Times of Oman - May 12, 2015

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TUESDAY, May 12, 2015 / 23 Rajab 1436 AH

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Oman gears up for holiday weekend Times News Service MUSCAT: For residents and citizens of Oman who are eyeing a perfect getaway during the threeday weekend holidays, it is time to grab the opportunity.

With many offers from top-end hotels and resorts on the platter, for those seeking adventure, it is time to give a serious thought to their bookings.

This year the blessed anniversary of Al Isra’a Wal Miraj falls on Sunday and with two weekend holidays, many can avail themselves of the three-day break.

There is no need to fret, as some of the getaways are still up for grabs. So simply pack your bags and get going: Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa: Al Waha Hotel OMR80 per room, per night, inclusive of all taxes, for two people, with breakfast.

Al Bandar - OMR90.

Al Husn - OMR125.

Millennium Resort, Mussanah: OMR60 per room per night including breakfast, dinner and taxes.

Al Nahda Resort and Spa: OMR60 per room per night including breakfast and taxes.

Wadi Shab Resort: OMR120 Stay 3 nights and pay for 2 nights, including breakfast and taxes.

Salalah: Ajwan Hotel Apartments - OMR165 per person, which includes an economy class air ticket, 3 nights stay in a double-room, daily breakfast and return airport transfers.

Turtle Watching in Sur: OMR73 per room, per night, including breakfast, dinner and two guided turtle watching tours with museum entry for 2 adults.

Jabal Shams Heights Resort: OMR45 per room, per night, including a stay in an Arabic tent or chalet, with breakfast and dinner.

Dolphin Watching: OMR11 per person, departure from Marina Bandar at 10 a.m. on May 15,16 and 17.

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For doctors, the recovery of Mabela school student after the accident is almost a miracle, but she has lost her eyesight and responds to only a few words DEFYING ODDS: Jestifer Jeril lies in a ward of Sultan Qaboos University Hospital. - Photo: A R Rajkumar

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: She was given just one per cent chance of survival by doctors after being run over by a school bus, but brave Jestifer Jeril is defying the odds.

More than 30 days have passed since the accident, but Jestifer, a six-year-old student of Indian School Mabela, continues her battle to recovery. However, she is immobile, responds only to a few words, and has lost her eyesight.

“The doctors have achieved a miracle. When she was taken into the intensive care unit, they said there was only one per cent hope. Now, she is coming back slowly. However, she has lost her eyesight. One eye is open, but the other one is closed. Even though she cannot see, she recognises our

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Majority in Oman expect salary hike

Houthis ‘down’ Moroccan jet

‘Rents unlikely to drop in Muscat’

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Rental prices in Muscat are not expected to drop in the coming few years, according to an official, who says land prices in central Muscat would also not see a fall.

Rents may go down temporarily after the completion of some housing and real estate projects. >B1

A Moroccan F-16 jet has gone missing while on a mission with Saudi-led forces in Yemen, Morocco’s military said while Houthi militia said regional tribesmen shot down the aircraft. Heavyweapons fire across the border between Houthis and Saudi forces could endanger truce. >A7

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More than half of Oman’s professionals are expecting a salary hike in 2015, according to a survey. The 2015 Bayt.com MENA Salary Survey has found out that 58 per cent of Omani respondents anticipate a salary increase in 2015, although 33 per cent admit that they did not receive one in 2014. >A2

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voices and responds,” Jeril Jose, father of Jestifer, told the Times of Oman.

“We do not know what to say.

We thank the Almighty for saving her life. But she is a girl child and she has lost her eyesight for no fault of hers. Why she should be cursed to lead a life without her eyesight, is worrying us. We are totally devastated by the accident,” said Jeril.

“Even the elder daughter is unaware of the seriousness of the accident. She complains that her little sister is not looking at her and not talking,” added Jeril.

Jestifer’s mother, who was standing across the road to receive her daughter, had watched in horror as the accident took place in front of her eyes.

After classes on April 8, Jestifer and her elder sister disembarked from the bus, but the bus lurched forward running over Jestifer.

According to the parents, Jestifer and her elder sister were dropped by the bus opposite their residence.

“The helper was supposed to escort the child to the parent, but he did not do so. The elder one crossed from the rear of the bus, while Jestifer walked across from the front,” said the parents.

Meanwhile, seeing the road tragedies and to ensure the safety of children, the Indian School Mabela has hired a Dubai-based company to transport students.

“We already had plans, but after Jestifer’s accident, we moved

fast. Tenders were called for and it was awarded to a Dubai-based company, which has experience in transporting 25,000 people in Dubai daily,” said a management committee member of the school.

Trial run of bus “We will undertake a trial run in the first week of June, and it will be fully functional when the school reopens in August.

“We have hired eight buses and already more than 10 per cent of students have enrolled in the school monitored transport system,” added the member.

“The 65-seater buses will have Global Positioning System (GPS), IVMS, seat belts, trained drivers and attendants,” added the member. >A4

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58% of employees in Oman expect salary hike in 2015 Salary Survey The 2015 Bayt.com MENA Salary Survey, conducted by Bayt. com and market research agency, YouGov, has found out that 58 per cent of Omani respondents

ACCOLADE

SQU bags first position at science event Times News Service

Collected online from March 30 to April 6, 2015.

Results are based on a sample of 284 respondents from Oman

Increase

GCC overview

58%

24%

33%

75%

73%

Expecting a salary increase

Aren’t expecting an increase

Didn’t receive an increase in 2014

Claim that their company doesn’t pay overtime

Will intend to look for a better job

85%

The rise is attributed to: Cost of rent Food and Beverages Think that the cost Utilities of living rose in 2014

61% 45%

75%

Composition of the current salary package (%)

Satisfaction with income (%)

Basic Basic salary Basic salary+ Commissions salary +benefits benefits+ only commissions

Low

Oman UAE

62 11 1

27

62

23 25

63 11

Qatar

28

59 12

Kuwait

46 38

49

47 4

50

46 4

15

KSA

Bahrain

Medium High

43 40

52 5 55 4

38 14 1

43

53 4

47 16

41

53

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Graphics

Source: The 2015 Bayt.com MENA Salary Survey

anticipate a salary increase in 2015, though 33 per cent admit they did get one in 2014

Times News Service MUSCAT: More than half of Oman’s professionals are expecting a salary increase in 2015, according to a new survey.

The 2015 Bayt.com MENA Salary Survey, conducted by Bayt. com and market research agency, YouGov, has found that 58 per cent of Omani respondents anticipate a salary increase in 2015, although 33 per cent admit they did not receive one in 2014.

Reacting to the survey, Thasleem Khan, CEO and managing partner of Intelligent Parking and Elevator Company, said that the projected salary increase numbers show a subtle improvement over salary increases in the last few years. “With the cost of living rising because of escalating house rents, the expectations of people have also gone up over the years,” he told the Times of Oman.

Mohammed Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan, general manager of New Star International Travel and Tour LLC, said, “Overall, the current pay increase forecasts indicate that business sentiment is positive and growing in Oman despite the fall in oil prices.”

Tonia Gray, general manager, Competence HR, said that the survey does not give a breakdown of national and expatriate respondents which therefore make a statistical analysis impossible, but, certain assumptions can perhaps be drawn.

Gray said, “For example, given that 66 per cent of the respondents to this survey get an End of Service Benefit (gratuity), I am taking the view that the majority of people therefore completing the survey were expatriates. It is therefore no surprise that their benefits include an annual flight, and nor that they would like a fixed salary rather than the current basic plus allowances as it is the level of basic that is used to calculate the gratuity.

It is a surprise to me that only 52 per cent get a basic salary plus benefits as it is unusual to get a fixed salary offered to professional level individuals.”

“It is also not surprising that the

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basic salaries for many are kept low by the companies to avoid paying higher gratuity payments if these respondents were expatriates. Given that PASI contributions are now on total salary, it would not affect a national except for the annual pay rise. However, the 3 per cent annual raise that should occur in January each year, is also calculated on the basic,” she explained.

“With regards to the annual pay rise, there is no legal requirement to give the 3 per cent increase to expatriates – only to nationals – so I suspect that those who did not receive a raise in 2014 will be expatriate respondents. Given the economic situation in Oman, it is unlikely that companies will be able to afford to give high pay rises, which means that the gap between inflation and pay will increase during 2015 into 2016.

“There will always be a hierarchy of companies in terms of whether they pay in the top quartile and down the scale. So of

course there will be a number of respondents who say that other companies pay higher than the company that they work for, and it is also very unusual for anyone to say that they are happy with their pay – as human beings we would always like to receive more,” she added.

Current Salary and Future Expectations The survey said that across the MENA region, a little over half (52 per cent) of professionals surveyed claimed that their current package consists of basic salary plus benefits. In Oman, 62 per cent said that they received a basic salary with benefits and another 11 per cent were also entitled to commissions.

For over 34 per cent of respondents in Oman who receive a basic salary along with other benefits, the basic consists of 25 to 50 per cent of their monthly salary, while for 37 per cent it represents 51 to 75 per cent of their overall monthly income. Based on the survey, 62 per cent of respondents in Oman prefer a 100 per cent fixed-pay structure.

Today, 49 per cent of Omani professionals are unhappy with their income, compared to just 4

per cent who are highly satisfied with what they earn.

More than 62 per cent of Omani respondents stated that men and women get equal pay for doing the same work. Moreover, according to 65 per cent of respondents in Oman, their salary is lower than what other companies in their industry offer. Surprisingly, 33 per cent of Omani respondents said that they did not get a pay rise in 2014. For those who did, 31 per cent were either very or modestly happy with their raise.

Another 20 per cent thought that their raise was fair in light of their contribution to the company or the organisation’s financial situation – or even both. Some 51 per cent of Omani professionals are quite unhappy or very unhappy with their raise.

Almost 24 per cent of respondents are not expecting a salary increase in 2015.

“In parallel, 36 per cent expect a raise of up to 15 per cent,” said the report. In Oman, the most common benefits offered by companies are personal medical insurance (50 per cent) and personal annual air ticket (42 per cent). Almost 75 per cent of Oman professionals claim that their company does not pay for overtime.

MUSCAT: A group of Earth Science students from the College of Science at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) won accolades at the third SEG/DGS Middle East Geo-science Young Professionals and Students event held in Bahrain from April 26 to 28.

Participants from the SQU bagged first place in the 9th SEG Middle East Challenge Bowl.

As many as 12 teams representing 10 universities in the Middle East had competed in different categories of the student event organised by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) and Dhahran Geo-science Society (DGS). This is for the second time in a row, that the SQU team has taken first place in the SEG Middle East Challenge Bowl. The event included universities from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and the Sultanate. Based on their results, the SQU team has also qualified for the International SEG Challenge Bowl in the USA at the annual meeting of the SEG in October 2015.

Ten of the SQU’s Earth Sciences students (Geology and Geophysics major) attended this event with Dr Hesham El-Kaliouby, faculty advisor of the SEG student Chapter at the SQU. Along with the Challenge Bowl competition, the students also participated in the best oral and best poster competitions.

Six students won all the first places and their results are as follows: Challenge Bowl, first place – Yousuf Ahmed Al Wardi (Geophysics) and Yasser Ali Al Shehhi (Geology); Oral presentation first place – Asma Saleh Al Kindi (Geology); Poster presentation group 1, first place - Makiya Abdulwahab Al Kamali (Geophysics), second place: Khalil Hamed Hilal Al Yahmadi (Geophysics); poster presentation, group 2, first place – Thuraiya Al Mawali (Geophysics), second place – Marwa Al Harassi (Geophysics) and Iman Al Qassabi (Geophysics).

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Government launches initiative to produce world-class Omani CEOs The ‘Public Private Sector’ and the Advisory Committee greeted and congratulated the 30 successful participants representing diverse industries, genders, regions and business sizes

Times News Service MUSCAT: It was a big occasion as the first group of the National CEO Programme (NCP), which was launched on April 17 with the blessings of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, was welcomed on Monday by Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Minister of the Diwan of the Royal Court.

The ‘Public Private Sector’ and the Advisory Committee greeted and congratulated the 30 successful participants representing diverse industries, genders, regions and business sizes.

On Monday, the Public Private Partnership (Fareek Al Sharaka) launched the first group, supervised by the Institute of Capabil-

ity Development at the Diwan of Royal Court, at a meeting and orientation session for the first group.

Al Busaidi inaugurated the session by greeting the five ministers representing the Public Private Committee along with the NCP advisory committee members.

His Majesty’s blessings With the blessings of His Majesty, on April 17, 2015, towards fostering leadership in private sector and setting a distinctive milestone in the region, the Public Private Partnership Committee, had launched an online application process for the highly anticipated National CEO Programme (NCP).

The three-step application and interview process, managed by an

DEVELOPING OMANI TALENT: The three-step application and interview process, managed by an independent world-class international human resource consultancy, delivered a transparent, rigorous and merit-based procedure. – Supplied photo

independent world-class international human resource consultancy, delivered a transparent, rigorous and merit-based procedure.

The process witnessed an unprecedented 1,400 applicants from which 30 short-listed candidates were identified, representing a diverse economic sector, regions and organisation sizes, of which SMEs made up 34 per cent of the group and included representations from seven governorates. The

programme provides a powerful learning experience built on three key methodologies. The first is a six-module, 12 month programme, delivering latest leadership thinking and research, including individual one-on-one and team leadership coaching. The second is a powerful application process that focuses on developing strategic projects for the country, and finally, is the creation of a cross-sector, cross-region community of senior

DISRUPTION

Water scarcity hits Muscat, Sohar areas Staff Reporter MUSCAT: Several parts of Muscat and Sohar are facing severe water shortage for the past few days due to the erratic supply, said residents.

“For the last 10 days, we are not getting water, and life has become unbearable. We have to wake up early in the morning and wait for water tankers,” said residents in Ghala. “In addition to that, they are fleecing us. Earlier, if a 10,000-gallon tanker water cost OMR30, they now demand OMR60. As there is no option, we are compelled to pay,” they added.

“There are around 220 flats where we stay with many elderly people and school children. Everyone is affected by the water shortage,” the residents further added. In April, residents in Darsait and Ghala had faced disruption in water supply.

Meanwhile, in its latest statement, Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) said that the fourth distillate will be repaired in the next few days to SEMINAR

Sustainable tourism discussed MUSCAT: Sustainable development indicators in tourism sector was the focus of discussions at a seminar on Monday.

The seminar on Application of Sustainable Tourism Indicators began at Muscat Intercontinental Hotel under the patronage of Mohammed bin Salim Al Toobi, Minister of Environment and Climate Affairs.

The three-day seminar is being organised by the Ministry of Tourism. The chief guest said that the seminar is important as it comes, in cooperation with the World Tourism Organization (WTO).

It discusses sustainable development indicators in the tourism sector and gives global indicators about the efficiency of these standards in the application of sustainable tourism.

Ahmed bin Nasser Al Meherzi, Minister of Tourism, said that the seminar comes within the framework to take advantage of the WTO experience to apply the methodology of sustainable tourism indicators on of tourist sites. He added that the Ministry of Tourism has taken the initiative to cooperate with WTO for organising the seminar within the framework of seeking to apply the tourism strategy whose fundamentals require the application of sustainable tourism indicators. -ONA

Paucity-hit Places with water shortage

Fourth distillate will be repaired in the next few days, said PAEW

Arabian Gulf

Shinas Sohar

Sea of

Oma n

Saham Musanah Rustaq

restore normal supply.

Residents in Saham, Barka, Musanah, Shinas and Rustaq are facing water shortage for the last few days. The government had been providing tens of tankers for

Barka

Darsait

Ghala

residents of affected areas in the last few days.

However, in the areas hit by shortage, water bottles ran off shop shelves as many people rushed to buy water. Coffee shops,

restaurants and apartment hotels were the worst hit due to water disruption in those areas.

Meanwhile, many of those hit by water shortage took to social networking sites, and launched a hashtag “My house is without water”.

While urging residents to bear with them, the PAEW has deployed water tankers to affected areas and has advised people to ration their water consumption.

Last February, several parts of Muscat had faced two days of water supply disruption. The longest water supply disruption Oman witnessed took place in 2007 when the Sultanate was hit by adverse weather conditions.

private sector leaders.

Speaking on the occasion, Al Busaidi said, “Developing Omani talent and capacity building is a strategic priority of the publicprivate partnership and the launch of the initiative underpins this commitment, offering high potential private sector leaders the opportunity to develop and grow in their career path.”

“The diversity in the group reflects the commitment of the

Sultanate towards economic diversification, investment in businesses of all sizes, development of the region and growth of industry,” Al Busaidi added. “I congratulate the participants for getting through this highly competitive application phase and ask them to join hands in immersing themselves in a truly unique learning journey which would enable them to achieve their very full potential,” he further said.

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It’s really been a community initiative because just when the earthquake happened there were 25 students from Nepal here and some of them were actually Nepalese Beata Jirkovsky, a counsellor at TAISM

School community unites to support Nepal quake victims Since the earthquake in Nepal, the TAISM community, including the students, staff and parents, has held a number of events and campaigns to help the affected people

SARAH MACDONALD

sarah@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: A group of students from a school in Kathmandu were at a sports competition at TAISM in Muscat when the earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, immediately prompting the school community to jump into action to raise money and awareness to help those affected by the disaster.

Since the earthquake the school community, including the students, staff and parents, has held a number of events and campaigns to help Nepal. Several fund-raising campaigns have been held or are under way, and arts classes have been decorating Buddhist prayer flags which will draw attention to the cause and then be sent to Nepal as a sign of hope for the survivors.

“It’s really been a community initiative because just when the earthquake happened there were 25 students from Nepal here and some of them were actually Nepalese. There was huge emotional turmoil and involvement from the TAISM community,” explained

HELPING HAND: The school principals came up with an idea called ‘Baisa Bricks’, whereby people can pay 100bz for a paper brick which

is then decorated or upon which a positive word or message is written. – Supplied picture

Beata Jirkovsky, a counsellor at the school.

Earlier in April two groups of students from TAISM had visited the Lincoln School in Nepal, too, for music and sports events, so there was also a lot of interest from the school to do something for the country.

Immediately after the quake a number of parents at TAISM, some of whom were hosting the students from Lincoln School in Kathmandu, raised over OMR1,000 which was given to the staff who were accompanying the students so it could be used immediately and as they saw fit.

The school principals came up with an idea called “Baisa Bricks,”

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whereby people can pay 100bz for a paper brick which is then decorated or upon which a positive word or message is written. The bricks are decorating part of the cafeteria, and the money raised will be sent to Nepal.

Art teacher Bretta Ringo was already working on a service project with her ceramics students called Empty Bowls, a grass roots program that started in the US 25 years ago that raises money and awareness of world hunger and

the reasons for hunger, including poverty, conflict and natural disasters. The students made ceramic bowls and then held a lunch at which people could buy the bowls full of soup for OMR3.

Originally the students were going to donate the money to a project through the World Food Programme but after the earthquake they decided to give the money to Nepal instead. While her 15 ceramics students had to participate in the project, another 170 came forward to make bowls, too.

“The kids respond to it. They’re really excited about it. It’s something that I have been passionate about for years and I think it will go directly to those in need of food

and medical services,” Ringo said.

The grade five students ate simple lunches of rice and beans for a week and donated all their lunch money.

For the students it was an exercise not just in raising money, but understanding how the majority of people in the world live.

Jirkovsky said the amount of money spent on a typical student lunch at the school could easily feed an entire family in Nepal for a day.

“This empathy goes on throughout the whole week. They know exactly why they are doing it. And how much different it can make if we just give up one week of lunch money,” said Jirkovsky.

MODERN EXCHANGE

Remittance fee to Nepal waived Times News Service MUSCAT: As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, money exchange firm Modern Exchange has announced that any remittance to disaster-hit Nepal will be free of charge for the next two months.

Anyone wishing to extend their helping hand in rebuilding the nation can do so by visiting any of the 20 branches of Modern Exchange spread across the country.

“We are really touched by the gravity of the natural calamity that tore Nepal apart and killed thousands of its people. We feel it is our duty to do our bit in helping people reach out to the victims there,” said Philip Koshy, general manager Of Modern Exchange.

The money exchange firm has grown from strength to strength over the last decade and today it has 20 branches.

As part of providing its diverse clientele, it has introduced Zero Minute Transaction for the first time in Oman. Also, those who send money through any of the branches will enjoy worldwide free life insurance coverage for their customers. Now every customer has to produce their resident card, which will be scanned

by Smart Card Readers to avoid fraudulent transactions.

SAFETY ISSUE

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Transport facilities

The transportation facility will be available for students residing in Al Khuwair, Ghala, Azaiba, Ghubra and Al Hail.

In the aftermath of the accident, many parents voiced their concern over the state of transportation facilities available in schools in Oman and the competence of drivers and helpers.

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Egyptian troupe to perform at ROHM Times News Service MUSCAT: Egypt’s renowned dance group, the Mahmoud Reda Performance Troupe, will bring its colourful and energetic choreography to the Royal Opera House Muscat for two highly entertaining nights on May 14 and 16.

One of Egypt’s leading folkloric dance companies since 1959, the Mahmoud Reda Performance Troupe blends traditional Egyp-

tian dances with western dance styles such as ballet, resulting in a vibrant show combines impressive dancing with well-known Arabic songs. Choreographer Mahmoud Reda travelled throughout Egypt to gain inspiration for his dances, from peasants working in fields and fishermen throwing their nets to Nubian dances and city life in Luxor and Alexandria. The Mahmoud Reda Performance Troupe, which has delighted audiences in over

60 countries, will perform some of their popular dances including Rannat el Kholkhal (The Anklet’s Tinkle), El Nouba (Nubian Dance), Eskindrya (Alexandria), and El Asaya Awlad Jabali (Stick Dancing). ROHM’s Artistic Director and Acting Director General Umberto Fanni stated: “Mahmoud Reda made a great mark on dance in modern Egypt and we are thrilled to have the Mahmoud Reda Dance Troupe perform here in Oman.

PACDA TEAM RETURNS AFTER NEPAL MISSION

The National Team of Search and Rescue of the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) returned home on Monday after taking part in search and rescue operations for Nepal’s earthquake victims. The team included 40 people representing PACDA, Royal Oman Police and the Sultan’s Armed Forces. The National team was received on their arrival at Seeb Air Base by Maj Gen Abdullah bin Ali Al Harthy, PACDA Chairman and a number of PACDA officers. -ONA

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OMAN ACCIDENT

Torch relay launched to raise Traffic chaos after 5-car pileup women’s health awareness Staff Reporter

MUSCAT: A pileup involving five cars on Qurum Heights near Darsait hills on Monday resulted in traffic chaos in the area, motorists said. “The accident took place at around 7:30am. The vehicles involved in the accident were on way to Seeb,” the motorists added.

“As it was busy morning time,

Times News Service MUSCAT: To help raise awareness about health-related issues among women, the Save Your Mom Torch relay was launched recently.

The initiative launched by Dr Rajyashree N Kutty, specialist surgeon, Barakath Al Noor Clinic in Al Khuwair, is part of the Save Your Mom campaign.

The torch relay was inaugurated by Neeraj Agrawal, counsellor, Indian embassy, Leena Francis, vice principal, Indian school Darsait (ISD), Dr Tulika from the board of directors of the ISD, and Radhakrishna from Anugraha charity wing of the ISD. The torch will be kept in the Indian School Darsait during the first phase of the campaign.

The campaign aims to spread the importance of health awareness, healthy lifestyle and regular health screening among mothers through their children.

FUTBOLNET

FC Barcelona Foundation, Shell host festival for girls Times news Service MUSCAT: A festival to mark the completion of this year’s girls’ programme in Oman was recently organised at The Sultan School football field by Shell Development Oman, in association with FC Barcelona Foundation. The festival was held under the auspices of Her Highness Syyida Hujaija bint Jaifar Al Said.

Those who attended the festival activities included the female participants in FutbolNet programme, their families, the programme’s coaches, representatives from Shell Development Oman management team, in addition to representatives from the participating schools.

During the festival, the girls played games on the field in different stations representing the curriculum’s various focus areas and values.

LENDING A HAND: A special photo shoot ‘Mom and me’, was or-

ganised on the occasion. – Supplied photo

“We are impressed with response we have received,” said Dr Rajyashree. The hall was also given free of charge as part of the charity event by Marah Land Qurum. Co-sponsors Al Hashar Pharmacy gave away goody bags to all as part of their promotion for Menopace, a natural and healthy solution to Menopausal problems.

A raffle draw every half hour with prizes was sponsored by Al Jassa Resorts, MHD, Eastern Masala

and grand prize from Joy Alukkas.

Other participating institutions were Oman Cancer Association, Avon, Balance Gym and Sri Sri Ayurveda which had stalls.

Dr Shirpa of Sri Sri Ayurveda and Aleem Khan of Balance Gym gave lectures. Fun events included face painting, henna ear piercings and art competitions for children.

Magic shows were conducted on both days sponsored by Hitech laboratory.

there was traffic jam in the area.

We had to wait for a long time to get out of it,” the motorists said though they were not clear about injuries.

No updates There were no updates from the Public Authority for Civil Defense and Ambulances (PACDA) posted on its official social networking sites also. According to the figures

released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) in March, the accident numbers have fallen from 1,609 in the same period last year to 1,275 this year – a 20.8 per cent decline. Deaths came down from 212 between January and March 2014 to 161 in the same period this year, according to the National Centre for Statistics and Information figures show.

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TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

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It will be for nationals, but there will also be a percentage to be sold in the open market. However, it is not a free-hold project Talal Al Rahbi, Deputy Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Planning

BIO-FOULING

SQU shows way to tackle bio-fouling Times News Service MUSCAT: A scientist from the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences at the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), along with his team, recently completed a research project on bio-fouling in Oman’s waters and proposed some effective preventive measures.

Dr Sergey Dobretsov, head of the

Department of Marine Science and Fisheries from the College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences in the SQU, one of the leading scientists in the field of bio-fouling, and his team undertook the project, which was by funded by His Majesty’s Strategic Research Trust Fund.

Bio-fouling is referred to an undesirable attachment and growth of organisms in submerged indus-

trial applications. In Oman biofouling has a severe impact on performance of desalination plants, ships, fishing nets and cages. “Biofouling methods”, co-authored by Dr Dobretsov covers methods for micro-fouling and macro-fouling, coatings and biocides, and ranges from methods for fundamental studies to methods relevant for industrial applications.

ECONOMY

Real estate index launch to help regulate market The index, which

Gross health insurance premiums rise by 34%

has been developed

MUSCAT: Gross health insurance premiums in Oman grew by 34 per cent in 2014.

A report released by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) pointed out that insurance market indicator pointed out that the gross direct premium for the health sector stood at OMR78.1 million in 2014 compared to OMR58.2 million in 2013.

The national companies retained OMR69.4 million of the direct premiums compared to OMR8.6 million for the foreign companies.

Observers pointed out that there are many reasons behind the growth of health insurance in 2014. The most notable of which is that many companies tend to provide health insurance for its employees, as well as the spread of group health insurance couture among workers for SMEs. The direct premium collected by the insurers in the Sultanate grew by 10 per cent to hit OMR396.5 million in 2014 compared to OMR359.9 in 2013. The licensed insurance companies provide individual and group life, health, property, marine and engineering insurance. -ONA

launched during the

Affordable housing project to kick off in 2016 in Al Batinah

through the cooperation of the Ministry of Housing, NCSI and ORA, was

second Oman Real Estate Conference

TIMELY INITIATIVE: The affordable housing project will

start in 2016. – Supplied photo

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: The Muscat Real Estate Index, a first-of-its-kind initiative which lists land and rental values, has been officially launched in a bid to further regulate the property sector in Oman.

The index, which has been developed through the co-operation of the Ministry of Housing, National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI) and the Oman Real Estate Association (ORA), was launched during the second Oman Real Estate Conference.

The conference, organised by ORA in association with Al Nimr Conferences, opened at Al Bustan Palace Hotel on Monday under the patronage of Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Mantheri, chairman of the State Council, and concludes on Tuesday.

Methodology Khalid Al Ansari, partner-incharge at KPMG, which independently calculated the index, explained that real estate agencies in Muscat were asked to provide land and rental values details to KPMG for the 4th Quarter ended December 31, 2014 and the 1st Quarter ended March 31, 2015.

The information provided was based on area and the type of properties (vacant land and constructed properties), he said.

According to him, the residential properties were sub-categorised under 1BHK, 2BHK, 3BHK and villas, while the commercial properties were sub-categorised under commercial villas, shops and offices.

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: The first phase of the large-scale project to provide affordable housing for citizens will start in 2016 and South Al Batinah will be the first area where the units will be built, said an Omani official.

The project, which is in line with the Royal Directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, will be implemented as part of the next Five-Year Plan (20162020) and will be replicated in other governorates as well, said Talal Al Rahbi, deputy secretary general of the Supreme Council for Planning (SCP).

It was recently announced that the SCP has commissioned a study on the establishment of modern housing complexes at affordable prices for citizens.

“It will be for nationals, but there will also be a percentage to be sold in the open market. However, it is not a free-hold project,”

Al Ansari also encouraged all real estate companies to provide information and help enhance the accuracy of the index. The next index will be issued in June.

In addition to the Muscat Real Estate Index, the launch of the first issue of Agar Oman magazine, Oman’s exclusive real estate magazine, was announced during

Al Rahbi told reporters on the sidelines of the second Oman Real Estate Conference on Monday.

There ‘may’ be a renting option, he added.

Waiting list According to Maysa Sabah Shocair, managing director, GCC region, Affordable Housing Institute, there were 56,000 people on the Ministry of Housing’s waiting list for Housing Assistance Programme as of 2012.

There were also 26,000 applicants on the Ministry of Housing’s waiting list for Housing Loan Programme as at 2012, she noted.

Al Rahbi explained that the project will be developed in partnership with the private sector, but noted that the number of units that will be provided have not been specified yet.

The implementation of the project coincides with the efforts to introduce the building code in Oman, which will contribute to the initiative, he added.

the conference. The first day of the conference also featured the first Oman Real Estate Awards.

Eng Mohammed Salim Al Busaidi, chairman of ORA, said that the association has been coming up with a series of new initiatives to help develop the sector, which is the fifth largest employer in the country.

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

A7

REGION

In the border conflict, the Houthi rebels said they fired Katyusha rockets and mortars on the Saudi cities of Jizan and Najran near the frontier on Monday, after the Saudi Arabia hit Saada and Hajjah provinces in Yemen with more than 150 rockets

LANDMARK MEETING

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to miss summit hosted by Obama WASHINGTON: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia will not attend a landmark summit hosted by President Barack Obama.

Obama had invited leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countires to the presidential retreat at Camp David.

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington said on Sunday that

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef would lead the Saudi Arabia’s delegation to the meeting.

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has driven recent military operations in Yemen, will also attend the summit. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said King Salman would miss the meeting “due to the timing of the summit, the scheduled humanitarian

ceasefire in Yemen and the opening of the King Salman Center for Humanitarian Aid,” according to the embassy statement.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be represented by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahayan, according to diplomats.

As late as Friday, US officials said they had expected King Salman to come to Washington, before learn-

ing of the change in plan. “This is not in response to any substantive issue,” insisted one senior US administration official.

Focus Bahrain’s King His Majesty Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa will also miss the meeting, officials indicated on Sunday, with the crown prince coming instead.

A US official said a key part of

the meetings would be to support a common Gulf defence infrastructure. “This focus on mutual security extends to various areas — counterterrorism, maritime security, cybersecurity and ballistic missile defence,” the official said.

Washington and the Gulf countries are also expected to discuss conflicts across the Middle East including in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen. — AFP

Houthis claim downing Moroccan F-16 warplane Cross-border artillery and rocket battles between Saudi Arabia and Yemeni rebels flared up

RABAT/CAIRO: A Moroccan F-16 warplane has gone missing while on a mission with Saudi-led forces in Yemen, Morocco’s military said on Monday, and Yemen’s dominant Houthi militia said regional tribesmen shot down the aircraft.

The disappearance of the Moroccan jet and intensifying duels of heavy-weapons fire across the border between Houthis and Saudi forces could endanger a five-day humanitarian truce due to start in Yemen on Tuesday.

The Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Houthi rebels and army units loyal to ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh since March 26 with the aim of restoring exiled President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi. Morocco is one of eight Arab states to have joined Saudi Arabia in the military intervention against Houthi advances against Hadi supporters and has had F16s stationed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“One of the F-16s of the Royal Armed Force put at the disposal of the coalition led by Saudi Arabia to restore the legitimacy in Yemen

THE WRECKAGE: An image grab taken from the Houthi rebel television station Al Masirah shows Yemeni tribesmen celebrating around the wreckage of a plane bearing a Moroccan flag, in the Wadi Nushur area in the north Yemen’s province of Saada, on Monday. – AFP/HO/Al Mairah TV

went missing on Sunday at 6pm local time,” Morocco’s military said in a statement.

The Houthis’ official news channel Al Masirah said on Monday that anti-aircraft guns had downed an F-16 over in the remote Wadi Nashour area in the northwestern province of Saada, a Houthi stronghold bordering on Saudi Arabia.

Gun-toting tribesmen The channel showed gun-toting tribesmen on a rocky hillside pumping their fists and chanting slogans. One man, holding a piece of what looked like aircraft wreckage. There was no word on the fate of the pilots. A Yemeni Twitter ac-

count published photos of what it described as the body of one of the pilots. In the border conflict, the Houthis said they fired Katyusha rockets and mortars on the Saudi cities of Jizan and Najran near the frontier on Monday, after the Saudis hit Saada and Hajjah provinces in Yemen with more than 150 rockets.

A spokesman for the Najran civil defence department said that a school and house were hit and a Pakistani expatriate was killed and four people were wounded including a Saudi child.

Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television said Riyadh had deployed a “strike force” to its border with Yemen and showed a column of

military trucks carrying tanks heading to the frontier.

Brigadier General Zayed Al Assiri said the force was distinguished by the variety of weapons it possessed and the large number of special forces and paratroopers.

Saudi planes also struck Houthi positions in the central city of Taiz and in the oil-producing province of Marib east of the capital Sanaa, which the Houthis captured last September.

Saudi-owned Ekhbariya TV showed Saudi buildings ripped open by apparent artillery shells but said there were no casualties.

Houthi TV reported Saudi artillery and air strikes on civilian areas and said 13 people were killed.

At least 10 Saudi soldiers and border guards have been killed by shelling across the border. A Saudi jet crashed into the Red Sea after the start of the campaign in March and both pilots were rescued.

More than six weeks of air strikes by jets from the Gulf Arab countries have failed to significantly push back the Houthis and militia and army units loyal to Saleh, who was forced from power by a protests in 2011.

The Houthis accepted a fiveday humanitarian ceasefire proposed by Saudi Arabia on Sunday but said they would respond to any violations of the pause.

Riyadh had said on Friday the truce could begin on Tuesday if the militia agreed to the calm, which would let in badly needed food and medical supplies for civilians caught in zones of conflict.

A group of 17 international humanitarian groups working in Yemen said on Sunday that a five-day truce was not enough to provide sufficient relief to the large number of Yemenis affected by the crisis. They demanded a permanent ceasefire to halt a “rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis”. The relief agencies also condemned a Saudi warning to residents of Saada province on Friday to leave the area before it came under attack.

“Warning civilians does not exonerate the coalition from their obligation to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and we have seen in the last days that the warnings have not been enough to spare civilian lives,” Save the Children’s country director in Yemen, Edward Santiago, said. — Reuters

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. – AFP files

CONTROVERSY

Call for Egypt minister to resign over ‘remarks’ CAIRO: Egypt’s justice minister is facing calls for his sacking after he said the sons of cleaners could not become judges, insisting that the judiciary was too “lofty” for such people.

Judges are “lofty and have status”, and must come from “a respectable milieu”, Justice Minister Mahfouz Saber said in a television interview on Sunday. If a son of a cleaner were to work as a judge, “he would get depressed and won’t continue”, Saber said. Critics have now taken to Twitter to call for him to be fired. “The son of a cleaner can’t work in the judiciary.

But he can die in Sinai defending you,” wrote one user, referring to a military campaign against an insurgency in the peninsula.

Mohamed ElBaradei, former vice-president, pointed out that international rights charters guarantee freedom of choice of employment. “When the sense of justice abandons a country, nothing is left,” he tweeted.

ElBaradei briefly served as vicepresident after the army overthrew president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, resigning in protest over the ensuing deadly crackdown on Morsi’s supporters.

The judiciary has come under increasing criticism for its harsh verdicts against members of the political opposition, with hundreds of hardliners sentenced to death over violent protests. Saber’s classist remarks were not the first from the judiciary to cause controversy in a country where government figures show at least 26 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line. — AFP

TA R G E T E D

Libyan forces shell Turkish cargo ship, crew member killed BENGHAZI/ANKARA: Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally recognised government said on Monday they shelled a Turkish ship off the Libyan coast after it was warned not to approach, and one crew member was killed in what Turkey described as a “contemptible attack”.

Libya is in a state of violent factional chaos with two rival governments backed by various armed groups vying for control of the

oil-producing North African state including its ports, four years after rebels overthrew Muammar Gaddafi. The dry cargo ship was targeted about 10 miles from the coast on Sunday after it was told not to break a ban on approaching the eastern city of Derna, Libyan military spokesman Mohamed Hejazi said.

The forces of Libya’s internationally recognised government have said they will hit any ships

approaching Derna to stop supplies getting to militants based there. The Turkish foreign ministry said the vessel was shelled as it approached the nearby Mediterranean port of Tobruk and then attacked from the air as it tried to leave the area.

“We condemn strongly this contemptible attack which targeted a civilian ship in international waters and curse those who carried it out,” the ministry said in a state-

ment, adding that Ankara had protested to the authorities in Libya.

The third officer on the Cook Islands-chartered Tuna-1 vessel died and other crew members were wounded in the attacks, according to the Turkish statement.

It did not specify the assailants, but said the vessel was carrying plasterboard from Spain to Tobruk and was 21km (13 miles) from its destination when it came under fire.

Hejazi confirmed that one crew member was killed and said one other person was wounded.

A Libyan military source said the vessel was on fire and being towed to Tobruk terminal. But a Turkish foreign ministry official denied this, saying it was returning to Turkey.

“Turkey approached the United Nations and the IMO (International Maritime Organization) in connection with the matter. A

note was given to Libya’s Ankara embassy and Istanbul consulate seeking an explanation,” the Turkish official said.

Libya’s rival administration, whose armed supporters took over the capital last summer, condemned the Turkish vessel shelling in a statement as an act of “terrorism” by General Khalifa Haftar, a former Gaddafi ally who leads the military forces of the recognised government. — Reuters

A10

TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015 This was a false case. It was a political vendetta by the opposition to discredit Jayalalithaa but we have got justice from the law William Rabi Bernard, AIADMK leader

INDIA

Court acquits Jayalaithaa in disproportionate assets case SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

PHOTO GALLERY

Although

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

Jayalalithaa had been forced to quit as chief minister of the southern state, her return is now seen as a formality JUBILANT: Lawyers from the Karnataka High Court hold a portrait

BENGALURU: The head of India’s largest Tamil party was cleared in disproportionate assets case, on Monday, a verdict that sparked wild celebrations by supporters and paved the way for the return of one of the country’s most powerful politicians.

Former film star Jayalalithaa Jayaram was forced to stand down as chief minister of prosperous Tamil Nadu state after being found guilty last September of amassing illegal wealth while in office. The former film star was sentenced to four years in jail and fined one billion rupees ($16 mil-

of Jayalalithaa Jayaram, former chief minister of Tamil Nadu and chief of her AIADMK party, during celebrations outside a court in Bengaluru, on Monday. - Reuters

lion) in a case that ran for nearly two decades. But High Court judge C. R. Kumaraswamy declared her “appeal upheld” on Monday at a hearing in the city of Bengaluru which lasted only seconds.

