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THURSDAY, January 15, 2015 / 24 Rabi Al Awal 1436 AH timesofoman.com

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HM sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Kolinda Kitarovic of the Republic of Croatia on winning the presidential elections.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations along with his best wishes of success to President Kitarovic to achieve progress and development for the friendly Croatian people, wishing the bilateral relations between the two countries progress and growth. -ONA TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

Sayyid Khalid apologises to football fans

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COUNCIL OF MINISTERS MEETING

Council calls for better exchange with people

OMAN

ROP to launch ePassport today

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Royal Oman Police (ROP) will be launching the ePassport on Thursday at the Officers Institute, under the patronage of Sayyid Hamood bin Faisal Al Busaidi, the Minister of Interior. >A5

OMAN MUSCAT: Improved channels of communication between government departments and citizens and comprehensive database for companies that are awarded government projects were the focus of the meetings of the Council of Ministers held recently.

The Council on Wednesday issued a statement on various issues discussed at the meetings.

Acting in accordance with the Royal directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to proceed with economic and social development, the Council also approved the establishment of a comprehensive database for companies that are awarded government projects.

The Council considered the allocation of special areas for agricultural investment and approved the Regional Municipalities and Water Resources Min-

istry’s Food Safety Centre as a monitoring institution for foodstuff and agricultural products.

The plan includes feasibility studies for agriculture and fisheries projects and designation of areas for livestock sale.

During one of its recent meetings, the Council tackled other issues of concern to citizens. It supported recommendations made by the State Council on activating the role of museums as landmarks of human history, noting that the new Heritage Law covers all requirements for protecting Oman’s heritage. It also supported the recommendations of the Majlis Al Shura on developing the tourism sector.

It instructed public sector units to develop and utilise egovernment channels to provide better communication between the government and citizens. >A5

Al Irfan project master plan contract awarded

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A multi-disciplinary team led by Allies and Morrison has won the competition to select a master planning consultant for Al Irfan urban development project.>A6

INDIA

50 more bodies found in river Ganga

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Curiosity is brewing with recovery of 50 more bodies from the river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, taking the number of such recoveries over the last few days to 100. >A9

And it has already come down to you in the Book that when you hear the verses of Allah [recited], they are denied [by them] and ridiculed; so do not sit with them” until they enter into another conversation.

‘Islam stands for peace, not for revenge’ As ‘Charlie Hebdo’ magazine in Paris courts controversy, religious scholars call for peace

REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com

Sufyaan Khalifa, a religious scholar.

MUSCAT: “Oh! Muslims stand up for Islam the religion of tolerance,” Sufyaan Khalifa, a religious scholar in Oman and a member of Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), said, adding that any act of violence or terror will only harm and spill innocent blood “from which we all will suffer”.

The respected Imam was speaking as the French magazine Charlie Hebdo courted controver-

sy again with its “All is forgiven” front page, the first edition after terror attack on its newsroom in which 12 people were slain.

On Wednesday, Al Qaeda over the border in Yemen claimed responsibility for the shooting, which saw two gunmen force their way into the Paris headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, shooting 12, including staff cartoonists Charb,

Cabu, Honoré, Tignous and Wolinski, economist Bernard Maris and two cops, and wounding eleven, four of them seriously. It was an incident that sparked three days of fear in France.

While there were fears that the latest front page would reignite feelings across the Muslim world, religious scholars in Oman spoke out about Islam and called for its true believers to follow the path of peace.

“Let’s make it very clear to our fellow Muslims before our nonMuslim friends that “violence is not in the dictionary of Islam.”

There is no place for violence, either in the Holy Quran or in the Sunnah (Prophetic traditions).

It is mentioned at several places in the Holy Quran that Allah does not like those who spread mischief on this earth,” Sufyaan said quoting Quranic verses that the biggest violence – killing innocent people – is repudiated in such strong words the likes of which are found in no other religious scripture. >A4

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TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

T HURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015

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OMAN

70%

of Sultanate’s residents suffer from some kind of ailment related to smoking

Anti-smoking drive shows results Tobacco consumption in the region Statistics released

Prevalence of smoking (countrywise in 2012)

by the Ministry of

Palestine Jordan

Health show that 70

43.4 41.3

per cent of residents suffer from some kind

Egypt Turkey

39

Men

Daily cigarretes consumption among smokers (highest %)

Iraq Lebanon

36.1 33.6

Bahrain Kuwait

33

31.3

Iran

Afghanistan KSA

23.9 23.1 22.9 22.1

of ailments related to smoking. The recent ban on smoking ‘sheesha’ or cigarettes in public places has

Qatar

Oman UAE

19.3

18.2

12.3

% % Women

1.1

no data

8.5

13.6

elicited huge

2.5 21.2

1.6

no data

5.9

no data

2.2

1.4

2.5

0.9

Yearly deaths due to tobacco consumption

5,400,000 600,000 direct tobacco users

public response

non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke

20 cigarretes: 1 box Mauritania

41

Eritrea

38

Rwanda

36

Moldova

41

Swaziland

35

KSA

35

Oman

33

Taiwan

32

Panama

30

Yemen

30

Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, WHO

FAHAD AL GHADANI fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Coming in at fifth place usually sounds unimpressive, but when it comes to tobacco consumption rate among GCC countries, it might be considered good news for Oman.

The Executive Office of the Gulf Health Ministries recently

released a report putting Yemen on top of the list of tobacco consumers in not only GCC, but also among all Arab nations.

Saudi Arabia was second on the list followed by Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Oman. Qatar had the lowest tobacco consumption rate.

The report showed that the consumption of tobacco involved less

ban all over Oman, starting with the most congested public places with citizens and residents, especially families.

that 12.3 per cent of the Omani population.

Ban on smoking either ‘sheesha’ or cigarettes in public places was among the issues raised by a municipal council member recently eliciting a huge response from the public. Places such as beaches, parks and bus stations were mainly targeted by the Muscat Municipality as they have a priority in

Graphics

imposing the ban once the recommendations are approved.

Statistics released by the Ministry of Health showed that 70 per cent of Oman’s residents suffered from some kind of ailment related to smoking. The municipality needs to take necessary steps to reduce tobacco use, said a Municipal Council member, adding that laws banning smoking in public

places have had a positive impact on health, according to studies.

An order issued locally which bans smoking in enclosed public places such as shopping malls, cafes and enclosed restaurants, is already in place. It was issued on October 31, 2009 and came into effect in April, 2010.

The municipal council members have suggested extending the

Tobacco use According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), tobacco kills nearly six million people each year. More than five million of these deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while more than 600,000 are the result of nonsmokers being exposed to secondhand smoke. Unless urgent action is taken, the annual death toll could rise to more than eight million by 2030, according to WHO statistics.

As it costs millions of rials to treat smokers, the municipal council is pushing for stricter regulations against smoking in public places. They have also been receiving complaints from citizens who do not like being forced to become passive smokers.

Following the ban, the Muscat Municipality has been fining offenders between OMR100 and OMR300 for violating the ban.

Smoking is already banned on all public transport services and enclosed areas, including government offices, health centres and hospitals, clinics and dispensaries, educational institutions, industries, commercial centres and markets, restaurants and coffee shops and clubs.

REGIONAL MEETING

OMAN-INDIA JOINT ARMY EXERCISE The Royal Army of Oman (RAO) on Wednesday began joint exercise (Al Najah 1 or Success 1) with the Indian Army as part of the training plans with friendly countries in order to raise efficiency of its personnel.-ONA

Arab nations unite to take up school children’s health plan Times News Service MUSCAT: A regional meeting of experts for improving the school health document in general education schools in Arab countries mooted continuation of its activities.

The meeting was inaugurated on Tuesday in Muscat under the auspices of Dr Humoud Al Harthi, undersecretary of Ministry of Education for education and curricula, in the presence of the secretary of the Oman National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (ONCECS), and the participation of representatives from 10 Arab countries, experts and specialists in the field of nutrition and school health.

The meeting was organised by ONCECS, in collaboration with Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO).

The draft document to improve school health in general education schools in the Arab countries is one of ALECSO’s programmes within its general plan to develop education in the Arab world.

The programme aims specifically to improve school health services to face current and future challenges and to develop them to reflect positively on school achievement of students and professional performance of teachers and administrators, be-

CHILDREN’S WELFARE : The programme aims specifically to improve school health services to face current and future challenges and to develop them to reflect positively on school achievement of students.–File photo

sides consolidating the positive health behaviour for all members of the society. This meeting aims to develop school health in the Arab world so that it can meet the needs of learners and staff in the school environment and related community members.

After the opening ceremony, Dr. Humoud Al Harthy, undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Education and Curriculum, made a statement in which he said, “We all know that a healthy mind is in a healthy body, so the availability of school health services effectively contribute to improving the academic achievement of students. Health, both in terms of food and protection from diseases lead to students who are capable of academic achievement

as required since school health is one of the most important aspects of the educational process.”

Two presentations were given at the meeting. The first was titled ‘Improving School Health in Public Education Schools’ by Dr. Mohammed bin Fatima, professor of high education at the University of Tunisia. He demonstrated the overall goals related to improving school health in the Arab world, and provided an analysis of a questionnaire to identify strengths and weaknesses in the Arab strategy for the monitoring of difficulties facing school health organisation.

The questionnaire covered a number of goals and directives to improve school health by setting up a strategy for the purpose.

PA R I S T E R R O R

A1 ‘Holy Quran teaches us < FROM

to fight evil with good’

“Allah does not love those who spread mischief…” (Sura Mai’dah 5:64). “…whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption (done) in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely... And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely…”

(Mai’dah 5:32).

“Muslims must realise the great responsibility upon our shoulders to represent Islam in its crystal and pure form, by first of all being patient and by not refuting false accusations with evil actions. Instead we have to be cautious in our actions and reactions. I advise my fellow Muslims to take advantage of any opportunity that arises to present Islam to our fellow non-Muslim friends, as it is the only way to fight the fear and the misconceptions they have about Islam,” he added.

Another religious scholar said that while printing a blasphemous image of Prophet on a magazine cover was a condemnable act, so was attacking those responsible.

“Holy Quran teaches us to fight evil with good. It teaches us to turn our foes into our lifelong friends. Islam is a religion of love and peace. It doesn’t teach us anywhere vengeance,” Ummer VCP, the religious scholar, said. “[The] magazine’s stand on freedom of expression is agreeable. But we should not forget the saying that your liberty to swing your fist ends just where my nose begins. Moreover, the magazine should not have taken this kind of liberty by hurting the religious sentiments of believers,” Ummer added.

Islam teaches us to face criticism with broad-mindedness, another religious scholar said.

“Prophet has taught us the same. In his period also, Islam was criticised by many. But he has dealt all the attacks with patience and has taught us to follow the same,” Sayyid Ibrahim Khalil Buqhari, a religious scholar said.

“Prophet’s prominence and Islam’s values cannot be tarnished by criticisms. Nobody can tar-

nish the Prophet with a few cartoons or something else. So, true believers should ignore this and follow the path of peace and love.

Prophet has never taught us to attack disbelievers by resorting to unwarranted means,” Sayyid Ibrahim said.

“By unleashing terror on disbelievers in the name of Islam is a devious plan designed by terrorists to establish their ideology,” Sayyid Ibrahim added.

Meanwhile, another Islamic scholar, Nizar Saqafi, said that those who attacked the magazine and killed the people are not true believers of Islam.

“Even if they claim that they are Muslims, they are not,” he said.

Mohammed Osama Rawat, an orthodox Muslim, said that we should keep a distance from them who are ridiculing Allah’s commandments.

“As per Khalifa Umar Farooq (May Allah be pleased with him), we should keep a distance from them who are ridiculing Allah’s commandments,” Rawat said.

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IT TECHNOLOGY

SAYYID ASA’AD MEETS ENVOY On behalf of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, His Highness Sayyid Asa’ad bin Tariq Al Said yesterday received Mohammed Yousfi, ambassador of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria to the Sultanate, to bid him farewell at the end of his tour of duty.—ONA

P O L I C Y S TAT E M E N T

A1 Ministers focus < FROM

on food safety

Stressing on the significance of transferring new advanced international technology to the Sultanate, the Council approved the localisation of railway industries as part of the country’s modernisation policy espoused by the government.

The statement said, “Within the context of the attention accorded by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said to further enhance the Sultanate’s economic and social development and maximise benefits from services being offered to citizens, the Council recently held a number of meetings during which it discussed means of achieving the highest possible levels of growth.”

“In pursuance of the government’s keenness to ensure the availability of staple food and the stability of their prices, the Council of Ministers has stressed the importance of addressing hindrances posed to food safety projects. The plan includes the allocation of special areas for agricultural investment, the draft-

ing of a comprehensive list of feasible agriculture and fishery projects and the designation of suitable areas for the setting up of central livestock sale markets, along with related basic services,” it said.

The statement further said, “In implementation of its previous decisions, the Council of Ministers has approved the activation of the Food Safety Centre at the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources.

The Centre will be empowered to undertake analysis and monitoring of foodstuff and consumer agricultural products in the local market. It also gave directives to enhance service and research laboratories at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, as well as agriculture and water laboratories at the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources. It also directed the departments concerned to undertake legal and procedural steps to safeguard public health from the impacts of farm pesticides.” – ONA

ePassport launch today ZAKRIYAH AL SOBHI MUSCAT: Royal Oman Police (ROP) will launch the ePassport on Thursday under the patronage of Sayyid Hamood bin Faisal Al Busaidi, Minister of Interior.

The new ePassport design is derived from Omani heritage of the dagger and Islamic and Arabic decorations as well as three dimensional drawings of the most prominent landmarks of Oman.

Brig Adullah Al Jabri, director of human resources at the ROP, said that ePassport includes an electronic chip that allows officials to read the data of the passport electronically as well as verify its credibility.

It has reinforced biometrics including fingerprints of the passport holder, digital image, as well as the electronic signature. It will make it easier and safer for Omani citizens travelling across the world, said Al Jabri.

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TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015 Authentic Omani cuisine deserves global recognition and this event has been an important step towards achieving that goal Mohsin Khamis Al Balushi, adviser to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

OMAN Al Irfan project master plan contract awarded Irfan is the Sultanate’s largest mixed-use urban development project, and we wanted to ensure it is designed in a sustainable manner while reflecting the uniqueness of Omani culture and aligns with the Sultanate’s long-term developmental strategy. We are delighted that the RIBA competitive process enabled us to achieve such a successful result, which has led to the appointment of Allies and Morrison, a world-class firm in architecture and urban design.”

Allies and Morrison has won the competition to select a master planning consultant for Al Irfan urban development project in Oman

Times News Service MUSCAT: Omran announced that a multidisciplinary team led

by Allies and Morrison has won the competition to select a master planning consultant for Al Irfan urban development project in Oman, which will create a new downtown area for the Muscat capital district.

The new mixed-use project will be located on a site extending over 7.4 million square metres, with strategic links to the nearby Muscat International Airport and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC). The selection process was managed by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in partnership with the project developer, Omran. It followed the format of a competition via direct invitation, with five participating teams including Allies and Morrison, Broadway Malyan, HOK, Nikken Sekkei Ltd. and Skidmore Owings & Merrill Inc. Sustainable design Each of the competitors was tasked with developing a concept master plan proposal embracing sustainable design principles which would reflect Oman’s distinctive identity.

MIXED-USE PROJECT: Eng. Wael Al Lawati, Chief Executive Officer of Omran and Graham Morrison, Partner, Allies and Morrison, at the contract signing ceremony. – Supplied picture

The master plan proposals submitted by the five teams were assessed by a multi- disciplinary international judging panel comprising Alan Baxter of Alan Baxter & Associates, Professor Salma Samar Damluji from the Department of Architecture and Design, American University of Beirut, Paul Finch, deputy chair of the Design Council, Robin Nicholson of Cullinan Studio, and Peter Oborn, vice president, RIBA International, in addition to Professor Awni Shaaban of the Department of Civil and Architecture Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, and Basem Al Shihabi of Omrania & Associates, Saudi Arabia.

The two highest scoring finalists were then invited to present their proposals and answer questions from panel members at an

interview. While the panel considered that all the participating teams had submitted compelling design concepts they found that the concept developed by Allies and Morrison provided a rich narrative together with a contextual, landscape driven response to the brief which had been designed to work with the topography while enhancing the site’s unique natural setting.

Modern scheme The panel said the proposals had the potential to create a thoroughly modern yet authentic and characteristic scheme, that would be recognisably Omani and distinct from other destinations in the wider Gulf region.

Eng. Wael Al Lawati, Omran’s chief executive officer, said, “Al

Large-scale project Highlighting the importance of the Al Irfan project, Eng. Wael Al Lawati added, “This large-scale project is a big step towards the future in terms of modern urban planning, not just for Muscat, but also as a model for planning modern cities across the Sultanate in years to come.

“Al Irfan urban development will provide an exciting addition to Muscat’s new lifestyle offering, complete with a new commercial centre which will be designed to best international standards in urban planning. It will include residential, commercial, retail, recreation and tourist facilities and will also provide significant employment opportunities for Omanis, together with numerous downstream business opportunities for Omani companies.”

Interesting project Graham Morrison, partner at Allies and Morrison, said, “This is an extraordinarily interesting project for us to win. The project shares, in many ways, some of the same attributes of our other large scale master plans including London’s 2012 Olympic legacy plan, as it shares the same long term ambitions for a memorable, sustainable and vibrant new community. It will be a privilege to be working on such a dramatic site, to be working with the Omran team and to be working in Oman.”

MUSIC WORKSHOPS

SPIRIT OF MUSIC: The aim of the Muscat Chamber Music Series is to provide workshops and free concerts so that people in Oman can learn more about the value of music. –Jun Estrada/Times of Oman

Grand opening of Muscat Chamber Music Series soon Times News Service MUSCAT: Grand opening of Muscat Chamber Music Series will be held in either March or April, said organisers on Wednesday. The aim of the Muscat Chamber Music Series is to provide music workshops and free concerts so that people in Oman can learn more about the value of music.

“A country is known by the music and music knows no boundaries,” said Ahmed Abouzahra, general manager and founder of Arabesque International, a performing arts promotion company based in Oman, while announcing the third pre-launch event of the Muscat Chamber Music Series, which will take place at the Oman Auditorium Hall, Al Bustan Palace, on January 21, 2015, at 7.30pm.

This concert will be unique, bringing the spirit of Om Kolthoum to the series for the first time. Some of her best songs will be performed by Egyptian musicians, namely by Rehab Omar, accompanied by the talented ‘Maged Sorour Ensemble for Arabic Music’.

Its leader and conductor, Maged Sorour, is one of the most illustrious qanoon players of the Arab world, and Rehab Omar has been dubbed “The best artistic

successor of Om Kolthoum, since her passing.”

In addition to the vocal tribute to the great Om Kolthoum, the audience will be delighted with instrumental melodies from the Arabic repertoire.

A distinguished soloist, Rehab Omar became dedicated to music at an young age, and was able to gain much of her early on-stage experience as a member of the ‘Children’s Choir’ founded by Selim Sahab, and in collaboration with his National Arab Music Ensemble.

In 2005, she joined the Abdel Halim Nowera Ensemble for Arabic Music, and with them performed in numerous festivals and on stages including those of the Alexandria and Cairo Opera Houses, where she still performs regularly.

In her young career, she has already graced the stage in many Arab countries, and has also been called to perform in Europe.

The programme will be held under the patronage of the Egyptian Culture Office to the Sultanate, and presented by the Oman Arab Bank.

The concert will be free of cost, and the Egyptian musicians will be doing a workshop with young Omani musicians from the Oud Association, which will be open to participants of all ages.

AUTHENTIC OMANI CUISINE

Oman Air promotes delicious local dishes Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman Air’s Muscatbased catering unit is playing an important role in supporting the Omani Government’s promotion of authentic Omani cuisine to discerning international audiences.

Oman Air’s Catering Business Unit, under the leadership of General Manager - Oman Air Catering Jassim Al Balushi, recently hosted a high-profile event at which three of Oman’s leading chefs presented a range of delicious new dishes. Each dish combined traditional Omani cooking with the latest global culinary trends, and was created with the expert support of Oman Air’s in-house chefs.

The chefs created a range of soups, salads, appetisers, main courses and desserts which were not just pleasing to the palate but also had an overwhelming visual appeal.

The guest of honour at this special event was Mohsin Khamis Al Balushi, adviser to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and board member of Oman Air. He was joined by senior managers from Oman Air and officials from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, which is overseeing Oman’s presence at the forthcoming Expo Milano 2015.

Expo Milano 2015 will provide a global platform for increasing awareness of Omani culture and heritage, including its distinctive cuisine.

Mohsin Khamis Al Balushi commented, “Authentic Omani cuisine deserves global recognition and this event has been an important step towards achiev-

GOURMET’S DELIGHT: The chefs created a range of soups, salads, appetisers, main courses and desserts which were not just pleasing to the palate but also had an overwhelming visual appeal.

ing that goal. I am amazed by the outstanding skill and creativity shown by each of the guest chefs, as well as the expertise of Oman Air’s own catering specialists. My thanks go to all who took part and whose hard work made this event such a success. The efforts of Jassim Al Balushi and his team in unconditionally supporting the global promotion of Omani cuisine are particularly appreciated.”

Showcasing talents In turn, the chefs thanked Mohsin Khamis and Oman Air for giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents globally. They

also thanked the catering team for giving them the opportunity to enhance their pre-plating, presentation and serving experience.

Omani cuisine Andrew Walsh, chief officer service delivery, added, “Oman Air has, for many years now, both in-flight and within our airport lounges, been proud to showcase Omani cuisine to millions of air travellers from around the world.

We are therefore delighted to have played a further part in raising the global profile of Omani culinary achievement and it has been a pleasure to offer the support of

Oman Air Catering to these most enterprising of Omani chefs.”

Jassim Al Balushi, general manager - Oman Air Catering, said, “We look forward to seeing Omani food gain even greater recognition at Expo Milano 2015, and to taking Omani cuisine to many more destinations as Oman Air’s network continues to grow.

“In the meantime, I would like to thank His Excellency, our guests from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, our superb guest chefs and the Oman Air Catering Unit for making this event such a great success,” he said in conclusion.

U R U G UAYA N O P E R A S I N G E R

Erwin Schrott all set to perform at ROHM Times News Service MUSCAT: Exhilarating and passionate sounds of tango will be brought to the stage of the Royal Opera House Muscat on January 18 in a concert featuring Uruguayan opera singer Erwin Schrott with the Rojotango Ensemble.

Erwin Schrott is a bass-baritone who has starred in many operas, but his Uruguayan roots mean he also has a deep love of tango and in 2011 he recorded an album called Rojotango featuring the genre. He will share this music in his Omani debut, accompanied by the Rojotango Ensemble.

“Tango is branded into my soul.

Tango has built up a space in my heart. Tango has the taste of life, and the flavour of death,” Schrott said of the music which he grew up listening to. The programme will include pieces by tango composer Astor Piazzolla and songs

by Latin American composers.

T HURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015 With over 700 ‘buy one get one free’ offers for restaurants, attractions, entertainment, spas, salons, fitness and more, it offers customers over OMR24,000 in savings throughout 2015 Donna Benton, Founder and CEO of Entertainer Oman 2015

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OMAN M A R K E T I N G PAC K AG E

Entertainer Oman 2015 offers savings worth OMR24,000 Times News Servcie

TOURISM TIME: The weather in Paris during the campaign period was quite cold which made the images of Oman’s sunny beaches very appealing to prospective visitors.–Supplied photo

Paris buses pitch for sunny Oman France is considered one of the most visited countries in the world, and the campaign was run during Christmas and New Year

Times News Service MUSCAT: Showcasing photos of Oman’s beauty on the rear panel of the buses, the Ministry of Tourism recently launched its Double Decker Tourist Bus Campaign in Paris.

The campaign is using 25 buses and was conducted from December 30, 2014, to January 12.

These buses moved around the most important landmarks and attractions in Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, the Opera, Champs

Élysées, Arc de Triomphe and the Place de la Concorde.

France is considered one of the most visited countries in the world, and the campaign was running throughout the period of Christmas and New Year. The impact of the publicity was quite high for both French and international visitors vacationing in Paris.

The weather in Paris during the campaign period was quite cold which made the images of Oman’s sunny beaches very appealing to prospective visitors looking for a

warmer getaway. Oman tourism buses were parked at the Champs Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe on New Year’s eve during the New Year countdown and were showcased live on French TV. This campaign helped the ministry’s numerous partners in France to ensure their support, especially with current events that have caused much tension throughout Europe, and have stimulated the demand and the image of Oman in the French market.

It has also reinforced the ‘elearning programme’ that they just launched. Simultaneously, the number of likes on the Ministry of Tourism’s French page on Facebook increased from 5000 to 8157 during this two week period.

There was also a 63.9 per cent increase of new visitors to the ministry’s website in French (www. omantourisme.com).

MUSCAT: Citizens and residents can make savings of OMR24,000 with the Entertainer Oman 2015 being launched in Muscat on Tuesday.

Speaking to Times of Oman, Donna Benton, founder and CEO of Entertainer, said that from dining at leading restaurants to being pampered in a spa, the Entertainer Oman 2015 has offers for all your favourite activities.

“With over 700 ‘buy one get one free’ offers for restaurants, attractions, entertainment, spas, salons, fitness and more, it offers customers over OMR24,000 in savings

throughout 2015,” she told Times of Oman at the sidelines of the launch. Every Entertainer Oman 2015 includes a complimentary copy of the Entertainer Travel 2015, which features over 250 Book One Night, Get One Free offers at leading 4 and 5-star hotels across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Indian Ocean.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Marriott and Viceroy are just a few of the hundreds of international names included in the Entertainer Travel 2015.

Exciting new merchants include The Great Kebab Factory, 360 Degrees, VOX Cinemas, The Big Bus

Tours, Café Ceramique and Just Grilled. Hundreds of popular merchants are back for 2015, including TGI Friday’s, Burger King, Pizza Express, Chili’s, Fun Ville, Caribou Café and many more.

Customers can choose between a printed book and the Entertainer App, which was launched last year.

With over 350,000 downloads to date, the Entertainer App has proved extremely popular with Entertainer customers – offering convenient access to offers, a simple redemption process, locationbased search and even a savings tracker. The Entertainer Oman 2015 includes over OMR24,000 worth of savings.

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REGION

UN and Arab League envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said that his focus is on Aleppo first because it is an iconic example of where things could start sending the best signal

D E A D LY V I R U S

TUNISIAN REVOLUTION’S FOURTH ANNIVERSARY Family members of protesters who died or were wounded during Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, hold pictures and shout slogans during celebrations marking the fourth anniversary of the revolution, at Habib Bourguiba Avenue in Tunis on Wednesday. — Reuters

Woman dies of H5N1 bird flu in Egypt CAIRO: A 65-year-old Egyptian woman has died from the H5N1 strain of bird flu, the health ministry said on Wednesday, the second victim of the virus this month.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says there has been a recent jump in the number of H5N1 infections in people in Egypt, but says there does not appear to have been any major genetic change in the flu strain to explain the rise in human cases.

The latest victim came from the central province of Assiut, the health ministry said in a statement. Egypt’s H5N1 cases have largely been in poor rural areas in the south, where villagers tend to keep and slaughter poultry in the home.

Seven other cases are currently being treated and three have recovered this year, the ministry said.

At least 10 people died from the disease in Egypt in 2014.

The Geneva-based WHO said on Tuesday that between December 4 to January 6, there had been 18 new laboratory-confirmed human cases of H5N1 infection in Egypt, including four deaths.

This was the highest ever monthly number of human cases in Egypt, the UN public health agency said. — Reuters

C ATA S T R O P H I C C R I S I S

Kerry backs Russian bid for fresh Syria talks GENEVA: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday backed Russia-led bid for fresh talks to bring about a peaceful resolution to the catastrophic Syrian crisis.

Kerry voiced his backing for Russian efforts during his meeting with UN and Arab League envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura. “The United States is particularly concerned about the continued catastrophe that is unfolding in Syria where nearly three-quarters of the entire country are displaced people,” Kerry said.

“Russian efforts could be helpful” for bringing about a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis which has entered its fourth year,” he said.

De Mistura, who is heading to Damascus next week, said that his focus is on Aleppo first because it is “an iconic example of where things could start sending the best signal.”

“It is time for the Assad regime to put their people first and to think about the consequences of their actions which are attracting more and more terrorists to Syria,” Kerry said. — PTI

Zarif seeks progress in talks on Iran nuclear programme “I think we would have a much safer, much more prudent world if we were to engage in serious dialogue, serious debate about our differences, and then we will find out that what binds us together is far greater than what divides us,” he said.

Iran minister admits his meeting with Kerry is crucial

GENEVA: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday his meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry was important to see if progress could be made in narrowing differences on his country’s disputed nuclear programme.

Zarif, asked whether the session was key to setting the stage for the more detailed nuclear negotiations this week, told reporters minutes before his encounter with Kerry in Geneva: “I think it’s important. I think it will show the readiness of the two parties to move forward and to speed up the process.”

Renewing the quest Iran and six world powers including Washington have renewed their quest for an elusive nuclear deal after negotiators failed for the

DISCUSSIONS: US Secretary of State John Kerry sits with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Geneva on Wednesday. Zarif said his meeting with Kerry was important to see if progress could be made in narrowing differences on his country’s disputed nuclear programme. – Reuters

second time in November to meet a self-imposed deadline.

The sought-after agreement, whose new deadline is June 30, would gradually end sanctions

imposed on Iran in exchange for verifiable curbs on its uranium enrichment programme to ensure it cannot be put to developing nuclear bombs. Tehran says it wants

only civilian nuclear energy.

Zarif, asked if he hoped they could reach agreement by July 1, said: “That’s why we are here.

We’ll see.

Negotiators Kerry, accompanied by a team of US negotiators including Acting Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, did not speak to reporters. Earlier on Wednesday, he held talks with the UN mediator for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, in the Swiss city.

Zarif, asked by reporters about the latest Charlie Hebdo last week’s deadly militant attack on the French satirical journal, said: “We believe that sanctities need to be respected.

“Unless we learn to respect one another, it will be very difficult in a world of different views and different cultures and civilisations, we won’t be able to engage in a serious dialogue if we start disrespecting each other’s values and sanctities,” Zarif said.

Respecting such “sanctities” makes it easier to have respectful relations, he added. — Reuters

E S C A L AT I N G T E N S I O N

Palestinian ‘unity government’ on the brink of collapse GAZA: Escalating tension between Hamas and its Fatah has pushed their “unity” government to the brink of collapse, harming efforts to rebuild the Gaza Strip and complicating Palestinian statehood ambitions.

Five months after a devastating war with Israel, Gaza’s residents are still occasionally jolted by explosions. But the blasts now are more often the result of the internal conflict tearing at the fabric of Palestinian politics. Hamas remains the dominant force in the Gaza territory - even after it agreed last June to a “reconciliation government” that would assert control and oversee postwar reconstruction. That government’s inability to fully carry out its work has stalled rebuilding in Gaza, where around 100,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the war, and undermined a Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations.

Spiralling violence In recent weeks the Hamas-Fatah stand-off has spiralled into violence, although it is not always clear who is behind it. On Friday, bombs exploded at a major Gaza bank used by the unity govern-

UP IN ARMS: Palestinians hold kerosene lamps during a protest against power crisis in Gaza, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Palestinian Energy officials said residents of Gaza, home to 1.8 million people, have been experiencing up to 18 hours of electricity outage a day for nearly a month due to fuel and power shortages. – Reuters

ment to pay most of the 70,000 public sector workers hired before Hamas took over the narrow, coastal enclave.

At the weekend, pictures emerged of Fatah activists in Gaza who said they had been stripped, beaten and left in freezing temperatures by Hamas security men.

Hamas, meanwhile, accuses Fatah

of rounding up its party members in the occupied West Bank, where the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) prevails.

“Whenever Hamas is with its back against the wall, it reacts with some fighting,” said Mattia Toaldo, a Middle East expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, although he described

that as a worst-case scenario that remained unlikely for now.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, who is based in the occupied West Bank, says his technocrat government cannot begin to administer Gaza until Hamas fully relinquishes control, including over border crossings with Egypt and Israel.

But there is no sign of that happening. For its part, Hamas accuses Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who leads Fatah and controls the PA budget, of trying to throttle the group into submission, including by refusing to pay its 50,000 public-sector employees.

“Abbas must first show solidarity with his own people, whom he deprives of salaries and rebuilding,” said Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas official. The group has also lambasted Abbas for not visiting Gaza since the war with Israel.

The upshot is that the Palestinians are now as polarised as ever, with Hamas overseeing Gaza and its 1.8 million people, while Fatah is in charge in the occupied West Bank, just 60km (40 miles) to the northeast, where 2.8 million live.

Foreign governments that last October contributed $5.4 billion to a fund for the Palestinians, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and others in Europe, have indicated that they cannot fully follow through on their commitments until the unity government is in charge as a single authority.

The risk for Hamas is that if it gives up power now it may not regain it - while it won the last Palestinian elections in 2006, there are

no signs of a new vote being held.

For Fatah, if it does not exert itself via the Palestinian Authority, it cannot hope to be taken seriously by the rest of the world as it prepares to join the International Criminal Court and make another statehood attempt at the United Nations. What is more, even if that bid makes progress, opinion polls show Hamas will win the next elections, whenever they are held, greatly complicating the statehood agenda.

Hamas is formally sworn to Israel’s destruction and opposes the PA’s independence strategy because it would not mean a state in all of historic Palestine and it believes critical issues, such as the right of return for refugees, are not included. Hani Al Masri, an independent political analyst based in the occupied West Bank, worries that if the Hamas-Fatah tensions are not reined in, the results could be devastating, especially for the people of Gaza, desperate to rebuild their lives after the war.

“It might lead to unrest and bring closer the moment of a potential explosion that neither Hamas nor anybody else could contain, and could even spread to the occupied West Bank,” he said. — Reuters

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INDIA

B U S I N E S S C L I M AT E

Long, tough road for Modi to make India ‘easiest’ place for business GANDHINAGAR (India): Narendra Modi may have pledged to make India the “easiest” place to do business but experts remain sceptical about how the prime minister intends to overcome obstacles such as corruption, red tape and an arduous tax regime.

Hundreds of executives gathered this week in Modi’s longtime fiefdom of Gujarat to hear him promise to transform India’s business climate, with “unlimited” reforms designed to attract foreign investment.

Everyone from World Bank president Jim Yong Kim to US Secretary of State John Kerry publicly heaped praise on Modi’s efforts to kickstart economic growth since his right-wing party stormed to power at elections in May. Economists cautious But behind the scenes at the major “Vibrant Gujarat” summit, the mood among some was more cautious while economists rattled off a string of substantial reforms the government still needs to tackle.

India currently ranks 142 out of

189 on the World Bank’s “ease of doing business survey”, behind its rival Pakistan, and even dropping two places on the list last year.

Kerry hailed Modi as a “visionary” in his address at the summit, enthused by his government’s promises to cut a swathe through red tape and simplify a tax regime that often leaves foreign business in despair. But, speaking on the sidelines of the gathering, one of Kerry’s own officials struck a more cautious wait-and-see note.

“I think there are companies who are sort of watching to make sure that what’s projected actually happens,” a senior US State Department official said in the Gujarati capital Gandhinagar.

“And there’s no reason to believe it won’t, but at the same time these are very entrenched things that take a while to change,” he said.

Also speaking at the three-day gathering, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley defended his government’s pace of reforms so far and stressed that Modi’s pledge to make India the “easiest” place to do business was not an empty slogan.

OBSTACLES GALORE

India needs $800 billion a year in investments, well above the current $200 billion, to help the economy accelerate to 7% growth

Economy has been struggling through its worst slowdown since the 1980s, with growth near 5%

Experts pointed to a need to overhaul dilapidated infrastructure including pot-holed roads and unreliable power supplies to boost business

Jaitley pointed to moves to fasttrack changes to land purchases — a major business bugbear — and steps to introduce a national sales tax to replace myriad confusing duties imposed by state and national governments. “I see invest-

ments significantly moving up in days to come,” said Jaitley.

Economist Rajiv Kumar applauded Modi’s efforts but said more was needed to remove cumbersome and often opaque rules and regulations for every kind of business,

100 corpses recovered from Ganga in Unnao During preliminary investigation, local

Most of the bodies were badly mutilated so it was difficult to ascertain their gender

residents informed that instead of cremating the bodies of unmarried girls, they are set adrift in

A. Satish Ganesh

the Ganga river

UNNAO (UP): In a curious case, over 100 bodies have been fished out from river Ganga in this area of northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh over the past two days, prompting the Centre to rush a team of officials to enquire the reason behind it.

