Times of Oman - May 20, 2015

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WEDNESDAY, May 20, 2015 /1 Sha’aban 1436 AH

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A father’s anguish for girl swept to sea Little Marwa, three, was swept away at Shinas beach on Sunday night, but her father refuses to give up hope for her

FAHAD AL GHADANI

SEARCH ON: Marwa, who was swept away by the waves while playing on Shinas beach three days ago. - Supplied photo

fahadnews@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: “I am still hopeful we will find our little girl.” Ahmed Abdullah Al Balushi is the desperate 30-year-old father of threeyear-old Marwa who was swept TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

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Ithraa chief to lead

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Chairman of Ithraa will lead a high-ranking Omani delegation to the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa. >A3

away by the waves while playing on a beach in the wilayat of Shinas three days ago.

The Oman Coast Guard, in coordination with the Public Authority

CAMEROON

His Majesty sends greetings MUSCAT: His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said has sent a cable of congratulations to President Paul Biya of the Republic of Cameroon on the occasion of his country’s National Day.

In his cable, His Majesty the Sultan has expressed his sincere congratulations and best wishes to President Biya and his country’s people.

-ONA

DRIVER INJURED AS TRUCK FALLS OFF AIRPORT BRIDGE A truck fell off a bridge near the airport after colliding with a car on Tuesday morning. The driver of the truck has been admitted to the hospital in a serious condition, said a Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance official. — Supplied picture

Water supply situation in Muscat is ‘critical’, says top-level official A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Any outage in the desalination plants would disrupt the water supply in Muscat, a toplevel official of a state-owned firm said on Tuesday.

The water supply situation in the capital region is ‘critical’, he added. “We are almost meeting the current (water) demand, but in case of an outage in any of the plants there will be an immediate effect on supply,” said Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Mahrouqi, chairman of Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW).

Moroccan pilot body

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Oman will help transfer a Moroccan pilot’s body killed in a crash during coalition air strikes in Yemen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted. >A5

WORLD

Charles meets Adams

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Prince Charles became the first British royal to meet Irish republican leader Gerry Adams. >A11

for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA), has been on a relentless search and rescue operation since she went missing at 6.30pm on Sunday.

Since that incident, the father has not slept. He has been returning to the sea hoping his daughter will come back.

“My wife’s situation is really bad, but I am trying my best to keep her calm,” the father said, adding that he still feels that his daughter is not dead.

“I know that facts indicate that she might be dead. I still have hope, though I do not have an answer for her siblings when they start asking me about their younger sister,” said Al Balushi.

Saying that his baby was the favourite of the family, Ahmed said, “She was the special one in the family. She was the smartest one and full of life. She made everybody laugh when she talked,” said the father.

He added that everybody in the family started missing her an hour after she disappeared. >A6

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Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Mahrouqi, chairman of PAEW.

Water demand He was talking to the media on the sidelines of Oman Energy and Water Exhibition and Conference

here on Tuesday. The demand for potable water in Oman’s northern region, which includes the Muscat governorate, is projected to grow by six per cent per annum in the next seven-year horizon, from 238 million cubic metres in 2013 to 349 million cubic metres in 2020.

Demand-supply gap Al Mahrouqi said that the gap between demand and supply is not big.

However, he noted that there would be sufficient capacity once the Al Ghubra desalination plant, which has an installed capacity of 191,000 cubic metres per day, starts operations in September.

He said that the Al Ghubra plant was expected to start operations before this summer. >A6

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George’s Marvellous Medicine show

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W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

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It was hard the first couple of weeks but then you feel at home and you don’t feel that homesick especially because you’re not alone. Everyone is so friendly and I never thought people here would be this kind Hisham Mohammed Al Hashmi, Takatuf scholar studying at Millfield School, UK

Schooling in UK adds to life skills: Takatuf scholar The Takatuf Scholars offers bright young Omanis educational opportunities that would add to their skills. Today Times of Oman introduces you to Hisham Al Hashmi

One year isn’t much compared to the experiences I get

SARAH MACDONALD

sarah@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Hisham Mohammed Al Hashmi, a Takatuf scholar from Ibra, has taken to English boarding school like a duck to water, joining extracurricular activities and even becoming a prefect.

Hisham was granted a two-year Takatuf scholarship to study at the Millfield School in Glastonbury, England. A fresh graduate from Musa Bin Naseer School in Seeb, he could have gone straight to a university foundation programme but instead chose boarding school as a preparation for college, saying the extra year is worth the opportunities he’s had.

“One year isn’t much compared to the experiences that I would get. Up till now I’ve done things I never thought I would do, like horseback riding, the English traditional way of horseback riding, athletics, and basketball,” Hisham told Times of Oman.

Hisham Mohammed Al Hashmi A Takatuf scholar

He has participated in an 8km run for charity, walked the runway in a cultural fashion show, and joined the Physics Society and the Math Society, making presentations in both clubs about different aspects of the subjects that fascinate him. Hisham even he became a prefect, which is a leading student role in boarding school life who works with staff, monitors students, and gives tours to parents of potential students.

“There are always opportunities but unless you take them, it’s useless. There is always something waiting for you to take it... like being a prefect. I didn’t want to be just a guy who came and

studied for two years and left. I wanted to leave something, and make a difference,” he said of being a prefect.

His father went to a boarding school and often shared fond memories of his time there with Hisham, which also inspired him to accept the scholarship. He says living in a boarding school has been a wonderful experience since his housemates have become like family “It was hard the first couple of weeks but then you feel at home and you don’t feel that homesick especially because you’re not alone. Everyone is so friendly and I never thought people here would be this kind,” Hisham commented, adding that the house parents and other students would always help him whenever he had a problem.

Hisham said he has taken extra science classes that have also helped him shape his academic interests such as physics and computer science.

“I never would have learned the things I’m learning here in physics and math because my [university] programme would have only focused on computer science.

This has given me lots of experience I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise,” he explained.

He says the classes have inspired him to apply to study mechanical engineering and physics programs for university rather than computer science. He hopes his studies at Millfield and the variety of extracurricular activities he has done will help him be accepted at a top university.

“I wanted to go to a really good university, somewhere like MIT or Harvard, and that’s the main reason why I applied [to Takatuf ],” he said.

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Sur club’s dress code diktat stirs a controversy

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OMAN WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ON MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Ithraa chief to lead Omani team at economic forum

This is an important meeting, one that offers business and government representatives an excellent opportunity to discuss and take forward new and sustainable economic and social partnerships Dr Salem bin Nasser Al Ismaily Chairman of Ithraa

SEEING RED: According to the tweet on the club’s official account, it has asked fans to wear the “national dress or sportswear”, if they wished to enter the stadium to watch the final. – Times of Oman file photo

about the origins of the controversial remark.

The last time we hosted a match we found people wearing clothes that did not suit our traditions, and we thought a strict policy should be in place. This was a decision taken collectively and we stand by it, a Sur Club spokesperson said

FAHAD GHADANI & NISHAD PADIYARATH

fahadnews@timesofoman.com nishad@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Ahead of His Majesty’s Football Cup final between Al Arouba and Sur clubs scheduled for May 22, hosts Sur Club courted a Twitter controversy on Tuesday when it made a statement over the dress code.

According to the tweet on the club’s official account, it has asked fans to wear the “national dress or sportswear”, if they wished to enter the stadium to watch the final.

“We will not allow fans to enter the stadium without the national dress or sportswear,” said the Sur Club tweet.

However, the Oman Football Association (OFA) quickly denied any knowledge or even a clue

‘Nothing to do with it’ “Frankly, we have nothing to do with this. Yes we did read the tweet but it has nothing to do with OFA or its policies. It could be an independent initiative from Sur,” said Sultan Al Zedjali, general secretary and chief executive of the OFA. Speaking to the Times of Oman, the spokesperson for the Sur Club said that the decision to implement a dress code was taken collectively between the Sur Sports Complex and Sur Club.

“The last time we hosted a match we found people wearing clothes that did not suit our traditions, and we thought a strict policy should be in place. This was a decision taken collectively and we stand by it,” he said.

“Omanis can wear the national dress or even a football team jersey and expatriates can wear formals,” he added.

Times News Service MUSCAT: Representing His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, Dr Salem bin Nasser Al Ismaily, chairman of Ithraa, the government agency responsible for inward investment and development of Oman’s non-oil exports, will lead a high-ranking Omani delegation to the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, scheduled to be held at the Dead Sea in Jordan, from May 21 to 23.

Held under the theme ‘Shaping a New Strategic Context’, more than 800 government, business and civil society leaders from more than 50 countries are expected to attend.

Recent initiatives Building on recent initiatives by regional and international leaders, the Forum will provide public and private sector representatives an opportunity to discuss and respond to shared economic, social and geopolitical issues.

The event will place particular emphasis on the advancement of youth, key to the region’s longterm economic success.

The policy reform momentum in Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco will be another focus of the Forum, as will be infrastructure, energy and investment partnerships with the GCC states and international financial institutions.

Topics of discussion Participants are expected to discuss how recent policy reforms in Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco can increase economic growth, foster job creation, innovation and entrepreneurship, and strengthen the private sector’s role in driving the economies of the region’s countries.

Since the forum was first held at the Dead Sea in 2003, it has had the continued support and participation of Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al Abdullah and the Government of Jordan. Given Jordan’s unique diplomatic role and in light of recent regional developments, the forum will hold high-level meetings on security and humanitarian issues with the goal of advancing shared understanding and action, particularly in relation to the current situation in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

Accompanying Dr Al Ismaily to the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa are Maitha Al Mahrooqi, Sleyium Al Hakamani, head of the Economic Committee, Majlis Al Shura; Salim Al Ghatami, head of the Economic Committee, Majlis Al Dawla and Dr Ali Al Lawati, Research and Studies Consultant, Diwan, along with Sultan Al Busaidi, chairman, Zahraa College and Akram Al Maawali, from the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Excellent opportunity Commenting on the forum, Dr Al Ismaily said, “This is an important meeting, one that offers business and government representatives an excellent opportunity to discuss and take forward new and sustainable economic and social partnerships. Indeed, partnerships that will have a positive and lasting impact on the economies and people of the region.”

The World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa was last hosted in Jordan in 2013. This year will mark the eighth meeting with Jordan as the host.

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W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

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The Arabs aren’t just what is all over the media. We also have peaceful culture and we are trying to present it in their language, with European orchestras and a modern dance company Ahmed Abouzahra, GM, Arabesque

‘Ibn Battuta’ musical show to shine positive light on Oman, Arab World Ibn Battuta, a musical, which will be performed in Muscat on May 30 and 31 and in Milan, Italy in July as part of the Milan Expo 2015, brings together 180 musicians, singers, and dancers. Together they tell an adventurous story about a modern-day woman who goes back in time with the 14th century Moroccan explorer to retrace some of his travels in Morocco, Egypt, the Levant and Oman SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

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SARAH MACDONALD

sarah@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Ibn Battuta, the final show at the Royal Opera House Muscat for the 2014-2015 season, is a musical that aims to put a spotlight on Oman and highlight historical richness of the Arab world, says its producer Ahmed Abouzahra.

Ibn Battuta, which takes place in Muscat on May 30 and 31 and will be performed in Milan, Italy in July as part of the Milan Expo 2015, is a musical that brings together 180 musicians, singers, and dancers. Together they will tell an adventurous story about a modern-day woman who goes back in time with the 14th century Moroccan explorer to retrace some of his travels in Morocco,

NEW TAKE: ‘Ibn Battuta’ is a cultural journey that reveals the strength of the Arab culture in the 13th and 14th centuries when science, literature, math and architectural discoveries in the Middle East were being transferred to the West, said Ahmed Abouzahra, GM of Arabesque International, which is producing the show. – Supplied photos

Egypt, the Levant and Oman.

“The Arabs aren’t just what is all over the media. We also have peaceful culture and we are trying to present it in their language, with European orchestras and a modern dance company” said Abouzahra, GM of Arabesque International, the company which is producing the show.

Abouzahra described Ibn Battuta as a cultural journey that reveals the strength of the Arab culture in the 13th and 14th centuries when

science, literature, math and architectural discoveries in the Middle East were being transferred to the West.

He said the musical will also show the diversity of the Arab World, since it will bring elements of rhythms and dance from four different regions. The heart and soul of each area will be presented through the music, he explained.

The musical has a strong focus on Oman, which was one of the many countries Ibn Battuta visW E E K LY R O U N D U P

300 illegal workers found MUSCAT: In all 300 workers were found violating the Labour Law in the May 10-16 period, according to the weekly report of the joint inspection team at the Ministry of Manpower.

They included 236 commercial workers, 26 farm workers and 38 housemaids or their equivalents. Inspection teams caught (286) workers including (150) absconding workers, (119) astray workers and (17) workers with other violations.

The legal procedures against them are being taken by the competent authorities at the Ministry of Manpower. Ministry statistics also showed 268 expat workers were deported for violating Labour Laws. -ONA

ited in his travels. Abouzahra said this will help put Oman in the international spotlight in Milan and showcase what a beautiful, peaceful nation it is.

“Our aim is to have this production as branding for Oman and as an ambassador for Oman all over the world...to attract people to come to Oman, to get to know this culture, to get to know the country, and how peaceful the society is,” said Abouzahra, adding that he hoped to present the musical

in other countries after Italy.

For the extravagant production Arabesque International has brought together the Fondazione I Pomeriggi Musicali Orchestra from Italy with Egyptian and Omani musicians playing Middle Eastern instruments, the Sofia Ballet from Bulgaria, the Antonine University Choir from Lebanon, the Lebanese National Conservatory Choir, and Al Mithaliya Group for Folklore from Oman.

Ibn Battuta stars Egypt’s Adbel

Rahman Abou Zahra in the title role and features soloists Rehab Omar from Egypt, Ghada Shbeir from Lebanon, and Huda Al Khanbashi from Oman.

“It’s like a mosaic which is going to be one piece from here and one piece from there which are going to be joined to make the whole picture in the end. This is the joy in producing such a production. For me it is like composing or creating something from zero,” Abouzahra explained.

D A R A L AT TA’A I N I T I AT I V E

Winners of children’s writing competition announced

WINNERS OF THE 9TH DAR AL ATTA LET’S READ CHILDREN’S WRITING COMPETITION ENGLISH

2nd Prize – RababMoosa Al Lawati (15 yrs) Al Sahwa School

5 – 8 YEARS

Joint 3rd Prize -Maria Baabood (15 yrs)

1st Prize – Nyla Norhafiz (7 yrs) Muscat International School

Al Sahwa School

2nd Prize – Juhi Dey (7 yrs) British School Muscat 3rd Prize – Thineth Kankanamge (8 yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat

Times News Service MUSCAT: Names of the winners of Dar Al Atta’a’s Let’s Read 9th children’s writing competition have been announced.

Speaking about the competition, Jane Jaffer, chairperson of Let’s Read, said, “The children were invited to write about their hometowns. The entrants had to research the area and write about their town’s geography and history. Most importantly, we wanted to know what made their hometown special.

“Some wrote about a particular person who lived or came from the village (a grandparent, friend or someone famous) or wrote about the town’s unique features.

Perhaps something grew or was crafted in the town. Was the town famous for any particular reason?”

She added, “The judges so enjoyed reading all the entries. We learnt so much about villages and towns across Oman and towns in other countries around the world.

The judges had a very difficult time deciding on the winners.”

Students were invited to submit a maximum of 500 words, in English or Arabic, on the subject of: ‘My Home Town’. The entries were judged according to four age groups: 5 to 8 years, 9 to 11 years, 12 to 14 years and 15 to 18 years.

All the winners and those receiving honourable mentions, along with their families and friends, are invited to attend the ‘My Home Town’ ceremony to award the prizes, at the Al Qurum Complex on Saturday May 23, from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. The students will receive prizes and may be asked to place a tag on a map to show the location of their hometown and may also be given the opportunity to read out their entries at the event.

“We have been promoting the love of reading to children in Oman since 2007. The Let’s Read Committee achieves its aims in a variety of ways. We set up play rooms, libraries and reading areas in hospitals, schools and nurseries.

Each month we collect used books and hold sales. We conduct storytelling sessions in schools and buy books and distribute them to children in the outlying areas. Every year we hold a Big Book Day with literacy activities and story-telling sessions,” Jane added.

15 – 18 YEARS: 1st Prize – Rand Qais Al Qasimi (16 yrs) Al Sahwa School

BEST OF SCHOOL PRIZE: 5-8 YRS Zara Pemeina (7 yrs) Our Planet School Raghad Al Hinai (8 yrs) Al Sahwa School

3Rd Prize- Maitham Al Lawati (15 yrs) Al Sahwa School

HONOURABLE MENTIONS Rina Dinesh Kumar (8 yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat Lea El Kayed (9 yrs) EcoleFrancais de Muscate Mitchell Tular (9 yrs) American British Academy

Louise Gourdin(8 yrs) Ecole Francais de Muscate

Angel Kabraj (9 yrs) American British Academy

Sannikaa Shetty (8 yrs) Indian School Sohar

Lydia Madieh (9 yrs) American British Academy Margot Bavelet (10 yrs) EcoleFrancais de Muscate

9-11 YEARS 1st Prize – Nouf Said Al Hajri (11 yrs) Al Sahwa School

Ayami Perera (10 yrs) Royal Flight School

2nd Prize – Dimethmi Champrasekara (11yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat

Anna Foldi (10 yrs) American British Academy

Joint 3rd Prize – Catalina Baldwin (9 yrs) American British Academy

Jules Farran (10 yrs) EcoleFrancais de Muscate

3rd Prize – Cameron Henderson (10 yrs) American British Academy

Debora Pintu (10 yrs) EcoleFrancais de Muscate

BEST OF SCHOOL PRIZE: 9-11 YRS Mahi Mishra (11 yrs) Indian School Sohar Deema Al Jadery (10 yrs) Royal Flight School MarsiGururami (10 yrs) Indian School Salalah AbdulaSaeed (10 yrs) Al Masrrat School Hiba Al-Lawaty (10 yrs) Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos School Alleahnne Murillo (10 yrs) Philippine School

Amrin Annah (10 yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat Sara Al Barwani (10 yrs) American British Academy Maaznah Naushad (10 yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat Rashmi Randunne (10 yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat Samara Hewa Manusaranie (10 yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat Samadhee Kiriwandalage (11 yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat Shahad Al-Hasni (11 yrs) Al Sahwa School

Maxime Haudeville (11 yrs) Ecole Francaisde Muscate

Oceane Slim (11 yrs) Ecole Francais de Muscate

12-14 YEARS

BedisFakhfakh (11yrs) Ecole Francais de Muscate

1st Prize – Ghida Mawlawi (14 yrs) Ecole Francais de Muscate 2nd Prize- Louna Raad (14 yrs) Ecole Francais de Muscate 3rd Prize – Elsa Mariam Eldhose (12 yrs) Indian School Salalah

BEST OF SCHOOL PRIZE: 12-14 YRS

IllippuliPerera (11 yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat Olivia Williams (11 yrs) Royal Flight School Gouri Rajesh (11 yrs) Indian School Salalah

TahaniNaseem (13 yrs) Sri Lankan School Muscat

Ben Moses (11 yrs) Indian School Salalah

Abdullah Al Kindi (14 yrs) Sultan’s School

Zaina Dabbous (11 yrs) American British Academy

15 – 18 YEARS

Maria Saadi (12 yrs) EcoleFrancais de Muscate

1st Prize- Zakariya Al-Suleimani (15 yrs) Sultan’s School 2nd Prize- Cady Kelso (17 yrs) Knowledge Gate International School 3rd Prize- ZeenaMawlawi (16 yrs) American British Academy

BEST OF SCHOOL PRIZE: 15 – 18 YRS Hajin Hyun (18 yrs) The American International School Muscat

ARABIC: 9 – 11 YEARS 1st Prize Hussain Al-Lawati (10 yrs) Al Sahwa School 2nd Prize Noor Ali Al Kalbani (10 yrs) Al Sahwa School Joint 3rd Prize Sara Zoumat (9 yrs) Al Sahwa School 3rd Prize Ibrahim Al-Kaissey (10 yrs) Al Sahwa School

12 -14 YEARS 1st Prize – Rawan Al Kiyumi (12 yrs) Al Sahwa School

Samar Al Hashmi (13 yrs) Sultan’s School Sirin Braighith (13 yrs) EcoleFrancais de Muscate Yasmin Al Balushi (13 yrs) Sultan’s School May Al Harthy (14 yrs) Sultan’s School Nour Al Mukharreq (14 yrs) EcoleFrancais de Muscate Amira Al-Alawi (14 yrs) Al Sahwa School Shaahla (15 yrs) Sultan’s school Yaser Mustafa Al-Lawati (15 yrs) Al Sahwa School Ted Membre (15 yrs) EcoleFrancais de Muscate Rayan Talih (15 yrs) Ecole Francais de Muscate Holy Andriamasiarison (17 yrs) EcoleFrancais de Muscate

WE DNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

OMAN M I N I S T RY O F F O R E I G N A F FA I R S T W E E T

Oman to help transfer body of Moroccan pilot from Yemen REJIMON K

reji@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman will help in repatriating the body of a Moroccan pilot who was killed when his F-16 fighter jet crashed during coalition air strikes in Yemen, tweeted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Moroccan warplane went missing last Sunday, and Houthi rebels had reportedly said that anti-aircraft guns had downed the jet in a remote area of the north-western province of Saada – a Houthi stronghold bordering Saudi Arabia.

H U M A N I TA R I A N A I D

Yemen praises Oman’s efforts RIYADH: Yemen has praised the efforts made by Oman in offering and delivering humanitarian aid to Yemeni people.

President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi of Yemen on Wednesday met Ahmed bin Yousef Al Harthy, Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Diplomatic Affairs at the end of his participation in Riyadh Conference on ‘Rescuing Yemen and Building of a Federal State’.

The meeting was attended by Khalid Bahah, Vice-President and Prime Minister of Yemen.

He requested Al Harthy to convey his greetings and best wishes of good health, happiness and a long life to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

The Yemeni Vice-President and Prime Minster hailed the praised the efforts made by the Sultanate in providing aid to Yemen.

They also exchanged views about bilateral ties, as well as the tragic situation in Yemen and how to address it in light of the current developments. -ONA

On Friday, a statement from Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces carried by state news agency MAP said that contacts made locally by Moroccan authorities should lead to the repatriation, after the necessary formalities, of the body of the missing pilot.

Identification of the body The army statement did not say whether the Houthis had co-operated in either locating or identifying the body.

Meanwhile, sources in Oman said that a group of injured Yemenis had arrived in Oman for medical treatment.

“In all, 32 injured Yemenis, who arrived on Monday, have been admitted to a hospital in Muscat.

Some have serious injuries,” said the source.

Omani assistance Quoting Socotra Governor Saeed Bahaqiba, Yemen’s news agency reported that Omani relief assistance arrived on Sunday in the Socotra governorate.

“The relief assistance includes rice, sugar, oil and tea, in addition to coffee and dates, and it will be distributed to 10,000 families throughout the governorate,” added the report.

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W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015 Oman is emerging as one of the most popular diving destinations in the region with large unspoiled reefs and an abundance of sea life that is not found in the same numbers anywhere else in the region Azzan Rashid Al Sinani, senior dive instructor

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British theatre shows set to combine fun, education ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ is Dahl’s amazing story about a young boy who makes a marvellous new medicine to cure his grandmother of her terrifying temper

Times News Service MUSCAT: Fans of the theatre have a reason to rejoice. George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl adapted by David Wood is to be staged in Muscat.

Brought to Oman by Alive Entertainment, the theatre programme will be staged on June on June 3 (11:00 am and 4 pm) and on June 4 at 4 pm at the Al Bustan Palace Hotel Auditorium.

The show is a children’s theatre programme based on Dahl’s story that has been adapted by David

REASON TO REJOICE: The show is a children’s theatre programme based on Dahl’s story that has been adapted by David Wood and will be performed by the Birmingham Stage Company. – Supplied photo

Wood and will be performed by the Birmingham Stage Company, informed the organisers.

Gordon Mackenzie, managing director, Alive Entertainment said, “We are very proud to be bringing an international production such as George’s Marvellous Medicine to Muscat not just for the children but also for the parents. Our goal as an events

company is to increase children’s entertainment both at a fun and educational level. The feedback we have received so far from parents has been quite similar, just simple gratitude and delight.

Watch this space Muscat, plenty more to come.”

Tickets costing OMR15 can be purchased at Mackenzie’s Café & Deli (MQ) and Gorgeous Hair

& Beauty (MQ)]. George’s Marvellous Medicine is Dahl’s amazing story about a young boy who makes a marvellous new medicine to cure his grandmother of her terrifying temper. But when his grandmother drinks his special new potion, the most incredible things start to happen.

“The Birmingham Stage Company is back on tour with a brand

new adaptation of one of Dahl’s funniest and most exciting stories. It follows the company’s acclaimed productions of Horrible Histories, Jungle Book and Tom’s Midnight Garden. If you’re looking for fizz-tickling fun and wizpopping magic for the entire family, then don’t miss George and his Marvellous Medicine,” said the organiser through a release.

P I C T U R E - P E R F E C T L O C AT I O N S

Bollywood film to be shot entirely in Oman RAHUL DAS

rahuldas@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: For the first time, an entire Bollywood film will be shot in Oman.

Leading producer Himanshu Mehra and director Farooq Kabir of Bollywood will begin shooting their yet untitled film entirely in Oman from October.

“For this, we are looking at Omani lead actors, junior artistes (both Omani and expatriates) and all logistical support from citizens,” Mehra told the Times of Oman in an exclusive interview, when they came down to the city AMAZING OMAN: Leading producer Himanshu Mehra and director to finalise the place where they Farooq Kabir of Bollywood will begin shooting their film in Oman will shoot the film. from October. Right, Gautam Roy of V4 Entertainment.

Mehra had produced several films including the latest Besharam where the star cast included the lead actors and actress are tical and production support to Ranbir Kapoor and Pallavi Shar- yet to be signed, we are looking at several Bollywood film crews in da. He had also worked in Da- famous actors like Naseeruddin Oman, said that they are likely to bangg, Pehla Sitara and Welcome Shah, Boman Irani, Rajkumar Rao shoot in parts of Nizwa, Old Mutand a new an actress for the film,” trah, Old Muscat City and Sidab to Sajjanpur. apart from Shiv Mandir, Muttrah Kabir, who had directed criti- he told the Times of Oman.

Gautam Roy of V4 Entertain- Souq, Wahiba Sands and surcally acclaimed film like Allah Ke Banday in 2010, said, “Though ment, which has provided logis- roundings around Indian School WAT E R S U P P LY

Barka to be A1 plant ready soon < FROM

in Darsait. “That is one of the reasons the director and the producer spent six days in Oman to scout for the exact locations,” he said.

V4 Entertainment had provided logistical and production support to films like Gunday, Naach, Awara Pagal Deewana, Aaan and many more in Oman.

Best place “Yes, we can confirm that we have found Oman the best place to shoot for the film,” said Kabir.

He also said that he had fallen in love with the beauty of Oman.

“I am amazed by the beauty of Sur and Tiwi village and the beach road of Fins,” he added.

He, however, refused to spell out the story saying that would be too early as the film will only be released in May 2016.

“We will be releasing it in more than 2,500 cinemas worldwide after next year’s IPL when people crave for films,” he said, adding that it will be a thriller love story with twists and turns.

Himanshu said that he planned

to wrap up the entire shooting within 40 days in Oman.

“For this, we are optimistic of support from the different ministries including the Ministry of Tourism,” he said, before flying back to Mumbai.

Local hire Roy said they wanted to employ a large number of Omanis in this film as Oman will be its epicentre.

“Employing the local crowd has now become very easy. Earlier, the involvement was just 5 to 10 per cent but now almost 80 per cent of the people who help out in the shooting are Omanis,” he said.

Film-makers have revealed that Oman is slowly becoming a hot spot for Bollywood movies since it has a lot to do with getting pictureperfect locations and the friendly approach of the government.

“We needed the cultural flavour and Muscat provides the perfect combination of beautiful locations, good infrastructure and easy access to all amenities,” he added.

SHINAS BEACH

Search < FROM continues A1 to locate missing girl “Her elder brother and sister might not understand that their young sister is missing, but they witnessed the sea taking her away from them,” said the father.

“This is not the first time that we had been on the beach. We go every weekend. What happened this time is hard to believe,” said the father and added that Marwa was playing on a tube boat along with her brother and sister.

Recalling the ordeal the father said, “When I saw that the wave was dragging her in, I jumped into the sea without realising that I could not swim. When I realised I was about to drown, I decided to go back for help. There was no one there but an expatriate who also could not swim. I ran to my car to get my cell phone and called the police,” said the father.

The tube boat Now, he regrets buying the tube boat. “I just bought the tube boat last month but I wish I had not. It took my little girl from me,” said the father.

He added that he had not seen his other children since that evening. “I spend all my time here in the sea looking for my little girl. I go home for a while and then return to the sea,” said the father.

“If anyone sees my daughter (in the photograph) somewhere, please alert my family or the authorities,” the father pleaded.

Yousif Al Balushi, a Majlis Al Shura member representing Shinas, said that the rescue team was there at the scene and had tried its best to find the girl but failed to locate her.

‘Widen search’ “I feel that the rescue team should widen its search to include Liwa,” said Yousif Al Balushi.

He added that the wind was blowing southwards, which means the girl could have drifted in that direction.

“The tube boat was found a mile away from the beach but not the girl,” he added.

According to a tweet by PACDA, efforts are still underway to find the child and the rescue operation had resumed in the morning.

Meanwhile, a PACDA official said young children or inexperienced swimmers should wear approved life jackets in and the around water.

“Pay close attention to children when at the beach. Even in shallow water, waves can cause a loss of balance. Beachgoers should be aware of how dangerous strong waves can be, and swim only at beaches with people who know swimming,” said the official.

D I V I N G D E S T I NAT I O N S

SeaOman dive centre to help you explore underwater world Times News Service

“However, the company could not complete the project on time and we are expecting the project to be in operation before September,” noted Al Mahrouqi.

The PAEW chief added that another desalination plant in Barka, with a capacity of 57,000 cubic metres per day, will be commissioned within two months.

“That will give us some room for two years, until we commission other new plants,” he said.

Recently, Sohar region witnessed a major disruption in potable water supply, causing severe problem to thousands of households in the region.

Authorities have already started a detailed investigation on the causes that lead to such a major disruption.

New plant A new desalination plant at Quriyat with a capacity of 200,000 cubic metres per day will start production in 2017 and another desalination plant at Al Suwaiq with a capacity of up to 225,000 cubic metres per day will start in 2018.

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

MUSCAT: Located just 45 minutes from the secluded Damaniyat Islands Nature Reserve, the SeaOman Dive Centre is a gateway to a whole new underwater world along the Sultanate’s unexplored coastline including popular dive sites, Fahal Island and the aptly-named ‘Aquarium’ at Kharãbah Island.

SeaOman, powered by Oman Sail, has launched a new dive centre at The Wave, Muscat, offering scuba diving excursions for PADI-certified divers.

Azzan Rashid Al Sinani, senior dive instructor, said, “Oman is emerging as one of the most popular diving destinations in the region with large unspoiled reefs and an abundance of sea life that is not found in the same numbers anywhere else in the region.

“Our year-round warm waters and untouched diving spots offer divers the chance to see coloured coral, shoals of Barracuda, Snapper, Angel Fish, Parrot Fish, Reef Sharks and Whale Sharks, as well as nesting Hawksbill and Green Turtles, which has helped to make Oman one of the world’s fastest growing dive destinations.”

He added, “The SeaOman Dive Centre at The Wave, Muscat adds a new element to the potential for tourism and offer trips to some of Oman’s best diving locations just off the coast of Muscat as well as

RICH SEA LIFE: Oman Sail has launched a new dive centre at The Wave, Muscat, offering scuba diving excursions. -Supplied picture

advanced diving courses for certified divers.”

Diving sites The centre, located at Almouj Marina at The Wave, Muscat, will offer group bookings and private tours to popular and largely undiscovered diving sites accessible from Muscat, with all equipment available on hire at the site.

Courses for non-certified divers are available at the Sea Oman Dive Centre in Mussanah, at the Millennium Resort Mussanah, where newcomers to the sport can learn from a team of highlyexperienced PADI-certified dive professionals.

Divers can also sign up for the SeaOman Dive Club Membership which offers two free dives for PADI-certified divers, with equipment hire included, an extra 10 per cent discount on dives (2 tanks).

Members will also receive an additional 10 per cent discount on all other SeaOman products including boat charter, water sports, sailing courses and kayaking.

The dive centre will be open from 8 am to 5 pm, seven days a week.

More information about the activities available from SeaOman can be found online at www. seaoman.com.

WE DNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 A large number of well-prepared troops were positioned in Husaybah, about seven kilometres (less than five miles) east of Ramadi. This area will be the starting point for the operations to liberate the cities of Anbar.

Kadhim Al Fahdawi, Anbar province police chief

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REGION

Yemen meeting vows ‘resistance’ United Nations says half a million Yemenis displaced as Saudi-led coalition pounds Sanna

RIYADH/SANAA: A conference of Yemeni political factions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday vowed support for “resistance” forces battling anti-government rebels, while laying a political foundation for the country’s future.

Also on Tuesday, the United Nations said more than half a million people have been displaced in the conflict in Yemen, whose capital was bombarded for the first time since a ceasefire ended.

“We support this resistance to go on fighting”, exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi told about 300 delegates at the close of a three-day meeting in Riyadh.

He was referring to the battle by pro-government forces against Houthis and their allies, forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Houthis, who boycotted the Riyadh talks, have long complained of marginalisation in Yemen. They seized control of large

DEADLY STRIKE: Smoke billows from Noqum Mountain after it was hit by an air strike in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Tuesday. – Reuters

parts of the country, including the capital Sanaa in September last year. Their southward push forced Hadi and his government to flee to Riyadh and prompted a Saudi-led coalition in March to launch air strikes against the Houthis.

A closing statement at the conference sought the quicker delivery of supplies to pro-government forces including “logistical equipment and weapons”.

I S M I L I TA N T S T I G H T E N G R I P

TAKING POSITION: Iraqi soldiers and militia fighters from the popular committees hold a post as they fire towards IS militant group positions in the Garma district of Anbar province west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, on Tuesday. – AFP

Iraqi forces, militias eye swift action to retake Ramadi BAGHDAD: Iraq’s army and allied paramilitary forces massed around Ramadi on Tuesday, looking for swift action to recapture the city from the IS group before it builds up defences.

With his security strategy in tatters and his authority facing its biggest challenge since he took office eight months ago, Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi was looking for quick redemption.

But the militants, whose capture of Ramadi on Sunday showed they may have been written off too soon, tried to keep up the momentum by attacking government and allied forces east of the city.

Abadi has “ordered the setting up of new defence lines in Ramadi, to reorganise and deploy the fighting troops”, his office said late Monday after he held talks with Iran’s visiting defence minister.

Reeling from the worst setback since IS grabbed swathes of territory in June last year, Abadi called in the dominated Popular Mobilisation units (Hashed Al Shaabi). He and Washington had hoped to rely on regular forces and locally recruited tribal fighters newly incorporated into the Hashed Al Shaabi. Such a solution was seen as more palatable to the population of Anbar and a way for Washington to keep militias at bay.

The paramilitary groups had been eager to join the Ramadi battle for some time and argued that Abadi’s reluctance led to the provincial capital’s fall.

Belated green light Following a belated green light, they started sending convoys of fighters to Anbar, where anti-IS forces are massing, mostly east and west of Ramadi. “The US government and Iraqi government seem to be on the same sheet of music that Ramadi has to be counterattacked before IS consolidates,” Michael Knights of the Washington Institute said.

US Secretary of State John

Kerry said on Monday he was “absolutely confident” the situation could be reversed within days. Anbar police chief Kadhim Al Fahdawi said a large number of well-prepared troops were positioned in Husaybah, about seven kilometres (less than five miles) east of Ramadi. “This area will be the starting point for the operations to liberate the cities of Anbar,” he said.

But much planning remains to be done before Iraqi forces attempt to move back into Ramadi, a large town on the Euphrates about 100 kilometres west of Baghdad. “The military operation to liberate Ramadi and Anbar will not start until all the requirements are met,” Fahdawi said.

Limits Analysts say Washington’s strategy of carrying out air strikes while the Iraqi military is trained up has shown its limits.

After holding on for a year and a half during which the militants never managed to take full control of the city, Iraqi security forces pulled out of their last bases on Sunday.

The retreat was chaotic, with groups of fighters leaving on their own initiative without command approval and others left stranded in parts of the city by their comrades.

At least 28 of them were rescued in a dramatic helicopter exfiltration, footage of which has been aired on state TV, but many were killed and more are still missing. The withdrawal also raised the question of the effective control the command had over its men and the Iraqi cabinet on Tuesday issued a statement suggesting the defence of Ramadi had been less than heroic and could have been avoided.

