Times of Oman - September 8, 2015 by Muscat Media Group

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TUESDAY, September 8, 2015 / 24 Dhul Qa’ada 1436 AH timesofoman.com

MACEDONIA

HM sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Gjorge Ivanov of the Republic of Macedonia on the occasion of his country’s National Day. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes to President Ivanov and his country’s friendly people. -ONA

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Girl, 4, dies after being left on bus The girl died of suffocation in Bid

after being left unattended in the vehicle owned by

a training centre

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Around 250 brands from 100 companies are taking part in the exhibition. >A2

Ten new hospitals

Ten new hospitals and 27 primary healthcare centres are to be built. >A5

MARKET

Haya Water plans

Haya Water plans to invest OMR1.25b in the next few years. >B1

Municipality recommends central station for Muscat MUSCAT: A central station in the capital area has been recommended by the Muscat Municipal Council to connect the airport, port and train. This was suggested at a meeting chaired by Mohsin Mohammed Al Shaik, chairman of the Muscat Municipality. The meeting discussed ongoing work at the Muscat International Airport and development of Sultan Qaboos Port.

Bid on Monday

100 firms at expo

M U N I C I PA L I T Y M E E T I N G

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reji@timesofoman.com fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A four-year-old girl who was allegedly left unattended on a bus owned by a training centre, reportedly died of suffocation in Bid Bid on Monday. Conﬁrming the incident, a source at the Bid Bid police station said that investigations are already on. Yousif Ahmed, a Bid Bid resident, said the girl had been left unattended inside the bus and

might have suffocated to death. In July, in a similar incident, a six-year-old Omani boy and his cousin died after mistakenly locking themselves in a car, as their parents entertained guests in the Omani boy’s home. The boys were in the car for two hours. While one boy died inside the car, the other died later in the hospital. Police had said that the children suffocated due to the high

temperature inside the car. “Leaving children alone in a car or bus is unpardonable negligence. By doing that, we are inviting danger and risking their lives,” Mark Pudwell, training manager at Competence HR, told the Times of Oman. Dr Basheer, a senior internist at Badr Al Samaa Hospital in Ruwi, said that death due to suffocation or lack of oxygen inside a car can happen in any climate,

even during winter. But in this part of the world, cases like this occur mostly during the summer. “To avoid such tragedies, parents or guardians must make sure that all the passengers, mostly toddlers, are out of the vehicle before they lock it,” added Basheer. Meanwhile, Rajeev NS, who is running a transport ﬁrm for the last 30 years, said that extra care should be taken while transporting children. >A6

Transport law It also discussed the general transport law and the draft of the terrestrial transportation law. The need to ensure coordination with the municipality affairs committee with regard to improving some villages in the Wilayat of Muttrah was also discussed. It was also suggested during the meeting that Muscat Festival should be developed to attract more tourists and business in the Sultanate. The Municipal Council has recommended using the example of countries that have successfully adapted legislation to maintain cleanliness. >A6

F L O O D M I T I G AT I O N A N D M A NAG E M E N T

Oman to get ﬂash ﬂood alert system Times News Service

UK, France join Germany to help migrants

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MUSCAT: Oman will get an early warning system to predict ﬂash ﬂood three to six hours before it occurs, said Ahmed Al Barwani, water resources expert at the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources. “The model is expected to be ready in the next 12 months in cooperation with the meteorology department,” he said, while

presenting a paper on ‘Flood mitigation and management’, at the second edition of the Drainage Rehabilitation and Wastewater Management conference that opened in Muscat on Monday. Mohsin Mohamed Al Shaikh, chairman of Muscat Municipality, inaugurated the conference. Al Barwani said work on this has already been assigned to a consultant in California, US. Elaborating on ﬂash ﬂood, he

said that in areas of steep topography, in small drainage basins, and wadis, floodwaters can rise very quickly with little or no warning. “When floods tend to be intense, short-term event of high velocity, they are known as flash floods,” he said. The entire incident lasts only for four to six hours and damages usually begin to occur within an hour after heavy rainfall. “Here, the rainfall in arid areas

tend to be very localised, intense, and for short durations, falling on bare land with limited or sparse vegetative cover generating flash floods,” he explained. Floods are a natural phenomenon and unavoidable, so awareness is very important to avoid casualties, and people should follow the weather forecast. “We should not forget that floods can occur anytime, so we should be on alert,” he noted.

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5 Oman will get more ﬂood control dams to combat extreme weather conditions, said a senior official of the Ministry of Regional Municipalities & Water Resources (MRMWR). More ﬂood control dams to combat future rain menace >A3

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250 global brands at food exhibition Times News Service

The annual trade show, recognised as a landmark food and hospitality event in Oman, will showcase the industry’s continuous development and expansion through a comprehensive networking, education, and entertainment platform

BUSINESS EXPOSURE: The show will focus on Omani-made quality products and present local companies and SMEs new offerings that international companies are bringing in. –ONA

MUSCAT: Around 250 brands from 100 companies and seven country pavilions are participating in the Food & Hospitality Oman exhibition that opened on Monday. The seven pavilions are hosted by Bulgaria, India, Iran, and Malaysia, in addition to Thailand, Turkey and the UAE, respectively, and showcase products such as HoReCa supplies, frozen meat and poultry products, food and beverage, and laundry supplies and equipment, in addition to vending machines, and diet and slimming products. The 10th Food & Hospitality Oman exhibition, also one of the leading organisers, Omanexpo’s signature trade events, will run from Monday to Wednesday. It was inaugurated on Monday at the Oman International Exhibition Centre by Said bin Saleh Al Kiyumi, chairman, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The annual trade show, recognised as a landmark food and hospitality event in Oman, will showcase

the industry’s continuous development and expansion through a comprehensive networking, education, and entertainment platform. The event has, once again, set up a business matchmaking activity to enable international companies and brands to directly connect with potential buyers and partners in the local market as well as tap unlimited business opportunities in Oman. The show will also provide special focus on Omani-made quality products and present local companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) parallel to the new offerings that international companies are bringing in. The Omani Products pavilion will feature 12 companies. “Most of the industry’s important segments, such as food supplies, which spur the requirement for food packaging, value and luxury retail outlets, shopping malls, new hotels, and hypermarkets, are in great demand especially at this time. The industry is full of business opportunities and this is what we are offering to the trade,” said

Ammar Ahmad, exhibition manager for Food & Hospitality Oman. In keeping with the event tradition, and driven by the enthusiastic response from both the trade and general public sectors, Food & Hospitality Oman will be treating its audience to entertaining and educational features such as its signature Professional Chefs Competition, organised by Oman Chefs Guild, Oman Barista Competition, an initiative in co-operation with Al Roofoof Trading LLC, Nuova Simonelli, Illy, and the new Ready, Steady, Cook Competition, in association with National Hospitality Institute (NHI). All these are aimed at advancing the food and hospitality sectors, while promoting the best of local talent and cuisine. The show is sponsored by Shura Trading & Hotel Supplies, Unilever Food Solutions, National Mineral Water Company, and Quality Trade Coffee, in addition to Crown Muscat International, Al Jarwani Hospitality, Paramount Middle East Equip Trading, and Novell Espresso.

C O R P O R AT E A F FA I R S

‘Consumer exhibitions must promote local products’ TARIQ AL HAREMI tariqh@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Consumer exhibitions may harm Oman’s economy, said Chairman of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), Said Al Kiyumi, after he inaugurated the 10th Food & Hospitality Exhibition at the Oman Exhibition Centre. “Many of the exhibitions I have visited or inaugurated are mostly consumer exhibitions. They do not promote local products, do not create opportunities and the Omani market does not beneﬁt from the international experience,” he said. “OCCI supports this exhibition, and I urge the government to review exhibition regulations because consumer exhibitions harm the Omani economy and will affect businessmen,” he added. The government must review the regulations established to increase the promotion of local products, urged Al Kiyumi. Commenting on this year’s food and beverage exhibition, Al Kiyumi said, “I am amazed by this exhibition, because they are supposed to promote their products and not sell. This will give local businessmen and companies the opportunity to work with international companies.” Oman-made products are the

OCCI supports this exhibition, and I urge the government to review exhibition regulations because consumer exhibitions harm the Omani economy Said Al Kiyumi OCCI chairman

main focus, as the exhibition is aimed at presenting local companies and SMEs to the offerings that international companies are bringing in. Only 12 Omani companies are present at the exhibition.

Entertainment and contests for the guests are also part of the programme in the form of the exhibition’s signature Professional Chef’s Competition, Oman Barista Competition and ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ Competition.

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INTERNAL SECURITY

More than 500 held for violating Labour Law MUSCAT: A total 544 workers, including 434 commercial workers, 61 farm workers and 49 housemaids and their equivalents, were found violating the Labour Law from August 30 to September 5, the weekly report of the joint inspection team of the Ministry of Manpower informs. The inspection teams caught 492 workers, including 272 absconding workers, 207 astray workers and 13 workers with other violations. Muscat tops violations The Governorate of Muscat witnessed the maximum number of workers violating the law with 178 followed by the Governorate of North Al-Batinah with 124 such cases. The competent authorities at the Ministry of Manpower are taking legal procedures against them. Meanwhile, the Manpower Ministry statistics show that 302 expatriate workers were deported for violating provisions of the Labour Law and the ministerial decisions executing the law. Cigarettes seized Customs officers at Wadi Saa’ border post in Buraimi Governorate seized a truck arriving from a neighbouring country loaded with counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco. An official source said, “We seized 1000 boxes of counterfeit cigarettes and 2000 kilograms of tobacco.” The driver was detained for further investigations. -ONA

There are plans to build more dams so that rain water does not accumulate in one place. There are a large number of ﬂood control dams all over the Sultanate

Times News Service

in Operation Restoring Hope in Yemen, Emirate News Agency WAM reported. He also received another telephone call from Mohammed Al Dairi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Libya. Al Dairi offered his sincere condolences on the martyrdom of Emirati servicemen who fell while on the national duty. For his part, Sheikh Abdullah thanked the Foreign Ministers of Oman and Libya for their noble feelings.

H O LY M I S S I O N

Haj Mission leaves today MUSCAT: Omani Haj Mission will leave the country on Tuesday for the Haj pilgrimage. The mission is headed by Shaikh Issa bin Yousef Al Busaidi, Head of the Omani Haj Mission. The mission comprises delegation of Ifta and religious counselling, administrative and ﬁnancial delegation, the delegation super-

CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY: The conference saw Oman’s largest gathering of drainage, wastewater and

MUSCAT: Oman will get more flood control specialists.– Jun Estrada/TIMES OF OMAN flood control dams to combat extreme weather conditions, said a senior official of the Ministry of Annual Drainage Rehabilitation have done some in Muscat but we Regional Municipalities & Water and Wastewater Management need more in Muscat and other places in Oman,” he asserted. conference on Tuesday. Resources (MRMWR). The main theme of the conferOman’s largest gathering of “There are plans to build more dams so that rain water does not drainage, wastewater and flood ence is “Overcoming the water accumulate in one place,” said control specialists at the confer- floods through efficient drainAhmed Al Barwani, water resourc- ence is supported by the MRMWR age networks and maintaining a sustainable wastewater system es expert at the ministry. There and the Muscat Municipality. The high-profile event, part- across the Sultanate”. Over 190 are a large number of flood control nered by the National Survey Au- international and regional draindams all over the Sultanate. He also said that he does not thority from the Ministry of De- age, wastewater and flood conhave the exact figures on the num- fence, and hosted by Haya Water trol experts took part in the event ber of dams being built, but the and Global Exhibitions & Confer- which had key representatives ministry is keen on building more ences LLC, will continue to de- from Ministry of Regional Muto reduce flooding in different liver high level presentations, new nicipalities and Water Resources, technologies and solutions for the Muscat Municipality, Haya Water, parts of the country. “We are building one at Sur now advancement of storm and waste- National Survey Authority – Ministry of Defence. which will help improve ground- water management. The first day of the conference “There is need to improve the water levels and minimise risks from adverse weather conditions,” drainage system as much of the included case studies and preshe said on the side-lines of 2nd problem is due to drainage. We entations by experts including Al

Alawi condoles death of UAE soldiers in Yemen ABU DHABI: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the UAE, received a telephone call from Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs of Sultanate of Oman, during which he offered his sincere condolences on the martyrdom of Emirati soldiers, who fell while on the national duty, taking part

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More flood control dams to combat extreme conditions

YEMEN CRISIS

Times News Service

vising the contractors, medical delegation, the delegation of the Royal Oman Police, media delegation and scouts delegation. While in Al Madinah Al Munawarah and Mecca, the Omani Haj Mission will look after Omani pilgrims, in addition to providing its services in other holy sites during the Haj season. -ONA

Barwani, Khalid Al Lawati, senior area manager, Haya Water, Saud Ambusaidy, senior maintenance manager, Haya Water, and Lt Col Eng. Yousuf Bin Harith Al Nabhani, SO1 Geographic Names, National Survey Authority – Ministry of Defence, in addition to Abdul Malik, capital projects engineer, Wastewater Authority - Government of Ras Al Khaimah, Qaiss Al Bayatee, business development manager, Ajman Sewerage Private Company Limited (ASPCL), Dr. Helalley Abdel Hady, chief of Wastewater Management, Sludge Treatment and Effluent Reuse Sector, Alexandria Sanitary Drainage Company, and many more. The second day of the conference will focus on best practice

case studies and presentations on flash floods, enterprise risk management, flooding at Al Nahdha Hospital, and redesigning urban drainage systems, apart from odour and safety in a sewerage plants, GIS in flood disaster management and flood control, and case study from Austin, Texas on the 2013 floods using spatial data in water issues management. Among the experts who will talk on these topics are Eng Mahmood Al Maamari, hydrologist, MRMWR, Nancy Lee, acting head of Risk and Integration Department, Project Division, Haya Water, Venkatesh Ramanna, corporate strategy and risk manager, Haya Water, and Atul Golash, mechanical engineer and project co-ordinator, Ministry of Health, in addition to Alireza Salamat, deputy director, UNESCO Regional Centre on Urban Water Management, and Senior Advisor, Iranian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, Amol Deshmukh, GIS specialist, National Survey Authority – Ministry of Defence, Dr. Tony Adel Rizk, assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, and Mushtaque Ahmed, associate professor - Department of Soils, Water and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University. Government organisations participating at the conference include Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, municipalities from Shinas, Dhofar, Izki, and Samail, in addition to Adam, Saham, and Sohar Municipality, among others.

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

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Taiwan youth envoys pitch for global ties

Taiwanese students, divided into 10 groups, have been chosen as youth ambassadors to visit 41 cities in 35 countries in different parts of the world

OMANI PHOTOS WIN HONOURS

The Sultanate, represented by the Association of Photography of the Sultan Qaboos Centre for Culture and Science, won two gold medals in the International Biennale for young people organised by the Union Internationale for under 16 and under 21 years-old participants. The contest was held this year in Novi Sad, in the Republic of Serbia.-ONA

STUDENT AMBASSADORS: By interacting with international students and participating in international events, the students can introduce their culture and learn about other countries’ traditions.– OK Mohammed Ali/TIMES OF OMAN

Sixteen Taiwanese G L O B A L I N T E R FA C E

students are visiting

These students are from 55 universities and colleges... we hope that the visit will encourage mutual understanding and help enhance cooperation

the Sultanate as part of the International Youth Ambassadors Exchange Programme

Wu Teh-Yang Director general, Ministry of Foreign Affairs ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Sixteen talented Taiwanese students are visiting Muscat to introduce various aspects of their vibrant culture and traditions to young Omanis and, in the process, also gain a better understanding of the Sultanate. The students, chosen from among a large number of applicants through a rigorous selection process, are visiting Oman as part of the International Youth Ambassadors Exchange Programme. “Our government pays great attention to the young generation because we believe that they are the future of the country. These students are from 55 universities and colleges and are interested in art, culture, kung fu and acrobatics,” said a Taiwanese official accompanying the delegation.

“We hope that the visit will encourage mutual understanding and help enhance cooperation,” Wu Teh-Yang, director general on home assignment, department of West Asian and African Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Times of Oman. According to him, these students are some of the successful candidates chosen from around 1,500 applicants. They made a trip to Turkey before visiting Oman and will soon visit Poland and Slovakia as well, the official said, adding that the entire trip will last 21 days. Lin Li-Yin, class leader and spokesperson, from the National Taiwan University, said they had to go through three stages to be selected for this programme.

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She said the ﬁrst stage was submitting an application. In the second stage, the students were interviewed and had to show their talent in various ﬁelds, such as language skills, musical talent, dancing and performing skills. In the last stage, the students had to garner the votes of their families and friends and only then the total score was calculated. By interacting with international students and participating in international events, the students can introduce their culture and learn about other countries’ tra-

ditions, she said, adding that students in the group can also learn from each other. In addition, she said Oman is an important country in the Arab world and Taiwan’s enhanced ties with the Sultanate can lead to stronger ties with other Muslim countries. At a reception ceremony held for the students on Sunday evening, a number of Taiwanese students showed their skills by performing Chinese opera and playing traditional musical instruments. The theme for the 2015 delegation is ‘Youth from Taiwan, Compassion for All’. This year, 160 students, divided into 10 groups, have been chosen as youth ambassadors to visit 41 cities in 35 countries in different parts of the world.

Oman set to host diplomacy forum Times News Service MUSCAT: Updated information about the practices and main procedures of protocol in the current age and the necessary skills for dealing with a wide range of situations, will be the focus of a seminar here. Oman’s ﬁrst Conference of Protocol and Diplomacy starts its activities on October 25 in Muscat. The conference, to be held for the ﬁrst time in the Sultanate, will be organised by Future Media Group in collaboration with the International School of Protocol and Diplomacy (ISPD). It is expected that the diplomatic corps and the entities interested in the international protocol, headed by the officials from embassies, European Union, international organisations, and public relations and communication specialists, in addition to entrepreneurs, people from the mass media and repre-

sentatives of the entities related to protocol and diplomacy, will participate in this conference. In addition, some seats will be reserved for university students who study political science disciplines. A selected group of internationally recognised specialists in this ﬁeld is headed by Ines Pires, ISPD CEO and founder, who worked previously as an advisor to the former vice president of the European Parliament. Pires enjoys wide experience in diplomatic skills, protocol and dialogues. Sandra Schott, ISPD academic director who specialises in the analysis of new methodologies for conﬂict resolution will also take part in the conference, in addition to Thomas Sladko, ISPD chief of protocol and PR, who enjoys a wide international experience in protocol internationally. The conference will include a series of lectures, workshops and discussions.

S O C I A L I M PAC T

‘Tourists need to be clearly informed about the dress code’ Times News Service MUSCAT/MOSCOW: Some concerns caused by large numbers of tourists arriving by cruise ships in neighbourhoods around Muscat’s scenic harbour were the subject of a presentation by a Muscatbased tourism researcher at a international forum held in Moscow last week. Manuela Gutberlet, PhD candidate at the Department of Geography at RWTH Aachen University in Germany, who is also Public Relations Manager at German University of Technology in Oman (GUtech), was the only delegate in the field of tourism and leisure research from Oman to the Annual International Geography Conference of the International Geography Union (IGU) held in the Russian capital. More than 1,500 participants from around the globe attended the weeklong conference, which took place at Lomonosov Moscow State University. IGU is one of the oldest international scientific associations, established in Brussels in 1922. Gutberlet’s presentation, titled ‘Feeling like at home? The cruise tourists’ dress, behaviour and community reactions’, offered insights into the social and cultural impact that the multitudes of international tourists being delivered by visiting cruise liners are having on Muscat’s traditional Souq Muttrah. Gutberlet presented her findings during a session entitled, Tourism, Leisure and Global Change, Cultural Dimensions. Over the past ten years, the number of international cruise tourists has been on the rise, es-

It would be great to launch an abaya and dishdasha rental service on board the cruise liners. I think this would be an interesting experience for many tourists Manuela Gutberlet GUtech scholar

GLOBAL EXCHANGE: The cruise tourists’ dress and behaviour offer an insight into the social and cultural impact they are having on Muscat’s traditional Muttrah Souq. – File photo

pecially in the newly designated cruise tourism port in Muscat. As a consequence, the scale of tourism has an impact on the surrounding sites that tourists visit, notably Souq Muttrah, according to Gutberlet. “Cruise tourism has increased since 2004, when the ﬁrst mega cruise liner arrived. Today, most cruise liners carry more than 2,000 passengers, plus employees,” noted Gutberlet, a former tourist guide, who escorted German and French-speaking tourists when cruise tourism in Muscat was still in its infancy some 10 years ago. “My research shows that local

shop vendors and shop owners in Muttrah, who are in direct contact with the cruise tourists, are reacting negatively to the dress of some visitors, especially female cruise tourists,” said Manuela. According to official statistics, more than 100 cruise liners, carrying in excess of 125,000 tourists, arrived in Muscat last year, compared to only 25 cruise liners in 2005. As a consequence, Souq Muttrah, in close proximity to the port, became one of the main tourist spots for cruise tourists. “Many cruise tourists come from Europe, especially from Germany,”

said Gutberlet, whose research focuses on German-speaking cruise tourists. “Referring to my ﬁndings, members of the local business community in Muttrah say that the wearing of shorts and revealing clothes, especially by women, has increased since the arrival of cruise liners,” she said. For her research, Gutberlet interviewed 45 shop vendors and owners, as well as other stakeholders in the local resident community. “In Europe, female summer dress is revealing and short. However, in Oman and in the Gulf region revealing clothes are considered disrespectful. Tourists need to be clearly informed about the dress code,” she said. On the other hand, different stakeholders in the local community, such as tour operators, shipping agents and tour guides, are predominantly male and, for many, it is a cultural taboo to approach a female tourist and tell her to appropriately cover herself.

To create more awareness about the dress behaviour of cruise tourists, who usually spend some 10 hours during their Oman stopover, the researcher suggests improvements in the information material distributed prior to joining a cruise, as well as on board the cruise liner, and to provide clear guidelines through pictures on signboards. Moreover, “it would be great to launch an abaya and dishdasha rental service on board the cruise liners. I think this would be an interesting experience for many tourists. In addition, cultural awareness workshops for tourism employees, such as cruise staff, on-board tour guides, as well as local tour agencies, shipping agents and the local tour guides could be introduced,” she stressed. On the other hand, “many tourists are mindless about any guidelines,” she said. “Some leisure tourists do not want to learn, and behave carelessly. These tourists would just like to enjoy their

freedom away from the routine at home, regardless of the cultural sensitivities of the host country,” she added. In fact, in her questionnaire survey of German-speaking cruise tourists, a large majority of 98% of the predominantly female respondents said they were notiﬁed in advance about the dress code – knees, shoulders and upper area to be suitably covered. “I think it is important that dressing guidelines should be enforced before the cruise liner docks in Muscat. Otherwise, visitors wearing inappropriate clothes risk offending local communities who, fearing that their values and beliefs are under threat, may change their usually very welcoming and friendly approach towards tourists,” said Gutberlet. She conducted her PhD ﬁeldresearch between 2012 and 2014 in Muttrah, where she analysed the social and cultural impacts of large-scale cruise tourism on the traditional Muttrah Souq.

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10 new hospitals, 27 healthcare centres in the pipeline: Minister Iranian Hospital’s Muscat branch to open in 18 months

Exhibitors from 100 companies and international

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com

hospitals and healthcare centres are participating in the Oman Health Exhibition and Conference at the Oman International Exhibition Centre

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Ten new hospitals and 27 primary healthcare institutions are to be built in Oman in a bid to enhance accessibility of medical services to patients, according to Oman’s health minister. “For some of them, the design is already with the Tender Board, which has, hopefully, already initiated the process of preparing the tender for construction,” Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saeedi told reporters on Monday. The minister made the comments after inaugurating the 5th edition of Oman Health Exhibition and Conference at the Oman International Exhibition Centre. Exhibitors from 100 companies and international hospitals and healthcare centres are participating in the ﬂagship event for Oman’s health industry, organised by Omanexpo, which will conclude on September 9. Dr Al Saeedi said that the event provides a great platform for the

GREAT PLATFORM: Oman Health Exhibition and Conference, was inaugurated at the Oman International Exhibition Centre by Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saeedi, health minister, in Muscat on Monday. The event provides a great platform for the medical and business community to interact with companies and representatives from different parts of the world. -Ismail Al Farsi/Times of Oman

medical and the business community to interact with companies and representatives from different parts of the world. Transplant services In his comments, the minister also said that there is a need to expand organ transplant services across the country. “We do have transplant patients that are sent abroad for liver (transplant) and we do local transplants for kidney and bone marrow. There is a need to expand transplant services,” noted Dr Al Saeedi. This year, as the event’s conference partner, the Ministry of Health played a direct role in ensuring that the conference dis-

cusses the most important issues facing the health sector. The conference will review a wide range of topics such as investment opportunities in Oman’s health sector, healthcare insurance, medical genetics, and emergency medicine, apart from cancer, cardiology, trauma and orthopaedics. The speakers include professionals from the Ministry of Health and the Royal Hospital as well as experts from London, Italy, Germany and Iran. The exhibition features a wide array of medical products and equipment, personal care prod-

REPORT

Government’s expenditure on health rose 27% in 2014

GROWING NUMBERS: There were 1,345 health centres, units and clinics at the national level, includ-

ing 23 health complexes, 72 health centres with beds and 108 sans-beds health centres belonging to the Ministry of Health.

MUSCAT: Oman’s Ministry of Health spent more than OMR754 million in 2014, according to a report. The ministry, along with other relevant health authorities in the Sultanate, is seeking to provide the best level of primary and specialised healthcare for citizens and residents, reduce the death rate, stem various diseases and uplift the basic health indicators in the Sultanate to the level of its counterparts in the developed countries. The Ministry of Health said it spent OMR754.1 million in 2014 as recurring and developmental expenses, an increase of 27 per cent in comparison to 2013, 56.5 per cent in comparison to 2012. The ministry’s expense per individual in the community stood at OMR188.8, compared to OMR154 million in 2013 and OMR133.1 million in 2012. The statistics indicated that there were 67 hospitals and 6,322 beds at the national level in 2014. Of these 67 hospitals, 49 belonged to the Ministry of Health, ﬁve to

other ministries and government institutions and 13 were private sector hospitals. There were 1,345 health centres, units and clinics at the national level, including 23 health complexes, 72 health centres with beds and 108 sans-beds health centres belonging to the Ministry of Health, 49 primary health clinics and centres belonging to other ministries and government institutions and 1,093 private sector clinics. Private pharmacies There were 550 private sector pharmacies in all governorates of the Sultanate. There were 8,651 physicians at the national level, employed by the Ministry of Health, other ministries and government institutions and private sector institutions, including 6,305 physicians working in the Ministry of Health institutions. This number does not include doctors employed by the Ministry of Defence health institutions. There were 18,795 nurses, includ-

ing 14,623 employed by the Ministry of Health. There were 1,030 dentists and 1,973 pharmacists. A total of 823 students were admitted in 2014 at the Ministry of Health’s teaching institutions at basic education and bachelor level, including 177 BSc nursing students and 646 students in basic education, while 455 were in general nursing and 191 in supporting medical professions. Teaching institutions The teaching institutions of the Ministry of Health, including basic education, post-basic education and bachelor level, sent 214 graduates to the health sector in 2014 in the ﬁelds of general nursing, specialist nursing and supporting medical disciplines. With regard to the efforts of the Ministry of Health in the ﬁeld of vaccination, the rate was 100 per cent against tuberculosis and measles, 99 per cent for polio/third dose and 97 per cent for DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus) vaccine and viral hepatitis (B).

ucts, diagnostic and laboratory equipment, in addition to pharmaceutical products, physiotherapy and orthopaedic technology. It also has services ranging from eye care, skincare, cosmetic, and infertility treatment consultancy. During the event, specialists from some of the largest clinics and hospitals in Germany, Iran, India, and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to Thailand, Malaysia and Turkey will be offering medical consultations and checkup services. The health exhibition is open from 11am to 8pm, while the conference hours are between 9am and 3pm.

MUSCAT: Iranian Hospital, affiliated with the Iranian Red Crescent, plans to launch a branch in Al Khoud, Muscat, in around 18 months with a vision to bring treatment closer to the patients in Oman. The Iranian Hospital – Dubai was established in 1970 and offers 220 acute in-patient bed facilities, a well-equipped 20-bed emergency and trauma care unit and 16 VIP units. It provides specialty and sub-specialty care for over 1,200 outpatients daily. Speaking to the Times of Oman, Dr Ali Asgari, the hospital’s medical director, said that the Iranian Red Crescent is seeking to expand the number of its affiliated centres overseas so a decision was made to establish a hospital in Muscat. The Iranian Hospital – Dubai is participating in the 5th edition of Oman Health Exhibition and Conference at the Oman International Exhibition Centre, which concludes on September 9. “We receive many patients from Oman at The Iranian Hospital – Dubai, and many patients also visit Iran for treatment. Omanis have conﬁdence in Iranian doctors and treatment and we also have great respect for them. So we decided to bring our services closer to Omanis,” noted Dr Asgari.

Dr Ali Asgari, medical director Iranian Hospital – Dubai

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50-bed facility As a result of consultations between the Iranian and the Omani sides, a multi-storey building in Al Khoud has been designated for the hospital, he said, adding, “It was initially supposed to have 35 beds but it was decided later to increase it to 50.” According to Dr Asgari, almost all the specialties at The Iranian Hospital – Dubai will become available at the upcoming hospital in Muscat.

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5 We are delighted to launch our new Oman Air Rahal multi-segment ticket option. Mahfood Al Harthy, chief officer sales for Oman Air

OMAN

The vision behind the birth of Royal Oman Orchestra performed Shostakovich’s overture op. 96 in A-minor, Marcel Khalife’s suite for Oud and Orchestra, and the violin Concerto by Dr. Subramaniam. In music as in history, the notes of the ROSO score travel through grandiose terrains of Moscow to the landscapes of Moorish and Babylonian history before landing in the mountains of the Himalaya. Likewise, the programme freely moves from improvisations (taqasim and ragas) to the strict rules of Western counterpoint, from virtuosity to intimacy, and from homophony to polyphony, illustrating the highest techniques and musicianship acquired by the players.

His Majesty believes that music must be utilised as a vehicle for the promotion of universal peace, tolerance, and coexistence

DR NASSER AL TAEE

FOR WORLD PEACE: The birth of the Royal Oman Symphony Or-

chestra was conceived in gradual and careful steps. –Supplied photo

MUSCAT: Over 30 years ago, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said had a dream: to establish a professional orchestra made of 100 per cent Omani citizens. To be sure, it was a poetic idea from His Majesty’s belief in his people and support for the arts. The idea was born out of an ardent and passionate heart that believes in originality, inspiration, creativity, and hard work. It’s the kind of idea that can only be conceived out of a conductor, a captain, and a benevolent leader that His Majesty the Sultan stands for. After numerous and complicated recruitment strategies, studies and consultations, many advisors expressed doubt in the validity of such a venture. His Majesty, however, was a ﬁrm believer in the arts as a vehicle to establish cultural diplomacy, cooperation between nations. Furthermore, he ﬁrmly believes that music must be utilised as a vehicle for the promotion of universal beliefs in peace, tolerance, and coexistence. These were, after all, the grand principles that we continue to live by under his leadership in our beloved nation. The birth of ROSO The birth of the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra (ROSO), was conceived in gradual and careful steps. Under the direct supervision of His Majesty, young talented musicians from both sexes were selected in 1985 based on basic musical skills of melody, tempo, and rhythm. Under the umbrella of the Royal Guard, they were subjected to intensive

studies in music both in Oman and abroad. As anticipation grew, the arrival of instruments was a cause for celebration. Young musicians embraced theirs as extensions of their own arms. It was a bond cemented by passion and love for music, a bond that would last for many years to come. At young age, Omani musicians were subjected to intensive training within the boundaries of the palace. It was not unlikely for the young musicians to attend rehearsals only to see His Majesty himself waiting outside the classrooms, anxious to hear and encourage the first note. The sublime taste and refined style of His Majesty’s fascination with music and culture is now extended to privilege few who breathe the nectar of his love and gracious wisdom. Sheltered from distractions within the compound of His Majesty’s palace, musicians can now embrace new ideals and communicate to the world in the language of peace, refinement, and passion. It was a courageously poetic idea that gave birth to a gushing river with its full glory. For the past 45 years of his glorious reign, His Majesty’s teachings of harmony, beauty, and refinance have shaped all aspects of our being as young aspiring musicians. Musical ambassador On July 1, 1987, under the patronage of His Majesty, ROSO performed its inaugural concert in

the auditorium of Al Bustan Palace Hotel. Since then, more than 140 private and public, domestic and international concerts have been performed. At dinner banquets, those who did not know about the ROSO project, initially thought they were listening to music through a CD. With the smile of success, His Majesty would respond “No! It is live.” Indeed, it was live and alive; the fruit of many years of hard work has paid off. It was a message of will and determination to all Omanis and to the world. ROSO quickly became Oman’s musical ambassador to the world performing in prestigious venues in the UAE, Belgium, Germany, and France. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2005, ROSO performed with esteemed Indian artist Dr. L Subramaniam and the Lebanese Marcel Khalife in Berlin. The ROSO project remains a vibrant bridge between East and West. Their appearance throughout the world continues to be a feast of sensuous pleasures to the ears, eyes, and hearts of music lovers. Members appear on stage in colourful costumes reflecting the Omani flag with the fragrance of frankincense filling the hall. When the lights are dimmed and the audiences are quite, history is made live where old and new ideals are intertwined in harmonious fashion to create moments of intense artistic experiences for baffled audiences. Under the batons of conductor Simon Wright in Berlin, ROSO

Ambitious projects Tonight’s performance of ROSO in the prestigious hall of the Royal Opera House Muscat (ROHM) brings about the fulfilment of two ambitious projects. As ROSO celebrates its 30th anniversary, the ROHM is commencing its 5th season. What started as a fantastic dream is now reality; the poetic idea that witnessed the birth of a professional orchestra by Omani citizens, gave birth to an organisation that exudes passion and graciousness. ROSO is a reflection of His Majesty’s unyielding dedication for music and the arts. His vision, confidence, and sponsorship made ROSO a reality. It was his vision for a vibrant, diverse, and modern Oman; a nation that embraces the past, but continues its advancement towards the future. Novel and a poetic idea From the abyss of doubt, ROSO emerged as a novel and a poetic idea; an idea born in the heart and soul of a benevolent leader. The idea was nourished by passion, love, and understanding of culture as a tool towards cultural diplomacy, understanding, diplomacy. In establishing ROSO, His Majesty was aware of the cultural impacts. He keenly notes the need for balance between cultures, between modernity and heritage, knowing fully in advance that the establishment of a professional Western orchestra does not mean ignoring our indigenous traditions. He once stated: “In Oman, we try to preserve our musical heritage. I cannot give preference to just one direction or to separate

works. I like the music of Andalucía, Turkish and Iranian music, a lot of Indian and African music. …I hope that all these efforts to develop music will lead to the fulfilment of my goal—to raise the cultural level of the people in general and musical education in particular.” With the same vision and forward looking, His Majesty established ROHM to serve as a beacon for arts and culture in the region. Five years ago in 2011, ROHM ushered a new era in the dialectic engagement with the arts. Since then, hundreds of concerts by world renowned orchestras, opera companies, and established artists performed in its magnificent hall. Opera, symphony, jazz, organ music, world music, tarab, and inchad concerts have placed Muscat as a central place for experiencing culture in the region. An astonishing opening season featured celebrated artists like Plácido Domingo, Renée Fleming, Magda El-Rumi, and Yo-Yo Ma; renowned theatres like the American Ballet Theatre, the Mariinsky Ballet, Theatroalla Scala Ballet, and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis were also featured in a dazzling inaugural season. More importantly, these concerts strengthen our belief in human values and in music as a universal language that bring us together. Great visionary leaders have the ability to unite and inspire, and with these original projects for Oman, His Majesty was a pioneer! ROSO has become a symbol of pride and honour for all Omanis; an endeavour of His Majesty’s sublime beauty, dedication, and determination. It was nourished by the guidance of His Majesty’s sublime taste, care, and resiliency that made Oman what it is today; confident, forward looking, ambitious, yet still strongly true to its tradition, legendary past, and heritage. Universally conceived program like tonight’s concert by ROSO reaffirm our commitment for peace and coexistence because within these sacred walls, there is no longer East or West; high or low cultures, oral or written traditions; there is only music! The writer is Advisor to the Board for Education and Outreach.

AV O I D I N G A C C I D E N T S

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A1 Extra care should be taken while transporting children “Small children will always need assistance. Otherwise, they will get into trouble. So, extra care should be taken while transporting them,” he said. The transporter also added that ministry should give permission to keep an assistant in school buses, which can help in avoiding similar accidents. Last year too, there have been

instances of children being left behind in cars. Two school children died in 2014 after they were locked in a school bus. Meanwhile, a source at the Ministry of Education said that the training centre involved in the last incident was not under them. “The Ministry of Education does not grant permission to such centres. Such permits should

be given after meeting certain requirements and the Ministry of Education is not sure if these centres meet the requirements,” said the source. The source also added that recently the Ministry of Education formed a team from different authorities including the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Commerce and Industry and

the ROP to suggest regulations for such centres. “In future, the Ministry of Education might play the role of supervising these centres also,” said the source. According to a source in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, it had recently stopped issuing permits to such centres. “The decision was made to control such centres and bring down

their numbers,” said the source. He explained that such centres began as small institutions and went on to become training centres. “Unfortunately, these centres are not inspected because they work in certain areas and at a certain time of the year. They do not take the regular shape of schools and are, therefore, not registered as schools,” added the source.

