Times of Oman - May 16, 2015

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INDIA, CHINA VOW TO SETTLE BOUNDARY ISSUE Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that he had candid, constructive and friendly talks with the Chinese leadership. >A5

SATURDAY, May 16, 2015 /27 Rajab 1436 AH

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C A M P D AV I D

CAMP DAVID: US President Barack Obama praised the positive role played by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said that had led to agreement with Iran on its nuclear programme. It was His Majesty the Sultan’s sincere efforts that had led to progress in negotiations with Iran in various stages of the nuclear talks, said Obama.

The US president held a meeting with His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers in Washington on Thursday. Sayyid Fahd led the Sultanate’s delegation to the Camp David Summit on behalf of His Majesty the Sultan.

President Obama also praised the way the Sultanate under the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan is handling various international and local issues and challenges in the region.

Obama also reaffirmed the strong relations between the United States and the Sultanate of Oman and stressed the significance for further enhancement of the same in the various spheres for the benefit of the people of two countries. >A2

His Majesty receives message from President Al Bashir MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said received a written message from Field Marshal Omar Hassan Ahmed Al Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan related to the good relations between the two countries and means of promoting them in various fields.

The message was received on behalf of His Majesty the Sultan

by Sayyid Khalid bin Hilal Al Busaidi, Minister of the Diwan of Royal Court when he received in his office Ali Ahmed Karti, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sudan, Envoy of the President of Sudan.

During the meeting, the leaders exchanged cordial conversations and reviewed existing bilateral cooperation between the Sultanate and Sudan. -ONA

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

OMAN

New parking space at Muscat Grand Mall

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A new parking lot announcement is set to ease the woes of visitors at the Muscat Grand Mall. The move was welcomed by people who have been long complaining about space shortage. >A2

SUMMIT TALKS: US President Barack Obama greets His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers during a summit meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders at Camp David, in Maryland, on Thursday. -AFP

Sayyid Fahd greeted by Obama at White House >A2

ECONOMIC VIABILITY

Mining body to examine gold worth found in North Batinah MUSCAT: Reacting to the news that a company had found a large amount of gold in Oman, Hilal Al Busaidi, CEO of the Public Authority for Mining (PAM) said preliminary information gained from samples collected from the site reveals that it is not of much ‘economic value’.

Talking to Al Shabiba, he said, “The PAM officials would contact the company to discuss the discovery of gold and determine the final commercial value of the element. We have yet to be sure of these discoveries and their commercial viability.”

Al Busaidi was reacting to an interview in which David Archer, the chief executive of Savannah Resources told Proactive Investors that they were extracting copper in North Batinah Governorate when they accidentally struck gold.

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SUDAN

Obama praises HM for Iran talks success

YOUSEF AL BALUSHI

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“According to the law and contracts with the mining companies, the initial announcement of any mineral discovery should be done only through the PAM. Only after this procedure is followed, mining companies can make announcements of their discovery,” he said.

He also said that the company should have referred it to the authority before making any announcements.

Assurance Al Busaidi explained that the mining contract was for copper discovery by an Omani company and they had requested assistance from Savannah.

Al Busaidi told Al Shabiba that he had given an assurance that the authority would initiate all steps for the benefit of the Sultanate if commercial quantities of gold ore were found.

He said that the certificate for

discovery and prospecting is different from the one for mining, and the Omani company possessed the discovery and prospecting certificate.

They are given priority in discovering large quantities of gold, and according to the terms of the contract given by the government, the company and government both receive a share.

The only other gold mine was Rakah gold mine in the Yanqul region. It produced over 4.25 tonnes of gold in the 1990s.

“According to the samples obtained by Savannah, around 60 grammes of high grade gold were discovered with 9.1 per cent zinc and 1 per cent copper,” he said.

“When people talk about high grade gold discoveries these days, they mean about three to four grammes. In this case we are talking of double digits in the 18-gramme range,” said Archer.

PAKISTAN

MARKET

Air, ground offensive

Gulf rivals grab traffic

2

Gulf carriers are grabbing passengers from Delta, American and United instead of attracting new ones, a study has concluded. >B1

Pakistani troops on Friday began a “massive” offensive to try to push the Taliban from their last major stronghold. >A7

Omani students can now take up part-time jobs should be offered to nationals.”

“I think this is an excellent news for the youth of Oman.

Young nationals will be able to undertake part-time working legally which will be good in terms of instilling a work ethic for later in their life.

The new ministerial decision on part-time employment is only for Omani students aged between 16 and 18 while expatriates have been excluded from its ambit

5 hours is the prescribed working hours for the Omani youth as per the new guidelines announced by the ministry on April 30

RAHUL DAS

rahuldas@timesofoman.com

A4

IS rebels close in on ancient Syrian city of Palmyra

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MUSCAT: Omani students can now legally work part-time, under a new ministerial decision introduced this month which is aimed at protecting the rights of students.

It was previously illegal for students to take up work unless they transferred their sponsorship to their employer.

The new part-time work permit decree was issued along with the teenage work permit that allows those between 16 and 18 years of age to be employed only between 6am and 6pm with stringent guidelines.

The ministerial decision was issued on April 30 and came into

effect the next day. However, this part-time work permission is restricted to citizens only.

Expatriates “It would have been better if expatriates were also allowed to work part-time,” said Rashid Khalfan, the owner of construction company.

Tonia Gray, general manager, Competence HR, said, “As a mother of students over the age of 16, I would have liked to see this extended to expatriates, as I am a great believer in youngsters gaining experience and taking some responsibility. However, I do understand that this opportunity

Grab the chance “It is very common in most parts of the world for students to work for a maximum number of hours per week and during certain hours, and the government has covered this well. I am unsure as to the restrictions on the type of companies that students can work for. I would have thought excluding any hazardous work would be obvious, but why not office work and for example a clothes shop? I hope youngsters take this opportunity to develop their skills and gain experience for their future,” she said.

Welcoming this decision, university professors said that it was a good move as students can earn while studying.

“I think a student holding a part-time job spends his time productively. The benefits include learning to handle responsibilities, manage time, interact with adults, get a peek at the working world and also occupy time in a worthwhile activity other than getting into all kinds of mischief and trouble,” said Indrani Basu, head, Department of English, Waljat College of Applied Sciences, Rusayl, Muscat. >A2

PUNITIVE MEASURES

Steps being taken to keep prices in check during Ramadan: Official Times News Service MUSCAT: There will be no increase in prices of commodities during the Holy Month of Ramadan, assured Hilal Al Ismaili, director of market regulation and control at the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP).

Talking to Al Shabiba, he said, “The market will see stability in prices as we are taking specific measures. We will monitor prices during Ramadan and there will be a decision to control any hike in prices. In case we find any increase, we will take necessary action and impose a fine of OMR800 on the trader or seller.”

A week before Ramadan some traders hike the prices of commodities and this becomes a major cause for concern for every citizen.

“The PACP is following up on the issue through their inspectors and will take action,” added Al Ismaili.

“Citizens have to communicate with the PACP through its website or on social media, or they may call or approach the PACP office to lodge a complaint,” said Al Ismaili.

Sheikh Ibrahim bin Nasser Al Sawafi, secretary for fatwa at the office of His Eminence the Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamed Al Khalili, said, “The greed of traders contradicts Islamic teachings.

As per Islamic teachings and the

Sunna of the Prophet (PBUH) they are not allowed to indulge in such practices.”

“The rise in prices is common during Ramadan and it worries us. Traders try to make huge profits by increasing prices and residents have to bear the brunt,” said a housewife.

Some citizens ascribed price hikes to the rise in consumption of certain items during Ramadan, while others said it was usually the price of vegetables and fruits that went up. He also hoped that traders would fix prices before Ramadan to enable citizens to schedule their budgets and expenses.

Other citizens claimed that as

the consumption of food items increases during the Holy Month, customers have to visit the market regularly for shopping of commodities for preparation of meals and suppliers take advantage of this situation by increasing prices of essential items.

The demand and supply gap is used by sellers to increase the prices of essential items. Some people have complained that the rise in prices is more on vegetables and fruits.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the PACP have to follow-up on the issue and look into the complaints of citizens to ensure stability in prices.

PRICE CONTROL: A week before Ramadan some traders hike the prices of commodities and this becomes a major cause for concern.

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SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

OMAN

Al Israa Wal Miraaj is a night of great importance for Muslims and its sanctity is celebrated by across the world with special sermons.

Prophet’s (PBUH) miraculous journey >A3

Sayyid Fahd greeted by Obama at White House

CRUISE ARABIA

On the arrival of WINDING UP VISIT: His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers was seen off by a number of US officials and members of the Sultanate’s diplomatic mission in Washington. -ONA

Sayyid Fahd at the White House accompanied by

Sayyid Fahd thanks Obama over visit

Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs, President Obama led the welcoming party

DISCUSSIONS: Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers attended the official dinner hosted by the US President at the White House. -ONA

MUSCAT: President Barack Obama of the United States of America received His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers at the White House.

Sayyid Fahd was leading the Sultanate’s delegation at the

Camp David Summit on behalf of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

Arrival at White House On the arrival of Sayyid Fahd at the White House accompanied

by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign

Affairs, President Obama led the welcoming party.

Obama shook hands with Sayyid Fahd, wishing him a nice stay in Washington. Sayyid Fahd attended the official dinner hosted by the US President in honour of the GCC leaders and their representatives.

President Obama exchanged

with the GCC leaders and held conversation with them on the current regional and international situations, as well as the agenda of the Camp David Summit.

The dinner was also attended

by Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs. - ONA

WASHINGTON: His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmoud Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers left Washington after a three-day visit to the country during which he took part in the Camp David Summit.

Sayyid Fahd was leading the Sultanate’s delegation on behalf of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

On his departure to Andrews Air Force Base, Sayyid Fahd was seen off by a number of US officials and

members of the Sultanate’s diplomatic mission in Washington.

Thanks Shortly before his departure, Sayyid Fahd sent a cable of thanks and appreciation to President Obama, in which he expressed his delight and that of his accompanying delegation over the visit and the opportunity for meeting with him and the exchange of views on the various issues of common concern.—ONA

US VISIT

A1 Fahd conveys < FROM

ANNOUNCEMENT

COMMUNIQUÉ

New parking lot at MGM Times News Service MUSCAT: A new parking lot announcement is set to ease the parking woes of customers at the Muscat Grand Mall. In a Facebook posting on its account, the announcement said, “Rising to meet the demands of its customers, Muscat Grand Mall is proud to announce that a new parking lot will be opened in July 2015 which will be able to accommodate 500 vehi-

cles.” The post added, “Located in Phase 3, adjacent to the mall, the facility adds significant capacity to MGM’s existing four-level parking space and will give direct mall access to customers for their shopping destination. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”

The move was welcomed by visitors who have been long complaining about the shortage of parking.

On the Times of Oman Facebook page welcoming the decision Jai-

son Mathai said, “There are a large number of people who avoid MGM for its congested parking. Car parking is a very important aspect of any shopping mall.”

Benish Adil said, “This is great.

Now, I would not have to prepare myself mentally to go round the MGM parking for an empty spot.”

Yameen Rawat said, “It is a good move by the MGM. Issues related to parking at MGM were always of great concern.”

HM’s greetings

GCC leaders to boost ties WASHINGTON: In the communiqué issued after the Camp David Summit, the leaders and heads of the Gulf Cooperation Council stressed their commitment towards the United StatesGCC strategic partnership.

They also agreed for further cementing of ties in the various spheres. -ONA

Sayyid Fahd conveyed His Majesty’s greetings and wishes to the president along with His Majesty’s wishes of further progress and prosperity to his country’s people and the relations between the two countries.

Sayyid Fahd expressed his thanks and appreciation to President Obama for his praise and appreciation of the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan.

He also conveyed to President Obama, His Majesty the Sultan’s

keenness on preserving the security and stability of the region.

He thanked Obama for cooperation and enhancing relations between the two countries as well as the US role in enhancing the security and stability in the region.

President Obama asked His Highness Sayyid Fahd to convey his greetings along with that of the US Administration of good health, happiness and the Omani people further progress and prosperity. —ONA

BOOSTING TOURSIM

Cruise Arabia’s road shows in India and China to woo tourists Times News Service DUBAI: Cruise Arabia will be conducting road shows in India and China to attract more tourists to the Gulf countries.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, a senior official attached to tourism industry, said that they would be targeting travel agents in cities across India and China which will raise awareness of cruise tourism opportunities in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar.

A delegation from the Ministry of Tourism Oman, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, Qatar Tourism Authority, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority and Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing will showcase the diversity of the region - including its city skylines, desert landscapes and beaches; shopping malls and traditional souks; natural wilderness and adventure experiences; and its

art, culture and heritage in these two countries.

The five-member tourism alliance will develop strategies which enhance cruise line and cruise visitors’ experiences in the region.

“The five tourism authorities are working to promote the region as a whole to the industry and encourage further cruise ship arrivals to the area,” added the official.

All of them also took part under the brand name of “Cruise Arabia” the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2015, which took place between May 4 and 7, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

The focus is on highlighting the rich destination offerings and the many benefits of cruises such as its family-friendly nature, the affordability of cruise travel – which starts at OMR175 per person for one week – and the breadth of on-board activities, entertainment and leisure as travellers explore multiple destinations

at a leisurely and relaxed pace.

Warm welcome Hamad bin Mejren, senior vice president of Dubai Tourism said, “Since the inception of this alliance in late 2013, we have received a warm welcome from the industry and stakeholders unanimously and we have started to see the successful result in driving cruise visitors to the region. The recent entry of two new regional partners, Qatar and Sharjah Tourism authorities, will take this alliance to new levels of strength.”

“After our successful participation in the Cruise Shipping Miami event in March 2015, ATM is the first mega regional event where Cruise Arabia is represented by five members. With growing collaboration, great strides are being taken to achieve our vision for the alliance - to unify efforts for positioning the region as the leading winter cruise destination in the world - is not too far,” he said.

MINISTERIAL DECISION

A1 Youth pleased with decisions < FROM

“Students who start working also begin to act like adults, and their self-esteem grows once they earn extra money. However, all students are not capable of handling part-time jobs which may sometimes interfere with essential study time or important extracurricular activities, and as a result their grades begin to suffer and some may even drop out of the programme,” she added.

Pleased Even though it is too early to gauge employer response, students are undoubtedly pleased with the introduction of the decision.

“It is good for us as we will able to make some money,” said Mohammed Al Balushi, a college student. Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Bakri, minister of manpower, issued a ministerial decision whereby employers can recruit

NEW GUIDELINES

Working hours should not exceed 5 hours per day

Maximum wage should be OMR3 per hour

Only Omani nationals should be recruited on parttime basis

Only job-seekers should be recruited on part-time basis

Those who complete 16 years of age, can be employed only between 6 am and 6 pm

workers on part-time basis on the following conditions including that part-time workers should not exceed 10 per cent of the specified Omanisation rate and their employment should be confined

to private institutions.

The employer should also provide the Ministry of Manpower with the names of part-time employees along with their job designations.

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

OMAN

Al Israa Wal Miraaj is a night of great importance for Muslims and its sanctity is celebrated by across the world with special sermons. This is the night when Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) was carried away by angel Hazrat Jibrael on a special journey from the Ka’aba (The house of God) in Makkah to Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, which is called the Israa, and then up to the heavens over the skies

PROPHET’S (PBUH) MIRACULOUS JOURNEY

BY MOHAMMAD OSAMA RAWAT

T

he night of 27 Rajab of the Hijri (Islamic) calendar is of great importance to Islamic history, as it was this auspicious night around a year before the Hijrat (When the Prophet moved to Al Madeena from Makkah), that Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, was carried away by angel Hazrat Jibrael on a special journey from the Ka’aba (The house of God) in Makkah to Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, which is called the Israa, and then up to the heavens over the skies, which is called Miraaj.

This year, this auspicious night falls on Friday (intervening May 15 and May 16). The lunar calendar date changes after sunset and not at midnight as in the solar calendar.

Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem has been the centre of activities of most of the prophets whose names have been mentioned in the Holy Quran, since the period of Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim, peace be upon him.

All the prophets who were sent by Allah on this earth before Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon them all, had gathered there to welcome and greet Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), who led all the prophets gathered there in prayer. From there he was carried over the seven skies to the highest horizon in the heaven. He was introduced to several prophets on the way and was shown various sections of heaven and hell by angel Hazrat Jibrael and ultimately carried to the utmost boundary which marks the end of the limit of angel Hazrat Jibrael’s access, called “Sidrat Al Muntahaa”, from where the Prophet was asked to move forward alone to have a conversation with Allah.

This night was of great importance in the life of the Prophet and the sanctity of this night is still celebrated by all Muslims throughout this world with special sermons, though it is not obligatory. This special miraculous journey is recorded in the Holy Quran: “…Glorified be He (Allah), who took His servant Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, by night from Masjid Al Haraam (Ka’aba) to the farthest Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem, the neighbourhood where we have blessed, in order that we might show him our signs… ” (Sohar Al Israa : Aayat-1) In the above Anaya, Allah narrates His power, greatness and dignity that He is able to do everything He wills. He alone is true and worthy of worship. He alone is the Rabbi (creator, provider and sustainer). He took Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), from Makkah to the farthest Masjid of Jerusalem in just one part of the night.

This event of Israa Wal Miraaj took place in the year which is called the “year of grief” in the life of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), because it was in this year when his uncle Hazrat Abu Talib died. Hazrat Abu Talib was a great protector of Muslims against the aggression of the Kuffars (Pagans) of Makkah.

While most of the Makkan sardars were outraged by the call of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Hazrat Abu Talib was always committed to protecting and helping his nephew and his companions. Though Hazrat Abu Talib did not accept Islam, he sincerely supported his nephew with money and strength. As long as he was alive, the Kuffars could not harm the Prophet. However, the death of Hazrat Abu Talib rendered the Prophet visibly weak and gave

The event of Israa Wal Miraaj has in itself, immense wisdom, advice and lesson. It teaches us never to lose hope in times of stress and worries. One should have full faith in Allah.

the polytheists an opportunity to oppress the Muslims.

Just two months after the death of his uncle Hazrat Abu Talib, the Prophet experienced another great personal loss. His wife Hazrat Khadeejaa, May Allah be pleased with her, who always stood like a rock by his side, also passed away.

She was a blessing from Allah to the Prophet and she shared all the toils of life with him for 25 years.

The Prophet deeply mourned her death and said, “She believed in me when no one else did. She embraced Islam when people disbelieved me, and she helped and comforted me in person and through her wealth when there was no one to lend a helping hand. I had children from her only.”(Musnad Ahmad-6/118) These two shocking and painful events took place within a very short period of time and at the same time losing hope in the pagans of Makkah accepting his preaching of pinning faith in Allah, the one and the only one worthy of worship, the Prophet travelled to the nearby town of Al Taif, but here too he faced agony which further increased his grief and sufferings. These unfortunate events in quick succession led

the Prophet to call this period “The Year of Grief”.

In the midst of all these sorrows, Allah took Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), through the great miraculous journey of “Israa Wal Miraaj” to show him His signs and to establish the very fact that even if the Kuffars of Makkah closed their doors on his beloved Prophet, the doors of heaven are open and Allah is his protector and supporter, and no strength can stop or harm him in moving forward to achieve his noble mission. The event of Israa Wal Miraaj thus indirectly established the victory of His message over his enemies.

The event of Israa Wal Miraaj has in itself, immense wisdom, advice and lesson. It teaches us never to lose hope in times of stress and worries. One should have full faith in Allah. His mercies and bounties will get rid of the problems as if they never existed.

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), was carried from Ka’aba to Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem on a heavenly beast called Al Buraaq, which as described by him, while trotting, would place its next step as far as the eye could see. The meaning of Buraaq in English is “Beam of light”.

More than 14 centuries ago when no scientist had even imagined the swiftness of light or its reality, our creator Allah had named this fast travelling beast Al Buraaq on the basis of its pace. This is proof of the truthfulness of Islam and prophethood of Allah’s messenger. “….We will show them our signs in the universe and in their own selves, until it manifests to them that this (Al Quran) is the truth…” (Al Quran - Suraah Al Fussilat - Aayat-53) In the olden days when science was not too advanced, people could

raise objections, such as, from where did such a creature appear which took Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), from one corner of the world to the other and through the spheres of heaven in just a few moments of a night? In today’s scientifically advance world we see man-made rockets and missiles travelling many miles in minutes.

So when a man who has been created by Allah can create such a fast travelling tool, why can’t Allah, the creator of mankind and this universe, create such a beast which can travel millions of miles in fraction of a second?

Regarding the significance of this journey, a close companion of the Prophet, Abdullah Ibn Mas’ood, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “… It was during this journey and in the very close proximity of the Creator over the high skies in the heaven, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was given the gift of Salaat (prayers) five time daily, the concluding verses of Surah Al Baqraa and the assurance about the remission of sins for those among his Umma’h (believers) who do not associate anything with Allah.” (Saheeh Muslim - 329) The believers in Islam must accept the fact that Allah has glorified five times Salaat and granted this gift for the Muslim Umma’h at a very high position above the seven heavens by revealing its obligation on the night of Israa Wal Miraaj in person to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), without any intercessor though all other commands were conveyed through angel Hazrat Jibrael on earth. Many verses of the Holy Quran and the numerous Hadeeths (sayings of the Prophet) too stand witness to the great importance of the Salaat.

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SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

REGION

IS has threatened to take Iraqi city of Ramadi for months, and its breakthrough came after a wide offensive on several fronts in Anbar, including an assault using several suicide car bombs in the city on Thursday.

IS rebels close in on ancient Syrian city; advance in Iraq crossroads of several civilisations.

It also houses a series of old and beautifully decorated tombs, where the richest Palmyrans were buried. IS would see such cultural treasures as targets, after the group was filmed destroying the Iraqi archaeological sites of Nimrud and Hatra. Since Syria’s conflict began four years ago, Palmyra has been looted and its architecture has already been damaged by clashes between rebels and the regime.

Militants advanced to within one km of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site and seized the main government compound in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi AT THE DOOR: A file picture taken on March 14, 2014 shows a partial view of the theatre at the ancient oasis city of Palmyra, 215 kilometres northeast of Damascus. IS group militants advanced to the gates of ancient city on Thursday. – AFP

BEIRUT: Extremists from the IS group closed in on Syria’s ancient metropolis of Palmyra on Friday, hours before seizing a government headquarters in the strategic Iraqi city of Ramadi.

Militants advanced to within one kilometre (less than a mile) of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site featuring Roman colonnades and an impressive necropolis, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “We are very worried,” UNESCO director Irina Bokova said on Friday at a news conference in Beirut.

“We are following the situation, because this is an ancient Roman site of very high value,” she said, renewing her call for “all relevant parties to protect” the famed desert oasis.

Bokova, who spoke in French,

highlighted the importance of working “against extremism, against this strategy of eradicating... our collective memory” used

by IS, which has already destroyed archaeological treasures in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.

Reinforcements sent The National Coalition, Syria’s main opposition group in exile, said IS would be committing “a crime against civilisation” by destroying Palmyra, adding that the regime had not done enough to protect the 2,000-year-old city.

Syria’s army sent reinforcements to Palmyra on Friday. “The army is bombing the surroundings of Tadmor from the air,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of

the Britain-based Observatory.

Palmyra, which means City of Palms, is known in Syria as Tadmor, or City of Dates. “IS group militants are now one kilometre” from the ruins, he said.

Since the IS offensive began early Wednesday, more than 138 combatants -- including 73 soldiers and 65 militants -- have been killed.

And at least 26 civilians were executed by IS, including 10 by beheading, after they were accused of “collaborating with the regime” in villages near Palmyra overrun

by IS. However, the governor of central Homs province, where Palmyra is located, said the situation was “under control”. “The army has sent reinforcements and it is bombing the (IS) positions from

the air,” Talal Barazi said.

According to Barazi, the inner city houses about 35,000 people, including displaced Syrians who fled there after their home towns were engulfed in violence, and the suburbs host roughly another 35,000. The Observatory said that more than 100,000 people lived in and around Palmyra. Syria’s director of antiquities Maamoun Abdelkarim called on the international community to prevent Palmyra’s destruction, which he said would be “an international catastrophe”. Palmyra is nicknamed “the pearl of the desert”, and UNESCO describes it as a heritage site of “outstanding universal value”. The historical metropolis stood on a caravan route at the

Ramadi compound Also on Friday, IS seized the main government compound in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi, giving them nearly full control over Anbar’s provincial capital, the group and officials said. IS “now occupies the government centre in Ramadi and has also raised its flag over the police HQ for Anbar”, a police major told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The group itself issued a statement saying its fighters “broke into the Safavid government complex in the centre of Ramadi”, using a derogatory term for government forces. IS has threatened to take Ramadi for months, and its breakthrough came after a wide offensive on several fronts in Anbar, including an assault using several suicide car bombs in the city on Thursday.

If the group manages to take all of Ramadi, it would control the capitals of the two largest provinces in Iraq. Mosul, capital of the neighbouring province of Nineveh, has been in IS hands since June 2014. — AFP

AFRICAN EMBASSY

Ex-Osama aide gets life in US for bombings NEW YORK: A Saudi Arabian man whom US authorities described as one of Osama bin Laden’s closest advisers was sentenced to life in prison on Friday in connection with the deadly 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Khalid Al Fawwaz was sentenced by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan after being convicted of four conspiracy counts in federal court in New York in February.

He was not charged with planning or participating in the attacks, which killed 224 people and injured more than 4,000. Instead, prosecutors accused him of working as a key bin Laden deputy in London, disseminating the Al Qaeda leader’s calls for violence to media outlets and arranging for supplies to be sent to the group’s members in Africa.

In addition, US authorities charged Al Fawwaz with running an Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in the early 1990s and helping to establish an Al Qaeda cell in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi that later conducted surveillance ahead of the embassy bombing there. Defence lawyers for Al Fawwaz, who did not testify at trial, claimed he was a peaceful political dissident who shared with bin Laden a desire for reform in their native Saudi Arabia but eventually turned away from the Al Qaeda leader when he began calling for violence against US citizens.

“My goal was reform, not rebellion,” he said on Friday, turning to face victims sitting in the courtroom. — Reuters

C O U N T RY AT WA R

Houthi import inspections hampering Yemen aid, warns UN GENEVA: The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen called on Friday on the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen to simplify import inspections, warning they were blocking vital commercial goods and aid.

UN agencies are rushing to bring aid into Yemen and distribute it around the country amid a five-day truce, which began late Tuesday.

Warning But UN coordinator Johannes van der Klaauw warned that the import inspections, introduced under an arms embargo slapped on Houthi rebels last month, were hampering access for vital goods.

“The arms embargo and its in-

spection regime results in commercial goods, be it by air or by ship, no longer reaching the country,” he told journalists in Geneva via conference call from Yemen. “The current inspection regime needs to be simplified, needs to be faster so that commercial, but also humanitarian imports of fuel (and) food and other life-sustaining necessities can resume,” he said.

The UN Security Council slapped the arms embargo on the Houthi rebels last month, after they captured the capital Sanaa and advanced on the southern city of Aden, forcing President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi into exile.

Van der Klaauw stressed that getting more fuel into conflictravaged Yemen was essential, not only for transporting aid around

NO LET-UP: Houthi rebels battling supporters of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi sits next to a tank on Thursday. – AFP

the country but also to keep fuelguzzling generators humming in water stations and hospitals.

“Unless additional fuel is made available in the next few weeks

... hospitals will shut down, water and sanitation systems will come to a halt, telecom services will end, power supplies will be cut across the country,” he said,

pointing out that in Yemen “there is no electricity, everything works on generators that need fuel.” Van der Klaauw hailed the so-called humanitarian pause, which he said seemed to be holding despite localised and temporary skirmishes. Some 1,600 people, many of them civilians, have been killed since the violence erupted in late March and more than 6,200 others have been injured.

The pause, he said, was providing “essential respite to the civilian population to get out of the conflict zone, to have some breathing space, to have access to services”.

“It also allows us to remove the dead bodies and then evacuate the wounded and allow for critical medical treatment,” he said.

The UN refugee agency said

on Friday that the first of six planned flights into Yemen carrying urgently needed aid had landed safely. The supplies, including blankets and sleeping mats, “will help alleviate the tough conditions for tens of thousands of desperate civilians wrenched from their homes as a result of the escalated conflict,” Charlotte Ridung, UNHCR’s assistant representative in Yemen, said in a statement.

UNHCR said Friday that some 450,000 Yemenis had fled inside the country since late March, joining some 330,000 people already internally displaced inside Yemen.

