Times of Oman - March 9, 2016

WEDNESDAY

March 9, 2016 29 Jumada Al Ula 1437 AH

FROM THE WORDS OF HIS MAJESTY THE SULTAN

16-PAGE SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT ON WORLD T20 WITH THIS EDITION Founded 1975 . Volume 41 No. 14

CABLE

HM receives thanks from Kuwait

‘His Majesty’s Wisdom’

Concern for the different forms of our national heritage, both tangible and intangible, has always been at the centre of our attention. The reason for this is the important role it plays in the enrichment of our intellectual and artistic life and in promoting creativity and innovation in society.

We would like, therefore, to express our delight at the inclusion of several Omani cultural and natural sites on the World Heritage List. These sites provide clear evidence of the contribution made by Omanis throughout the ages in building civilizations and in interacting with other cultures.

| 56 Pages . Baisas 200 . Subscription OMR63 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company | Chairman/Editor-in-Chief: Mohamed Issa Al Zadjali | Printed & Published by Muscat Media Group

H E AV Y R A I N

Omani’s body found in Mudhaibi, schools closed today REJIMON K FAHAD AL GHADANI

MUSCAT: Rain has claimed one more life as it disrupted power supply in Oman and overflowing wadis snapped road communication in many parts of the country.

On Tuesday, after a day-long search, the Civil Defence and Ambulance Department in Al Mudhaibi with the help of citizens recovered the body of an Omani trapped in Wadi Kabbarah in Al Aflaj area in the Wilayat of Al Mudhaibi.

Two persons were rescued from the same wadi on Monday.

The Ministry of Education has decided to close all schools in Oman for today except for those in

MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has received a cable of thanks from His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabir Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait in reply to His Majesty’s congratulations cable on the occasion of his country’s National day. In his cable, Sheikh Sabah expressed his utmost thanks for His Majesty’s congratulations and best wishes, praying to Allah the Almighty to perpetuate good health and wellbeing on His Majesty and the Omani people further progress and prosperity under His Majesty’s wise leadership. -ONA

Support plan for Omani job losers A plan to create a ‘security fund’ to pay Omani workers in the private sector

HASAN SHABAN AL LAWATI

hassan@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A fire threat remains a major challenge for establishments in Oman, especially in the summer, an official has cautioned.

“Unorganised and poorly marked storage of cables and flammable materials in any building raises the risk of damage by fire,” said Colonel Said Al Asmi, assistant general manager for Operations at the Royal Oman Police (ROP).

Lack of proper safety precautions at some hotels, ports, banks and other facilities in Oman can put them at a risk of catching fire, Al Asmi said, adding that fire cases increase during summer

fahadnews@timesofoman.com

1 year plement it in the Sultanate now,” he asserted, adding that while the labour law can protect the private sector employees, it may not be possible in some cases. “In cases where contracts expire, it becomes difficult to protect the affected employee. These people end up with no job and no source of income,” said Al Battashi.

He explained that such employees have several financial responsibilities to fulfil and sometimes even end up in jail.

“Most of the employees who lose their jobs fail to pay their their financial dues and in most cases they require additional cash to pay lawyers to handle their legal cases in courts,” said Al Battashi. >A4

MORNING MINUTE

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

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Oman and Germany ink visa pact

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Oman and Germany inked a pact for Mutual Visa Exemption for the holder of the official biometric passport. >A4

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Recording history of Oman is his love

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For Muntasir Shaaban Al Farsy, writing history is a passion which he wants the people to know more about Oman. >A6

MARKET

Omani firms plan sukuk issue Oman among the best places to visit in April

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

Al Wusta and Dhofar regions. The ministry will review the situation again on Wednesday.

While heavy rain fell in Rustaq and surrounding areas on Monday, from Tuesday afternoon, heavy rain fell in Buraimi, Sohar, Nizwa, Ibri, Nakhal and Muscat.

“It rained heavily in Buraimi, Sohar, Nizwa, Ibri and Nakhal in the afternoon. Wadis were overflowing dangerously. Many roads were cut off,” Bader Ali Al Baddaei, administrator of www.rthmc.net, a forum that discusses weather in Oman, told the Times of Oman.>A5

‘Fire a major threat during Oman summer’

FAHAD AL GHADANI

is the period being suggested for payment of salary to an Omani employee who loses his private sector job

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ROP OFFICIAL

who lose their jobs is under discussion

MUSCAT: A ‘redundancy’ fund to support Omanis working in the private sector who lose their jobs is under active discussion, says a leading trade union official.

The chairman of General Federation of Trade Unions in Oman, a representative body of private sector employees, said he met with the officials of Public Authority of Social Insurance, to discuss setting up of a Security Fund to finance Omani private sector employees who lose their jobs.

“Employees registered under the social security records losing their jobs due to cost-cutting or non-renewal of contract upon its completion, could be financed 60 per cent of their salary for six months from the fund, from the day they go jobless,” said Nabhan Al Battashi, chairman of the Trade Union.

“The proposal to pay 60 per cent of the salary is not fixed; it depends on the investment level of the fund in the future. It can be more or less than 60 per cent of the employee salary,” said Al Battashi. The Trade Union is also suggesting the period to be one year, instead of six months.

“We feel six-month time is still not enough for employees who have lost their jobs. This period was arrived at after considering that such employees can find jobs, or may sort out the issues with the employers,” explained Al Battashi.

“Such funds exist everywhere in the world and it’s time to im-

To the 33rd Session of the General Conference of the UNESCO, 2005

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Several firms in Oman, including a real estate developer, are planning to issue sukuk or Islamic debt instruments. >B1

due to high temperatures.

He was talking to the Times of Oman on the sidelines of the “Fourth Symposium on Security of Vital Installations’,” which commenced on Tuesday at the Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa. Al Asmi also delivered a lecture on “Planning security components” which, according to him, are measures aimed at protecting items, employees, data and costumers inside buildings, offices and storages.

Other security risks include protests by workers inside or outside a facility, bomb threats, terrorism, destruction of data, spying, theft, alcohol or drug abuse while at work and natural dis-

asters. “However, fire incidents are the most repeated cases,” he pointed out.

Oman records a fire case every three hours, according to a 2015 report by the National Centre for Statistics and Information.

Reports show that 3,335 fire

incidents were reported in Oman in 2014, with 23 per cent of the incidents being reported in residential facilities.

That year, 755 house fires, 55 cases of building fires and 57 cases of apartment fires were reported.

Al Asmi also said many shops in Oman lack modern security technology.

The symposium, which will continue until Thursday, will also discuss several other topics, such as best practices in security consultancy, transport security, importance of vehicle inspection and social media security monitoring. The event also showcases latest technology and devices used for security and can be deployed by authorities in Oman.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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On February 16, the transmitter indicated that one of the birds had stopped moving. There were no obvious clues as to the likely cause of death.

Environment Society of Oman

ENVIRONMENT

GPS-tagged Egyptian vulture found dead

Times News Service MUSCAT: Environment Society of Oman (ESO) successfully fitted two juvenile Egyptian vultures with solar powered GPS (global positioning system) radio tags in January as part of research to better understand the ecology of this endangered species.

Launched as part of the Society’s Egyptian Vulture Research and Conservation project, the tracking of these birds was to help identify the birds’ habitats, congregations, main threats, and boost conservation efforts.

On February 16, the transmitter indicated that one of the birds had stopped moving.

A team from ESO visited the GPS location of the bird in Al Amerat and found a lifeless bird.

There were no obvious clues as to the likely cause of death. Juvenile mortality rate in this species and other birds is naturally high (70 to 90 per cent).

Although it may have died of natural causes, electrocution, poisoning or shooting are not excluded. Although gaps exist, through satellite tracking, more information is being gathered on when and where these vultures move and on the causes of mortality. The second bird is still moving around northern Oman, and was most recently seen in the area of Tahwa, in the Al Sharqiyah Governorate. The bird’s movements and updates about the project can be found at: http://egyptianvultureoman. blogspot.co.at/

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‘Fabulous time to visit Oman’ Lonely Planet names Oman among the best tourist destinations in the world in April

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman’s image as a top-class destination for holidaymakers worldwide has received a further boost after it was named as the best place to travel in April by the world famous travel guide Lonely Planet.

“Immerse yourself in epic landscapes, like Ecuador’s “Valley of the Volcanoes” or Oman’s spectacular coast; celebrate history and culture in England, Albuquerque and the Pacific; and embrace new beginnings in Thailand in April 2016,” the travel guide said.

Lonely Planet’s best places to travel to in April 2016 feature places to go and things to do all around the world in April.

Tourism officials said this is a further shot in the arm for Oman’s tourism industry. “Oman once more, distinguishes itself as a top destination in the world,” a travel expert said.

Maurice de Rooij, general manager at the Millennium Resort Mussanah (MRM), however, said he is actually not surprised with the outcome as the Ministry of Tourism, hotels including (MRM) with the support of international sailing events through Oman Sail and many tourist related businesses have worked diligently to achieve such honours.

“Oman has much to offer and is genuine and authentic in its available tourist offers. On behalf of (MRM), I express our sincere congratulations to all those who

DESIRABLE DESTINATION: On including Oman in the list of

destinations to visit in April, Lonely Planet said this is a fabulous time to go to Oman as temperatures would not have reached the searing highs of summer yet. – Supplied photo

have been working behind the tourism scenes of Oman. It’s like receiving a tourism Oscar for all categories,” he told the Times of Oman on Tuesday.

Fantastic stuff Talking more about Oman, the travel guide said Oman is the kind of place road trippers fantasise about, with routes that gently hug the coast, zigzag through spectacular mountains, or take you on wild, off-road adventures from wadi to wadi (valley).

“It’s now possible to drive along almost the entire coast of the country, from the capital of Muscat right down to tropical Salalah—you’ll need at least three

days. This journey takes in the recently opened road from Shwaymiyah to Hasik, which winds its way through the moody mountain scenery of Jebel Samhan,” Lonely Planet said.

On including Oman in the list of destinations to visit in April, the publication said this is a fabulous time to go to Oman as temperatures would not have reached the searing highs of summer yet, so camping would be a possibility if one wants to stretch out the journey a little longer. “Allow extra time to check out the pink lagoons of Al Khalil, the ancient rock formations of Wadi Shuhram and traditional Barasti fishing villages along the way,” it said.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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If they don’t give us a chance, where will we get the experience?

Adil Al Aamri, Job seeker

EXEMPTION

Oman, Germany sign visa pact MUSCAT: Oman and Germany inked an agreement for Mutual Visa Exemption for the holder of the official biometric passport.

The agreement was inked when Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs received Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Federal Republic of Germany and his accompanying delegation yesterday.

During the meeting, the leaders exchanged viewpoints on the regional and international situations and the latest developments in the region.

Syria issue Steinmeier hailed the role played

by Oman in integrating balance in the region and its continuous endeavours to find peaceful solutions to different issues and conflicts at a press conference at the foreign ministry.

He said “We were re- briefed on the role through the Syrian crisis

Private sector training valued by job seekers

AGREEMENT: The agreement was inked when Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs received German Foreign Minister Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier. – ONA

and came to a common assessment with the Sultanate that what we have started in Vienna through the two international conferences and had concluded in Vienna with the announcement of cessation of all hostilities is the base for improving the humanitarian aid services in Syria.”

He pointed out that the bilateral

issues between the two friendly countries have topped the discussion and that they agreed to enhance them in the future.

He added that 2016 is the year at which talks will be made on the senior official level - an event that takes place regularly every two years with the aim of maximising the relations. -ONA

TESTING THE WATERS: In the private sector, you benefit more from training opportunities. – Erik Prins

P R I VAT E S E C T O R

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A1 Job losers’ fund welcomed He noted that this fund would support the employees for a certain time and save them from going bankrupt suddenly. It will cover all Omani private sector employees losing their job, Al Battsahi said.

“Employees illegally or legally sacked from work or even if an employee loses job because the contract ended should benefit from the fund,” said Al Battashi.

“The Trade Union is completely supporting the fund move, but under certain conditions. The government and companies should finance the fund instead of the employees themselves as is stated in the first draft of the fund,” he said.

“The Trade Union is currently working to include all necessary regulations in the last draft. We were given two weeks and we are putting in extra effort to cover everything,” he added.

Fund regulations should cover every single point to avoid being misused by some firms. “We want to use this fund for the people sacked in the future. We know that some companies will find it easier to sack employees, especially as there is a fund to finance them,” he further said.

There should be heftier penalties for firms illegally sacking staff. Obligations should also vary according to a company’s employee contract termination records. “Such companies should pay more to the fund as they are violating the rules and misusing the fund,” he said.

Welcoming the move, Mohammed Al Kindi, a Majlis Al Shura member, expressed his strong support to it. “This will protect the rights of the private sector employees and everyone should be happy with such move,” he said.

The fund will give security to employees and create a better and safer work atmosphere. “Such moves will convince youths to join the private sector instead of only focusing on the government sector,” said Al Kindi.

Faisal Saood, working in one of the oil companies who was asked to sit at his home for more than six months, said that he was waiting for this for such a long time. “Now I can forget about being sacked at any time and just focus on my work performance instead,” he said.

“I was asked to remain at home for more than six months. I was getting almost 70 per cent of my salary but I know many of friends who were sacked faced many financial issues,” said Faisal. also said authorities should be very strict with firms sacking their employees for no logical reason.

Students attending Career and Training Opportunities Fair being held at SQU said they valued training opportunities and career perspectives in the private sector

ERIK PRINS

erik@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Private sector in Oman is still attractive among students seeking to develop their career and take advantage of training opportunities offered.

This is contrary to what one would expect, looking at the findings of a job survey carried out recently by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). It found that more than half of Omani youth working in the private sector would prefer to work in the government sector, even at a lower salary.

The Times of Oman (TOO) had interviewed a number of students and job seekers, who visited the Career and Training Opportunities Fair being held at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) until March 9. The fair gathered more than 43 participants from both the private and public sector, according to SQU. The students said they valued training opportunities and career perspectives in the private sector.

Waleed Al Aamri, from Fanja, graduated as a mechanical engineer last December. “As a mechanical engineer, it is better to work for a private company, since there, I can enrich my experience. Some companies have

training programmes I can benefit from,” he said.

His classmate, Adil Al Aamri, said he preferred to work in the private sector. “With my specialisation, the private sector would be better. I will have greater perspective there,” he said, adding that his study programme did not really fit the labour market.

“My study programme focuses on literature study and not on practical training. If every semester I could take some training, it would be better,” he said. He added that he will first undertake training, before enrolling into his first job. However, finding a job in the private sector is not easy.

“I have applied to a lot of companies, but unfortunately, I hardly get any replies,” Waleed said. “But I don’t want to apply with the public sector. I want the private sector,” he said. Waleed said he expects a salary of OMR1,000.

Like his friend, Adil said he has applied to a lot of companies, but hardly got any response.

“The companies that replied said I lacked the necessary experience. If they don’t give us a chance, where will we get the experience?” he asked.

Said Al Hadhrami, who graduated with a Bachelor in Administration and Marketing eight months ago, said he does not pre-

fer a particular sector, as long as it suits his specialisation.

“I prefer anything, since there are a few jobs available. I am trying to get a job, which fits my field of study,” he stated.

He said he expects a salary of OMR800 or more. “I expect that this will be a salary that fits a Bachelors degree,” he said. He added that others preferred the government sector, since the working hours there are limited and salaries have increased recently.

“But in the private sector, you benefit more from training opportunities,” he said.

Still, the government sector has its advantages. Students said it is an easier way of gaining the necessary experience that may enable them to move to the private sector in the future.

Ahmed Ba-Alawi, a computer science student from Sur, said he had found a training opportunity at the fair. “God willing, during this semester I will train at Oman LNG in Sur. I just applied,” he said.

“I hope to work in the private sector, but I like the government sector as well. It is more comfortable and has limited working hours. The privileges in the public sector are better.”

However, Ahmed said he does “not think of salary, but of gaining experience. I can do that first in the public sector,” he said.

His classmate, Abdulmalik Al Shukaili, said he prefers the military sector. “But I might find an opportunity in the marine sector as well, since they are represented here,” he said. A female student in Economics told TOO that she prefers the government sector because of the job security offered.

“Even when an economic crisis occurs, there will still be more job security,” she noted.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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Heavy rain in Sultanate areas

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– rthmc.net, Purushotaman K

DISTURBANCES

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Muttrah Souq flooded

A series of disturbances moving across the Middle East is causing heavy thunderstorms, resulting in flash flooding in Oman.

Residents in Al Maawale reported a hailstorm and residents of Samail, Nakhal, Sohar said they had not witnessed such heavy rainfall in the past few years.

According to National Committee for Civil Defence (NCCD) official tweets, wadis in Mudhaibi, Dima Wa Al Tayeen, Quriyat and Al Amerat are overflowing.

“Saham–Al Khabourah, Al Buraimi–Yanqul, Bidbid–Ibra, Sumail–Izki, Sohar–Liwa and Sohar–Saham roads are cut off due to overflowing wadis,” NCCD tweeted. According to NCCD, power cuts were reported in Ibri, Yanqul and Al Buraimi.

While tweeting that Wadi Bansuq has disrupted the flow of traffic between Al Maldah and Al Rustaq, the civil defence tweet added that there is no truth in the rumours of launching emergency alerts in Rustaq.

Meanwhile, heavy rain fell for around 30 minutes in Muscat and surrounding areas in the evening.

Traffic signals were out of or-

der, power cuts were reported in Wadi Al Kabir, Al Amerat, Seeb and Al Ghubra and wadis in city were overflowing prompting motorists to take detour.

Mohammed Faisal, a Muscat resident, said the rain, which started at around 5:30pm lasted for about an hour.

“Roads are flooded, slowing the traffic and wadis are overflowing in many areas in Muscat. Mabelah, Hail, Seeb, Bauhser, Al Khuwair, Ruwi, Muttrah and old Muscat witnessed heavy rains. It was quite risky to drive, so we stopped and waited for it to be over,” Faisal added.

“Late in the evening as traffic signals and lamp posts were out of order in many parts, there was chaos on the road,” Faisal added.

Meanwhile, traders in the Muttrah Souq (market), which always get affected by rain, said conditions were not that bad this time.

“The souq was flooded within minutes. However, so far, nobody has reported any loss,” traders said.

In a tweet, Oman’s Meteorology (Met) Department had predicted heavy rains in Al Dahirah

and North Al Batinah, which may extend to Al Dakiliha and South Batinah.

In its latest statement, Oman’s Met Department predicted that the effects of the upper air trough will continue for the coming four days.

“Chances of thundershowers associated with fresh wind, hail and flash floods are expected over the governorates of Muscat, Musandam, Al Buraimi Al Dhahira, North and South Al Batinah, Al Dakhliya, North and South Al Sharqiya until Friday,” the statement said.

“The sea will be moderate to rough along the coasts of Musandam with maximum wave height expected to be two to three metres,” the statement added.

According to Eric Leister, meteorologist at Accuweather.com, disturbances will lead to flash floods in Oman, the UAE and Iran.

“Low pressure passing from UAE to southeast Iran on Wednesday will cause heavy rain. As a result cities in northern Oman, such as Muscat and Sohar will be at a high risk of flooding,” the meteorologist said.

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016 Al Saidiya was the first government school to open in Oman and now it’s a museum Muntasir Shaaban Al Farsy, writer

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Recording the history of Oman is a passion for him During his childhood, Muntasir Shaaban Al Farsy loved to write short stories, but as he grew his interest

accession to his death.

“In this book you can find details about Sayyid Said bin Sultan and his reign, such as his childhood, marriages, children, his ministers and governors and so on,” Al Farsy stated.

changed to writing about historical events of Oman

MOBIN MATHEW BLESSON

mobinmathew@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: For Muntasir Shaaban Al Farsy, writing history is not only a passion, but through his writing he wants the people to know more about the history of Oman.

“I love writing something, which is useful to the readers and I want the people of Oman to know our country more through my writing,” Al Farsy told the Times of Oman.

Muntasir Shaaban Al Farsy with his books. – Shabin E

Recently, Al Farsy published three books, which help the readers know more about the Sultanate and its past.

First book The first book, named Sayyid Said the Great talks about Sayyid Said bin Sultan, the forefather of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

It deals with the period from his

Information According to Al Farsy, he collected the information from his uncle’s book, which was written in 1942, and also from some of the historians and the Internet.

He talks about the first government school in Oman in his other book called, Happy Platinum Jubilee to the Al Saidiya. He also shares the details of other first schools opened in Oman, such as the first American school, the first Indian School, etc.

“Al Saidiya was the first government school to open in Oman and now it’s a museum,” Al Farsy said.

He has also written about the education system in the Samail Jail, saying the detention centre has a big library.

According to him, Said bin Taimur (father of His Majesty the Sultan) ascended the throne in 1935 with his own vision of establishing additional schools.

“The Al Saidiya School was founded in the same year when His Majesty the Sultan was born and that’s the reason why I named the book Happy Platinum Jubilee to the Al Saidiya,” he added.

In the book, the historian shows that private schools in Oman came into existence in the early 1900s.

“It was news to me; I never knew that private schools even existed at that time,” Al Farsy explained.

“Like that many new facts can be read in these books,” he added.

The third book is about the holy shrine of Mecca. The book is named Al Ka’aba sweet Al Ka’aba, where Al Farsy writes about the past of the shrine, mainly the landmark events that it experienced, including floods, bombardments, etc.

During his childhood, Al Farsy loved to write short stories, but as he grew his interest changed to writing about historical events.

“Now I am trying to find out the details of the Muttrah Hotel, which is considered the first Hotel in Oman,” he said.

Al Farsy is an undergraduate and studied at the Rockford College (now known as Rockford University).

He worked in a Radio Station in America for one and a half years and also served with the Ministry of Oman for two decades early in his career. After his retirement, he also worked at the Sheraton Hotel for some period. He has been working with the Muscat Media Group for the last two years. “My most treasured desire is to meet His Majesty and gift my books to him,” Al Farsy asserted.

Books available His books are available at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Shangri La Hotel, Sultan Centre Qurum, the Al Batra book shop, and other major bookshops in Oman.

“My books will be available in Bait Al Zubair, at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture’s museum and at duty free shops at the Seeb Airport soon,” Al Farsy said.

“I am not making money from this, but my people should know our country through my writing,” he asserted.

V I O L AT I O N

484 held for violating the Labour Law MUSCAT: Four hundred and eighty-four workers, including 306 commercial workers, 32 farm workers and 46 housemaids and their equivalents were apprehended between February 28 to March 5 by the joint inspection team at the Ministry of Manpower for violating the Labour Law. The competent authorities at the Ministry of Manpower are taking legal procedures against them.

On the other hand, the Manpower Ministry statistics showed that 321 expatriate workers were deported for violating provisions of the Labour Law and the ministerial decisions executing the law.

The Royal Oman Police (ROP) deported 33 infiltrators through Muscat International Airport on Tuesday.

The ROP requests people to provide help to legal authorities to combat this phenomenon, not to hire, give shelter or facilitate the entry of unchecked labourers into the territory of the Sultanate and immediately call the emergency number 9999. -ONA

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1 3 T H “ S P R E A D I N G T H E L I G H T T H R O U G H H U M A N VA L U E S

SHARPENING SKILLS: A file picture of the contestants taking

part in the previous edition.

Dates for SAI-Times contest announced Times News Service MUSCAT: It is time again for school children in Oman to participate in the 13th “Spreading The Light Through Human Values - 2016” competition, SAI Group, Oman has announced.

The SAI and Times of Oman Open Essay Writing and Poster Making Competition, focusing on ‘value themes’, will be held on Saturday, April 9 for students of schools in Muscat Governorate at Indian School, Al Ghubra and include Omani Private and Government Schools -both Arabic and bilingual, International Schools and Special Education Schools.

The competition will be held for the International, Private and Government Schools in the regions of Batinah, Dhahira and Dakhliyah at the Indian Schools in Sohar, Ibri and Nizwa on April 16 and for the regions of Sharqiyah, Dhofar and Buraimi at the Indian Schools in Sur, Salalah and Buraimi on April 23.

The competition is now in its 13th year thanks to the support of the Ministry of Education (MoE), and officials anticipate an overwhelming response from the student community.

Invitations and entry forms are being sent through MoE channel to schools, and entry forms are also posted atwww.saivaluesoman.org.

‘Helping children to become better children and better citizens of tomorrow’ is the theme of this year’s competition, which will work to create awareness, development of inherent human values and inculcate citizenship education in the minds of children.

It is also expected that this competition will provide a platform to children interested in honing their writing skills in English, as well as those keen to unleash their creativity through artistic sketching.

Those topics that will be common for both Poster Making and Essay Writing are: Group A for students of Grades 1 to 3 - ‘How to be happy and make others happy’; Group B for Grades 4 to 6 – ‘Be a good friend to get a good

friend’; Group C for Grades 7 to 9 - ‘Value of Time’; and Group D for Grades 9 to 12 – ‘Effects of Media’. Participants will be given 90 minutes for Essay Writing and 120 minutes for Poster Making.

For Essay Writing, the approximate word limit is 400 words for the A and B groups and 700 words for the C and D groups.

Each school can send a maximum of 40 students, with 20 each for Essay Writing and Poster Making at 5 per group.

Also, schools can register the names of participants at the website www.saivaluesoman.org. Alternatively, entry forms signed by the principal with the school seal can be sent to the organisers via email: saitimesoman9@gmail. com. Students are advised not to send an entry form directly.

The last date for registration is March 31.

Three prizes will be awarded in each group, as well as in every category of schools in each region. In addition, consolation prizes will also be presented and all participants will receive participation certificates.

Each entry will be evaluated by three judges, who are professionals in the field of art and literature and drawn from the community, MoE and SAI Group. The awards ceremony is to be held during the fourth week of May. Winning essays and posters will be on display on the day of the ceremony.

The Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (SSEHV) programme, adopted in 165 countries around the world, focuses on character development in children by helping them learn and practice universal human values. SAI Group is involved in many social service activities for the local community, including participation in blood donation campaigns for the Central Blood Bank, conducting workshops on Education in Human Values, Value Parenting, Autism Awareness and Health Awareness Campaigns.

For further details, contact GSM: 95149226 or 92185310, email: saitimesoman9@gmail. com or view website www.saivaluesoman.org.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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REGION

A state television report showed a missile being fired from a fortified underground silo at night time.

SHOW OF STRENGTH

Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps conduct ballistic missile test DUBAI/WASHINGTON: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) test-fired several ballistic missiles from silos across the country on Tuesday, state television said, as the United States said if reports of fresh tests are confirmed it planned to raise the issue at the UN Security Council and push for an “appropriate response”.

The test happened two months after the United States sanctioned businesses and individuals linked to Iran’s missile programme over a test of the medium-range Imad missile carried out in October 2015.

Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC’s aerospace arm, said sanctions would not stop Iran develop-

ing its ballistic missiles, which it regards as a cornerstone of its conventional deterrent.

“Our main enemies are imposing new sanctions on Iran to weaken our missile capabilities But they should know that the children of the Iranian nation in the Revolutionary Guards and other armed forces refuse to bow to their excessive demands,” the IRGC’s website

Houthis, Saudis begin talks to end Yemen war A delegation from Yemen’s Houthi movement is in Saudi Arabia in the first visit of its kind since the war

SERIOUS BID FOR PEACE: The Houthi visit to Saudi Arabia began on Monday at the invitation of Saudi authorities. – File photograph

began last year

CAIRO/DUBAI: Houthis and authorities in Saudi Arabia have begun talks to try to end Yemen’s war, two officials said, in what appears their most serious bid to end war.

A delegation from Yemen’s Houthi movement is in Saudi Arabia, they said, in the first visit of its kind since the war began last year between Houthi forces and a military coalition.

The reported talks coincide

with an apparent lull in fighting on the Saudi-Yemen border and in Saudi-led Arab coalition air strikes on the Houthi-held Yemeni capital Sanaa.

The two senior officials from the administrative body that runs parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthis said the Houthi visit to Saudi Arabia began on Monday at the invitation of Saudi authorities, following a week of secret preparatory talks.

The Houthi delegation in Saudi Arabia is headed by Mohammed

Abdel-Salam, the Houthis’ main spokesman and a senior adviser to Houthi leader Abdel-Malek Al Houthi, the officials said. AbdelSalam previously led Houthi delegates in talks that paved the way for UN-sponsored talks in Switzerland last year. A spokesman for the Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting to restore President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi to power could not immediately be reached for comment. A Saudi foreign ministry spokesman could also not be reached. — Reuters

quoted Hajizadeh as saying.

A state television report showed a missile being fired from a fortified underground silo at night time.

The presenter said it was a medium-range Qiam-1 missile, and the test took place in the early hours of Tuesday. “The missiles struck a target 700km away,” Hajizadeh said. State-run Press TV had earlier shown footage of the Imad missile,

Iran’s most advanced model under development, being fired. However, that footage appeared to be of the earlier October launch that triggered the US sanctions.

Meanwhile, the US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, “We’re aware of and following closely the reports that Iran has just conducted several ballistic missile tests,” adding that such

tests would not violate the July 14 Iran nuclear agreement. “If confirmed, we intend to raise the matter in the UN Security Council.”

“We will also encourage a serious review of the incident and press for an appropriate response,” toner added. “We also continue to aggressively apply our unilateral tools to counter threats from Iran’s missile programme.” — Reuters

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

INDIA R E V I VA L P L A N

Mallya misled government NEW DELHI: Questioning his stoic silence over non-payment of salaries to employees of the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines, a section of former women staffers has accused its chairman Vijay Mallya of misleading Indian government and the employees on the revival plan. - PTI

Sonia pitches for women’s quota Congress president Sonia Gandhi while speaking in Lok Sabha, pressed for early passage of the ‘long-awaited’ Women Reservation Bill which provides for 33 per cent quota for women in Lok Sabha and Assemblies

NEW DELHI: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday led the women MPs in strongly pitching for reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Assemblies as Indian Parliament held a debate on their condition and ways to empower them.

Sonia, while speaking in Lok Sabha, pressed for early passage of the “long-awaited” Women Reservation Bill which provides for 33 per cent quota for women in Lok Sabha and Assemblies, asking the government to “give us women our legitimate due”.

With demands for early passage of the long-pending Wom-

en’s Reservation Bill resonating in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu said the government is working towards evolving consensus on it and expressed hope that it would succeed in this at the earliest.

To mark the day, both Houses saw an impromptu debate on the state of affairs of women in the country and ways to empower them. Except for few exceptions, only women MPs participated in the discussion during which several suggestions and demands were made to empower them, including financial inclusiveness and education.

But at the same time, some women MPs also said that passage of the Women’s Bill was not the only solution, but a part of the bigger scheme of things required to uplift the stature of women in the country.

Sonia, who was the first member to speak on the issue of women empowerment, highlighted her party’s role on the issue.

She said the Congress gave the country the first woman Prime Minister, the first woman President and first woman Speaker.

She noted that it was due to Rajiv Gandhi’s vision that women accounted today for over 40 per cent of elected local body and panchayat posts.

Addressing the Lower House where women members were allowed to speak on women’s issues

by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, she also criticised a law, making educational qualifications mandatory for contesting local polls in some BJP-ruled states, saying it denied women their right to contest.

Sonia attacked the government over its ‘maximum governance’ slogan, saying this also meant expanding the base of disagreement without inviting retribution, a reference to its crackdown on several NGOs. - PTI

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

GOODWILL GESTURE

Pakistan frees 87 Indian prisoners LAHORE: The 87 Indian prisoners, mostly fishermen freed by Pakistan, who were stranded for more than 30 hours at the Wagah border, were on Tuesday allowed to cross into their homeland after all legal formalities were completed.

“Today we have handed over 87 Indian nationals mostly fishermen to BSF India,” Pakistan Rangers spokesman Muhammad Asif said.

Owing to lack of coordination between the Pakistan Rangers and Foreign Ministry, the Indian nationals who were released from the Landhi Jail, Karachi on March 6 could not be handed over to the Indian authorities.

They remained stranded at the Wagah border yesterday as the Rangers said “the Indian officials concerned did not turn up (at Wagah)”. After the release of the 87 prisoners, another 457 Indians remain in jail in Karachi and most of them are fishermen arrested for territorial violation. - Reuters

Jaitley rolls back plan to tax provident fund withdrawal withdraw the proposals in para 138 and 139 on my budget speech.

The proposal of 40 per cent exemption given to NPS subscribers at the time of withdrawal remains,” the minister said.

The minister had earlier indicated that he would address the concerns on retirement tax when he replies to the debate on Budget 2016-17 in Parliament.

Jaitley in budget had proposed to tax 60 per cent of the corpus of the EPF contributions created after April 1,

SPEAKS OUT: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speaks in the Lok

Sabha in New Delhi on Tuesday. - PTI/TV GRAB

2016 at the time of withdrawal

NEW DELHI: In the face of all round attack, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday completely rolled back the controversial proposal to tax the employees’

provident fund (EPF) at the time of withdrawal. Taking the first opportunity available, he made a suo motu statement in the Lok Sabha in which he also announced withdrawal of imposing monetary limit for contribution of employers to provident and superannuation fund of Rs150,000 for taking tax

B I L AT E R A L T I E S

Saudi foreign minister calls on PM NEW DELHI: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Saudi Arabia next month, its Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al Jubeir on Tuesday called on him during which they expressed keenness to elevate ties between the two countries to strategic level by boosting cooperation in key areas of trade, security and counter terrorism.

“Both leaders exchanged views on further strengthening bilateral relations, including in the fields of trade, investment, energy, and security cooperation. They also discussed regional situation. They agreed that the two countries have shared interest in peace and stability in the region,” a PMO statement said.

Emphasising that India at-

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tached high importance to its close and friendly relations with Saudi Arabia, Modi also expressed confidence that his forthcoming visit there would provide an opportunity to elevate the bilateral strategic partnership to a new level.

Modi will travel to Saudi Arabia on a two-day State visit from April 2 as part of his three-nation trip starting from Belgium on March 30.

On his part, the Saudi minister conveyed that relations with India were accorded a high priority in their foreign policy and “deeply appreciated” the constructive role being played by the Indian community in the development of his country, the statement said.

During his less then 24-hour-

long visit, the minister, who arrived late on Monday night, also held “substantive discussion” with his counterpart Sushma Swaraj covering issues of bilateral, regional and multilateral interest.

He conveyed to Swaraj that India was one of the most important relationships for Saudi Arabia, which was keen to upgrade the ties to a strategic level covering security, counter terrorism, maritime links, trade, investment and people-to-people ties, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

The visiting minister also emphasised that “Saudi Arabia was India’s largest supplier of crude but wanted to go beyond and make it a true energy partnership”, Swarup said. - PTI

benefit. Jaitley, however, left untouched the proposal tax exempt 40 per cent of National Pension Scheme and services provided by EPFO to employees.

“In view of the representations received, the government would like to do comprehensive review of this proposal and therefore I

Taxing employee In his Budget for 2016-17, Jaitley had proposed to tax 60 per cent of the corpus of the EPF contributions created after April 1, 2016 at the time of withdrawal. He proposed to exempt these from income tax if the amount was invested in pension annuity scheme.

The proposal came under immediate fire from both employee unions and political parties who said the government was taxing employee when they need the

funds most. The government justified the move saying the attempt was to create a pensioned society and encourage employees to invest their savings in annuities.

A day after the Budget, it had indicated in a statement that it could consider imposing the tax only on the interest part of the corpus. But Tuesday’s decision withdraws the proposal lock-stock-and-barrel.

In his statement, Jaitley said a number of representations had been received from various sections of the society including MPs suggesting that this change would force people to invest in annuity product even if they are not willing to do so.

Jaitley said the purpose of the Budget proposal was to encourage more private sector employees to opt for pension security after retirement instead of withdrawing the entire money from the provident fund account. - PTI

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

PAKISTAN S H AWA L VA L L E Y

ACTIVISM FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Civil society activists hold placards as they march during a rally to mark International Women’s Day in Islamabad on Tuesday. Women in Pakistan have fought for their rights for decades. — AFP

21 militants killed in air, ground strikes PESHAWAR: Twenty-one militants were killed in air strikes and ground operation in North Waziristan’s Shawal Valley on Tuesday, the military’s media wing Inter Services Public Relations said.

“Combined strikes by air force, the army and ground forces continued the hunt for fleeing terrorists through a chase and cordon operation,” Director-General Inter Services Public Relations Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa said.

Bajwa confirmed, “Twenty one terrorists were killed last night as operations continue. Important heights and passes along the Pak-Afghan border have been secured. The valley’s sanitisation is in progress.”

Earlier, fresh air strikes in the tribal region killed at least 15 terrorists. In neighbouring South Waziristan, seven paramilitary soldiers were wounded in a roadside bomb attack on a convoy of the Frontier Corps.

Pakistan Army launched a ground offensive in North Waziristan Agency’s mountainous Shawal Valley at the end of last year. The valley is regarded as the last haven of fleeing homegrown militants and their foreign cohorts.