In its cabinet meeting decisions, it supported “honouring the fighters who resisted the terrorist attacks and imposing the toughest punishment on the recalcitrants, whose attitude had consequences for Ramadi”. — AFP

It also called for a safe zone where government institutions could resume their activities.

The conference attendees suggested an Arab peacekeeping force to secure Yemen’s major cities, with UN Security Council approval, Transport Minister Bader Ba Salama told AFP. Hadi said “dialogue is the only way to take Yemen out of its deadlock”, but added that any talks with

rebels must take into account Security Council Resolution 2216, which calls on the Houthis to relinquish territory they have seized.

The April resolution asked all parties, particularly the Houthis, to adhere to measures including the outcome of an earlier “national dialogue” tasked with drawing up a new constitution.

The Riyadh conference was convened by Hadi and held in con-

junction with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The final conference declaration spoke of building a “federal state” in Yemen.

The meeting ended a day after coalition warplanes resumed bombing rebel targets in Yemen following a five-day truce to allow urgently needed humanitarian aid into the country.

The UN said on Monday that a conference planned for next week in Geneva to re-launch peace talks has been suspended because of the renewed fighting.

Part of the problem is that the fighting has once more resumed,” said UN spokesman Farhan Haq. “We want the fighting decisively stopped and then we can get about to organise and invite people to the conference.”

Asked at the Riyadh meeting how continued bombing is conducive to the peace process and the delivery of humanitarian aid, GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al Zayani said “the question should be put to the others”, a reference to the Houthis.

The coalition has blamed rebel ceasefire violations for the resumption of air strikes against them.

Meanwhile, The UN, citing Yemen’s health services, said that as of May 15, some 1,850 people had been killed and 7,394 wounded in the violence in Yemen. Another 545,000 had been

displaced, up from 450,000 announced on Friday.

The UN refugee agency said its assessments on the ground during the five-day ceasefire had “exposed enormous difficulties for thousands of civilians displaced by conflict”.

The World Food Programme said while the pause was “not long enough to reach all those in need”, it had managed to deliver food to 400,000 people, just over half the 738,000 it had aimed to help.

After the ceasefire expired at the weekend, the Saudi-led coalition resumed its bombing early Monday with raids on second city Aden, accusing the rebels of violating the truce.

“They did not respect the humanitarian pause. That’s why we do what is necessary to be done,” spokesman Brigadier General Ahmed Al Assiri told AFP. Tuesday’s raids on the capital hit the presidential palace complex and several bases of troops loyal to former president Saleh.

Witnesses said the targets included the Republican Guard missile brigade base in Fajj Attan, south Sanaa, where strikes last month set off a chain of explosions that killed 38 civilians.

An arms depot in Mount Noqum, on Sanaa’s eastern outskirts was also targeted, as well as a house of Saleh in his Sanhan hometown, south of the capital, witnesses said. — AFP

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W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

INDIA I N I T I AT I V E

Draft gold deposit scheme is out; 30 grams minimum limit NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday put in the public domain the draft guidelines for the much awaited, interest-bearing gold monetisation, or deposit scheme, for comments, proposing to put to productive use vast amounts of idle gold with households, and thereby cut its imports.

The objectives of the scheme, under which as little as 30 grams can be deposited, is three-fold: Mobilise the gold, give a fillip to the gems and jewellery sector by making gold available from banks on loan and reduce the reliance on imported gold and conserve foreign exchange.

Encourage depositors “The minimum quantity of gold that a customer can bring in is proposed to be set at 30 grams, so that even small depositors are encouraged. Gold can be in any form, bullion or jewellery,” the guidelines, said, adding the depositors can redeem the gold either in cash or in physical form.

The comments need to be furnished by June 2.

According to the World Gold Council, an estimated 22,00023,000 tonnes of gold is lying idle with households and institutions in India.

The annual imports amount to between 850-1,000 tonnes, valued at $35 billion to $45 billion.

In his budget speech on February 28, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said that the government will come up with two schemes for gold — one on monetisation, or permitting gold deposits with banks for interest, and the other on redeemable gold sovereign bonds also with fixed interest.

“The new scheme will allow depositors of gold to earn interest in their metal accounts and the jewellers to obtain loans in their metal account. Banks and other dealers would also be able to monetise this gold,” Jaitley had said.

As per the draft guidelines, the interest earned from the monetisation scheme will be exempt from income tax, wealth tax and capital gains tax to make it attractive for households.

How the scheme will work: A

person or institution holding gold can get it valued from any of the 350 hallmarking centres, then open a gold savings account with banks for a minimum period of one year and earn interest — either in cash or gold units.

Interest after 30 or 60 days Interest on the gold savings account will be payable after every 30 or 60 days of the opening of the account.

Banks will be free to decide the interest, and both the principal and interest will be valued in gold.

“Both directionally, and in terms of the content, this draft reflects a practical approach,” said Somasundaram P.R., managing director for India with the World Gold Council.

“Once the incentives fall into place to the satisfaction of banks, customers and others, we will own a ‘Uniquely Indian’ scheme that allows gold to become a dynamic, fungible asset in the hands of gold savers with significant benefits to the economy, and therefore provide the gold trade with consistent

policies.” Under the draft guidelines, the charges for hallmarking have been proposed at Rs.500 per lot for melting up to 100 grams, going up to Rs.900 for between 9001,000 grams.

Then there is also the testing charge of Rs.300, while stone removing and melting loss is at actuals.

If the gold finds its way into the scheme, then the banks will bear the cost.

How do the banks benefit: To incentivise them, it is proposed to include the deposits under the cash reserve ratio requirements.

Foreign exchange Banks can also sell the deposits to generate foreign exchange, convert it into coins, use it on commodity exchanges and lend to jewellers. The money made in the process, thus, can be used to pay the depositors, pay the fee charged by the hallmarking centres and retain the rest as profit.

Banks can also fetch gold directly from the international markets to lend to jewellers. - IANS

HOW THE SCHEME WORKS Customers bring their idle gold, get it verified and melted, and are provided with a receipt They open a gold savings account with a bank, show the receipt and the tenure starts Verification centres prepare standard bars of gold, and inform banks about the value Gold is then sent to a refinery and is deposited as bars in state-owned vaults Jewellers approach banks for gold loans or for purchase of gold Banks tell refinery to send the agreed amount of gold to jewellers Upon maturity of loan, jewellers repay the banks in cash Similarly, upon maturity, customers get back physical gold, cash or dematerialised gold Banks extend interest to customers and make money by levying interest on gold loans

‘Working aggressively to make India easy place for business’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the BJP-led government has taken a series of measures in the last 11 months to improve the business environment and enhance investor confidence

SEOUL: Wooing global investors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday promised a more stable and predictable taxation system and said his government was working aggressively to make India a very easy place to do business.

Addressing South Korean CEOs here on the last day of his three-nation tour, he said his government

CONFERENCE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the VI Asian Leadership conference in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday. - PTI

has in last one year restored India’s global positioning in politics, governance and economy.

“But we are not going to stop here. We have to and we will do a lot better,” he said.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), he said, was important and will not come to India “without a globally competitive business environment.”

“So, we are working aggressively for making India a very easy place to do business,” he said.

Seeking collaboration with Korean businesses in sectors like IT

and electronics, steel making, railways, ship building and housing, Modi said, “A dedicated mechanism for hand holding of Korean investors” is being formed.

Series of measures “It will be known as Korea Plus. In addition I assure you of my personal attention if there are any issues,” he said.

The BJP-led government in the last 11 months has taken a series of measures to improve the business environment and enhance investor confidence.

“We do believe that ‘ease of doing business’ has become an important factor in attracting investments in the country,” he said, adding the government stood committed to make “taxation system more stable, predictable and transparent.”

“We have already resolved many taxation issues affecting the foreign investors. This is all to become more conducive for business and bring in technology and capital,” he said.

Maintaining that initial steps have got good results, the Prime Minister said sentiments for private investment and inflow of foreign investment are positive.

“Our growth rate is above 7 per cent. FDI inflows have gone up by 39 per cent during April-2014 and February-2015 against the same period in previous year,” he said.

Modi said several international financial institutions like World Bank and IMF are predicting even faster growth in the coming years.

“Moody’s has recently upgraded the rating of India as positive on account of our concrete steps in various economic segments,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sparked a social media backlash on Tuesday after claiming his compatriots had once felt “ashamed” of their country.

Modi made the comments in speeches to members of the Indian diaspora during his recent visits to Shanghai and Seoul, and they were intended to illustrate how far the country had come.

Comments But many Indians interpreted the comments as unpatriotic and took to social media to lambast the Hindu nationalist leader, using the hashtag #ModiInsultsIndia.

“The first PM who openly admits that he is ashamed of being an Indian. Proud of Modiji,” tweeted user Scotchy Shashtri.

“Ppl may dislike many things happening in India. Go abroad for better opportunities. But they’re not ashamed of being Indian,” read another tweet by user Tinu Cherian Abraham.

Modi’s comments, made during an official tour of East Asia, were a rare misstep by the Indian leader who has won praise for his often populist speeches.

“Earlier, you felt ashamed of being born Indian. Now you feel proud to represent the country,” he told hundreds of Indians in Shanghai.

A spokesman for the opposition Congress party Sanjay Jha called Modi’s comments a “national disgrace” in a tweet. - Agencies

I N C L E M E N T W E AT H E R

Seven dead in Rajasthan as dust storm hits north NEW DELHI: A severe dust storm, coupled with light rain, swept vast swathes of north India on Tuesday afternoon bringing some relief from sweltering heat but it played havoc in Rajasthan state where at least seven persons were killed and several houses damaged.

In the national capital, the 80-kmph wind, accompanied with drizzle, started around 4.15pm and helped cool the temperature.

The dust storm was an outcome of the extremely hot conditions on Monday which had pushed the mercury up to 43 degrees Celsius, weather department officials said. The maximum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 41.5 degrees Celsius, two notches above the normal, a MeT official said. The city, which has been reeling under extreme heat for the past few days, also received traces of rainfall and humidity levels oscillated between 69 and 28 per cent.

In Rajasthan, the storm killed at least seven persons — five in Bharatpur and two in Bikaner — and injured many others, police said, adding that many houses were damaged and trees uprooted in rural areas. - PTI

P-28 PROJECT

Indigenously built anti-submarine warfare ship ‘Karavatti’ launched KOLKATA: The Indian Navy is firmly committed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” project, with 48 ships and submarines being built in the country’s shipyards, navy chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan said here on Tuesday.

Speaking at the launch of the fourth and last anti-submarine warfare corvette named “Karavatti”, he said “self-reliance and indigenisation” were the blueprints the Indian Navy was firmly anchored to.

The navy was making efforts to raise the indigenous content so as to make warships completely in India, said the navy chief.

“Karavatti”, made at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), has over 90 percent indigenous content.

GRSE chairman and managing director Rear Admiral A.K. Verma (retd.) said for the first time in the country, the superstructure of the corvette has been built of carbon fibre composite material.

Contribution lauded Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh was the chief guest on the occasion, while the ship was launched by his wife Manita Singh. The minister lauded the contributions made by GRSE, Kolkata in meeting the growing requirements of the navy.

Admiral Dhowan acknowledged the “excellent work” done

MODERN WARSHIP: A priest performs prayers during the launch of anti submarine warfare corvette named Karavatti in Kolkata on Tuesday. - PTI

by the yard for contributing towards achieving the Indian Navy’s dream of transforming itself from a “Buyers Navy” to “Builders Navy”. GRSE is building four ASW Corvette class of ships under P-28 Project.

The basic design for these ships was developed by navy’s directorate of naval design and the detailed design was made by the in-house design department of GRSE. INS Kamorta, the first ship of the series, was commissioned on August 23, 2014 at Visakhapa-

tnam. The ship is now an integral part of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy.

The ASW corvette - 109 metre long with a displacement of 3,200 tonnes- is a most modern warship, with advanced stealth features having very low radar cross section and very low radiated underwater noise.

The ship has a maximum speed of 25 knots, with an endurance of over 3400 NM at 18 knots speed, and is designed to accommodate 17 officers and 106 sailors. -IANS

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INDIA

A G I TAT I O N A G A I N S T U D F G O V E R N M E N T I N K E R A L A

BJP accuses Congress of ‘plundering’ country through scams THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hitting out at Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah on Tuesday charged the previous United Progressive Alliance government with having ‘plundered’ the country through scams while asserting that the Narendra Modi government had mobilised huge revenues during its one-year rule.

“While the UPA government plundered Rs10 lakh crore in the country in 76 scams, the present NDA government under Modi could mobilise Rs2 lakh crore by auctioning 20 of the 230 mines and Rsone lakh crore through spectrum auctions,” Shah said.

He was inaugurating BJP’s ‘Secretariat siege’ as part of the party’s agitation against UDF government for alleged corruption in governance and “adjustment agitation”

by CPI (M) led Opposition.

The meeting took place amidst

heavy rains in the city. On the Congress jibe about Prime Minister’s frequent foreign trips, he said the respect received by Modi during his overseas visits was not for any particular person or BJP government, but for the people of the country.

“It is not respect for a particular person or BJP government. But to the 125 crore people of the country,” he added.

Improve relations Stating that India was able to improve its relations with various countries during the last one year, he said earlier when some prime ministers went abroad, not many used to know.

“But now, if Narendra Modi goes to US, Germany, Fiji, or Bhutan, wherever he goes, thousands throng to welcome him,” he said.

Shah also rejected the Congress

RALLY: BJP president Amit Shah addressing ‘Akrosh Rally’ near the Secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on Tuesday. -PTI

criticism that the Bharatiya Janata Party was ‘anti poor’ and ‘anti farmer’ saying ‘it is a government which works for the benefit of the poor and downtrodden’.

“Modi government’s focus was on the poorest of the poor among

the 125 crore people who had been neglected by the Congress for the last 68 years,” Shah said, adding they were given financial inclusion by ensuring bank accounts and also new insurance policy.

The Modi government has

waged a big war against unemployment through its ‘Make In India’ and ‘Skills Development’ campaigns aimed to give employment to jobless youth, he said.

Dismissing Congress allegations that the BJP government was ‘anti farmer’, Shah said the National Democratic Alliance had brought in various laws to help the farming community. It had also brought about a transformation (Parivarthan) by revoking archaic laws of the British raj, he added.

The NDA government also ensured 50 per cent increase in compensation for crop loss, he said.

Pointing out that the BJP led government had laid lot of importance to the country’s security, the party President alleged when the UPA government was in power, there were daily incidents of Pakistan firing in Indian-administered-Kashmir.

“But now, the BJP government had started reciprocating in the same way to the Pak firing — ‘Goli ka jawab goli se’,” he said.

Attacking the Congress led UDF in Kerala, Shah said it was time to ‘uproot’ the ‘corrupt’ front and usher in change.

“It is not the UDF or LDF which will help the state, but BJP that can bring in development,” he said, adding the party workers should strive to ‘free’ the state from Congress rule.

The four years of UDF is synonymous with “misgovernance, corruption” he said, referring to the solar and bar bribery scams.

The transformation brought by the Modi government should come to Kerala also, he said.

Cautioning against the attack on party workers, he said, “I am warning you. You cannot silence BJP with violence.” - PTI

Government stalling development, taking credit for UPA works: Rahul It has become a fashion for BJP government to stall development works and take credit for things done during the UPA regime, the Congress vice

SPELLING OUT: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi addresses a rally at Sangrampur during his visit to Amethi on Tuesday. - PTI

president said

AMETHI (UP): Firing a fresh salvo, Congress party vice president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi government of stalling development works and taking credit for things done during the previous United Progressive Alliance rule.

On the second day of his threeday visit to his Lok Sabha constituency Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, he inaugurated 48 development works in Kasara village in Sangrampur tehsil.

These include 44 roads in 13 blocks, two marriage halls and two passenger waiting halls.

Rahul said when Congress was

in power, the Opposition would allege that all money was going to Amethi and now they say nothing has been done here.

“You must know all the things, because nowadays it has become a fashion for BJP government to stall development works and take credit for things done during UPA regime,” he told a gathering of locals here.

The 44-year-old MP said he believed whichever party comes to power, the government should represent all — farmers, labourers and weaker sections of the society.

“I want to tell the government that it must not leave anyone behind, not even Amethi, because all are benefitted from development,” he said.

Giving an account of his MP Local Area Development Fund (MP-

LAD) funds, he said that in next year “works from Rs50 million will be done maintaining its quality.”

‘Politics of vendetta’ Again raising the issue of cancellation of a mega food park here, Rahul alleged “politics of vendetta” by the Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre.

“What was most necessary for Amethi and what we did was the mega food park, which could have benefitted farmers. But last year BJP dashed this dream,” he said.

Asking the central government not to “avoid anyone”, he said “labourers and farmers give their blood to the nation and thus the government of India must be meant for all.”

His retort came a day after Food Processing Minister Harsimrat

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

Sukhoi fighter plane crashes in Assam TEZPUR: A Sukhoi-30 aircraft, India’s front line fighter plane, crashed on Tuesday at Laokhowa in Nagaon district of Assam following a technical snag but both the pilot and weapons systems operator ejected safely.

This is the sixth crash of the aircraft, manufactured here under licence from Russia, since 2009.

The incident happened at about 12:30pm, 36km away from Tezpur. The SU-30 aircraft had taken off from Air Force Station Tezpur on a routine mission at 12:17pm.

“After take off, the aircraft had developed a technical snag and the pilot was forced to abandon the aircraft. Both the pilots ejected,” the IAF said in a statement.

The ejection was safe and the

The last crash of a Sukhoi fighter plane had taken place in October last year near Pune.

The CoI report on the crash is still awaited.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had in March admitted to problems with the Sukhoi aircraft.

Parrikar said the Russian Original Equipment Manufacturer had introduced a numSIXTH CRASH: This is the sixth crash of the Sukhoi aircraft, man- ber of measures to contain ufactured here under licence from and eliminate technical issues that have led to engine troubles Russia, since 2009. - PTI file photo in flight.

“OEM has offered nine aircraft crashed at 1230 hours in a modifications or technological improvements for implementathick forest near Tezpur.

A Court of Inquiry has been or- tion in the production of new aero dered to ascertain the cause of the engines and during overhaul of engines,” he had said. - PTI accident, the statement said.

Kaur accused him of spreading “falsehood” and playing a “mega fraud” on the people, insisting that promoters of the project were pursuing a power plant in the name of food park.

She had said the decision to deny any further extension to project was taken in March last year when Congress-led UPA was in power and asked Rahul to do his “homework”.

“Neither Rahul nor his party was serious to set up the food park... Rahul is spreading falsehood,” Kaur told reporters and questioned where the Congress leader was all the while since the project was cancelled in July last year.

Gandhi Tuesday garlanded the statue of his father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in Amethi town and walked through the road to meet people, though less in number.

Earlier, Rahul began his engagements by meeting senior district level leaders led by Chandra Shekhar Mishra and Karan Singh at Munshiganj guest house where he stayed overnight.

Local leaders asked Gandhi to oversee works being done in the constituency himself and said Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too should chip in.

The leaders claimed that Rahul assured them that he would look into the matter when he returns to Delhi, but maintained that he could not oversee all the works alone. - PTI

CPI: Will give Modi government negative marks on performance NEW DELHI: A day after Congress party vice- president Rahul Gandhi graded Narendra Modi government’s performance at “zero out of 10”, the Communist Party of India on Tuesday said it will give “negative marks” to the NDA dispensation for its “anti-farmer, anti-labour and pro-corporate” policies.

Launching a scathing attack on Modi, the party said he is a “secretive” and an “arrogant” leader and “far different” from former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee who would listen to the views of others.

“Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi said he will give zero marks to Modi Government for its performance over the past one year. But we give it negative marking like for writing wrong answers....for bringing in wrong policies,” CPI General Secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy said.

Reddy said the CPI doesn’t intend to target Modi on personal front, but added there is a difference between the way he and other leaders function.

“He is a secretive type, not open. He is arrogant though it doesn’t reflect in his day-to-day activities. He is dictatorial. People are afraid of talking to him. Though we do not agree with their brand of politics, there is a lot of difference between him and Vajpayee who would listen to people,” he said.

The former MP said that Modi not taking along with him External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj when on foreign visits “is an example of how secretive he is”.

“Normally, the practice is the External Affairs Minister will accompany the Prime Minister on foreign visits. But he takes only those loyal to him like (Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra) Fadnavis to visits abroad,” he added.

Reddy criticised the Government’s decision to reduce income tax for the “rich” and allow hike in FDI in insurance and other sectors.

He claimed that Centre’s labour and land acquisition reforms won’t help India attain development. - PTI

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W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

PAKISTAN 45 employees of ‘fake degree’ firm arrested; offices raided

It is unfortunate that Pakistan is being defamed. But it seems that the story that has been published is true Aitzaz Ahsan, Pakistan People’s Party Senator

social media even as the company denied wrongdoing.

On Tuesday, the issue was also taken up in the Senate where Pakistan People’s Party leader Aitzaz Ahsan pointed out the issue and said that the management of company has the right to give explanation.

“It is unfortunate that Pakistan is being defamed,” the senator said, adding that CEO Axact Shoaib Shaikh and his TV has the right to clarify.

“But it seems that the story that has been published is true,” Ahsan said.

He termed the issue as a matter of grave concern.

On the suggestion of Ahsan, the Senate chairman Raza Rabbani constituted a committee to probe into the issue and submit a report in a month.

“This is an important issue and investigation needs to be conducted,” Rabbani said.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar ordered Federal Investigation Agency probe into the special report published by ‘The New York Times’ alleging that the software company was earning tens of millions of dollars by selling fake degrees OUTRAGE: Federal Investigation Agency deputy director Kamran Attaullah, centre, walks out of the Axact building after a raid in Karachi on Tuesday. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: Around 45 Axact employees were arrested on Tuesday as Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raided the offices of the software company in Karachi and the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The move came shortly after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar ordered FIA to probe into the special report published by The New York Times alleging the software company was earning tens of millions of dollars by selling fake degrees around the world.

Soon after, FIA teams comprising IT experts sealed Axact’s offices in the twin cities and registered a formal inquiry into the Axact scandal.

Employees were evacuated from the software company’s head office in Islamabad while 45 persons were rounded up, including human resource and public relations managers who were

taken to FIA’s headquarters. They were shifted to FIA’s cyber-crime wing office.

The seven-member FIA team also seized hard disks, computers, other electronic equipment and documents belonging to the IT firm. Bags and mobile phones of department heads in Islamabad were also seized.

“A report will be compiled after carrying out digital analysis to ascertain if the electronic equipment was used for illegal activities,”sources said.

The FIA also raided Axact’s call centre in Rawalpindi and seized voice call recorders and other devices. Axact’s call centre regional director Colonel Jamil was taken into custody.

A second team under the supervision of FIA Deputy Director Kamran Attaullah raided the company’s Karachi headquarters.

Speaking to the media after the

raid, Deputy Director Kamran Attaullah said, “Investigations are still underway. We will let you know further details later.”

“Nobody has been arrested from the Karachi office,” he added.

An FIA official present at the Axact office in Islamabad refused to comment on whether they employees were being detained or arrested when asked by an Express News correspondent.

The FIA team said they will seal two servers in the company’s Karachi office.

“The main two servers operate all of Axact’s activities worldwide,” a source added.

Axact officials blocked the road in front of their Karachi office after the media arrived.

Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) initiated a probe into the allegations against Axact.

FIA believes Axact also oper-

ates from Lahore and has asked the company to immediately provide details of their offices in the city.

Axact, has pledged to build a media empire, faced tough criticism on Monday after The New York Times said it was earning tens of millions of dollars by selling fake degrees around the world.

Education empire Nisar took notice of the NYT report which claimed that Axact ran a fake education empire that involved paid actors promoting fictitious universities and even fake US State Department authentication certifications bearing the signature of John Kerry.

The report, which quoted former employees and analysed more than 370 websites of fake universities, accreditation bodies and other purported institutions, sparked a wave of criticism on

‘Baseless story’ Soon after the report was published, a message on Axact’s website declared the story “baseless, substandard, maligning, defamatory, and based on false accusations” and added it would sue The New York Times.

According to the report, Axact created a series of fake websites involving “professors” and students who were in fact paid actors.

The “university” websites mainly route their traffic through servers run by companies registered in Cyprus and Latvia, and employees would plant fictitious reports about Axact universities on CNN iReport, a website for citizen journalism.

The article cited clients from the US, Britain and the United Arab Emirates who had paid sums ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars for their degrees — with some believing the universities were real and they would soon receive coursework. — Agencies

TRAGEDY IN RED SEA

Bid to recover 16 missing people from Israeli jails ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday informed the Senate that it is indirectly trying to contact Israel through the embassies of US and Jordan in order to recover the 16 missing Pakistanis.

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said that government is trying to establish contacts with Israel indirectly through the American and Jordanian embassies to verify and recover the 16 Pakistani nationals allegedly languishing in Israeli jail.

Senator Shahi Syed from the Awami National Party (ANP) had sought government’s attention to imprisonment of 16 Pakistani nationals in the prisons of Israel.

Sartaj said that the 16 Pakistanis had gone missing in 2009 when a merchant vessel MV Danny FII, carrying 83 passengers and crew, had capsized in the Red Sea. “It has still not yet been confirmed that the missing Pakistanis are in Israeli jails,” Aziz said, adding that Israeli authorities have not responded to the issue as yet.

— Express Tribune

S H AWA L R E G I O N

Drone strike kills 5 rebels PESHAWAR: A US drone strike in Pakistan’s northwestern Shawal Valley has killed at least five militants, three Pakistani intelligence sources said on Tuesday.

Monday night’s strike in the Zwy-Naray area of North Waziristan, a mountainous region bordering Afghanistan, follows a build up of Pakistani forces in the area and another drone strike on Saturday.

The deep, forested ravines of Shawal Valley are dotted with Taliban bases and are a key smuggling route into Afghanistan. — Reuters

TWIN INSURGENCIES

Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to share intelligence ISLAMABAD: The spy agencies of Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to share intelligence and bolster cooperation in their fight against the Taliban, the latest sign of a thaw in once-frosty ties.

But the deal announced on Monday triggered uproar in the Afghan parliament and an avalanche of criticism on social media, with many accusing President Ashraf Ghani’s government of selling out to longtime nemesis Pakistan.

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) have signed a memorandum of understanding, Pakistan army spokesman Major General Asim Bajwa said on Twitter.

The agreement “includes international sharing, complementary and coordinated intelligence operations on respective sides”, Bajwa said, without specifying when and where the MoU was signed.

Pakistan has a civilian government but the military and ISI still wield great influence, particularly over policy towards neighbouring Afghanistan.

Nurturing insurgents Afghan officials have frequently accused Pakistan of harbouring and nurturing Taliban insurgents, who are waging a 13-year war against local and foreign troops in the country.

But Ghani has actively courted Pakistan since coming to power in what observers say is a calculated gambit to pressure the insurgents to the negotiating table.

“We cannot sign a MoU... with those who kill our people. Our government should not be that reckless,” said Afghan lawmaker Shukria Barakzai after the announcement sparked uproar in parliament Monday.

“Instead of strengthening its security infrastructure the government is signing an MoU with the enemy of Afghanistan.”

But the Afghan government played down the significance of the deal.

“The new MoU is about ex-

We cannot sign a MoU... with those who kill our people. Our government should not be that reckless.

Instead of strengthening its security infrastructure the government is signing an MoU with the enemy of Afghanistan Shukria Barakzai Afghanistan lawmaker

changing tactical information on threats for both spy agencies.

Reports saying the ISI will be training or equipping the NDS are false,” said NDS spokesman Hasseeb Sediqqi.

Sediqqi said similar MoUs had been signed in 2006 and 2009 but “they did not achieve the desired result”.

Afghanistan’s engagement with Pakistan in its fight against the Taliban is seen as a major policy shift from the previous Hamid Karzai government, which accused Islamabad of destabilising Kabul.

Pakistan Prime Minister

Nawaz Sharif pledged support to Afghanistan in combating the Taliban during a visit to Kabul last week, signalling improving ties.

Sharif’s visit, his first since President Ashraf Ghani came to power in September, came as concerns grow over an upsurge in Taliban-led violence in Afghanistan. — AFP

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

WE DNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 There is a magic, a unique magic about Ireland which is totally irresistible. So wherever I go in the world and meet Irish people, I promise you, it always makes me feel better Prince Charles, British royal

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WORLD

THEFT OF TECHNOLOGY

6 Chinese citizens are charged with espionage in US WASHINGTON: Six Chinese nationals, three of them professors, were charged with economic espionage in a US indictment unsealed on Tuesday alleging the theft of technology used in mobile phones for Beijing’s benefit.

According to a 32-count indictment, the six led a long-running effort to obtain US trade secrets for universities and companies controlled by the Chinese government.

Among those charged were Tianjin University professor Hao Zhang, who was arrested upon entry into the United States on Saturday, the US Justice Department said in a statement.

Filter radio signals The scheme led to the theft of socalled FBAR technology, which enables mobile phones and other devices to filter radio signals and improve performance, according to the Justice Department.

“As today’s case demonstrates, sensitive technology developed by US companies in Silicon Valley and throughout California continues to be vulnerable to coordinated and complex efforts sponsored by

HABITAT FOR EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS Comex Space technicians work on a SHEE (Self-deployable Habitat for Extreme Environments) structure during test procedures at Comex, a French company specializing in engineering and deep sea diving operations, on Tuesday in Marseille. The goal of the SHEE project is to develop an habitat in extreme environments such as on the Moon and on Mars and to apply the project findings to disaster zones. — AFP

Irish republican leader Gerry Adams has always rejected allegations that he was a key figure in the Irish Republican Army, which killed Charles’s beloved great-uncle Earl Mountbatten in 1979

HISTORIC MOMENT: Britain’s Prince Charles, left, shakes hands with Gerry Adams at the National University of Ireland in Galway, Ireland on Tuesday. — Reuters/Adam Gerrard/pool

bereaved by the actions of republicans,” Adams said.

“Thankfully the conflict is over.

But there remains unresolved injustices. These must be rectified and a healing process developed.”

Adams has always rejected allegations that he was a key figure in the IRA, which killed Charles’s beloved great-uncle and mentor Earl Mountbatten in 1979.

The IRA blew up a boat carrying Mountbatten off the west coast of Ireland, in one of the most high-profile assassinations during three decades of sectarian unrest that killed 3,500 people.

The 79-year-old, who was the last viceroy of India and a father figure to Charles, was killed along with two relatives, and Paul Maxwell, a 14-year-old local boy who worked on the fishing boat.

Charles was expected to travel on Wednesday to the rugged

stretch of coastline near where the killing took place in Mullaghmore, becoming the first royal to do so on a visit that palace aides have said is aimed at promoting “peace and reconciliation”.

The visit is to include a religious service in a nearby church and will be an emotional moment for the prince.

Mountbatten’s grandson, Timothy Knatchbull, who survived the blast, is also expected to attend, along with Peter McHugh, a local resident who helped pull bodies from the sea, British media reported.

Adams and other senior Sinn Fein members boycotted Queen Elizabeth II’s groundbreaking visit to Ireland in 2011, the first by a British monarch since the future Republic of Ireland gained independence from Britain in 1922.

But Northern Ireland’s Deputy

First Minister Martin McGuinness, a member of Sinn Fein who was an IRA commander in the 1970s, later shook hands with the queen during her visit to Belfast in 2012 -- a historic meeting.

Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan said the visit would celebrate Irish-British ties “while also acknowledging more difficult moments from the past”.

“Reconciliation and dealing with the past are issues that can still challenge us,” he added.

Speaking at the university, Charles kicked off the trip by praising the “wonderful spirit” of the Irish and the “fun of being in Ireland”.

“There is a magic, a unique magic about Ireland which is totally irresistible. So wherever I go in the world and meet Irish people, I promise you, it always makes me feel better,” he said. — Reuters

U N D E R M I N I N G S TAT E S E C U R I T Y

Russia passes bill on ‘undesirable’ NGOs MOSCOW: Russian lawmakers on Tuesday passed a controversial bill allowing authorities to ban foreign NGOs deemed “undesirable” for the state, the latest step in a crackdown condemned by rights activists.

Pro-Kremlin legislators overwhelmingly approved the legislation -- which still has to be voted on by the rubberstamp upper chamber and signed off by President Vladimir Putin -- that targets

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

foreign governments to steal that technology,” said federal prosecutor Melinda Haag.

In a scheme that allegedly dates back to 2006, the six are accused of working to steal trade secrets from California-based Avago Technologies and Massachusetts-based Skyworks Solutions.

A shell company called Novana was created in the Cayman Islands but led by the Chinese academics and Tianjin University, with Chinese government support, to manufacture rival technology products, according to US investigators.

The Chinese company was called ROFS Microsystems.

“According to the charges in the indictment, the defendants leveraged their access to and knowledge of sensitive US technologies to illegally obtain and share US trade secrets with (the Chinese government) for economic advantage,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Carlin.

“Economic espionage imposes great costs on American businesses, weakens the global marketplace and ultimately harms US interests worldwide.” — AFP

Charles meets old foe Adams for first time

GALWAY: Prince Charles on Tuesday became the first British royal to meet Irish republican leader Gerry Adams, on a visit that will take him to the scene of his great-uncle’s murder by the IRA. Charles, the heir to the British throne, shook hands with Adams, the veteran president of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the now-defunct Irish Republican Army paramilitary group.

Charles, 66, met Adams at the National University of Ireland’s campus in Galway on the west coast, shortly after starting a twoday visit to the republic.

Adams leaned forward several times as they spoke for less than a minute, before introducing Charles to other guests.

Speaking before the visit, Adams referred to Charles by his title as colonel-in-chief of the British army’s Parachute Regiment.

Soldiers from the regiment were found responsible for several killings during the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre — one of the worst atrocities in the Northern Ireland conflict, known as “The Troubles.”

“But he (Charles) also has been

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

international non-governmental organisations accused of undermining Russia’s “state security”.

The law, opposed by the Kremlin’s own human rights ombudsman, allows authorities to bar foreign civil society groups seen as threatening Russia’s “defence capabilities” or “consitutional foundations” and go after local activists working with them.

Russian citizens who cooperate with the banned organisations

can be hit by large fines and jailed for up to six years.

Rights groups have roundly condemned the legislation, with Amnesty International calling it “the latest chapter in an unprecedented crackdown against non-governmental organisations” aimed at stifling free speech in Russia.

Critics have also said that the vague wording of the law -- which gives Russia’s general prosecutor

the right to impose the “undesirable” tag without going to court -- could allow officials to target foreign businesses working in Russia.

Curb civil society Russian authorities have launched a sustained campaign to curb civil society since Vladimir Putin won his third term as president amid public demonstrations in 2012. — AFP

SRI LANKA’S NEW PRESIDENT

Sirisena pledges support to military MATARA (SRI LANKA): Sri Lanka’s new president pledged his support for the military as he marked six years since the end of the civil war on Tuesday, a day after his predecessor accused him of forgetting the country’s “war heroes”.

Maithripala Sirisena pledged to ensure that the Tamil Tigers, who waged a violent 37-year campaign for a separate homeland on the island, never raised their heads again as he attended a military parade to commemorate fallen soldiers.

Sirisena took power in Sri Lanka in January after winning an election against the country’s strongman former leader Mahinda Rajapakse, who oversaw the military crushing of the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2006.

He has pledged to bring about reconciliation with the island’s Tamil minority, who have long faced discrimination, but also needs the support of the Sinhalese majority ahead of parliamentary elections expected to be held later this year.

“I assure you that I will make every effort to ensure national security,” Sirisena said during commemorations Tuesday -- previously known as “Victory Day” but now renamed “Armed Forces Day”.

Brutal terrorism “I will not allow the brutal LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) terrorism to raise its head ever again.

“I have the fullest confidence in you (the troops) to safeguard the security of our motherland,” he said, accusing his rivals of peddling “false propaganda” against the government.

Rajapakse, who is reported to be seeking a political comeback, had earlier accused the government of forgetting the country’s “war heroes”, citing the more low-key commemorations under Sirisena.

Sirisena served in Rajapakse’s cabinet before quitting to stand against his one-time mentor, who had until then been regarded as odds-on for a third term. — AFP

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Britain’s shameful rejection of EU plan

D

avid Cameron has told his new Cabinet that the Government’s approach to public services must be rooted in true social justice and genuine compassion. However, after Theresa May’s announcement that Britain will not participate in the EU’s plan to resettle migrants from North Africa throughout the member states, it might reasonably be wondered whether Conservative compassion extends any further than Britain’s borders. The Home Secretary argues that an EU-wide programme in which member states are required each to take a certain number of migrants will only encourage more people to risk the perilous waters of the Mediterranean.

