But then again, mesh hasn’t got the kind of protection or durability of sturdy leather.

Motorcycle gear is a compromise of one type or another. What you might be giving in protection in extreme situations, you gain in all day comfort, so no one piece of gear is perfect for all roads and all riders.

So, which to buy? As you can tell, we’re torn too. It’s time for a head to head comparison to break down the pros and cons.

MESH Versatile mesh riding jackets have become very popular in the few years that they’ve been on the market, and with good reason. Mesh is a very welcome solution to hot-weather riding for those of who like to have more than just the T between skin and asphalt.

The enthusiasm for mesh however, has been somewhat tempered by concerns that the fabrics don’t protect as well as leather, and that the commonly used open weave mesh may have a greater potential for catching something during a slide, which could result in serious damage in the form of broken bones or worse.

Responding to the concerns, prominent brands like Revit, Alpinestar, and Icon, have developed material with a tighter weave, a fit that mimics motorcycle racing leathers, and jackets that contain high quality armour that offer what they claim to be the most protective hot weather jackets on the market.

The best photo editing apps Phone editing apps have become big business these days, thanks to smartphones. Smartphones have contributed generously in the growth of these apps, by focusing on giving their users better quality cameras, thus creating the need to edit photos on one’s phone instead of on a computer after downloading. But there are some fantastic apps for Android phones and iPhones, here are three of the best out there for both.

Top three apps for Android phones: Photo Editor

by Aviary This app is simple and fantastic to use.

It is probably the only app you’ll ever need for simple and quick photo editing on your android smart phones. The Aviary Premium gives users a little more benefit if you are looking for more from the app.

Autodesk Pixlr Users can focus solely on what matters most, the photos.

Pixlr touts hundreds of effects, powerful editing tools, and handfuls of collage options that support absolute creative freedom. With over 600+ effects and dozens of collage options, it can keep you engaged with its features.

LEATHER What leather does very, very well, is protect you from road rash. While textile materials have really come a long way, leather is still king when it comes to sliding down the pavement. Sport leather jackets will also be more snugly fitted to your body, keeping your armour in place better and resisting sliding up that could expose your body in a crash.

Leather riding jackets are available in a very wide range of styles. From a classic 1950s biker jacket, vintage designs, or full on road race level jackets, there’s a leather jacket style for just about everyone.

Adobe Lightroom The Lightroom application for Android Adobe provides an incredible amount of effects, filters, and tools.

It however requires users to possess the desktop version of Adobe Lightroom 5 — as well as an Adobe Creative Cloud account. The app is way ahead of other apps in terms of its incredible quality.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Supplied pictures

Protection Leathers are the clear winner when it comes to protection, with their solid composition, snug fit, and tight armour. The thick texture of the leather gives good protection even in the non-armoured areas.

The mesh fit being not so snug could also displace the protection guards during the impact increasing the risk of injury. Also, although armoured at the elbows, shoulders, and back, still the fabric of the jackets is quite vulnerable, making the rider prone to lacerations in case of sliding crash.

Leather: Mesh: Comfort Though the snug fit of leather jackets makes you safer, it also makes you feel stiff. Leathers also have more weight and might sit heavy on your shoulders. Remember black also attracts heat, so while leather looks cool on the outside; it’s usually pretty hot on the inside on a summer day.

Mesh on the other hand are very light-weight, and quite pliable. With excellent breathability and optimal airflow, the mesh jackets keep you pretty cool on the inside as well.

Leather: Mesh:

Durability Most leather jackets are sturdy, and hold up very well in a crash.

They may be fit to ride even after multiple crashes – albeit with a few extra scuffs.

Almost all mesh jackets are armoured and the outer shell is typically A1, and if you crash, the jacket should protect you; but it will be torn up and will need to be replaced, after a single nasty incident.

Leather: Mesh: Weather adaptability Leather jackets can be quite comfortable for cold weather riding.

But in hot weather, donning the leathers could be quite a test of faith, trapping much of heat inside. If you are still looking for leather in hot weather, perforation is your friend. The tiny holes in the leather will flow plenty of air, keeping you comfortable – as long as you are moving. In wet weather too, leather can end up leaving you soaking wet, although there are certain leather treatments and oils you can use to mitigate this.

Apart from excellent airflow, the biggest advantage of mesh is the availability of waterproof options.

A waterproof jacket can keep you very warm and comfortable in cold weather, and also keeps you dry if the skies open up. Zippered vents can help keep you comfortable in warmer weather, too.

Leather: Mesh:

Top three apps for iPhones: PhotoShop Touch One app favourited by iPhone users is the ‘PhotoShop Touch’.

It gives you the liberty to tweak your images for everything from brightness, contrast, saturation to toning down the highlights.

The mobile adobe photoshop has some amazing filters that give you almost everything that you need.

Buying Guide Leather Vs Mesh Jackets

And the winner is...

Obviously picking a jacket can be a very personal choice – and getting a jacket that suits your style, matches your bike, and is comfortable for where you are riding is key.

If you intend on riding at higher speeds, or simply prefer the classic look, then go with leather. But leathers can be bothersome given the weather in Oman. Price is another factor; the leathers cost more than double the price of mesh on average. If you are on a more limited budget or need to be protected in a variety of weather conditions, then mesh may be the best way for you to go.

One easy solution, if you have plenty of money to spend, could be buying a different jacket for different moods, bike, road (or track), and weather condition that you plan on riding. At the end of the day, the gear that you wear is better than the more protective one that you leave home because it was too much bother to put on.

Tin Type The age of selfies is here to stay, hugely popular with the younger generation, they are always on the look out to get the perfect shot. When photographing yourself or someone else, you could splash your clicks with Sepia, monochrome and painted colour effects. There is also Cinamatic for shooting and uploading videos.

Slow Fast Slow Sure to be a favourite with people who like to do some tricks with their videos. The Slow Fast Slow video editing app lets you play and slow down the tempo of your videos.

TOO Verdict: On road in Muscat? Our money’s on mesh.

Have tech queries?

Ask Mahran Shaukat Ali,

See you next Monday with more. Ride smart and safe.

mahran@timesofoman.com

C10

M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015

FIND-IT-ALL CINEMA SCHEDULE

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

@MGM

@SHATTI

@RUWI

@SUR

BAHJA CINEMA

@BURAIMI

Film information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

CITY CINEMA

Jurassic World (Action / Adventure) Cast: Chris Pratt, Judy Greer, Ty Simkins 9.30 pm CP No: 1495 (PG12) Guardian (Action, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Sarah Carter, Tio Pakusodewo, Nino Fernandez 11:45 pm CP No: 1613 Cold in July (Crime / Thriller) (15+) Cast: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson.

9:30 & 11:45 pm CP No: 659 (15+)

Contact (10 am to 6pm) 24567664 | 68 . www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI Jurassic World (Action, Adventure) (3D) (PG12) Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, 9:15 pm

Gold Class: 11:15 pm

9:30 pm

COLD IN JULY

SWORD OF VENGEANCE (Action) (15+) Cast: Stanley Weber, Edward Akrout Misa Beric, 9:30 pm

(2D) (Crime, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard Don Johnson

Cold in July (15+) Cast: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson 11:30 pm

Papanasam (2D) ( Drama/Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Kamal Haasan, Gautami Tadimalla, Kalabhavan Mani, 9:30 pm

Sword Of Vengeance (Action) (15+) Cast: Stanley Weber, Edward Akrout, Misa Beric 9:30 pm

Papanasam (Drama, Family)(PG12) Cast : Kamal Haasan, Gautami Tadimalla, Kalabhavan Mani, 9:45 pm

RUWI SCREEN 1 ABCD-2 (Dance/Musical ) – PG Cast: Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and Prabhudeva, 9.45 pm

MUSCAT GRAND MALL Jurassic World (3D) (Action/Adventure) (PG12) Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard 11:15 pm Gold Class: 9:00 pm

SCREEN 2 Second Hand Husband (Comedy/Romance) – PG Cast: Gippy Grewal, Tina Ahuja, Dharmendra, Geeta Basra, 9.00 pm

Just The Way You Are (2D) (Dance/Romance) (12+) (Language - Tagalog) Cast: Enrique Gil, Liza Soberano, Yves Flores 9:15 pm

SOHAR Jurassic World (3D) (PG12) (Action |Adventure | Sci-Fi) Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, 11:30 pm

Laila O Laila - 2D (M) (PG12) Action | Thriller Cast : Mohanlal, Amala Paul, Sathyaraj, Joy Mathew 9:00 pm

Cold in July (2D) (Crime, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson 9:15, 11:55 pm

BURAIMI Cold in July - 2D (Crime/ Thriller) (15+) Cast: Michael C. Hall, Sam Sheppard, Don Johnson 9:30 pm

Dept time

Destination

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

Papanasam– 2D (Drama/Family/Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Kamal Haasan, Gautami Tadimalla, Kalabhavan Mani, 9:30 pm

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

Nizwa Al Araqi

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Sur Sur

Daily Daily

Fahud Yibal

Daily Daily

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

10:30 11:15

Daily Daily

Marmul

20:00 20:30 23:30 07:40

Daily Daily Daily Daily

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

06:00 06:00

Nizwa Ruwi

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

06:00 14:30

Ruwi Ruwi

10:45 19:00

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

07:00

06:00

Marmul

16:30

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) 08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

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

Papanasam (Tamil) (Drama/Family/ Thriller) – PG12 Cast: Kamal Haasan, Gautami Tadimalla, Kalabhavan Mani 9:30 pm at Cinema 2