Some 250,000 Somali refugees in Yemen have also been impacted by the fighting, while around 29,000 people have fled to neighbouring countries, UNHCR said. — Agencies

JUNE 30 DEADLINE

‘Iran ready for all scenarios in nuclear talks’ VIENNA/BERLIN: Iran is prepared for “all scenarios” in talks with world powers about curbing its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, its top nuclear negotiator said on Friday when asked what would happen if no final deal was reached by July.

Also on Friday, Germany’s Spiegel magazine published that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he was optimistic that Tehran can reach a final nuclear deal with world powers provided that they “mean it seriously”.

Diplomats have been pushing to iron out details of a final agreement in Vienna this week without announcing any major breakthrough as a self-imposed deadline for a deal at the end of June is

OPTIMISTIC: Iran’s top nuclear negotiator and Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. – AFP Files

drawing nearer. “Even if I’m optimistic, that doesn’t mean that any deal is acceptable. All parties want a good deal and for Iran it’s only a good deal if our legitimate rights

are respected and sanctioned are finished,” top negotiator and deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi told the Austrian news agency APA.“We have thought of all possibilities and, accordingly, are prepared for all scenarios,” he said. A framework accord reached last month also did not spell out all details about the future of Iran’s atomic research and development programme, the exact scope of the UN atomic watchdog’s monitoring regime, and what kind of uranium stockpile Tehran will be allowed to keep.

“We believe that solving the technical components won’t be difficult if there is veritable political will. If that is the case, the final deal can very likely be reached before the deadline,” Araqchi said.

On Thursday, he held talks with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano. The IAEA is seeking access to Iranian military sites, such as Parchin near Tehran, as part of its investigation into any possible military dimensions to Tehran’s nuclear activities.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Germany’s Spiegel magazine: “An agreement is very likely -- provided that our negotiation partners mean it seriously.”

“Some people in the region are evidently panicking,” he said, adding there was no reason to do so.

“We don’t want to dominate the region. We are happy with our size and geography,” he told the magazine. — Reuters

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INDIA

India, China vow to settle boundary issue at earliest Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he had ‘stressed the need for China to reconsider its approach on some of the issues that hold us back from realising the full potential of our partnership’ PACT SIGNING CEREMONY: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, top left,and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, top right, applaud during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on Friday. - Reuters

BEIJING: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that he had candid, constructive and friendly talks with the Chinese leadership and both sides agreed to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution to the vexed boundary question which has vitiated bilateral relations over decades.

Addressing media after talks with Prime Minister Li Keqiang here, Modi said bilateral cooperation was a very important part of his talks with Li and with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“We covered all issues, including those that trouble smooth development of our relations,” he said. Modi said he had “stressed the need for China to reconsider its approach on some of the issues that hold us back from realising the full potential of our partnership”.

He said: “I suggested that China should take a strategic and long-term view of our relations” and added that he found the Chi-

nese leadership “responsive”. On the boundary issue, he said both “agreed that we continue to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution” and that both sides reiterated their “strong commitment to make all efforts to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border region”.

“I found sensitivity to our concerns on this issue; and, interest in further intensifying confidence building measures. I also reiterated the importance of clarification of Line of Actual Control in this regard,” said Modi.

He said he sought “tangible progress” on issues relating to visa policy and trans-border rivers and that he discussed “some of our regional concerns”.

“We agreed that as we move ahead, we should be sensitive to each other’s interests; strengthen mutual trust and confidence; continue to manage our differences with maturity; and seek solutions

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to outstanding issues,” the prime minister said.”

“We have set a high level of ambition for our economic partnership,” he said.

He said both sides were “pleased with the progress” on the commitments from the Summit last September when President Xi Jinping visited India.

In the field of railways, both have identified specific projects, and two Chinese industrial parks in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

He said both Xi and Li were “very supportive” about increased Chinese participation in the Make in India initiative and in infrastructure sector.

Modi said both “President Xi

M Y S T E R I OU S D E AT H

Police seek polygraph test of witnesses in Sunanda case NEW DELHI: Investigators probing Sunanda Pushkar death case have sought lie detector test of three key witnesses to verify certain evidence, Delhi Police chief B. S. Bassi on Friday said, even as there is indication that around a dozen witnesses may be asked to undergo the examination.

The Delhi Police has approached a city court for permission to carry out polygraph test on Narain Singh, who is domestic help of Sunanda’s husband and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, driver Bajrangi and family friend Sanjay Dewan.

Asked whether investigators were planning to subject Tharoor to polygraph test, Bassi said he would not like to “speculate”.

“Investigation is done as per an action plan. The Investigating Officer keeps reviewing his evidence he gathers during the probe and whatever necessary, is done.

At this juncture we will not like to speculate (about Tharoor) but there is nothing to be read in this,” Bassi said.

Tharoor has been questioned thrice in this case so far. Sunanda was found dead in the hotel suite on January 17 last year, a day after she was involved in a spat with Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar on Twitter over the latter’s alleged affair with Tharoor.

Bassi said investigators are

Sunanda Pushkar

waiting a report from Federal Bureau of Investigation to know about the kind of poison found in Sunanda’s body.

Her viscera samples were sent to the FBI lab in Washington in February this year after an AIIMS panel concluded that the poison cannot be detected in Indian labs.

“We are yet to receive the report from FBI.” Delhi Police had moved a plea before a magistrate in the Patiala House Court on Wednesday seeking permission to conduct polygraph test on the three witness.

The next hearing in the case is on May 20.

Police have accused the three of concealing “material facts” like a power cut in room no. 345 at Leela Hotel on January 17, 2014 around 7pm where Pushkar was

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found dead around 8pm.

Sources close to the investigation said that once polygraph test is conducted on these three persons, police are likely to seek similar screening of around a dozen witnesses in the case.

Bassi, however, tried to downplay the whole development by asking reporters to “not to read too much” into the polygraph test issue.

“If one needs a polygraph test to appreciate the evidence, then it can be done. In this case, the Investigating Officer felt that certain evidence need to be tested by putting the person on the polygraph, so there is no big deal,” he said.

Asked about the points that the police want to verify, Bassi said, “It is not about truth or lie. In any investigation which is done on scientific lines, the objective is to make best possible efforts.

You don’t need to read too much.

I would not like to draw any conclusion.”

In January this year, police claimed that Sunanda Pushkar (51) was poisoned, and registered a murder case against unknown persons. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) which has been formed to investigate the case is also looking into a possible link to the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League. -PTI

and Premier Li were very receptive to the specific concerns I had raised on our growing trade deficit. We look forward to early impact on the ground”.

He said their decision to open consulates in Chengdu and Chennai reflects the growing mutual confidence and shared commitment to expand their bilateral ties.

First of its kind Referring to the State and Provincial Leaders’ Forum that was inaugurated here, Modi said it was the first such interaction India has held with any country.

“This is consistent with my firm commitment to cooperative federalism in India....”

He said India is establishing a Centre for Gandhian and Indian Studies in Shanghai, a Yoga College in Kunming and a bilateral Think-Tanks Forum.

He thanked the Chinese leadership for opening the Nathu La

route for Indian pilgrims to visit Kailash Mansarovar which will become operational in June.

He said the decision to open consulates in Chengdu and Chennai reflected the growing mutual confidence between the two countries and their shared commitment to expanding bilateral ties.

“We have a shared interest in the outcome of the international climate change negotiations. We are both trying to strengthen regional connectivity.”

He said the 24 agreements inked between them during his visit “shows the depth and maturity of our relationship and the positive direction of our partnership. This has been a very productive and positive visit. I look forward to working with President Xi and Premier Li,” he said.

Modi said he welcomed Xi’s proposal to hold regular summits and that he has invited Li to visit India at an early date. - IANS

S H A R I N G I N F O R M AT I O N

Switzerland commits to cooperate in India’s black money cases NEW DELHI: Committing its support to India’s fight against the black money menace, Switzerland on Friday said its Parliament will soon consider changes in laws to look into the possibility of sharing information in cases being probed on the basis of stolen data of Swiss bank accounts.

To consider providing ‘administrative assistance’ to foreign countries, which would include India, in such cases, a proposal would be moved in the Swiss Parliament, Switzerland’s Economic Affairs Minister Johann N. Schneider Ammann said here on Friday.

Ammann, who is in India on a three-day visit, said Switzerland is sensitive to the fact that the issue of black money is very important for India and needs to be resolved.

“Switzerland has decided to follow international standards, including those framed by OECD, in sharing information and providing assistance to foreign countries probing such cases, but we have to ask our Parliament to make changes in our laws,” he said at a select media briefing.

Ammann said the Swiss government is committed to resolve this issue and the Federal Council, the apex decision making body in Switzerland, has decided to provide a ‘clarification’ to the Parliament on legal situation on administrative assistance in cases of stolen data.

When asked whether the new black money law passed in India would have ramifications for Swiss banks, the minister said it was too early to talk about that as the procedures and the law itself first needs to be understood.

Under the new law, those found to be stashing illicit funds in foreign locations, including Swiss banks, would face strict penal action, including up to ten years in jail and a penalty of 90 per cent of funds in addition to 30 per cent tax levy. - PTI

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SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

INDIA

A perception is gaining ground that the government is slow in responding to the crisis in the countryside D.H. Pai Panandiker, President of the RPG Foundation

TA K I N G S T O C K

For year-old government, storm brewing in the villages KHANNA/KAMARGAON: Just one year after taking office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a challenge that could come to haunt him — the farm sector that sustains three-fifths of the population is in deep trouble, and he is being blamed for not doing enough.

Promising good governance and a stronger economy, Modi romped to power in elections last May by the biggest margin any Indian prime minister has got in three decades. But the rural crisis has dented his popularity and the vanquished opposition is finding new vigour in his discomfort.

From the start of the crop season last October through March, India’s farm exports have fallen more than 11 per cent to $15 billion, as the impact of the global commodities glut has been sharpened by events like Iran’s nuclear talks and a currency dip in Brazil.

Fall in exports The fall in exports has depressed domestic farmgate prices just as unseasonal rain damaged winter crops such as wheat, potato, chickpea and rapeseed.

Farmers have little money now

to buy seeds for the summer sowing, and meteorologists have predicted the annual June-October monsoon will be below par, which means the next crop may also fail.

“A perception is gaining ground that the government is slow in responding to the crisis in the countryside,” said D.H. Pai Panandiker, president of the RPG Foundation think-tank in New Delhi. “Any inept handling of the situation will only invite trouble and impair the plans for economic reforms.”

Farming accounts for only 15 per cent of India’s $2 trillion economy but provides a livelihood to 60 per cent of its 1.25 billion people.

Latching on to discontent A crisis in the countryside would have severe political impact.

The opposition Congress party, crushed by Modi, is latching on to rising discontent in the countryside. Party leader Rahul Gandhi has been touring the affected farming regions and the heir apparent to the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty is getting a good response.

“While Modi has failed to help us, Rahul Gandhi was here to assuage our pain,” said Paramdeep

per cent for farmers suffering crop losses. In an attempt to draw the sting of falling exports and prices, the government has also eased quality requirements for wheat purchases by state agencies, raised import taxes on rubber and sugar, and given an incentive for raw sugar exports. To some farmers, the response is too little, too late.

CHALLENGE: A labourer loads a bundle of wheat husk on a tractortrolley at a field in Punjab, India, recently. - Reuters

Singh, a wheat farmer at Khanna wholesale market in Punjab. “His visit has forced the government to at least acknowledge the fact that we’ve suffered huge losses.”

The fight back by the opposition has slowed Modi’s reform agenda in parliament. This week, Congress delayed bills that would make it easier for corporations to buy land — changes it says are “antifarmer” — and harmonise national

and state taxes. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said last week agriculture was the biggest challenge for India’s economy and would need major investments.

Compensation raised Meanwhile, Modi’s government has asked state governments to tap into more than $1 billion from the State Disaster Response Fund and raised compensation by 50

Not doing enough “When you lose 10,000 rupees ($156), they offer you 100 rupees.

So far we haven’t got any assistance,” said Manik Andhale, a farmer from Kamargaon village in Maharashtra state, whose onion crop suffered rain damage. To be sure, some of the events that have led to the crisis are beyond the government’s control.

Until last year, for example, Iran paid a premium for Indian sugar, soymeal, barley and basmati rice.

Now, with the easing of some Western sanctions, Iran is looking to buy elsewhere. Cotton exports have been hit by China’s decision to abandon a stockpiling plan, while non-basmati rice shipments face headwinds after Thailand decided to run down its stockpiles.

‘Acche din’ only for Modi, his businessmen friends: Rahul Rahul said the NDA and TRS had promised to change India and Telangana respectively but forgot farmers who can bring real change

REACHING OUT: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi during his 15km-padyatra (foot journey) on farmers issue at Nirmal, in Adilabad district of Telangana, on Friday. -PTI

NIRMAL (Telangana): Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said “acche din” have come only for Modi and few businessmen close to him.

Addressing a public meeting at Wadial village near here, he said Modi has five to six businessmen friends and the entire country was being run for them.

“It is a government of selected people. It is a government of suitboot and selected industrialists,” said Rahul after winding up 15-km

long padyatra (foot journey) in Adilabad district to console families of farmers who committed suicide due to financial distress.

“Acche din” have not come for people but for Modi, who is visiting different countries, he quipped.

In another dig at Modi, he asked the crowd: “Is there anybody among you who wears a Rs10 lakh suit.” “Modiji wears it,” he added.

“One year has passed. Did anybody among you get a job which Modiji at centre and mini-Modi in Telangana (Chief Minister K.

Chandrasekhar Rao) had promised,” he asked.

The Congress vice chief claimed that wherever goes, people tell him that they committed a mistake by voting for the National Democratic Alliance. He said both the NDA and the Telanagana Rashtra Samithi respectively had promised that they will change India and Telangana but forgot farmers who can bring the real change.

Hitting out at the NDA government for proposed amendment to land acquisition law, the Congress

leader said the government want to snatch the lands of farmers and give them to few industrialists who are close to Modi.

He said the central and state governments have thousands of acres of land with them and pointed out that 40 per cent of lands in Special Economic Zones created

by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is lying unused.

Rahul also cited Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s admission that only eight per cent of the projects are stalled for want of land.

“They want to snatch your land because land is gold. The price of land in coming years will increase manifold and this will benefit you and your children,” he told farmers.

Partnership “Industries should come. There should be partnership between industries, farmers and labourers.

We are against crony capitalism.

Crony capitalism means give everything to two to three industrialists,” he said.

Stating that the NDA government is trying to pass the land bill in a hurry, he alleged that this will give powers to the government to take farmers’ lands without their consent, which was made manda-

tory by the UPA government. Rahul said the government was also trying to do away with existing provision for returning lands to farmers if projects don’t come up in five years and also the provision for social audit on the impact of land acquisition on farmers.

Consoling Hitting back at NDA and TRS for criticising him for meeting families of farmers who committed suicide, he said if Modi and Chandrasekhar Rao had visited them, there was no need for him to do so. The Congress leader also took a dig at them for not bothering to visit farmers who lost crops in unseasonal rains.

Rahul, who consoled five families and gave cheques of Rs200,000 each, said the Congress, while in power, always came to the rescue of farmers in times of natural calamities or to solve other problems.

He recalled that the UPA government waived Rs.70,000 crore of farm loans, and also provided Rs.8 lakh crore bank loans to farmers in 10 years, thus increasing the agriculture credit by 700 per cent.

Congress’ state unit president Uttam Kumar Reddy said 700 farmers committed suicide in the state during 11 months. - IANS

On the other side of the world, a decline in the Brazilian real following a scandal at oil giant Petrobras last year has weighed on sugar prices, making Indian exports uncompetitive.

Depressed prices of grains Meanwhile, the fall in global crude oil prices has depressed prices of grains and oilseeds used for biofuels. It also trimmed freight rates, making imports of commodities such as corn and soymeal from South America cheaper for Asian buyers. A strong rupee — despite a fall last week — has further made India’s farm exports uncompetitive and imports cheaper.

A major commodities trader has said the decline in agricultural exports could be as much as $5 billion, or nearly 20 per cent, for the crop year to September, which would be the steepest on record.

In the villages, farmers struggle to understand why they are earning less. “How come prices of all crops are going down?” asked Anil Sathe, a farmer in Kamargaon who said he has had to start working as a part-time labourer to make ends meet. - Reuters SMART VILLAGE PLAN

Expat Indians from US adopt 2,400 villages in Andhra WASHINGTON: Several Indian-Americans have decided to adopt more than 2,400 villages in AP as part of ‘Smart VillageSmart Ward’ programme which aims at comprehensive development of the areas.

Nara Lokesh, Telugu Desam Party leader and son of Andhra Pradesh (AP) Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, met several Indian-Americans in Los Angeles, San Jose, Chicago, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Portland and Dallas, and asked them to invest in the villages in Andhra Pradesh.

Impressed by the idea of ‘Smart Village-Smart Ward’, several Indian-Americans have decided to adopt more than 2,417 villages in AP, the visiting leader said.

He met Assistant Secretary of Commerce Arun Kumar and discussed the smart city project in particular that of Visakhapatnam, a media statement said on Thursday.

“The day is not far when AP will become a formidable force that will set new precedents in the nation,” Lokesh said while addressing the NRI Telugu community here. - PTI

SHARING DIAS WITH MODI

Mamata rebuts opposition suggestion of having understanding with BJP KOLKATA: West Bengal chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday rubbished opposition suggestions of understanding between her and BJP after she shared the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a public event, saying there is a “limit” to everything and all kind of “canards”.

The Trinamool Congress supremo also said that if she did not participate in the IISCO programme in Burnpur which was attended by Modi during his visit to West Bengal then she would have been accused of lacking courtesy.

Mamata said she attended the event as it related to the state’s development. “If I don’t go, some people will say I lack courtesy. If I go, you will do Hindu-Muslim politics. There is a limit to everything and all kind of canards.

“And why will I not go, we have given land to IISCO plant and it is a programme relating to the development of the state. Why will I allow others to take away the credit?” she said while addressing a Trinamool Congress Chatra Prasihad (TMCP) programme.

Mamta’s comments came against the backdrop of allegations levelled by CPI(M) and Congress that her sharing of dais with Modi during the inauguration of a modernised IISCO steel plant was a result of a covert political understanding between BJP and TMC over CBI going slow on the Saradha scam and TMC helping BJP in

In the coming elections, we need to search for the CPI(M), Congress and BJP candidates and defeat them. We need to give them a befitting reply TRAINING CAMP: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee interacts with newly elected Presidents of various college and university student unions during a Training camp of TMC Student Unions at Netaji Indoor Stadium, in Kolkata, on Friday. - PTI

passing of bills in Rajya Sabha.

Both Mamata and Modi during the May 10 programme at Burnpur had spoken in favour of strengthening the federal structure of the country by keeping the country ahead of state politics.

The West Bengal Chief Minister also held a one-to-one meet with Modi and requested him to give a complete debt waiver to the debt-ridden state.

Mamata was a bitter critic of Modi and his policies since

last year’s Lok Sabha poll. The relationship between the two plummeted last year when the Chief Minister refused to attend several meetings called by the Prime Minister.

Modi too during his election campaign in Bengal last year criticised the Trinamool Congress government over the multi-crore Saradha scandal and had promised to book the guilty.

Mamata also gave a call for defeating the CPI(M), Congress

Mamata Banerjee West Bengal chief minister

and BJP in days to come and cautioned critics not to teach her about the moral values of politics.

“In the coming elections, we need to search for the CPI(M), Congress and BJP candidates and defeat them. We need to give them a befitting reply,” she said.

“Please don’t teach me moral values of politics. I am a product of student politics. Student politics has taught me to survive against all odds. I have come a hard way,” she added. - PTI

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

PAKISTAN

Hundreds of trucks and pickups full of soldiers and weapons... are moving towards Shawal. There are roadblocks everywhere, no one can come in or go out. There is a complete curfew and phones lines are also being cut, said Zainullah, a telephone operator in Shawal Valley

LONE GUNMAN

Senior police officer killed in Karachi KARACHI: A lone gunman on a motorbike shot dead a senior Pakistani police officer in the volatile southern city Karachi on Friday, police said, the third in an sudden spate of killings targeting senior officers in the city.

“The killing of three senior ranking officers in 15 days is quite unusual,” a senior police officer who did not want to be named told Reuters.

“Earlier, low-ranking policemen like constables and assistant subinspectors were being targeted, but now the pattern is changing.”

Rival claims It was unclear who was behind the shootings, or even if they are linked. Friday’s killing of Superintendent Ejaz Haider was claimed by both a Taliban spokesman and a Twitter account purporting to be from a breakaway group of Pakistani militants who have sworn allegiance to IS, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist communications.

Neither claim could be immediately verified. Pakistani authorities doubt that IS has operational links with Pakistani militants.

But it underlines fears that the ultra-violent IS is inspiring Pakistani militant groups to emulate it, even if the groups do not share funding or fighters.

The shooting of Haider, who was a member of a minority sect, follows Wednesday’s massacre of 45 minority sect commuters in Karachi. That attack was also claimed by militants who swore allegiance to IS. So far 48 policemen have been killed in Karachi this year, compared to 142 last year. — Reuters

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Air, ground army offensive launched in Shawal region Pakistani jets began

Jundulah’s claim of IS funding questioned by officials

bombing the valley in the early hours, killing between six and 15 militants, four intelligence sources said. The Taliban still maintain control of the valley and have used it as a launching pad for attacks on Pakistani forces

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistani troops on Friday began a “massive” offensive to try to push the Taliban from their last major stronghold in the mountainous northwestern region of North Waziristan, moving in from north and south, officials and residents said.

The heavily forested ravines of the Shawal Valley are pockmarked with Taliban hideouts and the valley itself is a key smuggling route into neighbouring Afghanistan.

Pakistani jets began bombing the valley in the early hours, killing between six and 15 militants, four intelligence sources told Reuters.

“It is a massive military action against the Taliban militants and their allies in the Shawal mountains,” said a government official who asked for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak about military operations.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The militant group that said it was behind Wednesday’s massacre of 45 commuters in Karachi is a dangerous outfit with ties to Pakistan’s Taliban, but intelligence sources voiced doubts about claims it had received financial support from IS. Jundullah, an extremist organisation that targets minority communities, pledged allegiance to IS last year, one of several smaller extremist groups in South Asia to do so.

It also said in November that its leaders held a meeting with a three-man delegation representing IS. Ahmed Marwat, who purports to be a Jundullah commander and spokesman, went further this week, telling Reuters the group had received money from IS. “IS brothers are supporting us a lot financially,” he said by telephone from an undisclosed location.

Marwat added that Jundullah planned more attacks, in Pakistan.

Leaflets left at the scene of Wednesday’s gun attack on a bus carrying members of the Ismaili minority referred to IS. Later a Twitter account from militants identifying themselves as IS claimed

The Pakistani Taliban controlled almost all of North Waziristan until troops launched a long-awaited offensive there in June.

The Taliban still maintain control of Shawal Valley and have

VIGIL: People light candles for the victims of the attack on a bus on Wednesday, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday. — Reuters

responsibility. It was not possible to verify their claims. Any proof that IS has direct links with some of the thousands of extremist militants in Pakistan and Afghanistan would spark alarm in a region where the Taliban, Al Qaeda and myriad other groups carry out atrocities almost daily.

But, while analysts believe militants draw inspiration from the IS’ military successes and grisly propaganda, intelligence officials in Pakistan said they doubted IS had financial ties with Jundullah.

“We have no evidence of

used it as a launching pad for attacks on Pakistani forces.

A spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

The Pakistani Taliban are allied with Afghan Taliban and share a similar extremist ideology. But

any money trail of this kind,” said one military intelligence official, when asked about Marwat’s claims. “This is deep exaggeration.”

Another official said Jundullah financed itself through bank robberies, extortion and kidnapping.

No footprint Foreign Ministry spokesman Qazi Khalillulah told reporters late on Thursday that IS had “no footprint” in Pakistan.

“However, our law enforcement and security agencies are vigilant and will take appropri-

they operate as a separate entity, focused on toppling the Pakistani state and establishing an obscurantist rule in the nation.

NATO forces, which left Afghanistan last year, repeatedly urged Pakistan to take action

ate action, if need be.”

IS leaders in the Middle East have done little to suggest they are actively involved in South Asia.

According to several security sources, Jundullah once had strong ties to Al Qaeda’s Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, suspected mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, when it was founded in 2003 by a statistics student from Karachi University.

In 2004 the group’s leaders were convicted of a failed assassination attempt on General Ahsan Hayat.

In the last three years, Jundullah has claimed responsibility for some of Pakistan’s worst militant attacks, including a suicide bombing of a church in Peshawar that killed around 100 people.

A Taliban commander dismissed Marwat as an upstart.

He said Marwat used to come to their offices in Miranshah, the capital of North Waziristan. The city was under Taliban control until a Pakistani military offensive last year.

“Initially we didn’t trust him, but he was very funny and we allowed him to sit in our media office sometimes,” the Taliban commander said. — Reuters

against Taliban havens along its border.

Tanks, soldiers Residents said tanks and soldiers were approaching the valley from the north and south. — Reuters

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They went for an overkill on a CIA leak case

W

ould America really be safer if Jeffrey Sterling had been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison? That was the outrageous punishment the Justice Department sought for Sterling, the former Central Intelligence Agency officer convicted of leaking classified information about Iran’s nuclear programme to a reporter. A federal judge in Virginia rightly believed that was far too long. In a significant rebuke to the Obama administration’s doggedyet-selective crusade against leaks, Judge Leonie Brinkema of Federal District Court quickly rejected the government’s request and sentenced Sterling to three and a half years behind bars. In January, Sterling was found guilty of violating federal laws, including the Espionage Act, by disclosing details about a covert operation involving a former Russian scientist and CIA informant who gave Iran intentionally faulty schematics in an attempt to forestall the country’s nuclear capabilities. The reporter wrote about the operation in his book, State of War. He has refused to identify his sources despite facing a threat of jail time that ended only days before Sterling’s trial.

The government argued at trial that the leak had disrupted the operation and endangered national security. Judge Brinkema did not appear to buy that claim, which was called “overwrought hyperbole” by one CIA veteran in a letter to the court. She instead focused on Sterling’s jeopardising the safety of an informant, whose identity she said was “the most critical secret” an intelligence officer keeps. “If you knowingly reveal these secrets, there’s going to be a price to be paid.” Sterling, who maintains his innocence and may appeal his conviction, is only the latest target of the Obama administration, which has charged more public servants with leaks to journalists than all previous administrations combined. He joins at least three other CIA officers and contractors in receiving prison time for leaking classified information.

In light of these prosecutions, it is worth considering the degree to which this White House seems to value secrecy over accountability.

It fixates on certain leakers, and the reporters they work with, even as it neglects to prosecute anyone for, say, the torture of the detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere, or for the intentional destruction of videotapes documenting that torture. The government enjoys great flexibility from courts and the American public in deciding how best to protect national security. When it abuses that flexibility — by going after journalists and their sources with a century-old law intended for Communist spies, or by to failing to hold torturers accountable — the nation is made less safe. - The New York Times News Service

COMMENTARY

Make the life-saving drugs available to all PETER SINGER

UK constitution needs reforms

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s vilified, unpopular and mediocre as many of the British politicians are, it will fall to this generation to construct a new constitutional settlement for the United Kingdom. In some respects, the work is under way: MPs have begun to tackle the extent and shape of further devolution in Scotland and so-called “English Votes for English Laws. The constitution the United Kingdom now has – part written in law, part codified in a sort of Haynes manual written by Gus (now Lord) O’Donnell, part governed by conflicting precedents, and part made up as Britain went along – cannot cope with today’s challenges. Quite an agenda, and, prospectively, the biggest constitutional upheaval since the Great Reform Act of 1832. The New Great Reform Bill needed in the next parliament will require seemingly incompatible parties to work together, and supposedly unbreakable pledges to be bent. Perhaps it will be too much for one Bill in one parliament, but the work has to start now.

For the sake of stability, the fixed-term parliament should be abolished through a cross-party consensus, and the previous, though flawed, prerogative granted to a prime minister to request the dissolution of parliament restored.

So far as the future of the Union is concerned, Boris Johnson is correct in saying we need a “grown-up debate” on a federal Britain. Asymmetric devolution, with differing powers devolved to Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, London and other places can be made to work, as it does, after a fashion, in Spain. The position of “England” is complicated, but it seems fair that English MPs should have the final say on legislation that affects only England. Alternatively, a reformed House of Lords could be turned into a sort of Senate, but the usual problem of a competing democratic mandate to the Commons remains. An option is complete abolition, with stronger select committees to provide the revision and checks and balances the Lords provides and the Supreme Court taking on a constitutional arbitration role. All this is necessarily sketchy. Britain cannot have a stable and strong government it needs to tackle still formidable social and economic problems without a new constitution that commands respect and broad support. Whether the 650 men and women Britain has elected this time are up to the task we shall soon discover. - The Independent

Women have been ignored for Nobel Prize in science In the past 100 years and more the Nobel Committee has conveniently ignored at least six women who ought to have been awarded Nobel Prize in science. Each of them, despite being ignored by the Swedish Academy, has made fundamental contributions in the development of science and added “to our understanding of the world.”