CABLE

His Majesty receives thanks MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from His Majesty King Hamad bin Issa Al Khalifa of Bahrain in reply to His Majesty’s condolences cable on the death of Sheikh Issa bin Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. In his cable, Sheikh Hamad expressed his utmost thanks and appreciation for His Majesty the Sultan’s sincere condolences and sympathy, praying to Allah the Almighty to rest the deceased’s soul in peace and protect His Majesty against all harms. -ONA NON-MOTOR SECTOR

Firms get up to 30% claims for flood losses Staff Reporter MUSCAT: After flash floods, insurance companies receive around 20 to 30 per cent of claims from non-motor sector annually, an official from one of the insurance company said. “In our company we receive insurance claims of around 20 to 30 per cent annually for non-motor sector. For the last three years this is the case,” Philip K Philip, CEO of Muscat Insurance Company and Muscat Life Assurance Company, told Times of Oman. According to the insurance company official, even though the number of motor sector loss claims could be high, the claim amount will be low. Meanwhile, even if the number is low in the non-motor sector, the claim amount will be high. In 2007 Gonu, the loss suffered to the economy was around OMR1 billion. Out of that the insured loss was around OMR300 million. M U N I C I PA L C OU N C I L

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Office for taxis at airport

The Municipal Council suggested establishing an office to organise the system of working of taxis at the airport. It will supervise the work of taxi drivers and private cars parked along the airport streets. The Council recommended that the ministry of housing should redesign the old villages in the Muscat governorate and ensure that the municipal council is aware of the upcoming projects. It called for the need to check unlicensed vendors selling stuff at public places. The Council recommended building hostels for students studying in private or general colleges and universities.

S AV I N G S O F U P T O 3 0 P E R C E N T

Oman Air launches new multi-segment ticket option Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Air has launched a brand-new multisegment ticket option, named Oman Air Rahal, which offers up to 30 per cent savings on multiple Business Class or Economy Class flights between the Omani capital of Muscat and destinations across the GCC, as well as Tehran. Destinations covered by Oman Air Rahal include Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, and Doha, in addition to Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Riyadh and Tehran. Oman Air Rahal is available now, and allows customers to book four return flights to any one of the named destinations, with only the first flight being confirmed at time of purchase. The timing of the remaining flights can then be decided at the customer’s leisure, but all flights must be taken within 12 months of purchase. The lowest-priced Economy Class Oman Air Rahal ticket costs just OMR123 per person for eight

flight segments between Muscat and Dubai, originating in Oman, or AED1,232 for flights originating in Dubai. Business Class tickets cost OMR496 for flights originating in Oman, or AED4,508 for flights originating in Dubai. Customers can save as much as OMR53 or AED528 in Economy Class, and OMR212 or AED1,932 in Business Class. Savings on flights to other destinations can be as much as OMR212 for Economy Class services to Doha, and OMR678 for Business Class services to Riyadh. Fares and savings quoted are for the total number of segments. Fares include all fuel surcharges, but do not include government or airport taxes. Mahfood Al Harthy, chief officer sales for Oman Air, launched Oman Air Rahal, said, “We are delighted to launch our new Oman Air Rahal multi-segment ticket option. It offers outstanding savings of up to 30 per cent for regular travellers in both Economy Class and Business Class. And it covers

a wide range of exciting destinations throughout the GCC region, as well as services to Tehran.” “Members of Oman Air’s Sindbad frequent flyers programme are able to accrue Sindbad Miles on all the flights they take using an Oman Air Rahal ticket, and can redeem them against flights at a later date,” he said. “Oman Air Rahal is available from now until November 30, 2015, and, because it offers such fantastic value and convenience, demand for tickets is sure to be huge. I would therefore advise customers to book early by calling +968 24531111, or by visiting any one of the Oman Air ticket offices located in Oman,” added Al Harthy. Oman Air Rahal offers full flexibility on date changes at no charge. A fee of OMR10 will be charged to customers who do not fly on a service they have booked through Oman Air Rahal. Refunds and destination changes are not permitted and Rahal tickets cannot be endorsed and are nontransferable.

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

REGION 1,000 Qatari ground troops sent to Yemen The first reported involvement of Qatari ground forces in Yemen coincided with an intensification of the conflict a few days after a rocket strike in Marib that killed dozens of soldiers including Saudis and Emiratis AT THE WRONG END: People salvage belongings from the rubble of a house destroyed by a Saudi-led

SANAA: Qatar has sent 1,000 ground troops to Yemen, Dohabased Al Jazeera television said, escalating Gulf allies intervention in Yemen’s war ahead of a planned offensive against the Houthis holding the capital Sanaa. Qatari pilots had already joined months of Saudi-led air strikes on the Houthi militia, which seized Sanaa a year ago and then advanced across much of the country, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi into exile in March. Military sources told Reuters that Qatari troops were on their way to Yemen and preparing to join a new push on Houthi positions in Sanaa. They told Reuters the Qatari force had not yet entered the Arabian Peninsula country. But a regional Yemeni official in oilproducing Marib province east of Sanaa said the Qatari contingent had already “crossed the Al-Wadia border post” between Saudi Ara-

air strike in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Monday. Jets belonging to a Saudi-led coalition killed at least 20 people at a wake in northern Yemen on Sunday, local tribesmen said, as warplanes pounded Houthis and other forces behind a missile strike that had killed dozens of Gulf Arab soldiers. -Reuters

bia and Yemen and was heading to Marib — where Hadi loyalists have been preparing for the thrust towards Sanaa. Saudi-owned Al Arabiya satellite network also said Qatari and Saudi reinforcements had crossed the frontier. The first reported involvement of Qatari ground forces in Yemen coincided with an intensification of the conflict a few days after a rocket strike in Marib that killed dozens of soldiers including Saudis and Emiratis. Saudi coalition forces on Sunday carried out repeated air raids on Houthi targets and allied troops loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh in apparent retaliation. Saudi-led warplanes on Monday renewed strikes on Houthi targets across Yemen and Houthi-run me-

dia said the raids killed at least 12 people, including women and children, in the central province of Ibb. It was not immediately possible to independently verify the report. Armoured vehicles, Apaches Al Jazeera’s English website said 1,000 Qatari soldiers, backed by 200 armoured vehicles and 30 USmade Apache helicopters had been deployed. Qatar’s foreign ministry made no immediate comment. A Qatar-based defence source said the number of Qatari troops was less than 1,000. “They are as of now not deployed in Yemen but in Saudi Arabia to protect the border,” he added. The Saudi-owned Al Hayat newspaper said on Monday that Saudi Arabia had also sent “huge reinforcements” of elite forces,

INSURGENCY

TRAGEDY

Iraq defence minister escapes unharmed in sniper attack BAGHDAD/THE HAGUE: Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled Al-Obaidi escaped unharmed as a sniper fired on his convoy Monday near a town where security forces have been battling extremists, the ministry said. The attack, which took place in the Tal Abu Jrad area near Baiji wounded one of Obaidi’s guards, the defence ministry said in a statement. A defence ministry official told AFP that Obaidi himself was unharmed. The minister was touring the area to oversee military operations in Baiji, which was seized by the IS group last year, retaken by the government but then lost to the extremists again. It was not immediately clear if the attack was actually aimed at Obaidi, or just a militant firing on a target of opportunity. IS overran large parts of Iraq last year, sweeping security forces aside, but Baghdad’s forces have since regained ground with backing from a US-led coalition and Iran. Holding Baiji, located on the road to IS hub Mosul, would eventually be a strategic asset for Iraqi forces, but an operation to retake Iraq’s second city from the extremists is currently a distant prospect. Baiji is also located near the country’s largest oil refinery, but the massive facility has been wrecked in fighting between government and IS forces. The attack on Obaidi’s convoy is just the latest in a long string of cases in which senior officials and officers have been exposed to bombings or shootings during battles against IS. Chemical arms probe Two generals were killed in Iraq’s Anbar province late last month, two more were wounded in the western province, and a division and a brigade commander were also killed. The Anbar governor was wounded in 2014, while senior army and police commanders have also been killed in other provinces. Meanwhil,e a Reuters reoprt from Vienna said that a team of

along with Qatari troops, to Marib. “Final preparations are being made for a decisive battle, before moving on to liberate Sanaa,” Al Hayat said. Jean-Marc Rickli, a professor at King’s College London who is teaching at Qatar National Defence College, told Reuters it was Qatar’s ﬁrst deployment of ground forces in Yemen. “This force will probably take part in the overall war effort to retake the capital after the coalition successfully recaptured Aden last month,” he added. Saudi-led forces have helped Hadi supporters drive the Houthis out of the southern port of Aden in July but have made little progress in other areas since, where the ﬁghting in Marib and the central city of Taiz remains bogged down.-Reuters

NARROW ESCAPE: A ﬁle picture taken on November 3, 2014 in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq shows Iraqi Defence minister Khalid Al Obaidi arriving to visit a training camp for Kurdish peshmerga troops. Al-Obaidi escaped unharmed as a sniper ﬁred on his convoy on Monday, the ministry said. -AFP

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Iraqi government experts will go to Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region this week to investigate allegations that IS insurgents have used chemical weapons against Kurdish forces, diplomats said on Monday. Chemical agents were not known to have been used in fighting in Iraq since Saddam Hussein’s fall in 2003. If the allegations are confirmed, it would mean that IS militants have gained a new weapon in a conflict that has destabilised the region. Three chemical attacks against Kurdish Peshmerga forces, all in mortar rounds, have been reported by Kurdistan Regional Government officials in northern Iraq this year. Kurdish officials cited laboratory tests as having shown positive for the chemical agent chlorine. Diplomats said national Iraqi government officials had launched an inquiry to collect their own samples and determine

the accuracy of claims of mustard gas use in the course of IS’s capture of large swathes of territory in the north of the country since mid-2014. “They (Iraqi experts) are going to the Kurdish region this week to determine whether chemical weapons were used or not,” a diplomat briefed about the investigation told Reuters on Monday. Three incidents were to be investigated, the diplomat added. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global watchdog based in The Hague, will be briefed and might soon follow with its own investigative mission, according to the diplomats. Concern expressed The OPCW, of which Iraq is a member, has expressed concern about the Kurdish allegations and offered assistance.Chlorine’s use as a weapon is prohibited under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. If inhaled, chlorine gas turns to hydrochloric acid in the lungs and can kill by burning lungs and drowning victims in the resulting bodily ﬂuids. -AFP/Reuters

11 Iraqi pilgrims killed in Iran bus accident TEHRAN: Eleven Iraqis were killed when the bus they were travelling in skidded off the road as they headed home from a pilgrimage to neighbouring Iran, Iranian media reported on Monday. Ten of the dead were women, the ISNA news agency said, adding that the accident happened on Sunday night in western Iran, between the city of Qom and the Iraqi border. “Because of the rain, the high speed and the driver’s inability to control the vehicle on the slippery road, the vehicle overturned,” ISNA quoted a police official as saying. -AFP

N U C L E A R WAT C H D O G

‘Much work needed to know Iran’s past nuclear programme’ VIENNA: It will take a lot of work to determine by the end of the year whether Iran was previously developing nuclear weapons, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog said on Monday. Alongside the July 14 political agreement with six world powers world powers, Iran reached a roadmap accord with the International Atomic Energy Agency which requires Tehran to pass on enough information about its past nuclear programme to allow the U.N. body to report on the issue by December. “With regard to clariﬁcation of PMD, much work needs to be done,” Yukiya Amano, IAEA director general, told a news conference, referring to the term “possible military dimensions”. The assessment is a vital part of the deal between Iran and the six powers -- the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- to restrict its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of international sanctions. Iran provided the IAEA on August 15 with documents and explanations in writing related

Iran provided the IAEA on August 15 with documents and explanations in writing related to past and present outstanding issues

to “past and present outstanding issues”, Amano told a meeting of his agency’s board of governors on Monday, according to the text of his speech. The agency was reviewing the information and would send questions to Iran on September 15, he said. “I do not have a particular concern that we will not be able to complete our assessment by the 15th of December,” Amano said. -Reuters

OPEN TO INSPECTION: The assessment of the nuclear programme is a vital part of the deal between Iran and the six powers to restrict its nuclear programme in exchange for a lifting of international sanctions. -AFP ﬁle photo

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5 It (further fall in the rupee) is required, otherwise exports will become absolutely unviable. It is important to maintain parity. It can be achieved only if the rupee is allowed to depreciate further Arundhati Bhattacharya, SBI chief

INDIA CRIMINAL CASE PROBE

‘Interpol need not hear Lalit Modi before issuing red corner alert’ NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday contested claims made by the Lalit Modi camp that the former IPL boss will be heard before Interpol issues a Red Corner Notice against him, noting the world police body has to honour a non-bailable warrant issued by a court of a sovereign nation. Sources in the anti-money laundering agency said the Interpol has to honour non-bailable warrants issued by a court of a sovereign nation in connection with commission of an offence that has taken place in that country in contravention of its laws. Modi had on August 12 tweeted an email from Secretary to the Commission for the Control of Interpol ﬁles, which said the former IPL commissioner will be “granted the opportunity to make submis-

sions” if Interpol received a request for police cooperation with regard to him. A Mumbai court had last month issued a non-bailable warrant against Modi. ED sources said they have sent the passport details and information about the physical attributes of Modi, who is being probed for alleged money laundering in conduct of the T20 cricket tournament, to Interpol to enable it issue the Red Corner Notice. The information related to his height, complexion and identiﬁcation mark on his body. A copy of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has also been sent to the Interpol headquarters in Lyon. The Interpol had requested the CBI for information in a particular format, which has been

ACCUSED: A Mumbai court had last month issued a non-bailable warrant against Lalit Modi for alleged money laundering in conduct of the T20 cricket tournament. – PTI ﬁle photo

sent, the sources said. CBI is the nodal agency for Interpol-related affairs in India. The Red Corner Notice is issued “to seek the location and arrest of

wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action” in a criminal case probe. Once the red corner notice has been issued, the Interpol seeks to

arrest the person concerned in any part of the world and notiﬁes that country to take his or her custody for further action. The ED has sought Interpol’s help as domestic legal options available to it for serving its summons to Lalit Modi issued under PMLA failed. After his lawyer in Mumbai refused to accept the summons, contending he was not authorised for it, the ED had e-mailed it to the former IPL honcho, who has made London his home, but elicited no response from him. Sources said the ED is also mulling to seek Modi’s extradition by sending a request to the Ministry of External Affairs through the Home Ministry. The ED is probing Modi, the Indian Premier League (IPL) and its

System to alert train drivers on unmanned crossings soon Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked all the departments to set up dedicated cells to promote innovations and identify issues which can be resolved through space technology

NEW DELHI: A mechanism to alert train drivers about unmanned railway crossings on the pattern of planes will be launched soon, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Monday. He said the technology has been devised by engineers of Varanasibased diesel locomotive factory on his advice. “There are many solutions to unmanned crossing. Can satellite be a thing for unmanned crossing,” Modi said addressing a gathering of scientists. Recalling his visit to the loco shed in Varanasi, he said he had suggested to the engineers to devise a technology to alert engine drivers about level crossings. The technology will be rolled out soon, the Prime Minister said, adding that it will be on the pattern of planes in which a pilot gets advance information about clouds etc. Unmanned crossings account for many accidents in which lots of lives are lost every year. Emphasising that “no space” should be left in using space technology for the beneﬁt of the common man, he exhorted the scientiﬁc fraternity to evolve innovative solutions to aid governance. Addressing a national meet of top officials of different ministries and state governments on use of

NATIONAL MEET: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is greeted by ISRO chairman A K Kiran Kumar at a national meet on ‘Promoting Space Technology based Tools and Applications in Governance and Development’, in New Delhi on Monday. - PTI

space applications in daily governance, he pressed the need for new initiatives in all areas of governance, using space technology applications. Promoting innovations He asked all the departments to set up dedicated cells to promote innovations and identify issues which can be resolved through space technology. Modi called upon all ministries to identify at least one space application in their work within the calendar year 2015. “Our aim should be to ensure that affordable technology reaches out to poorest of the poor of the society. For good governance, transparency, efficiency, accountability, real-time delivery, real-time monitoring technology is the most potent tool,” Modi said.

Noting that space technology in not only effective in checking the tax leakages and better monitoring of highways, Modi said a mass education programme should be started by the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) involving students in getting exposure to space technology and its applications. “We have to also see on how to converge technology according to our needs and ensure easy delivery,” he said, adding it can bring beneﬁt to the down-trodden sections of the society including the adivasis in improving their livelihood. The Prime Minister also remembered the great space scientist Vikram Sarabhai as a “visionary”. He recalled that when the world criticised India for venturing into space domain, Sarabhai insisted that the country was not entering

into a competition in this field but was utilising space technology for the use of betterment of a “common man”. “India today has earned its pride of place among the global community in space. India’s achievement lies in the vision that Sarabhai had envisioned then,” Modi said as he laid thrust on ‘Innovative Bharat’. He gave a number of illustrations on possible applications of space technology for the benefit of the common man like the location of fish for fishermen, irrigation infrastructure for Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, tracking of illegal mining and better border management. Thanks to space technology, the country was able to deal with the danger that the Kosi floods last year would have unleashed on the nation, Modi said.

He also lauded the India Meteorological Department for its accurate forecast of cyclone HudHud, which helped in minimising the losses in the cyclone-hit Visakhapatnam. He asked all departments to from one cell for technology where the youth with scientific temper can work for the promotion of technology. “When we recruit people, we should hire more people connected with scientific leaning that can help in capacity building. Can we invite the young generation for developing ideas and working with the government to find solutions to various issues,” Modi said. The PM also emphasised on giving encouragement to youngsters with scientific temperament under ‘Start-up India and Stand-up India’ initiative. - PTI

executives for alleged violation of anti-money laundering laws after registering a criminal FIR in 2012. The FIR was ﬁled after the Central agency took cognizance of a cheating complaint ﬁled by former BCCI chief N. Srinivasan against Modi and half a dozen others with the Chennai police. The ED subsequently invoked PMLA along with sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC to probe if BCCI-IPL and the exchequer had been cheated in the award of telecast rights for the T20 tournament in 2009. The case relates to a 2008 deal between World Sports Group (WSG) and Multi Screen Media (MSM) for television rights of Indian Premier League (IPL) worth Rs 425 crore. -PTI MARITIME DOMAIN

Oman Navy chief visits India to boost defence ties NEW DELHI: Oman Navy chief Rear Admiral Abdullah bin Khasim bin Abdullah Al Raisi is on a four-day visit to India to strengthen bilateral defence ties especially in maritime domain. During the day, the visiting Rear Admiral had discussions with his Indian counterpart Admiral R. K. Dhowan to explore avenues for greater cooperation between the two navies. Rear Admiral Abdullah Al Raisi also met the Vice Chief of Army Staff and Vice Chief of Air Staff in addition to other MoD officials. The Rear Admiral is scheduled to visit the headquarters of Western Naval Command at Mumbai as well as Indian Navy’s premier training institute at Lonavala. A large number of Royal Oman Navy personnel undergo training at this institute. The Chief of Royal Oman Navy will also visit the headquarters Southern Naval Command at Kochi to explore avenues of cooperation in training. The dignitary will also be shown various training facilities at Kochi during his visit,a Navy statement here said. Oman is geographically India’s closest neighbour among the Arab countries in the strategically vital Gulf region. The presence of about 500,000 Indians further enhances Oman’s importance to India. After India’s independence, the 1953 Indo-Oman ‘Treaty of Friendship, Navigation and Commerce’ was one of the ﬁrst treaties to be signed between India and any Arab country. The structures for defence cooperation between India and Oman ﬂow from an Indo-Oman Strategic Consultative Group (SCG). MoU on Defence Cooperation between the two countries was signed in December 2005. Indian Navy and Oman Navy share a robust relationship with Indian Navy being the major partner in undertaking training for Royal Oman Navy officers and personnel. Indian Navy ships regularly call at Oman ports and so do Omani navy ships in Indian ports. - PTI

D E P R E C I AT I O N O F RU P E E

Rupee must fall further to help domestic exporters, says SBI chief MUMBAI : As the rupee touched a new 2-year low, State Bank chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya on Monday said it must fall further to help domestic exporters. “It (further fall in the rupee) is required, otherwise exports will become absolutely unviable. It is important to maintain parity. It can be achieved only if the rupee is allowed to depreciate further,” Bhattacharya said when asked about the impact of the yuan devaluation on the country. The rupee on Monday fell by 36 paise, or 0.54 per cent, to close at 66.82 against the dollar. The RBI officially does not enter the forex market to set a price for the rupee but intervenes only when there is excess volatility in the market. Devaluation The last time the country devalued the rupee was in early July 1991, following a balance of payment crisis and the country sought a $2.2 billion bailout from the IMF

as forex cover dipped to just three weeks or about $500 million. Following this, the rupee was devalued twice in a week to the tune of around 20 per cent. The ﬁrst official devaluation took place in 1966. Since China officially paired down the official value of the yuan in July by close to 5 per cent and since then allowed it to fall further in the market following a massive route in the stock market which has lost more than half of its value since June, the rupee and the domestic stock markets have been Mirroring the continuing woes in Chinese market, the Sensex sunk to 15-month low on Monday to close below 25,000-mark, shedding over 306 points. The main index has lost all its gains in the year so far. The markets are also in a bear grip as the US Federal Reserve is yet to speak its mind on whether the world’s most powerful central bank will increase its historically low rates in September or

HELP EXPORTERS: SBI chief Arundhati Bhattacharya says the

rupee has been doing well compared to many other currencies and is still trading higher than its actual REER (real effective exchange rate) value against many of its global peers. - Bloomberg ﬁle photo

will wait till December. Noting that the rupee fall has been mainly against the dollar only, the SBI chief said the rupee has been doing well compared to many other currencies and is

still trading higher than its actual REER (real effective exchange rate) value against many of its global peers. Admitting that there could be short-term pains if the rupee falls

further, she said the short-term difficulties will arise for those exporting raw materials like iron ore and cotton yarn to China. The rupee hit a new two-year low of 66.86 against the greenback in the intra-day trade. It closed at 66.82, losing 36 paise from its previous close of 66.46. The Indian currency had last breached the 66.80-level to a greenback on September 4, 2013. Rupee came in for a beating, as frantic dollar-buying in China devalued the off-shore yuan and other Asian currencies, including the rupee. The volatility started after reports from China suggested that the central bank there was planning to impose stringent regulations on foreign exchange purchases from October to curb speculation and volatility. Interestingly, the Chinese yuan was two percent weaker in offshore markets than domestically. “The rupee was impacted from the pressure put on yuan and the

expected shortfall of dollars in China due to the reports on new regulations,” Anindya Banerjee, associate vice president for currency derivatives with Kotak Securities explained. Other triggers, such as a lowering of monsoon rainfall projections subdued investor conﬁdence. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) lowered its long period average rainfall project from 88 per cent to 81 per cent. The IMD had earlier said that the overall monsoon deﬁcit would stand close to 14 per cent. The weakening of monsoon might end up having a negative bearing on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s decision on a next phase of rate cuts. “Despite positive opening for the markets, the Nifty is down around 1.26 per cent, due to weakening of Indian rupee and also IMD’s further lowering of the monsoon forecast,” Vaibhav Agrawal, vice president, research, Angel Broking explained. - Agencies

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INDIA SURVEY

ASSAM FLOOD SITUATION WORSENS, TOLL RISES TO 42

Protesters stop Chandigarh Express train at Naharkatia Railway station during their protest against the erosion of Burhi Dihing river, in Dibrugarh district of Assam, on Monday. Nearly 80 per cent of Assam has been engulfed by floods which has affected 20 out of the total 27 districts, claiming 42 lives and affecting 1.8 million people, Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) said on Monday. The worst hit is Dhubri district where nearly 450,000 people have been affected due to floods, followed by Morigaon with more than 260,000 people, the ASDMA said. Brahmaputra is flowing above its danger level in Jorhat, Goalpara and Dhubri districts. - PTI

‘Auspicious date and time do not drive marriage decisions’ NEW DELHI: Does a ‘muhurat’ or an auspicious date and time drive marriage-related decisions? A majority of single Indians say no, according to a survey. In the survey by online matrimony platform Shaadi.com, conducted to validate if ‘muhurat’ is important for any kind of decision making, especially related to one’s marriage, 53.8 per cent of the respondents said they don’t pay heed to it. The responses, as Shaadi.com CEO Gourav Rakshit, pointed out, “validates the progressive outlook of today’s youth’. Inspiring “Muhurat is an age-old belief and people across generations tend to believe it. It is very inspiring to see that young people are trying to strike the right balance between their parents’ beliefs and their own ideology hand in hand,” Rakshit said. The online poll received over 10,800 responses from single Indians (46 per cent women and 54 men), ranging from age 18 to 42 years. Asked ‘If they are religious’, 47.4 per cent of them said ‘Yes’,

TA L K I N G T O S U S P E C T

Police question two Indians in Thai temple bombing case BANGKOK: Two Indians have been taken into custody for questioning after they were seen on CCTV talking to a foreign suspect wanted in Thailand’s deadliest bombing at a temple here while a person arrested in the case told police that the mastermind of the attack had ﬂed the country. “The two were picked up by police as part of due diligence for questioning as they lived in the room next to one where police had found bomb-making materials,” sources said. The sources later said the two Indians, who were picked up by Thai police for questioning in connection with the August 17 blast at Bangkok’s Brahma shrine, will be released shortly. “Their questioning is over and after the statements are recorded they will shortly be released,” the sources said. Raid The two Indians, whose names were withheld, were taken away for questioning during a raid at the Maimuna Garden Home apartment in Minburi last night. A foreigner who lived at the room and a Thai woman who rented the room for him are now wanted under arrest warrants. Thai police is closely combing areas in search of people behind the blast at the popular Erawan Brahma Shrine which killed 20 people and injured more than 100 others. A combined force of police and army officers on Monday raided several apartment buildings and rental houses in the Nimit Mai area of Min Buri district. - PTI

while 27.2 per cent of them said ‘No’ and 25.4 per cent said ‘Not religious, but spiritual’. When the question ‘Do you think muhurat should be considered for special occasions’ was posed to them, 34.1 per cent of the respondents said ‘Yes’, 29.5 percent said ‘No’, while 36.4 per cent said ‘It depends on the situation’. The respondents were then asked ‘Do you believe that a marriage ceremony must take place only if the muhurat is right?’, 46.2 percent of them said ‘Yes’, and 53.8 per cent of them said ‘No’. People who said ‘no’ were asked: ‘Would you change your mind for your family?’ To that, 31.9 per cent of them said ‘Yes’, followed by 27.3 per cent who said ‘No’, and 40.8 per cent said it ‘depends on the situation’. Asked ‘Would you consider a court marriage or wait until the right muhurat for your marriage?’, 27.1 per cent of respondents said ‘Yes — I will wait for the right muhurat’, followed by 19.3 percent who said ‘I will consult a pandit’, while 53.6 per cent said ‘No — I will go ahead with a court marriage’. -IANS

SP shuts door on alliance; to contest all Bihar seats Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, listening to the sentiments of workers, went by the decision of the party’s Parliamentary Board to end ties with the secular alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress SUSPENSE ENDS: Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and JD-U

PATNA: Suspense over Samajwadi Party remaining in the nascent anti-BJP Grand Alliance for the coming Bihar Assembly polls ended on Monday with the party deciding to ﬁght the elections on its own and blamed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for a “tilt” towards Congress. Announcing this here, Bihar Samajwadi Party president Ramchandra Singh Yadav said the party will contest all 243 seats alone in the upcoming polls. “SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, listening to sentiments of workers, went by the decision of the party’s Parliamentary Board to end ties with secular alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress, and

president Sharad Yadav after a meeting, at Mulayam’s residence in New Delhi on Friday. The decision to walk out of the coalition was taken at a meeting of SP parliamentary board in the presence of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. -PTI

contest alone in Bihar,” Yadav told reporters after a meeting of party districts chief here. He said that with SP walking out, the grand secular alliance in Bihar has virtually come to an end.”Now it will only be ‘lathbandhan’ (clash of lathis) between JD(U) and RJD,” Yadav said. Yadav was not very categorical about chances of tie-up with Left Parties and Sharad Pawar-led NCP. “There have been some talks with leaders of the two but no conclusive decision has yet been taken,” he said.

Slamming the grand alliance and coming down heavily on the Bihar chief minister, he said, “SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav ignored all odds against Kumar and played a pivotal role in declaring his name as secular alliance’s candidate for chief minister’s post... Till the name was declared, Kumar used to chant ‘Mulayam chalisa’.The feelings of the SP workers wee hurt after he started with ‘Congress and Sonia chalisa’,” Yadav said. SP’s change of mind follows its participation in the ‘Swabhiman Rally’ here on August 30, which

was addressed among others by Congress President Sonia Gandhi. The state SP chief did not speak much against RJD and its leader Lalu Prasad, whom he said made efforts to salvage the antiBJP grouping. However, he spoke about ‘kushashan’ (misgovernance) in the name of ‘sushashan’ (good governance) under Nitish Kumar and chances of return of jungle raj in the state under the ‘grouping.’ SP which was originally not given any seat to contest on August 11, was given ﬁve later — the three rejected by NCP and two

from RJD’s quota. After this Mulayam Singh Yadav had sent his younger brother and UP minister Shivpal Singh Yadav to the Swabhiman rally. On September 3, SP stormed out of the Alliance, saying it felt “humiliated” at being allotted a paltry ﬁve seats. The decision to walk out of the coalition was taken at a meeting of SP parliamentary board in the presence of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had brokered peace between Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and succeeded in persuading the latter to accept the Bihar Chief Minister as the secular alliance’s chief ministerial candidate. Ramgopal Yadav’s announcement was followed by hectic efforts Sharad Yadav and Lalu Prasad to placate Mulayam Singh Yadav. Both had exuded optimism that Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had been declared head of Janata Parivar, will remain with the alliance though there was no word from him or his party. SP’s decision to walk away from the grand alliance would not have much impact on the electoral prospects of JD(U), RJD and Congress grouping, keeping in view its past performance in Bihar. But, it could play spoilsport to the anti-BJP front, particularly RJD, by eating into its MuslimYadav votes. SP had contested 146 seats alone in Bihar in 2010 elections, but drew a blank. Poll records reveal that its candidates lost security deposits on majority of the seats in the last poll in the state. - PTI

FINAL ARGUMENTS

Raja was main conspirator of 2G spectrum scam: CBI NEW DELHI: Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday told a special court that former telecom minister A Raja was the “main conspirator” of the 2G spectrum scam and had favoured accused telecom firms in the allocation of radiowaves licences. Advancing final arguments in the case, special public prosecutor Anand Grover said Raja, from the very beginning, had “deliberately” favoured the accused firms and everything was strategically planned to grant them the spectrum licences. Rejected suggestion “He was the main conspirator. To favour the accused companies, first he changed the cut-off date for receiving applications from October 10, 2007 to October 1, 2007 for firms seeking 2G licences, in which out of 575 applicant com-

panies, 408 applications were kept out of the race,” Grover told Special CBI Judge O. P. Saini. He alleged that Raja also rejected then union law minister Hansraj Bhardwaj’s suggestion that the issue of spectrum allocation be referred to Group of Ministers which was apparently done to get rid of any scrutiny by anyone else. “Further, to assuage the then prime minister’s concerns over the issue, he (Raja) wrote a letter to him that he is prescribing with existing norms of ﬁrst-come, ﬁrstserve policy and that he has also taken the concurrence of then solicitor general and Minister of External Affairs in this regard, which was not the case,” Grover claimed. He said Raja’s decision to decide the eligibility for grant of spectrum on the basis of compliance conditions of Letters of Intent (LoIs) was unilateral and did not come

from the department. “Then the draft press release was also forged about the concurrence of then solicitor general,” Grover said. He said that four counters were set up to receive the applications from the ﬁrms which was done on the basis of slip of paper prepared by former Telecom Secretary Siddharth Behura and Raja’s erstwhile private secretary R. K. Chandolia and not as per the department’s ﬁle notings. “The structures of four counters were strategically planned to give an unfair advantage to the accused companies as they knew who all are in the queue and who is going to be rejected,” he said. The arguments remained inconclusive and will continue on September 10. Earlier, the CBI had alleged in a court that ex-telecom minister A. Raja was a “consummate liar”

and evidence suggested that he had made false representation and misled former prime minister Manmohan Singh on the issue of allocation of 2G spectrum licences. ‘Consummate liar’ Raja, who has denied all charges during his arguments earlier, and 16 others including DMK MP Kanimozhi, are facing trial in the case. In its charge sheet, CBI had alleged there was a loss of Rs 30,984 crore to the exchequer in allocation of 122 licences for 2G spectrum, which was scrapped by the Supreme Court on February 2, 2012. Besides Raja, Kanimozhi, Behura and Chandolia promoters of Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra and three top executives of Reliance ADAG — Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara

and Hari Nair—are facing trial. Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV Director Sharad Kumar and Bollywood producer Karim Morani are also accused in the case. Besides these, 14 accused persons, three telecom ﬁrms — Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL), Reliance Telecom Ltd and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Ltd — are also accused in the case. The court had on October 22, 2011, framed charges against them under IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act dealing with offences of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, faking documents, abusing official position, criminal misconduct by public servant and taking bribe. The offences entail punishment ranging from six months in jail to life imprisonment. - PTI

ACCUSED: Ex-telecom minister A. Raja, accused in 2G spectrum allocation case, arrives at the Patiala House Courts Complex in New Delhi, recently. - PTI ﬁle photo

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T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

PAKISTAN Locally manufactured drone kills three rebels ment of this weapon system for quite some time. “It had been tested successfully and now it had been put in to use and it has found its target and hit it.” Qadir added that Pakistani drones were now set to play an “important role” in its more than a decade-long battle against an rxtremist insurgency within its borders, which began after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 caused Taliban and Al-Qaeda ﬁghters to ﬂee across the border.

Pakistan announced the successful test ﬂight of the ‘Burraq’ drone, which is capable of ﬁring laser-guided missiles, in March, joining a handful of other countries in possessing the technology

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s military said Monday it had for the first time deployed a locally manufactured drone which killed three extremist insurgents in its restive northwest, in what one analyst termed a “significant development” for the country’s defence capabilities. Pakistan announced the successful test flight of the ‘Burraq’ drone, which is capable of firing laser-guided missiles, in March, joining a handful of other countries in possessing the technology. “First ever use of Pakistan made Burraq Drone today. Hit a terrorist compound in Shawal Valley killing 3 high profile terrorists,” Pakistani military spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa said on Twitter. Borders Afghanistan The Shawal valley, situated in the lawless North Waziristan tribal district that borders Afghanistan, has seen some of the fiercest fight-

It’s a significant development. We have been hearing about the development of this weapon system for quite some time. It had been tested successfully and now it had been put in to use and it has found its target and hit it Shaukat Qadir

Retired brigadier-turned-analyst

ing between Pakistani forces and the Taliban since the launch of a massive military operation there last June. The area is off-limits to journalists and it is impossible to verify the military’s claims independently. So far, the United States, Israel, Great Britain and Pakistan have used armed drones in combat, according to a report by the New America Foundation, though sev-

eral other countries are developing their own programmes including India. Rainbow CH-3 drones Pakistan’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) “bear resemblance to Chinese armed Rainbow CH-3 drones”, according to the report. Shaukat Qadir, a retired brigadier-turned-analyst, said: “It’s a signiﬁcant development. We have been hearing about the develop-

Civilians casualties Drone attacks are controversial among rights groups because of the allegedly high numbers of civilian casualties and lack of transparency over targets. In 2013, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued a joint report which said US officials responsible for the secret CIA drone campaign against suspected terrorists in Pakistan that began in 2004 may have committed war crimes. Islamabad officially opposes US strikes in its territory, calling them a violation of its sovereignty, though leaked documents in the past have shown the two countries worked together on the campaign. Pakistani security forces Monday meanwhile recovered the bullet-riddled bodies of five progovernment militia members who were battling Islamist fighters in the same conflict zone. The corpses were discovered in the Qamar Khel area of Khyber tribal district, according to two local administration officials. — AFP

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MARKET WOES

SHARE PRICES SLIDE: Pakistanis watch the latest share prices

during a trading session at The Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) in Karachi on Monday. — AFP

Stocks crash over anti-corruption crackdown fears KARACHI: Pakistani stocks plummeted by almost three per cent Monday over fears of a crackdown on brokers by anti-corruption agencies. The benchmark Karachi Stock Exchange index of 100 shares lost 2.67 per cent or 905 points to close at 32,986 points. China economy The index had shed 4.11 per cent during last month’s international turmoil sparked by fears over China’s slowing economy, and had recovered little ground since then. “Today the rumours about the potential arrests of stock (market)-related people intensiﬁed the panic,” said Mohammad Sohail, an analyst and the chief of Topline Securities. Yousuf Raza Gilani Pakistani authorities have in recent months embarked on an anti-corruption drive, with former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who held office from 20082012, facing 24 graft charges. He was Monday granted bail

Today the rumours about the potential arrests of stock (market)-related people intensified the panic Mohammad Sohail Chief of Topline Securities

in 12 of the cases after a court issued an arrest warrant for him last week. Former petroleum minister Asim Hussain, a close aide to ex-president Asif Ali Zardari, was also remanded into the custody of Pakistan’s Rangers paramilitary force over another corruption case. officials of the state-run Sui Southern Gas Company, one of the exchange’s blue chips, were also being questioned by anti-corruption officials. — AFP

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I A E A O B S E RVAT I O N

‘Renovation at North Korea nuclear site’

PLUNGING FOOD PRICES ANGER EUROPEAN FARMERS

Farmers set ﬁre to woods and tyres during a demonstration in front of the European Commission building on Monday, in Brussels, as European agriculture ministers hold an extraordinary meeting at the European Council. Thousands of angry European farmers set off ﬁreworks, blared horns and blocked Brussels streets with tractors as they demanded emergency European Union funds to help them cope with plunging food prices and soaring costs. -AFP

VIENNA: North Korea appears to be renovating and building facilities at its Yongbyon nuclear site, a central element of its atomic weapons programme, the UN nuclear agency’s head said on Monday. A report by the Washingtonbased Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) in April said satellite images showed that activity at the site’s main nuclear reactor may have resumed after a shutdown. North Korea, which is believed to have carried out nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013, has not granted IAEA inspectors access to its facilities since 2009, reducing the agency to monitoring its nuclear activities from outside the country. “We have observed renovation and construction activities at various locations within the site,” IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano told a closed-door meeting of his agency’s Board of Governors in Vienna, according to a text of his speech. “These appear to be broadly consistent with the DPRK’s statements that it is further developing its nuclear capabilities,” he said, referring to North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Although North and South Korea recently averted a full-scale military confrontation tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high. -Reuters

PKK attack on army leaves Turkey reeling end the PKK’s three-decade insurgency, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The army said PKK ﬁghters killed and wounded several Turkish soldiers in a roadside bomb attack on Sunday on two armoured vehicles in the Hakkari region near the Iraq border

ANKARA: Turkey was in shock on Monday after the reportedly deadliest attack by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) against the army in years, with the military keeping a tight-lipped silence over the scale of the toll. The army said PKK ﬁghters killed and wounded several Turkish soldiers in a roadside bomb attack on Sunday on two armoured vehicles in the Daglica area of the southeastern Hakkari region close to the border with northern Iraq. But unusually it gave no precise toll, leading to frenzied speculation on the Internet about the magnitude of the attack. Two Turkish F-4 and two F-16 warplanes were deployed to carry out strikes in a “heavy air campaign” against 13 targets controlled by the militants in retaliation, the army added.