Second Hand Husband (2D) (PG) (Comedy, Romance) Cast: Gippy Grewal, Tina Ahuja, Dharmendra 9:00 pm

Sword Of Vengeance ( Action ) (15+) Cast: Stanley Weber, Wdward Akrout, Misa Beric., 11:30 pm

Papanasam (2D) (PG12) (Drama, Family, Thriller) Cast: Kamal Haasan, Gautami Tadimalla, Kalabhavan Mani, 11:00 pm

Laila O Laila (Mal) (Action / Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Mohanlal, Amala Paul, Sathyaraj, Joy Mathew 10.30 pm

Laila O Laila (2D) (PG12) (Action, Thriller) Cast: Mohanlal, Amala Paul, Sathyaraj, Joy Mathew, 9:00 pm

Laila O Laila (Mal) (Romance / Thriller) Cast: Mohanlal, Amala Paul, Sathyaraj, Joy Mathew 9.45 pm at Cinema 3 Kakka Muttai (Tamil) Cast: Ramesh & Silam Barasan 9.45 pm at Cinema 4 NEXT CHANGE: 2nd Class Yatra (Mal) Bahubali (Telugu)

Sword of Vengeance (2D) (15+) (Action) Cast: Stanley Weber, Edward Akrout, Misa Beric, 11:55 pm

(Programmes are subject to change) WITH LOVE

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RELATIVE HUMIDITY

15-65% Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 16 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/ her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to extra@timesofoman.com

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

LISTINGS

ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence 24569603 Directorate General of Customs 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries 24510228 Public Relations Admin 24560099 EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Daily Daily Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 06:00 06:00 13:00 13:00 15:00 15:00

Daily

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

10:25

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

Ruwi

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100) 07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

07:00

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 12:00 18:45

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62) 06:30 06:30

Cold in July (2D) (15+) (Crime, Thriller) Cast: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson, 11:30 pm

0

45 35 Minimum

Premam (Mal) (Comedy) Cast: Nivin Pauly, Anupama Parameshwaran and Sai Pallavi 10:00 pm at Cinema Main

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 07:30 14:30

SUR Cold in July (Crime / Thriller) (15+) Cast: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson.

9:30 pm

Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

SALALAH Jurassic World (3D) (PG12) (Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi ) Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty 9:15 pm

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

Laila O Laila – 2D (Action/Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Mohanlal, Amala Paul, Sathyaraj, Joy Mathew, 9:00 pm Dark Summer - 2D (Horror/Thriller) (15+) Cast: Peter Stormare, Grace Phipps, Keir Gilchrist Timings: 11:55 pm

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

9:30 pm PAPANASAM 2D (Drama/Family (PG12) Cast: Kamal Haasan, Gautami Tadimalla, Kalabhavan Mani, 9:30 pm

WEATHER

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36) Quriyat Sur Jaalan

Sword of Vengeance – 2D (Action) (15+) Cast: Stanley Weber, Edward Akrout, Misa Beric 11:30 pm

Dark Summer (Horror, Thriller) (15+) (2D) Cast: Peter Stormare, Grace Phipps, Keir Gilchrist, 11:30 pm

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

Papanasam(Tamil) (Drama/Family/Thriller) – PG12 (2D) Cast: Kamal Haasan, Gautami Tadimalla, Kalabhavan Mani 9.30 pm

Sword Of Vengeance (Action) (15+) (2D) Cast: Stanley Weber, Edward Akrout, Misa Beric, 9:45 pm

Dil Dhadakne Do (Romance/Drama/ Comedy ) – PG12 Cast: Anil Kapoor, Ranveer Singh, Shefali Shetty, Anushka Sharma, Priyanka Chopra 11.00 pm

10:30 pm

LAILA O LAILA (Mal) (Action / Thriller) (PG12) Cast: Mohanlal, Amala Paul

STAR CINEMA

SCREEN 3 Papanasam (Tamil) (Drama/Family/Thriller) – PG12 Cast: Kamal Haasan, Gautami Tadimalla, Kalabhavan Mani, 9.30

Cold in July (2D) (Crime, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, Don Johnson Gold Class 11:15 pm

Dark Summer (Horror, Thriller) (15+) Cast: Peter Stormare, Grace Phipps, Keir Gilchrist 11:15 pm

9:00 pm

SECOND HAND HUSBAND (Comedy/ Romance) – PG Cast: Gippy Grewal, Tina Ahuja

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

Appolo Medical Centre, Hamriya 24782666 Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi 24702542 Salalah 23291635; Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra 24503585 Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya 24787766 Muscat, A Seeb Market 24421691 Muscat, Al Khuwair 24485740 Muscat, Al Hail South 24537080 Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah 23291635 HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre 24485052 Atlas Hospital Ruwi 24811743/ Ghubra 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi 24563641 Azaiba 24499269 Sohar 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740 Ceregem National Raak 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217 Elixir Health Centre 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274 Hamdan Hospital 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128 MBD 24799077 Al Khuwair 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours) 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot 24704455 Air Arabia 24700828 Air France 24562153 Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732 Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128 British Airways 24568777 Cathay Pacific 24789818 Egypt Air 24794113 Emirates Air 24404400 Ethiopian Airlines 24660313 Gulf Air 80072424 Indian 24791914 Iran Air 24787423 Japan Airlines 24704455 Jazeera Airways 23294848 Jet Airways 24787248 Kenya Airways 24660300 KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737 Kuwait Airways 24701262 LOT Polish Airlines 24796387 Lufthansa 24796692 Malaysian Airlines 24560796 Middle East Airlines 24796680 Oman Air 24531111 Pakistan International Airlines 24792471 Qatar Airways 24771900 Qantas 24559941 Royal Jordanian 24796693 Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485 Singapore Airlines 24791233 Shaheen Air 24816565 SriLankan Airlines 24784545 Swiss International Airlines 24796692 Thai Airways 24705934

MO N DAY, JU LY 6, 2 0 1 5

C11

LIFESTYLE TECH NEWS

THE ED AT U ED CORIST MOT

NASA cuts live feed as UFOs fly past earth: Report Mysterious footage reportedly depicting three UFOs racing by our Earth has been a big hit on YouTube. The 4-minute video titled UFO Mysteries: UFOs, Angels Or Biological Creatures Seen Leaving The Earth? was uploaded a week ago and has over 214,000 views. The video, reportedly shot from the International Space Station (ISS), shows three unidentified flying objects (UFOs) shooting upward out of Earth’s atmosphere. But the moment the lights appear to blast off the planet, the video feed is cut by Nasa, with a message displaying on screen stating: “Please stand by.” “The High Definition Earth Viewing experiment is either switching cameras, or we are experiencing a temporary loss of signal with the International Space Station,” it says. There are some sharp reactions to the video and Nasa action. “Bingo! Caught them red-handed leaving Earth’s orbit,” wrote commenter Michael Clottey. Nasa, however, has not provided any explanation for the curious lights.

AVOID THAT SLAP

By Faisal Mohammed Naim

faisal@timesofoman.com

T

ank slap is a loss of control that happens when the front wheel breaks traction, becomes airborne, or somehow leaves the track of the rear wheel in a frightening chain reaction. Every bike naturally wants to go straight (or tip), so when the front wheel leaves the track of the rear wheel, the front forks pull hard to get back in line. This causes the front forks to have too much momentum and sling past the straight line and to the other side, starting the process over again.

Okay, in layman terms a tankslapper, also known as speed wobble, head shake, death wobble, and shimmy, looks and feels like a horse trying to buck its rider, and it usually happens at speeds of around 30kmph - sometimes a little faster, sometimes a little slower. Tank slap can also result from hitting an imperfection on the road surface such as the slight bump at the end of your driveway. And while sometimes you can correct yourself, other times you just can’t.

It’s either your fault or the motorcycle’s. If the front suspension rebounds and compression is way off it can possibly bounce the weight off the front tyre. Grabbing a handful of throttle as you speedshift into a higher gear can cause the front wheel to be airborne

without you knowing it. If you have a death grip on the bars when this happens and unconsciously push the handlebars, it can cause a tank slapper. The bike can also be set up wrong. Too high in the front or too hard suspension in the rear, these issues can be a root cause of the problem, but again, it centres on the wheels coming out of line.

A lot of riders twist the throttle hard and unknowingly push or pull on the handlebars. When the power of the bike lifts the weight off the front end, you guessed it, a tank slapper can ensue.

A common cause for sport bikes is too much power. The front forks are designed to take little effort and precise placement to work properly. Having an overly firm grip on the bars or forcing too much weight onto them can cause a tank slapper when power lifts the front end. Oh, and coming back down off a wheelie the wrong way can throw you into a mean death wobble.

Preventing tank slapper from ever happening is a better bet than trying to get out of one. The first thing to do is to make sure your bike is set up properly and wants to go straight. Mismatched tyres, improper balancing, bent front wheel, or a cocked wheel can definitely cause issues.

Installing a steering damper in place is the best way to minimise

Bump into a hump and you might end up experiencing the nastiest side effect of flying on two-wheels… Holding on to your wits is the key to get out of it

Avoid the slap.

Check out the video

or in fact eliminate the risk of tank slap. Ohlins offers custom dampers for most sportbikes.

Finally, avoid wheelies: They are the culprits behind most of the slaps riders get.

You didn’t listen, you popped that wheelie and caught a head shake.

So, how to get out of one? Some riders suggest letting off the power and manoeuvring the bike with your hips. Experts say lifting off the gas is the best method, as even if you can’t save it at least you’re going slower when you lay it down. Hold firmly to both grips and absorb the ‘harmonic feedback’ into your arms - i.e., dampen them - and aggressively use your front brake.