Yet there is little evidence to back up that assertion. The scaling back of the Italian coastguard’s search and rescue operation last year was premised on a similarly erroneous belief — that potential migrants would be discouraged by the reduced prospect of safe arrival on European shores. Yet the bare fact is that desperate people continue to take desperate measures: and risk exists only to be overcome.

Likewise, the notion that the problem can be resolved by tackling the people traffickers is much too simplistic. For as long as there are people seeking passage from Libya to Lampedusa, there will be others willing to provide boats. Only strong and stable governments in North Africa can provide a long-term solution and that prospect is distant indeed.

The British Government’s opposition to EU migrant quotas is indicative, perhaps, of its concerns about having domestic policy dictated by Brussels. Theresa May also makes the point that some of those who seek opportunities in Europe are economic migrants, rather than refugees fleeing persecution. Maybe so, but the paltry response of the last government to the refugee crisis emanating from Syria suggests there is a pattern here. Tackling public concerns over immigration has manifested itself in a hostile unwillingness to accept our international responsibilities and a shaming failure of moral leadership.

- The Independent

LUDICROUS BACKING

Canada’s support to Israel is dangerous ROBERT FISK

North Korea’s horrors

T

he news from North Korea is usually nasty and bizarre, especially in the three years since Kim Jong-un inherited the insidious personality cult of his grandfather and father. The 30-something Kim was said to have fed his disgraced and once-powerful uncle to a pack of dogs for disrespecting him. His latest action, as initially reported by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, was to have the minister of the armed forces blasted to pieces with an antiaircraft gun, purportedly, among other things, for dozing off while Kim spoke.

The uncle, Jang Song-thaek, was indeed executed, but the dog story turned out to be the creation of a satirical Chinese blog.

And South Korea is now saying that General Hyon Yong-chol was purged, not provably killed. That the more lurid versions do not always hold up doesn’t change the fact that Kim has been purging the top ranks of his regime at a lively clip since he came to power in 2011 — at least 70 senior officials have been killed, according to South Korea. The Kim dynasty, as a United Nations panel reported last year, has committed systematic crimes against humanity, including executions, torture, rape, deliberate starvation and almost total suppression of free thought.

Why Kim is doing this is a matter of considerable conjecture. One explanation is that he is unstable and threatened, and so needs to fuel the terror that his power rests on. The simpler explanation is that this is simply the way the Kim dynasty does things. There is no way to know for sure. When the “Great Leader” Kim Il-sung, the founder of the dynasty, died in 1994, there were widespread expectations that the regime would collapse. But he was posthumously promoted to “eternal president” as his son, the “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il, carried on, presiding over the incarceration of 200,000 political prisoners and a terrible famine.

How long can it go on? The history of modern-day dictatorships offers little guidance. Joseph Stalin, Kim Il-sung’s model, died of natural causes, and the police state he created lived on for almost 40 years. But when the Soviet state did collapse, along with the Communist regimes it propped up in East Europe, the demise was unexpected and unexpectedly rapid. With North Korea in possession of nuclear weapons and a well-oiled machinery of oppression, a regime collapse may not happen soon. But the Kims will surely fall at some point, quickly and brutally, and when they do South Korea and its allies must stand ready to rescue a nation that has suffered horribly. In the meantime, the United States and America’s allies must remain vigilant and continue to search for ways to deter Kim. Pyongyang is said to be working on an intercontinental missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Despite these obstacles, finding more ways to pressure Kim, perhaps involving China, is a must.

- The New York Times News Service

Working in extreme heat can cause death of workers This refers to the news story, ‘Give them a break’ (May 19). Working in extreme heat puts severe stress on a person. When heat is combined with other stresses such as hard physical work, loss of fluids, fatigue or some physiological conditions, it may lead to heat-related illness, disability and or death in many instances.

Sara Alob Muscat

Workers should be given proper rest and facilities This refers to the news story, ‘Give them a break’ (May 19). The workers who work under scorching and blazing sun should be transported in proper air conditioned vehicles, given water and food at specified

breaks, returned to a properly furnished accommodation to rest when the temperature is at its peak and then returned to work when the heat has abated. If you won’t allow your children to play in the heat, these workers shouldn’t be out in it open either.

Dennis Giesbrecht Muscat

When will the workers’ plight be looked into?

This refers to the news story, ‘Give them a break’ (May 19). Summer in Oman is usually long and harsh.

It is the time when people don’t move out unless they have to. But it is also the time when we see fellow humans toiling under blazing sun to build houses and buildings where we would stay and work in air-conditioned comfort. Many

Statements or speeches critical of Israel — like a number of public lectures I have given in Canada — may now be classed as statements against Jews. And, in due course, editorials in papers such as the Toronto Star can be deemed anti-Semitic and thus worthy of being denounced as a ‘hate-crime’

I

’ve never been keen on boycotts. The one against Italy for invading Abyssinia didn’t work. Nor did the arms blockade on Spain.

I’m still not sure that boycotting South Africa really brought down apartheid. I rather suspect that the old racists simply realised they were hopelessly outnumbered by the blacks of South Africa and that the game was up.

And I’m still unconvinced that boycotting Israel, even though it frightens the right-wing crazies in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, will achieve a two-state solution, human rights for Palestinians, etc. I’m free to refuse to buy products from Jewish colonies in occupied Arab land (I do not buy them).

Some Israeli academics support a boycott of their own country. They may be right in doing so.

But in Canada — and I had to literally rub my eyes when I read this — the totally pro-Israeli Conservative government of Stephen Harper intends to list the boycotting of Israel as a “hate crime”.

This is not only ludicrous, stupid, pointless and racist because it assumes that anyone opposed to Israel’s vicious and iniquitous policies of land-grabbing in the West Bank is an anti-Semite, but it is also anti-democratic.

Those who believe in non-violence have always espoused boycott movements on the grounds that economic pressure rather than bombs is a moral way of putting pressure on a country that violates international law.

Yet Harper, who would surely be elected to the Knesset if he were an Israeli, went so far as to suggest on a recent visit to Jerusalem that merely to criticise Israel can be a form of anti-Semitism. The newly retired Canadian Foreign minister John has described Canada’s Boycott Israel movement as “the new face of anti-Semitism”.

In January, he actually signed an official agreement with Israel to fight the Boycott Israel organisation, known locally as the BDS (Boycott, Divest and Sanction) group.

Steven Blaney, who rejoices in the title of Canada’s “Minister of Public Safety”, says that boycotts of Israel cannot be separated from anti-Semitic hate speech and the recent attacks against Jews in France. This is preposterous. If I decline to buy Israeli-produced oranges at a British supermarket, this doesn’t make me a Nazi murderer. To criticise Israel doesn’t turn Canadians into Jew-haters.

A number of liberal Jewish groups have protested against Harper’s proposed new law — far too many Jewish organisations have praised it — on the grounds that it assumes that all Jews support Israel or approve of its actions. And since Jews are also members of boycott-Israel groups, Harper’s Comic Cuts new law would have to put Jews on trial in Canada for anti-Semitism. Canada changed its defi-

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Honor does not have to be defended ROBERT J. SAWYER

nition of hate speech to include statements made against “national origin”, not just race and religion.

Thus statements or speeches critical of Israel — like a number of public lectures I have given in Canada — may now be classed as statements against Jews.

Cloaked as usual in the kind of Blairite (and Cameronite) clichés that all law-and-order politicians adopt, Canadians are told that their government will show “zero tolerance” towards groups advocating a boycott of Israel. Of course, we show “zero tolerance” on the streets towards theft, mugging and gangland thuggery.

Zero tolerance But “zero tolerance” against those who wish to boycott a nation whose army slaughtered more than 2,000 Palestinians in Gaza last year, more than half of them civilians? Really?

It was significant, I thought, that, after the killing of a Canadian soldier outside the Ottawa parliament last year and a murderous attack on Canadian servicemen, Harper publicised the message of condolence he had received from Netanyahu, as if the commiserations of a man who ordered the bombardment of Gaza were something to be proud of.

And, in due course, editorials in papers such as the Toronto Star can be deemed anti-Semitic and thus worthy of being denounced as a “hate-crime”.

If Canada’s parliament is dumb enough to pass this new law, it will put a lot of civil society groups under the cosh. The United Church of Canada and Canadian Quakers could find themselves in court and judges, however much they personally recoiled from Israel’s abuse of Palestinians, would have to abide by this outrageous piece of legislation and exercise “zero tolerance” against the free speech of those who condemn war crimes by Israel in the Middle East.

It is worth remembering that tens of thousands of Jews throughout the world, and especially in America and Poland, called for a boycott of Nazi Germany in 1933.

American diplomats were critical, lest it provoked Hitler to even crueller deeds. But they didn’t threaten the protesters with “zero tolerance” of “hate crimes” because of the “national origin” of the Germans they proposed to boycott.

In the end, of course, it’s quite simple. Boycotting a state for its crimes is a non-violent but potentially powerful way to express moral outrage at a time when political statements — or cowardly governments like that of Stephen Harper — fail to represent the anger of voters or have any effect on a state that ignores international law.

If you take that away, then the Boston bomber, now facing the execution chamber, can say that his was the only way. – The Independent

fall sick while working because they slog regardless of the risk.

This must end but the question remains: will it ever?

Priya Kumar Muscat

construction field. It will be good if the employers can keep first aid facilities close to all the construction sites.

Ramachandran Nair Ruwi

Number of people falling ill in summer is increasing

Students and parents pin high hopes on new Board

This refers to the news story, ‘Give them a break’ (May 19). The report recommending early summer break for workers is apt and timely.

Those who work directly under the sun and deal with metals must be provided with shaded resting areas and enough drinking water during the break time. The number of people falling ill due to heatrelated issues has been increasing during the summer period every year. Hence, adequate precautions need to be taken, especially in the

Many congratulations to the newly elected members of the Board of Directors of Pakistan schools in Oman. Parents of the students studying in Pakistan schools in Oman now are keenly looking forward to the new Board of Directors with expectation that they would carry out the jobs which are long over due for development of the schools and improvement of education.

S.A.S Bukhari Ruwi

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

T I M E S OF OMAN

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

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PERSPEC IVE Democratic ideals under threat across the world T

RICHARD K. SHERWIN

The appeal of groups like the IS to young people reared in democratic countries highlights these societies’ growing disparities in educational and economic opportunity, which are breeding cynicism, resignation, and anger among those who find themselves locked out of the social elite

he decision to abandon relative peace and prosperity for brutal war and instability may seem irrational. But young people, born and raised in democratic societies, have increasingly been yielding to the appeal of death-dealing groups like the IS, leaving their homes and families to wage a war in faraway places. Why has democracy lost the allegiance of these restless spirits, and how can it recapture the hearts and minds of others who would follow suit?

The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote that humans would rather will nothingness than not will anything at all. The leaden despair of lifelessness, impotence, and hopelessness is vastly less appealing than intensity — even if that intensity is found in violence, death, and destruction.

In short, it is a matter of meaningfulness, the presence of which motivates us, connects us to one another, and orders our lives. If it is missing — if, say, democratic ideals and institutions are failing to provide a palpable enough sense of community and purpose — people seek a sense of meaning elsewhere, which in some cases leads them to malevolent causes.

This is the cultural challenge facing democracy today, and those who wish to maintain the freedom and promise of democratic societies ignore it at their peril. It is a challenge that should be recognised not only for what it says about living conditions in advanced democratic countries worldwide, but also because any crisis is also an opportunity — in this case, to recapture the meaning that lies at the heart of democracy.

The appeal of groups like the IS to young people reared in democratic countries highlights these societies’ growing disparities in educational and economic opportunity, which are breeding cynicism, resignation, and anger among those who find themselves locked out of the social elite. Feelings of hopelessness and despair at the centre incite extremism at the fringes.

Elites in the advanced democracies — say, the top one per cent of income earners — can hardly take comfort from such conditions. Even the most insular globetrotter, flitting from one market or cultural playground to another, must consider their children. What culture will they absorb?

From where will they derive their sense of hope for the future?

Defenders of democracy must now determine not only how to create jobs and ensure material prosperity for today’s young people, but also how to feed their souls on the way. If they fail, as we have seen, others will fill the void, potentially with a call for mayhem in the name of messianic futurity.

To win this high-stakes contest, democratic societies must look beyond battlefield victory and focus on winning hearts and minds through the power of ideas and the promise of meaningfulness — just as the IS has done. The notion that democracies can fend off such forces, with their well-resourced and media-savvy ideological apparatuses, with guns alone is a sure loser. This is a battle of meanings, and it can be won only with ideas that inspire hope, action, and coherence of self and community.

The effort should begin with a publicly commissioned gathering of a broad cross-section of political scientists, anthropologists, theologians, philosophers, and artists, among others, from across the political spectrum, convened from universities and similar institutions around the world. Over a predetermined period, they would produce a clear, plainly written report to the public.

The report should address, tenaciously and honestly, key questions about democracy’s vitality today. What lies at the wellsprings of democratic life? How is it best expressed, performed, instituted, and safeguarded? What is democracy’s best message of hope, and its most credible promise of future flourishing? What are the deep cultural, intellectual, and spiritual sources for freedom, tolerance, and productivity?

We live in a dangerous time. With democratic ideals under threat around the world, including within democratic countries, their shared cultural and ideological foundations cannot be taken for granted. The meaning and vitality of life in a democracy cannot be allowed to fade.

The challenge ahead demands a concerted response from our deepest thinkers and most creative artists. This is our purpose today; we must commit ourselves to it as passionately as democracy’s enemies pursue theirs. – The Independent

Effects of climate change will be disastrous

O

ne in six species could face extinction by the end of the century as a direct result of increasing global temperatures, an analysis of the threat posed by climate change to wildlife has found.

If the world continues down the existing path of carbon dioxide emissions, the rate of mass extinction will not just get worse for every 1C extra rise in global average temperatures, it will actually accelerate, the study discovered.

The endemic plants and animals of South America, Australia and New Zealand are particularly at risk of rising temperatures because for many of these rare species there is nowhere else to go when their only homeland becomes uninhabitable, scientists found.

On current climate projections, which would see global average temperatures reach about 4C higher than pre-industrial times by 2100, the study found that 16 per cent of species in the world would face the risk of imminent extinction purely because of climatic factors, rather than from habitat loss, environmental degradation or ocean acidification.

Even if international attempts to curb greenhouse gas emissions are successful by keeping the inevitable rise in global average temperatures to below the 2C

STEVE CONNOR

“safe” threshold, the global extinction risk would still increase from its current 2.8 per cent to 5.2 per cent, said Mark Urban of the University of Connecticut, the author of the new report in the journal Science.

“We don’t know how long these extinctions will take, but these species will be committed to extinction. They will be on the train towards extinction, but we don’t know when it will arrive,” Dr Urban said.

“This is purely the contribution to extinction risk from the changing climate. Today, the biggest threats are from habitat loss and environmental degradation, but in a warmer world the climate will become more and more important,” he said.

The study was a meta-analysis of 131 previous studies into the extinction risks posed by climate change. It was an attempt to build a global picture across a range of animals and plants living on all continents, and on both land and sea.

Stephen Cornelius, chief adviser on climate change at WWFUK, said: “This study further highlights the urgency of taking strong action to address climate change and that ‘business as usual’ is no longer an option.”

The analysis revealed that the regions of the world where endemic species are most vulnerable to climate change, such as

Australia and New Zealand, were actually the least studied in term of the threats posed by global warming, he said.

The most studied regions of North America and Europe showed up to have the lowest extinction risks, at 5 per cent and 6 per cent respectively, while South America had the highest extinction risk of 23 per cent, with Australia and New Zealand following with a 14 per cent extinction risk each.

Raising temperatures will present particular problems for mountain animals and plants that have evolved to live within a certain range of climate extremes. As it gets warmer, they can move higher and higher but eventually there will run out of habitable space.

Some species will be able to disperse more easily than others at the local climate changes, while for others the habitat range will become smaller and smaller, leading to a point where breeding populations are no longer viable, the study said.

“Extinction risks from climate change are expected not only to increase but to accelerate for every degree rise in global temperature,” Dr Urban said.

“The signal of climate changeinduced extinctions will become increasingly apparent if we do not act now to limit future climate change”. – The Independent

So let’s get the Iraq story right PAUL KRUGMAN

S

urprise! It turns out that there’s something to be said for having the brother of a failed president make his own run for the White House. Thanks to Jeb Bush, we may finally have the frank discussion of the Iraq invasion we should have had a decade ago.

But many influential people — not just Bush — would prefer that we not have that discussion. There’s a palpable sense right now of the political and media elite trying to draw a line under the subject. Yes, the narrative goes, we now know that invading Iraq was a terrible mistake, and it’s about time that everyone admits it. Now let’s move on.

Well, let’s not — because that’s a false narrative, and everyone who was involved in the debate over the war knows that it’s false. The Iraq war wasn’t an innocent mistake, a venture undertaken on the basis of intelligence that turned out to be wrong.

America invaded Iraq because the Bush administration wanted a war. The public justifications for the invasion were nothing but pretexts, and falsified pretexts at that.

We were, in a fundamental sense, lied into war.

The fraudulence of the case for war was actually obvious even at the time: the ever-shifting arguments for an unchanging goal were a dead giveaway. So were the word games — the talk about WMD that conflated chemical weapons (which many people did think Saddam had) with nukes, the constant insinuations that Iraq was somehow behind 9/11.

And at this point we have plenty of evidence to confirm everything the war’s opponents were saying. We now know, for example, that on 9/11 itself — literally before the dust had settled — Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of defence, was already plotting war against a regime that had nothing to do with the terrorist attack. “Judge whether good enough (to) hit (Saddam Hussein) ...sweep it all up things related and not”; so read notes taken by Rumsfeld’s aide.

This was, in short, a war the White House wanted, and all of the supposed mistakes that, as Jeb puts it, “were made” by someone unnamed actually flowed from this underlying desire.

Did the intelligence agencies wrongly conclude that Iraq had chemical weapons and a nuclear programme?

That’s because they were under intense pressure to justify the war.

Did pre-war assessments vastly understate the difficulty and cost of occupation?

That’s because the war party didn’t want to hear anything

that might raise doubts about the rush to invade. Indeed, the Army’s chief of staff was effectively fired for questioning claims that the occupation phase would be cheap and easy.

Why did they want a war?

That’s a harder question to answer. Some of the warmongers believed that deploying shock and awe in Iraq would enhance American power and influence around the world. Some saw Iraq as a sort of pilot project, preparation for a series of regime changes. And it’s hard to avoid the suspicion that there was a strong element of wagging the dog, of using military triumph to strengthen the Republican brand at home.

Whatever the precise motives, the result was a very dark chapter in American history. Once again: We were lied into war.

Now, you can understand why many political and media figures would prefer not to talk about any of this. Some of them, I suppose, may have been duped: may have fallen for the obvious lies, which doesn’t say much about their judgment. More, I suspect, were complicit: they realised that the official case for war was a pretext, but had their own reasons for wanting a war, or, alternatively, allowed themselves to be intimidated into going along. For there was a definite climate of fear among politicians and pundits in 2002 and 2003, one in which criticising the push for war looked very much like a career killer.

On top of these personal motives, our news media in general have a hard time coping with policy dishonesty.

Reporters are reluctant to call politicians on their lies, even when these involve mundane issues like budget numbers, for fear of seeming partisan. In fact, the bigger the lie, the clearer it is that major political figures are engaged in outright fraud, the more hesitant the reporting. And it doesn’t get much bigger — indeed, more or less criminal — than lying America into war.

But truth matters, and not just because those who refuse to learn from history are doomed in some general sense to repeat it. The campaign of lies that took us into Iraq was recent enough that it’s still important to hold the guilty individuals accountable. Never mind Jeb Bush’s verbal stumbles.

Think, instead, about his foreign-policy team, led by people who were directly involved in concocting a false case for war.

So let’s get the Iraq story right. Yes, from a national point of view the invasion was a mistake. But (with apologies to Talleyrand) it was worse than a mistake, it was a crime.

- The New York Times News Service

Southeast Asia’s migrant crisis

TODAY IN HISTORY

An estimated 25,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshis looking for a better life abroad, boarded smugglers’ boats in the first three months of this year, twice as many as in the same period of 2014

BANGLADESH Around 200,000 Rohingya live in refugee camps in squalid conditions

Dhaka

Rakhine State Naypyitaw Cox’s Bazar

Bangladeshis fleeing poverty have also turned to trafficking networks used

by Rohingya

MYANMAR Buddhist-majority Myanmar denies citizenship to Rohingyas, who are subjected to forced labour, land confiscation and limited access to public services

Sittwe

200km

Bay of Bengal

Andaman Sea

Traditional trafficking route: Migrants held to ransom in Thailand – taken overland to Malaysia

Boats landing in Malaysia and Indonesia following crackdown on people trafficking in Thailand Source: IOM, Wire agencies

Bangkok

THAILAND Recent discovery of mass graves at suspected smuggling camps in south has prompted clampdown on human trafficking by military junta Crackdown has sent traffickers into hiding, making it impossible for migrants to disembark

MALAYSIA Wealthy country short of unskilled labourers, attracts migrants Government says it has already taken in 120,000 illegal migrants from Myanmar

Graphic News /

Graphics

FROM OUR ARCHIVES QATABI RECEIVES AMBASSADORS

MUSCAT: Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Qatabi, president of the Majlis Al Shura, received Dr Mario Kuagliotti, Italian ambassador to the Sultanate. During the meeting cordial conversation was exchanged and matters of common concern were reviewed.

Al Qatabi also received the Netherlands ambassador to the Sultanate. Cordial conversation was exchanged in the meeting and matters of common concern were discussed.

The president of Majlis Al Shura received yesterday the South Korean ambassador to the Sultanate. Cordial conversation and matters of common concern were exchanged.

The ambassadors hailed the farsightedness of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and the principles which underpin His Majesty’s internal and external policies and the Shura (consultation) progress in the Sultanate.

325

The Ecumenical council is inaugurated by Emperor Constantine in Nicea.

1303

A peace treaty is signed between England and France.

1347

Cola di Rienzo takes the title of tribune in Rome.

1520

Hernando Cortes defeats Spanish troops sent against him in Mexico.

1784

The Peace of Versailles ends a war between France, England, and Holland.

1799

Napoleon Bonaparte orders a withdrawal from his siege of St. Jean d’Acre in Egypt.

HISTORYNET.COM

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A man shows opposition to demonstrators outside the Jacob Javits Federal Building on Tuesday in New York. Several different organisations gathered to call for federal judges to reject challenges to President Barack Obama’s executive order to establish a programme that would defer deportations of certain immigrants who entered the US illegally. — AFP FOR MORE PHOTOS

British magazine publishes new Shakespeare portrait The picture, of a young, bearded man wearing a Romanstyle laurel crown and holding an ear of sweetcorn, was identified by botanist and historian Mark Griffiths and will be published in Country Life

LONDON: A British magazine has published an image of a figure that it says is the first and only known demonstrably authentic portrait of William Shakespeare made in his lifetime.

The picture, of a young, bearded man wearing a Roman-style laurel crown and holding an ear of

RARE FIND: An image of playwright William Shakespeare from a first edition of ‘The Herball’,

a sixteenth century book on plants, is seen at an office in London, Britain on Tuesday. — Reuters

sweetcorn, was identified by botanist and historian Mark Griffiths and will be published in Country Life on Tuesday.

Until now, the only accepted

authentic likenesses of Shakespeare, in which he is depicted as bald, have been found in the First Folio of his works and his monument at Holy Trinity Church,

Stratford-upon-Avon, both created posthumously. Speaking on the magazine website, Griffiths said the discovery had come when he began researching the biogra-

phy of pioneering botanist John Gerard (1545-1612), author of The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes, published in 1598.

“I began to look at the title page engravings... and realised it was full of allusions to people who had been involved in the creation of the book and that four of the figures on the title page were in fact real persons,” he said.

Three were Gerard himself, Flemish botanist Rembert Dodoens and Queen Elizabeth’s Lord Treasurer, Lord Burghley, Griffiths said. The plants and motifs surrounding them in the engraving appeared to be elaborate Tudor references to the men themselves.

“And then there was a fourth figure who was dressed as a Roman and appeared to have something to do with poetry,” he added.

Griffiths also discovered a cipher underneath the cover image containing clues about the fourth man.

“As I worked hard on this fourth figure, I realised it had to be William Shakespeare,” he said.

Griffiths believes that in the engraving the Shakespeare figure is aged 33 and at the height of his celebrity — after writing A Midsummer Night’s Dream and shortly before Hamlet. — Reuters

GELSEMIUM IN STOMACH

Rare poison found in the body of Russia tycoon LONDON: A chemical linked to a rare poison was found in the body of a wealthy Russian businessman who died suddenly in Britain three years ago, a newspaper report said Tuesday.

Alexander Perepilichny was helping an investigation into an alleged money laundering scheme involving Russian tax officials at the time of his death, The Times added.

The 44-year-old collapsed outside his mansion on a luxury private estate on the outskirts of Weybridge in Surrey, near London, on November 10, 2012.

Bob Moxon Browne, a lawyer for Perepilichny’s life insurance company, told a pre-inquest hearing into the death that test results had revealed a chemical that could be traced to the poison Gelsemium, The Times reported.

Contract killers “Once you have knocked out manmade analogues then you are bound to conclude Mr Perepilichny ingested Gelsemium on the day of his death,” the lawyer said.

“Then, given that it only grows in China and is a known weapon of assassination by Chinese and Russian contract killers, why was it in his stomach?” — AFP

TOUGH CHOICES

ORDEAL: Rescued migrants from Myanmar stand beside an Indonesian maritime police patrol boat near a warehouse converted into sleeping quarters for migrants at a fishing port in Langsa in Aceh province on Tuesday. — Reuters

2,000 migrants stranded on boats off Myanmar: UN YANGON: At least 2,000 migrants stalked by hunger and violence have been trapped for weeks on boats off Myanmar, the UN said on Tuesday, as Indonesia called for a regional effort to tackle the crisis.

People-trafficking gangs have either dumped their human cargoes from Myanmar and Bangladesh off Southeast Asia’s shores or left them stranded at sea since a recent Thai crackdown disrupted the trade’s normal routes.

Nearly 3,000 Rohingya from Myanmar and Bangladeshi migrants have made it ashore in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia in recent days after being abandoned.

Thousands more victims are believed to be stranded at sea with scant food or water.

International pressure is growing for Southeast Asian nations to open their ports to the vessels rather than reprovisioning them and pushing them back to sea.

The United Nations and the US have both called for swift action.

The focus shifted on Tuesday to the Bay of Bengal where ships off Myanmar are believed to be packed with Rohingya and Bangladeshis who have yet to sail across the Andaman Sea because of the crackdown.

Food shortages Vivian Tan, a spokeswoman for the UN’s refugee agency the UNHCR, told AFP they had received reports that at least 2,000 migrants had been “stranded on at least five boats near the Myanmar-Bangladesh coasts for more than 40 days”.

Reports of “food shortages, dehydration and violence” were a cause of “great concern”, she added saying passengers should be allowed to disembark.

But the boats are still con-

trolled by people-traffickers who will only let passengers return to land after they have paid between $180 and $270 each, she added.

Southeast Asian nations have faced criticism for their timid diplomacy, particularly the failure to curb what is seen as Buddhistmajority Myanmar’s systematic abuse of its unwanted Rohingya people.

This has sent masses of the Muslim ethnic minority fleeing abroad.

Myanmar insists the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh, for whom it is not responsible.

Grinding poverty In recent years an increasing number of Bangladeshis have also joined the Rohingya exodus across the Bay of Bengal, seeking to escape grinding poverty in their homeland.

Ahead of talks with her Malaysian and Thai counterparts in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the crisis was the responsibility of the whole region.

Around half the new migrant arrivals have been in Indonesia’s western province of Aceh, and horrific tales have emerged of smugglers abusing migrants and deadly fights erupting on board overcrowded, abandoned vessels.

“The migrant issue is not a problem of one or two countries but a regional one,” she told reporters in Jakarta. “It happens in other places as well, it is actually an international issue.”

Marsudi noted that Indonesia was currently hosting 12,000 migrants from more than 40 countries awaiting resettlement, adding: “What Indonesia has done is more than we should have... done”. — AFP

WE DNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015 All regime forces have withdrawn from Al Mastumah, the largest regime base in Idlib, leaving it completely in the hands of opposition fighters

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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group

Syrian rebels seize key army base The loss of Al Mastumah military base leaves only a few positions in Syrian regime’s hands in the northwestern Idlib province

BEIRUT: Rebels including Al Qaeda’s local affiliate seized the Syrian regime’s largest remaining military base in northwestern Idlib province on Tuesday, a monitor said.

The loss of Al Mastumah base leaves only a few positions in reACCUSED OF SPYING

FACING TRIAL: IranianAmerican Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and his Iranian wife Yeganeh Salehi pose while covering a press conference at Iran’s Foreign Ministry in Tehran in this file picture taken on September 10, 2013. – AFP Files

US journalist to appear in Iran court on May 26 TEHRAN: The Washington Post’s Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, in custody for 10 months, will appear in court next week accused of spying and other crimes against Iran, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

Rezaian’s wife, Yeganeh Salehi, an Iranian who is also a journalist, and another suspect — both of whom are currently on bail — have also been summoned to the court in the capital on May 26.

Rezaian, an Iranian-American, was arrested in July last year in a politically sensitive case that has unfolded while Iran and world powers conduct nuclear talks.

The 39-year-old was formally charged last month with espionage, collaboration with hostile governments, gathering classified information and disseminating propaganda against Iran.

The United States and the Post have branded the charges against him absurd, urging his release. But Leila Ahsan, the journalist’s lawyer, confirmed the court date. “It seems that all three will appear together,” she told AFP. “If there is sufficient time, the trial will start but if not the proceedings will be dealt with in another court session.”

The case against Rezaian has been played out in unsubstantiated reports in the Iranian media, where he has been accused of spying and passing information about Iran to US government officials.

Among the offences he is alleged to have committed is writing a letter to US President Barack Obama.

Ahsan, who previously criticised Iranian news outlets for publishing accusations against Rezaian, again hit out at the media on Tuesday.

“I was not informed but after seeing the news on the media, I called the court and found that the date had been set,” she said.

The allegations are being handled by one of Iran’s revolutionary courts, which have jurisdiction over crimes against national security and hold their proceedings behind closed doors. Rezaian was detained in Tehran on July 22, along with Salehi, then working for The National, an English language newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, and two others, one of whom had worked as a photographer for the Post. Salehi was released on bail after spending two and a half months in custody. — AFP

gime hands in the province, which lies along the border with Turkey and neighbours the government stronghold of Latakia province on the Mediterranean coast.

“All regime forces have withdrawn from Al Mastumah, the largest regime base in Idlib, leaving it

completely in the hands of opposition fighters,” Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.

He said the capture of the base followed a huge blast inside and heavy clashes, though the cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. Al Qaeda affiliate Al Nusra Front, a key player in the Army of Conquest grouping that has seized much of Idlib in recent weeks, announced Al Mastumah’s capture online. “Al Mastumah was completely liberated after Al Nusra Front stormed it from the south,” Al Nusra said on its official Twitter account. Abdel Rahman said regime troops withdrawing from the

base were leaving towards Ariha, now one of the last government bastions in Idlib. State television said the army was “taking defensive positions” outside of Ariha, implying that army units had withdrawn from Al Mastumah itself.

The base’s capture comes after the rebel grouping, known in Arabic as Jaish Al Fatah, seized Idlib’s provincial capital on March 28 and the nearby city of Jisr Al Shughur last month. The Army of Conquest had since edged closer to Al Mastumah, where regime forces fled after withdrawing from Idlib city.

There was no immediate toll in the capture of the military base.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, IS mili-

tants attacked a village in the Druze heartland of southern Syria, killing six people before local proregime gunmen expelled them.

Five killed “IS killed five fighters from the National Defence Forces and one woman in their attack on the Druze village of Al Haqef in Sweida province,” Abdel Rahman said.

State news agency SANA said the army and NDF “foiled an infiltration attempt by terrorists from IS on the villages of Al Qasr and Al Haqef”.

To the north, fighting between IS militants and government forces continued outside the historic town

of Palmyra on Tuesday. “There are clashes at the western entrance of Palmyra this morning,” provincial governor Talal Barazi said.

On Sunday, regime forces pushed IS out of northern neighbourhoods of Palmyra, which it had held for less than 24 hours.

Barazi said he visited Palmyra on Monday, “going through 60 per cent of the city on foot,” including the vegetable market and museum.

He expected the situation to return to “normal” within a week.

At least 40 rockets struck Palmyra on Sunday, he said, but government forces maintained control over key points, including the citadel overlooking the city. — AFP

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Tablet lovers add dd us on Google +

Criminal trial of ex-Thai prime minister begins Yingluck Shinawatra is accused of criminal negligence over a populist rice subsidy scheme

BANGKOK: Thailand’s ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra insisted on her innocence on Tuesday at the start of a trial that could see her jailed for a decade.

It is the latest legal move against Yingluck — sister of fugitive billionaire ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra — whose administration was toppled in a military coup nearly a year ago.

Bail was set at $900,000 (30 million baht), a figure the country’s Supreme Court, which is hearing the case, said was the highest ever demanded of a defendant in Thai history.

Shortly after Yingluck’s court appearance, junta leader Prayut Chan-O-Cha raised the possibility of holding a referendum on a contentious new constitution he says is vital to bridging the nation’s trenchant political divide.

But any plebiscite -- in a nation where political gatherings are still banned by the military -- would “postpone the roadmap” for elections slated for early 2016, Prayut told reporters.

Supporters Around 50 supporters gathered outside the courthouse on the northern outskirts of Bangkok including more than a dozen members of Yingluck’s Pheu Thai Party, a rare public act of defiance of the junta. A guilty conviction for Yingluck could deliver a hammer blow to the political dominance of

INSISTING ON INNOCENCE: Ousted Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra receives red roses from supporters as she leaves the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday. – Reuters

her family, but it also risks stirring up their grassroots “Red Shirt” supporters who have remained largely inactive since the military took over. “I am confident that I am innocent,” Yingluck told reporters outside the courthouse.

The ousted premier is accused of criminal negligence over a populist rice subsidy scheme, which paid farmers in the rural Shinawatra heartland twice the market rate for their crop.

She is not accused of personal corruption but of failing to prevent alleged graft within the programme, which cost Thailand

billions of dollars and galvanised protests against her elected government prior to last May’s coup. The charge carries up to 10 years in jail.

During the brief hearing, Yingluck spoke only to plead not guilty. The court ordered her not to leave Thailand without written permission, and scheduled the next hearing for July 21.

Thailand’s military-appointed parliament impeached Yingluck in January over the scheme, a move which banned her from politics for five years.

“I believe a hawkish faction in

the old powers... wants to punish the Shinawatras as much as they can,” Puangthong Pawakapan, a Thai politics expert at Chulalongkorn University, told AFP. “But keeping her in prison will definitely anger the Red Shirts even more,” she added.

Other analysts say the mere threat of jail may be used to discourage the Shinawatras from reengaging in politics.

Yingluck herself has defended the rice scheme as an effort to boost incomes in the poor northeast, which traditionally receives a smaller slice of state cash than Bangkok, despite being home to a third of the country’s population.

The army takeover last year was the latest twist in a decade of political turbulence that broadly pits a Bangkok-based elite, backed by parts of the military and judiciary, against poor urban and rural voters, particularly in the country’s north, who are fiercely loyal to the Shinawatras. — AFP

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11 Afghan policemen jailed for one year over lynching of woman KABUL: Eleven Afghan policemen were on Tuesday sentenced to one year in prison for failing to protect a woman who was lynched by a mob after being falsely accused of blasphemy, following a landmark fast-track trial.

Farkhunda, 27, was savagely beaten and her body was set ablaze in broad daylight on March 19, triggering protests around the country and drawing global attention to the treatment of Afghan women.

Tuesday’s verdict comes after four Afghan men were sentenced to death and eight others were handed 16-year jail terms earlier this month after a threeday trial broadcast live on national television.

“You are sentenced... for negligence of duty to one year in prison,” Judge Safiullah Mojaddidi told the 11 defendants, including senior officers, while eight other policemen were found not guilty.

“This verdict is not final and the defendants have the right to appeal,” the Kabul primary court judge added.

Farkhunda was attacked on the banks of the Kabul River after an amulet seller falsely accused her of burning a copy of the holy book.

Forty-nine people were arrested, including 19 police officers, some of whom were shown standing by and doing nothing to stop the mob in cellphone videos recorded by bystanders.

The quick trial drew some praise in a country where where female victims of violence often have little legal recourse, but also prompted concerns over whether due process had been followed as many of the accused did not appear to have lawyers.

