Times of Oman - January 9, 2017

MONDAY January 9, 2017 10 Rabi Al Thani 1438 AH

6 085010 120010

HM SENDS GREETINGS

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana on the occasion of his swearing in and being inaugurated as a President of the Republic.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations to President Addo, wishing him success in leading the people of Ghana towards further progress and growth to the relations between the two countries. -ONA

On the occasion of the 27th National Day, 1997

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’ The road before us is long and difficult. No one can travel it except those who work hard and patiently, those who can face up to the challenges with a strong spirit of determination and right thinking.

You are those people. Go ahead, with God’s Blessing, for your own prosperity!

Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 261 | 36 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

VOGUE NAMES OMAN AS THE SECOND HOTTEST DESTINATION IN WORLD THIS YEAR Oman was named the second hottest travel destination in the world this year,in Vogue magazine’s top 10 list for 2017. The Sultanate was ranked next to Georgia in the itinerary of places tourists must visit this year, ahead of Langkawi, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, the US state of Idaho, Jordan, the Danish city of Aarhus and Colombia.

See also >A4

RESTRAINTS

Behave yourself on India flights to Oman and when required. However, it is up to the cabin crew to decide whether or not to use them,” a senior official of an Indian airline said.

While some airlines use plastic handcuffs, others use ropes to control misbehaving passengers.

“This is being done for the safety of other passengers,” confirmed the country manager of an airline that operates daily flights to Muscat. After restraining passengers,

Times News Service MUSCAT: Think twice before you create a nuisance on a flight.

Some Indian carriers have now started carrying restraints, such as handcuffs and ropes, onboard all international flights, including those to Muscat, to restrain disruptive passengers, if necessary.

A senior official of an Indian airline said the move comes after the Directorate General of Civil M U S C AT

Emergency landing of German jet

Aviation (DGCA) in India permitted airlines to carry restraints onboard. “We have all types of security arrangements, including restraints on board, and use them to ensure the safety of flights, as S TAT E B U D G E T

OMAN’S BUDGET AT A GLANCE Revenue Budgeted Real

8,600 7,360

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

Online admission

2016

Omani rials (millions)

Oil

8,700

Gas Other current revenue

Staff Reporter MSUCAT: A private German aircraft with nine people onboard made an emergency landing at Muscat Airport on way from Maldives to Abu Dhabi, the Public Authority for Civil Aviation (PACA) said.

“The Muscat Air Traffic Control Centre received a request from the pilot of MHV640 aircraft before entering the Omani skies at 2:10 pm on Saturday that there were injured passengers onboard,” the PACA said.

“The request was granted after coordination with other airlines at the airport to secure safe landing,” the PACA added.

The aircraft landed at 3:14 pm and the injured people onboard were moved to hospital.

Capital revenue and repayment

Total

Tax and fees

Expenditure

Defence and security Oil and gas production Development Participation and subsidies

11,900

11,700

Education Healthcare

Deficit

3,300

3,000

Ministries and government units Interest on loans

2017

4,560 4,450 1,590 1,660 1,071 1,127 50 40 1,329 1,423 3,500 3,340 1,790 1,820 1,350 1,355 550 535 1,645 1,585 631 612 2,344 2,188 90 265

Price of Oman crude US$ per barrel

1

REGION

Rafsanjani dies

2

Ex-Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has died. >A7

SPORTS

Oman hockey coach

3

Oman hockey coach is hopeful of team finishing among the top 3. >C1

2016

2018

2020

50

55

60

60

will run hundreds of

40.1

taxis and they will

Forecast

0

Nominal GDP Omani rials (billions)

2016

2018

40 30

28.6 25.1 26.8

31.4

34.1

At least 500 Mwasalat taxis will begin operating soon.

RAHUL DAS

with the Ministry of Transport to regulate the taxi business in Oman, and hope to start operating our vehicles by the first quarter of this year. By the end of this year, all our taxis will run on meters,” confirmed Al Bulushi.

According to the plan, customers will be able to book these taxis with the help of an app or by calling a call centre.

Currently, Mwasalat is on a hiring spree and seeking to employ people to manage its taxi business. “We are looking at Omani nationals who can be hired as directors of taxi services, supervisors who can control a fleet of cars, and for many other posts,” declared Al Bulushi. >A6

rahuldas@timesofoman.com

10 0

Real GDP growth

2016

2018

2020

% 3 2

2.5

2.4 1.7

2.8

1.7

1 0 Graphics

Spending on social sector, defence, ministries to be cut MUSCAT: Oman is expected to trim spending on health, education, defence, as well as on its ministries and government units in 2017, while spending on the oil and gas sector will rise slightly, according to a detailed report by a financial house.

Ernst and Young has released its analysis of the 2017 State Budget, saying Oman’s diversification programme, coupled with priority spending, is expected to boost economic growth in the medium term. In line with its Ninth Development Plan (2016–20), the economy will become more dependent on the non-oil sector, notably in manufacturing, trans-

be metered 2020

20

Source: Budget Alert, Snapshot of Oman’s budget for 2017, Ernst & Young

reji@timesofoman.com

Mwasalat’s boss says the company

55

Estimate

REJIMON K

Online admissions process for Indian Schools in Oman began on Sunday. >A3

airline officials hand over offenders to the ground staff, once the aircraft lands at its destination.

The directive for the cabin crew is clear on how to handle an unruly passenger. Such a passenger must be observed. The cabin crew must then inform the senior crew members, then the captain and finally, the sky marshal, if he is on board, in case the situation is out of control, before restraining any passenger.

2017 TO BE THE YEAR OF TAXI METERS

1.82b Omani rial will be spent on the oil and gas sector in 2017 which is an increase of OMR30m over the last year

port, logistics and tourism, as oil output stabilises and then falls.”

According to the report, this year Oman will spend OMR 3.34 billion for defence and security, down by OMR160 million in 2016.

In the oil and gas sector, the OMR1.82b planned for 2017 is

an increase of OMR30m over the last year.

However, the education sector’s OMR1.58b is a decrease of OMR60 million, while the health sector’s OMR612 million means OMR19m will be saved over 2016’s expenditure.

Ministries and government units will spend OMR2.18b, with officials taking one of the biggest reductions, as OMR156 million is cut from their spending.

One expenditure that will rise will be interest paid on loans, as Oman borrows more to offset the deficit, with a planned OMR265 million allocated, which is a steep rise of OMR175 million.

In the development sector, Oman will be spending OMR1,355 million. >A3

MUSCAT: A decade after they were first proposed, meters will finally be installed in hundreds of taxis by the end of 2017, as Mwasalat announced its entry into the taxi market.

At least 500 Mwasalat taxis will begin operating soon, and will install meters in their cars before the year end, promised Ahmad bin Ali Al Bulushi, CEO of Mwasalat.

The company, which transformed public transport in 2016, will manage 150 airport taxis, 150 at malls and 200 taxis on call, beginning in the first quarter of this year. “We are working closely

People urged to clean-up surroundings

MORNING MINUTE

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MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

THE BRIEFING WORLD

May denies her Brexit strategy is ‘muddled’ British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would set out her strategy for Brexit over the coming weeks, denying suggestions she was “muddled” in the pursuit of what she called the right relationship with the European Union (EU). >A12

LIFESTYLE

Maserati Ghibli S Q4, the gorgeous luxury sedan

SPORTS

Team Renaissance target SATT 2017 podium finish Since Fahad Al Hasni first competed in the inaugural EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour (SATT) back in 2011, he has dreamt of standing at the top of the podium, having won fair and square with a team made up of Omani sailors. In 2017, at his seventh attempt on the title, he will get his best chance as skipper of Team Renaissance, which is sponsored by the Omani multinational oil and gas company and comprises 90 percent Omani talent with French navigator Guillaume Berenger having to brush up on his Arabic to offer directions. >C3

The Italian automaker’s midsize sedan Ghibli S Q4, dressed in a gorgeous Blue Emozione paint, drew stares at every stop. Styled more conservatively than other European sport sedans, there is undoubtedly something unique about the design of Ghibli. >A3

BUSINESS

Dubai stocks lead Middle East gains

OMAN

Dar Al Atta’a Big Book Sale on January 14 Dar Al Atta’a will be holding its Big Book Sale on January 14 at Al Qurum Complex from 10am to 1pm. Hundreds of books for adults and children will be available at 50 per cent discount. >A4

REGION

Suicide attacks kill 20 in eastern Baghdad Suicide bombs at two marketplaces in Baghdad, one of them claimed by IS, killed at least 20 people, police and medics said, the latest in a spate of militant attacks in the Iraqi capital. >A7

INDIA

Modi hits out at ‘political worshippers’ of black money

Dubai stocks gained the most in the Gulf, led by Emaar Properties, as investors hunt for dividends ahead of earnings season. Kuwait’s SE Price Index rose 1.1 per cent, Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index increased 0.5 per cent and Qatar’s benchmark QE Index gained 0.1 per cent. >B1

SPORTS Castigating the opponents of demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said those terming the government’s move as ‘anti-people’ were the “political worshippers” of graft and black money which were making the economy, polity and society hollow. >A8

Unfortunate final race for Oman’s Al Wahaibi It was an unfortunate final day and race for Oman’s Khalid Al Wahaibi as he suffered a crash and had to retire from the Formula 4 South East Asia (F4/ SEA) Championship at the Buriram United International Circuit on Sunday. >C3

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

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receives more than 4,000 applications for admissions to six Indian schools in the capital area for classes KG I to IX. In 2016, the board received around

Times News Service MUSCAT: Online admissions process for Indian Schools in Oman began on Sunday.

Every year, the board receives more than 4,000 applications for admission to six Indian schools in the capital area for classes KG I VIRAL

to IX. In 2016, the board received around 4,700 applications.

“Due to a large number of parents seeking admission for their children, the demand generally outstrips the total number of available seats in all schools in the capital. Today, the total number of students in all Indian schools stands at 45,000 with a sizeable number in six capital schools,” a statement from Indian School Board had said. According to the statement, there is a demand for

more seats for admissions from KG I to Grade II. “BoD is fully aware of its social responsibility and is doing everything possible to augment the infrastructure,” it added. Parents seeking admission can log on to portal www.indianschoolsoman.com.

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

OIL PRICES

A1 Tough times < FROM

Crashed red coach not part of bus fleet: Mwasalat Times News Service MUSCAT: A crashed bus ‘is not of Mwasalat’s fleet’ the transport company tweeted yesterday after an image of a red coach involved in an accident went viral.

Mwasalat clarified that the picture circulating on social media of a crashed bus is not theirs.

In a tweet, the company stated that “the bus displayed in the picture is not of Mwasalat’s fleet but belongs to another company in GCC.” The image shows a damaged bus crashed into a wall.

A LT E R N AT I V E

Renewable energy can augment oil, gas income SYED HAITHAM HASAN

Haitham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Power generation through renewable sources, such as solar energy, can help Oman earn more from oil and gas, according to His Highness Sayyid Tarik bin Shabib Al Said, patron of the Environment Society of Oman (ESO).

Speaking to the media during the celebration of Oman Environment Day by the Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), Sayyid Tarik pointed out that the importance of using renewable energy

Every year, the board

4,700 applications

OMAN

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Online admissions for Indian schools in Sultanate starts

In 2016, the amount for the same was OMR1,350 million.

The report also details an expected decrease of OMR110 million in oil revenues this year, though OMR70m extra is expected from gas and OMR94 million is to come from from taxes and fees.

Ernst and Young’s report confirmed that despite the persistent fall in oil prices, the Sultanate’s economy grew by 2.3 per cent in 2016, owing to the rise in oil production.

Meanwhile, one international investment advisor in Muscat said that if oil prices do not increase in 2017, it would be a tough time for the country, even with strict austerity measures in place.“Even though the 2016 budget deficit was estimated at OMR3.3 billion, the actual was OMR5.3 billion. The 2015 actual budget deficit was also around OMR4.6b, while the estimated deficit was only OMR2.5 billion.

“This means that the budget deficit was already around OMR10 billion by the end of 2016.

Now, with estimated OMR3b deficit in 2017, it is OMR13b. How to plug this deficit will be a challenge for Oman,” said Dr Anchan CK, an investment advisor.

“In 2016, revenue was budgeted at OMR8.6 billion, but Oman received only OMR7.36 billion.

Similarly, the expenditure was budgeted at OMR11.9 billion, but it went up to OMR12.65 billion.

Without tight expenditure controls, things are not going to help Oman,” he added.

Lateef Shahdad, general manager at Schindler Elevator Division Oman, said that development projects in Duqum, Sohar and Salalah reveal the strong fundamental foundation of the economic structure of Oman that cannot be sidelined by the prevailing situation.

“I do not see any blockade or scary conditions due to prevailing regional economic scenarios to stop Oman from growing, as its future still has huge opportunities to offer, despite the regional slowdown,” the general manager added.

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cannot be overlooked, and in fact, it complements the Sultanate’s conventional resources.

“We need renewable energy to boost our conventional fossil fuel income.

“Every time we sell a barrel of oil that is saved due to renewable sources, we make money. So, they are not in competition with each other, unlike the common perception, but rather complement each other,” he maintained.

He added that the production of electricity through renewable sources must be given incentives, to encourage its development.

The Environment Day Celebration, held at the PDO headquarters in Mina Al Fahal, focused on energy management. The PDO signed agreements with the Ministry of Education and Riyada to increase the use of renewable energy.

The joint venture will promote renewable energy use through innovative competitions aimed at school students and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Schools students will be encouraged to take part in competitions that will be designed to enhance their research and awareness in the field of renewable energy.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017 My essay highlighted how life is all about chances and how important it is to grab hold of golden chances when they come by and make use of them to contribute to social development and global cultural harmony. It described how the UN camp has proven to be the greatest chance to bring about change, by empowering me to do this Samira Al Balushi, Oman Tourism College student

OMAN

Oman second on Vogue’s hottest destination list tourists to Oman, once they have experienced it,” he said.

“This is just so different from what the rest of the Middle East has to offer.

“The inflow has been very, very good and our hotel has about 80 per cent occupancy at the moment,” he stated.

“It’s got to do with the friendly rules and regulations that Oman has right now, because the government is promoting tourism aggressively,” revealed George. “If tourism continues this way, we should have a huge increase in the coming years and that’s what we are looking forward to.”

Oman has been praised because it offers tourists an experience that is unmatched in other parts of the Middle East, say hoteliers

gautam@timesofoman.com

RECOGNITION: “Oman has been recognised as an important holiday destination because it has so much to offer, compared with the other countries in the region,” said Baida Al Sukaiti, PR and Communications Manager for the Intercontinental Hotel.

MUSCAT: Oman was named the second hottest travel destination in the world this year, in Vogue magazine’s top 10 list for 2017.

The Sultanate was ranked next to Georgia in the itinerary of places tourists must visit this year, ahead of destinations such as Langkawi in Malaysia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, the US state of Idaho, Jordan, the Danish city of Aarhus and Colombia.

Oman was praised because it offered tourists an experience that

was unlike any in the Middle East, explained hoteliers in the region.

“Oman has been recognised as an important holiday destination because it has so much to offer, compared with the other countries in the region,” said Baida Al Sukaiti, PR and Communications Manager for the Intercontinental Hotel.

“We have a fantastic coastline, the beaches are beautiful, the people are good, and we have a history and a culture that has not disap-

GAUTAM VISWANATHAN

CHARITY

Dar Al Atta’a Big Book Sale on January 14

peared, despite the times,” she noted. “The Europeans, for example, do not have what we have,” she declared.

“They see that we have something completely different. We have the sea, wadis (valleys), camping, the forts; whatever you want you can get here. We are not restricted to just one tourist activity. “People don’t come here just to shop, and if they want to shop, there are lots of traditional items, such as frankincense and Omani

MUSCAT: Dar Al Atta’a will be holding its Big Book Sale on January 14 at Al Qurum Complex from 10am to 1pm.

Hundreds of books for adults and children will be available at 50 per cent discount with prices ranged between 500 baisa and 1 Omani rial.

For more information contact letsreadoman@gmail.com or call 99314230 Or visit the Facebook page: Dar Al Atta’a Let’s Read.

Tourism College student’s essay gets UNESCO appreciation

GAUTAM VISWANATHAN

Gautam@timesofoman.com Muscat: International praise has been been heaped upon an Oman student. Samira Al Balushi, a student at the Oman Tourism College (OTC) who attended a UN work camp held in South Korea last July, received praise from the Korean National Commission for UNESCO for her essay detailing her experiences at that camp.

Six students from the OTC had attended the Korean work camp, and were the only students from the Middle East selected for the 10-day youth programme.

Her essay, which describes her camp experience, including exposure to diverse cultures and involvement in sustainable community development programmes, was among the three submissions selected by the commission to be published in UNESCO’s monthly report. In addition, she was selected by the Network for Voluntary Development in Asia (NVDA) to join their annual meeting and work camp training course in Indonesia, which has been scheduled for February 2017.

This meeting might result in assisting in organising work camps in the Sultanate.

RISING INCIDENTS OF DIABETES

Social media activists call for a sugar-free 2017 HASAN SHABAN AL LAWATI

hassan@timesofoman.com Times News Service

halwa that they can buy.

“The Ministry of Tourism says that ‘beauty has an address’, and Oman is that address,” she added.

Her sentiment was echoed by Praveen George, General Manager of Sales and Marketing for the Al Falaj Hotel.

“Oman has a lot of natural beauty, and most of the tourists are amazed by it.

“The beauty is not restricted to Muscat, but is spread across the nation, and that brings a lot of

Undiscovered haven “Oman to me is an undiscovered haven, which is not pretentious, with a very tourist-friendly community all over the country,” mentioned Nurhayati Mohamad, Marketing and Communications Manager for Six Senses Zighy Bay. “Oman’s beauty speaks for itself, and the Hajar mountains, forts and other historical sites are just a few of the attractions for tourists,” she said. “Culture and heritage are present in abundance, especially around the old forts and villages.

“For example, observing how fishermen conduct their daily routine is interesting to a lot of tourists, who love trying the Omani hand-line fishing style, and that is not something you can find elsewhere,” she said.

According to the latest official data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information, last year Oman received 2.5 million tourists through October 2016, a 15 per cent increase over the same period in 2015.

HONOUR

MUSCAT: A group of Omani social media activists have vowed to stop consuming sugar this year, in a bid to curb the rising incidents of diabetes in the Sultanate.

They launched a campaign on January 1, encouraging people to control their sugar cravings and urging authorities to impose a tax on refined sugar products.

At least 60 people, including medics, have joined the movement, according to a survey released by the activists. “Most people agree that sugar is a silent killer, as at least 1.5 million deaths

are directly caused by diabetes every year,” said Bassam, one of the leaders behind the campaign.

The disease runs in Bassam’s family. “My mother, uncle, aunt and three cousins have diabetes,” he noted. Twitter users from the Gulf Cooperation Council region had undertaken a similar challenge last Ramadan, but that was only for a month.

“Some 57 per cent of the participants said they experienced a change in their health and body during the sugar-less month,” Bassam said.

Omani photographer Rashad Al Wahebi has also pledged to boycott refined sugar for the entire

year. “I stopped eating cornflakes, refined juices and pastries with added sugar,” Al Wahebi said, revealing that he had started checking the ingredients of all products when he goes shopping.

He is compensating with natural sugar found in fresh fruits

and vegetables. Like Bassam, Al Wahebi’s family also has its share of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

“Europe is discussing a tax on unhealthy products that contain sugar, as they have seen how it contributes to obesity,” he explained, adding that Oman must follow suit.

“It is good to see that hypermarkets in Oman are allocating sections for organic food,” he noted.

News anchor Ahmed Al Kindi has also shown his support for the drive on social media.

“I was overweight four years ago, and had breathing difficulties. That was when I decided to

change my diet and lifestyle,” he mentioned, stating that he lost 25 kilograms in just three months. ““So, I have decided to support the campaign to encourage more people to reduce their consumption of refined sugar,” he said.

Al Kindi goes for a walk every morning whenever he gets the time.

Studies have shown that 37 per cent of Omanis do not exercise enough, which has contributed to the rise of NCDs in the country.

Oman records some 5,000 new cases of diabetes each year.

Recently, the Ministry of Health (MoH) kick started a campaign to encourage people to exercise.

ENVIRONMENT

Campaign inspires people to ‘clean up’ surroundings DEEBA HASAN

deeba@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A group of concerned citizens and residents is encouraging the public to clean up their surroundings.

Clean Up Oman (CUO), a volunteer-based programme that started on November 29, 2011, conducted its first clean-up campaign on December 30 with 35 members.

Two months after its first drive in March, the group asked the public to clean up their villages and towns during one day.

“That day, around 15,000 people, organised into teams, took part in what then became an annual nationwide clean-up drive,” said Nasser Al Kindi, a volunteer.

However, CUO’s mission is not just to organise clean-up drives.

“Our ultimate objective is to one day have our services and initiatives become obsolete. That is to say, we work towards a day when our initiatives would no longer be required,” he explained.

The group regularly organises lectures and presentations, in collaboration with schools, sports clubs and various NGOs. It also carries out awareness programmes across various media platforms. In doing so, it aims at complementing the government’s efforts to keep Oman litter-free.

The group believes that consist-

ent clean up and awareness campaigns will help it achieve its goal of ‘tipping the scale against reckless littering’.

CUO, a fully volunteer-based initiative, does not need or seek funding. Its management is free of hierarchy and promotes ideas, while supporting those willing to translate these ideas into initiatives. “For example, a volunteer may want to organise an aware-

ness programme for children.

CUO, upon checking the idea against its criteria, would promote the programme and enable the volunteer to turn it into a reality,” Al Kindi said.

CUO’s criteria include scalability (the project must be easy to replicate and organise in various parts of the country), sustainability, and not posing risk to the people, or Oman’s flora or fauna. The aim of the project must be in line with CUO’s aim of ‘tipping the scale against reckless littering’.

Al Kindi asserted that littering is a serious hazard to the planet, and all those living on it. “In Oman, it poses serious damage to our flora, fauna, avian fauna and marine life. It is a serious risk to the human health, and to cattle and sheep. — Photo: Supplied

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

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‘Affordable stay key to sustained tourism growth’ Tourism is one of the key areas that Tanfeedh, Oman’s National Diversification Programme, seeks to harness to reduce the Sultanate’s dependence on oil and gas for

ATTRACTING TOURISTS: Paul Loomis, regional head of The Business Year, said lower cost options are crucial to encouraging more people to visit the country.

its revenues

SYED HAITHAM HASAN

Haitham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman needs more affordable hotels to increase the number of tourists visiting the country, said experts.

Tourism is one of the key areas that Tanfeedh, Oman’s National Diversification Programme, seeks to harness to reduce the Sultanate’s dependence on oil and gas for its revenues, but specialists said hotels need to offer more than just luxury accommodation.

“Although the focus on luxury tourism has been a rewarding strategy for Oman, so far, this segment is highly competitive globally, with several luxury destinations available. To achieve sustained growth in tourism, Oman must diversify its product offering and, accordingly, seek a wider consumer base,” said Vikram Loomba, PwC Middle East Director for Hospitality and Leisure Advisory Services.

Paul Loomis, regional head of The Business Year, said lower cost options are crucial to encouraging more people to visit the country.

“Affordable prices by the standRELIEF

No rent hike this year: Municipality REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Tenants and landlords can breathe a sigh of relief, at least for now, as a member of the Muscat Municipality said that ‘most probably’ there will be no increase in rent agreements this year.

“So far, we have not discussed the reviewing of rental fees this year. Most probably, there will be no increase this year,” Salim Mohammed Al Ghamary, Muscat Municipality Council member, told Times of Oman.

Last year, the municipal fee for all tenancy agreements were increased from 3 to 5 per cent in the Sultanate. Either the landlord or tenant had to pay the increase.

The move was initiated as part of measures taken by the Ministry of Finance in the 2016 State Budget to shore up non-oil revenues.

A real estate agent said that revising the rental agreement fee again this year would not be a good move.

“Already, a good number of expatriates are leaving Oman for good due to economic conditions, and flats are remaining vacant. We were paying the municipality fee for our tenants. Even though it is not a big amount, if an increase is done at this time of austerity it would be a difficult situation for us,” the real estate agent said.

According to a recent report by international real estate consultancy Cluttons, average rental rates fell by a further 2.3 per cent during the third quarter of 2016, bringing the total decline for the year to 8.1 per cent in Oman’s residential market.

ard of the Gulf States would allow people from all over the world to visit Oman. As it stands, there are some very good luxury operations and options in Oman, but it is high-quality affordable hotels and activities that will bring in the global middle class,” he said.

The Times of Oman recently reported a 40 per cent drop in luxury hotel rates in Oman, as the global economic slowdown had reduced occupancy levels in Omani hotels.

Growing middle class According to Kanaga Sundar, Head of Research at Gulf Baader Capital Markets, the Sultanate’s potential will be best exploited if Omani hotels are attractive to the growing middle class around the world.

“The only way to attract middle income visitors is by providing affordable luxuries. The potential Oman has is so huge that it will not be ignored by travellers around the world, if they don’t have to dig too deep into their pockets,” he said.

Last year, the Ministry of Tourism announced ‘Vision 2040’, which aims to double the number of international visitors to five million per year, predominantly by developing clusters showcas-

ing the country’s exotic landscape, heritage and culture. The $35 billion investment plan also envisages increasing the GDP contribution from tourism to reach 6 per cent, from 2.5 per cent today.

Loomba said that ‘Vision 2040’ is an achievable target, considering it follows a normal growth trajectory, but Oman needs to focus on a few parameters to achieve sustained growth in the tourism industry.

Meanwhile, Loomis explained that Oman lacked international marketing, while promotion and developing activities should be high on its agenda.

“Nothing hampers Oman’s tourism potential as does a lack of international awareness. I think that because Oman is such a good destination in other ways, it can attract conferences and corporate events from the region, and beyond. Again, it seems to be more a question of marketing and promotion, than anything else,” he stated.

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OMAN PORTUGAL

SOHAR

HM sends condolences

Landfill inaugurated

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of condolences to President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa of Portugal on the death of former Portuguese president Mario Soares. In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere condolences and sympathy to President de Sousa, the deceased’s family and the Portuguese people. -ONA

Times News Service MUSCAT: Sohar’s newly constructed landfill received its first consignment of waste shipped from different wilayats in North Al Batinah governorate on Saturday. The project was inaugurated by the Oman Environmental Services Holding Company (Be’ah).

Engineer Tariq Al Amri, CEO

of Be’ah, said the company has started shutting down the traditional landfills in the governorate.

One of eleven “This project is one of the eleven engineered landfills to be built across the Sultanate, which are drafted and designed as per international environmental and engineering standards,” he explained.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

OMAN Shura reviews state of public sector firms Majlis Al Shura’s Economic and Financial Committee yesterday hosted the CEO of Oman Oil Company and some of its officials

MUSCAT: To look for investment opportunities in the oil and gas sectors at home and abroad and to review the performance of some state-owned companies, Majlis Al Shura’s Economic and Financial Committee hosted the CEO of Oman Oil Company (OOC) .

Khalid bin Hilal Al Ma’awali, Chairman of Majlis Al Shura, patronised over the meeting in the presence of Eng. Mohammed

SEEKING INVESTMENT: The meeting touched on a number of topics related to the company and its contributions to the diversification of income sources. – Supplied

bin Abu Bakr Al Ghassani, Deputy Chairman of Majlis Al Shura, Dr. Saleh bin Said Masan, Head of the Economic and Financial Committee and members of the Committee.

The company made a presentation on the key companies, such as Oman Oil Exploration and

Production (OOEP), Oman Oil Facilities Development Company (OOFDC), Takamul Investment Company, and Oman Oil Duqm Development Company. The presentation included the most prominent foreign investment through OOC international investment unit and Oxea.

The presentation referred to the investment portfolio and its geographical and sector-wise diversity and the contributions made by the company, which was founded in 1996.

The meeting also touched on a number of topics related to the company and its contributions to the diversification of income sources, provide projects that will boost the Omani economy, in addition to reviewing the most important challenges and obstacles faced by the oil and gas sector in the Sultanate and the attempt to find appropriate and possible solutions to overcome them and minimise them in the future.

Eng. Essam Al Zadjali said that the meeting discussed the presentation to restructure the company in particular, in addition to the review of the most important current challenges for the company in the private oil and gas sector in general, as well as future projects, including A’Duqm Refinery Project and petrochemical project, and the future foreign investments. -ONA

ANTI-UNEMPLOYMENT SCHEME

Plan prepared to help unemployed MUSCAT: Initial draft for the anti-unemployment scheme which aims at providing an alternative source of income for workers whose services have been terminated for reasons beyond their control has been prepared in coordination with the International Labor Organisation (ILO), said Hamdah bint Said Al Shamsiyah, Acting DG of the Public Authority for Social Insurance.

The Consultation Lab for Studying the Finance Options for the Anti-Unemployment Scheme, organised yesterday by the Public Authority for Social Insurance (PASI) in the presence of Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, Minister of Manpower and PASI Chairman, discussed a number of proposals and inputs related to financing this project.

ILO representative presented a working paper on the organisation’s vision towards anti-unemployment scheme. Shabib Al Busaidi, Actuary Studies Executive at PASI presented a working paper on the finance options proposed by the Authority.

The participants were then di-

vided into five groups and analysed the pros and cons of each option to come up with the best finance option which will be raised to PASI’s board of directors.

The scheme seeks to provide social protection for unemployed and their families during their unemployment period for reasons beyond their control.

The scheme also fills the gap between the date of leaving job and the date of joining the new job by providing unemployed with a minimum amount that secure dignified life for them and their families. Job seekers will be also assisted to get another job.

Representatives of the tripartite stakeholders (the government, employers and employees) alongside with relevant ministries, Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), the General Federation of Oman Trade Unions (GFOTU), the State Council, the Majlis Al Shura, the Supreme Council for Planning, the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) and the Public Authority for Manpower Register (PAMR) took part in the lab. -ONA

MINISTERIAL DECISION

ANNUAL MEETING

NDC aims to develop Hiring of expats for breeding of camels strategic thinking MUSCAT: To formulate national policies and decision making in the areas of security and defence and develop the ability to unify, integrate and coordinate national efforts, the National Defence College (NDC) held its 5th annual meeting .

Its aim is to prepare and develop strategic studies in the areas of security and defence, develop strategic thinking, analytical capacity and strategic planning skills.

It also aims to prepare and qualify military, security and civilian leaders to enable them to take up general military, security and civilian positions at the strategic level, provide academic environment that stimulates creativity and learning, in strategic studies in the areas of security and defence, develop awareness and understanding with national security issues, develop the ability to manage crises, according to scientific methodology plans and conduct research and studies and to develop researching skills in the areas of security and defence.

The NDC held its 5th annual meeting under the chair of Lt.Gen Ahmed bin Harith Al Nabhani, Chief of Staff of the Sultan’s

MUSCAT: Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, Minister of Manpower has issued a ministerial decision on the recruitment of expatriate manpower for camel breeding.

The decision stipulates authorised recruitment of one camel breeder for each Omani who owns

not less than 10 camels and not more than 25 camels. The decision allows recruitment of two camel breeders for each Omani who owns 26 or more camels subjected to the regulation of Oman Camel Racing Federation .

The application shall be submitted to the Ministry of Man-

power along with all required documents such as the details of camels approved by Oman Camel Racing Federation, a copy of the participation card of Oman Camel Racing Federation and the original report on the number of camels owned by the applicant.

The decision also authorises one

worker for each Omani who owns 10 camels allocated for breeding.

The application shall be submitted to the Ministry of Manpower along with the form of details of camels approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the details of the applicant and payment of the prescribed fee. —ONA

METERS

Armed Forces (SAF), Chairman of the NDC Council.

NDC Acting Commandant gave a briefing on the performance indicators for the past and current periods.

The meeting was attended by the Commander of Royal Army of Oman (RAO), Commander of Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman (RNO), Commander of the Royal Guard of Oman (RGO), NDC Commandant, Assistant Inspector General of Police and Customs for Administrative and Financial Affairs, Assistant Chairman of the Internal Security Service for Operations, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Advisor at the Ministry of Finance and Acting Assistant Commandant of NDC. -ONA

A1 Taxi fares not uniform in Sultanate < FROM

Expatriates may be hired if the company fails to find the right person among Omanis. “However, our first choice is Omani nationals,” he insisted.

Travelling by taxi can be similar to a lottery in Oman, with no uniform fares. For example, from Ruwi to the airport some taxis charge OMR5, while others may charge OMR10 or more.

“We want to improve taxi services in Oman, which will also help the drivers maximise their incomes,” explained Al Bulushi.

Muscat was set to receive metered taxis in 2008, but a Dubaibased company left the project, citing the economic slowdown.

Since then, the government has been looking for ways to improve taxi services in the Sultanate.

In June 2016, two companies were awarded taxi licences by the Ministry of Transport — Mwasalat and Al Ibtikar for Informatics Technology — to operate taxis in Muscat.

Meter system Welcoming the meter system, existing taxi drivers said they would also install meters. “It is good that taxis will install meters, as it will benefit customers and drivers.