SECURITY MEETING: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, left, chairs a security meeting in Ankara, on Sunday. Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish insurgent targets overnight after the militants staged what appeared to be their deadliest attack since the collapse of a two-year-old ceaseﬁre in July. -Reuters (Prime Minister’s Press Office handout)

The Hurriyet daily claimed at least 19 Turkish soldiers, including one lieutenant colonel, had been killed which, if conﬁrmed, would make the attack by far the deadliest carried out by the PKK on the army in recent years. It said that 400 kilogrammes of explosives had been used in the attack and some 150 PKK militants had taken part, leading to clashes that lasted some seven hours. “Turkey is in mourning,” said the newspaper. PKK version The PKK, known for sometimes exaggerating tolls of attacks on the security forces, said 31 Turkish soldiers had been killed in a combination of bombing and shooting attacks. In a statement released by its military wing the People’s Defence Forces (HPG), it said the

“guerrillas” have suffered no fatalities. In a sign of the gravity of the strike, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu broke off a trip to central Turkey on Sunday to watch a national football game and summoned an emergency midnight security meeting in Ankara. Retaliatory air strikes Many “terrorists” were killed in the retaliatory air strikes, the official Anatolia news agency said, without giving a precise toll. The PKK has been staging daily attacks against the armed forces as the military presses a relentless operation against the group in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq that began in late July. The violence has left in tatters a 2013 ceasefire aimed at assisting the search for a final peace deal to

‘Strongly condemned’ President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement he “strongly condemned the atrocious attack that caused the martyrdom and injuries of our soldiers.” As news of the attack broke overnight, nationalist Turks took to the streets in a show of support for the army, cutting a road between Antalya and Mersin in the south and scuffling with police in Gaziantep, television reports said. Before the latest attacks, some 70 members of the security forces had been killed since July in strikes blamed on the PKK, while official media have claimed that at least 967 militants have been killed. The unrest comes at an explosive time in Turkey as the country prepares to hold snap elections on November 1 following June polls where Erdogan’s ruling party lost its overall majority. Riot police were called to disperse some 150 protesters who attacked the office of the Hurriyet daily in Istanbul’s Bagcilar district, accusing the newspaper of misquoting an Erdogan TV interview. Selahattin Demirtas, the head of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), curtailed a visit to Germany to ﬂy back to Turkey in the wake of the Daglica attack and reports of a deadly Turkish military operation in nearby Cizre. “Instead of spitting out hatred, we have to ﬁnd a way out together from this disaster that is looming,” he tweeted. -AFP

F R I E N D LY F I R E

Air strike kills 11 Afghan policemen KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: An air attack has killed at least 11 Afghan police officers in the volatile and opiumrich southern province of Helmand, officials said Monday, in the latest apparent case of “friendly fire”. An interior ministry spokesman said the strike on Sunday was carried out by NATO forces but another ministry official could not confirm who was responsible. NATO said in a statement it conducted no air strikes in Helmand on Sunday. Afghanistan’s own air force also has the capability to carry out aerial bombardments, but both the force and the defence ministry declined to comment. “Eleven counter-narcotics police were killed and four others were wounded in an air strike carried out by international forces in Garmsir district of Helmand province,” deputy interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told AFP. A spokesman for the counter-narcotics police at the interior ministry confirmed the toll but could not say who carried out the attack. Biggest flashpoint Helmand, the heartland of the global opium trade, is one of the biggest flashpoints in the 14-year Taliban insurgency that erupted after a US-led invasion brought down their regime in 2001. USled NATO forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan last December, leaving local forces to battle militants alone on the ground.

An interior ministry spokesman said the strike on Sunday was carried out by NATO forces... NATO said in a statement it conducted no air strikes in Helmand on Sunday A 13,000-strong US-dominated residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations. But there has been an escalation in air strikes by NATO forces in recent months despite the drawdown. Foreign coalition forces carried out 106 air strikes in June, a sharp jump compared to 41 the previous month, according to NATO statistics. That ﬁgure is still signiﬁcantly lower than previous years. But NATO forces have stepped up air attacks in Helmand in recent months after the Taliban advanced on some districts. From August 22-29 US forces conducted 18 air attacks in and around Musa Qala district to destroy Taliban positions, according to a NATO spokesman. -AFP

ENVIRONMENT

Good news: Rate of global forest loss halved, says UN report DURBAN: The rate at which the world is losing its forests has halved, but an area of woodland the size of South Africa has still been lost since 1990, a UN report revealed Monday. Improvement has been seen around the globe, even in the key tropical rainforests of South America and Africa, according to a surprisingly upbeat Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), which is released every ﬁve years Despite the good news, it points out that since 1990, the world had lost forests covering some 129 million hectares -- an area the size of South Africa. “Even though, globally, the extent of the world’s forest continues to decline... the rate of net forest loss has been cut by over 50 per-

cent,” said the report by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The assessment was released at the World Forestry Congress in the South African port city of Durban, host to the 14th edition of the conference. Encouraging tendency “FRA 2015 shows a very encouraging tendency towards a reduction in the rates of deforestation and carbon emissions from forests and increases in capacity for sustainable forest management,” said FAO director-general Jose Graziano da Silva. “The direction of change is positive, with many impressive examples of progress in all regions of the world.” WWF International director for

forests, Rod Taylor, said the report presented “good news at one level, but the question is how sustainable that is”. “Even with the reduced rate we still have unacceptable levels of forest loss,” Taylor told AFP. WWF said that without “bold and urgent action” up to 170 million hectares -- the size of Germany, France, Spain and Portugal combined -- could be wiped out in the next 20 years. Planted forests increase Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo told the congress that “little progress has been made in fulﬁlling pledges to... completely eliminate deforestation.” Apart from offering oxygen, fuel

and building material, trees store important quantities of carbon, which, if released, contribute to global warming. Key focus Halting deforestation is a key focus of UN negotiations for a global pact to limit disastrous climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions. The UN talks are designed to secure a deal to be signed by world leaders in Paris in December. In 1990 the world had 4,128 million hectares of forest covering 31.6 percent of the global land area, the forest report said. By 2015 this had decreased to 3,999 million hectares, covering 30.6 percent -- a net loss of some 129 million hectares. The net annual rate of loss

-- which takes into account the planting of new forests -- has slowed from -0.18 percent in the 1990s to -0.08 percent over the last ﬁve years. Planted forest area has increased by more than 110 million hectares since 1990 and now accounts for seven percent of the world’s forest area. The biggest loss of forests occurred in the tropics, particularly in South America and Africa, although even there the rate of loss “has decreased substantially in the past ﬁve years”, the report said. Natural forest will probably continue to decline, but “due to growing demand for forest products and environmental services, the area of planted forests is likely to continue to increase in coming years”.

New questions The conclusions raised questions of whether alarm bells sounded over forest loss have been overplayed, but the report’s team leader, Kenneth MacDicken, said the FRA had led a change in attitude over deforestation. “The FRA has since 1948 reported forest area change -- including the loss of forest area in the tropics. “Actions in response to this information have helped slow the rate of forest loss -- and in some countries have resulted in increased forest area,” MacDicken told AFP from his base in Rome. Better information from new forest inventories had also “greatly improved our understanding of forest change”, he said. -AFP

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The crisis of the civilian government in Pakistan he civilian political order headed by elected federal and provincial governments appears to be in decline because of poor delivery of essential services to the people and its inability to deal effectively with internal security affairs. It has yielded a large space during 2014-15 to the military for countering terrorism, coping with violence in Karachi and dealing with the external threat because of Indian aggression on the Line of Control and the Working Boundary. The problems of the civilian federal government began with its policy of dragging on negotiations with the Pakistani Taliban in 2013-14 even when the Taliban were not willing to engage in direct dialogue on any issue. The Taliban leadership used this time to relocate from its original hideouts in North Waziristan and traditional locations in mainland Pakistan. On June 15, 2014, the military decided unilaterally to start an operation in North Waziristan. The federal government decided to go along with it. The success of the security operation in North Waziristan and the signiﬁcant decline in violence in mainland Pakistan during the last 15 months has improved the image of the military in general. Another important development that has boosted the image of the military is the improved security situation in Karachi. It was in September 2013 that the Rangers were asked to launch a comprehensive operation in Karachi to eliminate terrorism, violence, extortion and other criminal activities. By now, the role of the Rangers has much expanded to make them autonomous of the provincial government of Sindh. Another factor that has contributed to the decline of the civilian democratic system is the terrorist attack on the Army Public School, Peshawar, on December 16, 2014 and the subsequent civil-military decision to go after violent groups with full force. The military joined with the civilian authorities to devise a new strategy to cope with the Pakistani Taliban. It was on the armed forces’ initiative that military courts were established under a constitutional amendment. The apex committees were established at the federal and provincial levels to push the civilian authorities to be more active in implementing the National Action Plan (NAP). It may be pointed out that the 20 committees established by the federal government to

implement the NAP did not function beyond holding one or two meetings under the interior minister. Meanwhile, the Rangers expanded their domain in Karachi by focusing on the financiers and sponsors of terrorism and violence. It was also decided that federal institutions would be used for curbing corruption in the government on the assumption that some of these monetary gains also made their way to terrorism. These issues were discussed in the Sindh apex committee and the Federal-level apex committee and the prime minister was on board for the extended scope of action by the Rangers and other federal institutions, such as National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Federal Investigarion Agency (FIA) in Karachi. Once equipped with the blessings of the apex committees, the Rangers, under the guidance of the military, went ahead for tough action without seeking the specific approval of the chief minister of Sindh for each and every action. The freedom of action of the Rangers in Karachi hit the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) quite hard, whose activists were arrested on charges of terrorism and related crimes. Later, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) expressed strong anger at the arrest of some its key people for corruption or terrorism related charges. The next four to six weeks will determine the direction of civilian politics and Nawaz-military relations. If the in-fighting amongst the political forces escalates, Nawaz Sharif’s position will be weakened vis-à-vis the military. The situation can become more problematic if the Londonbased issues diminish the role of the MQM chief. However, all this will not necessarily benefit the military. The unravelling of the civilian system will adversely affect the ongoing campaign against terrorism and related evils. The military cannot by itself compensate for civilian disarray. Some political and civilian arrangements will be needed in any case. Pakistan is increasingly becoming ungovernable from one point or by one authority. Therefore, the present or a reshuffled civilian order is needed to deal with multiple problems of political participation and socio-economic justice that are over and above the external and internal threats currently faced by Pakistan. A civil-military hybrid may work better even if the greater initiative stays with the military. - Express Tribune

READERS’ FORUM Army rule is not necessarily a bane for society This refers to the news story, Thai junta-backed council rejects constitution draft (September 7). Hats off to Thailand’s army rulers. The fact that the council was able to reject the charter draft shows that the current leadership is honest and wants to bring change in the country according to the people’s aspirations. Most people consider army rule as a bane for society. Actually it is the other way around. The mess in developed democracies shows that democracy is no panacea. — Sally Alison, Seeb

At the American Bar Association’s annual meeting last month, members who wanted the organisation to issue a statement criticising the China crackdown were met with strong opposition. Opponents argued that such a statement might provoke the Chinese government bit.ly/chinarightscrackdown

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This refers to the news story, Watson retires from Test cricket (September 7). It is really a shame that this great Australian player is retiring. I think the Aussies will not be able to withstand his loss until and unless a player of his quality emerges. Among the current reserve players, I do not see anyone as good as Watson. I hope such a player is found soon. — Sadaf Rohail, Muscat

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This refers to the news story, The Internet of Everything (September 7). Many news items have appeared stating that such connected devices can be hacked. One such story reported that cars were hacked as accelerators and brakes were remotely controlled. The hackers drove the car to 10 kilometres. If such things happen, how can connectivity devices be trusted? — Cathy Bean, Muscat

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES AUGUST 2000

PICTOGRAPH

OMAN’S PENSION FUND 2011

2012

Council of State holds 11th regular meeting MUSCAT: The Council of State yesterday held its 11th regular meeting of the year under the chairmanship of Sheikh Hamoud bin Abdullah Al Harthi, president of the Council. The council endorsed the minutes of the previous meeting and reviewed implementation of its decisions. The meeting also discussed preparations for the council’s fourth and last regular session of the ﬁrst term, which will commence on October 24.

2013

2014 315.09

272.54

292.44

247.12

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TODAY IN HISTORY

NEW INDIA ASSURANCE

1701: England, Austria, and the Netherlands form an Alliance against France.

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1813: The earliest known printed reference to the United States by the nickname “Uncle Sam” occurs in the Troy Post.

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1888: An incubator is used for the ﬁrst time on a premature infant. 2004: Hurricane Ivan damages 90% of buildings on Grenada.

Number of pensioners

62,114

65,708

69,247

72,424

Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

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Thailand’s decade of political conﬂict loosely pits the rural and urban working class “Red Shirt” backers of the Shinawatra family against a pro-establishment “Yellow Shirt” middle-class and elite — buttressed by parts of the judiciary and military

Fourteen students charged with sedition over a peaceful June rally for democracy in junta-ruled Thailand may face trial, but they are refusing to ﬂinch. The charge shows junta-ruled Thailand remains intolerant of criticism

BANGKOK: Bas strums a guitar in a high-rise flat in a workingclass Bangkok neighbourhood, his thoughts flitting between the new term at university and the prospect of seven years in jail. The 22-year-old’s bedroom looks like any other undergraduate’s — a picture of his girlfriend hangs on one wall, a poster of a rock star from the American band Blink-182 on another. But while most of his peers fret over exams and future jobs, Bas braces for prison — one of 14 students charged with sedition over a peaceful June rally for democracy in junta-ruled Thailand. Although they may face trial in a military court, Bas and his group are refusing to flinch. “I have no choice. I have to do this. If it’s my fate, it’s my fate,” Bas said of the risks he faces with further action. Despite being under close military surveillance, the 14 students — among more than 100 activists, mostly university students in the capital and northeast, who are members of the New Democracy Movement (NDM) — have started to reconvene. Since seizing power in May 2014, Thailand’s generals have largely succeeded in neutering dissent, banning criticism by outlawing political gatherings and censoring the media. While the “Red Shirt” supporters of the toppled elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra have stayed off the streets, small yet determined rallies by anti-coup students have confounded the regime. Their symbolic flashmobs shortly after the coup, which triggered arrests but no charges, have grown into bolder protests, such as June’s anti-coup speeches and songs at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. ‘Keep fighting’ The protest saw the group of 14 detained for nearly two weeks earlier this summer after they refused bail. The sedition charge has been

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THAILAND STUDENTS IN A ‘FIGHT FOR IDEAS’

RED SHIRTS PROTESTERS: Thai pro-government ‘Red Shirts’ protesters hold portrait of ousted Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra as they rally in Bangkok on May 10, 2014. - AFP ﬁle photo

YELLOW SHIRTS PROTESTERS: Anti-government ‘Yellow Shirts’ protesters rally at Government House in Bangkok on May 10, 2014. - AFP ﬁle photo

NOVEL PROTEST: An anti-government protester sports the words SOLIDARITY: An anti-coup supporter gestures as others gather outside a police station in Bangkok in

this picture taken on June 24, 2015. - AFP ﬁle photo

seen as a signal the junta remains intolerant of criticism -- especially from campuses with a long history of incubating powerful opposition movements. Both the United Nations and European Union have called for the case to be dropped. While the military court has not yet ruled on whether to try the 14, in August a board member of Amnesty International Thailand was also charged with sedition for supporting them. For now the group are resolved to expand, returning from jail as heroes to Bangkok’s Thammasat University, a proudly liberal bastion. “We have to keep ﬁghting,” law graduate Rangsiman Rome said at a campus where a 1973 uprising ended in bloodshed and the collapse of the then-military regime. Undeterred by charges he doesn’t accept — the group refused bail in protest at being tried by a

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martial court — Rome says he is determined to forge a “new politics”. “We need more space for people who want neither Reds nor Yellows,” the bespectacled 23-yearold said, referring to the traditional political camps splitting the kingdom. Thailand’s decade of political conﬂict loosely pits the rural and urban working class “Red Shirt” backers of the Shinawatra family against a pro-establishment “Yellow” middle-class and elite — buttressed by parts of the judiciary and military. ‘Pure’ but leaderless After last year’s coup, ﬂashmobs

sprang up with students flicking the three-finger salute of resistance from The Hunger Games films or giving public readings of George Orwell’s anti-authoritarian novel 1984. Despite the movement growing, and spawning the NDM, it remains miniscule when compared to the street protests that have pockmarked Thailand in recent years. Other demonstrations are also creeping back as patience frays with junta rule. Some are against single issues such as the location of power plants or displacement from land. But political opposition has mostly been restricted to measured swipes on social media or comments from anti-coup exiles, as scores of civilians have been tried in military courts since the coup. August’s unclaimed deadly bomb attack on a Bangkok shrine has also raised fears the junta will

‘shutdown Bangkok’ on her face while occupying a major intersection in central Bangkok. - Reuters ﬁle photo

tighten its security response to dissent. The military’s heavy-handed response to the NDM betrays a fear outweighing their numbers. Ahead of their arrest senior junta ﬁgures stepped up rhetoric against the group, portraying them as political naifs manipulated by civilian politicians — and even foreign forces. But the NDM maintain they are not bound by party politics. Eugenie Merieau, a political science lecturer at Thammasat, says the movement’s strength comes from being “pure” and free of the much-maligned politicians. Yet their “ﬁght for ideas” without a charismatic leader was also a weakness, she added, in a country where personality politics looms large. Last year’s coup ended months of violent protests against Yingluck’s administration, with the army saying it was forced to re-

store order before new elections can take place. But opponents read it as the latest attempt to claw back power for an elite who have lost every election since 2001. Tussle for power The ensuing tussle for power has left Thailand criss-crossed by division. While Bas can count on the support of his mother, who survived the deadly 1973 military crackdown on student protests, Rome’s is a Yellow Shirt who supports the junta. Neither she nor his American father came to visit him in prison. Cutting through this partisanship is the “main obstacle” the movement faces, says Rome. But he is conﬁdent Thais will eventually come to demand an alternative to military rule. “This (the NDM) can be the space for them to express their political views,” he says. - AFP

PROTEST GROWS: Anti-coup supporters gather outside a police station in Bangkok. Since seizing power in May 2014, Thailand’s generals have largely succeeded in neutering dissent, banning criticism by

outlawing political gatherings and censoring the media. Their symbolic ﬂashmobs shortly after the coup, which triggered arrests but no charges, have grown into bolder protests, such as June’s anti-coup speeches and songs at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument. - AFP ﬁle photo

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UK, France join Germany in pledge to help migrants As EU leaders stepped up efforts to tackle the human crisis, France said it would take 24,000 more asylum-seekers under a European plan to relocate 120,000 refugees from hard-hit frontline countries

BERLIN: Britain and France Monday joined Germany in pledging to accept tens of thousands of refugees as Europe’s record influx of people fleeing war and misery sparked warnings that one Greek migrant chokepoint was “on the verge of explosion”. European leaders are scrambling for solutions as bloody conflicts in Syria, Iraq and beyond have sent hundreds of thousands of desperate people on dangerous voyages through the Balkans and across the Mediterranean to the 28-nation EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is Europe’s top refugee destination, hailed the warm welcome her citizens gave to 20,000 asylumseekers who streamed across its southern borders on weekend trains, and pledged billions more in money to house them. Signalling that the huge wave of arrivals marked a new milestone for Europe’s biggest economy, she said that “what we are experiencing now is something that will ... change our country in coming years”. “We want the change to be positive, and we believe we can accomplish that,” she said. As EU leaders stepped up efforts to tackle the historic crisis, France said it would take 24,000 more asylum-seekers under a European plan to relocate 120,000 refugees from hard-hit frontline countries. And British Prime Minister David Cameron said his country would take in 20,000 Syrian refugees from camps near the wartorn country’s borders over the next five years.

RECORD INFLUX OF PEOPLE FLEEING WAR AND MISERY: A would-be migrant holds her baby in Tripoli, Libya, on Monday, after being rescued by the Libyan coast guard when their boat broke down at sea. The migrants had been trying to reach Europe from Gharabouli, according to the coast guards, a unit of the Libyan naval forces. — Reuters

In Greece, the situation on Lesbos island near Turkey was “on the verge of explosion” with the recent arrival of more than 15,000 mainly Syrian refugees, the immigration minister warned. Elsewhere tensions have ﬂared too as about 40 men rioted at a Spanish migrant detention centre in Valencia late Sunday and dozens tried to escape, in clashes that left ﬁve police injured. Land corridor Meanwhile, the poor and desperate kept coming, both on the land corridor through Turkey and the Balkans and on overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean on journeys that have claimed thousands of lives this year. Underscoring the danger brought home by last week’s shocking image of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi lying drowned in the surf, a Greek passenger ferry on Monday sent its lifeboats to rescue 61 migrants whose boat was at risk of sinking off Lesbos. Libyan coastguards said they had rescued over 120 migrants aboard a rubber boat in trouble

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on the high seas en route to Europe. Elsewhere migrants rescued by Italian authorities on Sunday said ﬁve of their group were still missing. As governments have cracked down on ruthless people smugglers charging thousands of dollars for the dangerous sea journeys, Turkey detained a ﬁfth trafficking suspect over two boat sinkings last week, including the one which claimed the life of the three-year-old boy. Germany was meanwhile expecting 10,000 refugees to arrive on Monday, a Bavarian official said, after more than 20,000 arrived on around 100 trains from Hungary through Austria over the weekend. Merkel hailed as “breathtaking” the emotional and warm welcome given to the thousands of migrants and said Germany was now seen by many abroad as a place of “hope” after citizens turned up in

large numbers to shower the new arrivals with gifts, cash and toys. Europe’s top economy -- which expects 800,000 asylum requests this year, four times last year’s total -- faces extra costs estimated at 10 billion euros ($11 billion) this year and next. Merkel said that the federal government would contribute six billion euros for new shelters, extra police and language training in 2016. However, despite German solidarity, Merkel stressed that other EU countries must take in more migrants because “only with common European solidarity can we master this effort”. Open borders in peril French President Francois Hollande warned that unless the EU makes a greater collective effort, the core European ideal of open borders will be in peril. “If there is not a united policy, this mechanism will not work, it will collapse, and it will ... undoubtedly be the end of Schengen, the return of national borders,” he said about the passport-free zone across much of the continent.

But Europe looked far from united as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has taken a hard line, said quotas would be futile so long as refugees kept streaming in. “As long as we can’t defend Europe’s outer borders, it is not worth talking about how many people we can take in,” Orban said in a speech in Budapest. Under pressure from Berlin and Paris, the European Union is readying fresh quotas that would see the two top EU economies take nearly half of the 120,000 refugees to be relocated, under a plan by European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker. According to Juncker’s proposal to be unveiled Wednesday, Germany would take over 31,000, France 24,000, and Spain almost 15,000 to relieve the burden on frontline countries Greece, Italy and Hungary, a European source told AFP. Hollande conﬁrmed France would take in 24,000 refugees over the next two years and offered to host an international conference on Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II. — AFP

I N L E B A N O N PA P E R S

Denmark adverts warn migrants BEIRUT: Denmark has placed adverts in several Lebanese newspapers warning would-be migrants about new and tighter restrictions on those seeking asylum in the country. The adverts appeared in at least three Arabic-language newspapers and one English-language daily in Lebanon on Monday. “Denmark has decided to tighten the regulations concerning refugees in a number of areas,” the advert cautions. It notes that social benefits for newly-arrived refugees are being reduced “by up to 50 percent” and that family reunification for those with temporary residence permits is not allowed for the first year after they arrive. It advises would-be migrants and refugees that they will be required to speak and understand Danish to obtain a permanent residency. “All rejected asylum seekers must be returned quickly from Denmark,” it adds. “There is a special return centre for rejected asylum seekers to ensure (they)... leave Denmark as quickly as possible.” In Denmark, Immigration and Integration Minister Inger Stojberg, an immigration hardliner from the right-wing Venstre party, announced the adverts on Facebook. “Today I have, as promised, published advertisements in four Lebanese newspapers informing about the changed conditions for people who apply for asylum in Denmark,” she wrote. She said the text would also be placed in asylum centres in Denmark in 10 different languages and spread on social media. “The aim is to inform objectively and soberly about (Danish rules), which the government is in the process of tightening,” she added. “In light of the huge influx to Europe these days, there is good reason for us to tighten rules and get that effectively communicated.” Facebook post Her Facebook post garnered over 5,000 likes, though some left critical comments. “One of the greatest humanitarian catastrophes in recent times and our government’s answer is to publish advertisements. It’s a parody,” added Vivi Ravnskjaer Terp in the southwestern town of Vojens. A spokeswoman for Denmark’s integration ministry denied a report that five major newspapers in Turkey had refused to carry the adverts. — AFP

C I V I L WA R

Kiev seeks NATO IS seizes Syrian regime’s last oilﬁeld support as Moscow threatens embargo BRUSSELS: Ukraine sought political support from NATO on Monday as talks with Russia in Brussels failed to bridge differences over a trade deal at the heart of east-west tensions and Kiev said Moscow was threatening a trade embargo against it. In a day of meetings with EU and NATO officials, Ukraine’s foreign minister said the secretary general of the US-led NATO alliance would make his ﬁrst visit to Ukraine this month, dismissing concerns it could worsen tensions with Moscow. Pavlo Klimkin, who called Jens Stoltenberg’s visit symbolic as his ex-Soviet nation seeks to integrate with the West, also held talks with the EU’s trade chief and Russia’s Economy Minister Alexei Ulyukayev, but to little avail. Ulyukayev said chances were slim of persuading Moscow that a free-trade deal between Ukraine and the European Union, which is due to come into force in January, would not be detrimental to the Russian economy. Asked whether a deal to satisfy Moscow’s objections to the deal could be reached before Russia imposed an embargo, Ulyukayev said work was progressing with difficulty. “But we believe our combined efforts can succeed in achieving the result we want. There is a chance of that, although I

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wouldn’t say it’s very great.” The deal is at the heart of tensions that have grown from a tug-of-war over inﬂuence in Kiev to sanctions, the annexation of Crimea by Russia, armed conﬂict in eastern Ukraine, and concern among some in the West about a new Cold War. The start date for the trade deal is already a year later than planned as Russia seeks to oppose European efforts to integrate Ukraine and move it out of Moscow’s orbit. Russia is pushing for the deal to be postponed by at least another year. Asked if Russia was considering the same sanctions against Ukraine as it has applied to the European Union, he replied: “In principle, the same.” Moscow has banned the import of food from the EU in retaliation for EU sanctions imposed over Russia’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Both Ukraine and NATO say they have overwhelming evidence Russia has provided men and weaponry to the rebels in eastern Ukraine, but Moscow denies providing anything other than political support. — Reuters

AMMAN/LONDON: IS fighters have seized the last major oilfield under Syrian government control during battles over a vast central desert zone, a group monitoring the conflict said on Monday. The Jazal field was now shut down and clashes were ongoing east of Homs, with casualties reported on both sides, the Britainbased Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, without giving dates or more details. Syria’s army said it had repulsed an attack in the same area but did not mention Jazal or comment on how much of the country’s battered energy infrastructure remained under its sway. It said it killed 25 fighters, including nonSyrian extremists. “The regime has lost the last oilfield in Syria,” said the Observatory, which tracks violence through a network of sources on the ground. Commentators on social media said fighting had surged in the last two to three days and the rebels had taken the oilfield on Sunday. Jazal is a medium-sized field that lies to the north west of the rebel-held ancient city of Palmyra, close to a region that holds Syria’s main natural gas fields and multimillion-dollar extraction facilities. The army, which has been fighting to retake the city and surrounding areas since they fell in May, had managed to secure the oil field’s perimeter in June. The Observatory also said USled coalition bombing raids in areas in the militant’s de facto capital of Raqqa had killed at least 16 militants, including five foreign extremists.

LOST CHILDHOOD: Syrian children, who were displaced with their families from their houses due to the ongoing conﬂict in Syria, queue up to receive aid food in the rebel side of the northern city of Aleppo, on Monday. — AFP/AMC/Fadi Al Halabi

Extremist insurgents bombarded the heart of the Syrian capital Damascus and mortars killed at least one civilian and wounded scores, state television said. Meanwhile, an RAF drone strike in Syria killed three IS militants, two of them British, Prime Minister David Cameron said on Monday, the ﬁrst time Britain has carried out such an attack. “In an act of self-defence... Reyaad Khan was killed in a precision air strike carried out on August 21 by an RAF remotely piloted

aircraft while he was travelling in a vehicle in the area of Raqqah in Syria,” he told parliament. Khan had been planning “specific and barbaric” attacks in Britain, Cameron said. The strike had been “entirely lawful” and carried out following consultation with the attorney general, he added. “There was a terrorist directing murder on our streets and no other means to stop them,” he said. “Is this the ﬁrst time in modern times that a British asset has been

used to conduct a strike in a country where we are not involved in a war? The answer to that is yes,” he added. A second British extremist who was in the vehicle, Ruhul Amin, was also killed but no civilians were harmed, the prime minister said. Cameron also said he supported Britain extending its anti-IS bombing campaign to Syria as well as Iraq but stressed he would return to parliament for formal authorisation to do so. — Agencies

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

WORLD Archaeologists unearth huge neolithic site Up to 90 standing stones, some dating back some 4,500 years, may have been buried for millennia under a bank of earth

LONDON: Archaeologists on Monday said they had found the buried remains of a mysterious prehistoric monument close to Britain’s famous Stonehenge heritage site. Up to 90 standing stones, some originally measuring 4.5 metres (15 feet) and dating back some 4,500 years, may have been buried for millennia under a bank of earth, they said. The discovery was made at Durrington Walls — a so-called “superhenge” located less than 1.8 miles from Stonehenge — thanks to hi-tech sensors, they said. The site may have been used in neolithic times for rituals or as some kind of arena. “Durrington Walls is an immense monument and up until this point we thought it was merely a large bank and ditched enclosure, but underneath that massive monument is another monument,” Vincent Gaffney, of the University of Bradford, told the BBC. The discovery was made by the Stonehenge Hidden Landscapes Project, a collaboration between

STONEHENGE SITE: An undated handout photograph released by the British Science Association in London on Monday, shows the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology’s (LBI ArchPro) motorised ground penetrating antenna array in use during a survey at the Stonehenge site in Amesbury, England. - AFP

the University of Birmingham and the Vienna-based Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection and Virtual Archaeology (LBI ArchPro). The newly discovered stones, which have yet to be excavated, are thought to have been toppled over, with the bank of the later Durrington Walls henge built over them. The monument, which lies in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site, is one of the largest known henges — a circle of stone or wooden uprights— ever found. It measures 500 metres (yards) across and more than 1.5 km in circumference.

Surrounded by a 17.6m-wide ditch and a bank around 1m high, the site has long mystified archaeologists as one side is straight and the other curved. Now ground penetrating radar has revealed that the straight edge in fact sits on top of a “C-shaped” monument, which may have been used as a site for rituals or an arena for gatherings, researchers said. ‘Very important’ find Project initiator Wolfgang Neubauer, director of the LBI ArchPro, described the discovery as a “very important and fantastic finding” and said the monument could originally have comprised up to 200 stones. - AFP

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM TUESDAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

MARKE Muscat 5,772.26 + 25.96 + 0.45%

Dubai 3,558.82 + 16.68 + 0.47%

Abu Dhabi 4,386.92 - 22.06 - 0.50%

Saudi Arabia

7,484.76 + 55.98 + 0.75%

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH THE VIDEO

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Kuwait 5,709.81 + 43.61 + 0.77%

Bahrain 1,293.70 - 3.11 - 0.24%

Qatar 11,319.98 + 42.32 + 0.38%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................ 2.30 Pound ...........................................1.69 Indian Rs ............................. 172.50 Pak Rs ...................................266.24 Bangla Taka.......................199.52

Indian Rs ...................................173.40 Pakistan Rs ............................ 270.00 Sri Lanka Rs .......................... 348.50 Bangla Taka.............................201.70 Phil Peso .................................... 121.50

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......14.40

Oman Crude............. (Spot) ........ $46.78 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) .........$47.55 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) .........$50.16 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$48.48 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) .........$49.13 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$45.63

* Rates are as of Sept. 7 Source: Bank Muscat

* Rates as of Sept. 7 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......13.90 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ........... 136.00 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............129.25 * Rates as of Sept. 7 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

CRUDE SUPPLIES

Gulf oil ministers to meet amid sliding crude prices DUBAI: Gulf oil ministers are due to meet this week in Qatar for an annual meeting, in the ﬁrst gathering by the heavyweight crude producers since the latest slide in oil prices. But while the price drop is not on the agenda for the scheduled meeting of the six-nation Gulf Co-

operation Council (GCC) — Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, it will be a chance for oil ministers to air views on the market. Comments by Saudi Arabia Oil Minister Ali Al Naimi, in particular, will be closely scrutinised. The oil minister of the world’s top

crude exporter has made no public comment on prices since June 18, when the oil price was above $63 and he said he was optimistic about the market in coming months. Oil prices have more than halved since peaks hit in summer last year due to abundant supplies

Haya Water to invest OMR1.3b in new projects These investments are for building sewage pipelines, trunk lines and sewage treatment plants in six

Haya Water aims at building a world-class wastewater system that connects 80% of properties in Muscat governorate by 2020

catchment areas, including Bausher and Al Amerat

A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: State-owned Haya Water plans to invest around OMR1.25 billion in the next few years for building future sewage projects, in line with the company’s master plan to develop a world-class wastewater facility across Muscat governorate. This investment is for building sewage pipelines, trunk lines and sewage treatment plants in six catchment areas, which include Bausher, Al Amerat, Muttrah and Seeb. Haya Water aims at building a world-class wastewater system that connects 80 per cent of properties in Muscat governorate by 2020. “In Bausher area, we have more than OMR304 million upcoming projects,” Khalid Al Lawatia, deputy general manager — projects, Haya Water, said, while presenting a paper on his company’s current and future projects at the second Drainage Rehabilitation

& Wastewater Management conference here on Monday. He said the proposed investment for future projects in Seeb and Al Amerat catchment areas would be OMR200 million and OMR154 million, respectively. Haya Water, which was formed in 2002, will be developing pipelines, sewage treatment plants and other facilities in different packages and these contracts offer ample business opportunities for contracting ﬁrms, both local and international. ‘Several projects’ Referring to ongoing development, Al Lawatia said, several multi-million-rial projects are under various stages of planning and implementation in six catchment areas. For instance, the company is developing projects worth OMR122 million in Bausher, OMR404 million worth projects in Seeb, OMR100 million worth projects in Al Amerat, OMR80 million projects in Greater Muttrah and OMR1 million worth project in Quriyyat. “We have the main trunk line in Bausher to connect with Hamariya,” noted Al Lawatia. A sewage treatment plant (STP) is

under development in Darsait, while a small STP was completed in Quriyyat. A pipeline network project in Wadi Kabir has also been completed. Another STP project will be awarded by the middle of next year. Al Lawatia said the company collects sewage through its pipeline network and yellow tankers now. Al Lawatia said that the company faces multiple challenges, while implementing the mamooth project criss-crossing Muscat governorate. These challenges include typical topography of Muscat, which include coastal areas, shallow areas and mountains. “We are using different methods and materials (to overcome the challenges).” Multiple government agencies involved in giving clearances for developing projects is another challenge. ‘We have to approach 10 different government bodies for a no objection certiﬁcate,” he added. Limited availability of service corridors, non-availability of local contractors with relevant experience and lack of accurate data are other major challenges. Treating industrial and clinical wastewater is another challenge, while existence of old buildings is another problem faced by Haya Water. The second drainage rehabilitation and wastewater management conference was officially supported by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources and the municipality. The high proﬁle event, hosted by Haya Water and Global Exhibitions and Conferences, witnessed high-level presentations on new technologies for the advancement of storm water and wastewater management.

and a policy change by producer group Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) to defend market share and discourage competing supply from rival producers, rather than cut its own output. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies led the policy shift. Last month, prices lurched to a more

than six-year low near $42 a barrel due to concern about the world’s largest energy consumer China’s economy and the persistent oil glut. Brent crude was trading around $49 a barrel on Monday. The latest fall has intensiﬁed calls by some members of the Opec for an emergency meeting.

Top Gulf Opec producers’ policymakers have remained publicly silent since it met last in June. “The Doha meeting is central given what the international petroleum industry is going through from volatility and to push towards stability,” Kuwait’s oil ministry tweeted in a statement. — Reuters

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

MARKET BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

Gulf states ﬂoat large projects Times News Service MUSCAT: Mega projects worth hundreds of billions of dollars are creating numerous opportunities for contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers in the Middle East. This is one of the suggestions of a new report published by Ventures Onsite, which details the top 30 projects set for construction in the region over the next two decades. The report entitled ‘GCC Major Building Projects’ also reveals that a third of these major developments have still not appointed a main contractor. Oman projects “Most projects without contractors are scheduled to start either at the end of the year or the start of next year. So the nature of construction means they are likely to be close to making a decision,” said Andy White, vice president of dmg events and The Big 5 2015. “Two of the projects in Oman will not begin until 2017, but the demand being generated for building materials and equipment from other projects means the next few months represent an ideal window of opportunity for contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers to secure contracts and source prod-

ucts,” he added. Mohammed bin Rashid City, a ten-year multibillion dollar project in Dubai, is one of the most expensive projects under construction in the report. Mall of the World The mixed-use project is set to become home to Mall of the World, the world’s largest retail destination, and a family leisure entertainment complex that is being built in partnership with Universal Studios. If all goes to plan it will also host the biggest swimming pool in the world, at 40 acres. However, with a projected cost of over $100 billion, the most expensive project in the report is the King Abdullah City of Atomic and Renewable Energy in Saudi Arabia. This state-of-the-art sustainable city forms an important part of a region-wide focus on green construction and sustainability and comes with ambitious plans to install 7GW of nuclear power and 41GW of solar capacity by 2040. It is also expected to develop 20 gigwatts worth of geothermal and wind power, and has established plans to construct 16 nuclear power plants with 17 gigawatts of capacity over the next 20 years, according to the World Nuclear Association, a trade group.

