Times Of Oman - March 22, 2015

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SUNDAY, March 22, 2015 /1 Jumada Al Thani 1436 AH

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M A L O F I E J I N T E R NAT I O NA L I N F O G R A P H I C AWA R D S

OUR BALL IS THE WORLD’S BEST INFOGRAPHIC

SCAN THIS TO INSTANTLY READ THE WINNERS’ LIST

The Peter Sullivan Award was given to Times of Oman at Malofiej International Awards

The Peter Sullivan Award Since its creation, this Award was won only by American and European publications. Here’s the breakdown:

El Pais Spain 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

New York El Mundo El Correo BBC Times US

Spain

Spain

UK

Categories

Print Digital

US

physically we are shattered and fear

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that we may be attacked again,

1st digital winner

Certificate given to Times of Oman at Pamplona, Spain In 2007 and 2008 there were no “Best of Show” for print

reji@timesofoman.com

Graphics

Muscat Media Group wins major infographic honour Times News Service MUSCAT: “On the Ball” graphic published in Times of Oman during the World Cup coverage last year won the prestigious Peter Sullivan Award (Best in Show – Print Category) in the recently concluded Malofiej International Infographic Awards held in Pamplona, Spain.

The said graphic was also given two gold medals in feature category and in criteria (innovative format) category, which add up to the total of seven medals received this year by Muscat Media Group (MMG) publications.

Times of Oman has also collected two silver medals for “No Country for Bearded/Shaven Men” and for its World Cup coverage graphics, as well as a bronze medal for “The Chart of Catastrophe”, while its sister publication Al Shabiba bagged silver for its feature graphics portfolio and a bronze for “The New Muscat Court Complex”.

This year’s win is a milestone for MMG as Times of Oman is the first newspaper outside Europe and the United States to be honoured with the Peter Sullivan Award. Since the “Best in Show “was introduced in 2001, only seven newsrooms or media companies were bestowed with this award, namely The New York Times (US), El Mundo (Spain), El Pais (Spain), BBC (UK), El Correo (Spain), Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden), and The

Times, Shabiba still no. 1 We did it again.

Times of Oman and Al Shabiba still ranked no. 1 in the medal count for this year’s Society for News Design (SND) Creative Competition — 36th Edition.

Muscat Media Group (MMG) publications bagged a total of 154 awards, beating The Washington Post (153 awards), The Los Angeles Times (133), The Cleveland Plain Dealer (93) and The National Post (91).

Aside from one silver medal, Times also received three JSRs (Special Judges Recognition) for its lifestyle

National Geographic (US).

MMG has now received a total 13 medals from Malofiej since it started participating in 2011.

Last year, Times of Oman was the first Middle Eastern newspaper to win gold.

Known as the “Pulitzer Prize of infographic”, the Malofiej International Awards is an annual competition that honours the best of infographics and data visualisations published in print and online. The award is

feature pages (Award Citation: “For taking the bold risk”), for its World Cup supplement covers (“For the creative range of spirit”) and for its World Cup information graphic (“For the indefatigable creativity”).

In total, Times has now earned six JSRs in a span of five years. No other Middle Eastern newspaper has ever won a JSR from SND. The judging took place in Syracuse, New York. From over 9,500 entries submitted from newspapers around the world, 1,833 entries were declared winners by 27 international judges.

named after Alexander Malofiej, an Argentinian cartographer, who was a pioneer in information graphics.

This is the 23rd edition of Malofiej Awards and had attracted 1,266 entries from 150 media from 32 countries. Twelve graphic experts from around the globe had served as jury and awarded 17 gold medals, 41 silver medals and 73 bronze medals. >see A6 for gallery of winning pages

M I N I N G D E PA R T M E N T

Heftier penalties, jail terms in upcoming mining law FAHAD AL MUKRASHI

fahad@timesofoman.com

Omani wins U-15 golf title

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says family

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NYT is the only media company that won in both categories

MUSCAT: Heftier penalties and jail terms in the mining sector against smuggling of meteorites and fossils are being planned in the new mining law that is being worked out by authorities.

The mining law will soon see the light of day as the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, representing the mining department along with other specialists from the government, is working on the document to make it a law.

Dr Ali Al Rajhi, director general of the mining department at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry told the Times of Oman, that the new law will include new regulations, heftier penalties and jail terms in the mining sector against smuggling of meteorites and fossils.

“As violations have been registered in the past, the new law will strictly regulate the mining sector in the country,” said Al Rajhi. As the country is keen to check meteorite smuggling, the new law will act as a deterrent.

He acknowledged that very few cases of meteorite smuggling via Omani borders had been registered.

“A person can take small pieces of meteorite after obtaining permission from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry,” he confirmed.

As many as 3,336 meteorites have been discovered in the Omani deserts, mostly in Wusta and Dhofar governorates.

Another source at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that the ministry and other government bodies were together keeping a close eye on meteorite hunters travelling to Oman. >A6

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32-HOUR KIDNAP RELIVED Mentally and

National Svenska Geographic Times Dagbladet Magazine of Oman Sweden

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MUSCAT: A 32-hour kidnap ordeal has been relived after Vamadevan and his family were held captive at their residence by two strangers.

“Even now, mentally and physically we are shattered. We live in fear that we may be attacked again.

The 32-hour-long captivity still haunts my wife. She wakes up at night crying that somebody is trying to grab her leg,” Vamadevan told the Times of Oman.

“After we were untied by my brother and his friends, my wife was rushed to the hospital by the police and our friends. She was kept under observation for days.

She is still under medication and we have more consultations in the coming weeks. She is on a liquid

diet as she has developed an infection in the throat after the culprits forced her to drink something,” added Vamadevan.

Vamadevan (51), his wife Shubha (45) and their 13-year-old son were overpowered and tied up by two strangers who had stormed into the house armed with knives and clubs.

The strangers reportedly came to their home on Wednesday, March 4 on the pretext of returning some money they had borrowed from a relative of the family.

“As we knew one of the two men through another friend, we opened the door. We were alone at home as our son had gone to school. The moment they entered the house, they overpowered us and tied us up with ropes and moved us to different rooms. When our son came back they did the same to him. We were tortured physically and were threatened with death if we did not hand over our money and gold.

Fearing for our lives, we did what they said,” Vamadevan said.

After keeping the family in captivity for 32 hours the men left the next evening, March 5, with the gold and money, leaving the family tied up after injecting them with some drug to render them unconscious.

“When they left and I was able to free myself, I untied my son and wife. My son has a VOIP phone with which I called my brother,” said Vamadevan. >A4

ISO 9001:2008 Certified Company

YEMEN

UK diplomats evacuated MUSCAT: In response to the Royal Orders of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said on supporting the British Government in the evacuation of British diplomats from Aden, Yemen for humanitarian reasons, Oman, in coordination with the concerned departments in Yemen, secured the transportation of British diplomats to Oman by a plane for the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), a Foreign Ministry source has said. —ONA 40 injured Yemenis arrive >A5

TOP THREE INSIDE STORIES

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Alcohol problem calls for medical support

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There has been a 42 per cent rise in number of people who have died of cirrhosis of liver or in accidents under the influence of alcohol in the past five years. >A3

OMAN

Aid to help fight Down Syndrome

2

His Highness Sayyid Asa’ad bin Tariq Al Said has donated OMR100,000 to fight Down Syndrome. >A4

MARKET

OMR500m allocated for fisheries sector

3

OMR500m has been allocated to develop the fisheries sector by 2020. >B1

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015 Only nine million tourists came to Indonesia last year. Thailand recorded 26 million tourist arrivals last year and Malaysia recorded 27 million.

Arief Yahya, Tourism Minister of Indonesia

OMAN TOURISM SECTOR

Omani tourists set to get visa waiver in Indonesia Times News Service MUSCAT: Omanis will soon not require visa for short-term visits to Indonesia.

In an effort to boost tourism, Indonesia has decided to waive visa for nationals from 30 countries, including Oman.

When the new regulation comes into effect, there will be a total of 45 countries whose citizens can make short-term visits to Indonesia without a visa.

“Offering visa-free travel is one of the easiest ways to boost tourist numbers,” said Indonesian Tourism Minister Arief Yahya recently.

“Malaysia offers visa-free travel to 164 countries and Thailand offers it to 56 countries,” he said.

Visa trends Speaking to the Times of Oman, a senior official of Indonesian embassy in Muscat, said that generally the Omanis obtain visas on arrival in Indonesia. “But some of them approach the embassy in Muscat for visas,” he said.

In 2014, 197 Omanis approached the Indonesian embassy here for visas and in 2013, the number was 201. The visa charges at the embassy in Muscat are OMR19.200. “However, if they take it from the Indonesian

airport it will cost them $35,” added the official. The Indonesian government is hoping that an estimated 10 million tourists would spend at least $1 billion in 2015.

Indonesia recorded nine million tourist arrivals last year, rising from 8.8 million visitors in 2013.

Boosting tourism “Only nine million tourists came to Indonesia last year. Thailand recorded 26 million tourist arrivals last year and Malaysia recorded 27 million. By waiving visa requirements, we can attract more tourists than Thailand or Malaysia in two years,” said Arief in Indonesia.

C U LT U R A L A C T I V I T I E S

Nizwa College to hold Open Day Times News Service MUSCAT: As part of its efforts to support cultural, literary and artistic activities among the students, the English Language Centre of College of Technology in Nizwa will organise an Open Day on Sunday. The function would be held under the auspices of Dr Hafeez bin Taher Ba Omar, and the presence of the English Language Centre head, Sultan Aldighaishi.

A special section of various nations and their cultures would be set up. Each stall would display the characteristics of the nation, their customs, traditions, language, food clothing among others.

The Open Day events would also portray the culture of Omani women through designs in henna, and their artistic skills.

Students will also compete for the best image and short documentary film about Omaniheritage, culture and scenic history of the villages in Oman.

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OMAN

C O M M E N TA RY

Alcohol problem calls for medical support, not social condemnation

M

any people in Oman die quietly in their beds or violently in car crashes due to alcohol related problems not because they did not want to quit but there are not enough dedicated treatment facilities in the country.

Hospital statistics in Oman show that there has been a 42 percent rise in the number of people who have died of cirrhosis of the liver or in accidents under the influence of alcohol in the past five years. The tragedy is that only one out of 50 alcoholics receives treatment in the country. But what is not revealed in the public gaze is that women have very much the same problem, too, not just men. Women alcoholics have a bigger problem than men. They

cannot talk about it and it is less acceptable to the society if they are hooked to liquor than men.

But doctors are not bothered about the gender of the alcohol abuse. They are concerned that nobody provides them with the facts of alcohol abuse, clear advice or where to turn when they fall into this bad habit. Instead, drinkers are vilified, blamed and subjected to verbal abuse. They are told to stop drinking the way a child is asked to stop eating too many chocolates with a rap on the palm. If you come to think about it, no one wants to strip down their self-esteem unless they are too deep into it and cannot get out.

Then there is a religious advice to “submit themselves to the higher power” as if it is that easy.

The “higher power” did not put

SUNDAY BEAT

SALEH AL SHAIBANY them in that situation in the first place. It is people on the ground who did. In the inner towns of Oman, police records show that alcoholics are locked in rooms, some of them chained up on their own beds. Families are hoping that if an alcoholic cannot get out of the house then the problem will disappear in just a matter of days.

It gets worse when they do. The

Royal Oman Police (ROP) must take the blame, too. They never take any action when alcoholics report to ROP that they have been chained up for days in their own homes by family members.

Both medical and ROP records show drinking and driving starts early. In the last five years, people in their 20s have caused more road accidents than in any other age group. You don’t need statistics to tell you that by the time they reach their mid-thirties, a reasonable number of these young drivers would be officially classified as alcoholics. So what’s the answer? Turning to the overstretched Ministry of Health, corporate companies with little commitment to build rehabilitations or religious sentiments?

Other people would blame so-

cial stigma for isolating alcoholics from the society. Psychologists have their own explanation.

They blame modern life stress or the way people have been brought up. But parents blame “bad company” when their adult children start drinking heavily. What they don’t understand, like the majority of people in this country, is that mental health problems can be the cause of alcoholism.

Neither Ministry of Health nor parents give mental health parity of esteem with physical health. The government spends hundreds of millions in health care but most of the budget goes to physical ailments. Very little funding is reserved for mental health which is the major cause of alcoholism. Bringing alcoholism problem out of shadows and

giving it the care it deserves is of paramount importance, not only to the victims but to ease the sufferings of the family who have an alcoholic at home.

You can never beat alcoholism by isolation or condemnation.

They cannot fight it alone either.

They want to live in dignity the way they did once. Denying that Oman has such a problem does not help. If we don’t see people staggering on the streets with a bottle it does not mean there are no alcoholics. Alcoholics don’t walk in this country, but drive.

The most important medicine for them is the right support, such as rehabilitation before it becomes the most neglected and mismanaged medical condition. saleh@timesofoman.com

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

OMAN Aid to help fight Down Syndrome Sayyid Asa’ad donated OMR100,000 to support the Oman Down Syndrome Association and launched its website

TARIQ AL HAREMI BARKA: To mark the World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, His Highness Sayyid Asa’ad bin Tariq Al Said donated OMR100,000 to support the Oman Down Syndrome Association (ODSA) and launched its website and logo on Saturday.

“I knew about Down Syndrome (DS) while I was studying in the United Kingdom in 1974. Concerned about their sufferings, I used to spend time at those centres helping the children there,” said Sayyid Asa’ad. “The government must initiate steps to accommodate them in the society,” he added, while making the donation. The donation is the largest the ODSA has received till now.

“We are thankful to the Almighty and His Highness for this donation. It will prove a big help for ODSA and the children,” said Fatma Al Barwani, a parent.

One in 380 children is born with

CREATING AWARENESS: Children with Down Syndrome suffer from physical growth delays, typical facial features and mild to moderate intellectual disability.–Supplied photo

the ailment in Oman, which is twice the number of those afflicted in the rest of the world.

They are born with all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21 which is associated with physical growth delays, typical facial fea-

tures and mild to moderate intellectual disability.

Ahmad Al Jabri, chairman of the ODSA, stressed the importance of supporting children with DS and accepting them in the society.

“We need to bring up the children and provide them with care and education so that they are able to progress and prosper. We want them to achieve their dreams and make their parents and Oman proud,” said Al Jabri.

The ODSA website aims to recognise DS and serve as a platform for support and awareness. The logo is designed to signify the X and Y chromosome.

“We have to raise awareness and gain definite support from the community. As His Highness said, society has to accept them,” said Fatma.

C U LT U R A L D I P L O M A C Y

Ladies party marks Japan Day Times News Service MUSCAT: A cultural event titled ‘Japan Day for Ladies’ was hosted at the residence of the Japanese Ambassador George Hisaeda.

The fiesta was attended by members of the royal family, Dr Amal Mosa Hussein, Iraqi ambassador, wives of the ambassadors accredited to the Sultanate, students from Nizwa University and Sultan Qaboos University and expatriates.

The ladies were treated to varied aspects of Japanese culture.

The festivities kicked off with an ‘Ikebana’ or traditional Japanese flower arrangement workshop, followed by a lecture about sushi by Hisaeda, where he remarked that, “food is a wonderful way to bring cultures together, and I feel fortunate to live in Oman where fresh fish, which is perfect for sushi and sashimi, is so abundant.”

The lecture covered the history and different types of sushi as well as etiquette and the art of dining on the famous Japanese dish. The ambassador’s awardwinning Japanese chef gave a live sushi-making demonstration from a traditional Japanese portable food stand called ‘yatai’ and served it fresh to delighted guests after the lecture.

The ladies also had the opportunity to dress up in colourful Japanese ‘yukuta’, a traditional but casual and light summer ‘kimono’ which is seen during the summer months in Japan. They also had their photographs taken with Japanese ‘Hina’ dolls.

Following a light lunch of sushi and hors d’oeuvres prepared by the ambassador’s chef, guests were treated to a lucky draw where they all got the chance to win a CRIME

LADIES PARTY: The fiesta included lunch of sushi followed by a lucky draw and cultural activities.–Supplied photo

prize, which included ‘Furoshiki’ scarves and lacquer ball-point pens and dishes. In between the lively activity sessions, the ladies relaxed with Japanese green tea and other refreshments while enjoying DVDs and magazines about Japan.

Hisaeda said, “I am happy to see ladies from so many countries, each with their own wonderful culture. As my wife and I have been made to feel so welcome in Oman, we hope you will feel the spirit of Japanese hospitality here

today and remember it always.”

Explaining the significance of the occasion, he said, “Every Spring, on March 3, the Japanese celebrate ‘Girls Day’ to honour Japanese girls and wish them health and happiness. Some families display a set of Japanese ‘Hina’ dolls in their homes and invite friends over for a party.”

With the exception of Hisaeda and his chef during the sushi lecture, all events were managed by the ambassador’s wife and the female staff.

O M A N I S AT I O N

Omani stabbed over dispute FAHAD AL MUKRASHI fahd@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: An Omani stabbed another national over a dispute in Khour Al Malh area of Musanah wilayat last Wednesday night.

According to information available, the accused, a 20year-old, went to the victim’s home and stabbed him thrice with a knife when he opened the door. He then fled the scene.

The victim, who sustained severe injuries in his belly, is undergoing treatment in the hospital where his condition is reportedly improving.

The reason for the attack was a dispute between the two.

They worked in a government organisation where the victim was the assailant’s boss. The accused had threatened to kill his boss due the work-related dispute, source added. He was arrested by the police the same night.

The source revealed that the accused had stabbed the principal of his school and another teacher in the wilayat two years ago when he was still a student.

He was later freed after the victims withdrew the case as they were his relatives.

National plan for top CEOs gets good response MUSCAT: Applications for nominations for the first batch of 30 participants under the national programme for CEOs are being received on the website for the Public-Private Partnership Work Team.

The number for applications for the PPP programme, which opened on March 17 and will last until April 11, has exceeded expectations.

The selection process, which was blessed by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said and which is supervised by the Competence Development Institute at the Diwan of the Royal Court, has been designed to be transparent and fair.

Before inviting the applicants for interviews with the expert panel, the application passes through many stages including the first validation stage to ensure that it meets requirements.

The programme provides a unique learning experience for the participants. It aims at providing the Omani private sector

with qualified and knowledgeable leaders.

The programme is an attempt to enhance the performance and activate the role played by the private sector in the growth of the national economy. It also aims to enhance the efficiency of the national manpower which holds senior and decision-making positions.

The national programme for CEOs uses three main methods.

The first one is a twelve-month long theoretical programme, divided into six training units, that covers the latest ideas and researches related to leadership.

The second method includes practical applications of the theoretical study.

This application focuses on developing draft strategic projects for the Sultanate.

The third method provides a platform through which the programme’s participants and others can exchange ideas and views that may develop this promising sector.-ONA

ROP ACTION

< FROM

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Kidnapper was arrested from Salalah airport

On receiving the call, Vamadevan’s brother and his friends rushed home.

“We went directly to the Royal Oman Police (ROP) who immediately sprang into action,” said Vamadevan’s brother.

From the conversation between the culprits, the victims inferred that the two had booked flight tickets and were planning to escape to India. The airport is a ten-minute drive from the house.

“With the information provided by us, the ROP arrested one of the strangers who was trying to flee on an Air India Express flight to Kozhikode with the gold and money looted from the house on the morning of March 5.

“When police grilled him they got details about the whereabouts of the second culprit. When they reached the place he tried to escape and fell to his death from the building,” said Vamadevan’s

brother. The neighbours had no clue that Vamadevan and his family were being held captive.

“The culprits took my brother’s ATM cards, forcing him to reveal the PIN numbers and left the house for a couple of hours. They threatened to kill the couple if the PIN numbers were incorrect. When they returned they had withdrawn OMR2,000 with a debit card from one account with Oman Arab Bank. They kept repeating that they needed two more hours to reach some place before ending the operation,” revealed the victim’s brother.

“One of the ATM cards got stuck in the machine when the robbers tried to withdraw money, so they came back to ask Vamadevan whether he knew how to retrieve the card.

“In the meantime, the two men tried to inject some drug into Shuba’s veins, apparently to keep

her quiet, because she had resisted their attempts to remove her gold necklace.

“Everything in the house was scattered around as a result of their frantic search for gold and money. Fortunately, the robbers did not see another ATM card in the house,” added the brother.

The family suspects that they were under surveillance for a few weeks leading up to the crime.

“The crime has occurred and a probe is on,” said a police official in Salalah.

The body of the deceased has been transferred to Muscat and a social worker is trying to repatriate it to India with the help of Indian embassy officials.

“The body of the deceased will be flown back to his hometown in India in the next 48 hours. I have received all the papers in this regard,” said Shaji Sebastin, the Muscat-based social worker.

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OMAN

Kerala film to be shot in Oman ty,” said Alagappan, who has done cinematography for more than 60 movies in the last 36 years.

“I have visited Dubai several times as a part of my work, but I have not seen natural beauty there like I have seen in Oman. The landscapes here are things which any cameraman will love to capture,” added Alagappan.

REJIMON K reji@timesofoman.com

Scripted by Kalavoor Ravikumar and directed by Shanavas Vadanappally, the movie from the south Indian state of Kerala is a love story starring Nivin Pauly and Nikki Galrani

MUSCAT: Light in Oman, an upcoming film, will be a blend of the Western and Asian atmosphere, which is an excellent combination for a cameraman to shoot, said ace Indian cinematographer N Alagappan.

Alagappan, who has manned a movie camera for more than three decades, is in Oman for the first time on a location hunt for a new Malayalam film which will be shot in Oman.

“Oman’s terrain and natural beauty is entirely different when compared to neighbouring countries. The location hunt has started and I am bowled over by its beau-

N. Alagappan

CONFERENCE

Meeting to raise e-media issues MUSCAT: Oman’s first e-Media Conference will kick-off on Sunday in Muscat.

The conference is being organised by Future Event Management Company (FEMC), in collaboration with the Information Technology Authority (ITA) and and will last for three days.

Sheikh Khalid bin Omar Al Marhoon, Minister of Civil Service will inaugurate the opening ceremony of the conference.

FINANCE ISSUES

Zubair to hold seminar on management MUSCAT: A seminar on the importance of sound financial management and distress risk management will be organised

by Zubair Small Enterprises Centre (Zubair SEC) on Monday. The seminar will discuss financial distress in terms of its importance, definition, concepts, terminology, stages, causes and treatment methods and procedures of financial distress.

Financial control The speakers will also throw light on the importance of performance and financial control and how to manage them.

The subject of financial distress is worrying to many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) globally and locally, in addition to banks and governments in general, as this distress has a negative impact on several economic and social standards. –ONA

Ali bin Rashid Al Meta’eni, CEO of FEMC said that the conference aims to highlight the latest developments in e-media in the world and on how to take advantage of those changes. It will raise awareness of how to use the e-media and addressing the challenges it faces, as well as highlighting the national and social responsibility of the e-media in the Sultanate.

He said that the conference also aims to raise awareness of what e-

media means, social networking and its dangers, the frameworks and legislations that govern it and how to responsibly cope with it to reinforce its importance and reduce its negative effects.

The conference will address the core infrastructure of the e-media in Oman, the legislations and regulations governing it, the future aspirations of the e-media in the Sultanate, as well as holding two panel discussions.–ONA

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Love story Scripted by Kalavoor Ravikumar and directed by Shanavas Vadanappally, the movie from the south Indian state of Kerala is an Indian love story starring Nivin Pauly and Nikki Galrani.

Produced under Mundakathil Film, the movie is a heart tugging love story which revolves around

four young bold ladies and one man.

“The movie will have many emotional moments to move the audience. We will portray a pleasant picture of the Gulf. This movie will be a total entertainer and there will many fun elements,” said the script writer.

This is the second movie from Kerala to be shot in Oman. Vellivelichcathil was the first one.

Shanavas, who has been assistant director to many leading directors, said that the movie will cater to the taste of new generation of moviegoers.

“For the last few days, we are on a location hunt. After visiting the locations, I am confident that Oman will not disappoint the director in me,” added Shanavas.

R O YA L O RD - ERS

Forty injured in Yemen blasts arrive in Oman MUSCAT: In response to the Royal Orders of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for responding to the demand of Yemen and on humanitarian grounds, an official source in the Foreign Ministry said in a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA) that 40 Yemeni people, including children injured in the recent blasts in Yemen arrived in the Sultanate, yesterday, for treatment.

The suicide bombings, claimed by IS militants killed more than 142 people on Friday.–ONA

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015 Decent housing is a right of every citizen but obtaining it sometimes can be challenging. With the Dar Al Zain development we provide housing solutions that enable everyone to own their own dream home Misha’al bin Mohammed Abdullah, MD, Zain Property Development

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TIMES OF OMAN AND AL SHABIBA GALLERY OF WINNING PAGES IN MALOFIEJ 23 INTERNATIONAL AWARDS Muscat Media Group’s Malofiej Awards 2011

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bronze

2012

2013

2014

2015

1

1

3

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silver

Times of Oman wins its first gold medal

The very first Malofiej Award for Times of Oman

SILVER

BRONZE

Times of Oman receives the highest honour: The Peter Sullivan Award

BRONZE BEST IN SHOW AND WON 2 GOLD MEDALS

SILVER (Al Shabiba features portfolio category)

SILVER (Times of Oman World Cup coverage)

Dar Al Zain launches premium villa project Zain Property Development is launching Phase 5 and Phase 6 of the project, which when completed will add 129 villas to the previous four phases

ALL SMILES: The construction of phase four started in 2014, and

the fifth and sixth phases were launched on Thursday. — Shabin E/Times of Oman

Times News Service MUSCAT: There will be 21 spacious and premium villas built around an artificial lagoon in Seeb, announced Zain Property Development recently.

Misha’al bin Mohammed Abdullah, managing director of Zain Property Development, said that the new villas will be built around an artificial lagoon, complete with a stunning central island at the centre of the lagoon that includes a private gymnasium, a garden and an open air coffee shop.

“These will be included in the Phase 5 of Dar Al Zain Project where the villas will be built with innovative and contemporary designs,” he said.

Zain Property Development is launching Phase 5 and Phase 6 of the project, which when completed will provide around 129 villas.

“While there will be 21 villas in Phase 5, Phase 6 will include an

additional 108 villas of three and four bedrooms, each boasting its own swimming pool to cater to varying needs of different clients,” he said.

The expansion will add 129 residency units to the previous four phases, resulting in a total number of 304 distinguished residential villas to provide a comfortable and affordable environment for Omani families to live. With 304 multispace 3 and 4 bedroom villas, some of which are available with a private pool, Dar Al Zain is now one of the largest residential realestate projects in Muscat. The development comprises a number of facilities for use by residents including separate swimming pools and gymnasiums for men and women, a football field, tennis court, child care zone, children’s park, an entertainment centre, multi-use cinema hall, mini market and a coffee shop.

To increase the convenience

for residents, onsite security and maintenance is being provided around the clock.

The construction on the project began in 2008, with first four phases successfully sold out in the subsequent years. The construction of phase four started in 2014, and the fifth and sixth phases were launched on Thursday.

Real success story He also said, “This makes Dar Al Zain one of the largest residential real estate developments in Muscat, and a real success story in the real estate sector.”

The official launching of the pioneering project ‘Dar Al Zain’ was held under the auspices of His Highness Sayyid Taimur bin Asad bin Tariq Al Said and was attended by a number of senior officials.

Mohammed Abdullah Moosa, chairman of the board of directors at Zain Property Development, opened the event with a speech

welcoming the guests and attendees, and announced the launch of phases 5 and 6 of the project.

Misha’al bin Mohammed Abdullah, then addressed the guests and introduced the Dar Al Zain development, providing a background on the project from its inception in 2008 until today, while highlighting its many achievements during this time.

“We began the project by visualising the ideal future of residential communities. We were dreaming about developing a residential complex that provides many options for Omani families and offers quality facilities for the added convenience of residents, all at affordable prices. Decent housing is a right of every citizen but obtaining it sometimes can be challenging. With the Dar Al Zain development we provide housing solutions that enable everyone to own their own dream home,” said Misha’al Abdullah.

He added, “After the success of the first four phases, and selling the entire stock in record time, we decided to continue meeting the ongoing demand for our residential units by launching two more phases. Today, our project contains 123 villas from phases one, two and three, of which 95 per cent of buyers are owner occupiers or Omani families living on the properties themselves rather than renting them out.”

The sale of units in phases 5 and 6 was officially opened during the event, which also witnessed the signing of financing agreements with local banks, enabling buyers to benefit from a diverse selection of financing solutions provided by local banks.

N E W M I N I N G L AW

Smuggling A1 of fossils < FROM

“To maintain a low profile most of these people prefer to use the border posts instead of the airports,” said the official.

The source added that many foreigners interested in collecting rocks from Masirah Island obtain permits from the ministry. The island is famous for thousands of meteorite rocks and cats eyes shells that are used to make necklaces and bracelets.

Famous Geode stones With respect to the famous Geode stones in the wilayat of Thamrait, the official affirmed that the area was being patrolled round-the-clock to preserve these priceless stones after Omanis expressed concern over the stones being smuggled out.

Omani meteorites are considered one of the most expensive and cost millions of dollars in international exhibitions such as the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossils Showcase in the United States and the Ensisheim Meteorite Show in France.

S U N DAY, MAR C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

REGION

There is a large-scale campaign against the extremists Mohamed Ali Aroui, Interior Ministry spokesman

Yemen president urges Houthis to leave Sanaa Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi urged all parties in Yemen to attend peace talks in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh

ADEN: Yemen’s President AbdRabbu Mansour Hadi on Saturday called on the Houthi militia to leave the capital Sanaa and for its allied militias to quit government ministries in his first televised speech since escaping house arrest last month.

Hadi urged all parties in Yemen to attend peace talks in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, but also vowed to plant the national flag in the Houthi stronghold of Saadeh, in a comment the group is likely to interpret as a call to arms.

The Houthis seized Sanaa in September and then besieged Hadi’s residence in January, leading him to offer his resignation and resulting in his house arrest by the group before he escaped to Aden last month.

Hadi and the Houthis have since then commanded rival power centres in north and south Yemen, leading to fears of a fullscale civil war, and giving Al Qaeda more space to operate.

Hadi said Yemen must return to the political situation in place before the Houthis took control of Sanaa, reinstituting its constitu-

RECUPERATING: A boy injured in one of Friday’s suicide bomb attacks lies on a hospital bed, in Sanaa, on Saturday. - AFP

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tion and implementing the results of a national dialogue process and Gulf-sponsored political transition.

In his speech, he denounced the Houthis as “coup plotters” and said he wanted to confront sectarianism. Addressing Houthi accusations that he planned to back a southern secessionist movement, he said his flight to Aden had been intended to preserve Yemeni unity.

Meanwhile, Al Qaeda fighters captured the capital of a province in southern Yemen, killing about 20 soldiers, before they were driven out by the army late on Friday, local officials and residents said.

The fighting came hours after suicide bombers killed 137 people in the national capital Sanaa, in coordinated attacks claimed

by IS, an offshoot of Al Qaeda that controls swathes of Syria and Iraq.

Western countries and Yem-

FOREIGN TOURISTS

20 suspected militants arrested in Tunisia for Bardo museum attack TUNIS: Tunisian authorities have arrested more than 20 suspected militants following the Bardo museum attack when gunmen killed foreign tourists, leading to a nationwide security crackdown.

Hundreds of Tunisians gathered for a mass in the cathedral in Tunis on Saturday, lighting candles to remember the victims — 20 foreign tourists and three Tunisians — in a ceremony attended by government ministers.

Outside, there was a heavy police presence along the capital’s central Habib Bourguiba boulevard.

Wednesday’s assault — the most deadly attack involving foreigners in Tunisia since a 2002 suicide bombing in Djerba — came at a fragile moment for a country just emerging to full democracy after its pioneering popular uprising four years ago.

The government said the two gunmen had trained in rebel camps in Libya before the attack at the museum inside the heavily secured Tunisian parliament compound.

Japanese, French, Polish, and Colombian visitors were among the victims. Authorities have arrested more than 20 suspected militants, including 10 believed

to be directly involved in the Bardo attack, Interior Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui said on Saturday.

“There is a large-scale campaign against the extremists,” he said. The government plans to deploy the army to major cities to increase security following the shootings.

Turning attention IS have claimed responsibility for the attack, but social media accounts tied to an Al Qaedaaffiliated group in Tunisia have also published details purportedly about the operation.

Whoever was responsible, the Bardo attack illustrates how militants are turning their attention to North Africa, especially in neighbouring Libya where two rival governments battle for control allowing IS to gain a foothold.

The United States is increasingly worried about the growing presence of IS militants in Libya.

US officials said that because of its strategic position, Libya has become a springboard for wouldbe fighters from across North Africa wanting to link up with IS. The country is heavily reliant on foreign tourists to its beach resorts and desert treks. -Reuters

en’s Gulf neighbours see Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) as the most dangerous Al Qaeda branch after its efforts to bomb international airliners and launch cross-border raids.

Washington has been waging a drone air war against the militants. AQAP fighters captured Al-Houta, capital of the southern Lahj Province, on Friday but were forced to withdraw after holding it for several hours, the officials and residents said.

Two army brigades then entered the city. There were no reports of any militant casualties.

In the past two days, unidentified warplanes have bombed the palace in Aden that Hadi has been using. The clashes in the north on Friday took place on the borders of Marib and Al Baydha provinces, a government official said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

In Taiz, in southern Yemen, Houthi forces on Saturday fired on hundreds of people protesting against their advance across the country, but there were no immediate reports of casualties. - Reuters

PA R T N E R S H I P

US, UAE to have greater space cooperation WASHINGTON: The United States and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to work toward greater civil and national security space cooperation after officials from the two countries met in Washington this week, the US State Department said on Friday.

The officials reviewed “a broad list of potential areas of space cooperation,” department spokesman Jeff Rathke said in a statement.

Rathke said the talks focused on issues including space policy and regulatory developments, space security, space science cooperation, among others.- Reuters

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015 If this confused policy of the PDP-BJP government is allowed to be further confounded, the people of the state will have to prepare themselves to witness revival of terrorism in the state once again Nawang Rigzin Jora, Congress Legislature Party leader

INDIA H A R A S S M E N T A L L E G AT I O N S

Pachauri gets anticipatory from court, but with a rider NEW DELHI: Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI) Director-General R. K. Pachauri, who is facing harassment allegations from a woman employee, was on Saturday granted anticipatory bail by a Delhi court which rejected the request of police for his custody.

While extending the relief, the court said it was on a condition that he will join the investigation as and when called and also follow previous directions like not entering the TERI office premises.

During the hearing, Delhi police which moved an application seeking recall of court’s order granting protection from arrest to Pachauri, alleged that he is misusing the liberty granted to him and influencing the witnesses.

“Arguments heard from all the parties. There is no substance in the plea of prosecution for recall of earlier order to grant interim protection to the accused. Anticipatory bail is granted to the accused with a condition that he will join the investigation as and when called by

Mufti is playing footsie with Pakistan: Congress Emboldened by

Two suspected rebels killed in Samba encounter

Mufti’s statement immediately after his R. K. Pachauri

swearing in where he thanked Pakistan,

the Investigating Officer (IO) of the case,” Additional Sessions Judge Raj Kumar Tripathi said.

Additional public prosecutor M Zafar Khan said that when statements of an assistant to Pachauri was recorded it was disclosed that he has met him in hospital and had dictated a version to be given to police. Public prosecutor also alleged that he is not joining the investigation and under his influence even TERI officials are not cooperating with the police. - PTI

the separatists and Hurriyat, the militants are now striking at will, said Congress Legislature Party leader Nawang Rigzin Jora

JAMMU: Hitting out at the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failure to rein in Indian-administered-Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Sayeed over ProPak stance, Congress on Saturday said that twin attacks were the direct fall out of Mufti playing footsie with Pakistan, separatist and militants.

“The two consecutive attacks by the militants — first in Kathua on Friday and in Samba on Saturday — is the direct fallout of Chief Minister playing footsie with Pakistan,separatist and militants and the failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in reining in Mufti”, Congress Legislature Party(CLP) leader, Nawang Rigzin Jora told reporters here.

“Emboldened by his statement immediately after swearing in where he thanked Pakistan, separatist and Hurriyat, the militants are now striking at will”, Jora said.

“The BJP which had all along

SRINAGAR: Government forces in Indian-administered- Kashmir on Saturday killed two suspected rebels, a day after two other militants were shot dead in a gun battle with police.

Forces “moved in cautiously” on Saturday and killed the two militants after tip offs that they were hiding out in the Samba sector, some 350km from the region’s main city of Srinagar, army sources said.

“Two militants were killed near the armoured regiment unit,” Danish Rana, inspector general of police for the region, said.

First attack On Friday, two armed militants hijacked a private jeep and killed the driver before lobbing grenades into a police station about 20km from Samba sector before being shot dead by forces.

claimed to be the sole guardian of national interest “needing no lesson from anybody” as claimed by Prime Minister in the parliament recently, watches haplessly and helplessly”, he said.

Warned Jora also warned that a prolonged ‘confused policy’ on the part of state government could revive extremism in Jammu and Kashmir.

“If this confused policy of the PDP-BJP government is allowed to be further confounded, the people of the state will have to prepare themselves to witness revival of terrorism in the state once

OPERATION: Security personnel take position during an

encounter with militants at Mehasar army camp, in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday. - PTI

The attack was the first to hit Jammu and Kashmir since the ruling Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took power this month in a coalition government.

Army sources, however, could not confirm whether the rebels involved in Friday’s incident were in the same group

again”, he said.

Jora exhorted that all the gains of the past 12 years under PDPCongress and National Conference-Congress regimes cannot be allowed to go down the drain when people of the state had reaped rich peace dividends in terms of economic prosperity and accelerated development activities thanks to former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s reconstruction package.

Former minister accused Bharatiya Janta Party led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at centre of lacking a coherent policy with

as those killed on Saturday.

No rebel group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack.