While about 30 bodies were recovered on Tuesday, 70 more were fished out on Wednesday.

“Around 100 bodies have been taken out from the river near Pariyar ghat in Safipur area (of Unnao district),” Inspector General of Police (Law and Order)

Inspector General of Police

A. Satish Ganesh told reporters.

With most of the bodies mutilated, DNA sampling is being used to identify the bodies.

Badly decomposed A team of 10 doctors have taken the DNA samples of 80 bodies to ascertain their identities, while it was not possible to take samples from others as they were badly decomposed, Ganesh said.

As the curiosity was brewing over the mysterious recoveries, Ganesh said these were bodies ostensibly of unmarried girls and

children which were disposed off in the river by their kin as part of last rites. The bodies surfaced after water receded near Pariyar Ghat, he said.

“During preliminary investigation, local residents informed that instead of cremating the bodies of unmarried girls they are set adrift in the Ganga river,” the IG said.

“Most of the bodies were badly mutilated so it was difficult to ascertain their gender,” he said.

He said 45 villages have been identified where people tradi-

F R AC T U R E D M A N D AT E

Stalemate continues as PDP turns down NC support offer SRINAGAR: Prospects of an early resolution to political stalemate in Indian-administeredKashmir ended on Wednesday with NC slamming PDP and accusing it of making every “compromise” to come to power, after the latter showed no inclination to accept offer of support.

PDP, which has emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats in the House of 87 nembers, on Wednesday indicated that it may not accept the support offer of National Conference whose Working President Omar Abdullah wrote to Governor N. N. Vohra on Tuesday.

“The people have voted against the National Conference in the elections and with just 15 seats, they (NC) cannot decide on the government formation,” PDP Chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said.

Soon after, NC’s general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar issued a statement, saying its offer was limited to outside support and attacked PDP, saying it was “ready to make every possible compromise and U-turn to come to power”.

Sagar pointedly targeted PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, accusing him of “lording over countless massacres and being the architect of repression in the state”.

Insisting that NC was not interested in being a part of government, he said that “unlike” PDP,

CANDID : President of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti addressing a Press Conference after her party’s win in assembly elections in Srinagar recently. - PTI file photo

his party is “guided by principles and a political ideology that is rooted in the aspirations and sentiments of the people.”

Sagar said, “It should be amply clear that the NC’s offer to PDP was an offer of outside support for PDP to form the government in J&K...”

While slamming PDP, Sagar said, “We have put our ideology over the lure of power, something that quite understandably seems inconceivable for a party like the PDP which is ready to make every possible compromise and U-turn to come to power in the State.

“PDP wants to come to power at any cost, even if that means contradicting everything PDP leaders said during the campaign for the Assembly Elections.”

While slamming PDP, the NC

leader said, “The last we checked, neither had Mufti Mohammad Sayeed rendered a public apology for his crimes against Kashmiris during his tenure as the (Union) Home Minister and nor have the people of the state forgiven him for lording over countless massacres and being the architect of repression in the state.

“So, the PDP Chief Spokesperson should come out of his delusions and the party should stop taking the people of Kashmir for granted”, Sagar added.

Sayeed was the union home minister in the V. P. Singh-led government of 1989.

PDP emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats in the 87-member House.

BJP bagged 25 seats, NC 15 and Congress 12. - PTI

tionally cremate their kin at Pariyar ghat. “Heads of these villages have been asked to provide the list of those, who had died in the last six months to one year and later cremated at the ghat,” he said, adding the samples of all such families would be taken and matched with those of the bodies.

The IG said that since the bodies found have already been ritually cremated, it has been decided in consultation with the local representatives that a mass cremation will be held and joint prayers conducted later. - PTI

from private schools to major industries, operating in India.

Kumar also said India’s notoriously inert and labyrinthine bureaucracy charged with imposing those regulations needed to be overhauled.

“It’s a paradigm shift that’s needed. It’s not incremental,” Kumar, a senior fellow at the Delhibased Centre for Policy Research think-tank, said.

And he was brutal about India’s “completely arbitrary” taxation regime, which he blamed for keeping international investors away and which the government has also promised to fix.

British mobile giant Vodafone is embroiled in a bitter, $2.4-billion battle with India’s tax authorities who are sometimes accused by business of acting capriciously, while Finnish company Nokia had a plant in India seized over a tax dispute.

While he agreed there was “still a long way to go”, Kumar said he was optimistic the government could transform the economy “because India will never have

another chance like this and Modi understands that”.

India needs $800 billion a year in investments, well above the current $200 billion, to help the economy accelerate to seven percent growth, the government’s financial services secretary told the summit.

Asia’s third largest economy has been struggling through its worst slowdown since the 1980s, with growth at around five per cent, too low to help create jobs for tens of millions of young people.

While some experts pointed to a need to overhaul dilapidated infrastructure including pot-holed roads and unreliable power supplies to boost business, others singled out endemic corruption.

Tackling corruption India-born economist Jagdish Bhagwati, a professor at Columbia University in New York, said the government must do more to tackle corruption among public officials that plagued the previous left-leaning Congress government’s decade in power. - AFP

TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

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FIND-IT-ALL

PRAYER TIMINGS

W E AT H E R

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

12.21pm 3.25pm 5.46pm 7.00pm 5.32am

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 Al Hashar, Ruwi1 24 Hr Br. Tel. 24537080 Muscat, Al Sarooj. Tel: 24695536 Belqees, Al Khoudh (OIB) Tel. 24535398 Belqees, Ma’abelah. Tel: 24454624 Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah.

Tel. 23291635

MAINLY clear skies over most of the Sultanate with chance of high clouds advection and chance of low-level clouds or fog patches during late night to early morning over governorates of Al-Dhahira and Al-Wusta. Chances of dust rising and wind over desert and open areas.

EXPECTED WIND: Wind will be northwesterly light to moderate occasionally fresh over most of the Sultanate becoming light variable during night along the coastal areas of Oman Sea coast while it will be northeasterly fresh along coasts of Arabian Sea. SEA STATE: Moderate over Musandam and Oman Sea coasts with a maximum wave height of 2.0 metres and moderate to rough along the coasts of Arabian Sea with a maximum wave height of 3.0 metres.

HORIZONTAL VISIBILITY: Good over most of the Sultanate becoming poor during fogdust rising and fog.

THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Mainly clear skies and relatively cold weather over most of the Sultanate.

HOSPITALS 1st Chiropractic Centre: 24472274 Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre: 24485052 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 Hamdan Hospital: 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC: 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital: 24760100 24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128,

OMAN Max 25 Min 17

Max 24 Min 16

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

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

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, SatWed 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, Thursday: 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

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

Max 24 Min 16 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)

Max 26 Min 10

Max 26 Min 10

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

Max 26 Min 18

Max 25 Min 8

UNITED KINGDOM: Waves crash over the harbour wall as high winds hit Porthcawl in south Wales. Britain’s Meteorological Office has issued warnings that parts country will be struck by gales and snow. -Reuters

Max 27 Min 18 —www.met.gov.om

WORLD

Max 1 Min -1 Max -7 Min -9

Max 21 Min 7 Max 1 Min -2

Max 25 Min 20

Max 22 Min 10

Max 25 Min 12

Max 30 Min 21

Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Kuwait Manama Riyadh Athens Baghdad Barbados Beijing Berlin Boston Brussels Buenos Aires Cairo Chicago Colombo Copenhagen Dublin Frankfurt Harare Hong Kong Istanbul Jerusalem Johannesburg

Max

Min

23 20 24 17 20 21 14 16 22 1 7 -2 8 28 18 -2 29 6 6 8 27 18 8 8 22

14 10 11 11 11 8 7 5 18 -3 4 -7 -3 21 9 -5 21 3 1 3 16 14 4 5 15

Kuala Lumpur Lisbon London Madrid Manila Mexico City Miami Moscow New Delhi New York Oslo Panama Paris Perth Prague Rio de Janeiro Santiago Seoul Singapore Stockholm Sydney Taipei Tokyo Toronto Vienna

Max

Min

30 15 -7 12 30 21 23 1 21 1 4 31 10 31 6 33 31 6 28 3 25 20 12 -4 8

23 9 -9 4 21 7 17 -2 7 -1 1 24 5 15 4 26 13 -1 24 2 20 18 5 -7 5

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

Operating Days Daily Daily Daily

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

08:50 11:00 14:30 15:45 17:40 18.35 20:20

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO SINAW (Route 52) 17:30 Sinaw

20:50

To Yanqul (Route 54) 14:30 Nizwa 14:30 Yanqul

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 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

08:55 11:40 20:20 14:55 17:40 19:20 22:15

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

Daily

TO SINAW (Route 52) 07:00 Ruwi

10:25

Daily

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

To Yanqul (Route 54) 06:00 Nizwa 06:00 Ruwi

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54) 08:00 Nizwa 08:00 Al Araqi

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

TO IBRI (ARAQI) (Route 54) 15:40 Nizwa 15:40 Ruwi

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

TO SUR (Route 55) 07:30 Sur 14:30 Sur

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

TO SUR (Route 55) 06:00 Ruwi 14:30 Ruwi

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

TO FAHUD - YIBAL (Route 62) 06:30 Fahud 06:30 Yibal

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 EVENTS

Muscat Festival 2015, January 15 to February 14 Interior Design Decor & Furniture Expo, Oman International Exhibition Centre | Muscat, Oman | 17-19 Feb 2015.

3rd International Medical & HealthCare Exhibition & Conference (IMTEC Oman 2015) will be held during the period from 19 - 21 January 2015 at Oman International Exhibition Centre.

The Oman Contractors Forum, organized by the IQPC will take place from 26th January to the 27th January 2015 at the Grand Hyatt Muscat in Muscat.

EdTechTeam Oman Summit, organised by the EdTechTeam, Inc. will take place from 30th January to the 31st January 2015 at the American International School of Muscat.

The BIG Show Muscat, Oman International Exhibition Centre| Muscat, Oman | 30 Mar-02 Apr 2015.

Times Great India Education Fair Muscat is a 2 day event being held from 20th February to the 21st February 2015 at the Al Falaj Hotel.

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 LISTINGS 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

CINEMA SCHEDULE

BAHJA CINEMA Taken 3 (2D) (Action | Crime) (12+) Cast: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Maggie Grace 3:00, 7:15, 9:30, 11:45 PM I (2D) (Action | Fantasy) (12+) Cast: Chiyaan Vikram, Amy Jackson, Upen Patel 2:00, 8:15 PM The Theory of Everything (2D) (Biography | Drama) (PG12) Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Tom Prior 5:15, 7:30 PM 13 Sin (2D) (Horror | Thriller) (18+) Cast: Mark Webber, Devon Graye, Tom Bower 9:45, 11:30 PM The Snow Queen: Magic of the Ice Mirror (2D) (Animation) (TBC) Cast: Anna Shurochkina, Ivan okhlobystin, Anna Khilkevich Timings: 2:00 PM The Snow Queen: Magic of the Ice Mirror (3D) (Animation) (TBC) 3:30, 5:00 PM We’ll Never have Paris(2D) (Com) Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Nancy Marlowe 6:30 PM, Seventh Son (2D) (Adv) (PG12) Cast: Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore 5:15 PM Seventh Son (3D) (Adv) (PG12) 11:45 PM

Snow Queen-Magic Of The Ice Mirror (2D)(Animation) (PG) Cast: Anna Shurochkina, Anna Khilkevich; 10:00AM Snow Queen-Magic Of The Ice Mirror (3D): (Animation) (PG) 02:00, 03:30 & 05:00PM

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PAKISTAN

Imran faces the fury of Peshawar parents The PTI chief, who was accompanied by his wife Reham Khan, was forced to turnaround as mournful parents refused to let him inside the premises of the Army Public School

PESHAWAR: Parents of children martyred in the Peshawar attack protested against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan on Thursday as he arrived at the Army Public School, Express News reported.

The PTI chief, who was accompanied by his wife Reham Khan, was forced to turnaround as mournful parents, overcome by grief and anger, refused to let him inside the premises of the school.

However, according to Express News, Imran managed to enter the school through a separate entrance. Imran was earlier advised to postpone his visit to the armyrun school as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif had to visit the school the same day.

“You were busy getting married without doing anything about my child who died less than a month ago,” said a weeping mother, outside the school, while another parent said the PTI chief had deserted them when they needed him the most.

Urging the PTI chief not to

DOORS SHUT: The sister of Asfand Khan, a student who was killed during an attack by Pakistan’s Taliban gunmen on the Army Public School, carries his portrait while standing with her family members, who were trying to get permission to enter the school during a visit by Pakistan Tehrik-eInsaf’s chairman Imran Khan (not pictured), in Peshawar on Wednesday. — Reuters

politicise the Peshawar attack, a protester said, “We do not need anyone, whether it’s Imran Khan or Nawaz Sharif.”

“Imran came after one month to visit the school because he was busy with his wedding,” he added angrily, claiming Imran should be ashamed of himself.

Further, Imran was criticised for not doing anything despite being elected as a member of national assembly from the province.

‘Don’t understand the point’ “I don’t understand what the point of the protests were … I am just a chief of a party and Pervaiz Khattak is the chief minister of the province, but the school is run by the army,” said Imran.

The PTI chief went on to add that he was caught off guard with protest since he only visited the school to stand with the par-

ents and to increase the morale of the students. “If I have come here to increase the morale of the parents then what kind of a protest can be there against us?”

Imran questioned.

Further, Imran said if the parents’ anger is emanating from the lack of security at schools then he should not be held responsible.

“There were over 65,000 schools in K-P and police could not possibly provide security to all of them,” he added.

Imran also clarified that he initially got off his car to pacify protesters. “But I saw some people who did not look like parents, they responded with political comments so I sat back in my car.”

Meanwhile, the PTI has announced that their provincial information minister will shortly hold a press conference to “expose those behind today’s incident.”

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Information minister strikes back Grabbing the opportunity to lash out at PTI chairman Imran Khan, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid said what Imran had to face today was reminiscent of his style of politics against the PML-N. ‘Go Imran Go’ “The nation chanted ‘Go Imran Go,’ today because Imran introduced them to these chants,” he said. He added that the chants against the PML-N made no difference to them, but they should matter to Imran since they are coming from mournful parents who have lost their children.

Always the first to speak against VIP culture, PTI chief Imran Khan was spotted travelling with a 21-car motorcade during his visit to the Army Public School in Peshawar. — Express Tribune

2006 KILLING

Pervez indicted in Bugti murder case ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former dictator Pervez Musharraf was on Wednesday charged in connection with the 2006 killing of a top Baloch nationalist leader in an army operation, the fourth indictment against him.

The court in provincial capital Quetta charge-sheeted the 71-year-old ex-military ruler in Nawaz Akbar Khan Bugti’s murder case and adjourned the hearing till February 4. The judge said that the case would be heard on a daily basis from February 4 onward.

Bugti, former chief minister of Balochistan and head of his tribe, was killed in 2006 in a military operation ordered by Musharraf who was president and army chief at the time. His killing sparked nationwide protests and further fulled an armed insurgency that began in 2004 in Balochistan.

Two co-accused — Musharraf’s interior minister Aftab Khan Sherpao and ex-provincial home

Pervez Musharraf

minister Shoaib Nusherwan — were also indicted for their alleged role in the murder of the Baloch tribal leader. Musharraf has never appeared in the court during the entire legal process which has been in progress since 2009. This led to his indictment. He was absent when the charge-sheet was read out in the court. — PTI

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Time to keep the promise made to the Afghans

T

he legacy of America’s war in Afghanistan, which nominally ended on New Year’s Eve, will come into sharper focus in the coming decade. Historians will spend years figuring out what went right or wrong and which of Washington’s programmes will prove to be of lasting value. There is one crucial piece of unfinished business that will speak volumes at the end of the day: whether the United States kept its promise to Afghan military interpreters who were offered the opportunity to resettle in America in recognition of the monumental risks they took.

Congress created special visa programmes for Afghan and Iraqi military linguists starting in 2006. Early on, it was managed with callous disregard for its intended Afghan beneficiaries; only a fraction of the petitions submitted were approved. Secretary of State John Kerry has taken commendable steps over the past two years to streamline the review process and approve a higher percentage of cases. But the State Department remains hamstrung by a problem of its own making that only Congress can fix. About 12,000 Afghan linguists have pending applications for the special visa. Under current law, however, the State Department has the authority to issue only 4,000 visas over the next two years. This logjam was entirely avoidable if only Washington bureaucrats had operated with greater dispatch. During some of the toughest years of the war, American officials in Kabul and Washington sat on, or rejected, the bulk of applications in the pipeline. In 2010 and 2011, for instance, only a few dozen Afghan linguists — an astonishingly small number — were allowed to immigrate.

At the time, some American officials in Kabul took the view that the programme would worsen the country’s brain drain and that enabling young, bilingual, educated Afghans to leave their homeland would send the wrong message about the state of a war that Washington portrayed with disingenuous optimism over the years. Many Afghan linguists actually received rejection letters that described them, indefensibly and without evidence, as suspected threats.

The sad result was more than 6,500 visa slots that Congress set aside for the early years of the programme expired, leaving brave Afghans and their families in limbo. Many are living in hiding today, unable to return to their native provinces where the Taliban hold sway.

As the scope of the problem became clear to lawmakers came together in an effort to undo a monumental wrong.

Failing to give all eligible and deserving applicants a fair shot at a new start in the United States would represent an abdication of a promise that helped persuade linguists to put their lives on the line.

That would add a shameful chapter to the legacy of a war that has been grim enough for Afghans. - The New York Times News Service

EMERGING FRIENDSHIP

A new Sino-Russian alliance on the cards?

JOSEPH S. NYE

The courageous children

I

t is time for the children of Peshawar to be brave again. And so brave they were, the students of the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar on January 12, their first day back after it shut down following the carnage that killed more than 140 people on December 16.

As students walked in through the metal detectors to enter the school premises, they were no longer just students; they were survivors of that nightmarish day.

The school that the children so bravely went to will now also be forever remembered as the school where children lay dead, lay slaughtered, where teachers could not be given a final farewell because hurried burials were necessary, where for days and months and longer children will recount the horrors of arguably one of the greatest tragedies this country has seen. At this time, we must also remember the children who would not have made it to school on January 12; those who are still injured, and whose wounds may never allow them to forget the tragedy that struck.

The pictures of children smiling as they went to school were both heartening and heartbreaking, and as a country we can be proud of their courage. But beyond the smiles are some terrible, foreverwounding truths. Truth that the worst has happened, that memories of school projects and sports days will now be overshadowed by memories of best friends killed, of playing dead when you are the only one left to play. Pakistan has taken pride in the courage of its children for far too long. Finding solace in children’s bravery, from Malala Yousufzai to Aitzaz Hasan, to the 132 whose names we will not remember, is an escape too easy. The children of APS showed us the courage that it takes to move on. It is no longer enough to be just proud of our children; it is no longer okay to support them with hollow slogans and promises of bravery awards. It is time Pakistan’s adult population, its civil and military leadership, also has the courage to take ownership of their countless failings. Going to school should never again be an act of bravery. - The Express Tribune

It is time now to penalise the careless jaywalkers This refers to the news story, Daily dash of death on Oman’s road must end (January 14). I have so often seen people crossing the high-speed roads carelessly.

Jaywalking is very dangerous as cars cannot stop suddenly due to high speed. There should be traffic rules for pedestrians and such people should be fined for not crossing at zebra crossings or not using subways and overbridges.

Anita Pai Muscat

Jaywalking most common in CBD and MBD areas The news story, Daily dash of death on Oman’s roads must end (January 14) reminds us about safety norms that we all must ob-

serve on roads. The Sultanate has been doing everything possible to see that pedestrian overbridges are put in place in vulnerable areas. Yet, we often see jaywalkers crossing busy roads imperilling their own lives and that of many others as well. If one takes a cursory look at the CBD and MBD areas where enough pavements have been made for walkers, one would not miss seeing pedestrians wilfully or negligently walking on the main carriageway where accidents can happen anytime. Often many are seen walking or crossing roads while talking on phones. It will be impossible for the authorities to control and stop jaywalking unless we pedestrians become more aware and responsible.

Usha Devi Rao Suddapalli Ruwi

This may seem to portend an everdeepening bilateral relationship. But there is a hitch: the gas deals amplify a significant bilateral trade imbalance, with Russia supplying raw materials to China and importing Chinese manufactures

S

ome analysts believe that 2014 ushered in a new era of Cold War-style geopolitics. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea was met with heavy economic sanctions from Europe and the United States, weakening Russia’s ties with the West and leaving the Kremlin eager to strengthen ties with China. The question is whether Russia will manage to build a real alliance with the People’s Republic. At first glance, it seems plausible. Indeed, traditional balance-of-power theory suggests that US primacy in power resources should be offset by a Sino-Russian partnership.

Perhaps more convincing, there seems to be historical precedent for such a partnership. In the 1950s, China and the Soviet Union were allied against the US. After US President Richard Nixon’s opening to China in l972, the balance shifted, with the US and China cooperating to limit what they viewed as a dangerous rise in the Soviet Union’s power.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, that de facto US-China alliance ended, and a China-Russia rapprochement began. In 1992, the two countries declared that they were pursuing a “constructive partnership”; in 1996, they progressed toward a “strategic partnership”; and in 2001, they signed a treaty of “friendship and cooperation.”

In recent years, China and Russia have cooperated closely in the UN Security Council and taken similar positions on Internet regulation. They have used diplomatic frameworks — such as the BRICS group of major emerging countries and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation — to coordinate positions. And Putin has struck up a good working relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, based on their shared domestic illiberalism and desire to counter American ideology and influence.

Their economic relationship, too, seems to be progressing. Last May, shortly after the annexation of Crimea, Russia announced a $400 billion deal to supply 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas to China annually for 30 years, beginning in 2019.

The contract, between Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation, entails the construction of a 2,500-mile gas pipeline to China’s Heilongjiang province (where, incidentally, the two countries nearly went to war a few decades ago). Though the exact price remains secret, it appears that Russia offered major concessions, after nearly a decade of negotiations, to ensure the deal’s success.

Moreover, in November, Gazprom announced a framework agreement to deliver an additional 30 bcm of gas to China’s Xingjiang Province from west-

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If you don’t risk anything you risk even more ERICA JONG

ern Siberia for 30 years via another new pipeline. If the “eastern” and “western” pipelines are completed as planned, the 68 bcm they deliver to China annually would dwarf the 40 bcm that Russia exports to its current largest customer, Germany. This may seem to portend an ever-deepening bilateral relationship.

But there is a hitch: the gas deals amplify a significant bilateral trade imbalance, with Russia supplying raw materials to China and importing Chinese manufactures. And the gas deals do not make up for Russia’s lost access to the Western technology that it needs to develop frontier Arctic fields and become an energy superpower, not just China’s gas station.

In fact, the problems with a Sino-Russian alliance run even deeper. With its economic, military, and demographic heft — China generates considerable unease in Russia. Consider the demographic situation in eastern Siberia, where six million Russians live across the border from up to 120 million Chinese.

Furthermore, Russia’s economic and military power has been in decline, whereas China’s has exploded.

Anxiety over China’s conventional military superiority probably motivated, at least partly, Russia’s 2009 announcement of a new military doctrine explicitly reserving the right to first use of nuclear weapons — a stance that resembles America’s Cold War force posture, aimed at deterring superior conventional Soviet forces in Europe. These imbalances suggest that Russia would resist a tight military alliance with China, even as the two countries pursue mutually beneficial tactical diplomatic coordination.

China’s willingness to cooperate with Russia also has its limits. After all, China’s development strategy depends on its continued integration into the world economy — and, specifically, reliable access to American markets and technology. The Chinese Communist Party’s legitimacy depends on strong economic growth, and it will not risk this strategy for some “authoritarian alliance” with Russia.

Even within multilateral forums, the relationship between Russia and China is far from balanced. Given that China’s economy is larger than the other four BRICS economies combined, the group’s initiatives — including its new development bank — are likely to reflect a disproportionate Chinese influence. And though the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has facilitated some diplomatic coordination, China and Russia remain locked in a struggle for influence in Central Asia. The Sino-Russian alliance in the twentieth century was a product of China’s weakness following World War II and at the beginning of the Cold War — and, even then, it lasted little more than a decade. Today’s China is strong, and unlikely to get too close to a Russia whose decline has been accelerated by its leader’s poor judgment. - Project Syndicate

Jaywalkers are the worst nightmare for motorists I know someone who crosses a three-lane and sometimes four-lane busy roads in Muscat to reach the other side but never using the zebra crossing or the crosswalk up the street. And his logic is that it would take him three to four minutes of detour.

He is never willing to allow himself that small amount of time and is regularly taking a huge risk. On any day, if he is unlucky, he will die, adding yet another number on the growing list of people killed in road accidents.

Jaywalking is one of the major reasons for road accidents in Oman. People appear out of nowhere in front of fast moving vehicles and get knocked down and killed. And these people simply rush across busy streets throwing

all caution to the wind. They do not bother to take a small detour for safe crossing.

Preetha Ramachandran Muttrah

Jaywalkers are the most dangerous people on roads Barring a few, most motorists in Oman are gentle enough to allow pedestrians to cross roads and they are very sympathetic towards women crossing roads.

Yet, jaywalking accounts for roughly 15 per cent of the total number of people killed on the roads. We cannot deny that this irresponsible form of crossing roads and careless walking has played its part in the high rate of road accidents in Oman.

Mihir Anand Muscat

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T I M E S OF OMAN

T HURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015

A13

PERSPEC IVE Why aren’t we talking about massacre by Boko Haram?

B

oko Haram has recently murdered 2,000 people. Amnesty International called it the “deadliest massacre” in the history of the extremist group.

Homes were burnt down and buildings destroyed as corpses of men, women and children lay in the street.

A survivor harrowingly spoke of ‘stepping on dead bodies’ as he escaped. The attack has been described as “heartbreaking,” “barbaric,” and “senseless”. And it is.

But it won’t change anything in Nigeria.

The attack took place in Baga, a town in the non-oil producing, non-commercial north-east of the country, a region that has felt the brunt of the Boko Haram insurgency. There’s an uncomfortable truth about Nigeria: division runs deep, and the lives of northerners are seemingly not as valuable as southerners.

Had these attacks taken place in Nigeria’s oil hub Port Harcourt or the commercial centre, Lagos, would they slip under the radar so easily? Would the victims be so easy to forget? I doubt it.

Then there’s President Jonathan. He swiftly offered his condolences to the French over the Charlie Hebdo attack, but has yet to make an official comment on the slaughter of his own people.

But why would anyone expect anything less? This is after all the same President who took 98 days to meet the parents of the Chibok girls and who 48 hours after a bomb blast killed dozens in Nyanya, was photographed dancing at a rally in Kano.

Under Jonathan’s watch, Boko Haram has killed thousands and left more than a million people displaced. When the president does acknowledge the carnage, the response is almost always the same. “We will bring justice to the savage terrorists known as Boko Haram,’ he said in his new year’s address. “They will be defeated.”

How and when, nobody knows, meanwhile the bodies keep piling up.

There is seemingly no concrete strategy or plan to combat the insurgency. The army is in crisis. Soldiers have openly complained about corruption within the ranks, lack of equipment and low morale, to no

YEMISI ADEGOKE

Under Jonathan’s watch, Boko Haram has killed thousands and left more than a million people displaced. When the president does acknowledge the carnage, the response is almost always the same

avail. 54 soldiers were recently sentenced to death for mutiny.

In an open letter to the president, an army officer warned that if these issues were not addressed ‘there will be no country called Nigeria.’

Jonathan’s failures are clear but they will not make him unelectable. And what of Nigerians? Why no marches? No riots?

It’s not that no one cares. They do. But Nigerians, known for their collective forgetfulness, have the uncanny ability to ‘suffer and smile’ as the late Fela Kuti aptly put it. No one is more aware of the bloodshed than Nigerians, but hearing about raised towns and bomb blasts has become eerily routine. Bad things happen and it’s crazy, but hey, that’s Nigeria for you.

International condemnation has come in thick and fast with calls on the Western media to increase its coverage of the savagery, and for Western leaders to act.

Unless Boko Haram expand their reach, the West will not benefit from intervening in the conflict, so there will be more outrage, more condemnation, more talk but little to no action.

But even if the West do get involved, at what cost? Are we really ready for another Libya or Afghanistan?

With the presidential election weeks away attention has already shifted away from Baga and the political manoeuvring is in full swing. The opposition is using the attack as proof of Jonathan’s ineptitude and the country’s need for change, and the presidency is arguing the statistics of the dead have been ‘exaggerated’ in a bid to derail Jonathan’s campaign. It is predicted to be a tight race.

And what of the dead? There will be no marches for them. No memorials. Like Damaturu, Gajihana, Gwoza and dozens before them, the names of the towns will be forgotten, the names of the victims will remain unknown. In the south, life will go on.

A resolute few will continue to demand justice, until the victims are replaced by others and a new trending topic starts.

Nigerians have seen this movie before and sadly they will see it again. - The Independent

Is it right to keep any animal as a pet?

D

ogs and cats are fine, fish maybe, and snakes and other more exotic animals probably not.

That’s about as close to a consensus as we have for the domestication of animals, but they are judgements largely based on history and tradition and imply that freedom and space are more important to some animals than others.

Wittgenstein famously said that ‘If a lion could talk, we could not understand him’.

He meant that animal’s experience of consciousness is completely different to our own and will always be impenetrably alien to us.

That even if they could speak and we could translate their words, it would not mesh with our communications and understanding of the world.

He might not have it totally right — various animals’ ability to convey messages and experience apparently quite human feelings of excitement, enjoyment, pain and sorrow are clear to see — but this goes to show that exactly what it is animals feel and the quality of their be-

CHRISTOPHER HOOTON

ing bothered by their situation is a matter neither philosophy nor science has as yet managed to settle.

If we strip away the factors that muddy the issue of domestication — cases of neglect, the way animals are removed from the wild, problems within breeding — we’re left with the core question of whether animals can live as full a life in our homes as they would in the wild.

Would dogs not be better off having the run of an entire forest and chasing prey than they are getting to stretch their legs when we can be bothered to take them out and feeding from a bowl?

Maybe the answer is no, but their subordination and any corresponding negative effects are worth it for the joy they bring us? I love dogs, I love their loyalty and affection (or at least what we perceive as loyalty and affection), I like their propensity to jump around like a maniac and I’m fond of their intelligence and their utter stupidity, but am I putting my enjoyment for having a furry companion above their well-being?

We might be well beyond that now, with dogs being domesticated centuries ago, but I need to be able to look him in the eye, damn it!

PETA has criticised the way fish are treated as “mere merchandise”, as “decorative ornaments” which “few people realize just how much they suffer”, the aquariums for which can never match up to an open ocean.

The organisation told me it does not oppose “kind people sharing their lives and homes with domestic animal companions” (though at press time there was no definitive list of exactly which animals that does and does not include).

But that PETA finds it “amazing that there are still people who think crocodiles, snakes, and other wild animals should be taken from their natural homes and put in some murky tank in a British back garden or confined to a small glass case like a trinket.”

The mystery of exactly what it is animals think and feel may forever elude us, as might our certainty that keeping pets is a justifiable practice. - The Independent

For the love of carbon ular, cost a lot of jobs. When the Congressional Budget Office was asked how many jobs would be lost because of the sequester — the big cuts in federal spending that Republicans extracted in 2011 by threatening to push America into default — its best estimate was 900,000.

And that’s only part of the total loss.

Needless to say, the guilty parties here will never admit that they were wrong. But if you look at their behaviour closely, you see clear signs that they don’t really believe in their own doctrine.

Consider, for example, the case of military spending.

When it comes to possible cuts in defense contracts, politicians who loudly proclaim that every dollar the government spends comes at the expense of the private sector suddenly begin talking about all the jobs that will be destroyed.

They even begin talking about the multiplier effect, as reduced spending by defence workers leads to job losses in other industries.

This is the phenomenon former Representative Barney Frank dubbed “weaponised Keynesianism.”

And the argument being made for Keystone XL is very similar; call it “carbonised Keynesianism.” Yes, approving the pipeline would mobilise some money that would otherwise have sat idle, and in so doing create some jobs — 42,000 during the construction phase, according to the most widely cited estimate. (Once completed, the pipeline would employ only a few dozen workers.) But government spending on roads, bridges and schools would do the same thing.

And the job gains from the pipeline would, as I said, be only a tiny fraction — less than 5 percent — of the job losses from sequestration, which in turn are only part of the damage done by spending cuts in general. If Mr. McConnell and company really believe that we need more spending to create jobs, why not support a push to upgrade America’s crumbling infrastructure?

So what should be done about Keystone XL? If you believe that it would be environmentally damaging — which I do — then you should be against it, and you should ignore the claims about job creation. The numbers being thrown around are tiny compared with the country’s overall work force.

And in any case, the jobs argument for the pipeline is basically a sick joke coming from people who have done all they can to destroy American jobs — and are now employing the very arguments they used to ridicule government job programs to justify a big giveaway to their friends in the fossil fuel industry.- The

PAUL KRUGMAN

I

t should come as no surprise that the very first move of the new Republican Senate is an attempt to push President Obama into approving the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from Canadian tar sands.

After all, debts must be paid, and the oil and gas industry — which gave 87 percent of its 2014 campaign contributions to the GOP — expects to be rewarded for its support.

But why is this environmentally troubling project an urgent priority in a time of plunging world oil prices?

Well, the party line, from people like Mitch McConnell, the new Senate majority leader, is that it’s all about jobs. And it’s true: Building Keystone XL could slightly increase US employment. In fact, it might replace almost 5 percent of the jobs America has lost because of destructive cuts in federal spending, which were in turn the direct result of Republican blackmail over the debt ceiling.

Oh, and don’t tell me that the cases are completely different. You can’t consistently claim that pipeline spending creates jobs while government spending doesn’t.

Let’s back up for a minute and discuss economic principles.

For more than seven years — ever since the Bush-era housing and debt bubbles burst — the United States economy has suffered from inadequate demand. Total spending just hasn’t been enough to fully employ the nation’s resources. In such an environment, anything that increases spending creates jobs.

And if private spending is depressed, a temporary rise in public spending can and should take its place. That’s why a great majority of economists believe that the Obama stimulus did, in fact, reduce the unemployment rate compared with what it would have been without that stimulus.

From the beginning, however, Republican leaders have held the opposite view, insisting that we should slash public spending in the face of high unemployment.

And they’ve gotten their way: The years after 2010, when Republicans took control of the House, were marked by an unprecedented decline in real government spending per capita, which levelled off only in 2014.

The evidence overwhelmingly indicates that this kind of fiscal austerity in a depressed economy is destructive; if the economic news has been better lately, it’s probably in part because of the fact that federal, state and local governments have finally stopped cutting. And spending cuts have, in partic-

New York Times News Service

New antibiotics is “game-changer”

TODAY IN HISTORY

US scientists have used a novel method for growing bacteria that has yielded 25 new antibiotics, with one deemed “very promising”.

Burial iChip buried in soil, allowing unique chemistry of earth to permeate each pod

Ichip Bacteria Incubator Cultures grown in soil as most soil-based bacteria cannot be grown in laboratory Side panel

Result Chemicals produced by microbes tested.

25 new antibiotics discovered – including Teixobactin

Central plate Houses growing micro-organi sms held in individual pods

73mm

5 4 3

Bacteria in pods

4

1930

Penicillin

1940

1950

Cephalosporin

1960

1970

Carbapenem

8

12 Hours

16

20

24

No discoveries

Century Of Antibiotic Discoveries (Selected) 1920

Teixobactin

Bacteria cell colonies per millilitre 0

1980

1990

2000

Fluoroquinolones

Riots flare in Mexico when it is announced that all churches are to be closed.

1811

In a secret session, the US Congress plans to annex Spanish East Florida.

1919

Peasants in Central Russia rise against the Bolsheviks.

Soil

Performance Of Teixobactin (Compared To Similar Antibiotic, Vancomycin) Microbes becoming increasingly resistant 8 7 Vancomycin 6

Side panel Semi-permeable membranes separate central plate from soil

1624

2010

1920 The United States approves a $150 million loan to Poland, Austria and Armenia to aid in their war with the Russian communists.

1949 Chinese Communists occupy Tientsin 2020

after a 27-hour battle with Nationalist forces.