Having a fare structure is always better, as can be seen by the success of airport taxis,” noted Ab-

dullah Al Shibli, who represents the taxi drivers.

“Many taxi drivers fleece passengers, which is not good,” said Mohammad, another taxi driver, who operates a taxi at the Ruwi bus stand.

Mohammed Al Battashi, who drives a taxi at a five-star hotel, said fares must be kept low to lure passengers. “We do not know the fares yet, so I cannot comment on whether it will be good or bad, but fares should be low to draw more people,” he noted.

Customers also agreed taxis should be metered. “Most developed countries have a metering system for their taxi services. It

is high time that we also have it here,” said Sunil, an Indian expat, who uses taxis twice a day.

Bargain Taxi services must be regulated and professional, D B Chettri, a private sector employee,noted.

“Personally, I do not use taxi services in Oman, as it is difficult to find them, and then you have to bargain with the drivers,” he said, stating that metered taxis are needed on Oman’s roads.

“Now, we have to pay whatever they demand, so meters are welcome. But the fares must be competitive, when compared to other parts of the world,” he asserted.

U S D E L E G AT I O N

Discussion on farm sector achievements MUSCAT: A discussion was organised on the agriculture sector in the Sultanate and the achievements made in the past, such as development and research projects in the field of soil and water, which contributed in its growth and enhancing food security.

Dr. Ahmed bin Nasser Al Bakri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for Agriculture yesterday met with a delegation comprising researchers and specialists in the field of natural resources management

“Soil and Water” in the US University of Texas, currently visiting the Sultanate.

A documentary on agriculture in the Sultanate was screened on the current situation and the challenges in the agricultural sector, as well as reviewing the agriculture sector strategy and future projects that would contribute in achieving quality, increasing production for various agricultural crops and improving self-sufficiency for some agricultural goods. -ONA

D U B A I H E A LT H F O R U M

Sa’eedi leaves for UAE MUSCAT: Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sa’eedi, Minister of Health left for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to take part in the dialogue session of ministers of health to be held on the sidelines of the 1st Dubai Health Forum on Monday.

The conference will be held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Mak-

toum, United Arab Emirates Vice President, Prime Minister, Ruler of Dubai.

The session will witness a broad participation of world scientists and experts to address future challenges facing health sector and identify best solutions and initiatives in a bid to overcome such challenges in an innovative way. -ONA

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

A7

REGION Former Iran president Rafsanjani dies at 82 Rafsanjani was an influential figure in Iran, and headed the Expediency Council, a body which is intended to resolve disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council

DUBAI: Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died on Sunday at the age of 82, state media reported, a big blow to moderates and reformists deprived now of their most influential supporter in Iran.

“Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani was taken to hospital after heart attack and more than an hour long efforts by doctors to revive him were not successful,” the deputy minister of health was quoted by Fars news agency as saying.

Residents said a crowd gathered outside the hospital in northern Tehran where Rafsanjani was taken. In a sign of mourning, state television channels carried a black banner on a corner

END OF AN ERA: Former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani waves to journalists as he registers his candidacy for the elections of the Experts Assembly, in Tehran, Iran, in this photograph taken on December 21, 2015. – AP/PTI File

of screen. Mehdi, the imprisoned son of Hashemi who is in jail on corruption charges, attended the hospital to say goodbye to the body of his father. He was escorted out by police.

Rafsanjani was an influential figure in Iran, and headed the Expediency Council, a body which is intended to resolve disputes between the parliament and the Guardian Council. He was also a member of the Assembly of Ex-

perts, the clerical body that selects the supreme leader, Iran’s most powerful figure.

Rafsanjani has been described as “a pillar of the revolution.” His pragmatic policies - economic liberalisation, better relations with the West and empowering Iran’s elected bodies - appealed to many Iranians but was despised by hardliners.

His death is a big blow to moderate President Hassan Rouhani

five months before a presidential election.

Since 2009 he and his family have faced criticism over their support for the opposition movement which lost that year’s disputed election to former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

His funeral will be held in Tehran on Tuesday, his relative and aide Hossein Marashi was quoted as saying by Fars news agency. — Reuters

SUICIDE BOMBINGS

Attacks kill 20 in eastern Baghdad BAGHDAD/MOSUL: Suicide bombs at two marketplaces in Baghdad, one of them claimed

by IS, killed at least 20 people on Sunday, police and medics said, the latest in a spate of militant attacks in the Iraqi capital that have left dozens dead.

In the first blast, the attacker drove an explosives-rigged car into a large vegetable market in the district of Jamila, and detonated it after security forces opened fire to try to stop the vehicle, police sources said.

A suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest blew himself up a few hours later at a market in Baladiyat district. The first blast killed 13, and the second blast killed seven people. More than 50 were wounded. IS claimed carrying out the first attack in an online statement, saying the bomber had

targeted a gathering in Jamila.

A series of attacks in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities have killed more than 80 people in just over a week. Several have been claimed by the extremist IS, which is coming under increasing pressure from a US-backed offensive in Mosul, its last major stronghold in Iraq. Iraqi forces advanced to within several hundred metres of the Tigris river than runs through Mosul on Saturday, as their operation against the militants gathers pace.

IS is likely to resort to bomb attacks and similar tactics elsewhere in Iraq as it is driven out of its Mosul stronghold.

Meanwhile, Iraqi special forces reached the eastern bank of the Tigris river in Mosul on Sunday for the first time in a US-backed assault on IS, and clashed with militants near a historic site in the

city, military officials said.

Elite counter-terrorism service (CTS) units fought their way to a bridge over the Tigris which has been damaged in fighting, CTS spokesman Sabah Al Numan said.

It was the first time Iraqi forces have reached the river in the city itself since the operation to drive IS out of Mosul began in October.

Iraqi forces have so far only penetrated eastern districts of Mosul, which is bissected by the river.

The city is IS’s last major stronghold in Iraq. CTS forces backed

by US-led air raids meanwhile clashed with IS militants near a historic site a short distance away, an officer said, as they tried to drive the militants out of more districts in the city.

“This morning CTS troops advanced in two directions towards the Baladiyat and Sukkar dis-

tricts,” Lt. General Abdelwahab Al Saadi said. “During the advance, Daesh (IS) tried to confront us from the historic hill,” he said, apparently referring to a hill located near the ruins of the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh, east of the Tigris river and inside Mosul.

Saadi said Iraqi forces and warplanes from the US-led coalition “dealt with” IS fighters who had gone up the hill to use it as a firing position. Dozens of the militants were killed, he added. The CTS has spearheaded advances into eastern Mosul in the nearly 12week campaign.

Forces including the CTS and army units have advanced into Mosul in recent days, helped by new tactics and better coordination to gain momentum after getting bogged down inside the city towards the end of the year. — Reuters

D E L I B E R AT E AT TA C K

Palestinian rams truck, kills 4 Israelis OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: A Palestinian rammed his truck into a group of Israeli soldiers on a popular promenade in occupied Jerusalem on Sunday, killing four people and injuring about 15 others in a deliberate attack, police and emergency services said.

Police identified the driver as a Palestinian from Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem and said he was shot dead. A dozen bullet holes pockmarked the windscreen.

It was the deadliest Palestinian attack in occupied Jerusalem in months and targeted officer cadets who were disembarking from a bus that brought them to the Armon Hanatziv promenade, a stone-laden and grass-lined walkway.

“It is a attack, a ramming attack,” a police spokeswoman said.

Police said the dead, three women and one man, were all in their twenties, without identifying them further. Soldiers’ deaths are announced in Israel only after families are notified.

Roni Alsheich, the national police chief, told reporters he could not rule out that the Palestinian was motivated by a truck ramming attack in a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people last month. “It is certainly possible to be influenced by watching TV but it is difficult to get into the head of every individual to determine what prompted him, but there is no doubt that these things do have an effect,” Alsheich told reporters.

A wave of Palestinian street attacks, including vehicle rammings, has largely slowed but not stopped completely since it began in October 2015. Security camera footage showed the truck racing towards the soldiers, and then after a gap that apparently included scenes of carnage, reversing into them.

“In a split second I looked to my left and saw what I can only describe as a speeding truck which sent me flying,” a security guard, who was identified only as “A” told Channel 10. — Reuters

A8

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

INDIA Modi hits out at ‘political worshippers’ of black money Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is very saddening to see some black money supporters maligning the moves against corruption

BENGALURU: Castigating the opponents of demonetisation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said those terming the government’s move as ‘anti-people’ were the “political worshippers” of graft and black money which were making the economy, polity and society hollow.

“Friends you know we have undertaken a big responsibilty in fighting black money and corruption... Black money and corruption have gradually made our polity, economy, society and the country hollow.

“It is unfortunate that there are some political worshippers (rajnaitik pujari) of black money who term our actions against it as

PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi releasing the Coffee Table book “20 Mis-

sion Driven Social Impact Innovations” at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD-2017) Exhibition Centre in Bengaluru, Karnataka on Sunday. - PTI

anti-people,” Modi said at the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention here.

“It is very saddening to see some black money supporters maligning the moves against corruption,” he said while thanking the Indian diaspora for supporting the government’s steps

against corruption and black money. Emphasising the role played by overseas Indians in the country’s development, the prime minister said they have made an “invaluable contribution” to the Indian economy by investing over $69 billion.

“For me, FDI has two defini-

tions — one is ‘Foreign Direct Investment’ and the other is ‘First Develop India’,” he said, asserting that “I can say with full confidence that 21st century belong to India.”

Referring to the earlier trend of brain drain, he said “we want to change brain drain to brain gain” and added that the govern-

ment will soon launch a skill development programme ‘Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojna’ for the Indian youth seeking employment abroad.

Welcoming the efforts of Indian diaspora to strengthen the country’s partnership with the overseas Indian community, Modi said “we don’t see the colour of the passports, but the relations written by blood which matter the most.”

Encouraging all PIO Card holders to convert their PIO Cards into OCI Cards, Modi said “we have extended the deadline for PIO card conversions to OCI from 31 December 2016, until June 30, 2017 without any penalty.”

He also spoke about the various measures for welfare and safety of Indians abroad, from carrying out evacuation of Indians in distress to other steps taken by his government in last two years, specifically mentioning the efforts of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in this regard.

He also said that starting with Mauritius, his government was working to put in place procedures so that descendants of various Indian communities could become eligible for OCI cards, by addressing the difficulties of PIOs in Fiji, Reunion Islands, Suriname, Guyana and other Caribbean States. - PTI

LUCKNOW

Five labourers killed as car crashes into night shelter, two arrested LUCKNOW: Five labourers were killed and as many others injured when a speeding car rammed into a night shelter housing 35 daily wagers in Dalibag locality in Hazratganj area in the wee hours here on Sunday.

The two occupants of the car — Ayush Kumar Rawat, son of a former Samajwadi Party MLA, and Nikhil Arora were allegedly drunk and have been arrested, police said.

The incident took place at about 2am when 35 labourers were sleeping inside the night shelter and the car rammed into it.

The car was allegedly being driven at a high speed when the accident happened.

Allegedly drunk “Two of the accused, who were drunk, have been arrested and car has also been seized,” SSP, Manzil Saini said.

While four labourers died on the spot, one died during treatment at Trauma centre here.

The victims were identified as Prithviraj, Abdul Kalam, Gokaran, Devraj and one unidentified — all aged between 30 and 37 years.

All the victims were daily wage earners from eastern Uttar Pradesh. - PTI

E D UC AT I O NA L QUA L I F I C AT I O N

PM’s degree row: CIC allows inspection of DU records of 1978 NEW DELHI: The Central Information Commission has directed Delhi University to allow inspection of records related to all the students who had passed BA degree in 1978, the year in which, according to the university, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also cleared the examination.

The Commission rejected the contention of the Central Public Information Officer of the University that it was a third party personal information, saying it finds “neither merit nor legality” in it.

It directed the university “to facilitate inspection of relevant register where complete information about result of all students who passed in Bachelor of Arts, in year 1978 along with roll number, names of the students, father’s name and marks obtained as available with the university and provide certified copy of the extract of relevant pages from the register, free of cost....”

RTI applicant Neeraj had sought to know from the University the

total number of students who appeared in Bachelor of Arts, Year 1978, besides result of all students who appeared in the examination along with their roll number, name of the students with father’s name, marks and result pass or failed.

Denying the information, the Central Public Information Officer of the University had responded that the information requested is treated as “personal information of the students concerned, the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest”.

Infringes the privacy Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu, however, said, “With regard to question whether disclosure of such identification related information causes invasion of privacy, or is that unwarranted invasion of privacy, the PIO has not put forward any evidence or explained possibility to show that disclosure of degree related information infringes the privacy

CONTROVERSY: The issue of 1978 Delhi University degree records cropped up after Aam Aadmi Party raised questions about the degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a controversy. - PTI

or causes unwarranted invasion of privacy”.

During the hearing before the Commission, CPIO Meenakshi Sahay said there are 200,000 students in “this year’s BA programme, and unless the subject of BA programme is specified, it will be difficult to give the information

sought such as the number of students appeared, failed, passed, etc in the year 1978”. She also said 1978 results were not in digitised form.

Neeraj said it is the past practice of Delhi University to publish such results on the notice board and at times in newspapers also, which means the information sought was

available with the public authority and was published or put in public domain without any limitations mentioned by the CPIO. The issue of 1978 DU degree records cropped up after Aam Aadmi Party raised questions about the degree of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a controversy.

“We have checked our records and it has been authenticated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degree is authentic. He cleared the examination in 1978 and was awarded the degree in 1979,” Delhi University Registrar Tarun Das had said last year after the row erupted.

The Commission said, “There are two frequent questions coming up before the Commission: whether degree related information of a particular student is his or her personal information or third party information, and whether such information was given to University in fiduciary capacity, as contented by public authority.”

Acharyulu said a University

conducts various courses of education openly and registers the graduation of candidates which is a public activity.

Access to information “If the degree related information sought is about a celebrity or an ordinary man, the access to information has to be provided by the public authority. The PIO did not come up with any basis for considering the degree related information of the students as third party information, except claiming so,” he said.

Stating that CPIO should have applied her mind before denying information, Acharyulu ordered that the Commission finds neither merit nor legality in the contention of the University that the degree related information about students was third party information.

“The Commission finds no basis for considering the educational qualification related information as personal to the particular candidate,” he said. - PTI

I N T E R N E C I N E FA M I LY F E U D

Mulayam claims he is still SP boss, Ramgopal rules out patch-up TO ADVERTISE Call: 24726666

NEW DELHI: An embattled Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday asserted he continued to be the party’s president and questioned the legality of the convention called by son Akhilesh Yadav camp which declared the Uttar Pradesh chief minister the new party chief.

Mulayam’s remarks came a day before he visits Election Commission where he is set to question the authenticity of documents submitted by Akhilesh Yadav faction on Saturday claiming support of a majority of MPs, MLAs, MLCs and party delegates.

“I am the national president of Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav is (only) the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Shivpal Yadav is still the president of Samajwadi Party’s Uttar Pradesh unit,” Mulayam, who is locked in a bitter feud with Akhilesh-Ramgopal camp for control over the party, told reporters here.

“Ramgopal Yadav was expelled from the party for six years on December 30, 2016. Therefore the party’s national convention called by him on 1 January, 2017 was illegal,” he asserted reading out a prepared text.

Mulayam’s confidante Amar Singh, who has been blamed by Akhilesh and his supporters for the family feud in the party, said the Mulayam camp will approach the Election Commission on

BRIEFING: Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav with party leaders Amar Singh and Shivpal Yadav during a press conference at his residence in New Delhi on Sunday. - PTI

Monday where it will question the genuineness of the affidavits filed by Ramgopal, the SP patriarch’s cousin and general secretary of the rival faction, on behalf of the Akhilesh camp.

Singh claimed the signatures of the MLAs supporting Akhilesh have “no value” as after the model code of conduct came into force on January 4, they practically ceased to be legislators. He said most of the delegates who have signed the affidavit were appointed after January 1.

Meanwhile, Ramgopal ruled out any rapprochement between the two factions of Uttar Pradesh’s ruling party, saying “4-6 people have misled Netaji (Mulayam) into believing he enjoys the support of 200 MLAs. They stand exposed now.” He, however,

maintained that Mulayam was made the party patron at the national convention which appointed Akhilesh as the new SP chief.

“Netaji’s nameplate is still there at the Delhi party office,” Ramgopal, who has stood by Akhilesh in the internecine family feud, said.

Earlier in the day, when Mulayam reached Delhi from Lucknow, some of his supporters were heard raising slogans against his son Akhilesh.

Some of the supporters claimed that Mulayam later told them at his residence that though he may not have the numbers, Akhilesh is still his son and the supporters should desist from raising slogans against him. Mulayam’s reported remarks, however, could not be confirmed by any senior leader of his camp. - PTI

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PAKISTAN

PA NA M A PA P E R S L E A K S

Pakistan’s fate changed after PTI sit-in against corruption, claims Imran BAHAWALPUR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan said that those involved in the loot and plunder of the country’s resources will be sent behind bars, claiming rulers are making every effort to hide their crimes.

“Pakistan’s fate changed since the last sit-in was organised by his party,” he made the claim while addressing a large public rally in Bahawalpur, Punjab on Sunday.

Without naming Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Imran said, “The man ruling this country smuggled money abroad and then concealed it behind several offshore accounts in the name of his children.”

He went on to say, “We need to decide if this small gang continues

to rule this country and plunders and conceals money abroad.”

The PTI top leader told the people at the venue that a day will come when truth will be unveiled against those involved in the corruption, hinting at the ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court (SC) in connection with the Panamagate case.

Money trail He raised a question that how Maryam Nawaz acquired property worth billions of rupees abroad.

“Nawaz Sharif is facing the wrath of God following the Panama Papers leaks,” he said.

“While metro buses are being introduced, people of South Punjab are still the ones deprived of

such services,” Imran said, adding, “Punjab’s 57 per cent budget is being spent on development projects.”

On January 3, the PTI chief said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s daughter Maryam Nawaz is the beneficiary of luxury flats in a posh London neighbourhood.

Imran submitted fresh documentary evidence in the Supreme Court (SC) against the premier’s family over its alleged involvement in the Panamagate scandal.

On Friday, the top court said the onus of proof of the money trail of London flats lies on the shoulders of the Sharif family.

During the hearing, the top court remarked that it would do everything possible to get to the truth.

A day earlier, the Supreme Court had hinted that members of Sharif family can be summoned if they contradict their stance regarding London flats.

Justice Khosa is heading a fivejudge bench of the apex court hearing afresh a slew of petitions seeking Premier Sharif’s disqualification in the backdrop of the Panama Papers revelations.

In November last year, the premier denied holding offshore companies in a written response to the Supreme Court on Panamagate petitions. In his reply, the prime minister said he had declared all his assets in 2013, hence was not liable for disqualification under Articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution. - Express Tribune

TALKING TOUGH: PTI chief Imran Khan while addressing a public rally in Bahawalpur on Friday said, a day will come when truth will be unveiled against those involved in the corruption in the Panamagate case. - AFP file photo

Bajwa sells China investment deal in remote Balochistan as 1952, when gas was found in Balochistan and yet in 2017 there is no gas in Khuzdar,” said Bizenjo, originally from Balochistan and a speaker at the conference.

Other speakers, however, envisioned Khuzdar as a centre of trade and industry. Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri said that Khuzdar would be one of 29 Special Economic Zones under CPEC that would “greatly benefit the people of the city”.

A study late last year by the Applied Economics Research Centre (AERC) estimated China Pakistan Economic Corridor would create 700,000 jobs in Pakistan

KHUZDAR: The dusty desert city of Khuzdar in southwestern Pakistan has no hospital and no commercial flights into its tiny airport, but government officials who visited recently spoke in glowing terms of its future as a hub of commerce.

Pakistan’s new army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, was among a flock of dignitaries who descended upon Khuzdar, a city of 400,000, to tout the benefits of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for the southwestern province of Balochistan.

How much the $57 billion network of energy projects, roads and a deep-water port linking western China with Pakistan’s southwestern coast will benefit ordinary Pakistanis has been debated in recent months, with critics say-

CONCERNED: Pakistan’s new army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, was among a flock of dignitaries who descended upon Khuzdar, a city of 400,000, to tout the benefits of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for the southwestern province of Balochistan. - AFP file photo

ing Chinese banks and companies will gain most.

Pakistani officials, however, assured students, officials and citizens at a seminar in Khuzdar that CPEC would bring new prosperity to Pakistan’s largest, leastpopulous and poverty-plagued province.

Neglected in the past “Balochistan unfortunately had been neglected in the past, for a host of reasons, but not anymore,” Bajwa told the gathering at Khuzdar’s Balochistan University of Engineering and Technology.

The head of the army is one of the most powerful positions in Paki-

stan, where the military not only controls security but also operates a vast business empire and often dictates key areas of foreign policy. Students in the audience were sceptical about whether CPEC would benefit the province.

Balochistan, which has rich reserves of natural gas, copper and gold, has long complained that the national government takes far more from the province than it gives back. Ire over this has contributed to a long-running ethnic separatist rebellion.

A study late last year by the Applied Economics Research Centre (AERC) estimated CPEC would create 700,000 jobs in Pakistan

and a Chinese newspaper recently placed the number at more than 2 million. But in Khuzdar, questions about how many jobs would come to Balochistan from CPEC went unanswered.

“I want to know what share Balochistan will get and what the other provinces will get and on what basis?” a female student asked during a question and answer session.

Concerns over how much Balochistan will benefit were even voiced by a national official, Minister for Ports and Shipping Hasil Khan Bizenjo. “We just want to make sure that under CPEC the same thing does not happen to us

Potential transit point Khuzdar does not connect the provincial capital, Quetta, to the port city of Gwadar, but state representatives at the conference highlighted its significance as the second-largest city in the province and a potential transit point between Quetta and Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city and economic hub.

“We believe that Khuzdar has the ability to attract a great deal of local and foreign investment,” said Anwar Ul-Haq Kakar, a spokesman for the Balochistan government.

The Khuzdar university’s vice chancellor, Mohammad Amin, said he hoped CPEC could bring investment and jobs, because the city’s location four hours’ drive from Quetta had made it difficult to attract even faculty at the school.

“No one is coming because there is no infrastructure here as yet,” Amin said of the university.

“We will offer any PhD who accepts a job here a brand new Toyota Corolla and a 100 per cent pay increase.” - Reuters

PROBE ORDERED

At least 15 dead, 24 wounded two road accidents in Punjab LAHORE: At least 15 people died and another 24 sustained injuries in two separate incidents of road mishaps in Punjab, Express News reported on Sunday.

A car-van collision on Grand Trunk Road in Sohawa near Jhelum killed at least 11 people while injuring four others who were shifted to a local hospital. Sources said that the incident occurred after the car’s tyre burst and it crashed into the van.

Earlier in the day, four people were killed and 20 others wounded after an ‘over speeding’ bus collided with a trailer near Yousuf Wala near Sahiwal.

Rescuers moved the injured to District Headquarters Hospital where at least one victim succumbed to his injuries while others were being provided medical care. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif while expressing grief over the loss of precious lives ordered an inquiry into the incident.

The chief minister condoled the deaths of those killed and expressed his sympathies with the relatives of the victims.

Praying for an early recovery of the injured, Shahbaz Sharif also directed the relevant authorities to provide best medical services to the victims. - Express Tribune

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T I M E TA B L E S

Government to introduce uniform prayer timings for all sects ISLAMABAD: In a significant move, the federal government said on Saturday it is planning to introduce uniform prayer timings for all religious sects across the country.

Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said that he will get in touch with chief ministers of all the four provinces to introduce “Nizam-e-Salat”.

Elaborating the government’s decision, the minister said that the provincial governments will notify

a local timetable, at least at the district level in their respective provinces, for the prayer timings.

These timetables will be formulated according to the local timezones across Pakistan.

In May 2015, the federal government introduced the system for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). However, the decision has hardly been implemented in spirit.

The minister stressed that the government had consulted the

Met office and religious leaders of Ahle Hadith, Hanafi (both Deobandi and Barelvi) and Ahle Tashee — before notifying uniform prayer timings for the ICT. The same pattern will be adopted for a countrywide plan in order to promote uniformity and unity, he said.

Implementing ‘Nizam-e-Salat’, Yousaf said, will be the responsibility of the provincial authorities and his ministry has so far been

receiving a positive response from them in this connection.

In response to a query he said that 80 per cent of the mosques in the ICT were observing the Nizam-e-Salat and he wants that the same model in implemented in all major cities and districts of the country. He did not set a deadline to implement uniform prayer timings but said this is the priority of the government.

He added that a decision to

adopt uniform sermons for Friday’s prayers would be taken sometime later.

Sources in the religious ministry informed that the federal government has so far been unsuccessful to implement uniform prayer timings in ICT despite its claims.

There are around 700 mosques in the capital territory and the managements of a fewer mosques are implementing the calendar of uniform prayer timings. - Express Tribune

GOOD MOVE: Worshippers arrive at the illuminated Mamon Mosque in Karachi on August 5, 2013. - AFP file photo

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MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

GLOBAL EYE

WASHINGTON: Marine One blows up a cloud of snow as it lands on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, United States, on Saturday. – Reuters

NEW YORK CITY: A man pulls a child on a sled on a snowy day in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, on Saturday. – Reuters

ISTANBUL: Airport workers try to clean snow on and around a Turkish Airlines aircraft at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, on

Sunday. More snow fell in Istanbul, causing chaos among airline passengers with hundreds of international and domestic flights to and from the city grounded. Heavy snow also clogged roads, and halted shipping traffic in Bosphorus in the Turkish metropolis. – AP/PTI

NEVADA: Snowshoers leave on a hike at a recreation area on the Mount Rose Highway during a winter storm near Incline Village, Nevada, United States, on Saturday. – Reuters

MASSACHUSETTS: A person prepares to throw a snowball at their companion during a winter snow storm in Medford, Massachusetts, United States, on Saturday. – Reuters

KIEV: A woman crosses a street during a heavy snowfall with the air temperature at about minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit) in Kiev, Ukraine, on Saturday. – Reuters

HIMACHAL PRADESH: A view of Shimla city in Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, draped in snow after heavy snowfall, on Sunday. – PTI

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

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WORLD

Netanyahu tried to negotiate press ‘in return for benefits’ Benjamin Netanyahu last week was twice questioned by police in two different cases.

The first involved receiving gifts.

Netanyahu’s lawyer said such presents from friends were not illegal

The right-wing leader had offered to limit the circulation of Israel Hayom, a free, pro-Netanyahu daily, if Mozes’ Yedioth Ahronoth gave the prime minister more favourable coverage

TEL AVIV: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under police investigation for suspected corruption, was caught on tape negotiating mutual benefits with an arch-foe, the owner of one of Israel’s largest- selling newspapers, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

The report, which Israeli media outlets described as “an earthquake” that could have implications for Netanyahu’s political future, drew no immediate comment from the prime minister or Yedioth Ahronoth daily owner Noni Mozes.

Channel Two television said the right-wing leader had offered to limit the circulation of Israel

Hayom, a free, pro-Netanyahu daily owned and published by US billionaire and Republican party donor Sheldon Adelson, if Mozes’ Yedioth Ahronoth gave the prime minister more favourable coverage. Steps to cut Israel Hayom’s market-leading circulation could have financial benefits for Mozes, whose newspaper’s advertising revenues have been hit by its free competitor.

It was unclear exactly when the reported conversation took place.

The Haaretz daily said it occurred several months ago.

Netanyahu last week was twice

A F G H A N I S TA N

questioned by police in two different cases. The first involved receiving gifts, including expensive cigars and drinks from businessmen, police and the Justice Ministry said. Netanyahu’s lawyer said such presents from friends were not illegal.

Authorities have not released any details publicly about the second case, reported by Channel 2.

That Netanyahu and Mozes would have a dialogue was greeted with close to astonishment by the Israeli media. Netanyahu has openly accused Mozes and Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper of

A11

trying to overthrow his leadership through skewed coverage, an allegation they deny.

Hounded On Sunday, Netanyahu again pointed the finger at the media and said he was being personally hounded.

“This is wrong, incessant pressure from the media on law enforcement. They release balloons and the hot air comes out of them time after time. That will be the case here too,” Netanyahu told Likud ministers before Channel 2 broadcast its report.

Mozes could not be reached for comment by Reuters. Yedioth Ahronoth did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on the report. Netanyahu’s spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

In the past few weeks Netanyahu has lashed out at journalists who have published critical reports about his administration and his alleged ties with wealthy businessmen.

Israeli media have reported that in the first case, police questioned Netanyahu about receiving gifts from Israeli Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan over the past few years.

A spokeswoman for Milchan’s lawyer in Israel did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Netanyahu, 67, will become Israel’s longest-serving leader if he stays in office until the end of next year.

He and his wife Sara have weathered several scandals over the years, including investigations into the misuse of state funds.

They have denied any wrongdoing. Israeli commentators have pointed out that previous Israeli leaders have also been investigated over suspected corruption, with indictments not always forthcoming.

Ehud Olmert, who held office from 2006 to 2009, is currently serving 18 months in prison after being convicted of breach of trust and bribery in 2014. — Reuters

CITY OF GUADALAJARA

US official shot in chest in Mexico MEXICO CITY: A US consular official in the Mexican city of Guadalajara was shot by a gunman but was in stable condition, Mexican authorities said on Saturday, prompting the FBI to offer a reward for information.

The victim was attacked on Friday evening in Mexico’s second largest city, in the often violent western state of Jalisco, according to Mexico’s Attorney General and the US embassy. The official was shot in the chest, said a source familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. A Mexican security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the victim was named Christopher Ashcraft.

The embassy said that it is working closely with Mexican law enforcement on the matter. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering a reward of $20,000 for information that helps to identify the shooter. “The safety and security of our employees overseas is among our highest priorities,” said an embassy spokesperson who declined to be identified.

A video posted online by the consulate in Guadalajara shows the shooter appearing to wait for the official’s car to pull up to a car park barrier before shooting directly at the driver and running away.

Jalisco is one of the engines of the Mexican economy, but the state’s southern border turned into a battleground between rival drug cartels - the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNG) and the Michoacanbased Knights Templar. — Reuters

SOUTH AFRICA

300 US Marines to Zuma calls for end to ANC infighting be sent to Helmand KABUL: About 300 US Marines will be sent to Afghanistan’s Helmand province to assist Afghan security forces battling Taliban insurgents in intelligence and logistics matters, the unit’s commander said over the weekend.

The deployment to Helmand will be the Marines’ first to the southern province since they left in 2014 as the US declared an end to its combat mission. Since then, Afghan security forces, still backed by Washington in the form of air strikes and hundreds of advisors, have struggled to contain the Taliban advance in Helmand.

Deployment Brigadier General Roger Turner told reporters on a conference call that the deployment would be part of a regular rotation to replace a US Army unit already training and advising Afghan troops in the province.

And although the 300 Marines would mostly be experienced and senior officers who will work on intelligence, logistics, and administration, Turner said they were braced for a dangerous mission.

“We’re viewing this as a high-risk

mission...We’re not in any way viewing this as a noncombat mission, or something to take lightly.”

Tens of thousands of Marines fought fierce battles against the Taliban in Helmand over five years. Nearly 1,000 coalition troops have been killed there since the US-led military intervention in 2001, more than in any other province.

In the last two years the Taliban have captured areas that were the site of some of the deadliest battles for the Marines, including Sangin, Marjah and Nowzad, and for much of 2016 they have threatened to take the provincial capital Lashkar Gah. In a statement posted online, Taliban officials ridiculed the Marines’ deployment as one of the “final failed efforts” by outgoing US President Barack Obama to stem the violence in Afghanistan. In recent months the US military has also announced rotations of roughly 3,000 Army soldiers to Afghanistan, where about 8,400 American troops conduct both advising missions, as well as “counter terrorism” operations against groups like IS and Al Qaeda. — Reuters

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) needs to end infighting and focus on winning back public support, President Jacob Zuma said on Sunday as he tries to unite an increasingly divided party.

Some senior ANC members called for Zuma to resign in November, pointing to the damage several corruption scandals had on the party’s image following its worst ever local election performance in August.

Zuma has also been accused of arrogance and failing to acknowledge waning support for the ANC after he made comments about the party being supported by God and ruling until “Jesus comes back”. At the ANC’s 105th birthday celebration at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, an event usually reserved for self-congratulation, Zuma struck a more humble tone.

“Our people have told us that we come across as too busy fighting one another and do not pay sufficient attention to their needs,” 74-year old Zuma told thousands of supporters dressed in the ANC’s yellow and green.

“We must give our people hope, we must unite against our common enemies, which are unem-

B R I TA I N

Queen Elizabeth makes first appearance after heavy cold SANDRINGHAM (ENGLAND): Britain’s Queen Elizabeth made her first public appearance since before Christmas on Sunday as she recovered from a heavy cold that caused the 90-year-old monarch to miss Christmas and New Year church services.

The queen, wearing a vibrant blue coat and hat, arrived with her husband Prince Philip, 95, at St Mary Magdalene church in Sandringham in eastern England, where she traditionally spends the festive period on her country estate.

The trip to Sandringham was delayed by a day because both the queen and Philip were laid low by heavy colds, Buckingham Palace had said.