“We don’t think there is any ground for appeal. As far as we are concerned, the case is closed,” public prosecutor B.V. Acharya told reporters outside the court.

Although Jayalalithaa had been forced to quit as chief minister

of the southern state, her return is now seen as a formality as she continued to control her party while on bail awaiting the outcome of the appeal. The 67-yearold enjoys huge popularity in Tamil Nadu where fans know her simply as “Amma” (Mother) and ministers have been known to prostrate themselves before her.

Jubilant supporters cheered, handed out sweets and set off fire crackers outside the court,

where security had been strengthened ahead of the decision, and in Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. Hundreds of supporters held up photos of Jayalalithaa and danced in the streets chanting “Amma Amma” outside her house in Chennai.

“This was a false case. It was a political vendetta by the opposition to discredit Jayalalithaa but we have got justice from the law,” a leader of her AIADMK party, William Rabi Bernard, said. “She will take over as chief minister of the state in less than a fortnight.”

Jayalalithaa has always dismissed the corruption charge, first brought by a rival politician in the state in 1996, as politically motivated. She was charged in 1997, when police seized assets including 28kg(62 pounds) of gold, 750 pairs of shoes and more than 10,000 saris in a raid on her home.

Prosecutors said her assets, which reportedly included two 1,000-acre estates in the lush tropical state she ran, were vastly disproportionate to her earnings

during her first term as chief minister, which ran from 1991 to 1996.

Jayalalithaa has earned the loyalty of many voters in Tamil Nadu with a series of highly populist schemes including an “Amma canteen” that provides lunch for just three rupees, although she has also drawn accusations of an autocratic governing style.

During last year’s general election campaign, she garnered huge support by handing out freebies including electric blenders, goats and small amounts of gold.

Her All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) party is the third largest force in the national parliament, and she is regarded as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Jayalalithaa took over the leadership of the AIADMK party after the death of its founder M. G.Ramachandran — her on-screen love interest in multiple movies.

Jayalalithaa’s three co-accused in the case also had their convictions overturned.

The case was held in Bengaluru rather than Tamil Nadu for security reasons and there was a heavy police presence outside the court, with authorities fearing supporters would turn violent if the decision went against her. - AFP

TWO STUDENTS

NIT students get $105,000 pay package JAMSHEDPUR: Two students of the prestigious National Institute of Technology (NIT) here have got job offers from American companies with a pay package of more than hundred thousand US dollars per annum.

Epic Systems Corporation of USA in the ongoing placement process has offered two students Kshitij Gupta and Ali Jaheer of BTech Computer Science and Engineering branch a pay package of approximately $105,000 which equals to about Rs6.7 million per annum, Dr Rajiv Bhusan, Professor In-charge (Media Relation) of NIT said in a release on Monday.

In the history of NIT Jamshedpur, this is the highest annual pay package that a student of the institute has got.

Epic Systems Corporation is a leading health care software company of Vermont, Wisconsin, USA. The second highest package of Rs3. 2 million per annum was offered by a Japanese company, Works Applications, to two students — Subham Satish Baldava of Computer Science & Engineering and Bharat Singh Bhandari of Electrical Engineering Branch, the release said. A total of 600 job offers have been made to students till now as the placement season was likely to continue till June. - PTI

TRAGEDY

21 dead, 30 injured as bus falls into gorge in Udhampur

ACCIDENT: Rescue work is carried out after a bus rolled down

into a deep gorge in Udhampur on Monday. - PTI

UDHAMPUR (J&K): Twenty one people died and at least 30 others were injured, six of them critically, when a bus they were travelling in rolled down into a deep gorge in Udhampur district of Indian-administered-Kashmir on Monday.

The passenger bus, which was on its way to Udhampur from Latti belt, skidded off the road and rolled down into the gorge in Maroti belt in the district, officials said.

As many as 21 people have died and 30 others are injured, six of them critically, in the mishap, SP, Udhampur, Mohammad Suleman Choudhary said.

The number of causalities is expected to increase, he said, adding, 21 bodies have so far been recovered. The injured are being hospitalised and choppers have been requisitioned to airlift the critically injured people to Government Medical College (GMC) hospital in Jammu from Mantalie belt of Udhampur.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed grief over the loss of life in the road accident in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Soon after receiving the news of the bus accident, Modi sought details of the mishap, which were given to him by Jitendra Singh, Union MoS PMO, an official release said on Monday.

PM expresses grief The prime minister expressed grief over the accident and issued instructions to provide necessary help required to the victims.

He also conveyed his condolence to the families of the deceased, it said.

“Disturbing news from J&K. Bus accident in Udhampur has saddened me. My thoughts are with families of the deceased.

Prayers with the injured,” he tweeted. “I have asked my ministerial colleague Dr Jitendra Singh to stay in touch with authorities,” he said. - PTI

POKHRAN

Modi hails Vajpayee’s courage on nuclear test anniversary NEW DELHI: On the 17th anniversary of Pokhran nuclear tests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the country’s scientists as well as “tremendous courage” of the then prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, saying it demonstrated the importance of a strong leadership.

“Greetings to my fellow Indians on the occasion of National Technology Day,” Modi tweeted.

He said the day is very special in India’s history as it was on this day in 1998 that India conducted nuclear tests in Pokhran in Rajasthan.

“We salute efforts of our scientists & political leadership behind the success of Pokhran

Tests on this day in 1998,” he added.

Modi said the tests were possible due to the stellar work of the country’s scientists and a victory of technology.

“Atalji’s government showed tremendous courage. It demonstrated the importance of a strong leadership,” he added.

He said when Vajpayee announced the success of the tests, the entire nation rejoiced.

“Technology has the power to transform the lives of the people.

From mitigating poverty, simplifying processes, ending corruption, provide better services to the people, vitality of technology is everywhere,” Modi said. - PTI

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

INDIA

On behalf of myself and Delhi Police, I want to express my regret. The Head Constable has already been suspended. Apart from that, I have ordered that a criminal case be registered. We will investigate the matter B. S. Bassi, Delhi Police Commissioner

Parliament passes bill to fight black money Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said

This law will act as a deterrent...It will act as a deterrent and help us in getting the assets back by people declaring them

the law will help bring black money in the declared economy, improve tax collections and would eventually facilitate lowering of tax rates SPELLING OUT: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speaks in the

Arun Jaitley Finance minister

Lok Sabha in New Delhi on Monday. - PTI

NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha on Monday passed a bill to deal with black money stashed abroad through high monetary penalty and criminal prosecution with the government allaying fears that innocent people could be harassed under the proposed “deterrent” law.

Piloting the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of Tax) Bill, 2015, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said there would be short compliance window for persons having undisclosed income abroad to come clean by paying 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty.

Once the compliance window closes, anyone found having undeclared overseas wealth would be required to pay 30 per cent tax, 90 per cent penalty and face criminal prosecution, he said while winding up the debate on the bill which was later approved by the House.

Compliance window For those wanting to come clean, Jaitley said there would be a compliance window in two parts —to declare assets and to pay 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty.

Citing an example, he said, there

could be a two-month window to declare overseas assets and within six months one would have to pay tax and penalty.

Jaitley said the law will help bring black money in the declared economy, improve tax collections and would eventually facilitate lowering of tax rates.

Noting that this bill was specifically to target black money stashed abroad, he said a separate benami bill will soon be brought before Cabinet to tackle domestic black money. “This law will act as a deterrent...It will act as a deterrent and help us in getting the assets back by people declaring them,” he said, adding the law also had a provision for attachment of equivalent properties in India.

Rejecting the opposition charge that the stringent provisions could result in harassment of innocent people and students, he said, “we don’t want to proceed against trivial violations. But then the big fish must not get away in the garb.

“Let us not fire from the shoulders of these innocent students in order to make sure that no harsh action is taken on the big fish itself.”

Earlier while moving the bill for consideration, Jaitley turned down the opposition demand for referring it to the Standing Committee saying delay in enacting the law would provide opportunity to offenders to transfer unaccounted overseas wealth to unknown destination.

Persistent demand The Bill, which was introduced amid persistent demand for dealing effectively with black money stashed abroad, provides for rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years for offenders.

The finance minister took a jibe at the opposition saying, “when we are taking steps, don’t develop cold feet. For last 11 months, you have been asking what steps are you taking. When I took steps, do walk the talk and support the bill and drop the demand of sending it to Standing Committee.”

On fears that innocent persons could get penalised, he said no action would be taken against persons having Rs500,000 or equivalent amount in their overseas bank accounts. “We will make sure that statutory guidelines are also is-

V I O L AT I N G T R A F F I C RU L E S

Traffic cop attacks woman with brick for not paying Rs200 bribe NEW DELHI: In a shocking incident of police brutality, a head constable on Monday hit a woman with a brick in posh Golf Link area of central Delhi after a minor altercation following which he was suspended and arrested.

The traffic policeman was arrested and a criminal case was filed against him after a video clip of the attack went viral.

The victim, who was riding a two-wheeler, alleged that the constable demanded a bribe accusing her of violating traffic rules and when she refused he first abused her before hitting with a brick.

The woman was with her two minor children.

The video clip showed the woman picking up a brick and

be registered. We will investigate the matter,” Delhi Police Commissioner B. S. Bassi said.

The victim alleged that the policeman accused her of violating traffic norms and started abusing her after she refused to pay Rs200 as bribe, insisting that a receipt BRUTALITY: A traffic policeman of the fine he was demanding be issued. attacks a woman with brick in “He refused to issue me a New Delhi on Monday. - PTI challan and abused me. When I protested he attacked me with a hurling it at the policeman’s bike brick,” said the woman.

Muktesh Chander, Special while the constable was seen hitCommissioner of Police (Traffic), ting her back with another brick.

“On behalf of myself and Delhi said strict action would be taken Police, I want to express my regret. against the head constable.

“We regret such a shameful act.

The Head Constable has already been suspended. Apart from that, We will take strictest possible acI have ordered that a criminal case tion,” said Chander. - PTI

sued by the CBDT...we will make sure that any innocent person, who does a lot of international travelling, are not covered under this...

If you hold (property) unlawfully, then you are liable for consequences,” he said, adding the people can lawfully hold assets abroad.

Taking a jibe at the opposition, Jaitley said that he cannot issue a circular that “whoever goes to Madison Square should not be prosecuted. But I will certainly make sure that innocents are not the target.”

The reference to Madison Square was about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s famous address to a large gathering of NRIs in the US in September last year. On whether it was an amnesty scheme, Jaitley replied in the negative.

“The question is, is it an amnesty scheme. The answer is no. In amnesty scheme, you just take the tax and pardon the people. Here we are imposing a fresh tax, therefore giving a compliance window.

Amnesty scheme also have a provision of naming and shaming.

There is no provision here,” he said. - PTI

A1 1

COMMENT

Pakistani envoy says Dawood not in Pakistan LUCKNOW: India’s most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim is not in Pakistan, Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit said on Monday, rubbishing Union Home Minister of India Rajnath Singh’s statement in the Lok Sabha.

“Uskey baarey mein yehi kehna hai ki woh sahab Pakistan mein nahin hain (The only thing I have to say about that gentleman is that he is not in Pakistan),” Basit said.

He was responding to a question at a “Meet the Press” event organised by UP Press Club here.

Basit was asked to comment on Singh’s statement in Lok Sabha earlier in the day that the 1993 Mumbai blast mastermind was in Pakistan and the government will do everything to bring him to justice.

“Whether we have to pursue Pakistan or pressurise it, we will not rest till Dawood Ibrahim is brought back,” the Home Minister said in Lok Sabha and averred that India has maintained pressure on Pakistan at all levels over the issue. He alleged that Pakistan has “failed” to track him down despite being provided with “overwhelming evidence” about his presence there, based on “credible information”.

Asked about 26/11 Mumbai blast mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s release from jail, Basit said Pakistan had arrested eight persons in connection with the blast and the government was pursuing the case seriously in court.

“He (Hafiz) has been granted bail by the court. He has not got clean chit from it. There should not be any premature conclusions. Whatever verdict court gives, we have to accept. You all should respect our court,” Pakistani High Commissioner said.

“The prosecution has put all evidences including those provided

by India (before the court).The matter is subjudice and I will not

WARM GREETINGS: Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit meeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at his residence in Lucknow on Monday. - PTI

make comments on it,” he said.

Maintaining that killing of innocent people cannot be justified, Basit said Pakistan had suffered a lot after 9/11 with around 50-60 thousand civilians having fallen prey to terrorism, besides six thousand security personnel.

“We have suffered economic losses of 100 billion dollars due to terrorism in past 11 years. We are fighting it and will surely get rid of it,” Basit said.

About sectarian conflict in that country, Basit said there were different dimensions to violence in Pakistan which, he claimed, had come down.

“The government of Pakistan is determined to end violence,” he said. On continued infiltration in Indian-administered-Kashmir

by Pakistan, Basit said, “It’s your view point.”

“The issue of Jammu and Kashmir is not new. Whatever is going on there is not terrorism.

We also have our concerns. The issue is to be resolved through talks. Whatever people there want would happen. Let the talks begin between two countries. We want talk on all issues besides this,” he said. - PTI

A12

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Cameron, hopefully, will not let his people down

D

avid Cameron has a choice. He is in an unusually strong position. Re-elected against expectations, and having said that he would not stand for a third term, he has the chance to set his own terms for the next two-and-a-half to five years, depending on when he chooses to step down. So what kind of legacy does he really want to leave? He said on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street that he would “govern as a party of one nation”. This meant, he said, “giving the poorest people the chance of training, a job, and hope for the future”. Britons have been here before. When Cameron first became Prime Minister five years ago, we, while disagreed with his fiscal policy, was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt on the Big Society and the environment. Well, the Big Society had hardly been heard of since until, in the middle of the election campaign, Cameron came up with a plan to give employees paid days off for volunteering.

We, meanwhile, have been running our annual Happy List for seven years to celebrate those who give their time to help make life better for those around them.

On the environment, Britons have been disappointed by some of the anti-green rhetoric from the Conservative wing of the Coalition, although its record has not been as bad as we feared — thanks to a fierce action by the Liberal Democrats, for which they earned no reward at the ballot box last week. This means that the decision on who should be Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change is particularly important. Cameron cannot afford to give it to anyone who appears to doubt that human activity is causing climate change, and he personally needs to show more leadership on the subject.

It is on the hard questions of public finance that we suspect Cameron’s reputation will be made or broken. His claim to be a compassionate Conservative rests on the way his now all-Conservative government treats the poorest. For the rest that comes under the heading of “one nation”, namely the crises of Scotland’s place in the UK and the UK’s place in Europe, we believe that Cameron will deal with them as competently as he has so far. Yet it is in tackling the problem of inequality that the real test of Cameron’s “one nation” lies. In his first term, he fell victim to two problems. One was that he appeared, too often, to be on the side of the rich and comfortable. The other was that he sometimes seemed to think that politics was a game that he and his friends thought they were good at. He would say that those are problems of false perception. He said that being the party of “one nation” meant “giving everyone in our country a chance, so that, no matter where you’re from, you have the opportunity to make the most of your life”. He said that it meant “that for children who don’t get the best start in life there must be the nursery education and good schooling that can transform their life chances”. We agree with that. Well, now is his chance to prove it. Mr Prime Minister, now is your chance to prove that you mean what you say. - The Independent

Magical thinking on migrants

L

ibya’s decent into lawlessness since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 has spawned a terrible enterprise: smuggling people from Africa and the Middle East across the Mediterranean to Europe. In response, at Europe’s urging, the United Nations Security Council is going to be asked to consider a draft resolution authorizing military intervention in Libya against the smugglers.

Military intervention would be a grave mistake. It could sabotage negotiations for a power-sharing deal between Libya’s warring factions, thus killing chances of a political solution to the chaos in Libya. It is, in fact, a cynical strategy, born of Europe’s panic over a tide of foreign migrants. Smugglers have lured hundreds of thousands of Syrians, Iraqis, Eritreans and others fleeing conflict and misery, while selling a pack of lies to sub-Saharan Africans about the wonderful opportunities that await them in Europe.

So far this year, more than 1,800 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean. On April 23, the European Union called an emergency meeting after some 700 migrants perished in a single incident.

After the meeting, Dimitris Avramopoulos, the European Union’s top migration official, announced: “Europe is declaring war on smugglers.” As part of that war, Europe says it wants to seize or even sink smugglers’ empty boats. Destroying all the boats would condemn migrants to exile. A far better (and obvious) way to put the smugglers out of business is to make migration from Libya to Europe safe and legal.

Yesterday, the European foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, discussed the draft resolution for military intervention in Libya at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council, hopefully, told her that no military intervention is needed — just compassion and common sense. - The New York Times News Service

It’s time to introduce VAT in the economy’s interest

Prices will shoot up if VAT is introduced in country

This refers to the news story, Will VAT be added to goods in Oman? (May 11). The fact is that there are only a few countries without VAT (value-added tax) or income tax in the world today.

In the larger interest of the country’s economy, VAT needs to be introduced in Oman at some point of time. By introducing VAT, the government would be able to generate a substantial amount of extra funds that would further boost development activities and public spending. I understand that the introduction of VAT is a sensitive, social issue. But I am sure that people in Oman will accept the new tax for the sake of the country’s good.

Jaison Mathai Muscat

This refers to the news story, Will VAT be added to goods in Oman? (May 11). Oh my goodness. Clothes in Oman are already ridiculously expensive to name but just one consumer item. With VAT added, prices of everything will go up further.

Well, it still would be interesting to see how this develops. The gap between the haves and the have nots will definitely become wider.

Lize Lyon Muscat

COMMENTARY

A saga of inequality, chilling hypocrisy KENNETH ROGOFF

Only about 15 per cent of the world’s population lives in developed economies.

Yet advanced countries still account for more than 40 per cent of global consumption and resource depletion.

Yes, higher taxes on the wealthy make sense as a way to alleviate inequality within a country

E

urope’s migration crisis exposes a fundamental flaw, if not towering hypocrisy, in the ongoing debate about economic inequality. Wouldn’t a true progressive support equal opportunity for all people on the planet, rather than just for those of us lucky enough to have been born and raised in rich countries?

Many thought leaders in advanced economies advocate an entitlement mentality. But the entitlement stops at the border: though they regard greater redistribution within individual countries as an absolute imperative, people who live in emerging markets or developing countries are left out. If current concerns about inequality were cast entirely in political terms, this inwardlooking focus would be understandable; after all, citizens of poor countries cannot vote in rich ones. But the rhetoric of the inequality debate in rich countries betrays a moral certitude that conveniently ignores the billions of people elsewhere who are far worse off.

One must not forget that even after a period of stagnation, the middle class in rich countries remains an upper class from a global perspective. Only about 15 per cent of the world’s population lives in developed economies. Yet advanced countries still account for more than 40 per cent of global consumption and resource depletion.

Yes, higher taxes on the wealthy make sense as a way to alleviate inequality within a country. But that will not solve the problem of deep poverty in the developing world.

Nor will it do to appeal to moral superiority to justify why someone born in the West enjoys so many advantages. Yes, sound political and social institutions are the bedrock of sustained economic growth; indeed, they are the sine qua non of all cases of successful development. But Europe’s long history of exploitative colonialism makes it hard to guess how Asian and African institutions would have evolved in a parallel universe where Europeans came only to trade, not to conquer. Many broad policy issues are distorted when viewed through a lens that focuses only on domestic inequality and ignores global inequality. Thomas Piketty’s Marxian claim that capitalism is failing because domestic inequality is rising has it exactly backwards. When one weights all of the world’s citizens equally, things look very different. In particular, the same forces of globalisation that have contributed to stagnant middle-class wages in rich countries have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty

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Private builders are now aggravating housing crisis This refers to the story, Government must avert housing crisis for low-income citizens (May 10).

Well, nothing could be better

Cure for anything is salt water... tears, sweat or the sea ISAK DINESEN

elsewhere. By many measures, global inequality has been reduced significantly over the past three decades, implying that capitalism has succeeded spectacularly. Capitalism has perhaps eroded rents that workers in advanced countries enjoy by virtue of where they were born. But it has done even more to help the world’s true middleincome workers in Asia and emerging markets.

Allowing freer flows of people across borders would equalise opportunities even faster than trade, but resistance is fierce. Anti-immigration political parties have made large inroads in countries like France and the United Kingdom, and are a major force in many other countries as well.

Of course, millions of desperate people who live in war zones and failed states have little choice but to seek asylum in rich countries, whatever the risk. Wars in Syria, Eritrea, Libya, and Mali have been a huge factor in driving the current surge of refugees seeking to reach Europe.

Even if these countries were to stabilise, instability in other regions would most likely take their place. Economic pressures are another potent force for migration. Workers from poor countries welcome the opportunity to work in advanced countries, even at what seem like rock-bottom wages. Unfortunately, most of the debate in rich countries today, on both the left and the right, centres on how to keep other people out. That may be practical, but it certainly is not morally defensible. And migration pressure will increase markedly if global warming unfolds according to climatologists’ baseline predictions. As equatorial regions become too hot and arid to sustain agriculture, rising temperatures in the north will make agriculture more productive.

Shifting weather patterns could then fuel migration to richer countries at levels that make today’s immigration crisis seem trivial, particularly given that poor countries and emerging markets typically are closer to the equator and in more vulnerable climates.

With most rich countries’ capacity and tolerance for immigration already limited, it is hard to see how a new equilibrium for global population distribution will be reached peacefully. Resentment against the advanced economies, which account for a vastly disproportionate share of global pollution and commodity consumption, could boil over. As the world becomes richer, inequality inevitably will loom as a much larger issue relative to poverty, a point I first argued more than a decade ago. Regrettably, however, the inequality debate has focused so intensely on domestic inequality that the far larger issue of global inequality has been overshadowed. - Project Syndicate

if the government undertakes construction of affordable houses for people in the low income bracket. However, more than undertaking such activities, the government should lay down its housing policies and fix its priorities. In fact, the housing sector in Oman has been completely monopolised by the private sector and this industry, in collusion with some greedy agents, has made housing in Oman extremely unaffordable to a majority of people. It will be really good if the government steps into the housing sector and build houses for common people.

Nadeem Ghala

Oman needs houses for regular working people This refers to the news story,

Government must avert housing crisis for low-income citizens (May 10). The need to have a shelter is as fundamental as food and clothing. Yet, there are many people in Oman who cannot afford to have a shelter or house. Oman is indeed in need of houses for regular working people with low income.

Mustafa Alam Ruwi

Bravo stunned the fans by taking an incredible catch I was stunned to watch the catch that Chennai Super Kings player Bravo took in the match against Rajasthan Royals. It was quite an incredible catch — arguably one of the best ever taken in the recent history of the game.

Ashok Panicker Seeb

Letters, containing not more than 200 words with full name, address and telephone number, may be sent by mail (Times of Oman, P.O. Box 770, P.C. 112, Ruwi), by fax (24813153) or by e-mail (times@omantel.net.om)

T I M E S OF OM A N

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

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PERSPEC IVE Honour killing victims can’t be treated as mere statistics E

arlier this month, a New York cab driver of Pakistani origin was sentenced to life in prison for ordering a double murder in Pakistan after his daughter fled a loveless, arranged marriage. Mohammad Chaudhry, 62, will spend the rest of his life behind bars for conspiring in two deaths carried out nearly 13,000 kilometers away from his Brooklyn home in 2013. The saga started when Chaudhry’s American daughter, Amina Ajmal, was sent to Pakistan and held against her will for more than three years on her father’s orders and forced into an arranged marriage.

When she escaped and fled home to the United States, with help from the State department and with the man she loved, Shujat Abbas, her father was furious. Chaudhry and his relatives in Pakistan subjected the Abbas family, who lived in Gujrat, to repeated threats.

In January 2013, Chaudhry’s brother and other relatives fired gunshots repeatedly at Abbas parents’ car. Chaudhry then telephoned Abbas’s father threatening to kill his entire family unless his daughter returned home.

Days after, Abbas’s father and 21-year-old sister were shot dead. There was no doubt about who killed them. Chaudhry’s brother and other relatives had stood over the victims, holding guns and desecrating the bodies. For the Chaudhry family, their honour had been restored. For the rest of Pakistan, it was yet another moment of shame.

This story may have made headlines in the US, but in Pakistan it has become a matter of routine to witness and report on honour killings.

Let us put things in perspective.

In February this year, it was disclosed in parliament by the ministry of law that some 933 people were killed across the country in the name of honour. A total of 456 and 477 cases of honour killing were reported in Pakistan in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The greatest number of such cases were reported from Sindh. But these are the official figures.

Unofficial estimates put the number at much higher. As many as 500 women and girls are killed for honour each year making Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries for women.

KAMAL SIDDIQI

As many as 500 women and girls are killed for honour each year making Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries for women. These victims are not just statistics: they are mothers, daughters and sisters. The average rate of honour killings in women between 15-64 years was found to be 15 per million women per year

These victims are not just statistics: they are mothers, daughters and sisters. Their deaths destroyed families. In most instances unfortunately, it is close family members who killed them in the first place. In a presentation on a study he conducted, Muazzam Nasrullah, a public health specialist in the US, tried to quantify the problem since data on the matter was hard to come by. He said he used newspaper reports compiled by HRCP for his study. According to HRCP data, 1,957 incidents of honour killings had been recorded over the past four years. This is higher than what the government reports.

The average rate of honour killings in women between 15-64 years was found to be 15 per million women per year. This may be yet another dubious world distinction we have achieved.

Murders for honour occur all over the country under various names like kala-kali (Punjab), karo-kari (Sindh), tor-tora (K-P) and Siyakari (Balochistan). The government in Pakistan continues to ignore it as it is part of our local tradition, or so we are told. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Recently, our parliament which is swamped by landlords who prolong this feudal culture took some notice. The Senate passed the AntiRape Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2014, and Anti-Honour Killings Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2014. This was moved by a senator from the Pakistan Peoples Party, under whose government the situation is the worst in Sindh province.

Let us see what happens next. As things stand, honour killings rarely result in arrests or convictions. Even if they are taken into custody, most of the killers are set free on bail. Things need to change. But the change should come in attitudes. For example, rape cases are reported and registered, however, the conviction rates of the accused are abysmally low.

According to the figures revealed in the senate, in the last five years for instance, of the 103 reported rape cases registered in the Islamabad Capital Territory none of the culprits or accused have been convicted or brought to justice. It is clearly a case of criminal neglect on the part of our law enforcement authorities. - The Express Tribune

An overload of information narrows the mind ALICE JONES

T

here are times in the life of every Facebook user when it feels like you are the only person in the world not doing something. Those days when you log on in your tracksuit, over a bowl of Shredded Wheat, and everyone else is getting promoted or going on holiday, having a wedding or having a baby, running a marathon or climbing a mountain.

They’re not of course — it’s just those are the moments people choose to post, for entirely obvious reasons. And then you do exactly the same when your big life events, or events with major “Like” potential, roll around.

And when that happens, you don’t give a thought to all the people on Facebook not posting anything.

That’s just how it works. A big old parade of selfies, solipsism and the occasional link to something you heartily agree with, or have written yourself.

True moments of collective feeling are rare on Facebook. It’s not like Twitter where swathes of strangers get excited over a hashtag or an (ex) MP tweeting his own name.

The site added a 2015 General Election button which you could click to show that you had cast your vote. Some peo-

ple tagged their location and added Polling Station selfies — for this is 2015 and this is how we vote now.

It was a bit silly, perhaps, and a lot self-involved. Look at me! Voting in my Ray-Bans!

With my cute dog/ baby! In my leafy constituency! But it thrilled my heart.

It was even more noticeable on Twitter which, after the 10pm exit poll, became an echo chamber of dismay, disbelief and expletives. Labour had a landslide victory on Twitter alright — or at least on my feed.

Of course they did, because I have chosen to follow the people I like, admire and share interests with. But the lack of dissenting voices anywhere on my news feeds was a stark reminder that social media, far from broadening minds, can narrow them horribly.

It’s a mirror of our lives, yes, but it’s a funfair one, where everything appears bigger or smaller, prettier or uglier than it is in reality.

This week Facebook released a study — “Exposure to ideologically diverse news and opinion on Facebook” — based on 10.1 million American users of the site. It looked into the effect of the site’s maligned algorithms, which filter links according to

what it thinks your beliefs and interests are, and what it thinks you might want to read. It found that Facebook does “sift” on users’ behalf.

If you are a liberal, a conservative article is 8 per cent less likely to make it into your news feed than a liberal one; if you’re conservative, you are 5 per cent less likely to see liberal news. Facebook does not ask permission to filter the information that reaches its users, it just does it.

This sifting, combined with the “social algorithms” of our friends, who are selected by us and are probably quite similar to us, and the fact that we probably only click on links that we are interested in or agree with, means that we are seeing less not more. Our point of view is shrinking.

Is this worse than the old days, when a person might read one newspaper whose politics he or she broadly agreed with, then talk to family and friends, who shared their viewpoint?

I think it is. Because we feel like we’re getting more information, that we’re better informed, that we are drowning in information, holding it in the palm of our hand. In fact, the more time we spend online, the more slippery our grip on reality gets.

Cameron must be given the credit he deserves JOHN RENTOUL

I

t is only when the opinion polls get it wrong that we realise how much they influence reporting and commentary. I wrote before the election of the problems of “prism” reporting: the tendency of journalists, once a story has become established, to report and comment through that prism.

One story of the campaign was that the Conservative campaign was boring, negative and over-controlled. Except when David Cameron made what were agreed to be mistakes, such as saying that he didn’t intend to serve a third term.

By definition, the Tories were running a bad campaign because the polls said Cameron would lose.

Ed Miliband’s mistakes, on the other hand, were indulged, just in case they turned out to be part of the cunning plan. Thus paying obeisance at the court of Russell Brand was a clever device to engage with the disengaged anti-politics crowd.

And the limestone monolith of Labour’s pledges was – no, that was a ridiculous idea; only for Miliband himself and his aides was the prism distorting enough for them to see it as an effective way of symbolising the seriousness of Labour’s intent.

The problem with this prism is that the result of the election came as a surprise, an arbitrary event that made no sense because it didn’t fit the story.

Literally overnight, the commentary switched from the complications of a hung parliament (thank goodness we won’t be hearing the phrase “confidence and supply” for a while now), to the complications of governing with a small majority. It will be terribly hard, all the wise people agreed, to keep the rebellious right wing of the Conservative Party in line.

Not only is this wrong – a small majority imposes its own discipline – but we are in danger of missing the big story of this election: that it was a stunning vindication of David Cameron’s judgement, his political skill and his One Nation Toryism.

Given that the polls got it wrong, it is now legitimate to quote anecdotal evidence.

I know of someone in Twickenham who had filled in a postal vote for Vince Cable, but decided to deliver it to the polling station on the day.

Once there, he changed his mind, fearing a Labour government dependent on the

SNP would mean economic instability, asked for a new ballot paper and voted Tory.

He wasn’t so much a shy Tory as a Liberal Democrat voter who hadn’t realised he was a Tory until he got to the polling station.

The opinion polls had picked up the worries about a Scottish ramp, but they were made to fit the prism of negative Tory scare stories rather than an equally valid reading, which would have been that Cameron understands the concerns of Middle England.

I don’t know whether Cameron really thought the polls were wrong, but I was struck during the campaign how confident the people around him seemed. They’re either deluded or very good at pretending, I thought.

Well, the commentators thought he had fought the wrong campaign. This commentator said that, if he lost, it would be because he had allowed Labour to outflank him on non-dom tax status, reviving the greater mistake of appearing to be the party of the rich by cutting the top rate of income tax. But he didn’t lose.

Maybe his campaign wasn’t that good, but Labour’s was worse. In the end, the election was a choice between Cameron and Miliband, which was not just a choice between two different characters but between a traditional Conservative Party and a traditional Labour Party. As Tony Blair said, that always ends in the traditional result.

It wasn’t just the playing up of SNP power in a hung parliament and the message discipline on the economy.

Cameron has a much greater achievement to his name: he has finally detoxified the Tory party.

We hadn’t realised it over the past five years, because the prism, set by the polls, was that the party could not escape its poisonous reputation. The process is not complete, because shy Tories did not want to admit, some of them even to themselves, that they were voting Tory.

But we thought that the Tory party could not expand its appeal; that no government could increase its share of the vote after a full term, especially not in such slowgrowing economic times.

Cameron could and did.

Overnight, he has transformed from the one-term mechanic called round to fix the deficit, who couldn’t even do that, into a 10-year prime minister who can stamp his personality on the nation. It is time to change our perception filters. - The Independent

- The Independent

EU takes action to address migrant crisis

TODAY IN HISTORY

European Union leaders have pledged extra ships, planes and a tripling in funds to save lives in the Mediterranean after the deaths at sea of more than 1,300 migrants.

Main maritime migration routes Funding: $9.7 million per month for current EU operation that patrols Mediterranean – increase brings budget in line with Italy’s Mare Nostrum mission that rescued 100,000 people last year before it was cancelled due to high cost

Main EU patrol area

ITALY

Britain: Promising assault ship HMS Bulwark, plus twopatrol boats and three helicopters

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

Rome

1588

King Henry III flees Paris after Henry of Guise triumphantly enters the city.

1641

The chief advisor to Charles I, Thomas Wentworth, is beheaded in the Tower of London.

1780

Charleston, South Carolina falls to British forces.

1851

The Tule River War ends.

1881

Tunisia, in North Africa become a French protectorate.

1885

In the Battle of Batoche, French Canadians rebel against the Canadian government.

France: Two ships and two aircraft Germany: Two frigates and supply ship from anti-piracy mission off Horn of Africa

OTHER ASSETS OFFERED:

PDO HONOURS OAC EMPLOYEES

Sardinia Lampedusa

BELGIUM Navy ship IRELAND Navy ship LATVIA Patrol boat, helicopter LITHUANIA Helicopter NORWAY (NON-EU) Civilian vessel

Sicily MALTA

TUNISIA Tripoli Royal Navy flagship HMS Bulwark Source: i-Map, wire agencies

Benghazi

LIBYA

Graphic News /

MUSCAT: Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) organised a function at Seeb Novotel yesterday in honour of employees of engineering and repairs section of Oman Aviation Company. The function was meant to mark the passage of 11 million working hours and seventy working days without reported injuries. Abdul Rahman bin Harith Al Busaidi, Oman Aviation director general and the chief guest, affirmed that the company had achieved the set safety standards. He thanked the PDO for their cooperation over the last twenty years. The chief guest distributed prizes to the company’s employees. On Sunday, Oman Aviation Company celebrated the first major overhaul of the new generation of ATR helicopter planes introduced to the service as part of the company’s fleet on April 16.

200km Graphics

HISTORYNET.COM

A 14

TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

PAKISTAN

Pakistan’s economy continues to gradually improve, helped by macroeconomic stability, lower oil prices, robust remittances and higher supply of gas and electricity Harald Finger, International Monetary Fund official

SUPREME COURT DECISION

IMPROVING ECONOMY

Saad reinstated as railways minister IMF to give $506m LAHORE: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday suspended an election tribunal’s verdict pertaining to the re-elections in constituencies Naitional Assembly’s NA-124 seat after irregularities were found in the records of the May 2013 general elections.

The court also summoned all records of cases from the election tribunal and issued notices to all respondents including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) candidate Hamid Khan.

An election tribunal had passed orders for re-polling in NA-

125 due to ‘some irregularities’ which Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz’s (PML-N) Khawaja Saad Rafique challenged in the SC and announced that he would participate in the re-polls and contest elections from the constituency once again.

Khawaja Haris, counsel for PML-N leader submitted that the tribunal verdict was not in accordance with the law. After hearing his preliminary arguments, the bench suspended the tribunal’s verdict and adjourned the hearing for four weeks.

While suspending the tribunal’s verdict, the apex court also reinstated Rafique to his post as the railway minister.

In his appeal before the SC, Rafique claimed the decision of the tribunal was based on “mere conjectures and surmises” instead of any material evidence.

He contended that his opponent, PTI’s Hamid Khan, failed to provide any evidence of the plaintiff’s collusion with the election staff and could not prove any illegalities during the two years of the tribunal’s proceedings.

Concluding, he termed the conclusions drawn by the tribunal judge “not sustainable in the eye of law” and further claimed that he and his electorates had been penalised for faults of the returning officers and the election staff, who failed to perform their duties efficiently.

Speaking to the media, Rafique claimed that he was targeted by Imran Khan and Hamid Khan.

“According to the decision, all accusations on me have been proved wrong,” he said. — Express Tribune

loan in June: Dar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan in June will get the next installment worth $506 million of its loan from the International Monetary Fund after a successful review of its economic performance, the finance minister said Monday.

“The seventh review was completed successfully today, for which an IMF team came to Islamabad,” Ishaq Dar told a joint press conference with IMF delegation head Harald Finger.

“After the approval from the IMF board, some $506 million should be released to Pakistan in June,” Dar said. Dar said the country had satisfied qualitative performance criteria relating to its net international assets, net domestic assets and borrowing by the Central Bank.“All these three were right on target.” Finger said Pakistan had made “significant progress” over the last year and a half in strengthening its economy. — AFP

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 I’m so looking forward to seeing her (Princess Charlotte), to meeting her and to holding her. She was a little bit late, hence I missed her. But apart from that, it’s fantastic news for both of them. So I’m thrilled Britain’s Prince Harry

A1 5

WORLD

Keen to start family but yet to meet right woman: Harry

19 hostages released in Afghanistan prisoner swap

years, and in 2014 he split from actress Cressida Bonas after a two-year relationship.

“There come times when you think now is the time to settle down, or now is not, whatever the way it is, but I don’t think you can force these things - it will happen when it’s going to happen,” he said.

Harry, a captain in the British army, is currently on tour in New Zealand having recently completed a month-long secondment to the Australian Defence Force. He said he had missed the coverage of his niece’s birth, but William has sent him some photos.

“I’m so looking forward to seeing her, to meeting her and to holding her. She was a little bit late, hence I missed her,” he said. “But apart from that, it’s fantastic news for both of them.

So I’m thrilled.”

Harry announced in March that he would quit the army in June, saying he was at a crossroads in life.

He told Sky most of those who joined the armed forces with him had since left and by taking on more royal duties he would not have the time to focus on his army job. He said he wanted any future role to ensure he could “give something back”. — Reuters

GHAZNI (AFGHANISTAN): Nineteen of 31 minority sect community members abducted in Afghanistan were released on Monday in exchange for scores of Uzbek militants in government prisons, provincial officials said, ending a two-month ordeal which marked a rare attack on ethnic minorities.

But President Ashraf Ghani denied any prisoners were exchanged to secure the release of the ethnic Hazaras who were seized in late February by masked gunmen from a bus in southern Zabul province.

Government efforts to secure the Hazaras’ release have been shrouded in mystery as the Taliban, waging a 13-year insurgency in Afghanistan, distanced themselves from the incident.

The high-profile abductions had fuelled suspicions that militants aligned with IS were behind them.

“This is a happy and proud moment. Nineteen of our compatriots who had been taken hostage are today the guests of the government,” Ghani told reporters.

He insisted that “no ransom was paid... and no prisoners were exchanged”, but two provincial officials said some militants had been freed. — AFP

Britain's Prince Harry, 30, who slipped to fifth in line to the throne with the birth of elder brother William’s second child Charlotte two weeks ago, is currently visiting New Zealand

LONDON: Britain’s Prince Harry, one of the world’s most eligible bachelors, said on Monday he would love to have children but he is still waiting to find the right person to “share the pressure”.

Harry, 30, slipped to fifth in line to the throne with the birth of elder brother William’s second child Princess Charlotte two weeks ago, and admitted the latest ON TRIAL IN EGYPT

Al Jazeera journalist Fahmy sues employer CAIRO: An Al Jazeera television journalist on trial in Egypt has filed a lawsuit in a Canadian court accusing his employer of negligence and has demanded $100 million in compensation, his lawyer said on Monday.