Human Rights Watch said after the death sentences were awarded on May 6 that the speeds of the trial suggested the government “wants a quick and dirty process to get this case out of the

Bomb kills five in Kabul KABUL: A car bomb exploded in the parking lot of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice on Tuesday, killing at least five people and wounding dozens as civil servants in Kabul were leaving work for the day, officials said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the third attack targeting justice system employees this month, saying the insurgents would continue to kill judges and prosecutors. Police said the suicide bomber detonated a car laden with explosives. — AFP

headlines and move on — rather than real justice”. “A lot of us are martyred and a lot of us are wounded everyday,” Saleh Mohammad, one of the policemen jailed on Tuesday, said before the hearing during which many of the defendants pleaded for leniency.

“We just want justice,” Mohammad told the court.

Farkhunda’s family said after the May 6 verdict that they were not happy with the large number of acquittals in a murder caught on cellphone cameras and circulated on social media. “We have nothing more to say about this new verdict. We have already expressed our concern about the whole process,” Farkhunda’s brother Mujibullah told AFP following Tuesday’s judgement. — AFP

B

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM W EDN ES DAY, M AY 20, 2015

MARKE

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Muscat 6,385.23 + 5.55 + 0.09%

Dubai 4,127.34 + 55.06 + 1.35%

Abu Dhabi 4,636.80 + 22.58 + 0.49%

Saudi Arabia

9,811.12 + 3.25 + 0.03%

Kuwait 6,367.33 + 17.53 + 0.28%

Bahrain 1,388.84 + 0.74 + 0.05%

Qatar 12,428.15 - 43.74 - 0.35%

CRUDE OIL PRICE

CURRENCY RATES*

DRAFT RATES (OMR1)*

GOLD PRICES*

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

Forex rates vs OMR1* US Dollar ................................. 2.58 Euro ............................................ 2.27 Pound ...........................................1.64 Indian Rs .............................165.07 Pak Rs ....................................260.15 Bangla Taka.......................199.48

Indian Rs .................................. 165.20 Pakistan Rs ............................ 263.50 Sri Lanka Rs .......................... 345.50 Bangla Taka.............................201.70 Phil Peso .................................... 115.00

Muscat 24ct per gm (OMR) .......15.65

Oman Crude............. (Spot) ........$63.42 Dubai Crude ............. (Spot) ........ $62.72 Murban Crude ........ (Spot) ........$64.99 Arabian Light ......... (Spot) ........ $62.47 N.Sea Brent............... (Spot) ........$58.92 West Texas Int ....... (Spot) ........ $58.76

* Rates are as of May 19 Source: Bank Muscat

* Rates as of May 19 Source: Oman UAE Exchange

Muscat 22ct per gm (OMR) .......15.05 Dubai 24ct per gm (Dh) ........... 148.00 Dubai 22ct per gm (Dh) .............140.25 * Rates as of May 19 Source: Malabar Gold & Diamonds

Oman expected to allow spot market for electricity in 2020 A E JAMES

businesseditor@timesofoman.com

It will bring in more efficiency into the procurement process, said OPWP chief executive Eng. Ahmed Al Jahdhami

MUSCAT: Oman is expected to allow independent power producers to sell electricity in spot market sometime in 2020.

Spot market, an alternative route for power producers to sell electricity to the state-owned procurement company outside a long-term power purchase agreement, will enhance efficiency within the sector.

“We intend to prepare for 2018

and hopefuly to be fully operational by 2020,” said Eng Ahmed Al Jahdhami, chief executive officer of Oman Power and Water Procurement Company. He was talking to the media on the sidelines of Oman Energy & Water Exhibition and Conference.

“We are looking at new ways of improvement. We hope that this will bring in more efficiency into the procurement process of OPWP. It will also enable (power) trading with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The market de-

velopment will make pricing more transparent and in the future will enable full market liberalisation,” added Al Jahdhami.

Project manager appointed Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP) recently appointed John Mather as project manager for implementing a new spot market pricing system.

“The intension is to learn from developed markets and to customise it to our requirements.”

Mather has extensive experi-

ence of the design and operation of wholesale electricity markets in the United Kingdom and Australia and has advised on the application of power purchase agreements in a number of jurisdictions, including China, Jamaica and the Philippines.

Oman’s average annual growth in power demand from 2013 to 2020 within the areas of the main inter-connected system (MIS) is projected at 10 per cent, from 2,592 megawatt in 2013 to 5,023 megawatt in 2020, accord-

ing to a seven-year outlook for power demand released by Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP).

However, peak demand growth, under the demand forecast, is expected at about 11 per cent per annum, from 4,455 megawatt in 2013 to 9,133 megawatt in 2020.

The continued high growth in demand for electricity can be attributed to rising personal income levels, new houses and continued government investment in infrastructure projects. > B3

B2

W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

MARKET Apple suspended its TV plan a year ago: US media report Instead, the company is working on a new Apple TV set-top box and related online services, the newspaper reported – Bloomberg file picture

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple suspended plans to make a TV set more than a year ago, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Instead, the company is working on a new Apple TV set-top box and

related online services, the newspaper reported.

Those plans have been widely reported by Bloomberg News and other media.

Earlier on Monday, activist investor Carl Icahn wrote an open

letter to Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, saying that the Cupertino, California-based company is undervalued and its shares are worth $240, 86 per cent above where they closed on Friday.

Icahn’s new enthusiasm is driven

by his belief that Apple will dominate in two new categories, television and automotive.

Tom Neumayr, a spokesman for Apple, declined to comment.

The question of whether Apple is going to do its own TV set has been a perennial topic.

The company has been looking at ways to improve its set-top product, called Apple TV, and has been in talks with broadcasters including ABC, CBS and Fox to provide Web-based television later this year, people familiar with the effort have said.

The TV service would include about 25 channels and may include cable channels from companies owned by the media conglomerates, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private.

In April, HBO began offering a new stand-alone service on Apple devices for $14.99 a month.

Great interest Cook has also fuelled speculation about Apple’s plans for TV, including on the Charlie Rose Show in September.

“TV is one that we continue to have great interest in,” Cook said. “I choose my words carefully there. But you know, TV is one of those things that, if we’re really honest, it’s stuck back in the 70s. Think about how much your life has changed and all the things around you that have changed, yet TV, when you go in your living room to watch the TV or wherever it might be, it almost feels like you’re rewinding the clock,” he further added. — Bloomberg News

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

$300M ISSUES

BankDhofar fixes initial price thoughts for bond issue MUSCAT: BankDhofar has set initial price thoughts (IPT) for a $300 million no-grow, non-call five-year perpetual bond issue in the seven per cent area, according to lead managers.

Issue expected this week Books have opened and the issue is expected to be this week’s business, with pricing potentially being done as early as on Tuesday.

Earlier BankDhofar, the Sultanate’s second-largest lender by assets, picked National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) and Standard Chartered Bank as global coordinators of the Tier 1 issue.

They were joined by Emirates NBD Capital as lead arrangers for fixed income meetings, which ended on Monday in London. – Agencies

WE DNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

B3

MARKET Five banks in Oman get new Moody’s rating Counterparty Risk Assessments (CR Assessments) announcement to the banks follows the publication of the credit rating agency’s new bank rating methodology

Times News Service MUSCAT: Moody’s Investors Service has assigned Counterparty Risk Assessments (CR Assessments) to five Omani banks.

It has assigned CR Assessments of A1(cr) to Bank Muscat DOLLAR BONDS

and Oman Arab Bank and A2 (cr) to HSBC Bank Oman, National Bank of Oman and Bank Dhofar.

Concurrently Prime -1(cr) shortterm CR Assessments have been assigned to all the banks.

The announcement follows the publication of the rating agency’s new bank rating methodology.

Counterparty Risk Assessments are opinions of how counterparty obligations are likely to be treated if a bank fails and are distinct from debt and deposit ratings in that they consider only the risk of default rather than the likelihood of default and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default and apply to counterparty obligations and contractual commitments rather than debt or deposit instruments.

Couonterpart Risk Assessment is an opinion of the counterparty risk related to a bank’s covered bonds, contractual performance obligations (servicing), derivatives (for example swaps), letters of credit, guarantees and liquidity facilities.

In most cases, the starting point

for the CR Assessment — which is an assessment of the ability to avoid defaulting on its operating obligations — is one notch above the bank’s adjusted baseline credit assessment (BCA), which represents the rating agency’s view of the probability of a bank failing on its obligations without considering government support.

Moody’s then adds the same notches of support uplift as applied to deposit and senior unsecured debt ratings, said a Moody’s statement.

CR Assessment for most rated banks in Oman is one notch higher than their deposit ratings, reflecting Moody’s view that authorities are likely to honour the operating obligations CR Assessment refers to in order to preserve a bank’s critical functions and reduce potential for contagion.

However, in the case of BankMuscat, given its very high deposit and senior unsecured debt rating, which is aligned with the Oman government bond rating at A1, Moody’s has also assigned a CR Assessment of A1(cr).

MERGER PLAN

Al Omaniya Financial keen to bid for United Finance merger Times News Service MUSCAT: Al Omaniya Financial Services has expressed its interest in participating in the bidding process for a possible merger with or acquisition of United Finance Company.

In a disclosure filed on the website of the Muscat Securities Market on Tuesday, United Finance

Oman opens local products’ exhibition in Saudi Arabia Times News Service MUSCAT: An exhibition ono Omani products started on Monday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with over 100 Omani firms showcasing their products and services to the Saudi market.

The event called OPEX, which will continue until May 21, was inaugurated by Tawfiq Al Rabiah, Saudi minister of commerce and industry, who hailed the longstanding relationship between the two countries. “We hope such initiatives will further enhance our collaboration and advance in-

E N E R G Y A N D WAT E R E X P O

AT THE VENUE: First Oman Energy and Water Exhibition and Conference opened at the Oman International Exhibition Centre on Tuesday. — Picture by Ismail al Farsi/Times of Oman

< FROM

B1 Major conference and expo opens Dr Rasheed bin Al Safi Al Huraibi, chairman of the Tender Board, officially opened the first Oman Energy and Water Exhibition and Conference on Tuesday at the Oman International Exhibition Centre. The event, organised by Omanexpo, is being held between May 19 and 21.

High-level officials Mohamed bin Abdulla Al Mahrouqi, chairman of the Public Authority for Electricity & Water (PAEW) delivered his welcome address to VIPs consisting of high-level officials from the government, executives of power and water companies, members

of the diplomatic corps, SABCO Group executives and delegates representing the private and public sectors.

The three-day event will focus on the national energy strategy for the electricity sector, which centers on energy efficiency and conservation, linking the development of policies and action plan to renewable energy and sustainable development. In relation to this, they will discuss the development of the sectors’ infrastructure and five-year operational plan, and the current development projects that will play a key role in meeting surging demand.

There is a significant number

Salim Al Awadi, acting chief executive officer of Al Omaniya, stated that the company had replied to United Finance Company with a letter dated May 18 confirming its interest to participate in the bidding process.

The company had received a letter dated May 12 from United Finance requesting confirmation of its interest.

OMANI PRODUCTS EXHIBITION

Bank of Sharjah hires banks for first bond sale DUBAI: Bank of Sharjah appointed JPMorgan Chase and four other banks to manage its first sale of dollar-denominated bonds, two people familiar with the matter said.

The lender based in Sharjah, one of seven emirates in the UAE, also hired National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Commerzbank, Emirates NBD Capital and First Gulf Bank for the sale, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The bank may sell a benchmark bond after meeting investors in Europe, the Middle East and Asia starting May 21, the people said.

Banks in the UAE, the secondbiggest Arab economy, are selling bonds to boost cash reserves ahead of an anticipated rise in US interest rates later this year.

Dubai Islamic Bank, the country’s biggest Sharia-compliant lender, will start meetings with bond investors this week for a possible sale of Islamic bonds.

Bank of Sharjah, rated BBB+ at Fitch Ratings, the thirdlowest investment grade, last tapped the market when it raised 500 million dirhams ($136 million) from a two-year debt in 2006. — Bloomberg News

Company announced that it has received an official communication from Al Omaniya Financial Services confirming their interest.

“The matter is receiving the board’s attention and further announcement in this regard shall be made in due course, if there is any development,” said the company said in a disclosure statement.

In a disclosure on Monday,

of multi-billion dollar major independent power plants (IPPs) and independent water and power plants (IWPPs) being rolled out and in the pipeline.

This includes the Wadi Dayqah Water Treatment Project, the Salalah 2 Independent Power Plant, the Quriyat Desalination Plant Project, the Barka Desalination Extension Project, and the Al Ghubra Seawater Desalination Project, among others.

Close to 70 local and international power and water companies from Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Jordan, Iran, Italy, Oman and the UAE are showcasing the newest products and services.

vestment opportunities in both countries,” said Al Rabiah during the inauguration ceremony of the exhibition being held at Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events.

Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidy, minister of commerce and industry, said, “A majority of Omani businessmen chose Jeddah to be the destination of this year’s OPEX. For us, the Saudi market represents a promising atmosphere.”

The event offers a platform for the Omani firms to enter Saudi market. He added the participating Omani companies are showcasing products ranging from food

and beverages, plastic products, chemical products, building materials and handicrafts products.

OPEX 2015 is the biggest in terms of participating firms compared to the three previous exhibitions. This year, around 120 Omani firms are taking part, of which 95 are industrial firms, 15 are small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and 10 are specialised handicraft industries.

The event is organised by PEIE, Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (Ithraa), and Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

B4

W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

MARKET Index rises marginally

OMAN STOCKS

MUSCAT SECURITIES MARKET

INDICES Index .................................................High .................Low..................... Value ............... Prev . Value.......... Diff ...............Diff % MSM30 Index ....................................... 6,385.68 ...............6,373.14 ................... 6,385.23 ................... 6,379.68.................... 5.55 ...................0.09 Financial Index ..................................... 7,819.26 ............... 7,801.61 ....................7,815.47 ....................7,817.92.................. -2.45 .................. -0.03 Industrial Index ....................................8,311.50 .............. 8,296.52 ...................8,298.50 ................... 8,311.50................-13.00 .................. -0.16 Services Index ...................................... 3,445.93 ...............3,437.98 ................... 3,445.82 ................... 3,437.54....................8.28 ...................0.24 MSM SHARIAH INDEX.......................983.33 ..................980.43 ...................... 983.22 ...................... 980.35....................2.87 ...................0.29 Trading Summary Volume ................Turnover ..........Trades .............. Market Cap............. Up............Down ............. Equal .........Sec. Traded 13,329,739 ...................4,355,161 .....................570 ............... 14,785,597,305 ................ 10 ........................7 .................... 23 .........................40

Tuesday’s top gainer was Al Izz Islamic Bank, up by 3.70 per cent, while Galfar Engineering, down by 1.52 per cent, was the top loser of the day

SHARE PRICE BULLETIN FOR TUESDAY, MAY 19 ISIN ..................................................SECURITY NAME ...............................................................................................VOLUME ..............TURNOVER...................TRADES ...........OPEN PRICE............. HIGH....................LOW...............CLOSE PR. ..........PREV. CLOSE..........DIFF (RO) .................DIFF %......................LAST PR...............LAST BID.....................LAST OFFER .................MARKET CAP ........PAR VALUE

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

OM0000002374............UNITED FINANCE ..................................................... 185,798 ............ 24,013......................14 ............0.129 ........... 0.130 ...........0.129........... 0.129 ............. 0.127............ 0.002............. 1.575 ................0.130 ..............0.130................... 0.131 ...................40,088,677.........0.100 OM0000003968 ...........OOREDOO....................................................................... 284,925 .........221,962..................... 48 ............0.772 ........... 0.780 ...........0.772 ........... 0.780 ............. 0.768.............0.012 ............. 1.563 ................0.780.............. 0.776...................0.780..................507,736,499 ........0.100

MUSCAT: Oman’s general index — MSM30 Index — closed at 6,385.23 points, up by 0.09 per cent. The MSM Shariah Index moved up by 0.29 per cent to close at 983.33 points. Bank Muscat was the most active in terms of volume as well as turnover.

Tuesday’s top gainer was Al Izz Islamic Bank, up by 3.70 per cent, while Galfar Engineering, down by 1.52 per cent, was the top loser for the day.

As many as 570 trades were executed during the day’s trading session generating turnover of OMR4.35 million with more than 13.32 million shares changing hands. Out of 40 traded securities, 10 advanced, seven declined and 23 remained unchanged.

Omani investors switched to net buyers for OMR1.116 million followed by GCC and Arab investors for OMR316,000 while foreign investors switched to net sellers for OMR1.432 million worth of shares.

Financial Index closed at 7815.53 points, down by 0.03 per cent. Al Izz Islamic Bank, Oman Takaful, United Finance and Al Madina Investment increased by 3.70 per cent, 1.75 per cent, 1.57 per cent and 1.32 per cent, respectively. BankDhofar, Al Awnar Holding, Ahli Bank and Oman & Emirates declined by 1.43 per cent, 1.20 per cent, 0.92 per cent and 0.85 per cent, respectively.

Industrial Index closed at 8297.50 points, down by 0.16 per cent. Galfar Engineering and Oman Refreshment declined by 1.52 per cent and 0.40 per cent, respectively.

Services Sector Index up by 0.24 per cent to close at 3,445.82 points. Ooredoo Oman, Jazeera Services and OIFC increased by 1.56 per cent, 0.58 per cent and 0.43 per cent, respectively.

OM0000001962............AL MADINA INVESTMENT ................................... 263,650 ........... 20,287......................16 ........... 0.076 ........... 0.077 ...........0.076........... 0.077 .............0.076 ............0.001 ..............1.316.................0.076..............0.076...................0.077................... 15,950,657 .........0.100 OM0000003398 ...........BANK SOHAR................................................................ 3,097,714.......568,869.....................42 ............0.184 ........... 0.186 ...........0.183 ........... 0.184 .............0.182............ 0.002............. 1.099 ................0.186 .............. 0.185...................0.186................. 265,224,960 .......0.100

Out of 40 traded securities, 10 advanced, seven declined and 23 remained unchanged.

OM0000001517 ............HSBC BANK OMAN ...................................................... 59,317 ...............8,542........................6 ............0.144 ........... 0.144 ...........0.144........... 0.144 ............. 0.143.............0.001 ............. 0.699 ................0.144.............. 0.135...................0.144................. 288,045,042 .......0.100 OM0000001483............NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN ................................. 603,951 .........192,046......................11 ............0.316 ........... 0.318 ...........0.316 ............0.318 ............. 0.316............ 0.002............. 0.633 ................0.318 .............. 0.318...................0.320 ................ 426,345,860 .......0.100 OM0000002226 ...........AL JAZEERA SERVICES .......................................... 1,256,204......435,241..................... 39 ........... 0.346 ...........0.360 ...........0.346........... 0.346 .............0.344 ........... 0.002............. 0.581 ................0.356..............0.352...................0.356................... 21,176,678 .........0.100 OM0000001525 ............OMAN INVESTMENT AND FINANCE.............. 498,168 ..........116,723..................... 27 ........... 0.233 ........... 0.235 ...........0.233........... 0.234 .............0.233 ............0.001 ............. 0.429 ................0.235..............0.234...................0.235...................46,800,000 ........0.100 OM0000001418 ............RAYSUT CEMENT ..........................................................8,900 ............. 13,795........................2 ............1.550 ........... 1.550 ...........1.550 ............1.550 ............. 1.550............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.550 .............. 1.555................... 1.610 ................. 310,000,000 .......0.100 OM0000001509............DHOFAR INT.DEV.AND INV. HOLD......................46,626 ............ 22,567........................5 ........... 0.484 ...........0.484 ...........0.484........... 0.484 .............0.484 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.484..............0.484...................0.500 ................. 119,257,600 ........0.100 OM0000001533 ............OMINVEST .................................................................... 100,455 ............46,193......................11 ........... 0.458 ...........0.460 ...........0.456........... 0.460 .............0.460 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.456..............0.420...................0.456..................170,391,958 ........0.100 OM0000001707 ............OMAN CABLES INDUSTRY.......................................17,925 ............. 37,911........................6 ............2.115 ........... 2.115............2.115 ............2.115 ............. 2.115 ............ 0.000.............0.000 ................2.115 .............. 2.115...................2.150.................. 189,715,500 ........0.100 OM0000001749 ............OMAN CEMENT ........................................................... 50,000 ............ 26,100........................1 ........... 0.522 ...........0.522 ...........0.522........... 0.522 .............0.522 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.522..............0.524...................0.530.................. 172,715,555 ........0.100 OM0000001822............UNITED POWER ................................................................ 300 ...................471........................1 ............1.570 ........... 1.570 ...........1.570 ............1.585 ............. 1.585............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.570 .............. 1.510...................1.570.................... 3,170,000 ..........1.000 OM0000002168............AL ANWAR CERAMIC TILES ...................................4,000 ...............1,664........................1 ............0.416 ........... 0.416 ...........0.416 ............0.416 ............. 0.416............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.416 .............. 0.416...................0.418..................123,224,892........0.100 OM0000002440 ...........AL SHARQIA INVESTMENT HOLDING ........... 149,989 ........... 20,439.....................20 ............0.137 ........... 0.137 ...........0.135 ............0.136 ............. 0.136............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.136 .............. 0.135...................0.136...................12,240,000.........0.100

Network International IPO Emirates NBD, Dubai’s largest lender, and buyout firm Abraaj Group are considering an initial public offering (IPO) of creditcard processing unit Network International, according to three people with knowledge of the matter.

The business, one of the largest payment processing firms in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), would be valued at more than $1 billion in an IPO, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private.

The share sale would take place in the fourth quarter or in early 2016, the people said, with the two firms yet to appoint financial advisers.

Abraaj bought 49 per cent of Network International from Emirates NBD for about two billion dirhams ($545 million) in late 2010. The unit serves about 70 banks and financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa and more than 17,000 individual merchants, according to information on Abraaj’s website.

The company also manages one of the region’s most extensive ATM networks. Emirates NBD retains a 51 per cent stake.

OM0000002614............ONIC. HOLDING ........................................................... 64,000 ............ 29,440........................6 ........... 0.460 ...........0.460 ...........0.460........... 0.460 .............0.460 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.460..............0.450...................0.460 .................. 79,774,695 .........0.100 OM0000002796 ...........BANK MUSCAT ............................................................ 3,671,844 ... 1,975,735...................103 ........... 0.538 ...........0.540 ...........0.538........... 0.538 .............0.538 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.540..............0.538...................0.540 ...............1,233,000,557 ......0.100 OM0000002804 ...........ASAFFA FOODS ...................................................................676 ...................581........................1 ........... 0.860 ...........0.860 ...........0.860........... 0.860 .............0.860 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.860..............0.860...................0.000 ................ 103,200,000 .......0.100 OM0000003026 ...........OMAN TELECOMMUNICATION ............................ 4,693 ............... 7,814......................11 ............1.665 ........... 1.665 ...........1.665 ............1.665 ............. 1.665............ 0.000.............0.000 ................1.665 .............. 1.665...................1.670 ................1,248,750,000 ......0.100 OM0000003125 ............GLOBAL FINANCIAL INVESTMENT ................ 100,000 ............11,000........................2 ............0.110 ........... 0.110............0.110 ............0.110 ............. 0.110............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.110 ..............0.100................... 0.115 .................. 22,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000003661 ............VOLTAMP ENERGY ..................................................... 11,250 .............. 4,500........................4 ........... 0.400...........0.400 ...........0.400 .......... 0.400 .............0.400 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.400..............0.392...................0.416.................. 24,200,000 ........0.100 OM0000003711 ............SOHAR POWER............................................................ 140,690 ............48,115........................9 ........... 0.342 ...........0.342 ...........0.340 .......... 0.342 .............0.342 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.342..............0.342...................0.346 ..................75,585,420 .........0.100 OM0000004735 ...........SEMBCORP SALALAH.................................................16,311 .............39,146........................7 ........... 2.400...........2.400 ...........2.400 .......... 2.400 .............2.400 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................2.400 ............ 2.400...................2.450 .................229,097,268........1.000 OM0000004925 ...........AL BATINAH POWER................................................ 142,732............. 27,119........................4 ............0.190 ........... 0.190 ...........0.190........... 0.190 .............0.190 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.190..............0.190................... 0.191 ..................128,228,612........0.100 OM0000004933 ...........AL SUWADI POWER .................................................. 154,196 ............ 29,456..................... 10 ............0.192 ........... 0.192 ...........0.191 ............0.191 ............. 0.191 ............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.191 ..............0.190...................0.192.................. 136,451,611 ........0.100 OM0000002820 ...........GULF INVESTMENT SERVICES ........................... 14,100 ...............1,988........................2 ............0.141 ........... 0.141............0.141 ............0.141 .............0.142 ...........-0.001 ........... -0.704 ...............0.141 .............. 0.137................... 0.141 ....................8,296,894 ..........0.100 OM0000001681 ............OMAN AND EMIRATES INV. HOLDING........... 839,000 ............97,490.....................44 ............0.116 ........... 0.117............ 0.115 ............0.116 ............. 0.117 ............-0.001 ........... -0.855 ...............0.115 .............. 0.114................... 0.115 ................... 14,137,500 .........0.100 OM0000002200 ...........AHLI BANK ......................................................................43,273 ...............9,350........................9 ............0.217 ........... 0.217 ...........0.214........... 0.216 .............0.218............-0.002 ........... -0.917................0.214.............. 0.215...................0.217..................307,807,807........0.100 OM0000001772 ............AL ANWAR HOLDING............................................... 194,000 ........... 47,924......................11 ........... 0.246 ...........0.248 ...........0.246........... 0.247 .............0.250 ...........-0.003 ........... -1.200 ...............0.246..............0.245...................0.246 ..................32,233,500.........0.100 OM0000002549 ...........BANK DHOFAR ............................................................ 721,162...........198,738..................... 25 ........... 0.276 ........... 0.276 ...........0.272........... 0.276 .............0.280 ...........-0.004 ........... -1.429 ...............0.276..............0.272...................0.276..................426,345,079 .......0.100 OM0000003521 ............GALFAR ENGINEERING AND CON. .................. 102,837 ............13,387.....................20 ............0.131 ........... 0.131............0.130........... 0.130 .............0.132............-0.002 ............-1.515 ................0.130 ..............0.130................... 0.131 ................... 37,697,483 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 12,848,686 4,298,609................... 518 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ......32........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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

OM0000004511 ............ALIZZ ISLAMIC BANK................................................71,500 ...............6,029........................6 ........... 0.083 ........... 0.085 ...........0.083........... 0.084 ............. 0.081............ 0.003............. 3.704 ................0.085..............0.085...................0.086.................. 84,000,000 ........0.100 OM0000004776 ...........TAKAFUL OMAN INSURANCE ..............................80,100 ...............9,295......................14 ............0.114 ........... 0.117............0.114 ............0.116 ............. 0.114............ 0.002............. 1.754.................0.117 .............. 0.116................... 0.117 ...................11,600,000 .........0.100 OM0000001368 ............CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IND. ....................73,333 ...............2,860........................3 ........... 0.039 ...........0.039 ...........0.039........... 0.039 .............0.039 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.039..............0.039...................0.040 ................... 3,315,000 ..........0.100 OM0000001566 ............OMAN FISHERIES .......................................................65,003 ............... 3,421........................6 ........... 0.052 ........... 0.053 ...........0.052........... 0.053 .............0.053 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.053..............0.053...................0.054 ...................6,625,000 ..........0.100 OM0000004420 ...........BANK NIZWA .................................................................. 75,491 ...............5,648......................14 ............0.075 ........... 0.076 ...........0.074........... 0.075 .............0.075 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.075..............0.074...................0.075..................112,500,000........0.100 OM0000001426............OMAN REFRESHMENT .............................................. 6,430 .............16,078........................3 ............2.510 ........... 2.510 ...........2.500 .......... 2.500 .............2.510............-0.010 ........... -0.398 ...............2.500 ............ 2.500...................2.510..................125,000,000 .......0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 371,857.............43,331..................... 46 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........ 6........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

B0NDS MARKET .................................................................................................................................................................................

OM0000004487 ...........RENAISSANCE SERVICES BONDS3.75 ..............95,293 ............. 11,816........................3 ............0.124 ........... 0.124 ...........0.124........... 0.124 .............0.124 ........... 0.000.............0.000 ................0.124..............0.124...................0.140...................52,469,568 .........0.100 OM0000004867 ...........BANK MUSCAT C C B 4.5 ...........................................13,903 ...............1,404........................3 ............0.101 ........... 0.101............0.101 ............0.101 ............. 0.101............ 0.000.............0.000 ................0.101 .............. 0.101...................0.104...................32,283,910 .........0.100 .............................................SUM: .................................................................................. 109,196 .............13,221........................6 ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. ........................................................................................................................................... TRADED SEC. ........2........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

— United Securities/Bloomberg News

INDIAN MARKETS

Sensex declines as bank shares retreat; rupee rises MUMBAI: Indian stocks dropped, with the benchmark index retreating from a three-week high in volatile trading, as automakers and lenders retreated.

Tata Motors, owner of Jaguar Land Rover, and Bajaj Auto, a motorcycle maker, were among the worst performers on the S&P BSE Sensex. Oil & Natural Gas Corp., the largest explorer, declined for the first time in five days. Housing Development Finance Corp., the largest mortgage lender, slid the most in a week and Axis Bank retreated 1.1 per cent.

The Sensex fell 0.2 per cent to 27,645.53 at the close, changing direction at least 10 times.

Stocks rose on Monday, extending a two-week rally, after a report on the progress of the monsoon strengthened expectations that slowing inflation will allow the central bank to cut rates. Global funds bought $275 million of stocks on May 15 in a second day of purchases, paring this month’s outflows to $448 million, still the highest among eight Asian markets tracked by Bloomberg.

Amount of consolidation “After yesterday’s uptick, it’s prudent to see amount of consolidation,” Gaurang Shah, a vicepresident at Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV India on Tuesday. “The sell-side figures from the foreign investors seem to have subdued and that’s comforting. The worst is possibly behind us.”

The Sensex entered a socalled correction on May 7 after completing a 10 per cent decline from its January 29 record amid concern about the pace of earnings growth and delays in the

passage of key economic bills in parliament.

Consumer prices climbed 4.87 per cent in April from a year earlier, slowing from 5.17 per cent in March, data showed last week.

Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan maintained interest rates at a scheduled review on April 7 as he waited for lenders to pass on two previous rate cuts to customers. The next policy review is on June 2.

Policy review “A 25-basis point cut is already discounted after data on factory production and inflation,” Geojit’s Shah said. “There will be excitement if the RBI cuts by 50 basis points.”

Tata Motors decreased 2.1 per cent, the worst performer on the Sensex, and Bajaj Auto slid 0.8 per cent. Oil & Natural Gas retreated 1.3 per cent, ending a four-day, 3.9 per cent advance. Housing Development lost 1.9 per cent, the first fall in three days. Tuesday’s declined trimmed Axis Bank’s this year’s gain to 12 per cent Tata Power, India’s biggest non-state generator, may report net income of 772 million rupees ($12.1 million) in the quarter ended March 31, versus a loss of 1.5 billion rupees a year ago, according to the median of estimates in a Bloomberg survey. The results are due on Tuesday. The stock rose 0.8 per cent.

While eight out of the 14 Sensex firms that have posted results for the March quarter have beaten or matched estimates, the gauge’s earnings may drop for a second straight quarter, forecasts compiled by Bloomberg show.

The Sensex has risen 0.5 per cent this year and trades at 15.3

times projected 12-month earnings, compared with the MSCI Emerging Markets Index’s multiple of 12.4.

Bonds gain Indian bonds rose as the government cut the amount of longerdated debt it plans to sell at Friday’s auction after a sale last week partially fell on underwriters.

India will sell four bonds totaling 160 billion rupees ($2.5 billion), including 90 billion rupees of a new 10-year benchmark note on May 22, a statement from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) showed on Tuesday. It will sell 20 billion rupees each of bonds due 2033 and 2044.

That’s less than an indicative range of 30-40 billion rupees of the notes mentioned earlier in the issuance calendar on the central bank’s website.

“The RBI has reduced some of the amount from the long end and put up more of the new 10year sale, which is likely to attract aggressive bidding,” said Ajay Manglunia, head of fixed income at Edelweiss Financial Services in Mumbai. The yield on the 8.4 per cent notes due July 2024 dropped four basis points, or 0.04 percentage point, to 7.86 per cent in Mumbai, prices from the RBI’s trading system show. That’s the lowest level since May 5.

The rupee rose 0.1 per cent to 63.6750 a dollar, according to prices from local banks compiled

by Bloomberg. — Bloomberg News

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WE DNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

B5

ROUND-UP Oman Air announces two attractive privileges for Sindbad gold members We look forward to offering our gold members a warm Omani welcome as they make the most of these superb business class services at Muscat, said Abdulrahman Al Busaidy, chief operating officer at Oman Air

MUSCAT: Oman Air has announced two more privileges for gold members of its Sindbad frequent flyer programme.

From May 1, 2015, gold members have access to Oman Air’s exclu-

sive business class check-in area at Muscat International Airport, regardless of their class of travel.

And once they have checked in, they will be able to access the dedicated Oman Air business

class lounge that is located on the first floor of the airport, next to the Muscat Duty Free shops. To benefit from these privileges, all that Sindbad members will have to do is to present their

valid Sindbad gold cards, says a press release.

Abdulrahman Al Busaidy, chief operating officer at Oman Air, commented: “We are delighted to announce that, from 1st May,

SOUND TRACK

in service eliminates any waiting and provides an ideal introduction to Oman Air’s award-winning standards of service. Furthermore, being just a short walk from the airline’s acclaimed business class lounge, the check-in sets a tone of refined elegance and luxury which stays with the traveller throughout their journey.

Oman Air’s business class lounge has been designed to deliver the ultimate in hospitality for the airline’s guests. It offers a relaxing environment which is perfect for preparing for a flight. Customers can choose a full à la carte dining experience or just a light snack, and complimentary massages help to ease away any tensions.

H O M E F I NA N C E FA C I L I T Y

Land Rover, Sony Music launch ‘Sahara Al Arab’ MUSCAT: Land Rover Mena and the team at Sony Music Entertainment Middle East have joined forces with some of the region’s hottest music and film talent to launch the original music score celebrating the cultural heritage and beauty of the Arab land.

Produced by renowned music producer, Jean-Marie Riachi, and supported by DJ and producer, Omar Basaad, Sahara Al Arab is an anthology of native sounds from around the region, says a press release.

The launch party saw some of the region’s hottest talent, creative minds, and artistic visionaries come together including shining stars of the Middle East’s film industry, Ali Mostafa and Ahmed Abdulqader who created a series of

RECRUIT

Gold Sindbad members were able to use Oman Air’s outstanding business class check-in area and business class lounge at Muscat International Airport. We are constantly adding new benefits, privileges and offers to our Sindbad membership, and this latest move recognises the high value we place on our most loyal and regular customers.

We look forward to offering our gold members a warm Omani welcome as they make the most of these superb business class services at Muscat.”

With its own entrance and sumptuous lounge area, dedicated staff, and fast-track security clearance and baggage drop, Oman Air’s business class check-

short films and a final music video to accompany the sound track.

Inspired by Land Rover’s ties to the Mena region’s culture and people, Sahara Al Arab is the result of an 11-day musical journey by Jean-Marie Riachi and Omar Basaad. The music duo spent time meeting, discovering and documenting the musicians and sounds of the region, taking in KSA, UAE, Egypt, Oman and Lebanon.

A medley of sounds from the cultural tour was then arranged

by Jean-Marie and his world-class studio team to produce the final Sahara Al Arab sound track.

In a youthful twist on the concept, a club remix produced by Omar ensures the project captures the imagination of all music fans.

OAB offers finance to customers of residential project MUSCAT: Oman Arab Bank (OAB), a leading local bank in the Sultanate of Oman, has collaborated with Zain Property development to extend home finance to individuals, for the newly launched Phase 5 and Phase 6 of Dar Al Zain project.

After a successful partnership offering similar home finance facilities for the earlier phases, the new agreement will facilitate customers to realise their dreams of owning a luxury home, says a press release.

“Oman Arab Bank will con-

tinue to sponsor premium residential projects by offering convenient home financing solutions to customers. We are pleased to partner with Zain Property development and extend special rates as well as flexible payment terms to our mutual customers for the new project phases in Dar Al Zain,” said Fahd Amjad, GM Retail Banking for the bank.

Phase 5 of the Dar Al Zain project will have 21 exclusive lagoon villas with five bedrooms. The construction is slated to commence from May 31 this year.

B6

W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

RECRUIT CAREER COACH

How to succeed in situational, stress interviews THE best job-seekers not only prepare answers to typical interview questions, but also prepare for the type of interview expected. There are all sorts of job interviews: screening, traditional, behavioural, telephone, case and panel. And two of the trends in interviewing are the use of situational interviewing and stress interviewing.