Her illness caused her to miss the Christmas Day service for the first time in decades, disappointing a crowd of well-wishers who had turned out to see the royal family.

The queen, who is the symbolic head of the Church of England,

IN GOOD HEALTH: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip arrive to attend a service at St. Mary Magdalene church in Sandringham, Britain, on Sunday. – Reuters

also missed the New Year service a week later. The palace said she was still recuperating.

She resumed official duties on Wednesday when she gave an honour to a member of her staff in a private ceremony.

After more than six decades on

the throne, the queen has cut back on international tours but still regularly performs official duties around Britain. The palace said last month she would step down as patron of several charities and other organisations to reduce her workload. — Reuters

Our people have told us that we come across as too busy fighting one another and do not pay sufficient attention to their needs. We must give our people hope.

Jacob Zuma President, South Africa ployment, poverty and inequality, and not against one another.”

Widening divisions in the ANC have intensified the debate over who will succeed Zuma at a party conference in December and also likely take over as South African president at elections in 2019, given the party’s national dominance.

The ANC’s influential Women’s League on Saturday said it would back Zuma’s ex-wife and African Union Chairwoman Nkosazana

Dlamini-Zuma as a candidate for ANC leader.

Vice President Cyril Ramaphosa, a unionist-turned-business tycoon, is viewed as her most likely rival after powerful trade unions endorsed him last year.

Neither Dlamini-Zuma, 67, or Ramaphosa, 64, have declared their intention to run.

Julius Malema, Zuma’s former protege and now firebrand leader of the radical Economic Freedom

Fighters, has said that Zuma is plotting a third term as ANC president but the party’s SecretaryGeneral Gwede Mantashe denied this on Sunday.

Zuma said during his speech that a new ANC leadership would be elected in December, suggesting he will step down then. South Africa’s constitution dictates Zuma must stand down as the country’s president after his two five-year terms end in 2019. — Reuters

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MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

WORLD May denies her Brexit strategy is ‘muddled’ Britain cannot have access to its single market of 500 million consumers without accepting the principle of free movement

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would set out her strategy for Brexit over the coming weeks, denying suggestions she was “muddled” in the pursuit of what she called the right relationship with the EU. In her first interview of the year, May ignored growing calls from business leaders, lawmakers and opposition leaders for more detail on her strategy to leave the European Union, offering little beyond a pledge to get the best possible deal. She repeated that what is a crucial issue on both sides of the EU debate - whether curbing immigration into Britain will be prioritised over preferential access to the bloc’s single market - was not a “binary choice” and said that the country would not be keeping “bits” of EU membership.

“First of all I will be setting out some more details in the coming weeks as we look ahead to trigger-

FIRST INTERVIEW: Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May, left, is interviewed by Sophy Ridge on Sky News, during the Ridge on Sunday programme, in London, Britain, on Sunday. – Reuters

ing Article 50,” she said, referring to the start of the formal divorce procedure that she will invoke before the end of March.

“But what I am saying is that I think it is wrong to look at this as just a binary issue, as to either you have control of immigration or you have a good trade deal - I don’t see it as a binary issue.”

EU officials say Britain cannot have access to its single market of 500 million consumers without accepting the principle of free movement and have repeatedly warned May against trying to “cherry pick” the profitable parts of their union.

May said she was aiming for “an ambitious deal”, shrugging off a suggestion by Britain’s former ambassador to the EU, Ivan Rogers,

D A N G E R O F AT TA C K

that her government was “muddled” in its approach to some of the most complicated negotiations the country has held since World War II. “Our thinking on this isn’t muddled at all,” she said.

“What I am talking about is getting the right relationship for the UK with the EU. We mustn’t think about this as somehow we are coming out of membership but we want to keep bits of membership.”

But beyond stating that she would provide more detail in the coming weeks, May offered little further insight into her strategy something that the first minister for Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, described as “unacceptable”.

“I don’t feel as if I know any more about her negotiating objectives today than I did six months ago,

and probably what’s more worrying than that, I’m not sure she knows more about her negotiating objectives than she did back then as well,” Sturgeon told the BBC. Increasingly under fire, May, appointed prime minister after Britain’s EU referendum in June, will use a speech on Monday to try to switch the focus from Brexit to her vision of a “shared society” which protects those families who are just managing.

“We must...deliver real social reform across every layer of society so that those who feel that the system is stacked against them - those just above the threshold that attracts the government’s focus today yet those who are by no means rich or well off - are also given the help they need,” she will say. — Reuters

D E M A N D S F O R B O N U S PAY

Streets in Ivory Coast cities calm after mutiny ABIDJAN: The streets of Ivory Coast’s second-largest city Bouake were calm and the military presence was gone, residents said on Sunday, after a two-day soldiers’ mutiny took over the city before spreading across the country.

The mutiny began early on Friday when rogue soldiers demanding bonus pay seized Bouake.

Soldiers at military camps in cities and towns across Ivory Coast, including the commercial capital Abidjan, joined the rebellion. A deal was reached between the government and the soldiers late on Saturday. A mutineer close to the negotiations said soldiers had returned to barracks.

“We have cleared the corridors everywhere as promised and we have been in barracks since last night,” Sergeant Mamadou Kone told Reuters. “All over the country all our men have returned to barracks and wait for their money. The mutiny is over for us.”

He said the soldiers expect to be paid on Monday under the deal brokered by Defence Minister Alain-Richard Donwahi, raising pressure on a government that faces further unrest if demands are not met. In a sign of tensions, renegade troops on Saturday opened fire outside the house in Bouake where the negotiations took place, temporarily trapping Donwahi, witnesses said.

The terms of the final deal were not made public, but sources said that the soldiers demanded 5 million CFA francs ($8,000) each, which for more than 8,000

A deal was reached between the government and the soldiers late on Saturday soldiers could cost tens of billions of CFA francs. Ivory Coast which has French-speaking West Africa’s largest economy - has emerged from a 2002-2011 political crisis as one of the continent’s rising economic stars. But years of conflict and a failure to reform its army, made up of former rebel fighters and government soldiers, have left it hobbled by division.

The revolt comes two years after a near identical uprising which ended when the government offered mutineers amnesty from punishment and a financial settlement. A repeat of the solution raises the risk soldiers will be encouraged to do it again.

Traffic in Bouake, snarled since Friday by roadblocks and barricades, was clear on Sunday, residents said. The gunfire of recent days had stopped. Other cities were also calm, residents said, including Abidjan, where a day earlier loyalist troops were deployed at strategic locations and residents rushed to buy bottled water and other provisions. There was no military on the streets on Sunday. People were seen walking to church, shops were open and traffic moved as normal, a Reuters reporter said. — Reuters

FRENCH ELECTIONS

Pope says will not Valls loses lead over Montebourg in primaries increase security on travels despite risks VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis says he realises he may be the target of an attack but that he will continue to travel without bulletproof vehicles or heavy security because he wants to get close to people.

Unlike his predecessors, who used bulletproof popemobiles or limousines, Francis uses ordinary cars on international trips, often in contrast to the leaders who greet him. “I am aware of the risks involved,” he said in the introduction to a new book by Italian author Andrea Tornielli.

“Maybe I’m reckless but I must say I don’t have any fear for myself but I’m always worried about the safety of those who travel with me and above all that of the people that I meet in various countries.

There is always the risk of a rash gesture by a madman. But the Lord is always there,” he said. The book, called Travelling, is about the 17 trips to more than 25 countries

outside Italy that Francis has made since his election in 2013. He is expected to make as least two international trips this year, one to Portugal, and another to India and Bangladesh “I can’t bring myself to move around in bulletproof cars or in closed popemobiles with bulletproof glass,” he said.

In Brazil in 2013, his small car was swamped after the driver took a wrong turn. “I fully understand the needs of security and am grateful (to security forces) but a bishop is a pastor, a father, and there cannot be too many barriers between him and the people,” he said.

“Because of this, I said from the start that I would travel only if I could have contact with people.”

For the past two years, Italian police have notably increased security in the area around the Vatican, a sovereign state in the middle of Rome, following attacks by extremists in Europe. — Reuters

PARIS: Former French prime minister Manuel Valls has lost his lead over leftist opponent Arnaud Montebourg ahead of the Socialist primaries, an Ifop poll, published by the weekly Journal du Dimanche, showed on Sunday.

In case of a second-round vote on January 29 between Valls and Montebourg, former economy minister Montebourg was predicted to win 52 per cent of the vote, the first time he has pulled ahead of Valls in a major poll.

Last month, Valls was still marginally ahead of Montebourg with 51 per cent of voting intentions in the race to become the Socialist presidential candidate.

The poll also showed Valls’ lead over his leftist opponents narrowing for the first-round vote on January 22. Valls, a law-and-order advocate on the right wing of his party, received 36 per cent of voting intentions, compared to 45 per cent in the same poll in December.

Montebourg’s first-round score narrowed by one point to 24 per cent, while leftist former education minister Benoit Hamon’s score rose to 21 per cent from 14

NARROWING LEAD: French politician and former prime minister Manuel Valls candidate for the left’s presidential primaries, attends a meeting with supporters in Lievin, France on Sunday. – Reuters

per cent in December. Hamon, who wants to legalise cannabis and give all adults welfare payments of 600 euros ($632) a month, also saw his support doubling to 22 per cent in a Harris Interactive poll published on Wednesday. Vincent Peillon,

who positions himself at the centre of the party and only entered the race last month, was predicted to win 9 per cent of the first-round votes in the Ifop poll.

Other polls have shown that no Socialist candidate will make

it through to the second round of French presidential elections in May, with conservative candidate Francois Fillon and farright leader Marine Le Pen most likely to face off against one another. — Reuters

HARD TIMES

Egyptians unimpressed by Sisi’s promise of economic recovery CAIRO: Egyptians have been assured by their president that the country’s battered economy will pick up in six months and they are coping “brilliantly” with austerity.

But on the streets of Cairo it is hard to find people who agree.

In making his forecast last month, President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi urged businessmen and investors to help the government rein in price rises. He also praised Egyptians for how they had dealt with tough economic reforms.

But while Egypt has floated its currency with the aim of easing a shortage of the dollars it needs to import goods, taxes have gone up, subsidies have been removed and inflation at around 20 per cent is eating away at living standards, hitting the poor hardest.

Economists say prices are expected to rise again this year as a result of the government’s reforms, although Sisi said people were coping well. “The Egyptian people have succeeded brilliantly in this test,” the president said.

That rings hollow with many Egyptians already struggling to get by. Hind Adel Mohamed, a 30-year-old Cairo housewife, said her husband, a day labourer, can-

RISING PRICES: A vendor waits for customers at a market in Abbdien square in Cairo, Egypt on October 20, 2016. – Reuters

not find work and rising prices mean she cannot feed her family properly. Her response was to stage a dramatic protest near Tahrir Square, scene of the revolution that toppled president Hosni Mubarak five years ago.

Climbing to the top of a giant advertising billboard in late November, she removed light bulbs from

the hoarding and threw them at the crowds below. She also threatened to jump. “I went and took a shower at 4am that day, combed my hair and left home at 6am,” she recalled in an interview with Reuters.

“I got on a bus, looking for a high place so that someone from the government would come and talk to me, and if no one showed up, I

would have thrown myself off and said it’s the government’s fault.”

In the end, she allowed herself to be rescued, but Sisi’s assurance that the economy will pick up in six months does not impress her. “We are unable to bear six hours, how could we bear six months?” she said.

Ahmed Attaah, a rickshaw driver, agreed, saying prices have all

gone up and life has become very difficult. “What are people going to do in the next six months, eat each other? We hope that things get better, but prices that go up never go down again,” he said. Things can also be difficult for Egyptians if they fall sick. At a public children’s hospital in Cairo, there are 16 patients in one room in the neurology department and the paint is peeling off the ceiling.

Five-year-old Mazen Ibrahim had brain surgery a few weeks ago.

Since he left intensive care, his mother has struggled to find him antibiotics, epilepsy drugs and other medical supplies that the hospital cannot provide.

“I can’t find medicine and even if I do, I can’t afford it,” said Bosaina El Sayed Moussa, the boy’s mother.

She also does not see any improvement in the economy.

“How will things get better?

Things are getting worse,” she said.

“This is just talk.”

“We can’t even find syringes in the hospital,” she said. “We keep using the same syringe for up to two weeks... we wash them and reuse them.”

The government says measures are in hand to overcome the short-

age of medicines, as called for by Sisi last week, but prices are not expected to come down soon.

“To resolve the issue, in the short-term the ministry will increase prices and overcome shortages, in the medium-term by developing state-owned pharmaceutical factories, and in the long-term by expanding the pharmaceutical industry in Egypt,” Health Minister Ahmed Radi was quoted as saying by the state-run ahramonline news site.

Sisi, a former army general, came to power in 2014 promising reform and stability but his popularity is slipping as economic problems pile up and he is forced to confront persistent and deadly insurgencies.

Ahead of January 25, the fifth anniversary of the protests that toppled Mubarak, activists say the main demands of “bread, freedom and social justice” have not been met. But despite anger at austerity, Sisi does not seem to be in danger of being ousted like Mubarak and president Mohamed Morsi before him. In the face of a major security presence, big anti-austerity protests expected in November failed to materialise. — Reuters

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

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India’s cash woes are just beginning

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“G

ive me 50 days, friends,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked citizens after he cancelled 86 per cent of the country’s currency notes. After December 30, if Indians saw his decision as flawed, he promised to “suffer any punishment.” But, he said confidently, if they could bear 50 days of disruption, they would have the “India of their dreams.”

It is now January. While Modi’s deadline has passed, the pain hasn’t. Indeed, it may just be beginning: Measured by the purchasing managers’ index, or PMI, Indian manufacturing actually began to contract last month for the first time in all of 2016. This can’t be blamed on sluggish global demand; the equivalent measure from China suggested that manufacturing there is expanding quicker than expected. Indian companies are suffering from supply-chain disruptions and customers with no cash in their wallets.

True, in some ways things aren’t as bad, at least in metropolitan India, as they were a few weeks ago. The lines at ATMs are shorter and the government even felt comfortable enough to raise the limits for ATM withdrawals from Rs2,500 a pop to Rs4,500 (from $37 to $66). But overall cash limits haven’t been eased; most Indians can still only withdraw 24,000 of their own hard-earned rupees -- a little over $350 -- a week, or Rs50,000 if one has a business account. That’s simply not enough cash to keep supply chains going.

Lines at ATMs thus aren’t the most useful indicator. Even if more cash is getting into the economy, the question is whether Indians are still artificially constrained in how much cash they can access. If so, things haven’t returned to “normal.”

And the longer there’s a cash constraint, the larger the ripple effect on the economy.

Here’s a thought experiment, based on how informal, cash-based economies work. For the first or second month that you’re short of cash, your creditors and your debtors, the people you buy from and the people you sell to, are all short of cash as well. Plus, everyone knows the cash crunch isn’t your fault; it doesn’t reveal any adverse information about how healthy your business is or isn’t. So you extend and receive credit relatively easily.

Things can run on such relationships for awhile in the informal economy. But when the outside world -- the formal economy -- intrudes, the sys-

tem breaks down. When it comes time to pay your electricity bill, or a loan instalment to the banks, you’re forced to call in your debts. You may not face enough formal demands in the first month or two to pose a problem. But as time passes, they add up.

A similar process unfolds in the formal economy. Initially, producers will adjust to lower demand by running up inventories; as the economist Ajay Shah has noted, last November, even as car sales fell by 37 per cent annualised, production rose by 96 per cent. Companies only cut back production when demand doesn’t recover and inventories reach worrying levels. This can take several months. The recent PMI numbers may thus be a harbinger of worse times to come.

In other words, it’s ever more urgent to get cash into the economy, not less. Yet by many accounts, the supply of currency won’t return to “normal” for months. Certainly, the withdrawal limits aren’t being lifted anytime soon. And even if the first-order pain of demonetisation -- the absolute lack of cash -- is easing, the second- and third-order pains born of supply-chain problems, production cutbacks and so on are still to be felt.

Modi’s speech to the nation on New Year’s Eve acknowledged that distress was continuing; in response, he announced the raising of working capital limits and the deferment of some loan repayments for smaller companies. It’s not yet certain how much of a difference this will make, though.

And the more such measures strain banks in order to help companies, the more likely it is that banks themselves -- already struggling with a bad-loan crisis of unprecedented proportions -- will suffer a post-demonetisation hit.

Put all this together and it’s difficult to see how Modi has met his initial promise.

Given that nearly all the demonetised notes have been returned, the programme doesn’t even seem to have flushed so-called black money out of the system as originally intended.

Yet the political consensus is that the prime minister won’t “suffer any punishment,” since he’s successfully sold the pain of demonetisation as a feature of the programme, not an unintended consequence. It’s a great “sacrifice,” he said in his speech, one that will “cleanse” the country. The more pain you feel, the more virtuous you are -and the more the country is being cleansed. Either way Modi, despite being an awful economic manager these last few months, wins. - Bloomberg View

READERS’ FORUM Children are worst-affected by sugar intake I find the online report Oman health: Social media activists call for a sugar-less 2017 (January 8) very encouraging and truly health focusing. The concept emphasises the dangers of sugar intake. However, the most important aspect is to evaluate its effect and how people react to it and embrace it to make a real change in their habit.

The UAE has launched a similar campaign – #30DaysWithoutSugar – reminding people that there should be a strong way of controlling the use of sugar in daily routine.

According to a report, sugar consumption has increased in recent times and children Scan this QR code are the worst-affected. There has been an to send letters to the increase in the production of confectionery Readers’ Forum, items, mainly variety of chocolates and soft containing not more than 200 words with drinks, tempting children and even adults full name, address and ignoring the dangers of sugar content and telephone in it. People are advised to go for walk and number, may be sent do regular exercises to minimise the risk by e-mail (akhtar@ timesofoman.com). of diabetes, yet not much of changes have been evidenced in this habit. Confectionary items and soft drinks are easily accessible to consumers, it would be ideal minimising its retailing by levying an additional tax. The advertisements of such items must also be regulated. The social media activists deserve applause for this change initiative.

— Ramachandran Nair, Ruwi

QUOTE OF THE DAY If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.

KHALIL GIBRAN

After the shock of the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum and Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States in 2016, this will be a decisive year for Europe. Upcoming parliamentary elections in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and possibly Italy will decide whether the European Union will hold together

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES JANUARY 2002 Fahd receives AGCC youth, sports ministers MUSCAT: His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, deputy prime minister for the Council of Ministers, received in his office yesterday, AGCC youth and sports ministers, who attended the 17th Olympic Committee chairmen’s meeting which concluded here yesterday.

Sayyid Fahd welcomed the ministers and stressed the necessity for continued contacts among youth and sports officials in the AGCC states in order to promote this vital sector.

PICTOGRAPH

NET PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY DHOFAR (in Gigawatt/hour) 2016 August

September

278.4

280.8

TODAY IN HISTORY INVITATION TO WRITERS We invite our readers to write articles on topics related to Oman. The articles should not exceed 800 words.

Send us your article along with your picture to akhtar@timesofoman.com

1974: Cambodian Government troops open a drive to avert insurgent attack on Phnom Penh.

1992: The Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina proclaims the creation of a new state within Yugoslavia, the Rupublika Srpska.

2005: Mahmoud Abbas wins election to replace Yasser Arafat as President of the Palestinian National Authority.

0 Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

A14

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

LIFESTYLE GEAR

THE GORGEOUS LUXURY SEDAN

MASERATI

GHIBLI S Q4 T

he Italian automaker’s mid-size sedan Ghibli S Q4, dressed in a gorgeous Blue Emozione paint, draws stares at every stop. Styled more conservatively than other European sport sedans, there is undoubtedly something unique about the design of Ghibli that attracts instant attention.

But Ghibli has got a tough crowd to please, as it’s going up against a handful of established competitors, notably with a higher price tag too.

It all starts with the Ghibli’s key fob, which is as heavy as it looks.

Hit the unlock button and a beautiful strip of LEDs awaken, helping to accentuate the deep shark nose and aggressive coupe-like stance.

The front end and oceanic Blue Emozione paint seems to catch everyone’s attention, but the interior has much more sedated environment. The layout is simplistic, but you can tell that every detail has been given meticulous attention. The sporty seats are wrapped in soft leather and the look is stylish and luxurious.

Story Mobin Mathew Blesson Photography Shabin E

Tech Specs Engine: 3.0L Twin-Turbo V6 Transmission: Eight-Speed ZF Automatic Power: 404bhp, 550Nm (1750rpm) Performance: 0-100kph: 4.6 seconds Top Speed: 283kph Trunk Capacity: 500ltr Fuel Tank Capacity: 79.8ltr Curb Weight: 1,870kg Authorised Dealer Al Fardan Motors, Azaiba +968 2452 3014

Exterior The iconic Maserati grille, the triple front-fender vents, the sculpted creases and curves, the fluid coupelike roofline, the classic trident logos, the muscular rear-drive proportions and lean athletic stance, all add up to a unique blend of Italian sportiness and elegance.

Ghibli has two stylish lines that converge in front of the rear fenders and three large air vents behind the front wheels. The headlights stand out, thanks to the LED daytime running lights. At the rear, the tapered lines give the car a coupelike look, while the twin chrome exhaust pipes on each side add to the aggressive styling. The aggressive front headlights emphasise the overall dynamic design. Incorporated in the headlight units, the LED indicator lights replicate the distinctive design of Maserati’s three signature side air vents. Sport package 20-inch alloy wheels stand out, especially when combined with the optional red painted brake calipers. A Maserati, no matter the price, always looks best when decked out with high-performance wheels, tyres, and brakes.

Interior The traditional Maserati analogue clock with blue face and aluminium details sits in the centre of the dashboard, just above the 8.4-inch Chrysler-sourced touch-screen display that is the control centre for most onboard devices like navigation, entertainment, and climate control.

Taking up position in the driver’s seat allows me to focus my attention on the brushed metal trimmed analogue speedometer and tachometer. The digital read-

out in the centre is a nice touch and can be configured to provide additional useful information. A 3-spoke steering wheel is functional and elegant with its chrome accents, easy-to-access paddleshifters and soft leather covering with proper thumb grips.

The front bucket seats are ample and plush. The all-electric front seat adjustment system helps to achieve the optimal driving position in terms of height, depth and the angle of the back and seat, and also includes four different lumbar support settings. The optional pedal height adjustment system, operated by a control in the front of the driving seat, allows the precise positioning of the accelerator and brake pedals.

The stout gear shifter is new, though largely reminiscent of parent company FCA’s (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) electronic shifter, which garnered many complaints due to its complex joystick-like nature to bounce back to its original centre position after shifting to a gear.

In all honesty, it does take some getting used to. More often than not, shifting from drive to park results in selecting reverse by mistake. Up front, legroom is generous for even a 6-foot-plus driver or passenger, but back seat legroom is more in line with a compact sedan than a mid-size. Similarly, headroom in back is compromised due to the steeply sloping roofline. Cargo room is a generous 500 litres in the trunk compartment.

On the road The Ghibli has two driving modes to choose from: Normal and sport.

The all-wheel drive sedan is powered by a 404bhp Ferrari-tuned 3.0ltr twin-turbo V6 engine with 550Nm of torque. The acceleration is responsive, and holds power throughout the range, giving all the snappy drive you’d want from a car that can also fit your family.

The Ghibli has got hydraulic steering, which is very well weighted with moderate feedback.

When we switch on to Sport Mode, Ghibli morphs into a totally different animal — the Italian automaker know how to make a good sounding engine. Swing the needle past 3,200rpm, wait for the exhaust valves to open, and the car will sing a smooth tune that will drop your jaw and raise those goose bumps.

Throttle response becomes sharper, gear changes are held longer and swapped quicker, and the driving experience delivered is unmatched in this segment.

In normal driving mode all systems are toned down and the sensation is one of quiet comfort with the emphasis more on fuel economy than performance.—mobinmathew@timesofoman.com

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017 TEMPERATURE

HUMIDITY

27 - 15 79-40% 0

0

PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

12.19pm 3.22pm 5.42pm 6.57pm 5.31am

ALL ABOUT APPS

TOP-SELLING TRUCKS

LIFESTYLE

WhatsApp

WEATHER

A15

S

ometimes, all it takes is one spark to start a revolution, and that is exactly what WhatsApp has done, in completely transforming the text messaging industry.

It wasn’t so long ago that we relied on SMS technology supplied by our mobile providers as our standard form of text-based communication, but WhatsApp has immensely expanded our messaging capabilities, not just by rolling all of the features of standard messaging into one, but by making it possible to send messages, pictures, voice messages, and videos from virtually anywhere, at a much lower cost.

Today, it is used by more than one billion people in over 180 countries worldwide.

— ashishdubash@timesofoman.com Launched: 2009 Why to Download Now: WhatsApp makes it incredibly convenient to communicate with people. The options to keep in touch are numerous, from groups centred around a common interest, to broadcast messages that can be sent to large groups of people at once, to even WhatsApp calling, which slashes your phone bills immensely, as long as you have a dedicated wi-fi connection.

Pro Tip: WhatsApp’s latest ability allows you to directly reply to comments and mention specific group members if you need to get their attention. To do that, press the ‘@’ key in the text box and a list of group members will automatically pop up. Select the person you wish to address and that person’s name will appear alongside your message.

Available for: Windows, iOS, Android, Blackberry Permissions Required: Camera, Contacts, Location, Microphone, SMS, Phone & Storage Size: 50.67 MB

T E C H TA L K

Ford F-Series Achieves 40 Consecutive Years as America’s Best Selling Truck

Ford, America’s truck leader, is celebrating a major milestone as F-Series now reigns as the top-selling truck for 40 consecutive years and best-selling vehicle for 35 years. Ford has now sold more than 26 million F-Series trucks since January 1977 in America. Think of it like this: That many trucks could circle the globe more than three times, or, lined up bumperto-bumper, would span 90,000-plus miles.

Ford truck leadership was established with the sixthgeneration of F-Series for the 1977 model year, a time when 8-track tapes, disco and bell bottoms were the rage.

The company was riding a sales wave – based on an allnew F-150 light-duty pickup featuring an improved 351-Series V8 engine, standard front disc brakes, and an extended SuperCab offering.

Yet continuous innovation is at the very core of F-Series’ success and even with the momentum in 1977, Ford engineers were already at work on a clean-sheet design for an all-new lineup. That seventh-generation F-Series not only set sales records for trucks, but also by 1982 it had become the overall best-selling vehicle in America.

“The 1980 model was a breakthrough generation for Ford,” said historian and author James Wagner. “It was all new – probably the greatest change in 40 years. It was fresh and had a strong emotional appeal with the twin I-beam front suspension. It seems from that point on, things really went Ford’s way as far as trucks were concerned.”

1997 marked the beginning of a split for F-Series into two distinct platforms – the 10th-generation F-150 was geared toward light-duty truck customers, while new F-250 and F-350 Super Duty brand trucks debuted in 1999 targeting heavyduty commercial vehicle buyers.

Early on, Ford identified changing consumer preferences among truck customers who were increasingly using their vehicle to do more than haul livestock and equipment; customers were also using their trucks for their family and lifestyle needs. Beginning with the King Ranch in 2001, Ford was now offering luxury edition pickups that provided a combination of capability, style, and comfort. Furthermore, models like the Platinum and Limited series went further, featuring leather seating, rich wood trim, full power accessories and premium sound systems.

Ford also pioneered performance and specialty truck segments with the special-edition Harley-Davidson F-150 and SVT F-150 Lightning in 1993. By 2002, Ford was marking 25 years as best-selling truck in America and 20 years as bestselling vehicle overall.

“What’s made the F-Series so successful is the Ford truck team’s ability to anticipate the needs of our customers better than anyone else – how those needs change, what’s most important, and what they need to move forward,” said Todd Eckert, Ford truck group marketing manager. “Their insights help us design, engineer and build America’s bestselling trucks.” Customers and critics alike appreciate the continued innovation of Ford F-Series trucks, with the 2017 Super Duty winning the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award — the seventh time in 30 years Ford has taken home the honours. —lifestyle@timesofoman.com

The 8 Hottest New Devices for 2017 When it comes to the latest technology, you can never have too many options. From PCs to all-in-ones, gaming solutions and portable devices, here are some of the most amazing unveilings of the year.

1

DELL CANVAS Channelling the innovative possibilities of Windows 10 and the upcoming Creators Update into a new category of smart workspace technology, the Dell Canvas expands productivity allowing you to create, communicate, and express your ideas as naturally as you do with pen and paper. Through the use of touch, digital pen and totems, you can turn drawings into part of the digital workflow with Windows Ink or mark up webpages in Microsoft Edge. Powered by virtually any Windows 10 PC, this device plugs seamlessly into software solutions from many partners to unleash the creative genius in everyone.

is equipped with an intelligent and robust processor. Powered by a 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processor, both models of the Samsung Notebook Odyssey offer lightning fast performance with premium graphic technologies.

2

HP SPECTRE X360 The second generation of HP’s 15.6-inch revolutionary x360 is the most powerful in the Spectre profile and can be pre-ordered today. Its bigger battery allows for up to 12 hours while powering a micro-edge 4K display and featuring the latest Intel processors, high performance NVIDIA GeForce 940MX discrete graphics.

SAMSUNG NOTEBOOK ODYSSEY Built specifically for intense and casual gamers alike, the Samsung Notebook Odyssey features advanced technology, such as the HexaFlow Vent, an advanced cooling and ventilation system allowing the device to remain cool at all times. For optimal gameplay, the Samsung Notebook Odyssey

3

LG GRAM Weighing in at only 2 pounds and featuring a 60W battery — the highest capacity in the industry to-date — for a long battery life between charges, the LG Gram has a near edgeless touch screen and is built to deliver superior portability.

Complete with a built-in fingerprint scanner that unlocks Windows Hello, the LG Gram promises to be this year’s hot travel companion.

4

It also offers fast and secure login with Windows Hello and a nearly borderless display with two new front-facing speakers to round out the user experience.

5

LENOVO THINKPAD XI YOGA The latest ThinkPad X1 Yoga is flawlessly flexible and adapts to your needs offering true multimode capability that delivers stunning colours and absolute blacks.

The only 14-inch notebook with an OLED display option, the ThinkPad X1 Yoga also comes with a redesigned rechargeable pen and improved “rise and fall” keyboard.

The ThinkPad X1 Yoga will be available in February.

6

TOSHIBA PORTEGE X20W A premium 2-in-1 convertible PC running Windows 10 Pro with a 360-degree dual-action hinge allow you to use the Portege as a notebook or digital inking tablet.

And with a 7th Generation Intel Core processor, the Portege packs plenty of power into its thin, 2.5-pound frame that includes a

16-hour battery. The pre-configured Portege X20W will be available soon in Slate Grey.

7

ACER ASPIRE VX 15 With its crisp videos, smooth games and clear audio, the Aspire will be hot throughout 2017.

The Aspire is equipped with a 7th Generation Intel Core processor, a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS screen and dual fans to keep it running at optimal temperature, no matter how much you push it during a gaming session.

8

MSI GS63VR STEALTH PRO GAMING LAPTOP Created with the gamer in mind, the MSI GS63VR delivers a faster and smoother VR experience and is part of the latest lineup of MSI gaming devices powered by Windows 10. Thanks to the new 7th Generation Intel Core processor and NVIDIA GeForce GTX1050 Ti & GTX1050 gaming graphics cards. Enhanced audio makes the GS63VR ready to support the finest audio quality through SABRE HiFi DAC delivered straight to high-end headsets. — BPT

B

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM M ON DAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

EGYPT NAMES TOP OFFICIAL

MARKE

Egypt, the world’s largest wheat buyer, has appointed a new head to its agriculture quarantine agency, the body that last year threw the massive wheat buying programme into disarray when it tightened import regulations on a common wheat fungus. – Bloomberg News

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH THE VIDEO

DIGEST VIDEO Top stories in one minute with our new daily Digest

Muscat 5,792.54 - 0.11 - 0.00%

Dubai 3,692.22 + 64.36 + 1.77%

Abu Dhabi 4,634.14 + 32.18 + 0.70%

Saudi Arabia

7,208.74 + 10.01 + 0.14%

Kuwait 5,896.49 + 65.30 + 1.12%

Bahrain 1,208.25 + 1.85 + 0.15%

Qatar 10,715.59 - 1.75 - 0.02%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................ 2.43 Pound .......................................... 2.03 Indian Rs ............................. 176.40 Pakistan Rs ........................267.87 Bangla Taka......................202.92

Indian Rs ...................................176.25 Pakistan Rs .............................272.00 Sri Lanka Rs .................................. N/A Bangla Taka............................ 204.10 Phil Peso .................................... 128.15

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......15.05

Oman Crude............. (Spot) .........$55.75 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) .........$55.01 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$56.59 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$54.63 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ........ $56.75

* Rates are as of January 8 Source: Bank Muscat

West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$53.65

* Rates as of January 8 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......14.00 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............142.50 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ............ 134.00 * Rates as of January 8 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Government to take major steps to ensure effective fiscal discipline A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com

A separate unit for public debt management and efforts to improve credit rating are also being planned.