Even if we accept that presence of women in higher science and scientific research are perceptibly fewer in number than their male counterparts one cannot ignore that process of nominating and awarding Nobel Prize in science has always been a legacy of controversy steeped in sexism. We are waiting, with bated breath, to see when shall

this gender discrimination of the Nobel Committee end.

Daliah Mustafa Muttrah

There were other motives behind the US moves The United States joining World War II, in particular, did not prove America’s exceptionalism. It fought the war because Germany was fast turning into a threat to America’s hegemonic ambitions, nuked Japan, bifurcated Germany, divided the world and triggered Cold War. Nirmala Srinivas Wadi Kabir

The peace the United States gave the world There was a time when the

Some governments and foundation-funded researches address diseases that primarily affect poor people, but these efforts are not systematic and do not use the incentives that work well to drive pharmaceutical innovation elsewhere

T

he deadly outbreak of Ebola in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea that began last year highlighted a problem in the production of pharmaceuticals. Once it became clear that the epidemic would not be rapidly contained, several firms quickly arranged for clinical trials of potential treatments and vaccines, indicating that they already had the ability to produce plausible candidates.

Ebola is not a new disease: it was first identified in 1976. Prior to 2014, however, the largest outbreak was in Uganda, in 2000, when 425 people were infected and 224 died. Though Ebola was known to be both contagious and often fatal, it was thought that only Africa’s impoverished rural population was at risk. For pharmaceutical firms, the development of a vaccine or treatment was not commercially attractive, and so it did not warrant investment.

All that changed with the latest outbreak. In September 2014, the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention predicted that, in the worst case, 1.4 million people could be infected within four months. Media-fed fears that the disease could spread to affluent countries led to extraordinary precautions. In the United States, President Barack Obama asked Congress for $6.2 billion, including $2.4 billion to reduce the risk of the disease becoming established in America and set up 50 US Ebola treatment centres.

The worst-case scenario did not materialize.

As of April 2015, the best estimate is that about 25,000 people have been infected, with approximately 10,000 deaths. Outside West Africa, there have been fewer than 30 cases, and only five deaths. Nevertheless, the fears, and especially the prospect of a new and lucrative market, set pharmaceutical firms scrambling to develop Ebolarelated products, while health officials lamented that nothing had been done beforehand.

I am not criticising pharmaceutical companies for not producing an Ebola vaccine when there was no market for it. They are not charities. If we want them to make products that will help the poor in developing countries, we need to find ways of giving them – and their shareholders – a return on their investment.

Whereas pharmaceutical companies lack incentives to aid the poor in developing countries, they have strong incentives to develop products for people in affluent countries. One drug, Soliris, costs $440,000 per patient per year. In contrast, GiveWell estimates that the cost of saving a life by distributing bed nets in regions where malaria is a

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Never let your inferiors do you a favour - it will be extremely costly H. L. MENCKEN

major killer is $3,400. Given that most of the lives saved are those of children, who even in developing countries have a life expectancy of at least 50 years, this equates to a cost of $68 per year of life saved. Should we really be valuing the life of a person in an affluent country at more than 6,000 times the value of the life of an impoverished child in a developing country?

Because the overwhelming majority of medical and pharmaceutical research is directed toward products that affect people in affluent countries, it targets only part of the global burden of disease.

Some governments and foundation-funded researches address diseases that primarily affect poor people, but these efforts are not systematic and do not use the incentives that work well to drive pharmaceutical innovation elsewhere.

One promising attempt to correct this imbalance is the proposal for a Health Impact Fund that Thomas Pogge, director of the Global Justice Programme at Yale, and Aidan Hollis, an economist at the University of Calgary, launched seven years ago. If the Health Impact Fund could be adequately financed, it would provide incentives to develop products in proportion to their impact in reducing the global burden of disease. It is not certain that the existence of such a fund prior to the recent Ebola outbreak would have led to the development of vaccines or treatments for the disease. But pharmaceutical companies would have been considering such products – as well as other treatments to save lives or improve health anywhere in the world, regardless of people’s ability to pay.

Pogge and Hollis have now refined their proposal to the point that it is ready for a real-world trial. A company that develops a product would earn a share of reward money based on its share of the health improvements achieved by all the products competing for the available funds. What is still needed, however, is sufficient reward money – perhaps $100 million from governments, NGOs, foundations and the pharmaceutical industry – to stimulate serious investment.

Such a pilot programme would benefit poor patients and would test scientists’ ability to measure health impact fairly and accurately. It would also provide the evidence needed to go to governments, foundations, and global institutions for the much larger sums required to expand the present system of incentives that guide pharmaceutical companies’ decisions. If the pilot is successful, we will have found a way to support the development of drugs and vaccines that gives equal weight to protecting the lives and improving the health of all human beings, irrespective of their nationality or wealth. - Project Syndicate

US military advertised saying American soldiers were ambassadors of peace. Of course, they were and they are. They turned Hiroshima and Nagasaki into graveyards to bring peace and save lives, they killed thousands in Vietnam to herald peace, they are killing in dozens in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including children, to bring peace and save lives because they are ambassadors of peace.

Asadul Iqbal Latif Muscat

tral African nations including Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Namibia, Algeria, Zambia, Guinea and Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe are teetering on a precipice. A frustration, if not anger, is brewing in their backyards. And it may not take long for this frustration to burst into what we may call African Spring. If so happens, the African outburst could be equally dramatic and bloody.

B. B. Gurumurthy Muscat

A volcano is waiting to explode in Africa soon

Chennai surrendered rather meekly to Delhi

No one knows when and where will the Arab uprising end. But we know for certain that Africa will be the next where volcano will explode. At least eight cen-

Chennai Super Kings literally surrendered like a meek mouse to Delhi Dare Devils on Tuesday.

Ashok Panicker Seeb

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

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

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ASIA

After a three-day search the Huey was spotted near the village of Ghorthali, in Nepal at an altitude of 11,200 ft (3,400 m), an army general said as helicopters and Nepali ground troops converged on the crash site

Hundreds of migrants pushed back to sea after landing in Indonesia UN calls to rescue thousands adrift in Southeast Asian waters with dwindling supplies of food and water

BANGKOK/JAKARTA: Nearly 800 “boat people” were brought ashore in Indonesia on Friday, but other vessels crammed with migrants were sent back to sea despite a UN call to rescue thousands adrift in Southeast Asian waters with dwindling supplies of food and water.

Underlining the hardening of the Southeast Asian country government’s stance on the boatloads of Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar, Thailand’s prime minister warned on Friday that if more migrants arrived they might steal jobs from Thais and Indonesia’s military chief warned they would cause “social issues”.

About 2,500 migrants have landed on Indonesia’s western tip and the northwest coast of Malaysia over the past week.

But two boats that crossed the Malacca Strait from the ThailandMalaysia side have been turned away by the Indonesian navy, and on Friday another was towed out to sea by the Thai navy.

ACCIDENT

Bus plunges off cliff in China, 33 die BEIJING: At least 33 people died on Friday when a bus apparently plunged off a cliff in China, reports said, in the latest deadly traffic incident in the country.

The accident in Chunhua county, in the northern province of Shaanxi, killed 33 people with another 13 injured, state broadcaster CCTV said. Pictures posted online, which could not be immediately verified, showed a white bus on its side at the bottom of a steep, partially-forested red cliff. The injured were being treated and the cause of the crash was being investigated, said county authorities, who initially put the toll at 30. — AFP

NOWHERE TO GO: A group of rescued women and children migrants, mostly Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladesh, gather upon their arrival at the new confinement area in the fishing town of Kuala Langsa, in Indonesia’s Aceh province, on Friday. – AFP

Malaysia, too, has said it would push migrant boats back to sea.

“They have no food, no water and are drinking their own urine,” said Joe Lowry, a spokesman for the International Organization for Migration in Bangkok.

Maritime ping-pong This is a game of maritime pingpong with human life. We expect governments in the region to find a solution rapidly... or we will be finding boatloads of desiccated

corpses floating around in the Andaman Sea in coming days”.

The crisis has arisen because smugglers have abandoned boats full of migrants, many of them hungry and sick, in the Andaman Sea following a Thai crackdown on human trafficking.

Thailand is the first stop on the most common trafficking route used by criminals preying on Rohingya as well as Bangladeshis seeking to escape poverty.

As some countries faced pres-

sure for closing their doors to desperate “boat people”, the UN human rights chief said the deadly pattern of migration by sea across the Bay of Bengal would continue unless Myanmar itself ends discrimination.

“Until the Myanmar government addresses the institutional discrimination against the Rohingya population, including equal access to citizenship, this precarious migration will continue,” Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein’s statement said.

Around dawn on Friday a boat with almost 800 people was brought ashore by fishermen along the coast of Aceh, on Indonesia’s western tip, Khairul Nova, a search and rescue official in the nearest town, Langsa, told Reuters by phone.

“What I have been told by some of the people who were on the boat is that the boat was sinking and fighting broke out on board,” Nova said. “We have seen many with injuries to the face and head.

I don’t know why (the fighting) happened.”

However, in the same waters, the Indonesian navy pushed another boat back and Thailand’s navy towed a wooden vessel with hundreds, including children, on board back out to sea.

“Those on the boat did not want to come to Thailand so we gave them food, medicine, fuel and water,” Thai Lieutenant Commander Veerapong Nakprasit told Reuters.

“This is not a push-back because these people wanted to go.”

Veerapong said the boat was without a captain but that some of those on board had been trained by local Thai fishermen for a few hours to navigate.

The boat headed towards Indonesia early on Friday but had since looped back towards Malaysia, said Veerapong, who was monitoring the vessel’s movements by radar.

“It’s a cycle,” he said. “It will keep on going.”

The United Nations this week urged governments to fulfil an obligation to rescue those at sea and “keep their borders and ports open

... to help the vulnerable people who are in need”.

However, there have been few signs that Southeast Asian nations are collaborating to avert a humanitarian crisis, in contrast with Europe, where countries are working together to deal with a tide of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.

Lack of resources Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, whose government has announced a regional meeting on the crisis for May 29, said his country did not have the resources to look after the migrants.

“As there are many of them, we cannot look after them properly.

Where will we put them?” Prayuth told reporters.

“Right now we have to find a place for them to stay. In the future, if many more of them come, it will cause a problem.

“They will steal the jobs and livelihoods of Thais.”

Indonesia wanted to keep the boats out of its waters to dissuade more from coming, said military chief General Moeldoko.

“We will try to prevent them from entering our territory otherwise it will create social issues,” Moeldoko told reporters after meeting President Joko Widodo in the capital Jakarta.

“If we open up access, there will be an exodus here.”

The United States last year downgraded Thailand and Malaysia to its list of the world’s worst centres of human trafficking, dumping them in the same category as North Korea and Syria. — Reuters

N E PA L

No survivors seen as missing US helicopter found KATHMANDU: The wreckage of a US military helicopter lost on an earthquake relief mission was found on Friday, high on a mountainside in Nepal, with three bodies recovered and the other five people on board feared dead too.

A US search team identified the wreckage as that of the missing Marines UH-1Y Huey helicopter deployed after the Himalayan state was hit by a massive earthquake last month that killed more than 8,000 people.

Debris Crash debris was found just 8 miles (13 km) north of the town of Charikot, said Army Major Dave Eastburn, spokesman for the US military’s regional Pacific Com-

mand. “The assessment of the site is ongoing and a thorough investigation will be conducted,” he added in a statement.

The US statement made no mention of the fate of the six Marines and two Nepali soldiers on board the Huey that went missing on Tuesday, the day a strong aftershock hit Nepal and killed more than 100 people.

Nepal says none of the eight on board could have survived.

The Huey, an iconic helicopter dating back to the Vietnam War era, was completely destroyed, Nepal’s top defence ministry official said, adding that three charred bodies were found in the wreckage.

“The search for others is con-

tinuing. As the helicopter has broken into pieces and totally crashed there is no chance of any survivors,” said Defence Secretary Ishwori Prasad Paudyal.

After a three-day search the Huey was spotted near the village of Ghorthali at an altitude of 11,200 ft (3,400 m), an army general told Reuters earlier, as helicopters and Nepali ground troops converged on the crash site.

“It was found on a steep slope,” Major General Binoj Basnet said.

US and Nepali teams were investigating the site and were expected to announce their findings at news conferences later, he said.

The area’s tallest peak soars to more than 7,000 metres (23,000 ft). Hillsides are cloaked with

lush forest that made it hard to find the chopper even though it came down just a few miles from Charikot, the capital of Dolakha district that lies half a day’s drive to the east of Kathmandu.

Hub for operations An army base in the town has been serving as a hub for operations to airlift and treat those injured in the two earthquakes, and Prime Minister Sushil Koirala flew in on Thursday for an on-the-spot briefing.

The first quake, which struck on April 25 with a magnitude of 7.8, has killed 8,199 people. The death toll from a 7.3 aftershock on Tuesday has reached 117, with many victims in Dolakha.

The combined toll is approaching the number of just over 8,500 who died in an earthquake in 1934, the worst ever natural disaster to hit the poor Himalayan nation.

Some 76,000 more have been hurt while hundreds of thousands of buildings - including ancient temples and monuments - have been damaged or destroyed.

Nearly three weeks after the first quake, aftershocks continue to rattle the country.

Nepal mobilised 600 soldiers to search for the Huey, which had six Marines and two Nepali soldiers on board when it went missing after the crew was heard over the radio saying that the aircraft was experiencing a fuel problem. — Reuters

DISPUTED SHOAL IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

Beijing accuses Philippines, US of ‘exaggerating China threat’ BEIJING: China’s Foreign Ministry accused the Philippines on Friday of working together with the United States to “exaggerate the China threat” over a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. Beijing stepped up its criticism of Manila a day before US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to visit China, where he is expected to raise Washington’s commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation and flight in the South China Sea. Security concerns have deepened internationally about Beijing’s maritime ambitions in the South China Sea. Recent satellite images have shown that since about March 2014, China has conducted reclamation work at seven sites in the Spratlys and is constructing a military-sized air strip on Fiery

Cross Reef and possibly a second on another reef. The Philippines, a US treaty ally, has called for urgent action to be taken. China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying accused the Philippines of “ignoring the common interests of countries in the region and continuing to take provocative measures that complicate and expand the dispute”.

‘Jumping very high’ Asked about the US support for the Philippines in the dispute, Hua said: “Some people in the Philippines are jumping very high and are echoing some people in some countries to actively exaggerate the China threat, manufacturing tensions in the region.”

“This theatrical double act

has grabbed many eyeballs, but as everyone can see, the current situation in the South China Sea is stable,” she said at a daily news briefing. Hua reiterated China’s stance that it is “determined to safeguard its national sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests”. “We will respond firmly to any acts of provocation against China,” she said.

On Wednesday, China’s Foreign Ministry said that Beijing was “extremely concerned” about a possible plan by the Pentagon to send military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. China has always rejected US involvement in the dispute and has dismissed Washington’s proposal for a freeze on provocative acts in the area. — Reuters

BONE OF CONTENTION: An aerial file photo taken though a glass window of a Philippine military plane shows the alleged on-going land reclamation by China on Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, west of Palawan, Philippines, on Monday. – Reuters/Ritchie B. Tongo/Pool/Files

A10

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015 Anyone could play a thousand notes and never say what you said in one Lenny Kravitz, Singer

WORLD

OBITUARY

RAIN IN SHANGHAI Skyscraper Shanghai World Financial Centre is seen from the top of the Shanghai Tower, in heavy rain at the financial district of Pudong in Shanghai, China on Friday. The Shanghai Tower stands at approximately 632 metres (2,073 feet) and will be the tallest skyscraper in China and the second tallest in the world when it is completed in the summer of 2015. — Reuters

SCAN THIS FOR

Global tributes as Blues icon B.B. King passes away at 89

MORE PHOTOS NEW YORK: Blues legend B.B. King, whose crisp but powerful guitar licks made him among the instrument’s greatest masters and a towering influence over generations of musicians, has died at 89.

An impoverished son of a Mississippi sharecropper who turned into one of music’s iconic figures for a half century, King passed away late Thursday, his official website said in a brief statement that cited one of his most famous songs -- The Thrill is Gone.

King had maintained a touring schedule that put to shame much younger artists until late last year when his health declined.

He had issued a final statement on May 1 saying that he was entering hospice care at his home in Las Vegas.

“The blues has lost its king, and America has lost a legend,” said President Barack Obama, who recalled once being persuaded to sing Sweet Home Chicago at the White House with King.

“B.B. may be gone, but that thrill will be with us forever. And there’s going to be one killer blues session in heaven tonight,” Obama said.

Artists across genres credited King as one of the defining forces in 20th-century music -- and recalled his famous geniality.

“There are not many left that play it in the pure way that B.B. did,” said rock-blues guitarist Eric Clapton, who thanked King for his inspiration in a short video that drew five million views on Facebook in its first hours.

Lenny Kravitz, a younger star guitarist and singer, said of King on Twitter: “Anyone could play a thousand notes and never say what you said in one.”

The Canadian singer Bryan Adams called King “one of the best blues guitarists ever, maybe the best. “He could do more on one note than anyone.”

Born in poverty as Riley B. King, the future legend started to work

O W N E R A D M I T S FA U LT

‘Attacked Singapore tanker had earlier hit Iran oil platform’ LONDON: A Singapore-flagged oil products tanker fired at by Iranian craft on Thursday had previously collided with an Iranian oil drilling platform in March and efforts have since been made to resolve the issue, the owner said on Friday.

The Alpine Eternity was attacked by a number of small craft in international waters off the United Arab Emirates in the latest escalation in the region.

The owner, South Maritime Pte Ltd, and manager, Transpetrol TM, said in a joint statement that the tanker collided with an uncharted object on March 21 in the Arabian Gulf, which was later identified as an Iranian jacket platform. No one was injured and no pollution was spilled.

“Since the March 21 incident, there has been a continuous dialogue between the owners/ drilling contractor of the offshore structure, and representatives of the vessel and their liability insurers,” they said in the statement.

“Owners and managers can see no reason why the Iranian authorities should try to seize the vessel, given the advanced state of negotiations and ongoing dialogue with the Iranian counterparts.”

The Alpine Eternity was an-

The owner, South Maritime Pte Ltd, and manager, Transpetrol TM, said that the tanker collided with an uncharted object on March 21 in the Arabian Gulf, which was later identified as an Iranian jacket platform

chored off Dubai on Friday after managing to reach United Arab Emirates waters on Thursday with its crew safe. The ship’s master had ignored a call to stop by the Iranian boats.

The statement said in ordinary circumstances insurers would be able to post security on behalf of the owner, but Western sanctions imposed on Iran, including banking measures, had made this difficult. — Reuters

LEGEND DEPARTS: A file photo taken on July 6, 1998 shows US blues legend B. B. King pick his guitar ‘Lucille’ during a music festival at La Villette park in Paris, France. — AFP files photo

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

the cotton fields at age seven but found his life transformed when a plantation owner gave him a guitar when he was 12. King later christened his trusty guitar Lucille -- a reference to a brawl over a woman between two men that set off a fire though which King rushed to save his instrument.

King helped shape the modern blues -- a narrative-driven, often melancholy genre, with roots in African American spirituals, that emerged fully during emancipation from slavery.

But King also managed to bring the blues to a white and international audience, setting in motion the direction of rock.

He was invited in 1968 to perform at San Francisco’s Fillmore West, a haven for hippies, and a

year later reached a wider audience when he opened 18 US concerts for the Rolling Stones.

The Thrill is Gone was characteristic of King’s blues -- driven by angst but also his warm demeanour, interspersed by biting guitar licks. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him the third greatest guitar legend, after Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman and just ahead of Eric Clapton.

King developed his distinctive style in the 1950s as he toured incessantly with his band. A natural entertainer on stage, he wove stories from the poor South with tales and jokes from his often colourful love life. His guitar playing focused not on speed or on sweeping chords but instead on well-chosen, sharp single notes.

He never took up the slide guitar like most Delta bluesmen, but substituted with a vibrato.

King in his prime put in more than 300 concerts a year, despite suffering Type II diabetes for the past two decades. — AFP

Cameron rules out new Scotland referendum I’m very clear: we had a referendum, it had a decisive outcome.

The choice now is what sort of future for Scotland in the United Kingdom, said British PM Cameron in Edinburgh

EDINBURGH: British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday a second Scottish independence referendum was “not remotely on the cards”, but he would consider nationalist demands for greater powers to be devolved from London to Scotland.

Cameron was speaking after meeting Scotland’s secessionist leader Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, just over a week after her Scottish National Party (SNP) won almost every seat in Scotland in the general election, straining Britain’s

NO COMMON GROUND: Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, left, meets with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, right, at Bute House in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Friday. — Reuters/Jane Barlow/pool

unity nine months after a referendum saved it.

Scots rejected independence last year by 55-45 per cent, and asked whether he would veto another such referendum, Cameron told the BBC: “I don’t think it’s remotely on the cards.”

“I’m very clear: we had a referendum, it had a decisive outcome. The choice now is what sort of future for Scotland in the United Kingdom.”

Basking in the afterglow of her party’s stunning victory last week when it won 56 of 59 Scottish seats in the United Kingdom’s parliament, Nicola used the meeting to

tell Cameron she wanted him to go well beyond an existing deal to grant more powers to the devolved Scottish government.

Although Cameron’s Conservatives performed strongly in England and won an overall UK-wide majority, they won just one seat in Scotland.

Cameron had already agreed to further dismantle Britain’s highly centralised system of government and to give Scotland, which already enjoys a large degree of autonomy, new tax-raising powers.

But Nicola said she’d told Cameron she wanted him to go well beyond a deal reached last year

after a process known as the Smith Commission.

“I have said that we will put forward proposals for devolution further than the Smith Commission proposals,” she told Sky News after the meeting, saying Scotland wanted a greater say over business taxes, employment legislation, the minimum wage and welfare payments.

Cameron said he would look at the proposals, but made no promises he would agree to them. He said he was opposed to granting Scotland full fiscal autonomy, something the SNP is pushing for.

The SNP argues its victory last week shows Scottish voters have decisively rejected public spending cuts imposed by Cameron’s Conservatives. Nicola argues that any future settlement must give Scotland the power to pursue the less austere policies Scottish voters demand.

Scotland’s three-centuries-old union with England could depend on the fate of another: Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the European Union and hold an in-or-out EU membership referendum by the end of 2017.

Nicola has said that if England voted to leave the EU but Scotland voted to stay, it could trigger another referendum on Scottish independence. — Reuters

S ATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

S P O R

Jamal, Qais champs

VICTOR & VANQUISHED: Open category champion Jamal Al Barwani and runner-up Taha. Right, Under-18 champion Qais Al Anqoodi and runner-up Al Julanda Al Kharusi. – Credit

Jamal Al Barwani defeated Taha 3-0 in the Open Category final, while Qais Al Anqoodi beat Al Julanda Al Kharusi by similar margin to claim overall honours in the Sohar Squash Championships on Friday

S

Times News Service MUSCAT: Jamal Al Barwani won the Open crown, while Qais Al Anqoodi emerged the Under-18 title of the Sohar Squash Championship, which concluded at the Sohar Sports Complex on Friday.

Jamal defeated Taha 3-0 in the Open Category final, while

Qais beat Al Julanda Al Kharusi by similar margin to claim overall honours.

Qais, who enjoyed a first round bye, swamped Abd Al Wadood Al Khatib in the second round 3-0 and then moved on to defeat Azzan 3-0 before setting up the final against Al Julanda.

On the contrary, Al Julanda’s too

TOURNAMENT FOR LEGENDS

enjoyed a first round bye and beat Mohammed Tamtani 3-0 to face Emad Al Din in the semifinals.

Emad had earlier defeated Ahmed Al Barwani 3-0.

However, Al Julanda was too good for Emad in the last four as he blanked Emad 3-0.

In the Under-18 third place playoff Emad got the better off Azzan to take the bronze medal.

The draw for the championship was held on Thursday and the Under-18 category was completed on Friday, while many of the Open category matches were worked off too.

This is the third tournament of the squash series. In the first two tournaments held in Muscat, Ahmed Al Barwani and Abdullah Al Awaidi had clinched the U-18 titles.

Meanwhile, in the Open category, according to a late information from Sohar, Jamal Al Barwani defeated Taha 3-1 to clinch the title.

Placed in the top half, Jamal had a good tournament in Sohar, easing through his matches in the championship.

Taha, who was a late entrant had a similar run, but found Jamal was too good.

Tahir Al Barwani, the architect of squash in Oman, did himself good by winning the bronze.

Tahir, who had a first round bye in the bottom half, went up to semifinals before losing to Taha 3-0.

In the resultant third-place play-off, Tahir squared up with another losing semifinalist Ali Al Shizawi and won the match convincingly.

The tournament, which was to conclude on Saturday, was completed on Friday, due to some prior commitments of the players.

The next tournament will be held in Salalah during the Khareef festival.

IPL

Kolkata face Rajasthan in do-or-die clash MUMBAI: Aiming to find a place in the play-offs, Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) face-off in a do-or-die clash in their last Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 league stage encounter at the Brabourne Stadium here on Saturday.

Rajasthan, after their loss to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 10, have dropped to fifth position with 14 points from 13 games, while KKR after being beaten by Mumbai Indians on Thursday still held on to their second spot with 15 points from 13 games.

A win for either team will ensure them a place in play-offs while the losing side will be knocked out of the tournament.

The two teams earlier met in the first leg on April 26 in Kolkata where the game was abandoned due to rain without a ball being bowled. Both teams come into Saturday’s game after loss in their last respective matches.

Rajasthan were beaten by CSK by 12 runs in their last match. Choosing to bat, CSK posted a modest 157 runs on board, in reply Rajasthan lost wickets at regular intervals although their batsmen got good starts, thus managed to reach 145 for 9 in 20 overs. Whereas KKR lost a close thrilling match against Mumbai on Thursday by a small margin of five runs.

On Saturday it will be their last chance to prove themselves on the field both with bat and ball as loss will knock them out of the league. “We will give our 100 percent against Royals on Saturday and see what happens,” KKR all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan said after losing to Mumbai. — IANS

M AT C H P R E V I E W

Warne, Tendulkar bid to sign former greats for T20 league

Chennai Super Kings look to consolidate top spot

SYDNEY: Cricket greats Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar are planning to start a new Twenty20 competition for former international players, reports said Friday.

Unconfirmed reports say that Warne and Tendulkar have offered 28 big-name ex-players contracts worth $US25,000 a match, with 15 Twenty20 games planned for the Cricket All Stars League over a 42-month period.

The Australian newspaper said players believed to have been contacted included Australians Brett Lee, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Glenn McGrath, along with Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff from England, and South African Jacques Kallis.

The Australian said none of the players it contacted wanted to discuss the proposal but there was concern about the push to sign a one-page contract with the promise of more details to follow.

“Warne is in Britain but has been actively spruiking (promoting) the idea. He hinted this year that he and Tendulkar had formed a business that would be launching during the year,” it said.

Cricket Australia had no comment when approached by AFP,

MOHALI: Not in a mood to leave anything to chance, table toppers Chennai Super Kings would be gunning for a win against bottomplaced Kings XI Punjab in their last league match to strengthen their top spot in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, here on Saturday. CSK are presently leading the eight-team points table with 16 points from eight wins out of 13 games, and a victory on Saturday would guarantee their place in the top two.

But a loss against Kings XI can jeopardise CSK’s hopes of finishing in the top two because as many as five teams are breathing down their neck. Kolkata Knight Riders are placed second in the standings on 15 points from 13 games, followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad (14 points which from 12 games), Mumbai Indians (14 points from 13 games), Rajasthan Royals (14 points from 13 games) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (13 points from 12 games), and all these teams are in with a chance to make it to the play-offs.

The only two teams that are out of the reckoning are Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI. The CSK think tank would be a wor-

NEW LEAGUE: File picture of Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar.

but has said previously that anything that promotes and grows the game in new and emerging markets is good for cricket, as long as it doesn’t use current contracted players.

Lee’s manager Neil Maxwell confirmed his client had received an offer to play in the Cricket All Stars League and would be seeking permission from CA to play.

“I can’t see anything wrong with it, it’s a group of retired blokes playing a game of cricket,” Maxwell told Fox Sports on Friday.