Situational job interviews In situational interviewing, jobseekers are asked to respond to a specific situation they may face on the job, and some aspects of it are similar to behavioural interviews. These types of questions are designed to draw out more of your analytical and problem-solving skills, as well as how you handle problems with short notice and minimal preparation.

Situational interviews are similar to behavioural interviews, except while behavioural focus on a past experience, situational interviews focus on a hypothetical situation. For example, in a behavioural interview, the interviewer

might start a question with, “Tell me about a time you had to deal with…” In a situational interview, the interviewer asks, “How would you handle…”

The key to preparation and success in situational interviews is simply to review your past work experiences and review the steps you took to resolve problems and make corrections.

You should also have short stories of some of these past experiences so you can also incorporate them into your answers to show that you have experience handling similar situations.

Here’s one way an interviewer might ask an applicant for a customer service manager position: “How would you handle an angry customer who was promised delivery of the product on a certain date, but because of manufacturing delays, the company was not able to deliver on a timely basis?

The customer is demanding some kind of compensation for the unexpected delay.”

Or, for a management position, a job-seeker might be asked: “How

do you handle a disgruntled employee in your department who has made a habit of arriving late to work and causing minor disruptions during the day, as well as a declining morale among the rest of the staff?”

Stress job interviews The stress interviewing technique is typically used only for positions in which the job-seeker will be facing stress on the job, and the interviewer wants to see how well you can handle the pressure. The key to surviving stress interviews is to remain calm, keep a sense of humour, and avoid getting angry or defensive.

The interviewer may try to stress you in one of several ways, such as asking four or five questions in a row, acting rude or sarcastic, disagreeing with you, or simply keeping you waiting for a long period.

Don’t take any of these actions personally. Simply stick to your agenda and showcase your skills and accomplishments calmly.

Better, try taking back control

of the interview by ignoring the stress. Some experts suggest even getting up and walking around the room so that you take control by being the only person standing.

And if there is a board or flip chart in the room, another option is to get up and draw or diagram parts of your answers.

Most job-seekers will not encounter such interviews, but it is important to know they exist, and know how to handle yourself if you are faced with such an interview style.

Final thoughts Remember that the most important thing job-seekers can do to succeed in job interviews is prepare. And preparation begins with conducting research so that you know what type(s) of interview styles you will be facing.

Preparation also includes reviewing common questions you may face as a job-seeker and preparing narratives that illustrate a key point that each question is seeking. — Randall S. Hansen/ www.quintcareers.com

QUOTES You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. — Steve Jobs If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know and start charging for it. — Kim Garst The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance.

Remember, the greatest failure is not trying. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.

— Debbi Fields

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RECRUI JOB POSTINGS

SEND US YOUR VIEWS AND COMMENTS www.facebook.com/timesofoman

QUOTES If you work just for money, you’ll never make it, but if you love what you’re doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.

— Ray Kroc Capital isn’t scarce; vision is.

— Sam Walton

Have a very good reason for everything you do.

— Laurence Olivier

B8

W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

ROUND-UP

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BUSINESS MEETING

Meethaq forum highlights sukuk investment avenues

Mars’ 13th outlet opens in Salalah Mars announced a captivating inaugural offer exclusively for their new outlet in Salalah; it gives away amazing and assured gifts to the customers for a purchase of more than OMR15

SALALAH: Mars Hypermarket opened its much awaited outlet in Salalah, inaugurated by Sheikh Salim Aufit Abdullah Al Shanfari, president of Dhofar Municipality in the presence of V. T. Vinod, managing director, Naveej Vinod, executive director, Unnikrishna Pillai, general manager, Saif Al Malki., GM (administration) and

other senior management members of Mars Group, a number of high ranking government officials and representatives from the local business community.

This is the 13th outlet of Mars International in Oman and the second branch in Dhofar region, conveniently located at 23rd July Street Salalah, says a press release.

“It is with immense pride and pleasure that we inaugurate our 13th outlet here. Over the last two decades of success and accomplishments, we have earned the reputation of providing our customers with an unparalleled and world-class shopping experience. Now I dedicate our new facility, our second outlet in Dhofar region. I hope the people of Salalah will support us by all means to enshrine the successful saga of Mars Hypermarket,” said Vinod.

“We have been striving hard to create a unique and convenient shopping experience to the people of the Sultanate since inception and will continue our efforts to reach our objective. Launching the second outlet in Salalah we are close to achieving that,” stated Naveej Vinod.

The new Mars Hypermarket Salalah offers customers a unique retail experience and the store has a refreshing look and feel with contemporary interiors and a layout focused on convenience. The ample space ensures an uncluttered, fast and hassle free shopping environment. The outlet will be a complete shopping destination that will cater to the growing consumer demands. Keeping up with the convenience and standards of Mars outlets across the Sultanate, the new hypermarket will feature the widest choice of renowned brands at the fairest prices. Mars’s winning formula of value for money quality shopping will be a matter of delight for the residents of Salalah who will cherish the pleasurable shopping experience and the economy it offers.

Mars announced a captivating inaugural offer exclusively for their new outlet in Salalah; it gives away amazing and assured gifts to the customers for a purchase of more than OMR15. The gifts including clock, glass set, vacuum flask, dinner set, tablet computers etc without any raffle draw. The offer is valid up to May 31.

NIZWA: Meethaq, the pioneer of Islamic banking in Oman from Bank Muscat, hosted a business forum in Nizwa yesterday under the auspices of Dr Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamed Al Saadi, governor of Dakhiliyah, to highlight investment opportunities from Islamic bonds or sukuk. Innovative Islamic banking products and services offered by Meethaq were also spotlighted at the forum addressed by prominent Shari’a experts, says a press release.

“Meethaq is proud to host the business forum as part of initiatives reflecting the bank’s commitment to responsible banking aimed at contributing to the country’s development. Meethaq has taken the lead to engage people at all levels in order to familiarise them with the fundamentals of Islamic banking and finance. Against the backdrop of Oman’s strategic development

initiatives as part of the economic diversification programme, new avenues exist for Islamic banking and finance vis-à-vis the investment opportunities in Oman. The forum reiterates Meethaq’s commitment to develop a robust Islamic banking industry in Oman, offering attractive investment opportunities, including sukuk, in a manner consistent with the principles of Shari’a law and serving the interests of community and business,” said Sulaiman Al Harthy, group general manager,

Islamic Banking.

Dr Saleh al Talib, economist from Muscat Securities Market, made a presentation on the developmental role of Islamic bonds and the possibility to take advantage of them in the Sultanate. He also spoke about the importance and investment opportunities offered by various Islamic instruments. Sheikh Ibrahim Al Sawafi from the Ministry of Awqaf and Religious Affairs highlighted Islamic banking from the Shari’a perspective, the problems and challenges and the role of Shari’a committees while Dr Salim al Dhahab made a presentation on Islamic banking products.

Meethaq strives to fulfil the needs of customers with innovative Shari’a based products and is well positioned to provide Islamic financial expertise to diverse segments and thereby promote the good of society as a whole.

P R O M O T I O NA L C A M PA I G N

Maisarah’s new Ramadan offer promises attractive finance rate MUSCAT: Maisarah Islamic Banking Services announced the launch of its promotional campaign for the holy month of Ramadan, offering special pricing scheme for property finance, auto finance, goods finance and personal finance.

Urging customers to seize the opportunity and enjoy the ‘Ahlan Ramadan’ promotions that are valid from May 15 till July 15, Jamsheed Hamza, Maisarah’s Head of Retail, said: “We have reduced the profit rates to 4.20 per cent per annum on all property finance, auto finance, goods and personal finance. Customers can also enjoy a no-repayment grace period where repayments start only from August 2015 and no in-

stalments have to be paid in May, June or July. However, the profit accrues for the period starting from disbursement.

“To further extend our customers benefit, the property finance special offer is valid for one year from the date of disbursement.

All other types of finance pricing will be valid for six months from the date of disbursement.”

Maisarah is a full-service provider of a broad range of Shariacompliant financial products and solutions. It is one of the fastest growing Islamic banking windows in the Sultanate with a dedicated head office in Muscat (Azaiba) and branches in Muscat, Salalah and Sohar. Maisarah maintains a complete segrega-

tion of business activities in order to provide Sharia compliant financial services for its valued customers. As a part of its strategy, the Islamic banking window has maintained high standards of corporate governance, research and development, corporate social responsibility and customer service that have helped in winning various awards in local and international markets.

As part of its future growth plan, Maisarah plans to distinguish itself by focusing on providing outstanding customer service, developing and launching new products, investing in technology to provide the best customer experience in timely and convenient manner.

C

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SPOR YOUR GAME

S

NEW ZEALAND FLY UNDER THE RADAR AS USUAL In their traditionally under-stated fashion New Zealand have been content to stay in the background before the two-Test series against England. While the hosts’ buildup has been overshadowed by the axing of Moores and Pietersen controversy, the Kiwis have quietly gone about their preparations. >C3

Mumbai Indians storm into final SCOREBOARD

Chennai will get a second chance to make it to the final as they will face the winner of the eliminator to be played on Wednesday between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers

MUMBAI: A timely half-century by opener Lendl Simmons and some quality bowling helped Mumbai Indians secure a place in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 final with a 25-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Tuesday.

Simmons rose to the occasion as he scored 65 off 51 balls, which was followed by Kieron Pollard’s 17ball 41 that helped Mumbai post a challenging 187/6. In reply, Chennai lost wickets at regular intervals and were all out for 162 in 19 overs. With this win, Mumbai entered the tournament’s final which will be played at the Eden Gardens

JUBILANT: Mumbai Indians players celebrates after winning the Qualifier 1 match of the Pepsi IPL 2015 against hennai Super Kings. – BCCI

in Kolkata on May 24.

Chennai will get a second chance to make it to the final. They will face the winner of the eliminator to be played on Wednesday between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, in the second qualifier in Ranchi on May 22.

Lasith Malinga (3/23), Harbhajan Singh (2/26) and R. Vinay Kumar (2/26) were the pick of the Mumbai bowlers. Chasing 188 to win, CSK got off to the worst possible start losing opener Dwayne

CHESS

Pouya, Atousa stay on top

CONCENTRATION: Women players in action on Tuesday.

Times News Service MUSCAT: Iranian Grandmaster Pouya Idani and his compatriot and Women’s Grandmaster Atousa Pourkashiyan recorded third round victories to emerge sole leaders in their respective categories in the ongoing Asian Zonal Chess Championships (Zone 3.1) 2015 for men and women at the City Seasons Hotel here on Tuesday.

In the third round action of men’s competition, Pouya Idani ended Syrian International Master Basher Iyti’s challenge in 34 moves to take his points tally in the 14-player event to three.

Pouya’s countryman and fellow Grandmaster Ehsan Ghaem Maghami was denied this third successive victory by Iraq’s Ahmed Abdulsattar Abdulwahab who forced his rival to settle for a draw.

Ehsan now have 2.5 points and he is closely followed by as many as five players on two points Basher Iyti of Syrria, Ahmed Abdulsattar Abdulwahab of Iraq, Basher Al Qudaimi of Yemen, Husein Aziz Nezad of Qatar and Maher Ayyad of Bahrain.

Basher Al Qudaimi, the Yemeni International Master, created a big upset when he defeated Iran’s third Grandmaster in the fray Pouria Darini, who now has just one and a half point.

Husein Aziz Nezad defeated Palestine’s Attallah Tamra and Maher Ayyad accounted for Oman’s Amin Al Ansi.

In other third round matches, Lebanon’s Ibrahim Chahrour earned his point when Oman’s Mohammed Salim Al Mamari forfeited the match while Kuwait’s Khaled Hashem also opened his account with a victory over Abdulrahman Al Mashri of Saudi Arabia.

In the women’s section, Atousa made it three out of three by defeating Syria’s Afamia Mir Mahmoud in 31 moves.

Meanwhile, Qatari Grandmaster Chen Zhu bounced back from her second round loss to Iranian Women’s International Master Mitra Hejaipour.

The former world champion defeated Omani girl Wafia Al Ghafri in her third round match and took her tally to three points.

The other playerss on two points are Afamia Mir Mahmoud as well Mitra Hejazipour of Iran and Yara Faqueeh of Palestine.

On Tuesday, Mitra defeated Iraq’s Iman Hassan Mohammed Al Rufaye and Yara won against Suad Alkanderi of Kuwait.

In another game, UAE’s Abeer Ali defeated Oman’s Mariya Al Balushi. The Emirati girls now has 1.5 points.

A total of 14 players in the men’s event and ten in the women’s competition are vying for the lone qualifying spot from their respective categories for the Fide Chess World Cup. The nine-round qualifying event concludes on Sunday.

Standings: Men (after 3nd round): Pouya Idani (Iran) 3 pts, Ehsan Ghaem Maghami (Iran) 2.5 pts, Basher Iyti (Syr) 2 pts, Ahmed Abdulsattar Abdulwahab (Iraq) 2 pts, Basher Al Qudaimi (Yemen) 2 pt, Husein Aziz Nezad (Qatar) 2 pt, Maher Ayyad (Bahrain) 2 pt, Pouria Darini (Iran) 1.5 pts, Amin Al Ansi (Oman) 1 pt, Attallah Tamra (Palestine) 1 pt, Ibrahim Chahrour (Lebanon) 1 pt and Khalid Hashem (Kuwait) 1 pt.

Women (after 3nd round): Atousa Pourkashiya (Iran) 3 pts, Afamia Mir Mahmoud (Syr) 2 pts, Chen Zhu (Qatar) 2pts, Mitra Hejazipour (Iran) 2 pts, Yara Faqueeh (Palestine) 2 pts, Abeer Ali (UAE) 1.5 pts, Mariya Al Balushi (Oman) 1 pt, Wafia Al Ghafri (Oman) 1, Iman Hasan Mohammed Al Rufaye (Iraq) 0.5 pt.

Smith without scoring off the fourth ball of the first over.

A full toss from pacer Lasith Malinga hit straight into Smith’s front pad which made it easy for the umpire to give the batsman out.

Incoming batsman Faf du Plessis looked in fine form right from the start. The South African along with opener Michael Hussey didn’t let the early wicket affect their scoring. With a couple of boundaries and sixes, CSK reached 46 in 5 overs.

But the very first ball of the sixth over brought the brakes in Chennai’s scoring as bowler Vinay Kumar got the vital wicket of Hussey (16). CSK were 46 for 2 in 5.1 overs then.

Suresh Raina and du Plessis took it from there to help the team reach a score of 86/2 in 10 overs.

But the over that followed saw the match swinging in the home side’s favour as Harbhajan Singh got rid of Raina (25) and skipper M.S. Dhoni (0) in successive deliveries to help Mumbai stay in

the hunt. Set batsman du Plessis (45 off 34 balls), looking to up the scoring rate, departed in the 14th over off the bowling of Jagadeesha Suchith.

It wasn’t over yet. Dwayne Bravo (20), Ravindra Jadeja (19), Pawan Negi (3) all fell thereafter.

Earlier, opting to bat, Mumbai got off to a modest start with openers Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel taking their time to get settled in the first four overs, scoring just 22. — IANS

MUMBAI INDIANS L. Simmons c Negi b Jadeja 65 P. Patel c Jadeja b Bravo 35 R. Sharma c Jadeja b Bravo 19 K. Pollard c Raina b Bravo 41 H. Pandya c Jadeja b Nehra 1 A. Rayudu c Raina b Sharma 10 Harbhajan Singh not out 6 J. Suchith not out 1 Extras (w-8, nb-1) 9 Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 187 Did not bat: M. McClenaghan, R Vinay Kumar, L. Malinga Fall of wickets: 1-90, 2-113, 3-137, 4-139, 5-164, 6-185 Bowling: R. Ashwin 3-0-22-0; A. Nehra 4-0-28-1; P. Negi 4-0-46-0; R. Jadeja 2-0-18-1; M. Sharma 3-0-33-1; D. Bravo 4-0-40-3 CHENNAI SUPER KINGS D. Smith lbw Malinga 0 M. Hussey c Patel b V. Kumar 16 F. du Plessis c V. Kumar b Suchith 45 S. Raina c & b Harbhajan 25 MS Dhoni lbw Harbhajan 0 D. Bravo run out 20 R. Jadeja c Suchith b McClenaghan 19 P. Negi c sub b V. Kumar 3 R. Ashwin c Rayudu b Malinga 23 M. Sharma not out 3 A. Nehra c Simmons b Malinga 0 Extras (lb-1, w-7) 8 Total (all out; 19 overs) 162 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-46, 3-86, 4-86, 5-110, 6-119, 7-126, 8-147, 9-161.

Bowling: L. Malinga 4-0-23-3; M. McClenaghan 3-0-46-1 (w-3); R. Vinay Kumar 3-0-26-2 (w-1); Harbhajan Singh 4-0-26-2 (w-1); K. Pollard 3-0-22-0; J. Suchith 2-0-18-1.

Man of the match: K. Pollard

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W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

SPORTS

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READY FOR THE ELIMINATOR: Royal Challengers Bangalore, left, and Rajasthan Royals players gear up for the do-or-die show in Pune. – BCCI

Royal battle on cards as Bangalore, Rajasthan face-off in IPL eliminator Royal Challengers Bangalore, who ended

Kohli let off after anti-corruption code breach

third in the table with the same number of MUMBAI: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli was let off on Tuesday after being found guilty of violating the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) anti-corruption code.

Kohli met his girlfriend Bollywood star Anushka Sharma in the stands at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium during a rain-break in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Delhi Daredevils on Sunday, violating the anti-corruption code.

Kohli was informed of the violation by BCCI anti-corruption

points as Rajasthan Royals but a better runrate, have had their share of losses but the Virat Kohli-led side has inevitably fired when it mattered

PUNE: Sneaking into the playoffs at the last moment, an unpredictable Rajasthan Royals will look to upstage a batting-heavy Royal Challengers Bangalore in a tough IPL Eliminator in Pune on Wednesday. The Steve Smith-led side found its rhythm at the business end of the T20 tournament and won a thrilling last league game to enter the final-four after settling at the fourth spot.

Australian opener Shane Watson, who was relieved of his captaincy at the final stages of the event, struck an unbeaten 104 in the final league game to push defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders out of the title race.

Opener Ajinkya Rahane is also in top form as the Mumbai batsman has amassed 498 runs from 13 games to have a strong chance of taking the orange cap from Da-

vid Warner (562 from 14 matches, whose team SunRisers Hyderabad failed to make the final-four cut.

If Australia’s James Faulkner has filled the role of the all-rounder to perfection then South Africa medium-pacer Chris Morris has led the attack with aplomb.

Carrying an inherent character of promoting home-grown talent since Shane Warne led the team, RR’s Sanju Samson, Karun Nair and Dhawal Kulkarni have also played their respective parts well.

RCB, who ended third in the table with the same number of points as RR but a better run-rate, have had their share of losses but the Virat Kohli-led side has inevitably fired when it mattered. Their massive win against Mumbai Indians on May 10 truly reflected their class with AB de Villers hitting an unbeaten 133 to pulverise the op-

position attack.

The big-hitting Chris Gayle, who has also notched up a ton this season, has once again proved his worth for the Vijay Mallya-owned and with Kohli, has formed quite a destructive opening pair.

No wonder Gayle, Kohli and De Villiers feature in the top-ten batsmen’s list in the tournament so far.

The bowling unit, led by Mitchel Starc, David Wiese and Yuzvendra Chahal has also backed their batsmen’s effort with effective ease.

But in a knockout game it’s more a matter of nerves than record or form and the Eliminator will certainly test the true character of both the teams. The two teams are locked even on head-to-head count with a 7-7 record but the Eliminator battle carries the weight of a title dream for both the sides.

While the Rahul Dravid-mentored RR will look to repeat their title win in 2008, RCB eye their maiden trophy after ending up runners-up in in the 2009 and

2011 editions. In Wednesday’s game, the loser will bow out of the tournament while the winner will have to play the second qualifier for securing a spot in the final.

Teams (from): Rajasthan Royals: Shane Watson (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith, James Faulkner, Deepak Hooda, Sanju Samson (wk), Karun Nair, Dhawal Kuikarni, Tim Southee, Stuart Binny, Chris Morris, Pravin Tambe, Abhishek Nayar, Pardeep Sahu, Rusty Theron,

unit head Ravi Sawani, reports Cricinfo on Tuesday. He was cleared of the charge as the BCCI viewed the digression as minor.

The BCCI found Kohli breaching the rule relating to the minimum standards for Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA). Kohli chatted with Anushka in the VIP enclosure adjacent to the players’ dressing room. The ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit sent a report to Sawani informing about the violation, the cricket-specific website said in a report. - IANS

Dinesh Salunkhe, Vikramjit Malik, Rahul Tewatia, Rajat Bhatia, Sagar Trivedi, Dishant Yagnik and Ankit Sharma.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (capt), Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Mitchell Starc, Ashok Dinda, Harshal Patel, Vijay Zol, Abu Nechim, Nic Maddinson, Varun Aaron, Manvinder Bisla, Mandeep Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sean Abbott, Sarfaraz Khan, Jalaj Saxena, Shishir Bhavane, Sreenath Arvind.— PTI

C O M M E N TA RY

It’s going to be a big bang match in Pune

W

hile the Chennai Super Kings have, as usual, had a tension free entry into the knockouts, the other three teams have had to fight every inch to get there.

The Rajasthan Royals are the most unobtrusive team in the IPL. There is no blowing of their own trumpet. It is just get on with the job and do it to the best of the ability.

That they are not a flashy team could well be down to the influence and impact of Rahul Dravid who also played his cricket the same way and let his deeds do the talking. There were no articles or columns assigned to how great a player he was and no details like what he eats for breakfast, what music he likes, and all that paraphernalia that is so much the hype part of modern cricket. But if you checked around the bowlers from other countries, they would tell you that his was the wicket they knew mattered, because he was the glue that held the batting together and

allowed the glamour boys to strut their stuff knowing full well that if theirs didn’t come off, Dravid would bat them out of the jam.

The Rajasthan team is pretty much the same. Even as they started to flatten in the middle of the tournament, you could see that they were one win away from regaining their rhythm. Changing the captaincy was a shrewd move. Captaincy is not always about tactics. Captains need a bit of luck as well, and quite simply, some have it, some don’t. So Steve Smith, who is having a dream year, was made the skipper and suddenly the breaks started coming their way. Shane Watson played brilliantly, Chris Morris was

RCB bowling may not send shivers down the spine of any batsmen, but their heavy batters are sure to do so to the opposition bowlers bowling banana outswingers, and the fielders were snapping anything in the air near them.

They got away with one mistake, that of playing a newcomer in a must-win game, and here Dravid showed that he was human by misreading the pitch, which another Dravid like giant from the other team Jacques Kallis did too. Both teams played a seamer instead of a spinner misled by the grass on the surface. Good bowlers are good bowlers on any pitch, and that’s what the Rajasthan

boys will have learnt.

Their opponents are the exact opposite with a ‘look at me, how good I am’ attitude and all the razzmatazz associated with it. Their bowling may not send shivers down the spine of any batsmen, but their heavy batters are sure to do so to the opposition bowlers. Those big boys do know how to play in the night, and the one in Pune is going to be a big one indeed.

Their skipper wants this trophy badly. He will exhort his players to give it everything, for that is the minimum in this format.

The law of averages has done its bit with ‘the phenomenon’ AB de Villiers being out first ball in their ‘do or die’ game against the Hyderabad team, and with big boss Gayle also not getting the big one, they are due for runs. That may not be such good news for the Rajasthan team, but just imagine the thrill for the Puneites if the ball plays the big boys’ way. Can’t wait for it to start! — PMG

WE DNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

C3

SPORTS England must be positive & brave Alastair Cook leads his team into a huge summer of cricket which will be defined by the Ashes, but first up they must deal with a vibrant and confident New Zealand side in a twoTest series

LONDON: With a new cricket director, coach and chairman, England return to the field of play in the first Test against New Zealand on Thursday following an extraordinary period of upheaval.

Alastair Cook leads his team into a huge summer of cricket which will be defined by the Ashes, but first up they must deal with a vibrant and confident New Zealand side in a two-Test series.

England should be warned not to take New Zealand lightly.

The Kiwis are unbeaten in Test series since losing in England two years ago and reached their first World Cup final in March, playing a brand of aggressive and innovative cricket that has become their hallmark under Brendon McCullum’s captaincy.

England, in stark contrast, are in disarray following a dismal World Cup campaign and a disappointing 1-1 test series draw in West Indies.

New cricket director Andrew Strauss sacked coach Peter Moores 10 days ago and his next task was to reveal that Kevin Pietersen would not be recalled, despite the mercurial right-hander’s career-best innings of 355 not out for Surrey. Strauss, trying desperately to draw a line under the Pietersen issue which has dogged G I L L E S P I E S AY S

England interest ‘flattering’ LONDON: Former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie said on Tuesday that it was “very flattering” to be linked with the vacant England coaching job.

The Yorkshire coach was named by the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) new director of cricket Andrew Strauss last week as a potential successor to Peter Moores, who was sacked earlier this month.

But the 40-year-old said he would be reluctant to leave his role at Yorkshire, having led the team to last year’s County Championship title. “It’s very flattering,” Gillespie told BBC Sport. “But, look, I haven’t had any contact and until that happens, I can’t say anything. We’ll just have to wait and see. He (Strauss) mentioned my name publicly, so I may get a call. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

Gillespie, who was appointed Yorkshire coach in November 2011, added: “The Yorky boys have been giving me enough grief about it, which has been quite funny. I love my job here.

It’s an exciting time at my club.

It would certainly take some persuading (to leave). I wake up every morning and I’m in my dream job. It’s just fantastic, but I don’t know what the future holds.” — AFP

English cricket since he was axed 15 months ago, spoke of a complete breakdown of trust.

An angry Pietersen responded by accusing the ECB of deceitful behaviour and the mud-slinging will rumble on. England have called up Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth to open with Cook.

Nick Compton, Michael Carberry, Sam Robson and Jonathan Trott have failed to establish themselves as Cook’s partner and now the 27-year-old Lyth gets his chance. The compact left-hander has a first-class average of 43.2 and 15 centuries to his name, and England will desperately hope he has the right temperament to compliment his natural ability.

Otherwise, the team has a familiar look. Gary Ballance, Ian Bell and Joe Root are an established

middle-order while James Anderson and Stuart Broad should continue their potent new-ball partnership in home conditions.

Cook made his first international century for nearly two years in West Indies and Jos Buttler is improving as a wicketkeeper and a potentially destructive number seven.

New Zealand, however, have a superb attack with Tim Southee and Trent Boult, how England would love to have a left-arm seamer of his ability to call on, probably their best ever new-ball partnership.

With the destructive McCullum and Martin Guptill at the top of the order and Kane Williamson, a cohesive presence at number three, the touring side’s batting looks dangerous and solid. — AFP

GEARING UP: England’s Alastair Cook, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad and Gary Ballance arrive for nets. – Reuters

New Zealand fly under the radar as usual LONDON: In their traditionally under-stated fashion New Zealand have been content to stay in the background before the two-Test series against England.

While the hosts’ buildup has been overshadowed by the axing of coach Peter Moores and more controversy over Kevin Pietersen, the Kiwis have quietly gone about their preparations.

The New Zealand players do not even have to report for duty until two days before the first test at Lord’s starting on Thursday because of their Indian Premier League commitments.

But they will be full of confidence having enjoyed two years of almost unbroken success since they were dismissed for 45

by South Africa in Cape Town in early 2013. In 2014 they won five tests in a year for the first time and have climbed to third in the world Test rankings.

HAPPY MOMENT: New Zealand’s batting coach Craig McMillan shares a joke with Brendon McCullum during the training session. – Reuters

With Brendon McCullum setting the tone at the top of the order with astonishing innings of brutal aggression, they progressed to the World Cup final for the first time this year before succumbing to co-hosts Australia in Melbourne.

McCullum became the first New Zealander to pass 300 in

a test innings last year during a monumental exhibition of concentration against India in Wellington. He fell for 195 against Sri Lanka in Christchurch with the record for the fastest Test double hundred at his mercy.

His 33 test sixes were more than double the previous best and he became the first New

APPLAUSE FOR SACKED COACH

Root salutes Moores’ role in his rapid rise LONDON: In-form England batsman Joe Root says he has sacked former coach Peter Moores to thank for his rapid rise to international prominence.

Root was dropped at the end of England’s Ashes whitewash defeat under Andy Flower’s regime last year, but the Yorkshire star went on to average almost 95 in Tests during Moores’ second tenure.

And after 12 months in which he has made more than 1,100 Test runs, as well as hitting three oneday international hundreds, Root was voted England’s 2014-15 player of the year by members of the media on Monday.

The newly appointed England vice-captain could have been forgiven for playing down Moores’ role in his development, given his recent dismissal by new ECB director of cricket Andrew Strauss.

But Root was keen to salute Moores for his work in the nets and he said: “I think (my batting) has improved drastically.

“A lot of credit for that has to go to Peter Moores. Over the past year, he has definitely got the best out of me — along with the rest of the coaching department.”

Double century Root struggled for form, as did all England’s batsmen, in a miserable 2013-14 Ashes campaign.

But he began his fine run with an unbeaten maiden double century against Sri Lanka at Lord’s last year.

As he prepares to try to con-

SOME RESPECT: File photo of Peter Moores, centre, with Joe Root, left, and Alastair Cook.

tinue his brilliant form in the corresponding Test a year on, against New Zealand at Lord’s starting on Thursday, the 24-year-old needed no prompting to single out the help of Moores, who lost his job following an embarrassingly early exit from the World Cup and a disappointing drawn Test series in the West Indies.

“I think, when I came back from Australia, I realised a lot of the time out there I was trying to work on things I wasn’t too good at - and putting all my energy into that, rather than spending more time strengthening the stuff I am good at,” Root said.

“Obviously I could still try to tweak things I can improve on, but I just needed to make sure I did more of what I could do well so I didn’t lose those.

“Peter saw that and I simplified things as well.”

England will be coached on a caretaker basis by Moores’ assistant Paul Farbrace in back-toback Tests against New Zealand, starting on Thursday, but the search for a new number one is already reportedly under way.

Root may well soon team up again with his Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie, who is a frontrunner, but he is still sad to lose Moores as such a trusted and respected ally.

“He was good to work with, a brilliant coach,” Root added.

“He knew how to get the best out of me personally, and I really hope he goes on to do other great jobs within the game.”

While Moores is again part of England’s past, Root is very much the future - as demonstrated by Strauss’ decision to make him Alastair Cook’s vice-captain instead of Ian Bell.— AFP

Zealander to score 1,000 runs in a calendar year.

Leading from the front in all forms of the game, McCullum has become the most innovative and enterprising captain in international cricket.

Tim Southee and Trent Boult have been acclaimed by the country’s finest cricketer Rich-

ard Hadlee as the best opening attack to represent New Zealand and Kane Williamson is on course to break all his nation’s batting records.

England won 2-0 at home two years ago but the New Zealanders have not lost a series since and they opened their tour with a comfortable win over Somerset.

“It was a little scratchy at times but there were enough good things,” coach Mike Hesson said.

“The tempo with the bat was good and some of the guys got runs but I thought with the ball we were a bit inconsistent.”

Opening batsman Martin Guptill, who hit a world record 237 not out against West Indies in the World Cup, is set to return to the test arena. He warmed up for the first test nicely by scoring 150 in the victory over Worcestershire. - Reuters

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W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

SPORTS COMPETITIVE

Haynes has big expectations from third edition of CPL BRIDGETOWN: Batting legend Desmond Haynes has backed this year’s Caribbean Premier League to be played between June 20 to July 26, to be one of the best ever.

The 59-year-old, who serves as ambassador for the Barbados Tridents, said that with the quality of overseas players and the well-balanced nature of the six franchises, the tournament could prove to be the stand-out edition, reports CMC. “I believe this could be the best CPL because looking at the teams I find that the teams are well balanced and all the teams are very competitive,” Haynes said on Monday.

“With those big stars coming to be a part of CPL I think it is good for the competition. Over the last couple of years, CPL has been very good in having some very balanced sides but as you know, cricket is played on the day.

“But looking at the teams on paper, you would think that this CPL will be the best one of the three.”

South Africa’s Jacques Kallis heads the list of overseas stars coming for the third edition of the CPL, with Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene and Lasith Malinga, England’s Kevin Pietersen and Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi also set to feature.

Despite the influx of stars, Haynes says he did not expect any one team to dominate the tournament, as success would also be down to team unity.

“All the teams are very competitive. You may look at one or two teams that do have some big names but a lot of the teams have good units and play together,” he pointed out.

“Take the Tridents for example, if it is one thing you can say about us is that we always play together, we gel well and everybody likes the leader.

“Polly (Kieron Pollard) has an influence on the team which makes everybody happy to be around him. And we’ve got the senior players that don’t matter what you ask of them, these guys are willing to do it for the team.”

The CPL features six franchises — Tridents, Jamaica Tallawahs, T&T Red Steel, St Lucia Zouks, Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots — competing in 33 matches. — IANS

Pakistan recall Malik, drop Ajmal for Zimbabwe T20s Malik, the 33-yearold all-rounder, has

Zimbabwe team touch down in Lahore

not figured since a poor showing against Bangladesh in the last of his 59 T20 internationals in Dhaka in 2014

LAHORE: Pakistan on Tuesday announced surprise recalls for former captain Shoaib Malik and paceman Mohammad Sami but left out struggling spinner Saeed Ajmal for the two Twenty20s internationals against Zimbabwe.

Malik, the 33-year-old allrounder, has not figured since a poor showing against Bangladesh in the last of his 59 T20 internationals in Dhaka in 2014.

But a return to form in the recently concluded “Super8” domestic T20 cup has led to him being recalled, said chief selector Haroon Rasheed.

“In the absence of Ajmal who needs some time to adjust to his remodelled action, we needed someone who could bowl also and Malik has shown some good recent form,” Rasheed said.

Off-spinner Ajmal was banned by the International Cricket Council last year and has been struggling with control since his new bowling action was cleared by the ICC in February.

He was left out of Pakistan’s World Cup squad, and then returned unsuccessfully on the tour of Bangladesh last month.

“Ajmal is an asset and as a professional he knows he needs some time, so he will play for (Worcestershire) county in England to gain his confidence back,” said Rasheed.

Sami, 34, was once regarded as one of the world’s fastest bowlers after he burst on to the scene in the early 2000s. But he last played for Pakistan on the tour of Sri Lanka in June 2012.

The 15-man squad also sees the return of batsman Umar Akmal

AMIDST TIGHT SECURITY: Pakistani policemen stand guard beside a bus carrying Zimbabwe cricket team players on their way to hotel after their arrival in Lahore in the early hours of Tuesday. – AFP

LAHORE: The Zimbabwe cricket team landed in Pakistan in the early hours of Tuesday, becoming the first Test-playing nation to visit the militancywracked South Asian country in six years, Lahore airport officials said.

Zimbabwe are set to play two T20s and three ODIs in a miniseries under high security in-

who was left out of the Bangladesh tour for exhibiting a “poor attitude” during the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in February and March.

There are two uncapped players, 19-year-old opening batsman Noman Anwar who has been in prolific form and all-rounder and former Pakistan under-19 team

volving 6,000 police and aerial surveillance by commandos on rooftops and helicopters.

The tour is a first by a full ICC member since Sri Lanka visited in 2009, when their team bus was attacked by RPG and machine-gun wielding militants, with eight people killed and seven players wounded.

Forced to host home games in

captain Imad Wasim.

Anwar was declared top batsman in the domestic Twenty20 event after scoring 270 runs at a strike-rate of 162.65 for Sialkot Stallions, including a match-winning 54-ball 97 in the final against Lahore Lions on Sunday.

“We have selected a combination of youth and experience with

CRICKET

neutral venues like the United Arab Emirates, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) estimates it has lost $120 million in TV rights and extra overheads.

Even hosting Zimbabwe will cost the PCB more than $1 million, half of which is for the visitors’ fees and expenses.

Not much of the outlay will be recouped by sponsorships and

an eye on (next year’s) World Twenty20 where we will need experience as well,” said Rasheed.

Zimbabwe arrived early Tuesday to become the first Test playing team to tour Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, which led to the suspension of all international cricket in the country. The two

gate proceeds.

An incident-free series is seen as crucial to Pakistan’s hopes of ending its sporting isolation.

But risks remain high, and the massacre of 45 minority Shiites in an attack on a bus in Karachi last week nearly prompted Zimbabwe to pull out at the last minute. - AFP

Twenty20 matches will be played in Lahore on Friday and Sunday.

The squad: Shahid Afridi (captain), Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammed Hafeez, Mukhtar Ahmed, Noman Anwar, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Mohammed Rizwan, Anwar Ali, Hammad Azam, Imad Wasim, Bilawal Bhatti, Wahab Riaz, Mohammed Sami. - AFP

CRICKET

FCC return home after successful tour of UAE GCC to host Al Yam

Enterprises tourney MUSCAT: Gulf Cricket Centre (GCC) will organise Al Yam Enterprises Summer Cup Cricket Tournament for under-15 players of their academy from Friday.