While some advise you tackle the slap by accelerating the bike even further and lifting off the frontwheel – performing a wheelie that you can try to land better, this is not advisable.

Rest assured, but this trick is going to get you into worse trouble than you were in when the tankslapper first began. When you come back down from the wheelie, going faster than you were before, the front-end will in all probability get a severe jolt. What do you think the odds are of going into another tankslapper then? Yep, high. Take my advice, and slow it down first.

Have a question for The Educated Motorist?

Get in touch at faisal@timesofoman.com

New mobile technology can help blind people ‘see’ Computer scientists are developing new adaptive mobile technology that could enable blind and visually-impaired people to ‘see’ through their smartphone or tablet. A team from University of Lincoln in Britain plans to use colour and depth sensor technology inside new smartphones and tablets to enable 3D mapping and localisation, navigation and object recognition. The team will then develop the best interface to relay that to users — whether that is vibrations, sounds or the spoken word.

First 3D heart printed using multiple imaging techniques Heart experts, have successfully integrated two common imaging techniques to produce the first 3D anatomic model of a patient’s heart.

This is the first time the integration of computed tomography (CT) and 3D transesophageal echocardiography (3DTEE) has successfully been used for printing a hybrid 3D model of heart. The study also opens the way for these techniques to be used in combination with a third tool — magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). “This is a huge leap for individualised medicine in cardiology and congenital heart disease.

The technology could be beneficial to cardiologists and surgeons,” said Dr Joseph Vettukattil from Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Michigan. He presented the results at the CSI 2015 congress in Frankfurt, Germany recently. -IANS

C12

M O N DAY, JULY 6, 2015

LIFESTYLE

BY THE NUMBERS

Wi-Fi speeds have increased significantly with each release.

11a / 54Mbps / 1999 11n / 450Mbps / 2009 11ac-wave1 / 1.3Gbps / 2012

10 incredible statistics about the world of Internet

There are more mobile devices than people on earth

Wi-Fi / mobile data consumption is 44% higher on

Numerous US football stadiums support over screens and larger

of people say 1 week without Wi-Fi would leave them grumpier than 1 week without coffee

The base version of 802.11 / Wi-Fi protocol was released in

Wi-Fi connections in a single game

of 2-year olds use mobile devices.

Average age for first cellphone is now 13

Smartphone users spend an average of

Most businesses are planning to increase Wi-Fi capacity by at least 20 in 2014. 75% of the increase is to support mobile devices and BYOD users

of enterprises allow their employees to bring their own devices into the enterprise today iPhone users average 90 minutes a day

THINKING FUTURE

Social media has got businesses thinking

Social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram have become very popular among the younger generation of people.

Generation Y has shown more confidence than the older generation when it comes to shopping online. While older people perhaps are more likely to stick to traditional methods of shopping, this may all change in the near future with statistics showing an upward swing in shopping trends online.

Changes in the social factors have impacted in many different ways. The social aspect focuses on the forces within the society. Family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and the media are social factors or influencers that shape your perception and buying

habits. These factors affect our attitudes, opinions and interests.

So, it can impact sales of product and revenues earned. Thanks to smart phones, consumers have now started to research retail products including local (products) way before they proceed to buy, according to a June 2014 study by Ninth Decimal.

Retailers must listen out for customers looking for information, and then give it to them promptly. There are sites which let users know how quickly queries or enquiries have been dealt with. (Facebook now has a page responsiveness feature which lets visitors seeking information on pages of businesses, brands know the response rate and the likelihood of their queries be-

ing answered). Retailers need to quickly adapt to the changing culture and adapt to the social media platforms or they will have to lose out on the opportunities.

The ability to reach targeted audiences for marketers and retailers has now become huge. They say, habit drives 95 per cent of customer behaviour online, both consciously and unconsciously (bizshifts-trends.com); the ones who can read the endless possibilities and embrace digital marketing can steer their business to new heights. Nearly seventy per cent will make a mobile purchase every time they are targeted and digital word of mouth is something that can guarantee a degree of loyalty, says empirical evidence.

— Mahran Shaukat Ali / mahran@timesofoman.com

D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M O N DAY, J U LY 6 , 2 0 1 5

SECTION

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M O N DAY, J U LY 6, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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Contact 97799175

Building In Rusail Industrial ŶĞĂƌ ƚŽ ŵŝĂŶƟƚ KŵĂŶ comprising a store divisible area 266 sq. meters.

The building includes Studios ĂŶĚ ƌŽŽŵƐ ǁŝƚŚ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ ƐŝnjĞ ƐƵŝƚĂďůĞ ĨŽƌ ŽĸĐĞƐ Žƌ residence.

Preferably to be leased to one company.

3000 sq mtrs Industrial landß, in Barka Sanaiya, with electricity 400KW, shed, staff accommodation and office. Ready to start any kind of factory. Contact 99384255.

Fabulous AC flat at Al Khoud 3 bedrooms, hall and kitchen RO 270/- for rent. Contact: 99334699

Flat for rent in Walja Ruwi, 2 bedrooms, 2 toilets and kitchen for further enquiry. Contact: 95464607 Room for rent, street 18Nov. Azaiba.

Contact: 99785561 For rent in Qantab European style 4 bedrooms, 4 baths, Guest toilet, fully equipped modern kitchen, covered car park for two cars, approximately 150 meters from the beach. For enquiries, please Contact: Yasser at 92606005 Deluxe 3 BHK Penthouse with Seaview, ideal for office / residence at Qurum near PDO. Contact: 9772 1313 / 9507 0421 2BHK / I BHK newly renovated flats at Wattaya R/O – Near the Mosque for Families. Preferably for one company. Contact : 96457757 9 am to 7 Pm. Flats shops and store for rent in Ruwi, MBD Honda road.

Contact 97293708 / 92433127 Flats for rent near Indian School in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122 4 BHK single villa in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 97616158 2 BHK flat in Al Ansab with split A/C. RO.250/Contact – 93191111 506sqm space with mezzanine available for rent in AL Wadi Al Kabir, Suitable for carpentry / Auto workshop and / or electrical shop interested parties may.

Contact: 24703981

Furnished room attached bath room & kitchen for Executive bachelor / family, Honda road near NBO bank Ruwi. Contact: 98582078 Fully furnished room for a decent expatriate. independent kitchen, bathroom in Wadi Adai.

Contact 96243086 at 5p.m.

Mob + 968 96177505 Flat at Darsait. Contact 99326879

2BHK near Oman house behind Khimji, H.O. Contact: 95865686

Furnished bedroom with separate bathroom and kitchen on sharing in Darsait for Ex- bachelors.

Contact : 95376096

2BHK with split AC near PDO Gate no -2 at Qurum. Contact: 94057023 1BHK, 2BHK, 3BHK new flat available at Mabela in front of Modern English School Contact: 96239126 Deluxe 1, 2 BHK flats in Darsait, AL Khuwair 1deal for office & residence. Contact 99369081 /99142314 For rent if require flats for rent in Wadi Kabir please send me messages through Whatsapp.

Contact: 99376454 Villa for rent in Al Khuwair 33, 8 bedrooms & 5 bathrooms with parking area near Taimur Mosque.

Contact: 99366624 Office space at Alasfoor Plaza Qurum. Contact : 24566217 /24564686 2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near Oman house.

Contact: 97009734/92629232

Flat for rent in Mabellah 8th.

Contact: 97147240 2BHK with split AC at Al Khuwair 33. Contact: 94057023

Equipped kitchen showroom company for sale at Ghubrah, Muscat.

6 visa available, Contact owner at 96303747

Deluxe furnished / unfurnished flats Qurum. Contact: 24566217 / 24564686

1.5 Acre full or as plots available for sale at Mulanthuruthy 18 Km from Ernakulam Asphalt road frontage.

Contact : 99235701 Email: jacobmathew@gmail.com

For sharing accommodation room with toilet attached, kitchen sharing near clean building next to main road near Indian school Wadi Kabir, Indian couples family or bachelor.

Contact: 95345537 / 94672007 Furnished room attached bath for lady in Wadikabir (Mars Hypermarket) – 95941515 Furnished room with attached bathroom in W/K. Contact: 97167857 Sharing for non cooking executive bachelor in CBD area WIFI free, Advance deposit.

Contact: 95094504 Spacious room with bathroom and kitchen. Contact: 91214537

House hold items. Contact: 97094797 Salon for sale in Muttrah next to Muttrah Health Center 2/500 -R.O .

Contact: 99012807 Brand new 4 BHK plus Maids room in Barka, 2 Kms from Lulu.

Contact: 99347089

Flat in South Al Hail, 2 bedrooms, Majlis, 2 bathrooms, kitchen RO 250/-. Contact 93221474 Flat in Ruwi Mumtaz 2 BHK RO 300 or 1 BHK 250 RO. Contact 98588240

Wall papers, grass carpets sale & fixing. Contact: 99834373 / 97102699

Luxury 3 BHK flat in Al Wattaya with split A/C & private parking.

RO.500/- Contact – 93191111

Turkish MDF door with frame for sale, size 210 x 100 Price: RO 75/-.

Contact: 95899296 / 92141514

Bath attached room for rent Al Khuwair. Contact 99743569

6 bedroom, 6 bath rooms, sitting & dining villa at Qurum.

Contact: 99342733

2 BHK flat in Al Azaiba near sea, with split A/C. RO.340/Contact 93191111

2 bed rooms, kitchen, toilet & car park in Al Khuwair R.O 200/- .