Mohamed Fahmy, who spent more than 400 days in a Cairo jail on charges of aiding a terrorist organisation, suggested Al Jazeera’s actions landed him in jail. Al Jazeera had no immediate comment.

Fahmy and another Al Jazeera journalist, Baher Mohamed, were originally sentenced to seven to 10 years in prison on charges that included spreading lies to help a “terrorist organisation”, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Peter Greste, an Australian colleague who was sentenced with them, was freed and deported earlier this year. All three denied the charges. In January, a court ordered a retrial, citing procedural flaws. Fahmy is a naturalised Canadian who gave up his Egyptian citizenship.

At a news conference in Cairo, Fahmy’s lawyer, Joanna Gialason, said the lawsuit asks the court to declare Al Jazeera negligent in its conduct towards Fahmy. — Reuters TURMOIL IN IRAQ

'IS spine broken by Kurd forces, global allies' BUDAPEST: The leader of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, Massud Barzani, said on Monday his forces had “broken the spine” of the IS with the help of international allies.

“Thanks to (the Kurds’) opposition and the help of their friends in the coalition, the spine of the IS is broken,” Barzani said after talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest.

Hungary recently joined the fight against IS by committing to send some 150 soldiers to Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital, Arbil.

Barzani said that although “the danger is not over”, he was hopeful the days of the brutal militant organisation were numbered.

The Kurdish president is in Budapest on an official state visit after wrapping up a trip to Washington where he met US President Barack Obama to discuss the situation in Iraq. — AFP

MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR: Britain's Prince Harry, left, listens to questions from pupils during a visit

to Halfmoon Bay School on Stewart Island as part of his first visit to New Zealand on Monday. — AFP/ POOL/Robyn Edie

royal addition had made him keen to start his own family.

“Of course, I would love to have kids right now, but there’s a process that one has to go through,” he said in a Sky News interview.

“Hopefully I’m doing all right by myself. It would be great to have someone else next to me to share the pressure. But, you know, time will come and whatever happens, happens.”

Harry’s love life, like that of all the royal family, has always attracted huge media interest.

Among those he has been linked with are Chelsy Davy, whom he dated on and off for about five

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Two killed as storm hits the Philippines MANILA: Two people have been killed in a powerful typhoon that grazed the Philippines’ northeastern tip, according to authorities who said Monday that the evacuation of coastal villages and volcanic slopes averted a higher toll.

Many of the thousands who fled the storm’s path started to return home after typhoon Noul -- the fourth and strongest storm to hit the Philippines this year -- whipped the coast with wind gusts of up to 220 kilometres (137 miles) per hour.

Eighteen months after super typhoon Haiyan devastated the central Philippines, churning up tsunami-like waves and leaving more than 7,350 people dead or missing, authorities credited the greater awareness with saving lives.

“People listened to our warnings. They’ve learned their lesson from past storms,” Norma Talosig, civil defence director for the northeastern region, told AFP. The two confirmed deaths were a 70-year-old man and his 45-year-old son who died after being electrocuted while fixing their house in Aparri town early Sunday as Typhoon Noul started to bear down.

CLOSE CALL AS PLANE NOSEDIVES

People gather near a Philippine Air Force Fokker F27 plane that nosedived on the runway of Legazpi City airport, Philippines, on Monday. The mishap was caused by the nose landing gear of the plane that failed and no one was hurt, but the accident caused several flight delays at the airport, according to Air Force officer Lt. Col Luisito Angeles. - Reuters

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The evacuations had begun on Friday, with more than 3,000 people leaving coastal fishing communities in Isabela and Cagayan province, and hundreds more from villages near the slopes of Bulusan volcano in the central region.

Volcanic mud flows Authorities had feared heavy rains could trigger volcanic mud flows after the volcano started belching ash earlier this month.

And with civil defence authorities warning of dangerous storm surges of up to two metres (6.5 feet), coastal residents were taken inland in buses and truck, even ambulances. Most of the evacuees started to return home Sunday night, local authorities said.

In the coastal town of Santa Ana strong winds broke power lines and peeled off palm thatch roofs, but there were no casualties reported after residents fled exposed areas, including 700 holdouts who finally abandoned their seaside huts as winds began to blow violently on Sunday.

“We went around town telling people that it was best to evacuate ahead,” police officer Melvic de Castro said. — AFP

A mandate for EU talks: Cameron be tough obviously but we have got a mandate,” Cameron said of his planned EU renegotiation, before entering the meeting of lawmakers to cheers, applause and the appreciative banging of fists on tables.

Cameron told lawmakers from his Conservative Party that they had won a famous victory but there was no room for complacency

LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron touted his election victory as a strong mandate to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the European Union, as his party proclaimed on Monday a new-

NEW LOOK TEAM: Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron poses with newly-elected Conservative Party MPs, at the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain on Monday. — Reuters/Stefan Rousseau/pool

found unity over the traditionally divisive issue.

Following his unexpected securing of an outright parliamentary majority, Cameron told lawmakers

from his Conservative Party that they had won a famous victory last Thursday but there was no room for complacency.

“We have got a mandate; it will

Reshape ties Cameron has made clear one of his priorities for his second term will be to reshape Britain’s ties with Brussels before holding a referendum by the end of 2017 on whether the country should stay in the bloc or leave.

The gathering took place in a wood-panelled parliamentary committee room overlooking the River Thames, off a corridor lined with the portraits of previous prime ministers such as Winston Churchill.

Had Cameron failed to win so emphatically, the room would probably have been the venue for a

move against his leadership. However, his centre-right party can now govern alone following five years when it was in coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

Cameron was completing his cabinet line-up on Monday, promoting several women, two Britons of Asian origin, and a lawmaker with strong links to working class voters to demonstrate he is what he called a “one nation” prime minister.

Since his re-election, Cameron has phoned several European leaders to discuss his planned EU renegotiation, which he has said will get underway soon.

Lawmakers said Cameron, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, and finance minister George Osborne, would lead the talks.

The issue of Europe has split the Conservatives before and contributed to the downfall of two of

Cameron’s predecessors, Margaret Thatcher and John Major.

Cameron, who has said his preference is for Britain to remain in a reformed EU, is keen to avoid another split. But he has not ruled out an exit if he fails to get the changes he wants.

Osborne said after the meeting, which he described as “a massive moment of celebration”, that the party was united, with even ardent Eurosceptic lawmakers such as veteran Bill Cash - who have caused so many problems in the past - now on side.

“We had great sights like Bill Cash pledging his undying loyalty and why this wouldn’t be like previous parliaments,” Osborne told reporters.

Alistair Burt, a Conservative lawmaker, said the party was determined to avoid further infighting over Europe. — Reuters

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MARKE

‘Rents unlikely to fall in Muscat’ Rents may go down temporarily after the completion of some housing and real estate projects that are underway. But in general, no decline is expected, said an industry expert

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

elham@timesofoman.com

MUSCAT: Rental prices in Muscat are not expected to drop in the coming few years, according to an official at the Oman Real Estate Association (ORA), who says land prices in central Muscat would also not see a fall.

Rents may go down temporarily after the completion of somehousing and real estate projects that are underway, but in general no decline is expected, said Hassan Mohammed Juma, vicechairman of ORA. He made the comments during a panel discussion at the second Oman Real Estate Conference, organised by ORA in association with Al Nimr Conferences, which opened at Al Bustan Pal-

ace Hotel on Monday and concludes on Tuesday.

When asked whether the supply is overtaking the demand and whether the drive to decrease the number of expatriates will affect the land prices, Juma said that no comprehensive data is available regarding the supply and demand.

Also, land prices are not expected to go down in central parts of Muscat but there may be a decrease in prices in outer areas of Muscat, the official said.

In a presentation at the conference, Andrew Williamson, head of retail - associate director at Jones Lang LaSalle MENA, explained the market trends in the office, residential, hospitality and retail markets.

Office market According to him, demand drivers for the office market include industrial growth, Oman Vision 2020, investor confidence in the Omani economy, employment growth and privatisation initiatives. Commenting on the current stock, Williamson said that the current office supply in Muscat stands at around 720,000 sqm and comprise mainly Grade B office space.

Approximately 120,000 sqm of Grade A office space has been added to the Muscat market in the past 24 months, he added.

“Although statistics of the office market in Muscat suggest a healthy market but any introduction or provision of office space should be in due consideration of the current market conditions indicating prolonged absorption

periods due to large introductions of supply over the past several years,” the expert noted. In regard to the residential sector, Williamson said that population growth, affordability, Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITCs) and propertyownership-linked residential visa are the demand drivers for the residential market.

He noted that a large part of the residential developments in Muscat is outdated and old, especially in old areas such as Ruwi, Wadi Kabir and the port area.

“As developers continue to accommodate the changing tastes and preferences of Muscat’s expatriates and local community, residential supply will continue to grow. Moving forward, drivers of demand are expected to be quality developments offering a suitable mix of facilities and amenities and close to civic uses such as schools, shopping malls and hospitals in Muscat,” said Williamson.

Commenting on the hospitality market, he said that as occupancies improve, it is estimated that the sector in Muscat will adjust ADRs (average daily rate) in order to retain this positive trend.

“A large part of the future performance of the Muscat’s market will depend upon Oman government’s ability to promote the country as a leisure and commercial destination as well as maintain political stability in general.

To date, these efforts seem to have been producing the desired results as hotel guests have increased steadily since 2010,” said Williamson. > B2

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TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

MARKET Oman-based bottler boosts capacity with second line the new Matrix Combi10 line will be producing water in different sized bottles.

This is the second production line in its plant that Barzman National has acquired from Swissbased Sidel – Supplied picture

Times News Service MUSCAT: Barzman National, one of the leading bottled water producers in Oman, is increasing its production capacity and has once again selected Swiss-based Sidel to install a complete production line in its plant.

This is the second line that Barzman National has acquired from Sidel. The first was installed in March 2014, and it resulted in tripling of the production capacity for the Omani producer, said a press release.

The Sidel Matrix Combi10 is a

combination of blowing, filling, and capping in one integrated, highly efficient system. The line is designed to deliver an outstanding and hygienic performance, while simultaneously cutting costs. With the ability to package lightweight bottles at high speeds,

Level of professionalism “We first partnered with Sidel a year ago when we chose their equipment to increase our production capacity. We were extremely impressed with the line performance, the level of professionalism and the after-sales support, a factor which encouraged us to approach them again for a second similar production line,” said Saif Al Noumani, chief executive officer of Barzman National LLC. “I am confident that with the second complete line, we will be able to further boost our production capacity to meet the ever growing local demand for bottled water,” he added.

According to industry estimates, water was the second most consumed beverage item in

Oman with 238.1 million litres recorded at the end of 2014, and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years of 6.6 per cent. Carbonated soft drinks ranked first with 362.4 million litres consumed, and a CAGR of 8.3 per cent over the next five years.

“The global beverage industry is currently valued at $1.3 trillion, and the global demand for PET is expected to grow to around 20 million tonnes by 2019. Keeping in mind this demand, we are always working to provide the best solutions to our customers,” said Talha Taha, regional commercial manager, Sidel.

“We are delighted to see the robust results obtained by Barzman National after installing the first MatrixTM Combi line from Sidel, and we wish them further growth and expansion in this promising market,” he added.

R E A L E S TAT E

< FROM

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‘Other regions lack quality’

Initiatives such as leveraging on Oman Air, development of the international airport and ITCs are anticipated to provide the necessary impetus to further develop the quality hotel market in Muscat, he added. The real estate expert also noted that Muscat is currently the focus of retailers and developers in terms of expansion and entry, adding that around 45 per cent of the current quality retail stock concentrated in the city’s four largest and most prominent regional shopping malls.

Other regions of Oman The other regions of Oman currently lack quality supply with street retail taking up a significant portion of retail spending, he said.

“Approximately 765,151 square metres of gross leasable area is expected to be introduced into the Muscat market by year 2020.

Other regions of Oman, such as, Sohar are also under interest by developers due to its positioning as an industrial and logistics hub,” Williamson noted.

E X PA N S I O N P L A N

Saudi Aramco plans up to $80b spending abroad DUBAI: Saudi Arabian Oil, the world’s largest oil exporter, is planning to spend between $70 billion and $80 billion on overseas acquisitions and investments during the next five years, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

The investment is part of the state-owned company’s target of spending $150 billion at home and internationally through 2019, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. Saudi Aramco, as the company is known, will focus on Asia, particularly China and Korea, they said.

Boost ties with Asia Saudi Aramco is expanding in refining and petrochemicals and seeking to boost ties with Asia as part of its ambition to become both the world’s largest oil and chemicals producer by the end of the decade. Last year, it bought a $2 billion stake in SOil Corp., South Korea’s thirdlargest oil refiner.

The company has joint-venture plants in China, owns stakes in refining businesses in South Korea, Japan and the US and markets its crude and refined products globally.

Aramco secured a $10 billion loan in March that could be used to fund potential acquisitions, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg at the time.

The company didn’t respond to requests for comment.

The Saudi state-owned oil company reduced its borrowing

costs when it used the new $10 billion facility to replace a $4 billion facility, the company said in a later statement confirming the deal. That was despite the drop in oil prices.

Falling energy prices Falling energy prices and low borrowing costs have sparked a wave of consolidation in the oil and gas sector. Mergers and acquisitions activity in the energy industry rose 58 per cent to $355 billion in 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The fall in oil prices has made some upstream assets more attractive to buy, Saif Al Falasi, chief executive officer at Emirates National Oil Co., said in April. The company is bidding to buy the 46 per cent of Londontraded producer Dragon Oil that it doesn’t already own, the company said in March.

Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Co., known as Kufpec, may increase the size of a $1 billion loan to $2.5 billion, three people with knowledge of the matter said in March.

Brent crude, a pricing benchmark for more than half of the world’s oil, has rebounded 13.7 percent this year to $65.21 a barrel as of 2:26pm Dubai time, after falling almost 50 per cent last year. — Bloomberg News

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T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

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MARKET EURO-MEDIUM TERM NOTE

NBO board clears capital boost plan Times News Service MUSCAT: National Bank of Oman’s (NBO) board on Monday approved an increase in its euro-medium term note (EMTN) issue size to $1.5 billion, from its presently established size of $600 million.

The bank will be enabled to issue Basel 3 compliant tier 2 instruments within the proposed EMTN programme. The terms

of tier 2 instruments will be subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Oman.

The board also approved issuance of $300 million tier 1 additional capital at terms and conditions to be approved by all regulators within Oman.

The board also agreed to put forth both these resolutions for the approval of shareholders via an extraordinary general meeting proposed to be held on June 10.

‘Need to set up Gulf air traffic regulator’ MUSCAT: A pan-GCC body on the line of Eurocontrol for air traffic management for the region was mooted by an aviation expert here on Monday. This is needed keeping in view the ceaseless expansion of airlines fleet and airports.

“The aviation industry in the Gulf region faces two major hurdles. There has to be better coordination among the civil aviation authorities and regulators. The other is the need for the creation of a Gulf-wide body equal to Eurocontrol with the involvement of all stakeholders and regulators,” said Georges Hannouche, CEO of Bayanat Airports and Engineering Supplies (BAES), on the sidelines of the Airport Show of which BAES. “The UAE has taken a lead in making this a reality. Air traffic has recorded phenomenal growth in the past few years and the future scenario is no different. This calls for a unified and coordinated effort at the regional level for ATM,” he added.

Eurocontrol, he said, has proved to a success story in managing and regulating air traffic in Europe through a variety of initiatives and programmes like SESAR. The creation of Gulf Control will be the first right step towards effectively managing the skies in the fastest growing aviation markets. Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS) has earlier this year signed a deal with Eurocontrol which will help in bringing about better results in

foreign investments with a growth rate of 4.6 per cent over the period.

Foreign investment has generated an income in excess of OMR1.8b and provided job opportunities for more than 242,000 workers, including 87,000 Omani citizens

Times News Service

AV I AT I O N S E C T O R

Times News Service

Foreign investment in Oman falls slightly

air traffic management in the region, he said.

He underscored need for better management of operations and performance of airports in the region taking into account the huge increase in the volume of passengers and cargo handled by them.

The Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) has proved to be hugely effective and successful towards this end and more Middle East airports should adopt A-CDM, he added. New technologies are playing, and will continue to play, a key role in the airport and air traffic management, said Hannouche whose company has been working over the years with the key airports in the UAE and other parts of the region.

BAES has recently completed the LIDAR and FOD projects for the Dubai International Airport.

It was also behind the successful implementation of the facilities to handle the pre-clearance of the US-bound passengers at the Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The company is among the nine who pre-qualified for the $100 million project for Bahrain Airport’s new terminal. The nine were selected out of the total 35 that bid for the project as main contractors.

A decision is due by July from the Bahrain authorities.

The Abu Dhabi-based company currently has two offices in the region, in Doha and Casablanca, and it plans to open an office in Oman by the end of this year and in Saudi Arabia by next year.

MUSCAT: Total foreign investments (FDI) in the Sultanate in 2013 logged a decline of 0.1 per cent touching OMR13.61 billion as against OMR13.629 billion recorded in 2012, according to preliminary data issued by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

The foreign investments, led by oil, gas and brokerage activities, achieved a paid income in

excess of OMR1.8 billion and provided job opportunities for more than 242,000 workers including 87,000 Omani citizens. On the other hand, investments by Omanis abroad exceeded OMR7 billion generating an income of OMR169.4 million.

The Foreign Investment Statistics Bulletin for 2009 – 2013 issued by NCSI indicated that foreign direct investment in 2013 reached OMR6.688 billion constituting 49.1 per cent of the total

Investment portfolios Foreign investments in the investment portfolios reached OMR813.30 million constituting 6 per cent of the total foreign investments with a growth rate of 62.1 per cent. Investments in financial derivatives logged OMR59.30 million constituting a marginal 0.4 per cent of the total foreign investments and marking a growth rate of 24.6 per cent.

Other foreign investments including commercial credit, loans and deposits reached OMR6.49 billion, constituting 44.4 per cent of the total foreign investments with a growth rate of 9.1 per cent.

Total income in the foreign investment enterprises in 2013 including profits, reinvestment proceeds and interests slipped 10.3 per cent to OMR1.822 billion compared to OMR2.31 bil-

lion recorded in 2012. The value of dividends allocated for direct foreign investors also declined from OMR1.83 billion in 2012 to OMR1.674 billion in 2013.

Meanwhile, reinvested proceeds decreased 17 per cent at the end of 2013. Paid income from other investments fell 26.3 per cent in 2013 to reach OMR148 million.

Interestingly, the number of workers in the foreign investment enterprises in 2013 increased 5.4 per cent compared to 2012. The total labourers working in the foreign investment enterprises reached 242,384, including 87,789 Omani workers.

The number of Omani labourers working in the foreign investment enterprises logged a 6.4 per cent increase in 2013 as against 4.9 per cent increase among expatriate employees who constitute 63.8 per cent of the total labourers working in the foreign firms.

C O R P O R AT E G O V E R NA N C E AWA R D

Deadline for submitting application extended Times News Service MUSCAT: A deadline for submitting forms for participating in the fourth edition of corporate governance excellence award has been extended by three weeks from May 7, according to Oman Centre for Governance and Sustainability (OCGS) — part of the Capital Market Authority.

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

This is in response to the companies, which are participating in the competition.

The new deadline is May 28 and the extension will hopefully give companies extra time to register and fill in the questionnaire for the competition.

The award this year has been divided into three categories: Banking and Investment; In-

dustry; and Insurance and Services. Each category can have up to 3 winners.

“The award provides a good opportunity for companies to disclose their governance practices, and at the same time it allows participating companies to avail of a free and professional second opinion and evaluation on the efficacy of such practices,” said

Sayyid Hamed al Busaidi, acting executive director of the OCGS. Listed companies participating in this version of the award will be assessed in six areas - ensuring the basis for a corporate governance framework, the board, transparency and disclosure, sustainable prosperity, control and risk management, and rights of shareholders.

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TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

MARKET Index rises marginally Monday’s top gainer was Al Madina Investment, up by 2.94 per cent. DIDIC, down by 2.02 per cent, was the top loser of the day

MUSCAT: Oman’s general stock index — MSM30 Index — closed at 6,313.84 points, marginally up by 0.03 per cent. The MSM Sharia Index declined 0.14 per cent to close at 973.08 points. Bank Nizwa was the most active in terms of volume while Ominvest was the most active in terms of turnover. Monday’s top gainer was Al Madina Investment, up by 2.94 per cent while Dhofar International Development & Investment Holding Co (DIDIC) down by 2.02 per cent was the top loser of the day.

As many as 487 trades were executed during the day’s trading session generating turnover of OMR1.92 million with more than 8.06 million shares changing hands. Out of 48 traded securities, 10 advanced, 12 declined and 26 remained unchanged.

GCC and Arab Investors were net buyers for OMR235,000 while Omani Investors were net sellers for OMR137,000 followed by foreign investors for OMR98,000 worth of shares.

Financial Index up by 0.46 per cent to close at 7,661.32 points.

Al Madina Investments, Oman & Emirates, Ominvest and HSBC Bank Oman increased by 2.94 per cent, 2.89 per cent, 2.68 per cent and 0.75 per cent, respectively.

DIDIC, Gulf Investment Services and Bank Nizwa declined by 2.02 per cent, 1.52 per cent and 1.33 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index closed at 8,313.23 points, down by 0.21 per cent. Galfar Engineering and National Aluminium increased by 1.89 per cent and 0.64 per cent, respectively. Al Jazeera Steel Products, Oman Fisheries, Oman

Flour Mills and Raysut Cement declined by 1.89 per cent, 1.58 per cent, 0.79 per cent and 0.64 per cent, respectively.

Services Sector Index increased 0.07 per cent to end the day at 3,440.29 points. OIFC, Al Jazeera Services and Omantel increased by 1.32 per cent, 0.58 per cent and 0.30 per cent respectively. Oreedoo Oman, Al Suwadi Power and Al Batinah Power declined by 0.54 per cent, 0.52 per cent and 0.52 per cent respectively.

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ........................................ 6,317.78 .............. 6,305.09 ................... 6,313.84 ...................6,312.06.................... 1.78 ...................0.03 Financial Index ......................................7,661.51 ...............7,626.56 ....................7,661.32 ................... 7,626.56..................34.76 ...................0.46 Industrial Index ................................... 8,330.99 .............. 8,305.32 ................... 8,313.23 ................... 8,330.41.................-17.18 .................. -0.21 Services Index ...................................... 3,440.29 ...............3,437.48 ...................3,440.29 ....................3,437.76....................2.53 ................... 0.07 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................975.49 ..................972.96 .......................973.08 ...................... 974.50.................. -1.42 .................. -0.15 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 8,065,193 .................... 1,925,494 .....................487 ...............14,706,214,064 ................ 10 ......................12 ....................26 .........................48

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR MONDAY, MAY 11 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 .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 980,573 ............68,315..................... 68 ........... 0.072 ...........0.072 ...........0.068........... 0.070 .............0.068 ........... 0.002............. 2.941 ................0.070..............0.067...................0.069...................14,500,597 .........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING........... 594,717 .............63,763..................... 39 ............0.104 ........... 0.108 ...........0.104........... 0.107 .............0.104 ........... 0.003............. 2.885 ................0.106..............0.106...................0.108...................13,040,625 .........0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 1,000,000...... 459,441........................9 ........... 0.440...........0.460 ...........0.440 .......... 0.460 .............0.448 ............0.012 ............. 2.679 ................0.460..............0.414...................0.454..................170,391,958 ........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................... 25,701 ...............3,329........................5 ............0.128 ........... 0.130 ...........0.128........... 0.130 .............0.128............ 0.002............. 1.563 ................0.130 ..............0.130................... 0.131 ................... 37,697,483 .........0.100

Dubai stocks drop Dubai stocks retreated the most in emerging markets after profit at developer Union Properties PJSC plunged, helping spark a selloff in real estate companies.

The emirate’s DFM General Index slid 1.8 per cent, the sharpest drop since May 3, to close at 4,071.58. Union Properties, Dubai’s second-largest developer by market value, slumped 9.7 per cent, the most this year. The DFM Real Estate and Construction Index dropped 2.5 per cent, the most in more than a week.

Real estate sales in Dubai, which recovered from one of world’s worst property slumps during the financial crisis, declined 31 per cent in the first four months of 2015 from a year earlier, according to Dubai Land Department data. First quarter profit at Union Properties fell 84 per cent to 28 million dirhams ($7.6 million) as other income dropped. The company last year reported a saving of 100 million dirhams in the period as it settled liabilities with contractors.

“Union Properties has triggered the push down today in the market, in particular in property and constructions stocks,” Wadah Al Taha, the Dubai-based chief investment officer of Al Zarooni Group, said by phone. “Union Properties’ results are not as bad as it seems if you eliminate last year’s saving. It’s more of a big number perception. And the reports of a decline in property sales in Dubai are also casting a negative shadow.”

Emaar Properties PJSC, which has the biggest weighting on Dubai’s gauge, slipped the most in a week and Arabtec Holding Co. also declined.

OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE............... 50,000 .............11,500........................2 ........... 0.230 ...........0.230 ...........0.230........... 0.230 .............0.227 ........... 0.003............. 1.322 ................0.230..............0.228...................0.232 ................. 46,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 508,423 ........... 68,637......................13 ............0.135 ........... 0.135 ...........0.135 ............0.135 .............0.134.............0.001 ............. 0.746 ................0.135 ..............0.132...................0.135 ................. 270,042,227 .......0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES ............................................ 22,119 ................7,614........................5 ........... 0.342 ...........0.348 ...........0.342........... 0.344 .............0.342 ........... 0.002............. 0.585 ................0.348..............0.344...................0.350...................21,054,270 .........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING.................................................47,925 .............11,259......................17 ........... 0.234 ...........0.236 ...........0.234........... 0.235 .............0.234 ............0.001 ............. 0.427 ................0.235..............0.235...................0.237...................30,667,500 .........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ..........................84,965 .......... 139,664..................... 30 ............1.640 ........... 1.650 ...........1.635 ............1.645 .............1.640 ........... 0.005............. 0.305 ................1.645 .............. 1.645...................1.650................1,233,750,000 ......0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY..................................... 20,300 ............ 42,732........................7 ............2.105 ........... 2.105 ...........2.105........... 2.105 .............2.100 ........... 0.005............. 0.238 ................2.105 ..............2.105...................2.135..................188,818,500 ........0.100 OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ...........................2,000 ..................440........................1 ........... 0.220...........0.220 ...........0.220 .......... 0.221 .............0.221 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.220 ............ 0.200...................0.220 ..................21,003,840.........0.100 OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ............................................................... 3,825 ............... 1,507........................2 ........... 0.394 ...........0.394 ...........0.394........... 0.394 .............0.394 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.394..............0.382...................0.400 ..................19,700,000 .........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN .................................. 20,000 ...............6,320........................1 ............0.316 ........... 0.316 ...........0.316 ............0.316 ............. 0.316............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.316 ..............0.312...................0.314................. 423,664,439 .......0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT .......................................................... 123,109.............64,017......................13 ........... 0.520 ...........0.520 ...........0.520........... 0.520 .............0.520 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.520..............0.520...................0.528..................172,053,809........0.100 OM0000001822............UNITED POWER ............................................................. 1,808 ...............2,893........................4 ............1.600 ........... 1.600 ...........1.600........... 1.600 .............1.600 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................1.600..............1.440...................1.600....................3,200,000..........1.000 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ................................... 1,434 .................. 594........................2 ............0.416 ........... 0.416 ...........0.414 ........... 0.410 .............0.410............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.414 ..............0.412...................0.414.................. 121,447,610 ........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ..................................... 2,810 ...............5,620........................1 ........... 2.000...........2.000 ...........2.000 .......... 2.000 .............2.000 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.000 ............ 2.000...................2.030 ................ 190,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ...................... 127,890.............15,983..................... 23 ............0.125 ........... 0.126 ...........0.122............0.125 ............. 0.125............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.122..............0.122...................0.125.................... 3,750,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 141,316 ............. 17,523........................4 ............0.124 ........... 0.124 ...........0.124........... 0.124 .............0.124 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.124..............0.123...................0.125...................38,534,853 .........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ...................241 .....................33........................1 ............0.135 ........... 0.135 ...........0.135 ........... 0.134 .............0.134............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.135 .............. 0.133...................0.139...................12,060,000.........0.100 OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ................................................................5,000 ...............1,400........................2 ........... 0.280...........0.280 ...........0.280 .......... 0.280 .............0.280 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.280............. 0.280...................0.284 .................432,523,993 .......0.100 OM0000002614............ONIC. HOLDING ............................................................32,306 .............14,861........................7 ........... 0.460 ...........0.460 ...........0.460........... 0.460 .............0.460 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.460..............0.460...................0.470................... 79,774,695 .........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 719,017 .......... 383,619.....................40 ........... 0.534 ...........0.534 ...........0.530........... 0.534 .............0.534 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.532..............0.532...................0.534................1,223,833,267 ......0.100 OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ....... 11,323 .............24,911........................2 ........... 2.200...........2.200 .......... 2.200 .......... 2.200 .............2.200 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ............... 2.200 .............2.170...................2.200 .................151,800,000........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES .......................................10,000 ...............3,580........................1 ........... 0.358 ........... 0.358 ...........0.358........... 0.358 .............0.358 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.358..............0.358...................0.368..................100,989,815 ........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR.....................................................................1,769 ..................320........................2 ............0.182 ........... 0.182 ...........0.180............0.181 ............. 0.181............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.180.............. 0.178...................0.182................. 260,900,640 .......0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ........................................................2,051 ..................809........................9 ........... 0.392 ...........0.396 ...........0.392........... 0.420 .............0.420 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.396..............0.396...................0.410...................25,410,000 .........0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH...................................................7,086 .............17,006........................4 ........... 2.400...........2.400 ...........2.400 .......... 2.400 .............2.400 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.400 ............ 2.400...................2.440 .................229,097,268........1.000 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 253,469 ............21,555......................14 ........... 0.086 ...........0.086 ...........0.085........... 0.085 .............0.085 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.085..............0.084...................0.085...................14,875,000 .........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 243,009 ........... 46,128......................15 ............0.175 ........... 0.190 ...........0.175 ........... 0.190 ............. 0.191 ............-0.001 ........... -0.524 ...............0.190.............. 0.185...................0.193..................128,228,612........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 221,652 ............42,114......................17 ............0.190 ........... 0.190 ...........0.190........... 0.190 ............. 0.191 ............-0.001 ........... -0.524 ...............0.190..............0.184...................0.192.................. 135,737,205 ........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO......................................................................... 97,453 ............ 72,287......................13 ............0.744 ........... 0.744 ...........0.740........... 0.740 .............0.744............-0.004 ........... -0.538 ...............0.740..............0.736...................0.740..................481,698,730........0.100 OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS .............. 20,000 ...............6,240........................2 ............0.312 ........... 0.312 ...........0.312 ........... 0.312 .............0.314............-0.002 ........... -0.637 ...............0.312 ..............0.312...................0.314...................10,474,292 .........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 138,634.............18,023......................16 ............0.130 ........... 0.132 ...........0.130........... 0.130 .............0.132............-0.002 ............-1.515 ................0.130 ..............0.130...................0.132.................... 7,649,618 ..........0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ........................................................47,000 ............ 73,320........................6 ............1.560 ........... 1.560 ...........1.560 ........... 1.560 ............. 1.585............-0.025 ............-1.577................1.560 ..............1.560...................1.620................. 312,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS ........................ 100,000 ...........26,000........................1 ........... 0.260...........0.260 ...........0.260 .......... 0.260 .............0.265 ...........-0.005 ............-1.887................0.260..............0.257...................0.260 ..................32,473,470 .........0.100 OM0000001509............DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD...................... 15,100 ...............7,308........................2 ........... 0.484 ...........0.484 ...........0.484........... 0.484 .............0.494 ...........-0.010 ........... -2.024 ...............0.484..............0.446...................0.484 .................119,257,600 ........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 5,684,025.......1,750,663 .............. 400 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......37........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. .................. 288,466 .............11,175........................9 ........... 0.038 ...........0.039 ...........0.038........... 0.039 .............0.039 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.038..............0.038...................0.039.................... 3,315,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................... 62,112 ............... 6,211......................15 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100........... 0.100 .............0.100 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.100..............0.099...................0.100....................7,520,800 ..........0.100 OM0000002689 ...........OMAN CERAMIC COMPANY ........................................526 .................. 237........................3 ........... 0.450 ...........0.450 ...........0.450........... 0.450 .............0.450 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.450............. 0.000...................0.000 .....................851,488 ............1.000 OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK..................................................2,000 .................. 160........................2 ........... 0.080 ...........0.080 ...........0.080........... 0.080 .............0.080 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.080..............0.077...................0.080 ..................80,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ............................ 101,134 ............. 11,135......................15 ............0.110 ............0.111 ............0.110 ............0.110 ............. 0.110............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.110 .............. 0.110................... 0.112 ...................11,000,000 .........0.100 OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ................................................... 8,950 ...............4,492........................6 ........... 0.500 ...........0.502 ...........0.500........... 0.502 .............0.506 ...........-0.004 ............-0.791................0.502..............0.502...................0.504 ..................79,065,000.........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 1,850,185 .......137,458......................19 ........... 0.077 ........... 0.077 ...........0.074........... 0.074 .............0.075 ...........-0.001 ............-1.333................0.074..............0.073...................0.075..................111,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .......................................................59,965 ................3,171......................13 ........... 0.054 ...........0.054 ...........0.052........... 0.053 .............0.054 ...........-0.001 ........... -1.852................0.053..............0.052...................0.053....................6,625,000 ..........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 2,373,338 ...... 174,038..................... 82 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 8........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ..............................570 .....................59........................2 ............0.104 ........... 0.104 ...........0.104........... 0.109 .............0.109 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.104..............0.104...................0.109...................32,999,653 .........0.100 OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 .................................................. 57 ....................... 6........................1 ........... 0.100 ........... 0.100 ...........0.100........... 0.103 .............0.103............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.100..............0.070...................0.103....................7,364,500 ..........0.100 OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ............................................. 7,203 .................. 728........................2 ............0.101 ........... 0.101............0.101 ............0.101 .............0.107............-0.006 ........... -5.607 ...............0.101 .............. 0.101...................0.105...................32,283,910 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .......................................................................................7,830 .................. 792........................5 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 3........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

– United Securities/Bloomberg News

REGIONAL MARKETS

EUROPEAN UNION

Saudi Arabia to boost sukuk issues Greece to plead for as stock market opens to foreigners leeway as IMF cash DUBAI: Opening its $568 billion stock exchange to foreigners for the first time may be the push Saudi Arabia needs to boost its sukuk market.

The Riyadh-based Capital Market Authority (CMA) plans to make the process of structuring bonds that comply with Islam’s ban on interest easier, according to Adel Al-Ghamdi, chief executive officer of the Saudi Stock Market Tadawul. The kingdom’s debt capital market needs improvement, he said at the Euromoney Saudi Arabia Conference last week.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam and home to two of the religion’s holiest sites, has a relatively undeveloped debt market as banks flush with cash offer competitive lending rates. While Saudi companies have borrowed $6.7 billion in Sharia-compliant loans so far this year, none have sold sukuk. Islamic loans have outpaced sukuk sales for four of the past five years.

“To grow and deepen the Saudi debt capital markets, it is important to streamline process and regulations to facilitate listing of sukuk,” Rizwan Kanji, a partner at law firm King & Spalding who helps structure Islamic deals in Saudi Arabia, said by phone from Dubai on May 6. “This will create incentives for a wider pool of investors and improve appetite for trading of sukuk over the exchange.”

Banking assets Saudi Arabia’s Islamic banking assets total about $122 billion and are the world’s biggest after Iran, according to Dubai government data. There will be a push to improve the nation’s debt capi-

crunch looms large

INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY: Even with its underdeveloped sukuk market, Saudi borrowers raised $7.9b from the sale of Islamic bonds in 2014, the most in the world after Malaysia. — Bloomberg file picture

tal market this year, the CMA’s Chairman Mohammed Al-Jadaan said last week in Riyadh.

Most important markets “Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most important markets when it comes to Islamic financing,” Hamed Hassan Merah, secretary general of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions, a Bahrainbased group that drafts standards for the industry, said in an interview in Riyadh on Wednesday.

The regulator should set out clear guidelines if it wants to emulate Malaysia, the world’s biggest sukuk market, he said.

The kingdom is pursuing a $130 billion spending plan to diversify its economy away from oil, and has vowed to invest in major pro-

jects including railroads, power stations, desalination plants and universities. Even with its underdeveloped sukuk market, Saudi borrowers raised $7.9 billion from the sale of Islamic bonds in 2014, the most in the world after Malaysia.

Saudi Aramco loan For now, pricing means many companies prefer the loan market.

Saudi Arabian Oil Co., the world’s largest oil exporter, secured a $10 billion loan in March, including a 7.5 billion riyal ($2 billion) Sharia-compliant tranche priced at 11 basis points over the three-month Saudi Riyal Interbank Offered Rate rate, or about 0.88 per cent.

The three-month Saibor, used as a benchmark for some localcurrency loans, is less than half

the five-year midswap rate. It has risen less than one basis point to 0.774 per cent since falling to the lowest in more than three years on March 23. That compares with 1.65 per cent for midswaps at 8:04am in London on Monday.

One of the reasons Malaysia’s sukuk market is among the world’s most mature is that the regulator has clear guidelines for Islamic bond sales, AAOIFI’s Merah said. Issuers “don’t have to waste any time or effort in figuring things out,” he further added.

— Bloomberg News

HAVE YOUR SAY

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

BRUSSELS: Greece will plead for leeway from an unwavering Europe on Monday, in a fresh effort to free up cash after months of deadlock in bailout talks.

The eurozone’s 19 ministers meet in Brussels one day before Greece must pay a 750 million euro ($840 million) debt bill to the IMF that some fear the Mediterranean nation cannot afford.

But Greece’s partners are unswayed by the threat of financial catastrophe in Athens, ruling out any chance of imminent compromise that could unlock even a portion of the money still owed from its bailout.

“We have made progress, but we are not very close to an agreement,” said the head of the Eurogroup ministers, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, in an interview at the weekend.

‘Need more time’ “We need more time,” he said.

Led by Germany, eurozone ministers demand that Greece impose a rigorous regime of reforms, which the leftist government in Athens, in power since January, has so far baulked at adopting.

With no overall deal in sight, officials said Greece is hoping for a “positive statement” on negotiations that will allow for a section of 7.2 billion euros ($8.1 billion) in remaining bailout loans to be released.

The symbolic gesture would also help persuade the European Central Bank to keep emergency funds flowing to Greece’s fragile banks at the current pace.

“We want a clear confirmation of the progress that has been made” in the talks, Greece’s Prime

Alexis Tsipras. — Bloomberg file picture

Minister Alexis Tsipras told a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

No one outside the Greek government knows for sure how long Athens can go without a deal to end Greece’s 240 billion euro bailout, which began in 2010 and expires at the end of June.

Harrowing schedule Athens faces a harrowing repayment schedule over the coming weeks. In June alone, Greece owes another 1.5 billion euros to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and it owes another three billion euros to the ECB in July and August.

According to sources in Athens, the loan repayment due on Tuesday to the IMF will be honoured on schedule. Greece has been squeezing funds from the central and local governments to be able to meet its payments, but mayors are beginning to resist - AFP

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

B5

ROUND-UP

AEE relocates its outlet in Ruwi ani and expat employees who are equipped with the latest technologies in the field. Customer satisfaction being their ultimate goal, AEE thoroughly analyses the budding customer needs and wants and takes all such measures to cater to their demands. The steadily increasing number of AEE branches across the Sultanate serves as a proof of their success.

This branch relocation comes with the company’s strategy to reinforce its growing presence in local markets while reaching out to the widest range of customers possible and to provide easy and convenient access to money remittance facilities

MUSCAT: Asia Express Exchange (AEE), the most preferred and leading remittance house in the region with 25 branches in Oman, has relocated their Ruwi branch to a more spacious and a conveniently accessible location at West Gate Mall, situated at Ruwi High Street yesterday.