The three-match series will see two academy teams battling for top honours from Friday.

The second match is scheduled to be played on Saturday and the third and final match is scheduled for May 29.

The three matches, all 25 overs-a-side affairs, will be played at Municipality IV Ground in Al Amerat.

CRICKET

Rubel gearing up for a return in India series MUSCAT: Friends Cricket Club (FCC), who toured the UAE on their first international outing, returned home recently with two victories from three matches they played in UAE series.

According to a press release issued by the club on Tuesday, the

FCC played two games against Chargers CC of Sharjah and one match against Crick brothers CC of Ajman. The matches were played at Hamariya Free Zone Sport & Cultural Ground in Ajman.

“The players learned a lot on the UAE tour. They have also gained in

confidence and it augurs well for the team in as they prepare for the upcoming Oman Cricket league season,” the statement said.

The 14-player team to UAE was led by Nowfal Raymarakkar.

In their first two matches against Chargers CC, Kimberley Bentick

(58runs) and Vijesh CV (46 runs) won the man of the awards.

“It has been a successful tour and we hope to organise similar tours in future as well,” statement said.

The club officials also thanked KSK builders and Developers for supporting the team.

DHAKA: Injured Bangladesh fast bowler Rubel Hossain is gearing up for a return to his national team fold resuming responsibilities as its main strike bowler against India in an upcoming series. India will play a Test and three ODIs from June 10 to 24 away at Bangladesh.

Hossain suffered a Grade 1 left side strain prior to the second Test against Pakistan earlier this month, which according to the team physio Bayjedul Islam would have taken three to four weeks to recover, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) statement said on Tuesday. — IANS

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FOOTBALL

Palestinians firm as Israel faces Fifa suspension vote RAMALLAH: On top of land, settlements, resources and borders, Israel and the Palestinians can add another dispute to their long history of conflict - football.

In 10 days’ time, at the request of the Palestine Football Association, Fifa will hold a vote among its 209 members at a Congress in Geneva on whether Israel should be suspended from the world football body for violating rules relating to racism, the free movement of players and where clubs are based.

If Israel were to be suspended, its clubs and teams would not be able to take part in international competitions such as the Champions League and the Euro 2016 competition.

While Palestinian officials emphasize that there is nothing political about their move, it raises parallels with Fifa’s suspension of apartheid South Africa in the 1960s and Slobodan Milosevic’s Yugoslavia in the 1990s, making it a highly emotive issue with ramifications that go far beyond sports.

The Palestinians have raised three major complaints: that Palestinian players and officials are routinely restricted in their movement, making it difficult to play matches; that five clubs play in the Israeli league that are located in settlements in the Palestinian territories; and that the Israeli Football Association (IFA) is turning a blind eye to racism.

The complaints are longstanding, with the PFA having put them on the agenda at Fifa meetings in both 2013 and 2014.

In the past, last-minute compromises have been found to prevent the Palestinians pushing the issue as far as a vote.

But this time the Palestinians are determined to go all the way, saying Israel has been hoodwinking Fifa for the past three years and done nothing to change its behaviour. Israel’s federation says it has been doing everything it can.

“We will never, ever accept any compromise, any agreement or deal outside the Congress,” Jibril Rajoub, a former politician who has headed the PFA since 2008, said on Tuesday. “(The Israelis) think they can keep leading the world by the nose because of the Holocaust,” he said, emphasising the point

twice. “They are the bully of the neighbourhood.”

Voting rules Fifa President Sepp Blatter has spoken to Rajoub and the chairman of the Israel Football Association, Ofer Eini, and is visting the region this week in the hope of finding a solution before May 29.

The Israeli federation has said it cannot be held responsible for restrictions imposed by the state of Israel. That position was reiterated by Rotem Kamer, the chief executive of the IFA, in a conference call on Tuesday, as both sides stepped up their public relations ahead of the Congress.

“I don’t think there is any football association around the world which can tell its government how to deal with security issues, including the Israeli Football Association,” he said.

He also dismissed the charge about racism in Israeli football, saying it was an unfortunate phenomenon around the world that everyone had to fight against.

Palestinian officials have said quietly that they think the area where they have the strongest case is when it comes to teams from settlements playing in the Israeli league.

“If the other side insists on causing us suffering, we are not using violence or weapons, we are using the legal leverage of the Fifa statutes,” said Rajoub. “This is nothing to do with politics, this is a sport issue.”

If it does end up in a vote in Geneva, it is far from clear how it would turn out. And there’s also a dispute over what the threshold of the vote would be, whether 75 percent of members present or 50 percent plus one.

The Palestinians are confident they have widespread support.

Gonzalo Boye, a lawyer advising them, said the motion to suspend Israel required the support of 50 percent of Fifa members who are present plus one vote, with abstentions not counting.

The Israelis take a different view, saying they have received a “clear interpretation” from Fifa that the proposal will need a 75 percent majority to pass, meaning the Palestinians will need about 160 votes, a tall order. - Reuters

SPORTS

Gatlin slams organisers before leaving Beijing The American said he had planned to

They didn’t have any respect for me so they said ‘you better leave’ and they kicked me out. It makes no sense

headline the 100m event despite slight injury concerns but was told he was not wanted

BEIJING: Controversial sprinter Justin Gatlin ran into a fresh row on Tuesday when he flew home on the eve of the Beijing World Challenge meeting, angrily claiming organisers had told him they did not want him to compete.

The American, who has served two doping bans but is currently the world’s fastest man, said he had planned to headline the 100 metres event at Wednesday’s meeting despite slight injury concerns but was told he was not wanted.

However, organisers of the meeting in the Bird’s Nest Stadium ignored repeated requests for a response to Gatlin’s claims, leaving no obvious explanation as to why they would want him to leave a meeting where he was the star attraction.

Asked whether the sudden departure may have been linked to his controversial reputation or any fresh doping allegation, the sprinter’s manager Renaldo Nehemiah said: “No, it has nothing to do with that. No, this is because they think he is injured and they don’t want him here if he’s injured.”

Justin Gatlin American sprinter

Gatlin, who had ran the fastest 100 metres of his life and the quickest in the world this year at 9.74 seconds in Doha on Friday, told reporters as he left for the airport to fly home to Florida that he was “upset” by the lack of respect shown to him.

Nehemiah said he had been told by organisers the sprinter would have to pay for all his team’s travel and hotel costs, amounting to nearly $12,000, and would not receive his appearance fee.

Former hurdling great Nehemiah added that he would be taking up the matter with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Gatlin said he had initially told organisers that he had suffered cramping in a tight hamstring and dehydration following the flight and was not sure about his fitness to compete.

the fastest time by anyone since 2012 in Doha and my body was a little whacked. I had respect for the organisers telling them that I felt dehydrated but they didn’t have any respect for me,” he added.

“It’s crazy. I have no idea what they were thinking.

“I think they thought I wasn’t man enough and I might pull up in the race, or not finish it and then still ask for money.

“But I’m not a man like that. I’m not the kind of guy to cheat people of their money or let the fans down... that’s not what I do.

“I’d have run 9.8, 9.7 seconds here. That’s what I’m trained to do, to put on a great show.”

Gatlin promised he would be back to compete in Prefontaine Classic meeting in Eugene on May 30, declaring: “I’m going to drop a bomb out there.” - Reuters

No Oman leg for Triple Crown Series triathlon SPORTS REPORTER

MUSCAT: Challenge Family, confirmed that Challenge Oman, the long-distance triathlon in the Triple Crown Series, will not be held in Oman.

Challenge Dubai, Challenge Bahrain and the recently-revealed

Challenge Oman forms the Triple Crown series.

Challenge Oman was slated to be held on August 7 in Oman.

“Planning is currently underway for an alternative venue to host the prestigious Nasser Bin Hamad Triple Crown Series with its record-breaking $1 million

ISC-Muscat win medals at SABIS sports meet

is important is your participation, your team spirit, your attitude during the games… and having given it your best shot.

“Because, yes… in life, you will win some and you will lose some… but a most important life lesson that you can learn here today is to win with humility… and lose with grace.”

Happy to stay “I’m upset. I’m the kind of guy who, regardless of whether you think I’m a good or a bad guy, I go off respect and I had enough respect to tell the organisers as soon as I arrived how I felt going into this race,” he said.

Yet after coming through a training session on Monday, he felt confident he would be fit to compete.

“I was happy to stay. I’m fit and ready to run. I was cramping a lot after the fastest my body has ever run,” Gatlin said. “They didn’t have any respect for me so they said ‘you better leave’ and they kicked me out. It makes no sense.”

The sprinter, who has become a polarising figure in the sport after his drugs bans, was clearly bewildered and angry as he left for Beijing airport with his physiotherapist.

“I thought I was competing. I ran

DISAPPOINTED

REGIONAL SPORTS

MUSCAT: The International School of Choueifat — Muscat (ISC-Muscat) excelled at the SABIS Regional Sports Tournament, winning medals of different colours in both team and individual disciplines in the neighbouring UAE recently.

Over 1,000 SABIS athletes from 23 SABIS schools representing 12 countries, including those from Germany, Romania, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Egypt, Bahrain, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan competed enthusiastically in swimming, basketball, football, sprint, relay, and long jump.

Victor Saad, Vice-President of SABIS Educational Services, welcomed the distinguished guests and the crowd; he cheered the athletes on with an address from the heart stressing that “Playing sport teaches a lot of valuable life lessons, at least partly because we often learn more from our failures than we do from our successes!

It is the former that motivates us to strive for improvement, and to never become complacent.

“So, regardless of whether you win or lose today, know that what

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ISC-Muscat students had their share of medals with under-14 football team and girls relay team winning bronze medals. Kelsey McDowell bagged the bronze medal in under-12 girls breaststroke swimming competition.

Loay Al Rashdi won a silver medal in long jump and a gold medal in 100m race. Ammar

Al Maamari earned the title of “Golden Boots” for scoring 12 goals in Under-10 football.

SABIS/Choueifat Global Network of Schools that started with humble beginnings in 1886, currently educates close to 65,000 students in both the private and public sectors, operating in 17 countries.

prize purse and this will be announced shortly,” the organisers said in a statement.

The triathlon world will watch as Daniela Ryf (Switzerland) and Terenzo Bozzone (New Zealand) battle against the world’s top pros to keep in the running for triathlon’s ultimate prize and the chance to be-

come an instant millionaire.

“While we are disappointed not to be able to showcase the beauty of Oman to the world, cancelling the race and moving the Triple Crown for 2015 is in the best interests of both the athletes and the local community,” said Challenge Family CEO, Zibi Szlufcik.

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W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

SPORTS

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F RU S T R AT E D

Mourinho outraged by Fabregas ‘bizarre red card’ WEST BROMWICH: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho expressed his frustration after Cesc Fabregas was sent off in bizarre fashion as the champions were defeated 3-0 at West Bromwich Albion.

The Spanish midfielder is set to miss the first two matches of next season plus the final game of this campaign at home to Sunderland on Sunday following his first half dismissal after he kicked the ball against Chris Brunt.

Mourinho felt that a more experienced referee than Mike Jones would have resolved the situation with a mere lecture after tempers flared following a Diego Costa and Gareth McAuley off the ball coming together 29 minutes into the action at the Hawthorns.

“I’ve not seen a sending off like that,” said Mourinho.

“I would like to see it again. What

is this for a sending off ? Where is the danger of the situation to get a red card in a friendly game almost?

“I don’t understand. Darren Fletcher was aggressive yes, he pushed in the chest. He’s experienced. It was much more aggressive than what Fabregas did.

“A top referee with big personality has a few words and controls the game. It’s a bizarre red card.

“Three game ban for this? Jesus Christ. Of course it’s harsh. We lose all the time (when we appeal) but I’ve not spoken to him.

“Diego Costa was targeted, of course. But it’s the same story. It depends on the referee. If the referee wants to protect the talent and punish the bully it is easy for him.

“Congratulations to West Brom for the season and this three points. And let’s go home.”

Mourinho felt this first defeat

WHERE IS THE DANGER: Jose Mourinho

in 19 matches was the net result of claiming the title three games ago as Saido Berahino scored on nine minutes and added a penalty two minutes after the break before

Brunt scored a third on the hour.

“The ideal scenario is to be champions and don’t play again, go home and have holidays,” he said.

“When you have three more

matches it can happen with Bayern Munich three defeats in three and we claim one point in two.

“When you play since August with motivation and commitment and feeling the pressure, when you are champions you breathe and everything changes.

“It is difficult to play. Let’s blame the players a bit, myself and the top contenders for the title as they were not good enough to fight with us. This is a consequence of being champions so early.”

West Brom manager Tony Pulis insists any criticism of Chelsea is unwarranted. “It’s a great finish, we will finish 13th in the table but I don’t think anything should be taken away from the team we played.”

“The team we’ve played have been by far the best team in England. They have won the league by a country mile and they have been

‘Sterling should be embarrassed’ Liverpool winger has come under a withering attack from two of the club’s former stalwarts over his apparent reluctance to sign a reported £100,000 per week contract

TRANSFER SAGA: Raheem Sterling

LONDON: Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling has come under a withering attack from two of the club’s former stalwarts over his apparent reluctance to sign a reported £100,000 ($155,340) per week contract.

The 20-year-old England international’s future at Liverpool is clouded in uncertainty with British media reports on Tuesday suggesting Sterling is poised to request a transfer.

Manchester City are one of the club’s being linked with a move for Sterling who, according to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been offered an “incredible” new contract.

With Liverpool insisting Sterling is not for sale, the saga is bound to rumble on into the summer and Jamie Carragher, now a television pundit, said he should be embarrassed to walk into training this week and suggested a change of agent.

“I’d be embarrassed to walk into training tomorrow and show my face to everyone; even the lady on the reception,” former Liverpool defender Carragher told Sky Sports.

“Raheem Sterling is a great kid.

He’s not some flash young kid. He’s not loud, he’s not in people’s faces.

He loves his football.

“He needs to change his agent.

That’s the one thing he needs to change. For a 20-year-old kid to be taking on Liverpool Football Club, there’s nothing worse.

“Raheem Sterling will obviously move on at some stage. Brendan Rodgers has said he won’t be leaving this summer but it looks like he’s trying to force the club’s hand.”

Carragher said Sterling still had to prove he was worth the kind of salary enjoyed by the Premier League’s biggest names.

“If you want trophies and big money they won’t be given to you, you have to earn them,” Carragher said. “What did Liverpool win this year? Nothing.”

Former Liverpool winger John Barnes, who Sterling has been compared to, echoed Carragher’s comments.

“Raheem has not achieved anything, he has not won anything,” Barnes told the BBC. “Does anyone believe that if he goes to Manchester City he will be the first name on the team sheet or are they just signing him because they need English players?”

“Raheem has great potential, but Liverpool gave him an opportunity and he should stay for a couple of years.”

The agent of Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling said on Tuesday that media reports his client will ask to leave the club have been “blown somewhat out of proportion”.

The sports pages of Britain’s newspapers were dominated by the story that Sterling, 20, will inform Liverpool’s hierarchy of his desire to leave during a meeting with club officials on Friday.

Sterling has already admitted turning down a new contract worth around £100,000 ($155,500, 139,000 euros) per week, but his representative Aidy Ward says they will approach the talks with an open mind.

“The story has been blown somewhat out of proportion,” Ward said in a statement sent to talkSPORT radio.

“Raheem and his representatives have a meeting scheduled with Liverpool later this week, and we will take proceedings from there.”

Sterling has two years left on his current deal, thought to be worth £35,000 a week, and told the BBC last month that he was putting negotiations over a new contract on hold until the end of the season.

The England international’s stand-off with Liverpool, who signed him from Queens Park Rangers in 2010, is reported to have put clubs including Arsenal and Manchester City on alert.

But Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was coy when asked if was interested in signing Sterling during a press conference on Tuesday.

“I don’t like to lie. If I say I will and I don’t do it, you will say I lied,” said the Frenchman, who made an unsuccessful attempt to prise Luis Suarez away from Anfield in 2013. - Agencies

much better than anyone else.

“Although we have won this game, all the praise should go to Jose, his coaching staff, the people of Chelsea and the players.

“Jose was very good. I’ve managed against him twice and managed to beat him twice with Palace and West Brom. He was very gracious in defeat and for all what we have done, they have been worthy champions. They are a fantastic football club with wonderful players and for some people to criticise them is unbelievable.

“We were so on edge after we lost at home to QPR and Leicester but the lads have bounced back.

“The attitude has been wonderful, we got the breaks in this game, we played really well at times and defended well. The discipline was good and we made it very difficult for Chelsea.” - AFP FOOTBALL

Wenger keen to avoid accidents in final games LONDON: Arsene Wenger has urged his Arsenal side to avoid any accidents and make sure they finish the Premier League season in style.

The Gunners have two home games left, against relegationthreatened Sunderland on Wednesday and then against West Bromwich Albion on Sunday and need two points to be absolutely assured of finishing no lower than third.

Two wins could even allow them to finish as runners-up to Chelsea, their best finish for 10 years. But for a surprise 1-0 home defeat by Swansea City last week they would already be assured of a top-three spot, and Wenger, whose side have an FA Cup final to look forward to, wants no repeat performance against Sunderland.

“We have put so much effort in that it would be stupid not to finish the job well,” Wenger said. “For me the Swansea game was an accident.

“Sunderland need a point to be safe so I expect them to be well organised defensively, sound at the back, and to try to use all the counter-attacks they can, all the set-pieces they have, to score goals. “We have to put a high rhythm into this game and play with a high level of energy to win the game.”

Wenger said catching Manchester City was a remote possibility. “We have a possibility to take the six points, but it will not be enough if Man City win against Southampton.” - Reuters

I S C TA B L E T E N N I S

Sai Saran, Shounak reign supreme

MUSCAT: P. Sai Saran and Shounak Kelkar reigned supreme on the final day of the ISC Junior Table Tennis League sponsored by New Makha Enterprises and organized by the Indian Social Club Muscat.

Sai Saran claimed the boys under-16 crown and Shounak captured the boys under-14 title.

In a thrilling final of the boys under-16 singles which went the distance, Sai Saran held his nerves to edge to a narrow 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9 victory to record his second win over Subash in this tournament.

After a cautious start, Sai Saran benefited from Subash’s unforced errors and held a 10-5 advantage in the first game of the best-ofseven-games final.

Subash saved four game points and missed an easy forehand to lose the game.

Scores went neck-and-neck until six-all in the second game and the tense battle continued before Sai Saran went on the offensive to make it two games to love.

Some brilliant rallies were exchanged in the third game as Subash held a marginal lead.

Sai Saran hit a forehand long to give Subash game point which he converted. Subash raced to a 10-4 lead in the fourth game when Sai Saran staged reeled off the next three points before Subash converted to make it two-games-all.

The match came to life as both went for their strokes. Subash held a slender lead in the fifth game but Sai Saran bounced back to win the game. Subash was at his best and comfortably won the sixth game to take the match to the decider.

Subash took the early lead but Sai Saran played some brilliant at-

tacking table tennis to claw from 3-7 down to seven-all. The tense battle reached nine-all when Sai Saran gained match point which he converted to capture the boys under-16 title.

Shounak Kelkar proved too strong for Sai Prem whom he defeated with a convincing score of 11-5, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9 to win the boys under-14 singles crown.

Nitin Vaidya, ISC’s senior table tennis player and holder of several men’s singles titles, graced the finals and distributed the prizes to the winners.

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LIFE & STYLE

SECTION

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM W ED N ES DAY, M AY 2 0, 2 0 1 5

Tiny particles used in sunscreens and other consumer products may harm marine creatures by disabling the defence mechanisms that protect their embryos SMALL AMOUNTS of microscopic metals in some sunscreens, toothpastes, cosmetics and boat paints can alter the cells of sea life in ways that make the animals more vulnerable to damage inflicted by other toxic pollutants, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Science and Toxicology.

The findings add to growing evidence that nanomaterials — which are 100,000 times smaller than a human hair — sometimes affect plants and animals in unexpected ways.

Previous research has shown that nano-zinc, nano-copper, and other metal nanoparticles widely used in consumer products can harm tiny marine worms, crustaceans, algae, fish, mussels and other sea creatures.

While the new study was conducted on sea urchin embryos, the

researchers say the effects could be similar for other forms of sea life.

“When they were exposed to these nanomaterials, even in extremely low concentrations that you wouldn’t expect to have an effect, we saw all sorts of unusual patterns of development,” says study co-author Gary Cherr, interim director of the University of California, Davis, Bodega Marine Laboratory.

For example, some urchin embryos exposed to nano-zinc oxides in sunscreen or nano-copper oxides in boat paint never grew to become larvae or appeared to grow normally but then were unable to eat and died.

Scientists now are researching and debating whether nanomaterials in sunscreens and other products are risky to the environment.

Scientist Hunter Lenihan says that simply walking into the water

on a crowded beach while wearing sunscreen can expose marine creatures to traces of metal particles that may be harmful.

“We think that the exposure through sunscreen is probably the most important route for animals in aquatic systems,” says Lenihan, a professor of marine ecology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who has studied nanomaterials. He was not involved in the new study.

“I think it would scale up with the size of the beaches. In big places like Los Angeles or Florida, it could cause significant problems,” Lenihan says.

But other scientists see little cause for alarm.

Paul Westerhoff, a professor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment, says the new research does not prove that

sunscreen has significant impacts on marine life. “The tradeoffs in this paper are not severe in my mind, relative to the concentrations likely to be in water,” he says.

Westerhoff says the doses of nanoparticles that the embryos were exposed to, while small, seem too large to be realistic. “You would almost never find these concentrations in the marine environment,” he says.

Cherr agrees that most studies do show exceptionally small amounts of nanomaterials get into the environment. But that varies by location.

“It could be the amounts we tested are, in fact, higher than you would see. But when you look at the potential for a busy enclosed beach, we don’t know that,” he says.

Pros and cons of nanomaterials In the new study, scientists exposed urchin embryos to differ-

ent levels of nanoparticles used in some sunscreen and boat paint. They found that the materials harmed the creatures directly and indirectly.

For example, nano-copper oxide used in paint doesn’t dissolve easily in water. Urchins exposed to small amounts took up particles that did not initially harm them. But over time the animals amassed these particles, which then dissolved inside the embryo, exposing the urchins to toxic amounts of copper.

In both paint and sunscreen, the nanomaterials also disrupted cellular pumps that organisms use to flush away toxic compounds. That made the embryos more susceptible to damage from other toxic compounds.

“When you introduce new forms of chemicals into the environment, there are all these potential positives,” Cherr says. “Some, com-

pared to their bulk counterparts, may be safer. But there’s always some potential for risk we just may not understand.”

Nano-copper oxides are considered an improvement over traditional forms of copper, which can affect basic marine life processes, such as how salmon use smell to find spawning grounds. Nanomaterial paints also don’t have to be applied as often. “You’re putting much less paint on boats and the loading to the environment is less — or so that was the hope,” Cherr says.

The advocacy organisation Environmental Working Group has named zinc oxide as the best available sunscreen option for most consumers. But the group says that the products should be better monitored and regulated to protect people and the environment. -Craig Welch/The New York Times News Service

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W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

EXTRA W

hen ten-year-old Katie wakes up each morning, she makes the painful journey to her bedroom mirror.

Peering into the glass, she anxiously checks her body from head to toe.

Born with neurofibromatosis type one, lumps have grown aggressively over Katie’s spine, neck, stomach, and ribs. She lives in constant fear that more have appeared overnight.

Her mother, Jane, looks on. “It’s very sad to see — she hates it,” Jane says. “For a ten-year-old, it’s a lot to cope with. She can’t walk very well at the moment either, and gets the mickey taken out of her at school.”

The biggest lump is on Katie’s spine — which combined with scoliosis and problems with her feet, makes walking painful, and compresses her bowels.

Neurofibromatosis is one of the world’s most common genetic conditions, but few people really understand what it is. NF1 is the most prevalent type, affecting 25,000 people in the UK alone. Complications include tumours, skin lumps, curvature of the spine, bone deformities, and learning disabilities.

Café au lait spots on the skin (often mistaken for birthmarks) are an early sign. NF2 is more rare, affecting just over 1,000 people in the UK and Schwannomatosis, a third type, is even rarer.

A year ago, Katie began to retreat from the rest of the world. She spends hours painting and writing stories, usually about a dog named Henry. In her literary creations, Henry has fun at school and goes to the funfair — everything that Katie — who dreams of being a doctor or a vet — feels excluded from. Despite the physical manifestations of NF1, Katie is a normal ten-year-old who just wants to be accepted by her peers.

But no case of NF1 is the same, which is why the condition is so difficult to understand. Around two thirds of people with NF1 are mildly affected and live a normal life.

Some people will have a learning disability, whilst others, including Katie, do not. Complications, such as tumours and lumps, can develop at any time, with doctors even diagnosing NF in 80-year-olds. A recent survey found 44 per cent of young people with NF1 said uncertainty was their main concern.

Professor Jaishri Blakeley, director of the US-based Johns Hopkins Neurofibromatosis Centre, says this is an area they are researching. “If we had a bio-marker that would tell us who is going to have no problems and who is going to have a difficult time — we may be able to develop drugs to give them for short windows of time. That part is science fiction, but I hope I see that in my career. That is what we’re working towards.”

Diane Sunderland, whose 11-year -old daughter, Ella, was diagnosed aged eight, describes the future as, “a ticking time bomb.” Every six months Ella has an MRI to monitor tumours on her brain and optic nerves, to check if her sight has been affected.

“It’s hard. I want to say it will be OK — but I don’t want to make promises I can’t keep,” Diane says.

Early awareness of NF1 is another concern. Diane actively campaigns to get the warning signs, café au lait marks, included in the personal child health record (‘the red book’), with Ella’s diagnosis five years after they first sought help.

And Diane adds: “When Ella was finally diagnosed — I went to the physician to get advice. The physician replied: ‘What’s that?’ She had to look it up on Google whilst I cried my eyes out.”

The first parliamentary debate on NF1 took place in January. Led by Labour Lords, it called for better monitoring of NF1, and early detection.

Marc Crank, chief executive of the Neuro Foundation, who also has NF1, agrees. “If it’s not picked up until you’re in the teens, you may have missed out on all the additional support you should have had.”

He himself has had various tumours, requiring many operations over the years. Yet Marc, a married man, teaches karate, cycles on a regular basis, and works full-time running the Neuro Foundation.

“Wherever there is ignorance, there will be stigma,” he adds. Although the condition has no cure, Professor Rosalie Ferner, the national lead for NF1 services, says research is improving. Neuroimaging, for example, means tumours and effects of therapy can be measured, and the Neuro Foundation employs special advisors who work with families, health professionals and schools.

“Awareness is being raised and it’s hugely different from how it was. Could it be better? Of course it could,” she says.

“There are certain regions where they have very little input and those regions need a lot more help. “If I had a wish list, it’s about allowing people to monitor their own health and getting the best possible help when they need it.”

-Charlotte Wace/The Independent

For years, neurofibromatosis was wrongly associated with the condition of the ‘Elephant Man’, as it is frequently stereotyped, misunderstood and often unheard of

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

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

AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON (3D) PG12 Cast : Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans Timings :06:55 PM MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2D) 12+ Cast : Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron Timings :12:30 PM MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (3D) 12+

SCREEN 3 Gabbar - Hindi (Action/Drama ) – PG Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Timing: 3.45 PM PURAMPOKKU – Tamil (Drama ) – PG Cast: Arya, Shaam, Vijay Sethupathi Timing: 6.45 PM BOMBAY VELVET (Action) – 12+ Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma Timing: 9.45 PM

Cast : Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron Timings :09:30 PM & 11:45 PM Gold Class: 03:45 PM & 11:15 PM PITCH PERFECT (2D) 12+ Timings :10:15 & 02:45 PM Gold Class: 06:00 PM GOOD KILL (2D) 12+ Cast : Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Timings : 05:00 PM & 09:45 PM. CAPTAIN MASR (2D) PG Timings :10:30 AM & 05:15 PM Gold Class: 11:45 AM FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD (2D) 12+ Timings :03:00 PM Gold Class: 01:30 PM BOMBAY VELVET (HINDI) (2D) 12+ Cast : Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma Timings :07:00 PM Gold Class: 08:30 PM PIKU (HINDI) (2D) 12+ Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Irfan Khan Timings :12:30 PM CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR (2D) 15+ Cast : Isabel Lucas, Dermot Mulroney Timings :11:45 PM

SCREEN 1 BOMBAY VELVET (Action/Drama ) – 12+ Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka harma Timing: 3.30 PM PIKU (Drama / Comedy) – PG Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone Timing: 6.30 PM GABBAR - Hindi (Action/Drama ) – PG Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Timing: 9.30 PM SCREEN 2 PIKU (Drama / Comedy) – PG Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone Timing: 3.45, 9.45 PM GABBAR - Hindi (Action/Drama ) – PG Cast: Akshay Kumar, Shruti K. Haasan, Kareena Kapoor; Timing: 6.45 PM

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON -3D (PG12) Cast : Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans Timings : 02:15, 11:40 pm ACCIDENTAL LOVE - 2D (12+) Comedy Cast : Jessica Biel, Raymond L. Brown Jr. Timings : 03:15 pm GOOD KILL – 2D (12+) Drama | Thriller Cast : Ethan Hawke, January Jones Timings : 04:50, 09:30, 11:30 pm CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR - 2D (15+) Thriller Cast : Isabel Lucas, Dermot Mulroney Timings : 07:00 pm FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD 2D (12+) Drama; Timings : 06:00 pm MAD MAX: FURY ROAD - 3D (12+) Action, Adventure, Thriller Cast : Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron Timings : 06:50, 09:15, 11:45 pm CAPTAIN MASR - 2D (ARB) (PG) Sports, Cast : Mohamed Emam, Edward Timings : 02:00, 05:15 pm PITCH PERFECT 2 - 2D (12+) Comedy Timings : 04:50 pm BOMBAY VELVET - 2D (12+) Crime Cast : Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma Timings : 08:50, 11:15 pm TOMORROWLAND – 2D (PG) Act Cast : George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie, 08:20 pm CHIRAKODINJA KINAVUKAL - 2D (M) (PG) Comedy, Spoof Cast : Kunchacko Boban, Rima Kallingal Timings : 07:10 pm

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD - 2D (12+) Cast : Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron Timings : 02:30 pm PIKU - 2D (PG) Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan Timings : 03:45 pm

TOMORROWLAND – 2D (PG) Act Cast : George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie09:15 PM MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – 3D (12+) Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron Timing: 02:45, 05:20, 09:30, 11:45 PM GOOD KILL – 2D (12+) Drama, Thriller Cast: Ethan Hawke, January Jones Timing: 02:30, 05:00, 11:45 PM CAPTAIN MASR – 2D (PG) Sports Timings: 04:20, 07:30 PM PURAMPOKKU ENGIRA PODHUVUDAMAI- 2D (PG) Action Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Arya Timing: 06:05 PM BOMBAY VELVET - 2D (12+) Crime Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma Timing: 09:00, 11:30 PM 36 VAYADHINILE - 2D (PG) Drama Cast: Jyothika, Rahman, Abhirami Timing: 03:15 PM AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON - 3D (PG12) Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans Timing: 07:00 PM

GOOD KILL (Drama | Thriller) (12+) CP# Cast: Ethan Hawke, Zoë Kravitz Timing: 05:00, 07:30 PM AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (3D) (Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi) (PG12) CP# Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans Timing: 05:00 PM

MAD MAX:FURY ROAD : (Action) : Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult Show Time : 3.15 p.m., 7.30 p.m., 9.45 p.m & 11.55 p.m.

Censor Permit No: 1273 ( 12+ ) PITCH PERFECT 2 : ( Comedy ) : Anna Kedrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld Show Time : 1.15 p.m. & 5.30 p.m.

Censor Permit No: 1272( 12+ ) BOMBAY VELVET : ( Hindi) (Crime/ Drama/History ) : Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar Show Time: 1.15 p.m., 6.00 p.m. & 9.00 p.m.

Censor Permit No: 1275 ( 12+ ) GOOD KILL : (Thriller ) : Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoe Kravitz, Bruce Green Wood Showtime : 4.00 p.m. & 11.55 p.m.

Censor Permit No: 1274 ( 12+ )

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (3D) (Action | Adventure | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron Timing: 09:20, 11:30 PM CAPTAIN MASR (Arabic) (Sports |Comedy | Drama) (PG) Timing: 07:00 PM BOMBAY VELVET (Hindi) (Crime | Drama | History) (12+) Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma Timing: 11:00 PM CHIRAKODINJA KINAVUKAL (Mal) (Comedy | Spoof ) (PG) Timing: 08:45 PM

AVENGERS :AGE OF ULTRON (3D) (PG12)( Action, Adventure,Sci-Fi) Timing: 10:00AM/6:30PM GOOD KILL (2D)(12+)( Drama/Thriller) Timings: 12:45/11:45PM CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR (2D)(15+) Timings: 12:15/7:15PM MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2D) (12+) (Action/Adventure/Thriller ) Timings: 2:45PM MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (3D) (12+) (Action/Adventure/Thriller ) Timings: 10:00AM/9:15/11:30PM TOMORROWLAND (2D) (PG) Act Cast : George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie. 11:45 PM BOMBAY VELVET (2D)(12+) (Crime) Timings: 9:00PM PURAMPOKKU ENGIRPODHUVUDAMAI(2D)(PG) (Action/Thriller/Drama) Timings: 8:45PM 36 VAYADHINILE (2D)(PG)( Drama) Timings: 4:15PM CHIRAKODINJA KINAVUKAL (2D)(PG) Timings: 6:15PM PIKU (2D)(PG)( Comedy, Drama) Timings: 2:00PM PITCH PERFECT 2 (2D)(12+)( Comedy,) Timings: 10:15AM/2:15PM

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

STARS CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776

Oru Vadakkan Selfie (Mal) (Rom) Cast: Navin Pauly, Manjima, Aju 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 pm at Cinema Main Bombay Velvet (Hindi) (Com/Rom) Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma 3:45, 9:45pm at Cinema 3 Chirakodinja Kinavukal (Mal) Cast: Kunchako Boban, Rima Kalingal & Sreenivasan 3:45 & 9:45 pm at Cinema 4 Purampokku (Tamil) (Rom) Cast: Aarya, Vijay Sethupathi 3:30, 6:30, 9:30 pm Cinema 2 O Kadhal Kanmani (Tamil/Rom) Cast:Dulqar Salman & Nitya Menon 6:45 pm at Cinema 4 Piku (Drama / Comedy) – PG Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone. 6:45pm Cinema 3 Next Change: BHASKAR THE RASCAL (Mal); 36 VAYATHINILLE (Tamil); LION (Telugu)

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

ACES ON BRIDGE

First the shape, then the play

M

arilyn Monroe said, “The working men, I’ll go by and they’ll whistle.

At first they whistle because they think, ‘Oh, it’s a girl. She’s got blond hair and she’s not out of shape,’ and then they say, ‘Gosh, it’s Marilyn Monroe!’”

A bridge player who is trying to defeat a contract will do well to work out declarer’s hand shape.

Then with luck he will say to himself, “Gosh, I see the lethal play.”

In today’s deal, East has to find the deadly defense. South is in three no-trump. West

leads the club two. Given the auction, what should East do?

East should start to count declarer’s hand during the bidding. From South’s two-heart rebid, a reverse showing at least a good 17 points, East knows that South has four hearts and at least five diamonds. From West’s opening lead, showing exactly a four-card suit, East learns that South also has three clubs. This means South surely has 1-4-5-3 distribution.

This ought to point to the right answer. East should win the first trick with his club ace and

shift to the spade king. He leads the king just in case declarer has the singleton queen. Since East has diamonds under control, the defenders should win five tricks before South collects nine. With the given layout, that’s exactly how the deal pans out. Declarer ducks a couple of spades, wins with dummy’s ace on the third round, and tries to run the diamonds. When they don’t break, he has to dislodge the club king to get out for down one.

Finally, note that even if West has the club kingjack, that suit can wait.