Contact 95154331

FOR SALE

Well established medium size construction company for sale.

Equipments, 30 employees & ongoing projects. Serious buyers only 99412020

Commercial 3 BHK flat in Al Ghobra 18 Nov Street. RO 700/Contact 93191111

Villa of 5 BHK in Al Ansab with split A/C. RO.650/- Contact – 93191111

Commercial land for sale 3000 m in quriyat road main high way can use as a petrol station license available asking price 350,000 For more information please call on 99070701 with out name

Fully decorated & Equipped kitchen cabinet and marble showroom for sale at Mabela industrial area road no – 10 only serious buyers can.

Contact: 99337670/97763560

Single room rear Oman house Muttrah. Contact: 97477670

Shawarma Double burner for sale.

Contact: 95395378

A/C room with separate balcony and big wardrobe available for non-cooking bachelor in CBD area (near Stars cinema).

Rent OMR125 inclusive of electricity and water charges.

Contact 96568110

AVAILABLE 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. www.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

BUYING/SELLING All type of car scanner available easy car diagnostic for professional and self use Authorize LAUNCH and Autel dealer. GSM:92393972 www.omancartools.com Used furniture & Electronic items, office & house. Contact: 99834373

Spacious bedroom, T& K in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 96098443

Rooms available with separate bathroom for executive bachelors in azaiba near al meera hyper market.

Gsm 99053844 Single room with sharing kitchen available for executive bachelor near Saud Bahwan Residency Complex, Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99024362, 93166353.

ACC. WANTED Required a room in Darsait / WadiKabir /Ruwi area. #95405033

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DAILY GUIDE

CHANGE OF NAME

SITUATION WANTMATRIMONIAL

NRI 500 acre agricultural land suitable for rubber plantation for sale in Ratnagiri Maharashtra. price 2 lakh per acre, rubber board approved land, minimum purchase 20 acre. We provide care taking by experienced Malayalee team for your plantation. please call , prasad 95760790

38 cents plot with 2BHK house by the river bank in Thrissur Dist. near Irinjalakuda (Karavanoor).

Contact: 99347089

SITUATION WANTMATRIMONIAL Indian Kerala male 31 years Hindu Ezhava working in Muscat looking for life partner.

Contact: 99893119

Christian CSI Syrian boy, 31/178, fair, working as Business Development Officer in a reputed company Muscat. Suitable proposals solicited. Email: jamesmails2010@gmail. com Contact: 98582078, M4 - Marry - 4083713 Kerala Hindu Ezhava girl (28 yrs, 164 cm), Staff Nurse (MOH), seeks suitable alliance from Graduates / professionally qualified boys.

Contact: 91 9746343275 / +91 9747801255 Kerala Nair girl, B.Com, 22 yrs, 5.2” very fair, slim, (Star Uthrattathi) Presently working in infosis, Chennai. Financially sound, from parents of nair boys from Trissur, Palakkad and Eranakulam & Calicut dist. .

Contact :0091 8301865688 email: raveendrandr@yahoo.com

I Punnathuparambil Thankappan Shaju (name exactly as in present passport) son of Thankappan presently residing at the following address in Al Suwaiq, P.B No. 234, P.C No.320, Sultanate of Oman and having permanent address in India P.T. Shaju, Punnathuparambil (H) Near Sreelakshmi Oil Mills, Meladur P.O Thrissur Kerala 680741 (as per present passport), holder of Indian passport No. F 3839639 date of issue 04/07/2005 place of issue Cochin hereby solemnly affirm and declare that Mini (name of my wife appearing as my passport) and the name of my wife Annamma Shaju appearing as per her Indian passport No . G 3723592 are the same individuals and not two different individuals. Any objection towards name change of my wife may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair, P.Box No. 1727, Postal Code 112, Ruwi , Sultanate of Oman.

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

MOTOR VEHICLE FOR SALE

Toyota Camry 2.5glx, first registered 2013. Expat lady owner.

Contact 98149979 Suzuki Desire 2015, silver colour, 17000 km, excellent condition, 4 months old for just R.O 3,500/-.

Contact: 96473187 Toyota Prado 2008, Toyota Corolla 2009, Honda CRV 2009, low mileage available at Bombay Medical, behind Ruwi Police Station. #99326339 Chevrolet Epica 2008 very good condition. Contact 92802299

Prado ,2012. Contact : 99336093 Sportage, 2013. Contact: 99336093 Peugeot 206-2007 Model, expat driven. Contact 99209285 Land Cruiser 2012. Contact 99336093 2 Prime Movers Man 2008 with 40 ton petrol tank each working at the moment in Al Maha. Price OMR 35 Thousand each. Contact 97000155 or 92688692

D4

M O N DAY, J U LY 6, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ADMIN Vacancy for Omani PRO Email: abid673@yahoo.com Mob 94192526 Urgently Required: Administration with an experience minimum in 3 years in building construction, required immediately join and MUST have NOC.Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com.

TOURS

ACCOUNTANT

ENGINEER

MISCELLANEOUS

SALES / MARKETING

Finance Manager required : looking for an experienced CA / Finance Manager with knowledge of the local market, able to take charge of the companies finance department , must hold valid GCC driving license, NOC required. E mail CV to omanrecruitment1@gmail.com

Looking for a Sales Engineer (Mechanical) with 2 to 3 year relevant experience in the Oman market with driving license .

Please forward your CV to : mbdeast@gmail.com

Well established company in selling chocolate, Arabian sweets and fresh flowers, opening ITS first branch in Muscat seeking: 1- sweets and chocolates Sales man 2- flower arranger (Asian/ Filipino Nationality) Contact: 94490011 Email: labelleoman@gmail.com

Commercial Manager required, looking for experienced Commercial Manager with in depth knowledge / contacts within the local market, must be able to deal professionally with clients. Must hold valid GCC driving license, NOC required. Email CV to omanrecruitment1@gmail.com

Urgently required a part – time female Accountant fluent in English with 2-3 years experience in Tally.

Email: mhca@mhabibgroup.com Fax: 24564459 Urgently required female accountant with an experience minimum 3years Email CV on cv.hrcharity@gmail.com Urgently required Junior Accountant. Please send CV: hr.azatllc@gmail.com

BEAUTY Wanted experienced Beautician for beauty parlor in Al Amerat 3.

Contact: 91107337

CATERING Reduced experience Waiter / Supervisor/ Juice maker, Shawarma maker. Contact: 95395378 Traditional Omani restaurant requires: Waitress for restaurant.

Delivery man with bike license preferred. Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Contact: 95892831 Family in Muscat seeking to hire an experienced butler. Hotel experience is preferred. Candidate must hold a valid driver’s license.

Please send CV’s on vacancyinmuscat@gmail.com

DRIVER Driver required for a Company, 2 years experience. Visa available.

Contact 24479922 Driver available with car and without car Education, B. A exp. 5 years, language Hindi, Arabic, English.

Contact: 98522914 Driver needed, preferably female.

Must hold valid driving license.

Contact 95591068 Required Omani Driver light / heavy duty & Marketing Executive.

Contact: 24816774 / 99020458

ENGINEER Required for Engineering consultancy office a Supervision Staff for road project at Ibri region: Civil Engineer (B.Sc) RE with 12 years experience & Land Surveyor (Diploma) with 8 years experience.

Please email CV & certificate copy to alsarh@omantel.net.om

Urgently Required: Civil Engineer with an experience minimum in 5 years in building construction, MUST have NOC and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com Required a part time steel Structural Design Engineer for a reputed steel fabrication company in Muscat. Interested person may Contact : 99451158 Leading Construction Company requires Quantity Surveyor (QS) with 4-6 yrs Gulf experience. Send your CV : qsmuscat2015@gmail.com (NOC required).

Quantity Surveyor (Civil & MEP) -1 No., Project Engineer – 1No both with 7 yrs. Gulf experience.

Contact / Email: omaniantrad@gmail.com Required Civil Engineer (buildings) Oman experience 5+ years, BOQ+ Tendering + site supervision.

Contact: 95218004 Email: alhilalint@yahoo.com Construction Company in Oman urgently requires following candidates: BE Civil Engineer, minimum 3-5 years gulf experience & Civil site foreman, minimum 5 years gulf experience, diploma not required.

Email: applyforoman@gmail.com Leading Construction Company requires Project Engineer, Degree holder with minimum 5 to 6 years experience in building construction line. (NOC require) Send your CV to – degree.engineer2015@gmail.com Required Civil Engineer (BE/ B. Tech) with minimum 2 years GCC experience and valid Oman driving license. Email: careerwithparamount@gmail.com Construction Company in Oman urgently requires the following: B.Sc Civil Engineer, minimum 3-5 yrs Gulf experience. Civil Site Foreman, minimum 5 yrs experience with operating knowledge of Tally.

Please Email CV ; applyforoman@gmail.com

A company from UAE require 2 merchandisers in retail food supply, store keeper with English and invoicing experience. Email: yesterdaysun@hotmail.com

MEDICAL Urgent! Omani healthcare company looking for a smart proactive marketing executive cum product specialist with strong English communication skills, healthcare background and marketing experience in medical/pharmacy/microbiology/ biotechnology field. Omani driving license is a must. Mail your CV to: vacancymedeq@gmail.com Required for a reputed Medical Center in Al Khuwair. General Practitioner Doctor, X- Ray technician.

Please send CV: absmc2013@gmail. com Fax: 24488660

MANAGER Urgently Required: Male – handles overall store operations of the Supermarket, Prior Experience a MUST, knowledgeable in MSOffice. Send CV to chanda@dolphin-oman.com or fax to 244-92718.