Further, the operation was aimed at clearing Taliban strongholds in North Waziristan and claims to have killed more than 3,750 militants since it commenced in 2014. — Express Tribune

Taseer’s abducted son rescued from captors Shahbaz Taseer, in his 30s, had been missing for more than four years since he was abducted in Lahore, just months after his father, Punjab governor Shahbaz Taseer

Salman, was killed

ISLAMABAD: The kidnapped son of a Pakistani governor who was murdered for criticising blasphemy laws was freed on Tuesday, a week after his father’s killer was executed, authorities said.

Shahbaz Taseer, in his 30s, had been missing for more than four years since he was abducted from his car in Lahore, just months after his father, Punjab governor

Salman Taseer, was killed in 2011.

The Pakistani army said Shahbaz Taseer had been rescued by intelligence agents in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

Provincial officials confirmed the news.

“Mr Taseer has been safely recovered. He is appearing in good health (...) and is in police custody,” Balochistan government spokesman Anwarul Haq Kakar

Shahbaz Taseer was believed to have been originally kidnapped by the extremist group Lashkar-e-Janghvi and later handed to Al Qaeda and then to the Pakistani Taliban, intelligence sources told Reuters

said on Geo TV. Last week, Salman Taseer’s former bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, was hanged for the murder.

The killer’s funeral attracted tens of thousands of supporters.

On Monday a suicide bombing killed at least 10 people near a court, an attack the Pakistani Taliban’s Jamaatur Ahrar faction said it had committed to avenge Qadri’s execution.

Salman Taseer had spoken in support of a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy and had called for reforming the laws.

After his death, Taseer’s family received multiple threats from religious hard-liners. #Taseerfamily On the day of Qadri’s execution, another of Taseer’s sons, Shehryar, tweeted: “MumtazQadri being hanged is a victory to #Pakistan. NOT the #Taseer family.

The safe return of my brother is the only victory my family wants.”

Shahbaz Taseer was believed to have been originally kidnapped by the extremist group Lashkare-Janghvi and later handed to Al Qaeda and then to the Pakistani Taliban, intelligence sources told Reuters. It was not immediately clear who his captors were when he was freed, nor whether they were arrested or killed in the operation. — Reuters

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E X P E C T E D W I T H I N D AY S

Pakistan hopes for progress in Taliban talks ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has played down the Taliban’s rejection of proposed peace talks with the Afghan government, saying on Tuesday that it hoped for progress “in coming days”.

Sartaj Aziz, foreign policy adviser to Pakistan’s prime minister, said his country, the United States and China would use their influence to persuade the Taliban to come to the table to try to end a nearly 15-year-old war.

“I hope in the coming days some progress (can be made)...at some level, and once we start, we hope they will gather momentum,” he told a press briefing in Islamabad alongside British Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond.

Officials had said they expected direct peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban to begin in early March following a meeting of the so-called Quadrilateral Coordination Group, made up of representatives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States, in February.

But the Taliban, which calls itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, said last week it would not participate.

Officials had said they expected direct peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban The group said it would only join talks once all remaining foreign troops left Afghanistan, its leaders were removed from a UN terrorist blacklist and its prisoners freed from Afghan jails.

Could be persuaded Pakistan’s Aziz said he felt the Taliban could be persuaded.

“Many of the preconditions that they are looking for can come as a result of negotiations and not in advance of them,” he said, adding that the Afghan government had in the past expressed willingness to exchange prisoners.

Violence has increased in Afghanistan since the withdrawal of most foreign combat troops in 2014, leaving the newly trained Afghan police and army to fight the Taliban. — Reuters

SUPREME COURT HEARING

Sindh Rangers want to set up its own ‘police stations’ KARACHI: Sindh Rangers Director General Maj-Gen Bilal Akbar urged the Supreme Court on Monday to allow the paramilitary force to set up its own ‘police stations’ as he took a swipe at the police for its poor investigation.

“If this is done, obviously after registering FIR and conducting investigation, challans shall be filed in normal courts or anti-terrorism courts established under the judicial system of Pakistan,” Akbar told the apex court’s fivemember bench.

The bench resumed hearing of the Karachi law and order suo motu case at its Karachi registry.

Paramilitary force Presenting a progress report before the court at its Karachi registry, Akbar said that between September 2013 and March 4, 2016, the paramilitary force had arrested 5,096 suspects who had been handed over to the police for prosecution.

Of these 168 had been convict-

ed while 83 had been acquitted by the courts while 1,156 had been released on bail. The report, filed

by Advocate Shahid Anwar Bajwa on behalf of Akbar, claimed that over 1,100 suspected criminals had been let off the hook over the past 18 months owing to faulty police investigations.

Safoora Goth As an example, the report quoted the case of a man who is allegedly involved in the attack on a bus in Karachi’s Safoora Goth locality in May 2015, which left at least 46 people dead.

The report pointed out that the suspect had been arrested in 2011 but was let go after the police failed to properly investigate the case and produce evidence, even though intelligence reports clearly indicated he intended to commit greater acts.

“This he certainly did at Safoora Goth.”

Akbar blamed the government’s frequent transfer policy

as one of the causes for the police’s lacklustre performances.

He pointed out that investigation officers are changed frequently at five police stations tasked with handling cases brought

by Rangers.

“The result has been nothing.”

The absence of tenure security, he pointed out, persists at multiple levels.

“Even within 2015 three or four home secretaries were changed,” he said. In contrast, only two DG Rangers had been changed in the past five years.

Further, he lamented the quality of recruits within the police system which led to poor investigation of cases.

“Recruitment in Sindh police is not on the basis of merit and neither [do officers] receive sufficient training.”

Things, Akbar said, had become worse since the Rangers presented former federal petroleum minister Dr Asim Hussain before courts. — Express Tribune

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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China, South Korea step up sanctions on North Korea South Korea announced a crackdown on individuals and companies linked to Pyongyang’s weapons programme, stepping up sanctions against the isolated state

SEOUL/SHANGHAI: China has barred a North Korean freighter from one of its ports and South Korea announced a crackdown on individuals and companies linked to Pyongyang’s weapons programme, stepping up sanctions against the isolated state.

North Korean general cargo ship Grand Karo arrived at Rizhao port in northeastern China a few days ago, but the port did not allow the ship to berth, said a person at the Rizhao Maritime Authority, declining to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The ship is among 31 vessels blacklisted by China’s Ministry of Transport after they were covered by harsher sanctions on North Korea that were approved by the

TOUGHEN STANCE: A cargo ship is loaded with coal during the opening ceremony of a new dock at the North Korean port of Rajin in this July 18, 2014 file photo. South Korea said on Tuesday it would impose new sanctions against 40 individuals and 30 entities because of suspected links to North Korea’s weapons programme. - Reuters/Yuri Maltsev/files

UN Security Council last week.

At least two other ships on the list of barred freighters are now sailing away after being anchored off Chinese ports, ship tracking data on the Reuters Eikon terminal showed on Tuesday.

Banned Another of the vessels has been banned from leaving port in the Philippines until safety deficiencies, found during a security and safety inspection of the vessel, are rectified. The 6,593 deadweight tonne (dwt) Grand Karo is now anchored about 35km from Rizhao, ship tracking data showed.

“The vessel operator will have to decide what they can do,” the

Rizhao maritime official said.

“If non-sanctioned North Korean ships enter the port, officials will ask senior authorities for instructions on how to deal with them,” the official added.

In Seoul, the government said on Tuesday it would impose new sanctions against 40 individuals and 30 entities because of suspected links to North Korea’s weapons programme and would ban vessels that had stopped at North Korean ports in the past 180 days.

“We will expand financial sanctions related to North Korea, including 38 North Korean individuals and 24 entities responsible for developing weapons of mass destruction, and two individuals

A1 1

and six entities of third countries that have indirectly supported the North,” a statement issued jointly by several ministries said.

The individuals subject to financial sanctions announced on Tuesday include a Singaporean and a Taiwan national who are heads of a shipping firm and a trading company, the government said.

South Korea also blacklisted a Thai shipping firm called Mariner’s Shipping and Trading and Taiwan company Royal Team Corporation. South Korea will ban those on the list from engaging in financial transactions with South Korean entities and freeze assets that are held in the country, the government said.

Officials of Mariner’s Shipping and Trading declined comment.

One of them referred queries to the Thai foreign ministry and said: “All this has been very bad for us. Very bad for trade.”

Mariner’s Shipping and Trading, with its head office in Bangkok, has operated and financed vessels associated with Ocean Maritime Management Co. Ltd, a North Korean company that has been blacklisted along with the 31 ships it controls.

Taiwan’s Royal Team Corporation, which is believed to have sold parts that were used in North Korea’s long-range rocket launched in 2012, according to a UN panel, did not immediately have comment.

Nineteen of the 31 ships have their automatic identification systems (AIS), a mandatory vessel tracking safety device, switched off, according to Reuters data.

Some have gone silent in the last few days while others have not been online since 2014. One vessel, the 5,686 dwt Hui Chon, is moored at the Russian Far East port of Vostochny.

Port officials could not be contacted because it is a public holiday in Russia. Eight vessels are sailing, while there is no record on Reuters and shipping databases of one of the sanctioned ships.

The Grand Karo, which was turned away at the Chinese port, is owned by Yuanyao Shipping Ltd and managed by Aoyang Marine Company, two Hong Kongregistered firms, according to the Reuters’ Eikon and the Equasis shipping database, although there is no telephone number listing for either company. - Reuters

SUPREME COURT VERDICT

Bangladesh upholds death sentence of Jamaat leader DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence of a top Jamaat leader for war crimes during the country’s independence war in 1971, paving the way for his execution.

Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha announced the apex court’s verdict to dismiss the appeal of Jamaat-e-Islami stalwart and media tycoon Mir Quasem Ali, who was convicted of murder and abduction during Bangladesh’s liberation war. “The sentence (death penalty) is maintained,” Sinha announced in a crowded courtroom.

The decision of the five-member bench of the top court came 16 months after the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced 63-year-old Ali to death for atrocities committed during the liberation war in 1971.

He had challenged the verdict.

He was convicted of running a militia torture cell, Al Badr, that carried out killings of several people.

The court found as valid most of the charges against him, including carrying out murders and tortures siding with the enemy troops in line with the policy of Jamaat, which was opposed to Bangladesh’s 1971 independence.

Ali headed a media corporation before his arrest in 2012. He was the Al Badr’s third most important functionary after Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid. Political analysts said his funding helped the Jamaat secure a strong foothold in independent Bangladesh.

Officially, three million people were killed during the war. - Reuters

MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE

Answers elusive for team investigating Malaysia’s missing MH370 KUALA LUMPUR: Two years after Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared, answers remain elusive with international investigators yet to arrive at a conclusion over what happened to the jet.

The international team looking into the aircraft’s disappearance said in an interim statement released on Tuesday it was still reviewing key information “At this time, the team is continuing to work towards finalising its analysis, findings, conclusions and safety recommendations on eight relevant areas associated with the disappearance of flight MH370 based on relevant information,” the team said in a statement, read out on state television by lead investigator Kok Soo Choon.

The team is led by Malaysia and includes investigators from the United States, Britain, China, France and Australia. The Boeing 777-200ER plane vanished from radar screens shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing, early on March 8, 2014, becoming one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.

Investigators believe the plane, with 239 passengers and crew on board, was flown thousands of miles off course before crashing into the ocean off Australia.

Wreckage and impact information was being considered based on the discovery of a wing part, known as a flaperon, in July last year, the team said.

The flaperon, washed up on Re-

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union island off Madagascar, has been the only confirmed piece of wreckage from the aircraft to be found though Malaysia is investigating two new pieces of debris found in Mozambique and Reunion. The team said the eight areas being looked into included the plane’s diversion from its flight plan, crew profiles, airworthiness and maintenance of the aircraft as well as the aircraft cargo consignment. Some 120,000 sq km of the sea floor is being scoured at a cost of about $124.17 million.

REVERSING ELECTION COMMISSION DECISION

Philippine court shakes up poll race by allowing Poe to run MANILA: The Philippine Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that a senator who spent much of her life in the US is eligible to run for president, reversing a decision by the election commission and putting her in line to reclaim her position as frontrunner.

Voting 9-6, the judges allowed first-term Senator Grace Poe to run in the May election, said court spokesman Theodore Te, a decision that will shake up what is now a tight race to succeed President Benigno Aquino.

Grace, 47, was abandoned as a child in a church and adopted.

She moved to the United States when she was a student and settled there. She had been leading opinion polls, but questions about her citizenship allowed three of her four rivals to catch up.

“This is a victory for the Filipino people, for those oppressed... a victory for women,” Grace told a cheering crowd at an international women’s day celebration at a park in Manila.

“Women’s role goes beyond looking after homes, we can do a lot of things. Let’s make 2016 the year when women triumph in government.”

Aquino, in power since 2010, is barred under the constitution from seeking a second term.

The election is being closely watched by investors who fear the political succession could derail average economic growth of more

CONTENDER: Philippine presidential candidate senator Grace Poe

is interviewed by local media upon arrival to address the International Women’s Day rally by Gabriela Party List women’s group in Manila on Tuesday. - Reuters

than 6 per cent a year and derail efforts to crack down on corruption made under Aquino.

Aquino’s chosen successor, former interior minister Manuel Roxas, is lagging behind in opinion polls, coming third behind Poe and Vice President Jejomar Binay, who was in a statistical tie with Grace in the latest independent poll. Grace has campaigned on a pro-poor campaign, promising to build on Aquino’s programmes of creating jobs and building infrastructure, which have helped propel one of Asia’s fastest growing economies. Edmund Tayao, a political science professor at Catholic-run University of Santo Tomas, said the court ruling could boost Grace’s numbers by at least 10 points, boosting her chances of

winning the May vote.

“This might not be not on the same level of a black swan as it was in 2010 when democracy icon Cory Aquino died, but it could be a game changer,” Tayao said, referring to the landslide victory of Aquino after the death of his mother, who had also been president.

Poe, a former teacher, spent much of her adult life in Fairfax, Virginia, marrying an American of Philippine origin. She returned to the Philippines in late 2004 after her adoptive father, action movie hero Fernando Poe, died and topped the Philippine senatorial race in 2013, running on his legacy. Election officials had disqualified her on the grounds that she had failed to meet a 10-year residency requirement. -Reuters

The team said a full report of its work would only be released in the event wreckage of the aircraft is found or the search ended, whichever comes first.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a statement the search was expected to be completed later this year, and he remained hopeful the aircraft would be found. “If it is not, then Malaysia, Australia and China will hold a tripartite meeting to determine the way forward,” he said. Families of those on board say the search must go on beyond a June deadline.

Investigators said in a report released a year ago there was nothing suspicious in the financial, medical or personal histories of pilots or crew. - Reuters

HOPEFUL: Malaysian women walk in front of a mural of missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 plane in a back-alley in Shah Alam on Tuesday. Malaysia and Australia said they remained “hopeful” of solving the mystery of flight MH370 as the second anniversary of the plane’s disappearance arrived on March 8 with no end in sight for devastated families. - AFP

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READERS’ FORUM Something fishy regarding disappearance of MH370 This refers to the story, ‘Answers elusive for team investigating Malaysia’s missing MH370’ (March 7). It is hard to believe that even after two years no trace of the airliner has been found. The tell tale findings of debris and rotted out suitcases off Reunion and Mozambique seem too ludicrous. In my opinion, something fishy is at hand. It seems either all or certain members of the probe team are intentionally withholding information regarding this incident. Maybe it is all for a greater purpose with the global population being unable to fathom the very nature of the Scan this QR code situation. — Zaytoon Habib, Ruwi to send letters to the Readers’ Forum, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by e-mail (akhtar@ timesofoman.com).

Pakistan cricketers need to perform consistently to win This refers to the report Pakistan can still beat any team in the world, says Yasir Arafat(March 8). It might all be very true that the cricket side can beat any side.

However, that is not the problem, as in a tournament teams have to perform consistently and prove their capabilities day in and day out instead of once in a blue moon. The Pakistani side’s performances reek of infighting, which is something that has been many times before. On this point, the side is just like the West Indies whose players endlessly fight over salaries. — Sandeep Das, Seeb

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Tel: 24838800 | Fax: 24838899 | Email: niamct@omantel.net.om | Website: www.newindiaoman.com True love brings up everything - you’re allowing a mirror to be held up to you daily.

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Gender parity laws need to be carried out by Pakistan

IAN BURUMA

The vogue for referendums today reflects distrust of political representatives. Normally, in a liberal democracy, we vote for men and women expecting them to study and decide on issues that most ordinary citizens have neither the time nor the knowledge to deal with themselves. Referendums are about gut feelings

very year, March 8 is celebrated worldwide in the recognition of women’s political, economic and social achievements, and has been seen to revive efforts towards gender parity. However, this year’s theme #pledgeforparity clearly indicates that a greater commitment is needed to accelerate efforts towards gender equality. Pakistan is among the countries where gender parity is still a distant dream.

Doubtless, Pakistan has made progress in passing legislation for protecting women’s rights.

However, it still lacks infrastructure to implement the legislation. Despite there being a lot of legislation, there is rampant disapproval of women’s rights in the society.

This forces one to wonder whether the state has met its responsibilities, or whether it has prioritised patriarchy.

Women’s position in Pakistani society has improved considerably in that they now have increased access to education, healthcare and media, yet their situation is still similar to their counterparts in other developing countries. Great gender inequality is reflected in the country’s social indicators in which women, rural women in particular, perform poorly.

Women constitute almost half of the total population of Pakistan, yet their participation in national economy portrays a dismal picture.

Those who are in formal sector where they have registered jobs and draw salaries, are subjected to severe discrimination when it comes to the representation on an executive or management level.

Although developed economies also suffer from this phenomenon, cultural barriers for Pakistani women make it an uphill task for them to be part of the management.

Cultural convictions that women are only responsible for childcare and household management further complicate their lives.

In the informal sector where rural women’s contribution is very supportive of the economy, there exists a great disparity in their wages; their performance and circumstances are continuously affected by low wages, the monopoly of the landlord and insecurity as their work is not registered.

Most importantly, the state has so far not succeeded in countering the contradiction between the law and culture; the constitution ensures basic education for all citizens regardless of their gender, yet the state is still unable to provide this pro-

vision to all women because the prevalent culture discourages women’s education and employment.

Therefore, even if improved laws and legislation are introduced, they are not going to benefit women. For example, the law ensures women’s right to property but how many women exercise this right?

There is now a clear law against child marriage, yet many young girls are still forced into marriage because people know that they will escape scrutiny.

Moreover, legislation has been passed barring a second marriage without written permission of the first wife. Furthermore, men know that the state will not take any action against this.

Heinous crimes against women, such as honour killings, acid attacks and rape have also proved unassailable; it is reported that at least 55 acid attacks were made against women in 2015, but only 17 arrests were made in this connection.

This is where the state is failing; it is refusing, or at least condoning, to use its muscles against patriarchal structure.

The state, being the most powerful social institution, can transform society and its perceptions whenever required. As a result, women remain deprived of what has been done for them.

This situation demoralises women and discourages them to raise their voices against oppression, knowing that nobody cares and that reporting will not bring relief to their lives. It is thus in their practical interest to accommodate patriarchy because the very system that exploits them, also provides them with food and shelter.

Therefore, women’s liberation from men’s dominance – both in the public and the private sphere – is still a dream and a distant one.

Therefore, we will keep making calls for #pledgeforparity unless the state becomes adamant to address women’s issues seriously; concrete steps are needed to tackle political, legal and cultural barriers.

But most importantly, the implementation of law is important because legislation without implementation doesn’t yield any fruition; exemplary punishment should be introduced so that heinous crimes against women such as acid attacks, rape, abuse and honour killings should be eradicated.

It is essential to have a growing number of women on executive and managerial positions; this will not only allow women to have their voices heard but will also result in in a gender-balanced leadership. These women will be role models for other women and will inspire them to reach their goals. - Express Tribune.

CLIPPINGS FROM OUR ARCHIVES MARCH 2001 Meeting to highlight private sector role in higher education MUSCAT: The forth-coming 3-day international conference on the future of higher education will primarily focus on the key role of private sector in higher education in the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (AGCC) states in general and Oman in particular, the Ministry of Higher Education told the Times of Oman. “Higher Education is neither a luxury for the wealthy nor a privilege for the talented. It has become necessary in today’s fast-paced information age. The major challenge that the regional universities face today is the restructuring process of existing educational institutions in a way, which enables them to target innovation and overcome their own ongoing crisis of passive tutoring,” the ministry said.

PICTOGRAPH Number of Building Permits

ASH SHARQIYAH 2013

Type of use

2014

Residential

2,766 2,456 Non-Residential

140 169 Mixed

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

1932: Eamon De Valera is elected president of the Irish Free State and pledges to abolish all loyalty to the British Crown.

1959: The Barbie doll is unveiled at a toy fair in New York.

118 116 9.5%

3,024 2,741 Total

1964: The first Ford Mustang rolls off the Ford assembly line.

1941: Svetlana, Josef Stalin’s daughter defects to the US.

Source National Centre for Statistics & Information

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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WORLD Substantive Syria dialogue to start by March 14: UN official tionally. We are guessing that the rockets came from an area under Daesh (IS) control.”

One rocket landed in an area near a hospital, Kara said, adding that one of those killed was a child born in 2011.

A residential area near a high school was also hit and the Turkish military returned fire into Syria, Turkish security sources said.

A large explosion was heard, followed by a plume of black smoke rising up from nearby buildings, live footage from state-run broadcaster TRT World showed.

Kilis schools have been closed but the town is calm, Kara said.

Separately rocked fire from IS-held Syria killed two people, including a young child, were killed in the southern Turkish town of Kilis

G E N E VA / D I YA R B A K I R (TURKEY): The UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura plans to start substantive peace talks by March 14, his spokeswoman said on Tuesday, five days later than his planned start on March 9.

Although the talks will officially resume on March 9, some participants in the talks will only arrive in Geneva on March 12, March 13 and March 14, De Mistura’s spokeswoman Jessy Chahine told a regular UN briefing.

She said the same participants had been invited as in the first round. In Moscow, the Russia’s Defence Ministry said it had registered seven ceasefire violations in Syria over the past 24 hours, RIA news agency reported. The

RELIEF: Members of the Qatari Red Crescent prepare aid, in the form of diesel fuel, to deliver to fami-

lies in need in the rebel-held town of Beit Sawa, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on Monday.

World Food Programme spokesman Hussam Al Salehsaid that 22 trucks would distribute food, flour and medical supplies to the towns of Hammuriya, Jisreen, and Beit Sawa in Eastern Ghouta. — AFP

ministry said four violations had been registered in the province of Aleppo, two in Idlib and one in Latakia.

Meanwhile, two people, including a young child, were killed and another two people were wounded when the southern Turkish

town of Kilis came under repeated rocket fire from across the Syrian border on Tuesday, the local mayor and security sources said.

Kilis, which is near the border, was hit by eight rockets in what was believed to be a deliberate attack from an area of Syria con-

trolled by IS militants, Mayor Hasan Kara told Reuters.

“The first rocket landed in an empty field.

“Then, when people started gathering, they started firing around those areas,” he said.

“They are being fired inten-

US to train opposition Furthermore, a top US general on Tuesday said he is asking for permission to resurrect a US effort to train Syrian opposition fighters to battle IS, but on a smaller scale than the previous, failed program that was scrapped last year.

“I’ve asked for permission to restart the effort using a different approach,” General Lloyd Austin, the head of Central Command which oversees US forces in the Middle East, told a Senate hearing.

Austin said unlike the previous effort, which sought to recruit and train entire units of fighters to redeploy into Syria, the new push would focus on shorter-term training of smaller groups. — Reuters

POST POLL TUSSLE

Slovakia opposition ready to start coalition talks BRATISLAVA: Slovakia’s largest opposition party said on Tuesday it is ready to start talks with five other parties on forming a centreright government if current Prime Minister Robert Fico cannot put together his own coalition.

Richard Sulik, head of the antiimmigration Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, told reporters he believed he could find 87 seats in the 150-seat parliament.

“We are ready to seek what we have in common and we’re ready for compromise,” said Sulik, an economist who authored a liberal tax reform in 2004 that was widely credited with attracting foreign investors to Slovakia and spurring growth. Sulik wants to reinstate the flat tax, after Fico’s governments partially dismantled the system.

Mandate Fico has the first chance to form a new cabinet after his leftist Smer party won Saturday’s national election but lost its majority in parliament. He will receive the mandate from President Andrej Kiska on Wednesday.

With six out of seven other parliamentary groups taking an initial position they would not join a Smer-led cabinet, Sulik may be able to form only a very wide and possibly unstable centre-right coalition. — Reuters

HUNGRY FOR POWER

Venezuela opposition in multi-pronged bid to oust Maduro CARACAS: Venezuela’s opposition alliance launched a campaign on Tuesday to oust President Nicolas Maduro, vowing to hold protest rallies and push for both a recall referendum and constitutional amendment to end his presidency.

“Change is coming and no one can stop it,” the head of the Democratic Unity coalition Jesus Torrealba told reporters.

Hungry for power after 17 years of socialist rule begun by the late Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s opposition capitalised on public ire over the crisis-hit economy to win control of the National Assembly legislature in December.

Now it is counting on a multipronged strategy against Chavez’s successor to bring him down halfway through his six-year term in the South American OPEC nation.

The coalition said its more than two dozen parties had decided unanimously to activate “all mechanisms for change” in the constituCLOSE TO GULEN

Turkey seizes control of Cihan news agency ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities have seized control of the Cihan news agency, according to a statement from Cihan, widening the crackdown against supporters of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, an influential foe of President Tayyip Erdogan.

Cihan said on its website late on Monday an Istanbul court would appoint an administrator to run the agency on a request from a state prosecutor, days after authorities seized control of the leading Gulen-linked newspaper, Zaman.

International alarm That seizure prompted international alarm about press freedom in Turkey and was discussed at Monday’s European Union summit with Ankara over the migration crisis.

France’s foreign minister said the decision to seize control of Zaman, Turkey’s largest newspaper by circulation, was “unacceptable” and went against European values.

Both Cihan and Zaman are part of the Feza Gazetecilik media company.

Erdogan accuses Gulen of conspiring to overthrow the government by building a network of supporters in the judiciary, police and media. Gulen denies the charges. — Reuters

tion in search of a “national unity government.”

Despite the show of unity, however, the coalition is notoriously fractious, with a moderate wing led by twice-presidential candidate Henrique Capriles and a more radical side headed by jailed protest leader Leopoldo Lopez.

Furthermore, the government can count on friendly electoral and judicial institutions to help it frustrate opposition plans with delaying or blocking tactics.

Government figures condemn the opposition’s plans as a USbacked attempt to bring about a coup d’etat in the nation of 29 million people with the world’s largest oil reserves.

“They want rallies to generate violence and bring about a coup, supported by US imperialism,” the Socialist Party’s powerful No. 2 Diosdado Cabello said on Monday.

The opposition vowed to begin rallies from Saturday in Caracas.

Activists will, however, be wary

DETERMINED: Jesus Torrealba, centre,, secretary of Venezuela’s

coalition of opposition parties (MUD), talks to the media next to his fellow politicians in Caracas on Tuesday. The message on the backdrop reads: “With the people and the constitution, we are going with everything”. — Reuters

of repeating the experience of 2014 when protests turned violent, leading to the death of 43 people on both sides, hundreds of injuries, thousands of arrests, and wide-

spread damage to the economy.

That push, led by hardliners, did not win significant support from Venezuela’s poor majority and arguably strengthened Maduro

by enabling him to show a strong hand. Two years on, however, public frustration is high and small protests are breaking out daily over food and medicine shortages, power and water cuts, and transport price rises.

Masked youths calling for Maduro’s resignation faced off with police on Monday in the western city of San Cristobal.

But Torrealba insisted: “We don’t want masks or stones, we want the people in the street peacefully.”

Capriles is pushing a recall referendum, as allowed under Venezuela’s constitution half-way through a presidential term, and has already begun campaigning for it across the country. Under the constitutional terms for the plebiscite, the opposition would need to collect 3.9 million signatures in three days, ratified by the national electoral board, to trigger a referendum three months later.

The number who vote against

Maduro would need to be more than the 7.5 million who backed him in the 2013 presidential election. If authorities delay such a vote into 2017, however, then Maduro’s vice-president would be allowed to complete his term.

The other mechanism sought by the opposition coalition is a constitutional amendment to cut Maduro’s term.

That could be requested either by the National Assembly or 2.9 million voters, clearing the way for a referendum. But Venezuela’s Supreme Court, which has backed the government in a slew of recent controversial rulings, may shoot down any attempt to reduce the current presidential term.

Political risk consultancy Eurasia predicted leading figures in the ruling “Chavismo” movement would rally round Maduro to protect him this year against the opposition, but possibly move against him in 2017 for a change from within. — Reuters

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

GLOBAL EYE

FRANCE: An approaching storm looms over the French riviera city of Nice, southeastern France, on Tuesday. — AFP

TAIWAN: Visitors pose for photo inside an upside down house

in central Taipei, Taiwan, on Tuesday. The exhibit opened from nowday and is slated to last until July 22.— AFP

THAILAND: Thai graffiti artist Asin Acid poses near his graffiti in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday. State repression has unleashed a wave

of artistic expression, say artists and art lovers, and the Thai capital’s art scene is blooming in response to life under junta rule. — Reuters

UKRAINE: People take part in a rally demanding the liberation of Ukrainian army pilot Nadezhda Savchenko by Russia, in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday. — Reuters

BELARUS: Women and girls warm up themselves before participating in a “Beauty Run” during events marking “Women’s Day” in cen-

AFGHANISTAN: An Afghan man exercises in Kabul, Afghanistan on

tral Minsk, Belarus, on Tuesday. — AFP

Tuesday. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016 The deal is a crucial sign of progress for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is battling domestic resistance to get an EU plan for handling the crisis, which brought more than 1 million migrants to Germany last year.

WORLD

Migrants at Greece border undeterred by draft deal Refugees say will not give up trying to reach Europe after EU-Turkey deal; hundreds more arrive in Greece as NATO starts patrols

IDOMENI (GREECE): Refugees and migrants stranded at Greece’s border with Macedonia vowed to keep trying to cross on Tuesday, hours after European Union leaders declared an end to a mass scramble to reach wealthy countries in Europe from war zones.

At least 34,000 people have been trapped in various parts of Greece from a cascade of border shutdowns further north blocking a so-called ‘Balkans corridor’ used by more than a million people since the migratory wave started a year ago.

There was no sign the pressure was easing on Tuesday, as would-be migrants on Turkey’s Aegean coast vowed to continue attempting perilous sea crossings and thousands of people queued at Greece’s northern border for Macedonia to open a border gate.

Greek police say it has not opened in at least 24 hours, but heavy rain and a declaration by EU leaders that a tentative accord reached with Turkey on Monday would close the Balkans route did not dampen their resolve.

“We will stay here even if we all die,” said Kadriya Jasem, a 25-year-old from Aleppo in Syria among at least 13,000 people living in squalor in makeshift camp in Idomeni, a village on the Greek side of the border with Macedo-

HUGE RUSH: People queue for tea, at the makeshift camp of the Greek-Macedonian border, near the

village of Idomeni on March 8, 2016, where thousands of refugees and migrants are stranded. – AFP

nia. She held a four-month-old baby in her arms who she said needed a doctor. “Please open the border, if only for the children,” she said.

At an EU summit on Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told leaders of the bloc Ankara was willing to take back all migrants who enter Europe from Turkey in future in return for financial aid, faster EU entry talks and quicker visa-free travel for its citizens.

People fleeing war and poverty

in the Middle East and beyond have flooded into the EU since early 2015, most making the perilous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece, then heading north through the Balkans to Germany.

EU leaders aim to work out key details with Turkey by the next scheduled summit on March 1718. European Council President Donald Tusk, said the outcome would show migrants that there was no longer a path into Europe for people seeking a better life.

“The days of irregular migration

CELESTIAL EVENT

Tourists flock to Indonesia to see rare total solar eclipse TERNATE/PALEMBANG: Thousands of astronomy enthusiasts are flocking to Indonesia this week to catch a rare event — the country’s first total solar eclipse in nearly 33 years.

The eclipse will be visible in parts of Australia and Southeast Asia, but only some parts of Indonesia will get to see the sun totally eclipsed by the moon early on Wednesday.

The phenomenon has brought tourists flooding into Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, with AFTER THIRTY-THREE YEARS: People test filters for watching a events such as music festivals and solar eclipse near the Ampera Bridge on the Musi River in Palemnight markets organised around bang, South Sumatra province, Indonesia on Tuesday. – Reuters it. “We accommodated tourists as far as our capacity allowed,” said Muhaimin Ramza, manager struggles with poor connectivity year. The last total solar eclipse, in March 2015, was only visible of the Aston Hotel, one of several and infrastructure.

Nearly 10 million tourists vis- from near the North Pole. hotels that are booked out in the Indonesia last experienced a city of Palembang on Indonesia’s ited Indonesia last year and the government hopes to double that total eclipse in 1983 and will have western island of Sumatra.

Despite having tourist poten- number by 2019. But January ar- to wait another 33 years for the tial beyond the popular resort is- rivals of foreign tourists were up next, the country’s meteorologiland of Bali, the vast archipelago only about 2 per cent over last cal agency says. — Reuters REPORT

Russia, Philippines have world’s most women business leaders LONDON: With 45 per cent of senior management positions held by women, Russia has once again topped a ranking of countries with the highest percentage of women in senior business roles, followed by the Philippines and Lithuania, a report published on Tuesday said.

Japan, where only 7 per cent of senior leadership roles are held by women, remained at the bottom of the list. Germany and India ranked slightly higher, with 15 per cent and 16 per cent of women in senior management, respectively.

Globally, only a quarter of senior management positions are held by women, up from 22 per cent a year before, according to “Women in Business” published by the US-

based audit and tax firm Grant Thornton. The number of businesses with no women in senior management has increased to 33 per cent from 32 per cent in 2015, the report, which surveyed 5,520 businesses in 36 countries, said.

“Companies across developed nations have talked the talk on diversity in leadership for long enough,” Francesca Lagerberg, global leader for tax services at Grant Thornton International said in a statement.

“It’s time to put their promises into practice and deliver results.”

With more than a third of senior roles in the region held by women, eastern European countries, among them Estonia, Latvia and Poland, topped the diversity rankings.

Meanwhile, 39 per cent of businesses in G7 countries (Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, Britain and the United States) had no women in senior management positions. “Despite considerable efforts by governments and campaigners across the world’s bestdeveloped economies to ensure best practice they continue to lag behind emerging markets in (the diversity) area,” Lagerberg said.

“This poor performance seems to be at least partly a result of entrenched societal norms. In the UK and US in particular, there are still plentiful examples of a ‘command and control’ approach to leadership which is not necessarily attractive to women.” — Thomson Reuters Foundation

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to Europe are over,” he told a joint news conference with Davutoglu in the early hours of Tuesday.

In Izmir, the main city on Turkey’s Aegean coast, there was little immediate sign that the draft deal with the EU - which could see Ankara receive 6 billion euros ($6.6 billion) in aid - would deter migrants from attempting sea crossings to Greece.

“All countries and their presidents are looking out for their own interests only and taking money on the back of the Syrian people,” said Ibrahim Abdulhamid Ivaki, a Syrian father of four who entered Turkey 20 days ago, dismissing the deal.

“I want to go with my family to Europe,” he told Reuters, as he ate breakfast in an Izmir cafe.

In an abandoned beach house near Cesme, a town on the tip of a Turkish peninsula stretching to-

wards the Greek island of Chios, Afghan migrant Mohammed, 27, said he was aware of the situation on the Macedonian border but would still try to go.

“I heard the latest situation on the border between Greece and Macedonia, but if I pass to Greece I believe that I will find a way to Germany,” he said, adding he had struggled to find work in Istanbul and wanted to join relatives working as builders in Germany.

Idomeni continued to see arrivals on Tuesday morning, albeit at a slower pace, Reuters witnesses said.

There was no let-up in the number of people arriving on outlying islands, with the government reporting 723 new arrivals in the past 24 hours.

NATO began patrols in the Aegean on Monday to support efforts to locate migrant boats, overcoming territorial sensitivities in Greece and Turkey to patrol in the waters of both NATO states.

It was not immediately clear whether Greek authorities planned to remove the migrants from the Macedonian border; a similar operation took place two weeks ago, but then Idomeni hosted about 1,000 migrants and not 13,000-plus.

Macedonia has restricted entry drastically over the past two-anda half weeks, starting by imposing restrictions and not allowing Afghans across, then slowing down the admission rate and the hours the border is open.

Babies sat on cardboard at the frontier on Tuesday morning. It had rained heavily the night before, soaking through hundreds of tiny tents designed for much milder weather. Many people were coughing.