Armed encounters between rebels and government forces occur regularly, though violence in the region has substantially declined during the last decade. - AFP

regard to Pakistan and handling of separatist and militant in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jora said “the NDA stand at best can be described as swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other end. One moment, there is bonhomie with Prime Mninster Narendra Modi inviting Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif for swearing in ceremony followed by exchange of gifts of shawl and sari between the two leaders to be followed by suspension of talks between the foreign secretaries of two countries on the lame excuse of Hurriyat leaders meeting Pakistan High Commissioner”. -PTI

ELECTORAL REFORMS

India set to be first country with no duplication in list of voters KOLKATA: India is set to become the first country in the world to have biometric data and no duplication in the voters’ list after linking of Aadhar card with voter identity card, Chief Election Commissioner H. S. Brahma said on Saturday.

“When we are able to seed the Aadhar figure (number) on EPIC card that will ensure that there is not a single duplicate number.

“We will do it definitely by 2015 and then India will be the only country in the world where there will be complete biometric of voters. There will be not a single fraud or duplicate voters,” Brahma said at a conference on electoral reforms here.

Asked about Supreme Court’s order which had said that Aadhar is not a prerequisite for availing public services, he said everyday lakhs of voters are seeding their names with Aadhar card on their own.

“Everyday our voters are themselves seeding (their names for Aadhar cards). More than lakhs daily. We do not want to make it compulsory but our voters themselves want it. It is a good gesture,” the CEC said.

He appealed to all citizens of the country to avoid duplicate names in the voter list saying it is a crime punishable for upto one year.

Brahma said once the Aadhar

We are very hopeful that the remaining 25-30 crore people’s Aadhar cards would be done by August this year H. S. Brahma

Chief Election Commissioner

number is mentioned in the electoral rolls then individual voters can also change their address online because Aadhar will be the basic identity.

It will remove all allegations of duplicacy in the voters list and harassment to voters in changing their address, he said adding that so far 85 crore Indians have got their Aadhar numbers.

“We are very hopeful that the remaining 25-30 crore people’s Aadhar cards would be done by August this year,” he said adding that in West Bengal the Aadhar figure is around 55 per cent so far.

On electoral reforms, he said political reforms should also be talked about in the same spirit.

He said if the government accepts the report of the Law Commission then 95 per cent of problems on issues of electoral reforms will be resolved.

Asked about expenditure ceiling for political party candidates, he said they need to be vigilant as money and muscle power doesn’t lead to level playing field.

“Filing of nominations should also be online so that people can know the plus and minus of the candidates,” Brahma added. - PTI

BIHAR

300 arrested in anti-cheating operations PATNA: Nearly 300 persons have been arrested so far in the anticheating operations across Bihar, even as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has admitted that reports of rampant use of unfair means in the ongoing matric examinations have sullied the image of the state.

“Pariksha me kadachar ke karan jaghasiyi hui hai... hamne kadachar rokne ke liye karwai ke aadesh diye hai (reports of cheating in examination has drawn bad

name to Bihar... I have ordered to stop cheating in ongoing matriculation examination),” Nitish Kumar told reporters.

His order for ensuring cheating-free matriculation examination had its impact on Saturday with the police arresting nearly 300 persons from outside examination centres so far.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) Gupteshwar Pandey said that 150 persons, in-

cluding parents and relatives, have been arrested from different exam centres in Vaishali alone. Vaishali had gained notoriety for mass scale use of unfair means in matriculation examination. Visuals of parents climbing three to four storeyed building to provide chits to their wards were from this district. Additional Bihar Military Police personnel have been deployed in Vaishali and Nawada for conduct of fair examination. - PTI

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INDIA D E M A N D S C O M P E N S AT I O N

USHERING IN NEW YEAR

Sonia vows to fight for cause of farmers

Women dressed in traditional attire drive motorcycles as they take part in a procession celebrating ‘Gudhi Padwa’ or the Maharashtrian new year, in Mumbai, on Saturday.

Gudhi Padwa is the Hindu new year for the people of Maharashtra state and marks the end of a harvest season and the beginning of a new one, which for an agricultural community signifies the beginning of a new year. - AFP

BHIWANI: Taking the offensive against the Modi government over the farmers issue to Haryana, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday vowed to “fight” for their interests and asked the BJP-ruled states to ensure timely compensation for those affected by unseasonal rains and hailstorm.

Seeking to strike an emotional chord with of Haryana, she called them “annadata” and emphasised on the need to work unitedly for providing them succour. “Farmers are our ‘annadata’ (the one who feeds). Today, all of us are sad since our ‘annadata’ are aggrieved.

Looking at the plight of farmers, I think it is the responsibility of all

BENEFIT OF DOUBT

Court acquits 16 cops in Meerut massacre case NEW DELHI: All 16 accused Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case were on Saturday acquitted by a Delhi court of charges related to the killing 42 Muslims who were picked up from a village in UP’s Meerut, with the judge giving them benefit of doubt.

“All accused acquitted. I give them benefit of doubt for want of evidence especially regarding their identity,” Additional Sessions Judge Sanjay Jindal said.

The court has referred the case to the Delhi State Legal Services Authority for rehabilitation of victims who have been truly identified. All the 16 accused, who have been acquitted, were Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel at the time of the incident.

Those acquitted are Suresh Chand Sharma, Niranjan Lal, Kamal Singh, Budhi Singh, Basant Ballab, Kunwar Pal Singh, Budha Singh, Rambir Singh, Leela Dhar, Hambir Singh, Mokam Singh, Shami Ullaha, Sarwan Kumar, Jaipal Singh, Mahesh Prasad and Ram Dhayan.

Except Mahesh Prasad and Kunwar Pal Singh, all were present in court and have been out on bail.

Verdict The court had on February 21 fixed the date for its verdict for on Saturday after seeking some clarifications from the counsel for the prosecution, accused and

victims. The court had earlier reserved the judgement on January 22 after hearing final arguments.

According to the prosecution, represented by Special Public Prosecutor Satish Tamta, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel had come to village Hashimpura on May 22, 1987, and picked up about 50 Muslims as a congregation of 500 had gathered outside a mosque there.

The victims were shot by the accused personnel and their bodies thrown into a canal, it had said, adding 42 persons were declared to have perished in the massacre.

The charge sheet was filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Ghaziabad, in 1996.

Nineteen people were named as accused and charges for offences of murder, attempt to murder, tampering with evidence and conspiracy were framed against 17 of them by the court here in 2006 after the case was transferred to Delhi on a Supreme Court direction in September 2002. The 16 accused acquitted on Saturday are the ones still alive. The CB-CID of Uttar Pradesh police, which probed the case, had listed 161 people as witnesses. - PTI

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of us that we should unitedly work to provide them succour,” she said.

Her visit comes amid increased focus of the party on farmers’ issues and its strident opposition to the NDA government’s controversial land bill which has brought opposition parties on one platform.

“It is obvious that the governments (Centre and state) have the main responsibility. We are not in government either in Haryana or the Centre. Still we will strongly fight to get you proper compensation and relief. We are fighting for you even today and we will fight for you even in future like we had done earlier,” Sonia told farmers in Rathanthal village in Rohtak. - PTI

‘Easing entry barriers holds key to growth’ The finance minister underlined the need for relaxing norms for entry of multinational corporations to promote growth which he said is essential for creating jobs and raising

FELICITATION: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presenting degree to a student during the Annual Convocation of Management Development Institute, in Gurgaon on Saturday. - PTI

the resources of the government

GURGAON: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said there is a need to ease entry barriers for global corporates and ensure stability in taxation policies to sustain high growth and eradicate poverty.

“Best response to poverty eradication is high growth rate. Sluggish economy cannot eradicate poverty.

They can only distribute poverty,” he said, while addressing convocation of Management Development Institute (MDI) on the outskirts of national capital.

Jaitley also underlined the need for relaxing norms for entry of multinational corporations to pro-

mote growth which he said is essential for creating jobs and raising the resources of the government.

“We have to make entry point into India easier for large global corporations to grow, for large Indian corporations to become global. We have to ease the process of doing business,” the minister said.

He stressed on “ease of doing business, the stability of policy, the maturity of political decision makers, the maturity of political process in reaching the correct decision rather than creating hurdles, from our infrastructure to taxation. We have to become globally competitive”.

The economy is likely to grow at 7.4 per cent in the current financial year and is expected to accelerate to 8-8.5 per cent in the next finan-

cial year beginning April 1.

Jaitley, in his budget speech, announced a host of steps to boost growth and improve ease of doing business. The NDA government had earlier relaxed foreign investment norms in various sectors including insurance and defence.

Parliament recently passed the Insurance Bill raising the foreign investment limit in the sector from 26 per cent to 49 per cent.

India, Jaitley said, does not need a “sluggish but active economy, a profitable economy where the revenues of the government are so large that it can actually bring up the standard of living of poor.

“The best response to poverty eradication is high growth rate.

It enables the state to pull up (the standard of living of ) the poor.

It enables a state to have sufficient resources to feed the poor.”

Stressing that the world doesn’t look at obsolete societies, the minister said, “they (global companies) look at futuristic society and it is that process which is going to generate more jobs...going to help us in giving jobs to our weaker sections.”

The effort, he added, is to create a “different India” which should not be entirely dependent on government.

“It’s an India where everyone must get an opportunity to grow.

It’s an India where the world must look at us as an ideal centre of investment, as a high return giving point of investment.

“We have to break away from the past...where our own entrepreneurs look elsewhere,” the finance minister said. - PTI

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

PAKISTAN

The central board of directors has decided to reduce the policy rate by 50 basis points from 8.5 per cent to 8.0 per cent State Bank of Pakistan

TO BOOST ECONOMY

Central bank cuts key interest rate

CRICKET FANS FURIOUS

A cricket fan beats effigies of Pakistani cricket players in Karachi on Saturday. Pakistan skipper Misbahul Haq admitted not scoring a century will remain a lifelong regret as the curtain fell on his 162-match, one-day career following defeat in the World Cup quarter-finals on Friday at the hands of Australia. — AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank cut its key interest rate by 0.5 per cent on Saturday in a bid to give the country’s improving economy further momentum.

“The central board of directors has decided to reduce the policy rate by 50 basis points from 8.5 per cent to 8.0 per cent,” the State Bank of Pakistan said in a statement.

The interest rate reduction comes as inflation sits at eight per cent, down from a high of around ten per cent last year.

On Saturday, the bank projected that inflation would fall to as low as four percent by the end of this fiscal year on June 30.

It also expressed hope that Pakistan’s GDP growth rate would surpass the 4.4 per cent recorded in the previous financial year.

IMF loan Pakistan’s economy was in a mess when Nawaz Sharif took over as prime minister in May 2013, with the International Monetary Fund granting a $6.6 billion loan package later that year.

The loan came on condition that Pakistan -- which was suffering an energy crisis -- would carry out extensive economic reforms, particularly in the energy and taxation sectors.

The central bank noted that the economy was now on a more stable footing and was benefiting from the drop in world oil prices. — AFP

Pakistan territorial waters grow as UN accepts claim Pakistan now enjoys exclusive rights over the seabed and subsoil resources, allowing it to drill for petroleum or lay submarine cables or pipelines in the additional area

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone has grown by 150 nautical miles, adding around 50,000 square kilometres of international waters to its territory.

A United Nations commission has accepted Pakistan’s claim for extension of its continental shelf limits from 200 nautical miles to 350 nautical miles, according to a statement issued by the Pakistan Navy on Friday.

“This adds over 50,000 sq kms of continental shelf to the existing 240,000 sq kms of EEZ under Pakistan’s jurisdiction,” its added.

Pakistan now enjoys exclusive rights over the seabed and subsoil resources, allowing it to drill for petroleum or lay submarine cables or pipelines in the added area.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS: A man is silhouetted as he sells corn from his push cart during dusk hours along Karachi’s Clifton beach on November 19, 2013. A United Nations seven-member commission after more than a year-long scrutiny, adopted the recommendations for extension of the country’s continental shelf. — Reuters file photo

Article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea allows coastal states to extend their continental shelf beyond 20 nautical miles. However, the state is required to prove its case through technical data to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Conti-

nental Shelf – a body of 21 experts in geology, geophysics, hydrography and related disciplines.

In 2005, the navy and the National Institute of Oceanography with the science and technology ministry had started this project.

After years of processing techni-

PROTEST FOR BASIC NEEDS

cal data, a submission was made to the UN on April 30, 2009.

A seven-member commission after over a year-long scrutiny, adopted the recommendations for extension of the country’s continental shelf. Pakistan’s delegation gave the final presentation

on March 10. The UN has now announced the adoption of Pakistan’s claim. The navy termed the decision a landmark in the country’s history which would bring vast economic benefits through the exploitation of extensive natural resources. — Express Tribune

GOODWILL GESTURE

57 Indian fishing boats released ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities on Saturday released 57 Indian fishing boats held for nearly a year as a goodwill gesture following a visit by New Delhi’s top diplomat to Islamabad this month.

The boats, which were being held by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA), were towed to the two countries’ maritime border before being taken over by Indian authorities, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“As a goodwill gesture, the government of Pakistan decided to release 57 Indian fishing boats,” the ministry said in a statement.

“While the PMSA had kept the boats in good condition, it extended full support to the visiting (Indian) team in making the boats seaworthy after minor repairs.”

Fishermen are frequently arrested along with their boats by both India and Pakistan as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined, and many fishing boats lack the technology needed to be certain of their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their terms due to poor diplomatic ties between the arch-rivals which mean fulfilling official requirements can take a long time.

Relations between the two countries have always been fraught, but recent talks between the two countries during Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahamanyam Jaishankar’s visit to Islamabad were hailed as “positive and constructive”. — AFP

I N D I A N ‘ P R O X Y WA R ’

Former Afghanistan spy chief accuses Pakistan of invasion

WATER WOES: Pakistani demonstrators march during a protest demanding access to clean water at a rally, in Peshawar, on Saturday. World Water Day falls on March 22. — AFP

KABUL: Afghanistan is under direct invasion by Pakistan, Former Afghan Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta has said and rubbished Islamabad’s claim that India was indulging in a “proxy war” with it in the country.

Asserting that Pakistan “provokes the Taliban against our people” and “organised, systematically and target-based attacks,” Spanta said, “The Afghan intelligence agency and other covert national agencies have access to telephone conversations of Haqqanis and the Taliban with Pakistani officials where Haqqanis are ordered

by Pakistan that how to conduct terror attacks and whom they should kill.”

“In a number of cases they have been told that if they are not able to kill any figure alone, they should seek the help of Lashkare-Taiba,” Spanta, who is also the former National Security Advisor of Afghanistan, said.

Restoration of monuments Rubbishing Pakistan’s allegations against India, he noted various India-assisted developmental projects including construction of Salma Dam and Parliament House as also restoration of the monuments and said it was beyond understanding how these projects could threaten Pakistan’s security.

Terming as “totally baseless” Pakistan’s claim that India has 14

consulates in Afghanistan, he, in an article in Afghanistan Times, wrote there were only four such missions like Pakistan and Iran.

Relations with India Pakistan was eyeing to compel Kabul on scaling back its relations with New Delhi, Spanta wrote.

“Now, if ISI’s henchmen inside Afghanistan want the Afghan government to reject the consulates, it is up to them, but the freedom fighters of this country will never give this right to Pakistan to take control of Afghanistan’s foreign policy and press Kabul to tell India to cease its consulates in the country,” he said. — PTI

S U N DAY, MAR C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5 The war has been over for 70 years, but the problem with history remains a present issue, not an issue of the past Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister

Japan, China, South Korea try to bury hatchet The foreign ministers of the three countries met for the first time in three years, in an attempt to restore what had been a regular forum until it collapsed over what Seoul and Beijing saw as

DETENTE: (From left to right) South Korean Foreign Minister

Yun Byung-se, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi participate in a meeting at the Presidential Blue House, in Seoul, on Saturday. — AFP/Pool/Kim Hong-ji

Japan’s reluctance to own up to its wartime past

SEOUL: The foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan and China agreed on Saturday that a summit meeting of their leaders, on hold for nearly three years because of tensions over history and territory, should be held soon to mend the countries’ ties.

The ministers were meeting, also for the first time in three years, in a bid to restore what had been a regular forum to discuss cooperation until it collapsed over what Seoul and Beijing saw as Japan’s reluctance to own up to its wartime past.

“Based on the accomplishments achieved through this meeting, the three ministers decided to continue their efforts to

hold the trilateral summit at the earliest convenient time for the three countries,” a joint statement after the meeting said.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a joint news conference much depended on Japan proving it was serious about recognising its wartime past.

Softening stance “The war has been over for 70 years, but the problem with history remains a present issue, not an issue of the past,” he said referring to the end of World War Two. South Korea and China see Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to recast Japan’s war record in a less apologetic tone as an attempt to whitewash history, and have urged him to uphold former leaders’ statements of apology. Abe has recently shown signs of softening his stance, helping to ease relations.

Meeting on the sidelines earlier, Wang expressed hope South Korea would join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Seoul was reviewing its options, a South Korean official told Reuters. Japan has yet to show serious intent of joining the institution, Wang said. “It’s an Asian infrastructure investment bank, and Japan is an important part of Asia,” he told reporters. “We can cooperate together.”

Japan and South Korea, major regional U.S. allies along with Australia, are notable absentees from the bank. Japan says it is reviewing the prospect of joining.

The United States, worried about China’s growing diplomatic clout, questions whether the bank will have adequate governance and environmental and social safeguards. — Reuters

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WORLD BIGGEST FIRE TRAGEDY IN 7 YEARS

7 children killed in US blaze NEW YORK: Seven children from the same family died Saturday when their New York home was engulfed in flames after a portable cooker malfunctioned, authorities said.

The so-called hot plate, which is a small electrical heating element, may have been left on to keep food warm, New York fire commission-

er Daniel Nigro told a news conference. “This is the largest tragedy by fire that this city has had in seven years,” Nigro said in comments reported by The New York Times.

“It’s a tragedy for this family, it’s a tragedy for this community, it’s a tragedy for the city.”

Firefighters were called to put out the blaze shortly after mid-

night. The victims were aged between 5 and 15. A 45-year-old woman thought to be their mother and another girl survived and were being treated in area hospitals in critical condition. “I heard a woman yelling, ‘My kids are in there. Get them out, get them out!’” a neighbour, Nate Weber, told the New York Post. — AFP

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

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Terrorism rocked the cradle of Arab Spring

T

he Arab Spring held such promise. Peoples made captive by tyranny appeared to unbind the chains of servitude. Once-muted voices were suddenly emboldened. In the West, a conceited thought arose that, at last, the democracy we had long known and loved was taking organic root in places where we knew it must eventually do so. And yet, on Wednesday, the Middle East’s latest terrorist outrage shocked the very country in which the democratic uprising began just over four years ago. Tunisia, which seemed better than anywhere to have adapted to life without autocracy, suddenly finds itself face to face with the same extremist horror which has come to rule the roost across swathes of Syria, Iraq and, increasingly, Libya too.

Tunisia is important because it is the region’s only standard-bearer for a successful, recent conversion to democracy. In Egypt, democracy was swiftly ousted by the military and the country is divided. The removal of Gaddafi in Libya was followed by a descent into vicious, factional infighting. Syria is a bloody mess. So is Iraq, the place where American-imposed democracy signally failed to bring either security or unity. That Isis should be responsible for the attack that left at least 21 innocents dead in Tunis is of no surprise. Its monstrous tentacles reach across borders, seeking to corrupt decency and free will wherever they are found.

American and other Western governments are wary of providing air support where they believe it will help to fuel sectarianism. Likewise, they will not co-ordinate their activities with President Assad in Syria.

The reasons for that are understandable, but it makes military defeat of Isis more difficult.

More fundamentally, the wholesale collapse of the Isis will not happen without an alternative power base, and there is currently no sign of one emerging. In its absence, ordinary people face only two options: rule

by Isis, with all its attendant horrors, or a return to sectarian governance, under which a section of people fear being marginalised. With no Western forces to referee the bloody parochialism, many believe they have nothing to gain from an Isis collapse. There is a sickening irony in this: that for many living in the Isis dominated areas, the greatest terror is what might follow its defeat.

None of this bodes well for the chances of peace. And with violence spreading further afield few places in the Middle East offer much in the way of a stable example on which the hopes of others might be pinned.

Just as there is no simple explanation for the region’s descent into turmoil, so there is no straightforward path to its resurrection.

Nor should it be imagined that the answer to problems in one place is applicable to others. Isis, the Americans and the Iraqi government had all brought disaster. “All of them are killing us,” feel the common people.

There is no end in sight. - The Independent

MATTER OF FACT

When life hurts grant us the blessing of death

D

DEBASISH MITRA

Homeward bound

P

akistan is a country awash with displaced persons, many of them having lived here for decades. All in varying degrees want to return home — a process that is fraught with difficulty in itself. Six years ago, Operation Rah-e-Nijat forced hundreds of thousands from South Waziristan and now another batch, the twelfth, numbering 200 families are on their way back to their ancestral lands.

It is hoped that the current phase of repatriation will total 5,000 families numbering 41,000 people will be heading off for a new start.

The army is to provide security to them on their journey and the government gave Rs10,000 to each family to cover transport costs, with a promise of a further Rs25,000 in future. The entire process is scheduled to last 15 days and re-populates 14 villages.

This deserves a qualified welcome. Qualified because six years is a long time to be away from home and many will have put down roots; and there is uncertainty, entirely justified, being expressed at what may be awaiting them when they get back. Fears about having no home to go to are real, and the government’s assertion that the localities they are going back to have been equipped with basic facilities such as power supplies, schools, potable drinking water and paved roads is all very well — but of little use if there is no home to go to.

The families are unlikely to be sitting on much by way of personal wealth, and will have to rebuild their livestock from scratch in many instances. The government has also promised that families that have lost their homes will be entitled to a grant of Rs400,000 — which in these expensive days is not going to build much beyond a basic shelter.

And there is no guarantee that the reason these people were displaced originally is not going to resurface, and the terrorists embed themselves once again necessitating a repeat of the cycle of upheaval.

We wish this process every success and hope peace and security can once again come into the lives of the displaced of South Waziristan. The Express Tribune

CBSE maths paper this year challenged students

Male taxi passengers are in need of metered taxis

It is true that the maths paper of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for this year was very lengthy and tough as well. In fact, it was the ‘toughest in a decade’. The board might have an evaluation committee to take stock of the student’s grievances to decide if grace marks could be awarded or an ‘improvement’ paper be given to all students. The discretion is with the CBSE board. Besides, a number of solutions have been suggested such as marking students leniently and moderating marks heavily to make sure a large number of students do not fail. It is a tough challenge for class XII students.

Radha Sivakumar Muscat

This refers to the news story, Give us female only taxis, say women (March 19). It seems to be a good idea to me but the authorities must not forget about the metered taxis. The male commuters by taxis are also need of respite from the taxi drivers in Oman who often fleece the passengers. In fact, taxi service in Oman is in need of some serious reform.

Muneer Hussain Muscat

Even in twenty first century we are denied of the right to die only because this right is perceived to come in direct conflict with a monopolistic judicial power of the governments to take away lives. The reasons for not granting us the right to die is flawed and lacks in compassion

READERS’ FORUM NEW INDIA ASSURANCE Protect your properties/assets through New India’s FIRE INSURNCE POLICIES. website: www.newindiaoman.com

Female only taxis will be a boon to women in Oman This refers to the news story, Give us female only taxis, say women (March 19). Frankly speaking, I will be among the first to take a

eath is not the greatest of evils.

It is worse to want to die and not be able to, said Sophocles.

And this was exactly the situation my mother was in when she was denied what she so richly deserved — her right to die in dignity. She was forced to live a life of a vegetable for more than seven long years after she suffered a massive cerebral attack. She lost her memories; she was unable to recognise people; could not speak; totally paralysed and developed bedsores. It was a pain to see her alive — living in utter indignity waiting for her final exit.

Why was the ignominy heaped on her? Why was my mother forced to live when being alive was a pain and she did not want to live? Why was her family forced to watch in agony her painful existence?

All because our society denied her the right to die; because our laws said that it would be illegal to let anyone die; because our religions too say that it is a sin to commit suicide or to assist, even the terminally ills, suicide; because the ethics of medical profession bar our doctors from helping people like my mother to die in dignity and peacefully.

A recent editorial in New York Times described how radio host Diane Rehm watched in agony as her husband, John, starved to death over the course of ten days. Severely crippled by Parkinson’s disease, his only option for ending the suffering was to stop eating and drinking.

I am not an advocate of death or suicide but I believe that every individual in this planet reserves the right to die — an “incontestable right to humankind’s ultimate civil and personal liberty” when living turns into a pain. Every competent adult must be allowed “the right to die in a manner and at a time of their own choosing”.

I regret that even in twenty first century we are denied of this right and only because this right is perceived to come in direct conflict with a monopolistic judicial power of the governments to take away lives. The reasons for not granting us the right to die is flawed and lacks in compassion. And all the more unacceptable are the religious dictates which interfere unnecessarily with our most intimate and personal decision and choice.

Whether I shall live or not should be my decision and thus I must and I do reserve the right to choose life or death. To me this right is non-negotiable and is beyond compromise. I would not tolerate any interference of the state power, society and religion into this matter. And if I reserve the right to live on my own terms, if I reserve the right to choose my

I must govern the clock, not be governed by it GOLDA MEIR

faith, if I reserve the right to live wherever I wish to why would not I reserve to decide how long should I live, how and when will I die and die on my own terms with dignity of course.

I have gone into an understanding with my wife on this matter and like Diane Rehm and her husband, John, we have pledged to help each other if living turns into a distress due to terminal illness.

I would not watch my partner waiting for her final slumber helplessly like my father. Neither would I want her to watch my indignity.

I am in agreement with Baroness Blackstone and feel obliged to her for her support for right to die. She has come out, sans all ambiguity, in support of this right. “To stop dying people ending their lives when they are suffering unendurably is a denial of human rights. Public opinion now strongly favours assisted dying… I have had many letters from people who have had to watch people dying in agony and begging to be allowed to die. Some sought relief by shooting themselves or throwing themselves in front of a train”.

Life is certainly precious but it isn’t always so for all and does not have any objective value.

Therefore, it isn’t something which ought to be preserved irrespective of the situation an individual may be into. Why would law, governments, religion and society in general have a say on whether one should live or die. Why would others decide the value of life of one for whom it has turned unbearable?

Acknowledgement of the right to death is providentially gaining. It has been accepted as a fundamental human right only in Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland and in a few states in the United States. Britain is debating the issue and the Modi government in India is initiating moves to decriminalise attempts to suicide.

Mark Twain, in Letter to Olivia Clemens in 1871, said: “Death....a great Leveller -- a king before whose tremendous majesty shades & differences in littleness cannot be discerned -- an Alp from whose summit all small things are the same size”.

Mirza Ghalib yarned for death when life for him tuned into a malediction. “Marate hai aarazuu me marne ki / Maut aatii hai par nahi aatii.” (We die in the hope of death / death comes, yet doesn’t come.)

Suffering millions today have only one wish — grant us the blessing of death!

The author is the Opinion Editor of Times of Oman.

All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman. He can be reached at opinioneditor@ timesofoman.com

ride on such taxis and take this opportunity to request the authorities to consider introducing the service at the earliest. I don’t own a private transport and am dependent only on taxis which are not only expensive but also something I never feel comfortable being inside either alone or with other male passengers. On my weekends, I prefer staying back at home in my own company or ask my friends to come and pick me up. I am sure many women in Oman will benefit if female only taxis are introduced.

Shannon Fajarillo Muscat

For India the challenge is to get past Australia Former Indian cricket captain Saurav Ganguly has said that if India

can beat Australia in the semi-final of ICC World Cup then Dhoni and his boys will be able to retain the cup for the second successive term.

It is understood that beating the Aussies will be the biggest challenge India will be facing. Defeating Australia will not be as easy as defeating Bangladesh and Pakistan.

And that too in Australia. In the entire tournament, Australian bowlers have been blowing according to a plan. They have been banging the ball a trifle short of length forcing opposition to go on back foot and not giving the batsmen any width to free their arms. Against such bowling it is difficult to score freely which forces the batsmen to go for expansive shots either offering snicks behind the stumps of scooping the ball in the boundaries.

Ashok Panicker Seeb

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

T I MES OF OM AN

S U N DAY, MAR C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

A1 3

PERSPEC IVE Are hands that rocked the MQM’s cradle its own?

I

t has been a stunning week in Pakistan even by the standard headline-grabbing proclivity associated with the country. The ethnicbased Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a political party that has long held Karachi — one of the world’s pre-eminent megapolises with an estimated population of 24 million — in a stranglehold, is in the wringer.

Many pundits see the raid by Rangers on its headquarters Nine Zero on March 11 in the realm of “chickens coming home to roost”. The party, long feared for its muscle and allegedly running armed gangs ready to take down targets and shut the city on a short notice, has struggled to hold its own in its wake.

MQM’s cause has not been helped by Altaf Hussain, its self-exiled leader, who has been virtually running the party on telephone from London since fleeing arrest in 1992. His controversial statements, edicts and name-calling — listened to in servile silence by party leaders and cadres over the years — have landed him in a right royal soup this time.

Hussain has openly accused the Pakistan Army of singling out his party for punishment as a conspiracy to isolate it, and even planting a huge cache of weapons recovered from Nine Zero. In a diatribe peppered with invectives on a host of private TV channels, he appeared to threaten security personnel, provoking the Rangers chief to file an FIR against Hussain.

The federal government has also reportedly, passed on a dossier to the British High Commissioner in Islamabad with Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan calling upon London to restrain Hussain — who acquired British citizenship in 2002 — from hurling threats at Pakistan’s security forces and affecting the ongoing military operation against militancy.

Resultantly, the envoy rushed back home to seek direction from the Foreign Office.

The MQM chief is already at the receiving end of sensational ‘disclosures’ made in a confessional tape by a former party activist facing the gallows, who claims Hussain directly ordered the killing of the city’s power chief years back.

Saulat Mirza, a convict on death row for nearly 16 years, and whose execution scheduled last Thursday was postponed, alleged that Hussain ordered him over phone at the residence of Babar Ghauri, the-then federal minister from the MQM, to kill the-then Karachi Electric Supply Corporation MD. Umair Siddiqui, another MQM worker, accused of involvement in 120 murders has also revealed a

KAMRAN REHMAT

MQM’s cause has not been helped by Altaf Hussain, its selfexiled leader, who has been virtually running the party on telephone from London since fleeing arrest in 1992

bloodcurdling regime of extortion and target-killing that allegedly details how teams of assassins were organised and, at whose behest and where, weapons were bought and hidden.

Denying the charges, the MQM chief disowned both the activists, going to the extent of saying he neither knows them nor has he ever met them.

Hussain shocked all and sundry however, when he ridiculed a TV anchor who sought his views on the handing of the dossier against him to the British High Commissioner.

Mirza, whose confessional tape has been flashed on the electronic media repeatedly, raising questions about who filmed it and why, also made the sensational claim that Dr Eshratul Ebad, the longest serving governor of Sindh province from the MQM (since 2002), regularly provided protection in police custody to criminals associated with the party involved in target-killing.

This prompted an eleventh hour postponement of Mirza’s execution through a presidential order although the interior minister later put it down to the convict’s “ill-health”.

Rumours are also rife that Ebad may tender his resignation — following a call from the interior minister, who is reported to have warned him that failing this, the federal government would be forced to show him the door. A number of MQM leaders may also be placed on the Exit Control List following serious allegations made against them.

Last month, the Rangers had submitted a damning report to the Sindh High Court that claimed the MQM activists had set alight the Baldia Factory in 2012 after its owners refused to pay the extortion sum demanded of them. The blaze killed 259 people, but political expediency saw the case shoved aside.

The chain of events over the last week appear to be calibrated and reports suggest the security establishment had put the civilian powers-thatbe on notice about actively moving to decriminalise politics, particularly in urban Sindh, as part of its broad-based anti-terror operation. Karachi, Sindh’s provincial capital, is the country’s financial hub and economic lifeline.

As well as robustly defending the party’s stance with claims of victimisation, Farooq Sattar, a senior MQM leader,warned in the Parliament on Friday that if his party offices in Karachi were forced shut, no other party could run theirs, too.

The author is a senior journalist based in Islamabad.

All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely his and not of Times of Oman.

Classical music doesn’t need to sound new

I

s classical music dead? Or merely unwell? It’s not a new question: as the pianist and music writer Charles Rosen put it, “The death of classical music is perhaps its oldest continuing tradition.”

Whether the art form itself has left the building or not, we shouldn’t be calling it that any more. Or so says the new principal of the Birmingham Conservatoire.

Julian Lloyd Webber will be overseeing the construction of a new campus costing £46m, but he thinks we should consign “classical music” to the retirement home for clapped-out phrases. It is, he says, “almost irrelevant” when it comes to contemporary work.

“We’re talking about 500 or 600 years of music, all in different styles,” he said. “How can you compare Purcell with Philip Glass and everything in between? There is good music and bad music.

The music that is being written today by people who would be called classical composers is taking in different influences, such as world music.”

I can see what he means — it’s almost a cliché of interviews with

CHRIS MAUME

musicians of all stripes, soulfully resisting being pigeon-holed by label-hungry journalists.

Classical music has always absorbed influences: Mozart had a Turkish phase; Vaughan Williams, Janacek and Grainger, among many others, drew on folk music.

Gershwin brought the Jazz Age to the classical concert hall, and Mark-Anthony Turnage has channelled Miles Davis.

That all sounds splendid — cross-fertilisation creating rich hybrids of styles and approaches.

The Kronos Quartet are only the highest-profile example of those artists seeking to trample down artistic fences as they make classical music that bristles with the energy of modern times.

Can classical music reinvigorate itself in the same way? In January, Mark Vanhoenacker, writing for Slate, was clear about its fate: “The fat lady hasn’t just sung.

Brünnhilde has packed her bags and moved to Boca Raton.”

He blamed “the fingernail grip of old music in a culture that venerates the new” and reminds of legendary retro grump Kingsley Amis, who wrote said that

contemporary classical has little chance of public acceptance.

To which, Lloyd Webber might retort, then let’s infuse the traditional with the modern and give both a new lease of life.

And Turnage and others could point out that that’s precisely what they’re doing.

But in this fusion-obsessed world, sometimes it feels that genres are combined in order to mask a lack of inspiration, a lack of confidence in the power of a genre.

When I hear world music hybrids they often sound samey.

Mix lots of different paint colours together and the result is a murky purply-brown, and so it can be with music.

Fusion is a useful compositional tool, and I can appreciate that musicians don’t want to be pigeonholed; Lloyd Webber is right to want to expand his students’ musical consciousness.

But he should also tell them that if they want to go away and write a sonata or a fugue then that’s what they should do, and forget about the modern world and all its plugged-in, networked-up, userfriendly demands. - The Independent

Pakistan’s tryst with destiny Pakistan’s recent ODI record against the Aussies is hardly inspiring and includes a whitewash defeat

EMMAD HAMEED

I

f Pakistan had the option of choosing their quarter-final rivals, then surely Australia would have been their last pick. But then again, the World Cup knockout stage is as big as it gets in the One-Day International (ODI) format and teams harbouring hopes of wearing the world champion’s crown must beat the best in the business. Pakistan’s ultimate test is upon them.

Buoyed by home support and in conditions suited to the Australian aggressive approach on the field, the hosts have pulverised weaker teams like Scotland and Afghanistan besides gunning down Sri Lanka and England with their grit and gusto.

The only blemish was the nail-biter at Auckland where even a 152-run target briefly looked insurmountable for New Zealand as one batsman after the other was left scarred by the searing pace of Mitchell Starc. If Misbahul Haq wants to turn his cherished dream of lifting the silverware at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on March 29 into reality, he must produce a matchwinning strategy to bring to a halt Michael Clarke’s juggernaut at the Adelaide Oval on March 20.

Pakistan’s recent ODI record against the Aussies is hardly inspiring and includes a whitewash defeat suffered in the familiar confines of the UAE last year.

But records and history hardly hold relevance on a new day in sport, else Misbah’s charges would have no business playing the quarters after their spineless surrender to India and the West Indies at the start of the World Cup. With the much bandiedabout ‘momentum’ on their side, Pakistan can give the Australians an almighty shake, especially on a wicket that suits their style of play — comparatively low bounce and help for the slower bowlers.

One feels that Australia would not risk leaving even a tinge of green on the surface considering the rich vein of form of Pakistan’s pace bowling attack that has come off age under the tutelage of Waqar Younis.

The trio of Wahab Riaz — arguably the fastest bowler in the world — Rahat Ali and Sohail Khan has used the short ball and the variations at their disposal tremendously well in the preliminary stages of the tournament — a major transformation from the Pakistani tradition of swinging or reverse swinging pitched-up deliveries.

Mohammad Irfan’s unfortunate injury may spell the

end of his international career but Pakistan must not let the disappointment linger on their minds in the field.

The bowling attack still has potency and Yasir Shah’s induction in place of Ehsan Adil will make the greenshirts capable of chaining the blazing bats of David Warner, Aaron Finch and Co, provided they bowl with the same vigour and penetration that strangled the South Africans at Auckland’s Eden Park.

While the bowling looks capable of reining in the Aussies, the batting line-up must also build further on the positives of the Ireland clash. Sarfraz Ahmed, in only two appearances, has proved that purposeful batting through strike rotation and conviction in shot-making can bring success even against the best in the business.

One hopes that the rest of the line-up closely studies the Sarfraz model and takes the Australians head-on rather than cowing down and camping on the back-foot.

The quarter-final is a big stage game and Shahid Afridi, the most mercurial cricketer of his generation, must make a serious impact.

The preliminary round has passed away without even a single Afridi assault with the bat; the wiles of his fizzing leg-spinners have also been largely lacklustre but even in the predominantly drab performances, Afridi has had his moments: the maiden 47th over of the Zimbabwe chase on his 35th birthday tops the list.

Despite his maddening lows, Afridi has had some incredibly intoxicating highs too that have stunned the world time and again ever since that maiden ODI hundred in Kenya — almost a lifetime ago. The most flamboyant and cavalier Pakistan cricketer ever has clearly been the darling of destiny.