The inauguration of the new branch was done by J. S. Mukul, the Ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman in the presence of Sheikh Mohammed Hamed

Ali Al Ghazali, Director, Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director, and other officials of Asia Express Exchange, says a press release.

This branch relocation comes with the company’s strategy to reinforce its growing presence in local markets while reaching out to the widest range of customers possible and to provide easy and convenient access to money remittance facilities.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the ceremony, Adeeb

EXPANSION: J. S. Mukul, Indian Ambassador to Oman, inaugurates new branch of Asia Express Exchange. – A. R. Rajkumar/TIMES OF OMAN

Ahamed said, “The relocated Ruwi branch will be yet another milestone in our endless strife to be of service to our clients through easily accessible locations, ex-

cellent customer assistance and quick service. We have a significant number of customers who are based around the area and our branch now is situated in a loca-

ACCOLADE

erates Papa John’s Pizza restaurants. In his acceptance speech, he dedicated the award to the hard work of every team member working across all Papa John’s Pizza restaurants in the GCC. Sanjay Rawat, country manager, Oman also attended the ceremony in Florida.

“We are proud of our team that has worked hard to make Papa John’s such a success story in the GCC. Our success shows just how far one can go with a strong work ethic, sincerity and determination,” stated Faisal Jawad, chairman and CEO of Jawad Business Group.

“It was an honour to present to the Jawad Group the award for Large International Franchisee of the Year. Winning such a respectable and prestigious award is an indication of their passion, hard work and perseverance in consistently delivering the best in quality to their customers every single day. Their dedication, devotion

and belief in Papa John’s brand promise has earned them with this deserving recognition. We continue to wish the Jawad Group ongoing success for 2015 and beyond.

This I believe is the first of many more success stories and awards as they continue to grow,” said Steve Ritchie, COO, Papa John’s.

“It was an absolute delight to see the Jawad group awarded Papa John’s International large franchisee of the year for 2014. This is great testament to both the excellent business they run in bringing our Better ingredients Better Pizza promise to all our customers across the GCC and the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and to the great way they operate their 88 stores,” stated Jack Swysland Senior VP, who has worked closely with the JBG team.

“The company headed up by Faisal Jawad is an absolute pleasure to work with and our brand

ENDORSEMENT

is all the stronger having such great franchisees. The accolade of Franchisee of the Year is sought by many but awarded to only a few and demonstrates just how good the Jawad group are. We look forward to continuing our relationship with them and working closely on expanding the business across the Middle East.”

Papa John’s has realised tremendous growth internationally over the past years, but the success of the brand has always been rooted in the principles established in 1984 – using better ingredients to make a better pizza.

The single most important element of Papa John’s ‘Better Ingredients, Better Pizza’ promise is passion, which is immediately evident in terms of quality and taste. From fresh-sliced vegetables to fresh hand-tossed dough and superior quality tomato sauce — there is no compromise.

FRiENDi Mobile keeps it simple for its customers MUSCAT: Making customers lives simple and easy has been the core focus for FRiENDi Mobile since its launch in 2009.

With numerous simple and easy to use products, FRiENDi Mobile, Oman’s 3rd biggest mobile service provider, has been successful in offering the most flawless service to their customers, says a press release.

“Maintaining simplicity in what we do makes everything easier for us as well as our customers. There is never any ambiguity in our instructions, any hidden costs in our campaigns or any communication that’s incomplete in information,” said Adnan Al Alawi, COO, FRiENDi Oman. “We try to make the entire mobile experience very enriching for customers and make sure they have absolutely no trouble getting through any service or request.”

FRiENDi Mobile upholds utmost transparency in all their offers with clear message notifications on new promotions, easy codes and simple follow-through options for any activation. A quick recharge anytime and from anywhere, instant credit transfers to friends and family or just information on data plans and call summaries — FRiENDi makes it all simple and accessible in just a click of a button.

FRiENDi Mobile’s tariff rates are uncomplicated and bear no hidden clauses. The generous package deals from FRiENDi make sure there is something that suits each of their varied users. Whether it is for customers who want to stay in touch with their loved ones across borders, or those who believe in short quality conversations, or even those who have high internet usage, FRiENDi Mobile has ready

We come up with offers that are easy to understand and provide the most benefit for our users. We believe in making our services user-friendly, so that our customers can just enjoy the ease of keeping in touch with their loved ones Adnan Al Alawi COO, FRiENDi Oman

offers for each segment which are simple and easy.

“Our users differ in age, culture and need and we diligently analyse the requirements of each segment. We come up with offers that are easy to understand and provide the most benefit for our users. Then we work out efficient procedures which are quick, simple and requires the least effort from the customers side,” said Adnan Al Alawi.

“We believe in making our services user-friendly, so that our customers can just enjoy the ease of keeping in touch with their loved ones.”

' L AUG H AT H O N '

MELC welcomes FDA nod to Kamra Inlay MUSCAT: Muscat Eye Laser Center (MELC), the leading private eye-care clinic in the Sultanate, has welcomed the endorsement of the use of the Kamra Inlay procedure as the surgical solution of choice to treat presbyopic patients in Oman.

A revolutionary technological device that helps correct vision loss linked to presbyopia, an agerelated loss of vision, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, it had received CE Mark approval in the European Union in 2005, says a press release.

Endorsement of the Kamra Inlay by the world’s premier regulatory authority offers assurance of the unprecedented safety and immense benefits that presbyopic sufferers can now enjoy through the use of this corrective eyecare procedure.

"Kamra Vision technology has enabled our center to provide patients with the proven solution to restore everyday near vision. The FDA approval reiterates the value and importance of Kamra Inlay

Customer satisfaction AEE attributes its growing success to its talented workforce of OmU S E R F R I E N D LY

Jawad Group wins ‘International Franchisee of the Year’ Award MUSCAT: Jawad Business Group was awarded International Franchisee of the Year Award at a glittering function held in Orlando, Florida earlier this month. The annual OPCON 2015 celebration was attended by Papa John’s founder John Schnatter, COO Steve Ritchie, Sr. VP Jack Swaysland and other top executives of the brand.

In the running for top honours for two years straight, Jawad Business Group walked away with the award, beating other heavyweight Papa John’s Pizza operators from around the globe, says a press release.

As one of the oldest and strongest corporate brands in the region, JBG places great emphasis on the task of nurturing and promoting its product brands, mindful of its commitment to excellence and quality. The commitment has been well appreciated by customers whose loyalty to the brand has made Papa John’s the Number 1 choice in every market in the GCC that JBG operates. JBG’s partnership with Papa John’s is now in its eleventh year, with 89 successful restaurants, and more in the offing, across the GCC, including Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Oman and Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

“The winners were selected for exemplifying Papa John’s commitment to serving a superior-quality pizza, world-class customer service and outstanding community involvement.

Congratulations Franchisee of the Year winners,” said John Schnatter, handing over the award to the Jawad team.

Tapan Vaidya, general manager of Restaurant Division at JBG, was in Florida to receive the award from John Schnatter, along with his team from every GCC market where Jawad Business Group op-

tion that is easily reachable.”

Best business practices “At AEE, we stand by and follow the best business practices in the industry. We comply with all the global antimoney laundering protocols and as part of our social responsibility, take all such measures to promote awareness of ethical business practices for the benefit of the industry and our valued customers,” added Ahamed.

“It is due to these stringent codes of conduct and our dedication to customer service that we have earned the reputation of a trusted partner amongst our clients. The faith our valued customers place in us serves as a motivation for us to continuously deliver.”

that allows for a lifestyle free of the inconvenience of glasses or contact lens,” said Dr Maria Clara Arbelaez, medical director, Muscat Eye Laser Center.

Presbyopia is a condition common after the age of 40 that limits the ability to focus on near objects or reading. While the use of glasses is a practical option, it is not an optimum solution as it can limit people in sports or other fields where a perfect or near perfect vision is required. Even for an average person, it can be exasperating to reach out for glasses every time you want to read small print be it the news-

paper, menu card in a restaurant or messages on the mobile phone.

The Kamra inlay is an intra corneal inlay that is designed to create a small aperture effect, allowing the eye to see near and intermediate objects more clearly while maintaining distance vision. The device features 8,400 high precision, laser etched micro-openings along the surface to keep the cornea healthy.

The Kamra inlay, implanted in the cornea in a pocket or under a flap created by Femto Laser, improves the depth of focus of the eye thus allowing a clearer image of objects that would normally be out of focus. This procedure can also be combined with a Lasik (laser eye surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism) treatment and can be conducted even after cataract and Lasik surgeries. The FDA approval is a major advancement in the surgical correction of presbyopia in well over a decade. It reiterates that patients do not need to accept compromises with regard to their vision at any age.

‘Comedy Galatta’ show tickles Muscat audience MUSCAT: The huge Qurum Amphitheatre audience laughed out loud during the ‘Comedy Galatta’ show featuring actors Vivek, Mayilsamy and Cell Murugan which was held in recently. The show was compered by equally impressive Funny Bosskey who kept the laughter alive throughout the show with his humorous sarcasm, says a press release.

Comedian Vivek, who is fondly called as ‘Chinna Kalaivanar’ by the Tamil tinsel world, performed for the first time in Muscat .

“This is my first visit to Muscat in my 23 years of film career and I am touched by the love and hospitality showered on me and my team,” said Vivek.

Vivek’s mono act of the Legiyam Seller who inspired him in his younger days in his home town Madurai, the bus stop skit he performed along with Mayilsamy and Cell Murugan, and his mimic of

music director MS Viswanathan left the audience in splits. Actor Mayilsamy’s act of the Chennai traffic police made the audience burst into a laughter spree.

The show was also ably supported by mellifluous music rendered by the Jeevaraja Shruthi Orchestra from Chennai with some wonderful singing by Ananthu, MLR Karthik, Priyadarshini and Priya Hemesh.

The event also featured a beautifully produced documentary

film by Muscat Arts on veteran director K. Balachandar who was instrumental in introducing to the tinsel world veterans like actor Rajnikanth and actor Vivek Himself, who also fondly remembered his association with director Balachander.

The show was presented by Oasis Grace and driven by Mitsubishi Motors. The event was brought to Oman by Majan Event Management and produced by Muscat Arts .

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TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

ROUND-UP 2016 Mazda CX-5 carries more style, new features One of the finest midsize crossover in the market, the Mazda CX-5 is known for its driving dynamics, safety, efficiency and comfort

MUSCAT: The 2016 Mazda CX-5 has gained more style and new features enhancing its solid reputation for fun, efficiency and safety.

One of the finest mid-size crossover in the market, the Mazda CX-5 is known for its driving dynamics, safety, efficiency and comfort. Its latest 2016 model boasts of new front-end styling, improved interior materials, more sound insulation, upgraded infotainment features and much more, says a press release.

“Since the launch of the original model, Mazda has made steady refinements to the CX-5 each year, aiming to deliver customers even greater value and sophistication.

In the 2016 model, the company has brought enhancements to a variety of areas including design, the

quality and functionality of the interior, ride comfort and quietness, as well as safety performance. We would like to invite our esteemed customers to test drive the newest model of this award-winning SUV. They can easily book a test drive using our upgraded Mazda Oman mobile app,” said a senior spokesperson of Towell Auto Centre (TAC), the sole distributor of Mazda range of vehicles in Oman.

“The CX-5 was the first Mazda designed from the ground utilising the company’s SKYACTIV technology and the KODO—Soul of Motion design language. The model offered much more than the basic values of utility and practicality that customers expect from a SUV. KODO design imparted a powerful sense of vitality and SKYACTIV technology delivered high levels of driving pleasure, environmental and safety perfor-

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

mance. Not surprisingly, the model was exceptionally well received by customers around the world and has grown to become one of the company’s core products,” the spokesperson added.

Mazda has freshened the 2016 CX-5’s styling, revising the front grille that is now more sleek and elegant. New LED headlights and taillights have been used with adaptive driving beam. A new set of 19-inch alloy wheels is available and two new exterior colours, titanium flash mica and sonic silver metallic, have been added.

The interior design for the CX-5 has also been enhanced. The whole cabin follows Mazda’s HumanMachine Interface and Heads-up Cockpit concepts, which helps make the refreshed crossover’s interior more driver-centric. The centre stack has been completely redesigned, highlighted by the

Japanese automaker’s new Mazda Connect - a 7inch touch screen infotainment system. A Sport mode has been added for more zoomzoom effect.

The seats have also been redesigned, gaining longer seat cushions in the rear and improved comfort and support in the front.

Leather interior colour choices include black and a new Parchment off-white. The refreshed CX-5 adopts a variety of advanced functions, including tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), an electrical parking brake, land departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA) etc.

Offering the trendiest of Japanese cars, Mazda has brought in a lot of excitement in Oman’s automobile industry with their ‘stylish, spirited and insightful’ branding.

These three unique qualities lie at the core of each Mazda you spot on the streets and form the brand’s DNA and TAC makes owning a Mazda extra pleasant with its efficient after sales service and quick response time. With a network of 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across Oman, TAC is the only Mazda distributor in the world to win the Mazda Customer Service award five years in a row.

With 98.2 per cent parts deliverability, TAC also offers quick, efficient service with genuine parts available for all models and have highly trained staff who pride in their quality of service.

DOUBLE THE LUXURY

Qatar Airways launches exciting promo in Oman MUSCAT: Qatar Airways is offering customers in Oman a fabulous ‘Double The Luxury’ promotion for Premium Class travel to exciting destinations around the world.

Passengers booking a Business Class or First Class ticket (where Business Class is not available) will receive a complimentary ticket for a companion by just paying the taxes and applicable surcharges, says a press release.

The promotion runs from May 11 to 17 and is valid for travel from May 15 to December 10.

Qatar Airways’ passengers can enjoy this saving when booking through qatarairways.com/ globalsale or through any Qatar Airways sales office or its travel agency partners.

“This is a special promotion for our loyal customers travelling with Qatar Airways to experience the world’s best Business Class and also the award-winning lounge facilities at Hamad International Airport. We want to thank our loyal passengers for their ongoing support, loyalty and appreciation of our awardwinning five-star in-flight product and onboard service. All around the world, our passengers can take advantage of our evergrowing network which now includes more than 140 destinations, with convenient flights

Passengers booking a Business Class or First Class ticket (where Business Class is not available) will receive a complimentary ticket for a companion by just paying the taxes and applicable surcharges

via Doha,” said Fathi Al Shehab, Senior Vice President GCCLIY, Qatar Airways.

Qatar Airways serves 146 business and leisure destinations around the world with 157 modern aircraft, including such destinations as London, Paris, New York, Milan, Mumbai, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Frankfurt and Dubai via the airline’s stateof-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport.

HIGH PROFILE EVENT

AIWA Awards for best performing companies scheduled for June 10

Soorya to present Malayalam drama in Muscat, Nizwa MUSCAT: Soorya is presenting a Malayalam real time drama Deergha Chathuram (the rectangle) on June 7 in Ruwi, Al Falaj Hotel and on June 8 in Nizwa, Marina Hall (next to Kia Motors).

The event is brought to Oman by Majan Events Management in association with Oman UAE Exchange, says a press release.

The drama Deergha Chathuram revolves around the concept of the realisation that there are still travellers who are treading through the ways one has covered.

Some of the other plays of Soorya Krishnamoorthy include Melvilasam (which was made into a movie later), Pulari, Parinayam, Thaskaran, Shudhamadhalam, Prema Lekhanam, Prema Lekhanam Oru Thudar Katha, Sookshma Charcha and Good Night.

Soorya Krishnamoorthy’s plays are known for being intense and also to make people think.

His plays always had a social touch with a moral where ethics had prominence. Some of his humorous plays include Prema Lekhanam and Sookshma Charcha which were staged in Muscat and

Salalah earlier.

The main characters in the play Deergha Chathuram are played by Devan Nellimoodu and cine artist Mahalakshmi.

“We always had overwhelming responses from the audience for each of the Soorya plays staged in Oman. We are sure that this time also it is not going to be any different. We wanted to give opportunities for more people to watch the drama which is why we decided to stage two shows in Oman. After doing it on June 7 in Ruwi, we will be staging the play in Nizwa as well on the following day,” Tonny George Alexander, CEO of Oman UAE Exchange said.

The invitations for the Soorya event can be collected from the branches of Oman UAE Exchange in the following locations in capital area – Ruwi (O.C.Centre), Ruwi Street, Lulu – Darsait, Wadi Kabir, Al Amerat, Qurum, Al Khuwair, Shatti Al Qurum (Bareeq Al Shatti), Lulu Al Ghubra and Ghala.

Those residing in Nizwa can collect their invitation cards from its branch in Firq.

MUSCAT: AIWA Awards are back. Come June 10 and Oman will witness the most high profile event of its kind, targeted primarily at the top echelons of the Arabic speaking business community in the Sultanate.

Setting up new benchmarks in the industry, corporates in Oman will be felicitated based on a highly qualitative performance survey done in a transparent manner as per the best international standards, says a press release.

To recognise the top achievers in Oman’s corporate world, Alam al-Iktisaad Wal A’mal (AIWA) has

instituted awards for Oman’s best performing companies.

Alam al-Iktisaad Wal A’mal (AIWA), published by United Media Services, is Oman’s leading Arabic business magazine. This year marks the fifth edition of the AIWA Awards and they will be presented by Maserati.

Felicitation In a red carpet awards evening on June 10, AIWA will felicitate the top performing listed companies in Oman during 2014. Overall 15 top ranking companies will receive the coveted trophy.

Furthermore, special awards will be presented for achievements that go beyond the balance sheet such as Lifetime Achievement, Excellence in Corporate Leadership, CEO of the Year, Most Outstanding Corporate Leader, Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Manufacturer of the Year.

A networker’s dream, the event will be attended by the who’s who of Muscat corporate high life. The premium event will attract more than 250 top business leaders, CEOs and senior government officials from a cross-section of indus-

tries, ministries and government bodies. It will witness the congregation of the key decision-makers who are driving the country’s business and economy. A high-voltage entertainment show by renowned troupes will make the attendees cherish the evening for a long time to come.

National Aluminium Products Co, is the official aluminium extruder for the event. Gulf Baader Capital Markets (GBCM) is the knowledge partner whereas KPMG is the validation partner for the ranking process used for the awards.

SPECIAL OCCASION

Investiture ceremony held at ISG MUSCAT: The investiture ceremony of prefects, house captains and members of the student council of Indian School Al Ghubra, CBSE and CBSEi, sections which marks the first official programme in the school calendar, was held recently. J. S. Mukul, Ambassador of India to the Sultanate of Oman, presided over the occasion. Mita Mukul, Ahmed Rayees, president, School Management Committee, Khadija, member of SMC, parents, guests and students were present to witness the important occasion, says a press release.

The function began with the Principal Papri Ghosh extending a warm welcome to the chief guest.

She thanked the ambassador for his help, advice and support as patron of the Indian schools and also bade him farewell on behalf of the entire ISG family.

Mukul, in his address, expressed his heartfelt gratitude on being a

part of this special occasion. He congratulated the ISG family for organising programmes of vibrancy and elegance and added that the investiture ceremony was the best example. He wholeheartedly complimented the founder, the management committee, principal, vice-principals, teachers, students and their parents for their contribution towards the success of ISG. Mukul exhorted the newly elected members of the Students’ Council with his inspiring words

of wisdom.

Ahmed Rayees thanked Mukul for his support, inspiration and wished him the very best for assignments in the future.

“As the school celebrates its silver jubilee year, the Indian Embassy celebrates 60 years of Indo Oman friendship and the school is thankful to the embassy and the ambassador who is the patron of the Indian schools for all the help extended,” added the principal.

The student leaders were offi-

cially inducted by the chief guest as the principal administered the oath of office.

The school head girls of CBSEi and CBSE Sayuri Sarkar and Siddhy Ganesh Shetty and the head boys — Ahmed Zafar Zaidi and Vinain John Vincent were the first to be initiated into the new team. This was followed by the vice head girl — Gayatri Mainkar and the vice head boy – Ramesh S. The President- Students’ Council Jemmima Richard Gonsalves, Vice President – Students’ Council Kriti Nitin Rajda, Speaker – Students’ Council Pavithra Ramesh and Leader - Community Service (CBSEi) Mrithunjay Ratnam were also invested along with president - Round Square International Services Gayathri Venkatanarayanan. Aditi Bhatnagar and Aamir Tufail Ahmad (CBSE) took charge as the games captains for girls and boys respectively.

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

B7

ROUND-UP Leasing of furnished apartments in progress at plush Azaiba Mall The Azaiba Mall is conveniently located in one of the most prominent locations on the Sultan Qaboos highway offering great visibility and accessibility to prospective commercial and residential tenants

MUSCAT: Riding on recent success of having bagged and completed a number of prestigious projects, leading real estate agency and consultancy firm Hamptons International and Partners announced the commencement of leasing of the fully furnished 2, 3 and 4 bedroom apartments at the prestigious Azaiba Mall project.

The Azaiba Mall project is a high-end residential and retail project currently undergoing finishing touches and anticipates completion within the coming month. The mall is conveniently located in one of the most prominent locations on the Sultan Qaboos highway offering great visibility and accessibility to prospective commercial and residential tenants, says a press release.

The Azaiba Mall project comprises over three floors of retail space and an additional eight floors above it with fully furnished

apartments. The residential units range from 2 bedroom apartments to 4 bedroom apartments with maids quarters. These apartments have been built to the highest

standards with good quality fittings and finish.

The apartments also benefit from a communal pool, gym, health club and multi-purpose hall on the

SUMMER SCHEME

Free vehicle AC check for Mitsubishi, Fuso owners MUSCAT: With the hot summer months just around the corner, General Automotive Company, the official distributors of Mitsubishi vehicles in Oman, recently launched a two-month free airconditioning check-up campaign for all Mitsubishi and Fuso vehicle owners in Oman. The complementary service campaign will continue till July 4.

Complex system Commenting on the importance of maintaining the vehicle AC in good working order, Rajesh Sharma, national marketing manager of General Automotive Company, said: “In a country like Oman and with summer nearing its hottest period, the AC in your vehicle is just as important as the AC at

home. After all, what some may not realise is that the AC system in a vehicle car does not simply blow cold air in; it is actually designed to also remove hot air from within the vehicle cabin and dispel it to atmosphere outside. As a result it is a very complex system that relies on a number of components to operate efficiently.

Affordable “Like all mechanical parts, these items are prone to wear and regular system servicing helps to protect them. While AC repairs can range from simple cleaning to a more complex mechanical procedure, it is vital to take care of any minor concerns as early as possible to avoid any serious problems and an expensive fix in the future.

With our free AC check we can detect these problems early and free of charge while the discounts on offer makes fixing them all the more affordable.”

Service centre The complimentary AC check-up includes diagnostics and general health checks and will also suggest remedial measures -if required, to achieve optimum performance and comfort temperature. The service centre is also offering discounts of up to 45 per cent on all AC related parts and 35 per cent on labour during the campaign.

Mitsubishi owners are invited to get their vehicles checked and can pre-book the service by phone or by visiting their local Mitsubishi service centre.

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

BP Oman’s 39 Omani technicians complete overseas assignments MUSCAT: The first Omanis to complete overseas training as part of the BP Oman Technicians Development Programme have returned to the country following six-month placements in the UK. Thirty nine technicians spent six months at BP sites in Hull, on Teesside and in Scotland, with on-the-job training giving them the opportunity to put into practice the training they had already received in Oman and to see ‘what good looks like’ on BP-operated sites, says a press release.

The overseas programme was designed to National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) standards and all of the trainees produced detailed portfolios of tasks completed. As well as technical training and assessments, trainees had the chance to develop their communication and cultural awareness skills through working closely with the UK site staff. BP’s international mobility team supported them prior to their visits with cultural induction sessions.

The Omani trainees were well received at all the sites, the supervisors and coaches spoke of a very high level of commitment and enthusiasm to learn from all involved.

“My six-month training in the UK was very productive and a most rewarding experience. The programme is an excellent chance

for me and my colleagues to develop our technical skills as well as our English language. I will always be thankful for the great support received from our coach and CATS people for providing us the facilities and the suitable working environment,” said Ahmed Said Al Habsi, instrument technician trainee, CATS. “This beautiful training period was full of practical and theory.

The guys at Saltend, Hull covered with us important aspects such as safety, electrical inspection and maintenance. I learnt a lot about equipment and its specification.

“Also how to do maintenance for motors and starters, trace heating and generators. I also improved my technical English skills by trying to communicate with every person technically,” stated Jamal Al Nasiri, electrical

technician trainee.

The BP Oman Technicians Development Programme is run in association with the National Training Institute (NTI) and was established in 2012 to meet the growing demand of BP’s Khazzan gas field development. It aims to build the capabilities of 90 talented Omanis, helping them become qualified instrumentation, mechanical, electrical and production technicians over a period of around four years.

Before setting out on their overseas assignments, technicians undergo intensive 15-month training in Oman. This includes educational and practical training on HSE, key skills and advanced technical training, ending with an NVQ Level 2 international qualification. After completing these training programmes, technicians are sent to external operational sites where they apply their skills in a real working environment, gaining an internationally recognised NVQ Level 3 international qualification.

Much of this training takes place at a state-of-the-art Technician Training Centre, managed

by NTI. This is equipped with actual size, world-class equipment so that technicians get hands-on experience in a safe environment under the supervision and guidance of trained instructors.

“At GAC, we have always followed the customer-first approach and in keeping with that philosophy, we like to go that extra mile to ensure our service matches and exceeds all expectations. Such campaigns perfectly complement the capabilities of our factory approved service centres and well-trained staff; thereby offering our customers the best possible value in terms of a total ownership experienceas well as showcasing the complete ‘peace of mind servicing’ capabilities available at our Mitsubishi and Fuso service network throughout the Sultanate,” added Rajesh.

The annual free AC check is just one of the many benefits that Mitsubishi vehicle owners enjoy.

terrace. The apartments come fully equipped with all kitchen white goods, washing machine, TV and even full WIFI connectivity. Additionally, there is also a state of the art city cinema multiplex in the retail area. Short term leases are also available to prospective tenants.

“With the continuous demand for good quality residential properties within the city limits, Azaiba Mall ticks all the boxes, incorporating a modern look and feel to the units and high end facilities being provided to the residents.

In addition communal facilities such as swimming pools, gymnasium, health club and good security measures add to the attractiveness of the project; resulting in meeting the growing demand for such properties. Also the option of short term leases and fully furnished apartments is sure to attract potential tenants visiting the country for employment on time bound con-

tracts. We will also be offering one month free rent in the first year for a limited number of tenants. We anticipate a good response to the launch of these fully furnished luxury apartments,” said Daniel Sellu, head of agency for Hamptons International.

Azaiba Mall marks the latest addition to Hamptons International’s expanding portfolio of prime real estate developments that it represents in the Sultanate.

“Having worked with the developer on a number of projects previously, our involvement with the prestigious Azaiba Mall is a further demonstration of our strong working relationship and capabilities in the marketing of real estate projects. We look forward to continuing this mutually rewarding partnership in the years ahead,” stated Benjamin Cullum, general manager, Hamptons International and Partners Oman.

B8

TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

ROUND-UP

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Chance to win gold Mercedes S-Class To enter the unique Oman Sees Gold’ competition, residents and visitors should look out for the stunning gold Mercedes-Benz S-Class between May 10 and May 23 as it visits popular locations around Muscat

MUSCAT: Mercedes-Benz Oman has announced the launch of its must-enter ‘Oman Sees Gold’ competition, the star of which is the “Middle East Car of the Year” — the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, says a press release.

“This exciting concept has been created to celebrate the gold standard set by this award-winning model and share our pride

in the true expression of modern luxury,” explained Clive Hammond, CEO of Zawawi Trading Company-Automotive.

“The S-Class is instantly recognisable thanks to its iconic design, and the gold-wrapped S-Class featuring in the competition will not only stand out in the crowd, it will undoubtedly stand above it. The SClass is in fact built for customers

who set extremely high standards and seek the experience behind luxury brands.”

To enter the competition, residents and visitors should look out for the stunning gold MercedesBenz S-Class between May 10 and

May 23 as it visits popular locations around Muscat.

Once they have spotted the luxury gold vehicle, they should take a picture of themselves with the car and upload to Twitter, Instagram or Facebook with the

PA R T N E R S H I P

LU C K Y D R AW

NBO shows support for real estate sector MUSCAT: National Bank of Oman (NBO) reaffirmed its commitment to the community and the Sultanate’s real estate sector by partnering with the Oman Real Estate Association, a non-profit organisation established by the Ministry of Social development, to promote best practices, share insights and identify opportunities for collaboration to encourage investments in this sector and contribute to its development, says a press release.

As part of this year-long strategic partnership, the bank participated in the Oman Real Estate Conference 2015, which is considered one of the industry’s leading annual events. The Oman Real Estate Conference was launched at Al Bustan Palace Hotel under the patronage of Dr. Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council.

“As part of our commitment to

hashtag #OmanSeesGold, having first liked or followed one of the Mercedes-Benz Oman social media accounts: @mercedesbenzoman on Facebook and Instagram and @mercedesbenzOM on Twitter.

Three lucky winners There is no limit to the number of photos that can be uploaded and all images will be entered in a draw immediately after May 23.

Three lucky winners, who will be randomly chosen, will have the car for a weekend and be able to experience for themselves the exhilaration of driving a technologically advanced, masterpiece of engineering.

With a record-breaking sales growth of 40 per cent in the first quarter of 2015, the competition marks not just the vehicle’s recent award but also the extraordinary popularity of the S-Class, attesting to a market in search of status, luxury and power.

A study in elegant design, the S-Class is considered the embodiment of the automotive role of Mercedes-Benz and with its engineering priorities of ‘intelligent drive’, ‘efficient technology’ and ‘essence of luxury’, it is the essence of luxury and truly a car that is the ‘best or nothing’ in every respect.

our people and our nation, we continuously strive to support initiatives that promote awareness and drive thought leadership, to contribute to Oman’s socio-economic development and create a positive and sustainable impact in our community. Our partnership with Oman Real Estate Association is a testament to this.

“The bank is delighted to be sup-

porting the nation’s aspirations to develop and promote this very important sector,” stated Leen Al Atassi, head of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility at NBO. The strategic partnership with the Oman Real Estate Association will see the launch of several workshops and training programmes, which will be implemented by the

Oman Real Estate Association across various regions in the Sultanate this year. The workshops will seek to promote awareness around the regulations and policies, opportunities and challenges pertaining to this sector.

National Bank of Oman supports residential real estate end-users through its suite of Al Manzel home loan products, which has tie-ups with leading developers and real estate marketing agencies.

Loans up to a maximum of 60 per cent of the debt burden ratio can be availed to finance the purchase of ready residential properties and plots, to build new homes, refurbish existing properties, and refinance existing loans.

Customers benefit from application processing times of as little as seven days and long repayment terms of up to 25 years.

Al Saleh hands over Suzuki Swift to winner of promotion MUSCAT: Musab Khamis Tamim Al Wahabi was declared the prize winner of ‘Buy and Win a Car’ offer conducted by Al Saleh Enterprise. The keys to the blazing red Suzuki Swift were handed over by Muhammad Al Lawati, CEO of Al Saleh group, says a press release.

The offer which ran in all seven showrooms (Ghubra, Ruwi, Al Hail, Al Bidiya, Sohar, Ibri, Salalah) had a Suzuki Swift as a grand prize. To be eligible for lucky draw the customer had to purchase any product from Al Saleh showroom worth OMR10. The event was held in Al Saleh’s Gubhra showroom in the presence of top management and staff.

Al Saleh Enterprises is a part of the Al Saleh Group which is over 40 years old in the Sultanate

of Oman. Al Saleh is the flagship company of the group which is engaged in the business of imports and exports and trading of multiproducts across a wide spectrum of segments such as electricals, appliances, automation, bath accessories, fast food, perfumes and integrated solutions.

ATT R AC T I V E D E A L S

Meethaq extends home finance to Badr Al Hamra, Links projects MUSCAT: Meethaq, the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman from Bank Muscat, and Badr Qurum company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide attractive Meethaq home finance for Badr Al Hamra project in Al Qurum and Links project in Muscat Hills.

Sulaiman Al Harthy, group general manager – Islamic Banking, and Yasir Sulaiman, director of Badr Qurum company, signed the MoU at the bank’s head office, says a press release.

“Meethaq is proud to be associated with Badr Al Hamra project and the Links project in Muscat Hills to facilitate attractive home finance in line with Shari’a principles. The real estate sector is a

major component of the national economy and Meethaq Islamic Banking is committed to extending all support aimed at offering citizens and residents easy access

to Shari’a based home finance,” said Sulaiman Al Harthy.

“Badr Qurum company is happy to join hands with Meethaq Islamic Banking in extending attractive home deals to citizens and residents. The co-operation between the two institutions will benefit citizens across Oman to fulfil their dream homes, especially at Badr Al Hamra project in Al Qurum comprising 80 prime residential units and the Links project,” stated Yasir Sulaiman.

The Links project offers freehold ownership and residency for all investors. Muscat Hills is a prime integrated tourism project close to the airport. The Links project is expected to be completed

by September 2017.

F E AT U R E - PAC K E D

Powerful Ford Taurus now comes with exciting offers MUSCAT: Perfect for families seeking space, comfort, advancements and power, Ford’s enticing Taurus is gaining a strong foothold in its segment in Oman. To make it even more rewarding, the Taurus is now available with exciting campaign offers until May 14, says a press release.

As part of the offer, a customer can choose any one option: Cash gift amount of OMR750 for 14 MY Taurus; or OMR550 for 15 MY Taurus or 3Yrs/60,000Kms (whichever is earlier) on 14MY Taurus and 5Yrs / 100,000Kms (whichever is earlier) on 15MY Taurus and iPad Mini (16 GB only).

The Ford Taurus delivers more of what large sedan customers really want with even better fuel economy, more technology, design refinement, improved craftsmanship and enhanced driving dynamics.

Standard equipment on the entry-level SE includes 18-inch painted aluminium wheels, au-

tomatic headlights, integrated blind spot mirrors, LED taillights, an exterior access keypad, cruise control, air-conditioning, a sixway power driver and passenger seat, a 60/40-split-folding rear seat, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel and a six-speaker sound system with CD player and an audio input jack.

The Ford Taurus LTD also comes equipped with the MyFord Touch interface which consists of multiple display screens and the ability to input commands for various audio, phone via voice,

touch controls or buttons on the steering wheel.

The Taurus is powered by a 3.5-litre Ti-VCT V6 engine that produces 288 horsepower and 254 lb-ft of torque.

The engine benefits from the addition of twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT), achieving better fuel economy, more horsepower and a reduction in part-throttle emissions compared to the previous standard Taurus V6. This engine delivers a better fuel efficiency, with 10 percent more horsepower than the previous model.

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ANDY MURRAY NOW FRENCH OPEN FAVOURITE

The idea of Andy Murray going into the French Open as one of the favourites might have seemed fanciful less than a week ago but the Scot will head to Roland Garros next week as a player to be feared by everyone after recording one of the best victories of his career. >C6

Mountain to climb for Bayern Champions League 2014-15 The injury-hit hosts

Guardiola believes Bayern can still shock Barca

SEMIFINAL, 2ND LEG: TODAY Form W D L BAYERN v BARCELONA Allianz Arena 1st leg result: 0-3 Head-to-head Won 5 Drawn 2 Won 2

face the monumental task of breaking down Barca’s mean defence, which has not leaked a goal in their last seven outings in all competitions, a club record

MUNICH: Bayern Munich will not only have to overturn a 3-0 Champions League semifinal first leg deficit against Barcelona on Tuesday but they will have to do it against a superb defence and in the midst of their biggest slump in years. The injury-hit hosts face the monumental task of breaking down Barca’s mean defence, which has not leaked a goal in their last seven outings in all competitions, a club record.

During that run they have rattled in 25 goals, with their South American attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez in scintillating form.

Saturday’s 2-0 win at home to Real Sociedad stretched their lead over second-placed Real Madrid at the top of La Liga to four points, leaving them on course for a fifth Spanish league title in seven years and a possible treble.

Barca coach Luis Enrique, in his first season in charge, has found the right mix of defensive solidity and

MUNICH: Pep Guardiola believes Bayern Munich’s star-studded squad has the quality to overturn a three-goal deficit to shock Barcelona in Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final, second-leg despite their four-match losing streak.

Bayern are chasing a miracle at the Allianz Arena after their humbling 3-0 first-leg defeat last Wednesday when Lionel Messi capped a dazzling display with two goals to sour Guardiola’s return to Barcelona’s Camp Nou. No team has ever overturned a three-goal deficit in a European semifinal.

With his side staring down the barrel of a semifinal exit for the second year running, Guardiola knows Bayern can ill afford to throw caution to the wind against a Barce-

Pep Guardiola.

lona attack boasting Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. But he believes they can shock the Spanish league leaders.

“Push forward, push forward? No! We have to defend well and control the game,” said the 44-year-old, who has denied rumours linking him

to Manchester City for next season. “There is no problem with this team’s mentality.

“There are six or seven guys in the squad who have won the World Cup and they know what needs to be done.

“It’s not enough to have the most possession and defend well, you also have to create chances against Barcelona.

“If we make a mistake, they will punish it. We have to take the chances we create, it won’t be easy, but with the quality we have, we’ll see what happens.”

One factor in Bayern’s favour is that they emphatically turned their 3-1 quarterfinal, first-leg defeat at Porto into a 6-1 rout in Munich.

But a fortnight on, Bayern are on a losing streak, although Guardiola insists confidence is not a problem. - AFP

30 / 11

Form Goals for / against

26 / 7

FIRST LEG STATISTICS Shots on target 8

0 Shots wide

7

5 Passes

375

488 Corners

2

3 Possession

47%

53% TOMORROW REAL MADRID v JUVENTUS Santiago Bernabeu 1st leg result: 1-2 Head-to-head Won 8 Drawn 1 Won 8 23 / 8

Form Goals for / against

15 / 6

FIRST LEG STATISTICS Shots on target 7

3 Shots wide

4

6

attacking verve. “We have a game plan and we execute it superbly,” the former Barca and Spain midfielder said. “The idea, from the start, is to create problems for the opponent,” added the 45-year-old.

“When many think it’s better to run back, we run forward.”

Five-times European champions Bayern, on the other hand, have lost their last four matches in all competitions since retaining their Bundesliga crown, including a 1-0 home league loss to Augsburg on Saturday. Their losing run, which includes a German Cup semifinal exit on penalties to Borussia Dortmund, has put coach

Pep Guardiola under pressure for the first time in his second season in charge.

The Spaniard, hired to repeat their 2013 treble-winning season, has so far failed to deliver on the European stage for Bayern and the challenge against former club Barcelona looks even tougher without several of his players.

David Alaba, Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Holger Badstuber are all still out, forcing Guardiola to rethink his strategy against the club where he won the trophy in 2009 and 2011. “If we only focus on scoring goals on Tuesday then we will lose like we did last year

to Real (Madrid in the semis),” he said. “We have to remain calm, control our game and see what can come out of it.”

Few believe the Bavarians in their current form are any match for dazzling Barca, who scored three goals in 17 minutes in the first leg. But Bayern did it against Porto when they beat them 6-1 after losing their quarterfinal first leg 3-1 away. “Nothing worked for us in the past few games,” said captain Philipp Lahm.