“I’m afraid that we will die here, we are all sick,” said Amina Khalil, 20, also from Aleppo. “We are living like wild animals but if we leave we will lose our priority number to go to Europe, if Macedonia ever lets us pass.” — Reuters

A H E A D O F S TAT E P O L L S

Things are moving in the right direction, says Merkel BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday things were moving in the right direction after the European Union agreed a draft deal with Turkey to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, a touchstone issue for voters in state elections on Sunday.

The deal is a crucial sign of progress for Merkel, who is battling domestic resistance to get an EU plan for handling the crisis, which brought more than 1 million migrants to Germany last year.

“Overall, things are going in the right direction,” Merkel told SWR radio, while trying to assuage worries that Turkey is blackmailing Europe: “No. We are seeking a balance of interests,” she said.

EU leaders welcomed an offer

by Ankara to take back migrants crossing into Europe and agreed in principle to its other demands but delayed a deal until March 17-18.

Concrete steps “Finally, there are concrete steps towards a joint European refugee policy,” said Sigmar Gabriel, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD), the junior partner in Merkel’s ruling coalition.

The CDU and SPD had lost support before Sunday’s votes in Baden-Wuerttemberg, RhinelandPalatinate and Saxony-Anhalt, but Merkel’s own rating rebounded last week from February’s 4 1/2year low in February.

Forsa pollster Manfred Guellner said the draft deal would help shore up her support among Germans, although it would widen the divide separating the CDU and SPD from the anti-immigration AfD party and Bavaria’s conservative Christian Social Union (CSU).

“The majority will say ‘That is Merkel. She is toiling away again... and she is on the right path’,” Guellner said.

But pollsters draw a clear distinction between support for Merkel as chancellor and for her party in the state votes. — Reuters

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

WORLD

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Indonesians call for ban on Donald Trump, his business An online petition urging President Joko Widodo to ban the billionaire and his businesses has received more than 45,000 signatures

BOGOR/JAKARTA: Few villagers living near a half-built golf course in Indonesia’s West Java province know the name Donald Trump, and fewer still are aware that one of his firms will be managing a six-star hotel and luxury resort in their backyard.

But in the capital Jakarta, a growing number of Indonesians want the US presidential candidate and his businesses banned from the nation after Trump pledged to temporarily bar Muslims from entering the United States if elected.

The anger simmering across the Pacific is a likely preview of the strained relations a Trump presidency could expect not only in Indonesia, but from the rest of the world.

Close relations Indonesia has close relations with the United States. Many Indonesians think highly of President Barack Obama, who spent part of his childhood in Jakarta.

“If (Trump) continues his racist position, it will bring danger to American assets,” Hasanuddin, a parliamentarian who is also a member of the assembly’s commission overseeing foreign policy, told Reuters. “Donald Trump’s arrogance could be harmful for US

HOSTILE COMMENTS: US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Concord, North Caro-

lina on March 7, 2016. The anger simmering across the Pacific is a likely preview of the strained relations a Trump presidency could expect not only in Indonesia, but from the rest of the world. – Reuters

citizens around the world.”

Fadli Zon, the deputy speaker of the house, told Reuters he would seek restrictions on US trade and investment if Trump became president.

The United States is Indonesia’s second-largest export market, worth about $16 billion last year, and is a popular study destination with children of the elite.

An online petition, set up anon-

ymously, is urging Indonesian President Joko Widodo to ban the billionaire and his businesses from the country and has received more than 45,000 signatures.

“Donald Trump doesn’t want Muslims of the world to enter the United States... so we should do the same to him,” signatory Ayu Dyah wrote on the petition website. “Condemn, refuse and boycott every Donald Trump

business and his affiliations...We should prove that we have power.”

Widodo has not responded to the petition.

Trump’s comments have already provoked strong reactions elsewhere, with British politicians in January debating barring the real estate tycoon from entering the country, where he also has business interests.

The hostility towards Trump could threaten his company’s expansion efforts into Southeast Asia’s largest economy, Indonesian lawmakers and government officials said.

“It’s just his statement hurts many people in this country,” Edy Putra Irawady, Indonesia’s deputy chief economic minister, told Reuters. “Surely it will be a black

shadow for his business.”

Representatives for Donald Trump did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump Hotels Collection last year announced a partnership with Indonesia’s PT Media Nusanta Citra (MNC) to manage new luxury hotels on Bali and in West Java, the Trump unit’s first foray into Asia.

In Bali, one of Asia’s most popular holiday destinations, Trump Hotels will operate a six-star hotel built atop a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean and Tanah Lot, a popular sea temple located on a small rock formation.

MNC, which will be building both resorts, declined to comment on Trump’s politics.

“Business is business. The implication for wider Indonesia, we have to see later,” said Syafriel Nasution, corporate secretary of MNC Group, adding that he had not seen any damage to the company’s brand due to its relationship with Trump.

MNC Group is controlled by billionaire Hary Tanoesoedibjo, Indonesia’s 28th richest person, who also owns four national television stations and last year launched a new political party.

A senior member of Muhammadiyah said protests were possible if Trump becomes president, though none were yet planned.

“Indonesians are very strongly united,” said Abdul Mu’thi, the group’s secretary general. “If he is elected, there will be a strong reaction from Indonesian communities to any business that is run

by Donald Trump.”

In West Java, near where Trump’s golf resort will be built, one villager said he had never heard of Trump and wouldn’t be protesting against him.

“If we protest, he will likely close his business,” said Agus, who owns a small mobile phone shop.

“And for the time being, earning money is hard.” — Reuters

SOMALIA

Al Shebaab confirm deadly US air strike MOGADHISHU: Somali hardline group Al Shebaab confirmed on Tuesday that the United States had bombed an area it controlled but said the US figure of more than 150 casualties was an exaggeration.

The Pentagon had said it launched air strikes on a training facility on Saturday that had killed 150 fighters with the Al Qaedalinked group in the Horn of Africa nation. “The US bombed an area controlled by Al Shebaab. But they exaggerated the figure of casualties. We never gather 100 fighters in one spot for security reasons.

We know the sky is full of planes,” the group’s military spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters.

He did not give a casualty figure or offer further details about the raid. The strike, using both planes and unmanned MQ-9 Reaper drones, targeted Al Shebaab’s “Raso” training camp, a facility about 120 miles north of the capital Mogadishu, the Pentagon said.

Monitoring The US military had been monitoring the camp for several weeks before the strike and had gathered intelligence, including about an imminent threat posed by those in the camp to US forces and African Union peacekeepers, officials said.

US Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James described the strike as “defensive” in nature.

The African Union AMISOM force, alongside the Somali army, launched a campaign last year that drove Al Shebaab out of its major strongholds. But the group, which wants to topple Somalia’s government, continues to launch raids.

In the past two weeks, its fighters have launched mortar attacks near the presidential palace in Mogadishu, blown up a car bomb near a busy park in the capital, and set off twin blasts in a town northwest of the capital. Dozens of people have been killed. — Reuters

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

OMAN CRUDE RISES

MARKE

Oman Crude (May delivery) reached $37 per barrel on Dubai Mercantile Exchange (DME).

The DME statement on Tuesday said that the price of Oman Crude rose $1.19 compared to Monday, which was at $35.81 a barrel. - ONA

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY LAUNCH THE VIDEO

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

Muscat 5,363.22 - 33.14 - 0.61%

Dubai 3,387.52 + 6.97 + 0.21%

Abu Dhabi 4,551.48 - 14.91 - 0.33%

Saudi Arabia

6,429.94 + 42.50 + 0.67%

Kuwait 5,284.68 + 19.97 + 0.38%

Bahrain 1,163.13 - 9.21 - 0.79%

Qatar 10,341.05 - 27.60 - 0.27%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................ 2.33 Pound ............................................1.81 Indian Rs ..............................173.76 Pak Rs ................................... 267.09 Bangla Taka....................... 201.01

Indian Rs ...................................174.90 Pakistan Rs ..............................271.70 Sri Lanka Rs .................................. N/A Bangla Taka........................... 203.50 Phil Peso .....................................121.70

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......16.20

Oman Crude............. (Spot) ........$35.86 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........$35.86 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$38.83 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$34.86 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ........$39.05 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$40.85

* Rates are as of Mar. 8 Source: Bank Muscat

* Rates as of Mar. 8 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......15.55 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ............152.50 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............143.25 * Rates as of Mar. 8 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Omani firms plan sukuk issue A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com

A real estate firm has approached the CMA for floating a sukuk issue for its second phase development, said a top-level official at the Capital Market Authority

MUSCAT: Several companies in Oman, including a real estate developer, are planning to issue sukuk or Islamic debt instrument.

A real estate company has already approached the market regulator Capital Market Authority for floating a sukuk issue for its second phase development, said Abdullah Salim Al Salmi, executive president of the Capital Market Authority (CMA). However, he declined to name the real estate company that is trying to mop up funds by way of a sukuk issue.

“We have been approached by several companies to issue sukuk.

But there is no concrete proposal yet. There is a big opportunity for corporate sukuk,” added Al Salmi, on the sidelines of IFN seminar on Islamic finance.

“There will be a need for companies to issue sukuk not only by real estate firms but also by banks.”

Al Salmi said that the banks may face liquidity problem and the financial institutions have to issue either sukuk or bond for raising funds to avoid an assetliability mismatch.

The CMA chief also called for Oman government to issue sovereign sukuk, including dollardenominated issues. “That will definitely increase liquidity in the country. We need to create a

secondary market for sukuk instrument.” Oman government issued its maiden sovereign sukuk last year for raising OMR250 million, which received an overwhelming response.

Al Salmi said that without government issuance of sukuk, it will be difficult for the private sector to raise funds because the government issuance sets a benchmark or yield curve for the private sector. Both capital market debt instruments like sukuk and Islamic banks should grow side by side.

Developing a vibrant sukuk market is also important for government to raise money for funding infrastructure projects in a Sharia-compliant manner.

Abdullah Salim Al Salmi, executive president of the Capital Market Authority. - Picture by O K Mohammed Ali/Times of Oman

B2

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

MARKET Islamic banks’ market share in the Sultanate set to touch 10% by 2018 Gross assets of Oman’s Islamic institutions touched OMR2.25b in 2015, accounting for a 7.45% market share of total bank assets

A. E. JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman’s Islamic financial institutions are showing robust growth with the value of gross assets touching OMR2.25 billion by the end of 2015, accounting for a 7.45 per cent market share of the total banking industry, said Hamoud Sangour Al Zadjali, executive president of the Central Bank of Oman (CBO).

Islamic banks and window operations are expected to ramp up this market share to 10 per cent of the entire banking industry by 2018.

Addressing the Islamic Finance News (IFN) seminar on Islamic finance here, the CBO chief said gross finance had also grown to touch OMR1.78 billion by 2015end, indicating a market share of 8.86 per cent. All these achievements were reported within a

short span of about three years, despite initial teething problems faced by these institutions.

Al Zadjali, who delivered the key note address, said two full-fledged Islamic banks and six Islamic banking windows have been established, which have a combined network of 60 branches spread across the country. “Eight more are in the process of being established.”

Meanwhile, Abdullah Salim Al Salmi, executive president of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), said that takaful (Islamic insurance) institutions in Oman have reported a market share of 8.7 per cent.

“This is a starting point and the future is positive,” added Al Salmi, while participating in a panel discussion on Islamic banking and finance in Oman. “Being a late entrant, we have had the opportunity to learn from the experience of other countries, which

Hamoud Sangour Al Zadjali, executive president of the Central Bank of Oman, speaking at the event.- O. K. MOHAMMED ALI/Times of Oman

helped us to avoid the mistakes,” noted Al Salmi.

The CBO chief noted that the Sultanate, being a late entrant, had benefited immensely from the experience of other countries.

“The hallmarks of our approach have been adopting of accounting standards of Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) and guidance by Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) standards in the beginning itself.”

Al Zadjali also noted that much emphasis had been laid on the training of staff, creating awareness among the public and disclosures.

CBO has been receiving representations from Islamic banking entities and they are being looked into with the objective of removing obstacles without diluting Sharia principles. Al Zadjali said Islamic banking entities have been forced to penetrate into business finance more and more, initially deemed to be difficult.

He also noted that a series of sukuk (Islamic bond) issues and the simultaneous development of the takaful business are positive signals for the all-round development of Sharia-compliant businesses in Oman.

Dr Jamil El Jaroudi, chief executive officer of Bank Nizwa, said the banking penetration level in Oman was pegged at 14 to 16 per cent, which is against an average penetration level of 20 per cent in the Gulf. “Out of the total OMR2 billion added as deposits, 40 per cent of it was from Islamic banks.

This shows that there is still room for this industry to grow,” added Dr Jamil.

Islamic banking seminar Solidifying Oman’s position in the

global Islamic financial markets, Bank Nizwa, in partnership with IFN, a leading online industry journal, brought together more than 200 leaders, regulators, industry experts and partners for the inaugural “Islamic Finance News Oman Seminar and Dialogue 2016.”

Featuring a series of panel discussions, case studies and presentations, the event highlighted the opportunities available in the fast-growing Omani Islamic market for both capital-raising and investment.

Times of Oman was the media sponsor of the Islamic Finance conference.

The first panel discussion focused on Oman’s changing financial landscape and its outlook within five years. Providing insight into the market and how best to maintain the growth of corporate and retail banking was a panel featuring CMA’s Al Salmi, and Bank Nizwa’s El Jaroudi, among other industry experts.

Commenting on the seminar, El Jaroudi said, “Bringing such a groundbreaking event to Oman reflects the Sultanate’s stable macroeconomic environment and the rapid development of Islamic banking over the last few years.

Despite being a relatively young in-

Regulation on sukuk soon: CMA Times News Service MUSCAT: A new regulation governing sukuk or Islamic bonds will be issued soon, said Abdullah Salim Al Salmi, executive president of the Capital Market Authority.

Developing a vibrant sukuk market is vital for meeting the funding requirements of both private and public sectors, including for the small and medium enterprises.

dustry, Islamic banking has grown by leaps and bounds, gaining momentum on the back of continuous innovation, outreach programmes, expansive services and exceptional customer service.” >B3

ECONOMY

German factory output rises FRANKFURT: German industrial production jumped by the most in more than six years in January, in a sign that strong domestic demand may be helping to underpin output even as external trade cools.

Production, adjusted for seasonal swings, climbed 3.3 per cent from the prior month after retreating a revised 0.3 per cent in December, data from the Economy Ministry in Berlin showed

on Tuesday. That’s the biggest increase since September 2009 and the first gain in three months. It was stronger than all projections in a survey of economists, which had a median forecast for 0.5 per cent growth.

While German consumers continue to spend robustly and investment and construction bounced back from December, manufacturers still face a number of challenges this year. A China-led slowdown

in emerging markets is slowing exports and market volatility has dealt a blow to business confidence and factory orders.

“It is a good start for the German economy in the new year,” said Ralph Solveen, head of economic research at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. “We don’t think that this will start a lasting uptrend.”

Solveen had the highest forecast for production in the survey, at 2 per cent. - Bloomberg News

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

B3

MARKET ISLAMIC FINANCE

< FROM

B2 Islamic banks to grow As such, this seminar provided market players and regulators with an opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices, as well as identify prospects for growth and draw-up a strategic but more importantly implementable roadmap that leads to more milestones.”

The event also featured other panel discussions and roundtable debates that focused on asset management, investments, and sukuk.

They featured speakers, including Mohammed Jawad bin Hassan, advisor to the Ministry of Finance; Ahmed Al Mamari, director general of the Directorate of Insurance Supervision, CMA; Mohammed Sajari, senior manager Sharia Structuring at Bank Nizwa; and Dr Ashraf Al Nabhani, general manager, Corporate Support at Bank

Nizwa, who participated in his capacity as chairman of the Muscat Securities Market.

Islamic Finance News is a digital, subscription-based publication available online and through smartphone and tablet applications. Published weekly, the journal provides exclusive and comprehensive coverage of the global Islamic financial markets through in-house analysis and expert external contributions; in addition to a daily news service, additional quarterly supplements and a variety of special annual issues.

The leading publication started 2016 with this industry seminar in Oman after organising similar events during 2015 in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.

Oil rally halts near $40 United States crude oil supplies probably rose 3.5 million barrels last week.

HONG KONG: Brent oil halted gains after rising above $40 a barrel for the first time since December on estimates that United States stockpiles, already at the highest in eight decades, expanded further.

Futures of the European benchmark lost as much as 1.6 per cent in London. US supplies probably rose 3.5 million barrels last week, according to a survey before government data on Wednesday. Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said Latin American producers will meet on March 11 to discuss oil prices, while Russia said major suppliers may meet within weeks. China’s crude imports rose to a record in February, while product exports fell to the lowest in nine months.

Oil in London has advanced

more than 40 per cent since slumping to a 12-year low in January amid speculation a proposal to freeze production will trim a global glut. A meeting among major producers to discuss capping output may be held in Russia, Doha or Vienna sometime between March 20 and April 1, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on state television last week.

“This is just the start of what is a long road to re-balancing ahead,” Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at consultants Energy Aspects, said in a report. “With supply losses rising, prices have little reason to test the lows again,” yet a “runaway increase in prices now may delay some of the re-balancing that has started.”

Brent for May settlement fell as

much as 65 cents to $40.19 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange and traded at $40.60. The contract climbed $2.12 to $40.84 on Monday, the highest close since December 4.

The global benchmark crude was at a premium of $1.03 to West Texas Intermediate for May. China imports WTI for April delivery dropped as much as 1.5 per cent to $37.35 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The contract gained $1.98 to $37.90 on Monday, the highest close since December 24. Total volume traded was about 19 per cent above the 100-day average.

“Fundamentals are not there yet, but we’ve also seen a change in sentiment now over the past couple of weeks,” Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, said in a Bloomberg Television interview. “The market is starting to believe now we have seen the low.”

China increased crude imports by 19 per cent in February to 31.8 million metric tonnes from a

month earlier, according to data from the Beijing-based General Administration of Customs on Tuesday. That’s equivalent to about 8.04 million barrels a day, the highest daily average on record.

Oil product exports slid a second month to 2.99 million tones.

US crude output fell for a sixth week to 9.08 million barrels a day, according to Energy Information Administration data. Stockpiles are at 518 million barrels, the most since 1930. There will probably be a price correction by the end of the year, Suhail Al Mazrouei, energy minister of the United Arab Emirates, said Monday. Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela agreed last month they would freeze output, if other producers followed suit, to tackle a global oversupply in the oil market. - Bloomberg News

HAVE YOUR SAY

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

B4

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

MARKET OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 5,396.36 .............. 5,363.22 ................... 5,363.22 ...................5,396.36................ -33.14 .................. -0.61 Financial Index .....................................6,628.77 ...............6,587.57 ....................6,587.57 ................... 6,628.77................-41.20 .................. -0.62 Industrial Index ................................... 6,633.82 .............. 6,624.04 ...................6,624.04 ................... 6,633.51.................. -9.47 .................. -0.14 Services Index ...................................... 3,086.62 ...............3,071.94 ................... 3,071.94 ...................3,086.04................ -14.10 .................. -0.46 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................834.54 ...................831.51 .......................832.21 .......................834.51..................-2.30 .................. -0.28 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 12,291,549 ................. 3,087,903 .....................841 .............. 16,372,608,900 ...................1 ......................16 ....................30 .........................47

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 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 .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS .............................................................77,520 ............ 23,979..................... 10 ............0.310 ........... 0.316 ...........0.306........... 0.310 .............0.310............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.306............. 0.304...................0.306 ..................15,500,000 .........0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ..........................................................5,000 .............. 4,840........................1 ........... 0.968 ...........0.968 ...........0.968........... 0.964 .............0.964 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.968..............0.948...................0.964 ................ 192,800,000 .......0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ...................................73,869 ............. 19,798........................7 ........... 0.268 ...........0.269 ...........0.268........... 0.268 .............0.268 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.268..............0.268...................0.269 .................359,310,347 ........0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .......................................................12,176 ................1,176........................4 ........... 0.097 ...........0.097 ...........0.096........... 0.097 .............0.097 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.096..............0.096...................0.097..................194,030,341........0.100

Muscat Securities Market. – Times file picture

OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY........................................8,000 .............12,345........................2 ............1.545 ........... 1.545 ...........1.530 ............1.545 ............. 1.545............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.530 .............. 1.525...................1.530..................138,586,500........0.100 OM0000001822............UNITED POWER .................................................................393 ...............1,293........................1 ........... 3.290 ...........3.290 ...........3.290........... 3.290 .............3.290 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................3.290..............3.290...................3.310....................2,632,000 ..........1.000 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 220,953 ............13,452......................12 ........... 0.062 ...........0.062 ...........0.060........... 0.061 ............. 0.061............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.060..............0.060...................0.061...................12,636,234 .........0.100

MSM index ends lower

OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ............................... 155,000 ...........44,205........................9 ........... 0.285 ...........0.286 ...........0.285........... 0.285 .............0.285 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.285..............0.285...................0.286 ..................84,420,899.........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 296,627 ............51,910......................16 ............0.175 ........... 0.175............0.175 ............0.175 ............. 0.175............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.175 .............. 0.165...................0.175 ..................249,381,325........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ........................................... 75 ...................143........................1 ........... 1.900 ........... 1.900 ...........1.900........... 1.900 .............1.900 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................1.900..............1.900...................2.000 .................180,500,000 .......0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 260,100 ........... 36,404........................9 ............0.138 ........... 0.140 ...........0.138 ........... 0.140 .............0.140 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.140.............. 0.139...................0.140...................43,507,092 .........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES .............................5,000 ..................460........................1 ........... 0.092 ...........0.092 ...........0.092........... 0.094 .............0.094 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.092..............0.092...................0.094 ................... 5,531,262 ..........0.100 OM0000003141 ............ACWA POWER BARKA ................................................. 2,475 ............... 1,554........................1 ........... 0.628 ...........0.628 ...........0.628........... 0.624 .............0.624 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.628..............0.628...................0.000 ..................99,840,000.........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 676,000 ............43,314.....................22 ........... 0.064 ...........0.065 ...........0.064........... 0.064 .............0.064 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.064..............0.063...................0.064 .................. 18,558,761 .........0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER......................................................................30 .....................10........................1 ........... 0.334 ...........0.334 ...........0.334........... 0.352 .............0.352 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.334............. 0.000...................0.334 .................. 77,795,520 .........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 266,389 ......... 185,073.....................22 ........... 0.696 ........... 0.696 ...........0.692........... 0.696 .............0.696 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.692..............0.692...................0.696..................453,057,184 ........0.100 OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ......................................150 ..................690........................1 ........... 4.600...........4.600 ...........4.600 .......... 4.600 .............4.600 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................4.600 ............ 4.400...................0.000 ..................44,988,994 ........1.000 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH..................................................... 500 ...............1,250........................1 ........... 2.500...........2.500 ...........2.500 .......... 2.500 .............2.500 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.500 .............2.450...................2.500 ................ 238,642,988 .......1.000 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER.......................................................... 52 .....................10........................1 ........... 0.200...........0.200 ...........0.200 .......... 0.200 .............0.200 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.200 .............0.196...................0.200 .................134,977,486 ........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER ............................................................ 58 .....................12........................1 ........... 0.208...........0.208 ...........0.208 .......... 0.208 .............0.208 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.208..............0.198...................0.208 .................148,596,519 ........0.100 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE .................................55,000 .............13,090........................8 ........... 0.238 ...........0.238 ...........0.238........... 0.238 .............0.239 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.418................0.238..............0.236...................0.237...................23,800,000 ........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS .................................................. 95,218 ............ 39,039......................13 ............0.410 ........... 0.410 ...........0.410........... 0.410 .............0.412............-0.002 ........... -0.485 ...............0.410 ..............0.408...................0.410...................21,525,000 .........0.100

Phoenix Power, up 0.69 per cent, was the

OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ..........................55,500 ................7,701......................12 ............0.140 ........... 0.140 ...........0.138 ............0.139 .............0.140 ...........-0.001 ............-0.714................0.138 .............. 0.138...................0.140................... 17,360,816 .........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 2,943,536...1,255,643................... 172 ........... 0.430 ...........0.430 ...........0.420........... 0.426 .............0.430 ...........-0.004 ........... -0.930 ...............0.420..............0.420...................0.422 .................976,316,426........0.100

day’s only gainer while Omantel, with loss

OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ....................... 136,211 ............ 26,644..................... 23 ........... 0.200...........0.200 ...........0.193 ............0.196 ............. 0.198............-0.002 ............-1.010................0.193 .............. 0.193...................0.196...................18,627,840 .........0.100

of 2.19 per cent, was the top loser

OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 109,590 .............. 7,895......................13 ........... 0.073 ........... 0.073 ...........0.072........... 0.072 .............0.073 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.370................0.072..............0.072...................0.073...................12,600,000.........0.100

OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 118,050 ..............17,661......................16 ............0.150 ........... 0.150 ...........0.149........... 0.150 ............. 0.152............-0.002 ............-1.316................0.149 .............. 0.145...................0.149..................216,216,000........0.100

OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 100,000 ........... 27,000........................2 ........... 0.270 ...........0.270 ...........0.270........... 0.270 .............0.274 ...........-0.004 ........... -1.460 ...............0.270............. 0.000...................0.270 .................417,076,707 ........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 407,353 ............81,435...................100 ........... 0.203 ...........0.203 ...........0.199 ........... 0.200 .............0.203 ...........-0.003 ............-1.478................0.199 ..............0.198...................0.199.................. 40,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 785,901 .........138,924................... 123 ............0.180 ........... 0.180 ...........0.175 ............0.177 .............0.180 ...........-0.003 ............-1.667................0.175 .............. 0.176...................0.177 ...................26,563,275 .........0.100

MUSCAT: Aggressive selling by foreigners in banking stocks and regional selling in telecom sector pushed down the MSM30 Index to 5,363.22 points, down 0.61 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index declined 0.28 per cent to close at 832.21 points. Bank Muscat was the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. Phoenix Power, up 0.69 per cent was the day’s only gainer while Omantel, with loss of 2.19 per cent, was the top loser.

As many as 841 trades were executed on Tuesday, generating turnover of OMR3.1 million with 12.3 million shares changing hands. Out of 47 traded securities, one advanced, 16 declined and 30 remained unchanged.

Omani Investors remained net buyers for OMR953,000 while Foreign Investors were net sellers for OMR573,000 followed

by GCC & Arab investors for

OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 148,932 ........... 45,647......................21 ............0.312 ........... 0.312 ...........0.306........... 0.306 .............0.312............-0.006 ........... -1.923................0.306..............0.306...................0.310....................6,426,000 ..........0.100

OMR380,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index declined strongly by 0.62 per cent to end at 6,587.57 points. Al Anwar Holding, Bank Dhofar, Al Madina Takaful, Bank Sohar and Bank Muscat decreased 1.67 per cent, 1.46 per cent, 1.37 per cent, 1.32 per cent and 0.93 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index ended the session at 6,624.04 points, down 0.14 per cent. Gulf International Chemicals, Oman Fisheries, Al Jazeera Steel and Al Maha Ceramics declined 1.92 per cent, 1.72 per cent, 0.71 per cent and 0.49 per cent respectively.

Services Index retreated 0.46 per cent to finish at 3,071.94 points. Phoenix Power, up 0.69 per cent was the only market gainer.

Omantel, Renaissance Services, OIFC and Port Services decreased 2.19 per cent, 2.17 per cent, 1.48 per cent and 1.01 per cent respectively. — United Securities

OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 200,000...........36,000........................5 ............0.180 ........... 0.180 ...........0.180........... 0.180 .............0.184 ...........-0.004 ........... -2.174................0.180.............. 0.175...................0.180................... 52,317,184 .........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 336,437 ......... 527,067..................... 72 ............1.575 ........... 1.590 ...........1.500............1.565 .............1.600 ...........-0.035 ........... -2.188 ...............1.570 .............. 1.570...................1.590................ 1,173,750,000 ......0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 7,552,095 ...2,665,665...................703 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......33........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000005963 ...........PHOENIX POWER ...................................................... 530,361............. 77,416..................... 33 ............0.145 ........... 0.146 ...........0.145 ........... 0.146 ............. 0.145.............0.001 ............. 0.690 ................0.146 ..............0.146...................0.147..................213,539,813 ........0.100 OM0000001178 ............MUSCAT GASES .....................................................................31 .....................25........................1 ............0.816 ........... 0.816 ...........0.816 ........... 0.828 .............0.828 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.816 ............. 0.000...................0.816.................. 24,840,000 ........0.100 OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS .......................................................305 ...................138........................1 ........... 0.454 ...........0.454 ...........0.454........... 0.450 .............0.450 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.454..............0.460...................0.494 ..................70,875,000.........0.100 OM0000001723 ............OMAN ORIX LEASING ................................................. 1,500 ...................191........................1 ............0.127 ........... 0.127 ...........0.127 ............0.127 ............. 0.127............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.127 ..............0.123...................0.127................... 30,655,773 .........0.100 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................... 46,011 ............... 3,175........................7 ........... 0.069 ...........0.070 ...........0.068........... 0.069 .............0.069 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.068..............0.068...................0.069.................... 5,189,352 ..........0.100 OM0000002580 ...........OMAN EDU. & TRIN. INV. HOLDING......................4,800 .................. 787........................ 1 ............0.164 ........... 0.164 ...........0.164............0.157 ............. 0.157............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.164 .............. 0.153...................0.164...................10,990,000.........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 368,750 ........... 25,334......................18 ........... 0.069 ...........0.069 ...........0.068........... 0.069 .............0.069 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.068..............0.067...................0.068..................103,500,000 .......0.100 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK.............................................. 1,341,443 ........ 76,462..................... 28 ........... 0.057 ........... 0.057 ...........0.057........... 0.057 .............0.057 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.057..............0.057...................0.058...................57,000,000.........0.100 OM0000001590............MUSCAT FINANCE..................................................... 43,000 ...............5,547........................5 ............0.129 ........... 0.129 ...........0.129........... 0.129 .............0.130............-0.001 ........... -0.769 ...............0.129 ..............0.128...................0.129...................32,458,783 .........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES ..................................................... 232,944............13,288..................... 10 ........... 0.058 ...........0.058 ...........0.057........... 0.057 .............0.058 ...........-0.001 ............-1.724................0.057..............0.056...................0.057.................... 7,125,000 ..........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 2,569,145 ......202,363...................105 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......10........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

BONDS AND SUKUK MARKET ......................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ................................................143 .....................16........................1 ............0.109 ........... 0.109 ...........0.109........... 0.109 .............0.109 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.109............. 0.000...................0.000 ................... 7,793,500 ..........0.100 OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ......................................... 2,125,341 ...... 214,726..................... 29 ............0.105 ........... 0.105 ...........0.101 ............0.101 ............. 0.101............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.101 .............. 0.101...................0.107...................32,283,910 .........0.100 OM0000005971 ............B.MUSCAT COMPL. CONVR. B.B.3.5 ........................ 1,110 ...................105........................1 ........... 0.095 ........... 0.095 ...........0.095........... 0.095 .............0.095 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.095..............0.095...................0.100...................30,795,353 .........0.100 OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ........................ 43,715 ...............5,027........................2 ............0.115 ........... 0.115............ 0.115 ............0.115 ............. 0.117 ............-0.002 ............-1.709................0.115 ..............0.105................... 0.117 ................... 34,816,148 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 2,170,309 ...... 219,875..................... 33 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........4........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Renault Duster 4X4 comes with unmatched features Customers can now avail fantastic benefits and assured cash back

MUSCAT: Renault Duster 4x4 from Suhail Bahwan Automobiles, the exclusive importers and distributors is a breakthrough vehicle in its segment.

The Renault Duster 4x4 is capable of meeting all the challenges: tackling the city with its robust design or heading off the beaten track with its all-terrain capabilities. Thanks to its reinforced underbody, its high ground clearance and light weight, it demonstrates superb agility and enhanced offroad performance when handling uneven surface. The Renault Duster 4X4 is the real off roader made for your active lifestyle, says a press release.

Offer highlights Customers will be entitled to

receive assured cash gift of OMR750 on Renault Duster PE 2.0, SE 2.0 and LE 2.0 (2 Wheel Drive) and Duster PE 2.0, SE 2.0 and LE 2.0 (4 Wheel Drive) along with other benefits that include free registration, six years unlimited mileage warranty and two years/30,000km free service (whichever is earlier).

Customers will also receive free AAA/Road Assistance card for the first year only and as supported by AAA Oman.

The scheme is applicable for all customers purchasing Renault vehicles for personal use only.

The Duster 4X4 features a new front-end with a redesigned grille, two chrome-plated strips and a new air intake. The double-optic front headlamps including daytime running lights enhance its unique character. The new 16” black diamond alloy wheels reinforce its assertive look.

Inside, the Duster 4X4 comes along with a brand new dashboard, redesigned seats with beige upholstery and many other features. It has been upgraded to deliver more comfort and reflect its exterior styling.

The vehicle provides advanced technology - rearview camera en-

ables to detect and avoid potential obstacles and with the cruise control / speed limiter, mastering and modulating the speed of the car will be easy. The new Media Nav 2.0 multimedia system gives easy access to highly practical features thanks to its 7” touch screen: 2D or 3D navigation, audio streaming, hands-free Bluetooth.

With a high seating position, the Duster 4X4 gives an excellent visibility to the driver. In addition, it comes with many safety features as standard: ESP (Electronic Stability Program), ABS

B5

(Antilock Braking System), Tyre Pressure Monitoring, ISOFIX for child seat, front driver & passenger airbags.

The new Duster 4x4 is a travel companion equally equipped for day-to-day life as it is for adventure. Its off-road capabilities make it one of the most enjoyable vehicles in its category. Thanks to its intuitive 4WD technology, its light weight and high ground clearance, it can adapt to every situation in complete safety.

Drivers enjoy a reassuring, high-up seating position which

gives them better visibility of potential hazardous situations, while all versions are equipped with safe, precise power steering that delivers a good standard of driving pleasure. Depending on trim level, the driver’s seat comes with height adjustability to help find the ideal driving position. Drivers are also pampered by the height-adjustable steering wheel (Depending on trim level) and user-friendly steering wheelmounted controls.

Thermal comfort has been engineered to meet the challenge of the GCC punishing climate.

Particular care has been taken with the routing of ducts to ensure fast cooling after starting in extreme heat.

Suhail Bahwan Automobiles is largely committed to supporting Renault Oman’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class aftersales services in Oman.

With a national network of more than 80 showrooms, service centers and parts outlets, SBA has further built upon its legacy of trust, excellent customer service and providing value for money to each of its customers.

CODE OF ETHICS

Arab Open University holds workshop on research ethics MUSCAT: The Arab Open University (AOU) recently held a workshop on research ethnics for its academic staff.

Aim The aim of the workshop was to discuss the code of ethics that was prepared by the university, says a press release.

The AOU continues in assisting its faculty to comply with the Research Code of Ethics as prescribed in its Research Code of Ethics document, which includes significant research elements such as integrity, accountability, responsibility, research standards and ethical principles.

Further, the document suggests that researchers must confirm with objectivity, originality, fairness, trust, respect, confidentiality and responsibility.

Validity The workshop was facilitated by Dr Mohammed Banihani, from the AOU Department of Education, who stressed that integrity and validity of any research are based on the conformity of the researcher to research ethical requirements.

The AOU continues with its support to good research practices.

LITERARY CONTEST

The Zubair Corporation partners with Bait Al Qasham MUSCAT: To promote and encourage literary talent in Oman, The Zubair Corporation will support a competition to be organised by Bait Al Qasham, a publishing house.

The contest titled ‘The Zubair Corporation and Bait Al Qasham Joint Literary Competition’ is open for talented writer and poets under the age group of 30 years, says a press release.

While the first phase of the competition to be held in March will focus on poetry, the second part to be held in June will focus on story writing.

The agreement to this effect was signed The Zubair Corporation and Bait Al Qasham during the Muscat Book Fair. As part of the contest, The Zubair Corporation will present a trophy and cash award to the winners.

The competition is being held for the first time in Oman and the general objective of the contest is to increase the level of interest in literature and to encourage people to start writing poetry and fiction. Through the contest the organisers hope to stimulate an interest in and provide encouragement for the development of good creative writing.

Stressing that initiative is part of the company’s strategy to engage with the community, Mohammed Al Hasani, chief of Corporate Communication at The Zubair Corporation said, “The purpose of the contest is to acknowledge and provide a platform for creative talent in the field of literature. It will draw attention to young talented writers of our country. This will give an opportunity for poets and fiction writers to display their

work in the public arena.”

Al Hasani also said, “Poetry and story writing provides people with an interesting challenge, one that is often personally rewarding. We are confident that this will be op-

portunity to discover the many talented young poets and writers we have in this country. We also hope that participating in this contest will inspire them to compete at an international level too.”