MUSCAT: Oman’s government plans to bring in a series of measures for effective fiscal discipline, which include formation of a special cell within the finance ministry for building a ‘fiscal model’ for public finance, a separate unit for public debt management and efforts to improve credit rating.

An important decision, which was announced as part of State

GCC MARKETS

ROBUST DEMAND: Dubai’s gauge advanced for a sixth day, the longest streak since July, adding 1.8 per cent on Sunday.

— Bloomberg file picture

Dubai stocks gain most in the region DUBAI: Dubai stocks gained the most in the Gulf, led by Emaar Properties, as investors hunt for dividends ahead of earnings season. Insurers in the emirate rose on merger speculation.

Emaar Properties, which accounts for about 22 per cent of the DFM General Index, climbed 1.6 per cent as analysts see the stock handing investors a dividend of 18 fils per share for 2016, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Dubai’s gauge advanced for a sixth day, the longest streak since July, adding 1.8 per cent on Sunday.

Dubai Islamic Insurance & Reinsurance Co. was the biggest gainer among insurers, rising 4.6 per cent as traders exchanged 39 million shares, the most in two years. Investors are betting that some insurance companies in the emirate will merge, Ahmed Waheed, the Dubai-based vice president of the institutional desk at Mena Corp Financial Services, said in an e-mail.

Abu Dhabi shares rise Kuwait’s SE Price Index rose 1.1 per cent, Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index increased 0.5 per cent and Qatar’s QE Index gained 0.1 per cent. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index fell 0.4 per cent as of 1:08pm in Riyadh.

“Domestic investors are likely to be very focused on companies due to report this week,” said Julian Bruce, the head of institutional trading at EFG-Hermes UAE in Dubai, a unit of the biggest publicly traded Arab investment bank. Egypt’s EGX30 Index advanced 0.9 per cent.

Bank Albilad, Saudia Dairy & Foodstuff Co., Bank Al-Jazira and Qassim Cement Co. are among the companies expected to post results this week.

The Tadawul started on Sunday a new industry classification for stocks traded within

Kuwait’s SE Price Index rose 1.1 per cent, Abu Dhabi’s ADX General Index increased 0.5 per cent and Qatar’s QE Index gained 0.1 per cent.

Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index fell 0.4 per cent as of 1:08pm in Riyadh. Dubai Islamic Insurance & Reinsurance Co. was the biggest gainer among insurers, rising 4.6 per cent as traders exchanged 39 million shares, the most in two years.

the bourse, aiming to enhance transparency and provide more reliable information on sector performance.

Investment Holding Group’s initial public offering started on Sunday in Doha and will continue until Jan. 22.

The company is selling 49.8 million shares at 10.1 riyals apiece. The company is seeking acquisitions that will lift earnings even if sales continue to decline, Chief Executive Officer Wael Shtayyeh said in an interview. — Bloomberg News

Budget 2017, was formation of a separate unit entrusted with the public debt management at the ministry. This unit will plan, organise and manage government debt. The Sultanate plans to borrow OMR2.1 billion from overseas markets and another OMR400 million from the domestic market this year to plug in a projected deficit of OMR3 billion.

Oman’s government last week announced a budget expenditure of OMR11.7 billion and a total

revenue of OMR8.7 billion for 2017, leaving a deficit of OMR3 billion.Besides, there is a move to modernise Government Fiscal Management Information System (GFMIS) and transition from cash-based accounting to accrual accounting. This system develops a method for recording government accounts and links them to national statistics, which will facilitate the monitoring of public spending, and ensure fiscal discipline, said the Ministry of Fi-

nance in its budget statement.

“I think, the government will have more control in terms of public spending priorities, objectives and bringing in more accountability,” said Kanaga Sundar, head of research at Gulf Baader Capital Markets.

“This is crucial and will help in better fiscal management in future,” he added. There is also an effort to improve the Sultanate’s credit rating, which will help to get debt at relatively cheaper rates. It appears that the plan is to take corrective

measures as and when the international credit rating agencies plan to lower the sovereign rating. As part of the whole exercise, there was also a move to improve the performance of government investments by establishing a holding company in every sector. As part of this initiative, the authorities have already formed several holding companies for specific sectors like transport and logistics and transferred government stakes in the respective companies to the holding firms.

B2

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

MARKET OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................ 5,813.12 ...............5,792.54 ................... 5,792.54 ................... 5,792.66.................. -0.12 ...................0.00 Financial Index .....................................7,946.86 ...............7,890.86 ................... 7,892.56 ...................7,903.20................-10.64 .................. -0.13 Industrial Index ....................................7,559.96 ...............7,525.24 ................... 7,542.69 ................... 7,525.24.................. 17.45 ...................0.23 Services Index ...................................... 3,034.85 .............. 3,030.09 ...................3,030.29 ................... 3,032.77.................. -2.48 .................. -0.08 MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................... 873.70 ...................871.41 ...................... 872.30 .......................871.41....................0.89 ................... 0.10 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 14,487,925..................2,990,429 .....................710 ................ 17,508,131,127 .................. 8 ......................17 .................... 19 .........................44

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR SUNDAY, JANUARY 8 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 .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 3,119,662....... 778,861................... 112 ........... 0.248 ...........0.252 ...........0.247........... 0.250 .............0.242 ........... 0.008............. 3.306 ................0.250..............0.249...................0.250 .................368,695,319 ........0.100

Muscat Securities Market. – Times file picture

OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ............................... 623,829 ..........116,501..................... 60 ............0.190 ........... 0.190 ...........0.184............0.187 .............0.182............ 0.005............. 2.747 ................0.186 .............. 0.185...................0.186...................55,391,959 .........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 115,676 .......... 168,837.....................24 ............1.455 ........... 1.460 ...........1.455 ........... 1.460 ............. 1.450.............0.010 ............. 0.690 ................1.460 .............. 1.455...................1.460................1,095,000,000......0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 145,795 ............ 50,455......................19 ........... 0.350 ...........0.350 ...........0.344 .......... 0.346 .............0.344 ........... 0.002............. 0.581 ................0.346..............0.346...................0.350...................34,600,000 ........0.100

Index falls marginally

OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ...............................................................4,000 .............. 2,280........................1 ........... 0.570 ...........0.570 ...........0.570........... 0.570 .............0.570 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.570..............0.568...................0.570...................31,350,000 .........0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ........................................................10,000 ............ 14,500........................1 ............1.450 ........... 1.450 ...........1.450 ............1.450 ............. 1.450............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.450 .............. 1.435...................1.450................. 290,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY............................................128 ..................202........................1 ............1.575 ........... 1.575............1.575 ............1.575 ............. 1.575............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.575 ..............1.480...................1.575 ..................141,277,500 ........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ...................................... 50,000 ............. 11,750........................1 ........... 0.235 ........... 0.235 ...........0.235........... 0.235 .............0.235 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.235............. 0.220...................0.235...................70,212,754 .........0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER................................................................3,440 .................. 775........................4 ........... 0.230 ...........0.230 ...........0.225........... 0.230 .............0.230 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.225..............0.216...................0.225 ..................50,832,300.........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 492,437 ..........311,221..................... 50 ........... 0.632 ........... 0.636 ...........0.632........... 0.632 .............0.632 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.632..............0.628...................0.632.................. 411,396,753 ........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 369,866 ............27,740......................13 ............0.075 ........... 0.075 ...........0.075........... 0.075 .............0.075 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.075..............0.074...................0.075...................13,125,000 .........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 205,385 ........... 36,969........................4 ............0.180 ........... 0.180 ...........0.180........... 0.180 .............0.180 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.180.............. 0.179...................0.180.................. 121,479,737 ........0.100 OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 606,276 ............ 91,119..................... 23 ............0.150 ........... 0.151............0.150 ........... 0.150 .............0.150............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.150 ..............0.149...................0.150..................219,390,219 ........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 154,490 ............39,415......................11 ........... 0.256 ...........0.257 ...........0.255........... 0.255 .............0.256 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.391................0.255..............0.245...................0.257...................31,848,980 .........0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST ...................................................................... 47,122 ............ 23,938......................14 ........... 0.508 ...........0.508 ...........0.508........... 0.508 ............. 0.510............-0.002 ........... -0.392 ...............0.508............. 0.000...................0.508 .................322,981,771 ........0.100

The top gainer was NBO, up by 3.31 per cent,

OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 748,000 ......... 361,656..................... 62 ........... 0.486 ...........0.486 ...........0.482........... 0.484 .............0.486 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.412 ...............0.482..............0.482...................0.484 ............... 1,208,185,125 ......0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 152,000 ............24,741........................8 ............0.164 ........... 0.164 ...........0.162 ............0.163 .............0.164............-0.001 ........... -0.610 ...............0.163 .............. 0.163...................0.164..................261,533,393........0.100

while Al Hassan Engineering was the top loser with a loss of 3.64 per cent.

OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 155,000 ............18,635........................5 ............0.121 ........... 0.121............0.120........... 0.120 ............. 0.121............-0.001 ........... -0.826 ...............0.120.............. 0.119................... 0.121 .....................7,061,186 ..........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 105,945 ............21,979........................7 ........... 0.208...........0.208 ...........0.207........... 0.207 .............0.209 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.957 ...............0.208..............0.205...................0.208 ..................41,400,000.........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 188,000 ........... 38,377......................16 ........... 0.208...........0.208 ...........0.203........... 0.204 .............0.206 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.971................0.204 ............ 0.202...................0.204 ..................12,485,672 .........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 588,461........... 111,818......................19 ............0.190 ........... 0.191............0.190........... 0.190 .............0.192............-0.002 ........... -1.042 ...............0.190..............0.190................... 0.191 ...................33,250,467 .........0.100

MUSCAT: Shares on the Muscat bourse reacted towards the end of the session. The MSM30 Index failed to build on early gains and ended unchanged at 5,792.54 points. The MSM Sharia Index closed at 872.30 points, up by 0.10 per cent. NBO remained the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. The top gainer was NBO, up by 3.31 per cent, while Al Hassan Engineering was the top loser with a loss of 3.64 per cent.

A total number of 710 trades were executed on Sunday, generating turnover of OMR2.99 million with 14.5 million shares changing hands. Out of 44 traded securities, eight advanced, 17 declined and 19 remained unchanged. Omani investors were net buyers for OMR281,000 while GCC and Arab investors stayed net sellers for OMR234,000 followed by foreign investors for OMR47,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index retreated 0.13 per cent to close at 7,892.56 points.

NBO, Al Batinah Investment,

HSBC Bank and Oman United Insurance gained 3.31 per cent, 1.01 per cent, 0.77 per cent and 0.58 per cent, respectively. Oman & Emirates Holding, Al Sharqia Investments, Al Madina Investments, Bank Nizwa and Ahli Bank fell 2.78 per cent, 2.05 per cent, 1.69 per cent, 1.12 per cent and 1.05 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index closed at 7,542.69 points, up by 0.23 per cent. Al Anwar Ceramics and Gulf International Chemicals increased by 2.75 per cent and 0.34 per cent, respectively. Al Hassan Engineering, Oman Fisheries and Al Jazeera Steel declined by 3.64 per cent, 1.52 per cent and 0.39 per cent, respectively. Services Index declined by 0.08 per cent to close at 3,030.29 points. Oman Telecommunications Company, up by 0.69 per cent, was the only gainer.

Al Suwadi Power, Al Jazeera Services, OIFC and Port Services declined by 2.17 per cent, 0.97 per cent, 0.96 per cent and 0.43 per cent, respectively. - United Securities

OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 798,800 ...........46,208..................... 25 ........... 0.058 ...........0.058 ...........0.057........... 0.058 .............0.059 ...........-0.001 ............-1.695................0.057..............0.057...................0.058................... 12,014,780 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 8,684,312 ...2,297,977...................480 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......22........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ...................... 338,019.............33,812..................... 36 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.101............0.100........... 0.100 .............0.099 ............0.001 ............. 1.010 ................0.100..............0.099...................0.100....................3,000,000..........0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 429,861 ........... 56,277......................17 ............0.130 ........... 0.133 ...........0.130............0.131 .............0.130.............0.001 ............. 0.769 ................0.130 ..............0.128...................0.130................. 262,040,975 .......0.100 OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ..............85,000 ............ 24,727......................12 ............0.291 ...........0.293 ...........0.290 .......... 0.291 .............0.290 ............0.001 ............. 0.345 ................0.291 ..............0.291...................0.292 ................... 6,111,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ................................................... 2,100 ................1,512........................1 ............0.720 ........... 0.720 ...........0.720............0.716 ............. 0.716............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.720..............0.720...................0.728..................112,770,000 ........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING .....................................5,000 ............ 10,000........................3 ........... 2.000...........2.000 ...........2.000 .......... 2.000 .............2.000 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.000 .............1.950...................2.000 ................ 190,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000003141 ............ACWA POWER BARKA .............................................. 84,000 .............59,472........................2 ............0.708 ........... 0.708 ...........0.708........... 0.708 .............0.708 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.708..............0.700...................0.708..................113,280,000........0.100 OM0000003281............TAAGEER FINANCE ..................................................... 1,000 .................. 126........................1 ............0.126 ........... 0.126 ...........0.126........... 0.126 .............0.126............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.126 ..............0.126...................0.129...................31,952,340 .........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 452,500 ........... 42,852..................... 25 ........... 0.095 ........... 0.095 ...........0.094........... 0.095 .............0.095 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.094..............0.093...................0.094 .................. 27,548,161 .........0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 157,562 .............11,888........................9 ............0.075 ........... 0.076 ...........0.075........... 0.075 .............0.075 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.075..............0.075...................0.076...................75,000,000.........0.100 OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ..................................... 700 ............... 3,147........................1 ........... 4.495 ...........4.495 ...........4.495........... 4.495 .............4.495 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................4.495..............4.470...................4.495...................43,962,071 .........1.000 OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ................................ 1,000 ...................174........................1 ............0.174 ........... 0.174 ...........0.174 ............0.173 ............. 0.173............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.174 .............. 0.175...................0.179 ...................17,300,000 .........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 133,378............ 25,075........................7 ............0.188 ........... 0.188 ...........0.188 ........... 0.188 .............0.190 ...........-0.002 ............-1.053................0.188 .............. 0.187...................0.188..................267,906,795 ........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 697,073............ 61,342......................19 ........... 0.088 ...........0.088 ...........0.088........... 0.088 .............0.089 ...........-0.001 ............-1.124................0.088..............0.088...................0.089................. 132,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ..................................................... 1,430,339 .........93,576..................... 34 ........... 0.067 ...........0.067 ...........0.064........... 0.065 .............0.066 ...........-0.001 ............-1.515 ................0.064..............0.064...................0.065....................8,125,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING .............52,643 ................7,514........................8 ............0.147 ........... 0.147 ...........0.140........... 0.143 .............0.146............-0.003 ........... -2.055 ...............0.142.............. 0.141...................0.144...................12,870,000.........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER ................................................... 24,200 ...............4,357........................6 ............0.184 ........... 0.184 ...........0.180........... 0.180 .............0.184 ...........-0.004 ........... -2.174................0.180..............0.180...................0.184.................. 128,593,141 ........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING........... 1,406,090 ...... 197,403......................31 ............0.142 ........... 0.142 ...........0.140........... 0.140 .............0.144 ...........-0.004 ........... -2.778 ...............0.140..............0.140................... 0.141 ...................17,062,500 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 5,300,465......633,253................... 213 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ...... 17........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

I N F O R M AT I O N T E C H N O L O G Y

Cyber bandits are getting more aggressive: Microsoft Times News Service MUSCAT: Cyber-security rhetoric may seem like fear mongering, but the escalation in threats is both real and quantifiable. These realities have been costly in some cases, while others have gone unreported and have caused mere inconveniences. But even for those that have not suffered the hundreds of millions of dollars in damages incurred by, say, Sony Pictures, the effects of malware can be cumulative. The slowing of computing resources or the downtime of services can lead to costs that are not easily summated, but nonetheless impact performance and profitability, according to a Microsoft statement.

In Oman, a live survey of PCs, conducted by Microsoft throughout 2015, revealed an alarming barrage of attempted breaches.

For example, in the fourth quarter, when aggression peaked, 43 per cent of computers surveyed reported a malware encounter, compared with a worldwide average of around 21 per cent in the same

– Supplied picture

three-month period. While most of these infections were blocked, 6.59 per cent of monitored machines faced infections that had to be cleaned, against a global average of 1.69 per cent.

Encounter and infection rates are both higher for Oman than those for regional neighbours such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, both of which are placed

high in world-rankings for malware attacks.Interestingly, the higher-than-average infection rate for Oman cannot be attributed to a lower-than-average protection rate among Omani machines.

The savagery of the malware horde – what cyber-security specialists refer to as the “threat landscape” – has escalated for several reasons. First, the attack

surface (the number of system entry-points available to malware authors) has expanded at an astounding rate as humankind has migrated from a PC-and-server world to a multi-device miasma.

“Tablets, smartphones and other more exotic Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices have led to countless estimates of what our world will look like in 2020. Some projections say we will find ourselves trying to protect 30 billion devices by then; others say 75 billion,” said the statement.

This device epidemic, coupled with a bewildering amount of software vulnerabilities, has created fertile ground for those with sinister intent. A 2014 report from Symantec suggests around 868,000 malware strains get released into the wild each day. And an April 2014 article from CNN Money cites a Verizon study that claimed each of those samples takes an average of only 82 seconds to claim its first victim.

And malware-producers have also developed more sophisticated techniques for propagation. They

have adapted to the signaturematching methods used by traditional anti-virus applications, by employing self-updating malware.

They have also found ways to disguise their strains as authorised processes, to fool standard detection systems. And advances in social engineering have allowed an alarming escalation in the number of phishing, spear-fishing and whaling attacks.

All of this is bad news for consumers, governments, and businesses of all sizes; getting attacked is now a matter of “when” rather than “if”. But legitimate software companies are striking back. Infected machines only suffer damage if the malicious code is allowed free reign.By switching to detection rather than prevention, security specialists are gaining ground.

Zero-day attacks (malware incursions from strains that have yet to be categorised and for which there are no current counter-measures) are particularly vulnerable to this kind of approach.

“We can all be more secure – consumers, governments and

businesses of all scales. When we approach cyber-security, we should do so with no assumptions.

Talk to the experts. They often have first-hand knowledge not only of the scale of the problem, but of the mitigating measures that can be taken to combat the cyber-villains. Be vigilant; do not underestimate your adversary; educate your workforce and formulate a strategy. Be safe.”

But protection starts at the endpoint. Windows 10 now resides on more than 400 million devices worldwide and those users are experiencing the most secure Windows yet. Windows 10 introduces identity management provisions such as Windows Hello and Credential Guard that safe-guard against credentials theft. Bitlocker and Windows Information Protection enact data encryption at the device and file level. Windows Defender guards inboxes, and the sandboxed Microsoft Edge browser protects users online. Meanwhile, Device Guard locks down your device, ensuring only trusted applications are run.

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

B3

MARKET U N I QU E I N I T I AT I V E

Oman Oil announces final call for Tasweik application

Automakers, suppliers join hands for self-driving cars

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Oil Marketing Company announced its final call to all prospective small and medium enterprises (SMEs) looking to participate in Tasweik.

Launched with the full support of Al Raffd Fund, the unique initiative has been widely welcomed by the general public for providing eight select Omani entrepreneurs with the opportunity to win OMR8,000 in funding for branding and marketing purposes.

Winners will be chosen based on their interview score, the clarity of their objectives, supporting evidence, and presentations. Candidates will be required to provide a complete overview of their SME project, plans, and their proposed usage of the funds. In a circumstance where two or more projects are tied during their initial assessments, precedence will be given to the project that is more profitable and for the length of time they have been a part of Al Raffd Fund.

Al Muatassim bin Hamood Al Amri, Communication Support Specialist, said, “Since our inception, we have focused our CSR strategy on driving economic and social growth through local-based projects that empower individuals and families to harness their full potential. Tasweik is in line with that vision and will enable eight SMEs from across the Sultanate to achieve their aspirations. In that regard, we strongly encourage all participants to make sure they are in full alignment with our criteria and have put together the strongest possible proposals to win.”

As part of Tasweik, participating SMEs will be inspected by two committees representing Oman Oil and Al Raffd Fund. The committees will verify the details of and ensure SMEs are in full compliance with Tasweik’s criteria.

Some companies like Tesla, GM and Ford are trying to develop proprietary driverless systems, while a larger group of automakers appears to have decided it makes more sense to develop self-driving technology in collaboration with suppliers.

LAS VEGAS: Automotive suppliers and automakers are expanding alliances to develop self-driving car technology that can serve multiple automakers, as the race to put such vehicles on the road separates companies that can go it alone from those that need help sharing the financial and technical burdens.

Self-driving technology While some companies, such as Tesla Motors, General Motors and Ford Motor, are trying to develop proprietary driverless systems, a larger group of automakers appears to have decided it makes more sense to develop self-driving technology in collaboration with

suppliers — as many other features such as anti-lock brakes or radarenabled cruise control already are.

“What’s going on in the industry right now is like a hyper version of musical chairs — and the music is still playing,” said Gill Pratt, chief executive officer of Toyota Research Institute. “Everyone is changing partners.”

Several suppliers — notably Mobileye, Nvidia and Delphi Automotive — are among the more popular technology partners in the self-driving race, with multiple alliances around the globe.

“If you want to build a truly autonomous car, this is a task for more than one player,” said Am-

non Shashua, chief executive of Mobileye, an Israeli-based supplier of mapping and vision-based sensing systems.

Technological challenges “The technological challenges are immense,” Shashua told Reuters.

“I would compare it to sending a man to the moon.”

Mobileye supplies cameras, chips and software for driver assist systems — the building blocks for self-driving cars — to more than two dozen manufacturers around the globe. The company was an early supplier of vision systems to Tesla, but the two companies had an acrimonious and public breakup last summer after the driver of a Tesla Model S was killed while operating his vehicle using Tesla’s Autopilot system.

Since the break with Tesla, Mobileye has secured two critical partnerships to develop selfdriving systems: With German automaker BMW and US chipmaker Intel, and with longtime supplier Delphi. The Delphi-Mobileye alliance involves a turn-key system that the partners plan to offer to smaller automakers that lack the resources to develop such systems on their own. It will be ready for production by 2019, said Jeff Owens, Delphi’s chief technology of-

ficer, with a projected wholesale cost of about $8,000.

The alliance with BMW and Intel is expected to draw additional vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, according to Elmar Frickenstein, BMW’s senior vice president for automated driving.

“We would like to create a standard system for everybody to use by 2021,” Frickenstein said.

“That would share the costs and speed up the process of development and adoption.”

Eventually, BMW and its partners could offer self-driving hardware and software sets or an entire driverless system on a non-exclusive basis to companies ranging from Uber to Google, Frickenstein said. A blueprint for collaboration is BMW’s joint ownership with Daimler AG and Volkswagen AG’s Audi of Here, the mapping company acquired in late 2015 from Nokia . Since then, both Intel and Mobileye have teamed with Here to pool and share data.

Chipmaker Nvidia also is ramping up its partnerships in self-driving technology and systems, this week announcing deals with Audi and Here, as well as German suppliers ZF and Bosch.

“We’re not looking to develop a proprietary system,” said Dirk Hoheisel, the member of Bosch’s

board of management who oversees autonomous driving. “We want to work with others to develop a standard platform and open standards for self-driving systems, especially around data and mapping.”

Similar partnerships While pursuing similar partnerships with suppliers, Audi sees its role as a vehicle manufacturer evolving to that of systems integrator.

“There’s not one supplier out there who can provide the whole solution - no one who knows everything, every part of what’s needed to make an autonomous car,” said Alejandro Vukotich, Audi’s head of development for driver assistance systems. Some key components of self-driving systems — cybersecurity, for instance — should remain the responsibility of vehicle manufacturers, said Guillaume Devauchelle, head of innovation and scientific development at French supplier Valeo. But carmakers also will continue to rely on suppliers to provide specific selfdriving technologies, he said.

“There will be a mix because it’s quite a complex system (with) sensing, data fusion, artificial intelligence, connectivity, man-machine interface and so on,” Devauchelle said. “Those are big blocks.” — Reuters

HUB IN BAHRAIN

Agility to invest $10m in expanding logistics hub Times News Service MUSCAT: Agility, a leading global logistics provider, announced that it will be investing $10 million to expand its regional logistics hub in Bahrain to 28,000 square metres, increasing storage capacity by an additional 19,000 pallet positions

and increase the workforce by almost twenty-five per cent.

The expansion, which is expected to be completed within the next ten months, will enhance Agility’s Bahrain-based regional logistics hub. Investments will be made in Agility’s warehousing, freight, transport and specialty logistics solutions in the Kingdom, accord-

ing to a press release.

Zayed Alzayani, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, said; “Logistics has a key role in driving economic growth and attracting international investment into the country. The government is committed to delivering a more efficient and advanced logistics sector, and in order to facilitate

this, the ministry has introduced a number of policies that directly contribute to the expansion of the logistics sector to build on Bahrain’s strategic location and regional connectivity. Agility has been a very important part of the logistic base here in Bahrain since 2003, introducing efficiencies to the sector never seen before.”

Bahrain is investing over $32 billion in key infrastructure projects that will support continued development of the logistics sector. This includes the expansion of Bahrain International Airport, which is estimated to increase the air cargo volumes to one million metric tonnes per year once the project is completed in 2020.

B4

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

FEATURE

BANK OF MEXICO’S GOVERNOR HAS WARNED that Donald Trump could be a ‘horror film’ for the nation.

Analysts say the country’s economy is in for a nightmare even if the incoming president does not build that wall or ball up NAFTA. Surely, Trump’s ability to alter relations between the nations will play a major role in how Mexico’s economy performs in 2017, but the country had its work cut out for itself even before he prevailed, as problems from a weakening currency to faster inflation look certain to deliver a third straight year of slowing growth.

Economists forecast gross domestic product will expand just 1.7 per cent this year, according to the latest surveys from Banco de Mexico and Citi/Banamex, as anticipated rate increases weigh on borrowing and spending. That would be the slowest since the 1.4 per cent achieved in 2013.

“It is going to be a very difficult year for policy makers,” said Benito Berber, the senior economist for Latin America at Nomura Holdings Inc. in New York. “The central bank will have to navigate a lot of different shocks, external and internal.”

While forecasts are more dire at Credit Suisse Group AG and Bank of America Corp. - where economists anticipate growth could be the slowest since the height of the financial crisis - any threat to the North America Free Trade Agreement that started from January 1, 1994, would make these seem rosy. Mexico sends more than three-quarters of its exports to the US and ran a trade surplus of about $60 billion in 2015, accounting for more than 5 per cent of economic output. Perhaps the last thing a country with anemic growth needs is higher interest rates, but the central bank may not be able to avoid tightening. Inflation is expected to run well above the 4 per cent top end of the institution’s target throughout 2017, according to forecasts from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, Grupo Financiero Banorte SAB and JPMorgan Chase & Co., as the government moves ahead with plans to raise the price of gasoline by as much as 20 per cent in January.

As inflation expectations keep climbing, swap traders increasingly see Banxico tightening as soon as February, before the Federal Reserve. The Mexican central bank may need to act swiftly to anchor price expectations and safe-

guard its own credibility, Governor Agustin Carstens has repeatedly stressed.

Maintaining a stable interest-rate spread to the US to prevent currency outflows could also force Banxico’s hand as the Fed signals a faster pace of tightening in 2017. Mexico’s swap curve (TIIE) prices in about 125 basis points of increases in 2017.

Trump’s promise to make Mexico pay for a border wall seems less likely to be a burden in 2017 than his threat of retribution against companies that move jobs abroad. If that makes US manufacturers hold off or slow down investment in Mexico, the impact would be significant. More than half of the $30 billion in foreign direct investment in Mexico in 2015 came from the US Already, Citigroup Inc. has cut its projections for total investment in Mexico from abroad for 2017, to $25 billion from $35.8 billion.

Perhaps Trump’s biggest impact will be on the peso, which became a proxy for his election chances. It is tumbled about 11 per cent since the election to near record lows, putting pressure on the central bank to intervene as inflation expectations rise. – Bloomberg News

B

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M ON DAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

SECTION

END CALL SAVE LIVES

E-

A TIMES OF OMAN HANDS-FREE DRIVING INITIATIVE

IMES TECH STUFF

The next ad frontier is your car’s windshield The advent of connected cars is creating a new sales battleground, and using a vehicle’s windshield may be the next way to pitch more products consumers.

ALEX WEBB

T

Ericsson is deepening its cooperation with Cisco Systems, adding Wi-Fi products that could help Sweden’s struggling maker of mobile networks land new customers. Ericsson and San Jose, California-based Cisco, the largest maker of internet-network gear such as routers and switches, are adding Wi-Fi to a products pact first announced 14 months ago. — Bloomberg News

T E C H U P D AT E S

Sony’s new high definition television has a screen speaker IT HAS been a while since a new TV raised any eyebrows, but Sony has just unveiled a new product that is creating a bit of buzz at the annual CES industry gathering in Las Vegas. Sony’s XBR-A1E Bravia 4K is the electronics maker’s first commercial foray into the niche market for televisions that use OLED, or organic light-emitting diode, technology. While the vivid, power-sipping screens have found their way onto smartphones, the cost of making them has so far limited their appeal for TVs. Only LG Electronics has made a serious effort to sell OLED TVs. Panasonic also unveiled an OLED TV at this year’s CES. What is different about Sony’s new A1E TV, however, is that the screen doubles as a speaker. By vibrating the display itself, Sony said it will be able to offer the “perfect unification of picture and sound unattainable by conventional TVs.” This is possible because OLED screens don’t require a backlight, according to the Tokyo-based company. — Bloomberg News

Microsoft drives new car software push with key deal

and services to

HE next frontier in digital advertising may be your car’s windshield.

Automakers, technology companies and glass manufacturers are teaming up to turn the display that graces the front of an iPhone into the windshield of a car — one that can show ads, directions and vehicle information to the person behind the wheel.

The advent of connected cars is creating a new sales battleground, and using a vehicle’s windshield may be the next way to pitch more products and services to consumers. McKinsey estimates that mobile and data-driven services in autos will generate $1.5 trillion by 2030. At least part of that will be spent projecting information to drivers and passengers right before their eyes.

“When you think of a person driving and what your needs are when you are on a typical trip, it’s food, it’s fuel and it’s rest stops,” said John Butler, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. “Owning the inside of the car is critical, it is really where the money is made. The real value is locked up in the ad opportunity.” Here is how a smart windshield may work. A driver that’s close to running out of gas would see an alert pop up that notes the fuel situation and offers to find a nearby gas station. The car’s virtual assistant will offer a choice, again on the windshield, of two options, including directions to a station where the driver is eligible for a free cup of coffee — an ad placed by the gas company that fits with the driver’s buying patterns, also known by his smart car.

Panasonic demonstrated technology at CES, the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas this week, that lets a driver order and pay for fast food through a headsup display, before pulling off the freeway to collect it. Pairing such offerings with other connected subscription services could generate hundreds of dollars in additional recurring revenue per car each year, according to Tom Gebhardt, the head of Panasonic’s automotive business in North America.

“When you start doing payments

ERICSSON DEEPENS TIES WITH CISCO

When you think of a person driving and what your needs are when you’re on a typical trip, it’s food, it’s fuel and it’s rest stops. Owning the inside of the car is critical, it’s really where the money is made. The real value is locked up in the ad opportunity John Butler A Bloomberg Intelligence analyst

out of the vehicle, you have to secure those payments somehow, so we are matching the facial recognition with your credit card,” he said. “We are really investing in an integrated solution, merging the infotainment system, the instrument cluster and the heads-up display.”

Corning is starting to sell carmakers the glass used in Apple’s iPhones for windshields and in-car entertainment systems. The company said the durability and thinness of the glass means that any image projected onto it is sharper than onto a typical windshield. While the product is less than 10 inches wide, Corning is working to expand it to a full windshield-size display.

“They could be here in less than two years,” Corning Chief Technology Officer Jeff Evenson said in an interview on Thursday.

“We’re making the car much more active to set things up for these kinds of services.”

Connected cars Turning a car windshield into a billboard is part of broader efforts by automakers and tech companies to transform vehicles into connected devices. Multiple companies at CES this week have announced deals and partnerships that use software, digital voice technology and cloud computing to handle everything from automatically scheduling a maintenance appointment to ordering a takeout pizza while on the road.

Automakers such as BMW, Hyundai Motor and Toyota Motor already offer basic heads-up displays near the windshield in some models that show information such as the vehicle’s speed. Google parent Alphabet, through its Waze navigation app, suggests nearby restaurants and points of interest during your drive, as does TripAdvisor. The next step is merging these two ideas: projecting points of interest onto your windshield.

Eventually mapping and navigational data could be superimposed onto the road in front of the driver, much in the way that Google Street View currently displays information about an area on a static image.

BMW, Volkswagen and Daimler acquired Nokia’s HERE mapping unit in 2015 to ensure they were no longer dependent on Google for maps. Intel announced on Tuesday it had acquired a 15 per cent stake in HERE. “This is exactly the sort of thing the high-end carmakers are promoting as part of their highly integrated, immersive ‘cockpit’ concepts,’” said Richard York, an executive at chip designer ARM Holdings Plc who is responsible for automotive sales.