SKILLED Urgently required experienced sub-contractors for Marble Flooring / Marble Cladding / Grinding / Carving works . Contact : 92884177 / 99485595 Urgently required a silk Screen printer with good knowledge and release letter or NOC. Contact: 93280288 or send CV to albayanstamps@gmail.com

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Wanted Office Assistant- Indian male with good knowledge in MS Word & Excel. Contact 99107632.

Required Office Assistant 160+25+Acc, Contact 99454425

IT SALES / MARKETING IND male WEB developer 5 yrs exp B.Tech (comp science) PHP, HTML MYSQL Java script CSS. Contact: 95990529 Email: renjith341@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Mason, C.C.T.V, Technician, Electrician cum Plumber.

Contact - 99383044

A reputed shipping and forwarding company urgently require Operations Executive valid Omani D/L is must. Experienced hands in shipping field are preferred. Send your CV to applymd2015@gmail.com Minimum 2 years of experience with valid gulf light driving license interested candidates please Contact: 99222086 /98585851

Marketing Manager required, looking for experienced Marketing Manager to work in the insurance field, preferable to hold CMA license, must hold valid GCC driving license, NOC required. Contact : 99315069 Urgently required female Sales Promoters individual with pleasant personality, excellent communications & presentation skills & experience in selling perfumes cosmetics and skincare products would be preferred. Send your CV & details with recent photograph to info@mawaridoman.com or fax no 24127484/ Tel: 24127485 Wanted part time female Sales Executive with D/L for a reputed company. Contact 94688874 A leading marketing company is looking for outdoor Sales Executives on part time or full time basis in Salalah. # 92760281 / 96436719 Required Sales Executive with minimum 2 years experience in Rice / FMCG sales. Email: careerwithparamount@gmail.com Looking for Outdoor Salesman for heavy equipment spare parts.

Contact - 93292015, Email: mail.om@gulfcenter.co Required Sales man - 1 Person Qualification. Gulf Experienced - Minimum 5 Years with Oman Driving Licence Language - English Education:- Any Degree Further Contact : Mr. Abdul Hameed Nashabat - Mobile No: 97414307 and -92807399 amn@yaqeeneng.com Urgently required Sales and Marketing Executive for Graphic designing company. Contact: 96727631 mail: smartgraphic518@gmail.com Required 1 male 1 female experience minimum 2 years, preferable experience in travel tourism, good work ethic, driving license, and knows English & Arabic. Forward your resume or CV to: misfartourism@gmail.com A reputed media company required female Marketing Executives with minimum 3 years experiences in Public relations, publishing & advertising (with driving license).

Contact: 93946622 or FW: CV job0808@gmail.com Required male or female candidate with 5 years experience in renting of properties. Interested candidates may please mail to alqurumprop@gmail.com

Required exp. employee for travel agency in Saham.

Contact :93655939 / 92900021 Required 2 male 2 female experience minimum 2 years, preferable experience in Travel tourism, good work ethic, fluent English, French, German (Dutch), Italian. Forward your resume or CV to: misfartourism@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian CA with 15 yrs exp working as Finance Head of MNC looking for Job. NOC Available. 94047434 Indian male, B.Com, Accountant, 10 yrs in Oman experience in Accounts, knowledge of Tally ERP 9, focus RT having NOC & D/L, looking for suitable job. Contact 93086105 Male 26 yrs, MBA in Accounts and Finance, 2 years Experience in Management and Accounts Fields, and 1 year experience in Operations in Oman Looking for a suitable job.

Contact 94374745 Indian male 32 years MBA, 6 out of 14 years experience in Oman in accounts / finance having NOC and Valid Oman driving license last date in Oman 01/AUG/2015.

Contact: 94051463 Email: gkvenkatesh83@gmail.com Indian male, B.Com 1 year experience in Accounts, on visit visa.

Contact 98295101 Indian male, 30 years, CMA (Inter),M.com.4 out of 7 years experience in Oman in Auditing/ Accounts/ Finance. Having NOC and valid Oman D/L. Contact: 96746420 , Email: sijuthampi@ymail.com Part Time Accounting, Accounts Finalization, Audit Preparation, Internal Audit, Onsite Tally Training, Inventory Management Contact : 96975454, email : ibfc.gcc@gmail.com Dynamic, Young Accountant Professional with CPA and ACCA (in progress) 2/3 years experience up to finalization of accounts. currently in Oman on visit. Contact: 94704330 / 99094531 Indian male 22 yrs B. Com Graduate 1 year exp in Accounts, currently on visit visa. Looking for suitable job.

Contact 94341848 / Email – mohdhaji7272@gmail.com Diploma in Computer 10 years experience as an Accountant, female now in visit visa. Contact: 95453643 Accountant Indian male, 9 years experience in Oman can do up to finalization. NOC available can be joined immediately.

Contact: 94134085 Email: muscatoman95@yahoo.com Sudanese Accountant seeking job in Nizwa state experience 10 years 3 years in Saudi Arabia, 7 yrs in Sudan. Contact : 97796394 / 94003247

Indian male with total 5 year experience (2 years experience in Accountant cum sales co ordinator in a FMCG Company in Oman) in accounts field and NOC available. Looking for suitable job Contact 92130188 Finance Manager, CPA, with more than 15 yrs. of experience in GCC. Fully knowledgeable in Finance, General & Management Accounting .

NOC available. Contact 96209331 Indian female 25 MBA looking for a suitable opening in Accounts, Admin/Hr. Contact 97013375 Accountant 8 yrs experience looking part time job.

Contact 99867456 Young, energetic 24, ACCA finalist, Advanced diploma in Accounting and business, seeking suitable placement in accounts, finance or audit. Contact: 92430152 Email: rau_dey@yahoo.com Motivated and energetic male 25 having 4 years of experience in finance with Master’s degree in Economics and CAT Certified seeking opportunity in Accounts/finance/ audit in a reputable organization.

Cell no: 00968-94626209 E-Mail: omerjawedshah@gmail.com MBA Graduate with 6 yrs exp in finance/accounts/ auditing. Specialized in accounts payable dept, Oracle app user, proficient in Sap (fico) end user & tally 9.0. lean &six sigma certified trainer on visit visa.

Contact – 91967213 / 99064780 Indian Accountant: Male, M com, 7 Yrs experience in Accounts up to finalization, having knowledge of ERP, Tally, seeks suitable placment.Contact 93950138 Email: lijinrajan123@gmail.com

ADMIN Indian male 2+yrs oman exp in HR. joing immediatly. release available.

Contact :93671437

AUTO CAD/DRAUGHTSElectrical draftsman AutoCAD switch gear & MEP control panel 7 years experience Qatar. Contact: 92546203/96228100

DRIVER Pakistani driving available.

Contact : 96913836

M O N DAY, J U LY 6 , 2 0 1 5

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED

ADMIN

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

Indian Female MBA, 3 years experience in Admin MIS, Family Visa.

Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com

DEEE - Electrical Supervisor 10 years Oman experience. Ready for NOC, visa transfer and valued Oman red board light driving license.

Contact: 968 95298437

Indian male , 16 years of experience and knowledge of tally also having driving license and release, looking for suitable positio n.

Contact : 96425101 Omani hard working have 6 years experience as PRO and 4 years as Admin officer and transport in change with 6 years as safety office on driving good English and PDO / DL seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 92959251 A Lady with 5 years experience in HR/Admin is looking for suitable job and can join immediately.

Contact : 94465835 Indian male, MBA, HR seeking immediate placement, on visit visa. Contact 92624333. Email : sheikhadnan@gmail.com System administrator with 3 years experience hold a degree, MCITP, CCNA , CCTV biometric , seeking job in a company.

Contact: 99630084/98129845 Indian female with 10 yrs of experience in HR/Banking/Operations seeks a suitable placement.

Can be contacted on 98919015 or sherianne.coelho@gmail.com

ADVERTISING Looking for JOB. I have done BS Hons in Mass communication and media, Specialised in Public Relations and Advertising. I have upto 1 year of experience. Immediate Available. Open for any JOB. Sultan Zafar #97034134

DESIGNER Architect and Interior designer, 8 years exp capable of managing turn key projects, design, BOQ, Execution.

NOC available. Contact : 95273166 Interior Designer: Indian male 31, 8 years exp. in GCC, NOC available.

95217586

DRIVER Light driver. Contact: 96961993 Heavy duty driver with PDO license, 5 yrs Intl. exp. Contact: 95546585 Bangladeshi male light driver seeking suitable placement 1 yr experience. Contact: 94158238 Driver available with car driver & without car. Contact 96771598 / 94039796 Pakistani male (27) light driver seeking job, 4 years experience in Oman. Contact 96346582 Driver, 42 yrs seeks for suitable job KSA, 12 years Oman 4 years,.

Contact: 95796030 Light driver. Contact: 95779594 Light Driver experience 4 yrs.

Contact: 98779907 Looking for driving job.

Contact: 98219182 Driver looking for job. Contact 99507039

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com Indian Male, IT Support Engineer, 2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experience. Contact 97311847 Btech computer science graduate 2015 passout.. Android application marketing.. Having good communication skills and mindset to work in a team. Contact 91024385 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

Mechanical Engineer, Indian 24 with 2 yrs experience in HVAC- MEP Revit – MEP, AutoCAD – MEP Navis solid works Catia PRO-E primavera.

Contact: 96975382 Email: bonny491@gmail.com Indian female, BE, Civil engineer with 1 year experience looking for suitable vacancy, on visit.