Al Rumais offers training for Omani entrepreneurs Thirty Omanis of the entrepreneurship programme at Al Rumais Institute will graduate at a ceremony on Tuesday

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com

SKILLS DEVELOPED

MUSCAT: Thirty graduates of the entrepreneurship programme at Al Rumais Training Institute, W J Towell’s worldclass training body, will be commemorated on Tuesday. The programme was supported by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Oman as part of their efforts to help enhance the capabilities of young Omanis, said Ali Abdul Hussain Shaban, general manager, systems and resources management, at W J Towell. Speaking to Times of Oman, Shaban said that a number of Taiwanese officials will be attending the graduation ceremony, which will coincide with the visit of some students from Taiwan to Muscat aimed at enhancing cultural ties.

The programme helped students enhance English language, information technology, ﬁnancial management, accounting, human resources, marketing and leadership skills in an interactive learning environment

Taiwan’s expertise Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for around 99 per cent of the total businesses in Taiwan so Omani youth can learn a lot from their experience, he noted, expressing his thanks to Taiwanese officials for their support. Shaban said the entrepreneurship programme, which lasted for three months, aimed at equipping

the participants with the necessary skills to run a business. The programme helped students enhance their English language, information technology, ﬁnancial management, accounting, human resources, marketing and leadership skills in an interactive learning environment, the official added. Practical courses According to him, the courses included in the programme are practical and this gives Al Rumais Training Institute an edge over similar training providers. The trainees get a chance to speak about their business ideas and discuss the risks and other aspects with the instructors, Shaban said. “Also,W J Towell is diversiﬁed in different businesses so we have enough expertise to support the youth,” he added. Asked if the company plans to establish partnership with another country in addition to Taiwan,S haban said that it may be possible in future. “We had initial discussions about vocational training with the Embassy of the Philippines here, but we have not taken another step yet. So if we want to have vocational training cooperation, we are thinking about the Philippines,” he said.

In addition, Shaban said that the next programme is expected to start in the near future as part of W J Towell’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Around 600 individuals had applied for the upcoming programme and 100 were selected based on certain criteria, he explained. “Next year, we are planning to train up to 300,” he added. Shaban believes that the government has done a lot to support SMEs and the entrepreneurs themselves should put sincere effort into their business and do not engage in ‘hidden trade’. People should also be encouraged to establish businesses in different ﬁelds to help diversify the SME sector, he said. In addition, the training programmes offered by different institutes and companies in Oman should be supervised and managed through a proper channel, otherwise a lot of money will be just wasted and many projects will fail, Shaban noted.

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T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

MARKET FINE

Call to secure data privacy and information security a line-up of experts in the field comprising Hamed Al Shukairi, Director of Digital Services and Initiatives at the Ministry of Education; Lenin John Varghese, General Manager at ezTEch; Albert J. Wessels, Pipeline Integrity Engineer and Data Analyst at Integrity Smart Services; and Suhail Khan, General Manager at SIMPA Research Consultancy. Elaborating on the significance of big data, Nadra Al Amri noted that big data plays a vital role in making good use of your enterprise’s big data strategies to extract valuable data that gives you a competitive edge, enhancing the ability to make faster and better decisions for a big data enterprise, using marketing analytics to mine data and evaluate marketing performance in addition to, identifying customer’s purchasing habits and needs, and boosts the benefit of better knowledge sharing and communication.

Big Data seminar highlighted the exploding trend in data which has become the primary Abdullah bin Salim Al Salmi, executive president of the Capital Market Authority. – Times ﬁle picture

Regulator penalises insurance company Times News Service MUSCAT: Abdullah bin Salim Al Salmi, executive president of the Capital Market Authority, in a disciplinary action against Modern Gulf Insurance Services Company, which is carrying out business of insurance broker, has imposed a fine for violating the provisions of Article 17 of the Insurance Brokers’ Regulation. The regulations requires the broker to file the audited annual accounts and balance sheet within three months from the end of the financial year. The regulation was issued to upgrade and regulate the performance of insurance brokers. The Capital Market Authority emphasised the importance of compliance with the laws and regulations governing the sector to ensure fairness and protection for all participants.

base for companies to compete in terms of growth in productivity and innovations Times News Service MUSCAT: Experts emphasised the need to advance big data privacy and information security at a seminar on Monday, taking into consideration the challenges that are faced in creating meaningful data from raw data, ranges from analysing, storage and transferring of data to content privacy and content accessibility. Organised by Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM), the technical arm of the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), the Big Data seminar highlighted the exploding trend in data which has become the primary base for companies to compete in terms of growth in productivity and innovations. Held as part of Digital Nation series of seminars at Crowne Plaza Hotel Muscat on Monday, the event underscored the deﬁnition of big data, ways of utilising it, big data technologies and ways of deciding the best for the organisations, data integrity, and best practices of big data. Addressing the audience, Eng. Mohamed Al Maskari, director general of Knowledge Oasis Muscat, said that the concept of big data, its signiﬁcance and chal-

lenges are generating great importance in the current era where various organisations are competing in the fields of productivity and creating an apt environment for innovation. “According to a recent study, data analysis tools will emerge and change the shape of competition in the related fields during the coming years. Around 89 per cent of the organisations, which will not adopt big data analysis strategy in the coming year, will endure loss in part of its market share for its inability to enforce its competitiveness. On the other hand, the institutions which will implement big data technologies will attain significant and positive returns to expand their activities and achieve faster access to infrastructure,” Al Maskari pointed out. Variety of topics The seminar touched upon the proactive approach of data privacy, security systems and control; creation of effective and bespoke models with the help of big data; and embracing the new roles and responsibility of data analysts. The event was moderated by Nadra Al Amri, IT Security Consultant of Protiviti, and featured

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY: Eng. Mohamed Al Maskari, director

general of Knowledge Oasis Muscat, said that the concept of big data, its signiﬁcance and challenges are of great importance in the current era. – Supplied picture

WHAT IS BIG DATA

Big data is a catch-phrase used to describe a large volume of data, which is difficult to process using traditional database and software techniques. In most enterprise scenarios, the volume of data is too big or it moves too fast or it exceeds current processing capacity. Despite these problems, Big Data has the potential to help companies improve operations and make faster, more intelligent decisions

Education sector, SMEs Hamed Al Shukairi outlined four types of data namely; volume of data, variety of data, velocity of data, and veracity of data. Eng. Mohamed Al Maskari further explained that big data

comes from a variety of sources including streaming data, social media data, publicly available sources, among others.

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ECONOMY

I N F L AT E D P R O F I T

Toshiba to post China admits bubbles in stock markets $318 million loss TOKYO: Toshiba said on Monday it would book a $318 million annual loss to account for a billion dollar profit-padding scandal that hammered the reputation of one of Japan’s best-known firms. The vast 140-year-old conglomerate said that its shortfall for the year to March 2015 would be ¥37.8 billion ($318 million), reversing a previously expected ¥120 billion annual profit. Toshiba left unchanged its previously announced ¥170 billion operating profit on sales of ¥6.65 trillion for its latest fiscal year. But it said it could not supply forecasts for the current year to March 2016. Investors cheered the revised figures as bringing a sense of closure to the saga, with Toshiba’s shares jumping nearly six per cent at one stage before closing 1.75 per cent higher at ¥352.7. “There is a sense of comfort in that the company was able to get its earnings out,” said SMBC Nikko Securities manager Chihiro Ota. He added that other firms which have been dented by accounting scandals, including camera and medical equipment maker Olympus, bounced back after putting out their revised earnings. “I suspect Toshiba will take the same course,” Ota added. Inflating profits The revised results follow months of delay as an outside panel probed Toshiba’s finances in the wake of revelations that top executives pressured underlings to systematically inflate profits by about $1.2 billion since the 2008 global financial crisis. One of the most damaging ac-

THE SCANDAL

Revised results follow months of delay as an outside panel probed Toshiba‘s finances in the wake of revelations that top executives pressured underlings to systematically inflate profits by about $1.2b since the 2008 global financial crisis

counting scandals to hit Japan in recent years, the case prompted an incumbent president and seven other top executives to resign after the company-hired panel found top management complicit in a years-long scheme to pad profits. The embarrassing findings came as Japan adopted a longawaited corporate governance code aimed at improving firms’ transparency Best known for its televisions and electronics, including world’s first laptop personal computer and DVD player, Toshiba has more than 200,000 employees globally and also operates in power transmission and medical equipment. The company — which holds a shareholders’ meeting this month — has asked a host of renowned Japanese business leaders to act as outside directors in a management overhaul to improve its corporate culture. Last month, Toshiba’s business was dented by the financial crisis. - AFP

BEIJING: China’s central bank governor and its market regulator have admitted that there were ‘bubbles’ on the country’s stock exchanges, after a spectacular rally was followed by a painful bust, but said the turbulence was coming to an end. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index soared more than 150 per cent in the year to June 12, fuelled by debt rather than fundamentals and encouraged by authorities. It has since plummeted nearly 40 per cent, Zhou Xiaochuan. – Bloomberg News with official interventions to the tune of hundreds of billions of dolnot “much affected” by the rout. lars failing to arrest the declines. People’s Bank of China (PBoC) The market regulator, the China governor Zhou Xiaochuan point- Securities Regulatory Commission ed to the March-June period in (CSRC), echoed his comments in a particular, when the Shanghai in- statement on Sunday. “Gains on the stock market had dex leaped 70 per cent. “Bubbles continued to build up until mid- been too rapid and large, forming June,” he told a G20 meeting of fi- stock market bubbles, therefore nance ministers and central bank subsequent plunges and adjustgovernors in Ankara at the week- ments were inevitable,” it said. “At end, according to a statement on present, market risks and bubbles have been released to some exthe PBoC website. “Since mid-June, three rounds tent,” it added. of corrections took place in China’s stock market,” he went on. Supporting stocks “The first two did not have inter- Analysts estimate the Chinese national impact, while the third government has spent hundreds one in late August (had) some of billions of dollars to prop up stock prices, including funding global influence.” Chinese bourses are largely state-backed China Securities separated from the rest of the Finance (CSF) to buy shares. But world’s financial system by limits investors worry the government on investment from overseas. But will wind down its intervention, news last week of a contraction in given the huge cost for little effect, an official gauge of Chinese fac- and the market’s limited impact tory activity sent domestic and on the real economy. The CSRC sought to reassure world markets into a tailspin on worries the economy was headed traders, saying: “When fierce and abnormal volatilities take place in for a ‘hard landing’, “The correction in the stock mar- the stock market and may trigger ket has now come close to an end,” systemic risks, the government Zhou said in the statement, refrain- will absolutely not sit back. It ing from using the word “burst” and promised “decisive and multiple adding the Chinese economy was measures to stabilise the market”,

Beijing cuts 2014 growth BEIJING: China on Monday lowered last year’s economic growth figure to 7.3 per cent after concerns about slowing expansion caused global market havoc. The new number remains the lowest since 1990, when growth plummeted to 3.9 per cent. Global stock markets have been pummelled by concerns over slowing growth in the nation, a key driver of the world economy. The National Bureau of Statistics said on its website it reduced the gross domestic product (GDP) growth figure from the 7.4 per cent announced in January after a “preliminary confirmation”. A final confirmation could come in January 2016. After decades of doubledigit expansion, authorities are trying to pull off a tricky rebalancing — from an investment- and exportled economic model to one where domestic consumer demand drives slower but more sustainable growth. Finance minister Lou

adding the CSF will “continue to play a stabilising role”. “Market transactions are basically normal and the liquidity is ample,” it added The CSRC also said it was mulling an index “circuit breaker” system to suspend trading if the market fell substan-

Jiwei told a G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in Ankara at the weekend that the economy had entered a “new normal”. Growth was “expected to remain at around seven percent and the situation may sustain for four to five years”, he said. Chinese growth slowed in the first two quarters of this year, reaching 7 per cent in both periods. Nomura International analyst Wendy Chen said Monday’s GDP correction was largely related to service sectors, which were key to the overall transition but had lower growth than earlier figures showed. The National Development and Reform Commission, China’s top economic planning agency, played down growth concerns, saying electricity consumption and railway cargo transport — two of the indicators Chinese Premier Li Keqiang reportedly refers to when gauging the health of the economy — improved in August. - AFP

tially. Chinese shares are already limited from falling more than 10 percent in a single day. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index ended the morning session in positive territory on Monday, rising 0.87 per cent, or 27.65 points, to 3,187.82. - AFP

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

MARKET OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................5,772.84 ...............5,746.29 ................... 5,772.26 ................... 5,746.30................. 25.96 ................... 0.45 Financial Index .....................................6,949.11 ............... 6,877.15 ...................6,948.24 ....................6,877.15..................71.09 ................... 1.03 Industrial Index ....................................7,500.99 ............... 7,478.73 ....................7,499.52 ....................7,478.73..................20.79 ...................0.28 Services Index ...................................... 3,233.43 ..............3,224.29 ................... 3,233.34 .................. 3,224.29....................9.05 ...................0.28 MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................... 910.41 ..................907.34 .......................910.24 .......................907.31....................2.93 ...................0.32 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 11,760,783 .................. 2,455,994 .....................709 ............... 14,539,537,828 ................23 ........................3 ....................20 .........................46

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 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 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... OM0000001822............UNITED POWER .................................................................852 ...............2,787........................4 ........... 3.300 ...........3.300 ...........3.050........... 3.270 ............. 3.110 .............0.160 ............. 5.145 ................3.050..............3.000...................3.300 ...................2,616,000 ..........1.000 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 401,500 ........... 43,987.....................20 ............0.107 ........... 0.110............0.107 ............0.110 .............0.105............ 0.005............. 4.762 ................0.109..............0.109...................0.110 .................... 6,472,754 ..........0.100

Muscat Securities Market. — Times ﬁle picture

Index rises marginally

OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 120,064 ........... 14,408........................4 ............0.120 ........... 0.120 ...........0.120........... 0.120 ............. 0.115 ............ 0.005.............4.348 ................0.120...............0.117...................0.120..................240,037,535........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 1,216,734....... 221,071..................... 66 ............0.178 ........... 0.183 ...........0.178 ........... 0.182 ............. 0.177............ 0.005............. 2.825 ................0.182 .............. 0.181...................0.182................... 27,313,650 .........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING .............74,540 ............... 8,215......................14 ............0.110 ........... 0.112............0.110 ............0.110 .............0.107............ 0.003.............2.804 ................0.110 .............. 0.110................... 0.111 ....................9,900,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ........................ 44,000 ...............6,985........................7 ............0.156 ........... 0.160 ...........0.156 ............0.159 ............. 0.156............ 0.003............. 1.923 ................0.158 .............. 0.152...................0.157 ....................15,111,360 .........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 1,716,188 ........287,931................... 127 ............0.165 ........... 0.172 ...........0.165 ............0.168 ............. 0.165............ 0.003..............1.818.................0.170 ..............0.170...................0.172...................48,829,372.........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 428,950 ............ 74,181..................... 38 ............0.173 ........... 0.174 ........... 0.171 ............0.173 ............. 0.170............ 0.003..............1.765.................0.172 ...............0.171...................0.172...................34,600,000 ........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES .................................23,328 ...............8,338........................4 ........... 0.354 ...........0.360 ...........0.354........... 0.358 .............0.352 ........... 0.006............. 1.705.................0.360..............0.354...................0.360 .................106,044,498 .......0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 116,366 ...............6,952......................14 ........... 0.060 ...........0.060 ...........0.059........... 0.060 .............0.059 ............0.001 ............. 1.695 ................0.059..............0.058...................0.059...................12,429,083 .........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 299,515............ 29,472..................... 43 ........... 0.097 ...........0.099 ...........0.097........... 0.098 .............0.097 ............0.001 ..............1.031.................0.097..............0.098...................0.099...................28,418,102 .........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING........... 365,575 ............38,779......................17 ............0.105 ........... 0.107 ...........0.105 ........... 0.106 .............0.105.............0.001 ............. 0.952 ................0.106..............0.105...................0.107................... 12,918,750 .........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 279,102 ............47,447........................7 ............0.169 ........... 0.170 ...........0.169 ........... 0.170 ............. 0.169.............0.001 ............. 0.592 ................0.170 ..............0.168...................0.170................. 245,044,800 .......0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 595,304 ........ 426,344......................17 ............0.716 ........... 0.720 ...........0.712 ............0.716 ............. 0.712............ 0.004............. 0.562 ................0.720.............. 0.716...................0.720..................466,076,069 .......0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY .....................................................10,000 ...............4,140........................2 ............0.414 ........... 0.414 ...........0.414 ........... 0.414 .............0.412............ 0.002............. 0.485 ................0.414 ..............0.414...................0.422 ..................25,047,000.........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 501,410.......... 107,803......................21 ............0.215 ........... 0.215 ...........0.215 ............0.215 .............0.214 ............0.001 ............. 0.467 ................0.215 .............. 0.215...................0.217..................145,100,797 ........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ..............................................................18,548 ...............9,304..................... 10 ........... 0.500 ...........0.504 ...........0.500........... 0.502 .............0.500 ........... 0.002.............0.400 ................0.500..............0.496...................0.500 ...............1,150,494,944 ......0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 244,000...........73,200..................... 23 ........... 0.300...........0.300 ...........0.300 .......... 0.300 .............0.299 ............0.001 ............. 0.334 ................0.300 ............ 0.290...................0.300 .................402,213,075........0.100

The top gainer was United Power, up by

OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY......................................15,990 .............30,891........................2 ............1.935 ........... 1.935 ...........1.930........... 1.930 ............. 1.925............ 0.005.............0.260 ................1.930 ..............1.920...................1.930..................173,121,000 ........0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE .................................19,000 ...............4,750........................4 ........... 0.250 ...........0.250 ...........0.250........... 0.250 .............0.250 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.250..............0.245...................0.254 ..................25,000,000 ........0.100

5.14 per cent, while the top loser was Oman

OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT .......................................................... 2,100 ...............2,436........................1 ............1.160 ........... 1.160............1.160 ............1.155 ............. 1.155 ............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.160 ...............1.155...................0.000 ................ 231,000,000 .......0.100

Textiles, down by 0.58 per cent

OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 233,721 ...........107,979........................1 ........... 0.462 ...........0.462 ...........0.462........... 0.462 .............0.462 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.462..............0.462...................0.464 .................255,422,079 .......0.100

OM0000001509............DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD........................2,000 ..................860........................1 ........... 0.430 ...........0.430 ...........0.430........... 0.410 .............0.410............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.430............. 0.400...................0.430 .................101,024,000........0.100

OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ............................................................................275 .....................52........................1 ............0.190 ........... 0.190 ...........0.190........... 0.190 .............0.190 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.190.............. 0.191...................0.200 .................270,756,867........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING .....................................3,500 ................7,175........................1 ........... 2.050 ...........2.050 ...........2.050........... 2.050 .............2.050 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.050............. 0.000...................2.050 .................194,750,000........0.100 OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ...................... 127,188 ............ 12,846..................... 10 ............0.101 ........... 0.101............0.101 ............0.101 ............. 0.101............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.101 ..............0.097...................0.101 ....................3,030,000 ..........0.100

MUSCAT: Strong performance in the ﬁnancial index drove the MSM30 Index to 5,772.26 points, up by 0.45 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index closed at 910.24 points, up by 0.32 per cent. Bank Nizwa was the most active in terms of volume, while Ooredoo led in terms of turnover. Monday’s top gainer was United Power, up by 5.14 per cent while top loser was Oman Textiles, down by 0.58 per cent. As many as 709 trades were executed during the trading session generating turnover of OMR2.4 million with more than 11.7 million shares changing hands. Out of 46 traded securities, twentythree advanced, three declined and 20 remained unchanged. Omani investors were net buyers for OMR302,000 followed by GCC and Arab investors for OMR236,000 while Foreign investors were net sellers for OMR539,000 worth of shares. Financial Index showed strong gains of 1.03 per cent to end at

OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE .............................................................333 .....................41........................1 ............0.124 ........... 0.124 ...........0.124........... 0.128 .............0.128............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.124..............0.124...................0.132................... 39,777,912 .........0.100

6,948.24 points. Gulf Investment Services, HSBC Bank, Bank Nizwa, Al Anwar Holding and Al Sharqia Investments increased 4.76 per cent, 4.35 per cent, 3.28 per cent, 2.82 per cent and 2.80 per cent respectively. Industrial Index closed at 7,499.52 points, a gain of 0.28 per cent. Construction Materials, Al Anwar Ceramics, Galfar Engineering, Voltamp Energy and Oman Cables increased 2.94 per cent, 1.70 per cent, 1.03 per cent, 0.49 per cent and 0.26 per cent respectively. Oman Textile Holdings and Al Jazeera Steel declined 0.58 per cent and 0.48 per cent respectively. Services Index advanced 0.28 per cent to end at 3,233.34 points. United Power, Port Services, Renaissance Services, Oman Investment and Finance and Phoenix Power advanced 5.14 per cent, 1.92 per cent, 1.82 per cent, 1.76 per cent and 0.68 per cent respectively. — United Securities

OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ..............................................................50,798 ............ 12,242........................4 ............0.241 ........... 0.241 ...........0.241........... 0.241 .............0.241 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.241..............0.238...................0.241..................372,279,580........0.100 OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ..........5,155 ............ 10,207........................2 ............1.980 ........... 1.980 ...........1.980........... 1.980 .............1.980 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................1.980..............1.980...................0.000 .................136,620,000........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 104,600 ......... 172,035..................... 28 ............1.645 ........... 1.645 ...........1.640............1.645 ............. 1.645............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.640..............1.640...................1.645................1,233,750,000 ......0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER......................................................................50 ..................... 17........................1 ........... 0.338 ...........0.338 ...........0.338........... 0.338 .............0.338 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.338..............0.338...................0.350...................74,701,380 .........0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH................................................ 21,415 ............ 54,526......................11 ........... 2.545 ...........2.550 ...........2.545........... 2.545 .............2.545 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.550..............2.550...................2.600 .................242,938,561........1.000 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 180,000 ............15,660......................13 ........... 0.087 ...........0.087 ...........0.087........... 0.087 .............0.087 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.087..............0.087...................0.088...................15,225,000 .........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 486,125 ......... 104,517......................19 ............0.215 ........... 0.215 ...........0.215 ............0.215 ............. 0.215............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.215 ............. 0.000...................0.215..................153,597,363 ........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ................................................ 126,034 ........... 64,277......................16 ........... 0.506 ........... 0.510 ...........0.506........... 0.510 .............0.510............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.510 ..............0.502...................0.510...................26,775,000 .........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS .........................119,773 .............24,913......................12 ........... 0.208...........0.208 ...........0.208 .......... 0.208 .............0.209 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.478 ...............0.208............. 0.200...................0.209 ..................25,978,776 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 7,954,033 ...2,036,768...................566 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......36........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

PARALLEL MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 2,159,267 ...... 136,334..................... 62 ........... 0.062 ...........0.064 ...........0.061 ........... 0.063 ............. 0.061............ 0.002............. 3.279 ................0.062..............0.061...................0.063...................94,500,000 ........0.100 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ....................22,999 ..................806........................5 ........... 0.035 ...........0.036 ...........0.035........... 0.035 .............0.034 ............0.001 ............. 2.941 ................0.036..............0.035...................0.036....................2,975,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK................................................ 59,150 ...............3,985........................5 ........... 0.068 ...........0.068 ...........0.067........... 0.067 .............0.066 ............0.001 ..............1.515.................0.067..............0.066...................0.067...................67,000,000.........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 1,363,735.......203,170..................... 52 ............0.148 ........... 0.149 ...........0.148........... 0.149 .............0.148.............0.001 ............. 0.676 ................0.149 ..............0.149...................0.150.................. 217,927,618 ........0.100 OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ............................................... 100,000 ...........49,200........................3 ........... 0.492 ...........0.492 ...........0.492........... 0.492 .............0.492 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.492..............0.486...................0.524 ..................77,490,000 .........0.100 OM0000001806............MUSCAT NATIONAL HOLDING ...............................7,367 .............13,703........................1 ............1.860 ........... 1.860 ...........1.860........... 1.860 .............1.860............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.860 ............. 0.000...................0.000 ...................9,300,000 ..........1.000 OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING ....................................... 8,995 ...............3,052........................5 ........... 0.342 ...........0.342 ...........0.336........... 0.340 .............0.342 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.585 ...............0.336..............0.336...................0.340 ...................2,040,000..........1.000 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 3,721,513 .......410,250................... 133 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 7........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS MARKET ................................................................................................................................................................................. OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ........................63,535 ...............6,925........................4 ............0.109 ........... 0.109 ...........0.109........... 0.109 .............0.109 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.109..............0.109................... 0.112 ...................32,999,653 .........0.100 OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ............................................ 1,902 .................. 190........................2 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100........... 0.100 .............0.100 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.100..............0.100...................0.110 .................... 7,150,000 ..........0.100 OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 .....................19,800 ................1,861........................4 ........... 0.094 ...........0.094 ...........0.094........... 0.094 .............0.095 ...........-0.001 ............-1.053................0.094..............0.094...................0.095................... 30,471,192 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: ....................................................................................85,237 ...............8,977..................... 10 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 3........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

R E A L E S TAT E

Fears of a property crisis in UAE are ‘overblown’: HSBC DUBAI: Fears of a crisis in the UAE real estate market are “overblown” because the impact of weaker currencies and slowdown in transaction numbers is lower than some reports suggest, HSBC Holdings said. Transactions fell by 15 per cent in the year through August for the

UAE and sales prices are down nine per cent in Dubai, HSBC said in a research note. Foreign buyers The main foreign buyers of Dubai property are Indians, Britons, Pakistanis and Saudis, who have not been impacted by weakening

currencies. “Two myths need to be debunked — transactions are down just 20 per cent compared to some reports of more than 50 per cent, and most currencies have not fallen signiﬁcantly, especially the currencies that matter most,” HSBC analyst Patrick Gaffney said. — Bloomberg News

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ROUND-UP

Nissan Pathfinder Classic comes loaded with features and benefits The vehicle has maintained an iconic exterior design, while also remaining fresh and dynamic; the exterior is defined by its unique combination of sophistication and rugged, go-anywhere looks MUSCAT: Nissan from the house of Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has its ongoing seasonal offers on the Nissan Pathfinder Classic 4L that last till October 16. Its exclusive vehicle promotions are enticing and one-of-a-kind promising unlimited benefits to valued patrons. Nissan has a heritage of showcasing some of the most amazing benefits for their customers by introducing unique offers on its prestigious line-up of vehicles. In an effort to make Nissan vehicles affordable and accessible to all, Suhail Bahwan Automobiles has taken up this unique initiative, says a press release. Auto enthusiasts can now avail exciting benefits on the Nissan Pathfinder Classic 4L that include cash gift up to OMR500, free insurance (Oman only), free service for two years or 20,000km (periodic maintenance only), free registration, six years unlimited mileage warranty and easy and convenient financing options. Flexible EMI’s can also be tailor made for any individual requirement from inhouse Auto Finance team. Customers can also get unlimited access to Nissan’s prestigious vehicle line up at the comfort of their homes or offices. Simply visit Nissan Oman’s Facebook page i.e http://www.facebook.com/Sbanissanoman or send an SMS to get updated information on any of the vehicles from the house of Nissan. Classic features With a powerful V6 engine, the mighty vehicle lives up to its reputation as an authentic, rugged adventure vehicle. The vehicle

has maintained an iconic exterior design, while also remaining fresh and dynamic; the exterior is defined by its unique combination of sophistication and rugged, goanywhere looks. The classic interior design of the Pathfinder stands for all that’s good in an SUV, and with a 20-plus-year legacy of being tough, stylish and innovative, the driver along with six fellow travellers will find any trip an easy one. The best stories are woven around unexpected challenges accepted and conquered, opening the door to new experiences. The desire to explore the Pathfinder’s power and capabilities will drive you to seek out new places and tackle new terrain – actively feeding the exhilaration and lasting pleasure that adventurous trips generate. 2015 enhancements Now with a styled exterior and premium grade additions like the Rearview Monitor, Cruise Control and Bluetooth hands-free phone system. Further with three rows and up to 64 seat configurations, the Pathfinder Classic is there to practically advance your adventures. With Multiple cargo configurations, Pathfinder provides a flat load floor without removing seats. The seats can be folded down individually, providing 8 different seating/cargo configurations (a total of 64 seat configurations in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd row). The 5-speed automatic transmission enhances performance by keeping the engine in the optimum power band. Overdrive and lock-up torque converter ensures

a smoother ride. Also, the Pathfinder’s newly developed platform ensures excellent stability, control and ride comfort. The body-onframe construction delivers outstanding driving performance. The Pathfinder Classic 2WD mode distributes all the torque to the rear wheels for an economic drive. The 4H/4LO locks the Pathfinder in 4X4 with a 50:50 front to rear distribution ratio for added traction. In 4LO, the gear ratio is lower, for excellent hill climbing and descending performance. State-of-the-art features The standard Nissan Pathfinder Classic interior offers three-row and 7 seating and exceptional utility and storage capacity. A folddown 3rd row seat, 40/20/40 split separate-folding 2nd row seats with easy one-touch release lever for 3rd row access come standard on all models. Storage areas are plentiful throughout the spacious cabin, including four cup-holders and an overhead console with sunglass storage. Utility is enhanced with four 12-volt outlets (two in the front, one in the centre console

box and in one cargo area), driver’s seatback pocket, plentiful passenger assist grips and available rear reading lamps and outside temperature gauge. Standard on all Classic Pathfinder models is a responsive engine-speed-sensitive powerassisted rack-and-pinion steering system and 4-wheel disc brakes with 4-wheel, 4-channel, 4-sensor Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with G-sensor and Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD). With state-of-the-art AM/FM, CD Audio Player and speakers, passengers enjoy a unique audio experience. The vehicle features rotary switch (2wd/ Auto / 4L /4Hi), black outside rear view mirror with turn lamp, puddle lamp, power operated mirrors and day night inside rear view mirror. The Pathfinder Classic continues to be built on a high-strength, fully boxed, all-steel ladder frame based on the full-size Nissan Armada SUV. Pathfinder’s long-travel front suspension is an all-steel double-wishbone design with coil-over shocks and large stabiliser bar. For smooth ride quality and optimised handling, the rear

COMMUNITY EVENT

suspension is an independent double-wishbone design with the coils located on the toe control link (offset spring and shock) with stabiliser bar. Standard underbody component protection puts a plate under the radiator, and all models are equipped with an integrated tow hitch. Wheel packages vary by Pathfinder model. Pathfinder XE models offer standard 16-inch alloy wheels with P265/70R16 tyres. The vehicle boasts of an engine VQ40DE, Power – Net 261 HP/56000RPM and a torque of Net – 38.9KG – M/4000RPM with a fuel tank of 80 litres. The Pathfinder XE Grade also comes with halogen headlamp with leveliser, front and rear fog lamp, rear wiper, leather string, shift knob, power steering with tilt adjustment, front and rear power window, keyless entry, roof console and sunglass holder, floor mats and side steps. The Pathfinder’s long list of standard safety features and equipment includes Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS), featuring dual-stage front supplemental air bags with seat belt

sensors and a front occupant classiﬁcation sensor; supplemental front seat-mounted side-impact air bags; and roof-mounted supplemental curtain air bags for improved side impact and rollover head protection for outboard occupants in all three rows. Other features include Zone Body construction with front and rear crumple zones; energy absorbing steering column; front seat Active Head Restraints and 3-point front seat belts with pretensions’ and load limiters, 3-point seat belts for all rear seat occupants, including the 2nd row center position; adjustable 2nd and 3rd row head restraints; LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children); Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) with ABLS, HDC & HAS (Hill Decent control & Hill start Assist). Nissan Oman strives to achieve pioneering success through its services and activities offered to its valued customers. Through a relentless pursuit of excellence and adopting aggressive marketing style with an emphasis on customer satisfaction, backing it up with strong after-sales service network across the Sultanate, Nissan Oman has built a name on trust, superior customer services and value for money. Nissan Oman boasts of a niche premium clientele comprising leading corporate houses and businesses, international businessmen and tourists visiting the Sultanate of Oman and thus, the promise of the Pathﬁnder Classic is to allow a broad but discerning car buying audience and tourists visiting the city to ‘experience lavishness’. 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. With a national network of more than 19 showrooms, 22 service centres and 35 spare parts outlets, SBA has further built upon its legacy of trust, excellent customer service and providing value for money to each of its customers.

PIZZA IN A CONE

SA highlights importance of recycling

MUSCAT: Sohar Aluminium (SA) recently organised another exciting edition of the ‘Let’s Have Fun with Sohar Aluminium’ event at Safeer Mall in Sohar as part of its continuous efforts to engage the community across multiple spheres. Held under the theme of ‘Recycling’, the entertaining event was

attended by more than 500 children who took part in a number of fun and educational activities including quizzes and games designed to instil a sense of responsibility towards the environment from a young age, says a press release. The latest ‘Let’s have Fun with Sohar Aluminium’ also included a

magic show that wowed the audience, young and old, and a guest appearance by SA’s Safety Mascot, ‘Salim’, who helped to promote tips to kids on staying safe at home, in the car and at school. The fun activity also gave attending children the opportunity to learn about the various prac-

tices they can follow to protect the planet. ‘Let’s Have Fun with Sohar Aluminium’ is a recurring event that enables SA to foster its strong ties with community and share its values on various environmental, health and safety matters along with other important values.

W O R K E X P E R I E N C E P L AT F O R M

Al Madina Takaful supports Takatuf Scholars Programme MUSCAT: Al Madina Takaful, Oman’s first Takaful provider, collaborated with the Takatuf Scholars Programme for the second consecutive year by providing two young Omani scholars with real world work experience at their head office, kiosks and outlets throughout Muscat. Sultan Al Obeidani from Rustaq, Oman, currently attending Millfield School in Somerset, UK where he is completing his A-levels, and Abdullah Al Farsi from Muscat, attending Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, USA where he is completing an Advanced Placement curriculum, were placed with Al Madina Takaful to fulfil their first work experience requirement as international Takatuf Scholars, says a press release. The two week programme started on August 16 and concluded on August 31 with a presentation made by the students to Al Madina Takaful’s CEO, Gautam Datta, and Professor Kathryn Bindon, Direc-

tor of the Takatuf Scholars Programme. The two scholars highlighted their new understanding of insurance, and the complexity and importance of the business. Both noted a new appreciation for the opportunities that exist for young Omani professionals in the private sector, and talked about how they could use their new knowledge about risk assessment in their future engineering careers. The Takatuf Scholars Programme joins academic excellence to real world experiences. Designed to

prepare Oman’s most talented young people for personal and professional success, the programme introduces them to the tools and equips them with the skills needed to adapt to an ever-changing global environment for the good of Oman. As a leading insurance provider, Al Madina Takaful was proud to create an applied learning opportunity for these young Omani scholars who not only gained a practical sense of being in the workplace and the many elements that make a business work, but who also learned

about the emerging Islamic insurance sector and the pioneering role that Al Madina Takaful has played in positioning it as a core activity in Oman’s diversifying economy. “We are immensely proud to collaborate with the Takatuf Scholars Programme and contribute to the development and enrichment of young Omani scholars,” said Usama Al Barwani, Deputy CEO of Al Madina Takaful. “It is integral to our growth as an organisation to empower the next generation of Omanis with the skills and expertise to be future-ready, for Oman. We wish them the very best for a bright future and we feel privileged to have contributed to their journey in a meaningful way.” Both the scholars will be applying to attend leading international universities when they return to school next week, and their work experience at Al Madina Takaful and the references provided by their supervisors there will be included in the application materials.

INAUGURATION: The Qurum outlet has a seating capacity of 35

people and it offers a wide choice of cone pizza options with prices starting from 750 baiza. – Jun Estrada/ TIMES OF OMAN

Cono Pizza opens outlet in Qurum MUSCAT: Cono Pizza, the fast food franchise of the Al Saleh Group of Companies, opened its third outlet in the upmarket Qurum area, alongside HSBC bank. The first Cono Pizza was opened in 2012 in Al Mawaleh and since then the company has added two more outlets, one in Barka Dragon Mart, and the latest in Qurum, says a press release. At the opening, Mohammad Al Lawati, the group CEO said, “Cono Pizza is a new creative pizza with a unique shape like the cone of an ice cream. The cone is made of dough and can be filled with the customers’ choice of different kinds of halal certified ingredients and topped from sour to sweet. The Cono Pizza is prepared and served in only four minutes and eaten on the go. "Our pizza has been a super hit with kids and families and we are ever evolving new varieties to cater to the taste of the customers. Soon we will also be

extending the facility for home delivery so that you can enjoy the same great taste from the comfort of your home.” The Qurum outlet has a seating capacity of 35 people and it offers a wide choice of cone pizza options, prices starting from 750 baisa. According to choice, the cones can be filled with the classic pizza ranges like, margherita, vegetable, smoked turkey, chicken and shrimp. For sweet lovers, the range includes Cono Nutella, Cono Fererro, Cono Chocoberry or Cono Tiramisu. The customers also have a choice of getting the traditional flat pizza or pasta with the sauce of their choice. A super hit with kids, Cono Pizza boasts of authentic and quality ingredients with crunchy crust filled with loads of interesting fillings. Furthermore, the menu offers a choice of breakfasts, priced from 500 baiza, which you can order between 8am and 10am. Cono Pizza is open till 11pm every day.