Thanking The Zubair Corporation, Mohammed Saif Al Rahbi, CEO, Bait Al Qasham, “We are delighted that they have partnered with us to organise this poetry contest. We believe this competition will encourage the resurgence of poetry and literary writing. It will help participants build self-confidence and also learn and to contribute to Oman’s literary heritage.”

Al Rahbi also said, “Contests have always been an important part of the literary world, giving poets and writers the chance to have their work reviewed by experts.

We at Bait Al Qasham are sure that by organising this competition we can help authors gain exposure and even refine their craft.”

An established name in the literary world will be the judge for the contest. The judge will choose the top three submissions as the win-

ners of the contest. An analysis and critique of the winning three submissions which will be written by the judge will be published in the magazine Al Takween.

The deadline for the receipt of entries for poetry contest is tomorrow.

The Zubair Corporation has been contributing to the advancement of the literary scene in Oman through its various programmes. Under the The Zubair Corporation’s ‘Iqra’ initiative, three libraries were opened in Nizwa Hospital, four in Royal Hospital, three in Rustaq Hospital and three in Ibra Hospital.

Besides to recognise the writing talents of well-known and aspiring local authors, The Zubair Corporation has stocked all its libraries established under the ‘Iqra’ initiative with books written by Omani writers.

EXHIBITION

N U R T U R I N G L O C A L TA L E N T

AVOD represents Oman at Gulfood 2016 MUSCAT: Areej Vegetable Oils and Derivatives (AVOD) once again participated and showcased its high quality products at Gulfood 2016, one of the world’s biggest annual food service, hospitality and retail event held at the World Trade Centre in Dubai recently.

“Gulfood is the GCC’s leading exhibition for the F&B industry and we are honoured to have represented Oman in this annual event. For us, it is a great oppor-

tunity to strengthen our business tie-ups and expansion plans within and outside Oman. We showcased our popular brands along with the newly launched Areej Cooking Oil to attract potential customers in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

"We also introduced our recently launched corporate philosophy – Eat Right, Live Well – to our customers in the region. Generally, edible oil is considered not reasonably good, when it comes to

healthy eating. We want to clear this misperception.

"As the largest manufacturer of edible oil in Oman, we can confidently say that oil is an essential part of the nutrition and diet and it is very healthy, if used in right amount and balanced with an active lifestyle.

"Hence, one has to eat right and follow a balanced lifestyle to improve the quality of one’s life, says Salem Al Bortmany, executive director, AVOD.

LEARNING JOURNEY

NBO participates in SQU Career NCP launches 5th module with & Training Opportunities Fair world-class business school MUSCAT: National Bank of Oman, announced its participation in the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) Career & Training Opportunities Fair 2016, a three-day event that commenced on Monday at the Culture Centre of the SQU Campus.

The event which will conclude today, enables the bank to identify highly talented candidates from the university’s student body, says a press release.

The bank’s HR representatives are present at the dedicated NBO stand to discuss employment and training opportunities with the students while accepting their job applications and résumés. Sales representatives are also available onsite to discuss the product and service offerings.

Commenting on the participation, Nasser Al Hajri, general manager, chief human resource officer and head of Corporate Affairs at National Bank of Oman said: “We are committed to harnessing and

I am confident that our participation in this unique platform will help us attract Oman’s talent pool that will help in shaping up the future of the banking sector Nasser Al Hajri

GM, chief human resource officer and head of Corporate Affairs, NBO

nurturing local talent, and we are looking for high calibre students who are interested in a career in the banking sector.

"I am confident that our participation in this unique platform will help us attract Oman’s talent pool that will help in shaping up the future of the banking and the wider financial services sector in the Sultanate.”

The SQU career fair, now in its 17th year, attracts about 15,000 visitors annually and is considered an excellent platform for university graduates and students to find opportunities in the labour market.

The fair also assists participating institutions to accelerate their Omanisation plans through direct contact with over 3,000 graduates.

National Bank of Oman’s participation in the fair is aligned with the bank’s goal of increasing its nationalisation levels and providing competitive career and training opportunities to young Omanis.

MUSCAT: The National CEO Programme (NCP), a pioneering platform with the objective of developing world-class Omani business leaders, has launched its fifth module on a learning journey with the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), one of the world’s leading business schools.

During the module, entitled ‘Inspirational Leadership’, participants are spending five days immersed in an intensive learning programme of cutting-edge interactive knowledge sessions at IMD’s campus in Lausanne, Switzerland, says a press release.

As knowledge partner to the NCP, IMD will deliver extensive training in leadership, impactful communications and strategic thinking. Whilst teaching on the first two days of Module 5, Robert Hooijberg, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at IMD, commented, “There are many buz-

zwords in management, such as ‘empowerment’, ‘change management’, ‘employee engagement’, and ‘leading without formal authority’.

In this module we take a deeper look at what these concepts really mean in practice, how you can apply them and what they can deliver in terms of both personal and organisational benefits.”

Later in the week, Cyril Bouquet, Professor of Strategy at IMD, will be teaching a session designed to develop ‘outside the box’ or unconventional thinking. The session will introduce a framework to promote radical, innovative thinking in exciting new

ways. He said, “The successful managers we meet at IMD often know what it takes for companies to succeed. They have learnt through experience what works, what doesn’t, and why. But too much comfort in thinking can hamper one’s ability to rejuvenate a business when needed. I look forward to discussing why it makes sense to explore alternate approaches to thought and ultimately decision making. This will give us strategies that we can apply to think differently about the opportunities we see for businesses, and therein enable us to find new ways to innovate.”

B6

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

ROUND-UP Malabar Gold launches Studs & Drops Festival This 32 days long festival runs from today till April 10

MUSCAT: Malabar Gold & Diamonds, the leading jewellery retailer announced the details of its unique campaign - ‘Studs & Drops Festival’ in its outlets in Oman showcasing an extensive collection of earrings, giving its customers a unique chance to witness and own studs and drops from over 20 countries in gold and diamonds. This 32 days long festival runs from today till April 10, says a press release.

The jewellery chain presents a marvellous range of earrings and studs for today’s woman, keeping in mind the different roles she plays at work and at home and the

way she adorn herself differently on special occasions and in everyday life.

This exclusive festival gives its customers a unique chance to choose from a stunning collection of earrings designed and handcrafted by skilled artisans around the world, ranging from light weight, daily wear to party wear in traditional as well as international designs to suit every occasion.

Apart from these, Malabar Gold & Diamonds also showcases an incredible collection of unique

designs in gold and diamond jewellery from Italy, Turkey, Bahrain and India to suit the tastes and budget of its different customers. Customers can also choose gifts to their loved ones from their branded jewellery segment that includes Era - Uncut Diamond Jewellery, Ethnix - Handcrafted Designer Jewellery, Mine - Diamonds Unlimited, Precia- Precious Gem Jewellery and Divine –Indian Heritage Jewellery & Starlet – Kids Jewellery.

To add customer’s delight, the

E X PA N S I O N

group also offers ‘Zero Deduction Exchange’ facility through which customers can update their old ornaments to the latest collection of Malabar Gold & Diamonds without any loss.

Any 22ct old gold ornaments can be exchanged with the latest Malabar Gold & Diamonds designs by paying only making charges ensuring they don’t lose any value on the rate of gold.

In Oman, Malabar Gold & Diamonds operates outlets at Darsait, Baushar, Ruwi, Seeb, Sohar (two showrooms) and Salalah (two showrooms).

Malabar Gold & Diamonds is always at the forefront when it comes to promotions and festivals. The immaculate collection of studs and drops are available at its outlets in UAE, Oman, Kuwait, KSA, Singapore and Malaysia with its unique exchange offers and buyback policies.

The jewellery chain offers lifetime free repair and maintenance service for all its products.

RECOGNITION

Qatar Airways receives Bank Muscat award for excellent performance MUSCAT: Qatar Airways, Qatar’s national carrier, was the recipient of the Bank Muscat Award for Excellent Performance in the ‘Airlines Category’ for the year 2015, during a ceremony held recently at the InterContinental Hotel Gardens in Oman.

The award was received by Ishfaq Jalal, vice president GCC, Levant, Iran, Iraq and Yemen - Qatar Airways, says a press release.

The annual awards, now in its 11th year, is held to honour, recognise and celebrate the success of the bank’s top partners for their contributions to electronic payment which is fast becoming the preferred mode of secure payment.

For more than 15 years, Qatar Airways has offered direct flights from Qatar to Muscat. In 2013, the airline launched direct flights to Salalah, further opening up Oman to customers across its network of more than 150 places.

Jalal said: “Qatar Airways is

proud to have served Oman for over a decade, opening up Muscat and Salalah to passengers from around the world via our hub in Doha. It is an honour to receive this recognition from Bank Muscat, which echoes our commitment to Oman and to our customers. The award is also a testament to our signature five-star service and we look forward to our customers experiencing the very best in comfort and convenience when they travel with us.”

RECOGNITION

SPAR opens its fifth outlet Golden Group of Companies

chairman bags Al Roya Award

MUSCAT: SPAR Oman launched its 5th store in the Mumtaz area in Muscat recently.

Spread over 3,400 sqft the new SPAR store will have an assortment of daily essentials, giving customers convenience and access to top quality retail products and services.

The latest SPAR store was launched by Natasha Yahya Mohammed Nasib, director - Yahya group and Kanan Kapadia, director - SPAR Oman. Sridar M., CEO SPAR Oman and Devendra Kumar, Head Retail, SPAR Oman were also present, says a press release.

SPAR is known for its focus on fresh categories like fruits and vegetables, butchery, fishery and bakery. The store has been designed thematically by SPAR UK Team, and is expected to suit the growing

needs for shoppers in Muscat.

“When you talk about retail technology, SPAR brings in world class technology in terms of layout and design for the Omani shopper. Our focus has always pivoted

around freshness, choice and value with excellent customer service. The store was launched with fabulous promotions and great prices matching hypermarkets,” said Devendra Kumar.

Golden Group of Companies in Oman in the year 1982. The Golden Group has 10 companies with a solid presence in hotel industry, oil and gas, retail in furniture, commercial agencies, real estate, logistics, travel and tourism, investments, construction and founding some financial institutions in the Sultanate of Oman and the Gulf region.

The Golden Group of Companies and its approach to brand building is a fusion of ideas which evolved from years of experience, research and consultancy. All of this activity has been centred around Al Ghazali’s vision of developing a solid corporate brand that signals quality, reliability, flexibility and honesty.

MUSCAT: Sheikh Salim bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Ghazali, chairman of Golden Group of Companies and one of the most prominent businessmen in Oman, was awarded at the Al Roya 5th Business Awards ceremony by Ahmed bin Nasser Al Mahrizi, Minister of Tourism, recently.

The award this year witnessed a participation of 118 contestants under different categories and the participation was open since late January 2016, says a press release.

He earned his bachelors and masters degrees in international business administration from Boston University, USA in 1978, and a few years after his return to the Sultanate he established the

COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAMME

HI-TECH GADGET

Samsung unveils new Galaxy smartphones in Oman MUSCAT: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd launched newest additions to the Galaxy family of products, Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge to consumers in the Sultanate of Oman at the Crowne Plaza Muscat yesterday.

Created for today’s consumer lifestyle, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge lead the industry with a refined design, more advanced camera, streamlined software functionality and unparalleled connectivity to a galaxy of products, services, and experiences.

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge will be available at all major retailers in Oman starting from March 14, says a press release.

“The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are very bold representations of our commitment to the hundreds of millions of people around the world who love our products and inspire our work.

Class-leading camera technology, a longer-lasting battery, cutting edge processors and optimisation for gaming are just some features will make these the most innovative smartphones you’ve ever owned,” said Tarek Sabbagh, head of IT and Mobile Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics.

Advanced camera Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge introduce the first dual pixel camera on a smartphone, delivering brighter and sharper images, even in low light. Thanks to the revolutionary dual pixel technology, brighter lens with wider aperture, and bigger pixel, the camera has a faster shutter speed and a more accurate autofocus even in low-light conditions. Motion panorama, a new camera mode, brings movement to traditional panoramic photos, giving the user a completely immersive visual experience.

Refined design and function The 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 and 5.5inch Galaxy S7 Edge are constructed with 3D glass and metal – all in a sleek design with durability and ergonomic curves for a comfortable grip. From work to play, the

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge are very bold representations of our commitment to the hundreds of millions of people around the world who love our products and inspire our work. Class-leading camera technology, a longer-lasting battery, cutting edge processors and optimisation for gaming are just some features will make these the most innovative smartphones you’ve ever owned Tarek Sabbagh Head of IT and Mobile Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics

device’s new Always-On Display, gives users a simplified, zero touch experience where they don’t need to worry about missing a call or important notification.

Without compromising design, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge both have increased utility with IP68 water and dust resistance.

Edge UX, the advanced edge experience available on Galaxy S7 edge, provides convenience and increased efficiency by creating easy shortcuts to users’ most loved functions such as e-mail, selfie mode, panorama mode or third party applications.

Enhanced performance Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge deliver fast wired and wireless charging technology. Additionally, the hybrid SIM card tray allows users to insert a microSD card for up to 200GB of additional storage and in some select countries, the tray can be used with a dual SIM card.

Samsung also made significant hardware and software updates

to optimise gaming performance on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

The powerful processor and bigger battery capacity ensure longer playing time, and the internal cooling system keeps the device from overheating. Game Launcher, a new add-on for gamers, allows users to manage battery consumption and minimise notifications.

Additionally, users can record their gaming experience or share their screen to play with others.

Paired with Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, Vulkan API gives users the ability to play high-performance graphic games with lower battery consumption.

The Galaxy experience Samsung Gulf Electronics has also announced the launch of the Galaxy Entertainer application in conjunction with the launch of the flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones. The partnership with the Entertainer maximises the user experience for consumers in the Gulf region, by offering

more than 1,000 ‘buy 1 get 1 free’ offers that provides unparalleled access to several global hotspots including restaurants, cafes, premium spas, leisure attractions, golf courses, luxury hotels and much more. The combined value of the benefits (inclusive of international locations) is estimated to be over OMR40,800 worth of savings.

Samsung continues to push the boundaries of hardware, software and services to create devices that are designed to improve how consumers connect, share, organise and get more out of life. The company is redefining what is possible, beyond the limits of today’s technology, by introducing a constellation of seamless mobile experiences.

Whether it’s the seamless connection between Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge and the new Gear S2 Classic and Sport to monitor fitness, or connecting with Gear VR to ‘travel’ the world – Samsung redefines what’s possible for the mobile experience and beyond.

Orpic celebrates graduation of 320 Omani trainees MUSCAT: Orpic (Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries) recently celebrated the graduation of 320 Omani trainees at a gala ceremony in Sohar.

These graduates are part of Orpic’s comprehensive training programme which Orpic undertakes on a yearly basis. The event also celebrated the completion of training programme for 23 employees which was conducted in India, says a press release.

The event, which was held under the auspices of Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, Ministry of Manpower, felicitated employees from different disciplines such as Engineering (Bachelor’s), Instrument Engineers, Electrical Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Chemical Engineers.

Engineering; Internal Audit, Procurement, Engineering (Diploma); Field operators, Instrument technicians, Electrical technicians, Mechanical technicians, Document controllers, HSE analysts, etc. The ceremony was also presided by senior government officials, dignitaries, CEO of Orpic and the executive team.

The students underwent an intense four-month classroom training and eight months onthe-job training. For diploma holders, the schedule included six months classroom training and six months on-the-job training.

Orpic firmly believes in supporting the national In-Country

Value programme and hence believes in nurturing and developing young Omanis to take on roles in line with the company’s long term strategic growth plan.

Since the programme commenced in 2011, Orpic has trained more than 1,000 young Omanis to take on positions across different internal disciplines. Over the next years, the Orpic training programme will aim at training more than 500 new graduates to join a competent national cadre to operate the current and upcoming plants.

Speaking on the occasion Nofal Al Saidi, GM – Human Resource Services, Orpic, stated, “Orpic has an ambitious plan to expand its business through its investments in Sohar Refinery Improvement Project, Liwa Plastics Industries Complex, Muscat Sohar Product Pipeline with a total cost of approximately $9b which will be commissioned over the next three years. This means that our need for both new and skilled manpower will increase tremendously. As part of our commitment to support the national drive, we have be training and developing young Omanis to take on various roles. Their development will also be supported by mentors and function heads who will actively seek to nurture and guide these young minds into a bright future whilst bring the potential of our people alive.”

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Bank Muscat takes part at SQU career fair A regular participant at the SQU career fair, Bank Muscat seizes every opportunity to extend support to Omani nationals seeking career development and training opportunities

MUSCAT: Bank Muscat, the flagship financial services provider in the Sultanate, evoked strong appeal as the ‘best place to work in Oman’ as a large turnout of prospective job seekers visited its stall at the Career and Training Opportunities Fair organised by Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).

The 3-day annual event inaugurated by Dr Abdullah Nasir Al Harrasi, chairman of Public Authority of Radio and Television, ends today, says a press release.

Highlighting the career development and training opportunities available to qualified Omani nationals, the bank personnel are

on hand to meet enthusiastic job seekers and interact with them on various career options.

Hundreds of youth, especially the graduating students, submitted CVs, expressing keen desire to work with the Sultanate’s leading financial institution.

A regular participant at the SQU Career Fair, Bank Muscat seizes every opportunity to extend support to Omani nationals seeking career development and training opportunities.

Over the years, Bank Muscat has adopted innovative strategies to equip Omani employees to take up leadership positions in tandem with future challenges. The bank has developed a comprehensive Learning & Development strategy

for skill and knowledge enhancement vis-à-vis the requirement of various departments.

The bank continuously invests to build human capacity and has been able to derive maximum mileage out of its HR processes as most of its middle and senior management cadres are drawn from within the bank. Bank Muscat has the distinction of outstanding leadership at all levels and has achieved 94 per cent Omanisation, giving priority for Omanis to occupy important positions.

The bank’s human resources strategy is also notable in maintaining gender diversity as 48 per cent of employees are women holding various positions, including senior management positions.

Bank Muscat reckons its key strength is its competent people and is focused on equipping them to make vital contributions to the bank’s growth and success. The bank plays a prominent role in the development of Omani talent and is committed to investing in improving their skill and expertise to support the growth and development of the bank.

Bank Muscat is the first bank in the world to win the prestigious Level 3 People Capability Maturity Model (PCMM) certification

by Carnegie Melon University, USA. The PCMM certification groups Bank Muscat with an elite group of global organisations which have achieved benchmark HR standards.

INSPIRES OMANI STUDENTS

SQU partners with BAE Systems, MoE to host STEM workshop MUSCAT: Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) recently hosted STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) workshops and career presentations for young Omani students, in partnership with BAE Systems and the Ministry of Education (MoE).

Supporting Oman’s National Agenda, these workshops are designed to inspire and excite students to pursue higher studies in STEM subjects leading to careers in technology and engineering.

The workshops were led by young engineers from BAE Systems and the career presentations by undergraduate volunteers from SQU, says a press release.

SQU undergraduates and young engineers from BAE Systems inspired 120 students from schools in Dakhliyah, Batinah South and Muscat recently to consider a career in engineering through hands on workshops and interactive presentations.

SQU’s undergraduate volunteers gave the school students a tour of SQU’s College of Engineering and showed the students what it is like to study at the university.

The MoE completed the event with a careers lecture on subject selection for higher studies and university application procedure.

Prof. Abdulnasir Hossen, the assistant dean for Undergraduate Studies at the college thanked Her Highness Al Sayyidah Dr

Mona bint Fahad Al Said, SQU assistant vice chancellor for International Cooperation for her continuous support to all the events of the collaborative nature with national and international organisations and companies.

Demonstrating technology in action, a replica Typhoon aircraft cockpit, provided by BAE Systems, which the students were able to sit in and explore, proved to be a highlight of the event. This replica cockpit has functioning displays and controls including a joystick and throttle, just like a real aircraft.

Matthew Foster, GM, BAE Systems Oman, commented: “We are delighted to have worked with SQU on inspiring young Omanis to consider careers in engineering. As a global defence and aerospace company, we work with schools and universities all over the world to develop the skills and interest of young people in technology and engineering and our STEM workshops allow our young engineers to share their experiences in Oman.”

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LIMITED TIME OFFER

Omantel campaign to offer free silver number to new Mada subscribers MUSCAT: Omantel, the leading provider of integrated telecommunication services in the Sultanate has announced the launch of an exclusive campaign offering a free silver number to new Mada subscribers.

Limited edition silver numbers are normally available from Omantel for OMR50, however for a strictly limited period, new subscribers to any of the three Mada post-paid packages will receive a free silver number valued at OMR50 when choosing a 12-month contract. The limited period offer applies to all new subscribers on the Mada20, Mada liberty and Mada infinity plans, says a press release.

Commenting on the unique and personal appeal of an Omantel silver number, Shadli Thabit Al Abdul Salam, senior manager of Segment Management at Omantel noted, “Mada plans offers loads of features and flexibility to customers. The new silver numbers offer adds more value to the Mada postpaid packages.”

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The limited period offer applies to all new subscribers on the Mada20, Mada liberty and Mada infinity plans “The silver numbers offer proved to be extremely popular among our customers, as we received hundreds of requests every week from customers who want to express their personal style and individualism with a silver number.

We wanted to celebrate the unique personal style of each and every one of our valued customers, so we are pleased to announce that for a limited time, new Mada20, liberty plus and infinity subscribers will receive a complimentary silver number. A silver number is a great expression of individuality and allows our customers to really stand

out among their friends, peers and colleagues.”

Omantel’s Mada packages offer the complete mobile Internet solution, supported by the wide coverage of Omantel’s 4G and 3.5G networks. The available Mada packages are truly unique in terms of value, coverage and boast numerous benefits, meaning customerscan select the plan that bests suits their personal needs.

“2015 was a great year for Mada, and 2016 will be even better. There is no better time than now to join Mada and get a special silver number. Every one of our customers is unique and likes to be recognised as such – and with Mada, they can do just that and much more.

We place a great importance on enriching the lives of our customers, enabling the digital society to flourish and delivering a world of valued services. The Mada packages add real value to all our services, giving customers the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of value benefits customised to their needs,” Abdul Salam noted.

‘Alizz Express’ system makes transactions faster and easier MUSCAT: Customers of alizz Islamic bank can now complete a myriad of transactions themselves with a lot of ease, thanks to ‘Alizz Express’, a system that uses game-changing and state-of-theart technology, which will revolutionise the customer experience.

The bank, which offers topnotch retail and corporate banking solutions, has installed ‘Alizz Express’ systems in all its branches across the Sultanate. Next to each machine is a sign detailing the instructions for how to use the system, says a press release.

When a customer opens an account with the bank they will get a debit card instantly and then they will be taken to the ‘Alizz Express’ system where the bank’s customer service representative will explain to them the service and show them how to set up an Internet banking account. The customer will be asked to enter their debit card number and will be asked to create a user name and a password. This will activate the Internet banking account and they can begin

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performing various transactions which include but are not limited to making transfers, paying utility bills, checking account details and transactions and making fast payments to their credit cards.

The customer service representative will remind customers of two important things. Firstly,

the account information is confidential and should not be divulged to anyone. Secondly, they can contact the bank Customer Call Centre anytime if they have forgotten the login name and password and ask the centre to retrieve their personal information.

Moosa Al Jadidi, deputy general manager and head of Retail Banking at alizz said, “The bank possesses a robust and modern technology infrastructure that will surely provide customers with innovative financial solutions that meet their expectations. Customers now no longer have to wait in long lines for a teller to execute a transaction. They can just head to any Alizz Express counter and perform any transaction easily, fast and securely. We believe in constantly coming up with innovative new products for customers that are unique from other banks. There is so much that our customers can do with ‘Alizz Express’ Self Service Kiosk available in all our branches without going to the branch teller.”

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All-new Audi A4 launched in Oman ments the work of the front-wheel drive and the quattro drive.

The new-generation Audi A4 is a fascinating synthesis of technology and aesthetics

MUSCAT: Wattayah Motors, the exclusive importers and distributors of Audi vehicles in Oman, unveiled the all-new Audi A4 to its top officials and media guests.

The new-generation Audi A4 is a fascinating synthesis of technology and aesthetics. All the technology in the brand’s bestselling family car has been redeveloped, so that it yet again defines the benchmark in the segment. During the development work, high priority was placed on the reduction of CO2 emissions. All technologies were focused on reducing drive resistance, says a press release.

“With improved levels of standard technology, the Audi A4 is not only positioned to appeal to existing customers in the region, but will also attract a new range of buyers looking for a premium and stylish sedan,” commented David Ryan, general manager, Audi Oman. “Today we have vehicles that cater to almost every customer segment. We are confident that with the emergence of the A4, there will be a consolidated shift towards this segment in the future,” concluded David Ryan.

The A4 sedan has the best drag coefficient in its class at 0.23. The new models also have impressively low CO2 emissions. The most powerful engine for the Middle East will be a four-cylinder unit with 252 hp, S-tronic with quattro wheel drive. Driver assistance systems and infotainment are of luxury quality. A new generation of four-cylinder TFSI engines with newly developed combustion methods sets benchmarks in terms of fuel consumption, emis-

sions and performance for fourcylinder gasoline engines. Three different TFSI models are now available: The 35 TFSI with 150 hp (1.4engine), 40 TFSI with 190 hp (2.0 engine) and the top of the range engine 45 TFSI with 252 hp (2.0 engine).

At 4.73 metres long and with a wheelbase of 2.82 metres – the new Audi A4 has a confident stance on the road. A prominent horizontal line on the front and rear emphasises the car’s width.

The flowing design with concise lines communicates the sporty elegance of the brand. The single frame grille is wide and low; the optionally available headlights in LED and Matrix LED technology (including dynamic turn indicators) make technology a visual trademark.

Compared with the previous model, the car’s dimensions have grown but its weight has been reduced significantly – by up to 120 kilograms, depending on the engine.

The body of the new Audi models is one of the lightest in its class thanks to an intelligent material mix and lightweight construction.

The Audi A4 is a leader in its class also in terms of noise levels. All occupants enjoy generous space; the smooth lines emphasise the width of the interior. The front of the dashboard features a broad band of air outlets and a large decorative surface. At night, optional discreet contour lighting illuminates the doors and the central console.

The quality of workmanship is uncompromisingly high. Colours and materials follow a new line concept allowing customers even more freedom during configuration.

to bring consumer electronics innovations into the vehicle quickly.

The Audi smartphone interface is a new feature. It integrates iOS and Android mobile phones into an environment developed especially for this purpose – Audi MMI. The Audi phone box connects smartphones to the on-board antenna and charges them inductively according to the Qi standard. For discerning hi-fi fans, the Bang & Olufsen Sound System with innovative 3D sound is available, which introduces the additional dimension of height. The new Audi tablet can also be used as flexible rear seat entertainment.

Intelligent technologies The new model offers an abundance of intelligent technologies, the use of which is even more intuitive with the new Audi MMI display and control concept. Technological highlights of the new A4 include the Audi virtual cockpit, the Audi Matrix LED headlights, the Audi smartphone interface, the Bang and Olufsen Sound System with 3D sound, the Audi phone box with wireless charging, the head-up display and new driver assistance systems like the parking assist, rear cross-traffic assist, exit warning, collision avoidance assist, turn assist and the Audi presense systems.

The focus here is on two innovations. The optional Audi virtual cockpit, a fully digital combination instrument, features a 12.3-inch LCD screen that displays the most important information in brilliant

high-resolution graphics, with great detail and sophisticated effects.

The MMI control concept in the centre console is also a newly designed feature and acts as the main control element. The top-end infotainment system, MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch and a large 8.3-inch monitor, has a touchpad in the rotary controller to zoom in and out and to enter characters.

The entire MMI control logic is similar to that of a smartphone and includes an intelligent free-text search function. The new, more natural, voice-control system also understands input in normal everyday language, such as “I want to call Peter Miller.”

Computing power MMI Navigation plus is backed by the computing power of the second-generation modular infotainment platform, which allows Audi

Powerful 4-cylinder engines The new Audi A4 will be launched in Oman with three TFSI engines.

Their power output has increased significantly and ranges from 150 hp to 252 hp, but fuel consumption has been reduced by up to 21 percent. All the engines combine high efficiency with sporty power delivery and smoothness.

The new Audi A4 has a groundbreaking innovation for the gasoline engines: The 2.0 TFSI ultra with 190 hp uses an absolutely new combustion method that makes it especially efficient and allows fuel consumption of 4.8 litres per 100 km and CO2 emissions of 109g/km.

The powertrain and the chassis of the new Audi A4has been completely redeveloped. The sevengear S tronic (now also available for front-wheel drive) has been redesigned; the automatic transmission now offers a fuel-saving freewheeling function. Wheelselective torque control supple-

Driving dynamics The handling of new A4 makes a great leap forward: on the one hand sporty and performance oriented, but with a focus on comfort at the same time. The suspension and steering filter out disturbances such as an uneven road surface, but communicate to the driver important information such as increases in lateral forces and tracking. This performance is based on the redeveloped five-link axles and the electromechanical power steering – they are exceptionally light. They lay the foundation for dynamic handling and first-class ride comfort while also reducing fuel consumption.

Additional options are dynamic steering, which varies its ratio according to the car’s speed and the steering angle, and suspension with adjustable shock absorbers with which the driver can for the first time select between two settings: sports or comfort. Both of suspension settings are included in the Audi drive select drivingdynamics system, which is standard equipment for models with engines 190 hp and above.

Widest range in its class The Audi A4 sets the benchmark in its class with numerous driver assistance systems. Audi active lane assist helps drivers to stay in lane and the Stop & Go adaptive cruise control including traffic-jam assist eases driving in slow-moving traffic. One special feature of trafficjam assist is its control strategy. It takes into account a large number of parameters such as road markings and the traffic ahead. Some more innovations that make important contributions to safety are parking assist, rear crosstraffic assist, exit warning, collision avoidance assist, turn assist and the Audi pre-sense systems.

Its standard equipment is even more comprehensive than that of its predecessor. It includes xenon headlights, keyless go, a Bluetooth interface, Audi drive select and a 7-inch MMI colour display.

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World T20 campaign issued a clarification.

Zaidi said: “We were told by the ICC to give one warning before ‘mankading’ the batsman.”

Though ‘mankading’ was the focal point of media briefing, Sultan also took the opportunity to talk about Oman’s opening match against Ireland and their chances of success.

He stressed that Oman is looking to cause a flutter in the tournament.

“Since the Asia Cup qualifiers, we have got into a momentum. And the warm-up win against Scotland has done a lot of good to our confidence,” said the Oman captain.

“We will play our own style of game and we know if our bowling, fielding and batting clicks then we will be on the top,” he added.

Asked about Wednesday’s match against Ireland, their first outing in the four-team group, Sultan said: “All three teams are strong and if we do our best, history can be made.”

“Be it Ireland, Netherlands or Bangladesh, we look to them as ‘similar opponents’. All the boys in our team are ready... we fear none,” he added.

with a Group A preliminary round match against Ireland and captain Sultan Ahmed said ‘if we do our best, history can be made’

T.K. MOHANDOSS

sportseditor@timesofoman.com DHARAMSALA: What’s wrong in ‘Mankading’? Oman captain Sultan Ahmed shot back as he was forced to go on the offensive with the international media hurling a barrage of questions on the subject during a press conference at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday.

The official match-eve press conference was meant to preview Oman’s opening Group A preliminary round match of the ICC World T20 against Ireland but the media preferred to grill skipper Sultan referring to a ‘mankading’ incident by a Oman player during their recent Asian Cup qualifying campaign.

Stating ‘this is well within the spirit of the game’, Oman captain questioned the liberty taken by the batsmen while also justifying the

SCENIC VENUE: Snowclad mountains form the backdrop as members of Oman team, along with Oman

Cricket offiicials, pose for a group photo at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday. – Times Sport

bowlers right to ‘mankade’.

“Why are the batsmen shooting off the crease before the ball is being bowled,” questioned Sultan.

The ‘Mankad’ rule is still questionable but the governing body

the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to change the law.

To cause a flutter “If it is within the ICC laws, I don’t think we have done anything

wrong,” explained Sultan.

After the ‘Mankading’ incident at the Asia Cup, Oman thinktank too was prepared for the barrage of questions from the media and team manager Jamil Zaidi also

Irish objective Sultan also sees no concerns in playing the match in the night.

“We have been here some days ago. We have also played against Himachal team and got good exposure. The conditions don’t worry me, but I hope our successful collective effort brings laurels.”

On the other hand, Irish skipper William Porterfield, a veteran by all means, said: “It’s a 3-on-3 (three wins out of three) for us.

We will work to our strengths to achieve that.”

“We have been out of action for some time now and coming into this big tournament, to perform well is a big ask. But we are prepared well and raring to go,” added Porterfield.

Speaking about Oman, he said: “Oman have played more matches than us. But we hope to do well.”

Porterfield also had to respond to ‘mankading’ queries and the Irish captain sounded more diplomatic. “Yes we all know that it (mankading) doesn’t depict good spirit. But if ICC still has the law in draft nothing can be said,” he said.

Going by history, Dharamsala has offered some high scoring games and Porterfield agreed the lush green outfield and pitch can’t change more.

“I think going by history there will be more runs. A good stroke can fetch runs on this fast-paced field. I am expecting it but let’s hope it’s doesn’t change,” said Porterfield, who played a captain’s knock in a warm-up match against Hong Kong at the same ground.

But that comfort level of a winning start was rudely shaken with a defeat against Zimbabwe at the same venue.

“That’s the virtue of the format and we have to face it,” said the Ireland skipper.

After two-days of heavy rain dropping ice-lets, Tuesday was bright and sunny with all preparations at the venue going on in full swing.

If rain permits, Wednesday will witness an exciting double header.

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It’s history in the making for Oman Cricket, says Pankaj

CONFIDENT: Oman Cricket board member Pankaj Khimji, standing right, poses for a photo with na-

tional team members at HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday. – Times Sport

T.K. MOHANDOSS

sportseditor@timesofoman.com DHARAMSALA: As Oman gears up for their opening Group A match of the ICC World T20 against Ireland, Oman Cricket board member Pankaj Khimji claimed it to be ‘history in the making for the Sultanate’.

“It’s a big day for Oman and the game of cricket in the country and

we are looking forward for the game,” said Pankaj after Oman’s practice session at the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium. “I hope we make a great start and the boys I am confident will do it.”

Meanwhile, Oman Cricket General Secretary Madhu Jesrani was brimming with enthusiasm. “I am looking forward for the big day. Nothing better can be

visualised now. Let’s hope we will have an evening to cherish,” said Madhu Jesrani.

Oman team manager Jameel Zaidi, who had earlier clarified that ‘Mankading’ will not be adopted without prior warning, said: “After Scotland victory team spirit is high and we are confident team will excel in all departments — batting, bowling and fielding — which is crucial ingredient for victory.”

Zimbabwe survive Hong Kong scare Invited to bat in the Group B contest, Zimbabwe posted 158 for eight and then overcame some anxious moments before managing to restrict the rivals to 144 for six

NAGPUR: Zimbabwe relied on their experience to tame a fighting Hong Kong by 14 runs in the opening match of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers at VCA stadium, in Nagpur on Tuesday.

Invited to bat in the Group B contest, Zimbabwe posted 158 for eight and then overcame some anxious moments before managing to restrict the rivals to 144 for six.

Zimbabwe opener Vusimuzi Sibanda top scored with a 59-run knock that came off 46 balls with five boundaries and a six.

Down the order, Elton Chigumbura played an unbeaten cameo of 30 runs that helped the side cross the 150-run mark.

Hong Kong skipper Tanwir Afzal returned impressive figures of two for 19 in his four overs. Young paceman Aizaz Khan also scalped two Zimbabwe batsmen.

Hong Kong made a sedate start to their chase but accelerated in the middle overs before losing quick wickets towards the fag end to fall short by 14 runs.

Hong Kong players showed a lot of heart and at one stage looked on course to score an upset win when skipper Tanwir Afzal went hammer and tongs.

Opener Jamie Atkinson batted extremely well by scoring 53 off 44 balls but he got out in the 17th over.

Hong Kopng then lost Anshuman Rath (13) Nizakat Khan (0) in successive balls in the 19th over.

Skipper Afzal struck unbeaten 31 in just 17 balls but that proved insufficient as it only reduced the margin of defeat.

Donald Tiripano (2/27) and Tendai Choitara (2/28) shared four wickets between them.

Zimbabwe next play Scotland while Hong Kong will clash with Afghanistan on Thursday at the same venue.

Brief Scores: Zimbabwe 158 for 8 in 20 overs (V. Sibanda 59, E. Chigumbura 30 n.o.; T. Afzal 2/19) bt Hong Kong 144 for 6 in 20 overs (J. Atkinson 53, T. Afzal 31 n.o.; D Tiripano 2/27, T Chitara 2/28). - PTI WORLD T20

Uncapped Lewis replaces injured Simmons in Windies squad KINGSTON: Uncapped Evin Lewis has been named to replace the injured Lendl Simmons in the West Indies squad for the World Twenty20 in India.