The newspaper said if the

Cricket All Stars League proceeds it could affect some domestic Twenty20 competitions such as Australia’s Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League, which often include former international cricketers.

Under the reported proposal, a series of matches will be held around the world over a three-anda-half-year period, with the US to host the first series in September.

New York, Los Angeles and Chicago were cited as the leading contenders to host the matches in the US. - AFP

EYEING WIN: Chennai aiming for a win against Punjab. - BCCI

ried lot coming into the match as they suffered a six-wicket defeat against Delhi Daredevils in their previous match earlier this week in Raipur.

In that match, despite having big names like Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plesis, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo, CSK’s batting fell by the wayside and could only manage 119 for six against Delhi’s determined bowling attack.

And Dhoni would be hoping for

a much-improved show from his batting department on Saturday.

On the bowling front, Ashish Nehra has been leading the CSK’s bowling attack and has found good support from pacers Dwayne Bravo and Mohit Sharma and the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin.

Kings XI, on the other hand, have nothing to lose and would look to spoil CSK’s party.

After finishing runners-up last year, nothing seems to have gone right for Kings XI this season. - PTI

A 12

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

SPORTS

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Musandam-Oman Sail MOD70 finishes respectable second in Tour de Belle Ile The MusandamOman Sail team will have a new skipper at the helm in Roland ‘Bilou’ Jourdain, a veteran of offshore racing and — amongst other victories — a twotime winner of the Route du Rhum

GOOD SHOW: Musandam-Oman Sail crew celebrate after finishing second in the Tour de Belle Ile. – Supplied photo

MUSCAT: After a thrilling Round Ireland world record last week that saw the Sultanate of Oman’s flagship MOD70 Musandam-Oman Sail break Steve Fossett’s 22-yearold time around the Emerald Isle, the Omani crew high-tailed it back to French waters to compete in the Tour de Belle Ile, finishing a respectable second to Gitana-

Groupe Edmond de Rothschild.

This was Musandam-Oman Sail’s first Belle Ile and with 470 boats on the start line in various classes, and it was quite a spectacle. Conditions were perfect for the multihull fleet with a steady 20 knots and a gentle ocean swell.

With just a few days rest between regattas, Musandam-Oman Sail’s next event kicks off on Thurs-

day at the ArMen Race sailed out of La Trinité-sur-Mer in France. The Sultanate’s flagship will have offshore sailors Fahad Al Hasni, Yassir Al Rahbi and Sami Al Shukaili.

The team will be joined by a new skipper at the helm in Roland ‘Bilou’ Jourdain, a veteran of offshore racing and — amongst other victories — a two-time winner of the Route du Rhum. Bilou, as he is bet-

ter known, will stand in for Sidney Gavignet during the month of May while he steps on to the Chinese Volvo Ocean Race entry Dongfeng for the Leg from Newport to Lisbon. Alex Pella will also continue to sail on board the MOD70 lending great depth of experience.

Roland Jourdain is excited at the prospect of sailing the MOD70, but is approaching the next few weeks

as custodian conservatively: “I was lucky enough to sail with the team briefly for the Tour de Belle Ile, it was a good experience and a chance to get to know everyone. The atmosphere on board is very good and I have been well briefed on the objectives while Sidney is away – the main one being for everyone to learn something. I was pleasantly surprised at the level and the team-

work amongst the crew “You have to be constantly alert on the MOD70, it is a highly tuned beast, but the team already has excellent reactions so we will focus on reinforcing the fundamentals.

It is going to very interesting – I have been following Oman Sail for some time now and this national initiative is an excellent way of using sailing.”

As for Fahad Al Hasni, the original MOD70 Omani sailor and an integral part of the offshore team, he is delighted to have the opportunity to learn from someone new: “We have worked hard on building a strong team and are seeing the results, we have made a lot of progress in the last couple of years. My Omani crewmates and I know the boat very well and are hungry for the challenges that are coming.

“I met Bilou on the European Tour and am familiar with his illustrious career, it will be an excellent opportunity for us to sail and race with him as he will look at us with fresh eyes compared to Sidney who knows us very well.”

Post ArMen Race, the MOD70 will head to Kiel for the Welcome Race and an attempt on the boat’s own record set in 2014. Before that happens though, the crew will race the team’s M34 at Normandy Sailing Week (June 11 to 14).

FOOTBALL

I TA L I A N O P E N

Gerrard bids farewell to sanctuary of Anfield

GOOD GOING: Novak Djokovic returns the ball in the quarterfinal against Kei Nishikori. – AFP

Federer, Djokovic in Rome semis ROME: Roger Federer remained on course for a semifinal clash with Spanish rival Rafael Nadal at the Italian Open after cruising past Tomas Berdych 6-3, 6-3 in just over an hour on Friday.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic reached the semifinals for the sixth time in nine appearances as he battled past Kei Nishikori 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

The Serb will face David Ferrer for a place in his sixth final in Rome. Djokovic has a 32-5 record at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 clay-court tournament, lifting the trophy in 2008 (defeating Wawrinka), 2011 (defeating Nadal) and 2014 (defeating Nadal); he also finished as runner-up in 2009 and 2012.

Meanwhile, Federer has made the final in Rome three times in the past 12 years but has been beaten on every occasion -- twice

by Nadal and once by Felix Mantilla, in 2003. The 33-year-old Swiss could now meet Nadal, the seven-time champion, in the last four if the Spaniard overcomes Swiss Stan Wawrinka in their late semifinal. The old foes have met 15 times on clay with Nadal leading Federer 13-2 on his favoured red surface.

Federer admitted it will be a

“huge challenge” to overcome the fancied Spaniard. “Everyone who has played against Nadal knows he’s the best mover on clay, on both sides of the court. He’s perfected it,” said Federer.

“It’s always a huge challenge when you play him on clay.”

Although Wawrinka stands between Nadal and a last four meeting with Federer, the Spaniard — who has appeared in nine of the past Italian Open finals — is expected to prevail.

Feeling comfortable Federer admitted his easy win over Berdych had left him feeling comfortable with his progress on the red dirt, less than two weeks before the start of Roland Garros.

“A win like this makes you feel good and confirms I’m on the right track,” he added. “Now, I’m starting to find my feet on this surface, which is usually always the case two to three weeks before Roland Garros when, in principle, I find my best form on clay.

“This week I’ve found the right balance in terms of being aggressive, patient, passive and also in my choice of shots.

“That’s what I’ve found this week. It’s been good to come here before Roland Garros.”

Earlier, Spain’s David Ferrer set up a semifinal clash with Novak Djokovic after disposing of Belgian qualifier David Goffin 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals.

Goffin, who had stunned JoWilfried Tsonga in the second round, had advanced to the last eight of the competition with a walkover after third round opponent Andy Murray withdrew on Thursday citing fatigue.

But despite levelling the match by winning the second set, the 24-year-old from Liege was overcome by his more experienced Spanish rival in the decider.

Ferrer, a French Open finalist in 2013 when he was beaten by compatriot and good friend Nadal, has never triumphed in Rome, although he reached the final in 2010 when he was again beaten

by Nadal. He takes on defending Italian Open champion Djokovic.

Djokovic warned after a hardfought third round win over Thomaz Bellucci on Thursday: “He (Nishikori) is not somebody who is a promising player, he’s already an established top 10 player, a Grand Slam finalist and very consistent.

“I think he’s been playing great ever since he started working with Michael Chang.” - AFP

LONDON: Almost seventeen years after making his debut there, Steven Gerrard will play at Anfield for the final time on Saturday when Liverpool entertain Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

His last game before he leaves for the Los Angeles Galaxy may yet occur at Stoke City on the season’s final day, but with Liverpool realistically unable to qualify for the Champions League and Palace long safe from relegation, Saturday’s match will serve as his farewell party.

After 708 appearances, 185 goals, 10 trophies and innumerable moments of drama, it will be an occasion of unique poignancy, and the 34-year-old midfielder knows it will be difficult to keep his emotions in check. “I’m really looking forward to the game,” he said. “I want to win my last game at Anfield. It will be a bonus if I can get on the score-sheet.

“But once the game finishes and I say goodbye to the fans that are here -- and I know it’s being televised, so it’s a good chance for me to say goodbye to the fans worldwide as well -- it will be emotional, not just for me, for my family.

“I’m sure there will be a few supporters that are emotional too. After 17 years, that’s just the way it’s going to be.”

Gerrard will be granted a guard of honour by both sets of players prior to kick-off, while supporters will display giant mosaics in the Kop and the lower part of the Centenary Stand. The club will make a presentation to him on the pitch at the final whistle and the captain will then address the crowd for the final time. When Gerrard passes beneath the famous ‘THIS IS ANFIELD’ sign in the tunnel prior to taking the field, it will be 6,012 days since he made his first appearance there, aged 18, as a late substitute for Vegard Heggem during a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on November 29, 1998.

Manchester United’s Old Trafford has sprouted over 20,000 seats in the intervening years, while Arsenal and Manchester

PICTURE FROM THE PAST: A picture taken on February 12, 2014 shows Liverpool’s English midfielder Steven Gerrard, centre, celebrating scoring a goal during the English Premier League football match against Fulham at Craven Cottage in London. – AFP

City have both moved into new stadiums, but Anfield has barely changed.

Olympiakos goal By his own admission, Gerrard’s career has been a tale of “really cruel lows and incredible highs”, but for the most part, the 123-yearold ground has been a sanctuary.

The lows have tended to happen elsewhere, be it major tournament heartbreak in foreign fields with England, FA Cup final disappointment at Chelsea’s hands in 2012 or the 2007 loss to AC Milan in the Champions League final in Athens.

He has also drawn strength from the stadium’s association with the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which his 10-year-old cousin, JonPaul Gilhooley, was the youngest of the 96 Liverpool fans who perished.

Writing in his autobiography, Gerrard said that every time he drives through the Shankly Gates into Anfield, he “slows to a crawl” in order to cast a glance at the Hillsborough Memorial.

It was thoughts of Gilhooley that

doubtless caused tears to spring to his eyes after Liverpool beat Manchester City 3-2 at Anfield on the 25th anniversary of Hillsborough in April last year.

Gerrard saw Anfield’s sanctity violated two weeks later when he succumbed to the infamous slip against Chelsea that was to cost him a first league title.

But it has also been the scene of some of his greatest moments, including a slaloming run through the Sheffield Wednesday defence to score his first Liverpool goal at the Anfield Road end in December 1999.

There have been countless astonishing goals since, many hit as sweetly as it is possible to strike a football, such as the last-gasp piledriver against Olympiakos in front of the Kop on an electrifying December night in 2004 that inspired Liverpool to glory in the Champions League.

Gerrard has often risen to the occasion and with two goals in his last two games, he is in goal-scoring form at present. The stage is set once again. - AFP

B

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM S ATU RDAY, MAY 16, 2015

MARKE OIL MARKET

Crude supply from US and Opec seen expanding NEW YORK: Oil supply from both Opec and US shale drillers is set to expand later this year, preventing further gains in prices, according to hedge fund manager Pierre Andurand.

Oil prices will remain “relatively low” for the next two years as a rebound in recent months allows US producers to revive slowing output, said Andurand, who generated a 38 per cent return in 2014 from wagering that oil would fall. At the same time, members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are raising their production amid concerns demand is nearing its peak, he said.

“We’ll be in a market where both US production will go up and Opec,” Andurand said in a Bloomberg Television interview with Stephanie Ruhle at the Commodity Debate conference in New York on Thursday. “It’s going to be difficult for prices to go much higher in the short term.”

Andurand in March told clients that US benchmark oil prices would drop to around $30 a barrel in the following two months as crude stockpiles expanded in Cushing, Oklahoma, the largest oil-storage hub in the US While government data showed that inventories did keep growing at Cushing until April 17, US oil prices have surged to about $60.

West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil fell 62 cents to end at $59.88 on Thursday.

Iran return Andurand started his $450-million Andurand Capital Management hedge fund in 2013, the year after the firm he co-founded, BlueGold Capital, shuttered with losses of 34 per cent. Andurand had previously traded oil at commodity firm Vitol Group.

BlueGold had managed about $2.2 billion at its peak, having almost tripled its value by correctly betting on higher oil prices in the first half of 2008 and then reversing the strategy. The fund started trading in February 2008 and returned 209 per cent that year, 55 per cent in 2009 and 13 per cent in 2010.

Besides the potential for more supply from Opec’s “core” Gulf members, there’s scope for additional output from Iran, which would deepen the current surplus, Andurand said.

Iran could restore 500,000 barrels a day of oil exports within six months of an agreement on its nuclear programme, and increase shipments by one million a day within 12 months, Andurand said.

— Bloomberg News

Foreign direct investment into China jumped more than 10 per cent year-on-year in April, the commerce ministry said on Friday, accelerating significantly from previous months despite slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy. >B2

US AIRLINES

‘Gulf rivals grab traffic without adding more’ DALLAS: Gulf carriers expanding rapidly in the US are diverting passengers from Delta, American and United instead of attracting new travellers as they have said, according to a study by a group representing the US airlines.

The loss of those customers is a key argument of the US carriers in their claims that Emirates Airline, Qatar Airways, and Etihad Airways are using $42 billion in government subsidies to compete unfairly. All three gulf carriers have repeatedly denied the accusations.

Chief Executive Officers from Delta, American, and United are appearing on Friday in Washington to press their view that their Gulf rivals are using discount connections through their hubs in the Middle East to win international traffic. The US airlines want the Obama administration to block those carriers from adding new flights pending the outcome of talks on modifying Open Skies agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

“The Gulf carriers have failed to

New service About 11,000 new daily seats were added between the US and Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi from 2008 to 2014, with more than 95 per cent from the Gulf airlines.

At the same time, there was essentially no change in the traffic originating or concluding at either end of those routes, the study said.

A single Gulf carrier with as little as a three per cent market share on a route between a US city and an international destination reduces the number of passengers for a US airline by eight per cent, on average, the study said.

MAKING A POINT: Richard Anderson, chief executive officer of Delta Air Lines, speaks during an interview in Atlanta. Delta and other US airlines have been lobbying officials in Washington, and the European Union over the growth of state-owned Gulf carriers Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways, saying they’ve received about $42 billion in aid over the past decade. — Bloomberg News

meaningfully stimulate new traffic to and from the United States,” according to a study by economic consultant Compass Lexecon being released on Friday by the Partnership for Open and Fair

Skies. “As a result, the traffic gains enjoyed by the Gulf carriers due to their subsidised expansion to the United States and elsewhere have come at the expense of US and other carriers.”

Three Gulf carriers Where all three Gulf carriers serve the route, US airlines’ passengers fall by 24 per cent, according to Compass Lexecon.

The analysis looked at both traffic between the US and the hubs of Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad and travel between the US and points beyond those cities, such as India.

US carriers that dominate a market will always lose some market share when a new airline

begins service, Etihad general counsel James Callaghan said in an interview.

“They are being forced to compete,” Callaghan said. “When you compete, your prices go down and, therefore, you attract more passengers. The overall size of those markets where they do compete with us, they have actually increased their passenger numbers.

That’s called competition. That’s the success of Open Skies.”

Etihad said the US carriers received about $64.9 billion in bankruptcy and pension-related aid from the US government, benefits which are generally only available to US carriers and which helped to create a “highly distorted market.”

Etihad commissioned research that shows “no evidence whatsoever” of any harm to US counterparts. The US government is accepting comments on the complaints from American Airlines Group, Delta Air Lines and United Continental Holdings into May. After that, it will decide whether to initiate Open Skies discussions.

— Bloomberg News

US factory production in April stalled on cutbacks ahead.” Another report on Friday showed manufacturing in the New York region expanded at a slower pace this month than projected. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Empire State index climbed to 3.1, just shy of the 5 median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg, from minus 1.2 in April. Readings greater than zero signal growth.

Soft export demand, caused by a stronger dollar and weaker global markets, continued to diminish US manufacturing activity, while oil firms curtailed

NOT SO ROSY: Industrial production declined for a fifth consecutive month amid mining and utilities cutbacks. — Bloomberg file picture

operations to cope with low fuel prices

WASHINGTON: Factory production stalled in April, as American manufacturers were dealt blows by a strong dollar and cheap oil. The unchanged reading in manufacturing followed a 0.3 per cent March gain that was larger than previously estimated, a Federal Reserve report showed on Friday in Washington. The medi-

an forecast in a Bloomberg survey of 21 economists called for a 0.2 per cent increase. Total industrial production declined for a fifth consecutive month amid mining and utilities cutbacks.

Soft export demand, caused by a stronger dollar and weaker global markets, continued to diminish US manufacturing activity in April, while oil companies curtailed operations to cope with low fuel prices. The effects of temporary setbacks in the first quarter,

AUTOMOTIVE

Google self-driving prototype cars to hit public roads soon SAN FRANCISCO: Google announced on Friday its self-driving prototype cars were ready to leave the test track and hit public roads in California, in a step forward for its autonomous automobile programme.

The move comes after Google’s internal testing of the bubbleshaped vehicle over the past year and more extensive experience with technology adapted for existing cars.

“Now we’re announcing the next step for our project: this summer, a few of the prototype vehicles we’ve created will leave the test track and hit the familiar roads of Mountain View, California, with our safety drivers aboard,” said project chief Chris Urmson in a blog post.

“We’ve been running the vehicles through rigorous testing at our test facilities, and ensuring our software and sensors work as they’re supposed to on this new vehicle.”

The Google car uses the same technology as its fleet of Lexus

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT INTO CHINA RISES IN APRIL

– Bloomberg file picture

SUVs which has logged some 1.6 million kilometres (one million miles).

“So the new prototypes already have lots of experience to draw on — in fact, it’s the equivalent of about 75 years of typical American adult driving experience,” Urmson said.

In Google’s home town of Mountain View, speeds will be limited to 40 kilometres (25 miles) per hour “and during this next phase of our project we’ll have safety drivers aboard with a removable steering wheel, accel-

erator pedal, and brake pedal that allow them to take over driving if needed,” Urmson said.

“We’re looking forward to learning how the community perceives and interacts with the vehicles, and to uncovering challenges that are unique to a fully self-driving vehicle.”

Google said earlier this week its adapted vehicles on the road had been involved in 11 minor accidents, but that none were the fault of the technology. That included being hit from behind by other cars or side-swiped. — AFP

including bad weather and a West Coast port shutdown, will probably fade, signalling the industry could make some progress in coming months.

“Manufacturing activity has stabilised but is not rebounding significantly as of yet,” Russell Price, a senior economist at Ameriprise Financial in Detroit, said. With calmer weather and a resolution of the port dispute, “we expect to see a modest improvement in the pace in the months

Total production Total industrial production declined 0.3 per cent for a second month. It was projected to be unchanged, according to the Bloomberg survey of 83 economists. Estimates ranged from a drop of 0.7 per cent to a 0.8 per cent gain. Output in March was revised from a previously reported 0.6 per cent drop.

Mining production, which includes oil drilling, decreased 0.8 per cent in April, the fourth consecutive decline. Oil and gas well drilling dropped 14.5 per cent, according to the figures.

Utility output declined 1.3 per cent after plunging 5.4 per cent the previous month.

Automaking remained a bright spot. Output of motor vehicles and parts increased 1.3 per cent after rising 4.3 per cent a month earlier.

Excluding autos and parts, factory

production declined 0.1 per cent in April after climbing 0.1 per cent a month before.

Capacity utilisation Capacity utilisation, which measures the amount of a plant that is in use, fell to 78.2 per cent last month from 78.6 per cent in March. US Steel, the country’s second-biggest steelmaker, posted a surprise loss in the first quarter and cut its full-year profit forecast as rising imports put pressure on prices and prompted the Pittsburghbased company to idle capacity.

“We have a significant presence in the energy business and the flat-rolled segment is the sole supplier to the energy business,” Chief Executive Officer Mario Longhi said on a conference call April 29, referring to US Steel’s flat-rolled unit, its largest business.

The US steel industry used 73 per cent of its capacity on average in the first quarter, down from 77 per cent a year earlier, according to data from the American Iron and Steel Institute. — Bloomberg News

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B2

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

MARKET Foreign direct investment into China surges in April erlands, and it increased 33.5 per cent into the US, but into Australia it plummeted 65 per cent, the ministry said without giving totals. It did not immediately provide monthly figures for April’s overseas direct investment.

ODI into Germany surged 246 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter to $210 million, Shen said.

Foreign direct investment, which excludes financial sectors, rose 10.5 per cent to $9.61 billion, the ministry said, after rises of 2.2 per cent in March and only 0.9 per cent in February

BEIJING: Foreign direct investment (FDI) into China jumped more than 10 per cent year-on-year in April, the commerce ministry said on Friday, accelerating significantly from previous months despite slowing growth in the world’s second-largest economy.

FDI, which excludes financial sectors, rose 10.5 per cent to $9.61 billion, the ministry said, after rises of 2.2 per cent in March and only 0.9 per cent in February.

For the first four months of the year, it increased 11.1 per cent to $44.49 billion, the ministry said, describing it as “stable” in a statement. “Investment in the service sector increased rapidly,” ministry spokesman Shen Danyang told reporters.

China’s service industries saw

STRONG DEMAND: China’s service industries saw FDI rise 24.8 per cent year-on-year in the first four months, contrasting with a 5.4 per cent fall in manufacturing investment. — Bloomberg file picture

FDI rise 24.8 per cent year-onyear in the first four months, contrasting with a 5.4 per cent fall in manufacturing investment.

Look elsewhere In the January-April period, investment from the 28-member European Union rose 22.2 percent to $2.52 billion. But from Japan it fell 7.8 per cent to $1.44 billion, and from the US it slumped 28.4 per cent to $880 million.

China drew a total of $119.6 billion of FDI in 2014, up 1.7 per cent, while overseas direct investment (ODI) surged to $102.9 billion, rising 14.1 per cent and passing the $100 billion mark for the first time as Chinese companies look elsewhere with the domestic economy slowing.

China’s gross domestic product expanded 7.4 per cent last year, the slowest since 1990, and growth weakened further to 7.0 per cent

in the January-March period, the worst quarterly result in six years.

Authorities have taken a series of steps to stimulate the economy, including a third interest rate cut in six months at the weekend.

Overseas direct investment rose 36.1 per cent to $34.97 billion in January-April, the ministry said.

Investment into the European Union leaped 487 per cent, largely due to a previously announced petrochemical deal in the Neth-

Strongly complementary The two economies are “strongly complementary” and Beijing will continue to “encourage and support” Chinese companies investing in Germany, he added.

“Investment cooperation can not only help Chinese firms obtain advanced technology and international distribution networks to improve their competitiveness, but also can benefit German companies with market access in China and expand their market share,” he said.

Germany Trade & Invest, the European powerhouse’s economic development agency, said in a report last month that China was the country’s largest greenfield investor in 2014 with 190 projects.

China’s own appeal as an investment destination has been declining in recent years owing to rising labour and land costs, competition from Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, and concerns over official investigations. — AFP

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ECONOMY

Malaysia’s economic growth eased in last quarter KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s economic growth eased last quarter on weaker exports, a slowdown that could deepen after the start of a new consumption tax in April.

Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 5.6 per cent in the three months through March from a year earlier, after climbing a revised 5.7 per cent in the final quarter of 2014, the central bank said in Kuala Lumpur on Friday. The median in a Bloomberg News survey of 24 economists was for a 5.5 per cent increase.

Malaysia’s central bank has refrained from joining global counterparts in easing monetary policy, saying interest rates are delivering support for growth while guarding against inflation risks. Economic expansion may lose steam as an

uneven global recovery hurts export demand and prompts consumers and companies to hold back spending.

“We are going to see a sequential slowdown over the coming quarters as the front load in pre-GST spending wears off,” said Stuart Allsopp, head of financial market strategy at BMI Research in Singapore, referring to the goods and services tax. “Another risk we see is a US-led global economic slowdown in which case Malaysia, as an open economy which also relies on exports, would suffer.”

The ringgit was Asia’s worst performer last quarter as a drop in crude prices hurt government finances and dented investor confidence. It has since swung to

become the region’s second-best amid a rebound in oil.

Expenditure cuts The Malaysian economy is forecast to grow 4.5 per cent to 5.5 percent this year, down from an earlier projection of as much as six per cent. The government trimmed expectations as it cut expenses amid lower expected revenue from oil.

The central bank left its key rate unchanged for a fifth straight meeting this month, saying prospects are for the economy to remain on a steady growth path.

Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz signalled last month she sees no need for a rate cut in the near future.

“Investment activity is projected to remain resilient, with con-

tinued capital spending by both the private and public sectors. The recovery in global growth while remaining moderate, will provide support to manufactured exports, although lower commodity prices will likely weigh down on overall exports,” it said.

Oil buffer Prime Minister Najib Razak’s efforts to broaden the tax base through a six per cent goods and services levy has pushed up prices at supermarkets, restaurants and retailers. While the experience in other countries showed a moderation in consumer spending in the first year of such a tax, lower oil prices may be a buffer to an expected easing, Zeti said. — Bloomberg News

Zeti Akhtar Aziz. — Bloomberg file picture

ECONOMY

Investors in Tokyo look to economic growth data TOKYO: Japanese growth data and a central bank meeting will be in focus for Tokyo investors next week, as the country wraps up its latest earnings season.

Kicking off the week, machinery orders — a leading indicator of capital spending — will be released on Monday while January-March gross domestic product figures are due on Wednesday, after Japan limped out of a brief recession in the last three months of 2014.

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) is also holding a two-day meeting with governor Haruhiko Kuroda slated to meet the press on Friday as investors look for more clues about another round of expansion to the BoJ’s monetary easing plan.

Speculation has been rising that a weak economy including tepid inflation would force policymakers to further ease policy, with the latest data showing consumer confidence remained weak in April.

“The focus of the Tokyo market is likely to move to economic fundamentals from corporate earnings,” Daiwa Securities said in a note. “January-March GDP to be released on Wednesday will likely provide a key focus,” it added.

On Friday, the Nikkei 225 stock index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange rose 0.83 per cent or 162.68 points to finish at 19,732.92, for a weekly gain of 1.82 per cent.

The Topix index of all first-section shares climbed 0.98 per cent, or 15.62 points, to 1,607.11. It rose 1.21 per cent over the week.

The rise came as Japan finishes a relatively upbeat reporting season and after Wall Street supplied a strong lead, with the broad-based S&P 500 bolting to a fresh recordhigh close on Thursday, led by strong gains in Apple, Facebook and other technology stocks.

It rose 1.08 per cent to end at 2,121.10. The Dow gained 1.06 per cent and the Nasdaq jumped 1.39 per cent. In Tokyo on Friday, Toyota rose 1.43 per cent to 8,296.0 yen and Sony climbed 1.99 per cent to 3,892.0 yen.

Chipmaker Renesas jumped 2.93 per cent to 972 yen — after soaring as much as 12 per cent in early trade — on a report that US-based Avago was eyeing it as a potential acquisition target. However, camera giant Nikon dropped 10.96 per cent to 1,527 yen as it cut its operating profit forecast.

Sharp tumbled 7.00 per cent to 186.0 yen after the struggling firm announced it took a 200 billion yen bailout from its banks and will slash its global workforce by about 10 percent in a bid to stay afloat.

On currency markets, the dollar ticked up to 119.45 yen from 119.19 yen in New York. — AFP

SECOND MONTH IN A ROW

India’s gold imports top 100 tonnes NEW DELHI: Gold imports by India, the world’s second-largest consumer, exceeded 100 metric tonnes for a second month in April as easing of state curbs boosted demand for everything from necklaces to bangles.

Shipments totalled 111 tonnes last month and are about 60 tonnes so far in May, Revenue Secretary Shaktikanta Das said in an interview on Friday.

Imports in March more than doubled to 125 tonnes from a year earlier because of seasonal demand and a drop in prices, according to the Finance Ministry.

Purchases jumped 78 per cent in value terms to $3.13 billion in April from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said.

Top consumer India is set to become the world’s top consumer this year as economic growth accelerates and China’s booming equity markets reduce the appeal of bullion, according to P.R. Somasundaram, World Gold Council’s managing director in India.

A 42 per cent rebound in crude oil prices from a six-year low in March and rising gold imports pose threat to India’s current- account deficit as the country imports about 80 per cent of its oil needs and almost all its bullion requirement.

“Crude is a more important component of our imports and its prices going up will be a greater worry than gold,” said Dharmakir-

– Bloomberg file picture

ti Joshi, chief economist at Crisil in Mumbai. “I don’t think the government will take any new steps to control gold imports now.”

Raised import tax Gold demand slowed last year after the government raised import tax three times in 2013 to 10 per cent and linked inbound shipments to re-exports to contain a record current-account deficit.