Teixobactin HISTORYNET.COM

Source: Nature, WHO, wire agencies

Graphic News /

Graphics

OPINION POLL FROM OUR ARCHIVES OCO TO CONTRIBUTE TO RE-HOUSING PROJECT

MUSCAT: The executive bureau of the Omani Charitable Organisation (OCO) held this week its 27th regular meeting under the chairmanship of Mohammed bin Nassir Al Alawi, minister of legal affairs and board chairman of the organisation. The office reviewed the OCO activities during Ramadan and made a number of decisions including OCO’s contribution to a rehousing project for the residents of villages of Masdar, Wadi Rijma, Wadi Nima and Al Muaah in the wilayat of Shinas.

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TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

WORLD PA R I S R A L LY D E R I D E D

Al Qaeda in Yemen claims French attack DUBAI: Al Qaeda in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack on French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo according to a video posted on YouTube.

Gunmen killed a total of 17 people in three days of violence that began when they opened fire at Charlie Hebdo last week in revenge for publication of satirical images.

This was the first time that a group officially claimed responsibility for the attack, led by two brothers who had visited the poor Arabian peninsula country in 2011. As for the blessed Battle of Paris, we ... claim responsibility for this operation,” said Nasser bin Ali Al Ansi, a leader of the Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda (AQAP) in the recording.

Ansi, an AQAP ideologue, said the “one who chose the target, laid the plan and financed the operation is the leadership of the organisation”, without naming an individual.

He added without elaborating that the strike was carried out in “implementation” of the order of overall Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahri, who has called for strikes

by Muslims in the West using any means they can find.

Ansi also gave credit for the operation to slain AQAP propagandist Anwar Al Awlaki, a preacher cited by one of the gunmen in remarks to French media as a financer of the attack.

It was not clear how Awlaki, killed by a US drone in 2011, had a direct link to the Paris assault, but he inspired several militants in the United States and Britain to acts of violence.

The group mocked a big solidarity rally in Paris on Sunday for the victims, saying the shock on display showed feebleness.

“Look at how they gathered, rallied and supported each other; strengthening their weakness and dressing their wounds,” it said of Western leaders who attended the event. — Reuters

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You risk anarchy, Hong Kong leader warns the protesters Before Leung Chunying gave his annual speech, opposition lawmakers disrupted proceedings, calling on him to step down. Some held up banners demanding full democracy and then walked out of the legislature

HONG KONG: Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying warned pro-democracy protesters on Wednesday they risked “anarchy” as he sought to bolster his support in his first policy address since demonstrations rocked the financial hub last year.

Before Leung gave his annual speech, opposition lawmakers disrupted proceedings, calling on him to step down. Some held up banners demanding full democracy and then walked out of the legislature under yellow umbrellas - a symbol of the protests.

The session had be adjourned briefly as security guards hauled off two democratic lawmakers.

About 70 pro-democracy protesters gathered outside the Legislative Council, along with dozens of Leung’s supporters.

Policy blueprint The policy blueprint has been a key platform for leaders in the Chinese-controlled city to hand out billions to the less-advantaged

SCUFFLE: People Power party lawmaker Albert Chan is surrounded by security guards after shouting at Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-Ying (not pictured) during Leung’s annual policy address at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong on Wednesday. — Reuters

in the form of tax breaks, or to signal shifts in economic, property and political policies.

“As we pursue democracy, we should act in accordance with the law, or Hong Kong will degenerate into anarchy,” Leung, dressed in a dark suit and sky-blue tie, told city legislators.

The former British colony returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula that gives it some autonomy from the mainland and a promise of eventual universal suffrage.

Beijing has allowed a free vote for

city leader in 2017, but insists on screening candidates.

Protesters demanding full democracy occupied parts of the city for more than two months late last year with Leung himself a target of their anger.

He must now try to boost his ratings among a population that knows that, under Beijing’s watchful gaze, he is unable to offer anything significant in the way of democratic reform.

At the same time, he must perform a balancing act by healing divisions, maintaining strong ties

with Communist Party rulers in China, on which Hong Kong’s economy overwhelmingly depends, and ensuring that the city’s economy - expected to grow about 2.2 per cent this year - remains on a steady keel.

Leung reiterated that Beijing leaders had absolute authority over the city, and the screening of candidates for Hong Kong leader by a nominating committee stacked with Beijing loyalists was the only option.

The opposition wants open nominations.

“Hong Kong autonomy under ‘one country, two systems’ is a high degree of autonomy, not an absolute autonomy,” Leung said.

In a speech lacking major initiatives, Leung focused on breadand-butter issues including housing - an important topic in the densely populated city of 7.2 million - and said he would seek to boost the supply of land in one of the world’s costliest markets.

“Increasing and expediting land supply is the fundamental solution to resolve the land and housing problems,” he said. — Reuters

SNOWBALL FIGHT Children have a snowball fight in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, on Wednesday. More than 100 schools closed on Wednesday after heavy snowfall in northern Ireland, local media reported. — Reuters

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O R B I TA L O U T P O S T

Ammonia leak forces space station astronauts to evacuate CAPE CANAVERAL: Astronauts evacuated the US section of the International Space Station on Wednesday and moved into the Russian side after a signal raised concerns of an ammonia leak, though early analysis suggested it was a false alarm, NASA said.

NASA’s Butch Wilmore, the station commander, together with Terry Virts, a flight engineer with NASA, and Samantha Cristoforetti, a flight engineer with the European Space Agency, abandoned the US side of the orbital outpost after an alarm sounded around 4 am (0900 GMT).

The trio joined three Russian crewmates on the Russian side of the station, which is a partner-

ship of 15 nations, overseen by the United States and Russia.

The precautionary move came as ground control teams detected increased pressure in a water line in one of the station’s two cooling loops, a possible indication that ammonia many have leaked into the line. The crew of the $100 billion research laboratory, which is in orbit about 260 miles (418 km) above Earth, was never in any danger, NASA said.

No hard data Later, NASA mission commentator Rob Navias said there was no hard data to indicate a leak.

False indication “It’s becoming a stronger case that this is a false indica-

tion, which is great news,” Jim Kelly, an astronaut at Mission Control in Houston, radioed to the crew shortly before 8:30 am (1330 GMT).

“Outstanding news,” replied Wilmore. “We’ll be ready to do whatever you need us to do when the time comes.” NASA said.

Kelly told the crew Mission Control is assessing the situation to determine if the three could return to the US section later on Wednesday. — Reuters

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T HURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015 Indonesia’s national search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo said divers would head to the fuselage on Thursday.

AirAsia plane’s fuselage found Investigators successfully downloaded the contents of black box recorders and were likely to crack the crash’s mystery

J A K A R TA / S I N G A P O R E : Doomed AirAsia jet’s fuselage was found in the Java Sea on Wednesday, raising hopes of retrieving the missing bodies of the 162 people killed in the tragedy, as investigators downloaded the contents of black box recorders and were likely to crack the crash’s mystery.

The main fuselage of the crashed AirAsia Flight QZ8501was found by a Singaporean Navy vessel. Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said he hoped that locating the main wreckage of the Airbus A320-200 could help bring “some form of closure” to families of victims.

“Chief of Navy (Singapore) RADM Lai Chung Han just informed me that one of Singapore Armed Forces ships, the MV Swift Rescue, has located the fuselage of the AirAsia plane in the Java Sea,” Ng said on Facebook.

The words “now” and “everyone” are visible in the photos, apparently from AirAsia’s motto “Now Everyone Can Fly” painted on the plane’s exterior.

“Images taken by the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) show part of the wing and words on the fuselage. We have informed Basarnas (The Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency, who

CRUCIAL LINK: An Indonesian official looks at the cockpit voice recorder of AirAsia QZ8501 during a news conference at the National Transportation Safety Committee office in Jakarta on Monday. – Reuters

An Indonesian official cautioned that interpreting the information requires much more time

can now begin recovery operations,” he said. “The accident is a tragic event resulting in the loss of many lives. I hope that with the fuselage located, some form of closure can come to the families of the victims to ease their grief,” Singapore’s Defence Minister added.

Indonesia’s national search and rescue chief Bambang Soelistyo said divers would head to the fuselage on Thursday.

“It is already dark so we will carry out the dive tomorrow (Thursday) morning with the target to find the victims which may still be around it or trapped in the body. If the divers have any difficulty, the next step will then be to lift the body and the wing,” Soelistyo said.

He said two more bodies were found on Wednesday, taking the total number of corpses recovered so far to 50. Finding the fuselage is seen as crucial as most of the victims are believed to be

still trapped inside. The sonar on board the MV Swift Rescue detected the wreckage of the plane that crashed on December 28 en route from Indonesia’s Surabaya city to Singapore about 2km from where the tail was found earlier.

The wreckage with wings was about 26 metres long.

The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, retrieved from the bottom of the sea this week, were being analysed by the experts.

Investigators say they have successfully downloaded the contents of both devices. But an Indonesian official, however, cautioned that interpreting the information requires much more time.

After the download, investigators should have “a pretty good idea within a couple of days” of what happened aboard the plane, Mary Schiavo, a former inspector general of the US Department of Transportation, said. — PTI

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Muscat 6,432.80 + 63.16 + 0.99%

Dubai 3,814.05 - 0.49 - 0.01%

Abu Dhabi 4,533.10 + 23.04 + 0.51%

Kuwait 6,587.71 + 15.48 + 0.24%

Saudi Arabia

8,561.55 + 69.87 + 0.82%

Bahrain 1,426.06 + 3.83 + 0.27%

Qatar 11,987.17 + 49.59 + 0.42%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................. 2.18 Pound ........................................... 1.70 Indian Rs ...............................161.21 Pak Rs .....................................257.14 Bangla Taka.......................199.52

Indian Rs ................................... 161.20 Pakistan Rs .............................260.75 Sri Lanka Rs ........................... 341.85 Bangla Taka............................ 201.80 Phil Peso .................................... 115.60

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) ....... 15.75

Oman Crude............. (Spot) ........ $43.47 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) .........$43.74 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$45.89 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........$46.69 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ........$45.90 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........$45.30

* Rates are as of Jan. 14 Source: Bank Muscat

* Rates as of Jan. 14 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Sur desalination project set to expand capacity

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) ........15.15 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ........... 149.00 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) ...............141.21 * Rates as of Jan. 14 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

PERFORMANCE

NBO logs 21% growth in net profit in 2014 Times News Service

Production of potable water has reached 100m cubic metres, with a commitment to ensure continued delivery of water to the Sharqiyah region

Business Reporter SUR: Sur desalination plant’s production of potable water has reached 100 million cubic metres, with officials reiterating commitment to ensure continued delivery of drinking water to the Sharqiyah region through expansion plans.

Veolia, through Sharqiyah Desalination Company and in partnership with Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), announced the milestone production at Sharqiyah desalination plant at a ceremony held in Sur, on Tuesday.

AGREEMEMT: Oman’s Sharqiyah Desalination Company signed an agreement to expand the 80,000 cubic metres per day of water at Sur desalination plant, located 160 kilometres southwest of Muscat. – Times of Oman

Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Mahrooqi, chairman of the Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW); Ahmed bin Saleh Al Jahdhami, chief executive officer of OPWP, and other officials attended the ceremony.

The event also marked the extension of Veolia’s build-own-operate contract signed in 2007, to cover the expansion of the plant.

Oman’s Sharqiyah Desalination Company signed an agreement to expand the 80,000 cubic metres per day at Sur desalination plant, located 160 kilometres southwest of Muscat. Under the amended

Water Purchase Agreement with state-owned OPWP, the Veolialed company will add 51,000 cubic metres to what is already the largest Independent Water Project in the Sultanate of Oman.

Reverse osmosis “We are delighted to work on the expansion of the plant. The opportunity allows Veolia to demonstrate once again our loyalty and strong commitment to the project,” said Xavier Joseph, chief executive of Veolia Gulf Countries.

“Sharqiyah Desalination Company has played an important

role on meeting some of the Sharqiyah region’s demand and with the upcoming expansion, its role will grow,” said Al Jahdhami. He Jahdhami also said that the government will focus more on water projects this year.

The plant, which produces 80,000 cubic metres per day of desalinated water through a reverse osmosis process, provides 350,000 local people of Sharqiyah region with clean drinking water. The process, which forces high pressured water through a semi-permeable membrane, separates salt, bacteria and other particles allowing clean water to filter through.

The Sur desalination plant was built by a consortium composed of OTV, a Veolia subsidiary and Bahwan Engineering Company in 2007 and is currently operated by Bahwan Veolia, a joint venture between Bahwan and Veolia.

The expansion project will be developed on a build-own-operate basis and will be located adjacent to the existing reverse osmosis project at Sur to benefit from synergies. Veolia owns 35.75 per cent stake in the project with Oman’s National Power and Water Company holding 29.25 per cent and the remaining equity free floating on the Muscat Securities Market.

Renewable energy Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the event, Al Mahrooqi said that renewable energy is an area that the government is looking into, but noted that any investment in this area should be studied appropriately.

He said that the impact of the high cost of generating power from renewable energy resources on the economy should be taken into account given the fact that electricity is heavily subsidised in the Sultanate of Oman.

“Any additional cost should be analysed with caution,” he added.

Commenting on the proposals to slash energy subsidies, he said that the government regards these subsidies as a means to support citizens. “There is no decision at the moment as far as I know.”

Asked about the pipe burst incidents, he said that such incidents happen when the network is large but noted that the problem will be curbed as the government is investing a lot in new pipelines.

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MUSCAT: National Bank of Oman (NBO) has achieved a remarkable 21 per cent growth in net profit at OMR50.3 million in 2014, from OMR41.4 million in the previous year, according to preliminary results posted by the bank on MSM website.

Net interest income and income from Islamic financing grew 8 per cent to OMR80.7 million, from OMR74.7 million during the period under review. National Bank of Oman is the first Omani bank to declare the financial results for last year.

Loans and advances Net loans and advances also moved up 12 per cent to OMR2,316.8 million in 2014 from OMR2,068.2 million. However, customer deposits and unrestricted investment accounts inched down to OMR2,177.7 million, from OMR2,179.2 million.

Operating expense of the bank in 2014 rose 12 per cent to OMR54.4 million, while total assets edged up 3 per cent to OMR2,976.1 million by 2014-end.

The financial results are subject to the approval of board of directors, Central Bank of Oman and the shareholders of the bank.

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TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

MARKET Crude likely to recover in second half: Kuwait Oil oversupply that sent prices to a fiveyear low probably will persist until at least the second half when demand is set to recover, say Kuwait and UAE

LONDON: Oil oversupply that sent prices to a five-year low probably will persist until at least the second half when demand is set to recover, according to Kuwait’s oil minister and the Opec governor of the United Arab Emirates.

Faster global economic growth will be needed to help absorb the oil surplus estimated at 1.8 million barrels a day, Kuwait Oil Minister Ali Al Omair told reporters in parliament. A demand-led recovery is seen in the second half, the UAE’s governor to Opec Ali Al Yabhouni told reporters in Abu Dhabi.

Oil fell about 40 per cent since the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) maintained its production target at a November 27 meeting, seeking to defend market share rather than prices. The UAE and Kuwait are Opec members. Slowing economic growth contributed to lower prices, Al Omair said.

“We are expecting that this situation will continue until the surplus oil is absorbed and the world economy improves,” Al Omair said. “Forecasts indicate that this will not happen before the second half.” Brent crude dropped for a fifth day, declining 0.8 per cent to $46.24 a barrel in Dubai.

LESS DEMAND: Oil fell about 40 per cent since the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries maintained output target at a meeting, seeking to defend market share rather than prices. – File photo

Commodities plunge to 12-year low HONG KONG: Commodities tumbled to a 12-year low, led by copper’s biggest decline in almost six years, as slowing global growth curbs demand.

United States equity-index futures and Asian stocks fell, while the yen rose with Treasuries.

The Bloomberg Commodities Index slid 1.1 per cent in Tokyo as copper tumbled 6.6 per cent. Nickel fell to an 11-month low as oil in New York and London declined.

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.4 per cent, as Standard & Poor’s 500 Index futures

The price was $77.75 before the Opec meeting. Opec produced 30.2 million barrels a day of oil in December, down from 30.36 million barrels in November, data shows. China’s gross domestic product climbed 7.4 per cent last

lost 0.8 per cent. The yield on 10-year Treasuries retreated four basis points, matching a 20-month low, and the yen rose a fourth day.

The more-than 57 per cent plunge in crude prices since June is spreading to the metals market, dragging a Bloomberg gauge of commodity prices to the lowest levels in 12 years.

The World Bank cut its global growth outlook, citing weak expansions in Europe and China, the world’s biggest consumer of raw materials. Data is projected to show a gain in US oil inventories.

year, the slowest expansion since 1990, according to economist estimates. Demand for oil is seen rising in China and elsewhere in Asia, UAE energy minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said in Abu Dhabi. It is shale oversupply that needs to

“The drop in oil prices is quite severe, so whenever there’s some weakness in oil we tend to see risk aversion,” Hiroichi Nishi, an equities manager at SMBC Nikko Securities in Tokyo, said by phone. “It’s also heightening concerns of a negative influence on materials and infrastructure-related industries in the US, which would lower inflation and push out the timing of a possible interest-rate hike.”

Copper for delivery in three months on the London Metal Exchange dropped as much as 8.7 per cent. - Bloomberg News

be corrected, and Opec will stand by its decision not to cut its crude output, he said.

Crude tumbled into a bear market last year as oil extraction soared at shale formations in Texas and North Dakota. - Bloomberg News

SPENDING CUTS

GCC states cutting subsidies as crude prices still sinking DUBAI: Gulf states are gradually losing perks from free water to cheap fuel as governments hit by the slump in crude prices trim their budgets.

Kuwait, Oman and Abu Dhabi reduced subsidies on diesel, natural gas and utilities this month.

The plunge on oil markets has added to pressure on the region’s rulers to implement spending cuts proposed before the drop. Countries in the six- member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have used subsidies to mollify citizens and keep unrest at bay.

The subsidies will be gradually removed “as long as there is no major blowback from citizens,” said Jim Krane, author of Dubai: City of Gold and a research fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston. “Governments have genuine fiscal pressure that adds punch to their call for everyone to tighten their belts.”

Spending on subsidies in the GCC surged in the past four decades to reach as much as 10 per cent of economic output in Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, according to the World Bank. Gasoline sells at 45 cents a gallon (12 cents a litre) in the kingdom, the cheapest after Venezuela among 61 countries.

Consumption surge Cheap energy has led to a surge in consumption, which risks reducing the oil available for export.

State-run Saudi Arabian Oil Company warned in May that it will have ‘unacceptably low levels’ of oil to sell in the next two decades if domestic power use keeps rising at 8 per cent a year.

“With energy demand in the GCC doubling every seven years, these countries can no longer afford to keep subsidising domestic consumption of their chief export,” Krane said.

The Middle East and North Af-

Kuwait, Oman and Abu Dhabi reduced subsidies on diesel, natural gas and utilities this month. Spending on subsidies in GCC surged in the past four decades to reach 10% of economic output in Saudi Arabia

rica accounted for about 50 percent of global energy subsidies in 2011, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Brent crude below $47 That year Brent crude averaged $111 a barrel. It was trading at below $47 on Tuesday.

Even if crud oil recovers to average $65 a barrel this year, the GCC nations will post a combined budget deficit of 6 percent of gross domestic product, according to Arqaam Capital, a Dubai- based investment bank.

“This is the perfect occasion, really, for policy makers to say, ‘Oil prices are down so we remove the subsidies,’” said Nasser Saidi, president of Nasser Saidi & Associates and former chief economist at the Dubai International Financial Centre. “We haven’t had as good an opportunity in years.”

Abu Dhabi, which sits on about 6 per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves, raised electricity prices starting January 1. - Bloomberg News

ACQUISITION

Emirates NBD, Mashreqbank seeking to acquire Citigroup’s consumer banking business in Egypt LONDON: Emirates NBD and Mashreqbank, two Dubai-based lenders, are among banks seeking to acquire Citigroup’s consumer banking business in Egypt, according to four people with knowledge of the matter.

The two submitted offers in the first round of bidding, the people said, asking not to be identified because the process is private. The value of the bank’s portfolio in the Arab world’s most populous economy may be about $500 million, with a second round of bids to begin shortly, one of the people said.

Barclays Bank, Commercial International Bank Egypt and Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank also

bid for the assets, according to a report in Egypt’s ‘Al Borsa’ newspaper yesterday, which cited a person it didn’t identify.

Citigroup, based in New York, is exiting its consumer-banking business in 11 nations to focus on markets where it has the greatest scale and growth potential. The bank has said it expects to com-

plete most of those sales this year.

Competitors including BNP Paribas SA and Societe Generale SA also sold consumer businesses in Egypt to boost returns.

Emirates NBD, Dubai’s biggest bank, bought BNP Paribas’ Egypt unit in a $500 million deal in 2013, while Qatar National Bank acquired SocGen Egypt for $1.97 bil-

lion the same year. A spokesman for Citigroup in Dubai declined to comment as did spokesmen for Emirates NBD and Mashreqbank.

Egypt’s economic growth is expected to accelerate as political stability returns after more than three years of turmoil that began with the Arab Spring uprising and continued with the military’s ousting of Islamists from power, which led to the election of President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi in May. North Africa’s biggest economy will grow 3.4 per cent this year, according to the average of 10 economist estimates, compared to 2.2 percent last year. - Bloomberg News ECONOMY

Drop in US budget deficit WASHINGTON: Reflecting revival of the United States economy, the country’s budget deficit has dropped by $72 billion in 2014 than the previous year, according to a report. Capped off by a $2 billion surplus in December, the government ended the calendar year with a deficit of $488 billion, $72 billion less than the 2013 tally, it was reported. - PTI

T HURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015

B3

MARKET JOINT VENTURE

Tata Sons gets central bank nod to buy DoCoMo stake MUMBAI: India’s central bank has allowed conglomerate Tata Sons to buy Japanese telecom firm NTT DoCoMo’s stake in their struggling Indian venture, paving the way for the completion of the long-delayed $1.1 billion deal.

In a memo to the Finance Ministry dated December 22, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said it was ‘inclined to accept’ the proposal from Tata to buy DoCoMo’s stake of around 26 per cent in Tata Teleservices at half the price DoCoMo originally paid for the investment. The RBI has requested for the Finance Ministry’s view.

The RBI approval, also confirmed by a source directly involved in the process, is part of the government’s bid to simplify and scrap some of the more obscure rules that have curbed foreign investment.

Foreign investors A rule change brought in last year prevented foreign investors from selling stakes in Indian firms at a pre-determined price. “The larger issue here is of a fair commitment in the contracts in relation to an investment and a downside protection of an investment, rather than assured return,” the central bank said in the memo.

“Besides, our strategic relationship with Japan in recent times in relation to FDI (foreign direct investment) flows is also a matter to be kept in view,” it said.

DoCoMo said in July last year that it would sell its stake in Tata Teleservices. The seventh-biggest mobile phone carrier in India has been losing money in a hugely crowded market for years.

Under the original deal signed in 2009, when DoCoMo invested $2.2 billion in the mobile carrier, in the event of an exit it would get the higher of either half the original investment or a fair value.

Tata Sons told the central bank that it had been unable to find a buyer for the DoCoMo stake. - Reuters

Sohar freezone eyes firms to set up packaging units Freezone plans to take full advantage of the expansion of its petrochemicals industries in order to attract downstream plastics manufacturers to the logistics hub

Times News Service MUSCAT: Sohar Port and Freezone plans to take full advantage of the expansion of its petrochemicals industries in order to attract downstream plastics manufacturers to the logistics hub ahead of the construction of Oman’s first dedicated agricultural terminal.

This was the message delivered

by Sohar officials to industry leaders and experts at Arabplast 2015 and GPCA PlastiCon 2015 trade shows, both held in the UAE’s emirate of Dubai this week.

“With the planned construction of an agricultural terminal and anticipated influx of grain products that will accompany its completion, our aim is to attract new investment in food and food processing industries and create a cluster than can feed the region.

Grain silos and a sugar refinery are already in the pipeline, and as this sector grows, the opportunities for packaging companies to serve multinational businesses will grow,” it said.

“We are pleased to see the response that we have had to the news that more than 1.5 million

DIVERSIFICATION MOVE: A $3.6 billion steam cracker project is being developed at Sohar by Oman Oil Refineries & Petroleum Industries and will be integrated with the existing refinery, aromatics plant, and polypropylene plant. – Supplied photo

tonnes of environment-friendly packaging materials will soon be produced at Sohar, led by Oman International Petrochemical Industry Company. This will centre on production of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) typically used in the manufacturing of singleserve beverage and soft drink bottles,” said executive commercial manager, Edwin Lammers.

Liwa plastics project In addition, the Liwa Plastics Project will provide polyethylene and polypropylene to packaging companies interested in setting up operations at Sohar. This $3.6 billion steam cracker project is being developed at Sohar by Oman Oil Refineries & Petroleum Industries and will be integrated with

$975b Is the sales the global packaging industry will generate by 2018, and 60 per cent of that will be created in the food industry. Thirty per cent of packaging is made from plastics

the existing refinery, aromatics plant, and polypropylene plant.

But packaging is not the only option, according to Lammers.

“The link between food and plastics is clear. The global pack-

JAIPUR SUMMIT

Ithraa trade delegation to explore opportunities at summit in India Times News Service MUSCAT: Led by Dr Salem bin Nasser Al Ismaily, chairman of Ithraa, a top-flight Omani trade and investment delegation will head for India today, to participate at the Partnership Summit in Jaipur between January 15 and 17.

The Confederation of Indian Industry has been organising its flagship international investors meet in association with India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry for over 20 years, said a press release. The three-day event attracts over 1,000 international business leaders and policymakers to discuss events shaping today’s world, the challenges that need global policy attention and the responses required to effectively manage them.

This year’s event is particularly significant as it marks the Cairman, Ithraa Confederation of Indian Industry’s 120th anniversary. With the theme ‘Partnerships for Shared and Development deputy secNew Realities,’ the summit will be retar-general William Danvers inaugurated by India’s Commerce and World Intellectual Property director-general and Industry Minister, Nirmla Organisation Sitharaman and Rajasthan state’s Francis Gurry will also be among the top representatives of multichief minister Vasundhara Raje.

World Trade Organisation di- lateral organisations attending rector-general Roberto Azevedo; the Jaipur event.

“The country’s 50 million Asian Development Bank vicepresident Wencai Zhang; Organi- strong market of English-speaksation for Economic Cooperation ing middle-class consumers is

The country’s 50 million strong market of Englishspeaking middle-class consumers is predicted to multiply tenfold over the next 15 years, offering Omani companies opportunities in India’s education, food, healthcare, power, renewable energy, entertainment and retail sectors

Dr Salem bin Nasser Al Ismaily predicted to multiply tenfold over the next 15 years, offering Omani companies opportunities in India’s education, food, healthcare, power, renewable energy, entertainment and retail sectors. The attraction of India for Omani businesses is also underscored by the two countries’ shared history and deep investment links,” remarked Dr Al Ismaily.

“We recognise that it’s not always easy for Omani small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enter a new market such as India, but the opportunities are there for those prepared to seize them.

However, businesses need to understand that India is a series of interconnected regional markets where the legislative and investment climate may change from one state to another. In this regard, the Ithraa team can help firms compare local laws, government incentives, the available infrastructure and workforce,” added Dr Al Ismaily.

Emerging markets Like many economies around the world, India suffered economically in 2013, but now looks set to be one of the best emerging markets recovery stories of 2015. Its economic turnaround is being helped by the decline in oil prices, since it is heavily dependent on imported oil.

Inflationary pressures have also fallen recently, and India’s central bank governor, Raguram Rajan, is signalling that monetary easing is likely in early 2015. The combination of monetary policy stimulus and the economic reforms of the new Narendra Modi government could drive a significant Indian economic recovery over the medium-term.

aging industry will generate $975 billion in sales by 2018, and 60 per cent of that will be created in the food industry. Thirty per cent of packaging is made from plastics, and 90 per cent of the region’s foodstuffs are imported. Much of this is pre-packaged elsewhere at a higher cost and our aim is to leverage our low-cost energy resources to reduce that cost,” he added.

“However, packaging is not the only option available to potential investors. High density polyethylene and PET can be extruded for use in large-scale water and other types of piping, for example. This bodes well for the region’s construction industry, though we do not envision Sohar being able to supply this industry just yet. Nevertheless, all of the plastics that

will be produced at the port remain extremely versatile,” he said.

On show at Dubai World Trade Centre from January 10 to 13, the Sohar stand at Arabplast 2015 was a joint construction undertaken with Oman Oil Refineries & Petroleum Industries. More than 25,000 visitors from over 100 countries attended the event, with hundreds enquiring about the investment opportunities on offer.

A similarly positive response was received at PlastiCon 2015, held between January 11 and 12.

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

B4

TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

MARKET MSM ends in the green

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 6,433.28 ...............6,376.81 ...................6,432.80 ...................6,369.64..................63.16 ...................0.99 Financial Index .....................................7,826.56 ............... 7,691.38 ................... 7,826.54 ...................7,684.26...............142.28 ................... 1.85 Industrial Index ................................... 8,544.13 ...............8,484.16 ....................8,537.96 ...................8,478.57..................59.39 ................... 0.70 Services Index ...................................... 3,546.95 .............. 3,523.62 ................... 3,546.79 ................... 3,521.63..................25.16 ................... 0.71 MSM SHARIAH INDEX....................................................... 975.51 ....................... 971.21 ...................... 975.28................971.21 ...................4.07 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 31,109,081 ...................9,279,703 ................. 2,466 ...............14,630,404,755 ................30 ........................8 .................... 15 .........................53

Gulf International Chemicals, up by 9.04 per cent, was the top gainer, while Oman Textile

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14

Holding, down by 7.46 per cent, lost the most 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

MUSCAT: MSM 30 Index reversed its Tuesday’s loss to end in the green at 6,432.80 points, up by 0.99 per cent. MSM Shariah index also up by 0.42 per cent at 975.28 points.

Bank Muscat was the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover. Gulf International Chemicals, up by 9.04 per cent, was the top gainer, while Oman Textile Holding, down by 7.46 per cent, was the top loser.

Altogether 2,466 trades were executed in the day’s session generating a turnover of OMR9.27 million with more than 31.11 million shares changing hands. Out of 53 traded stocks, 30 advanced, 8 declined and 15 remained unchanged. Omani investors were net buyers to the tune of OMR1.38 million followed by GCC & Arab investors at OMR209,000. Foreign investors, who were net sellers, sold stocks amounting to OMR1.59 million.

Financial Index showed strong gains of 1.85 per cent to close at 7,826.54 points. Al Sharqia Investments, DBIH, ONIC Holding, Oman United Insurance and Oman & Emirates Holding increased by 8.76%, 6.84 per cent, 6.21 per cent, 5.67 per cent and 4.65 per cent respectively.

Industrial Index increased by 0.70 per cent and ended the day at 8,537.96 points. Gulf International Chemicals, Galfar Engineering, Al Maha Ceramics, Construction Materials and Al Hassan Engineering increased by 9.04 per cent, 7.34 per cent, 5.75 per cent, 5.56 per cent and 2.97 per cent respectively. Oman Textile Holding, Al Anwar Ceramics, Dhofar Cattlefeed and Voltamp Energy decreased by 7.46 per cent, 1.26 per cent, 0.55 per cent and 0.51 per cent respectively.

Services Sector Index closed at 3,546.79 points, up by 0.71 per cent. Al Jazeera Services, United Power, OIFC, Renaissance Ser-

vices and Al Batinah Power increased by 7.64 per cent, 5.69 per cent, 4.07 per cent, 3.75 per cent and 1.18 per cent respectively. Al Maha Petroleum, Sharqiyah Desalination and National Gas fell by 2.49 per cent, 2.13 per cent and 0.35 per cent respectively.

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

OM0000002028 ...........GULF INTERNATIONAL CHEMICALS ............ 1,001,513........181,412..................... 37 ............0.170 ........... 0.182 ...........0.170 ............0.181 ............. 0.166.............0.015 ............. 9.036 ................0.182 .............. 0.178...................0.182....................3,801,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 3,145,696 ......467,232................... 179 ............0.144 ........... 0.150 ...........0.142........... 0.149 ............. 0.137.............0.012 ............. 8.759 ................0.150 ..............0.150...................0.000 ..................12,891,480 .........0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 699,011 ..........236,837..................... 49 ........... 0.322 ...........0.344 ...........0.322........... 0.338 ............. 0.314............ 0.024............. 7.643 ................0.344..............0.344...................0.000 ..................20,687,044 .........0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 2,336,373 ......443,375...................149 ............0.178 ........... 0.194 ...........0.178 ........... 0.190 ............. 0.177.............0.013 ............. 7.345 ................0.187 ..............0.186...................0.187...................50,087,565 .........0.100 OM0000002614............ONIC. HOLDING .......................................................... 313,000 .......... 117,673..................... 28 ........... 0.366 ...........0.380 ...........0.366........... 0.376 .............0.354 ........... 0.022............. 6.215 ................0.374..............0.374...................0.376...................65,207,142 .........0.100 OM0000001822............UNITED POWER ..............................................................1,089 ................1,719........................2 ............1.500 ........... 1.595 ...........1.500........... 1.580 ............. 1.495.............0.085 ............. 5.686 ................1.595 .............. 1.595...................1.640....................3,160,000 ..........1.000 OM0000001087............OMAN UNITED INSURANCE ............................... 865,326 ......... 257,633..................... 85 ........... 0.290...........0.304 ...........0.290 .......... 0.298 .............0.282 ............0.016 ............. 5.674 ................0.298..............0.297...................0.298 ..................29,800,000.........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING........... 1,154,096 ...... 155,888................... 112 ............0.134 ........... 0.137 ...........0.132 ............0.135 .............0.129............ 0.006............. 4.651 ................0.135 ..............0.134...................0.135 ................... 16,453,125 .........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 4,175,784 ......878,258...................302 ........... 0.207 ........... 0.213 ...........0.207........... 0.210 .............0.201 ........... 0.009............. 4.478 ................0.210..............0.210................... 0.211 ...................27,405,000.........0.100 OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 321,447 ...........24,263..................... 29 ........... 0.074 ........... 0.079 ...........0.073........... 0.075 .............0.072 ........... 0.003............. 4.167 ................0.076..............0.075...................0.076...................15,536,354 .........0.100

Emerging stocks dip The lowering of the World Bank’s forecast for global-economic growth underscored weakness in Asia and Europe, sending emerging-market stocks toward a one-week low. Russia’s rouble weakened for a fourth day.

Shares of commodity producers and consumer-durables makers led the declines as copper and oil headed for their lowest prices since 2009. Jiangxi Copper and KGHM Polska Miedz tumbled at least 5.9 per cent, while Hyundai Mobis fell with auto-industry companies. The rouble slid 1.4 percent versus the dollar amid growing concern Standard & Poor’s will cut the sovereign’s credit rating to junk. Stocks in the Philippines, a net oil importer, rose to a record.

The MSCI Emerging Markets Index dropped 0.5 percent to 955.42 in London. The gauge is little changed since the start of 2015 as Brent crude lost a fifth of its value, offsetting a better-thanforecast increase in Chinese exports. The measure has declined for the past two years.

“There are still too many moving parts that blur the investment picture, including the drop in commodity prices and uncertainty on the global-growth outlook,” Simon Quijano-Evans, the London-based head of emergingmarket research at Commerzbank, said.