The experienced Simmons was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury.

“The 24-year-old left-handed batsman will join the team ahead of the start of the global event,” the West Indies Cricket Board said in a statement.

Lewis has represented Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean T20 and the Champions League and impressed chairman of selectors Clive Lloyd, who led West Indies to two 50-over World Cup triumphs.

“Evin Lewis a young and exciting batsman who we believe he will fit into the team set-up very well. He has the ability to perform at this level of the game,” Lloyd said. - Reuters

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

SPORTS ‘Improving’ Bangladesh take on hopeful Dutch desh domination in this round.

Bangladesh captain Mortaza lamented the lack of time to acclimatise to the Mashrafe Mortaza

Peter Borren

mance should hold them well.

“We are coming from hot and humid conditions and this change in weather will surely affect us, but we are trying to cope up with it,” the captain said.

However, he did not agree with favourites tag given to Bangladesh in Group A. “Yes we are improving well in this shorter format, but even though we reached the final of Asia Cup that doesn’t put us above all. The other teams (Oman, Ireland and Netherlands) are equally good and any day they can make the grade,” said the generous captain speaking in English first and then Bengali.

“Tomorrow’s match is in the day, but I am worried about the next two matches that will be played in the night,” he said.

Bangladesh play their last encounter against Oman.

“We are obviously playing well at this moment, out bowlers are the key and of course Mahmudullah and Shabir, who are in terrific form,” he said, adding: “We are worried about our spin department driven by veteran Sakib Al Hassan. Definitely Sakib has not been in good touch, but I think conditions here will suit him well.”

chilly conditions in Dharamsala, but said the Asia Cup performance will stand in good stead

TK MOHANDOSS

sportseditor@timesofoman.com DHARAMSALA: Fresh from the Asia Cup final shock against India, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza was unassumingly mixing caution with confidence.

Speaking on the eve of Bangladesh’s opening Group A match against the Netherlands on Wednesday, Mortaza lamented the lack of time to acclimatise to the chilly conditions in Dharamsala, but said the Asia Cup perfor-

Musatfizur condition The Bangladesh captain, however, did not give a clear picture on the recovery of his key bowler the leftarm pacers Musatfizur Rehman.

“Will he play or not, I think you will have to wait till tomorrow as we have not decided on the playing eleven yet,” said Mortaza. “But I want him to play and the physios are working on him.”

To recall Mustafizur did not play in the last two matches of the Asia Cup and he will be key for Bangla-

WORLD T20

Malinga hands over captaincy to Mathews COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s World Twenty20 title defence suffered a jolt on the day the tournament gets underway with Lasith Malinga’s slow recovery from a knee injury forcing the fast bowler to hand over captaincy to Angelo Mathews.

Malinga remains available for Super 10 stage matches but the paceman with blond-tinted hair and an unorthodox action may not be the same force which has WORLD T20

‘Indo-Pak match in Dharamsala as scheduled’ NEW DELHI: The muchanticipated World Twenty20 cricket match between India and Pakistan will be held as scheduled in Dharamsala, Tournament Director M V Sridhar said on Tuesday.

“The match is on. The state and central governments are onboard and all security arrangements have been made,” he said after a meeting with Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Home Ministry M K Singla besides others here.

Pakistan will play against India on March 19 in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh. There has been some opposition in the state, including from ex-servicemen, on holding the match at the hill station.

Sridhar, however, said discussions with Home Ministry officials remained inconclusive and a few issues are yet to be sorted out.

Sridhar was accompanied by IPL anti-corruption and security unit head and former Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar and a few other BCCI officials.

Besides the Dharamsala match, Pakistan will play two matches in Mohali, Punjab — against New Zealand on March 22 and against Australia on March 25. The Pakistani team will also play a match in Kolkata on March 16. - PTI

been key to Sri Lanka’s progress to three World Twenty20 finals over the last four editions.

The team, however, can take heart from the fact that a similarly forced change in captaincy marked their triumphant 2014 campaign when out-of-form skipper Dinesh Chandimal sat out the final few matches and Malinga stepped in to lead them to glory.

“He is stepping down only

from captaincy,” Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary Mohan de Silva said on Monday. “He has offered himself for selection only after (March) 15 because he is undergoing some treatment here in Sri Lanka.”

Sri Lanka begin their bid for a second World Twenty20 title on March 17 with a Super 10 stage match against a yet-to-be-identified qualifier in Kolkata. - Reuters

Dutch get candid Meanwhile, the Dutch captain Peter Borren was candid enough to say that Mortaza’s team will be the one who will make the cut.

Speaking at the pre-match conference, Borren touched upon issues that the smaller boys of cricket lacked and the decision of making World T20 every four years has also hurt him.

“We get a chance to play the big boys of cricket only during these tournaments and if this event is also made into every-four-year format, it will be harsh on us,” said Borren.

“We have worked hard. We did well in the qualifiers, and now we are playing again to make the big stage of World Cup. We can’t help it with the 10-team format,” said Borrern, seeking more exposure for smaller teams so that the game can be popularised all over the world.

On the Dutch prospects, Borren said they will try the best but this format is a package of surprises.

“Anything can happen here. All teams are strong and as you have seen in the warm-up some days ago, when Oman beat Scotland.

So keep fingers crossed,” said the captain of the Orange brigade.

“We have done our homework and rest is what we do on the field,” he signed off.

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SPORTS Afghanistan overcome Scotland at World T20 Opting to bat, Afghanistan made a formidable 170 for five in the stipulated 20 overs, and then restricted Scotland to 156 for five

NAGPUR: Opener Mohammed Shahzad top-scored with a sparkling 39-ball 61 as Afghanistan defeated Scotland by 14 runs in their ICC World Twenty20 qualifying game here on Tuesday.

Opting to bat, Afghanistan made a formidable 170 for five in the stipulated 20 overs, and restricted their opponents to 156 for five.

Shahzad’s breezy knock included five boundaries and three sixes.

Skipper Asghar Stanikzai remained unbeaten on a steady 55 off 50 balls. He found the fence two times and cleared it once, dropping anchor at one end even though he looked far from convincing after the dismissal of Shahzad at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.

The highlight of Afghanistan’s innings was undoubtedly the knock played by Shahzad and his 82-run second-wicket partnership with Stanikzai.

While opener Noor Ali Zardan (17) missed out after getting a start,

TOP SCORER: Afghanistan’s Mohammed Shahzad, right, plays a shot as Scotland’s wicketkeeper Matt Cross looks on during their ICC World T20 match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Tuesday. – AFP

Gulbadin Naib (12) fell to an outstanding catch by Josh Davey.

Shafiqullah then blazed his way to 15 off just five balls as Afghanistan reached a total that looked steep for Scotland, still seeking their first win over their rivals.

Scotland were off to a flying start in their chase as openers George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer put on 84 runs in just under nine overs.

Koetzer was dismissed by Samiullah Shenwari after scoring a breezy 40 off 27 balls, hitting four

boundaries and a six in the process. Munsey got out three runs later, making 41 off 29 balls with the help of nine fours.

Scotland’s momentum was stalled after the dismissal of the openers as Afghanistan tried to claw back into the game after conceding 94 runs in the first 10 overs.

Scotland were pegged back further as Afghanistan picked up the wickets of Calum MacLeod and Richie Berrington.

Matt Machan tried his bit, scor-

ing 36 off 31 balls, but the asking rate kept heading north. Afghanistan’s 17-year-old leg-spinner Rashid Khan was impressive as he finished with figures of two for 28.

Brief scores: Afghanistan 170 for 5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Shahzad 61, Asghar Stanikzai 55 n.o.; Alasdair Evans 1/24, Mark Watt 1/30, Josh Davey 1/44) bt Scotland 156 for 5 in 20 overs (George Munsey 41, Kyle Coetzer 40, Matt Machan 36; Rashid Khan 2/28). - PTI

TENNIS

Sharapova starts to count cost of failed drug test, likely ban BERLIN/LONDON: Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer became the latest sponsor to sever ties with Maria Sharapova on Tuesday, as the world’s highest-paid female athlete started to count the cost of a failed drug test and likely ban from tennis.

Sports firm Nike and German luxury car maker Porsche also said they were suspending their relationship with the fivetime Grand Slam champion as the 28-year-old Russian awaits a decision on whether she will be banned.

The failed drug test at January’s Australian Open, one of four annual Grand Slam events, will be costly for her at a time when sports bodies and sponsors are taking a tough line following a series of corruption and doping scandals.

Sharapova earned $29.7 million last year, Forbes magazine reported, and most of it came from endorsements, appearances and royalties rather than her victories on court. She was the world’s highest-paid female athlete last year for the 11th consecutive year, and Forbes put her off-court career earnings at more than $200 million.

“We’re now entering a zero tolerance era for sponsors,” said Rupert Pratt, co-founder of sports sponsorship agency Generate.

“It is now seen as not acceptable to ‘stand by your man’ because of the amount of scrutiny corporates are now under”.

Sharapova, who lit up women’s tennis when she won Wimbledon

OMAN CRICKET

HOCKEY

Al Turki, Enhance record victories MUSCAT: Al Turki recorded a seven-wicket victory over Muscat CT in a Muscat Pharmacy and Stores-sponsored Premier Division cricket match at the Ministry of Sports Affairs Ground during the day Saturday.

Batting first, Muscat CT scored 165 for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs. Swapnil Khade top scored with 61. Jay Viram and Rahul Singh claimed two scalps each for Al Turki. In reply, Al Turki managed to score 158 for eight in 20 overs. Aman Sharma claimed three wickets for Muscat CT. Brief scores: Muscat CT 165 for 7 in 20 overs (Swapnil Khade 61; Jay Viram 2/21, Rahul Singh 2/23) bt Al Turki 158 for 8 in 20 overs (Aman Sharma 3/26).

Points: Muscat CT - 2, Al Turki – 0.

In another Premier Division match played at the same ground on Sunday, Enhance defeated Al Turki by five wickets.

Batting first, Al Turki scored 105 for eight in 20 overs. Zafar

in 2004 as a 17-year-old and is still ranked among the top players, announced on Monday she had tested positive for meldonium, which she said she was taking for diabetes and low magnesium.

The drug is also used to treat chest pain and heart problems as it boosts blood flow. Some researchers have linked it to increased athletic performance, better endurance and speedier recovery. It was recently listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) among its prohibited metabolic modulators, which include insulin.

Sharapova said she had been taking the substance for a decade for health reasons and had not read an email informing her that a ban on its use in sport, imposed

by WADA, had come into force on January 1.

She will be provisionally suspended from playing tennis from March 12 and could be prevented from competing for Russia at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics this year.

Sharapova’s deal with Tag Heuer had expired at the end of 2015, and the company had been in talks to extend the collaboration, it said on Tuesday.

“In view of the current situation, the Swiss watch brand has suspended negotiations and has decided not to renew the contract,” TAG Heuer, a unit of French luxury goods group LVMH, said in a statement.

Porsche, a division of Volkswagen, said it was suspending Sharapova’s role as its brand ambassador. - Reuters

Al Turki, playing two matches in two days, first defeated Muscat CT but lost to Enhance CT

Iqbal and Ananya Sen claimed two scalps each for Enhance. In reply, Enhance CT scored 108 for five in 18.3 overs. Noorul Riaz top scored with an unbeaten 40. Rahul Singh claimed three wickets for Al Turki.

Brief scores: Al Turki 105 for 8 in 20 overs (Ananya Sen 2/5) lost to Enhance CT 108 for 5 in 18.3 overs (Noorul Riaz 40 n.o; Rahul Singh 3/24). Points: Al Turki - 0, Enhance CT – 2.

London to host men’s Champions Trophy LONDON: Germany will return to the scene of their Olympic triumph four years ago as they prepare for this year’s Rio Games at the Champions Trophy in London in June.

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed on Tuesday that the week-long tournament, originally scheduled for Argentina, will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park starting on June 10.

Germany’s men, who will be bidding for a hat-trick of Olympic titles in August having also won gold in Beijing, will be joined by Australia, Belgium, Britain, India and South Korea.

Germany will open their campaign against India on June 10 when Britain face Australia.

The women’s Champions Trophy tournament will take place in the same venue the week before. - Reuters

C

LIFESTYLE

SECTION

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

Leisure WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

Bilad Sayt, a fairy tale like village typical of the Arabian settlements of the past, is one of the most picturesque villages in Oman.

Far From the Madding Crowd Bilad Sayt should be on your bucket list, if you want to discover the true essence of Oman Story Mohammed Shafeeqe Al Muladdah Seeb

BARKA

Muscat

10 km 110km

Y

ou discover the true essence of Arabia — so mystic, so unimaginable and so magical — when your fourwheel drive leaves the bustling cities, heading towards interiors of the arid desert region. Drive to the mountains and villages on weekends and discover the true Arabia. Here in Muscat the Al Hajar mountain ranges offer plenty of options.

Bilad Sayt, a fairy tale like village typical of the Arabian settlements of the past, is one of the most picturesque villages in Oman. The mere view of the village will stop you for minutes in awestruck, a ‘wow’ will slowly and quietly roll out of your mouth as you stand there. The village is seated at the foot of towering and dramatic Hajar mountain ranges that just by 2-2.30pm block the sun from falling on the terraced village. Getting there will take a little work — but it’s worth it as it’s one of the unique places to see in Oman.

There are two ways to reach the Bilad Sayt — either via Nizwa, Al Hamra or via Barka, Nakhal, Wadi Bani Awf. The Nizwa route will take more time as you have to descent from Sharfat Al Alamayn and the track is dangerous that you have to drive so slowly. Even if it is only 12-15km from the view point to Bilad Sayt, it will require almost two hours. For a day trip the Wadi bani Awf route is much preferable.

Start from Muscat in the morning,

you will reach there only by lunch.

The layered silhouette of the rugged mountain range and the adventure through the steep passes are always a dream for every offroaders. The journey takes you through a wild landscape of dramatic canyons, deep gorges filled with natural spring water and rocky valleys. The part of the track after Az Zammah village in the Wadi Bani Awf should be covered with extra care as it is has steep climbs and descents, sharp curves and deep valleys on one side.

Check weather conditions before you leave and do not attempt the journey during or after rains. The road is quite steep with 45 degree climbs at some points and more than 1,000 foot valleys all long.

The narrow road which is barely enough at some points for two cars to pass by needs some mountain driving experience and it’s not for the faint hearted.

Turn right at the next junction to reach Bilad Sayt. At your left side down you will see a green football ground surrounded by the mountain ranges, which has been recently picturised in an Audi Middle East commercial.

Park your car and walk towards the cliff paved with natural black granite. Suddenly the vast canvas will unfold before you. The mere view of the village will stop you for minutes in awestruck. With its picture-postcard perfection of terraced fields and sun-baked houses, it’s one of the prettiest vil-

lages in Oman. The villagers prefer visitors to park outside and walk in or simply view the village from a distance. A little haze blanketed the village that was built up on a hill with closely clustered homes made of mud and stone. The village is surrounded by date palms within it is terraced green fields making it look like dream village.

Jagged brown mountains surrounded and loomed over Bilad Sayt, dwarfing the whole village.

Go down and walk around the village, talk to the gentle villagers.

Water gently trickled throughout the whole village via the falaj system giving it a feeling of tranquillity on top of the picture perfect setting. The panoramic beauty of the village can best be captured from afar on the drive into the village. A walk around Bilad Sayt will reveal the details of the people and their life here, secluded from the rest of

Fanja Bidbid

Nakhal

End of the road, from here through the wadi

Al Awabi

BILAD SAYT

Samail 4WD needed

Jabal Akhdar

Bahla Nizwa

Izki

HOW TO GET THERE: From Barka, drive towards Rustaq, and turn left in the direction of Wadi Bani Auf. Drive for about 25km through this wadi until you come to an intersection that will take you to Bilad Sayt. The final approach to the village involves a steep climb and an equally dizzying descent before the mountain oasis comes into view.

Photography: Mohammed Shafeeqe &Supplied

Rustaq

the Sultanate.

Bilad Sayt’s old-world charm lies in its cluster of stone-and-mud buildings built like steps along the slope of a hill. A labyrinth of narrow ways connects these blocks, some of which are even two or three storeys high. A tower, now in ruin, stands on top of the hill overlooking the village. What is disturbing the natural beauty is a mobile telephone tower. From somewhere from these mountains flow crystal streams of water that eventually feed the village’s canal system.

Adding to the village’s rustic charm is the sight of farmers in the green fields, and womenfolk returning from the mountain springs with pots of fresh water gingerly balanced on their heads. In summer, men from the village set out early every morning to scour the nearby mountains for the bhoot tree that produces a type of sweet, purple-coloured berry. The tree usually grows along the ridges of high mountains. The villagers also collect honey stashed away by wild bees from caves and crannies in the hills. Because of its location high in the mountains of the Jabal Shams range, Bilad Sayt enjoys moderate daytime temperatures even in summer.

-shafeeq@timesofoman.com

C6

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

PRAYER TIMINGS

FIND-IT-ALL @AZAIBA

@PANORAMA MALL

@SHATTI

CITY CINEMA Contact (10 am to 6PM) 24567664 | 68 www.citycinemaoman.net facebook.com/citycinemaoman SHATTI London Has Fallen (Action| Crime) PG12 Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 3:15, 7:45, 9:45 & 11:45PM 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (Action | Drama | Thriller) 15+ Cast: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber 4:30 & 11:30PM Zootropolis (Animition) Voice Overs: Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba 2:30, 4:30 & 5:30PM Very Big Shot – Arabic (Action| Drama) PG12 Cast: Alain Saadeh, Wissam Fares 6:30PM Jai GangaaJal (Hindi | Action | Drama) PG12 Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Bhat, Ayush 8:45PM Kings of Egypt – 3D (Action) PG12 Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 9:15 & 11:45PM Dead Pool (Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi) 12+ Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 2:30 & 7:15PM MUSCAT GRAND MALL Dead Pool – 2D (12+) Action | Sci-Fi | Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 11:45 PM Gold Class – 5:00PM Theeb 2D (12+) Documentary Cast: Jacir Eid Al-Hwietat, Hussein Salameh Al-Sweilhiyeen 4:35 PM Kings of Egypt – 2D (12+) Adventure Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 12:15, 6:30 PM London Has Fallen – 2D (PG12) Action Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 9:30, 11:30 PM

13 Hours: The Secret Soldier of Benghazi (Action, Drama)(2D)(15+) Cast : John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale 6:15, 11:45 pm

Jai GangaaJal (Hindi) (2D) (Action | Drama) (TBC) Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Bhat, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Prakash Jha 3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 10:00, 11:30 PM

Gold Class – 3:00, 7:15, 9:15, 11:15 PM Zootropolis – 3D (PG12) Animation Voice Overs: Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba 12:00, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15 PM Race – 2D (PG) Biography | Drama | Sport | Cast: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis 2:05 PM Jai GangaaJal (PG12) Hindi | Action | Drama | Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Bhat, Ayush, Mahesh Khedekar 8:55 PM PANORAMA MALL London Has Fallen-2D (Action, Crime)( PG12) Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 3:30, 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 PM London Has Fallen-2D (Action, Crime) (PG12)-VIP LOUNGE Cast: Gerard Butler, Charlotte Riley 3:45, 9:00, 11:00 PM Always be My Maybe-2D (Romance) (TBC) Cast: Gerald Anderson, Arci Muñoz 5:00 PM 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (15+) Cast: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber 6:15, 11:45 PM

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

Dept time

Destination

Arrival Operating time days

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (ROUTE 36)

TEMPERATURE

15:00 15:00 15:00

05:30 05:30 05:30

Maximum

16:30 18:00 19:30

Daily Daily Daily

Sur Quriyat Ruwi

06:45 08:30 10:00

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

TO AL BURAIMI (ROUTE 41)

06:30 06:30 08:00 13:00 13:00 16.00 16.00

07:00 07:00 13:30 13:00 13:00 13:00 17:00

Sohar Buraimi Buraimi Sohar Buraimi Sohar Buraimi

08:50 Daily 11:00 Daily 14:30 Daily via Ibri 15:45 Daily 17:40 Daily 18.35 Daily 20:20 Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52) 17:30

Sinaw

Nizwa Yanqul

20:50

Daily

Nizwa Al Araqi

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

Sur Sur

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

Fahud Yibal

Daily Daily

Salalah Marmul Salalah Salalah

Daily Daily

Marmul

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

Daily Daily Daily Daily

Dubai

16:50

Daily

Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai Sohar Dubai

Nizwa Ruwi

08:40 11:00

15:40 15:40

Nizwa Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

06:00 14:30

Ruwi Ruwi

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

12:30 12:30

Fahud Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Ruwi Marmul Ruwi Ruwi

19:50 13:15 22:30 07:30

SALALAH London Has Fallen (2D) (PG12) (Action) Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 12:00, 2:15, 6:35, 9:45, 11:45PM Kings of Egypt (3D) (12+) (Action) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 6:35, 11:55PM Dead Pool (2D) (12+) (Action | Sci-Fi) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 4:25PM Race (2D) (PG) (Biography | Drama | Sport) Cast: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis 4:15PM 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2D) (15+) (Action|Thriller) Cast: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber 11:30AM, 2:00, 8:30, 11:15PM Zootropolis (3D) (PG12) (Animation) Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba 11:45AM, 2:15, 4:45PM Jai GangaaJal (2D) (PG12) (Hindi) (Action | Drama) Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Bhat, Ayush, Mahesh Khedekar 9:00PM Action Hero Biju (2D) (PG12) (Mal) (Action) Cast: Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Devi Ajith 7:00PM

29 23 Minimum

07:00

06:00

Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

15:00

Salalah

07:00

Daily

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

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

07:30 07:30 13:00 13:00 15:30 15:30

Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH/SHARJAH (ROUTE 204)

07:00 07:00 07:00

16:00 16.00 16.00

11.45 13.30 14.00

London Has Fallen (Action / Crime / Thriller) Cast: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart 3.30, 8.00, 10.00, & 11.55 PM CP No: 351 (PG12) 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi Cast: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale 4.30 7.00, 9.30. & 11.55 PM CP No: 352 (15+) Race (Biography / Drama / Sports) Cast: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Eli Goree 2.00, & 5.30 PM CP No: 353 (PG) Kings of Egypt (Adventure / Fantasy) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Gerard Butler 1.15 PM CP No: 341 (12+)

STAR CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om Action Hero Biju (Mal) (Act\Comedy) Cast: Nivin Pauly & Anu Emmanuel 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 pm Cinema Main Jai GangaaJal (Hindi) (Act\ Drama) Cast: Priyanka Chopra & Manav Kaul 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema-3 Pokkiri Raja (Tamil) (Act\ Drama) Cast: Jiva & Hansika Matwani 3-30, 6-30 & 9-30 pm Cinema -2 Kalyna Vaibhogame (Telugu) (Drama \ Com) Cast: Naga Shourya & Malavika Nair 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45 PM Cinema -4 Next Change: Puthiya Niyamam (Mal) Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum (Tamil) Programmes are subject to change

WITH LOVE

0

ALVIN BIJU THOMAS March 9, 2009

0

RELATIVE HUMIDITY

95-55%

FIONA AJU March 9, 2005

SHRUTIKA BHAT March 9

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

Daily Daily Daily

Sharjah Fujairah Ruwi

16:30 18.15 23.00

LISTINGS

ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence 24569603 Directorate General of Customs 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries 24510228 Public Relations Admin 24560099 EMBASSIES IN OMAN

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (ROUTE 204) Fujairah Sharjah Dubai

SOHAR London Has Fallen – 2D (Action) (PG12) Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 2:45, 7:45, 9:45, 11:45PM Kings of Egypt– 2D (Adventure) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 9:30PM Kings of Egypt– 3D (Adventure) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Gerard Butler 11:35PM 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi – 2D (Action | Drama | Thriller) (15+) Cast: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber 2:30, 8:15, 11:55PM Dead Pool– 2D (Action/Sc-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 6:00PM Zootropolis – 2D (Animation | Action) (PG12) Voice Overs: Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba 2:45PM Zootropolis – 3D (Animation | Action) (PG12) 4:45, 6:45PM Very Big Shot – 2D (Arabic |) (PG12) Cast: Alain Saadeh, Wissam Fares, Fouad Yammine 4:45PM Jai GangaaJal – 2D (| Action | Drama) (PG12) Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Bhat, Ayush 3:15, 8:45, 11:00PM

Daily Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (ROUTE 102)

TO DUBAI (ROUTE 201) 06:00 06:00 13:00 13:00 15:00 15:00

06:00 06:00

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101)

SALALAH TO DUBAI (ROUTE 102) 15:00

BURAIMI London Has Fallen (Action| Crime ) (PG12) Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 5.00, 6.45, 9.15, 11.30PM 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (Action | Drama | Thriller) (15+) Cast: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber 4.30, 9.00, 11.45PM Zootropolis 3D (Animation) (PG12) Voice Overs: Gennifer Goodwin, Idris Elba 4.45, 7.00PM Jai GangaaJal (Hindi | Action | Drama) (TBA) Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Bhat, Ayush 8.45, 11.00PM Kings of Egypt (3D) (Adventure) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 6.45PM

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

Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (ROUTE 100)

TO MARMUL (ROUTE 101) 06:00

10:25

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (ROUTE 62)

10:30 11:15

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (ROUTE 100) 07:00 10:00 10:00 19:00

Ruwi

TO SUR (ROUTE 55) 12:00 18:45

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

07:00

SUR Zootropolis (3D) (Animation) (PG12) Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba 4:45, 6:45 PM London Has Fallen (Action | Crime) (PG12) Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 9:45, 11:45 PM 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (Action | Drama | Thriller) (15+) Cast: John Krasinski,James Badge Dale 7:00, 11:30 PM Jai GangaaJal (Hindi) (Action | Drama) (TBC) Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Bhat 8:45 PM King of Egypt - 3D (Action | Fantasy) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 4:30 PM

BAHJA CINEMA

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (ROUTE 54)

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

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

Action Hero Biju – 2D (Action) (PG12) Cast: Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Devi Ajith 6:45PM

TO YANQUL (ROUTE 54)

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

Daily Daily Daily

TO SINAW (ROUTE 52)

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

Sohar Ruwi Ruwi Sohar Ruwi Sohar Ruwi

RUWI Screen 1 Jai GangaaJal (Action) –PG12 Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Jha, Ayush 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM Screen 2 London Has Fallen (Action) –PG12 Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 4.00, 7.00, 10.00 PM Screen 3

Neerja (Action / Biography) –PG12 Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

WEATHER

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

Kings of Egypt (3D) (Action | Fantasy) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 3:30, 6:00, 11:15 PM Jai GangaaJal (2D) (Hindi) (Action) (TBC) Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Bhat, Ayush 3:15, 6:00, 8:45, 10:00, 11:30 PM Neerja (2D) (Hindi) (Biographical) (PG12) Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azami 5:45 PM Pokkiri Raja (2D) (Tamil) (Comedy) (TBC) Cast: Atharvaa Murali, Catherine Tresa 8:45 PM Action Hero Biju (2D) (Mal) (Action) (PG12) Cast: Nivin Pauly, Anu Emmanuel, Devi Ajith 8:30 PM

AZAIBA Dead Pool (2D) (Action |Sci-Fi) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 3:30, 4:45 PM London Has Fallen (2D) (Action) (PG12) Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman 2:45, 6:45, 8:00, 11:35 PM

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Arrival Operating time days

London Has Fallen (Action| Crime) PG12 Cast: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman, Charlotte Riley 3:15, 7:45, 9:45 & 11:45PM

Zootropolis (Action) (MX4D) (PG12) Voice Overs: Ginnifer Goodwin, Idris Elba 3.30, 5.30, 7.30, 9.30 PM Zootropolis-3D (Animation, Action) (PG12) Voice Overs: Idris Elba, Jason Bateman 3:00, 5:30 PM Jai GangaaJal-2D (Action, Drama) (PG12) Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Rahul Bhat, Ayush 9:00 PM Kings of Egypt-3D (Adventure) (12+) Cast: Brenton Thwaites, Nikolaj CosterWaldau, Gerard Butler 3:15, 9:15, 11:45 PM Dead Pool-2D (action, Adventure) (12+) Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 7:15, 11:30 PM Dead Pool-2D (action) (12+)-VIP LOUNGE Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin 6:45 PM

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

Destination

12.22pm 3.46pm 6.18pm 7.28pm 5.07am

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

CINEMA SCHEDULE

Dept time

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Daily Daily Daily

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

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

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

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

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi 24783334

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

24782666 24702542 23291635; 24503585 24787766 24421691 24485740 24537080

23291635

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

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

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

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

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LIFESTYLE Man’s Guide to Travelling with Style Whether your in-flight dress code strategy involves achieving maximum coziness or somehow wearing all the dress that didn't fit into your baggage, your travel wear should at least fulfil two basic principles. One: It should be comfortable enough that you don't break out in hives after sitting for a few hours. Two: It should give an awesome first impression when you land — after all, it's the first look you're starting your vacation in.

For air travel wear as little metal as possible A belt buckle that can pop off (rather than having to take the whole belt off ) is a huge timesaver. Pack belt in your carry-on along with collar stays and then put them on while waiting for the plane.

Dress sharp by default Opportunity awaits the travelling man who dresses in style.

Seriously, they don’t offer that unexpected opening in first class to a man who looks like a bum, or even someone who looks ordinary. They want someone who is dressed to impress and will signal to others a positive feeling through their presentation.

Hang your jacket when seated If driving, you should take a couple of hangers with you and utilise the hooks in the back so your jacket(s) won’t be pressed and wrinkled when seated. On a plane – wear your jacket to your seat and then take it off and fold it / store it right before sitting.

Dress comfortably You want some room in your trousers, a shirt that stays tucked or is worn un-tucked, and nothing that pinches or rubs. I love my Lee modern series jeans as they have a tiny bit of stretch in them – which is nice when you’re about to embark on a 24 hour flight to Australia.

Use luggage identification Always have business cards inside and on the outside display of the luggage. Use bright luggage identifiers – as this helps us spot them quickly in a sea of dark bags. Also – in the case if your bags are lost you would like to believe at least one of these identifications would survive and help your bag find it’s way home.

Here are some tips or a man’s guide to travelling with style & being prepared upon arrival Slip on footwear Whether it be boots or monkstrap dress shoes, a nice pair of slip on footwear saves you hassle at the metal detector when taking them off and putting them back on is simple.

Carry-on your luggage Your luggage won’t be lost when you’re tracking it the entire trip.

Also – this saves you from additional fees and when you land you can whisk through customs and get to your destination sooner.

Use quality luggage A couple of reasons why this is important. 1) Your luggage protects your clothing. Also 2) you want your luggage to be able to take a beating and help you move your gear easily from point A to point B. Finally – 3) your luggage should keep you organised and have the little things you need on the road.

—lifestyle@timesofoman.com

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

LIFESTYLE 5

From Boston, Helsinki to Istanbul, establishments once meant to keep occupants from escaping are now accepting reservations. These five prisons turned hotels, all of which offer modern amenities, retain hints of their storied pasts.

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2. Hotel Katajanokka, Helsinki Located ten minutes by car from downtown Helsinki, this Gothicstyle red-brick structure, portions of which date from 1837, once served as the local prison. Over the years, it was home to some of Finland’s most famous criminals, including two former prime ministers.

The prison was closed in 2002, and the structure was revamped as a hotel in 2007. From $146/night.

3. Het Arresthuis, The Netherlands Located roughly 110 miles from Amsterdam in the Netherland’s southeast corner, Het Arresthuis jail was built in 1863. In 2011 the Dutch hotel group Van de Valk spearheaded the makeover, converting 105 cells into

40 charming guest rooms, all of which open to an airy lounge, formerly the prison hallway. From $148/night.

4. The Liberty, Boston Completed in 1851, the Charles Street Jail served as a county lockup for more than a hundred years, housing prisoners such as Malcolm X and former Boston mayor James Michael Curley.

The granite structure, which was designed by architect Gridley James Fox Bryant and noted 19th-century prison reform advocate Louis Dwight, is now a National Historic Landmark. The jail was closed in 1990, and in 2001 developer Carpenter & Company transformed the space into a 298room hotel. Barred windows line the Liberty’s hotel restaurant, Clink.

From $209/night.

5. Malmaison Oxford, England The building that now houses the Malmaison hotel has a long history. Built in the 11th century as part of Oxford Castle, it was partially destroyed during the English Civil War, and then converted to a prison in the 18th century. In 2006, it was renovated into a hotel.

Rooms feature original cell doors and exposed brickwork. The hotel is located within walking distance of Oxford University. The hotel makes the most of its unique setting with glass-sided walkways and atmospheric lighting throughout the building. From $328/night.

Source: Architectural Digest

IN THE NEWS

Amari Doha wins Best 4 Star Hotel in the GCC Awards ONYX Hospitality Group announces the success of its first hotel in the Middle East, as Amari Doha wins the Best Four-Star Hotel in Qatar in the Food and Travel GCC Awards, and silver in the overall GCC Fourstar Hotel category. Peter Henley, President and CEO, ONYX Hospitality Group, said, “We are immensely proud of this achievement, and congratulations go to the entire team at Amari Doha for their hard work in reaching the required standard, to achieve such recognition from not only the public but also industry peers.” Providing genuine Asian hospitality with a modern twist, Amari Doha features 120 generously sized rooms and suites, restaurants, leisure facilities and Breeze Spa. The hotel is just 15 minutes from Doha International Airport, and a few minutes from the city centre.

-lifestyle@timesofoman.com

Photo: Supplied

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1. Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Istanbul Designed in the Turkish neoclassical style by architect Mimar Kemaleddin Bey, Sultanahmet Prison was constructed in the early 1900s. The Four Seasons took over the property in the 1990s (the prison had closed in 1969) and transformed it into one of the region’s top luxury hotels. The hotel’s designers preserved many of the building’s original features, including hand-painted tile floors and arched doorways. Guests can enjoy locally sourced meals at the hotel restaurant or in the enclosed garden area (formerly the prison exercise yard). The hotel offers views of the Hagia Sophia.

From $609/night.

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SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

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VACANCY

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CARGO

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W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

*Tourist visa arranged

Luxury flat for rent in Bareeq Al Shatti building Spacious 2 BHK with sea view, split A/Cs, fixed wardrobes, kitchen appliance.

Near Opera Gallery.

Rent RO.900/- negotiable.

Contact - 94084335 / 96920789

RESTAURANT AVAILABLE FOR RENT

2 BHK fully furnished flat at Ruwi MBD area. Contact – 93211557 / 24814853 Villa in Al-Khuwair 33. Quality Finishing. Consist 5 Bedrooms, 1 Living room, 3 Lounges, All with A/C, Kitchen and storage.

Contact: 90665135

3 Rooms, 2 Toilets Flat for Rent. 18 November Street. Near Mars Hypermarket and The Chedi. Ghobrah -Good for Commercial or Residential use.

OMR 295/- month. Call 94477222 Conditioned room with toilets in Al Khuwair. Contact: 92620858 /92605500 Flat for rent in South AlGhubrah 3 rooms, hall and 3 toilets, kitchen rent 450/-. Contact: 99335580 1BHK at Al Hamriya near Muscat Pharmacy contact: 9922474899332297 Flats, shops and basement in MBD area and Honda road.

Contact: 92433127/96291778/ 92589235/97293708 1 & 2 BHK Flat in Al.Khuwair.

Contact - 99792181 2 BHK flat in Ghobrah.

Contact - 99792181 2 BHK flat in Ruwi.

Contact - 99792181 Office Space Available in Al Khuwair & CBD.Contact – 99792181 Villa in Al Khuwair.

Contact: 92125648/25250300

Of area 500 Sq mts with well equipped kitchen and dining facility on Ground Floor at DARVESH Building, Near Royal Hospital.

Contact Person Mr.Mudassir :99314330 Mr.Joao Pereira: 99435952

1BHK close to Indian nursery, Darsait blog -1619, way No .1322 RO 225/-. Contact: 99476728 Land (17000sqm) with office / store /shaded area for rent at Ghala industrial area –prime location.

Contact:99476728

WAREHOUSE AVAILABLE

FOR RENT IN BALADIA SANAYAH AMIRAT

Rooms for rent in Al Khuwair near Ibis hotel. Contact: 95124975

(Floor area 600sqmtrs and mezzanine of 500sqmtrs) 1100sqmts fully cover warehouse Θ ƐƚĂī ĂĐĐŽŵŵŽĚĂƟ ŽŶƐ

Double bed room flat CBD area.

Contact: 97608564 Industrial land in misfit for near Hal service & Al Awazi.950sq.M with 3rooms,5 bathroom, boundary wall with 2 sides road facing &large parking in front. full or part area.

Contact- 99364007/99454425

Please contact: G.S.M

99417229/92621039 2BHK and 1BHK flats spilt air conditioners are available for rent in new building in Al Qurum, near rose Garden. Interested persons may content on phone: 9513331/96722449

For rent in Mabela Sanaya road no.6.show room two shutter & warehouse (900m2) & staff accommodation & office with split A.C. reasonable rent Contact: 99318152&99225067.