The Adelaide clash would be the 398th ODI of Afridi’s career and if the greenshirts go the distance, he would round off his career with a 400th appearance at the MCG with a clear shot at the world champion’s crown.

Perhaps, destiny has a grander farewell planned for Afridi than the Nairobi welcome of 1996. One hopes that he is ready to pounce at all opportunities in the true Afridi way. - The Express Tribune

UN warns world over looming water crisis Total Renewable Water Resources Per Capita Cubic Metres (2013)

1664 Charles II gives large tracks of land

By 2030, if trends continue

from west of the Connecticut River to the east of Delaware Bay in North America to his brother James, the Duke of York.

World will have only 60 percent of water it needs

Absolute scarcity 0

Scarcity 500

Stress 1,000

Vulnerability 1,700

Global Water Demand Cubic Km 5,000 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0

Irrigation Domestic Livestock Manufacturing Electricity

2000 2050 Oecd Source: UN, wire agencies

BRIICS = Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China, South Africa OECD = Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

2000 2050 Briics

OPINION POLL

TODAY IN HISTORY

2000 2050 Rest Of World

1719

Frederick William abolishes serfdom on crown property in Prussia.

1765

The Stamp Act is passed, the first direct British tax on the American colonists.

2,500 Demand up 55 % by 2050

1775

2000 2050 World Graphic News /

Graphics

British statesman Edmund Burke makes a speech in the House of Commons, urging the government to adopt a policy of reconciliation with America.

FROM OUR ARCHIVES OCCI EXHIBITIONS COMMITTEE MEETS

MUSCAT: The exhibitions committee at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) held its regular meeting at OCCI yesterday with Asailah bint Zahir Al Harthy in chair. The meeting was attended by members of the public and private sectors. The meeting discussed the procedures and preparations taken to organise an exhibition in Iraq, under the motto made in Oman next May. It recommended inviting Omani companies to seize this opportunity.

Do you think Oman needs female driven taxis exclusively for women?

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

WORLD

We are united by our shared task to liberate Georgia from the government which destroys our country. We will get Georgia back on a right track. We will win, said exiled former president Mikheil Saakashvili by video link from Brussels

Denmark cautioned against joining NATO missile shield I do not think that the Danes fully understand the consequences of what happens if Denmark joins the US-led missile defence. If this happens Danish warships become targets for Russian nuclear missiles, Ambassador Mikhail Vanin wrote in the ‘Jyllands-Posten’ daily

The threat made by Ambassador Mikhail Vanin in an opinion piece he wrote for the Danish daily ‘Jyllands-Posten’ came amid an increasingly Cold War-style standoff between Moscow and the West

COPENHAGEN: Russia’s ambassador to Denmark said on Saturday that the NATO country’s navy could be targeted by nuclear missiles if it joins the Western alliance’s anti-missile shield.

The threat made by Ambassador Mikhail Vanin in an opinion piece he wrote for the Danish daily

Jyllands-Posten sparked an angry reaction and came amid an increasingly Cold War-style standoff between Moscow and the West.

“I do not think that the Danes fully understand the consequences of what happens if Denmark joins the US-led missile defence,” Ambassador Mikhail Vanin wrote in the daily.

“If this happens Danish warships become targets for Russian nuclear missiles.”

Russia has long opposed NA-

TO’s missile shield -- launched in 2010 and due to be fully operational by 2025 -- in which member countries contribute radar and weaponry to protect Europe against missile attacks.

Denmark has pledged to supply one or more frigates equipped with advanced radar to track incoming missiles.

The chairwoman of the Danish parliament’s foreign affairs, Mette Gjerskov told AFP that the comments were “very threat-

ening and not necessary” as the missile shield was simply an “intruder alarm” and no danger to Russia.

Escalating verbal tone “This is a way of escalating the verbal tone between Russia and NATO,” she said, adding that the comments were also aimed at Russian public opinion.

“But it doesn’t change the fact that we’re not afraid.”

Denmark’s Foreign Minister

Martin Lidegaard said the remarks were “unacceptable rhetoric” and “completely out of proportion”.

“One should not threaten such serious things as the ambassador has done here,” he told news agency Ritzau.

Tensions between Russia and the Nordic countries have risen in recent years with reports of increased Russian airforce incursions in the Baltic region.

Crazy comments Holger K. Nielsen, defence spokesman for the Socialist People’s Party, which is opposed to Denmark’s involvement in the NATO shield, called the ambassador’s comments “crazy”.

“His opinion is based on the assumption that a war has broken out and in that case Denmark, as a member of NATO, would already be a target,” he told Jyllands-Posten.

NATO’s European missile defence system is headquartered in Ramstein Germany since 2012.

It includes US missile destroying warships in Spain, Patriot anti-missile systems in Turkey, ship borne radar systems carried by several member countries and planned missile interceptors in Romania. — AFP

CONFLICT

Libya bombs military camp, rebel-held capital Tripoli TRIPOLI: Libya’s internationally recognised government conducted air strikes on a military camp on Saturday and attempted to hit the airport in Tripoli, the capital controlled by a rival administration, officials said.

The attack came a day after the official government said it had launched a military offensive to “liberate” Tripoli, which has been seized by a group called Libya Dawn in August, reinstating a previous assembly.

The recognised Prime Minister Abdullah Al Thinni and the elected parliament have been confined to eastern Libya since then but both administrations allied to armed factions fight for control four years after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi.

Mitiga airport Saqer Al Joroushi, an eastern air force commander, said his aircraft hit the Mitiga airport in Tripoli and a camp used by Libya Dawn near another airport in the capital.

A security source in Tripoli said the camp had apparently been hit while planes had missed the airport. — Reuters

NO TO RACIAL DISCRIMINATION A woman holds a placard during a march to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, in London March 21, 2015. — Reuters

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Georgian protesters demand resignation of government TBILISI: Tens of thousands of Georgians joined a protest rally on Saturday in the ex-Soviet republic’s capital Tbilisi to demand the government’s resignation, claimed it has mishandled the battered economy.

Protesters packed Tbilisi’s central Freedom Square after being called onto the streets by exiled former president Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement (UNM), before marching towards the State Chancellery building, the seat of government.

They carried Georgian flags and placards demanding the government step down.

Saakashvili addressed the rally by video link from Brussels as the cheering crowd chanted his name.

“We are united by our shared task to liberate Georgia from the government which destroys our country,” Saakashvili said in an emotional address.

“We will get Georgia back on a

right track. We will win,” he added.

Saakashvili’s UNM party has accused the ruling Georgian Dream coalition government of mishandling the tiny Caucasus country’s economy that, during the last two years, saw growth slowdown, a 30-per cent currency devaluation, and rising inflation and unemployment.

Georgian Dream, assembled by former prime minister and billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, came to power in 2012 and ended a decade-long rule of staunchly pro-Western Saakashvili and his UNM party.

Ivanishvili stepped down in November 2013 to make way for his longtime ally Irakli Garibashvili, but is widely believed to still call the shots.

Scores of former top Saakashvili officials have been arrested over the last two years for alleged wrongdoing, prompting warnings from the West over selective justice. — AFP

S U N DAY, MAR C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

WORLD Khamenei rejects US ‘bullying’ in Iran nuclear talks US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday that talks with Iran had made genuine progress and the time had come to make hard decisions GREETING: A handout picture released by the office of Iran’s

DUBAI/BEIRUT: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the United States on Saturday of using economic pressure and “bullying” to try to turn his countrymen against Islamic rule, underscoring his long-held mistrust of Tehran’s main negotiating partner in nuclear talks.

Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters of state, reiterated in a speech in northeastern Iran that Tehran would not be pressured into giving in to Western demands in the negotiations with major powers.

But the 75-year-old cleric also voiced support for the government of President Hassan Rouhani, which is conducting the negotiations, and urged any Iranians critical of its performance not to use insults, an apparent indication that the Supreme Leader continues to place confidence in Rouhani’s team.

Iran, which rejects suspicions it wants to build a nuclear weapon, is negotiating with six world powers in search of a framework deal by the end of March and a fi-

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday shows him greeting the crowd during the celebrations of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the northeast city of Mashhad. - AFP

nal agreement by June 30.

Tehran wants a lifting of international sanctions, while the six powers are pressing for curbs on Iran’s most sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Saturday that talks with Iran had made genuine progress and the time had come to make hard decisions.

Denounced sanctions Khamenei denounced the sanctions and “arrogant” Western powers, blaming them and regional players for the halving of oil prices since last June, which has further squeezed Iran’s economy.

Khamenei challenged a message to Iranians by President Barack Obama on Thursday in which the US leader said the nuclear talks represented the best opportunity in decades to pursue a different relationship between the two countries.

He dismissed Obama’s asser-

tion that there were people in Iran who stood against a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue.

“This is a lie. There is no one in Iran who doesn’t want the nuclear issue to be resolved, and resolved through negotiations.

“What the Iranian people don’t want is imposition and bullying from America,” he said.

“The other side says ‘Let’s come and negotiate and you accept every detail of what we say.’... Neither our leaders nor our negotiating team nor the people of Iran, who are behind them, will accept this.”

Khamenei added Iran was negotiating solely on the nuclear dispute and not about regional matters, an apparent reference to conflicts and instability in Iraq, Syria and the Gulf.

“The goals of America on regional issues are the complete opposite of our goals. We want peace and security in the region... The politics of America is to create insecurity,” he said. - Reuters

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015 Kurds are using this day, Newroz, as an occasion to challenge the state. Those traitors who are throwing Turkey’s future to the fire will be burned in that fire ...

Devlet Bahceli, Leader of MHP

WORLD

Armed struggle with Turkey unsustainable: Kurd leader

5 convicted for fake rape allegations in Myanmar YANGON: Five people have each been jailed for 21 years for spreading false allegations that sparked a deadly religious riot in the Myanmar city of Mandalay last year, a lawyer said on Saturday.

The southeast Asian nation’s second biggest city was plunged into deadly sectarian unrest in July when a rumour that a Buddhist woman had been raped by a Muslim man brought mobs out onto the streets.

At least one Muslim and one Buddhist man were killed in two days of violence which exposed deep religious tensions in the Buddhist-majority nation as it emerges from decades of military rule.

This struggle of our 40-year-old movement, which has been filled with pain, has not gone waste but at the same time has become unsustainable, the jailed Kurdish rebel leader said

DIYARBAKIR (TURKEY): Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan said on Saturday his militant group’s more than threedecade insurgency against the Turkish state had become “unsustainable” but stopped short of declaring an immediate end to its armed struggle.

In a message relayed by Kurdish politicians to tens of thousands gathered in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) urged members of his militant group to hold a congress on laying down its weapons.

“This struggle of our 40-yearold movement, which has been filled with pain, has not gone to waste but at the same time has become unsustainable,” Ocalan said in the message, read out at a rally to mark the Kurdish “Newroz” New Year celebrations.

President Tayyip Erdogan, then prime minister, launched talks with Ocalan in late 2012 to end an insurgency that has killed

CAUSE OF RIOTS

NEW YEAR MESSAGE: A Kurdish woman attends a gathering celebrating Newroz, which marks the

arrival of spring and the new year, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Saturday. Tens of thousands of Kurds gathered in the southeastern city to hear the message from the jailed Kurdistan Workers Party leader Abdullah Ocalan. — Reuters

40,000 people, ravaged the region’s economy and tarnished Turkey’s image abroad. Progress has been faltering since then, but Kurdish faith in Ocalan remains undiminished.

“History and our people are demanding from us a democratic solution and peace in line with the spirit of the age,” he said, calling for the congress to determine the PKK’s “political and social strategy in harmony with the spirit of the new period”.

Kurdish problem Erdogan, who triggered anger last weekend by suggesting there was no “Kurdish problem” in Turkey, said in a speech hundreds of kilometres away in the southwestern city of Denizli that he hoped Sat-

urday would mark a turning point.

“Let it be a cornerstone that truly combines love ... not a Newroz like those of the past, when everywhere was burned and destroyed

by Molotov cocktails, stones and fireworks,” he said.

Patriotic Kurdish songs Young men in green guerrilla outfits and women in brightly coloured dresses danced as patriotic Kurdish songs played. Organizers claimed a million people attended, but there were no official figures.

Large screens each side of a stage showed Ocalan’s face while many waved the flags of his militant group, deemed a terrorist organisation by Ankara, the United States and the European Union.

The mere display of Kurd-

ish insignia, let alone an image of Ocalan, could have brought arrest and imprisonment less than a decade ago. It still enrages many nationalists.

“Kurds are using this day, Newroz, as an occasion to challenge the state,” Devlet Bahceli, leader of the nationalist MHP opposition, told a party congress, accusing the AKP and the PKK of “digging a pit for Turkey”.

“Those traitors who are throwing Turkey’s future to the fire will be burned in that fire ...”

The peace efforts have also revealed tensions between Erdogan, who seeks executive powers as president but does not constitutionally have them, and the government.

In unusually direct criticism,

History and our people are demanding from us a democratic solution and peace in line with the spirit of the age Abdullah Ocalan

Kurdistan Workers Party leader

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc accused Erdogan of being “emotional” and of meddling in government business after he said he did not agree with the establishment of a committee to monitor the peace process, a step agreed with Kurdish politicians.

“It is the government which is running the country,” he told reporters.

“The president speaking like this, to the point of criticising our government, may wear out the government.” — Reuters

Spreading rumours A court in Pyinmama town, central Myanmar, sentenced five people on Wednesday for spreading rumours and creating panic, a lawyer who represents two of those convicted told AFP. “They each have 21-year prison sentences. I’m going to appeal for my two clients within a month,” lawyer Aung Thurein Tun said.

One of those convicted was a woman who the authorities said was paid to make up the rape allegation against a Muslim tea shop owner. Inter-communal violence has overshadowed widely praised political reforms since erupting in 2012. The unrest has largely targeted Muslims, leaving at least 250 people dead and tens of thousands homeless.

Sectarian clashes have been particularly acute in western Rakhine state, with communal fighting that has displaced about 140,000 people, mainly stateless Rohingya Muslims. — AFP

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM SUNDAY, MAR CH 22, 2015

MARKE

OMR500m allocated

for fisheries sector Fisheries sector is one of the promising sectors in diversifying sources of national income and generating employment

MUSCAT: A whopping OMR500 million has been allocated to finance the strategic projects for developing fisheries sector between 2013 and 2020. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has already started implemented this investment plan.

Fisheries sector is one of the promising sectors in diversifying sources of the national income, creating job opportunities and ensuring high added value.

The budget for 2015 gave priority to two major fisheries projects namely the fish processing com-

plex in Duqm and infrastructure development to increase the production of aqua farming.

About OMR53 million worth finance agreements have been signed on Wednesday with the Saudi Fund for Development to finance construction of fishing port and fish processing complex in Duqm. The agreement confirms the Omani Government’s commitment to enhance natural resources use in the Sultanate especially in the field of fisheries and development of infrastructure.

The government’s investments

OMR80m Is government’s estimated investment in fishing port and the fish processing industries in Duqm

in fishing port and the fish processing industries in Duqm area is expected to hit OMR80 million and this include the investments in the fishing port, which will be the biggest fishing port on the Omani coasts.

The infrastructure for the fish processing complex includes internal roads, electricity, water and communication networks, as well as rehabilitating 60 land plots for fisheries investments.

The Sultanate’s fish produc-

SHAREHOLDERS’ MEETING

Bank Muscat gets nod for OMR500m-sukuk, dividend Times News Service MUSCAT: Bank Muscat shareholders on Wednesday approved a OMR500-million Meethaq sukuk programme and payout of 45 per cent dividend for 2014.

The issuance of sukuk will be in various tranches, either in Omani rials or US dollar, in domestic and international markets through public subscription or private placement within 5 years from the approval by shareholders.

The payout of 45 per cent dividend also received the endorsement of shareholders. For the year 2014, the bank will pay 25 per cent cash dividend, 15 per cent in the form of mandatory convertible bonds and 5 per cent as bonus shares.

“Amid the challenging economic and financial situation marked by volatile oil prices in the last quarter of 2014, the key business

lines of the bank recorded healthy performance on expected lines,” said Shaikh Khalid bin Mustahail Al Mashani, chairman of the bank.

Bank Muscat shareholders will receive cash dividend of OMR0.025 per ordinary share of OMR0.100 each aggregating to OMR54.57 million on the bank’s existing share capital. In addition, they will receive bonus shares in the proportion of one share for every 20 ordinary shares aggregating to 109,134,409 shares of OMR0.100 each amounting to OMR10.91 million.

They will also receive mandatory-convertible bonds of OMR0.015 per ordinary share of OMR0.100 each aggregating to OMR32.74 million (including issue expenses), which will carry a coupon rate of 3.5 per cent per annum, payable every six months.

The bonds will mature after a period of three years from the

date of issuance.

On maturity, the bonds will be converted to ordinary shares of the bank by using a ‘conversion price’ which will be calculated by applying 20 per cent discount to 3-month average share price of the bank on the Muscat Securities Market prior to the conversion. The bonds will be listed on the Muscat Securities Market.

Bank Muscat posted a net profit of OMR163.23 million in 2014 compared to OMR152.19 million in 2013, an increase of 7.3 per cent. The basic earnings per share were OMR0.075 in 2014 as against OMR0.072 in 2013.

The banks’ capital adequacy ratio stood at 15.92 per cent after appropriation for proposed dividend for the year 2014 as against the minimum required level of 12.625 per cent as per Basel III regulations issued by the Central Bank of Oman.

C O N S U LTA N C Y S E R V I C E S

Pakistani engineering firm wins dam project contract in Oman Times News Service MUSCAT: National Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd Pakistan (Nespak) has bagged the consultancy services for design and construction supervision of a flood protection dam (B6) project in Al Jufainah governorate in Oman.

The Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Reservoirs is responsible for the execution of the project. The project is likely to be completed in two-and-a half

years, according to a company statement posted on its website.

The dam is being built to store water so as to ward off the threat of floods.

Nespak will provide design review and construction supervision services for the project costing Rs170 million, according to a media report. The project consists of a major dam, five saddle dams, one lateral dam and spillways.

Nespak has made a major contribution to the development of

infrastructural facilities, environment and public health engineering as well as water resources development in the Sultanate of Oman. The securing of the dam project shows Nespak’s capability of operating internationally and remaining consistent with its policy of expanding business overseas. Good management practices and high technical expertise have helped Nespak to flourish overseas, especially in the last few years.

tion from the seas and aqua farms, which now stands at 210,000 tonnes, is expected to gradually reach 0.5 million tonne by the end of 2020 when the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries completes the implementation of its strategic plan.

The contribution of fisheries sector during the Ninth Five Year Plan (2016-2020) is expected to increase to 3 per cent by the end of the plan. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries endeavours to increase the number of ports over the upcoming five years from 19 currently to 30. The number of workers at the artisanal and coastal fishing sector is about 45,000 fisherman. - ONA

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CRUDE SLUMP

Stressed oil firms are turning to junk bonds, bankruptcy NEW YORK: Recent oil price crash is taking a growing financial toll on companies throughout the industry, forcing some into bankruptcy and others to issue expensive junk bonds to stay afloat.

On Tuesday, shale producer Quicksilver Resources filed for bankruptcy protection for its United States operations after missing a bond payment. Earlier bankruptcies include a March 3 filing by Cal Dive International, which installs offshore pipelines and platforms.

And energy firms are now the top issuers, by a wide margin, of junk bonds, which require them to pay much higher yields than conventional bonds.

On March 5, US Gulf Coast producer Energy XXI issued $1.45 billion in bonds that pay a steep 11 per cent, planning to use the money in part to pay other lenders.

Energy XXI had previously warned it would not be able to

make payments if commodity prices stay low. The par value of high-yield energy company bonds on the market surged by about $30 billion in the first two months of the year, representing both new issues and downgrades. That was far more than any other sector, according to Fitch Ratings.

The rise in junk bonds and bankruptcies are the latest sign of stress in the petroleum sector as US crude prices linger around $45 a barrel, down nearly 60 per cent since June. Low prices depress profits and pinch balance sheets, especially for smaller companies, which can be heavily leveraged.

That is forcing more and more of them to go to capital markets to stay afloat.

“It is definitely a challenging environment all around for a smaller (lower-rated) name to get a deal done,” said Mark Sadeghian, a senior director for energy at Fitch. -AFP

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

MARKET PERFORMANCE

Nike results surpass estimates NEW YORK: Nike, the world’s largest sporting-goods maker, rose the most in almost six months after reporting earnings that topped analysts’ estimates, helped by demand in North America.

The shares increased 3.7 per cent to $101.98 at the close in New York, the biggest gain since September 26. Nike has jumped 29 per cent in the past 12 months.

Net income in the quarter

ended on February 28 rose 16 per cent to $791 million, or 89 cents a share, from $682 million, or 75 cents, a year earlier, the Beaverton, Oregon-based company said on Thursday in a statement. The average of 27 analysts’ estimates was 84 cents.

Nike has been on a roll after revamping its struggling China division, and benefiting from the trend of consumers wearing fashionable

athletic wear and shoes as everyday items. That’s helped the company generate growth in mature markets such as North America, where sales increased 6 percent to $3.25 billion last quarter.

Total orders rose 11 per cent.

The China division also bounced back. Revenue rose 15 per cent and orders advanced 22 per cent, topping an estimate for a 13 per cent gain. - Bloomberg News BILLION-DOLLAR

AIG approves subprime settlement of investors

Contracts worth OMR22 million awarded in Duqm Duqm contracts include landfills for hazardous and nonhazardous wastes, special sanitation and drainage system

MANHATTAN: American International Group (AIG) won court approval of a $970.5 million settlement with investors who accused the insurer at the onset of the financial crisis of misleading them about risks tied to subprime mortgages.

The investors, urging a federal judge to approve the accord, called it one of the largest securities class action recoveries stemming from the 2008 financial crisis.

American International Group was sued that year by investors who said the New York- based company misstated its exposure to the subprime mortgage market through its securities lending programme and its creditdefault swap portfolio.

“It’s a great settlement and we are extremely gratified to have been able to achieve this result,” Jeffrey Golan, a lawyer for one of the lead plaintiffs in the case, the State of Michigan Retirement Systems, said Friday in a phone interview.

AIG, bailed out by the US government during the crisis, will pay $960 million while the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers will pay $10.5 million, according to a Manhattan federal court filing. - Bloomberg News

and levelling of 180 hectares dedicated to heavy industries within the zone

DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: The landfill project includes design and construction of integrated hazardous and non-hazardous waste storage and treatment facilities. – Supplied photo

Times News Service MUSCAT: Contracts worth OMR22.3 million to develop several new projects, including landfills for hazardous and nonhazardous wastes, a special sanitation and drainage system and levelling of 180 hectares dedicated to heavy industries, have been awarded by the Special Economic Zone Authority in Duqm (Sezad).

The decision was taken by the Tender Committee, which met under the chairmanship of Eng Ahmed bin Hassan Al Dheeb, said a press release.

Waste treatment The landfill project includes design and construction of integrated hazardous and non-hazardous waste storage and treatment facilities. The project comes within the efforts made by Sezad to reduce the negative effects on the environment.

The project is also in line with the efforts made by the Sultanate of Oman to limit the health and environmental problems caused by the traditional landfills.

It also aims at providing environment-friendly landfills that can handle different types of waste, safely and meet the constant growth in volumes of waste resulting from construction activities and population growth.

The project is expected to efficiently handle the waste that will be generated from the industries hosted at SEZD. The committee also awarded a project to set up channels (for controlling floods) located in the

Duqm economic zone floats tender for roads and utilities Times News Service MUSCAT: A tender inviting local and international contractors to build roads and utilities to serve 150 housing units (which are under construction) has been floated by the Special Economic Zone Authority at Duqm (Sezad).

northern areas in the Duqm master plan. The construction of the 11-kilometre-long channel aims at discharging the superficial rainwater into the sea. The channel will be designed in a way to ensure it has the required slope to help the channel discharge the rainwater efficiently and smoothly.

Protection of dams The project is part of a series of projects that include protection of dams and main and subdischarge channels with varying capacities. The aim of these channels is to collect the rainwater and discharge them safely through suitable streams for the expected volumes of rain. The project will provide protection for the frontline infrastructure at Duqm Port and at the heavy industries complex. It will also ensure safe dis-

The work will be carried out in coordination with the existing main contractor, which is implementing the housing project.The last date to submit tenders is fixed for April 14, while the authorities have arranged a site visit for the potential contractor on March 31.

posal of rainwater without causing any damage to the companies operating in the zone.

The Tender Committee also awarded the sixth package of the levelling and superficial water discharge for the logistics area in Duqm port.

The scope of the project includes levelling of land on the main road to Duqm, including digging and filling as per project plans. The contractor should ensure that all electricity, water and communication lines at the project area are not affected by the digging and filling works.

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S U N DAY, MAR C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

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MARKET Oman Society of Contractors and Opal join hands for common goals The partnership calls for close collaboration in implementing strategies and programmes regarding skill development, training and Omanisation

BUSINESS REPORTER

MUSCAT: Two of the Sultanate’s most prominent non-government umbrella organisations representing the oil and gas and construction sectors have joined hands to address common issues facing the industry.

The first-of-its-kind partnership between Oman Society for Petroleum Services (Opal) and Oman Society of Contractors (OSC) calls for close collaboration in the implementation of strategies and programmes regarding skill development and training, Omanisation, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), In-Country Value (ICV), HSE and best practices as well as the development of small and medium enterprises.

The partnership was announced

at a press conference attended by Musallam Al Mandhari, advisor to the board and interim chief executive officer of Opal, and Shahswar Al Balushi, chief executive officer of OSC, on Thursday.

The officials noted that the collaboration promises to impart strong impetus to longstanding strategic national and socioeconomic goals, notably training and job creation for Omanis.

Omanisation Opal, as the foremost representative body of the oil and gas industry, has been seeking to bring professionalism to the oil and gas sector and has to its credit many achievements that have helped propel this vital industry to the forefront of all economic sectors in terms of Omanisation and training, HSE, ac-

creditation and In-Country Value.

Opal has sought to promote professionalism and competency levels across the sector, with a view to transforming the sector into an internationally competitive and world-class industry. Opal presently has more than 400 members representing companies serving the oil and gas industry, producers, contractors and suppliers, both large and small.

Raising standards OSC has also emerged as the preeminent voice of Oman’s contracting industry and has been seeking to raise professionalism and standards across the industry while strengthening regulation since its establishment in 2007.

As a representative forum of an industry that employs the largest number of Omanis outside the oil and gas industry, OSC has engaged constructively with various government ministries and organisations, including the Ministry of Finance, the Tender Board, the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of Oil and Gas. Given the common objectives, both Opal and OSC now see the benefits of working together to achieve goals, said the officials.

Oman Society for Petroleum Services plans to train 400 locals this year to develop workforce elham@timesofoman.com MUSCAT: Oman Society for Petroleum Services (Opal), the Sultanate’s first and only oil and gas society, plans to train 400 individuals this year in line with its efforts to develop the local workforce in this sector, said an official.

Opal’s training for development programme has resulted in the employment of 9,000 Omanis in the oil and gas sector since the society’s establishment in 2001, Musallam Al Mandhari, advisor to the board and interim chief executive officer of opal, said at a media briefing on Thursday.

For the first quarter of this year, the society has admitted around 280 trainees and the training will start any time now, he added.

G C C R A I LWAY S

Musallam Al Mandhari

Opal has around 400 members representing companies serving the oil and gas industry, producers, operators, contractors and suppliers, and, according to Al Mandhari, the organisation is seeking to

World-class The official noted that the society’s activities and training programmes concerns a wide range of areas, including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), certification and validation and HSE (health, safety and environment).

Opal’s vision is to have an acknowledged world-class oil and gas industry in Oman which operates to the highest standards with no harm to people, environment or assets.

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O U T L O O K S TA B L E

GCC rail terminal at Sohar receives appreciation at regional exhibition Times News Service MUSCAT: Proposed world-class rail terminal and rail links that will connect global supply chains with Sohar Port and Freezone via the GCC rail project, have received widespread praise from among thousands of government officials, rail operators, and contractors at this year’s Middle East Rail Exhibition, the largest railway expo in the Mena region, Sohar executive commercial manager Edwin Lammers has announced.

The efficiency and integration of supply chains and the benefits of transporting cargo through Sohar were also the subject of approvals and praise from participants engaging with the Omani port at The Cargo Show Mena 2015, according to Lammers. Both events were held simultaneously at the Dubai International Convention Centre, and drew large crowds of admirers interested to find out more, explained Lammers.

“The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) rail project has received worldwide coverage in the media and attracted the gaze of government planners and railway developers from around the world. This was reflected in the high levels of interest in the terminal planned for Sohar at the Middle East Rail Exhibition, and as the gateway to

change the mindset of Omanis and encourage them to work in the oil and gas sector.

ELHAM POURMOHAMMADI

LOGISTICS HUB: The Oman leg of the GCC Railway will connect all of the Gulf state’s logistics hubs,

but will be predominantly used to get goods in and out of consumer markets in UAE and Saudi Arabia, through Sohar. – Supplied photo

the Gulf, many of the expo’s 6,000 visitors were keen to find out how they can utilise the terminal to boost their business.”

The Oman leg of the GCC Railway will connect all of the Gulf state’s logistics hubs but will be predominantly used to get goods in and out of consumer markets in UAE and Saudi Arabia, through Sohar. The main rail section from Sohar will stretch across 6 viaducts, 2 tunnels, and 122 kilometres of track before reaching UAE. As one of the world’s largest port

and freezone development sites, Lammers said the multimodal nature of Sohar and its position outside the Strait of Hormuz proved to be a point of interest.

Cost savings “We have been inundated with inquiries from both shows. Participants were particularly interested in the time and cost savings associated with distributing cargo from outside the Strait of Hormuz, the status of the hundreds of kilometres of expressways being

built across Oman, and how each element of our multimodal infrastructure at Sohar – road, rail, air, and sea – will offer access to the region’s big consumer markets.”

“While faster road and new air transportation links are now available after the opening of Sohar Airport, rail holds the most promise in terms of cargo volumes and efficiency. When fully operational, the transport time for cargo departing Sohar railway station for the UAE border will be fixed at around 1 hour,” he said.

Fitch warns Turkey on policy credibility ANKARA: Fitch Ratings warned Turkey that political pressure on the central bank is a risk for the economy, as it kept the country’s debt at the lowest investmentgrade rating.

An erosion of the central bank’s credibility may expose Turkey’s economy to shifts in investor demand for riskier assets as the USprepares to raise borrowing costs, Fitch said in a scheduled review of Turkey’s credit rating on Friday.

The agency rates Turkey BBBalong with other emerging economies such as India and Russia.

A possible tightening of United States monetary policy later this year may worsen sentiment for Turkish assets, Fitch said. The central bank’s credibility “could come under growing strain” should political pressure on the central bank to counter slowing economic growth with lower borrowing rates increase after general elections scheduled for June.

Rates pressure “Turkey’s buffers against potential volatility in global investor risk appetite remain relatively thin” the rating agency said. “Fitch considers policy coherence and credibility to be weaker in Turkey than its rating peers.”

Turkey’s central bank Governor Erdem Basci has been under constant criticism from President

An erosion of the central bank’s credibility may expose Turkey’s economy to shifts in investor demand for riskier assets as US prepares to raise borrowing costs

Recep Tayyip Erdogan since the bank more than doubled its main rate in January last year to bolster the lira. Erdogan’s persistent demands for lower interest rates have helped push the currency to record lows this year.

On March 11, Basci told President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that rate cuts should come after a slowdown in inflation, which accelerated to 7.6 per cent in February from 7.2 per cent a month before.

Turkey has ‘robust’ public finances and a banking system in “good shape,” though its large current-account deficit remains a concern, Fitch said. - Bloomberg News

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

MARKET RISING DEBT

Finland likely to lose top Fitch rating amid stagnation HELSINKI: Finland came a step closer to losing its top credit grade at Fitch Ratings as divisions within the government led to a failure to stem the growth of public debt.

The outlook on the northernmost euro member’s long-term AAA rating was reduced to negative from stable, the rating company said in a statement on Friday.

While the statement affirmed the top rating, slow economic growth and mounting debt could lead to a cut, Fitch said.

Finland’s government has allowed public debt to double since 2008 as economic growth proved elusive. It’s also missed all its key economic goals over the past four years and this month oversaw collapse of a key health-care overhaul.

Ageing population “Our population is ageing, which weakens potential economic growth,” Finance Minister Antti Rinne said in an interview on Saturday on YLE TV1. “We also have a structural problem with exports; we now need export-led economic growth. To restore the balance in public finances, we also need to cut spending and increase revenue.”

Standard & Poor’s cut Finland’s top rating by one level in October, citing the prospect of protracted stagnation, while Moody’s Investors Service has the Nordic nation at its highest Aaa level.

Fitch reduced its forecast for Finnish growth to 0.5 per cent this year from 1.1 per cent and said growth will accelerate to 1.3 per cent next year.

Cheap borrowing Finland’s debt costs don’t reflect the country’s economic hardship and declining revenue base. The country last month became the first euro-area sovereign to sell five-year debt in a primary issue at a negative yield, spurred by the European Central Bank’s quantitative easing. That means investors buying the securities will receive less back than they paid for the notes if they hold them to maturity.

Prime Minister Alexander Stubb’s government lags behind the opposition in polls, with a general election approaching on April 19. In the euro area, only Germany and Luxembourg have the highest ratings. - Bloomberg News

Global stocks rally 3% on bull run; Nasdaq nears record high Global equities added more than $1.5 trillion this week as the US Fed acknowledged that economic growth has moderated, indicating it is in no rush to raise rates

NEW YORK: Global stocks powered to their best weekly rally in nearly two years, sending two of the biggest equity benchmarks to the brink of records, on speculation the United States Federal Reserve will leave interest rates at zero past mid-year while European policy makers press stimulus.

The MSCI All-Country World Index surged 3.2 per cent for the five days, pushing the Nasdaq Composite Index to within 7 points of wiping out all its losses since the Internet bubble. The Stoxx Europe 600 Index soared 1.9 per cent to close 0.4 per cent from its March 2000 high.

Global equities added more than $1.5 trillion this week as the Fed acknowledged that economic growth has moderated, indicating it is in no rush to raise interest rates. Equities also benefited as pressure eased from a surging dollar and plunging oil. A gauge of the United States currency had the steepest weekly slide in three years while crude rebounded for its first gain in five weeks.

“The animal spirit is starting to heat up,” Jim O’Donnell, who oversees about $6 billion as chief investment officer at Forward Management in San Francisco, said in a phone interview. “You’ve got the combination of three very large, meaningful central banks easing, that’s lighting up the fire under those equity markets.”

Other benchmark indexes also gained during the week. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose

RECORD: The Nasdaq Composite jumped 3.2 per cent to 5,026.42, approaching an all-time high of 5,048.62 reached in March, 2000.

The gauge of predominantly technology stocks has rebounded 3.6 per cent since March 11. It crossed 5,000 earlier this month before losing 3.2 per cent in nine days. – Bloomberg news

2.7 per cent to 2,108.10 in the five days, 0.4 per cent away from a record. In London, the FTSE 100 Index hit a fresh record, climbing above 7,000 for the first time. The Russell 2000 Index gained 2.8 per cent to an all-time high.

Nasdaq record The Nasdaq Composite jumped 3.2 per cent to 5,026.42, approaching an all-time high of 5,048.62 reached in March 2000. The gauge of predominantly technology stocks has rebounded 3.6 per cent since March 11. It crossed 5,000 earlier this month before losing 3.2 per cent in nine days.

The index was bolstered by a rally in health-care stocks. The Nasdaq Biotechnology Index jumped 6.2 per cent for its biggest weekly gain since October, closing at an all-time high. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals soared 14 per cent, while Amgen Inc. jumped 10 per cent and Biogen Idec increased 15 per cent to a record.

The Nasdaq Composite approached an all-time high the

same week that its biggest member, Apple, entered a much older gauge, the Dow Jones Industrial Average. At 44, the Nasdaq has been around less than half as long as the Dow, and has spent about one-third of its life trying to claw back from the dot-com crash.

As the Nasdaq has closed in on its record over the last few years, gains have been much more spread out than they were during the 1990s Internet bubble. Since the start of 2012, the Nasdaq 100 Index, a basket of the gauge’s biggest stocks, is up 96 per cent, compared to 93 per cent for the broader measure.

Spread out Over the same period at the end of the Internet bubble, the Nasdaq 100 climbed 450 per cent — 208 percentage points more than the Nasdaq Composite. That happened because gains were concentrated in the biggest companies, with Cisco Systems Inc. climbing 844 percent over the interval and Microsoft rising 383 per cent.

Since 2011, the biggest gainer in the Nasdaq 100 is Regeneron, at 782 per cent.

Stock rally The current rally has also hewn much closer to the advance in broader benchmarks. Since the start of 2012, the Nasdaq Composite has risen at a 24.3 per cent annualised rate, compared to 19.9 per cent over that stretch for the S&P 500.

Over the same interval of days ending on March 10, 2000, the Nasdaq rose at a yearly rate of 53.3 per cent, compared to 23.1 per cent in the S&P 500.

The S&P 500 seesawed between gains and losses every day during the week. The gauge has gone 23 consecutive sessions without back-to-back advances, the longest since a 23-day stretch in June 2010. In 2014, gains came much easier as the measure never fell four days in a row.

The S&P 500 added 1.2 per cent March 18 after the Fed said higher interest rates in April are unlikely

and it won’t tighten until it is “reasonably confident” inflation will return to its target and the labor market improves further.

The US central bank also dropped an assurance it will be “patient” in raising interest rates and lowered its assessment of the economy, saying growth has “moderated somewhat.”

Data during the week reinforced the Fed’s view: manufacturing output nationally and in the New York area was below forecast and beginning home construction plunged in February.