“We cannot convert our chances at the moment. But the time has to come when we start doing that again.” - Reuters

Passes 428

478 Corners

1

5 Possession

48%

52%

COMPARING HEAVYWEIGHTS 1992-2015 Q-final S-final Final Wins Real

13

10

4

4

Juventus 9 6 4 1 Juventus: Champions League finals 2003 AC Milan

0-0 Juventus

Carlos Tevez Serie A champions Juventus are hoping to reach first final since 2003 SHOOTING BOOTS Juventus will need to counter threat from Cristiano Ronaldo, who is chasing Messi to finish season all-time top scorer Messi

10 goals

3-2 pens

9

Ronaldo

1998 Real Madrid 1-0 Juventus 1997 Dortmund

3-1 Juventus

Neymar

7

1996 Juventus

1-1 Ajax

Tevez

7

Source: UEFA

4-2 pens

Graphic News /

Graphics

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TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

SPORTS

Stay ahead of the curve with WhatsNews

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CSK look to tighten grip on top spot We want to be No.1: Fleming

Chennai Super Kings would aim to tighten their grip on the number one position in the points table when they take on the out-of-contention Delhi Daredevils

RAIPUR: Virtually assured of a berth in the playoffs, Chennai Super Kings would aim to tighten their grip on the number one position in the points table when they take on the out-of-contention Delhi Daredevils in an IPL cricket match here on Tuesday.

With eight wins and four losses from 12 games, two-time champions CSK are on top in the preliminary standings.

Daredevils, in contrast, lie second from bottom after losing eight of their 12 matches.

In fact, the side has succumbed to four consecutive losses with its last win coming way back on May 1 — that too against the bottomplaced Kings XI Punjab.

DD’s campaign has been nightmarish so far but the one factor that might help them tomorrow is that the side has nothing to lose after being knocked out of playoffs contention.

But, save for occasional minor slip ups, CSK have been clinical so far and it would be a huge task for Jean-Paul Duminy’s men to upstage the title favourites.

ANOTHER GOOD WIN: Chennai Super Kings celebrate victory over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. – BCCI

Nothing seems to have worked for DD this season with multicrore buy Yuvraj Singh being their biggest batting flop.

His lacklustre show in the middle-order has hurt DD badly even though Duminy and opener Quinton de Kock have also been disappointing. On the bowling front, although veteran pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has managed decent figures since returning from injury, the attack has lacked the necessary sting.

CSK, on the other hand, are a team on a roll but not without their own set of worries to ponder over.

Some of the frailties stood exposed Sunday night against Rajasthan Royals even though the team managed to be on the winning side.

One of their concerns, as admitted by coach Stephen Fleming, is the dependence over New Zealand swashbuckler Brendon McCullum

D E L H I C E O S AY S

to get good starts. The opener’s form has been very crucial in the games so far and for most part he has delivered as well but Dwayne Smith’s bat has gone quiet after the initial flourish and he wouldn’t find an easier opportunity to once again find form.

Ashish Nehra has been leading the CSK bowling attack with remarkable consistency and he has found good support from the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin, who was not bowled in Sunday’s game.

Such has been the contrast in their form that CSK would be outright favourites even though DD’s nothing-to-lose position might just help them unshackle and create an upset.

Teams (from) Delhi Daredevils: Jean-Paul Duminy (capt), Mayank Agarwal,

Shreyas Iyer, Kedar Jadhav (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Angelo Mathews, Saurabh Tiwary, Nathan CoulterNile, Amit Mishra, Imran Tahir, Zaheer Khan, Quinton de Kock, Manoj Tiwary, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, Jaidev Unadkat, Gurinder Sandhu, CM Gautam, Travis Head, Srikar Bharat, Albie Morkel, Markus Stoinis, Zaheer Khan, KK Jiyas and Domnic Joseph.

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt and wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Samuel Badree, Ankush Bains, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Matt Henry, Michael Hussey, Ravindra Jadeja, Brendon McCullum, Mithun Manhas, Ronit More, Pawan Negi, Ashish Nehra, Ishwar Pandey, Irfan Pathan, Pratyush Singh, Suresh Raina, Mohit Sharma, Rahul Sharma, Dwayne Smith, Andrew Tye, Eklavya Dwivedi, Kyle Abbott, Baba Aparajith. — PTI

CHENNAI: Almost assured of a place in the playoffs after the win over Rajasthan Royals in Chennai, Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said the target now is to finish as the number one team in the preliminary stage.

“I do not think about the special advantage of being first or second. I think we need to win one more game at least and then we can have the luxury of introducing players. The situation will be that we will be a losing couple of players. Brendon McCullum in particular and we are very mindful of that. But we want to make sure that we go to number one and then qualify,” Fleming said after the 12-run win over Rajasthan Royals in Chennai.

Speaking about the win last night, Fleming said it wasn’t entirely blemish-free and there were occasional lapses. “We had some lapses but really at good times. I think we were tired. We were really hurt by the last slogs because we had put up a good performance.

Probably you do not see the scenario when you are winning. But the players are very determined to win and mistakes were made by very good players in between some great stuff. Yes, these are small causes for concern,” he said.

Fleming said it was not an easy wicket to play on. “But

AMBITIOUS: Chennai coach

Stephen Fleming. – BCCI

we were very determined to get a partnership going.

Brendon dug deep enough to give us runs,” he said, lauding McCullum’s 61-ball 81.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals mentor Rahul Dravid said it was a tough track to bat on. It was very slow and little bit of turn as well.

“I thought it was good toss for CSK to win. I think 160 was always going to be tough on that wicket with the spinners and the kind of attack they have,” he conceded.

Dravid said his team is lacking in rhythm and has just not been able to get the momentum going.

“We still can squeeze in and may be qualify. That is the nature of Twenty20 cricket, it is so much about momentum and rhythm. You lose one game and suddenly you have lost a couple of close games,” he explained. — PTI

SMART APPROACH

Yuvraj’s price was Big hitting still part of armoury but ‘market determined’ playing smartly, says Yusuf Pathan NEW DELHI: Delhi Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua on Monday said that it was IPL market that decided Yuvraj Singh’s price of Rs 160 million and the franchise is firmly backing the ageing star despite his failure to turn the team’s fortunes in the ongoing eighth edition of the league.

Yuvraj has managed only 205 runs at a dismal average of 18.63 from 12 games and DD are practically out of contention for a place in the play-off.

“I think we talk about Rs 140 million-Rs 160 million but that’s all a market place. As Yuvraj had rightly said (in Vizag) that he never asked for that price. It was a market place,” DD CEO Dua told PTI during an interaction where he analysed the team’s performance in the current season.

He did state that they would have ideally liked to get him for lesser amount but once bidding started they had to go all out.

“Would we have liked it to be Rs

160 million? No, as a franchise, I would want it to be as less as possible, right. But there is an opposition (rival franchises), which is there and they want the price to go up. So as I said, it was market determined,” Dua explained.

While Dua made it clear that the franchise is behind Yuvraj he did admit that constant reminder of a big price tag affects the player as “they are also human” at the end of the day.

“At the end of day, the hype created, especially by the social media, starts hurting a player and his conscience. You have to understand that players are also human beings. Emotions (outbursts on failure) from all side is bound to affect a player and however big you are, you are only human.

That burden does come in somewhere,” Dua said, batting for the elegant left-hander, who is now past his prime.

He is confident that Yuvraj will come out of his bad patch. — PTI

Yusuf Pathan

NEW DELHI: Having played the unusual role of a sheet anchor for KKR this IPL, swashbuckling allrounder Yusuf Pathan has said his big-hitting skills are intact but he has tweaked his style as a conscious decision to help the team get over the line.

Having accumulated 216 runs in 11 matches so far, Yusuf has played the supporting role to many a Kolkata Knight Riders batsman in this season. A definite drift from the pivotal role he played in the title triumph last year, but Yusuf is content playing as a team man.

“There is a conscious effort to stay at the crease and build the innings. The hitting is still very much there but in between I am trying to play sensible cricket. I am putting on a smart approach by looking for singles and twos as well. I am always on the lookout for partnerships and maximise my effort to help the team win as many games,” Yusuf told PTI in an

exclusive interview. “I am trying to ensure that the team does not have to face many difficulties in the victories. I was dejected with the way I got out against Kings XI Punjab and had I stayed in the middle we could have won more comfortably.

So I am laying stress on all these small things. I play my attacking game whenever it is required and also mix it with sensible play and then change gears whenever needed,” he added.

Yusuf’s uncharacteristic style of play took everybody by surprise, but Yusuf insists that it was his personal decision to take the field in a different ‘avatar’ this time around. “Of course it was my personal decision to tweak my style of play and then the team also felt that I should adapt to my new style without curbing my natural instincts. I realised that I should stay on the wicket for long and support a batsman who is batting well, rather than get out while

playing my attacking game. “And thankfully the move is paying rich dividends. Every run, every ball counts in T20 cricket. Partnerships are crucial to bring one’s team back in a game,” said the 32-year-old player.

In fact, the big-hitter is happy that Andre Russell, who has hit three fifties this season and is batting at a strike rate of 197.93, has played his part in this edition for the Gautam Gambhir-led side, while he is enjoying taking the back seat.

“I am very happy that Andre is playing my earlier role. I am under less pressure than I was earlier.

It feels good that there is a player whom the team and I could rely on in times of trouble.

I am happy playing the supporting role. Remember it’s a team game and you feel nice when your partner or team does well, irrespective of your performance,” said Yusuf. - PTI

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

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SPORTS INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE

Miller’s heroics in vain as Punjab lose to Hyderabad

EFFORT IN VAIN: David Miller

took Punjab close to victory.

– BCCI

HYDERABAD: David Miller struck brilliant form for the wooden spoon holders Kings XI Punjab, but his exemplary knock came a bit too late as his team lost to hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad by 5 runs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, here on Monday.

Chasing 186 for win, Punjab were bowled out for 180, with David Miller top-scoring for the visitors with an unbeaten knock of 89 off 44 balls (2 fours, 9 sixes).

Moises Henriques was the highlight of the SRH bowling performance, taking three wickets for 16 runs.

Earlier, leading from the front, skipper David Warner struck a decent knock to help Sunrisers Hyderabad score 185 for 5 in 20 overs against Kings XI Punjab in their

Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Monday.

Skipper Warner was the top scorer for his side with 81 off 52 balls, including six boundaries and five sixes.

Opting to bat, Sunrisers got off to a flying start with openers Warner and Shikhar Dhawan scoring 56 off first six overs.

But bowling change by Kings XI captain George Bailey worked wonders for the visitors, as spinner Glenn Maxwell broke the opening stand in his very first ball of the seventh over A clever Maxwell looped the ball up outside off seeing Dhawan stepping out of the crease.

The batsman was beaten in flight and wicket-keeper Wriddhi-

man Saha makes no mistake whipping the bails off in a flash.

The wicket didn’t bother Warner as he kept on scoring freely, thus bringing up his half-century in just 36 balls.

He was well supported in the other end by incoming batsman Moises Henriques (28).

The duo struck the ball to all parts and sneaking in with quick singles and twos, helped team reach 100 in the 13th over.

But Henriques had to return back to the pavilion in the very next over as he was caught off the bowling off Gurkeerat Singh. Sunrisers score was 121 for 2 in 13.4 overs.

Eoin Morgan (17) and Naman Ojha (2) also didn’t last long. For Punjab, Hendricks (2 for40) was the pick of the bowlers. — Agencies

Omanis make positive start at ISSF tourney

WINNING START: Oman’s Fatma Al Nabhani, left, and Sarah Al Balushi with their Malaysian opponents. – Supplied photo

Omani eves launched their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Malaysia while the men’s team failed to make a winning start

MUSCAT: Omani star Fatma Al Nabhani led the way as the Sultanate’s women’s tennis squad made a winning start to their campaign at the Islamic Solidarity Sports Fed-

eration (ISSF) International Tennis Championships in Palembang, Indonesia.

According to a press release issued by the Oman Tennis Associa-

tion (OTA) on Monday, the Omani girls defeated their Malaysian counterparts 2-1.

Fatma Al Nabhani, the Sultanate’s most experienced and successful player, gave Oman the lead by defeating Malaysia’s Jawariha Nurudin 6-1, 6-3 in the first singles match.

Oman team, however, suffered a setback in the second singles when Sarah Al Balushi lost to Yous Shazline 1-6, 0-6.

But later Fatma and Sarah combined well in the deciding doubles rubber to defeat Jawariha and

Shazline for a well deserved 4-6, 6-0 (10-8) win.

Meanwhile, Oman men’s team lost to Malaysia by 1-2 margin.

In the first singles, Omran Al Balushi lost to Bin Syed Syed Mohamed 1-6, 0-6.

In the second singles, Younis Al Rawahi also lost to Bin Zinyan Abdin Mohamed 4-6, 2-6.

However, in the doubles rubber, Oman pulled one back to reduce the Malysians’ victory margin wehn Younis and Omran defeated the duo of Bin Syed and Bin Zinyan 6-0, 6-0.

SCOREBOARD

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD D. Warner c Gurkeerat b Hendricks 81 S. Dhawan st Saha b Maxwell 24 M. Henriques c Anureet b Gurkeerat 28 E. Morgan c Vohra b Hendricks 17 N. Ojha run out (Bailey) 2 L. Rahul not out 17 K. Sharma not out 11 Extras (b-1, w-3, nb-1) 5 Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 185 Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-121, 3-140, 4-157, 5-157 Bowling: Sandeep Sharma 4-0-33-0; Anureet Singh 4-0-37-0; B. Hendricks 4-040-2; Gurkeerat Singh 3-0-27-1; G. Maxwell 3-0-28-1; A. Patel 2-0-19-0 KINGS XI PUNJAB M. Vijay c Dhawan b B. Sharma 24 M. Vohra c Kumar b B. Sharma 20 W. Saha c Rahul b Henriques 5

G. Maxwell c Ojha b Boult 11 D. Miller not out 89 G. Bailey c Warner b Henriques 6 G. Singh c Morgan b Henriques 3 A. Patel c Ojha b Kumar 15 B. Hendricks not out 0 Extras (lb-3, w-4) 7 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 180 Fall of wickets: 1-42, 2-47, 3-60, 4-65, 5-81, 6-99, 7-158 Bowling: B. Kumar 4-0-34-1; T. Boult 4-0-45-1; I. Sharma 4-0-49-0; Bipul Sharma 2-0-13-2; M. Henriques 4-0-16-3; K. Sharma 2-0-20-0 Man of the match: David Warner Umpires - A.K. Chaudhary and Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) TV umpire: K Srinivasan Match referee: RS Mahanama (Sri Lanka)

OMAN CRICKET

Al Turki NMC post 108-run win over OCT Muscat A MUSCAT: Al Turki NMC crushed OCT Muscat A by a massive margin of 108 runs in a Khimji Ramdas-sponsored T20 Premier Cup knockout tournament match.

Opting to bat first, Al Turki NMC scored 168 for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs. Ajay Lalcheta (41) and skipper Twinkal Bhandari (38) laid the foundation with a 74-run opening wicket partnership in just 11.2 overs.

Shivalpalsinh Rana, coming in at the fall of the first wicket, remained unbeaten on 49 while Yogesh Patel chipped in with 22 runs.

In reply, OCT Muscat A were bundled out for 60 in 14.3 overs.

Waseem Ismail Al Balushi top scored with an unbeaten 23.

Jay Odedra took three wickets while Jayesh Odedara, Ajay Lalcheta and Rohit Malik claimed two wickets apiece.

Brief scores: Al Turki NMC 168 for 4 in 20 overs (Shivalpalsinh Rana 49 n.o., Ajay Lalcheta 41, Twinkal Bhandari 38, Yogesh Patel 22) bt OCT Muscat A 60 in 14.3 overs (Waseem Ismail Al Balushi 23 n.o.; Jay Odedra 3/4, Jayesh Odedara 2/10, Ajay Lalcheta 2/11, Rohit Malik 2/14).

Passage to India win In another Khimji Ramdas-sponsored T20 Premier Cup knockout match, defending champions Passage to India (PTI) recorded

an 18-run win against Muscat Cricket Team.

Electing to bat first, PTI scored 142 for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs.

Major contributions came from Asif Khan (36), Abdul Ahad Malik (31), skipper Aamir Kaleem (27) and opening batsman Atique Ahmed (22).

Hemal Mehta bagged three wickets and Rajesh Ranpura took two wickets.

In reply, Muscat Cricket Team were well placed at 86 for two wickets in 13 overs.

But soon they lost their way and were restricted to 124 for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs. Jatinder Singh top scored with 30 runs.

Opening batsman Swapnil Khadye made 21 and skipper Vaibhav Wategaonkar contributed 20 runs. Bilal Khan claimed three wickets and and Aamir Kaleem took two.

In a semifinal to be played on May 16, Passage to India take on Al Turki NMC. Brief scores: Passage to India 142 for 9 in 20 overs (Asif Khan 36, Abdul Ahad Malik 31, Aamir Kaleem 27, Atique Ahmed 22; Hemal Mehta 3/24, Rajesh Ranpura 2/19) bt Muscat 124 for 9 in 20 overs (Jatinder Singh 30, Swapnil Khadye 21, Vaibhav Wategaonkar 20; Bilal Khan 3/29, Aamir Kaleem 2/12).

G R A N D F E S T I VA L

Hockey community bids farewell to Indian ambassador MUSCAT: Team Coorg and Friends of Naqvi Group, under the patronage of Embassy of India and Oman Hockey Association (OHA), organised a hockey festival at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex last Friday.

The festival was organised to bid farewell to Indian Ambassador J.S. Mukul and A.P.S. Chauhan, head of Chancery at Embassy of India.

The festival, which had attracted a large number of expatiates and Omani hockey enthusiasts, saw participation of Ambassador XI, Indian School Al Seeb (ISAS) boys team, Team Coorg and Beatrice XI. The main attraction of the evening was a thrilling match between Team Coorg and Beatrice XI. The Beatrice XI, who included a few Oman national team players, won the match by a 5-1 margin.

Sheikh Saif Al Rahabi, OHA vice-chairman, was the guest of

honour. Dawood Ahmed Al Raisi, former chairman of OHA, was the special guest. Former Oman national players and OHA officials Mohammed Shambe Al Raisi and Abdulrahman Al Raisi, and ISAS

Principal Nagesh Kelkar also graced the occasion.

In his remarks, the Indian ambassador congratulated Naqvi for his 33 years of contribution in Oman and 32 years in India. He

also praised Naqvi for his efforts to promote Indo-Oman friendship for the past three decades.

The ambassador also praised Belu Kuttapa of Team Coorg for promoting hockey in Oman.

J.S. Mukul and A.P.S.Chauhan were given a guard of honors by Team Coorg, Ambassador XI, Beatrice XI and ISAS boys.

Later, the organisers as well as the OHA officials presented me-

mentoes to J.S. Muhul and A.P.S. Chauhan. During the ceremony, Nagesh Kelkar, ISAS Principal, Mohammed Osama Rawat and Salih Thacher were also honoured for their contribution to hockey.

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TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

SPORTS WEST ASIAN EVENT

‘MAGHAZI’ WINS SECOND PLACE AT LINGFIELD PARK

Sheikh Mohammed bin Nasser Al Hashar-owned Maghazi won second place in the 1600m eighth round of HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR), a premier handicap for UK trained horses and International lady riders, at Lingfield Park, Great Britian. The race, with a total prize-money of £30,000, was organised as part of the seventh edition of Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Festival for Arabian Horse Racing. The first place went to Man of Dreams. The success of Maghazi comes close on the heels of Lahoob, also of Sheikh Mohammed bin Nasser Al Hashar, which won the fifth round of Sheikh Zayed Cup for 1600m race. — Supplied photo

Oman gears up for Chess World Cup zonal qualifiers MUSCAT: The Oman Chess Committee is gearing up for the Asian Zonal Qualifiers of the 2015 Chess World Cup. The West Asian qualifiers for the World Cup will take place at the City Seasons Hotel from May 16 to 25.

The Oman Chess Committee (OCC), speaking at a press conference organised to reveal the details of the tournament, revealed that players from 13 countries will take part in the qualifiers. OCC chief Laila bint Ahmed Al Najar said a total of 26 players, 16 men and 10 women, will take part in the event.

The tournament has attracted players from the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and Iraq besides.

During the press meeting, Laila Al Najar also revealed Oman’s readiness to host the qualifiers with the co-operation of the

Pietersen hits triple century Pietersen sent a message to new England chief Strauss as the exiled batsman blasted a career-best score of 326 not out to boost his hopes of an international recall CAREER-BEST SCORE:

Kevin Pietersen.

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen sent a message to new England chief Andrew Strauss as the exiled batsman blasted a career-best score of 326 not out on Monday to boost his hopes of an international recall.

Pietersen surpassed his previous first-class best of 254 in a mammoth innings for Surrey on day two of their County Championship Division Two match against Leicestershire at The Oval.

The 34-year-old’s new record total came in just 373 balls as he smashed 34 fours and 14 sixes to all corners of the south London venue.

His mastery of the Leicestershire attack was so complete that, by the close of play, no other Surrey player scored more than 36 in their first innings total of 528 for nine.

It was a perfectly timed state-

ment of intent from Pietersen just 24 hours before Strauss’s first public address as England’s new director of cricket.

The South Africa-born star had notched his first Championship double century since July 2012 earlier in the day and then passed his previous first-class best of 254 not out for Nottinghamshire against Middlesex in August 2002.

Pietersen wasn’t finished there and he continued to demolish Leicestershire’s bowling before reaching his triple hundred in typically flamboyant fashion with a sweep for six.

But, despite his welcome return to form, Pietersen will know that routing a team from English cricket’s second tier is still a far cry from dominating in similar

fashion in the Test arena against New Zealand and Australia, who both face England over the coming months.

Pietersen’s slender hopes of a recall remain with Strauss, who was appointed the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) new director of cricket over the weekend at the same time Peter Moores was dismissed as coach.

Strauss, who captained Pietersen during their time in the England team and had a difficult relationship with the batsman, will hold his first press conference on Tuesday, before announcing the Test squad to face New Zealand at Lord’s next week.

Pietersen has been cast adrift from England’s plans since he was sacked from all apparent future plans in the aftermath of their 2013-14 Ashes whitewash defeat.

But incoming ECB chairman Colin Graves provided renewed hope that Pietersen could yet return when he hinted in March that runs for Surrey could provide the pathway he needs and he responded by agreeing a new contract with the county.

Pietersen sought to diminish the significance of Monday’s innings, before taking the field on 35 not out overnight, when he told one of his Twitter followers he did not expect it to have a decisive bearing on his England return.

At the suggestion it could be “the most important innings of your life”, Pietersen posted: “Ha! Seriously? Not sure my career can be decided on one innings on a Mon in London...we get judged on Ashes series’.” - AFP

STRENGHTENING TIES

Palestine sports official visits OOC

MUSCAT: Taha Al Kishry, General Secretary of Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) has received at his office Abdulsalam Ismail Haniyah, member of the Higher Council for Youth and Sports in the State of Palestine.

Sheikh Badr bin Ali Al Rawas,

Oman Olympic Committee board member and chairman of Oman Volleyball Association, was also present on the occasion.

During the meeting, the officials discussed a number of issues of related to the development of sports in both countries.

The officials also exchanged ideas to further improve the cooperation in the field of sports.

In his remarks, Abdulsalam Ismail Haniyah expressed his delight over the support extended by the Sultanate to the sports activities in Palestine.

NEW ROLE

England coaching call for Strauss: ECB boss LONDON: The England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) new chairman Colin Graves insisted that the decision on England’s new head coach was one for Andrew Strauss.

Former captain Strauss was on Saturday named as English cricket’s new director and his first job will be to find a replacement for Peter Moores, who was sacked in the wake of his appointment.

Graves will start his role with the ECB on Thursday and there

has been speculation that he is keen to appoint Yorkshire’s titlewinning coach Jason Gillespie to replace Moores.

But Graves said the decision was not his to make. “It is Andrew Strauss who takes that call as he builds his team around him,” Graves told The Times.

“We will not rush into any decision overnight.

“The decision to sack Peter Moores was not a knee-jerk one

and this will not be either. Andrew will have an idea who he has in mind and wants to talk to.”

“It is his recommendation and he will bring that to (chief executive) Tom Harrison and then to me,” he said.

Moores’ former assistant Paul Farbrace will take charge of England’s forthcoming series with New Zealand and formerly served as an assistant to Jason Gillespie at Yorkshire. - AFP BADMINTON

HECTIC SCHEDULE

ISC table tennis off to flying start

HUGE FIELD: All the participants pose for a group photo at the opening ceremony. – Supplied photo

MUSCAT: The Junior Table Tennis League organised by the Indian Social Club (ISC) Muscat got off to a hectic start at the club premises with the participation of 42 players in the 10 to 16 years age group.

Sponsored by New Makha Enterprises, all matches in the league will be played on the round-robin basis thereby giving the juniors more opportunities to play with all the players in their group.

On the opening day of the league, in the under-10 category,

Ministry of Sports Affairs. Meanwhile, the OCC chief said the opening ceremony of the tournament will be held under the patronage of Sheikh Saad bin Mohammed Al Mardhouf Al Saadi, Minister of Sports Affairs. World chess federation, Fide, chief Kirsan Ilyumzhinov will also grace the occasion.

The closing ceremony will be attended by Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President of the Asian Chess Federation.

Speaking about the national team players rating in the international rankings, Al Najar said that OCC began since its launch a year and a half ago to establish and prepare governing regulations, laws and mechanisms of the sport and then worked to look after the talented and shorten the training period for an international classification by participating in three international championships. - ONA

Neil Joseph and Vishal Shibu scored two outright victories in Group A. Neil defeated Aditya Sharma 11-3,11-0, 11-4 and Nithyalakshmi 11-1, 11-2, 11-3 while Vishal struggled to beat Nithyalakshmi 11-5, 11-2, 7-11, 14-12 and in his second outing defeated Aditya Sharma 11-7, 11-8, 14-12.

In Group B, Manvi Sarawanan also scored two wins defeating Allen Benni 12-10, 13-11, 11-6 and Raj Nathan 11-0, 11-2, 11-3.

S. Kavineeshwar enjoyed

mixed fortunes winning his first match with a hard-fought 11-4, 7-12, 10-12, 11-8, 13-11 but went down in his second match when Rahul Raj defeated him with a 118, 11-4, 6-11, 11-4 result.

Vihaan Mauskar and Shayaan Tanveer shared the honours in Group D. Vihaan started with a fine 11-1, 11-7, 11-4 victory over Mathew Saroj.

But his celebrations were short lived when Shayaan Tanveer defeated him by a 11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7 margin.

Malaysia call on Lee KUALA LUMPUR: Double Olympic silver medallist Lee Chong Wei will take part at the world championships later this year after Badminton Association of Malaysia controversially selected him on Monday at the expense of better-ranked shuttler Chong Wei Feng.

Lee’s world ranking has fallen to 46th after an eight-month ban for doping at last year’s championships, leaving him as the third-ranked Malaysian behind Chong (31st) and Zulfadli Zulkiffli (41), who were due the country’s two slots at the tournament.

Lee, 32, failed in a bid to get a wildcard for the Aug. 10-16 event in Jakarta but BAM officials selected him anyway after an impressive return to action on Sunday in victory over South Korea at the Sudirman Cup in China.

“We strongly believe that he has a better chance to do well at the world championships,” BAM president Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff told reporters after an emergency meeting. - Reuters

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

C5

SPORTS N E E D T O A N A LY S E

Ferrari looking for answers at Barcelona test BARCELONA: Ferrari will be looking for answers in Formula One testing this week after champions Mercedes were more dominant than ever in Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix.

The race at the Circuit de Catalunya marked the start of the European season and Ferrari had hoped updates to their car might put them closer.

Instead, Mercedes took their

third one-two in five starts with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finishing third and 45 seconds behind race winner Nico Rosberg.

“The gap with Mercedes is there. Now we need to analyse all the data to understand,” team principal Maurizio Arrivabene told reporters. “What is clear, because we are not blind, is the fact that in the last sector we were losing half a second. I am not escaping

from the reality, it is there.

“So we need to understand and find out how to improve the new package. But the new package is better than the old one,” he added.

Arrivabene said the team would use the test on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Barcelona circuit to determine how much of the deficit could be attributed to the track characteristics and how much to the car.

“At the moment the numbers that we have in terms of comparison are telling us that the solution is good. But the reality is telling us that it’s not good enough,” he explained.

“I said at the beginning of the year that I don’t want to point the finger on aero, engine and all of this.

Otherwise we are creating the usual mess where everybody is freaking out left, right, up and down.

Rosberg puts the heat back on Hamilton Those who wrote off Rosberg after the opening races, declaring him no match for his teammate, may have to reconsider

BARCELONA: If last year is anything to go by, Nico Rosberg’s Spanish Grand Prix victory could be the start of a run of success for the German that puts the heat back on Mercedes teamate Lewis Hamilton.

Before Sunday’s race, the fifth of 19 this season, double world champion Hamilton had racked up four pole positions in a row and won three times to build up a 27-point lead in the Formula One standings.

The Briton now heads home to Monaco knowing that, if the tide has not exactly turned, his momentum has at least been checked.

Those who wrote off Rosberg after the opening races, declaring him no match for his teammate and possibly psychologically scarred by last year’s bruising campaign, may have to reconsider.

While Hamilton will want to show that Barcelona was no more than a blip, in a race that was no thriller, Rosberg has demonstrated he still has what it takes.

By his own admission, the German had a ‘perfect race’ on Sunday but he added that he had done nothing different to previous races.

“It’s great to close up seven points to Lewis, great to go to Monaco next, I really like that track, and that’s it. Early days,” he told reporters.

CLOSING THE GAP: Nico Rosberg

Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff said both men were mentally very resilient and predicted another close battle between them.

“As much as we would like to find a dynamic that is pro or against the drivers, they come out very strong even after a bad weekend or a defeat,” he said.

“You saw it last year -- Nico went on a run and the balance swung to him. I think you are going to see the

same this season; two drivers who are matching each other and trying to out-perform each other,” added the Austrian.

“For the team it’s a good situation because it lifts the performance of the whole team and it is the best case.”

Ferrari threat Last year, Rosberg took Hamilton down to the wire — the rivalry ad-

mittedly fuelled by the now-ended experiment of awarding double points for the final race — thanks to a run of form in Europe.

After five races in 2014, Hamilton had won four and Rosberg one but the German was much closer in the standings thanks to his team mate’s retirement in the Australian opener.

This time, Ferrari have entered the mix — while last year’s runnersup Red Bull have already declared the season a write-off — with Sebastian Vettel winning in Malaysia to deny Mercedes a clean sweep.

But while Ferrari have clearly closed the gap, Spain showed Mercedes again at their most dominant with the German manufacturers’ third one-two finish in five races.

“It’s much more than we’ve seen recently, much more than Bahrain, much more than Shanghai, Malaysia, so it’s really a big step in the right direction for us,” said Rosberg after taking the chequered flag 17 seconds clear of Hamilton.

“It just shows that we have an awesome team at the moment, everybody’s doing a fantastic job... again we won the development race this weekend, compared to Ferrari,” he said.

“So that’s an important indication for the rest of the season.”

Rosberg has won in Monaco for the last two seasons and will be hard to deny a hat-trick, despite Hamilton being at the peak of his powers. Last year, the Briton left Spain as a winner and did not clamber to the top step of the podium again until his home British Grand Prix in July. Despite that, he went on to win 11 races to Rosberg’s five and take the title.

“We had such an amazing year, kind of record-breaking as a team,” Hamilton said on Sunday.

“For us it was hard to imagine trying to do that again or trying to beat it and that’s our goal this year and I think we’re definitely on the right route to doing that.” - Reuters

ROW WITH IOC

Wrestling body joins SportAccord exodus MUNICH: The international wrestling federation (UWW) on Monday said it would not participate in any activities within the sports umbrella organisation SportAccord until relations improve following a row with the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“Our decision, which is based on our full commitment to the Olympic Movement and its leadership, implies that for the time being, United World Wrestling shall refrain to participate in the activities and games organised by SportAccord, until the relations with ASOIF has improved to the latter’s satisfaction,” UWW President Nenad Lalovic said in a statement.

The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) has suspended links with SportAccord after its President Marius Vizer’s scathing attack on the IOC last month.

“This was a difficult decision, in particular as we have worked closely with SportAccord in the past to secure additional opportunities for wrestling and traditional wrestling,” Lalovic said. “I sincerely hope that the crisis within SportAccord can be resolved soon, in the best interest of sport.”

The international boxing federation (AIBA) withdraw last week from SportAccord, an organisation representing close to 100 Olympic and non-Olympic sports federations and organisers

ASOIF has suspended links with SportAccord after its chief Vizer’s scathing attack on IOC

of multi-sports games last week.

More have pulled out since Vizer’s attack last month.

The withdrawals are a major blow to Vizer who emerged as a self-styled reformer of international sport when he took over the SportAccord presidency two years ago.

But he accused the IOC last month of interfering with the autonomy of federations, being dated and blocking other new events emerging.

SportAccord may not be of huge benefit for big sports such as athletics and soccer but for some smaller sports it is an annual showcase of their development to the largest possible audience of sports administrators, governments, federations and event organisers.

SportAccord also organises the World Combat Games in 2017 with taekwondo, fencing, weightlifting and judo the only Olympic sports left after the withdrawal of boxing and wrestling. - Reuters

DRIVE SLOWER LIVE LONGER

“We need to calm down, look at the numbers and to take a decision. I promise you that if we are making a mistake we are going to tell you,” said the Italian.

Ferrari are firmly established as Mercedes’ closest rivals, with Vettel winning in Malaysia to deny them a clean sweep of victories and appearing on the podium four times so far.

However Arrivabene said a

championship challenge looked too far away, even if he still believed Ferrari could win three races this year.

“I don’t really care about being on the podium,” he added. “Now every race weekend we are on the podium. But what I care about is the gap because if we want to win two or three races we have to be able to be there. At the moment we are not.” - Reuters

R E V I VA L

Nico is totally back for the team, says Lauda BARCELONA: Formula One legend Niki Lauda admitted to feeling some relief after Nico Rosberg’s Spanish Grand Prix victory on Sunday not only rekindled Mercedes’ internal rivalry and team spirit but gave a much-needed boost to the championship.

Speaking after a dull, but significant race in which Rosberg managed to rediscover his best form to end defending champion and teammate Lewis Hamilton’s sizzling run of three wins in four races prior to Barcelona, Mercedes Director Lauda was adamant that it was a result everyone needed.

“Nico has fought back,” he said, with as much relief as the driver must have felt after finishing 17.5 seconds clear of two-time champion Briton Hamilton. “I would say he is totally back and for the team and for him this is good.

“My worry was that if he hadn’t driven well here, then he would have lost some momentum in his head. So, thank God. It’s back!

“He is back to last year’s performance level and now we are back to this team spirit again, which is good for the development of the car and for the whole team...”

Rosberg’s ninth career victory enabled him to reduce Hamilton’s lead in the title race to 20 points ahead of his ‘home’ race, the Monaco Grand Prix, which he won, following some controversy, last year.

“It is good for everyone,” added Lauda. “I was worried before this race. For the first four races, Lewis was so far ahead, he just blew Nico off the track.

“This has changed now. I was worried also, that here in Spain Ferrari would catch us (Mercedes) because nobody knew what upgrades they would bring with them, but again, we are ahead... So, very good.”

Hamilton difficulties The gap between Rosberg and third-placed four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari was 45 seconds, a significant advan-

tage, according to Lauda, following his drivers’ 14th one-two finish for the team.

If anything, however, the outcome — highlighted by Rosberg’s long-awaited win — camouflaged a dazzling drive by Hamilton who claimed a valuable 18 points despite a weekend of difficulties with his car.

The 30-year-old Englishman never found the balance and setup he wanted, his new clutch failed him at the start when he suffered furious wheel-spin, he had a slow first pit-stop because of a wheel-gun issue and he was unable to deliver any of his trademark passing moves because of the characteristics of the track.

As a result, Mercedes decided to switch him from a two-stop strategy to three stops and he responded with the most impressive drive of the day.

“On a three-stop, with a compromised start, finishing P2 was the result of really great driving,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

“They were both faultless in this race. It is extremely satisfying for the team when we can pull off a result like that when things are not going perfectly.”

Hamilton had intimated before the race that he rarely enjoyed racing at the Circuit de Catalunya.

Afterwards, he said: “It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a bad start. I was fortunate to keep third. I tried to fight, but this track isn’t very good for overtaking - it’s actually the worst for overtaking, it’s impossible to follow here. For the guys at the front, it doesn’t matter what you do, you can’t get close enough.”

As he departed to prepare for round six later in the month, Ferrari were also licking their wounds and reflecting.

“Barcelona was not an easy track for us,” said team boss Maurizio Arrivabene. “But it was not easy for the others, too. The gap to Mercedes is still there. We need to analyse that and understand it.” - AFP

C6

TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

SPORTS

Tweet all about it

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MURRAY NOW FRENCH OPEN FAVOURITE The idea of Andy Murray going into the French Open as one of

the favourites might have seemed fanciful less than a week ago but the Scot will head to Roland Garros as a player to be feared by everyone after recording one of the best victories of his career

J

UST six days after winning his first title on clay, Murray claimed his second on Sunday night by beating Rafael Nadal, the greatest player in history on this surface, to win the Madrid Masters.

Murray’s 6-3, 6-2 victory was his first in his seven meetings with Nadal on clay and brought him his first Masters Series title since he underwent back surgery nearly two years ago. It was the world No 3’s second Madrid title after he won his first seven years ago, when the tournament was played on indoor hard courts.

Andy Murray’s turnaround on clay, a surface on which he has sometimes looked uncomfortable, has been astonishing.

He had never even played in a clay-court final until he won in Munich a week ago and has now added a victory in one of the biggest tests leading into the French Open, which starts in 13 days’ time. Murray is the only player on the men’s tour to have won two clay-court titles this year.

Since returning to competition following his wedding last month, Murray is unbeaten. Having claimed only his sixth win in his 21 meetings with Nadal and his first over the Spaniard for four years, the Scot wrote on the camera lens at the end of the match: “Marriage works”. His elation was in contrast to Nadal’s disappointment. The Spaniard, who was aiming for a third successive Madrid title, has been struggling for form since winning the French Open for a ninth time last summer. This was his heaviest defeat on clay for 11 years.

If he fails to take the title at the Rome Masters this week, Nadal will head to Roland

Garros without having won a build-up tournament in the European clay-court season for the first time since 2004.

This latest setback will see him drop today to No 7 in the world rankings, his lowest position for 10 years.

Nadal, who had shown his best tennis of the year to beat Tomas Berdych in the semifinals, played poorly in the final, making far too many mistakes, though much of that was down to the pressure applied by Murray.

The Scot served so well — he dropped only four points on his second serve in the whole match — and hit his returns so sweetly that he rarely had to do anything out of the ordinary to win points.

Murray settled into his stride immediately, winning 12 of the first 14 points to race into a 3-0 lead. Although he had to save break points when he served at 4-2 and 5-3, the Scot never looked in serious difficulty. On his first set point Murray cracked a big backhand down the line which Nadal was unable to return.

As Murray’s confidence grew, Nadal’s level dipped.

Murray went 4-0 up in the second set before Nadal finally saved face by holding serve twice. Murray served out for victory after just 88 minutes, helped by two woeful forehand errors by his opponent on the last two points.

Murray said afterwards: “I played extremely well, which I think was one of the reasons why he was mistiming a few shots, especially towards the end of the match. I’m sure Rafa feels like he could have played better but from my side, I couldn’t have done much more.”

Having played nine match-

es in the last 11 days over the last fortnight, Murray said he may yet decide to pull out of this week’s tournament in Rome. Murray said his Madrid victory would give him confidence going into Roland Garros. However, he added: “By no means did I feel like I would go into the French as one of the favourites, but if I play like that and the way I have the last couple of weeks I will give myself an opportunity. “That’s all you can ask for these days with the players that are around.”

— PAUL NEWMAN/THE INDEPENDEMT

TENNIS

Rankings slide leaves Nadal facing toughest challenge LONDON: Rafa Nadal’s slide down the ATP rankings means if he wins a record-extending 10th French Open title early next month it would go down as one of the greatest achievements of his illustrious career.