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

ROUND-UP Oman LNG to support BP technician trainees The ﬁnal term of BP’s Technicians Training Programme is to complete a year of ﬁeld experience which will be provided by Oman LNG at their plant at Qalhat near Sur

MUSCAT: Oman LNG and BP Oman entered into a multi-year partnership to support the professional training of Omani youths. The ﬁnal term of BP’s Technicians Training Programme is to complete a year of ﬁeld experience which will be provided by Oman LNG at their plant at Qalhat near

Sur in the South Sharqiyah Governorate. By providing on-the-job training at facilities within Oman, the programme will not only develop Omani youth locally but simultaneously contribute to incountry value; an added benefit, says a press release. The trainees from BP Oman will join the Oman LNG technical teams to finalise their training programme, and improve their skill and develop their capabilities further in a full-fledged operational environment at Oman LNG’s world-class liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant where the

company operates three liquefaction trains with a nameplate capacity of 10.4 million tonnes per annum (mtpa). Additionally, Oman LNG has offered to provide housing for the trainees at its residential compound throughout their training. Launched in 2012, the BP Oman Technicians Training Programme so far has recruited over 90 technicians to become qualiﬁed instrumentation, mechanical, electrical and production technicians over a four year programme. The programme consists of a 15-month foundation course fol-

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

lowed by a post foundation programme providing operational experience mixed with technical assessments at an operational site to achieve an internationally-recognised competence qualiﬁcation. “It is important to collaborate with partners in the industry to support young Omanis in their development and to build a strong foundation to deliver in-country value. We welcome more collaborations on similar activities with BP and other industry partners,” said Harib Al Kitani, Oman LNG’s chief executive officer. Yousuf Al Ojaili, BP Oman President, commented: “This programme is a great example of how we are trying to develop locals to become world-class technicians in the long term. It also demonstrates the collaboration happening across the oil and gas industry in Oman where different companies are working together for the beneﬁt of Oman.” Once completed, the technicians will be equipped with the skills and expertise to work on the Khazzan project once operation starts in 2017.

E X PA N S I O N

Bank Nizwa opens branch in Buraimi BURAIMI: Bank Nizwa opened its latest branch in Buraimi governorate as part of its long-term strategy to reach more customers and increase accessibility of its services across the Sultanate. Inaugurated under the patronage of Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said Al-Busaidi, Governor of Buraimi, the new addition is Bank Nizwa’s ﬁrst fully-ﬂedged branch in Al Buraimi and 11th across Oman, says a press release. “With this latest addition, Bank Nizwa now has branches extending from Salalah in the south to Buraimi in the north, taking our reach and network expansion to even greater heights, bringing our extensive Shari’a-

compliant products and services to all who are looking for an alternative to conventional banking,” said Dr Jamil El Jaroudi, CEO of Bank Nizwa. “Over the last three years, reaching as many customers across the Sultanate has been our primary focus. Each branch was strategically located to provide customers with the highest levels of accessibility and convenience. We will continue to remain committed to developing innovative ways to bring Islamic ﬁnance even closer to each and every one of our loyal customers,” he added. Located in the heart of Buraimi, the branch is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and highly trained staff.

S A L A L A H T O U R I S M F E S T I VA L

Bank Sohar extends support to Al Amal Association again MUSCAT: As part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, Bank Sohar has extended support to Al Amal Association for the fourth consecutive year. This latest donation was made towards providing children with intellectual disabilities a comprehensive gymnasium training programme to enhance their skills and further develop their talents, says a press release. The donation cheque was handed over to the association by Munira Abdulnabi Macki, DGM of Human Resource and Corporate Support. Receiving the cheque on behalf of His Highness Sayyid Faisal bin Turki Al Said, chairman of the Al Amal Association, was Saif Hamed Khalifa Al Rubai, public relation manager at the Al Amal Association. Also present at the handover ceremony was Mazin Mahmood Al Raisi, AGM and head of marketing and publicity at Bank Sohar. Speaking on the rationale behind this donation, Munira commented, “We at Bank Sohar have always been deeply committed towards helping improve the quality of life of those in need within the community. Through such support, we aim to give back to the society we serve and support selfless organisations such as Al Amal

Association and their various initiatives. We are conﬁdent the gymnasium training programme will help cultivate the skill and talent of each of these children and help them utilise these skill more effectively in their day-to-day lives.” Thanking Bank Sohar for its support, Faisal Al Said said, “On behalf of everyone at the Al Amal Association I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Bank Sohar for their support over the years. Their consistent contributions have helped us make a lasting positive change in the lives of hundreds of children with intellectual disabilities across the country further allowing them to integrate within the society.” 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, espe-

cially those in most need of it, offering recipients positive support to make a meaningful change. Al Amal Association manages and organises activities and programs pertaining to Intellectual Disability and the Special Olympics in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Development. Established in 2010, the Association’s objective was to establish specialised centres for improving the behavioural skills for the intellectually disabled and to develop them into dynamic professionals. Individuals through the association have the opportunity to develop social, cultural and interactional skills that will help them in their society. The development in the areas include social, cultural, sports, health, professional and entertainment in collaboration with government and other organisation and communities.

NOBLE CAUSE

ISD committed to setting up Centre for Special Education MUSCAT: With a noble aim of providing quality education to children with special needs, Indian School Darsait (ISD) has initiated discussions on setting up a state-of-theart Centre for Special Education. The initial assignment of pooling in resources of volunteer parents, interested staff members and SMC to form a task force was held recently at the school auditorium. In her welcome address, Principal Dr Sridevi P. Thashnath appreciated the parents for their overwhelming response and emphasised the need of the hour, to begin the ‘Early Intervention Centre’ at ISD. She also outlined the challenges to overcome, in terms of space, resource room and resource personnel. Harish Sidhartha, member, ISD-SMC, chaired the meeting and stated that this was the most noble project undertaken by the SMC among the many and assured the gathering that the BoD had extended their whole-hearted support to the new project being undertaken by ISD. He added that this was just a ‘kick-off’ meeting and there would be many more follow-up meetings in future to exchange ideas and to make this dream a reality.

Jaikish Pavithran, member of the SMC, urged the parents to invest their emotions and contribute their skills and resources to create a better equipped generation in matters of emotional values associated with this maiden venture. The parents offered their complete support and active participation with regard to their time, abilities, skills and any other assistance required. They expressed their eagerness to be a part of the CSE at ISD, which has been a long cherished dream. All the participating parents vouched their commitment, dedication and allegiance towards this humane cause. Leena Francis, vice principal (Primary), proposed the vote of thanks and reiterated that the art of being human is to teach the art of living to children and therefore the necessity that these children

learn not only academics, but rather, their innate potentials should be identiﬁed and tapped based on multiple intelligence, and be nurtured in creating successful human beings. She also thanked the parents for promising their valuable time towards this noble cause. A preliminary meeting was held earlier in this regard with the staff members convened by Nikhila Anilkumar, head, Parents Relations Sub Committee, ISD-SMC to gather ideas that could help in forming the task force. She reiterated the need for being supportive towards these special children in all their needs and demands. She reaffirmed that as and when these students show substantial improvement, they should be included in mainstream classes in line with the overall policy of inclusive education for all children.

TZC concludes popular Al Bara dance competition for children MUSCAT: The Zubair Corporation (TZC) recently concluded the popular Al Bara dance contest for children at the Salalah Tourism Festival 2015. The traditional dance contest, organised in conjunction with the Majan TV channel, is supported by the corporation as part of its strategy and vision to nurture and preserve Oman’s national heritage and performing arts, says a press release. Commenting on the popularity of the contest, Ibrahim Al Salmi, Social Communications Manager at The Zubair Corporation noted, “The corporation places a great interest in nurturing the development of Omani youth across different fields. Supporting the Al Bara dance for children stems from the corporation’s concern to preserve the cultural heritage of Oman, and specifically the unique traditions within the Dhofar region. This age-old dance sheds light on a very important component of our cultural heritage in the Sultanate and will also help maintain this art among the new generation.” He added, “The Salalah Tourism Festival 2015 was an excellent opportunity to present this traditional performance art in a contemporary way. For higher levels of engagement with the community, The Zubair Corporation regularly updated social media followers with the pictures of qualified teams throughout every level of the competition. Congratulations goes to all the participants for their outstanding performance.” The Al Bara dance competition witnessed participation from a large number of children from the Dhofar region, and a huge attendance of fans of this performing art. Being one of the traditional arts of the region, the Al Bara contest enjoyed active following from the audience, who attended the contest, or by watching Majan TV who broadcast the competi-

tion. The competition was presented by the broadcaster Rami Al-Mushaikhy, who initiated the idea, and stressed that children participate in order to instil the importance of preserving the cultural heritage and the unique qualities of the Dhofar region among them. Rami Al-Mushaikhy commented on the significance of the competition, saying, “Al Bara is one of the most prestigious, genuine and enthusiastic cultural arts, hence the idea to teach it to the next generation, especially since it has been recently listed by Unesco.” “The Salalah Tourism Festival witnesses a great number of visitors, and it is the best time to organise such competitions which will popularise this dance form among the Omani youth. “We intend to take advantage of this experience and study the possibility of holding similar competitions in the future through a series of competitions in the upcoming tourism festivals to demonstrate and maintain Omani traditional arts. I take this opportunity to extend our special thanks to The Zubair Corporation for sponsoring this competition, ensuring its success and providing every logistic and financial support,” he added. A jury panel was present at the contest, and the photos of the competitors were displayed via The Zubair Corporation accounts on Twitter and Instagram. The idea was well received from the audience as well as the followers on social media platforms. Iyad Mohammed Ahmed Safrar, one of the participants commented, “It was a wonderful contest, which gave us the opportunity to learn a lot. Al Bara is one of my favourite traditional arts, I will do my best to develop my performance, and participating in this contest is the first step towards improving my performance and preserving the traditional and cultural arts of Oman.

I take this opportunity to thank the organisers, and the brilliant broadcaster Rami Al-Mushaikhy who encouraged us during the contest to do our best. I would also like to thank The Zubair Corporation who gave us the opportunity to participate and have an unforgettable experience.” Abdul Rahman Ali Qatan added, “I would like to thank The Zubair Corporation who organised this contest, and the jury panel. Congratulations to the winning teams and good luck to the others in the coming contests.” A number of teams from different parts of Dhofar region participated in the contest, each team consisting of two participants. The contest saw keen competition between the teams, and four teams were qualified for the finals. The Zubair Corporation social media accounts witnessed huge participation from fans, with some images receiving over 1,000 likes, demonstrating the popularity and reach of the competition. One of the goals of the contest was to highlight this art among large number of people, especially the youth of Oman. Some participants also proposed interesting ideas on how to promote the Omani cultural heritage. All participants showed enthusiasm to win the contest, through continued practice to perform on certain national songs, and unified customs. Parents were also enthusiasm for their children participation, with one parent, Hamid Bashir commenting, “It is a good idea to have such contests. It encourages the youth to hold on the heritage and arts. It was also an opportunity for the contestants to get to know each other and build friendly relationships.” “We are looking forward to see similar competitions in the future including Zamil, Sharh and other cultural arts specific to the Dhofar region. We would like to thank The Zubair Corporation, organizers and supporters.”

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Kia Cadenza wins IVA award The Ideal Vehicle Award is Cadenza’s second honour from AutoPaciﬁc in 2015, following a Vehicle Satisfaction Award earlier this summer

MUSCAT: The premium and stylish Kia Cadenza sedan has earned AutoPacific’s 2015 Ideal Vehicle Award (IVA) in the Large Car category. AutoPacific’s IVA is based on over 66,000 surveys completed by new car owners in the first half of 2015 and recognises products that most closely meet buyer requirements and expectations, says a press release. Based on the responses from vehicle owners, the survey encompasses the vehicle’s ride and handling, driver’s seat comfort, interior storage, safety features,

engine power and acceleration, and technology. Orth Hedrick, Vice President, Product Planning, Kia Motors America (KMA) said: “AutoPaciﬁc’s Ideal Vehicle Award is important because it represents the voice of the customer and offers conﬁrmation that the Cadenza’s blend of world-class design, qual-

PROMOTION

ity and features is hitting the mark with Kia owners.” The IVA is Cadenza’s second honour from AutoPaciﬁc in 2015, following a Vehicle Satisfaction Award (VSA) earlier this summer. “We are honoured that our worldclass vehicles have earned AutoPaciﬁc Vehicle Satisfaction Awards, affirming Kia’s on-going commit-

ment to design, craftsmanship and the ownership experience,” Orth added. Three other Kia models, notably Quoris, Soul and Sportage have won the award. Offer Currently, the Cadenza is on offer with every customer being given a choice of either pocketing a cash

gift of OMR1,100 or of availing a package of beneﬁts that includes service for 18 months/30,000km (whichever is earlier), one-year of insurance and a cash gift of OMR400. A smiling customer who plans to buy a Cadenza remarked: “I am trying to decide which of the two I should take…both the choices are temptingly close!” AutoPaciﬁc’s VSAs identify the most satisfying vehicles for sale in the US market and assist new car buyers in making informed vehicle purchase decisions. The results are based on responses to over 66,000 surveys completed by owners of new, model year 2015 vehicles. The survey measures owner satisfaction through 50 separate attributes ranging from interior comfort and convenience to fuel economy and performance. Reliable International Automotive (RIA), the distributor for Kia in Oman, provides a rewarding ownership experience for customers. Excellent product attributes and unmatched facilities easily ensure their absolute satisfaction, every mile of the way. No wonder then that Reliable International Automotive has been ranked amongst the top Kia distributors worldwide.

SOHAR ALUMINIUM

Corrigendum In the report titled ‘55 Sohar Aluminium multi-functional technicians graduate’, published on September 7, 2015, the in-depth development programme at the SA Training Centre was wrongly mentioned to be of six-month duration while it was actually completed in two years’ time.

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

OFFICE IN GHALA

FRiENDi launches Alpha Oman opens travel, tourism division two exciting offers MUSCAT: Further to the amazing success and great response from the market on the summer promotions, FRiENDi mobile Oman’s 3rd biggest mobile service provider, has recently launched two great offers. The ﬁrst promotion is targeting new customers where for just OMR2; they can get started with an inclusive 1GB free data and OMR1 free credit upon activation. The 1GB data can be used comfortably over a period of 1 week from the time of activation and OMR1 free credit can be used for calling locally or internationally, browsing the Internet or sending SMS. In short customers can use it anytime at their convenience. This offer will run until November 29, says a press release. Adnan Al Alawi, COO, FRiENDi mobile said, “Our objective is to provide new customers with a great initial data experience at superb value. In addition, customers can also beneﬁt from the best international call bundles or call locally with the OMR1 free credit. “This offer comes as a response to customers’ expectations and

needs when they join a mobile service operator. “So we are very excited about this offer and we have already received great feedback since the ﬁrst day of the promotion.” The second promotional offer is targeting Internet users and has the objective to provide customers with even more data for the same price. Until October 30, customers who subscribe to the most popular monthly 600MB plan can enjoy 50% extra data for free, taking their allowance to a whopping 900MB. All for just OMR3 per month. Not only that, if they auto-renew their plan, they will get 100MB as a bonus. So in total customer will get 1GB to use anytime without any restriction on day and night usage. On this offer, Adnan said: “We believe in giving something back to our customers for making us their ﬁrst choice. But we also believe in retaining our existing customers and make them happy with great offers and value for money deals. Therefore we are delighted to offer more value and more data for our existing and loyal customers.”

MUSCAT: Alpha Oman, a well known name in the ﬁeld of construction, inspection, trading, auto services and electronics in Oman and Dubai, has entered into travel and tourism industry by opening its wing Alpha Travels and Tours in Ghala. The new office was inaugurated by Indra Mani Pandey, ambassador of India in the presence of Alpha staff and other well wishers, says a press release. In his speech, Pandey said, “Travel to Oman and India has become a lot easier with many tourism companies and Alpha Travels should focus on promoting India as the prime location for the tourists, especially the people of Oman, and exploring possibilities of medical and education tourism in India,” said the ambassador in his speech. He offered all out support from the embassy to make Alpha Travels a success. John Saji, managing director, Alpha Group of companies, acknowledged the fact that Oman was one the most beautiful countries to visit in GCC and could compete with other prime tourist attractions in the region. “Giving visitors an easy way to enjoy the beauty of special desti-

E M P O W E R I N G O M A N I TA L E N T

vides an easy way for travellers to avail big discounts of up to 20% on ticket bookings and packages. “I opened this travel company for poor and needy community to get valuable service and other beneﬁts,” he added. John Saji said his company’s vision was to become the leading operator in the industry and clients’ best partner, always providing the best possible product, with the highest quality of services and demonstrating faithfully its com-

mitment towards social and environmental responsibility. Alpha Travels & Tours offers worldwide ticket bookings, hotel reservations, inbound and outbound tours, medical tours, business tours, travel insurance, visa service, honeymoon packages, group departures, historical, educational, sightseeing tours, desert camping, dolphin/whale watching, desert and camel safaris, deep sea ﬁshing, dhow cruises, diving, half day/full day city tour etc.

M U S I C A L T R E AT

Asia Express Exchange concludes overseas training programme for Omani staff in India MUSCAT: Asia Express Exchange (AEE), one of Oman’s leading exchange and remittance companies, concluded the third edition of its overseas training programme for its Omani staff in collaboration with one of India’s leading banks, Federal Bank Ltd., in Kochi. With an intention of empowering and grooming Omani talents, AEE has been collaborating with renowned overseas banks to conduct such programmes every year since 2013, says a press release. The one-week long training covered key topics like anti-money laundering, banking & foreign remittance, exchange rate mechanisms and know your customer (KYC) amongst a host of other essential ﬁnancial and customer service topics. Speaking about the initiative, Adeeb Ahamed, managing director, Asia Express Exchange said, “Training and development holds a pivotal space at Asia Express Exchange. We are proud to be associated with supporting and contributing to the vision of empowering our Omani talents, and these overseas programmes provide them with various on-the-job and off-the-job training initiatives. In the coming years we will further improve our training and development programmes by not only devising challenging modules but also by associating ourselves with more banks in various other countries.” The participants termed the interaction highly enlightening as well as inspiring as it gave them a direct insight into the operations of a premier ﬁnancial institution that caters to thousands of clients

nation spots in Oman has been my main priority,” he added. Asked about the kind of service that tourists should expect from his travel company, he counted several beneﬁts awaiting his customers. “First of all, travellers want to get information before they decide to visit any destination place. So, my company designed a site that will also serve as an information resource,” Saji explained. To add more value for money, the new company pro-

in one of the world’s fastest growing economies. “We sincerely hope these training programmes add value to the participants both in their professional and personal life. I now look forward to the team members applying and further enhancing their newly acquired skills to improve customer experiences at Asia Express Exchange,” added Adeeb, who is also the CEO of Lulu International Exchange. Apart from the training, the participants also got a chance to meet and interact with the executive team of Federal Bank Ltd. at their headquarters in Kochi, India. “In today’s competitive environment, training plays a crucial role in changing attitude, improving skills and further enhancing knowledge of all participants. I am sure international trainings similar to this are quite insightful and all participants will be charged up to showcase their skills at respective workstations. Wishing them all the best for future assignments!” said Shyam Srinivasan MD & CEO Federal Bank Ltd. The team headed by Moham-

med Al Kiyumi, HR manager and Umesh Ravindran, area manager, Asia Express Exchange was seen off by Sheikh Mohammed Hamed Al Ghazali, director, Asia Express Exchange, Surendran Amittathody, GM, AEE and Ahamed Hadi, GM, Fayeda Travel & Tourism who collaborated as the official travel partners. “The training programme was deﬁnitely inspiring and I am very sure that it will be instrumental in further developing the skills of all of those who attended it this year. The fact that these training programmes are conducted overseas adds further charm to it,” said Mamdouh Al Mamari, one of the 15 participants. Asia Express Exchange with 26 strategically located branches across the Sultanate of Oman, has ensured even the interior regions have access to high-quality remittance services. AEE has partnered with internationally renowned and trusted money transfer service providers to guarantee that the client’s hard earned money reaches its destination in the fastest and the most secure way possible.

Grand ﬁnale of Salalah Indian Idol on October 1; mega show next day

SALALAH: Friends of Salalah are conducting the grand ﬁnale of Salalah Indian Idol on October 1, followed by mega show Swara Sandhya the next day at Ittin Khareef stadium. Noted playback singers Srinivas (Chennai), Ranjini Jose, Franco (Cochin), Sajila Saleem from Kannur (Patturumal fame) and Anamika from Trivandrum (Bol Baby Bol show on Surya TV) and orchestra by UK Murali from Chennai will perform in the show, which will be compered by Ranjini Haridas, says a press release. Judges for the show coming from India, Tamil/Kannada include music director singer Leo Peter and Malayalam music director Bharat Lal will be judging the Salalah Indian Idol. Both have offered one song each in forthcoming Kannada and Malayalam movie to the winner of Group B and Group C apart from many other exciting prizes on offer. Salalah Indian Idol contest started in 2014 with 54 contestants in three age groups. This year Group A will see sing-

After two rounds of elimination 12 candidates have qualified for the main round with four candidates each in three age groups competing for the title on October 1. The winner of the contest will get the chance to sing in the mega show on October 2 with leading playback singers ers from 7 to 12 year; Group B from 13 to 18 years and Group C 19 years and above participating in the competition. After two rounds of elimination 12 candidates have qualiﬁed

for the main round with four candidates each in three age groups competing for the title on October 1. The winner of the contest will get chance to sing on the mega show on October 2 with leading singers. Mega show will be held on October 2. Cine singers Srinivas from Chennai, Ranjini Jose and Franco from Cochin, Sejila Saleem from Kannur, Anamika from Bol Baby Bol, Surya TV, Leo Peter and Bharat Lal will also sing a couple of songs. The winner of the Salalah Indian Idol contest will sing with either Srinivas or Ranjini Jose depending on whether the winner is male or female.

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

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Bank Muscat launches Al Jawhar Designed around the unique lifestyle and banking requirements of the largest customer segment, Al Jawhar is the ﬁrst-of-its-kind privilege banking service in Oman

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, as part of its commitment to providing a distinct banking experience has launched Al Jawhar Privilege Banking targeted at its core customer segment. Designed around the unique lifestyle and banking requirements of the largest customer segment, Al Jawhar is the first-of-itskind privilege banking service in

Oman, says a press release. Al Jawhar value proposition is based on three pillars of commitments to customers — Recognition, Convenience and Experience — that form the imprint of premium products and services. Preferential treatment Said Al Badai, DGM - Branches, said: “As the ﬂagship bank in Oman, Bank muscat is delighted

to extend the hand of friendship and partnership to experience the exciting world of Al Jawhar privilege banking. In the vibrant world of privilege banking, the distinctive identity says it all. Reﬂecting the elegant lifestyle of clients, Al Jawhar is an affirmation of the preferential treatment designed around their unique lifestyle and

OMR10,000 in their savings accounts are eligible to participate in exclusive al Mazyona monthly draw offering one prize of OMR10,000, in addition to all other al Mazyona prize draws. Designed to elevate privilege banking to unparalleled heights, Al Jawhar opens a new world of opportunities as preferential treatment and fast track service in branches make the experience truly rewarding. Said Al Badai added: “The exclusive Al Jawhar products and services are in step with smarter strategies aimed at providing a distinct banking experience. With the widest reach in serving customers through a network of 140 branches in the Sultanate, Bank Muscat ensures banking convenience to all. Excellence in service will be the hallmark of Al Jawhar experience.”

RAFFLE GIFTS

SUPPORT

McDonald’s staff takes part in OFA sponsors tournament MUSCAT: McDonald’s Oman (Al Daud Restaurants) extended its support to Oman Football Association’s (OFA) annual sponsors tournament, aimed at fostering camaraderie and fun-ﬁlled activity among major sponsors of Oman football leagues. McDonald’s Omani employees took part in the game, says a press release. McDonald’s Oman seeks to foster the all-round development of staff through various sports activities. It is McDonald’s’ way of en-

banking requirements.” Customers with a monthly salary of OMR1,000 and above or savings deposit of OMR10,000 and above can avail Al Jawhar services. The value proposition of recognition places Al Jawhar customers in a league of their own. Notably, Al Jawhar Platinum debit card is the key to a world of exclusive ser-

vices. With worldwide acceptance, Al Jawhar Platinum debit card has daily cash withdrawal limit of OMR800 in Oman and OMR250 for foreign transactions outside the GCC. Centred on banking convenience, Al Jawhar offers an exclusive bouquet of services. The rewarding experience of Al Jawhar include exclusive discounts at select merchant outlets. Highly secure, the Platinum debit card features the Chip and PIN technology, ensuring added security for all transactions. Al Jawhar Platinum credit card offers 1 per cent cash back on all transactions in addition to special offers and discounts at select merchant outlets. Adding value, Al Jawhar credit card beneﬁts include airport lounge access and free travel insurance. Al Jawhar customers maintaining a minimum balance of

gendering a spirit of collaboration and solidarity among the staff. As the official restaurant of Oman football tournaments, McDonald’s is continuously providing opportunities for its employees to

ECC Mart celebrates 1st anniversary

engage in various sporting events, while developing camaraderie, sportsmanship and promoting positive attitudes and an active balanced lifestyle amongst its people and individuals. MUSCAT: ECC Mart, the No. 1 Chinese brand in building material and furniture, is turning its ﬁrst anniversary in Oman into a memorable occasion by gifting its valued customers through a raffle draw. ECC Mart conducted its ﬁrst anniversary sale from August 1 to September 1. The grand prize of the anniversary sale is a Geely GC7 car and many other gifts. A senior official from Ministry of Commerce and Industry picked up the winners in the raffle draw on the premises of ECC Mart recently, says a press release. Grand prize winner of Geely Car was Antonio while the two

ﬁrst prizes of iPhone 6 were won by Saud Naser and Sabri. Hamood, Mahmud and Said won iPad mini as second prize followed by four Samsung refrigerators as third prize to Hamood, Soud Abdulaziz, Faisal and Moosa Salim. Additionally, 40 lucky winners also won rice cookers. “We are happy to celebrate our ﬁrst anniversary in Oman along with our customers. We want to spread happiness and thank our customers for making us a success in Oman. This anniversary sale raffle is our way of saying ‘Thank You’ for all the support we received on this milestone achievement,” said a senior offi-

cial of ECC Mart. ECC Mart is the exclusive and biggest one-stop mart for decorative and building materials. The ECC Mart has a range of products, well-equipped facilities, reasonable prices, and thorough and satisfactory service. The Emirates China Commercial Centre (ECC) set up its head office in 2010 in Dubai, and it is the ﬁrst and biggest one-stop station for building materials of Chinese make. Its main product is building materials, and it deals in both retail and wholesale. More than 50,000 products are there, 80 per cent of which come from China.

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SECTION

BAYLISS WANTS END TO STOKES ROW

SPOR

England coach Trevor Bayliss has said his side must put the row surrounding Ben Stokes’ controversial dismissal behind them as they bid to get back on terms in their ODI series with Australia. >C3

YOUR GAME

PARTY WITH PEANUTS

INSIDE LIFESTYLE

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FULL OF CONFIDENCE: Oman captain Ali Al Habsi, left, speaks as coach Paul Le Guen looks on during a

EYEING FULL POINTS: Oman players warm up during a training session ahead of their match against

press conference in Guam on Monday. – OFA

Guam at the Guam FA Field. – OFA

Oman confident of achieving positive result against Guam Oman are looking for their third straight victory in the World Cup/Asian Cup qualiﬁers. The match, to be played at the Guam FA Field in Guam, will kick off at

READY TO BATTLE: Oman players warm up during a training session ahead of their match against Guam at the Guam FA Field. – OFA

10.00 a.m. Oman time

MUSCAT: With six points already in their kitty, Oman are conﬁdent of achieving a positive result against hosts Guam on Tuesday to further strengthen their position in Group D of the joint World Cup and Asian Cup qualiﬁers. The match, to be played at the Guam FA Field in Guam, will kick

off at 10.00 a.m. Oman time. After a long journey from Muscat to the Western Paciﬁc country, Oman team had to adjust to the new conditions in double quick time as they arrived in Guam right after their second group match against Turkmenistan played at home on Thursday. They had only four days to recover from their last outing against Turkmens, which they won by a 3-1

margin to add to their early 2-1 away win against India. Now the Omanis had to overcome the jet lag as well as adjust to the completely different conditions in new country while also playing an artiﬁcial pitch. However, Oman’s French coach Paul Le Guen refused to make excuses and expressed conﬁdence in his team doing well against Guam. According to news posted on Oman Football Association social

FOOTBALL

Oman outplay Qatar to reach last four of GCC U-19 tourney

STUNNING VICTORY: Oman players celebrate during their match against Qatar in the GCC Under-19 Football Championship in Doha on Monday.

MUSCAT: Oman overcame a late rally to defeat hosts Qatar by a 4-2 margin and book a place in the semiﬁnals of the ongoing GCC Under-19 Football Championship in Doha on Monday. According to information received here, Oman, who were in a must-win situation after having lost their opening Group B match to Kuwait by a solitary goal, were boosted by an early own goal from a Qatari defender. Encouraged by the seventh minute goal, Rasheed Jabercoached Omanis went for the kill

scored two more goals in quick succession. First Mohsin Al Ghassani doubled the lead before Zaher Al Akbari struck Oman’s another goal as Oman took a 3-0 lead with just 20 minutes into the match. However, Qatar fought back reduced the margin in the 34th minute but Oman managed to keep the scoreline 3-1 till the end of ﬁrst half. Ten minutes after resumption, Qatar earned a penalty and succeeded in further reducing the margin to 3-2.

However, Salah Al Yahyae’e scored an opportunistic goal in the 75th minute while the Omanis kept their rivals at bay for the rest of the match. Kuwait, who held Qatar to a goalless draw before beating Oman 1-0, topped the group with four points. The Sultanate squad advanced to the semifinals as the second placed team from the group with three points. The semifinals are slated for Thursday while the final will be played on Saturday.

networking sites, Le Guen, speaking at the match-eve press conference, said: “We will take Guam match as any other qualiying match of our group. We will take our opposition seriously.” “The team is neither affected by the long journey we had to take to reach here nor the new conditions. Those factors will not prevent us from achieving our goal - to get a positive result,” Le Guen added.

Meanwhile, Oman captain Ali Al Habsi said the team are in good spirits and ready for the match. The Sultanate’s talismanic goalkeeper also said the team are aware of the situation and know that Guam game is going to be a difficult one. At the same, Ali expressed conﬁdence the team will achieve the desired result and return home victorious. Guam coach Gary While, mean-

while, said his team’s aim is to win full points in Tuesday’s game. Guam are unbeaten at home after winning against Turkmenistan and India, though they were exposed in a 6-0 thrashing when they visited Iran for their third match of the group. Guam coach had earlier said that he expects a highly competitive and very physical match against Oman. Gary White, in a column published in Paciﬁc Daily News, said: “The home ﬁxture will be another exciting opportunity for the local community in Guam to get together and support the country’s national team, riding on a recent wave of success.” “I expect a highly competitive and very physical match between Guam and Oman – and as we’ve seen last month, with the support of the home crowd, the conditions will favour the Matao. Guam played a very physical and attacking-minded style of football, dominating and defeating India in a very similar fashion as Oman had done,” While, who is also the technical director at Guam FA, wrote.

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS CRICKET

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Prince Ali may stand for FIFA presidency again Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein on Monday

ENIGMATIC CHARACTER: Shane Watson

Aussie whipping boy Watson to be missed from Test arena MELBOURNE: The retirement of all-rounder Shane Watson robs Test cricket of one of its most enigmatic characters, while depriving Australian fans of their favourite whipping boy in the red-ball game. The 34-year-old Queenslander bowed out on Sunday after a 10year career of 59 Tests, featuring 3,731 runs at an average of 35.19 and 75 wickets at 33.68. Watson, who has not stepped down from the one-day and Twenty20 sides, can further burnish his considerable achievements in the shorter formats of the game. But his respectable, if not spectacular, legacy in tests will remain a source of debate in assessing one of the game’s most polarising players. Watson’s backers will remember a stoic figure who eked a lot from a cursed body, flashed a glorious cover drive and took bags of wickets on foreign pitches with metronomic medium pace. Fans closer to home will recall a career that fell infuriatingly short of its enormous promise. “There’s a lot that I’m proud of,” Watson said after announcing his decision. “The thing I’m most proud of is I’ve given everything I possibly can to get the best out of myself. “I haven’t achieved certainly all the things I dreamed of achieving in Test cricket — average 50 with the bat and in the 20s with the ball. “That’s obviously the dream as an all-rounder to achieve and obviously I didn’t get anywhere near that, but I do know I gave it everything I possibly can to be able to get the best out of myself.” By any measure, Watson has been a man of contradictions, many of them frustrating and some quite hilarious. Sporting the barrel-chested physique of a surf life-saver, Watson made his Test debut against Pakistan in 2005, having cut his teeth in first-class cricket in frigid Tasmania, far from the sunny beaches of his native Queensland. He fell flat on his face after his opening delivery at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but picked himself up to take a wicket and score a nervous 31. He would play only two more Tests before his shoulder gave way, shunting him out of the side for another three years. Upon his return, he quickly established himself as one of the country’s most important players in a team battling to rebuild after the retirements of a golden generation of players.

False starts While his bowling was commendably tight and often produced breakthrough wickets, his focus at the crease was inclined to wander. He became known as a squanderer of starts, a reputation that would ultimately prove unshakeable. It wasn’t until his 15th Test that he would finally raise his bat for a century, having been dropped on 98 by a Pakistan fielder in the 2009 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. He would score only three more tons from his 109 innings, though building platforms with 24 half centuries. Although a sharp slip fielder, his running between wickets was often lamentable, leaving batting partners fuming as they trudged off as casualties of a Watson-induced mix-up. Later in his career, his pads seemed to grow to epic proportions and offer the easiest of target practice for accomplished seamers seeking to trap him lbw. Watson’s enthusiasm for the decision review system was matched only by his ineptitude in using it, and Youtube compilations of some of his most farcical appeals remain in high circulation. The injuries never abated for long enough for Watson to build momentum, and he gradually became a problem. Forlorn figure Urged to shelve his bowling to preserve his body, he fell short of the runs to justify himself as a specialist batsman. Yet, his seemingly unbreakable hold of his place within the team was one of the bigger curiosities of Australian cricket. Critics raged on social media and talk-back radio in his homeland, but selectors stuck by their man through thick and thin however rarely their faith was repaid. The axe finally swung in July after the first Ashes Test in England where the scorecard showed a familiar sight for groaning Australians — Watson trapped lbw in both innings after making starts. He cut a forlorn figure carrying the drinks in the final four Tests, which somehow felt poorer for the lack of the Queenslander. If failing to bring runs or wickets, Watson could generally be relied upon to deliver drama or comedy, and his absence robs the Test arena of one of its most human actors. - Reuters

Right now we need a candidate who is forward thinking and will bring new ideas who is not tainted by the past as well. So what I will say right now is ‘stay tuned’

strongly hinted he would stand while speaking to delegates at the business convention in Manchester

MANCHESTER: The Jordanian prince beaten in May’s FIFA presidential election by Sepp Blatter will almost certainly announce later this week he will stand for the position again at FIFA’s extra-ordinary elective congress next February. Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein on Monday strongly hinted he would stand while speaking to delegates at the Soccerex business convention in Manchester. Although Ali would not confirm his intentions publicly, sources familiar with the developing FIFA presidential campaign later said the prince would definitely stand and would make his announcement later this week. He is returning to the Jordanian capital Amman on Tuesday before flying to London on Thursday where he is to address delegates at another public meeting. Ali, 39, lost by 133-73 votes to incumbent Blatter who then announced he was standing down from the position four days later after FIFA was plunged into its worst crisis following arrests of its officials and others two days before the election. A fresh election to find a successor to Blatter will be held in Zurich on February 26 and Ali now looks certain to become the third major candidate after declarations from UEFA President Michel Platini of France and former FIFA execu-

Prince Ali tive committee member and Asian vice-president Chung Mong-Joon of South Korea. Asked by moderator David Davies if he was a candidate for the presidency of FIFA again, Ali replied: “I am talking to national associations, listening to their opinions and what they see for the future and giving my own ideas. “Right now we need a candidate who is forward thinking and will bring new ideas who is not tainted by the past as well. So what I will say right now is ‘stay tuned’” Davies asked: “Do I need to stay tuned this week, or for a month?” Ali replied with a broad smile: “Not for very long.” Widespread reform He then expanded on his theme throughout a relaxed 30 minute interview when he stressed time and again the need for a new, transparent FIFA, open to change and widespread reform. And he said that neither Platini, who supported him in May’s election, or Chung, who lost his executive committee seat as Asian vice-

president when Ali beat him in an election in 2011, were ideal future candidates for the FIFA presidency. “I have tremendous respect for Mr Platini both as the UEFA president and a former footballer but at the same time there is a difference between UEFA and FIFA,” he continued. “FIFA is in a crisis and we need a new beginning, and whether anyone likes it or not, Michel Platini’s introduction into football governance was as a protege of Sepp Blatter. That’s the reality. “I have sat down and talked with him, I have listened to his ideas and I think it’s my responsibility to at least guarantee the future is different from the past and therefore I was not very encouraged by Michel Platini.” He was equally dismissive of Chung, who spent 17 years on the FIFA executive committee before losing his seat to Ali four years ago. “The important thing is to have a new beginning,” said Ali, “and to have new ideas and therefore any candidate who has been in the organisation for a long time is not what is needed at this time.”

US OPEN

MEMORABILIA

Azarenka into quarterfinals NEW YORK: Two-time runnerup Victoria Azarenka reached her fourth US Open quarterfinal on Monday with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Varvara Lepchenko of the United States. Former world No. 1 Azarenka, the 20th seed, will face either Romanian second seed Simona Halep or Sabine Lisicki, the 24th-seeded German, for a place in the semifinals. The Belarusian, whose season has been stalled by a left thigh strain, appeared on Arthur Ashe Stadium with both biceps tightly strapped. “It’s a little embarrassing. I have blisters from my shirts rubbing against my arms so I needed the bandages,” said Azarenka, the runner-up to Serena Williams in 2012 and 2013. “It looks weird but I did what I have to do.” Lepchenko, who was bidding to become the first American woman not called Williams to make the last-eight since 2009, was broken in the third and ninth games of the opening set. She rallied to edge ahead in the first game of the second but handed the break straight back to the 26-year-old Azarenka. The Belarus star carved another break for 5-3 before faltering when she served for the match. But she secured victory in the next game on her first match point when lefthanded Lepchenko went wide.