“Clearly the impetus this week started with Janet Yellen,” Bill Schultz, who oversees $1.2 billion as chief investment officer at McQueen, Ball & Associates in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, said by phone. - Bloomberg News

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MISMARKING

Citigroup dismisses two traders NEW YORK: Citigroup fired a trader on Friday for allegedly mismarking an inflation-options book and dismissed his boss for lax oversight, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Carl Bonde lost his job in New York after the bank determined he’d inflated the value of his trading positions by less than $30 million, the person said. Keith Price, head of United States inflation trading, was dismissed for his failure to supervise Bonde, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing a personnel matter.

Bonde, a director, and Price, a managing director, left the bank this week, Danielle Romero-Apsilos, a spokeswoman for the New York-based company, said in a phone interview. Price reported to Roland Wikstrom, head of US interest-rate trading.

Bonde declined to comment when reached on his mobile phone, as did his attorney. Price didn’t reply to e-mails.

Price joined Citigroup in 2012 from BNP Paribas, where he had worked since 2009, according to

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE: Citigroup chief executive officer Michael Corbat is trying to regain the

faith of investors and regulators after past missteps. – File photo

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority records. Prior to that he worked for Deutsche Bank and Barclays Plc, the records show.

Corbat’s moves Bonde joined Citigroup’s London office in 2006 before moving to New York in 2010, industry records show. He worked at Nomura International Plc for three years

before joining Citigroup.

Citigroup chief executive officer Michael Corbat is trying to regain the faith of investors and regulators after past missteps.

He dismissed at least a dozen employees after finding a $400 million loan fraud at the Mexico unit last year. In November, the bank agreed to pay $1.02 billion to settle a probe into alleged manip-

ulation of the currency markets, the biggest of six firms involved in the accord. “We want Citi to be an indisputably safe and sound institution and will do everything in our power to make that the case, year in and year out,” Corbat said in a March 11 statement after the firm’s capital plan received approval from the Federal Reserve.

- Bloomberg News

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ROUND-UP

Orpec concludes as a landmark event

Set to become the flagship event for the Sultanate’s downstream industry, Orpec brought together some of the finest experts in the industry and about 100 leading oil and gas companies from Oman, the Middle East and beyond

MUSCAT: A milestone was set in the history of Oman’s downstream industry as the curtains came down on the first Oman Refining and Petrochemicals Exhibition and Conference (Orpec) in Muscat on Wednesday.

The three-day exhibition and two-day conference, inaugurated

by Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Oil and Gas, brought together some of the finest experts in the industry and about 100 leading oil and gas companies from Oman, the Middle East and beyond, says a press release.

Set to become the flagship event for the Sultanate’s downstream industry, Orpec kicked off to a successful start, with 40 VIPs and over 150 other participants attending the inauguration of the conference. Products, services and capabilities in the downstream petroleum sector took centre stage at the first-of-itskind event, which was held under the theme ‘Maximising Oman’s Downstream Value’ at the Oman International Exhibition Centre.

The event, powered by OGWA and co-hosted by Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic), also aimed at providing updates on the ongoing key refinery petrochemical projects in Oman, midstream developments and investment opportunities.

Organised by Omanexpo and World Refining Association, ORPEC also provided a golden opportunity for local and global manufacturers, distributors and suppliers to discuss the latest developments, technologies and innovations in the sector.

Commenting on the success of the event, Maxwell Thompson, Conference Director, World Refining Association, said, “Orpec has surpassed our expectations both

in terms of stimulating content and participation from delegations. We would like to thank all of our distinguished speakers and our sponsors for helping to put this event together, and to our event partners Omanexpo.”

“Over the last two days we have heard a dynamic array of discussions highlighting the vast potential in Oman’s downstream industry. The discussions have emphasised the importance of continuing to invest in this industry even in the face of recent economic challenges to ensure that Oman can truly capture the value that is available further down the chain. We look forward to the 2017 event where we can receive updates from these important projects and look further to the future.”

High-profile speakers The all-encompassing conference addressed some of the most important challenges facing the industry, with high-profile speakers participating in panel discussions and interacting with the attendees.

The significance of Oman’s refining and petrochemical expansion projects, including Liwa Plastics Project and Duqm Refinery, was discussed at keynote plenary sessions on the first day of the conference presented by Henk Pauw, General Manager, Liwa Plastics Project, Orpic, and Jacobus Nieuwenhuijze, Project Director, Duqm Refinery.

Global perspectives, the latest solutions offered by technology providers and investment in Oman were the other topics discussed during the first day.

Musab Al Mahruqi, Chief Executive Officer, Orpic; Andrew Horncastle, Vice President, Strat-

egy&; Fred Ozeir, Principle, Strategy&; Ed Morse, Managing Director, Global Head of Commodity, Research, Citi Group; Mohammed Hammad, Director of Programs, Maaden; and Hilal Al Kharusi, EVP Emerging Businesses, Oman Oil Company were some of the speakers who delivered detailed speeches on the opening day regarding some of the significant issues facing downstream units in the field of oil and gas.

The second day of the conference began with a panel discussion on local talent development, during which Raphael Parembi, Chief Executive Officer, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Development Fund; Nofal Al Saidi, GM Human Resource Services, Orpic; Ayham Al Rahawi, Assistant Professor of Engineering, German University of Technology; and Jane Sadler, Principal and People & Organisation Service Lead, Advisian WorleyParsons provided great insights into issues related to the development of local workforce.

In his presentation, Al Saidi, stated that Orpic’s mission is to meet Oman’s needs for refined petroleum fuel and maximise long-term returns by processing hydrocarbons to high value petroleum and petrochemical products.

He also noted that Orpic has developed a talent management framework to identify, attract and hire talented people and a talent review process has been put in place.

Another informative presentation was delivered by Jane Sadler from Advisian WorleyParsons, in which she noted that studies show there is a mismatch between employers’ perspective and students’ perspective when it comes to the required key skills.

RECHARGE PROMOTION

FRiENDi offers free extra minutes MUSCAT: FRiENDi Mobile has launched yet another thrilling campaign for their prized customers. The promotion which is valid till the March 24 enables FRiENDi Mobile customers every time they recharge to get free minutes to call all FRiENDi Mobile customers all day, says a press release.

The offer is designed for all budgets starting from OMR1 recharge which supplements the customer account with 5 free minutes and goes up to 75 free

minutes on OMR10 recharge to encourage higher recharges. The free minutes are added to the users account instantly as and when a recharge is done. The free minutes can be used to call all FRiENDi mobile numbers and are valid for a period of seven days.

With no restriction on the number of times a customer can avail the offer; users can pick denominations as per their requirements and enjoy the privileges of these free minutes with every recharge. The offer is also valid

on e-Recharge vouchers as well as online recharge and therefore customers have the liberty to recharge from anywhere and exploit this advantageous deal from FRiENDi mobile.

“Customers have numerous demands, requirements and usage.

At FRiENDi Mobile, we try to come up with offers that benefit them in varying ways. The free minutes promotion are another exclusive campaign that we offer our valuable customers,’’ said Adnan Al Alawi, COO, FRiENDi.

She said that employers in Oman believe that planning and critical thinking, communicating effectively, flexibility and self-management are the key skills, while from the students’ point of view, the key skills are foreign language, computer literacy, time management and discipline specific training.

Focus of the speech The In-Country Value (ICV) drive was the focus of a speech delivered

by Musallam Al Mandhari, Advisor to the Board and Interim Chief Executive Officer, Oman Society for Petroleum Services (Opal), who noted that $64 billion could be addressed over the period 2013 to 2020 to increase ICV down the value chain.

Out of the total value to be addressed, $51.5 billion could be addressed through local sourcing and $12.5 billion could be addressed through employment of Omanis, he noted.

Al Mandhari also noted that 72,704 jobs are required by 2020 in the oil and gas industry, adding that there are 53 supply chain development opportunities to increase local sourcing across the whole value chain.

In another insightful speech, Khalifa Said Al Abri, Acting Chief Executive Officer, Public Authority for SME Development (Riyada), highlighted the authority’s initiatives to support the development of SME businesses in Oman.

According to him, there are potential projects worth an estimated OMR425 million related to and suitable for SMEs in the oil and gas sector between 2013 and 2021, and an estimated 3,900 jobs will be created within the SME sector during the same period.

Al Abri noted that Riyada’s support initiatives concern financial security, bank financing, award programme, venture capital, public procurement, accelerated payment, one-stop-shop, SME centres, commercial plot, education and international training.

Another speaker on the second day of the conference was Yahya Al-Zadjali, VP Planning and Engineering, Special Economic Zone Authority Duqm (SEZAD), who delivered an in-depth look at the Duqm Special Economic Zone to identify how Duqm will add value to the downstream industry.

In addition, Peter Broers, General Manager Industrial Land, Port of Duqm, spoke about the shipping capacity that will be available to operators.

He elaborated on the long-term development plan for the port and the strategic advantages that the Port of Duqm has over other commercial oil and gas ports in the region as well as how the port will compliment the other transportation infrastructure being put in place in the Special Economic Zone.

Q&A session A question and answer session was held at the end of each panel discussion to address the questions of the audience about the discussed issues.

Apart from the conference, the exhibition held alongside the conference received positive feedback from visitors as it featured around 100 brands from Oman, the Netherlands, Germany, China, the United States, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. There were three country pavilions from China, Italy and India.

Orpec has surpassed our expectations both in terms of stimulating content and participation from delegations. We would like to thank all of our distinguished speakers and our sponsors for helping to put this event together, and to our event partners Omanexpo. Over the last two days we have heard a dynamic array of discussions highlighting the vast potential in Oman’s downstream industry.

We look forward to the 2017 event where we can receive updates from these important projects and look further to the future Maxwell Thompson

Conference Director, World Refining Association

Exhibition sponsors were as follows: Silver Sponsor (WorleyParsons), Visitor Bag Sponsor (STS), Associate Sponsor (SeaCliff ), and Lunch Sponsor DB Schenker.

Gold Sponsor of the conference were CB&I and silver sponsors were Albemarle, WorleyParsons and Grace Catalyst Technologies.

Building upon the success of the first edition, the next edition of the downstream exhibition and conference will be held in 2017 to keep the downstream industry in Oman updated about the latest local and global developments in this sector.

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SUN DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

ROUND-UP

Two-day Nissan Xterra 2015 Desert Challenge proves to be a big success

The aim of this challenge was to interact with customers and provide a platform for Xterra owners to get together and experience a fun filled and adventurous weekend

MUSCAT: Nissan’s 2015 ‘Desert Challenge’ for Xterra customers was held in association with Guide Oman which proved to be a unique experience for all participants as the two-day initiative was a perfect platform to demonstrate Xterra’s superior offroad capability and performance in the rugged and challenging tracks of Wahiba sands.

The aim of this challenge was to interact with customers and provide a platform for Xterra owners to get together and experience a fun filled and adventurous weekend. The convoy was flagged off from the Nissan showroom in Qurum with over 40 vehicles and around 100 enthusiastic Xterra owners along with their families and Nissan officials participated in the Desert Challenge, says a press release.

The convoy took the old Sur road through Ibra to reach their destination which was the Al Raha Desert Camp at the Sharqiyah Sands. Customers were given a unique experience at the desert as a campfire with live Arabic music was also arranged along with a delectable dinner spread.

“The Nissan Xterra has proved to be the perfect vehicle for such a desert challenge activity because of its reliability and versatility in such terrains. The Xterra’s dual capability to deliver in challenging conditions and also city-drive was amply demonstrated through this initiative,” commented a senior SBA official.

“The purpose of this trip was to experience off-roading capabilities of Xterra as the vehicle is known for adventure and our endeavour is to encourage people to enjoy the outdoors, go on adventures and understand the great capability of Nissan 4X4 vehicles,” he added.

Today the Xterra has become an extremely popular wheeling platform that continues to collect an enthusiast following. These SUV’s have gained a respectable attention from the market. Given the Xterra’s popularity, the Nissan Xterra community thought it was only fitting that a Desert Challenge event should take place.

“The trip was a great success, thanks to the brilliant response of the Xterra on an arduous terrain like the Wahiba Sands. It was amazing to see such a huge turnout of people, from different nationalities, coming together to traverse

Wheel and tire packages include 16-inch steel wheels. The Xterra Off-Road models feature new 6-spoke 16-inch machinefinished aluminium-alloy wheels.

The Nissan Xterra offers drivers today a long list of advanced technological features including a booming sound system and Bluetooth Hands-free phone system.

Today the Nissan Xterra has the technology to keep drivers rocking and talking no matter where the trail takes.

The trip was a great success, thanks to the brilliant response of the Xterra on an arduous terrain like the Wahiba Sands. It was amazing to see such a huge turnout of people, from different nationalities, coming together to traverse this challenging terrain. We are very proud of everyone of them, some of whom had never been to the desert before, let alone cross it Event coordinators

Guide Oman

this challenging terrain.

“We are very proud of every one of them, some of whom had never been to the desert before, let alone cross it. We are looking forward to running this event again and we hope to see a steady growth in participation from Xterra drivers in the next crossings,” said the event coordinators at Guide Oman.

Nissan Oman strives to achieve pioneering success through its services and activities offered to its valued customers.

Through a relentless pursuit of excellence and adopting aggressive marketing style with an emphasis on customer satisfaction, backing it up with strong aftersales service network across the Sultanate, Nissan Oman has built

a name on trust, superior customer services and value for money.

Nissan Oman boasts of a niche premium clientele comprising of leading corporate houses and businesses, international businessmen and tourists visiting the Sultanate of Oman and thus, the promise of Nissan Xterra is to allow a broad but discerning car buying audience and tourists visiting the city to ‘experience lavishness’. Many of Xterra’s technologies have never been seen in cars of this class before, reflecting its aspirational and upscale SUV positioning.

Comfort and convenience Standard interior features include sporty reclining front bucket

seats, footrest, dual front and rear 20-ounce cup holders, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, remote keyless entry and cruise control with steering wheelmounted controls.

It also comes with driver seat height adjustment and lumbar support. Taking into consideration driver comfort and convenience.

Unique NissanConnect NissanConnect uses hands-free technology, smartphone, and the Nissan’s display screen to help customers stay in touch with the outside world from inside their vehicle. It’s loaded with features and compatibility with a growing list of apps that allows customers play music, keep tabs on social network, and navigate any city like a local. Once logged in, customers have to connect to Nissan through Bluetooth® or the USB port. The Quick Start Guide helps to select from a list of supported apps, and NissanConnectSM automatically installs them.

Striking exterior features Xterra’s signature exterior styling features include large flared fenders, a versatile roof rack with latchable lid and a rear bumper design with side steps for easy access to the roof rack. It also offers a large, powerful looking hood and headlights and Nissan SUV-style angled strut grille. The vehicle also features Chrome ORVM and Fr. fog lamps. The new Xterra looks good on the road with its enhanced styling that includes a roof rail with attachments and side step.

The Xterra also features a youth style dashboard, shift on the fly – 4WD System, Navigation , Rearview camera, a steering switch for Blue-

tooth, Audio and Cruise controls.

Xterra long wheelbase gives a smooth ride and ample interior room, yet overall length is highly manageable due to the short front overhang — helping to enhance manoeuvrability in off-road hill climbing and trail situations.

The new Xterra is also known for its other key elements that include 6” Off Road Wheel, Bilstein Shock Absorber, Off Road tire 265/75R16 OWL BFGoodrich, 6 speakers, the steering wheel comes with audio and cruise controls, Bluetooth hands free phone and AUX-in and lastly a rear diff lock.

Xterra versatile cargo area is highlighted by an available Easy Clean cargo surface and a total of 10 cargo area utility hooks – six on the floor/sides and four on the ceiling. There’s also an available builtin first-aid kit and space to securely carry jugs up to a one-gallon size.

Underneath its unique exterior design, every Xterra features a fully boxed, all-steel ladder frame and a rugged suspension featuring a steel double-wishbone front suspension and solid axle leaf spring rear suspension, with stabiliser bars front and rear.

Two advanced transmissions are offered with the Xterra. An available electronically controlled 5-speed automatic transmission with an emphasis on acceleration, fuel economy and shift quality, or a 6-speed manual transmission tuned for driving performance and fuel economy.

Other driveline components include engine speed-sensitive power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering and 4-wheel vented disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD).

Unrivalled off-road capability The Adventure Park is built at the Oman Automobile Association to address auto enthusiasts across interest levels and skill sets through multitude of engagement opportunities and promote the spirit of driving a Nissan SUV safely on the roads.

For the first time Nissan has created this exclusive platform to nurture and hone driving skills of SUV owners in Oman. Also this is first of its kind off-roading experience wherein auto enthusiasts and SUV owners will be invited at the specially created off road test-track. Under supervision of experienced trainers the participants will be taught the basics of off-road driving. Xterra’s performance at the 4x4 Adventure Park has been impeccable as the vehicle tops the list of safe manoeuvrability and enhanced driving techniques like cornering, braking etc.

Cruising comfortably on the highways, conquering desert dunes with ease, or manoeuvring through the city at rush hour, Nissan Xterra offers unrivalled off-road capability and on road handling.

Safety and security Xterra’s list of safety features and equipment includes Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual-stage supplemental front air bags with seat belt and occupant classification sensors and 3-point front/rear seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, tire pressure warning system and adjustable upper anchors.

SBA is largely committed to supporting Nissan’s growth in the Sultanate through major emphasis on customer satisfaction and by providing world-class after-sales services in Oman. With a national network of more than 19 showrooms, 22 service centres and 35 spare parts outlets, SBA has further built upon its legacy of trust, excellent customer service and providing value for money to each of its customers.

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Suhail Bahwan donates toys to Royal Hospital The objective of the campaign was to bring smile and happiness to children undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Oman

MUSCAT: Continuing with its several ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, Suhail Bahwan Group Holding Company recently initiated a ‘Toys Donation’ campaign among its group companies, aimed at collecting toys and distributing them to children undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the Sultanate of Oman.

Employees from various companies under the Suhail Bahwan Group spontaneously supported the good cause and generously donated hundreds of new toys.

The objective of the campaign was to bring smile and happiness to children undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Oman, says a press release.

At a simple function held recently at the Oncology Paediatric Ward of Royal Hospital Muscat, Amal Suhail Bahwan, Managing Director and Board Member of Suhail Bahwan Group Holding donated the first batch of boxes containing toys to Dr Qasem bin Ahmed Al Salmi, Director General Royal Hospital in the presence of Dr Eileen To-

B E T T E R H E A LT H C A R E

hospitals in the Sultanate in these and other initiatives.”

Dr Qasem added, “We appreciate the great initiative taken by Suhail Bahwan Group and its employees, who have generously donated toys for a good cause. I am sure this will go a long way in bringing happiness among the children.”

Besides Royal hospital the toys will be distributed to other hospitals and primary healthcare centres across Oman. The campaign was organised by Bahwan Healthcare Centre, a flagship company of the Suhail Bahwan Group.

AWA R E N E S S P R O G R A M M E

KIMS offers latest MRI scan facility MUSCAT: In line with its efforts to provide the community with the best medical services, KIMSOman Hospital (KOH) has launched the new Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine which is considered as the first of its kind in Oman.

The all new ‘1.5T Siemens MAGNETOM Area’ provides 3D measurements and inline 3D processing while serves patients with faster scans, where a full-body scan can be completed within 15 minutes. It also boasts a 70cm wider bore and a shorter tunnel length to allow more ‘head out’ tests to be conducted, that reduces the feeling of claustrophobia for people whom are suffering from such a problem. Moreover, this ‘world champion’ machine has the ability to accommodate patients who weigh up to 250kg, says a press release.

“The launch of this MRI machine reflects the keenness of the hospital to raise the standards of quality of its service. This top notch MRI is the first wide bore

mas, Head of Paediatrics Haematology/Oncology Department.

Amal said, “We, at Suhail Bahwan Group, strongly believe that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives are very important as they connect the corporate sector with the community that eventually benefits the society at large. It is a great satisfaction to see the smiles and happiness from children forgetting their pains when they play with these toys.

“We are pleased to be associated with Royal Hospital and other

The launch of this MRI machine reflects the keenness of the hospital to raise the standards of quality of its service Dr Hussam Akoum Chief Operating Officer of KOH

MRI in the private sector with 48 channels and 1.5 Tesla Machine.

It will add to the various stateof-the-arts medical equipment in the hospital and comes as part of the hospital’s development plans,” said Dr Hussam Akoum, Chief Operating Officer of KOH.

Anti drugs drive at Al Injaz

MUSCAT: As part of the anti drugs drive to help students grow and develop their personality in a healthy environment, Al Injaz Private School has initiated an awareness programme in collaboration with the Royal Oman Police for the Anti Drugs Campaign, says a press release.

The students were educated about the various drugs and

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their ill-effects and destruction caused. The parents were appreciative of the step taken by the school in guiding the students to be good citizens.

Healthy and confident students make the strong pillars of tomorrow’s Oman is what Al Injaz Private School strongly believes. The school leaves no stone unturned to achieve this goal.

ACADEMIC TRAINING

Bahwan Institute launches IIT-JEE coaching classes MUSCAT: Bahwan International Institute of Technology (BIIT), has launched its IIT-JEE coaching with an aim to help students emerge toppers in the IIT-JEE and other competitive examinations.

BIIT is a leading training services provider in the areas of competency building, talent management, executive mentoring, middle management training, enhancing digital literacy, national localisation programmes and entrepreneurship development.

Presently, BIIT provides the best coaching in the region in core subjects and invites applications from the students of class VIII, IX, X, XI and XII for the new batches of IIT-JEE coaching. The courses are designed exclusively to provide students the extra edge in their journey towards securing top rank in IIT- JEE, says a press release.

In the current batch, the students are getting trained in the areas covering IIT-JEE, SAT, CBSE, Soft skills and gaining tips to improve memory and concentration.

Besides trainer-led classroom coaching sessions and comprehensive course materials, students have to practice a series of tests, which help them assess and improve their performance and also help them cope with the stress of sitting through tough examinations.

BIIT coaching is focused to make the students conceptually strong and help them excel in CBSE and other competitive examinations.

BIIT provides training for students to build the basic foundation in core concepts and fundamentals in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics to help them solve complex problems from the CBSE and JEE curriculum. Additionally, BIIT would be working on developing analytical and reasoning ability of the students, since it plays

a critical role in attaining success in IIT – JEE and other competitive examinations. BIIT provides excellent study material which are synchronised with school education to supplement and expand the knowledge acquired in school.

“We have designed our courses and courseware in a way that helps students to easily handle the complexities involved in combining this coaching with the curriculum of the Indian schools in Oman. Our dedicated faculty with their rich experience and exposure will ensure the success of our students,” said, Karthik Sundararaman, head, BIIT. Open house session BIIT’s coaching classes are meant to strengthen the conceptual understanding of students and reorient their thinking towards problem-solving. BIIT has also partnered with world-class organisations and through them bring the best of competency building services that helps to build knowledge workforce that fuel the economic growth of the nation. BIIT invites parents and students for an open house session in the Institute to gain an understanding of the structure, approach, methodology and the infrastructure. BIIT has opened admissions for the next regular batch starting in the month of April 2015.

Also, considering the fact that the IIT-JEE exams are due in the months of April and May 2015, BIIT is organising “Exam Prep” sessions starting from March 27 till the first week of April 2015 to enhance the chances of the students in the competitive exams like IIT-JEE, SAT2 etc. This full time crash course providing enough practice tests to the students to hone their problem solving capabilities. Admissions are open for the Exam Prep programme till end of March.

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

ROUND-UP

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‘Subaru Legacy best suited to driving conditions in Oman’ Yasushi Enami, General Manager, Europe, Middle East & Africa Sales and Marketing, Fuji Heavy Industries, Japan, who was on a visit to Oman coinciding with the launch, spoke exclusively to the Times of Oman Times News Service MUSCAT: OTE Group and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd, Japan, the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, recently launched the all-new 2015 Legacy, the sixth generation of its flagship model in the Sultanate.

Yasushi Enami, General Manager, Europe, Middle East & Africa Sales and Marketing, Fuji Heavy Industries, Japan, who was on a visit to Oman coinciding with the launch, spoke exclusively to the Times of Oman.

“The all new Legacy is designed to provide universal appeal as a true sports sedan along with a trust-inspiring driving excitement

and value. We have made five major improvements and additions to the 2015 model. These are quietness of the vehicle, smooth and quick acceleration, interior quality improvement, infotainment and fuel efficiency,” said Enami.

Regarding its performance in other markets, he said, “The all-new Legacy is doing well in other countries, wherever it was launched. In the United States, where it was launched in July 2014 and the sales volumes have almost doubled since then.”

Talking about the growth of Subaru globally, Enami said, “Several factors have helped Subaru grow steadily across the globe.

Subaru’s core brand values are safety and durability and cars have been developed based on these values. These values have been very well recognised by the customers around the world. So our sales volume is growing.”

Popular brand in Oman Speaking about Subaru in Oman, he said, “Subaru is a very popular brand in Oman and there are a lot of reasons for that. The roads in Oman are mountainous and the average running speed is high on the highway. For these kind of driving conditions, Subaru is very well equipped with symmetrical

all-wheel drive and boxer engine technologies.”

Further voicing the advantages of the ‘symmetrical all wheel drive,’ he said that “it is very well balanced and provides superb handling. Especially while cornering, this technology helps the vehicle stay on the intended path and thereby increases the crash avoidance capabilities of the vehicle. Of course, it is also fun to drive.”

Prioritising safety, Enami said that most of the Subaru models have been regularly receiving Five-Star Safety Ratings and other safety awards across the globe, mainly due to Fuji Heavy Indus-

try’s origins as an aircraft company, and aircraft need to be safe at any given moment.

“Our safety concept originates from here. We not only use it in our car development, it is ingrained in our brand itself. When we develop the car, we always prioritise the safety aspect,” he added.

Regarding marketing in Oman, he said that their local partner OTE Group understands their brand very well. “We are extremely pleased. OTE Group is working very hard and we would like to really thank them for that. The growth that we have had in Oman is exceptional and has always been maintained. I thank Sheikh Saad Suhail Bahwan and his team for what they have done to establish the brand in Oman.”

While speaking about Subaru’s growth in the Middle East region, Enami said that they would try to grow by making efforts in three main areas.

“We will keep in close touch with customers to understand their expectations, introduce new products, again built on the platform of safety, performance and sportiness and further enhance brand awareness,” he concluded.

LIMITED TIME OFFER

McDonald’s introduces new juice MUSCAT: McDonald’s Oman introduces the all new Minute Maid mango pineapple juice to its beverage line-up. This tasty tropical fusion joins McDonald’s much-loved apple, orange, tropical flavours for the ultimate refreshing experience, says a press release.

“We are very pleased to offer this refreshing new treat to our customers just in time for the warmer months of spring and summer. McDonald’s is committed to continuously offering a variety of flavours that meet our customers evolving tastes, and introducing new products that keep our menu fresh and exciting,” said Ali K. Daud, Development Licensee and President of McDonald’s Oman.

The mango pineapple juice will be available at McDonald’s for a limited time only.

RECOGNITION

OAB wins ISO award for international quality standards MUSCAT: In its continued quest to improve the quality of banking services provided to customers, Oman Arab Bank (OAB) recently won two accolades in terms of international quality standards in line with the development, establishment and control of the customer service quality system in the bank.

The Call centre, Sales department and Customer Complaint Management have been awarded

the ISO certification(ISO 9001: 2008) for quality management systems and ISO certification (ISO 10002: 2004) for the customer complaints handling system. This was after passing the external audit process conducted by the ‘URS’ company accredited by United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) over two days last December, says a press release.

Preparations for gaining the international certification earlier

lasted a year and a half, managed by the Systems Control and Quality Assurance Department in the Bank. Gaining this certificate is an international recognition of the bank’s commitment to the development of administrative work and its efforts to adopt global practices.

ISO is a global assessment system used to classify the applicable standards, which require the performance of a professional service

and high quality. Therefore, it is important to apply the international standards of ISO, as it will reflect positively on the services provided to customers.

These two certificates are considered as the highest international standard certificates awarded to meet excellence in quality management and customer service. It reflects the senior management’s commitment of the bank to apply the international standards.

EXHIBITION

Germany plans grand pavilion at Big Show MUSCAT: A host of major German companies will make their presence felt at the German Pavilion in The Big Show, scheduled to be held from March 30 to April 2 here at the Oman International Exhibition Centre.

Germany has been taking part in the Big Show since 2012. This year the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) in cooperation with the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) are once again supporting a German group participation, giving more than 10 companies the platform to present their excellent products and to offer their renowned services to key players and decision makers from all over the Middle East

and surrounding countries, says a press release.

On behalf of all exhibitors, the German Embassy, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) and the supporting associations extend a warm welcome to all visitors of the German Pavilion.

Under the roof of the German Pavilion visitors will find a variety of German companies specialised in the building and construction industry. Furthermore representatives of the German Industry and Commerce Office Oman (AHK) and German Near and Middle East Association (Numov) will be present at the German Pavilion.

The AHK is a German semi governmental organisation and member of the world-wide German Chambers Network. AHK promotes and supports trade relations between Germany and Oman and in particular supports German companies in building up and extending their business in the country.

AHKs are located in all countries which are of special interest for German companies and are closely connected to the Chambers of Industry and Commerce in Germany. Numov was founded 80 years ago. It is Germany’s oldest non-profit organisation for the promotion of bilateral economic relations between Germany and the Near and Middle East.

R A D I O S TAT I O N

Al Wisal celebrates 7th anniversary MUSCAT: Having become the leading radio station in Oman, Al Wisal celebrated its 7th anniversary recently.

Since the start of its broadcast in 2008, Al Wisal has consistently developed its content and activities, touching the hearts and minds of its listeners and advertisers, says a press release.

Al Wisal programming content is strategically calibrated and aimed to providing its listeners with a rich and engaging experience. Al Wisal is committed to its community and society by shedding lights on various topics and issues of national and social importance, throughout its platforms.

The channel started celebrating its anniversary right from the early morning hours, offering its listeners a variety of valuable prizes through interactive competitions on air and online.

Al Wisal shows have gained an outstanding popularity and built a strong reputation by playing a very important role in strengthening the links between different segments of the community.

“I cannot be more proud of our wonderful and talented team on Al Wisal, every single member of

the team, without doubt, carries the Al Wisal flag with pride. I am proud to stand tall by their side,” commented Eihab Abutaha, CEO of Sabco Media.

Al Wisal enjoys 190,000 followers on twitter and reaches to its listeners in Ash ‘Sharqiyah North and South, two new Governorates that Al Wisal added to its geographical broadcast recently and which will be announced officially in the few coming days.

Moreover, the radio channel is getting ready to announce a new

initiative that will be added to its rich CSR portfolio that supports the community in different aspects and reconfirms its leading role as a radio in social responsibility.

Al Wisal is one of Sabco Media’s main pillars, a part of Sabco Communication Group specialised in communications and always strive to add value to the community by providing worldclass services, as well as all the latest initiatives in the world of communications.

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WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM SUNDAY, MAR CH 22, 2015

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SPOR YOUR GAME

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GUPTILL’S RECORD TAKES NEW ZEALAND INTO SEMIS Martin Guptill’s record-shattering double century and Trent Boult’s fourwicket haul sent New Zealand sailing into the World Cup semifinals as they trounced the West Indies by 143 runs on Saturday. Guptill, dropped on four, scored 237 not out. >C5

Q ATA R W O R L D C U P

D O M I N A N T D I S P L AY

Oman retain GCC U-15 golf title European leagues

may launch legal action against Fifa

MUSCAT: Defending champions Oman dominated the second GCC Under-15 Golf Championship winning the gross overall crown as well as the individual gross title in Dubai on Saturday.

According to information received here, Oman team comprising Fahd Al Ketani, Rashad Al Harthy and Haithem Al Zubair excelled on all three days to take

honours while Fahd Al Ketani clinched the individual gross title to better his runners-up performance at the inaugural edition hosted by Oman Golf Committee (OGC) in April last year.

The Sultanate squad, who totalled 160 and 161 in the first two rounds, showed the same consistency to score 160 on the final day for a total of 481 to retain the title

ahead of Bahrain. The Bahraini team of Eid Adel Moftah and Ali Mohammed Sulaiman scored (166, 179, 174) 519 to take the second place while Qatar’s Abdulrahman Al Nuami, Ahmed Mohammed Al Muttawah and Abdulrahman Al Dehaimi (185, 176, 168) settled for the third place with 529.

The UAE team, comprising Mahmood Skaik, Mohammed Al

Hajeri and Khalil Kashwani, won the nett title with the score of 430.

In the individual gross category, Fahd Al Ketani scored 234 to take the gold medal while Qatar’s Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi (237) won the silver. The bronze medal went to Eid Adel Moftah (241) of Bahrain.

Qatar’s Ahmed Mohammed Al Muttawah (208) won the individual nett title.

Man City bounce back Manchester City trimmed Chelsea’s lead by beating West Bromwich Albion 3-0 and Arsenal edged Newcastle United 2-1

LONDON: Manchester City benefited from a case of mistaken identity as they trimmed Chelsea’s lead in the Premier League to three points by beating West Bromwich Albion 3-0 on Saturday.

Bidding to bounce back from their Champions League elimination by Barcelona in mid-week, City were given a big helping hand when referee Neil Swarbrick sent off West Brom defender Gareth McAuley after only 89 seconds.

But it was Craig Dawson, West Brom’s No. 25, who had committed a foul on Wilfried Bony (who then stumbled into No. 23 McAuley), and Swarbrick confessed at half-time that he had sent off the wrong player.

“I was too far to see the red card incident. It is the referee’s decision,” City captain Vincent Kompany told BT Sport. “There was nothing to win today for us. We

just had to do a good job and we didn’t fail.”

Bony made the breakthrough in the 27th minute, gathering a deflected pass from Fernando and hoisting a shot past West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill to claim his first goal in City’s colours.

Fernando added a second before half-time, stabbing home after Myhill and Jonas Olsson got in a muddle at a corner.

Both teams hit the woodwork in the second half — Sergio Aguero and Bony in quick succession for the hosts; Saido Berahino for West Brom — before David Silva diverted in a shot from City substitute Stevan Jovetic in the 77th minute.

West Brom manager Tony Pulis expressed bewilderment over McAuley’s dismissal, saying: “How he gets the lad wrong is just absolutely amazing to me.

“The second goal shouldn’t be allowed. Fernando kicked Saido in the face while jumping and it’s a decision which leads to the second goal and kills the game.”

Victory helped City draw a line beneath last weekend’s shock 1-0 loss at struggling Burnley.

But although they are now within sight of Chelsea, Jose Mourinho’s side have two games in hand, beginning with a trip to Hull City on Sunday.

Giroud at the double Arsenal remain a point behind City in third place after Olivier Giroud scored twice in a 2-1 win at Newcastle United.

On target as Arsenal went out of the Champions League despite beating Monaco on Tuesday, Giroud struck twice in four minutes in the first half at St James’ Park, with Moussa Sissoko replying early in the second period.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane continued his astonishing form with a first Premier League hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur edged bottom club Leicester City 4-3 to move to within three points of the top four.

After Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was stretchered off with a gashed knee, Kane struck twice in

the first 12 minutes, only for goals either side of half-time from Jamie Vardy and Wes Morgan to bring Leicester level.

But Kane restored Spurs’ lead with a 64th-minute penalty that took him to the top of the Premier League scoring chart with 19 goals (29 in all competitions).

Jeff Schlupp’s own goal made it 4-2, before Nugent claimed a late consolation for the visitors.

Southampton remain level on points with Spurs after beating Burnley 2-0 in a game that saw their goalkeeper, Fraser Forster, also stretchered off in the early stages. Shane Long converted Nathaniel Clyne’s drilled shot to put Southampton ahead in the 37th minute and Jason Shackell’s second-half own goal completed victory.

With all their top-four rivals winning, fourth-place Manchester United and fifth-place Liverpool will be doubly determined not to lose ground when they face off in a crunch clash at Anfield on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Wilfried Zaha earned Crystal Palace a 2-1 victory at Stoke City, while Bafetimbi Gomis’s 87th minute strike gave Swansea City a 1-0 victory at Aston Villa. - AFP

BARCELONA: Europe’s top leagues could launch legal action against Fifa over the decision to move the 2022 Qatar World Cup to later in the year, according to French league president Frederic Thiriez.

At a meeting in Barcelona on Saturday, the European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL) adopted a resolution slamming the decision to move the competition from its traditional dates in June and July to November and December in order to combat the searing heat in the Middle East.

“The EPFL is ready to support any legal actions that the individual leagues may take in this respect in the near future,” said Thiriez.

“The EPFL is very disappointed with the decision of the Fifa ExCo, who decided to move the World Cup to November and December in 2022. This is seriously damaging to the European leagues, both from a sporting and a financial point of view.

“This decision raises serious

questions about the motivations of many involved in the decision-making process and further demonstrated the lack of good governance within the national football governing bodies.”

World governing body Fifa announced on Friday that it will triple the amount paid to clubs who release their players for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to $209 million.

However, Thiriez said that the EPFL has to look out for the interests of all clubs, with the vast majority of the compensation promised going to only the top clubs in a few leagues.

“The EPFL has the responsibility to protect the interests of all clubs, including those that do not release players for the national associations’ competitions,” he said. “Today the interests of those clubs are not protected.”

The English Premier League, meanwhile, declared on Saturday that it was “very disappointed” by the decision to change the dates of the 2022 tournament. - AFP

DOHA GAMES

Oman decides to send 69-strong contingent for GCC Beach Games

MUSCAT: Oman will be sending a 69-member contingent, including athletes and officials, to GCC Beach Games to be organised in Doha from April 2 to 9.

The Sultanate’s squads participation in the Doha Games was finalised during a meeting of the Oman Olympic Committee (OOC) Planning and Follow-up Committee organised under the chairmanship of Saif Al Hosni here recently.

In Doha, Oman will be fielding teams in beach volleyball, beach handball, 3-on-3 basketball, sailing and long distance swimming competitions.

The committee also discussed preparations for the second GCC Games to be held in Saudi Arabia in October. The Omani teams will take part in athletics, swimming, handball, basketball, volleyball and football.