The World Bank said the global economy resembles a train pulled by a single engine, the United States, with other regions dragging. - United Securities/Bloomberg News

OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ......................... 1,695,333 .......257,913...................130 ............0.150 ........... 0.155 ...........0.150 ............0.152 .............0.146............ 0.006............. 4.110 ................0.151 ...............0.151...................0.152....................8,944,169 ..........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 2,580,865......594,370...................144 ........... 0.225 ...........0.233 ...........0.223........... 0.230 .............0.221 ........... 0.009.............4.072 ................0.228..............0.228...................0.231.................. 46,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000003224 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES ..................................... 697,324 .........346,594..................... 97 ........... 0.486 ...........0.500 ...........0.486........... 0.498 .............0.480 ............0.018 ............. 3.750 ................0.494..............0.494...................0.498..................140,483,038........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 2,224,928 .....532,900..................... 69 ........... 0.235 ...........0.242 ...........0.235........... 0.240 .............0.233 ........... 0.007.............3.004 ................0.238..............0.231...................0.237................. 274,560,000 .......0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK .................................................................... 211,039 .............49,614........................8 ........... 0.235 ...........0.236 ...........0.235........... 0.235 .............0.230 ........... 0.005............. 2.174 ................0.236..............0.237...................0.239................. 304,439,540 .......0.100 OM0000001319 ............NATIONAL ALUMINIUM PRODUCTS ............. 122,450 ........... 38,669......................16 ............0.312 ........... 0.318 ...........0.312 ............0.316 .............0.312............ 0.004............. 1.282 ................0.318 .............. 0.316...................0.318...................10,608,578 .........0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 661,517 .......... 210,433......................16 ............0.318 ...........0.320 ...........0.316 ............0.318 ............. 0.314............ 0.004............. 1.274 ................0.316 ..............0.310...................0.320 ................. 387,587,145 ........0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ........................ 164,002 ......... 288,017..................... 58 ............1.740 ........... 1.765............1.740 ............1.755 ............. 1.740.............0.015 ............. 0.862 ................1.760 .............. 1.760................... 1.765 ................1,316,250,000 ......0.100 OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN .................................................... 223,000 ........... 32,568......................12 ............0.146 ........... 0.147 ...........0.146 ........... 0.146 ............. 0.145.............0.001 ............. 0.690 ................0.146 ..............0.143...................0.146..................292,045,667 .......0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 400,187 .........266,247...................104 ........... 0.664 ........... 0.668 ...........0.664........... 0.664 .............0.660 ........... 0.004............. 0.606 ................0.668..............0.668...................0.676................. 432,226,969 .......0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 6,165,043 .. 3,404,574...................294 ............0.556 ........... 0.556 ...........0.550........... 0.552 .............0.550 ........... 0.002.............0.364 ................0.554..............0.554...................0.556................1,204,843,880......0.100 OM0000001145 ............PORT SERVICES CORPORATION ........................... 1,000 .................. 346........................1 ........... 0.346 ...........0.346 ...........0.346........... 0.336 .............0.336 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.346..............0.342...................0.368...................31,933,440 .........0.100 OM0000001400 ...........OMAN FLOUR MILLS ................................................... 1,000 .................. 528........................1 ........... 0.528 ...........0.528 ...........0.528........... 0.586 .............0.586 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.528..............0.528...................0.584...................92,295,000.........0.100 OM0000001509............DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD......................10,000 ...............5,300........................8 ........... 0.530 ...........0.530 ...........0.530........... 0.530 .............0.530 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.530..............0.530...................0.000 .................116,600,000........0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY........................................ 4,700 ...............9,400........................2 ........... 2.000...........2.000 ...........2.000 .......... 2.000 .............2.000 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.000 ............. 1.975...................2.000 .................179,400,000........0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT ................................................................. 700 .................. 365........................1 ........... 0.522 ...........0.522 ...........0.522........... 0.522 .............0.522 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.522..............0.510...................0.520 ................. 172,715,555 ........0.100 OM0000002176 ............AL JAZEERA STEEL PRODUCTS .............................7,330 .............. 2,402........................4 ........... 0.328 ...........0.328 ...........0.326........... 0.328 .............0.328 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.326..............0.326...................0.328 ..................40,966,531 .........0.100 OM0000002275 ...........SHELL OMAN MARKETING ..............................................1 .......................2........................1 ........... 2.000...........2.000 ...........2.000 .......... 2.000 .............2.000 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.000 ............ 0.000...................0.000 ................ 190,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000002572 ...........OMAN OIL MARKETING ...........................................11,100 ............24,864........................2 ........... 2.240...........2.240 ...........2.240 .......... 2.240 .............2.240 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ............... 2.240 ............ 0.000...................2.240 .................137,256,000 ........0.100 OM0000003141 ............ACWA POWER BARKA .............................................. 40,400 .............33,128........................4 ........... 0.820 ...........0.820 ...........0.820........... 0.820 .............0.820 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.820..............0.804...................0.820 .................131,200,000........0.100 OM0000003281............TAAGEER FINANCE ....................................................17,776 ...............2,653........................3 ............0.149 ........... 0.150 ...........0.149 ........... 0.149 .............0.149............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.150 ..............0.149...................0.150................... 37,784,910 .........0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER................................................................ 6,898 ...............2,594......................21 ............0.376 ........... 0.376 ...........0.376........... 0.376 .............0.376 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.376..............0.376...................0.390 ..................83,099,760 .........0.100 OM0000001160 ............NATIONAL GAS ............................................................ 30,000 ............. 17,056......................14 ........... 0.566 ...........0.570 ...........0.566........... 0.568 .............0.570 ...........-0.002 ............-0.351................0.570..............0.554...................0.568...................25,878,883 .........0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ........................................................7,558 ...............2,955........................6 ........... 0.388 ...........0.392 ...........0.388........... 0.390 .............0.392 ...........-0.002 ........... -0.510 ...............0.388..............0.392...................0.400 ..................23,595,000.........0.100 OM0000001301 ............DHOFAR CATTLE FEED ........................................... 42,252 ............... 7,593........................7 ............0.180 ........... 0.180 ...........0.176 ........... 0.180 ............. 0.181............-0.001 ........... -0.552 ...............0.180..............0.180...................0.199...................13,860,000 .........0.100 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ................................ 23,000 .............10,790........................9 ............0.476 ........... 0.476 ...........0.466........... 0.470 .............0.476 ...........-0.006 ............-1.261................0.466..............0.466...................0.468.................. 116,017,025 ........0.100 OM0000003000 ...........ALMAHA PETROLEUM PRODUCTS MAR. ......... 9,420 ............ 20,253........................8 ............2.150 ........... 2.150 ...........2.150........... 2.150 .............2.205 ...........-0.055 ........... -2.494 ...............2.150 ..............2.150...................2.300 .................148,350,000........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 29,372,158.8,926,418................2,012 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......37........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000002366 ...........AL BATINAH DEV. INV. HOLDING ...................... 118,529 .............14,863......................17 ............0.124 ........... 0.128 ...........0.124............0.125 ............. 0.117 ............ 0.008............. 6.838 ................0.125 ..............0.124...................0.125.................... 3,750,000 ..........0.100 OM0000005005 ...........ALMAHA CERAMICS ................................................ 210,048 ..........115,820...................210 ........... 0.538 ...........0.560 ...........0.538........... 0.552 .............0.522 ........... 0.030............. 5.747 ................0.544..............0.544...................0.550...................27,600,000.........0.100 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ......................6,224 .................. 237........................2 ........... 0.038 ...........0.038 ...........0.038........... 0.038 .............0.036 ........... 0.002............. 5.556 ................0.038..............0.036...................0.037....................3,230,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002564 ...........AL HASSAN ENGINEERING.................................. 196,360 ........... 20,438..................... 30 ............0.103 ........... 0.106 ...........0.103........... 0.104 ............. 0.101............ 0.003.............2.970 ................0.103 ..............0.103...................0.104.................... 7,821,632 ..........0.100 OM0000004768 ...........AL MADINA TAKAFUL............................................. 257,168 .............23,148.....................40 ........... 0.089 ........... 0.091 ...........0.089........... 0.090 .............0.088 ........... 0.002............. 2.273 ................0.090..............0.090...................0.091...................15,750,000 .........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA ................................................................ 375,840 ........... 30,592.....................24 ........... 0.080 ...........0.082 ...........0.080........... 0.081 .............0.080 ............0.001 ............. 1.250 ................0.082..............0.082...................0.083..................121,500,000........0.100 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 215,794.............37,148.....................44 ............0.171 ........... 0.173 ........... 0.171 ............0.172 ............. 0.170............ 0.002..............1.176.................0.173 .............. 0.172...................0.173 ..................116,080,638 ........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 219,268 ............37,989..................... 48 ............0.172 ........... 0.175............0.172 ............0.173 ............. 0.171 ............ 0.002............. 1.170.................0.174 .............. 0.174...................0.175 ..................123,592,297........0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH...................................................7,387 .............16,389........................4 ........... 2.200...........2.220 .......... 2.200 .......... 2.220 .............2.200 ........... 0.020.............0.909 ................2.220 ............ 2.220...................2.300 .................211,914,973 ........1.000 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .......................................................73,650 ................5,211......................11 ........... 0.070 ........... 0.071 ...........0.070............0.071 ............. 0.071............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.070..............0.069...................0.072....................8,875,000 ..........0.100 OM0000002580 ...........OMAN EDU. & TRIN. INV. HOLDING....................10,000 ...............1,400........................1 ............0.140 ........... 0.140 ...........0.140........... 0.140 .............0.140 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.140.............. 0.136...................0.140....................9,800,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004669 ...........SHARQIYAH DESALINATION ................................14,269 ............ 45,960......................16 ........... 3.290 ...........3.290 ...........3.100........... 3.220 .............3.290 ...........-0.070 ........... -2.128 ...............3.200..............3.100...................3.200 ..................31,492,296 .........1.000 OM0000001053 ............OMAN TEXTILE HOLDING .......................................4,000 ............... 1,093........................3 ........... 0.285 ...........0.285 ...........0.269........... 0.273 .............0.295 ...........-0.022 ............-7.458................0.269..............0.266...................0.280 ................... 1,638,000 ..........1.000 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 1,708,537 ......350,287...................450 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......13........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000004602 ...........BANK MUSCAT CONV. BONDS 4.5 ...........................1,623 ...................170........................1 ............0.105 ........... 0.105 ...........0.105 ........... 0.106 .............0.106 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.105 ..............0.105...................0.107...................32,091,406 .........0.100 OM0000004628 ...........BANK SOHAR BONDS 4.5 ............................................2,259 ..................230........................1 ............0.102 ........... 0.102 ...........0.102........... 0.103 .............0.103............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.102..............0.102...................0.105....................7,364,500 ..........0.100 OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 .......................................... 24,504 ...............2,597........................2 ............0.106 ........... 0.106 ...........0.106........... 0.106 .............0.107............-0.001 ........... -0.935 ...............0.106..............0.106................... 0.113 ...................33,882,124 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: ....................................................................................28,386 ...............2,998........................4 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 3........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

INDIAN MARKETS

Indian bourse, rupee decline MUMBAI: Indian stock markets on Wednesday fell for the second straight session with benchmark Sensex dropping nearly 79 points to end at 27,346.82 as ITC shares tanked on worries related to proposed ban on sale of loose cigarettes while metal stocks tracked weak global cues.

Selling was seen in metal, FMCG, healthcare, realty, banking, oil & gas, consumer durables,

PSU and power sector stocks.

There was, however, some buying in IT, teck, auto, power and capital goods sector stocks which capped the losses.

WPI inflation rose marginally to 0.1 per cent in December. After Tuesday’s over 159-point fall, the 30-share BSE Sensex yesterday opened in positive terrain but slipped into the negative zone to touch the day’s low of 27,203.25.

It settled down by 78.91 points, or 0.29 per cent, at 27,346.82.

Rupee depreciates The Indian rupee yesterday snapped its five-day uptrend against the greenback, ending four paise lower at 62.18 on fresh dollar demand. The rupee resumed higher at 62.08 per dollar as against the last closing level of 62.14 per dollar. - PTI

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ROUND-UP

Meethaq conference reiterates support for quality education Presentations covered a gamut of issues relevant for private educational institutions, including Shari’a-based financing solutions for development of infrastructure and facilities

Times News Service MUSCAT: Private education that faces many challenges received much needed support at a conference hosted by Meethaq, the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman from Bank Muscat, as part of its commitment to the national objective of quality education for Omani children. The conference was held under the auspices of Dr. Madiha bint Ahmed Al Shibaniya, Minister of Education, at the Bank Muscat head office.

The conference titled ‘Private education with Meethaq finance solutions’ was attended by digni-

taries and senior officials from the government, the Royal Oman Police and leading educational institutions. Key topics covered at the conference include the challenges and opportunities within the private education sector in Oman and safe school transportation system.

Presentations covered a gamut of issues relevant for private educational institutions, including Shari’a-based financing solutions for development of infrastructure and facilities. Representatives from the ROP and Oman National Transport Company (ONTC) focused on issues related to safe school transport system. The Min-

istry of Education made a presentation on student registration portal for private schools.

After the opening ceremony, Dr. Madiha Ahmed Al Shibani, Minister of Education, said: “The ministry believes in partnership with various stakeholders to achieve positive results, especially the private sector. We commend Meethaq Islamic banking

PROMOTION

from Bank Muscat for this leading initiative, which aims to provide support and financing for private schools. Private education faces a number of challenges associated with access to suitable locations and other resources. We hope that this conference will be translated into initiatives that will contribute to the empowerment of the private education sector, and enhancing

the quality and level of services provided to this important sector. “ Sulaiman Al Harthy, Group General Manager – Islamic Banking, said: “Meethaq is proud to host the conference on private education as part of its commitment to offer world-class Islamic banking service to customers. Ensuring a solid foundation for quality education is key to guaranteeing a bright future for Omani children. In line with the Meethaq brand values of true Partnership, Transparency and Trust, new products and services serving the requirements of private educational institutions are available to complement the unique Islamic banking experience.”

“Meethaq is focused on redefining Islamic banking operations in Oman with unique products and services benefiting citizens and complementing the economy. Meethaq strives to fulfil the needs of customers with innovative Shari’a based products and is well positioned to provide Islamic financial expertise to diverse segments and thereby promote the good of society as a whole,” Al Har-

thy added. Meethaq offers a full suite of Islamic banking products and services, including savings account, current account, home finance, auto finance, credit card, mobile banking etc. Meethaq has adopted the best practices in Islamic banking and finance worldwide to combine a robust model which protects customers and complements the Islamic banking industry. Every Meethaq product goes through the process of Shari’a compliance certification by the Shari’a Supervisory Board and is created in line with the guidelines of the Central Bank of Oman.

As the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman, Meethaq stands out for its independent Shari’a Supervisory Board, separate capital allocation from shareholders’ money, unique risk management tools, complete fund segregation, separate books of account, core banking system which supports Islamic banking operations, stand-alone Islamic banking branches and proper profit distribution mechanism among investment account holders/depositors.

PRIZED POSSESSION

Khimji’s Watches showcases rare limited edition Chopard timepiece

TAC offering guaranteed cash gift on Higer pickups MUSCAT: Higer Pickup, a highgrade light duty vehicle, with new generation appearance, is now available with a guaranteed cash gift on all 2015 models from Towell Auto Centre, the sole distributors of the Higer buses and pickups in Oman.

Available at a starting price of just OMR4,749, the Higer pickups are known for their performance and safety. Moreover, TAC is offering its customers a guaranteed cash gift of OMR450 on all 2015 models, says a press release.

“At TAC, we believe in offering

our customers maximum protection and maximum benefits. Higer is a popular award-winning brand within China, known mainly for its buses and coaches. And now with its pickups, Higer is offering a high performance reliable workhorse, equipped to meet varying business needs. We are confident our consumers will enjoy the benefits of this lightweight, efficient and affordable pickups,” commented a senior spokesperson of TAC. The Higer pickups are available in single and double cabins with new enhanced interiors. The pow-

erful 2.2 litre 4 cylinder engine, 5 speed manual transmission helps drivers in long drives to faraway destinations or even for hauling heavy loads. Its remote control key, power windows, 3 point seat belt, rear parking sensor with plush fabric interiors ensures that each drive is a comfortable one.

The guaranteed cash gift will be offered until February 28 on 2015 models only. With a network of 11 showrooms, 13 service outlets and 10 parts outlets spread across the Sultanate, TAC is the sole distributor of the Higer range in Oman.

MUSCAT: A discreet, ultra-thin model made in platinum and featuring a grey-blue dial, the Chopard L.U.C XPS timepiece is produced in a 25-piece limited edition and complies with the criteria of the 'Poinçon de Genève', of which the hallmark is hand-engraved on the back of each watch, is being showcased at the Khimji’s Watches, says a press release.

Since 1886, the “Poinçon de Genève” has been guaranteeing an exceptional standard of quality by requiring all manufacturers wishing to stamp it on their timepieces to duly perfect all the parts composing such calibres. It thereby ensures a high level of precision of the products bearing it, while perpetuating manual watchmaking skills.

To power this new L.U.C XPS, the Chopard watchmakers have equipped it with the in-house made L.U.C Calibre 96.01-L. This choice has enabled them to achieve the feat of accommodating within an ultra-thin case a self-winding movement fitted with two barrels ensuring a 65hour power reserve and driving central hour and minute hands along with small seconds at 6

RARE SURGERY

o’clock and the date at 3 o’clock.

The beauty of this exceptional timepiece is accentuated by the open case-back providing a chance to admire the Chopard L.U.C 96.01-L calibre equipped with the L.U.C collection’s char-

acteristic integrated rotating module: the micro-rotor.

“This platinum timepiece with its pure, elegant lines features a blue sunburst satin-brushed dial bearing the “Poinçon de Genève” logo at 12 o’clock. Its elegance is accentuated by its silver-toned hands echoing the remarkably restrained hour-markers. To further personalise this edition, the case-back of each model has been individually hand-engraved with the “Poinçon de Genève” logo.

Surely this timepiece is an epitome of perfection and symbolises Chopard’s deep-felt attachment to watchmaking tradition,” stated Madhursinh Jesrani, general manager, Khimji’s Watches.

The timepiece can be viewed by visiting the Khimji’s Watches showroom located at Way No. 3036, Building No. 2825, Al Ufouq Building in Shatti al Qurm. Khimji’s Watches is one of Muscat’s leading franchisees for luxury watches, jewellery, accessories and writing instruments. It offers global designs from Rolex, Cartier, Chopard, Piaget, Mikimoto, Girard Perregaux, Tudor, Oris, Frederique Constant, Bell&Ross and Caran d’Ache.

C U LT U R A L P R O G R A M M E

Complex surgery at KIMS Oman saves life of a pre-term baby MUSCAT: Expert medical staff at KIMS Oman Hospital (KOH) saved a pre-term life after conducting a successful emergency surgery to open the bony plate in the back of the nose by endoscopic method, recently.

The Emergency Unit at KIMS Oman Hospital received a preterm baby who was referred to the hospital with acute difficulty in breathing after birth, where the EU paediatrician immediately intubated the baby and put him on ventilator, says a press release.

Consultants from different medical departments at the hospital were called to examine and evaluate the case, where they revealed that the preterm baby suffers from a rare condition called Bilateral Choanal Atresia which was confirmed by nasal endoscopy and CT scan, and advised an urgent surgery to save the baby’s life.

Bilateral Choanal Atresia is a rare condition where the back end of the nose is completely blocked by bony or membranous plate where the baby can’t breathe through the nose.

It is thought to occur when the thin tissue separating the nose and mouth area grows during fetal development and remains after birth.

The condition can be bilateral or unilateral in newborn infants, affecting about 1 in 7,000 live births.

Females get this condition about

twice as often as males. Bilateral Choanal Atresia is a serious deficiency which can be life threatening for the baby.

Delighted “KIMS Oman hospital is delighted at the success of this rare operation and very proud of our professional medical staff who saved the life of this baby. It was a pretty tough surgery, as babies in this age are very delicate and fragile,” said Dr Hussam Akoum, chief operat-

ing officer at KOH. "KIMS Oman Hospital is committed to providing world-class health care services with care, compassion and courtesy to its patients at an affordable price.

"We strive to give our very best to the patient in clinical as well as non-clinical aspects of health care. For KIMS the patient is the sole cause of existence and they reciprocate the faith and trust that patients exhibit in their brand," he added.

Consultants from different medical departments at KIMS Oman hospital were called to examine and evaluate the case, where they revealed that the pre-term baby suffers from a rare condition called Bilateral Choanal Atresia which was confirmed by nasal endoscopy and CT scan, and advised to conduct an urgent surgery to save the baby’s life

Indian School Rustaq celebrates Oman Environmental Day MUSCAT: Joining hands with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, Indian School Rustaq organised a cultural programme recently as a part of Oman Environmental Day celebrations at Rustaq Park.

The school choir sang beautiful songs praising the Mother Earth. The students of Class VII had presented a mime with an aim to raise the importance of the theme ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’. Children also demonstrated various ways of making useful

things from the waste materials, says a press release.

They participated in a drawing competition with great enthusiasm. The ministry organised an exhibition upholding the importance of preserving and protecting Sultanate’s natural resources.

The students were given prizes as a token of appreciation for their cooperation in the Sultanate’s efforts related to the protection of the environment reminding the society that it is a collective responsibility.

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TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

ROUND-UP New Porsche models arrive in style The 911 Targa 4 GTS and Cayenne Turbo S deliver maximum driving enjoyment due to their top levels of sportiness and are perfect examples of the sustained success of Porsche in producing cars

DUBAI: The 911 Targa 4 GTS and Cayenne Turbo S are celebrating their world premieres at the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. For the first time, the 911 Targa 4 GTS combines the successful GTS moniker with the classic Targa concept, says a press release.

With a more powerful 430 hp engine and standard Sport Chrono package, the model produces even more dynamic performance. Additional GTS-specific features for this model, include matt black 20-inch wheels with central wheel locks, sport design front end, black air intake screen. GTS logos are also prominent throughout the car, with signage on the doors, rollover protection bar and on the rear of the car. Inside, black Alcantara is applied to the steering wheel, seats and trim accents made of black brushed aluminium accentuate the sportiness of the car.

Showcasing a new engine charging concept with turbochargers integrated in the exhaust manifolds, the new Turbo S is the top model of the latest Cayenne generation. An increase of 20 hp from the previous model means that the new Cayenne Turbo produces a total of 570 hp.

The car’s maximum torque, which has also increased by 50 Nm (36.8

ft lb) to 800 Nm (590 ft lb), enables superlative performance, combined with the new turbochargers, ensures even better responsiveness of the biturbo engine.

Both new models deliver maximum driving enjoyment due to their top levels of sportiness and are perfect examples of the sustained success of Porsche in producing cars.

Exquisitely styled 911 Targa 4 GTS In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 911 Targa and for the first time, Porsche is now also offering this distinctive model, in a more powerful and dynamic GTS version. The Targa concept of the 911 Targa 4 GTS delivers very safe driving enjoyment with all-wheel drive and a rollover protection bar; it also delivers open-air fun with a Targa top that stows fully automatically. The unique design of the Targa 4 GTS is underpinned by the dynamic performance of the GTS engine, which together with the standard Sport Chrono package, PASM chassis, 20-inch wheels and a sport exhaust system; deliver a driving experience like no other.

Despite the addition of new features, the weight-to-power ratio with the 430-hp engine was improved from 3.9 kg to just 3.6 kg per horsepower compared to the S model. This lets the Targa 4 GTS

reach a top speed of over 300 km/h (186 mph) with a PDK transmission, and 4.3 seconds for the zero to 100 km/h (0 – 60 mph in 4.1 seconds) sprint. Although the engine produces an additional 30 hp, its fuel consumption – which ranges from 9.2 to 10.0 l/100 km, depending on the type of transmission – is exactly the same as that of the 911 Targa 4S. The latest Targa can be recognised at first glance as a GTS model with all-wheel drive, because – compared to the two-wheel drive 911 Carrera models — the rear wheel arches are flared an additional 22 millimetres, and the rear tires are ten millimetres wider.

The front view is defined by the sport design of the car’s front end with an opening for the auxiliary middle radiator and the smoked bi-xenon headlights that feature the Porsche Dynamic Light System (PDLS).

The side profile of the car features further GTS characteristics, including silky gloss black 20-inch 911 Turbo S wheels with central lock, sport design door mirrors and the “targa” logo on the silver rollover protection bar also painted in silky gloss black. Black accents are also visible at the rear of the car, with glossy trims on the air inlet screen, the model logo and the chrome tailpipes.

The iconic GTS flair also dic-

tates the interior of the 911 Targa 4 GTS, with the Sport Chrono package stopwatch, four-way adjustable Sport Plus seats – featuring black GTS logos on the head rests – provide additional lateral support and long-distance cruising comfort for driver and passenger.

The dominant interior material is black Alcantara, which is half the weight of leather.

The Targa has been an established member of the 911 line-up since its debut back in 1965. In the past, around one out of eight 911 cars ever sold was a Targa. The market share of the latest generation is 13 percent and growing.

With the 911 Targa 4 GTS, Porsche is extending its line-up of the modern classic by adding a top model with extensive package of standard features and appealing pricing.

The top athlete among SUVs At the 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Porsche is also introducing the new Cayenne Turbo S — the top model of the sporty SUV model series. Its re-engineered 4.8-litre V8 biturbo engine now delivers 570 hp and 800 Nm (590 ft lb) of torque. A chassis that is tuned for maximum driving dynamics and packs a wide range of control systems also makes the Cayenne Turbo S a genuine top performer. It can turn a lap of the North Loop of the Nürburgring in 7:59.74

minutes, setting a new record for SUVs, and further roving that every Porsche is a genuine sports car – regardless of vehicle segment.

The surprising response of the biturbo engine is primarily a benefit of the integral turbochargers, which are now housed directly in the exhaust manifolds. This new approach also improves combustion. The high-performance engine offers 20 hp more power and 50 Nm (36.8 ft lb) more torque than the previous engine. The Cayenne Turbo S accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds – which is 0.4 seconds faster than the previous model (0 – 60 mph in 3.8 seconds). Its top speed is now 284 km/h (176 mph).

The Cayenne Turbo S also underscores its position as a top athlete with its chassis systems.

Its standard Porsche Composite Ceramic Brakes (PCCB) include 420mm front brake discs and for the first time, ten-piston calipers.

The rear brakes have 370 mm discs and four-piston calipers.

The active roll stabilisation system and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) proactively reduces side tilt when driving through curves early on. Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) increases dynamic handling and stability by making specific brake interventions at the right or left rear wheel – this noticeably im-

RENOWNED POETESS

Standard features Standard features of the Cayenne Turbo S reflect the top level status of this model. They include 21-inch wheels in distinctive 911 Turbo design with black painted edges, LED headlights including Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus (PDLS Plus), full-leather interior with Porsche logo embossed on all head restraints as well as interior carbon accents. Interior styling in a black/crème colour combination is makes its debut in the Cayenne Turbo S. Exterior visual accents include air inlet surrounds painted in high-gloss black, the undersides of the door mirrors in the same colour and the roof spoiler and wheel arch mouldings in car colour.

A sport exhaust system is available as an option in combination with a switchable sound symposer, which optimally transmits the V8 sound experience into the interior.

PROMOTION

Rehana to preside over tomorrow’s Mushairah MUSCAT: Renowned poetess Rehana Qamar will preside over the Mushairah being organised

by Alpha Events Oman on Friday, January 16 at 8.30pm at Wadi Tower behind Sana Centre near Indian School Wadi Kabir.

Ayaz Hussain, Ambassador of Pakistan to the Sultanate of Oman will be the chief guest at the function, says a press release.

Rehana Qamar was born in Pakistan and has been settled in the USA. Her book Kaash Tum Say Koi Bewafaai Karay was a big hit among lovers of Urdu literature.

Her other poetry books include Soch Ki Dehleez Per, Magar Tum Apna Khiaal Rakhna, Hum Phir Nah Milain Shaayad, Tum Ho To Main Bhi Hoon and Mar Kay Bhi Tumhaaray Hain. Looking at the names of her books, one can easily guess that her poetry targets love and affection.

Her kulliyaat (collection of poetry books) Seepiaan Chuntay Shaam Hui is also published. She is also well known for her outstanding contribution towards promotion of Urdu language and literature abroad.

Apart from her world wide popularity as a leading Urdu poetess she has also played a vital role for the welfare of human being as a social worker.

proves steering into curves and steering precision.

The active hang-on all-wheel drive system Porsche Traction Management (PTM) permanently drives the rear wheels, while offering fully variable power distribution to the front wheels. All these systems combined result in excellent driving dynamics, lots of traction, as well as high level of agility at any speed.

Rehana Qamar’s book ‘Kaash Tum Say Koi Bewafaai Karay’ was a big hit among lovers of Urdu literature. Apart from her world wide popularity as a leading Urdu poetess she has also played a vital role for the welfare of human being as a social worker

Holder of UNO Peace Award, Saheta Award India and a number of national awards in Pakistan, Rehana has participated in Mushairahs in many countries.

The event is supported by Adams Son’s Jewellery. Qamar Riaz, honorary chief coordinator of the Mushairah said that the family

oriented poetry evening will be free for all poetry lovers. He can be contacted on 98985106.

Talking about upcoming events, Fahad Awais Munir, managing director of Alpha Events Oman, said some mega shows were being planned in the coming months.

Allo conducts roadshow in Sohar, Nizwa and Rustaq MUSCAT: Allo International Calling Cards, recently conducted roadshows in Sohar, Nizwa and Rustaq to promote its latest international calling promotion and received a great response from the public on the attractive rates offered to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines and many other countries, says a press release.

Appreciation The promotions have received great interest from all corners of the country with people expressing their appreciation for the affordable international calling rates offered by Allo which offer upto 60 minutes of international talk time for OMR1.

Offer extension The response has prompted Allo card to extend the offer upto March 18. The Allo service is available from any mobile, landline or payphone in the country and does not require obtaining any new lines or SIM Cards.

Customers can simply buy OMR1 or OMR5 Allo Card, available across all over Oman and make international calls instantaneously.

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ROUND-UP

OMR600 cash gift with Kia Cerato till Jan. 16

PRESERVING ENVIRONMENT

Sohar Aluminium celebrates Oman Environment Day

The Cerato is a wonderful vehicle

SOHAR: Continuing its commitment towards preserving and enhancing the surrounding environment, Sohar Aluminium (SA) celebrated Oman’s Environment Day by inaugurating ‘Landscaping Plantation Project’ at its Power Plant recently.

SA employees and contractors kicked off the project by planting the first 15 of over 900 tree saplings to be planted along the Sohar Aluminium Power Plant (SAPP) operational area perimeter fences, says a press release.

The remaining tree saplings will be planted around the fence line during January. The saplings will utilise process effluent waste from the steam generating plant

and irrigation water from the sewage treatment plant.

As these trees grow in size, they will prevent dust particles from entering the site. This will minimise the dust ingress into the Gas Turbines air intake and auxiliary system air filters thereby protecting the operating equipment.

Since its inception Sohar Aluminium fluoride emissions have been well within international standards in compliance with the Sultanate’s environmental regulations. Nevertheless, SA has always been keen on minimising its environmental footprint and in 2014, SA managed to further reduce its fluoride emissions to air by 20 per cent.

not merely in terms of its looks but also in terms of the features it packs and the performance it delivers

MUSCAT: The 3rd Generation Kia Cerato, designed by Kia’s chief design officer Peter Schreyer, is a coveted and prized possession of many. And there are others who

dream of owning the sedan at an opportune moment. Now, a cash gift of OMR600 on Cerato makes it the best time to own one, says a press release.

“Until January 16, every Cerato customer will have the choice of either carrying off a cash gift of OMR600 or use it to meet payment commitments towards vehicle financing. However, there is a need to be quick-on-the-feet to

H E A LT H C A R E E X H I B I T I O N

IMTEC Oman set to start on January 19 MUSCAT: The 3rd International Medical and HealthCare Exhibition and Conference ‘IMTEC Oman 2015’ which will organised in cooperation with Global Healthcare Travel Council (GHTC) which will be held during the period from January 19 to 21 at Oman International Exhibition Centre in Seeb.

IMTEC Oman 2015 will be inaugurated by Dr Ali bin Talib Al Hinai, undersecretary for Planning Affairs, Ministry of Health, at 11am on January 19, says a press release.

The mega event is supported by Turkish Healthcare Travel Council (THTC), Ukraine Healthcare Association, Oman Medical Association and sponsored by Apollo Hospitals (Oman), Malay-

sian Healthcare Travel Council ( MHTC ), Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co Ltd (UAE), Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, Thailand ) as main sponsors, by Bangkok International Rehabilitation Center (Oman), Medical Network Hessen as platinum sponsor, and BY Ming Medical Services SDN BHD (Malaysia), Acıbadem Hospital group (Turkey), Aster Medcity (India), Bangkok Hospital (Thailand), Medicalpark (Turkey), Memorial Hospitals Group (Turkey), Sobeh Vascular and Medical Center (UAE) as gold sponsor. The conference, B2B meeting will be sponsored by Travel Point Oman.

According to the organisers, the participants in the IMTEC 2015 will be the specialists and professionals from both global and local

health sector, international hospitals, healthcare centres, medical tourism sector companies and sellers of medical equipment and technology representing countries such as Turkey, India, Thailand, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, Iran, Austria, Ukrania, Tunisia, Pakistan, UAE and Oman.

“The visitors will have an opportunity to view and interact on the latest services, specialities and future projects rendered by the representatives of different participating countries in the medical tourism sector. The conference will also see the introduction of stem cell treatment that is now available,” organisers added.

Conference and exhibition The conference and B2B meeting

PA R T N E R S H I P AG R E E M E N T

BankDhofar now more visible at Muscat and Salalah Airports MUSCAT: Central to its efforts to expand its outreach as one of the leading banks in the Sultanate, BankDhofar recently signed an exclusive strategic partnership agreement with JC Decaux, the number one outdoor advertising company worldwide, to exclusively reserve strategic advertising and media spaces at Muscat and Salalah international airports.

The 5-year exclusive partnership agreement was signed bilaterally by Abdul Hakeem Omar Al Ojaili, Acting CEO of BankDhofar, and Sebastien Soares, Managing Director of JC Decaux Oman, at BankDhofar’s head office in Muscat and was attended by senior officials from both sides, says a press release.

“BankDhofar is working continuously and constantly to reach out to customers through various and diverse channels. We as a leading banking brand in the Sultanate are proud to have achieved a lot in terms of unique customer experience and innovative banking solutions, products and services.

BankDhofar brand has always been associated with the best customer experience and we aspire to always be the best in all our operations and business practices,” stated Abdul Hakeem Omar Al Ojaili, highlighting the significance of this strategic tie-up.

“This agreement with JC De-

B7

caux is an opportunity for us to further amplify our communication channels in order to share our values with BankDhofar customers wherever they are. This emphasises our commitment to be the best bank in Oman and in the Gulf, and goes in line with our continuous efforts to meet our customers’ needs and exceed their expectations,” he added.

“We are delighted that JC Decaux Oman and OAMC have been selected by BankDhofar as key partners in their communication plan. The exceptional advertising opportunities offered by Muscat International Airport and Salalah International Airport are a strategic choice for BankDhofar to reach to their target audience and to demonstrate their brand’s values. This remarkable partnership also underlines JC Decaux Oman’s commitment to provide its clients with premium advertising solutions,” said Sebastien Soares.

According to Samer Ahmed Al

Nabhani, Chief Commercial Officer of Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC: “More than 9 million passengers use Muscat and Salalah airports every year as their gateway to the Sultanate. OAMC airports continue to expand with ambitious infrastructure developments in line with the passengers growth.

We are pleased to have BankDhofar on board with the right of airport branding, and we believe this opportunity will give BankDhofar an extended reach to local and international audience. This longterm partnership also means that BankDhofar will be the first brand promoted at the new Muscat and Salalah airports.”

BankDhofar’s commitment to provide the best customer experience manifests in a wide range of customised products, service and innovative banking solutions.

All of this is available through 65 BankDhofar branches across the Sultanate.

will be arranged inside the exhibition centre hall within the framework of a programme specially prepared for this purpose for a period of two days.

On January 19, the first day, the programme will last from 4pm till 7pm which will be B2B meeting with authorities from the Ministry of Health and traders from inside and outside Oman who will visit the event. Next day, the conference will start at 11 am at the opening ceremony. Kavitha Mathuvay, manager of Market Development at Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, will deliver a special talk on future of medicine titled “Development of Malaysia healthcare towards medical tourism’.

The exhibition timings will be from 10am till 8pm.

get this deal…it will end soon,” remarks the Kia spokesperson.

The Cerato is a wonderful vehicle not merely in terms of its looks but also in terms of the features it packs and the performance it delivers. Premium additions include LED daytime running lights, touchscreen audio with camera, steering controls — audio, cruise, bluetooth, paddle shifter, trip computer, front & rear parking sensors, power driv-

er lumbar support and rear A/C vents (features that are usually present only in higher segment cars).

Kia’s new Flex Steer system provides three different settings for the steering to match customer preference with Normal, Sport and Comfort modes. The effort required to turn the wheel varies with mode, but the gearing remains the same. Comfort mode is ideal for city driving whereas Normal and Sports are suitable for high speeds and long drives.

The ergonomically designed driver space makes every drive truly comfortable and stress-free.

A multi-function 4-spoke steering wheel offers precise fingertip control, together with class-leading comfort. Taking centre-stage is a hi-tech supervision cluster that displays a comprehensive range of vehicle information such as service interval reminders, welcome light, etc.