The Spaniard dropped three places to seventh on Monday as a consequence of his 6-3, 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Britain’s Andy Murray in the final of the Madrid Masters the previous day.

And with another 600 points to defend at this week Rome Masters, the 28-year-old could fall to his lowest ranking for 10 years by the time play begins at Roland Garros on May 24.

Not since April 2005, just before his maiden French title, has Nadal been lower than seventh.

The Spaniard insisted after losing to Murray that he was beginning to feel the “old sensations” again after struggling to find his best form in the wake of the wrist injury and appendicitis issues that undermined him last year.

But the fear factor that once in-

The Spaniard dropped three places to seventh as a consequence of his drubbing at the hands of Andy Murray

hibited opponents on the red clay appears to have disappeared.

In Monte Carlo, he was soundly beaten by world number one Novak Djokovic. He then lost to Italy’s unpredictable Fabio Fognini in Barcelona and in Madrid, after appearing to be getting back on track with wins against Grigor Dimitrov and Tomas Berdych, he was stopped in his tracks by Murray.

Murray had never beaten Nadal on clay and was thrashed in last year’s French Open semi-final, but on Sunday he won with non-

chalant ease. “I will just stay with the good things that happened this week, and there are a lot of them, more good than bad. I will try to recover the good feelings in Rome,” Nadal said.

“Whatever will happen will be.

It’s something that we have to realise, all of us, that what’s happening during these last years, it’s very complicated to be 10 or one years without leaving the top four.”

Barring an early loss in Rome, Nadal should manage to stay in the top eight but the possibility of a quarter-final meeting with Murray, Djokovic or world number two Roger Federer looms.

Unlike Wimbledon, where ATP rankings can be adjusted to reflect performances on grass, the French Open sticks stringently to the rankings.

And while that does not look good for Nadal, it will also worry the likes of Djokovic and Murray, who could find themselves coming face-to-face with the greatest claycourt player of all time a little earlier than expected. - Reuters

C

SECTION

LIFE & STYLE

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM T U ES DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

Thomas Edison Historical

T

he Rolfs, longtime collectors of Edison phonographs, knew that if they turned the cranks on the dolls’ backs, the steel phonograph needle might damage or destroy the grooves of the hollow, ring-shaped cylinder. And so for years, the dolls sat side by side inside a display cabinet, bearers of a message from the dawn of sound recording that nobody could hear.

In 1890, Edison’s dolls were a flop; production lasted only six weeks. Children found them difficult to operate and more scary than cuddly. The recordings inside, which featured snippets of nursery rhymes, wore out quickly.

Yet sound historians say the cylinders were the first entertainment records ever made, and the young girls hired to recite the rhymes were the world’s first recording artists.

Year after year, the Rolfses asked experts if there might be a safe way to play the recordings. Then a government laboratory developed a method to play fragile records without touching them.

The technique relies on a microscope to create images of the grooves in exquisite detail. A computer approximates — with great accuracy — the sounds that would have been created by a needle moving through those grooves.

Park posted online In 2014, the technology was made available for the first time outside the laboratory. “The fear all along is that we don’t want to damage these records. We don’t want to put a stylus on them,” said Jerry Fabris, the curator of the Thomas Edison Historical Park in West Orange, New Jersey. “Now we have the technology to play them safely.”

Last month, the Historical Park posted online three never-before-heard Edison doll recordings, including the two from the Rolfses’ collection. “There are probably more out there, and we’re hoping people will now get them digitised,” Fabris said.

The technology, which is known as IRENE (Image, Reconstruct, Erase se Noise, Etc), was developed by the pararticle physicist Carl Haber and the engigineer Earl Cornell at Lawrence Berkeley. ey.

IRENE extracts sound from cylinder and nd disk records. It can also reconstruct audio dio from recordings so badly damaged they ey were deemed unplayable.

“We are now hearing sounds from hisistory that I did not expect to hear in my lifetime,” Fabris said.

The Rolfses said they were not sure re what to expect in August when they carerefully packed their two Edison doll cylinnders, still attached to their motors, and nd drove from their home in Hortonville, le,

three never-beforeheard Edison doll recordings last month.

The IRENE technology can reconstruct audio from recordings so badly damaged they were deemed unplayable

Wisconsin, to the Northeast Document Conservation Centre in Andover, Massachusetts. The centre had recently acquired IRENE technology.

Cylinders carry sound in a spiral groove cut by a phonograph recording needle that vibrates up and down, creating a surface made of tiny hills and valleys. In the IRENE set-up, a microscope perched above the shaft takes thousands of highresolution images of small sections of the grooves.

Stitched together, the images provide a topographic map of the cylinder’s surface, charting changes in depth as small as one five-hundredth the thickness of a human hair. Pitch, volume and timbre are all encoded in the hills and valleys and the speed at which the record is played.

At the conservation centre, the preservation specialist Mason Vander Lugt attached one of the cylinders to the end of a rotating shaft. Huddled around a computer screen, the Rolfses first saw the wiggly waveform generated by IRENE. Then came the digital audio.

The words were at first indistinct, but as Lugt filtered out more of the noise, the rhyme became clearer. “That was the Eureka moment,” Rolfs said.

In 1890, a girl in Edison’s laboratory had recited:

There was a little girl, And she had a little curl Right in the middle of her forehead.

When she was good, She was very, very good.

But when she was bad, she was horrid.

Recently, the conservation centre turned up another surprise.

In 2010, the Woody Guthrie Foundation received 18 oversize phonograph disks from an anonymous donor. No one knew if any of the dirt-stained recordings featured Guthrie, but Tiffany Colannino, then the foundation’s archivist, had stored them unplayed until she heard about IRENE. Last fall, the centre extracted audio from one of the records, labelled “Jam Session 9” and emailed the digital file to Colannino. “I was just sitting in my dining room, and the next thing I know, I’m hearing Woody,” she said. In between solo performances of Ladies Auxiliary and Dead or Alive, Guthrie tells jokes, offers some back story, and makes the audience laugh. “It is quintessential Guthrie,” Colannino said.

The Rolfses’ dolls are back in the display cabinet in Wisconsin. But with audio stored on several computers, they now have a permanent voice.

-Ron Cowen/The New York Times News Service

C8

TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

EXTRA

Working frame by frame for more than a thousand hours in a labour of love spread over seven long years, top notch technicians have restored Indian master filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s masterpiece ‘The Apu Trilogy’

T

he restored films Pather Panchali (Song of the little road), Aparajito (The unvanquished) and Apur Sansar (The world of Apu) — opened Friday in New York City and will open in many more American cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington in the weeks ahead.

Restoring Ray’s masterpiece that put Indian cinema on the world map “was challenging at every stage”, Peter Becker, president of the Criterion Collection and partner in Janus Films, a leading distributor of classic foreign films, told in an interview.

The negatives of all three films about a poor boy growing up in India nearly a century ago burned in a massive nitrate fire in 1993 at Hendersons Film Laboratories in London where they were temporarily stored on way to Los Angeles for preservation at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“Collecting, scanning and comparing alternate film elements from around the world was a huge job by itself, but when the fire-damaged reels turned up at the Academy Film Archive, the restoration stepped up to a whole new level,” Becker said.

“Nearly 1,000 hours were spent just repairing the physical film material so that it could be scanned,” he said.

“Determining what was fixable using digital tools and when we would need to resort to our alternate elements was another significant load of work.”

“Even after all that, marrying and matching the elements and doing the

LABOUR OF LOVE REVIVES RAY’S ‘THE APU TRILOGY’ digital restoration work took more than six months; so this one was challenging at every stage,” said Becker.

Criterion and Janus Films together restore about 20 or more international classic films every year, but not every film is ripe for a major theatrical release or multi-platform re-launch, Becker said.

“Last year it was the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. This year The Apu Trilogy.

These films were desperately in need of being seen again in high quality versions,” Becker said.

Given “the challenges associated with the restoration meant that if we were going to undertake the effort, we had to take a big bet that critics and audiences would embrace the films,” he said.

The key to restoring Ray’s work “was digital scanning and digital cinema pro-

jection”, said Becker, explaining how the old method of making a new print photo-chemically could not have achieved this result.

As the surviving parts of the original negative, even after repair, were unprintable, the film was scanned a frame at a time in super high 4K resolution.

Using precise and targeted digital restoration tools, “we were able to repair only the damaged parts of each frame” and “maximise the amount of original film we could use, matching positive and negative elements in the digital space without generational loss”.

Since “the entire process from scanning to final projection stays in the digital realm, we are able to show an image with a clarity and luminous quality that wouldn’t even have been possible with

new prints in 1956”, when the films were made, Becker said.

Restoring the trilogy “was a very expensive project, but it was also a labour of love”, he said. “We work to control costs, but we did not tailor the restoration to a particular budget. We chose at the outset to do what needed to be done.”

The Academy Film Archive provided invaluable support as did L’Immagine Ritrovata, the laboratory of the Cineteca di Bologna, “who shared our passion and did the necessary film-repair work at a cost that didn’t sink the whole project”. So did the Criterion’s lab.

“Therefore, it is impossible to put an actual price tag on this work. Priceless is probably the best answer,” said Becker.

Asked how they planned to draw audiences to theatres, Becker said the trilogy will play all over the country starting with New York’s Film Forum and the Landmark Theatres chain with screens in many major cities.

The company’s social media presence on Twitter and on Facebook and Instagram will help drive the word-of-mouth for this release, he said.

“I think it will grow organically and that more and more theatres will adopt the films each week,” Becker said, noting: “That is also something we could not do in the age before digital cinema projection.”

Becker hinted that his company may restore and release other classics from India, but would not reveal the names. He is also dead set against colourising classics.

“We have never done it and won’t. We believe films should be shown as their makers intended them to be seen.-IANS

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

C9

ENTERTAINMENT CINEMA SCHEDULE

BAHJA CINEMA AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON (3D) (Action, Adventure) (PG12) Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, 02:15 pm /06:10 pm /08:50 pm /11:30 pm Hot Pursuit (Comedy) (12+) Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Sofía Vergara, Matthew Del 3:50, 7:45, 10:00 PM

SCREEN 3 Gabbar - Hindi (Action/Drama ) – PG Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor. 3.45 PM Avengers: Age of Ultron (2D)( Action, Adventure, Fantasy)– PG12 Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo 6.45, 9.45 PM

KAJAKI (15+) Cast : Mark Stanley, David Elliot 12:15 pm /09:40 pm BACKCOUNTRY (15+) Cast : Missy Peregrym, Eric Balfour 3:40 pm

ABSOLUTION (Act, Adventure) (15+) Cast : Steven Seagal, Byron Mann 2:00 pm /02:20 pm /07:00 pm /11:30 pm

KAHLIL GIBRAN’S THE PROPHET (PG12) Cast : Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek, John Krasinski 10:30 am /12:15 pm /02:00 pm

PIKU (Comedy, Drama)(PG) Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan 07:35 pm

WORDS & PICTURES (12+) Cast : Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche, Bruce Davison 05:25 pm

KAJAKI (Adventure, Drama) (15+) Cast: Mark Stanley, David Elliot 05:30 pm /09:25 pm /11:45 pm

HOT PURSUIT (12+) Cast : Reese Witherspoon, Sofía Vergara, Matthew Del 10:30 am /07:35 pm

WORDS & PICTURES (Com, Dr) (12+) Cast: Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche 05:30 pm KAHLIL GIBRAN’S THE PROPHET (Animation)(PG12) Cast : Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek, John Krasinski 02:00 pm /03:45 pm

AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON (3DPG12 Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans 02:20 pm /07:00 pm /11:45 pm AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON (3D) (PG12) Cast : Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans 03:15 pm /08:30 pm

SCREEN 1 Piku (Drama / Comedy) – PG Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan. 3.30, 9.30 PM Gabbar - Hindi (Action/Drama ) – PG Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor. 6.30 PM SCREEN 2 Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D)( Action, Adventure, Fantasy)– PG12 Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo. 3.45 PM Piku (Drama / Comedy) – PG Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan. 6.45 PM Gabbar - Hindi (Action/Drama ) – PG 9.45 PM

Hot Pursuit - 2D (12+) Action |Comedy Cas : Reese Witherspoon, Sofía Vergara, Matthew Del. 3:15 , 7:00 pm Absolution – 2D (15+)Action, Adventure, Crime Cast: Steven Seagal, Byron Mann, Josh Barnett 5:00 , 7:00 ,11:45 pm Avengers: Age of Ultron – 3D (PG12) Action |Adventure |Sci-Fi Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo 2:15 ,8:45 ,11:30 pm Words and Pictures - 2D (12+) Comedy, Drama, Romance Cast: Clive Owen, Juliette Binoche, Bruce Davison 4:50, 7:20 pm Piku -2D (PG) Comedy, Drama Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan 9:00 , 11:20 pm It Follows - 2D (15+) Horror | Mystery Cast: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Olivia Luccardi 3:15 , 11:45 pm Kajaki – 2D (15+) Adventure, Drama, Thriller Cast: Mark Stanley, David Elliot, Malachi Kirby 5:15, 9:30 pm Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet - 2D (PG12) Animation Cast: Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek, John Krasinski, 2:30 , 4:10 pm

Oru Vadakkan Selfie - 2D (M)(PG) Comedy Cast: Nivin Pauly, Aju Varghese, 06:30 pm Gabbar - 2D (PG) Action |Crime |Drama Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor . 9:15 pm

Avengers: Age of Ultron- 3D (PG12) Cast: Robert Dwney Jr,Chris Evan, 04:45/09:00 PM Kajaki - 2D (15+) Cast: Mark Stanley, David Elliot 03:00/11:45 PM Hot Pursuit-2D (12+) Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Sofía Vergara 05:15/07:15 PM Backcountry 2D (15+) Cast: Missy Peregrym, Eric Balfour 05:00/09:15 PM Absolution 2D (15+) 07:00/11:15 PM Gabbar is Back 2D (PG) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor 09:00 PM Kahlil Gibran’s the Prophet (2D)(PG12) Cast: Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek. 3:15 pm Revenge for Jolly! 2D (15+) Cast: Brian Petsos, Kristen Wiig, 3:30 pm Piku (2D) (PG) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan 07:00/11:00 pm

Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D)(Act) (PG12) Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo. 8:30 PM Khalil Gibran’s - The Prophet (Animation) (PG12) Cast: Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek. 5:00 PM

Piku (Comedy / Drama ) (PG) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan.11:00 PM Kajaki (Adv/ Drama / Thriller) (15+) Cast: Mark Stanley, David Elliot, Malachi Kirby. 6:30, 8:00 PM Absolution (Act / Adv / Crime) (15+) Cast: Steven seagal, Byron Mann, Josh Barnett. 4:30, 11:45 PM Hot Pursuit (Action / Com) (12+ ) Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Sofia Vergara, 6:15, 10:00 PM

Avengers :AgeOf Ultron (3D)(PG12) ( Action, Adventure,Sci-Fi) Cast: Robert Dwney Jr,Chris Evan, 11:00AM/3:35/7:15/11:30PM Kajaki (2D)(15+)( Adv, Dr, Thriller ) Cast: Mark Stanley, David Elliot 10:30AM/12:45/11:45PM Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet (2D)(PG12) (Animation) Cast: Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek, 11:15AM/12:30PM Words and Pictures (2D) (12+) (Com ) Cast: Clive Owen, 4:30PM It Follows (2D)(15+) (Horror | Mystery) Cast: Maika Monroe, 2:45/6:35PM Hot Pursuit (2D) (12+) (Comedy) Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Sofía Vergara, Matthew Del 2:00/5:30/9:45PM Gabbar (2D)(PG) (Ac/Crime/Drama) Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor; 11:15PM Oru Vadakkan Selfie (2D)(PG)(Comedy) Cast: Nivin Pauly, 8:30PM Absolution (2D)(15+)( Act, Adv, Crime ) Cast: Steven Seagal, Byron Mann, 1:30/6:05/10:00PM Piku (2D)(PG)( Comedy, Drama) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan, 3:15/7:45PM

ABSOLUTION (Action) Cast: Steven Seagal, Byron Mann, Josh Barnett 12.00, 6.00, 10.00 pm CP No: 1127 ( 15+ ) HOT PURSUIT ( Act / Com ) Cast: Sofis Vergara, Reese Witherspoon, Mathew Del Negro 11.45 am, 4.00, 8.00 pm CP No : 1131 (12+ ) KAJAKI (Adv/Thriller/War ) Cast:Mark Stanley, David Elliot, Malachi Kirby 1.15, 5.30, 11.55 pm CP No: 1130 (15+ ) BACKCOUNTRY ( Hor/ Thril) Cast: Missy Peregrym, Eric Balfour 2.00 & 11.55 pm CP No: 1128 (15+) PIKU (Hindi) ( Comedy/Drama ) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Depika Padukone, Irrfan Khan 3.15, 7.30 & 9.45 pm CP No: 1129 (PG )

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

STARS CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Oru Vadakkan Selfie (Mal) (Rom) Cast: Navin Pauly, Manjima, Aju 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 pm at Cinema Main Piku (Hindi) (PG) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan, 3-45 , 6-45 & 9-45pm at Cinema 3 Uthama Villain (Tamil ) ( Rom/Com ) Cast: Kamal Hassan, Jayram, Pooja Kumar & Urvashi 3-30 & 9-30 pm at Cinema -2 Dohchay (Telugu) (Com/Act) Cast: Naga Chaitanya & Kirti Sanon 3-45 , 6-45 & & 9-45 pm at Cinema 4 O Kadhal Kanmani (Tamil/Rom) Cast:Dulqar Salman & Nitya Menon 6:30pm at Cinema 2 Next Change: Bhaskar the Rascal (Mal) 36 Vayathinile (Tamil), Purampokku (Tamil)

For More Information 24789032, 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

ACES ON BRIDGE

Plan well ahead when discarding

W

.H. Auden, an Anglo-American poet, said, “Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can — all of them make me laugh.”

That is a good guideline.

Today, we have two problems that do not have a common denominator.

First, look at the South hand. West opens three clubs, showing a good seven-card suit and some 6-10 high-card points; North makes a takeout double; and East passes. What should South bid?

This is a situation so

many inexperienced players get wrong. They bid three spades, regardless of point-count.

Yes, it is true that North, when entering the auction over an opponent’s preemptive opening bid, will assume that South has six or seven points — but he has noticeably more than that. South must jump to four spades.

That is passed out. How should the defenders play to defeat the contract?

If West leads the club king, declarer wins in the dummy, draws trumps, ruffs his last club in the dummy, and runs the diamonds for an overtrick.

But if West leads his singleton heart, East wins the first trick with his heart jack, then cashes the heart ace and king. What should West discard?

West should throw the diamond nine followed by the diamond two: high-low with a doubleton, asking for a diamond shift. Then, when East leads a diamond at trick four, West ruffs to defeat the contract.

Andy Robson, an English expert, pointed out that if a pre-emptive opener leads a side suit, that will be a singleton. If instead he leads his own suit, play him for a singleton in your trump suit.

— By Phillip Alder MARMADUKE

CROSSWORD

B I G NAT E

Answer to previous puzzle

ACROSS 1 Muy —, gracias!

5 Thin strip 9 DDE successor 12 Small whirlpool 13 Essayist’s pen name 14 Jackie’s second 15 Door sound 16 Poked around 18 Sneeze or cough 20Itemizes 21 Loft filler 22PC key 23 Leipzig link 26 Chatoyant gem (hyph.)

30Gold, in Guatemala 31 Corsage flower

32 Golf peg 33 Patella 36 Cause, as havoc 38 Prune off 39 Mav’s foe 40 One-celled swimmer (Var.) 43 Gourd-shaped rattles 47 Andromeda and others 49Period of fasting 50 Switch positions 51 Latin I verb 52 Elbow-wrist joiner 53 Mild expletive 54 Roy Rogers’ wife 55 British school DOWN

1 She preceded Mamie 2 Casually 3 Red-waxed cheese 4 Dryads 5 Bad, bad Brown of song 6 Grad 7 Youngest Cratchit 8 Dane of fame 9 Binges 10 Get all worked up 11 Baby goats 17 Feels crummy 19 Make lace 22River tamer 23 Chinese pan 2440-cup brewer 25 Lobster eggs 26 Tea holder

27 Cousteau’s summer 28 Formal vote 29 Cartoon mice — and Meek 31 Atlas page 34 Isle off Sicily 35 Persuaded 36 Dove’s aversion 37 Insulation meas. (hyph.)

39 Social stratum 40 Thrilled 41 Lion’s pride 42“Anything —?”

43 Lunch or brunch 44Stonehenge builder 45 Livy’s year 46Hockey’s — Mikita 48Nest-egg letters

BORN LOSER

WITH LOVE SAANVIKA PREMJEET May 12, 2013

AROHI DEEPAK KULKARNI

AMRITHA SANTHOSH

MUSKAN SURANA

May 12. 2006

May 12

May 11, 2001

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 KIDSPOT

H E A LT H C A P S U L E

C10

TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

FIND-IT-ALL Y O U R B I R T H D AY

BORN today, you are the kind of person about whom other people are often thinking. Indeed, you are likely to be so often the centre of attention that you must get used to the idea of sacrificing your own privacy and stepping out upon the world stage to live your life in the public eye — for that is very likely what the stars have in store for you. You may not always like it — who would? — but the truth is that you were born to do things in a style that is uniquely your own, often for reasons that are uniquely your own, and being “on stage” may be the best possible way for you to do that.

Were you a solitary, private individual you would get far less done in life.

You have a great deal of appeal, and you may well leave many broken hearts in your wake, though this is not intentional. The truth is that you enjoy being in love; even if a love affair is destined to fail, you will pursue it simply for the short-term pleasure it can bring you.

Also born on this date are: Emilio Estevez, actor; Florence Nightingale, nurse; Jason Biggs, actor; Katharine Hepburn, actress; Yogi Berra, baseball player; George Carlin, comedian; Ving Rhames, actor; Malin Akerman, actress; Burt Bacharach, singer-songwriter and pianist; Steve Winwood, singersongwriter; Stephen Baldwin, actor; Gabriel Byrne, actor; Bruce Boxleitner, actor; Tom Snyder, journalist; Richard Riehle, actor; Edward Lear, poet.

W E AT H E R

M

WORLD

Max 39 Min 29 Max 29 Min 16

Max 41 Min 25

Max 38 Min 29 Max 18 Min 4

Max 40 Min 29

Max 20 Min 11

Max 42 Min 27

Max 43 Min 26

Max 44 Min 24

Max 41 Min 23

Max 37 Min 27

[APRIL 20-MAY 20] Max 33 Min 28

Max 23 Min 14

—www.met.gov.om

Max 35 Min 27 Max 20 Min 13

Min

GULF Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Kuwait Manama Riyadh

37 41 34 38 36 39

25 25 23 25 26 22

WORLD Athens Baghdad Beijing Berlin Boston Cairo Colombo Frankfurt Hong Kong Istanbul Johannesburg Kuala Lumpur Lisbon Paris Perth Singapore Tokyo Toronto

23 41 26 29 23 31 29 29 27 18 20 31 24 22 25 30 22 19

17 22 12 9 13 17 26 10 23 12 10 26 13 11 13 26 17 7

L O N G D I S TA N C E B U S T I M I N G S ( O M A N N AT I O N A L T R A N S P O R T C O M PA N Y S A O C ) * S U B J E C T T O C H A N G E

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

[MAY 21-JUNE 20] You’re eager to get your hands on a certain something, but take care that you don’t wind up with too much of a good thing!

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22] The results you get will be contingent upon the methods you adopt to pursue them. Everything is interconnected in this way.

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22] You may be waiting to hear from someone who will prove instrumental in shaping your immediate future.

You’ve got options, however.

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22] You may complain to someone that something can’t be done, but a rival may have already demonstrated that it can be done quite well.

LIBRA L [[SEPT. [S S 23-OCT. 22] Listen to what those in charge are saying about what lies ahead, and you’ll be able to prepare more thoroughly and be ready to make changes.

SCORPIO S [[OCT. 23-NOV. 21] You may not reach your goal today, but you’ll progress further than some may expect — including you. Assess your methods carefully.

SAGITTARIUS S [[NOV. 22-DEC. 21] You may feel as though you’ve been left out somehow, but the truth is that you have not made enough of an effort to be included.

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19] You will learn that any disappointment today is likely your own fault — or at least the product of your current course of action.

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18] It’s time to face the facts and do what you must to turn things around.

Try to make excuses, and others will surely see through you.

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20] Take care that you don’t let yourself be distracted by someone who doesn’t understand the seriousness of your current situation.

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19] You’re working hard to clarify something that has only been suggested by others. Avoid doing anything that can be misinterpreted in turn.

Sunset Sunrise (Tomorrow)

6.40pm 5.27am

High tide Low tide

3:14am 9:53pm

3:18pm 8:24am

maximum wave height of 2.5 metres and slight along the Musandam governorate and the Oman Sea coast with a maximum wave height of 1.25 metres.

HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY: Good over most of the Sultanate becoming poor during fog and thundershowers.

THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Mainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate. Chance of convective clouds over Al-Hajar mountains and adjoining areas during afternoon with a chance of isolated rain and occasional thundershowers that may be associated with fresh downdraft wind and hail.

Chance of late night to early morning low level clouds or fog patches along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea over governorates of south Al-Sharqiya and Al-Wusta.

Max

OMAN

GEMINI

12.08pm 3.32pm 6.45pm 8.02pm 4.04am

AIRLINES

ainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate with chance of convective cloud development and isolated rain with occasional thundershowers that may be associated with hail and fresh downdraft wind over Al-Hajar mountains and adjoining areas during afternoon to evening. Chances of early morning low level clouds or fog patches over governorates of south Al-Sharqiya and Al-Wusta.

EXPECTED WIND: Along the coastal areas of Oman Sea wind will be northeasterly light to moderate during day becoming southwesterly light at night, while over rest of the Sultanate it will be southerly to southwesterly light to moderate and occasionally fresh along the Arabian Sea coast.

SEA STATE: Moderate to rough along the Arabian Sea coastal area with a

TAURUS Now is not the time for skipping around willy-nilly. You must strategise and come up with an agenda you and others can follow faithfully.

PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (Route 36) Dept Destination Arrival Time Time 15:00 Quriyat 16:30 15:00 Sur 18:00 15:00 Jaalan 19:30 TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41) 06:30 Sohar 06:30 Buraimi 08:00 Buraimi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Buraimi 16.00 Sohar 16.00 Buraimi TO SINAW (Route 52) 17:30 Sinaw

TO MUSCAT (RUWI) Operating Days Daily Daily Daily

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (Route 36) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily 05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily 05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

08:50 11:00 14:30 15:45 17:40 18.35 20:20

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

20:50

Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41) 07:00 Sohar 07:00 Ruwi 13:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 17:00 Ruwi TO SINAW (Route 52) 07:00 Ruwi

To Yanqul (Route 54) 14:30 Nizwa 14:30 Yanqul

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54) 08:00 Nizwa 08:00 Al Araqi

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (Route 55) 07:30 Sur 14:30 Sur TO FAHUD - YIBAL (Route 62) 06:30 Fahud 06:30 Yibal

08:55 11:40 20:20 14:55 17:40 19:20 22:15

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

10:25

Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54) 06:00 Nizwa 06:00 Ruwi

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

Daily Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54) 15:40 Nizwa 15:40 Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

TO SUR (Route 55) 06:00 Ruwi 14:30 Ruwi

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

10:30 11:15

Daily Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (Route 62) 12:30 Fahud 12:30 Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (Route 100) 07:00 Salalah 20:00 10:00 Marmul 20:30 10:00 Salalah 23:30 19:00 Salalah 07:40

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (Route 100) 07:00 Ruwi 19:50 10:00 Marmul 13:15 10:00 Ruwi 22:30 19:00 Ruwi 07:30

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (Route 102) 15:00 Salalah 07:00

Daily

16:50

SALALAH TO DUBAI (Route 102) 15:00 Dubai 07:00 TO DUBAI (Route 201) 06:00 Sohar 06:00 Dubai 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Dubai 15:00 Sohar 15:00 Dubai

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily 07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily 07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201) 07:30 Sohar 07:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 15:30 Sohar 15:30 Ruwi

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

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily 16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily 16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

LISTINGS

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24783334; Appolo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24782666; Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24702542, Salalah: 23291635; Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra: 24503585; Ruwi 24811715 Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya. Tel: 24787766 Muscat, A Seeb Market. Tel: 24421691 Muscat, Al Khuwair. Tel: 24485740 Muscat, Al Hail South. Tel: 24537080 Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah.

Tel: 23291635 HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre: 24485052 Atlas Hospital: Ruwi: 24811743/ Ghubra: 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic: 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi: 24563641, Azaiba: 24499269, Sohar: 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital: 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory: 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre: 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic: 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi: 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb: 24420740 Ceregem National Raak: 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic: 24563217 Elixir Health Centre: 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre: 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre: 24472274 Hamdan Hospital: 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC: 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital: 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128, MBD: 24799077, Al Khuwair: 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital: 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital: 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair: 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC: 22004000 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 ACCOMMODATION Al Bahjah Hotel: 24424400 Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171 Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400 Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949 Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385 Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311 Al Qurum Resort: 24605945 Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979 Beach Hotel: 24696601 Bowshar Hotel: 24491105 Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121 Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660 Crystal Suites: 24826100 Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300 Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234 Haffa House Hotel: 24707207 Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123 InterContinental Muscat: 24680000 Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900 Marina Hotel: 24711711 Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565 Mina Hotel: 24711828 Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

Nuzha Hotel Apartments: 24789199 Oman Dive Centre: 24824240 Park Inn: 24507888 Qurum Beach House Hotel: 24564070 Radisson Blu Hotel: 24487777 Ramee Dream Resort Seeb: 24453399 Ramee Guestline Hotel: 24564443 Ruwi Hotel: 24704244 Safeer Hotel Suites: 24691200 Sheraton Oman Hotel: 24772772 Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa: 24776666 The Chedi Muscat: 24524400 The Treasurebox Muscat Hotel: 24502570 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, Turkish Airlines: 24703033 MUSEUMS Bait Al Baranda: Corniche (seafront opp fish market), Open from Saturday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 6pm Natural History Museum: Al Khuwair, Tel: 24604957, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm; Thursday: 9am to 1pm Museum of Omani Heritage: (former Omani Museum), Madinat Al Alam, Sat-Wed 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday 9am to 1pm, Tel: 24600946 Armed Forces Museum: Bait Al Falaj, Tel: 24312651, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm; Thurs 9-12pm and 3-6pm; Fri 9-11am and 3-6pm. Al Hoota Caves 24498258; Turtle Beach 96550606/96550707 Children’s Science Museum: Shatti Al Qurum, Tel: 24605368, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Oman-French Museum: near Muscat Police Station, Tel: 24736613, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm, Thurs: 9am to 1pm Bait Al Zubair, Muscat: Tel: 24736688, Al Saidiya St., Muscat museum@baitalzubairmuseum.com Open from Sat to Thurs: 9:30am to 6pm.

National Museum Ruwi: Tel: 24701289, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Sohar Fort Museum: Tel: 26844758, Open from Saturday to Wed: 8 to 1:30pm Thurs: 9am to 1pm Muscat Gate Museum: at Al Bahri Road, Muscat open from Sat to Wed 8am to 2pm

TUESDAY FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

WY406 WY648 WY676 WY682 WY914 BG021 WY916 NL768 TK774 4H583 PK281 GF560 QR1132 EK866 ET624 EY384 FZ041 WY114 WY412 WY658 WY638 4H562 WY902 WY644 WY326 WY686 WY154 WY144 WY678 WY668 WY132 WY674 WY102 FZ043 WY432 WY602 WY346 WY342 WY272 WY202 G9841 WY236 G9114 WY282 EK862 WY242 WY252 QR1128 IX817 EY382 9W530 WY3302 WY604 WY918 WY652 GF562 FZ037 WY372 IX337 WY384 WY822 WY705 WY904 WY634 WY818 BG023 WY670 WY324 WY332 PA950 PK191 WY606 WY906 WY920 FZ045 WY632 WY656 QR1126 WY3304 WY204 WY292 WY264 WY664 WY216 EK864 WY232 WY246 WY610 WY694 GF564 TG507 SV534 G9116 WY374 WY646 FZ047 WY908 RG125 WY386 WY224 WY614 WY338 FZ049 WY124 9W534 AI973 6.00E+81 WY254 BA073 WY624 UL205 AI907 WY312 LX242 QR1134 GF566 LH616 EY388 WY910 9W540 AI985 WY662 WY654 WY636 WY928 WY816 WY696 WY612

WEDNESDAY ETA

FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

CAIRO 0005 KUWAIT 0005 JEDDAH 0005 RIYADH 0010 SALALAH 0020 DACCA 0100 SALALAH 0120 LAHORE 0130 ISTANBUL 0135 DACCA 0200 ISLAM ABBAD-SIALKOT 0300 BAHRAIN 0325 DOHA 0345 DUBAI 0350 ADDIS ABABA 0350 ABU DHABI 0400 DUBAI 0415 FRANKFURT 0515 AMMAN 0515 BAHRAIN 0635 ABU DHABI 0640 JEDDAH 0645 SALALAH 0645 KUWAIT 0650 KARACHI 0650 RIYADH 0655 ZURICH 0700 MALPENSA 0705 MEDINA 0710 DOHA 0715 PARIS 0735 JEDDAH 0735 LONDON HEATHROW 0740 DUBAI 0800 TEHRAN 0805 DUBAI 0805 ISLAM ABBAD 0815 LAHORE 0825 JAIPUR 0830 BOMBAY 0835 RAS AL KHAIMA 0855 HYDERABAD 0900 SHARJAH 0905 BANGALORE 0910 DUBAI 0930 DELHI 0935 MADRAS 0955 DOHA 1000 MANGALORE 1010 ABU DHABI 1010 TRIVANDRUM 1045 MUKHAIZNA 1050 DUBAI 1115 KHASAB 1115 BAHRAIN 1125 BAHRAIN 1130 DUBAI 1140 COLOMBO 1140 CALICUT 1155 MALE 1210 KUALA LUMPUR-SINGAPORE 1215 DARESSLAM-ZANZIBAR 1215 SALALAH 1220 ABU DHABI 1220 BANGKOK 1220 DACCA-CHITTAGONG 1230 DOHA 1250 KARACHI 1300 KATHMANDU 1305 SIALKOT 1310 GWADUR 1320 DUBAI 1340 SALALAH 1440 KHASAB 1445 DUBAI 1535 ABU DHABI 1605 BAHRAIN 1610 DOHA 1650 MUKHAIZNA 1650 BOMBAY 1655 CALICUT 1710 LUCKNOW 1740 DOHA 1745 TRIVANDRUM 1745 DUBAI 1745 HYDERABAD 1750 DELHI 1750 DUBAI 1800 DAMMAM 1805 BAHRAIN 1810 BANGKOK-KARACHI 1900 RIYADH 1900 SHARJAH 1905 COLOMBO 1915 KUWAIT 1920 DUBAI 1940 SALALAH 2000 ABU DHABI 2005 MALE 2020 COCHIN 2025 DUBAI 2025 KATHMANDU 2040 DUBAI 2100 MUNICH 2105 COCHIN 2115 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 MADRAS 2135 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2140 DUBAI 2150 COLOMBO 2155 MADRAS 2200 CHITTAGONG 2210 ZURICH-DUBAI 2225 DOHA 2225 BAHRAIN 2240 FRANKFURT-DOHA 2245 ABU DHABI 2300 SALALAH 2310 BOMBAY 2315 BOMBAY 2325 DOHA 2335 BAHRAIN 2340 ABU DHABI 2340 SALALAH 2345 BANGKOK 2350 DAMMAM 2355 DUBAI 2355

WY648 WY406 WY676 WY672 WY682 WY914 WY916 TK774 4H583 PK229 GF560 FZ035 QR1132 EK866 ET624 EY384 WY114 WY412 WY658 WY638 WY902 WY644 WY686 G9841 WY144 WY668 WY674 WY132 WY102 FZ043 WY432 WY422 WY602 WY342 NL768 WY202 WY236 G9114 WY282 WY226 EK862 WY242 IX549 WY252 QR1128 EY382 IX443 QR8550 WY3922 WY652 9W530 WY918 WY604 WY3302 GF562 FZ037 WY372 IX337 PA450 WY822 WY818 WY634 WY904 WY670 WY324 WY332 WY606 WY906 WY920 WY348 G9119 FZ045 WY3304 WY656 QR1126 WY204 WY292 WY264 WY664 EK864 WY232 WY246 WY254 WY610 GF564 WY216 G9116 WY274 WY646 FZ047 WY908 RG125 WY632 WY386 WY614 WY848 WY338 FZ049 AI977 KL441 WY124 9W534 AI973 6.00E+81 BA073 WY624 AI907 WY312 LX242 QR1134 GF566 LH616 WY717 WY328 EY388 WY414 WY910 9W540 AI985 WY662 WY636 WY654 WY928 WY816 WY612 WY696

KUWAIT 0005 CAIRO 0005 JEDDAH 0005 MEDINA 0005 RIYADH 0010 SALALAH 0020 SALALAH 0120 ISTANBUL 0135 DACCA 0200 LAHORE 0215 BAHRAIN 0325 DUBAI 0340 DOHA 0345 DUBAI 0350 ADDIS ABABA 0350 ABU DHABI 0400 FRANKFURT 0515 AMMAN 0635 BAHRAIN 0635 ABU DHABI 0640 SALALAH 0645 KUWAIT 0650 RIYADH 0655 RAS AL KHAIMA 0655 MALPENSA 0705 DOHA 0715 JEDDAH 0735 PARIS 0735 LONDON HEATHROW 0740 DUBAI 0800 TEHRAN 0805 BEIRUT 0805 DUBAI 0805 LAHORE 0825 LAHORE 0830 BOMBAY 0835 HYDERABAD 0900 SHARJAH 0905 BANGALORE 0910 COCHIN 0920 DUBAI 0930 DELHI 0935 TRIVANDRUM 0955 MADRAS 0955 DOHA 1000 ABU DHABI 1010 COCHIN 1020 DOHA 1035 DUQUM OMAN 1035 BAHRAIN 1040 TRIVANDRUM 1045 KHASAB 1115 DUBAI 1115 MUKHAIZNA 1120 BAHRAIN 1130 DUBAI 1140 COLOMBO 1140 CALICUT 1155 LAHORE 1215 KUALA LUMPUR-SINGAPORE 1215 BANGKOK 1220 ABU DHABI 1220 SALALAH 1230 DOHA 1250 KARACHI 1300 KATHMANDU 1305 DUBAI 1340 SALALAH 1440 KHASAB 1445 ISLAM ABBAD 1515 SHARJAH 1525 DUBAI 1535 MUKHAIZNA 1550 BAHRAIN 1610 DOHA 1650 BOMBAY 1655 CALICUT 1710 LUCKNOW 1740 DOHA 1745 DUBAI 1745 HYDERABAD 1750 DELHI 1750 MADRAS 1750 DUBAI 1800 BAHRAIN 1810 TRIVANDRUM 1820 SHARJAH 1905 JAIPUR 1910 KUWAIT 1920 DUBAI 1940 SALALAH 2000 ABU DHABI 2005 ABU DHABI 2005 MALE 2020 DUBAI 2025 JAKARTA 2035 KATHMANDU 2040 DUBAI 2100 BANGALORE-HYDERABAD 2105 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2105 MUNICH 2105 COCHIN 2115 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2140 DUBAI 2150 MADRAS 2200 CHITTAGONG 2210 ZURICH-DUBAI 2225 DOHA 2225 BAHRAIN 2240 FRANKFURT-DOHA 2245 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2250 KARACHI 2250 ABU DHABI 2300 AMMAN 2300 SALALAH 2310 BOMBAY 2315 BOMBAY 2325 DOHA 2335 ABU DHABI 2340 BAHRAIN 2340 SALALAH 2345 BANGKOK 2350 DUBAI 2355 DAMMAM 2355