— By Phillip Alder MARMADUKE

CROSSWORD

B I G NAT E

Answer to previous puzzle

ACROSS 1 Copier manufacturer 6 Bedding plant 11 Flabbergasted 13 Grilled Tex-Mex dish 14 Baseball player’s headgear 15 Where Kathmandu is 17 Cargo unit 18 Restaurant calculation 19 Licorice herb 20 Asian pan 21 Bogus butter 23 To date

24 Rembrandt paintings 25 Cement section 27 Does a double take 29 Landscaping roll 31 Highest degree 32 Beaver State 35 Cartoon shrieks 38 Rainbow deity 39 Uncoordinated one 41 Decomposes 43 Morse signal 44 Madrid good-bye 46 Skip stones 47 Costello or Gehrig 48 Hold in high regard 49 Turkish title 50 Bursting with joy 52 Smelled strongly

54 Heirloom 55 Out of style DOWN 1 Craft knife (hyph.)

2 AOL notes 3 Descend a cliff 4 Lb. fraction 5 TV warrior princess 6 Wan 7 Foyt of auto racing 8 Scatterbrain 9 Happy-hour perches 10 Gives a strong tug 12 Refuse to believe 13 Zip up 16 Bridge support

22 Camel stops 24 Dark yellow 26 Soggy ground 28 Corroded, as acid 30 Trinket 32 Oval-nest builder 33 Ceremony 34 Catch red-handed 36 Brownies, at one time 37 Puts on a play 38 Clock watcher 40 Trey topper 42 Hammett sleuth 44 With, to Maurice 45 Flow slowly 51 Polynesian plant 53 Apiece

BORN LOSER

WITH LOVE

AARAV VINEET

ARJUN MAHESHWARI

May 20

May 20, 2009

AMOGH YOGESH

CHRISTINA T. SUNIL

ASHIKA MANOJ

May 21, 2009

May 21, 2004

May 22, 2008

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

KIDSPOT

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

C10

W E D NE S DAY, MAY 2 0, 2 015

FIND-IT-ALL Y O U R B I R T H D AY

BORN today, you have a creative streak a mile wide, and you could not curb your artistic energies even if you tried!

Also, you have been endowed with a current of emotion that runs deep and swift, and it is a very important part of everything you do. Though you are able to think very carefully when necessary, the truth is that you are ruled by your heart — but willingly so. You aren’t the kind to force yourself to live in any way that is foreign to your own nature, and you are, by nature, a feeling individual.

You have also been endowed with a tremendous sense of humour, and you have no qualms about pointing it at anything and everything and opening fire with jokes that could, by some, be considered inappropriate. Ah, so be it!

There may be times when you find yourself yearning for the good old days.

Indeed, you may have good reason to remember fondly things you did in the past, and the rewards they brought you.

But there is never a reason to think that those good times cannot be equaled or surpassed by the times to come!

Also born on this date are: Debby Ryan, actress; Stevie Wonder, singer-songwriter; Darius Rucker, singer; Dennis Rodman, basketball player; Ritchie Valens, singer; Stephen Colbert, comedian and television host; Bea Arthur, actress; Joe Louis, boxer; Harvey Keitel, actor; Mary Wells, singer; Zoe Wanamaker, actress; Barry Zito, baseball player; Pope Pius IX; Alan Ball, writer and producer; Sir Arthur Sullivan, composer; Bobby Valentine, baseball coach.

W E AT H E R

M

WORLD

Max 44 Min 37 Max 21 Min 12

Max 44 Min 25

Max 46 Min 33 Max 17 Min 8

Max 39 Min 33

Max 19 Min 11

Max 46 Min 30

Max 47 Min 29

Max 44 Min 26

Max 46 Min 31

Max 38 Min 29

[APRIL 20-MAY 20] Max 33 Min 28

Max 21 Min 14

Max 34 Min 27 Max 23 Min 15

—www.met.gov.om

GULF Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Kuwait Manama Riyadh

34 40 38 40 37 42

23 24 22 27 23 27

WORLD Athens Baghdad Beijing Berlin Boston Cairo Colombo Frankfurt Hong Kong Istanbul Johannesburg Kuala Lumpur Lisbon Paris Perth Singapore Tokyo Toronto

26 42 28 16 18 39 31 17 29 20 23 32 24 15 18 30 27 15

16 18 15 9 7 17 28 7 26 13 8 25 13 8 9 28 16 7

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

[MAY 21-JUNE 20]

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22] You’re worrying too much about being on time, when the most important issue is turning in work that exceeds expectations.

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22] You may be called upon to settle a dispute that hinges on an issue that you don’t completely understand — yet.

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22] Express yourself openly, but know that not everyone is ready to hear what you have to say. Tensions may rise for a while at home.

LIBRA L [[SEPT. [S S 23-OCT. 22] You must ready yourself for some disagreement, and recognise that disagreement is not, in and of itself, an argument!

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

[[OCT. 23-NOV. 21] Your attitude may seem a bit too cavalier for some, but others realise that this is just your way of protecting yourself.

SAGITTARIUS S [[NOV. 22-DEC. 21] Carelessness is not likely to be quickly forgiven, though you’ll surely have the chance to correct any genuine errors.

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19] You’re learning a great deal from someone who has taken it upon himself to do the impossible. You know that it’s only a matter of time!

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18] You may be suffering from an environmental malady of some sort.

You’ll soon have to make a change that reduces any serious threats.

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20] In the afternoon, you’ll have a chance to do something you skipped over in the morning — but your window will be very small, indeed.

ARIES [March 21-APRIL 19] Things are likely to be interconnected in ways that you had not anticipated. Names and dates will prove important as you sort matters out.

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

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

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

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

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

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

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

10:20 12:30

Daily Daily

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

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

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

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

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

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

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

10:30 11:15

Daily Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (Route 62) 12:30 Fahud 12:30 Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (Route 100) 07:00 Salalah 20:00 10:00 Marmul 20:30 10:00 Salalah 23:30 19:00 Salalah 07:40

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (Route 100) 07:00 Ruwi 19:50 10:00 Marmul 13:15 10:00 Ruwi 22:30 19:00 Ruwi 07:30

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (Route 102) 15:00 Salalah 07:00

Daily

16:50

SALALAH TO DUBAI (Route 102) 15:00 Dubai 07:00

SCORPIO S

Sunset Sunrise (Tomorrow)

6.43pm 5.23am

High tide Low tide

9:53pm 4:40am

TO DUBAI (Route 201) 06:00 Sohar 06:00 Dubai 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Dubai 15:00 Sohar 15:00 Dubai

08:30 11:30 15:30 18:30 17:35 20:55

Daily Daily Wed,Thur Wed,Thur Daily Daily

TO DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 07:00 Fujairah 11.45 Daily 07:00 Sharjah 13.30 Daily 07:00 Dubai 14.00 Daily

TO DUBAI (Route 201) 07:30 Sohar 07:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 15:30 Sohar 15:30 Ruwi

10:50 13:40 16:15 19:10 18:45 21:35

Daily Daily Thur-Fri Thur-Fri Daily Daily

FROM DUBAI VIA FUJIRAH & SHARJAH (Route 204) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 16:00 Sharjah 16:30 Daily 16.00 Fujairah 18.15 Daily 16.00 Ruwi 23.00 Daily

LISTINGS

PHARMACIES Round the clock Al Hashar Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24783334; Appolo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24782666; Muscat Pharmacy, Ruwi: 24702542, Salalah: 23291635; Atlas Pharmacy, Ghubra: 24503585; Ruwi 24811715 Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya. Tel: 24787766 Muscat, A Seeb Market. Tel: 24421691 Muscat, Al Khuwair. Tel: 24485740 Muscat, Al Hail South. Tel: 24537080 Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah.

Tel: 23291635 HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre: 24485052 Atlas Hospital: Ruwi: 24811743/ Ghubra: 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic: 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi: 24563641, Azaiba: 24499269, Sohar: 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital: 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory: 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre: 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic: 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi: 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb: 24420740 Ceregem National Raak: 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic: 24563217 Elixir Health Centre: 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre: 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre: 24472274 Hamdan Hospital: 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC: 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital: 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128, MBD: 24799077, Al Khuwair: 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital: 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital: 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair: 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC: 22004000 ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence: 24569603 Directorate General of Customs: 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries: 24510228 Public Relations Admin: 24560099 ACCOMMODATION Al Bahjah Hotel: 24424400 Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171 Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400 Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949 Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385 Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311 Al Qurum Resort: 24605945 Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979 Beach Hotel: 24696601 Bowshar Hotel: 24491105 Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121 Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660 Crystal Suites: 24826100 Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300 Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234 Haffa House Hotel: 24707207 Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123 InterContinental Muscat: 24680000 Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900 Marina Hotel: 24711711 Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565 Mina Hotel: 24711828 Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

Nuzha Hotel Apartments: 24789199 Oman Dive Centre: 24824240 Park Inn: 24507888 Qurum Beach House Hotel: 24564070 Radisson Blu Hotel: 24487777 Ramee Dream Resort Seeb: 24453399 Ramee Guestline Hotel: 24564443 Ruwi Hotel: 24704244 Safeer Hotel Suites: 24691200 Sheraton Oman Hotel: 24772772 Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa: 24776666 The Chedi Muscat: 24524400 The Treasurebox Muscat Hotel: 24502570 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours): 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot: 24704455, Air Arabia: 24700828, Air France: 24562153, Air India: 24799801, Air New Zealand: 24700732, Biman Bangladesh Airlines: 24701128, British Airways: 24568777, Cathay Pacific: 24789818, Egypt Air: 24794113, Emirates Air: 24404400, Ethiopian Airlines: 24660313, Gulf Air: 80072424, Indian: 24791914, Iran Air: 24787423, Japan Airlines: 24704455, Jazeera Airways: 23294848, Jet Airways: 24787248, Kenya Airways: 24660300, KML Royal Dutch Airlines: 24566737, Kuwait Airways: 24701262, LOT Polish Airlines: 24796387, Lufthansa: 24796692, Malaysian Airlines: 24560796, Middle East Airlines: 24796680, Oman Air: 24531111, Pakistan International Airlines: 24792471, Qatar Airways: 24771900, Qantas: 24559941, Royal Jordanian: 24796693, Saudi Arabian Airlines: 24789485, Singapore Airlines: 24791233, Shaheen Air: 24816565, SriLankan Airlines:

WEDNESDAY

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

You can learn much from someone who is going through the same experience as you. Keep an eye on each other, and make adjustments in tandem.

12.08pm 3.30pm 6.49pm 8.08pm 3.59am

10:45am 4:36pm

maximum wave height of 2.5 metres and slight to moderate along the rest of Oman’s coast with a maximum wave height of 1.5 metres.

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

THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Clear to partly cloudy skies along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea and mainly clear skies over the rest of the Sultanate. Chances of convective clouds development and rain with occasional thundershowers over Al-Hajar mountains towards afternoon.

Max

OMAN

GEMINI

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

AIRLINES

ainly clear skies over most of the Sultanate with chance of clouds development over Al-Hajar mountains towards afternoon and chances of early morning low level clouds or fog patches along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea. EXPECTED WIND: Along the coastal areas of Arabian Sea coasts wind will be southwesterly moderate to fresh and over the rest of the Sultanate wind will be northwesterly to westerly light to moderate.

SEA STATE: Moderate along the Arabian Sea coast with a

TAURUS Your search for something that fits into the changes you are planning may prove time-consuming but productive.

PRAYER TIMINGS

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

THURSDAY FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

KUWAIT 0005 CAIRO 0005 JEDDAH 0005 MEDINA 0005 RIYADH 0010 SALALAH 0020 SALALAH 0120 ISTANBUL 0135 DACCA 0200 LAHORE 0215 BAHRAIN 0325 DUBAI 0340 DOHA 0345 DUBAI 0350 ADDIS ABABA 0350 ABU DHABI 0400 FRANKFURT 0515 AMMAN 0635 BAHRAIN 0635 ABU DHABI 0640 SALALAH 0645 KUWAIT 0650 RIYADH 0655 RAS AL KHAIMA 0655 MALPENSA 0705 DOHA 0715 JEDDAH 0735 PARIS 0735 LONDON HEATHROW 0740 DUBAI 0800 TEHRAN 0805 BEIRUT 0805 DUBAI 0805 LAHORE 0825 LAHORE 0830 BOMBAY 0835 HYDERABAD 0900 SHARJAH 0905 BANGALORE 0910 COCHIN 0920 DUBAI 0930 DELHI 0935 TRIVANDRUM 0955 MADRAS 0955 DOHA 1000 ABU DHABI 1010 COCHIN 1020 DOHA 1035 DUQUM OMAN 1035 BAHRAIN 1040 TRIVANDRUM 1045 KHASAB 1115 DUBAI 1115 MUKHAIZNA 1120 BAHRAIN 1130 DUBAI 1140 COLOMBO 1140 CALICUT 1155 LAHORE 1215 KUALA LUMPUR-SINGAPORE 1215 BANGKOK 1220 ABU DHABI 1220 SALALAH 1230 DOHA 1250 KARACHI 1300 KATHMANDU 1305 DUBAI 1340 SALALAH 1440 KHASAB 1445 ISLAM ABBAD 1515 SHARJAH 1525 DUBAI 1535 MUKHAIZNA 1550 BAHRAIN 1610 DOHA 1650 BOMBAY 1655 CALICUT 1710 LUCKNOW 1740 DOHA 1745 DUBAI 1745 HYDERABAD 1750 DELHI 1750 MADRAS 1750 DUBAI 1800 BAHRAIN 1810 TRIVANDRUM 1820 SHARJAH 1905 JAIPUR 1910 KUWAIT 1920 DUBAI 1940 SALALAH 2000 ABU DHABI 2005 ABU DHABI 2005 MALE 2020 DUBAI 2025 JAKARTA 2035 KATHMANDU 2040 DUBAI 2100 BANGALORE-HYDERABAD 2105 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2105 MUNICH 2105 COCHIN 2115 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2140 DUBAI 2150 MADRAS 2200 CHITTAGONG 2210 ZURICH-DUBAI 2225 DOHA 2225 BAHRAIN 2240 FRANKFURT-DOHA 2245 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2250 KARACHI 2250 ABU DHABI 2300 AMMAN 2300 SALALAH 2310 BOMBAY 2315 BOMBAY 2325 DOHA 2335 ABU DHABI 2340 BAHRAIN 2340 SALALAH 2345 BANGKOK 2350 DUBAI 2355 DAMMAM 2355

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BEIRUT 0005 JEDDAH 0005 KUWAIT 0005 RIYADH 0010 SALALAH 0020 DACCA 0100 LUXORE 0115 SALALAH 0120 ISTANBUL 0135 DACCA 0200 KARACHI 0215 BAHRAIN 0325 DOHA 0345 DUBAI 0350 ADDIS ABABA 0350 ABU DHABI 0400 ISLAM ABBAD 0410 CAIRO 0410 DUBAI 0415 FRANKFURT 0515 DOHA 0600 BAHRAIN 0635 ABU DHABI 0640 SALALAH 0645 KUWAIT 0650 RIYADH 0655 ZURICH 0700 MALPENSA 0705 MEDINA 0710 DOHA 0715 JEDDAH 0735 LONDON HEATHROW 0740 DUBAI 0800 DUBAI 0805 ISLAM ABBAD 0815 LAHORE 0830 JAIPUR 0830 BOMBAY 0835 HYDERABAD 0900 SHARJAH 0905 COCHIN 0920 DUBAI 0930 GOA 0935 DELHI 0935 TRIVANDRUM 0950 MADRAS 0955 DOHA 1000 ABU DHABI 1010 MANGALORE 1010 COCHIN 1020 BAHRAIN 1040 TRIVANDRUM 1045 DUBAI 1115 KHASAB 1115 BAHRAIN 1130 COLOMBO 1140 DUBAI 1140 CALICUT 1155 KUALA LUMPUR-SINGAPORE 1215 BANGKOK 1220 ABU DHABI 1220 SALALAH 1230 DACCA-CHITTAGONG 1230 DOHA 1250 KATHMANDU 1305 SIALKOT 1310 MADRAS 1315 DUBAI 1340 MUKHAIZNA 1350 ABU DHABI 1355 SALALAH 1440 KHASAB 1445 DUQUM OMAN 1510 DUBAI 1535 KUWAIT-ABU DHABI 1540 JEDDAH 1550 LAHORE 1605 DOHA 1650 BOMBAY 1655 CALICUT 1710 LUCKNOW 1740 DOHA 1745 DUBAI 1745 MADRAS 1750 HYDERABAD 1750 DELHI 1750 BANGALORE 1750 SOHAR 1805 BAHRAIN 1810 BANGKOK-KARACHI 1900 SHARJAH 1905 COLOMBO 1915 KUWAIT 1920 DUBAI 1940 SALALAH 2000 ABU DHABI 2005 DUBAI 2025 JAKARTA 2035 KATHMANDU 2040 TEHRAN 2055 DUBAI 2100 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2105 MUNICH 2105 DACCA 2115 COCHIN 2115 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2140 DUBAI 2150 COLOMBO 2155 MADRAS 2200 CHITTAGONG 2210 ZURICH-DUBAI 2225 DOHA 2225 BAHRAIN 2240 FRANKFURT-DOHA 2245 AMMAN 2300 AHMEDABAD 2300 ABU DHABI 2300 SALALAH 2310 SALALAH 2310 BOMBAY 2315 BOMBAY 2325 DOHA 2335 DOHA 2335 ABU DHABI 2340 BAHRAIN 2340 BANGKOK 2350 DUBAI 2355 DAMMAM 2355 DUBAI 2355

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9W539 AI986 WY657 WY637 WY235 WY281 WY201 WY685 WY643 WY251 WY341 WY601 WY431 WY371 WY123 WY847 WY241 WY901 WY667 TK775 4H584 PK230 WY331 EK867 ET625 EY385 FZ036 QR1133 WY651 GF561 WY3921 G9842 WY603 WY903 WY3301 WY917 WY347 WY669 WY323 FZ044 WY633 WY815 WY291 WY215 WY253 NL769 WY717 WY263 WY385 WY821 WY843 G9115 WY231 WY905 WY605 WY203 WY245 EK863 IX554 WY337 QR1129 EY383 IX442 WY311 9W533 WY919 QR8550 WY655 GF563 WY273 FZ038 WY3303 IX350 PA451 WY113 WY663 WY143 WY645 WY101 WY423 WY153 WY927 WY413 WY405 WY609 WY907 WY675 G9110 FZ046 WY631 WY613 QR1127 WY327 WY623 WY681 WY647 WY909 GF565 EK865 WY695 WY661 WY653 G9117 WY913 WY635 FZ048 WY611 RG126 WY915 FZ050 AI978 KL442 WY817 9W529 6.00E+82 AI908 AI974 WY677 GF567 LX243 BA072 QR1135 WY673 EY381 LH617

BOMBAY 0020 BOMBAY 0020 BAHRAIN 0055 ABU DHABI 0105 HYDERABAD 0110 BANGALORE 0110 BOMBAY 0115 RIYADH 0115 KUWAIT 0120 MADRAS 0120 LAHORE 0145 DUBAI 0145 TEHRAN 0155 COLOMBO 0155 MUNICH 0200 JAKARTA 0215 DELHI 0215 SALALAH 0215 DOHA 0225 ISTANBUL 0230 DACCA 0300 LAHORE 0315 KATHMANDU 0350 DUBAI 0450 ADDIS ABABA 0450 ABU DHABI 0500 DUBAI 0510 DOHA 0515 BAHRAIN 0645 BAHRAIN 0715 DUQUM OMAN 0740 RAS AL KHAIMA 0745 DUBAI 0750 SALALAH 0750 MUKHAIZNA 0800 KHASAB 0815 ISLAM ABBAD 0830 DOHA 0835 KARACHI 0835 DUBAI 0845 ABU DHABI 0900 BANGKOK 0905 CALICUT 0915 TRIVANDRUM 0915 MADRAS 0915 LAHORE 0930 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 0940 LUCKNOW 0940 MALE 0945 SINGAPORE-KUALA LUMPUR 0945 MANILA 0955 SHARJAH 0955 HYDERABAD 1000 SALALAH 1020 DUBAI 1020 BOMBAY 1025 DELHI 1040 DUBAI 1045 TRIVANDRUM 1045 KATHMANDU 1050 DOHA 1100 ABU DHABI 1105 COCHIN 1120 CHITTAGONG 1140 COCHIN 1145 KHASAB 1145 DUBAI WORLD CENTRE-DOHA 1205 BAHRAIN 1215 BAHRAIN 1215 JAIPUR 1220 DUBAI 1225 MUKHAIZNA 1230 CALICUT 1255 LAHORE 1315 FRANKFURT 1320 DOHA 1330 MALPENSA 1350 KUWAIT 1350 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 BEIRUT 1415 ZURICH 1420 SALALAH 1430 AMMAN 1440 CAIRO 1440 DUBAI 1445 SALALAH 1540 JEDDAH 1615 SHARJAH 1615 DUBAI 1620 ABU DHABI 1640 DUBAI 1710 DOHA 1750 KARACHI 1810 DUBAI 1840 RIYADH 1840 KUWAIT 1845 SALALAH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 DUBAI 1910 DAMMAM 1915 DOHA 1920 BAHRAIN 1920 SHARJAH 1955 SALALAH 2000 ABU DHABI 2015 DUBAI 2025 DUBAI 2035 ABU DHABI 2045 SALALAH 2100 DUBAI 2145 HYDERABAD-BANGALORE 2200 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2220 BANGKOK 2225 TRIVANDRUM 2230 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 DELHI 2310 MEDINA 2310 BAHRAIN 2325 DUBAI-ZURICH 2325 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 2330 DOHA 2330 JEDDAH 2350 ABU DHABI 2355 DOHA-FRANKFURT 2355

9W539 AI986 WY657 WY637 WY225 WY235 WY211 WY685 WY201 WY643 WY251 WY345 WY601 WY371 WY123 WY901 WY241 WY847 WY667 BG022 TK775 WY209 4H585 PK226 WY331 CV610 EK867 ET625 EY385 FZ042 MS931 PK292 QR1133 WY651 4H586 GF561 WY903 WY603 WY917 WY669 FZ044 WY633 WY373 WY815 WY343 WY253 WY291 NL769 WY263 WY821 G9115 WY231 WY283 WY3301 WY905 WY605 WY203 WY631 WY245 EK863 WY337 QR1129 IX818 EY383 IX442 WY311 9W533 WY919 WY3921 WY655 GF563 FZ038 IX350 WY113 WY663 WY645 WY143 WY101 BG024 PA951 WY927 WY405 WY413 CV611 WY433 WY907 WY3931 WY675 FZ046 KU678 SV531 WY613 QR1127 WY623 WY681 WY647 WY909 GF565 EK865 WY695 WY661 WY653 G9117 WY913 TG508 WY635 FZ048 WY611 RG126 WY915 FZ050 WY411 4H561 KL442 WY817 9W529 6.00E+82 AI908 UL206 WY705 WY677 AI974 GF567 LX243 QR1135 BA072 WY673 EY381 LH617

BOMBAY 0020 BOMBAY 0020 BAHRAIN 0055 ABU DHABI 0105 COCHIN 0105 HYDERABAD 0110 TRIVANDRUM 0110 RIYADH 0115 BOMBAY 0115 KUWAIT 0120 MADRAS 0120 ISLAM ABBAD 0125 DUBAI 0145 COLOMBO 0155 MUNICH 0200 SALALAH 0215 DELHI 0215 JAKARTA 0215 DOHA 0225 CHITTAGONG-DACCA 0230 ISTANBUL 0230 GOA 0255 DOHA 0300 KARACHI 0315 KATHMANDU 0350 MADRAS 0355 DUBAI 0450 ADDIS ABABA 0450 ABU DHABI 0500 DUBAI 0510 CAIRO 0510 ISLAM ABBAD 0510 DOHA 0515 BAHRAIN 0645 DACCA 0700 BAHRAIN 0715 SALALAH 0750 DUBAI 0750 KHASAB 0815 DOHA 0835 DUBAI 0845 ABU DHABI 0900 COLOMBO 0900 BANGKOK 0905 LAHORE 0915 MADRAS 0915 CALICUT 0915 LAHORE 0930 LUCKNOW 0940 SINGAPORE-KUALA LUMPUR 0945 SHARJAH 0955 HYDERABAD 1000 BANGALORE 1000 MUKHAIZNA 1000 SALALAH 1020 DUBAI 1020 BOMBAY 1025 ABU DHABI 1030 DELHI 1040 DUBAI 1045 KATHMANDU 1050 DOHA 1100 MANGALORE 1100 ABU DHABI 1105 COCHIN 1120 CHITTAGONG 1140 COCHIN 1145 KHASAB 1145 DUQUM OMAN 1210 BAHRAIN 1215 BAHRAIN 1215 DUBAI 1225 CALICUT 1255 FRANKFURT 1320 DOHA 1330 KUWAIT 1350 MALPENSA 1350 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 CHITTAGONG-DACCA 1400 SIALKOT 1430 SALALAH 1430 CAIRO 1440 AMMAN 1440 LUXORE 1445 TEHRAN 1445 SALALAH 1540 SOHAR 1600 JEDDAH 1615 DUBAI 1620 KUWAIT 1640 MEDINA-JEDDAH 1650 DUBAI 1710 DOHA 1750 DUBAI 1840 RIYADH 1840 KUWAIT 1845 SALALAH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 DUBAI 1910 DAMMAM 1915 DOHA 1920 BAHRAIN 1920 SHARJAH 1955 SALALAH 2000 KARACHI-BANGKOK 2005 ABU DHABI 2015 DUBAI 2025 DUBAI 2035 ABU DHABI 2045 SALALAH 2100 DUBAI 2145 AMMAN 2205 JEDDAH 2215 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2220 BANGKOK 2225 TRIVANDRUM 2230 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 COLOMBO 2305 DARESSLAM-ZANZIBAR 2310 MEDINA 2310 DELHI 2310 BAHRAIN 2325 DUBAI-ZURICH 2325 DOHA 2330 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 2330 JEDDAH 2350 ABU DHABI 2355 DOHA-FRANKFURT 2355

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WE DNESDAY, MAY 20, 2015

EXTRA

Beware Dr Google If you’re one of those who have searched their symptoms before going to the doctor, you’ll know how the more frightening articles get more of your attention

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octors are concerned that health apps and fitness trackers are creating more ‘worried well’ than ever before. But is that really the case?

In recent weeks there has been a spate of articles arguing, as Dr Des Spence wrote in the BMJ, that health apps and fitness tracking devices such as the Fitbit and the Apple Watch are ‘untested and unscientific’, and that they could create “extreme anxiety” in a new generation of the “worried well”.

I won’t dispute that some technology companies talk about their health gadgets as if they’ve reinvented penicillin, but these are the sort of companies that will hold a huge event to announce a slightly improved phone as “a shining jewel”; they talk about everything as if they’ve just reinvented penicillin. But I would argue that health apps are, for the most part, fairly simple and genuinely useful.

Google’s list of the 10 most popular health apps of 2014 includes nine that track walking, running or healthy eating, and one for tracking periods. They all work in the same way, recording data about you and then presenting the results in an intelligible way. They give you facts on how much you weigh, or how much exercise you’re getting, how much alcohol you really drink, or when you’re likely to be most fertile. Facts on their own don’t tend to make people anxious unnecessarily. Ask anyone who’s taken a course for fear of flying, and they’ll tell you it’s mostly just learning interesting facts about air travel. Uncertainty, on the other hand, is great at making you anxious.

Dr Richard Harkness, a Durham physician who writes about technology for GP magazine, confirms it’s not so much that there’s been an increase in Worried Well patients, but he does say that the sources of anxiety are changing. “It used to be ‘I read in the paper’ but increasingly patients have heard about an illness on TV, websites and

Google”, says Dr Harkness. Other results back him up — of the 300 physicians polled for the Astellas Innovation Debate in January, 76 per cent reported a ‘marked increase’ in patients self-diagnosing from the internet.

Is this necessarily a bad thing?

The Googling done by Dr Harkness’ patients may fuel a certain amount of hypochondria, but in other cases it’s about gathering facts and saving time. “People are using online tools to score symptoms, and they are the exactly the same scales we use as doctors. A good example of this is the PHQ 9 score for depression.” Some have even successfully treated themselves: “One

patient I saw correctly diagnosed themselves with vertigo after Googling their symptoms — they read about vestibular exercises, performed them and quickly resolved the problem.

They came to see me because the vertigo had returned, so they very sensibly came to check they were doing the right thing.” The combination of smartphone cameras and increasingly clever image searches is also become a force for good in the practitioner’s surgery. “Patients are using their phones to capture rashes or document changing lumps and bumps”, says Harkness. Harkness reports that patients also learn from each other through

forums. “They can present with a narrative that they have read online which led to a diagnosis after a long and involved pathway, and use this to avoid the same experience. Sometimes these aren’t always appropriate for them, but it opens a dialogue about how we can help.”

There is definitely no denying the anxiety that Googling your symptoms can cause. If you’re in the 30 per cent of people who have searched their symptoms before going to the doctor, you’ll know how the more frightening articles get more of your attention. Attention is the main factor search engines use to decide which page goes to the top of your search results — just as attention-grabbing health scare headlines help decide who sells the most newspapers. But while certain editors are unlikely to give up front-page splashes about statins, Google is taking steps to make symptom-searching less scary by adding sensible medical advice, written by its team of doctors, above search results for common illnesses.

This is currently being trialled in the US, you’ll see it in you search results soon.

If anyone has a reason to worry about the growing influence of technology on your visit to the physician, it’s your physician. While gadgets like the Apple Watch excel at providing information, you still need a qualified practitioner to interpret it, and that will mean more work for doctors. “There is a tidal wave of medical data coming our way”, says Harkness, “and most doctors will know little or nothing of the devices it has been generated by. To my knowledge there is no guidance on how to deal with this new wave of patientgenerated content.”

For health tech to genuinely change things, the huge technology firms providing the means for people to generate this giant increase in medical data must also help doctors to interpret it.

-Will Dunn/The Independent

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EXTRA B O L LY W O O D

Emraan, Vidya shoot for ‘Hamari...’ in sandstorm DIRECTOR Mohit Suri wanted to capture a sandstorm shot for his forthcoming film Hamari Adhuri Kahani and use it as a metaphor for the impending problems brewing between the romance of Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan’s characters in the film. According to a source, “Suri, who was shooting in the UAE, had a very small window to shoot this sequence before the sandstorm lashed on. However, on the given day the calculations went all haywire as the weather became extreme and Mohit was advised not to shoot”. But the actors were more than willing to extend their help. “Emraan and Vidya stepped up and told the director that they don’t mind trying to get the shot before the sandstorm trapped them. And when Mohit said ‘Action’, the scene was taken in just one shot,” the source added. Hamari Adhuri Kahani releases on June 12 worldwide.

Sonam Kapoor’s special gift to Andie MacDowell

FOUND LOVE AND WARMTH IN PAKISTAN: SWARA BHASKAR Human relationships are greater than politics. That’s what actor Swara Bhaskar has learned after two memorable visits to what she once thought was a ‘hostile territory’

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er first visit to Pakistan was in 2005 with a friend.

It was, as she describes, “two college girls who just decided to liven up their lives by visiting enemy territory”.

“I think that trip taught me that people are always more important than some policies or actions of their government,” Swara told IANS, post her second visit last month.

This time, she went there for “work”. “I had gone for some meetings over a potential international film project that would require me to play a Pakistani immigrant, but also it was a chance for me to visit friends I have not met in 10 years as I visited Pakistan in 2005 and made some lasting friendships.

“Both my visits to Pakistan were made beautiful and memorable by the hospitality, warmth and friendship of my hosts, friends and even random strangers I met,” she added.

The one stereotype of Pakistan is that is true is that they are the best hosts ever and are generous and magnanimous to a fault with their guests The talented actress, who has featured in Bollywood films like Tanu Weds Manu and Raanjhanaa, recollected how in 2005, on the bus to Lahore, when some of their Pakistani fellow travellers learnt that she and her friend were

travelling alone to Pakistan for the first time, they made “three serious offers to stay in their houses”.

“In fact, traders in Lahore’s iconic Anarkali market fed us samosas and tea and biscuits when they learnt that we were Indian,” she said.

After both her visits, she says “the one stereotype of Pakistanis that is true is that they are the best hosts ever and are generous and magnanimous to a fault with their guests”. And she has spoken wholeheartedly about this in a Pakistani TV show, a video of which has gone popular in the online space.

Political relations between India and Pakistan have been more of the “love-hate” kind. Over the years, increased cultural exchanges between them have eased out the tension, which has existed since the sub-continent was partitioned in 1947.

In fact, Swara’s family was hesitant to let her go to Pakistan when she discussed her travel plans, but the actress says this “preconceived notion about the country” is a very normal thing.

“Perhaps in the case of India and Pakistan, it is exacerbated by the political hostility between the two countries — but it requires only a little effort and intelligence to try and reach out beyond this image and realise that this can only be a part of the whole picture.

“My own experience was that Pakistan, the place and its people, were very different from my imagination of them. I think the Internet and social media can play a very positive role in enabling the people of both countries to reach out and connect with each other on a human and more personal level,” added Swara, who will soon be seen in Tanu Weds Manu Returns on the big screen. -IANS

IT WAS bonding time for Bollywood fashionista Sonam Kapoor and Hollywood star Andie MacDowell at the 68th Cannes International Film Festival. The Indian actress gave a special gift to MacDowell to celebrate her association with a beauty brand. The actress presented the gift as a token to celebrate MacDowell’s association with L’Oréal Paris for 30 years. The face of Revitalift Skincare range, MacDowell has been a part of the L’Oréal Paris family since 1985. The 29-year-old, who is attending the film gala as a L’Oréal Paris ambassador for the fifth year, heard about MacDowell’s relationship with the brand and she decided to surprise the Four Weddings and a Funeral actress.

Ayushmann likes to take it slow on the career front AYUSHMANN KHURRANA who made a successful Bollywood debut with Vicky Donor in 2012, doesn’t want to go on a filmsigning spree. After the success of his “unusual Yash Raj Films’ movie without gloss and chiffon saris” titled Dum Laga Ke Haisha, which followed three duds including Rohan Sippy’s Nautanki Saala, Ayushmann has two more films in hand. And he is okay with that. “I’ve been always very careful about scripts. My next two films (Agra Ka Daabra and untitled Yash Raj Films’ movie) are very important,” Ayushmann, is reteaming with his Vicky Donor team — producer John Abraham and director Shoojit Sircar for Agra Ka Daabra. -IANS

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W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M W E D N E S DAY, M AY 2 0, 2 0 1 5

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

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W E D N E S D AY, M AY 2 0, 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

2 BHK with split A/C in Grand mall. Contact 96708000 1BHK with split A/C in Azaiba 16 Nov Street. Contact 96708000 1& 2 BHK at Honda road.

Contact: 99224748 / 99332297 2 BHK at AL Azaiba, 2 bedrooms, 1 hall & dinning 3 & bath rooms.

Contact: 99224748 / 99425665 Restaurant available for rent brand new fully equipped restaurant on Barka- Nakhal-Rustaq Highway , ideal for Pakistani /Indian /Omani Cuisine , available for rent and management excellent opportunity for those who are in restaurant business in Oman /UEA. Only serious and experienced parties need to Contact on: 99337991 1 Bedroom bachelors, sharing K & T in Al Khuwair R.O 100/-.

Contact 95154331 Flats 2 bedrooms, hall in Mumtaz way no 3352 building no 3774 /3668. Contact 99341138 / 98003444

2 BHK (with split AC) residential flat at Honda road.

Contact 98087644 / 99795241 Labor camp available with all facilities at Sohar Falaij (Near Sohar Sea port) - Contact – 92982172 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. Contact 99369081 /99142314 Room for rent two bedrooms, one toilet and sharing, kitchen at Ruwi Mumtaz area R.O 180/- per month including electricity and water.

Contact: 98917915

New one B/R directly from owner.

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Contact 99369081 Deluxe 2 BHK in Mumtaz area Ruwi Contact 97707007 Furnished spacious single room in a new building with attached bathroom for executive bachelor at South Al Mawaleh (Behind Seeb City Center). Gsm 99221067 2 BHK Flat in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181 2bedrooms flat with hall, 2 bathrooms in Ruwi near boys school.

Contact : 92584715 / 24700120

Independent rooms in Qurum / AL Hail. Contact 95529970

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

2 BHK Flat in Azaiba.

Contact 99792181

1BHK flat in Wattaya with split units A/C. Contact: 98802343

Villa for rent with 4 bedroom at Al Khodh, Rent 600/-RO.#92888115 4 bedroom villa at Al Ansab area.

Contact: 96788070 10 BHK Villa in Al Khuwair 25 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 New 3 bedroom flats split AC, attached toilets available behind Kims Oman hospital.

Contact 95225662 Mezzanine floor office space for rent area 200 sq. Contact 97175979 / 99001341 Flat with 2 rooms, toilet & kitchen in second floor in Souk Al Khoud behind bank Al Ahli 200/- R.O .

Contact : 99738881 2 & 3 BHK in Qurum, with split AC, Near PDO Gate 2.

Contact 94057023

Flat at Darsait. Contact 99326879 3000 sq mtrs Industrial landß, in Barka Sanaiya, with electricity 400KW, shed, staff accommodation and office. Ready to start any kind of factory. Contact 99384255.