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TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

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NBO ensures safer online shopping for customers The bank has partnered with

experience

3D security provides our debit card customers a safer and more secure shopping experience as they will receive an OTP via SMS

Times News Service

Abdul Karim Al Hinai

MasterCard and Visa to offer its debit card customers 3D security for a more secure shopping

Head of Alternative Channels MUSCAT: National Bank of Oman customers can rest easy as it introduces three dimensional (3D) security to enhance their online shopping experience.

As the region witnesses an increase in e-commerce transactions, the bank has partnered with MasterCard and Visa to offer its debit card customers a more secure shopping experience.

Customers shopping online with a 3D secure merchant will be provided authentication via a one-time-password (OTP), valid

for one transaction. In addition, to simplify the process, there will be no upfront registration required when shopping online, thus saving customers the hassle of remembering a username and password.

E-Commerce transactions have increased in Oman, as in the rest of the Middle East with the establishment of online shopping sites well as travel and hospitality book-

ings online, using credit or debit cards. According to a recent study, e-commerce transactions in the region are estimated to reach $15 billion by 2015. “As we live in an increasingly digital world, National Bank of Oman is committed to proactively offer customers digital banking solutions that respond to their needs and lifestyles,” said Abdul Karim Al Hinai, head of Al-

ternative Channels. “3D security provides our debit card customers a safer and more secure shopping experience as they will receive an OTP via SMS or via SMS and email as protection against fraudulent online use. In addition, the new system does away with static user names and passwords that have a lower security threshold,” added Abdul Karim.

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LITERARY COMPETITIONS

ISC Kerala Wing Youth Festival begins tomorrow MUSCAT: The Kerala Wing of the Indian Social Club will hold its art and literary competitions of youth festival as a prelude to Indian Community Festival 2015. The various competitions gauging the participants’ talent in dance, music and literature will be held at various venues starting from tomorrow, says a press release.

The winners of the various competitions will be awarded during Indian Community Festival slated for April. An eminent panel of judges from India as well as Oman will choose the best performers in each category.

To encourage participants as a team from a school, Rolling Trophy will be awarded to the school that scores the maximum.

This year the number of entrees crossed the previous records and stand at more than 1,000 participants. The participants will be informed on the dates for various items over telephone and the details are also updated regularly on Kerala Wing website www.isckeralawing.org.

Painting, drawing and literary events like poem writing, essay writing, short story writing in both English and Malayalam

Painting, drawing and literary events like essay writing will be held tomorrow 9am onwards at Indian Social Club Hall in Darsait. Spot entries are available for these events languages will be held tomorrow at 9am onwards at Indian Social Club Hall in Darsait. Spot entries are available for these events.

The Kerala Wing of the Indian Social Club founded in the year 2001 is a unique organisation in the socio-cultural scenario of Sultanate of Oman.

The organisation is an alert respondent to the Malayali community in Oman and is active in the humanitarian and socio-cultural activities in Oman.

More details about the events can be had from Santhosh Kumar (92338105/ 96099769) or Madhavan (92844722).

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

Ooredoo Group wins award for global employee initiative DOHA: Ooredoo Group’s Global Talent Mobility Programme has been voted as the best in the Technology and Media sector for the Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA) at the Expatriate Management and Mobility Awards (EMMAs) held in London recently, says a press release.

In 2013, Ooredoo’s Global Talent Mobility Programme underwent a major transformation enabling the delivery of talent deployment strategies and solutions to accelerate corporate initiatives and tackle business challenges.

With operations in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia, Ooredoo has benefited by investing in mobility, enabling business leaders to tap into the Group’s employee pool and accelerate the deployment of functional and technical experts to transfer knowledge and build local capabilities. Employees have also benefited, gaining significant experience in new markets, while receiving strong support from their company.

“Ooredoo is a truly global company today, and a major part of our successful transformation has been our investment in our team. By providing our employees with the resources to transfer across our footprint, we have significantly enriched their career development and ensured that our operations have access to the experience they need,” said Mohanna Al Nuaimi, Group Chief Human Resource Officer.

Ooredoo has worked closely with business leaders across the Group to drive a demand-driven approach, by introducing mobility in the business planning and budgeting cycle. Ooredoo has also worked to build a consistent mobility experience by introducing assignment feedback surveys, to improve the programme, and launching health insurance, destination services and online cultural training to support employees while on assignment.

By deploying the best talent across the Group, the Global Talent Mobility Programme has enabled Ooredoo to provide support for major business initiatives in 2014, including the roll-out of the Ooredoo brand in Oman and Kuwait, and the commercial launch of its newest operation in Myanmar. Experts in branding, consumer sales and technology transferred to each operation for the launch periods.

With Ooredoo’s increased focus on enabling digital lifestyles, the company is benefiting by enhancing mobility and increasing knowledge transfer. Ooredoo’s experience in launching 3G and 4G services in its established markets, as well as deploying fi-

bre, has practical applications for newer markets, and speeds up the time-to-market for new services.

The mobility programme has provided an important opportunity for Ooredoo to inculcate a shared culture across its operations, and enable employees to experience life and work in different markets. As Ooredoo has increasingly grown into a global enterprise, the programme has worked to translate the organisational transformation into employees’ careers.

Demand by both employees and business leaders to participate in the mobility programme continues to rise, and Ooredoo has plans in place to enhance the programme in 2015. The aim is to introduce mobility readiness assessments to enhance the selection process, develop a Groupwide mobility cost estimation structure to accelerate business leaders’ mobility decisions, and create expert mobility pools to provide just-in-time support for future business initiatives across the group.

The “Best mobility program in Technology and Media Award” celebrates and recognises how an in-house mobile team has delivered the best services within the industry. The winning categories were chosen by a panel drawn from some of the most highly-regarded names in global mobility industry. Ooredoo won the recognition against strong competition from a number of leading multinational organisations.

The EMMA judges commented that, “Ooredoo demonstrated an incredible, passionate and dedicated journey in creating a global function which is backed up by strong evidence of achievements and benefits to the company.”

The Expatriate Management and Mobility Awards have become one of the most prestigious awards event of the mobility industry calendar.

Now in its eighth year, the most recent awards attracted more entries and higher profile attendance than ever before. The awards are hosted by the Forum of Expatriation Management.

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SPOR YOUR GAME

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BAHRAIN READY TO STIFLE UAE STRIKING DUO Bahrain coach Marjan Eid believes his players can shut down the United Arab Emirates’ dangerous forwards ahead of their crucial AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 tie against their regional rivals at Canberra Stadium on Thursday. >C3

Green Falcons take flight Mohammed Al Sahlawi scored a brace of secondhalf goals after Naif Hazazi netted before the break, and Nawaf Al Abid completed the scoring in the 77th minute after swooping on his own botched penalty kick

ONE OF THE FOUR: Saudi Arabia’s Nawaf Al Abid, left, scores a goal with assistance from Taiseer Al Jassam, centre, past North Korea’s goalkeeper Ri Myong Guk. – Reuters

MARCHING ORDERS: Referee Abdullah Mohamed Al Hilali, left, of Oman shows the red card to North Korea’s Ri Yong Jik. – Reuters

to fire home Saudi Arabia’s fourth

Saudi joy after attacking policy pays off; North Korea’s Jo eyes brighter future

MELBOURNE: Saudi Arabia’s strikers feasted on a chaotic North Korea defence to fire the Green Falcons to a 4-1 victory and stave off elimination from the Asian Cup on Wednesday.

Mohammed Al Sahlawi scored a brace of second-half goals after Naif Hazazi netted before the break, and Nawaf Al-Abid completed the scoring in the 77th minute after swooping on his own botched penalty kick to fire home his side’s fourth.

Ryang Yong Gi ended North Korea’s 23-year goal drought at the tournament with a 11th minute strike at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium but his team crumbled after halftime as the Saudi forwards attacked in waves.

With both teams desperate after having lost Group B openers, the match was played at a frenetic pace on a windy, overcast day, with North Korea midfielder Jong Il Gwan receiving a yellow card after 15 seconds for a heavy challenge on Omar Howsawi.

Ryang made the most of his chance early, swooping into the area to hammer his shot into the net after keeper Waleed Abdullah could only parry forwards a searing long-range effort from striker Pak Kwak Ryong.

Saudi Arabia drifted until the 37th minute, when a midfield interception and a chain of slick passes ended with Hazazi firing the ball low through North Korea keeper Ri Myong Guk’s legs, sparking the Green Falcons into life after they were listless for most of the half.

MELBOURNE: Saudi Arabia coach Cosmin Olaroiu was a relived man after his decision to adopt an admittedly risky attacking strategy paid off in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over DPR Korea as the three-time winners kept their AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 quarter-final hopes alive at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium.

Knowing defeat would result in a second consecutive group stage exit, Olaroiu brought in full-backs Abdulla Al Dossary and Hassan Maaz following the weekend’s opening 1-0 loss to China, while Mohammed Al Sahlawi joined Naif Hazazi in a new-look two-man forward line.

And with Al Sahlawi scoring twice in the second half after Hazazi had equalised before half-time, Saudi Arabia are still in the hunt to qualify from Group B ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Uzbekistan.

“I was confident because it is difficult to play the way (DPR) Korea play for the entire game.

They make a lot of pressure in front, but I know step-by-step they cannot make this and then our ball possession will make them tired and they will concede more space,” said Roma-

Al-Sahlawi scored his brace in a three-minute burst, latching on to a cut-back pass from Abdulla Aldossary in the 52nd minute and capitalising on a farcical defensive

nian coach Olaroiu.

“We chose to play with two strikers so we lost something in the middle and there was a problem there at the beginning of the game as we conceded a lot, and that’s why they scored and had a few dangerous counterattacks. But sometimes you have to take a risk as the only way we had was to win and we have to assume this risk.

“We scored goals, it was good.

We used the qualities that we had and now we have to forget this quickly and think about the next game against Uzbekistan.”

But despite seeing Saudi Arabia end a five-game losing streak at the AFC Asian Cup, Olaroiu remained far from happy with the performance from the 2007 finalists. “We made a lot of mistakes especially in the buildup, but it was a little bit difficult as the confidence was very low after what has happened and the pressure they have, and they are not used to playing this way, so it is difficult to find the mechanism in a short time,” added Olaroiu, who only took over as Saudi Arabia coach last month following November’s Gulf Cup final defeat.

“We played better against

error moments later.

Jang Kuk Chol put a clearing kick straight into the forward’s chest and he duly thumped the ball into an unguarded goal.

ous counterattacks and they made a lot of trouble for us and we made more mistakes than the game against China, but we scored and played good football.

Everybody enjoyed it and that is the most important (thing).”

China. If we scored the penalty things would have been different. We have to look at every opponent and look at the good and the weak points and sometimes we have to change our strategy for each game, and that is why we used a different system and different players.

“We saw North Korea and we knew that they make danger-

Al-Sahlawi missed out on a hattrick 17 minutes later when he slid the ball left of the post when clean through on goal, but Salem Aldawsari set up the fourth with

Football development Coach Jo Tong-sop has urged North Korea’s football development to be made a top priority after Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia ended the former semi-finalists hopes of a return to the knockout stage of the AFC Asian Cup. Jo’s side conceded three times in the second half at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium after Ryang Yong-gi had handed 1980 semi-finalists DPR Korea a first AFC Asian Cup goal since 1992 in the 11th minute before Naif Hazazi equalised for Saudi Arabia in the first half.

And after Jo’s side also lost Saturday’s opener 1-0 to Uzbekistan in Sydney, DPR Korea again exited in the group stage of the AFC Asian Cup having picked up just one point from their three games in 2011 in Qatar after also failing to progress in 1992. “It would be good to be part of the final matches, but

fine work in the area.

After dribbling into the box, the midfielder’s chipped shot hit the crossbar and the rebound struck Ri Yong Jik’s raised arm on the

our skills and level is not high enough,” said Jo. “We are in a process of development and we need to make it better as quickly as possible to make better players for the future.”

DPR Korea had been rewarded for an aggressive start as Ryang turned home a rebound inside the opening quarter of an hour. But after being caught cold by DPR Korea’s start, Saudi Arabia grew into the contest as the half progressed and Hazazi pulled the three-time winners level before the break.

“I think the start of the match was okay, but in terms of the defence it worked well until we conceded the second goal,” added Jo. “For the second goal the players did not concentrate enough and that is the main reason, also they had some mental stress as the second goal came so easily.”

North Korea will round off their campaign against China in Canberra on Sunday. “Today’s match was a decisive one for both teams and the result was not very happy for our team,” said Jo. “Although we know the final result in the competition for our team, we still have one match and we will do our best to win the match.” — AFC

goal-line. Ri was red-carded and although Al-Abid missed the spot kick, he pounced on the rebound to seal the contest for the ecstatic Saudis. - Reuters

SORRY FOR THE SHODDY SHOW

Sayyid Khalid apologises to Oman football fans NISHAD PADIYARATH

nishad@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Sayyid Khalid Al Busaidi, chairman of Oman Football Association (OFA) has apologised to the fans in the country after the national team crashed out of the AFC Asian Cup 2015 in Australia.

Oman’s 4-0 loss to Australia on Tuesday, coupled with a 1-0 defeat against South Korea meant the Omanis have no chance to advance to the knockout rounds and will return home after their final Group A clash with Kuwait at the weekend.

Speaking to Times Sport from Sydney yesterday, Sayyid Khalid apologised for the disastrous performance Down Under.

“We apologise for the performance in Australia. This shouldn’t have happened but that is football and you have to accept the reality,” the OFA chief said.

Upset with the 4-0 defeat at the hands of Australia, football fans in the country took to social media websites including Twitter to vent their anger.

However, Sayyid Khalid asked the fans to understand the reality and challenges of football.

“I appreciate and understand the public anger but football imposes itself and my colleagues who are in the sports field recognise this reality and its challenges,” Sayyid Khalid pointed out.

Oman football must be more professional, says Le Guen We apologise for the performance in Australia. This shouldn’t have happened but that is football and you have to accept the reality

Sayyid Khalid Al Busaidi OFA Chairman

Sayyid Khalid also said the national team still has to go a long way before it reaches to match Australia’s prowess. “Our Professional League is still young and we need to become more professional on and off the field. To do that our boys have to work really hard and

I am sure in the coming years they will make us all proud. They are very young. Give them sometime,” Sayyid Khalid said.

The football chief however promised for a better show from the players when they face Kuwait on January 17 in Newcastle. “I

wish success for the national team in the last game against Kuwait.

I am sure they will bounce back from these defeats. This is football. Those who know its secrets can absorb its concerns and pain but those who don’t may Almighty help them,” Sayyid Khalid added.

Times News Service MUSCAT: Oman’s French coach Paul Le Guen called for more professionalism in Oman football after the defeat against hosts Australia.

According to a report in theroar.com website, Le Guen said that the only way to bridge the gap between Oman and top Asian nations was to ‘become more professional’.

Oman has only Al Al Habsi in their ranks to be termed clear professional and the domestic professional league in the country is yet to take off in the real aspect. The current league is still amateurish.

In his post-match comments, Le Guen said that Oman need to become more professional on and off the pitch. “The players have to experience the life of a professional player. If you’re playing a match three days after facing South Korea, you need

to be prepared,” Le Guen was quoted as saying by roar.com.

“There is a gap between us and Australia. The only way to bridge that gap is to be humble and work hard.”

Le Guen stated, “We were not able to cope with such presence, such pace, three days after our game against Korea Republic; it was too much for us. We have to recognise the superiority of our opponents.”

Oman has another match in hand as they take on Kuwait in Newcastle on Saturday. Only recently in a Gulf Cup match, Oman had beat Kuwait 5-0 and would like to keep that dominance intact.

Le Guen said: “We need to approach the game with pride.

Each game is important. We need to keep our chin (up) and play with pride.”

On the contrary, Kuwait, who are also out of the reckoning, will look to exact revenge for their Gulf Cup defeat.

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TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

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China sneak into quarterfinals played the ball back in for the unmarked Wu to blast it into the back of the net.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, China scored again, when Sun, who had come off the bench a few minutes earlier, got the ball inside the Uzbekistan and dribbled downfield.

He got as far as the edge of the box before unleashing a ferocious shot that curled past the outstretched arms of Nesterov and decided the match.

China started the tournament as an outsider for the title but after winning their first two Group B matches in dramatic fashion, they are now assured of finishing top of their pool with a game to spare

BRISBANE: China scored twice in 13 minutes to come from behind and upset Uzbekistan 2-1 at the Asian Cup on Wednesday to book themselves a spot in the quarter-finals.

China started the tournament as an outsider for the title but after winning their first two Group B matches in dramatic fashion, they are now assured of finishing top of their pool with a game to spare.

Trailing 1-0 at halftime against the group favourites, China drew level after 55 minutes when Wu Xi scored then snatched the lead with a spectacular solo strike from substitute Sun Ke. Uzbekistan, who took an early lead through an opportunist goal from Odil Ahmedov, could not find a late equaliser and now face Saudi Arabia in their final group game in Melbourne on Sunday

JUBILANT: China’s Sun Ke celebrates his goal with team mate Jiang Zhipeng, left, during their Asian Cup Group B soccer match against Uzbekistan at the Brisbane Stadium. – Reuters

to decide the pool runner-up. As Group B winners, China will play the runner-up in Group A, either Australia or South Korea.

The Group B runners-up will play the Group A winners.

The Saudis, beaten 1-0 by China on the weekend, stayed in the

ECSTATIC: China’s Wu Xi, right, celebrates his goal with team mate Ren Hang as China shocked Uzbekistan to qualify for the Asian Cup quarterfinals in Brisbane. – Reuters

hunt earlier in the day with a 4-1 win over North Korea, who were eliminated.

Ahmedov gave Uzbekistan the lead after 22 minutes with a goal against the run of play. The central midfielder took a speculative longrange shot from outside the box A S I A N C U P S TA N D I N G S

Country

A GD Pts

2 2 0 0 8

1 +7

South Korea 2 2 0 0 2

0 +2

6

Kuwait

2 0 0 2 1

5 -4

0

Oman

2 0 0 2 0

5 -5

0

6

Kasimov offers no excuses

Group A 6

Group B China

Wu made amends by scoring the equaliser in the second half after Jiang Zhipeng’s cross from the left floated over the head of Uzbekistan goalkeeper Ignatiy Nesterov, who over-committed, leaving the goal open.

Zhang Chengdong and Gao Lin

GRACIOUS LOSER

P W D LF

Australia

that took a wicked deflection off the legs of the Chinese defensive midfielder Wu. The Chinese goalkeeper Wang Dalei, who saved a penalty in the win over the Saudis, was helpless to stop the ball from flying into the top corner of the net.

Celebrations Meanwhile, China coach Alain Perrin has promised to celebrate to the maximum reaching quarterfinals after his charges beat Uzbekistan 2-1 in Brisbane on Wednesday to seal a spot in the second round.

“After our first win (against Saudi Arabia on Saturday), we celebrated just amongst the coaching staff but tonight, I want the players to join us.

“We played a beautiful match and now we move to the knockout phase. I thought we would have to play all three games before securing qualification but now we are through.

“The players were a little bit nervous today but we kept playing our style. They (Uzbekistan) had problems with stamina so we were able to find more space to work with in the second half.”

Wu Xi added: “All the players were very excited in the dressing room, singing songs and high-fiving. Our interpreter was dancing on a table and fell into an ice bucket full of water. All his clothes were wet; he was very wet.

“The pressure is off us a bit now that we are through to the knockout stages. We can relax just a little for our next match.” - Agencies

1

2

Saudi Arabia 2

2 2 0 0 3 1 1 0 4

2

2

3

Uzbekistan 2

1 1 0 2

2

0

3

5 -4

0

North Korea 2 0 2 0 1

Group C UAE

1

1 0 0 4

1 +3

3

Iran

1

1 0 0 2

0 +2

3

Bahrain

1 0 0 1 0

2 -2

0

Qatar

1 0 0 1 1

4 -3

0

Group D Japan

1

1 0 0 4

0 +4

3

Iraq

1

1 0 0 1

0 +1

3

Jordan

1 0 0 1 0

1 -1

0

Palestine

1 0 0 1 0

4 -4

0

BRISBANE: Uzbekistan coach Mirdjalal Kasimov tipped his hat to China after his side lost 2-1 in a crunch AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 Group B tie at Brisbane Stadium on Wednesday.

The Uzbeks took the lead in the first half through Odil Ahmedov but allowed China to storm back in the second half, man of the match Wu Xi equalising shortly before the hour and Jiangsu Sainty livewire Sun Ke coming off the bench to net the deciding goal in the 68th minute.

Uzbekistan, who advanced to the semifinals at Qatar 2011 and had been tipped by many as group favourites, must now beat Saudi Arabia in their final group game on Sunday in Melbourne.

The Saudis are ahead of the Uzbeks on goal difference after thrashing DPR Korea 4-1 earlier Wednesday.

Kasimov was a gracious loser, making no excuses for the slip-up.

“We did everything we could to beat China but after we conceded for the first time in the second half, they became stronger and changed the game,” said the coach.

“I thought my team played well but China were the better team after their first goal. It was a very, very hot to play in this situation but China were in the same boat.”

Kasimov denied Uzbekistan

NOTHING TO SAY: Uzbekistan coach Mirdjalal Kasimov denied underestimating China. – AFC

underestimated China, who are ranked ninth in Asia, five slots behind Uzbekistan.

“We respect all our opponents,” said Kasimov. “There are no easy games in this competition. It was our mistake that we lost today, it was our fault. We have to play until the final whistle. One of the reasons we conceded was because there was a misunderstanding in the defence.”

Like his coach, captain Server Djeparov credited China with the win but did say the heat and humidity, the worst since the tour-

nament started in Brisbane, did take their toll on Uzbekistan.

“Today China were better than us,” Djeparov said. “(The conditions) were very difficult.

We sweated a lot. It affected the whole team.”

Added China-based midfielder Anzur Ismailov, “Today I don’t know what happened in the second half; we just went down.

“We must win our next game so we will go and play anyway we have to. We play again in three days so we will do everything to win this game.” — AFC

PROTEST

Jordan striker Ahmed Hayel mistreated in drug test: JFA MELBOURNE: Striker Ahmad Hayel was mistreated during a doping test following the 1-0 loss to Iraq in the Asian Cup on Monday, the Jordanian Football Association said on Wednesday.

Hayel arrived back at the team hotel “suffering from semicoma, general weakness, and hypothermia”, the Jordanian Football Association (JFA) said in a statement, adding they had filed a complaint to the Asian Football Confederation. The 30-year-old “tired” player vomited in the doping room, which was too cold, and failed to complete the test after playing the full 90 minutes in the Iraq loss, the JFA said.

Citing evidence from their medical officer who accompanied Hayel, the JFA added the player and was only given water to drink, “without salts or electrolytes” in

the four hours he spent waiting to give a sample. “He was in a semicoma status suffering low blood pressure, and at the end the player was sent to the hotel by a car and not with an ambulance and carried to a wheelchair while he was unconscious,” the JFA said.

The AFC defended the antidoping procedure and said the player should not have consumed so much water. “The AFC Medical Officer always recommends players selected for doping control to drink water as per normal practice, especially for the player who has played for 90 minutes,” said doctor Paisal Chantarapitak who attempted to conduct the test.

“It is at the player’s discretion to follow the recommendation or not.

The player is not forced to drink plenty of water in short time.”

The AFC added that the doctor

decided to cancel the test after Hayel experienced “some dizziness, felt nausea and vomited after his second attempt, which was an hour after his first”.

Earlier, a JFA spokesman said Hayel had been ruled out of Friday’s Group D match against Palestine in Melbourne after the “cancelled” doping test but the player could yet feature.

“Due to previously mentioned conditions that resulted in Hayel’s bad condition and the lack of medical care at the doping room, the player might be unable to play Jordan’s next match,” the body said.

Experienced striker Hayel has represented his country more than 60 times and plays his club football in Kuwait with Al Arabi.

Fifa presidential candidate Prince Ali, the head of the JFA, wished Hayel a speedy recovery. - Reuters

T HURSDAY, JANUARY 15, 2015

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SPORTS ASIAN CUP PREVIEW

Bahrain ready to stifle UAE striking duo CANBERRA: Bahrain coach Marjan Eid believes his players can shut down the United Arab Emirates’ dangerous forwards ahead of their crucial AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 tie against their regional rivals at Canberra Stadium on Thursday.

“The UAE play in a systematic group but the dangerous points in this team are their attack,” said Eid, who took over the Bahrain head coach role after the departure of Adnan Hamad in November.

“We also have a style to stop this situation and style of play and (as) with any team we have good players and strong points like in midfield, attack or defence.

“I know the UAE team, they have a lot of good players, but it’s important we trust my players.

We want the three points because this is important for the team and we are looking for them.”

Since 2013, Bahrain have changed the head coach position four times with Argentine Gabriel Calderon and Englishman Anthony Hudson having been in charge for spells before Hamad was appointed in August.

Eid, though, has been a mainstay amongst the senior team national set-up having appeared as an assistant coach for Bahrain in international competitions since the 2004 Asian Cup, where the West Asians finished in a hugely impressive fourth place in China.

“Change to the coach is always effort and gets negative things on the team because they play different style and different training,” said Eid, who spent his playing career with Bahrain’s Al Riffa. “That’s why we need stability in the next period and I hope for this in the next period to build a new team with young players who don’t have a lot of experience.”

Meanwhile, UAE coach Mahdi Ali has warned Bahrain that his star playmaker Omar Abdulrahman will be “even better” than in their opener against Qatar.

“Omar is a talented player and one of the main players in the team, I am very happy for him playing a full 90 minutes after one and a half months of injury,” said UAE coach Ali. “Of course, for him to do his best and show all his quality and ability he needs support from the team. He did very well in the last game because all the team did our best – that’s why he was very good.

“For us we don’t want to speak about quarterfinal or semifinal or whatever now.” —AFC

RHRC to host Oman Derby, first leg of Ladies World Championship

STAGE SET: Officials and participants of the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship during the draw ceremony at Al Rahba Farm. – Times of Oman / ISMAIL AL FARSI

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Championship leg will see ten international riders, including Oman’s Azhar Al Wardi vying for top honours

Times News Service MUSCAT: The Royal Horse Racing Club (RHRC) is all set to organise a major horse racing event, including the ‘Omani Derby Cup’ and the first leg of the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship (IFAHR), at Al Rahba Farm on Friday.

This was revealed during a press conference organised at Hormuz Hotel on Wednesday in the presence of Brig. Abdul Razaq bin Abdul Qadir Al Shahwarzi, Commander of the Royal Cavalry and Supervisor General of the horse races organised by the Royal Horse Racing Club.

Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Chairman of the International

PICKING THE LOTS: Lara Sawaya, Executive Director of the Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Chairman of the International Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA) picking a rider during the draw ceremony. – Times of Oman / ISMAIL AL FARSI

Federation of Horse Racing Academies (IFHRA),was also present on the occasion.

The day’s events comprise eight rounds, the seventh of which will be the first leg of the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship while the final round will be the ‘Omani Derby Cup’.

In the World Championship leg, ten international riders, including Oman’s Azhar Al Wardi be vying for top honours. Speaking on the occasion, Lara Sawaya said that the aim of the establishing Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship is to promote and

support the Arab women horse riders to participate in the equestrian races, as well as supporting the world women horse riders to fairly compete and to highlight their abilities in horseback riding.

Lara Sawaya also expressed her happiness to launch the fourth edition of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies World Championship in the Sultanate.

“The Sultanate is a major supporter of equestrian activities in the world and has a long history in the field, including the annual festivals organised by the Royal Cavalry, thanks mainly to the govern-

Q ATA R V E R S U S I R A N P R E V I E W

Qatar determined to bounce back SYDNEY: Djamel Belmadi is hoping his Qatar team can put their disappointing 4-1 loss at the hands of the United Arab Emirates behind them as they prepare to take on three-time AFC Asian Cup winners Iran at Stadium Australia on Thursday evening.

The Algerian coach was still at a loss to explain the Group C defeat in Canberra on Sunday as the Gulf Cup champions prepared for the crucial meeting with Team Melli off the back of their first defeat in 11 games.

“We lost the opening game because we played (it) like a friendly game,” said Belmadi.

“It was not our day or our real level, especially after the good competition in the Gulf Cup. “We expected something different. But now it’s the past and we have to make a reaction. Of course we are all disappointed. They have got the ambition to make a different game tomorrow.

“My main job was to work more psychologically than something else. Of course, we had to analyse what happened in this game and to correct it.

“But I know this group that I have. I have chosen them and I know that we are able to change things and we can do much, much better even when things look difficult, even for some people impossible. But for us, it’s not impossible and we’ll try to show it tomorrow.”

The Qataris face an Iran side that won their first game 2-0 against Bahrain and for whom

We are prepared and we know it’s going to be a tough game Djamel Belmadi Qatar coach

victory in Sydneyon Thursday evening would mean securing a place in the quarterfinals.

With Carlos Queiroz’s side having impressed at the Fifa World Cup finals in Brazil in June, Belmadi knows his team face a tough challenge to pick up their first win of the tournament.

“It will be a decisive game against a big team that qualified for the World Cup and who played against strong teams at the World Cup. We are prepared and we know it’s going to be a tough game,” he said.

“But we’re also used to playing against teams that are stronger on paper than us, like Morocco and Australia. The team is relatively young and the average age is 23 years old and even though we’re here for the competition we’re here to learn and to learn fast.

The same team played at the Gulf Cup and we ended up winning the competition.

“We have a plan and like always we will try to find the solution because it’s a good team, well organised, really aggressive and they don’t give you too much space, so we will have to find a solution. Every team has some weakness, like the others. We will try to find this weakness and try to find the way to score and to win this game.”

Iran ready Qatar’s heavy defeat at the hands of the United Arab Emirates has not lulled Iran coach Carlos Queiroz into expecting anything other than a challenging encounter.

The UAE handed the Qataris a 4-1 thrashing in their clash in Canberra on Sunday while Iran

earned a 2-0 victory over Bahrain in Melbourne that leaves Team Melli knowing victory over Djamel Belmadi’s side will take them into the quarterfinals.

“The game was one of those games, it’s a result that happens. It could go in both directions,” said the former Real Madrid coach.

“UAE played well. They played the aces they should play, but the result does not show exactly what happened in the game. We don’t follow that trend.

“Qatar are a good team with good players, good coaches and in the last 14 games they won eight games and drew four and only lost against UAE and in another game.

“That shows that the team is very strong, they are a good team that will create a lot of problems for us for sure. We know the quality of the Qatar team.” — AFC

ment’s interests,” she said.

After the first leg in Muscat, the World Championship participants will travel to Australia to race at Sportingbet Park ten days later.

The third leg will take place in Bahraini capital of Manama in February which will be followed by competitions in St. Moritz in Switzerland (February 22), at Sam Houston Park in Houston, Texas (March 8), at Casa Anfa in Morocco (April 11), at Hippodrome Racecourse in Toulouse, France (April 17), at AW track at Lingfield in the UK (May 9), in Warsaw (May 31), in Stockholm (June 6), in Dun-

dight in Netherlands (June 28), at Pleasanton, California (July 6), at the Ostend racecourse in Belgium (August 17) and at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club (November 8).

In the ladies world championship leg, the top five finishers will receive OMR6,750, OMR2,400, OMR3,300, OMR1,500 and OMR1,050 respectively.

Meanwhile, the Omani officials announced that total prizemoney for the Oman Derby Cup will OMR10,000. While Azhar Al Wardi will be representing the Sultanate, the others taking part in the event are Tracy O’Hare (Australia), Natalie Turner (U.S.), Jane Foley (Ireland), Gabriella Vonczem (Hungary), Josefin Landgren (Sweden), Marie Artu (France), Jodie Hughes (U.K.), Carolin Stummer (Austria) and Silke Bruggemann (Germany).

Riding on home turf Azhar Al Wardi, who will be astride five-year-old Altyko Du Cayrou, said it will be a great experience to compete in Oman and hoped to learn from the experience of competing with the best in the world.

Azar, who had previously participated in three World Championships, said. “I am confident but it will be a challenging race. There are many professionals riders. So it will be a great learning experience for me.”

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TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

SPORTS Countdown on for security-tight and evenly-matched World Cup Australia will share the hosting of next month’s cricket showpiece with New Zealand, 23 years after they cohosted the event when Pakistan beat England in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

SYDNEY: The countdown is on for the 11th Cricket World Cup and the likely winner is still guesswork a month out in one of the most evenly-matched and security-conscious tournaments staged.

Australia will share the hosting of next month’s cricket showpiece with New Zealand, 23 years after they co-hosted the event when Pakistan beat England in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

Hosts Australia and defending champions India may be the top two ranked teams but any of a halfdozen sides could lift the trophy on March 29 at the MCG. The Australians, under the aggressive coaching of Darren Lehmann, are gunning for their fifth World Cup, while India stopped the Aussies from winning a fourth straight title in the quarter-finals of the last tournament in India in 2011 and have winning recent ODI form.

There may be fitness doubts over skipper Michael Clarke, with an imposed deadline of February

HAVE THE FIREPOWER: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq, right, and Shahid Afridi watch all-rounder Mohammed Hafiz bowl during a World Cup training camp in Lahore. – AFP

21, but the Australians possess some of the biggest names in world cricket — David Warner, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson.

It will be how the team han-

dle the external pressures as the host nation that will decide their winning chances. The Australians didn’t cope in 1992 and they missed out on the semifinals.

Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions,

have by far the most experienced squad with Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan all playing more than 300 ODIs. South Africa, who have come

close but have yet to win the World Cup, are always a threat under the captaincy of AB de Villiers, while New Zealand and Pakistan have the firepower to cause problems in this format.

The jury is out on England’s chances after they stripped Alastair Cook of the captaincy less than two months out from the World Cup and installed Eoin Morgan in his place.

But former Australia Test batsman Mike Hussey rates England as a ‘dark horse.’

“They’ll fly under the radar a little bit, no one’s really giving them a lot of chance,” Hussey said.

“They’ve got some really experienced, quality players but they’ve also got some really good underrated players, guys like Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes, very underrated and if they can just get their confidence up and move through the tournament, they can be a bit of a dark horse.”

Australia’s rising pace star Josh Hazlewood believes the sub-continent teams will struggle with the bounce of the Australian wickets.

“Their conditions are a lot flatter and spin friendly and their games are quite high scoring over there,” Hazlewood said. “So I think bounce is the key. It’s the thing I look for against those sub-continent teams.”

Joining the 10 Test-playing nations will be four associate countries — Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Scotland and Ireland — to add some unpredictability to the pool games.

Matches in Australia will be played in all the major cities — Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Hobart — with many of the grounds upgraded and renovated in recent years.

Security fears New Zealand will host 23 games across seven grounds with the Black Caps playing all their pool games on home pitches while Aus-

tralia must cross the Tasman to play the Kiwis in Auckland.

The other New Zealand venues are Christchurch, which hosts the tournament opener between New Zealand and Sri Lanka on Valentine’s Day, Wellington, Hamilton, Napier, Dunedin and Nelson.

All grounds have been declared ready with the purpose-built Hagley Oval in Christchurch recently rated a quality venue by the New Zealand and Sri Lanka players after they staged a dress rehearsal for the World Cup opener.

A focus on the build up to the World Cup has been on security with New Zealand World Cup chief executive Therese Walsh warning it will be tight.

“There will be security profiling, there’ll be random pat downs, there will be bag searches,” she said.

Martin Snedden, a former New Zealand cricket international and chief executive for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, said recent terror attacks in Paris and Sydney would create a sense of urgency.

“You’re not working with theory, you’re working with something that can definitely happen and the examples in Sydney and France prove that you’re not just ticking a box here — you’re actually doing something because we may need it,” he said.

Match-fixing is the other risk hanging over the tournament.

Players are being warned of the possibility of being approached by match-fixers, possibly using “honey traps” where glamorous women lure players into compromising situations and then blackmail them.

“I have no doubt that matchfixing groups will be looking at New Zealand and that they have had people on the ground in New Zealand previously,” New Zealand Players Association Chief Executive Heath Mills told the Herald on Sunday. - AFP

C B S E NAT I O NA L M E E T

ISD sprinters script new record

MUSCAT: The spirited sprinters of Indian School Darsait (ISD), who won gold with their record breaking performance in 4x100m relay in the under-19 category at the CBSE National Athletic Meet held at Divine Child School, Mehsana, Gujarat from January 8 to 12, were accorded a warm welcome on their return on Wednesday.