Vila for rent in Al Mabela South near gulf college.contact:95950025

Commercial/ residential flat for rent in a new building. A warehouse also available, location Muttrah. For more details contact – 99364735 / 95729711

Furnished flat for rent near City Center Mawalah. 2 Rooms, Majlis, hall, kitchen & 4 bathrooms. Rent RO.400. Contact – 99336776

Furnished room available for executive bachelor in Ruwi area.

Contact - 99054542

Flat for rent 2 room, 2 toilet with A/C, Walja, Honda Road 250/-.

Contact: 90465850

3 Deluxe flat in Ghobrah near Chedi hotel 550 RO per monthly Contact: 90161220 2 BHK flats /office & shops valuable in a new building at Honda road .Contact: 91165807

Flats 2 bedroom Majlis, 2 toilet, kitchen balcony near Indian school Darsait new building rent R.O 275/-Contact: 99243059

2 BHK flat with big rooms behind Bank Muscat, Near ISWK. 99373290, 24815012

2 Bed room centrally air conditioned flat in CBD prime location.

Contact: 24714625/91173997

1bedroom ground floor apartment with sitting & 1 Bath + kitchen close to Indian school near to

New flats for rent at Al Ghobrah near to atlas hospital the flats includes 2 living room , 1hall , kitchen , toilets , air conditioned room & high Quality finishing rent per flat is R.O 375/-. Interested candidates please Contact: 00968- 97093283

1000sqm two rooms with compound well at Misfah Sanaiya.

Surround huge open land for trailer movement, Suitable for tile, sanitary ware, building materials etc store. Contact: 99342733 /99795241 02 BHK residential flat opposite to Al Nahdha hospital.

Contact: 99342733 /99795241 To spend interesting times with family or friends a new park for rent in Al Amerat near Sultan Center for details. Contact: 99332273 Whatsapp 95806364 Building and house in Al Amerat near Bahwan stores suitable for big store and resident for workers for details. Contact: 99332273 Whatsapp 95806364 2 Bed rooms flats with hall 2 bathrooms in Darsait near Muscat municipality. Contact: 92584715 Flat for rent in Hamriya.

Contact 99341112

4 Bedroom new villa Al Mawaleh 1/2 KM to city center mall High end fit outs split A/C full kitchen fitting all rooms w/ private toilets monthly 600/- R.O. Contact : Hassan 99349990 2 Room, 2 Bathroom, kitchen cat parking 200 Rails.

Contact: 92005298 Two bedrooms flat in Al Ghobrah near Oman Oil of 18 November Street. OMR 330 Monthly.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955.

Four bedroom two floors luxurious and spacious residential villa in Al Hail North, near to the sea and Oman oil. Each room has its own bathroom. It has splits A/C’s and shaded car park. OMR 750 monthly.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955

W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

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DAILY GUIDE

FOR RENT

Warehouse for rent at Ghala Ind. Area.800 & 2500 approx sqms Near Hotel Al-Madinah Holiday Ghala. Container can enter. Immediate access to roads & highways.

CONTACT: 94583320

Commercial flats of 3 & 2 BHK in Al Ghobra North 18 Nov street RO.650/- & 450/- #91776665

Flats for rent 2BHK sitting room, 3 bathrooms, kitchen, big balcony split A/C Wadi AL Kabir 300/R.O. Contact: 99324402

Flats in WadiKabir.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

Flats in Darsait. 9405178997201688 1BHK Flat with spilt A/C near star cinema 210/-. Contact: 99358589/95570288 /97079146 Full furniture room for rent for family monthly 200/- .

Contact: 99251975 Flats in Wadi Kabir. Contact: 94051789-97201688 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35). 9405178997201688 Single room with A/C & WIFI having separate entrance for non –cooking Indian executive, near Rawasco, AL Khuwair rent 130/- (W& E). Contact 92888691/95397442/97201100 2BHK split A/C 320/- monthly & 1 BHK split A/C 250/- Ghobrah south near Grand mosque.

Contact: 99342661 Flat with two rooms with window A/C, with toilets & car parking way No: 1670 north Al Hail near Dosteen restaurant 1KM Inside.

Contact: 99238334 2BHK split A/C 200/- Monthly & 1BHK spilt A/C 150/- monthly new building good location Barka Market. Contact: 99342661 3BHK in Qurum P.D.O high 350/Monthly. Contact: 99342661 Flats in Muttrah. Contact: 94051789-97201688 Offices in Ghala.

Contact: 94051789-97201688 Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

94051789-97201688 Duplex villa in Qurum 29.

94051789-97201688 Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud.94051789-97201688 Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

94051789-97201688 For rent and investment Land industrial shops in Rusayl.

Contact: 99323957 / 95490842 Flats in Qurum. Contact 94051789-97201688 Flat for rent south Al Mabela.

Contact: 95331177/95230355 1B/R apartment executive fully furnished at AL Khuwair 33 & 5 B/R villa unfurnished at Madinat Al Ilam & 5 B/R villa furnished at Madinat Al Ilam. Contact: Atlas Real Estate & rent a car LLC -24834888/ 99249069/92888376/94617563 Email: info@alshahiintl.com Luxury villa of 5 BHK in Al Khuwair 33 RO.650/- Contact – 91776665 House in Amerat near to Makah hypermarket with 3 room+ 5 toilet+ hall+ living room+ kitchen.

Contact 98885055/ 92744168

Brand new villas in Al Ansab.

Contact - 94051789-97201688

600 M2 showroom or office in Bousher in front of Dolphin complex.

RO.3.5 per m2. Contact 91776665 Offices & Showrooms in Al Khoud. # 94051789-97201688 Fully Furnished apartments in Boucher (35) #- 94051789-97201688 Brand new 4 BHK villa in Al Fai compound Al Khoud. RO.475/Contact – 91776665 Villa of 3 BHK and sitting area in Al Ghobra North. RO.525/Contact – 91776665 Luxury and brand new semi furnished 2 BHK flat in Remalbowsher. RO.550/- Contact – 91776665 Mini Furnished Apartment in Qurum. # 94051789-97201688 Spacious 1 BHK flat in Al Wattaya with all split A/C’s and parking.

RO.300/-Contact – 91776665 Offices & Showrooms in Muttrah.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Flats in Darsait. Contact 94051789-97201688 Offices in Qurum opposite City Center. # 94051789-97201688 Duplex villa in Qurum 29.

Contact - 94051789-97201688 Warehouse at Wadikabir - total area 3500 sqm - covered warehouse (500sqm), office, accommodation (1000sqm), open area (2000sqm) please contact: 99273774 - 99202278 Flats for rent in Ruwi Mumtaz area 2 bedroom. Contact: 91409667/24291500 Flat for rent in Al Hail south 2 bedroom.

Contact: 91409667/24291500 Shop for rent near Al Nahdha Hospital. Contact: 97380548 / 99680499 2 BHK Flats for rent, Muttrah near Oman house S/ AC. Contact: 97007934 / 92629232

BUYING Bobcat available for rent.

Contact 97623299 Buying cars for cash.

Contact: 90202090

MV SALE

1ST GRADE RUNNING ESTABLISHMENT

FOR SALE Fully equipped Signboard Fabrication workshop.

Contact – Muhammad

90579500 Concrete Plant & Pump, WŽƌƚĂͲĐĂďŝŶ Kĸ ĐĞ for immediate sale tŽƌŬŝŶŐ ŽŶĚŝƟ ŽŶ ŽŶĐƌĞƚĞ ĂƚĐŚŝŶŐ Plant Pemat mixer, Econocrete - full set TEKA Concrete Pump mounted on MAN Chassis ZĞĂĚLJ ƚŽ ƵƐĞ WŽƌƚĂͲĐĂďŝŶ Kĸ ĐĞ Ͳ about 450 Square Meter area, with cabins.

Contact Mr Mateen - 92892209/ Mr Sreejith - 99478263/ Mr Aqueel - 99338619

FOR SALE For sale Porta cabin; new & used (wooden steel p.u.panel) Contact-99318152 Email:ahastco@gmail.com A well established automotive service center is for sale in Mabela area of 2850sqm please contact Virat: 94656682 Dental chair and mobile X-ray unit for sale.contact:92737149 Office furniture for immediate sale 15 workstation, 4 executive desk, chairs & branded 4 TVs. # 94104022 Household & electronic items for sale. Contact – 99421740 Expat leaving. Household items for immediate sale, 99457386 New & used (refurbished) Porta cabin with ablution for sale.

Pleases Contact: 97143704 or email: rsttllc@gmail.com Treadmill heavy 120kgs new OMR 140/- with massager.

Contact: 92670572 400 sq mtrs Commercial/Residential land in Mabela Phase 5 Block 2. OMR 165 Thousand.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 or 97509955

Nissan Qashqai 2013 low mileage 30.000kms comprehensive insurance UAE Oman valid till 2016 .

Contact: 96665430

A well running pharmacy for sale at prime location.

Contact- 99627621, 93240949

Pickup for sale, model 2013, diesel engine 4x4.

Contact - 94194399

Well established coffee shop / restaurant prime location at AL Khoud.

Contact: 92188777/98700760

BMW 525.I 2006.

Contact: 99336093

Space for printing press available at wadikabir with or without machinery. Contact 99328430

Hyundai Sonata 2008 model, expat driven & well maintained.

Contact: 94222681

Shop for sale near Oman House, Muttrah. Contact 99024362.

220 M2 SHOWROOM

FOR SALE @ Sanaya/ Hospital Road- Sohar PLEASE CONTACT:

00968 - 9898 9532/ 2471 4325 info@paramountmuscat.com

CLEARANCE SALE White wood, Red wood, Manhole covers, Hard ware, Electrical items & other building materials for clearance sale (price negotiable) Location Barka – Al Rumais For further details & inspection,

Please contact - 96125603

AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting.

Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. ww.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

WANTED IELTS Coaching (academic) required nearby wadi Kabir area.

Please call on mobile or msg on Whats up.

Mobile no: 92927880/99012165

ACC. AVAILABLE

Fire rated portacabins and steel caravans. ContacT: 94058574

Room with toilet for working lady.

Contact: 91450718

Almost new beach/ garden lounge chairs /bar stools/ counter. Photos can be sent 95865457

Sharing single big room for family or couple with separate bathroom near Badr Al Sama clinic Al Khuwair. Contact - 99796500

Luxury Apartments in Bousher (35). 95056808-97201688 Steel Scrap materials for immediate sale: Contact 99273774/ 99202278 Single colorful Bed and Sofa for Sale at Al Khuwair. Contact 92881849 / What`s up No 97290565 HD Scaffoldings, Shuttering Jacks, Wooden Planks, Shuttering wood assorted, Tower hoist (lift), Concrete Mixer, Bending Machine, Steel Fabrication Machinery (Searing/Cutting, lathe & Welding) including tools for immediate sale: Contact 99273774/ 99202278 Villas in Al Khoud. 9505680897201688 Urgent sale of steel scrap only serious buyers kindly contact: +968 96725423 for viewing the items.

ACC.WANTED Room wanted one bedroom flat with two toilets required near Al Falaj Rex Road area.

Contact: 98411825/96245923 Required single room for an executive lady (non cooking) in Darsait, Ruwi, Wadi Kabir.

Contact - 98591132 Accommodation required with food for 1 month, bachelor for March month. Preferably Al Ghobrah area. Contact: 99335742

DRIVING

Accommodation available in Al Khuwair, single room with furniture and A/C, sharing kitchen.

Contact - 94297820 Furnished room with AC, Fridge and TV. At Hilat Al Saad near Main road. Contact: 95714202 Furnished room attached bath for Indian bachelor, Al-Falaj Ruwi & lady Wadi Kabir near Mars hypermarket.

Contact: 96202458/96761960 Furnish bedroom with attach bathroom for executive bachelor.

Contact: 97704794 Room with attached bathroom and sharing kitchen available for Executive bachelor or small family at wadikabir Contact 9304 9849 Room available in Mumtaz area 1 room, 1 Bathroom, Kitchen & 1 room, common bathroom.

Interested please Contact: 92680041 Mr. Altaf Room for rent with furniture.

Al Bustan villeage.

Contact: 93687466

FOR LADIES Europe beauty centre offers 50% discount on beauty packages, home services, slimming & post delivery massages. CBD – 24797813 / 97082451 / 94004152. Wadi Kabir – 24815805 / 94004153 / 96761960

MATRIMONIAL Hindu Boy -30 Yrs MBA Finance Graduate working in Muscat seeking alliance of Hindu girl only.

Contact: 98278401 Kerala Kottayam RC male 28 years Civil Engineer is seeking alliance from suitable family, preference for BDS, Eng & bank employees.

Contact 95035953 Malankara Catholic Male Nurse (28) from Thiruvalla working in Nizwa Private Co. Alliance invites parents/nurses working in Oman.

Contact: 968 98267338, 0091 9287215726 RCSC female BSC nurse (Christian) working in Sur ministry hospital seeking good alliances from well settled families.

Contact: 98055621/97929487 Indian male Roman Catholic 40yrs divorcee working in Muscat.

Seeks suitable alliance from widow/ divorcee/ single.

Contact: 96059801.

NRI Villa for sale Mavelikara behind Cheltikul Angara Temple 3 BHK1700 SQF within 10 cents. Contact: 968-969203467025525606 Flat for sale 1360 Sq.ft semi furnished 3 BHK Flat with covered car park near Vennala, Eroor North Tripunithura, with close proximity to seaport- Airport road ,info park ,vyttila hub, Ernakulum medical center, gold souk, Oberon & lulu malls-for sale. Contact: 96725458 Flats villas land for sale in Pune Contact: 95272138/918139098275 Furnished Apartment for sale at near Nedumbassery Airport.

Contact: 92394014

LOST Mamon Hossen has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AD7754938.

Finder please handover to ROP.

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

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W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT REQUIRED ACCOUNTS CUM ADMIN

IN-CHARGE (For a service & contracting co)

SITUATION WANTED

Female Secretary to MD

Apply on

Engineering Graduate only, computer literate, proficient in English correspondence & good communication skills.

Send CV to

vacancyforoman@gmail.com

info@addhia.com

Qualified accountant with 7 to 8 years of experience in accounts, cost control, inventory, procurement, finance up to finalization and admin.

Good knowledge of ERP, Tally-9, MS office, and good communication is mandatory.

SEEKING SKILLED EMPLOYEES

REQUIRED

1. Skilled iron worker 2. Skilled iron welder 3. 3D sign board specialist 4. Skilled painter 5. Skilled carpenter 6. Car wash supervisor Email : creativityeast@gmail.com

SITUATION VACANT (FINANCE MANAGER) A reputed, long standing, multi division Company in Oman requires

Finance manager to be based in Muscat.

The person should be a Commerce Graduate with 10 years professional experience in Accounts up to Finalization, cost control, inventory and tax planning.

Interested candidates can apply at:

jobs4oman2016@yahoo.com Candidates to apply who can meet present Oman Government’s visa condition.

Urgent placement for Polyclininc at Mabella, Seeb Those who hold valid MOH Licence and NOC from the current sponsor will be given preference.

1. Gynaecologist Arabic Speeking -F 2. Pharmacist -M/F 3. Staff Nurse -F

4.

5.

6.

7.

Radiographer -F Lab. Technician -M/F Marketing Executive -M/F Receptionist -F

Kindly send CV to alsalamaoman@gmail.com www.alsalamamuscat.com ADMIN Vacancy for the post of PRO for a shipping company in Sohar 97990844 - mail id: operations@arabianseabridge.com Required urgently a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer for reputed law firm in Sohar, Muscat. Candidates should have 5-7 years experience as a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer with good knowledge of Computer & should be fluent in English both written & spoken.

Email C V to shejaanil66@gmail. com or Contact 99153620 between 8am to 1pm & 2pm to 5.30 pm on Sunday to Thursday

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Accountant with two years of experiencerequired for building material shop .contact no.99318152 Email:ahastco@gmail.com Required Accounts Officer- ensure accurate processing of revenue data into ERP systems and invoicing module. Posting of invoices to customer SAP portal and delivery to customer offices and interface with country manager/ reporting to regional CEO. Qualifications: BSc accounting.

Relevant experience & knowledge on online accounting systems especially the customer SAP system. Submit CV to: me-job@interwell.com Accountant with gulf experience in construction field preferred with Oman driving license. Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Gsm: 95892831/95197615

BEAUTICIAN Required Beautician for beauty Saloon at Ghobrah. Clearance / visa available.

Contact- 95924910

DOMESTIC HELP Housemaid required for caring two babies for Keralite family at Al Hail. Contact: 99423608 /95662154 Looking for a part-time cookcum-housemaid in Azaiba.

Call 92450197.

Required Cleaners & Office boys.

Contact 24707833

REQUIRED PROJECT MANAGER FŽƌ ĂŶ /ŶĨƌĂͬ ůĚŐ ƉƌŽũĞĐƚ ŝŶ Duqm/Oman Graduate Engineer with 20+ years experience preferably in Oman/ GCC with valid D/L and transferable visa, computer literate.

Send CV to Email :

omanproject2011@gmail.com

Required a expat driver with Omani D/L. Contact – 91409668 Wanted driver. Contact: 91025698 Part or full time Driver Required call us 91120552

:Žď ĚĞƐĐƌŝƉƟ ŽŶ: Hair related treatments DƵƐƚ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟ ŽŶƐ ƐŬŝůůƐ ĂŶĚ ďĞ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ůĞĂƌŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚ ĂŶĚ ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞ ďLJ ĂƩ ĞŶĚŝŶŐ ŝŶ house training classes.

Advises clients on hair care and use of products.

Ensures that the high standard of service is maintained.

Salary based on skills and experience.

ENGINEER/MECHANIC. MEDICAL Required Site Inspector (PRO) having Omani D/L. Contact – 24291500 Email: hr16.careers@gmail.com Required Hydraulic Mechanical.

Contact - 95251213 Civil Engineer with minimum 5/8 years experience with valid Oman driving license. Contact Interested candidates send CV to: Email: omanhari@yahoo.com Gsm: 95892831/95197615

EDUCATION/TRAIN The Egyptian school requires chemistry Teacher for IG, English, Science & mathematics.

Teacher’s application should be submitted by hand or by email – egyptianschool98@gmail.com / 24603930 Required personal lady Trainer at home in Wadi Kabir.

Contact – 94100959

MISCELLANEOUS Urgently required fiber Optic Technician / Splicer EXPO OTDR FTB -1 testing & power meter report excellent package get N.O.C or refer splicer from anywhere.

Send C.V mathersahra@gmail.com.

Contact: 91688007 Required candidates for following posts: Accountant, Storekeeper, Foreman Building Maintenance, Van-salesman (water), Helpers.

Candidates with Omani driving license preferred.

Contact 99273774/99202278 Omani national Security Staff similar experience for immediate employment for an international school. Contact: 99468907

MEDICAL

Trailer driver + Hiab truck .

Contact: 99332185

,ĂŝƌĚƌĞƐƐĞƌƐ ;ŵĂůĞͬĨĞŵĂůĞͿ Ͳ ĞĂƵƟ ĐŝĂŶƐ ;ĨĞŵĂůĞͿ

Please submit CV to info@artemishfp.com

DRIVER We are looking for a driver for restaurant. Contact - 95048797

OUR CENTER IS LOOKING FOR FULL TIME:

Required Staff Nurse and house maid in Mabela. Clearance available. Urgent Contact. 95200180.

Wanted ORTHODONTIST, IMPLANTOLOGIST with or without MOH License for a polyclinic.

Excellent Salary, Commission and Accommodation. Phone: 99006915 Email: alhinaee.clinic@yahoo.com GP doctor needed for reputed clinic. Preferably with MOH license or with Dataflow & Paramatics pass Contact: 95388934

Nurse required for a dental clinic in Al Khuwair. Contact 95114616

SALES / MARKETING Required Sales Executive knowledge of building materials.Full or part time. Contact: 99421513

Required gynecologist GEN: practitioner lady lab Technician and pharmacologist immediately for a clinic in Suwaiq.

Contact: 95081010 Email: umchealthcare@gmail.com

An Omani construction company located at Muscat looking for Marketing executive with GCC driving license & NOC send C.V to kwk585@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING

TECHNICIAN

Sales Executive Required for an office Stationery company in Muscat with Oman D/L and Noc Send your CV to info@centraltrading-oman.com Required Sales staff 2 NOS Having experience in Cosmetics Sales.

Send your updated CV to james_kunju@yahoo.com GSM 92683688 We, the storm shield in the talented candidates for the below positions (Indian only): Sales man for mobile devices (male-2) (1 Indian & Philippine) should have 3 years Oman experience knows English & Arabia.

Contact: 94441111 Send CV to email: gshield9@gmail.com Omani or European female Sales representative required for part time please send CV to gcpe16@gmail.com with expected salary Required Sales/ Marketing executives having light license for facility management co. sendcv-ocean@omantel.net.om Required male / female Marketing person for man power Supply Company with minimum 3 years experience with valid GCC / Oman driving license.

Contact: 97158893 / 94148972.

Kindly send CV at Email: rastllcmuscat@gmail.com Challenging tyres Omani companies seeking for Sales Man only an tyres division sales minimum 2 years experience send CV to saeed@liwainvestments.com Urgently Required Steel Fabricated Products Salesman with an experience in steel fabrication, MUST have Oman driving license, and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com

Urgently required Electronics Technician with at least 2-4 yrs exp, in network cabling, access control, telephone systems, interested send the CV to info @smartvisionoman.com We, the storm shield in the talented candidates for the below positions (Indian only): Maintenance Technician (male -1) should have knowledge of new mobile devices & 3 years Oman experience Contact: 94441111 Send CV to email: gshield9@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian male 34 Yrs, Dual MBA Finance and marketing with IT skills, 7+ yrs of experience, Looking for suitable placement.

Contact : 94879615,Emailsajan_chacko1981@yahoo.com Indian male, B.Com with 6 years experience as an Accountant, looking for suitable placement.

Mob: 93903458 , Email : Akkandyrijesh@gmail.com Chief Accountant 25 years experienced looking for part/full time accountant job.

Contact: 95598477/98803439 Indian male 25 B.Com (graduate) 2 years experience as accountant in country club India with ERP oracle r12, tally knowledge. On visit visa immediately available.

Email: shabi.hyd@gmail.com Contact- 9042-1161 Indian female 25 yrs, MBA HR & Marketing, with one and half years experience as accountant and 6 months experience in teaching, now on a visit visa, seeking suitable position. Contact: 99624044, mail: np.neethu1@gmail.com.

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE 28/male/MBA - finance/B.Com Accountant with 4 years of Dubai/ India experience looking for a suitable placement. # 90187483 shobinkarikkan1987@gmail.com Indian male good experienced in Accounts, ERP Tally 9 & Admin in India & Oman, presently on visit visa, looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94834687 Indian male 25 yrs, Graduate in commerce, overall 5 yrs exp in accounts/ finance field. On visit visa. Immediately available. Contact 92836216 / muhammad.tausif623@gmail.com Kerala male 25 yrs B.com diploma in IATA PGDCA Tally 2 yrs exp accounts in Kerala. Currently in Oman NOC available. Contact: 99323841 Email: rohitpanam@gmail.com Indian female MBA in finance currently on family visa seeking suitable placement. Contact: 96471025 Indian female Accountant 8yrs exp in Oman. Contact:93726921 Part time accountant, up to finalization of accounts looking for job after 5 PM (location prefers – MSQ – to AL Hail). Contact: 95694737 Indian Chartered Accountant - with 8 yrs + Exp in Finance/ Accounts/Auditing in Oman & UAE. Seeking suitable position in Muscat/Dubai and available immediately for joining. NOC available. Available till 9.3.16 in Oman.

CONTACT #: 98707434 Email: casmart007@gmail.com Jordanian, Senior accountant, 15 yrs experience in Oman finance & accountant. Contact: 92881223 Indian male 28 yrs MBA finance/ marketing and graduate in computer experience 3 yrs seeking suitable job, now family visit visa.

Contact: 93195378 Email: faisalme.beg677@gmail.com Accounts Manager 24 years working experience 8 years in Oman looking managerial position with family status interested to work construction or manufacturing trading organization. Contact: 95919546 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT, with 13yrs experience, 6 yrs Oman in manufacturing, trading & contracting Cos, capable of handling all accounting, finance, banking, L/C, import, export & finalization seeks placement. NOC Available.

Call+968-98932752, mail:jjohnmuscat@hotmail.com Indian Male Accountant 10yrs Exp. in OMAN Retail & Furniture Co. (Release Available) GSM.92564955 SENIOR ACCOUNTANT-M. Com Finance-Indian with 7 years experience in Finance & Accounts up to finalization. Currently employed in Oman. Having D/L & NOC. Mob: 94122464, Email: cammk13@gmail.com Sri Lankan Accountant CIMA Inter mediate qualified, on visit.

Contact: 90660764 Part-time Accounting assignment.9am-5pm.

Contact; 91126314 Indian male MBA (finance) one year exp in Oman with D/L and Noc. Looking for Suitable placement contact: 94103975 Senior Accountant B.com work exp gulf, 8 years Indian 5 years.

Contact: 94364672/95517130 Indian male 32 yrs (B.com) having 8 years accountant experience in Oman looking for suitable placement local release Oman D/L available. Contact: 97494322/98093515 Accountant gulf exp 4 years.

Contact 96718001 Accounts part time services available to handle all accounts up to finalization, on Monthly basis finalization and consulting works.

Contact: 96247295 Indian male 7 years Oman exp, Tally ERP 9, Accounting, Inventory Controller/Asset Supervisor & IT Supports seeking suitable job. NOC available. B.COm, PGDCA, location Sohar, having Oman D/L. Contact 98317698.

Email: sukuanilkumar@gmail.com Indian C.A finalist having 7 years exp in Finance field, looking for a suitable position with license and NOC. Contact – 98097009

Indian male Accountant looking for a suitable placement in Salalah.

More than 20 years exp in accounting job (up to finalization of accounts) 8 years working experience in middle east in Dubai, Muscat & Salalah. Contact - 91325029 25 Years/Male Indian/B.com with 2 Years Experience/Seeking Job in Finance and accounts/Skills Tally ERP9/SAP-FICO/MS Office.

Immediately Joining.

Contact No: +96897184087 Email: modi_harshal@ymail.com

ADMIN Indian male 25 B.B.M 4yrs experience Arabic speaking with Oman/D/L seeking suitable position in accounts Admin sales contact:91266733email: safvank.ka@gmail.com 8 years of intensive Oman experience in procurement & supply chain management looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 97755488 Indian female with B. Tech and MBA H/R (Liverpool UK) with exp 2yrs looking for suitable job and visit visa. Contact: 98401623 Indian Male more than 10 years gulf experience in Office / Sales Coordinator, Admin, Secretarial and purchase with good computer skills. Holding Oman Driving license. Looking for suitable placement. Contact 99709336 Indian Female, MBA-HR having 8+ experience in Administration/HR, Customer Support, Office Coordinator with good Computer skill, Now on Visit Visa,looking for suitable position. Contact: 90196235 Indian male MBA 33yrs having 10 yrs of exp seeking full time suitable placement in Administration/ HR/ Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics. Holding valid D/L. Contact 99054786 Indian female Graduate with 4yrs exp, looking for suitable placement in admin/accounts .

Contact 99236071 Female business graduate from UK with four years experience in procurement purchasing expediting logistics and supply chain in UAE seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 99581399 Filipino male with 13 years HR and Administration managerial experience. MBA & CIPD holder.

Currently looking for job in Oman.

Interested employer Contact - 97728418.

Indian, 26 yrs , female , 5 yrs exp in HR/ Admin with valid Oman D/L seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98236033 Indian male MBA / HR and marketing 2 years experience in royal bank of Scotland looking for opportunities in banking operating marking and HR services excellent communication Kills.

Contact: 90661245 15 years of working experience in Business development in Oman & UAE & UK , marketing plans and strategies & importing firewoks for festivals & preparing government tenders , Operations and logistics , importing and international business trading , CNC engineering & industrial areas , I have dual nationality (I can travel abroad easily without needing visa, for finalizing business trading NOC available.

Contact: 94123939 MCA Indian Female on a visit visa seeking suitable job.4yrs exp in office Admin &IT. Contact: 92286147 Indian female, Masters in HR, having 4 + years Oman experience in media management and HR, looking for openings in HR, Education, Admin, Corporate communications. Contact 98252030 Indian male MBA- UK 18 yrs Gulf exp in Administration/ HR & Public relationship. Fluent in Arabic/ English with D/L. Looking for suitable position.

Contact - 99897280 Young Omani male have experience 12 years as P.R.O , Clerk helper supervisor Admin supervisor , H.R Manager have diploma in H.S.E, IT and P.D.O license looking for H.R position or P.R.O license .

Looking for H.R position or P.R.O part time or full time.

Contact: 95933288

W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CATERING

EXPERT ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE

ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

7 yrs exp Dubai marina chandelier restaurant, Arabic food and grill Arabic salad. Contact: 94896474

FŽƌ LJŽƵƌ WZ͕ ŐƵŝĚĞ Į ŶĂŶĐĞ Θ HR Θ ZD͕ ĂĚǀŝƐĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚ ŵĂƌŬĞƟ ŶŐ & CRM, appraise IT system for ƌĞƉŽƌƟ ŶŐ Θ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƟ ŽŶ͘

Indian male 30 years, having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres), holding valid Oman D/L.

Contact: Tel - 96500729 Ŭ͘ƉƌŽĮ ƚŽŵĂŶΛŐŵĂŝů͘ĐŽŵ

Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

Cooks (Arabic Indian) gulf exp looking job. Contact: 99531802

DOMESTIC HELP Housemaid (overseas) Indian family looking for job. Contact 99531802

DESIGNER/DRAUGHTSMAN Indian Female 24yrs, AutoCAD draftsman with 3ds max & rivet, 4yrs exp. looking for suitable vacancy in Muscat now in visit visa .

Contact: 95601266 Email: reshmanb121@gmail.com AutoCAD Draughtsman seeking job. Contact: 95516807 Interior Designer Seeking suitable job. On visit visa in Oman.

Contact - 92166130 Interior designer 3 years experience 1 year in Oman and 2 years in Egypt, experience in interior design, 3D max, AutoCAD, Photoshop. Contact - 94762876 Autocad Drafting, part time/ full time, 2D & 3D, Architectural, Structural, MEP, Shop drawing , experienced. Ph: 90189070 AutoCAD draftsman experience 2 years. Contact: 93738335 /95809393 Email: mammoosing@gmail.com

DRIVER Light driver Indian 4yrs exp in Oman having own car looking for job, release available .

Contact: 93053917 Driver looking for job, speaks English, Hindi & Arabic & 4 yrs Oman exp with valid Oman driving license contact: 92820309 2 Years exp in driving, seeking any job .Contact: 97460056 Bangladeshi male looking for job.

Contact - 93822195 20 Years Embassy experience expert driver cum PRO seeks suitable place. Contact – 94297820 Driver cum electrician 7 yrs exp, seeking suitable placement.

Contact – 98255214 3 Years driving exp in Muscat, speaks English, Arabic, Hindi& Bengali. Contact- 97462781 Driver job wanted. Contact 96393082 Pakistan driver with car.

Contact: 97198672 / 98988208 Looking for job light duty driver 6 years experience NOC available.

Contact: 92381696 Pakistani light looking job 3 years experience in Oman. #93711608 Seeking driver job with own car.

Contact: 98031620 Bangladeshi male light driver looking for job 3 exp.

Contact: 93254149 Bangladeshi male light vehicle driver looking for job.

Contact: 91359624 Driver with car 3 yrs exp, looking part time job. Contact – 97456062 Looking for driver, electrical & plumbing job. Contact - 92360040 Looking for job driver 10 yrs exp.

Contact: 99035942 Indian light driver cum house cleaner. Contact: 96255558 /99415443

EDUCATION/TRAIN Indian Female, MSc Maths from a central university, B.ED qualified with over 6 yrs into teaching. Distinction holder and passion for teaching, currently on family visa seeking lecturer jobs. Contact: 91360147.

Indian female 25years M.C.A on family visit required suitable placements also interested in teaching. Contact: 90417133 Email: renjitharose04@gmail.com

MBA Graduate with 6 yrs exp in IT solutions, sales & marketing, solution selling, POS, ERP, time attendance, security system, software development projects, websites & mobile apps. Seeking suitable position. Contact - 92103545

Contact - 92789995

ENGG. / TECH./MECH. Diploma electrical candidate looking for suitable job, having 2 yrs experience in electrical utilities maintenance and plant maintenance. Contact: 94652387 B.Tech electronics & Comm.Engg with CCNA certified with 2yrs exp.

Contact-99490930. email; sujith8938@gmail.com An Iraqi civil with more than 30 years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C) looking for a job, (N.O.C) available.

Contact: 96561306 Email: iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com Civil Engineer 11 yrs exp in construction field having Oman driving license & NOC. Contact – 94194399 / shiblyrock@gmail.com Indian male 22, Chemical Engineer residing in Oman looking for suitable placement. Contact: 92379181 Engineer has 10 years local & international experience in ready mix concrete also in Oil & gas filed also in marketing & sales field , has Omani driving license.

Contact : 92534098 HSE Engineer MSc & B.Tech (safety & fire) 6 yrs overall exp in O & G project & construction. Available immediately with clean NOC. Hold valid D/L Oman, owns a car.

Contact – 94616721 / aibelg19@gmail.com Procurement Manger Indian Engineer + MBA. With 16yrs exp, Oman driving NOC valuable Contact: 96561943email:srajan_kripa@yahoo.com Pakistani male Diploma Civil Engineer 4yrs exp in Oman bulling & mega projects, valid license Oman. contact:98821022 A Pakistani Civil Engineer having 5yrs exp in consulting and building field, looking suitable job good running company with valid driving license. Contact: 91800277 BE Electrical Engineer searching for suitable job. Experience plc driver panel control wring oh crane air compressor etc.

Contact: 90628814 Mechanical Engineer having Omani driving license and 2yrs exp seeks suitable placement. email:malvindevidan@gmail.com Mechanical Diploma Engineer having 8yrs of exp seeking for suitable currently on visit visa.

Contact- 94657806 Diploma Civil 5yrs exp seeking suitable placement Email:sushbinde86@gmil.com. contact: 96938770 Indian male B.Tech civil engineer (Auto cad 3 max) 4 yrs exp in planning, designing & site Supervision seeks Suitable placement NOC available contact: 95472155 B.Tech Mechanical Engineer with 6 yrs of exp in India & Singapore as welding inspector. Having NDT level 2, Cswip3.1, 1so 900:2008 leap auditor certifications .looking for suitable job. Currently on visit visa .contact: 98919114 Project Engineer 9 Civil, 7.5 yrs in Oman, need suitable placement, NOC release available.

Contact – 91129192 Sudanese Electrical Engineer, granted with distinction, hardworking and can adapt to different work conditions. Contact: 98133281

Light driver. Contact: 96756014 Looking for job car driver.

Contact: 98388947

IT

Electrical & Electronics Engineer with 3 years GCC exp in sales, GCC driving license. Seeking suitable placement. Contact - 90301410 Diploma Civil Engineer 13 years GCC experience NOC available with valid Oman driving license.

Contact: 99794456

REVIT (ARCH), Diploma Civil 3yr , in visit visa , exp. Salary : 250 PH : 92279784 HSE Engineer (B.E Mech+Diploma Safety+NEBOSH+OSHA) over 10yrs. Exp, (Visa Release Letter (NOC) available), seeking suitable placement, Mob:97061817, Email:jayanammu1977@gmail.com Electrical diploma Engineer with 1.5 years experience in AutoCAD designing for LV constructions and diesel generator maintenance looking actively for job in Oman.

Contact: 92171858/90595609 Email: nelsondas213@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer (B.Tech) with 2 and half years experience Indian male 24 years in visit visa. Contact: 96620482 / + 919605423272 Email: bijumonps@gmail.com Civil Engineer diploma, 4 yrsexp seeks suitable position ina reputed company. NOC available.

Contact – 96789711 Civil Engineer 8 years experience in Oman as a project engineer for governmental & private projects.

Contact – 90164912 Civil Engineer 8 years experience Structural buildings marine. Available NOC release. Contact: 92451323.

Email: zubairali134@yahoo.com Sudanese mechanical Engineer, 2 years experience HVAC firefighting, on visiting visa.

Contact 95630047 Sudanese civil Engineer holding bachelor with two years of experience in Oman has resident visa and valid license. Contact: 94393880 Indian male 31 years Civil Engineer diploma holder 4 years experience in Oman need placement N.O.C available. Contact: 93298395 HSE & Fire Safety Engineer 4 years experience air port operational safety, power & chemical industry. Contact: 94374241 22 Years exp in Gulf civil building construction project manager.