During the committee, the members also looked at the possibility of fielding teams in the weightlifting and camel racing competitions as well as the atheltics contests for those with special needs.

The committee will take a final decision after consultations with the governing bodies of their respective sports.

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

SPORTS

Mudassar show inspires Landscape Architecture

TRUST OILFIELDS STARS: From left, Kamran, Neil, Taimur, Khurram.

Electing to bat first, Landscape Architecture piled up 176 for three. Carillion Alawi, in reply, were bowled out for 155 in 20 overs

MUSCAT: Opening batsman Mohammed Mudassar scored 84 runs off 62 balls and then grabbed two wickets in two overs to help Landscape Architecture record a 21run win against Carillion Alawi in an Enhance-sponsored E Division T20 match.

Electing to bat first, Landscape Architecture piled up 176 for the loss of three wickets. Carillion Alawi, in reply, were bowled out for 155 in 20 overs.

Brief scores: Landscape Architecture 176 for 3 in 20 overs (Mohd Mudassar 84, Prasad Peruli 36, Darwish Ellickal 34 n.o.) bt Carillion Alawi 152 in 19.4 overs (Dharminder Singh 22, Yousif Zoher 22, Murtuza Ismail 21; Shameer

Thaha 2/17, Mohammed Mudassar 2/19, Darwish Ellickal 2/25, Laiju Jose 2/27).

Points: Landscape Architecture - 2 pts (7 games, 10 pts), Carillion Alawi - Nil (7 games, 5 pts).

Moosa stars for MARH Four-wicket Khalid Moosa bowled Moosa Abdul Rahman Hassan (MARH) to an easy 98-run win against Al Daam International in an F Division T20 match.

Invited to bat first, MARH scored 157 for nine wickets in 20 overs with a top score of 49 from Mohammed Ayaz and a late onslaught from No. 9 batsman Lindo Johnson who remained unbeaten on 33 scored off just 14 balls.

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G DIVISION: Huawei team after their win over Bahihi Hexa.

Biju Krishnan and Umesh claimed three wickets each.

In reply, 10-man Al Daam International were bundled out for a measly 59 in 13.4 overs.

Brief scores: MARH 157 for 9 in 20 overs (Mohammed Ayaz 49, Lindo Johnson 33 n.o.; Biju Krishnan 3/19, Umesh 3/20) bt Al Daam International 59 in 13.4overs (Khalid Moosa 4/13). Points: MARH - 2 (8 games, 7 pts), Al Daam International – Nil (8 games, 7 pts).

Trust Oilfield win In a J Division T20 match, opening batsmen Khuram Rashid (73) and Taimur Khan (62) put together 121 runs in 11 overs to help Trust Oilfield Strikers reach a massive 207 for nine wickets in 20 overs.

Waleed Moula Bakhsh bowled brilliantly to end with figures of four for 52 from four overs. OCT Al Nahdha, in reply, were restricted to 104 for eight wickets in 20 overs.

Arif Hassan Al Balushi batting at No.7 remained unbeaten on 40.

Brief scores: Trust Oilfield Strikers 207 for 9 in 20 overs (Khuram Rashid 73, Taimur Khan 62, Tushar Verma 34;

Waleed Moula Bakhsh 4/52, Yahya Maula Bakhsh 2/6, Sharif Maula Al Balushi 2/35) bt OCT Al Nahdha 104 for 8 in 20 overs (Hassan Al Balushi 40 n.o., Sharif Maula Al Balushi 20; Neil Paily 2/12, Kamran Farooq 2/16). Points: Trust Oilfield Strikers - 2 (8 games, 10 pts), OCT Al Nahdha - Nil (8 games, 1 pt).

Huawei rout Bahihi In an afternoon G Division T20 match, Huawei trounced a 10-man Bahihi Hexa team by eight wickets. Electing to bat first, Bahihi Hexa scored 152 for five wickets in 20 overs.

Huawei got to their target scoring 154 for two wickets in 13.2 overs thanks to an unbeaten 72 from opening batsman Prasanna Srinivasan.

Brief scores: Bahihi Hexa 152 for 5 in 20 overs (Aslam Khan 32 n.o., Arjun Pradeep 29, Rakesh 26, Iqbal Mohammed 23; Syed Mujtaba 2/23, Nadir Ali Hashmi 2/35) lost to Huawei 154 for 2 in 13.2 overs (Prasanna Srinivasan 72 n.o., Umar Zaman 32, Karthikeyan Jayachandran 25 n.o). Points: Huawei - 2 (7 games, 7 pts), Bahihi Hexa - Nil (7 games, 8 pts).

LA LIGA

Clasico not a title decider, says Barca coach Luis Enrique BARCELONA: Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has insisted that his side’s crucial top of the table clash with Real Madrid on Sunday will not be the sole determining factor in the La Liga title race.

The Catalans lead Madrid by a point and are favourites to extend that advantage on home soil after a run of 17 wins in 18 games in all competitions.

However, with Barca still set to face the likes of Spanish champions Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla in the final 10 games of the season, Enrique believes there will be more twists and turns to come after this weekend.

“Independent of the result I don’t think it will be decisive,” Enrique said on Saturday.

“There are still 10 games to go and there are too many difficult games for both teams, so it is not decisive but important.”

By contrast, Madrid come into the game having lost five of their 16 games in 2015 to relinquish pole position in the title race.

However, Enrique believes the array of talent on show for both sides means there can be no clear favourite on the night.

“Generally, we have to think that in this type of game there aren’t favourites.

“There is a lot at stake and the two teams have players that are out of this world. Playing at home is important, though, because it can help in terms of motivation and intensity.”

Barcelona could also be boosted by the presence of Sergio Busquets, who has made a quicker

There are still 10 games to go and there are too many difficult games for both teams Luis Enrique

Barcelona coach

recovery than expected from a sprained ankle.

The Spanish international trained with his teammates on Saturday, but Enrique refused to confirm whether he will start having been sidelined since suffering the injury against Villarreal on March 4. - AFP

A DIVISION

Nadeem dazzles as Assarain A post 150-run win over NYDT MUSCAT: Man of the match Mohammed Nadeem scored 62 runs and then claimed three wickets for in 10 overs as Assarain A to recorded an impressive 150run win against a hapless National Youth Development Team (NYDT) in a Muscat Pharmacy & Stores-sponsored A Division 50 overs-a-side league match.

Opting to field first, NYDT sent back Assarain A’s top three batsmen with 49 runs on the board in eight overs.

But an excellent 149-run fourth-wicket partnership between Nadeem and Ram Kumar (77) helped the score to 271 for the loss of nine wickets in 50 overs. Opening batsman Arun Poulose chipped in with 25.

Mohammed Ali Akbar Al Balushi took three wickets while Sufyan Mahmood and Wasim Ismail Al Balushi bagged two wickets each.

In reply, NYDT were bowled out for 121 in 43.5 overs. Sufyan Mahmood scored 30 and Syed Muntazir made 22.

ASSARAIN HEROES: Mohammed Nadeem and Ram Kumar.

V.S. Shiju, Ahmad Raza and Zeeshan Maqsood bagged two wickets apiece.

Brief scores: Assarain A 271 for 9 in 50 overs (Ram Kumar 77, Muhammad Nadeem 62, Arun Poulose 25; Mohammed Ali Akbar Al Balushi 3/30, Sufyan

Mahmood 2/54, Wasim Ismail Al Balushi 2/85) bt NYDT 121 in 43.5 overs (Sufyan Mahmood 30, Syed Muntazir 22; Muhammad Nadeem 3/24, V.S. Shiju 2/19, Ahmad Raza 2/19, Zeeshan Maqsood 2/25). Points: Assarain A - 5 (8 games, 30 pts), NYDT - Nil (9 games, 5 pts).

S U N DAY, MAR C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

TUESDAY 1ST SEMIFINAL: NEW ZEALAND V SOUTH AFRICA (5:00AM OMAN TIME) THURSDAY 2ND SEMIFINAL: INDIA V AUSTRALIA (7:30AM OMAN TIME)

C O M M E N TA RY

Instincts point to India versus New Zealand final

E

MARTIN GUPTILL

237* runs from 163 balls 24 fours, 11 sixes

GUTSY SHOW MATCH REPORT ON

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verything is dusted and settled in the last eight stage.

The Fabulous Four of this World Cup have won the right to battle it out for next Sunday’s summit tussle, where a new world champion will be born or the existing reign will be extended!

After watching Martin Guptill’s record-shattering knock, I have come to the conclusion that co-hosts New Zealand are the best performing team this time around.

And if my thinking and calculations are right, they have all in them to get past South Africa, who for once did not choke in the knockout phase, in the semifinal on Tuesday.

Once again, the Black Caps will be playing at their favourite home ground in Auckland.

Eden Park, where the semifinals will be played, is known to favour everyone on the field.

The short boundaries are to the liking of hard-hitting batsmen and the Proteas captain AB de Villiers will relish it.

The grassy cushioned outfield will encourage the fielders to throw themselves at everything and the conducive conditions for swing bowling will help the hosts more than the fiery pace of the South Africans.

So, if one wishes to analyse all the aspects, the Black Caps will hold an advantage to make it eight wins in a row.

The spot in the final is what Brendon McCullum is targeting. That could be an achievement for New Zealand, as a sneak into history will reveal the Black Caps have reached the semifinals many-a-time to just fizzle away.

Who will they meet in the all-important final?

Answering that question, I would say Team India looks better equipped to make the final. May be it is wishful thinking but all ingredients point to that.

Well, many would predict a final between New Zealand and Australia, but if history is read into, hosts have never won a home tournament until the last edition where Dhoni’s men rewrote the book. That doesn’t mean that with the trend broken, the hosts can hope for the best.

Why I am backing India is just because of the work ethics Dhoni’s men has been following and executing to perfection.

The key is that Indian bowlers suddenly look world class and their fielding top class.

So far India have been

extremely impressive — winning all their seven matches in group stages.

They have also passed the toughest tests en route by beating arch-rivals Pakistan and dreaded South Africa with considerable amount of ease.

No doubt, India does look like a formidable team and the fact is that every team is now wary of the men in blue.

The plus for India is the bowling unit, who were written off before the World Cup and who now are a major force, having bowled out all their opponents so far.

Well, they may or may not be able to bowl out the Australians in semifinals, considering the batting depth of the hosts, but they certainly have the capability to contain them and provide the Indian batsmen a cushion in case Dhoni loses the toss.

If the option is to bat first, India have the fire power to withstand the Australian pace battery led

by Mitchell Starc.

Be it chasing or be it setting a target, every individual in the Indian outfit have shown their best so far and so the Australians will find it difficult to unsettle them.

More so that India has an advantage over the hosts on a spin-friendly Sydney wicket.

If South Africans JP Duminy and Imran Tahir (both of them combining to take seven wickets) could tame a subcontinent team like Sri Lanka the other day, Ashwin and Jadeja, especially the former who has been brilliant so far, can weave a web around the Kangaroos.

I am not surprised Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq tipped India as favourites.

He spelled the spin card for voting in favour of India in Thursday’s semifinal.

The Australians have also started playing mind games with Hazlewood and Maxwell reminding India of their wretched form during the tri-series.

What they have forgot is the transformation that India has undergone and the excellent leadership qualities of the Captain Cool.

My prediction (chance rating 5.5:4.5 out of 10) is India versus New Zealand in final at Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 29.

So what do you think?

— sportseditor@timesofoman.com

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SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

C O M M E N TA RY

Possibility of final between the two host nations still stays

A

fter the last eight stage, it’s safe to say that the four best teams of the World Cup find themselves in the semifinals. Fittingly, Australia, India, South Africa and New Zealand are also the top four ICC ranked ODI teams at the moment.

So while the quarterfinals were largely disappointing, I’m fairly confident the semifinals will be a much different story. If there was one quarterfinal final that got exciting at one stage, it was the Australia-Pakistan clash at Adelaide. And that was mainly due to an inspired hostile spell of fast bowling from Wahab Riaz.

As a former fast-bowler, I’d have been able to appreciate it that much more had it come against any other side.

But when he dismissed skipper Michael Clarke to leave us three down for 59, there would surely have been butterflies floating around the tummies of any Australian cricket fan.

Watson was next in the firing line and things certainly could have got more tense had Rahat Ali not spilled what should’ve been a routine catch.

Where Pakistan really lost the game was with the bat.

Without taking anything away from the Aussie attack, Pakistan were often guilty of some ordinary shot selection.

They ended up with 213 when they needed at least 260 to 270 to stand a chance.

And when you’re defending a score that low on a relatively good wicket, your bowling and fielding have to be near perfect which, in Pakistan’s case, wasn’t.

The last quarterfinal between West Indies and New Zealand also witnessed a costly error in the field that led to one of the finest knocks you’ll ever see in oneday cricket.

Martin Guptill was on three

While the quarterfinals were largely disappointing, I’m fairly confident the semifinals will be a much different when he was dropped by Marlon Samuels.

He was in no generous mood thereafter and went on to finish unbeaten on 237. The highlight of his innings was the way he resorted to normal cricket shots till he got to three figures and then went on to improvise.

I can’t pay him a higher compliment than say it was simply a masterclass in how to build an innings and then finish it. Chasing 393 is clearly a monstrous task but West Indies would have done well to emulate Guptill’s approach.

Instead it seemed like they came out to the middle without any basic batting plan.

They needed to keep wickets in hand till the 30th over or so and then try to maximise in the final 20. But they came out just looking to have a go from ball one.

And, as we saw, that approach is only going to prove effective till a certain point.

Ahead of the tournament, I had predicted a final between the two host nations.

That possibility very much exits, and though fans in India and South Africa are surely going to disagree with me, I’m sticking with my original call. — PMG

MILESTONE: Martin Guptill celebrates scoring double century against West Indies in their quarterfinal match. – Reuters

Record 237 stuns ‘Two Toes’ Guptill HIGHEST INDIVIDUAL ODI SCORES

The 28-year-old opener’s total surpassed the previous World Cup best of 215, made by the West Indies’ Chris Gayle against

264 237 no 219 215 209 200no

Rohit Sharma Martin Guptill Virender Sehwag Chris Gayle Rohit Sharma Sachin Tendulkar

IND v SRI NZL v WIS IND v WIS WIS v ZIM IND v AUS IND v RSA

Kolkata Wellington Indore Canberra Bangalore Gwalior

2014 2015 2011 2015 2013 2010

Zimbabwe at Canberra last month, and was the cornerstone of tournament co-hosts New Zealand’s dominant 143-run win

WELLINGTON: Martin Guptill said his World Cup record 237 not out against the West Indies made in New Zealand’s thumping quarterfinal victory on Saturday had not “really sunk in yet”.

The 28-year-old opener’s total surpassed the previous World Cup best of 215, made by the West Indies’ Chris Gayle against Zimbabwe at Canberra last month, and was the cornerstone of tournament co-hosts New Zealand’s dominant 143-run win.

Guptill, dropped on four by Marlon Samuels, faced 163 balls as he hit 24 fours and 11 sixes, one of them a 110-metre rocket that landed on the roof of Wellington’s Westpac Stadium.

His innings was also the second-highest individual score in

the 3,643 match history of Oneday Internationals, behind Rohit Sharma’s 264 for India against Sri Lanka at Kolkata last year.

It was all the more remarkable because Guptill’s left foot was maimed in a forklift accident when he was a teenager, resulting in the loss of three toes and almost ending his career before it had begun.

Guptill said his contribution to New Zealand’s last-eight success felt “pretty cool” but he was concentrating on their next challenge, a semifinal against South Africa in Auckland on Tuesday.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet and we’ve still got a bit of work to do in this tournament so I can’t dwell in it too much,” he said.

The Aucklander, who scored a century in New Zealand’s previous

match against Bangladesh, said he had to ignore the pressure of playing a knockout match in front of a home crowd. “Obviously there is pressure when you walk in to bat but you’ve just got to try to put it out of your mind and watch the ball as well as you can,” explained Guptill after his seventh threefigure score in 106 ODIs. “That’s what I tried to do today, I’m just lucky it paid off.”

It was just the sixth double century in an ODI as Guptill became the fifth batsman to reach the landmark — Sharma has two 200s to his credit. Guptill’s innings also saw him break his own record for the highest ODI score by a New Zealander, which had stood at 189 not out against England in 2013.

Amputation setback Guptill said he was thrilled to bat through the entire innings, explaining he felt comfortable on the drop-in pitch once he got his eye in. “It was the quickest outfield I’ve ever played on here, so you got

value for shots today,” he said.

Guptill’s nickname among his teammates is ‘Two Toes’ because of the accident that occurred when he was a 13-year-old working on his father Peter’s property.

Already a promising cricketer, he lost three toes when the forklift ran over his foot and feared he would never play again.

Former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming visited him in hospital, and Peter Guptill said the accident had shaped his son’s attitude towards cricket. “(It) probably made him more determined... he realised in a flash that everything could be lost and he’s making the most of it,” Peter told New Zealand’s TV3 in 2013.

Guptill said he could never have envisaged his record-breaking innings when he was a teenager recuperating with a mangled foot.

“Probably not, back then I didn’t think I’d ever play. I’m lucky enough to have the opportunity to represent my country and I’m loving it at the moment,” he said. - AFP APPOINTMENTS

Officials for the semifinals named DUBAI: Sri Lanka’s Kumar Dharmasena and England’s Richard Kettleborough were appointed on-field umpires for the ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal clash between India and Australia in Sydney.

Sri Lanka’s Ranjan Madugalle has been named match referee for the much-anticipated clash on March 26. The first semifinal between New Zealand and South Africa will take place in Auckland on Tuesday. Appointments for March 29 final will be made in due course.

The match official appointments are as follows: March 24: New Zealand v South Africa, Auckland David Boon (match referee), Ian Gould and Rod Tucker (onfield umpires), Nigel Llong (third umpire), Bruce Oxenford (fourth umpire) March 26: Australia v India, Sydney Ranjan Madugalle (match referee), Kumar Dharmasena and Richard Kettleborough (on-field umpires), Marais Erasmus (third umpire), Richard Illingworth (fourth umpire).- PTI

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Record-breaking Guptill wins semifinal berth for Black Caps SCAN THIS QR CODE TO INSTANTLY VISIT

Martin Guptill,

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dropped on four by Marlon Samuels, finished on 237 not out, the highest individual score in World Cup history and the second largest One-day International innings of all time, as he led New Zealand to 393 for six in their 50 overs at Wellington Stadium

WELLINGTON: Martin Guptill’s record-shattering double century and Trent Boult’s four-wicket haul sent New Zealand sailing into the World Cup semifinals as they trounced the West Indies by 143 runs on Saturday.

Gutsy Martin Guptill, dropped on four by Marlon Samuels, finished on 237 not out, the highest individual score in World Cup history and the second largest One-day International innings of all time, as he led New Zealand to 393 for six in their 50 overs at Wellington Stadium.

Boult backed up the opening batsman’s feat by taking four for 44 to move to the top of the tournament wicket-takers list with 19 as the West Indies folded for 250 in the 31st over.

The kept up with the required run rate, reaching 200 in the 25th over, but by then they were already seven wickets down.

Chris Gayle, shrugging off the effects of a long-standing back injury, cracked 61 off 33 balls, including eight of the 31 sixes in the match as batsmen on both sides plundered the short boundaries.

Sublime New Zealand will now play South Africa in the first semifinal at Auckland’s Eden Park on Tuesday, with fellow co-hosts Australia facing defending champions India in Sydney two days later.

“Sublime, just sublime,” said New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum of Guptill’s stunning display of orthodox clean-hitting.

“I will never forget it. Everybody here is the same.”

Meanwhile a modest Guptill said: “After I got a hundred, I thought I should hit some boundaries. We will let this one sink in to-

night and focus on the semi-finals tomorrow...We have work to do so I can’t focus on it too much.”

West Indies captain Jason Holder added: “It was tough to defend.

We were in the game until the 35th over. Guptill played brilliantly.

“We put him down early. A set batsman on that pitch is dangerous. Having said that we didn’t bowl our yorkers well.”

McCullum setback New Zealand, favourites for Saturday’s match after emerging unbeaten from pool play, had a rocky start when regular batting hero McCullum, who won the toss, fell cheaply for 12.

But opening partner Guptill, coming into form late in the tournament, took up the challenge as he blasted his second successive century after scoring 105 against Bangladesh in New Zealand’s concluding pool match.

He chewed up the West Indies attack, hitting 24 fours and 11 sixes from 163 deliveries faced as he overtook the previous best World Cup score of 215 set by Gayle earlier in this tournament against Zimbabwe.

In all One-day Internationals, Guptill’s unbeaten 237 is second only to Rohit Sharma’s 264 against Sri Lanka in Kolkata last year, and broke his own New Zealand record of 189 not out against England in Southampton in 2013.

153 runs in final 10 New Zealand’s closing charge saw them score 153 runs in the final 10 overs to further deflate the West Indies.

Jerome Taylor, who had Guptill dropped in this first over, returned the best figures for the West Indies with three for 71, while Andre Russell took two for 96.

Boult was on the money in his first over when he bowled Johnson Charles for three with his second delivery.

He followed-up with the wickets of Lendl Simmons (12), Samuels (27) and Denesh Ramdin (nought) to have four for 18 after five overs.

Gayle was in a particularly ferocious mood, belting spinner Daniel Vettori out of the attack after one over which cost 21 runs.

But the 36-year-old Vettori broke the Gayle-Samuels partnership when he flung his 1.91 metre (6ft 3in) frame into the air to save a six and pull off a remarkable onehanded catch on the boundary.

Adam Milne, like Tim Southee and Boult, was also expensive but had the satisfaction of bowling Gayle.

Corey Anderson had Darren Sammy caught behind for 27, leaving the West Indies 166 for six, before Vettori and Southee stepped in to work their way through the stubborn tail. - AFP

MEMORABLE WIN: Day’s star Martin Guptill, left, leads New Zealand off after beating the West Indies in their Cricket World Cup

quarterfinal match in Wellington. – Reuters

NEW ZEALAND M. Guptill not out 237 B. McCullum c Holder b Taylor 12 K. Williamson c Gayle b Russell 33 R. Taylor run out (Ramdin/Benn) 42 C. Anderson c Gayle b Russell 15 G. Elliott lbw b Taylor 27 L. Ronchi c Benn b Taylor 9 D. Vettori not out 8 Extras (lb-2, w-7, nb-1) 10 Total: (6 wkts, 50 overs) 393 Did not bat: A Milne, T Southee, T Boult Fall of wickets: 1-27 (McCullum), 2-89 (Williamson), 3-232 (Taylor), 4-278 (Anderson), 5-333 (Elliott), 6-365 (Ronchi)

TRENT BOULT

4

wickets for 44

Bowling: Taylor 7-0-71-3; Holder 8-0-76-0 (1w); Benn 10-1-66-0 (2w); Russell 10-0-96-2 (1nb, 2w); Sammy 8-0-38-0 (1w); Samuels 7-0-44-0 WEST INDIES C. Gayle b Milne 61 J. Charles b Boult 3 L. Simmons c Guptill b Boult 12 M. Samuels c Vettori b Boult 27 D. Ramdin lbw b Boult 0 J. Carter b Vettori 32 D. Sammy c Ronchi b Anderson 27 A. Russell b Southee 20 J. Holder c Anderson b Vettori 42 J. Taylor c Guptill b Southee 11 S. Benn not out 9

Extras (w-6) 6 Total: (all out, 30.3 overs) 250 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Charles), 2-27 (Simmons), 3-80 (Samuels), 4-80 (Ramdin), 5-120 (Gayle), 6-166 (Sammy), 7-173 (Carter), 8-201 (Russell), 9-221 (Taylor), 10-250 (Holder) Bowling: Southee 8-1-82-2 (1w); Boult 10-344-4 (2w); Vettori 6.3-0-58-2; Milne 4-0-42-1 (2w); Anderson 2-0-24-1 (1w) Result: New Zealand won by 143 runs Man of the match: Martin Guptill Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG), Bruce Oxenford (AUS) TV umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS) Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

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Windies pay price for inconsistency: Holder The class of 2015 fell well short of the standards set by proud West Indies teams of the past which have twice won the World Cup DISAPPOINTED: Jason Holder said the performance in the quarterfinals was typical of the of the way West Indies had played.

WELLINGTON: West Indies have their own inconsistencies to blame for being bundled out of the World Cup in the quarterfinals, captain Jason Holder said following their 143-run trouncing by New Zealand.

The class of 2015 fell well short of the standards set by proud West Indies teams of the past which have twice won the World Cup. They were the last team to qualify for the play-offs and in their first sudden-death match in Wellington on Saturday they were all out for 250 in the 31st over after New Zealand had posted an im-

posing 393 for six.

The New Zealand innings was set up by a remarkable World Cup record 237 not out by Martin Guptill, the second highest ODI score ever, but Holder said that would not have happened under a better West Indies side.

“It was obviously a good innings. He took the game away from us. But we put him down early and we had a few half chances which we could probably have taken,” Holder said after seeing Marlon Samuels drop Guptill when the

opener had made just four.

“I think we need to respond a little bit better when we’re bowling at the death. We didn’t really land our yorkers and we paid for it.”

Holder said the performance was typical of the way the West Indies had played throughout the tournament, winning three and losing three pool games.

“We’ve had some good games, we’ve had some bad games. Our bowlers have to be a lot more consistent than they are at the moment.”

The 23-year-old Holder was a

surprise choice to lead the West Indies, taking over from Dwayne Bravo who along with Kieron Pollard was dropped for the World Cup following the players’ strike during their India tour last year.

Throughout the tournament he was dogged by suggestions that he did not have the support of senior players Against New Zealand former captain Darren Sammy and the experienced Suleiman Benn appeared to be giving directions on the field which Holder dismissed as being part of a team effort to achieve a breakthrough.

“Sammy’s obviously a senior player, Benn is also a senior player. We always try to get input from everybody and just try to get the best field for the batsmen at a particular stage of the game.

“I’ve been through a lot. There’s been a lot of criticism thrown left right and centre, all over the place.

“I’m proud of myself for the way I stood up. I’m not one to shy away from responsibility or dip my head when things get tough. I expected it was a tough job when I accepted the captaincy.

“But we’ve had some good times and I’ve learned a lot in how to manage our players and get the best out of them.” - AFP PRAISE

McCullum hails Guptill’s ‘record’ knock WELLINGTON: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum acclaimed opener Martin Guptill’s World Cup record 237 not out against West Indies on Saturday as one of the best ever seen in one-day cricket.

The co-hosts overwhelmed the twice former champions by 143 runs in the final quarterfinal at the Wellington Regional Stadium to set up a semi-final against South Africa in Auckland on Tuesday.

“Sublime, just sublime,” McCullum said at the victory presentation. “I will never forget it.

The innings we witnessed is probably one of the best we have seen in this format.

“We wanted to make a real statement on the back of Gup’s innings and that’s what we did with the ball and in the field. We will celebrate Gup’s success, the team’s success and then turn our attention to the semi-final.

“It’s pretty hard to compare eras but certainly among the teams I have played in, this is the best. No disrespect to the legends of the past but I am pretty happy with the current team.”

West Indies captain Jason Holder said Guptill, who was dropped on four from the third ball of the match, had played brilliantly. — Reuters

C O M M E N TA RY

How Pakistan did a favour to India

T

he 30 minutes of fire and fury spit right in the face of some of the filthiest Australian mouths by a provoked Wahab Riaz in his first spell of six overs that sent David Warner and Michael Clarke back to the dressing room with their tails tucked between the legs, and that cut Shane Watson to a sheepish figure forever destined to be remembered for his 21-ball ordeal during which he seldom managed to confidently put what he was holding in his hands to the white thing hurled at him, did not help Pakistan to progress to the semifinals — but the 6ft 1in Pakistani may have done India a favour, unwittingly, in the process.

When the Indian batsmen walk out onto the pitch this Thursday, Warner-Watson and Co will need either skin thicker than what the rhinos normally have or some pills that could selectively wipe out from their memory the happenings at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.

Without either of these at their disposal it will be hard to imagine the Australians in the slip cordon and around to indulge in their infamous chirping.

Wahab standing majestically in his follow-through, staring down at the down and almost out more than a dozen times Watson and clapping sarcastically as the chastened batsman, bat hanging limply in his left hand, trying hard to look away in a desperate bid to avoid the gaze is a moment that will haunt not just Watson but the entire team — at least for some time.

Wahab nailed the truth that the Australian batsmen were just as spineless as any other in the world when pitted against a guy hurling the white stuff at 150kph, and this unveiling of the ugly, well-hidden truth might force some of the big mouths to keep their lips closed for longer than they would like to.

It would be incredibly funny if Watson steps in and asks ‘what are you holding in the hand?’ in the unlikely event of any Indian batsman ducking and gasping the way he did — 21 times in a row — against Wahab.

Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav run in hard and bang it short, but it’s beyond them to kick up the kind of pace — consistently in the 140-145kph range and a couple of times or more at 150 in an over — Wahab had produced, so the Australians may find it easier to deal with the Indian short-ball ploy better than any other team did, and that means it’s going to be a real test for the Indian strategy.

Could Dhoni summon up the courage to stick to the back of a length trick if the short stuff consistently gets despatched to the stands and, if he does, could such persistence pay off against the Australians or leave the Indians on a leather hunt seen never before in the recent times?

This young, new-generation team led by MS Dhoni love to pull and hook than duck and hide. It’s a new attitude put to use with fabulous results.

Some fumbling here and there is unlikely to stop them from standing up and trying to send the ball beyond the rope or from twirling up the moustache and meeting the stare from the mighty Mitchells in the event of getting hit on the grille or the groin or mistiming a pull.

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are vulnerable to the kind of pace, bounce and angle Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson could generate, and that could leave India with the unwelcome prospect of losing early wickets. If that happens, a lot will depend on how Virat Kohli rises up to the occasion and how Ajinkya Rahane digs in and keeps the score moving.

That’s sort of familiar territory for India, for all the top five batsmen have played to perfection such roles in turns with awe-inspiring effect in seven matches. They could do that once more. And once more.

Immediately after convincingly beating Pakistan in their first match, a beaming Ravi Shastri declared: if anyone could dump Australia out of this World, it’s this Indian team.

At that time, Australia were a long distance away, both in terms of group and form miles. The gap has now closed in.

Those who dismissed Shastri’s exuberance as another empty exercise in vocal cords by the tall, dark and shouty Indian team director a little more than a month ago are now thinking in another direction.

And that is: if there is a team that could dump India, at the moment and at this stage of the championship, it’s Australia. Gotcha!

The writer is a freelance contributor based in India. All the views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author and do not reflect those of Times of Oman

S U N DAY, MAR C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

SUPPORT

Pakistan team pin hopes on struggling next generation 1992 champions Pakistan went down by six wickets against Australia

Misbah backs India against Australia

in Adelaide, a defeat which critics argue exposed the weaknesses of the players and system

ADELAIDE: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq believes India will start as favourites in Thursday’s World Cup semifinal against Australia because of spin-friendly conditions at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Misbah, whose side lost to Australia by six wickets in a quarter-final at the Adelaide Oval on Friday, said the tournament co-hosts will rue being without a quality spinner in their last four clash. “Playing in Sydney they will miss a good spinner,” said the 40-year-old Misbah, whose one-day international career ended after Friday’s defeat by Australia.

“That could be the difference, because spinners have had a lot of success in Sydney and Imran Tahir did well the other day. So that could be a problem for Australia. “They might just be in trouble there, although it will be a tough game because both sides are playing good cricket.”

Leg-spinner Tahir collected four for 26 and fellow slow bowler JP Duminy took three for 29, including a hat-trick, as South Africa bowled out Sri Lanka for just 133 to win Wednesday’s quarterfinal at the SCG. But the bat dominated the ball in previous World Cup games at the venue, with Australia piling up 376 for nine against Sri Lanka and South Africa smashing 408 for five off the West Indies’ attack.

Defending champions India have been on a roll with seven straight wins, defying the form book after going through a winless Test and ODI tour of Australia prior to the tournament.

Australia captain Michael Clarke conceded playing India in a semifinal would be a challenge, but disagreed with Misbah that spin would be the crucial factor at the SCG. “I don’t think a ball spun in our game against Sri Lanka,” Clarke said. “It will all depend on what type of wicket gets prepared. If there is a bit of grass on it, that will certainly help our fast bowlers. If it does spin, we’ve got spinning options in our squad, so I’m sure the selectors will assess that once we get to the SCG and work out what they think is the best 11,” the Sydney native added. - AFP

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ADELAIDE: Pakistan will pin their hopes on the next generation after their World Cup campaign ended with a quarterfinal exit to Australia but with departing skipper Misbah-ul Haq warning the team is not up to international scratch.

Pakistan, the 1992 champions, lost their first two matches to India and the West Indies before staging a comeback with four consecutive wins to earn a berth in the quarterfinals.

But Pakistan went down by six wickets against Australia in Adelaide, a defeat which critics argue exposed the weaknesses of the players and system.

None of Pakistan’s younger batsmen — Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Sohaib Maqsood — could match the guile of 40-year-

old Misbah who was the main rungetter with 350 in seven matches.

“It’s necessary that the younger batsmen take responsibility,” said Misbah, who quit ODI cricket after Friday’s defeat.

“They are talented players but maybe they were not made responsible enough to help the team.”

Akmal is the most talented of them all but he failed to turn his full potential into performances, scoring only 164 runs in seven innings.

His dismissal on Saturday, giving a simple catch to Aaron Finch off part-timer Glenn Maxwell, highlighted his shortcomings.

Shehzad managed 222 at the tournament while Maqsood scored 124 in five innings.

“If our cricket is to match international standards then our youngsters have to work hard,” said Misbah.

“They are the best performers in domestic cricket so they have to take the mantle from us.

“Besides batting, fitness and fielding are two key areas where our players have to work very hard because they are not up to international standards,” said Misbah.

System is faulty Pakistan’s preparations for the World Cup were badly hit by the suspension of ace spinner Saeed Ajmal for an illegal bowling action and injuries to pacemen Umar Gul and Junaid Khan and spinning allrounder Mohammed Hafeez (also suspended for his action).

Former captain Wasim Akram said the system is so faulty that there are no back-ups.

“When Ajmal and Junaid were out, we did not have back-up bowlers and that hit Pakistan badly,” said Wasim.

“Until and unless we put our house in order we are not going to stand up and be counted against top teams like Australia, India and South Africa.”

The return of Junaid and possibly of Mohammed Aamir, who started playing domestic cricket last week after his five-year ban for spot-fixing was relaxed, will strengthen the bowling.

But it’s the batting woes that need attention, a problem Misbah hoped would be solved sooner rather than later.

“Maybe the lack of international exposure was hurting the batsmen so I have suggested to the Pakistan Cricket Board that they arrange more and more cricket for these youngsters because batsmen can only get better with exposure,” said Misbah.

Pakistan’s most pressing task will be to pick up a new captain for the one-day team.

Hafeez would be one contender as is Shehzad but both have their problems of their own.

Hafeez’s bowling action was deemed illegal in November while Shehzad has a history of disciplinary problems.

Former captain Shoaib Malik and senior batsman Younis Khan have also shown desire to lead Pakistan’s one-day team but the PCB last year said it wanted a young leader to follow Misbah.

“I think Pakistan should start building a team for the next World Cup now,” said Misbah. - AFP

Watson, Wahab fined fi ffor spat duringg quarterfinals SYDNEY: Pakistan paceman ceman Wahab Riaz and Australia lia allrounder Shane Watson have been fined for over-stepping ping the mark during their fiery ery confrontation in Friday’s ’s World Cup quarter-final.l.

Watson withstood a fierce barrage of pace bowling from a fired-up Wahab in a comompelling duel that transfixed xed the Adelaide Oval crowd d for half an hour, bowler goading ading batsman after almost every very short delivery.

Dropped in the deep on four, Watson survived to o score 64 not out and steer er Australia to a six-wickett victory with a place in the he semi-finals against Indiaa as their prize.

“It was an enthralling contest between Shane and Wahab, but in the closing stages of the match both players crossed that fine line between intense competition and unacceptable behaviour, and this resulted in the sanctions,” match referee Ranjan Madugalle said in an ICC statement.

Wahab, who finished with figures of 2-54, was fined 50 percent of his match fee for

Wahab Riaz

“using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting”.

Watson, who was docked 15 percent of his fee, was found guilty of the lesser charge of “conduct contrary to the spirit of the game” for ignoring the umpire’s warning and speaking to Wahab. - Reuters

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Australia ‘have edge’ over India India may be unbeaten at the World

It has obviously been a toss of the coin job for most of the tournament between me and Pat (Cummins), we have got the nod in different spots and in different conditions. So it was just good to get another game and hopefully impress

Cup but they failed to win a match in the preceding Test and one-day triseries in Australia and Hazlewood says Australia has the psychological advantage

ADELAIDE: Australia’s Josh Hazlewood believes his side’s recent success against India will give them a psychological advantage when they face the reigning champions in a World Cup semifinal in Sydney on Thursday.

India may be unbeaten at the World Cup but they failed to win a match in the preceding Test and one-day tri-series in Australia.

“We have obviously played them a lot this summer in both formats,” said Hazlewood.

“I would say we have the wood over them a little bit in that regard, winning the tri-series.”

The 24-year-old fast bowler has featured in just three of Australia’s matches at the World Cup so far but made the most of his latest recall with a man-of-the-match return of four for 35 in a six-wicket quarterfinal win over Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.

New South Wales paceman Hazlewood said he feared his World Cup was over when Australia’s selectors opted for Pat Cummins before dropping his fellow seamer following an unimpressive return of three for 42 in seven overs against non-Test side Scotland.

“Yeah, those thoughts do run through your head,” Hazlewood said. “But you try and stay positive.

“Patty obviously picked up a few wickets but had a bit of a mixed bag in the game last time, so left the door a little bit ajar I guess.”

But the contest between Hazlewood and Cummins for a place in an Australia attack led by in-form left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc may still have some way to run at

Josh Hazlewood Australia

Hope India remember winless streak against us: Maxwell SYDNEY: Dashing Australian batsman Glenn Maxwell Saturday said the Indian team should remember that it hasn’t won a single game against his side this summer and the hosts intend to keep it that way in Thursday’s ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final against the defending champions.