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

AI986 9W539 SG062 WY657 WY637 WY235 WY281 WY685 WY201 WY643 WY251 WY345 WY271 WY601 WY341 WY431 WY371 WY123 WY325 WY901 WY241 WY667 WY383 BG022 NL769 TK775 4H584 WY331 PK282 EK867 ET625 EY385 FZ042 QR1133 GF561 WY651 WY3301 WY903 4H562 WY603 WY917 WY323 WY669 FZ044 WY633 WY373 WY215 WY815 WY291 WY263 WY385 G9842 WY821 G9115 WY231 WY905 WY605 WY203 WY245 EK863 WY337 IX818 QR1129 EY383 WY311 WY919 9W533 GF563 WY223 WY655 FZ038 WY631 IX350 WY253 WY113 WY693 WY3303 WY663 WY131 WY143 WY645 WY101 BG024 PK192 PA951 WY927 WY405 WY609 WY907 WY675 FZ046 WY671 WY613 QR1127 WY623 WY681 WY647 WY909 GF565 EK865 WY695 WY661 WY653 G9117 SV535 WY913 TG508 WY635 FZ048 WY611 RG126 WY915 FZ050 WY411 WY421 WY817 9W529 6.00E+82 AI908 UL206 AI974 GF567 LX243 BA072 QR1135 WY673 LH617 EY381

BOMBAY 0020 BOMBAY 0020 AHMEDABAD 0030 BAHRAIN 0055 ABU DHABI 0105 HYDERABAD 0110 BANGALORE 0110 RIYADH 0115 BOMBAY 0115 KUWAIT 0120 MADRAS 0120 ISLAM ABBAD 0125 JAIPUR 0135 DUBAI 0145 LAHORE 0145 TEHRAN 0155 COLOMBO 0155 MUNICH 0200 KARACHI 0210 SALALAH 0215 DELHI 0215 DOHA 0225 MALE 0230 CHITTAGONG-DACCA 0230 LAHORE 0230 ISTANBUL 0230 DACCA 0300 KATHMANDU 0350 SIALKOT 0400 DUBAI 0450 ADDIS ABABA 0450 ABU DHABI 0500 DUBAI 0510 DOHA 0515 BAHRAIN 0715 BAHRAIN 0730 MUKHAIZNA 0730 SALALAH 0740 DACCA 0745 DUBAI 0750 KHASAB 0815 KARACHI 0835 DOHA 0835 DUBAI 0845 ABU DHABI 0900 COLOMBO 0900 TRIVANDRUM 0900 BANGKOK 0905 CALICUT 0915 LUCKNOW 0940 MALE 0945 RAS AL KHAIMA 0945 SINGAPORE-KUALA LUMPUR 0945 SHARJAH 0955 HYDERABAD 1000 SALALAH 1020 DUBAI 1020 BOMBAY 1025 DELHI 1040 DUBAI 1045 KATHMANDU 1050 MANGALORE 1100 DOHA 1100 ABU DHABI 1105 CHITTAGONG 1140 KHASAB 1145 COCHIN 1145 BAHRAIN 1215 COCHIN 1215 BAHRAIN 1215 DUBAI 1225 ABU DHABI 1240 CALICUT 1255 MADRAS 1255 FRANKFURT 1320 DAMMAM 1330 MUKHAIZNA 1330 DOHA 1330 PARIS 1345 MALPENSA 1350 KUWAIT 1350 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 DACCA 1400 GWADUR-TURBAT 1405 SIALKOT 1430 SALALAH 1430 CAIRO 1440 DUBAI 1445 SALALAH 1540 JEDDAH 1615 DUBAI 1620 MEDINA 1705 DUBAI 1710 DOHA 1750 DUBAI 1840 RIYADH 1840 KUWAIT 1845 SALALAH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 DUBAI 1910 DAMMAM 1915 DOHA 1920 BAHRAIN 1920 SHARJAH 1955 RIYADH 2000 SALALAH 2000 KARACHI-BANGKOK 2005 ABU DHABI 2015 DUBAI 2025 DUBAI 2035 ABU DHABI 2045 SALALAH 2100 DUBAI 2145 AMMAN 2205 BEIRUT 2215 BANGKOK 2225 TRIVANDRUM 2230 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 COLOMBO 2305 DELHI 2310 BAHRAIN 2325 DUBAI-ZURICH 2325 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 2330 DOHA 2330 JEDDAH 2350 DOHA-FRANKFURT 2355 ABU DHABI 2355

9W539 AI986 WY657 WY637 WY235 WY281 WY201 WY685 WY643 WY251 WY341 WY601 WY431 WY371 WY123 WY847 WY241 WY901 WY667 TK775 4H584 PK230 WY331 EK867 ET625 EY385 FZ036 QR1133 WY651 GF561 WY3921 G9842 WY603 WY903 WY3301 WY917 WY347 WY669 WY323 FZ044 WY633 WY815 WY291 WY215 WY253 NL769 WY717 WY263 WY385 WY821 WY843 G9115 WY231 WY905 WY605 WY203 WY245 EK863 IX554 WY337 QR1129 EY383 IX442 WY311 9W533 WY919 QR8550 WY655 GF563 WY273 FZ038 WY3303 IX350 PA451 WY113 WY663 WY143 WY645 WY101 WY423 WY153 WY927 WY413 WY405 WY609 WY907 WY675 G9110 FZ046 WY631 WY613 QR1127 WY327 WY623 WY681 WY647 WY909 GF565 EK865 WY695 WY661 WY653 G9117 WY913 WY635 FZ048 WY611 RG126 WY915 FZ050 AI978 KL442 WY817 9W529 6.00E+82 AI908 AI974 WY677 GF567 LX243 BA072 QR1135 WY673 EY381 LH617

BOMBAY 0020 BOMBAY 0020 BAHRAIN 0055 ABU DHABI 0105 HYDERABAD 0110 BANGALORE 0110 BOMBAY 0115 RIYADH 0115 KUWAIT 0120 MADRAS 0120 LAHORE 0145 DUBAI 0145 TEHRAN 0155 COLOMBO 0155 MUNICH 0200 JAKARTA 0215 DELHI 0215 SALALAH 0215 DOHA 0225 ISTANBUL 0230 DACCA 0300 LAHORE 0315 KATHMANDU 0350 DUBAI 0450 ADDIS ABABA 0450 ABU DHABI 0500 DUBAI 0510 DOHA 0515 BAHRAIN 0645 BAHRAIN 0715 DUQUM OMAN 0740 RAS AL KHAIMA 0745 DUBAI 0750 SALALAH 0750 MUKHAIZNA 0800 KHASAB 0815 ISLAM ABBAD 0830 DOHA 0835 KARACHI 0835 DUBAI 0845 ABU DHABI 0900 BANGKOK 0905 CALICUT 0915 TRIVANDRUM 0915 MADRAS 0915 LAHORE 0930 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 0940 LUCKNOW 0940 MALE 0945 SINGAPORE-KUALA LUMPUR 0945 MANILA 0955 SHARJAH 0955 HYDERABAD 1000 SALALAH 1020 DUBAI 1020 BOMBAY 1025 DELHI 1040 DUBAI 1045 TRIVANDRUM 1045 KATHMANDU 1050 DOHA 1100 ABU DHABI 1105 COCHIN 1120 CHITTAGONG 1140 COCHIN 1145 KHASAB 1145 DUBAI WORLD CENTRE-DOHA 1205 BAHRAIN 1215 BAHRAIN 1215 JAIPUR 1220 DUBAI 1225 MUKHAIZNA 1230 CALICUT 1255 LAHORE 1315 FRANKFURT 1320 DOHA 1330 MALPENSA 1350 KUWAIT 1350 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 BEIRUT 1415 ZURICH 1420 SALALAH 1430 AMMAN 1440 CAIRO 1440 DUBAI 1445 SALALAH 1540 JEDDAH 1615 SHARJAH 1615 DUBAI 1620 ABU DHABI 1640 DUBAI 1710 DOHA 1750 KARACHI 1810 DUBAI 1840 RIYADH 1840 KUWAIT 1845 SALALAH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 DUBAI 1910 DAMMAM 1915 DOHA 1920 BAHRAIN 1920 SHARJAH 1955 SALALAH 2000 ABU DHABI 2015 DUBAI 2025 DUBAI 2035 ABU DHABI 2045 SALALAH 2100 DUBAI 2145 HYDERABAD-BANGALORE 2200 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2220 BANGKOK 2225 TRIVANDRUM 2230 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 DELHI 2310 MEDINA 2310 BAHRAIN 2325 DUBAI-ZURICH 2325 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 2330 DOHA 2330 JEDDAH 2350 ABU DHABI 2355 DOHA-FRANKFURT 2355

ETD

ETA

ETD

T U E S DAY, MAY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

C 11

EXTRA STUDY

Email addiction can cause your health to deteriorate

Facebook news feeds can become an ‘echo chamber’ Though people tend to have a diverse range of friends, Facebook’s algorithm

means that they mostly see those who share their views, research has found

F

acebook users tend almost entirely to click on links that they agree with, meaning that their news feeds can become an echo chamber, according to new research. Most users of the site have friends with a broad range of political views. But they tend only to click on posts by those friends that they agree with politically, according to new research published in Science, and so the News Feed tends to show them the same kind of content.

Researchers call that self-sustaining effect the “filter bubble”.

As technology companies learn more about their users, they show them the kind of results that they have clicked on in the past — which has the effect of showing people things that they already agreed with and wanted to see.

The new study was conducted by Facebook’s in-house scientists, and aimed to establish whether the site’s algorithm was creating a filter bubble, and whether that led to political polarisation.

Facebook’s algorithm decides what users see on their news feed based on a range of criteria, including how often a link has been clicked by other users and whether it is the kind of thing that users have engaged with in the past.

To establish whether people tended to engage with people they disagreed with, Facebook researchers mapped out the site’s users according to which parties they’d indicated that they support. Over 10 million Facebook users were unknowingly mapped on a five point scale according to whether they were Conservative or Liberal. The site then analysed news content to decide whether

As technology companies learn more about their users, they show them the kind of results that they have clicked on in the past — which has the effect of showing people things that they already agreed with and wanted to see

the organisation posting it tended to be conservative or liberal. Researchers calculated that by looking at the affiliations of the people who liked them — ranking the New York Times as slightly liberal but Fox News as slightly conservative, for instance. Researchers then analysed when stories were “crosscutting” — stories from conservative sources that were seen by liberal Facebook users, or vice versa. By analysing the two sets of data together, researchers could work out how often people see stories that they weren’t expected to agree with.

The Facebook news feed does tend to work as an echo chamber, the researchers found. Users were about 1 per cent less likely to see stories that they didn’t agree with, they said — less of a bias than some critics of the News Feed had suggested, but still enough to be significant.

-Andrew Griffin/The Independent

PAT E N T WA R S

Patents for technology to read people’s minds COMPANIES are taking out a huge amount of patents related to reading brainwaves, according to analysis, with a range of different applications. Fewer than 400 neuro-technology related patents were filed between 20002009. But in 2010 alone that reached 800, and last year 1,600 were filed, according to research company SharpBrains.

The patents are for a range of uses, not just for the healthcare technology that might be expected. The company with the most patents is market research firm Nielsen, which has 100. Microsoft also has 89 related patents.

Other uses of the technology

that have been patented include devices that can change the thoughts of feelings of those that they are used on.

But there are still medical uses — some of those patents awarded include technology to measure brain lesions and improve vision.

The volume of the patents shows that we are at the beginning of “the pervasive neurotechnology age”, the company’s CEO Alvaro Fernandez said.

“Neurotech has gone well beyond medicine, with non-medical corporations, often under the radar, developing neurotechnologies to enhance life,” said Fernandez.

-Andrew Griffin/The Independent

NOT JUST WhatsApp or Facebook, even an email addiction can damage your health owing to an increased stress levels, say British researchers. There is a direct link between email use and increased levels of stress as well as other health conditions such as hypertension, thyroid disease, heart failure and coronary artery disease. The sound advice is — Reduce the volume of irrelevant and untargeted email and cut the frequency of checking new emails. Multifunctional devices like Blackberry’s and iPhones allow workers to be accessible 24-hours a day and because of this, it is likely that there will be an increase in stress levels,” said professor Tom Jackson from Loughborough University’s school of Business and economics. During the study, users perceived themselves not to be stressed when the physiological findings showed their bodies were under increased stress. This would indicate that employees might find it difficult to self-regulate their use of communication media to ensure they do not become overwhelmed by stress. “This can lead to long-term chronic health conditions,” added Jackson, also one of the Britain’s top email experts, in a statement. However, Jackson argues that email is not a bad communication tool but that poor email training and management is the problem. Not only does this have health implications, but also a financial cost for businesses. “It is recommended that communication managers or others responsible for email policy and management examine their email policies and develop a ‘snapshot’ of how their employees use email,” the authors wrote. Such information will provide an organisation with a useful foundation from which to build their training to increase the effectiveness of their employees. -IANS

C12

TU ESDAY, MAY 12, 2015

EXTRA

THERAPY OF ELECTRICAL CURRENTS FINDS TAKERS

Thync, the latest in transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS, can alter the user’s mood in minutes via electric current, claim its manufacturers

I

draw an uneasy breath as I step into a bright purple office on the 14th floor of Boston’s Prudential Building. I am shown to a small conference table, where I take a seat and await the experiment.

A palm-size, triangular module is affixed above my right eye. It connects to a single-use strip of electrodes stuck onto my forehead and running down the back of my neck.

This is Thync, the latest in transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS. The manufacturer says the device, to come out later this year, can alter the user’s mood in minutes via electric current.

With a connected smartphone app, the mood-impaired subject chooses one of two settings: “calm vibes” or “energy vibes.”

I tap “calm vibes” and wait.

Somehow, I am having a hard time picturing myself unwinding at home this way while my husband sips a glass of merlot.

+/+

+

+/-

Thync is the latest in a wave of wearable gadgets offering socalled noninvasive brain stimulation. Until recently, it was mostly hobbyists — nine-volt batteries stuck to their heads — who experimented with tDCS as a means of improving concentration, verbal and computation abilities, and creativity. But in the last few years, several companies have introduced slick consumer devices, among them Foc.us, whose headset and controller cost $298, and The Brain Stimulator, whose advanced starter kit costs $150.

In January, the journal Brain Stimulation published the largest meta-analysis of tDCS to date.

After examining every finding replicated by at least two research groups, leading to 59 analyses, the authors reported that one session of tDCS failed to show any significant benefit for users.

Now the developers behind Thync are aiming to redefine the product category by introducing a new, proprietary form of tDCS that they say more reliably produces the intended effect.

Originally, tDCS targeted a specific brain region by sending an electrical current first through the skin, skull, blood vessels, cerebral fluid and meninges. Some researchers say that approach

unpublished research. The study measured only the device’s calming effect, and company researchers concluded that it induced “significantly greater subjective relaxation” compared with placebo stimulation.

The participants first underwent no stimulation, then real stimulation, leading some experts to question the study’s design.

“It’s difficult to determine if the change in relaxation was due to stimulation or due to participants sitting comfortably for 40 minutes,” said Jared Horvath, a fourth-year Ph.D. student at the University of Melbourne and lead author of the recently published meta-analysis on tDCS.

-

While Tyler said Thync’s test subjects have not experienced significant side effects, some experts sounded a note of caution for potential consumers.

“Almost all interventions of this sort have some sort of side effects,” Jung said. “Is the cure worse than the disease when you’re talking about changing the circuitry in the peripheral nervous system?”

After 15 minutes, I feel a mild tightness in my head though the tingling sensation has abated. I’m not floored by sudden calm, but my breathing has deepened.

If Thync does work, some mental health professionals worry it could distract users from developing their own coping skills.

makes it difficult to determine where the current actually enters and exits the brain.

Thync’s strategy is to bypass the brain and instead use pulsed currents to stimulate peripheral nerves closer to the surface of the skin, with the goal of modulating the user’s stress response.

“We spent a year and a half optimising the wave forms to the point that we felt really confident in the science,” said Jamie Tyler, the company’s chief science officer.

His team has tested about 3,300 people in single-blind and doubleblind, placebo-controlled studies.

Wave forms refer to a series of electric pulses that change frequency and amplitude over time.

Like a sound equalizer, the theory goes, the parameters can be “tuned” to produce an intended biological effect.

Soon into my 20-minute demonstration, I feel a sharp, slightly painful tingling above my eye, like vibrating pinpricks. I brace my-

self, awaiting relaxation.

According to Tyler, the “calm vibe” at its peak produces a relaxation greater than that provided by three Benadryls, according to a common statistical measure for effect size. The “energy vibe” is said to be stronger than that produced by a 20-ounce can of Red Bull. Each mood lasts for about 45 minutes without a subsequent crash, Thync says.

But some experts are skeptical, insisting that the company show

evidence of peer-reviewed, independently replicated results. “ I do think it’s a bit early in the game to be putting this rather untested and unknown technology out there as a kind of big societal experiment,” said Rex Jung, a neuropsychologist at the University of New Mexico-Albuquerque, who has conducted governmentfunded research of tDCS. Thync posted one study of 82 subjects on bioRxiv, an unmonitored open source website for

“The practice of learning to change yourself can be very powerful and also give people the skills of self-regulation that can last longer than a device,” said Carl Erik Fisher, an assistant professor of neuroethics and psychiatry at Columbia University But Thync’s developers say that it can help users “conquer life.” In a recent real-world test, they gave it to 12 people before first dates.

Eleven reported that the calm vibes had improved their experiences. (The 12th subject thought he became too mellow, but his date called him a good listener.)

After 20 minutes, I remove the electrodes, yawn and saunter out.

Whether the effect is real or a placebo, I can’t say, but I do know one thing — It’s time for a nap.

- Kira Peikoff/The New York Times News Service

D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M T U E S DAY, M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

SECTION

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VACANCY

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*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

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T U E S D AY, M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

3000 sq mtrs Industrial landß, in Barka Sanaiya, with electricity 400KW, shed, staff accommodation and office. Ready to start any kind of factory. Contact 99384255.

3 Office space available between 120-142 sqm, with data cable, pantry, cassette AC, parking, @ RO. 5/- per/sqm. At Jibroo Muttrah. 2 BHK flat at Azaiba, behind Al Meera Hypermarket. RO. 330/-.Contact: 93221054, 99229263, 95215289

New one B/R directly from owner.

Bausher. Contact – 92158031 Ground + Mezzanine floor, suitable for A grade Restaurant next to Pizza hut, MBD. Contact 24714625 / 94460790 Showroom for rent 200 m in Al Misfah, Bousher facing the main road. Contact 95202430 New building, residential apartments and offices, in Al Khoud Souq. Contact 95202340 Deluxe 1, 2 BHK flats in Darsait, AL Khuwair 1deal for office & residence.# 99369081 /99142314

Flats shops and store for rent in Ruwi, MBD Honda road.

Contact 97293708 / 92433127 2 & 3 BHK , A/C Qurum.

Contact 99024730 2& 3 BHK , Madinat Sultan Qaboos.

Contact: 99024730

2BHK with split AC in W. K behind Sana Fashion. contact 96708000

For rent flat 2 BHK 350/- R.O in North Al Ghubrah.

Contact 97004127

1,2,3 BHK apartments for rent. , 4,5 BHK villas for rent.

Contact 95178930

For rent flat 3BHK 390/-R.O in North Al Ghubrah.

Contact 97004127

3 flats for rent 3 bedrooms include A/C, near the highway (Bowshar Amerat). Contact 97777911 / 95533777 Mabella residential area flat 3 bedroom, toilet 33 inside of the compound wall ground level, children playground excellent area.

Contact 99879872 Flat 1 BHK for rent near Al Tajaweed furniture way no. 5917 Hamriya, Rent 160/- PM. Contact 99350946 1st floor flat in Amerat Phase 5, 4 rooms, bathrooms (3), kitchen with A/C for family. Contact 95522405 2BHK at Al Azaiba, 2bedrooms, 1 hall & dinning , 3 bathrooms.

Contact : 99224748 / 99425665

Full storey at Al Khuwair, 3BHK 525/- R.O. Contact: 94232344 New flat at Al Qurum, 2 BHK 450/R.O . Contact: 94232344

Villa for rent with 4 bedroom at Al Khodh, Rent 600/-RO.#92888115 First floor one unit flat 3 bed, 3 bathrooms, hall, sitting, dining at Ghubra South. Contact 98087644

2 BHK (with split AC) residential flat at Honda road.

Contact 98087644 / 99795241

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

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

2 Bed room Portion of a Villa for rent at Honda road, Rent 225/-RO. (For Indain family) Contact: 91218273

2 & 3 BHK flat in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181 Labour Camp for Rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99792181 2 BHK flat in Rex Road.

Contact 99792181 1 BHK flat in Honda Road (Ruwi).

Contact 99792181

Studio & 1BHK flat in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454

2 bedroom apartment in Ruwi for rent or sale for information.

Contact: 99360303

1BHK R.O 250/-, Bldg # 1690 way # 6926 near to ISWK Kindergarten Wadi Kabir. Contact : 99476728

Well maintained spacious, 2BHK at Rex Road from 1st August.

Contact: 92227165

1 & 2BHK at Honda road, 2 bedrooms, 1 hall, 2 bath rooms.

Contact 99224748 / 99332297

We have flats for rent in South Al Mabella stage -8 along the highway. Contact 95121222

1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in Misfah Industrial area near to Khanco. OMR 1,500 Monthly.

Electricity and boundary wall will be provided. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

2 BHK in Muttrah, 2 bedrooms, 1 hall, 1 bathroom & 1 kitchen.

Contact 99342790 2BHK Muttrah behind Oman house. Contact 95915154

1BHK A.C Mumtaz.

Contact 97799175 2 BHK with A.C, M.B.D, R.O 325/-.

Contact: 92144045 2 bedroom flat for rent in Azaiba near Mitsubishi showroom, Rent 300/-. Contact : 92447365 One BHK flat for rent in Ghobra with attach and common bathroom.

For Indian family.

Contact - 92322096 2 BHK with A.C Ghubra R.O 350/-.

Contact: 92144045 2BHK without A.C Mumtaz R.O 275/-. Contact 92144045 1BHK Ghubra R.O 350/-.

Contact 92144045 2BHK flat with very big balcony for rent at MBD, rent R.O 400/-Month. Contact 94273529 1& 2BHK for rent at Wadi Kabir, Hilal Al Sad and Al Khoud areas .

Contact Office: 24834644 Mobile: 93994401/02/03

Studio flat Wadi Kabeer 160/-O.R. Contact - 99358589 / 97079146/ 95570288

Flat at Darsait. Contact 99326879

2BHK Al Khuwair.

Contact : 99024730

3 bedroom flat for rent in Al Hamria Contact: 99341112

Ware House & office space.

Contact 99024730

Flat for rent, 2 BK near Kuwaiti Mosque, Wadi Kabir. Contact 97007934 / 92629232

C.B.D 2BHK. Contact 99024730

Flat for rent 2 BK near Oman House Muttrah. Contact 97007934 / 92629232 200 Sqr mtrs office space in CBD. Contact 99792181 New Building in Mutrah, 2 B/D Room Flat + Setting Room,3 Baths+ Kitchen with split unit Ac’s.

Behind Khimiji’s main office/ opposite to Oman House Call 99419712 Two bedroom Flat Available at Darsait/Near Muscat Municipality/ Call 99107588 Ground floor flat in Mabela South with 2 big room & living room, 3 toilets, kitchen, small store & hall.

Contact 93295953

Independent rooms in Qurum / Al Hail. Contact 95529970 1BHK, 2 toilets at South Ghubra include E/W and AC split with fully furnished OMR 350/-.

Contact 92811110 Flats for rent near Indian School in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99777122 1, 2, 3, BHK flats.

Contact: 97799175 1/3 BHK Flat Ghubrah, close to ISG Way 4041, building 4390.

Contact 99319880 1BHK flat near star cinema with split A/C 230/- O.R. Contact - 99358589/ 97079146/95570288 Bath attached room for rent Al Khuwair. Contact 99743569

If require flats for rent in Wadi Kabir please send me messages through whatsapp or call 99376454

Furnished flats for rent in Al Buraimi, daily, weekly, monthly.

Contact 97819981 / 93593336

1 BHK new bldg with A/C, curtains near Khimji Mart MBD. Contact: 99061408 / 99024039

1 Bedroom bachelors, sharing K & T in Al Khuwair R.O 100/-.

Contact 95154331

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D3

DAILY GUIDE

BUYING / SELLING Used household & office furniture and electronic items.

Contact 99834373, 97102699

M.V. FOR SALE

FOR SALE

FOR SALE! 1 No. PLASTER MIXER PUMP (Make/Model: Putzmeister; DWϮϱͿ ŝŶ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶ available for sale on AS IS WHERE IS basis (at our Ghala Store). Genuine buyers Contact Evan G. Amanna, Mbl. 99334126; R&N KHIMJI LLC - Tel.24502111; Email: rnk@rkhimjigroup.com

FOR RENT Labour camp for Rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99797422

FOR SALE

2 BHK & studio flat at Darsait 1SM. Contact 99024730 Room main road, Al Khuwair R.O 110/-. Contact 97799175 Room with attached bathroom Al Khuwair 33 area.

Contact 96059431 Apartments for rent Ghubra : near Indian School Ghubra & Al Maha International Hotel (2BHK with 5 split A/C units).Contact 99273774 / 99202278 /94652485 Villa in Al Khuwair and Seeb.

Contact 95250300/ 99119699 / 92125648 Ghubra near Al Maha hotel & Indian school (2BHK with 5 split ac units). Contact 94652485/ 99273774 / 99202278 Big flat in Al Khuwair 33, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, sitting, dining, family lounge, kitchen, store with A/C, rent 550/- OMR. Contact 97278169 1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in Misfah Industrial area near to Khanco. OMR 1,500 Monthly.

Electricity and boundary wall will be provided. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 Industrial land for rent in Wadi Kabir 7000 Sq mtrs.

Contact 99354340 1 Bedroom flat in Azaiba.

Contact 99385835/99428143 Flat for rent 1 & 2 bedroom available behind Zaker Mall Al Khuwair.

Contact - 99530405 For rent 3 industrial land.

Contact 92702891/ 95490842 Flats/villas owned by ROP pension fund available for rent in Muscat. Contact 99349526 Spacious 2 BHK flats in Ruwi MBD area only on 350/- OMR. Contact – 95122188 / 96441499

40 FT Seaworthy used containers for sale located in Sur and Sohar in very good condition. # 99771466 A well equipped running dental clinic in Ruwi for sale.

Contact 93769963

2,560 sq mtrs industrial land Wadi Kabir Main Road, First line on way to Al Bustan hotel. Possible to make petrol station or hotel. OMR 990 Thousand Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Coffee shop equipment and furniture for sale call 95207741 .

558 Sq mtrs residential land in Barka (Al Jenainah) near Lulu and near to school. OMR 32 Thousand.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Used Furniture of Ready made showroom for Sale.contact 24704370, 99798452 (Ashwin)

We have flats for sale in south Al Mabella stage -8 along the highway. Contact 95121222

Port cabin new & refurbished – porta cabin for sale & rent.

Contact 96723468 / 97775501 / 97775502

Well established coffee shop & BBQ with open parking along with 5 clearance located in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 97161811

Coffee shop for sale in North Al Ghubra. Contact 95256009

Residential land for sale 21000 sqm, best for housing complex at Al Harm – Barka, opp to Khimji logistic. Contact 99438397

Restaurant for sale in Wadi Kabir.

Contact : 99425461 2 Prime Movers Man 2008 with 40 ton petrol tank each working at the moment in Al Maha. Price OMR 35 Thousand each. Tel: 97000155 or 92688692

Beauty salon for sale with all its equipments in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99827772 For running beauty saloon for sale.

Contact 97786792 / 96914627

5 Flats of 1 bedroom for Sale in Boushar: OMR 35 Thousand each.

Monthly income OMR 270 Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

60,000 Sq Mtrs Agriculture Land in Misfah, can be changed to Industrial Land. OMR 27 Per Square Meter.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

23,886 Sq Mtrs Agriculture land with water well in Al Salwa, Barka.

OMR 260 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

All the fittings and equipment for sale from a closed restaurant.

Contact : 99425461

3 floor commercial building in Muttrah behind Police. Generating income of OMR 18 Thousand annually. Neat and well maintained. Built on 197 sq mtrs land. 2 tailor shops on ground floor and 6 flats. OMR 207 Thousand.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 2 residential Lands together, one 610 and the other 600 sq mtrs, in Al Haram on way to Barka. OMR 49 Thousand both. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

1BHK Ruwi & Wadi Kabir.

Contact 99024730 Shopping center for sale at Bousher by good price 400 m2 with all equipment. Reason for selling part-time. Contact 92916490 Shfandish & tables for sale.

Contact 99368907 House hold shop / Empty shop for sale Al Hail Zam Zam line.

Contact 97039497

2,560 sq mtrs industrial land in Wadi Kabir. First line on way to Al Bustan hotel. Possible to make petrol station or hotel. OMR 1 Million.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 5 Flats of 1 bedroom for Sale in Bousher: OMR 35 Thousand each.

Monthly income OMR 270 Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 2 residential Lands together, one 610 and the other 600 sq mtrs, in Al Haram on way to Barka. OMR 49 Thousand both. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 23,886 Sq Mtrs Agriculture land with water well in Al Salwa, Barka.

OMR 260 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 3 floor commercial building in Muttrah behind Police. Generating income of OMR 18 Thousand annually. Neat and well maintained. Built on 197 sq mtrs land. 2 tailor shops on ground floor and 6 flats. OMR 207 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 558 Sq mtrs residential land in Barka (Al Jenainah) near Lulu and near to school. OMR 32 Thousand.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 Restaurant for sale well running with open area and good parking area. 3 new clearance also in Wadi Kabeer near Mars hyper market.

Contact 99656863

AVAILABLE Party & Wedding equipment rentals.

Full line, from Tables, Linen & Skirting, Chairs & Chair covers, Cutlery, Crockery, Glassware, Chafing Dishes, Ice Sculptures, to Large Sound Systems and spectacular lighting. Call Andrea 9606 2222 for Catering and Croyden 9623 5555 for Sound & Light. www.tunesoman.com, E-mail: info@tunesoman.com

Toyota Yaris model 2007 manual very good condition accident free full service history 210000 km. Contact: 94223132 expat leaving.

Freezer Trucks Volvo Scania Mercedes Benz 10 & 12 & 18 Ton & 40 Ft good condition. Contact 99890151 / 99814635

Pajero 2010, GCC, 230000 km white 6200/- R.O. Contact 92857111

Mercedes delivery van 2002.

Contact 99755644

Land Cruiser 2012. # 99336093

2 Prime Movers Man 2008 with 40 ton petrol tank each working at the moment in Al Maha. Price OMR 35 Thousand each. Contact 97000155 or 92688692

Nissan Sunny 2007, 1.6, automatic, good condition km 1,48000.

Contact 99781671

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished room in Ruwi for non cooking Executive bachelor.

Contact 94412557 Furnished sharing room with sharing kitchen for Executive bachelor near Mars Hypermarket Ghubrah.

Contact 98851806 Al Khuwair one villa room with toilet. Indians only.

Contact 99382008 Furnished single/sharing room for Exe bachelor at Rex Road (Kannada, Telugu, Tamil). Contact 92873832 Executive bachelor room with attached toilet near Al Nahda Hospital, Hamriya. Contact 9647313 Single room for Executive bachelor near Al Falaj hotel. Contact 99643845 Room for rent Ex- bachelor / working lady in Ruwi.

Contact : 99777496 Single furnished room in Ruwi.

Contact: 24833609

ACC. AVAILABLE Room for rent in Wattaya for executive Bachelor. Contact 99036715

ACC. WANTED I BHK Wanted In MBD Or CBD area (R0. 200 or 230) Contact : 93262152 Looking for 2 BHK flat in Ruwi, Darsait or surrounding areas.

Contact 96027403

WANTED Sub Contractors required, SME contractors interested in telecom side – Civil and underground telephone cable laying work may contact – Mr. S Ravi (99424605) or Mr. Sayed Mohd (99358733) of National Telephonic Services Co. LLC

NRI

room, with A/C kitchen available near ONTC Bus station (Ruwi).

Contact 95569740 Sharing for non-cooking Executive bachelor in CBD area wi fi free, advance deposit. Contact 95934642 Room for rent with fully furnished available for non-cooking executive bachelor (preferably Indian/ Srilanka).near to GMC’ behind Bausher Baladiya. Price OMR: 175/inclusive of Wifi, Elect & water.

Contact 97373888.

Family room available for rent at Muttrah Souk. Contact 24712088 / 99022790 Single room & AC attached bath at Mumtaz area. Contact 95212017 & 93103337 Sharing acc. Available in Muttrah behind Oman house.

Contact 99354340 Sharing family accommodation in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99335057 Accommodation available for South Indian family, one bedroom with attached toilet, kitchen, hall in a villa, Al Ghubrah. Contact 99209160

One B/R- Best Western Qupem Goa. Contact – 97094797 Chalo ab Laot Chalein Har koi ka yahi sapna Lucknow main ho ghar apna. Plots, flats, villas, duplex farm houses any where in Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad, Nainital, Aligarh.

Contact Qamruddin : 91273414 5.1 cents land with a house at Tripunithura hill palace for immediate sale. Contact 0091 7736764525 Email: utham@yahoo.com 56 cents plot for sale at NH 47 Eramallour Ernakulam – Cheethala road. Contact 0091 7736764525 Email: utham@yahoo.com Residential land for sale in Chennai Kundrathur and Poonamaalee, we construct house in your budget.

Contact 98753366

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T U E S D AY, M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

SITUATION WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian male 22 yrs B. Com Graduate 1 year exp in Accounts, currently on visit visa. Looking for suitable job.

Contact 94341848 / Email – mohdhaji7272@gmail.com Indian Female 25 MBA looking for a suitable opening in Accounts, Admin/Hr. Contact 97013375 Accounting professional having B.com, ILM with 11 years of Gulf experience includes Islamic Banking/ Trading etc looking for Chief/Senior Accountant . Contact:95312688 Certified Public Accountant with 2 yrs experience in big 4 auditing firm as Senior IT Auditor on visit visa.

Contact 92051688 Male 26, MBA in Accounts and Finance. 2 years Experience in Management, and Accounts Fields, and One year experience in Sales and Operation in Oman, looking for a suitable job. Contact 94374745 Indian male, B.Com experience in Accounts, looking for Accountant job or in Sales on visit visa.

Contact- 98295101

ACCOUNTANT Urgently required Accountant with valid Oman D/L. Send your CV to accounts@progroupoman.com

Indian male 25 yrs B.Com PGDBM currently on visit visa, looking for suitable opening in accounts, store and Admin. Contact: 96986349 Email: gafoordawre@gmail.com

Cosmetic leading company is looking for: professionally qualified and experienced Accountant.

Please email your CV at maryanaoman@hotmail.com Urgently required for a newly opened shopping center in Ghubra: 1) Omani Lady – as Cashier, 2) Part time Accountant. Send CV to info@dolphin-oman.com or fax to 24492718 Urgently required: Junior Accountant and Store keeper with 3 years experience in building construction and immediately join. Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com

CATERING Wanted cook for Omani family at Muttrah. Contact 24712088 / 99022790 A fast food restaurant in Muscat required : 1) Cashier cum order taker with experience, speak fluent in Arabic and English, 2) Social Media Services. Forward CV : oman.job2win@gmail.com

DRIVER Wanted tipper drivers for Road works.

Contact 95565039 / 98878989 Urgently required for Omani Family: a private driver with minor knowledge of domestic maintenance. Contact 93387962.

Looking for freelance driver with car in Mabela industrial area.

Contact 24460287 / 96220165

DOMESTIC HELPER Company GM requires a capable house keeper (preferably Philipina) to keep the house spotless and a gardener cum cleaner on full/ part time basis. Handsome salary & flexible timings. Contact 98458542 Urgently Required Full time Housemaid for a respectable Omani Family. Contact: 99845838 / 99357273, Email: ijaz.beaver@gmail.com Wanted an Indian family in Al Ghubra requires a full time living housemaid. Contact 97084023

DESIGNER Required 3 D Designer for interior design with relevant experience, full time or part time. # 95766844

EDUCATION Wanted Graduate in Electronics / Mechatronics for teaching position for school students. Send CV to info@iiriss.com A school requires teachers for English, Science, Math, IT and Science Laboratory technician minimum requirements masters degree IELTS (band6).

Contact send CV to: 96606121.

Email: fred-cate2@yahoo.com Physics, Chemistry Edexcel ‘A’ level board teacher urgently required to teach a student of 12th standard. Teacher’s experience preferred. Contact: 99349076.

7 years experience (2 yrs in Oman) MBA (Fin), B.Com, C.A (Found.) currently looking for suitable placement. Contact +968 - 97736404 Email: adnantahir1990@gmail.com

ENGI./ELECT./TECH..

MEDICAL

SALES / MARKETING

Required Quantity Surveyor for Salalah, min 5 years experience.

Email: hussainbaomar2@gmail.com

Wanted doctor or any person to run a medical complex & pharmacy in Salalah. Contact 95675488 / 99480068

Reputed building materials company looking for Outdoor Sales Executive having valid Omani driving license with more than 2 years local sales experience tiles / sanitary ware. Fax your CV to 24798709 Email: united@omantel.net.om

Required Graduate Electrical Engineer experience in HT & LT works. Contact 99760596, Email : info@npgoman.com Quantity Surveyor 1 No Civil Engineer – 1No. with seven years minimum Gulf construction experience.

Email: omaniantrad@gmail.com We are looking for the post of diesel mechanic -2, thermo king mechanic -2, denting worker -1, Painter -1, Marketing & Sales -1 (with Oman light license), GCC experience 3 years clearance are available. Contact : 99890151 / 95160851/ 99814635 Email: hiralal.rajgor@yahoo.com

MEDICAL Medical CARE Centre, Al Seeb, requires Gynecologist, General Practitioners and Medical Lab Technicians. Mail CVsarita_h23@yahoo.com or call 97884856 Urgent! Omani healthcare company looking for a smart proactive marketing executive cum product specialist, with strong English communication skills and clinical microbiology/biotechnology background, for medical equipment division. Omani driving license is a must. Candidates with experience in laboratory diagnostics will be given preference. Mail your CV to: vacancymedeq@gmail.com Urgently required female Nurse of India or Philippines origin to work at residence from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm from Saturday to Thursday for a period of two to four weeks. Remuneration for this service is negotiable with individual experience. Candidate meeting the above requirements call at 99880712 or 99443035 Clinical Dietician for Weight Management Center, utilizing the “Eurodiet” method. Experienced in individual counseling along with excellent communication skills.

Arabic speaking would be an advantage. Tel. 9749 7777, thanae@eurodiet.com Urgently required (All female only) Radiographer, Physiotherapist, Echo Technician, EEG technician & Nurses.

Contact: 99374223, 22081700 email: hr@gshoman.com Wanted a Staff Nurse to work in a private clinic in IBRI preference will be given to candidates who have cleared their prometric exam. Contact: 99502851 Wanted Medical Lab Technician (male or female) for a reputed polyclinic. Contact 97101062 or send Email : arunjeni11@gmail.com

Aesthetic and laser center in Oman seeking full time dermatologist with experience in cosmetology (Botox Fillers) good English as MOH license required. Package upon the experience and skills. For more information. Contact 00968 95233442 email: history@omantel.net.om Urgently required Staff Nurse, Pharmacist and endodontist Female Staff nurse, Pharmacist and endodntist with MOH License/ Prometric exam passed with 60% and above. Contact 24780088, 97374459 Email : karamadental@gmail.com Immediate placement ( with or without MOH) A. Pharmacist 3 nos B. Asst.pharmacist - 2 nos Contact Tel.99338219 , 93240949

MISCELLANEOUS Required salesman, Tailor and Barber. Contact 96964767

MANAGER The following vacancies are urgently required for a printing press in Wadi Al Kabir. Must have at least 10 yrs exp. Printing press Manager, Sales Manager, Sales Representative, Account Manager with well knowledge & experience in printing press, holding valid driving license.