Contact 95139583, Email : aisushetty09@gmail.com 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 B.E in ECE worked as Junior Scientist Trainee in Chennai worked as System Admin in Berik Honda Nagger coil worked at Technical Support in Samsung Service, presently in Bangalore.

Contact : 0091 7026267513 Indian female 23, B.Tech (Electrical & Electronics) & Diploma in Electrical CAD on Visit Visa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 99278410 / 94027398, Email: renju.raghavan7@gmail.com Indian Civil Engineer (buildings) available immediately as supply contract. Contact: 93263834 Civil Engineer, 8 years experience BOQ establishing, 5 years experience in Oman Building and S.T.P experience, good knowledge of computer, MS Excel, AutoCAD .

Contact: 99471944 Indian male Civil (B.E) with 2 yrs well known E tabs staad, safe looking for structural position. Contact: 98768045 / 96698342 Email: qadeertom@gmail.com 26 years Oman experienced person in automobiles, showroom & workshop areas seeks suitable replacement. currently working as General Manager in a local company.

Contact no: +968-92009700 CARPENTER-15 years gulf exp. Indian male looking for suitable post.

Present working in Crown Plaza.

NOC available. Please contact Jacob 96940120. jacob.sabu11@gmail.com Chemical Engineer with 04 years experience in petrochemical refinery sector seeking for & suitable position in petrochemical oil & gas, refinery EPC Companies. #00968 91748400 Indian female, B.Tech biotechnology with strong computer skills and 2 years experience as associate research analyst (Media Monitoring) in Nasdaq Oman seeking growth oriented jobs. Contact 92044603 /918056169148 or angeline.babithac@gmail.com.

IT Indian Male Web developer with 5 year experience. Indian, Male, 27 years, B Tech(Computer science), professional in php, html, mysql, javascript, css. Contact:95990529 Email:renjith341@gmail.com Indian male, B.E ( computer science engineer), MBA (finance), OCA certified, having 5 years of experience in oracle Dba/ oracle apps Dba, seeks a suitable position in the field of IT. Contact: 96212062 email: zubairkhan11@gmail.com Indian male 25 yrs exp in Administration, Telecom, Optical Fiber Communication, Networking, MS Office. Seeks any job. On visit visa. # 91385373 / sridharbsnlma1455@gmail.com Computer Networking/Facility Mgmt 5 Yrs of Exp Holds B.E(ECE), CCNA Looking for Good Opportunity, Indian - Visit Visa. Contact 91911792/ arafakdnl@gmail.com Network system Engineer B.E / ECE + CCNA & Ms certified with 4+ yrs exp looking for a job. Currently in Oman on visit visa. Contact: 92589502 Email: careersjegan

MISCELLANEOUS Female Postgraduate searching suitable job. Contact 97792820 Indian male Oman D/L 2 years Saudi experience in electrical, fire and safety one year Oman logistic management experience.

Contact : 91233475

MISCELLANEOUS SALES / MARKETING

Bangladeshi Post Graduate seeks a job good command in English and computer ready to take the challenge. Contact 93982627 Email: saymun.riyad@gmail.com

Indian female (MTECH) having Gulf experience in family visa seeking suitable placement in Oman.

Contact : 94306164 / 91001194

B.E computer science, female, 2 years experience in IT/ HR/Administration with GCC driving license, looking job suitable vacancy in IT/ HR/ Administration filed.

Contact: 97738624

Indian male MBA 7 years experience in Hospitality industry, operation, sales & marketing looking for suitable vacancy. Contact 92115860 Email vibin.py@gmail.com

Filipino Male looking for a job & have experience in sales, waiter, barista, technical support / customer service with good communication skills. Contact 91789465

Market research / Hospitality Indian male Graduate with nearly 30 yrs experience in Market research & hospitality industry. NOC available.

Contact: 99347089

Indian material controller/ store keeper seeking job in Oman NOC / Release available.

Contact: 91946174

Indian 6 years experience as Sales Executive with 2 years visa, driving license seek suitable job.

Contact 92233068

Indian Female with over 9 yrs experience with good communication skills seeks jobs in customer service or sales field. Contact : 96108289, shijipaul84@gmail.com

6 years experienced male holding Masters Degree with experience in customer relationship, real estate, Sales and IT. Contact: 98823248 Email: sajjadhussain@yahoo.com

Part- Time Accountant, well experience senior accountant ,doing all type of accounting works, Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact: :98803439

Indian male Graduate with 18 years experience in Sales and Marketing currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact : 91996486 / 99732070

13 Years UAE experienced in MNC & reputed firms logistics distribution looking for a suitable placement, on visit visa contact 99838743, gani.dawood@gmail.com

Indian male looking for Sales Executive job 2 years experience in Indian completed B.B.A (visiting visa). Contact : 95462921

Male Indian BBM Graduate 8 years experience in logistics and ware housing in a reputed company valid driving license NOC available looking for suitable position.

Contact : 96311786 Email: ubinfs@gmail.com

MEDICAL Well experienced MOH Licensed Indian GP Doctor looking for locum / permanent position in the Capital area. Contact 98140024 email:drgpoman@yahoo.com Indian female Dentist MOH Oman passed seeking a suitable placement in capital region.

Contact– 91377681 hashimsarawat@gmail.com Indian male Radiographer 3+ years of experience Diploma in Radiological technology, looking for suitable post. Contact: 98843139 M.Sc Nursing in Obstetrics and Gynecology 3 yrs exp in teaching & 2 yrs at bed side looking for suitable position, Indian female on visit visa.

Contact: 96220839 Lab Technician, Civil (8yrs Gulf experience) looking for a suitable job (NOC available) Contact-93344378

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR Production Manager 13 years experience in cast Aluminium fab. field and good track record seeking for a suitable job. NOC ready in Hand.

Contact: 96392319 Indian male, with 8 yrs exp. in Oman (BA- Graduate) working as a project Sales Coordinator, with Oman D/L, looking for suitable job, ready to join immediately with NOC. Contact 95245057

Pakistani male 34 yrs Intermediate 2 yrs exp in sales & marketing in Oman. Looking for suitable job.

Contact - 92146864 Indian male. 27, Post Graduate, 5+ yrs exp in Oman in Sales & Credit Control, with valid Oman driving License, NOC available, looking for suitable placements. Ph: 9199 3376 Indian Male, B.Com Graduate, 23, with experience in Sales looking for suitable placements. .

Contact 98371144 Indian male 45+ yrs , 20 yrs exp as sales supervisor in India looking for indoor sales /stores /cashier or any suitable placement can speak Hindi , English, Malayalam, Tamil, kannada can join immediately on visit visa.

Contact 93086105/33016546

TOURS & TRAVELS 25 Indian female B.S.C. Fashion Technology. 5 years experience in textile industry as a merchandiser and good in fashion marketing.

Currently available on visit visa, seeking for a suitable job.

Contact 96990368.

Email: simmy.missy@gmail.com

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE An experienced person who can handle complete office activities and purchases looking for suitable placement. Contact: 92360524

MISCELLANEOUS Tanzanian male, 25 yrs Accountant successful experience in Tanzania looking for suitable placement in any field. Contact : 96710154 Content Executive, freshers with good communication skills and willingness to learn may apply on job@socioholics.com

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.

Email:- yashicapandya@gmail.com Indian Female 10 years exp as cook in Oman. South Indian & Gujarati special looking for part-time job Contact 96733187.

Indian male-28 Years, Diploma in Electrical Egg, having gulf experience. Specialization on Electrical Installation and Maintenance, Operation. 7 years experience seeks for suitable placement.

Mob – 968-95334580. E-mail -sunilkumar257.sk23@gmail.com Indian male auto cad draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience seeking for part time job Mobile no: 00968 99070584, E mail: remluvp@gmail.com Seeking Teaching Position. Qualified and experienced Native English speaking teacher seeking position in Muscat, I have a Teaching Diploma , two Honours Degrees and a CELTA Certificate. Position at Language school will be suitable. Will e-mail CV. Whatsapp only +96893952732 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 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 Sudanese male (B.Sc Computer Science) (Diploma Computer Engineering) 6 yrs. experience DBA Oracle PLSQL , MS SQL-server, MS visual studio VBA, network. Contact :91415886 BSc Graduate, INDIAN male , seeking suitable jobs.

GSM: +91-8589820233.

MAIL ID: prajinap45@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, 38 years old, DME – Mechanical Maintenance Technician 11 years Oman experience. Ready for NOC , VISA transfer, ready to join immediately, Mob +968 95612870, seeniselvan@gmail.com Indian Male, 34 years old, DEE – Electrical Supervisor 10 years Oman experience. Ready for NOC , VISA transfer and valid Oman driving licence light, ready to join immediately, Mob +91 9740679094, kulasekar1980@gmail.com 24 years, Indian Chartered Accountant male with 3 yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat, currently on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Kindly contact him on 98201476 or email at lokeshkaluri@gmail.com Indian male 25 years B.tech computers (Having 3 years of experience in customer service/Admin/IT Support) looking for suitable position.

Visa Transfer/NOC Available immediate to join. Contact: 98402389, Mail: naresh6672@gmail.com

BE. Biomedical Engineer, 5 years experience in the same field (Hospital/company)looking for suitable placement. Contact:92084807 Email:bonnygeorge1005@gmail.com ELECTRICAL ENGINEER – Indian male seeking Electrical Engineer job with 2 years’ experience.

Contact: 94263445, E mail – janardhanan53@gmail.com ACCOUNTANT: Indian male 25 having 4years experience in accounting & having well knowledge in tally.