Ali confounded many observers by forcing a second round of voting in May’s election after denying Blatter an outright two-thirds winning margin in the ﬁrst round. He then conceded defeat before a second ballot took place, but again implied he was considering another bid for the presidency when Davies asked him if he could win the election without the formal, central backing of his own Asian confederation, who’s leadership is backing Platini. However, it is hard to see him collecting so many votes again, especially if UEFA members back their president Platini and the Asian confederation also throws its weight behind the Frenchman. “It is a while till we get to the vote in February, but we will see. If the elections are done correctly, cleanly and properly, without interference, then I believe I can win, for sure.” Candidates with nominations from ﬁve national associations must officially register their declarations with world body FIFA by October 26. - Reuters

FOURTH QUARTERFINAL: Victoria Azarenka of Belarus serves to

Varvara Lepchenko of the US during their women’s singles match at the US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York on Monday. – AFP

“I felt at 5-3 that I never went for my shots, she didn’t give me much rhythm,” she said. “But I told myself to be aggressive and go for it.” Halep will bid to reach her maiden US Open quarterﬁnal and be the ﬁrst Romanian to make the last eight since Irina Spirlea went

to the 1997 semiﬁnals. Lisicki, the 2013 Wimbledon runner-up, has never made the last eight in New York. Halep, who has a 3-1 career record over Lisicki, has hardly been tested at the tournament, conceding just 14 games in three rounds so far. - AFP

Bradman blazer sells for $91,410 SYDNEY: The blazer worn by Australian cricketing great Donald Bradman during his ﬁrst series as Test captain sold for A$132,000 ($91,410) on Monday, local media reported. The green jacket with gold piping and the Australia crest on the breast pocket was worn by the batsman when he led the Australians against the English tourists in the 1936-37 Ashes series, which the home side won 3-2. It had been expected to sell for A$70,000-90,000 but bids had reached the A$100,000 mark when the hammer went down at the auction house in Melbourne. Taxes and commissions accounted for the other A$32,000. “This is the ﬁrst (Bradman) blazer we’ve had up for auction, which is possibly why it sold so well,” auctioneer Max Williamson told Australian Associated Press. “It went beyond our expectations ... we’re still shaking.” Anything related to Bradman, who retired with a Test batting average of 99.94, is a major attraction for collectors of cricket memorabilia and his 1948 “Invincibles” tour cap sold for A$402,500 in 2008. - Reuters

CRICKET

England’s Solanki announces retirement LONDON: Former England batsman Vikram Solanki announced his retirement from cricket on Monday. The 39-year-old played in 51 One-day Internationals and three Twenty20 internationals for England between 2000 and 2007. Solanki, formerly of Worcestershire but now with Surrey, said: “Whilst the realisation that my playing days are coming to an end is naturally difficult to come to terms with, the decision to retire is one that I have had some

Solanki scored over 18,000 first-class runs. His England spell included two hundreds

time to think about.” “I have been very fortunate to have played for two wonderful clubs as well as for England, and would like to thank everyone that has played a part in

my career for their help and support over the years,” he said. Solanki scored over 18,000 ﬁrst-class runs. His England spell included two hundreds and two

appearances at the 2007 World Twenty20 in South Africa. Surrey director of cricket Alec Stewart said: “Speaking on behalf of the Surrey dressing room, I would like to thank Vik for the massive contribution he has made and the positive impact he has had on everyone throughout his time here. “On a personal note I would like to congratulate him on an outstanding career and wish him all the very best in whatever may follow.” - AFP

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS England coach Bayliss wants end to Stokes row ahead of third ODI Bayliss has said his side must put the row surrounding Ben Stokes’s controversial dismissal behind them as they bid to get back on terms in their ODI series with Australia

LONDON: England coach Trevor Bayliss has said his side must put the row surrounding Ben Stokes’s controversial dismissal behind them as they bid to get back on terms in their One-day International series with Australia. Durham all-rounder Stokes has insisted he did not wilfully seek to obstruct the ﬁeld during England’s 64-run defeat at Lord’s on Saturday which put world champions Australia 2-0 up with three to play. The all-rounder became only the second England player to be given out ‘obstructing the ﬁeld’. Stokes, went down the pitch and played a Mitchell Starc delivery back to the left-arm fast bowler, who then aimed a powerful throw back in his direction as he tried for a run-out. As Stokes leaned back and turned to make his ground, the ball hit the batsman’s arm. Australia appealed and, after lengthy deliberation involving the third umpire, Stokes was given out, much to the anger of England captain Eoin Morgan, who tried to take the matter up with opposing skipper Steven Smith. When asked if it was time the in-

LET’S GET ON WITH IT: England coach Trevor Bayliss speaks to Jonny Bairstow during a training session at Old Trafford on Monday. Australia’s George Bailey arrives with his teammates for a net session at Old Trafford on Monday. – Reuters

I didn’t wilfully handle the ball, says Stokes LONDON: England allrounder Ben Stokes has said he did not wilfully handle the ball that led to his controversial dismissal for “obstructing the ﬁeld” in the second one-dayer against Australia on Saturday.

cident was put behind them, Bayliss said Monday: “Deﬁnitely. “I just thought it was two teams trying to win the match for their respective teams and playing with a bit of emotion. It’s good to see a bit of emotion in a match,” the Australian added. “They argue one way, we argue the other, let’s get on with it,” he said

“I didn’t put my hand there wilfully, it was purely out of human reaction to protect myself,” Stokes was quoted as saying by the British media. “But the decision was made, there’s nothing I can do but

ahead of Tuesday’s third One-day International (ODI) at Old Trafford. Natural instinct Australia batsman Aaron Finch, called up to the squad after David Warner suffered a broken thumb, added: “I didn’t really see it until the other day but it has divided a lot of opinions.

it wasn’t wilful whatsoever,” he added. “It’s one of those decisions where you can’t look back and have any regrets because it’s been made. “You can’t change what’s

“I mean if someone is throwing a ball at you your natural instinct would be to put your hand up and try and defend yourself, so Australia are within their rights to appeal but they don’t make the decisions. “You can’t change it, it’s time to move on from it I think.” England have rested wicket-

GOLF

Oman to make debut at Nomura Cup MUSCAT: Oman will make their debut in the Nomura Cup when one of the world’s most prestigious amateur team events will be hosted in the Middle East for the first time in October. Set to take place at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi from October 22 to 25, the Nomura Cup promises to be a thrilling showcase for golf in the Middle East and Oman has joined the other Arab nations in supporting the tournament by entering a team in what will be their first appearance at the biennial event. Some 22 countries have already entered the hotly anticipated tournament, with the field expected to expand to approximately 30 teams in the coming weeks, which would represent a record for the long-established event. Oman and the UAE will be joined in the fourday stroke play tournament at the stunning Kyle Phillips designed course by Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Lebanon and Saudi Arabi. Adel Zarouni, vice-chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation said: “As we get ever closer to the Nomura Cup teeing off at Yas Links, it is very gratifying for us at the Emirates Golf Federation to see that the number of countries which have confirmed the entries of their teams has risen to 22 and is still, hopefully, rising. “It is also encouraging that all the golf-playing Arab nations have committed to compete in the tournament, significantly Oman

STUNNING COURSE: A view of the picturesque Abu Dhabi Yas Links, the venue of the Nomura Cup

golf tournament. – Supplied photo

and Jordan, along with Bahrain, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and, of course, the UAE. “The widening interest in the Nomura Cup demonstrates the rapidly rising growth of golf throughout Asia and among the Arab states. I am sure Nomura Cup is going to be a ground-breaking event that will not only create greater involvement in amateur golf across Asia and, in fact, globally, it will also provide the opportunity for the UAE to showcase the emirates as a true worldwide golﬁng destination. “I’m certain that the friendly yet determined competition of the Nomura Cup will also show that the UAE not only plays the perfect host to some of the greatest professional tournaments in world golf, that it is able to also stage interna-

tional amateur events and spotlight the importance of effective and well run junior golf programmes.” The Nomura Cup began life in 1963 as tri-nation tournament in the Philippines when the host nation took on Japan and China. Today, there are 39 member countries affiliated to the Asia Paciﬁc Golf Confederation, supported by the R&A. The biennial tournament has been dominated by Australia, who have won the Cup ten times and Japan, who are seven times winners. The Aussies successfully defended their title at the 2013 Nomura Cup at Santiburi Country Club in Thailand, and they will be ﬁelding another strong team in Abu Dhabi in October, along with Japan, China and Korea. The 27th Nomura Cup will be

hosted in Abu Dhabi by the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) under the guidance of EGF Chairman, Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, and under the patronage of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. His Highness has had a strong inﬂuence in developing golf within the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and bringing prestigious events to the country. In hosting the 2015 Nomura Cup the EGF has taken another giant step in bringing this prestigious international amateur team event to the UAE, and in the process promoting golf in the region to countries throughout the Asia-Paciﬁc. Participating teams: Australia, Bahrain, China, Chinese Taipei, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Lao, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand and UAE.

happened. It’s just a shame it came to the uproar it has,” added Stokes, who is the ﬁrst from England and sixth player overall to be dismissed for obstructing the ﬁeld in a One-day International match. - Reuters

keeper Jos Buttler from the remainder of the series, with Jonny Bairstow called up in his place. “He’s been in form this year and deserves his opportunity. We’re looking forward to what he can do for us tomorrow,” said Bayliss. “We haven’t played to our potential in the two games. Australia have played well also and that

makes it difficult to play our own game. There are areas we need to improve in and we are looking to turn it around.” Finch, fit after several injuries problems of his own after helping Australia win the World Cup earlier this year, was looking forward to returning to international duty. “Being out of the game for a while through injuries gives you a lot of time to sit back and reflect on how lucky we are to play international cricket. “When you don’t get that chance for a couple of games it really hits home. It’s been quite frustrating not to be able get a run of games in a row coming back from a hamstring. I felt I was getting back into some good form, then to break my foot was another setback. It’s all part of the game. “That was the first time in 10 years that I’ve really missed any cricket through injury so I’m just excited to be back.” - AFP

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

SPORTS Calendar Slam at risk in Serena-Venus clash Exactly 14 years to the day after they met in their ﬁrst Grand Slam ﬁnal at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the sisters will return for their 14th career

IT’S NOT EASY: Serena Williams F I V E C L A S S I C A L L -W I L L I A M S M AT C H E S

Grand Slam meeting

NEW YORK: Serena Williams will play sister Venus for the 27th time as professional rivals in a US Open quarterfinal on Tuesday, but no prior matchup has had so much at history stake. World No. 1 Serena is three wins shy of completing the first calendar Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 and taking a 22nd Slam singles title to match Graf’s Open Era record, two shy of Margaret Court’s all-time mark. “I have to play Venus Williams next. I have to deal with that pressure first,” Serena said. “It’s not easy. I have to be really ready.” Exactly 14 years to the day after they met in their first Grand Slam final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the sisters will return for their 14th career Grand Slam meeting, one that might be the toughest hurdle between Serena and a rare feat she has not achieved. “I don’t think anyone wants to be a spoiler. I think people love to see history being made,” Venus said. “But at the same time, you’re focused on winning your match.” Serena, two years younger than Venus at 33, leads the Williams sibling rivalry 15-11 with an 8-5 edge in Grand Slam meetings, but they have split four US Open meet-

Here is a look at five of the most memorable clashes between Serena and Venus: 1998 Australian Open 2nd rd: Nowhere near a classic — it was a described as ‘sub-par’ by one newspaper — but noteworthy as it was the first meeting between the two sisters. Both appeared sporting beads in their hair. Venus, 17 at the time, triumphed 7-6 (7/4), 6-1 which was expected as she was ranked 16 in the world while 16-year-old Serena was down at 53. 2003 Australian Open final: One of the most dramatic finals between the sisters came in the heat of Melbourne, when Serena clinched the last Grand Slam title to elude her with a tensionfilled 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4 victory. It was only the sixth time a woman had held all four of Grand Slams at the same time, and the first since Steffi Graf in 1994. Venus made unwanted history as the first woman to lose four straight Grand Slam finals. 2008 Wimbledon final: Venus clinched her fifth Wimbledon title with a 7-5, 6-4 win in one of the few really high-quality clashes between the pair at the All England Club. Venus, 28, defied blustery conditions to become one of only four players to lift the trophy five times or more in the modern era. She sealed the historic victory when Serena fired a backhand wide, but her celebrations were muted as she hugged her sister at the net. 2009 Dubai semifinal: Venus beat top ranked Serena 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7/3) to take a 10-9 lead in the sibling rivalry. It was Venus’s fifth win in their last seven meetings but Serena earned plenty of plaudits as well for defying the pain of a knee injury that had forced her to retire from a tournament the previous week. It was only the second time a set had gone all the way to a tiebreak in their 19 career meetings to that point. 2009 Wimbledon final: Serena ended Venus’s two-year reign as Wimbledon champion with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 victory that secured her a third All England Club crown. It was the fourth time the sisters had met in a Wimbledon final, with Serena, who now held the Wimbledon, Australian and US Open crowns, winning three of those showpiece showdowns. The 27-year-old’s 11th career win over her sibling regained the Wimbledon title she won in 2002 and 2003, and shattered five-time champion Venus’s hopes of lifting the trophy for a third successive year. - AFP

ings, including Venus winning the 2001 ﬁnal and Serena taking a 2002 rematch. “The only player in the draw I don’t want to play, not only because she’s my sister, but for me she’s the best player,” Serena said. “She has beaten me so many times. She’s a player that knows how to win, knows how to beat me and knows

my weaknesses better than anyone.” Venus wants to add to a trophy collection that includes the 2000 and 2001 US Open and ﬁve Wimbledon titles, the most recent in 2008. “I would love to. But it’s easier said than done,” Venus said. “Even though you’re playing your sister you have to be prepared and focus. The preparation doesn’t change.”

Serena’s 32-match Grand Slam win streak includes a Wimbledon title run to complete a “Serena Slam” and make her the oldest major champion at age 33. Serena, whose first “Serena” Slam in 2002-03 came by beating Venus in four consecutive Slam finals, has won 25 US Open matches in a row since a 2011 final loss to Australian Samantha Stosur. “I would rather lose to Venus as opposed to anyone else,” Serena said. “I, in general, don’t like to lose. We play a lot. She plays similar. She’s fast. I’m fast. She hits hard. I hit hard. She serves big. I serve big. It’s like playing a mirror.” ‘She helped create me’ Serena credits Venus, her only practice partner for years as a child, for helping her become as successful as she is. “I think she helped create me, for sure. She always won. Like always. I just remember I never was able to beat her.” In their younger days, nerves and sisterly devotion made for some ugly matches, but maturity has created sibling spectacles. “It’s more fun than it used to be,” Serena said. “We really relish the opportunity. We’re both happy to still be involved in getting so far. And it’s still super intense. She’s doing well and she wants to win this. So do I. It’s not easy.” It’s only their fourth meeting since 2009. “It has been an amazing rivalry,” Serena said. “I think it has meant a lot. Venus and I have definitely proven that you can be enemies on the court and friends and sisters off the court.” Tuesday could be one of the last great moments in the epic rivalry. “It has helped the sport to grow because it has been such an unusual circumstance and so intriguing for everyone,” Venus said. “That’s what we always wanted growing up, just to be out there on the big stage duking it out when someone named Williams will win.” - AFP

NO CHANGE: Venus Williams said ‘even though you’re playing your sister you have to be prepared and focus’. – AFP

IMPOSSIBLE

I could never play my brother: Djokovic NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic tipped his hat to Serena and Venus Williams ahead of their 27th career meeting but admitted on Sunday he would find it impossible to play his own brother. The world No. 1 has two tennis-playing younger brothers — 24-year-old Marko and Djorde, who’s 20. Both play on the sport’s lowerlevel tours, which suits Djokovic just fine. That’s a luxury which neither Serena nor Venus can afford and they clash again on Tuesday for a place in the US Open semifinals with Serena chasing a calendar Grand Slam. “The first thing that comes to my mind is how would I feel to play my brother, and I don’t

IT’S STRANGE: Novak Djokovic. – Reuters

think that would be possible, honestly,” said Djokovic after reaching his 26th Grand Slam quarterﬁnal on Sunday. “In a way I admire what they’re

doing for so many years to play against each other on such a big stage. It’s strange. “They are sisters. They live together. They grew up together

playing tennis,” the Serbian said. “But I don’t know if I’ll be able to play my brother. It’s not possible. I would not be able to handle it on the court.” - AFP

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

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Hamilton departed the Italian Grand Prix circuit

I feel seriously strong now, with the way I’m driving. This weekend is the best I’ve driven. I’m really, really happy with how I’m driving

with a 53 point lead over Rosberg and seven races remaining. In simple maths, that means the Briton does not have to win again this season to join

Lewis Hamilton

Jackie Stewart as Britain’s only triple champions

TRIPLE GLORY MONZA: Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, a man with a strong interest in the title race staying open as long as possible, had feared Lewis Hamilton would have his third world title wrapped up by Monza. If the sport’s 84-year-old commercial supremo had only added the words ‘all but’ when he made the prediction before the season started, he would not have been far wrong on Sunday’s evidence. Hamilton departed the Italian Grand Prix circuit, performing a tyre burnout for the fans on his motorcycle as he left, with a 53 point lead over Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in the championship and seven races remaining. In simple maths, that means the Briton does not have to win again this season to join Jackie Stewart as Britain’s only triple champions. With 25 points for a win and 18 for a second place, Rosberg has to hope that Hamilton suffers some of the bad luck the German endured at Monza when his engine blew while in third place with two laps to go. Even that might not be enough. Looking at past performances, it appears to be all over bar the shouting — of which there is sure to be plenty sooner rather than later. The big question now is where will Hamilton clinch the championship, with the United States (round 16 of 19) or Mexico looking possible on current form as the chances of Abu Dhabi hosting another decider recede into the distance as fast as Rosberg’s hopes. Hamilton won ﬁve of the six races after Monza last year — Mexico not being on the calendar then — while Rosberg beat him only in Brazil, and even there the Briton ﬁnished second. Rosberg has never yet won

three races in a row, and only once in his career has he won a race in the second half of the season, and this season he has been battered like never before by his team mate. Hamilton, by contrast, has finished first or second in all but two races this season and it has now been more than a year since he last suffered a retirement. From Monza last year to this, he has won 13 times in 19 starts and his career success ratio currently works out at one win in every four races. All the signs point to him only growing in confidence, and even more determined to win. The sole wrong move he made all weekend was to fail to remove his headwear, covering his newly dyed blond locks, during a minute’s silence to the late British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson. As he explained later, he had intended no disrespect, he simply had not realised it was happening. “I feel seriously strong now, with the way I’m driving,” he said after his victory was confirmed following a stewards enquiry into low tyre pressures that could have taken away the 25 points. “This weekend is the best I’ve driven. I’m really, really happy with how I’m driving.” Hamilton was dominant at Monza — fastest in every practice session, on pole position for the 11th time in 12 races and setting the fastest lap on a ‘perfect weekend’. The next race is Singapore, where last year Hamilton started on pole, set the fastest lap and won. The Briton has every incentive to do that again — another win would take his career tally to 41 from 161 races, exactly the same number as his boyhood hero and late triple champion Ayrton Senna. - Reuters

Mercedes boss Wolff asks for clariﬁcation on tyre rules MONZA: Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has called for a clariﬁcation of the controversial rules surrounding tyre pressures and temperatures in the wake of Lewis Hamilton’s commanding victory in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton’s win, which hoisted him 53 points clear at the top of the drivers’ title race after teammate and title rival Nico Rosberg retired following an engine failure, had to remain provisional for nearly three hours after the race while the stewards reviewed claims that he had

started on a tyre set below the speciﬁed pressure limit for the race. Wolff, who also dismissed suggestions that Mercedes had deliberately taken advantage of the imprecise regulations, said the whole procedure needed an overhaul. His suggestion comes after two successive races in which Pirelli’s tyres came under scrutiny for entirely different reasons. In Belgium, two high-speed punctures raised alarms about safety, but on Sunday afternoon the focus was on the technical performance. Both Hamilton

and Rosberg’s cars were deemed to have started with tyres found to have pressures below the speciﬁed minimum when they were checked on the grid before the race. A report by the technical delegate Jo Bauer resulted in a lengthy stewards investigation before the race result was upheld, the stewards declaring that Mercedes had followed procedures as supervised by Pirelli for the safe use of the tyres. Rival teams said the infringement was so clear that Hamilton should have been disqualiﬁed. Wolff said the problems were

created through lack of precision, notably about when tyres are checked on the grid before a race begins. “The question is about the procedure,” said Wolff. “We check them when we put them on the car. You could say when is the moment you should actually check them? “Five minutes or eight minutes before? It is about deﬁning the procedure on when the tyres are checked in the future, so it’s the same for everybody.” Wolff denied that his team deliberately set pressures to meet the requirements at the

time of testing, but to drop below them — possibly to gain a performance advantage — by the start of the race. “I can absolutely rule that out,” he said. “We have worked the whole week after Spa with Pirelli in order to make the tyres safe. “We are very much part of trying to guide them on minimum tyre pressures and minimum camber, which we already had on our cars in Spa. “So I can rule out that we would try to gain an advantage in a way that is unscientiﬁc and uncontrollable.

“How do you measure how much a tyre pressure drops when you disconnect it? And why would you only have it on one tyre -- and with discrepancies between two cars?” He conﬁrmed that the team had asked Hamilton to push hard in the ﬁnal laps to open a bigger lead in case of penalties. “When we got the message that there was an investigation into tyre pressures, we didn’t understand what was going on so in order to gain a little bit of a margin we asked him to push,” he said. - AFP

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

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AT H L E T I C S

Bolt not to race again this year LONDON: Six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt has decided not to race again this year after his triple gold medal haul at last month’s world championships in China. “After the excitement of the past few weeks at the World T&F (Track & Field) Championships in Beijing I have decided not to race again in 2015,” Bolt wrote on his Facebook page.

He has opted to concentrate on the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. “I am already thinking about next year and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio where I will attempt to defend my titles in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m,” Bolt added. “I will enjoy a short break from training now to recharge before resuming background training next month.” - Reuters

WINNERS ALL: Winners in various categories pose for a group photo at the conclusion of the ISC Table Tennis Tournament. – Supplied photo

Kenneth steals the show Though P. Sai Saran put up a tremendous ﬁght, Kenneth went on to bag the crown with a 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8 win FINALISTS: Kenneth Vaz, right, and P. Sai Saran. – Supplied photo

MUSCAT: Indomitable Kenneth Vaz stole the show on the grand finals of the the Annual Table Tennis Tournament organised by the Indian Social Club Muscat and co-sponsored by Muscat Insurance Services (MIS) and Oman United Insurance Company (OUIC) capturing both the titles on offer and finishing with a haul of four titles. In the first final, the men’s singles contested by two talented

teenagers, Kenneth was a class apart and he not only gave a display of his talents but showed brilliant temperament together with a balanced mental approach. His challenger for the title, P. Sai Saran put up a tremendous ﬁght and even pulled back the fourth game before Kenneth outlasted him to recapture the men’s singles crown with a brilliant 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8 victory.

Watched by chief guest Mrs. Neelu Rohra, Second Secretary at Embassy of India, ISC ViceChairman C.M. Sardar, guest of honour R. Murali, R. Subramanian of Muscat Insurance Services and office bearers of the ISC, Sai Saran rallied from 3-7 down in the ﬁrst game to seven-all and took the ﬁght to Kenneth who held on to win it. Sai Saran led 7-3 in the second game but became tentative as

Kenneth levelled at 8-all and went 2-0 ahead. Kenneth won the third game with ease but Sai Saran fought back to win the fourth. 8-2 up in the fifth and Kenneth was all set claim the title. Sai Saran saved four match points but Kenneth has other tricks up his sleeve and wrapped up the game and the men’s singles title. Kenneth and Sai Saran then joined hands to win the men’s doubles title. In the final, Kenneth and Sai Saran showed good understanding and sound teamwork to shrug off deficits in the first two games and put the pressure on the top ranked team of Suhail Khan and Srinivas Laxman who looked rusty and were outdone by the teenagers who captured the men’s doubles title with a straight games 11-9, 13-11, 11-8, 11-6 triumph. Kenneth Vaz and P. Sai Saran also won the junior doubles title defeating Subash Pillai and Armaan Sattikar 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 in the last league encounter. Kenneth and Sai Saran captured four titles each. FOOTBALL

ISC SOHAR HOSTS CHESS AND CARROM TOURNEYS

The Indian Social Club (ISC) Sohar successfully organised the sixth Chess and Carrom Tournament at Safeer Mall in Sohar on Friday. The twin events featured entries in various categories including children of various age groups, men and women and the doubles event in carrom. Valliammai Sarvanan and Dr. Samskriti Shenoy won the women’s chess and carrom titles respectively. In the men’s section, Anantha K Rajamani and Shahbaz Ansari took the top honours in the chess and carrom events respectively. Rahul and A. Yogeshwar emerged winners in the chess for children while Panshul Humad and Aryan Ranjan won the carrom titles. All the winners were presented with certiﬁcate, a commemorative medal and gifts sponsored by Safeer Mall. — Supplied photos

Australia to play Kyrgyzstan in Canberra SYDNEY: Asian champions Australia will play their fifth opening round World Cup qualifier against Kyrgyzstan in Canberra on Nov. 12, Football Federation Australia (FFA) said on Monday. The Socceroos, who won their opening two qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh and face Tajikistan in their third on Wednesday, will play their first match in the national capital for four years. Canberra does not have a team on the domestic top flight A-League but attracted good crowds for matches in January’s Asian Cup, which Australia won. “This is a rare opportunity for the football community and sports fans to see the Socceroos in action so I encourage everyone to support the investment and support the Socceroos in November,” Capital Football chief executive Heather Reid. - Reuters

BIG EVENT

Khimji Paints celebrates football league MUSCAT: Khimji Paints, part of the KR Infra Group, sponsored one of the largest football tournaments in Oman titled The Samail Ramadhan Football Tournament 2015 in the Wilayat of Samail recently. The company’s sponsorship forms part of its commitment towards developing the talent of Omani youth to help shape them for better education and employment prospects. Commenting on Khimji Paints’ support, General Manager Mangaldas R Kamat said: “Khimji Paints is working towards becoming the most committed paint company in Oman that supports football.” “We have been supporting the

sport every year because we want to connect with the younger generation through their most favourite sport, which, of course, is football,” he added.

He added that the company supported such events in order to employ the participating, young Omani talents and, in doing so, provide them a platform for ca-

reer opportunities. The Samail football tournament kicked off on June 5 with Al Muatasim bin Hamoud Al Zadjali, Head of Oman Tennis Association, as the guest of honour. A total of 24 teams battled it out on field in 51 matches held at two different grounds — Samail Club playground and Fanja. The final round was held under the auspices of Abdullah Al Sarmi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Higher Education. The finalists –Al Rasheed and Al Shabab teams – faced off in a tough match that was held at Fanja amidst a three-thousand strong crowd of spectators.

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T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

Dining WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

Party with Peanuts BY PALLAVI NIGAM PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHABIN E

handful of peanuts make a perfect snack but this week let’s get ‘nutty’ with some mouth-watering peanut desserts. Peanuts remind me of the French movie, The Peanut Butter Solution, I had watched as a child. In the movie, an 11-year-old boy loses all his hair after being frightened by ghosts. A few friendly ghosts suggests him to brew a magic potion with peanut butter and grow his hair. The boy in greed uses too much of peanut butter and his hair grows non-stop. Watch the movie if you haven’t while you relish these sweet surprises.

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

LIFESTYLE CHOCOLATE PEANUT SQUARES Ingredients Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;ĂźĂşĂş!Ĺ&#x2014; /.. ,Ä&#x2026;Ĺ&#x2014; # Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;ĂťĂşĂş!Ĺ&#x2014; -. ,Ĺ&#x2014;-/! , Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ă˝ĂşĂş!Ĺ&#x2014;- & Ĺ&#x2014;, #-#(!Ĺ&#x2014;Ăł)/, Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;ĂžĂşĂş'&Ĺ&#x2014; )#& Ĺ&#x2014; )( (- Ĺ&#x2014;'#&% Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;ĂťĂźĂż!Ĺ&#x2014;- &. Ĺ&#x2014;* (/.Ä&#x2026;Ĺ&#x2014;,)/!"&3Ĺ&#x2014; ")** Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;ĂźĂşĂş!Ĺ&#x2014;'#&%Ĺ&#x2014; ") )& . Ä&#x2026;Ĺ&#x2014; ,)% (Ĺ&#x2014; Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;#(.)Ĺ&#x2014;*# -

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PEANUT BUTTER MUFFINS

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Ingredients Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;270g soft unsalted butter Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;250g caster sugar Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;4 eggs Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;100g peanut butter Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;250g self-raising ďŹ&#x201A;our Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Â˝ tsp bicarbonate of soda Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Â˝ tsp salt Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;2tbsp whole milk

Ingredients Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;1 Âź cup sugar Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;200g soft butter Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;1 egg Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;1 cup peanut butter smooth Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;1tsp vanilla essence Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Â˝ tsp salt Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Â˝ tsp baking soda Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;1 Â˝ cups ďŹ&#x201A;our Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;1tbsp toasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Preparation Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Pre heat the oven at 170Â°C. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Beat butter, till really smooth and ďŹ&#x201A;uffy. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Add sugar and beat till smooth mixture. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Add eggs, one by one, and continue beating till you get a nice smooth mixture. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Add peanut butter and mix properly. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Sift in the ďŹ&#x201A;our with the bicarbonate of soda. Fold in very gently. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Add milk and mix properly. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Line the baking tray with cupcake liners, ďŹ ll till 2/3rd and bake for 22 minutes. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Let it cool completely before scooping out the icing.

Preparation Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Pre heat the oven at 180Â°C. Butter the baking tray and line it up with baking parchment. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;In a large bowl, beat the butter and the sugar till really smooth. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Add the egg and keep beating. Then add the peanut butter and vanilla essence until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Now sift in the ďŹ&#x201A;our, salt and baking soda. Fold in very gently. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Roll the dough into small balls and then gently roll on well. Spread Âź cup of sugar. Ä&#x160;Ĺ&#x2014;Ĺ&#x2014;Place on the baking sheet and ďŹ&#x201A;atten with hands. Top it up with roughly chopped toasted peanut ďŹ&#x201A;akes. Bake for about 15 minutes.

Pallavi Nigam

Pallavi Nigam completed her culinary education at ICIF in Italy and worked as a chef for Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. She is now based in Muscat where she writes recipes and takes cooking classes. Contact her: pallavi_nigam@hotmail.com twitter @pallavizza pallavizza.com

PHOTOGRAPHY: SHABIN E

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

LIFESTYLE

Michelin-starred Indian Chef Vikas Khanna, who visited Oman a fortnight ago to shoot four episodes on Omani cuisine for his travel and food show – Twist of Taste, was totally spellbound by Oman’s natural beauty and unique cuisine

he pomegranates at Jebel Akhdar made him go on a selfie spree, the layers of majestic, rugged mountains all around sent him in a tizzy, and the sight of a lonesome date palm loaded with Khalas dates compelled him to disrupt traffic to bring out the poet in him… Chef Vikas Khanna’s recent weeklong sojourn in Oman, he admitted, was nothing short of a midsummer night’s dream in Arabia. The Michelin-starred chef, who visited Oman for the very first time in his life, was simply bowled over by the Sultanate’s natural beauty as well as the typical produce available in the countryside which find their way into Omani kitchens and get transformed into delicacies to die for. Though conversant with Middle-Eastern cuisine, he was, indeed, taken aback by the simplicity of Omani cuisine which can be prepared with a handful of ingredients to appeal to varied palates. The popular host of Masterchef India and cookbook writer, Vikas Khanna, we discovered, is a down-to-earth, culinary maverick for whom cooking is not a profession, rather an intoxicating obsession that defines his very persona. He doesn’t need a well-stocked well-equipped five-star kitchen to display his prowess with food, just three stones to form a hearth and

Twist of Taste

an iron wok in a country courtyard are enough for him to churn out magic within minutes as he carries one key ingredient with him everywhere he goes – creativity. Chef Khanna, who runs a popular Indian restaurant in New York called Junoon had come to Oman to shoot four episodes on Omani cuisine for Season V of the travel and food show Twist of Taste that will be soon telecast on Fox Life (a popular travel & lifestyle channel in India). “My show is all about visiting someone’s kitchen, seeing how a certain dish is prepared and then switching to my own kitchen where I take the same dish and

create something new inspired by it. If I eat Shuwa here, I can turn it into something totally new…” he said pointing out to a photo on his phone where Shuwa was used as a stuffing enclosed by three wraps of spinach, purple cabbage, and pita bread, to create something like a swiss roll cut into slices. “Don’t, call it improvisation, I hate that word,” he yells to our suggestion, adding “I give every dish my own version.” So then, shall we say, just like the Midas Touch, he gives every dish a ‘Vikas Touch’, we ask, and he nods in approval, however, adding with a wink, that he often lands up with brickbats.

The four episodes of ‘Twist of Taste’ dealing with Omani cuisine will showcase some popular Omani dishes and Chef Khanna’s own twist for each. These include Shuwa, Mansheb (rice cooked with fish and a coconut broth), Laham Harees, Madruba (mashed chicken and porridge dish), Mishkak – skewered meat grilled on charcoal, Mashuai (spit- roasted kingfish served with lemon rice), Omani Halwa, Rukhal bread, and Beans and Potato Marak. This initiative, which received able support from the Ministry of Tourism and local partners, was shot on location at Bait Al Luban restaurant, Al Saifi Halwa Factory, Kargeen Cafe, and Bait Al Bilad.