The restrictions were withdrawn in November after deficit nar-

rowed. Only import tax remains.

Bridal trousseau Consumption will rise to between 900 tonnes and 1,000 tonnes this year, Somasundaram estimates.

Gold is bought during festivals and marriages as part of the bridal trousseau or given as a gift in the form of jewellery.

Shipments into India totalled 891.5 tonnes last year to meet demand of 811.1 tonnes, the council estimates. Jewellery sales surged

22 per cent to 150.8 tonnes in the first quarter from a year earlier, while imports increased 28 per cent to 226.9 tonnes, the council said on Thursday.

Bullion for immediate delivery in London traded at $1,215.18 an ounce on Friday, heading for the biggest weekly advance since January 16. Futures on the Multi Commodity Exchange of India were at Rs27,332 per 10 grams ($1,338.85 an ounce), poised for a second weekly rise. — Bloomberg News

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

B3

MARKET SLOWING PRODUCTION

GM to unveil Camaro on Detroit Island DETRIOT: Forget about competing for airtime at an auto show.

For the much-anticipated Chevrolet Camaro reveal this Saturday, GM is taking the car straight to the public at an outdoor unveiling in Detroit. GM has let 1,000 people register to slip under a tent on Belle Isle in the Detroit River to be among the first to see the sixth generation of the sports coupe.

Beyond the hype, the Camaro is an important car for GM. When the Detroit-based automaker brought the name back after a seven-year hiatus in 2009, it took one year to overtake Ford Motor’s Mustang in the “pony car” market, doing so by luring nostalgic baby boomers and young people alike.

“It’s huge,” said Mark Reuss, GM’s executive vice president over product development and purchasing. “It’s the icon of the pony car market.” Ford would debate which car is more iconic, but the Camaro has been the top seller for the past five years. — Bloomberg News

C O M M E N TA RY

Billionaires aren’t spending enough on private jets JUSTIN FOX

E

CONOMIC turmoil in Russia and the slowdown in China have together claimed another set of victims: Canadian aircraft workers.

The problem this time is that billionaires in those countries and in Latin America aren’t buying enough private jets.

From a press release issued this morning by Montreal-based Bombardier: Bombardier Business Aircraft confirmed that current economic conditions and geopolitical issues in some market regions, such as Latin America, China and Russia, have impacted order intake levels industrywide. As a result, Bombardier Business Aircraft will reduce its production rate for Global 5000 and Global 6000 aircraft.

This will mean 1,750 layoffs, most of them at Bombardier’s Montreal operations, but also in Toronto and Belfast, Northern Ireland. Bombardier vies with Gulfstream (a division of General Dynamics) for bragging

rights as the biggest maker of what people in the industry call “business jets,” with Gulfstream currently slightly ahead in revenue. Trailing well behind those two are Cessna (a division of Textron), Dassault and Embraer.

These companies are quite aware that billionaires are a big part of what makes the privatejet business go. This is from Bombardier Business Aircraft’s annual market forecast, issued last summer: It could be that this chart, with its misspelling of “billionaire,” is the source of Bombardier’s problems. “You cannot even spell what I am,” I can hear some Russian oligarch saying.

“Why should I buy your stupid jet?”

Actually, that’s probably not it. But selling to oligarchs has definitely become an issue.

Reports Bloomberg’s Frederic Tomesco: “A lot of the oligarchs made their money with oil, and right now oil prices are being challenged,” Eric Martel, presi-

dent of Bombardier Business Aircraft, said Wednesday of Russian jet buyers. “Also, taking money out of the country right now is challenging. All of this put together results in the slowdown we can see now.”

A broader issue is the shift of the business-jet market from small planes that fit a chief executive officer and a couple of aides to spacious jets that can hold a serious entourage and fly longer distances. Bombardier’s Global 5000 “can be configured to seat 17 passengers in complete comfort.” With the 6000, that goes up to 19.

Rival Gulfstream’s G500s, G550s and G650s seat as manay as 18. The G650, incidentally, is the hottest business jet of the past few years, and the only one (I think) to have a No. 1 hit sung about it.

Bombardier also owns Learjet, the iconic maker of small business jets. Fifteen years ago, Learjet accounted for the majority of the business jets sold.

Since then, though, Learjet sales have plummeted. The same

thing has happened to small-jet sales across the industry. As a result, private jet sales are still well below the levels that prevailed before the financial crisis: Thanks to rising sales of bigger, more expensive jets, though, the industry’s estimated billings last year topped $22 billion for the first time: A couple of comments here: One is that the business-jet market has clearly grown a lot during the past two decades.

Another is that, at $22 billion in revenue, it’s still relatively small. Between them, the commercial-aerospace divisions of Boeing and Airbus reported $115 billion in revenue last year.

So now we have a businessjet market that is increasingly skewed toward the ultra-high end. This is in part a reflection of the continued growth in income inequality. I don’t think there are any signs that this trend is played out.

These jets, though, are so expensive that even a billionaire — or a big corporation — is unlikely to buy one on a whim. A

Facebook attacked by data watchdog for flouting rules

new Gulfstream G650 will cost you at least $64.5 million. The Bombardier Global 5000 runs about $48 million. It’s also been around long enough that there are a lot of used ones on the market, with an average price of $21 million, but that creates its own problems for the manufacturer. This seems to be a business that has both matured and is becoming more sensitive to slight changes in sentiment and/or economic conditions.

That’s OK if you’re Gulfstream, and have a three-year backlog of G650 orders to work through. In an earnings call at the end of last month, General Dynamics Chief Executive Officer Phebe Novakovic said Gulfstream too is seeing fewer orders from Russia, Latin America and China, but because of the backlog won’t be cutting production. Bombardier can afford no such luxuries.

Boeing and Airbus also refit some of their airliners as very large business jets, but that accounts for only a tiny fraction of their revenue. — Bloomberg News F I R S T - Q U A R T E R R E S U LT S

– Bloomberg file picture

The European Union’s 28 privacy watchdogs are coordinating national probes into possible violations of EU law by Facebook’s revamped policy for handling personal photos and data

Way Facebook users’ “private lives” are “being treated without respect needs tackling,” the Belgian commission, said in an e-mailed statement on the results of an investigation into Facebook’s practices.

“It’s make or break time,” he said – Bloomberg file picture

LUXEMBOURG: Facebook is riding roughshod over European data-protection laws, Belgium’s privacy regulator said in a report the watchdog described as “staggering.”

The way Facebook users’ “private lives” are “being treated without respect needs tackling,” Willem Debeuckelaere, president of the Belgian commission, said in an e-mailed statement on the results of an investigation into Facebook’s practices.

“It’s make or break time,” he further added.

The European Union’s 28 privacy watchdogs are coordinating national probes into possible violations of EU law by Facebook’s revamped policy for handling personal photos and data.

The social network earlier this month temporarily escaped daily fines in a tussle with the Dutch privacy regulator over its revamped policy for users’ photos and data.

Dutch regulators were the first to step in after Facebook alerted its users in November of changes effective in January.

Facebook “scoffs at” European and Belgian privacy rules “at several levels,” the country’s regulator said, adding that it wants to analyse in depth a series of problematic areas.

While Facebook has its European base in Ireland, the Belgian regulator said it has the power to investigate the company’s possi-

ble violations of its citizens’ privacy rights. It echoes the line taken by other regulators, including the Dutch, that are probing the Menlo Park, California-based company’s changed policy.

Facebook said in an e-mailed statement that it told the Belgian authority “there is nothing more important to us than the privacy of our users and we work hard to make sure people have control over what they share and with whom.”

Irish watchdog The company “is already regulated in Europe and complies with European data protection law, so the applicability of” the Belgian watchdog’s “efforts are unclear,” it said. “But we will of course review the recommendations when we receive them with our European regulator, the Irish Data Protection Commissioner.”

The Belgian regulator cited concerns over how Facebook can track customer behaviour from their use of so-called social plugins such as the ‘like’ button, the ‘share’ button, comments and other tools on the Facebook page.

The authority said the use of “add-ons” that bloc such tracking or to use the “incognito” mode of their browser. - Bloomberg News

Symantec’s forecast misses profit estimates WASHINGTON: Symantec issued profit and revenue forecasts short of analysts’ predictions, as the security software maker seeks to develop more modern antihacking technologies and split off its data-storage division this year.

Fiscal first-quarter profit, excluding some items, will be 41 cents to 44 cents a share on sales of $1.5 billion to $1.54 billion, Symantec said in a statement on Thursday. Analysts projected profit of 45 cents and revenue of $1.62 billion for the period through June, according to data compiled

by Bloomberg.

While security providers have benefited from demand for technologies to foil attacks, Symantec has lagged behind its peers. Even though Gartner sees corporate spending on security climbing 8.4 per cent this year to $78 billion, analysts predict a decline in Symantec’s revenue.

By splitting up the company, Chief Executive Officer Michael Brown is aiming to give each business more “flexibility and focus” to pursue growth.

Fiscal fourth-quarter profit, excluding certain items, was 43 cents a share, versus an estimate of 44 cents. — Bloomberg News

B4

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

FEATURE The $750 billion debt India needs to finance its infrastructure push is more than twice the size of Singapore’s economy. The solution is to rethink current funding techniques

PUSHING AGAINST THE INFRASTUCTURE BOTTLENECK To see the challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces to improve India’s ailing infrastructure, ask the state-run company specialising in lending to the sector.

It estimates $750 billion of debt is needed for the task.

That’s more than twice the size of Singapore’s economy, and five times the existing Rs9.2 trillion ($144 billion) of bank loans to Indian infrastructure projects. The solution is to rethink current funding techniques, according to S.B. Nayar, the chairman of India Infrastructure Finance Co. “There’s an enormous requirement,” Nayar said in an interview in New Delhi on May 11. “It’s very difficult for the current system to meet this.”

Nayar said the government should establish more lenders for specific areas of infrastructure, woo private investors — including from overseas — and allow his company to target at least an eight per cent share of infrastructure loans from three per cent now. Modi’s agenda is focused on stoking investment, including clearing a backlog of Rs13.5 trillion of stalled projects.

“Banks’ growth isn’t keeping pace with economic growth,” Nayar said. “So there’s a gap. Indian banks have to raise more equity and become more profitable, get more investments, have a bigger balance sheet, lend more.”

Nayar contrasted the growth in the size of China’s banks with comparatively smaller Indian lenders, which are also tackling rising bad debts.

State Bank of India (SBI), the nation’s largest lender, had assets of about $400 billion at the end of December, about an eighth of the total held by Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., exchange filings show. $1 trillion spending goal India’s goal is $1 trillion of spending on roads, ports, power and other infrastructure from 2012 to 2017. About 75 per cent of this would need to be financed through debt, according to Nayar, leading to the figure of $750 billion.

India Infrastructure Finance, set up by the government in 2006, raises funds at home and abroad and has a loan book of about Rs280 billion, according to Nayar.

Modi has tried to speed up environmental and other approvals for major projects since taking office a year ago.

His government has said infrastructure outlays will rise Rs700 billion in the year through March 2016.

Other steps include spending Rs200 billion to establish a fund to spur infrastructure lending and permitting dedicated tax-free bonds. Nayar also expects further interest-rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of India following a moderation in inflation. At the same time, some of the initial euphoria about Modi’s development agenda has begun to dissipate.

Adequate returns People need “confidence that investing in infrastructure, they would be in a position to get their money back and adequate returns,” said Hemant Kanoria, chairman of SREI Infrastructure Finance Ltd. The S&P BSE India Capital Goods Index of construction and engineering companies is down about 13 per cent since early March, paring its gain this year to five per cent.

Market borrowing costs have also advanced recently. Bonds have declined globally ahead of a potential increase in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve.

L&T Infrastructure Finance Co. last month sold a 10-year bond at an 8.9 per cent coupon, 15 basis points higher than similar debt sold in February, Bloomberg-compiled data shows. The average yield on five-year top-rated rupee corporate bonds is up 17 basis points to 8.51 per cent from this year’s low.

Higher yields may hurt Modi’s push to close the gap to China. The latter invests 17 per cent of gross domestic product in infrastructure, compared with India’s five per cent, State Bank of India Chief Economic Adviser Soumya Kanti Ghosh said.

“There will be a huge requirement for railways, ports and shipping, airports and roads,” Nayar said. “Knowing that banks will step back, we need to make a more active role.” — Bloomberg News

B SECTION

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM

LIFE L IFE & STYLE

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

THE SUCCESS OF BIG BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES IS STILL RELEVANT AT THE CANNES FILM FES TIVAL With the opening of the 68th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, once again two movie cultures collide on the city’s sunny, crowded Croisette

H

otels along the seaside throughway, festooned with posters for upcoming blockbusters, a few of which are actually playing in the festival this year: Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth installment of the post-apocalyptic epic, is set to have its premiere this week, as is Disney’s Inside Out. Meanwhile, the core competency of the festival — the celebration and often unapologetic worship of auteurs — can be found in the competition lineup, which this year includes films by Todd Haynes (Carol), Gus Van Sant (The Sea of Trees), Joachim Trier (Louder Than Bombs) and Paolo Sorrentino (Youth).

At first glance, these polarities of the movie business — high-minded art and box-office-driven commerce — seem to be contradictions at Cannes, which functions both as a festival and a market. A closer look, though, suggests that such distinctions might be too facile.

Fury Road, after all, was written and directed by no less an auteur than visionary writer-director George Miller, just as Pixar, the production company for Inside Out, has evinced as singular and sophisticated a house style as the most director-driven atelier.

Woody Allen, who brings his collegecampus mystery Irrational Man for a special screening this year, had his biggest commercial success with Midnight in Paris, which premiered at Cannes in 2011. Meanwhile, the sometimes vulgar publicity stunts that give red-carpet allure a slightly seedy edge, illuminate the sometimes inconvenient fact that, as go Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, so go the likes of such indie stalwarts as Alexander Payne, Mike Leigh and the Coen brothers — the latter of whom are heading the jury this year.

As Hollywood enters the summer season, the stakes are particularly high: After a disastrous 2014, during which box office receipts and attendance took vertiginous dips, the studios are looking for a dramatic bounce-back — which looks assured with the success of such 2015 films as American Sniper, Cinderella, Fifty Shades of Grey, Furious 7 and Avengers: Age of Ultron. When the big studios do well, it can have a knock-on effect with their boutique divisions, which include Fox Searchlight (the speciality arm of 20th Century Fox) and Sony Pictures Classics (Sony Entertainment).

“I’m happy when Sony’s movies do well,” says Tom Bernard, co-president of Sony Classics. But his interest in the fortunes of big tent poles stops at the home studio door. “We are looking to hit the alternative audience that doesn’t want to see those movies. Our only concern in looking at those movies is when one might steal our speciality audience,

which doesn’t seem to be the case this year.” (Sony Classics will be releasing Saint Laurent, about the storied French designer, this week, and Irrational Man later this summer.)

Albert Berger, a producer on Louder Than Bombs, admits that “although I don’t necessarily go to see The Avengers and movies like that, in fact I do hope they do well, because it feels a little bit like you need those films to do well in order to support the rest of us.” Having worked extensively with Fox Searchlight in the past, he says, “I don’t think there’s any doubt that you want your parent division to succeed.

It allows for more revenue across the board. A lot of these places expect that the main division is where money gets made, and the art house is where they focus on prestige and luring filmmakers into the fold. You need one to be happy in order to justify the other.”

Although the Sundance and Berlin film festivals have transpired — as well as highly respected second-tier showcases such as South by Southwest and Tribeca — Cannes has come to signify the beginning of the movie season for the kinds of movies that open in the fall and often wind up in the awards race.

But Cannes’ position as kingmaker has been, if not threatened, then at least democratised in recent years: In 2013, neither Inside Llewyn Davis nor All Is Lost, both Cannes premieres, made it to the finish line — although Nebraska did.

Cannes also finds itself trying to adapt to the rapid onset of changing technologies, both in and out of the theatre: Festival director Thierry Fremaux has banned celebrities and their posses from taking selfies before their big premieres this year, calling the ritual “ridiculous and grotesque.” For all the transformations that Cannes has been forced to navigate, there is little question that it still matters: A crush of filmmakers and their representatives will be flooding the basement floors under the elegant Grand Palais this week, trying desperately to attain financing for their projects, or sell movies they’ve already made.

Berger and his partners may well wind up among the deal-makers: Louder Than Bombs, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Ryan and Gabriel Byrne, had not yet been acquired by a US distributor as of this writing. Aside from that, says Berger, is Cannes’ enduring importance in establishing a film’s profile internationally, a role that he learned first-hand with his involvement in a co-production between American, Danish, Norwegian and French companies. “My focus is always so much on Sundance and Telluride and New York. But even we before started the film, our entire schedule was dictated so that we would potentially be done in time for Cannes.” — Ann Hornaday/The Washington Post

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

B6

ENTERTAINMENT CINEMA SCHEDULE

BAHJA CINEMA MAD MAX FURY ROAD (Act)(2D) 12+ Cast : Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron 4:20 pm MAD MAX FURY ROAD (Act)(3D) 12+ Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron 12:15 /06:45 pm /09:15 pm /11:45 pm Good Kill (Drama, Thriller) (12+) Cast: Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoë 12:15 /02:15 pm /09:45 pm /11:30 pm FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (Drama)(12+) Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts; 04:00 pm BOMBAY VELVET (Crime, Drama)(12+) Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar; 08:30 pm PITCH PERFECT 2 (Co, Musical)(12+) Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld; 06:15 pm CAPTAIN MASR (Sports, Comedy)(PG) Cast: Mohamed Emam, Edward, Bayoumi Fouad and Hassan Hosny 12:10 /02:00 pm /07:50 pm AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON (3D) (Action, Adventure) (PG12) Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo; 02:45 pm /11:45 pm PIKU (Comedy, Drama)(PG) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan; 05:30 pm

AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON (3D) 06:55 PM PG12 MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2D) 12+ Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult. 12:30 PM MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (3D) 12+ 09:30 PM & 11:45 PM Gold Class: 03:45 PM & 11:15 PM

PITCH PERFECT (2D) 12+ Cast : Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson.

10:15 & 02:45 PM; Gold Class: 06:00 PM GOOD KILL (2D) 12+ Cast: Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoë 05:00 PM & 09:45 PM CAPTAIN MASR (2D) PG Cast : Mohamed Emam, Edward, Bayoumi Fouad and Hassan Hosny 10:30 AM & 05:15 PM; Gold Class: 11:45 AM Far From The Madding Crowd (2D) 12+ Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts 03:00 PM Gold Class: 01:30 PM Bombay Velvet (HINDI) (2D) 12+ Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, 7:00 PM; Gold Class: 08:30 PM Piku (HINDI) (2D) 12+ Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irfan Khan; 12:30 PM Careful What You Wish For (2D) 15+ Cast: Isabel Lucas, Dermot Mulroney 11:45 PM

SCREEN 1 Piku (Drama / Comedy) – PG Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan 2.30 PM Bombay Velvet (Act/Rom/Dra ) – 12+ Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar; 5.30, 8.30, 11.30 PM SCREEN 2 Bombay Velvet (Action) – 12+ 3.30 PM Piku (Drama / Comedy) – PG 6.30 PM Purampokku – Tamil (Drama ) – PG Cast: Arya, Shaam, Vijay Sethupathi, Karthika Nair 8.45 PM

Gabbar - Hindi (Action/Drama ) – PG Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, 11.45 PM SCREEN 3 Piku (Drama / Comedy) – PG 3.30, 9.00, 11.45 PM Purampokku – Tamil (Drama ) – PG Cast: Arya, Shaam, Vijay Sethupathi, Karthika Nair 6.00 PM

Avengers: Age of Ultron -3D (PG12) Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo; 02:15, 11:40 pm ACCIDENTAL LOVE - 2D (12+) Comedy, Romance Cast: Jessica Biel, Raymond L. Brown Jr., Jenny Gulley; 03:15 pm Good Kill – 2D (12+) Drama | Thriller Cast: Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoë Kravitz; 04:50, 09:30, 11:30 pm Careful What You Wish For - 2D (15+) Cast : Isabel Lucas, Dermot Mulroney, Nick Jonas. 7:00 pm Far From The Madding Crowd - 2D (12+) Drama Cast: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts; 06:00 pm Mad Max: Fury Road - 3D (12+) Act 12:00 , 06:50 , 09:15 , 11:45 pm CAPTAIN MASR - 2D (ARB) (PG) (Sports, Comedy, Drama) Cast: Mohamed Emam, Edward, Bayoumi Fouad and Hassan Hosny 02:00, 05:15 pm PITCH PERFECT 2 - 2D (12+) Com Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld 04:50 pm Bombay Velvet - 2D (12+) Cri, Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma 11:45 AM 08:50, 11:15PM PURAMPOKKU - 2D (T) (PG) Act Cast: Vijay Sethupathi; 12:15 , 08:20 pm Chirakodinja Kinavukal - 2D (M) (PG) Comedy

Cast: Kunchacko Boban, 11:45 AM , 07:10 PM Mad Max: Fury Road- 2D (12+) 02:30 pm PIKU - 2D (PG) Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan. 03:45 pm

Mad Max: Fury Road – 3D (12+) Act, Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron 12:15, 02:45, 05:20, 09:30, 11:45 PM Good Kill – 2D (12+) Drama, Thriller Cast: Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoë Kravitz. 02:30, 05:00, 11:45 PM Captain Masr – 2D (PG) Sports, Comedy, Drama Cast: Mohamed Emam, 04:20, 07:30 PM Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai2D (TBC)Action, thriller, Drama Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Arya, Karthika Nair, Shaam, Anjali. 12:15, 06:05 PM Bombay Velvet - 2D (TBC) Crime, Drama. 12:30, 09:00, 11:30 PM 36 Vayadhinile - 2D (TBC) Drama Cast: Jyothika, Rahman, 03:15 PM Chirakodinja Kinavukal – 2D (TBC) Comedy, Spoof Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Rima Kallingal, Sreenivasan. 09:15 PM Avengers: Age of Ultron - 3D (PG12) Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans 07:00 PM

Good Kill (Drama | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoë Kravitz. 12:00, 04:45, 11:45 PM Avengers: Age of Ultron (3D) (Act) Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans 06:45 PM Mad Max: Fury Road (3D) (Act ) (12+)

Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron 02:45, 09:15, 11:30 PM Captain Masr (Arabic) (Com) (PG) Cast: Mohamed Emam, Edward, Bayoumi Fouad. 05:05 PM Bombay Velvet (Hindi) (Crime) (12+) Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar. 12:00, 02:00, 09:00 PM Chirakodinja Kinavukal (Mal) (Comedy | Spoof ) (PG) Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Rima Kallingal, 06:45 PM

Avengers :AgeOf Ultron (3D)(Sci-Fi) Cast: Robert Dwney Jr,Chris Evan, 10:00AM/6:30PM (PG12) Good Kill (2D)(12+)( Drama/Thriller) 12:45/11:45PM Careful What You Wish For (2D)(15+) (Thriller) Cast: Isabel Lucas, 12:15/7:15PM Mad Max: Fury Road (2D) (12+) (Act ) 2:45PM Mad Max: Fury Road (3D) (12+) (Act/A ) 10:00AM/9:15/11:30PM Captain Masr (2D) (PG) (Arabic)( Dr) 12:30/4:30PM Bombay Velvet (2D)(12+) (Cr/Drama) Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar. 9:00/11:45PM Purampokku EngirPodhuvudamai(2D) (PG)(Action/Thriller/Drama) Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Arya, 8:45PM 36 Vayadhinile (2D)(PG)( Drama) Cast: Jyothika, Rahman, 4:15PM Chirakodinja Kinavukal (2D)(PG) (Comedy/Spoof ) Cast: Kunchacko Boban, 6:15PM Piku (2D)(PG)( Comedy, Drama) 2:00PM Pitch Perfect 2(2D)(12+)( Co, Music) Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, 10:15AM/2:15PM

MAD MAX:FURY ROAD : (Action) Cast : Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult Timings : 3.15., 7.30, 9.45 & 11.55 pm.

CP NO : 1273 ( 12+ ) PITCH PERFECT 2 : ( Comedy ) Cast: Anna Kedrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld Timings : 1.15 & 5.30 pm CP NO: 1272( 12+ ) BOMBAY VELVET : ( Hindi) (Crime/Drama/History ) Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar Timings : 1.15, 6.00 & 9.00 pm CP NO: 1275 ( 12+ ) GOOD KILL : (Thriller ) Cast: Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoe Kravitz, Bruce Green Wood Timings: 4.00 & 11.55 pm CP NO: 1274 ( 12+ )

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

STARS CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776

Oru Vadakkan Selfie (Mal) (Rom) Cast: Navin Pauly, Manjima, Aju 3:00 & 6:30 pm at Cinema Main Bombay Velvet (Hindi) (Com/Rom) Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma 6:45 pm at Cinema 3 & 10:00 pm at Cinema Main Chirakodinja Kinavukal (Mal) Cast: Kunchako Boban, Rima Kalingal & Sreenivasan 3:45 & 9:45 pm at Cinema 3 Purampokku (Tamil) (Rom) Cast: Aarya, Vijay Sethupathi 6:30, 9:30 pm Cinema 2 O Kadhal Kanmani (Tamil/Rom) Cast:Dulqar Salman & Nitya Menon 3:30 pm at Cinema 2 Next Change: BHASKAR THE RASCAL (Mal) 36 VAYATHINILLE (Tamil) LION (Telugu)

For More Information 24789032, 24786776 Website: www.isurf.co.om

ACES ON BRIDGE

The mini mystery is finally revealed

R

aymond Chandler said, “At least half the mystery novels published violate the law that the solution, once revealed, must seem to be inevitable.”

This week’s deals have had a common theme, which will now be revealed — and it will definitely not seem inevitable. In each column, South has been in four of a major.

Five times, declarer had to play carefully to succeed, and one time he had no chance against best defence. But in all of the layouts, three no-trump would have been either laydown or less taxing.

However, when we find a major-suit fit, we typically go for that strain. When to prefer no-trump is very difficult to ascertain.

In today’s deal, how should South play in four spades after West leads a low diamond?

In the bidding, North was right to make a takeout double, despite the lack of a fourth spade. South’s two-heart cue-bid was purely point-showing, announcing at least 12. He could have had any hand distribution.

North bid the first fourcard suit he reached as he mounted the bidding ladder. South jumped to

four spades to confirm at least a five-card suit and extra values.

West found the best lead, the diamond three. The bidding marked West with the spade king, heart acequeen and diamond king.

So South had to make sure that East could not gain the lead for a heart shift.

Declarer won with dummy’s diamond queen, then ran the spade queen.

West took the trick and led a second diamond, but South won with dummy’s ace, drew trumps, and cashed the clubs to take 10 tricks: four spades, two diamonds and four clubs.

- By Philip Alder MARMADUKE

CROSSWORD

B I G NAT E

Answer to previous puzzle

ACROSS 1 5 9 12 13 14 15 17 19 21 22 25 28 30 34 35

Low-tech coolers Hacker’s pets?

Hippie’s digs Iridescent stone Disentangle Noticeably unfriendly Spoil (2 wds.)

Flower oil Russian ruler of yore Cat scanners?

Knock flat Fence crossover Cooks slowly Objected to — and outs Three-toed sloth

36 37 38 40 42 44 45 48 50 53 57 58 60 61 62 63

Gym class Yale athlete Choir selections Allow Cast a vote Gossip tidbit City on the Truckee Brokaw’s business Kitchen gadgets Partner of alas Embroider, maybe Herr’s abode Pentathlon implement Calculator display, briefly Lean-to Glimpsed

DOWN 1 Runway hazard 2 GI mail drop 3 Apprehend 4 Unisex attire 5 Lambda follower 6 Like helium 7 Some investments, for short 8 Aurora, to Socrates 9 Turpentine source 10 Checkbook no.

11 Changes colour 16 Donut qty.

18 — as we speak 20 Lend a hand 22 Roof problem 23 Geological periods 24 Hacienda 26 Hamper

27 29 31 32 33 39 41 43 45 46 47 49 51 52 54 55 56 59

Mortgage, e.g.

Fill a pipe Financial obligation She, in Cherbourg Carpe —!

Weird-sounding bird Ushers’ beats Follow upon Dice toss DeMille genre Lack Tacoma loc.

Codgers’ queries Go, team!

Goodall subject Decent grade Mammoth Cave loc.