The question of how the technology is regulated remains open, given concerns about driver distraction. For now, suppliers are eager to promote heads-up displays as safety tools. For example, the speed and location of vehicles in a car’s

MICROSOFT is rebooting its push to sell software for cars with a new set of programmes and services in a bid to keep up with rivals like Google and Apple that are expanding in auto technology. “We’re not getting into self-driving cars ourselves but we can be an important element of it by providing the platform,” said Microsoft’s business development chief Peggy Johnson, in an interview. The Renault-Nissan alliance signed an agreement in September last year with Microsoft to work on car technology. The companies said on Thursday that Renault-Nissan will be the first customer for Microsoft’s Connected Vehicle Platform, which provides carmakers with a set of services built on Microsoft’s Azure cloud. Available as a preview later this year, the system will collect sensor and usage data and help automakers build services that use that information along with Microsoft products like Cortana, Office and Skype. During a keynote by Renault-Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nissan will show Microsoft’s voice-activated Cortana digital assistant used in a car for things like scheduling a service appointment after the vehicle senses maintenance is needed. The automaker chose Microsoft for its global reach, its familiarity with compliance issues automakers face, and its plans for making the relationship more valuable over time, said Ogi Redzic, senior vice president for connected vehicles at the Renault-Nissan alliance. “Microsoft has a top-notch cloud platform,” he added. Nissan declined to say how many vehicles will use the software and by when.

It’s planning for more than 10 models with autonomous driving technology by 2020, but those won’t necessarily all use Microsoft technology. — Bloomberg News

blind spot might be projected onto the windshield.

“We’re going to bring the safety aspect of the vehicles” into the augmented reality products, said Joseph Yoon, head of LG Electronics’ automotive research and development team.

Boosters also say a windshield display is a safer alternative than drivers taking their eyes off the road to glance down and tap a dashboard infotainment system or check a smartphone. For many years BMW, Volkswagen and Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc worked with the Munich-based startup Metaio GmbH to investigate possible applications for augmented reality technology in cars, according to someone familiar with Metaio’s business.

The main hurdle to superimposing an enhanced image for the driver was the “tracking problem” — establishing the direction of a driver’s gaze and adapting the image projected onto the windscreen accordingly, the person said. Metaio was acquired by Apple last year, and ended its contracts with the carmakers. Panasonic’s Gebhardt said his company had mastered the technology and is seeking a customer willing to deploy it in a car.

Nvidia offers new PC gaming service hosted in the Cloud

First steps Meanwhile, Harman International Industries, the in-car infotainment systems giant in the process of being acquired by Samsung Electronics, is moving into heads-up displays. In December it announced an investment in Navdy, a San Francisco-based maker of a projection display that sits on the dashboard in front of the windshield and provides navigation guidance, car behaviour data and smartphone alerts. The two companies will start selling a jointly branded heads-up display this year.

Automotive supplier Magna International also is likely to unveil an augmented reality product with a major German carmaker this year, according to someone familiar with the plan. Automakers also are considering the ability to push content such as video in front of passengers in addition to mapping or road services as a way to generate more revenue from each vehicle.

NVIDIA, the biggest maker of graphics chips, announced a new version of its Shield set-top box and the debut of an online service designed to bring millions of new consumers to highend computer games. The new Shield will display high-resolution video and feature Google Assistant technology capable of recognising natural-language commands and controlling other devices. The company’s chief executive officer Jen-Hsun Huang made the announcement in a presentation late on Wednesday at Consumer Eletronics Show in Las Vegas. Nvidia was the best performer on the Nasdaq in the just concluded year within the last century, riding investor optimism that the company is making progress in its push to find new markets for graphics chips, such as in data centers, consumer electronics and self-driving cars. Huang said the continuing expansion of gaming gives his company the ability to spend on adapting the graphics technology to fresh uses. The new GeForce Now service will allow the 1 billion PC owners whose machines can’t play high-end computer games to access that capability over the internet, he said.

The service will charge $25 for 20 hours of gaming. It will work on PCs and Apple Inc. computers. The new $199 Shield will get an accessory, called Nvidia Spot, which will bring sensitive microphones to each room of a house and allow users to speak naturally to the device wherever they are. — Bloomberg News

— Bloomberg News

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MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

ROUND-UP MoH recognises Badr Al Samaa Healthcare Group

Ministry of Health also honoured Badr Al Samaa group from private healthcare sector for supporting the activities of directorate general of private health establishments during the occasion

MUSCAT: Various establishments of Badr Al Samaa Healthcare Group operating in different region across the Sultanate were honoured by the Ministry of Health for the best hospitals and polyclinics respectively.

P. A. Mohammed, managing director, Badr Al Samaa Group of Hospitals received award from Dr

Sultan bin Ya’rub Al Busaidi, adviser of Health Affairs, Ministry of Health, Sultanate of Oman along with Dr Mazen bin Jawad Al Khabouri, directorate general of Private Healthcare Establishments, in a ceremony held at Holiday Inn Muscat recently. The ceremony was attended by top officials from the Ministry of Health and officials

from private healthcare establishments, says a press release.

Badr Al Samaa, Sohar was selected as the best polyclinic in South Al Batinah region and best polyclinic in Oman. Badr Al Samaa, Nizwa was selected as the best private polyclinic in Al Dakhiliyah region. Badr Al Samaa, Sur as the best polyclinic in South Al Sharqiyah region. Badr Al Samaa Hospital, Ruwi and Badr Al Samaa Hospital, Al Khoud were also honoured by the Ministry of Health for getting accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI) USA. Badr Al Samaa Hospital, Ruwi and Badr Al Samaa Hospital, Al Khoud were accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI) USA recently. Joint Commission International is one of the highest quality award certification bodies in healthcare sector. It focuses on quality of clinical and non clinical

operations and identifies measures and shares best practices in quality and patient safety.

Ministry of Health also honoured Badr Al Samaa group from private healthcare sector for supporting the activities of directorate general of private health establishments during the occasion.

“Many recognitions and accolades received earlier by Badr Al Samaa from different organisations are in acknowledgments to our efforts and they are real manifestation of our achievements,” said V. T. Vinod, Abdul Latheef and P. A. Mohammed, directors of Badr Al Samaa Group of Hospitals.

Badr Al Samaa is the recipient of many accolades and it is evident by the various recognitions that they have received including the best brand in the popular choice for 2012 survey and as Oman’s most trusted brand in 2016.

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT

WCAS organises 2nd edition of lecture series MUSCAT: Waljat College of Applied Sciences (WCAS) recently organised the second lecture of its Industry Engagement Lecture series to enhance collaboration with industry and to prepare the students for their career.

The lecture series are being organised to provide essential inputs to students for preparing them for their career path. The second lecture of the industry engagement lecture series was engaged by representatives of Infoline, which is a pioneer in introducing outsourcing in Oman through services like call centre and back office outsourcing, says a press release.

The representatives who have represented Infoline were Biswaranjan Sethi, head - Business Development, Gaurav Sohan, head – BPO sales and Vatsala Mishra, marketing manager. They guided the students on various opportunities in IT-services sectors and the key skills required for the domain. The delegates also summarised the expectation of industry from young graduates. They highlighted the importance of deciding early for career and acquiring key skills required for achieving the career goal. This lecture

was attended by all final and prefinal year students of WCAS. Dr S. L. Gupta, Dean WCAS, while welcoming all experts and students has put forward the objective of these engagements which is preparing students optimally for a suitable career path.

He was satisfied with the outcome

of these engagements and advised the organising team to invite the students of other HEIs in forthcoming lectures.

WCAS maintains excellent relationship with industry through its training & placement cell. This lecture series is a part of ‘Competency Development Programme’

facilitated by the dedicated Training & Placement cell of WCAS. Competency development programme is aimed to develop competency required for industry and enhancing the employability of students. The process starts with taking feedback from Industry on graduate attributes and skills required by them.

The requirements of recruiters are captured through job notification form and it is further communicated to participating batch to invite nomination for the process.

WCAS conducts employability assessment for all final year students and composite scores are communicated to participants. Based on the results of assessment the students are grouped for further training and exposed to workshops related to soft skills and technical skills sought by recruiters.

P. K. Singh, academic adviser, Training & Placement Cell informed that more lectures will be organised in coming months and WCAS will organise its annual career fair in April 2017. WCAS has been organising career fairs over the last seven years with the participation of all leading organisations from GGC.

TOOK POSSESSION OF

10,000sq. m land allocated to Indian Social Club Sohar

MUSCAT: Indian Social Club, (ISC) Sohar was granted recognition by the Ministry of Social Development in January 2010.

Since 2010, the executive committee of Indian Social Club, Sohar has been trying to get land on lease allocated to them.

A 10,000 sq. metre of land has finally been allotted to Indian Social Club, Sohar by Sohar Municipality in Al Muewlah Governmental area in Sohar. The agreement for the same was signed a few weeks ago. However the plot of land was formally taken possession of in a ceremony on December 24 2016 in the presence of Indra Mani Pandey, Ambassador of India, and senior officials of Sohar Municipality, says a press release.

The ceremony took place at the site of the plot itself and a large temporary tent was installed at the venue. Dr. Rajiv Tandon, chairman of Indian Social Club, Sohar welcomed all the guests and detailed the various steps in the process involved in allocation of land for the club. He thanked the Government of Oman for the generosity. He also thanked the Ministry of Social Development and Sohar Municipality for the excellent cooperation in the day to day functioning of the club.

Dr Tandon detailed the plans for raising of funds for the construction of the club premises and composition of a Building Committee for the same.

Pandey honoured the invited Omani officials of Sohar Municipality by presenting them with bouquets on behalf of ISC Sohar.

He congratulated the members of ISC Sohar on the momentous

occasion and spoke of the excellent people to people relationship as well as the government to government contacts between the two countries. The ambassador also gave away prizes in various categories for the recently held art competition by ISC Sohar.

The prize winning entries were displayed at the venue.

A presentation was later made

by Rajesh Kondala, general secretary of ISC Sohar detailing the site location as well as the construction plans for the premises of the club. A large number of members of the Indian community attended the function. Pandey inspected the allotted plot and gave suggestions as to the facilities to be incorporated in the design of the building to be built.

To celebrate the allocation of land for the club, a cultural function titled Colours of India was held a day before. Pandey presided over the event as chief guest.

The ambassador was welcomed at the venue by Sonali Khare on behalf of the executive committee. The evening started off by lighting of the traditional lamp by the chief guest and other dignitaries. Cultural pageants from all parts of India were presented on stage and the programme was very well attended.

An end of the year raffle draw was organised for the members of ISC Sohar and prizes for the same were sponsored by Safeer Mall, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Sohar Beach Hotel, Royal Garden Hotel and Malabar Gold & Diamond Jewellery. Sriram K., member of the Club Sports Committee concluded the event by giving the vote of thanks.

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ROUND-UP

Ooredoo introduces ‘Easy Credit’ service Ooredoo prepaid subscribers can now request advance credit for calls, SMS, or data, directly from their mobile devices wherever they are at any time of day

MUSCAT: Making sure its customers can stay connected, whatever the circumstances, Ooredoo has launched its new Easy Credit service. Ooredoo prepaid subscribers can now request advance credit for calls, SMS, or data, directly from their mobile devices wherever they are at any time of day, says a press release. Commenting on the new premium service, Ooredoo

head of Digital Payments and New Business, Faisal Al Bakri, said: “It isn’t always possible to know when you will need to phone home, send an important message, or check a vital piece of information. If you’re not able to top up, whether in an emergency or if you are simply trying to stay connected to friends and family, it can be both inconvenient and critical. Easy Credit gives any-

time, anywhere credit, helping customers stay connected, even if they need to top-up.”

“Our Mousbak prepaid plans are also very popular with the youth, who are always on the lookout for easy, convenient ways to recharge with flexible amounts when they run out of credit. This innovate service will help them to stay in touch worry-free. This is one of the many

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ways we are listening to what our customers want and cater to their ever evolving lifestyles.”

A standard feature available to all Ooredoo prepaid subscribers, an Easy Credit advance of 200 Bz, 500 Bz, OMR 1, 2, 5 or 10 can be requested at any time it is needed, and on multiple occasions, simply by using the short code *222# and selecting ‘Easy Credit’.

The advance amount, along with a convenience fee of just 20 Bz for 200 Bz credit, 50 Bz for 500 Bz credit, 100 Bz for a credit of OMR1, 200 Bz for an advance of OMR2, 500 Bz for a request for OMR5, and OMR1 those who select the OMR10 option. The fee will be automatically deducted when the account is recharged. Subscribers will have a fixed Easy Credit limit, calculated according to their use and frequency of recharges.

E D UC AT I O NA L P R O G R A M M E

Startup Oman to feature two local entrepreneurs

MUSCAT: Startup Oman, the Sultanate’s only platform created by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs and the ‘home of entrepreneurship’ in Oman will host the first monthly talk for local startups and entrepreneurs in 2017, ‘Caribou Chats’.

The January edition of Caribou Chats is scheduled to take place on January 11 at 6.30pm and will feature Hazar Al Zadjali, founder and managing director of Boutique Muscat. Launched in 2009, Boutique Muscat was the first multibrand boutique and the first online retailer in Oman. Joining Hazar will be Rawan Al Nazwani, the owner of the Palace, palatial-inspired restaurant, says a press release.

“We are committed to bringing

inspiring stories of local entrepreneurs to our community and January ‘Caribou Chats’ will be no different. The ladies will speak about their journey of building a successful business and the challenges they encounter daily,” said Ali Daud, Co-founder of Startup Oman. The event is organised by Startup Oman in partnership with Caribou Coffee.

It is scheduled to take place at Caribou Cafe in Bareeq Al Shatti. Coffee and nibbles are provided courtesy of Caribou Coffee. ‘Caribou Chats’ is an educational programme designed specifically for Oman’s startup community. It aims to fully promote the entrepreneurial lifestyle, with all of its daily hurdles and learnings.

HIGH-PROFILE EVENT

Oman Minerals & Mining Exhibition from January 16 MUSCAT: Oman, dubbed as ‘the gateway for potential investors in mining sector’, is all geared up to host a high-profile Oman Minerals & Mining Exhibition & Conference from January 16-18, at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, Muscat.

The expo, that aims to be a business platform for the rapidly growing mining sector, is expected to attract around 65 companies from more than 15 countries including Oman, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Germany, India, the US, South Africa, Chile, Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain, Singapore, Ghana, Italy, etc. Oman, the second largest country in the GCC region with an excellent geology of minerals, wants to map itself as a country that intends to diversify its investments into non-oil mineral resources, says a press release.

Who can exhibit?

Spanning an area of 2,580 sq m, the expo is a good opportunity to government and non-government organisations; mineral resources organisations; mining and exploration equipment companies; consultants; marble and granite companies; building material companies; chromite technology and processing organisations; non –

metallic rocks extraction and processing units; IT, communication, data processing and transmission; explosives and blasting devices; mining engineering, erection and construction services; geological surveyors; surveying instruments, metals and metallurgical equipment and testing and processing laboratories to showcase their products and services.

Oman mining conference On the sidelines, the Oman mining conference will begin on January 16 with the opening remarks by Eng. Hilal Al Busaidi, chief executive officer, and Public Authority for Mining (PAM) followed by keynote address by Abdulsattar Al Murshidi, chairman, Oman Mining Company.

The session on investing in Oman’s mining sector will have Salah Al Masroori, director-general of Administrative and Financial Affairs, Public Authority for Mining; Henry Antwi, Head of Mining & Metals, Oman Oil Company; Ibrahim Said Al Ahmri, Project Manager, Minerals Development Oman; and Lloyd Maddock, chief executive officer, Ahlibank as speakers.

The topic on ‘Mining and related infrastructure development’ will

RECRUIT

QUOTES Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity; who aims at mediocrity will be far short of it.

— Burmese Saying Nobody’s a natural. You work hard to get good and then work to get better.

It’s hard to stay on top.

— Paul Coffey

be dealt by Jesse Damsky, chief commercial officer, Port of Salalah; Reggy Vermeulen, chief executive officer, Port of Duqm; Marc Evertse, executive commercial manager, SOHAR Port and Freezone; and Khalid Al Kindi, deputy general manager & ICV Manager - BP Oman. Ravi Sharma, managing director & principal consultant, Bedrock Mineral Resource Consulting; and Marc Gillis, Industry Manager - Metals Mining Cement and Aggregates, Rockwell Automation will focus their lenses on ‘Analysing the technology solutions for the Mining industry’.

The conference will feature local and international experts who will share insights on how key stakeholders can explore the wealth of opportunities within the Sultanate’s mining and minerals sector and the extended value chain.

Mining opportunities According to the organisers this pioneering exhibition will provide a plethora of opportunities for regional and international investors in the mining sector. It will showcase the latest services and technology used in mining operations, leveraging the increasing demand for minerals, discussing and address-

ing topics and issues relevant to the expansion of the industry, and attracting investment. It further aims to support government initiatives to develop the sector in Oman and the Middle East as a whole.

Key projects in Oman include Block 4, 5, 6 Copper Mining Projects, Washihi Copper-Gold Project and Duqm Mineral Concessions besides several other projects.

The Sultanate of Oman is endowed with a plethora of mineral resources, metallic minerals such as copper, gold, zinc, chromites, cobalt and iron ores and non-metallic minerals includes, dolomite, limestone, gypsum, clays, silica, ornamental stones and building materials. Several mining companies have grown based on these mineral commodities, which participate as a part of the national development sector and contribute to the nation’s GDP as well as providing jobs for Omanis.

Organised by Omanexpo, the pioneer event management company in Oman and one of Sultanate’s leading organiser of major trade fairs, conferences, and consumer exhibitions, and AWTAD, a specialised geological and environmental consultancy office in the Sultanate of Oman; in association with Public Authority for Mining, Oman,

the Oman Minerals & Mining Exhibition & Conference will utilise its abundant mineral resources to become a leading regional hub and global commodities supplier.

Mining scenario in Oman Oman is the second largest country in the GCC with excellent geology exposure containing both metallic and nonmetallic minerals, which could provide significant opportunities for local and foreign companies. Various mineral resources have been found in Oman such as chromite, copper, gold, dolomite, zinc, limestone, marble, gypsum, silica sand, and mineral ore.

Currently more than 300 mining operations are active out of which 53 are for chromite, 7 are for copper, 108 for aggregate, 31 for marble, 25 for building products, 7 for limestone, three each for sandstone and manganese, five each for gypsum, laterite and clay followed by one for salt and dune sand. In 2014, Oman exported its entire production of 2,300 tonnes of copper cathodes earning revenues of OMR6.1m. During the period, production of marbles rose to 1.56m tonnes valued at OMR21.7m as against 1.25m tonnes worth OMR18m produced in 2013. The Sultanate produced 8.72m tonnes

of limestone worth OMR9.9m in 2014, with corresponding figures for 2013 being 5.48m tonnes valued at OMR7.8m. As much as 3.38m tonnes of gypsum worth OMR5m, and 751,200 tonne of chromite valued at OMR22.8m were also produced in 2014. Laterite production reached 753,100 tonnes valued at OMR2.2m while quartz production touched 282,900 tonnes worth OMR1.1m.

The Sultanate produced 72,100 tonnes of copper worth OMR22.5m and 37,500 tonnes of manganese worth OMR417, 800 while kaolin production exceeded 66,600 tonnes valued at OMR199, 800. Other minerals produced in 2014 include 12,900 tonnes of salt (OMR451,000), 305,400 tonnes of mud (OMR1.6mn) and 60,200 tonnes of sand dune (OMR150,500). There are several major projects underway in Oman.

Four concessions are planned to mine copper at Yanqul, Khaboura and Samad. The latest released data confirms that more than 40 Mt of copper ore has been proved available as reserves with 1% - 3% Cu. Feasibility studies for these four Copper Concessions are in the final stage. According to NCSI statistics, in 2014, the Sultanate produced minerals worth over OMR142.2m.

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ROUND-UP

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POPULAR EVENT

Bank Muscat supports annual traditional camel festival in Ibri MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, in step with its ‘Let’s Do More’ vision and commitment to partnership in events of national importance, extended support to the annual traditional camel festival held in the wilayat of Ibri from December 31 to January 7.

The popular event aimed at promoting the Arabian heritage linked to camel wealth was a big

attraction for camel enthusiasts from Oman and the GCC region.

Sheikh Saad bin Al Saadi, Minister of Sports Affairs, was the guest of honour at the concluding ceremony of the festival in which owners of the winning camels were honoured, says a press release.

Established on the directive of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, camel festivals held across the Sultanate reflect His Majesty’s

focus on the preservation of Omani heritage and care for the country’s camel wealth.

The event attracted strong participation of thoroughbred camels from across the Sultanate and the GCC region. Camels are an important element of the desert life in Oman, representing a deeply appreciated and highly valued tradition. Omani thoroughbred are reckoned among the finest camels

in the region.

Aimed at encouraging people to raise camel livestock, which contributes to sustainable development and economic growth, the bank’s support to the event complements the government efforts in boosting the camel livestock sector. The support comes within the bank’s strategy to promote and preserve the country’s traditions, heritage and culture. The livestock

OJFA to start Japanese language course shortly Renowned language expert Yuka Kawai from the ECC Kokusai College of Foreign Languages, Japan will be personally instructing Japanese language enthusiasts in Oman

MUSCAT: Under the aegis of the Oman Japan Friendship Association (OJFA), a three-month Japanese language course is due to commence shortly.

Renowned language expert Yuka Kawai from the ECC Kokusai College of Foreign Languages, Japan will be personally instructing Japanese language enthusiasts in Oman, says a press release.

According to the OJFA spokesperson, “Throughout her inspiring career spanning several years, Kawai has remained consistent at making an impressive mark on her students, passionately motivating every student to accomplish their

goal. Born in Japan, Yuka Kawai graduated as an expert in teaching Japanese as a second language, from the Aicoh School of Liberal Arts, Japan. It is well-known that her immense experience in the field of teaching Japanese has encouraged her to implement interesting teaching techniques that have easily transformed students from being novices to masters in basic conversation skills.”

Registration The course is supported by the Embassy of Japan and will commence on Sunday, January 15. Registration for the course will begin on

Wednesday, January 11 from 5pm to 8pm at the OJFA Room, Parking Building, Al Assalah Towers, Ghubrah South. This will be on a first come first served basis since seats are limited.

Except for L1 level, candidates may be required to undergo a language competency test at the time of registration. Applicants must be aged 13 years, or above.

The course will follow a weekly schedule: Level 5 – Sundays/Tuesdays from 5pm - 6.30pm and Level 3 –Mondays/Wednesdays from 5pm – 6.30pm; Level 2 – Sundays/ Tuesdays from 7pm - 8.30pm;

Level 1 – Mondays/Wednesdays from 7pm - 8.30pm. (The schedule is subject to change depending on the number of candidates) The spokesperson added, “The course further strengthens the strong bonds between the two great nations – Oman and Japan.

Both share timeless values of culture and heritage. It is a matter of pride that the current semester had 16 gifted Omani students, out of which some have progressively graduated to the next / higher levels of the course. We hope to see an even more enthusiastic response to the third instance of the course.”

NEW SERVICE

Omantel launches conference call service MUSCAT: Omantel, the Sultanate’s first telecoms provider, recently launched a unique conference call service allowing customers to easily convene a highquality voice conference with a selected group of individuals using landlines and mobile phones.

The new conferencing service, which was designed primarily for Omantel’s corporate customers is unique in its offering; making voice based conference calling a simple process. Using an easy-to-use web portal, customers can book and set up conference calls, and can even invite people once the call is underway. The system also allows for unique passwords to be created in order to ensure privacy and security, says a press release.

Ali Kashoob, Senior manager Products Development of Corporate Business Unit at Omantel said, “Access to group communications is one of the most productive tools for successful corporate enterprises and SMEs in the country. As Oman’s leading telecom service partner, we are committed to providing lo-

cal businesses with the latest communication tools, enabling them to focus on growing their operations.

Our new conferencing call service enables call participants from different locations across the globe to simultaneously communicate through their mobile or landline phones with ease. The new service also has an added benefit of offering corporate customers substantial savings on their travel and telecommunications costs when organising critical multi-location conferences, meetings, and other activities.”

“We are delighted to introduce yet another value added service for our corporate customers across the country. Our primary aim when developing the service was to ensure it is hassle-free and easy to use; helping in significantly reducing the effort required to set up a conference call in the Sultanate,” added Ali. Investing in the future of the nation, Omantel connects even the most remote communities of the Sultanate to each other and the rest of the world.

wealth is of economic importance and the bank remains committed to supporting all segments of society, including the farming and herding community. The festival was an opportunity for small and medium enterprises to promote various artefacts and trinkets linked to camel heritage.

Alongside the country’s modernisation, traditional activities like camel festivals, which reflect

the deep-rooted Omani heritage, are major tourist attractions, offering an opportunity for visitors to experience the country’s vibrant heritage and culture.

Bank Muscat supports important national events aimed at preserving the country’s rich traditions, heritage and culture. In appreciation of the support to the event, Bank Muscat was honoured at the concluding ceremony.

AFCON 2017

2017 African Cup of Nations to be aired on beIN channels MUSCAT: The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, Gabon 2017 (also referred to as AFCON 2017 or CAN 2017) is scheduled to be the 31st edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the biennial international men’s football championship of Africa organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The tournament will be hosted

by Gabon between January 14 and February 5, 2017. The winner of this championship will be automatically qualified to Confederations Cup Russia 2017. CAN 2017 championship will be aired on beIN Max channels, says a press release.

Only the hosts have received an automatic qualification spot, the other 15 teams have qualified through a qualification tournament. The 16 teams have been drawn into four groups of four teams each. The teams in each group play a single round robin.

After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinal winners will advance to the semifinals. The semifinal losers will play in third place match, while semifinal winners will play in final. The qualified teams are: Gabon (hosts), Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt, Ghana, GuineaBissau, Zimbabwe, Mali, Ivory Coast, Uganda, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, DR Congo and Togo. beIN has announced the launch of the CAN 2017 package. Customers can subscribe to the new package as stand-alone package and get beIN HD box

free and the subscription period will be valid till event end date only. Customers can add any of the available current packages on their box after the CAN package expiration or upgrade their subscription to one of the higher available packages of Top Sports or Complete.

Subscribers of Top Sports, Complete, Elite and Elite Duo can view CAN package normally within their packages with no extra fees. Subscribers of Access and Top Entertainment can add the new package as CAN Add-On with condition of their subscription validity till the event end date meaning that there should be remaining viewing period in customer’s subscription till February 5 . If the subscription end date is before the mentioned date, customers have to renew their main subscription first to be able to add the new CAN AddOn Package. The new package is available with Mustafa Sultan Electronics showroom Al Khuwair and through their sub dealers spread across in all major towns of the Sultanate.

Mustafa Sultan Enterprises Entertainment Factory (PayTV) division is pioneer in Pay TV business for more than 20 years.It has been the distributor of beIN for oven seven years. It is also one of the biggest distributors of beIN within the region with over 100 dealers across the country including all major towns like Sur, Sohar, Salalah etc.

MSE also has a dedicated service centre, call centre and SMS system to serve its beIN customers.

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Prana: Thematic Indian classical dance on Jan. 21

A N N UA L G AT H E R I N G

ahlibank marks 9 years of successful operation MUSCAT: ahlibank marked its ninth anniversary of successful operations in Oman, with an annual gathering for employees and their families.

The bank in its nine years of existence has achieved consistently profitable growth, with many notable achievements, awards, and accolades. The day-long programme of the celebrations was organised at the InterContinental Muscat and included activities such as team building, stage shows, games for children, photo booth shoots and sports events, says a press release.

Some of shows included a dog show by the Alpha Team, performances by unicyclist, stilt walkers, jugglers, and balloon art sculptures for children. A raffle draw and give away gifts sessions were held where employees won exciting gifts such as smart phones, petrol/ fuel card, gifts vouchers and a one night stay at Alila Jabal Akhdar.

Speaking on the occasion, Lloyd Maddock, CEO, ahlibank commented, “As we celebrate nine years of existence, we pledge our commitment to knowing our cus-

tomers, understanding their needs and delivering the right products and services. We are proud of our extremely experienced and dedicated colleagues who have been using their expertise to offer the best experience to the bank’s customers. We will continue to work diligently to support local busi-

nesses and the wider community.

The success of ahlibank has always been rooted in our service to society at large. Together, we will create stronger, better opportunities for our community.”

Stressing that the get together is a tribute to all the men and women who have helped in the successful

journey, Said Al Hamdani, DGM, Head of Human Resource said, “ahlibank has always been an institution which appreciates and honours its employees. Events that bring employees and their families together outside the work environment goes a long way in fostering team spirit and cooperation.”

MUSCAT: Prana or breath is the power that keeps us alive biologically. However, it is our emotions or feelings that breathes life into our living. Just as we need air to breathe, emotions are the life force that keeps us alive spiritually and mentally. Those bereft of emotions are deemed lifeless, for there is no will to live. In effect, our ability to emote and feel every moment is what defines and makes our life purposeful.

‘Prana – The Power That Is’ is an Indian classical dance production that dwells in this simple yet profound theme. Every presentation of this production explicitly exhibits the power of our feelings and its influence on our lives.

Guru Premila Ramesh, director of Nrityanjali (Orbit Training Centre for Performing Arts, Muscat)

will perform Prana – The Power That Is, along with her senior disciples, says a press release.

Premila has produced and presented some of the finest choreographic works in the past.

All her mega thematic dance productions have received appreciations and accolades from both connoisseurs of art and critics alike in Oman and India and every one of them has been exclusively composed, choreographed and performed. Orbit Events Management will be staging Prana on Saturday, January 21 at Oman Auditorium, Al Bustan Palace – A Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Entry is restricted for children below the age of 10 and is strictly by invitation only. Presenters of this event are Minara, Premium Sunflower Oil

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM M ON DAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

SECTION

‘CAPTAIN’ DHONI’S LAST HURRAH, YUVI TO GET SOME MATCH-TIME >C2

SPOR YOUR GAME

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TEAM RENAISSANCE EYE SATT 2017 PODIUM FINISH Since Fahad Al Hasni first competed in the inaugural EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour (SATT) back in 2011, he has dreamt of standing at the top of the podium, having won fair and square with a team made up of Omani sailors. >C3

Oman aim for top places at FIH Hockey World League Round 2 Newly appointed head coach K.K. Poonacha while revealing the list of probables said Oman can realistically aim for the top three places in the

COMPREHENSIVE PLANS: Oman hockey team coach K.K. Poonacha, second from right, pictured during a press conference at Oman Hockey Association Headquarters on Sunday. Goalkeepers coach Shakir Munir, left, and assistant coach Khalid Khalfan, second left, are also seen . – ISMAIL AL FARSI/Times of Oman

FIH HWL Round 2 competition

A. SESHAGIRI RAO

raoas@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: The newly appointed Oman national hockey team coach K.K. Poonacha is hopeful of the Sultanate squad finishing among the top three in the forthcoming FIH Hockey World League Round 2 competition to be organised in Bangladesh in March.

The experienced Indian coach, who had in the past rendered his services to both Ahli-Sidab Club as well as Oman national team, was officially introduced as the head coach by Oman Hockey Association (OHA) vice-chairman Mohammed Al Amari during a press conference at the association headquarters on Sunday.

The conference, which was also attended by OHA General Secretary Dr. Khamis Al Rahbi, also saw former international and AhliSidab star player Khalid Khalfan being presented as assistant coach and Pakistan’s Shakir Munir as the goalkeeping coach.

Poonacha, who coached AhliSidab in the recent His Majesty’s Cup Hockey Championship, has already begun his third stint as Oman coach in right earnest by selecting probables for the first of the two

domestic camps and chalking out a detailed training programme ahead of the March 4-12 tournament in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.

After announcing the 34-player probable list, Poonacha said: “The probables were selected based on their performances with their respective clubs in His Majesty’s Cup Hockey Championship. We will start with a primary training camp from January 10 to 26.

During the camp, we will also play three friendly matches between January 20 and 25 against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) team from Pakistan.

“The team will then be reduced to 22 for the second domestic camp from February 5 to 15.”

Both the domestic camps will be organised at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, after which the team will be pruned to 18 players for the Bangladesh tournament.

Poonacha has also revealed that the OHA is planning to arrange another training camp either in India or Malaysia.

“If everything works out according to our plans, we will also be training in India or Malaysia between February 18 to March 1.

During that camp, the team will also be playing five friendly matches against junior national teams of that country. After that we will be directly flying to Dhaka to take part in the HWL Round 2 competition,” he said.

Tough competition The Dhaka tournament, one of the three Round 2 events, will be held from March 4 to 12. The other two will take place in Ireland and Trinidad and Tobago from March 11 to 19 and March 25-April 2 respectively.

In Dhaka, a total of eight teams will be vying for two direct places into the semifinals. Besides Oman and hosts Bangladesh, the other teams that will be in action are Canada, Egypt, China, Fiji, Ghana and Sri Lanka.

Speaking about the competition in Bangladesh, Poonacha said: “It is definitely going to be a tough tournament for us. We will be playing some of the very tough teams.