Talking about some of his whacky creations, Chef Khanna reveals how he recently created a meringue resembling a middle-eastern turban with a subtle crackling crust over a sweet tense mango sago with a volcano inside and a surprising Sicilian pistachio crumble at the core. He also disclosed that during his trip to Jebel Akhdar, he went crazy

H U B E R T

V A Z

over the sight of ripe pomegranates on trees and went on a spree of clicking selﬁes with the fruits while the sight of lone date tree loaded with fresh Khalas dates made him stop the traffic en route to revel in the very sight of the tree. “No one will understand what I felt at the sight of fresh Khalas dates on a tree. “We see them in the market, but encountering the very source in the desert was something inexplicable,” he said adding that it prompted him to pen down a meaningful line: The fruits of those who endure the most suffering become the sweetest… Surprises and Twists Chef Khanna admitted that he had very little perception of Oman as a country and knew that he would be in for a big surprise. “Pictures don’t do justice to Oman. I’m sorry, but I feel, nobody has taken proper pictures of Oman. Besides, pictures cannot offer the three-dimensionality of any destination.” Being totally overwhelmed by the beauty and positive vibes that he received all over Oman, Chef Khanna disclosed that he cancelled a shoot in a house near Jebel Akhdar and strayed into the countryside to do a cooking demonstration, creating a crude hearth out of three stones under a tree, out in the open. About giving a twist to the dishes chosen for the show, Chef Khanna

said he tried to give a twist to all of the dishes, but could not reveal them as it was something that the producers of the show would not like to reveal in advance. However, he admitted that all of the twists are pleasant and made with local ingredients. He was particularly impressed by the use of saffron, rose water and cardamom in so many dishes and beverages prepared in Oman, asserting that the availability of ingredients is what usually governs cuisines all over the world. Diner Driven Food Chef Khanna believes that there are two ways chefs create recipes for restaurants – the diner driven food and the chef driven food. “A chef has an opportunity to cook for his diners only when the diners begin to trust him,” he explained adding that all popular recipes need to be prepared in the authentic way only if diners are comfortable with it. There is no point in preparing dishes that have no takers, hence chefs need to keep the tastes of their diners uppermost in their minds, he asserted. Given a chance to come back to Oman, Chef Khanna would love to come back to spend more time exploring the terrain, meeting locals and learning more aspects about their cuisine and the cultural traditions surrounding it. hubert@timesofoman.com

PHOTO: SUPPLIED

B Y

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T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

FIND-IT-ALL CINEMA SCHEDULE

PRAYER TIMINGS

@SHATTI

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SHATTI The Transporter Refueled (PG12) (Action, Crime) Cast : Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol 3:45, 7:45, 9:45, 11:45 pm Welcome Back (Comedy, Crime) (Hindi) Cast: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia 2:15, 8:45 pm Purgatory (Horror, Mystery) (TBC) Cast: Emilio Rivera, Taylor Nichols 2:00, 11:45 pm Barbie Rock ‘N Royals (Animation)(PG) Voice Overs : Kelly Sheridan, Chiara Zanni 2:00, 5:15 pm Hitman – Agent 47 (Action, Crime)(PG12) Cast : Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware 5:45, 9:30, 11:30 pm Southpaw (Action, Drama)(15+) Cast : Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams 3:35, 7:00 pm Phantom (Action, Drama)(HINDI) PG Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif 6:00 pm

12:30 & 9:30 PM Southpaw (Action) (12+) Cast : Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams

MUSCAT GRAND MALL The Transporter Refueled 2D (Action, Crime, Thriller ) (PG12) Cast: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol 3:00, 5:00, 10:00 & 11:55PM Gold Class : 2:15, 9:15 & 11:15PM The Games Maker 3D (Family) (PG) Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Cavanagh 10:45AM & 3:00PM Barbie in Rock ‘N Royals 2D (Animation) (PG) Cast : Kelly Sheridan, Chiara Zanni 10:00AM, 11:40AM & 1:15PM Gold Class : 12:30PM Hitman: Agent 47 2D (Action, Crime) (PG12) Cast : Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware 1:00, 7:00 & 11:45PM Gold Class : 4:15PM Welcome Back 2D (Comedy, Crime,

2:00, 5:15 pm Barbie Rock N Royals (Animation)(PG) Voice Overs: Kelly Sheridan, Chiara Zanni

Drama) (TBC) Cast: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham,Dimple Kapadia 7:00PM Gold Class: 6:15PM Lila & Eve 2D (Drama, Thriller) (12+) Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Shea Whigham 5:15PM Southpaw 2D (Action, Drama, Sport ) (15+) Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams 12:30 & 9:30PM Phantom 2D (Action, Drama, Thriller) (PG) Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif 9:00PM

12:00, 1:30, 2:15 PM (PG) The Games Maker – 3D (PG) Adv, Family Cast - Joseph Fiennes, Tom Cavanagh 12:00, 3:00 PM Dynamite – 2D (PG) Action, Romance Cast - Vishnu Manchu, Pranitha Subhash 5:00 PM Purgatory – 2D (12+)Horror, Mystery Cast - Emilio Rivera, Taylor Nichols 12:45, 6:15 PM Savaale Samaali – 2D (PG) Action, Drama Cast - Ashok Selvan, Bindu Madhavi 7:45 PM Welcome Back – 2D (TBC) Comedy, Crime Cast - Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia 12:30, 2:00, 7:45, 10:30 PM

AZAIBA The Transporter Refueled - 2D Action Cast: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol 3:30, 7:15, 9:15, 11:15 PM (PG12) Hitman: Agent 47 – 2D (PG12) Action Cast: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware 5:15, 10:05, 11:55 PM Phantom - 2D (PG) Action, Drama, Thriller Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif 5:00, 7:40, 9:15 PM Loham – 2D (TBC) Action Cast: Mohanlal, Andrea Jeremiah, Siddique 4:00 PM Barbie in Rock ‘N Royals – 2D Animation

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

15:00 15:00 15:00

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

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

Daily

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

Sur Sur

Daily Daily

Fahud Yibal

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

10:30 11:15

Daily Daily

20:00 20:30 23:30 07:40

Marmul

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

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

07:00

Daily

08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

15:00

Salalah

07:00

Daily

10:50 13:40 16:15 19:10 18:45 21:35

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 07:30 07:30 13:00 13:00 15:30 15:30

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

11.45 13.30 14.00

STAR CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

Loham (Mal) ( Act ) Cast: Mohanlal, Andrea & Renji Panikkar 9:30 pm at Cinema Main; 3-45 pm Cinema-3; 6-30 pm Cinema-2 Thani Oruvan (Tamil) ( Act\Drama ) Cast: Jayam Ravi, Nayanthara & Arvind Swami 3-30 pm Cinema Main; 6-45 & 9-45 pm Cinema-3 Savaale Samaali (Tamil) (Rom/Act) Cast Ashok Selvan & Bindu Madhvi 6-45, 9-45 pm Cinema-4 Paayam Puli (Tamil) (Rom/Drama) Cast: Vishal & Kajal Agarwal 6-30 pm Cinema Main; 3-45 pm Cinema 4 ; 9-30 pm at Cinema -2 Dynamite (Telugu) (Act) Cast: Manchu Vishnu, pranitha & Achu 3-30 pm at Cinema 2 Next Change: Double Barrel (Mal) Yatchan (Tamil) Programmes are subject to change

SOFI S. HUSSAIN A. September 8

KALEN STAN D’CRUZ September 8, 2012

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

50-85%

DHEER MIHIR GANDHI September 8, 2008 Send us a colour photograph of the child (below 16 years) whose birthday you are celebrating, along with his/her full name, date of birth, address, telephone number and parents’/your name to Times of Oman, With Love, PO Box 770, PC 112, Ruwi or through e-mail to 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) Daily Daily Daily Daily

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)

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (ROUTE 62) 06:30 06:30

Minimum

SALALAH Hitman Agent 47 (2D) (PG12) (Action) 10:05AM, 12:15, 11:55PM The Transporter Refueled (2D) (Action) 10:45AM, 1:15, 7:15, 9:30, 11:45 PM (PG12) Barbie in Rock ‘N Royals (2D) (PG) (Animation) Voice Overs: Kelly Sheridan, Chiara Zanni 10:15, 11:45AM, 4:00PM Welcome Back (2D) (TBC) (Comedy/Crime/) 4:00, 9:00, 11:15PM Cast: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia No Escape (2D) (12+) (Action/Thriller) Cast: Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Owen Wilson 12:30, 3:00, 7:40 PM Purgatory (2D) (12+) (Horror/Mystery) Cast: Emilio Rivera, Taylor Nichols 2:30, 5:45PM Phantom (2D) (PG) (Hindi) (Action/Drama) 6:45PM Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif, Rajesh Tailang The Games Maker (3D) (PG) (Adventure) 10:15AM, 2:00PM Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Cavanagh, Megan Charpentier Dynamite (2D) (PG) (Telugu) (Action) Cast: Vishnu Manchu, Pranitha Subhash, J. D. Chakravarthy 5:00PM

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 07:30 14:30

39 30

No Escape (Action/ Thriller ) Cast: Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Owen Wilson 2.00 & 6.00 pm CP No: 2278 ( 12+ ) Transporter Refueled (Action/Thriller/Crime) Cast: Ed skrein, Ray Stevenson, Gabriella Wright 4.00, 8.00, 10.00 & 11.55 pm CP No: 2280 ( PG 12) Purgatory (Drama/ Horror) Cast: Oona Chaplin, Sergi Mendes, Ana Fernades 10.00 & 11.55 pm CP No: 2283 ( 12+ ) Lila & Eve ( Drama / Thriller ) Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Shea Whigham, Viola Davis 4.00 & 8.00 pm CP No: 2284 ( 12+ ) Barbie Rock ‘N Royals: ( Animation) Voice Overs: Kelly Sheridan, Chiara Zanni, Bethani Brown 2.00 & 6.00 pm CP No: 2277 ( PG )

WITH LOVE

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54) 08:00 08:00

08:55 Daily 11:40 Daily 20:20 Daily via Ibri 14:55 Daily 17:40 Daily 19:20 Daily 22:15 Daily

BURAIMI The Transporter Refueled– 2D (Action) 4:45, 8:15, 10:00, 11:45PM (PG12) Hitman: Agent 47 – 2D (Action, Crime) (12+) Cast: Rupert Friend, Zachary Quinto 6:30, 9:45PM Barbie Rocks N Royals– 2D (Animation) 5:45PM Let Us Pray – 2D (Action / Thriller) (18+) Cast: Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Owen Wilson 4:30, 11:30PM Phantom – 2D (Action / Thriller) (PG) 6:10PM Paayum Puli – 2D (Action) (12+) Cast: Vishal Krishnan, Kajal Aggarwal 7:15PM Welcome Back – 2D (Action / Thriller) (TBC)

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 20:50

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54) 14:30 14:30

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

Daily Daily Daily

Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Cavanagh 2:45, 4:45 PM Barbie in Rock ‘N Royals - 2D (PG) Cast : Kelly Sheridan, Chiara Zanni 2:00, 3:40 PM Purgatory - 2D (12+) Horror, Mystery Cast: Emilio Rivera, Taylor Nichols 2:00, 10:20, 11:55 PM A Walk in the Woods - 2D (15+) Adventure Cast: Robert Redford, Nick Nolte 3:30, 5:30 PM

WEATHER

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (ROUTE 36) Quriyat Sur Jaalan

SOHAR Hitman: Agent 47 - 2D (PG12) Action, Crime, Cast: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware 6:45, 10:00, 11:45 PM Phantom - 2D (H) (PG) Action, Drama Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif 7:35 PM Loham - 2D (M) (PG) Action Cast: Mohanlal, Andrea Jeremiah, Siddique 5:15, 7:30pm The Transporter Refueled - 2D Action Cast: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol 2:30, 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 PM (PG12) Welcome Back - 2D (TBC) Comedy, Crime Cast: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia 4:30, 8:30, 11:20 PM The Games Maker - 3D (PG) Adventure

Film information 24540856 / Advance Booking 24540855 Website: www.albahjacinemaoman.com

SUR The Transporter Refueled (Action) (PG12) Cast: Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol 5:30, 10:00, 11:45 PM Hitman: Agent 47 (Action) (PG12) Cast: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware 9:45 PM The Game Maker (3D) (Adventure) (PG) Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Tom Cavanagh 5:00 PM Barbie in Rock ‘N Royals (PG) Cast: Kelly Sheridan, Chiara Zanni 4:00 PM Welcome Back (Hindi) (Comedy) (TBC) Cast: Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, John Abraham, Dimple Kapadia 7:15, 11:30 PM Phantom (Hindi) (Action | Drama) (PG) Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Katrina Kaif, Rajesh Tailang 7:15 PM

3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Welcome Back (Comedy) – TBC Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Hassan, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Paresh Rawal

The Transporter Refueled (Action) - PG12 Cast: Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson 6.45 PM Screen 3 Brothers (Drama/ Sports) – 12+ Cast: Akshay Kumar, Jackie Shroff 3.45, 6.45 PM The Transporter Refueled (Action) - PG12 Cast: Ed Skrein, Ray Stevenson, Gabriella 9.45 PM

RUWI Screen 1 Welcome Back (Comedy) - TBC Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Hassan, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Paresh Rawal 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Screen 2 Phantom (Action) – PG Cast: Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif 3.45, 9.45 PM

LONG DISTANCE BUS TIMINGS (OMAN NATIONAL TRANSPORT COMPANY SAOC) *SUBJECT TO CHANGE

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

3:30, 7:15, 9:15, 11:15 PM The Transporter Refueled - 2D (Action/Crime/Thriller) (PG12) Cast : Ed Skrein, Loan Chabanol, Ray Stevenson

BAHJA CINEMA

Cast: John Abraham, Shruti Hassan 8:45, 11:30PM

@RUWI

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68. www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman

Destination

12.10pm 3.37pm 6.24pm 7.35pm 4.34am

CHILDREN BELOW THE AGE OF 3 YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THE CINEMA | BOX-OFFICE COUNTER OPENS 30-MINUTES PRIOR TO THE SCREENING OF THE FIRST SHOW

@MGM

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

Afghanistan Algeria Bahrain Bangladesh Brazil Brunei China Cyprus Egypt France Germany India Indonesia Iran Iraq Italy Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya South Korea Kuwait

24698 791/4 24605 593 24 605 074/133 24 698 660 24640100 24 603533 24 696782 24 699815 24 600 982/411 24681 800 24835000 24684500 2469 1050 24 696 944/7 24603642 24693727 24 601 028 24692760/1/3 24 692418 24 697664 24 691490 24 699628

Lebanon Libya Malaysia Morocco Nepal Netherlands Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia Saudi Arabia Senegal Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Switzerland Syria Tanzania Thailand Tunisia Turkey UAE United Kingdom United States Yemen

24 693208 24603466 24698329/643 24696152/3 24696177 24603706 24603439 24601312 24605335 24 691 153/2/4 24602894 24601705 24694139 24697977 24647300 24691101 24697841/2 24697875 24603267 24697904 24601 174 24 602684/5 24603486 24697050/1/2 24400000 24609000 24643400 24600815

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi Salalah Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya Muscat, A Seeb Market Muscat, Al Khuwair Muscat, Al Hail South Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre 24485052 Atlas Hospital Ruwi 24811743/ Ghubra 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi 24563641 Azaiba 24499269 Sohar 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre,

Hamriya 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb 24420740 Ceregem National Raak 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic 24563217 Elixir Health Centre 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre 24472274 Hamdan Hospital 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar 26751128 MBD 24799077 Al Khuwair 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC 22004000 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours) 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot 24704455 Air Arabia 24700828 Air France 24562153 Air India 24799801

Air New Zealand 24700732 Biman Bangladesh Airlines 24701128 British Airways 24568777 Cathay Pacific 24789818 Egypt Air 24794113 Emirates Air 24404400 Ethiopian Airlines 24660313 Gulf Air 80072424 Indian 24791914 Iran Air 24787423 Japan Airlines 24704455 Jazeera Airways 23294848 Jet Airways 24787248 Kenya Airways 24660300 KML Royal Dutch Airlines 24566737 Kuwait Airways 24701262 LOT Polish Airlines 24796387 Lufthansa 24796692 Malaysian Airlines 24560796 Middle East Airlines 24796680 Oman Air 24531111 Pakistan International Airlines 24792471 Qatar Airways 24771900 Qantas 24559941 Royal Jordanian 24796693 Saudi Arabian Airlines 24789485 Singapore Airlines 24791233 Shaheen Air 24816565 SriLankan Airlines 24784545 Swiss International Airlines 24796692 Thai Airways 24705934

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

C11

LIFESTYLE OW KN UR YO ICE SP

Cardamom B Y

S W A T I

D A S G U P T A

WHAT’S IT?

Cardamom is the third most expensive spice of the world after saffron and vanilla, and is available throughout the year. There are three different types of cardamom — green cardamom, black cardamom and Madagascar cardamom. Black cardamom have a smoky ﬂavour and hence its used mostly in savoury dishes. Green cardamom are more aromatic and are used in desserts and sweets. The essential oil of cardamom is also used for ﬂavouring.

HISTORY

Cardamom was used by Egyptians and they chewed cardamom seeds as a tooth cleaner. It was used as perfumes by the Greeks and Romans. It is a spice native to the Middle East, North Africa, and Scandinavia. Coffee with cardamom ﬂavour is prepared by grinding coffee beans and cardamom pods together and then boiling the mixture. Serving cardamom coffee is a symbol of Arab hospitality. In Europe this spice is not much in use except for some biscuits and cookies. It is said that the world’s best cardamom comes from Kerala in India.

COOKING WITH IT

Cardamom pods are fat, green and full of seeds. A small pinch of this powder gives great ﬂavour. Black cardamoms have big seeds. Buy cardamom when in pods. The seeds lose their ﬂavour when ground. It goes well when added to chicken, lentils, coffee, curries, duck, meat, oranges, peas, and rice. Sauté them in oil and then simmer with basmati rice to make pilaf. Make cardamom tea or use it to preserve lemons. Cut lemons and rub salt on them. Add cardamom pods and store in a jar. swati@timesofoman.com

FOOD NOTE

BRIEF

West Aware of Indian Palate, Not its Spectrum

When we Indian ourselves don’t know so many dishes which are made across the country, how can we expect the Westerners to know about it?

CHEF RANVEER BRAR says “the West doesn’t know much about Indian cuisine except for a fixed menu of maximum 10 dishes. Most Indian restaurants outside have copied and pasted those fixed dishes there. “They are aware and have the palate for Indian food, but don’t know the spectrum of our food. When we Indian ourselves don’t know so many dishes which are made across the country, how can we expect the Westerners to know about it?,” Brar told reporters recently. The MasterChef India 4 judge believes that in the West, the trick is to understand the palate. “First, you need to understand the palate there and what they eat,

what is famous there and their kind of ﬂavours.” Del Monte announced the winner of its ‘Del Monte Italian Escapades’ contest, which had the consumers and food bloggers from across India contributing their unique pasta recipes. The recipes were shortlisted and judged by Brar, who recreated six recipes too. He also chose the recipe sent in by the contest winner Samina Patel. Delighted to be associated with Del Monte for the event, Brar said: “Italian cuisine has come a long way in India. Initially, the cuisine was relished by the urban Indians at ﬁne-dining places. “Now a large section of our society prepares it at home, and

not just for special occasions but as a day-to-day meal. I am pleased to see the enthusiasm that the participants have showered. It was indeed difficult to choose the best recipe and finally one winner out of the 185 recipes that the contest received.” Speaking about the idea behind the contest, the 37-year-old celebrity chef shared that there is a need to give exposure to the home-cooked food. “If a chef makes your recipe, in today’s date it is a good thing. That it’s your recipe that is coming out and being cooked by a chef. We are just giving the people their due. “Any kitchen that cooks at home

with minimum resources needs to be given the respect and appreciation. “As chefs, we start cooking with 40 to 50 different ingredients in front of us, with different spices, pastas at our disposal... so we need to bring this under the limelight, talk about it and encourage the scenario,” he said. Brar says we are becoming a “very chef-driven society for some reason”. “The home makers have been cooking for a very long time, yet they believe that the chef makes better food. Personally, I would disagree. I have just an experience of 20 years in cooking, but my mother has been cooking for say 40 years,” he said. — IANS

Canadian Fast-Food Chain Caters to Indian Tastes Fancy a submarine sandwich with astonishing options of sauces and breads catering to the Indian palate with a blend of exotic fusion? A Canadian sandwich chain is offering you just that at its first Indian outlet in the national capital. Mr. Sub also offers you Asian flavours like Indonesian sambal sauce and some from further afar - like a Mexican patty. It also enables you explore an achari chicken tikka and choose from chipotle bread to five grain bread, among others and from kasundi mustard to much, much more. This international chain work closely with local chefs to provide a balanced and exotic taste. Mr. Sub is especially known for its freshly baked bread and cookies, healthy ingredients and customising each order with different bread and sauces options to the customer’s satisfaction. “We want our customer to enjoy the food without worrying what’s inside and trying to create a happy environment for the customers,” Arnav Saluja, Chairman of Beverly Food & Beverages that has brought the brand to India, told IANS. “Our menu has been 95 per cent customised for Indian market, keeping local tastes in mind,” he added. The brand hopes to establish 30-45 outlets in the Delhi-NCR region by the end of March 2016. Travelling the different path, Mr. Sub has come up with some hot and spicy fillings like spicy sambal veggie/chicken meat balls and curried soya. The Indian-Indonesian fusion is evident in the sambal sauce with red paprika. Its spicy taste makes it a not-to-miss sandwich. The pizza sub is another must have sub for non-veggies. “Giving what the customer wants is the main mantra. — IANS

C12

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8, 2 0 1 5

LIFESTYLE E ONDIENT E R ING YS WA E V FI

JUICE IT

TOSS IT

Squeeze it in soups, sauces, and drinks. It adds zing to the ﬂavours. Lemon juice is also useful in macerating berries and tenderising meat.

Add in salads, vegetables, and pasta, and get a tastier version of your mundane meal.

RUB IT Rub on steak, chicken, and ﬁsh and get rid of the raw smell.

ZEST IT The zest contains lemon oil, where the flavours are found. It is useful when you just want to add flavour, but not the juice. Lemon zest goes well with bitter, sweet and piquant flavours.

BAKE IT Lemons can be baked with cakes, muffins, and snacks.

LEMON

hen life gives you lemon make the most of it. Whether it’s the juice, the pulp, or the rind, this essential citrus fruit has plenty of culinary uses for its distinctive sour taste. This week it’s all about lemon love.

IN THE NEWS

How Luxurious Can Fried Food Get? Meet the $200 Tempura Omakase It might not seem this way, but it’s very difficult to pull consistently golden, seemingly greaseless things from a vat of hot oil. Masao Matsui, the chef who previously commanded the fryers at Tempura Orikawa in Tokyo, had been at it for over 40 years when he joined the Japanese restaurant group America Ootoya to open a tempura counter in Manhattan. Ootoya is a chain (with four locations in New York) where you can generally rely on large portions of Japanese comfort food, like fried meat cutlets on rice, for less than $20. But with their new restaurant, Tempura Matsui, the group is setting its sights on ﬁne dining, offering a $200 tempura omakase. Shin Kato, who opened the restaurant with Matsui over a month ago, is now running the show. He works with an assistant, drawing shrimp through the oil between long chopsticks, just moments before placing them in front you. But before you get to the fried

stuff, there’s a cup of delicate, slippery junsai — the tangy, jellyenrobed shoots, and seed pods of an aquatic plant — along with a few globs of sea urchin. There are cold folds of fresh tofu skin, too, and a tiny bite of braised octopus with the threaded, meaty texture of a slowcooked short rib. Chawan-mushi, the Japanese-

style egg custard served here with a hidden layer of red rice and sea bream, is fantastic, wobbling, warm. Many of the tempura pieces are masterfully fried, including the cluster of tender fava beans under a crisp seethrough veil, and the thick piece of king crab. The setup for the 10 or so tempura courses, which arrive one by one, involves a steel press for lemon juice, salt and miso salt, and a dashi-based dipping sauce that you can make more interesting with a few spoonfuls of grated radish. The general suggestion is lemon and salt with seafood (crab, shrimp, ﬁsh, scallops), and broth and radish with vegetables (shiitake, eggplant, fava beans, asparagus) though you can of course tweak things however you like. When there are two pieces, as there are with the seaweedwrapped scallop, still raw in the centre, and the slender shrimp tails, you’re encouraged to taste them both ways. — Bloomberg News

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 5

SECTION

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T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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Villa for rent - Al Seeb/Al Mawelah - Block 5 - 4 bedrooms with attached bathrooms, Majlis, 2 halls, kitchen and storeroom, split Ac and car park. Contact 99564616 / 99498448

1BHK flat with A/C AL Khuwair 250/- R.O. Contact: 99358589 / 95570288 3BHK flat Darsait Near I.D card Medical 450/- R.O. Contact: 99358589 / 95570288 1 BHK flat in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181 2 BHK flat in Darsait near Kims Hospital. Contact 99792181 Darsait next to ISM 2BHK pent house 2nd floor brand new building R.O 300/- . Contact : 93393967 Furnished flat in Bareeq Al Shatti 2 BHK RO.750/-. Contact 93161111 Commercial villa near Bareeq Al Shatti 8 BHK + swimming pool RO.2500/-. Contact 93161111 Villa in Madinate Sultan Qaboos 3BHK + maid room RO.1400/-. Contact 93161111

New flats 1 room and living room with accessories & 2 rooms and living room with accessories in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 92130703 / 96045478 New flats for rent in Darsait, Al Sahal. Contact : 99311525 New flats for rent in Darsait Al Sahal. Contact: 99777351 Flat for rent in Wadi Kabir near Indian Primary School 2 BR & 1K. Contact: 92222922 2 bedrooms flats at Muttrah 2 flats available Oman house. Contact: 99319149 Flat for rent in Hamriya. Contact: 99341112 Flat for rent at WK near Jabir Bin Zeid mosque monthly rent R.O 250/- , 12 chq payable on 1st. of every month. Contact: Abdulla 99445880/98292846 Morgan

Shop/ comm./ Resi building 1&2 bed flat available in Wadi Kabir (near Lulu) one bedroom flats 200/- Wadi Kabir & Misfa land for rent 1000 SQM Al Khuwair 6 bedroom villa 900/- . Contact: 99451168 Shop / flat 2 bedroom 1sitting room for rent at Al Hamriya main road. Contact: 97236696 Two shops in Muttrah Souq, for rent more details pleas. Contact: 91214849 / 95729711 600 SQT commercial flat for rent, opposite Oman flour mill Darsait. For more details please Contact: 91214849 / 95729711 1BHK near Al Nahdha Ruwi. Contact: 99617786 One bedroom apartment at Al Hail South. Contact: 99336255 1 Bedroom attached, toilet & kitchen in AL Khuwair R.O 140/-. Contact: 95154331 2 bedroom fully furnished luxury flat for rent at Ghala for short or long term basis. Contact: 91786526 / 99881653 Luxury fully furnished 2 bedrooms flat at Al Khuwair & luxury fully furnished 5 bedroom villas at Madinat Al Ilam. For short or long term lease contract. Contact Atlas Real Estate & Rent a Car LLC. Contact : 93201688 / 92888376 Tel: 24833848 / 24834888 4bedrooms villa with 2 halls, 4 bathrooms in Darsait behind Khimijis Mart. Contact: 92584715 / 24700120 2 bedrooms at Darsait Behind Indian School. Contact: 99336255 For rent office & flat Ruwi- CBD. Contact: 92820734/ 95345909 Industrial shed / warehouse for immediate lease in Rusayl industrial estate. Contact : 24792173 Email: abcon@omantel.net.om

3BHK Flats & 6BHK Villa in Azaibah. Contact : 96775026 One BHK Wadi Kabeer near Sana RO 190/-. Contact: 95094028 Bobcat Grader and roller for rent. Contact: 94584688 1BHK flats available for rent in CBD area. Contact: 98116480 2 & 3 BHK flat in Al Khuwair. Contact 99792181 1, 2, 3 BHK flat in Qurum. Contact 99792181 3 & 4 BHK Villa in Al khuwair. Contact 99792181

Furnished room for rent at Al Khuwair R.O 225/- for family only. Contact: 99251975 Spacious 2BHK in MBD. Contact : 99713489 3 BHK, 3 bathrooms 2 balconies, nr. Al Hassan , W/Kabir R.O 325/-. Contact: 99384640 Basement in MBD. Contact: 99713489 Pent house for rent 1 sitting, 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, 1 kitchen RO 225/-, location Al Khuwair, near DHL Courier. Contact 95620900 / 92976722

Villa for rent: 6 bed rooms, 1 sitting room, 2 halls, 1 kitchen and 1 pantry. Al Mawaleh South phase 3 close to Al Sahwah roundabout, ﬁrst line behind Amwag perfume factory. Contact - 99360366 Flats for rent near Indian School in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122 Shops for ren in Wadi Kabeer. Contact: 99888390 Luxury 4 BHK ﬂat in Al Wattaya with split A/C and private parking. RO.475/- Contact – 93191111 Commercial 20 BHK twin open villa in Al Mawalah Mazoon street RO.2000/- Contact – 93191111

3Bedrooms Flat in Al Hail 92817777 3 BHK flat in Azaiba. Contact 99792181 New 1 & 2 BHK in Ruwi, total 15 flats. Contact 99792181 New 1 & 2 BHK flat in Ghubra. Contact 99792181 Various rooms for rent in Al Khuwair near Ibis Hotel. Contact : 95124975 3 Bedroom flat at Al Khuwair. Contact: 99447257/97014234 2+ 6 BHR villa Al Khuwair. Contact: 99024730 1+2 BHK Ruwi, Darsait. Contact : 99024730 We have 3BHK fully furnished villa in Ghubra 18th November near Automatic Restaurant. Contact: 93782735/ 99208033 2 BHK Flats for rent Muttrah near Oman house. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232 2+3 BHK Qurum. Contact: 99024730 Studio flat Al Khuwair. Contact : 99024730 1+2 BHK Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99024730

Room with A.C Al Khuwair R.O 120/. Contact: 97799175 1000 sq mtrs industrial land for rent in Ghala suitable for warehouse etc. Contact: 24700120 / 92584715 3BHK well maintained ﬂat (villa type) G. ﬂoor split A/C separate entrance, parking, and compound available in Al Khuwair behind Sagar Polyclinic Way no. 3922, Block 239, Villa No. 1839. Contact: 99253125 House for rent in Sidab 8 rooms, 6 toilets RO 550/-. Contact: 96606679 / 99856551 Flat for rent near Al Nahdha Hospital in Hamriya. Contact: 97380548 / 99680499 4 bedroom villa with 3 maid room, big compound & parking area. Ideal for kindergarten or expat tenants residency. Contact:24566217 / 24564686

1BHK flat with split A/C in Wadi Adai RO.200/- Contact – 93191111 3 BHK flat with split A/C in Wadi Adai RO.200/- Contact – 93191111 Brand new 6 BHK villa in Al Aziba with split A/C and lift RO.1200/Contact – 93191111 Brand new showroom of 595 SQM in BowsherRO.5 each sqm. Contact – 93191111 2BHK flat available near medical / Darsait. Contact 24705742 Villa for rent in Al Khuwair 33, 8 bedrooms & 5 bathrooms with parking area near Taimur Mosque. Contact: 99366624 Flat and show room for rent Al Khuwair 33, Al Ghubrah, Darsait and Jibroo. Contact: 24485240 / 24485241 / 93651633 / 92109563 Room for rent. Contact Farahat 98020768, Hilal: 96541263

Office & retail space available Alasfoor Plaza, Qurum. Contact: 24566217 / 24564686

Flat for rent penthouse Al Amerat Al Mahaj. Contact: 92738298

Store with an area of 121m2 in Souq Ruwi Street, Al Hamriya (suitable for building materials store or home furniture and curtains workshop). Contact: 99434499

1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in Misfah Industrial area near to Khanco. OMR 1,500 Monthly. It has Electricity and boundary wall. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

AFFORDABLE QUALIFIED STAFF AVAILABLE: EŽ ƟŵĞ ƚŽ ƐĐƌƵƟŶŝǌĞ ƐƚĂī ĂŵŽŶŐ ƚŚŽƵƐĂŶĚƐ͍ EĞĞĚ ŝŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů ƐƚĂī Ăƚ ĂŶ ĂƌƌĂŶŐĞŵĞŶƚ͍ tĞ ĂƌĞ Ă ŵĂŶƉŽǁĞƌ ĂŐĞŶĐǇ ǁŚŽ ŚĞĂĚͲŚƵŶƚ ƚŚĞ ƐƚĂī ĨƌŽŵ ĂŶǇ ƉĂƌƚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ͊ tĞ ƐĐƌĞĞŶ ƚŚĞ ĂƉƉůŝĐĂŶƚƐ ƐĞǀĞƌĂůůǇ ƚŽ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ƚŚĂƚ ǇŽƵ ŐĞƚ ŽŶůǇ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ŝƐĐŽǀĞƌ ǁŚǇ ƚŽƉ ĞŵƉůŽǇĞƌƐ ƉƌĞĨĞƌ ƵƐ ĨŽƌ ƐƚĂĸŶŐ͊

Hurry and call this number now!

95967902

FOR SALE Good running super market in Al Kamil AL Waﬁ for sale. Contact: 96976848 / 97609781 Shop for sale in Al Khoudh. Contact: 92820541 Restaurant for sale in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99425461 Beauty salon in Ghubrah for sale Contact: 94689448 Sales tyre shop. Contact 97964518 Aluminium workshop at Wadi Kabir with all machineries and 3 skilled workers. Contact: 99536206 / 99605915 Used Fabrication machinery for sale : Fabrication machinery and tools in excellent condition for immediate sale. Contact 94652485/ 99273774/ 99202278

FOR EXPATS From owner plot of land near Zanzibar, airport price RO 15000. Contact 99348943

Convert ANY type of Scrap into Money by selling us the scrap Great prices are guaranteed for our clients! Call this number now for urgent response -

96059470 *Kindly note that the scrap should be 50 tons onwards

CLASSY, CREATIVE AND AFFORDABLE INTERIOR DESIGN 'Ğƚ ĐƵƐƚŽŵŝǌĞĚ͕ &ŝƫŶŐ͕ ĂŶĚ ƵŶŝƋƵĞ ŝŶƚĞƌŝŽƌ ĚĞƐŝŐŶƐ ŵĂĚĞ ĨƌŽŵ ƐĐƌĂƚĐŚ͘ Our professionals give YOU: ͻ ƵƚŽ ĂĚ >ĂǇŽƵƚ ͻ D W ƌĂǁŝŶŐƐ ͻ Ϯ ĂŶĚ ϯ ĚƌĂǁŝŶŐ ͻ /ŶŶŽǀĂƟǀĞ ŽŶĐĞƉƚ ĞƐŝŐŶ Hurry now and call this number

91494149 ĨŽƌ ĂŶ ĞǆĐůƵƐŝǀĞ ůŝŵŝƚĞĚͲƟŵĞ ŽīĞƌ ĚŝƐĐŽƵŶƚ͊͊͊

SELL/BUY Looking for purchase of a residential building with minimum 25 unoccupied ﬂats in Ghala, Bousher, Azaiba, Ghubrah. #99261522 Used furniture & Electronic items, office & house. Contact: 99834373 /96642500

ACC. AVAILABLE Fully furnished accommodation available for an Executive bachelor with attached bath room and Wiﬁ facility in Ghubra near Al Maha Hotel. Contact 94295706 Furnished room available in Ruwi. Contact: 92435784 Independent rooms in Qurum / Al Hail. Contact 95529970 Fully furnished room with attached bath and sharing kitchen, living & dining with all other facilities in Ghala - RO-160/- Contact 99763306 Single bedroom ﬂat at Ruwi, Al Falaj area. Contact: 95698714

AVAILABLE

NRI

MOTOR VEHICLE FOR SALE

Party & Wedding equipment rentals. Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chaﬁng Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com Used vehicle Mercedes Benz car E- 230, Model : 2009, KM run : 187,500 good running condition. Vehicle is available for inspection in NTS camp at Ghala. Interested parties may contact on 99259157. Sealed offer should be submitted on or before 13th September 2015 with security deposit.

MATRIMONIAL

Separate room with A/c, Small Fridge and Bed, for non-cooking Asian bachelor, behind Shell ﬁlling station, Ghoubra round about. Contact: 94263390

A 28yrs Keralite Muslim good looking boy working in Oman from a decent family, looking for alliance from similar background. Contact: 99230928

1 & two bedroom ﬂats available for rent in wadi-kabir (opp: pencil bldg), ideal for company staff / families bulk corporate deal possible. Contact 97677170

Sharing accommodation in CBD area for non cooking Executive bachelors, wiﬁ free, advance deposit. Contact 91852710

Seeking alliance for our son from Muslim families. Interested families Contact: 99889590

Bath attached room for rent Al Khuwair. Contact 99743569

Single room, bath Darsait R.O 140/-. Contact: 93289652

FOR RENT

UNIVERSAL SCRAP BUYERS AT AMAZING PRICES

Used cars saloon cars, SUV 4WD and Pickups for sale on as is where is basis. Vehicles are available for inspection in NTS camp at Ghala. Interested parties may contact on 99259157 / 93891398. Sealed offers with vehicle wise quote should be submitted on or before 13th September 2015 with security deposit.

LOST Atiar Rohman has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AF 2960666. Finder please handover to ROP.