According to a press release issued by the school on Wednesday, the team emerged victorious breaking the national record of 44.01 seconds set by MES Qatar at Cochin in 2010 with a pulsating timing of 44 seconds and made the school proud.

The relay team comprising Sachin Murali who made a brilliant start, with Suhail T.N. taking an excellent early lead, Haseen Ahmad increasing the advantage

and Rafeek T.A. giving an amazing finish, turned their race to a stunning and spectacular one.

The team was also morally supported by Sooraj Francis who attended the meet as a substitute team member.

Earlier, the team had showcased an impressive performance bagging the first position in the semifinals.

School Principal Dr. Sridevi P. Thashnath, along with Abdul Rahim Kassim, President of SMC, Biju Samuel, convener of SMC, Sunil Dath Sankaran, Head Sports Committee, Ajayan Poyyara, Head Purchase Committee, Nikhila Anilkumar, member of SMC, parents and well wishers thronged the Muscat International Airport to welcome the victorious team.

The School Management Com-

mittee expressed their elation and conveyed their happiness at the remarkable feat that the school had attained.

Speaking on the occasion, the Principal congratulated the winners in glowing terms for bringing a long cherished laurel.

She also said: “It is no sheer luck but hard work determination with dedication and regular practice that helped the participants exhibit their best in them.”

She commended the relentless efforts of all involved in this dazzling victory including Lal A Pillai, HoD, Co-Scholastic, who also accompanied the team and the Physical Education teachers whose guidance and assistance aiding them in their glorious triumph.

Conveying his joy, Mr Sunil

Dath Sankaran, Head of Sports Sub Committee, said that ‘the accomplishment was very special as the team had achieved this feat braving the constraints of a spacious ground and other infrastructure facilities’.

A special assembly was organised in the school to honour the winners in the presence of the senior school students, parents and esteemed members of SMC. In his speech SMC President ‘appreciated the winners and commented that the achievement had really boosted the moral of the ISD family’.

He also thanked the trainers and Thampi Raja, a well wisher, in particular under whose expertise and guidance the school registered yet another success story and scaled the zenith of glory.

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SPORTS

OAA gears up for super weekend Exciting action is store as the OAA is set to host three popular events starting with a twoday Oman-UAE Rotax Max Challenge on Friday which will be followed by third round of motocross and the drift event

MUSCAT: It is going to be an action-packed weekend for the motorsports enthusiasts in the Sultanate as the Oman Automobile Association (OAA) will host three hugely popular competitions at its facility in Seeb on Friday and Saturday.

The activities will begin with the Oman Rotax Max Challenge at the Muscat Speedway. The third and fourth rounds, organised along with United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Championship, is expected to attract top karting drivers from the two countries.

The first two rounds, held last week, saw tough fight between Team Birel Art drivers - Oman’s Sanad Al Rawahi and UAE’s Oliver George - for the top spot, though the former emerged winner in both the

EXCITING ACTION: A file photo of a motorcross event organised by Oman Automobile Association.

rounds. It also saw Oman’s favourite driver Hamed Al Wahaibi making a comeback to competitive karting.

The organisers expect more than 100 drivers on both days.

“We are ready to host the big event at the Muscat Speedway. We hope it will attract a lot of youngsters to motorports,” Suleiman Al Rawahi, Managing Director, Oman Automobile Association, said.

Martin Bean, Clerk of Course, too expressed happiness at the preparations.

“I am happy with the arrangements for the Oman-UAE combined event. The marshalls are fully trained and we hope to organise an error-free event,” said Martin.

The drivers, meanwhile, said they are aware of the tough competition ahead. “Yes, it is going to be

very tough. But I had a good practice session during the first two rounds. Hope I can continue the momentum this week too,” said Sanad Al Rawahi.

UAE’s Oliver too expressed optimism that he could perform well against seasoned campaigners.

“Drivers from UAE will fight hard to increase their points tally in the national championship. I am

PROUD STUDENTS

happy with my runner-up performances in the first two rounds. I hope to make amends to my show this week,” he said.

Youngsters will showcase their daredevilry in the refurbished motocross arena during the third round of the Oman Motocross on Friday.

Around 20 riders from Oman and the UAE will vie for the top po-

sitions in one of the hugely popular motorsports in the region.

Oman’s promising motocross siblings, Faisal Al Busaidi and Hood Al Busaidi, veteran riders, Daryl Hardie and Richard Russell are the top riders to watch out for from Oman in the competition.

“We expect experienced riders, Benjamin, Hussei and Oliver, among others, from the UAE,” Ali Nasser, OAA Motorcycle event officer, said.

According to Ali Nasser, the competition will test the competitiveness and technical skills of the participants.

“The new track is challenging.

It is technical too. Only those with good skills can emerge winners.

Spectators will be in for a treat with more jumps and twists,” Ali said.

Competitions will be held in four categories. The PeeWee section will see children between 6 and 8 years of age, while those between 8 and 15 will compete in the junior category.

The other two remaining categories are clubmen (above 15) and experts.

Top drivers from the region will scorch the Drift Arena during the fourth round of the drifting championship on Friday evening.

Drifters from Oman will find the going tough against top names in the Middle East circuit.

Ahmad Daham (Jordan), Noor Daud (Palestine), Rafat Haroon, Mohamed Naoufal (both Jordan) and Haitham Sami (Egypt) and Oman’s Tariq Al Shihani, Ali Al Shihani, Mohammed Al Hinai and Mohammed Al Fawzi are some of the top names to watch out for in the competition.

The event will begin at 6.30 pm on Friday.

EMBARRASSED

Ronaldo says his son is a Messi fan

ISM girls clinch relay gold, bronze at CBSE National Athletic Meet MUSCAT: The Indian School Muscat (ISM) students made history at the 19th CBSE National Athletic Meet held at Divine Child School, Mehsana in Ahmedabad in India winning a gold and a silver in the relay events.

According to a press release issued by the Indian School Muscat on Wednesday, 620 selected schools from more than 12,000 CBSE affiliated schools in India,

the Gulf Countries and Nepal took part in the meet.

ISM’s U-16 girls’ relay team, comprising Rithu Cheriyan (X L), Samantha Pinto (X G), Bernice Thambiraja (IX G) and Anoushka Punja (VIII K), clinched the gold medal in the 4x100m relay.

The 19th CBSE National Athletic Meet becomes singularly momentous for ISM as the same team members won the bronze in

the 4x400m relay race, the press statement said.

“This is the first time in ISM’s athletic history, the same team getting medals both in 4x100m and 4x400m relay races at the national level,” it said.

It is a proud moment as Indian School Muscat is the only team in Oman which has secured 91 medals in total in all the 19 National Athletic Championships since

1996, the statement added.

Recently another milestone was reached when Nishita Karnik of Class XI K won the silver medal in mixed doubles of the under-19 category in the CBSE National Badminton Tournament held at Chennai.

ISM Principal Srinivas K. Naidu and the entire ISM fraternity congratulated the participants and their coaches.

FOOTBALL

Man City complete Bony signing from Swansea LONDON: Champions Manchester City have bolstered their attacking arsenal with the signing of Ivorian forward Wilfried Bony from Swansea City for a sum believed to be in the region of £30

million ($45.48 million), the club confirmed on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old, who scored 20 goals in the 2014 calendar year, more than any other Premier League player, joined Swansea

from Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem for £12 million in 2013.

“As a player it’s always good to be part of one of the biggest clubs in the world and it’s a good opportunity for me to be in that situation

now - I’m really proud,” Bony, who is preparing for the African Cup of Nations, told City’s website.

“I felt excited to wait for this moment and now it’s come, it’s fantastic.” - Reuters

ZURICH: Cristiano Ronaldo’s son Cris Junior is a Lionel Messi fan, the boy’s father said after they met up with the Argentina captain at the Ballon D’Or ceremony in Zurich on Monday.

After Ronaldo was named 2014 Ballon D’Or winner, beating four-time winner Messi into second place, the two players had a friendly exchange in the lobby of Zurich’s Kongresshaus when Cris pointed at Messi and then stood up to greet him.

Real Madrid’s Portugal captain Ronaldo told his arch-rival Messi: “He watches a video on the internet of all of us and he talks about you,” prompting a coy reaction from his son.

Barcelona forward Messi chuck-

led and asked the young Cristiano how he was doing.

“You are embarrassed now!”

Ronaldo then laughed to his son.

Ronaldo received his third Ballon D’Or on Monday with the Portuguese or Messi having won the award every year since 2008. - Reuters

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TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

SPORTS

Oman Amateur Open attracts 150 golfers

Azzan Al Rumhy

PICTURESQUE VENUE: A view of the Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club course. – Supplied photos

The sixth edition of the championship is scheduled to be hosted at Muscat Hills from Friday and the winner will get a direct entry into the European Challenge Tour event in the Sultanate

MUSCAT: The sixth edition of the Oman Amateur Open 2015, one of the most prestigious tournaments on the Sultanate’s golfing calendar, will be organised at the Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club on January 16 and 17.

For the first time in the history of the competition, more than 150 golfers from home and abroad have registered for the event, which clearly highlights the growing importance of the Oman Ama-

teur Open in the Gulf region.

In another first for the championship, the winner will get an entry into the European Challenge Tour event in Oman.

Oman will field a total of 96 players in this event, which is being organised by the Oman Golf Committee. The competition will be played in the individual strokeplay format.

The maximum field of the tournament is of 120 players among which 26 are registered from GCC

countries like Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE. The field will feature 90 men, 20 women and 10 junior golfers, all competing for the coveted annual crown. For participation, priority will be given to the players with the lowest handicap, making it an intense battle.

Vanguard Systems & Services International LLC and A’Saffa Foods are supporting the event.

Jeff Campbell had won the previous two editions.

Mundhir Al Barwani, the chairman of the Oman Golf Committee, is overwhelmed with the response of the players.

He said: “I am delighted that so many quality golfers from four other countries are coming to participate in this tournament. Frankly, we hadn’t expected so much turn out. This huge response is, indeed, good for the tournament. We have got sponsors, too, and I must thank Vanguard Systems & Services and A’Saffa Foods for their support.”

Azaan Al Rumhy and Hamood

Hamood Al Harthy

Al Harthy, along with other members of Oman’s national team, will take part in the event.

Al Rumhy, Oman’s top golfer, is hopeful of a solid show.

He said: “I am looking forward to take part in this tournament. I had won this event in 2012 and I would love to win it again this year. But it will be more challenging this year since so many quality golfers from the region will participate.”

Ahmed Al Jahdhamy, the vicechairman of the Oman Golf Committee, said: “It’s good to see that the level of competition is going to be higher this year than it has been in the previous editions. We hope our golfers will give their best.”

Al Barwani is confident that Omani players are ready to take up the challenge.

He said: “The competition will be a tough one because there are so many brilliant golfers from other countries. Bahrain is the toughest competitor and UAE is also there. So our golfers will have a tough time.”

S Y D N E Y I N T E R NAT I O NA L

Del Potro, Kvitova claim three set wins SYDNEY: Former U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro stepped up his comeback from another wrist surgery by toppling top seed Fabio Fognini at the Sydney International on Wednesday.

The 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory was only the second match the towering Argentine had played in 11 months since surgery to fix an issue with his left wrist and he felt the burn. The defending champion, competing on a wildcard after his ranking slumped to 338, was given a code violation after taking

too long at a change of ends.

“This is my second match on tour after one year. I need to breathe more than the other players,” he told reporters.

Del Potro hit 11 aces against one double fault in a solid serving display but admitted his backhand, still shaky following the surgery, needed work.

“My game is to serve strong and try and make winners with my forehand,” he said.

“If my backhand is okay, I will be aggressive with it in the future.

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“But now I think I just need to hit the ball as well as I can and don’t try to make winners with my backhand. I just need to play a lot of backhands during the point, and if I do that I will get confidence very soon to play aggressive as well.

He will face qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin in the quarterfinals after the Kazak overcame sixth seed Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 7-5, 7-5.

The ATP 250 event is one of the final tournaments before the Australian Open, the first grand slam of the year, gets underway on Monday.

In the women’s tournament, Tsvetana Pironkova continued her winning run in Sydney to 14 matches after she reached the semifinals with a 6-4 6-1 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

The Bulgarian world No. 67 was a shock winner in Sydney last year after coming through three qualifying rounds to make the main draw.

She will now face Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova who survived a two-hour epic duel with Australian wildcard Jarmila Gajdosova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. - AFP

JUNIOR CRICKET

SLSM team cruise to nine-wicket victory over ISG MUSCAT: Sri Lankan School Muscat (SLSM) recorded a thumping nine-wicket win against Indian School Al Ghubra (ISG) in a Junior League T20 match played at the Municipality Ground No. 4 in Al Amerat during the weekend.

Invited to bat first, ISG scored 170 runs for the loss of three wickets at the end of their quota of 20 overs thanks to a brilliant unbeaten 90 off 77 balls from skipper and opening batsman Aryan Shinde. Vrishab Dhavale chipped in with a run a ball 29.

SLSM lost opening batsman with 30 runs on the board but recovered to reach their target without further loss thanks to a second-wicket partnership of 141 runs between opening batsman Yazid Nabil Makoonm who scored an unbeaten 83 and Dian Kurukulasuriya who remained unbeaten on 63.

Brief scores: ISG 170 for 3 in 20 overs (Aryan Shinde 90 n.o., Vrishab Dhavale 29) lost to SLSM 171 for 1 in 17.4 overs (Yazid Makoon 83 n.o., Dian Kurukulasuriya 63 n.o). Points: SLSM - 2 (6 games, 6 pts), ISG - Nil (6 games, 5 pts).

Sameer, Saud lift ISAS Mohammed Sameer remained unbeaten on 134 and fellow opening batsman Saud Qureshi scored 119 not out, putting together 291 runs, to help Indian School Al Seeb (ISAS) register an emphatic 219-run win against Muscat Cricket Coaching Centre B (MCCC B) in a Junior League T20 Under-13 match.

Opting to bat after winning the toss, ISAS scored a mammoth 291 for no loss in their quota of 20 overs. MCCC B faced with a daunting 292 for victory were bowled out for a measly 72 off 18.2 overs. Anulome Kishore scored a run a ball 20 with three boundaries.

Saud Mohammed Rafik and Neel Pinal Kumar bagged two wickets each.

Brief scores: ISAS 291 for no loss in 20 overs (Mohammed Sameer 134 n.o., Saud Qureshi 119 n.o.) bt MCCC B 72 all out in 18.2 overs (Anulome Kishore 20; Saud Mohammed Rafik 2/4, Neel Pinal Kumar 2/4). Points: ISAS - 2 (8 games, 15 pts), MCCC B - Nil (4 games, Nil).

BOC trounce GCC Bosher Olympic Centre (BOC) trounced Gulf Cricket Centre (GCC) in an Al Turki Enterprises-sponsored Junior League 25 overs-a-side Under-16 match.

After electing to bat first, GCC were bowled out for 95 runs in 22.2 overs. Nikhar Jain claimed three wickets while Vikram Nabira and skipper Aswin Unnikrishnan bagged two each.

In reply, BOC were given a solid start by openers Vikram Nabira (52) and Krishna Srivasthsav (24 not out), who put on a 92-run partnership in 9.5 overs.

Brief scores: GCC 95 all out in 22.2 overs (Nikhar Jain 3/22, Vikram Nabira 2/10, Aswin Unnikrishnan 2/19) lost to BOC 96 for 1 in 9.4 overs (Vikram Nabira 52, Krishna Srivasthav 24 n.o).

Points: BOC – 2 (7 games, 8 pts), GCC – Nil (6 games, Nil).

GIRLS CRICKET

ISM and ISWK in title showdown MUSCAT: Indian School Muscat (ISM) defeated Indian School Al Ghubra (ISG) by five wickets to earn a place in the final of the Al Turki Enterprises-sponsored Girls Inter-school T20 Under-19 tournament.

Electing to bat first, ISG did well to reach 139 for the loss of four wickets in 20 overs. Priyanka M. remained unbeaten on 32 whilst opener Aditi B. chipped in with 29. Wides totaling 44 helped swell the score.

ISM in reply scored 140 for the loss of five wickets with four deliveries to spare thanks to an unbeaten 42 from Sneha Bhat.

Opening the batting Sujana Sunder scored a valuable 28 runs.

In the final, the ISM girls will clash with Indian School Al Wadi Al Kabir, who recorded a 52-run win over Pakistan School Muscat (PSM). The star performer for the ISM was skipper Akshadha Gunasekar, who opening the batting scored a brilliant unbeaten 81 off 56 balls.

Opting to bat first in a match reduced to 19 overs-a-side, ISWK lost two wickets with 67 runs on the board in eight overs.

But recovered to reach 175 without further loss at the end of the 20 overs thanks to an unfinished 108-run third-wicket partnership between Akshadha and Bubli Soniya (29 not out).

The PSM girls also conceded 54 wides. In reply, PSM managed to score just to 123 for the loss of four wickets. Skipper Hina Javed remained unbeaten on 39 while ISM bowled 41 wides.

The final will be played on January 17 at the Ministry Ground No. 1 during the morning session.

Brief scores ISG 139 for 4 in 20 overs (Priyanka M. 32 n.o., Aditi B. 29) lost to ISM 140 for 5 in 19.2 overs (Sneha Bhat 42 n.o., Sujana Sunder 28).

ISWK 175 for 2 in 19 overs (Akshadha Gunasekar 81 n.o., Bubli Soniya 29 n.o.) bt PSM 123 for 4 in 19 overs (Hina Javed 39 n.o).

OOC HONOURS SWIMMING COACH AL KULAIBI The Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) on Wednesday honoured the swimming coach Ahmed bin Khamis Al Kulaibi who successfully completed an international swimming coaches course held in Hungary from September 15 to December 5 in 2014. The ceremony was presided over by Taha bin Sulaiman Al Kishry, OOC Secretary General and Oman Swimming Association chief. Hussain bin Ali Al Balushi, OSA Executive Director, and Hisham Al Adwani, OOC Director, were also present on the occasion. While congratulating Al Kulaibi, Taha Al Kishry stressed the need to provide opportunities for national cadres for training and upgrading their knowledge. — Supplied photo

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n ageing actor who’s losing his grasp of his craft and possibly his grip on his senses. Along the way he orchestra pit while the into dives performing on stage, is sent to a psychiatric hospital and, upon his release, seeks solace in the arms of Pageen (Greta Gerwig).

The story may vaguely echo Birdman (2014), but The Humbling actually is Barry Levinson’s adaptation of Philip Roth’s 2009 novel of the same title. As for the

Axler character, he may strike some as hitting a little too close to home for Pacino, who will turn 75 in April.

The Humbling will open in theatres on January 23 (US) and be available on video on demand that same day. During a recent telephone call from a Los Angeles hotel, the charmingly loquacious Pac ino downplayed the inevitable comparisons between himself and the film’s central charac ter.

“I relate to any part I play if I really want to play it,” he said.

“I’ve lived through the world of this film, so that’s wh at to. I found my own way I relate to adapt myself to Simon. I’ll give you an example: Simon has this block, but, when Philip Roth wrote this, I’m sure he was relating to writer’s block. Actors don’t really do that. They don’t have ‘actor’s block’ and suddenly don’t want to act anymore.

“We’re all about ‘Action’ and it’s ‘Let’s get in there’,” he said.

“Things go wrong, especially with age. It’s more obvious with athletes, but actors are emotional athletes and you have to have the energy, the stamina, to handle the rigours of live theatre.

That stamina is so important.”

Pacino cited The Dresser (1983), which starred Albert Finney, as a film about acting which captures something of the nature of the art. Finney “oozes exhaustion,” he said, as the past-his-prime star of a travelling acting troupe that performs Shakespeare in city after city.

“It’s so deep and so profound,” Pacino said. “It’s in his marrow, and he literally dies of it in the movie. I think part of what’s happening with Simon that he’s pushing 70 and taking on these enormous roles, and he’s losing the capacity, both in energy and mental capacity. I know actors younger than I am who don’t do stage anymore because they can’t remember the words. That fear of eroding tools, it’s something I understand.

rs the line The Humbling that blu In need ion. between fact and fict of returnof money but fearful r his gossiping to the stage afte er considworthy stage dive, Axl a line of ent ers an offer to repres Some peohair-care products. the film’s t’s tha if ask y ma ple starring equivalent of Pacino in Jack and with Adam Sandler ly reviled Jill (2011), a critical the box at comedy that bombed office. following It also begs the ry film Paquestion: Does eve cino makes need to be The Godfather (1972), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Sea of Love (1985), Scent of a Woman (1992), Heat (1995), Insomnia (2002), You Don’t Know Jack (2010) or Phil Spector (2013)? Isn’t he entitled to goof around if he feels like it?

“You’ll find, no matter what, people will ask those que stions, because I have done a lot of things,” Pacino replied. “Some of the things I’ve done have been broad-based, and you’re compared to everything else you’ve don e. People like to talk about (Jack and Jill) don’t mind it, but, whe , and I n people are watching it, it’s a comedy and they laugh.

“Also, sometimes, you precedes you,” he said r fame . “I once

had a very young interviewer ask me, ‘You’re so famous. When you do a part, how do you overcome that?‘ I said, ‘I really don’t know how one does that. I guess plastic surgery? Maybe Greek theatre, with the masks, would be fun.‘“ Up next for Pacino is China Doll, a new play by David Mamet that will open on Broadway in October. Pacino and Mamet go back a long way: Pacino has starred in the play American Buffalo (1983), the film version of

Glengarry Glen Ross (1991), the Mamet-scripted HBO film Phil Spector and the Broadway revival of Glengarry Glen Ross in 2012.

Also on the way are two more independent features, David Gordon Green’s Manglehorn and Dan Fogelman’s Danny Collins.

Pacino described Manglehorn as a drama about a lonely, lovelorn small-town Texas locksmith and Danny Collins as a romantic comedy about an aging rock star. He hastened to add that, despite the

fact that he’s playing an overthe-hill singer in Danny Collins, it and The Humbling are “very, very different films.”

Robert Altman often declared that he wanted to “die with his boots on,” to work until his last breath, and he did almost exactly that. Pacino, on the other “I know people will compare me to Simon and think it’s auhand, insists that he can imagtobiographical,” Pacino added, ine himself, one day in the notfam“but I have children, I have too-distant future, walking away s thing many ily, and I’ve done from it all, forever forgoing actbut me, not is Simon in my life. ing on either stage or screen. that fact The him. stand I under “Oh yeah, I can,” he said. “There this was about an actor who was are so many other things in my and losing his interest in acting life, and maybe that’s one of the wanted to have another kind of reasons why I can imagine it. life’— an ‘civili a life-he calls it “I have young children,” said ing, amus it find I did not only Pacino, the father of 14-year-old but I found it doable.” twins Anton and Olivia, with BevAs for Gerwig, Pacino sang the erly D’Angelo, and also of 25-yearr. co-sta praises of his 31-year-old old Julie, with Jan Tarrant. “That’s rehe her,” “Barry suggested a big thing, and you’re engaged ht, thoug I and on came called. “She with it at all times. So your time a such she is only Not it.’ is ‘This is filled arranging things for wonderful actress, but she capthem, and for work, like getting big tures this world. There’s the places, rehearsing, doing interdon’t you age difference, but views. I don’t want to go away for er togeth g belon think they don’t too long. tric eccen both e they’r se becau “There are all these variables,” and they’re in a world that prohe said. “I’m a single dad half the time. Their mom takes them

vides them with all these postures and thoughts and proclivities. They’re maybe 40 years apart, but that doesn’t matt er here, somehow.

“Greta’s mother and fathe r raised her in the theatre,” Pacin o added, “so she had that connection to that art form. She had a sense of herself and what she’s doing. That’s a hard find, don’t you think? But we found her.”

There’s another situatio n in

half the time and I take them half the time. It shocks me that I did these three movies. I’ve been doing the HBO movies, and they’ re always interesting projects, well scripted and shot pretty quick ly.

“So, sure, yeah, yeah, I can imagine it,” Pacino concluded .

“It’s going to happen one way or the other.”

-Ian Spelling/The New York

Times News Service

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“DON’T expect ‘I Dreamed a Dream,’” Anne Hathaway said, comparing her Oscar-winning performance in Les Miserables (2012) to her modest singing scenes in Song One. “This movie is more about musicians, and my character is not a musician. It would have been an ego-based choice for her to suddenly sound like a trained singer.”

Hathaway won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Fantine, so she knows how to command the stage when the role requires it. In this case, though, Song One needed her character, Franny, to be closed up, confused and regretful.

The film, which is about a family dealing with a crisis, shows how music can connect and transform people.

Also starring Mary Steenburgen and British musician/ actor Johnny Flynn, the drama is scheduled in the US on January 23.

The story begins when Franny’s younger brother (Ben Rosenfield), a budding musician, is hit by a car and winds up in a coma. The two siblings have been estranged, and Franny comes home from her PhD research program in Morocco to be with him. Trying to understand his life, she starts reading his notebooks to see how he had been spending his time. Then she retraces some of his steps, and in the process meets James Forester (Flynn), her brother’s musical idol.

“Franny is an icicle that is thawing,” Hathaway said. “In the first half of the movie, she is very introspective and very tightly wound, and gradually she becomes more fluid.

“She had dismissed James Forester as being a hipster and a poseur,” she continued. “Then she would listen to one of his songs and hear a line that expressed exactly where she was at, and it would root her to the floor.”

Franny seeks out James after a concert, and the two develop a relationship.

“These characters are riding the edge of tragedy,” Hathaway said, “and we don’t know which way they will fall.

The stakes are so high.”

The actress was speaking by telephone from her Los Angeles home, where she occasionally was interrupted by the barking of her two dogs. However, they weren’t enough to distract her from the task at hand.

Song One is a personal project for Hathaway, who has formed a production company with her husband, Adam Shulman. Song One is their first film.

She chose to act because it scared her, Hathaway said, and a passion project like Song One is a particularly frightening endeavour.

“I’d love to say that I’m less scared as time goes on,” the actress said, “but I don’t think that’s true. However, I work with the fear differently. Fear keeps you on your toes, and it keeps you honest. Occasionally you break through, and things that seemed really terrifying you can take in stride more easily.

“I was very scared for people to see this movie,” she continued, “because it’s the first thing I’d ever fully backed. I believed it should exist. Now I have to show it to people and say, ‘I hope you agree with me.’”

Hathaway became famous through big-budget, mainstream films such as The Princess Diaries (2001), Brokeback Mountain (2005), The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and Les Miserables, but she chose to make her first producing effort on a limited budget.

“This is not a $60 million movie with explosives, which would be so far outside my experience,” she said. “I loved how small it was. It was the story that got me. We would be creating music that had never existed before. That totally appealed to me.” Music has been important to Hathaway since childhood, when her mother-stage actress Kate McCauley Hathaway-and her elementary-school music teacher in New Jersey were formative influences.

“Mrs. Russo made music really fun and not intimidating,” she said. “That, coupled with having a mom singing all the time, made singing as natural as breathing.”

As a result Hathaway felt comfortable taking the lead in obtaining the music for Song One, which obviously would be a pivotal part of the movie.

“My husband and I knew (singer/songwriters) Johnathan Rice and Jenny Lewis socially,” she said, “and we asked Johnny if he wouldn’t mind reading the script. We wanted his input on what it was like being a musician and a musician on tour. They asked us, ‘Who’s doing the music?’

“We said, ‘You, if you want to.’”

One particular lyric from the film has stayed with Hathaway. “It really got me as Franny,” the actress said, “but also in my life as well: ‘I still leave the porch light on, but the curtains are gone./It’s so easy loving nothing. You feel nothing when it’s gone.’

“That is a capsule of where Franny is at the beginning of the movie,” she said. “Her brother’s accident forces her to confront the truth in that lyric, and she realises that she is 100 per cent wrong in her stance on him. She doesn’t know if she’s ever going to be able to make it right.

“Franny is a person in crisis, feeling very isolated,” she continued, “and suddenly a stranger comes into her life.

It’s the exact right moment and the exact right stranger.

It’s that moment in your life when only a stranger will do.”

Another aspect of the film that appealed to Hathaway was the brother/sister relationship.

“It’s not a requirement to have the relationships that you have in the movie in real life,” she said, “but it does help when there’s a live vein there. I love my brothers (Michael and Tom) so much, and I was able to tap into that feeling that already exists.”

Writer/director Kate Barker-Froyland originally envisioned a younger actress in the role, Hathaway added.

“She wrote Franny as 24,” said Hathaway, who is 32, “but, when I asked her to consider me for the part, I knew that she’d have to push the age up a little higher.”

Hathaway laughed, then tried to explain the laugh, then apologized that she was joking about being worried that she was past 30.

“I thought it was an interesting opportunity to raise Franny’s age,” she said, “because she always felt protective of her brother. The movie doesn’t go into it too much, but my thinking was that they had lost their father when they were very, very young. We decided that their mother fell apart and Franny had to step in and be a full-time parent when she was 15. That’s why she had such a strong negative reaction to her brother’s decision to drop out of college. It’s very deep and fear-based.”

Hathaway could relate to that feeling.

“I have a little brother,” she said. “I wish I could say that I’ve always been 100% supportive of him and uncritical.

That’s something I woke up to in the last few years, and now I really appreciate him exactly the way he is.”

— NANCY MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

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Beyonce not pregnant, says former band mate THE FORMER Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williams has denied rumours that her friend Beyonce Knowles is pregnant. Beyonce sparked rumours she is expecting her second child with husband Jay Z Sunday after she posted the photograph of a baby bump sculpted out of sand, but now Michelle has shot down the speculation saying it’s a silly conclusion to jump to, reports mirror.co.uk. Speaking on the TV show The View, Williams said: “First of all, if you look at the picture, the baby bump is probably where her knees probably really are... Just stop it, stop it.” The 34-year-old singer also mentioned how Beyonce is always secretive with her personal life, with rumours suggesting she wasn’t pregnant circulating when she was expecting her first child, Blue Ivy, who was born three years ago. She added: “You know, when she was pregnant, people said that she wasn’t pregnant. There’s just no truth to it. Sorry!”

Brad Pitt, Gosling, Bale to star in ‘The Big Short’ ACTORS Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling are teaming up to star in the adaptation of Michael Lewis’s best-seller The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine. The three actors are in various stages of talks to star in The Big Short , the adaptation of Lewis’s chronicle of the housing and credit bubbles of the 2000s that led to the 2007-2008 global financial crisis, reports hollywoodreporter.com. Following the success of Moneyball, Pitt is producing the film, which is scripted by Adam McKay. McKay is expected to direct the drama, although there is no announcement yet. The project is not expected to be Bale’s next, though it is still unclear what the Oscar winner is currently eyeing.

New ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ trailer is action-packed TRAILERS from the highly-anticipated film Avengers: Age of Ultron was released during a college football match in Los Angeles. The College Football Playoff National Championship on ESPN on Monday witnessed the second trailer from the film which promises more battles and destruction as the Earth’s mightiest heroes fight the villainous Ultron, reports aceshowbiz.com. It sees Ultron walking into a room, meeting the Avengers. One can also witness Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man being slammed into the wall and a battle between the Hulkbuster and Hulk.

‘Transformers: Age of...' tops Razzie nominees

PETER ANDRE’S GOT A MYSTERIOUS SECRET HE WON’T TELL Five years after Peter Andre and Katie Price split, their legal wrangling is still grabbing the headlines

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e’s had six hit albums, number one singles like Mysterious Girl and Flava, is soon to fly to Los Angeles to record a new album as part of a $3 million deal, has vast property interests is in demand as a record producer and is readying a new single which he is convinced will go to the top of the charts.

But at 41, happy and settled with a long-time girlfriend Emily MacDonagh and a baby daughter, Peter Andre has had to come to terms with the fact that however successful he is, it’s inevitably overshadowed by the legal wrangles with ex-wife, glamour model Katie Price, aka Jordan, which have continued non-stop since the couple were divorced five years ago.

Soon the couple will once again appear at London’s High Court when Jordan sues Peter and his manager for what she claims is a misuse of private information.

The hearing, which will take weeks, will cost the couple at least $800,000 plus damages for the winner.

Peter claims that he has always tried to avoid legal confrontations, fearing that the disclosures of the couple’s private lives will upset their children and he wants to keep his version of events to himself.

He told a TV chat show: “Something big happened to end the marriage which I won’t reveal, but Katie knows the reason why I left.”

Both in public and private life it’s been something of a rollercoaster ride for Peter Andre. At 20 the pop world was at his feet. He had two number one singles and his first album went straight to the top of the charts.

Peter, it seemed, could do no wrong. Then it seemed, he couldn’t do anything right. Boy bands had burst on to the pop scene and suddenly no one wanted to know about the singer whose teenage hero was Elvis, Presley.

He moved to Cyprus, wrote songs for other singers and went into record production, but always hoped that one day he would relaunch his singing career. Now Peter admits. “Never in a thousand years could I have guessed how it would happen.”

Then his agent persuaded a UK TV network to include Peter in the unlikely assortment of personalities making I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, a reality show in the Australian jungle in which celebs go through testing ordeals and are voted out by viewers.

“I thought it would be fun but I didn’t think I had a hope of getting on the show,” Peter remembers.”I was amazed when I was picked and even more amazed by what happened later.”

Peter came third in the show but got the lion’s share of publicity, mainly by becoming romantically involved with another contestant, glamour model Jordan. And from that moment his career soared in spectacular style and he was of-

fered three major recording contracts within hours of leaving the Australian jungle. “ Born in Australia, of GreekEnglish parents, Peter has three brothers and a sister. He now has invested in luxury apartments in

Life is very hectic at the moment, I am promoting my perfume range and am on tour, but I do want Emily to pursue her career as a doctor and give her every bit of support I can. I don’t mind becoming a stay-at home dad for a while if that would help

London’s Docklands and also has business interests in Australia.

Peter is the first to admit that during the first time round as a pop star he certainly enjoyed life. He had a secret affair with Spice Girl Mel B — they met when Peter was still a big star and Mel was in the newly formed fledgling girl group.

Peter was also romantically involved with All Saints star Mel Blatt. "We were together for about a year but it got to the point where our relationship wasn’t progressing and I went back to Australia.”

It was there that Peter fell madly in love with Home and Away actress Laura Vazquez. “The problem was that my career had really taken off and I was travelling all the time and Laura wanted us to settle down.

But all those days are long gone.”

Two years ago, Peter met medical student Emily and they have a yearold daughter Amelia. They live in a period farmhouse near England’s Sussex coast but currently Emily is completing her medical studies at Bristol University.

“Life is very hectic at the moment,” Peter says. “I am promoting my perfume range and am on tour, but I do want Emily to pursue her career as a doctor and give her every bit of support I can. I don’t mind becoming a stay-at home dad for a while if that would help.

“With a wonderful family and a great career, I guess — despite all those legal headaches — I’m still the luckiest guy alive.”

-Judson Bennett/Tony James Features

MICHAEL BAY'S film Transformers: Age of Extinction has been nominated for seven awards at the 35th Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the Razzies. The popular sci-fi Transformers franchise is nominated for worst picture along with Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas, Left Behind, The Legend of Hercules and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, reported aceshowbiz.com. -IANS

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t 33 he had the critics raving with his epic performance in Kenneth Lonergan’s hit movie You Can Count On Me and Hollywood’s moneymen were beating a path to his door.

“I had been waiting for ten years for this break, and it had finally come,” Mark remembers. “I had almost given up acting four times. Now the struggle seemed worth it.”

He didn’t know at the time that the struggle was only just starting. In the summer of 2000 Mark Ruffalo’s year-long secret hell began. He was diagnosed as having a brain tumour but he swore the surgeon to secrecy and tried to carry on with his career.

“Hollywood hears ‘illness’ and they start running for the hills,” he says. “I knew if this got out my career would be over whatever happened to me healthwise. When things got worse, Mark pulled out of Signs, with Mel Gibson, saying he had an ear problem, but still not even his family knew the truth.

But Mark had no doubt about the seriousness of the situation: “When you’re being wheeled in there’s that moment

when you’re like: ‘This really might be it, my friend.’”

It wasn’t. The tumour was benign and was removed and today at 47, happily married with three children, Mark says he has never been healthier, more successful or more contented. His latest movie, Foxcatcher, co-starring Channing Tatum and Steve Carrell is already being tipped for an Oscar nomination.

Based on a true story, Mark plays one of two Olympic wrestling brothers who get involved with a mysterious heir to an industrial fortune who persuades them to train on his estate. “I did most of my own action scenes,” Mark says. “Boy was that tough!”