Contact – 0097430824610 / arshadjamalkhan@rediffmail.com Sudanese civil Engineer three years experience with NOC. Contact: 96297316 Email: abdallakoty22@gmail.com B.Tech Electronics & comm. Engg & MBA Degree in operation management with five years experience in optical fiber planning coordination etc. Contact: 94819139 Indian Male Degree Holder BE (civil) having 11 years of Oman experience with valid Oman driving license looking for a suitable job .NOC available and ready to join immediately. Mobile: 93803950.

Mail:kavinvasi2007@gmail.com B.SC Civil Engineer 27 yrs Oman experience as project manager, structural Engineer looking for suitable placement NOC/ LOCAL transfer available. Contact: 99349578 Email: farooqatm@hotmail.com Electrical Engineer with 18 years exp in UAE. Contact: 98148034 Email: shassalih66@gmail.com Structural Engineer, 8 yrs experienced in flat slab, post tensioned & slab-beam multi story building design & supervision with driving license. Contact: 98256860 Mechanical Engineer M.Tech 2 years experience HVAC design & site Engg revit MEP Auto CAD. Contact: 90150913 Email: mahmanmechengg@yahoo.im Omani HSE supervisor. Email: jeebal3000@gmail.com

Network Engineering with 9 years and half experience seeking suitable placement. Contact: 95249087

Indian female civil engineer B.Tech having 3 years experience sound knowledge of software, REVIT STAD PRO structural detailing currently on family visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 95345591

26 yrs Indian Male – B.Tech (IT) - 6 yrs exp -sales & admin -seeks suitable placement 91848460 / 98304080; Email: arun9895431989@gmail.com

Civil Engineer (BE) having total 5 years experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available Contact# 94450270

Procurement Engineer (27 years single male with Oman Driving License) having 7 years experience (UAE 2, Oman 3) with expertise in MEP, Water, Electromechanical, Instrumentation seeking suitable placements. Contact 95852033, mail: hemal1988@gmail.com Civil Engineer (B.Tech), Indian male 24 years with 1+years Indian experience,(Certified in Staad Pro/ Quantity Survey/ Auto Cad).

Looking for a Suitable position.

Available In Sultanate of Oman (Muscat) on Visit Visa.

Contact: 92835952. E-mail: mohammedamair.bin@gmail.com Indian male Electrical Engineer, having 6 years gulf experience in designing, assembling, commissioning execution etc having valid GCC license too looking for a suitable. Contact: 00968-98052942 Email: azamjeelani78@gmail.com Indian male, Mechanical Engineer having 1year experience, on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact:97416564, Email:jovinmathias@gmail.com Sri Lankan Engineer (27 Years old) – B.Sc Engineering (Hon) Mining / Geotechnical Presently in Muscat, 1.5 years experience. Contact 91295802 acmfaslan123@gmail.com Indian Electrical Engineer Btech, female 24 seeking job, presently in oman having 2 year experience in design and estimation of Ht &Lt projects. Contact 968 97436557, Mail id : sibinanoop1@gmail.com Bachelor Civil Engineer 6 Years in Oman experience Valid Driving License seeks suitable placement Phone 97619722 Email – golamrob@yahoo.com Diploma in Mechanical Eng piping system in AutoCAD work, 21+ years experience with Driving license. Contact: 95267113 Email: rkakkaryil@gmail.com Civil Engineer 6 yrs Exp in Oman with license. Contact: 98975518 7 Yrs Exp. PM in Mech. Engg in the field of Building Const. Oil & Gas Seeking Job.94625598 Road and Construction Engineer with 5 years exp in Oman.

Contact: 97667113 Mechanical Engineer with 3 Yrs experience in international Oil & Gas company looking for job Contacts: Tel: 90164236 Email: mustafaoshi-62@hotmail.com Indian female, 31 yrs, 7 yrs experienced as AutoCAD civil draftsman (2 yrs experience in Oman) currently in Oman seeks suitable.

Contact 96789441 Email: simi5304@gmail.com Sudanese Telecom Engineer, 5 years experience, 3 years in Oman PMP certificate.

Contact: 93391008 Email: momen.awadallam@gmail.com Indian Male 23 years B.Tech Civil having 2 years experience in quantity survey and site management looking for suitable placement. Contact:- 95042656

HOSPITALITY Hospitality Degree 5 yrs exp holding Dubai driving license.

Contact - 91234870 Hospitality/Hotel/ Restaurants Dynamic result oriented hospitality professional with 20 years of international exp. MBA in Hotel Management, specializing in Hotel/Restaurant start ups, concepts & Franchise development with proven records. Seeking for Challenging positions in reputed groups as GM/COO/CEO/Business Head. (NOC available) Contact: 96059470

IT Sudanese net work Engineer holding IT BACHELOR (CCNA, CCNP, and MCSE) has one year experience and license.

Contact: 92394485

24yrs Indian male B.SC Computer Science with 2 yrs networking and IT helpdesk support exp, a Cisco Certified, seeking for suitable placement. Contact: 96910605email:shaikzube@gmail.com Pakistani male 26 yrs BS (CS) hold 2 yrs UAE exp in IT software, knowledge in Oracle 1g, MS SQL, C#Net, word press, IT networking and hardware. Looking for suitable job. Contact – 92826049 / m.saifmasood@outlook.com Indian male diploma in computer 4 yrs exp in system admin, tele call support, IT hardware networking. Looking for suitable position, on visit visa. Contact - 95917613 Indian male, IT professional , BE in ECE with 2 yrs of networking and Technical Support EngineerL2’ experience with CNA certification, looking for full time job GSM 92916894 ; Email: salu.mn555@gmail.com Indian female, B.Tech graduate, with one and half years experience as ‘web developer’ interested in web development and has experience working in HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript and Photoshop.

Contact : 9592 7075, e-mail id: mariarosejacob90@gmail.com SAP/ABAP Consultant, BCA, MCA, ASP.Net certification, Indian female 30, having 1.5 yrs exp, family visa, seeking placement.

Contact – 99109121/ ashamaryphilip@gmail.com Indian male 25 years BSC (C.S) with basic hardware and software knowledge seeks suitable placement now on visit visa.

Contact: 92319677 Email: ismabsc@gmail.com Indian Male, IT System Engineer having 4 yrs of experience in system administration.CCNA,MCSE, Linux. Looking for suitable job.

Contact :91272867 Omani 26(M) seeks placement, 6 yrs excellent experience networking hardware software.

Contact: 95356166

MISCELLANEOUS Indian Female, 24 Years - MSc Biotechnology. Worked in International Crops Research Institute For The Semi Arid Tropics for project work as trainee. Looking for suitable job. Mobile: 92619048, Email: anusreeg1991@gmail.com Diploma in computer, looking for any office job, exp in tele support and sales, on visit visa.

Contact - 95917613 B.Com Graduate with five and half yrs exp in Oman as a purchaser. NOC available. Valid driving license. Looking for suitable placement Contact: 96772166 Graduate, computer literate, experienced in sales, credit control, accounts, Omani D/L , seeks suitable placement. Gsm 98805474 A lady entrepreneur with BF Tech 1st Class (Fashion Technology) since 2006 in Kerala like to make change for better. Specialized in designing, Production Management, Fashion Art, Grading, Surface ornamentation, Garment Construction.

Email: prettyjinu08@gmail.com Mobile: +919539397097.

Indian female on visit MBA (International Business- Marketing & Logistics), BE (Computers & Science Engg.) Trained in SAP-BI/ BW with 1 year experience seeking for job Contact: 90228586 Email:fathimasha16@gmail.com Bangladeshi male, University M.Com, Working as an Accountant & Administrator in Oman; searching better job. Phone: 94864966 Email: sunrisetoiqbal@gmail.com

MEDICAL Male GP Doctor with NOC 6 yrs experience in Oman for perm/locum job. Contact : 97746074 An experienced Sudanese female Dentist with MOH license looking for job. Contact 96436517 /97396088

MEDICAL Indian female Dentist specialized endodontic looking for a suitable placement prometric completed.

Contact: 96410448 Indian Bsc Female Nurse with 6.5 years exp, 4 years in KSA. Passed Oman Pro Metric with 69%, completed data flow. Presently in Muscat in visit visa looking for a suitable placement.

Contact 94744900, 94742834, jincyalphonese@gmail.com Indian male Nurse 32 years Oman parametric and data flow completed 8 yrs emergently experience.

Contact: 92463190

MANAGER Indian well experienced personal assistant/executive office manager/ senior administrator / commercial executive with license looking for a change. release letter available – 99168054 mbkishore@hotmail.com The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: construction(Very strong and qualified to bringing business for civil work Or any type of the construction work for many million per year with a good experience in pricing and collect payment and cash management of the company & marketing projects & investments& tenders & real estate. Contact 92385033 Manager having 12 years experience in Sales & property management with valid GCC driving license looking for a suitable placement NOC available. Contact: 98125226 B.E Arch working as a project manager (interior fit outs) specializing in shop fit outs restaurateur, offices, lifestyle shops etc looking to work in a reputed firm NOC available.

Contact: 94274437 Operation & Accounts Manager.

Indian 18yrs experiences in Oman –operation, admin, fiancé, purchase, HR& sales looking for SR.position.

Contact:99889396Email: srjobsinoman@yahoo.com Indian male 35 years, mechanical engineering diploma, 15 years of total experience, 4 years in Dubai, seeking challenging assignments in business development/management & sales, on visit,phone:95990541,em ail:kckurup.v@gmail.com P.M/Electrical Engineer B.Sc 5yrs exp.(2yrs in PDO area)driving license looking for suitable job mob.:91175016 E.mail:elmuthana@hotmail.com Production Manager 9 years experience in Oman manufacture and development factories .GRB. GRC. GRG rubber molds and false ceilings, fiberglass and executive at site emadadly2000@yahoo. com96149081 General Manager MEP also manage civil, MBA, BE Electrical, 10 yrs exp in Oman valid D/L, release available.

Contact – 92447102 Indian male experienced in priority and retail Banking handling HNI/ ultra HNI and SME portfolios as relationship manager in UAE and India, with UAE driving license on tourist visa looking for suitable opportunity.

Please contact #90204929 E-mail-hani.leo@gmail.com The Business Development Manager, Iraqi, Experience 15 Years Inside and outside Oman following activities: tenders& real estate& construction & marketing projects& investments & transportation & Marine services& companies management& develop business. Contact: :- 92385033 MBA with 18 years of experience in Procurement, 2 years in Sohar, Oman driving license with vehicle, looking for suitable position.

GSM :94047501, ahmed16071974@gmail.com Indian male, with experience in operations management, information security, purchase & stores mgmt, hold UAE driving license, on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact 91904541 Email: naushers@yahoo.com

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Executive Secretary/ assistant Indian female 9 years experience in Oman, Diploma in Business management. Valid D/L. Contact: 96684705

D6

W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTED EDUCATION/CLASSES/COMPUTER/WEBSITE

SITUATION WANTED SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Lady Secretary / Sales Co-coordinator 12 years experience in Oman in reputed companies, seek immediate Employment. Call: 95244761

SALES / MARKETING Indian male 23 yeas BBM & Diploma in logistic. Looking for Indore/ Outdoor sales & marketing suitable placement, currently in one month visit visa. Contact: 93180270/ faizanmck@gmail.com Sales Executive 8yrs exp buildings materials group of company in Oman NOC available. Seeking suitable job. With D/L in Oman .email: sameermoul@gmail.com Indian female 23 diploma in tool and die making with one and half yrs exp and also interested in sales & marketing.contact:94443992email:selveena054@gmail.com NOC available looking for opening in sales 10 years experience in Oman with driving license to join immediately.

Contact: 95941228 Sales supervisor / Sales man / Cashier Indian male 26 years having 2 years Oman experience in retails looking for suitable placement. Contact: 90318481 SriLankan malebusiness management BA (UK) Graduate.Specializedmarketing, key Accounts,sales, and customer services .4years work experience in England .seeks opportunity in Oman. D/L available. Tell: 94820153. email:inshafmalk@yahoo.com Indian male 33 yrs, 11 yrs exp in Oman in sales field, with NOC seeks suitable placement.

Contact – 96169598 / adilj.8782@gmail.com MBA graduate having 6 years exp in Sales & Marketing, 4 years with PEPSI, India, having international driving license permit seeks suitable placement.

Contact : 95308167, Email : samir.pag@gmail.com Indian Male 28 MBA Marketing with 4 years of experience in sales with good communication skills now available in Muscat on visit visa. GSM 95840153 / Mail akbarshareef786@gmail.com Indian male (31 yrs) sales supervisor, total 9 yrs gulf exp, 4 yrs in Oman with valid GCC D/L with NOC, release & transferable visa.

Contact: 94014327 Email: praveenkotian188@gmail.com Indian sales marketing professional highly experienced in business development in ME India and Africa seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 97897611 B.Com male 2 yrs experience in sales Computer knowledge, seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 98371144 email: nabilnazar22@gmail.com Indian male 3 years as sales representative looking for suitable placements. Contact: 94420033 Email: ssidisking@gmail.com Indian male, MBA Marketing having 2.5 years Sales experience immediately looking for a suitable position. Contact: 91415145, Email: shariqs88@gmail.com Male 38 yrs Graduate 07 years experience indoor / outdoor electronic field with D/License & NOC available (as per new rule).

Contact: 92453375

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Mason, SH / carpenter, steel fitter gulf & Indian exp looking job.

Contact: 95175192

TOURS & TRAVEL Filipinas lady having exp in ticketing and preservation, call center, secretarial and real estate is now looking for job please call.94054080 Five years in travel field B.Com. IATA & pursuing MBA including experience in the travel desk of (ITC managed) five star hotel, looking for suitable position.

Contact 9470 5767, 9465 2485, 9536 4479

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

MISCELLANEOUS Indian Engineer, B. Tech (Mech), MBA, MLM (Master of Labour Management), 23 yrs experience, 5 years in Oman in the positions of Operations Manager and Plant Manager with Oman Driving License seeks suitable placement.

Contact: 99744612. E-mail: deleepkumarpk@gmail.com Indian Male B. Tech, 10+ years of extensive work experience in various aspects like Computer Networking, Technical Support, Management and Engineering with good communications, interpersonal and technical skills seeks suitable opportunity. Now in Oman on Visit Visa GSM : 9489 8009, Email : bios4u@gmail.com Indian male network cabling technician (19-years gulf experience) Seeking for suitable placement.

Contact - 0091-8089909265 (India) email: mohithavp@gmail.com Mechanical Engineering 6 years experience. Contact: 00968998907110091-9841867534 Email: sayed.fortuner88@gmail.con

Job Wanted as a Music Teacher Classical Vocal Music, Having 3 years India Exp.Contact- 90310876 Homeopathic Doctor having 2 years experience seeks suitable placement.Contact-93615169, geethasreenathnn@gmail.com A young CA (ACA & ACCA qualified) with 4 years experience in one of top audit firms in UK & KSA seeks suitable placement in Oman.

Contact: Kamran (hkamran112@gmail.com), +44 7480 1196 74. +968 93595050 25 year old male B.Com and insurance graduate with 6 year experience looking for an opening in accounts, finance or operations.

Driving license and NOC available.

Contact-95236312. lilommca@gmail.com

Bangladeshi Male, University MA, Working as Store In-charge cum Logistic Manager in Muscat; searching better job. Phone: 91997605 email: mohamednazrulislam2@gmail.com

Indian Female Accountant, now in Oman on Visit Visa, looking for suitable placement, Contact 94250871

Indian male AUTO CAD Draughtsman (civil) 8 years experience, seeking for part time job.#- 99070584 / email: remluvp@gmail.com

BBA MBA.Male, Indian Human Resource/ Administration/ Office work1 Year Experience Knowledge in MS-Office, Photoshop Searching for suitable job E-mail: antonyshajan11@gmail.com.Contact Number: +91 9655469680 +91 8754086178

BS in Civil Engineering Experience: 3 Year (Road Projects) Omani license: 9 Years.

Contact 97427701 Email: hassanrvc1989@gmail.com

Indian male 26 years MBA finance, seeks suitable placement.

Contact – 92715032 / ajisd@yahoo.com Bangladeshi male, University MA, Working as Store In-charge cum Logistic Manager in Muscat; searching better job. Phone: 91997605 email: mohamednazrulislam2@ gmail.com INDIAN-Male 34yrs, M.Com with 14yrs Exp ( 8yrs in Oman & 6yrs in India)Presently working as PROCUREMENT OFFICER for ROAD,CIVIL,ELECTRO-MECHANICAL & Others Projects in contg & Trdg co LLC, Having Oman LT D/L, NOC available & willing to join immediately within in a month M:94064650, Email: nagauae@gmail.com Indian male, 16 years Oil & Gas experience (Down Hole Tools), 3 years in Oman, Dip. Mechanical Engineer, Having D/L and NOC. Email – jajisuni@yahoo.com, Mob: 965 956 18.

Civil Draftsman seeking job.

Contact-95516807 Indian male: 24 years, diploma in computer science and B.E (CSE) having experience in hardware and networking seeks suitable job.

Contact: 91170912 Email: sales2@witoman.com Sudanese male. Five years diploma in civil engineeringhave five years experience in construction industry. Mobile: 96995670 Sri Lankan female looking for a housemaid job. Please send details to s.c.balthaza@gmail.com Contact: 94036979 Land surveyor Experience: 8 years. Contact: 99585265 Email: wajid.mohiuddin5251@gmail.com Indian male executive secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics & procurement well versed with computer .seek suitable placement. Contact: 99514286 Indian male, accountant 2 year experience doing accounts in Tally and Excel. Searching for suitable job. Contact: subbayan_r@gmail. com GSM: +918098637908 BE Mechanical Engineering with one year experience now on visit visa, looking for suitable positions”#90637918 / 99335742, email: aquasharath@gmail.com Looking for a part time job for drawings struc. BBS Q/S & piping/ pipeline auto cad work.

Contact- 92103713.

Target Band 8.0

Classes for Spoken English TOEFL / GRE / GMAT / SAT Excellent Guidance and Coaching Satisfaction Guaranteed EAGLES INSTITUTE

MCA with 13+ yrs of teaching.

Worked as PGT (Comp Sc.) in CBSE Board Schools, 2 yrs experience in s/w development. Seek suitable placement. Contact - 90477217

Structural Engineer Education B-Tech in civil Engineering, Work Experience More than 6 yrs contact no.: +968-91431483 E-mail: mohsinyousuf86@rediffmail.com

Indian Female MBA Finance, 6 years Oman experience as account looking Full time/part time accounting Jobs. Contact- 99044292

IELTS PREPARATION

Pakistani Male having 6 years Experience Valid Omani Driving license working as a Transport Manager looking for a suitable position. Salary is negotiable.

Mob: +96893363316 / 94202746 mohdnaveed043@gmail.com Indian Male Accountant I have 2 year better experience in accounting field. I can do all my accounts in Tally and Excel searching for suitable job. Contact: contactsubbayan5@gmail.com GSM : +918098637908, +919087776759 Indian female 23 BA economics with computer knowledge looking for the post of Administration dept or day care or sales please Contact 96155921 or Email- fysal.nellaya@gmail.com.

Indian Female, 24 MA Eng. Litr with 2 yrs experience in teaching & 14 months in Administration cum Secretary, Currently on visit visa, seeks suitable job.

Contact: 92613704/99260702 Email:rohinis2010@gmail.com Indian Male, 26 years, with 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in Dubai, looking for suitable placement. Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. Contact: 90182494/ manojmallya999@gmail.com Marine Services / Business Development having more than 15 Years experience in GCC Countries with Indian Male with experience in Operations Management / Sales and Procurement / Ship Chandling / valid GCC Driving License seeks suitable job. Presently in Oman on Visit Visa. GSM : 9053 55 65, Email : rafi.vprc@gmail.com Indian Female, 35years, Bachelor of Pharmacy (B. Pharm) with 6months experience and BSc & MA seeking position as Insurance Coordinator or suitable positions in pharmacy, pharmacy stores, hospital, polyclinic & pharmaceutical companies or in front office/administration office preferably in hospital. Please contact on 90236481 Indian Male, 26 years, with 7 years of experience in Sales Field in shipping company in Dubai, looking for suitable placement.

Experienced working in safety Marine equipment and well versed with MS Office. # 90182494 Male Locum Pharmacist with MOH & Driving License. Available on request from March to April 2016; Contact #: +968 9188 5485/+968 9943 8058.

Indian male with three years of experience in IT as system administrator seeking for IT administration job placements. Presently in Muscat on visit visa.

Contact 90664136 email: szuheabikram@yahoo.com

92325542 | 93657915 | 93657917 | Email: engominst@gmail.com

Spoken Arabic class for Non Arabic Speakers & English class for Malayalam Speakers

in Azaiba and Ruwi earn in two months

tion guaranteed

Tel: 95244310 WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman 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

SIT.WANTED Assistant Manager – Planning (B.Tech EEE): Indian Male, over 10 years( 7+ Yrs in Oman & UAE) of experience in Project Planning & Scheduling, Liaison & Coordination, Budgeting and Client Interaction. Seeking a suitable Job in Muscat. Contact – 00971503529608, Email Id: saravananbe44@gmail.com IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ networking/server support/Indoor sales, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/ Server support/Retail sales.

Contact 92607532.

Iraqi Civil Engineer with more than 30 years experience in (Iraq and G.C.C) looking for a job, (N.O.C.) is available. Contact No. 96561306 iq.bgd.mnsr@gmail.com Indian male 28 years exp as sales executive & asst accountant. With valid Oman driving license .languages known Hindi and English.

Looking for any good job Contact# 96175176 Mechanical Engineer (Indian Male, 24 Years) with three years experience, looking for suitable job. Currently on visit visa, ready to join immediately. # 92175441, Email: ihabeeb24@gmail.com Indian male 26, on vist visa, 2+ yrs of experience with UAE D/L, IATA-FIATA,BBA looking for any suitable job. Contact 91324567 Iraqi civil Engineer with more than 30 years experience in (Iraq, U.A.E. and Oman) looking for a job, (N.O.C.) is available.Contact 95626218 Email- amin.sarim007@gmail.com Male Indian 27, working as finance Officer having three years Oman experience with Driving license looking for Finance/Audit/ Accounts position. Mob: 98097009, rameesnm@gmail.com

MANPOWER

Indian Male, total 8+years gulf experience in Document Controller / Coordinator / Secretary. Looking suitable position. Local release available. CONTACT: 94524259 EMAIL: madhuppnair@yahoo.com Mechanical Engineer (Indian Male, 24 Years) with three years experience, looking for suitable job.

Currently on visit visa, ready to join immediately. Contact 92175441, Email: ihabeeb24@gmail.com Indian female, holds LLB & Masters in business administration(MBA),2 yrs oman experience as HR & Admin, seeks suitable placement in jobs @ SOHAR. Contact: 96541959 IT professional, B.E. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/ networking/server support, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/Network/Server support. Contact 92607532.

Accountant. Having 6 years experience in accounts in reputed companies. Presently working in Muscat (NOC Available) GSM. 00968-97010584, Email usman7678@yahoo.com Indian male 23 years Diploma in Mechatronic having 3years experience in production and maintenance department looking for suitable placement #+919597008904 (sachin.valappil92@gmail.com) Bangladeshi Male, University MA, Working as Sales coordinator cum Store keeper in Muscat; searching better job. Phone:91997605. E mail: mohamednazrulislam2@gmail.com Indian male B.Eng. in IT, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE, 3yrs exp. in IT/networking/server, valid Omani D/L seeking suitable placement in IT/ Network/Server support.

Contact 92607532

MBA (F), B.COM. Indian female having knowledge of accounts with Tally looking for full or part time job. Presently on family visit visa. Contact: - 96259171. Email: bhumicapandya@gmail.com

Indian female, B.Tech graduate, with one and half years experience as ‘web developer’ interested in web development and has experience working in HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, JavaScript and Photoshop.

Contact 9592 7075, e-mail id: mariarosejacob90@gmail.com

9 yrs exp Site Engineer in Civil & Shade Structure. 2d, 3d draughtsman (holding Oman driving license) seeking job. #90139903

B.Com 5yrs experience good command on tally, Excel sheet on family visa. Contact: 98002428 Email: lubnakanwal36@gmail.com

SIT.WANTED Diploma (Electrical Engineering) from Government polytechnic.

Age 27 years, 6 years Experience in troubleshooting and managing and Technical in substation as a Electrical Engineer. Seek suitable placement. Contact - 92995899, Female Interior Designer 15 months experience design and management skills ( 3D Max, AutoCAD , Photoshop, Illustrator, Coral Draw (Basic) and Sketch up (Basic) and well versed with M.S Office). 24789883 Email: sasd_shirur@yahoo.com, Diploma in civil engineering having an experience 26years (22years in Oman) experience in Estimator / quantity surveyor looking for a suitable placement.

Willing to join immediately Contact: 96328687.

18 years experienced in Shipping, ShipChandling& Marine services.

Valied GCC D/L. Languages Known as English, Arabic, Hindi & Malayalam.Now in Visit Visa.

GSM : 9053 5565 33 year old Filipina with experience in Teleperformance, Manila call centre ,now working as Waitress in Qatar seeking suitable post.

Contact 99022484 9 yrs exp Site Engineer in Civil & Shade Structure. 2d, 3d draughtsman (HOLDING OMANI DRIVING LICENSE) seeking job.

Contact 90139903 Assistant Manager – Planning (B.Tech EEE): Indian Male, over 10 years( 7+ Yrs in Oman & UAE) of experience in Project Planning & Scheduling, Liaison & Coordination, Budgeting and Client Interaction. Seeking a suitable Job in Muscat. Contact – 00971503529608, Email Id: saravananbe44@gmail.com

W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

D7

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

TOURS

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours contact 98029602, 92808636 We arrange tours & accommodation at all the beautiful places in Oman. Contact 99839898

SITUATION WANTBUSINESS SITUATION WANTBUSINESS ED ED ONE STOP SHOP BUSINESS SERVICES Public relation services (PRO), Formation new companies, LLC companies, investor visa, business setup, prepare business & companies accounts, legal services, representing you and your company.

Contact Saleh: 96723485

GOOD NEWS

FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 99250777, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit:www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact:24475280 / 95371664 / 92504980 www.siddhayur.com

For rent tripper trailer and water Tanker. Contact: 91770195

RENT A CAR Best Rates for Saloon Contact: 97869042 / 95730550 sales@modernreem.com

Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steambath, obesity, spondylitis. Ideal Care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba.

Contact: 99639695 / 97397320

FOR HIRE

RENT A CAR

TRANSPORTATION Transportation available for Al Khuwair, Azaiba, Al Hail to Ruwi area. Contact - 94297820 Transportation. Contact 98505294 Transportation, pick and drop.

Contact - 96913836 Ruwi, Muttrah, Al Khuwair, Muscat, Qurum, seek transportation. Contact: 91132238 Transportation. Contact 99508282 /93113534 Transportation. Contact 99508282 From Mabela to Mawaleh for school student. Contact: 92757673 Transportation. Contact 92015894

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact: 99078967

Transportation available Ruwi to Al Khuwair, Ghubra & Azaiba.

Contact: 91103909

25 - 50 seater bus with PDO & BP speciďŹ cation for monthly rent & small car with driver. Contact 99839898

D8

W E D N E S DAY, M A R C H 9, 2 0 1 6

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

DĂƌďůĞ Ɵ ůĞƐ ŐƌŝŶĚŝŶŐ Θ ƉŽůŝƐŚŝŶŐ͕ DŽƐĂŝĐ Ɵ ůĞƐ ŐƌŝŶĚŝŶŐ Θ ƉŽůŝƐŚŝŶŐ͕ carpet shampooing, sofa shampooing, pest control treatment & general cleaning of villa & building.

Express Building Cleaning Services.

SERVICES We Provide Cleaners, Kĸ ĐĞ ďŽLJƐ͕ ůĞĂŶŝŶŐ ŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ͕ General cleaning etc. ů DƵĚĂŬŚŝƌ EĂƟ ŽŶĂů Ɛƚ͘ >> Contact : 94277020

Contact 98480070 / 94134784

Pest control & Building cleaning all kinds of pest control ďƵŝůĚŝŶŐ͘ ůĞĂŶŝŶŐ Ɵ ůĞƐ ͬ MĂƌďůĞ ƉŽůŝƐŚŝŶŐ ŵŽŶƚŚůLJͬ YĞĂƌůLJ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚƐ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ͘ Contact: 98814733 /98814740 Al Husn Cleaning L.L.C

LEGAL SERVICE An Indian lawyer Provides all legal ƐĞƌǀŝĐĞƐ ŝŶ ĐŽŵƉĂŶLJ ŵĂƩ ĞƌƐ͘ Labour issues, contracts, agreements, >> ĨŽƌŵĂƟ ŽŶ͕ ůĞŐĂů ŚĞůƉ ĨŽƌ ƐƚĂƌƟ ŶŐ new business in Oman, Civil, criminal cases,.service issues. /ďƌĂŚŝŵ ů DĂƐƐĂůŚŝ͘ůĞŐĂů ĐŽŶƐƵůƚĂŶĐLJ Sarafudheen, >> ͕ D , Legal Advisor Muscat. GSM: 97351649

Split & window A/c servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517 GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 All maintenance works such as plumbing painting masonry interlock fixing etc. Contact: 91278819 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

Marble crystallization & grinding, Ocean center LLC .

Contact:99344723

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807 A/C maintenance & servicing, fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, painting & cleaning services, electrical & plumbing.

Contact: 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281 House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

House shifting. Contact: 99708138 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting,Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. Contact: 24810137, 99450130 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722

Pest control treatments, Ocean center LLC . contact:99344723

House shifting packing.

Contact: 99657644 / 98518013 Al farzdaq Al Fedi Trad and Cont Maintenance services electric, plumbing and A/C. Contact: 96524904 / 94285064 Split A/C servicing R.O 10 only.

Contact: 94217681 / 99210141 Building maintenance.

Contact: 96173326

Villa cleaning, shifting, marble crystallization, tiles polishing, shampooing sofa & carpet. Modern Eastern Arms. 92145560

Marble crystallization & grinding, cleaning & carpet shampooing.

Ocean center LLC. Contact:99344723

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done

Sahal Al Wadi White Trad. Specialist in repairing of cold store, chiller, A/C & refrigerator.

Contact – 94528546

till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

CAN OMAN BE THE SURPRISE PACKAGE OF 2016?

PPAGE 2 FOLLOW THE JOURNEY OF HOW OMAN ADVANCED TO THE WORLD CUP/ PAGE 4 TAKE A LOOK AT THE GROUNDS THAT WILL HOST THIS YEAR’S GAMES/ PAGE 10 AGE 12 WHO IS HOT THIS YEAR? THESE ARE THE PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS SEASON/ PAGE

WORLD

I N T E R N AT I O N A L

2016

C R I C K E T

C O U N C I L

2

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

TIMES OF OMAN

WORLD T20 2016

JUST PRAY R THERE ISN’T A BAD DAY: CHAITANYA

emember the legendary Martin Crowe, who left for heavenly abode, and his New Zealand team of 1992, who caused ripples during the World Cup that year. Here is a man in the Sultanate drawing parallels with New Zealand (version 1992) and Oman (version 2016) at the same time paying tribute to Crowe.

Chaitanya Gulabsi Khimji of Al Turki Enterprises is not alien to the cricket buffs of Oman and his contribution to the development of the game will speak volumes.

He has been with Oman cricket during its best times and worst too and now is happy to see his country playing on the big stage. Now speaking to Times Sport Chaitanya, the former treasurer of Oman Cricket, was candid enough to say that Oman reminds him of the 1992 New Zealand squad that had surprised everyone then to have gone to the World Cup semifinals.

Does he hope that Oman can do what the Kiwis did then?

“On a good day, Oman can beat anyone. Just pray Oman doesn’t have a bad day,” he said in a free-wheeling tête-à-tête, his excitement obviously reflecting his mind in full. “The current Oman team is a ‘complete outfit’ and my advise to players is to not overdo things and stick to each and everyone’s abilities,” said Chaitanya. “Play as a collective unit and the success will come.”

“The bowlers are our strength and if the batsmen back-up the strength, then Oman can be a team to watch out,” he said. Chaitanya, meanwhile, appreciated the plan of the think tank to provide maximum exposure for the players well ahead of the tournament. “Having a chance to acclimatise before a big tournament is an absolute necessity and this idea of sending the team much earlier must be lauded,” said Chaitanya pointing out that such a plan had helped Oman during the qualifiers in Ireland and Scotland.

“The camp in Dharamsala, the Asia Cup stint and also the warm-ups in Mohali is certain to provide a positive reflection on their performance in the first round of the World T20 Championship,” said Chaitanya, while adding a word of caution — ‘prime players must be rested during warmups’.

ers who fall into the ICC criteria so that we can develop teams with experience blended with youth,” he said.

He also called for more umpires and coaches, who are vital pillars in the road to development.

Advising more he opined, “We have three matches — Ireland, Netherlands and Bangladesh — the last one being the big boy and also the one we will be playing last.

“We must not think much on the big clash in the group but rather focus on the other two teams and grab full points. By the time we meet Bangladesh anything could have happened in the group, knowing very well the vagaries of T20 cricket,” he added.

“I must say with few new inductions like Bilal Khan, Oman’s bowling has become formidable, but I think the pacer should stick to basis and not try too many things,” he added.

However, he maintained that Ajay Lalcheta, who was one of the architects in the qualifying campaign, is the best spinner in the line-up and he should be a permanent member of the playing eleven.

Ajay, who plays for Chaitanya’s Al Turki in the Oman Cricket League, is an all-rounder of repute but his batting has not spoken much recently.

“Yes, he indeed is the best spinner in the squad, but I would like him to focus on his batting as well,” he said.

Thanks government Chaitanya did not mince words when he credited His Majesty Sul-

tan Qaboos bin Said and his government for the encouraging support to the game of cricket in the Sultanate.

“Without the supports we wouldn’t have such a great infrastructure and I think this will help the game spread among the citizens and all over the Sultanate,” he explained.

The recent success of Oman cricket has also expedited the developmental programme and ‘it is fruit of hardwork we have put in all these years,” said Chaitanya, who served on the OC Board as treasurer for two terms. “I hope the success will attract more Omani cricketers into the game and brighten the future prospects. All said and done the longevity of the game in the Sultanate depends on how well the game is embraced by the citizens,” he detailed.

Meanwhile, he opined that it is time to look beyond just T20.

“Our prime focus should be the 50-over format and where a stricter ICC rule prevails (a player has to have lived in the country for 7 years unlike the four-year rule for T20).

In my point of view the Premier League should have been played only in the 50-over formats,” he explained. Chaitanya also called on expansion of cricket governance to cities like Salalah and Sohar.

“We must start spotting talents countrywide and find out young play-

CAN OMAN BE THE SURPRISE PACKAGE? W

hen Oman qualified for the World Twenty20 Championship, it was indeed a big occasion to celebrate for cricket fans in the Sultanate and more to national coach Duleep Mendis.

However, the Sri Lankan cricket legend, who is also the Chief Development Officer of Oman Cricket, did not want to rest on the laurels and as ambitious as ever, Mendis’ goal is to help Oman leave a distinguished mark on the big platform.

Returning home from Ireland, where the ICC World T20 qualifiers were held, Mendis after a short break planned ahead and he had full support from Oman Cricket and also the employers of the players.

“The greatest encouragement is of course, the co-operation of the employers of the players and the

enthusiasm, determination and dedication of the players in addition to the whole-hearted support from the Oman Cricket officials,” said Mendis, who indicated that these were the main ingredients of the success in the qualifiers.

Playing on world stage is a big task and to leave an impression one has to work hard and who else other than Duleep Mendis will know better.

He roped in experts from India and Sri Lanka to groom the amateur cricketers so that they get the professional touch before playing their first of the World T20 preliminary matches. By the time Oman cricketers departed for the camp in Dharamsala, India, and after that to Dhaka to play in the Asia Cup qualifiers, each and every player looked fit for the action by all means.

After returning from Ireland Duleep Mendis had said: “My first priority was to get the players back to prime as far as fitness was concerned.”

The physical workouts under trainer Nagendra from India reflected on the players, when they beat Hong Kong in the opening match of the Asia Cup and lost a last-over thriller against Afghanistan.

The players dished out allround performances, but lost the plot against eventual winners the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The good aspect was batsmen like Jatinder Singh and Zeeshan Maqsood getting back to form, Adnan Illyas exhibiting his brilliance and the lone Omani player Sufiyan Mahmood impressing everyone with his all-round show in the match against the UAE.

The bowlers also did well, but the general opinion is that consistency was missing.

With more expert advice from bowling coaches — Sunil Joshi and Rumesh Ratnayake — more improvement is in the anvil. One worry still remains is the fielding department, which is costing dear most of the times. Fielding is so vital in shorter formats and Oman needs a lot improvement in this department.