Wyo. neighbour

BORN LOSER

WITH LOVE AYHAM ASHLY

GALEL FAVIO

KAVYA RAKESH RAWAL

SINJINI SINHABABU

May 16, 2014

May 16, 2012

May 16, 2010

May 16, 2008

ASHWIN SONY MATHEW

AASHUTI KUEMAR

ROSE ANNA SHABU

AARYA VIKASH

May 16, 2006

May 16, 2005

May 16, 2002

May 13, 2014

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

KIDSPOT

H E A LT H C A P S U L E

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

PRAYER TIMINGS

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

Y O U R B I R T H D AY BORN today, you possess great personal style. Indeed, you may ultimately be known not so much for what you do, but for how you do it. The stars have endowed you with one skill that shines above all others: the ability to package yourself well! You know how to dress, how to talk, how to conduct yourself in virtually any situation — and it’s not by accident, either. These abilities are the result of careful study over the years. You consider yourself a lifelong student of the human condition — most specifically, of human manners and behaviour. You know why certain things are worn; you know how and when certain accessories are best used; you know what greeting to use with any given person; and you know, perhaps most importantly of all, when to immerse yourself further in a situation and when to get out of it quickly.

There is something about you that others might call “stunning,” and even if you don’t exhibit classic good looks, you have a compelling visage and a strong presence, and others are indeed attracted to you — personally and professionally.

You’re just the kind of person other people want to be around.

Also born on this date are: Megan Fox, actress; Janet Jackson, singer; Pierce Brosnan, actor; Tori Spelling, actress; Liberace, musician; Henry Fonda, actor; Adam Richman, television personality; Danny Trejo, actor; Gabriela Sabatini, tennis player; Ashley Wagner, figure skater; Jim Sturgess, actor; Debra Winger, actress; Tracey Gold, actress; Olga Korbut, Olympic gymnast; Yvonne Craig, actress; Billy Martin, baseball manager.

12.08pm 3.31pm 6.47pm 8.05pm 4.01am

Sunset Sunrise (Tomorrow)

6:41pm 5.25am

High tide Low tide

-1.46am

6:57pm 1.07pm

FIND-IT-ALL

W E AT H E R

AIRLINES

M

ainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate with chance of early morning low level clouds or fog patches along the coastal areas and over Governorates of South al Sharqiyah and al Wusta.

EXPECTED WINDS: Along the coastal areas of Oman Sea wind will be northeasterly light to moderate during day becoming southwesterly light at night and southwesterly moderate to fresh along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea coasts, while it will be southerly to southeasterly light to moderate over the rest of the Sultanate.

SEA STATE: Moderate along Arabian Sea coastal area with maximum wave height of 2.0 metres, and slight along rest of Oman coasts with maximum wave height of 1.0 metre.

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

THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Mainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate. Chance of early morning low level clouds or fog patches along the coastal areas and over Governorates of South al Sharqiyah and al Wusta.

Max

OMAN

WORLD

Max 43 Min 30 Max 27 Min 19

Max 38 Min 26

Max 41 Min 33 Max 17 Min 9

Max 40 Min 34

Max 11 Min 9

Max 44 Min 29

Max 44 Min 28

Max 42 Min 28

Max 43 Min 32

TAURUS

Max 36 Min 27

[APRIL 20-MAY 20] You can rely on a friend to come through when you most need assistance. He or she is willing to give you everything you ask for and more.

Max 33 Min 27

Max 19 Min 12

Max 37 Min 29 Max 19 Min 13

Source: www.met.gov.om

GULF Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Kuwait Manama Riyadh

42 40 39 35 38 39

29 30 30 27 29 24

WORLD Athens Baghdad Beijing Berlin Boston Cairo Colombo Frankfurt Hong Kong Istanbul Johannesburg Kuala Lumpur Lisbon Paris Perth Singapore Tokyo Toronto

27 35 29 19 21 32 31 22 30 26 26 32 28 19 18 32 28 21

19 22 17 2 14 16 24 8 28 16 11 26 19 8 12 27 18 11

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

[MAY 21-JUNE 20] A vision of the future has you considering a new and unusual option, but it may not be available to you just yet. Be patient.

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22] What you are doing now can stand the test of time, surely. Everyone knows that you’re onto something that will be useful and memorable.

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22] You’re ready to make a certain transition, but you’ll have to answer a few key questions before knowing which direction to go.

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22] You can maximise your own productivity. Give another a chance to catch up before offering any criticism or counsel.

LIBRA L [[SEPT. [S S 23-OCT. 22] You’re in the midst of something that cannot be resolved in the usual way. You’ll have to approach others with delicacy and creativity.

SCORPIO S [[OCT. 23-NOV. 21] An unusual arrangement has you making what is perhaps a premature judgement. Don’t close your eyes to a possibility presented by another.

SAGITTARIUS S [[NOV. 22-DEC. 21] You have a secret that must be kept throughout the day, and you mustn’t be tempted to sell it to the highest bidder. Maintain integrity.

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19] Your motives may come into question, but only from those who are uncertain about you in other ways.

You can prove yourself.

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18] The information you have to share can prove most valuable to one who has been ready for quite some time — and you know just who this is.

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20] A difficult arrangement proves quite satisfying when all is said and done, though you may be nervous about how long it can last.

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19] You may be pestered by someone who thinks you have all the answers.

Instead of pretending you do, you may simply want to send him or her elsewhere.

QURIYAT - SUR - JAALAN (Route 36) Dept Destination Arrival Time Time 15:00 Quriyat 16:30 15:00 Sur 18:00 15:00 Jaalan 19:30 TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41) 06:30 Sohar 06:30 Buraimi 08:00 Buraimi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Buraimi 16.00 Sohar 16.00 Buraimi TO SINAW (Route 52) 17:30 Sinaw

Operating Days Daily Daily Daily

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (Route 36) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily 05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily 05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

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

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

20:50

Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41) 07:00 Sohar 07:00 Ruwi 13:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 17:00 Ruwi TO SINAW (Route 52) 07:00 Ruwi

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

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

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

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (Route 55) 07:30 Sur 14:30 Sur TO FAHUD - YIBAL (Route 62) 06:30 Fahud 06:30 Yibal

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

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

10:25

Daily

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

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

Daily Daily

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

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

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

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

10:30 11:15

Daily Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (Route 62) 12:30 Fahud 12:30 Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (Route 100) 07:00 Salalah 20:00 10:00 Marmul 20:30 10:00 Salalah 23:30 19:00 Salalah 07:40

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (Route 100) 07:00 Ruwi 19:50 10:00 Marmul 13:15 10:00 Ruwi 22:30 19:00 Ruwi 07:30

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (Route 102) 15:00 Salalah 07:00

Daily

16:50

SALALAH TO DUBAI (Route 102) 15:00 Dubai 07:00 TO DUBAI (Route 201) 06:00 Sohar 06:00 Dubai 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Dubai 15:00 Sohar 15:00 Dubai

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

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily 07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily 07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201) 07:30 Sohar 07:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 15:30 Sohar 15:30 Ruwi

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

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily 16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily 16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

LISTINGS

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24783334; Appolo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24782666; Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24702542, Salalah: 23291635; Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra: 24503585; Ruwi 24811715 Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya. Tel: 24787766 Muscat, A Seeb Market. Tel: 24421691 Muscat, Al Khuwair. Tel: 24485740 Muscat, Al Hail South. Tel: 4537080 Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah.

Tel: 23291635 HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre: 24485052 Atlas Hospital: Ruwi: 24811743/ Ghubra: 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic: 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi: 24563641, Azaiba: 24499269, Sohar: 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital: 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory: 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre: 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic: 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi: 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb: 24420740 Ceregem National Raak: 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic: 24563217 Elixir Health Centre: 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre: 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre: 24472274 Hamdan Hospital: 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC: 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital: 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128, MBD: 24799077, Al Khuwair: 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital: 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital: 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair: 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC: 22004000 ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence: 24569603 Directorate General of Customs: 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries: 24510228 Public Relations Admin: 24560099 ACCOMMODATION Al Bahjah Hotel: 24424400 Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171 Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400 Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949 Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385 Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311 Al Qurum Resort: 24605945 Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979 Beach Hotel: 24696601 Bowshar Hotel: 24491105 Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121 Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660 Crystal Suites: 24826100 Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300 Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234 Haffa House Hotel: 24707207 Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123 InterContinental Muscat: 24680000 Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900 Marina Hotel: 24711711 Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565 Mina Hotel: 24711828 Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

Nuzha Hotel Apartments: 24789199 Oman Dive Centre: 24824240 Park Inn: 24507888 Qurum Beach House Hotel: 24564070 Radisson Blu Hotel: 24487777 Ramee Dream Resort Seeb: 24453399 Ramee Guestline Hotel: 24564443 Ruwi Hotel: 24704244 Safeer Hotel Suites: 24691200 Sheraton Oman Hotel: 24772772 Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa: 24776666 The Chedi Muscat: 24524400 The Treasurebox Muscat Hotel: 24502570 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours): 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot: 24704455, Air Arabia: 24700828, Air France: 24562153, Air India: 24799801, Air New Zealand: 24700732, Biman Bangladesh Airlines: 24701128, British Airways: 24568777, Cathay Pacific: 24789818, Egypt Air: 24794113, Emirates Air: 24404400, Ethiopian Airlines: 24660313, Gulf Air: 80072424, Indian: 24791914, Iran Air: 24787423, Japan Airlines: 24704455, Jazeera Airways: 23294848, Jet Airways: 24787248, Kenya Airways: 24660300, KML Royal Dutch Airlines: 24566737, Kuwait Airways: 24701262, LOT Polish Airlines: 24796387, Lufthansa: 24796692, Malaysian Airlines: 24560796, Middle East Airlines: 24796680, Oman Air: 24531111, Pakistan International Airlines: 24792471, Qatar Airways: 24771900, Qantas: 24559941, Royal Jordanian: 24796693, Saudi Arabian Airlines: 24789485, Singapore Airlines: 24791233, Shaheen Air: 24816565, SriLankan Airlines:

SATURDAY

Min

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

GEMINI

B7

24784545, Swiss International Airlines: 24796692, Thai Airways: 24705934, Turkish Airlines: 24703033 MUSEUMS Bait Al Baranda: Corniche (seafront opp fish market), Open from Saturday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 6pm Natural History Museum: Al Khuwair, Tel: 24604957, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm; Thursday: 9am to 1pm Museum of Omani Heritage: (former Omani Museum), Madinat Al Alam, Sat-Wed 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday 9am to 1pm, Tel: 24600946 Armed Forces Museum: Bait Al Falaj, Tel: 24312651, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm; Thurs 9-12pm and 3-6pm; Fri 9-11am and 3-6pm. Al Hoota Caves 24498258; Turtle Beach 96550606/96550707 Children’s Science Museum: Shatti Al Qurum, Tel: 24605368, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Oman-French Museum: near Muscat Police Station, Tel: 24736613, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm, Thurs: 9am to 1pm Bait Al Zubair, Muscat: Tel: 24736688, Al Saidiya St., Muscat museum@baitalzubairmuseum.com Open from Sat to Thurs: 9:30am to 6pm.

National Museum Ruwi: Tel: 24701289, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Sohar Fort Museum: Tel: 26844758, Open from Saturday to Wed: 8 to 1:30pm Thurs: 9am to 1pm Muscat Gate Museum: at Al Bahri Road, Muscat open from Sat to Wed 8am to 2pm

SUNDAY

FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

WY406 WY648 WY672 WY424 WY676 WY682 WY914 WY916 TK774 4H583 PK225 GF560 QR1132 ET624 EK866 EY384 MS930 FZ041 WY114 WY658 WY638 WY902 WY644 WY154 WY144 WY668 WY692 WY132 WY674 WY102 FZ043 WY602 WY432 WY346 WY202 WY236 G9114 WY282 PK191 EK862 WY210 WY242 WY252 IX549 QR1128 EY382 IX443 WY844 WY652 9W530 WY604 WY918 GF562 FZ037 IX337 WY384 PA450 WY705 WY822 WY818 WY634 WY904 BG023 PK291 WY670 WY324 NL771 WY332 WY606 WY3302 WY906 WY920 FZ045 SV532 WY344 WY656 QR1126 WY204 WY632 WY292 WY216 EK864 WY232 WY246 WY694 WY664 GF564 G9116 WY274 WY374 WY386 FZ047 WY908 PK259 RG125 WY646 WY224 WY614 WY338 FZ049 WY124 KL441 9W534 AI973 6.00E+81 BA073 WY624 WY254 UL205 WY684 AI907 WY264 WY312 LX242 QR1134 GF566 LH616 WY717 WY328 EY388 9W540 AI985 WY662 WY654 WY636 WY928 WY816 WY696 WY612

CAIRO 0005 KUWAIT 0005 MEDINA 0005 BEIRUT 0005 JEDDAH 0005 RIYADH 0010 SALALAH 0020 SALALAH 0120 ISTANBUL 0135 DACCA 0200 KARACHI 0215 BAHRAIN 0325 DOHA 0345 ADDIS ABABA 0350 DUBAI 0350 ABU DHABI 0400 CAIRO 0410 DUBAI 0415 FRANKFURT 0515 BAHRAIN 0635 ABU DHABI 0640 SALALAH 0645 KUWAIT 0650 ZURICH 0700 MALPENSA 0705 DOHA 0715 DAMMAM 0715 PARIS 0735 JEDDAH 0735 LONDON HEATHROW 0740 DUBAI 0800 DUBAI 0805 TEHRAN 0805 ISLAM ABBAD 0815 BOMBAY 0835 HYDERABAD 0900 SHARJAH 0905 BANGALORE 0910 TURBAT 0930 DUBAI 0930 GOA 0935 DELHI 0935 MADRAS 0955 TRIVANDRUM 0955 DOHA 1000 ABU DHABI 1010 COCHIN 1020 MANILA 1020 BAHRAIN 1040 TRIVANDRUM 1045 DUBAI 1115 KHASAB 1115 BAHRAIN 1130 DUBAI 1140 CALICUT 1155 MALE 1210 LAHORE 1215 DARESSLAM-ZANZIBAR 1215 KUALA LUMPUR-SINGAPORE 1215 BANGKOK 1220 ABU DHABI 1220 SALALAH 1230 DACCA 1230 ISLAM ABBAD 1235 DOHA 1250 KARACHI 1300 PESHAWAR 1300 KATHMANDU 1305 DUBAI 1340 MUKHAIZNA 1350 SALALAH 1440 KHASAB 1445 DUBAI 1535 JEDDAH 1550 LAHORE 1605 BAHRAIN 1615 DOHA 1650 BOMBAY 1655 ABU DHABI 1710 CALICUT 1710 TRIVANDRUM 1745 DUBAI 1745 HYDERABAD 1750 DELHI 1750 DAMMAM 1805 DOHA 1805 BAHRAIN 1810 SHARJAH 1905 JAIPUR 1910 COLOMBO 1915 MALE 1935 DUBAI 1940 SALALAH 2000 PESHAWAR 2000 ABU DHABI 2005 KUWAIT 2010 COCHIN 2025 DUBAI 2025 KATHMANDU 2040 DUBAI 2100 MUNICH 2105 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2105 COCHIN 2115 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2140 DUBAI 2150 MADRAS 2150 COLOMBO 2155 RIYADH 2200 MADRAS 2200 LUCKNOW 2200 CHITTAGONG 2210 ZURICH-DUBAI 2225 DOHA 2225 BAHRAIN 2240 FRANKFURT-DOHA 2245 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2250 KARACHI 2250 ABU DHABI 2300 BOMBAY 2315 BOMBAY 2325 DOHA 2335 BAHRAIN 2340 ABU DHABI 2340 SALALAH 2345 BANGKOK 2350 DAMMAM 2355 DUBAI 2355

WY406 WY648 WY676 WY672 WY682 WY914 WY916 WY910 TK774 4H585 NL669 PK225 GF560 QR1132 ET624 EK866 EY384 FZ041 WY114 4H586 CV732 WY658 WY638 WY902 WY326 WY644 G9841 WY686 WY154 WY144 WY692 WY668 WY674 WY132 WY102 FZ043 WY602 NL768 WY272 WY202 WY3932 WY236 G9114 WY282 WY226 EK862 WY210 WY242 WY212 WY252 IX549 QR1128 IX817 EY382 IX443 9W530 WY3922 WY3302 WY604 WY918 GF562 FZ037 IX337 WY384 WY822 WY818 WY634 WY904 WY670 WY324 WY332 WY652 WY606 KU677 WY906 WY920 WY348 FZ045 WY3304 WY344 QR1126 WY204 WY632 WY292 WY264 WY664 EK864 WY246 WY232 WY610 GF564 WY656 TG507 G9116 WY374 WY646 FZ047 WY908 WY614 WY848 WY338 WY386 WY434 FZ049 WY124 9W534 AI973 6.00E+81 WY254 BA073 WY624 UL205 AI907 WY312 QR1134 LX242 GF566 LH616 EY388 WY414 WY910 9W540 AI985 WY662 WY654 WY636 WY928 WY816 WY696 WY612

CAIRO 0005 KUWAIT 0005 JEDDAH 0005 MEDINA 0005 RIYADH 0010 SALALAH 0020 SALALAH 0120 SALALAH 0130 ISTANBUL 0135 DACCA 0200 SIALKOT 0200 KARACHI 0210 BAHRAIN 0325 DOHA 0345 ADDIS ABABA 0350 DUBAI 0350 ABU DHABI 0400 DUBAI 0415 FRANKFURT 0515 DOHA 0600 LUXORE 0635 BAHRAIN 0635 ABU DHABI 0640 SALALAH 0645 KARACHI 0650 KUWAIT 0650 RAS AL KHAIMA 0655 RIYADH 0655 ZURICH 0700 MALPENSA 0705 DAMMAM 0715 DOHA 0715 JEDDAH 0735 PARIS 0735 LONDON HEATHROW 0740 DUBAI 0800 DUBAI 0805 LAHORE 0830 JAIPUR 0830 BOMBAY 0835 SOHAR 0840 HYDERABAD 0900 SHARJAH 0905 BANGALORE 0910 COCHIN 0920 DUBAI 0930 GOA 0935 DELHI 0935 TRIVANDRUM 0950 MADRAS 0955 TRIVANDRUM 0955 DOHA 1000 MANGALORE 1010 ABU DHABI 1010 COCHIN 1020 TRIVANDRUM 1045 DUQUM OMAN 1045 MUKHAIZNA 1110 DUBAI 1110 KHASAB 1115 BAHRAIN 1130 DUBAI 1140 CALICUT 1155 MALE 1210 KUALA LUMPUR-SINGAPORE 1215 BANGKOK 1220 ABU DHABI 1220 SALALAH 1230 DOHA 1250 KARACHI 1300 KATHMANDU 1305 BAHRAIN 1330 DUBAI 1340 KUWAIT 1405 SALALAH 1440 KHASAB 1445 ISLAM ABBAD 1515 DUBAI 1535 MUKHAIZNA 1550 LAHORE 1605 DOHA 1650 BOMBAY 1655 ABU DHABI 1710 CALICUT 1710 LUCKNOW 1740 DOHA 1745 DUBAI 1745 DELHI 1750 HYDERABAD 1750 DUBAI 1800 BAHRAIN 1810 BAHRAIN 1820 BANGKOK-KARACHI 1900 SHARJAH 1905 COLOMBO 1915 KUWAIT 1920 DUBAI 1940 SALALAH 2000 DUBAI 2025 JAKARTA 2035 KATHMANDU 2040 MALE 2045 TEHRAN 2055 DUBAI 2100 MUNICH 2105 COCHIN 2115 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 MADRAS 2135 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2140 DUBAI 2150 COLOMBO 2155 MADRAS 2200 CHITTAGONG 2210 DOHA 2225 ZURICH-DUBAI 2225 BAHRAIN 2240 FRANKFURT-DOHA 2245 ABU DHABI 2300 AMMAN 2300 SALALAH 2310 BOMBAY 2315 BOMBAY 2325 DOHA 2335 BAHRAIN 2340 ABU DHABI 2340 SALALAH 2345 BANGKOK 2350 DAMMAM 2355 DUBAI 2355

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

ETD

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

9W539 AI986 SG062 WY657 WY637 WY281 WY235 WY201 WY251 WY643 WY345 WY601 WY431 WY123 WY901 WY241 WY667 WY691 TK775 WY383 WY209 4H584 PK230 WY331 ET625 EK867 EY385 MS931 FZ042 QR1133 WY651 GF561 WY903 WY603 WY917 WY669 WY323 FZ044 WY373 WY633 WY215 WY815 WY343 WY291 WY717 WY821 WY385 G9115 WY3301 WY231 PK192 WY905 WY605 WY203 WY245 EK863 IX554 WY337 QR1129 EY383 IX442 WY311 WY919 9W533 GF563 WY223 WY655 WY273 FZ038 IX350 WY253 PA451 WY113 WY693 PK292 WY631 WY131 WY663 WY143 WY263 BG024 WY101 WY153 WY927 NL668 WY405 WY645 WY907 WY675 FZ046 WY683 SV533 WY671 WY613 QR1127 WY327 WY681 WY623 WY647 GF565 EK865 WY695 WY661 WY653 G9117 WY913 WY635 FZ048 WY611 RG126 PK226 WY915 WY909 FZ050 KL442 WY817 9W529 6.00E+82 AI908 UL206 AI974 LX243 GF567 QR1135 BA072

BOMBAY BOMBAY AHMEDABAD BAHRAIN ABU DHABI BANGALORE HYDERABAD BOMBAY MADRAS KUWAIT ISLAM ABBAD DUBAI TEHRAN MUNICH SALALAH DELHI DOHA DAMMAM ISTANBUL MALE GOA DACCA LAHORE KATHMANDU ADDIS ABABA DUBAI ABU DHABI CAIRO DUBAI DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN SALALAH DUBAI KHASAB DOHA KARACHI DUBAI COLOMBO ABU DHABI TRIVANDRUM BANGKOK LAHORE CALICUT ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM SINGAPORE-KUALA LUMPUR MALE SHARJAH MUKHAIZNA HYDERABAD TURBAT-GWADUR SALALAH DUBAI BOMBAY DELHI DUBAI TRIVANDRUM KATHMANDU DOHA ABU DHABI COCHIN CHITTAGONG KHASAB COCHIN BAHRAIN COCHIN BAHRAIN JAIPUR DUBAI CALICUT MADRAS LAHORE FRANKFURT DAMMAM ISLAM ABBAD ABU DHABI PARIS DOHA MALPENSA LUCKNOW CHITTAGONG-DACCA LONDON HEATHROW ZURICH SALALAH SIALKOT CAIRO KUWAIT SALALAH JEDDAH DUBAI RIYADH RIYADH-JEDDAH MEDINA DUBAI DOHA KARACHI RIYADH DUBAI KUWAIT BAHRAIN DUBAI DAMMAM DOHA BAHRAIN SHARJAH SALALAH ABU DHABI DUBAI DUBAI ABU DHABI KARACHI SALALAH SALALAH DUBAI DOHA-AMSTERDAM BANGKOK TRIVANDRUM BOMBAY MADRAS COLOMBO DELHI DUBAI-ZURICH BAHRAIN DOHA ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW

0020 0020 0030 0055 0105 0110 0110 0115 0120 0120 0125 0145 0155 0200 0215 0215 0225 0225 0230 0230 0255 0300 0315 0350 0450 0450 0500 0510 0510 0515 0645 0715 0750 0750 0815 0835 0835 0845 0900 0900 0900 0905 0915 0915 0940 0945 0945 0955 1000 1000 1015 1020 1020 1025 1040 1045 1045 1050 1100 1105 1120 1140 1145 1145 1215 1215 1220 1220 1225 1255 1310 1315 1320 1330 1335 1345 1345 1350 1350 1400 1400 1400 1420 1430 1430 1440 1440 1540 1615 1620 1620 1650 1705 1710 1750 1810 1840 1840 1845 1855 1910 1915 1920 1920 1955 2000 2015 2025 2035 2045 2100 2100 2110 2145 2220 2225 2230 2245 2300 2305 2310 2325 2325 2330 2330

AI986 9W539 WY657 WY225 WY637 WY235 WY281 WY211 WY685 WY201 WY643 WY251 WY271 WY601 WY123 WY325 WY847 WY241 WY901 WY691 WY667 WY383 TK775 WY209 4H585 PK260 NL772 WY331 ET625 EK867 EY385 FZ042 QR1133 WY3931 4H586 GF561 WY3921 G9842 WY903 WY603 WY3301 CV732 WY917 WY347 WY669 WY323 FZ044 WY373 WY815 WY291 WY343 NL769 WY651 WY263 WY821 WY843 G9115 WY231 WY605 WY905 WY203 WY385 WY245 EK863 IX554 WY337 QR1129 IX818 EY383 IX442 WY311 9W533 WY919 GF563 FZ038 WY3303 WY253 IX350 WY633 WY113 WY663 WY631 WY143 WY645 WY655 WY101 WY153 WY927 WY405 WY413 WY433 WY609 KU678 WY907 WY675 FZ046 WY671 WY613 QR1127 WY623 WY681 WY647 WY909 GF565 EK865 WY695 WY653 WY661 G9117 WY913 TG508 WY635 FZ048 WY611 WY915 FZ050 WY421 WY817 9W529 6.00E+82 AI908 UL206 AI974 WY705 GF567 LX243 QR1135 BA072 WY673 EY381 LH617

BOMBAY 0020 BOMBAY 0020 BAHRAIN 0055 COCHIN 0105 ABU DHABI 0105 HYDERABAD 0110 BANGALORE 0110 TRIVANDRUM 0110 RIYADH 0115 BOMBAY 0115 KUWAIT 0120 MADRAS 0120 JAIPUR 0135 DUBAI 0145 MUNICH 0200 KARACHI 0210 JAKARTA 0215 DELHI 0215 SALALAH 0215 DAMMAM 0225 DOHA 0225 MALE 0230 ISTANBUL 0230 GOA 0255 DOHA 0300 PESHAWAR 0310 PESHAWAR 0330 KATHMANDU 0350 ADDIS ABABA 0450 DUBAI 0450 ABU DHABI 0500 DUBAI 0510 DOHA 0515 SOHAR 0635 DACCA 0700 BAHRAIN 0715 DUQUM OMAN 0745 RAS AL KHAIMA 0745 SALALAH 0750 DUBAI 0750 MUKHAIZNA 0800 HONG KONG 0800 KHASAB 0815 ISLAM ABBAD 0830 DOHA 0835 KARACHI 0835 DUBAI 0845 COLOMBO 0900 BANGKOK 0905 CALICUT 0915 LAHORE 0915 LAHORE 0930 BAHRAIN 0935 LUCKNOW 0940 SINGAPORE-KUALA LUMPUR 0945 MANILA 0955 SHARJAH 0955 HYDERABAD 1000 DUBAI 1020 SALALAH 1020 BOMBAY 1025 MALE 1040 DELHI 1040 DUBAI 1045 TRIVANDRUM 1045 KATHMANDU 1050 DOHA 1100 MANGALORE 1100 ABU DHABI 1105 COCHIN 1120 CHITTAGONG 1140 COCHIN 1145 KHASAB 1145 BAHRAIN 1215 DUBAI 1225 MUKHAIZNA 1230 MADRAS 1255 CALICUT 1255 ABU DHABI 1300 FRANKFURT 1320 DOHA 1330 ABU DHABI 1345 MALPENSA 1350 KUWAIT 1350 BAHRAIN 1400 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 ZURICH 1420 SALALAH 1430 CAIRO 1440 AMMAN 1440 TEHRAN 1445 DUBAI 1445 ABU DHABI-KUWAIT 1505 SALALAH 1540 JEDDAH 1615 DUBAI 1620 MEDINA 1705 DUBAI 1710 DOHA 1750 DUBAI 1840 RIYADH 1840 KUWAIT 1845 SALALAH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 DUBAI 1910 DAMMAM 1915 BAHRAIN 1920 DOHA 1920 SHARJAH 1955 SALALAH 2000 KARACHI-BANGKOK 2005 ABU DHABI 2015 DUBAI 2025 DUBAI 2035 SALALAH 2100 DUBAI 2145 BEIRUT 2215 BANGKOK 2225 TRIVANDRUM 2230 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 COLOMBO 2305 DELHI 2310 DARESSLAM-ZANZIBAR 2310 BAHRAIN 2325 DUBAI-ZURICH 2325 DOHA 2330 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 2330 JEDDAH 2350 ABU DHABI 2355 DOHA-FRANKFURT 2355

WY673 EY381 LH617

JEDDAH ABU DHABI DOHA-FRANKFURT

ETA

2350 2355 2355

ETA

ETD

B8

SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2015

EXTRA BRIEFS

Gorgeous Madhuri Dixit inspirational at 48

Nasa ‘warp drive’ thruster being tested, but hasn’t worked – yet

ACTRESS MADHURI DIXIT turned 48 on Friday and has been wished a year full of happiness by Hindi film fraternity members, who find her “gorgeous” and inspirational. Madhuri ventured into Hindi cinema in 1984 with Abodh directed by Hiten Nag and received wider public recognition with the film Tezaab in 1988. She established herself as a leading actress of Bollywood with films like Ram Lakhan, Parinda, Dil, Saajan, Beta, Khalnayak, Hum Aapke Hain Koun!, Dil To Pagal Hai and Devdas. She was also honoured with the Padma Shri in 2008 for her contribution to Indian cinema. Last seen in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Dedh Ishqiya and Anubhav Sinha’s Gulab Gang, Madhuri also appears on the small screen as a judge of dance reality show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa. She also runs an online dance academy of her own. Here’s what BTown tweeted on her birthday: Riteish Deshmukh: Wishing my favourite forever @MadhuriDixit a very Happy Birthday.