“Channing, who plays my brother, and I, trained for seven months. We’d shoot a scene and then we’d go and train some more. When we shot the last wrestling scene, Channing and I just held each other and actually cried. We were so relieved that the worst was finally over!”

Things haven’t been easy off-screen either. Mark’s brother was murdered in 2008 — no one has been arrested for the crime — and as an active peace and environmental campaigner he has had fre-

After years in the show-business wilderness, it seems Mark Ruffalo has finally arrived

quent brushes with the authorities and the law.

“I’m really proud of Foxcatcher,” Mark says. “The characters are really complex. And it was one of the biggest challenges of my acting career.” He is even being hailed as the new Marlon Brando, but refuses to let it all go to his head. “I’ve heard it all before,” he grins. “Very early on I got a TV show and thought I had made the big time — then I didn’t work again for seven years! It’s still a struggle. You never really arrive.”

But Hollywood thinks he has. Mark has four movies lined up for this year and will once more play Bruce Banner in the new Avengers movie Age of Utron.

It was his role in the Oscar nominated You Can Count on Me that brought him to the attention of director Jane Campion when she was casting In The Cut. “I was very nervous to meet her — I’d heard she was really tough — but she was great and offered me the part over lunch.” When his co-star Nicole Kidman dropped out, Meg Ryan agreed to step in — and take over some of the most contro-

versial scenes of the year.

Married to French-American actress Sunrise Coigney since 2000 — they have a son and two daughters — Mark divides his family’s time between Los Angeles and New York. “Being with my family is the most important thing,” he says. “I’ve spent too long being a loner.”

He says he had a lonely childhood.

Growing up in Wisconsin, he moved to Virginia then San Diego in quick succession, leaving behind his friends.

His parents’ divorce and the suicide of a new close friend sent him into deep depression. “I was a teenage outsider and just didn’t know what to do with my life,” Mark says.”Getting involved in the theatre was a lifeline — it gave me a sense of purpose.”

Now in the $10 million a movie bracket and with a new Spanish-style home in Los Angeles, Mark is beginning to believe that he might have finally hit the jackpot. “Now I’m just going to enjoy the good times while they last. Knowing my record,” he smiles,” it would be crazy not to!” -John Graham/Tony James Features

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Reese compares upcoming film to ‘Thelma and Louise’ ACTRESS Reese Witherspoon has compared her upcoming untitled comedy film to 1991 classic Thelma & Louise. The 38-year-old, who will play an uptight policewoman who finds herself on the run with a prisoner, a drug dealer’s wife (played

by Sofía Vergara) in the film, says that her co-star is one of the funniest people she has ever met, reported eonline.com Speaking at Sean Penn’s annual pre-Golden Globes benefit for Haiti relief organisation J/P HRO, Witherspoon said: “It’s (the film is) definitely like a Thelma & Louise kind of thing.” Talking about Vergara, she added: “She is one of the funniest people I have ever met in my entire life. But working with her I could literally not stop laughing. I think people are going to love her in this movie.”

Grande, AC/DC, Sheeran to perform at Grammy Awards SINGERS Ariana Grande, AC/DC, Ed Sheeran, and Eric Church have been roped in to perform at the upcoming 57th annual Grammy Awards. The announcement was made on Tuesday, reported aceshowbiz. com. Madonna is also a star performer at the event, which will be held on February 8 at the Staples Centre, Los Angeles. This will be Madonna’s fifth time performing at the Grammy Awards, and for Sheeran, it will be his second time as a musical guest at the show. As for Grande, Church, and AC/DC, they will be performing on the Grammy stage for the first time.

Taylor Swift sends $1,989 cheque to a loyal fan

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n the way to an interview at a Beverly Hills hotel, Kevin Hart ran into a problem. Dozens of problems, actually, in the form of a throng of fans wanting to share a moment with him.

Hart was running late, but nonetheless he shooed aside his security detail to wade into the crowd, shaking hands, posing for selfies, standing still for hugs and, in a steady stream of patter, plugging his upcoming film.

“Did you hear I have a movie coming out on January 16?

Write it down,” he said cheerfully.

“That’s January 16. Did I mention it’s January 16?”

When the 35-year-old actor/ comedian finally sat down to be interviewed, he was a half-hour behind schedule but far from apologetic.

“I’m always approachable,” Hart said, still looking fresh in a gray business suit with a tan shirt. “As I get more popular or go international, I don’t see myself putting up a fence to keep people away. The minute you separate yourself from people, you lose touch with people. I need people.

I need to know what the people are thinking, I need to know what the people like and what they don’t like. “I need to be here for a long time.”

That film he mentioned, and which he was at the hotel to promote, is The Wedding Ringer. He plays Jimmy Callahan, a guy who hires himself out as a best man to prospective grooms who have no friends to stand up for them at their weddings.

Jimmy meets his toughest challenge in Doug (Josh Gad), who in an effort to impress his fiance Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting) has raved about his best friend: Bic Mitcham, a military priest stationed in Afghanistan whose only drawback is that he doesn’t exist. Doug is a geek supreme who doesn’t actually have any friends at all, and needs Jimmy not only to become Bic but also to produce a corps of groomsmen as well.

Writer/director Jeremy Garelick

originally wrote the script, in 2001, for Vince Vaughn, only to see it languish in development for more than a decade.

“We wrote hundreds of drafts,” Garelick said in a separate interview. “The funny thing is that we wrote it for Vince Vaughn, and had the main character described as someone who was tall and handsome.”

Eventually the script found its way to Hart, however, and he thought it a perfect fit for himwell, except for the “tall” part, since he stands only 5-foot-4.

“Everything in life happens when it’s supposed to happen,” Hart said. “There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears poured into creating this script, and then it just lingered. Then it was brought to my attention and I loved it. We threw Josh Gad’s name into the pot, and the project came together quickly.

“I believe you need to get the right people together and then you can make an amazing comedy.”

Hart was eager to make his first R-rated comedy, he added.

“I really wanted to be able to cut loose in a film,” he said, “and press the envelope in a film that was broad in scope and multicultural.

“I also wanted to do that in a film that was still tasteful and not just raunchy,” Hart added. “I thought that this movie would be so much more than what people would expect it to be. Yes, there’s raunchy stuff in it, but there’s a lot of heart involved.”

Jimmy is confused about the meaning of friendship, he explained. “I’m a guy who just wants to be hired as a friend,” Hart said, “and the last thing I want to do is to become involved with these grooms. Then I meet Josh’s character and we really do become friends. In that way it’s a bromance with a great, raunchy bachelor party too.

“Come on,” he said. “We have the word ‘wedding’ in the title.

You need the bachelor party!”

Hart grew up in Philadelphia in straitened circumstances: He and his older brother were the children of a single mother, their father in and out of jail throughout their childhood.

I just want to do things that propel me, I don’t want to appeal to just one audience.

I want to be broad and multi-cultural. I can be an international box-office star For Hart, refuge lay in comedy.

“I grew up loving Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy,” Hart recalled.

“I coped by telling jokes.”

Soon he found himself aspiring to follow in their footsteps.

“Murphy and Pryor, those two were pioneers in standup comedy,” Hart said. “I’d look at them and go, ‘Wow, I want that!’ Later I grew to love Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Martin Lawrence.

But there were so many other influences. I loved Bernie Mac, Steve Harvey and Cedric. They’re great comedians who made me believe that I could get up there and do it.

“The list goes on and on,” he continued. “You can’t beat Wanda Sykes if you want to laugh. I wanted to stand on a stage and make people laugh that hard.”

After graduating from community college, Hart moved to Brockton, Mass., where he worked as a shoe salesman and, in his spare time, did standup in local clubs and back home in Philadelphia under the name Lil Kev. As his fame grew, he toured in his own shows, I’m a Grown Little Man (2009) and Seriously Funny (2010). His Laugh at My Pain tour grossed more than $15 million in 2011 and was filmed.

Meanwhile the young comic was forging a career as an actor

on television and in the movies, beginning with small roles in Undeclared (2002-2003), The Big House (2004) and Barbershop (2005). The roles gradually got bigger in such films as Scary Movie 3 (2003), Along Came Polly (2004), Soul Plane (2004), The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) and Epic Movie (2007), but he didn’t score his breakthrough until the ensemble comedy Think Like a Man (2012). That got him a lead role in Ride Along (2014) alongside Ice Cube.

When that film brought in more than $100 million at the box office, Hart was on his way. Since then he’s worked nonstop in such films as About Last Night (2014), Think Like a Man Too (2014) and Top Five (2014). He has a huge slate of upcoming projects that includes Ride Along 2, the kid flick Captain Underpants and the comic thriller Central Intelligence with Dwayne Johnson and Ed Helms. First, though, he’ll be seen in Get Hard, a comedy about a millionaire (Will Ferrell) who, after being convicted of fraud, hires an ex-con (Hart) to prepare him for his new life in San Quentin.

Off the screen Hart has two children, 9-year-old Heaven Lee and 7-year-old Hendrix, with his ex-wife, Torrei Hart, and is engaged to model Eniko Parrish.

His main focus, though, is to capitalise on his current hot streak to take things to the next level.

“I just want to do things that propel me,” Hart said. “I don’t want to appeal to just one audience. I want to be broad and multicultural. I can be an international box-office star.”

His goal, though, is not simply to be rich and famous.

“Believe it or not, I don’t feed into the fame aspect of it,” the actor said. “I’m not in it for the popularity. I’m in it to accomplish new goals as an actor.

“When it comes to people approaching me, I welcome it, because that’s where I live,” Hart concluded. “I’m one of the people.

So I speak back, I stop and talk.

“I still hang out, because that’s what keeps it real.” -Cindy Pearlman/The New York Times News Service

SINGER Taylor Swift has sent a surprise gift to one of her fans — a cheque of $1,989 for her to pay off her student loans. Rebekah Bortniker took to social networking platforms Monday evening to share some photographs and a video of her opening a gift box of personalised presents from her idol. The gesture made her burst into tears, reports aceshowbiz.com. The gift was sent by Swift after Rebekah created a video collage featuring the singer and her friends with the theme song of “Friends”. In the video, posted on video-sharing site YouTube, Rebekah first read Taylor’s handwritten card. “Hi you. I was thinking about you today, and how you have been there cheering me on in the most thoughtful and creative ways. I love the video you made of me and my friends,” the 25-year-old pop star wrote.

Chris Brown cancels some future nightclub shows CHRIS BROWN is reportedly planning to cancel some of his future nightclub shows after five people were shot during his recent performance in San Jose. An emergency meeting after the incident was held and Chris ordered his manager to cancel his upcoming appearances at clubs, reported tmz.com. -IANS

C12 TH UR S DAY, JA N UA RY 15, 2 015

ETCETERA

I

n the seconds before the first first public showing of Cake at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, Jennifer Aniston was a wreck inside.

“It didn’t hit me until the lights went down that the most people who’d seen it were eight people, and all of a sudden we were in a 1,500seat theatre,” she said, her eyes widening at the memory. “I just didn’t know how it would be received. It’s a vulnerable, terrifying moment.”

Cake, about a devastated woman’s Cake uncertain recovery, does away with pretty, peppy Aniston and installs a pill-popping harridan in her place.

She has scars on her face, flab on her body, an anguished gait and an acid tongue. It’s a kind of glamour-forgrit statement just familiar enough to raise the possibility of eye rolls in lieu of applause. It’s a plea of sorts, and Aniston had no guarantee of a charitable answer.

But when the lights rose in Toronto, the audience did, too, giving

standing ovation. And while her a stan the movie, which opens in the US on January 23, got mixed notices from the handful of critics who weighed in, she got just enough positive recognition to essentially muscle herself into the awards season.

She has been an indefatigable whirlwind over the last few months, following the media script of a publicist known as an Oscar whisperer and attending more than a dozen question-and-answer sessions at special screenings in Cali-

You can star in one fornia and New York. And it’s working. In December she picked up Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and Critics’ Choice nominations for best actress.

She recognises this moment as perhaps her best chance to “take away the cloak of Rachel,” she said, referring to her part on the sitcom Friends. The intensity of her desire to do precisely that was suggested by her reaction when, toward the start of our interview recently at the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan, I noted that a reviewer for The Guardian had called Cake a showcase for her “hitherto hidden acting chops.”

“Hmm, yes, very deep under-

neath,” she said of these ostensibly buried gifts, adding that the notion was “kind of head-scratching — wow.”

A few minutes later, she returned to the critic’s “hidden” phrase, again registering frustration with its insinuation that something other than talent and craft had gone into her work in Friends and about two dozen movies, not all comedies, since the mid-1990s.

And she alluded to the phrase twice more after that. In each instance, her otherwise smooth, affable manner took on the slightest of edges. “You have to do something really dark to be taken seriously, I

guess,” she said. Then, referring to both the duration of Friends and its popularity in syndication, she added: “If you’re in someone’s living room every week for 10 years and every day on God knows what network, people are going to have a hard time saying, ‘OK, we’re going to see you do what now’ without making associations. It’s a Catch-22. It’s like: ‘I know I can play this part, you just have to let me.’ And then it’s ‘I can’t let you play that part, because I’ve never seen you do it.’ There were jobs that I really wanted and would fight and fight for and then the obvious previous Oscar winners would get them.”

For example?

She shook her head. No go. She knows too well how much the media loves to pit one celebrity against another. To believe the tabloids, she has spent the last decade in a grudge match with Angelina Jolie, whose husband, Brad Pitt, was of course married to Aniston first.

“It’s ridiculous — that the two names have to go into the same sentence and there has to be a compareand-despair thing,” she said.

But fate keeps nudging the names together. One of the surprising subplots of the Oscar race is the way Jolie’s much-discussed, doggedly promoted prospects for a best di-

of the most beloved sitcoms of the last quarter century, win an Emmy, be paid $1 million per episode, find as much success in movies and still have more than a little something to prove, along with a whole lot to lose

rector nod, for Unbroken, dimmed just as Aniston’s odds for a best actress nomination brightened. Along the way, there was also that Sony nastiness, including disparaging emails from producer Scott Rudin about Jolie.

Aniston beat back any discussion of that. “I don’t want to give any fuel to the fire,” she said.

She is practiced and game enough to permit 30 seconds of conversation about Jolie and Pitt. But a full minute is pushing it. Her posture stiffens.

For a long time now, Aniston, 45, has been one of Hollywood’s most mercilessly chronicled celebrities, pressing on through a ceaseless storm of gossip and a constant swarm of paparazzi.

“They would interrupt our shots,” recalled Daniel Barnz, the director of Cake (whose credits include Beastly and Won’t Back Down), describing takes of outdoor scenes ru-

ined by the whistling of photographers trying to put a startled expression on Aniston’s face and get her to look their way. “We didn’t have the budget or manpower to keep them at bay.”

And she has clearly developed strategies for the fishbowl. She surrenders just enough so that she doesn’t have to give up too much. She scatters tidbits of apparent revelation amid anodyne lines.

Before I asked, she mentioned Justin Theroux, the star of the HBO series The Leftovers and her fiancé of more than two years, dropping him into a story about an unappreciated boyfriend who died years later of a brain tumour.

“He was my first love — five years we were together,” she said, referring to that boyfriend.

“He would have been the one. But I was 25, and I was stupid. He must have sent me Justin to make up for it all.”

I took note of her engagement ring, with its gargantuan diamond.

“It’s a rock, I know,” she said, sounding abashed but not really. “He rocked it up. It took me a while to get used to it. I’m not a diamond girl. I’m more Indian jewellery and stuff.” Her outfit wasn’t regal: bluejeans and a black, open-collared shirt.

I noted the din of speculation about why she and Theroux hadn’t tied the knot yet, and she said they’re still figuring out what kind of ceremony they want. She didn’t volunteer any more detail than necessary.

She bristles at the scrutiny that her private life gets, in part, because it underscores what she believes to be a double standard, one that came up the night before our interview, when she talked with an audience after a midtown Manhattan screening of Cake.

A woman noted that Aniston had repeat-

edly fielded the question of whether she was concerned about the likability of her Cake character. “That’s something men don’t get asked,” the woman said.

Aniston interjected before it was even clear the woman was done.

“They don’t get asked a lot of things,” she said.

“I really do think you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t,” she added. “You either are too fat - ‘Oh my God, she’s gained weight, getting chubby, mid-40s spread!’ or ‘She’s so skeletal, get some meat on her bones!’ I’ve been on too-thin lists. I’ve been on what-happened-to-her lists.”

She has in fact churned out movies at an unflagging pace. And while many have been romance-tinged, conventional Hollywood comedies, she has routinely built in exceptions. -Frank Bruni/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 H U R S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 5, 2 0 1 5

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

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VACANCY

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CARGO

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T H U R S D AY, JA N UA RY 1 5, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

OFFICES FOR RENT - Premium offices to let a very good location on the main road very close to Zakher Mall, Al Khawiar. Business Center has offices with sizes of 50m2, 110m2, 180m2, 207m2, 230m2, 437m2.

- Showroom also available at Business Center, Area 500m2 with central A/c.

- Offices with Central Air-conditions, Security System with CCTV cameras, and Security presence in the building.

Contact: 97377355 / 95530121, Email id: aaleem@ggcoman.com

3BHK, (3 bathroom and big hall) opp. Apollo Hospital, Hamariya R/A (OMR 300/-) Contact 91181761 2 BR flat for rent in Wadi Kabir next to Al Maha Petrol Pump.

Rent RO 300 pm. contact 99440826 Fully furnished rooms for rent for family. Contact 99251975, Al Khuwair Office space for rent in Ruwi, OMR 500. Contact 91120552 Flats in Muttrah near Oman House per flat RO 230. Contact 92815855 / 95181077 500 Sq Mtrs industrial land, leveled, ready to use with boundary wall, in Misfah industrial Area, block 2 near Baladiyah Camp, RO 600/-, monthly. Contact 94030814 1000 Sq Mtrs, Industrial Land for rent in Ghala suitable for warehouse workshop etc. Contact 24700120, 92584715 2 BHK Flat in Mumtaz.

Contact 99792181 1, 2, 3, BHK in Al khuwair.

Contact 99792181 2 BHK in Bowsher, Ghobra.

Contact 99792181 1 & 2 BHK in Ruwi.

Contact 99792181 200 Sqr mtrs Showroom in CBD. Contact 99792181 Well maintained spacious 1 BHK at Rex Road from 1st February.

Contact 92227165

1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in Misfah Industrial area near to Khan co. OMR 1,500 Monthly. Electricity and boundary wall will be provided.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Fully Equipped Restaurant / Industrial Kitchen for Sale with existing catering orders, CR & Labour Clearance, Restaurant space and Outdoor sitting area on Sale at Mawaleh Call: 9906 4589

Family room available for rent at Muttrah Souq. Contact 24712088 / 99022790

Office space with cassette type A/C’s with free internet at al Khuwair near KM Hypermarket. Contact 99460330

Office space & store, CBD 20059.

Contact 99024730

1 & 2 BHK in Wattaya. Contact 99792181 New warehouse for rent at Ghala ind. area. 578 & 1200 sqms near. hotel al-madinah holiday, Ghala.

Container can enter, immediate access to roads & highways.

Contact : 92078090 Furnished room with attached bathroom for Executive bachelor behind Al Meera Hypermarket, Azaibah RO 150. Contact 99455735 Villa in Al Khuwair 33 close to Technical College with 3 bedrooms, 1 sitting room and shaded balcony.

Directly from owner not for brokers.

Contact 92814242

2 BHK, Al Khuwair. Contact 99024730 2 Bedroom Spacious flat for rent at Al Khuwair 25 for OMR 400/- per month . Contact: 99379988.

2 BHK available in Darsait, 1 B/R and hall, 2 B/R and hall. Contact 99357586, 97500025, 97884787

For rent at Al Khuwair, 1 room with bathroom (Independent), near Rawasco with split A/C, 2nd floor, rent RO 125 PDC. Contact 99879939

2 BHK Commercial, Al Khuwair, RO 375/-. Contact 92144045

2 BHK, CBD. Contact 99024730

1 BHK, commercial, Darsait.

Contact 92144045

2 BHK, Darsait near Kims Hospital.

Contact 99024730

3 rooms, 3 bath flat. Darsait coast near Indian School like new.

Contact 99715042

1 & 2 BHK & villa 3 BR-Darsait near ISM & ISD. Contact 99024730

For rent at Ruwi, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, sitting, dining, kitchen with A/C near Al Falaj Hotel, Ruwi, Way 2116 building 577, rent RO 275, PDC. Contact 99879939

Spacious well maintained 2 BHK at Rex Road from 1st February.

Contact 92227165

1 BHK, 2 BHK, Ghala, new bldg.

Contact 99024730

Family villa & flats at Al Ansab and Awabi. Contact 98458542

Flat, shops, basement, Ruwi-MBD Area, Honda Road.

Contact 96942749, 92433127

Flat for rent in Al Hail, North near The Wave, Muscat. Contact 99353433, 99271017

2 BHK with split A/C in Wadi Kabir, Sana Building furnished.

Contact 96635026

2 BHK available in Mumtaz area, Ruwi & Ghubra, nr Indian School.

Contact 99269751

For rent at Al Khuwair, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, sitting, dining, kitchen split A/C near Rawasco, 1st floor.

Rent 480 PDC. Contact 99879939

3 BHK with AC, Al Falaj, RO 425/-.

Contact 92144045

6 shops in Mabela Industrial Area.

Each Front Shop OMR 400 and Side Shop OMR 300Monthly.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Flat for rent Ghubrah South, ground floor flat, 3 bedrooms, majlis, family hall, RO 425/-. Contact 94669711

Spacious 2 BR flat in MBD. Contact 99713489

6 bedroom villas at Al Ansab (nr Express highway).# 99199365

1 BHK with A/C, Mumtaz Area, RO 250/-. Contact 92144045

Office space (3 BHK flat – Ample space) located in prime area at 18th November street, Al Azaiba (nr. To Sultan Center). Contact 99261522

1 BHK, Wadi Kabir. Contact 99024730 Flat for Rent in Ruwi, Bareeq Shatti, Mawalah. Contact 92521080, 98899916

2 BHK Pent House with split A/C in all rooms, very spacious balcony with sea & city view RO 350, 2 BHK RO 340, Bldg #1619, Way #1322 adjacent to Indian Nursery Darsait.

Contact 99476728 / 99831047 1 BHK bedroom flat in Wadi Kabir neat Kuwaiti Mosque RO 200/-.

Contact 95094028 2 BR deluxe flats at Ghubrah and Ruwi. 2 BR furnished flat at Ghubrah.

Contact 99885391 / 99354010 Abu Adnan Tower - flat for rent available at Al Mabelah, 2 B/R, 1 hall, 2 toilets, 1 kitchen.

Contact 95566475 / 99654252 Rent, new flat Wadi Adai, 2 big bedrooms, 1 big toilet, 1 big hall, 1 big kitchen. Contact 99345137 1 / 3 BHK Flat Ghobrah, close to ISG Way 4041, building 4390.

Contact 99319880 New bldg 3 BR flats located at Darsait, Muscat close to Kims Pvt Hospital. Contact 92020004 / 99800838 Fully furnished one bedroom penthouse Wadi Kabir behind Sana Hassan, weekly RO.140/- Monthly RO 350/- Contact – 99349990

T H U R S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 5, 2 0 1 5

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DAILY GUIDE

FOR RENT

Port cabins – New & refurnished Porta cabin for sale and rent.

Contact 96723468 Running Workshop for Tiles / Marble & Granite cutting & skirting in Wadi Kabir for immediate sale.

Contact 99105492 Sale!, all household items, like fridge, freezer, cooking range, washing machine, window/split A/Cs, LCD TV, Laptop, tab and many more for attractive prices. Location : near Toyota service Center, Honda Road.

Contact - 97048983, 95293643

FOR SALE

Restaurant for leasing/sale in Al Hail. Contact 94148970, 94148972, 97820877 Darsait Business Office furniture, Isuzu 4 ton brand new. # 91391363

ACC.WANTED 2 BHK flat for rent RO.350/- at Al Khuwair near Sultan Taimur Mosque. Contact – 98893294 1 BHK residential flat at Honda road.

2 BHK residential flat opposite to Al Nahdha hospital. Contact93219590 Villas & flats & stores. Contact 99776071 / 99057348 1 BHK flat Qurum RO.270/- with split A/C. Contact – 99358589 / 95570288 /97079146 2 BHK flat at Al Khuwair RO.370/with split A/C. Contact – 99358589 / 95570288 /97079146 If require flats for rent in Wadi Kabir please send messages through Whatsapp or call – 99376454

3 bedroom furnished Executive Apartment @Al Khuwair 25, 2 BR fully furnished Executive Apartment @Azaiba near Zubair Showroom, 2 BR fully furnished executive Apartment @Al Khuwair 33 near Zakher Mall. Please contact : Atlas Real Estate & Rent A Car LLC, 99249069 / 92888376 / 93201688, email : info@alshahiintl.com 2 BHK with A/C near ISM RO.325/1BHK Al Falaj without A/C RO.200/2 BHK with A/C near Kims hospital RO.300/- Darsait commercial or residential with A/C RO.230/- Studio at Al Falaj RO.170/-. 2 BHK without A/C at Wadi Kabir RO.300/Contact - 92144045

BHK flats Muttrah near Oman House.

Contact 97007934 / 92629232

For rent apartments: An apartment in old Muscat at Oman Arab Bank’s building. 3 bedrooms + 3 bathrooms, dining room, living room and a kitchen. Air conditioned apartments.

2 bedrooms + 2 bathrooms, living room, dining room area and kitchen in an excellent location in Al Khuwair opposite the court of first instance. For further information call 97072976

2 BR, 2 toilets, kitchen at Al Mawaleh. #99444786, 99747560

2 BHK flat Muttrah / Mabelah.

Contact 95915154

We have 1 BHK, 2 BHK, 3 BHK flats, 4, 5 bedrooms villa, open space offices & shops available in Ghala, Ghobrah, Qurum, Mabela, Ruwi, Darsait, Mumtaz, Wadi Kabir. All brand new buildings & very affordable prices.

Contact 93782735 / 99208033

For rent (flats), 2 bedrooms +hall+kitchen, location: South Al Mawaleh. Contact 99870020

Flat for rent 2 bedrooms one hall in South Al Hail. RO 270. #93221474

Show room on the main road Saham center total area 450 m sq.

Contact: 99366558 / 99334226

Luxury 2 bed room villa at BausherAL Ansab Phase 3.Call. 99324456 Fabulous A/C flat Al Khoud, 3 rooms, 280 rials. Contact 99334699

House in North Al Hail with 3 rooms, Majlis & 3 toilets. Contact 99439568 Flats and shops. Contact 93009999 Villa, ground floor in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99743569, 97004265 2 BHK flats for rent behind Kims Hospital. #93161573 / 97769759 Apartments in Al Khuwair new area each apartment contains (2 bedrooms + living room) for RO 365. # 93181111 Penthouse near Sultan Centre Al Amerat with 2 A/Cs. #99612270

1 / 3 BHK Flat Ghobrah, close to ISG Way 4041, building 4390.

Contact 99319880

1 BHK with attached toilet & bathroom behind Bank Muscat at Wadi Kabir.# 99373290, 24815012 Flats/villas owned by ROP pension fund available for rent in Muscat.

Contact 99349526 New Villa for Rent Two floors newly built villa in Maabillah, 8 Fullfledged Residential Area 6 Rooms, 8 Toilets, excellent finishing spacious Kitchen, Big Dining Rooms in Both Floors, Easy Access to Muscat and Sohar using Maabillah Bridge. Contact 92828303

Single room or studio flat required in Ruwi area. Contact : 95405033

ACC. AVAILABLE FOR SALE

Flats for Sale in Bowshar: OMR 35 Thousand 1 bedroom. OMR 45 Thousand 2 bedroom. Monthly income 1 bedroom OMR 270 and 2 bedroom OMR 350. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

FOR RENT Flats ground floor, 3 Rooms & AC, kitchen, hall, in Al Mabaila South.

Contact 99377290 2 B/ R Fully Furnished Executive Apartment @ Al Khuwair 33 Near Zaker Mall. 3 Bedroom Furnished executive apartment @ Al Khuwair 25 5 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished villas at Azaiba with servants, 3 Bedroom Unfurnished Villa @ Mawalah South Area 6 with Servant Quarter, 5 Bedroom Unfurnished Villa @ An Apartment that resembles a penthouse has 2 rooms with 2 toilets, living room & an elegant balcony.

Fully furnished, suited for families.

Final price RO.300/- Mabela 8 near German University.

Contact 99888400 Studio flat Darsait. RO 150/-.

Contact 92144045 Industrial Land in Misfah.

Contact 93009999 1 BHK at Ghobrah - Near Indian School. Contact: 99014885 Al Qurum heights Sea view.

Contact 99249069 / 92888376/ 93201688 2 BHK at Al Azaiba, Building No.5145 Way 4470. Contact 99224748, 99425665

2 rooms with 2 bathrooms and sharing kitchen for couple or executive bachelors at hamriya r/abt. ( on the main road side, opp.

Apollo hospital ) RO 150.

Contact 98232567

Dental clinic for sale in Sohar. Contact immediately 99705760,92625962 23,886 Sq Mtrs Agriculture land with water well in Al Salwa, Barka.

OMR 260 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 Restaurant about 250 SQM @ 5/- SQM, heart of Ruwi Market in Plaza Hotel for sale / rent. Contact 99326339 / 24833314 Shop for sale near ONTC bus stand Ruwi near Sun City Hotel on main road. Contact 99326339 / 24789801 A running supermarket for sale in Wadi Kabir. Contact 95113037 Running Medical Centre with full equipments is available for sale. Those interested can contact 98994208.

Clinic for sale. Contact 99824232, email : modern.medicalclinic@gmail. com Industrial shed / warehouse for immediate lease in Rusayl Industrial Estate. Contact 99263196 / abcon@omantel.net.om

2 BHK with A/C, commercial Al Khuwair. Contact 92144045

New fully equipped 2 chair dental clinic in Seeb area for immediate sale. MOH approved. # 94514045

Flat one bedroom at Al Khuwair 33, owner. Contact 92800007

Well running pharmacy.

Contact no . 93240949

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 Used furniture bedroom sofa dining A/Cs Majlis washing machine, table keyboard, Expat leaving.

Contact 99353978 Building material shop for sale, near Mars Hypermarket, Al Ghoubra.

Contact 93797343 / 99881647 Running establishment for sale, industrial license, marble & granite, aluminum workshop, fully equipped showroom. Serious buyers please Contact 99334540 Household items on sale.

Contact 93833107 A newly opened Barber Shop for sale at upcoming industrial zone in Misfah. Expat leaving Oman.

Genuine buyers call 93833107 (Sale Price Negotiable)

Single room at Walja, opposite MBD area available for executive bachelors or single working woman for OMR 100 including Electricity and Water.

Contact 93079877 Single furnished room in Ruwi.

Contact 24833609 Single room available for a working lady with separate bathroom & sharing kitchen with a family @ Rex Road. Contact 95423572 Flat sharing, big two rooms, independent bath near Al Falaj, semi furnished quiet area, small family, OMR 150, call 93218110 Sharing accommodation for family in Wadi Kabir. Contact 97167857 Sharing accommodation available at Mumtaz area, Ruwi.

Contact 97612335 Independent room furnished Executive at Wadi Kabir.

Contact 99336206 Furnished room in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 94012930 Accommodation available for rent in SEEH AHMER FANJA near Oman Oil, only 10 mtrs drive from Rusayl industrial area, Please Call on 95200429 or 99224352 Room with A/C, furniture for expats at Al Khuwair. # 97004265 / 99689315 Room with separate entrance & A/C in Al Khuwair near Rawasco for noncooking Indian Bachelor, rent RO 125/-. Contact 97201100, 95397442 Contd on pg 4

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T H U R S D AY, JA N UA RY 1 5, 2 0 1 5 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian female, 25 yrs, bachelors of businesses management, having experience of 5 years as a fund/ financial administration, on visit visa,looking for suitable placement.

Contact 94662416 Apurwaverma@gmail.com

ADMIN Urgently required: Receptionist (Omani) - 01 no with 2-4 years experience Marketing Executive - 01 no; with 5 years experience (Location - Mawelah, Muscat) . PRO -02 no with min 10-15 years experience (Location - Muscat & Sohar).

Interested candidates may send CV to infoduqumoil@gmail.com A leading foodstuff company requires the following : Office Coordinator – with experience in related fields, female. Interested candidates may send their resumes at jobs.om@outlook.com Construction Company requires female executive assistant, with good computer and communication skills, advanced English, fluent Arabic. Please send your CV harun.koyyar@adaliholding.com

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Required experienced Accountant Tally, excellent English & driving license. Contact – omanlaw.om@gmail.com / 24497762 / 92192510 Male Accouuntant required in Ghala. Candidates present in Oman only. # 99454425, Email: qamest@omantel.net.om Indian male having 14 years of experience in Various dept. (stockbroking Dealing, Back Office Accounts, Dmat, Settlement, Risk management, Maintaining Books of accounts ETC).

Having Good Computer Knowledge seeking suitable placement Email Id: vora_bharat@yahoo.com, +91 9820240094 Urgently required Senior Accountant (exp. required minimum 5 yrs having driving license), Assistant Accountant (exp. req minimum 3 yrs). Contact 99322373 , omanlightsmarketing@gmail.com, alzahraexports@gmail.com.

An Accountant with minimum 3 yrs experience in managing financial records & administration functions is required for an IT company in Muscat. Send your CV with updates photo to itmuscat2014@yahoo.com

ARCHITE. / INTERIOR Architect ( Autocad 3D / 3D Max / photoshop / presentation ) in a reputed office. Tel 24794481 fax 24794482 kamalismailconsultant@hotmail.com

DRIVER

URGENTLY REQUIRED

a leading construction Company requires

B.Tech Electrical Engineers with 5-10 yrs Gulf experience.

Interested candidates who are willing to join immediately may send their CV to

hrdarabianmktg@gmail.com

ENGINEERS Construction Company requires Civil Engineer with degree only with 10 yrs of local or GCC Experience.

Email : omaniantrad@gmail.com We are looking for :- 1) Firefighting equipment Engineer / Technician, 2) Marketing Executive, 3) Crane Maintenance Technician. Email : alsarooj@omantel.net.om Urgently required Mechanic Supervisor (B.Tech in Mechanical / Automobile Engg) for a reputed company in Muscat with min of 5 yrs experience in Grader, Dozer etc with GCC/Oman License. Those interested may email CV along with certificates to p.m@watcooman.com, g.m@watcooman.com or #99288717 Required urgently Civil Engineer with minimum 5 years experience driving license must. If you interesting send your CV on email: Towershr70@gmail.com STRUCTURAL ENGINEER (full time) Responsibilities: To work with architect, To provide of construction issue documentation for a projects.

Desired candidate Profile: min of 3-5 years experience in Structural Design, Should be AutoCAD competent.

Please send your CV to Email: info@pak2pak.com Tel. 99196733, 99419766

LAWYER Required urgently a Legal consultant /Lawyer for reputed law firm for SOHAR office. Candidates should have 5-7 yrs exp. as a Legal Consultant/ Lawyer with good knowledge of Computer & should be fluent in English. Email C V to shejaanil66@gmail.com or Contact 99153620 between 8am to 5.30 pm.

MANAGER 2-3 years experienced electrical panel technician. Contact Mobile No:93838449/98987386

MEDICAL

An excellent company seeking for experienced male Light Duty Driver to work in Salalah. Contact 92322588 / 99653350, email : sadiq.fm@omantel.net.om

Urgently required an experienced Pharmacist with MOH License for a reputed Pharmacy in Muscat.

Please send CV to newcareesr2015@gmail.com

Good growing Company in Muscat is looking for 2 Heavy duty drivers.

English language needed. Email : yesterdaysun1@hotmail.com

Doctor needed for a rehabilitation centre in Muscat. Kindly call 92130498

Need cutter for Tailoring shop.

Contact 99825211

EDUCATION Required English teacher for KG 1 / KG II. Contact 97163777, 99429352 Required Teacher for ISWK student studying in VII & III at Honda Road Ruwi. Contact 99471699

ENGINEERS Urgently required Biomedical Engineer with 5 yrs experience with Laboratory Diagnostic instruments for a Medical Diagnostic Company.

Candidate with Omani Driving License preferred. Contact imsllc@imsoman.net

General practitioner Doctor is required to work urgently in Dreams Clinic at Al Khoudh and must be resident in the Sultanate of Oman.