Contact:968094535881, 0091 9037622048 Email: vishnuraj889@gmail.com ACCA Affiliate, 2.5years experience in Audit/Finance in Global Big6 Firms and Oil company in Oman, Looking for suitable permanent placement. Release NOC Available.

Contact: #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com Manager, Young Indian Male, MBA, BBA. Having excellent managerial experience (around 5 years) in leading Multi-National-Company.

Looking for suitable positions.

Contact: 92700670, fardhaan@gmail.com Indian Female MA. B.Ed. with One year three months Teaching experience. Subject: EnglishSeeking for a Better placement.

Now working in Oman.

Contact 93961142, 92184408, Email:-anoopkesavan78@gmail.com Sudanese/ 26 years/ master of clinical pharmacy(1st class)/ 1 year experience/live in India/excellent communication in English(IELTS Certificate) and arabic/ pharmacist license/ hassan_kassala@hotmail.com 00919600413966-96387227 Electrical Engineer, 29, Indian Male, having 7+ years exp. in reputed companies. Seeking suitable placement in any Oman.

Contact - 97693456.

Mail ID : venkatbadri23@gmail.com 32 years, Filipina with experience in Teleperformance, Manila call centre, now working as Waitress in Qatar seeking suitable post.

Contact 99022484 24 Years, indian male 2.5 Years experience in admin & accounts, dubai.

Currently on visit visa. Seeking suitable placement in admin & accounts.

M: 93016252 EMAIL: shahabaskp@gmail.com Indian male, MBA with 20 years of experience in back office operation, risk and operational management, financial management for Finance and Trading companies. Presently available on visit visa.

Contact: 91276221 CCNA MCITP network support /network technician with 2 years experience indian male having bachelors degree on visit visa.

Contact : 93080871 sean.f.peters@outlook.com Video Editor 29 years Indian male with 8 years experience on visit visa looking for a suitable placement contact: 91275969 leomoorkoth@gmail.com Omani male , BBA ,with 6 year experience in HR &Admin looking for opportunity in HR & Admin in Muscat. Joint date after one month notice period . Mobile 92223279

D6

M O N DAY, J U LY 6, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED Omani Mechanical Engineer, has 3 years experience ,has HSE, H2S, Riggers/Banks men Permit, Drawing / cad, SCBA, Safety Leadership and Initial Fire Response Courses. good with computer and English language looking for suitable job.

Contact 99224319-98454500 Indian male 22 Mechanical Diploma holder Engg with HVAC certified, having 1 year exp. seeking suitable position. Currently available on visit visa. Contact - 92835952 Business development Manager/ Executive. Preferably minimum of 2 years experience. Valid driving licence can apply on job@socioholics.com Indian male Diploma, Civil engineer 4.3 year experience at building construction and consulting company with Oman driving licence and N.O.C available seeking suitable placement Contact 95989500 email cv.shihabedappal@gmail.com Having 9+ years exp. in Admin, Purchase, Stores & Warehouse in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat and seeking for suitable placement. Contact +968 97693456. email : muralimahdav77@gmail.com Innovative Indian Male 29, B.E & M.Tech Web designer / developer with over 5.5 years of work experience in HTML 5, CSS 3, SEO, Digital marketing (DFP & DCM), Magento, CMS, Photoshop and Dreamweaver.

Can join ASAP. # 00968 9630 3055 / email: aditya.khandkar@gmail.com 10 YEAR Experienced PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER. Currently working at Kerala, India.

Seeks placement.

Contact: 95872030 , email: - sajith3969@gmail.com Indian male 48yrs with driving license looking for a job to work as driver / salesman. Residing at Al Khoudh. Contact: 99551310 Young Indian Chartered Accountant, female, Having 6 years experience in Oman and India. Accounts and Finance Manager, Auditor. Urgently seeking suitable positions.# 92530131, jobcareer44@gmail.com Tunisian women looking for a job, khnows english,frensh, italian and arabic. Contact: 91171838 Indian female Nurse with 5 yrs of experience, presently working in Oman, seeking for suitable placement. NOC available can join immediately. Contact: 98329941 Email: ancyanish2011@gmail.com Looking for part time jobs in Muscat, Auto cad Draughtsman (Civil). contact:-+968-99070584 email: remluvp@gmail.com ACCA Affiliate, Experience in audit/ finance of 2.5 years in Big 6 Firm and Oil industry, looking for suitable permanent placement, Release NOC available. Contact: #95140445 a.saran891@gmail.com B.Tech Computer Engineer Wanted job to work on(IT/Banking/Administrator/Technical/Office works) having NOC with the limited time from (04/06/2015 to 13/06/2015).

Mobile:98402389 email:naresh6672@gmail.com British Beauty Therapist looking for suitable position. please contact :97175240 Highly Qualified & Experienced Finance Manager Pakistani with USA , UK & Canadian Degrees , CPA ,ACCA-UK . MBA-USA ,IFA- Financial Consultants Canada , Corporate Analyst USA Professional of Banking , Audits ,ERPs & Profit Maximizations ( NOC available ) call 94 504505 – 94403270

Filipino Male looking for a job & have experience in sales, waiter, barista, technical support / customer service with good communication skills. # 91789465 PART TIME ACCOUNTANT, Indian male, M. Com, 35 years, 12 Years exp. in Accounts, 8 years in Oman.

Knowledge upto finalization. Having valid D/L, seeks suitable Placement.

GSM: 96249124 Egyptian Civil Engineer, total experience 7 years - 2 years experience in Oman. I am looking for Project Engineer, I have good experience in site & office works.

Contact number:91148708 Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking. 1 year sales experience. MSc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com.

ACCOUNTING – Indian male seeking accounting job with 2 years experience in accounting.

Contact: 94263445, E mail – contactantonyxavieranand@gmail. com Sudanese male: 27 yrs, 2 years experience in accounting, other experience (purchasing – HR - Coordinating and Office Management), looking for a job Omani Driving License, NOC. Contact: 94174403 24 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 3yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat, currently on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Contact him on 98201476 or email at lokeshkaluri@gmail.com Sudanese male (B.Sc, computer science) (diploma computer engineering), 6 yrs. experience DBA oracle PL-SQL, MS SQL - Server, MS visual studio vba, network. # 91415886 Syrian male 3yrs. exp in IT support, Networking, Security systems, Server support, IT sales and marketing.

Valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact 91055584 Over 15 years experience in Gulf.

Interior Architect, Lebanese Nationality, on visit visa seeking a suitable Placement. 96268005.

PRODUCTION OPERATOR – Indian male seeking production operator or related jobs with 4 years of experience in oil & gas field. #94263445.

Email: tonyxavier4u@gmail.com Indian Keralite Male 35 looking for Scaffolding supervisor post having 5 years of Supervisor and HSE experience in GCC Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Fluent in English Arabic and Hindi .

Contact 96155921, or mail fysal.nellaya@gmail.com Indian Male 28 yrs, having 7 years Gulf + Indian experience in HR and Admin field, looking for suitable placement. Contact: 97914340, Email: rajkv3086@gmail.com Indian Male 28 years MSM, B. Com having 6years experience in Gulf and India as a HR and Admin looking for suitable placement.# :97914340.

Email: rajkv30@gmail.com B.Sc. Mechanical Engineer Sudanese 3 yrs of exp. In industrial field available in muscat on vist visa seeking suitable job .

Contact: 95868922, Email: almouthanaosman@yahoo.com IT system and Printer engineer ME, 5Years bank IT Management exp in India looking for full time job visit visa contact 94462150 Indian male with 8 yrs experience in FMCG in Oman as Sales Supervisor looking for suitable placement.

NOC available. Gsm: 96495206

24 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 3yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat, currently on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Contact him on 98201476 or email at lokeshkaluri@gmail.com MCA IT Professional Indian Female seek placement in Teaching/ Non Teaching field. Presently on visit visa. 9588 7051, ashwininakod@gmail.com ACCA Affiliate, Indian, 2.5Years experience in Audit/ Finance in Big 6 Audit Firm and Oil Accounting in PDO, For Permanent Placement for Finance or Accounts or Audit. Release NOC Available on hand.

Contact #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com Finance ACCA Affiliate, Worked as an Auditor with 2.5 Years Experience in reputed firm, Handled independent audit/finance assignments, Looking for permanent placement, NOC available. #95140445. a.saran891@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, E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com Sudanese male (B.Sc Computer science) (diploma computer engineering) 6 yrs. experience DBA Oracle plsql, MS sql-server ,ms visual studio vba, network. Contact :91415886 Indian Male, Graduate, 11 years Sales experience in Lighting / Industrial products, ready to join immediately. GSM: 9710 5356 Indian heavy duty driver with 8 years experience in oman available with NOC. GSM : 93601943 GSM : 94496457 Indian male, 28 yrs MBA (HR/M) 2 years experience in Indian Oman in HR & admin seeks suitable placements. NOC available.

Contact 97484159 Email: rameshkapa86@gmail.com M.Sc 3+ years exp from France & India in IT Support Engineer / Hardware & Networking / Server support / scientific system support looking for suitable positions. Indian, male on visit visa, contact 98898781/ anoopys@gmail.com Looking for managerial post (full time ), More than Ten years of experience in Team Development ,Training, planning, Administration, Sales & Marketing, Advertisement and Credit Control and Logistics. Contact 91076608 / 99322748. Release & noc available Indian male, 34years having 10 years of experience in Sales, Sales Coordination and Administration.

Experienced in SAP and MS Office. NOC available.