Please send your CV to – info@albatnapp.com Multinational Consultant Hiring, Senior: Architect/ Design Manager/ Project manager above 10 Years’ Experience, Senior: MEP & Site Engineers Above 5 years’ experience. Send CV: lvjob2015@gmail.com

Looking for Electrical Salesman with diploma certificate.

Contact 97616265 email: brightsilverllc@gmail.com, Wanted Salesman with Oman driving license for Advertising Company.

Contact 96440587 Urgently required 26 yrs & above with 2 +years experience in sales, marketing, Business development / production controlling in FMCG. Contact : 98989620 Email: contact@sixarfoods.com A leading software company urgently requires marketing person with minimum 4-5 years experience in Oman market with good communication skills and driving license - Omani / expats with release. Fax 24564459 Email: mhca@mhabibgroup.com Required Sales man - 1 Person Qualification. Gulf Experienced - Minimum 5 Years with Oman Driving Licence Language - English Education:- Any Degree Further Contact :Mr. Abdul Hameed Nashabat - Mobile No: 97414307 and -92807399 amn@yaqeeneng.com Sales Executives for Media Enterprise. Oman D/L. Contact: essential. jobs@interacoman.com A company at Muscat looking for a senior salesman of building materials who has minimum 3 years experience & NOC as well.

Contact no 93991932

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Required Office Assistant 160+25+Acc, Contact 99454425

SALES / MARKETING TOURS & TRAVELS Software company is recruiting minimum 3-5 years experienced Omanis for Sales Manager position.

Interested candidates are requested to send their resume to omansupport@gmail.com Salesman experienced 5 yrs in Oman, in the field of industrial & oilfield service, garage equipment tools & spares, safety wears & rescue equipments. Please forward your CV to almaadhi.trd@gmail.com Urgently required Sales Executive for leading building material company holding license. Contact 98650936 / 95928480 A Leading FMCG Company require Sales Executives (Graduates) & Merchandisers, with Omani D/L. Candidates with local release only apply. Send CV to FAX: 24501542 or e-mail: fmcgsaleshr@gmail.com

Urgently require experience male for travel agency knowing SABRE & Galileo reservation & ticketing systems. Contact 95878812 Counter staff male/female experience 2 years of travel agency experience. Interested candidate shall send his / her CV to officer1_ajyad@yahoo.com

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability Timing 8 am To 5 Pm

Pakistani male B.Com /PGD having 2 years experience in Accounting and Inventory field seeking suitable job, on visit visa. Contact 94129550 Finance Manager (M.Com. MBA) with start-up skill & group consolidation, Baking,corporate funding, restructuring of finance and accounts with new system and procedure.amritaa.m2002@gmail.com 3 yrs experience, Indian female, 26 years, Masters in Financial Management, B.com, Seeking suitable placement. Contact: 99345132 Email: Sandhya1735@gmail.com Finance / Accounts Manager 12 years experience at senior position in leading companies 9 years in Oman CPA – USA& modern accounting certificate from AUC. Contact 99139926 Egyptian Accountant using ERP system on visit visa 1year experience. Contact: 96019233 Sri Lankan male qualified CIMA (UK) Accountant & bachelor degree in accountancy with over 10 years experience in various industries looking for job position as Senior Accountant / Finance Manager currently in Muscat available on visit visa. Contact 97299017 Email: mnm_ruzan79@yahoo.com

Indian Chartered Accountant post qualification experience 22 years working in Muscat since July 2011. Senior position seeks suitable change. NOC available. #94201290 Email: chakjain37@yahoo.com Tanzanian male, 25 yrs Accountant 3 month successful experience in Tanzania looking for suitable placement in any field. Contact : 96710154 Finance Manager, CPA, with more than 15 yrs. of experience in GCC. Fully knowledgeable in Finance, General & Management Accounting .

NOC available. Contact 96209331 India Accountant: Male, M com, 7 Yrs experience in Accounts up to finalization, having knowledge of ERP, Tally, seeks suitable placment. contact 93950138 Email: lijinrajan123@gmail.com Indian male, 32 years, M. Com. 7 out of 9 years experience in Oman in Accounts/finance. Having NOC and valid Oman D/L. # 98277143, Email: anzarks@gmail.com Indian male with total 5 year experience (2 years experience in Accountant cum sales co ordinator in a FMCG Company in Oman) in accounts field and NOC available Looking for suitable job #92130188 MBA Graduate with 6 yrs exp in finance/accounts/ auditing. Specialized in accounts payable dept, Oracle app user, proficient in Sap (fico) end user & tally 9.0. lean &six sigma certified trainer on visit visa.

Contact – 91967213 / 99064780 Part time Accountant with 15 years experience in accounts, finance tax, audit management. #95857199

AUTO CAD AUTOCAD D MAN, Gulf Exp In Major Projects, knows ARCH, Structural, MEP, Noc available PH: 98225740 Draughtsman-Civil: Diploma in Architecture with 3 years experience. Proficient in AutoCAD, Google Sketchup, Photoshop and MS Office.

Email: dilshadmayas@gmail.com Mob: +91 9645124241, 93004426 Indian male draft man, 3 D visualiser, 18 month experience in Oman driving license.

Contact 96285891 / 98414107 Email: prasadvv4u@gmail.com

ADMIN/HR India Female MBA 3 Year Experience in Admin MIS. Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com Indian male 2+yrs oman exp in HR. joing immediatly. release available.

Contact :93671437

Indian Male, 25, CA, CMA, ACMA, looking for a challenging assignment in finance or Investment Banking field. Contact +917567122122 or umang@snthakar.com

Young Indian male with masters in business admin from UK & 4+ years Oman experience in purchase & admin (current working as assistant purchase manager) seeks placement. Posses valid Driving License.

Ph:94400671

Indian male, B.Com Graduate having 10 years exp 6 years in Oman looking for an Accountant job.

Contact : 93830171 Email: nidbivtl@yahoo.com

Indian female, 29 yrs, MBA (HR) 4 yrs exp. India & Oman in HR & Admin, seeks suitable placement. #96759820

Indian male M.Com, 5 years experience in finance /HR and Purchase department in Oman companies having valid D/L available to join immediately with NOC. Contact 98363897 Email: prince9496@hotmail.com Part – time accountant qualified experience accountant available.

Contact 96759385 27, male ACCA with 4 years of work experience in a reputed company looking for a suitable position in accounts / finance. Contact 98489141 MBA (international business) from London, 4 years of UK experience in banking operational, looking for suitable position. Contact 91710075 Indian female B.Com PGDCA, Tally -9, 10 years exp in Accounts & HR at Oman. Contact 93726921 / 99058722 30 yrs Indian B.Com 7 yrs experience looking for job in accounts, Admin department. Contact 91935828 M.Com, CA (Article ship), 15 years Gulf experience looking for suitable position in finance & account on visit visa, valid up to 10/07/2015.

Contact: 97135855 / 94097305 Email: altabhossain2008@hotmail.com

Omani national fluent in English looking for suitable placement.

Contact 91908052 Indian Female, 34 yrs, B.Com, Knowledge in MS Office & Tally, exp in accounting & admin seek suitable placement 99199710/96744965 Indian female Post Graduate with 5 years experience in HR & Admin looking for good opportunity.

Contact 94692244 Omani experience in the legal, administrative, public relations, education. Contact 97243393 Email: mwm3003@gmail.com Over 15 years of gulf experience in Admin /HR /Logistics, fluent in Arabic & English with D/L looking for suitable position. #95824598 B.A graduate with 8 years experience (2 years in Oman) in admin / business development and sustainably (green buildings) on visit visa. Contact 91626216 Indian female with 10 yrs of experience in HR/Banking/Operations seeks a suitable placement.

Can be contacted on 98919015 or sherianne.coelho@gmail.com Female 26, 3 yrs exp in HR & Admin, with Oman D/L, looking for a suitable opening. Contact 98236033

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED DRIVER

MISCELLANEOUS

Light duty driver with car looking for job. Contact: 99365092

Graduate 1 yr experience in India, Clerk now in Oman on visit visa.

Contact 92933431, princemathew2813@gmail.com

Indian male looking for job as driver. Have 08 years experience in Oman. Contact 95256489

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

Malayalee driver, 8 yrs exp. in Oman seeking job. Contact 93526254 / 94615610 Looking for job, driving 8 yrs experience languages Hindi, Arabic & English & civil construction foreman. Contact 96288587 Driver need job. Contact 98056148 Driver with car looking for part & full time job. Contact 96692774 Bangladeshi male looking for driving job, knows speaking English, Arabic & Hindi. Contact 93098895 Light duty driver seek job.

Contact 95546316 Heavy driver valid license Omani need job & visa. Contact 91139936 Light Vehicle Driver requires job in any transportation / private co.

Contact 96015617 Driver looking for job.

Contact 94195818 Driver with car and electrician, 3 years experience looking for job.

Contact 92041902 Looking for job light duty driver well experience in Oman.

Contact 96749970 Need job LTV exp driver Pakistani.

Contact 94436276 Driver looking for job. Contact 94435912 Driver looking for job.

Contact 92137431 Light duty driver looking job experience 4years Oman.

Contact 96088707

DESIGNER Interior Designer Syrian Nationality one year experience in design.

Contact 95246737 Email: yassalnajjar@gmail.com Female architect bachelor, 4 yrs experience (internal & external design, project coordinate, office management) with valid Oman D/L NOC available. Contact 94348074

EDUCATION Indian female MSc, MPHIL Chemistry currently on visit visa, 3 years teaching experience seeks immediate placement. Contact 96916534 Indian female Graduate 26 yrs having 3 years exp in teaching seeks a suitable position in the field of biology. Contact 99341926 Indian female B.Ed M.SC Organic Chemistry 3 years experience looking for suitable job. # 91006851 Sudanese male BSC electronic Engineer 2 years experience in GSM, 10 years experience in oil industry (Drilling & Measurements).

Contact 91198104 Email: husseintalat@hotmail.com Sudanese BSC industrial Engineer experience 4 yrs in QA /QC and 8 yrs in production. Contact 94041960 Email: mekkimedani@hotmail.com / mekkimedani78@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Omani Mechanical Engineer, has 3 years experience ,has HSE, H2S, Riggers/Banks men Permit, Drawing / cad, SCBA, Safety Leadership and Initial Fire Response Courses. good with computer and English language looking for suitable job. Contact 99224319-98454500 Indian male 22 Mechanical Diploma holder Engg with HVAC certified, having 1 year exp. seeking suitable position. Currently available on visit visa. Contact - 92835952 Diploma in electronics & Telecom, Engineering with 5 years experience in Engineering & sales, marketing.

Contact 95932219 Indian Male, IT Support Engineer, 2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experience. Contact 97311847 Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Indian male, B.E ( computer science engineer), MBA (finance), OCA certified, having 5 years of experience in oracle Dba/ oracle apps Dba, seeks a suitable position in the field of IT. Contact: 96212062 email: zubairkhan11@gmail.com Electrical Engineer, 5 years experience in E& I commissioning, construction and maintenance wastewater with Oman D/L. Contact : 97753382 Chemical Engineer, 5 years Industrial experience looking for job.

Contact: 91380787 Indian male 27 yrs, Instrumentation / Automation Engineer having 5 years exp in Oil & Gas and wastewater with valid Omani D/L, looking for a suitable job NOC available.

Contact : 96082604 Civil Engineer Female, 3 yrs experience in structural design, on visit visa seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 99195433 Indian male with ITI certification in Mechanical Drafting with good Experience Looking for good opportunity contact 9194 9181 Electrical Engineer B.Tech with 4 yrs exp. looking for suitable vacancies. Contact – 96752080 Diploma in Civil Engineer having 9 yrs experience, 7 yrs in Oman, 2 yrs in home country, searching for suitable placement, valid Oman D/L. NOC available. Contact 97430353 Indian, B.Tech Electronics & Instrumentation Engineer, more than 4 yrs experience in Honeywell, Yokogava Project, good exposure in DCS, PLC, SCADA & ESD & field Instruments of refinery, fertilizer, steel plant, chemical factory in India & Middle East looking for good openings.

Contact 93670890 / 24702588, Email : mojin.a.kabeer@gmail.com Sudanese Civil Engineer, 2 yrs experience. Contact 96077482, Email : ebraheemann@gmail.com Civil Engineer (B.E) having 5 yrs experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available. Contact 91253392 Electronics & Communication Engg. (37) 14+ yrs (10 yrs Oman) experience in sales/marketing product development, project execution within information & communication technology industry.

Contact 99771815 Sudanese Petroleum Engineer, 4 yrs experience looking for job, MC office, C, Exlips. Contact 96039290 Network / system Engineer B.E / ECE + CCNA & Ms certified with 4+ yrs exp looking for a job, currently in Oman on visit visa. Contact : 92589502 / 96216397, Email : jeganscareer@gmail.com Indian M, 25yrs, B.E Mechanical 3 yr exp in Oil & Gas now on visit visa seeking jobs in project, sales and marketing. Contact: 96487013 Email: riarun.007@gmail.com Indian male 29 yrs, on visit visa, Diploma Mechanical Engineering and 1 ADC Rig Pass looking for a job in oil field drilling department experience, 4 years in India. Contact: 91926005 Email: ossubeesh83@gmail.com Indian male 29 years Diploma in Petrochemical 06 yrs, experience in EPS company and piping of oil & gas and maintenance valid D/L also available. Contact 93330817 Email: shahidk8448@yahoo.com Indian male B.Tech Mechanical three years varietal experience in piping Engineering & management of retail mobile phone shops seeking sales engineering job with Oman D/L. Contact 94401234 Young Energetic Indian male, 7 years Oman experience in retail wholesale, sales including electronics, building materials with Oman D/L. Contact: 98465550 B.Tech Mechanical Engineer on visit visa looking for job, two years experience as QC Engineer, NDT level-2 certified. Contact: 98386074 Email: jayeshthilakan@gmail.com

Indian Male ,4 year experience as Safety Officer with NEBOSH currently on visit visa.

Contact 9565910,email: yadavchandan287@gmail.com Indian male 24 years, Mechanical Engineer,pdms.1 yr experience in pipeline,16years in oman seeking immediate placement Contact 95775742 B.E (Mechanical), Indian male 8 years experience (HVAC – 4 years, operation / production / maintenance, 4 years) looking suitable position. Contact 96696190 Email: faisalmnz@gmail.com Indian male 55 diploma Electrical Engineering 21 years experience Oman project estimation MEP valid Omani driving license having NOC from present employer seeks suitable placement.

Contact 99052900 Electronics Engineer with 4 years experience in embedded product development seeking for suitable job in Oman now in visit visa.

Contact: 95218030 BE Mechanical Engineer -NDT level 2, Quality Control (Oil & Gas) . 1 year exp ph: 95908293 B. Eng (e & c): RF validation Engineer, was in Iws-India looking for suitable opening-on visit.

Contact (98584498 / 91981503) Lead Instrument/E&I Engineer: 8+ years Exp. in OIL & GAS, Marketing, Project Planning, Erection, Commissioning, M & O. NOC Available M: jaganmohan_ks@yahoo.com , GSM: +968 97296534 Graduate Civil Engineer, Indian, Total 16+ Yrs exp., 7+ GCC seeking suitable Senior/Mid level Job in PMC/Contracting, NOC Available & Valid GCC Driving License.

Contact : GSM: 94363574; E-mail : Crashu_78@yahoo.com Male 26, B.Tech in Electronics & Communication Engineering having 4.8 years experience (including experience in Japan) seeks suitable placement & can join immediately.

Contact: 91902646 Email: ajumalmajeed@gmail.com Procurement Officer 7 years experience in Oman construction civil & structural steel NOC, ITI & driving license in Oman.Contact: 92023761 QA/QC inspector 5 yrs exp in O&G Industry with diploma mechanical & NDT level 2 on visit. Contact : 91231007 sf.aseem@gmail.com Indian male 29, Mechanical Engineer CSWIP3.1 certified having 5.5 years experience in steel structural construction projects seeking suitable position. Contact: 91078780 Email: nikhilhai@gmail.com Electrical Engineer (B.E) : 5 years of experience (4 years in Oman) with valid Omani D/L. NOC available.

GSM: 92260391 Mechanical Engineer (B.E) : Four years of experience (3 years in Oman). NOC available.

Contact :92530471 B.Tech biomedical Engineering having Omani driving license.

Contact 91352248 Indian male, 24 yrs B.Tech (MECH) on visit 1 year experience as PPC Engineer looking for suitable placement. Has, HVAC, AutoCAD and CATIA designing skills.

Contact 98925685 Indian male Instrumentation Engineer having 2 years experience in process instruments, seeks suitable placement. Contact 95954385 Indian male Senior Site Engineer (Diploma) having total 11 years experience in GCC, 7 years in Dubai and 4 years Oman. With valid Omani driving license, seeking for suitable position in building construction field, NOC available.

Contact 97943703 / 93458841 Email: georgesaji77@gmail.com Sudanese looking for job as Desktop Support Engineering good experience in UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Contact: 94519363

Mechanical Design Engineer, 7 years of experience in Piping Design & Development, with good sound knowledge of AutoCAD, AUTOPLANT 3D,CATIA/V5,SOLIDWORKS,etc Looking for a suitable position. NOC available. Contact :+968-94549776, ashrafvpt@yahoo.co.in Indian male B.Tech Mechanical having 4 years experience with QA/ QC & CWSIP looking for suitable position. Contact 99447106 / 24483297 PIPE fitter 3 years experience CS pipe DSS pipe, SS PIPE, P.D.O permit holder seeks suitable placement in only P.D.O areas seeking urgently.

Contact 92533253 Civil Engineer (DCE) Indian male with 20 years experience, 10 years in Oman worked with reputed consultancy and contracting companies as RE, PE, PM and did projects for MOD and PDO with D/L Seeks suitable position. Contact 93251720 Indian male I.T.I diesel mechanic experience 4 yrs Qatar (11 yrs in India) seeking for suitable placement carpentry on visiting visa.

Contact 91969224 Email: anilk6102@gmail.com Bachelor degree B.SC (Honours) Telecommunication Engineering CCNA , CISCO, Certified network associate experience installation operation maintenance, ATMS & Electronics, Surveillance Security systems Nationality Sudanese age 25.

Contact: 92617282 Indian male 25 B.Tech ( IT) Engineer 3 years experience in networking (MCSE- CCNA) certified currently on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact 91006851 B.Tech, instrumentation Engineer, Indian male with 4 yr experience in EPC and Sales / 2 yr Oman experience having valid Oman driving license. Contact 94145460 Email: jgeevarughese@gmail.com Project (Electrical) Engineer with BE 10 years of experience (8 years in Oman).Driving license and NOC available. Looking for job.

GSM- 92197288 Male civil Engineer 6yrs experience 4 yrs in Oman (B.B.S and steel shop drawing prepare, M.Q.C sit management, D, W, M report) with valid Oman D/L NOC available. #99870370 Indian female, B.Tech biotechnology with strong computer skills and 2 years experience as associate research analyst (Media Monitoring) in Nasdaq Oman seeking growth oriented jobs. Contact 92044603 /918056169148 or angeline.babithac@gmail.com.

Electrical and Electronics Engineer (BE) 1+ year of experience now on visit visa seeking suitable opportunities Email: djnitheesh@gmail.com Contact 99254469

MEDICAL GM/Head of Business with experience in developing and managing group of healthcare companies in Oman actively seeking fresh opportunities in healthcare related companies. Contact 93504997, Email: josephstergin@gmail.com Indian, BINU. M Scaria medical lab technician, 15 years experience prometric passed BSc, MLT+ pursuing Msc MLT. Contact 97850841 / 97864635/ 919447935234 Lab Technician, Civil (8yrs Gulf experience) looking for a suitable job (NOC available) Contact-93344378 Well experienced MOH Licensed Indian GP Doctor looking for locum / permanent position in the Capital area. Contact 98140024 email:drgpoman@yahoo.com BSc male Nurse with MOH license and NOC on visit visa.

Contact 96414215

MISCELLANEOUS Indian male 26 yrs B.Com PGDM, IETS-6, 2 yrs exp. Contact : 91694170

Indian male, Graduate, with 12yrs solid exp in construction & building materials purchase / logistics/ warehouse seeks suitable placement.

NOC available. Contact: 94657319 Warehouse In charge or store keeper 26 yrs. Gulf exp 4 yrs in Oman. NOC available. Contact 97657823 / Email:rusaikmzm_2009@yahoo.com Hotel field diploma in Computer B.Com, Indian, Diploma in Hotel Management MBA in hospital management at pursuant operation manager in a resort India. Contact 97864635 / 91815776074 Projects/ contracts Manager 31 yrs (26 yrs Oman) experience in management & coordination of multi-million R.O projects of government & private sector, Post Graduate Structural Engineer with structural & QS Background looking for senior position. Contact +00968-91400599 Experience Restaurant Manager with valid driving license and NOC for immediate placement.

Contact: 92953199 Indian male Graduate with Oman work experience for 10 years in construction trading, automotive Industries seeking mid management position in business development, sales & marketing.

Contact 92133277 Email: bijuma73@yahoo.com

HOSPITALITY Indian male/30years with hotel management degree, 02 years experience in F&B service at 5 star hotel in Dubai and 05 years in American 6 star cruseliner as butler.

Contact No 911 35371.

Indian male 18 yrs hotel experience Dubai procurement logistics stores suitable position NOC available.

Contact + 968 96573591 Email: namraj1973@rediffmail.com

IT Indian male fresher BCA young and energetic, seeking good opportunites.email: jlaxmimenon@gmail. com, Contact 00919567722270 Indian 25 yrs male diploma Computer Engineer 5yrs experience in hardware and networking, looking for another jobs in oman.

Contact: 91082046, renston34@gmail.com Indian male B.Sc, IT Graduate, MCSE, CCNA, RHCE, Certified seeking job at good company.

Contact 96974352 Email: niyas.mohammed1@gmail.com IT system support Engineer, 26 years Indian male 6 years experience on windows VMware , Lo tus domino , desktop, on visiting visa immediate joining.

Contact : + 968 96316459 Email: nairvipint@gmail.com Network system Engineer B.E / ECE + CCNA & Ms certified with 4+ yrs exp looking for a job. Currently in Oman on visit visa. Contact: 92589502 Email: careersjegan@gmail.com IT Network and Security Engineer with a master degree, CISCO and Linux red hat certified seeking a suitable job in a good company.

Contact 99818601 Indian female MCA seeks suitable position as IT Administrator.

Contact: 94133849 / 95215272

SECRETARIAL/OFFICE Indian male more than 10 years Gulf experience in Office / Sales Coordinator, Admin (employees visa processes), Secretarial and purchase coordination with good computer skills. Having Driving license and NOC available. Looking for suitable placement. Contact 99709336

SALES / MARKETING Indian male 45+ yrs , 20 yrs exp as sales supervisor in India looking for indoor sales /stores /cashier or any suitable placement can speak Hindi , English, Malayalam, Tamil, kannada can join immediately on visit visa.

Contact 93086105/33016546

SALES / MARKETING MBA Marketing professional with 05 years experience in sales and distribution looking for job in Oman currently on visit visa. #97006353 Email: ashhadhm@hotmail.com Indian male Sales Manager looking for suitable position, 9 years experience in Oman. Contact: 97986445 Indian male experience 12 yrs Gulf 5 yrs sales Marketing 2 yrs in Muscat left from Mct 2011, on visit visa, UAE & Oman D/L holder wanted sales executive or cash van salesman job. Contact 968 95962821 Indian male 10 years experience in Welding Supervisor NDT Technician, MIG Welding specialist seeking suitable job. Contact 96771841 Egyptian male 11 years in five stars international hotels management sales marketing D/L available residency visa. Contact 93577497 Email: elkomy82@hotmail.com MBA supply chain professional with 03 years experience in freight forwarding and distribution looking for job in Oman currently on visit visa. Contact: 97089944 Email: ali_shayan340@hotmail.com Indian male 3 years experience Media Hospitality Sales Marketing looking for suitable job valid driving license car, NOC available.

Contact 96054202 Indian male 31 years, MBA, 7yrs experience in sales & marketing with valid driving license seeking suitable placement. Contact 98719219.

EMAIL: recruitme1984@gmail.com Stores In Charge / Purchase coordinator with 6 years oman experience seeking placement. Contact 95439645 or storeoman@gmail. com Release / NOC available.

Indian male 24 years, MBA in Marketing looking for suitable placement currently in Muscat on visit visa. Contact: 93507063 Email: zamer_124@yahoo.com Indian 23 years B.Com Graduate, 2 years experience in sales knowledge of tally E.R.P & MS Office.

Contact 93134643 Indian female Graduate, 3 yrs experience in MNC as process associate & CED seeking for suitable job.

Contact: 94657273 Pakistani male 34 yrs Intermediate 2 yrs exp in sales & marketing in Oman. Looking for suitable job.

Contact - 92146864 Indian male MBA 7 years experience in Hospitality industry, operation, sales & marketing looking for suitable vacancy. Contact 92115860 Email vibin.py@gmail.com 37 years male 15 years experience in facility superior & specialized in fitness equipment maintenance, excellent skill in English on visit visa. Contact: 94514883 / 99679306 Email: jobin163@gmail.com

TOURS & TRAVELS 25 Indian female B.S.C. Fashion Technology. 5 years experience in textile industry as a merchandiser and good in fashion marketing. Currently available on visit visa, seeking for a suitable job. # 96990368.

Email: simmy.missy@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS Male, 19 years of experience in Finance and Administration currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 99720132/ abidrafi33@hotmail.com Sudanese male BSC Telecommunications Engineer, 4 years experience in telecom field.# 97783092, Email: alrsheed88@hotmail.com Civil autocad draughtsman part time work for job mob :96023726 Piping Design Engineer, Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com Indian female, B.Com. knowledge of MS Office &Tally, 4yrs experience in Accounts &admin dept. looking for good placement in any field.

Contact.98928220 Indian female MBA Finance currently on visit visa. Seeks immediate placement. Phone: 968-98430089

D6

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DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED MISCELLANEOUS Key Account Executive , currently working with a reputed FMCG company Oman is looking for a placement asap, NOC available, valid Omani driving license.

Total experience in Oman is 12yrs and particularly in Sales is 8 1/2 years. Contact 95589765 Email : agnelfrancis@yahoo.co.in Senior IT Professional, Indian Male, more than 17 yrs. of experience in software development(PB, Oracle, SAP ABAP) and IT Support with valid Oman DL and NOC available Contact : 92193867, Email : cp.prasad@gmail.com 23,Male, ACCA with 2.5 years experience in Big6 audit firm and Oil/ Gas,looking for permanent placement in Accounts/Audit. Contact #95140445 a.saran891@gmail.com Indian female MBA Finance currently on visit visa, seeks immediate placement. Phone- 98430089 Indian Male 34 years Mechanical Engineer 3 years of Experience seeking suitable placement immediately Contact: 91991435, 93310821 Female British Beauty Therapist looking for suitable situation.

Contact 97175240 Indian Male 34 years Mechanical Engineer 3 years of Experience seeking suitable placement immediately contact: 91991435, 93310821 Indian female BA graduate. My total experience is 4 and half year in Call Center looking for jobs in admin and HR. Contact : 96089143, Email: sharanjit_kaur2009@yahoo.com Civil supervisor-8 year’s experience in commercial and residential building, including portable cabin, natural and artificial play ground’s, and Oxy petroleum field, at sultanate of Oman. GSM :91249005. Mail :sandeep88joseph@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTED

Indian Male 28yr age having 6year gulf+ Indian experience in HR field.

Looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 97914340, Email: rajkv3086@gmail.com

Sudanese/Bsc IT/26/2 years experience/excellent Eng-Arb speaking/ Omani driving license/96387227/ henrykarrar@gmail.com

Indian female B.Com graduate, 4years experience in accounts & administration department looking for suitable placement. #98928220

Indian male, 28 years, 7 years experience in transporting & heavy equipment renting company. Having Omani driving license seeks suitable positions. Contact 94410485

Sudanese / 29 years old / Bsc English language and Translation / 3 years experience in Oman teaching & translation / have driving license.

94211377. hosam.karar.1@gmail.com

Indian male 27 years, MBA, having more than 5 yrs experience in sales and marketing, looking for suitable job. Contact no.99224057, +919824823734

Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

Indian Male 27, Piping Design Engineer looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll, AutoCAD. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com

Indian male, 34 yrs, ca inter pass, with 14 yrs experience, is seeking suitable placement, currently on visit visa & ready to join immediately. Contact: 95585069 or 95630747

ACCA affiliate & Bsc (Oxford Brookes University), 2.5 years experience in oilfield & audit/finance in Big6 firm, seeking permanent placement. Release available. #95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com

Mechanical Engineer B.E fresher (QA, QC , Piping & NDT + 1 month practical training in production & oil field) seeking immediate placement currently on visit visa. Contact – 0096896107833, Email albinalbin.thomas@gmail.com

Civil Autocad draughtsman looking for part time job. Mobile: 95218737 Indian male 21 Diploma in Mechanical Eng with HVAC certified having 6 yrsexp and seeking job in HVAC field as a supervisor. Currently on visit visa. Contact 92835952/ 92734863 Indian Female: MCA, 3 Years Exp. as Asst. Professor, Specialization in C # (sharp).net, Data Comm.& Networking, Knowledge about Web Development, ASP.Net, Oracle, SQL,VB.net.

Seek Immediate Placement. Now on Visit Visa.9588 7051 ashwininakod@gmail.com Indian female, B.Com. Knowledge of MS Office &Tally, 4yrs experience in accounting & admin dept. looking for good placement in any field.

Contact.98928220

Indian Male 33 looking for Scaffolding Supervisor vacancy in Oil & Gas field in Oman. Having 5 years experience in CCC Qatar and 3 years in Saudi” Contact 96155921 fysal.nellaya@gmail.com or

26 years Indian male with MBA & PGDFM, Total 3.8 years experience in Administration, seeking suitable placement in any gulf region.

Holding Oman valid driving license.

Contact :93359371 ACCA affiliate,male,2.5 years experience in an audit firm in Finance & Audit, looking for suitable immediate placement. Release available. # 95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com 23 yrs old Pakistani bachelor in accounts and marketing 3.5 yrsexp 2 yrsexp in Oman, looking for a job.

Contact- 99374062

Indian Male 58yrs, Oman experience 31yrs in Multifunctional Management, Administration, Business Development, Purchase & Operations, seeking suitable Manager/ Supervisory Position. Visa transfer/ NOC Available. GSM: 95036410

Indian male 21 IT Engineer Networking & Computer hardware course 01 yr experience currently on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact 96036273, E mail faizanfarooqui23@gmail.com

30 years Indian male with hotel management degree, 02 years experience in F&B service at five star hotel in Dubai and 05 years in American 6 star cruiseliner as Butler . Currently in Muscat on visit visa. Contact 91075704

Sales/ Marketing Executive : 35 years old Indian male, MBA, having experiences in UAE and India in sales and marketing field, presently on visit visa, looking for a suitable job in Salalah or in Oman.

Contact 91233648

SITUATION WANTED Well experienced hair dresser/ beautician required, visa available.

Contact – 96524717 Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field ( Electrical . Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) N O C available mob : 95 25 36 40 . email = hareeshma24@yahoo.com Indian female 25 yrs MBA finance currently on visit visa seeks immediate placement. # 9843 0089 Part- Time Accountant, well versed with all accounting, Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact 98803439 Indian female MBA finance currently on visit visa seeks immediate placement.Contact (968) 9843 0089 Indian female, B.Com graduate, 2 years experience in admin department looking for a suitable placement. Contact 92531929 ACCA affiliate, male, 23, 2.5years of vast experience in finance & audit in audit firm,seeking suitable placement immediately. # 96895140445, a.saran891@gmail.com Indian Female looking for an Internship or Part time opportunity in any Interior Design, Architectural or Design Firm . Contact 95811820 Male - B.E Mechanical Engineer fresher( QA, QC , Piping & NDT + 1 month practical training in production & oil field ) seeking immediate placement currently on visit visa.

Contact - 0096896107833 Email albinalbin.thomas@gmail.com Senior Accounts Professional, Indian Male, 35 years, M.Com, MBA (Fin) 8 years in Oman, with valid Oman DL and NOC available. Capable to handle accounts up to finalization.

Contact 9602 3965.

Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel field (Electrical, Ac Mechanical & Plumber) N O C available.

Contact 95253640 Indian female,available on visit visa,knowledge in AutoCAD 2012,Revit 2012,Adobe photoshop C3, Google sketchup, seeking suitable position.

Email:dhiyana.mhmd@gmail.com.

25yrs experienced indian marketing mangr seeking suitable position. .presently working as a General Manager one of the leading Hyper Market Group in Oman.valid omani driving licence. Release available . contact number.92205026. aparayath@Gmail.Com Indian male executive secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics & procurement well versed with computer seeks suitable placement. Contact : 99514286 Young male, 22 years, B. Arch.

Graduate with 12 months training experience, seeks suitable entry-level position in an architecture firm or architecture and engineering consultancy. Currently on visit visa, ready to join immediately. #92488990 Email: jay.kay.92@gmail.com Light driver looking for job.

Contact 92791678 Indian Male, B.Tech Mechanical Engg 29 Yrs old,4 year experience,2.5 year experience as Lifting Inspection Engineer in Qatar.

Looking for suitable placement.

NOC available.

Contact No.93269839, Email: saneersainu@gmail.com Indian male experience in electrical and plumbing looking for a suitable position. Contact 92282845 Indian female Looking for an Accounts part time job, preferred to do from home. Well versed with TALLY , Accounting software.

Contact 95482970.

Diploma in Fire and Safety Engineering, Completed IOSH and have PDO passport. Having experience of 3.5 years as Safety Advisor in Oman. Have valid Omani driving license. For further information please contact me on 96896176872, 9689808527 Indian Male, B.Tech Mechanical Engg 29 Yrs old, 4 year experience, 2.5 year experience as Lifting Inspection Engineer in Qatar. Looking for suitable placement.

NOC available#93269839/ Email: saneersainu@gmail.com Female B. Sc Maths, B. Tech, Computer science CCNA, RHCE, MCP 7 years experience.

Email : devi2571997@gmail.com

Indian male, 29 yrs, MBA in Marketing, 6 yrs exp. in Marketing/ Sales presently on family visa seeks suitable placement. #92345569, Email : tapankumarupadhyay@gmail.com Indian Accounts / Audit assistant with 2 years of experience currently on a visit visa looking for suitable job openings.

Contact 94677338, 97041086 Email: ajeeshkcy1989@gmail.com A Fresh ACCA Affiliate, Pakistani male, 24 yrs, open for positions of Accounts, Audit and finance.

Contact : 94541539 email: wasiqnasir_3@yahoo.com ACCA finalist and BSc from Oxford Brookes University UK, having 18 months working experience, currently in Muscat on visit, seeking immediate and suitable position.

Contact : 95375282 Indian Male, 27 yrs MBA (Fin), SAP, 4 Yrs Exp in Finance Seeking Suitable Job with a Reputed Firm Currently on Visit Visa #92481230 22 years of experience in Multinational Companies & reputed firms in Financial Management, Project Management, Budgeting and Cost control, seeking a strategic Financial/Management Accounting role in a dynamic organization .

Contact : +971-506178139, Email.georg_vargis01@yahoo.com Tunisian women looking for job, knows english, frensh, Italian and arabic. Contact: 91171838 Indian male MBA 32 yrs having 10 yrs of exp seeking suitable placement in Admin/ HR/ Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics etc. Holding valid Oman D/L .Contact - 99054786 Indian female, well experienced in secretarial, administration, customer care & supervisory jobs. 5 years experience in Muscat. Immediately available for joining. Contact 92139298 M.Tech Civil (structure) with 3 yrs experience looking for a suitable job with reputed consultants or contracting companies.

Contact 93137035, Email : mdshahzar.khan@gmail.com Experienced female Electrical Engineer. Contact 93800906

T U E S DAY, M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

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

TOURS

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D8

T U E S D AY, M AY 1 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

WEBSITE

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WE ARE PROVIDING ACCOUNTING/ AUDITING TAX/ CONSULTING CONTACT: 24 567 251 / 95 498 033

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Alliance invited for a Nair girl 24 yrs, 5ft, 1”, fair, slim, B.Tech graduate reputed family of Ernakulam dist. (Star Thiruvonam Sudhajathakam) financially sound, from parents of B.Tech nair boys from Trissur, Palakkad and Eranakulam dist. . Contact :00919495924302 email: raveendrandr@yahoo.com Kerala Exhava girl (presently in Oman) 25 yrs, 167 cm, B.Tech, Star Pururutathi, (Sudhajathakam) upper middle class, seeking suitable alliance from professionals.

Contact 93881787 WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

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Hindu Ezhava family, settled in Muscat looking for suitable groom working within Oman for their daughter 25 yrs (MBA) working with a reputed company in Muscat.

Contact : 98689663

CLASSES

We are Muslim family seeking alliance for our son interested families.

Contact 97664009

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Learn driving with professional only automatic. Contact 94022250

BUSINESS

CANADIAN MANPOWER CO. based in Oman Recruitment for legal jobs - Hotel staff ,Construction staff, Medical staff ,Gas & Oil Free consultancy, 2 years contract, work visa, free tickets, accommodation, social & medical ins. Contact us on 93392630 , pls send CV to margholdingoman@yahoo.com

WINDOW & SPLIT unit A.C servicing & repairing. contact 99557080 SPLIT & WINDOW A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 96236476 SPLIT & WINDOW A.C servicing & maintenance.# 93769089 / 95323517

FOR LADIES

TRANSPORTATION

Beauty package for vacation for ladies 10/-R.O, 15/-R.O, 20/-R.O. Contact : 99410160

Transportation. # 99542393

BUSINESS

Pick & drop anytime. # 96692774

A/C maintenance & servicing.

Fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing. Painting & cleaning services & electrical & plumbing. Contact 99447257/97014234/ 24504281 We do building maintenance all kind of works. Contact 99247663

Transportation Contact 99159277 Transportation. Contact: 98505294 House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422 Transportation. Contact 99508282 Transport to ISWK. # 93172589 Pick & Drop any time. Contact 97014786

BUSINESS Business Consultant, feasibility study. Contact 99229700

P.R.O services.

Contact 99368907 Software development based on requirements such as: Web development & cloud computing, SAP implementation & services. Android App development networking.

Contact 97423932 We have some companies for rent with the following activities: press publishing & advertising, information consultancy, organizing event management & conference, real estate, landscaping, maintenance etc Contact 93946622 / 91408005

Electric, Plumbing, painting & all kinds of building maintenance.

Contact 93896787 / 97924862

Required business Researcher. contact 99229700 Email: kjaaraimi@hotmail.com

Sewage remove tanker sewage tank cleaning & block remove all maintenance sewage tanks. Contact 97412505 / 98852238

Road Safety concrete barriers for sale all over Oman available in sizes 2 meters and 3 meters.

Contact 94546200

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

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807 House shifting packing.

Contact 99657644/ 98518013 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

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

RO. 10 only. # 94217681/ 99210141 House shifting. Contact 99708138 Pest Control Treatments, Termites, Cockroaches, Bedbugs.

Contact Ocean Centre LLC. Contact 99344723 Carpet & sofa shampooing. Ocean Centre LLC. Contact 99884591 / 92682970

Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130

MD Sala Uddin has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. B 1946923. Finder please handover to ROP.

Painting- building maintenance & management - excavation.

Contact : 99057348

Mohammed Abu Yousef lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AB 8279386.

Finder please handover to ROP

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