“Teams like Canada (12th in FIH rankings), China (18th) and Egypt (20th) are ranked higher than Oman (31st). Bangladesh (32nd) will be playing at home. So it is not going to be easy,” he said.

The coach, however, sounded confident of Oman achieving a top three place. “The players we have called up are in good shape after having performed well with their clubs in His Majesty’s Cup. They are also physically strong and fitness wise they are good. They are good players, especially in the attack.

“Of course there are always areas we can improve like in defence.

But we will work on those areas in the coming days.”

Speaking specifically about the

TENNIS

Five goalkeepers Meanwhile, Shakir Munir said the list of probables includes five goalkeepers. “We have picked five goalkeepers for the camp. They are Gassan Al Hasani of Ahli-Sidab, Fahd Al Nofli of Al Nasr, Said Rashid Al Hasni of Seeb, Mahdi Al Atabi of Sohar and Amjad Abdullah Al Hosni of Bousher,” the goalkeepers trainer said.

“After the camp, we will be selecting three goalkeepers for the tournament,” Shakir Munir added while expressing the hope that the team will do well and achieve the desired results in Bangladesh.

Assistant coach Khalid Khalfan, meanwhile, said he is privileged to be given the opportunity to be on the national team coaching staff.

“I am very proud and privileged to be given this opportunity to be the assistant coach of the national team. I have already worked with Poonacha at Ali-Sidab Club. So this is another opportunity for me to learn and contribute to the success of the team,” the former international added.

The two FIH HWL semifinal rounds will take place in London and Johannesburg from June 15 to 25 and July 8 to 23 respectively, while India will host the finals from December 2 to 10.

Oman’s 34 probables: Gassan Al Ghareeb (goalkeeper), Aiman Abdullah Al Katheri, Hammad Salim Al Fazari, Salah Nasir Al Saadi, Abdullah Hamood Al Alawi, Khalid Juma Al Shuaibi, Ashraf Talib Al Nasri, Ammar Juma Al Shuaibi (all from Ahli-Sidab), Ahmed Sabil Al Balushi, Mohammed Amin Said, Younis Ghabish Al Nofali, Ahmed Said Al Noufali, Basim Khatir Rajab, Mohammed Hubais Al Shar, Sami Awadh Said Al Loun, Wail Hassan Sanjoor, Shahab Nahadh Abdulrasool, Fahad Khamis Al Nofli, Anwar Khamis Al Nofli (all from Al Nasr), Shafi Talib Ramadhan (Dhofar), Said Rashid Al Hasni (goalkeeper), Mahmood Salim Al Hosni, Motasim Abdulrehman, Marwan Abdulrahman, Qasim Moosa, Mohammed Hassan Al Lawati (all from Seeb), Mahdi Al Atabi (goalkeeper, Sohar), Omer Salim Al Nofli (Saham), Mohammed Abdullah Matooq (Salalah), Amjad Abdullah Al Hosni, Khalid Mubarak Al Batashi, Mohanna Nasir Al Hosni, Immaad Ayad Al Hosni and Ali Hammad Al Hosni (all from Bausher).

Our main target will be top three finish. Besides the top two teams, two best third-placed teams (from three Round 2 events) will also qualify for the Hockey World League semifinals. And I believe this team can achieve that target K.K. Poonacha Oman hockey team coach

BEACH SOCCER

Dimitrov beats Nishikori to clinch Brisbane crown BRISBANE: Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov ended a two-and-a-half year trophy drought on Sunday after outlasting Kei Nishikori of Japan in an absorbing final at the Brisbane International.

The 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 win at the Pat Rafter arena was the 25-yearold’s first in four attempts against world number five Nishikori and will boost his confidence ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on Jan. 16 in Melbourne.

Dimitrov, a former world number eight, had seen his ranking plummet to 40 last July, before he improved in the second half of the season to climb back up to 17.

“It’s been pretty emotional past year so for me, this trophy means a lot,” Dimitrov, whose last ATP title came at Queen’s Club in

main target in Dhaka, he said: “Our main target will be top three places.

Besides the top two teams, two best third-placed teams (from three Round 2 events) will also qualify for the semifinals. And I believe this team can achieve that target.”

Poonacha said the team should also focus on the Asia Cup, which will also be hosted in Bangladesh.

“As we prepare for the HWL Round 2 we should also focus on the Asia Cup, which will be held in September at the same venue.”

“The experience of preparing and taking part in the HWL Round 2 will also help us prepare well for the continental event,” he said.

2014, said during the presentation. “These 10 days out here for this tournament have been the most fun I’ve ever had on a tennis court, and off the court.”

After surviving three break points during his first two service games, Dimitrov went on to break Nishikori and then won four consecutive games to close out the set.

Yet the 27-year-old Nishikori fought back in the second set, breaking Dimitrov twice to level the match.

The Japanese took a lengthy medical time-out before the deciding set, which seemed to hand the momentum back to Dimitrov.

The Bulgarian got the decisive break in the eighth game to go 5-3 up and then served out the match for his fifth career title. - Reuters

Coach Talib Hilal calls up two new players ahead of AFC Beach Soccer tournament MUSCAT: Coach Talib Hilal Al Thanawi has called up two new players to Oman national beach soccer team as the Sultanate squad prepares to defend their AFC Beach Soccer Championship title which they won in 2015.

The 2017 edition of the Asian championship is scheduled to be organised in Malaysia in March.

Talib’s boys, who bagged the silver medal at the Asian Beach Games held in Vietnam in October 2016, are currently undergoing a training camp which lasts till January 14.

According to information provided by Oman Football Association (OFA) on Sunday, the four new players called up by Talib are Mohammed Al Siyabi, Awadh Al

onship in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

The competition, which also serves as the qualifiers for the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup to be held in Bahamas in April, will see the participating teams divided into two groups of five teams and one group of four teams. The top three teams will qualify for the 2017 World Cup. Yousefi, Nibras Al Sabri and Hussain Al Ajmi. The other players of the 14-member team that are attending the camp at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex are Haitham Shuwan, Yahya Al Araimi, Mishal Al Araimi, Jalal Al Sinani, Munther Al Araimi, Khalid

al Araimi, Amjad Al Hamdani, Abdullah Al Balushi, Sharif Al Balushi and Noah Al Zedjali.

Draw on Monday The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will, meanwhile, conduct the draw for the 14-team champi-

The teams (rankings in brackets as per 2015 championship placings) will be drawn as follows: Pot 1: Oman (1st), Japan (2nd), Islamic Republic of Iran (3rd); Pot 2: Lebanon (4th), United Arab Emirates (5th), Bahrain (6th); Pot 3: Uzbekistan (7th), China PR (8th), Iraq (9th); Pot 4: Thailand (10th), Qatar (11th); Pot 5: Afghanistan (unranked), Malaysia (unranked), Myanmar (unranked).

CRICKET

Anderson powers New Zealand to T20 sweep of Bangladesh MOUNT MAUNGANUI: Corey Anderson smashed 10 sixes in his unbeaten 94 as New Zealand completed a 3-0 sweep of their Twenty20 series against Bangladesh with a 27-run win in the final match at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.

The hosts had been reduced to 41-3 in the seventh over after Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza won the toss and opted to bowl first, but Anderson then added 124 with Kane Williamson for the fourth wicket to set up New Zealand’s total of 194-4.

In reply, Bangladesh made a brisk start with a 44-run opening stand but could reach only 167 for six in their 20 overs.

Opening batsman Soumya

UNBEATEN KNOCK: Corey Anderson

Sarkar and Shakib Al Hasan scored 42 and 41 respectively for the touring side, who will next play two Test matches in New Zealand starting on Thursday.

Bangladesh were 82 for one in the ninth over after the start provided by Tamim Iqbal (24) and Sarkar but the introduction of New Zealand leg-spinner Ish So-

dhi (2-22) and other slow bowlers checked their progress.

Bangladesh paceman Rubel Hossain (3-31) dismissed James Neesham for 15 and Colin Munro for a duck in the same over before Mosaddek Hossain struck with his first ball to send back Tom Bruce (5).

Captain Williamson (60) then struck his second fifty of the series while left-hander Anderson provided the late assault during his 41-ball knock with the duo also bringing up the side’s highest fourth-wicket stand in T20s.

Anderson slammed part-time medium-pacer Sarkar for a hattrick of sixes over mid-wicket, his 10 sixes the highest by a New Zealander in the T20 format. - Reuters

SCOREBOARD

NEW ZEALAND K. Williamson b Rubel Hossain 60 J. Neesham lbw Rubel Hossain 15 C. Munro c Soumya Sarkar b Rubel Hossain 0 T. Bruce c Imrul Kayes b Mosaddek Hossain 5 C. Anderson (not out) 94 C. de Grandhomme (not out) 4 Extras (lb-14, w-2) 16 Total (4 wkts, 20 overs) 194 Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-36, 3-41), 4-165 Did not bat: M. Santner, T. Blundell, B. Wheeler, I. Sodhi, T. Boult Bowling: Mashrafe 3.2-0-42-0, Taskin 4-037-0 (2w), Rubel 4-0-31-3, Shakib 4-0-22-0, Mosaddek 3.4-0-27-1, Soumya 1-0-21-0 BANGLADESH Tamim Iqbal c de Grandhomme b Boult 24

Soumya Sarkar c&b Sodhi 42 Sabbir Rahman b Williamson 18 Shakib Al Hasan c Anderson b Boult 41 Mahmudullah b Sodhi 18 Mosaddek c de Grandhomme b Santner 12 Nurul Hasan (not out) 7 Rubel Hossain (not out) 1 Extras (lb-1, w-3) 4 Total (six wkts; 20 overs) 167 Fall of wickets: 1-44, 2-82, 3-97, 4-122, 5-150, 6-161 Did not bat: Imrul Kayes, Mashrafe Mortaza, Taskin Ahmed Bowling: Santner 4-0-37-1 (2w), Wheeler 4-0-29-0, Boult 4-0-48-2, Neesham 1-0-17-0, Sodhi 4-0-22-2 (1w), de Grandhomme 1-0-40, Williamson 2-0-9-1

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MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

SPORTS

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Stage set for Dhoni’s final hurrah as captain, Yuvi to get some match-time It will be a challenge to beat India at home, says Morgan

For Dhoni, the match will give a chance for some real time simulations as he has not played any competitive cricket for more than 70 days since the New

CAPTAIN FOR THE LAST TIME: Mahendra Singh Dhoni practising at nets. – PTI

Zealand series

MUMBAI: Having manfully shouldered the responsibility of captaining India for close to a decade, it will be one last time that a team list will find the word ‘skipper’ alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni when he leads India A in the first warm-up game against England here on Monday.

The other person who will be followed with a lot of intent is comeback man Yuvraj Singh, who is expected to figure crucially in Virat Kohli’s scheme of things for the Champions Trophy.

Left-arm speedster Ashish Nehra coming back from a surgery will like to hit the straps as his skills will be needed in England, if he can remain fit for the next five months.

Yuvraj will also get some crucial practice as he has also been out of action for more than month and half due to his marriage. Equally

important will be for Shikhar Dhawan, who was out with thumb fracture and since then did little in Ranji matches that he has played.

But cynosure of all eyes will certainly be the Jharkhand dasher.

Not always does a warm-up game become an emotional affair and Dhoni is the last person to show any emotions but it does become special when Virat Kohli says that the first thing that comes to mind when one mentions MS Dhoni is ‘Captain’.

So it will be an occasion to remember when Dhoni leads some of the senior team boys for a muchneeded game time against Eoin Morgan’s England -- a side that has been better in shorter formats over the years.

For Dhoni, the match will give a chance for some real time simulations as he has not played any competitive cricket for more than 70 days since the New Zealand series that ended in October.

While he has trained regularly, done his nets and travelled at some places with the Jharkhand Ranji team, nothing can replace serious match time, which will help him get some serious knocking before the first ODI starts in Pune on January 15.

For England, hammered 0-4 in the Test series, a welcome Christmas break would have certainly helped as nine of the Test team members are set to comeback for the six-match limited overs series.

The entire team, barring key batsman Joe Root, had a threehour training session this morning in cooler confines of the Brabourne Stadium.

Nine members of the vanquished Test squad have returned to play under Morgan who was himself not part of the defeated team led by Alastair Cook who is, in turn, not part of the ODI and T20 party.

Root, who has stayed back for the

birth of his first child, is expected to join the squad here on January 12, the day the visitors will play their second warm-up game against an India A squad to be held by the fitagain Ajinkya Rahane.

“Root is set to join the team on Thursday and travel with the team to Pune (venue of the first of three ODIs on January 15). He would certainly like to play that game if selected,” said a visiting team source after the practice session.

India A (first match): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Mandeep Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Yuvraj Singh, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, Siddharth Kaul.

England: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey and Chris Woakes. - PTI

MUMBAI: England captain Eoin Morgan said it will be a big challenge for the visitors to beat India at home but they are ready for the “special experience” that awaits them in the upcoming limited overs series.

“Yes, I am really looking forward to it. Playing against India in India is special experience.

(They) are a strong side and hard to beat at home. I think, that’s something we are looking forward to as a side (and) it’s going to be a challenge.

“It is only a short series, but we think we can learn a lot from it,” Morgan told reporters in suburban Malad here.

Morgan along with vicecaptain Jos Buttler attended a “Net Session” organised by HyperCITY retail in association with Waitrose, one of the super-chains in England this afternoon. Meanwhile, Buttler said that the ODI series will be different from the Tests.

“Little bit, yes obviously.

Good to play before Christmas, we got used to conditions and stuff. But the ODI matches will be completely different. We have got a different side but every time you come, you have to re-adjust and get ready for the matches

accordingly,” Buttler said when asked whether he would like to carry his form from the Tests to ODI series.

India will be led by a new skipper — Virat Kohli — in ODI series following the sudden resignation of Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the limited-overs captain. Asked about his reaction, Morgan said, “He (Kohli) is a natural successor. One thing we do as a side, (is) that we don’t look at the opposition that much and focus firmly on ourselves and on what we need to do in this series.”

“Any ODI series we play, we don’t have a great deal of preparation going into it. So a lot of guys (players) do preparations in the lead up to a tour, which the guys have,” Morgan said when quizzed whether two warm-up games were enough to adjust to the conditions.

Buttler believes that playing India in India is a great challenge. “It’s a great challenge (playing India in India). We are very lucky to come here and play as probably (it is one) of the best places to play in front of the crowds, it is a great challenge (and) everyone in our side is looking forward to that,” said Buttler. — PTI

CRICKET

Under no illusions that India series would be easy: Smith SYDNEY: Having watched England’s abject surrender against India, Australian captain Steve Smith is “under no illusions” that the four-Test series against Virat Kohli’s men starting February 23, will be an easy one.

Australia thrashed Pakistan 3-0 at home but Smith is extremely cautious about what to expect when they meet the world No 1 Test team at their own backyard especially after the disastrous last tour in 2013 when they were blanked 0-4.

“It’s obviously going to be a very difficult series. We are under no illusions that it’s not going to be tough. We’re going to have to play some very good cricket if we want to compete over there. It’s going to be a great challenge and learning curve for this group,” Smith told reporters here.

Smith was a part of the team that toured India in 2013.

“A few of us have been there before. We know it’s extremely difficult to play them in their own

CAUTIOUS: Australia captain Steve Smith.

backyard. It’s a completely different place to play, playing on those wickets that are nothing like playing on the wickets here in Australia.”

Coach Darren Lehmann feels that his boys will have to do what England could not do on a few occasions. “Batting long periods of time is going to be the key. I think (England’s) Alastair Cook summed it up really well on their

tour, where they didn’t bat long enough. They got decent scores but they still didn’t bat long enough.

That’s going to be the challenge for this group,” said Lehmann.

“We batted 135 overs in the first innings (in Sydney).We’ll need to bat for 150 overs plus in India to post a big total. It’s a great challenge for the young group. They’re fit and strong so they should be able to bat long periods of time.”

Asked about what kind of squad composition is expected against India, the coach didn’t divulge even though there is a buzz that veteran opener Shaun Marsh will find a place in the squad.

“It is a case of what’s the best line-up to win in India and compete. At the moment, you would say he would play but we have to sum up what the conditions are like, what the pitches will be like, how we will play everyone in the XI to give us a chance to take 20 wickets.”

The first Test against India is scheduled to start in Pune on February 23. - PTI

MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

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SPORTS FORMULA 4 SEA CHAMPIONSHIP

Unfortunate final race for Oman’s Khalid Al Wahaibi MUSCAT: It was an unfortunate final day and race for Oman’s Khalid Al Wahaibi as he suffered a crash and had to retire from the Formula 4 South East Asia (F4/ SEA) Championship – certified by FIA at the Buriram United International Circuit on Sunday.

According to information received here, the day featured an early start for the young guns as they prepared for the final two races of the weekend.

Accolades for sixth race early on Sunday morning belonged to Indonesian Presley Martono, who notched up a hard-earned win ahead of New Zealand’s Faine Kahia and India’s Akash Gowda, the latter earning his second trip to the podium for the weekend.

Singapore’s Danial Frost finished fourth, edging out Thai driver, Worawong Komarakul. Khalid Al Wahaibi of Oman took the sixth post.

However, the Omani driver could not hold good in the seventh race.

With two race wins and three second place finishes, New Zealand’s Kahia was also crowned

Unfortunately, a collision between Oman’s Khalid Al Wahaibi and Daniel Hibbitt ended any chance of a strong finish by either driver as both were forced to retire in the final race the Fuji Xerox Star Driver Award as the Event 5 overall champion.

Frost came in overall second following his one race win and four podium finishes. Martono’s three wins was enough to secure him third overall for the event.

Meanwhile, the drivers’ starting positions for the seventh and final

race of the weekend, which featured as the replacement race for the Clark event last October, had already been determined with the new additions to the championship occupying the remaining slots.

Starting from pole position was Oman’s Khalid Al Wahaibi, from Gowda and Martono in sec-

ond and third positions. Successfully managing the pressure of a front row start, it was Al Wahaibi who would hold on to the lead of the race, keeping a threatening Gowda at bay.

Behind the leader, a superb battle was beginning to play out between Martono and Kahia, both

Team Renaissance eye SATT 2017 podium finish Team Renaissance, skippered by Fahad Al Hasni, comprises mostly Omani talent including Sami Al Shukaili, Ali Al Balushi, Yasir Al

PICTURE FROM THE PAST: A file photo shows Team Renaissance in action in the 2016 edition of Sailing Arabia - The Tour. – Supplied photo

Rahbi, Abdul Al Mashari and Akram Al Wahaibi

MUSCAT: Since Fahad Al Hasni first competed in the inaugural EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour (SATT) back in 2011, he has dreamt of standing at the top of the podium, having won fair and TEAM RENAISSANCE CREW: From top left, skipper Fahad Al Hasni, Sami Al Shukaili and Ali Hashim square with a team made up of Al Balushi. Bottom, from left, Yasir Al Rahbi, Abdulrahman Al Mashari and Guillaume Berenger.

Omani sailors.

In 2017, at his seventh attempt on the title, he will get his best chance as skipper of Team Renaissance, which is sponsored by the Omani multinational oil and gas company and comprises 90 percent Omani talent with French navigator Guillaume Berenger having to brush up on his Arabic to offer directions.

Last year, they finished in fourth place just one agonising point behind Team Averda after some polished off-shore perfor- familiar faces including three nounced earlier this year, the sure in port racing. It is the only mances. In both the second leg teammates from Oman Sail’s Omanis welcomed the changes. annual race in the world now that from Abu Dhabi to Doha and the MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail The fleet of identical Farr 30s will has this exciting mix of competilast one from Sohar to Muscat, Sami Al Shukaili, Ali Al Balushi and start at Almouj in Muscat with an tion,” Al Hasni said.

“It is an advantage for us to start they posted second places and Yasir Al Rahbi, all of them experi- in port race, then head north on the first leg to Sohar, a relatively from Oman because it means we gained the confidence to raise ex- enced EFG SATT campaigners.

Abdul Al Mashari, a member of short sprint of 105 nautical miles. can train more and of course havpectation levels for 2017.

The second leg (140nm) will ing local knowledge means we “We have consistently finished Team Renaissance last year and in the top half of the fleet, with Akram Al Wahaibi will also be on take them to Khasab, the capital know the places more than other a fourth last year ... so it would board and together they make a of the Musandam Peninsula be- participants.”

The experience gained from six fore the fleet heads to Abu Dhabi be great to be on the podium this very good team, says Al Hasni. previous Tours will help Team “I like pushing the guys to the on a 153nm leg. time,” Al Hasni, who has become It will be back to sea for a 160nm Renaissance negotiate the more Oman’s most accomplished off- limit since I know we are good as shore sailor with the Round Ire- a team and we can get the most dash to Doha in Qatar where more challenging parts of the course, Al land world speed record among out of each race, whether we are points will be up for grabs in the Hasni added. “It would be great to second round of in port races win but with our knowledge and inshore or offshore,” he said. his many accolades, said.

“We train very hard to be ready before the last and longest leg experience, we are aiming to go “I have always found EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour challeng- to face any challenge but the main (205nm) to Dubai for a final round one better than last year and finish on the podium in third place. ing and with a 90 percent Omani reason for doing EFG SATT is to of in port racing.

“Most of all we intend to enjoy “The 2017 route looks even betcrew, it will be even more of a test improve our overall sailing skills ter than that of 2016 with long off- the sailing, represent Oman with and get to be on the podium.” of our skills.”

When the 2017 route was an- shore legs mixed with high-pres- pride and have some fun!”

His Omani crew features some

challenging Gowda for second spot. However, that battle on the opening lap would not play in to the Kiwi’s hands when he went off wide after jostling for position.

That dropped Kahia down the order, keeping him out of contention, for the time being.

With all the drama behind him, Al Wahaibi had the comfort of space as he began pulling away from the field. However, following a successful overtake move of Gowda and clear air ahead of him, it did not take long for Martono to begin hunting Al Wahaibi down.

After putting the hammer down, the gap had closed to just over a second by the second lap.

Back up front, Al Wahaibi had the difficult task of defending against a quicker and threatening Martono. However by the fourth lap, the youngster unfortunately lost out in the battle for the lead as the Indonesian found a way through.

Though the Omani continued to fight to regain the lead, he also had another challenge on his hands

as a field of five drivers began gaining on him, led by a charging Isyraf Danish.

By the mid-way point of the race, with six drivers all within striking distance of each other, there was bound to be drama.

After chasing Al Wahaibi down, a superb overtaking move saw Isyraf gain a position, leaving the Omani to battle it out with Gowda, Daniel Hibbitt and Eric Louis. Unfortunately, a collision between Al Wahaibi and Hibbitt ended any chance of a strong finish by either driver as both were forced to retire.

At the conclusion of the 11-lap race, it was Martono who claimed top honours ahead of Isyraf Danish after what was his strongest race to date. Claiming the third and final spot on the podium was Frost, ahead of Gowda and Kahia.

With the conclusion of Event 5 at the Buriram United International Circuit in Thailand, the F4/ SEA will head south of the border two weeks from now for the final event of the season from 20 -22 January 2017 at Sepang.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 9, 2017

SPORTS Mohammed, Shihab shine at Rotax Max Challenge series While Shihab Al Habsi took second place in the Junior Max category, Mohammed Al Habsi won the top honours in the Mini Max

MUSCAT: The sixth round of UAE Rotax Max Challenge and Oman Rotax Max Challenge organised by Oman Automobile Association at Muscat Speedway over the weekend has produced some exciting action and tough competition in various categories.

In the DD 2 category, Hussain Umid Ali clocked 13 minutes and 38 seconds to take the top honours.

Kevin Day who timed 13:39 took the second place while Anthony Hogg settled for the third place in 13:45.

In the Max category, Pasqual Pook won the first place at 13:32

ahead Amna Al Qubaisi (13:33) and Taymour Kermanshahchi (13: 33).

In the Junior Max category, Lachlan Robinson won the first place in a time of 11:40.

Oman’s Shihab Al Habsi took the second place in 11:44 while

Lucas Petersson won the third place in 11:44.

In the Mini Max, Mohamed Al Habsi won the first place in a time of 11:52.326. Jamie Day won the second place in 11:52.426 ahead of Ziggy Kermanshahchi, who clocked

11:52.781 for his third place.

In the Micro Max category, Georgie Zouein won the first place in 11:37.437, followed by Diaraf Keinde (11:37.437) and Keanu Al Azhari (11:42.383) in that order.

Meanwhile, in the fourth round

of Bambino category for competitors aged between 5 and 8, Abdul Al Habsi won the first place in 1:18.990. Benjamin Wade won the second place in 1:19.428 and Adam Awan won the third place in 1:21.060.

TENNIS

Agut subdues Medvedev for Chennai title CHENNAI: Roberto Bautista Agut captured his fifth ATP singles title to deny Danill Medvedev his maiden trophy at this level as the World No. 14 subdued the young Russian 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Chennai Open here on Sunday.

Agut remained solid from the baseline while Medvedev paid the price for little mistakes against a superior opponent, who kept the strokes and emotions under control.

Medvedev’s serve was always under pressure and in contrast the Spaniard served out his games comfortably, losing only eight points in the one hour 11 minutes match. The Russian managed to engage Agut in long rallies, specially in the second set, but the Spaniard mostly found the way to finish the points.

Nevertheless, the 20-yearold Medvedev, playing in his maiden ATP final, made a good impression with his all-round game and will jump a good number of places from his current 99th rank.

It was the second time that Agut was playing a final at the Chennai Open, having ended runner-up to Janko Tipsarevic in 2013. - PTI

OMAN CRICKET LEAGUE

OUA clinch a thriller against White Lotus; Bab Al Rayan win MUSCAT: OUA Travels edged White Lotus by one wicket in a A Division match of the Oman Cricket League at the Ministry of Sports Affairs ground in Al Amerat.

Batting first, White Lotus scored 209 for 9 in 40 overs. Nazish and Tushar top scored with 47 and 62 each. Chirag Dipak claimed three wickets for OUA Travel.

In response, OUA Travel scored 210 for 9 in 39.2 overs. Shajeev Thamarath top scored with an unbeaten 48 to enable the win.

Brief scores: White Lotus 209 for 9 in 40 overs (Tushar 60, Chirag Dipak 3 for 16) lost to OUA Travel 210 for 9 in 39.2 overs (Shajeev 48 not out). Points: OUA Travel 4 ; White Lotus 0

Win for Al Rayan Bab Al Rayan defeated MARH by 55 runs in a D Division match at the Municipality Ground 1.

Batting first, Bab Al Rayan scored 180 for 5 in 20 overs. Amjad Mohammed top scored with 44.

In response, MARH were all out for 125 in 16.5 overs. Syed Arfan and Muthu Murugan claimed two wickets each for Bab Al Rayan to enable the bonus point win.

Brief scores: Bab Al Rayan 180 for 5 in 20 overs (Amjad Mohammed 44) beat MARH 125 all out in 16.5 overs. (Muthu Murugan 2 for 27). Points: MARH 0 ; Bab Al Rayan 3 (BP).

New Prism win New Prism defeated Arabian Sea Trading by 10 runs in another D Division match at the Municipal-

A DIVISION: OUA Travel after their victory against White Lotus International. – Supplied photos

ity Ground 1. Batting first, New Prism put on 126 for 8 in 20 overs.

Salim Shaikh top scored with 34.

Omkar Ozardeker claimed 3 wickets for Arabian Sea. In response, Arabian Sea Trading scored 116 for 9 in 19.3 overs. Imran Sardar claimed 3 wickets for New Prism to enable the win.

Brief scores: New Prism 126 for 8 in 18.1 overs (Salim Shaikh 34, Omkar Ozardeker 3 for 21) beat Arabian Sea 116 for 9 in 19.3 overs (Jeason Jacob 29, Imran Sardar 3 for 13). Points: Arabian Sea 0 ; New Prism 2

Atkins lose Ibrahim Kishri defeated Atkins by four wickets in a E Division match at the Municipality Ground 2.

Batting first, Atkins scored 156 for 7 in 20 overs. Abid Ullah top

D DIVISION: Bab Al Rayan players pose after defeating MARH.

scored with 83. Muslim Alam top claimed 4 wickets for Ibrahim Kishri. In response, Ibrahim Kishri put on 157 for 6 in 15.3 overs. Abrar Javed top scored with 59. Prithwiraj Gopi claimed 4 wickets for Atkins in vain.

Brief scores: Atkins 156 for 7 in 20 overs (Abid Ullah 83, Muslim Alam 4 for 26) lost to Ibrahim Kishri 157 for 6 in 15.3 overs (Abrar Javed 59, Prithwiraj 4 for 26). Points: Atkins 0; Ibrahim Kishri 3 (BP).

Easy for Al Rehwan Al Rehwan beat Ramesh Khimji Group by 10 wickets in a G Division match at OAC 3 ground.

Batting first, Ramesh Khimji scored 170 for 5 in 20 overs. Abhishek Kalla top scored with 44.

In response, Al Rehwan put on 174

for no loss in 16 overs to claim the bonus point. Shajeer and Salih Ismail top scored with 80 and 77 respectively.

Brief scores: Ramesh Khimji 170 for 5 in 20 overs (Abhishek Kalla 44) lost to Al Rehwan 170 for no loss in 16 overs (Shajeer 80, Salih 77). Points: Al Rehwan 3 (BP); Ramesh Khimji 0

Al Ansari lose Al Ansari lost to RAHRC by 49 runs in a H Division match at the OAC 3 ground. Batting first, RAHRC scored 179 for 7 in 20 overs.

Miraj Hussain and Madan top scored with 79 and 51 respectively.

In response, Al Ansari scored 130 for 9 in 20 overs. Asghar Abbas top scored with 42 in vain. Tariq Ahmed and Nandakumar claimed

D DIVISION: New Prism International after their wib over Arabian Sea.

I DIVISION: Mecamac Challengers celebrate win over Shanfari Group.

3 wickets each for RAHRC to claim the bonus point.

Brief scores: RAHRC 179 for 7 in 20 overs (Miraj 79) beat Al Ansari 130 for 9 in 20 overs (Nandakumar 3 for 13). Points: RAHRC 3 (BP); Al Ansari 0.

Win for Mecamac Mecamac Challengers beat Shanfari Group by 3 wickets in an I Division match at the SQU ground.

Batting first, Shanfari Group were bowled out for 121 in 16.3 overs. Riyas and Hiran claimed 3 wickets each for Mecamac. In response, Mecamac Challengers scored 122 for 7 in 17.4 overs. Rocky top scored with 33 to enable the win.

Brief scores: Shanfari Group 121 all out in 16.3 overs (Hiran 3 for 11) lost to

Mecamac Challengers 122 for 7 in 17.4 overs (Rocky 33). Points: Mecamac Challengers 2 ; Shanfari Group 0

BOC lose Muscat Masters defeated BOC by four wickets in a J Division match at the SQU ground. Batting first BOC scored 168 for 6 in 20 overs. Saif Shamsudeen top scored with 96.

Pranav Dave claimed two wickets for Muscat Masters. In response, Muscat Masters scored 169 for 6 in 18.5 overs. M. Sridhar and Michael Bose top scored with 45 and 47 respectively to enable the win.

Brief scores: BOC 168 for 6 in 20 overs (Saif Shamsudeen 96, Pranav Dave 2 for 28) lost to Muscat Masters 169 for 6 in 18.5 overs (Sridhar 45, Michael 47). Points: Muscat Masters 2; BOC 0.

E DIVISION: Ibrahim Kishri players after beating Atkins.

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 7

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

VACANCY

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HP 2130 3in1 Printer RO 10.900 only All Cartridges also available on UNBEATABLE prices All HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung Cartridges also available.

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M O N D AY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 7 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

AN EXISTING FARM FOR RENT in the Wilayat of Barka, with an area of 45 acres, out of which large area is planted with fodder and 7 acres are planted with vegetables. It has also 14 greenhouses as well as 3 artesian wells and a plowing tractor as well as cutting and bundling tools and plowing equipments with their accessories.

The farm has a good financial income.

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Apartment for rent in Al Mawalah next to City Center. 3 rooms, hall, kitchen & 4 bathrooms.

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Flat for rent Darsait 3 BHK, bathroom, kitchen &spilt A/Cs, 320/- R.O. Contact: 91093331 Flat in Mumtaz, 2 bedrooms, 2 toilets, big hall, kitchen & store.

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2 BHK flats Honda road, Ruwi.

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Flats and shops for rent Ruwi MBD area Honda road Mumtaz.

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Shops for rent in Ghala industrial area near Toco. Contact 92884775

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Flats for rent near Indian school in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99777122

Sharing bachelor/ family accommodation at Al khuwair, semi furnished, A/C electricity,water &WiFi. R.O 130/-. Contact: 99223261

Villa Boushar, 5 BHK 500/- R.O. Contact: 95202430

Flats at Al Khuwair 33.

Contact: 92800007 One / Two, B/R flats in new building near Dolphin near dolphin complex, Bausher directly from owner.

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For rent with good price for families and brides amazing flats at Wadi Al Kabir and Sidab with reasonable rent. Contact: 95755953 / 95555162 Room for rent in Qurum near Mars hypermarket for small family.