Yami Gautam: Happy bday to one of my true inspirations, the ever gorgeous, who danced her way through our hearts n still does @MadhuriDixit ma’am. Manish Paul: Happy birthday to the woman with d most beautiful smile @MadhuriDixit ...loads of love. Karan Wahi: Happpy bday @MadhuriDixit ..hav a great one mam.

Aishwarya in social media embrace; only for Cannes TAKING A FURTHER step in inviting the world to experience the excitement and grandeur of the 68th Cannes International Film Festival through her eyes, Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will take over the L’Oréal Paris India social media accounts for a day on May 20. Last year, L’Oréal Paris ambassador Aishwarya shared her first selfie at Cannes, sending her fans on social media into a tizzy and this year will be an addition to what she did earlier. Aishwarya, who is not part of social media on a regular basis unlike several stars, has a host of things planned to make the day a memorable one for her fans. For the first time ever, while at Cannes, she will participate in a Twitter chat wherein she will share her experiences and answer questions, said a statement. She also plans to share an exclusive video where she will take her fans on a journey of her ‘day’ at the Cannes film fest. For those hoping to get some fashion and makeup tips, Aishwarya will give a tutorial on some makeup basics along with a few secret tips. The film festival began on Wednesday and will go on till May 24.

Nasa has said that it is working on technology thought to the emDrive, but that it ‘has not yet shown any tangible results’

I

t sounds too sci-fi to be true: a fuel-free thruster system that could carry spaceships around the universe faster than light.

And it probably is, at least for now, according to Nasa scientists.

Last week, excitement was stoked by a specialist forum that Nasa was working on an emDrive — a British invention that uses microwaves to push through space without the need for conventional fuel. But while Nasa has said it is testing similar technologies, it hasn’t actually had any practical success with them yet.

“While conceptual research into novel propulsion methods by a team at Nasa’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston has created headlines, this is a small effort that has not yet shown any tangible results,” Nasa officials told

Some tests claim to have shown that the energy can actually do what it says it can, which have been claimed to show that the planned technology could be viable

Space.com. “Nasa is not working on ‘warp drive’ technology.”

What makes the emDrive so exciting but also impossible, according to many scientists, is that it would appear to violate central laws of physics. A ship with it attached would supposedly be able to travel so far through the universe because the engine generates more energy than it uses — violating the law of conservation of energy, which says that energy can’t ever be created.

Quirks of the test Some tests claim to have shown that the energy can actually do what it says it can, which have been claimed to show that the planned technology could be viable. But scientists say that quirks of the test — like leaks in the testing chamber or the ef-

fect of the Earth — could have been responsible for the unusual results. The results haven’t yet been submitted for peer review, as scientific findings usually are, so researchers outside the Nasa laboratories that have tested the drive don’t know exactly what happened there. Many of those involved in the plan did not respond to requests for comment from Space.com.

But researchers point out that in other tests, the results have been very close to those that might be seen with random chance. The power that has been generated in the rumoured tests is very low, and almost as small as the margin for error, which could mean that the promising results are really the outcome of inaccurate measurements. — Andrew Griffin/ The Independent

H E A LT H

Katrina dons ravishing red for Cannes appearance IT WAS RED all the way when, for her second appearance on the Cannes International Film Festival red carpet, Indian actress Katrina Kaif chose a ravishing red Elie Saab gown matched with red lips. Highlighting her eyes in tones of taupe while lining them with a black liner, Katrina gave finishing touches to her makeup with perfectly contoured cheeks and sleek middle parted hair, said a statement from L’Oréal Paris, which she is representing at the international gala. Actress Sonam Kapoor, who will be gracing the red carpet soon as L’Oreal Paris brand ambassador too, has applauded Katrina’s style statements at Cannes. “Katrina knocked it out of the park and looked absolutely gorgeous.

I hope we get a chance to walk together next year,” she said.

Katrina, who was making her debut at the Cannes gala this year, even flashed her million dollar smile for fans and waved out to them before heading to the red carpet on Thursday. - IANS

Do microwaves ‘nuke’ out the nutrients?

THE MICROWAVE has had a bit of a bad rap about its effects on nutrients. Cooking and heating food by any method can result in some degradation of nutrients.

Vitamins C and B12, for instance, degrade quickly when food is heated. But other nutrients may actually benefit from a rise in temperature. For example, carotenoids, the antioxidants found in colourful vegetables like carrots and tomatoes, increase when the proteins that bind them break down during heating, said Guy Crosby, the science editor for America’s Test Kitchen and a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

The Harvard Health Letter recently concluded that microwaving may be preferable to other methods for heating food.

“Because microwave cooking times are shorter, cooking with a microwave does a better job of preserving vitamin C and other nutrients that break down when

heated,” it reported. “The cooking count of water essentially steams food from the inside out.

That keeps more vitamins and minerals than almost any other cooking method.”

However, Ashim Datta, a professor of food engineering at Cornell University, cautioned

that because microwaves heated food unevenly, nutrients were more likely to be broken down in spots that became extremely hot. In some cases, Datta said, microwaving could lead to more degradation overall than another warming method.

To help avoid these problems,

put a lid on food in the microwave to retain moisture, and keep the power relatively low to ensure that food is cooked rapidly, but not overheated, said Rebecca Solomon, director of clinical nutrition at Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital in New York. — Karen Weintraub/The New York Times News Service

B O L LY W O O D

Sidharth seeks help from fans for Twitter image ACTOR Sidharth Malhotra is confused — he can’t decide a ‘display picture’ for his Twitter page, and has sought his fans’ help for it. The actor took to micro-blogging site Twitter, and posted: “Ok time to change my DP but can’t decide so why don’t u guys send me your favourite picture and we will pick a new DP (sic).” Sidharth is also caught up in the acting and brand endorsement world. The 30-year-old is busy shooting for Shakun Batra’s upcoming modern family drama film Kapoor and Sons, which also stars his rumoured girlfriend Alia Bhatt, Pakistani actor Fawad Khan and veteran actor Rishi Kapoor. In the ad world, the actor can be seen matching dance steps with Kriti Sanon in a commercial for an online fashion brand — American Swan. - IANS

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W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M S AT U R DAY, M AY 1 6, 2 0 1 5

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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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S AT U R D AY, M AY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

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

FOR RENT

Flat at Darsait. Contact 99326879

2 BHK with split A/C in Grand mall. Contact 96708000 1BHK with split A/C in Azaiba 16 Nov Street. Contact 96708000 Showroom for rent 200 m in Al Misfah, Bousher facing the main road. Contact 95202430 New building, residential apartments and offices, in Al Khoud Souq. Contact 95202340 Deluxe 1, 2 BHK flats in Darsait, AL Khuwair 1deal for office & residence.# 99369081 /99142314 Flats 2 bedrooms, hall in Mumtaz way no 3352 building no 3774 /3668. Contact 99341138 / 98003444 506 sqm space with mezzanine available for rent in Al Wadi Al Kabir. Suitable for carpentry / auto workshop and /or electrical shop.

Interested parties may Contact 24703981 One BHK flat near Wadi Adai R/W Hillat As’ssad. Contact 98772585

2 BHK (with split AC) residential flat at Honda road.

Contact 98087644 / 99795241 Al Khuwair 17, a room, hall, kitchen, toilet ground floor with A/c, owner. Contact 99385553 1BHK flat in Wattaya with split units A/C. Contact: 98802343 2 BHK Flat in Azaiba.

Contact 99792181 2 BHK Flat in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181 10 BHK Villa in Al Khuwair 25 for Executive bachelors.

Contact 99792181 7 BHK Flat in Azaiba for Executive Bachelors. Contact 99792181 1 Villa & 4 big apartments of 3 BHK with big hall & Kitchen Al Khoudh 6. Tel 97600322 alnehang@gmail.com Mezzanine floor office space for rent area 200 sq. Contact 97175979 / 99001341

New one B/R directly from owner.

Bausher. Contact – 92158031

Villa for rent with 4 bedroom at Al Khodh, Rent 600/-RO.#92888115

3000 sq mtrs Industrial landß, in Barka Sanaiya, with electricity 400KW, shed, staff accommodation and office. Ready to start any kind of factory. Contact 99384255.

4 bedroom villa at Al Ansab area.

Contact: 96788070

Full storey at Al Khuwair, 3BHK 525/- R.O. Contact: 94232344

3 bedroom flat for rent in Al Hamria Contact: 99341112

2 & 3 BHK in Qurum, with split AC, Near PDO Gate 2.

Contact 94057023

Villa for rent in Khuwair 33, 8 bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms with parking area near Taimur Mosque.

Contact 99366624

Mabella residential area flat 3 bedroom, toilet 33 inside of the compound wall ground level, children playground excellent area.

Contact 99879872

2BHK flats in Al Khuwair-33 with split AC. Contact: 94057023 Independent villa in Darsait (OPP .

KIMS hospital, behind Khimji mart) for rent 4 bedrooms, big hall and 1 kitchen + 1 pantry. Please call Ms Hiba Shaikh. Contact 98048210/ Mr Anil Kumar 99261773 Villa for rent in Azaiba near well roundabout & Umm AL Qura Mosque, 5 bedrooms, two hall , kitchen. Contact : Mr Sunil 92887809/ Mr Habib 98048207 Flats for rent in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact : 92800007 1,2,3 BHK apartments for rent. , 4,5 BHK villas for rent.

Contact 95178930

New 3 bedroom flats split AC, attached toilets available behind Kims Oman hospital.

Contact 95225662

3 Office space available between 120-142 sqm, with data cable, pantry, cassette AC, parking, @ RO. 5/- per/sqm. At Jibroo Muttrah. 2 BHK flat at Azaiba, behind Al Meera Hypermarket. RO. 330/-.Contact: 93221054, 99229263, 95215289 Flats shops and store for rent in Ruwi, MBD Honda road.

Contact 97293708 / 92433127 2 & 3 BHK , A/C Qurum.

Contact 99024730 2& 3 BHK , Madinat Sultan Qaboos.

Contact: 99024730

Flat 1 BHK for rent near Al Tajaweed furniture way no. 5917 Hamriya, Rent 160/- PM. Contact 99350946

For rent flat 2 BHK 350/- R.O in North Al Ghubrah.

Contact 97004127

1st floor flat in Amerat Phase 5, 4 rooms, bathrooms (3), kitchen with A/C for family. Contact 95522405

For rent flat 3BHK 390/-R.O in North Al Ghubrah.

Contact 97004127

Office premises available in Ruwi and double bed room flats available in Mabellah for rent.

Contact tel nos 24833972/ 24833974/24450361 gsm 99367448

2 & 3 BHK flat in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181

New flat at Al Qurum, 2 BHK 450/R.O . Contact: 94232344

2BHK at Al Azaiba, 2bedrooms, 1 hall & dinning , 3 bathrooms.

Contact : 99224748 / 99425665

1BHK R.O 250/-, Bldg # 1690 way # 6926 near to ISWK Kindergarten Wadi Kabir.

Contact : 99476728

3 flats for rent 3 bedrooms include A/C, near the highway (Bowshar Amerat). Contact 97777911 / 95533777

Ground + Mezzanine floor, suitable for A grade Restaurant next to Pizza hut, MBD. Contact 24714625 / 94460790

1 Villa & 4 big apartments of 3 BHK with big hall & Kitchen Al Khoudh 6. Tel 97600322 alnehang@gmail.com

1 & 2BHK at Honda road, 2 bedrooms, 1 hall, 2 bath rooms.

Contact 99224748 / 99332297

S AT U R DAY, M AY 1 6, 2 0 1 5

C3

DAILY GUIDE

BUYING / SELLING Used household & office furniture and electronic items.

Contact 99834373, 97102699

M.V. FOR SALE FOR RENT

Furnished flats for rent in Al Buraimi, daily, weekly, monthly.

Contact 97819981 / 93593336 Flat for rent, 2 BK near Kuwaiti Mosque, Wadi Kabir. Contact 97007934 / 92629232 Flat for rent 2 BK near Oman House Muttrah. Contact 97007934 / 92629232 200 Sqr mtrs office space in CBD. Contact 99792181 Two bedroom Flat Available at Darsait/Near Muscat Municipality/ Call 99107588 If require flats for rent in Wadi Kabir please send me messages through whatsapp or call 99376454

Ground floor flat in Mabela South with 2 big room & living room, 3 toilets, kitchen, small store & hall.

Contact 93295953 Flat for rent 1 & 2 bedroom available behind Zaker Mall Al Khuwair.

Contact - 99530405 For rent 3 industrial land.

Contact 92702891/ 95490842 Flats/villas owned by ROP pension fund available for rent in Muscat. Contact 99349526 Spacious 2 BHK flats in Ruwi MBD area only on 350/- OMR. Contact – 95122188 / 96441499

FOR SALE

1 BHK new bldg with A/C, curtains near Khimji Mart MBD. Contact: 99061408 / 99024039

Labour Camp for Rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99792181 2 BHK flat in Rex Road.

Contact 99792181 1 BHK flat in Honda Road (Ruwi).

Contact 99792181 One BHK flat for rent in Ghobra with attach and common bathroom.

For Indian family.

Contact - 92322096 Studio & 1BHK flat in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454 2 bedroom apartment in Ruwi for rent or sale for information.

Contact: 99360303

1BHK, 2 toilets at South Ghubra include E/W and AC split with fully furnished OMR 350/-.

Contact 92811110

1/3 BHK Flat Ghubrah, close to ISG Way 4041, building 4390.

Contact 99319880 1BHK flat near star cinema with split A/C 230/- O.R. Contact - 99358589/ 97079146/95570288 Bath attached room for rent Al Khuwair. Contact 99743569 Labour camp for Rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99797422 2 BHK & studio flat at Darsait 1SM. Contact 99024730

We have flats for rent in South Al Mabella stage -8 along the highway. Contact 95121222

Room with attached bathroom Al Khuwair 33 area.

Contact 96059431

2 BHK in Muttrah, 2 bedrooms, 1 hall, 1 bathroom & 1 kitchen.

Contact 99342790 2BHK Muttrah behind Oman house. Contact 95915154 1BHK A.C Mumtaz.

Contact 97799175 2 BHK with A.C, M.B.D, R.O 325/-.

Contact: 92144045 2 BHK with A.C Ghubra R.O 350/-.

Contact: 92144045 2BHK without A.C Mumtaz R.O 275/-. Contact 92144045 1BHK Ghubra R.O 350/-.

Contact 92144045 2BHK flat with very big balcony for rent at MBD, rent R.O 400/-Month. Contact 94273529 1& 2BHK for rent at Wadi Kabir, Hilal Al Sad and Al Khoud areas .

Contact Office: 24834644 Mobile: 93994401/02/03

Big flat in Al Khuwair 33, 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, sitting, dining, family lounge, kitchen, store with A/C, rent 550/- OMR. Contact 97278169 Apartments for rent Ghubra : near Indian School Ghubra & Al Maha International Hotel (2BHK with 5 split A/C units).Contact 99273774 / 99202278 /94652485 Villa in Al Khuwair and Seeb.

Contact 95250300/ 99119699 / 92125648 Ghubra near Al Maha hotel & Indian school (2BHK with 5 split ac units). Contact 94652485/ 99273774 / 99202278 1,000 sq mtrs industrial land in Misfah Industrial area near to Khanco. OMR 1,500 Monthly. Electricity and boundary wall will be provided. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 Industrial land for rent in Wadi Kabir 7000 Sq mtrs.

Contact 99354340 1 Bedroom flat in Azaiba.

Contact 99385835/99428143

Land Cruiser 2012. Contact 99336093

Toyota Yaris 2007, fully automatic, expat lady driven.

Contact 99045803

Toyota Yaris model 2007 manual very good condition accident free full service history 210000 km. Contact: 94223132 expat leaving.

Nissan Sunny 2007, 1.6, automatic, good condition km 1,48000.

Contact 99781671 Pajero 2010, GCC, 230000 km white 6200/- R.O. Contact 92857111

FOR SALE 2 residential Lands together, one 610 and the other 600 sq mtrs, in Al Haram on way to Barka. OMR 49 Thousand both. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 Restaurant for sale well running with open area and good parking area. 3 new clearance also in Wadi Kabeer near Mars hyper market.

Contact 99656863

Studio flat Wadi Kabeer 160/-O.R. Contact - 99358589 / 97079146/ 95570288

Well maintained spacious, 2BHK at Rex Road from 1st August.

Contact: 92227165

Room main road, Al Khuwair R.O 110/-. Contact 97799175

FOR SALE! 1 No. PLASTER MIXER PUMP (Make/Model: Putzmeister; DWϮϱͿ ŝŶ ǁŽƌŬŝŶŐ ĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶ available for sale on AS IS WHERE IS basis (at our Ghala Store). Genuine buyers Contact Evan G. Amanna, Mbl. 99334126; R&N KHIMJI LLC - Tel.24502111; Email: rnk@rkhimjigroup.com

Peugeot 206-2007 Model, expat driven. Contact 99209285

40 FT Seaworthy used containers for sale located in Sur and Sohar in very good condition.

Contact 99771466 A well equipped running dental clinic in Ruwi for sale.

Contact 93769963 Coffee shop equipment and furniture for sale call 95207741 .

3 tents used for six months, PVC type, 850 GSM, water proof and fire resistant (one tent size 11x30meter, two tents size 15x25 meters).

For clarification call 99507508

Used Furniture of Ready made showroom for Sale.contact 24704370, 99798452 (Ashwin) Port cabin new & refurbished – porta cabin for sale & rent.

Contact 96723468 / 97775501 / 97775502 23,886 Sq Mtrs Agriculture land with water well in Al Salwa, Barka.

OMR 260 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 We have flats for sale in south Al Mabella stage -8 along the highway. Contact 95121222 Shfandish & tables for sale.

Contact 99368907

Prime location in Shatti Qurum for sale. Ideal for restaurant / coffee shop / fast food.

Contact: 97890657 / 96426312 Email: tess29.cayman29@gmail.com

Well established coffee shop & BBQ with open parking along with 5 clearance located in Wadi Kabir.

Contact 97161811

One shop OPP Oman house at Muttrah for sale R.O 600/- and monthly rent R.O 100/- (One hundred) Contact S.Q . Hussaini 97089387 / 97704905

Residential land for sale 21000 sqm, best for housing complex at Al Harm – Barka, opp to Khimji logistic. Contact 99438397

Coffee shop for sale in North Al Ghubra. Contact 95256009

For running beauty saloon for sale.

Contact 97786792 / 96914627

Restaurant for sale in Wadi Kabir.

Contact : 99425461

60,000 Sq Mtrs Agriculture Land in Misfah, can be changed to Industrial Land. OMR 27 Per Square Meter.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

2,560 sq mtrs industrial land Wadi Kabir Main Road, First line on way to Al Bustan hotel. Possible to make petrol station or hotel. OMR 990 Thousand Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 558 Sq mtrs residential land in Barka (Al Jenainah) near Lulu and near to school. OMR 32 Thousand.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Shopping center for sale at Bousher by good price 400 m2 with all equipment. Reason for selling part-time. Contact 92916490 5 Flats of 1 bedroom for Sale in Bousher: OMR 35 Thousand each.

Monthly income OMR 270 Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

3 floor commercial building in Muttrah behind Police. Generating income of OMR 18 Thousand annually. Neat and well maintained. Built on 197 sq mtrs land. 2 tailor shops on ground floor and 6 flats. OMR 207 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

WANTED Required used portacabin 12’ x 40’ without partition 2 Nos, used ablution unit 12 ‘x 30’ -1 no required at Misfah.

Contact: 99340205

ACC. AVAILABLE Room for rent in Wattaya for executive Bachelor. Contact 99036715 Sharing accommodation available opposite Mars at Al Ghubra for Executive bachelor or small family sharing, kitchen. Contact 94474351 / 96237050 For family room available near Al Khamis Shoes Hamriya.

Contact 99793785 Furnished sharing room with sharing kitchen for Executive bachelor near Mars Hypermarket Ghubrah.

Contact 98851806 Al Khuwair one villa room with toilet. Indians only.

Contact 99382008 Furnished single/sharing room for Exe bachelor at Rex Road (Kannada, Telugu, Tamil). Contact 92873832 Executive bachelor room with attached toilet near Al Nahda Hospital, Hamriya.

Contact 9647313 Single room for Executive bachelor near Al Falaj hotel.

Contact 99643845

2 Prime Movers Man 2008 with 40 ton petrol tank each working at the moment in Al Maha. Price OMR 35 Thousand each. Contact 97000155 or 92688692

ACC. WANTED I BHK Wanted In MBD Or CBD area (R0. 200 or 230) Contact : 93262152 Looking for 2 BHK flat in Ruwi, Darsait or surrounding areas.

Contact 96027403

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

ACC. AVAILABLE Room for rent Ex- bachelor / working lady in Ruwi.

Contact : 99777496 Single furnished room in Ruwi.

Contact: 24833609 room, with A/C kitchen available near ONTC Bus station (Ruwi).

Contact 95569740 Sharing for non-cooking Executive bachelor in CBD area wi fi free, advance deposit.

Contact 95934642 Accommodation available for South Indian family, one bedroom with attached toilet, kitchen, hall in a villa, Al Ghubrah. Contact 99209160 Family room available for rent at Muttrah Souk. Contact 24712088 / 99022790 Single room & AC attached bath at Mumtaz area. Contact 95212017 & 93103337 Sharing acc. Available in Muttrah behind Oman house. Contact 99354340 Sharing family accommodation in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99335057

*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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S AT U R D AY, M AY 1 6 , 2 0 1 5 Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

SITUATION WANTED SIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Indian male 22 yrs B. Com Graduate 1 year exp in Accounts, currently on visit visa. Looking for suitable job.

Contact 94341848 / Email – mohdhaji7272@gmail.com

Finance / Accounts Manager 12 years experience at senior position in leading companies 9 years in Oman CPA – USA& modern accounting certificate from AUC. Contact 99139926

Indian Female 25 MBA looking for a suitable opening in Accounts, Admin/Hr. Contact 97013375

Part – time accountant qualified experience accountant available.

Contact 96759385

Accounting professional having B.com, ILM with 11 years of Gulf experience includes Islamic Banking/ Trading etc looking for Chief/Senior Accountant . Contact:95312688

India Accountant: Male, M com, 7 Yrs experience in Accounts up to finalization, having knowledge of ERP, Tally, seeks suitable placment. contact 93950138 Email: lijinrajan123@gmail.com

Certified Public Accountant with 2 yrs experience in big 4 auditing firm as Senior IT Auditor on visit visa.

Contact 92051688 Male 26, MBA in Accounts and Finance. 2 years Experience in Management, and Accounts Fields, and One year experience in Sales and Operation in Oman, looking for a suitable job. Contact 94374745

ACCOUNTANT Urgently required Tally ERP9 experienced Accountant. Send CV to ali@blueoceanmea.com Urgently required female Accountant, should have 3 -5 years experience. Send CV with passport size Photo and expected salary on cv.hrcharity@gmail.com Urgently required Accountant with valid Oman D/L. Send your CV to accounts@progroupoman.com

MISCELLANEOUS

SALES / MARKETING

Cast Aluminium & Windows Company looking for the skilled and experienced personnel for the following categories: Sales Executive with D/L, professional Accountant, Aluminium fabricator, Cast Aluminium Site worker.

Contact: 99654863 / 99197060 or Email your CV/Resume to tdnewgates@gmail.com

Salesman experienced 5 yrs in Oman, in the field of industrial & oilfield service, garage equipment tools & spares, safety wears & rescue equipments. Please forward your CV to almaadhi.trd@gmail.com

Required salesman, Tailor and Barber. Contact 96964767

ENGI./ELECT./TECH..

CATERING Wanted cook for Omani family at Muttrah. Contact 24712088 / 99022790 A fast food restaurant in Muscat required : 1) Cashier cum order taker with experience, speak fluent in Arabic and English, 2) Social Media Services. Forward CV : oman.job2win@gmail.com

DRIVER Wanted tipper drivers for Road works.

Contact 95565039 / 98878989

MANAGER Urgently required experienced LED TV Technician. Send CV to ali@blueoceanmea.com Urgently required Maintenance Supervisor (Civil) with valid Oman D/L. Send your CV to cv.hrcharity@gmail.com Required Graduate Electrical Engineer experience in HT & LT works. Contact 99760596, Email : info@npgoman.com Quantity Surveyor 1 No Civil Engineer – 1No. with seven years minimum Gulf construction experience.

Email: omaniantrad@gmail.com

One of the leading business groups in Oman is looking for a Manager for their transport division. Candidates with 7-10 years experience in transport industry may forward their CV to kumar@muscatsteel.com Multinational Consultant Hiring, Senior: Architect/ Design Manager/ Project manager above 10 Years’ Experience, Senior: MEP & Site Engineers Above 5 years’ experience. Send CV: lvjob2015@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING

Required Sales man - 1 Person Qualification. Gulf Experienced - Minimum 5 Years with Oman Driving Licence Language - English Education:- Any Degree Further Contact :Mr. Abdul Hameed Nashabat - Mobile No: 97414307 and -92807399 amn@yaqeeneng.com Urgently required Sales Executive for leading building material company holding license.

Contact 98650936 / 95928480 A Leading FMCG Company require Sales Executives (Graduates) & Merchandisers, with Omani D/L. Candidates with local release only apply. Send CV to FAX: 24501542 or e-mail: fmcgsaleshr@gmail.com Reputed building materials company looking for Outdoor Sales Executive having valid Omani driving license with more than 2 years local sales experience tiles / sanitary ware. Fax your CV to 24798709 Email: united@omantel.net.om

DOMESTIC HELPER Company GM requires a capable house keeper (preferably Philipina) to keep the house spotless and a gardener cum cleaner on full/ part time basis. Handsome salary & flexible timings. Contact 98458542 Urgently Required Full time Housemaid for a respectable Omani Family. Contact: 99845838 / 99357273, Email: ijaz.beaver@gmail.com Wanted an Indian family in Al Ghubra requires a full time living housemaid. Contact 97084023

DRAFTSMAN Leading Construction company requires MEP Draftsman and Civil Draftsman with 5 to 7 years gulf experience with NOC available. Send your CV to recruitment1947@gmail.com

DESIGNER Required 3 D Designer for interior design with relevant experience, full time or part time.# 95766844

EDUCATION Assignments help? watsapp98347864 Wanted Graduate in Electronics / Mechatronics for teaching position for school students. Send CV to info@iiriss.com A school requires teachers for English, Science, Math, IT and Science Laboratory technician minimum requirements masters degree IELTS (band6).

Contact send CV to: 96606121.

Email: fred-cate2@yahoo.com Physics, Chemistry Edexcel ‘A’ level board teacher urgently required to teach a student of 12th standard. Teacher’s experience preferred. Contact: 99349076.

MEDICAL Immediate placement ( with or without MOH) A. Pharmacist 3 nos B. Asst.pharmacist - 2 nos Contact Tel.99338219 , 93240949

MEDICAL Medical CARE Centre, Al Seeb, requires Gynecologist, General Practitioners and Medical Lab Technicians. Mail CVsarita_h23@yahoo.com or call 97884856 Wanted a Staff Nurse to work in a private clinic in IBRI preference will be given to candidates who have cleared their prometric exam.

Contact: 99502851 Position for a full time home Health Nurse seeking for a dedicated and reliable Staff Nurse or Assistant Nurse to provide total care for an elderly sick patient for immediate interview.

Contact : 99331369 We are looking for a Staff Nurse, who is having 60% or above in prometric exam. Contact : 99235643 /99463609 Email: abuahamedclinic@gmail.com Urgently required female Nurse of India or Philippines origin to work at residence from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm from Saturday to Thursday for a period of two to four weeks. Remuneration for this service is negotiable with individual experience. Candidate meeting the above requirements call at 99880712 or 99440935 Clinical Dietician for Weight Management Center, utilizing the “Eurodiet” method. Experienced in individual counseling along with excellent communication skills.