Can Oman do a riposte of the history-making stint in the Ireland qualifiers is indeed a question on many-a-lip.

They showed the same belligerence in the recent Asia Cup qualifiers in Dhaka and more focus and determination can see them sneak into the main draw in the World T20.

For that to happen Oman

cricketers need to believe in themselves. And why not! History can be re-written again.

Flashback World T20 qualifiers — Then Oman opening game against Kenya was a defeat by seven runs, and from there on they beat big boys at the associate level — the Netherlands and surprised Afghanistan, before making history with a facile win over Namibia.

Fast forward: World T20 — Oman opens campaign against Ireland on March 9, followed by a match against the Netherlands on March 11 and the big one against Bangladesh on March 13. Can Oman be the surprise package in this edition of World T20? It’s anybody’s guess... — TKM

Desire to perform The cricket veteran coming back to Oman national team said that biggest positive in the team is the ‘desire to perform’ “The grand desire to perform at the top level is driving this team ahead,” he said, while adding on, “the negative aspect is the lack of experience in handling tense situation and fielding, which is still not impressive.”

Chaitanya also said that opening with Jatinder Singh, who is our best middle order batsman, was not a good idea.

“Anyway with Khawar Ali being recalled I think Jatinder will get back to play his own role,” he said.

Meanwhile, he also called on those who criticise on any given thing to stop their act. “Healthy criticism are fine but what I find today is blaming everything. One should understand that this will hurt the emotions of the players and make a negative impact,” he cautioned.

Even out of active play, former Oman Cricket treasurer Chaitanya has served 25 long years for the cause of play and has a haul of 114 wickets in his playing career, which kicked off at the age of 30.

He is known for supporting Omani cricketers and he is proud to say former Oman captain Ali Akbar and Mohammed Rafeeque from his stable. His vision is always evergreen and he still thinks on luring more Omani cricketers into the game and strengthen the grassroots. “I am still on a mission and my plans of future will come into light soon,” said Chaitanya, who has been one of the ‘big’ helping hands in devoloping the new infrastructure.

“My support for cricket development will continue and at the same time I will keep presenting innovative ideas which will help strengthen the programme,” said Chaitanya.

Signing off he paid rich tributes to former Oman Cricket official, late Madhu Sampat.

“I know very well that Madhu would be the most excited on seeing Oman on world stage. He had dedicated himself to cricket in Oman and had always dreamt of Oman reaching greater heights. I will surely miss him while watching Oman play in World T20 and I know many more will have the same feeling,” signed off Chaitanya.

— T.K. MOHANDOSS, sportseditor@timesofoman.com

TIMES OF OMAN

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

WORLD T20 2016

3

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

TIMES OF OMAN

WORLD T20 2016

OMAN’S ROAD TO THE TOURNAMENT In this graphic you can see the individual contributions of each paticipating player towards every match played by Oman in both 2015 ACC Twenty20 Cup and the 2015 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

OPPONENTS

Runs scored by Oman including extras Wickets taken by Oman

127

Extras are scored by means other than a batsman hitting the ball, such as penalties

PARTICIPATING PLAYERS

AFGHANISTAN Afghanistan won by 5 wickets

150

Total number of runs

NAMIBIA

Strike Rate

Zeeshan Siddiqui

114

SR

Mohammad Nadeem Mehran Khan

14 51

SR

125.14

Oman won by 5 wickets

150

Khawar Ali Sufyan Mehmood Muhammad Saeed

Scotland won by 23 runs

2015 ICC WORLD TWENTY20 QUALIFIER

SR

178.88 72.09 Total number of wikets taken

SCOTLAND U.A.E. No result - Match abandoned

66 4 10

Adnan Ilyas

SR SR

106.08 80

SR

90.9

SR

200.59

144 AFGHANISTAN Oman won by 40 runs

138

SR

Zeeshan Maqsood

266

Vaibhav Wategaonkar

106

SR

Sultan Ahmed

106

SR

149

Rajeshkumar Ranpura

74

KUWAIT

Ajay Lalcheta

95

Jatinder Singh

417

Munis Ansari

1

122.65

NETHERLANDS Oman won by 6 wickets

135 CANADA Oman won by 7 wickets

106.46

136 131.37

KENYA Kenya won by 7 runs

Oman won by 11 runs

SR

SR

143.55

88.7

103 MALDIVES Oman won by 7 wickets

2015 ACC TWENTY20 CUP

4

175 SINGAPORE Singapore won by 23 runs

SR

130.47

192 MALAYSIA Oman won by 46 runs

Amir Ali

88

Aamir Kaleem

127

SR 29.95

SR

133.84

SR

134.29

167 SAUDI ARABIA Oman won by 51 runs

TOTAL

1766 runs Including 102 extras

TOTAL

1664 runs

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

TIMES OF OMAN

WORLD T20 2016

TEAM PERFORMANCES

1ST

SOURCE WWW.ICC-CRICKET.COM/TEAM-RANKINGS/T20I

5TH

3033 24

6TH

2462 22

Points

10TH 1493 20

3751 34

Points

Matches

Points

Matches

Points

Matches

Matches

126 112 110 75 Rating

Rating

Rating

ENGLAND

PAKISTAN

BANGLADESH

Rating

INDIA

6

The graphic below shows the ranking history of ICC World T20 Cups from 2007 to 2014. Each line shows how teams performance have changed, how far they can go and what are their best or worst results.

LOOK INTO WORLD T20 HISTORY

The WT20 has far seen five different champions and the history states that even though the tournament is just relatively new with India winning the maiden edition in 2007, this exciting format has produced many-a-memorable moment.

2007 Legend

Champion

RANKING

2007

Champion

India

Runner up

Pakistan

3rd

Australia

4th

New Zealand

5th

South Africa

6th

Sri Lanka

Final round

Semi-final Round

2009

Round 2

2010

Round 1

Host

2012

2014

Hosts: South Africa. Final: India defeat Pakistan by five runs. However the highlight was Yuvraj Singh becoming the first batsman to hit six sixes in a Twenty20 international when he blasted through Stuart Broad’s over in a Super Eight match against England. Yuvraj’s hitting was the highlight on a run to the final, where they beat arch-rivals Pakistan in a gripping contest in Johannesburg by just five runs.

2009

Hosts: England. Final: Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets. The tournament saw hosts England losing their way after a last-ball loss to the Netherlands. It was here, Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan unveiled the ‘Dil-scoop’ as he was crowned ‘Player of the Series’ after a tournamentbest 317 runs. He made a duck in the Lord’s final, though, as Shahid Afridi’s unbeaten 54 from 40 balls steered Pakistan home.

2010

7th

England

8th

Bangladesh

Ireland

9th

Zimbabwe

Netherlands

10th

Scotland

11th

West Indies

12th

Kenya

Hosts: West Indies. Final: England beat Australia by seven wickets. This was England’s first ever global ICC title as man of the series Kevin Pietersen steered them past Australia in Barbados. Australia had only reached the final following some astonishing hitting from Michael Hussey in their semifinal against Pakistan. With 48 required from the last 17 balls, Hussey’s unbeaten 24-ball 60 got his side home with a ball to spare.

2012

Afghanistan

Nepal

13th

Hosts: Sri Lanka. Final: West Indies beat Sri Lanka by 36 runs. West Indies secured a popular win after they bowled out Sri Lanka for 101 in the final. The star of the series Ajantha Mendis (4 for 15) restricted the Windies to 137 for six. But Sunil Narine had different intentions and notched up three wickets for nine runs to trigger of Chris Gayle-led typical Calypso celebrations.

2014 14th 15th

Hong Kong

16th

United Arab Emirates

Hosts: Bangladesh. Final: Sri Lanka beat India by 6 wickets. For the first time, the event featured 16 teams. In the final man of the series Virat Kohli (77 of 58 balls) set the tone but India lost way to settle for 130 for 4. Sri Lanka, however, eased to 134 for 4 in the 18th over, Kumar Sangakkara top scoring with an unbeaten 52. It was the perfect send-off for Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, both of whom retired from T20 Internationals at the end of the tournament.

TIMES OF OMAN

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

WORLD T20 2016

7

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

TIMES OF OMAN

WORLD T20 2016 GROUP

8

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T20 INTERNATIONAL MATCHES (T20Is)

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There will be 7 match referees and 24 umpires MATCH REFEREES

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SQUAD’S AVERAGE AGE

CAPTAIN

Ireland, South Africa and West Indies has only one left handed player each

PLAYER

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35

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Hong Kong has the youngest and the oldest player of the tournament

pA

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With an average age of 23.9 years, Hong Kong is the youngest squad in the tournament All Statistics updated till March 5, 2015

ZE

AL

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Chris Broad (England)

GROUP

INDI

COUNTRY

With an average age of 27.3 years, Australia is the youngest squad in Gorup 2

SQUAD’S AVERAGE AGE

3/20 90 R 23 26 c 90 L Steven Smith 54 29 0 L David Warner 4/31 16 0 R 22 3/25 41 11 Ashton Agar R 28 156 R 13 Nathan Cou 3/4 1 lter-Nile 25 5 R 24 4/30 J am 0 L es Faulk 29 ner 4 14 L 1/30 30 Aaron F 4 inch 3/13 36 R 25 John H 74 R 1 astings 29 4 1/28 0 Josh H azlew 4/15 4 R ood 27 24 Usma 124 n R K 0 hawa 2 7 ja 0 R Mitc 2 hell M 4/1 30 arsh 2/2 1 54 Glen 52 7 n Ma R 29 46 xwel 0 l R 3/1 50 34 P e t er N 4/ 6 5 L e vill 11 2 3 90 And 24 R rew 3/2 Tye L 15 Sha 0 3 n 4/ e R W 35 atso 3 2/ 10 21 L n Ada 25 86 mZ 28 7 c amp 2 R a 8 26 0 R Sh 13 L 0 ahi 2/ 34 dA 7 76 R 21 frid 27 3/ 75 i A 7 n 34 9 w 1 R a 4 Sh 29 rA arj 13 li 30 M e el K oh 23 R 0 am Most T20I han me 35 matches in the 7 d Sa I m Kh mi 13 tournament 33 ad urr Wa am 70 sim 21 Mo M 71 ha an 30 M mm zo oh or 15 ad am With an average 28 Am ma M age of 29.2 years, o i d 34 r ha H M afe mm Pakistan is the oh 25 ez am ad oldest team in ma Irf 30 an dN Gorup 2. Also, with Kh aw an average of 29.8 Sa ali az rfr dL T20Is, it is the az a tif Sh Ah most experienced oa m squad in the ib ed Um M tournament ali ar W k Ak ah m ab al Ri az

15.33

26.1

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Graphics

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Source: ICC World Twenty20

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SQUAD’S AVERAGE T20Is

29.2

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28 27 26 25 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 March 14

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This will be the sixth edition of the ICC World Twenty20, and the first to be hosted

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28.3

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14.55

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SQUAD’S AVERAGE T20Is

29.1

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AUS TR

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BOWLING STYLE

SO UT H

This rouns is also called ‘Super 10’ and consists in two groups of five squads (Group A and Group B). On each group there are four squads which qualified directly plus the champion ofone of the groups fromthe First Round. The top two teams of Group A and B will progress to the Semifinals where the team placed first in Group 1 will play the team placed second in Group 2 and the team placed first in Group 2 will play the team placed second in Group 1

T ES W

Semifinals & Final

Su

19.77

1:30pm 6:00pm

T20 INTERNATIONAL MATCHES (T20Is)

27.9

Group matches

32

SQUAD’S AVERAGE AGE

25.33

Match timetable (Oman time)

28

AGE

62

Top bowler

CAPTAIN

62

Top batsman

PLAYER

ND A EL R I

With an average age of 28.2 years, Oman is the oldest squad in Group A. Also, with an average of 6.9 T20Is, it is the least experienced squad in the tournament

1

SRI LA NKA

COUNTRY

R 57 3/14 37 32 c Peter Borren R 75 29 31 R 24 3/9 Wesley Barresi 7 25 R 28 4/7 Logan van Beek 36 R 66 31 khari 20 12 5/21 R Mudassar Bu 24 /22 19 R 1 3 9 r 5/1 24 Ben Coope R 4 1 gten 2/8 n der Gu 23 R 7 Timm va 6 2 3/18 L 89 26 ingma 12 Vivian K R 78 1/7 23 18 Malik R 32 4/23 Ahsan 52 31 24 n L /19 eekere 5 4 18 Paul M 5 L 2 / 31 erwe 2 2 de r M f van R 7 14 21 Roelo gh ybur 33 an M 24 Steph 127 R 15 wd 0 4 28 O’Do 4/2 R 4 Max n 0 o /7 1 29 L 0 2 24 Ripp hael 1 6/ 2 Mic 45 R ar 40 4/2 eela R er S 10 19 P ie t R1 4 per 31 37 8 Coo Tom c 57 8 25 9 R 5 4/ 5 3 eld 11 1 23 erfi 16 5/ 10 ort R 48 6 4/ 2 mP 2 0 e 2 i llia irn R 90 3/1 27 Wi alb 34 R 26 wB l 6 15 1 rel dre 2 3 2/ R 3 An ock 6 10 eD 0 org ne 34 Ge 19 R Bri Mc 28 h dy 23 tag An r 25 34 n Mu rie Tim 17 31 O’B n vin 43 ri e 30 Ke ter 9 O’B yn 25 all Po Ni ew ter 24 dr yn An Po 30 rt in ua nk 25 St en Ra ns yd re Bo g So n on i ax ps irl M St om ul Th Pa rt on ua ils St W ng ry ou Ga gY ai Cr

Players to watch in each squad

ANDS L R E H NET

5/31 27 R 3/16 81 R 2/14 9 R 56 R 4 2/4 104 R 5/3 1 1/11 4 L 0 R 48 R 4/32 31 R 3/33 4/46 49 R 3/16 17 R 2/17 27 R 1/30 42 L 8 R

A

It consists of eight teams divided into two groups of four (Group A and Group B) based on their seeding. The team that finishes first in each group will progress to the Second Round (the Super 10 series)

2ND. ROUND

GROUP

IS TA N

1ST. ROUND

WORLD T20 2016

PA K

8

A India and New Zealand are the squads with most left handed bowlers (five each)

2

Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

David Boon (Australia)

Javagal Srinath (India)

Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)

Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe)

Richie Richardson (West Indies)

UMPIRES Anil Chaudhary, Johan Cloete, Kathy Cross, Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Simon Fry, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Vineet Kulkarni, Nigel Llong, Ranmore Martinesz, CK Nandan, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Claire Polosak, Paul Reiffel, Chettithody Shamshuddin, Ravi Sundaram, Rod Tucker, Joel Wilson

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

TIMES OF OMAN

WORLD T20 2016 GROUP

8

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T20 INTERNATIONAL MATCHES (T20Is)

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There will be 7 match referees and 24 umpires MATCH REFEREES

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SQUAD’S AVERAGE AGE

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Ireland, South Africa and West Indies has only one left handed player each

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Hong Kong has the youngest and the oldest player of the tournament

pA

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With an average age of 23.9 years, Hong Kong is the youngest squad in the tournament All Statistics updated till March 5, 2015

ZE

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Chris Broad (England)

GROUP

INDI

COUNTRY

With an average age of 27.3 years, Australia is the youngest squad in Gorup 2

SQUAD’S AVERAGE AGE

3/20 90 R 23 26 c 90 L Steven Smith 54 29 0 L David Warner 4/31 16 0 R 22 3/25 41 11 Ashton Agar R 28 156 R 13 Nathan Cou 3/4 1 lter-Nile 25 5 R 24 4/30 J am 0 L es Faulk 29 ner 4 14 L 1/30 30 Aaron F 4 inch 3/13 36 R 25 John H 74 R 1 astings 29 4 1/28 0 Josh H azlew 4/15 4 R ood 27 24 Usma 124 n R K 0 hawa 2 7 ja 0 R Mitc 2 hell M 4/1 30 arsh 2/2 1 54 Glen 52 7 n Ma R 29 46 xwel 0 l R 3/1 50 34 P e t er N 4/ 6 5 L e vill 11 2 3 90 And 24 R rew 3/2 Tye L 15 Sha 0 3 n 4/ e R W 35 atso 3 2/ 10 21 L n Ada 25 86 mZ 28 7 c amp 2 R a 8 26 0 R Sh 13 L 0 ahi 2/ 34 dA 7 76 R 21 frid 27 3/ 75 i A 7 n 34 9 w 1 R a 4 Sh 29 rA arj 13 li 30 M e el K oh 23 R 0 am Most T20I han me 35 matches in the 7 d Sa I m Kh mi 13 tournament 33 ad urr Wa am 70 sim 21 Mo M 71 ha an 30 M mm zo oh or 15 ad am With an average 28 Am ma M age of 29.2 years, o i d 34 r ha H M afe mm Pakistan is the oh 25 ez am ad oldest team in ma Irf 30 an dN Gorup 2. Also, with Kh aw an average of 29.8 Sa ali az rfr dL T20Is, it is the az a tif Sh Ah most experienced oa m squad in the ib ed Um M tournament ali ar W k Ak ah m ab al Ri az

15.33

26.1

Batting: Highest Innings score Bowling handedness

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29.2

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14 13 12 11 10 9 March 8

28 27 26 25 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 March 14

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This will be the sixth edition of the ICC World Twenty20, and the first to be hosted

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28.3

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R 68 1/23 R 70 3/25 c 2 sen m om 32 M n to R 100 3/2 Pres 31 0 6 33 er 3/23 Kyle Coetz 28 R 8 16 n o 1/44 gt n ri 1 er 3 B 2 L Richie 8 5/24 1 R 25 w Cross e 3 3/23 h tt a 7 M R 6 3/23 5 3 9 avey R 90 2/17 Josh D 7 12 27 e R 5 1/21 e Lang Con d 10 5 R 2 ans 2 /24 air Ev R 6 23 25 Alasd 6 4 /17 2 k s R 3 ea 3 L l e 1 7 a 27 5/2 L 4 Mich 0 1 n 1 a 1 h c 0 a L 2 M t Mat 18 1/4 od acLe 21 93 3/15 mM 8 u R l a C /21 58 24 n L 0 2 25 11 Mai n / i v y Ga R 6 1 /37 26 nse 4 Mu e L g r 4 19 44 Geo rif a 31 h R nS 35 4/ 7 21 yaa R 54 Saf 2/ r 7 R 59 32 aylo 2 T b 4 R 43 1/2 7 Ro tt 29 c /1 6 Wa R 1 3 k 3 a r 1 z 3 Ma 24 ad 0 1/ R k 1 a 6 as L 2 2 M 2 n 41 R 68 lto 30 mi ms R 49 21 Ha llia i R W 25 za 10 ara n d t a a a h Se 4 sak 29 iC a a ra nd nM 7 ga Te 29 gto an 2 ny llin a e 26 P W e 22 With an average 0 sh a 3 a r r n u 22 oo age of 28.3 years, Ti b m 28 rM u i e g Zimbabwe is the t i m Pe a 27 ba Ch oldest squad in az m ton tu 31 rR a a u Group B El M iw nd r a 32 d a k on Si up m ch a M oro Ri nd is o wa an Ch a T ai rip ler d i n T al Te ld W na m o l da D This is the third edition of T20 co an al ib to played in Southern Asia but on M S si this time the geographical range is Vu much larger. In other words: will be tough for the teams in terms of resting time because the long traveling distances

14.55

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SQUAD’S AVERAGE T20Is

29.1

Stadium —See the map

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With an average age of 25.2 years, Bangladesh is the youngest squad in Group A

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This rouns is also called ‘Super 10’ and consists in two groups of five squads (Group A and Group B). On each group there are four squads which qualified directly plus the champion ofone of the groups fromthe First Round. The top two teams of Group A and B will progress to the Semifinals where the team placed first in Group 1 will play the team placed second in Group 2 and the team placed first in Group 2 will play the team placed second in Group 1

T ES W

Semifinals & Final

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19.77

1:30pm 6:00pm

T20 INTERNATIONAL MATCHES (T20Is)

27.9

Group matches

32

SQUAD’S AVERAGE AGE

25.33

Match timetable (Oman time)

28

AGE

62

Top bowler

CAPTAIN

62

Top batsman

PLAYER

ND A EL R I

With an average age of 28.2 years, Oman is the oldest squad in Group A. Also, with an average of 6.9 T20Is, it is the least experienced squad in the tournament

1

SRI LA NKA

COUNTRY

R 57 3/14 37 32 c Peter Borren R 75 29 31 R 24 3/9 Wesley Barresi 7 25 R 28 4/7 Logan van Beek 36 R 66 31 khari 20 12 5/21 R Mudassar Bu 24 /22 19 R 1 3 9 r 5/1 24 Ben Coope R 4 1 gten 2/8 n der Gu 23 R 7 Timm va 6 2 3/18 L 89 26 ingma 12 Vivian K R 78 1/7 23 18 Malik R 32 4/23 Ahsan 52 31 24 n L /19 eekere 5 4 18 Paul M 5 L 2 / 31 erwe 2 2 de r M f van R 7 14 21 Roelo gh ybur 33 an M 24 Steph 127 R 15 wd 0 4 28 O’Do 4/2 R 4 Max n 0 o /7 1 29 L 0 2 24 Ripp hael 1 6/ 2 Mic 45 R ar 40 4/2 eela R er S 10 19 P ie t R1 4 per 31 37 8 Coo Tom c 57 8 25 9 R 5 4/ 5 3 eld 11 1 23 erfi 16 5/ 10 ort R 48 6 4/ 2 mP 2 0 e 2 i llia irn R 90 3/1 27 Wi alb 34 R 26 wB l 6 15 1 rel dre 2 3 2/ R 3 An ock 6 10 eD 0 org ne 34 Ge 19 R Bri Mc 28 h dy 23 tag An r 25 34 n Mu rie Tim 17 31 O’B n vin 43 ri e 30 Ke ter 9 O’B yn 25 all Po Ni ew ter 24 dr yn An Po 30 rt in ua nk 25 St en Ra ns yd re Bo g So n on i ax ps irl M St om ul Th Pa rt on ua ils St W ng ry ou Ga gY ai Cr

Players to watch in each squad

ANDS L R E H NET

5/31 27 R 3/16 81 R 2/14 9 R 56 R 4 2/4 104 R 5/3 1 1/11 4 L 0 R 48 R 4/32 31 R 3/33 4/46 49 R 3/16 17 R 2/17 27 R 1/30 42 L 8 R

A

It consists of eight teams divided into two groups of four (Group A and Group B) based on their seeding. The team that finishes first in each group will progress to the Second Round (the Super 10 series)

2ND. ROUND

GROUP

IS TA N

1ST. ROUND

WORLD T20 2016

PA K

8

A India and New Zealand are the squads with most left handed bowlers (five each)

2

Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

David Boon (Australia)

Javagal Srinath (India)

Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)

Andy Pycroft (Zimbabwe)

Richie Richardson (West Indies)

UMPIRES Anil Chaudhary, Johan Cloete, Kathy Cross, Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Simon Fry, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Vineet Kulkarni, Nigel Llong, Ranmore Martinesz, CK Nandan, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Claire Polosak, Paul Reiffel, Chettithody Shamshuddin, Ravi Sundaram, Rod Tucker, Joel Wilson

10

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

TIMES OF OMAN

WORLD T20 2016

VIDARBHA CRICKET ASSOCIATION STADIUM, NAGPUR

M. CHINNASWAMY STADIUM, BENGALURU

WANKHEDE STADIUM, MUMBAI

EDEN GARDENS, KOLKATA

Nagpur, the traditional winter capital of the state of Maharashtra in India is well known for its oranges.

It is also famous for producing India’s first Test captain, CK Nayadu. The new Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium at Jamtha, Nagpur, opened in 2008 and replaced the old one. Spread across 33 acres, the new stadium claims world-class practice facilities and modern infrastructure. The only T20I played here had Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara scoring 78 off 37 balls and leading his team to a 29-run victory over India in December 2009.

The stadium has a busy schedule for the ICC World T20 2016. It will host nine men’s fixtures, including all six Group B matches between Scotland, Hong Kong, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan. India v New Zealand (March 15) and the West Indies v South Africa (March 25) and West Indies v Group B topper (March 27) are the other games. Australia Women’s matches against South Africa (March 18) and New Zealand (March 21) will also be here.

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, made history by becoming the world’s first solar powered cricket stadium in 2015. It was the venue for the debut of West Indies greats Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge, as well as Sunil Gavaskar’s last innings. Home to Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the stadium has recently enthralled cricket fans with thrilling sixes by Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

The stadium will play host to the inaugural ICC Women’s World T20 2016 fixture between India and Bangladesh on March 15. It will also host England Women v Bangladesh Women (March 17), South Africa Women v New Zealand Women (March 26) and South Africa Women v Sri Lanka Women (March 30). Four warm-up games will also be held here. Featured men’s matches include Sri Lanka v West Indies (March 20), and Australia and India against the topper from Group A (March 21 and 23 respectively).

The Wankhede Stadium is a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Mumbai. The stadium now has capacity of 33,108, following renovations for the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Before the upgrade, the capacity was approximately 45,000. The Wankhede stadium has been host to numerous high profile cricket matches in the past, most notable being the 2011 Cricket World Cup final, in which India defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets. The stadium witnessed the last match of Sachin Tendulkar’s international career. The stadium is also host to the match in which Ravi Shastri hit six sixes in an over and has stands named after famous Indian cricketers such as Vijay Merchant, Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.

Wankhede will host West Indies v England (March 16), South Africa v England (March 18), South Africa v Group B topper (March 20), as well as the second semifinal on March 31.

It will also host the women’s semifinal ahead of the men’s.

With a capacity in excess of 65,000, Eden Gardens in Kolkata at its rambunctious best is a spectacle that can match a concert in Wembley or a football final at San Siro. The iconic ground has seen it all – cricket world cup finals, victory laps, and even games where the Kolkata crowd has had the final say. No Indian cricket fan will forget that classic day in March 2001 at the venue, when VVS Laxman‘s 281 and his partnership with Rahul Dravid against Australia scripted one of the greatest come-frombehind victories. More recently, Rohit Sharma marked the 150th anniversary of the ground with a 173-ball 264, the highest ODI score.

Eden Gardens will host four games of the ICC World T20 2016, including Pakistan v Group A topper (March 16), Sri Lanka v Group B topper (March 17), Group A topper v New Zealand (March 26) and the final on April 3.

It will also host the ICC Women‘s World T20 final on April 3.

Sri Lanka 215/5 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

Capacity 45,000

Capacity 40,715

Number of matches to be plyaed

Number of matches to be plyaed

Women s

74 TM Dilshan, KC 78 Sangakkara Sangakkara 2nd wicket Sri Lanka Sri Lanka

Highest team score

Highest Partnership

Pakistan 134/5

106 M. Hafeez, S. Malik 4th wicket Pakistan

Best economy rate 4.75 ST Jayasuriya Sri Lanka

Capacity 32,000

England 181/4

Capacity 66,349

Number of matches to be plyaed

Number of matches to be plyaed England 121/4

61 Mohammad Hafeez Pakistan

Best economy rate 2.25 B Kumar India

Best economy rate 4.25 Yuvraj Singh India

80 MJ Lumb, AD Hales 1st wicket England

60 Pietersen, SR Patel 3rd wicket 53 England Pietersen England

50 MJ Lumb England

Best economy rate 2.25 RA Jadeja India

Highest wicket takers

Highest wicket takers

Highest wicket taker

Highest wicket taker

ST Jayasuriya AD Mathews

B Kumar (India) Umar Gul (Pak)

Yuvraj Singh India

ST Finn England

Highest team score

Highest Individual score

Highest Partnership

Highest team score

Highest Individual score

Highest Partnership

Highest team score

Highest Individual score

Highest Partnership

Highest Individual score

GROUND CONTROL

With India all set to host the ICC World Twenty20 (men and women) for the first time in 2016, we take a look at the 8 grounds that will host the 58 matches over 27 days from March 8 to April 3 and the records.

PCA STADIUM, MOHALI

HPCA STADIUM, DHARAMSALA

MA CHIDAMBARAM STADIUM, CHENNAI

FEROZ SHAH KOTLA, DELHI

The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium, Mohali, offers players and spectators the best of facilities, as well as a lively and lush green pitch and outfield. The ground is probably best remembered for the 1996 World Cup semi-final, when Australia squeezed past the West Indies in a nail-biting finish, and the India v Pakistan ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 semifinal, attended by the leaders of both countries. Pakistan will play two matches at this venue, against New Zealand (March 22) and Australia (March 25). Australia will also play India here (March 27).

Among the ICC Women’s World T20 2016 matches, Ireland Women will play New Zealand Women (March 18) and Sri Lanka Women (March 20), while West Indies Women takes on India Women (March 27).

At the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala, you are in a place of natural grandeur. At 1317m above sea level with the Himalayas in the background, the stadium is among the loftiest international grounds.

The first ODI played here was in January 2013, which England won against India with Ian Bell scoring a ton.

Dharamsala will host all Group A fixtures featuring Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Ireland and Oman. It will also host Australia v New Zealand (March 18) and the much-awaited India v Pakistan clash (March 19).

England Women will play two matches here, against India Women (March 22) and West Indies Women (March 24).

Better known as Chepauk owing to its location in Chennai, the first Test played here was in 1933-34 between Douglas Jardine’s England and CK Nayudu’s India. The venue is famous for witnessing only the second tied Test in cricket’s history, between India and Australia in 1986.

The stadium will host five Women’s WT20 2016 warm-up matches, before West Indies Women v Pakistan Women (March 16), West Indies Women v Bangladesh Women (March 20), South Africa Women v Ireland Women (March 23) and England Women v Pakistan Women (March 27).

The stadium is located at Chepauk, a few hundred meters from Marina beach along the Bay of Bengal.

The stadium can currently accommodate 38,000 spectators which will be expanded to 42,000. The renovated stands are at a gradient of 36 degrees and lets the sea breeze in, to get the ground’s traditional swing back. — ICC

In 1983, Sunil Gavaskar scored his 29th century at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi, to equal Don Bradman’s record for the highest number of Test hundreds. In 2005, Sachin Tendulkar broke Gavaskar’s record with his 35th Test century at the same venue. Feroz Shah Kotla has seen many a cricketing feat, but none more famous than Anil Kumble’s ten wickets in an innings against Pakistan in 1999. The Kotla has been allotted four men’s and six women’s matches, including one semifinal for both. Before that, England plays Group B topper (March 23) and Sri Lanka (March 26), while South Africa takes on Sri Lanka (March 28). ICC Women’s World T20 2016 games include New Zealand Women v Sri Lanka Women (March 15), India Women v Pakistan Women (March 19), Australia Women v Sri Lanka Women (March 24), Pakistan Women v Bangladesh Women (March 24) and Australia Women v Ireland Women (March 26), apart from the semi-final on March 30.

India 211/4 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

Capacity 26,950

South Africa 200/3

138 R. Sharma, V Kohli 2nd wicket India

Number of matches to be plyaed Women s

81 Jayasuriya, Sangakkara 2nd wicket Sri Lanka

Highest team score

Highest Partnership

64 V Sehwag India

Highest Individual score

Capacity 23,000

Number of matches to be plyaed

106 R. Sharma India

Best economy rate 7.00 SL Malinga Sri Lanka

N. Zealand 167/5

90 McCullum, Williamson 91 3rd wicket McCullum N. Zealand N. Zealand

Best economy rate 6.50 R. Ashwin India

Capacity 38,000

Capacity 40,715

Number of matches to be plyaed

Number of matches to be plyaed

Best economy rate 5.66 KD Mills New Zealand

Highest wicket takers

Highest wicket takers

Highest wicket taker

Yuvraj Singh India

KJ Abbott South Africa

IK Pathan India

Highest team score

Highest Partnership

Highest Individual score

Highest team score

Highest Partnership

Highest Individual score

NO INTERNATIONAL T20 HAS BEEN PLAYED ON THIS GROUND SO FAR

12

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016

TIMES OF OMAN

WORLD T20 2016 92

2000 2199

Total runs conceded

6.599

Strike rate 131.52

444

92

24

Wickets W

A Average 14.75 1

Strike ratee 13.8

Faf du Plessis (South Africa)

His leadership skills were acknowledged when he was made captain of the T20 squad at the start of the three-match three match series against New Zealand in 2012/13.

No. of matches m pla played

472 72

119

Highest runs scored

No. of Sixers

220

Totall runs conceded ceded

Average 39.63

Total runs scored

Shahid Afridi is known as the “BOOM BOOM”, he is current skipper of the Pakistan T20 side and he will also note able player in this tournament.

Balls

28

No. of matches played

872

4/11

BBM

Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)

Economy my

No. of Fours

No. of 50’s

Average 23.90

Strike trike rate 21.7

81

6

No. of matc matches p y played

Balls

4/21

BBM

122

13

PLAYERS TO WATCH

N No No.. of Fourss

No. of 50’ss

117

45

Highest runs scored

No. of matches hes played

Strike rate ate 142.59

Average 35.15

Illustrated are few of the top players

6.37

32

Imran Tahir (South Africa)

Economyy

Wickets

to watch in this tournament, however there are a few more highlighted below.

87

No. of Sixes

Imran Tahir is the epitome of a journeyman cricketer. In fact, he has barely stopped moving. Since starting his first-class career in 1996-97 he has racked up at least 10 teams ranging from Lahore to Yorkshire.

No. of matches played

4644

Total runs ded conceded

Strike rate ate 16.6 5.39 .39

Economy onomy

Average 14.96 44/15

BBM B

31

Wickets Wick

Samuel amuelBad Badree dree (West Indies)

A leggie, who hurries even the best of batsmen with his skidders and unerring accuracy, He has grown leaps and bounds to become West Indies’ chief marksman in the T20 format.

852

Balls

978

Total runss d conceded

Strike ratete 18.9 6.88

Economy my

37

No. of matches played

Average Ave 21.7 21.73

Chris Gayle (West Indies)

The Jamaican superstar is undoubtedly a six hitting powerhouse. In the 225 matches that he has played so far, Chris has hit 596 sixes in T20s so far.

22

516

Balls

24

6

David Warner (Australia) This left-handed dasher stands only around 171 centimetres but packs a powerful punch. Warner made his name in Twenty20 before refining his technique to become one of the best (and most dangerous) Test batsmen in world cricket. It is a measure of how lethal he can be that he is on this list ahead of his opening partner Aaron Finch, another powerful strokemaker who can score at a rapid rate.

Martin Guptill (New Zealand) The big Kiwi has emerged as a key player for the Black Caps with a series of dazzling displays in the limited-over formats. His 237 nott out from 163 balls in the quarterfinals of the 2015 World Cricket Cup against the West Indies keeps him on top as a power hitter. Hee can also be handy with his off-breaks.

No. of matches played

No. of 50’s

95

156

N . of Fourss No No.

Highest runs scored

Average 41.61

Strike rate 151.47

AB de Villiers (South Africa) Abraham Benjamin de Villiers can be described as world-class.

He is indeed South Africa‘s best in any format and the most destructive too. Just not cricket, AB has excelled in in rugby, golf, swimming, tennis and hockey. In the Indian Premier League he is the standout player, his best being 133 off 59 balls for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He may be the focal point in India when the World T20 unfolds in India and will be the most dependable man for South Africa.

36

No. of Sixes

874

Total runs scored

AAaron Finch Fi h (Australia)

A solidly-built, aggressive batsman, Aaron Finch wrote himself a place in the history books when he made a Twenty20 worldrecord 156 against England in 2013.

Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) This Sri Lankan slinger, if injury to his knee heals, is worthy of mention when talking about the greatest T20 bowlers of all. He also the skipper of Sri Lanka when they won the 2014 T20 title.

An unorthodox bowler, his variations and deadly yorkers makes it hard for the batsmen.

7

Yuvraj Singh (India) Indian veteran Yuvraj Singh has been the complete player all these years, especially remembered for his slugfest in the inaugural World T20 edition in 2007. He was out of cricket for some time battling cancer and just getting back to the team. He is gradually coming back into rhythm and with his left-arm spinners, he may be handy for the host nation.

No. of 50’s

121

No. of Fours

39

No. of matches played

Strike rate 135.12

4/8

BBM

45

No. of Sixes

1154

Total runs scored

(I d Ravichandran Ashwin chandranAsh hwin (India)

Stats last updated on March 2

116*

Highest runs scored

Average 33.94

36

Wickets W

A leggie, who hurries even the best of batsmen with his skidders and unerring accuracy, He has grown leaps and bounds to become West Indies’ chief marksman in the T20 format.

1406

Total runs run d scored

Alex Hales (England)

Hales, a tall batsman with a destructive range of offside drives and cuts, was seen as a player who could potentially change the conversation into something more positive.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORDINARY AND EXTRAORDINARY IS THAT LITTLE EXTRA.

GO GIVE IT, TEAM OMAN.

Al Turki Enterprises and National Metalcans wish the Oman Cricket Team all the success in the World Twenty20 - 2016

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