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Brand new 1 & 2 BR flat in Walja.

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Contact: 99485834 Spacious 2 BR in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99713489 Brand new showroom at heart of Azaiba city for rent.

Contact : 98294753 1. 2 BHK, M.B.D, R.O 250/-, 260/-.

Contact: 92144045 /97799175 2 BHK Ghubra R.O 325/- .

Contact:92144045 / 97799175 1, 2 BHK WadiKabir.

Contact: 92144045 / 97799175 Shops for rent at WK near primary IND SCH, Big shop monthly rent R.O 400/- including ceiling space small shop monthly rent 250/-, pent house1 room , 1 toilet, hall 150/-.

Contact: 99445880 Abdullah

2 BHK Mumtaz. Contact: 92144045 / 97799175 Residential & commercial flats in a new building, at Muttrahfor office or shops any kind of commercial activates. More details.

Contact: 99364735/ 95729711 2 BHK Azaiba R.O 300/-.

Contact:92144045 / 97799175 2BR flat- luxury fully furnished at Al Khuwair, 1 BR flat – luxury fully furnished at Al Khuwair, 5 BR villa fully furnished at Azaiba, 4 BR villa unfurnished at Azaiba, 5 BR duplex, 4 bathrooms – Qurum heights, 5 Br villa, 6 bathrooms – Madinat Sultan Qaboos (brand new), 5 BR villa at Al Hail. For short or long term lease contract. Contact Atlas Real Estate & Rent a car : 99436312 / 94617563 / 92888376 2bed room flat in Azaiba, behind Zubair. Contact: 96788070 Villa in Al Khuwair 33, 6 bedrooms, hall & sitting room R.O 800/-. Contact: 93993354 Apartment for rent three rooms and a hall - kichen-4bath-Next to City Centre Almwalh.

Contact 99336776

M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 7

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DAILY GUIDE

- New Brand Building in Bowsher for sale

FOR SALE

- Twin villa in Azaiba & Ghubra for sale - Commercial/ Residential khuwair for sale.

Land in Al

Contact Hood: 91155779

FOR SALE 1. Porta Cabin 2. Book Loader (New Holland) 3. Water Tanker (Hino 2000 Gallon) 4. Roller (JCB 3 Ton) 5. Roller (JCB & Wacker, 1 Ton) 6. Scaffoldings 7. HDPE Duct Pipes (300 mm to 1800mm) 8. Tower Hoist

Contact 93990154

FOR SALE 2014 MODEL VOLVO PENTA 650 KVA GENSETS (02NOS) 2000 KVA (01 NO) VOLTAMP TRANSFORMER CONCEALED PANEL SYSTEM FOR ABOVE. ALL ITEMS HARDLY USED IN A COMPLETED PROJECT OF 2YRS AND CAN BE REUSED. ONLY SERIOUS BUYERS CONTACT GSM :

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6.5 cents of Land Sq Plot In Ravipuram Near Ernakulam Shipyard in MG Road, behind Chaitanya eye clinic Expected Price – INR 30 Lakhs per cent But Negotiable Only Genuine Buyer Contact Oman – 968-94102519 Contact Kochi – 91 85477 01946

92886778/99455690

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FOR RENT OFFICE PROPERTY FOR SALE/RENT DAYS AWAY FROM DELIVERY - PREMIUM OFFICE SPACE AT PRIME LOCATION AT BAUSHER ON 2ND FLOOR BUILD UP AREA – 163 SQ. MTRS. SALE PRICE RO.1,050/- PER SQ. MTR -RENT PER MONTH RO.10/- PER SQ. MTR. OPTIONS WITH OR WITHOUT FURNITURE.

PREMIUM VILLA FOR SALE SANTINI A3 TYPE 2 STOREY VILLA WITH 4 BEDROOMS PLUS MAID ROOM AT AL MOUJ PHASE 4.

GREAT LOCATION WITH CUL DE SAC FOR PARKING. PURCHASE OPEN TO NON-OMANIS AS WELL.

CONTACT NO. 91257475 Villa for rent in South Mabellah, 3 bedrooms, sitting room, family Lounge, kitchen, three Toilets Contact 92212212 between 10 AM to 5 PM 1 bedroom attached kitchen, toilet for family in Al Khuwair RO 130/-.

Contact: 95154331 New apartment flat for rent, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms & kitchen, behind Indian School, short way to Lulu Darsait & Muttrah traditional Soqu.

Contact or Whatsapp: 91013331 Villa complex for lease renovated deluxe villa complex with separate three flats , location AL Ghobra north ( near tourist hotels) is available for lease. Contact: Ali : 99411607, Luoy : 92466266 Flat for rent 2BHK split A/c near Kuwaiti Mosque in Wadi Kabir.

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Contact: 93993354 Villa for rent 2 brand new luxurious villas (No 411 & 413) for rent in Azaiba, Each villa with 6 bedrooms, servant quarters, 2 kitchens with all modern amenities which includes split A/C, dish washers, oven, ETC , Way No 4491 / 4405 . #99462980

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Flats & shops for rent at Ruwi Honda road Mumtaz area.

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Each room has it’s own bathroom and one extra toilet between dining and sitting room. The villas are now about 5 years old and very clean and well maintained. It has split A/C’s. OMR 215,000 each villa.

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400 square meters residential land in Al Ghubra south near Millenium Hypermarket. OMR 134 thousand. Telephone: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955.

No Brokers Please.

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Serious buyers may please Contact: 94320909 Industrial land in Rusail.4000 sqm.

Contact 99323957 / 95490842.

MV SALE Toyota Yaris for sale 2009 September 93,000km white colour expat driven, in good condition accident free for sale. Contact: 93461297

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished room for Executive Bachelor near OK Center, RUWI. Contact - 99591669 Sharing accommodation in W/K. Contact: 94986587 Furnished room Indian bachelor near Al Falaj Hotel Ruwi& lady in WadiKabir. RO 100.

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Skilled / unskilled Labors available under single sponsorship for hire. Contact: 92841089

SITUATION WANTFOR LADIES

2008 Model Hyundai Tucson 93,000 KM expatriate driven in very good condition & Accident free for Sale .Serious buyers contact Mobile: 91793079 Toyota Corolla 2016, white colour 8000 km, 4300 R.O. Contact 92811110

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MANPOWER

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M O N D AY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 7 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ACCOUNTS

ADMIN Omani lawyer & legal adviser experience in Business administration,HR, staff training.

Contact: 97243393 Email: mum30033@yahoo.com 8 years experience in administration, sales and purchasing in Oman with valid GCC driving searching suitable job.

Contact 98145825, email: sibitommy8844@gmail.com.

URGENTLY REQUIRED

SALES MANAGER

Looking for Administrative or clinic administrative job, immediate hire. Contact: 98868692

For a reputed Shoes & Leather Product Retail Co. Minimum 3 years experience, age between 30 to 35 years.

Must be fluent in Arabic & English. With driving license.

Indian male 14 years experience Dubai, Oman insurance,banking,office administration, seeking for suitable position immediately NOC available.

Contact: 98019340

Send CV to:

careeroman@yahoo.com Reputed mineral water company required the following HEAVY/LIGHT DUTY DRIVERS VAN SALESMAN with Omani driving license

SALES SUPERVISOR/SALES COͳORDINATOR with Omani driving license HELPERS ͳ Experience 3 to5 years

Contact - 90372638 WANTED Female/male Physiotherapist and female/male GP, and one female Lab Technician with or without MOH license & data flow for Al Saadi Specialized Medical Centre, Musanna.

Contact 92025033, Email : chillapalli76@gmail.com

DOMESTIC HELP Required part time Indian cook in Darsait. Contact: 93322009 Indian Nepali house maid required urgently for doctors family, SQU hospital, Muscat.

Contact: 96933593 Full time Malayalee housemaid required for a Keralite family.

Contact: 92103688

DRIVER Driver required with valid Omani driving license, visa available.

Contact-24691193.

Send CV to:info@gmuco.com Omani light drivers 2 Nos with PDO driving license passed.

Contact: 96269676 Requirement - Omani Drivers for 3T Truck needed immediately for Natural Water Distribution Company with 3to5 years driving experience.

Candidates from Muscat/Sharqia is also required. Interested candidates contact: Mobile 99273774/ 99202278/95060390 Wanted expert Driver.

Contact: 97165972

EDUCATION/TRAINING Urgently required Science, Math and English Teachers for a bilingual school in Al-Ansab.

Applicants should possess qualifications of B.Sc/B.A/B.Ed and IELTS band 6 with minimum two years of experience. Forward your CVs to amal73@moe.om, Contact: 92515777 Required English Tutor (freelancer) for a construction company for teaching conversant English. Send your CVs to hr@oasisgreace.com Contact: 24826566 Fax: 24812226 GSM: 99881459

ENGINEER Excellent Grade Company requires a Diploma holder Civil Engineer/ Supervisor with 5 years experience in building construction. Please contact 99346265 or send your CV to md.artllc@gmail.com Urgently required senior QS (tendering) and safety officer with minimum2 years Gulf experience for a reputed construction company. Canforwardyour CVs to hr@oasisgrace.com.

Contact: 24826566 / 99881459 Urgently required civil QA/QC candidates for areputed construction company, kindly Send your CVs to hr@oasisgreace.com Contact: 24826566, Fax:24812226 / GSM: 99881459

A REPUTED TRANSPORTATION COMPANY IN MUSCAT REQUIRES FEMALE CANDIDATE AS

COMMERCIAL COORDINATOR Requirements: • MINIMUM 5YRS EXPERIENCE IN GCC COUNTRIES. • FLUENCY IN ENGLISH AND HINDI LANGUAGE IS MUST. • EXPERIENCE IN SALES/OPERATION COORDINATION IN TRANSPORT /LOGISTICS INDUSTRY.

Apply with confidence send us your updated CV with photograph to:

hrmhire16@gmail.com Selected Candidates will be called out for a personal interview.

URGENTLY REQUIRED Filipino/Nepalese female

MEDICAL

sales associate for a fashion accessories outlet in one of the leading malls in Muscat.

Applicants on visit visa or with NOC only.

2 years experience is a must (GCC experience preferred)

Urgently needed female dermatologist (priority for Omani) with minimum five years experience.

Please send CV to elixirhealthcenter@yahoo.com, P.S details of salary and benefits will be sent after submitting the CV.

Please send CV to

MANAGER

irfan@krasa.co.uk ENGINEER Urgently required qualified Project Engineer / Project Manager with gypsum work experience for a project inSalalah.

Contact: 95064848 / 98578425

IT Urgently required an SEO professional with experience in optimizing websites and improving organic SE rankings with knowledge of Analytics, keyword research, social media optimization and link building. Email: hr@cityvago.com

MISCELLANEOUS CCT.V Camera Technician, Electrician cum plumber with D/L, building material Salesman.

Contact: 99383044 IT Marketing Executive (Required experiences +driving license) Maintenance person with driving license. dreamstravel66@gmail.com Insurance broker looking to recruit commission based sales people if monthly targets achieved,bonus will be paid in addition to commission, If you are interested to work with us , send your name & phone to this email: policysalesmct@gmail.com

MEDICAL Urgently required Internist, Orthodontist, Physiotherapist & Lab Technician for a reputed medical center in Salalah.

Contact 99714300 Email - hrmdimc2010@gmail.com Urgently required GP (MBBS) doctor with MOH license for locum in a reputed clinic.

Contact - 99048170 Required female Nurse urgently with MOH license.

Contact: 97304519 Email: drshehabclinic@gmail.com Urgently required for Doctor, Staff Nurse & Lab Technician with or without MOH license.

Contact: 93824902 Required female Dentist, Nurses, Pharmacist, Lab Technician for a Polyclinic at Ibra.

Contact 71100596, joharaajmal2016@gmail.com

Marketing Manager: candidates with Chemical / Mechanical Engineering, 10 years experience in marketing oilfield items, tendering process, MS Office programs and with Omani driving license, may please mil CV: msindco@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING Wanted Salesman, Merchandiser with minimum experience 3 years driving license.

Contact: 99440252 Required Sales Manager / Sales Man 5 years experience, driver license preferable marble, natural stone. Contact: 95322037 Sales & Marketing Executive for interior design & Con. Co, Oman driving license , basic knowledge in computer). Contact: 92851122 Email: smathousemct@gmail.com Sales Executive (Textiles) – 3 Nos. Sales Executive (Paints) - 1 No. Sales Executive (Building Materials) – 2 Nos. With valid Oman D/L.Experience of 2 years in selling Textiles or Building Materials in Oman.Degree in any discipline.

Mail resume to fashionwear2016@ gmail.com for Textiles vacancies and sales.buildex7777@gmail.com for building material vacancies.

Speedy Enterprises United LLC Travel/ Tourism and Car Rental required Sales Executive with valid Oman driving license and fluent spoken written English, experienced candidate will be preferable. Interested candidates send resume to: Anil@speedyoman.com Urgently required Sales & Marketing person for a computer shop at Ruwi (IT Knowledge), Oman Driving License will be an advantage. (Preference for Keralite). Contact: 98048900.

Email: infor@smartpointcomputer. com

TECHNICIAN Well Known Automobile Service Company in Oman looking for Service Technicians / Mechanics and Electricians.

Interested please send resumes to vyasan.united@gmail.com.

Contact. 00968-91411657 *Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

7 years experienced in Administration & Sales with valid Oman driving license searching for a suitable job. Contact: 93347156 Administrator B.Com with D/L on release, 30 years India & Gulf experience in office. project documentation & logistics.

Contact: 92324789 / 97281023 Young Omani male have experience 12 years as P.R.O, CLERK Helper Supervisor Admin Supervisor, H.R Manager have vocational M.B.A diploma in H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license, looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time.

Contact: 95933288

ACCOUNTS Indian female 22 years, B.Com with 1 year experience in India as accountant / Clerk, looking for suitable opening. Now on visiting visa.

Contact: 97754830 Indian male 30 years on visit visa, B.Com (Comp) 4 years experience in accounts. Seeks position in administration or accounts assistant.

Contact – 97047327 / shaikmasiuddin430@gmail.com Qualified Chartered Accountant & ACS 10 +years Managerial experience, working in Bank, looking for suitable opening, Open to any GCC, MBL: +968-90788509, Email: kartirevy@gmail.com Experienced indian accountant 24 years,Mcom,BBA and having accounting diploma certificate from IAB .Currently on family visa in oman,seeking suitable job opportunities.Contact : 99076506 Email: rebi.rsf@gmail.com Finance/M.Com Accountant 5+ yrs of exp including GCC seeking for suitable placement. #91329254 aneeshkrishnan007@gmail.Com Part time Senior Accountant 10 yrs exp. Contact: 91126314 Indian female (27), CA Intermediate, B.Com, 3.5 years experience in Audit, 2 years as Accounts Manager, looking for suitable positions.

Contact: GSM-94873369, Email id sarikasureshs@gmail.com Female Indian Accountant 28, CA Inter & MBA (Finance & I B) with 2 years Experience in Muscat available to join immediately.

GSM:- 90324530

Indian Accountant having 13 years experience in accounts in Oman & 6 years in India, Oman driving license excellent knowledge in Tally & MS Office, Seeking suitable placement Contact: 79039690 Email: thomas.mahesh@gmail.com Experienced business development investment consultant with 10 years experience in the financial management field, holds a masters degree in finance and management from the UK. Contact: 90157073 MBA ( Finance) Australia, 14 years experience (world bank, U.S Based company) specialized in cost cutting , revenue maximization, financial model, budget & forecasting, internal control, risk management, Omani driving license. Contact: 93978614 Email: sjamil72@yahoo.com Accounts Manager looking for job in accounts or finance, 4 years Oman exp with accountancy degree & Omani D/L with NOC available.

Contact: 95661169 Email: moshin_zaman4u@hotmail.com MBA Finance Indian 25 Male 2 years experience seeking opportunities in Finance sector. Immediately available.Contact:92498840 sachu_0318@yahoo.com Indian (M), Qualified CPA, CMA, CIA (USA), MBA (Finance) & M.Com, 15 years’ experience in Finance, Accounting & Audit, (3 years in Oman) looking for suitable Senior/Middle level position in Finance/Accounting/Audit. NOC available.

E-mail soji_ansu@yahoo.com, mob – 91595436 Qualified and experienced MBA post graduate with proven work exposure in Middle East & India, having more than 5.5 years of rich experience in accounts , project coordination and administration in (3.5 years UAE experience) oil and gas projects is currently looking for suitable job.

Contact 93953613, Emailallen.mathew83@gmail.com Accountant male 25 India with 3 year experience seeking suitable placement Mob.91425506 Finance / Account professional 18 yrs Oman experience can work independentor head the division looking for opening.

Contact: 92168401 / 92787747 Accounts part time services available to handle all accounts up to finalization on monthly basis and finalization works.

Contact: 96247295 Indian male having long track proven record in all aspects of all management, rich in project management, business development &expansion and finance control, 16 years of experience in GCC and India, looking for suitable managerial post. NOC available.

Contact:95207317 Email: mehulmodha@hotmail.com Internal audit ACCA (finalist) 14years of experience including Gulf in internal audit field, on visit visa. Contact: 95916716 Email: usman.eshaal2016@gmail.com Male Accountant(B.Com) having 2 years exp.

Contact: 90357503

Indian chartered accountant, well experienced in manufacturing,service & telecom industries in Oman,Oman, as finance manager, seeks suitable placement. Contact: 92221129/ 97400600

Sales & Accounts Manager, Indian male having long track proven record in all aspects of finance, total 9 years experience in GCC, NOC available, Ready to join immediately Mob-97200823 Emaildhirenbapodra@outlook.com

Master of Business Administration (finance) Bachelor of Sciencediploma in Islamic banking & finance Somali lady 24 years old, languages known Somali, English and Arabic, one year experience.

Contact: + 971527626329 / istabraq66@hotmail.com

Highly Experienced Finance Manager, CPA, ACCA-UK. MBA-USA , Professional of Banking , Audits ,ERPs Sap , Management as Team Leader and Problem Solver call 94 504505 /94403270

Freelancer / part time Indian CA accounts / Tax / Audit / MIS finalization with tax queries answering, above 20 years Oman experience.

Contact: 95140332 / 99104151 Accounts & Admin 3 years experience in GCC, BBA graduate, Indian male 29 yrs, looking for suitable placement. Contact: 79103778 Finance & Audit Manager Available CPA, MBA-USA ACCA ,Oman Experienced , Expert in Profit Maximizations , Business Developments, All Banking Facilities , ERP- Accounting Software , Internal / External Audits & Controls, with Best Solutions of Business Problems ,NOC available & Driving License Call 94886226

Indian Male 32, B.com Graduate with 10 years experience in Accounts & Sales, 7 years in (Muscat) Oman & 3 years in India with valid Oman driving License ready to join with NOC. GSM: 96216104 Email: yensajaz@gmail.com Indian Chartered Accountant 14+ years experience in Accounts & Finance working in Muscat looking for suitable change with Oman driving license and NOC Available.

Contact: 97728130 Email : vinoth77ca@gmail.com Srilankan male Accountant, holder of Diploma Chartered Accountancy Inter have 4 years experience in finance, available at Muscat, join immediately.

Contact: 79049355 / 93598736

Indian male age 26, Accountant one year experience in accounts looking for suitable job. Contact Email: anishkhan991867@gmail. com Mobile: +968 9565 9415 Experienced business development and investment consultant with 10 years experience in the financial management field. Holds a masters degree in finance and management from the UK. Contact : 90157073 Chartered Accountant Indian B.Com, CA , CIA 10+ years experience Tally, Focus, Sap, Oracle.

Contact: 94641805 Indian CA 20+ years Gulf experience, finance / accounts external Audit MIS budgets cost / internal control cash flow Oman tax finalization Oracle / Tally seeks job, NOC available with valid D/L. Contact: 99104151, 95140332 Finance Manager B.Com, CA, CIA, 10+ years experience Indian.

Contact: 94641805 Indian (M) MBA (f) more than 6 years of experience in accounts, proficiency in various A/C software SAP (F1/CO) seeking for suitable placement.

Contact: 95920740 Email Id: abdulhameed1527@gmail.com

DESIGNER/ DRAUGHTSMAN Interior design and estimation with 7 years experience, holding D/L, NOC available seeking placement. Contact: 95973818 Email: umehanas@gmail.com Interior Designer & Finishing Manager, over 20 Years Exp, including 10 years in Luxury hotels and resorts, seeking for a job. Has employee Visa / Omani Driving License. Contact: 95810483 AutoCAD Draftsman 9 years Gulf experienced. Contact: 93528255 Filipino Senior Revit/AutoCAD Draftsman with 20 years professional experience is looking for suitable job in Oman.

Please Contact: 96489798, (+974) 66653780 Free lance / part time autocad works / make boq 2d /3d arch , structural, shop drawings interior drawings. Contact 97103168 mkgroupoman@gmail.com Free lance Autocad works experienced (arch, struct, MEP, shop drw) rate a0/a1 sheet ( 10-17 OMR) ph : 97103168.

Revit, Autocad D/man, expected salary 200 OMR. PH : 92279784

DOMESTIC HELP Indian female, full time looking house made job.

Contact: 79039479 Indian lady (37) looking job in nursery or school 5 yrs exp in nursery (baby sitter) 10 years expin Oman, NOC available.

Contact: 99839187 Looking for full time caretaker or Housemaid. Contact: 93904732

DRIVER Light driver 3 yrs exp.

Contact: 95939050 Light duty driver, 3 yrs exp, seeks placement. Contact: 97829730 Light duty driver seeks placement. Contact: 96381406 Heavy duty driver seeks placement. Contact: 94939865 / 79039204 Driver looking for job.

Contact: 91788481 / 92231714 Driver with car. Contact: 99716938 / 96048707 Pakistani light driver job, 7 yrs exp. Contact: 92754283 Driver with car, 6 years experience. Contact: 93961503 / 96448004 Male 40 yrs, 15 yrs exp, D/L seeking job (Sales & driving) English, Hindi, Arabic.

Contact: 97003340 Driver with car have good experience in Oman. Contact: 94039796 Driver with 2 years experience in job looking for job. Contact: 93374969 / 93721242

M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 7

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED Indian Male 32 Yrs, MBA, BCA with 9.7 Yrs experience in Sales & Marketing, Administration, Purchase, ISO & QA/QC Documentation, Stores & Project Management.

With valid Oman driving license.

NOC available. Looking for any kind of desk job in Oman or Dubai.

Please contact: +91-7397754465 Whatsapp: +968-93483736 Email: kittu.1984@hotmail.com

Indian Female 27 Yrs, B.Com with 4 Yrs experience in Accounts, HR, Administration, Procurement & Sales Co-ordination in Oman.

NOC available and ready to join in Oman or Dubai.

Please contact: +91-7397795465 Whatsapp: +968-94617734 Email: reshmiarunz@gmail.com

Experienced IT Professional with over 20 years in Oman.

Can manage ERP systems, Hardware, Network, Wi-Fi and Biometric Devices.

Contact # 92839516

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Indian male BE Mechanical Engineer CSWIP, 4 yrs Gulf experience on visit visa Qatar driving license holder. Contact: + 968 96550807 Email: vishnusohanlal@gmail.com 10 Years Cad Civil 3D D/Men highway design 5 yrs experience in architectural and structural drafting D/L available.

Contact: 93935786

DRIVER Gulf experienced Indian Driver with valid heavy / light Oman license seeks any suitable driving or other job. Contact: 94201010 Looking for jobs light vehicle license 5 years experience with Toyota Corolla car.

Contact: 97034500 Pakistani male light vehicle driver release available, looking for job. Contact: 96069753 Light driver, 8 yrs exp.

Contact: 94214212 Bangladesh male 30 years light driver exp 2 years looking for job .Contact: 95728771.

Light driver, private, commercial.

Contact - 93729950 Driver with Oman driving license, looking for job. Contact: 94235254 Driver with car. Contact: 91355972 Pakistani male light driver with 6 yrs exp in Oman.

Contact: 92171166 Pakistani male light vehicle driver looking for job.

Contact: 96651070 Looking for job light driving.

Contact: 93779819 Looking for job exp having driving license. Contact: 97363138 Looking for any driving job.

Contact: 98549627 Light vehicle driver 4 years exp know, Hindi, English and Arabic.

Contact:98522914 Looking for light vehicle driving job, 4 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 93464395 Bangladesh male light driver exp 16 years A.G 48 years, looking for job. Contact 99165961

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Electrical B.Tech Indian 26, 3 years exp in PLC/ SCADA IND. automation &supervision.

Contact: 97207570 / 90481773 Electrical Engineer with experience, 9 years in Oman.

Contact: 98148034 Keralite (m) Electrical Engineer seeks placement.

Contact: 92757534 Email: arundevd588@yahoo.com

Arch’l Site Engineer more than 15 years exp in Saudi Arabia & Oman (finishing & marble field).

Contact: 91220168 Indian male age 50 , B.E civil having 26 years exp as R.E and QA/QC Good knowledge in building construction , working as R.E , Most of the Govt (MOE) and PDO projects , approved R.E of MOE &approved QA/ QC of PDO, looking for suitable placement at present I am in notice period available for immediate joining.

Contact: 90933946 / 94156495 (WA) Indian male 24 years BE in electronics & communication 2 years experience in visit visa, looking for suitable placement. Contact: 096890885967 / 0091- 919591693246 Email: mohammedazween256@ gmail.com Civil Engineer looking for a job 6 years experience in building construction post Site Engineer.

Contact: 93304128 Indian male 25 years masters, Post Graduate in Petroleum Engineering (Australia) degree B.E Mechanical Engineering (India).

Contact: 98430330 Email: rovinyvincent@gmail.com Civil Engineer (Diploma) 8 years experience, bolding Oman D/L, NOC available seeking suitable placement. Contact: 95118939 Email: siyansiyad@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer with a Bachelor Degree honors with first class seeking a suitable job.

Contact: 94957250 Young Indian Civil Engineer, experience in India and Oman seeks suitable career in the field of Civil Engineering.

Contact +968 91620300, Email: lushyaraj@gmail.com Civil Engineer with 2.7 years experience currently working in Oman seeking suitable job, license under progress (driving) NOC available from sponsor, fluent in English,Hindi, Malayalam & Tamil.

Contact 97331023 PMP Civil Engineer, Sudanese 14 years experience 8 years UAE & Oman hotels, villas &malls, costing,tendering, planning & site management.

Contact: 95476702 B.Tech Mechanical Engineer having 3 years experience CSEIP 3.1welding inspection certification seeking job for welding inspection or piping Engineer. Contact: 93292757 Email: tijuvarghese.47@gmail.com

Looking for Civil Engineer job, with 5 years experience in ministry project, good command in AutoCAD MS Excel and establishing BOQs. Contact: 97478804

Indian male Mechanical Engineer having knowledge in alarm & firefighting system &AutoCAD with license, valid visa and NOC available. Contact: + 968 90355201 / 95444052 Email: jkkannau6@gmail.com

HSE / Safety professional having more than 15 years of experience in oil & gas airport & building construction safety seeking suitable position in HSE. Contact: 99206389

Civil Engineer Diploma with 8 years experience seeking suitable placement NOC available from sponsor. Contact: 95831929 Email: keshava.moorthy89@gmail.com

Fresher cloud Engineer.

Contact: 98207829

15 years experienced MEP Engineer seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 99046313 / 91709409

Indian male, B.E Mechanical with 2 years experience as Maintenance Engineer in Cochin Refinery and 1 year experience in Chevrolet seeking job.

Ph number: 97964862, Email: jossyabraham20@gmail.com Sr. Electrical Engineer with 17+ yrs of exceptional exp in spear heading strategic planning and project management initiatives & executing various high rise residential & commercial building as well as roads and highway project with proficiency in installation, seeking a challenging position in a dynamic organization. Contact 96570891

Indian Male, 26 years, Aeronautical Engineer with 4 years of experience is looking for a placement.

Contact 97127523 Mechanical Engineer have experience in air-conditioning& MEP systems also HSE awareness and engineering design software.

Contact: 94906447 / 96654019 BEMechanical Engineer, 22, Indian malefresher, looking for opportunity in mechanical field trained in HVAC & fire lighting.

Contact: 97489256 Email: abdulmgid.ak@gmail.com

Indian Architect Engineer (MS from UK) specialized in sustainable architecture, 6.5 years experience in buildings design, preparation of construction drawings construction Administration.

Contact: 94401556 Civil Engineer (Diploma) Indian, having 23 yrs experience in Oman with valid D/L, looking for suitable position, NOC available.

Contact: 94984890 Email: riyaspmd@gmail.com MBA B.Tech (InformationTechnology) male technical course M.S Office,computer hardware, 4 months exp. Contact: 99040662 Email: mshihab27@gmail.com HSE manager, Indian, GradIOSH, IDIP Nebosh, 19+ years experience EX- Indian navy driving license , NOC available , seeks placement.

Contact: 94401830 Email: hseoman101@gmail.com Civil Engineer, 6+ years withOmani D/L,NOC or local release available.

Contact: 91693008 Indian male 26 years Mechanical Engineer with 2 yrs exp in Oman.

Looking for suitable placement.

Contact - 91328079 Indian male 23 fresher, Mechanical Engineer looking for job in mechanical field special interest in HVAC and MEP, will be happy to hear from you.

Email: mdajaib@yahoo.com Master in Civil Engineering with 5 years exp. Contact: 96658456 Mechanical Engineer, B.Tech,male,Indian, having 1 year experience, on visit visa seeks suitable job. Contact: + 96894959233, +96897474225 Email: anandsunil94@gmail.com Project manager – Electrical, Indian B.Tech electrical &, electronics 19 years of experience in HT & LT network projects (9 years in Oman).

Driving license & NOC available, seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 96258810 Email: bharathj1976@gmail.com B.Sc Civil Engineer 5+ years experience in Building construction & Steel structural building with having valid D/L. Contact: 93850440/ shahadat033@gmail.com Electrician Indian male 9 year’sexp, seeking suitable position currently in visit visa.

Contact: 94736540 Indian female M.Tech biotechnology seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 91287047 Email: valliammai1000@gmail.com Electronics and Communication Engineer, male 24,1 yearexperience as Junior & network Admin in India,on visit visa, looking for job.

Contact: 90107380 Email: anoojgkrishnan@gmail.com Civil Draftsman 6 years experience in Oman male.

Contact: 98121513 Email: wasilansari2600@gmail.com Civil Engineer B.Tech, M. Tech Indian with 2 years experience in India (Sobha city) seeking suitable placement currently visit visa.

Contact: 90104058 Email: sibin089@gmail.com Indian Engineer 25, B.E& Diploma in HSE with 3 years India exp, on visit Visa available to join immediately Contact: 93472629.

Email: jithujay.in@gmail.com Graduate female, with driving license, looking for a suitable position. Contact: 96234434 Indian male 28 civil engineer 1 year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 99206630 / 94471305 Civil Eng B.SC holder 6 yrs exp in Oman having D/L. Contact: 93654862 Civil Engineer, B.Tech, Indian with 1 year experience in Oman seeking suitable placement, NOC available from sponsor.

Contact: 91702450 Email: tijoct2015@hotmail.com

Electronics/ Instrumentation Engineer With 3 years experience in a renowned Oil company (Air craft refueling equipments QC, instrumentation CP electrical systems) 1 year on job training at sea port (electricaland PLC systems) Having and HSE, IT and management trainings.

abdallah.baloch@outlook.com Contact: 96116969

SALES / MARKETING Electrical Engineer Indian male 30 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India, holding valid Oman D/L. Contact: 92789995 Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

33 Indian male, Graduate with 11 years Oman experience in sales & hospitality, looking for a job with NOC. Contact: 90307873

MEDICAL HOSPITALITY Chef de partie, 10 years (6 years in Oman) experience in food production at hospitality industry. Specialized in Grill kitchen, South Indian, Arabic, Butchery, Vegetable and Ice Carving.

NOC available Contact: 96768312 Front Office Manager with over 20 years of experience in the Middle East & preopening expertise with hospitality giants like Burj Al Arab, Address hotels &Millennium looking for similar opportunities.

Contact: 96383636

IT Senior Network Engineer (USA Citizen) network design &implementation,network config& maintenance CCNA, CCNP, CCIE (WR). Contact: 90350262 Email: ammar.eng@gmail.com IT Support with a Bachelor Degree and CCNA, seeking a suitable job in a good company.

Contact: 97286908 IT & Network Engineer with a Bachelor Degree, CCNA & ITIL certified & valid driving license looking for a suitable job.

Contact: 98141623 Email: mm.sanhoury1@gmail.com BE Elec & Telecom Engineer, 2years Muscat experience. Exp in electronic integration & IT OSP & ISP &fiber optic implement, worked under Omantel & Hawaiiprojects as projected lead.

Contact: 92440406 Email: mzeeshanshaikh89@gmail.com IT Engineer Graduated from Britain5+ years experience specializing in IT marketing and IT department management can implement effective IT strategiclocal and global NOC D/L available.