Contact # 94686594 Indian Male MBA Marketing/HRM 3 year experience with Omani D/L, seeking suitable jobs.

Contact: 97424188 email: dharwesh@gmail.com Indian, Male, 23 years, BE Electrical, having 2 years experience in Electrical Works-H.T. cabling etc, & Construction, looking for a suitable placement. # +968 96927880 (Oman), +91 9765376109 (India), Email: rahulrevi6@gmail.com Indian Female M.Com with Computer Skills and Four Month Experience as Accountant ,Currently On Family Visa Looking for a Suitable Placement, Available Immediately.

Contact : 95846642, Email : dhanyashree91@yahoo.com

SITUATION WANTED 27 year Indian female who has 4 years of experience with logistics function in distribution of spares for both heavy machinery & wind turbine parts. Kindly contact me on +91 9790769104 E-mail: joemohana@yahoo.co.in Indian male Executive Secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics & procurement well versed with computer .seek suitable placement. Contact : 99514286 Indian male MBA (U.K), 10 Years of experience in Admin, Sales, HR, stores and logistics seeks suitable placement. Contact 99271903.

Indian Female MCA, 4 plus Years of experience in Web designing, Admin, P.A, seeks suitable placement.

Contact 99486374 8 Years successful experience, SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years. Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license seeks suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 7 and half years experience working accounts / inventory manager looking suitable job. Contact: 96991782 Email: srinivasu.sp@gmail.com Indian female , MCA BCA, certification PL SQL , 6months training PHP, date warehouse looking for suitable placement. #95694330 Email: mondkashyapodl@gmail.com B.Com with more than 5 yrs exp. looking for an accounts part tome job work. know with tally.

Email-shilpa_62@yahoo.com Part- time accountant, well experience senior accountant , doing all type of accounting works, finalization, budgeting available.

Contact : 98803439

HSE Advisor, NEBOSH IGC, Indian male, 4 years experience in construction and oil fields, seeking suitable jobs. Gsm: 97458900, Mail: miroshbabu@gmail.com

Indian Male, 29 years, CCNP, MCITP having Bachelor degree and 6 years of experience in Networking looking for job. 96760618 / varghese.manthara@gmail.com

Highly Experienced Finance Manager, CPA ,ACCA-UK . MBA-USA , Professional of Banking, Audits , ERPs Sap , Management as Team Leader and Problem Solver call 94 504505 / 94403270

Female Executive Assistant/Executive Secretary with 27+ experience, worked with top management/Board in financial services with shorthand skills & Omani driving license, seeks suitable placement. call 95941515

Indian male MBA Finance presently OMAN IN visit visa, 26 years, looking for an accountant job. # 95240641, email Id mohammadabdulazharuddin@gmail.com Admin Executive, 31, Indian Male, having 9+ years exp. in reputed companies. Seeking suitable placement in any gulf region. Contact +968 99276601 & 97693456. email : muralimahdav77@gmail.com MEP Quantity Surveyor-EstimationProject, 10 Years Experience (3 years in Oman). Having NOC & Oman D/L, looking for suitable job, Contact - 98291626 Indian house maid looking full time job. Contact : 98254909 B.E. Civil Engineer age 27, total 3 years of experience in Mumbai looking for placement asap in oman now on visit visa of 1 month ph 9571 3441 Email. Khatrialeem@gmail.com Indian Male, 29 years, CCNP, MCITP having Bachelor degree and 6 years of experience in Networking looking for job. 96760618 / varghese.manthara@gmail.com Sudanese male, 31 year old, have 3 year Diploma in electrical engineer, 5 years experience in different activities . Mobile No ; +96894549609

Indian male, looking for a part time accounting job. Having additional knowledge & experience in HR admin & purchase.

Contact 99196621

ACCA affiliate, with 2.5 years experience in Big6 audit firm and Oil industry, looking for permanent placement in Accounts/Audit.

Release available Contact :95140445 a.saran891@gmail.com

Indian Female, 24yrs, M.COM (Accounts) having 3yrs experience in Accounts, HR, Administration, Customer Service. Good Computer Proficiency. Seeking Suitable Position. Visa Transfer/NOC Available.

Contact: 99654913

Indian Female, Commerce Graduate, Total 9 yrs of experience in India. worked as Accounts Assistant and Business executive seeking for suitable placement.

Tel : 96173533/24222457 Email : topranidivya@gmail.com

B.E. Civil Engineer from India with 3 years of experience looking for suitable vacancy in oman now on visit visa. Contact 9571 3441, Email . Khatrialeem@gmail.com Indian male 21 IT Eng. networking & computer hardware diploma, 1 year experience, currently on visit visa looking for a suitable job.# 96036273 email: faizanfarooqui23@gmail.com 8 yrs exp Site supervisor cum 2d, 3d Draughtsman (holding Omani driving license) seeking job.

Contact : 93790601 Indian, 32 years, completed M.A. English, M.Sc. Psychology and B.Ed in English. Searching for suitable job in the field of teaching. To Contact: 00968 99869535 Email: sahadkeyi33@gmail.com Indian Male 24 years, Looking for a Suitable Job in Telecom / Networking. 1 year sales experience. MSc. Communications Engineering & Valid Driving license. Ph: 91280121.

Email: jackrprasad@yahoo.com 26 years Indian male with MBA & PGDFM, Total 3.8 years experience in Administration, seeking suitable placement in any gulf region.

Holding Oman valid driving license.

Contact :94501423 24 year Indian Chartered Accountant male with 3yrs of experience is seeking suitable placement in Muscat, currently on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Contact him on 98201476 or email at lokeshkaluri@gmail.com Finance ACCA Affiliate, 2.5 years experience in audit/finance and oil company in reputed firms. Looking for suitable permanent placement. Release available. Contact 95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com

M O N DAY, J U LY 6 , 2 0 1 5

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours Contact- 98029602, 92808636

TOURS

RENT A CAR

RENT A CAR

Butter cup rent a car presents fantastic offers all vehicles are model 2016.

Contact : 97249449

RENT A CAR

GOOD NEWS

DRIVING

Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis IDEAL , CARE Ayurvedic Clinic 18 November street, Azaiba. Contact 99639695 / 99117987

SITUATION WANTMANPOWER

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 96050000, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133.

For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit: www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact 24475280 / 95371554 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

Learn driving with professional only automatic. Contact 94022250

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact: 96538078 Transportation. Contact: 98522914 Transportation. Contact 99508282

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

Transportation. Contact: 98244078 Pick & Drop any time. Contact: 97014786

D8

M O N DAY, J U LY 6, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

ACCOUNTANTS AND CONSULTANTS

WE ARE PROVIDING ACCOUNTING/ AUDITING TAX/ CONSULTING CONTACT: 24 567 251 / 95 498 033

COMPUTER

WEBSITE

SIT.WANTED B.E Biomedical Engineer, having 5 years of experience in Diagnostics division seeking suitable position.

94151658 Indian female MA. B.Ed. with one year three months teaching experience. Subject: English Seeking for a Better placement. Now working in Oman Contact: 93961142, 92184408 Email:anoopkesavan78@gmail.com B.Sc. Mechanical Engineer Sudanese 3 yrs of exp. In industrial field available in Muscat on visit visa seeking suitable job .

Contact: 95868922, Email: almouthanaosman@yahoo.com Indian Male MBA with two year experience in H.R as a H.R Assistant, Now in India, Seeking for an urgent suitable position.

Contact:-98620260 / 93895992 , Email:-deepakmb4@gmail.com Indian male auto cad draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience, seeking for part time job mobile no: 0096899070584 email: remluvp@gmail.com

Electronics and instrumentation Engineer 28 year Indian male, electrical, electronic, industrial, building & automation exp of 4+ yrs in India.

Contact - 93154156 CCNP Network Professional with 6 years experience having Bachelors degree on visit visa looking for suitable job. #96760618 email: varghese.manthara@gmail.com

Split & widow unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact: 99557080 Split & window unit A.C servicing & maintenance.

Contact: 96236476

Civil Engineer, Diploma, Male 25, 3 years experience in site, CAD, 3d, MS Project, Seeking job in Oman.

Contact 92875345, jubincivileng@gmail.com Indian male, total experience is 5 years in Retail industry. Currently supervisor in Sun and sand sports Muscat City centre.

Contact : 96994345.

Email : jsp.jsr85@gmail.com

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact : 93769089 / 95323517 House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422 WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

CLASSES

Carpet, curtain, sofa, floor, cleaning, shampooing, marble & mosaic tiles grinding, polishing and painting. Contact : 93630133 / 95821193 House shifting packing.

99657644 / 98518013

Admission Open: CAMBRIDGE / BILINGUAL CURRICULUM admission started in Al Burj Private School, Azaiba for KG and Grade I to IV. Please register soonest.

Contact: 93211417 / 92887809.

Pest control Treatments, termites, cockroaches, bedbugs Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723

BUSINESS

Air condition maintenance split and window services AC specialist ducted and package type unites.

Contact: 98667326

House shifting. Contact 99708138

CLASSES

8 years successful experience.

Senior Accountant, Indian male, 29 years, presently working in oman as a senior accountant with oman driving license. NOC available. seek suitable opportunity. gsm: 97705854 *Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807

Split & window A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089/95323517

A/C Maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing. Contact: 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281

Learn Cup cakes, exotic cakes, Icing decorations, handicrafts.

Contact 95941515

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance.Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722 Carpet, Sofa Shampooing. Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99884591 AC servicing maintenance fixing.

Contact: 99540621

Required investor for new company. Contact: 96996938 General Investors. Gsm-99674870