Please send your CV to the following email: towershr70@gmail.com, balushi70@gmail.com & info@towersinternationalgroups. com, Mobile 99882340, Tel: 24545914

MECHANICAL

Wanted driver. Contact 95112461

DOMESTIC HELP

MEDICAL

1 Lady Doctor (Internist) with 3 yrs experience in Oman. One female Nurse with atleast 3 yrs experience in Oman. For newly established clinic in Ruwi. Send your detailed CV to mohamedsfarah@hotmail.com, Tel : 91283188 We are looking for an Optometrist for an Optical with minimum 3 yrs experience. Please contact 99340769 or email : aeooman@gmail.com Wanted MBBS Doctor, Staff Nurse and Lab Technician for a Clinic in Capital Area. Please contact 93431024, send CV to drasyanaseem@gmail.com Required Physiotherapist.

Contact: 91453024 Dentist required to work urgently in dreams clinic at Al Khoud and must be resident in Sultanate of Oman.

Please send your CV to the following email – towershr70@gmail.com / balushi70@gmail.com / info@towersinternationalgroups.com Mobile – 99882340 / 24545914

A well reputed steel fabrication & machining Workshop company in Oman requires experienced petrol & diesel mechanic for trucks.

Contact email : oman518@gmail. com, 99228046

SALES / MARKETING UPVC Doors and Windows Company urgently require Sales and Marketing Person, experience 3-5 yrs in same industry with Oman Driving License. Contact 99475701, email : siju.greentech@gmail.com Required Salesman, Tailor, Barber.

Contact 91114884 A leading Company in Oman looking for – (1) Customer Care Service – male (1 no.), (2)Customer Care Service – female(1 no.), (3) Driver – (2 no.) Contact 97461515 / 99101733 Salesman for Sales of Printing Press supplies urgently required in Dubai.

Must be knowledgeable about Printing Presses and have a valid GCC Driving License. Email CV to sales@ies-oman.com Highly reputed Perfume Company requires Omani Sales girl promoters. # 95663682, 92956876 Pentagon Oman a leading worldwide logistics company with over 40 offices worldwide offers a CAREER OPPORTUNITY for a Business Development Manager. A good standard of written and Oral English is a must. Candidates, preferably Omani – and with experience, are requested to email their CV to sukumara@pfsoman.com and pentagonoman@gmail.com Urgently required Sales Managers & Sales Executives for the following fields: 1) Information technology, 2) Gifts & promotion 3) Readymade Garments & textile. Experience required minimum 3 yrs & having valid Oman Driving license.

Contact 99322373 , omanlightsmarketing@gmail.com, alzahraexports@gmail.com Leading Construction company requires young purchase assistant with Oman driving license.

Contact 99108425 Looking for outdoor salesman for heavy equipments.

Contact- 93292015, 99656542 Required an experienced person who has ideas to start a new business in electrical field or supply with minimum cost. Contact 99426421

SIT.WANTED Indian male 23 yrs, 4 yrs experienced in Architectural Draughtsman looking for a suitable Post GSM:96023726, Email :jayan. mathew009@gmail.com INDIAN, B.E Mechanical Engineer, 2 years job experience in Oman in pipeline field, fluent in English, Hindi, Gujarati and Marathi, with valid Omani driving license (light) searching for job. #99871470 Male 28, seven & half an year experience. Worked as maintenance division co-ordinator, purchaser’s assistant, and office administration works. Valid driving license.

Contact 94454847 Indian male, 25yrs, MBA in marketing from Delhi with 1 year experience in operation department, currently on visit visa seeking suitable placements. Ph 97334359

Indian Male 25 years B.Com having 3 years of exp of Oman in Accounts/Administration.Well versed with computer knowledge looking for suitable position. Immidiately available. Contact:93207867 email: tambeazhar@gmail.com Indian female, 25 yrs, B.Com with computer Application, 1 yr experience as Accountant, looking for suitable job. Contact 98847165 Part time Accountant, up to finalization, looking for job after 5 pm (Location prefer – Qurum to Al Khoudh). Contact 92917574 Accountant B.Com & CIMA Part qualified, 8 yrs experience currently in Sri Lanka. Contact +94777222392 or 91126314 Female Accountant with 4 years experience in Oman seeking suitable placement. Contact 98721909 ACCA, 24 yrs, female, looking for a suitable position, Accounting/ Finance in a reputed firm.

Contact 91710657 Indian female, having 9 yrs experience in Administration & 4 yrs in Accounts seeks suitable placement, preference for the straight shift. Release available. Contact 92239617 Chartered Accountant & company Secretary : currently in Oman, Indian male, 34 yrs, 10 yrs experience in Finance, accounting, consulting, MIS looking for position in finance.

Release available. Contact 96731642 Indian Accountant: male, B.Com, 6 out of 10 yrs experience in Oman.

Having NOC & valid Oman D/L. Can join immediately. Contact 95740191, email : lashks@gmail.com B.Com Graduate, 3 yrs experience in Accounts, Indian male, looking for accounts or suitable job. Contact afsarsabith@yahoo.com, 93975526 Part time Accountant with 15 yrs exp in Accounting, Auditing, Taxation Management. Contact 95857199 Finance Manager, CPA, with more than 15 yrs. of experience in GCC. Fully knowledgeable in Finance, General & Management Accounting .

NOC available. Contact 96209331 Finance Manager, MBA (Finance) with more than 20 yrs of experience in GCC/India, involved in Construction Contracting, Manufacturing, fully knowledgeable in Finance General and Management Accounting, NOC available.

Contact 93245973 Accounts part time works upto finalization & finalization works.

Contact 96247295 M.Com with MS Dynamics and Tally, 8 yrs experienced Accountant requires Accountant (Senior Accountant) position (NOC available).

Contact 93687011 Indian, MBA, Graduate specialized in Finance, Marketing with GCC, D/L looking for good job opportunity.

Contact 93197431 Pakistani Male, 26 yrs, MS-Supply Chain & Project Management, BSFinance & Business Administration, +2 yrs experience in Trading Firm responsible for Supply Chain & Accounts. Skills including strong operation managerial Communication & interpersonal, fluent in English, SAP and EPM. Contact 94663827, email : musadiqfayyaz@gmail.com Accountant / Auditor, Srilankan male 27, having 3+ yrs experience looking for suitable placement.

Contact 93556320 Indian male, 32 years, M. Com.7 out of 9 years experience in Oman in Accounts/finance. Having NOC and valid Oman D/L. Contact 98277143, Email: anzarks@gmail.com Indian Male, MBA 2 yrs experience in Accounts, Admin & HR on visit visa. Contact 92045306 India Accountant: Male, M com, 7 Yrs experience in Accounts up to finalization, having knowledge of ERP, Tally, seeks suitable placement. Contact:93950138 Email: lijinrajan123@gmail.com

Chartered Accountant, 10+ yrs experience, B.Com, CA, CIA. Immediate availability. Audit, Finance.

Contact 94641805 Indian male, 25 yrs, 3 yrs experience, Diploma in foreign & Indian accounting, Diploma in fire & safety eng, looking for suitable position in Oman. Contact 96582370 Pakistani male, 25 yrs, MBA Finance, 1.6 yrs exp in Accounts seeking placement in Accounts, Administration or Business Management. Contact 92651927 / 94250149 Indian Male, looking for job in Accounts & Administration previously, experience 1 yr in Oman, now on visit visa. Contact 97424337 Indian accountant with more than 30 years of experience in construction (financial / cost accounting) with experience in material management ,HR and general administration seek part time/full time assignment.

Ready to work any where in Oman.

Contact 98598099

ADMIN/HR

DESIGNER Indian male, 8 yrs GCC experience in 3D & Architectural Designing with D/L. Contact 97263199

DRIVER Light Driver having own visa looking for job as driver Contact 92303692 Pakistani male, having one year exp as light vehicle driver looking for job.

Contact 96342684 Bangladeshi Driver seeking job, 3 yrs exp. Contact 99063175 Light Driver looking for job.

Contact 92787245 Driver with vehicle, Keralite.

Contact 94251067 Driver seeking job. Contact 99805236 Bangladeshi male driver, exp 12 yrs looking for job in any company & office. Contact 99165961 6 Years experience light duty driver.

Contact – 96736744

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

Light driver looking for job.

Contact 92791678

Graduate Indian female having 5+ Years Oman experience in Admin/Procurement/Logistics with excellent computer skills(PGDCA).

Seeking suitable Placement.

NOC available.Contact:95382966

Indian female MSc costume design & fashion having 3 yrs exp in teaching seeking suitable job.

Contact: 97614456 / 95918968

Indian male 32 years, B.A Tourism & Travel Management. 2 and Half years Dubai experience in Front office & reservation in a 3 star hotel with good command over English & Hindi, seeking placement in HR or Admin. Contact - 9454 1041.

Indian male having NOC with 7 yrs Oman experience in recruitment / on boarding general admin. Immediate joining. Contact 96684424 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 Indian female with excellent communication skills, confident, dedicated to work and enthusiastic.

Knowledge about ms office. Has 6 years of experience in customer service, telecommunication, HR.Looking for immediate placement. Contact # 97348819 Indian male, Graduate expert in admin and purchase for 9 yrs holding Omani D/L looking for suitable job.

Contact 99626821, NOC available.

Omani with 6 yrs experience as PRO, 3 years Admin / Procurement Officer, excellent English can travel out of Oman, PDO D/L seeks job.

Contact 96996938 Indian female, MBA, HR 1 yr experience in India seeking suitable opportunity. Contact 99257214

ARCHI./ DRAUGHTSMAN ARCHITECT/DRAFTSMAN/SITE ENGINEER: Indian, Male.5 Years’ Experience; In Edu Trust, and Commercial Complexes.

Currently in Oman In Visit Visa Cont.

No.93957502 / 97899661 Civil Draughtsman, Indian Male, 23 yrs with 3yrs experience in AutoCAD 2D & 3D, MEP, HVAC, 3Ds Max and Photoshop looking for suitable position, presently in Muscat, Oman on visit visa. Contact 91764358, mohdsiraj02@yahoo.com

CATERING Indian male, working Bakery Pastry as Sr. Chef De Party, 15 yrs experience in Oman, 10 yrs exp in one of the 5 star Hotels, still working, get release. # 96460519, 99063817

DESIGNER Interior Designer, Indian male, have 5 yrs experience with Oman License looking for a suitable job.

Email : sijithpattath@gmail.com, 93779308 AutoCAD Designer D/man 2D/3D/ Revit/Photoshop, experienced.

Contact : 97103168 Interior Designer, Gulf Exp, AutoCAD 2D/3D/ Corel draw.

Contact : 97103168

EDUCATION

ENGG. / TECHNICAL BSc Architectural Engineer, 7 yrs experience (6 yrs in Oman) site work. Contact 99178218, 92579358, email: ah.elnakash@yahoo.com BE (Elec and Tele Engg), Experienced as Application Engg, Certified in BMS SCADA Ph: 94037935/ 97103168 Civil Engineer with 12 years Experience Looking For Job. Contact 98162295 Quantity Surveyor (Civil Building) looking for Part time job Contact no:-94391712 E-mail addressinayathhussain@yahoo.com Industrial Electrician with Oman Driving license. Contact 96348016 Indian male, 26 yrs B-Tech (ECE) with MBA in Marketing / HR looking for a suitable placement. Currently on visit visa valid up to 30 January 2015. Contact 93754428, email : shijosirius709@gmail.com Diploma of Associate Civil Engineering, Diploma of AutoCad, having 3.5 yrs experience, 2 yrs experience of Oman in Building Construction, valid transferrable ID Card.

Contact 94378581 BE Civil Engineer, 5 yrs experience.

NOC available. Contact 98970233 Diploma in Civil Engineer, 15 yrs Oman experience (total 28 yrs) looking for senior position with valid D/L, NOC available. Contact 99013465 DAE (Civil) having 3.5 years Experience 2 years from Oman with driving licences, seeking for suitable position in Construction field NOC and release available Contact 96968554 mehranahmad26@yahoo.com M. Tech Electrical Eng. Female, now in visit visa.

Contact +968-94654481.

B. Tech Civil Eng. 3 yrs exp in Oman with driving license. Contact 93733627.

Mail id : joinvisam@gmail.com, neethusprakash@gmail.com Indian Male, IT Support Engineer, 2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experience. Contact 97311847 Jordanian Engineer Electrical 7 yrs exp. Consulting, site & shop drawing works. Ready to join immediately.

Worked in UAE & Saudi Arabia.

Contact - 00971555594733 Civil Engineer B Tech, Site Engineer Experienced, Drafting on Visit Visa Ph : 91642050 Sudanese Mechanical Engineer, 3 yrs experience as Sit Engineer, HVAC System, and driving license, easy to transfer immediately.

Contact 91135140 Looking Part time Job in HVAC93198128 Experienced female Electrical Engineer.Contact 93800906

T H U R S DAY, JA N UA RY 1 5, 2 0 1 5

D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED

NRI

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Seeking job, BTech Instrumentation, 12 years experience Design, FEED, Detailed engineering, Oil & Gas, Instrumentation systems, Oman Driving license.

Email :- wilfridsjacob@gmail.com Mobile:- 00968 99048130

B.E Mechanical Engineer, Indian Male, 29, 5 years experience in steel fabrication field (piping and structural) as site engineer. Looking for suitable placement.

Contact 96115463.

Jijoraju085@yahoo.com.

Jordanian Civil Engineer with 4 yrs experience in Construction Field (release available). Contact 95157199 / 92866288, email : best66_pl@hotmail.com

Civil Engineer, BE, 5 yrs experience, minimum 2 yrs in Oman.

Contact : ansari_eruv@yahoo.co.in

B.Sc, Civil Engineer, over 19 yrs experience in construction field with project management skills, seeks suitable placement. NOC available & can join immediately. #92198264, Email : mdrana1970@gmail.com Indian male Mechanical Engineer (M.Tech), Manufacturing Engineering, having 2 yrs Exp with Oman D/L - seeking suitable placement . NOC available. Contact: 98681278; Email : alexyvellara@gmail.com Civil Engineer, Diploma, Sudanese, 5 yrs experience in Oman, have driving license. Contact 96618918 Electrical Engineer, Sudanese male, 8 yrs experience in Construction, operation, maintenance, electrical plants, responsible for electrical installation coordination.

Contact 94549609 Civil Diploma Engineer, Indian male, 5 yrs experience in Oman with valid Omani D/L. Contact 98518370 Sudanese Female, Mechanical Engineer with 5 yrs experience in Oil and Gas Engineering, looking for a job. Fluent in French, English and Arabic available now. Contact 98814569 / 96058018 Civil Engineer, 14 yrs exp, 5 yrs in Oman, driving license, NOC release available. Contact 91101892 Telecom Engineer with Bachelor Degree, CCNA female, 1 yr experience in Sales & Marketing seeking suitable job. Contact 97269189 IT Network Engineer with Bachelor Degree, CCNA, RHCSA, RHCE seeking suitable job in good Company.

Contact 99818601 B.E (Civil) Engineer looking for a suitable placement, driving license available. Contact 91253392 Civil Engineer (Diploma) looking for an urgent placement.

Contact 95200650 Mechanical Engineer, B.Tech 4 yrs MNC experience, installation commissioning & on-site repairs / maintenance of heavy mechanical equipment. Contact 93387867, mamgain9806@rediffmail.com B.E Production / Diploma Fabrication, 2 yrs experience valid PDO permit holder visa expiry on 26/01/2015. Contact 94270360, +91 9925140499, pankajrathod1985@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer, Indian male, seeking suitable job on visit visa.

Contact 99796730, 92031312, email : pudsalamilup123@gmail.com Indian male, B.E. Electrical Engineer having 15 months experience in a leading Indian Company, seeking suitable placement. Now in Oman on visit visa. Contact 92453891, email : jestinjose007@gmail.com Civil Engineer (Pakistani) holding light and private light license of Oman. Contact 95980506 Mechanical Engineer, B.Tech, 3+ yrs exp. (2 yrs. in Oman) looking for better prospects. NOC available.

Email : myopportunities2015@ gmail.com, 968 94403484 Civil Engineer, male, 25 yrs, 3 yrs experience in site, CAD,3D, MS Project, now in India, seeks job in Oman.

Contact 92887561, jubincivileng@gmail.com B.Tech Civil Engineer since 9 yrs in Oman experienced in Project coordination / Quantity surveying, looking forward to work with contractor/ consultants/client. Email: mmali_03@yahoo.com, Contact 93457995 26, female, B.Tech in Electronics & biomedical engineering with 1 And Half yrs experience in medical field is seeking suitable job openings.

Email : aswathiravirak@gmail.com, ph : 94652908 B.E, Civil Engineer, 7 yrs experience (3 in UAE & 4 in Pak), skilled – MS word. Excel, AutoCAD. # 98499008 Email : saadichan1331@gmail.com,

Indian male, 25 yrs, Electrical & electronics Engineer, 7.8 CGPA, history of no backlogs, Zonal topper in English Communication, with Cambridge certification, looking for suitable position, 2 yrs experience.

Contact 93918271, abhilileeeian89@gmail.com MSc. UK Graduated Indian Male 26yrs Looking for Research Assistant Post. MSc. Agriculture For Sustainable Development (UK) B.tech. Biotechnology. Currently on Visit Visa Email: nithinalex@gmail. com Contact: +968 91709479 Mechanical Engineer, Indian male, 6 yrs exp (3 yrs in GCC) seeks suitable openings. Have valid GCC driving license. Email : msfebco@gmail. com. Contact 91228398 Telecommunication Engineer with 5 yrs experience in the Gulf.

Contact 95219822 Electrical Project Engineer, 4 yrs experience OHL, Substations, Oil & Gas field, AutoCAD. D/L available.

Contact 95120225 Indian male, B.Tech (Electronics & Electrical) working in Saudi Arabia as Plant Manager for more than 2 yrs, seeks suitable opening in Oman. Contact +966593599187, Email: noushadpm149@gmail.com.

Oman : 98875103, 99480523 Indian B.Tech Mechanical Engineer, 26 yrs, 4 yrs experience in HVAC/MEP. Contact 94669629, rajeevhpd15@yahoo.com

INFORMATION TECH BCA Gratuate, Indian male with 1yr of exp in System Admin, IT Support, Network Admin and 1yr exp as sales Executive.CCNA,MCSE .looking for suitable job. # 95938303 email- hafsalhs@gmail.com IT Professional, 7 yrs exp in System Administration, IT Support, Networking etc. currently on visit visa. Contact 94064579, email : preejes01@gmail.com IT Engineer, Indian male, 25 yrs having 3 yrs experience in Technical Support (IT) Networking, Sales Marketing, looking for a job.

Email ID : abumohd3@gmail.com, 91687294 B.Tech IT, 1 yr experience programming with asp.net visual basic network certified.

Contact 96748154 Indian Male 23 yrs – IT / Prepost Sales Consultant / Business Analyst / Web Designing. 2 yrs. exp.

Languages-HTML5, WebRTC, Java, CSS, C++, .Net, SQL, Oracle, ERP-Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Looking for suitable job. Contact: 98802504, email:shrihari26@gmail.com IT support Technician, B.Sc computer science, 1 yr experience in Desktop support & 3 months experience as System administrator, Indian male, 25 yrs.

Email : rameezkk@outlook.com, Contact 94525218 MCA Graduate, Office mgmt typing speed 45-50 wpm, 5+ yrs of experience in UAE & India.

Contact 98762816 Indian Male M.Sc electronics, having 7.5 years of experience in IT Hardware and Networking, seeking placement. Contact: 97202522 mail: connectjinomjohn@yahoo.com B.Tech IT Professional, Indian Male with 3 yrs of Exp. In System Admin, IT Support, Networking, Installing Active Directory, DHCP, DNS,RAS, configuring maintaining and managing servers, configuring cisco routers, Exp in handling SQL database, With Valid Driving Licence. Contact - 968 98863507 IT Prof, MCA having 6+ yrs exp, seeks suitable position. #94543668 IT Professional, Indian male, B.Sc Graduate with 4+ yrs Gulf (UAE) good exp in System Administration, IT Support, Server Desktop, laptop, smartboard, datashow biometric, CCTV, currently on visit visa. # 98936548, vaseemj@yahoo.com

For NRI’s only : 9 cents plot for sale in Akshra Nagar, Chittur Road, 2 KM from Palakkad Town.

Contact 99529304

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR MBA Graduate 10+ exp FMCG food serv. Sales channel/ Branch Manager. Contact - 99185205 Indian male Graduate with 20+ years of Administration, Operations & Management experience in IT, Oil & Gas & Hospitality Industry. 12 years in Oman with vast contacts, very strong management, operational, communication and interpersonal skills, can handle any size of business and projects whether it’s in initial stage or established. Can join immediately. Local release available on request. Contact: 9906 4589 MBA, male, 31 yrs, 5 yrs Production management exp, 1 yr sales experience, 4 yrs admin & accounts exp. strong IT team management skills, immediately available for joining.

Contact 94670691, ibrjhung@gmail.com Indian male Graduate with 20+ years of Administration, Operations & Management experience in IT, Oil & Gas & Hospitality Industry. 12 years in Oman with vast contacts, very strong management, operational, communication and interpersonal skills, can handle any size of business and projects whether it’s in initial stage or established.

Can join immediately. Local release available on request.

Contact: 9906 4589 Qualified Manager: (12+ yrs. Oman Exp.) Vast knowledge in A/c & Admin, Costing, Banking, Credit Control, Insurance, International Purchase/ Logistics & Finance, With D/L looking for suitable position.

Gsm: 93826090 Email: jskanchan01@gmail.com Indian female with nine years of experience in 5 Star hotels as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager looking for a suitable placement in a reputed Star hotel.

Contact: 91219787 General Manager / working partner 20 years in Dubai adverting agency experience. Contact 93031168

MEDICAL Female dentist with MOH license and with Noc looking for suitable placement in Muscat region Contact no. 99147426 Indian female Pharmacist, 28 yrs MOH license holder with 3 yrs experience seeking suitable placement.

Contact 94037178 Home nurse. Contact 99156191 Veterinary Doctor 4 years experience in Military Cattle farm, Pet Animals & butchery, looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 97892349 Indian male Pharmacist (B.Pharma) 5 1/2 years experience in Oman seeking suitable placement in Muscat. NOC from the present employer available.

CONTACT +968 98525100 Indian Female, Dentist fresher looking for suitable placement.

Contact 98857686, email : drsumbulahmad@gmail.com Lab Technician, Civil (8yrs Gulf experience) looking for a suitable job (NOC available) Contact-93344378

MISCELLANEOUS Quality Assurance Officer, ISO Quality System Internal Auditor, BSc Graduate, female 27, with 4 years experience seeks suitable placement.

Contact nipuni.d.silva@gmail.com Microbiologist & Quality Assurance Executive, BSc Graduate, female, 27 with 4 yrs experience in food industry looking for a suitable placement.

Email : nipuni.d.silva@gmail.com Logistics Officer, Experience in Store keeping.

Contact : 99505934

Land for sale, 13.2 cents prime residential land near Perourkada Junction on Vattiyoorkavu Road, Trivandrum at 12L per cent.

Contact 92973928

MISCELLANEOUS Skipper, fishing vessels, 33 yrs experience as Captain in Indian and International waters, oceanography and fishery related research activities and management.

Contact 95775380 / 99616823

Furnished house for sale near Vattiyoorkavu, Thiruvananthapuram, 5 cents, 220 SQ Ft. Contact 96099215 / 99016230

MANPOWER

35.6 cents residential land (plus 4.5 cents area) high profile gated community, 7.2 kms from sims park, Coonoor kothagiri highway Tamil Nad, granite wall built facing main road, premium property breathtaking view of valley, for sale price rs.750/per sq.ft.

Contact Sukumar Menon +968-94080269 For Astrological consultation, Jathakam. # 99860435 / 97102599 Villa for sale 2200 sq ft in 8 cent.

Kottayam. Contact: 92652534

MATRIMONIAL Keralite girl, 26 (160), BSC Nurse at South America seeks suitable alliance. Contact 94413100, 98335340

Indian male, 27 yrs, B.A. Economics, Diploma in Fire & Safety, NEBOSH, IOSH Certification, 4 yrs experience as Safety Officer in India, on visit visa. Contact 97209656

Proposals are invited from parents of professionally qualified Nair Boys for 24 year old Upper Middle Class Nair girl hail from Trivandrum, (171 cm, Star-Bharani) employed in a reputed Company in Oman. Contact: 0968-9950 2593 /99798041.

(KM ID.2844689)

SALES / MARKETING Sales & Marketing Indian male MBA (marketing & sales) business development experience at all levels of management. Currently on visit visa. Contact – 91272819

ACC. AVAILABLE

Graduate, Indian, having 6 yrs experience in Sales with D/L, NOC available. Contact 93410723

Room with separate toilet and WiFi, Wadi Kabir near pencil building.

Contact 93416854

MBA Finance, 6 yrs exp in Sales & Marketing with Omani Driving License seeks suitable placement.

Contact 94685706

Office space near KFC, Al Khuwair, office basement near Mars, Al Ghubrah, double & single bedroom flat Al Ghubrah near Mars and Wadi Kabir near Lulu. Contact 95755551 / 92222045

Indian male, MBA 9+ yrs Oman exp in Sales & Marketing in FMCG (F & B) sector on a Supervisor / managerial role with D/L & Local NOC available. Contact 97912789 Young female, having experience of working in Oman with expertise in the field of Event Management, Advertising, Marketing and Hotel Management. Currently on a visit visa. Seeking for a suitable Job. Contact 96153578 Sri Lankan Salesman cum driver with NOC. Contact 97265733 MBA Marketing Pakistani Male, 38 yrs having 10 yrs experience in Oman, sales & marketing of industrial equipments and cars with Oman Driving License on visit visa.

Contact 99189286 Indian male, Diploma in Automobile & BBA, 8 yrs experience in Sales looking for a job in Sales.

Contact 94480382 MBA Professional with Omani Driving License seeking Sales or Marketing job. Contact 94143154, rinojnathen008@gmail.com Indian male, 25yrs, MBA in HR/ Marketing.6yrs exp with MNC and pharma. Presently in family visit visa looking for suitable placements.

Contact no-94657379/ 96645182 Indian male, 7 yrs Gulf exp in Sales (Indoor – Outdoor), looking for job.

Contact 99433816 / 93159202 15 years experience in Business Development , marketing, purchase – UAE & Oman-staff coordination, documentation, civil & technical maintenance, -valid GCC license-looking for working partnership or management post. Contact:91568362 / Email vpj555pem@gmail.com Indian Male, MBA in Marketing and Finance, 10 years’ Sales & Business Development Experience with valid D/L of Oman & UAE looking for a suitable placement. NOC Available.

Contact: 93969961 e-mail abhilash.pvrk@gmail.com Indian Male, 7 yrs experience in building materials trading having Oman D/L, immediate release available. Contact 98676713 18 yrs Oman experience in Building Materials seeking suitable placement, NOC available. Contact 93105775 Indian male, 22 yrs, BBM Graduate looking for suitable job in sales/ marketing, currently on visit visa.

Contact 91757222, email : danishdani460@gmail.com

SIT.WANTED SECRETARIAL/OFFICE Female 24 yrs Indian MBA and IATA,1yr experience Ticketing &1.6yr experience in Front office looking suitable jobs Travels, Admin& Front office .Oman on Family visa .

Contact 94614318 Indian female, well experienced in secretarial, administration, customer care & supervisory jobs.

5 years experience in Muscat.

Immediately available for joining.

Contact: 92139298

Furnished single room with attached bathroom near Mars Hypermarket, Al Ghubrah. Contact 97312111, RO 150/- per month 2 Bedroom flat for offices with furniture near Al Manaf Hotel, Ghala.

Contact 99525743, 99439705 Excellent 3 bedrooms , 2 sitting rooms, 3 bathrooms, kitchen & store with A/C. 92817777

GOOD NEWS

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Civil foreman maintenance D/L, 12 yrs in Oman, 2 yrs in Kuwait.

Contact 96405865, 99534138, India - +91 7589248550, +91 9464255409, email: sukhwinder9@yahoo.com

TECHNICIAN Indian male, Instrumentation Technician with 3 yrs Diploma & 1 yr exp in Maintenance Dept, seeks job. Call +971554275155 Instrument Technician (M.Sc Instrumentation) with 2 yrs experience (1 yr Indian + 1 yr in SABIC Petro Chemical Plant, Saudi Arabia), currently available in Muscat on visit visa looking for a suitable position in Oman. Contact 97165988, email : shabeer812@gmail.com

TOUR / TRAVELS IATA Certified experienced Indian Lady looking for job. Currently on visit. Contact 94613747, 91339846

MISCELLANEOUS Omani Man looking for a job with experience in HR/ Admin/ accounting. # 99767666 Graduate, Indian, having 6 yrs experience in Sales with D/L, NOC available. Contact 93410723 3 Years experienced Administrative Executive seeking for Virtual Admin Opportunities. Can work for 6 hours/day from a virtual location for 100 RO/month. Call: 95811820 Indian female, Accountant. having +5 years experience in Oman till Nov 2014. seeking suitable placement. NOC available. currently in family visa. Contact :98447045, email:anilavandika@gmail.com

Genuine Ayurvedic treatments & massage, Ayurvedic clinic at Al Khuwair. Contact 24478618 / 97263637 /93309131 FREE INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM. If you would like to know more about Islam, please call: 99425598, 96050000, 99353988, 99253818, 99341395, and 99379133. For ladies: 99415818, 99321360, 99730723 Orvisit: www.islamfact.com Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam).

Contact 24475280 / 95371554 / 92504980 , www.siddhayur.com Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis, massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis, ideal care Ayurvedic Clinic, 18 November Street, Azaiba. Contact 99639695 / 99117987

SIT.WANTED 28 year Indian male with 7yrs of experience in Accounts & Finance up to finalisation in Construction Oil & Gas and also in Manufacturing industries with Oman D/L seeking suitable placement. Contact me on 97104364 . email:moorthy_cbe@hotmail.com.

Indian male, 26 yrs - MBA Graduate with 3 yrs of Experience in Banking ( Standard Chartered Bank Scope International - Operations) &Coffee Vending Machine (Fresh & Honest Cafe ltd - Operations) on Visit Visa seeking placement.

Contact 91267867

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DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

SITUATION WANTSERVICES

WEBSITE

CLASSES

Al Manar Vocational pleased to announce at vocational short and long term courses in tailoring, cooking and internal design. Contact us now : 24698070 or 91144335

BUSINESS

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

COMPUTER

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998

GULF INTERNATIONAL LLC all kind of pest control.

Contact 92326955

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

For All Your Maintenance Solutions, A/c Servicing & Fixing, Painting, Cleaning, Electric. Contact 99002390

Cheapest Prices, all types window, curtains and blind.

Contact 99539521 Computer service/ AMC/ Networking. Contact 93552434 Pest Control Treatments!!!

Termites! Cockroaches! Bedbugs!

Ocean Centre LLC. #99344723

My client needs to buy Residential land or villa in Al Ghubra Bahar Factory area. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 Excellent investment, business and earning opportunity in Sultanate of Oman and other GCC countries.

Looking for investors and sponsors (Omani Nationals only). For meeting and discussions please call on 91285860 Wanted dentist or investor to buy a well-running dental clinic in Sohar immediately. Contact 92625962, 95904234 We assist in new business set up local sponsorship, real estate services, assist in company formation services. Contact - 93166088

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

Building Caretaker, Gulf Experienced, knows Arabic, Hindi English Ph : 94304348 For All Your Maintenance Solutions, A/c Servicing & Fixing, Painting, Cleaning, Electric. # 99002390

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722

Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722

Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance. Contact ABU QABAS- 99320217 /24788722

Civil Maintenance, Painting Electric, Plumbing, Decor, Tile Fixing, Lecithin Copra Board flat stifling , Carpet Cleaning and A/C Servicing. Contact 97897831 (Indian keralite)

Door to Door Computers repair specialist laptop software Website cartridges. Contact 99199376 A.M Trading Pest control.

Contact 99067923

Established Restaurant for rent with sponsorship. # 97628242

Carpet & sofa cleaning, house cleaning. Contact 99542979 / 98855815

Split & window A/C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 Carpet & Sofa Shampooing.

Ocean Centre LLC. # 99884591 Maintenance – 1) A/C Maintenance, 2)fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing, 3)painting & cleaning services, 4)electrical & plumbing carpentry work. # 99447257 / 97014234 / 24504281

Waterproofing, light weight Screed, Antitermite and MS Fabrication.

Contact 92888337 Electrical Plumbing Painting Contract and Maintenance.

Contact 98456535 House shifting transport. Contact 99657644, 98518013 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir AlRizaiqi trading. L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130

PRO services. Contact 99368907 Fast & Right Way - For all PR related works – permanent Visa stamping, family visiting visa holders, clients contacts – with NOC letter with signed & sealed photocopy documents . # 91568362 Catering services We do industrial catering service, Canteen/ mess, 3 times packed meals, and all types of catering events.

Contact 92188777/99249899 For HT cable jointing and termination works 33KV/11KV. Contact 99056438 / Email: npgoman@gmail.com Painting Interlock plumbing maintenance. Contact 92142319

BUYING/SELLING Looking for purchase of Used Portable Compressor (350 CFM, 7 Bar Pressure) powered with Diesel run Generator.

Kindly Contact 99014686 or operation@khancogroup.com Used household & office furniture and electronic items. Contact 99834373, 97102699 Looking for commercial lands for sale in Al Ghobrah North (urgent serious buyers, commercial lands in al Ghobrah North (corners prime location). Contact 91155779

LOST Rosnaeni has lost Indian Passport No. AS117224. Finder please handover to ROP. Nurul Alam has lost Bangladeshi Passport AC6124643. Finder please handover to ROP.

CHANGE OF NAME We, Parameshwaran Ravi (name of father as per the passport, holder of Indian Passport No. L3320623) and Sangeeta Parameshwaran (name of mother as per the passport, holder of Indian Passport No. L3320622) having permanent address in H.No.2, Gayatri Niwas, Ajabpurkala, Saket Colony, Dharampur, Dehradun, 248001 (complete postal address in India) and presently residing at the following address in P.B.No 792, P.C.No 133, Sultanate of Oman, hereby solemnly affirm and declare to change the name of our child Miss Sara (name as per present passport), holder of Indian Passport No. L9527861, date of issue 22/05/14 issued at Muscat. The name of our child will be henceforth known as Yanti Rani (new name) for all purposes. Any objection towards change of name of our minor child may please be communicated to Embassy of India, Muscat, Diplomatic Quarters, Al Khuwair, P.B. No 1727, Postal Code 112, Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.

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D7

DAILY GUIDE TOURS

SITUATION WANTED CARGO

TOURS

RENT A CAR

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

DRIVING

M.V. FOR SALE

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact 93405941 Transportation. Contact 98178135 Transportation available.

Contact 95570429 Pick & drop anytime in al Khuwair.

Contact 99764307 Transportation. Contact 91379976

FOR HIRE

TRUCK FOR HIRE Isuzu 10 ton cargo body truck (2012 FVR) with UAE experienced driver available for long term / short term rent.

Contact: 95346950 Five tower cranes with operators.

(50 m height, 55m boom length and 2.5 tons lifting capacity at Jib).

Please contact : ravin0225@gmail. com or call 96529679

Tucson V-6, 2007, automatic RO 2500/-. Contact 99384640

L/R Discovery, 2003, KM 1,60,000. Contact 99238877

Expat Prado VX6, model 2008, excellent condition, 2 fuel tanks, 180 ltrs, cool box, leather seats, 122500 kms, last Toyota Service in Jan 2015. Contact 99435226

Prado 2012. Contact 99336093

FOR HIRE Running truck wash for rent in Ouhi Sunia Sohar. Serious people can. Contact on 97864747 50 seater bus with PDO specification for rent or lease. # 99839898

Transportation with car & driver.

(VIP’s only). Contact 95040768 Pick & Drop any time. # 97014786

Pajero 3.8 v6 full option, 2008 model expat driven single owner, excellent condition, accident free, 217k. Contact - 92590781 Lexus GS300, 2006.

Contact 93218349

M.V.WANTED Required Nissan Tida / Toyota yaris / Suzuki swift / hyundai/Kia hatchback car in good condition.

Contact 95405033

Transportation. Contact 99664703 Transportation available 99159277 Transportation. Contact 96538078 Transportation Available Contact 97180655 *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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DAILY GUIDE

Indian, Arabic, Chinese dishes, BuďŹ&#x20AC;et Lunch (On Friday) Indoor & Outdoor, Catering, Party hall available Take Away & Home Delivery

Party booking & sugges ons 99320065, 99341643

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