Asked how difficult will it be for Australia to stop the unbeaten Indian juggernaut, Maxwell replied, “I think we targetted them pretty well this summer. They haven’t won a game against us all through the summer. Hopefully that is

this World Cup. Australia’s selectors have tended to opt for Hazlewood when wanting additional new-ball firepower and gone for Cummins when they’ve felt a need

pretty clear in their memories.”

“We can make the most of that (all win record).We’ve been dominant all summer in the ODI format. We want to continue that.”

But Maxwell did praise the Indian side for its consistency that helped it reach the last four stage.

“India are a very good side.

They wouldn’t be here in the semifinals if they weren’t a good side. We have to bring our A game when we play them this week,” the IPL star said with a note of caution.

Although the media interac-

for greater variety in the ‘death overs’ late in an innings. “It has obviously been a toss of the coin job for most of the tournament between me and Pat, we have got the

tion at the Sydney airport “felt like IPL” to Maxwell with only three Aussie reporters in the mix, he didn’t feel that playing against Ashwin or Jadeja in the IPL would matter much as his role in this national team set-up is different.

IPL is different “The IPL is a lot different to the World Cup. It is different pressure and different situation. I bat at No 6 (for Australia) and there are still five guys ahead of me, who are going to be batting first.

Hopefully, they can make the

nod in different spots and in different conditions,” said Hazlewood.

“So it was just good to get another game and hopefully impress.”

He added: “I bowl a lot up front

most of the conditions. My job is to finish it off.”

When someone asked if he reckons the contest to be 50-50, Maxwell had a tongue-in-cheek counter query, “What are the bookmakers saying?”

Many past Aussie greats term the India versus Australia rivalry as the greatest in international cricket currently but for the maverick Maxwell, Ashes is still sacrosanct.

“There are a lot of big rivalries in international cricket. Every team that we play against, there is like some sort of rivalry or history attached.

with the new ball and swing it around and try and take a few early ones (wickets).

“And obviously with Pat, you can use him more in the powerplay

For Australia, the Ashes, is still probably our biggest and oldest rivalry.”

Virat Kohli has tormented Australia but Maxwell believes that there won’t be separate but a general gameplan for India which has been the case all summer.

“We haven’t had a team meet yet, but it will be pretty similar to the summer.

“We did pretty well during the summer against them. I am sure we will go ahead with similar plans and we will have a few tricks up our sleeve,” he answered with a smile. - PTI

and at the end with his change of pace and his yorkers and bouncers, he has got a bit of extra pace and you can use that in those different times.” - AFP

SEMIFINALS

Australia expecting ‘a very different’ India SYDNEY: Australia skipper Michael Clarke expects to face a very different India in next week’s World Cup semi-final from the team they hammered in a test series and beat comfortably in a One-day International in January.

India have won all seven matches on their way to the semifinals and, with a bowling attack unrecognisable from the rabble who contested the test series, will be surging with confidence.

“I think they’re obviously playing a lot better than they were throughout the start of the summer,” Clarke told reporters in Adelaide. “I said that leading into the World Cup, that I thought India were going to be an extremely tough team to beat obviously because they’re a very good team but (also) because they’ve spent so much time in Australia they know the conditions quite well.

“The game on Thursday is going to certainly be a challenge,

and we’re definitely going to have to be at our best to beat them.”

Australia lost their only pool match against their co-hosts in New Zealand and their familiarity with home conditions is a considerable advantage in their quest for a fifth world title.

India have been Down Under since November, though, and have been improving gradually under the guidance of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

“I think MS Dhoni deserves a lot of credit the way he’s been able to turn things around as the leader, as the captain,” Clarke added.

“They’re playing some really good cricket, there’s no doubt about it. We look forward to that challenge. We’ve got some time now to recover and make sure we’re fresh and then obviously train and prepare. Our attitude will be exactly the same as it was leading up to this game. Thursday becomes our World Cup final. We look forward to it.” - Reuters

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SECTION

LIFE & STYLE

CARIBBEAN NORTHERN LIGHTS

The nightlife on the island of Tobago takes an unusual form. And it’s best enjoyed with a paddle and a board

WWW.TIMESOFOMAN.COM S U N DAY, MAR C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

Y

ou don’t choose Tobago for its nightlife, they’d said. “Get up with the sun, go to bed with the sun,” the local adage goes. It doesn’t mean Tobagonians have no sense of fun; just don’t expect to be raving until the small hours – unless it’s Carnival, which is a whole different kettle of crab’n’dumplings.

However, as I floated on a piece of plastic, a riot of stars above and the most extraordinary party kicking off in the water below, I decided “they” might be wrong.

I’d come to Tobago precisely for its alternative take on after-hours activity. That this small, south Caribbean isle has a dearth of mega-clubs and 18-30s is a bonus in my book; that it’s retained a distinctive character while many about it are losing theirs is even better. If you’d rather have rustic authenticity than infinity-pool-luxe, this is the Caribbean for you.

But back to that piece of plastic. Duane Kenny had introduced me to it that afternoon. Duane, with his brother Brett, owns Stand Up Paddle Tobago, and he had 30 minutes to teach me the art of SUP-ing – standing on a surfstyle board, propelling yourself with a long paddle – before I joined one of his evening tours. I was in good hands: Duane is perhaps the best paddleboarder in the region.

And the timing was ideal. His company is based at Pigeon Point, Tobago’s most popular beach. I’d visited the day before, when a cruise ship was in port, and it was heaving.

Beautiful, but heaving. Now, on a cruise-free day, in the late afternoon, there was no one else around.

I started on land, Duane etching a board-shape around me in the sand so I could “practise” the strokes. Then, after five minutes of theory, it was time to hit the water. That’s one of the attractions of SUP-ing: it’s simple. With a stable beginners’ board and calm seas, anyone can do it. Hit a few waves, though, and things become more testing.

“Keep moving!” said Duane, encouragingly, as I wobbled out of the shallows. “When you’re moving you’re stable; when you stop you have problems.” There was a little churn to the Caribbean, and it was taking all the muscles in my legs and core (including ones I didn’t know I had) to stay upright. I felt like Bambi on ice. Or a bit tipsy. But I practised my turns and somehow didn’t fall off. I was ready.

What I was ready for was the most magical tour in Tobago. Three years ago, Duane and Brett discovered that the mangrove-fringed lagoon behind their house was a hotbed of bioluminescence. This is caused by dinoflagellates, a type of marine plankton that emits a blueish light when agitated. The light is their defence mechanism; it’s supposed to keep predators away. On humans, it has the opposite effect.

A group of 14 of us – some choosing SUPs, others kayaks – gathered for the pre-trip briefing. “We’ve got a good night for bio,” explained Duane. “The intensity can vary, but there’s no moon and the skies are clear.” Darkness is key to seeing bioluminescence at its best, so trips don’t run around Full Moon; also, clouds reflect ambient light back on to the water, which dims the plankton’s display.

Darkness wasn’t a problem tonight. It was a New Moon, and the sun had already set when we paddled off across Buccoo Reef. We wore glow sticks, to keep us visible to each other, and soon the twilight reduced us to a trail of red and green fireflies buzzing over the bay. Fortunately, it was deliciously warm, the wind had dropped, the sea was a millpond, and we all made it safely to the sandbar at the mouth of Bon Accord Lagoon. There were no other boats or people; just us and an increasing tapestry of stars. As we paddled in, I was focusing so intently on the water that my eyes began creating bioluminescence for themselves. It was much like looking for the Northern Lights, and wanting to see them so badly that you imagine wispy clouds are streaks of aurora.

And then: was that it? As I pulled back my paddle, the wake looked odd. Not luminescent exactly, but a vaguely glowing grey. I steeled myself. I’d been expecting something... better. But maybe this was as good as it got? Then the world caught fire.

I yelped. I grinned. Every time I dipped my blade, the churn around it swirled like ghostly vapour. I thumped it on top of the board and tiny fish darted at the reverberations, setting the plankton a-pulse. I pushed the paddle in a wide arc and it looked like I’d thrown a tin of fluorescent paint; when I lifted it out of the lagoon, drips fell and hit the surface, where they exploded like tiny stars. It was as if the Northern Lights had scooted down from the Arctic and dived right into the Caribbean, only this was a display I could command. Standing on my board, waving my paddlewand and sending sorcerous shazams across the water, I felt like Gandalf.

“I give this bio a 10 out of 10!” declared Duane from the darkness. Brett, unable to control himself, jumped in. I followed, and apparently morphed into an angel, my body haloed by bioluminescence. As I swam around I became obsessed with myself, with the shapes I was making, the way my body seemed turned into a lustrous ooze.

I guess the best nights out have an after party, and mine was at Adventure Eco Villas. Having paddled back to Pigeon Point, I drove on to my private cabin, one of just two lucky enough to find itself in a private nature reserve, amid a profusion of tropical trees. During the day, hummingbirds surround the sugar-water feeders here, but those delicate flutterers like their beauty sleep and, at this hour, they’d been replaced by bats.

I sat for a while, watching the bats’ breakneck aeronautics, listening to their leathery wings, before finally flopping into bed to the secret sounds of the forest. This was my kind of nightlife.

More information: visittobago.gov.tt -Sarah Baxter/The Independent

C10

SUN DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

PRAYER TIMINGS

FIND-IT-ALL Y O U R B I R T H D AY BORN today, you are a versatile individual who enjoys being in the thick of things. You are never satisfied doing just one thing, even if that thing is the most important! You want to have your hands full, and the more responsibilities you can juggle at any one time, the better.

This is not because you want to be in charge, or because you insist on being a key player, or even because you are a workaholic — which is an arguable point — but rather because you simply enjoy being on the go. The busier you are, the more alive you feel! It is likely that you will enjoy tremendous personal success when young. The trick, of course, will be to continue that success into your more mature years, for that’s when it will really count!

You’re likely to have many great teachers and tutors in your life. You will always feel a special kinship with those who, when you were young, showed you the ropes and set you on your path to success. Ultimately, however, like all good Pisces natives, you will naturally begin to leave imitation behind and do things your own way.

Also born on this date are: Reese Witherspoon, actress; William Shatner, actor; James Patterson, author; Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer; Ross Martin, actor; George Benson, musician; Chico Marx, actor and comedian; Stephen Sondheim, composer and songwriter; Bob Costas, sportscaster; Elvis Stojko, figure skater; Marcel Marceau, mime; Karl Malden, actor; Matthew Modine, actor; Lena Olin, actress; Werner Klemperer, actor.

W E AT H E R

C

lear to partly cloudy skies over most governorates of the sultanate with chances of clouds development and isolated rain over Al-Hajar mountain and adjoining areas towards afternoon and chances of night to early morning low level clouds and fog patches along the coastal areas of Oman sea and al-Wusta.

EXPECTED WINDS: Along the coastal areas of Oman sea winds will be northerly to northeasterly light to moderate during day becoming variable light at night and over the rest of the sultanate winds will be southeasterly light to moderate.

WORLD

Max 31 Min 21 Max 7 Min 2

Max 31 Min 19

Max 31 Min 23 Max 9 Min 1

Max 32 Min 22

Max 2 Min -3

Max 35 Min 19

Max 31 Min 18

Max 36 Min 19

Max 37 Min 22

Max 37 Min 23

[March 21-APRIL 19] Max 29 Min 23

Max 22 Min 13

-www.met.gov.om

Max 32 Min 24 Max 22 Min 19

Min

GULF Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai Kuwait Manama Riyadh

36 31 36 27 27 31

23 21 29 12 19 18

WORLD Athens Baghdad Beijing Berlin Boston Cairo Colombo Frankfurt Hong Kong Istanbul Johannesburg Kuala Lumpur Lisbon Paris Perth Singapore Tokyo Toronto

16 19 14 7 1 23 31 9 23 12 26 33 18 10 25 33 15 1

12 7 2 2 -8 14 24 -1 19 7 16 24 9 3 11 26 8 -7

L O N G D I S TA N C E B U S T I M I N G S ( O M A N N AT I O N A L T R A N S P O R T C O M PA N Y S A O C ) * S U B J E C T T O C H A N G E

FROM MUSCAT (RUWI)

TO MUSCAT (RUWI)

[APRIL 20-MAY 20] You’re likely to receive a second opinion that you trust more than the first, and it is more a matter of personality than info.

GEMINI [MAY 21-JUNE 20] What has happened to you over the past few days will be uncovered in a way that has you making important adjustments almost immediately.

CANCER [JUNE 21-JULY 22] You seem to think that others are more willing to do certain things than you are — but given the right circumstances, you’ll do anything!

LEO [JULY 23-AUG. 22] The higher you soar, the more you’ll be able to see in your attempt to take in all that is of importance to you. Get up there!

VIRGO [AUG. 23-SEPT. 22] You may have forgotten one little thing that’s been hanging over your head. Today, you’ll have one last chance to deal with it.

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

[[SEPT. [S S 23-OCT. 22] What happens today is likely only the prologue to something much more profound. You have a suspicion of what it might actually be.

SCORPIO S [[OCT. 23-NOV. 21] Your ability to score a knockout punch in the early seconds of a bout will certainly come in handy — figuratively, of course!

SAGITTARIUS S [[NOV. 22-DEC. 21] You may be asked to take part in something that doesn’t feel right to you at first — until you’re actually on the scene.

CAPRICORN [DEC. 22-JAN 19] You want to wash your hands of a situation that doesn’t suit you, but you may have a personal reason to stick with it a bit longer.

AQUARIUS [JAN. 20-FEB. 18] The more you replay a certain event in your mind, the more likely you’ll be to understand its central meaning. Take another look!

PISCES [Feb. 19-March 20] Your own findings may differ from those made by a so-called expert.

Today you can prove that you are a gifted amateur, indeed.

Operating Days Daily Daily Daily

FROM JAALAN-SUR-QURIYAT (Route 36) Dept Destination Arrival Operating Time Time Days 05:30 Sur 06:45 Daily 05:30 Quriyat 08:30 Daily 05:30 Ruwi 10:00 Daily

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

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

20:50

Daily

TO AL BURAIMI (Route 41) 07:00 Sohar 07:00 Ruwi 13:30 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 13:00 Ruwi 13:00 Sohar 17:00 Ruwi TO SINAW (Route 52) 07:00 Ruwi

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

16:50 19:30

Daily Daily

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

10:20 12:30

TO SUR (Route 55) 07:30 Sur 14:30 Sur TO FAHUD - YIBAL (Route 62) 06:30 Fahud 06:30 Yibal

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

Daily Daily Daily via Ibri Daily Daily Daily Daily

10:25

Daily

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

08:40 11:00

Daily Daily

Daily Daily

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

17:55 20:20

Daily Daily

12:00 18:45

Daily Daily

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

10:45 19:00

Daily Daily

10:30 11:15

Daily Daily

TO YIBAL - FAHUD (Route 62) 12:30 Fahud 12:30 Ruwi

13:15 17:30

Daily Daily

TO MARMUL-SALALAH (Route 100) 07:00 Salalah 20:00 10:00 Marmul 20:30 10:00 Salalah 23:30 19:00 Salalah 07:40

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO SALALAH -MARMUL (Route 100) 07:00 Ruwi 19:50 10:00 Marmul 13:15 10:00 Ruwi 22:30 19:00 Ruwi 07:30

Daily Daily Daily Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

Daily

TO MARMUL (Route 101) 06:00 Marmul

16:30

Daily

Daily

DUBAI TO SALALAH (Route 102) 15:00 Salalah 07:00

Daily

16:50

SALALAH TO DUBAI (Route 102) 15:00 Dubai 07:00

LIBRA L

Sunset Sunrise (Tomorrow) High tide Low tide

22:10pm 4.13pm

6:18pm 6:10am 10:59am 4:40am

SEA STATE: Slight over most of Oman coasts with maximum wave height of 1.25 meters.

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

THE NEXT 48 HOURS OUTLOOK: Clear to Partly cloudy skies over northern governorates of the Sultanate. Chance of convective clouds developments and isolated rain over alHajar mountains and adjoining areas. Chance of late night to early morning low level clouds or fog patches along the coastal areas of Oman sea and al-Wusta.

Max

OMAN

TAURUS

12.19pm 3.45pm 6.23pm 7.34pm 4.54am

AIRLINES

ARIES You have made some big plans and prepared well to see them through, but one variable may make things more difficult than expected.

Dhuhr Asr Maghrib Isha Fajr (Tomorrow)

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 Muscat Region Apollo, Al Hamriya. Tel: 24787766 Muscat, A Seeb Market. Tel: 24421691 Muscat, Al Khuwair. Tel: 24485740 Muscat, Al Hail South. Tel: 24537080 Dhofar Region Muscat, Al Nahdha Road, Salalah.

Tel: 23291635 HOSPITALS Al Amal Medical & Health Care Centre: 24485052 Atlas Hospital: Ruwi: 24811743/ Ghubra: 24504000 Al Musafir Specialised Medical Clinic: 24706453 Hatat Polyclinic LLC, Ruwi: 24563641, Azaiba: 24499269, Sohar: 2683006 Al Raffah Hospital: 24618900/1/2 Al Massaraat Clinic & Laboratory: 24566435 Al Makook Medical Coordinance Centre: 24499434 Apollo Medical Centre, Hamriya: 24787766, 24787780 Capital Polyclinic: 24707549 Badr Al Samaa Polyclinic, Ruwi: 24799760/1/2 Capital Clinic, Seeb: 24420740 Ceregem National Raak: 24485633 Dr Harub’s Clinic: 24563217 Elixir Health Centre: 24565802 Emirates Medical Centre: 24604540 1st Chiropractic Centre: 24472274 Hamdan Hospital: 23212340 International Medical Centre LLC: 24794501/2/3/4/5 Kims Oman Hospital: 24760100

24 Hrs Emergency: 24760123 Lama Polyclinic, Sohar: 26751128, MBD: 24799077, Al Khuwair: 24478818 Magrabi Eye and Ear Hospital: 24568870 Muscat Private Hospital: 24583600 Welcare Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Al Khuwair: 24477666 Al-Hayat Polyclinc LLC: 22004000 ROYAL OMAN POLICE Emergencies and inquiries: 9999 General Directorate of Passport and Residence: 24569603 Directorate General of Customs: 24521109 Traffic violations inquiries: 24510228 Public Relations Admin: 24560099 ACCOMMODATION Al Bahjah Hotel: 24424400 Al Bustan Palace: 24764000 Al Khuwair Hotel Apartments: 24478171 Al Madina Holiday Inn: 24596400 Al Maha International Hotel: 24494949 Al Fanar Hotel: 24712385 Al Falaj Hotel: 24702311 Al Qurum Resort: 24605945 Azaiba Hotel Apartments: 24490979 Beach Hotel: 24696601 Bowshar Hotel: 24491105 Coral Hotel Muscat: 24692121 Crowne Plaza Muscat: 24660660 Crystal Suites: 24826100 Golden Tulip Seeb: 24510300 Grand Hyatt Muscat: 24641234 Haffa House Hotel: 24707207 Hotel Muscat Holiday: 24487123 InterContinental Muscat: 24680000 Majan Continental Hotel: 24592900 Marina Hotel: 24711711 Midan Hotel Suites: 24499565 Mina Hotel: 24711828 Muttrah Hotel: 24798401

Nuzha Hotel Apartments: 24789199 Oman Dive Centre: 24824240 Park Inn: 24507888 Qurum Beach House Hotel: 24564070 Radisson Blu Hotel: 24487777 Ramee Dream Resort Seeb: 24453399 Ramee Guestline Hotel: 24564443 Ruwi Hotel: 24704244 Safeer Hotel Suites: 24691200 Sheraton Oman Hotel: 24772772 Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort and Spa: 24776666 The Chedi Muscat: 24524400 The Treasurebox Muscat Hotel: 24502570 AIRLINE OFFICES Muscat Airport Flight information (24 hours): 24519456/24519223 Aeroflot: 24704455, Air Arabia: 24700828, Air France: 24562153, Air India: 24799801, Air New Zealand: 24700732, Biman Bangladesh Airlines: 24701128, British Airways: 24568777, Cathay Pacific: 24789818, Egypt Air: 24794113, Emirates Air: 24404400, Ethiopian Airlines: 24660313, Gulf Air: 80072424, Indian: 24791914, Iran Air: 24787423, Japan Airlines: 24704455, Jazeera Airways: 23294848, Jet Airways: 24787248, Kenya Airways: 24660300, KML Royal Dutch Airlines: 24566737, Kuwait Airways: 24701262, LOT Polish Airlines: 24796387, Lufthansa: 24796692, Malaysian Airlines: 24560796, Middle East Airlines: 24796680, Oman Air: 24531111, Pakistan International Airlines: 24792471, Qatar Airways: 24771900, Qantas: 24559941, Royal Jordanian: 24796693, Saudi Arabian Airlines: 24789485, Singapore Airlines: 24791233, Shaheen Air: 24816565, SriLankan Airlines:

24784545, Swiss International Airlines: 24796692, Thai Airways: 24705934, Turkish Airlines: 24703033 MUSEUMS Bait Al Baranda: Corniche (seafront opp fish market), Open from Saturday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 4 to 6pm Natural History Museum: Al Khuwair, Tel: 24604957, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm; Thursday: 9am to 1pm Museum of Omani Heritage: (former Omani Museum), Madinat Al Alam, Sat-Wed 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday 9am to 1pm, Tel: 24600946 Armed Forces Museum: Bait Al Falaj, Tel: 24312651, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm; Thurs 9-12pm and 3-6pm; Fri 9-11am and 3-6pm. Al Hoota Caves 24498258; Turtle Beach 96550606/96550707 Children’s Science Museum: Shatti Al Qurum, Tel: 24605368, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Oman-French Museum: near Muscat Police Station, Tel: 24736613, Open from Sat to Wed: 8am to 1:30pm, Thurs: 9am to 1pm Bait Al Zubair, Muscat: Tel: 24736688, Al Saidiya St., Muscat museum@baitalzubairmuseum.com Open from Sat to Thurs: 9:30am to 6pm.

National Museum Ruwi: Tel: 24701289, Open from Saturday to Wednesday: 8am to 1:30pm, Thursday: 9am to 1pm Sohar Fort Museum: Tel: 26844758, Open from Saturday to Wed: 8 to 1:30pm Thurs: 9am to 1pm Muscat Gate Museum: at Al Bahri Road, Muscat open from Sat to Wed 8am to 2pm

SUNDAY

MONDAY FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

CAIRO 0005 RIYADH 0005 JEDDAH 0005 KUWAIT 0010 BANGKOK 0015 SALALAH 0030 SALALAH 0125 SIALKOT 0200 KARACHI 0210 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN 0255 DOHA 0345 ADDIS ABABA 0350 DUBAI 0355 BAHRAIN 0405 ABU DHABI 0405 DUBAI 0415 FRANKFURT 0630 LUXORE 0635 BAHRAIN 0640 JEDDAH 0645 ABU DHABI 0650 SALALAH 0655 RIYADH 0700 KARACHI 0700 MALPENSA 0720 ZURICH 0720 DAMMAM 0725 JEDDAH 0730 KUWAIT 0735 DOHA 0735 PARIS 0800 DUBAI 0805 SOHAR 0815 BOMBAY 0815 LONDON HEATHROW 0820 DUBAI 0850 JAIPUR 0855 LAHORE 0900 SHARJAH 0915 LAHORE 0920 HYDERABAD 0920 DELHI 0920 COCHIN 0930 TRIVANDRUM 0940 MADRAS 0940 DUBAI 0940 BANGALORE 1000 DOHA 1010 ABU DHABI 1015 TRIVANDRUM 1020 DUQUM OMAN 1045 MUKHAIZNA 1045 DUBAI 1110 KHASAB 1115 RAS AL KHAIMA 1120 DUBAI 1200 MALE 1205 CALICUT 1210 SALALAH 1215 BANGKOK 1305 DUBAI 1330 SALALAH 1445 KHASAB 1445 KHASAB 1445 ABU DHABI 1530 DUBAI 1555 DOHA 1600 ISLAM ABBAD 1625 BOMBAY 1710 CALICUT 1720 DUBAI 1730 DELHI 1730 LUCKNOW 1735 HYDERABAD 1740 DOHA 1745 DUBAI 1750 BAHRAIN 1810 MUKHAIZNA 1845 KUALA LUMPUR 1910 SHARJAH 1915 MADRAS 1920 KUWAIT 1925 BANGKOK-KARACHI 1935 TEHRAN 1940 DUBAI 1945 KATHMANDU 2010 DUBAI 2030 JAKARTA 2055 MUNICH 2105 MALE 2110 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2120 DELHI 2125 DUBAI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 COLOMBO 2140 CHITTAGONG 2140 DUBAI 2145 MADRAS 2200 AMMAN 2205 DOHA 2210 2225 COLOMBO BAHRAIN 2240 MEDINA 2250 MEDINA 2250 ABU DHABI 2250 KARACHI 2255 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2255 SALALAH 2305 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY 2310 DOHA 2315 ZURICH-DUBAI 2320 BOMBAY 2325 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI 2330 DUBAI 2335 DUBAI 2335 BAHRAIN 2340 DAMMAM 2350 DAMMAM 2350 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 2355

WY682 WY406 WY636 WY648 WY816 WY910 BG021 4H583 WY3916 PK229 TK776 QR1132 EK866 EY384 GF560 FZ041 WY114 WY658 WY638 WY902 WY154 WY144 WY674 WY668 WY644 WY602 WY202 WY102 FZ043 WY272 G9114 WY342 WY242 WY236 WY346 WY226 WY212 EK862 WY252 WY282 QR1128 EY382 9W530 WY604 WY844 WY918 GF562 WY372 FZ037 WY384 IX337 WY902 PA450 WY716 WY3302 WY324 WY818 WY606 WY906 WY920 WY632 FZ045 WY204 WY292 WY3304 WY610 WY246 WY264 WY284 WY232 WY664 QR1126 EK864 WY3922 GF564 WY822 WY694 WY684 G9116 WY254 WY646 WY434 FZ047 WY338 WY614 WY848 WY124 AI977 4H561 KL441 WY624 AI973 6.00E+81 WY312 WY914 9W534 FZ049 AI907 WY414 QR1134 WY928 GF566 BA073 EY388 WY326 SG061 WY908 AI985 WY662 LX242 9W540 LH618 WY612 WY654 WY696

RIYADH 0005 CAIRO 0005 ABU DHABI 0005 KUWAIT 0010 BANGKOK 0015 SALALAH 0030 DACCA-CHITTAGONG 0100 DACCA 0145 SALALAH 0205 LAHORE 0215 ISTANBUL-BAHRAIN 0255 DOHA 0345 DUBAI 0355 ABU DHABI 0405 BAHRAIN 0405 DUBAI 0415 FRANKFURT 0610 BAHRAIN 0640 ABU DHABI 0650 SALALAH 0655 ZURICH 0720 MALPENSA 0720 JEDDAH 0730 DOHA 0735 KUWAIT 0735 DUBAI 0805 BOMBAY 0815 LONDON HEATHROW 0820 DUBAI 0850 JAIPUR 0855 SHARJAH 0915 LAHORE 0920 DELHI 0920 HYDERABAD 0920 ISLAM ABBAD 0930 COCHIN 0930 TRIVANDRUM 0940 DUBAI 0940 MADRAS 0940 BANGALORE 1000 DOHA 1010 ABU DHABI 1015 TRIVANDRUM 1035 DUBAI 1110 MANILA 1110 KHASAB 1115 BAHRAIN 1130 COLOMBO 1140 DUBAI 1200 MALE 1205 CALICUT 1210 SALALAH 1215 LAHORE 1215 ZANZIBAR 1225 MUKHAIZNA 1230 KARACHI 1230 BANGKOK 1305 DUBAI 1330 SALALAH 1445 KHASAB 1445 ABU DHABI 1530 DUBAI 1555 BOMBAY 1710 CALICUT 1720 MUKHAIZNA 1730 DUBAI 1730 DELHI 1730 LUCKNOW 1735 BANGALORE 1740 HYDERABAD 1740 DOHA 1745 DOHA 1745 DUBAI 1750 DUQUM OMAN 1755 BAHRAIN 1810 KUALA LUMPUR 1910 DAMMAM 1910 RIYADH 1910 SHARJAH 1915 MADRAS 1920 KUWAIT 1925 TEHRAN 1940 DUBAI 1945 KATHMANDU 2010 DUBAI 2030 JAKARTA 2055 MUNICH 2105 BANGALORE-HYDERABAD 2105 DACCA 2115 AMSTERDAM-DOHA 2120 DUBAI 2125 DELHI 2125 BOMBAY 2130 CHITTAGONG 2140 SALALAH 2140 COCHIN 2140 DUBAI 2145 MADRAS 2200 AMMAN 2205 DOHA 2210 SALALAH 2220 BAHRAIN 2240 LONDON HEATHROW-ABU DHABI 2250 ABU DHABI 2250 KARACHI 2255 AHMEDABAD 2300 SALALAH 2305 AHMEDABAD-BOMBAY 2310 DOHA 2315 ZURICH-DUBAI 2320 BOMBAY 2325 FRANKFURT-ABU DHABI 2330 DUBAI 2335 BAHRAIN 2340 DAMMAM 2350

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

FLT NO

DEPARTURES TO

AI986 LX243 9W539 BA072 LH619 WY685 WY211 WY251 WY201 WY225 WY235 WY341 WY281 WY601 WY241 WY271 WY643 WY637 WY821 WY657 WY123 WY667 WY323 WY691 WY383 WY901 WY847 PK260 NL772 TK777 ET625 EK867 FZ042 QR1133 EY385 WY3931 WY3301 WY3921 4H562 GF561 WY903 WY603 CV732 WY917 WY291 WY263 WY347 FZ044 WY385 WY231 WY245 WY843 G9115 WY815 NL769 WY905 WY203 WY605 WY373 WY253 WY337 WY717 EK863 WY311 EY383 IX554 QR1129 WY3303 WY919 WY663 G9842 WY631 IX350 FZ038 WY433 WY113 WY101 WY413 WY645 WY153 WY143 WY927 WY609 WY405 WY3305 WY671 WY675 WY613 FZ046 WY913 WY623 WY325 QR1127 WY681 WY907 GF565 WY647 WY661 EK865 WY695 G9117 WY909 WY611 WY635 FZ048 TG508 WY915 FZ050 KL442 WY817 6.00E+82 AI908 AI974 QR1135 GF567 UL206 EY381

BOMBAY 0005 DUBAI-ZURICH 0020 BOMBAY 0025 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 0025 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT 0050 RIYADH 0105 TRIVANDRUM 0110 MADRAS 0110 BOMBAY 0120 COCHIN 0125 HYDERABAD 0135 LAHORE 0150 BANGALORE 0150 DUBAI 0150 DELHI 0155 JAIPUR 0200 KUWAIT 0200 ABU DHABI 0205 KUALA LUMPUR 0205 BAHRAIN 0205 MUNICH 0210 DOHA 0225 KARACHI 0225 DAMMAM 0235 MALE 0235 SALALAH 0240 JAKARTA 0245 PESHAWAR 0310 PESHAWAR 0330 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL 0350 ADDIS ABABA 0450 DUBAI 0455 DUBAI 0510 DOHA 0520 ABU DHABI 0525 SOHAR 0600 MUKHAIZNA 0715 DUQUM OMAN 0745 DACCA 0745 BAHRAIN 0745 SALALAH 0800 DUBAI 0800 HONG KONG 0805 KHASAB 0815 CALICUT 0920 LUCKNOW 0920 ISLAM ABBAD 0920 DUBAI 0935 MALE 0940 HYDERABAD 0955 DELHI 0955 MANILA 1000 SHARJAH 1005 BANGKOK 1010 LAHORE 1030 SALALAH 1030 BOMBAY 1030 DUBAI 1030 COLOMBO 1040 MADRAS 1040 KATHMANDU 1040 ZANZIBAR-DARESSLAM 1045 DUBAI 1055 CHITTAGONG 1100 ABU DHABI 1105 TRIVANDRUM 1110 DOHA 1115 MUKHAIZNA 1115 KHASAB 1145 DOHA 1145 RAS AL KHAIMA 1210 ABU DHABI 1220 CALICUT 1310 DUBAI 1315 TEHRAN 1330 FRANKFURT 1400 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 AMMAN 1405 KUWAIT 1405 ZURICH 1405 MALPENSA 1415 SALALAH 1415 DUBAI 1420 CAIRO 1430 MUKHAIZNA 1515 MEDINA 1535 JEDDAH 1630 DUBAI 1700 DUBAI 1700 SALALAH 1810 DUBAI 1820 KARACHI 1830 DOHA 1845 RIYADH 1845 SALALAH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 KUWAIT 1900 DOHA 1900 DUBAI 1905 DAMMAM 1910 SHARJAH 2005 SALALAH 2015 DUBAI 2025 ABU DHABI 2040 DUBAI 2040 KARACHI-BANGKOK 2040 SALALAH 2110 DUBAI 2225 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2230 BANGKOK 2235 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 DELHI 2310 DOHA 2320 BAHRAIN 2325 COLOMBO 2335 ABU DHABI 2350

AI986 LX243 9W539 BA072 WY715 LH619 WY211 WY251 WY201 WY225 WY235 WY601 WY281 WY345 WY341 WY241 WY271 WY643 WY637 WY657 WY821 WY123 WY371 WY667 WY383 WY901 WY847 4H584 BG022 PK230 TK777 EK867 FZ042 QR1133 EY385 GF561 WY603 WY3301 WY903 WY323 WY917 WY263 WY291 FZ044 WY283 WY245 WY231 G9115 WY815 WY203 WY905 WY605 WY337 WY253 EK863 WY311 EY383 QR1129 9W533 WY919 GF563 WY631 IX350 FZ038 PA451 WY683 WY3303 WY433 WY663 WY113 WY101 WY645 WY413 WY153 WY143 WY131 WY609 WY405 WY693 WY3921 WY675 WY613 FZ046 WY913 WY623 WY325 QR1127 WY681 WY907 GF565 WY647 WY661 EK865 WY695 WY653 WY653 G9117 WY909 WY611 FZ048 WY635 WY915 AI978 4H561 FZ050 KL442 WY817 9W529 WY411 6.00E+82 AI908 AI974 WY677 QR1135 GF567 WY673 EY381

BOMBAY 0005 DUBAI-ZURICH 0020 BOMBAY 0025 ABU DHABI-LONDON HEATHROW 0025 ZANZIBAR 0040 ABU DHABI-FRANKFURT 0050 TRIVANDRUM 0110 MADRAS 0110 BOMBAY 0120 COCHIN 0125 HYDERABAD 0135 DUBAI 0150 BANGALORE 0150 ISLAM ABBAD 0150 LAHORE 0150 DELHI 0155 JAIPUR 0200 KUWAIT 0200 ABU DHABI 0205 BAHRAIN 0205 KUALA LUMPUR 0205 MUNICH 0210 COLOMBO 0210 DOHA 0225 MALE 0235 SALALAH 0240 JAKARTA 0245 DACCA 0245 CHITTAGONG-DACCA 0250 LAHORE 0315 BAHRAIN-ISTANBUL 0350 DUBAI 0455 DUBAI 0510 DOHA 0520 ABU DHABI 0525 BAHRAIN 0745 DUBAI 0800 MUKHAIZNA 0800 SALALAH 0800 KARACHI 0800 KHASAB 0815 LUCKNOW 0920 CALICUT 0920 DUBAI 0935 BANGALORE 0940 DELHI 0955 HYDERABAD 0955 SHARJAH 1005 BANGKOK 1010 BOMBAY 1030 SALALAH 1030 DUBAI 1030 KATHMANDU 1040 MADRAS 1040 DUBAI 1055 CHITTAGONG 1100 ABU DHABI 1105 DOHA 1115 COCHIN 1135 KHASAB 1145 BAHRAIN 1215 ABU DHABI 1220 CALICUT 1310 DUBAI 1315 LAHORE 1315 RIYADH 1320 MUKHAIZNA 1330 TEHRAN 1330 DOHA 1330 FRANKFURT 1400 LONDON HEATHROW 1400 KUWAIT 1405 AMMAN 1405 ZURICH 1405 MALPENSA 1415 PARIS 1420 DUBAI 1420 CAIRO 1430 DAMMAM 1430 DUQUM OMAN 1455 JEDDAH 1630 DUBAI 1700 DUBAI 1700 SALALAH 1735 DUBAI 1820 KARACHI 1830 DOHA 1845 RIYADH 1845 SALALAH 1850 BAHRAIN 1855 KUWAIT 1900 DOHA 1900 DUBAI 1905 DAMMAM 1910 BAHRAIN 1920 BAHRAIN 1920 SHARJAH 2005 SALALAH 2015 DUBAI 2025 DUBAI 2040 ABU DHABI 2040 SALALAH 2110 HYDERABAD-BANGALORE 2200 JEDDAH 2215 DUBAI 2225 DOHA-AMSTERDAM 2230 BANGKOK 2235 TRIVANDRUM 2240 AMMAN 2240 BOMBAY 2245 MADRAS 2300 DELHI 2310 MEDINA 2310 DOHA 2320 BAHRAIN 2325 JEDDAH 2350 ABU DHABI 2350

FLT NO

ARRIVALS FROM

WY406 WY682 WY676 WY648 WY816 WY910 WY916 NL669 PK225 TK776 QR1132 ET624 EK866 GF560 EY384 FZ041 WY114 CV732 WY658 4H562 WY638 WY902 WY686 WY324 WY144 WY154 WY692 WY674 WY644 WY668 WY132 WY602 WY3932 WY202 WY102 FZ043 WY272 NL768 G9114 WY342 WY236 WY242 WY226 WY212 WY252 EK862 WY282 QR1128 EY382 IX549 WY3922 WY3302 WY604 WY918 G9841 FZ037 WY384 IX337 WY904 WY818 WY606 WY906 WY920 WY920 WY632 FZ045 WY664 WY348 WY204 WY292 WY610 WY246 WY264 WY232 QR1126 EK864 GF564 WY3306 WY822 G9116 WY254 WY646 TG507 WY434 FZ047 WY338 WY614 WY848 WY124 WY386 KL441 AI973 WY624 6.00E+81 WY374 WY312 FZ049 AI907 WY414 QR1134 UL205 GF566 WY672 WY672 EY388 WY326 BA073 WY908 AI985 WY662 LX242 9W540 LH618 WY612 WY612 WY654 WY696 WY696 WY717