Arabic speaking would be an advantage. Tel. 9749 7777, thanae@eurodiet.com Urgently required (All female only) Radiographer, Physiotherapist, Echo Technician, EEG technician & Nurses.

Contact: 99374223, 22081700 email: hr@gshoman.com Urgently required Staff Nurse, Pharmacist and endodontist Female Staff nurse, Pharmacist and endodntist with MOH License/ Prometric exam passed with 60% and above.

Contact 24780088, 97374459 Email : karamadental@gmail.com

Situations vacant at a reputed company in Oman for their TLB(Tires, Lubes & Battery) division. 1. Sales Executives. 2. Showroom Executives. 3. Sales Co-ordinators.

4. Store Keepers. Minimum 3-5 yrs experience in the same field or from the Automotive industry with market exposure, holding valid Omani driving license or GCC. Rush your CV’s to careers@diamondwealth.org Wanted Salesman with Oman driving license for Advertising Company.

Contact 96440587 Sales Executives for Media Enterprise. Oman D/L. Contact: essential. jobs@interacoman.com

Looking for Electrical Salesman with diploma certificate.

Contact 97616265 email: brightsilverllc@gmail.com,

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Required Office Assistant 160+25+Acc, Contact 99454425

TOURS & TRAVELS Counter staff male/female experience 2 years of travel agency experience. Interested candidate shall send his / her CV to officer1_ajyad@yahoo.com

SITUATION WANTED SIT. WANTED ADMIN/HR Indian female, 28 yrs experience in Admin / sales coordination /accountant and secretarial. Knowledge in accountant software, with Oman D/L, looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 96751993 Indian male 2+yrs oman exp in HR. joing immediatly. release available.

Contact :93671437 Young Indian male with masters in business admin from UK & 4+ years Oman experience in purchase & admin (current working as assistant purchase manager) seeks placement. Posses valid Driving License.

Ph:94400671 Indian female, 29 yrs, MBA (HR) 4 yrs exp. India & Oman in HR & Admin, seeks suitable placement.

Contact 96759820

Omani experience in the legal, administrative, public relations, education. Contact 97243393 Email: mwm3003@gmail.com Over 15 years of gulf experience in Admin /HR /Logistics, fluent in Arabic & English with D/L looking for suitable position.

Contact 95824598 B.A graduate with 8 years experience (2 years in Oman) in admin / business development and sustainably (green buildings) on visit visa. Contact 91626216 Female 26, 3 yrs exp in HR & Admin, with Oman D/L, looking for a suitable opening.

Contact 98236033

AUTO CAD Omani national fluent in English looking for suitable placement.

Contact 91908052 Indian female Post Graduate with 5 years experience in HR & Admin looking for good opportunity.

Contact 94692244 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

AUTOCAD D MAN, Gulf Exp In Major Projects, knows ARCH, Structural, MEP, Noc available PH: 98225740 Draughtsman-Civil: Diploma in Architecture with 3 years experience. Proficient in AutoCAD, Google Sketchup, Photoshop and MS Office.

Email: dilshadmayas@gmail.com Mob: +91 9645124241, 93004426

Indian male, B.Com experience in Accounts, looking for Accountant job or in Sales on visit visa.

Contact- 98295101 Indian male 25 yrs B.Com PGDBM currently on visit visa, looking for suitable opening in accounts, store and Admin. Contact: 96986349 Email: gafoordawre@gmail.com 7 years experience (2 yrs in Oman) MBA (Fin), B.Com, C.A (Found.) currently looking for suitable placement. Contact +968 - 97736404 Email: adnantahir1990@gmail.com Finance Manager (M.Com. MBA) with start-up skill & group consolidation, Baking,corporate funding, restructuring of finance and accounts with new system and procedure.amritaa.m2002@gmail.com 3 yrs experience, Indian female, 26 years, Masters in Financial Management, B.com, Seeking suitable placement. Contact: 99345132 Email: Sandhya1735@gmail.com Egyptian Accountant using ERP system on visit visa 1year experience. Contact: 96019233 MBA (international business) from London, 4 years of UK experience in banking operational, looking for suitable position. Contact 91710075

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 MBA Graduate with 6 yrs exp in finance/accounts/ auditing. Specialized in accounts payable dept, Oracle app user, proficient in Sap (fico) end user & tally 9.0. lean &six sigma certified trainer on visit visa.

Contact – 91967213 / 99064780 Part time Accountant with 15 years experience in accounts, finance tax, audit management.

Contact 95857199

DRIVER Indian male looking for job as driver. Have 08 years experience in Oman. Contact 95256489 Pakistani male having Oman driving license looking for driving jobs, having 2 years experience in vehicle driving presently staying in Oman.

Contact 96549406 Heavy Duty Driver looking job & visa. 3 years experience. Release Available. 96238930/92744341 Light duty driver with car looking for job. Contact: 99365092 Malayalee driver, 8 yrs exp. in Oman seeking job. Contact 93526254 / 94615610 Looking for job, driving 8 yrs experience languages Hindi, Arabic & English & civil construction foreman. Contact 96288587 Driver need job. Contact 98056148

Tanzanian male, 25 yrs Accountant 3 month successful experience in Tanzania looking for suitable placement in any field.

Contact : 96710154 Sri Lankan male qualified CIMA (UK) Accountant & bachelor degree in accountancy with over 10 years experience in various industries looking for job position as Senior Accountant / Finance Manager currently in Muscat available on visit visa. Contact 97299017 Email: mnm_ruzan79@yahoo.com Indian Male, 25, CA, CMA, ACMA, looking for a challenging assignment in finance or Investment Banking field. Contact +917567122122 or umang@snthakar.com Indian male, B.Com Graduate having 10 years exp 6 years in Oman looking for an Accountant job.

Contact : 93830171 Email: nidbivtl@yahoo.com Indian male M.Com, 5 years experience in finance /HR and Purchase department in Oman companies having valid D/L available to join immediately with NOC. Contact 98363897 Email: prince9496@hotmail.com Finance Manager, CPA, with more than 15 yrs. of experience in GCC. Fully knowledgeable in Finance, General & Management Accounting . NOC available.

Contact 96209331 Indian male with total 5 year experience (2 years experience in Accountant cum sales co ordinator in a FMCG Company in Oman) in accounts field and NOC available Looking for suitable job Contact 92130188 Finance Manager, 16 + years Gulf exp. in accounts , MIS, budgets, strategic planning, cost control, working capital management, seeks job pls call 95379211 e mail :- vijay.564@hotmail.com Indian male 27 M.Com, MBA, 4.5 years experience in finance & accounts, Tally & SAP currently on visit visa. Contact: 93484048 Indian female 32 yrs MCA having, 3 years experience in Muscat and having driving license seeks suitable placement. Contact: 96124929

Driver with car looking for part & full time job. Contact 96692774 Bangladeshi male looking for driving job, knows speaking English, Arabic & Hindi. Contact 93098895 Light duty driver seek job.

Contact 95546316 Heavy driver valid license Omani need job & visa. Contact 91139936 Light Vehicle Driver requires job in any transportation / private co.

Contact 96015617 Driver looking for job.

Contact 94195818 Need job LTV exp driver Pakistani.

Contact 94436276 Driver looking for job.

Contact 92137431 Light duty driver looking job experience 4years Oman.

Contact 96088707

DESIGNER Interior Designer Syrian Nationality one year experience in design.

Contact 95246737 Email: yassalnajjar@gmail.com

EDUCATION Indian female MSc, MPHIL Chemistry currently on visit visa, 3 years teaching experience seeks immediate placement. Contact 96916534 Sudanese male BSC electronic Engineer 2 years experience in GSM, 10 years experience in oil industry (Drilling & Measurements).

Contact 91198104 Email: husseintalat@hotmail.com Sudanese BSC industrial Engineer experience 4 yrs in QA /QC and 8 yrs in production. Contact 94041960 Email: mekkimedani@hotmail.com / mekkimedani78@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com

S AT U R DAY, M AY 1 6, 2 0 1 5

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED ENGG. / TECHNICAL Indian male, B.E ( computer science engineer), MBA (finance), OCA certified, having 5 years of experience in oracle Dba/ oracle apps Dba, seeks a suitable position in the field of IT. Contact: 96212062 email: zubairkhan11@gmail.com Omani Mechanical Engineer, has 3 years experience ,has HSE, H2S, Riggers/Banks men Permit, Drawing / cad, SCBA, Safety Leadership and Initial Fire Response Courses. good with computer and English language looking for suitable job. Contact 99224319-98454500

Indian Male ,4 year experience as Safety Officer with NEBOSH currently on visit visa.

Contact 9565910,email: yadavchandan287@gmail.com

Indian male 22 Mechanical Diploma holder Engg with HVAC certified, having 1 year exp. seeking suitable position. Currently available on visit visa. Contact - 92835952

Indian male 24 years, Mechanical Engineer,pdms.1 yr experience in pipeline,16years in oman seeking immediate placement Contact 95775742

Indian male, Mechanical Engineer, 2 years experience in fabrication & erection of heavy structures as Project Engineer in India, now on visiting visa seek suitable placement. Contact: 91251818 Email: krishnakumarkk9@gmail.com

B.E (Mechanical), Indian male 8 years experience (HVAC – 4 years, operation / production / maintenance, 4 years) looking suitable position. Contact 96696190 Email: faisalmnz@gmail.com

Electrical Engineer, 5 years experience in E& I commissioning, construction and maintenance wastewater with Oman D/L. Contact : 97753382 Indian male Civil Engineer B.E Civil Engineer, 2 years experience in India seeking for suitable position in building construction field.

Contact India 0091-9659340446 Email: senthilmmx@gamail.com Indian male, 27 yrs B. Tech (Aeronautics) with MBA in airport management /international management, having 2yrs of experience in aerospace field, looking for suitable job, currently on visit visa valid up to 25 June 2015.

Contact - 98107797 email - njnikhiljoy@gmail.com Iraqi Civil Engineer with more than 25 years experience in (Iraq ,U.A.E. and Oman) looking for a job, (N.O.C.) is available. Contact No. 94043735, amin.sarim007@gmail.com Indian male 26, B. Tech Electronics Engineer having 4 years experience (2 year in Oman) seeking suitable position. Contact 93171420 Email: manujk2015@gmail.com BE. Mechanical Engg in search of job primavera P6 and AutoCAD 2 year’s experience. Contact 99288785.

Email: gvnvictor@gmail.com Chemical Engineer, 5 years Industrial experience looking for job.

Contact: 91380787 Indian male 27 yrs, Instrumentation / Automation Engineer having 5 years exp in Oil & Gas and wastewater with valid Omani D/L, looking for a suitable job NOC available.

Contact : 96082604 Civil Engineer Female, 3 yrs experience in structural design, on visit visa seeking suitable placement.

Contact: 99195433 Electrical Engineer : Indian male 29 years , having 5 years of experience in industrial automation and utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres) seeking suitable placement.

Contact 92789995, Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com Sr. Instrumentation Engineer: 8+ years Exp. (Oman 6+ Yrs) OIL & GAS, Sales & Marketing in Automation, Instrumentation, Calibration, BMS & FOC - Project Planning, Erection, Commissioning, O & M. NOC Available Oman D/L G: +968 97296534 M: jaganmohan_ks@yahoo.com Indian male with ITI certification in Mechanical Drafting with good Experience Looking for good opportunity contact 9194 9181 BE Mechanical Engineer -NDT level 2, Quality Control (Oil & Gas) . 1 year exp ph: 95908293 Electrical Engineer B.Tech with 4 yrs exp. looking for suitable vacancies. Contact – 96752080 Diploma in Civil Engineer having 9 yrs experience, 7 yrs in Oman, 2 yrs in home country, searching for suitable placement, valid Oman D/L. NOC available. Contact 97430353 Indian, B.Tech Electronics & Instrumentation Engineer, more than 4 yrs experience in Honeywell, Yokogava Project, good exposure in DCS, PLC, SCADA & ESD & field Instruments of refinery, fertilizer, steel plant, chemical factory in India & Middle East looking for good openings.

Contact 93670890 / 24702588, Email : mojin.a.kabeer@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

Electronics Engineer with 4 years experience in embedded product development seeking for suitable job in Oman now in visit visa.

Contact: 95218030 Sudanese Civil Engineer, 2 yrs experience. Contact 96077482, Email : ebraheemann@gmail.com Civil Engineer (B.E) having 5 yrs experience in building construction looking for a suitable placement. D/L available. Contact 91253392 Electronics & Communication Engg.

(37) 14+ yrs (10 yrs Oman) experience in sales/marketing product development, project execution within information & communication technology industry.

Contact 99771815 Sudanese Petroleum Engineer, 4 yrs experience looking for job, MC office, C, Exlips. Contact 96039290 Network / system Engineer B.E / ECE + CCNA & Ms certified with 4+ yrs exp looking for a job, currently in Oman on visit visa. Contact : 92589502 / 96216397, Email : jeganscareer@gmail.com Indian M, 25yrs, B.E Mechanical 3 yr exp in Oil & Gas now on visit visa seeking jobs in project, sales and marketing. Contact: 96487013 Email: riarun.007@gmail.com Indian male 29 yrs, on visit visa, Diploma Mechanical Engineering and 1 ADC Rig Pass looking for a job in oil field drilling department experience, 4 years in India. Contact: 91926005 Email: ossubeesh83@gmail.com Indian male 29 years Diploma in Petrochemical 06 yrs, experience in EPS company and piping of oil & gas and maintenance valid D/L also available. Contact 93330817 Email: shahidk8448@yahoo.com Indian male B.Tech Mechanical three years varietal experience in piping Engineering & management of retail mobile phone shops seeking sales engineering job with Oman D/L. Contact 94401234 Young Energetic Indian male, 7 years Oman experience in retail wholesale, sales including electronics, building materials with Oman D/L. Contact: 98465550 B.Tech Mechanical Engineer on visit visa looking for job, two years experience as QC Engineer, NDT level-2 certified. Contact: 98386074 Email: jayeshthilakan@gmail.com Graduate Civil Engineer, Indian, Total 16+ Yrs exp., 7+ GCC seeking suitable Senior/Mid level Job in PMC/Contracting, NOC Available & Valid GCC Driving License.

Contact : GSM: 94363574; E-mail : Crashu_78@yahoo.com Indian Male, IT Support Engineer, 2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experience. Contact 97311847 Male 26, B.Tech in Electronics & Communication Engineering having 4.8 years experience (including experience in Japan) seeks suitable placement & can join immediately.

Contact: 91902646 Email: ajumalmajeed@gmail.com Procurement Officer 7 years experience in Oman construction civil & structural steel NOC, ITI & driving license in Oman.

Contact: 92023761 QA/QC inspector 5 yrs exp in O&G Industry with diploma mechanical & NDT level 2 on visit. Contact : 91231007 sf.aseem@gmail.com

Mechanical Design Engineer, 7 years of experience in Piping Design & Development, with good sound knowledge of AutoCAD, AUTOPLANT 3D,CATIA/ V5,SOLIDWORKS,etc Looking for a suitable position. NOC available.

Contact :+968-94549776, ashrafvpt@yahoo.co.in Indian male B.Tech Mechanical having 4 years experience with QA/ QC & CWSIP looking for suitable position. Contact 99447106 / 24483297 Indian male 29, Mechanical Engineer CSWIP3.1 certified having 5.5 years experience in steel structural construction projects seeking suitable position. Contact: 91078780 Email: nikhilhai@gmail.com Electrical Engineer (B.E) : 5 years of experience (4 years in Oman) with valid Omani D/L. NOC available.

GSM: 92260391 Mechanical Engineer (B.E) : Four years of experience (3 years in Oman). NOC available.

Contact :92530471 B.Tech biomedical Engineering having Omani driving license.

Contact 91352248 Indian male, 24 yrs B.Tech (MECH) on visit 1 year experience as PPC Engineer looking for suitable placement. Has, HVAC, AutoCAD and CATIA designing skills.

Contact 98925685 Indian male Instrumentation Engineer having 2 years experience in process instruments, seeks suitable placement. Contact 95954385 Indian male Senior Site Engineer (Diploma) having total 11 years experience in GCC, 7 years in Dubai and 4 years Oman. With valid Omani driving license, seeking for suitable position in building construction field, NOC available.

Contact 97943703 / 93458841 Email: georgesaji77@gmail.com Civil Engineer (DCE) Indian male with 20 years experience, 10 years in Oman worked with reputed consultancy and contracting companies as RE, PE, PM and did projects for MOD and PDO with D/L Seeks suitable position. Contact 93251720 Indian male I.T.I diesel mechanic experience 4 yrs Qatar (11 yrs in India) seeking for suitable placement carpentry on visiting visa.

Contact 91969224 Email: anilk6102@gmail.com Bachelor degree B.SC (Honours) Telecommunication Engineering CCNA , CISCO, Certified network associate experience installation operation maintenance, ATMS & Electronics, Surveillance Security systems Nationality Sudanese age 25.

Contact: 92617282 B.Tech, instrumentation Engineer, Indian male with 4 yr experience in EPC and Sales / 2 yr Oman experience having valid Oman driving license. Contact 94145460 Email: jgeevarughese@gmail.com Indian female, B.Tech biotechnology with strong computer skills and 2 years experience as associate research analyst (Media Monitoring) in Nasdaq Oman seeking growth oriented jobs. Contact 92044603 /918056169148 or angeline.babithac@gmail.com.

Electrical and Electronics Engineer (BE) 1+ year of experience now on visit visa seeking suitable opportunities Email: djnitheesh@gmail.com Contact 99254469 Diploma in electronics & Telecom, Engineering with 5 years experience in Engineering & sales, marketing.

Contact 95932219

IT Indian male fresher BCA young and energetic, seeking good opportunites.email: jlaxmimenon@gmail. com, Contact 00919567722270 IT Support Engineer Indian male with 6 years experience in system Admin IT support seeks suitable opportunities.

Contact: 94549589 / 99817516.

Email: dhaneeh87@gmail.com Indian male, 25 yrs, M.Tech (Computer Science) 3 yrs exp. in networking (MCSE-CCNA) certified currently on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact 91006851 Indian 25 yrs male diploma Computer Engineer 5yrs experience in hardware and networking, looking for another jobs in oman.

Contact: 91082046, renston34@gmail.com Indian male B.Sc, IT Graduate, MCSE, CCNA, RHCE, Certified seeking job at good company.

Contact 96974352 Email: niyas.mohammed1@gmail.com Network system Engineer B.E / ECE + CCNA & Ms certified with 4+ yrs exp looking for a job. Currently in Oman on visit visa. Contact: 92589502 Email: careersjegan@gmail.com IT Network and Security Engineer with a master degree, CISCO and Linux red hat certified seeking a suitable job in a good company.

Contact 99818601 Indian female MCA seeks suitable position as IT Administrator.

Contact: 94133849 / 95215272

MEDICAL Well experienced MOH Licensed Indian GP Doctor looking for locum / permanent position in the Capital area. Contact 98140024 email:drgpoman@yahoo.com Lab Technician, Civil (8yrs Gulf experience) looking for a suitable job (NOC available) Contact-93344378 Indian, BINU. M Scaria medical lab technician, 15 years experience prometric passed BSc, MLT+ pursuing Msc MLT. Contact 97850841 / 97864635/ 919447935234

MISCELLANEOUS Graduate 1 yr experience in India, Clerk now in Oman on visit visa.

Contact 92933431, princemathew2813@gmail.com

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR Indian male, Graduate, with 12yrs solid exp in construction & building materials purchase / logistics/ warehouse seeks suitable placement. NOC available.

Contact: 94657319 Warehouse In charge or store keeper 26 yrs. Gulf exp 4 yrs in Oman. NOC available. Contact 97657823 / Email:rusaikmzm_2009@yahoo.com Hotel field diploma in Computer B.Com, Indian, Diploma in Hotel Management MBA in hospital management at pursuant operation manager in a resort India. Contact 97864635 / 91815776074 Projects/ contracts Manager 31 yrs (26 yrs Oman) experience in management & coordination of multi-million R.O projects of government & private sector, Post Graduate Structural Engineer with structural & QS Background looking for senior position. Contact +00968-91400599 Experience Restaurant Manager with valid driving license and NOC for immediate placement.

Contact: 92953199

Indian male 10 years experience in Welding Supervisor NDT Technician, MIG Welding specialist seeking suitable job. Contact 96771841 Egyptian male 11 years in five stars international hotels management sales marketing D/L available residency visa. Contact 93577497 Email: elkomy82@hotmail.com B.Com Graduate having 10 years experience of sales and marketing in bank specialist in car financing looking for a job also having experience to run the team and manage the accounts. Contact: 93131681

SKILLED LABOUR Indian male & female (couple) looking for job in hospital / caretaker. Contact 91299288

TOURS & TRAVELS 25 Indian female B.S.C. Fashion Technology. 5 years experience in textile industry as a merchandiser and good in fashion marketing. Currently available on visit visa, seeking for a suitable job. # 96990368.

Email: simmy.missy@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS

Male MBA (General) from Cardiff Metropolitan University London) looking for a suitable placement.

Contact 92819301 Email: adicbhat@outlook.com

Male, 19 years of experience in Finance and Administration currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 99720132/ abidrafi33@hotmail.com

MBA Marketing professional with 05 years experience in sales and distribution looking for job in Oman currently on visit visa.

Contact: 97006353 Email: ashhadhm@hotmail.com

Sudanese male BSC Telecommunications Engineer, 4 years experience in telecom field.# 97783092, Email: alrsheed88@hotmail.com

Indian male Sales Manager looking for suitable position, 9 years experience in Oman. Contact: 97986445

Civil autocad draughtsman part time work for job mob :96023726

BUSINESS

MBA supply chain professional with 03 years experience in freight forwarding and distribution looking for job in Oman currently on visit visa. Contact: 97089944 Email: ali_shayan340@hotmail.com Indian male 3 years experience Media Hospitality Sales Marketing looking for suitable job valid driving license car, NOC available.

Contact 96054202 Indian male 31 years, MBA, 7yrs experience in sales & marketing with valid driving license seeking suitable placement. Contact 98719219.

EMAIL: recruitme1984@gmail.com Stores In Charge / Purchase coordinator with 6 years oman experience seeking placement. Contact 95439645 or storeoman@gmail. com Release / NOC available.

Indian male 24 years, MBA in Marketing looking for suitable placement currently in Muscat on visit visa. Contact: 93507063 Email: zamer_124@yahoo.com Indian 23 years B.Com Graduate, 2 years experience in sales knowledge of tally E.R.P & MS Office.

Contact 93134643 Pakistani male 34 yrs Intermediate 2 yrs exp in sales & marketing in Oman. Looking for suitable job.

Contact - 92146864 Indian male MBA 7 years experience in Hospitality industry, operation, sales & marketing looking for suitable vacancy. Contact 92115860 Email vibin.py@gmail.com Indian male looking job in sales or marketing having 2 years experience. Contact 96660936

SECRETARIAL/OFFICE

37 years male 15 years experience in facility superior & specialized in fitness equipment maintenance, excellent skill in English on visit visa. Contact: 94514883 / 99679306 Email: jobin163@gmail.com

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

Indian male 45+ yrs , 20 yrs exp as sales supervisor in India looking for indoor sales /stores /cashier or any suitable placement can speak Hindi , English, Malayalam, Tamil, kannada can join immediately on visit visa.

Contact 93086105/33016546

HOSPITALITY Indian male/30years with hotel management degree, 02 years experience in F&B service at 5 star hotel in Dubai and 05 years in American 6 star cruseliner as butler.

Contact No 911 35371.

SALES / MARKETING

Software development based on requirements such as: Web development & cloud computing, SAP implementation & services. Android App development networking.

Contact 97423932 We have some companies for rent with the following activities: press publishing & advertising, information consultancy, organizing event management & conference, real estate, landscaping, maintenance etc. Contact 93946622 / 91408005 Required business Researcher. contact 99229700 Email: kjaaraimi@hotmail.com Business Consultant, feasibility study. Contact 99229700

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DAILY GUIDE

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

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

WEBSITE

ACCOUNTANTS AND CONSULTANTS

WE ARE PROVIDING ACCOUNTING/ AUDITING TAX/ CONSULTING CONTACT: 24 567 251 / 95 498 033

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

CLASSES

MATRIMONIAL

NRI

Alliance invited for a Nair girl 24 yrs, 5ft, 1”, fair, slim, B.Tech graduate reputed family of Ernakulam dist. (Star Thiruvonam Sudhajathakam) financially sound, from parents of B.Tech nair boys from Trissur, Palakkad and Eranakulam dist. .

Contact :00919495924302 email: raveendrandr@yahoo.com Kerala nair boy working with reputed company in Muscat, Star Revathy (Sudhajathakam), age 28, 163 cm. seeking suitable alliance from nair girls. Contact no 92760901 Indian Muslim brother Muscat alliance for sister 20 yrs BSC, very fair, good looking ,boys respected families from hyderabad & A.P send biodata & pic, mdfazal.ksa@gmail.com, 91258586.

Kerala Exhava girl (presently in Oman) 25 yrs, 167 cm, B.Tech, Star Pururutathi, (Sudhajathakam) upper middle class, seeking suitable alliance from professionals.

Contact 93881787 Hindu Ezhava family, settled in Muscat looking for suitable groom working within Oman for their daughter 25 yrs (MBA) working with a reputed company in Muscat.

Contact : 98689663 We are Muslim family seeking alliance for our son interested families. Contact 97664009

COMPUTER

13 Cent prime plot at Cochin at Ravipuram, Shipyard very near M.G. Road . Contact 00968 - 92726558 Email: kochiplot4sale@gmail.com 42 cents land at walkable distance from Kovalm Jn.,Trivandrum for sale in whole or plots. Res./ Comm. Plot on main road side(Bus route),suitable for villas,resorts etc.

Call 00968-95036240, 0091-9961034763 or email- cfhd1@ yahoo.com

WINDOW & SPLIT unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact 99557080 SPLIT & WINDOW A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 96236476

One B/R- Best Western Qupem Goa. Contact – 97094797

SPLIT & WINDOW A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517

Chalo ab Laot Chalein Har koi ka yahi sapna Lucknow main ho ghar apna. Plots, flats, villas, duplex farm houses any where in Lucknow, Varanasi, Allahabad, Nainital, Aligarh.

Contact Qamruddin : 91273414

A/C maintenance & servicing.

Fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing. Painting & cleaning services & electrical & plumbing. Contact 99447257/97014234/ 24504281

Residential land for sale in Chennai Kundrathur and Poonamaalee, we construct house in your budget.

Contact 98753366

We do building maintenance all kind of works. Contact 99247663

TRANSPORTATION DRIVING

TRANSPORTATION House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422

Transportation. Contact 99542393 Electric, Plumbing, painting & all kinds of building maintenance.

Contact 93896787 / 97924862

Pick & drop anytime. Contact 96692774

Sewage remove tanker sewage tank cleaning & block remove all maintenance sewage tanks. Contact 97412505 / 98852238

Transportation Contact 99159277 Pick & Drop any time. Contact 97014786 *Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

P.R.O services.

Contact 99368907

Transportation. Contact: 98505294 Transportation. Contact 99508282 Transport to ISWK. Contact 93172589

Learn driving with professional only automatic. Contact 94022250

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

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998 MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807 House shifting packing.

Contact 99657644/ 98518013 Water proofing ABUQABASContact 99320217/24788722 Carpet & sofa shampooing. Ocean Centre LLC. Contact 99884591 / 92682970 Carpet Shampoo, marble & tile polishing, pest control & anti-termite treatment, general cleaning painting, Plumbing, Electrical, shifting. Contact Mundhir Al-Rizaiqi trading. L.L.C. # 24810137, 99450130

Split & window A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 93769089 / 95323517 A/C maintenance split A/C servicing. RO. 10 only. Contact 94217681/ 99210141 House shifting. Contact 99708138 Pest Control Treatments, Termites, Cockroaches, Bedbugs.

Contact Ocean Centre LLC. Contact 99344723

FOR LADIES Beauty package for vacation for ladies 10/-R.O, 15/-R.O, 20/-R.O. Contact : 99410160

Sunday - Thursday Timing 8 am To 5 Pm

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

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

TOURS

RENT A CAR

GOOD NEWS 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 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 Taimour Ayurvedic Clinic, Ruwi offers genuine & effective treatment for back pain, paralysis, cervical and lumbar spondylitis, osteoarthritis, joint pains, sinusitis, migraine, allergic problems, varicose vein and all other health related problems. Kerala massage and rejuvenation package available. For details please Contact 92197920/ 24799689

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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