3 bedroom flat for rent in Al Hamria Contact: 99341112 7 BHK Flat in Azaiba for Executive Bachelors. Contact 99792181 Villa for rent in Khuwair 33, 8 bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms with parking area near Taimur Mosque.

Contact 99366624 2BHK flats in Al Khuwair-33 with split AC. Contact: 94057023

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 Villa for rent in Azaiba near well roundabout & Umm AL Qura Mosque, 5 bedrooms, two hall , kitchen. Contact : Mr Sunil 92887809/ Mr Habib 98048207 1st floor flat in Amerat Phase 5, 4 rooms, bathrooms (3), kitchen with A/C for family. Contact 95522405 Flats for rent in Wadi Kabeer.

Contact : 92800007

1,2,3 BHK apartments for rent. , 4,5 BHK villas for rent.

Contact 95178930

1 Villa & 4 big apartments of 3 BHK with big hall & Kitchen Al Khoudh 6. Tel 97600322 alnehang@gmail.com

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

Office premises available in Ruwi and double bed room flats available in Mabellah for rent.

Contact tel nos 24833972/ 24833974/24450361 Gsm 99367448

W E D N E S DAY, M AY 2 0, 2 0 1 5

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DAILY GUIDE

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

FOR RENT

FOR RENT 1BHK flat near star cinema with split A/C 230/- O.R. Contact 99358589/ 97079146/95570288

2BHK at Al Azaiba, 2bedrooms, 1 hall & dinning , 3 bathrooms.

Contact : 99224748 / 99425665 One BHK flat for rent in Ghobra with attach and common bathroom.

For Indian family.

Contact - 92322096

5000 sqm prime indusial land in Misfah, Bausher, with 550 sqm of covered warehouse and office space, for rent only. Contact: + 968 – 99264162 1BHK, 2BHK, 3BHK new flat available at Mabela in front of Modern English School Contact: 96239126 2BHK flat with store room split A/Cs in CBD, Ruwi near QNB. Contact 99603696 3 bedrooms flat for rent near NIT Institute Darsait. Contact 93494098 1BHK flat with split A/C in front of ISM for rent. Contact: 93215939 One bedroom, house for rent Wadi Kabeer. Contact: 92424800 Villa 12 rooms and a lounge Council in citrus 11 first line along with Omantel serve as a school or as liaison offices: 91256340 Flats for rent south AL Mabela.

Contact: 95331177/95230355 For rent special price 3 BHK Al Falaj area 270/- , 3BHK South AL Hail 275/- Contact: 24707340/95282986 3 flats for rent 3 bedrooms include A/C, near the highway (Bowshar Amerat). Contact 97777911 / 95533777 Mabella residential area flat 3 bedroom, toilet 33 inside of the compound wall ground level, children playground excellent area. Contact 99879872 For rent flat 2 BHK 350/- R.O in North Al Ghubrah. #97004127 1 BHK flat in Honda Road (Ruwi).

Contact 99792181 Flat 1 BHK for rent near Al Tajaweed furniture way no. 5917 Hamriya, Rent 160/- PM. Contact 99350946 2 & 3 BHK flat in Al Khuwair.

Contact 99792181 200 Sqr mtrs office space in CBD. Contact 99792181

Flats shops and store for rent in Ruwi, MBD Honda road.

Contact 97293708 / 92433127 For rent flat 3BHK 390/-R.O in North Al Ghubrah. Contact 97004127 Labour Camp for Rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99792181 2 BHK flat in Rex Road.

Contact 99792181 Studio & 1BHK flat in Wadi Kabir.

Contact: 99376454 2 bedroom apartment in Ruwi for rent or sale for information.

Contact: 99360303 1 BHK new bldg with A/C, curtains near Khimji Mart MBD. Contact: 99061408 / 99024039 We have flats for rent in South Al Mabella stage -8 along the highway. Contact 95121222 Room main road, Al Khuwair R.O 110/-. Contact 97799175 For rent 3 industrial land.

Contact 92702891/ 95490842 1/3 BHK Flat Ghubrah, close to ISG Way 4041, building 4390.

Contact 99319880 1& 2BHK for rent at Wadi Kabir, Hilal Al Sad and Al Khoud areas .

Contact Office: 24834644 Mobile: 93994401/02/03 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 If require flats for rent in Wadi Kabir please send me messages through whatsapp or call 99376454 Spacious 2 BHK flats in Ruwi MBD area only on 350/- OMR. Contact – 95122188 / 96441499 Studio flat Wadi Kabeer 160/-O.R. Contact - 99358589 / 97079146/ 95570288

2 BHK & studio flat at Darsait 1SM. Contact 99024730 Room with attached bathroom Al Khuwair 33 area.

Contact 96059431 Apartments for rent Ghubra : near Indian School Ghubra & Al Maha International Hotel (2BHK with 5 split A/C units).Contact 99273774 / 99202278 /94652485

BUYING / SELLING Investors required for a Running hotel in AL Khuwair. Contact 98049288 Used household & office furniture and electronic items.

Contact 99834373, 97102699

FOR SALE

Required used portacabin 12’ x 40’ without partition 2 Nos, used ablution unit 12 ‘x 30’ -1 no required at Misfah.

Contact: 99340205

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

Residential land for sale 21000 sqm, best for housing complex at Al Harm – Barka, opp to Khimji logistic. Contact 99438397 Port cabin new & refurbished – porta cabin for sale & rent. # 96723468 / 97775501 / 97775502 Coffee shop for sale in North Al Ghubra. Contact 95256009 For running beauty saloon for sale.

Contact 97786792 / 96914627

Flat for rent 1 & 2 bedroom available behind Zaker Mall Al Khuwair.

Contact - 99530405

WANTED

Shop for sale ladies beauty parlour AL Hassan Company near top up super market AL Wadi Kabir, good Running condition.# 91207003 /96700192

Shfandish & tables for sale.

Contact 99368907

1 Bedroom flat in Azaiba.

Contact 99385835/99428143

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. WANTED

FOR SALE

We have flats for sale in south Al Mabella stage -8 along the highway. Contact 95121222

Industrial land for rent in Wadi Kabir 7000 Sq mtrs.

Contact 99354340

AVAILABLE

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

I BHK Wanted In MBD Or CBD area (R0. 200 or 230) Contact : 93262152

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

Flats/villas owned by ROP pension fund available for rent in Muscat.

Contact 99349526

Peugeot 206-2007 Model, expat driven. Contact 99209285

Pajero 2010, GCC, 230000 km white 6200/- R.O. Contact 92857111

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

Toyota Camry Expat driven fully automatic KM 107000.

Contact : 93892126

Chevrolet Lumina 2004, automatic good condition. Contact 98571309

1BHK, 2 toilets at South Ghubra include E/W and AC split with fully furnished OMR 350/-.

Contact 92811110 Labour camp for Rent in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99797422

Land Cruiser 2012. Contact 99336093

Nissan Sunny 2010.

Contact : 98602323

Bath attached room for rent Al Khuwair. Contact 99743569 Furnished flats for rent in Al Buraimi, daily, weekly, monthly.

Contact 97819981 / 93593336

Subaru Impreza 2008, good conation. Contact: 99453837

Shop for sale, at Al-Khoudh 6, suitable for perfume and watches.

Contact 98545994 Used Furniture of Ready made showroom for Sale.contact 24704370, 99798452 (Ashwin) 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

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 60,000 Sq Mtrs Agriculture Land in Misfah, can be changed to Industrial Land. OMR 27 Per Square Meter.

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

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

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

558 Sq mtrs residential land in Barka (Al Jenainah) near Lulu and near to school. OMR 32 Thousand.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

23,886 Sq Mtrs Agriculture land with water well in Al Salwa, Barka.

OMR 260 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Looking for 2 BHK flat in Ruwi, Darsait or surrounding areas.

Contact 96027403

ACC. AVAILABLE Well furnished single room / sharing for Ex .Bachelor at Rex Road.

Contact 92873832 Sharing accommodation for executive bachelor near Sadolin Wadi Kabir. Contact: 99016230 Furnished single rooms available for bachelors at Ruwi.

Contact: 98049288 ACC. OPP, OK center for non- cooking bachelor. Contact - 97900642 after 5 pm Room with attached bath in Mumtaz area. Contact: 99743709 Attached room with kitchen at Azaiba. Contact : 99334770 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 Executive bachelor room with attached toilet near Al Nahda Hospital, Hamriya. Contact - 96474313 Al Khuwair one villa room with toilet.

Indians only. Contact 99382008 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

D4

W E D N E S D AY, M AY 2 0, 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 ACCOUNTANT ACCOUNT. & FINANCE Reputed Construction Company required Draughtsman / Accountant experience in Construction Company with accountancy degree.

Email: jvacancy05@gmail.com

Accountant: Indian male 10 years experience, 6 years in Oman with Oman driving license, seeking suitable job. Contact 96012973

Urgently required a Senior Accountant 1 no. at least 5 years experience, 2 sales executive, 2 nos at least 3years experience and having valid Omani driving license interested candidates may email their CVs at findjobs2015@hotmail.com

Analyst accountant knowledge & skill excel Advance misreport account & finance administration work document oracle advertising knowledge degree MBA, BBM. Contact 91840109/99783953 Email: mohd.rashid19@gmail.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

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

BEAUTICIAN

Part time Accounts job & finalization work Muscat. Contact: 92917448

Beautician required with good experience visa available.

Contact: 95867900

SALES / MARKETING CATERING Shawarma /Arabic/Chinese/ cook & helpers. Contact 95529970

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

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.

Contact 95766844

EDUCATION 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

ENGI./ELECT./TECH..

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

MEDICAL Medical CARE Centre, Al Seeb, requires Gynecologist, General Practitioners and Medical Lab Technicians. Mail CVsarita_h23@yahoo.com or call 97884856 Urgently required (All female only) Radiographer, Physiotherapist, Echo Technician, EEG technician & Nurses.

Contact: 99374223, 22081700 email: hr@gshoman.com We are looking for a Staff Nurse, who is having 60% or above in prometric exam. Contact : 99235643 /99463609 Email: abuahamedclinic@gmail.com 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 A private clinic in Oman requires a staff nurse (Indian female preferably) salary negotiable interested candidates kindly mail their resumes/ CV with contact details to medicalclinic2015@gmail.com or call 00968-91941373 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 Urgently required a female Dentist with a valid MOH license interested candidates may email their CVs at findjobs2015@hotmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS MEDICAL Immediate placement ( with or without MOH) A. Pharmacist 3 nos B. Asst.pharmacist - 2 nos Contact Tel.99338219 , 93240949 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

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 Required salesman, Tailor and Barber. Contact 96964767

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 Required a Sales Man for a building material showroom in Honda road, salary 150 onward with a graduate degree. Contact: 24831052 Urgently needed Marketing Executive for kitchens, Sales Assistant for kitchens and sanitary ware, Office Assistant ( all male) for a marketing company, graduates with 3 to 5 yrs relevant experience please email CV to yourfutureinoman@gmail.com Requirement counter Sale & Marketing sale for work in building material shop in Saham.

Contact: 99352829 / 99417418 Sales Executive (Male) with D/L for a reputed company in Oman,with 3 yrs experience . Please send CV with photo to; saheer@paramountmuscat.com / saheer.pto@gmail.com Looking for Electrical Salesman with diploma certificate.

Contact 97616265 email: brightsilverllc@gmail.com A leading UPVC window manufacturing company require Sales Executive (Graduate) 3 years minimum experience and Omani D/L. Required candidates with local release only apply. Contact: 99100738 / 94247257. Send CV to info@perfectwindowllc.com Required experienced Sales / Marketing having light license. Send your CV - ocean@omantel.net.om A leading Tissue paper & food stuffs company require sales & marketing person with minimum 5 yrs exp. in Oman with good communication skills & valid Oman D/L. candidate with interior market knowledge & experience preferable.

Send CV : allub@alhosnigroup.com, fax : 24451430 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 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

Indian male 25 yrs B.com having experience in accounts for 3 yrs currently on visit looking to job.

Contact: 97937868 Email: rehman.naseer999@gmail.com Audit external internal and finance & Admin qualified CA Indian more than 13 years experience in Oman tax banking NOC available.

Contact: 95140332 /98956603

Looking for outdoor Salesman for heavy equipment spare parts.

Contact- 93292003.

E mail: mail.om@gulfcenter.co

Indian male, MBA finance, presently working as branch supervisor in a reputed logistics co. For past 10 years with an overall experience of 21 years in finance& logistics, looking for a suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 96567151 Email: girishlalmahadev@yahoo.com

Sales Coordinator (Male) required for a reputed company in Oman with D/L, and with good knowledge of MS Office , Please send CV with photo to; saheer@paramountmuscat. com / saheer.pto@gmail.com

Accountant Indian male 10 years experience in Oman looking for a suitable position, up to finalization NOC available can join immediately.

Contact: 94134085 Email: muscatoman95@yahoo.com

Sales Engineer for lab items, Service Engineer for lab equipments.

Email: info@atslaboman.com Fax: 24613659

Sr. Accountant M.com (finance) 15 years experience (2years in Oman with a reputed firm) NOC available.

Contact: 92404608 Email: jin_75@rediffmail.com

Urgently required Sales Executive for leading building material company holding license.

Contact 98650936 / 95928480

SITE FOREMAN Required experienced Site Foreman for the construction and Maintenance Company with Oman driving license.

Contact 99378663

SECRETARIAL & OFFICE Required Office Assistant 160+25+Acc, Contact 99454425

TOURS & TRAVELS Urgently required experienced Travel Agent for a reputed rent a car & tourism co.

Contact: 24701070/77 Email: muscatcaravan@gmail.com

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNTANT Indian Female 25 MBA looking for a suitable opening in Accounts, Admin/Hr. Contact 97013375 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

Sr. Accountant looking for part time job Gsm- 99872940 Indian B.com graduate doing MBA with NOC is looking for a job in accounts. Contact- 94627418 Chief Accountant Indian male 36 yrs, M.Com, 14 yrs experience at Senior position in leading MEP companies, 9 years in Oman. Available Noc, D/L & ready to join. Contact 98407501 Senior Accountant 10 years experience in accounts 4 years GCC experience now working trading & project based concern holding Oman driving license ability handling all type of accounts software’s and up to finalization. Contact: 94079432 Indian male 22 years B.Com Graduate having the knowledge of Tally ERP9 and Peachtree and with a valid Oman driving license looking for a suitable job. Contact 98504698 Indian male, 30 yrs, MBA having 5 years GCC experience holding valid Oman driving license looking for a suitable job. Contact : 94547511 Email: pnvineeth01@gmail.com Accountant B.Com, MBA (pursuing) Indian male 25 years, 2 years experience in India, seeking better placement on visit visa.

Contact: 97709327 Indian male 23 yrs B.Com 1yr experience in Accounts and sales looking for suitable placement on visit visa.

Contact: 96068174 / 98912870

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 MBA (international business) from London, 4 years of UK experience in banking operational, looking for suitable position. Contact 91710075 Tanzanian male, 25 yrs Accountant 3 month successful experience in Tanzania looking for suitable placement in any field. Contact : 96710154 Indian male, B.Com Graduate having 10 years exp 6 years in Oman looking for an Accountant job. #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, 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 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 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 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, 32 years, M. Com. 7 out of 9 years experience in Oman in Accounts/finance. Having NOC and valid Oman D/L. Contact 98277143, Email: anzarks@gmail.com Indian male 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 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 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 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

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED AUTO CAD AUTOCAD D MAN, Gulf Exp In Major Projects, knows ARCH, Structural, MEP, Noc available PH: 98225740 Draughtsman-Civil: Diploma in Architecture with 3 years experience. Proficient in AutoCAD, Google Sketchup, Photoshop and MS Office.

Email: dilshadmayas@gmail.com Mob: +91 9645124241, 93004426

ADMIN/HR Indian Female MBA, 3 Years experience in Admin MIS, Family Visa.

Contact 98234427, jkjsmith01@gmail.com 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 Indian female, 29 yrs, MBA (HR) 4 yrs exp. India & Oman in HR & Admin, seeks suitable placement.

Contact 96759820 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 Over 15 years of gulf experience in Admin /HR /Logistics, fluent in Arabic & English with D/L looking for suitable position.

Contact 95824598 Omani national fluent in English looking for suitable placement.

Contact 91908052

DRIVER Indian male looking for job as driver. Have 08 years experience in Oman. Contact 95256489 Driver light. Contact: 91020999 Driver light 20 exp PDO license.

Contact 99504122 Light driver with 10 yrs experience with car or without car, Pakistani National. Contact 91038352 House driver /(overseas) looking job with valid GCC D/l.

Contact 99531802 Heavy & light duty driver valid GCC (overseas) job. Contact 95175192 Light driver looking for job.

Contact : 94208089 (Adman) 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 Malayalee driver, 8 yrs exp. in Oman seeking job. Contact 93526254 / 94615610 Looking for job, driving 8 yrs experience languages Hindi, Arabic & English & civil construction foreman. Contact 96288587 Driver need job. Contact 98056148 Driver with car looking for part & full time job. Contact 96692774 Driver looking for job.

Contact 92137431 Light duty driver looking job experience 4years Oman. Contact 96088707

DOMESTIC HELPER Indian, 45 years, Housekeeping working one of five star hotel 10 yrs experience and health club exp also, experience in Oman.

Contact: 99628602 /98693655

DESIGNER Expert in all types of 3D modeling, building layout, walk through & Broucher designing. 3 yrs exp. in Oman & 6 yrs exp. in India seeking for better opportunity.

Contact 91282841

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECHNICAL

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR

SALES / MARKETING

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

Arab female 30 sales marketing business development manager 9 years experience in Oman UK University graduate talented enthusiastic well – groomed MS Office social media expert bilingual Arabic & English having driving license able to join immediately. Contact 96612369

Indian male 10 years experience in Welding Supervisor NDT Technician, MIG Welding specialist seeking suitable job. Contact 96771841

Omani Mechanical Engineer, has 3 years experience ,has HSE, H2S, Riggers/Banks men Permit, Drawing / cad, SCBA, Safety Leadership and Initial Fire Response Courses. good with computer and English language looking for suitable job. Contact 99224319-98454500 Indian male 22 Mechanical Diploma holder Engg with HVAC certified, having 1 year exp. seeking suitable position. Currently available on visit visa. Contact - 92835952 Indian male 25 years civil Engineer diploma, 4 years experience for site supervisor seeks suitable placement. Contact 99346121/93127076

ENGG. / TECHNICAL 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 B.Tech Civil having 17+ years of experience, including 4 years oman experience as a consulting engineer seeking suitable position anywhere in Oman MAIL: subpal60@gmail.com, MOB:91622490

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

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

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 yrs mechanical Engineer with 3 yrs experience in Indian in MEP, HVAC& mechanical maintained field on visit visa looking for suitable job.

Contact: 99191535 Email: fareed029@gmail.com Pakistani BSC Electrical Engineer seeking for suitable job.

Contact: 91384864/99326294 Civil Eng (diploma) having 8 years exp Oman working exp 5 years looking for a job and visa transport, working construction work and site supervene need visa, transport.

Contact 98776073/ 97459304 Indian male 28 yrs electronics & instrumentation Engineer with 4+ years experience in Industrial automation (SCADA) Seeking suitable job. Contact: 93154156 Sudanese Electrical Engineer, 2 years experience.

Contact: 91211592 Email: aymanhamza1990@gmail.com System Engineer Indian male 34 yrs Diploma in electronic & communication engineering, experience – associate customer engineer CHCL Info system LTD. 8 Yrs exp.

Junior eng Sun Computers 4 yrs exp. Knowledge in project work and hardware also. Contact – 98495716 ravoofmd@gmail.com BE in Textile, MS in Environmental Sciences (Fresh graduate) , Safety officer (02 years of experience) Waste Water Treatment/Industrialsolid Waste management (intern). waste management and disposal.

Environment sustainability Projects/ NGO. on visit visa available on immediate bases till 10 of June. Ahmed uzair khawar, 97042404, email: ahmeduzair1803@outlook.com Indian male specialised in business analysis and project management, 29, B-Tech, MBA is looking for suitable position. Contact Tel 98661709 and 99330419 20 years Experience in Mechanical Process industry as Maintenance Engineer for SPM’s like Cold Rolling Mills, Heat Treatment Furnace, Punching, Edge- Grinding and Packaging Machines seeking suitable position with reputed firm. E-mail: sanjeevareddy138@gmail.com, Contact no: 93912928

Indian male 26, B. Tech Electronics Engineer having 4 years experience (2 year in Oman) seeking suitable position. Contact 93171420 Email: manujk2015@gmail.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 BE. Mechanical Engg in search of job primavera P6 and AutoCAD 2 year’s experience. Contact 99288785. Email: gvnvictor@gmail.com 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 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

Indian male mechanical technician with 22 yrs exp (06 yrs in Oman) as millright fitter & fabrication & maintenance work, currently having family status seeks suitable placement NOC available. Contact: 95922696

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

Young Energetic Indian male, 7 years Oman experience in retail wholesale, sales including electronics, building materials with Oman D/L. Contact: 98465550

Electrician, Plumber, exp in India Gulf (overseas) job. Contact 99531802

Auto Electrician with car a/c with medical. Contact 95175192 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

Sudanese Petroleum Engineer, 4 yrs experience looking for job, MC office, C, Exlips. Contact 96039290 Indian Male, IT Support Engineer, 2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experience. Contact 97311847 Electrical Engineer (B.E) : 5 years of experience (4 years in Oman) with valid Omani D/L. NOC available.

GSM: 92260391

Indian male 24 years, Mechanical Engineer,pdms.1 yr experience in pipeline,16years in oman seeking immediate placement Contact 95775742 Mechanical Engineer (B.E) : Four years of experience (3 years in Oman). NOC available.

Contact :92530471 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 Bachelor degree B.SC (Honours) Telecommunication Engineering CCNA , CISCO, Certified network associate experience installation operation maintenance, ATMS & Electronics, Surveillance Security systems Nationality Sudanese age 25.

Contact: 92617282 Indian male 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 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.

Diploma in electronics & Telecom, Engineering with 5 years experience in Engineering & sales, marketing.

Contact 95932219

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 911 35371.

IT Indian male fresher BCA young and energetic, seeking good opportunites.email: jlaxmimenon@gmail. com, Contact 00919567722270 Indian male 25 yrs B.SC computer science 2 yrs exp in computer hard ware and networking & CCTV work & windows administration currently in Muscat on visit visa.

Contact: 93243372 2 Years of Experience as Java Software Developer. Looking for the suitable job in IT. Call: 97897616 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 Gulf experienced Software Developer & certified professional in English looking from a Job with vast experience in sales and Management + D/L. Contact 00968 96701312 Email: farhanaslam586@yahoo.com 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, Email: renston34@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

Indian- B.E.-MBA having 25 years Experience. Last 12 years in Oil & Gas Sector in Oman. Business Development /Sales. Looking opening in Oil Gas Trading/Drilling Service Companies as GM/ Country Manager/ Business Development Manager / gmbdm2015oilandgas@gmail.com; Contact -94688594 Indian male, B.Com, with 12yrs exp in construction & building materials purchase/logistics/warehouse, seeks suitable placement. NOC available. Contact: 94657319 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

MISCELLANEOUS Graduate 1 yr experience in India, Clerk now in Oman on visit visa.

Contact 92933431, princemathew2813@gmail.com

MEDICAL 29 Indian male Nurse.B.SC prometric exam passed on a visit. 10 years experience in India & Italy seeks a suitable placement in multinational hospitals & clinics. Contact 96071773 – sanukochiparampil@gmail.com Dentist Indian male well experienced with M.O.H license and release, looking for immediate placement. Contact: 91237537 Indian female Dentist MOH Oman passed seeking a suitable placement in capital region. Contact– 91377681 hashimsarawat@gmail.com Well experienced MOH Licensed Indian GP Doctor looking for locum / permanent position in the Capital area. Contact 98140024 email:drgpoman@yahoo.com Male Nurse on visit visa looking for a suitable position. Mob#96071526 Lab Technician, Civil (8yrs Gulf experience) looking for a suitable job (NOC available) Contact-93344378

SECRETARIAL/OFFICE Indian (Kerala) male 37yrs, B.com graduate seeking for suitable employment one year experience.

Preferably as an office assistants.

Contact 96701495 Indian male 38 yrs senior chef de parst pastry & bakery 15yrs experience one of the five star hotels in Oman experience 10 yrs Oman looking job. Contact: 96460519 Email: venagovindhan@yahoo.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

SKILLED LABOUR Indian male & female (couple) looking for job in hospital / caretaker. Contact 91299288

SALES / MARKETING Stores In Charge / Purchase coordinator with 6 years oman experience seeking placement. Contact 95439645 or storeoman@gmail.com Release / NOC available.

Egyptian male 11 years in five stars international hotels management sales marketing D/L available residency visa. Contact 93577497 Email: elkomy82@hotmail.com Indian male B.com, 5 years experience in shopping center can manage purchase / sales and admin functions valid Oman driving license NOC available. Contact 95459944 BE computer science 6 years experience software developer and support Engineering exp sales and management Oman D/L, NOC available. Contact: 98097722 Indian male M.B.A graduate having 10 years experience in sales and marketing currently on visit visa seeking suitable job opening. #96065164 Indian male 18 yrs FMCG sales experience in UAE is looking for a suitable placement in Oman on visiting. Contact: 91905053 Indian male 30- holding Oman D/Lexp in sales/marketing, seeks suitable placement-Release available.

Contact: 95863373 Indian male Graduate in business management having work experience of 12 years looking for a suitable position. Contact : 93431567 Sales / Marketing Executive 24 years, Indian male having Oman valid license, seeking suitable position, working as a Supervisor of the leading hypermarket in Oman, NOC available.# 98060984 / 93089757 Email: rishadkeethadath@gmail.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 Indian male looking job in sales or marketing having 2 years experience. Contact 96660936 Male MBA (General) from Cardiff Metropolitan University London) looking for a suitable placement.

Contact 92819301 Email: adicbhat@outlook.com MBA Marketing professional with 05 years experience in sales and distribution looking for job in Oman currently on visit visa. #97006353 Email: ashhadhm@hotmail.com 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 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. #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 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

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

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CCNP Network Professional with 6 years experience having Bachelors degree on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 96760618 email: varghese.manthara@gmail.com Indian female with MBA (Finance) on visit visa, seeks immediate placement. Phone: 968-98430089 Indian female, IATA, Bsc, Looking for suitable placement.

Contact-95514305, email idraveendranmala@gmail.com Sudanese male, 31 year old, have 3 year Diploma in electrical engineer, 5 year experience in different activities. Contact; +96894549609 Male, 30 years Accountant, 1 year Oman experience in accountants, finance. Seeking suitable position in Muscat .Can join immediately, NOC available. Email: lalitbls1@gmail. com Call: 97903175 CCNP Network Professional with 6 years experience having Bachelors degree on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact: 96 76 06 18 Indian male 60 years old have 30 years Muscat experience in all office works with Omani driving license.

Contact: 99024055 Indian male, MBA marketing & finance with B com & diploma in IFRS seeks job.# 99469726 / 99469729 Indian female, B.Com. knowledge of MS Office & Tally, 4yrs experience in Accounts &admin dept. looking for good placement in any field.

Contact.98928220 Indian male, total experience is 5 years in Retail industry. Currently supervisor in Sun and sand sports Muscat City centre. Contact : 96994345.

Email : jsp.jsr85@gmail.com More than Ten years of experience in Sales & Marketing, Advertisement and Credit Control and Logistics& Administration. Contact 91076608 / 99322748 MCA IT Professional Indian Female seek placement in Teaching/ Non Teaching field. Presently on visit visa. Contact 9588 7051, Email: ashwininakod@gmail Indian male, Engineer, BE Mechanical, having with 21 years of experience in India and 13 years in Oman, In production, project management, quality control and assurance and MR for ISO and API Standards looking out for a suitable placement in Oman. GSM: 00968 97311616.

E-MAIL: fahazasa@yahoo.com Indian Male 34 years Mechanical Engineer 3 years of Experience seeking suitable placement immediately Contact: 91991435, 93310821 Key Account Executive, Indian male, currently working with a reputed FMCG company Oman is looking for a placement asap, NOC will be given. Valid Omani driving license. Total experience in Oman is 12yrs and particularly in Sales is 8 1/2 years. Contact 95589765 Email : agnelfrancis@yahoo.co.in

Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

BUSINESS

Working as Senior Accountant, 4 yrs.exp.in oman, relevant computer skills, Audit, Accounting upto finalization, valid oman driving license, languages known Arabic, Hindi.

NOC available can join immediately.

Tel: (+968) 96339599, E-mail(ahmedmohdkhan@gmail.com) Mechanical Engineer, Indian, (B.E.) on visit visa, seeking suitable post.

Contact :99534733 Email: rajesh92prince@gmail.com Indian male, post graduate, currently in Oman on visit visa. Seeks suitable placement.# 92388346 Male, 19 years of experience in Finance and Administration currently on visit visa seeks suitable placement. Contact: 99720132/ abidrafi33@hotmail.com Sudanese male BSC Telecommunications Engineer, 4 years experience in telecom field.

Contact : 97783092, Email: alrsheed88@hotmail.com Civil autocad draughtsman part time work for job mob :96023726 Piping Design Engineer, Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com Indian female, B.Com. knowledge of MS Office &Tally, 4yrs experience in Accounts &admin dept. looking for good placement in any field. Contact.98928220 Indian female MBA Finance currently on visit visa. Seeks immediate placement. Phone: 968-98430089 Key Account Executive , currently working with a reputed FMCG company Oman is looking for a placement asap, NOC available, valid Omani driving license.

Total experience in Oman is 12yrs and particularly in Sales is 8 1/2 years. Contact 95589765 Email : agnelfrancis@yahoo.co.in Senior IT Professional, Indian Male, more than 17 yrs. of experience in software development(PB, Oracle, SAP ABAP) and IT Support with valid Oman DL and NOC available Contact : 92193867, Email : cp.prasad@gmail.com

Software development based on requirements such as: Web development & cloud computing, SAP implementation & services. Android App development networking.

Contact 97423932

23,Male, ACCA with 2.5 years experience in Big6 audit firm and Oil/ Gas,looking for permanent placement in Accounts/Audit. Contact #95140445 a.saran891@gmail.com

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

Indian female MBA Finance currently on visit visa, seeks immediate placement. Phone- 98430089

Required business Researcher. contact 99229700 Email: kjaaraimi@hotmail.com

Transportation Contact 99159277

Female British Beauty Therapist looking for suitable situation.

Contact 97175240

Business Consultant, feasibility study. Contact 99229700

Transportation. Contact 99508282

Indian Male 34 years Mechanical Engineer 3 years of Experience seeking suitable placement immediately contact: 91991435, 93310821

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ED

Indian female BA graduate. My total experience is 4 and half year in Call Center looking for jobs in admin and HR. Contact : 96089143, Email: sharanjit_kaur2009@yahoo.com

Indian male 27, looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Having 7 years of experience in AutoCAD. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, E-mail : mohammednazeer07@ gmail.com

Sudanese male BSC Telecommunications Engineer , 4 years experience in telecom field # 97783092, Email: Alrsheed88@hotmail.com

Civil supervisor-8 year’s experience in commercial and residential building, including portable cabin, natural and artificial play ground’s, and Oxy petroleum field, at sultanate of Oman. GSM :91249005. Mail :sandeep88joseph@gmail.com

ACCA affiliate & Bsc (Oxford Brookes University), 2.5 years experience in oilfield & audit/finance in Big6 firm, seeking permanent placement. Release available.

Contact 95140445, a.saran891@gmail.com

Indian male, 28 years, 7 years experience in transporting & heavy equipment renting company. Having Omani driving license seeks suitable positions. Contact 94410485

Indian Male 28yr age having 6year gulf+ Indian experience in HR field.

Looking for suitable placement.

Contact: 97914340, Email: rajkv3086@gmail.com

Indian male 21 Diploma in Mechanical Eng with HVAC certified having 6 yrsexp and seeking job in HVAC field as a supervisor. Currently on visit visa. Contact 92835952/ 92734863

25 Indian female, B.Sc fashion technologist, 5 years exp in merchandising, familiar with fashion marketing & designing. Currently available on visit visa, seeking for a visual merchandising job. Contact : 96990368, email jumshi@gmail.com

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com

TRANSPORTATION Transportation. Contact 99077348 Pick & drop anytime. Contact 96692774

Transportation. Contact:98505294

Transport to ISWK. Contact 93172589 House shifting & transporting.

Contact 92490422 Pick & Drop any time.

Contact 97014786

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ED Indian female, B.Com. Knowledge of MS Office &Tally, 4yrs experience in accounting & admin dept. looking for good placement in any field. Contact.98928220 Civil Autocad draughtsman looking for part time job. Mobile: 95218737 Sudanese / 29 years old / Bsc English language and Translation / 3 years experience in Oman teaching & translation / have driving license.

94211377. hosam.karar.1@gmail.com Indian Male 27, Piping Design Engineer looking for suitable placement in Piping Design & Engineering. Also familiar with PDMS (11.6 Version),CAESAR ll, AutoCAD. Contact : 97351786 / 96143708, E-mail : mohammednazeer07@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer B.E fresher (QA, QC , Piping & NDT + 1 month practical training in production & oil field) seeking immediate placement currently on visit visa. Contact – 0096896107833, Email albinalbin.thomas@gmail.com Indian Male 58yrs, Oman experience 31yrs in Multifunctional Management, Administration, Business Development, Purchase & Operations, seeking suitable Manager/Supervisory Position. Visa transfer/NOC Available. GSM: 95036410 23 yrs old Pakistani bachelor in accounts and marketing 3.5 yrsexp 2 yrsexp in Oman, looking for a job.

Contact- 99374062

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

W E D N E S DAY, M AY 2 0, 2 0 1 5

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DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED CARGO

Dolphin Watch, Dhow Cruise with Buffet, & Land Tours Al- Ainain Marine Tours Contact- 98029602, 92808636

TOURS

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

D8

W E D N E S D AY, M AY 2 0, 2 0 1 5

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

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CLASSES MATRIMONIAL

DRIVING

Kerala Nair girl, B.Com, 22 yrs, 5.2” very fair, slim, (Star Uthrattathi) Presently working in infosis, Chennai. Financially sound, from parents of nair boys from Trissur, Palakkad and Eranakulam & Calicut dist. .

Contact :0091 8301865688 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

Learn driving with professional only automatic. Contact 94022250

NRI

Indian Muslim brother Muscat alliance for sister 20 yrs BSC, very fair, good looking ,boys respected families from hyderabad & A.P send biodata & pic, Email: mdfazal.ksa@gmail.com, GSM: 91258586.

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

LOST Sunata Al Amuri has lost Indian Passport No. G 0990171. Finder please handover to ROP Shamsu Uddin has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AA 9807697. Finder please handover to ROP Muhammad Tayyab has lost Pakistani Passport No. AR 7133401.

Finder please handover to ROP Zafar Iqbal has lost Pakistani Passport No. LY 1334481. Finder please handover to ROP Rana Jalaa Daas has lost Bangladeshi Passport No. AA 0333087.

Finder please handover to ROP

Sunday - Thursday Timing 8 am To 5 Pm

COMPUTER

46 cents of land kattakada peyad road (malapanan code) near E.M.S academy expecting 1 lakh percent.

Contact: 99016230 2 Bedrooms flat for sale in Cochin.

Contact: 99743709 Independent house with 2 bedroom, Hall, Kitchen with car park and compound wall on 1500 sq. ft.(30 feet x 50 feet) BDA approved land in well developed area in Arekare, Shantiniketan – Bannergatta Road Bangalore for sale – expected Rs. 1.2cr (negotiable ) Serious buyers contact Kindly contact +0091 968 627 6627 or mail rajagopal_sridhara@yahoo.co.in

Specialist available for explosive growth in term of restructuring all modules of businesses with over 30 years of experience across continents with a decade in Oman.

Contact 96733578 Email : profitoman@gmail.com A/C maintenance & servicing.

Fridge, washing machine & dish washer repairing. Painting & cleaning services & electrical & plumbing. Contact 99447257/97014234/ 24504281

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 0096895036240, 0091-9961034763 or email- cfhd1@ yahoo.com One B/R- Best Western Qupem Goa. Contact – 97094797 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 Carpet & sofa cleaning, house cleaning. Contact 99542979 / 98855815

FOR LADIES Beauty package for vacation for ladies 10/-R.O, 15/-R.O, 20/-R.O. Contact : 99410160

P.R.O services. Contact 99368907 Electric, Plumbing, painting & all kinds of building maintenance.

Contact 93896787 / 97924862

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

Air condition maintenance split and window services AC specialist ducted and package type unites.

Contact: 98667326 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 Marble Restoration, Mosaic tiles polishing, carpet shampooing, maintenance.Contact ABU QABAS99320217 /24788722