ETA

ETD

ETA

ETD

S U N DAY, MAR C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

C11

ENTERTAINMENT CINEMA SCHEDULE

BAHJA CINEMA SCREEN 3 Badlapur – (Action | Drama) – 15+ 3.45, 9.45 pm Cast: Varun Dhawan, Huma Qureshi, Yami Gautam Run All Nighht (Action) – 15+ Cast: Genesis Rodriguez, Liam Neeson 6.45 PM

Insurgent (3D) (Sci-Fi/Thriller (PG12) 9:30 PM & 11:45 PM Gold Class: 4:30 PM & 11:15 PM Cinderella (2D) (Adventure) (PG) Cast: Lily James, Hayley Atwell, Richard 11:00 AM & 5:30 PM Run All Night (2D) (Action) (15+) 7:30 PM Cast: Liam Neeson, Ed Harris, Joel Kinnaman Winx: The Mystery Abyss (Animation) (PG) 10:15 AM, 2:00 & 3:45 PM Crazy Beautiful You (2D) (Action) (PG12) Cast: Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo, Lorna Tolentino 3:15 PM The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2D) (Comedy/Drama) (PG) Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy 1:00 & 5:15 PM Gold Class: 6:45 PM

Insurgent (3D) (Adventure/ Sci Fi) Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, 7:00, 9:15, 11:30 PM (PG12) Insurgent (2D) (Adventure/ Sci Fi) Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, 2:30 PM (PG12) The Gunman (2D) (Action/Crime) Cast: Javier Bardem, Sean Penn (15+) 4:45, 9:30, 11:45 PM Run All Night (2D) (Action) (15+) Cast: Liam Neeson, Ed Harris 9:30 PM Cinderella (2D) (Adv/Drama) (PG) Cast: Lily James, Hayley Atwell 3:45 PM Winx: The Mystery of the Abyss (2D) (Animation) (PG) 2:00, 3:15, 5:45 PM Suite Francaise (2D) (Drama)(PG12) Cast: Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Margot 7:30 PM The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2D) (Comedy I Drama) (PG) Cast: Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Margot 5:00, 7:15 PM The Lazarus Effect (2D) (Horror)(12+) Cast: Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass 11:45 PM

Run All Night – 2D (15+) (Action) Cast: Liam Neeson, Ed Harris 3:15, 11:15 PM Cinderella – 2D (PG) (Adventure) Cast: Lily James, Hayley Atwell, 3:30 PM Insurgent – 2D (PG12) (Adventure) Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel 5:15 PM Insurgent – 3D (PG12) Adventure|SciFi | Thriller Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James 7:00, 9:30, 11:45 PM The Gunman – 2D (15+) (Action) Cast: Javier Bardem, Sean Penn 3:00, 7:25, 9:15, 11:30 PM Winx Club : The Mystery of the Abyss – 2D (PG) Animation 3:45, 5:30 PM The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – 2D (PG) Comedy |Drama Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy 5:15, 9:00 PM Suite Française – 2D (PG12) Drama |Romance | War Cast: Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Margot 5:30, 7:30 PM The Lazarus Effect – 2D (12+) Horror | Thriller

SCREEN 1 Dilliwali Zalim Girlfriend – Hindi (Comedy/Romance) Cast: Divyendu Sharma, Jackie Shroff, Prachi Mishra, Ira Dubey 3.30, 6.30, 9.30 PM

The Gunman (2D) (Action/Crime) Cast: Javier Bardem, Sean Penn (15+) 7:30, 9:40 & 11:45 PM Gold Class: 2:15 & 9:00 PM Insurgent (2D)(Action/Crime) (PG12) Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort 11:45 AM

SCREEN 2 NH 10 – Hindi (Suspense/ Thriller ) Cast: Anushka Sharma, Neil Bhoopalam, Ravi Jhankal, Darshan Kumaar 3.45, 6.45, 9.45 PM

Cast: Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass 7:30, 11:45 PM Dilliwali Zaalim Girlfriend – 2D (TBC) Romance | Comedy Cast: Divyendu Sharma, Jackie Shroff, Prachi Mishra 9:30 PM

The Gunman – 2D (15+) (Action) Cast: Javier Bardem, Idris Elba 3:00, 5:00, 9:15, 11:30 PM Insurgent -2D (PG12) (Adventure) Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James 5:00 PM Insurgent – 3D (PG12) (Adventure) 7:15, 9:30, 11:45PM The Lazarus Effect – 2D (12+)Horror, Thriller Cast: Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Evan Peters 3:30, 11:45 PM Dilliwali Zaalim Girlfriend – 2D Romance, Comedy Cast: Divyendu Sharma, Jackie Shroff, Prachi Mishra 7:00, 9:30 PM Winx Club : The Mystery of the Abyss – 2D (PG) Animation 3:00, 4:30, 6:00 PM Run All Night – 2D (15+) Action, 7:30 PM

Insurgent (3D) (Adventure) (PG12) Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel 5:45, 9:30, 11:45 PM The Gunman (Action) (15+) Cast: Javier Bardem, Sean Penn 7:00, 9:05 PM

The Lazarus Effect (Horror | Thriller) (12+) Cast: Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Evan Peters 4.15, 8.00PM Winx Club: The Mystery of the Abyss (Animation) (PG) 4:00, 5:30 PM Dilliwali Zaalim Girlfriend (Hindi) (Romance | Comedy) (TBC) Cast: Divyendu Sharma, Jackie Shroff, Prachi Mishra 11:15 PM

Winx : The Mystery of the Abyss (2D)(PG) (Animation) 11:00AM, 2:15, 5:45PM Insurgent (2D)(PG12) (Adventure) 2:40PM Insurgent (3D)(PG12) (Adventure) 9:15, 11:30PM The Gunman (2D)(15+) (Action) 5:00, 7:05, 9:40, 11:45PM Run All Night (2D)(15+) (Action) 12:30, 9:30PM Cinderella (2D)(PG) (Adventure) 12:15, 3:45PM Dilliwali Zaalim Girlfriend (2D) 7:20PM The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2D)(PG)( Comedy/ Drama) Cast: Judi Dench, Maggie Smith 11:30AM, 7:15PM Crazy Beautiful You (2D)(PG12) (Drama/Romance) Cast: Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo 3:15PM Suite Française (2D)(PG12)(Drama) 5:15PM The Lazarus Effect (2D)(12+) (Horror/Thriller) 1:45, 11:30PM

Run All Night ( Action/Crime) Cast: Liam Neeson, Ed haris 10.00 p.m CP No: 668 (15+) Lazarus Effect (Horror/Thriller ) Cast: Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass 4.00, 8.00, & 11.55. p.m CP No: 749 (12+) Suite Francaise: ( Drama/Romance ) Cast: Michalle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Margot Robie 2.00 & 6.00 p.m.

CP No: 747 (PG12) Winx Club: The Mystery Of The Abyss (Animation) 2.00 & 6.00 p.m.

CP No: 748 (PG ) Insurgent (Action/Sci:Fic) Cast: Shailen Woodley, Ansel Elgot 3.45, 7.30, 9.45, 11.55 pm CP No: 746 (PG 12)

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

STARS CINEMA Film information 24791641 / 24786776 Fireman (Mal) (Act \Thriller) Cast: Mammootty & Nyla Usha 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30pm Cinema Main Kakki Sattai (Tamil) ( Com\Act) Cast: Shiva Karthikeyan, Sri Divya & Prabhu 3:30, 6:30 & 9:30pm Cinema -2 NH 10 (Hindi) (Action\Thriller) Cast: Anushka Sharma, Deepti Naval & Neil Bhoopalam 3:45, 6:45 & 9:45pm Cinema – 3 Temper (Telugu) (Act) Cast: Jr Ntr, Kajal Agarwal 3:45pm Cinema-4 Picket 43 (Mal) (Act) Cast: Prithviraj, Javed Jafry 6:45 & 9:45pm Cinema -4 Next Change: 100 Days Of Love (Mal )

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

ACES ON BRIDGE

SUDOKU

Don’t take a finesse that must lose

4

3

2

7 8 4 1 3 9 8 7

2 6

HOW TO PLAY Fill the empty cells with the numbers 1 to 9, so that each number appears once in each row, column and area.

— Seven Galaxies

1

3 8 1

4

9 1 5

6 3 5 2 3 9 4 7 9

2

9 6

4 3

7 3 1 8 5 2 4 6 9 4 5 6 9 7 1 2 8 3 9 2 8 6 4 3 5 7 1

3 4 5 7 1 6 8 9 2 6 7 2 5 9 8 3 1 4 1 8 9 2 3 4 6 5 7

MARMADUKE

CROSSWORD

B I G NAT E

1 5 8 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 21 24 27 28 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 39 43 46

Word to a feline — Paulo, Brazil Foster a felon Ms. McEntire of country music “Weird Al” film Watchful attention Reformers’ targets Hearth item Physicist Nikola — Minimal amount Time of the mammals Water sources Woof!

— cool!

Dots in “la mer” Biologist’s eggs Finish the laundry Musician’s stint Impress mightily Delights in How some things should be left Expected Meat avoider Get going

49 Teamwork obstacles 51 Jazzy Fitzgerald 52 Tolstoy title word 53 You, in the olden days 54 Changes colour 55 Found a perch 56 Sturdy lock

26 28 29 30 32 33 35 36 38

Journey stage Food steamer Malt brew Fabric meas.

Pay for Restless Imported car Untruth Prevent from happening

39 40 41 42 44 45 47 48

Made tracks Exclusively Heap Theta preceders — Khan Caroler’s tune Boring tool Mai — (rum cocktail) 50 Gaze at

BORN LOSER

DOWN 1 Mr. in Bombay 2 Stonehenge builder 3 Well-qualified 4 Fez danglers 5 Poisonous shrub 6 Gleeful shout 7 Over and over 8 Aspirin target 9 Rum-soaked cake 10 Psyche’s beloved 11 Not the pictures 17 Musical symbol 19 — Alamos, N.M. 22 Roof overhangs 23 Brady Bill opposer 24 Toupee’s kin 25 Cotton-gin name

Answer to previous puzzle

ACROSS

ANN RITA ANTONY March 22, 2014

VEDHIKA SUBHASH March 22, 2010

SHANEL GEORGE March 22

8 1 7 4 2 5 9 3 6 2 6 3 1 8 9 7 4 5 5 9 4 3 6 7 1 2 8

Previous puzzle Solution

DOES your partner suffer from finesseophilia? Will she or he take every available finesse? If so, show your partner this deal.

How should South play the play in four spades? West leads the diamond ace (under which East encourages with his nine), continues with the diamond king and plays a third diamond to his partner’s queen.

Note South’s bidding sequence.

To make a takeout double, then, after partner advances with a minimum bid in a suit, to rebid shows a very strong hand: at least 18 high-card points (or a super 17).

Declarer starts with five potential losers in his hand: one heart, two diamonds and two clubs.

He has only eight top tricks: five spades, one heart and two clubs.

Perhaps South would think that he can get at least one more heart trick.

And maybe clubs are 3-3, or the fourth round can be ruffed in the dummy. But if a finessing fanatic crosses to dummy with a trump and runs the heart queen, he will fail here. West takes the trick and returns, say, a trump.

Count the high-card points.

There are only 15 missing, and East has already produced the diamond queen. West must have the heart king. South should cash his heart ace and lead another heart. If West takes the trick, declarer has 10 tricks: five spades, three hearts and two clubs. Or, if West ducks, South can play three rounds of clubs to arrange a club ruff in the dummy.

Use the bidding to place missing key-cards and do not take a finesse that must lose.

Phillip Alder

WITH LOVE

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

C12

SU N DAY, MARCH 22, 2015

EXTRA Tom Tailor to woo Indian consumers with casual fashion German lifestyle clothing company Tom Tailor is there to stay in the Indian market, tapping consumers who prefer casual and uncomplicated clothing, says company representative Dieter Holzer

T

om Tailor’s collection was showcased in India at the Lakme Fashion Week summerresort 2015 and Dieter Holzer believes the Indian fashion industry has come of age in terms of growth and development.

“This is my first visit to any fashion week in India and I am quite impressed. I am amazed with the fact that how fast it has developed. I liked that very much,” Holzer, CEO, Tom Tailor, told.

Founded in 1962, the brand retails classic and up-to-date casual wear and accessories for men, women, young adults and children.

Currently, the brand has four clothing lines -- Tom Tailor, Tom Tailor Denim, Tom Tailor Polo Team and Tom Tailor Bonita. It retails out of 315 stores in 21 countries as well as from its e-shop; and in India, the brand is entering exclusively through Jabong.com.

“I think Indian people and consumers are leading a good life and they have a preference for casual outfits, uncomplicated products that serve life more than making it complicated.

That’s the idea also of Tom Tailor too. Our product is apt for

this market,” he added.

Holzer, who is managing the Tom Tailor group since 2006, also says that influence for the brand collection comes from

different parts of the world, and India is one of them.

“Our collection has developed globally. The influence and design theme is coming from all international markets, including India, New York and London, as well as many other different places.

That’s the reason why I believe our theme is relevant for people all over the world,” he said.

Holzer’s own career graph is impressive.

After completing his formal training as a retail manager in the textile trade and after filling various positions in the fashion industry, he worked for Esprit for five years.

Later in 2000, he became CEO of Tommy Hilfiger Germany and was also responsible for rolling out the European Tommy Hilfiger e-commerce business.

Asked about his take on Indian designers, he said that “it’s more about colours and freshness that clothes depict here, than brands or designers.”

“When I talk about India, there is lot of freshness that comes in my mind in terms of colours and elements of decoration,” said Holzer who would love to associate with Bollywood faces too for Tom Tailor, in the days to come. - IANS

D

W W W.T I M E S O F O M A N . C O M S U N DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

SECTION

CONNEC T H E D A I LY G U I D E

RENT

D2

VACANCY

D4

CARGO

D7

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

D2

S U N DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

FOR RENT

OFFICES FOR RENT Premium offices to let a very good location on the main road very close to Zakher Mall, Al Khawiar. Business Center has offices with sizes of 50m2, 110m2, 180m2, 207m2, 230m2, 437m2.

Showroom also available at Business Center, Area 500m2 with central A/c.

Offices with Central Air-conditions, Security System with CCTV cameras, and Security presence in the building.

Contact: 97377355 / 97307476, Email id: aaleem@ggcoman.com

Flat at Darsait. Contact 99326879 1 bedroom attached toilet in Al Khuwair bachelors/ family R.O 140/-. Contact 95154331 We have 1BHK , 2BHK flats & office available in Mabela 7, brand new building main road, 1BHK RO 175/- , 2BHK RO 220/- only. Contact 93782735 / 99208033

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OMR 1,500 Monthly. Electricity and boundary wall will be provided.

Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 2BHK at Honda road Ruwi.

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Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

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2 BHK commercial & residential flat at Honda road. Contact 98087644 / 99795241 Flat with 2 bedrooms and big hall in Mawalih near King burger R.O 310/-. Contact 99886099 2BHK Apartment available at Al Khuwair 33. Contact 94057023 2BHK /3BHK apartment available at Qurum, near PDO Gate-2.

Contact 94057023 2 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @ AZAIBA, 2 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 33, 1 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair, 3 B/R Luxury Fully Furnished @ Al Khuwair 25. 5 B/R Fully Furnished villa @ Madinat Al Ilam. For Daily, Weekly, monthly or Yearly contract. Contact: Atlas Real Estate & Rent A Car LLC 99249069 / 99436312/92888376, Email: info@alshahiintl.com New Building in Mutrah, 2 B/D room Flat + Setting Room,3 Baths+ Kitchen with split unit Ac’s. Behind Khimiji’s main office/opposite to Oman House Call 99419712 2BHK flat for rent Wadi Kabir near Kuwaiti Mosque. Contact 97007939 / 92629232

New building near the Bousher Al Misfah high way, with showroom, offices, and shops. Great for banks, medical clinics and companies 95202430 Available industrial open land 25,000 m2 and 450m2 of 2 Nos, covered ware house in Al Rumais and two shutter shops 70 m2 each in Mabellah, near Oman oil petrol pump station and MAC Donalad. Contact 99318152 Email ahastco@gmail.com 1BHK available Ghubra near Al Maha INT Hotel. Contact 99269751

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Contact 99024730 Flat 4 rent south Al Mabelah.

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Contact 92870771 2Bedroom centrally Air conditioned flat at CBD. Contact 94460790 / 24714625

2 bed room, 3 toilets 120 sq. mtr fully furnished parking near Star Cinema 450/- OMR / monthly.

Contact 91778735

2 bedroom flat in Al Ghubra near Oman oil 18 November Street. OMR 330. Monthly. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360

Commercial Villa in Al Khuwair with Private Parking’s,7 Rooms Hall and Reception and Kitchen #95202430

Big flat first floor in villa Al Ghoubrah South, 3BHK hall living room with split a/c family only 525/- R.O. Contact 92479515

Shop in Wadi Kabir & Azaiba.

Contact 99024730 House for rent in Al Amerat Madinat Al Nahda consists of 3 bedrooms and 3 toilet & 2 Majlis away from school one kilometer. Contact 99351337

Foklift 7,5,3 Ton with driver – 99424338 Flat Wadi AL Kabeer, 2BHK, sitting room, 3 bathroom balcony split /AC 300/- R.O Contact 99324402

Brand new deluxe flats located near Seeb flyover on the right band side of the main road coming from the Seeb palace round about, 2 bedrooms family, hall, kitchen, 3 toilets with split unit ACs. Contact 97755586 NEW WAREHOUSE For rent at Ghala New Warehouse for rent at Ghala Ind. Area. 578 & 1170 approx sqms Near Hotel Al-Madinah Holiday, Ghala.

Container can enter. Immediate access to roads & highways.

Contact 92078090 Industrial Land in Misfah.

Contact 93009999 Bachelor villa at Ansab.

Contact 98458542 1BHK new bldg with A/C curtains near Khimji Mart MBD. Contact 99061408 / 99024039 Flats & shops for rent at MBD, Wadi Kabir, AL Khoud & villa at Azaiba.

Contact 93994401/02/03

Industrial /commercial shops at Wadi Kabir 4 x 5.6 x 4.6 MTR height.

Showroom with mezzanine & office at Al Noor Street near Switz bakery & Al Masa hall corner building all on roads & parkings in front of shops & show room. # 99065900 or 99354975 Prim location, nice finishing villa for RENT. 2 big bedrooms . Main large sitting room. Small maid room. Kitchen and 3 bathrooms.

At Alkhuwair. near Holiday Inn & Oman Club. # 99426662, PDC only. For families & college girls.

1 Bedroom attached toilet Al Khuwair area only for ladies or husband and wife without children. Contact 9:00 pm to 7:00 am 95765719 85 SQM shops in Ruwi only on 350/- OMR. Contact 95122188 / 96441499 Spacious 2 BHK flats in Ruwi MBD area only on 350/- OMR. Contact – 95122188 / 96441499 Villas & flats at Ansab.

Contact 98458542 Beautiful office space available in Ruwi MBD area only on 2/- OMR per sqm. # 95122188 / 96441499 If require flats for rent in Wadi Kabir please send messages through Whatsapp or call – 99376454 Furnished room available on Seeb share with small family for couple working ladies. Contact 96996938 Flats and shops. Contact 93009999

Villa 2 bed rooms, hall, sitting room in AL Hail south R.O. 320/Monthly. Contact 93993354 1 Bed room in Al Hail south R. O 160/- Monthly. Contact 93993354 Room for rent Honda road. Contact 92540125/ 97605342/ 94053366

1000 sq mtrs industrial land for rent in Ghala suitable for Ware house workshop.

Contact 24700120 / 925 Flats/villas owned by ROP pension fund available for rent in Muscat.

Contact 99349526

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D3

DAILY GUIDE

M.V. FOR SALE

FOR SALE Shop for sale near Al Maha Hotel Ghubra, area 68.40 sqm with 2 shutters, single shop also available.

Contact 96642007 / 98867936

Lexus GS460, 2010 white 57,000 km single lady Expat driven top of the range Reg exp. August 2015.

Contact 99215599

2 Prime Movers Man 2008 with 40 ton petrol tank each working at the moment in Al Maha. Price OMR 35 Thousand each. Tel: 97000155 or 92688692 Fully furnished office 46 sqr mtrs near Markaz Al Bahja. #99607788 Dental clinic for sale in Seeb area.

Contact 96903341 Used Restaurant Equipments & Furniture for immediate sale. Interested Parties Contact before 22 March on 97824001.

Billiards and snooker table 1 no., hand football game table 1 no. with all accessories on (as is where is) basis. The items are in Sur Industrial area. Interested parties please contact - 31032015s@gmail.com 2 Prime Movers Man 2008 with 40 ton petrol tank each working at the moment in Al Maha. Price OMR 35 Thousand each. Tel: 97000155 or 92688692

23,886 Sq Mtrs Agriculture land with water well in Al Salwa, Barka.

OMR 260 Thousand. Tel: 99333479 or 95215360 New Panasonic 500 Ansi lumens dip projector pt –D 5000.

Contact: Hari 92138468 Building material shop for sale in Al Hail. Contact 98003111 Shop at good location in Darsait.

Contact 98523634 Shop for sale near Al Hail petrol pump. Contact 93314300 / 93937185 Ready mix concrete for sale.

Contact 99054673 22KV Generator – 99424338

Latest EDExcel AS & A level textbooks for sale. Contact 99016532 Running beauty parlor for sale in Barka Souq with license & visa.

Contact 92168729 New restaurant with 6 clearance at Wadi Hatat near Bank Muscat for sale. Contact - 91324412 Commercial registration with excellent name Grade A for business software for sale.

Contact 92959251 Running Medical Centre on sale in Salalah. Owner shifting to Muscat.

Contact 92872202.

Building Material shop for sale at Suwaiq A running 5 shutter building material shop with two paint machines available for immediate sale. Also available warehouse and yard at the same place. Interested parties please contact the following numbers: 93223382 / 99874936 New barber shop on sale at Misfah.

Contact 93833107

Expat leaving. Treadmill/gym items/Fridge/Washing machine/ Sofa(4 set)/wardrobe (4 door)/4burner stove/grill/ AC(window) other items for immediate sale. 95293535 Shop for sale Honda road.

Contact 94053366 / 97605342 Land for sale residential commercial and residential and tourist and industrial, and hotels for sale in Muscat (Al Khuwair and the Qurum, and crushed stone, and Bowshar, and spite and Gala heights, and the heights of the airport) to deal with the buyer. Contact 99070093 Coffee shop for sale a well running coffee shop for at Wadi Kabir Sanaya.

Contact 94159356/91039293 3 floor 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

Suzki SX4 2012. Contact 99484342

Mercedes 55CL –AMG -200, black -124,000/- kms, valid 23/9/2015, excellent condition R.O 2, 800.

Contact 94056332

Mercedes 500 S 2001- dark blue -250,000 kms valid 30/12/2015 good condition R.O 1,900/-.

Contact 94056332

Lincoln – Navigator 4WD -1998- silver and black – 200,000/- kms valid 25/12/2015, good condition R.O 1,600. Contact 94056332

Isuzu 3.5 ton truck model 2013 MK done 20000 REG with full insurance valid up to 18.11.2015. Serious buyers only Contact 99332625 / 99312060

Dodge Nitro 4.0 ltr engine 2007 model 130000 kms, red colour, registration valid for one year. RO.2700/-.

Contact - 91251966

Vitara 2013. Contact 99336093

ACC. WANTED

WANTED Clinic required, One Established new Clinic in Muscat, with Valid License & Clearance is required to purchase interested Parties can contact 91283188 or send your inquiries to mohamedsfarah@hotmail.com

AVAILABLE Established Restaurant for rent with sponsorship. Contact 97628242 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

BUYING/SELLING Looking for purchase of Used Portable Compressor (350 CFM, 7 Bar Pressure) powered with Diesel run Generator.

Kindly Contact 99014686 or operation@khancogroup.com

FOR SALE 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 Dental Clinic with license for sale in Sohar. Contact 92816015 Shop for sale at Ruwi. Contact 99103077

Furnished accommodation wanted for April, May for Keralite family. Contact 99378397 Wanted a 2 bedroom flat in around Ruwi area. Gsm 99761216

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished Single Room available for a decent Keralite Bachelor (Sharing Kitchen/Bath) Near Oman House/Khimji Mart, Muttrah, Rent:- 85/- (Including Elec/Wat).

Contact 98450071 Single room with separate bath at Rex Road, working lady preferred.

Contact 95423572 Sharing accommodation rooms at Al Khuwair. Contact 99743569 / 97004265 Single room behind main Indian School Wadi Kabir.

Contact 99376454 Single room attached bathroom separate entrance near Rex Road Kolivada . Contact 99870317 / 98218453 One bed room flat with hall for rent in Al Khuwair area near Radisson blue hotel. Contact 97646492 Room for rent Muttrah near Oman house looking for Executive working lady one room attached bathroom, sharing kitchen. Contact 94136102 A big room available near Hamriya R/A for Muslim couple / small family /Executive bachelor rent 150/- Rial per month including W+E. Contact 99495131 Fully furnished single room available in CBD area. Contact 92162623 Single room attached bathroom with kitchen near Riyam park Muscat RO 70/-. Contact 95094028

Nissan Sunny 2012 model 71000 km, automatic, 1600cc white, price R.O 2750/-. Contact 98523634

Porshe Cayenne – S- 2004 white 165,000 kms, valid 30/12/2015 very good condition R.O 4,750/-.

Contact 94056332

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished Room with attached bath for Indian Bachelor in Al Falaj area Ruwi & sharing room lady in Wadikabir. Call 95941515

Toyota Camry white 2011 km -51000 R.O 4800/-.

Contact 99561562

FOR HIRE Foklift 7,5,3 Ton with driver – 99424338 Hire Generators, Air conditioners.

Contact 98927220

Furnished room with bath at Al Khuwair. Contact 99224185

Running truck wash for rent in Ouhi Sunia Sohar. Serious people can. Contact on 97864747

Family sharing accommodation available in Al Khodh.

Contact 98292798

50 seater bus with PDO specification for rent or lease.

Contact 99839898

Sharing accommodation available in Muttrah near Khimji Mart for family only with A/C & attached bath room. Contact 95450743 Single room available with A/C for non cooking executive bachelor at Hamriya R/abt. (on main road side, Opp. Apollo Hospital). #91673718, 98232567 Sharing family accommodation in Wadi Kabir. Contact 99335057 Room for SRI LANKAN Executive at Al Khuwair.TEL 96536307 Sharing Executive bachelor at Wadi Kabir. Contact 97940331 Gubrah furnished room, attached bath dish TV, WIFI, kitchen available for Executive single person, couple.

Contact 99658689

ACC. AVAILABLE Furnished room for Executive bachelor at Ruwi. Contact 92435784 1B/R available for bachelors in REX ROAD, Ruwi. Contact 99889590 Room in CBD area for non cooking Executive bachelors free WIFI, Advance deposit. Contact 95934642

*Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

D4

S U N DAY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 5

DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com classifieds@timesofoman.com Tel.: 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 /431 / 456 / 461

SITUATION WANTED

SITUATION SITUATION WANTED VACANT

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE ACCA-UK, B.Sc (OBU-UK) having 2.8 years of experience in Accounts, Bookeeping and Audit. Looking for job in Accounts/Finance department. Also worked on Oracle R12, Tally, Quick Books and PeachTree.

Email: AliRiazMughal@Outlook. com, Gsm: +968-95459936 Part Time Accounting, Accounts Finalization, Audit Preparation, Internal Audit, Onsite Tally Training, Inventory Management Contact : 96975454, email : ibfcoman@hotmail.com Indian CA, male, having 12+ Years’ experience in the field of A/Cs, finance, auditing, consultancy and also knowledgeable in SAP B1,Tally ERP ,etc. Working as Finance Manager for last 2 years in Oman and have valid D/L of Oman. NOC available. PLZ contact: 98234761, Email:caraj700@gmail.com

ACCOUNTANCY Want Chief Accountant have experience more than 10 years or have experience in logistics muktar_93@yahoo.com Experienced omani/non-omani accountant.

Send cv-career@ayadmn.com Required an Accountant with experience in Tally, D/L in Oman, NOC, for a construction company doing MOE projects.

Contact 94148220. Send CV to alrkhadev@hotmail.com

ADVOCATE Law firm office at Shatti al Qurum looking for Indian legal advisor minimum 5 years experience in Oman . please Contact :99772277 sereen38@gmail.com

ADMIN Omani PRO with minimum 5yrs experience. Send cvcareer@ayadmn.com Wanted PRO male Omani with 2-3 years experience and frontline associate male / female for reputed telecom brand retail stores. Apply to career@rechargeoman.om.

Contact 94006462 / 94538465

BEAUTICIAN Urgently required beautician, visa available. Contact 97172334 Required female to work in beauty center at Al Azaiba.

Contact 94470321

CATERING Personal Chef needed for work in home and boat. Must be fantastic chef and willing to do housekeeping/ cleaning also. email cv: alibadawy@gmail.com Waiter /waitress for restaurant.

Interested candidates send CV to email: omanhari@yahoo.com, Contact 95892831 Experience cook for Omani family 1Nos. Contact 99228046 Email: oman518@gmail.com

DOMESTIC HELPER Full-time housemaid needed for family of 4 in Azaiba.

Contact 95123244 Housemaid required for Keralite family Cont 92729883 Wanted full time Keralite housemaid at Al Khuwair.

Contact 93267065

DRAFTSMAN Architectural Draftsman desired candidate profile : minimum 3 years experience in detail design. Please send your CV to Email: info@pak2pak.com Contact 99196733

DESIGNER Wanted Graphic Designer skilled in Photoshop, coreldraw illustrator for advertising company. Contact 96440587 / 95338210

EDUCATION Maths, Physics, Chemistry Teacher urgently required to teach 2 students of 12th standard . Teacher’s experience preferred.

Contact 99360489

Sr. Accountant, M.Com, Indian male,13 yrs exp in MNC, FMCG & Automobile spare parts with valid Oman D/L looking for suitable position. NOC available-Mob: 92435323

EDUCATION New International Schools in Oman going to begin in September 2015 seeks Principal, Early years & foundation stage and Cambridge primary teachers (Homeroom and co-teachers), Operations Manager, Admissions Manager & Parents Relationship Manager.

Send CV and open letters of references to : gharsoman@gmail.com / marwa@amjad.com.kw Contact 0069555789779/ 00968 94665998

ENGI./ELECT./TECH..

Urgently Required: 1) Planning Engineer minimum 5 years experience with primavera certificate and immediately join.

2) Electrical Engineer minimum 5 years experience in building construction and immediately join.

Apply, fax 00968–24605955, emails sbc@steelbuildingsllc.com, sbeoman@yahoo.com.

Required Foreman for interior decoration and construction business with minimum 2 years experience in Oman and with valid Oman driving license. Contact 98825806.

Email: strns1@gmail.com Mechanical Workers Required A well established pipeline construction company required some skilled workers of below mentioned categories; Fabricators, Fitters, Mechanical Helper . Please forward your CV at hr.muscat2015@gmail.com Urgently required for leading company, Land Surveyor, Electrical technician, MEP foreman, Camp Boss. Fax: 24478522 E-mail: gh1.careers@gmail.com Required HVAC Engineer, and Electrical Engineer, minimum 4 to 5 years experience with driving license. Send CV to nationalhvac.mep@gmail.com fax: 24799442 Looking for Assistant Workshop Manager, Automobile Engineering with minimum 4 years experience in vehicle modification works.

Contact: 97441935 Local Construction Company looking for Civil Engineer Indian nationality. If interested Email: mohad.amer@hotmail.com or Contact 92817182 Wanted Auto Electrician with ITI or diploma qualification.

Interested can send C.V on hilat.tech@gmail.com or contact 98983951 / 98668697

MEDICAL Wanted female Nurse for Skin clinic in Muscat. Must have MOH license and NOC. Mail to clinicvacancy2015@gmail.com Required Nurse for a reputed clinic in Suwaiq. Contact 26861077 / 99605906 / 92801446 A medical center requires a part time Pharmacist. Interested candidates contact 99705799 Urgently required Pharmacist.

Contact 94200385/ 95206905/ 97433142 Email: anitho@gmail.com

SALES / MARKETING

Wanted experienced Sales Executive for FMCG with valid Omani driving license. Contact 98099914 wasim@alliusie.com

Required Sales & Marketing person for IT company with minimum 2 years experience in Oman and with valid Oman driving license. Contact 98825806. Email: strns1@gmail.com

Salesman Wanted for outdoor sales of ceramic items and building materials. Should have similar 2 years experience, driving license and NOC. Call 99332547

Wanted Salesman having driving license for advertising company.

Contact 96440587 / 95338210

Required Salesman, Tailor, and Barber. Contact 96964767

Wanted an experienced sales person with valid Oman driving license for a company in Al Khuwair.

Send your CV to kktrdg@hotmail.com Fax: 24488120 Contact 99771127 Experienced Sales Supervisor in FMCG especially gulf area. Experienced Salesman in FMCG. Send cv-career@ayadmn.com Cleaning Services Company requires Marketing Managers with minimum 5/8 years Gulf experience with valid Oman driving license. Interested candidates send CV to email: omanhari@yahoo.com, Contact 95892831 Sales Man required with driving license knowledge of air conditioner and spare parts. Send CV to nationalhvac.mep@gmail.com fax: 24799442 Required M/F Marketing person part time exp in event management with strong communication read / write and knowledge of music & dance industry for an Institute.

Mail: window4job@gmail.com

Wanted Mechanical Engineers with min. 5 yrs experience. Apply with bio data to hr_oman1@yahoo. com, immediately.

Looking for Experienced Omani/ Expat Sales Executive for Web Application Sales.

Email mctjobs@gmail.com

Urgently required an Orthodontist with MOH to work at a reputed Dental Center in Muscat.

Contact 968 99694723, Email : dr.bdohc@gmail.com

Required Kitchen Designer – Outdoor Sales Consultant :Qualified candidates must have a work experience of min 5 years in Oman with a valid omani driving license. Interested Candidates please send in your CV’s to amritharajeev345@gmail.com

Sales Executives needed for marble & granite company with minimum one year experience with driving license. Good looking Indians only.

Email: anas@kenzostone.com / nabil@kenzostone.com

Required MEP Engineer with minimum Diploma or degree 5 yrs experience & with driving license.

Fax : 24478522, Email : gh1.careers@gmail.com

Wanted LAB Technician and female Nurse for a 25 years old poly clinic at Ibri candidates who have passed their prometric examination can also apply.

Contact 93828382 Email: zahrathalmahrami@gmail.com

Wanted Sales or Marketing Executive degree or master degree.

Interested can send C.V on hilat.tech@gmail.com or contact 98983951 / 98668697

Required SALESMAN for LAMIS in Avenues Mall, Bousher. Must be young, active and have own transport. Send CV to rahibco@hotmail. com or call 96218662

Required Commercial Assistant having minimum 3-5 years of FMCG experience for a leading FMCG company in Muscat. Having Omani driving license is preferred. Interested candidates may send their resume at sunnex3@gmail.com

MEDICAL

SALES / MARKETING

Looking for Qualified and experienced Sales Executives in industrial and mechanical field items & building materials. Please send your CV to slayhawk@yahoo.com Marketing Executive for printing press, minimum 2 years experience with D/L. Email: arshedkm@gmail.com Wanted Salesman with driving licence and car.

Gsm : 98805474 or email id: jobssales2015@gmail.com

SECRETARIAL / OFFICE Required female Office Secretary with well computer knowledge.

Send CV to nationalhvac.mep@gmail.com fax: 24799442 Qualified personal Secretary required to work in a private firm.

Please send your resume to majancom@omantel.net.om Wanted for immediate appointment : Male Secretary, HR Personnel with minimum 5 yrs experience for all posts. Apply with bio data to hr_oman1@yahoo.com immediately

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Urgently required an excellent grade construction firm based in Muscat has immediate vacancy for Marketing Executive minimum 5 years experience with D/L. Email your CV to info@omannc.com

ACCA finalist and BSc from Oxford Brookes University UK, having 18 months working experience, currently in Muscat on visit, seeking immediate and suitable position. Contact : 95375282

Required delegates female Marketers in Advertising. Car & experience are required. To contact only the afternoon time on - 94021722

22 years of experience in Multinational Companies & reputed firms in Financial Management, Project Management, Budgeting and Cost control, seeking a strategic Financial/Management Accounting role in a dynamic organization .

Contact : +971-506178139, Email.georg_vargis01@yahoo.com

Required promoter for promoting Perfumes in shopping centre please.

Contact 95663682 or send CV atugt15@gmail.com

Senior Accountant, 10 years experience in Oman on visit.

Contact 98897581.

FCCA- Qualified from UK with 9 years of experience in Big 4 & Top 30 UK firms. Currently working as Manager Finance & Accounts for more than 2 years. NOC available, please contact 9259 3748 12 years Oman experienced Chief Accountant looking for suitable placement. Contact 97385562 American B International relations seeking position in finance HR, Administration or any suitable position. Contact 95560225 Email: sanyieha@gmail.com Indian Male, 27 yrs MBA (Fin), SAP, 4 Yrs Exp in Finance Seeking Suitable Job with a Reputed Firm Currently on Visit Visa Contact No. 9535 6100 Looking for part time accounts job please contact:95573856 & 99183135.

Part time Accountant up to finalization looking for job after 5 pm location Qurum Al Khoudh.