Contact: 94423351 dany_daring@hotmail.com Network, system & IT Engineer Indian 27 years, male MCA, CCNA,MCSEhave D/L S, 2.5 yrs experience, NOC available seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 97703253 Email: albinmperakkattu@gmail.com IT and Network Engineer with Omani license certified CCNP, MCSA and MCSE. Contact 97069110

MISCELLANEOUS Indian Female, completed graduation with 4 years of work experience in India and 8 months of work experience in Oman, currently on family visa looking for suitable job position.

Contact- 94647421.

Procurement, warehouse &logistics, Pakistani male,Graduate, over 10 years experience looking for suitable placement, currently on visit visa.

Contact: 91257663 Omani male, with experience in purchasing, driver, administration, PRO & tourist guide, with very good English skills and costumer oriented person, looking for a suitable job. Contact: +96894129254.

2nd mate Officer, Indian 10 yrs experience in Tanker / chemical vessels, looking for an on shore job / port operations / TWG master.

Contact: 94972789 British National, 34, M.B.A young & energetic male, looking for any managerial position in Oman, having 12 years of experience in managing different types of businesses. Contact: 96056963 Email: asim_shah199@yahoo.com

MEDICAL Homeopathic doctor with MOH license looking for a business partner to start a homeopath clinic in Muscat. Contact: 90872012 Email: homeo64319@gmail.com

Male Dentist BDS with MOH license seeks for a job.

Contact – 94397499 Indian Female, Bachelor in Prosthetics & Orthotics, 2 Years Experience (SVNIRTAR, Mobility India Rehabilitation Research & Training Center). Specialized in Clinical Prosthetics & Orthotics, Evaluation, Designing & Modification of Prostheses & Orthoses.

Contact: 96676984. E-Mail: supriya.pradhan11@gmail.com Indian Male (30 yrs) –BSC Bio Chemistry-10 yrs experience as chemist –with good communication skills-looking for suitable opening – Tel: 95562725 / Email: sanuksabu866@gmail.com Indian female MOH Dietitian working in Muscat NOC available well experienced. Contact: 90996037 Email: nabanitasaha12@gmail.com Female Dentist Indian with MOH license & NOC looking for a job in Muscat. Contact-96035981 Indian male Nurse with 9 yrs experience MOH license with NOC and Oman D/L, seeking job.

Contact: 98152546

MANAGER / SUPERVISOR Purchase Office / Manager 16 years GCC experience in construction (Civil & MEP) Seeks suitable placement NOC available. Contact: 99109533 Project Manager (interior fit outs) specializing in shops, restaurants, offices etc, having 10 years experience looking to work in a reputed firm NOC available.

Contact: 94274437 CEO, Managing Director, Senior level manager, A senior level business developments executive with 18 Years of experiences in USA, Africa, GCC, with MBA from Texas A&M,USA) Contact - 92010247 NOC-Obtained professional with 30 years experience (Oman) in Purchase, Warehousing, and Logistics managerial roles seeks suitable placement-Contact 99022102 Project Manager (interiorfit outs)in shops,offices,restaurantetc having 10 years experience looking to work in a reputed firm, NOC available.

Contact: 94274437

SALES / MARKETING Indian male, MBA in marketing, 10 years sales experience as Sales Supervisor Assistant Sales Manager in Dubai holder Dubai driving license, seeking suitable position.

Contact: 96428186 Email: abdulazeezbnglr@gmail.com Indian male seeking opportunities in Oman visiting visa, MBA from UK 8+ years experience in UK, New Zealand & India valid license. Contact: 90938161 Email: shinaskm@gmail.com MBA graduate in marketing currently working in Oman seeking suitable placement NOC and driver license available.

Contact: 94550397 IndianMale 30 years, MBA, 5 plus years of work experience in Sales/ Services/Marketing. G.C.C Valid driving license, In Oman work visa.

Contact - 91739031.

Indian male looking for suitable job, MBA 4 years of experience in Sales & Marketing, having D/L & NOC. Contact – 96648175 / assetmedical.mf@gmail.com Indian male masters in Petroleum Engineering with 1 year Oman experience in sales & marketing holding D/L, currently on visit visa looking for oil / gas industry field related or sales related job.

Contact - 93789123

27 Years old male having D/L & more than 3 years experience as document controller & sales NOC available. Contact: 96439119 Indain male P.G, 10 years experience in purches looking for any suitable job. NOC available.

Contact: 99145776 Indian male 22 years old & graduated in commerce with professional knowledge in accounting MCFA,experienced in marketing field and looking for related job presently on visit visa seeks a suitable placement.

Contact: 98692907 / 98332412 Indian Male (25), BSc Electronics, M.B.A seeking suitable openings, Having 3 years’ experience in, sales and Marketing of financial products with Oman Driving License. Contact: 94774550 Filipina, 35 years old, looking for job can join immediately with NOC, have experience in 15 years as Sales / Marketing and Office Staff. Knowledgeable in different office procedure. Accounting, Inventory and Purchasing.

Please contact +968 93560951 Engineering Graduate having 5+ years of exp as Marketing coordinator in Advertisement Company and 6 months as security system service engineer.

Mobile No. 79059197 Indian male 25, BSC with more than 2 years experience in India as sales & marketing searching for suitable vacancy currently on visit visa. Contact: 96332519 Email: ashrafajeesh@gmail.com Indian male 24 yrs exp in various trading including purchases sales marketing and handling overall business looking for suitable opportunity NOC&release available.

Contact: 99259543 / 92106768 Marketing sales (Driver) Sohar preference N.O.C available .

Contact: 96953996 Indian male (28) B.Com last position 6+ yrs experience in sales & business development immediate joining, on visit visa.

Contact: 92686168 W.H.APP +918087894270 Email: fernandesjackson_jom@yahoo.com INDIAN male, BBA with 4 years experience in SALES & MARKETING, holding omani driving license. seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 95607037 Email: raaz0jannat@gmail.com.

Indian Male, 26 M.Com with 4 yrs of Experience in Accounting & Administration in a Financial Company in India, seeks suitable job, Currently in India. +918907212253 Akhil:-93626288, Email: Sumeshpsmkr1989@gmail.com Multinational FMGC experienced, qualified Sri Lankan lady seeking employment in Muscat. Marketing, Brands, Sales, Communication. Oman exp& DL available.

98250829 Sales professional (Graduate) with additional qualification MCSE & CCNA having more than 10+ yrs of experience in handling IT hardware, Networking & Security Products (project based) and experience in education and training industry in Oman, seeking employment in relevant IT companies. Contact: 99354209 Oil & gas experienced Indian lady with 6 years in sales & marketing to PDO and having valid Omani driving license. Contact 96143430 / 99875919 Indian Male, with 8+ years experience in sales, currently in visit visa and seeking suitable placement. Contact 90181557 / 99386144 MBA (UK), raised in Oman & with 2 yrs work experience holding valid Oman driving license, seeks job in sales / business development. Contact: 99513132

D6

M O N D AY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 7

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED SALES / MARKETING Looking for job sales executive good experience in scaffolding and foam work. Contact: 99592382 / 93222482/ Suresh

SKILLED LABOUR 7 years experience in aquaculture shrimp farming construction light license NOC. Contact: 92635313

TOURS Reservation and ticketing staff, Indian male, IATA consultant, 22 years, having 1 year experience in India, knows abacus,sabre.

Contact: 94602731 Email: azimkhot@gmail.com Indian female 25 years, bachelor in Travel & Tourism and 2 year experience in Oman as Travel consultant GDS-Sabre, Amdeus. NOC available.

Contact- 95883404

TECHNICIAN Looking for a job in Automobile service: DME with 4 years of experience in automobile Car service unit in India, working as a Technician; Contact no. in India 9843068896 & Local ref.

99256457

SALES / MARKETING 35 female Filipino searching for a job, hospitality and sales job will be good offer for me, on visit visa.

Contact me 94833556 Indian Female MBA in (HR &Marketing) Having 3 Year of Experience as HR & Admin, Looking Suitable Placement.

Contact- 92337629 Email: Anjuvs81@gmail.com Indian female pharmacist, 8 years experience in Oman, having MOH license.NOC available. Seeking suitable placement.

Contact- 92142835, 93327963 Indian female PhD, M. Phil, M.A in English, B.Ed, Diploma TESOL,16 years teaching experience seeks suitable teaching, editing or relevant job.

Contact: 92245591, 95221665 Indian female 16 years experience in Admin, Accounts, Sales & Logistics Co Coordinator, CRM and documentation also. Having good communication skills, seeking for job from reputed organization.

Currently on visit visa: 95332668, Mail: laksmi.b1122@gmail.com Experienced restaurant bar catering manager also can do purchasing & accounts with driving license looking for suitable placement release available.

Contact 96024158 / 90287443 Indian male, 25 years, B.Com, MBA (Finance) with overall 3 years experience in accounts/ finance field. On Visit Visa.

Contact: 90115058 safwanmeadows@gmail.com Specialist, Petrochemicals /Oil & Gas /AUTOMOBILE /CONSTRUCTION /PLASTIC POLYMER/PACKAGE MATERIAL PROCUREMENT /Contract Specialist , MBA &18 YEARS seeking suitable job, NOC available. Contact: 97813849 vved76@gmail.com Indian female PhD, M.Phil, M.A in English, B.Ed., Diploma TESOL,16 years teaching experience seeks suitable teaching, editing or relevant job. Contact: 92245591, 95221665

MISCELLANEOUS Indian male store keeper and sales person have four years good experience searching for suitable job. 95694990/ +918056761888/ ajinantony9@gmail.com

IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3+yrs exp. in IT, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 91496939.

Accountant Indian, 13 years experience can handle accounts up to finalization. Tally, Busy Accounting. Smart Accounting, NOC/ Release available.

Contact- 96133146 Email: kkcjob786@gmail.com

Indian Male, 11 years’ experience as an Senior Accountant looking for part time Accounting job up to finalization of Accounts. Software knows MS office, Tally9 ERP MOBILE: 93884951Email:mehreenraiz@gmail.com

Indian Male (25), BSc Electronics, M.B.A seeking suitable openings, Having 3 years’ experience in, sales and Marketing of financial products with Oman Driving License. Contact - 94774550

Indian male BE Mechanical Engineer with two and a half years experience in production department, searching suitable job.

Contact no: 9500927480

Pakistani male, ACCA (finalist) with M.A and B.Com Degree, holding Omani driving license and NOC available, can join immediately.

Contact: 94066698 Indian male 27 years, 3.5 years experience of Oman as sales executive. Looking for suitable job.

NOC or Release available.

Contact - 93192277 Male Accountant, MBA (Finance) 5 years Experience including UAE and India up to finalization Available immediately (On Visit) Contact: 91704866 Email: anees0989@gmail.com Indian Male 23 years B.com graduate Holding a valid Oman driving License searching for a suitable placement, currently on visit visa.

Contact: 94175848.

Indian male (26) MBA 2 years experience in procurement, coordination and distribution management. With valid Oman license.

Availablefor immediate joining.

Contact: 92536194 EMAIL: suhailbs@gmail.com Indian male 34 years, MBA-HR with 10.9 years exp in Recruitment, Training, PMS, OD, Sites-HR and Omani nationals development, seeking a job, NOC available.

Contact saiprasad_18@yahoo.com 94179499 CIVIL/QS ENGINEER: B. Tech, Indian Female with 3 years’ experience in Oman, with D/L. Seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 91361356/92882797 Electronics Systems Engineer (UK Graduate ) with skills in robotics , programming languages, IC, PCB design seeking suitable position , Indian female on visiting visa. Contact: 97848075 Email: s.dinesh1508@gmail.com Bio- MedicalEngineer (M.Tech) Indian 27 yrs, 1 plus years of research experience looking for a suitable job. Email: amluprasannan@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer, B.Tech, 6 month experience, well versed in MEP, AutoCAD etc. looking for job.

Contact 94811072 B.Com, 2 years experience in Oman, Indian Male, 25 yrs. with Driving License. Handling day today accounts activities upto finalization. Proficient in Tally.

Looking for suitable placement.

Ph. 91470665 BE/Diploma Mechanical Engineering with 4 years exp. in Oman, Looking for suitable positions.

NOC available. Having valid driving license Contact-99335742 Indian male, M.Com, B.Com, looking for suitable opening, now on visiting visa. Contact 79103798, email- malikfaheem284@gmail.com

Fresh B.Com Graduate in visit visa looking for a job. CONTACT: 93518923 / 99075027.

Email: sheikcok@yahoo.com Indian male, 26 years of age, mechanical engineer .B.Tech from Trivandrum engineering college 2013. M.Tech from NIT Warangal .Specialty, Materials and Systems Engineering Design. Looking for suitable placement, #99753809 Electrical Engineer (Indian) B.E in Electrical and 3.6 years of experience. Have experience in construction field. Seeking for a suitable job. NOC available.

Contact: 91120129 Email: mpshareef313@gmail.com Indian male 23 Fresher. Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC &MEP.Contact : 9586 1251 Email : ajaibmd39@gmail.com Indian, male, BBA graduate and diploma in IATA Cargo Supply Chain and Transport Modes with DGR Initial Category 6.Holds Omani driving license. Presently in family visa. Seeks suitable placement in Cargo section.

Contact: 96370022 A Filipino female searching for a job, with visit visa exp February 2017.hospitality and sales job will be a Good offer to me.

Contact no:98271658 Indian female looking for an accounts part time job. area preferred Ruwi/CBD/MBD/ wk.contact-95482970.

Indian Male B-com graduate, 1.5 Year exp. in various office works, Valid Oman driving license looking for any suitable post.

Contact: 95322175 / 91987965 INDIAN male, BBA graduate and diploma in IATA Cargo Supply Chain and Transport Modes with DGR Initial Category 6.Holds Omani driving license. Presently in family visa.

Seeks suitable placement in Cargo section. Contact- 96370022 Young professional, Energetic looking for Finance/Audit Job. BSC (Accounting) ACCA (Affiliate), CAT (Affiliate). Currently working in GOV. Experience of 4 Years .

NOC available. saleemraza218@gmail.com INDIAN male, BBA graduate and diploma in IATA Cargo Supply Chain and Transport Modes with DGR Initial Category 6.Holds Omani driving license. Presently in family visa, seeks suitable placement in Cargo section.

Contact :-96370022 Mechanical Engineer/ HVAC/ Indian: 1year experienced mechanical engineer with piping engineering & quality control certification, on visit visa. email:nishadphoenix@gmail.com Contact: 90957740

Indian Male 29 years MBA, B.Com having 8 years experience in Gulf and India as a HR and Admin looking for suitable placement.

Contact :97914340.

Email: kvraj30@gmail.com Indian/male (26)/ca finalist and b.Com/3 years expereince in audit & assurance services, financial reporting & analysis on visit visa.

Available for immediate joining.

Contact: 98078321 email: shahir.Usman.Su@gmail.Com Indian Male 23 years B.com graduate Holding a valid Oman driving License searching for a suitable placement, currently on visit visa. Contact: 94175848.

Indian/male(26)/MBA/ 2 years expereince in proccurement,cordination and distribution management.With valid oman licenece. Available for immediate joining. Contact: 92536194 EMAIL: suhailbs@gmail.com Indian male, 24 yrs, looking for professional job my qualification is Diploma in Electronics, having 3 years of Exp and i am having Gulf driving license you can contact me on : - +96897017866.

Indian female PhD, M.Phil, M.A in English, B.Ed, Diploma TESOL,16 years teaching experience seeks suitable teaching, editing or relevant job. Contact 92245591, 95221665 Indian male B-com Graduate1.5 Year exp. in various office works, valid Oman driving license. Looking for any suitable post. Please contact: 95322175 / 91987965 Indian male 23 Fresh Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC & MEP. Contact : +968 9586 1251, Email : mdajaib@yahoo.com Indian Male (25), BSc Electronics, M.B.A seeking suitable openings, Having 3 years’ experience in, sales and Marketing of financial products with Oman Driving License. Contact 94774550 Male Accountant, MBA (Finance) 5 years Experience including UAE and India up to finalization Available immediately (On Visit).

Contact: 91704866, Email: anees0989@gmail.com Indian Male age 23) an i am looking for suitable job my qualification is Diploma in Electronics an i am having 3 years of experience in the hardware an networking field an i am having Gulf driving license you can contact me on : - +96897017866.

Indian male 23 Fresh Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC & MEP. Contact : 9586 1251, Email : mdajaib@yahoo.com Indian/male (26)/CA finalist and b.com/3 years experience in audit & assurance services, financial reporting & analysis on visit visa. available for immediate joining.

Contact: 98078321, email: shahir.usman.su@gmail.com Indian/male(26)/ca finalist and b.com/3 years experience in audit & assurance services, financial reporting & analysis on visit visa, available for immediate joining.

Contact: 98078321 email: shahir.usman.su@gmail.com Indian female, holds masters in business administration (MBA) & LLB, 2 yrs oman experience as hr & admin, seeks suitable placement in jobs @ Sohar, Falaj.

Contact 96541959 Building maintenance foreman (all-rounder).10.year gulf Experience with Oman Driving License.90858522.

Indian female, 27 years, MBA in Finance, currently pursuing ACCA, having 10 months voluntary job experience as accountant looking for suitable placement. #94388910, E- mail Id: sowmya.vs1989@gmail.com Indian male, 23 Fresher, Graduate Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC & MEP. Contact: +968 9748 9256 Email: abdulmajid.ak@gmail.com Indian female B.E (I.T) Good experience in documentation and CRM. Having good communication skills. Seeking for job from reputed organization. Previous experience in Oman and India.

Contact - 97301058, 97136975.

Indian Male 15 years gulf experience in HR / Admin Assistant, Purchase, Office Coordinator with good computer skills seeking employment for suitable position. Holding valid Oman Driving license. Contact 99709336

27 years, Indian male looking for a senior mobile application developer job in Oman. 5+ years of experience as a software engineer, am available in Muscat till Dec 19th. arunkumar6207@gmail.com, +968 9600 3057, +91 8019897589

Indian Male,B.COM having 4+Years of experience in OMAN with Valid Oman Driving License.

Experienced in Accounts & Sales, looking for an opportunity in Sales or Accounts. Mob:- 94106834 email:- jobhuntmuscat@gmail.com.

Indian male, 26 years, B-Tech Graduate with 3 years experience in Oman& 2 Years experience in india as Civil Engineer in a reputed construction company. Looking for suitable jobs.NOC available.

Seeking immediate placements.

Contact: 96179737/ 97076972, email:robinsj.sj@gmail.com

Pakistani male 25 y, fluent in English, valid oman driving license experience of pak. & oman. Needs suitable replacement like teaching, administration, documents controller, sales and marketing, rent a car field and personal Assistant etc. aamirkhan_7860@yahoo.com.

Contact 94908725 Good knowledge in Planning and arranging works and sites. Estimation, drawing, Billing and project management. AUTO CADD, STAAD, MS Office and various software packages Contact 99334770 /997 43 709 33 years Indian Male MBA-HR & MSC having 8.9 yrs Exp (HR- operation/ SAP/ Admin) with Oman Driving License. Seeking suitable opening in Human Resource, Payroll & Admin/backend jobs.

Contact:+968 99322978 /94129291

Indian male, 23 yrs, looking for suitable job my qualification is diploma in electronics an i am having 3 years of experience in the hardware and networking field an i am having gulf driving license.

Contact me on : - +96897017866.

PROCUREMENT OFFICER, Indian-Male 34yrs,M.Com with 14 yrs work Exp.( 8 yrs in Oman) working in Construction Co LLC( for ROAD,CIVIL,ELECTROMECHANICAL & Others projects) & having valid LT D/L, NOC/Local release available to join immediately M:+968 94064650 Email: nagauae@gmail.com A Filipino female searching for a job, with 3month visit visa.exp January 2017.hospitality and sales job will be a Good offer to me.

Contact no:98271658

Indian Male, 26 years. B. Tech (Civil) Having 4 years experience as Project Engineer ¸ Site Engineer & Quantity surveyor. Good knowledge in Planning and arranging works and sites. Estimation, drawing, Billing and project management. AUTO CADD, STAAD, MS Office and various software packages. #99334770/ 99743709

Looking for a part time accounting & admin job, having 32 years of experience. Contact 9919621.

Indian/male(26)/MBA/2 years experience in procurement, coordination and distribution management, with valid oman license available for immediate joining.

Contact 92536194, email:suhailbs@gmail.com

Indian Male , M.Com , 6 years experience in the field of accountance Good knowledge in SAP, Tally, MS office and Excel seeks suitable placement. Contact 92859733

Indian female B.E (I.T) : Good experience in documentation and CRM. Having good communication skills, seeking for job from reputed organization. Previous experience in Oman and India.

Contact - 97301058, 97136975.

Accountant. Having 9 years experience in accounts in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat (NOC Available).

GSM. 00968-93528057, Email waheed.murtaza@yahoo.com Electrical and electronics engineering graduate, 23yrs Indian male, NOC available, 2 yrs site experience in industrial and commercial building sites(MEP ELECTRICAL), expert in autocad, etap, ms office, electrical engineering design, fluent in English and Hindi, exp in handling a team of 20 workers, Ph:92201939.

B. Tech in electrical and electronics engineering, 23yrs Indian male, 2yrs exp (MEP ELECTRICAL ), NOC available, expert in electrical engineering design, autocad, ETAP, MS Office. Contact ph:92201939 email:nabilism4@gmail.com Indian male, 23 yrs, looking for suitable job my qualification is Diploma in Electronics an i am having 3 years of experience in the hardware an networking field an i am having Gulf driving license.

Contact me on : - +96897017866.

Mechanical Engineer/ HVAC/ Indian: 1year experienced mechanical engineer with piping engineering & quality control certification, on visit visa. email:nishadphoenix@gmail.com Contact: 90957740, email: nishadphoenix@gmail.com Indian male 22 B.com looking for job in ACCOUNTING OR DATA OPERATION special interest in Account’s will be happy to hear from you. C#+90758030, Email : uttiawesome@gmail.com INDIAN MALE (26)/CA-inter and b.Com/3 years expereince in audit & assurance services, financial reporting & analysis on visit visa.

Available for immediate joining.

Contact 98078321 EMAIL: shahir.usman.su@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer/HVAC / Indian: 1year experienced mechanical engineer with piping engineering & quality control certification, on visit visa. Contact: 90957740, email:nishadphoenix@gmail.com

Indian male Mechanical Engineer, 1 year Omani Experience + 2 Years of local experience, NOC available, looking for suitable position. Contact +96896089598 Email: fasinizami@gmail.com

Sri Lankan Male Mechanical Engineer, 1+ year of Omani experience, NOC available, Omani driving license, looking for suitable position. Contact No: +96893903463 Email: zaf1096@gmail.com Electronics & Communication Engineer, 23-year-old Indian on family visa, BE-ECE graduate looking for suitable placement in networking, hardware and electronics field. Contact: 95148894, 99726963.

Email: sadathali0003@gmail.com MECHANICAL/PRODUCTION ENGINEER 3 years experience in production industry, B. Tech in Mech Engg, Proficiency in AutoCAD, Primavera certified.

Contact arn9895@gmail.com, Mob 00919895233155 Indian male, 24 years, B.com, MBA(Finance) with overall 3 years experience in accounts/finance field. Interested in sales field also.

On Visit Visa. Contact: 90115058/ safwanmeadows@gmail.com HSE Engineer, 4 yrs of experience in construction, Bachelor of Engineering (EEE), Nebosh, IOSH, DHSE, First Aid. Contact +97474018995, Email:midhunmich@gmail.mom Indian male, B.com graduate well versed in English, Hindi, Malayalam holding a valid Oman driving license looking for a suitable placement. Contact: 96799287 Indian/ male (26)/ MBA/2 years experience in procurement, coordination and distribution management, with valid oman license available for immediate joining.

Contact: 92536194 email: suhailbs@gmail.com Indian male Auto cad Draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience seeking for part time job.

Contact: 00968 99070584, Email: remluvp@gmail.com Indian male with Shorthand & Computer Skills also having 23 Years Gulf Experience is looking for suitable placement. NOC available. GSM No. 97227062 Masters(M.Sc) in Applied Psychology, Specialisation in Counseling, Indian Female 24 Years of good calibre in teaching and counseling with reasonable practical experience in some reputable schools and colleges, looking for an appropriate opportunity in related field.

Contact : 0096899133896; afsh.shariff@gmail.com.

M O N DAY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 7

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

KTT & CO. LLC –Logistics Division- Customs Clearance & delivery (Airport& Seaport)Worldwide Air& Sea Cargo Services.Road Transportation inside Oman & GCC. Door to Door Services to India.

CONTACT: Mr. Deepak GSM: 93908980 Email: deepak@kttcustoms.com

SITUATION WANTED TOURS

SIT.WANTED Indian male Staff Nurse completed BSc nursing, having three years of experience in medical ICU having Oman license and NOC, seeking suitable situation. #94932245 Electronics And Communication Engineer: 23 Indian BE-ECE graduate 2016, looking suitable placement networking, hardware and electronics field, on family visa Contact:95148894,99726963,Email: sadathali0003@gmail.com Indian/male(26)/CA finalist and b.com/3 years experience in audit & assurance services, financial reporting & analysis on visit visa, available for immediate joining.

Contact: 98078321, EMAIL: shahir.usman.su@gmail.com Senior Sales Executive, experience in trading industries with thorough knowledge of Oman market and wide customer contacts. Driving license and NOC available. Seeks senior position. Contact: 98487311 25 years male from India looking for job having 3 yrs exp in contracting and trading co. release or NOC available, for immediate joining. Contact :+968 94574596 Indian/male (26)/CA - inter and b.com/3 years experience in audit & assurance services, financial reporting & analysis on visit visa, available for immediate joining.

Contact: 98078321 email: shahir.usman.su@gmail.com Indian male 23 Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC & MEP. Contact : +968 9586 1251, Email : zufarajaib@yahoo.com An expatriate Indian female, graduate with 4 years experience in e-learning and ITes and 3 years experience in financial consulting and analysis seeks suitable placement.

Email : write2nishanair@gmail.com, Contact - 00968-93994505 Indian Female Nurse with MOH License, looking for suitable placement in Muscat. #95537685.

Mechanical engineer/hvac/ indian: 1year experienced mechanical engineer with piping engineering & quality control certification, on visitvisa. # 90957740, email:nishadphoenix@gmail.com Indian Male (25), BSc Electronics, M.B.A seeking suitable openings, Having 3 years’ experience in, sales and Marketing of financial products with Oman Driving License. Contact 94774550

We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

SIT.WANTED Indian male, Engineer, Procurement Officer, Construction. 23 years experience in Automobile Supply Chain, Production Planning, IT - Delivery Management, Business Analysis and Operations set-up. Contact: 90215985.

HSE Engineer, 4 years of experience in construction certifications, bachelor of engineering(EEE), Nebosh, Iosh, Dhse, First Aid. Contact :+97474018995, email:midhunmich@gmail.com MECHANICAL/PRODUCTION ENGINEER, 3 years’ experience in production industry, B tech in Mech engg, Proficiency in AutoCAD, Primavera certified.

Contact arn9895@gmail.com Mob 00919895233155 Indian male, M.Com, 6 years experience in the field of accountancy and Stores. Good knowledge in SAP, Tally, MS office and Excel seeks suitable placement.

Contact 92859733 MECHANICAL ENGINEER, Indian Male, 26 years, 3 Years’ experience in Projects of Tanks, Boilers and Steel structures. Aware of int.

Standards, B tech in Mech engg.

Contact-rahulkunnath23@gmail. com, Mob-00917350860889 Indian male Accountant 3 years good working experience doing accounts with tally and excel searching for suitable job. E-Mail : contactanand31@gmail.com, GSM : 95694990 Indian male 23 Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC & MEP will be happy to hear from you. Contact : +968 9586 1251, Email : zufarajaib@yahoo.com Indian Male B-com graduate, 1.5 Year exp. in various office works, Valid Oman driving license Looking for any suitable post.

Contact: 95322175 / 91987965

SIT.WANTED Indian Graduated MBA from UK, Seeking for suitable position in Sales & Marketing, 3 years experience. Mob. 99642275, Email: Navas.shereef13@gmail.com 29 yrs old Graduate(Male), 6 years Experience as an Office Assistant with Good English communication skills, is looking for a job in Muscat. (In Visiting visa).

Contact No:93271163 Email-ranjithraj08@gmail.com Indian male,28 yrs old, B.A Graduate, 6 years Experience in Hospitality and Hotel Industry with Good English communication skills , is looking for a suitable job in Muscat.

(In Visiting visa) # :90146616 Indian Male 48 years, B.Sc., MBAOperations Management with total 25+ Yrs of exp inclusive of 10 yrs in Oil & Gas sector in Oman, having valid Omani D/L & NOC , seeks challenging senior position in Logistics/Procurement/SCM. GSM-94236414, Mail id – jayamurli@gmail.com Indian male, having three years of experience in medical ICU and oman license. Seeking for suitable situation as staff nurse.

Contact 98416393 Indian Male age:- 23) an i am looking for job an my qualification is Diploma in Mechanical an i am having 4 years of experience in the Quality Supervisor And CNC Machine Operator, GSM: 97017866.

Indian/male (25)/ post Graduate/3 years experience in sales and marketing(Dubai), on visit visa. available for immediate joining. Contact: 93887916, email: shamji3851@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTED COMPUTER/WEB./ EDU./CLASSES

Pakistani Male having 6 years experience working as a Store Incharge, looking for a suitable position. salary is negotiable. Email : usman.saleem84@yahoo.com, Mob: +96894611858 / 95480426 Indian male, 29 yrs, Graduate, 6 years Experience as an Office Assistant with Good English communication skills, is looking for a job in Muscat. (In Visiting visa).

Contact No:93271163 Indian male, 28 yrs old, B.A Graduate, 6 years Experience in Hospitality and Hotel Industry with Good English communication skills , is looking for a suitable job in Muscat, on Visiting visa.

Contact : 90146616 Indian Male 23 years B.com graduate Holding a valid Oman driving License searching for a suitable placement, currently on visit visa.

Contact : 94175848.

Indian male Executive Secretary (To Top Management) having 10 years experience in Oman. Also well experience in HR Executive & Admin related jobs. Local release & Oman driving license available, seeking for immediate suitable placement. Contact 92215110; email: hellosajans@gmail.com 33year Indian Male MBA-HR & MSC having 8.9yrs Exp (HR-operation/ SAP/ Admin) with Oman Driving License, seeking suitable opening in Human Resource, Payroll & Admin/backend jobs.

Contact:+968 99322978 Indian Male with 23 Yrs. experience in Secretarial Job and Administration is looking for opening in Oman. NoC available.

Contact 97227062

SIT.WANTED Indian male 23 Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC & MEP will be happy to hear from you. Contact : +968 9586 1251, Email : zufarajaib@yahoo.com

B.A Graduate, 28 yrs old, is looking for a suitable job in Muscat.

(In Visiting visa , 6 years Experience as a Coordinator in Reputed Firm with Good English communication skills,). # : 93042492

Indian male 23 Mechanical Engineer looking for job in Mechanical field special interest in HVAC & MEP will be happy to hear from you. Contact : +968 9586 1251, Email : zufarajaib@yahoo.com

29 yrs old Graduate (Male), 6 years Experience as an Office Assistant with Good English communication skills, is looking for a job in Muscat, (In Visiting visa).

Contact 93271163

Expat with 13 yrs experience in sales and marketing, seeking suitable placement.

Contact 92100116

Pakistani male, looking for a suitable placement as Document Controller, Computer Operator.

Contact 93919064

D8

M O N D AY, JA N UA RY 9, 2 0 1 7

DAILY GUIDE

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

RENT A CAR

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP specification for monthly rent & small car with driver. Contact 99839898

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Office boys, Cleaning Contracts, General cleaning etc.

Al Mudakhir National Est. LLC Contact : 94277020

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

Pest control & Building cleaning all kinds of pest control building. Cleaning tiles / Marble polishing monthly/ Yearly contracts available.

Contact: 98814733 /98814740 Al Husn Cleaning L.L.C

WE SERVE OMAN

DRIVING

Installation & maintenance for Modular Kitchen, UPVC Doors & Windows, Furniture, Electrical & Air-conditions Contact @ 92383882/91443786 Caret & Sofa Shampooing General Cleaning & Polishing.

Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact: 24707833

Pest Control Treatments.

Ocean Center L.L.C. # 99344723 Pestcontrol, water proofing.

Gulfa International L.L.C. Contact: 92326955

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 House shifting packing.

Contact: 99657644 / 98518013

A/C maintenance & Servicing, Fridge / Washing Machine / dish washer repairing, 2) Painting and cleaning service, Electrical & Plumbing. Contact: 94147874 / 24504281, mail:globalaccessunited@gmail.com

Marble Crystallization & Grinding, Ocean Center L.L.C. Contact: 92705130 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

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 We undertake new construction & maintenance & gypsum works.

Contact 92711506, ammarayyub@gmail.com

Specialist for road test drum and slope. Contact 94022250

SITUATION WANTCLASSES Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

in Azaiba and Ruwi

• Learn in two months • Satisfaction guaranteed

Tel: 95244310 Karate and self defense classes at Azaiba 18 Nov Street. RO 10 per month twice a week Monday and Tuesday 6. 30 TO 7. 30. PM. Contact: 98294551