Mohammed Masoom has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. C 0737668. Finder please handover to ROP

Mandalanka Ruthu has lost Indian Passport No. F8923568. Finder please handover to ROP

T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classiﬁeds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Accountant with more than 6 years experience in SAOG company looking for middle management position. Strong English/Arabic correspondence. Valid DL. NOC available. Contact 91116924

Part Time Accounting, Accounts Finalization, Audit Preparation, Internal Audit, Monthly Proﬁtability Reports, Onsite Tally Training, Contact : 96975454, Email :ibfc.gcc@gmail.com

MBA ﬁnance having 5+ years experience in accountant with UAE D/L & NOC available. Contact : 96970930 Email: tahirabbas85@hotmail.com

Indian CA with 15 yrs exp. working as Head of Finance for US MNC. NOC Available - 94047434

Fresher looking for a career opportunity B.Com good physique, quick learner English speaking. Contact: 93368464 Accountant 7Years Experience with D/L and NOC. Contact 97712084 Male, Finance Executive / Sr. Accountant with Experience in Oman having Graduate degree in Commerce looking for suitable position. NOC available. Contact: 98570383 Email: hadee.rasheed@gmail.com Accountant Indian male B.Com 2 years experience currently on visiting visa seeks suitable placement. Contact : 94649272, Email: sherin.am01@gmail.com Indian male B.Com Graduate 24 years looking for suitable placement. Contact : 97219505 Part time Accountant available. Contact : 93438100 Accounts finance Indian male 22 yrs B.Com Tally ERP-9, 2 years working experience in India on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95636987 / 94280567 Email: nihadniha777@gmail.com Accounts finance Indian male 24 B.Com Tally ERP-9, 4 years working experience in India on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact : 95583953 /96392009 Email: shafadmusthafa@gmail.com Senior Accounts and administration executive, Indian, 20 years experience, holding Oman license, seeks suitable placement. Contact.95254864 Indian male, 27 years, BCom CA Inter, Pursuing CA final and MBA with 5 years work experience (2 years GCC), currently working as a cost accountant seeks suitable placement. Contact: 94390660 5 years experience Accountant looking for suitable position having driving license presently working in Muscat also having NOC. 96893893641

ACCOUNTANT

EDUCATION

Omani candidate required for Audit ﬁrm Graduation / studying towards Graduation or professional qualiﬁcation 3+ years experience in accounting. Accounts payable Senior Assistant in one of the leading oil & gas companies in Oman. Contact L. Santhosh 92257887, Manoj 99377604 Email: santhosh@mhmyauditors.com

Egyptian language school Muscat requires 2 English Teachers (bachelor degree in education) + 5 years experience with IELTS or Toifel) applications with supporting documents to be sent by mail to egymuscat@yahoo.com or fax 24697047

Wanted an experienced Accountant. Forward your CV to lawﬁrmfm@gmail.com Urgently required for leading Company : Accountant between 5 to 10 yrs experience, Accountant (Petrol Station) between 3 to 5 yrs experiences. Fax: 24478522, Email : gh1.careers@gmail.com

BEAUTY Required Beautician for a beauty salon in Muscat (visa available). Contact: 97605308

DOMESTIC HELPER Chinese/ Arab/ continental cook & helper wanted. Contact 95529970

DRIVER

Post Graduate researcher required. Contact 99229700

ENGINEER Leading construction company requires two Civil Engineer with minimum 5 years site experience in gulf. require gulf license and NOC. Send your CV to degree.engineer2015@gmail.com A Mechanical Engineer with salesmanship experience of 5 years & above preferable with Oman drivers license and NOC. Please forward your CV to almaadhi.trd@gmail.com Require experienced Electricians for immediate appointment in Dubai. Applicants must be able to work independently. Contact: 99869002, Email: fwi2009@outlook.com

Finance Manager 22 years Oman experience and NOC. Contact: 91302906 / 91335205

MEDICAL Immediately required lady Doctor (DGO) or GP with Gynecology experience & lab technician. #99310590 Email: tjmaluke@gmail.com

Required experienced Sales / Marketing Executives having light license. Send your CV ocean@omantel.net.om

Medical CARE Centre, Multi Specialty Clinic, Seeb, requires General Practioner, Medical Lab Technician & Pharmacist. Send CV at Email : sarita_h23@yahoo.com or call 97884856

Sales Executive urgently required for a well-established business of building material (tiles, kitchens, bathrooms and interiors) with selective European brands. Candidate should have industry knowledge and proven local experience, a valid D/L & NOC. Send CV to alrawahy.haﬁdh@gmail.com

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR A new Multi-Purpose hall at Sohar city is urgently looking for an Event Manager. Pls send your CV to oec.oman@gmail.com A Pest control supervisor required urgently /Call 92660005

Heavy Duty Driver with license & NOC. Contact: 95959494 or E-mail: jobdsint@gmail.com REQUIRED URGENTLY Heavy Driver & Light Driver, Omani National. Contact -99752720. Email : cvoman5@gmail.com, Fax : 24703313 Looking for an experienced house driver for an Omani family. Interested candidates may Contact: 96203333 Light vehicle driver. Contact: 99347515

Required Marketing Manager for educational programs. Contact: 99674870

MEDICAL Wanted GP doctor with MOH license - Al Suweiq clinic - salary RO 1600/-. Contact 97742491 Required Dentist, Endodontist, Orthodontist with MOH license. Contact 99010755 for dental Centre in Muscat Khuwair Email: akdmuscat@hotmail.com Required Nurse with MOH license for Dental Centre in Khuwair Muscat. Contact: 99010755 Email: akdmuscat@hotmail.com

SALES / MARKETING

Gynecologist . G.P and others needed for a reputed clinic in Al Khoudh , contact :+968 92584362 , mail CV to towershr70@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Need Heavy Drivers with valid GCC D/L.Contact.92252507 Email:- hamood@omankmtc.com

MBA Graduate 24 years Indian male, 1 year experience Accountant seeking suitable job. Contact: 94083260 Email: jithinnambiar777@gmail.com

Reputed buildings material company looking for outdoor Sales Executive having valid Omani driving license with more than 2 years local sales experience in Tiles / Sanitary ware. Fax your CV to 24798709 / email: united@omantel.net.om Required Salesman in Salalah very good commission. Contact 92760281 Sales man / interior designer wanted for prestigious interior design and office furniture Supply Company. Experience and drivers license needed. Excellent remuneration package. Email: tony@materials-plus.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Accountant 35 years with 5 years experience in Oman urgently seeking suitable jobs accountant & Ass. Admin& HR valid D/L N.O.C. Contact: 968 99176112 /968 91818124 Email: aamirjaved24@hotmail.com M.Com female good knowledge in computer and tally 4 years experience in accounts and Administration seeks suitable placement on visit visa. Contact: 96992431 / 99450130 Male, Finance Executive / Sr. Accountant with Experience in Oman having Graduate degree in Commerce looking for suitable position. Contact: 98570383 Email: hadee.rasheed@gmail.com Jordanian Accountant (ACPA) with more than 15 yrs experience in Oman (Accounts, Purchase & ﬁnance. Contact: 92881223 Email: kamal_sarhan@yahoo.com

Indian CA 10yrs of Oman experience in treasury, financial reporting, consolidation, ERP implementation in Trading, construction, Oil & Gas sectors. NOC available. Email: caramdas.s5@gmail.com GSM: 91310237 Male 29 yrs, 5+ experience, 4 yrs in HME (Office Assistant) 1 yr experience in accounts & marketing seeking for suitable position.# 96505486 Pakistani Qualification M.Com (finance) experience 2 years as Internal Auditor, 3 years as Finance Manager. Contact: 00968- 91490367 Part time Accountant, up to finalization, looking for job after 5pm (location prefer - MSQ to Al Hail). Contact: 95694737 Part time Accounting qualified & experienced Accountant. Contact: 93858725 Indian male MBA finance & pursuing CMA having 2.6 years experience in Auditing & accounts field looking for a job in Muscat. Contact 92640613, Email: shabeersha797@gmail.com 13 years exp (7.5 years Gulf exp) B.Com Graduate, looking for Accountant job, GSM No:-92957064 , NOC Available. B.Com, CA Inter (Indian) with 5 years experience (2 years GCC) in Accounts & Audit field. Contact: 95584531/ razikthumbe@gmail.com Accountant 4 yrs experience looking for job. Contact 96182302 Email: rishad.sainudheen@gmail.com Indian male B.Com Graduate 24 years looking for suitable placement. Contact: 97219505

Indian female B.Tech (EEE) MBA finance with 1and half years experience as Bank Officer in India seeking suitable placement. Contact: 91358676 / 98157895 Email: sujivu88@gmail.com 25 years male BBA (Hons) CFAC ACCA having 3 years experience as top management operations, Accounts seeking suitable placement. Contact : 92829595 Email: saqib4u1@hotmail.com Young, energetic 24 yrs, ACCA finalist, Advanced diploma in Accounting and business, seeking suitable placement in accounts, finance or audit. Contact: 92430152 Email: rau_dey@yahoo.com A Sri Lankan lady chartered accountant with five years experience (including article ship), on family visa in Oman looking for a suitable job. Contact: 91259845 Email: amashermila@gmail.com Indian 24 years MBA finance 2 years experience seeking suitable placement. Contact: 98222753 Email - shemeejup@gmail.com 12 yrs of Oman experienced Chief Accountant looking for immediate placement. Contact 99513082 Email: devan801@gmail.com Accounts finance Indian male 35 yrs B.Com, M.B.A tally exp 9.7 yrs exp 1.5 yr Oman family visa N.O.C available. Contact : 93257426. Email: sibigeorgep@gmail.com

ART DIRECTOR Art director / creative director/ 8 years experience with Omani license, NOC. Contact : 95136862 Email: aunmoeid@gmail.com`

ADMIN Filipino,29,Male, 5years experience: Admin/Payroll/Finance/ Document Control. Excellent Communication/MS Office skills. Contact: patrick110486@yahoo. com/95057206 Indian, 16 yrs experience in Admin / Office management and have knowledge in accounting seeks job. Release available and have D/L. Contact : 99573353 Indian female 24 years BE Electronics now in Oman visiting visa searching job for any administrative sectors telecommunicating banking teaching. Contact: 95935867 / 99536948 Email: anjujose011@gmial.com Filipina, 10 yrs experience in Fashion Retail, Shipment, Logistics, Inventory, Warehouse Control and Store Management is seeking employment. Call +971565833126 or 97728418. Indian male MBA 33 yrs having 10 yrs exp seeking suitable placement in Administration / HR/ Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics etc. Holding valid D/L. Contact - 99054786 Indian male 2+yrs oman exp in HR. joing immediatly. release available. Contact :93671437 Indian Female MBA, 3 Year Experience in Admin MIS , Family Visa. Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com 14 years of gulf experience in HR / Admin & logistics ﬂuent in Arabic / English with D/L looking for suitable position. Contact: 95824598

ARCHITECT PHD Architect from Italy with 10 years experience speaks Arabic, English & Italian looking for Architectural job in Muscat. Contact: 95543753 Email: basim_radhi@yahoo.com / eng.radhibasim@gmail.com

DESIGNER MEP design and Drafting, all kind of shop drawing preparation and detailed section drawings. Contact : Mr Sandry Menon. Contact: (+968) 98471463 / 98471463

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED DRIVER Looking for driving job driving experience more than 3 years. Contact: 97459022 Vehicle with driver 12 years in Oman seeking suitable job. Contact: 92762258 Bangladeshi want job, 6 years work exp. in Dubai and Oman. Contact: 93822195 Driver Pakistani available. NOC available. Contact: 94356465 Pakistani Driver (light vehicle) age 50 yrs seeking job as driver. Can speak both Arabic and English. Contact: 95435008 20 years experience. Contact : 94795033 Pakistani male light vehicle driver looking for job. Contact: 96474528 Driver with car. Contact : 91452930

Driver job wanted. Contact: 99343782 Car with driver or without cat specially Companies. Contact 97943750 / 97408900 Light duty driver 5 years exp in Oman. Contact: 92602182 Driving job. Contact: 99109458 Looking for job driver with car. Contact 96493236 L.T.D driver exp, 5 years know Hindi, English, Arabic, and Education B.A. Contact 98522914 Pakistani driver, 5 years ex seeks placement. Contact: 97429442 Pakistani diploma civil (Eng) 24 year 1.5 years experience in Pak) 2 years in (Oman). Contact: 97138320 Driver available 24, HRS, car without car. Contact: 98522914 Looking job LTV D with car. Contact: 94436276 / 97433432 Driver looking for job, 20 years experience. Contact: 94795033 Light driving with 6 years experience in Oman. Contact: 94001751 Light vehicle Driver 5 years of experience, with Oman driving license looking for a job. Contact 97319805 / 92171166 Indian light duty driver. Contact 94269229 Light Driver. Contact 95779594, Ruwi H.T. V Driver, Pakistani experience, 6 yrs, seeks work in company only. Contact 93985087 Light duty driver, 8 yrs exp. Contact: 96736744 Sri Lankan driver. Contact: 97387112

DOMESTIC HELPER Indian Housemaid looking for full time job with accommodation, 7 yrs exp with European family. Prefer European family. Contact: 92567618 Indian male having 8 years experience in Oman, working as a warehouse in charge seeking suitable placement. N.O.C available. . Contact 96184236 House maid looking for job. Contact: 99879576

DRAFTSMAN Indian Civil Draftsman looking suitable placement 5 yrs experience (Gulf). Contact: 98064097

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Indian male 24, Diploma in Civil Engineering 2 years experience as Site Engineer on visit visa. Contact 98023153 Civil Engineer (Diploma) with 7 + 5 years Oman experience in Interior QS AutoCAD & Construction with Oman D/L NOC available. Contact: 98085006 Shaiju K.S (30) M diploma in Mechanical Engineering (DME) work experience: 7 years, 9 months as a tool designer and in tool room (India) Hyderabad , on three months visit visa. Contact: 92945232

Indian diploma Civil Eng, 2 yrs exp. Infrastructures project (4G – Towers, substation) landscaping & Auto CAD. Contact: 94756183 Email: indianexpat1@gmail.com

Civil Engineer diploma holder having a 4 years experience seeking a suitable replacement. Contact: 98782698 Email: engr.rabiul007@gmail.com

IT Engineer, 6 yrs exp in software projects & development (Java, PL/ SQL Unix) on visit visa. Contact: 99487493

Over 22 years of comprehensive experience in overall construction execution& management qualiﬁcation. BE (Civil). Contact : +968 91816590

Instrumentation Engineer, nearly 4 yrs experience in oil & gas industry, seeks job in Oman. Contact 90198210, Email : terinsam@gmail.com

Building Construction Supervisor looking for small Omani co. to handle independently or suitable placement with Omani D/L. Contact: 93061107

Indian male 25MBA having 4years Gulf experience in Coordination with contracting company .NOC Available. Looking for(Store,Coordination,Admin Backoffice) Jobs Ph:95405885

Indian male, a Jetking certiﬁed hardware and networking professional seeking job, with hardware & networking, troubleshooting skills. Contact: 99637296 Email: abdulsalamkola@yahoo.com

BTech Marine Engineer, Indian, 2 years experience, looking for onshore marine/ mechanical jobs. Contact-91991386, prvnpurushan@gmail.com Jordanian Mechanical Engineer, Expertise in Manufacturing, Design, Steel Work, AutoCad, SolidWork 3D, Nesting/Plasma Cutting, Sales, Speaking, Russian & English GSM#90198575/99201710

Indian male 23 yrs, B.E in Mechanical 1.3 yrs experience as Maintenance Engineer (India) (L & T ports) proficiency in AutoCAD seeking for a suitable job on visit visa. Contact: 97794386 Email: srinathvijayanavs@gmail.com Indian male Electrical and Electronics Engineer, 6 months experience GCC driving license, transferable visa. Contact: 93682181 Female Civil Engineer with 3.5 years experience looking for job in Muscat, proficient in site execution, tendering procedures billing, Quantity take off, budgetary control have knowledge in AutoCAD, SAP, Word, excel, power point. Contact: 97207212 Email: ranjur20@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer 22 yrs Indian male currently on permanent visa and valid Omani driving license seeking for suitable job. Contact : 91652927 / 99680181 Email: fawariz.09@gmail.com Indian Mechanical Engineer 31 yrs 8+ yrs experience in sales & BUS. DEV. having Oman driving license & NOC. Contact 97116858 Email: menonamit1984@gmail.com Pakistani Civil diploma Engineering experience 3 years in Oman building construction, 2 years in Pakistan, having driving license. Contact 96512518 Email: qaiser.abbas006@gmail.com 28 years male diploma in Civil Engineer 6 years experience in Oman valid Omani driving license seeking suitable placement. Contact: 98666735 /90289111 Email: engrjahedbd@yahoo.com DAE (civil) having 4.5 years experience with driving license of Oman, Seeking for suitable place in construction field NOC and release available contact 96968554, email- mehranahmad26@yahoo.com Indian male 27 years BE Mechanical, 2 years experience in Training AutoCAD Revit MEP PDMS Softwares. Contact: 94183625 Civil Engineering Diploma 7 years experience in building construing in Oman with NOC. Contact `99512416 /96488479 D.A.E (Civil) Engineer + safety officer course (OSHA & IOSH) for U.K need the job. Contact: 97850996 Civil Engineer, 6 yrs experience having Oman D/L, looking for a suitable position. NOC available. Contact: 93523507 / 95961336 Email: eyousuf04@yahoo.com B.Tech Electrical & Electronics with 1 year experience seeking for suitable job. Contact: 91 9497883413 Email: rakesh1.mohan@gmail.com B.Sc Civil Engineer Bangladeshi male 6 yrs exp of building construction drafting structural design valid D/L seeking suitable position. Contact :91220753, Email: engr_jashim21@yahoo.com Indian male Mechanical Engineer having 2+ years experience in releniery piping + equipment seeking suitable position. Contact: 94768977

Management Professional accountable, responsible for proﬁtable management can handle the entire operations, HR/Recruitment, Business development & Sales & marketing & etc, Great organizational skills with over 23+yrs exp. in Bombay, Saudi Arabia, Dubai-UAE & Oman(11yrs) as General Manager - Publications, Printing,Media. open to any industry, can Join immediately w/NOC. Contact : +968 98864706/99574638 Mail : akdas_uae@yahoo.com

Indian male, 35 years, BBA with IT diploma Holder with 13 years experience in IT Tech, Support & Administration seeking suitable position. Contact : 94770019

MSC Electronics Female, 24 years, 1 year experience in MR Scan Testing on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact 91111675

A qualiﬁed Iraqi Electrical Engineer has more than 6 years experience in HV, LV, GAS power plant and electrical activities, resident in Oman looking for job. Contact: 94750771

SAP BW Analyst : Indian male, 26 yrs, B.Tech (CS & E) from ASET, New Delhi, worked as a Business Analyst in Software Industry. Contact 98008127 / 92878708, vaisakh.bhaskar@gmail.com

Indain male, 23 yrs, B.E in Mechanical post Graduation Diploma in piping Engineering, seeking job in relevant ﬁeld.Contact : 94786570 Email: asim.hajwani6@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer 24 having knowledge in HVAC looking for suitable vacancy. Contact 95434381 Email: shuhaibusman313@gmail.com

HSE Engineer, NEBOSH IGC and IOSH certiﬁed with 2 years industry and Oil & Gas experience looking for urgent placement. Contact 91476537.

MISCELLANEOUS

IT Engineer, 6 yrs exp in software projects & development (OCJA) on visit visa. Contact: 99487493

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

Wanted driver. Contact 95112461

Civil Engineering Diploma, Site coordinator now preset in Oman, seeking job in Oman. Contact : 92887561 Email: jubincivileng@gmail.com Mech. Engg Indian male having 1 year exp looking for suitable job. Contact : 92835957 Indian 22 years male, Mechanical Engineer, B.Tech has done internships, born and brought up in Oman with Omani driving license, seeking suitable jobs. Contact: 92791637 Email: ashwinsureshkotturethu@gmail.com Indian male, 23 years Electrical & Electronics Engineer having 1 year experience in Google company need suitable placement. Contact: 91118694, Email: sharath2909@gmail.com Indian mechanical Engineer 31 yrs, 8+ experience in sales & BD including GCC, having Oman driving license & NOC. Contact: 97116858 Email: menonamit1984@gmail.com Electronics technician 20 years experience India, Saudi Arabia. Contact 91969726 Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp. Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com C-SWIP 3.1 ASNT level 2 QC Mech. Engr 5+ yrs exp Indian male 26 seeks placement. Contact : 91823331 Email: kannasekhar46@gmail.com Indian male 27 yrs BE mechanical & W/diploma in automobiles 2 yrs teaching experience in designing (AutoCAD) seeking suitable position. Contact: 94183625 Indian male 29 yrs old B.E electronic & Communication Engg (5 yrs experience in Oman) with valid D/L. Contact : 96652145 SUPERVISOR: Indian male site supervisor (AIR CONDITIONING) 25 years of experience with valid Oman Driving license, seeking suitable placement. Contact: 97498809, 93391910 Email: hilariankj@gmail.com Civil Engineer Pakistani 12 +2 years Oman experience D/L seeks placement. Contact: 94392616 Indian male BE Mechanical currently on 2 yrs free visa with NOC & local release. Looking for suitable job in Muscat. Contact – 90296975 / ali.syedausaf@gmail.com 25 years experience in Civil Engineering looking for job at consultancy from for suitable position. Contact : 97803710 Young BA looking for a job as Secretary / document controller, typewriting 40 W.PM shorthand also available. NOC from the present co. available. Contact: 93085851 Indian male, Supervisor Electrician Diploma 8 yrs in Oman. NOC available. Contact 95057068, jratheesh@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer 23 having knowledge in HVAC looking for suitable vacancy. Contact: 95434381 Email: shuhaibuman313@gmail.com Civil Engineer with 6 yrs experience in can satiny ﬁrms structural design and supervision also worked as materials engineer. Contact: 96086214 Indian male Civil Engineer with Engineer with 2 years experience in Building project is available currently on visit visa. Contact: 92841583

Tunisian Civil Eng, Graduated ﬂam the University of Tunisia past experience supervised several projected in the Island of djerha in the capital Tunis I have good experience with consulting engineer and contractor now in Muscat. Contact: 94745527 Email: khereddianeb@gmail.com Mechanical and manufacturing Engineer , age 26 yrs masters ( Singapore) having 2 years Oman work experience with valid Oman driving license on visit visa available immediately. Contact: 95498953 B.Tech Mechanical Engineer with 2 years experience in HV AC and plumbing - nikhilchandpm@gmail. com ; GSM: 97654489 MEP foreman looking for a suitable position. Contact: 99526958 Indian BE (MECH) aviation BE degree diploma in material quality management 17 years Navy aviation 13 years construction purchase stores professional on visit. Contact: 90205082 /98796982 Civil Engg, B.Tech fresher Indian male currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact 91702450 Email: tijoct2015@hotmail.com Indian Male, IT Support Engineer, 2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experience. Contact 97311847 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 Electrical Engineer, Indian male, 29 yrs having 5 yrs of experience in industrial automation & utility maintenance in India (MRF yres) seeks suitable placement. Contact 92789995, Email : akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Btech computer science graduate 2015 passout.. Android application marketing.. Having good communication skills and mindset to work in a team. Contact 91024385 Civil Engineer Indian male 10 yrs exp having Omani D/L looking for suitable placement. Contact: 94194399 (shiblyrock@gmail.com) Electrical and Electronics Engineer with one year experience and GCC licence holder seeking a job mail – shyjalpk@gmail.com Civil Engineer (diploma) 3.5 yrs exp, seeking for placement. Contact: 95200650

HOSPITALITY Front Office Manager with 20 years of expertise in Burj Al Arab, the address & Sheraton seeks immediate placement. Contact 92311830

IT BE, ECE Mumbai university skills in C, C++, windows, linux, controller and processor RTOS, Electronics, Networking, 6 months experience in embedded software seeks placement. Contact : 917774864736 Email: sadatbtisekar@gmail.com 28 M, Indian, have done master degree in computer application, 2 years exp in Oman, looking suitable placement. Contact: 93295112 Email: syedsadathali.mca@gmail.com

Indian male 34 yrs M.Tech Industrial biotechnology having teaching experience seeking for job. M. Ramkumar. Contact : 96674521, 0091-9940586051 Email: rmkumar28@gmail.com Network System Engineer switches, Routers, Servers, load balancers, CCTV 5 years of exp holds B.E (ECE) CCNA looking for good opportunity Indian visit visa. Contact 91911792 Email: arafakdnl@gamil.com

PROJECTS HSE Engineer Diploma in mechanical eng, 6 yrs Gulf exp, NEBOSH, OSHA with oman D/L & NOC available for urgent placement. Contact 91258586. Indian male, with 8 yrs exp. in Oman (BA- Graduate) working as a project Sales Coordinator, with Oman D/L, looking for suitable job, ready to join immediately with NOC, open for Sales & Marketing also. Contact 95245057

SKILLED/ UNSKILLED Building construction supervisor looking for small Omani company to handle independently or suitable placement in good company with Oman D/L. Contact 93061107

SECRETARIAL / OFFICE

Tunisian Master degree in Computer Science, with experience in creating websites in development looking for a job in the Sultanate of Oman currently in Muscat. Contact: 94745546 Email: safouane.gouja@gmail.com

Indian male more than 10 years gulf experience in Office / Sales Coordinator, Admin, Secretarial and purchase with good computer skills. Having Driving license and NOC available. Looking for suitable placement. Contact 99709336

MEDICAL

SALES / MARKETING

Lecturer in nursing(MSc) specialized in OBG, 3 years experience, on visit visa, seeking teaching opportunities Contact:90125347

Indian male, having 14 yrs of exp. in Business Development/ Marketing with Omani D/L seeks business development / Marketing Manager post. Contact 968 93400177

B.Sc Indian male Nurse, 6.5 years in emergency and OT, prometric 69%, looking for suitable nursing job. Contact- 90126959, abybabykutty@gmail.com Lecturer in Nursing (MSc) specialized in OBG, 3 years experience, on visit visa, seeking teaching opportunities/ nursing educator. Contact: 90125347 Indian male, Audiologist and Speech language pathologist, 5 years experience looking for job. Contact: 98490687, 9597597067 mail- kesavan.sundar7@gmail.com Indian female BSc Nurse with 4 years experience with Oman prometric 64% looking for suitable placement in capital area. # 95847286 Dental Surgeon with 3 years experience (Indian male) on visit visa. Contact: 95154648 Indian male, MSc, MPhil, BEd Chemistry,2 Yrs Teaching experience and having experience in lab analyst, currently on visit visa, seeks suitable post. Contact 90208673 ENT surgeon board degree & prometric exam looking for a job in private hospitals & medical complexes. Contact: 91347226 OB/ Gynecologist board degree & prometric exam looking for a job in private hospitals & medical complexes. Contact: 91347226

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR Indian BE, BA diploma quality material management 13 years experience procurement, stores, inventory warehousing manager construction industry on visit. Contact 90287850

Indian male B.Com, MBA having 2 years experience in Marketing and Advertising on visit visa looking for suitable openings. # 96559835 Email: rintomatam@gmail.com 10 yrs ﬁnancial products sales & marketing experienced 5 years in banking Indian male 32 yrs on visit visa looking for suitable position. Contact : 92882053 Indian male looking for job in spare parts BMW / Mercedes benz. Contact: 95712035 Indian 15 years experience MNC Sales Marketing Manager FMCH Buildings looking for change with D/L. Contact: 98796982 Senior Sales Engineer 4 years experience in Oman with D/L, Sales electrical products PDO OXY supply liaison with MEP contractors and consultants NOC available. Contact: 0091 9895799737 Email: thomasjmuscat@gmail.com Contact : 99447853 Nine years UAE experienced Graduate Indian male with valid UAE/ GCC, D/L on visit seeks sales / admin position. Contact: 98826959 Business intelligence / Global Marketing management specialist with 9 years of experience developing brand value & managing overall projects to achieve business objectives seeking suitable position on family visit. Contact: 91902154 Male BA, with D/L, having 6 years exp in Oman wanted suitable job in Sales Inventory & procure. Contact: 92191026

22 years B.Com Graduate having experience in trading of car accessories and also with valid GCC driving license looking for a suitable job. Contact 98504698

A professional commercial & Business Developer (Sudanese) MBA & PGD extensive experience (14 yrs in marketing, sales and procurement) for International companies with residential permit & driving license. Contact 94738839 Email: alhassanolive@gmail.com

Facility / Project Management 5 yrs of exp holds BE (ECE) MBA, Indian on visit visa looking for suitable openings. Contact : 98580569 Email: arafacareer@gmail.com

MBA 15 years experience in Sales & Marketing in telecom, FMCG, presently in India C/O Saif Kazi. Contact : 99625957 Email Id: a_kazi123@yahoo.co.in

Supervisor / Forman interior / electrical with Oman driving license. Contact: 98767559

Indian male, experience Sales Executive with D/L seeks suitable placement. Contact: 97853426

Supervisor fabrication. 30 years experienced in oil and gas industry with thorough knowledge of PDO procedures. contact 99365694, 92362946, 99208102 email: tapasroy21@yahoo. com

MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, presently working in PEPSI, India seeks suitable placement in Oman. Cont : + 91 9895388937, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com

T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SIT.WANTED SALES / MARKETING Indian male 25 yrs BBM Graduate 3 yrs of experience Sales / Marketing in Oman looking in suitable placement. Contact : 93185316 Email: karsh794@gmail.com Indian 41 years, 2 years Dubai experience Sales of banking insurance products looking for suitable job. Contact: 96564721 Have the previous experience in building material sales ﬁeld and also experience as store keeper, with release paper & visa valid upto 19/09/15. Contact: 96451129 / 95563071 Indian male 32 years MBA (Marketing) with 7 years experience in Oman and having driving license seeks suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 95902458 Sales and marketing - male 27 yrs, 2 years experience seeking suitable placement with Oman D/L. Contact: 95642740 Email: shaijichakkara@gmail.com PGDM in Marketing & ﬁnance and specialization in SCM in Belgium University, 14 months experience in cooperative relations looking for suitable job. Contact: 92050773 Indian male, 2 yrs exp. in Sales with D/L seeks suitable placement. Contact 92055093 Indian male Graduate with 2 yrs exp in sales advertising, presently on visiting visa looking for suitable opening. Contact: 95462921

TOURS & TRAVELS Five years experience in Travel ﬁeld ,BCom., IATA & pursuing MBA, Presently working in the Travel Desk of (ITC managed) Five Star Hotel in India, looking for a suitable position in the Middleeast. pls contact 9470 5767 11 yrs experience in travel ﬁeld B.Com, IATA, MCSE working for Qatar Airways, Sales reservation ticketing driving license & NOC available. Contact 92954613

MISCELLANEOUS

MISCELLANEOUS Indian male Nurse 5 years ICU experience prometric 63% and BLS, ACLS puss, looking for suitable job currently on visit visa. Contact: 93894049 Email: basilbabybasilbaby@gmail.com

Female, BE(hons) Systems Administration, 2 years teaching experience. Seeking suitable placement in Higher Education/Training industry. Email: sadia_fatima@hotmail.com Contact:96447091

Indian male 29 years B.Tech & MBA with 1.2 years experience in Oman as Electronic Engineer seeking for a suitable job. Contact: 92085082 Email: suhailece.61@gmail.com

Indian male, 27 years, BCom CA Inter, Pursuing CA ﬁnal and MBA with 5 years work experience (2 years GCC), currently working as a cost accountant seeks suitable placement. Contact: 94390660

BE Civil Engineer with 11 years of experience in building construction with valid Oman DL, looking for suitable placement, NOC available. Please contact 91329910 Indian female, B.Sc, PGDCA, currently on family joining visa, 2 years working experience in oman as customer care / sales co-ordinator. immediate joining seeks suitable placements. contact no. (968) 95573205 /95949230/ 95800792 Indian Male, 25, C.A., 2 years experience as Credit Manager with ICICI Bank India on Visit Visa. Staying with parents at Azaibah. Ph: 24492638. Email: shyamal008@gmail.com 27,male, ACCA finalist, have professional experience upto finalisation of accounts, statutory and internal audit, expertise in using tally and focus & oracle softaware, have 3.5 years experience in accounts till finalisation and statutory audit, seeking for permanent replacement GSM-97654769, email idabdullah.nooralam@yahoo.com 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 Indian male having 14years of experience in HR, Purchase Dept, having Oman driving license looking for a suitable position at Salalah. Noc available. Contact : 91182907 Mail: Madhuvtk@ gmail.com

ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years experience, presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with Oman Driving license. NOC available, seeks suitable opportunity. GSM: 98184170

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Indian male 55 years. 30 Years experience, presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant last 10 years. NOC available, seek suitable opportunity. GSM 99685800. Email:- sanatoman@gmail.com

Civil Engineer Indian 20 years experience (1 year in Oman) in management and construction seeks suitable placement. Contact: 91718976

Indian Male, 29, 9 years exp in Sales in Oman (Buraimi) with valid D/L looking for suitable placements, NOC available .Ph: 9360 1947

Indian male B.Eng. in IT,CCNA, MCSA,MCSE, 2yrs + exp. in IT support, networking and server support valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532 Store Supervisor or Site Supervisor, Indian male 30 years, looking for suitable placement in any reputed company. Having 5 years of gulf experience with good communication skills. Willing to work in any GCC country. Contact: 00968 97756269, Email: razzakbmt@gmail.com Chartered CIPD HR, MBA having 5+ years of experience in Oman and 7 years in GCC looking for job opportunities. Call 97728418 Store Supervisor or Site Supervisor . Indian male 30 years age. Looking for suitable placement in any reputed company. Having 5 years of gulf experience with good communication skills. Willing to work in any GCC country. # 97756269 , Email: razzakbmt@gmail.com 32 years Indian Male MSC, MBAHR having 7+yr Exp(HR and SAP operations) with Oman valid driving license, seeking suitable opening in Human Resource & Admin/backend jobs.Contact: 00968-99322978 Iranian male. ME Civil- structural Engineer, 8 Years Structural engineer experience, Looking for Structural Designer, supervisor or site engineer Position. Contact: 93696929 Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com Indian looking for a part time accounting or Internal Auditing job, contact 99196621. Land Surveyor experience 6 years in landscape , construction and roads for contact : 0096895244840, 0096899703488, e-mail: eng.amr_salama@yahoo.com Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering.Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708/ 97357143

SIT.WANTED Indian female, 25yrs Bsc nursing with MHA (Master of Hospital Administration) looking for a suitable placement. Currently on visit visa valid up to 25 November 2015. Contact: 9951 3267, email: alinaelshaddai@gmail.com Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years in IT Trainer, looking for a better position in Oman, already working in Prestigious Construction Company. #95983711. Join.mtmali@gmail.com Civil Engineer Indian 20 years experience (1 year in Oman) in management and construction seeks suitable placement. Contact: 91718976 , email : mdnaveed71@gmail.com ACCA Affiliate, Oxford Brookes Bsc, 2.5 years experience in audit, ﬁnance in Big 6 and oil industry, NOC release available. a.saran891@gmail.com, 95140445 Light duty driver, 23yrs. Can speak Arabic, Hindi, Bangla and understand English. Release available. Ph.92854775 / 93487450 B.com .5 yrs exp. of oman Looking for an Accounts job work, preferred to do from home. Well versed with TALLY Accounting software. Contact 95482970

Pakistan Male: 24 years, M.Com Finance having 2.5 year experience as a accountant & marketing executive looking for suitable placement. Contact: 97670816, e.mail: naeem.ahsan68@gmail.com

Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel ﬁeld ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical & Plumber) N O C available Contact 95253640 email-hareeshma24@yahoo.com

Male, 32 years M.A. English M.Sc Psychology and B.Ed in English having 4 years experience in teaching present company is ready to issue release letter. Contact : 99869535 Email: sahadkeyi33@gmail.com

Senior Accountant Indian male Graduate CA Articleship completed 18 years of experience currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement contact.97498809,93391910 Email.hilariankj@gmail.com

Filipino (Male), 33 yrs/old, 9 yrs. experience in marine transportation (seaman/deck crew), & 3 yrs. in sales (electronic devices) currently on visit visa & looking for a suitable employment. GSM: 94750459 Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years in Computer Teacher, looking for a better position in Oman, already working in Prestigious Construction Company. Contact:- 95983711, join.mtmali@gmail.com ME Civil- structural Engineer, 8 Years Structural engineer experience, Looking for Structural Designer, supervisor or site engineer Position. Iranian male, Contact: 93696929 Email: mhsaz1359@gmail.com

Electrical Maintenance Engineer, 29, Indian Male, having 7+ years exp. in reputed companies. Seeking suitable placement in Oman. Contact - 98440637. Mail ID : venkatbadri23@gmail.com Sudanese 29 male (Bsc computer science, diploma computer engineering), 6 yrs. experience , dba oracle pl-sql , ms sql-server ,ms visual studio vba, network, Omani Driver licence language English, Arabic. Email:chastity643@gmail. com, Mob:91415886 Having 9+ years exp. in Admin & HR in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat and seeking for suitable placement. Contact No.: 97693456. email : muralimahdav77@gmail.com

T U E S DAY, S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

SIT.WANTED Indian male 22 years, Looking for suitable placement in Hardware and Networking ﬁeld, 1 year exp. in india an have done training in al ameen computers. With good communication skill, Qualiﬁcation is Diploma in Electronics and Communication. Contact : - 95632209,95068075, Email- fairozhuded13@gmail.com

CLASSES

WEBSITE

Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years in Accounts, IT & Administration, looking for a better position in Oman, already working in Prestigious Construction Company. Contact:95983711.Join.mtmali@gmail.com Indian male 24 years,B. Tech (Electrical & Electronic) having 2 years working experience as an Electrical site Engineer, currently on visit visa. Seeking suitable placement. Contact no. 98045482, Email: mastanshaik1008@gmail.com Indian male 23 years, B. Tech (Electrical & Electronic) having 4 years working experience as an Electrical site Engineer, currently on visit visa. Seeking suitable placement. Contact no. 98045482 Email: mastanshaik1008@gmail.com 29 years femaile (MBA-Finance) with 4 + years experience (India & Oman) in administration & teaching seeking suitable placement in an established organization. Contact- 96371655. Male, 32, having 7 years experience in New Car sales and rental. Currently working for one of the most reputed Brand in India is seeking a suitable change. Contact +91 9045232273 Looking for managerial post (full time ) ,More than Ten years of experience in Team Development ,Training ,Planing, Administration, Sales & Marketing, Advertisement and Credit Control and Logistics. Contact 91076608 /+919048648108 NOC available Sales Representative or Purchase officer. Indian male 31 years, Looking for suitable placement in CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES and OILFIELD INDUSTRIES. Having 7 years of gulf experience in FASTENERS and BUILDING MATERIAL. Having a valid D/L. Contact: 00968 92480985, Email: fayubeig@gmail.com Indian Male, 28, B.Com, 6+ yrs exp in Accounts, 2 yrs in Oman with Valid Oman D/L, NOC available. Contact 9719 4864 BRANCH-HEAD, MBA-BBA, Indian Male having experience in UAE, India, Oman total 5 years (including MNC), looking for similar or same openings. NOC available. mobile: 92700670, email:catanalur131@gmail.com Accounts Head/Manager looking for job with Gulf Experience (NOC available). Contact : 94164650. email: msaleem.kr@gmail.com Sales Representative or Purchase officer. Indian male 31 years, looking for suitable placement in construction industries and oilﬁeld industries. Having 7 years of gulf experience in fasteners and building material. Having a valid driving license. Contact: 00968 92480985, Email: fayubeig@gmail.com Pakistani, Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years in Accounts, IT & Administration, looking for a better position in Oman, already working in Prestigious Construction Company. # 95983711. Join.mtmali@gmail.com

Spoken English IELTS & Computer classes. Contact: 92088325 / 24799938

DRIVING

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price. Contact: http//webviewoman

COMPUTER GOOD NEWS Ayuredic massage backache, joint pain, neck pain etc. Contact 98254909 Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact 99508282

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED

Shifting transporting truck. Contact : 99008442

House shifting & transporting. Contact 92490422

Transport available in Ghala, Ruwi , Ghubra, Al Khuwair & Azaiba. Contact: 91495819

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. #24793614/ 99314807

Transportation. Contact 99664703

Building maintenance: Tiling, painting etc. Contact: 99325827

Transportation. Contact 99508282 Male available for a part time accounting & admin job, Contact:99196621. Babar Ali Male, Pak, Exp 14 Years in Accounts, IT & Administration, looking for a better position in Oman, No need of Visa, already working in of the Omani Construction Company. Contact:- 95983711. Indian male MBA ﬁnance and marketing. Having 2 year experienced in accounting, looking for suitable job opportunities. Available on visit can join immediately. Cont: 94676974 Email: anfalruk@gmail.com SALES MANAGER (MECHANICAL ENGINEER)-Over 5 yrs in Oman, with experience in Industrial Products & Services with Noc & driving license looking for the challenging opportunities. Notice period Ends on 27th August -2015 . GSM - 95291830

One stop shop business services : Public Relation (PRO) formation new companies, LLC companies, Investor visa, business setup, prepare businesses & companies accounts, legal services, representing you and your company. Contact: Saleh : 96723485

Transportation available. Contact: 99867456

SIT.WANTED ACCOUNTANT, Male, 8 years experience .Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with Oman Driving license. NOC available seeks suitable opportunity. GSM: 98184170

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

Housemaid looking for job. Cont : 95587492

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

Indian Female Lawyer having 11 yrs experience presently working in Oman seeks placement in Legal/HR/ Admin etc. NOC available #94436960 Email: famidakhan123@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer : Indian , male 23 years, 2 years experience, on visit visa . Seeking suitable placement. Contact : +968 91409712 , Email : nibin.nani@gmail.com

Required SUB Contractors for new projects. Contact: 99755534 / 96600581 Required investors for different projects. Contact: 99674870

A/C Technician, all refrigerator items, installation. # 92279370 Air condition maintenance split and window A/C split a/c ducted and package type units. Contact: 98667326

Split & widow unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact: 99557080

Split & window unit A.C servicing & maintenance. #96236476

Split & window A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089/95323517

Window & split unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517

All maintenance & repairs. Contact Rizwan: 99429071, RMPM Trading.

Pest Control Treatments, cockroaches, Ants Rodents & termites, Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723/ 99357908

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 General cleaning in buildings villas all types interior, exterior, polishing dry cleaning carpets, rugs, marble etc. Contact 94134784 / 98598280 Water prooﬁng ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 House shifting & packing. Contact: 99657644 /98518013

General cleaning & Shampooing Ocean Center LLC. Contact: 99344723/99357908

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T U E S D AY, S E P T E M B E R 8 , 2 0 1 5

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Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours Contact- 98029602, 92808636

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FOR HIRE Volvo 12 Ton Truck for monthly rent. Contact: 98713900