Contact 92917574 Accountant / Accounts Assistant with 7 years experience in Indian accounts like taxation, finalization of balance sheet, good knowledge in Tally ERP9 & MS Office, Currently on visit visa looking for immediate joining. Contact 94362799 Accountant Indian male B.COM / MBA 9 years experience in Oman up to finalization. NOC available, can join immediately. Contact 94134085/ muscatoman95@yahoo.com CA with 8 years Experience (6 in UAE & Oman) in A/cs ,Finance & Audit ,Contact: :98707434 / casmart007@gmail.com SL Accountant male 5 years experience in Oman up to account finalization, accounting software’s tally etc having Oman driving license & NOC. Contact 95764075 Email: arshaad18@gmail.com Accountant: Indian Male 29 years, 7 years experience in Oman seeking suitable placement in Accounts, Administration, Purchase (Release Available) Ph. 97614351 Email:vijayapalanbinu.aniyan@ gmail.com Indian male 35 years M.Com, 8 years in Oman out of 13 years experience in accounts up to finalization having NOC and Oman D/L. Contact 98407501 Seeking for a job on Indian male aged 23 years qualification are BCA bachelor & computer application & accountant 1 years experience.

Contact 95386434 Email: mohammedshanid5@gmail.com CA Finalist having big four experience of more than three years seeking suitable position currently on visit visa. Contact 94663269 Email: rizwan_ravian@yahoo.com Accountant 25 years experience M.Com Accounts up to finalization 14 years in Oman. NOC release available. Contact 99640490 email: mathutb@gmail.com Indian male BBM 23 yrs having 2 yrs experience seeking suitable job in accounts, admin, HR, Operation Coordination logistics etc.

Contact 97623267

Accountant 35 years B.COM with experience in Oman urgently seeking suitable job Accountant/ Ass. Admin / HR valid driving license & NOC. Contact + 968- 99176112 Email : aamirjaved24@hotmail.com Indian Accounts / Audit assistant with 2 years of experience currently on a visit visa looking for suitable job openings.# 94677338, 97041086 Email: ajeeshkcy1989@gmail.com A Fresh ACCA Affiliate, Pakistani male, 24 yrs, open for positions of Accounts, Audit and finance.

Contact : 94541539 email: wasiqnasir_3@yahoo.com 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 22 yrs B. Com Graduate 1 year exp in Accounts, currently on visit visa. Looking for suitable job.

Contact – 94341848 / Email – mohdhaji7272@gmail.com Accountant: a well experienced Indian male, M.Com, more than 20 years experience in accounting field (GCC & India), looking for job as accountant or accounts manager in oman. presently working in India and ready to join immediately.

Contact :99087175 Indian female, 23 years B.Com Graduate having 2 years experience has accounts + office assistance , good working knowledge in tally, MS Office, SAP. Contact 97669156 Indian male 26 years, with 4 years experience in accounts and administration looking for suitable placement. Contact 93008891 Indian male, B.Com, Accountant – 6yrs exp in Oman, NOC availableReady to join.contact: 98162671 ; email: prasanths3@gmail.com Indian male 32 years M.B.A, 5 years experience as Accountant in Qatar and 3 years experience in Marketing and Purchase department valid Qatar license is advantage, seeking suitable placement. Contact 93011814 Mail: shajusr@yahoo.com Accounts part time works up to finalization, monthly report, balance sheet and finalization works.

Contact 96247295 Indian female 28 MBA (HR) B. Sc, 3+ years exp India & Oman HR/Admin looking for suitable placement.

Contact 95619537 Indian male, B.COM, currently in Oman on Visit Visa, Urgent seeking suitable Job Accountant / Administrative/ HR dept. have 6y. UAE experience, Valid Driving License, Knowledge of Internet ,Tally ERP9, Microsoft Office. MS EXCEL, immediately available. Contact -92718733 , Email : sahashankar@gmail.com B.com doing CA Accounts/ office job male now working in Oman Noc, release available. Contact 92715465 Email: alsabathehm@gmail.com Male, total 17 years experience in India & Oman - India - 9 years & Oman - 8 years In the field of procurement, material controller and accountancy - Local release available (Noc) Cont no. 91680124 , 98606546 Part time Accountant with 15 years exp in Accounts, finance, audit tax management. Contact 95857199 India Accountant: Male, M com, 7 Yrs experience in Accounts up to finalization, having knowledge of ERP, Tally, seeks suitable placement. Contact:93950138 Email: lijinrajan123@gmail.com B.Com India. Languages : English, Hindi & Malayalam.

Contact 92954613 Indian M.Com Finance exp 1 year now in visiting visa.

Contact 96970734 Accounting up to finalization, auditing & contact for tally ERP software Contact– 91720465 Pakistani male, 25 yrs, MBA Finance, 1.6 yrs exp in Accounts seeking placement in Accounts, Administration or Business Management. Contact 92651927 / 94250149 Female with MBA finance, financial and tax professional four and half years of experience seeks suitable opportunities in reputed organizations. Contact- 99792457 Email: msparveen1@gmail.com

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D5

DAILY GUIDE SITUATION WANTED ENGG. / TECHNICAL

IT

Indian Male, 25 yrs currently in Oman on visit looking for suitable vacancies in accounts, B.Com completed 1 yr experience.

Contact 92024380

Indian male 24 years, Mechanical Engineer,pdms.1 yr experience in pipeline,16years in oman seeking immediate placement Contact 95775742

Indian Male, MBA 2 yrs experience in Accounts, Admin & HR on visit visa. Contact 92045306

Telecom Engineer with 4.5 years Oman experience looking for a suitable opportunity, interested even in Marketing also. Possess valid Oman driving license. Contact 94145460

B.Tech IT Professional, Indian Male with 3 yrs of Exp. In System Admin, IT Support, Networking, Installing Active Directory, DHCP, DNS,RAS, configuring maintaining and managing servers, configuring cisco routers, Exp in handling SQL database, With Valid Driving Licence. Contact - 968 98863507

ACCOUNT. & FINANCE

Indian male, 32 years, M. Com. 7 out of 9 years experience in Oman in Accounts/finance. Having NOC and valid Oman D/L. #98277143, Email: anzarks@gmail.com Indian male- B.Com/B.Ed/15 years Exp – 5 in Oman, seeks job in Accts/Sales/Logistics have NOC and Oman D/L with car. Contact – 92919625/93511425/ 93424828; Email- seshadricpioman@gmail.com

ARCHI./ DRAUGHTSMAN Indian male, Autocad draughtman with 2 years of experience currently working in oman.seeking suitable placement.NOC available.#94123480 Email: fahadhundred@gmail.com Female Architect 3.5 years experience looking for job, having experience in Oman AutoCAD and sketch up. Contact 96146645 Email: anjuovil@gmail.com

ADVERTISING

CATERING

Indian Male, 28 years, have Omani driving license. NOC available, seeks job. Phone: 96245690

Indian cook, Tandoori cook, male, 32 yrs, having 4 yrs of experience in Muscat in India, looking for a cook job in Hotel. Contact 93753523 / 98744307 / 92175119.

ADMIN/HR Indian female with excellent communication skills, confident, dedicated to work and enthusiastic.

Knowledge about ms office. Has 6 years of experience in customer service, telecommunication, HR.Looking for immediate placement. Contact # 97348819

DRIVER Light Driver having own visa looking for job as driver.

Contact 92303692 Light driver looking for job.

Contact 96913836

Indian female 6 years experience in finance HR/ & Administration (M.Com) with Oman D/L or family joining visa. Contact 99796847 Email: rabitha.05@gmail.com

Light driver looking for job.

Contact 96694393

Indian male MBA 12 years exp with international exposure seeking suitable job administrative, HR management, sales & marketing, currently in Salalah. Contact 91233648 / 94667857 mail: kumar79vimal@gmail.com

Light driver with car available.

Contact 95520696

Indian male 32 yrs MBA.HR marketing, 6 yrs experience in FMGC products looking for a suitable job.

Contact 92954827 Over 14 years of Gulf experience in Admin /HR /Logistics, fluent in Arabic & English with D/L, looking for suitable position. Contact 95824598 Indian male, well experienced in Administration supervisory, business development, front office Administrations & good computer skills seeking Supervisory / Secretarial / Front Office Administrative jobs.

Contact 92145973 Email: ubaidpt99@yahoo.com

Driver available in Ruwi.

Contact 97460056

Light driver with car 7 yrs experience. Contact 91553628 / 95667138 Light driver 8 years experience in Oman. Contact 95927422 Light duty driver with 3 years experience in Oman +5 years in Saudi Arabia speaking Hindi Arabic English. Contact 96088707 Light driver job. Contact96756014 Light driver looking for job.

Contact 92791678 Light driver looking for job.

Contact 91376612 LV Driver- 2 yrs Exp-know English- Contact 95292064

DESIGNER Indian male having 2+ years Oman experience seeking suitable job opportunity...currently working as HR coordinator in a reputed company in Oman. Contact : 93671437 alluarun777@gmail.com Noc available Wanted job as Administrative, Assistant, Supervisor 10 yrs exp.

Contact 99014612 MBA Admin CRM exp female Indian.

Contact 92135280 Indian female B.Com with excellent communication available for immediate joining full time or part time in HR & Admin coordination.

Contact 98460262 Young Indian male with 5 years Muscat experience in admin, purchase & Masters from UK seeks placement. Possess driving license.

Contact 94400671 Indian male MBA 32 yrs having 10 yrs of exp seeking suitable placement in Admin/ HR/ Operations/ Coordination/ Logistics etc. Holding valid Oman D/L .Contact - 99054786

ARCHI./ DRAUGHTSMAN Indian male, 1 and half years experience in Indian, Using Total station, Auto level and Auto Cad , seeking suitable placement. Contact 95140761 / 99208290 Email: binu.brijiv@gmail.com Architect (B. Arch) 3 years experience in 2D/3D CAD and construction detailing for design consultancies seeking suitable position in reputed firm. Contact 99083386 Email: nitish.nadaraajan@gmail.com Auotcad knows 3D,REVIT, MAX Ph : 97103168 AutoCAD operator, Indian male 3 yrs experience in Auto CAD 2D & 3Ds Civil Draftsman, MAX and Photo shop, presently on visit visa seek suitable placement.Contact 91764358 Email: mohdsiraj02@yahoo.com

Modular kitchen designer with 4 years Bahrain /Dubai experience plus 10 years AutoCAD, 3D, Photoshop& 20-20 Fusion.

Contact -96467673, cristobabu@gmail.com Keralite Bachelor professional building designer with AutoCAD, 3D Max & Accounts. #96535497, email : bhaviwky90@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Seeking job Electronics and Instrumentation Engineer (Indian) Indian male, Instrumentation Engineer having total 5 years of experience in electrical site execution, 1 year in Uae,presently in oman (visit visa) seeking suitable job Contact. 95690915 Email. Syam.andrews@gmail.Com Aircraft Maintenance Technician with one year experience seeks suitable placement. Contact amaljohn2002@gmail.com B.Tech Mechanical Engineer (Automobile)&Diploma in QC with 2yrs experience in oil & gas company seek suitable placement job currently on Visit Visa. Contact no.96071081, 99214308 , Email: rahulvarikkat@gmail.com Sudanese Mechanical Engineer 11 years exp in oil & gas industry.

Contact - 95928035 BE/EEE Electrical Engineer Indian male 25 years having 2.5 years experience currently on visit visa looking for suitable placement.

Contact 00968-96522624 / 92770316 contact India +91- 9994024477 / 9597539520 Electrical Engineer Indian male 29 years, having 5 years of experience in Industrial Automation & utility maintenance in India (MRF Tyres) seeking suitable placement.

Contact 92789995 Email: akhilabrahamlktr@gmail.com

ENGG. / TECHNICAL Electrical Engineer (Indian) with 6 years experience in projects and maintenance having valid UAE driving license seeks suitable placement. Please contact: Ajay Haridas on mobile 00971528254782 or Haridas on 99558590 BE Civil Engineer, 4 years experience, 2 years in Oman consultancy ROP site, good computer and communication skills, valid Oman driving license. Looking for planning engineer job. Call - 94034153 Mechanical Engineer Indian male with one year experience also qualified in PDMS, Piping and NDT level two seeking suitable position currently in visit visa.

Contact 98698682 Email: arundevchandran@gmail.com Electrical Engg, B.E Indian male 1 yr exp on visit visa. Contact 93700848 Email: quizzu.26@gmail.com Indian male 35 years B.Tech Mech.

Engineer with 13 yrs experience in power plant Indian looking for a suitable opening in Oman. Candidate available in Muscat until 02-4-15.

Contact 95911614 / 99844868 Network Engineer, BSc Communications, 5 years exp, CCNA, VAS, Data Center, working now at Alcatel Lucent, visit visa. Contact 9126878 Electrical Eng diploma 12 yrs exp HV /LV - UG & OHL having NOC with valid Oman D/L & Mazoon CEP. Contact 96274568 Mechanical Engineer (BE) done process piping, PDMS, Q.C welding N.D.T course fresher on visit visa looking for job. Contact 97359171 Email: sayyedz097@ymail.com BE Petroleum Engineer - 23 years, 1 year exp (6 months offshore), previously done 2 onfield internships in Oman. Seeking suitable placement.

Valid HSE PDO passport and Oman driving license holder. Contact: 97384353, wnehri@gmail.com 11 and Half years experienced Civil Diploma holder seeks placement with D/L, CAD & site experience.

Contact 93420930 Civil Engineer having 4.5 yrs experience in building construction, looking for suitable placement valid D/L available. Contact 91253392 D.A.E Civil Engineer Pakistani male, Diploma 3 years full experience 10 years, 6 yrs exp in Oman & Pakistan exp 4 years looking for good job in firm. Contact 92286164 Civil Engineer B Tech, Site Engineer Experienced, Drafting on Visit Visa Ph : 91642050 Electrical Engineer looking for job NOC available. Contact 96347995 B/Tech B.E Civil nearly 3 years Indian male. Contact 93850875 Indian Male 10 years experienced CIVIL ENGINEER having Omani driving license looking for suitable placement. GSM 94194399 (Shiblyrock@gmail.com) Indian Female, 24, UK Graduate - MSc Digital Communication Network Engineering with B.Tech Electronics and Communication holding a Valid Omani Driving License, looking for suitable placement (Presently on Visit Visa).

Contact No. : 95408113 Civil Engineer Diploma and AutoCAD having 2 yrs experience in India seeking suitable jobs.

Contact 95476430 Civil Engineer having four and half years experience in building construction, looking for a suitable placement valid D/L available.

Contact 91253392 Generator maintenance in charge with 4 yrs experience with Cummins, caterpillar, kirloskar and voltas. Contact - email: shibinmundakkal@gmail.com Store In Charge: Indian male having 6 years experience in Oman seeking suitable position, Now in India Contact: 93211256, India:+91-76114979, krishnamohanap2000@gmail.com

BSc Civil Engineer over 19 years experience in construction field with project management skills, seeks suitable placement NOC available & can join immediately.

Kindly Contact: 92198264 Email: mdrana1970@gmail.com Looking Part time Job in HVACContact - 93198128 Quantity Surveyor (Civil Building) looking for Part time job Contact no:-94391712 E-mail addressinayathhussain@yahoo.com Indian male, having 10 yrs experience in CCTV (AV Technician), fire alarm, EPABX, all types of electrical work seeking suitable placement, presently on visit visa. Contact 97948198 / 99356393 Email: srinivasparipelli@yahoo.com Indian B.Tech Mechanical Engineer, 26 yrs, 4 yrs experience in HVAC/MEP. Contact 94669629, rajeevhpd15@yahoo.com Indian Mechanical Engineer 27 years experience in Oman for 8 years with Omani driving license looking for job change. NOC available. Contact 92986079 for short and long term contracts. Area of experience oil and GAS. Contact 92986079 Electrical Engg B.E 6+ yrs in Oman exp in ELP projects, LV , 11KV, 33KVOHL , UGC & DCRP requirements available with release/NOC valid D/L join immediately. Contact: 97601836 Email: sidm4u@gmail.com 25 years old Indian male BE in Electronics and Communication / NEBOSH presently working as Safety Officer in reputed company in India looking for suitable placement.

Contact India: 0091- 9605114343 Email: harishharinarayan@gmail.com Experienced female Electrical Engineer. Contact 93800906 Sudanese Electrical plants equipment Engineer with 3 years Diploma degree of Electrical Engineer have 5 years experience in building constructing industry operation installation maintenance asphalt crushers stone plants and automation systems. Contact 94549609 B. Sc Civil Engineer with 5 years experience and valid Omani driving license and PDO driving and safety license and OSHA safety license looking for suitable job.

Contact 92548097 Sudanese chemist resident, 3 years experience in chemical industry.

Contact 97399073 Sudanese Graduate with 3 years Diploma in Civil Engineering have 5 years experience in building construction industry materials, specification & testing. Contact 96995670 Civil Engineer (Diploma) with exp. looking for placement.

Contact 95200650 Diploma in Architect 2.5 years experience in Oman having driving.

Contact 92967404 Electrical Engineer B.E Engineer, 6 years experience in Dubai, Bahrain with G.C.C. professional licenses holding GCC driving license.

Contact 98063081 Email: imran.engr08@gmail.com .

Civil Engineer 4 years exp (3 in Oman as a Quantity Surveyor & planning engineer for road works & bridges in a big project) fluent in English & Arabic. Contact - 93477660 B.Tech electronics & instrument, Indian male having 4 years exp in oil & gas field one years experience in Saudi, looking for suitable vacancy.

Contact 98854946 Email: alfredtjose@gmail.com Civil Engineer with 12 years Experience Looking For Job. Contact 98162295 Project Engineer, civil engineer BSC, Building Construction 5 Years Exp in Oman fluent Arabic, English and good Hindi .Contact - 97858589 Indian Male, IT Support Engineer, 2 yrs in Oman & 5 yrs Indian experience. Contact 97311847

DAE (Civil) having 3.5 years Experience 2 years from Oman with driving licences, seeking for suitable position in Construction field NOC and release available . Contact 96968554 Email: mehranahmad26@yahoo.com 24 years Indian female diploma in computer science and engineering now on visit visa seek suitable placement. Contact 96314974/99107369 Electrical Eng. Degree (MEP) need suitable job of construction 12 yrs exp.

Email: mohd.ateeq.khan@gmail.com Mechanical Engineer, Gulf Exp in Design and Manufacturing Ph: 97097688 Diploma of Associate Civil Engineering, Diploma of AutoCad, having 3.5 yrs experience, 2 yrs experience of Oman in Building Construction, valid transferrable ID Card.

Contact 94378581 Indian male, 26 yrs B-Tech (ECE) with MBA in Marketing / HR looking for a suitable placement. Currently on visit visa valid up to 30 January 2015. Contact 93754428, email : shijosirius709@gmail.com

EDUCATION Indian Female (M.Com, B.ED) 2Yrs Experience in teaching seeks suitable placement . Specialization in ( Accounting, Business studies, Human resource management, Economics). Presently in Visit Visa Status. Contact:97342709, Email: sininair27@gmail.com 1 year experience in teaching all subject to KG classes, currently working as a teacher in Oman, seeking suitable placement, Family visa. Contact 92178304 / 99036256

HOSPITALITY Indian female (Aviation and hospitality management) with excellent communication skill, confident, dedicated to works and enthusiastic and 1 year experience in admin department looking for immediate placement .

Contact 93351256 email : hinakhan.hk88@gamil.com

IT Indian male BE/B. Tech in computers 2 years experience on DBA on visit visa. Contact :93048527 Indian male Graduate (BSc. IT) 25 years new on visit visa in Muscat.

1 year experience in Accounts looking for suitable position. # 95752827 Email: mhdfsrn@gmail.com

Hardware and Network Technician with 6 years experience one year in Oman, good experience in security systems and net work cabling looking for suitable placement..

Contact 96365220

MEDICAL Staff Nurse working in muscat.

Looking for new opportunity. Release / NOC letter available.

Contact 99433415 Female Dentist Indian, 28 years Dental Surgeon, 3 years of experience, Oman prometric passed with 64%, looking for a suitable placement in Muscat region. Contact 91377681 Email: hashmisarwat@gmail.com Pharmacist with MOH License and NOC available for placement in Hospitals, polyclinics, warehouses etc. either in Muscat or in and around Nizwa. Contact 99617610 Medical- Indian female, 27 yrs, masters in hospital administration, fellowship in HTA studied in a super specialty medical sciences and research center in India and done project in an established hospital in sultanate of Oman.

Contact 93200827, 91026506 Lab Technician, Civil (8yrs Gulf experience) looking for a suitable job (NOC available) Contact-93344378 Female pharmacist with 3 years experience and MOH license currently in Oman, CONTACT 92455124

MISCELLANEOUS Indian female 25, BFT with excellent communication skills, confident, dedicated to work and enthusiastic. 5 yrs experience in merchandising and fashion marketing. available on family visit, seeking for a suitable job. Contact 96990368, simmy.missy@gmail.com Logistics Officer, Experience in Store keeping. Contact : 99505934

MANAGER/ SUPERVISOR Business Development Officer cum Branch Head, young Indian male, MBA, around 5 years experience in reputed multinational company (MNC) looking for suitable position in Suwaiq, Sohar area.Contact 92700670 Email: fardhaan@gmail.com Indian male M.Tech MBA, 24 years experience working as Country Manager seeks employment.

Contact 92279972, NOC available.

BE. Mechanical Engineer with 2 years’ experience in Mechanical piping execution, Seek suitable placement job currently on Visit Visa, Contact no: 9843 9656, 9526 5739, Email: pavithomas@rediffmail.com

Male Omani National, 27 years, holding Master in IT - Computer Sciences Engineering (India) and Master in Robotic Intelligency (Spain), looking for a suitable placement.

Contact: 99211549.

Purchase Manager with 14 years experience in construction industry with valid D/L & NOC . Cont 92884811 Email: bati.rajesh@gmail.com

3G , 4G Welding lead man Indian male, 33 years, having 15 years experience in American company, UAE and India, seeking for suitable placement. Contact 92122468 Email: shaji11@gmail.com

Qualified Manager: (12+ yrs. Oman Exp.) Vast knowledge in A/c & Admin, Costing, Banking, Credit Control, Insurance, International Purchase/Logistics & Finance, With D/L looking for suitable position.

Contact 93826090 Email: jskanchan01@gmail.com

IT Support Engineer Indian male with 6 years experience in system Admin/ IT support seeking suitable placement. Contact 94549589 / 99817516 Indian male 25 B.Tech (IT) Engineer 2.5 yrs exp in hardware networking.

Currently on visit visa looking for suitable job. Contact – 94359564 IT Prof, MCA having 6+ yrs exp, seeks suitable position.

Contact 94543668

Restaurant /Catering Manager – Operations with 21 years experience with 2 years in Saudi is available on visit. Contact 98894682 Indian female with nine years of experience in 5 Star hotels as Assistant Food & Beverage Manager looking for a suitable placement in a reputed Star hotel. Contact: 91219787

SECRETARIAL/OFFICE

Indian male MBA (marketing & IT) with 1 yr exp looking for suitable placement presently on visit visa.

Contact 97327997 Email: irshad.alimc@gmai.com

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

Hardware specialist B.Tech M.Tech electronics with 10 years experience seeks suitable opportunities in reputed organizations.

Contact 91289459 Email: shrn.shrf@gmail.com

Indian female, well experienced in secretarial, administration, customer care & supervisory jobs.

5 years experience in Muscat.

Immediately available for joining.

Contact: 92139298

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DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED SECRETARIAL/OFFICE

SALES / MARKETING

MISCELLANEOUS

Indian male more than 10 years Gulf experience in Office / Sales Coordinator, Admin (employees visa processes), Secretarial and purchase coordination with good computer skills. Having Driving license and NOC available. Looking for suitable placement. Contact 99709336

Indian male, with 8 yrs exp in Sales Operations & accounts handling, expert in SAP & ERP applications seeks job. Contact 93345990

Indian male, 15 years experience in managing department stores, in Karnataka, India, looking for placement.# 93086105 or 99016546

Indian male 9+ years experience in GCC and Indian in hardcore sales and customer service looking for buffer opportunity, holding valid Oman driving license visit visa.

Experience shipping, banking, safety products (PPE) Contact : 97132606

Indian male, graduate with 7 years experience in hospitality industry, sales & marketing .M.B.A in human resource management. #92115860

SKILLED / UNSKILLED Welder, 3G, 6G, TIG, Exp in Fabrication , Gulf Exp Ph : 97103168 Care taker, Gulf Exp knows Hindi, Arabic Ph: 94238840

SALES / MARKETING Male 22, BFT Graduate seeking job as Merchandiser, Marketing.

Contact 98660360 Pakistani male MBA marketing 2 years experience need job in sales marketing export admin management sector. Contact 94009052 Indian Salesman having over 10 years experience in shop and outdoor; knows Hindi & Arabic; looking for opening in sales field.

Contact 94432608 15 years experience Indian male looking for job in storekeeper, counter sales having valid GCC driving license seeks suitable placement.

Contact 99052817 Indian M.27 B.Com, 5 yrs exp sales & customer relation, MS Word, MS Office, Excel on visit visa.

Contact 95612321 Email: jkadavil@gmail.com Indian male 25 yrs M.B.A having More than 2 years experience in sales & marketing good communication skills Looking for a suitable job.

Contact 92152913 email: May4senthil@gmail.com Young female, having experience of working in Oman with expertise in the field of Event Management, Advertising, Marketing and Hotel Management. Currently on a visit visa. Seeking for a suitable Job. Contact 96153578 MBA fresher, with fluency in English, Arabic, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam, looking for suitable job.

Currently in Oman on visit visa.

Mob : +968-93730345 Indian male 30 years DME 4 years experience in building material outdoor sales, NOC available with valid Oman D/L. Contact 92447574 Email: shijophilip84@yahoo.in IND M 29 2 yrs exp in dales in Oman seeks suitable placement in back office support, sales, store keeper. NOC available. Contact 91797372 Indian male 23 with 2 years Oman experience looking for suitable placement in sales and marketing.

NOC available with valid D/L. Contact 96392009 Looking for suitable placement in outdoor marketing field with 6 years experience valid Omani driving license. Abundant experience of local market can handle independently with positive attitude. # 99432807 Indian male 34 years, having 5 years experience in Saudi as Safety Officer looking for suitable jobs in this field. Contact 94349820 Indian Male having 7 yrs in experience in Oman Sales & Marketing Office Automation Printer, Copier, MFP, IT products & Stationery. Looking for Suitable Placement NOC Available Contact :9738474

Indian male, B.Com Graduate, good experience in purchase, worked in SAOC company seeks suitable position. Contact 93219971 18 yrs Oman experience in building materials seeking suitable placement, NOC available Contact 93105775 Indian Male, 7 yrs experience in building materials trading having Oman D/L, immediate release available. Contact 98676713 Indian male, B.Com, 20 yrs experience in Sales & Marketing having UAE light D/L looking for suitable post. Contact +91 9946699062, email : sajim40@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS MCA, MBA, CCNA, MCSE, Indian male with 10 years of experience, holding Oman driving license on visit visa seeks any suitable placement. Contact 92716116 / 91266535 Email: sijuayur@gmail.com Looking for job Tunisian Bachelor with experience 5 years in Network/IT. Cont.:91368102 South African Teacher – male – Teaching Diploma , B.A. (Hons), B. Admin (Hons ). 18 years experience – seeking a primary teaching post – grades 4 to 7 (8 to 12 years). Can teach all subjects at this level. On 30 day visitors visa. # 93341047.

E- mail nadgov@gmail.com Indian male, 14 yrs Experience in Maintenance & Supervisor in hotel (Electrical, Ac Mechanical & Plumber). Contact : 95253640 Accountant, Indian male 24 yrs, 2 years successful experience in Oman with Oman Driving License .

NOC Available. Seek a suitable opportunity. GSM : 9340 9315 7 Years successful experience.

ACCOUNTANT, Indian male,29 years. Presently working in Oman as a Senior Accountant with oman Driving license seek suitable opportunity. GSM: 97705854 Indian Male, 22 years, B.com graduate, Knowledge of Tally ERP9, MS Excel & MS word.Currently in Oman on visit visa, looking for suitable placement. # : 99894250 email: fouzishaque@gmail.com Australian Network Engineer, with 4 years exp, BE in Telecom MS in Network Sys worked as a Network/WiMax Eng well versed with Cisco devices, available on contact 92606921 Email: akalu987@gmail.com Sri Lankan, female, 25 years, Graduate in Management, possessing 6 years experience in banking, financial, administration and risk management. Currently on a visit visa seeks suitable immediate placement. Contact 93462521. wathsala.perera1@yahoo.com Indian male, 25 years, now on visit visa in Muscat. One year experience in accounts, looking for suitable position. Contact:95752827, Email id: mhdfsrn@gmail.com

Tunisian women looking for job, knows english, frensh, Italian and arabic. Contact: 91171838 Corporate Communication Professional, smart, quality English writing, double Masters, Oman exp in Corporate, Internal &Marketing Communication, CSR Programs, PRs, Ads, Events, Campaigns, Customer Relations. Immediately Available, Release. #91229392 Manager-Corporate Communications, pleasing personality, excellent English, Masters-Journalism, Mass Communication, Finance, expert in writing & publishing press releases, advertisements, website content, speeches, CSR, promotions, events. Immediate joining, NOC. # 91229392 Indian male, 25 years, now on visit visa in Muscat. One year experience in accounts , looking for suitable position.

Contact:95752827, Email id: mhdfsrn@gmail.com Indian Male 28yr age having 6year gulf+ Indian experience in HR field. Looking for suitable placement. Contact:97914340, Email: rajkv3086@gmail.com 30 years Indian male with hotel management degree, 02 years experience in F&B service at five star hotel in Dubai and 05 years in American 6 star cruiseliner as Butler . Currently in Muscat on visit visa. Contact 91075704 Senior Accountant Indian Male with 13 Year of Experience (7 years in Oman) in Accounts & Finance having valid Omani Driving License with NOC Available. Looking for suitable job. # 96001918 Indian Male, 27, Mechanical Engineer. HND, with exp. as Project coordinator in U.A.E, Valid GCC D/L, currently on visit, looking for a suitable position. Contact 97070427

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

Indian, Male, 43 years, Chartered Accountant, 18+ years of experience, looking for a change. Valid Driving License. Release available.

Contact: aurosun@gmail.com

Diploma in Fire and Safety Engineering. Have 3.5 years of experience as an Safety Advisor.

Having a valid Omani driving license is looking for job. For further information please contact me at 96896176872, 9689808527.

CIVIL Autocad Draughtsman Looking for part time job. #95218737 Indian female (B.A. B.ed) seeks suitable placement as fresher primary teacher.(Specialization in social studies, currently pursuing M.A in English).Presently in family visa status. Contact:99713864.

Email:poojaavn@yahoo.com 28 year Indian male Art specialist with 7.5 yrs of experience in Healthcare industries in AR analyst (US Based Project - M.BA., Finance) seeking suitable placement. Contact +91 9841906431, E-mail: aru1986k@gmail.com MBA fresher, with fluency in English, Arabic, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam, looking for suitable job. Currently in Oman on visit visa. Mob : +968-93730345 Indian Teacher Female with two years experience seeks suitable placement in Indian or Omani Schools currently on visit visa please contact 99436826. Email id :- ineshdsouza31@gmail.com

Indian male 28yr age having 6 years Gulf+ Indian experience in HR field, looking for suitable placement. Contact: 97914340, Email: rajkv3086@gmail.com MBA fresher, with fluency in English, Arabic, Hindi, Tamil & Malayalam, looking for suitable job.

Currently in Oman on visit visa.

Mob : +968-93730345 Indian male Executive secretary having vast experience in admin, logistics & procurement well versed with computer seek suitable placement. Contact : 99514286 B.tech Mechanical Engineer : Keralite bachelor with B. Tech looking for job in Oman with three year of experience ,on Visiting Visa. Contact no.-0096891296354, Email-manurpr88@gmail.com Indian Male more than 10 years gulf experience in Office / Sales Coordinator, Admin (employees visa processes), Secretarial and purchase with good computer skills. Having Driving license and NOC available.

Looking for suitable placement.

Contact 99709336 Indian male, 14 years Experience in maintenance & Supervisor in hotel ( Electrical, Ac Mechanical & Plumber ) mob : 95 25 36 40 27 years, Indian optometrist , female , 3years experience looking for suitable placement in Muscat. Contact : 92066532 mail: aradhanaarun88@gmail.com Sales manager (be-mech/mba) in oman since-2005; (omn-d/l); seeking immediate replacement in marketing and sales or, bdm profile, contact-96040977, kvmssn@gmail.Com ACCA+2.5 years of experience in Accounts, Bookeeping and Audit.

Looking for job in Accounts/Finance/Internal Audit. Also worked on Oracle R12, Tally, Quick Books and PeachTree. Gsm: 91717234 Email: xhoaib101@hotmail.com,

SITUATION WANTED SIT. WANTED Civil draughtsman expecting part time job.(civil infrastructure) and BBS. Contact :95914642 Indian Male 22 years, B.Com looking for suitable placement.

Contact no. - 99894520 email- fouzishaque@gmail.com

Planning Engineer 7 years of Experience in project planning and control in oil and gas, PDO & QP Approved Planner,PRIMAVERA6,B.Tech in Mechanical engineering from CUSAT Contactullasprabhakaran@yahoo.co.in, ph-00974 70230223

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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

TOURS

DRIVING

RENT A CAR *Classified Advertisement space booking with text, should be done till 12.00 noon for next day’s publication. * Subject to space availability

RENT A CAR

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DAILY GUIDE

Email: dailyguide@timesofoman.com Tel. 24726666 Ext: 413 / 430 431 / 456 / 461 Fax: 24812624

SITUATION WANTED SERVICES

WEBSITE

MATRIMONIAL

COMPUTER

Alliances invited for a girl hailing from middle class RCSC family Palai diocese 26 yrs, 165cm GNM working as Staff Nurse in AliGarh Govt Medical College Agra. Email : rajuparakkattu@rediffmail.com Contact 00919605177333 / 00968 99352529 Kerala Malankara Catholic girl 28/155 GNM, MOH Oman looking for suitable match from Muscat / Kerala (Pta dist) M4 ID 4002623.

Contact 96708960 / 95338210 Keralite Ezhava girl BSc Nurse wheatish Bharani Nakshatram 28 yrs, 160 cm working with MOH seeks suitable alliance from Keralite professionals in Muscat.

Contact 94273585 Keralite RCSC parents invite alliance from RCSC boy Graduate Post Graduate 26/29 their daughter 23/167 B. Tech. Contact 97112038 / 24493497

CLASSES

32 yrs old Nadar Executive is working in Oman for last 8 years require bride from same caste.

Contact 95892831 Alliance seeking from Hindu Keralite girl for a widower age 47 yrs having female child (10 yrs) working in automotive corporate Muscat as Manager. Contact 96082694 / 99379956

WEB, ERP and Business Intelligence (BI) creation and management at rock bottom price.

Contact: http//webviewoman

BUSINESS

MANPOWER

Alliance seeking from Menon/Nair parents of professionally qualified grooms for a B.Tech graduate girl hails from Palakkad (23, Makeeram – 1 dosham), presently working in Dubai and staying with parents.

Please contact +968-92146800.

Preference to Palakkad, Trichur & Malabar side boys.

Split & window unit A.C servicing & repairing. Contact 99557080 Window & spilt unit A.C servicing & maintenance. Contact 96236476 Grade -1 tender board construction LLC Company looking for joint ventures on a larger scale or partners who can invest 70% of the capital.

Email: civilprojects57@gmail.com

GOOD NEWS

Keralite Syrian Christian Parents seeking alliance from any Syrian Christian Denominations Graduated working girls preferably in Oman or UAE for their son MBA 29/175-born brought up in Muscat working in a reputed organization.

Contact 97226324 email: m4proposal@yahoo.com

B.tech Mechanical Engineer, Keralite bachelor with B.tech looking for job in oman with a year of experience on Visiting Visa.

Contact no.-0096891296354, Email-manurpr88@gmail.com

Cheapest prices all types window, curtains and Blinds.

Contact 99539521

Canadian Manpower Co. Recruiting Construction, Hotel, Medical, Gas & Oil Staffs - 2 years contract, work visa, tickets, accommodation.

Free recruitment. Please send CV to margholdingoman@yahoo.com, www.margholdingimmigration.com, 93392630 Available construction workers, hospital staff with Oman parametric, housemaids Indian, Uganda.

Contact 9629417/98408488 Email: alkubratrading@gmail.com

Part- Time Accountant, well versed with all accounting, Finalization, Budgeting available.

Contact : 98803439 Sr. Sales Manager (BE/MBA) 9 yrs in Oman; (GCC/omn-d/l); seeking immediate replacement in mktg, sales or, bdm profile, # 96040977, kvmssn@gmail.com

GUARANTEED CLEANING: Carpet & sofa shampooing, Contact 99314807/24792998

Air conditioning split A/C, Ducted split & package A/C, maintenance & installation. Contact 98667326

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

SITUATION WANTSIT. WANTED

AC service repair and maintenance.

Contact 95356877

MARBLE CRYSTALLIZATION restore the original shine of your marble. Contact 24793614/ 99314807

We are looking for a Muslim Girl for our son interested parents or daughter May. Contact 97664009

Male Nurse Keralite Christian RC Boy, Age 28 Years, Inviting Proposals. Contact: 93657535

NRI

TRANSPORTATION Pick & drop anytime in al Khuwair.

Contact 99764307

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 Ayurvedic treatment for joint pain, backache, paralysis massage, steam bath, obesity, spondylitis IDEAL , CARE Ayurvedic Clinic 18 November street, Azaiba. Contact 99639695 / 99117987 Ayurvedic treatment for backache, paralysis, arthritis etc & massage, All Season (Vaidyaratnam). Contact 24475280 / 95371554 / 92504980 , www.siddhayur.com 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

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A/C maintenance split A/C servicing.

RO. 10 only. # 94217681/ 99210141

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Transportation available.

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Brand new 3BHK for sale, 4 cents, 1600sq ft, vastu based contemporary style with modular kitchen house in Thirumala, Trivandrum.

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Pick & Drop any time.

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